Ashes and Embers

by Bronycommander

Rating: teen
Tags: Drama, Original Character, Bat Pony, King Sombra, Adventure, Violence, Princess Celestia, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Other
Length: 10957

When two worlds collide an innocent pony has to fight a war that isn't his to find his way home. But as he tries to solve the mystery of how he ended up in the alternate world he begins to question everything.

Two worlds, nearly identical yet still vastly different from each other. One Equestria is war-torn and filled with hatred, whilst the other is a land of peace and happiness for all who reside there. Two worlds that should never have collided, but were brought together by powerful dark magic.

A Lunar Guard from a peaceful Equestria is forced to fight in a war that isn't his, against the Crystal Empire's tyrant ruler King Sombra and the mysterious bat pony mare by his side. Bringing down the two evil ponies holds the key to finding his way back home, and closing the rift between the two worlds before more ponies end up on the other side. Yet at the same time, a mystery presents itself to him, and he finds himself questioning everything he has been taught about both versions of Equestria...

A spin-off story based on the Tales of Shadows and Stars series by Angel Midnight

Published 2021-08-12 03:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-12-16 13:24:31 UTC

Chapter 1 disturbance

Chapter 1: Disturbance

The green unicorn stallion’s ears twitched at a slight ringing sound. He slowly and tiredly opened his eyes, yawning. A hoof went over his alarm clock to turn it off before stretching himself.

“Duty never ends.” He said to himself as he walked out of his bedroom for breakfast.

“Good morning, Fletcher!” A female voice called out, seeing a fiery navy-blue coat with matching eyes and flowing silver mane waving friendly at him.

“Morning, Wolf.” The stallion greeted back, having a seat, A yawn greeted his and Wolf’s ears. A bat pony stallion with a grey coat and pure white eyes entered the room as well. “Good morning, Midnight.”

“Same to you. Slept well?”

“Sure thing I did.” Fletcher smiled back, the mare nodded.

“Then, let’s dig in.” Midnight suggested with a smile himself.

Fletcher lit up his horn to reach for a bun and butter as she asked his friend, “So, anything new to report?”

After taking a sip of coffee, Fletcher’s superior shook his head. “No, according to Luna, things are quiet recently, so we have some time for ourselves.”

Fletcher grinned. “Glad to hear it. I think a certain group of foals missed us.”

His friends smiled too. They continued to enjoy their meals.

A happy sigh escaped the unicorn’s mouth. Having satisfied his hunger, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, his blue, pupil-less eyes fixed on the mirror.

His blond mane was slightly messy, as was his green coat, but nothing a brush and quick shower couldn’t fix.

Then the three boarded a boat to the mainland, leaving their castle and island home behind. They’d be in Ponyville before nine o’clock.

Going to shore, the friends went their own ways. Fletcher headed to a certain house in the town of Ponyville, knocking on the door.

It opened to reveal a periwinkle-grey unicorn filly, a big grin forming on her face. “Uncle Fletcher!” She wrapped her hooves for a hug around him, which he returned.

“Happy to see you too, Dinky.”

“I was just about to go to school, wanna come with me?” Hope was in the foal’s eyes, causing the stallion to chuckle.

“I’d love to.”

Smiling, the filly went to her room to grab her school bag, Fletcher gave her parents a friendly wave as he saw them in the kitchen before joining the young, excitable unicorn on her way.

While en route to school, the residents of Ponyville greeted both with smiles, which they returned. Some ponies gave Fletcher a respectful or playful salute, as he wore his lunar guard armor. Not that he minded. The many years as Eternal Knight of Luna caused him to treat his armor like a second skin at times and to be very aware of his surroundings, so he often wore his armor and carried his bow and quiver of arrows with him even if off-duty. Today was one of those days when he kept his precious bow with him.

“Ah, fine morning to you, Fletcher.” A female voice said and his eyes turned towards a cobalt blue unicorn mare with scarlet eyes and dark red mane, smiling warmly at him. Next to her was a colt with the same coat but dark brown eyes and a ginger/orange mane.

“Same to you, Blue and Tungsten. Slept well?” He asked in return and Tungsten grinned.

“You bet!” he exclaimed cheerfully.

They joined Dinky and Fletcher, also greeting other residents on their way to the school building.

“Okay, here we are, Dinky. I’ll see you later and remember, have fun!” Her uncle reminded her, which she acknowledged with a happy nod.

Both he and Blue watched the foals entering the building. His ear twitched at a quiet sigh escaping from the mare. “I really can’t thank you enough, Fletcher, that you vouched for me.” Her lips formed a weak smile, which he returned.

“It’s nothing, I only did what is right.”

“But as an Eternal Knight, you get called when there's no second chance for somepony.” She pointed out with slight awe and he lowered his head.

“True.” His voice was one of empathy, “But, I saw a lot of families separated throughout my years and learned how some ponies are good on the inside, despite not seeming so great on the outside.” He then looked up again, his forming a weak smile. “When I saw how much you cared for your son, I knew he should not pay the price.”

“Righto…And I think after all you did, you earned it to have somepony like Dinky.” Now, the mother sounded proud, making him blush.

“What can I say? She grew on me. And I guess it’s nice to have a place to go if I need a break or anything.” He admitted.

“Yep. Now, enjoy the day, Fletcher.” Blue suggested as they went on their ways.

The Royal Guard decided to take a stroll through town, doing a little window-shopping to pass the time, returning each warm smile and greeting sent his way, then headed to a meadow near the outskirts of the town, lying down on the grass to relax. He felt the sun’s warmth beating down, and sighed.

Closing his eyes, the stallion thought about the events that had happened in the past. Doing a small good deed by finding Dinky when she was hopelessly lost, resulting in becoming her uncle and seen as a hero by other ponies. Then sometime later, he helped Blue to stay with her son, also trying to do good.

It seemed only natural to do his duty and good deeds yet…he wondered sometimes if this was meant to be his fate or if there was something more that he was supposed to be doing with his life.

“Sorry I am late today, Fletcher.” His train of thought was stopped by a male voice. He opened his eyes to see a ghostly stallion of a tall, lean build standing next to him. On closer inspection, his body seemed to be set aflame, a faint sight of royal guard armor under it.

“It’s okay, Ifrit, I've got some spare time today.” Fletcher replied and Ifrit nodded. He was a spirit who came to assist Fletcher during one of his missions, his origin a mystery, yet his help in advice and indirect combat proved to be very effective.

“Okay then. Still, you shouldn’t think about the past too much. You did it out of honor, something you can be proud of.” The spirit reminded him.

