A Sparkling Romance: The Rule of Twoby Jake8765Chapters<2> Lovers' Quarrel<3> Mirror Mayhem<4> Old Wounds <5> Bring in the Clones<6> A Normal Day in Ponyville<7> The Changeling Crisis<8> Morality [Part One]<9> Morality [Part Two]<10> Invasion of the Crystal Empire<1> Captive Lovers<2> Lovers' QuarrelChapter Two: Lovers' Quarrel A gentle breeze billowed through the balcony of the darkened, dilapidated castle. Entering the balcony, one would find the throne room, dimly lit with torches lining the walls of the corridors. A gastly air seemed to eminate from all corners of the room, bringing a feeling of sadness and depression upon any living thing inside. The room was devoid of any life though, save for a few spiderwebs, rodents and maggots. From a stray hole in the wall, a spider sneakily crawled from it's interior and sprinted to the balcony's open door, and billowing curtains. To the spider, everything was gigantic to it's point of view. It's 8 speck-sized red eyes darted to the top-right, and sunk back in amazement at the sight before the arachnid's many, many pupils. It's eyes widened in shock as a massive circular shadow loomed over it, getting darker and darker with every inch. The arthropod attempted to scuttle away before it's fate would be decided. And it's fate had been decided, with a big black hoof. As if a squeal of pain echoed off the walls of the throne room, the death of the spider was met with a satifying crunch, along with the mournful crackle of the insect's exoskeleton. The black hoof, coated in silver armor retracted from the remains of the insect, leaving behind a bit of gooey liquid on the floor. The stallion's forearm raised up to chin level with a sadistic, if not gleeful expression. A croaky chuckle escaped the stallion's throat as a harsh breeze blew through his silky black mane and matching sideburns, and the red cape by his side fluttered in the newfound breeze. A purple mist trailed from the green eyes of the dark monster. A millennium's age, with the patience of stone, the great King Sombra stood before the balcony overlooking the wasteland of a kingdom, and savagely licked the spider into his mouth, with another crunch akin to the same from the kill blow his hoof had dealt to the now deceased arachnid. Not long into his relishing, a door marked with a green arcane-esque symbol shuttered open, and without even a turn of Sombra's head, he already knew who the figure was that had just entered his domain. "Greetings, my dearest king. I trust you are relishing in your recent victory?" an echoing, layered voice rang from the errie silence, as if two voices had spoke in unison. The mighty king turned from his blissful stance to face the voice in question. "Indeed. I was merely reveling in the facilitation of Phillydelphia your Changeling army has provided." King Sombra's voice reverberated similarly to the queen speaking to him. The Changeling Queen remarked cheerfully to his statement. "Only another pathetic landmark we have conquered. Only to add to the several others we've already crushed." the lanky Queen continued with impatience. "I'm growing a bit weary of needlessly conquering cities. When shall we strike our main objective?" "Still yourself, Chrysalis. You must have patience before you will achieve victory. Of course, we could rally our troops in an ill-fated spirit run on Canterlot in an hour or so, but where's the logic in that?" Sombra asked, and Chrysalis opened her mouth to argue, but the king pressed on his testiment. "Before we engage with Equestria's capital, we must ensure that Canterlot is good and distracted. That is when our plans can be carried out." Sombra spoke in a tone that held utter calmness. "And then what shall happen?" Chrysalis asked in anticipation. The King of Darkness's furrowed his brow as a smile of sick pleasure twisted his muzzle. "That's for another day, Chrysalis. For now, let me celebrate my insured victory." Sombra said, and with a throaty chuckle, he turned his back to the balcony once more as Chrysalis bowed and took her leave from his throne room. High in the sky, deep in the unknown reaches of the Everfree Forest, an indigo light flashed brightly, glaring down on the surface like a mass of blue flames. Twilight and Aqua instantaneously took form within the mass of light. However, as soon as the pair emerged from it, they immediately dropped out of the sky akin to a fallen bird plummeting to the ground. Clutching onto her coltfriend's back, Twilight's muzzle wore a face of fright, closing her eyes as she buried her head in his neck, as Aqua gritted his teeth and desperately managed to steer himself. The combined weight Twilight posed on him did not help the situation no less. With a twist of his foreleg, he pulled a dense pile of leaves into an open clearing, then fully surrendered to the inhumane curse of gravity. CRASH! What would've been a bone-shattering smash against the cold, hard dirt was prevented by a rather smooth crash landing into the condensed pile of leaves, alleviating the pain of the landing. Twilight groaned in distain as she rolled off of Aqua's back and laid on her own, panting from exhaustion. Aqua however, taking the blunt of the fall, was happy to have not been injured severely. Getting up from her facsimile cushion, Twilight stretched her legs with an involuntarily crackle, turning to offer a hoof to Aqua, still spawled on the forest floor. "Are you ok, Aqua?" Twilight asked with concern as Aqua hoisted himself from the forest floor. "Well, besides the back pain, I suppose I'll manage," Aqua answered as he brushed stray leaves from his tunic, "Though I'd be more worried about you." "Just a little jolted from the bumpy ride, but I'm fine." Twilight said as she pawed at the ground before looking up at the sky with a frown. "Please don't tell me we're where I think we are." Aqua took a moment to survey the surrounding area, then planted a hoof to stroke the blue hair accompanying his chin. "Perhaps we landed, or if you will, crash-landed in a recess in the Everfree Forest. Can't make out where, though." Twilight eye's widened in surprise as she glowered at the pegasus Jedi. "So now we have no idea where we are," she said with a groan, "Great. Now how are we supposed to find our way home?" "Take it easy, I'll find a way." Aqua said as he turned his back and took a step forward before plopping onto his haunches. Twilight heard him take a deep breath as his wings unfurled, his body now hovering off the ground. Minutes passed before he settled onto the ground with an exhale, standing up to face her. "Ponyville is most likely in that direction." Aqua said as he gestured a hoof to his right. Twilight tilted her head with confusion. "You can't be certain it's that way. These woods are like a natural maze." Twilight said. Aqua turned his neck to the side as he began marching in his direction. "I would've expected you, the smartest mare in Ponyville to know her way around the woods, after studing it in that geography book I lent you a few hundred times." Aqua teased, a small smirk crossing his face, receiving a love tap on the shoulder. A caw of a flock of birds echoed off the trees as the pair disappeared through the brush and bushes. "Hey Aqua, do you think the forest changes everytime we go in it?" Twilight asked curiously. An occasional bramble here and there, and the two begun to notice the fatigue overtaking them. The crash landing, along with the complex teleportation spell, had depleted them of most of their energies. Another concern was a distant snarl from the bushes, prompting them to hurry forward, their hoofsteps crunching against the leaves. Twilight stared up at the sky, noticing the sun now beginning to reach mid-height. Her distracted state, however, resulted in her bumping into Aqua from behind. "Are you nervous about something?" Aqua asked. "Oh. No, just looking at the sky a bit. Any idea what time it is?" Aqua stopped suddenly, glancing at a nearby tree, before facing her. "If you had a compass on you, I could figure it out with the tree shadows." Aqua said. "Don't bother." Twilight said with a bit of a grimace. "The magnetic polarity here is different than it is in Ponyville. Watches, compasses, somehow even maps just go nuts in this forest." Aqua's ears drooped as he started trotting again. "Well we have no idea where we are, and no way to tell what time it is." he said, a blue hoof striking its owner's forehead. "Yeaah, this'll work out just fine." Twilight quipped as she tossed a nearby stone across a puddle. Aqua lowered his head in frustration as he dropped to his haunch. "May as well set up camp. We may be here a while. What do you think?" Aqua said. "Best idea I can think of." Twilight said as she dropped her saddlebag to the ground and opened it, fishing out a water bottle, and offered it to him. He accepted it with a smile before unfastening the robe to his tunic, letting it drop amongst the leaves. Igniting his lightsaber, Aqua trotted towards a nearby tree, and swung hard at it. A sharp crackle reverberated through the area as the tree fell. Twilight watched as three more met the first tree's fate. "Um, do you need help with this?" Twilight asked. "No, I've got this taken care of. Why don't you go relax for now?" Aqua said as he started levitating leaves onto the top of the makeshift canopy. The lavendar mare decided to trot away to a clearing, and as she pulled a book from her saddlebag, she cast another glance at Aqua with a smile, and began reading. Shortly in the first chapter of it, she soon drifted off to sleep. Queen Chrysalis strolled through the corridor at a brisk pace, accompanied by a Changeling in black armor. The hall was decorated with the usual you would expect a Changeling hive to be; green slime hardened over into crusty hives, cobwebs, the occasional drone attending to a ruptured hive. All reministic to the hive to a swarm of bees. The queen was outfitted in a black cape, very well hiding the lankiness of her body. To the insects that were her clan, they paid it no mind but as an aesthetic choice. She finally reached the door when she made a gesture with her hoof, silently telling the guard that he was dismissed. When she was alone, she put a forearm to the door and slid it open like a glass patio door. With his back once more to her was King Sombra, now positioned on the crystal covered throne of the palace room. The dark king's eyes were closed, giving off the impression of sheer tranquility. Chrysalis approached the throne regally, and bowed to him. Chrysalis waited patiently for Sombra to make any interaction, to break from his meditation. A deep, masculine breath seemed to escape the corrupt unicorn's throat as he sat in his peace. Seconds turned to minutes before Sombra finally opened his eyes, and turned his throne to her diarch companion. "Thank you for coming, Queen Chrysalis. I sense you are wondering why I have called you here?" Sombra said in a tone that would've made anypony else besides them quiver in their horseshoes. Chrysalis rose her head in acknowledgement. "The guard escort had detailed to me that it is of great importance." "Yes. It appears I have located a lone Jedi, deep in the recesses of the Everfree Forest." Chrysalis' eyes widened slightly as she kept her head raised. "A Jedi? At last." Chrysalis said with an almost relieved sigh. "Indeed, Chrysalis. Along with his little friend...oh what's the name?" Sombra began, tapping his chin with his hoof, "Ah yes, the ever more magical Twilight Sparkle." "Are you sure?" Chrysalis asked in bewilderment. Sombra stamped his hoof on the armrest of his throne, producing a heavy clank, echoing through the room and even beyond the halls. "Do you doubt my powers, Chrysalis? The same power rivaling that of the Princesses ruling over this country?" he said with a prideful smile. "I would never doubt you in the least, my king! What do you plan on doing about this Jedi?" Sick pleasure stormed through Sombra's mind, and as it happened he licked his lips blissfully, his eyes turning redder and redder with each second passing. He rose from the throne, and stepped down to face the kneeling Changeling. "We shall make a little visit." Sombra whispered, pure venom seeping through his words like the venom from a Manticore stinger. The faint sound of raindrops fell upon the dry forest floor. In the clearing laid the purple mare, spawled across the dirt on her side, clutching the book she was reading in her forehooves. Her mane was slightly disheveled from her slumber, and her body was sparkling with the drops of rain. Aqua exited the door of his campsite to find the mare in her position, and took note to notice all of her features. He noticed that she was also drooling a bit. With a playful roll of his eyes, Aqua hoisted her by her legs and situated her on his back, and without a word, Aqua carried Twilight back into the campsite as the sprinkle of rain increased to a practical downpour. It was much more spacious than it looked from the inside, and had the appearance of an old log cabin, save a few windows, but they were no concern to him. Closing the 'door', or rather levitating a massive log of wood to block the entrance from intruders and rain, Aqua rested Twilight on a pillow he had retrieved from his saddlebag. Thank Celestia he had brought it with him when he thought the negotiations at Fillydelphia would take a long time. Nonetheless, he threw a spare log over the now growing fire he had constructed moments prior. In only a minute or so, Twilight was woken up by the crackling flames, and she jolted awake with a fright. "Oh Celestia, is the forest burning?!" Twilight shrieked as she flailed her hooves in fear. Aqua held her tightly to quell the panicked mare. "It's alright, it's just a campfire I made." Aqua said in a chilled voice. Twilight tilted her head in disbelief. "You...made a fire...in a wooden campsite?!" Twilight hollered as panic overtook her fully now. "Relax! It's not going to burn, look around." Aqua said, motioning around the large room. It was indeed quite spacious to the mare, the fire contained by dark stones in the middle of the room could not burn anything around it, not if Aqua had anything to do about it. A table and bookshelf was also constructed, albeit a bit of shoddy workmenship was evident without powertools being around. "Ohh, ermm, how long was I asleep for?" Twilight asked in confusion. "Only long enough for me to make this little hut. Took me the better half of twenty minutes, and that's just building the table and shelf." Aqua explained as he flopped onto his back with a tired groan. "Well it's pretty nice, very...roomy." Twilight said before she facehooved, "Oh shoot, I just remembered!" Her horn glittered as she opened her bag, revealing a few simple bedsheets tucked that were sandwiched inside, and spread them out on the floor. Aqua took a moment to gaze at their saddlebags. "Exactly why did we bring that?" Aqua asked, noting the strangeness of their supplies. "Well...remember a few nights ago? The night after Pinkie and I got rid of all her clones, and she threw that huge party?" Twilight asked as she blushed fiercely. "Oh...that. Well. Now I see why you brought extra sheets in case." Aqua said as he awkwardly turned on his side. "Hey, you brought it up with the bag. You were all like, 'We may be in Fillydelphia for a while; we may as well pack extra sheets.'" Twilight said as she intimidated the Jedi's voice, as if she were mocking him. Aqua tried his hardest to keep his poker face, but almost broke under the hilarity of her bad imitation. Rolling his eyes, he simply hurled his nearby pillow square into Twilight's face, knocking her completely off balance. Her eyes narrowed to near slits as she levitated both pillows, ready to strike. "Oh so you wanna play rough now, huh? Go on, big boy." Twilight teased as she hurled the pillows back at him, only for Aqua to push them away with the Force like they were flies. She nearly gulped as Aqua pawed at the ground, removing his robe once more, exposing the form-fitting tunic covering him, and as he pounced onto the lavendar mare onto the pillows before she could raise her shield, and he rose a hoof to strike her in the most pleasant way possible. By tickling her. Aqua ran his hoof along Twilight's stomach, causing the mare to burst out into giggles. "N-No! S-Stop it, I'm ticklish!" Twilight gushed, beating her forehooves against Aqua's chest, but it was futile. Twilight was getting tickled, and she was helpless. Aqua continued his attack, bringing her hoof to Twilight's lower leg, unearthing another wave of laughter from the mare. "No! P-Please! Not there! Not there!" Twilight screamed in delight as she had her leg tickled beyond repair. Up her waist, all the way to her flank, she was tickled by Aqua. Minutes passed while her laughter echoed through the hut so loud the logs shook from it. He had been merciful up until now, but now was to close the deal. Getting up, Aqua heard her gasping for breath from her laughter, and a smile crept on his face as he lowered himself in front of her back hooves. Twilight eyed him with suspicion before her eyes widened. "Celestia be marked, don't you dare, Aqua Blue!" Twilight cried, but it was inevitable. Aqua brought his hoof across her right back hoof, fiddling with the round surface of it like a rag doll, elicting even louder cries that any creature outside the hut would be utterly confused on what had been transpiring. Everything was good until a deep rumble shook the hut, jolting the inhabitants out of their enjoyment. "W-Wait, stop! What--What was that?" Twilight asked in between her gasps for breath and of terror. Another rumble took place, as if something massive was heading towards them. "Whatever it is, it wants us for a snack." Aqua said as another jolt caused a loose plank of wood to smash the ashes of the fire, putting out the flame with a few sparks. Twilight steadily held onto the shelf for balance on her shaky legs before another jolt rocked the log guarding the entrance away, exposing them to the darkness. Aqua ran out of the hut with Twilight in tow, they heard crashing steps in the wake of the bushes, and as they stood in fear, they saw red eyes peering from the bushes accompanied by a low growl. In a flash, the entity revealed itself and jumped from the bush, showing itself to be a snarling Manticore. Deja vu hit Aqua like a saddlebag of bricks as he readied his lightsaber, and as the roaring monster reared onto it's hind legs, Aqua stood on his own legs covering Twilight. As he dashed towards the Manticore, he swung dead on for it, along with another jolt of deja vu to painfully strike him, in the form of the lion hybrid's claws. SLASH! The two opponents exchanged blows for a brief moment, and with a few swipes of his saber, the fangs, a claw or two, and the tip of it's stinger was bisected clean off the beast, but aside the cosmetic damage, it was uneffected. Aqua was not so lucky this time. In the same place as before, his shoulder had been slashed by the Manticore, re-opening the healed skin of the woung from months prior. Along with a few good slashes to his back leg and cheek, Aqua was downed. Twilight screamed in fear as the beast grabbed him by the throat and roared, thrashing him against the tree, leaving a smear of blood against Aqua's head from the impact. Aqua bitterly spat blood at it's face, igniting another roar that basically said You're boned now. As it readied itself for the kill blow, a loud thwack resounded through the woods. The Manticore was struck in the back of the head with a massive log of wood, bringing it down in a second. Aqua slid to the ground, bleeding, and a magically exhausted Twilight ran to his side. "Aqua, you're really hurt!" Twilight screamed, picking him up from the ground. Aqua rolled his eyes to the ground in shame. "I'm fine." he said between a mouthful of blood building in his throat. His tunic was torn and ripped from the sudden ambush, and he was battered horribly, shoulder bruised, and slashes all over him, blood escaping almost constantly. "No! You're literally bleeding! We need to get you help!" Twilight said as a bit of his blood seeped onto her coat. "I...don't need it. I can heal it." Aqua said, drawing the Force on his wounds, and pressure built on his wounds, slowly stopping the blood loss, but he was still unable to walk. He dropped to the floor with a shaky groan, his energy finally depleted. "I...need to stay here. I need to rest." Aqua said as he tried crawling to the hut, but Twilight firmly put a hoof down on his tail "You are not staying here. You're coming with me." Twilight asserted, hoisting him over her shoulder as she walked him from the hut, and another growl escaped the bushes. Fear struck Twilight, and Aqua closed his eyes in dispair. Another Manticore burst from it, angrier than the last, and towered over the two with the intent to kill. That is, until Aqua noticed the stinger missing. The Manticore instantly recognized Aqua, and it shifted to the near dead brother of it's clan. With a purr, the beast lowered to Aqua, and grabbed him gently. Aqua's body did not resist as he rested on it's red, wild mane. Twilight winked out onto it's back as well, and the Manticore took off with them. "Where's it taking us?" Twilight asked. "It's...taking us...to it's village. I made friends with it's clan, but...some weren't so well-receiving." Aqua moaned, blood now barely escaping his wounds. Pain rattled his lungs, and he lost consciousness in Twilight's hooves. Twilight let out a yell of fear as she clutched her coltfriend for as long as she could, praying he would stay alive, crying silently all during the ride. Minutes passed quietly before Twilight finally opened her eyes, snuggling Aqua deeply as the ride came to an end. Dropping to the ground with him on her back, Twilight nervously lugged him to a nearby hut. The whole village was filled with tribal masks, torches, symbols of far off places, and the corpses of last night meals for the beasts. Twilight pinched her muzzle to block out the smell of the rotting flesh as she followed the Manticore to the main hut of the village. As soon as she entered it, all the beasts' eyes narrowed to her, but as they saw the blue stallion laying on her back at near death, they softened. Twilight knew she couldn't speak their language, but she was overwhelmed with dispair. She desperately screamed at the top of her lungs. "Help! Someone help! Please, my husband is dying!" The Manticore wit her roared in distress to the others, and all the beasts in the hut surged to action. Aqua was put onto a smooth, wooden table, and a roar called to someone nearby. A zebra trotted towards the scene, taking in every grim detail on Aqua's body. He was striped black and white, jewelery adorning his ears and neck, and wearing glasses. He took a face of concern as he saw Twilight, not holding back her tears as she held his unconcious hoof. "What happened to him?" he asked, taking out a first aid kit. "H-He was attacked by one of these...these monsters! You monsters did this! You hurt my husband!" Twlight screamed, ready to kill each Manticore in the room as the zebra held her back. A Manticore roared to him, and he translated it's call. "Please. Do not hate the beasts. That one Manticore was not like the others. Full of anger, and aggression. Not like these others. It was an outcast to them, and they went after it when it heard...laughter. What seemed like much joyous laughter." the zebra said in a sympathetic tone. Twilight instantly felt guilty for what had happened, and swung for the zebra nurse. "He's not going to die, will he?! He can't! He just can't!" Twilight shrieked, cupping her eyes as waterworks were unleashed. "You are acting hysterical. Please calm down, he will not die. He just needs to rest for a few hours while I tend to his wounds." the zebra said as he shooed Twilight to a corner of the room so he could focus on Aqua. Twilight guiltily glanced over to the Manticores beside her, and she then turned to the unconscious form of her husband, and the zebra began to work on him. Twilight could not stop another flood of tears to leave her purple eyes, and as she watched on, she only had one thought in her mind. It's all my fault... <3> Mirror MayhemChapter Three: Mirror Mayhem Darkness. Darkness was everywhere. Darkness enshrouded the entire plain of existance. Everything was a massive void of utter blackness. Not like space, however. There were no stars, no planets in the ever expanding backround, no sun nor moon. No way to hear you scream. Not that it really mattered at the moment, because the only inhabitant was unconcious at the time. And that one pony was Aqua Blue. Aqua's body floated aimlessly in the darkness, unmoving, seemingly unscathed from him brush with death at the claws of the now dead Manticore. His face was relaxed, calm and collected, as he drifted upon the void. His body slowly faltered downwards, as if gravity was suddenly pulling down on him. He couldn't resist, obviously in his comatose state. His body becoming more and more of a speck in the bleak realm of existance. Unable to speak, to move or to even think, Aqua finally blinked out of the void with a fade. Wherever he was heading, he had no say in it. "Are you sure he'll be ok?" Twilight worriedly asked as she stuck to the operating table like a moth to a flame. The zebra withdrew his stethoscope from the pegasus' chest. "Quite positive. He'll be concious in about half an hour, but he'll still be groggy. So don't let him do anything stupid," The zebra said as he deposited his aspirator into a nearby drawer. "So what exactly were you two doing in the Everfree at this hour?" Twilight responded, "Well, we were just in Phillydelphia a few hours ago, and we got here and he made this nice hut, then..." A blush flushed over the mare's cheeks as she tried to wiggle around the impending subject. "He...told me a really funny joke." "What was it?" The zebra asked, devoid of all jovial expression. "Err, w-what did the mare say when she fell off a bridge?" Twilight quickly blurted out. "I give up. What did she say?" "Help! I've fallen and I can't giddyup!" Twilight answered, sealing it with a cheesy smile. If there were enough rimshots and groans from the Manticores to go around, Twilight could swear she'd gone deaf from the amount of it. The zebra pinched the bridge of his muzzle in irritation. "Hilarious. I'm sincerely in stitches." The zebra snarked in Twilight's direction. "Anyway! Like I was saying, we were laughing, um, well, I was laughing, and I guess a Manticore was around...need I go on...?" Twilight droned on with a wave of her hoof. "Stop, stop. I've heard enough. Your situation is as poignant as that joke was." "Look, not to sound rude, but is there another zebra named Zecora around here? She's really close to Ponyville, and we're kinda hoping to get there by the end of the day." Twilight asked. "I know the directions. I believe I have a map just lying around here collecting dust. Let me fetch it for you." The zebra said as he turned from Twilight to the downwards staircase. Twilight looked down at Aqua's comatose body laying amidst the table, and she took his limp hoof in her own, and she kissed it, letting it run down the side of her face. With a sigh, she set his hoof back at his side before trotting to the basement with the zebra in search of the map. Where am I? Thoughts began to stream through Aqua's now concious brain as he came to mentally. How long had his brain been inactive for? An hour? Five? He didn't know. Questions raced through his mind already at this rate, too much for him to process. Is Twilight alright? I hope to Celestia she's safe. Wait...where am I now? Aqua awoke, or pseudo-awoke lying on his back, and he found it being rustled by the long stalks of wheat accompanying the field floor. The wheat stalks began swaying in the wind as a few stray dandelions fluttered in the breeze. "What is this place?" Aqua thought out loud as he straightened onto his haunches, shifting uncomfortably against the hard wheat grass. He expected to cringe in pain from his injuries, but he discovered no such things. It was as if he hadn't even been attacked by a Manticore, which he now preferred over his new state of conciousness. He took to his hooves and began trotting in an aimless direction around the everlasting golden wheat fields of hay. The more he trotted in the direction of the sun, the more he heard a feminine voice. "Aqua? Is that you?" The voice asked from some invisible section of the fields. Aqua put a hoof to his ear as he attempted to make out the distorted call. "Is that you, Twilight?" Aqua answered to the disembodied voice. "Over here! Follow my voice!" The mare cried out, her voice gradually growing in volume as Aqua advanced further in the sun's direction. Pushing past the taller strands of wheat, Aqua slowly made out what he was squinting towards. He had begun to see purple colors sticking out from the visible spots through the wheat; purple fur, purple hair, and purple eyes. Finally making out the mare before him, he made no attempt to hide the joy in his smile as he saw his wife. Twilight was grazing the hay short to the ground contently, and when she pulled her head up from the patch, a wide grin spread across the mare's face, and she excitedly rushed to him like an overactive schoolfilly. "Ohmigosh, Aqua! You're ok!" Twilight squealed as Aqua ran for her with open hooves. As Twilight was about to embrace him, she wavered through his body like air, her appearance distorting itself for a few seconds before returning to normal. Confused, Twilight again attempted to hug him, but again, she wavered even harsher, taking longer to fizzle back. She looked up at Aqua with glistening eyes, and Aqua trotted over to her, and hugged her. Sadly, the moment he made contact, he did not expect what happened next. She completely disappeared in his grasp, and all Aqua could feel between his hooves was the sensation of air. He clung to the last shreds of what remained of his wife, and he solemnly dropped to his hind legs defeated. "This can't be real. This is all a dream. And yet...it feels real to me." Aqua mused as he was confused on what action to take. Suddenly, he heard the same voice. "Aqua..." "Twilight? Where are you?" Aqua asked, no answer. He trotted towards the sun, only to hear Twilight's voice behind him. "Wake up, honey..." Twilight's voice rang like a ghost's through the hay fields, confusing Aqua even more. He lowered his head and turned around, only to be completely taken by surprise what he saw. "Aqua! Wake up!" Twilight voice reverberated through Aqua's mind as his eyes widened in surprise. His jaw opened to speak, but the floor suddenly opened beneath him, taking the loose strands of hay with him as he felt the air flow through him, and he fell screaming all the way. Aqua screamed bloody terror as he harshly awoke on the operating table of the hut. His screams echoed through the forest as if he was in the middle of being murdered. A soft, purple hoof touched his unharmed shoulder, and he turned to see Twilight, stuck to his side. "It's ok. It's ok. You're alright now, Aqua. Oh thank Celestia you're ok." Twilight cooed in a motherly tone to the Jedi as she wrapped her hooves around his neck. "H-How long was I unconcious?" Aqua stuttered, still adjusting to being woken up so abrupty. "About 2 hours or so. The zebra kept using healing herbs and potions on you. You got clawed pretty bad from that Manticore." "Well, thank you for saving my life." Aqua said. "You're welcome," Twilight said as she blushed, "And by the way, the zebra told me he knows how to get home." "Zebra? You mean Zecora?" "No silly, I mean the zebra who healed you. He knows where to find Zecora." Twilight answered. Aqua's eyes widened as he realized what he was being told. "Well then we must go find her. Her hut's close to Fluttershy's cottage, so we'll practically be out of the forest by then. We have to go now!" Aqua said as he began rising off the table. "No. You're still in pain. You need to relax while I find her myself." Twilight said as she gently held Aqua onto the table. Aqua strained against her hold as his spine crackled slightly in resisting, "No! I have to protect yo-- arghh!" A sharp, seering pain shot through Aqua's back as his flailing hooves ceased movement. "No. You're not going anywhere until you rest up. You are going to lie right there, and wait for me to come back." Twilight ordered, stamping her hoof at the end of her sentence. "Do you understood?" Aqua was taken aback as his eyes darted about the hut. He glimmered as an idea finally hit him. "You will let me come with you." Aqua said in a suggesting tone, waving his hoof in front of Twilight's face. Twilight was not amused at all. "Did you really think a mind trick would work on me?" Twilight asked as she glared at the Jedi. Her stern gaze made a few beads of sweat appear on his forehead. "No...but it was worth a try." Aqua answered, defeated. He knew attempting a mind trick on the smartest mare in Equestria would've had as likely a chance of success as if she had placed a hundred mental locks on her brain, and if all the keys to them were in locked chests. "Was it really?" Twilight continued, still holding her glare, then shifting into a victorious grin. "If you need me, I'll be out looking for Zecora." And with a playful bop to the nose, Twilight trotted away towards the door, turning back to see Aqua shift under his covers in an ill attempt to escape. "So don't move a muscle~" her singsong voice rang as she stiffened Aqua's blanket with her magic, tucking him into it and nearly encasing him in it like a cacoon. Aqua's ears flattened as he heard Twilight's hoofsteps retreat from the hut, he resigned himself to his imprisonment and put a hoof to his forehead. "I'll try my hardest." Aqua said to nopony in particular, rolling his eyes and staring up at the ceiling. He heard a faint hoofstep before a masculine voice rang. "Some wife you have there, hmm?" The zebra healer remarked with a smirk directed at Aqua. "You have no idea." Aqua groaned as he slid his head to the side and faced the wall. A stray leaf blew across the ground as a distant howl of a Manticore could be heard. It had been hours since their departure from the Changeling Kingdom, but being cooped up there had seemed like decades. The preceding days of activity had been most tiresome, and it seemed nothing would alleviate it. And yet for Sombra, he hadn't felt more alive in a thousand years. His silver-armored hooves stomped against the crunchy brush, crackling upon the leaves as his presence caused a few woodland critters to retreat into their homes. A certain aura emanated from the demonic unicorn, and he gave no care in the world to it but a feeling of pride. In place of his red cape with white trimmings was replaced with a cloak the same color of his skin, covering the silky black mane of his and concealing the head and face. A lowly growl escaped his throat as he trotted beyond the crossroad of bushels. Accompanying him by his side was a tall, lanky alicorn-like pony, Queen Chrysalis, outfitted in a suit of black leather covering the tall and holed legs of the queen. The two walked in errie silence as the wind seemed to force itself into a gale in their presence. The silence ensued before Chrysalis spoke. "Lord Sombra, are we approaching the pool?" "No Chrysalis. You know our plan, do you not? Or must I remind you again?" Sombra