"Does anypony know what that siren was all about last night?" Sunny asked as she scraped the rest of her breakfast into her mouth.

Pipp, Zipp, Hitch, and Misty all froze briefly at the mention of last night. M.O.R.I.C had teleported them into their rooms after their confrontation last night and they did their best to pretend like nothing happened. They didn't get a visit from an angry princess, so whatever cover M.O.R.I.C. gave them must've worked. Still, though, they didn't want to test it by telling Izzy and Sunny right now. They'd keep up their facade until tonight.

"Um…y-yeah. It definitely woke Hitch and me up."

"Well, I don't see how it couldn't. That thing was loud!" Izzy exclaimed, a bright smile on her face as she took another big bite of her pancakes drenched in syrup and whipped cream.

Pipp quickly shut her mouth, chuckling nervously.

"It definitely scared Zipp and me," Misty said meekly, it not exactly being a lie.

Zipp waved a dismissive hoof. "I was not scared. I knew whatever it was, we could totally beat with the Elements of Unity."

Pipp raised an eyebrow, looking at her sister with an unconvinced expression. "You're telling us that a mysterious siren randomly going off in the middle of the night with no explanation didn't scare you? Even a little?"

Zipp's eyes widened as she realized what she said. "I…umm…er…maybe a little, I-I guess."

Izzy finished her pancakes. "It scared me too, but then I realized that if it was one of those scary shadowed figures, Princess Flurry Heart would be able to take care of it with the light of her horn! Yumm…I cannot get over how amazing those pancakes are!"

Zipp paused, something Izzy said catching her attention. "Wait, Iz, what did you just say?"

"Umm…these pancakes are to die for–"

"No, before that. About the shadowed figure? What makes you think it was a shadow?"

Izzy shrugged. "I dunno…that's just what it looked like from the window of the Marestream, right Misty?" Izzy asked, turning to Misty, who was the first one to notice the shadowed creature when they crash-landed.

Misty just nodded in response.

The wheels began turning in Zipp's head as Izzy's words rang through her mind. "…but then I realized that if it was one of those scary shadowed figures, Princess Flurry Heart would be able to take care of it with the light of her horn!" She stared down at her plate, something about those words not sitting right with her.

She thought back to the night they crash-landed, trying to remember every detail. They crash-landed from a yellow glow, Misty saw the shadowed mare from the window, and Zoom and Thunder went out to see what was going on. Then Zoom and Thunder came back and suddenly, they had differing opinions. Thunder said they could trust the shadowed figure while Zoom said she had bad vibes all around. Then they started arguing when they hardly argued before, Misty started screaming and the shadowed mare was disintegrated. Thunder tried to just run out there without thinking anything through, trying desperately to save something that was so clearly gone, all the while Misty wouldn't stop screaming.

Zipp shivered just thinking about what Misty looked like that night, on the floor, rocking back and forth, tears streaming down her face. It was a moment Zipp prayed she'd never have to experience again. And the worst part was…she couldn't get through to Misty, no matter what she said or did. She couldn't help her sister. She felt as useless as she did when Pipp was captured by the changelings and there was nothing Zipp could do. Zipp just didn't understand why Misty would react that way after everything she's seen and been through. It was almost similar to how Thunder…reacted…

Zipp's eyes widened. There. There was a gap in the story. Something must've happened between Misty and that creature when their attention was focused on Zoom and Thunder arguing. But what was it?

"Zipp? Is everything alright?" Sunny asked, noticing Zipp's sudden silence.

Zipp ignored Sunny. "Misty…the night we crash landed…when that shadowed creature was disintegrated…you started screaming…why?"

Misty's eyes widened as she was reminded of the night she tried to avoid thinking about at all costs. She froze when that creature's words rang through her head.

I realize that you've always been an outcast.

It's hard to know for sure, if they really are your friends or if they're fake.

If you want to be their pawn, then I guess it's all your fault when they cast you out, they'll do, I assure!

Misty squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the words, but it was no use. It was as though those words will forever be ringing in her head.

