Chapter 04 : The ugly underbelly

Spitfire was strapped to a cold, iron table, tilted to the floor so she could see the front door. Her breathing was hoarse and heavy, her head lowered down. She had lost the strength to scream a few hours ago already, but the agony she felt in the entirety of her body didn't disappear. Everything hurt, absolutely everything, a pain so unbearable the pegasus couldn't even think about anything else but her suffering.

If her eyes hadn't dried down so much from being taped open, the mare would be crying. Instead, her body was being shaken by tearless sobs, each movement making her hurt a little bit more. For the first time in her life, Spitfire wished she was dead. She wished she hadn't been so careless. How would she ever face her commander, after being captured in such a pitiful way, and tortured beyond recognition ? Would she ever fly again ? Spitfire tried to swallow her saliva, but her throat was as dry as it was tight. She choked, and coughed, spitting blood on the floor. Pathetic. In this moment, she felt no better than a worm.

The door opened, interrupting her thoughts. A pink pony, sporting a black hood and uniform, walked in. Spitfire squinted, desperately trying to peek under her captor's hood. She didn't recognize this pony ; another executioner ? Spitfire almost smiled to herself. Even though she had been tortured, beaten, cut and abused, no one had managed to get any information out of her. They probably sent their "best" executioner, she thought. But her mind was stronger than her body. She would not give in.

"Hello," calmly greeted the stranger. "I have heard from my subordinates you have been quite difficult to work with."

Spitfire let out a pained chuckle. Under her hood, she could see the unknown mare smile a bit.

"Open your mouth."

The pegasus tried to clench her jaw, but the pony's powerful fist opened it wide. Spitfire felt the hoof reaching down her throat, and she gurgled as she fought the need to throw up. The pony retracted her hoof, closing shut Spitfire's mouth, now choking on her own vomit. She coughed an awful mixture of blood, puke and an unidentified liquid. What did she make her swallow ? Spitfire's shaking got even stronger, but the pain seemed to disappear a little bit, then some more, until all she felt was numbness. The pegasus immediatly felt a wave of relief and peace as she could finally breathe again without hurting herself. She tried to clear her throat.

"Wha... What was that ?" she asked in a broken, weakened voice.

"A painkiller. A very strong one."

"Why ?"

The pink mare didn't answer, and reached for the metal table where a bunch of tools sat upon. Spitfire became even more unnerved at the sight of the numerous sharp instruments, that she feared would soon cut into her. But she was strong, stronger than anypony in the world. She was Spitfire, for fuck's sake. She wouldn't be defeated, ever. The pony started to toy with a large, cutting knife, then gently pressed it into her prisoner's cheek. Spitfire felt the cold of the blade, but nothing more than that. The pony put the blade back, smiling.

"See ? It's pretty efficient. No pain, no hurt. Alright, i'll ask you. What are the codes of the communication channels of Canterlot ?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," growled Spitfire.

"Come on now, don't play with me. This is a game i'll win. You're the Wings of Dusks's sergeant, you're involved in every operations and every missions. I'm sure you've heard whispers, here and there. I'll ask again : What are the codes ?"

"Fuck you," spat out the yellow pegasus.

Oh, she was going to regret that, she knew it already. The hooded mare walked behind Spitfire, and came out with a large mirror. Spitfire was now becoming more and more distressed ; what was happening ? The pony placed the mirror directly in front of the pegasus. The yellow mare observed herself, disturbed by what she saw. Her right wing, that had been badly damaged in the fight, looked absolutely awful, covered in blood and oozing with pus. She had cuts everywhere, and her face was so battered, she wasn't sure she'd ever look like herself again. The mare took off her hood, as she stared into her victim's eyes. Her stare was cold, merciless and unfeeling, and her blue eyes were clouded by a veil of darkness. Her mane was flat, a dusty, ugly pink, framing her hollow face. There was nothing warm about her, absolutely nothing. It was all tenebrosity.