answered. "No, my king. The plan is simple. I will follow it with your leadership." Chrysalis said as she lowered her head in recognition. "And you will do so to follow my command, Chrysalis. I assure you we are close, though. Remain patience." Silence resumed as Sombra heard a roar from the bushes. "What is that, Sombra?" Chrysalis asked. A claw extended from the bush, nearly taking Sombra's eye out, but he simply stopped and his horn glowed blood red. The aura engulfed the entire paw of the creature, and with a barely noticeable tilt of his head, the whole monster was thrust harshly out of the bush, colliding with a nearby tree, the force of it's weight taking the entire tree down with a toppling rumble. He smiled happily as the Manticore groggily rushed him, but Sombra was prepared. Lowering his body, he ducked under the beast and with a lick of his lips, plowed his long horn clear into the stomach of the Manticore. It roared in pain as an evil grin was plastered on his face, and with a vivid red flash of light, Sombra winked onto the back of the monster. Wrapping his dark hooves on the neck of the Manticore, Sombra's face turned to sadistic pleasure as he twisted his hooves. A satisfying crack resonated throughout the forest, and in seconds, the Manticore was down, and Sombra victorious. Chrysalis rejoined him before gawking at the fallen corpse. "You killed it, didn't you?" Chrysalis asked in amazement. "Well, it was blocking me. I removed it. Not much of a fight, but it's the most exercise I've gotten in eons." Sombra said as he cracked his back happily. With a smirk, Sombra turned his back and simply began walking away with Chrysalis in tow. A faint chuckle echoed from his lungs as if all the life around him seemed to die instantly. Twilight ran. She ran for her life. Her hooves clashed against the ground as she heard roars echoing behind her. Sweat beaded off her brow as she huffed and quickened her pace. Her horn flaring at a dangerous level, she winked out in a fast sprint, blinding all creatures behind her as she reappeared farther away. Behind a massive rock, Twilight panted in exhaustion as her heart rate returned to normal. "Oh thank Celestia they're gone. Phew! I hate those Timberwolves! That nasty breath of theirs, blech!" Twilight moaned as she inched away from the rocks with worry. Her trot turned into another full-blown sprint as she ran down the dirt road, barely avoiding the tiny pebbles threatening to cause her to stumble. With a glow of her horn, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't need Aqua to follow me wherever I go. I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" Twilight said to herself as a magenta arrow materialized in front of her. Smirking, she ran in the direction of the arrow, following where it pointed her towards. Good old mapfinder spell. Works every time! Twilight's thought interrupted her as her front hoof made direct contact with a log, tripping her up and sending her plummeting. "W-Whoa!" Twilight yelled as she felt air under her hooves, as it turned out she was falling off a steep cliff. Shouts of pain, swears, and other obscenities were heard as she felt scrapes brush against the side of her legs, her flank, and chest. Finally, she toppled over the edge of the cliff, and fell a good 10 feet. "Buck gravity!" Twilight screamed as her horn twinkled, casting her in suspended animation above the ground, saving her from getting a broken neck. Winking back onto her hooves, she nervously glanced around before sighing to herself. "Ok, Aqua probably could've sensed that coming, but hey, I survived that. He could've caught me, but at least I have magic." Shaking her head to remove the twigs from her hair, Twilight trotted from the would-be crash site and into a bush. Emerging from the flora, she gasped to see a hut in front of her. "Zecora's hut! Well...that was easy." Twilight said as she peeked out from the bush. Aqua was sitting upright on the table, delightedly sipping at a bowl of soup before him. He hummed to himself as he saw the zebra face him. "Thank you for taking the time out of your day to help me, kind sir. Not every day I see hospitality around these woods." Aqua said. "It is no trouble at all, my friend. You seem like a nice fellow, and your wife appears just as well. You're lucky the Manticore knew you, or you'd probably be spawled across the dirt decomposing." The zebra answered. Aqua took another sip of his soup, and marveled at the taste in his mouth. "Mmm. This soup is delicious. What exactly's in it?" Aqua asked as he stirred around the contents of the bowl. "Just some carrots, mushrooms, celery, and some sliced olives. I won't tell you how common you can find those type of ingredients." "Delightful. If there's anything I can do to repay you for what you've done, don't hesitate." "It's quite all right. I only ask you get out of this forest safely. Perhaps a visit when you're not incapacitated?" The zebra suggested with a chuckle. "I'll make sure to do that. Maybe when I get directions, I won't get lost. Until then, I leave you with this." Aqua said as he dropped a box on the table. "If it's no trouble, but shouldn't you stay here until your wife comes back. She seemed pretty intent on keeping you here." "Oh, don't worry about me. Twilight may be a bit over the top with my safety, but I assure you, I can very well protect myself. Have a very good evening, Mister...?" "I am Absolin. May we meet again, my friend." The zebra said as Aqua departed the hut. He trotted from the Manticore campsite before he made a note to himself. "Mental note; make sure to visit again." Aqua said to himself as he climbed over a rock. He continued his trek before a stray thought bombarded his brain. I do hope Twilight's alright. Poor dear, she must be still in these woods, or even at the old campsite, being hunted by Manticores or Timberwolves. I have to find her. Aqua told himself as he began hovering above the ground with his wings. He had thought that Twilight and him were supposed to go at a situation together, united as a couple. Of course he knew she meant well, considering the injuries he had sustained. Now he began to notice said injuries had looked as though they had never been struck on him. He continued to think to himself as he avoided a hanging branch. If only Twilight had let me come with her. Certainly she knows if she were to find Zecora, she'd have to come back and bring me with her, on the grounds that I had recovered already. Aqua already knew what his game plan was; to find Twilight somewhere deep in the woods, and bring her back to Ponyville. Maybe she already found her way to Zecora, but I just need to find her too. And if she's already there, maybe we'll cross paths. Though I might get a scolding from her for leaving my rest, but I'd take that rather than have her relay back to me. He continued thinking to himself before getting lost in his thoughts, a common habit he had adapted while he would listen intently to Twilight's magical lessons or lectures, a habit she would point out every so often to tease him. A smile crept onto his muzzle as he relished in his thoughts, before he had gotten a visit from them in the form of a tree. Aqua slammed into the base of said tree, elicting a groan of pain from the stallion as he pried his face off the wood. Shaking his head in frustration, he cursed to himself before dropping onto his hooves and began a steady sprint along the dirt path. A ghastly green mist surrounded his hooves and puffed out with every trot, but he paid it no mind. A low growl accompanied the fog, but he still paid it no mind. Stepping on a twig, Aqua allowed for another roar to sound from the unseen corners of the dense forest. He turned his head to see a wooden clawed foot raise from a nearby bush, and he made no effort to reach for his lightsaber clipped to his side. With a roar, a pack of Timberwolves burst from the bushes, fully green eyes peering down at him and intent on attacking him. Aqua sidestepped to cause a pair of wolves to clash into each other, wooden appendages flying from the scuffle. Aqua turned to see the pack leader glaring down at him with green saliva dripping from it's wooden maw. He smirked as it went to slice at his neck, but Aqua craned to side and emplored a Force Push against the wolf, sending it off the ground and into a nearby tree, causing trigs and branches to fly off it. As another rushed him, the stallion dipped under it and grabbed it's hind leg, and with a sharp twist, the wooden leg snapped off, and the Timberwolf howled in response. With a heave of his forehooves, Aqua battered the downed wolf with it's own leg, shattering it to mere branches and logs, the green glow of it's eyes dissapated. The remaining four all attempted to lash at him, but Aqua quickly jolted skyward, and another collision of Timberwolves resonated through the woods. Taking his chance, Aqua gestured towards a nearby tree, and with a yank of his hoof, the base of it buckled under his Force energy, and he let it drop onto the remaining wolves, completely shattering them to pieces. With a sigh, Aqua wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead before taking his leave. He was a few meters from the scene before he stopped and shuddered. "What is that? I feel so cold." Aqua remarked in confusion, as his form-fitting tunic had protected him from most cold weather, but was no help in seering heat. He took note to see the few tears in his tunic were also mended by Absolin. He smiled faintly at the generosity that had been displayed before a breeze sent a chill down his spine. "Why is it so cold? It feels so unnatural. Just like the one I felt after going through that mirage a few months ago." He said to himself before he began to trot forward again. A sharp crackle of wood echoed in his ears, and Aqua suddenly felt petrified as he heard a faint breath, the sound of hooves crunching against the fallen Timberwolves. The unnerved pegasus slowly turned his head to see what was approaching him. His eyes widened before he knew what hit him, quite literally. "You?!" Aqua shouted in alarm as he felt himself being lifted off his hooves, the force of the attack knocking him to the floor with a groan. He flared his wings in defense as he reached for his saber, but as soon as he tried to, a sharp pain ran through his spine. Aqua screamed in pain as a black hoof stomped hard on his left wing, preventing him from moving without provoking even more pain to spread through his wing. What towered over him was all black, with a raggedy mane of torn, blue locks. She let out a chuckle before lifting him up by the throat, though not enough to strangle him. "So it seems I've caught my prey. Like a cat and mouse if I must say." Chrysalis said in mockery as she hoisted him off the ground. "I know you! You're that-- nrgh! --queen who attacked Canterlot!" Aqua spat, eyeing Chrysalis with distain as she tightened her grip on his neck. "I'm happy to see I have a nice little fan. And it seems you've gotten quite acquainted with the ones who prevented my takeover!" Chrysalis continued, getting closer to Aqua's face. "True, but what business do you even have here? If you're looking to invade Ponyville, you won't get the chance!" "Ponyville? Of course not! My king would never allow me to wander aimlessly and conquer some pitiful town." "Then why are you here? And who is your king?!" Aqua shouted before another shadow approached him, and with a snarl, it assaulted him with a barrage of smoke. Smoke filled Aqua's lungs, and he coughed with wild abandon, attempting to fight off his attackers, only to be subdued by Chrysalis easily. He heard electricity crackling from an unknown source, but he soon found himself suddenly racked with the voltage. Screaming and coughing in pain, Aqua contorted before he fell limp to the ground. His world suddenly went black once more, and he slipped into unconciousness once again. Chrysalis looked down at the fallen Jedi before she raised her head to face what had assaulted him. "My king, we have succeeded." Chrysalis said to the spectra of King Sombra. Melding back into his physical form, Sombra grinned gleefully before kicking Aqua lightly with a silver-clad hoof. "Indeed. Now we go into the mirror pool immediately. It is a critical part of our plan." Sombra said as he faced a nearby boulder. "Yes Sombra. The mirror pool that creates a clone of whoever uses it." Sombra looked at the boulder with a sneer, and with a shove of his hoof, the boulder went flying from the hole it was obscuring. Lugging Aqua onto his back, Sombra climbed down into the hole as Chrysalis followed. Sombra delicately squeezed through the passages that led to the pool, and he marveled at the sight before him as he entered through the hole upon a slope. His silver-clad hooves echoed through the cavern ominously as he reached the clearing leading to the pool. "This is the pool, Chrysalis. This is where our plan continues." Sombra said. "What do we do with him?" Chrysalis asked pointing to the passed out stallion. "Simply. We do this to him." Sombra said, heaving Aqua off his back into square into the pool. "As you may or may not know, there's a certain riddle that goes with this ritual, and some say it's a requirement. But I'll do no such thing." Grinning ear to ear, Sombra looked down to the mirror pool as Aqua's form turned anamorphic briefly, and he soon pulled the stallion out from the crystal clear waters. As the stallion remained in a deep unconcious state, a blue hoof protruded from the edge of the pool, and emerging from it was another Aqua. The clone of Aqua quickly glanced around the cavern in shock as he took in the sights. His ears drooped as he gasped. "Where am I? What is this place?!" As soon as those words left his lips, a black hoof was clamped over his muzzle to silence him. A scarlet red blade pierced through the chest of the clone, and his eyes went wide in terror as he fell to his hind legs, with Sombra holding him by the neck with his free hoof. The clone squirmed in Sombra's arms, but he couldn't break free from the tyrant's grasp, and he collapsed as soon as Sombra shed the blade from the mimic's back. Chrysalis readied herself and bowed to Sombra, his green eyes blaring through his cloak. "Now do as I have instructed, Chrysalis." Sombra hissed through his black hood as the Changeling Queen kneeled before the dying clone, and with a screech, she sunk her fangs deep to penetrate his neck. Aqua's clone did not even scream nor flinch under her bite, he only laid spawled on the dirt, unable to resist her. His colors began to fade, and Sombra looked on in sadism as the life force was getting sucked out of the facsimile. Soon enough, all the color and energy was drained from Aqua's copy, and it died without a fight, with no last words. Almost unfazed by the whole ordeal, Sombra simply kicked the corpse back into the mirror pool, and it sank like a rock. Chrysalis rose to her full height, nearly towering over the incarnation of evil itself, and she rasped with pleasure. "That was excellent, Sombra. There was so much love in him, it practically radiated off him." Chrysalis praised. "And not only that, but now you can copy the Jedi's form. Now show me it." Sombra ordered, and a green beam of light immediately enveloped the queen. In seconds, she wasn't Chrysalis anymore. She was a complete copy of Aqua. "Ah, this body is very pleasing. All tight and powerful, I can feel the energy in it more than Princess Cadence's ever could." Chrysalis remarked in her new body, her voice now deep and masculine as she stretched her now shorter, blue limbs. "And now the next piece of the plan continues. As for you, I want you to fan out, and report back to the Changeling Kingdom. I will contact you as soon as I have my next phase complete." Sombra instructed. "But my king. I must accompany you. You surely will need my--" "No. I am going alone. You shall go back to the castle, and you will be contacted by me when my phase is complete. And you will tend to your faithful Changeling soldiers to make them primed and ready for another swift invasion. Is. That. *Understood?*" Sombra ranted on as his voice heightened to a ferocious level, prompting Chrysalis to meld out of Aqua's form and to normal, and she kneeled once more to him. "I understand...my master." Chrysalis said as she lowered her head. Sombra nodded before he filed out of the cavern with Chrysalis following in suit, leaving the still unconcious form of Aqua Blue laying on the ground. A twitch from his left hoof indicated he was still alive. .Aqua was now in a sitting position up against a rock as he slowly opened his eyes as he let out a breath of relief. Standing in front of him was Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight." Aqua said with a relieved sigh. "Am I happy to see you." The two leaned in to hug each other. As soon as they broke the embrace, Twilight fumed at him. "Are you crazy?! Twilight shouted. "What are you talking about?" Aqua asked. "I told you not to leave the hut, and just what did you do? Twilight yelled. "I left the hut." Aqua answered in a bit of shame. "Yeah, you did. Meanwhile I found Zecora and the way back to Ponyville." Twilight replied. "That's wonderful, but how did you find me?" Aqua asked, still confused about what had happened. "Well, after you decided to leave and go off doing who knows what, you got yourself attacked by a bunch of Timberwolves and got knocked out. I was busy talking to Zecora, and right when you passed out, I swear I could feel something pounding against my chest when it happened." Twilight explained. "Then I'm sorry for leaving my post." Aqua began to apologize. "You should be! Not only did you leave, obviously not fully healed, you decide to go off and do something stupid and wind up in the mirror pool, I could have sworn that thing got sealed up!" Twilight ranted, her anger beginning to rise. "What were you even thinking while you were off doing who knows what?" "I-I thought...that if I wasn't there to protect you, something would've happened to you, and I couldn't sit and wait for it to happen. I had to do something." Aqua attempted to justify his reason, but Twilight's almost unnerving gaze did not falter. He began to notice the leaves and grass under her hooves beginning to burn, a flaming circle starting to expand under her. The earth shook lightly in her anger, and Aqua could swear he was picking up the scent of charred hair wafting through the air. "Yeah, you thought. I'm perfectly fine, anyway. And I thought I could trust you with this one thing. This one thing! You couldn't just wait half an hour while I trot my flank off looking for Zecora, could you?" Twilight's rage was slowly mixing in with sorrow, and Aqua saw her eyes turning misty as her voice cracked on the last syllable. "I was just worried about you. How do you think I would've felt if the same Manticore just happened to jump out and kill you?! Not very fantastic, I'd imagine!" Aqua argued back. "The same one I killed it before it could kill you? Why couldn't you just trust me to be alright? I trust you with my life, Aqua. And I expected to get the same treatment." Twilight's fury was barely surpressed, and Aqua couldn't even attempt to quell the screaming mare. His argument was not defusing the situation at all at this point. "I know. I'm sorry." Aqua said, lowering his head. Twilight's purple eyes now reddened with rage, her mane morphing into flame and to normal hair. She noticed a tear stream from his right eye, and he couldn't bear to face her. "I'm sorry I betrayed your trust, Twilight. Whatever I say now can't resolve anything, but all I can say is I'm so sorry." Aqua felt hated, disappointed in himself for what he had done. Twilight shifted from her anger more into her sympathy. She saw more tears stream from his face, and a quiet sniffle could barely have been heard to her ears. Her flames slowly subsided, and the smell of burning hair faded. She trotted over to Aqua and put a hoof to her shoulder. "Don't cry, Aqua. I don't hate you, I only wanted you to stay because I care about you. I couldn't bare to imagine what would've been." Twilight whispered as she dragged her hoof along his shoulder. "I know that. I'm just so sorry for what I did. Please understand...I only wanted to keep you safe." Aqua still didn't raise his head, continuing to stew in his self-loath. Twilight's eyes began to water slightly as she nudged his head up. "I know you care. I forgive you for that. I guess sometimes our worries overwhelm us at some point. Shh, shh. No more tears, hon. I'm sorry I got so mad." Twilight cooed, now hugging the Jedi to reassure him. His sobs died down as he threw his hooves around her. "I'm sorry I made you mad in the first place." "I know you are. Please, just promise me one thing?" Twilight asked. "Anything, Twilight." "Just promise you'll always trust me, even if you have your own doubts." Twilight said. Aqua smiled faintly as he snuggled his head deeper into Twilight's shoulder, and his words came out as a whisper. "By the Force, that is a promise I'll forever keep." Aqua swore as he snuggled deeper. Twilight softly broke off the embrace as she took his hoof. "Good. Now, let's go home." Twilight said as she and Aqua began walking from the mirror pool. "I can only wonder what Spike's doing right now. There were no lights on in Golden Oaks Library. There were no sounds. The pets were fast asleep, and there was only one thing awake at the moment. In the basement of the library, there were sounds of enjoyment moaning from the corner. A hot tub laid in the corner of the room, steam rising from the heat of the boiling water. Scented candles were spread across the edges of the tub, allowing a pleasant scent to walf the basement. In the midst of his seven hour bath, Spike laid in the hot tub, arms behind his head, eyes closed in content. He let out a sigh of pleasure as he sunk deeper into the tub. Best hot tub, ever. <4> Old Wounds Chapter Four: Old Wounds It was nighttime when the two had returned home from the Everfree Forest. Thousands of stars stained the night sky, and Luna's moon had now begun illuminating the dark sky. Everypony was asleep in their beds, as it was already nearing midnight. Aqua and Twilight approached Golden Oaks in exhaustion. He opened the door faintly as Twilight drifted off, resting her head on Aqua's shoulder, and he noticed the bags formed under her eyes. He heard the creak of the door opening, and a nudge of his shoulder aroused Twilight from her dreary state. She blushed as she wearily stumbled inside as he closed the door behind him. "Ugggghhh, I am so tired!" Twilight said with a groan as she dropped her saddlebag to the floor with nary a care in Equestria. Aqua couldn't help but feel the wrath of the Sandmare taking hold of his spirit, and he fought the urge to fall to the floor and sleep. The library was deathly silent; no sounds from the animals or Spike to be heard. Aqua held a hoof to his yawning mouth. Almost on cue, Twilight yawned right after, smacking her lips groggily before she wobbled over to the stairs. A sudden obstacle nabbed at her front left leg, and she put up no fight to it. Crashing to the floor, Twilight cursed under her breath as she thumped against the floor. Her impact dislodged a loose book from the shelf behind her. Eyes widening, Aqua reached out with his hoof and the book flew back onto the shelf as if nothing happened. "Oh for Pete sake. Is...Is this a book? Did I seriously trip over a book?" Twilight rubbed her temple with a huff. She noticed a large mass of books were scattered along the floor of the library. Aqua held back a playful smirk at the mare. "Afraid so," He answered, examining the book as soon as Twilight facehoofed the floor in agitation. "'Dragon Scale Shining,' How to make those dragon scales sparkle," Aqua studied the cover and tagline of the novel before trotting over to the correct shelf of the book. The unicorn's ears perked as she heard the book title, and her head shot up in attention. "Something tells me a little dragon's been busy," Twilight affirmed. She twisted her neck over to the basement door to see it slightly ajar, and a knowing frown creeped upon her face. "I'll deal with this in the morning. I'm going to bed," The lavender pony began walking up the stairs with Aqua. As he followed her up the stairs, he noticed the tired sway in the mare's step. The living room was dark and empty, and a glitter from Twilight's horn illuminated a candle sitting on the table. Twilight drifted over to the table and leaned against it. "It's been crazy the last few days, huh?" Twilight asked. "It certainly has. I'm not sure how longer it'll take for another Changeling strike," Aqua said as he hung his robe on a nearby coat rack. "Right now, I just want to go to bed," Twilight said as she walked up the stairs to the bedroom loft above. With a yawn, she plopped down on the bed with a thud, rolling herself into the crescent moon and sun bedsheets. Aqua let his tunic fall to the floor and laid down with her. Her eyes drooped as her fatigue wore her down. "Good night, Aqua," Twilight snuggled him in her forehooves happily, half-lidded eyes and kissing him on the lips. "Good night," Aqua returned the kiss as she soon after passed out in their hold. Hearing her soft snores beginning to surface, he snuggled deeper into her embrace and fell asleep in suit. Twilight woke up from her slumber, hooved stretched out with a crackle sound. She smacked her lips softly as she turned on her side, seeing the space where Aqua laid empty. With a smile, she let out a yawn and tip-hooved over to the edge of the loft, seeing Aqua standing in front of the stove, and an pleasant grin remained plastered on her face. "Good morning!" Twilight beamed. Aqua turned his head to see the chipper unicorn grinning ear to ear at him. He gave a smile in return as he nodded. "Good morning, Twilight. Did you sleep well?" Aqua asked. "Oooh yeah, like a filly. Be back in a second," Twilight answered, and blowing a kiss to him, she merrily descended from the stairs to the bathroom. Aqua heard a delightful hum uttered from the mare; tilting her head side to side in rhythm. Grinning, he turned back to the stove and flipped the spatula he was tending to with a delicate grasp. His ears perked at the noise of the tiny waddles ascending up the stairs from the library room. Turning his head, Aqua felt a bit of a smirk grow on the edge of his lip. A refreshed purple dragon walked into the living room with a spring in his step, almost swaying in glee. "Good morning, Spike," Aqua greeted. "How have you been?" "I've been alright. You guys were gone a little longer than I thought you would," Spike answered as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "The girls are all concerned about you both." "Really? Well, think of it as you go to a warzone Fillydelphia and end up having to go through the Everfree Forest to get home. Then replace you with me and Twilight," Aqua said in dismay. Spike tilted his head in confusion, "But why were gone so long? I thought you and her were sent there to stop the fighting," "Well the fighting took it's toll, I can tell you that. The Changelings pretty much won, and it turns out they swapped our chariot drivers, so we had to get home ourselves," Aqua answered. "Oh gosh, sounds like you've been through alot," Spike said sypathetically. Aqua was about to speak before he heard hoofsteps returning up the stairs, and saw Twilight trotting to him. "I'm back. Good morning, Spike. I missed you so much," Twilight said as she nuzzled against her faithful assistant's cheek. "I missed you too," Spike hugged Twilight's leg with a grateful smile. "I'm just glad you're alright," Aqua grinned as he turned his attention back to the stove. Breaking away from the embrace, Twilight stood proudly next to him. "Speaking of alright, I wonder how the girls are doing. They must be worried sick about us," Twilight "Is everything ready, Aqua?" she asked. She then heard a loud ringing from the stove. "I assume it is now," Aqua answered as he turned off the cooking timer. Steam wafted from the pan he was holding as Twilight levitated plates from the counter rack onto the table beside her. "Do you guys want anything while I'm up?" Spike asked. "Actually, some drinks would be nice. Thank you," Aqua suggested. Spike saluted as he opened the fridge and pulled out a carton. "Orange juice?" Twilight offered. "Oh goodness, no. That juice is sour and disgusting! I wouldn't drink that for the life of me!" Aqua answered. "Suit yourself," Twilight giggled as she levitated another carton from the fridge. "I guess you're stuck with milk, then," With a roll of his eyes, he accepted the carton and poured it into his cup. "So what are we having?" Twilight asked. From behind, Aqua cupped his hooves around her eyes. "That is a surprise. Now close your eyes," Aqua ordered. "Aqua, I already know you're cooking something. I can smell the steam coming off the pot," Twilight answered in a deadpan voice. "Keep them closed," Aqua pressed. Twilight groaned softly as she closed her eyes. He then levitated his pans over to the table, and emptied it onto her plate. Twilight felt a wonderful smell now assaulting her snout, and was tempted to open her eyes. "Ok, open them," Aqua said as he sat at the opposite side of the table with his plate full. Twilight opened her eyes on cue and went wide-eyed. A stack of pancakes accompanied by a side of eggs and toast filled the large plate. Her stomach growled in hunger as her mouth watered in anticipation. "You made all this?" Twilight asked in amazement. "Yes. We were stuck in Fillydelphia and the Everfree Forest for who knows how long, so I assumed you were starving at this point. So then this happened," Aqua answered, sipping at his drink. "It's lovely, thank you. It must've taken you forever to prepare this," Twilight noted as she began dipping syrup on her stack. "It's no trouble for you, Twilight. I'd always do this if you wanted. Spike usually has his claws full with his assistant duties, after all," Aqua remarked in pleasure as Twilight made a face. The kind of face Aqua was familar with; the one she would have when a long forgotten thought strolled into her mind. "Ahh, that's right. Spike?" Twilight called forth, and her scaly assistant returned to her side. "Yes, Twilight?" Spike asked. "Do you remember the list of chores I gave you to fulfill while Aqua and I were off in Fillydelphia to supervise the invasion?" Twilight asked. Spike pulled a massive parchment list from behind as he read off the chores. "Of course I do, Twi. Spike, make sure you organize the bookshelves starting from M to Z, dust off the bookshelves from A to L, feed Owlowiscious and Goliath, and make sure the water in Aqua's hot tub doesn't overheat," Spike recited off the list, earning a raised eyebrow from Aqua. "You do like your water exactly at 102 degrees," Twilight pointed out with a smirk as Aqua's face turned slightly red. "Well yes, it's a comfortable temperature. In any case Spike, did you do exactly what my list told you about properly caring for Goliath?" Aqua asked. "What list?" Spike asked back, and Aqua's eyes spiked out in alarm. "The list I gave you right before I left. The one marked Spike, read this note carefully!, with extra meaning on carefully. What did you do with it?" "I gave it to Owlowiscious to hold while I was busy baking a gem cake after I dusted the bookshelves. He must've got ripped it up when I wasn't looking, I swear!" Spike answered in defense. Twilight whistled her horned owl over to her hoof as Aqua's fork hit the plate in silence. "Owlowiscious, did you do anything to the note Spike gave you?" Twilight asked as she petted the owl's head. The horned owl hooed at her, and she shrugged at Aqua. "He's saying that Spike never followed the note," Aqua translated. "Spike!" Twilight scolded as Aqua seethed to himself. "I-I thought taking care of Goliath would be like Owlowiscious. I mean, they're both birds, right?" Spike stammered. "Spike. The note said that Goliath was due for a preening of her feathers, because she was having difficulty flying with her wings being unbalanced lately. Did you even let her out on her nightly flight like I told you? You know how much the cool fall air relaxes her!" Aqua lectured. "To be fair, I was a little distracted with my gem cake," Spike reasoned. "To hay with the gem cake! You know how much Goliath means to me!" Aqua scolded. Twilight put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "Aqua please, calm down, you're getting yourself worked up." "He forgot to take care of Owlowiscious too, you know. What, did you think he'd just scoop up the nearest mouse that enters the library? Oh wait, no there wouldn't, because this library is spotless!" Spike was now sitting down with his arms wrapped around his legs, watching the ordeal unfold. Twilight scoffed. "Just calm down, Aqua. Breath," Twilight eased, rubbing the stallion's back in an attempt to sooth him. "Everything's gonna be fine." Twilight shifted her gaze over to Spike. "You, young dragon, are not off the hook about this. You really should take more responsibility when me and Aqua aren't around here." With that, Spike reared up, and he felt his throat become tight with a flame inside his mouth. Opening his mouth, a grene flame shot out, materializing into a rolled up scroll, dropping onto the table before them. "What is that, a letter?" Aqua asked. "It's a letter from Princess Celestia," Twilight levitated the now opened scroll to her eyes, and she squinted as she read. "Dear my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, and my dear friend Master Aqua Blue. In case you have not received the previous letters, I am asking you two to report to Canterlot for an emergency meeting. Please arrive when you are ready, but time is very crucial. Your loving mentor, Princess Celestia, "In case we haven't received? What's this all about, Spike?" Aqua asked. "Ugh, I've been getting letters for the past two days! That's what I was trying to say, I was getting backed up with letters from the Princess, and none of you were around. I needed a way to relax since I had to finish my chores, so I was in Aqua's hot tub when I got it done," Spike explained. Aqua hung his head on Twilight's shoulder in dispair. "He even used my hot tub!" Aqua cried as Twilght patted his back. "That you should've mentioned right away, Spike," Twilight said as Aqua rose from her shoulder. "If we're going to Canterlot, we may as well pack up right away. We'd hate to keep the Princess waiting. Spike, write a note to Celestia of our travel issue first, so she understands our lateness," Aqua instructed. "Yes sir!" Spike saluted as he took a parchment out and began writing. "Um, while we're on the subject Aqua, I have to ask something," Twilight said. "Sure, what is it?" Aqua asked. "With everything crazy going on, I forgot to ask. How did you end up in the mirror pool?" An instant shock overtook Aqua's face, as if he had remembered it just suddenly. He dropped his fork to the floor silently as his eyes went blank. "T-That's when after I left Absoline's hut. I fought a few Timberwolves while I was out, and then I got attacked." Aqua shakily described. "Who was it?" Twilight pressed on. "Queen Chrysalis. It was Queen Chrysalis," Aqua answered. Twilight's pupils turned to pinpricks as she spat out a torrent of milk. Fear overtook her features as she suddenly grabbed Aqua's shoulders. "What?! You never told me anything about Queen Chrysalis attacking you! No wonder you were almost dead outside the pool when I found you!" Twilight ranted. "I was worried about you at the moment! I was just happy you were ok!" Aqua defended. "That's not important right now! Chrysalis. Attacked. You," Twilight enunciated with a poke to his chest. "She could've drained the love out of you if she wanted to!" "She didn't...before I passed out I heard her talking to somepony. It sounded like she was talking to--" before Aqua could finish, a flash of light infiltrated his mind, and a menacing pair of red eyes overshadowed him. Shock got the best of him, and he froze silent. "What? Who?! Who was she talking about?!" Twilight hollered as she shook Aqua to alert him. Aqua pushed away from her grasp. "I-I don't know! I can't remember who!" Aqua stammered as the veil of shock began to wear off on him. With a sigh, he dropped back into his chair as his heart rate returned to normal. Twilight's left ear twitched slightly before she calmed herself down. "This is bad. We need to report this to Celestia immediately. I suggest we leave now," Twilight said as she finished the rest of her meal. Aqua followed suit before Twilight keeled over as she began falling down the stairs. Female pained grunts followed by male pained grunts ensued until dual crashes echoed downstairs. "Spike! You forgot to put that book away!" Twilight and Aqua yelled up from the bottom of the stairs. Spike innocently whistled as he dumped the empty dishes into the sink and tiptoed up the stairs. Galloping out of the library, Twilight and Aqua set off for the train station. A rainbow trailed across the sky, tearing a cloud straight in half. Before Twilight reached the train station, Aqua suddenly stopped her. "What's wrong, Aqua?" she asked as he looked up at the sky. His eyes squinted in the direction of the rainbow trail, and in a panic, Force pushed her out of the way. Before she could protest, that same rainbow trail struck where Twilight had stood. Twilight coughed as dust rose from the impromptu landing with the dirt road, and she wobbled back over to Aqua. He swept his forehead in relief as the mare sprawled on the ground twitched. "What the hay was that?" Twilight asked as she shook her head to fix her vision. "I think that would be Rainbow Dash right there," Aqua gestured towards the rainbow pegasus before offering a hoof up to the downed mare. Rainbow stood on all fours again when her raspy voice spoke. "You guys! You're finally back! Gosh, we've been so worried about you! Where the heck have you been?!" Rainbow hollered as she clung to Twilight. "We were just in the Everfree Forest after our chariot in Fillydelphia turned out to be a Changeling ambush," Twilight explained. "Long story short, we had to go through the forest back to Ponyville...isn't this a déjà vu moment?" Aqua added. "Whoa wait! Changelings?! Those bug things that sacked Canterlot at your brother's wedding?!" Rainbow asked. "Yes! Aqua got attacked by Chrysalis after he got mauled by a Manticore!" Twilight answered. "Mauled is going a bit overboard, isn't it?" Aqua defended. As they trotted to the train, they were now approached by the rest of the group as Rainbow waved them over. Each of them wore expressions of both relief and worry. Rarity was the first to speak. "Twilight, darling! And dear Aqua! My word, we've been worried to death about you two! Wherever have you been?" "Relax Rarity, we were just stranded in the Everfree Forest for a while after our chariot turned out to be a trap." "That's right! You were both in Fillydephia for days! Was it that bad?" Rainbow asked. "Horrible. Lots of Changelings fighting, just terrible," Twilight answered. "Why couldn't we come? We could've rainbow nuked them with the Elements!