And They Shall Know No Fear

by kara9999

Rating: mature
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Violence, Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Warhammer, Anthro, Main 6, Princess Luna, Science Fiction, Crossover
Length: 22084

Having the gift of foresight, Celestia sees a terrible future where there is only war, and therefore creates another project to protect Equestria.

One day, former princess of the Sun had a chance to see a terrible future. A huge horde of xenos descend on Equestria, plundering it and enslaving innocent ponies. To prevent such an outcome, Celestia is creating a new project to protect the kingdom from the looming threat.

Published 2025-01-02 10:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2025-02-04 10:51:05 UTC

First among equals.

Hooves slowly clicking on the marble floor, the former ruler of Equestria walked forward along a long lighted corridor, inspecting the works of her many months of work. In the birthing flasks located on the sides, the warriors created by the genius of her majesty were maturing, which would surpass any army in this world with their skill and training. Anthropomorphic stallions and mares, athletic in build, with huge maternal wings, immersed in a special liquid, slept peacefully, waiting for the moment of release. Created for war alone, they must become the spear with which Equestria will pierce her enemies who dare to disturb her peace.

At least that's what it looked like on paper when planning, but now everything has turned out to be much more complicated. At first, in Celestia's eyes, they were nothing more than tools created for a single purpose, but gradually, day after day, week after week, she became more and more attached to them. The maternal instinct, formed over a thousand years of rule, gradually broke through, putting the alicorn in front of a simple fact. No matter how hard she tried to suppress her feelings for them, they were her children first and foremost. Children who were about to see this dangerous world. Children made from her blood.

Since their creation, a huge burden of responsibility has fallen on Celestia's shoulders. And this raised even more questions from the mother. How will they see this world if they come out of their capsules? How will ordinary ponies be treated? Will they always be loyal to the crown, or will they be seduced by evil? What would they call her? Mother? Mistress? Princess? But most importantly, will they love her as much as she loves them? Would this exceed acceptable limits?

From the endless whirlpool of thoughts, Celestia was snatched away by the appearance of a pony, whom she loved like her own daughter.

"Twilight!" she smiled at the lavender filly who entered the room. "Thank you for coming!"

"You know, Celestia, I always find time for my teacher!" Twilight said, hugging Celestia tightly. "And as I see it, you have made progress in your project! It's just incredible!"

"Yes, but it turned out to be much more complicated than I initially thought..." taking a step back, eldest alicorn looked at one of the flasks, inside which was one of her sons. "At first, I didn't feel any affection for them... But now... eh... Now I realize that I can't help but love them, Twilight... They are my children! My flesh and blood! And what happens when I release them into this world? How will they take it?"

"Celestia!" Sparkle took a step forward towards the teacher. "You have ruled Equestria for over a thousand years and always found a way out of the situation! Of course, there is a huge gap between ordinary ponies and your children, but I am sure that everything will be fine! You taught me, Sunset Shimmer, and many others before us to explore this world, its laws, and its nature! I'm sure you can teach them everything they need to know!"

"Thank you, Twilight!" Celestia hugged the mare again. "It's good that I have students who are ready to support me!"

"You're welcome!" Twilight winked back. "And by the way, I wanted to know about their loyalty! To whom will they be loyal? For me or for you? Don't think about it, it's not that I'm going to be jealous, it's just interesting..." Twilight smiled stupidly.

Celestia just smiled back. "That's what we're going to find out, my faithful student! For now, I think we'd better leave them... Let them gain strength! We will release them soon!"

Before Twilight could respond, the unbelievable happened. The son of the former princess, who seemed to be dozing, put his hand to the glass of his flask, looking tenderly and lovingly at his mother. Both ponies stared at the two-meter-tall alicorn in shock, as if he was waiting for something. And as the mother of this beautiful creature, Celestia knew exactly what he was waiting for. Slowly putting her hoof against the glass, as if touching her son's palm, the alicorn experienced a strange feeling, as if they were connected by a strong blood thread that could not be cut. Even Twilight, who was nearby, felt a subtle, barely noticeable golden aura emanating from Celestia.

"Mother..." flashed through the mind of the white alicorn, forcing her to sit down on the floor in surprise. "Mother..." creature repeated.

A clear tear rolled down Celestia's cheek. "He... He called me Mother..." she just couldn't believe what was happening. "But this is not possible... I haven't put any knowledge into them yet... They are as clean as a white sheet of paper... He shouldn't have woken up at all..."

"Perhaps he woke up from being next to you. It looks like your bond with him is stronger than originally thought!" With undisguised curiosity, Twilight put her hoof against the glass, receiving a similar gesture in return.

The noble, young voice of the stallion immediately sounded in his head, looking from his mother to the princess of Equestria. "Twilight... Faithful student... Princess... Sister..." he said in his mind, even more shocking both Sparkle and his mother, who heard these words.

"Sister?" Twilight couldn't believe what was happening, quickly retracting her hoof. "Celestia..."

Celestia herself continued to keep her hoof on the glass, not wanting to break the warm bond with her offspring. "If my theory is correct, then they are not sleeping dummies... They got my memories with my blood... Good and the bad... And since I loved you like my own daughter, maybe he took this love for granted and considers you his sister, that is, my own daughter..." Twilight didn't know what to say to that statement. "And if he thinks so, then so do all of them! I do not know if I can somehow erase or rebuild them in terms of this thought..."

"You know what, Celestia... Maybe it's not worth it! The young princess smiled. "Let them consider me their sister!"

"Are you sure about this?" there was doubt in Celestia's voice.

"Yes! she answered firmly. "To be honest, you were like a mother to me yourself! And not just for me! For all of Equestria, you have been and will be a mother figure! And may it be the same for them!"

"All right, Twilight! If you don't mind, then let it be that way for them..." suddenly, Celestia's horn glowed with a gentle golden glow, as the awakened son immediately began to close his eyes. "It's not time yet, honey..." as if whispering, she said. "Sleep and gain strength, because soon you will change the world..."

Grim future.

Tears were streaming from her eyes. Heart was pounding in chest. What she saw was disgusting. Thousands of ugly monsters, each more hideous than the other, marched in huge hordes through the lands of Equestria, killing and plundering, leaving nothing but death and ashes.

And no one and nothing could stop them. The pillars of ancient Equestria, the Elements of Harmony, as well as all the others who could fight fell under the heel of the invaders. Even the Discord Lord of Chaos couldn't handle them. A huge figure as black as night towering over the rest of the creatures literally gutted poor draconicus, taking away his powers. He fell to the blood-soaked ground and disappeared into oblivion, having managed to look at the cold corpse of his beloved Fluttershy.

The other five elements were also dead, some were torn to pieces, others were tortured for a long time, after which they were slaughtered like cattle. Cities were on fire, and those who survived the terrible massacre were shackled and enslaved. Events flashed by one after another, and in the end, the white alicorn screamed in terror. At the same moment, darkness surrounded Celestia. Unable to see even her own hooves, the mare instantly ignited her horn, releasing a magical golden aura. The feeling of emptiness and utter loneliness weighed on her. It was not clear if this was a dream, or if everything was happening in reality.

"It's terrible, isn't it..." a voice that seemed out of this world sounded like thunder in the mind of the former princess. "This is a common situation in our Galaxy. The world is being captured, recaptured, captured, recaptured, and so on indefinitely! In the case of you, everything will be over in two days!"

"Who are you?" Celestia cried out in fright, looking around, ready to attack.

"I have many names! And no less than a lot of titles! But if it's so important for you to know who I am, you can call me Emperor!" power of the Galaxy could be felt in the creature's voice. "And I'm here to help you!"

Celestia furrowed her brows in disbelief. "Help us?"

"Yes, princess! To help you! You see, the enemy that will attack you in the future is not from your world, he will come from another dimension where there is not a drop of hope, only fear and death!" stranger paused briefly and then continued. "And if you want to survive in this future, you need something more than the six elements of harmony! You need an army! An army that your world has never seen before! An army capable of fighting and winning for weeks! An army that will be your spear in the fight against the coming horrors!"

"Well, considering the future you've shown me, I doubt any army will be able to deal with these monsters! Even the Discord God of Chaos can't handle them!" there was still disbelief in pony's voice.

"He's not the god of Chaos, Princess!" unknown declares loudly. "He's only a pale shadow of the small power possessed by the true Chaos Gods! Besides, he's a creature of the same order as these creatures! His abilities are useless against them! You need a different approach, different forces! And I will share them with you! I will give you the power and knowledge to create an army! You will create an army! Protect this world! And your people will enter a new era of prosperity!"

"And what will I have to give in exchange?" wiping her tears, she asked. "Don't think I'm stupid! I have lived for more than a thousand years and I understand perfectly well that any help has its price!"

Stranger did not answer immediately, obviously considering the next words, and after a while he said: "I will indicate my price when I see fit, Celestia! Now accept my gift!"

As if from nowhere, a powerful stream of golden energy hit the mare! Throwing her head back and spreading her wings, Celestia slowly lifted off the ground, rising into the sky. A huge amount of information was being pumped into her mind, which would have driven an ordinary pony crazy, while her body was being pumped with a force that went beyond all bounds, capable of creating and crushing entire worlds.

After filling the alicorn's body with energy, the creature lowered him to the ground. From the information received, drops of blood began to appear from the princess' nostrils and eyes. Panting, she could barely stand on her hooves. So powerful was the power given to her.

"So... So much information..." Celestia said with difficulty. "It's just unbelievable!"

"This is only a small part of the knowledge that I possess!" he replied with all seriousness. "However, I can't help but note that you successfully underwent the procedure! Apparently you ponies aren't as weak as I thought!"

"How arrogant..." having recovered a little, the princess proudly straightened up. "In that case, show yourself! I want to see the one I made a deal with!"

"Are you sure you want to see my true face?" pony just nodded. "Well, as you wish, Princess!"

At the same moment, a bright flash lit up the space ahead. Through the light of a thousand suns, Celestia could see Him. A noble-looking man in a golden robe, whose head was decorated with a golden wreath, was slowly approaching her. It was only after he got close enough to get a better look that the princess realized his true size. A four-meter tall giant with the perfect features of a god stared at her impassively.

His gaze radiated confidence. Every muscle in his body was truly divine. His long hair was magically fluttering, just like the princess herself, as if in the wind, supported by a wreath. His whole appearance radiated an extraterrestrial awe. Unable to control herself, Celestia fell to her knees, as the creature who called himself the Emperor immediately got down on one knee and extended a helping hand to her.

"No, princess!" The Emperor stated firmly. "I don't want you on your knees in front of me!"

***

Equestria is the kingdom of little ponies. Created from the union of three seemingly different types of ponies, it quickly began to grow and strengthen, somewhere capturing, and somewhere peacefully annexing more and more new lands. The newly formed country was ruled by two sisters, day and night, sun and moon, opposites, complementing each other. It seemed that after a series of incidents, their sisterhood had only strengthened, but few saw the real picture. There was resentment and envy hidden in the younger sister's heart. Unnoticed in time, they turned into hatred and a desire to destroy her older sister in order to personally rule the kingdom.

With pain in her heart, Celestia had to make a difficult decision. Imprison your own sister on the moon for a thousand years... Indeed, few people could put the interests of their subjects above the family. Therefore, those few officials who were privy to the "Celestial Guardian" project had many questions about the future army. Would these test-tube-grown soldiers betray Equestria's interests? What happens if Celestia herself decides to surrender to the darkness and turns her "children" against her former subjects? Highest officials of the city gathered in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, sitting at a rectangular table decorated with gold ornaments, discussed with Princess Twilight and her mentor the risks associated with the future of the army.

The meeting also discussed the huge costs of arming and equipping future soldiers, which were decently large. There was also a question of the secrecy of the project. Due to the sheer scale of the work and the involvement of an increasing number of pony workers, persistent rumors began to spread, and with them spies from seemingly friendly kingdoms who were eager to learn about the work that was unfolding throughout Equestria.

Celestia assured the audience that there was nothing to be afraid of. All attempts at espionage, sabotage and sabotage were stopped in a timely manner, which means that finances are nothing compared to the safety of ordinary ponies. Officials were less optimistic. Throughout the meeting, Twilight unhesitatingly supported her mentor, like a faithful daughter supports a loving mother, which somewhat annoyed some.

"Celestia!" finally, Fancy Pants got up from his place in the center on the other side of the table. "We all understand how you care about the fate of Equestria, even after retirement! Our ancestors served you even before we were born, and we all love you, but still, some of us have doubts about your "visions..." Don't get me wrong, we trust you, but our embezzlement figures suggest otherwise!

"As I said before, embezzlement is nothing, Fancy!" Celestia continued to nobly defend her position, although it was obvious that she was a little tired of arguing. "The future of Equestria ponies should be a priority for all of us! And believe me, what I saw almost drove me crazy! If we don't create an army on time, the consequences will be fatal! Both for us and for our whole world!"