“Of course…I just wonder at times if this was fate or caused by something else…”

But before he could finish his sentence, his ears twitched at a strange whirring sound. “What the?” Fletcher got up to look around.

Just a few meters away from him was what he could only describe as a ‘rip’ or a ‘hole’ in the space around him. It was of a green color, purple mist flowing from it. A… a portal? He furrowed his brow. Portals didn’t just open and close on their own, which meant that either somepony nearby had opened it - perhaps that Discord - or somepony was going to walk through it in a moment. But there were very few ponies who would know how to open a portal, so who was it?.

“What-“ His mind had not a chance to react as lightning came out of the portal, hitting him.

A scream of pain came from Fletcher, every nerve burning in his body.

He panted in exhausting as the pain slowly left him, his version blurry, struggling to stand.

Faintly, he saw a figure of an Alicorn in front of him. “What the-” It said, surprised and he recognized the voice.

“L-Luna… Your. H-highness…” His voice was weak. Everything faded to black.

Thousands of miles away, a small bat pony with a green-blue coat and a purple mane was in distress. Moonlight Amethyst Shade was not a normal pony by any stretch of the imagination. In her life she had met a lot of ponies, become quite a proficient magic user and even grown used to the changeable nature of the dream realm, but she knew the difference between an ordinary dream and one that had been interfered with by magic.

Watching in horror, her purple eyes looked frantically around to spot a grey unicorn stallion dressed in armor and a royal cloak stood not too far away from her in a snowy landscape. King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire and the one pony who mattered to her more than any other in her life. The sky was covered by a blanket of dark clouds and a storm was raging. Another image flashed before her eyes: a tall snowy Alicorn whom she recognized as Princess Celestia, writing something in what she believed to be ancient runes on a blank stone wall with a piece of chalk. An explosion of bright blue light followed, and an unknown pony's silhouette appeared in the centre, carrying an old-fashioned bow and a quiver of arrows with them. Then, she watched as Celestia whispered something to a green unicorn stallion with a sandy colored mane.

The scenery changed again, to show a bitter fight breaking out in the streets of the Crystal Empire. The unicorn stallion with the bow and arrows was aiming at her lover. She wanted to use magic to block the attack but before she could do so, she found herself surrounded by black crystals: crystals that could only have been created by dark magic. An arrow flew straight towards her lover

“Sombra!” The mare screamed at him to move out of the way, before bolting upright in her bed, her purple mane and dark green-grey coat covered in cold sweat, saving herself from imagining a terrifying possibility. It's not real. It's not real. It's just a dream. It's not real.

"Damn you, Celestia!" She shouted just to calm herself down. It helped a little to remember the most basic things about herself. Her name was Moonlight. She lived in the Crystal Empire. Shade was in love with King Sombra, despite everything he’d done to others. The mare hated Celestia, and had done so for most of her life. Being so close to one of the most disliked criminals in Equestria made her life interesting to say the least, and the only thing that stayed constant was her fight against the Princess of the Sun.

There was a knock at the door. "Moonlight," She heard a stallion call out.

"Can’t this wait until the morning, Sombra?" Shade asked with a yawn as he walked in, a worried expression on his face.

"No. You and I were in a shared dream, but a third party separated the two of us and I was forced to participate in a rather unsettling nightmare. An odd unicorn stallion with a bow and arrows was trying to attack us."

"Wait, did you just say-" Her brain tried to process the answer, an expression of confusion and slight panic forming on her face. "I had the same dream. We were in separate dreams, but the same things happened to both of us. How is that even possible?!"

"I used the same technique when I first started looking for ponies to assist me with my conquest of the Crystal Empire. That is how I found you, actually. But it takes a great deal of powerful magic to do something like that." Her lover tried to explain in a calming voice. She shook her head at him.

“What is it, my little bat?” he asked

“You're seriously using the fact that somepony has been visiting and messing around with our dreams to boast about your own magic and your ego? My goodness, what have I got myself into here?!" she joked.

In response, the unicorn lowered his head. "I apologize. You're correct - this could be a dangerous situation. We need to get a good night's sleep, and in the morning we need to find out who or what interrupted our dreams."

"Ok, Sombra."

"I shall see you in the morning." He turned away before his ears perked up at the sound of her lover’s voice.

"Sombra?"

This caused him to turn around, looking at her and raising an eyebrow, as her eyes darted around in nervousness,

"Could - um, I - could you stay with me until the, uh, morning?"

He smiled. "Why, of course, my beautiful little bat. If you are worried, then I will be more than happy to ensure that you feel safe." He walked back into the room. Shade made herself comfortable under the covers as he wrapped his forelegs around her middle. Moonlight was happy, knowing that he's able to protect her from any nightmares, letting out a sigh.

But despite being taught by King Sombra in the ways of mind and dream magic, she wasn’t immune to having doubts and fears. Always in the back of her mind was that little bit of doubt in her lover. It wasn’t the same sort of fears that other ponies had whenever the name ‘Sombra’ was mentioned. It wasn’t that she thought he would use dark magic to harm her or control her. She just wondered whether he would always be there for her, and whether or not she was strong enough to protect him from the likes of Celestia if ever she needed to.

Author's Note

An idea that popped in after reading Angel's stories and I thought, why not?

Chapter 2 Adapting

Chapter 2: Adapting

Groaning, his head aching, Fletcher came to. He struggled to remember what had happened. He had been in the park and then... What had happened? Looking around, he found himself in what looked like an infirmary, but not the Ponyville General Hospital. He was on a hospital ward like any other. A monitor was beeping at the same time as the drumming of his heartbeat in his ears. A warm, soft white blanket covered him. His Lunar Guard armor and bow had been left on his bedside table, although his quiver of arrows was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah, you woke up.” His ears twitched as he heard a familiar female voice. A tall dark blue Alicorn walked into the room, relief showing in her cyan eyes.

“Your Highness, Princess Luna, I-” The stallion tried to salute but his foreleg was shaking. Princess Luna raised a hoof to stop him.

“I appreciate your respect but you are still weak. Save your strength.” She advised him.

“Okay, Luna, as you wish.” He replied with a smile, although her expression changed to one of confusion.

“Pardon my manners, but... how do you know me? You speak as if we should know each other well, but I'm afraid we've never met."

"I-" This caused Fletcher’s eyes to grow wide. “What do you mean, we’ve never met?!”

She shook her head. “I have difficulty remembering everypony’s names and faces. Perhaps we have met each other once or twice, but I can’t think of any occasion when we may have crossed paths.”

“I-” Fletcher was taken aback by this. How was it possible that Luna had no memory of him? Maybe this was a dream, and the mare standing in front of him wasn’t actually Luna. It made more sense than the other possibilities, but judging by the amount of pain he was in, this was very, very real.