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "It was just Changelings, and Aqua's the one with the lightsaber here," Twilight reasoned. "W-Where are you off to so suddenly?" Fluttershy asked. "We've received a letter from Princess Celestia telling us to meet her in Canterlot on an important issue, most likely concerning the Changeling invasions. And I think we'd hate to keep her waiting any longer, so if you'll excuse us, ladies," Aqua said as he and Twilight made for the train station. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash sped in front of them and blocked their way. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! If she's going, we're coming too! Right, girls?" Rainbow pumped her chest with pride. "You don't know what could happen while we're in Canterlot. There could be a surprise invasion for all we know!" Aqua protested. "Now hold it right there, darling," Rarity interrupted. "Twilight is our friend, and we are going to stick by her, no matter what we have to face, we shall do it together." "Besides, who knows what y'all would do all alone in Canterlot?" Applejack joked as Aqua and Twilight both blushed fiercely. "Plus, I heard there's a special on gingerbread mares in the Canterlot bakery! We so gotta get some!" Pinkie Pie said in her usual enthusiasm and bounce in her step with the spring sound effect. "Come on Aqua, they really want to come, and we could use a little company," Twilight suggested as Aqua crossed his forehooves in thought. "I'll meditate on it," Aqua said stiffly. "Please?" Twilight asked, now fluttering her eyelids in front of him. Aqua opened an eye and his expression faltered slightly. Twilight then pulled out the big guns. "Pretty please?" Twilight practically begged as she tempted Aqua with her quivering lip and puppy dog eyes. Aqua struggled to stay strong, but he inevitably cracked under the pressure. "Alright, alright. Fine, they can come with us," Aqua sighed as he walked up to the stallion behind the counter. "How may I help you?" the stallion asked. "Seven tickets to Canterlot, please," Aqua said as he slid nine bits across the counter. The stallion levitated the tickets to the group as they all took their leave into the train. As Aqua entered the train behind Twilight, he noticed she was now tickling his chin with her tail. He held back a laugh as he walked into the train car with her and the others. The train ride so far had been a bit uncomfortable for the group. Due to the recent Changeling attacks, bumps in the road of the train tracks were more than to be expected. Twilight sat close to Aqua as he stared out the window, taking in the view of the purple mountains they were now about to tunnel through. The others had kept themselves busy with their idle conversations with each other. Twilight surpressed a yawn as she leaned inwards towards him lovingly. Aqua put a hoof around her shoulder and pulled her into his grasp. They smiled at each other and leaned in to kiss. A bump in the road followed by a loud screech interrupted their embrace as the train came to a halt. "Well, we're here. Welcome to Canterlot," Aqua said in a tender voice as he and her rubbed noses before Twilight planted her lips against his, taking him by surprise. "Alright darlings, now let's go see what the Princess has in store for us," Rarity said as she walked out the door of the train car. The rest followed as a squad of royal guards approached them. "Twilight Sparkle. We've been waiting for you," a guard said. "Thank you, guards. Come on girls, the Princess awaits us!" Twilight said as she and Aqua raced towards the castle, moving aside the dozens of crowding ponies among the streets. The hustle and bustle of business stands, common ponies chatting to each other, it all brought memories of home to Twilight. Aqua walked alongside her with her spring in her step as they soon enough reached the castle doors. Tipping their heads to the guards, they walked over the bridge of the castle and into the interior. Celestia was sitting on her throne when she saw the group arrive. "Hello, my little ponies. I've been expecting you," Celestia greeted as the seven ponies bowed to her. "We would've gotten here sooner if it weren't for our chariot in Fillydelphia being hi-jacked by Changelings," Twilight stated. "I knew something was amiss when I did not immediately receive a letter in response." Celestia said. "We were lost in the Everfree, my Princess. And we have dire news to inform you of," Aqua followed. "And what is that, my friend?" Celestia said. "I regret to inform you that Queen Chrysalis is indeed directly related to the Changeling invasions across Equestria." Celestia's knowing smile turned to a frown as Aqua matched Twilight's face. "And that's not all. It looks like she's not alone. I tried asking him, but Aqua just...froze up like he was under a trance. What was that all about, anyway?" Twilight added. "I don't know, Twilight. All I know is she's working with someone. That's all she told me before I woke up in the mirror pool. That's all I know, ok?" Aqua said in defense. "And that is something we shall deal with later. Right now we have an important matter to discuss. Did you say the mirror pool?" Celestia asked. "Yes. Why?" Aqua asked. "I have called you here to debate on whether or not we use the mirror pool," Celestia answered. "...To do what, exactly?" Twilight asked. "To create an army of soldiers who will assist us in fighting off the Changelings. As you can tell by the recent Fillydelphia invasion, our royal guard troops are severely outnumbered, and we are lacking in resources needed to train new recruits, as well as dwindling time on this war," Celestia explained. "But an army? Princess, don't you think creating an army for Equestria seems against our beliefs? Even against the morals of the Jedi?" Aqua questioned. "This is a crisis, Master Aqua. We are at war with the Changelings, and if we don't utilize the mirror pool, we will lose this war. Also, Chrysalis has her own army of Changelings, and we are in desperate need of a counter to her forces. You are willing to put aside such rigid beliefs aside for the greater good, don't you?" Celestia responded, flashing her trademark smile. The smile that could turn a crowd to her favor in any direction. Aqua turned to Twilight, who nodded her head in agreement with Celestia. "I suppose an army could be of need of our country. But who exactly will we use as a test subject?" Aqua asked. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie shot up between the two and flailed her hoof up to raise attention. "Ooh, ooh! Ooh, ooh, ooooh! Pick me! I can be a test subject! Let me, let me!" Pinkie begged. "No!" Twilight and Aqua shouted in unison, levitating her away from them. "If we're creating an army based off a test subject, might I suggest we clone Big Mactintosh?" Aqua suggested. "Y'all mean ya wanna clone mah big brother for an army?" Applejack asked. "Well...sure," Twilight answered, "I mean, you have to admit Big Macintosh is stronger than the average Earth pony." "Even so, ah'm not so sure we should be just using mah brother," Applejack countered. "Then why don't we use Twilight and Rainbow Dash as our unicorn and pegasi subjects?" Aqua suggested. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Aqua?" Twilight asked. "We must try, at the very least, for Equestria's sake," Aqua answered. "Big Mac troopers with wings and horns. Yeah, this is gonna work out just fine," Rainbow noted. Celestia put a hoof to her chin in thought, and a smile crossed her face. "Then it is settled! Tomorrow, we shall begin cloning our army, and as soon as we have a sufficient amount of soldiers, we can launch an attack on the Changeling Kingdom!" Celestia said. As soon as her sentence was finished, a scream was heard outside. The group rushed towards the balcony to see the sight unfold. Aqua's eyes widened as he saw it. As if resurrected from the dead, the blood red stallion Sith known as Darth Wrath had appeared from behind a column, and was now fending off a few royal guards. "I'll handle this," Aqua said as Twilight glanced at him with worry. He unstrapped his lightsaber from his tunic belt and leaped from the balcony, wings shot out in momentum. He dropped to the ground without a sound to face Wrath with his back turned. He snarled as his head turned sideways, his red-rimmed eyes staring harsh daggers at him. To Aqua, age had not been kind to him; noticable by the sharp, jagged horns that seemed to grow from his head, and the black robes that clung to him. "When I cut you in half, I should've aimed for your neck instead of your legs," Aqua said. Wrath sneered at him in fury as he charged at him, blade poised for the head. Aqua preempted his attack with a charge of his own, ending in a bladelock between the two. Seconds heated on by as the two stood their ground, with Aqua now towering over the Sith with his saber over the red blade. Taking a slash at the right blade, Aqua leaped above the dazed stallion and slashed harder at the blade, forcing him to stumble backwards. Seizing his enemy, he threw him down onto the hard cobblestone ground, only for the blood red stallion to swipe his back hoof across Aqua's legs, taking him down with him. Aqua rolled to the side to avoid a scarlet blade piercing through him, and shot his blue blade with enough force to throw the Sith's saber aside. Wrath growled in anger as he attempted to ram his horned head into Aqua, only for his horns to be severed off by the Jedi's sword. Continuing the battle across the city street, Wrath peered over to the balcony and smirked sadistically. As Aqua was distracted, Wrath bumped the hilt of his saber against his forehead, temporarily stunning him. Wrath galloped to the castle, and Aqua raced after him, and tackled him hard to the ground as the Sith's head scraped against the cobble. Raising their blades, Aqua and Wrath squared off once more. They simultaneously slashed at one other with their blades clashing against each other. He slashed for the right blade, and Wrath sidestepped and attempted to stab him, only to have Aqua fiercely kick him in the waist, stunning him. Sneering, Wrath jumped upon the balcony the group had been standing on, and Aqua followed immediately after. Wrath leaped over a low swipe to the legs, and they locked their blades one final time before... SLASH! Gritting his teeth, he drew Wrath back and crossed with the hilt of his double bladed saber, bisecting it in two, and Wrath struggled not to fall off the side of the balcony from the force of the swipe. Grabbing him by his hooves, Aqua turned and flung the Sith across the sky, straight into a pillar. Twilight watched in utter surprise as Aqua deactivated his saber, and took the two red blades as he sped towards him in a burst of speed. Wrath's back smashed against the side of the pillar when Aqua came at him, and before he could fall to the ground, Aqua cleaved through both of his shoulders with both of his sabers, and was effectively nailed into the column by the hilts of the swords. He feebly pushed Aqua off of him as sparks flew from the burning holes in his shoulders, stabbing through the veins as he slowly lowered his head, resigning himself to his fate. Aqua wordlessly mourned, and turned his back on him, returning to the castle. A husk of a Changeling appeared in Wrath's place as Aqua flew up to the balcony in melancholy. "Are you ok, Aqua?!" Twilight asked as she lunged for him in worry. "I'm fine, Twilight. But...I don't think Wrath's going anywhere for a while," Aqua said, his tone nerved. He sighed as Twilight nuzzled him in relief. "Well, I suppose the meeting should be adjourned until tomorrow. Until then, I wish you all a fond goodnight, my little ponies," Celestia regarded Aqua with a praising nod before she turned her back, with the group bowing to her. As Aqua began to leave, Twilight tugged at his hoof. "Aqua, wait. I want to show you something," Twilight said. "Sure Twilight, what is it?" Aqua said before Twilight put her hoof in front of him. "Oop, oop, oop. Keep your eyes closed. It's a surprise," Twilight whispered as she led Aqua out of the castle. Moments passed before Twilight told him to open them, and Aqua's jaw dropped to see an ivory tower before them. Twilight beamed happily before she put a hoof around his shoulder and walked up the spiral staircase. Opening the sapphire doors, Twilight silently welcomed him to her former home. "Wow. Is this your old home before you lived in Ponyville?" Aqua asked. Twilight giggled in response. "It sure is. What do you think of it?" she asked. "It's beautiful, so fancy and lavish," Aqua said as he glanced at the living room. Twilight, as if she was in a hurry, almost rushed Aqua with her upstairs. They stood and stared at the twin bookshelved hugging the walls with a massive hourglass making the centerpiece. Aqua marveled as Twilight led him to the bedroom. "I suppose we should getting ready for bed. What say you?" Aqua asked. "Absolutely," Twilight said with a bit of lust in her voice. She tugged at his robe with her teeth, as if she were silently begging for it to come off. Complying, Aqua dropped his tunic and followed her onto the bed. A giggle escaped Twilight's mouth as she laid close to him. The two kissed each other's lips before they snuggled together. The two laughed quietly as they came closer, and with a wisp of magenta magic, the lights went out from the room. It was quiet in the room for a time, until moans of pleasure broke the silence. The Everfree Forest was dark and quiet, full of evil and fear unknown to any pony who dared to trek it's path. Out of any corner, monsters big and small of unimaginable malice could appear and harm you. The forks in the road were enough to ensnare anypony in its grasp forever more. What was currently walking through these woods was far more dark and evil than the forest was. King Sombra's mere presence in the forest in turn caused much of the plant life to physically decay from his influence. His face, hidden from the tousled black cloak, was shrouded with a purple haze coming from his green eyes. A twisted smile cracked upon his muzzle as he came closer to his destination. He slowly came upon a hollowed out tree, decorated with mysterious potions and liquors hanging from ropes from the branches, as if to ward off evil spirits. Sombra merely pushed a bottle back and heard it clank against the others. He noticed the horned masks of several animals, and reveled in the memory of slaying each and every one of those the masks represented. He shrouded himself in the shadow of the tree as a figure stepped out from the doorway. Zecora had saw Sombra since he had been walking a mere hundred feet away, and had readied herself for his arrival. She exited the tree armed with a pointed staff. "Spirit of dark, begone! Your business here is done," Zecora warned as she eased towards the shadows. She was nerved to hear the warped chuckle coming from the shrouds. "My business here has just begun, fair zebra. You'll be surprised to know what I seek," Sombra moaned as his black silky mane seemed to flow from the inky blackness. Zecora held her staff up to defend herself. "Now, calm yourself, zebra. I wish not to harm you unless you have provoked me. I come for the amulet," Sombra said. "The amulet is not here. And it appears your travel here has ended up blear," Zecora tested. Sombra's brow furrowed as he sneaked right through her lie. Sombra held a hoof out, and without even touching it, Zecora's staff instantly snapped in two pieces, and he flung the helpless zebra across the bark. "You will show me the amulet personally, or die where you stand," Sombra warned as he held her tight in his invisible hold. Zecora struggled to break free, but the dark lord clung her to his will without mercy. "I will not show you. Gone from this land, and gone from it, you too," Zecora choked as Sombra tightened his grip. Sombra simply answered with this. "That will be my decision now," Sombra said with a flick of his wrist, throwing Zecora hard against a nearby tree. He blasted away at front of the tree with a burst of dark magic, and crept inside. Bottles from all the shelves crashed to the floor as the demonic unicorn searched, and as he knocked over a nearby caudron, he reached for the bed and ripped away at it's foundation. In his vivid red aura, he came across a small chest. Grinning with it, his horn flickered an even brighter scarlet as the locked chest opened in his grip, unveiling what he had been searching long for. Surges of red lights glared from the interior. A Force storm waned from Sombra's hooves, washing over the broken hut and flinging debris around, shattering furniture in two as he laughed maniacally. He exited the hut with the Alicorn Amult wrapped around his neck, glowing bright red in sync with his blood red eyes in a green shroud. He bitterly regarded Zecora as he slowly trotted from the clearing. "The Dark Side is now completely with me. For I...am...Darth Sombra," Sombra croaked in pleasure as his menacing laughter continued as he marched from the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. <5> Bring in the ClonesChapter Five: Bring in the Clones Golden rays of sunlight from the newly risen sun stirred all they touched from slumber, getting the land ready for a new day. The two ponies unconsciously snuggled under a warm duvet in Twilight's former residence as they were spared from the glaring light by thick curtains clinging to the windows placed years ago. Alas, the mare could do little against the rhythm she had drilled into herself over the years, and so Twilight opened her eyes at the same time as the rest of Equestria. Sitting up from the bed, she stretched a bit and noticed the stallion sharing his warmth with her. She couldn't help but smile; the slow breaths and content smile exhibited in his sleep brought a sense of serenity into her thoughts. She watched him for a few minutes, basking in the presence of her loved one, but deep down she knew this moment couldn't last. The time spent with him, as well as the troubling days before, taught her that their pleasures did not always get to come first; not that she wasn't used to life following a different code before she met him; so she sighed and nuzzled Aqua gently. "Aqua? Good morning, dear. It's time to wake up," she called to him quietly. At first, Aqua didn't answer; he didn't even budge from her intervention. Casting a half frown at him, Twilight pursed her lips as she nudged him again with her hoof. "Wake up, Aqua. It's morning. Wake up," Twilight persisted as she started shaking him lightly. Aqua's tail swished slightly as he turned over on his side with a groan. She rolled her eyes as her husband groggily refused to wake up from his slumber. With a smile, she rose from the bed and eased herself over to the wall mirror. She began pampering herself for the new day with her manebrush, brushing back the frizzy bedhead she was sporting from the events of last night, and a recall of it brought a blush upon her cheeks. She giggled to herself softly as she turned and saw Aqua still sleeping in the bed, and gave a nonchalant shrug as she walked back to the bed sporting her trademark hime cut manestyle. She delicately leaned forward and pecked his cheek with her lips, elicting little more than a peaceful mutter from the stallion. "Ok, you win. Get some sleep, honey. I'll be back soon." Twilight whispered as she levitated a scroll from the drawer. Scribbling down on it, Twilight left the scroll on the bedside table and tiphooved out of the bedroom and went outside as the sun rose higher above the horizon, and made for the long spiral staircase downwards. King Sombra was once more seated in his throne room of the Changeling Castle, gazing upon the floor as he begun to grow bored. His stare shifted smugly towards the Alicorn Amulet wrapped tightly around his neck, it's power radiating with his own. Skimming his hoof along the arm of his throne, Sombra glanced at the flags pinned upon the walls depicting the twisted horn that was Chrysalis', with her raggedy wings sprayed out from them. He closed his eyes blissfully as he thought back to his defeat. How he had slowly marched to such immense power he held in his hooves now. How he had returned from his previous destruction. The Queen of the Changelings trudged through the cold, frigid landscape that was the Crystal Mountains. Frost clung to her raggedy mane and the holes in her hooves ached as her few Changeling soldiers still surviving by her side followed suit. The wind blew harshly across the frozen wasteland as Chrysalis shivered in the cold. As they were similar to insects in nature and biology, their kind had been highly vulnerable to extremely low temperatures. Fighting the frost in defiance, Chrysalis hung closer to her soldiers as they were blitzed over with a flurry of snow. Since their defeat at the hooves of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, they had been banished to the far reaches of Equestria, and there was what seemed like no hope for the fallen queen. Her rage; her undying hatred for the two rulers of the revived Crystal Empire had only dug the thorn in her side even deeper, and she snarled through her gritted teeth as green saliva dripped from her maw. She turned to see the shivering, helpless, emancipated forms of her Changeling minions. To her, she had almost mistaken the hard, black shelled creatures to be frozen husks of her servants. She heard the howl of Windigoes as a full on blizzard swarmed the group. Chrysalis felt her skin beginning to turn grey as frost now stained her eyelashes. All there was in front of her was snow. Nothing but flat plains of snow for miles. Disappointed in the bleakness of her situation, Chrysalis began to lose hope, peering at the sympathetic glares from her Changelings. In despair, she trudged on a few more feet, and subsequently collapsed as her legs gave out, and she landed face-first into the snow. Her minions crawled to her side and huddled with her, but it was the end for them. That was until she heard something startle her. She heard moaning, an errie moaning that broke from the howl of snow. She clung to the last bit of hope she had and struggled to crawl towards the epicenter of the noise. She saw something stick out from the white landscape, and as she peered at it, she felt curious of it. What appeared to be a black, smooth and curved unicorn horn poking out of the ground caught her eye, and she crawled closer to it. She noticed the way it shaded from black to vivid red at the sharp tip of it. The redness was beginning to dim slightly as she heard the moaning spirits around her crying out in sheer agony. Help me... Chrysalis could've sworn she had heard the spirits call out to her. She looked down at the horn. Had this thing actually spoken to her? "It must be the trauma..." Chrysalis muttered to herself, as if trying to convince herself. She shook her head in denial as the spirits swirled around her. Pleassse...help me... There it was again. Chrysalis was enveloped in the disembodied voices, now poking at the horn and flinching away as black crackles of electricity were emitted from all over the horn. She began to wonder; had somepony been buried alive and left for dead out here; and had been desperately calling for aid for as long as it could, perhaps for eons. As if spitting in the face of fate, she turned the horn over, and went wide-eyed as she found the horn had no owner, completely severed from the head of whatever had possessed it. Bits of black crystaline skin, charred and cracked, crumpled from the cut off point of the horn. The spirits hissed, seeming to have taken pain from the slightest bit of contact. She weakly levitated the horn from the snow and handed it to an armored Changeling. Yesss... "This is coming with us back to base. Hurry," Chrysalis urged as she began trotting away. The Changelings followed as black clouds dissipated around the place where the horn had been. The sun glared in Aqua's face as he finally woke up from his slumber. He blinked a few times to regain proper vision, and glanced around the room as he sat up and stretched. He noticed that Twilight was not in the room, and he turned his head to see a folded letter sitting on the bedside table. Getting out of bed, Aqua picked up the letter and unfolded it. "Dear Aqua, I'm just going out for a bit to see how the girls are doing. Won't be gone for long, but I'll let you know when we'll be doing the cloning process. With love, Twilight," Aqua raised an eyebrow when he saw a lipstick stain on the bottom of the letter, and casually set aside the note. He claimed his tunic from the floor before leaving the tower. He headed down the staircase as the sun stained his eyes. Blocking the sun with his hoof, he saw Pinkie Pie walk from the castle gates. He tapped her on the shoulder as he approached her. "Good morning, Pinkie Pie," Aqua greeted. Pinkie turned to face him with an oversized smile on her face, and she practically engulfed him whole in a bone-breaking hug. "Ohmigosh, hi Aqua, I was looking for you! We were starting to get worried about you when you didn't show up this morning to see us and when Princess Celestia came, she was all like "Where is Master Aqua?" and I was thinking 'Maybe he's off on some adventure with the Spinach Lord or sightseeing in Saddle Arabia with Simon the Seal.' Then I got distracted by my thinking voice 'cause it sounds so echoey. Here, listen!" Pinkie then dashed to a nearby corridor of the castle and hollered her name, producing an echo along the hallway. She zipped back to Aqua with her usual beaming smile, "Then Twilight told us you just overslept. By the way, do you like hot sauce cupcakes?" Aqua blinked for a second in confusion before speaking, "Well, I just got a note from her, so I assume she wants me to meet her in the castle. Shall we?" He walked into the castle as Pinkie merrily bounced by his side, "And I don't care very much for hot sauce cupcakes, honestly." Twilight stood in the throne room as her friends sided by her. She was tapping her hoof on the floor impatiently as she glanced around the room. Dozens of stain-glassed windows choked the walls, depicting Celestia vanquishing Nightmare Moon, the Mare in the Moon herself being redeemed by the Bearers of Harmony, Discord's imprisonment, Shining Armor and Cadence's banishment of Queen Chrysalis, and Spike's destruction of King Sombra. Her friends watched for minutes on end as Twilight paced the floor anxiously. Eyes following her movement, the expressions on her friends slowly grew more restless. The pegasus in the room finally spoke up to break the silence. "Ugggh, what's taking him so long?!" Rainbow groaned in aggravation as she hovered above the ground, "He was supposed to be here over an hour ago!" "Now Rainbow Dash, you need to understand patience. Aqua is simply running a bit late, is all," Rarity interjected as Rainbow dropped towards her. "A little late is like 5 minutes late. Why are we even waiting on him?" Rainbow protested. "The Princess is only going to get the clone army underway when all of us arrive here. We're just gonna have to wait for him," Twilight answered as she stopped her pace and turned to the pair. "Indeed. Aqua is a very important individual to the Princess. How many ponies do you see around Equestria who happen to be a Jedi?" Rarity added as Rainbow rolled her eyes in boredom. "He's definitely important and slow. Why doesn't he just fly here?" Rainbow whined. "Ugh, I don't know!" Twilight answered, growing annoyed with Rainbow's complaining, "He'll be here when he gets here, so stop complaining and wait!" Fluttershy gazed from behind her mane and spoke. "Um, girls? Can we please stop arguing? He'll get here when he does," the timid pegasus whispered meekly. Applejack decided to change the subject. "Twi, mind me askin', but what's it like with Aqua?" Twilight hid a blush with a turn of her head before answered. "He's pretty wonderful, Applejack. Handsome, smart, and amazingly strong. I mean, have you seen his lightsaber? He's just born with it, I suppose," Twilight answered. "Ah know that, Twilight. Does he treat you right?" Applejack pressed. "Of course he does. I just wish he wouldn't worry about me so much. He's can be a bit..." Twilight bit her lip, "overprotective at some times." "Ooo, do tell, darling. We wanna know all about your colt," Rarity pressed her cheek against Twilight's in glee. "I-I think you know enough..." Twilight declined nervously. "Come on Twi, make like your guts and spill! Does he even lift?" Rainbow pushed on. "Is Goliath doing alright?" Fluttershy asked. "What fabric is his tunic?" Rarity chimed in. A pair of hooves marched into the room. "I will answer all your questions, my little ponies. I'm here, if you were wondering," Aqua greeted as he was joined by a bouncing Pinkie Pie. Twilight ran up to him and immediately hugged him happily as Pinkie bounced to the group. "I found him! I found him! I found him! I found him! I found him!" Pinkie sang as she bounced in a random circle. "How are you doing, dear?" Aqua asked as he cupped Twilight's chin with his hoof. "I'm fine, Aqua. I'm guessing you got my note, then." "Oh yes, I got your message with the little lipstick stain on it," Aqua teased with a nudge of his wing. The group of mares cooed at his statement towards Twilight. "Aqua!" Twilight playfully swatted the Jedi's chest, "Anyway, now that you're here, we can get started on the cloning project." "Indeed we can, my subjects," Princess Celestia greeted as she entered the room, accompanied by the bows of her loyal commoners, "Now, as you are all aware, Canterlot's Royal Guard forces are severely outmatched by Queen Chrysalis' Changeling armies," The group nodded in acknowledgement. "Because our guards are low in numbers, we must make usage of the mirror pool in order to combat the superior number of Changelings. As you know, Changelings are extremely strong creatures, and we need an equally strong force to oppose them," Celestia continued. "And for this army to work, we utilize Big Macintosh, Rainbow, and myself to breed clones?" Twilight asked. "Precisely, Twilight. We will station the army squads in every section of Equestria, and provide a shield over Canterlot until this entire matter is resolved. But sadly, with Shining Armor and Princess Cadence ruling over the Crystal Empire, I myself will oversee the shield alongside my sister, Luna." "If I may interject, your Majesty," Aqua interrupted, "Instead of arming cities with forces; as allowing such would simply be a waste of clones; rather, we strike the Changeling Kingdom head on while using our army to surround the entire perimeter. So it would make sure Chrysalis won't escape if we attack the castle." "That comes in due time, Master Aqua. Before we can strike directly, issuing clones to every bit of the country will assure added protection in case of straggler Changelings and or Queen Chrysalis, along with whatever second party she is conspiring with," Celestis countered. "If we launch our attack at the moment, and attack all together, we can easily subdue the Queen, and would bring an end to this war immediately. And with the end of the war, we can dispute on what to do with the clones afterwards," Aqua shot back. "Master Aqua, do not be unrealistic on this. This is for the better of Equestria. Trust me, this will work out in due time," Celestia assured, flashing her gentle smile. Aqua quieted as she rose up to her height. "Now, unless everypony else would like to give their input, we really must be going at this time," Celestia motioned as the group headed out for the