She took a deep breath before answering Zipp's question honestly. "It…it sang to me. I know it's weird but…it…it seemed to be drawing me in. I…I tried to resist it, really I did but…it was as though I wasn't in control of myself…it was…she knew all of my insecurities…all of my worries…and…and she used them against me…she…she…" Tears filled Misty's eyes as she tried to explain what happened that night. She quickly wiped them away before continuing. "When the shadowed thing was destroyed, it was as though our connection had…had broken. It wasn't until then I even realized that…that she was a part of me and I was a part of her or…or so I thought. I…I didn't know who I was supposed to be or what…I was just so lost. But when Flurry Heart put her horn to my forehead, I remember there was a light like a…like a beacon…and…and it brought me back…"

Zipp was silent for a moment, staring at Misty as she began to connect certain dots. Shadows. Light. Songs. Lure. Zipp stood up, walking over to the closest window, looking out at the bright sun. Light was a huge factor in this she knew it. But what? What was it about light that seemed to banish these creatures and heal the damage they caused?

And then it came to her. Of course. The answer was so obvious. It was right in front of her this whole time. How could she not see it before? Light was the key. It was always the key. That's why the sun was always up. To keep those shadowed creatures away. But…if Flurry was able to heal Misty…why didn't she heal Thunder? Zipp needed answers, and there was only one pony who could give it to them.

She turned to the rest of her friends. "We need to find Flurry Heart. Now."

"Flurry, uh…what do we do?!" Luster asked, as she and the other five ponies slowly backed into each other, not taking their eyes off the intimidating creatures that surrounded them.

Flurry Heart racked her brain for something, anything that'd get them out of this mess. A mess she put her friends in. Dammit. Why didn't she listen to her damn friends? They told her multiple times this was a bad idea, but did she listen? Nope. Quite the opposite actually. She convinced them to join her. Now they were possibly going to be eaten by some possessed creatures.

Then an idea came to her. She closed her eyes, focusing hard, before her horn sparked and the six of them disappeared in a flash of yellow. Forget this mission. It was too dangerous and her Aunt Twilight needed to know Chimera was in the Everfree and that it and the Timberwolves were not in control of their own bodies.

The six of them appeared at the entrance of the Everfree, much to everypony's relief. They panted heavily, all of them trying to calm their racing hearts, when they saw something flying towards them.

As it came closer, the six of them recognized who it was. A purple and green adult dragon with a gold medallion connected to a purple ribbon around his neck. Flurry recognized him right away. It was her Uncle Spike.

"Uncle Spike!" She exclaimed, running towards him.

He looked relieved to see her, picking her up and hugging her close. "Oh, thank Celestia you're okay. We were so worried about you."

"I'm alright. I'm sorry I snuck out." She said as the two of them separated. "I just…had something I needed to do. But we need to go back to the Crystal Empire right away. I need to tell them what we found in the Everfree right–"

"Flurry, your mother wants you back at the Crystal Empire right away." Spike interrupted, as though she didn't even speak.

She looked up at him confused. She was so sure he was going to chew her out for going into the Everfree and for bringing her friends along and putting them in danger as well. But, it was like she didn't talk. When she looked closer into Spike's eyes, she realized how terrified he truly was. Something told her that he wasn't just scared for her, but something else too.

"Uncle Spike? What's wrong?" She asked, dread building up in her stomach.

Spike took a deep shaky breath. He rubbed the top of his scales with his clawed hand, looking away from Flurry. "It's Opaline. Canterlot is under attack. And Twilight's over there alone, trying to beat her back." Spike looked back at Flurry with pleading eyes, pleading for some kind of miracle. "And I'm not sure how much longer she's going to last."

All six ponies skidded to a stop when they saw Zoom running towards them. Zoom hadn't left Thunder's side, vowing not to until he woke up. Everypony looked at each other, before looking back at Misty. They knew Thunder was going to wake up any day now since it's been a week, but they were hoping that when he did, he'd snap out of it. But from the panicked look on Zoom's face, that wasn't the case.

Once Zoom got to them, she paused for a moment, panting, trying to catch her breath. Once she did, she finally started talking. "He's awake. He's…awake…"

"And?" Zipp asked, hoping against everything that something goes their way.

Zoom paused, and when Misty looked into her eyes, she saw they were glistening, like there were tears in them. "He's…he's a mess. He…he's losing it. He's going crazy. We have to help him. We…before he hurts himself."

Zipp took a deep breath, before turning to Misty. "Misty, you, Sunny, Izzy, and Zoom go and put Thunder back under the spell. Hopefully, when he wakes up next, we'll have a way to help him. Pipp and Hitch, you're coming with me. We're going to interrogate Princess Flurry Heart."

