"Are you sure this is such a good idea? Maybe we should have stayed with the guards, where it's... safe."

Applejack groaned. "Fluttershy, there ain't nowhere safe with that psycho on the loose. Besides, it's a little late to be second guessing ourselves, don't ya think?"

"Maybe the guards are still waiting for us?" Fluttershy replied hopefully. "We should go back, just to make sure."

"The guards were supposed to take us to Canterlot last night, Sugarcube. We're about fifteen hours late. I think we've missed our ride."

"Oh." Fluttershy stared at the ground while she walked, shuffling her hooves lethargically. "Um, where are we going, by the way, if it's not too much trouble?"

"No trouble at all, Sugarcube. Mac noticed some hoofprints a ways back that led to the train tracks. They disappeared there, probably walkin' on the tracks to avoid leavin' prints behind." Applejack chuckled. "Although, that don't help none if we can just follow the train tracks themselves until the prints show up again. From the looks of things, he's headin' toward Canterlot."

Fluttershy perked up at the news. "Oh, that's good. We should be safe once we get there, right?"

"Uh, sure." Applejack sighed. She picked up her pace to catch up with Big Macintosh who was studying the ground carefully for any more signs. "Hey there, Mac. Find anythin' yet?"

"Eenope."

"Okay. Come up with any plans on how to catch that Kefka fella when we do find him?"

"Eenope."

"Alright then." Applejack and Mac continued in silence. Between Fluttershy's constant attempts to turn back and Big Mac's minimal conversation skills, Applejack was pretty sure she would go crazy before they ever caught up to Kefka.

"Hey, Mac?"

"Eeyup?"

Applejack glanced back at Fluttershy to make sure she wasn't listening. She appeared to be counting blades of grass as she walked. "I was just thinkin', is everything okay between you and Fluttershy?"

"Eeyup."

"Really?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "It's just that, you two haven't said two words to each other since you got back from Appleloosa. I just thought that, you know, bein' so close and all..."

"AJ," Mac grunted. "Miss Fluttershy ain't my special somepony, if that's what yer gettin' at."

Applejack pulled her head back in shock. "Wait, really? So that unusually convenient story she was throwin' about was true? Huh." Applejack shook her head a couple times to clear her thoughts, and the two continued on in silence, occasionally looking back to make sure Fluttershy was still following.

I can do this. There ain't nothin' wrong with a little peace and quiet now and again. We're just gonna follow this trail, find Kefka, buck him in the face until he can't move, and go on with our lives. Nothin' to it.

As the silence stretched on, Applejack found herself getting fidgety. The sounds she heard on that horrible night, those awful screams, were still fresh in her mind, and they had only gotten worse after they had found Lyra's corpse in the middle of the crater.

I can still hear it. Fluttershy and Mac, they don't know. They weren't there. They can't possibly understand. I'll find him, and I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I will. I'll cave in his skull, and I'll kill him for what he did. I'll... I'll...

Applejack hadn't even noticed that she was breathing more heavily now. The sound of her heart pounding snapped her out of her trance.

I'm losing it. I gotta do somethin', anythin' to get my mind off of this. Anything to break this blasted silence.

"Ya know, you could do a lot worse than Fluttershy. I think you two would be cute together." Ugh, did I just say that?

Mac sighed and kept his eyes glued to the ground. "AJ, nothin' against Miss Fluttershy, but I just ain't interested. Can we just let it drop?"

Against her better judgement, Applejack refused to let the conversation end so easily. "Not into wings, is it? Nothin' wrong with that. Me neither. So, what are you into then, hmm? I bet... I bet you're into them unicorn horns, hmm?" Applejack waggled her eyebrows at her brother, grinning like an idiot.

"AJ, I don't think this is the time–"

"Ah, I saw that blush. That's it, ain't it! You got a thing for some of that fancy unicorn magic, don't ya? So, any lucky mares catch yer eye?"

Macintosh averted his gaze and gave a noncommittal grunt in response.

"You can't lie to me, big brother. So, who is it, do I know her?" No response. "Aw, don't make me guess. Ya gotta give me somethin'. There ain't that many unicorns in Ponyville. Is it Sparkler? No? Minuette's nice, I bet it's her. How about Orchid, or Lyra or... Rarity... or... oh." Applejack felt sick to her stomach as she realized what she was doing. Mac had stopped walking and had fixed her with a much less neutral glare than he usually wore.

