Warsong: Primordial Conflict

“WHY IS THERE A SHIP IN FRONT OF MY HOTEL?!?” Concierge shrieked in abject anger mixed with terror. Posey was ugly bawling her eyes out not too far off, mourning the loss of her “friends” the ship uprooted or crushed while Lack-a-daisy had a doomed expression over her face, muttering at the amount of work it’ll take to fix any damages the ship made.

Moochik looked utterly stunned.

“Errr… p-perhaps oi’ wasn’ clear with what ye can do, laddies…” He muttered. My friends and I exchanged glances, clearly showing guilt among us. The Triad were salvaging what they could from the ship as they scouted around the area. One Triad pony got curious and examined a pot, causing Lack-a-daisy to shout swears at them and causing them to drop it from being startled. The pony retreated a bit at the angry glare of the mare. I sighed and rubbed my foreleg.

“You see… it’s a funny story…” I began. Concierge glared, mixing in a lost expression.

“I… I can’t fathom nor describe the sheer anger I feel right now…” she began. “I… I think… I need to lie down…” As understandable as it was, I arched a brow as the mare proceeded to curl in a ball on the ground, having not moved from her spot and silently stared off into the distance. Moochik wringed his hat nervously.

“D-dun mind them, laddies. They’ll… come aroun’… hopefully… but oi mus’ ask… WHY!?!?” He motioned to the ship and the Triad ponies now standing at attention behind Sonata, who looked completely unamused by all of this. Scribble stepped forward. He then began to explain what had happened and the current situation to the fae. He did his best to give as much reasonable information, with us to confirm it all. When he had finished explaining, Concierge finally stood up, her expression dark and broken.

“Oh… so that makes it all better… doesn’t it? The whole world is going crazy… that explains the voices I keep hearing right now.” Her eyes twitched slightly. Moochik pat the pony on the side reassuringly before clearing his throat.

“Well… tis an… unexpected arrival… but ehhh… ye have to understand laddies… we dun wannae any dealin’s with this lot…” Moochik said, eyeing the Triad. I stepped towards him and nodded.

“We didn’t plan on staying. Isn’t that right, Sonata.” I said before looking over my shoulder. Sonata frowned.

“You ask us to follow your direction and now you plan to direct us more? How about this.” Sonata motioned and the troops racked their guns and surrounded us, including Moochick and the mare. Concierge remained as she was while Lack-a-daisy looked between the ponies worriedly and Posey kept sobbing, only looking at the flowers beneath her. Moochik and us stood in front of the fae as we readied ourselves. “You follow my command. We will use this building as we see fit. You will provide us with necessary bedding, food and supplies. Two days on the dot at sunrise, you will direct us to the nearest town.

“If you leave the country or proceed to hide any further, you will be executed on the spot. Building an abode without proper Euclidian approval is an offense punishable of fourty moons with additional offenses per occupant. Do I make myself clear?” Thi snorted.

“Back off, hag. I’m still here, remember?” Thi grinned challengingly. “You want this property, then I won’t give it up so easily…” Sonata eyed her.

“Truly? I see your ‘sense of heroism’ keeps dooming those around you. If you truly wish to die on this hill, then I will see to it. Mark! Aim!” Sonata suddenly threw up a wing and the troops immediately readied themselves. Sonata then went silent. I narrowed my eyes. She met my own, lowering her wing after a minute of silence. “I appear to have made a small miscalculation. No matter. Nothing that can’t be remedied. At ease!” The troops eased their weapons trained on us. A wave of exhaustion hit us like a train. Sonata made a circle motion with a hoof and the troops began to hurry about, sorting through the ship once more. Sonata then stepped forward, looking at the fae folk.

“My demands still stand. I will ignore the trespassing and wrongful procurement of land until other matters are handled. Consider this place under Euclidian authoritary watch until further notice.” Sonata said.

“No…” Concierge uttered. We looked at her. I felt Moochik tug my sleeve and motioned us to get back. We carefully backed away. The three mares had darkened expressions. Sonata blinked questioningly at her.

“That better not be a stutter.” Sonata coldly replied. “Either say it or hold your-“ The ground exploded underneath her, knocking us off our hooves. The Triad ponies screamed in surprise. I scrambled to my hooves and gasped in awe. A massive bulb of roots, flowers and grass had gathered the Triad ponies together. To my surprise, Sonata hovered in the air, seemingly have anticipated the lashing. My eyes fell to Concierge. She held hooves with the other two and all three were chanting an incomprehensible verse. Moochik quickly stuffed our ears with cotton balls, motioning us to stay back. We watched as the bulb began to flair and slither unnaturally.

It wasn’t long until the Triad ponies were then plucked away from the bulb. Their fates were unfortunately worse than what their comrades had just faced. One by one, the Triad ponies were maimed by roots, being dragged under the ground to be buried alive, pulled into puddles that seemed to conjure themselves underneath them. The ship was suddenly lifted into the air by thick roots and grass, flailing just a bit before being ripped apart and used as crushers for those that weren’t caught in it.

Sonata looked unamused. She made one swift motion of her head and aimed her horn. A beam of light pierced the bulb and broke the barrier that had kept the three safe from their enchantments, knocking them away. The ripped apart ship crashed on the ground as the living field settled. The remaining Triad ponies were trembling. Sonata floated down and stood over the three fae ponies. Moochik gasped and was about to rush towards them, but I was quicker.

I slid to a halt in front of Sonata, keeping myself between her and the three fae ponies. Din cackled loudly as a ring of fire separated them.

“You harm them and this whole nation will go up in flames. And I’ll ensure we break you enough to fulfill your forced obligation.” I coldly said. Sonata remained unfazed. Was there anything, aside from Thi, that’d rile this alicorn? Her demeanor was really starting to piss me off. Sonata was silent for a time. She suddenly then slumped her head down, as if having been knocked unconscious. When her head rose again, she smiled. This unnerved me. But when Sonata courteously bowed to me, I eased a little. “At least you have some common sense, I hope?” I warily said to the now possessed Sonata. Lux nodded through her.

Allow me to rectify the influence here. Then we can have a pleasant chat. Would that suffice? Lux asked, moving Sonata’s mouth, but not making her speak. I looked over my shoulder to the three mares, who were trembling a little at us. I gave an apologetic look before turning back and nodding.

“That and you make a good apology to these three.” I said.

Now that we had some time to ease ourselves from the intensity, we sat in the courtyard of the estate. Moochik took it upon himself to fetch us tea and sugar cubes, even erecting a table for us to sit at. Lux had cleaned up the place with her magic, reverting the damages and even allowing new flowers to bloom that satisfied Posey enough and let Lack-a-daisy worry about normal chores. Concierge, however, had vanished from the activity. It was clear that she was in no mood to be seen around others. Cloudchaser went inside to put Flitter to rest and to watch over her for her recovery. Xena and Lo Mien as we later learned in a side comment from a passing Triad, are under mind control to prevent them from going crazy from Sombra's effects, stood at attention behind Sonata while Lilac stood next to Sonata.

Moochik helped himself to his own cup after we helped ourselves to ours before addressing our situations.

“Now then.” Lux began, physically speaking from Sonata. “Let us make it clear. This is merely a discussion of utmost importance. I will not indulge in small talk. Allow us to go first. My vessel wishes to become the sole ruler of Pony Land and Equestria. Unless you can provide alternatives, then Sonata wishes to discuss nothing more.” She said. Thi crossed her hooves and gave a sour snort.

