Brightspawn

Chapters

Infection
Flooded by Light
Almost Perfect
Breach
Into the Abyss

Infection

Fluttershy was humming happily, cleaning her home, when a knock on her door surprised her. “Just one moment, I just need to finish tidying up this couch.” She nudged her sleeping bunny Angel gently to the side and fluffed the pillow before heading to the door. The knocking was growing increasingly urgent. She opened the door and lowered her line of sight to see one of the skunks that lived nearby.

“What’s the matter, mister skunk?” The yellow pegasus inquired. The skunk pulled on her mane, gesturing for her to follow. “Oh okay, I’ll go see what’s wrong. You lead the way.” Fluttershy flew after the scampering critter.

They arrived at the skunk’s burrow, where a female skunk lay flat on the floor. “Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, inspecting the skunk for injuries but finding none. “Is it a bad stomach ache? A headache? Some other sort of ache? What’s that?” She noticed a glowing sigil on the skunk’s back in the shape of a horseshoe with wings.

The sigil flared up and Fluttershy stepped back, shielding her eyes from the bright light. The male skunk chittered rapidly, pulling on Fluttershy’s mane and jumping up and down. The light died down and Fluttershy stepped forward to take a closer look.

The female skunk was now transparent. It blinked its eyes in confusion as it slowly began to disappear, fading from the feet up, clawing at the air as if trying to cling on to some invisible safety net. Fluttershy was completely lost, only being able to share in the male skunk’s helplessness as his partner simply ceased to be. She grabbed at the space the skunk used to occupy. “I’m sorry,” Fluttershy whispered. “I’m sorry that I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t help, and now she’s gone. I’m so sorry.” A tear dripped from her eyes, splashing on the dirt floor.

“Are you quite done yet? Spare me the drama, please.” A disembodied voice echoed throughout the skunk’s chambers, startling the residents inside. “And here I thought my one true friend in the whole wide world was stronger than that.”

Fluttershy glared through her tears. “Discord?” She asked. “Are you behind this? If you did this, I swear…” Discord materialized himself as a shadow on the floor.

“Relax, Fluttershy, I’m good now, remember? We’re best pals. I’d never do anything to hurt you.” The shadow shrugged. “Besides, why would I make skunks disappear? They’ve hardly done anything to me. And speaking of which, that skunk isn’t quite gone just yet.” Discord’s shadow snapped its fingers and the skunk that had faded away returned. The two skunks hugged. “Child’s play, really.” A rather small Discord rose out of the shadow, just big enough to fit comfortably in the skunks’ home. He materialized a small couch and laid back.

“What happened to her?” Fluttershy asked curiously. The oddly glowing sigil had disappeared on the fully restored skunk.

Discord looked aghast. “No ‘thank you Discord for saving my friend’? The first thing you have to say has to be ‘what happened’? Well, I’m sorry. I’m not sure what happened, I just know that someone was trying to make the skunk vanish, and I reached over and yoinked it back because it was bothering my dear friend so much.” He shrugged, “And before you ask who could have done such a terrible, horrible thing… Just ask yourself ‘who would be so much happier if all of the skunks had just simply disappeared forever?’ Of course, that hardly narrows it down.” The two skunks stopped hugging to look at him disapprovingly.

“I’m grateful for your help, really I am, but I just don’t want this to ever happen again.” Fluttershy said. “Not to the skunk family or any of the woodland critters in Equestria. If they started disappearing all of a sudden, life would be too terrible for me to imagine. I’d better go see Twilight about this. She might know what happened.” Fluttershy left the burrow, leaving Discord with the skunk family. The male skunk raised its tail.

“Don’t even think about it.” Discord said, leaving the burrow in a puff of purple smoke. The skunks went back to hugging.

In the Canterlot Royal Palace, Princess Celestia was writing a letter when a guard approached her. “Please excuse the interruption, your highness, but there is a pegasus who demands to talk to you. He says he is from the organization known as ‘The Solemn Guard’. He wants your cooperation in ‘spreading the light of something or other’ throughout the land. I’ve never heard of him nor his group before, but he doesn’t appear to be hostile.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Send him in; I am always willing to hear a pony out that means well.” The guard exited, and a pegasus walked in.

He was pure white and wore white armor engraved with gold that partially obscured his cutie mark, some sort of spear with an odd design. His mane was a bright gold, the same as his armor. His eyes were purple and seemed to glow as he spoke. “Greetings, your highness. I am Crystal Lance, of the Solemn Guard. I serve under her magnificence, Tranquility, from the Shining Lands. I request your cooperation in spreading the light of my master throughout your land.”

Celestia examined him carefully before responding. There was something odd about him. “What is this ‘light’? Who is Tranquility?”

Crystal Lance’s eyes shone brighter. “Tranquility is a being of perfect harmony. She seeks to bring a new age to Equestria, one of peace, where no chaos exists. This is her light, her light is her soul, and our way of life. We of the Solemn Guard are sworn to follow her in her quest to bring about harmony throughout the land. We all wear her mark as a symbol of our devotion.” He showed Celestia the mark of a glowing horseshoe with wings on his right front hoof, previously hidden by a gilded boot.

Celestia nodded. “It is true we are lovers of peace. Very well, I will send a message telling the many cities of Equestria to welcome the Solemn Guard. Of course, the teachings of this way of life are to be by choice, and not to be forced upon any pony.”

Crystal Lance bowed and smiled. “Of course, your highness, we will begin in the area known as ‘Manehatten’ and circle the kingdom, ending here in your capital city. Good day.” He rose and exited.

Celestia shivered. She had an uneasy feeling about this, but it wasn’t exactly fair to mistreat a guest of the royal family just because of a gut instinct. Was it?

Back in Ponyville, Twilight had just finished listening to Fluttershy’s story. “A glowing horseshoe? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that sort of symbol before. And then the skunk started disappearing… I think I have a book on vanishing spells somewhere. Spike?” Twilight called for her assistant while Fluttershy waited patiently.

Spike struggled to place a heavy red tome on Twilight’s reading desk. Twilight bent over and flipped through the pages. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, there doesn’t seem to be anything on a glowing winged horseshoe in here. In fact, all of these vanishing spells are temporary and don’t leave marks.” Fluttershy turned her head downward in disappointment.

“Oh okay. Thank you for looking.” Fluttershy left the library, only to see a large group of ponies gathered around the town hall. It looked like Mayor Mare was giving a speech.