Um, I… How d-did I get here, Princess?"

"You appeared before me in a bright flash, then lost consciousness. I decided that the hospital would be the best place for you to be."

Flash?! What does she mean? Did something happen whilst I was teleporting? But that wouldn’t explain why Luna doesn’t remember me. Teleportation and mind magic are completely different. Unless… He jumped to another possibility, but yet again began to second-guess himself. No, how could she not be the real Princess Luna? Unless she had been replaced by a changeling, there’s no way that she’s an impostor… No, that’s not possible either… He was grasping at straws now and panicking slightly at the frightening scenarios his wild imagination was thinking of.

“She speaks as though she was made for the throne...Do I smell treachery...or just calamity?” Ifrit sounded in his head, slightly mocking, though Fletcher was too confused to care at the moment.

“Well, I am one of your elite guards, Your Highness,” Fray explained to her, his voice shaking slightly. “In fact, I have been for many years.”

“I see. Be assured, Fletcher Fray, my sister and I will do everything we can to get you back home. But for now, rest and gather your strength,” the Princess of the Moon advised him. He nodded.

Then a unicorn with a white coat, a pink and white striped mane and blue eyes walked in. Her cutie mark was a notepad. “Mr. Fletcher Fray, I am Nurse Candy. Can I get you anything?” She asked.

“Can I have a glass of water, please?" He asked. She did as she was told, taking only a moment. It tasted fresh and soothed his dry throat.

He found out from Nurse Candy that he had to wait until noon before he could leave, and he spent his time wisely, thinking about what had happened to him. The first time he had travelled from one world to another, it had been to rescue a filly who had been transported to another dimension by accident. Clearly, the same thing had happened to him. But there were a few crucial questions: why was there a rift between the two worlds, and why had he ended up here and not some other pony who had never travelled between worlds before? Was it a coincidence, or... something else?

Once he had been dismissed by the doctor, Fletcher took advantage of his opportunity to stretch his legs, taking a stroll through Canterlot to see if it was any different to the Canterlot that he knew. All of the architecture, the stores and houses seemed exactly the same and he wasn’t entirely sure whether to be relieved or unsettled by that fact. What he took notice of very quickly, however, were the anxious expressions on many ponies' faces. Like something bad had happened, or they all feared it would happen soon.

“Did you hear what happened at the Crystal Empire?” One worried mare asked another s they passed him, catching Fletcher's attention.

“Yes, I heard the Elements of Harmony were betrayed, the Empire's defenses destroyed. Makes me fear about those poor ponies that are enslaved by King Sombra.”

Crystal Empire? Sombra?! Fletcher could still remember having heard the news back then when it happened in his universe, although he was busy at the time. Frankly, he was glad that Twilight and her friends had succeeded; for him and his friends, it was one less evil to worry about.

And yet, he knew now that in this universe, it had failed. A slight feeling of worry rose in him too, wondering what this could mean for him as he took a deep breath. It wasn’t his war to fight, but he might still end up fighting, and the thought of those ponies-

“Excuse me, sir?” A voice interrupted his thoughts. He saw a Solar Guard in front of him. “Are you Fletcher Fray?”

“Yes, I am.” He replied in a neutral voice.

“I was ordered by Princess Celestia to find you and take you to her. If you would please follow me.”

The Eternal Knight did without hesitation, knowing that this was important and hoping they could find a way home soon for him. He could still remember the worry of his friends when he suffered similar problems before. But now, he feared more for little Dinky’s wellbeing, that she would not miss him too much. He knew how much of an emotional strain it could be.

Upon arriving in the throne room, Fletcher saw both princesses watching him, Luna had a weak smile but Celestia’s expression was neutral, perhaps slightly wary. Out of respect, he bowed.

“Rise,” Celestia spoke, her voice calm and even neutral. “You are the stallion my sister told me about?”

“Yes, your highness.” Fray stated honestly, yet felt slightly unsettled by her apparent suspicion, though it was understandable, given he was foreign.

“Princess Luna told me about you, my condolences. Yet, it may be of some good news for you, that I found out what caused you to land here.” She turned to Luna. “Sister, could you please give us some privacy?”

The younger Alicorn hesitated for a moment before nodding. “As you wish.”

Fletcher watched after Luna until she was out of view.

“So, Luna told me that where you are from, you are one of her elite royal guards?” she sounded curious and he nodded.

“Yes, I am.” For some reason, a feeling of unease overcame him, unsure why she asked.

“Then, I might have some use for you.” The Princess stated, “You may or may not already know this, but the Crystal Empire has been enslaved by King Sombra. You see, it was all thanks to a traitor in my sister’s guard. My investigations revealed that it was Sombra’s dark magic that brought you here.” She explained.

“And?” Fletchersaid irritably. He wanted to know what the point of this conversation was, yet at the same time he didn’t like where it was going.

“If his magic was able to cause a dimensional accident and bring you here, I think I must take drastic actions.”

It clicked in his head. “You mean?”

A sigh escaped Celestia’s mouth. “A assassination. I don’t like it myself but given those circumstances, I have no other choice. If they caused a dimensional incident that caused you to land here, I can’t afford others to suffer similarly. This threat must be eliminated as soon as possible. Diplomacy is no option here. After that, I can fully focus on helping you to find a way back to your universe.”

She waited for his response, as he seemed lost in deep thought about it.

“Your chance to serve the one true princess at last. I feel as though I've waited an eternity for this.” Ifrit advised him.

“Okay but something doesn’t look right.” Fletcher was distrustful, yet knew his answer.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Very good. Transportation has been cut, so you will be brought in close with an airship but the rest, you have to do alone.”

The Eternal Knight nodded, yet had a bad feeling about this.

It seemed…wrong.

Just what did I get myself into?

Chapter 3 mission

Chapter 3 mission

Without a word, Fletcher followed a guard to a landing platform, where an airship was being prepared for him.

“Okay, the flight will only take a day but due to the storms, you will have to take the rest of the journey on your own. That could take you anywhere between two and five, depending on how close we can get.” The pilot explained.

Fletcher just nodded, staying silent. Inside, the airship was very basic. There was a cabin for flight control with all needed base equipment for navigation, the walls had a dull grey color, with the small crew quarters being composed of steel beds, not that Fletcher minded.

The flight itself was quiet as well, with him helping the pilot with maintenance work if needed.

But in his mind, the stallion was conflicted. He had done plenty of wet work before but this…felt wrong. It was not his war to fight, and to take a life of a different universe to alter the balance of the war wasn’t right.