“Fat chance. Tell her to go jump into another portal and don’t come back this time.” She said. I gave Thi a concerned look, thinking back to my friends in the human world. Thi saw my look and grumbled quietly to herself. I sighed and rubbed my face.

“To put it simply, that is a task that cannot be accomplished. Sonata will fail.” I replied. "Din and I will personally see to it. That goes for any other being wanting to take control." Lux took a small sip of her tea.

"A shame. I was hoping to go for four." She said simply. Din snarled.

I have four hooves right here... Just say the word... Din spoke. I ignored her and motioned at my friends.

"That being said. I do hope you realize that our next point is back to Equestria anyway. We have everything we need for Din's ascension and hopefully, finally getting rid of world ending threats." I continued.

"Then you need to get through to Ouroboros." Lux replied casually as she stirred her tea. I narrowed my look.

"Ouroboros has been against us this entire time. We saw him at Midnight Castle talking to that Kalatien-whatever it is called. He made it sound like he was waiting for the grand finale. Having gone under the radar of the other primals." I crossed my hooves. "If we have to go through Ouroboros, that’s going to be a literal promise. Lack of head included.” Lux studied me as she replied.

"Be it as that maybe, there is more to be done after Din achieves ascension." Was my mind playing tricks or did that sound like... genuine approval? I suddenly felt an insurmountable amount of anger and blurted out:

"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON NOT TO CRUSH YOU LIKE I DID THE OTHERS!! I'LL ENSURE YOURS WILL BE PAINFUL AND SLOW!!" I covered my muzzle, a little surprised by the outburst myself. Lux seemed to pierce her gaze right through Sonata and into mine towards Din.

"Because I have no interest in this star. To be quite honest, I grow tired of being given everything and having nothing to show for it." Lux took a small sip of her tea. "Seeing mortals struggle with day-to-day tasks is quite amusing. Rather... lively, if I must say. You can't get that out of three barren stars. But that luster also dries. I think it's time some being else needs to... ascend." I heard myself snarl before rising up from my seat and pointing at her.

"You grow tired of your position!?!" Din snapped. She then simmered a bit and blinked before grinning widely. "Heh, you know what?? This doesn't change anything. Nor does it affect my end game. Because in the end, you'll bow to me. I have other ideas I can humiliate you with." Moochik scratched his head.

"Errr... so, lemme' git this straight..." He began. "Tha' Great Queen Moonlight Sonata is not only tha' very same tyrant that put the fae in hidin', but she is also a destined savoir?" Scribble rubbed his neck tiredly.

"More to the point. We need to figure out a sure-fire way to stop the failsafe. Why would you even consider something like that?" Scribble asked stoically. Lux hummed as she tilted her head and closed her eyes for a bit. When she opened them after a bit, she nodded.

"My vessel states that her projections were far reaching in consequences than worldwide take over. She expected the failsafe to... "incapacitate" those infected to prevent them from running amok against each other." She explained.

"And herself." Thi chimed in, smacking her hoof on the table. Scribble rubbed his chin.

"The file mentioned much more behind it. She planned to not only unleash it on Equestria against Princess Celestia and Luna, but she had planned to use Sombra as a presentation to her investors." He said. Thi kicked back in her chair.

"Presentation. Always with the grand presentations..." She sighed. "Then aside from having everycreature infected with Sombra, and then a failsafe that screws over everycreature... how did she plan to cancel it?" Sonata slumped and was quiet for a moment. When she rose her head, the commanding, cold voice of Sonata spoke.

"The Prisma Nexus." She stated. The three of us exchanged glances.

"Primas Nexus?" Scribble asked. Sonata non-chalantly stirred her tea with her magic.

"This is information only ingrained into minds that are beyond mortal meanings. Tell me... did you believe that the two brats and that false one's reject are the only true born alicorns?" Her eyes looked at each of us, studying our reactions. Thi's face slowly dawned in realization.

"Wait... But... aren't you the last of your generation?" She mentioned. Sonata remained stoic as she replied.

"Last of my people, yes. A testament to the feud our tribe had with the Celestiales." She said. I blinked at this.

"Celestiales... Celestia... I don't get it." I said. Thi leaned forward a bit on the table.

"During my time overseas here, there is an old ruin, if you recall me mentioning, that is now submerged underwater?" I gave her a blank stare and tried to recall back to it. Nothing came to mind. "The statue of the Unknown Alicorn. No pony knows how old the civilization is. But if Celestia and Luna are around, then Sonata would believe that their bloodline originates from that place. The words they deciphered from faded plaques mentioned 'children touched by stars' and 'celestials'. With how the ruins looked before being submerged, it appeared to have strange artillery and chunks of stone and marble charred and scorched. Like it was a battleground." Thi closed her eyes, remembering back to a time she spent there. "Another word stuck out to me. Skyros." Sonata sat up straight, a small gleam of pride in her eyes.

"May her love push us to enlightenment." She said. Thi blinked before sitting back.

"Figures... What is this Skyros? What are you, Sonata?" Thi narrowed her look. Sonata met her glare.

"You should ask 'who am I'. While we never had time to idly chat this way, then perhaps now is a better time than any. Skyros is the land where your princesses and I originate from. A civilization far advanced and the foundation to mortal beliefs. It was our ancestors that led your kind to fruition. Their magic breathing you life. As the Creation Mother saw fit." Sonata leaned forward, her hooves under her chin. "There were seven hundred clans expanding over the entire world. High in the sky. Deep beneath the sea. Inside of the most difficult crevices. Some of their civilizations are still around as ruins your mortal ancestors believe to be their own ancestor's origins." A soft, amused smile crept on her muzzle. "Quite the delusion they hold in high regards. They even begun to worship us like the gods and goddesses we were."

"Were?" I asked. "What happened to the others? Are there anymore like you? Like our princesses?" Sonata sighed.

"I was but a filly and only vaguely remember the desperate escape my own parents had set for me. I do not remember much. Only blue and red." She said.

"Helpful." Thi spoke, shutting up when I side-eyed her. Sonata continued.

"I'm getting a little sidetrack in my reminiscence. 'Who am I' you would ask? I am Illion sas va Moonlight Sonata. Ex-archionima to the glorious kingdom tribe of Illion. Studied under the illustrious Illion sos na Rosette Nebula of the Studium Boriale, head archionima and scholar of all things created. Mind, matter, dreams and existence, our frontier will know no bounds. For it is ours that we will voyage this realm into her love." We were speechless. Sonata said all of this as if she breathed it. Thi slowly rubbed her temple, chuckling to herself.

"Hehe... you mean to say... that you actually come from a long non-existent tribe of alicorns that... study things?" She began. "And you are... were... a scholar?" Thi chuckled again. "And you grew up... to be a narcissistic, cold hearted killer tyrant queen." Sonata frowned.

"You seek to mock my status and do not wish to understand my reason. Granted, becoming queen wasn't my intention. But it benefitted the use of mortals to uncover things that my powers and influence cannot reach." She looked down at her hoof and studied it. "Loath am I to admit, but our tribe was cursed for the name alone. Deemed heretical and volatile to our Mother's will. But what good is will if not tested by ambition? The Celestiales begun a war we did not think to waste our time on. And for good reason. Whatever triggered this curse and the flash of blue and red... I aim to discover what has happened to my civilization." I noticed Lilac glance at Sonata quickly. Thi narrowed her look, but it was Scribble that spoke.