door, "Master Aqua, wait a moment," Aqua stopped as Twilight stood by the door before exiting. He faced up the tall, pristine alicorn with recognition. "I know you do not agree fully with this cloning idea, but please understand, you and I are doing what is right for Equestria," Celestia sympathized with the Jedi, "And I acknowledge the unorthodox nature of this." "I apologize for that, but I simply think if we defeated Chrysalis up front, it will save us from a larger number of casualties," Aqua reasoned. Celestia lowered to Aqua's height with a gentle nature. "Trust in the Force, Master Aqua. You'll see that things will turn out right," Celestia replied as she guided Aqua out the door, wing draped over his body in comfort. The howl of Windigoes echoed through the frozen north as a harsh arctic flurry graced the icey land. Flames from the torches lining the cave flickered on the walls. Inside the cave was Queen Chrysalis and several Changelings huddled with her, all scarved in an attempt for warmth. A massive cauldron fit the middle of the cave, and Chrysalis gazed down at an opened spellbook, the leather manuscript peeling with decades of wear and tear. Ghostly spirits circled the pot as the Queen weakly levitated the smooth black horn above it as the red tip of it was close to fading entirely. She closed her eyes and her horn glowed as she spoke the incantation. "Buried, entombed in Tartarus' hold, bound by spirits, it's destiny foretold. From the realm of decease, shroud of hate, resurrect in full, a demon it shall create!" Chrysalis moaned as she dropped the horn into the contents of the cauldron. At first, nothing happened, only the faint growl and moan of spirits, but the pot began shaking softly as the growls grew louder. Chrysalis firmly stood in front of the pot, unsure of what would emerge from the brew. Shaking violently now, the liquids inside threatening to slosh out, snarls, howls, and cries of agony echoes through the massive cave as green, red, and purple auras rose from the pot. Chrysalis shut her eyes as a blinding green light now pierced the room, and with a vertical beam of light, spiraling helixes of red and black swirls surrounded the beacon for many minutes until it all collapsed on itself, and an explosion sounded from the inside, rocking the cave violently back and forth as the ground shook from the blast. A mixture of steam and smoke rose from the remains of the cauldron as an equine body laid, eclipsed in the smog as Chrysalis regained her balance, and crawled to the corpse. She crouched down to the skeleton-like body, and firmly poked it with her front hoof. "Are you...alive?" Chrysalis asked in fear as the body took in slow breaths, and growls filled the cave as the creature turned it's head slightly. Eyes widening in surprise, the creature's hoof shot out in alarm, and it grabbed the neck of the Changeling Queen. "N-No! What...are you...doing?!" Chrysalis gasped for air as the demonic unicorn rose from his crouched position to strangle her. "Who are you?! And what are you doing in my realm!?" the unicorn screamed bloody anger as his eyes pierced right through Chrysalis' own, penetrating her with his unnaturally green eyes and red irises. Chrysalis shuddered in fear as she was instantly subjected to a thousand of her most terrifying fears, and her resolve nearly shattered to bits. "I...saved your horn..." Chrysalis wheezed as he tightened his grip on her throat, "You were lost in the C-Crystal Mountains, and I...brought you back," the stallion's eyes glanced to the remains of the pot he had risen from, and his grip faultered, until he fully let go of the Changeling's neck. Chrysalis coughed in agony as she dropped to the floor; her Changeling soldiers running to her side. The stallion crouched to the Queen with an outstretched hoof. "My sincerest apologies. Not long have I been bound to this mortal world; I haven't been whole in over a thousand years. A thousand years..." the stallion muttered, glaring at the ruins of the cave he had wrought, a small flame flickering still upon the middle of the cave. "What were you doing...in the cold, destroyed?" Chrysalis asked. A twinge of anger aroused the stallion's muzzle as his eyes turned red. "The cold...the crystals...the Crystal Empire. It was so long ago...months even. Nothing but torture...all because of them..." the stallion murmured, seething with rage. "Who? Who did this to you?" Chrysalis asked. "The Crystal Princess, her husband...Shining Armor, a small band of mares, and a...dragon," he answered. Chrysalis glowered at the identities he mentioned. "Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Those fools. Their foolish, inferior love for each other. It was their love that robbed me of my assured victory of conquering Canterlot." "So you have had experience dealing with them," he said, and Chrysalis nodded, "Have you been in conflict with Celestia as well?" A smile formed on Chrysalis' face. "Ahh yes, Celestia. My most precious memory of an otherwise failed destiny. By draining Shining Armor's love, I defeated Celestia in a magic duel. I overwhelmed her quite easily if I must say," Chrysalis said in snide as she barely concealed a face of pride. "Celestia...the foolish, blasted alicorn. Responsible for my first banishment," he said as a crown faded onto his head. "I must ask you, who are you, exactly?" Chrysalis asked. "I am King Sombra. Tyrant of the Crystal Empire, ruler of the frozen north, Sombra the Warlord. Scourge of the Crystal Ponies. Dark magic incarnate," Sombra introduced himself, "And you are?" "I am Queen Chrysalis, co-ruler of the Changeling Empire, and conquerer of the Bad Lands. I rule over thousands of Changelings as my minions, along with my king..." "King? You have a king?" Sombra asked. "Yes. His name...is King Craw. King Craw was my former guard until he rose up to become ruler." "I see. He rose up against the previous king?" Sombra pried. "Yes. The previous king was King Metamorphosis. He was old, very old, near death even. Craw viewed him as just a weak old shell, and destroyed him easily in a duel," Chrysalis explained. "A duel...tell me, what is Craw like?" Sombra continued to press Chrysalis for information on her diarchy. "Powerful, ruthless, and power-hungry. He only raises the strongest of Changelings to be prime, to be the master race, you see. And you are the former ruler of the Crystal Empire?" "I was...until the alicorn princesses destroyed my physical body, and entombed me to the frozen lifelessness of the Iceberg Rift. Not before I utilized my combined dark magic and dark side powers to bring the entire empire down with me, until I rose again. Only to be completely...obliterated by the accursed Crystal Heart," Sombra snarled with unbridled rage as he slammed his hoof upon the floor, causing a crack to spread across the cavern, and a black crystal peeking out of the ground where the fissure ended. "You say dark magic and dark side powers? How were you able to banish an entire empire along with yourself?" Sombra chuckled, low in his throat as he replied, "My dear Chrysalis, I was never much of a normal, average unicorn. No no, I was much more than what the princesses saw in me. The darkness inside me; black as the night sky, whispered dark secrets to me. Such bleak whispers foretold me of great powers, led me to the very being who would instruct me on those ancient ways of magic. It was not magic in itself, Chrysalis, quite the opposite. I was young, always knowing I was destined for such unique power..." "Were it not for my master, I would never have obtained all the secrets he could teach me," Sombra continued, musing. "Along with my magic studies under another mentor. I gained more and more power over the years, immersing myself in the dark side itself, until my own master regarded me of the Force in physical form. I sought power, Chrysalis, and no power I had before could satify me. I wanted more. And with that hunger, I sought after what I could find; the Crystal Empire, in utter anarchy. Ponies, forever wishing to be oppressed, crying out for it. I answered their cries, for they were nothing but my slaves. My complete slaves." "The princesses banished you. How did you survive this long? To come back after a thousand years?" Chrysalis asked. "Darling, you will see that flesh that does not easily support this power. On and off again, my power would be outright leaking from my spirit, urging to be used, bottled up to high levels. My banishment was a chance for me to reassess my abilities, and I slowly crawled from the rift of the undead, and at the tip of the iceberg, I returned to my empire, until I saw that my spot, my own castle, my throne...it was taken from me...by Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor." "Then it would appear we share a common enemy," Chrysalis mused, crouching to Sombra's height. "It would seem so, Queen," Sombra agreed as a red glow shined from his back, erecting a cape from thin air. He smiled as Chrysalis suddenly gripped his hoof. A grunt of alarm in an alien tounge left his mouth as he peered down. "Your powers, Sombra. How can I be sure it is true, what you say?" A smirk appeared on Sombra's muzzle as he stood firmly, and concentrated, and his eyes shined green with purple trails, and his horn glowed black with sparks of electricity. A spherical blast of dark side energy shot out from all angles, alarming all in the cavern as it shook. Chrysalis noticed the icy climate shifting rapidly, steam shifting from the floor as cracks lined the walls. The Changelings clung to each other as the shaking continued, and heat seemed to radiate from Sombra's horn. He exerted hardly any effort as he continued flaring it. Temperatures rose to a sweltering amount as sweat beamed off Chrysalis' forehead. Slowly, Sombra ceased his demonstration, and the trembling in sync ended. What was once frozen snow lining the floor was bare, seared dirt, with the stalactites now crumbling into shards of rock. "Do you see the strength I possess? I have the hold over eons of teaching in all magic. My potential outclasses deities such as Celestia, and I am in your debt, Chrysalis." "King Sombra...I like the way that rolls off the tounge. You seems like you could a worthy king...to rule alongside me." "King Sombra...king of the Changelings. I agree. We could rule the Changeling Empire...and more," Sombra said. Chrysalis and Sombra chuckled with each other as a flame dimmed out from the center of the cave, exposing them to darkness. Twilight squinted her eyes in the darkness of the cave. She anxiously tiphooved along the ground, taking small breaths. The hum of her purple bladed saber buzzing in her ear, she cautiously advanced aimlessly through the cavern. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead as she heard another hum in the distant. Aqua was clinging to a stalactite, hooves wrapped around the base with his wings spread out to balance himself. He wordlessly watched Twilight helplessly wander the cave with her lightsaber ready and held back a smile. He dashed from the stalactite and to another, and Twilight raised her head when she heard a sudden whir of air. Turning her head, she gazed up at the ceiling and saw nothing, and walked awayfrom it. Peeking out from another stalactite, Aqua slowly retracted his lit lightsaber and let go of his hold, soaring down on Twilight with all his might. Turning around, Twilight raised her blade above right when Aqua made contact with her, cutting off his motion and with a forward thrust, she flung him across the cave with a fierce grunt. Aqua flipped in midair and landed square on his hooves. He charged at the lavender mare, and the two clashed sabers. Crossing their swords and swinging until their blades were practically locked into each other, the two tested each other's strength until Twilight tapped into her magic, and flung a stalactite at the Jedi. Breaking from the lock, Aqua bisected the rock in half before Twilight lunged at him with her saber out, only for him to grasp her in his hold with the Force. Twilight grunted in exertion as she disappeared in a magenta flash from Aqua's grip, teleporting behind him and readied herself to strike. Anticipating her, Aqua swiftly turned and caught her saber with his own before pushing her aside effortlessly. Twilight's horn glowed and fired off several bolts of magic at him. As he deflected most with his blade, he reached out with his hoof and the magic absorbed itself into it, before it ricocheted out his other hoof in the form of a Force push. Twilight's horn glowed once more, and the ground shook as vines burst from the ground in her manipulation, tangling Aqua as he dived at her. Captured, Aqua struggled to cut his way through, and lashed out with a Force repulse. He took a short breath, halting his offense. "Impressive, Twilight. Your skills are growing. I am proud," Aqua complimented as he rushed at her with his saber, working into another lock. "I am a quick learner," Twilight replied, "And you should be more watchful..." Aqua noticed the vines once more lurking towards him. He felt them tingle at his back hooves as Twilight gained the upper hoof on the clash. He bit down on his lip as he focused. He had been holding back on her until now; now she was pushing him to try. Still holding his saber, he channeled his energy into the vines surrounding him, overpowering Twilight's magical hold with ease as they now released him, and he drove off Twilight's advance with an offensive flurry of swordplay. Twilight's defensive form of Makishi collided with Aqua's mastery over Soresu. He barely left himself open to attacks for the mare to strike at, but as he did, his own defensive maneuvers being well-rounded and relatively impossible to breach. She lost focus in her lightsaber as Aqua slammed his saber against her's, practically in awe as he grew more intense in his strikes. Curving her blade facing the ground, Twilight struggled against Aqua while he kept his in place, moving with the mare's blade. Twilight had no other solution in the duel, and as she lost herself, the stallion went in for the blow. Knocking Twilight's lightsaber aside with a power swipe, Aqua towered over Twilight as she fell backwards from the force of the blow. Victorious, Aqua pointed his saber at Twilight as he stood on his hind hooves. He spoke in a soft tone as a bead of sweat formed on his brow. "Yield." Twilight was pinned to the floor as Aqua kept his saber pointed. She dropped her saber and stuck her hooves out to surrender. Aqua deactivated his blade until he was caught off guard. Twilight unexpectedly drop kicked her husband off his hooves and possessed him in an intense glob of her magic. His hooves were pinned to his side, preventing him from reaching his saber, and he was now at her mercy. With a victorious smirk on her face, Twilight towered over him now as she pointed her blade at him. "Don't underestimate me," Twilight said. Finally defeated, Aqua yielded to her. "Good, good! You've won, Twilight! At last, your training has come so far," Aqua praised her with a nuzzle. Twilight tucked her saber away as her friends unexpectedly popped out from behind the stalactites. "That. Was. Awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered, hoof pumping the air in celebration, "Twilight! You totally creamed him!" "W-Were you watching the whole time?" Twilight asked, turning to see Aqua crossing his hooves over his chest. "Pfft, duh! We've been waiting for Big Macintosh to get here so we can get this army thing up and running," Rainbow answered with a lazy midair flip. "Twilight darling, you look so marvelous with that purple lightsaber. Ooh! All you need is a tunic like Aqua's and then--" Rarity squealed before being cut off by Pinkie Pie. "You could look all matchy and Jedi-y with your bathrobe thingies and stuffs!" An orange hoof was shoved in her mouth to quell the pink mare's outburst. "That aside, are we expecting the Princess anytime soon?" Aqua asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "The more time we spend in the Everfree Forest, the more time we'd be susceptible to whatever lurks in it." "Don't be such a worrywart, Aqua! What's the worst that could happen?" Rainbow protested, pressing her snout against Aqua's muzzle. "The worst? Well, that could be a wild Manticore, tribe of wyverns, stampede of cows, parasprite invasion, or an overdue friendship letter," Aqua answered, with Twilight blushing in the process, "Just to name a few." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as Fluttershy stepped up to them. "I hear Princess Celestia right now!" On cue, the regal alicorn walked down the smooth staircase leading to the pool, followed by Big Macintosh and Applejack. She met the rest of the group with an uneasy smile. "Thank you all for meeting me here, everypony. And may I thank our friend Big Macintosh here for generously offering his template for our cloning process," Celestia said as the others bowed slightly in recognition. "Big Mac, y'all know what we're off to do, right?" Applejack asked with a nudge of her elbow. "Eeyup." "Then let's get this over with!" Rainbow pried. "Yeah! How many clones are we gonna need, anyway?" Pinkie asked. "It all depends. We could use dozens, or even hundreds of them. But we will cross that bridge when we get to it," Celestia answered as she unfolded a wing out, ushering the two mares to follow. Twilight and Rainbow stood at Big Mac's side as they edged over the mirror pool. Their reflections swishing in the waves, they waited for the Princess' order. "What if this doesn't work, Celestia?" Aqua asked, "What if it's a terrible abomination of nature? An absolute failure of a clone?" "Trust in the Force, Master Aqua," Celestia reassured as she cleared her throat and readied her horn. The aura surround all three ponies as they eased into the mirror pool, the golden magic and blue water illuminating in shades of green. Celestia's horn glowed brighter as a few moments passed. Bubbles continued to find their way to the surface as Aqua and his comrades watched in anticipation. "'Ah sure hope everything's ok in there," Applejack said in concern. Aqua gave a curt nod as he watched. He began thinking to himself. What if this wouldn't work at all? If the clone would result to be a freakish mutant of equine nature as a result of the mix of ponies utilized in cloning? Would they be injured after this cloning? All his answers would come now, as he saw a purple hoof rise from the water. Twilight was the first to emerge from the pool, mane soaked and bangs covering his eyes as she waded out of the deep end. She shook herself dry like a puppy as Rainbow emerged out, casually flying out and all. Last to arrive out was Big Macintosh, with his simple. stoic, well-rounded expression. "Thank you, my little ponies. You are doing Equestria good with your selflessness," Celestia praised as bubbles rose once more from the mirror pool. Watching, waiting for the clone, the entire group stared at the pool before it had finally clawed out of the poolwater. A pale, faded red, and bulky built stallion was revealed, completely identical to Big Macintosh in every way. For eons, the mirror pool had been in obscurity to Equestria, and was now known for it's cloning properties. Aqua Blue was not impressed by it whatsoever. Seconds later, another hoof found it's way to the surface, and out from it was a similar looking Macitosh. Mauve in color, a mix of purple and red coat, with a horn adorning it's head, another pony waded from the water. It had similar features to Twilight and Big Mac, combined in an honestly creepy sort of way. Another pony, a lavish purple, combined from pale red and cyan fur, appeared next to the other clones. Oddly enough, each clone resembled their templates in one way or another; eye shape, muzzle, or the simpler concepts. The group now stood in awe at the three clones before them. Twilight wanted to gasp, but found no air to do so. "My little ponies, welcome to Equestria," Celestia greeted the clones as they bowed to her in respect. One was an Earth pony, another a unicorn, and the last being a pegasus. The spawns of Twilight, Rainbow, and Big Mac had emerged finally. "Heh," Rainbow chuckled, "Say hello to the Macintroopers." Aqua Blue still did not find the mirror pool impressive at all. The throne room to the Changeling Castle burst open, revealing a rejuvenated and refreshed Queen Chrysalis, looking quite well after returning from the Crystal Mountains. She greeted King Craw with a passionate nuzzle, Craw looking over her with wild abandon. "King Craw, thank the creator I've finally returned to you!" Chrysalis gasped with tears running down her face, staining the floor before her. "How long have you been gone, my queen?" Craw asked, "I was near certain you perished in the Crystal Land." "I was gone for weeks, Craw. How do the Changelings fare?" "Fine. They feed just as much as they have before, a miracle I must say, after your little swing-by on Canterlot," Craw pointed out. "Craw, I know what you are hinting at, but please, let me assure you that it is nothing but a minor setback!" Chrysalis reasoned. "Silence! I have dealt with this time and time again, Chrysalis! Our Changelings are hungry for love, my queen, and there is no hope the direction we are headed if I cannot even send you on your way to successfully capture Equestria capital with our prized militia! "B-But Craw, surely you must know it is the fault of Sparkle, a-and Princess Cadence! They would've died in the caverns under Canterlot had they not escaped!" "And were you planning on dealing with them yourself? No. That is how you were defeated." "Please Craw, just give me another chance! I-I could attack Canterlot again, o-or even Ponyville! We could attack all the cities in the country, then go after Canterlot when the time is right! Please!" Chrysalis begged as she cupped Craw's front hooves. Craw pushed aside her hooves in disgust. "No! You have failed me, Chrysalis. Out of my sight!" Craw demanded, shoving the tall Changeling to the door. Chrysalis was flabbergasted as she stood at the entrance of the door as they slammed shut in exile. She turned her head as she trotted away, and into her bedchambers. She sighed wearily to herself as she stood at the window, watching the small Changelings kick about a filly entrapped in a cocoon as if it were a hoofball. She saw the already dead fauna snap in half at the drawbridge of the castle, seeing a cloaked figure in the distance, and as it turned it's head, it lowered it's hood, revealing itself to Chrysalis. She nodded to the figure as she returned to her bed, now ecstatic. The figure eased it's way into the front door of the caslte, approached by the speared Changeling guards. Trumpets blew in a wicked cadence as King Craw walked from the center staircase to greet the figure. "Welcome to the Changeling Empire, stranger. What brings you here?" Craw asked. The figure removed it's hood ominously as it revealed itself to him. Voice low and layered, it spoke to him. "My name is King Sombra. And I am here to negotiate with you." "What could you possibly have to negotiate with me, Sombra?" Craw barked as the guards raised their weapons. "Your plans to rule Equestria. I may be of assistance," Sombra answered. Craw contemplated before raising a hoof to silence his drones. "Go on..." Craw beckoned. "I am the king of the Crystal Empire, and I can assist you in your efforts to rule Equestria." "Former king of the Crystal Empire, in fact. I have no time for your games, Sombra," Craw snarled. "And I have experience in controlling slaves. Think about it, Craw. We both strive to conquer, why not we be united to do so?" "Slaves? You judge my Changelings to be my slaves?" "Oh, I assume you view them as minions then? Irrelevent though, you must understand your minions are in vast numbers, quite strong and commanding, and they are eternally loyal to their king." "Your point being?" "One regal ruler to another, I am willing to offer you all my knowledge of conquest. Perhaps you could actually overthrow Celestia with me in second in command." Craw put a hoof to his chin in thought before turning to the dark lord. "Then we shall make arrangements," Craw said, turning to an armor-plated Changeling by his side, "Prepare our gourmet lunch at once." *** King Craw and Sombra were seated on opposite ends of the dining table, as platters were spread across the clothed table by Changeling waitresses. They traded glanced in between the massive plates served by the service drones, as Chrysalis sat in the middle of the table. They sat in silence before Sombra spoke up. "King Craw, I must ask you. Your Changeling armies?" "Yes, King Sombra? What of my armies?" "If you are wishing to conquer Equestria, your best method would be sending armies after many of the cities in the country." "How do you see that plan working?" "It's painfully easy to see, Craw," Sombra continued as a waitress unveiled the platter, with a mash of fruits glazed with nectars, glistening in the dimmed dining room, "You're aware Queen Chrysalis' attempt on Canterlot many months ago?" "Ah yes, I'm well aware of my queen's failure to secure the capital," Craw said with a sneer that Chrysalis looked away from. "Ah, there's the rub, you see," Sombra explained in a philosophical tone, "Chrysalis'...minor defeat. However, be aware that she many things right in her invasion." "And how do you reason with that?" "Chrysalis flawlessly imitated Princess Cadence in order to infiltrate Canterlot, and lower it's defenses through manipulation. A very delicate plan, I must say, to chip away at the shield being employed by her militia." Chrysalis' smile grew in gratitude as Craw's brow furrowed. "What does this have to do with my armies?" Craw asked with annoyance, tucking into his meal. "To further direct attention from Canterlot, it would've been better suited to send armies around the country. I feel like I am repeating myself, Craw." "And to put my Changelings in danger? To serve just as distractions before striking outright? Sombra, I believe that plan is primed for failure." Sombra grew more and more irritated at Craw, but held his smile in earnest as he settled into his platter. "I agree with Sombra. His ideas are exceptionally brilliant," Chrysalis voiced. Craw rose from his seat. "This is between us kings, Chrysalis. Do not voice your opinion in this matter," Craw hissed. "Now, that's no way to treat a lady, is it Craw? I may be over a thousand years old, but I am still aware of chivalry," Sombra chided. "And you believe yourself to be a more suited king than myself? Is that it, then?" "Perhaps it is, Craw," Sombra raised his voice, rising from the table. The waitresses stood in shock at the ensuing arguement before heading back to their dining halls. Craw sneered at the dark lord before chuckling. "You honestly believe that you can rule Equestria? That you can lead my armies to conquer? You are a fool." Sombra could barely hide his irritation at Craw, not until he delivered his final message. "Then let us prove it. I challenge you to a duel. Your terms, your rules. For the throne." *** The two kings were situated in the Changeling Colosseum, thousands of drones lined across the seats of the arena. Craw was outfitted now in custom made battle armor, constructed by his Changeling blacksmiths. His ribcage area was armored with plated steel as his body was layered out in similar fashion. Sombra was clad in nothing but his cape, discarding his crown. His silky black mane waved in the wind as he growled through his bared teeth. Chrysalis raised her flag to sound the battle as Craw acknowledged his opponent. "This battle will dictate who will rule the Changelings Kingdom! My terms of the duel; you may use one weapon of choice, along with any of your magical abilities. The brawl will cease when either opponent is unable to continue dueling, or in fatal condition. Along with that, there is to be no outside help of any kind during the fight, no exceptions. One last rule, loss of the battle will result in banishment from the kingdom. Failure to will result in death. Do you agree to these terms, King Sombra?" Sombra smirked, "I agree." "Then let it begin!" Craw shouted. Chrysalis waved the flag, and the two sprung into action. Craw's gnarled horn shot forth a beam of vivid red light headed at Sombra, and the demonic unicorn did so just as quickly. Dark magic collided with Changeling magic in a struggle, seeming to be equal in power until the black aura of magic slowly gained the upper hand. A bead of sweat dripped from Craw's forehead as he was forced to cut off his magic and teleported from his position. He watched as the dark magic struck where he had stood, creating a deafening explosion that shook the battlefield. Craw charged at Sombra with his horn, primed to stab him as Sombra simply stood there. Sombra waited just as he was about to make contact with him before he swiftly turned, grabbing Craw by his horn and lifting him from the ground, and slammed his elbow against the king's cheek, knocking him to the ground. Craw charged his horn and shot another beam of magic. With a burst of speed, Sombra dashed from the impact site and leapt at the king, bucking him across the chest with his titanium-plated hooves. Craw once more hit the ground as Changelings screeched to each other. Levitating himself in magic, Craw roared as he shot blasts of magic towards Sombra with wild speed. Encasing his hooves in his magic aura, Sombra stood on his hinds hooves and literally flicked away the magic blasts with his hooves, shooting them into the walls of the arena. Glaring daggers at Craw, Sombra's horn became engulfed in flames, and spat an inferno directed at the Changeling. Backing away, Craw conjured up a blast of water from his horn, dousing the flames in an instant. Gritting his teeth, Sombra reared up and rammed his hooves into the ground, causing it to crackle in a jagged circle around him, and he levitated the chuck of land from beneath him into the air. With a flick of his hoof, Sombra tossed the landmass at Craw, intending the smash him to bits. Craw barely jumped out of the way to only dodge more and more chucks of dirt. Teleporting out of range, Craw appeared behind Sombra and socked him in the back of his neck. Craning back, Sombra shouted in pain as he charged at him, and a scuffle ensued. Blows were struck, and Craw made to strike him. Catching him hooves, Sombra squeezed his hooves hard before lifting Craw off the ground, and slammed his hard down with a sickening crackle. "Is that your best?" Craw challenged, spitting a bit of blood from his maw. "It's all I need," Sombra assured as a hilt flew from inside his cape. With a golden lightweight finish to it, Sombra struck a stance with his weapon, and a crimson blade was spat from the hilt. Getting up from the ground, Craw engulfed himself in magic, and a sword appeared in his hooves. Sombra noted from the sparks of magic flying off it that it had been magically enhanced. "Then show me your little glowing toy!" The two ran at each other with their sabers at the ready, primed to strike either one down. At that moment, Craw and Sombra were locked in a fierce bout of swordplay against one another, until Sombra called upon the Force to push Craw high into the air. He fell hard onto the crushed rubble of dirt the dark lord had wrought, and immediately got back up to fight. Now blindly taking him on, Craw charged sword first at Sombra, who merely leaped above the king with ease. Twisting and turning with barely any movement, Sombra easily dodged Craw's now frenzied strikes, and only delayed igniting his saber as if to toy with him. In their lock of blades, the Changeling glared down at Sombra with hatred as he struggled to keep his sword high. Kicking Craw in the ribcabe, Sombra danced around his wild strikes before retaliating with his own, and shoving Craw aside with the blade. The king roared in defiance before making one last dash at the dark unicorn, and the two were pitted once more in a severe battle of blades. Sombra's superiority with his lightsaber was far more than enough to outclass Craw's display with his magic sword. Towering over the king, Sombra crossed his saber in an X fashion, knocking the sword out of Craw's hooves, and in turn, lobbed off his horn. Craw barely had the ability to scream as Sombra lifted him off the ground with the Force, using it to wreck his body in all possible ways before slamming him harshly into the arena floor. He then thrashed Craw into the wall of the arena, and with a clutch of his hoof, the Changeling was sent rocketing before him. He cowered finally, and attempted to crawl away from him. "Somra...please...have mercy. Please!" Craw pleaded, green blood dripping from his horn. "There is no mercy, Craw," Sombra stated as he raised his front hooves, unleashing a torrent of Force Lightning upon the defenseless Changeling. Craw writhed in agony as Sombra relentlessly continued his torture. He waited until Craw's cries muted, and he ignited his saber once more. "Welcome to Tartarus." A slash reverberated across the arena, and a hushed silence fell over as Sombra stood, victorious. The mane six stood in front of Golden Oaks Library with Princess Celestia as they looked off at the train station before them. Hundreds of multicolored Macintoshes were lined up, boarding onto the train headed for Canterlot. All the same stoic expressions on their muzzles as they marched inside. Celestia waited until all the clones had been boared onto the train, and she slowly trotted to her nearby chariot. "Thank you, my little ponies. With this army of clones, Equestria shall have one more method of defense against any threat that opposes us. You all have my gratitude," Celestia said, as her subjects bowed to her. Aqua gave a nod as Celestia glanced at him with her smile. "We will meet soon enough, Princess," Aqua said as he bowed, "To check on this militia of ours." "I shall be expecting you, then," Celestia turned to leave on her chariot, and she soared from Ponyville into the sky. The group watched her leave in silence. Twilight then broke the silence. "So everypony, what are we going to do now?" "I suppose we simply go on from here," Rarity suggested. "We just now got a new clone army, we may as well let that sit in," Aqua agreed. "Hey guys! I have an idea!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Let me guess, another party?" Rainbow deadpanned. Pinkie Pie instantly blew a noisemaker as she was now covered in streamers and balloons. She bounced off to Sugarcube Corner with so much as a goodbye. The others shrugged nonchalantly before Rainbow spoke up. "So...party?" "Ah'm coming," Applejack trotted off with Rainbow over to the gingerbread house. "Darling, a party should be a useful stress reliever after all that we've gone through in the last few days. I shall be off, then," Rarity stated before walking off. Soon it was just Twilight and Aqua, standing alone amidst the blowing leaves in the mid-evening air. "You coming, dear?" Twilight asked as she stared at Aqua, who was now glancing at the ground. The mare asked again in concern, "Aqua? You ok?" Aqua was snapped out of his trance and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I-I'm fine." "Are you coming to the party?" Aqua gave a slight shrug before answering. "I-I don't know, Twilight. I'm just so...against this whole clone army idea," he said as he scruffed the ground with his hoof. "Come on Aqua, it's not that bad of an idea. We're gonna have more protection from Queen Chrysalis, and who knows? We'll eventually corner her, like you wanted to," Twilight reaffirmed with a loving nuzzle, "You sure you don't wanna come?" Aqua paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Yeah, I'll meet you there in a minute," he said as he kissed her goodbye. Aqua watched Twilight walk away to the bakery building as he remained alone in his thoughts. I doubt even Utopia Prism could've prepared a Jedi for this. With those thoughts in mind, Aqua joined up with Twilight back in Sugarcube Corner as the party now began. "Come on Aqua! Dance with me!" Twilight shouted from the center of the room as music played. The mare was dancing quite horribly, but was genuinely enjoying herself. Aqua smirked as his thoughts left him, and he trotted over to Twilight. The group watched as the pair now danced with each other. The moon rose just in time for the song to play. And somehow, Aqua knew something was amiss. <6> A Normal Day in PonyvilleSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.