"Ponies don't understand the art of torture," started to explain the pink mare, grabbing a saw, examining its sharpness. "They think you just have to cut and slice, like a cake. But you don't make anyone talk like that. How can you talk when you're blinded by agony ? No, to torture someone well, you have to use your imagination. I'm pretty good at imagining nice, creative games. Here, i'll show you."

Spitfire tried to break free of her restraints as the mare slowly approached her, but it was no use. The executioner positioned herself behind her, letting the pegasus stare into the mirror, her eyes widening in fear. Then, she felt it. The penetrating cold of the blade. She was too afraid to look, but she couldn't help herself. She screamed.

Her right wing was being cut off, slowly, and she was seeing everything. The bones cracking under the blade, the flesh being torn off, the muscles coming apart. Spitfire convulsed, shouting her lungs out, but she couldn't escape the sight of her appendice being sawed off. Her eyes were taped wide open. She screeched as the wing was now pitifully hanging onto her back by a thread of muscle, dangling. Because she couldn't feel the pain, all Spitfire could do was stare into her terrible reflection, screaming and sobbing. Finally, her wing fell off, in a splat of blood. Spitfire gasped and bawled.

"Tell me, Spitfire," softly asked the mare. "What are the codes of the communication channels of Canterlot ?"

"I-I can't, I ca, I..."

"Come on. Do you want me to cut the other wing ? Do you want me to make you see your own stomach ripped open, in front of your eyes ? Do you want to see the blood gushing out of your throat ?"

"No, ple-please," cried out Spitfire.

"It felt good, ripping those ponies apart on the battlefield. But now that you have to see yourself getting gutted, you can't stand it. Isn't it funny ? And here's the kicker : you'll never fly again. You're not a Wonderbolt, a sergeant, or even a pegasus anymore. You're nothing now."

Tears were rolling down Spitfire's hollow cheeks. Her heart was smashed by the realisation that her captor was right. She was a mutilated mess, barely a pony anymore. What did it matter now, protecting those secrets that had taken away from her her greatest pride, her wings ? What more did she have to lose ?

"The painkiller won't last forever. Loosing one wing feels better than loosing two."

Spitfire let out a sob. She was weak. She was unable to do anything, she was useless.

"Fine. I'll keep going, then."

Under Manehattan's foundations, a blood curdling scream resonated.

***

Pinkamena Diane Pie looked at herself in the mirror, taking off her blood soaken uniform. Spitfire had been a tough pony to crack, but no one was unbreakable. At least, not in Diane's hooves. She went by this name now, she thought it suited her better. She carefully slipped into another uniform, taking some time to adjust it properly to her body. She liked to look polished, put together. She was a leader. She had real responsibilites now, and she needed to look the part. She was Diane, commander of the Lunar Agents.

"Ma'am," said Apple Bloom, entering her commander's room. "The princesses are awaiting."

Without saying a word, Diane followed her subordinate outside her room. Apple Bloom didn't like Manehattan, and those lifeless skyscrapers. She hated taking all those stairs to go to one room then another, getting lost in those endlesses corridors of darkness. She sometimes found herself thinking of her old home, the farm, her Sweet Apple Acres. But she always composed herself quickly ; an efficient Lunar Agent couldn't think about the past to be efficient. Her commander had taught her that.

"Welcome," greeted Celestia, as Diane entered the conference room. "Please, take a seat, commander."

Diane nodded, an sat besides Applejack, who looked at her with a mix of shock and pain. She hadn't seen Pinkie in... No, she couldn't even remember the last time she saw Pinkie, let alone spoke to her. Was this pony really her friend, the Element of Laughter ? She looked dreadful. Well, Applejack couldn't really judge her appearence, considering most ponies looked at her as if she was a monster, her features having hardened with the war, her eyes becoming smaller and madder with time. But Pinkie... She wasn't even Pinkie anymore. This was someone else entirely.

"Now that everypony's here, we can begin," said the solar princess.