"But…shouldn't Misty go with you? I mean, M.O.R.I.C. did say Princess Flurry Heart made a connection with Misty. Wouldn't bringing her help get information out of her?"

Zipp paused at Sunny's suggestion. Sunny did have a point. She looked at Misty, who seemed to be contemplating the same thing. But, the answer had already come to Zipp. "Normally yes. But…Misty's the only one who knows how to cast the spell. And…Thunder's a trained royal guard. Something tells me you're gonna need all the unicorn magic you can get."

Flurry Heart appeared in a bright flash of yellow in front of Canterlot Castle. She felt guilt well up in her for lying to Uncle Spike, but she knew she couldn't leave Twilight alone to deal with Opaline. She was the only one who could help.

She saw a blast of fire burst a hole through the ceiling of the castle. She had to hurry. She was just about to take a step when she saw a flash of yellowish-orange next to her. She turned to see a pink unicorn with a two-toned orange mane that wasn't there before.

"Luster," Flurry hissed, glaring at the unicorn. "What are you doing here? It's not safe!"

Luster shrugged, as though it was no big deal, but deep inside, she was terrified. But Princess Twilight was her mentor. She needed to help her. "Then why are you here?"

"I–I'm an alicorn. I can handle Opaline. You're just a unicorn…you–"

"So was Headmare Starlight, and she helped fight Queen Chrysalis and helped set Princess Twilight's friends free just before the final battle twenty years ago. Starswirl and the other Pillars banished the Pony of Shadows and Starswirl was just a unicorn. So was Princess Twilight before she became an alicorn. Would you like me to continue? Because I haven't even gotten started on Clover the Clever and Sunset Shimmer, your father Shining Armor, assistant Headstallion Sunburst–"

"Okay, I get it." She didn't have time for this. She had to help her Aunt if it was the last thing she did. "Do whatever you want, Luster. Just don't blame me when you get hurt."

She turned away from Luster and without another word, hurried towards the castle, praying she wouldn't be too late. She could hear the hoofsteps of Luster following her, and she rolled her eyes. Some mares.

They entered the castle, only to skid to a stop. In the entrance hall, terrorizing the guards, was a bugbear, a manticore, stone statues of guards indicating there was a cockatrice or many around here somewhere, four cragadiles, ursa minor, and major, dragons, hippogriff, griffons, pukwudgies, other ponies, and more. All of them with black pupilless eyes, all seeming as though they had brand new bodies they didn't know how to fully operate to the very best of their abilities. But they had numbers and powers, and they had the guards held back.

Luster and Flurry froze, with wide eyes, wanting to help, but knowing they couldn't. That was when half the creatures in the room noticed them, and they knew they had to think of something quickly.

Flurry glanced at Luster, grabbing a sword from a fallen guard with her magic. "If you must come, stay close to me."

She then used her magic to teleport to herself the battle armor she always kept in her room. She purposefully practiced teleporting the armor onto herself from anywhere in Equestria. Okay, maybe not anywhere, but in the most well-known locations in Equestria. Especially Canterlot, since most battles seem to happen there. It was a spell every warrior learned. Silver and sky blue armor appeared on her, with accents of purple.

Luster nodded, grabbing her own sword. She used her magic to undress one of the fallen guards of their golden armor and put it onto herself, silently grieving and thanking the fallen guard for his service, as well as the armor she knew would protect her. The armor was a bit big, but it wouldn't fall off of her and that's what mattered.

Flurry stared down the creatures, daring them to try. The creatures stared back, both of them waiting for the other to make the smallest movement. Luster watched the stand-off with nervous trepidation, biting her lower lip.

They stood like that for a good five minutes, chaos ensuing around them. One of them took the smallest step towards the two mares, and the smallest smile appeared on Flurry Heart's face. This is the moment she's been training for her whole life.

"Wrong move," She said dangerously, before charging at the creatures.

The creatures responded by charging back. She tried to keep injuries to a minimum. She didn't want to start any more wars with Equestria's allies. She wielded her sword with expert accuracy, moving with well-practiced forms. Luster stayed close to Flurry's side, holding up her sword to block strikes made towards her, injuring a couple. She was never trained in sword fighting and had no idea how to use one. Her expertise was magic, not weaponry. But they had to get past these creatures to get through the entrance hall and into the throne room.