<7> The Changeling CrisisSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.<8> Morality [Part One]Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.<9> Morality [Part Two]Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.<10> Invasion of the Crystal EmpireSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.<1> Captive LoversChapter One: Captive Lovers A Sparkling Romance: The Magic of TwoOnce upon a time, in the land of Equestria... It was just a peaceful morning in Ponyville. The birds were chirping, the skies were blue without a cloud to be seen. The Celestia risen Sun was just beginning to appear on the horizon of the lush green plains. A quite blissful morning for any inhabitant, be it lounging in bed in the summer or frolicking in the flower fields. Sadly though, this was not one of those mornings. It was quite different. The skies were riddled with dark clouds of black smoke, billowing from the wreckages of simple towns down below, the landscape itself wracked with pony-sized craters. The calm and peaceful land below was replaced with a battle-torn wasteland, devoid of tranquility. The city of Fillydelphia had been the unfortunate victim of an assault by the Changeling army. It had also been days since the wedding couple of Twilight Sparkle, personal student of said Princess, and Jedi Master Aqua Blue went off as peacekeepers to quell the conflict. Celestia expected them to have returned to Canterlot after a few hours at the most, but an errie silence for days on end worried her. This is when Celestia took matters into her own hooves. A golden chariot tugged by four guards hovered through the blackened skies of Fillydelphia, the fog blinding the chauffeurs were it not for the solar monarch's golden magic illuminating the sky. Dreadful moments passed before the princess broke the silence. "Guards, land me there." Celestia said as the chariot began it's descent to the ground. With a gruff neigh from the guards, the chariot slowly touched down on the ground. Celestia rose to her hooves with a huff and walked off the platform. True to the nature of the attack, not much of the city was spared. Smoke sizzled all around as Celestia trotted from the chariot, not taking her eyes off the road ahead as she passed several bodies of Changelings and royal guards. Discarded papers flew in the rough gale, blowing away the hazy smog of battle debris. A fellow royal guard approached the solar alicorn as she made her way to a crossroads in the street. "Your highness, we've scoped the area of any remaining Changeling forces." the guard spoke in a tired voice. "And what news have you found?" Celestia asked. "We seem to have driven the entirety of the army forces before any more significant damage could be done." "Hmm, and what of Twilight Sparkle and Master Aqua?" Celestia questioned with worry in her voice, "Surely they're alright at the moment, wouldn't you agree?" "Um, I'm sorry to say this, Princess, but we...we lost communications with them after the fourth day of invasion. It seems they were captured when the 4th wave of Changelings assaulted the city center." the guard admitted with a break in his voice. Celestia said nothing, only quickening her pace. Replacing the commonly seen gentle and patient smile was a grimace of worry plastered on the solar diarch's muzzle. Soon though, her qualms would be resolved. A small warehouse of sorts laid in dilapidation among the towering skyscrapers and businesses of the modern city. Guarding the doors to the storage building were two armored Changelings wielding spears of stainless steel. Inside the building was what was the turning point of the invasion, what had given the Changelings victory over the city. Two powerful assets to the city's security. Amidst the dimly lit room, surrounded by crates stacked upon crates filled with who knows what to be shipped to who knows where, held two ponies. One mare, one stallion. Twilight Sparkle and Aqua Blue, tied back to back in opposite chairs. Twilight lifted her head groggily as she glanced around her surroundings. A weak gasp escaped her throat as her pupils now darted around in a frantic search for Aqua. "Nrrgghhh!" Twilight struggled in her seat as she strained to free herself of the bonds holding her in place. The mare attempted to jerk her head, only to find a strap restricting her movement. She made the most possible effort to contort her head to view her husband, in an unconscious mood. "Aqua?" Twilight asked. No response. "Aqua," the lavender mare repeated in a firmer tone. Twilight attempted to teleport from her ropes, but found her magic energy too tired and exhausted to comply. "Aqua, wake up!" Twilight cried, tilting her chair back so the legs of Aqua's chair would slam against the steel floor, jolting the pegasus Jedi to consciousness. "W-What? What happened?" Aqua asked as, in his rude awakening, tried to jerk his head as well, to no avail. "We got captured by the Changelings and put in this...where are we, anyway?" Twilight explained before getting confused herself. Aqua glanced around the dim building before closing his eyes for a moment. Minutes passed until Aqua spoke. "We're in a warehouse...surrounded by Changelings, I believe. We need to find a way out of here, but first to get out of this trap." Aqua said. "Nrrghh! N-No. It's too...tight." Twilight groaned, struggling to break free. As Aqua's ears drooped in distress, he eyed something far away. In plain sight, on a crate about 10 feet away, was a metallic handle of some sort. The blue stallion's eyes widened as he identified the object in particular. His lightsaber. Twilight again attempted to utilize her magic, only for a few sparkles to fizzle out of her horn, nothing more. With a frustrated groan, Twilight swished her tail as Aqua focused his gaze on his weapon. The mare even considered gnawing her way through, but her head restraint prevented such. In one last effort, Twilight slammed her head against the back of her chair, the force of it only rocking the chairs to the side a few inches. Her ears drooped as well as she lowered her head as best she could. "Well, I'm out of ideas. Any suggestions?" Twilight asked. "Always full of them, dear," Aqua replied, "Now brace yourself." Peering at his lightsaber, Aqua gestured ever so slightly with as much reach as his restrained hoof could allow, and like party supplies from Pinkie Pie's party cannon, Aqua's lightsaber shot right towards the duo. Guided by the stallion's usage of the Force, the lightsaber cleaved right through the ropes tying the chairs together like butter. With a outwards blast of raw Force energy, Aqua released himself and Twilight from their chairs. No longer restrained, Twilight lunged for Aqua, pulling him into a tight hug. "I love you so much." Twilight gushed, burying her face in Aqua's chest. Aqua reluctantly broke from the embrace gently as a confused chatter rang out from outside. "We're not done yet, Twilight." Aqua said as he brandished his saber. The two confused Changeling guards raised their spears, only to leap back in surprise as a shining blue blade shot out of the doors, carving away at it until a rectangular hole was sheared through, and before they could blink, the iron slabs were blasted away with blazing speed. Stepping out of the ruined door, Aqua readied his saber as the two guards charged for him. Before anypony could make a move, two shots of golden yellow magic were fired at the insect drones, knocking them unconscious. The dense fog shrouded everypony's view until a pristine, long horn jutted out of the smoke, revealing a crown atop the alicorn greeting them. "Master Aqua, I see you are unharmed." Princess Celestia remarked with a relieved expression. Aqua bowed in respect as his wife shortly behind followed suit. "Princess!" Twilight hollered as she ran towards the deity and nuzzled her, "I'm so glad you're here." "I was beginning to worry. It isn't often a threat to Equestria doesn't get solved in under an hour or so," Celestia quipped with a bit of a smirk, "But I digress, I am glad to see you two safe." "We'll be safe when we're back in Ponyville," Twilight shrugged as she looked around the forgotten ruins of buildings, "The royal guards already secured the city, no more need to be here." "Then I wish you the best of luck, but first, do you require a way back to Ponyville? My chariot's back at the city square and ready." Celestia asked. "No worries, we have our own chariot awaiting." Aqua said as he put the hood of his cloak over his head, clipping his saber to the belt of his tunic. "Fair enough. Twilight," Celestia turned her head to meet her student, "I will send a letter to you when you return. I trust you'll be ready for your next spell?" "Of course, Princess. Thank you for making the trip here. We greatly appreciate it." Twilight answered with a smile. A breeze blew several discarded items along the dirt road as Celestia departed from the duo to return to her chariot. The fog had already began dissipating as the unicorn saw her own chariot come into her vision. "Aqua, does this strike you as a bit suspicious?" Twilight asked. "Fillydelphia, of all places invaded by the Changeling hive? Yes, it does. From what you told me about the time Queen Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, she struck with the force of her entire legion." Aqua answered. "Exactly, but why strike so many places, and not Canterlot?" the unicorn retorted with a hoof to her chin. "Hmph, maybe she learned her mistake from last time. War does harden a soldier, none the less the leader behind it." "I guess so," Twilight said as she approached the chariot and emptied her saddlebag onto the seat. The guards in front of the chariot frightened her a bit, their usual focused stare replaced with a bit of a...greenish glow. "Guards, could you take us back to Ponyville?" Twilight asked, to no answer. Only a quiet moan not unlike a zombie. "Um, hello? If you could take us to Ponyville, we'd love for that to happen." Twilight prompted, only for another silence to ensue. A guard slowly began reaching for something in his saddlebag. Aqua's eyes widened as he nudged Twilight silently. Changelings. Celestia's chariot emitted a golden glow not unlike a comet as she stared over the ruins of Fillydelphia. The immortal alicorn turned her head as a content smile raised her muzzle. Flaring her horn, the Sun rose and glared through the last of the fog, illuminating everything in the joy of the light. Keeping the smile on her face, her thoughts changed to that of her personal student Twilight, and to her good friend, Jedi Master Aqua. "May the Force be with you two, always." Celestia whispered to herself as she watched a castle spire appear in the dawn of the day. In fact, the Force has always been with them. Two swift slashes were heard preceeding a sharp snap-hiss sound. An agitated hiss of pain rang in the air along with the sound of organic flesh separating it's source. With an ugly flopping noise, the heads of two Changelings dropped to the cold ground, the decapitated origin bodies falling in suit. The blade of his saber illuminated Aqua's face as he grimly deactivated the plasma beam of his hilt, fastening it to his belt and pulling down his hood. The Jedi stallion turned to face Twilight, his face softening to a gentle smile. "Are you alright, Twilight?" Aqua asked. "I'm fine," Twilight said with a hint of annoyance, "Just really getting tired of Changelings today." "Same, same. The more important thing is we have no chauffeur to lead us back to Ponyville." Aqua grimaced as he stared off into the sky. His focused stare eased as an idea finally hit him. Turning his head back to the unicorn, Aqua spread his wings and hunkered down. "Get on." Aqua said as he made a mind gesture to her. Smirking, Twilight caught the gesture and carefully situated herself on Aqua's back. "Like we practiced before." Aqua followed as he hovered off the ground, slowly taking on flight. Calling upon the Force, Aqua emitted a blue glow as Twilight glowed magenta. With a complex teleportation spell in sync with Aqua's Force Speed, the two disappeared in what would appear to be an...indigo flash of light.
<2> Lovers' QuarrelChapter Two: Lovers' Quarrel A gentle breeze billowed through the balcony of the darkened, dilapidated castle. Entering the balcony, one would find the throne room, dimly lit with torches lining the walls of the corridors. A gastly air seemed to eminate from all corners of the room, bringing a feeling of sadness and depression upon any living thing inside. The room was devoid of any life though, save for a few spiderwebs, rodents and maggots. From a stray hole in the wall, a spider sneakily crawled from it's interior and sprinted to the balcony's open door, and billowing curtains. To the spider, everything was gigantic to it's point of view. It's 8 speck-sized red eyes darted to the top-right, and sunk back in amazement at the sight before the arachnid's many, many pupils. It's eyes widened in shock as a massive circular shadow loomed over it, getting darker and darker with every inch. The arthropod attempted to scuttle away before it's fate would be decided. And it's fate had been decided, with a big black hoof. As if a squeal of pain echoed off the walls of the throne room, the death of the spider was met with a satifying crunch, along with the mournful crackle of the insect's exoskeleton. The black hoof, coated in silver armor retracted from the remains of the insect, leaving behind a bit of gooey liquid on the floor. The stallion's forearm raised up to chin level with a sadistic, if not gleeful expression. A croaky chuckle escaped the stallion's throat as a harsh breeze blew through his silky black mane and matching sideburns, and the red cape by his side fluttered in the newfound breeze. A purple mist trailed from the green eyes of the dark monster. A millennium's age, with the patience of stone, the great King Sombra stood before the balcony overlooking the wasteland of a kingdom, and savagely licked the spider into his mouth, with another crunch akin to the same from the kill blow his hoof had dealt to the now deceased arachnid. Not long into his relishing, a door marked with a green arcane-esque symbol shuttered open, and without even a turn of Sombra's head, he already knew who the figure was that had just entered his domain. "Greetings, my dearest king. I trust you are relishing in your recent victory?" an echoing, layered voice rang from the errie silence, as if two voices had spoke in unison. The mighty king turned from his blissful stance to face the voice in question. "Indeed. I was merely reveling in the facilitation of Phillydelphia your Changeling army has provided." King Sombra's voice reverberated similarly to the queen speaking to him. The Changeling Queen remarked cheerfully to his statement. "Only another pathetic landmark we have conquered. Only to add to the several others we've already crushed." the lanky Queen continued with impatience. "I'm growing a bit weary of needlessly conquering cities. When shall we strike our main objective?" "Still yourself, Chrysalis. You must have patience before you will achieve victory. Of course, we could rally our troops in an ill-fated spirit run on Canterlot in an hour or so, but where's the logic in that?" Sombra asked, and Chrysalis opened her mouth to argue, but the king pressed on his testiment. "Before we engage with Equestria's capital, we must ensure that Canterlot is good and distracted. That is when our plans can be carried out." Sombra spoke in a tone that held utter calmness. "And then what shall happen?" Chrysalis asked in anticipation. The King of Darkness's furrowed his brow as a smile of sick pleasure twisted his muzzle. "That's for another day, Chrysalis. For now, let me celebrate my insured victory." Sombra said, and with a throaty chuckle, he turned his back to the balcony once more as Chrysalis bowed and took her leave from his throne room. High in the sky, deep in the unknown reaches of the Everfree Forest, an indigo light flashed brightly, glaring down on the surface like a mass of blue flames. Twilight and Aqua instantaneously took form within the mass of light. However, as soon as the pair emerged from it, they immediately dropped out of the sky akin to a fallen bird plummeting to the ground. Clutching onto her coltfriend's back, Twilight's muzzle wore a face of fright, closing her eyes as she buried her head in his neck, as Aqua gritted his teeth and desperately managed to steer himself. The combined weight Twilight posed on him did not help the situation no less. With a twist of his foreleg, he pulled a dense pile of leaves into an open clearing, then fully surrendered to the inhumane curse of gravity. CRASH! What would've been a bone-shattering smash against the cold, hard dirt was prevented by a rather smooth crash landing into the condensed pile of leaves, alleviating the pain of the landing. Twilight groaned in distain as she rolled off of Aqua's back and laid on her own, panting from exhaustion. Aqua however, taking the blunt of the fall, was happy to have not been injured severely. Getting up from her facsimile cushion, Twilight stretched her legs with an involuntarily crackle, turning to offer a hoof to Aqua, still spawled on the forest floor. "Are you ok, Aqua?" Twilight asked with concern as Aqua hoisted himself from the forest floor. "Well, besides the back pain, I suppose I'll manage," Aqua answered as he brushed stray leaves from his tunic, "Though I'd be more worried about you." "Just a little jolted from the bumpy ride, but I'm fine." Twilight said as she pawed at the ground before looking up at the sky with a frown. "Please don't tell me we're where I think we are." Aqua took a moment to survey the surrounding area, then planted a hoof to stroke the blue hair accompanying his chin. "Perhaps we landed, or if you will, crash-landed in a recess in the Everfree Forest. Can't make out where, though." Twilight eye's widened in surprise as she glowered at the pegasus Jedi. "So now we have no idea where we are," she said with a groan, "Great. Now how are we supposed to find our way home?" "Take it easy, I'll find a way." Aqua said as he turned his back and took a step forward before plopping onto his haunches. Twilight heard him take a deep breath as his wings unfurled, his body now hovering off the ground. Minutes passed before he settled onto the ground with an exhale, standing up to face her. "Ponyville is most likely in that direction." Aqua said as he gestured a hoof to his right. Twilight tilted her head with confusion. "You can't be certain it's that way. These woods are like a natural maze." Twilight said. Aqua turned his neck to the side as he began marching in his direction. "I would've expected you, the smartest mare in Ponyville to know her way around the woods, after studing it in that geography book I lent you a few hundred times." Aqua teased, a small smirk crossing his face, receiving a love tap on the shoulder. A caw of a flock of birds echoed off the trees as the pair disappeared through the brush and bushes. "Hey Aqua, do you think the forest changes everytime we go in it?" Twilight asked curiously. An occasional bramble here and there, and the two begun to notice the fatigue overtaking them. The crash landing, along with the complex teleportation spell, had depleted them of most of their energies. Another concern was a distant snarl from the bushes, prompting them to hurry forward, their hoofsteps crunching against the leaves. Twilight stared up at the sky, noticing the sun now beginning to reach mid-height. Her distracted state, however, resulted in her bumping into Aqua from behind. "Are you nervous about something?" Aqua asked. "Oh. No, just looking at the sky a bit. Any idea what time it is?" Aqua stopped suddenly, glancing at a nearby tree, before facing her. "If you had a compass on you, I could figure it out with the tree shadows." Aqua said. "Don't bother." Twilight said with a bit of a grimace. "The magnetic polarity here is different than it is in Ponyville. Watches, compasses, somehow even maps just go nuts in this forest." Aqua's ears drooped as he started trotting again. "Well we have no idea where we are, and no way to tell what time it is." he said, a blue hoof striking its owner's forehead. "Yeaah, this'll work out just fine." Twilight quipped as she tossed a nearby stone across a puddle. Aqua lowered his head in frustration as he dropped to his haunch. "May as well set up camp. We may be here a while. What do you think?" Aqua said. "Best idea I can think of." Twilight said as she dropped her saddlebag to the ground and opened it, fishing out a water bottle, and offered it to him. He accepted it with a smile before unfastening the robe to his tunic, letting it drop amongst the leaves. Igniting his lightsaber, Aqua trotted towards a nearby tree, and swung hard at it. A sharp crackle reverberated through the area as the tree fell. Twilight watched as three more met the first tree's fate. "Um, do you need help with this?" Twilight asked. "No, I've got this taken care of. Why don't you go relax for now?" Aqua said as he started levitating leaves onto the top of the makeshift canopy. The lavendar mare decided to trot away to a clearing, and as she pulled a book from her saddlebag, she cast another glance at Aqua with a smile, and began reading. Shortly in the first chapter of it, she soon drifted off to sleep. Queen Chrysalis strolled through the corridor at a brisk pace, accompanied by a Changeling in black armor. The hall was decorated with the usual you would expect a Changeling hive to be; green slime hardened over into crusty hives, cobwebs, the occasional drone attending to a ruptured hive. All reministic to the hive to a swarm of bees. The queen was outfitted in a black cape, very well hiding the lankiness of her body. To the insects that were her clan, they paid it no mind but as an aesthetic choice. She finally reached the door when she made a gesture with her hoof, silently telling the guard that he was dismissed. When she was alone, she put a forearm to the door and slid it open like a glass patio door. With his back once more to her was King Sombra, now positioned on the crystal covered throne of the palace room. The dark king's eyes were closed, giving off the impression of sheer tranquility. Chrysalis approached the throne regally, and bowed to him. Chrysalis waited patiently for Sombra to make any interaction, to break from his meditation. A deep, masculine breath seemed to escape the corrupt unicorn's throat as he sat in his peace. Seconds turned to minutes before Sombra finally opened his eyes, and turned his throne to her diarch companion. "Thank you for coming, Queen Chrysalis. I sense you are wondering why I have called you here?" Sombra said in a tone that would've made anypony else besides them quiver in their horseshoes. Chrysalis rose her head in acknowledgement. "The guard escort had detailed to me that it is of great importance." "Yes. It appears I have located a lone Jedi, deep in the recesses of the Everfree Forest." Chrysalis' eyes widened slightly as she kept her head raised. "A Jedi? At last." Chrysalis said with an almost relieved sigh. "Indeed, Chrysalis. Along with his little friend...oh what's the name?" Sombra began, tapping his chin with his hoof, "Ah yes, the ever more magical Twilight Sparkle." "Are you sure?" Chrysalis asked in bewilderment. Sombra stamped his hoof on the armrest of his throne, producing a heavy clank, echoing through the room and even beyond the halls. "Do you doubt my powers, Chrysalis? The same power rivaling that of the Princesses ruling over this country?" he said with a prideful smile. "I would never doubt you in the least, my king! What do you plan on doing about this Jedi?" Sick pleasure stormed through Sombra's mind, and as it happened he licked his lips blissfully, his eyes turning redder and redder with each second passing. He rose from the throne, and stepped down to face the kneeling Changeling. "We shall make a little visit." Sombra whispered, pure venom seeping through his words like the venom from a Manticore stinger. The faint sound of raindrops fell upon the dry forest floor. In the clearing laid the purple mare, spawled across the dirt on her side, clutching the book she was reading in her forehooves. Her mane was slightly disheveled from her slumber, and her body was sparkling with the drops of rain. Aqua exited the door of his campsite to find the mare in her position, and took note to notice all of her features. He noticed that she was also drooling a bit. With a playful roll of his eyes, Aqua hoisted her by her legs and situated her on his back, and without a word, Aqua carried Twilight back into the campsite as the sprinkle of rain increased to a practical downpour. It was much more spacious than it looked from the inside, and had the appearance of an old log cabin, save a few windows, but they were no concern to him. Closing the 'door', or rather levitating a massive log of wood to block the entrance from intruders and rain, Aqua rested Twilight on a pillow he had retrieved from his saddlebag. Thank Celestia he had brought it with him when he thought the negotiations at Fillydelphia would take a long time. Nonetheless, he threw a spare log over the now growing fire he had constructed moments prior. In only a minute or so, Twilight was woken up by the crackling flames, and she jolted awake with a fright. "Oh Celestia, is the forest burning?!" Twilight shrieked as she flailed her hooves in fear. Aqua held her tightly to quell the panicked mare. "It's alright, it's just a campfire I made." Aqua said in a chilled voice. Twilight tilted her head in disbelief. "You...made a fire...in a wooden campsite?!" Twilight hollered as panic overtook her fully now. "Relax! It's not going to burn, look around." Aqua said, motioning around the large room. It was indeed quite spacious to the mare, the fire contained by dark stones in the middle of the room could not burn anything around it, not if Aqua had anything to do about it. A table and bookshelf was also constructed, albeit a bit of shoddy workmenship was evident without powertools being around. "Ohh, ermm, how long was I asleep for?" Twilight asked in confusion. "Only long enough for me to make this little hut. Took me the better half of twenty minutes, and that's just building the table and shelf." Aqua explained as he flopped onto his back with a tired groan. "Well it's pretty nice, very...roomy." Twilight said before she facehooved, "Oh shoot, I just remembered!" Her horn glittered as she opened her bag, revealing a few simple bedsheets tucked that were sandwiched inside, and spread them out on the floor. Aqua took a moment to gaze at their saddlebags. "Exactly why did we bring that?" Aqua asked, noting the strangeness of their supplies. "Well...remember a few nights ago? The night after Pinkie and I got rid of all her clones, and she threw that huge party?" Twilight asked as she blushed fiercely. "Oh...that. Well. Now I see why you brought extra sheets in case." Aqua said as he awkwardly turned on his side. "Hey, you brought it up with the bag. You were all like, 'We may be in Fillydelphia for a while; we may as well pack extra sheets.'" Twilight said as she intimidated the Jedi's voice, as if she were mocking him. Aqua tried his hardest to keep his poker face, but almost broke under the hilarity of her bad imitation. Rolling his eyes, he simply hurled his nearby pillow square into Twilight's face, knocking her completely off balance. Her eyes narrowed to near slits as she levitated both pillows, ready to strike. "Oh so you wanna play rough now, huh? Go on, big boy." Twilight teased as she hurled the pillows back at him, only for Aqua to push them away with the Force like they were flies. She nearly gulped as Aqua pawed at the ground, removing his robe once more, exposing the form-fitting tunic covering him, and as he pounced onto the lavendar mare onto the pillows before she could raise her shield, and he rose a hoof to strike her in the most pleasant way possible. By tickling her. Aqua ran his hoof along Twilight's stomach, causing the mare to burst out into giggles. "N-No! S-Stop it, I'm ticklish!" Twilight gushed, beating her forehooves against Aqua's chest, but it was futile. Twilight was getting tickled, and she was helpless. Aqua continued his attack, bringing her hoof to Twilight's lower leg, unearthing another wave of laughter from the mare. "No! P-Please! Not there! Not there!" Twilight screamed in delight as she had her leg tickled beyond repair. Up her waist, all the way to her flank, she was tickled by Aqua. Minutes passed while her laughter echoed through the hut so loud the logs shook from it. He had been merciful up until now, but now was to close the deal. Getting up, Aqua heard her gasping for breath from her laughter, and a smile crept on his face as he lowered himself in front of her back hooves. Twilight eyed him with suspicion before her eyes widened. "Celestia be marked, don't you dare, Aqua Blue!" Twilight cried, but it was inevitable. Aqua brought his hoof across her right back hoof, fiddling with the round surface of it like a rag doll, elicting even louder cries that any creature outside the hut would be utterly confused on what had been transpiring. Everything was good until a deep rumble shook the hut, jolting the inhabitants out of their enjoyment. "W-Wait, stop! What--What was that?" Twilight asked in between her gasps for breath and of terror. Another rumble took place, as if something massive was heading towards them. "Whatever it is, it wants us for a snack." Aqua said as another jolt caused a loose plank of wood to smash the ashes of the fire, putting out the flame with a few sparks. Twilight steadily held onto the shelf for balance on her shaky legs before another jolt rocked the log guarding the entrance away, exposing them to the darkness. Aqua ran out of the hut with Twilight in tow, they heard crashing steps in the wake of the bushes, and as they stood in fear, they saw red eyes peering from the bushes accompanied by a low growl. In a flash, the entity revealed itself and jumped from the bush, showing itself to be a snarling Manticore. Deja vu hit Aqua like a saddlebag of bricks as he readied his lightsaber, and as the roaring monster reared onto it's hind legs, Aqua stood on his own legs covering Twilight. As he dashed towards the Manticore, he swung dead on for it, along with another jolt of deja vu to painfully strike him, in the form of the lion hybrid's claws. SLASH! The two opponents exchanged blows for a brief moment, and with a few swipes of his saber, the fangs, a claw or two, and the tip of it's stinger was bisected clean off the beast, but aside the cosmetic damage, it was uneffected. Aqua was not so lucky this time. In the same place as before, his shoulder had been slashed by the Manticore, re-opening the healed skin of the woung from months prior. Along with a few good slashes to his back leg and cheek, Aqua was downed. Twilight screamed in fear as the beast grabbed him by the throat and roared, thrashing him against the tree, leaving a smear of blood against Aqua's head from the impact. Aqua bitterly spat blood at it's face, igniting another roar that basically said You're boned now. As it readied itself for the kill blow, a loud thwack resounded through the woods. The Manticore was struck in the back of the head with a massive log of wood, bringing it down in a second. Aqua slid to the ground, bleeding, and a magically exhausted Twilight ran to his side. "Aqua, you're really hurt!" Twilight screamed, picking him up from the ground. Aqua rolled his eyes to the ground in shame. "I'm fine." he said between a mouthful of blood building in his throat. His tunic was torn and ripped from the sudden ambush, and he was battered horribly, shoulder bruised, and slashes all over him, blood escaping almost constantly. "No! You're literally bleeding! We need to get you help!" Twilight said as a bit of his blood seeped onto her coat. "I...don't need it. I can heal it." Aqua said, drawing the Force on his wounds, and pressure built on his wounds, slowly stopping the blood loss, but he was still unable to walk. He dropped to the floor with a shaky groan, his energy finally depleted. "I...need to stay here. I need to rest." Aqua said as he tried crawling to the hut, but Twilight firmly put a hoof down on his tail "You are not staying here. You're coming with me." Twilight asserted, hoisting him over her shoulder as she walked him from the hut, and another growl escaped the bushes. Fear struck Twilight, and Aqua closed his eyes in dispair. Another Manticore burst from it, angrier than the last, and towered over the two with the intent to kill. That is, until Aqua noticed the stinger missing. The Manticore instantly recognized Aqua, and it shifted to the near dead brother of it's clan. With a purr, the beast lowered to Aqua, and grabbed him gently. Aqua's body did not resist as he rested on it's red, wild mane. Twilight winked out onto it's back as well, and the Manticore took off with them. "Where's it taking us?" Twilight asked. "It's...taking us...to it's village. I made friends with it's clan, but...some weren't so well-receiving." Aqua moaned, blood now barely escaping his wounds. Pain rattled his lungs, and he lost consciousness in Twilight's hooves. Twilight let out a yell of fear as she clutched her coltfriend for as long as she could, praying he would stay alive, crying silently all during the ride. Minutes passed quietly before Twilight finally opened her eyes, snuggling Aqua deeply as the ride came to an end. Dropping to the ground with him on her back, Twilight nervously lugged him to a nearby hut. The whole village was filled with tribal masks, torches, symbols of far off places, and the corpses of last night meals for the beasts. Twilight pinched her muzzle to block out the smell of the rotting flesh as she followed the Manticore to the main hut of the village. As soon as she entered it, all the beasts' eyes narrowed to her, but as they saw the blue stallion laying on her back at near death, they softened. Twilight knew she couldn't speak their language, but she was overwhelmed with dispair. She desperately screamed at the top of her lungs. "Help! Someone help! Please, my husband is dying!" The Manticore wit her roared in distress to the others, and all the beasts in the hut surged to action. Aqua was put onto a smooth, wooden table, and a roar called to someone nearby. A zebra trotted towards the scene, taking in every grim detail on Aqua's body. He was striped black and white, jewelery adorning his ears and neck, and wearing glasses. He took a face of concern as he saw Twilight, not holding back her tears as she held his unconcious hoof. "What happened to him?" he asked, taking out a first aid kit. "H-He was attacked by one of these...these monsters! You monsters did this! You hurt my husband!" Twlight screamed, ready to kill each Manticore in the room as the zebra held her back. A Manticore roared to him, and he translated it's call. "Please. Do not hate the beasts. That one Manticore was not like the others. Full of anger, and aggression. Not like these others. It was an outcast to them, and they went after it when it heard...laughter. What seemed like much joyous laughter." the zebra said in a sympathetic tone. Twilight instantly felt guilty for what had happened, and swung for the zebra nurse. "He's not going to die, will he?! He can't! He just can't!" Twilight shrieked, cupping her eyes as waterworks were unleashed. "You are acting hysterical. Please calm down, he will not die. He just needs to rest for a few hours while I tend to his wounds." the zebra said as he shooed Twilight to a corner of the room so he could focus on Aqua. Twilight guiltily glanced over to the Manticores beside her, and she then turned to the unconscious form of her husband, and the zebra began to work on him. Twilight could not stop another flood of tears to leave her purple eyes, and as she watched on, she only had one thought in her mind. It's all my fault...