“Welcome, citizens of Ponyville! I have just received a letter from Princess Celestia. In the next couple of days, a group of ponies called the Solemn Guard will be traveling across Equestria to spread teachings of harmony.” The crowd cheered. “In case you are wondering how to recognize these wonderful teachers, it says that they are all white, wear gold armor, and carry this symbol on their body as a sign of their faith.” She held up the scroll, revealing the mark of a winged horseshoe. Fluttershy gulped. This was, indeed, bigger than she had thought.

“Solemn Guard? Gold armor? Do you suppose they come in silver too?” Rarity appeared beside Fluttershy. “Isn’t this exciting? I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Well actually…” Fluttershy started.

“They sound kind of boring to me,” Rainbow Dash walked over, interrupting. “And what exactly are they supposed to be guarding, anyway?”

“Earlier today, I…” Fluttershy tried again.

“Oh! I know! Maybe they’re here to guard Equestria from the dangers of chaos!” Pinkie Pie sprang out of a nearby barrel, making Rarity jump.

“I’d like to meet one of them guards in person. They sound like real charmin’ folk.” Applejack joined up with her friends as the last of the ponies left the town meeting.

“That might not be such a good idea.” Twilight Sparkle showed up just as Fluttershy opened her mouth to talk, and then closed it with a disappointed look on her face. “According to Fluttershy, that same horseshoe symbol just caused a skunk to disappear.” Fluttershy nodded. “I think the Princess should know about it. These Solemn Guards’ mission might not be as innocent as we think it is. Pack your bags. We’re going to Canterlot.”

“But the trains are all going to be full now,” Spike said. “All the ponies are trying to get to Manehatten to be the first to see the Solemn Guards.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “I’ve been practicing a teleportation spell. It’s designed to take a pony or groups of ponies long distances in an instant. It takes a lot of energy to cast, but just once for this emergency, it shouldn’t be a problem. I guess it can’t hurt to review the spell before our trip though. Meet me in the Library in an hour.” The ponies headed off.

An hour later, Twilight stood in front of the Library with her spellbook and greeted her friends. “Now then,” she said, “I’ve recited the spell ten times and teleported an apple across the room for practice, but this will be a little rough, and takes a lot of my magic, so we’re doing this outside, and please only bring what you absolutely need.” Everypony stared at Rarity, who grudgingly selected three of her five bags and set them aside.

“Alright,” Twilight said, charging up her spell, “Hold on to your hooves, girls.” There was a crackle, a flash of bright light, and the six ponies and dragon were gone. High in the sky, one of the Solemn Guard was watching intently.

The mane six arrived directly inside the palace in a bright flash of light, causing the guards to jump and level their weapons. Twilight, sweating a little from the effort of casting the spell, recognized one. “Big Brother? What are you doing guarding the palace?”

Indeed, the guard was her brother, Shining Armor. “Princess Celestia asked that I return,” he explained, “Cadence is here too, in the garden. Nothing has happened, but she wants a little extra security, just in case. She didn’t say why. I’m guessing it has something to do with why you’re here? Follow me; I’ll take you to Celestia.” They headed down a hallway.

“What was that spell you used, by the way, the one that took you here? I’ve never seen anything like it,” Shining Armor turned to his little sister.

“It’s a long range group teleport spell. I found it in the Starswirl the Bearded collection. It takes a lot of magic to cast, but it seems to have its uses.” Twilight said.

“I’ll say. That spell can be one heck of a security issue.” Shining Armor said. “I mean, what if an army of changelings decided to materialize right here in the throne room?” They had arrived. “But you leave me to worry about it. Whatever the princess needs to know, she should know as soon as possible.” The doors opened and Shining Armor left.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends strode into the throne room and were confronted by Celestia. “Twilight, what brings you and your friends to Canterlot?” She greeted them.

“Princess Celestia, I think that Equestria may be in grave danger!” Twilight said. “Fluttershy, please describe what you saw.”

Fluttershy meekly bowed before the princess before speaking. “I was checking in on a sick skunk just this morning when I noticed a strange marking on it, a glowing horseshoe with wings. The skunk started disappearing and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. It’s a good thing Discord showed up, or else I don’t know what I would have done. Not long after, Mayor Mare announced that there would be ponies with these marks all over Equestria.”

Celestia nodded. “That was in the letter I sent. These marks must be linked in some manner. However, I cannot act rashly and must see both sides of the story. I will arrange a meeting with the pegasus that showed up earlier this morning. He was the one who represented their order.”

“There is no need for that,” a voice sounded out from the chamber door. “Tranquility has seen these ponies coming to speak with you and we would be more than happy to explain.”

“You spied on us?” Rainbow Dash asked indignantly. Fluttershy lowered her head beneath her hooves and inched towards Celestia. Rarity flipped her mane and smiled, always trying to make a good impression.

“Tranquility sees all,” was the only answer. Crystal Lance strode into the throne room. “You witnessed a portion of Tranquility’s power. Please, join us and accept her light.”

Celestia flared her wings and stood between Crystal Lance and the mane six. “Why was your leader erasing innocent creatures from this world?”

Crystal Lance’s eyes shone as he spoke. “We seek out the ultimate harmony. A time of peace, of no quarrels. To do this, we must mark every being in the world. When every being has been marked…”

“Then everypony disappears,” Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened.

“And there will be eternal peace,” Crystal Lance’s eyes flashed again, “No chaos or disorder. The entire world will be unified. It will be a wonderful thing.”

“Unified into nothing!” Rainbow Dash interjected. “There’s no way we’re letting you do this.”

Celestia nodded. “I cannot allow you to do this.”

Crystal Lance frowned. “You do not accept the light? But the light is inevitable. As we speak, the Solemn Guard is spreading it over your land”

A dark shadow crept over Celestia’s face. “Please stop. Equestria does not need another enemy, and I’m sure Tranquility values the lives of the Solemn Guards.”

“We of the Solemn Guard will fight for our cause. The light is the way, the beginning and the end.” The armored pegasus stood his ground. “We are prepared to spread it by force, if necessary.”

Celestia closed her eyes and took a breath. “You spy on our citizens and threaten to erase every being in Equestria. You can tell Tranquility that we are now at war.”

Crystal Lance bowed and exited. Celestia lost no time. “Retrieve Shining Armor,” she instructed a nearby royal guard. “I must warn the rest of Equestria.” She went to a desk in the far corner of the room and began writing.

“We should help,” Twilight said to her friends. They nodded and went over to the desk, replacing each scroll with a new one when finished, stamping it with a royal seal, and sending it to the leader of each town. Within moments, the group had finished.

