Room For One More

Chapter Seven: New Growth

Being a leader means looking to yourself to solve others problems.

Celestia

Twilight Sparkle and her friends sat in the infirmary alone. Each occupied with their own thoughts, entirely in their own worlds. Occasionally one of them would break down in tears and they would all huddle in close to her and cry it out but after a while it would lose its meaning and they would retreat to their respective beds to be alone again. Zecora, Lyra, Derpy and her children had been treated and since had taken their leave to give the friends a moment alone.

Rarity was muttering under her breath and kept looking towards the door as if expecting company. Twilight caught the name, "Sweetie Bell," before she returned to thinking about Spike.

Rainbow Dash lay on her bed, shaking back and forth. Fluttershy had been in her hooves, then was gone. And the business with Zephyr made everything even worse. She eventually excused herself to the bathroom and started crying, not wanting her friends to see her like this.

Applejack had bucked the door off its hinges and tried to run, screaming about how the barn was probably on fire and the livestock would be getting loose. It had taken all her friends and two Royal Guardsponies to restrain her. She finally just screamed herself hoarse and fell into a fitful sleep.

Pinkie Pie hadn't stopped talking. At first it had been a good distraction to just tune out of everything and listen to her drone on about the most random and silly of topics but by now, it had lost a lot of its charm. She'd quieted down and now just looked anxious, checking the clock every now and again. Like she had somewhere to be.

They were alone in the infirmary and Twilight deduced that Canterlot hadn't been attacked yet, otherwise this place would have been packed. Twilight stared at the ceiling, not moving and barely breathing.

"Twilight?"

She turned her head at the sound of her name. She couldn't tell who had called out to her, only that the voice was ragged with tears and fatigue.

It was Rarity. She was trying as hard as she could to keep her composure even though she'd been crying for the past hour and looked kind of funny, a forced smile adorning her lips and faded light blue mascara running down her face.

"Yes, Rarity?"

"How are you holding up?"

It was a question that had no answer, not in words at least. Twilight started sobbing again as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and fell to the ground. She picked herself up and collapsed on Rarity's bed.

They lay together for a time, weeping in each other's hooves. Each had lost someone near and dear to them.  It was too much to bear alone. Twilight bit her lip to quell her tears for just a moment.

"Fine, how are you?"

"F... Fine, darling."

Twilight's sorrow broke for a moment as she looked over at Rarity and started giggling. Rarity's eyebrows shot straight into her mane before she too burst out laughing.

Applejack lifted her head off the pillow she'd been sleeping on and looked at them in anger and alarm.

"What in Equestria are y'all laughing about?"

Twilight wiped her eyes and tried to say it but couldn't through fits of laughter. Applejack looked over at Rarity and couldn't help but start to chuckle before she too started laughing. She kicked her legs wildly on the bed, now laughing as hard as she could.

Rainbow Dash heard the commotion and stumbled out of the bathroom. She'd been hiding in there, not wanting anyone to hear or see her cry her eyes out. She'd been beating herself up over Zephyr ever since they got back. Only herself and Rarity knew the truth.

Rainbow Dash looked over at them in disgust and was about to shout out her frustrations before Pinkie Pie nearly knocked her over rushing for the bathroom.

"What the-? Pinkie Pie?!"

"Sorry! Got to go! Why'd you take so long?!"

She slammed the door and Rainbow Dash was left stunned.

"What is so funny?!"

"I don't even know!" said Twilight between fits of laughter, "one minute we were sobbing our eyes out then Rarity said something and... I forget."

The room simmered down a bit, some of the tension relieved.

Rarity wiped her eyes with her hoof and saw the light blue streak on her leg.

"Oh heavens! Pinkie Pie, would hurry up in there? It's an emergency!"

Pinkie Pie exited the bathroom looking much better and trotted off to her bed. Rarity rushed by her, a bundle of cosmetics following her. Rainbow Dash held up her hooves in confusion.

"Where did she even get those?"

Twilight shrugged. Applejack shook her head and frowned.

"What in the hay just happened? One minute, I was crying like a filly with a scraped knee and the next, I was laughing like a drunk at happy hour."

"That I can explain."

Princess Luna walked into the room and Twilight made to bow.

"Oh please, Twilight Sparkle, that is not necessary. Applejack, the reason you are so susceptible to humour is because you are grieving. Like the mind's own self defence mechanism, you will  laugh at the slightest provocation. For example, remember the time I burst out of the apple dunking bucket on Nightmare Night?"

Applejack snorted and chuckled.

"Yep... that wasn't even that funny."

"I know, but you want to laugh, you want to feel good. And trust me, that's a good sign."