<3> Mirror MayhemChapter Three: Mirror Mayhem Darkness. Darkness was everywhere. Darkness enshrouded the entire plain of existance. Everything was a massive void of utter blackness. Not like space, however. There were no stars, no planets in the ever expanding backround, no sun nor moon. No way to hear you scream. Not that it really mattered at the moment, because the only inhabitant was unconcious at the time. And that one pony was Aqua Blue. Aqua's body floated aimlessly in the darkness, unmoving, seemingly unscathed from him brush with death at the claws of the now dead Manticore. His face was relaxed, calm and collected, as he drifted upon the void. His body slowly faltered downwards, as if gravity was suddenly pulling down on him. He couldn't resist, obviously in his comatose state. His body becoming more and more of a speck in the bleak realm of existance. Unable to speak, to move or to even think, Aqua finally blinked out of the void with a fade. Wherever he was heading, he had no say in it. "Are you sure he'll be ok?" Twilight worriedly asked as she stuck to the operating table like a moth to a flame. The zebra withdrew his stethoscope from the pegasus' chest. "Quite positive. He'll be concious in about half an hour, but he'll still be groggy. So don't let him do anything stupid," The zebra said as he deposited his aspirator into a nearby drawer. "So what exactly were you two doing in the Everfree at this hour?" Twilight responded, "Well, we were just in Phillydelphia a few hours ago, and we got here and he made this nice hut, then..." A blush flushed over the mare's cheeks as she tried to wiggle around the impending subject. "He...told me a really funny joke." "What was it?" The zebra asked, devoid of all jovial expression. "Err, w-what did the mare say when she fell off a bridge?" Twilight quickly blurted out. "I give up. What did she say?" "Help! I've fallen and I can't giddyup!" Twilight answered, sealing it with a cheesy smile. If there were enough rimshots and groans from the Manticores to go around, Twilight could swear she'd gone deaf from the amount of it. The zebra pinched the bridge of his muzzle in irritation. "Hilarious. I'm sincerely in stitches." The zebra snarked in Twilight's direction. "Anyway! Like I was saying, we were laughing, um, well, I was laughing, and I guess a Manticore was around...need I go on...?" Twilight droned on with a wave of her hoof. "Stop, stop. I've heard enough. Your situation is as poignant as that joke was." "Look, not to sound rude, but is there another zebra named Zecora around here? She's really close to Ponyville, and we're kinda hoping to get there by the end of the day." Twilight asked. "I know the directions. I believe I have a map just lying around here collecting dust. Let me fetch it for you." The zebra said as he turned from Twilight to the downwards staircase. Twilight looked down at Aqua's comatose body laying amidst the table, and she took his limp hoof in her own, and she kissed it, letting it run down the side of her face. With a sigh, she set his hoof back at his side before trotting to the basement with the zebra in search of the map. Where am I? Thoughts began to stream through Aqua's now concious brain as he came to mentally. How long had his brain been inactive for? An hour? Five? He didn't know. Questions raced through his mind already at this rate, too much for him to process. Is Twilight alright? I hope to Celestia she's safe. Wait...where am I now? Aqua awoke, or pseudo-awoke lying on his back, and he found it being rustled by the long stalks of wheat accompanying the field floor. The wheat stalks began swaying in the wind as a few stray dandelions fluttered in the breeze. "What is this place?" Aqua thought out loud as he straightened onto his haunches, shifting uncomfortably against the hard wheat grass. He expected to cringe in pain from his injuries, but he discovered no such things. It was as if he hadn't even been attacked by a Manticore, which he now preferred over his new state of conciousness. He took to his hooves and began trotting in an aimless direction around the everlasting golden wheat fields of hay. The more he trotted in the direction of the sun, the more he heard a feminine voice. "Aqua? Is that you?" The voice asked from some invisible section of the fields. Aqua put a hoof to his ear as he attempted to make out the distorted call. "Is that you, Twilight?" Aqua answered to the disembodied voice. "Over here! Follow my voice!" The mare cried out, her voice gradually growing in volume as Aqua advanced further in the sun's direction. Pushing past the taller strands of wheat, Aqua slowly made out what he was squinting towards. He had begun to see purple colors sticking out from the visible spots through the wheat; purple fur, purple hair, and purple eyes. Finally making out the mare before him, he made no attempt to hide the joy in his smile as he saw his wife. Twilight was grazing the hay short to the ground contently, and when she pulled her head up from the patch, a wide grin spread across the mare's face, and she excitedly rushed to him like an overactive schoolfilly. "Ohmigosh, Aqua! You're ok!" Twilight squealed as Aqua ran for her with open hooves. As Twilight was about to embrace him, she wavered through his body like air, her appearance distorting itself for a few seconds before returning to normal. Confused, Twilight again attempted to hug him, but again, she wavered even harsher, taking longer to fizzle back. She looked up at Aqua with glistening eyes, and Aqua trotted over to her, and hugged her. Sadly, the moment he made contact, he did not expect what happened next. She completely disappeared in his grasp, and all Aqua could feel between his hooves was the sensation of air. He clung to the last shreds of what remained of his wife, and he solemnly dropped to his hind legs defeated. "This can't be real. This is all a dream. And yet...it feels real to me." Aqua mused as he was confused on what action to take. Suddenly, he heard the same voice. "Aqua..." "Twilight? Where are you?" Aqua asked, no answer. He trotted towards the sun, only to hear Twilight's voice behind him. "Wake up, honey..." Twilight's voice rang like a ghost's through the hay fields, confusing Aqua even more. He lowered his head and turned around, only to be completely taken by surprise what he saw. "Aqua! Wake up!" Twilight voice reverberated through Aqua's mind as his eyes widened in surprise. His jaw opened to speak, but the floor suddenly opened beneath him, taking the loose strands of hay with him as he felt the air flow through him, and he fell screaming all the way. Aqua screamed bloody terror as he harshly awoke on the operating table of the hut. His screams echoed through the forest as if he was in the middle of being murdered. A soft, purple hoof touched his unharmed shoulder, and he turned to see Twilight, stuck to his side. "It's ok. It's ok. You're alright now, Aqua. Oh thank Celestia you're ok." Twilight cooed in a motherly tone to the Jedi as she wrapped her hooves around his neck. "H-How long was I unconcious?" Aqua stuttered, still adjusting to being woken up so abrupty. "About 2 hours or so. The zebra kept using healing herbs and potions on you. You got clawed pretty bad from that Manticore." "Well, thank you for saving my life." Aqua said. "You're welcome," Twilight said as she blushed, "And by the way, the zebra told me he knows how to get home." "Zebra? You mean Zecora?" "No silly, I mean the zebra who healed you. He knows where to find Zecora." Twilight answered. Aqua's eyes widened as he realized what he was being told. "Well then we must go find her. Her hut's close to Fluttershy's cottage, so we'll practically be out of the forest by then. We have to go now!" Aqua said as he began rising off the table. "No. You're still in pain. You need to relax while I find her myself." Twilight said as she gently held Aqua onto the table. Aqua strained against her hold as his spine crackled slightly in resisting, "No! I have to protect yo-- arghh!" A sharp, seering pain shot through Aqua's back as his flailing hooves ceased movement. "No. You're not going anywhere until you rest up. You are going to lie right there, and wait for me to come back." Twilight ordered, stamping her hoof at the end of her sentence. "Do you understood?" Aqua was taken aback as his eyes darted about the hut. He glimmered as an idea finally hit him. "You will let me come with you." Aqua said in a suggesting tone, waving his hoof in front of Twilight's face. Twilight was not amused at all. "Did you really think a mind trick would work on me?" Twilight asked as she glared at the Jedi. Her stern gaze made a few beads of sweat appear on his forehead. "No...but it was worth a try." Aqua answered, defeated. He knew attempting a mind trick on the smartest mare in Equestria would've had as likely a chance of success as if she had placed a hundred mental locks on her brain, and if all the keys to them were in locked chests. "Was it really?" Twilight continued, still holding her glare, then shifting into a victorious grin. "If you need me, I'll be out looking for Zecora." And with a playful bop to the nose, Twilight trotted away towards the door, turning back to see Aqua shift under his covers in an ill attempt to escape. "So don't move a muscle~" her singsong voice rang as she stiffened Aqua's blanket with her magic, tucking him into it and nearly encasing him in it like a cacoon. Aqua's ears flattened as he heard Twilight's hoofsteps retreat from the hut, he resigned himself to his imprisonment and put a hoof to his forehead. "I'll try my hardest." Aqua said to nopony in particular, rolling his eyes and staring up at the ceiling. He heard a faint hoofstep before a masculine voice rang. "Some wife you have there, hmm?" The zebra healer remarked with a smirk directed at Aqua. "You have no idea." Aqua groaned as he slid his head to the side and faced the wall. A stray leaf blew across the ground as a distant howl of a Manticore could be heard. It had been hours since their departure from the Changeling Kingdom, but being cooped up there had seemed like decades. The preceding days of activity had been most tiresome, and it seemed nothing would alleviate it. And yet for Sombra, he hadn't felt more alive in a thousand years. His silver-armored hooves stomped against the crunchy brush, crackling upon the leaves as his presence caused a few woodland critters to retreat into their homes. A certain aura emanated from the demonic unicorn, and he gave no care in the world to it but a feeling of pride. In place of his red cape with white trimmings was replaced with a cloak the same color of his skin, covering the silky black mane of his and concealing the head and face. A lowly growl escaped his throat as he trotted beyond the crossroad of bushels. Accompanying him by his side was a tall, lanky alicorn-like pony, Queen Chrysalis, outfitted in a suit of black leather covering the tall and holed legs of the queen. The two walked in errie silence as the wind seemed to force itself into a gale in their presence. The silence ensued before Chrysalis spoke. "Lord Sombra, are we approaching the pool?" "No Chrysalis. You know our plan, do you not? Or must I remind you again?" Sombra answered. "No, my king. The plan is simple. I will follow it with your leadership." Chrysalis said as she lowered her head in recognition. "And you will do so to follow my command, Chrysalis. I assure you we are close, though. Remain patience." Silence resumed as Sombra heard a roar from the bushes. "What is that, Sombra?" Chrysalis asked. A claw extended from the bush, nearly taking Sombra's eye out, but he simply stopped and his horn glowed blood red. The aura engulfed the entire paw of the creature, and with a barely noticeable tilt of his head, the whole monster was thrust harshly out of the bush, colliding with a nearby tree, the force of it's weight taking the entire tree down with a toppling rumble. He smiled happily as the Manticore groggily rushed him, but Sombra was prepared. Lowering his body, he ducked under the beast and with a lick of his lips, plowed his long horn clear into the stomach of the Manticore. It roared in pain as an evil grin was plastered on his face, and with a vivid red flash of light, Sombra winked onto the back of the monster. Wrapping his dark hooves on the neck of the Manticore, Sombra's face turned to sadistic pleasure as he twisted his hooves. A satisfying crack resonated throughout the forest, and in seconds, the Manticore was down, and Sombra victorious. Chrysalis rejoined him before gawking at the fallen corpse. "You killed it, didn't you?" Chrysalis asked in amazement. "Well, it was blocking me. I removed it. Not much of a fight, but it's the most exercise I've gotten in eons." Sombra said as he cracked his back happily. With a smirk, Sombra turned his back and simply began walking away with Chrysalis in tow. A faint chuckle echoed from his lungs as if all the life around him seemed to die instantly. Twilight ran. She ran for her life. Her hooves clashed against the ground as she heard roars echoing behind her. Sweat beaded off her brow as she huffed and quickened her pace. Her horn flaring at a dangerous level, she winked out in a fast sprint, blinding all creatures behind her as she reappeared farther away. Behind a massive rock, Twilight panted in exhaustion as her heart rate returned to normal. "Oh thank Celestia they're gone. Phew! I hate those Timberwolves! That nasty breath of theirs, blech!" Twilight moaned as she inched away from the rocks with worry. Her trot turned into another full-blown sprint as she ran down the dirt road, barely avoiding the tiny pebbles threatening to cause her to stumble. With a glow of her horn, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't need Aqua to follow me wherever I go. I can take care of myself, thank you very much!" Twilight said to herself as a magenta arrow materialized in front of her. Smirking, she ran in the direction of the arrow, following where it pointed her towards. Good old mapfinder spell. Works every time! Twilight's thought interrupted her as her front hoof made direct contact with a log, tripping her up and sending her plummeting. "W-Whoa!" Twilight yelled as she felt air under her hooves, as it turned out she was falling off a steep cliff. Shouts of pain, swears, and other obscenities were heard as she felt scrapes brush against the side of her legs, her flank, and chest. Finally, she toppled over the edge of the cliff, and fell a good 10 feet. "Buck gravity!" Twilight screamed as her horn twinkled, casting her in suspended animation above the ground, saving her from getting a broken neck. Winking back onto her hooves, she nervously glanced around before sighing to herself. "Ok, Aqua probably could've sensed that coming, but hey, I survived that. He could've caught me, but at least I have magic." Shaking her head to remove the twigs from her hair, Twilight trotted from the would-be crash site and into a bush. Emerging from the flora, she gasped to see a hut in front of her. "Zecora's hut! Well...that was easy." Twilight said as she peeked out from the bush. Aqua was sitting upright on the table, delightedly sipping at a bowl of soup before him. He hummed to himself as he saw the zebra face him. "Thank you for taking the time out of your day to help me, kind sir. Not every day I see hospitality around these woods." Aqua said. "It is no trouble at all, my friend. You seem like a nice fellow, and your wife appears just as well. You're lucky the Manticore knew you, or you'd probably be spawled across the dirt decomposing." The zebra answered. Aqua took another sip of his soup, and marveled at the taste in his mouth. "Mmm. This soup is delicious. What exactly's in it?" Aqua asked as he stirred around the contents of the bowl. "Just some carrots, mushrooms, celery, and some sliced olives. I won't tell you how common you can find those type of ingredients." "Delightful. If there's anything I can do to repay you for what you've done, don't hesitate." "It's quite all right. I only ask you get out of this forest safely. Perhaps a visit when you're not incapacitated?" The zebra suggested with a chuckle. "I'll make sure to do that. Maybe when I get directions, I won't get lost. Until then, I leave you with this." Aqua said as he dropped a box on the table. "If it's no trouble, but shouldn't you stay here until your wife comes back. She seemed pretty intent on keeping you here." "Oh, don't worry about me. Twilight may be a bit over the top with my safety, but I assure you, I can very well protect myself. Have a very good evening, Mister...?" "I am Absolin. May we meet again, my friend." The zebra said as Aqua departed the hut. He trotted from the Manticore campsite before he made a note to himself. "Mental note; make sure to visit again." Aqua said to himself as he climbed over a rock. He continued his trek before a stray thought bombarded his brain. I do hope Twilight's alright. Poor dear, she must be still in these woods, or even at the old campsite, being hunted by Manticores or Timberwolves. I have to find her. Aqua told himself as he began hovering above the ground with his wings. He had thought that Twilight and him were supposed to go at a situation together, united as a couple. Of course he knew she meant well, considering the injuries he had sustained. Now he began to notice said injuries had looked as though they had never been struck on him. He continued to think to himself as he avoided a hanging branch. If only Twilight had let me come with her. Certainly she knows if she were to find Zecora, she'd have to come back and bring me with her, on the grounds that I had recovered already. Aqua already knew what his game plan was; to find Twilight somewhere deep in the woods, and bring her back to Ponyville. Maybe she already found her way to Zecora, but I just need to find her too. And if she's already there, maybe we'll cross paths. Though I might get a scolding from her for leaving my rest, but I'd take that rather than have her relay back to me. He continued thinking to himself before getting lost in his thoughts, a common habit he had adapted while he would listen intently to Twilight's magical lessons or lectures, a habit she would point out every so often to tease him. A smile crept onto his muzzle as he relished in his thoughts, before he had gotten a visit from them in the form of a tree. Aqua slammed into the base of said tree, elicting a groan of pain from the stallion as he pried his face off the wood. Shaking his head in frustration, he cursed to himself before dropping onto his hooves and began a steady sprint along the dirt path. A ghastly green mist surrounded his hooves and puffed out with every trot, but he paid it no mind. A low growl accompanied the fog, but he still paid it no mind. Stepping on a twig, Aqua allowed for another roar to sound from the unseen corners of the dense forest. He turned his head to see a wooden clawed foot raise from a nearby bush, and he made no effort to reach for his lightsaber clipped to his side. With a roar, a pack of Timberwolves burst from the bushes, fully green eyes peering down at him and intent on attacking him. Aqua sidestepped to cause a pair of wolves to clash into each other, wooden appendages flying from the scuffle. Aqua turned to see the pack leader glaring down at him with green saliva dripping from it's wooden maw. He smirked as it went to slice at his neck, but Aqua craned to side and emplored a Force Push against the wolf, sending it off the ground and into a nearby tree, causing trigs and branches to fly off it. As another rushed him, the stallion dipped under it and grabbed it's hind leg, and with a sharp twist, the wooden leg snapped off, and the Timberwolf howled in response. With a heave of his forehooves, Aqua battered the downed wolf with it's own leg, shattering it to mere branches and logs, the green glow of it's eyes dissapated. The remaining four all attempted to lash at him, but Aqua quickly jolted skyward, and another collision of Timberwolves resonated through the woods. Taking his chance, Aqua gestured towards a nearby tree, and with a yank of his hoof, the base of it buckled under his Force energy, and he let it drop onto the remaining wolves, completely shattering them to pieces. With a sigh, Aqua wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead before taking his leave. He was a few meters from the scene before he stopped and shuddered. "What is that? I feel so cold." Aqua remarked in confusion, as his form-fitting tunic had protected him from most cold weather, but was no help in seering heat. He took note to see the few tears in his tunic were also mended by Absolin. He smiled faintly at the generosity that had been displayed before a breeze sent a chill down his spine. "Why is it so cold? It feels so unnatural. Just like the one I felt after going through that mirage a few months ago." He said to himself before he began to trot forward again. A sharp crackle of wood echoed in his ears, and Aqua suddenly felt petrified as he heard a faint breath, the sound of hooves crunching against the fallen Timberwolves. The unnerved pegasus slowly turned his head to see what was approaching him. His eyes widened before he knew what hit him, quite literally. "You?!" Aqua shouted in alarm as he felt himself being lifted off his hooves, the force of the attack knocking him to the floor with a groan. He flared his wings in defense as he reached for his saber, but as soon as he tried to, a sharp pain ran through his spine. Aqua screamed in pain as a black hoof stomped hard on his left wing, preventing him from moving without provoking even more pain to spread through his wing. What towered over him was all black, with a raggedy mane of torn, blue locks. She let out a chuckle before lifting him up by the throat, though not enough to strangle him. "So it seems I've caught my prey. Like a cat and mouse if I must say." Chrysalis said in mockery as she hoisted him off the ground. "I know you! You're that-- nrgh! --queen who attacked Canterlot!" Aqua spat, eyeing Chrysalis with distain as she tightened her grip on his neck. "I'm happy to see I have a nice little fan. And it seems you've gotten quite acquainted with the ones who prevented my takeover!" Chrysalis continued, getting closer to Aqua's face. "True, but what business do you even have here? If you're looking to invade Ponyville, you won't get the chance!" "Ponyville? Of course not! My king would never allow me to wander aimlessly and conquer some pitiful town." "Then why are you here? And who is your king?!" Aqua shouted before another shadow approached him, and with a snarl, it assaulted him with a barrage of smoke. Smoke filled Aqua's lungs, and he coughed with wild abandon, attempting to fight off his attackers, only to be subdued by Chrysalis easily. He heard electricity crackling from an unknown source, but he soon found himself suddenly racked with the voltage. Screaming and coughing in pain, Aqua contorted before he fell limp to the ground. His world suddenly went black once more, and he slipped into unconciousness once again. Chrysalis looked down at the fallen Jedi before she raised her head to face what had assaulted him. "My king, we have succeeded." Chrysalis said to the spectra of King Sombra. Melding back into his physical form, Sombra grinned gleefully before kicking Aqua lightly with a silver-clad hoof. "Indeed. Now we go into the mirror pool immediately. It is a critical part of our plan." Sombra said as he faced a nearby boulder. "Yes Sombra. The mirror pool that creates a clone of whoever uses it." Sombra looked at the boulder with a sneer, and with a shove of his hoof, the boulder went flying from the hole it was obscuring. Lugging Aqua onto his back, Sombra climbed down into the hole as Chrysalis followed. Sombra delicately squeezed through the passages that led to the pool, and he marveled at the sight before him as he entered through the hole upon a slope. His silver-clad hooves echoed through the cavern ominously as he reached the clearing leading to the pool. "This is the pool, Chrysalis. This is where our plan continues." Sombra said. "What do we do with him?" Chrysalis asked pointing to the passed out stallion. "Simply. We do this to him." Sombra said, heaving Aqua off his back into square into the pool. "As you may or may not know, there's a certain riddle that goes with this ritual, and some say it's a requirement. But I'll do no such thing." Grinning ear to ear, Sombra looked down to the mirror pool as Aqua's form turned anamorphic briefly, and he soon pulled the stallion out from the crystal clear waters. As the stallion remained in a deep unconcious state, a blue hoof protruded from the edge of the pool, and emerging from it was another Aqua. The clone of Aqua quickly glanced around the cavern in shock as he took in the sights. His ears drooped as he gasped. "Where am I? What is this place?!" As soon as those words left his lips, a black hoof was clamped over his muzzle to silence him. A scarlet red blade pierced through the chest of the clone, and his eyes went wide in terror as he fell to his hind legs, with Sombra holding him by the neck with his free hoof. The clone squirmed in Sombra's arms, but he couldn't break free from the tyrant's grasp, and he collapsed as soon as Sombra shed the blade from the mimic's back. Chrysalis readied herself and bowed to Sombra, his green eyes blaring through his cloak. "Now do as I have instructed, Chrysalis." Sombra hissed through his black hood as the Changeling Queen kneeled before the dying clone, and with a screech, she sunk her fangs deep to penetrate his neck. Aqua's clone did not even scream nor flinch under her bite, he only laid spawled on the dirt, unable to resist her. His colors began to fade, and Sombra looked on in sadism as the life force was getting sucked out of the facsimile. Soon enough, all the color and energy was drained from Aqua's copy, and it died without a fight, with no last words. Almost unfazed by the whole ordeal, Sombra simply kicked the corpse back into the mirror pool, and it sank like a rock. Chrysalis rose to her full height, nearly towering over the incarnation of evil itself, and she rasped with pleasure. "That was excellent, Sombra. There was so much love in him, it practically radiated off him." Chrysalis praised. "And not only that, but now you can copy the Jedi's form. Now show me it." Sombra ordered, and a green beam of light immediately enveloped the queen. In seconds, she wasn't Chrysalis anymore. She was a complete copy of Aqua. "Ah, this body is very pleasing. All tight and powerful, I can feel the energy in it more than Princess Cadence's ever could." Chrysalis remarked in her new body, her voice now deep and masculine as she stretched her now shorter, blue limbs. "And now the next piece of the plan continues. As for you, I want you to fan out, and report back to the Changeling Kingdom. I will contact you as soon as I have my next phase complete." Sombra instructed. "But my king. I must accompany you. You surely will need my--" "No. I am going alone. You shall go back to the castle, and you will be contacted by me when my phase is complete. And you will tend to your faithful Changeling soldiers to make them primed and ready for another swift invasion. Is. That. *Understood?*" Sombra ranted on as his voice heightened to a ferocious level, prompting Chrysalis to meld out of Aqua's form and to normal, and she kneeled once more to him. "I understand...my master." Chrysalis said as she lowered her head. Sombra nodded before he filed out of the cavern with Chrysalis following in suit, leaving the still unconcious form of Aqua Blue laying on the ground. A twitch from his left hoof indicated he was still alive. .Aqua was now in a sitting position up against a rock as he slowly opened his eyes as he let out a breath of relief. Standing in front of him was Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight." Aqua said with a relieved sigh. "Am I happy to see you." The two leaned in to hug each other. As soon as they broke the embrace, Twilight fumed at him. "Are you crazy?! Twilight shouted. "What are you talking about?" Aqua asked. "I told you not to leave the hut, and just what did you do? Twilight yelled. "I left the hut." Aqua answered in a bit of shame. "Yeah, you did. Meanwhile I found Zecora and the way back to Ponyville." Twilight replied. "That's wonderful, but how did you find me?" Aqua asked, still confused about what had happened. "Well, after you decided to leave and go off doing who knows what, you got yourself attacked by a bunch of Timberwolves and got knocked out. I was busy talking to Zecora, and right when you passed out, I swear I could feel something pounding against my chest when it happened." Twilight explained. "Then I'm sorry for leaving my post." Aqua began to apologize. "You should be! Not only did you leave, obviously not fully healed, you decide to go off and do something stupid and wind up in the mirror pool, I could have sworn that thing got sealed up!" Twilight ranted, her anger beginning to rise. "What were you even thinking while you were off doing who knows what?" "I-I thought...that if I wasn't there to protect you, something would've happened to you, and I couldn't sit and wait for it to happen. I had to do something." Aqua attempted to justify his reason, but Twilight's almost unnerving gaze did not falter. He began to notice the leaves and grass under her hooves beginning to burn, a flaming circle starting to expand under her. The earth shook lightly in her anger, and Aqua could swear he was picking up the scent of charred hair wafting through the air. "Yeah, you thought. I'm perfectly fine, anyway. And I thought I could trust you with this one thing. This one thing! You couldn't just wait half an hour while I trot my flank off looking for Zecora, could you?" Twilight's rage was slowly mixing in with sorrow, and Aqua saw her eyes turning misty as her voice cracked on the last syllable. "I was just worried about you. How do you think I would've felt if the same Manticore just happened to jump out and kill you?! Not very fantastic, I'd imagine!" Aqua argued back. "The same one I killed it before it could kill you? Why couldn't you just trust me to be alright? I trust you with my life, Aqua. And I expected to get the same treatment." Twilight's fury was barely surpressed, and Aqua couldn't even attempt to quell the screaming mare. His argument was not defusing the situation at all at this point. "I know. I'm sorry." Aqua said, lowering his head. Twilight's purple eyes now reddened with rage, her mane morphing into flame and to normal hair. She noticed a tear stream from his right eye, and he couldn't bear to face her. "I'm sorry I betrayed your trust, Twilight. Whatever I say now can't resolve anything, but all I can say is I'm so sorry." Aqua felt hated, disappointed in himself for what he had done. Twilight shifted from her anger more into her sympathy. She saw more tears stream from his face, and a quiet sniffle could barely have been heard to her ears. Her flames slowly subsided, and the smell of burning hair faded. She trotted over to Aqua and put a hoof to her shoulder. "Don't cry, Aqua. I don't hate you, I only wanted you to stay because I care about you. I couldn't bare to imagine what would've been." Twilight whispered as she dragged her hoof along his shoulder. "I know that. I'm just so sorry for what I did. Please understand...I only wanted to keep you safe." Aqua still didn't raise his head, continuing to stew in his self-loath. Twilight's eyes began to water slightly as she nudged his head up. "I know you care. I forgive you for that. I guess sometimes our worries overwhelm us at some point. Shh, shh. No more tears, hon. I'm sorry I got so mad." Twilight cooed, now hugging the Jedi to reassure him. His sobs died down as he threw his hooves around her. "I'm sorry I made you mad in the first place." "I know you are. Please, just promise me one thing?" Twilight asked. "Anything, Twilight." "Just promise you'll always trust me, even if you have your own doubts." Twilight said. Aqua smiled faintly as he snuggled his head deeper into Twilight's shoulder, and his words came out as a whisper. "By the Force, that is a promise I'll forever keep." Aqua swore as he snuggled deeper. Twilight softly broke off the embrace as she took his hoof. "Good. Now, let's go home." Twilight said as she and Aqua began walking from the mirror pool. "I can only wonder what Spike's doing right now. There were no lights on in Golden Oaks Library. There were no sounds. The pets were fast asleep, and there was only one thing awake at the moment. In the basement of the library, there were sounds of enjoyment moaning from the corner. A hot tub laid in the corner of the room, steam rising from the heat of the boiling water. Scented candles were spread across the edges of the tub, allowing a pleasant scent to walf the basement. In the midst of his seven hour bath, Spike laid in the hot tub, arms behind his head, eyes closed in content. He let out a sigh of pleasure as he sunk deeper into the tub. Best hot tub, ever.