Shining Armor approached the throne room. “You sent for me, Princess?”

Celestia turned from her desk. “Shining Armor, we will need a force field around the city. From now on, all Solemn Guard are to be treated as high priority threats.”

A royal guard burst into the throne room. “Princess! Commander!” He saluted Celestia and Shining Armor one after the other. “A battalion of Solemn Guards is approaching on Canterlot, estimated four hundred in number.”

“How many guards are in the palace?” Twilight asked her brother.

“I’m in charge of sixty here in the palace and surrounding estate, and there’s another one hundred and forty stationed around the city in gates and train stations ever since the changeling invasion…” He trailed off.

“We need that force field up.” Celestia ordered. “We shall fight outside the city, where no innocents will be harmed. And ready my battle armor. We will need all the help we can get.”

Flooded by Light

The Canterlot Royal Guard had gone through a more rigorous training regiment since the Changeling Invasion. By the time the force field was up, at least a hundred armed guards were waiting outside, ready to defend the city.

Shining Armor stopped at the edge and addressed his little sister.“I know you probably won’t listen to me, but please, stay inside the force field.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Remember who defeated King Sombra? Discord? Nightmare moon?”

Shining Armor blocked her way with a hoof. “This is different. This is war. Those ponies out there are trained to destroy you, not just hold the night forever or make chocolate rain. The Canterlot Royal Guard is strong. We have trained for this all our lives. I’m not going to let my little sister follow me into a battlefield, especially when we don’t know what the enemy’s capable of.”

“According to Celestia, you need all the help you can get,” Rainbow Dash flew up to the siblings, wearing a suit of guard armor. “Equestria is our land too.”

“Darn tootin’,” Applejack joined them, similary dressed. Fluttershy approached with a medical bag.

Shining Armor sighed. “If you girls go out there, you might not come back.”

“Don’t you think we know that? Don’t you think we’ve been in situations like this before? We can handle it.” Twilight Sparkle insisted.

“Alright… But please. Be careful.” Shining Armor stared straight into his sister’s eyes. “We’ll all meet up again after the battle’s over.”

Pinkie Pie approached wheeling her party cannon. “Pinkie Promise.”

Rarity joined Fluttershy in a very clean looking nurse’s outfit. “A circle of friends we’ll be ‘til the very end,” she smiled grimly, holding her friends close.

Celestia approached from the sky. Her crown had been replaced with a silvery helmet. Her wings were coated with golden scales, and the rest of her body was covered in silver plating. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold. “Shall we?” She said grimly, heading out of the force field. The rest followed.

Celestia flew back and forth between the lines of guards. “The Solemn Guards have threatened your homes, your families, and your very existence. As I speak, hoards of them are infecting innocents with a sinister light, erasing them from this world. Now a battalion of them attacks our nation’s very heart. I know in each and every one of you there lies something special, a fighting spirit that caused you to join the Canterlot Royal Guard, a fighting spirit that caused you to endure the many hours of rigorous training so you can stand today, ready to fight for what’s yours. Now is the time, the trial by fire. Let us show Tranquility that Equestria will not bow down and disappear!” A resounding war cry rose from the hundred guards, banging their weapons and hooves against the ground.

The air suddenly became deathly quiet. The nearby river, the surrounding wildlife, and even the wind itself seemed to have become muted. A cold chill rippled through the soldiers. An enormous stream of armored ponies was rapidly approaching from the horizon, a cloud so thick it looked like a massive serpent ready to swallow the sun.

“Here they come!” Shining Armor called. The guards split off into formation, the unicorns firing bolts of magical energy into the incoming battalion. The twenty or so Solemn Guard that fell made no noticeable dent in the swarm. The Canterlot Royal Guard charged forth, letting loose a resounding war cry. The Solemn Guard approached, eyes shining brightly, without making a sound.

“They all look the same,” Twilight gasped. Indeed, each Solemn Guard was a carbon copy of the other, a white pegasus with a white mane and black eyes. They had no cutie marks, but wore a glowing Mark of Tranquility on their armor. Each of them carried a spear with a diamond tip that glistened with traces of magic. The two armies clashed.

Shining Armor dodged blasts of white magic coming from the enemy spears and firing back several blasts of his own. They were concentrated force fields that locked up the wings of several enemies, causing them to plummet to the earth, temporarily disabled by the impact.

“On your left,” Celestia called, blasting a spear out of a Solemn Guard’s hooves with a ray of golden light, an instant before it would have struck Shining Armor’s side. She then charged forward, scattering groups of Guards in her path, protected from the blasts by her armor. At least twenty Solemn Guards fell to the ground.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack rushed into a group of Solemn Guards together. “I’ll get the three on the ground, you-” Applejack started, but Rainbow Dash had already flow forward, kicking an airborne Guard into two of his companions. They fell down in a clump.

“Too slow, AJ. I’m already three ahead.” Rainbow Dash bragged. A Solemn Guard leveled his spear at her from behind and fired.

“Look out!” Applejack called, but she was too late. Rainbow Dash took a shot to the wing and started falling.

“Whoa there, I got you,” Applejack caught her friend on her back. “Are you okay?”

Rainbow Dash stared at her smoking wing. “It stings a little, and I can’t move my wing…what’s that?” As the smoke cleared, a glowing winged horseshoe had appeared on the spot she was struck.

Applejack tried to get a closer look, only to jump back as three more Solemn Guards fired at her, narrowly missing. “I’ll get you to the medical tent. They’ll take care of you there.” She started pushing back towards the force field, dragging her injured friend. They were cut off by a group of five Solemn Guards, approaching with their spears glowing. “Oh for crying out loud.”

“Over here!” Pinkie pie threw a rock at the Solemn Guards from a bush surrounded by trees. One of the guards turned and disintegrated it before it hit anything. She ducked back into the bush.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah that sure helped a lot, Pinkie. Now excuse me as Dashie and I get wiped off the face of…” She stopped as the group of trees behind Pinkie’s hiding spot collapsed, revealing an enormous party cannon. The trees had been cardboard cutouts all along.

“Party time.” Pinkie said cooly, blasting all five Guards away with a massive storm of confetti. “You want some help with that?” She nodded towards the partially paralyzed Rainbow Dash.

Twilight Sparkle was firing spells in all directions. One unlucky Solemn Guard grew an extra set of wings on the side of his body and flew sideways, bowling into his team. Another was knocked back by a telekinetically flung rock. A third turned into an orange and fell to the ground, sprouting a moustache on the way down.