"Mac, I am so sorry! I don't know what I was thinkin'. This whole thing's got me all stressed out and I was just tryin' to take my mind off a things, and I shoulda thought before I said anything, but when I think I just get so angry, so I didn't think, but when I don't think I say stupid things and I shouldn'ta butted into yer business, and I understand if ya don't want to talk to me anymore, but I just–"

"AJ, stop." Even with his low volume, Macintosh's voice cut off his sister's rambling immediately. He managed to temper his anger when he noticed that Applejack was close to tears. "Look, I ain't mad. Just... why don't you go talk to yer friend for a bit." Without waiting for a response, he turned his attention back to the tracks and continued his slow march.

Applejack watched her brother walk ahead, slowly increasing the distance between the two. She looked behind to find Fluttershy shuffling along, investigating various uninteresting rocks on the ground. She picked up her pace, settling somewhere between the two of them where she could continue her journey in complete silence.

This is going to be a long, long trip.

"Oh ho ho! It looks like I've got a few new playthings!" Kefka crowed. Surrounding him were no less than one hundred royal guards, an assortment of all three pony races, each one decked out in shining golden armor. "Don't you all look fancy? I can tell we're going to have fun." In hindsight, perhaps keeping to the train tracks had been a bad idea. Not much cover from pegasii scouts.

One of the unicorn guards stepped forward to address the rogue mage. "Are you the one known as Kefka?"

"Oh, you've heard of me?" Kefka giggled. "I prefer Lord Kefka, or Lord Palazzo, but I'm flattered all the same."

The guard did not share Kefka's lighter mood. "I am Commander Kite Shield. By order of Princess Celestia of Equestria, you, one Kefka Palazzo, are to be apprehended for crimes of violence against your fellow ponies. If you resist, we are authorized to use lethal force."

Kefka did a quick three sixty. Every single guard had either a weapon drawn or a horn pre-charged with magic. Every single guard had a scowl on their face. Every single guard looked like they were itching for his blood.

"You didn't really bring all these soldiers out here just to keep me company, did you? Surely, there are better uses for such a large military force than one lonely unicorn?"

Kite Shield smiled and puffed out his chest. "You should be honored. The Princess has deemed it necessary to engage you with the full force of her own personal guard. The ponies you see before you are the best of the best, the strongest Equestria's military has to offer. Unless you want to experience that strength first-hoof, I suggest you come along quietly."

"Uh huh. So, what I'm getting here is that if I kill you all now, then there's no one else who can stand in my way?" Kefka grinned as chaotic magic began to charge in his horn. "That's exactly what I was hoping to hear." To Kefka's amusement, the guards surrounding him seemed to be almost pleased with his answer.

"That sounds like resistance to me, and after what you've done, that's exactly what we were hoping to hear." Kite Shield turned to regroup with the other unicorns. "Everypony, you know the drill. Time to show this trash what happens when you anger a god."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing!" Kefka shouted gleefully as he unleashed his stored magic into the atmosphere. Bolts of lightning lashed out in every direction creating a deadly field of electricity that encompassed the entire congregation of guards. Kefka's mad cackling could barely be heard over the repeated cracking of thunder as the deadly storm tore the land asunder. "Do you feel it?! This is true power! Let's see your so called god do this! Now nothing can stand in my way! I am invincible! I am–"

Kefka's ranting came to an abrupt end when he felt a sharp pain. He twisted his head around to survey the damage, and was quite surprised to find a gash in his cloak and a shallow cut in the flesh underneath. One of the straps of his saddlebag was cut, and magicite was now rolling across the scorched earth. Even more surprising was the pegasus guard standing behind him with fresh blood coating his spear.

"You're lucky those bolts threw off my aim." The pegasus launched himself into the air, preparing for another pass. "I won't miss again."

The lightning died down as Kefka's magic faltered. The fact that one of the guards had penetrated his impenetrable storm was a shock, to say the least. More disturbing than that, however, was the fact that each and every guard seemed to be alive and well. After stomping down an emerging feeling of panic, Kefka noticed something odd about the guards' armor. Each of their helmets had a jewel embedded in it that was now glowing much brighter than before.

This is just great. Magic is more common in this world, so obviously they would have a way to combat it. From the looks of it though, those gems probably can't hold up forever. Looks like I'm gonna have to play rough.

"That was a nice warmup," Kefka taunted, regaining his composure. "But now, I think it's time we cooled off a bit."

The moisture in the air gathered around Kefka and solidified into blades of ice as the battlefield's temperature plummeted. "If raw energy can't kill you, then let's try something a little more physical!"

As soon as the projectiles started to form, the guards abandoned their spread formation for a series of tightly packed groups. Four groups of guards charged at the same time, two earth pony squads by land and two pegasus squads by air.