He knew what was about to happen, what he was about to do. Did he have any doubts? Any private, traitorous thoughts? Perhaps, but he didn’t say a word.

“Sorry but you have to get out now, I can’t get you any closer.” Fletcher startled slightly as the voice of the pilot tore him out, yet nodded and rappelled down into the snowy mountains, noticing that the sun was setting.

Having been provided with a winter coat for the cold and provisions for the journey, he made his way indicated on a provided map, alert of any wild animal.

However, the start of his journey proved to be lifeless, setting up a tent with heater to rest the much colder night, knowing that it would not be well for his health if he continued.

His sleep was peaceful, and for a few minutes after waking he thought of his friends, hoping that they were not too worried for him.

With the morning sun shining through the tent, he yawned and breakfasted, being on his way again. The only threat was the steady cold creeping through him but his winter coat kept him warm.

But despite the freezing environment, Fray could not help but admire the mountainous terrain he had to travel through. It had a certain beauty that hid its deadly nature, the cold that barely anypony could survive.

It reminded him of the mission where he had to save Dinky and her friends in the Russian winter of 1941, barely having avoided becoming victim of the deadly cold of -40 degrees, had it not been for Ifrit.

As if sensing his worry, Ifrit’s voice sounded again, “Don’t worry, Fletcher, I got your back.”

The snow never seemed to stop, lying heavy on his shoulders, but the Eternal Knight pushed on, taking regular breaks to stay warm. He could not remember the last time he had a mission in such an environment in Equestria. Still, having been born with an interest in exploration, he was experienced with cold environments, so it was not much of a problem for him.

The sun barely shined through the snow, making it tricky to know what time it was.

As the end of the second day approached, a weak smile formed on his lips. The Crystal Castle was visible in the distance, meaning he was not far away now.

Despite still a bit sleepy in the next morning, Fletcher wasted no time to get towards the Crystal Empire as soon as possible, yet watched his energy, still taking breaks to preserve it.

His eyes noticed the odd color of the sky around the Empire, auburn. A slight shiver went down his spine, taking a deep breath as he knew this wasn’t normal.

Here we go…no turning back.

Fletcher stumbled a bit in surprise as the warmth of the empire crept through his body, quickly removing his winter coat to avoid overheating, then moved into a nearby alleyway to remain hidden.

Due to his experience, it was easy to move from alley to alley, cover to cover to stay unseen yet noticed that the citizen did not look particularly fearful. While their coats and manes were not as bright as he remembered from his visits to the Crystal Empire in his world - a sign that something was amiss and the light and love that powered the Crystal Heart was not as strong - the citizens were happy chatting and going about their daily lives as if nothing was wrong. Odd, he thought to himself.

There were some crystal guards patrolling, Their silver armor made them easy to spot and avoid.

However, Fletcher stopped briefly at the sight of a guard dressed from head to tail in black armor, with spikes along the back and on the shoulders. Its head was covered entirely by the helmet, glowing green slits where the eyes were supposed to be.

It took only a second for Fletcher to realize what this glow meant. Mind control.

He was once told by his relative Wagensroll, that when Starlight Glimmer attempted to change the past, one alt-universe was that Sombra forced his Crystal Pony subjects to launch an all-out war on Equestria, with the soldiers using that exact armor.

“H-hey, anything to report?” The regular guard asked with unease in his voice, trembling slightly.

“Nothing to report.” The black-armored guard replied, his voice emotionless.

“Those mind-controlled guards are probably more skilled than the regular due to the dark magic controlling them. Proceed with caution, Fletcher.” Ifrit warned him.

The archer knew his target location, the king and his ally would undoubtedly be located at the castle.

Finding a dark alleyway with a good view of it, his eyes went up to see a pony who he assumed was King Sombra and what mare on a balcony, but the distance made it impossible to make out any details. They seemed to overlook the empire.

An easy shot, yet it could be a trap. But again, this might be my only chance.

Fletcher took a deep breath, taking aim, there was no turning back as he took aim with an arrow.

Exhaling, he fired, watching as his arrow flow towards the heads of his target.

It would be quick and painless, and the war he had been dragged into would finish, and he’d be able to go home.

The arrow hit its intended mark, causing Fletcher’s eyes to go wide.

It flew right through them.

“What the?” Before he could proceed it, both ponies vanished in a purple flash and several hoof steps greeted his ears.

“Move in!” Several guards surrounded him, all armed with spears that had a blue tip, many of them wearing the black armor with spikes, some others stood on rooftops, armed with bow and arrow like him.

“Lay down your weapon and surrender, there is no need for violence.” One of the regular guards yelled at him. “The King will be merciful.”

Fletcher carefully looked around, considering his options.

Quick as lighting, he shot several arrows on the nearest guards, they screamed in pain before falling twitching to the ground, the spiked armored once struggled a bit before collapsing. The arrows broke in two upon impact.

They were non-lethal arrows, easily noticeable as the tips were colored in dark blue, working like a stun gun. The guards were only doing their job and he wouldn’t kill them for it, while the masked ones not in control of their actions.

Ducking to dodge an arrow fired at him, he returned it, taking three archers out in quick succession, then switched to his spear to block a strike from a regular guard, clashing spears, both pushed for dominance.

His opponent was way stronger, slowly managing to push him down. Yet the knight reacted quickly, his horn glowed and fired a stun spell, making the guard stumble. With a cry of pain, he got pushed to the ground by Fray.

Fletcher did his best to dodge and counter but he knew the guards outnumbered him and he was not sure how long he could last.

Suddenly, the guards stopped their attacks, yet kept him surrounded and he tensed himself for what would come next.

“Above you!” Ifrit warned and out of the corner of his eye, the green stallion noticed a batpony in the same black spiked armor- except for the helmet - diving towards him. Having only seconds to spare, he rolled out of the way before blocking her strike, her sword and his spear clashing.

“I’m impressed, Fletcher Fray, but I’m not going to let you fight. You can still surrender, you know.” The mare spoke softly. He noticed for the first time the deep contrast between her dull green fur and her bright purple eyes. She smiled sincerely, although he suspected that it was just an act to earn his trust. “You’ll be treated fairly, you have my word.”

Yet, before Fletcher could form any reply, Ifrit appeared behind him, firing a garish spell. As expected, the mare cried out in pain, allowing Fray to push her back.

But she recovered quickly, attempting to strike back, which he blocked with effort. Again, they clashed and the mare, to his surprise, spoke up.

“I’m so, so sorry about this.”