A group of five Royal Guards broke free from the battle and surrounded her. “Your brother commanded us to keep you safe.” One shouted against the noise of the battlefield.

“Tell my brother I can take care of myself!” Twilight shouted back, raising a force field to deflect a beam of white energy back towards the Solemn Guard that fired it, knocking his weapon out of his hands. Twilight smiled, panting a little from all the rapid spellcasts. She had enough magic for a couple more spells, might as well make use of it. Her smile was wiped off her face when four beams of energy were fired at once, shattering her shield and knocking her back. The Royal Guards beside her raised a shield of their own while carrying her to the medical tent.

In the medical tent beside the battlefield, Fluttershy was tending to Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but I’m not sure how to treat a magical wound like that. The last time something like this happened, Discord had to remove-”

She was cut off as Discord appeared in the tent in a puff of purple smoke. “You called?” He smiled. “I was just busy setting the table for dinner, my place, the six of you, after this fight? Oh and I suppose the dragon can come too.” The ponies stared at him. “What, fix Rainbow Dash’s wing?” They nodded. He snapped a finger and the mark stayed. “Huh. That’s weird.” He touched the mark this time, and his paw lit up. The mark vanished. “Pretty strong magic, that I’d need to actually touch it. Ugh, I suppose I’ll have to wash my hands now.” A teapot materialized and poured chocolate syrup all over his paws. “Much better.”

A guard burst into the tent. “Twilight’s been injured!” A moaning Twilight Sparkle was carried in and placed on a cot. She looked very weak.

“Twilight! What happened?” Fluttershy asked, placing a warm cloth on Twilight’s forehead.

“I was fighting, and they caught me off guard. They broke my shield and I was knocked away.” Twilight said. “Is that Discord?”

Discord banished the chocolate syrup teapot and bowed. “At your service. I don’t suppose you want me to make this battle end?”

Twilight nodded. “I don’t think we can win without your help. Just be careful not to hurt any of the Royal Guards.”

“So I have permission to use my magic in any way I want, as long as I end the battle without hurting the Royal Guards?” Discord mused, heading out before Twilight could respond.

“This I have to see,” a fully cured Rainbow Dash raced outside, followed shortly by the rest of the Mane Six, bar Twilight, who was resting on the cot.

“Make sure you say something cool when you beat them!” Pinkie Pie yelled after Discord as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The battle was raging on in its full intensity and Discord was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, everything froze, Royal Guards and Solemn Guards alike. Storm clouds gathered overhead and an enormous Discord came down from the sky, laughing maniacally. The battle resumed and every Solemn Guard fired their spear at Discord at once, lighting up the sky. Discord showed no signs of injury. The Royal Guards fell back, partly on orders from Shining Armor and partly basic pony instinct not to be anywhere near Discord when he was in full power. Princess Celestia finished off a Solemn Guard with a blast from her horn and joined the Mane Six on the ground. “I knew he was powerful, but I had no idea…” She whispered.

The rays of white energy stopped and hundreds of trout began raining from the sky. “He turned their spears into trout?” Rarity asked. “But what about the salmon?!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

Something was forming in Discord’s hand. Swirls of magic and the surrounding clouds slowly converged, merging to form… an enormous ice cream sundae with a banana in it, larger than Canterlot itself. “Time for you Solemn Guards,” the giant Discord boomed, “to split!” He winked at Pinkie Pie while half the Royal Guard slammed their faces into their hooves, and hurled the sundae into the swarm of Solemn Guard. They weren’t fast enough to dodge, and the enormous dessert carried them far away as the sky cleared and Discord shrank down to his normal size, bowing to cheers from the Royal Guard and his friends.

“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Messy, but impressive,” Rarity added.

“I like how you didn’t have to hurt anypony,” Fluttershy said.

“You sure have one heck of a throwing arm,” Applejack cheered.

“The dessert was a nice touch,” Pinkie pie said.

“I knew I made the right choice with you,” Celestia smiled.

“I dunno, I think you needed a little better delivery on that line there,” a nearby Royal Guard said, inciting glares from the surrounding ponies.

Twilight came out of the tent. “I heard the cheering. Is it safe to come out now?” Her legs buckled and she collapsed. As her friends rushed to her side, a streak of light rapidly descended from the heavens, straight towards Twilight Sparkle.

Crystal Lance flew down, swiping the unconscious Twilight up in a bag and flying away before any pony could respond. “Twilight!” Applejack called.

“He’s fast, but I’m faster,” Rainbow Dash flared her wings, ready to chase after him.

Discord snapped his fingers and Twilight Sparkle materialized in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open. “What just happened?”

Discord grinned toothily. “The oddest thing, one of the Solemn Guard just came down and kidnapped an unusually rude Royal Guard who thought my line needed better delivery. Oh well, I suppose what goes around comes around.” The other ponies were speechless.

Suddenly bright rays of light erupted from where Discord had been struck by the hundreds of Solemn Guard. He screamed as a winged horseshoe mark appeared, then vanished, then reappeared, then vanished. It appeared for a last time, and Discord froze in place, losing color rapidly. Twilight jumped out of his arms and inspected him. “He’s… turned back to stone,” she said quietly.

Meanwhile, the Royal Guard who had dared to criticize Discord was trapped in a dark bag, far away from home. “Master of Chaos and he can’t handle a little constructive criticism,” the kidnapped guard pony mumbled. He could hear voices talking.

“Resistance?” It was a gentle mare’s voice. “Why must they choose the path of pain when the final result will be the same?”

“I wish it were only resistance, but the army you created was defeated,” A stallion’s voice, completely devoid of emotion. “It was a draconequus, my mistress, a being of great chaotic power. He singlehandedly dealt with all of our troops at once. We may need more.”

“You know I cannot be angry with you, Crystal Lance,” the gentle voice said. “For we share the light. But failure will not be tolerated.”

“Understood,” The stallion, presumably named Crystal Lance, answered. “There is… one other issue.” The Royal Guard in the bag felt himself being dragged forward. “I have managed to capture Twilight Sparkle, the pony capable of teleporting troops anywhere in the world, perhaps you could convert her, and…” Crystal Lance stopped as the true contents of the bag were revealed. “My Lady, forgive me. It must have been the draconequus.”

The Royal Guard blinked as his eyes adjusted to an overwhelmingly bright light. “Where am I?” Standing in front of him was an incredibly beautiful alicorn with a pure white body and a golden mane with strands so fine they seemed to float. Beside the alicorn was what looked like a Solemn Guard, except with the same fine golden mane and a cutie mark of a crystal lance.