Flurry parried and dodged, Luster mirroring her moves to the best of her ability. Luster was clumsy, but Flurry watched her back, making sure not a single blow landed on Luster. They were almost there. They were going to make it. They were going to…

As Flurry was fighting her way through three griffons, a manticore snuck up behind her and raised his paw to strike, without Flurry noticing. Luster clenched her jaw and, without thinking, jumped between Flurry and the manticore, its thick claws creating deep wounds into her side.

Upon hearing Luster scream, Flurry turned around, her eyes widening upon seeing Luster fall to the ground, blood gushing from her side. She growled, new fury clouding her mind. She fought more fiercely than before, not caring whether she simply injured or killed anymore. She disposed of the manticor and the three griffons, killing all four creatures. She fought through the creatures that dared get in her way, carrying Luster with her magic, tears filling her eyes.

Finally, they got to the doors of the throne room, and Flurry burst through them, finding it destroyed and empty. She quickly hid behind a pillar, slowly setting Luster down on the ground, and dropping to the floor next to her. None of the creatures followed them, probably having explicit orders to not enter this room.

"Luster?" Flurry whispered, shaking the pink unicorn softly, tears streaming down Flurry's face. "Luster, please wake up. Please."

Luster's eyes slowly opened, blinking back tears of pain. Her side stung and hurt so much, she dared not move. Blood flowed out of her wound quickly. She wasn't going to last much longer. She was going to die of blood loss soon.

Upon seeing Luster slowly open her eyes, Flurry breathed a sigh of relief. "Luster. Good. You're going to be okay. Alright? You're going to be fine. You just need to stay awake long enough until I can teleport you to the hospital, okay?" Tears streamed down her cheeks as Flurry charged her horn, ready to perform the spell to teleport Luster to the first place she thought of. Home.

She stopped however when she saw Luster softly raise a hoof. "Thank. You."

"Why are you thanking me?" Flurry asked, her voice cracking.

"Because…because you helped give me the courage to fight. It was you…wasn't it? You were the reason…Opaline was able to get to…to the Crystal Heart all those years ago, weren't you?"

More tears filled Flurry's eyes, but she nodded anyway. "How…how did you know?"

Luster smiled weakly. "It…it wasn't…too hard to…piece together. It's…it's not your fault…you know. I know you. You'd never…purposefully put Equestria or…or the Crystal Empire in…in danger."

Suddenly, two ponies crashed through the ceiling of the throne room. Flurry glanced from around the pillar and saw Twilight fall against the floor, Opaline on top of her. She turned back to Luster.

"I have to get you out of here. Now. I'm teleporting you to the castle in the Crystal Empire. Tell the first pony you see that I sent you and that you have a mayday message for Queen Cadence and King Armor. It's an S.O.S from the Canterlot Castle. Tell them we need forces here, ASAP." Luster nodded weakly, fading quickly. "Good luck…friend."

"You too…friend," Luster responded weakly.

And with that, Flurry teleported Luster to the castle in the Crystal Empire, imagining the throne room. There was always at least one pony there. Flurry quickly wiped away her tears, stood up, and mentally prepared herself for the fight of her life.

Misty swallowed nervously as she, Sunny, Izzy, and Zoom stood before the door of Thunder's room. They could all hear him yelling and throwing things, demanding Flurry's head. Or, in his words, "the head of the evil monster that killed his one true love."

The door was blocked by pieces of fancy furniture, and still, the door rattled as he bucked and kicked at it. Every time Thunder would buck the door, the four mares would flinch.

As one, everypony looked at Izzy. When Izzy noticed, she looked between the three mares. "W-what?"

"Got any ideas? You are the Element of Creativity," Zoom said nervously.

Izzy shook her head silently. Misty began thinking out loud, "It'd be easier to cast if we can keep him still long enough…"

"But in order to catch him in a levitation spell, we'd need to see him…" Sunny continued.

"But he's much too violent for us to just waltz in there…" Zoom finished.

"Ooh! Idea!" Izzy exclaimed, bouncing in front of the four mares. She hesitated, only briefly. The last time she came up with an awsomazing idea, it ended with her literally being thrown into a jail cell, in the enemy's dungeon. All part of the plan of course, but still…that wasn't what she'd call fun. But still, an idea is an idea. There was a price to creativity sometimes, but it was a price she was always willing to pay.