"Let's say you're right, Celestia..." another official from the left took the floor. "However, don't we have Chaos Lord Discord as our allies?" As far as I remember, he can destroy entire armies with a snap of his fingers! Wouldn't it be more logical to ask him to help us? After all, you were the one who insisted on his rehabilitation!"

"Believe me, if I had confidence that Discord would cope with the impending threat, I would have done so, but in my visions he was defeated, deprived of his powers and sent into oblivion!" calm words of the former princess sent chills through the audience. "An enemy that will attack us of the same order as him, with all due respect, he will not be able to help us! We need something new! Something that will cause fear among the invaders, no matter where they come from! Warriors I've created will be the best at everything! Neither diseases, nor vices and infirmities will stain them! They will use such tactics, strategies and machines that no enemy will defeat them in battle! They will become a ray of light in the pitch darkness, even when the word hope loses all meaning!"

"Your words are beautiful, Celestia, but we all want to see it in practice!" Fancy took the floor again. "How long will your "children" mature?

"Two days!" Celestia's calm words echo throughout the room so that everyone in the room can hear them. "And you will see all their splendor!"

A note of disbelief could be seen on the faces of those present, although no one would openly call Celestia crazy, it was clear how the once loyal lackeys, ready to bark on command, had lost all remnants of reverence for the alicorn of the sun. There was a tense silence, which Princess Sparkle dared to break. "Well, if no one else has any questions, I declare the meeting closed!"

Watching the ponies coming out, one could hear in their whispers not only doubts, but also discontent. Both Celestia and Twilight tried to ignore them, as these corrupt bureaucrats would soon have to fulfill their role in the grand plan, and then disappear into the background of future events.

As soon as the doors closed, the calmness left Celestia's face. "How they piss me off..."

"I don't remember them being like that... rebellious..." Twilight hugged Celestia with her wing, bringing a smile to the alicorn's face."

"They think everything has changed, Twilight," Celestia hugged her student back. "Since I left and you came, a young and inexperienced princess, then now everything is possible for them! What fools... They don't even realize that their time has passed... Soon, we will change Equestria! We will no longer need bureaucrats greedy for power and money! Soon we will put my children in the place of each of them! Just imagine, Twilight! The pony that was created to protect the ponies will control them! They will give their all for the sake of the welfare of ordinary ponies! They can't be bribed, because I'll give them everything they need! It will be useless to promise them even more power, because their life will be service! And it will be impossible to intimidate those who are not capable of experiencing fear!"

The reverence mixed with determination could be clearly heard in Celestia's voice. Like a little filly, Twilight listened enthusiastically words, swallowing them one by one. Without asking questions or demanding answers, she was ready to fulfill any request of her teacher, no matter the price! For the lavender mare, the princess has always been more of a God than a mere pony with status. And now that Equestria's fate is hanging in the balance, she's ready to put everything on the line because her mentor said so! Her Teacher! Her Goddess!

Angels of Death.

As promised by Celestia, exactly two days later, her babies, who had matured in maternity flasks, went out into the world. Two meters tall, athletic, and clad in golden armor created by the best minds in Equestria, they were awe-inspiring to everyone around them. Their perfect facial features, so similar to their mother, were absolutely divine. In their sturdy hands, they carried elaborately crafted spears that looked more like ceremonial weapons than combat weapons, golden shields with the sun emblem, as well as ornate swords, in case of closer contact.

Arranged in neat rows in the main square of Equestria's capital, they quickly attracted the attention of the assembled ponies, who had been invited by order of Princess Twilight, who was about to make an important announcement. Standing on the stage erected on the occasion of the event, the princess told her subjects about the changes. By her order, the garrison of the royal guard of Canterlot will be reinforced by a newly formed type of troops called the Legio Solaris. These warriors, created by Celestia herself, once the supreme princess of the kingdom, will stand guard over the capital and all of Equestria. Princess also emphasized that this army would be subordinate only to her. No one from the highest aristocratic society or high-ranking officials of the Royal Guard dare to give them orders, on the contrary, the newborn army has every right to take command of the guards in case of war, invasion, or emergencies.

Aristocrats sitting across from Twilight didn't like what they heard, while the captains of the guard were in some kind of confusion. The ambassadors of the allied states were most wary, fearing the use of such powerful beings against their kingdoms. Although Twilight assured them that Equestria's friends had nothing to fear, she also issued a warning that anyone who dared to encroach on the sacred lands of the pony people, or on the ponies themselves, would face the power of the children of the celestial alicorn. Subsequently, this message spread all over the world, frozen in anticipation of the unknown.

After Sparkle's speech, the First Hundred, together with the Royal Guard, marched through the streets of the city, carrying two standards in front, one with the symbol of the sun, the other with the symbol of the Princess of friendship herself. This sight was so stunning that ordinary ponies fainted at the mere sight of the synchronously marching giants so similar to their mother, whose memory was still alive in the current generation of ponies. Flowers were thrown in front of them, shouting joyful words, but there was no hint of emotion on the faces of the soldiers themselves. With stony faces, they marched forward like a single machine.

The next day, on Twilight's orders, several groups of five to ten ponies scattered throughout the kingdom. The angelic warriors unceremoniously stormed into the reception rooms of mayors and other city managers, handing them parchments with the royal seal. They said that from now on, in every city, no matter how small or large, there would be a detachment of Legiones Solaris. The heads of settlements and towns were strictly forbidden to prevent the sons and daughters of Celestia from transferring control of the administration to ordinary guards or the police. In the event of an emergency, the senior captain of the group has every right to take over the city and command it at his discretion.

A large number of them were stationed in Canterlot and in cities on the borders from the South, West and East. Ponies all over Equestria welcomed the angelic host. At their very appearance, the ponies fell into awe, falling to their knees, and celebrations were also held in honor of their arrival, although the legionnaires themselves did not care about these holidays. As their beloved mother had taught them, they stood guard over the subjects of the crown.

In the North, situation was somewhat different. A detachment of up to twenty legionnaires marched ceremonially to the Crystal Palace, where they met with Princess Cadance and her husband, who was once the captain of the guard himself, bowed respectfully and only after permission entered the castle, began to settle in. Unlike the corrupt and power-hungry city managers, the royal family of the Crystal Empire were close relatives of Twilight, and therefore the arrival of legionnaires to the kingdom had to correspond to the ceremonial status, so that every crystal pony would understand that they had come not to conquer, but to help.

In less than a few days, evil tongues began to whisper in the royal court. Some claimed that Princess Twilight Sparkle was under the very strong influence of her mentor, while others said that there was no change of power, that all those days when Equestria was on the verge of destruction were planned by Celestia herself to train her future puppet and continue to rule on her behalf. Now she has decided to further consolidate her power by creating these hideous golems from her blood!

As is usually case, the whispers quickly turned into discontent. At first, it was quiet, because none of the noble houses wanted to deal with armored warriors, one blow of which could simply kill. Having decided not to openly oppose the crown, the aristocracy, led by Fancy Pants, began their secret game. At first, they began to slip some of the princess's orders, and in some cases they were not carried out at all, or if they were, then exactly the opposite. At the same time, noble houses began to create a personal army using the fortunes earned during the years of Celestia. This army was a diverse rabble, which included all the detached. Changelings, diamond dogs, griffins, even guards unhappy with the new policy of the princess. Gathered at the southern border of the country, it was replenished with new recruits every day. Even the former thugs of the Storm King joined the banners of the disgruntled aristocrats.

At some point, the Higher Nobility felt that it was time to remind the young princess who really runs the kingdom. Before launching a direct head-on attack, it was decided to first eliminate the princess and her five friends by neutralizing them and placing them in custody. The only obstacle to this goal was the Legiones Solar, but a number of plans were developed against them, according to which, at hour X, the guards loyal to the opposition would plant explosives under the walls of the legionnaires' barracks, begin throwing poisonous grenades at patrols and attacking posts throughout the city.

On this day, Twilight met at the Friendship Council she created to discuss the situation in the country and beyond with her beloved friends, and just spend time over a cup of hot tea with cakes. At the appointed time, guards with blue armbands on their right hooves began to leave their posts throughout the palace. A large group of up to thirty ponies stormed into the throne room without any warning, surrounding the Elements of Harmony in a ring and pointing their spears at the shocked ponies.

"What's going on here?!" Twilight shouted, covering her friends with her wings.

"Please forgive me, Princess! But you are no longer in a position to give us orders! By the decision of the Supreme Council of the Aristocrats of Canterlot, you and your friends are under arrest!" unicorn pony centurion answered her ceremoniously.

"What?" princess couldn't understand anything.

"How dare you treat her like that?!" Rarity suddenly shouted. "Twilight is your princess! Celestia herself, along with Luna, handed over the reins to her!"

"Yes! Rainbow Dash soared up, "You, the guardians of the city of Canterlot, took an oath to protect your princesses!"

"Enough of this chatter!" unicorn shouted menacingly. "Grab them!"

But before even one of the rebels could take a step, the doors to the throne room flew apart and four mares and Legiones Solar charged. They famously split enemy fighters in half with lightning, moving with such speed and grace that it was impossible for ordinary guards to even hit them. Six friends who once admired Celestia's creations hid behind a huge throne, watching in horror the fleeting massacre. Without mercy, the legionnaires killed everyone they could lay their hands on, methodically and brutally killing those who rebelled against the crown. In less than a minute, it was all over. The hacked and bleeding bodies of the guards lay under their hooves.

After peeking around the corner and taking a closer look, the princess fell into a daze when she saw how the blood-soaked warriors' mane caught fire, and sharp fangs grew out of their mouths. Twilight clearly remembered the image she had hoped to never see again.

The legionnaires themselves gradually began to come to their senses. Realizing the scale of the carnage they had committed, they immediately turned their gaze to the terrified princess. The eldest of the sisters, Captain Celestine, came forward on one knee, which was followed by the other sisters.

"Princess Twilight! Please forgive us, but there was no other way out! We had to protect you!" there was a hint of excitement, if not fear, in warrior's voice. "We need to get you and your friends to a safe place as soon as possible!" a bright flash comes from Celestine's horn, as in an instant everyone in the hall is teleported to an unknown destination.

***

Canterlot was on fire! Peaceful ponies scattered in panic and hid against the backdrop of the unfolding battle. Loyal to their mother and sister, the legionnaires brutally dealt with the traitors, who used all weapons against them - from blades and spears with bows to magic and poisonous grenades capable of killing anyone without a protective mask. The rebellious ponies paid a huge price just to find out about the uselessness of all their weapons.

Blades of their swords shattered into small pieces upon contact with the armor of the angelic host, spears and arrows were just as useless, the guards simply could not hit those who moved faster than they could notice. Grenades with deadly poison were also useless. Extraterrestrial physiology of Celestia's children allowed them to breathe poisoned air into their chests without any problems.

And while the battles were raging in the city, an equally impressive war unfolded in the sky above it. Dozens of airships, hidden from prying eyes at the very bottom of the mountain on which the city stood, soared up, preparing to start firing. No sooner had the captains given the order to open fire, than defenders rushed to meet them like lightning striking from the very ground, boarding the ships. The attempt at resistance was still unsuccessful and drowned in blood. As if obeying someone's will, Legiones Solar, without hesitation and with wild smiles on their faces, exterminated yesterday's allies without any mercy. In the head of each of them, a gentle voice, so dear and desired, repeated the same thing: Kill! Maim! Burn! In bloody ecstasy, every single one of them, without any hesitation, fulfilled these three simple truths.

Having learned from the only surviving Pegasus about the total failure of the capture of the capital, the aristocrats located in the southern deserts, trembling for their skins, could not think of anything better than to lead the army they had gathered to the border of Equestria.

Thousands of creatures, walking and flying, moved forward at the command of their commanders. Hundreds of heavily armored airships soared into the sky, carrying in their holds a deadly cargo in the form of multi-ton bombs. But as soon as they reached the border, a bright flash ahead destroyed the entire invasion fleet, leaving only ashes fluttering in the wind.

Traitor aristocrats in the rear didn't have time to really understand anything, as the creature that had just destroyed their entire fleet fell like a comet right into the center of the marching army. There was a bright flash, a shock wave swept across the ground, sweeping away everything in its path, and then a mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

There was no doubt who could be capable of such a thing.

As they were about to run, they were immediately stopped by the landed Celestia. With burning eyes, she bound them with magic, squeezing them harder, breaking bones, preparing to squeeze everything out. Fancy Panst tried to croak something, but it came out frankly badly. In his last bleats for mercy, he began to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw was the hellish gaze of the goddess he had once faithfully served.

"Get up!" a voice that seemed to come from another world echoed in the official's head, forcing him to immediately open his eyes.

Terrified and trembling, the unicorn couldn't figure out where he was, and only Celestia towered over him in his field of vision. Burning with rage, the mare was ready to incinerate him right on the spot, but Twilight, who was sitting on the throne behind in complete horror, forced her teacher to restrain herself.