The alicorn seemed to ignore her companion’s apologies as she slowly approached. “You are in the Shining Lands, foreign one. There is no need to be afraid.” Her presence felt warm and comforting, unlike the cold aura of the Solemn Guard. “I am Tranquility. I hope this will help you see the light.” She blinked once and smiled sweetly, and the Royal Guard felt himself changing.

Crystal Lance watched as the Royal Guard sprouted wings and changed from a dull gray to a pure white. The Guard’s cutie mark faded out and his armor was replaced with that bearing a winged horseshoe, the mark of Tranquility. His eyes darkened to a pitch black. He had become, essentially, a Solemn Guard.

“Please tell me everything you know about Twilight Sparkle.” Tranquility politely requested, smiling kindly at her new Solemn Guard.

Almost Perfect

Discord was feeling incredibly stiff. Not only had he been re-encased in stone, but there was a sharp pain on his side that burned even more when he touched it. This was a problem, because when an area hurts, he just wants to hold it, and holding it in this case would just make it hurt more. He had never felt this much pain before. The pain grew slowly, like a hot knife against his scales, until he began writhing on the ground in agony.

Moments later, Discord realized that he could move, despite being a statue. He slowly became aware of his surroundings. It seemed some ponies had dragged him inside the force field, judging from the deep furrows in the ground. The commotion had caused some ponies to trot over.

“Are you… okay?” Twilight Sparkle asked, poking at the living statue with a hoof. She hit the shining mark and Discord winced as a sharp pain coursed through his body.

“I’ll thank you not to touch that,” he said, standing up and brushing himself off. “That magic was stronger than I thought, but still not enough to completely seal me. I do feel a little parched, though.” He snapped his fingers and laid back. Nothing happened.

Discord blinked twice and snapped his fingers again, frowning. “What’s wrong?” Twilight asked. A look of worry spread over her face.

“You mean besides me being a statue?” Discord said, “For one thing, I’m thirsty and a mug of cider hasn’t appeared. It seems that I can’t use my powers right now. What a bore,” He slumped down and sat on a rock, splitting it in two as he forgot he was still made of stone.

“What? But we only won because of you!” Rainbow Dash said. “What if they come back?”

“They’ll definitely be back. The Solemn Guards aren’t the kind to give up so easily. They’ll be back, and we won’t have Discord to take them out this time.” Shining Armor said gravely. “My own guards are tired and injured. We won’t be able to put up much resistance, not enough to matter anyway.”

His guards had begun gathering around him and now there was a small crowd. “These Solemn Guards are an infestation that threatens to wipe out our land. “ He continued, “How long can we last, cut off from the world? Weeks? Months? Eventually we will be the only ones left, a bunch of cowards hiding in a bubble.”

“Sorry to interrupt your moment,” Rainbow Dash said, “But I think they’re back.” She gestured at a rapidly approaching object in the distance with her hoof.

“How in tarnation did they get so many ponies together so quickly?” Applejack asked, shielding her eyes from the sun to get a closer look. “What the- You girls aren’t gonna like this.”

An enormous white castle mounted on floating slabs of marble was floating through the air, seemingly unaffected by gravity. It flew extremely quickly, painting a shadow over the land in a smooth gliding manner. It was by no means slow, but its pace didn’t feel hurried. It came to a halt just outside of the force field surrounding Canterlot. A gate opened from the side and two ponies flew out, gliding gently to the ground. As their hooves touched the earth, the wind outside stopped.

“It’s Crystal Lance! And… an alicorn?” Pinkie Pie said, jumping over the Royal Guards’ heads. The alicorn turned and made eye contact with Pinkie mid jump, sending chills down her spine. “This one’s pretty creepy. Do you think she’s… Tranquility?” The guards became deathly silent at the mention of her name. All eyes turned to the two ponies from the sky.

“So they hide behind their shield in the presence of the light,” the Alicorn murmured to Crystal Lance. “If only they would cooperate.” She approached the force field and touched it gently. A powerful shockwave threw her back, forcing her to steady herself with her wings.

“This will not do. Your lance is required,” Tranquility said to her companion. Crystal Lance fired a beam of blinding white light from the lance he held at his side, but Shining Armor’s force field absorbed it as if nothing had happened. Tranquility frowned slightly, spread her wings, and flew back into the castle, closely followed by Crystal Lance.

The aura of silence that seemed to accompany Tranquility slowly faded as the defenders of Canterlot realized what had just happened. “That,” Applejack said, approaching Shining Armor, “is one hay of a force field.” Her comment broke the ice, and much cheering was had by the guards, most of it praise for Shining Armor.

“Is that it? The big, bad Tranquility that’s going to erase the world can’t even break a force field? Chrysalis got farther than she did.” Rainbow Dash scoffed.

“I’ll admit, she had me worried, but at least we can keep her at bay for now.” Celestia nodded. “It would be wise not to underestimate her. I sensed that her castle moved here by her power alone.”

“Why aren’t you celebrating?” Twilight asked her brother. “We won because of you!”

Shining Armor was frowning and staring at the flying castle. He turned to his sister. “Twilight, you know what this means, right?” he said slowly.

“Um, that we won and you should be happy? Tranquility can’t hurt us in here!” Twilight hugged him but he pushed her away.

“It means that I need to get in there.” Shining Armor pointed at the castle. “And you have the spell to take me.”

“What?! That’s crazy! There’s no way I’m teleporting my big brother anywhere near that castle! What if there’s a thousand Solemn Guards in there?” Twilight asked angrily.

“You heard what I said earlier. We’re not safe forever. We’re just cowards hiding in a bubble, waiting for them to find some way around my force field. They find that way around, and we’re gone. Well, they haven’t yet found a way yet, so it’s the only weapon we have.”

“And? What are you going to do? Trap Tranquility in a bubble and throw her away?” Twilight asked. “Are you even thinking this through?”

“You saw me in the battle. I’m not an idiot, and these force fields can be used in more than one way.” Shining Armor charged his horn, firing it at a nearby tree. A force field formed in the center, expanding outwards with a large cracking noise, splitting the tree in two.

“You mean… you’re going to kill her?” Twilight said.

Shining Armor was resolute. “If that is what I must do.”

“Wait!” A mare’s voice called from the skies as Cadence flew down and hugged her husband. “Please, don’t do this!”

“You saw what they did to the Royal Guard. I made a commitment when I signed up for the guards. I worked my entire life for this. I’m going to defend Canterlot in every way I can.” Shining Armor said.