The three mares waited for her to continue, so she took a deep breath and said quickly, "I can go in there and distract him and then Sunny or Misty can magically put a protection bubble around him so that Misty can cast the sleep spell on him because he'd be still enough you know?"

The three mares were silent for a moment before Sunny finally spoke. "Okay. Fine. But I'm going in."

"Sunny, it's my idea–"

"And I'm the alicorn. I can handle him better than you."

Zoom took a deep breath. "I'll go in."

Everypony turned to Zoom. At least Izzy going in made some sense, she was a unicorn, but Zoom? She was just a pegasus. She was going to get herself hurt.

"Zoom, you can't be serious," Sunny started before Zoom interrupted her.

"I am. I'm the only one who can. He's my best friend. He may be under some voodoo spell, but I can keep him talking long enough for Misty to do the spell. Besides…I'm a guard. I'm trained for these kinds of situations."

"Trained for how to deal with your best friend who's gone round the bend?" Izzy asked, tilting her head. "That's awfully specific."

"She means she's trained for hostile situations like these, Iz," Misty corrected softly.

"Oh, right right. That makes loads more sense."

The three mares agreed, knowing Zoom was right. She may not have any unicorn magic, but she was the most qualified for this. So, taking a deep breath, Misty readied the spell while Zoom faced the door with nervous trepidation.

"M.O.R.I.C.! Thank hoofness we found you! We need your help!" Zipp exclaimed with relief as she, Pipp, and Hitch ran up to the robotic green earth pony. They skidded to a stop once they reached him, seeing a polite, but strained smile on his face.

"Firstly, thanks for covering for us," Pipp started, panting heavily. "Whatever you told Princess Flurry Heart worked. She didn't come storming into our rooms last night."

"It was my pleasure. As I've said before, I only wish to see my princess happy." M.O.R.I.C. paused before continuing. "How may I be of assistance to you, your Highnesses?"

Hitch chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't think I'll ever get used to being referred to as 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty'."

"Well, you better. Because you married a princess." Pipp sang, pecking a kiss on Hitch's cheek.

Zipp rolled her eyes. She always hated whenever she saw them giving PDA. She focused back on M.O.R.I.C. "Actually, that's what we wanted to talk to you about. We…we need to see Flurry Heart. Please."

M.O.R.I.C.'s eyes widened briefly. It was just a flash, one Pipp and Hitch missed, but Zipp noticed. She was used to noticing the small details. "While I believe it's time for you all to have a little…chat…now's not the best time. Perhaps try again later."

Zipp took a step closer. "It's sort of urgent. It's about why she called us here."

"I understand. If you have a message to deliver, I'll be happy to give it to her. But, for now, it is best we do not disturb her. When she's done, I will come fetch you. Or perhaps send her to you, whichever one suits you best. In the meantime, however, it may be in your best interests if you go on ahead to the study. So you can do some research. Yes?"

"Is she always so busy around this time, or is it just today, when we happen to want to talk to her?" Zipp asked, though M.O.R.I.C. just remained silent.

Pipp felt dread build up in the pit of her stomach. She had a feeling that M.O.R.I.C was right. It would be in their best interest to just leave the Princess alone. Pipp walked up to Zipp, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "C'mon, Zipp. You heard him. The princess is busy. We'll find her later."

"No. We need to find her now. She's hiding something from us. They both are. And I'm gonna get to the bottom of it." Zipp turned back to M.O.R.I.C. "We're going to find her. With or without your help."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." M.O.R.I.C was silent for a bit before something seemed to come to him. "In fact, I believe your friends are in need of your help."

And with that, the three ponies were teleported away, before M.O.R.I.C. himself disappeared in thin air.

Princess Flurry Heart sat in the corner of the room, her head bowed, a single tear streaming down her face as she anxiously waited. She glanced up at the bed when she thought she heard sheets rustling, but the body remained still. Though, she knew it wouldn't be for long. That any minute now, she'd awaken, and she'd either be normal after all these years, or she'd be bloodlust crazy. Flurry hoped the saviors would break this dreadful curse soon. She didn't know how many more times she could do this.