"Are you so eager to die?" Kefka laughed. "You're only making this easier for me!" The frozen projectiles split into four groups of their own and launched themselves at each group. Kefka's cocky attitude turned to worry when he noticed that the guards didn't seem to be fazed by the deadly blades hurtling in their direction. Any questions he might have had were answered when the ice shattered in mid air in front of each group, only dusting the guards with a bit of snow.

Those cowardly sneaks, they were hiding behind the unicorn's shields!

Kefka could tell that the guards were already celebrating victory in their heads. They were too close for escape to be a feasible plan, and their shields were too powerful to break through with a single spell.

"Ah well," Kefka pouted. "I suppose this is the end for poor, poor me..."

Clouds of debris obscured the chaos that ensued as nearly eighty pegasii and earth pony guards converged on one single unicorn's position. Not much could be heard over the clanging of metal weaponry against armor. Noticeably absent was the sound of metal weaponry cleaving into unarmored unicorn, which gave the grappling guards pause. Kefka was nowhere to be seen.

Ugh, of course those second rate sorcerers set up a teleportation barrier. Is shield magic all these one trick ponies can do?

Kefka tossed a single jet of flame towards the group of unicorn guards. As he expected, the fire was stopped a few feet from their position by another shield. The fizzled spell drew the attention of the other guards, who were still searching for any sign of the escaped mage.

"The target can teleport! Everypony spread out!"

The guards quickly abandoned their formation and spread out across the enclosed teleportation field. The earth ponies formed a physical perimeter around the battlefield, while the pegasii circled overhead, closing off all possible escape paths. Meanwhile, the unicorn guards continued to channel their spells from behind the earth pony lines.

"What a bore," Kefka sighed. "If this is the best you have to offer, then I would hate to see your so called princess." A few more jets of flame dissipated on the unicorns' shields. "She shouldn't pose much of a challenge after this." A quick look confirmed that his last comment had achieved its intended purpose. Most of the guards seemed barely able to contain their rage. "Oh, what's the matter fellas? Can't take a joke?"

Through extreme levels of self control, the guards managed to hold their ground, only barely.

"That's okay, neither could those Ponyville simpletons."

Forty pegasii descended on Kefka's position at that exact moment. Forty spear points threatened to break the sound barrier has they hurtled towards one smiling clown, their owners each praying that they might be the one to pierce his still beating heart. None of their prayers were answered when the mage's image faded out of existence on contact with their blades.

"Pull yourselves together! This is what he wants!"

The pegasii pulled themselves together enough to achieve some semblance of order as they took turns dive bombing each new spot their target appeared at while the earth ponies took a swing whenever he got too close to the perimeter. Occasionally the apparition burst into flames or shards of ice to be absorbed by the guard's magic cancelling gems. Some of the gems had already begun to crack.

"Stop! You're just wearing yourselves out!" Kite Shield's shouting could barely be heard over the constant sounds of crashing pegasii. "We can't shield you all if you don't stay in formation!" Despite his protests, the rest of the guards continued their fevered attack, too far gone to bloodlust to see reason. All the unicorns could do was continue to pour all of their strength into shielding their allies as they were pelted with the fury of the elements from all sides.

"Blasted idiots are going to get us all killed." Kite Shield ground his teeth as he added his own magic to the shields generated by his fellow unicorns. "We can't keep this up forever." He could feel the shields weakening as they were bombarded constantly by all manner of elemental devastation, but something didn't seem right about the situation. The frenzied brawl seemed to be drifting farther away, as though the guards were being led somewhere, and the shield strength was waning much more quickly than it should have been.

"I must admit, your little ragtag team almost impressed me, Kite String."

Kite Shield nearly lost hold of the shield spell as his head whipped around to find a pair of blue eyes staring directly into his own. Kefka's face remained calm, but those eyes betrayed the rage he truly felt. Behind him were the corpses of nineteen unicorn guards, face down in puddles of their own blood.

"But... but how?" Kite Shield looked back at the distant brawl to find the other guards still fighting another Kefka.

"Oh, that old thing? Simple illusion. I just needed to keep them away from my real target."

Intense pain wracked Kite Shield's body as the knife found its way into his gut.

"These shields of yours are really a bother, you know that? I've exhausted most of my reserves just diverting your attention. That fact will keep a few of your lackeys alive after you're gone. Such a waste."

Kite Shield tried to scream as the knife dug deeper under his ribcage, but it came out as a muffled gurgle as he choked on the blood rising in his throat.

"I must admit though, were I any other unicorn, you probably would have had me. Unfortunately for you, I'm no unicorn."

Kefka felt the final shield fall once the knife reached his victim's heart. Before Kite Shield's body hit the ground, the mad mage was already gone.

"Mac! Soup's on!"