After recovering a little, Fancy realized that he was now in the throne room, surrounded by a huge crowd of reporters, the remaining loyal aristocrats, and just ordinary ponies. His hooves were shackled, and a magic suppression ring was placed on his horn. The hall was simply overflowing with Her Holiness's legionnaires. He had nowhere to run and hide.

Twilight also had all her friends by her side. Even Spike was sitting in his seat next to her, hiding behind the wing.

"Let's get started!" an enraged Celestia announced loudly, teleporting to the right of her sister standing below the throne. "Fancy Panst! You are accused of attempting a coup d'etat and overthrowing Princess Twilight Sparkle! You admit your guilt?"

He didn't know what to say. Shock and panic hit him, the words wouldn't come out. Frowning, Celestia teleported back to the criminal, hitting him in the face with all her might, causing several teeth to fly towards the hooves of those present. The once noble pony sobbed, falling to the floor and writhing in pain.

"Speak!" shudder could be heard in the alicorn's furious voice. For a brief moment, it seemed that she was about to become hysterical and beat the once-devoted servant with her bare hooves.

"Celestia! Please stop!" Twilight stood up from her throne. "It's not you! The real Celestia would never beat up a pony, even a traitor!"

"I'm sorry, honey, but times have changed!" Celestia was about to finish the beating when her favorite student got in her way. A few centimeters separated the alicorn's bloody right hoof from the young princess' face. "Twilight!" she took a step back. Shocked audience froze in silent silence. "What are you doing?"

In response, Sparkle hugged her mentor tightly. "I understand how you feel... I understand how much you love me! For the sake of the ponies you love, you're ready to destroy the whole world! And in an impulse to protect me, you began to pull the blanket over yourself more and more, telling me what to do, and like a silly girl I listened to you because I thought it was all right! I didn't even really notice how I went from being a princess of Equestria to becoming your shadow! Ready to carry out any order you give, because you were everything to me and you are everything now! You sacrificed Equestria and the ponies who inhabited it over and over again, just so that I could study, develop and earn respect among our people, while you became less and less popular! And now you've achieved your goal! I'm ruling the kingdom, just like you and Luna planned! But now... It's like I'm not deciding anything right now! It's like I don't exist, but there's only you and your rage!"

"Twilight..." tears streamed down the mare's cheeks.

"If I really mean something to you, if you really love me, then you'll let me decide his fate! Or I will abdicate the throne and leave you forever! You'll never find me!" words rang out like a thunderclap in the hall, for every pony heard them.

Everyone present was shocked by what the princess said. From simple ponies to Elements of Harmony with Princess Luna. For Celestia, her words were like a knife right in her heart. Twilight, who was trembling a little, was nevertheless very serious in her intentions, as could be read from her frowning face. Right now, she had set her conditions right in front of her, and Celestia's mind was in a mess. Hundreds of thoughts were mixed up, making it difficult to come up with a single answer. For the sake of her student's safety, Celestia was truly willing to destroy this entire world. Just like for Luna or Cadence!

But now she could lose not only Twilight's affection for herself forever, but Twilight herself. And that would mean that all those nine years were wasted. The suffering of ponies, the invasion of numerous enemies, Equestria standing on the brink of death - all this will be in vain.

Calming down and gathering all her thoughts together, Celestia took a step back, only to bow low to the shocked gasps of the audience. "I accept your terms, Twilight..." Celestia said humbly.

Unable to hold back her tears, Twilight rushes to Celestia, hugging her tightly. After a pause, the young alicorn turns to the assembled shocked audience. "As the ruler of Equestria, I am obligated to take care of all ponies, as Celestia and Luna bequeathed to me, but they also gave me the right to judge my subjects! And what happened today has no justification! Fancy Penst! Do you admit your guilt?"

"Yes, Princess..." he burst into tears.

"In that case, I decree: to deprive the leaders of the uprising of all finances and transfer them in the form of payments to the families of the dead guards, no matter traitors or loyal to the crown! Everyone should get the payouts! You will also be exiled to the western lands! You will live and work, but you will no longer see high positions! Is everything clear to you, Fancy Panst?" Twilight spoke firmly and clearly.

"Yes, Your Highness..." he barely mumbled.

"In that case, I declare the meeting over!"

***

Celestia was standing on a hill from where she once loved to control the sun and moon, a place with a beautiful view of the city, but now the time of nostalgia is over. The city was almost burned to the ground. Entire families were evacuated from the affected buildings to a temporary accommodation facility located in the Royal Castle. At times like this, she was very proud of Twilight. Her best and most loyal student was ready to give her entire castle to the needs of her subjects. He and Luna managed to raise a great princess.

Even after everything that had happened, Celestia continued to be proud of Twilight. Having overcome her fear of her all-consuming aura of fire, the newly crowned princess spoke out against violence from the pony she revered as her God. And today she taught her another lesson. Again.

"You weren't yourself today!" Emperor interrupted Celestia's thoughts.

"Judging by the fragments of those memories that you passed on to me along with your knowledge, you liked to lose your temper yourself... Lord of Mankind!" he just laughed softly in response.

"That's right, princess! Sometimes I like to lose my temper! But for the most part, I still keep myself in check!" but Celestia didn't believe him.

"I would like to believe..." she replied emotionlessly.

"You can deny it all you want, Celestia, but you and I are very similar!" and now there was not even a hint of a joke or irony in the Emperor's words, his words were serious. "We are both ready to sacrifice everything to achieve our goals!"

Celestia smiled. "But we have different goals!"

"Really?" Emperor was surprised. "Don't we want our nations to prosper? Don't we love them? We are both willing to put everything on the line to make our subjects happy!"

"Yes, yes... For example, to sacrifice your affection for your family and friends! Calling your children tools! Throw them into the crucible of war over and over again! Oh the stars..." alicorn laughed. "I'm not even halfway through your journey yet, and I already want to jump off a cliff and smash into a bloody mess!"

"But you won't do that!" there was more truth in the words of the Ruler of the Human race than one might have thought.

Thin streams of tears began to flow down the cheeks of the alicorn. "Of course I won't... Because my ponies aren't safe yet!"

"And you realize that your children alone won't be enough... Right?"

"Right..." she repeated "If we want to survive, we have to put everything we have on the line... I don't think there will be any problems with my sister... Cadence, too... But Twilight... I can't offer her that... I have no right to do that!"

"But you must!" Emperor declared loudly. "Otherwise, the end of everything!"

Realizing the price they would have to pay, the former princess could no longer hold back the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Yes... End..."

Deal.

Grogar was furious. Several months of hard work, brainwashing the Canterlot aristocrats and seducing the guards loyal to the princess, creating the largest army since the time of the Storm King, and all for nothing! Outnumbered one to four, these dumb-ass pony guards couldn't even injure the Heavenly Host! The deadliest weapon that Grogar equipped those with was chemical grenades, which turned out to be simply useless. And as if that wasn't enough, a huge invading army assembled from Equus' most dangerous creatures was simply destroyed by a single pony in a matter of seconds. It was an absolute failure.

Reviewing the past events on his Palantir over and over again, the dark magician tried to concentrate, but the evil voices from the void laughed louder and louder, until at one point he was enveloped in darkness. Turning around, he only sighed irritably when he saw his so-called "partners." Four demons, four Gods. Everyone has their own peculiarities. Everyone has their own true goals. To the left of the ram, the God of disease Nurgle exuded stench and decay, opposite him on a huge throne made of the skulls of thousands of creatures, the God of Blood Khorne sat, a little further away, clearly wanting to keep his distance, the Thirsty One named Slaanesh smiled maliciously, on the left, without looking up from reading the book he wrote, Tzeentch froze in a meditative pose.

The first Emperor of Equestria was simply disgusted to be around these laughing creatures. He wanted to destroy them, but how could he do that? His strength was barely enough to inflict any significant damage on one of them, but they could send him into oblivion with a snap of their finger, or worse...

"Poor Grogar..." Slaanesh began with undisguised pleasure. "You tried so hard to beat those poor ponies just to fail..."

"Expected..." Tzeentch said, as if taking no part in the process.

"This would not have happened if you had shared more power with me, and not the crumbs that I received!" Grogar couldn't stand it.

From what he heard, the God of Blood flew into a rage, slamming his huge hand on the armrest. "You dare to blame us for your failure, you pathetic worm?!" His voice was like an erupting volcano. "You didn't use even a small fraction of your allotted strength to lose to the children who had just come out of their mother's womb!"

"Come on, brother!" suddenly, the God of Plague took the floor. His poison grenades looked very cute, but they didn't work...

"No wonder, because Celestia created her brood with the help of the powers of Anathema!" The God of Change stated. "We need a different tactic! And I think I know who will play a crucial role in it!" As soon as he snapped his fingers, a pony figurine appeared in front of Grogar, which Celestia loved more than life. "Princess Luna!

"Celestia's sister?" warlock couldn't believe his ears. "It won't work! They've been through this before! Princess Luna will never betray her sister again!"

Tzeentch waved away. "Trust me, we have many ways to seduce mortals! Millennia of deception and intrigue! Intrigues and conspiracies! We just need to hit the weak point and the alicorn is ours!"

"As with Horus, we will need more puppets! I think it will be very easy to seduce the Princess of Love!" Prince of Pleasure's laughter echoed through the area. "Just imagine, the whole Empire of this miserable world will worship me and make offerings!

"A lot of blood was spilled today! To my surprise, Celestia's children turned out to be first-class killers, and I always need those who know how to shed blood! I think soon, I will be able to gradually influence their minds! I will displace the voice of their beloved mother, replacing it with my own! They will be a powerful weapon in my collection! I can't wait to pit them against the World Eaters in my arenas!

They talked and talked. They made plans and cherished dreams. Their confidence in victory was absolute, and their guile knew no bounds. Grogar watched these arrogant creatures with annoyance, as if they had never noticed him, as if he had never existed.

And it really pissed him off.

But what Grogar didn't know for sure was that he was just a puppet to them, just like countless servants before him. Of course, the Gods lavished their pawns with gifts like demonism, but all this was nothing more than slavery. If he fails them, mercy will turn to anger and they will do to him what he did not do to other beings during his tyrannical rule. He will beg them for death, but they will turn a deaf ear to his pleas, focusing on the Great Game of all against all.

"Well, then it's settled!" The God of Change announced loudly. We will share with you some more of our strength! You will create an army of monsters and unleash them on Equestria! But not before the princesses create their new toys! In the heat of battle, you wound Princess Luna using Nurgle's best poison! And that's when our turn will come! The sisters are locked in battle again, the kingdom will be plunged into darkness, and we will quietly reap the benefits!"

"Blood will flow like a river! Skulls will fall like apples!"

"We will plunge this kingdom of harmony and order into True Chaos!"

"...when the living will envy the dead!"

"And Anathema's dream will die with him!

"You seem to have forgotten that Chaos is already in the service of ponies!" ancient villain smiled.

"Oh, yes, Discord..." disappointment appeared on Slaanesh's face.

"Your pathetic creation!" Khorne spat angrily.

"He won't be a hindrance to us! This circus performer doesn't have even a fraction of our power! He won't help the pony! And if he tries to interfere with us, he will be destroyed! Forever!"

Suddenly, four powerful beams of different colors crashed into Grogar's body, lifting him off the ground. Divine powers began to flow through his veins, replacing his native magic with the power of the Gods. His appearance also began to change. Long fangs began to grow from the mouth, the horns on the skull lengthened, the body became more muscular, and the eyes began to bleed. Powerful demonic wings grew out of the back, capable of scattering ponies in different directions with one swing.

The creature that had once been Grogar looked more like a mad beast, ready only to kill. And it was at this moment that the warlock realized that he had been given another chance, which he simply could not miss. And now he is ready to fulfill his commitment in this deal. He would do whatever these creatures wanted, because the acquired power was not enough for him, and much more was needed to implement further plans.

"Don't let us down, Grogar! Or you will know our wrath!

***

The next day, on the orders of Princess Twilight, a State Council was convened, which, in addition to the four princesses, also included aristocrats loyal to the crown, along with Elements of Harmony. Of course, the battle that suddenly unfolded in the capital was on the agenda. Hundreds of ponies who took up arms against Twilight and her friends were brutally murdered. Hundreds of mares and stallions were left without husbands and wives, hundreds of foals without fathers and mothers. The carnage that unfolded on the streets of Canterlot instantly spread all over the world. Dozens of photos of the traitors' bodies reduced to bloody mincemeat graced the morning newspaper bulletins across Equestria.