Now to get them moving.

Luna straightened up and prepared herself, it wasn't like she wasn't a stranger to loss and grief but as an immortal, her perspective on life and death didn't often match up with her mortal companions'. As such, she would have to tread carefully and not mention the fact that while she was sad for them, she didn't feel a hundredth the sorrow that plagued them.

"I won't tell you to move on. I won't say do not weep. I will say however that given everything that has happened in the past couple of days, you will all have to fight for the time to grieve. Follow me. We have much to discuss."

They, slowly and wordlessly, got to their feet and followed their Princess out the door and into the hallway beyond, dragging their feet, not wanting to hear what they knew was coming. Twilight and the others each guessed that they were being taken to be briefed on their role in this mess of events.

As they walked down the darkened hallway, Twilight noticed for the first time that they had stayed in the infirmary for a night and day as it was once again dark out. Time had passed quickly when they hadn't been looking and that only made Twilight feel worse. Spike had slipped ever further from her reach. Fluttershy and the others had been either captured or worse and all they had done was weep for them. Twilight stumbled and probably would have fell under the weight of her own guilt had she not been caught by an outstretched hoof.

"Easy there, Miss Sparkle, it's not much farther now."

Twilight looked up into a green and blue set of eyes that looked back at her with worry.

"My name's Scribbles, I'm the Princesses assistant."

Twilight wanted to say something, anything to acknowledge the other mare's kindness. Twilight opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a wet sob.

"Whoa, it's alright, you don't have to introduce yourself or bother with thank you's. I know your name and from what Celestia had told me about you I know what you'd say. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle."

Rarity and Pinkie Pie had waited for Twilight to catch up and now moved in beside her. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had been leaning on each other for support but now closed in around Twilight and they all half walked, half embraced each other down the hall following Luna.

Celestia looked at the clock and stifled a yawn. It was getting late, but the counter attack wasn't scheduled until midnight, so she still had time to talk to the Elements before she was expected to do anything. The Canterlot Night Guard would be spearheading an assault of Ponyville, heading north of the town and securing a foot hold in the valley before the rest of the army that had assembled in Canterlot arrived to relieve them.

The 101st Airborne had not reported in since the attack. They had been completely wiped out by the surprise attack but if the reports were to be believed, they had conducted themselves valiantly on the field of battle. Celestia mused that was the General's way of saying they had fought to the last mare.

The war effort now largely depended on Cloudsdale and its ability to hold the northern borders and protect the flank of the advance into the Canterlot Valley. It's position north of Canterlot had thus far made it bear the brunt of a few large assaults but had emerged victorious in every engagement. The Demons, for all their strength and cunning, were not unsusceptible to hurricanes and lightning storms and all manner of pegasi weather weapons. Cloudsdale would hold back the Demon advance south while Canterlot prepared to retake the valley with the reinforcements coming back from the southern conflicts.

Celestia stared at a map of Equestria. It had a curved claw of red coming in from the north around the western edge of Cloudsdale and into Ponyville. Other smaller claws circled around the eastern cities, like Stallongrade to the north. Canterlot was protected by that city and by Cloudsdale so the only route into the capital was through Ponyville. That town was going to be the centre of the war for now and losing it meant losing the valley. It was the train hub that connected the cities to the east and the resources of the west. If Celestia couldn't unite her country then winning this war would take a miracle of ridiculous proportions.

A small knock came from the door and Luna entered the room sheepishly, as if she was preparing herself to see Celestia at her worst. Luna visibly relaxed when she saw her sister sitting upright and her mane glowing with power.

At least she is maintaining appearances for the Elements, we both know they need something to ground themselves right now.

"Celestia, I brought the remaining Elements."

Luna only caught herself after she'd said it. Luna's face turned red and she avoided eye contact with ponies following her as they walked past her and bowed before Celestia.

That was not very tactful of me.

Luna risked a look at them and saw tears streaming out of their bloodshot eyes as they rose from their bow and took a seat on the cushions provided. There was a sixth pillow that Rainbow Dash picked up and hugged tightly, crying weakly into it. For once, she didn't care if anyone saw her tears.

Celestia shot a look at Luna before sitting down in front of them and bidding her sister to do the same. Scribbles sat off to the side, unsure of what to do to help, wondering if her help was even wanted.

"My little ponies."

Celestia poured as much magical healing and wellness into her voice as her great power would allow.

Twilight will no doubt notice but I don't think she'll care right now.