At the table sat AJ, Diane, both alicorn princesses, and the commanders of the earth and air division of the Celestial army. Lightning Dust, esteemed leader of the "Airborns", the pegasi army of the Sun, had many achievments under her belt, that had gained her the trust and respect of her elders and fellow soldiers. Thanks to her, they had managed to rescue many pegasi from Cloudsdale when Equestria was suffering from the sanguinary raids of Twilight's army. Rallying them to Celestia's cause, they were the first squad she put together, also helped by the now second in hand of Lightning, former Wonderbolt Thunderlane, that had escaped the military as he saw his now ex-teammates slip into the madness of the war.

Lightning Dust was sometimes seen as arrogant, but her peers knew of her incredible abilities, and her loyalty to her princess made her an excellent leader. But even more devoted to the cause and to the solar regent was Arctic Justice, an icy blue unicorn, devoted leader of the earth army. Sitting right next to Celestia, he was also her advisor, confidante, and most trusted soldier. Arctic took great pride in this, and often lost himself in his adoration of the sun princess, but his strategic plans and incredible abality to adapt to even the most extreme situations made him an essential element to the army.

"We didn't originally plan to rescue Lady Rarity," explained Celestia, to Applejack, that had little knowledge of the operation. "But as we captured Spitfire, who is highly placed in the enemy's army, we saw the opportunity arise. Diane, please, continue."

Diane cleared her throat, and explained in a flat, monotonous tone ;

"After a few hours of interrogation, the prisoner has given us some very useful information that will allow us to organize the rescue of the Element of Generosity. First, she confirmed to us that the underground alleys underneath Canterlot had been sealed, but not buried, so still accessible. Then, she told us about the main areas of surveillance inside the castle, so our undercover spy is able to escort the Element outside of her room and then to the underground safely. And lastly, more important, she told us the codes to the communication channels of the castle's inside guard.

"How did'ya manage to make her talk ?" asked AJ, raising an eyebrow. "I thought she's the resisting type."

"She was," corrected Diane, not an ounce of emotion showing in her voice. "But we have our ways."

"What kind of ways ?" insisted Applejack.

"Come on now, commander Applejack," reassured Arctic Justice. "I'm sure the Lunar Agents know what they're doing... And we should let them do it without interfering. What's important is the information we now possess."

Cadance shaked her head in disagreement, looking visibly upset.

"You're right," agreed Celestia. "Our army is still too weak and lacks influence in other areas of Equestria to invade Canterlot now. But if we launch a small strike like this, showing that we are not afraid to come to the aid of the imprisoned citizens like Lady Rarity, we will gain the heart of Equestria's citizens, showing that we didn't come back to destroy, but to help. Too many ponies still believe in the lies that the Tyrant has spread about me... It's time to show the country the truth. We can't regain Canterlot if we don't regain the people's trust."

"But won't the enemy become more mefiant and may try to shield the city even more in the future, making us unable to launch a bigger strike later ?" asked Lightning Dust.

"That's also a worry of mine," agreed Thunderlane. "They may also try to send all their forces to us in an effort to counter-attack. Is this rescue mission really worth it ?"

"If it's for Rarity, it's worth it," stated Applejack, sure of herself.

"Yes," nodded Celestia. "We need the support of another Element. And I hope that this will shake them enough that they'll concentrate all their strength into reinforcing the castle, giving us time to regroup the army, and directly march into Canterlot."

"You want to march into the city ?" asked Cadance, surprised. "But... Is it really wise ? Shouldn't we wait to seize more cities ?"

"No, our Princess is right," calmly claimed Arctic. "We'll only get this opportunity one. Once we rescue Lady Rarity, the citizens will see by themselves that we are the ones in the right, and they'll come to us by themselves. We won't need to occupy the cities and convince them."

Applejack was lost in her thoughts. This plan seemed too idealistic for her, but then again, she had learned to prepare herself for the worst. Could this really be possible ? Could they really march onto Canterlot, in less than a few months ? She wanted to believe it, badly, but doubt seized her mind. Twilight had become so ruthless that she couldn't be sure of anything. She wasn't even certain that they wouldn't all be executed the moment they stepped hoof inside Canterlot's underground. But if she had the chance to kick her hoof into her old friend's face... She wasn't going to miss it.