His brain had no time to process this sudden response, as suddenly, he felt a great searing pain in his head. He clutched it and screamed. Somehow, despite the pain, he managed to look up, his eyes becoming small. He found himself in a burning forest. “No…this can’t be…”

“Fletcher!” A young voice cried out in panic. “Help!”

In fear and surprise, he looked around, trying to locate the voice as the fire seemed to come closer, circling him, the heat coming closer and closer, he could feel it.

A deafening roar made him twitch. Fletcher screamed at a fireball flying towards him trying to cover himself from the imminent impact, as he faintly noticed a green/purple glow around it.

With a very loud and painful scream, he fell to the ground, panting, his body aching as his vision became blurry and slowly faded.

The last thing he saw was the mare standing over him. He heard her voice again, soft and sweet and, for some reason, apologetic.

“Listen, Fletcher, I know you’re still there. I know you’re exhausted and confused and in pain and probably panicking as well, but I’ll explain everything for you later. Just relax for now. You’re tired, and you need to sleep for a while. I promise, this will all make sense once you’ve had some time to rest.”

He tried to argue, but consciousness slipped from him and he embraced the welcoming feeling of sleep.

Moonlight looked down at the unconscious stallion and sighed. Finally, it was over. It had taken a spear enchanted to stun opponents as well as two doses of the mind control spell to subdue him - definitely a first. But now he was here, away from Celestia’s filthy hooves, and she could relax a little.

“Take him to one of the guest rooms, and keep an eye on his vitals, ” she ordered. “This stun spear could have affected his heart. The last thing anypony needs is for him to lose his life at the last hurdle.”

She looked at him one last time, then turned away. Now she had to figure out what she was going to say when he was awake.

Chapter 4 explanations

Chapter 4 explanations

He awoke in a warm, comfortable bed, staring up at a black crystal ceiling. Whilst Fletcher was grateful, this was not the prison cell that he had expected. He looked around the bedroom in confusion at the expensive furniture and the space. He was in the Crystal Castle - he knew that much - but he had no idea where in the castle he would be, or even if this was real. Perhaps it was all just an illusion or a fever dream.

He felt the temperature increasing, and panicked slightly before he realized that it was just Ifrit’s magic. The spirit sat on the end of the bed, looking at him and frowning slightly.

“Get up. We need to find some way that you can escape. Your magic is bound and your bow’s been taken, but-”

“They took my bow?!” Fletcher cried out.

“It’s a weapon, Fletcher. They might be evil, but they’re not stupid.” Ifrit shook his head. “Now, up. The sooner we’re out of this castle, the better.”

Fletcher groaned to himself. That bow had belonged to his father originally, and it was one of the only possessions he had left to remind him of his childhood and his parents. To have such an important relic stolen from him was an outrage, but he had to keep his cool.

He got up and made the bed, then looked at a small alarm clock on the bedside table. It was a quarter past one. His stomach growled in anticipation. However, he was a prisoner, so he didn’t expect the meals to be anything brilliant. Then again, the fact that he was in this room and not in the dungeon had surprised him.

He opened the bedroom door and gasped. Before him was a large lounge, with a red velvet sofa and two matching armchairs arranged around a small coffee table in front of a fireplace. There was a kitchen area with cupboards and a sink in one corner of the room as well, and an additional room that he assumed was the bathroom. Everything was made of precious metals and gemstones, or else solid good-quality wood of a deep red color that had been varnished and polished to a high sheen.

He would have explored his surroundings, but all of the sudden he froze where he stood, an intense chill running down his spine all of the sudden. Occupying the sofa and staring into his soul with those huge purple dragon eyes of hers, holding his bow in her delicate little hooves, was the small bat pony mare with the green coat who had used the mind control spell on him.

“Ah, you woke up.” She spoke with a weak smile, sounding friendly and somewhat sorry in her tone. “You surely have a lot of questions but one step at a time. My name is Moonlight Shade. Strange, I know, but my parents had unusual tastes.” She patted the arm of the sofa, inviting him to join her. “Come and sit down.”

Fletcher eyed her with distrust. “Why should I trust you?” He demanded.

“First, I made sure you got brought to a guest room, rather than the dungeon. And second, I’ve made sure that you’ll get a meal. Nopony can chat with an empty stomach.”

With that, the door open and a servant brought in a plate of warm potatoes with a glass of water. Shade gave Fletcher a slightly cocky smirk as the servant left. In answer to his wary look, she added, “I’m going to quote King Sombra here. He says, ‘If I actually wanted to get rid of somepony, there are far easier ways of doing so that don’t involve ruining perfectly good food.’ Don’t cut your muzzle off to spite your face.”

While hesitating, Fletcher took it to fill his stomach, glad to satisfy his hunger.

The mare waited patiently for him to finish, a smile on her lips to see he enjoyed his meal.

“So, Celestia sent you here to kill me and Sombra.” She started but before he could form any reply, she added, “And in return, she would help you to get back home.”

“How would you know?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I was told everything by Princess Luna, having been one of her guards.” Fray’s eyes went wide in response, only for Shade to raise a hoof. “Now, I know you want to know about me and Luna, but there's something more important I need to say first.”.”

After a short moment, she received a nod from him. Moonlight closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths, as if she were trying to hold back a torrent of sudden emotion. Then, she began to speak slowly and softly, running her hoof along the arm of the red velvet sofa. "Once upon a time-"

"I'm not a foal," Fletcher snapped.

"Please, let me talk." She glared at him with an intensity that he had only ever seen before in Luna's eyes; he stood still as a statue and gulped, knowing what could happen if he upset her. "It might sound ridiculous, but it's the easiest way of explaining things for you."

He nodded and allowed her to tell her story.

"Once upon a time, there was an alicorn princess, a little thestral filly and a unicorn colt. Almost everypony in the whole world thought the princess was perfect, but she was cruel to the thestral and the unicorn, stealing from them their lives and livelihoods, their friends and their families before framing them for terrible crimes and making them out to be villains. They were forced to make some difficult decisions to stay alive, resulting in ponies being hurt, but afterwards they did everything they could to reverse their mistakes. They found comfort in one another and their hatred of the princess, and swore to help others so that nopony else suffer the same way that they did. Then a mysterious stallion from another world arrived and the princess told him the same lies she'd told everypony else. A close friend told the thestral about this, and she realized that she would have to help this stallion find a way home, but first she would have to help him discover the truth."

"And what is the truth?" Fletcher questioned her, finally daring to walk closer.

She looked at him and tilted her head to one side, watching him carefully with those huge purple dragon eyes. "The truth is, Celestia has never cared for everypony equally like she says she does. There are tiers in Equestrian society based on how much she cares about a particular pony or group of ponies.”

He raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard, but he wanted to hear the full story.