"I have brought you here to Canterlot for your safety. I see now that I have failed to bring you here unharmed. No apology of mine would be adequate to recover the loss of Fluttershy and for that, I am eternally ashamed. In fact, without the Element of Kindness, I am beginning to wonder what I am to do now to win this war. Without the Elements of Harmony, we are only left with each other in this fight.

But that does not mean that we are without hope. A mad, hope beyond reason or care. That despite the overwhelming odds we will still triumph as we always have. I have heard, from scattered reports, that the Demons in Ponyville have captured rather than killed most of the population. So, Fluttershy may yet be alive."

That caught their attention. The room exploded into a cacophony of noise as the Elements started shouting at Celestia. It took a few moments to pick out what they were saying.

"-have to go back there-"

"-are you saying my sister might be ali-

"-Sweetie Bell wouldn't last in priso-"

"-and then he said, 'but oatmeal is the best-,'... what?"

Twilight frowned at Pinkie Pie and wondered how she managed to deal with all the stress and loss of the past two days. Sure she'd cried her eyes out when she was alone but otherwise hadn't changed at all, which was all the more worrying.

Celestia cleared her throat and called the Elements' attentions back to her.

"I am glad to have set a fire in your hearts once again. The fires of friendship still burn brightly enough to ward off the spectre of sorrow and defeat."

Luna bit her lip and smiled.

"And to think you tease me for being old fashioned."

Celestia rolled her eyes at her sister and continued.

"We are launching a counter attack against the demons in Ponyville. When we have secured the town, we will be able to rescue the ponies that have been taken captive and get them to safety. Have hope, my little ponies that tonight and tomorrow will bring better news."

Celestia rose to her feet and the Elements followed suit. The atmosphere had changed, turned from depression to hopeful optimism. Maybe they would rescue Fluttershy from the demon's clutches, maybe the Elements of Harmony would be able to drive back the invading hordes. Maybe their friends and families would be okay after all.

Celestia's magic had certainly worked in lifting the Elements from their sadness but she now wondered how long that would last without results. Their sanity now depended on the success of the military.

I wonder if they are thinking, 'Celestia Save us.' But in these evil times, what am I to think?

"That will be all for tonight, and I do apologize that I cannot give you more of my time. Scribbles, please escort them to their bed chambers."

"Gladly, follow me, if you please."

Scribbles walked them out the door and turned left down the hallway. She stopped, however, after a few paces and turned around sheepishly.

"No, wait. Sorry, this way."

She ducked her head and turned red as she passed by Celestia's chambers. To distract and move on from her misstep, she tried to start a conversation to lighten the mood.

"This palace is amazing is it not? One of the oldest pony built structures in the north, save perhaps the Stalliongrade walls."

Twilight's ears pricked up and the rest of her friends saw the look in her eyes and nodded to each other as they covered their ears. She was going to talk about history.

"I know! it was built fifteen years after Equestria was founded! The old Lords and Ladies of the Unicorn Tribe got together with the rest of the tribes to build the capital of their newly founded country. You can still see which pony race built which section! Look, you can still feel the spells they used to bind the stones here! Isn't it exciting?!"

"I know right! You know, you really are all you've been hyped up to be, Miss Sparkle. Sure I've read the papers and heard second hand account but you actually are a joy to be around. Most other ponies here are complete snobs!"

They bumped into a Generals and his Staff Officers who had been walking around the corner. The General regarded them with thin, unreadable eyes before curtly nodded at them and continued on their way down the hall.

Scribbles turned bright red. Twilight had a similar shade adorning her cheeks but it was because of the sudden praise she'd been receiving. She had a fan!

"Let's just get to our rooms, shall we?"

"Right, let's."

They giggled as they walked to the room where Applejack was staying and bid her goodnight. Celestia had thought for long time on the issue but in the end decided it would be best to give each Element her own room. Some time alone would let them gather their thoughts and collect themselves.

As soon as the door closed on Applejack, her world got smaller without her friends. What Celestia had told her had given her hope but all Applejack could think about was that it was a chance that she'd see her friends and family again, not a guarantee, and that nearly drove her mad. She jumped under the covers and stared at the ceiling.

Rarity was next and despite having time to fix her appearance still looked ragged and beat. She wandered into the washroom in her room and stared at herself in the mirror, unsure of what she was looking at anymore. She was too tired to start crying again but too sad to fall asleep. Rarity turned the faucet on and washed the makeup and tear stains from her face until she was just looking at herself, no lies or deception to get in the way of what she saw. She was scared.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash decided to share a room. It was Pinkie Pie's suggestion and while her reason of having a Two-Mare-Slumber-Party-To-Cheer-Rainbow-Dash-Up held true, the real reason was that Pinkie Pie knew Rainbow Dash and knew that she'd open the window and fly to Ponyville to rescue Fluttershy the minute the door was closed. Twilight whispered a small thank you and nodded, understanding what Pinkie was doing.