"And this... tribe... The Celestiales... what were they about? What did they seek?" He asked. Sonata lowered her hoof and shook her head.

"Tis foggy to recall. All I know is that that is the very tribe that your princesses originate from. Celestias san Sol and Celestias sah Aurora were the rulers of that tribe. Tis all I know before the fog." Sonata then faced Thi. "What you deemed were threats to your realm were my attempts to regain control of my own memories and our heritage. All those relics were once ours. Lost from the Studium Boriale and infested by mortal curses. Some I had to expend in order to discover more of what has happened to my tribe. For thousands of years, that was my sole ambition. If I had to enslave an entire land of mortals, then so be it. But I will not relish in this realm compared to the two brats." Thi frowned and sat back, crossing her hooves.

"But you were endangering Pony Land! You were ripping fabrics of reality to... now with what I know... to find out what happened to your tribe?? You weren't out to destroy the world? To conquer it?" Thi snorted. "I'm not convinced."

"Then allow me to quell any doubts and agree to the notion that I do intend to conquer and destroy this realm." She said simply. Thi growled but kept quiet. I narrowed my look this time.

"There has to be more to that. You can't truly believe that that is the end game to your... whatever ambition you call this. Mortals maybe beneath you, but isn't keeping them around a boon as well?" I asked, trying to find the right words to get the true point of Sonata. Sonata, however, waved my comment dismissively with a wing.

"Mortals deserve their fates for their incompetence to make their societies better. While the war started with the Celestiales, it was never the way your wars were. The only time an act of physical intrusion is required is if all tribes deem to intrude upon the commandments our Creation Mother bestowed upon us. Though, I suspect the Celestiales had more important things than to obey the commandments. For the tribes that break these commandments and attack others, we are obliged to defend. And yet, I am here, confused as to what has happened and ever searching for the answer." She then looked at each of us in turn again. "The Statue of the Unknown Alicorn is a testament to what was once my tribe's brilliance and might. Now rotting on mortal soil and I have nothing to understand how. Which... was a question I asked myself many times until now." She then nodded to Lilac. Lilac stepped forward and placed a strange device on the table. With a simple twist and smack of the jade orb, a hologram appeared above us. A three-dimensional design of old ruins spun around, stopping to be marked by a square into the center. The design zoomed in onto a low polygon statue of an alicorn, the squares highlighting certain points of interest and displaying information in old pone-ish on a scrolling box.

"We have worked tirelessly in our queen's name to aid in the restoration project of the ruins. We believe it to be a plaza of some kind that fell apart upon what we have called the blue and red flash, the Resonance. Yet, the marks of battle provided valuable information of blueprints that we were able to recreate.” Lilac explained. Thi’s eyes widened.

“Wait! You managed to make the Alicrons based on this info alone?? But… how?! Restoration is one thing. Recreating is…” She began.

“Taxing, but not impossible. Much like our paleontologists, the information can be reconstructed theoretically. But when you are born from that civilization, the perspective unfolds in a new light.” Lilac said. Sonata remained stoic as Lilac continued. “It also helped that our benevolent queen was given several slabs of research before she was forced to escape her tribe. We were able to decipher the encryption of Rosette Nebula. Regrowth formulas. Natural remedies. Crystallization through alchemical methods, anything that could be used to ensure the survival of a tribal.” Scribble’s jaw dropped.

“And it's all... natural?” He asked. Sonata nodded softly.

“With some attention to detail and weeks of observation, we can grow our edible plants in under three hours, renewing the seeds into materials for other alchemical components. All in the numerical calculations in the Studium Boriale.” Sonata said.

"Incredible..." Scribble marveled in thought. Thi waved her hoof in front of her.

"But then... what does all that have to do with this... Prisma Nexus?" She said. Sonata looked over to her side.

"Professor Gluten... if you'd be so kind." Sonata said. We watched in confusion as Xena yanked a chain leash around her hoof and a pale visage of Professor Gluten fell forward onto the ground. My eyes widened.

"What in Celestia's name happened to him!?" I shouted in horror. Not only was the professor's image pale. It was also skeletal. As if he hadn't eaten in days. Sonata used her magic to force Gluten to his hooves and dragged him over to the table.

"Explain to them what you've discovered about the Prisma Nexus. I'm certain that you planning on taking my side was not all you had in mind." Sonata glared coldly. Professor Gluten cowered under her. It was so surreal. This pony had color. Looked lively despite being infected with Sombranite. And yet, he aged tremendously. Gluten shakily rose a hoof and twisted a cog device on the hologram thingy. The image shimmered and a round sphere like object appeared with a question mark inside of it.

“W-with careful scrying of ancient data from our grace’s slabs, Prisma Nexus has popped up at least twice with no discernible descriptions or context. However, we theorized that the tribes of Skyros had cherished this relic as something more. A god? A testament to the creation mother’s presence left behind? We cannot be sure. Yet, with the lack of data on this Prisma Nexus, we did discover something else.” The professor shakily turned the cogs on the device and the ruins zoomed out.

He proceeded to tap something on the side and the area around the ruins began to dot with white like specks. Moochik stroked his white beard in fascination. Professor Gluten tried to lift his hoof to point, but whatever he was suffering made it impossible and he motioned with his head.

“Th-the ruins… are rife with ancient magic. Eldritch magic, as we have concluded. Invisible to even the most third eye scholar of our generation and previous ones. Some digging led us to believe that we are looking at components to a portal.” Thi narrowed her look.

“Another portal? And this one will for sure destroy reality as we know?” She sourly asked. Lilac pointed to the images.

“It is unknown what this portal leads to. But our benevolent majesty believes that this is the true gateway to her tribe.” She simply explained. Thi shook her head.

“You gotta’ convince me a lot more than just beliefs and what ifs on this stuff. No pony should take your word on anything that only benefits you. You’re playing with fire once more, and then it’s up to us to put a stop to it. It’s the same old song and dance. And frankly, I’m looking for an excuse to dance.” Thi said.

“And that is where I come in.” I spoke up suddenly. All eyes focused on me. Thi grew quiet. “I’ve heard the horror stories of your reign. Even experienced throughout my journey. I’m inclined to take Thi’s side on this. However, I’m inclined to figure out a different solution. To avoid anymore escalations, I will be heading the conversation.” My eyes fell on Sonata and Lilac. “So then, if we help you find this Prisma Nexus, then I expect you to help us under several conditions. One, Sonata returns with us to Equestria. Her status as one of the seven will grant her leeway from any questioning. Two, you are to pull your remaining forces and resources out of our nation. Din and I already took the liberty of destroying most on our way to Zebrica. For sake of what dignity as a leader you have left. Three, you are to be restrained and presented to Princess Celestia and Luna so that way we can find out a better solution to this whole thing. Four, you are to cease all activities regarding trafficking creatures and releasing them to their homes.

“Five, once we fulfill our duties to the realm and the previous conditions are met, Din and I will be taking most of Lux’s power as well as the others to ensure stability is maintained. And lastly…” I looked to Thi, giving her a concerned look before facing back to Sonata. “This pointless bloodshed and fascism between you two ends here and now. No excuses. No work arounds. I don’t care if you will never see eye to eye. I’ll make sure Din and I curse you both if any more ideas of throwing daggers at each other isn’t quelled.”