Slowly, the pink unicorn softly opened her eyes, revealing beautiful orangish yellow irises. Flurry Heart snapped her head up, hope swelling in her chest. But then, slowly, her pupils began to expand until they consumed the whole eye, and her hope burst like a bubble.

Flurry's eyes filled with tears as she charged her horn, standing up and adjusting into a defensive position. Slowly, the unicorn sat up, angry red scars marring her side, blinking slowly as though trying to adjust to her surroundings, before her eyes caught sight of Flurry Heart and she smiled sadistically. The pink unicorn then charged her own horn, but instead of its normal orange color that it was when Flurry first met her, it was a horrible black color. The same color as her pupilless eyes.

Flurry Heart blinked back tears, scraping her hoof against the ground and preparing the sleep spell. She hoped these so-called saviors would break this horrible curse soon. She didn't know how many more times she could put herself through this horrible pain.

"Opaline Arcana!" Flurry Heart yelled, holding the hilt of her sword with her magic, glaring at the dark magenta fire alicorn. "We have some unfinished business!"

Opaline Arcana slowly turned her face towards Flurry Heart, her expression making Flurry gasp and take a step back. While her eyes weren't pupilless and black, they still looked so much like the monsters that possessed the creatures outside. Full of insanity and bloodlust.

"Well well well. It's about time the Pwincess of Wight showed up," Opaline taunted, her voice dropping to a baby's when she said Flurry's official title. "Enjoying the new cutie mark I gave you?"

"You didn't give me a cutie mark! I earned it! By fixing my mistakes!" Flurry yelled back, raising her sword higher.

"Yes, a mistake you made regarding me. It wasn't planned, I assure you. I'm good, but even I'm not that good. It was just a happy coincidence. But nonetheless, you should be thanking me."

"Over my dead body!" Flurry yelled before she blasted Opaline off of an unconscious Twilight.

She quickly ran to her Aunt, performing a quick healing spell. Slowly, Twilight groaned, slowly opening her eyes to look at Flurry Heart. "Flurry…?" Twilight asked weakly.

"Get up," Flurry Heart urged. "Please. Opaline's still here. You have to get up!"

Slowly, Twilight sat up, standing defensively between Flurry Heart and Opaline. "Flurry, you need to go. You don't understand how powerful she is."

"But I can help–" Flurry Heart started, only to be interrupted by Twilight.

"Flurry! Go!" Twilight spread her wings, her horn charging as Opaline started to stand on her hooves.

Opaline smiled wickedly. "Oh, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Opaline spat, glaring daggers at Twilight. "Nopony but me is leaving this room alive."

Suddenly, Opaline blasted fire at the two alicorns. Twilight quickly put up a shield around her and her niece. Opaline laughed maniacally, flying up into the air, shooting another stream of fire at the shield, putting all of her power into it.

Twilight's shield began to crack, but Flurry Heart used her own magic to help stabilize it. Twilight offered a grateful smile, and together they held the shield steady.

"Why are you doing this?!" Twilight pleaded, blocking another attack from Opaline.

"Because it's my elemental duty! I'm the alicorn of fire, of strength, of power. I was meant to be so much more than a puny alicorn from Skyros. I was meant to rule a kingdom. More so than those stupid alicorns Celestia and Luna. It's time they learned I'm the wrong pony to push around!"

Another blast of fire was aimed at them, but this time, it broke right through their shield. They quickly split up, hoping to bring her down by attacking on both sides. While Twilight flew around the throne room, drawing Opaline's fire, Flurry Heart snuck up behind her with her sword raised, ready to slice it through Opaline.

But, she hesitated. No. This was wrong. Her mother, her father, and her aunt taught her better than this. Killing should never be the first option. So, Flurry drew her sword back and instead blasted a beam of magic at Opaline, knocking her to the ground.

Opaline, who looked battered and bruised, stood up on shaky hooves, panting heavily. As soon as she stood up, she collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain. Flurry's heart stopped. Did she blast her too hard,

Both Twilight and Flurry touched down around the crumbled fire alicorn. They breathed a sigh of relief when they realized how injured the fire alicorn was. They let their defenses fall for just a bit until Flurry Heart heard Opaline's cynical laughter.

The two alicorns froze for a split second before they were blasted back by fire, both of them slamming into the walls of the throne room, creating holes and landing on the other side. They both weakly got to their hooves, flying back into the throne room, cuts and bruises covering their bodies.