<4> Old Wounds Chapter Four: Old Wounds It was nighttime when the two had returned home from the Everfree Forest. Thousands of stars stained the night sky, and Luna's moon had now begun illuminating the dark sky. Everypony was asleep in their beds, as it was already nearing midnight. Aqua and Twilight approached Golden Oaks in exhaustion. He opened the door faintly as Twilight drifted off, resting her head on Aqua's shoulder, and he noticed the bags formed under her eyes. He heard the creak of the door opening, and a nudge of his shoulder aroused Twilight from her dreary state. She blushed as she wearily stumbled inside as he closed the door behind him. "Ugggghhh, I am so tired!" Twilight said with a groan as she dropped her saddlebag to the floor with nary a care in Equestria. Aqua couldn't help but feel the wrath of the Sandmare taking hold of his spirit, and he fought the urge to fall to the floor and sleep. The library was deathly silent; no sounds from the animals or Spike to be heard. Aqua held a hoof to his yawning mouth. Almost on cue, Twilight yawned right after, smacking her lips groggily before she wobbled over to the stairs. A sudden obstacle nabbed at her front left leg, and she put up no fight to it. Crashing to the floor, Twilight cursed under her breath as she thumped against the floor. Her impact dislodged a loose book from the shelf behind her. Eyes widening, Aqua reached out with his hoof and the book flew back onto the shelf as if nothing happened. "Oh for Pete sake. Is...Is this a book? Did I seriously trip over a book?" Twilight rubbed her temple with a huff. She noticed a large mass of books were scattered along the floor of the library. Aqua held back a playful smirk at the mare. "Afraid so," He answered, examining the book as soon as Twilight facehoofed the floor in agitation. "'Dragon Scale Shining,' How to make those dragon scales sparkle," Aqua studied the cover and tagline of the novel before trotting over to the correct shelf of the book. The unicorn's ears perked as she heard the book title, and her head shot up in attention. "Something tells me a little dragon's been busy," Twilight affirmed. She twisted her neck over to the basement door to see it slightly ajar, and a knowing frown creeped upon her face. "I'll deal with this in the morning. I'm going to bed," The lavender pony began walking up the stairs with Aqua. As he followed her up the stairs, he noticed the tired sway in the mare's step. The living room was dark and empty, and a glitter from Twilight's horn illuminated a candle sitting on the table. Twilight drifted over to the table and leaned against it. "It's been crazy the last few days, huh?" Twilight asked. "It certainly has. I'm not sure how longer it'll take for another Changeling strike," Aqua said as he hung his robe on a nearby coat rack. "Right now, I just want to go to bed," Twilight said as she walked up the stairs to the bedroom loft above. With a yawn, she plopped down on the bed with a thud, rolling herself into the crescent moon and sun bedsheets. Aqua let his tunic fall to the floor and laid down with her. Her eyes drooped as her fatigue wore her down. "Good night, Aqua," Twilight snuggled him in her forehooves happily, half-lidded eyes and kissing him on the lips. "Good night," Aqua returned the kiss as she soon after passed out in their hold. Hearing her soft snores beginning to surface, he snuggled deeper into her embrace and fell asleep in suit. Twilight woke up from her slumber, hooved stretched out with a crackle sound. She smacked her lips softly as she turned on her side, seeing the space where Aqua laid empty. With a smile, she let out a yawn and tip-hooved over to the edge of the loft, seeing Aqua standing in front of the stove, and an pleasant grin remained plastered on her face. "Good morning!" Twilight beamed. Aqua turned his head to see the chipper unicorn grinning ear to ear at him. He gave a smile in return as he nodded. "Good morning, Twilight. Did you sleep well?" Aqua asked. "Oooh yeah, like a filly. Be back in a second," Twilight answered, and blowing a kiss to him, she merrily descended from the stairs to the bathroom. Aqua heard a delightful hum uttered from the mare; tilting her head side to side in rhythm. Grinning, he turned back to the stove and flipped the spatula he was tending to with a delicate grasp. His ears perked at the noise of the tiny waddles ascending up the stairs from the library room. Turning his head, Aqua felt a bit of a smirk grow on the edge of his lip. A refreshed purple dragon walked into the living room with a spring in his step, almost swaying in glee. "Good morning, Spike," Aqua greeted. "How have you been?" "I've been alright. You guys were gone a little longer than I thought you would," Spike answered as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "The girls are all concerned about you both." "Really? Well, think of it as you go to a warzone Fillydelphia and end up having to go through the Everfree Forest to get home. Then replace you with me and Twilight," Aqua said in dismay. Spike tilted his head in confusion, "But why were gone so long? I thought you and her were sent there to stop the fighting," "Well the fighting took it's toll, I can tell you that. The Changelings pretty much won, and it turns out they swapped our chariot drivers, so we had to get home ourselves," Aqua answered. "Oh gosh, sounds like you've been through alot," Spike said sypathetically. Aqua was about to speak before he heard hoofsteps returning up the stairs, and saw Twilight trotting to him. "I'm back. Good morning, Spike. I missed you so much," Twilight said as she nuzzled against her faithful assistant's cheek. "I missed you too," Spike hugged Twilight's leg with a grateful smile. "I'm just glad you're alright," Aqua grinned as he turned his attention back to the stove. Breaking away from the embrace, Twilight stood proudly next to him. "Speaking of alright, I wonder how the girls are doing. They must be worried sick about us," Twilight "Is everything ready, Aqua?" she asked. She then heard a loud ringing from the stove. "I assume it is now," Aqua answered as he turned off the cooking timer. Steam wafted from the pan he was holding as Twilight levitated plates from the counter rack onto the table beside her. "Do you guys want anything while I'm up?" Spike asked. "Actually, some drinks would be nice. Thank you," Aqua suggested. Spike saluted as he opened the fridge and pulled out a carton. "Orange juice?" Twilight offered. "Oh goodness, no. That juice is sour and disgusting! I wouldn't drink that for the life of me!" Aqua answered. "Suit yourself," Twilight giggled as she levitated another carton from the fridge. "I guess you're stuck with milk, then," With a roll of his eyes, he accepted the carton and poured it into his cup. "So what are we having?" Twilight asked. From behind, Aqua cupped his hooves around her eyes. "That is a surprise. Now close your eyes," Aqua ordered. "Aqua, I already know you're cooking something. I can smell the steam coming off the pot," Twilight answered in a deadpan voice. "Keep them closed," Aqua pressed. Twilight groaned softly as she closed her eyes. He then levitated his pans over to the table, and emptied it onto her plate. Twilight felt a wonderful smell now assaulting her snout, and was tempted to open her eyes. "Ok, open them," Aqua said as he sat at the opposite side of the table with his plate full. Twilight opened her eyes on cue and went wide-eyed. A stack of pancakes accompanied by a side of eggs and toast filled the large plate. Her stomach growled in hunger as her mouth watered in anticipation. "You made all this?" Twilight asked in amazement. "Yes. We were stuck in Fillydelphia and the Everfree Forest for who knows how long, so I assumed you were starving at this point. So then this happened," Aqua answered, sipping at his drink. "It's lovely, thank you. It must've taken you forever to prepare this," Twilight noted as she began dipping syrup on her stack. "It's no trouble for you, Twilight. I'd always do this if you wanted. Spike usually has his claws full with his assistant duties, after all," Aqua remarked in pleasure as Twilight made a face. The kind of face Aqua was familar with; the one she would have when a long forgotten thought strolled into her mind. "Ahh, that's right. Spike?" Twilight called forth, and her scaly assistant returned to her side. "Yes, Twilight?" Spike asked. "Do you remember the list of chores I gave you to fulfill while Aqua and I were off in Fillydelphia to supervise the invasion?" Twilight asked. Spike pulled a massive parchment list from behind as he read off the chores. "Of course I do, Twi. Spike, make sure you organize the bookshelves starting from M to Z, dust off the bookshelves from A to L, feed Owlowiscious and Goliath, and make sure the water in Aqua's hot tub doesn't overheat," Spike recited off the list, earning a raised eyebrow from Aqua. "You do like your water exactly at 102 degrees," Twilight pointed out with a smirk as Aqua's face turned slightly red. "Well yes, it's a comfortable temperature. In any case Spike, did you do exactly what my list told you about properly caring for Goliath?" Aqua asked. "What list?" Spike asked back, and Aqua's eyes spiked out in alarm. "The list I gave you right before I left. The one marked Spike, read this note carefully!, with extra meaning on carefully. What did you do with it?" "I gave it to Owlowiscious to hold while I was busy baking a gem cake after I dusted the bookshelves. He must've got ripped it up when I wasn't looking, I swear!" Spike answered in defense. Twilight whistled her horned owl over to her hoof as Aqua's fork hit the plate in silence. "Owlowiscious, did you do anything to the note Spike gave you?" Twilight asked as she petted the owl's head. The horned owl hooed at her, and she shrugged at Aqua. "He's saying that Spike never followed the note," Aqua translated. "Spike!" Twilight scolded as Aqua seethed to himself. "I-I thought taking care of Goliath would be like Owlowiscious. I mean, they're both birds, right?" Spike stammered. "Spike. The note said that Goliath was due for a preening of her feathers, because she was having difficulty flying with her wings being unbalanced lately. Did you even let her out on her nightly flight like I told you? You know how much the cool fall air relaxes her!" Aqua lectured. "To be fair, I was a little distracted with my gem cake," Spike reasoned. "To hay with the gem cake! You know how much Goliath means to me!" Aqua scolded. Twilight put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "Aqua please, calm down, you're getting yourself worked up." "He forgot to take care of Owlowiscious too, you know. What, did you think he'd just scoop up the nearest mouse that enters the library? Oh wait, no there wouldn't, because this library is spotless!" Spike was now sitting down with his arms wrapped around his legs, watching the ordeal unfold. Twilight scoffed. "Just calm down, Aqua. Breath," Twilight eased, rubbing the stallion's back in an attempt to sooth him. "Everything's gonna be fine." Twilight shifted her gaze over to Spike. "You, young dragon, are not off the hook about this. You really should take more responsibility when me and Aqua aren't around here." With that, Spike reared up, and he felt his throat become tight with a flame inside his mouth. Opening his mouth, a grene flame shot out, materializing into a rolled up scroll, dropping onto the table before them. "What is that, a letter?" Aqua asked. "It's a letter from Princess Celestia," Twilight levitated the now opened scroll to her eyes, and she squinted as she read. "Dear my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, and my dear friend Master Aqua Blue. In case you have not received the previous letters, I am asking you two to report to Canterlot for an emergency meeting. Please arrive when you are ready, but time is very crucial. Your loving mentor, Princess Celestia, "In case we haven't received? What's this all about, Spike?" Aqua asked. "Ugh, I've been getting letters for the past two days! That's what I was trying to say, I was getting backed up with letters from the Princess, and none of you were around. I needed a way to relax since I had to finish my chores, so I was in Aqua's hot tub when I got it done," Spike explained. Aqua hung his head on Twilight's shoulder in dispair. "He even used my hot tub!" Aqua cried as Twilght patted his back. "That you should've mentioned right away, Spike," Twilight said as Aqua rose from her shoulder. "If we're going to Canterlot, we may as well pack up right away. We'd hate to keep the Princess waiting. Spike, write a note to Celestia of our travel issue first, so she understands our lateness," Aqua instructed. "Yes sir!" Spike saluted as he took a parchment out and began writing. "Um, while we're on the subject Aqua, I have to ask something," Twilight said. "Sure, what is it?" Aqua asked. "With everything crazy going on, I forgot to ask. How did you end up in the mirror pool?" An instant shock overtook Aqua's face, as if he had remembered it just suddenly. He dropped his fork to the floor silently as his eyes went blank. "T-That's when after I left Absoline's hut. I fought a few Timberwolves while I was out, and then I got attacked." Aqua shakily described. "Who was it?" Twilight pressed on. "Queen Chrysalis. It was Queen Chrysalis," Aqua answered. Twilight's pupils turned to pinpricks as she spat out a torrent of milk. Fear overtook her features as she suddenly grabbed Aqua's shoulders. "What?! You never told me anything about Queen Chrysalis attacking you! No wonder you were almost dead outside the pool when I found you!" Twilight ranted. "I was worried about you at the moment! I was just happy you were ok!" Aqua defended. "That's not important right now! Chrysalis. Attacked. You," Twilight enunciated with a poke to his chest. "She could've drained the love out of you if she wanted to!" "She didn't...before I passed out I heard her talking to somepony. It sounded like she was talking to--" before Aqua could finish, a flash of light infiltrated his mind, and a menacing pair of red eyes overshadowed him. Shock got the best of him, and he froze silent. "What? Who?! Who was she talking about?!" Twilight hollered as she shook Aqua to alert him. Aqua pushed away from her grasp. "I-I don't know! I can't remember who!" Aqua stammered as the veil of shock began to wear off on him. With a sigh, he dropped back into his chair as his heart rate returned to normal. Twilight's left ear twitched slightly before she calmed herself down. "This is bad. We need to report this to Celestia immediately. I suggest we leave now," Twilight said as she finished the rest of her meal. Aqua followed suit before Twilight keeled over as she began falling down the stairs. Female pained grunts followed by male pained grunts ensued until dual crashes echoed downstairs. "Spike! You forgot to put that book away!" Twilight and Aqua yelled up from the bottom of the stairs. Spike innocently whistled as he dumped the empty dishes into the sink and tiptoed up the stairs. Galloping out of the library, Twilight and Aqua set off for the train station. A rainbow trailed across the sky, tearing a cloud straight in half. Before Twilight reached the train station, Aqua suddenly stopped her. "What's wrong, Aqua?" she asked as he looked up at the sky. His eyes squinted in the direction of the rainbow trail, and in a panic, Force pushed her out of the way. Before she could protest, that same rainbow trail struck where Twilight had stood. Twilight coughed as dust rose from the impromptu landing with the dirt road, and she wobbled back over to Aqua. He swept his forehead in relief as the mare sprawled on the ground twitched. "What the hay was that?" Twilight asked as she shook her head to fix her vision. "I think that would be Rainbow Dash right there," Aqua gestured towards the rainbow pegasus before offering a hoof up to the downed mare. Rainbow stood on all fours again when her raspy voice spoke. "You guys! You're finally back! Gosh, we've been so worried about you! Where the heck have you been?!" Rainbow hollered as she clung to Twilight. "We were just in the Everfree Forest after our chariot in Fillydelphia turned out to be a Changeling ambush," Twilight explained. "Long story short, we had to go through the forest back to Ponyville...isn't this a déjà vu moment?" Aqua added. "Whoa wait! Changelings?! Those bug things that sacked Canterlot at your brother's wedding?!" Rainbow asked. "Yes! Aqua got attacked by Chrysalis after he got mauled by a Manticore!" Twilight answered. "Mauled is going a bit overboard, isn't it?" Aqua defended. As they trotted to the train, they were now approached by the rest of the group as Rainbow waved them over. Each of them wore expressions of both relief and worry. Rarity was the first to speak. "Twilight, darling! And dear Aqua! My word, we've been worried to death about you two! Wherever have you been?" "Relax Rarity, we were just stranded in the Everfree Forest for a while after our chariot turned out to be a trap." "That's right! You were both in Fillydephia for days! Was it that bad?" Rainbow asked. "Horrible. Lots of Changelings fighting, just terrible," Twilight answered. "Why couldn't we come? We could've rainbow nuked them with the Elements!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "It was just Changelings, and Aqua's the one with the lightsaber here," Twilight reasoned. "W-Where are you off to so suddenly?" Fluttershy asked. "We've received a letter from Princess Celestia telling us to meet her in Canterlot on an important issue, most likely concerning the Changeling invasions. And I think we'd hate to keep her waiting any longer, so if you'll excuse us, ladies," Aqua said as he and Twilight made for the train station. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash sped in front of them and blocked their way. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! If she's going, we're coming too! Right, girls?" Rainbow pumped her chest with pride. "You don't know what could happen while we're in Canterlot. There could be a surprise invasion for all we know!" Aqua protested. "Now hold it right there, darling," Rarity interrupted. "Twilight is our friend, and we are going to stick by her, no matter what we have to face, we shall do it together." "Besides, who knows what y'all would do all alone in Canterlot?" Applejack joked as Aqua and Twilight both blushed fiercely. "Plus, I heard there's a special on gingerbread mares in the Canterlot bakery! We so gotta get some!" Pinkie Pie said in her usual enthusiasm and bounce in her step with the spring sound effect. "Come on Aqua, they really want to come, and we could use a little company," Twilight suggested as Aqua crossed his forehooves in thought. "I'll meditate on it," Aqua said stiffly. "Please?" Twilight asked, now fluttering her eyelids in front of him. Aqua opened an eye and his expression faltered slightly. Twilight then pulled out the big guns. "Pretty please?" Twilight practically begged as she tempted Aqua with her quivering lip and puppy dog eyes. Aqua struggled to stay strong, but he inevitably cracked under the pressure. "Alright, alright. Fine, they can come with us," Aqua sighed as he walked up to the stallion behind the counter. "How may I help you?" the stallion asked. "Seven tickets to Canterlot, please," Aqua said as he slid nine bits across the counter. The stallion levitated the tickets to the group as they all took their leave into the train. As Aqua entered the train behind Twilight, he noticed she was now tickling his chin with her tail. He held back a laugh as he walked into the train car with her and the others. The train ride so far had been a bit uncomfortable for the group. Due to the recent Changeling attacks, bumps in the road of the train tracks were more than to be expected. Twilight sat close to Aqua as he stared out the window, taking in the view of the purple mountains they were now about to tunnel through. The others had kept themselves busy with their idle conversations with each other. Twilight surpressed a yawn as she leaned inwards towards him lovingly. Aqua put a hoof around her shoulder and pulled her into his grasp. They smiled at each other and leaned in to kiss. A bump in the road followed by a loud screech interrupted their embrace as the train came to a halt. "Well, we're here. Welcome to Canterlot," Aqua said in a tender voice as he and her rubbed noses before Twilight planted her lips against his, taking him by surprise. "Alright darlings, now let's go see what the Princess has in store for us," Rarity said as she walked out the door of the train car. The rest followed as a squad of royal guards approached them. "Twilight Sparkle. We've been waiting for you," a guard said. "Thank you, guards. Come on girls, the Princess awaits us!" Twilight said as she and Aqua raced towards the castle, moving aside the dozens of crowding ponies among the streets. The hustle and bustle of business stands, common ponies chatting to each other, it all brought memories of home to Twilight. Aqua walked alongside her with her spring in her step as they soon enough reached the castle doors. Tipping their heads to the guards, they walked over the bridge of the castle and into the interior. Celestia was sitting on her throne when she saw the group arrive. "Hello, my little ponies. I've been expecting you," Celestia greeted as the seven ponies bowed to her. "We would've gotten here sooner if it weren't for our chariot in Fillydelphia being hi-jacked by Changelings," Twilight stated. "I knew something was amiss when I did not immediately receive a letter in response." Celestia said. "We were lost in the Everfree, my Princess. And we have dire news to inform you of," Aqua followed. "And what is that, my friend?" Celestia said. "I regret to inform you that Queen Chrysalis is indeed directly related to the Changeling invasions across Equestria." Celestia's knowing smile turned to a frown as Aqua matched Twilight's face. "And that's not all. It looks like she's not alone. I tried asking him, but Aqua just...froze up like he was under a trance. What was that all about, anyway?" Twilight added. "I don't know, Twilight. All I know is she's working with someone. That's all she told me before I woke up in the mirror pool. That's all I know, ok?" Aqua said in defense. "And that is something we shall deal with later. Right now we have an important matter to discuss. Did you say the mirror pool?" Celestia asked. "Yes. Why?" Aqua asked. "I have called you here to debate on whether or not we use the mirror pool," Celestia answered. "...To do what, exactly?" Twilight asked. "To create an army of soldiers who will assist us in fighting off the Changelings. As you can tell by the recent Fillydelphia invasion, our royal guard troops are severely outnumbered, and we are lacking in resources needed to train new recruits, as well as dwindling time on this war," Celestia explained. "But an army? Princess, don't you think creating an army for Equestria seems against our beliefs? Even against the morals of the Jedi?" Aqua questioned. "This is a crisis, Master Aqua. We are at war with the Changelings, and if we don't utilize the mirror pool, we will lose this war. Also, Chrysalis has her own army of Changelings, and we are in desperate need of a counter to her forces. You are willing to put aside such rigid beliefs aside for the greater good, don't you?" Celestia responded, flashing her trademark smile. The smile that could turn a crowd to her favor in any direction. Aqua turned to Twilight, who nodded her head in agreement with Celestia. "I suppose an army could be of need of our country. But who exactly will we use as a test subject?" Aqua asked. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie shot up between the two and flailed her hoof up to raise attention. "Ooh, ooh! Ooh, ooh, ooooh! Pick me! I can be a test subject! Let me, let me!" Pinkie begged. "No!" Twilight and Aqua shouted in unison, levitating her away from them. "If we're creating an army based off a test subject, might I suggest we clone Big Mactintosh?" Aqua suggested. "Y'all mean ya wanna clone mah big brother for an army?" Applejack asked. "Well...sure," Twilight answered, "I mean, you have to admit Big Macintosh is stronger than the average Earth pony." "Even so, ah'm not so sure we should be just using mah brother," Applejack countered. "Then why don't we use Twilight and Rainbow Dash as our unicorn and pegasi subjects?" Aqua suggested. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Aqua?" Twilight asked. "We must try, at the very least, for Equestria's sake," Aqua answered. "Big Mac troopers with wings and horns. Yeah, this is gonna work out just fine," Rainbow noted. Celestia put a hoof to her chin in thought, and a smile crossed her face. "Then it is settled! Tomorrow, we shall begin cloning our army, and as soon as we have a sufficient amount of soldiers, we can launch an attack on the Changeling Kingdom!" Celestia said. As soon as her sentence was finished, a scream was heard outside. The group rushed towards the balcony to see the sight unfold. Aqua's eyes widened as he saw it. As if resurrected from the dead, the blood red stallion Sith known as Darth Wrath had appeared from behind a column, and was now fending off a few royal guards. "I'll handle this," Aqua said as Twilight glanced at him with worry. He unstrapped his lightsaber from his tunic belt and leaped from the balcony, wings shot out in momentum. He dropped to the ground without a sound to face Wrath with his back turned. He snarled as his head turned sideways, his red-rimmed eyes staring harsh daggers at him. To Aqua, age had not been kind to him; noticable by the sharp, jagged horns that seemed to grow from his head, and the black robes that clung to him. "When I cut you in half, I should've aimed for your neck instead of your legs," Aqua said. Wrath sneered at him in fury as he charged at him, blade poised for the head. Aqua preempted his attack with a charge of his own, ending in a bladelock between the two. Seconds heated on by as the two stood their ground, with Aqua now towering over the Sith with his saber over the red blade. Taking a slash at the right blade, Aqua leaped above the dazed stallion and slashed harder at the blade, forcing him to stumble backwards. Seizing his enemy, he threw him down onto the hard cobblestone ground, only for the blood red stallion to swipe his back hoof across Aqua's legs, taking him down with him. Aqua rolled to the side to avoid a scarlet blade piercing through him, and shot his blue blade with enough force to throw the Sith's saber aside. Wrath growled in anger as he attempted to ram his horned head into Aqua, only for his horns to be severed off by the Jedi's sword. Continuing the battle across the city street, Wrath peered over to the balcony and smirked sadistically. As Aqua was distracted, Wrath bumped the hilt of his saber against his forehead, temporarily stunning him. Wrath galloped to the castle, and Aqua raced after him, and tackled him hard to the ground as the Sith's head scraped against the cobble. Raising their blades, Aqua and Wrath squared off once more. They simultaneously slashed at one other with their blades clashing against each other. He slashed for the right blade, and Wrath sidestepped and attempted to stab him, only to have Aqua fiercely kick him in the waist, stunning him. Sneering, Wrath jumped upon the balcony the group had been standing on, and Aqua followed immediately after. Wrath leaped over a low swipe to the legs, and they locked their blades one final time before... SLASH! Gritting his teeth, he drew Wrath back and crossed with the hilt of his double bladed saber, bisecting it in two, and Wrath struggled not to fall off the side of the balcony from the force of the swipe. Grabbing him by his hooves, Aqua turned and flung the Sith across the sky, straight into a pillar. Twilight watched in utter surprise as Aqua deactivated his saber, and took the two red blades as he sped towards him in a burst of speed. Wrath's back smashed against the side of the pillar when Aqua came at him, and before he could fall to the ground, Aqua cleaved through both of his shoulders with both of his sabers, and was effectively nailed into the column by the hilts of the swords. He feebly pushed Aqua off of him as sparks flew from the burning holes in his shoulders, stabbing through the veins as he slowly lowered his head, resigning himself to his fate. Aqua wordlessly mourned, and turned his back on him, returning to the castle. A husk of a Changeling appeared in Wrath's place as Aqua flew up to the balcony in melancholy. "Are you ok, Aqua?!" Twilight asked as she lunged for him in worry. "I'm fine, Twilight. But...I don't think Wrath's going anywhere for a while," Aqua said, his tone nerved. He sighed as Twilight nuzzled him in relief. "Well, I suppose the meeting should be adjourned until tomorrow. Until then, I wish you all a fond goodnight, my little ponies," Celestia regarded Aqua with a praising nod before she turned her back, with the group bowing to her. As Aqua began to leave, Twilight tugged at his hoof. "Aqua, wait. I want to show you something," Twilight said. "Sure Twilight, what is it?" Aqua said before Twilight put her hoof in front of him. "Oop, oop, oop. Keep your eyes closed. It's a surprise," Twilight whispered as she led Aqua out of the castle. Moments passed before Twilight told him to open them, and Aqua's jaw dropped to see an ivory tower before them. Twilight beamed happily before she put a hoof around his shoulder and walked up the spiral staircase. Opening the sapphire doors, Twilight silently welcomed him to her former home. "Wow. Is this your old home before you lived in Ponyville?" Aqua asked. Twilight giggled in response. "It sure is. What do you think of it?" she asked. "It's beautiful, so fancy and lavish," Aqua said as he glanced at the living room. Twilight, as if she was in a hurry, almost rushed Aqua with her upstairs. They stood and stared at the twin bookshelved hugging the walls with a massive hourglass making the centerpiece. Aqua marveled as Twilight led him to the bedroom. "I suppose we should getting ready for bed. What say you?" Aqua asked. "Absolutely," Twilight said with a bit of lust in her voice. She tugged at his robe with her teeth, as if she were silently begging for it to come off. Complying, Aqua dropped his tunic and followed her onto the bed. A giggle escaped Twilight's mouth as she laid close to him. The two kissed each other's lips before they snuggled together. The two laughed quietly as they came closer, and with a wisp of magenta magic, the lights went out from the room. It was quiet in the room for a time, until moans of pleasure broke the silence. The Everfree Forest was dark and quiet, full of evil and fear unknown to any pony who dared to trek it's path. Out of any corner, monsters big and small of unimaginable malice could appear and harm you. The forks in the road were enough to ensnare anypony in its grasp forever more. What was currently walking through these woods was far more dark and evil than the forest was. King Sombra's mere presence in the forest in turn caused much of the plant life to physically decay from his influence. His face, hidden from the tousled black cloak, was shrouded with a purple haze coming from his green eyes. A twisted smile cracked upon his muzzle as he came closer to his destination. He slowly came upon a hollowed out tree, decorated with mysterious potions and liquors hanging from ropes from the branches, as if to ward off evil spirits. Sombra merely pushed a bottle back and heard it clank against the others. He noticed the horned masks of several animals, and reveled in the memory of slaying each and every one of those the masks represented. He shrouded himself in the shadow of the tree as a figure stepped out from the doorway. Zecora had saw Sombra since he had been walking a mere hundred feet away, and had readied herself for his arrival. She exited the tree armed with a pointed staff. "Spirit of dark, begone! Your business here is done," Zecora warned as she eased towards the shadows. She was nerved to hear the warped chuckle coming from the shrouds. "My business here has just begun, fair zebra. You'll be surprised to know what I seek," Sombra moaned as his black silky mane seemed to flow from the inky blackness. Zecora held her staff up to defend herself. "Now, calm yourself, zebra. I wish not to harm you unless you have provoked me. I come for the amulet," Sombra said. "The amulet is not here. And it appears your travel here has ended up blear," Zecora tested. Sombra's brow furrowed as he sneaked right through her lie. Sombra held a hoof out, and without even touching it, Zecora's staff instantly snapped in two pieces, and he flung the helpless zebra across the bark. "You will show me the amulet personally, or die where you stand," Sombra warned as he held her tight in his invisible hold. Zecora struggled to break free, but the dark lord clung her to his will without mercy. "I will not show you. Gone from this land, and gone from it, you too," Zecora choked as Sombra tightened his grip. Sombra simply answered with this. "That will be my decision now," Sombra said with a flick of his wrist, throwing Zecora hard against a nearby tree. He blasted away at front of the tree with a burst of dark magic, and crept inside. Bottles from all the shelves crashed to the floor as the demonic unicorn searched, and as he knocked over a nearby caudron, he reached for the bed and ripped away at it's foundation. In his vivid red aura, he came across a small chest. Grinning with it, his horn flickered an even brighter scarlet as the locked chest opened in his grip, unveiling what he had been searching long for. Surges of red lights glared from the interior. A Force storm waned from Sombra's hooves, washing over the broken hut and flinging debris around, shattering furniture in two as he laughed maniacally. He exited the hut with the Alicorn Amult wrapped around his neck, glowing bright red in sync with his blood red eyes in a green shroud. He bitterly regarded Zecora as he slowly trotted from the clearing. "The Dark Side is now completely with me. For I...am...Darth Sombra," Sombra croaked in pleasure as his menacing laughter continued as he marched from the outskirts of the Everfree Forest.