To no pony’s surprise, Lilac didn’t skip a beat.

“You are in no position to demand any of these. Euclides will not falter or waver in the beholder of our enemies. Your rulers are a threat to the realm. Dethrone your princesses and give them over to us. We will provide ample punishment and perhaps some mercy upon your brainwashed nation.” She coldly stated. I glared at her.

“The way I see it, you aren’t either, sister. You are inhabiting the next in line to Zebrica. A nation is already in anarchy because of your nation’s actions. Hell, being in the body of another through soul transferal is a taboo punishable by death and sundering of the soul. And that’s not the only taboo you’ve broken.” I retorted.

“Perhaps your laws dictate the forbidden use of such magic, but why should that knowledge be restricted? Can it not be put to better use?” Lilac replied casually. “Volatile and unpredictable as magic maybe, with the proper considerations and calculations, even your Everfree Forest would purr like a kitten. We have made it possible before and we will continue to do so. If your people fear the use of such knowledge, why keep it in areas that a filly can just waltz into? Your rulers fear this magic not because of the consequences it’ll have on their land, but specifically for their status as princesses.”

Sonata shifted and looked at me.

“If I recall, my agents speak of two proteges. A Princess of Love and a Princess of Friendship. Mortals who have been granted privileges because two little fillies couldn’t be bothered to fulfill their roles properly. The Celestiales put their faith in the wrong ponies. They believe that mortals can manage their might? Nay. The sisters have always been scared little brats of royalty who were pampered with responsibilities over a mortal realm. The many times they have doomed this realm with their actions, and they looked to a mortal for guidance??” Sonata scoffed. “And to hear that one had banished the other on the moon? They should be glad their tribe had not witnessed the downfall of their fated children.” Scribble rubbed his chin.

“Wait… you make it sound like the Illion tribe isn’t the only tribe that fell. Does that mean Celestia and Luna’s tribe fell too?” He asked. Sonata shifted her wings and lowered her head a little.

“Perhaps. It is still unclear what has happened. But I see no other choice in the matter.” She then stood up right and unfurled her wings in a similar display of majesty I’ve seen our own princesses do. “We will have much to discuss on the war efforts. But our task at hoof is to find this Prism Nexus and prevent the Kalenite from obtaining such power.”

“What even is a Kalenite?” Thi asked, rubbing her temple.

“A creature of unknown origin.” Lilac spoke up. “And one we are on the clock against. The Prisma Nexus holds great meaning to the tribes. If we can open the portal to Skyros, we can prevent further desecration of our queen’s heritage.” Thi frowned.

“Can you do that without tearing reality down?” She asked snarkily. Lilac glared at her. Sonata, however, lowered her wings and nodded.

“Indeed we can. And your friend is going to do all the heavy lifting.” She said, eyeing me. I blinked. Din scoffed.

Hmph. The gall of you, pathetic wannabe. Need I assert myself here and now? Din growled.

But of course it should be you, sister. You uphold the duty far greater than the others and have already regained stability before. You are the perfect one to ensure no harm comes to this realm during my vessel’s ambition. Shall we trust you to keep your head cool? Lux echoed in my mind. Din snapped.

Out, she bitch!! Din flared. I sighed and rubbed my temples. Din’s anger was really giving me a headache.

“Lux, you can trust me in that case.” I said out loud suddenly. All eyes went on me again. I stood up straight and nodded. “This entire discussion is far more nuanced than I expected, and things need to be handled. But right now, we need to stop a new player. What do we have to do?”

We spent quite a while discussing a plan. It boiled down to this. Din and I were to be the catalyst to channel the portal open. With the ancient ties to Sonata’s heritage, her blood would be used to hopefully allow the portal to reform, in theory, a visage of what the ruins would have been during her time as a filly. There, Sonata would try and find with what troops she can manage to discover the whereabouts of the Prisma Nexus and, from what I’m guessing, some form of closure for her tribe’s decimation.

A noble goal, if Sonata wasn’t so demanding and terrifying her troops. She had given Lilac permission to overlook the preparations and asked the mind-controlled Xena and Lo Mien to dispose of Professor Gluten. Moochik argued against this but was shoved aside by the mares dragging a screaming Gluten out into the field. Moochik eventually allowed only Sonata and Lilac to enter the estate, the two tyrants patiently sitting in the lounge chairs as the three fae ponies moved about to their cleaning. Concierge wouldn’t talk to anypony. Not even Moochik.

Thi and Scribble offered to keep an eye on the troops (I could tell Thi wanted to confront the two mares under the control of Sonata’s implant) leaving me to wander down a hall to see an open door. I peeked inside and saw, to my immense relief, Flitter sitting tiredly up on her bed. Cloudchaser had passed out, drooling on the blankets at her bedside. Flitter smiled softly at me and I quietly crept over to them. Flitter brushed her sister’s mane.

“She passed out the moment I woke up.” She giggled softly. “She must have been really worried.” I gave her a concerned look.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her. Flitter gave a small roll of her neck and nodded.

“I feel… energetic. Though, I’m still recovering from the knockout gas.” She held her side. “Thank you… by the way. I may not have been… myself… but… I did witness everything before passing out.” I returned her smile and walked to the opposite of her bed.

“You’re my friend. No way was I going to let a tyrant use you.” I said. Flitter kept stroking Cloudchaser’s mane. I was a little playfully jealous at the sight.

“I have to thank you for something else.” Flitter began. I blinked in confusion. “Cloudchaser had always been indecisive of her life. She doesn’t like to admit it, as you know. You wouldn’t believe how much you showing up out of the blue in the park made Cloudchaser rethink herself. It kept her up that night.” She giggled again. “Just like how her words reached you, your actions reached her. And it kind of rubbed off on me too. I may not be quite physically capable like my sister, I don’t mind hanging back and supporting. And if I can, provide backline support.” Flitter rolled her foreleg. “I might need to refresh myself. I hope Sombra didn’t mess me up too much.”

I giggled myself and put a hoof on her’s.

“She never stopped chasing after you. Her and I maybe something, but you are everything to her. I’m a little jealous, I’ll admit. But I’m glad you two are able to stay strong together.” I sighed, thinking back to my own siblings. “Sometimes, things just don’t work out as well as you think. I hope they understand.” Flitter softly pat my head reassuringly.

“You were able to reconnect. Whenever this is all done with, it wouldn’t hurt to check up on them again. Everypony is fighting hard to save the realm. It’s only right that their faith in us be returned.” Flitter’s expression softened in thought. “Perhaps I should avoid field work for a while. Quill and parchment isn’t so bad at the Wonderbolts. Plus, it’ll help me keep track of Thunderlane and Cloudchaser from being air headed in their routines.” I smiled.

“She’s really lucky to have you as a sister, Flitter Glider. I’m sorry for putting you through so much and not being able to handle the issues you had in time.” I said, my smile slowly fading to defeat. Flitter shook her head.

“Don’t be. In fact, I feel like a million bits. A-after a bit more rest, that is, I will be able to join you again. We still have other ponies to save, after all.” She grinned. I noticed movement past her and looked to see Concierge sweeping the hall. I looked at Flitter and excused myself before standing up and walking over to Concierge. I braced myself, hoping I wouldn’t regret my choice.