Treacherous blow that was supposed to overthrow the princess from the throne turned into a bloody message to the rest of the world, and its message was outrageously clear. Don't mess with us or the same thing will happen to you! Even the friendly kingdoms were seriously worried about what had happened. Without exception, everyone was afraid of the ferocious force created by Celestia in the laboratory, and therefore each country secretly began to develop plans to repel the hypothetical threat from the little ponies. Equestria understood this, and that's why a meeting of leaders from all over the world is scheduled to take place on Mount Metazoa tomorrow. Leading the delegation on behalf of Equestria will be Celestia, the pony who gave birth to these bloodthirsty monsters. Princess Luna will also fly with her sister, in order to protect her from unreasonable actions if necessary.

And now the first thing the audience decided to deal with was the question of the remnants of the guards loyal to the crown. After several interrogations, it turned out that not all of them were privy to the plan, some of them did not know about any rebellion at all. The first to speak was a legionnaire from Legiones Solaris, the First among equals named Solar Valdor, who offered to kill the remaining guards under the pretext of protecting Princess Twilight from further attacks, because if they could pose any danger, they must be neutralized. Proposal of Celestia's son caused shock among those present, except for Celestia herself, who watched the debate with a stony face. The former princess of these lands knew and saw too much from the Emperor, and therefore, when a verbal conflict began to flare up between Star Swirl and her son, she immediately separated them, reminding them of the importance of the meeting.

Valdor looked at the old unicorn with disbelief, considering him to be a senile oaf, according to the wizard, the Firstborn should learn the manners of communication with elders. After these words, the alicorn wanted to tear apart the annoying old man, and only Celestia's mental control over her child helped to avoid bloodshed.

After two hours of arguments and disagreements, Princess Twilight Sparkle decided to leave the survivors in the royal service, along with this, on the advice of Celestia, from now on it will be her children who will guard the peace of her faithful pupil in the castle, while the mortal guards will guard the city and its surroundings.

The next discussion was about expanding the Heavenly Guards program in the form of creating new legionnaires from the blood of other princesses. The Pillars of Equestria, led by Star Swirl, were strongly opposed to this idea. In their eyes, such warriors were insane death machines, not noble warriors, but monsters. To the surprise of many, Cadence followed Princess Luna in supporting this proposal. Yesterday's attack was not an isolated action, it will be followed by new, more horrific attacks. From now on, Equestria also couldn't fully trust her allies, who were clearly plotting something unfriendly against them.

Realizing the danger of the situation, Princess Twilight, despite the displeasure of her idol, decides to give permission to create new legions, but with one condition. The number of legionnaires in a legion must be limited. There are a thousand fighters in each of the legions. No more, no less.

Young princess also proposed the creation of a charter for the newly formed army, a kind of code in order to keep the cruelty and impulsiveness of the legionnaires within strict limits. Seeing the love of Celestia's children for their mother, Twilight understood that only her word would be the law for them, and therefore, she also suggested that other princesses in the future write each their own code, with minimal differences corresponding to their original nature.

That was the end of the meeting.

"Celestia!" Star Swirl called out to the alicorn, who was about to leave. "Can I have a word with you?"

At the same moment, the white alicorn teleports both of them into an open field somewhere in the south of the kingdom. "Of course, my old friend..." there was bitterness in the mare's voice.

"Listen, honey," unicorn took a step forward, "I understand how much you love them! How you love Luna and Cadance, but it's time to stop all this! You know that yourself! For so many years, you've been striving to create a comfortable environment for Twilight, and right now everything is only getting worse! Your creations..."

"Children!" Celestia interrupted him sharply.

The wizard sighed heavily. "Yes... Your children... And how long have you considered them as such? Or did He put you up to these thoughts?"

Star Swirl's words were like a knife through butter. A tremor seized the shocked mare, as the Solar immediately appears in a bright teleportation flash. The old unicorn immediately realized what a strong bloodline binds his former student and her offspring. Being a thousand miles away, the loving son felt his mother's excitement, ready to stand up for her. It seems that she herself did not realize how this could happen.

"That's what Luna told you, right?" a sad smile appeared on Celestia's face.

"Considering your unwillingness to tell anyone else about the source of your "visions", her actions can be considered fully justified!"

"Really..." alicorn's smile never left his face. "No, it's not about him... I overestimated my own strength, Star Swirl... I thought I was capable of not feeling affection for them... What a mistake... Despite our similarities, we have a number of differences... And the most important difference between us is attachment... He considers his "children" to be tools... Weapons! He created them for only one purpose-war! Wars across the Galaxy! The reunion of humanity! A dream built on blood... And now I'm going down the same path... No matter how long they try to stop me, I won't back down! I will do everything to save Equestria!"

"With your attachment to them, it will be very hard for your soul, child..."

"I know... And yet I will go to the end... Just like you and Luna taught us! New Legions will be created! We will defeat all our enemies and unite the whole world under our banner! Whatever the price...

Pity.

Mount Metazoa. The place where all the beings of Equus gathered, from young to old, to resolve their political issues and disagreements once again became a meeting place for the heads of kingdoms from all over the world. The reason for the meeting, of course, was the recent massacre on the streets of the Equestrian capital, where elite warriors, the creations of Celestia herself, ruthlessly exterminated traitors who dared to take up arms against the Princess of Friendship.

Many, including friendly kingdoms, were deeply frightened by the ferocious rage and bloodthirsty temper of the legionaries. After listening to a number of concerns, and in some cases, direct accusations of creating the most terrible weapon in history, Celestia, who was sitting in the Hall of Unity with her younger sister and Solar, who stood at attention, went up on stage, catching the frightened glances of ambassadors and delegates, kings and princesses.

The former princess's speech was short but informative. In her message to the world, Celestia assured that Equestria had no reason to use the legion for aggressive purposes, she created them only to protect her home. White alicorn also reminded some of those present, such as the Changelings, of their aggressive past under the leadership of Chrysalis, whom everyone used to fear, but now they are a full-fledged and respected player in the political arena, despite the atrocities they have committed. In the end, Celestia issued a warning about the severe consequences in the event of an attack on the lands of the ponies, or their northern neighbor, the Crystal Empire, which was perceived by some as a threat, while others saw it as a challenge.

Throughout the meeting, all the gathered beings felt very uncomfortable with Solar Valdor in the hall, who was ready to stop an attack on his mother or Aunt Luna at the same second. His stone face was like cold marble, but his eyes never left his mother's figure on stage.

Sitting next to her nephew, Princess Luna imagined the image of her future son in his place. Just as deadly and ruthless, loyal only to her. Clad in night-colored armor, he would also stand by her side, ready to kill anyone who dared to hurt her. She just couldn't believe that soon her children would see the world, whom she, like her older sister, would love. The most important thing is to take into account the mistakes when creating the First Hundred, remove excessive aggressiveness and cruelty, and bind them with chains of rules and responsibilities. They will be the best warriors loyal to the crown and no one will dare to doubt their skill or loyalty! They would stand shoulder to shoulder with her sister's children and, in the heat of bloody battles, seal themselves with blood ties of brotherhood.

After finishing their speech, Celestia and Luna listened to the fears and veiled threats for another hour. They would have left the hall earlier, but the others might have seen bad taste in this act, which means that the doubts of those present could have intensified. At one point, Celestia's longtime friend from the hippogriff kingdom, Queen Novo, took the stage. In her speech, she expressed caution about the creation of Legiones Solaris, but stated that Equestria had and has every right to protection. The fact that Celestia had created these warriors from her own flesh and blood spoke volumes about her willingness to sacrifice them for Equestria's safety, despite her family connection. In the eyes of the Queen, such loyalty to her former subjects aroused unprecedented respect.

However, Celestia's words about peaceful intentions required confirmation, and therefore the griffins demanded that the alicorn's son leave the hall as a sign of confirmation of peaceful guarantees. To the surprise of everyone present, Celestia herself, without showing any anger or surprise, in a calm and gentle voice ordered creation to go outside and wait for her and her sister there. Without any objections, Solar slaps his hand on the breastplate of his armor and proudly leaves the hall, heading for the exit.

Every creature from the little breezies to the huge dragons he encountered in the corridor shunned him warily, like an angel of death, one touch of which could instantly kill. The Firstborn himself didn't care who or what anyone thought of him. His main goal at the moment is to protect his mother and aunt during the meeting, nothing else matters. Even the request of his mother, which for him was equivalent to an order, did not confuse the warrior, because he was confident in his abilities to react with lightning speed and come to their aid.

Closing the massive doors of the Hall of Unity behind him, the alicorn slowed down and began to look around.

Ahead was a berth for aircraft on which delegates from different countries arrived on the Mountain. The variety of aerial vehicles was great, from small balloons to huge airships. The sharp gaze of the Praetorian did not escape the presence of powder cannons located on the sides of some of them, which once again convinced him of the correctness of his mother's fears.

There was almost no one outside, only some of the security personnel of some kingdoms stood guard over the aircraft. Birds twittered overhead, circling in an aerial dance, and one of them, a very young bird, landed a little awkwardly on Valdor's left shoulder pad. He wasn't surprised, but the happy chirping of the baby bird alerted the warrior because he didn't show any fear. Maybe because of his youth, maybe still not understanding who he landed with, the green kid with beautiful blue wings looked at his new friend in a friendly way.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Solar asked emotionlessly after receiving a friendly chirp. "It seems so..."

"Captain-General!" suddenly, a young white unicorn with a mane of twilight light ran up to him from the right. His name was White Corry, and he was just a rookie who was lucky enough to survive the mutiny.

"Private Corrie! Why aren't you on duty? Aren't you supposed to be guarding the ship?" calm voice of stallion carried the power of a thousand weapons, which made the unicorn's heart beat even harder.

Existential fear of the legionnaire caused very unpleasant impressions, and yet the subordinate was able to overcome himself, standing up to attention. "I'm sorry, Captain-General!" he saluted. "But Captain Marderic ordered me to patrol the vicinity of the Unity Hall!"

"And how are things going?" Solar asked casually.

"No suspicious persons have been noticed, and the guards of the delegations from other kingdoms are at their posts!" stallion almost shouted in one breath.

"Well done, rookie!" Captain-General said, looming over the private like a huge rock.

"Thank you, sir! But... May I ask you a question?" Valdor just nodded in the affirmative. "Why did you go out alone without the princesses? Something happened?"

"First of all, my mother and aunt are no longer princesses and are retired! Secondly, Celestia asked me to come out in order to show everyone present the correctness of our peaceful intentions!" there was annoyance in the warrior's voice. "So I advise you to keep your eyes open and keep patrolling!"

"As the Captain-General commands!" unicorn bowed.

Valdor watched as the recruit moved further and further away from him. However, focusing on one thing did not allow the warrior to miss the presence behind him. "I don't advise you to approach me from behind, changeling!"

Turning around, Valdor saw an elderly-looking female changeling, at the sight of which he wanted to make just one swing of his spear and end her miserable life, but at the last moment he was able to restrain himself. She herself did not show any aggression.

"It's funny, because those are the very words your mother told me at the Battle of Appleloosa six hundred years ago. Our old ruler, Queen Chrysalis, has set out to take over your southern city for the needs of the Hive..."

"...but Celestia banished you! And she spared you, because you were the only one from your Hive willing to surrender!" warrior interrupted her gloomily.

"Do you know me?" there was a huge surprise in her question. Of course, Solar knew who she was, because with the blood they inherited from their mother, they also passed on her memories, some complete, some fragmentary.

"Yes! Your name is Flying Bug! At that time, you were one of Chrysalis' commanders!"

"Oh stars! Unbelievable! You got more than just magic and divine beauty from your mother. But also the memories!" this made the stallion tense up, but Flying hurried to calm him down. "Don't worry, young stud... We changelings have a similar practice... Not everyone, only the queen's entourage, such as Pharynx, the defender of our Hive!

"Knowing too much can sometimes be dangerous..." Valdor did not take his eyes off the interlocutor.

The old lady just laughed softly. "It depends on what kind of knowledge it is, young pony... Even your mother keeps a lot of secrets to this day and, in her wisdom, is in no hurry to share them with outsiders..."

"To protect them!" Valdor replied dryly.

Old lady smiled sweetly. "Truly, you are her children! You look so much like her! Not only externally, but also internally! Even in spite of your ancestral hatred for me, there is that fleeting spark of mercy inside you that was laid down when you were created! I can see it in your eyes! But what I can't understand is your bloodlust! Celestia has never been as fierce and cruel as you are described today!"

"You won't hear anything new from me, changeling! We were created for war and only for it! We can't protect Equestria if we give in to pity!"

"I'm really sorry that you feel that way, dear... After all, it is pity that helps us not to make a mistake at the very last moment!" she took a step forward, to which Valdor was ready to react. "Even our mother Chrysalis had little compassion for us! Still, she spared me when I returned to the Hive, leaving me in a cage for many years. It was only with the arrival of Thorax that I was released from prison!"

"Chrysalis is a power-hungry creature that needed to be destroyed, not turned into a statue!"

"And yet your mom and aunt decided to listen to Discord and keep them alive, even if they were in a state of stone... And even though my words mean nothing to you, I believe there is kindness and compassion in you because you are the children of Celestia, the most merciful pony I have ever met..."