Opaline laughed maniacally. "Oh, I have always been commended for my acting skills. Who knew I could fool two lousy princesses?"

"This is wrong!" Twilight called, hoping to get through to Opaline. "You don't have to do this. If this is about Celestia and Luna, I'm sure we can talk this out. Just…just don't do something you can't come back from."

"Oh, but you see, Princess. I do. I have to do this. And trust me, I've already crossed that line."

Opaline blasted Flurry Heart, and Twilight quickly flew to her, trying to get to her without being blasted herself. She landed next to Flurry, putting up a shield around the both of them while Opaline covered the room in flames.

That was when Opaline began to sing.

🎵You could call me evil, but,
I will go and take just what I need,
Don't need nopony with me.

Yes, it might be villainous,
But that's what makes me the perfect queen.
You will bow to me.🎵

As she sang, Opaline flew around, spreading fire everywhere. Twilight kept her shield up as Flurry stood up, looking around, trying to pinpoint her. But it was nearly impossible. There was so much fire…so much smoke, it was hard to see past anything. The shield blocked out most of the smoke, but some snuck past, making Flurry cough and wheeze. Twilight wrapped a wing around Flurry comfortingly, all the while looking for Opaline, not seeing her but hearing her voice.

🎵So hush, filly, just
Get lost in the rush,
Hypnotized by the words I'm sayin'
Feel the heat, then the beat, mesmerized, go to sleep
Like a lullaby, I'll be singin…🎵

Suddenly, a huge blast of fire hit the shield, and upon impact, it cracked. Flurry was about to help stabilize it with her own magic, just like before, but before she could, it shattered. Flurry and Twilight both separated, flying in different directions to avoid the purple and blue fire on the ground.

🎵I've got the power!
The fire that runs through my veins.🎵

Flurry flew through the air, trying to find Opaline, but unable to see her or Twilight. She began to feel useless, and she hated feeling like that. It was how she felt when Opaline shattered the Crystal Heart. She refused to feel like that again.

She lit her horn, casting a light spell just in time to see a shadowed figure flying towards her. At first, she thought it was Twilight, but then realized she was sorely mistaken. She was blasted by another bout of fire, landing in the middle of a ring of fire, Opaline hovering above her, continuing to sing.

🎵I've got the power!
And you're going to feel, you're going to feel
The flames! Flames!
La-da-da-dee-da-da-da
Oh, you'll feel the flames, flames!
La-da-da-dee-da-da-da🎵

Just before Opaline could blast Flurry, Twilight appeared from the air, landing in front of Flurry and casting another shield. This was too much. They couldn't defeat Opaline like this. Opaline had the advantage. She waited patiently until Twilight left Canterlot, leaving it unprotected, broke in, and awaited Twilight, catching her by surprise.

Suddenly, Flurry saw a quick flash of sky blue, and she knew exactly who it was. Finally, help came which meant…Flurry breathed a sigh of relief. It meant Luster made it there alright.

She glanced at Twilight, surprised when Twilight didn't seem to even notice the flash. She looked back at where she saw the blue flash. Through the smoke, she saw a pink alicorn with a purple, pink, and yellow mane, sneaking up behind Opaline. She gasped when she saw her mother's horn light up, finally feeling hope well up in her.

🎵You might think I'm wicked, but,
Don't be mad because I have a plan.
It spells out victory.🎵

As Opaline sang, she noticed Flurry's expression. Twilight quickly spread her wings, hiding Flurry from view. Opaline slowly looked behind her, never breaking her song, and fortunately, Cadence was able to hide before Opaline caught sight of her.

Flurry schooled her expression, it was as blank as her aunt's. However, Opaline wasn't an idiot, and she knew something was up.

🎵So hush, filly, just
Get lost in the rush,
Hypnotized by the words I'm sayin'
Feel the heat, then the beat, mesmerized, go to sleep
Like a lullaby, I'll be singin…🎵

Twilight glared at Opaline, her expression full of malice. She tried to reach her, tried to talk her out of this, but it was clear now that she was too far gone.

Twilight glanced at Flurry Heart, charging her horn. She'd help her sister-in-law by any means possible. She would've called upon her friends to help, but they were too busy trying to stop the attack on Ponyville.