At last, Twilight came to her own room. She hesitated, however, at the threshold. Twilight Sparkle was a mare who had been through too much. She was busting at the seams. Seeing her mentor, her anchor in all of this so shaken and beaten was too much. Twilight had to vent before she started screaming in pain.

"Well, goodnight I suppose. If such a thing still exists," Twilight said without turning around.

"Goodnight, Miss Sparkle."

And that was it, Twilight carefully shut the door and leaned against it, now sobbing and crying as hard as she could. She couldn't spill her heart out to another random stranger, not again, no matter how nice they seemed. Twilight had told Vic everything, never lied or held anything back and now she was dead and another mare had popped into her life who seemed just as nice, just as supportive.

Scribbles stood on the other side of the door, listening to the storm. She wanted to help, to tear the door off its hinges and comfort the poor girl.. She raised her hoof, to knock, to get her attention, to do anything to help. Her hoof hovered above the wooden barrier.

"ZZZZZZZzzzzzz... ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz."

A whip cracked so close to Fluttershy's ear she swore the demon wielding it was aiming for her. She bit her lip and kept walking in the line, just trying to focus on the pony in front of her. Not wanting to focus on the ponies beside her,  or underneath her. They were walking along a grassy road torn up by all the traffic it had seen in the past few hours. The ground was slick mud and demon and pony alike slid and slipped their way to and fro. They were heading towards a hastily constructed prison on the edge of town.

The lessons she'd learned from Iron Will had taught her one thing that was grimly appropriate now, never let them see you bleed. She kept her face blank and her gait steady. She'd seen what happened to the ponies that fell over or tried to fight. She'd built a dam around her mind, an impenetrable wall. Nothing got in, nothing got out.

Fluttershy frowned for a moment and glanced down at her hooves.

I know that I shouldn't be complaining, well I suppose I'm not, I'm just noting, but wouldn't it have made more sense to put us in chains?

Fluttershy thought on their decision for a few more second before taking another risk and looking around. They were surrounded on all sides by creatures directly from the stuff of nightmares.  She lost count of how many times she'd jumped from something new and terrible shambling by. The worst was when she heard a huge wing beat above her head. As scary as the satyr's were, dragons were all the more terrifying.

It was a small wonder she hadn't simply stopped being. But every time she thought she couldn't get any more scared, something else would happen that made everything else before seem not as bad. It was actually kind of comforting. She'd hit below rock bottom in terms of how bad things could get.

The line suddenly stopped and Fluttershy ran into the pony in front of her causing them both to stumble.

That was all it took. The demons on either side of the line erupted in mad laughter and jeering. They pointed and howled at her.

Nevermind, things can always get worse.

Fluttershy started heaving in breaths as she was struck with the memories of flight school and the bullies that still haunted her. The dam cracked a little but held firm. The pony in front of her whimpered and cowered on her knees. It was Miss Cheerilee.

Fluttershy had always thought Cheerilee was a strong willed mare: teachers almost always were. Seeing her like this was almost too much for Fluttershy to bear, what could she have seen to make her like this?

Fluttershy didn't let her mind wander too far with that thought.

No.

She looked up and stared at the nearest demon. It was a massive winged beast with a cruel looking ax in hand and pistols and medals adorning its chest. She looked right into its ocean black eyes and stared right through them.

"Stop it."

The demon smiled and laughed harder, his chest heaving. He slapped his knees as if someone had told  him the funniest joke in the world.

"Stop it!"

He went silent as did the rest of the demons. The line of ponies held their breath, waiting for it to be all over for Fluttershy.

"Just because you came here and conquered the town and captured us all does not give you the right to behave like a bunch of children! You all should be ashamed of yourselves!"

The demons' smiles disappeared, one kicked the ground shyly as if he had been scolded by his mother.

The Demon Major cautiously walked up to Fluttershy and leaned down until their noses were almost touching. He raised his eyebrow at her and sniffed the air.

He stood straight up as if something had electrocuted  him. He now wore a perplexed and amazed expression, eyebrows shooting for the sky.

It's aura glows like a forge and it isn't a unicorn. Spy? No... far more dangerous and far more valuable.

Demons eye's are a curious thing. Almost all pupil, they are used to absorbing as much light as they can to see their way around the dark caverns and dim lighting of Hell and as such can also see more of the visible light spectrum than ponies or other races with similar eye structures. As a side effect, they can see magic. Enchanted or otherwise magical items radiate ultraviolet light. Fluttershy, possessing the Element of Kindness has a huge amount of magical energy at her disposal. It was her poor timing to be kind and stick up for her friends that activated a portion of that power.