"Well, um... actually, it's less a soup, and more like a sandwich. Oh my, was I supposed to be making soup? I'm sorry."

Macintosh made his way over to where Applejack and Fluttershy had been preparing dinner, the former now lecturing the latter on colloquial phrases and their less than literal meanings. He tried to sneak in without being detected so he could grab his food and get out, but stealth and a large build rarely go hand in hand.

"Mac, are you tryin' to sneak off again?"

Macintosh flinched at being addressed so suddenly. Whoever said walking on the tips of your hooves made you quieter clearly hadn't known what they were talking about. Abandoning his sorry attempt at being inconspicuous, Mac simply grunted and continued on his way.

Applejack shrugged at her brother's odd behavior. "Well, don't wander off too far, y'hear? Me and Shy'll be right over here if ya need anything."

Mac nodded and returned to his secluded spot by the saddlebags. He took a bite out of one of the sandwich halves on his plate. Apple slices and cheese. Mac wasn't a culinary expert by any means, but it seemed like a lot of extra work to make an apple sandwich when just eating an apple would have had about the same effect. Still, it was a good effort considering the circumstances. After he finished the first half of the sandwich, Mac picked up the plate in his teeth again and dumped the remaining contents into the large bag he was sitting next to. He laid down with his back to the ground, listening to the occasional sounds of chewing coming from inside the bag.

"Yer lucky, you know that? If I hadn't offered to carry that bag for Fluttershy, you wouldn't have gotten very far."

Mac watched the night sky, checking for any familiar star formations. Stargazing was always a peaceful activity, very soothing after a long day. He traced a pattern in the air with a hoof, connecting the stars in his own way. He never really studied the constellations, nor had any inclination to. Having some stuffy pony in Canterlot decide what he should and shouldn't see in the sky wasn't particularly appealing. This way just felt more personal.

"I hope yer happy. Granny Smith is probably at the end of her rope right now, worryin' about you."

The sounds of snacking had ceased, but Mac could still make out sounds coming from inside the bag as something shifted its position. Eventually, the bag settled down, and the muffled noises began to form words.

"Why didn't you tell on me to Applejack? You coulda had me back with the guards in no time."

Mac rolled over to face the bag, so he could hear through the fabric more easily. "You kiddin'? Your sister is way too stressed out to deal with this right now. Besides, I feel a lot better knowing you're somewhere I can keep an eye on you. The Equestrian military ain't trained to deal with troublesome fillies."

That elicited a giggle from the talking saddlebag. "Thanks, big brother."

"Eeyup."

"Hey, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup?"

"Ah was thinkin' about what Applejack said earlier, and... well...I was just wonderin'..."

Mac groaned. Why couldn't anypony just let this topic go? "What is it?"

"Well, whoever she was, I was just wonderin'... was she nice?"

"... eeyup."

"Ah'm sorry, Big Mac."

A moment passed in silence, though Mac thought he heard sniffles coming from inside the bag.

"Ah miss 'em, Big Mac. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, even Miss Cheerilee is gone," the bag whimpered. "I ain't ever gonna see 'em again, am I?"

Mac inched closer to the bag and draped a leg over it. He laid like that for a while, silently comforting the stowaway inside. Only once the muffled sobs slowed down and were replaced by the more rhythmic breathing indicative of sleep did he let himself succumb to his own weariness.

Applejack cocked an eyebrow as she watched her brother. "Hey, Fluttershy. Does it seem weird to you that Big Macintosh is cuddlin' with yer saddlebag?"

Fluttershy blushed when she noticed the scene Applejack was pointing to. "Actually, I think it's sweet."

"You know what? Yer both weird. I'm hittin' the hay."

Spike clutched his treasure tight to his chest like it might fly away at any moment. There hadn't been much time to grab it while the guards were distracted, and there were so many that he wasn't sure he would even be able to find the right one. He had worried that maybe she wasn't even among them, but those fears were cast away as soon as he laid eyes on that purple glow hidden among the other multicolored stones scattered on the ground. For once, he was actually grateful for his recent streak of luck, as it had conveniently reunited him with his best and oldest friend.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again, Twilight." The dragon rubbed his palm over the smooth surface of the stone. It was warm to the touch, radiating power undetectable by most ponies but easy to spot by magical creatures like himself. Spike felt a small spark between the tip of one of his claws and the stone. There was definitely power there, just begging to be released.

"That's right... he used these to make himself stronger. Maybe I could..."

Spike looked again at the purple stone. Was it okay to just take Twilight's power like that? Wouldn't that make him just like Kefka? Technically, he hadn't been the one to turn her into this... thing. He couldn't be blamed for what happened, right? Besides, this purple rock was her, but it wasn't really her, was it? She would never be the same again, and it was all Kefka's fault.