"And I am very pleased to hear your words, old friend..." voice behind Solar sent a shiver through his body. His own mother appeared out of nowhere, and he didn't even notice it. "Glad to see you in good health, Flying!"

"Princess Celestia!" changeling bowed happily. "I didn't realize you still remembered me..."

Celestia, without any hesitation, hugs her old friend in front of her wary son. "I always remember my friends..."

"It is a pity that the young friendship between our peoples had to wither away so quickly... Does Thorax still not trust you?"

"He's afraid, Flying! Just like your whole Hive!"

"I'll try to talk to him, Celestia! I think he'll listen to me!"

"I really hope so, dear... And as I can tell, you've met my son."

"He looks so much like you, Celestia... Especially eyes... They just read your kindness, even if he doesn't realize it himself..."

"He just wasn't born long ago, dear. He still has a lot to learn!"

"I'm sure you can teach them, dear... And it seems it's time for us to go home..."

"It was nice to see you..." friends bowed to each other. "I hope it won't be the last time!"

Without another word, they went their separate ways. After boarding the airship, the Equestrian delegation went home, as did all those who arrived. Throughout their journey, the Praetorian felt the wrongness of what had happened. Even before they came out of their mother's capsule, their mother pumped them with selective xenophobia, that outsiders should be fought to the last drop of blood, that they all wish only evil to the pony family.

The way the mother hugged the old beetle with a smile on her face gave rise to a seed of doubt, which Solar intended to get rid of.

"Is there something you wanted to ask me, son?" as if sensing her son's excitement, Celestia asked.

"I'm sorry, Mom, it's just that even before we were born, you pumped us up with hatred for them, and you smile and hug them..."

"Solar, honey, you know how much I love you all and Equestria! My friendly attitude towards them is just a front, just like their attitude towards us! In public, we are all friends, but in reality we are potential enemies! Don't worry, the time for this disgusting diplomacy will soon come to an end! As soon as the two remaining legions are ready, Unification will begin! The whole world will be ours! And don't think that I'm going to sit in Canterlot and drink tea! I will be the one who will lead you into battle!"

"But Mom..." a feeling of anxiety for his parent appeared on his son's face.

"No buts, honey!" she hugged her son sharply. "I created you, and I'm going to lead you into battle! Just like my sister! Although in the case of Cadance, Shining Armor will lay down the bones, but will not let his beloved wife die... We need complete dedication from you! Your workouts need to be doubled! I can count on you, right?"

"Yes, Mom..."

Pride and honor.

She ran forward without paying attention to the chaos. The cold north wind blew right at her, ready to blow away like a fly, but she kept running. Amid a mix of explosions and screams, mixed with snow hitting the front of her helmet, she noticed the enemy. Information began to appear on the visual display of the helmet itself. Type: Changeling. Distance: Fifteen meters. Threat level: Medium. Enemy who noticed her approach immediately transformed into a huge beetle with six limbs and sharp fangs in its mouth. With a guttural roar, he flew at lightning speed to meet the battle.

Holding a razor-sharp two-handed adamantium steel sword in her hands, Celestia's faithful daughter calmly dodged to the right, preventing herself from being pierced with sharp limbs, simultaneously cutting the vile creature from head to sting. Without slowing down, the mare continued running. This time she came across a griffin diving at her with great speed, but he couldn't even touch the legionnaire. She slid along the frozen edge of the ice, cutting the invader in two halves. Stained with the blood of the xenos, she continued to run with wild zeal, cutting in two and beheading everyone who had the stupidity to stand in her way.

The helmet's sensors flashed, illuminating the enemies that appeared in increasing numbers. Of course, these creatures can't compete with the loyal Legiones Solar, but it looks like the time for single-player play has come to an end, and it's time for teamwork.

"Company!" captain bellowed over the vox. "Form a line! Raise shields!"

With extraordinary speed, the legionnaires lined up, materializing huge magical shields in their left hands. The swords were sheathed to give way to the spears that magically materialized in each of their right hands. Having lined up in three lines, covering themselves with shields one after another, the company continued on its way, using the spears of the enemies without any mercy. Enemy, rushing into a frenzied attack, repeatedly ran into an indestructible wall that rushed forward. Chemical, incendiary grenades - all this was useless. Legiones Solaris, due to their improved physiology, were not susceptible to everything the enemy used against them.

Meanwhile, the storm continued to intensify, making visibility more and more faint, but this difficulty was also petty. The legionnaires' helmets had changed the picture to thermal imaging, so it wasn't a problem to see the approaching xenos just as it was to kill them. But there were only a few hundred meters left before the goal, and therefore the brothers and sisters, all as one, smoothly and unhurriedly continued to make their way forward. Their destination was in a tall tower covered with ice, at the very top of which a dim light shone.

Having dealt with the last of the creatures, the company dispersed around the area, forming a ring at the entrance to the tower. A heart-rending scream was heard from the other side, and the massive doors were immediately blown to shreds by the dragonfire. The lizard that came out began to pour a stream of flame over the legionnaires without stopping, but they, having strong armor and fire resistance implanted before they were born, joined the battle, throwing spears at the thick scales of the lizard, sometimes dodging the return fire in their direction.

Suddenly, as if on a timer, the magic spears stuck in the giant's body began to explode, leaving huge, bleeding wounds on the beast's body. A roar of agony swept over the valley and the ancient enemy decided to strike his last blow, but did not have time, because one of the legionnaires soared up and put all his strength into the blow chopped off the screaming head. A victorious cry burst from the alicorns' mouths, as if they were children rejoicing at their victory, when suddenly the voices instantly died away at the approach of a figure in a dark cloak coming out of the tower. As one, the legionnaires knelt in respectful reverence.

"Congratulations, tenth Company! You have passed your last test! You can stand up!" unknown pony took off her hood, revealing her face with an undisguised smile. Twilight Sparkle. The Supreme Princess of Equestria and the big sister for each of them. "Thank you for your help, Discord!"

After these words, the Lord of Chaos appears out of nowhere and snaps his fingers, removing all the mess caused, removing the blizzard with snow and returning his kingdom of chaos to its usual appearance. "You're welcome, Twilight! But next time, tell Celestia to test her kids somewhere other than my house..."

"Come on, Discord? Didn't you have fun throwing all kinds of creatures at them? Especially this huge dragon?" princess asked, smiling.

"Fun or not, I still have to clean up after you..." draconicus replied wearily. "Is this the last hundred?"

"So far, yes, but there will be more soon!" There was joy in the alicorn's voice.

With undisguised joy on their faces, the legionnaires lined up waiting for the portal to the real world to open. With a snap of his fingers, Discord followed the hundred along with Twilight near Canterlot itself. "Oh yes, how could I forget? After all, soon Princess Luna will become a mother, and Cadence and Shining Armor will have even more troubles!"

"There shouldn't be any problems this time, Discord!" she confidently declares. "Of course, the first hundred turned out to be extremely aggressive and bloodthirsty, but we took into account all the mistakes, and the other nine hundred turned out to be more balanced and less bloodthirsty!"

"Oh, yes, Twilight, I can't disagree with you more... Considering that Celestia's beloved son, Solar, almost tore my head off when we first met."

"Come on, Discord! Even if he had taken your head off, nothing serious would have happened to you, you're the Lord of Chaos! Besides, I didn't notice that her children, who were walking in front of us, wanted to rip your head off!"

"I agree, these kids have turned out to be more tolerant, eh... And yet, I can't help but notice that you've been left out in terms of kids..." Discord smiled briefly.

"It's not like I'm being left out, Discord..." there was a note of uncertainty in Sparkle's voice. "It's just that Celestia doesn't want me to feel the pain of losing them! And I know what I'm talking about! I myself happened to feel their connection with Celestia! You can't even imagine how strong and durable it turned out to be!"

"Oh, is that why her former holiness doesn't want you to suffer mentally? Truly, Celestia still loves you like her own daughter!"

Still, there was some truth to what Draconicus had said. No matter what, of all her students, Twilight is in the first place for Celestia. Throughout their journey to the Royal Palace, his words did not leave the princess' mind. No matter how much Twilight tried to hide behind words about her teacher's care, deep down she was disgusted to stay away when Luna and Cadence, along with Shining Armor, were preparing to take on the heaviest burden on their shoulders.

Five months have passed since the ill-fated uprising of the aristocracy, from that ruthless massacre, after which the whole world looked at the kingdom of peaceful ponies from a completely different angle. Now they were feared like fire, and many of the friendly races had left Equestria. According to intelligence reports, some of them are building defensive fortifications along the entire length of the land border, and griffins have begun patrolling the border waters, as have dragons.

Would they have to fight one day? The terrible thought that had been tormenting Twilight for many days and nights was shrouding her soul more and more with cold. What if the Knights of Harmony were right and the Elements went to war against each other? Princess was pulled out of her frightening thoughts by the sight of her five friends standing at the entrance to the castle. A warm smile appeared on her face.

In the throne room, Celestia and Luna were already waiting for them, along with Cadance, the Pillars of Equestria, as well as the ever-vigilant Solar, who never left his mother's side. Celestia smiled at the sight of Twilight and her faithful son, while Solar did not show such joy at the sight of his younger brother, rather indifference.

"I take it everything went just perfectly?" Celestia hugged Twilight, then kissed Celestial on the forehead.

"Everything went great, didn't it, Discord?" Twilight winked at her friend.

"Of course, Princess..." there was no particular joy in Draconicus' voice. "It couldn't be better..."

"I knew it! You will succeed! And therefore... I have a gift for you!"

At the same moment, Celestia teleports the standard of the newly created tenth company in front of her. A huge canvas made of red refractory material with an image of the Roman numeral X, under which there was an image of a flaming sun hiding behind the planet. Celestial, like all the assembled legionaries, was overcome with awe at the mere sight of the banner, and they gladly fell to one knee, submissively lowering their heads.

"Captain Celestial!" mother began loudly. "Tell me, what is your life?"

"Honor is my life!"

"What is your destiny?"

"Duty is my destiny!"

"What is your fear?"

"Defeat is my fear!"

"What is your craft?"

"My craft is death!"

"What is your pledge?"

"My pledge is eternal service!"

"On behalf of Equestria, I, Celestia, the former ruler of these lands and your birth mother, present you with this sacred standard as a sign of our trust in you and your acceptance into the Legiones Solaris! Serve with honor and dignity, my children!"

"I swear to you mother, the tenth company will not let you down! We will defend Equestria and her ponies to the last drop of blood!"

Before the alicorn could get up from his knees, his beloved mother hugged her son tightly with tears in her eyes. "I know, honey... And I am very proud of you..."

A joyful wave of shouts from the legionaries burst out of the throne room, spreading further and further into the castle and beyond. Every pony on this day heard the joy in the voices of the children of the Solar Goddess. Luna hugged Celestia, unable to hold back tears of pride, the rest of the audience applauded loudly, and only on Solar's face there was not a hint of joy. The Firstborn stood proudly to the side, watching the brothers' triumph. It was only after Celestia's reproachful look that he reluctantly approached his younger brother.

"Congratulations, Captain!" The Captain-General said dryly, to which he received a warm embrace full of brotherly love in return.

"Thank you big brother..." he said, not holding back tears.

Selena.

The cold was the only thing I felt. Enveloping my whole body, as if I were drowning in an endless ocean. I sank deeper and deeper to the bottom. Into the void! But the strange thing is, I didn't suffocate, I didn't choke, I didn't panic trying to swim to the light. Conversely. I was drawn to the darkness of the depths. Without any hesitation, rejecting the light, I began to swim deeper into the pitch-black void. I didn't feel weak or lack of oxygen, I didn't need them. I felt like I had a huge power inside me that I hadn't fully realized yet.

I can't say exactly how long I swam. It was difficult to keep track of time without having an idea of the time of day. But at some point, the emptiness of the depths ended. And chaos ensued. Clad in ultramarine-colored armor, holding a sword decorated with dark rubies in my muscular hands, I, like hundreds of creatures like me, went into battle. We fought.

In a terrible snowstorm, we climbed snow-capped mountains to an unknown destination. There were creatures that had never been seen before, land-based, flying, land-based, capable of turning into both at the same time, with beaks and fangs. They furiously rushed at us, but we hardly felt their blows, they simply could not penetrate our armor. Their swords shattered into small pieces just from the contact with our armor.

All our actions were precise and precise, as if we knew in advance where and how to strike and where our opponent was going to hit us. Our movements, despite our height and mass, were light and smooth, graceful. We easily defeated our enemies, sometimes one blow was enough to smash the head of any of them. We also used our wings and horn to dodge and shoot back, and put up shields to protect our allies. We all felt great affection for each other, as if we had been very close for a long time before we met. We didn't ask each other for names, we didn't need to, and we didn't have time, because the battle was raging.