"Element Bearer," he said, his mouth curling into a grin.

He barked a few orders to his soldiers in his rough native tongue and picked Fluttershy up gingerly, as if he didn't want to hurt her. He began walking away with her in tow under his arm like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey! Those are MY prisoners!"

Another demon called out to him from the front of the line and came over, walking fast. He was much larger than the demon carrying her but the Demon Major paid him no mind and kept walking.

"I said stop, scum!"

The Demon Major stopped and glared at the other demon.

"This one is going straight to the throne, Captain, now piss off."

The Captain grit his teeth and drew his sword, a long black and curved thing that dripped with something vile, the droplets hissing as they hit the ground.

"Hand her over or do I have to teach you a lesson in hierarchy? I say you are no longer Major! I say, I AM MAJOR!"

The Demon Major regarded his subordinate with cold, lifeless eyes.

"No lesson needed."

He dropped Fluttershy and started twirling his ax lazily. She dared not move as other demons closed around her. She whimpered and hid her head in her hooves. The demon officers squared off against one another. The Captain began spinning and flipping his sword in a flurry of movement faster than the eye could see. A masterful display of martial prowess that couldn't have been easy given the size of the weapon he moved about like a baton.

The Major calmly drew his pistol and shot him. He didn't even wait for the Captain to fall to the ground before stooping and picking up Fluttershy. He pointed to a stunned demon who flinched at the gesture.

"You, new Captain, get them moving!"

He threw Fluttershy over his shoulder and the rest of the demons gave him a wide berth as he walked past the barbed wire fences and out of the concentration camp.

They walked through the town, and surprisingly enough, it was still recognizable as a quaint country village. Ponyville had seen so many disasters in its time that the houses were built to withstand just about anything. The occupation hadn't been able to change all that much and frankly had neither the time nor resources to tear everything down.

Fluttershy could see that as soon as they left the camps, the demons started looking more and more... afraid?

No, they can't be afraid, can they? They're big tough meanie beanie bad guys! What could they be afraid of?

Fluttershy's view spun around as the Demon Major carrying her readjusted his grip, she was now draped over his shoulder and couldn't help but feel like a prize.

They entered a group of tents and hastily built bunkers near the edge of town, Fluttershy could barely see Canterlot through the morning haze and judging by how close the Everfree Forest was, she figured they had built their camp on the south east side of town.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a loud, deep boom of thunder rattled her bones and the Major who was carrying her shuddered and took a knee behind a tent. He peered around the tent and then at the sky before resuming his slow walk through the demon's camp.

Fluttershy looked up at the sky as saw what had the demons so jittery. Cloudsdale was attacking them. The entire city, while normally just a weather producing factory, was now a full on fortress in the sky that spat thunderstorms and tornados at the red clouds the demons came in on. Fluttershy could see the cold blues and grey storms of Cloudsdale dueling the fiery red tendrils of the demon clouds in a fierce and very loud battle for domination of the skies.

Fluttershy was picked up off of the Demon Major's shoulder and tossed into a large black tent. She rolled along the ground and came to a halt in front of a table and chair. The room smelled coppery and the ground was streaked with dark red splotches. It didn't take an active imagination to figure out what happened here.

Fluttershy's body nearly shut down as her mind went numb. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Her friends faces flashed before her eyes.

Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I'm not leaving this tent alive! I'm going to be chopped up and eaten and I'm never ever ever going to see my friends again! Oh, I hope they're alright.

The Demon Major picked her up again and sat her down on the chair.

"Don't move."

He turned away and began shifting through a metal box with all sorts of sharp and dangerous things inside. He brushed aside a few scalpels and bones saws and picked up a thin looking chain which he began tying Fluttershy up with.

"I am not going to hurt you.

That was it, he'd said it. The dam that had been holding everything Fluttershy was feeling back burst and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"PLEASE DON'T-... what?"

"I said, I am not going to hurt you."

Fluttershy's brain fused and did a one hundred and eighty degree turn.

"What?"

Slowly.

The Demon Major slapped his palm to his face and sighed.

"I. saaaid. I. Am. Not. Going. To. Hurt. You. D'you get it that time? You will not be harmed. I will not compromise your body's structural integrity? Anything? Anything at all?"

Fluttershy continued to stare at the eight foot tall monstrosity in front of her. He eyed her for a moment before slumping his shoulders in defeat before turning to leave.

"Wait!"

He pricked his ears up and glared at her, or at least looked in her direction, Fluttershy figured every demon glared at everything by default.