“Concierge?” I asked. As expected, no reply. She kept her head down, focused on sweeping. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. “I… on behalf of everything that happened recently, I apologize. We didn’t have any other choice.” Concierge didn’t say anything and kept sweeping. “I… we were… unable to locate your kin…” This got her to stop sweeping for a brief moment before continuing once more. I winced but felt assured that she was indeed listening. “There wasn’t much in the castle. It was like… the whole place had been ransacked and any trace of anything living there gone. Before we could get a better understanding, we-“

“Shut up.” Concierge said suddenly. My ears dropped; certain I said something wrong. Concierge stopped sweeping and held onto the broom. “I already know. The connection to my kind can go farther than your teleportation spells. They are still alive, but far away from us. I already know all of this. And yet… the very beings that took them is now sitting in our lounge and enjoying tea.” I could see her trembling, her expression darkening. “Words cannot express how vastly angry I am that we have to cater and tolerate mortal behaviors…. We are fae. We do not beholden onto anybeing. We are…” she hesitated, gripping the broom tighter. “Were free. And then… your kind… your kind showed us just how much lies could mean…” She began to shiver.

“I don’t need your sympathy. I don’t need your excuses. Not from mortals. Never from mortals. Never again.” She stopped shivering and seemed to take a deep breath. “Just leave. Don’t bother coming back.” I held up my hoof.

"Concierge, wait!" I began. Concierge shot me a look that froze me in place. I shiver ran up my spine.

"You're a 'hero', aren't you?" she said in a tone I can only describe as chilly as wind on Mt. Everhoof. "Do me a favor, 'hero'. Off yourself in the next clash with gods and mortals. Destroy this entire realm. There is nothing worth salvaging here." I was speechless. I told myself not to push any further. Concierge went back to sweeping, heading further down the hall. I slunk back into the room, turning around and being startled by the surprise appearance of Moochik on the opposite bed of Flitter. Based on their expressions, they heard everything. I sat down on a chair facing the beds at the far end of the room.

"I feel awful..." Flitter spoke. Moochik smiled reassuringly and shook his head.

"Dun be, lass. Ye weren' awake. Oi apologize on 'er behalf. She... she doesn' cope well wit' err... intense situations." Moochik explained.

"That's putting it lightly..." I replied, not hiding my defeated tone. "Has she... always been like that?" Moochik sighed softly.

"Hard ta' say. Perhaps she wasn' 'efore oi took 'em in." Moochik eyed me. "Though, oi feel tis bes' ye leave as soon as ye can." He leaned forward. "Out o' worry o' escalatin' things. Ye shouldn' 'ave brought those lot aroun'." I looked at him and nodded seriously.

"It was never our intention. We plan to leave tomorrow morning along with our uninvited guests." I lowered my head a little. "I'm not sure what's going to happen to us. But if it makes Concierge and the other fae feel better, we'll probably won't be showing up at all again. And if so, we'll promise not to bring in an entire boat with unwanted criminals." Moochik gave an apologetic look.

"Oi wish oi can 'elp. But me hands'll be tied. Concierge will be wantin' ta' be bossin' on cleanin'." Moochik slid off the bed and waddled towards the door. He stopped to turn around. "Tis really tha' only thing keepin' 'er sane." Moochik disappeared around the corner. There was a loud snort as Cloudchaser woke up in a daze.

"Wazzat? I'm awake! I'm awake." She yawned and wiped her eyes, blinking before smiling up at Flitter. She stood up right. "Flitter! Oh, thank Celestia you're awake!" She said, hugging her. Flitter looked at me and winked.

"I'm fine, sis. Really. Perhaps it is your turn to rest. You've had a long day and I've hardly been able to start on mine." She said soothingly. Cloudchaser looked up and tilted her head slightly.

"A-are you sure you're fine? I could-" Flitter frowned and cupped her sister's face cheeks and looked her in the eye.

"You've worried plenty, Cloudchaser. Perhaps you should focus on something else for a change? Perhaps helping out Fie with her own dilemma?" She said, turning Cloudchaser's head towards me. I flushed at the same time trying not to laugh at Cloudchaser's puckered lips. I waved my hoof softly.

"O-oh, I-I'm fine. I'm..." I found myself shutting up once more, taken aback by the icy stare Flitter was giving me. I gave her a small nervous smile and tapped my hooves bashfully together. "Err... wha-what I mean to say is I have uhh... to go check up on the others and not bother Flitter so much." I gave her my best smile I could manage. Cloudchaser was forced to face Flitter, who beamed at her.

"You go do that, sis. I want to take my time." She said. Cloudchaser rubbed her cheek when Flitter let go and looked at me in confusion. Not wanting to overstay our welcome, I took ahold of Cloudchaser's hoof and walked her out of the room. We made our way to the lobby, where we came to a strange sight. Scribble was waltzing with Lilac to a slow, strange orchestration. The only ponies I noticed that wasn't being stoic about this was Thi, whose eye twitched sourly with her forelegs crossed across her chest, watching what was probably the worst movie imaginable to her. Cloudchaser and I exchanged glances right as the orchestration finished and Scribble dipped Lilac. When he brought her back up, Lilac made a small frown.

"Acceptable. More practice in your steps, then perhaps a more negotiable standing can be worked upon." Lilac said simply. Scribble returned the remark with a stoic look.

"Noted." He replied.

"Err... did we miss something?" Cloudchaser asked. Scribble lowered his head, seemingly embarrassed behind the stoic facade. Lilac adjusted her general outfit before putting her cap back on.

"A test of resolve for a favor. The Triad prides itself on sophistication for favorable benefits." Lilac explained. I looked at Thi, who snorted.

"More like just wanting to be smug about the position you're in. You just wanted to compensate for something." She retorted. Sonata stood up, removing the needle on the record player on the side.

"Perhaps you should take note of your stallion, pest." She said without looking at her as she walked by. "You could do with some control." Thi's face went red but Scribble held out a hoof to her and shook his head. She groaned in frustration before standing up and bucking the lounge chair, stomping off to the hall.

"I'm going to bed. Need to prepare for the worst." She said. I furrowed my look into worry, watching her disappear around the corner. Scribble rubbed the back of his neck. I glanced over at Lilac and saw a subtle smug smile on her face that vanished as quickly as it happened. Sonata stood up and began to walk down the opposite hall, Lilac following suite. The troops must be staking out outside due to the lack of security. Scribble sighed.

"The things I set myself up for." He said.

The rest of the day was rather strange. The fae ponies avoided the Triad ponies as much as they could. The same could be said towards them for fear of suffering the same fate as their comrades. Throughout the night, I stirred awake to the sound of something banging against a wall. I worried if something had happened and took a quick look around the estate hall and lobby. Nothing stood out and as I was walking past a room, I stopped when I heard another bang. It sounded like somepony was shifting around on the bed in restless sleep. I shook my head, too tired to really bother with anything and went back to sleep, snuggling up to Cloudchaser. The next morning, I woke up a bit early and got myself ready for the day. When I left the room to let Flitter shower and Cloudchaser waiting for her turn, I nearly bumped into Scribble, who was standing in front of the room Thi was in, his hoof on the knob. He looked a bit startled at me.

"You're awake early." He said. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could see that he looked to have had a bit of a rough night. He seemed to shyly brush his bedhead mane before adjusting his yellow coat. He must have found his outfit at some point. I yawned and waved a hoof tiredly at him.

"Couldn't get much sleep. Too much noise from all the Triad stomping around at night." I said. Scribble rubbed his neck.