🎵I've got the power!
And you're going to feel, you're going to feel
The flames! Flames!
La-da-da-dee-da-da-da
Oh, you'll feel the flames, flames!
La-da-da-dee-da-da-da🎵

Suddenly, just as Princess Cadence was about to blast Opaline, Opaline turned, dodged the blast, and cast her own blast of fire square at Cadence's chest.

Cadence cried out, falling to the floor in a motionless heap. Flurry watched all of this, tears filling her eyes as she shrieked, "MOM! NO!"

Twilight saw all this go down, watching her sister-in-law with bated breath. Suddenly, the two alicorns heard Cadence groan and try to stand up and the both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Cadence was alive, that was what mattered.

Twilight racked her brain for something, knowing she couldn't fight Opaline like this and win. They needed to find someplace safe, regroup, and come up with a plan. Opaline had an advantage and she used it well. Opaline may have won this battle, but if Twilight was going to win the war, she and her family had to retreat.

So, with a heavy heart, she did something similar to what she did all those moons ago when the Legion of Doom attacked Canterlot. She teleported Flurry Heart, herself, and Princess Cadence out of the throne room, leaving Opaline alone.

"Izzy! Look out!" Sunny yelled as Izzy flew through the air just as three ponies appeared out of thin air.

Sunny tried to catch Izzy in a levitation spell, but it was already too late. She crashed into Pipp, Hitch, and Zipp, causing all of them to fall to the ground.

Misty ran to her friends and grabbed Izzy's hoof, helping her up. Zipp and Hitch also stood up, Zipp rubbing her head and Hitch helping Pipp up. That was when Zoom went flying through the air, crashing into the wall next to the five ponies, knocking herself unconscious.

"What in the hay is going on?!" Zipp yelled, looking around for some sort of explanation.

"It's alive! It's alive!" Izzy screamed, confusing the three newcomers. Everypony looked at Izzy confused, and when she noticed, she just shrugged. "You know? Frankinhoof? It just felt fitting."

Misty shook her head, trying to get herself back on track. "It's Thunder. It's like he gained some kind of crazy superpowers. He's, like, super strong and like really fast. Whatever made him like this, also granted him with crazy inpony abilities."

Hitch blinked. "He's a weaponless pegasus against an alicorn and two unicorns. How much trouble can he really be?"

Suddenly, a pinkish-purple beam blasted from the bedroom, making them all jump out of the way. Sunny then came barreling towards them, landing on the ground, and rolling a couple of feet before hitting the wall.

"Umm…does a mirror count as a weapon?" Izzy asked, her voice trembling.

"A what?!" Pipp exclaimed, not sure she heard Izzy right.

"You're saying we're getting our assessment kicked by a damn mirror?! Seriously?!"

"Mirror mirror on the wall, I guess," Pipp muttered sarcastically.

"Wouldn't the mirror just shatter on impact?" Hitch asked.

"Yeah, you'd think that," Sunny replied, sitting up.

Suddenly, the six of them heard glass shattering and they all looked towards the door of the bedroom, their hearts stopping. After a moment's hesitation, they all bolted into the room, Izzy, Misty, and Sunny charging their horns.

But by the time they got there, the room was empty, apart from the broken furniture and the gaping hole in one of the windows. Thunder was nowhere to be found.

"This is really bad, isn't it?" Izzy asked with a shaking voice.

The six ponies stared at the hole in the window with wide eyes, but Pipp began to grow angry. She had had it. Flurry Heart refused to tell them anything and now it was costing them their friends. It was time to get answers.

"What do we do now?" Misty asked, not looking away from the window.

Pipp glared at it, her blood boiling. "We find Flurry Heart and we get ourselves some answers." She muttered dangerously. "This ends now."

Author's Note

The beginning of the end is upon us…I think.

I know the battle scene was pretty short, but I didn't want that to be the focus of the story. I dropped little hints everywhere in this chapter, so…I wanted those to be the focus because they'll be referenced to in future chapters.

I know that right now, I'm getting off track, but trust me, I'm not. I know with these kinds of stories, you have to have a road map to prevent getting off track, and trust me, I've had that from the beginning. In fact, this chapter is the source of past flashbacks Flurry Heart had in the beginning chapters. It's finally starting to come into a full circle. Promise.

Onto the next chapter…

Hakuna Matata