"So, what will be the specifics of the mission ?" asked the orange pony.

Celestia glanced at Diane, inviting her to speak. AJ's heart sank when her former friend spoke with that dull and dry voice she didn't recognize.

"Marching straight to Canterlot while staying hidden should take us four to five days, depending on the patrols of the enemy's sentinels. We'll be hidden by the mountains, and the hidden entrance to the underground should be inside on of the caves there, it'll be marked by a sign planted by one of our agents. Navigating under Canterlot then to the castle shouldn't take more than a day, if we go fast. If the rescue go as planned, Lady Rarity should be extracted in less than an hour, and we'll then travel in the caves as fast as we can. It's risqué, but possible. Our inside agent has assured us that they'd be able to extract Lady Rarity without the guards doubting anything."

"It's best that you don't go with too many agents," said Lightning Dust. "Will there be a need for a small troop of Airborns to fly you out ?"

"No," claimed Diane, cold as ever. "For the same reason we'll go there marching. This mission needs to be as discrete as possible. Pegasi would surely be seen by sentinels."

"Are you implying that my pegasi aren't..."

"I'm not implying anything," dryly cut Diane, "commander."

"We'll also change headquarters," announced Cadance. "Manehattan has become an unsafe place. Thankfully, Shining Armor has managed to contact some of our allies in Fillydelphia, and the crystal troops are already on their way there. As soon as your team will be moving out, the Celestial army will be on their way to Fillydelphia. Only a small garrison will stay there to guard the city. That way, if Twilight decides to strike us, she'll find the city mostly deserted."

"Who exactly will be part of the rescue team ?" asked Arctic.

"A few of my most trusted agents," answered Diane. "The commander's Applejack special squad, minus Bon Bon. In her... state, she would be a burden to us."

Applejack wanted to clap back, but was shut down by Lightning Dust.

"That's it ?" the pegasus said.

"We don't need more," stated the pink mare. "It's already enough. And if that's okay with the commander Applejack, we'll be leaving in a few hours, as soon as everyone's ready. My team is already prepared."

A few hours ? They really didn't waste no time. As the princesses talked strategy for the relocalization of the army, AJ decided to take her leave. Discreetly, she kicked Diane's shoulder, quietly asking her to walk with her a bit. Without saying a word, the two mares left, and instead of walking into the city, the pink mare planted herself in the building's entry, refusing to go further.

"I hope this won't take long," said Diane. "I still have some preparations to make. What do you want from me ?"

"C'mon, Pinkie, we haven't talked in..."

"Diane."

"Alright, Diane, I just wanted to hear a bit from you, y'know ? I've, uh... Missed ya. You look... different, too."

"I'm doing fine. Now, if that was all..."

"Hey, wait, Pinkie, I..."

AJ sighed. Did she ever really know this pony ? Right now, it just felt like she was talking to a complete stranger, and the cold, dead stare that Pinkie was giving her sent an unpleasent, creeping feeling of dread inside her body. Applejack tried to approach her friend, but Pinkie instantly stepped back, as if disgusted with the pony in front of her. The orange mare scoffed.

"What now ? Now that you torture ponies, you're afraid to approach me ? I don't judge ya, Pinkie... Diane. We've all done some fucked up shit to survive."

"I'm not afraid," replied Diane, her tone unchanging. "I simply wish for you to understand that i'm not the mare you once knew. You have to let go of the past, Applejack. Ghosts won't change the things that have happened. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

And with that, Diane left. Years of not seeing each other, not talking to the other, getting scarred from the war, and not even a proper hello ? Or a goodbye ? Just coldness, and disdain. Applejack lowered her head. That was what was left of the Elements of Harmony ; one had become a tyrant, and another her loyal executioner. The laughter had turned to darkness and honesty had been replaced with hypocrisy. Rarity was locked up, and Fluttershy, well... She stayed in the Crystal Empire, refusing to face the truth about what had happened to the world. Maybe it was best like this. AJ couldn't imagine how she would react if she saw Pinkie like this. Pinkie... Or Diane, now.