"What?"

"So you're not going to kill me?"

"... I just might."

He continued glaring at her for another second and Fluttershy got an idea.

"So, you're not going to eat me?"

Keep staring at me.

"No."

"You're not going to chop me up at put me in a stew?"

A bit longer.

"That would fall under eating you so no. I'm leaving now."

"No you're not."

"No, I'm not."

Fluttershy grinned and smiled sweetly.

Works everytime.

"Would you be ever so kind as to untie me?"

"I would be ever so kind as to untie you."

The Demon Major, under the throes of the 'stare' stumbled as he walked over to her. He stopped a few steps away from Fluttershy and drew a sharp breath. Fluttershy stared harder and he continued until he was kneeling behind her, working the chains until she was free.

Fluttershy slipped off the chair and was about to leave when a clawed hand seized her wing. She cried out in fright and turned to see the demon frothing at the mouth as he tried to resist the mind controlling powers of the 'stare'.

Fluttershy looked into his mirror black eyes and tried to calm him down.

"It's okay, just relax."

He sputtered and his other hand went to his side. He drew a pistol and tried to point it at her, his hand shaking like a rattler.

"Put away the gun. It's going to be alright. Get up and walk me out of the camp."

"I won't," he whispered.

"Do it."

"I won't."

"Please walk me out of the camp!"

"I WON'T!"

He brought the pistol to his forehead and squeezed the trigger. Fluttershy's ear drums exploded and she jumped in fright.

The demon fell but Fluttershy didn't hear him hit the ground. She coughed and started retching.

Oh no! I didn't mean to- Well, I only wanted him to-

She threw up in the tent and collapsed. She started shaking until another thought struck her.

Everyone in the camp must have heard that.

She raised her head and held a hoof to her ear as her hearing came back.

"Oh no."

She could hear footsteps and the sounds of weapons being readied. She could hear swords being drawn and demons howling and baying like hounds. She cowered in the tent and waited for the inevitable.

Shots began ringing out and she closed her eyes, the memories of just yesterday came flooding back to her and she silently screamed into the dirt as the battle raged around her, both literally and in mind. To her, she was back in the train station; she was a few metres away from safety and her friends but she couldn't move as bullets buzzed around her.

The tent collapsed and fell around her. More shots and now screaming and fighting could heard. Fluttershy lay still on the ground, not wanting to move and draw attention to herself like a child hiding from monsters under her bedcovers. She heard the fighting right above her and the dull thumps of bodies hitting the ground nearby.

Something stepped on her leg causing her to cry out in pain. Whatever it was removed itself and grabbed the tent. The covers were pulled off and Fluttershy turned to see what it was.

An equine figure beheld her in its malevolent gaze. Fluttershy was lying on her back and still had to crane her neck to look into the face of the creature standing over her. Two glowing green eyes set against the backdrop of the starry night stood out and bore down on her.

"The Element of Kindness, how quaint."

The figure's horn glowed a vibrant green against the black sky and Fluttershy was entangled in vines that shot out of the ground and wrapped around her. Fluttershy stuttered on her words.

"W-what are you?"

The figure smiled a thin smile that sent a shudder up Fluttershy's spine.

"Hope."

Fluttershy's vision began to fade as she was quickly covered in vines and leaves. Her last sight before her vision went black was two glowing green eyes.

Canterlot glowed with activity. Smithies burned and their owners sharpened swords far older than the ponies wielding them. Memorials already had begun to line the streets as reports flooded in from the rest of the country. Candles and lanterns burned brightly against the night.

Celestia noticed this as she glanced out the window on her way down to the dungeon. She would have teleported to Samael's cell but she wanted to be prepared. She kept going over what had transpired over the past week and she grit her teeth so hard they hurt.

A full fifth of the armed forces of Equestria had gathered at Canterlot in the past few days. The Army had gathered three full strength regiments totalling nine thousand soldiers. The Equestrian Air Navy was present as well, lending ships for the counter attack that was to be launched as soon as the Canterlot Night Guard secured a staging area near the town.

The Night Guard were largely considered one of the premier fighting forces in the known world. The Gryphons had the Talons, the Zebras had the White Spears, Equestria had the Canterlot Night Guard. A group of mares and stallions from all corners of the country trained from a young age for combat. As such, they were good for little else and were only rarely used in social functions like the Royal Guard were. This was a benefit given their line of work and the public's opinion of such unpleasantries.