"I'll do it. For you, and for our friends, I'll take him down. I'll avenge you, and all of Ponyville!" Spike squeezed the stone with both hands. He could already feel the power trickling into him, but something didn't feel right. The power was familiar, it definitely felt like Twilight, but it was struggling.

"That's right, Kefka had difficulty extracting the magic too, but wasn't that because he's evil?" Spike's eyes started to water as the implications hit him.

"Twilight... don't you want to help me?" He tried to pull more magic from the stone, but as he pulled harder, the stone's resistance only strengthened.

"I'm doing this for you! Why won't you help me?! Don't you want revenge for what he did to you?" Spike started panting as he struggled to wrench the magic from the stubborn rock. "Give me your power, Twilight! I want it! Give it to me!"

Spike could barely hear a voice coming from the stone. It sounded like it was in pain, but he paid it no heed. Blinded by his rage, he barely noticed that the stone in his claws seemed to be getting smaller, as well as his other surroundings. He just continued pulling at the magic he so desperately needed.

"I need this, Twilight, and so do you! Just give me your power, and I'll destroy him! I'll kill him, just for you! Isn't that what you want?!"

The rock's magical glow pulsed violently in Spike's grasp as it fought against him, but even as its strength weakened it refused to give him what he wanted.

"Fine then! If you won't give me what I want, then I'll just take it!"

With one final pull, the stone finally gave in and Spike felt an onrush of power flow freely through his body. The magic felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, though Spike just chalked it up to unicorn magic trying to adjust to a dragon's body. Even so, he felt more alive than he had ever felt before. He felt unstoppable.

"You'll see, Twilight. With your help, I'll find Kefka, and I'll destroy him. I'll chase him to the ends of Equestria for you."

No longer locked in his struggle with the magic stone, Spike finally took notice of his increased size. He grinned as he inspected his much larger and much sharper claws.

"I'll chase him for you, and I'll destroy anything that stands in my way."

Kefka picked himself up off the ground and spit out a chunk of dirt. "Ugh, that happens way more often than I'd like. No more teleporting while tired." He looked around at his new surroundings. "Buildings? Am I in Canterlot already? No, wait. That magic source I felt before," Kefka slowly spun around, trying to get his bearings. "It's in that direction now, and... that far away? I teleported too far! I'm even farther from Canterlot than I was before! Ooooh, those stupid gold plated buffoons, this is all their fault! I hate them!"

After discovering that stomping the ground repeatedly is a great way to kick up dust and make your hooves sore, Kefka managed to collect himself and moved off to the side of the road he was standing on, grumbling all the while.

"To think, those magic posers could push me so far. It's... inconceivable! These ponies are so weak, they're even useless as magicite. I need to absorb more before I run into any more of those guards again. I'll be ready for them next time." Kefka stuck a hoof into his saddlebag, but was surprised to find it quite empty. A quick inspection reminded him of the cut strap from the guard's spear, and also revealed a sizable hole that had been cut into the bag by the same attack. Magic started to charge into his horn before he was even able to register what he was feeling as anger.

"Do you feel it? His power is growing."

Celestia stood alone in the castle garden. To a casual observer, it would appear that the Princess of the Sun was talking to herself. To be more precise, it would appear that she was talking to one of the garden's statues, one of an odd creature assembled from mismatched body parts. On a normal day, that might be cause to worry for the princess's mental health. It might be, for a casual observer at least.

Celestia placed a hoof on the statue, tracing the curves of the stone form until she found what she was looking for. A small crack, barely visible unless you were looking for it, ran up one of the statue's legs.

"To think he could influence you from a distance like this. He is far more dangerous than we realized."

"Princess! Urgent news!"

Celestia turned around to face the guard that had addressed her. He was panting heavily, as though he had just run across the country himself.

"What is it?" Celestia prepared herself for the worst, though she wasn't sure she could handle any more bad news right now.

"Princess, we've just received word from one of the scouts. He was flying his normal patrol route when he saw it." The guard gulped as he prepared himself to deliver the report. "It's Appleloosa, Princess. We don't know what happened, but... the entire town was destroyed."

Without a response, Celestia launched herself into the air and was quickly out of the guard's sight. In her rush, she didn't even notice the sound of stone cracking behind her.

Author's Note

Oh man, what? An update? Finally?

Yeah, sorry about the wait on this one. This chapter really gave me trouble, not to mention some other shenanigans which I mentioned here that held me up. I can't promise that I'm going to speed up significantly after this, but hopefully the next chapter won't be nearly as long of a wait.