***

Celestia and Cadance were now alone in the conference room. Celestia was writing, but she could see her niece pacing around the room, looking troubled and frustrated. The solar regent knew something was wrong, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to appease Cadance's heart.

"What was that about ?" finally asked Cadance, her tone betraying her rising anger.

"What was what about ?"

"The thing about Diane Pie's prisoner. How did she make her reveal those classified informations ?"

Celestia sighed. Obviously, those questions were rethorical, but Cadance wanted to hear it from her aunt's own mouth. She got up, and tried to put her hoof on her niece's shoulder, but Cadance stepped back, glaring at the sun princess.

"This is war, Cadance. It's ugly, dark, and ruthless. And sometimes, to do the right thing, we need to do..."

"I'm not a filly," cut Cadance. "Just say it."

"Sometimes, we have to resort to... Violence, to get what we want from some people. You have to understand, this information will help us in our quest to..."

"Violence ? You mean straight up evil ! I can't even fathom what this agent of yours must have done to this mare to get this out of her. Just because we're at war, doesn't mean we have to lose what makes us ponies ! Are we really better than the enemy, if we resort to the same cruel methods ? Aren't we the vilains for torturing ponies that happened to be in the opposite side of the war ?"

"It is not the same !" blurted out Celestia, startling the pink alicorn. "We are doing this for the sake of Equestria, for the common good ! I do not care if I have to turn myself into a monster, if that means my subjects are safe and protected. I will do everything for this country, do you hear me ? Absolutely everything !

Shaken by her own anger, Celestia stepped back, panting. Cadance was looking at her, speechless.

"I cannot spend my time regretting my actions and mourning the innocents that have suffered from it," breathed out the sun princess in sorrow. "I have people to protect. And whilst Twilight sits on the throne, they can never be safe. I have to protect those I haven't lost yet, and if I have to do it by using fire and blood, then so be it. This madness will only stop if I keep going, so I won't stop. I can't. I owe it to everypony."

The sun princess looked down, ashamed. She felt pathetic. All she ever wanted was to stop this craziness, but all that she had managed to do was feed into it. Add more fuel to the flames. Swallowing her tears, Celestia faced away from Cadance, who stood still, not knowing how to react. The two alicorns stayed silent.

***

Golden Shield was walking through the castle's corridor, looking around, for someone. He smiled at every pony he passed, and saluted each and every guard he saw. The white stallion was loved by everypony in Canterlot ; charming, clever and a great strategist, he was considered by many to be the one of the few highest-ranking officer of Equestria most deserving of his titles and medals. He wasn't jaded or haughty like Fleur de Lys, and not a ruthless, cunning killer like Rainbow Dash. He led his troops with humility and didn't neglect his soldiers, he ate the same food as them and shared tents with them. He was a simple pony. At least, that's what he liked people to think.

You can't win a war without being appreciated by the people. And even though he first joined the Tyrant's ranks because of their power outmatching the former regent's forces by far, he had to recognize that his Princess didn't do the best job at bein liked by her people. After all, it wasn't her aim. Golden Shield always saw through Twilight ; he knew Celestia wouldn't kill her sister, and he knew that Twilight's transformation wasn't due to her mentor's attacks. No, Twilight had done it all herself, and she didn't want to reign over her subjects to protect them. She wanted to rule and own them. She wanted to have total control over Equestria, to hold her people's obediance with chains, and extend her power even farther than this small country. Golden Shield knew this, because he was the same. He just hid it better.

A simple stallion of the west of Equestria had managed to become a decorated war commander, all because of his wit and charisma. But Golden Shield actually wasn't that great strategist everypony made him out to be, he just had enough strength of character to seem like he was in total control of everything. Raised in a poor village in the west, he never received a proper education. He knew things about strategy, of course, and he was more clever than the majority of Canterlot's tacticians ; the army would not have been as successful if he didn't. But he knew that, when it came down to it, their enemy had better tacticians that they did. He had heard of them. So, Golden Shield relied on his charm and pleasantness, something that his foes didn't possess ; after all, how can you charm a country if you don't even live within it ?