“There's the alicorns, the rulers, right at the very top. Just under them are unicorns, so consider yourself lucky.” She gave him a small smile, although he had a feeling it was supposed to be sarcastic. “Then there's pegasi, and after the pegasi are earth ponies, then other creatures who aren't ponies. Those who have magic are always above those who don't.

Bat ponies are below the non-magic creatures because apparently they're 'not normal'," she gestured with her hooves in the air as she said this, "and after bat ponies are those who belong in Tartarus, and finally there's dark magic users. So Sombra and I are right at the bottom of Equestrian society, we're the scum of Equis and we don't deserve to live, according to Celestia. But do you think that?"

"I-" he stammered, still processing everything she had said. "No, of course I don't! It matters more whether they're actually a good pony, not whether they use magic or not! Dark magic is dangerous and I don't particularly like it.” He added quickly in response to her raised eyebrow but as long as it isn't used to hurt others, it should be fine."

"So you and I are on the same page, then." She sat back and relaxed a little. "That's a relief." She looked at him, ever so slightly tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Fletcher growled impatiently, sounding more harsh than he had meant to.

“No offence, but… since I saw you, I've been wondering about your eyes. Were you born like this?” Shade sounded curious and eager.

“Uhh, no, I had hazel eyes. It’s a long story.“ Fray was a bit taken aback.

“Don't worry. I've not got anything else to do all day.” The mare nodded for him to continue. Actually, he had hoped that she wouldn’t ask him for the details, but there was no escaping now.

“You see, in my universe, I am one of Luna’s most trusted guards, called Eternal Knights, owning her a lot, as she helped me to save my homeland from corruption. When she was banned to the moon, not all of Equestria considered it justified. There were those who saw Celestia as the betrayer. Imprisoned for a thousand years, banished from her own kingdom, then of all times Luna found attention...respect...support. Those who were willing to fight to bring her to the throne founded what was known as the Lunar Republic, to overthrow Celestia, bring Luna back and place her on her sister's throne...I was among their command.” He paused for a moment.

The corners of Shade's lips turned upwards. "Sounds kind of familiar, actually. Carry on.”

“The War ended with a truce which eventually turned into peace. There was no winner. As for how I got my…unique eyes, we Eternal Knights swore a vow. To not rest until we placed the Princess of the Night on the throne of Equestria. After Princess Luna returned, that vow could never be upheld, so we thought we should be her Bearers. Back then, there was a sickness named Ceraporosis. There was no cure, so I, together with a friend of mine wanted to find one.

He had the idea of using nanomites. They are are natural organisms, similar to Paraspites. They live in nests and are drawn to, uh, decaying flesh.” The subject wasn’t exactly nice, but Fletcher hoped that she wouldn’t mind too much.

“Nanomites produce chemicals that dispel bacteria and viruses from the flesh they consume which makes dead bodies decompose a lot slower. But when they feed on a live body, it heals and repairs the area they leave the chemicals on. Ceraporosis causes decay in the hooves, wing membranes and horns, so nanomites work to repair the flesh. One simply opens a wound on the area near the infected hooves, wings or horn and brushes it against the nanomite nest, but it requires constant exposure to the nanomites and often, the virus can build up an immunity.”

“Right…”

“So, we both worked to create a magically-enhanced breed of nanomite that can be let into the bloodstream. They are injected as eggs so once they hatch, they treat the body like a nest and work to repair any sign of damage, even those that come from old age. The problem is it can sometimes cause shock or heart failure. Despite this, I… volunteered to test them, and had to remain in a state of… I guess you’d call it meditative repose for half a year to stop the nanomites causing my body to lock down

In the end it worked, I was the only test subject who had lived this long. As for my eyes, nanomites affect the pigment in a pony's eyes, coat and sometimes mane. That’s why my eyes are that way but my vision hasn’t changed. Thanks to them, all my wounds heal quickly, as long as I’m not too badly injured.”

The expression of his interlocutor stayed neutral for a moment before her mouth opened. “Interesting, and I'm surprised. Not many ponies would've wanted to keep working for Luna for that long. Being in the Lunar Guard is great, but it’s not exactly an easy job… Of course, my situation was a bit more complicated.

Shade took another deep breath. “Wrong place at the wrong time - I tried to stop the Royal Sisters from hurting each other and got in the way of the Elements of Harmony. I ended up getting stuck with Luna on the moon.” A faint smile appeared on her lips. “ It gave me a lot of time to think about things, like how much of an idiot Celestia was to banish me. And like you, I could also end up fighting in a civil war.”

“What do you mean?” Fray did not understand.

“I helped Sombra and Celestia isn’t having that. She wants him gone and there’s nothing I can do to change her mind. The reason I saved him is because…I saw past the fact that he was using dark magic, and he saw past the fact that I was a bat pony and was on the moon with the old Queen Nightmare - everypony's fear about bat ponies brought to life. We saw each other as ponies, and we didn't judge each other like everypony else did.”

Her guest let the words sink in, trying to understand. In a way, it was similar to how he tried to give Blue Murder a second chance.

“I can understand you. I also tried to give someone a chance who might have suffered, had it not been for me. And in my universe, Batponies don’t have it easy either. You see, they were created through a virus that is transferred by bite but natural birth is still possible. I got a friend who became a bat pony and was Luna’s caretaker, he had it rough like you.” He explained with slight unease, not wanting to upset her.

“I see…” A weak smile formed on the mare’s face. “Sounds like we aren’t that much different from each other.”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but I don’t trust her.” His ghostly adviser warned him, “And we should get things moving, too.”

“I agree. So…what now? Can I get my bow back, please?”Fletcher asked hopefully. It’s a… family heirloom.”

Now, Shade bit her lip in regret. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Sombra insisted, you know, for security reasons. But be assured, I’ll do whatever I can to get you back home. “I see,” he muttered.

“I really am sorry, Fletcher. But I have to follow orders too.””

With that, she walked out of the room, making Fletcher hope for the best. For some reason, he felt like he had been watched the whole time.

Not far to the entrance of the guest room, Shade smiled to see her King waiting who returned it. “He seems ok, and he co-operated. Makes a nice change not to have to fight for anypony to listen to me.”

“That is good to hear, though I doubt his cooperation. He was very… hesitant to agree with you.” Sombra said with a dubious expression. “And you saw how skillful he was in combat. Combine that with the fact he’s from a different universe, he might be too dangerous for us.” He explained, “But he might have some use as one of the Elite guards.”

“Sombra!” His lover exclaimed in shock, “You can’t be serious!”

“It is best that we keep the threat he possesses as low as possible.” He countered coldly.