Celestia rounded a corner and came upon the winding steps downward into the dungeons. It was a spiraling staircase made of grey stone, not the magical marble of the rest of the palace and city. Torches lit the way but only provided a dim light that flickered in the draft. This was an intentional design choice as ponies going down would have to adjust to the dim light of the dungeons. The torches got lower and lower until there was just glowing lanterns lighting her way.

Celestia cast a spell and her body lit up with power and light, burning away the darkness. She had to think and the shadows were playing tricks on her.

I'm going to go in there, ask him politely to make peace with whatever he has to, then kill him.

But another corner of her mind thought differently.

But what if he was telling the truth? He warned me about the incoming attack, betrayed his master to do it. The country was likely saved on his advice.

He didn't owe the Demon Emperor anything, probably just used him to get back into power. He wants something, he obviously didn't do all of this just to be nice. He wants something from me. Besides, the demons came out of nowhere before his so called ultimatum. If he can't give good advice, he is of little use to me.

...

He saved Scribbles from a demon guard.

Celestia recalled the short engagement with Samael's honour guards. A demon had aimed his crude pistol at Scribbles and fired and Samael had blocked the shot before continuing his own duel. He had cared enough to stop and save a life he owed nothing to.

It is either part of his ruse to be a paragon of goodness or he genuinely cares again.

Celestia wasn't sure what to think about Samael, he had been there for her on numerous occasions, saved her life and that of her sister as well. But in the end he betrayed them both and tried to kill them over power. He was a demon, but at the same time, he was still at least partially whatever he was before.

Twilight was hurt and scarred for life because of the hell that followed him. Her friends were hurt. My country is being burned to the ground and I can't afford to trust a demon, not again. He has done some good, but it is not enough for me to forget what he's done.

She came upon his cell and unlocked the door. It swung open and she braced herself for the screams. Silence greeted her in a spine tingling embrace.

... Wait, what?

She threw the door open to see Samael hanging in air like she had last seen him but he wasn't moving, He was smoking slightly but nothing was left for the chains to burn. He was a charred skeleton.

"Oh."

She took a step towards him, guilt pooling in her stomach. She had intended to kill him, sure, but not like this. He had been burned alive for five days. She started removing chains until there were just two left circling his arms.

"Nopony should go this way."

"Then... maybe you'll reconsider?"

Samael raised his skull and stared at her with empty eye sockets.

"Come on, Tia... *cough*... I've been living in hell for a few centuries, I'm not going to burn to death."

He chuckled weakly and let his head drop back down.

"How are you still alive."

Samael shifted uncomfortably in the chains.

"I have a lot to look forward to. Getting out of these chains for one."

Celestia stared at the thing hanging from jade chains in her dungeon and felt in awe.

"What drives you, Samael, what animates you?"

"The same thing that animates all immortals, I'm looking for a good end."

Samael lifted his head again. Celestia swore she saw him smile despite the lack of flesh on his bones.

"Celestia, how long have you been around? Near three thousand years? Damn, we're getting old. How long were you planning on sticking it out until embracing eternity?"

Celestia glared at him, that was a very private question to ask an immortal and he knew it.

"You won't live to see it, I'll give you that much."

"Heheheee... Yeah... yeah I know. I've been around too long Celestia. You asked me, a couple days ago or something, do I do this just to pass the time? And I suppose that's one way of putting it. I do go through cycles of being good and being evil because... shit I've done everything else!

You understand, Celestia, I've been around a lot longer than you but you understand, we get bored, we get disillusioned by the worlds we live in. How many times have you thought about keeping the sun up forever? Or ruling with an iron hoof because the mortal's just don't get it? I can see you saying never with your lips but your eyes betray you. You think about it often enough to worry yourself.

We all think about doing a one eighty morality flip every now and again. Mortals do, they just have less time to resist the urge. Stick around long enough and you'll end up like me. Well, that's unfair, you have friends and family who love you and I know I lost mine a long time ago.

So, I suppose what I'm getting at is, don't kill me because I betrayed you, or because I'm a demon you can't trust or some other superfluous excuse. Kill me if you truly don't agree with me. If what I've said is so wrong to you that we can't exist in the same world."

Celestia breathed out slowly through her nose and tossed her head back. She had to be strong.

Her horn glowed and Samael held his arms out akimbo, waiting for whatever came next.

Celestia centred her vision on Samael's heart, or at least where he was most vulnerable. It would be quick.

Samael looked to the ceiling and Celestia heard him humming a tune under his breath, it had been the same ditty that he had hummed the last time she'd killed him. It was so long ago and for entirely different reasons. Was he the same person as before?

Samael's chains fell to the ground with a clatter, the sounds ringing off the solid iron walls. He looked down at himself and held his hands out in front of him, inspecting the wisps of cloth still clinging to his black skeleton. He looked up at Celestia who had taken a defensive posture, ready for whatever plans he had in store for her once he was free.