"Commander !"

A pegasus had excitedly squeeled as he passed in front of her. Golden Shield stopped in his tracks, and turned to the pony, gently smiling to her.

"Ah, Scootaloo, our new guard," he proudly said. "The pegasi commander had specifically asked for you to be assigned to the castle, she must be very proud of you, dear girl."

Scootaloo smiled from ear to ear. As she grew, she soon understood that her wings wouldn't ; she'd never be able to fly. But at the beginning of the war, the young pegasus had promised her mentor and friend Rainbow Dash that she would do everything to be like her, and eventually protect her. And now, she was the castle's guard new recruit ; ah, Rainbow Dash couldn't be prouder. Golden Shield smirked. Actually, he was the one who asked for her to serve in the castle, and the pegasus commander argued against it. But the stallion knew a naive youngster such as Scootaloo could easily become a pawn in his schemes.

"Thank you, sir," happily replied Scootaloo. "I've fetched the servant you had asked me to find."

"Great job. Ask her to join me in my office."

Golden Shield watched as the newly appointed guard cheerily walked away, and he laughed to himself. Too easy. Sporting a peaceful and relaxed expression, the commander went into his room, leaving the door wide open for the servant to come in. Shield sat in his comfortable chair, and sighed of hapiness. How he wished he wouldn't need to leave the castle for a while, the luxury and calm of Canterlot clearly being more suited for him than the noise and the filth of the battlefield.

"You've asked for me, sir ?"

Golden Shield raised his head. There she was. Lemonade Haze stood by the door, her mane covering half of her face. By a gesture of his hoof, the commander invited the pegasus to enter and close the door. Shyly, she obliged, and the stallion made her sat in front of him, at his desk.

"Coffee ?"

"No thank you, sir."

"Are you sure ? I've heard from my soldiers my brew is quite fine."

Haze timidly smiled, and politely refused a second time.

"Alright, suit yourself," Golden chuckled.

Golden Shield crossed his legs on the chair, trying to think very carefully about what his next words would be. The blushing pegasus didn't seem too intelligent, but then again, he couldn't judge a book by its cover. After all, she was the only one in six years that had successfully managed to get close to Lady Rarity, and that was an achievment in itself. Before she came into the Lady's service, Rarity refused to step out of her room. She refused meals and care, and it was a chore to manage to make her feed herself. The goal was to keep her alive, imprisoned, but alive and well.

But when Lemonade Haze arrived, it all changed. The young pegasus took her time to adjust to Rarity's needs, and never pushed her. She was rather clumsy herself, and the unicorn found it terribly endearing. She didn't seem like a robot at the orders of the princess ; she seemed like a normal, timid mare. And she reminded her of an old friend. It was the opportunity that Golden Shield had been waiting for.

"The Princess has asked me to task you with a secret mission, one that only she and I know of," explained Golden in a serious tone. "You are the only one fit for it."

"Me ?" replied Haze, surprised. "I'm sorry sir, you must know i'm not the most... capable servant in this castle. I often make mistaked, I have trouble expressing myself, I even broke fine tableware last time, I..."

"It's quite alright, Haze," reassuringly replied the commander. "We need you because of your closeness with Lady Rarity. You've grown quite close to her, yes ?"

Lemonade Haze nodded.

"And you wish the best for her, as you know she is a good mare, and shouldn't be imprisoned like she is now. I know this isn't the kind of things you say out loud, but it's the truth ; our lady doesn't deserve this."

Haze nodded again. Golden Shield smiled. He searched through the many papers and various objects scattered on his desk, and finally, he pulled out a small glass bottle, containing a shimmering purple liquid. Lemonade Haze's eyes widened, and she curiously inspected the object, amazed by the delicacy of the silver engravings on the glass. She approached her hoof, and Golden carefully handed it to her.

"This is a special potion, that our Princess has put a lot of time, effort, and magic into making. This liquid is infused with a spell, that her Majesty specially did for Lady Rarity. You see, the Princess is very saddened by our Lady's refusal of cooperation. But she knows she can't keep her dear friend imprisoned for the rest of her days. So, she has come up with a solution."