“Sombra,” Shade raised her voice, a tearful expression forming on her face, “He’s an innocent pony and he’s from another universe, having tricked by Sunbutt into doing this. If you do that to him, it doesn’t not make you any different than her. You know how much I hate the fact that you use mind control on the guards already. Please, don’t do it.”

A sigh escaped his mouth, his expression becoming apologetic. “You’re right, my little bat, However, I have a moral duty to keep you and my subjects safe. You can give him his bow back, but keep the arrows until he is proven to be trustworthy.”

She half smiled. “Thank you.” Having his permission, she walked back, seeing Fletcher standing out on the balcony, watching the ponies in the streets outside. She felt a little bad for them and everything she had put them through after helping King Sombra, but she would make up for it one day.

She cleared her throat, and Fletcher turned his head, raising his eyebrows at her.

“It is decided, Fletcher. You can have your bow back but you aren’t allowed any arrows.” He nodded, but seemed lost in thought. Shade could tell that she didn’t have his full attention.

“Are you okay?” Her voice sounded concerned. He was slightly startled, yet formed a weak smile.

“Ah ,it’s nothing. It’s just…” Fletcher sighed and looked back at the Crystal Empire., “Who am I kidding? Seeing the Crystal Empire that way, reminds me somehow of my family.”

Shade trotted over to the edge of the balcony and waited patiently for an explanation.

“When I was a colt, just having gotten my cutie mark, I lost my parents to a traitor, my grand- uncle. He'd treated his step-daughter, my mother, abominably in her childhood and when my father vied for her freedom in a tournament, he tried to have them both killed. After he was banished, he entered my home through a secret tunnel, massacred everypony he found with a group of mercs.

The bat pony gasped as he shivered slightly. “I found him standing over my mother's body, mocking her, kicking her, stabbing her, then he lunged for me. I just held my spear in a defensive pose and…he landed on it.”

In a matter of seconds, he felt himself being hugged by the mare, taking him by surprise. “I’m sorry, Fletcher. Nopony should have to go through that”

“I guess you can understand now why my bow is so important to me. It’s the only thing I have left of my family.”

Shade nodded in understanding. “Before I forget.” She took a deep breath as the whites of, her eyes glowed green and purple mist formed around them, along with a similar purple aura around the tufts of fur on the tops of her ears. Fletcher slightly gasped at a short but sharp pain in his temples. She grinned, a little sheepishly. “Sorry about that, but you should be able to use your magic now.

”Taking a deep breath himself, the stallion concentrated, smiling to feel magic flowing through his horn. “Thank you. So, what now?”

His host opened her mouth to speak before a mare’s scream echoed through the city, followed by the sounds of a magical battle taking place. Both ponies’ eyes grew wide and stared at each other, a million thoughts running through each of their minds. The day was quickly evolving into one of chaos.

Chapter 5: Dispite, distrust

As yet another blood curling wail erupted, Shade leapt into the air and flew upwards for a few meters, her eyes scanning the landscape. Fletcher tried his best to see where he was looking, but it was hard to tell what was drawing her attention.

“Oh, damn Celestia, not another one!” she cursed all of a sudden. “I thought there were only three!”

Fletcher looked down of the balcony, seeing to his surprise how a pink a Alicorn with blue eyes and a black mane with purple stripes fighting Crystal guards with her hooves and firing defensive spells from her horn.

The guards did their best at dodging but they never had seen anything like this, getting slowly taken out one by one.

Without a word or hesitation, Fletcher and Shade ran towards the corridors and exit, joined by Sombra, who somehow managed to remain calm and quiet despite the chaos erupting less than twenty meters from his castle. Fletcher found it unnerving, but didn’t say anything.

Some Elite Guards managed to build up a wall of shields around the Alicorn, regular guards behind them, as they encircled the mare.

Fletcher got a closer look at the colt, he was small, almost of Pip’s size. His green eyes were filled with terror, clutching the mare’s back with his little hooves as he shook with fear. His coat was orange, and his mane was red with orange stripes.

Shade gestured for Fray to stay back as the mysterious Alicorn put the colt behind her.

King Sombra walked over to the struggling Alicorn and her foal slowly, smiling at them both.

"Hello," he said softly.

She lashed out, sending a blast of magic in his direction, but he dodged it with ease. The guards continued to try to contain her, but he held up a hoof.

"Guards, lay down your weapons," he said simply. "Give the mare some space to breathe."

The guards all stepped back, allowing him to approach the mare. Her little colt cowered behind her, and her wings flared out to the sides as she glared at him, a sphere of magic surrounding both of them.

"Don't worry, I am not here to hurt either of you," he continued.

Moonlight stepped forwards, but he turned and shook his head at her. She nodded at him, allowing him to continue.

"I should warn you, the rumors you may have heard about the Crystal Empire and myself are vastly different from the truth. If you can please stop attacking me, I can explain everything."

She seemed to understand and folded her wings back by her sides as the pink translucent shield around her faded to nothing, allowing Sombra to walk closer. She whispered something to her foal, who nodded but still looked fearful.

Sombra was now by her side, a little dark magic surrounded that long spiraled unicorn horn atop his head as he continued to talk. Fletcher had no idea what Sombra was doing, but it seemed to work. She was no longer fearful, and whilst the foal was still clearly anxious, he was not quite as afraid once he saw his mother relaxing

"There you are. Good mare. Now listen carefully." The king seemed to smile slightly. “As I said, neither of us means harm, this is just a misunderstanding.”

“How about some warm tea to settle down?” Shade suggested, the mare and colt slowly nodded, following her, and Sombra into the castle, Fletcher close behind, looking puzzled at the new Alicorn.

Nonetheless, once in a guest room, with a servant bringing the ordered beverage, the two newcomers seemed to relax, gladly taking in the warmth of the tea.

“So…” The bat pony started, trying to find the right words, given the situation. “I am Moonlight Shade and this,” She pointed to Fletcher, who smiled weakly, “is Fletcher Fray, a current guest. And may I ask who you are?”

“Sparkling Medley.” The Alicorn replied.

With slight fear in his eyes, trembling, the colt stuttered, “I am Thunder K-Kicker. We were only enjoying a warm day and suddenly…a portal appeared and sucked us in.”

In response, Shade lowered her head, quietly sighing. Damn it, Celestia… she was sure the Princess of the Sun had her hooves in this.

“Shh, Kicker.” Medley wrapped her hooves around him.

Fletcher decided to take the word. “I know this is all sudden but you should try to calm down.”

“Yes, we have some guest rooms you could use.” The batpony offered, only for the pink mare to take a defensive stance with a distrustful expression.