“Then take me with you,” tears welled up in Cadence’s face. “If something happens to you, I…”

Shining Armor looked straight into her eyes. “I know this will be hard for you, but I need you to stay here and keep the force field up around Canterlot. There’s no guarantee that they’ll let up their attack while I’m gone.

Cadence returned his gaze. “I’m not weak,” she whispered. “I can help.”

“I never said you were,” Shining Armor replied. “What I’m asking you to do would require more strength than anything I could ever do.”

“Promise me that you won’t leave me a widow so soon after our marriage.” Cadence said, weeping.

“I promise,” Shining Armor kissed her, then let her go, turning to his sister. “Are you ready to cast the spell?”

“Am I ready to send my brother to his doom? Who knows what you’ll meet in there?” Twilight said. “But... you have a point. We really don’t have any better options.”

Shining Armor took a deep breath and stood still. “Then do it now, before I change my mind.” Twilight’s horn flashed brightly, and he was gone.

Princess Celestia stepped up to Cadence and put a hoof on her shoulder. “There’s a reason I chose your husband as the Guard Captain. He wasn’t the strongest, nor was he the most magical, but he had something special. He’s a fighter. I knew the day I hired him that he would protect Canterlot with his life.”

Cadence glared at her. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” She brushed Celestia aside and headed back towards the palace.

Celestia turned to Twilight and her friends. “Ready the Elements of Harmony. I didn’t want to say this in front of Cadence, but Tranquility may be too much for Shining Armor to handle. With Discord unable to help, the Elements may be our only hope.” Twilight and the others ran off to fetch their Elements. Celestia turned to Discord.

“Still here, still a statue.” Discord grumbled. A fork crawled over and started scratching Discord’s back. “Ah, that’s better. I was feeling a bit stiff.” He grinned toothily.

“I thought you had no powers left,” Celestia said, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t have any powers left, but it seems my old buddies still listen to me. Aren’t we lucky that I had just finished setting up dinner before I got here?” Discord grinned.

“Aren’t we,” Celestia smiled back. “How big of a dinner was this exactly?”

“You wouldn’t happen to be suggesting I use dinnerware for something… disharmonious, would you, my Princess?” Discord twirled a living butter knife in his claw innocently.

“Actually,” Celestia said, “That’s exactly what I was suggesting.”

Breach

Shining Armor was surrounded by light. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling all glowed with a pure white brilliance. Shielding his eyes from the brightness, he managed to make out a hallway and stepped forward. The sound of his hoof touching the ground resonated throughout the halls, disturbing the perfect silence. It looked as if stealth would not be an option here. He continued forward.

No Solemn Guards set out to stop him. There were no traps and no alarms. Security was surprisingly lax for the Solemn Guard base. Shining Armor kept moving forward, looking for a door, a staircase, anything. There was nothing. No abnormalities in the shining stone, no current of air through any opening. In fact, he couldn’t even tell where he had come from.

Shining Armor’s ears perked up as a gentle voice passed him like a ripple, disturbing the perfect silence. Had it been his imagination? No, it was Tranquility’s voice, too faint to understand, but definitely recognizable as hers. He followed the voice, coming to a dead end. Pressing his ear against the wall, he could hear a conversation.

“Crystal Lance,” A feminine voice, presumably Tranquility’s, called out. “What power could they have had to oppose my light?”

“It is the power of love, milady.” Crystal Lance replied.

“Love? Why have I never experienced a power so strong? Bring me this ‘love’, Crystal Lance,” Tranquility said.

“All of us love you very much, Milady,” Crystal Lance said.

“Our love for you is undying, Your Majesty,” three more voices could be heard. So there were at least five in the room.

“Crystal Lance, what did I create you for? Please remind me,” Tranquility asked.

“I was created to assist in spreading your cleansing light across the world. I was created to fulfill any order, no matter what,” Crystal Lance replied.

“And now you are failing me more and more,” Tranquility replied. “Perhaps it is time for your reward. You may now rest.”

“Milady,” Crystal Lance said. The walls of the castle dimmed.

“Now’s my chance,” Shining Armor thought to himself, blasting a hole in the wall with an expanding force field and rushing in.

He was in a room full of light, even brighter than the rest of the castle. Three Solemn Guards, completely emotionless, stood in a corner. Tranquility was floating in the air, but her wings stayed motionless. Crystal Lance was on the ground, rapidly fading away into nothing.

Shining Armor took a deep breath and fired the most powerful force field he could muster, aimed straight at Tranquility’s head. “Canterlot will not bow down and disappear!” he shouted as the blast rocketed straight towards the alicorn.

The force field stopped just before it made contact with Tranquility’s head. She turned calmly to study it and blinked. The blast disappeared. “And who are you, my lost little pony?” She asked in a hauntingly calm voice.

“That is Shining Armor, Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guards,” replied a Solemn Guard in the corner. Something seemed familiar about him. Shining Armor quickly realized the face of the one Royal Guard who had been kidnapped by Crystal Lance.

“Aegisbright! Snap out of it!” Shining Armor called. “Remember your allegiance to Canterlot!” The Solemn Guard blinked, a little dazed, and then returned to his glassy composure.

“I follow the light now,” he said, firing a blast of white light from his spear and knocking Shining Armor down.

Back in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle was pacing rapidly back and forth. “He’s been gone for far too long. It’s been hours already! I mean, even if he beats her, how is he going to get out? What if the Castle crashes?”

Fluttershy comforted her with a blanket. “I know you’re worried, but it’s already nighttime. Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep with the other ponies?”

“There’s no way I can sleep with my brother in there,” Twilight said, staring back at the castle that shone like a star in the middle of the night.

“Wait, something’s coming down! Look! It’s Shining Armor!” Applejack said. “He must’ve won! I knew your brother wouldn’t let us down!”

Twilight Sparkle looked up to see the silhouette of her brother, dark against the Castle’s radiance, descending towards the ground on a floating slab of marble. As he came closer, Twilight’s feelings changed from relief to horror. “That’s not my brother,” she whispered, blinking slowly. The moonlight passed over Shining Armor’s form, revealing a unicorn of pure white with the cutie mark of a shield, barely visible beneath the symbol of a glowing winged horseshoe.

Celestia flew down and landed next to Twilight. “Are the Elements ready?” Twilight glanced at her friends and nodded. She then went to Princess Cadence, who was watching with horror as her husband approached the force field. “Stay strong, Cadence. He’s not Shining Armor anymore.”