"Triad..." He said, his voice trailing off. I blinked away the rest of the tiredness and walked with him to the lobby.

"Was Thi alright? She seemed a little perturbed." I asked, curious as to what was going on. Scribble shifted uncomfortably a little.

"Not sure. She uhh... just needed somepony to talk to... vent her frustrations. I think." He said. My eyes narrowed. Why was he being dodgy? Deciding to not press the issue, we sat in the lobby, waiting for the others to arrive. First came Flitter, adjusting her bow on her mane and ensuring her weapon was secured to her. She had mentioned that her equipment was just there in the closet of their room when I asked. Cloudchaser then followed, giving a quick glance at Scribble knowingly over something, which the stallion avoided any form of eye contact. Then came Lilac and Sonata. I wasn't sure if they slept in their attire or not. They looked just as pristine as they did when we arrived. They didn't acknowledge us as they walked out of the estate. Lastly, came Thi. We took immediate notice of her mood. She had a bit more pep in her step and looked to be glowing a little. Cloudchaser smiled.

"You look better." She said. Thi seemed to shift and brush her mane.

"Nothing but a good nights' sleep can't handle. I feel right as rain and ready to take on the day." Her brow furrowed. "Are we sure we want to take Sonata's word for everything she explained?" We exchanged glances.

"I don't think we have any other choice. We're so close to Din's asencion but at the same time, we can't ignore the possible threat." I said, sighing. "A war, primal conflicts, some form of higher evil... It's just too much for the realm."

We should hurry and apply me to the status. Din hummed. I will not lie. The name Prisma Nexus sounds familiar... I winced as several images flashed across my mind. Din's eyes widened. Of course... Vessel. Change of plans. We must take the Prisma Nexus for ourselves. It'll prove beneficial to our goal. I rose a brow, rubbing my head as we got up and walked out of the estate.

'How?' I asked. Din frowned.

It occurred to me that this relic is immensely powerful enough to even make the gods bend to its' will. I... I want to be sure. She said. I tilted my head slightly. Was that hesitation? Din remained quiet as we approached Sonata and Lilac, who were observing the remaining Triad, Lo Mien and Xena readying auto wagons. Thi rose a brow.

"The other troops aren't pulling back?" She asked, suspicious of the two. Lilac hopped into the passenger seat as she spoke.

"The troops will be doing a thorough investigation of the surrounding area. Our main priority is heading to the caldera. Lucky for us, the point of interest is only a two-hour ride from here.” She explained. Flitter tapped her chin as she looked around.

“I feel like leaving anypony behind here is a bad idea.” She said.

“You are correct.” A voice said. We looked behind us to see Concierge standing in front of the gate. Lack-a-daisy and Posey stood beside her. Moochik stood a little off to the side, looking apologetic. “You’ve broken the very law of our home. And for that, you are forbidden from ever entering this place again.” A cold wind blew across the field, the colorful petals of flowers fluttered by us. Butterflies of varying colors began to surround the estate on a vortex. Concierge flared at us from behind the butterfly veil before looking to Sonata. “I’ll have your head for what you’ve done. Once your ‘savior’ status is over.”

The wind grew to a violent whirl and the butterflies thickened for a time before dispersing. The wind died down and all that was left of the estate was a small imprint of the foundation. Lilac waved her hooves.

“Find those ponies! They’ll face their subterfuge.” She ordered before pointing at us. “Let us not waste any more time. Get in.” Thi smirked and smugly waved a hoof at her.

“What’s the magic word?” She grinned challengingly. I nudged her slightly.

“Let’s save the snark until after we are done.” I said. Thi didn’t fight it and instead smiled and nodded. I somehow felt at ease with her chilling out. I guess she really has changed. At least, I truly hope so. I want my best friend back. The rest of us hopped into the auto wagon and Lilac commanded Lo Mien to drive. We spent the next two hours in silence, the grassy, flowered fields on both sides expanding pretty far.

I did take note of some older ruins and rotted cottages rarely dotting the fields, thinking to myself how much of history has happened here before Sonata’s reign. We soon begin to approach a jungle area with the flowers no longer in the fields and just grass slowly yellowing to dryness. Proceeding through the jungle was bit bumpier than expected, but after a while, the road smoothed out and we soon began to drive through a flattened and paved roadway. We passed by a sign marking "Battlegrounds" ahead.

"Battlegrounds?" Flitter chimed in suddenly. Thi was kicking back coolly as she replied.

"The natives of this jungle refer to it as the Battlegrounds because of the many sacred battles that partook here between them. It was very valuable as the wilderness seemed to vastly flourish in this one particular area. Records had stated that the caldera in which we are heading to had shown up one day with no pony noticing, making the natives believe that their battles have begun to manifest a goddess. The Unknown Alicorn made the tribes create a peace treaty to share the land and had since been flourishing for centuries. However, further studies later on have shown no sign of anything astronomical in power. Some say the tribes had lost sight of the area they were fighting over and instead fighting on different land or that they just stumbled upon old ancient ruins before them." Lilac explained simply.

"Until now." Sonata spoke. "With the data obtained from the late professor's research, the story isn't so far-fetched. At least, to mortals." She looked out the side window. "I know the truth to some degree, and I do not regret sharing nothing of the ruins. It has my ancestry all over and I aim to find out what happened. General, are the field scribes all ready?" Lilac quickly put a hoof to her ear and muttered something. She then nodded.

"Yes, your majesty." She replied. Sonata nodded and shifted her wing. Lo Mien stepped on the peddle and we sped along the road. Taking a turn, the jungle suddenly opened up and revealed a magnificent view that you would only see in postcards. Flitter and Cloudchaser gasped in awe. Looking over the horizon, a waterfall washed downward into a glittering lakebed surrounded by flora and what appeared to be bits and pieces of ruins dotting around the area.

"Prepare my Iron Tarkus." Sonata said suddenly. Lilac immediately put a hoof to her ear.

"Ready her majesties Tarkus. ETA five minutes." She said.

"Your majesty." Xena suddenly said, startling me. Has she always been in the back of the auto wagon? "I'm getting reports of a distress call. It appears the field scribes encountered the natives. How shall we proceed?" Thi gave a worried look towards Xena, as if hoping she was only feigning her mind control. Sonata didn't skip a beat.

"Dispatch two troops to the field scribes for monitoring. Fire off warnings to have them retreat." She seemed a little annoyed. "I will not tolerate any distractions this day." Her eyes glanced at Thi Billet, who ignored her glare. Her and I exchanged glances, however. It felt like a painstakingly long five minutes before we managed to pull up to the Triad camp. We stepped off the auto wagon and greeted by several troops and scribes for Sonata.

“Where is Field Day.” Sonata asked.

“Here, your highness!” A voice said. We looked to see a scrawny looking mare canter over to us, nearly tripping over her robe before saluting. Sonata dismissed the troops, Lo Mien and Xena, walking with Lilac at her side and Field Day trying to keep up. We followed after them.

“Are the resonance crystals in place?” Sonata asked as she looked around the camp.

“Yes, your majesty. Projections estimate ten minutes from now, the sun will shine over the lake. At that time, the crystals are set to react and stir the magic. There is still the matter of draining the caldera.” Field Day flipped through a clipboard hurriedly. “The many pumps stationed in the recommended spots have been fruitless in speeding up the draining. But if we add two more, we’ll increase projections by point two perc-“

“No more projections, scribe. We do not have time to wait any longer. I brought something that’ll make the process go by quickly.” Sonata interrupted the mare and turned to me. “I would command you to heat the lakebed to reveal the ruins. It must be done before the sun shines over the lake.”