More and more creatures turned against us, and soon they were replaced by shapeless monsters from nightmares. Multi-eyed, with many tentacles, big-headed, big-mouthed, they tried to scare us with their whole appearance, to put us to flight. But we didn't know fear! We walked and flew forward, despite the cold and the cold. All of us, both mares and stallions, were called to the very top of a huge cliff. None of us could say exactly what it was, but none of us had any doubts that it was all right.

The days gave way to nights, the nights gave way to days, and we all continued to fight and move towards the goal. And now, this moment has come. After destroying the last creatures on our way, we discovered a huge stone castle ahead. It was a real fortress decorated with flags and standards with a crescent moon sign. There were ten standards in total, as well as flags, and each had its own number from one to the tenth. Suddenly, the doors began to open and an unbearably bright light began to dazzle us from inside. Even the helmets on our heads couldn't filter out the brightness enough to see anything. But before we could do anything, darkness enveloped me in its cold embrace again and I opened my eyes.

This time I found myself in an ancient city with one-story buildings made of sand and clay. The place was very deserted and hot even at night. In the light of the full moon, in some rags and a black cloak pulled over it all, I hid in the shadows from passing creatures. Judging by the golden armor and weapons, they were guards, and if there are guards, then there is a palace that they are guarding. And I was right. There was a huge pyramid-shaped palace in the center of the city. it had a lot of windows and balconies, and the familiar crescent moon flag was flying at the very top, and I was drawn to it by an invisible force, again.

I moved stealthily and unnoticeably along the roofs of the buildings, since almost all of them were built close to each other. In some places, I still had to go downstairs, hiding behind carts that contained all kinds of fruits, clothes, and much more. And over time, I began to notice my brothers and sisters, with whom I had stormed the mountain a few minutes earlier. They were also dressed in rags and cloaks and were following the pyramid. And that's when I finally got to see their faces, just like they saw mine. We were like two drops of water, mare with mare, stallion with stallion, as if we were molded from the same mold.

There were more and more of us by the minute. And the time of day favored us well. At night, everyone slept, only single patrols of the guards conducted a tour of the assigned territory. Armed and dangerous. We were unarmed, so we decided to fix it. As we cut down the guards' patrols, we took away their weapons, gradually arming ourselves more and more. The creatures in the dog masks were like babies to us, none of them could resist us. Even the largest of them were knocked out with a single blow.

We didn't use words. We communicated using combat gestures, I can't say how we knew them, the important thing was that we acted quietly. I understood everything my relatives explained to me, just as they understood me. We were getting closer and closer to the goal, and the last stage was more difficult. From the city, the pyramid was surrounded in a circle by a decorative high fence with barbed wire, then seven hundred meters of the royal garden with not very tall bushes of plants of various colors and sizes.

As expected, there were a lot of guards, but that wasn't the main thing. Among the ordinary guards, there were armored giants that exceeded even our not small size. Each of us understood that the available weapons could not penetrate their armor, even if we wanted to. Of course, with our strength, we could easily switch from stealth to open combat, as in the first battle, but something inside us spoke of a clear refusal to start the meat grinder. It was as if in our hearts we longed to complete the test stealthily and quietly, just as we had begun.

As one, we rushed forward, hiding behind bushes and in all possible shadows. We didn't noticeably bypass the patrols and outposts using all our innate skills. At some point, we all discovered our ability to transform into a living shadow. Although it was a temporary force, it helped us to enter the palace unnoticed. Everything inside seemed to be made of gold, except for the curtains and some types of furniture. Huge corridors, the ceilings of which were supported by massive columns, stretched into infinity. An unprepared person would get confused here, but not us. We knew in our gut where we needed to go, which corridor to go through, and which room to enter.

And now we are at the threshold of the throne room. The sentries standing at the huge doors were killed when some of us threw guns at them. Ready for anything, we slowly began to approach the doors as they began to open, blinding us with the same unbearable light.

Once again, I found myself in a different place. This time it was a room barely lit by dozens of candles. Huge shelves filled with thick books stretched from floor to ceiling. There was a fireplace in the center of the room, three meters from which, to the left, a creature lay impressively levitating one of the thousands of books with magic. It didn't seem to notice me, until a certain moment. It was a four-hoofed creature with dark blue fur the color of the night sky. Her mane fluttered like a piece of space, even though it wasn't windy inside and the windows were closed.

I couldn't fully see her face because of the book, but with each slow step, fragmentary passages began to appear in front of my eyes. One by one, they showed me the life of this... pony... Formerly a princess who guards dreams, and now a retired mare. In all this flood of memories, I saw her sister too. A white mare with a mane the color of the northern lights. Their gatherings together, the coronation, quarrels, reconciliation, anger, resentment, sadness, remorse... I could feel her anger towards her older sister in my gut. Her envy, which turned into a thirst for attention and love. Their brief duel, exile, and reunion after a thousand years of separation.

Finally, my presence did not go unnoticed, and with a loving smile, the pony whose name was Luna put the book down on a nearby table and got up from the sofa and came over to me. I just froze, unable to take even a step, because she had my face... It was only at that moment that I realized that it was the other way around, that I had her face. And all the warmth I felt in her presence was the result of our blood connection. She's my mother, and I'm her daughter!

"Don't be afraid, my child," she began the dialogue. "You, like your brothers and sisters, have reached me, which means that you have all coped with the test!"

I looked around uncomprehendingly. "Have we passed the test?"

"Yes, dear!" there was genuine joy in her voice. "As soon as you were all old enough, I used my powers in the dream world to begin your training! And you did it all! None of you were killed or injured! That in open combat, that hiding in the shadows!"

"Wait!" I was collecting my thoughts. "You're saying that we've all passed your test, but... Where are my brothers and sisters, then?"

At the same moment, a whitish magical aura emanates from our creator's horn, enveloping the room. The bookshelves surrounding us disappear, and in their place appear thousands of glass fragments, in which it was easy to see the same picture as mine. Slightly perplexed, we all began to approach the glasses, peering into the faces.

"So are you present with them now?" to which my mother nodded at me with a smile. "But how?"

"Nothing is impossible for the princess of dreams, dear daughter... Just like for all of you!"

"The former princess... mom..." I corrected her, embarrassed, noticing that we all did the same thing.

"Attentive and punctual! How proud I am of all of you..."

It seemed like the whole situation was going to make her cry.

"You can't even imagine, my children, what achievements await you ahead! Bound by constant training, both in dreams and in reality, you will become the defenders of Equestria! Along with your cousins from Legiones Solaris..."

"Legiones Solaris?" I interrupted my mom uncertainly, causing only some confusion on her face.

"Oh, yeah... My sister Celestia's children... I assume you've already seen excerpts from my past?" I nodded. "In that case, you know that I still have my evil side. Nightmare Moon..." I nodded again, silently. "Unfortunately, it sits inside each of you too... This tragedy did not escape the children of Celestia either... Poor things are also suffering from an entity named Daybreaker!"

"But in that case, if Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon are so dangerous, then why did you create us? What if we, your creations, succumb to evil too?"

"Because there was no other way out, my child!" my mother replied, and her horn immediately started to burn again.

The world around us was on fire. Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, a beautiful city with a thousand-year history, lay in ruins, and the ponies who inhabited it lay dead on its blood-soaked streets. What I saw caused me not shock or fear, but anger and rage. With all my heart, I wanted to find the culprit of this tragedy and tear him to pieces. And luckily for me, he showed up on his own. A huge monstrous shadow with eyes burning like the mouth of a volcano and huge wings slowly began to approach us. My first thought was to protect my mom, no matter what the cost.

With righteous anger, I rushed to meet the monster and, knocking him on his back, began to beat him with all my might right in his face. At some point, the horn on my head glowed white, and without realizing it, I annihilated it completely. The nightmare disappeared as if it had never existed. The sun was shining, and the ponies were alive and enjoying a wonderful day in the pristine Canterlot.

"A terrible beast, isn't it?" Luna came up to me. "In fact, it's no scarier than, well, let's say fire. But what I've shown you is nothing more than the foreseeable future. And in order to prevent it, Celestia created Legiones Solaris and He inspired her with this idea...

As soon as I got up, a figure dressed in golden armor appeared in front of me, blazing with the power of the sun, he surpassed me by several heads holding a flaming sword in his hands. His facial features were flawless, like those of a God. With his whole appearance, he showed power and might.

"He had many names, but now he is known as the Emperor of Mankind!" my mother continued. "This creature belonging to the human species is the ruler of an entire Galaxy, a million planets, a thousand star systems! His will is steely, and his power is absolute!"

"And why did he decide to help us?" I turned back to her.

"Because the enemy he has been fighting for twelve thousand years now wants to enter our world! He called them the Gods of Chaos! Each of the Gods represents something terrible! Khorne is the epitome of war and blood! Slaanesh - thirst for pleasure and suffering! Nurgle is the grandfather of plague and disease! And Tzeentch is the lord of intrigue, secret knowledge and deception!"

"But we also have our own God of Chaos!" I declared loudly, remembering the figure of the twirly draconicus from my mother's memories.

"That's right, honey, Discord is our friend, but his powers won't be much use, because he's made of the same energy as them! That's why we created you! You are our spear, with which we will defeat our enemy! Yes, we won't be able to destroy even one of these Gods, let alone all four! But at least we can stand up for ourselves! For Equestria! Save and preserve defenseless ponies from Galactic-scale threats!"

"And... What will happen to us when all this is over?" my question clearly surprised my mother. "If we are created for war, then what will happen to all of us when this is all over?"

"We will live as a family..." Luna came up to me, and I instinctively got down on one knee, as if I had been programmed to do so. She hugged me, gently and with all her love. "A big and friendly family... I, Celestia, and you are our beloved children!"

"But what if we go against each other, as you once did?"

"This will never happen!" tears trickled down her cheeks. "I promise!"

"If you love us all so much, then we all have names! You couldn't just assign us a specific number, could you?"

"I would never number my children like cattle! When creating each of you, I put the name assigned to you into your genes! And you know him very well, don't you, my child?"

The words of our creator echoed in my mind. Word. One simple word started to sound in my head, as if someone was whispering it to me. At that moment, I was finally convinced of the correctness of everything my mother had told me. And the name she gave me very clearly characterized our blood relationship.

"My... My name is Selena!"

Plans tend to change.

As Celestia had expected, the people of Equestria were awed by the arrival of the two new Legions. Clad in ultramarine-colored armor, the children of the Moon, called Legiones Nox, were the very embodiment of the night. Like their mother, the legionnaires skillfully traveled the World of dreams, helping their mother fight the nightmares of her subjects. With tears of pride, Luna watched as the joyful ponies, rescued from the nightmares of their own minds, thanked her children from the bottom of their hearts, giving them flowers and falling to their knees. Their strength and might were absolute! The speed and reaction were beyond praise. Truly, they are the angels of death!

And yet, it wasn't just killing monsters that was part of their job. Like Luna, they helped the ponies mentally, with advice somewhere, on the contrary, with a warning against rash actions. Every day their power In the dream world grew more and more, until finally their mother decided to release them into the real world. A feast was held under the night sky in Canterlot in honor of the appearance of Legiones Nox. The aristocrats and common ponies looked at the offspring of the former princess with awe, so similar to their cousins and at the same time so different from them.

More calm and silent, they contrasted strongly with the emotional and vociferous children of the solar Celestia. The alicorn sisters tried their best to stop the beginnings of any hostility or distrust between them. Especially considering their own past, and the fact that their children had their memories and emotions passed on through their blood, there was a high risk that an ordinary verbal altercation could escalate into a fight or, worse, a fatal confrontation. And, fortunately, at their first meeting, the legions did not show resentment or malice towards each other. On the contrary, they were very happy to see each other, which was not the case for the Firstborn, who looked at their cousins with indifference and sometimes with arrogance. The sisters understood that they needed to rally the children. To instill in them the bonds of martial brotherhood. They must go through the crucible of battle together, forging a glorious victory together. And they had such a chance.

Creatures unknown to Equestrian science appeared out of nowhere and began attacking ponies. The newly formed enemy did not have a uniform shape and appearance. Each of them was a terrifying construct of terror and fear. Pieced together and casually stitched together by dark magic, these creatures, covered in black carapace armor, spread fear and panic among the Equestrian population, trapping and trapping ponies in spider cocoons.

On that day, the Angels of Death showed no mercy. The war that unfolded throughout Equestria was truly terrifying. Animal savagery and cruelty met the disciplined and well-trained might of the two legions. The children of the princesses had no pity for the enemy, just as the creatures created by the evil genius had no pity for them. What was supposed to be a quick sweep turned into a massacre.

Befuddled by the past easy victories of Legiones Solaris, the ponies hoped for a quick victory, discovering to their horror that the new enemy was not inferior, but in some places superior to the offspring of the princesses. The angels themselves did not have such high expectations of themselves. With cold determination, they killed and destroyed the enemy, suffering fatal wounds that would normally kill a pony. Many of them lost a hoof or an arm on the very first day, and sometimes even their lives. The death of each of them was felt like a hammer blow in the souls of their mothers.