The gates of the flying castle opened and Tranquility descended, landing next to Shining Armor. “What did you do to my brother you monster?!” Twilight shouted. Tranquility did not respond, instead nodding towards Shining Armor. He charged up his horn and fired at the force field surrounding Canterlot.

The force field shook and a loud cracking noise could be heard throughout Canterlot. Cadence struggled to keep it up, her horn nearly overloading with magic. Another blast was fired, but the force field held strong. Whatever guards were left were rallying by the Princess, ready to defend her should the need arise.

Her husband was strong and knew more about force fields than she did, but Cadence had been through worse. She had experienced the lowest of the lowest despairs, knowing on her wedding day that she had lost her true love to a pretender who kept her alive only to torment her, planning to dispose of her lifeless corpse when she had finished. Love had gotten her through this. She took a deep breath and let it go, slowly raising her head.

It was then that she made the mistake of making eye contact with Shining Armor. “What has she done to you?” Cadence whispered, a tear falling down her cheek. The force field cracked.

“Stay focused, Cadence! All of Canterlot depends on you!” Celestia ordered. But Cadence was quickly losing her will. Sections of force field fell down as she slumped to the ground, burying her head in her hooves, crushed by the cruelty of the world.

“I’m sorry,” Cadence said, completely drained of magic. “I’m just so tired.”

Tranquility glanced at Canterlot’s destroyed defenses and smiled. “You have done well, my new Guard.” She patted Shining Armor on the shoulder. “I may still have use for you. Recover your strength.” Shining Armor nodded and stood to the side.

Princess Celestia flew down, landing between Tranquility and Canterlot. “That’s as far as you go,” she said with narrowed eyes, wings flared. Tranquility paid her no mind, firing a beam of light from her horn and striking the princess.

A flood of light overwhelmed Celestia. Her ghostly, multicolored mane became a pure white, and a glowing winged horseshoe covered her Cutie Mark. “You won’t control me so easily,” she said, legs buckling with pain. Despite the direct hit, she seemed to still retain her will. “NOW!”

Twilight and her friends, who had been sneaking behind Tranquility glowed brightly, lifted into the air by the power of the Elements of Harmony. The Royal Guards cheered as a wave of bright rainbow light coursed over Tranquility, making her take a step back.

Tranquility’s eyes narrowed as the wave of light ended. She was completely unharmed. “Such silly little lambs, to harm a being of Harmony with Harmonious magic,” she said. “You have nothing left, so please surrender yourselves and avoid this needless quarrel.”

“Oh, is that so?” A storm of forks and knives flew out of a nearby tent, dive-bombing Tranquility. They disintegrated before they could reach her.

“The draconequus,” Tranquility turned. Her calm disposition had been cracked, ever so slightly. She was starting to look annoyed.

“The one and only,” Discord, still encased in stone, rode out of the tent on a bed of silverware. “Sic her,” he said, pointing at Tranquility.

Two dining tables that had been lying on the battlefield sprang into action, barking like wild dogs and pinning Tranquility to the ground. Several teapots emptied their piping hot contents on the whole mess.

“Enough already!” Tranquility wore a mask of pure rage, letting loose a pulse of radiance that destroyed all of Discord’s minions. “Time for you all to accept the light!” She flew into the air, firing pulse after pulse of radiant energy. Ponies were struck left and right, losing the color of their coats and manes, branded by a glowing winged horseshoe.

“All is lost,” Celestia said, looking at the destruction around her before a stray blast of light hit her, knocking her unconscious as she resisted it with all of her will.

“You will stop destroying our kingdom at once!” a resonating voice came from the heavens as Princess Luna descended from the moon in a chariot of black, surrounded by a small army of bat ponies.

“It’s the nightguard! We have a chance!” One of the Royal Guards shouted. The forty or so remaining guards flew up to the Princess as a barrage of bat ponies swamped Tranquility.

“Be careful Princess, you’re the only one left. Celestia’s down for the count and Discord is powerless. The Elements had no effect on our enemy, and she seems to possess a very strong mind control. What are your orders?” The cloud of bat ponies around Tranquility was already thinning as dozens fell to the ground, branded by that dreaded mark. Luna noticed, among other things, Twilight Sparkle being hit by a blast of light and falling to the ground, dropping a familiar looking book out of her saddlebag.

“We need to cut our losses. I have a plan, but you have to trust me. I need all the time I can get, and you may not make it out of here,” Princess Luna said, analyzing the situation.

“Then the Royal Guards will buy you all the time we can,” the Royal Guards took off, joining the swarm of bat ponies in a cyclone of black and white.

Luna flew downwards, snatching up the converted Shining Armor in her hooves, taking him next to Cadence and Discord. “Tranquility did not order this,” he said in monotone, but put up no resistance, mindlessly staring into the night sky.

Luna turned her head to where Twilight Sparkle and her friends were, but the swarm of Guards wasn’t going to hold back Tranquility any longer. She had no time to save them. Levitating Twilight’s book over to her, she flipped through rapidly until she arrived at the teleportation spell Twilight had used to send Shining Armor into the castle. “That’s two I owe you, Starswirl,” she muttered, as she welled up her power.

Tranquility dispatched the last of the guards covering her only to find that the mysterious blue alicorn that had challenged her had vanished. She landed gently on the ground, joined by several hundred of her newly converted guards, and approached Twilight Sparkle. “I understand you’re proficient at teleportation.” She said, smiling sweetly.

Into the Abyss

Luna, Discord, Shining Armor, and an unconscious Cadence materialized in the dark. “Not that I’m complaining, but how are we alive?” Discord asked.

“We used Starswirl the Bearded’s teleport spell to flee to the gem caves beneath Canterlot,” Luna said, firing a beam of energy at a nearby gemstone, illuminating the darkness.

Cadence woke up and took a look around. “This place brings back bad memories. Why’d you choose these caves specifically? The Crystal Empire could offer us shelter if we went there instead.” She glanced at Shining Armor, who was still completely brain-dead.

“We have reason to believe that the Crystal Empire is under attack at best, and already fallen at worst,” Luna said. “Also, since the Changeling Invasion, the nightguard have been out looking for the changeling hive. We have found absolutely nothing.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with anything…” Discord said.

“The Nightwatch are not only renowned for their speed, strength, and bravery in battle, but also espionage,” Cadence explained. “They are the perfect spies, operating when everypony is asleep, able to see everything, hear everything, even see around corners, due to echolocation. If they were all over Equestria looking for the Hive and found nothing…”

“Chrysalis’ knowledge of the caves beneath Canterlot and her choosing to hide you there should’ve been a bigger clue. They live beneath us.” Luna said, heading off towards a mineshaft.