“Whoa, whoa. I get the rush, but at the same time, I feel like we’re being a bit reckless here.” Thi said.

“Now she thinks about the consequences.” Lilac commented. I had to hold back a snicker with all my might. Thi frowned.

“I am now, thank you very much. My journey has been quite eye opening.” She retorted.

“That doesn’t excuse the blood on our hooves, Billet.” Sonata said coldly. “Need I remind you of what transpired on that Lavan mission?”

“I don’t care if you bring it up. It won’t change the fact that we are putting one of the seven at risk of something dangerous. We have to keep both of you alive, even though we’d be better off with you gone.” Thi growled. I gave her a small smile and walked to stand in front of her, meeting her eyes.

“Huh. And here I thought you were going to force me to volunteer. Regardless, you do forget who you are talking about. The mare who jumped into a raging whirlpool with a giant octopus? Getting shot into a tornado? Went through another dimension and saved it? Least of all, getting shot out of a show canon at mach twenty to reach you guys in time?” I explained. Thi studied me, her jaw agape a little. I pat my chest reassuringly to her. “Whatever will happen shouldn’t be that bad.”

“Famous last words.” Flitter snickered. I grinned at this. Thi eased and smiled softly.

“Right. Well then, what should we do?” Thi asked.

“You are to check the pumps to ensure they are running properly.” Lilac spoke up as she looked down at a device. “The rest of you will accompany me. I’ll put you to work.” Thi frowned before looking to the others. Scribble gave a soft nod and Thi relented.

“To your stations, kin! We begin now!” Sonata ordered, using what I would guess be her version of the Canterlot Voice. In unison, the troops and scribes cheered.

“For her majesty!” Sonata looked over her shoulder to me.

“May you walk in the abyss.” She said. I bid farewell to my friends as Lilac escorted them away from the camp. Thi turned to me and rubbed the back of her neck, hesitating.

“Fie… I uhhh…” She began. I waited for what she wanted to say. Taking a deep breath, she smiled. “Let’s go out for a drink. Just us and, ya’ know, girls night out.” I studied her, noting things about her. I then smiled and nodded.

“I’ll hold you to it.” I replied. This seemed to brighten Thi’s mood. And I’ll admit, this was quite a pleasant surprise. When she turned and trotted off to handle what she was told to do, I turned to Sonata. The alicorn looked over the cliffside, the lakebed rippling and reflecting the rising sun. Din shifted.

The air here. It is brimming with powerful magic. She said. I was suddenly sharing her sight and I could see floating stars around the lakebed as far as I could see. Indeed, the magic is here.

“Are you sure the crystals will work?” I asked her suddenly. Sonata didn’t acknowledge me, but did reply.

“They were created per my own magic. It shall work.” Sonata then looked over her shoulder to me. “Din must concentrate the power to call upon the sun. It’ll aid to hasten the process.” I frowned and stepped back a bit.

“You do realize what you are asking about. Or have you forgotten Hoofington?” I asked. “But then again, you were encased in a crystal. I’m certain it was just after thought.”

“Do not begrudge me on the action that spurred our nation to rise up against yours.” Sonata spoke, looking back out to the lake. “All I know is that Din can borrow from the Celestiales’s patrons. The results showed themselves what it can do.”

“I’m not nuking a lake to get to underwater ruins.” I retorted.

“You will not be ‘nuking’ my nation. I will not allow it. Lux believes that Din has enough self-control now through her own journey. That is all I care for.” Sonata replied casually. Din grumbled.

Soon… Din growled.

‘Can we really do this?’ I asked her. Din scoffed.

Now you doubt us? You won’t be doing the heavy lifting here. Din replied. I nodded softly. Sonata stood up and turned to me.

“Tis time. Fly yourselves out to the center.” Sonata said before turning to a passing scribe. “Signal the others. With haste.” The scribe saluted and galloped away to notify the others. I walked over and stood next to Sonata. Using Din’s eyes, I can see surrounding certain points of the lakebed edge the other ponies hurrying about. I felt a warmth flow through me and Din kicked me off the ground and flew over to the center of the lake.

I took one last look around the lake, spying my friends looking up from their consoles. Thi was seen making a last-minute fix before nodding to me. I took a deep breath and looked to Din, giving my entire being over to her. Din rose my hooves into the air and my horn began to glow brightly. As the sun fully appeared over the horizon, it then began to turn a blood shade of red. I observed Din from inside my mind, seeing her swish and sway my hooves above me. It wasn’t long until a solar flare from the sun bore down towards me and began to gather into a sphere of magic, followed by several more.

From inside my mind, I saw the phoenix fly past me and curled itself above Din, igniting her fire brightly. I felt a strange flow of power course through me. It was a little too much as I felt like I wanted to vomit. Yet, I steeled my resolve and focused on ensuring Din was unheeded. When Din opened my eyes, a decently big sphere of swirling magic floated above me. It wasn’t nearly as big as Din made it back in Hoofington, but I began to have a nip of worry of my friends nearby.

Din grinned and looked down into the lake.

Revel in my might, mortals! Pray to your beliefs that this does not fall upon you this day! Din cackled. She then waved my hooves and made a motion of me throwing something down. The sphere moved and the lake exploded into steam. Din pushed the sphere downward slowly, shielding me from the steam. Even when not in my own body, I could only imagine the scalding burns I would have if I was a normal pony.

Five minutes went by as the lake began to show the first signs of the ruins. Din became focused, controlling the power of the sun to avoid damaging the ruins. Slowly but surely the ruins began to appear. Mossy stone pillars, archways and piled stones soon became visible. Din held the sphere barely touching the ground before pulling it back up over my head and then releasing the power up into the sky, returning to the sun. The sun changed back to the normal glow and hue.

Din gave me my body back but kept us in the air. I scanned the ruins. My eyes fell onto a lopsided massive statue of an alicorn. The serene smile with blank eyes, rearing upward as if greeting me. I don’t know why, but the missing bits of her wings and a tail seemingly lost to time, coated in moss, made me feel guilty. As if the unkemptness could have been prevented in someway. Din focused on the statue, her eyes studying it.

Mother… She said suddenly.

The Triad wasted no time in descending the caldera. I waited for them in front of a partially destroyed archway. It wasn’t long until the scribes began arriving with equipment in wagons. My friends trotted over to me from one of the wagons and I smiled in greeting. We then looked towards the ruins. It was bigger than I expected. Expansive even. The wet mud made the trek further inside difficult to pull the wagons. The Triad eventually settled in setting up base where they were stuck and began to make small patrols to escort the scribes that were spreading out.

My friends and I proceeded to venture on our own, traversing around the debris. Whatever this place used to be was long forgotten to mortals. We then came to the massive statue of the alicorn. Centuries of decay and water stains couldn’t even grotesque the beauty of the alicorn. She towered above everything, no longer greeting us, but now showing us the sky.

Thi walked up to the base of the statue and brushed her hoof against the stone.

“Fascinating.” She said. “Being under the water for so long and it looks to have been untouched by nature. Hardly any moss growing on it.” Scribble rubbed his chin, clearly intrigued by the statue as well.