Lemonade Haze tried to make it seem like she listened attentively, but her gaze was captivated by the strange beauty of the magic liquid. Golden Shield didn't really mind, it actually made his job easier. He knew that his lie wasn't that good, but for a low class servant, impressed by little things like a purple liquid with added glitter, it would be enough.

"Put three drops of this in Lady Rarity's tea, every time you fetch her a cup. For two weeks. You'll soon see the change in her : she'll be more relaxed, peaceful, and open to conversations. When the bottle will be finished, she'll be ready to accept the Princess into her life again, and she'll finally be able to move on from the last six years. Does that sound good to you, Haze ? Do you think this is possible for you to accomplish ?"

Haze excitedly nodded. Golden got up, and approached the pegasus, leaning towards her hear to whisper.

"I expect great things from you, Haze. You'll be duly rewarded."

Golden Shield gently caressed her face.

"You're free to go."

Lemonade Haze wished him well and thanked him, and left the office. Golden Shiel sighed a great breath of relief, and sat back at his desk, in a relaxed position. Who knew that giving Rarity's servant a slow acting poison to swiftly assasinate her would be this easy ? He never would've guessed it. He never would've even imagined trying to murder the Element of Genereosity, but there he was. The war had been going on for too long ; six years of slaughter was enough.

The country was poor, and soon enough, there would be no more citizens left to rule. Golden Shield wanted change, but how could any change happen if all the people got exterminated in the war ? There were other fights to be led, in the zebra territory, or the griffins. They couldn't just stop there. So, the war needed to be over, quicker. Twilight needed to strike strongly, and what better excuse than the assasination of her friend ? She would find her dear old friend, murdered, by what she would assume was the enemy. She would unleash her wrath on her foes, and Celestia and her pitiful revolution would be crushed and be nothing more than a bad dream. There needed to be action. Twilight woulnd't be that mad they killed Rarity, really, but more that they did it right under her nose. That would drive her mad.

"I saw you."

A voice startled Golden Shield. At the entrance of his chamber, a blue pegasus, leaning on the door, crossing her front legs.

"Commander Dash !" greeted the stallion, getting up to shake her hoof. She didn't move an inch. "To what do I owe this pleasure ?"

"I saw you, with Scootaloo." Rainbow's voice was stern and as cold as ice.

"Scootaloo ?" Golden raised an eyebrow. "Ah, that young guard ? Yes, I happened to greet her on my way there. She is quite a friendly and polite pony, she must have been raised well."

He smirked. Rainbow Dash approached him, and put her hoof on his chest, frowning. Her pink eyes were shimmering with anger.

"Don't you ever dare touch her, or talk to her again. Don't come near her. I won't let her be poisoned by your words. I know what you truly are, Shield, and I don't trust you. So don't give me a reason to slit your throat while you sleep."

Golden Shield chuckled, not feeling threatened at all. He grabbed Rainbow's hoof.

"My, my, you shouldn't snap at ponies like that, commander. Seeing you succumb to your emotions this easily, an outsider may think you're not fit to lead any army."

Rainbow violently snapped her hoof out of Golden's tight grip. She didn't say a word, but her stare said it all. She stepped back, and the stallion closed the door on her nose. The pegasus always had been a thorn in his hoof, but he couldn't care less. She was a washed-up hero, a tragic exemple of how war scarred even the best of us into becoming monsters. But she was no threat. No one was a threat to Golden Shield, he was confident in that. Not even Twilight Sparkle.

Without anypony even knowing, he'd be the savior of Equestria. The country needed to fall to get back up again.

Author's Note

Hi ! Thank you for reading this chapter. As always ; english isn't my first language, so do tell me if there are any mistakes I can fix, i'll gladly take any advice.

Things are finaly moving into action, and i'm excited. Hope you are too and we'll tag along for the ride (lol). Hope you enjoyed your read ! Do tell me if you have any predictions or theories for the rest of the story, i'd love to read it.