“And what do ye think ye’s doing?” the man heard.
This prompted said man to turn around, his pristine white suit drastically contrasting with the dark surroundings, and to see the hunched-over figure wearing a wooden wolf mask and leaning on a staff.
Said figure was illuminated by the dim moonlight rays entering through the holes of the roof, its rough cloth robe and the cross atop its long stick standing opposed to him. But his longest and biggest annoyance by far, was the cross at the end of the staff, the man long since stopping having faith to whom it belonged in specific.
“Whatever you say won’t stop me Consequences.”
“And ye judge me a fool doing his errand?” Consequences wheezed back “Ne, of course I can’t. Can I still disapprove?...” he tilted his head in a familiar gesture.
“...Of course you can.”
“Ye. It is not only mine, but God’s will.”
“Tsk, you always say such things, and always do.”
“Ne, not always, only most times.” a dry cackling emanated from Consequences.
At that, the suited man grunted, straightened his already straight tie, and turned around to face the two stone thrones, one yellow and one blue, steps made out of the same material coming to them. When he did, he couldn't help but feel reminded of the two diarchs of this world.
Celestia and Luna. Two sisters, blessed with great power, separated for a thousand years after which they reunited and rejoiced, ruling Equestria as equals…
…And as with any of those thoughts, it made something that didn’t exist crawl up his spine. It was a familiar feeling that he tried to ignore, but at times failed to do. At times it was like swallowing a whole needle, and at times it was like having that needle stuck in your throat.
But he was above that, of course. Above universes and above worlds. He just had to cast those feelings and thoughts aside, let them rot and fade away like the nuisance they are.
And naturally if he did that Consequences would never let him hear the end of it.
“Are ye gon’ do it, Actions? Or will ye finally come to your senses?” Consequences’ voice cut him out of his thoughts.
“I must know what happens, and you know it well.”
“Very well then! Do it, if that’s ye’s will. Only ye and God know the price ye pay.” Consequences said, yet no ire was present in his voice.
It wasn’t a condemnation, or a threat, but rather just a statement. Actions didn’t spare his long-time acquaintance a glance, and simply tapped and held his own mask, before pointing an index finger with his free hand at the chamber’s floor.
In a second, his hand darted in a blur, drawing sigils, tracing patterns, marks, runes, impossible and possible writings, until the second passed, and the mechanism was complete, glowing with a soft white light.
“...Ye still can stop.” Consequences talked once more.
But it fell on deaf ears as the mechanism was activated, now glowing brightly with hot white, its many pieces jumping to life, moving slowly before gently fading away. Actions knew it would soon embed itself into the fabric of this world’s reality itself, picking things from the past, future and which never existed in it but had potential to do so and summoning them here.
Something crawled up his spine again. But there was no stopping what he put in motion now.
Taking his hand off his mask, he then once again averted Consequences, and instead opted to gaze upon the ceiling’s large hole, and the marked moon present there. He wondered what would happen if the inhabitants of that land somehow got a hold of him, stripped him of his magic, and made a statue in a garden, or whatever other silly thing they could come up with.
Could that happen? Could it not? Variables always got to him, that’s why it was important to know them.
Either way, satisfied for the time being, he tapped his mask once more, and faded into smoke, the smoke fading shortly after. Consequences meanwhile breathed a sigh of someone who knew defeat too well.
“May God have mercy on this land.” he simply said, and so, tapped his staff on the ground.
A moment later and a flash of light, and he was gone as well.
But the Mechanism remained, working and grinding its countless cogs and gears, defining its targets.
It looked upon the land of Equestria, and saw it but a red-skied battlefield, covered in death and terror, a lone mare in cyan armor standing against the tides of monsters, fighting a battle she couldn’t win.
It looked upon the land of Equestria, and saw holy temples and clashes of steel and dragonfire, a praised sun on most temples and a moon in a whispered few, as well as a yellow pegasus mare tending to the candles in one.
Finally, it looked upon the land of Equestria, and saw it filled with factories of arms and wargear, and in a dungeon, a mare with a flowing mane in shackles and red, soaked eyes.
And so it chose, and so it did its creator’s will.
One thing the Slayer learned is to never leave your guard down.
Never leave your guard down even if you are in cover. Never leave your guard down when you rest. Never leave your guard down, even if the pain is overwhelming. Never let your guard down even if everypony is laying broken, battered, bleeding, dying, screaming, whimpering and falling silent around you.
Letting your guard down would leave you vulnerable to anything. So she simply didn’t.
So when she felt the lightest thread of consciousness return to her, she immediately propelled her body backwards, both wings flaring and hoof-jets roaring to life as she scanned the new environment.
As she summoned her shotgun from the aether, she aimed before she even knew what she was aiming at, always moving, searching for a target, adrenaline across her veins, heart beating like a lightning tempo drum.
A second passed. She scanned the surroundings. Another second. She noticed the banners. A half second. Half-double-take. End of the third second. A realization.
No. It couldn’t be it…Could it?...
…She flew closer to one of the banners, taking care to look over her shoulders in her helmet. It had the half-torn emblem of a Sun on it. A familiar sign, and from what she observed, a familiar place.