The alicorns themselves were relentless, hovering over the battlefield, destroying creatures one by one, and each of their blows was fatal. Celestia in her gilded armor and Luna hidden in night-colored armor were unstoppable, none of the monsters created by Grogar could even injure them.

After waiting for the two mares to run out of steam, the creator of these abominations suddenly appeared, teleporting into a dense group of Celestia's legionnaires and brutally tearing them to pieces right in front of their mother. Deciding not to miss the moment, the dark sorcerer makes a powerful shot with the dark magic of the Gods directly at Celestia, but fortunately her younger sister came to the rescue.

Putting up a shield in front of her sister, who had fallen to the ground in excruciating pain, the former princess of dreams rushed to attack. After killing several of the creatures that stood in her way, she clashed in battle with the first Emperor of Equestria. A being whose name was once forgotten, and now reappeared in order to regain what he believed rightfully belonged to him. With the power of the Four Chaos Gods, as well as the wings they gave him, Grogar fought the Moon in a deadly battle. Throughout their battle, he did nothing but chase after her, laughing maliciously and trying to wound her with a cursed blade, but the victim eluded him every time.

It was only by killing her three daughters, who rushed to her mother's aid, that he was able to make her slow down. For just one brief moment, the Moon was already on the ground, struck by a shot of magic. And before he could land, Celestia, who appeared behind him in a flash of teleportation, screaming in rage, plunged her flaming sword into the enemy's spine, striking his heart. The wizard collapsed next to the defeated Luna, choking on his blood, and in less than a minute he disappeared, crumbling to dust. But with the leader's murder, the creatures he created were not going to run away, on the contrary, they further intensified the onslaught.

And so it went on day after day, until finally the last of the monsters died at the gates to Canterlot. This time, the pony capital was more protected with the help of a force dome supported by Starlight Glimmer and Twilight, and although the townspeople and the refugees housed in the city were not affected, the price was too high. Of the two thousand sons and daughters, only five hundred barely alive warriors remained alive. Smeared in blood and ichor, they stood proudly above the mountains of bodies of fallen abominations, majestically holding the standards of their fighting companies in their hands.

Equestria withstood, as in previous upheavals, being on the verge of death and oblivion. And seeing the devastation and weakness of the victor, the rulers of other kingdoms began to think about invading the pony lands in order to tear off piece by piece from it. The news that angels can not only be injured and killed turned their heads, but the former Princess Celestia helped them to recover. She sent a message to all the kings and queens, princesses and princes in which she clearly explained that if they decide to attack Equestria, she will simply destroy them with her all-consuming power, leaving nothing but ashes in place of their states.

The message of the alicorn brought the once-loyal allies to their senses with a cold shower, but did not forget their plans.

In Equestria itself, the news of the death of the children of Celestia and Luna caused a natural shock. At the sight of the dead legionnaires, the ponies fell into a stupor, unable to even utter words. But for the Sisters, everything was much worse, because it was as if a huge piece of their soul was being torn out, over and over again, causing incredible pain from the loss of their offspring. But the former rulers were able to suppress their grief, completely devoting themselves to the restoration of the kingdom and the legions.

Unfortunately, the Crystal Empire was not spared by the attack of monsters. Created from the blood of Cadence and Shining Armor, the legionnaires, clad in purple armor, attacked the animals who dared to encroach on their home with all their fury. While the Princess and her Prince protected their little daughter Flurry Hart within the walls of a castle covered by a force field, their newly matured children gave their lives for the sake of the crystal ponies and the entire Empire. With a mask of disgust and contempt on their faces, the stallions and mares killed one abomination after another.

And as in the case of Equestria, the victory was not easy for them. Out of a thousand, only a hundred remained alive. A pitiful handful stood victoriously on a huge mountain of corpses with the standard of the royal family in their hands. Fortunately, civilian pony casualties were avoided, unfortunately due to the selfless sacrifices of the brothers and sisters.

After burying the dead and giving them all the honors, the ponies continued to live on. At the very top of the mountain on which Canterlot stood, Twilight Sparkle ordered the construction of a memorial complex in the form of a huge statue of two legionnaires, the son of Celestia and the daughter of Luna. The son standing on the right held a sword in his right hand, at the same time hugging his sister, who, in turn, clutched a foal pony to her chest with her left hand, and they both looked into the distance, to the south, to the endless lands.

In the Crystal Empire, a memorial complex was also erected, which is a crystal wall on which the names of the fallen were engraved, and next to it stood a huge statue of an anthropomorphic mare dressed in a white robe. A huge sword towered over her head, held in her right hand, while the mare herself, with her head turned to the left, stretched out her hand, as if calling for a holy struggle. She was called Mother Empire, and she called her children.

***

He was surrounded by darkness, but he felt no fear. All the pain that shot through his body disappeared in the blink of an eye. An unusual lightness was felt everywhere, as if he no longer had a body. It was as if all that was left of him was his dark soul. But the place, cold, gloomy, empty, it was painfully familiar to him.

Brief flashes of memories from the past inflamed his feelings of anger and thirst for revenge. How could he lose to them? With the Power of Four All-powerful Gods from another universe, how did he manage to lose? Trying his best to analyze his mistakes, the dark magician did not even notice the presence of others.

And those present themselves, who watched their puppet with great disappointment, decided to show themselves. The first to appear before his eyes was the God of Blood, clad in his sturdy armor the color of blood. Slaanesh appeared behind him, sitting on her perverted throne, with a glass in her hand. Then the Grandfather of Plague and Disease appeared, and the God of Change materialized last, spreading his huge bird wings.

And now he realized that there would be no mercy for failure. Even after the appearance of his overlords, he felt no fear, only complete disgust for them. The choice had been made, the deal had been made, and now he was at their mercy.

"You failed us, Grogar!" The God of Blood shouted furiously. "Not only did you fail to injure the princess, but you also lost the battle!"

"On the other hand, with his attack, he showed the world that Angels are not as omnipotent as was commonly thought." Tzeentch hastened to add.

"For once, I agree with Tzeentch!" Slaanesh was bored on her throne, drinking from a glass. "If it didn't work out with the princess, it might work out with everyone else!"

"We use their fears and doubts, turning them into self-confidence and pride!" Nurgle rejoiced.

"Still, we need to tread carefully! The God of Change closed his eyes, looking through possible future events. "We must be absolutely sure that our plan is working!"

"And I think we need to change the puppet!" Slaanesh declared loudly. "He failed us one last time! And he must pay for his failure!

"I agree!" Khorne tapped the armrest of his skull throne.

"Yes, we need a new servant! The one who possesses cunning and guile! And I think I've already found such a candidate!" with a wave of his hand, the God of Deception reproduces in the center the image of the former queen, now imprisoned in a stone prison of a criminal. "I think with her disguise and sabotage abilities, we will achieve great success!"

"Don't make me laugh!" Grogar said. "Chrysalis is just a stupid bug, capable only of deception and betrayal! She will let you down!"

"Just like you did to us," Tzeentch said contemptuously, making Grogar writhe in pain for his disrespectful tone. "If we don't take full control of her!"

"Oh, I'm going to pump this bug with my worst diseases! Her mere presence will knock anyone down, even the most persistent!" Nurgle couldn't get enough of it. "And yes, Tzeentch, what about the others?" Wouldn't it be wise to use all three?"

"As practice has shown, they are nothing alone, and they can be easily controlled! But when they're all together... That's right, they can start a rebellion!"

"What we definitely don't need!" Slaanesh supported her brother.

"In that case, if there are no objections..." without hesitation, Tzeentch teleports a piece of the statue torn from the Canterlot Garden.

Frozen in an attacking pose, Chrysalis, with a grimace of anger and disgust on her face, suddenly began to free herself from her stone prison, Piece by piece, crack by crack, until her entire body was free. Not understanding where she was, the former changeling queen noticed Grogar's spirit writhing in pain and jumped aside.

"Grogar?" changeling said in a frightened voice. "What the hell!?"

And suddenly, with all her gut, with all her filthy soul, she felt an outside presence. Turning her head, she saw something behind her that defied her comprehension. Four powerful beings sat in front of her, each on their own throne. The sight was so amazing that ichor flowed out of the beetle's eyes. His hooves began to shake, and his chest seemed to have run out of oxygen. Gloriously obeying someone else's command, Chrysalis lowered her head as a sign of her humility.

All attempts to resist were useless. She just couldn't. And the Gods, who saw her pathetic attempts at resistance, only smiled maliciously. From now on and forever and ever, she belongs to them, and of course to a greater extent to the God of Plague Nurgle. His personal toy.

""Greetings, Queen Chrysalis!" Nurgle began happily. We have business with you!

Author's Note

I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter, but I just lost inspiration. However, after the release of the trailer Astartes 2, it returned.

New weapons.

Surrounded by permafrost, the Crystal Empire has always been an island of hope for the lost. An island of peace and security in the middle of the dead cold. Once captured by the evil king Sombra, and now led by the descendant of the first Princess Amore, the kingdom of crystal ponies radiated joy and prosperity, led by the princess of love. Securely guarded and seemingly impregnable, it was chosen as a testing ground for a new type of weapon for the three legions. The convenient landscape and, in some cases, inaccessibility, coupled with the harsh environmental conditions, made this place an ideal repository of Equestria's secrets and secrets.

Covered by Shining Armor's magical dome, it was no longer accessible to visitors from other kingdoms. Document verification and magical scanning prevented any attempts at espionage by the Changelings. The belligerent Yaks were also cut off from looking towards the Empire, and a huge ice wall erected along the entire border also made any attempts at intelligence and data collection impossible. The inhabitants of the Empire themselves did not attach much importance to all these events, completely trusting their princess and her offspring, whom they reverently called Angels.

Sitting in a comfortable armchair next to her husband, as well as Celestia and Luna, who had arrived from Equestria, Cadance, along with the others, watched the testing of the weapons created by her beloved aunt. Celestia called this miracle a Bolter and firmly assured everyone involved of its effectiveness. It was a heavy barrel weapon that fired no less impressive bolts. Even an ordinary unicorn pony wouldn't be able to control its recoil with its magic, the weapon would just fly off to the side. But not in the muscular arms of the legionnaires. The legionnaires from the three fraternal legions, who were lined up three meters apart, took a fighting stance and waited for the command. And as soon as the whistle sounded, the roar of bolter fire immediately rang out. The rockets flying out of the barrel, having exhausted their fuel charge, continued to fly straight towards the target, after interacting with which they exploded with a bang, leaving monstrous holes in place of the iron targets.

Celestia, who was looking through binoculars, couldn't hide the joy on her face. The knowledge that the Emperor of Mankind had given her hadn't let her down. From now on, their children have the tools to give them a huge advantage on the battlefield, destructive and powerful. Now the legionnaires will not have to rush at the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, getting wounded or dying from huge monsters. With bolters in service, monsters will only be left with torn pieces of flesh and bones.

"Aunt Celestia! It's just incredible!" Cadance shouted, a little deafened. "Weapon that you have created is simply amazing!"

"With these weapons, our children will crush anyone who dares to attack us!" Princess Luna supported her niece's joy.

But Celestia just remained silent. The roaring sounds of gunfire and exploding metal were music to her ears. The Alicorn simply couldn't get enough of the weapons created by her hooves. Those terrible memories of the deaths of their sons and daughters at the clutches of Grogar's nightmares still surfaced in her memory. So many legionnaires died in senseless close combat. The magical spears and swords that the princesses had placed great hopes on proved to be almost useless against such a terrible enemy. Now everything will be different!

"I agree, Sister!" she answered a little later. "Nothing's going to stop us now! There is no escape from this weapon! No amount of shields in this world can hold back this unbridled might! Even dragons with their tough scales won't be a hindrance to us!"

"Mom!" suddenly, a voice was heard from above, which made Celestia smile.

Solar... The first among equals! The first of the Firstborn. A beloved son and the pride of Celestia. The hero of Canterlot, who survived a monstrous battle with the titan-like golem of a warlock. In that battle, the stallion lost his right arm along with his left eye. And despite this, as well as bones broken in several places, he continued the battle by beating the head of the last creature with his hooves. As a beloved mother, Celestia, blessed with the knowledge of the Emperor, created a mechanical prosthesis for her son, paired with a bionic red eye. With his whole appearance, the alicorn inspired fear and awe, ordinary ponies fell to their knees at the very sight of him, which he, in his characteristic manner, did not pay attention to. The proud warrior's armor was also damaged in places, but these damages were more decorative, because Celestia's son wanted to keep at least something from that brutal massacre as a souvenir.

Just like his two brothers, who were flying down next to him. Sunny and Light were also from the First Hundred and, like their older brother, retained their battle scars adorning their armor and faces. In that ill-fated battle, Sunny lost his right hoof, as well as both hands, and only thanks to the sisters' selfless attack was he able to stay alive. Light would have almost lost its head if it hadn't been for the Solar that arrived in time.