“Chrysalis is dangerous! You don’t know what she’s capable of doing!” Cadence shouted, running after Luna. “This is ridiculous. You’re saving us from certain doom only to land us back in there!”

“We have a plan,” Luna said. She reached a large vertical drop and dove in. “Make sure that Shining Armor and Discord get down here too.”

Cadence took a deep breath and let it go. “What do I have left to lose?” She muttered, scooping up her husband on her back and floating down after Luna.

“Oh don’t mind me, just a stone, flightless Draconequus dragging his stone, flightless feet,” Discord said, jumping into the hole and bouncing against the walls several times on the way down.

Luna landed quietly on the floor of the pit. “Tread carefully,” Luna said, “We don’t know what to expect down here.” Discord landed at the bottom in a loud crash, shattering several gems. The sound echoed throughout the caverns as Cadence dropped down, setting the zombified Shining Armor down rather roughly. “Nevermind,” Luna sighed, peering into a nearby dark hallway. After she turned her head away, several glowing blue eyes peered back.

“Chrysalis! We need to talk,” Luna said, shining her horn like a flashlight into the darkness. There was no response.

“What would you want to talk to Chrysalis for, anyway? She wouldn’t help us,” Cadence said.

“Tranquility plans on wiping out all life in Equestria. This includes the changelings,” Luna said. “Changelings only seek to ensure their own survival. We’re not expecting full cooperation, but at least a fair trade.”

“What kind of trade would you make with that monster?” Cadence asked. “What can she do that can help us in a situation like this?”

“Shining armor is the only thing we have that can stop Tranquility’s magic. He happens to be under Tranquility’s mind control. What other mind control can you think of that we might be able to override it with?” Luna said, stopping to turn and face Cadence. “So, will you do it?”

“Was it that obvious?” Cadence asked, before burning up in green flame. Her pink coat melted away, becoming a hard, scaly black shell. Her man thinned and grew out, turning darker, bluer, merging into a single color. As the Changeling Queen stood to face Luna, hundreds of changelings poured in from each direction. A group of changelings marched in, carrying the real Cadence, bound and gagged. “So you want some mind control?” Luna nodded. “It will have to cost you.”

“But surely you want Tranquility stopped as well!” Luna cried. “Why should we have to pay? What do we have that you want?”

“While it is true that it’s been difficult to… feast lately, think about how long it took for the nightwatch to find us, if they ever truly did. Do you really think that the Solemn Guard will have a chance? Changelings will always survive.” Chrysalis said.

“Thou are bluffing. Changelings are parasites. Without anything to feed off of, you’ll die off too!” Luna protested.

“Well, that’s true, but you will disappear first,” Chrysalis said. “Of course, I’m not ruling out the notion of helping you. In fact, I’m quite for it. I would be happy to take Shining Armor under my control again. I just require some payment first.”

“Name your price,” Luna said. Chrysalis smiled like a hyena eyeing its prey, circling the Princess of the night with a hunger in her eyes.

“As I said, it’s been so difficult to get a good meal in lately. My price for controlling Shining Armor will be… your personal feelings, Princess Luna,” Chrysalis said.

“Thou are being ridiculous. We have no feelings to give to anypony, what would thou take?” Luna asked indignantly.

“Oh but you do, perhaps without even realizing it. We changelings can sense these things, and it makes us so… hungry. So do you agree? You will get your mind control and I will get my feast,” Chrysalis said, eyeing Luna.

“Very well, but make it quick,” Luna said, immediately regretting it as a swarm of changelings covered her, pinning her down and lifting her head. She turned her gaze upwards to see Chrysalis descending upon her like a starving wolf on a piece of raw meat.

Pain. Sorrow. Hatred. Despair. All of these feelings flashed through Luna’s mind as she felt her very essence being drawn out through her skull, feeding the enormous parasite that was the Changeling Queen. Her wings flared and shut, as if trying to fly away from this terrible feeling. Her legs wiggled, held still by changelings as they watched their queen eat. It lasted for what seemed like hours. Shining Armor watched, emotionless.

The changelings released Luna and she rose on shaky legs. “We fulfilled our part of the bargain,” she said, trying to sound as if there were some shred of strength left in her. “Now we have instructions for you.”

The changelings untied Princess Cadence, and Chrysalis stretched her insectoid wings. “My, that was a nice meal. I haven’t eaten like that in ages. Do come knocking if you ever want to make this deal again. And don’t bother telling me the instructions. I stole them out of your head while you were helpless.” She struck Shining Armor with a powerful blast of green.

Shining Armor’s eyes swirled as he turned to face his attacker. Chrysalis transformed into Princess Cadence, approaching him slowly while increasing the power of her beam. “There there, darling. It’s me, remember? Why don’t you just relax and let your mind go blank?”

Princess Luna restrained the real Princess Cadence, who was fuming with anger with no idea of what was going on. Chrysalis continued.

“There is no Tranquility. There is no light. There is only me. Princess Cadence, your beloved wife.” Shining Armor blinked slowly.

“Ca…dence…” He said. Chrysalis rolled her eyes. Mind control always turned men into buffoons.

“Why don’t you be a dear and walk over to that pony over there. Can you tell me her name?” Chrysalis asked, gesturing towards the real Princess Cadence.

“Ca…dence?” Shining Armor asked. Discord stifled a snicker as Shining Armor approached Cadence. The two met and touched horns. A spiral of light lifted the two ponies off of their feet, wiping Tranquility’s mark from Shining Armor’s body and restoring his color. Chrysalis ceased casting her spell and flew off into one of the side tunnels, followed by her legion of changelings.

“What happened?” Shining Armor asked as Cadence hugged him. “Last thing I remember was my attack on Tranquility’s castle…”

“You failed,” Luna said. “And we brought you back. You’re in the gem caves beneath Canterlot, and Canterlot has fallen. Your sister, your guards, and the palace are all under Tranquility’s control.”

“You have a plan then?” Shining Armor asked. Luna flipped through Starswirl the Bearded’s book of spells.

“This spell here, and it’s our last shot. Normally it requires the Elements of Harmony, but they were lost in battle,” Luna placed the book open on the ground. “So we will have to supply the large amount of magic required.”

“That’s the restoration spell used to free Discord from stone!” Cadence said. “But won’t he just get turned back into stone when Tranquility finds him?”

“Why else would we spend our remaining resources rescuing the only two ponies in Equestria capable of deflecting Tranquility’s magic with force fields?” Luna asked.