A place she thought only existed in an old memory. A place she thought she would never see again, and had almost forgotten herself.
Was…This a trick? It had to be one. It was impossible to be! It couldn’t possibly…
…Could it?
She touched the banner with the barrel of her gun, but it acted like one. Just cloth, even if dusty.
Her heart raced faster than when she woke up, so much so that she saw a notification on her screen saying it was too high. She simply grunted in response, got rid of it with a thought, and looked out the window, her thoughts blanking after what she saw there.
The moon…It had the mark.
This means it was before the war. Before everything went to Tartarus!...
…But how did she get here…?
With a few commanding thoughts, and after yet another look around, she looked at her helmet’s footage. But a white flash before darkness before her ending up in the castle. Before that it was just her making a hell baron eat a rocket, quite literally.
It brought a smile to her scarred face. But after that smile, a purer one.
“Have…No clue, how,” she coughed a bit through her dry mouth “But I will warn them. We, will, win this time.” she then properly flew out of the castle.
And as the wind rushed past her helmet, the morning rays shone, and for the first time in Celestia knows how long, she saw the blue sky, the green untainted land. Flocks of birds. Ponyvile in the distance, and finally, her destination: Canterlot, even from afar, its golden tipped spires shining.
She felt like she didn’t in a long time. Happy, maybe, but also hopeful. Well mostly hopeful.
***
Celestia was sitting on a comfy pillow enjoying some fine Hoofshire tea, looking out her window and gazing upon the peaceful yet bustling streets of Canterlot, illuminated by the sun she just raised.
She cut off a piece of cake from the rather large velvet treat, putting the slice off for later consumption, after which she pushed the whole remaining cakey delight into her direction.
But when she was about to strike her fork into it, a guard barged into her room.
“Princess! There is a situation!” he yelled.
Celestia simply sighed and put down the fork. It unfortunately would have to wait, but then it struck her.
Something very serious should have happened to have her attention, prompting her to act swiftly and with vigor.
“What is happening and where?” she got up.
“Somepony bashed through a window into the throne room! T-They got us on a standstill, your highness, and we fear further attempts by force will result in further casualties!”
Celestia was already casting a teleportation spell, and the moment she heard ‘casualties’, an unnatural rage overtook her, as she immediately activated it. They were immediately outside the throne room.
There, what she saw infuriated her to the bone. She was first to notice two of the guards - both earth ponies and both solar - getting aided by paramedics. One’s helmet was slightly bent inward, the medical mare already applying bandages, and the other looking better, but winded, holding his side as another medic inspected him.
“Your highness!” the present sergeant saluted.
“What’s the situation and what has happened thus far, Cold Steel?”
“Someone flew into the throne room, eight guards were present there at the time, two with the medics here now,” Celestia grit her teeth “From what we gather, the attacker managed not only to break through the glass, but also fight off the guards. They also seemingly said something beforehand, possibly demands, which neither of the guards managed to hear.”
“What did they look like? How did the guards proceed?”
“They are clad in cyan armor, the visor is tinted and golden, and it's fully enclosed save for the wings. From what the two reported, this did not slow the attacker down, and from what our unicorns tell us it’s enchanted. Alongside that they are wielding some sort of hoof-held cannon. As for the guards, they made the demands of putting the weapon down and surrendering…” Cold Steel trailed off, as if getting to the bad part.
“What did the attacker do next?” Celestia’s expression was cold, behind a raging flame.
“They attempted to arrest them when they started off in a galop after saying something again. However, that has gone poorly. Only two managed to flee as the rest of the guard was alerted by the cannon’s fire.” Cold Iron continued “We now have the throne room surrounded from all sides, but do not know what happened to the guard inside. The attacker doesn’t seem to have left either.” he concluded.
Celestia listened to the report, and her head was overboiling with questions, sadness over the possibly dead ponies, and finally rage at the one who decided to unceremoniously assault the castle.
“I’m goin in.” she ended up simply saying.
“But princess-”
“It is the quickest way to make this situation end. I will hear the demands if there are any, but justice will be served. Stay put.” and so she cast another teleportation spell.
The interior of the throne room was normally a familiar and comforting sight, where she held her daily court, figured out wrongs and put disputes to rest, as well as settled agreements and alliances.
She never imagined it would be the sight of a battle. But it is exactly what it was, as short as it lasted.
Observing everything and taking in every detail, Celestia noticed the bodies neatly lined together in positions that she realized belonged to basic life support, the one to clear the breathing paths in specific.
But as her gaze had momentary confusion, it soon gained a razor sharp edge as it focused on the intruder. As told to her, they had their cyan armor, it being made out of metal, and their visor meeting her with a lifeless gold, her own stoic mask staring back at her.
Discreetly, she flared her horn for a half second before casting a sound amplifying spell. It was subtle --- but she saw the interloper tense.
“Who are you to barge into my castle?” her question was flat, but nevertheless intimidating.
But neither her fury or her mask could save her from what was coming next.
“Rainbow, Dash,” the figure said in a scratchy voice while bowing “Element of Loyalty.”