“And why should I trust you, Sombra, an evil king? You just try to lure us into a false sense of security.”

Countering, Shade raised her hooves, “I assure you, we aren’t. We just want to help you, just we trying to help Fletcher.”

Sparking stayed silent for a moment, then her expression softened. “Even so, I would rather take help from Twilight and Celestia.”

Moonlight raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, really? Celestia, who would rather have an innocent stallion killed than give him a chance to prove himself? Twilight, blinded by her own arrogance and her admiration of her princess? They won't help you."

"You're lying," the Alicorn said, raising her voice.

"I'm really not. I'm trying to make sure you don't get killed. But if you'd like to go and risk your life - and your foal's life, too," she added, glancing at the colt, "by all means, go ahead. I can't say if the train line is still open, but you can try."

The two were locked in a stalemate, glaring at each other for a minute or two, magic at the ready, wings spread out to the sides. But finally, the Alicorn gave a sigh, and lowered her head. "Fine, I'll stay here. But if you hurt even a hair on my son's head-"

"We won't."

"Good."

Shade opened her mouth, only for Fletcher to raise a hoof. “It’s your decision, we don’t force you.”

Medley levitated her son on her back, nodding. “Good day.”

With that, she left, her host looking after her until she was out of sight.

“Why did you do that?” A slightly irritated female voice reached Fray’s ears, turning towards the batpony with slight surprise, who matched her expression. “You might have just given Celestia a big asset against us!”

“He did have a point, my little bat,” Sombra wrapped a hoof around her and spoke in a calming voice. “After all, you granted mercy to the Elements of Harmony.”

"Fine, I did, but still, she's an Alicorn who we don't even know and she's just going to be manipulated into fighting against us. With the Element Bearers, there was nothing either of us could do, and they already know how this world works, and... ugh," she sighed and facehoofed.

“I could try to keep an eye on her if things go pear-shaped.” The unicorn offered.

Sombra nodded. “Good idea, Fletcher, but first we need to think of a plan. Until then, why don’t you take a walk, have some fresh air and clear your cluttered thoughts?” His host offered and he nodded.

Outside, every crystal pony greeted him, which he returned, yet his mind was wandering. With Medley and Kicker being in the same situation as him, trapped in a foreign universe, there was no telling what could happen to them, especially with the threat of war breaking out.

“Excuse me, sir?” a male voice tore him out, being faced by a few Crystal Guards, who looked rather curious.

“Yes?” He asked, confused and surprised.

“You’re Fletcher Fray, right?” The stallion nodded. “You did quite put up a fight.”

This caused Fletcher to tense for the worst before the guard smiled. “Very impressive I must say, we sure could use someone like you on our side.”

“Uh…thanks?” Fray replied, totally caught off guard that the crystal guards were not mad at him at all.

“I guess they appreciate the experience, it’s the best teacher after all.” Ifrit commented flatly.

Nonetheless, Fray hoped the newcomers would be alright.

Medley walked with her son out of the room, then stopped as he looked concerned at her. “What’s wrong?”

“How are we gonna get to Ponyville, Mom? It’s a long way and the train might not work.”

“Don’t worry, Kicker, I got this. Climb on.” She lowered herself and once he was up, focused her magic for a teleport spell.

In a flash, they found themselves at the outskirts of Ponyville, although slightly staggering from the amount of energy and magic used. Then the mare cast another spell, and with another flash, she was dressed in a black sweater, covering her wings.

As they walked into the town, the looks of worried ponies caught their eyes, forcing them to realize how bad things were.

Yet they headed towards the library, regardless. Sparkling knocked on the door. As it opened to reveal a purple unicorn, a glint of hope sparked in their eyes.

“Yes?”

“Pardon Miss, but me and my son are in need of help and we were told you would be our best bet.” Medley explained with a weak smile, her son did too.

“Oh, then come in, what is it?” Twilight led them into her library to the living room, where they sat down on a couch and brought some biscuits.

“Well, we are actually not from here. We’re lost.” Medley explained in awkwardness, “From another universe in fact.”

“W-what?!” Twilight could not believe what she heard.

“Yes.” With that, Medley took off the sweater, revealing her wings. “We were enjoying a warm day and suddenly, a portal appeared and sucked us in.”

She and the colt waited eagerly for the mare’s reply, who processed everything.

Then a nervous smile. “Um, I'd really love to help you, but right now I'm getting ready to go on a mission to the Crystal Empire to stop King Sombra, so I'm really busy. Maybe we can hang out some other time?”

Their hearts sank at her reply, with the Alicorn forcing a weak smile as she put the sweater back on- “I see, sorry to have bothered you then.”

She then left with Thunder behind, walking towards a park, sitting down on a bench, with her son snuggling against her. “What are we gonna do now, mom?” Kicker wondered, sniffing as he tried not to cry.

She stroked his head. “I don’t know…”

None of them could tell how much time passed before a voice tore them out. “Excuse me, Ma-am?” Both looked up to see a royal guard facing them.

“Yes?” The mare asked.

“Princess Celestia wishes to see you, if you would please follow me.” The guard pointed to a carriage and with hope, Medley and Kicker obeyed, getting in.

It was only a short flight to Canterlot, they were slightly trembling, out of bad memories and being nervous as they were led to the royal chambers.

Their eyes went wide to see the Princess watching them with a smile, but Luna was nowhere to be seen. They bowed out of respect.

“Rise.” Celestia spoke, her voice calm. “My student Twilight informed me about you, my condolences. But…” She started to sound curious. “Is what she said true?”

“Uhh, yes, I am an Alicorn.” Medley revealed her wings with slight unease, shivering.

“Fascinating,” She remarked, “But, I am afraid I got bad news. From what I gathered, it is most likely that King Sombra is what brought you here. And an Alicorn can be a powerful attribute to either side.” Celestia explained. “It would be for your own safety to stay in Canterlot.”

Despite the offer, the answer was clear for the pink mare. “With all due respect, your highness, this is not my war. I only want to go home with my son.” She tried to stay calm and the princess sighed.

“Then we shall have to do this the hard way to ensure Sombra won’t use you.” Celestia’s horn lit up with a golden aura and before Medley or Kicker could react, they suddenly felt sleep washing over them. They struggled, but their eyes felt heavy, slowly closing.

“I am so sorry, my little ponies, but I promise you, this is for the best. Sleep well and I shall make sure you are looked after properly.”

Sparkling glared at Celestia with the little strength she had left, and vowed to get revenge for using magic against her and her son. But she knew that there would be a struggle first.

Author's Note

Sparkling Medely and KIcker belong to Captain_Cosmos