"I'm giving you this one chance Samael. One chance only."

"... Heh."

Samael fell flat on his face having finally fainted from his ordeal.

Fluttershy woke up and started screaming. She had been dreaming about scary demons burning Ponyville down and then taking her away to be chopped up and put in a stew. She dreamt that her friends had taken a train out of Ponyville only for the train to be swallowed whole by a dragon. She had woken up just as the dragon had clamped its jaws around her.

She started sobbing, it had been a horrible dream and she was quiet ready to relax and start her day, maybe mention it to Rarity during their spa get together.

She probably won't want to hear about it. I'll just mention it politely or something. Speaking of which, when is our get together? What is today?

Fluttershy yawned and rolled out of bed, or at least tried to. She was held down so tightly she could hardly move and every time she did move, something felt horribly wrong. She was upright for starters, and she could hear a forest moving around her.

Fluttershy eye's snapped open and took in an almost alien environment, trees were shifting and walking by her, groaning and creaking as they went. She looked down and screamed a second time, now knowing why she couldn't move.

The vines weren't simply tying her down to the tree behind her, they were growing into her. She screamed as hard as she could, emptying her lungs. She started crying again, not knowing if this was just another nightmare and if it was one she could ever wake up from.

"If you don't move, it won't hurt."

Fluttershy turned to face the source of the voice, it sounded familiar. She saw the being that had captured her at the tent leaning against another tree that had rooted itself into the ground.

Fluttershy took a breath and screamed louder and long than before. The mare, if it could be called such a thing, waited patiently for her to tire.

"For a being possessing a divine amount of power, you certainly lack the character to back it up. No," she put her hoof to her chin," spine as you people say."

Fluttershy wanted to scream again but swallowed the urge and summoned up as much courage and determination as she could.

"*whine!*"

Not that much courage as it turned out but the figure waited for her to try again.

"Who, um, that is, if you don't mind me asking, are you?"

"Gaia."

Fluttershy squeaked at Gaia's commanding voice and tried to hide behind something, a feat that proved impossible given her situation. Gaia waited, not moving from her spot by the tree, her face wearing an interested smile.

"Fluttershy, if you had any reason to be afraid of me, it pales in comparison to the horror that is happened to you now, right?"

Fluttershy widened her eyes in fear and nodded. While being chopped up and boiled was beyond awful, being... whatever was happening to her now was so much worse.

"So, now that it's happening and you have the time to think about it, is it so bad after all?"

Fluttershy looked down at a particularly thick vine jutting out of her chest.

Well, they don't hurt? I can't really fell anything and it's actually kind of comfortable up here. I'm not dead, but that could change given what is happening... what is happening to me?

"What are you doing to me?"

Gaia laughed and stood up from her post by the tree. She was tall and ducked under a few branches as she walked over to Fluttershy.

"Finally, fear turns to curiosity! You are taking huge steps to becoming a better creature. Find out what it is you are afraid of, understand it and soon you won't be afraid of it at all!"

Gaia took a few long stride until she was eye level with Fluttershy who's hooves didn't even touch the ground.

"When I found you, a world of possibility opened up. I have one of the Elements of Harmony in my grasp, the Element of Kindness no less! I had to do it."

"Do what?"

"Make you one of us."

Figures began coming out of the trees, wooden ponies having each a horn and set of wings. They all looked up at Fluttershy. Some wore expressions of concern while others waved and smiled at her.

"All of them ponies at one point in time, but no longer."

Fluttershy's heart stopped. It no longer pounded in her chest as it had been doing since she woke up. Fluttershy blinked and pondered the impossibility of her situation.

"Um, thanks for the offer but I'd really like to get back to my friends now."

Gaia chuckled and smiled warmly.

"Your friends, last I heard, made it Canterlot and are nesting under the wings of Celestia and Luna. But as I have also heard, the demons who have thrown such a torch to my plans are planning on ending them and the rest of this world.

I am taking away your species from you, making you one of us. You will no longer be a pony in two day's time. Your stake in their affairs will be lost. When you next see other ponies, your allegiance will be questioned.

And you don't have a choice in helping me. You aid me just by being here and preventing your country from destroying what I am trying to accomplish. I offer you the chance to survive this war, to let your friends join you, and become part of the new world."

Gaia smiled and nodded, as if she was affirming with herself that that was all she needed to say. She turned and left the newly created garden meadow, the dryads following her, some of them waved goodbye. Fluttershy hung there, unable to do or say or think anything. A flower bloomed on her shoulder.