After landing next to the royal family, the trio knelt down, mostly in front of their mother, whose single hoof gesture ordered them to stand up immediately.

"Oh, my beloved children!" smile never left Celestia's face. "I take it you have something to report to me?"

Getting up from his knees and hitting his chest with his metal hand, Solar began his report: "Mom! Intelligence reports that mobilization has been announced in the Changeling Kingdom! Everyone is put under the gun, even small larvae that have just hatched from eggs! The hippogriffs are also strengthening their naval and air fleets! The griffins are also preparing for war! These greedy feathered bastards started looking for any metal that could be melted down into armor and weapons!"

"Oh, what a shame..." mother said theatrically, which caused a note of irritation to be heard in her voice. "Well, if they don't want to live peacefully with us, then we'll have to bring them to an agreement by force!"

Solar, as well as his two brothers standing behind him, only responded with stony expressions.

"We'll bring them to their knees, Mom!" stallion announced solemnly. "For you and our whole family!"

"I don't doubt it, dear..." Celestia got up from her chair and went over to her son and hugged him with her love. "And now that you have this weapon, no one and nothing will stand in your way!"

In mother's loving words, there were clearly hints of a maniacal desire to start a war against the whole world. Everyone present, even Sister Luna, noticed this, which made the three of them feel uneasy. After the War of the Creatures, Celestia became even more secretive and suspicious. Her desire to protect her children and unleash the biggest war in Equus' history at the same time only strengthened her faith in the correctness of the chosen path. All that remained was to take one last step and the world would roar with horror and pain as the Three legions marched victoriously across the planet! Oh yes, it will be Equestria's greatest triumph!

"By the way, son, why don't you try out your new toys?" Celestia said lovingly, wanting to defuse the disturbing atmosphere in the air.

Without waiting for a separate order from his mother, a young legionnaire named Sparkling, who was standing next to Solar, loads a new magazine and hands the weapon to his older brother with a smile on his face. Solar responded emotionlessly and, nodding briefly in approval, picked up his bolter, after taking a fighting stance, firing three shots, which hit exactly the target to the delight of Celestia.

"Now tell me, son, how do you like guns?" Celestia expected an honest answer.

"I have no complaints about the weapon you created, Mom!" faithful son answered honestly and impartially. "It's comfortable in hands and shoots well! As always, you have created perfection!"

"Son," - mare took a step forward, "only perfection I've created is you! Bolters are just tools! And without a master using them, they are useless! I can create a hundred of them in a day, it's not a problem for me to make them! It's different with you! I have raised and protected each of you, although at first not with love in my heart, over time I became imbued with maternal love for you! And the only thing I care about is you! That is why, together with Cadence and Luna, we feel the deepest pain when at least one of you dies! I know you hide your feelings for me and your siblings under a mask of detachment, and it's my fault, I created you, the First Hundred, just like that! Detached death machines, going berserk in the heat of battle! And I want you to at least try to show your emotions, like all of you! That's why I'm not ordering you, but I'm asking you to smile for me..."

Solar didn't even know what to say. It was as if time had stopped for him. A seemingly simple request was the ultimate challenge for the First among Equals. The stallion did not particularly like to show emotions, especially in the presence of outsiders, because he considered himself nothing more than a weapon created by Celestia. And not only was he like that, the entire first hundred followed the image of silent and deadly warriors, because their mother created them like that. But now the pony that created them, their mother, their Goddess, wants him, the Captain General, to take the first step towards resisting his nature.

The alicorn's heart began to beat in a frenzied rhythm, he tried with all his might to restrain his trembling, the muscles on his face began to move slowly until a slightly silly but sincere smile of a loving son appeared on his face. Giving her son a smile in return, Celestia couldn't hold back her tears.

"It was difficult..." smile slowly began to fade from Solar's face.

"Don't worry, honey, you'll get used to it soon, just like all of you..." Celestia did not want to let go of her son.

Suddenly, a parchment with the seal of Princess Twilight herself materialized in front of her face in a green haze, slightly alerting those present. The text was short, bordering on a request and an order.

"Sister," Luna stood up from her seat, "Has something happened?"

"Yes, Sister, Twilight wants to see us, all three of us!"

"Is something wrong, Aunt?" Cadance asked.

"I can't say for sure, Cadance... She wrote to tell the three of us to come to her throne room immediately!" Celestia paused, thinking about what was happening. "Okay! We will consider the tests successful! Shining Armor - you and the guards hide the weapons in the castle!"

"Yes, Celestia!" prince nodded, ordering the guards to carry the boxes.

"Luna, Cadence, Solar- you're with me! Sunny and Light - help Shining Armor!"

"Yes, Mom," legionnaires replied, hitting their chests with their fists.

***

Twilight sat on her throne with determination in her heart and hope in her soul. Spike, the dragon sitting next to her, couldn't help but notice the note of excitement that slipped across the princess' face. There was tension in the very surroundings of the throne room before the upcoming conversation. Even the ten legionnaires of Legiones Solaris assigned to guard the peace of their older "sister" felt it.

"Don't worry, Twilight," Spike hugged his friend, "I'm sure that even if Celestia is against it, she will still accept your choice!"

The mare exhaled. "And if it doesn't? What if she decides to do things her own way again and says her emphatic no?"

"Come on, Twilight! Are you really going to give up the crown?"

"Of course not, Spike! "she answered firmly. "Not now, when Equestria is in even greater danger! And yet, I can't do this anymore! I can't sit in the castle signing some papers while their children shed their blood for me! What would ordinary ponies think of me? What kind of princess will I be in their eyes? The one who hides behind her "brothers and sisters"?"

"Well... Come to think of it, that's probably what Celestia was counting on... I mean, you'll be protected by her children, and you'll be safe!"

Princess was silent for a moment, looking around at the legionnaires nearby. One could clearly see how their eyes turned towards Twilight, who was sitting on the throne, for a second. Their scarred faces were stern, but not devoid of anxiety. Each of them lost something in the battles with the hideous monsters of Grogar. Those who lost an arm or a hoof received mechanical prosthetics from Celestia, someone was missing half of their face, and they covered it with a sealed helmet. It was not a symbol of shame or defeat for them. They weren't afraid to scare ordinary ponies with their terrible wounds, but for the sake of their "sister's" peace of mind, they decided to cover them up.

On the right, brothers and sisters without helmets stood at attention, while on the left, those who wore them.

"Maybe you're right, Spike," Sparkle continued, "but I can't do this anymore! I can't do nothing while others are suffering! I've made my decision! And Celestia will have to accept it! Even if she's against it!

Finally, the weary wait was coming to an end, as hoofbeats began to be clearly heard in the corridor leading to the throne room. They grew louder and louder until finally the doors of the hall opened and four alicorns entered.

A small smile of joy appeared on Twilight's face as she came down to the guests. As usual, Solar chose to stay away, not seeing the need for hugs. Just like the Spike left behind.

"Thank you for coming," Twilight hugged the three alicorns, "How did it go?"

"Wonderful, Twilight!" Celestia replied calmly. "The weapon has passed all the tests and proved its usefulness! Soon I will put its production on a mass stream!"

"I am very glad to hear that!" Sparkle smiled in response. "I will appoint responsible persons to help you today! And yes, I called you for a very serious conversation!"

Twilight returned to her throne. "Is something wrong, Twilight?" Cadance asked first.

Taking a deep breath, the young princess exhales, gathering her thoughts and trying to find every word. "I decided to create my own legion!"

The princess's words echoed in the air. It shocked all three of them, and especially Celestia. Even Solar's face showed a little surprise. He, like everyone else, could believe that she would take such a step.

"You... have already created the first hundred, haven't you?" Twilight only nodded dumbly at Celestia's question. "Why?"

"Celestia, please try to understand me! I can't do this anymore! I can't sit in a corner while you and your children suffer!"

"You can't even imagine the agony you're going to experience, Twilight..." tears flowed down the cheeks of the white mare. "Death of each of them will cause you incredible pain! I tried my best to protect you from such a fate!" she paused. "And yet I couldn't..."

"And I'm ready to accept it!" Twilight's words were all about determination. "I'm sorry for hiding it, but there's no other way! You wouldn't have let me do that with all your might! Right?"

"Right..." Her mentor's voice was trembling. "Have it your way, my student... I won't bother you, what's the point now? And since the first batch is already ready, would you mind showing us one of them?"

The lavender alicorn just silently closed her eyes, the horn on her head flashed with a bright aura, as immediately in a flash of teleportation, a muscular anthropomorphic stallion in sea-green armor appeared in front of the audience, very similar to the Pharaohs, from the Homeland of Pegasus Somnambula. He held two crescent-shaped swords in his hands, a sealed helmet covered his face, and huge maternal wings were folded behind him. Unexpectedly for the audience, he fell to one knee as a sign of respect, humbly lowering his head.

"Very unusual..." Luna studied the warrior.

"I see you've been inspired by the culture of the Somnambula people, haven't you?" Celestia looked at him with no less interest.

"I wanted to create something special!" Twilight turned to her son. "Each of your Legions embodies something of you, and I wanted to do the same! They embody magic!"

"And what's his name," Cadance asks with interest.

"I named him Ramesses! " there was love and affection for his creation in the alicorn's voice.

"In that case, I suggest we have a test match!" Celestia's words shocked the princesses. "My Solar is against your son! Right here and now! And no deaths!" she obviously addressed the last words to her son.

"I agree!" Twilight answers almost immediately, interrupting Spike who wanted to say a word with a hoof gesture. "Legionnaires! Line up at my throne!"

Without any words, the sons and daughters of Celestia follow the order lined up at the throne of the princess. The others climb higher to witness the duel. Solar, who had been standing at attention, flexed his broad shoulders, similar to his cousin, who was gripping his blades tightly. A tense silence hung in the hall, broken by Twilight's son's swift attack.

The Captain-General, who was clutching his golden spear tightly, quickly dodged the blow, then again and again, to then hit the stallion in the face with his shield, fortunately he was wearing a helmet. The alicorn, which flew up to three meters, did not lose its head and, using teleportation magic, began to appear and disappear instantly, striking weakly protected areas of the armor.

Blood splattered on the floor as he hit the joint of the armor in the area of the right hoof, but even this was not a hindrance for the Head of the Legion. After suffering another series of blows, he waited for the moment and grabbed the insolent man's outstretched arm and threw him away from himself towards the throne, but he did not fall.

"You're not a bad fighter, kid!" Solar forced a smile. "But that's not enough to defeat me!"

And again the attack, this time head-on, and again another mistake. Another blow to the muzzle with a shield and the young warrior makes a greasy step back, landing to the surprise of those present on his hooves, and not on his back. Solar's eyes began to light up with pleasure. For no reason, he throws his spear and shield to the floor, flexing his fists.

"Stop pretending, brother!" his voice was like a thousand fanfares. "Show me everything you can do! Don't hold back!"

"Have it your way," he says with a smile from ear to ear, throwing away his weapon.

Using their huge wings, the two warriors rushed towards each other with great speed. Hit. And now they're both flying off to different sides of the hall. Twilight and Celestia, who were watching this, were seriously scared. The white alicorn was already beginning to regret her pride and desire to test them, as was her student's decision to allow it.

The smile on the First Son's face grew even wider as he tasted the blood flowing from his nose. The princess's son, who took off his helmet, had similar feelings. Standing on his hooves, he kept his eyes on his opponent, clearly wanting to continue, but their mothers had other plans.

"Enough!" both alicorns speak loudly, causing the stained glass windows, already trembling from the battle of the angels, to crack. The audience has their ears blocked, and the sons of the princesses dutifully slap their chests as a sign of humility.

"Well, Twilight, I've seen enough!" Celestia sighs with relief. "I take it they'll be your guards now?"

"Actually," Twilight calmed down a little, "I'm thinking of dividing this responsibility between our children! And yes, I was so scared for you!" teleporting to her son, she hugs him tightly, receiving hugs along with a loving smile in return.

"Mom, please, I'm okay!" warrior replied with a blush on his face.

"Don't lie to me! Your nose is broken!" having teleported the napkins, Sparkle begins to treat the wound to the general emotion of those present.

"True mother," Celestia says grandly, "You see, Solar, it's not so hard to smile!"

"Yes, Mother!" he come up to brother and shake hands. "You're doing great, cousin! Thanks for the fight!"

"And thank you too, big brother!" Ramesses continues to smile. "Still, you might as well not give in!"

"In that case, it would have been a one-way fight, and besides, what kind of brother i was be then just beating you up? We have inherited a lot from our mother, and the most important thing is mentoring! As the most senior legion, we are obligated to guide and train you so that you can become the best warriors in this world!"

"And we will!" Ramesses declares emphatically.

"I have no doubt, brother!"