“That symbol… isn’t that Celestia and Luna?” Scribble pointed to the engraved emblem that seemed to be partially weathered but you were still able to make out the shapes. Indeed, they looked to be two alicorns with the sun and moon in the center.

“Tis not the brats of the sun and moon. They are the patron Sol and Nyx.” Sonata’s voice spoke from behind us. We turned to see the scribes wagoning to the side to set up while Lilac and Sonata approached the statue. Sonata looked up at the statue. I noticed she was shivering a little. Lilac turned to the scribes.

“Get the resonance crystals ready. We begin at noon.” She ordered. The troops and scribes hurried about. Flitter chimed in.

“It’s massive. Do alicorn tribes make towering architect like this often?” She asked. Sonata walked up to the statue and brushed her hoof over the pedestal.

“A symbol of glory and unity amongst my kind. The many times I’ve looked over this place, through pictures and in person, I still…” she trailed off a bit. Realizing this, she cleared her throat and stepped away. “Architecture is not our concern at the moment. Are those crystals ready?” Lilac put a hoof to her ear, relaying the message over link bud. There was a brief pause before Lilac nodded. “Gather a strike team. If this succeeds, we will need to tread into the unknown. Let us be the light through the abyss.” Lilac saluted and proceeded to bark orders, assembling a group.

Sonata turned to me. “When the magic is at its’ potent, channel it to the crystals. Then, we will begin the ritual of passage.” She then proceeded to walk towards the group Lilac gathered. I turned to my friends.

“I’m actually quite nervous.” Flitter spoke. “If this works, we get to see where our princesses came from!” Scribble rubbed his chin as he glanced up at the statue.

“Or at least, a part of it. If Sonata’s words are to be believed, then we are merely expecting a pocket of what would be the Illion tribe lands.” He replied.

“That name doesn’t ring any bells, no matter how many times I hear it.” Thi chimed in, tapping her head in thought. “I mean, Princess Celestia and Luna have to have some sort of records of their filly hood explaining the Celestiales. And if there are several other tribes, how come we haven’t seen any true born alicorns in Equestria aside from the one filly we know?” Cloudchaser rubbed her chin in thought.

“But then, wouldn’t that mean there are other alicorns like Twilight and Princess Cadence out there if that is the case? Unless all the tribes are set to rule Equestria, or a part of it, then we should have seen some more alicorns in our lifetime… right?” She asked. Scribble perked up.

“Or perhaps Celestia and Luna’s tribe are the only tribe dedicated to mortal ruling. I can’t help but put something together.” He pulled out his tattered journal and opened to a page. “From the way Sonata spoke and named things, perhaps the Illion tribe are dedicated to only research and knowledge. If that’s the case, then the rest of the tribes would have to exhibit something else. Which means that the Celestiales are, from what it sounds like, the only tribe to take interest into mortal affairs. But… for what reason?”

“If it truly boggles the mind, then perhaps you should save your questions for when we manage to enter the realm.” Sonata spoke suddenly, her eyes focused on me. I sighed and rolled my neck.

‘Ready Din?’ I asked her. Din cracked her neck and smacked her hooves together with a wide grin. I nodded to Sonata and she pointed upward with a wing.

“Level yourself at the foot of the statue and channel the magic to the crystals. Din should then aim at the statue pedestal as a point of entry. If this goes well, we will not summon another abomination.” She explained. Before we could even comment on that, she had spun on her hooves and marched towards the side and ordering Lo Mien and Xena to monitor the area before turning to another group of scribes. Thi sighed.

“We should wear tin foil hats just to be safe.” She said. Cloudchaser suddenly gave me a peck on the cheek, causing me to blush and look at her. She smiled.

“Kick ass up there, yeah?” She grinned. I was steaming at the ears and dumbly nodded to her. Din groaned.

Focus, vessel. She frowned. I still felt my heart flutter as we kicked off the ground and flew up to the base of the statue. Leveling ourselves, I looked up at the statue, feeling tiny compared to the size of the alicorn. I took a deep breath and reached out with my magic, washing it over just the base stand of the statue. To both mine and Din’s surprise, we felt my magic being guided. It swirled and snaked like branches upward and around the limbs and body of the alicorn, accumulating at the tip of her horn.

The horn began to glow and the ruins began to shake, a low rumble thundered beneath me. I looked down to see my friends and the others trying to get their footing. It wasn’t long until the edges of the ruins began to rise out of the ground. I was dumbfounded as I watched obelisks emerge from the ground, glowing brightly at the tip before firing off a stream of rainbows into the horn of the alicorn. I gasped, seeing that the blank eyes came to life. Such beautiful chestnut brown eyes kindly looking down upon me.

They vanished as quickly as they appeared and before long, the obelisks darkened and the concentrated power of magic shot downward. The rainbow beam drew a rectangle, tearing reality open into a swirl of lights and colors.

We bid you welcome, children of her love. A soothing voice resonated in my mind, causing me to wince. The world seemed to grow still as I descended down to my friends, looking up at the towering portal that swirled before us. Sonata pushed past us, marveling the sight.

“At last…” Sonata sighed happily. Lilac turned to a dumbfounded scribe.

“Report.” She ordered. The scribe took a bit to answer.

“Err… the crystals shattered the moment the earthquake happened and magical activity skyrocketed beyond stable levels.” The scribe replied, looking through a pad. “Yet… the portal is showing strange readings. It’s almost as if… it’s trying to contain the instability.”

“Then we mustn’t wait any longer.” Sonata spoke as she turned to us. “Strike teams! I know not what lies on the other side. Be calm, for I am the light that will guide you! We venture into my homeland! Ready!” Sonata spun on her hooves during her speech and the troops saluted. “March!” The troops in unison marched into the portal, seemingly vanishing from sight. Sonata looked over her shoulder as Lilac stepped in, giving me a suspicious look before walking into the portal.

“Well, this is it. To a plane unknown.” Thi said.

“At least it’s not the human world. I could only imagine how that’ll be if the Triad march on through.” I stated. “No backing out now. We’ve come this far. So, let’s go save Equestria and this realm.” I smiled and held out my hoof. Cloudchaser and Flitter had put their hooves in, then Thi. We looked to Scribble and he sighed, the rare smile cracking his stoicism.

“Why not?” He said before putting his hoof in. With that, we faced the portal and stepped into together. The world left us and we found ourselves spiraling into a mix of lights and colors. As quickly as we were pulled in, we felt solid ground underneath us, nearly causing us to stumble forward. I looked back to my friends.

“Huh. I was… kind of expecting more pulling.” I said. Thi gasped and looked past me, as did the others. I blinked in confusion before looking back. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened.

We stood high over grass and stone. To our right was a marbled stone staircase that led downward. Yet, wherever we were, I couldn’t comprehend the sight I was seeing. A magnificent castle that I couldn’t tell from which way is which towered far into the sky. Surrounding the castle were what appeared to be an intricately built civilization at the base of it. Buildings that nearly doubled the size of the ones in Manehatten. And still, with the dotting modernization areas, there were also expansive fields of grass of what looked to be parks of some kind.

Despite all the magnificence of the sight before us, the sinister cold wind that blew through made us shiver. The sky above crackled with lightning from clouds non-existing. Accompanying the blue sky is a black sun. The red ring spiraling sickly and distorting the sky.

It was as if we had stepped directly into the apocalypse.