<5> Bring in the ClonesChapter Five: Bring in the Clones Golden rays of sunlight from the newly risen sun stirred all they touched from slumber, getting the land ready for a new day. The two ponies unconsciously snuggled under a warm duvet in Twilight's former residence as they were spared from the glaring light by thick curtains clinging to the windows placed years ago. Alas, the mare could do little against the rhythm she had drilled into herself over the years, and so Twilight opened her eyes at the same time as the rest of Equestria. Sitting up from the bed, she stretched a bit and noticed the stallion sharing his warmth with her. She couldn't help but smile; the slow breaths and content smile exhibited in his sleep brought a sense of serenity into her thoughts. She watched him for a few minutes, basking in the presence of her loved one, but deep down she knew this moment couldn't last. The time spent with him, as well as the troubling days before, taught her that their pleasures did not always get to come first; not that she wasn't used to life following a different code before she met him; so she sighed and nuzzled Aqua gently. "Aqua? Good morning, dear. It's time to wake up," she called to him quietly. At first, Aqua didn't answer; he didn't even budge from her intervention. Casting a half frown at him, Twilight pursed her lips as she nudged him again with her hoof. "Wake up, Aqua. It's morning. Wake up," Twilight persisted as she started shaking him lightly. Aqua's tail swished slightly as he turned over on his side with a groan. She rolled her eyes as her husband groggily refused to wake up from his slumber. With a smile, she rose from the bed and eased herself over to the wall mirror. She began pampering herself for the new day with her manebrush, brushing back the frizzy bedhead she was sporting from the events of last night, and a recall of it brought a blush upon her cheeks. She giggled to herself softly as she turned and saw Aqua still sleeping in the bed, and gave a nonchalant shrug as she walked back to the bed sporting her trademark hime cut manestyle. She delicately leaned forward and pecked his cheek with her lips, elicting little more than a peaceful mutter from the stallion. "Ok, you win. Get some sleep, honey. I'll be back soon." Twilight whispered as she levitated a scroll from the drawer. Scribbling down on it, Twilight left the scroll on the bedside table and tiphooved out of the bedroom and went outside as the sun rose higher above the horizon, and made for the long spiral staircase downwards. King Sombra was once more seated in his throne room of the Changeling Castle, gazing upon the floor as he begun to grow bored. His stare shifted smugly towards the Alicorn Amulet wrapped tightly around his neck, it's power radiating with his own. Skimming his hoof along the arm of his throne, Sombra glanced at the flags pinned upon the walls depicting the twisted horn that was Chrysalis', with her raggedy wings sprayed out from them. He closed his eyes blissfully as he thought back to his defeat. How he had slowly marched to such immense power he held in his hooves now. How he had returned from his previous destruction. The Queen of the Changelings trudged through the cold, frigid landscape that was the Crystal Mountains. Frost clung to her raggedy mane and the holes in her hooves ached as her few Changeling soldiers still surviving by her side followed suit. The wind blew harshly across the frozen wasteland as Chrysalis shivered in the cold. As they were similar to insects in nature and biology, their kind had been highly vulnerable to extremely low temperatures. Fighting the frost in defiance, Chrysalis hung closer to her soldiers as they were blitzed over with a flurry of snow. Since their defeat at the hooves of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, they had been banished to the far reaches of Equestria, and there was what seemed like no hope for the fallen queen. Her rage; her undying hatred for the two rulers of the revived Crystal Empire had only dug the thorn in her side even deeper, and she snarled through her gritted teeth as green saliva dripped from her maw. She turned to see the shivering, helpless, emancipated forms of her Changeling minions. To her, she had almost mistaken the hard, black shelled creatures to be frozen husks of her servants. She heard the howl of Windigoes as a full on blizzard swarmed the group. Chrysalis felt her skin beginning to turn grey as frost now stained her eyelashes. All there was in front of her was snow. Nothing but flat plains of snow for miles. Disappointed in the bleakness of her situation, Chrysalis began to lose hope, peering at the sympathetic glares from her Changelings. In despair, she trudged on a few more feet, and subsequently collapsed as her legs gave out, and she landed face-first into the snow. Her minions crawled to her side and huddled with her, but it was the end for them. That was until she heard something startle her. She heard moaning, an errie moaning that broke from the howl of snow. She clung to the last bit of hope she had and struggled to crawl towards the epicenter of the noise. She saw something stick out from the white landscape, and as she peered at it, she felt curious of it. What appeared to be a black, smooth and curved unicorn horn poking out of the ground caught her eye, and she crawled closer to it. She noticed the way it shaded from black to vivid red at the sharp tip of it. The redness was beginning to dim slightly as she heard the moaning spirits around her crying out in sheer agony. Help me... Chrysalis could've sworn she had heard the spirits call out to her. She looked down at the horn. Had this thing actually spoken to her? "It must be the trauma..." Chrysalis muttered to herself, as if trying to convince herself. She shook her head in denial as the spirits swirled around her. Pleassse...help me... There it was again. Chrysalis was enveloped in the disembodied voices, now poking at the horn and flinching away as black crackles of electricity were emitted from all over the horn. She began to wonder; had somepony been buried alive and left for dead out here; and had been desperately calling for aid for as long as it could, perhaps for eons. As if spitting in the face of fate, she turned the horn over, and went wide-eyed as she found the horn had no owner, completely severed from the head of whatever had possessed it. Bits of black crystaline skin, charred and cracked, crumpled from the cut off point of the horn. The spirits hissed, seeming to have taken pain from the slightest bit of contact. She weakly levitated the horn from the snow and handed it to an armored Changeling. Yesss... "This is coming with us back to base. Hurry," Chrysalis urged as she began trotting away. The Changelings followed as black clouds dissipated around the place where the horn had been. The sun glared in Aqua's face as he finally woke up from his slumber. He blinked a few times to regain proper vision, and glanced around the room as he sat up and stretched. He noticed that Twilight was not in the room, and he turned his head to see a folded letter sitting on the bedside table. Getting out of bed, Aqua picked up the letter and unfolded it. "Dear Aqua, I'm just going out for a bit to see how the girls are doing. Won't be gone for long, but I'll let you know when we'll be doing the cloning process. With love, Twilight," Aqua raised an eyebrow when he saw a lipstick stain on the bottom of the letter, and casually set aside the note. He claimed his tunic from the floor before leaving the tower. He headed down the staircase as the sun stained his eyes. Blocking the sun with his hoof, he saw Pinkie Pie walk from the castle gates. He tapped her on the shoulder as he approached her. "Good morning, Pinkie Pie," Aqua greeted. Pinkie turned to face him with an oversized smile on her face, and she practically engulfed him whole in a bone-breaking hug. "Ohmigosh, hi Aqua, I was looking for you! We were starting to get worried about you when you didn't show up this morning to see us and when Princess Celestia came, she was all like "Where is Master Aqua?" and I was thinking 'Maybe he's off on some adventure with the Spinach Lord or sightseeing in Saddle Arabia with Simon the Seal.' Then I got distracted by my thinking voice 'cause it sounds so echoey. Here, listen!" Pinkie then dashed to a nearby corridor of the castle and hollered her name, producing an echo along the hallway. She zipped back to Aqua with her usual beaming smile, "Then Twilight told us you just overslept. By the way, do you like hot sauce cupcakes?" Aqua blinked for a second in confusion before speaking, "Well, I just got a note from her, so I assume she wants me to meet her in the castle. Shall we?" He walked into the castle as Pinkie merrily bounced by his side, "And I don't care very much for hot sauce cupcakes, honestly." Twilight stood in the throne room as her friends sided by her. She was tapping her hoof on the floor impatiently as she glanced around the room. Dozens of stain-glassed windows choked the walls, depicting Celestia vanquishing Nightmare Moon, the Mare in the Moon herself being redeemed by the Bearers of Harmony, Discord's imprisonment, Shining Armor and Cadence's banishment of Queen Chrysalis, and Spike's destruction of King Sombra. Her friends watched for minutes on end as Twilight paced the floor anxiously. Eyes following her movement, the expressions on her friends slowly grew more restless. The pegasus in the room finally spoke up to break the silence. "Ugggh, what's taking him so long?!" Rainbow groaned in aggravation as she hovered above the ground, "He was supposed to be here over an hour ago!" "Now Rainbow Dash, you need to understand patience. Aqua is simply running a bit late, is all," Rarity interjected as Rainbow dropped towards her. "A little late is like 5 minutes late. Why are we even waiting on him?" Rainbow protested. "The Princess is only going to get the clone army underway when all of us arrive here. We're just gonna have to wait for him," Twilight answered as she stopped her pace and turned to the pair. "Indeed. Aqua is a very important individual to the Princess. How many ponies do you see around Equestria who happen to be a Jedi?" Rarity added as Rainbow rolled her eyes in boredom. "He's definitely important and slow. Why doesn't he just fly here?" Rainbow whined. "Ugh, I don't know!" Twilight answered, growing annoyed with Rainbow's complaining, "He'll be here when he gets here, so stop complaining and wait!" Fluttershy gazed from behind her mane and spoke. "Um, girls? Can we please stop arguing? He'll get here when he does," the timid pegasus whispered meekly. Applejack decided to change the subject. "Twi, mind me askin', but what's it like with Aqua?" Twilight hid a blush with a turn of her head before answered. "He's pretty wonderful, Applejack. Handsome, smart, and amazingly strong. I mean, have you seen his lightsaber? He's just born with it, I suppose," Twilight answered. "Ah know that, Twilight. Does he treat you right?" Applejack pressed. "Of course he does. I just wish he wouldn't worry about me so much. He's can be a bit..." Twilight bit her lip, "overprotective at some times." "Ooo, do tell, darling. We wanna know all about your colt," Rarity pressed her cheek against Twilight's in glee. "I-I think you know enough..." Twilight declined nervously. "Come on Twi, make like your guts and spill! Does he even lift?" Rainbow pushed on. "Is Goliath doing alright?" Fluttershy asked. "What fabric is his tunic?" Rarity chimed in. A pair of hooves marched into the room. "I will answer all your questions, my little ponies. I'm here, if you were wondering," Aqua greeted as he was joined by a bouncing Pinkie Pie. Twilight ran up to him and immediately hugged him happily as Pinkie bounced to the group. "I found him! I found him! I found him! I found him! I found him!" Pinkie sang as she bounced in a random circle. "How are you doing, dear?" Aqua asked as he cupped Twilight's chin with his hoof. "I'm fine, Aqua. I'm guessing you got my note, then." "Oh yes, I got your message with the little lipstick stain on it," Aqua teased with a nudge of his wing. The group of mares cooed at his statement towards Twilight. "Aqua!" Twilight playfully swatted the Jedi's chest, "Anyway, now that you're here, we can get started on the cloning project." "Indeed we can, my subjects," Princess Celestia greeted as she entered the room, accompanied by the bows of her loyal commoners, "Now, as you are all aware, Canterlot's Royal Guard forces are severely outmatched by Queen Chrysalis' Changeling armies," The group nodded in acknowledgement. "Because our guards are low in numbers, we must make usage of the mirror pool in order to combat the superior number of Changelings. As you know, Changelings are extremely strong creatures, and we need an equally strong force to oppose them," Celestia continued. "And for this army to work, we utilize Big Macintosh, Rainbow, and myself to breed clones?" Twilight asked. "Precisely, Twilight. We will station the army squads in every section of Equestria, and provide a shield over Canterlot until this entire matter is resolved. But sadly, with Shining Armor and Princess Cadence ruling over the Crystal Empire, I myself will oversee the shield alongside my sister, Luna." "If I may interject, your Majesty," Aqua interrupted, "Instead of arming cities with forces; as allowing such would simply be a waste of clones; rather, we strike the Changeling Kingdom head on while using our army to surround the entire perimeter. So it would make sure Chrysalis won't escape if we attack the castle." "That comes in due time, Master Aqua. Before we can strike directly, issuing clones to every bit of the country will assure added protection in case of straggler Changelings and or Queen Chrysalis, along with whatever second party she is conspiring with," Celestis countered. "If we launch our attack at the moment, and attack all together, we can easily subdue the Queen, and would bring an end to this war immediately. And with the end of the war, we can dispute on what to do with the clones afterwards," Aqua shot back. "Master Aqua, do not be unrealistic on this. This is for the better of Equestria. Trust me, this will work out in due time," Celestia assured, flashing her gentle smile. Aqua quieted as she rose up to her height. "Now, unless everypony else would like to give their input, we really must be going at this time," Celestia motioned as the group headed out for the door, "Master Aqua, wait a moment," Aqua stopped as Twilight stood by the door before exiting. He faced up the tall, pristine alicorn with recognition. "I know you do not agree fully with this cloning idea, but please understand, you and I are doing what is right for Equestria," Celestia sympathized with the Jedi, "And I acknowledge the unorthodox nature of this." "I apologize for that, but I simply think if we defeated Chrysalis up front, it will save us from a larger number of casualties," Aqua reasoned. Celestia lowered to Aqua's height with a gentle nature. "Trust in the Force, Master Aqua. You'll see that things will turn out right," Celestia replied as she guided Aqua out the door, wing draped over his body in comfort. The howl of Windigoes echoed through the frozen north as a harsh arctic flurry graced the icey land. Flames from the torches lining the cave flickered on the walls. Inside the cave was Queen Chrysalis and several Changelings huddled with her, all scarved in an attempt for warmth. A massive cauldron fit the middle of the cave, and Chrysalis gazed down at an opened spellbook, the leather manuscript peeling with decades of wear and tear. Ghostly spirits circled the pot as the Queen weakly levitated the smooth black horn above it as the red tip of it was close to fading entirely. She closed her eyes and her horn glowed as she spoke the incantation. "Buried, entombed in Tartarus' hold, bound by spirits, it's destiny foretold. From the realm of decease, shroud of hate, resurrect in full, a demon it shall create!" Chrysalis moaned as she dropped the horn into the contents of the cauldron. At first, nothing happened, only the faint growl and moan of spirits, but the pot began shaking softly as the growls grew louder. Chrysalis firmly stood in front of the pot, unsure of what would emerge from the brew. Shaking violently now, the liquids inside threatening to slosh out, snarls, howls, and cries of agony echoes through the massive cave as green, red, and purple auras rose from the pot. Chrysalis shut her eyes as a blinding green light now pierced the room, and with a vertical beam of light, spiraling helixes of red and black swirls surrounded the beacon for many minutes until it all collapsed on itself, and an explosion sounded from the inside, rocking the cave violently back and forth as the ground shook from the blast. A mixture of steam and smoke rose from the remains of the cauldron as an equine body laid, eclipsed in the smog as Chrysalis regained her balance, and crawled to the corpse. She crouched down to the skeleton-like body, and firmly poked it with her front hoof. "Are you...alive?" Chrysalis asked in fear as the body took in slow breaths, and growls filled the cave as the creature turned it's head slightly. Eyes widening in surprise, the creature's hoof shot out in alarm, and it grabbed the neck of the Changeling Queen. "N-No! What...are you...doing?!" Chrysalis gasped for air as the demonic unicorn rose from his crouched position to strangle her. "Who are you?! And what are you doing in my realm!?" the unicorn screamed bloody anger as his eyes pierced right through Chrysalis' own, penetrating her with his unnaturally green eyes and red irises. Chrysalis shuddered in fear as she was instantly subjected to a thousand of her most terrifying fears, and her resolve nearly shattered to bits. "I...saved your horn..." Chrysalis wheezed as he tightened his grip on her throat, "You were lost in the C-Crystal Mountains, and I...brought you back," the stallion's eyes glanced to the remains of the pot he had risen from, and his grip faultered, until he fully let go of the Changeling's neck. Chrysalis coughed in agony as she dropped to the floor; her Changeling soldiers running to her side. The stallion crouched to the Queen with an outstretched hoof. "My sincerest apologies. Not long have I been bound to this mortal world; I haven't been whole in over a thousand years. A thousand years..." the stallion muttered, glaring at the ruins of the cave he had wrought, a small flame flickering still upon the middle of the cave. "What were you doing...in the cold, destroyed?" Chrysalis asked. A twinge of anger aroused the stallion's muzzle as his eyes turned red. "The cold...the crystals...the Crystal Empire. It was so long ago...months even. Nothing but torture...all because of them..." the stallion murmured, seething with rage. "Who? Who did this to you?" Chrysalis asked. "The Crystal Princess, her husband...Shining Armor, a small band of mares, and a...dragon," he answered. Chrysalis glowered at the identities he mentioned. "Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Those fools. Their foolish, inferior love for each other. It was their love that robbed me of my assured victory of conquering Canterlot." "So you have had experience dealing with them," he said, and Chrysalis nodded, "Have you been in conflict with Celestia as well?" A smile formed on Chrysalis' face. "Ahh yes, Celestia. My most precious memory of an otherwise failed destiny. By draining Shining Armor's love, I defeated Celestia in a magic duel. I overwhelmed her quite easily if I must say," Chrysalis said in snide as she barely concealed a face of pride. "Celestia...the foolish, blasted alicorn. Responsible for my first banishment," he said as a crown faded onto his head. "I must ask you, who are you, exactly?" Chrysalis asked. "I am King Sombra. Tyrant of the Crystal Empire, ruler of the frozen north, Sombra the Warlord. Scourge of the Crystal Ponies. Dark magic incarnate," Sombra introduced himself, "And you are?" "I am Queen Chrysalis, co-ruler of the Changeling Empire, and conquerer of the Bad Lands. I rule over thousands of Changelings as my minions, along with my king..." "King? You have a king?" Sombra asked. "Yes. His name...is King Craw. King Craw was my former guard until he rose up to become ruler." "I see. He rose up against the previous king?" Sombra pried. "Yes. The previous king was King Metamorphosis. He was old, very old, near death even. Craw viewed him as just a weak old shell, and destroyed him easily in a duel," Chrysalis explained. "A duel...tell me, what is Craw like?" Sombra continued to press Chrysalis for information on her diarchy. "Powerful, ruthless, and power-hungry. He only raises the strongest of Changelings to be prime, to be the master race, you see. And you are the former ruler of the Crystal Empire?" "I was...until the alicorn princesses destroyed my physical body, and entombed me to the frozen lifelessness of the Iceberg Rift. Not before I utilized my combined dark magic and dark side powers to bring the entire empire down with me, until I rose again. Only to be completely...obliterated by the accursed Crystal Heart," Sombra snarled with unbridled rage as he slammed his hoof upon the floor, causing a crack to spread across the cavern, and a black crystal peeking out of the ground where the fissure ended. "You say dark magic and dark side powers? How were you able to banish an entire empire along with yourself?" Sombra chuckled, low in his throat as he replied, "My dear Chrysalis, I was never much of a normal, average unicorn. No no, I was much more than what the princesses saw in me. The darkness inside me; black as the night sky, whispered dark secrets to me. Such bleak whispers foretold me of great powers, led me to the very being who would instruct me on those ancient ways of magic. It was not magic in itself, Chrysalis, quite the opposite. I was young, always knowing I was destined for such unique power..." "Were it not for my master, I would never have obtained all the secrets he could teach me," Sombra continued, musing. "Along with my magic studies under another mentor. I gained more and more power over the years, immersing myself in the dark side itself, until my own master regarded me of the Force in physical form. I sought power, Chrysalis, and no power I had before could satify me. I wanted more. And with that hunger, I sought after what I could find; the Crystal Empire, in utter anarchy. Ponies, forever wishing to be oppressed, crying out for it. I answered their cries, for they were nothing but my slaves. My complete slaves." "The princesses banished you. How did you survive this long? To come back after a thousand years?" Chrysalis asked. "Darling, you will see that flesh that does not easily support this power. On and off again, my power would be outright leaking from my spirit, urging to be used, bottled up to high levels. My banishment was a chance for me to reassess my abilities, and I slowly crawled from the rift of the undead, and at the tip of the iceberg, I returned to my empire, until I saw that my spot, my own castle, my throne...it was taken from me...by Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor." "Then it would appear we share a common enemy," Chrysalis mused, crouching to Sombra's height. "It would seem so, Queen," Sombra agreed as a red glow shined from his back, erecting a cape from thin air. He smiled as Chrysalis suddenly gripped his hoof. A grunt of alarm in an alien tounge left his mouth as he peered down. "Your powers, Sombra. How can I be sure it is true, what you say?" A smirk appeared on Sombra's muzzle as he stood firmly, and concentrated, and his eyes shined green with purple trails, and his horn glowed black with sparks of electricity. A spherical blast of dark side energy shot out from all angles, alarming all in the cavern as it shook. Chrysalis noticed the icy climate shifting rapidly, steam shifting from the floor as cracks lined the walls. The Changelings clung to each other as the shaking continued, and heat seemed to radiate from Sombra's horn. He exerted hardly any effort as he continued flaring it. Temperatures rose to a sweltering amount as sweat beamed off Chrysalis' forehead. Slowly, Sombra ceased his demonstration, and the trembling in sync ended. What was once frozen snow lining the floor was bare, seared dirt, with the stalactites now crumbling into shards of rock. "Do you see the strength I possess? I have the hold over eons of teaching in all magic. My potential outclasses deities such as Celestia, and I am in your debt, Chrysalis." "King Sombra...I like the way that rolls off the tounge. You seems like you could a worthy king...to rule alongside me." "King Sombra...king of the Changelings. I agree. We could rule the Changeling Empire...and more," Sombra said. Chrysalis and Sombra chuckled with each other as a flame dimmed out from the center of the cave, exposing them to darkness. Twilight squinted her eyes in the darkness of the cave. She anxiously tiphooved along the ground, taking small breaths. The hum of her purple bladed saber buzzing in her ear, she cautiously advanced aimlessly through the cavern. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead as she heard another hum in the distant. Aqua was clinging to a stalactite, hooves wrapped around the base with his wings spread out to balance himself. He wordlessly watched Twilight helplessly wander the cave with her lightsaber ready and held back a smile. He dashed from the stalactite and to another, and Twilight raised her head when she heard a sudden whir of air. Turning her head, she gazed up at the ceiling and saw nothing, and walked awayfrom it. Peeking out from another stalactite, Aqua slowly retracted his lit lightsaber and let go of his hold, soaring down on Twilight with all his might. Turning around, Twilight raised her blade above right when Aqua made contact with her, cutting off his motion and with a forward thrust, she flung him across the cave with a fierce grunt. Aqua flipped in midair and landed square on his hooves. He charged at the lavender mare, and the two clashed sabers. Crossing their swords and swinging until their blades were practically locked into each other, the two tested each other's strength until Twilight tapped into her magic, and flung a stalactite at the Jedi. Breaking from the lock, Aqua bisected the rock in half before Twilight lunged at him with her saber out, only for him to grasp her in his hold with the Force. Twilight grunted in exertion as she disappeared in a magenta flash from Aqua's grip, teleporting behind him and readied herself to strike. Anticipating her, Aqua swiftly turned and caught her saber with his own before pushing her aside effortlessly. Twilight's horn glowed and fired off several bolts of magic at him. As he deflected most with his blade, he reached out with his hoof and the magic absorbed itself into it, before it ricocheted out his other hoof in the form of a Force push. Twilight's horn glowed once more, and the ground shook as vines burst from the ground in her manipulation, tangling Aqua as he dived at her. Captured, Aqua struggled to cut his way through, and lashed out with a Force repulse. He took a short breath, halting his offense. "Impressive, Twilight. Your skills are growing. I am proud," Aqua complimented as he rushed at her with his saber, working into another lock. "I am a quick learner," Twilight replied, "And you should be more watchful..." Aqua noticed the vines once more lurking towards him. He felt them tingle at his back hooves as Twilight gained the upper hoof on the clash. He bit down on his lip as he focused. He had been holding back on her until now; now she was pushing him to try. Still holding his saber, he channeled his energy into the vines surrounding him, overpowering Twilight's magical hold with ease as they now released him, and he drove off Twilight's advance with an offensive flurry of swordplay. Twilight's defensive form of Makishi collided with Aqua's mastery over Soresu. He barely left himself open to attacks for the mare to strike at, but as he did, his own defensive maneuvers being well-rounded and relatively impossible to breach. She lost focus in her lightsaber as Aqua slammed his saber against her's, practically in awe as he grew more intense in his strikes. Curving her blade facing the ground, Twilight struggled against Aqua while he kept his in place, moving with the mare's blade. Twilight had no other solution in the duel, and as she lost herself, the stallion went in for the blow. Knocking Twilight's lightsaber aside with a power swipe, Aqua towered over Twilight as she fell backwards from the force of the blow. Victorious, Aqua pointed his saber at Twilight as he stood on his hind hooves. He spoke in a soft tone as a bead of sweat formed on his brow. "Yield." Twilight was pinned to the floor as Aqua kept his saber pointed. She dropped her saber and stuck her hooves out to surrender. Aqua deactivated his blade until he was caught off guard. Twilight unexpectedly drop kicked her husband off his hooves and possessed him in an intense glob of her magic. His hooves were pinned to his side, preventing him from reaching his saber, and he was now at her mercy. With a victorious smirk on her face, Twilight towered over him now as she pointed her blade at him. "Don't underestimate me," Twilight said. Finally defeated, Aqua yielded to her. "Good, good! You've won, Twilight! At last, your training has come so far," Aqua praised her with a nuzzle. Twilight tucked her saber away as her friends unexpectedly popped out from behind the stalactites. "That. Was. Awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered, hoof pumping the air in celebration, "Twilight! You totally creamed him!" "W-Were you watching the whole time?" Twilight asked, turning to see Aqua crossing his hooves over his chest. "Pfft, duh! We've been waiting for Big Macintosh to get here so we can get this army thing up and running," Rainbow answered with a lazy midair flip. "Twilight darling, you look so marvelous with that purple lightsaber. Ooh! All you need is a tunic like Aqua's and then--" Rarity squealed before being cut off by Pinkie Pie. "You could look all matchy and Jedi-y with your bathrobe thingies and stuffs!" An orange hoof was shoved in her mouth to quell the pink mare's outburst. "That aside, are we expecting the Princess anytime soon?" Aqua asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "The more time we spend in the Everfree Forest, the more time we'd be susceptible to whatever lurks in it." "Don't be such a worrywart, Aqua! What's the worst that could happen?" Rainbow protested, pressing her snout against Aqua's muzzle. "The worst? Well, that could be a wild Manticore, tribe of wyverns, stampede of cows, parasprite invasion, or an overdue friendship letter," Aqua answered, with Twilight blushing in the process, "Just to name a few." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as Fluttershy stepped up to them. "I hear Princess Celestia right now!" On cue, the regal alicorn walked down the smooth staircase leading to the pool, followed by Big Macintosh and Applejack. She met the rest of the group with an uneasy smile. "Thank you all for meeting me here, everypony. And may I thank our friend Big Macintosh here for generously offering his template for our cloning process," Celestia said as the others bowed slightly in recognition. "Big Mac, y'all know what we're off to do, right?" Applejack asked with a nudge of her elbow. "Eeyup." "Then let's get this over with!" Rainbow pried. "Yeah! How many clones are we gonna need, anyway?" Pinkie asked. "It all depends. We could use dozens, or even hundreds of them. But we will cross that bridge when we get to it," Celestia answered as she unfolded a wing out, ushering the two mares to follow. Twilight and Rainbow stood at Big Mac's side as they edged over the mirror pool. Their reflections swishing in the waves, they waited for the Princess' order. "What if this doesn't work, Celestia?" Aqua asked, "What if it's a terrible abomination of nature? An absolute failure of a clone?" "Trust in the Force, Master Aqua," Celestia reassured as she cleared her throat and readied her horn. The aura surround all three ponies as they eased into the mirror pool, the golden magic and blue water illuminating in shades of green. Celestia's horn glowed brighter as a few moments passed. Bubbles continued to find their way to the surface as Aqua and his comrades watched in anticipation. "'Ah sure hope everything's ok in there," Applejack said in concern. Aqua gave a curt nod as he watched. He began thinking to himself. What if this wouldn't work at all? If the clone would result to be a freakish mutant of equine nature as a result of the mix of ponies utilized in cloning? Would they be injured after this cloning? All his answers would come now, as he saw a purple hoof rise from the water. Twilight was the first to emerge from the pool, mane soaked and bangs covering his eyes as she waded out of the deep end. She shook herself dry like a puppy as Rainbow emerged out, casually flying out and all. Last to arrive out was Big Macintosh, with his simple. stoic, well-rounded expression. "Thank you, my little ponies. You are doing Equestria good with your selflessness," Celestia praised as bubbles rose once more from the mirror pool. Watching, waiting for the clone, the entire group stared at the pool before it had finally clawed out of the poolwater. A pale, faded red, and bulky built stallion was revealed, completely identical to Big Macintosh in every way. For eons, the mirror pool had been in obscurity to Equestria, and was now known for it's cloning properties. Aqua Blue was not impressed by it whatsoever. Seconds later, another hoof found it's way to the surface, and out from it was a similar looking Macitosh. Mauve in color, a mix of purple and red coat, with a horn adorning it's head, another pony waded from the water. It had similar features to Twilight and Big Mac, combined in an honestly creepy sort of way. Another pony, a lavish purple, combined from pale red and cyan fur, appeared next to the other clones. Oddly enough, each clone resembled their templates in one way or another; eye shape, muzzle, or the simpler concepts. The group now stood in awe at the three clones before them. Twilight wanted to gasp, but found no air to do so. "My little ponies, welcome to Equestria," Celestia greeted the clones as they bowed to her in respect. One was an Earth pony, another a unicorn, and the last being a pegasus. The spawns of Twilight, Rainbow, and Big Mac had emerged finally. "Heh," Rainbow chuckled, "Say hello to the Macintroopers." Aqua Blue still did not find the mirror pool impressive at all. The throne room to the Changeling Castle burst open, revealing a rejuvenated and refreshed Queen Chrysalis, looking quite well after returning from the Crystal Mountains. She greeted King Craw with a passionate nuzzle, Craw looking over her with wild abandon. "King Craw, thank the creator I've finally returned to you!" Chrysalis gasped with tears running down her face, staining the floor before her. "How long have you been gone, my queen?" Craw asked, "I was near certain you perished in the Crystal Land." "I was gone for weeks, Craw. How do the Changelings fare?" "Fine. They feed just as much as they have before, a miracle I must say, after your little swing-by on Canterlot," Craw pointed out. "Craw, I know what you are hinting at, but please, let me assure you that it is nothing but a minor setback!" Chrysalis reasoned. "Silence! I have dealt with this time and time again, Chrysalis! Our Changelings are hungry for love, my queen, and there is no hope the direction we are headed if I cannot even send you on your way to successfully capture Equestria capital with our prized militia! "B-But Craw, surely you must know it is the fault of Sparkle, a-and Princess Cadence! They would've died in the caverns under Canterlot had they not escaped!" "And were you planning on dealing with them yourself? No. That is how you were defeated." "Please Craw, just give me another chance! I-I could attack Canterlot again, o-or even Ponyville! We could attack all the cities in the country, then go after Canterlot when the time is right! Please!" Chrysalis begged as she cupped Craw's front hooves. Craw pushed aside her hooves in disgust. "No! You have failed me, Chrysalis. Out of my sight!" Craw demanded, shoving the tall Changeling to the door. Chrysalis was flabbergasted as she stood at the entrance of the door as they slammed shut in exile. She turned her head as she trotted away, and into her bedchambers. She sighed wearily to herself as she stood at the window, watching the small Changelings kick about a filly entrapped in a cocoon as if it were a hoofball. She saw the already dead fauna snap in half at the drawbridge of the castle, seeing a cloaked figure in the distance, and as it turned it's head, it lowered it's hood, revealing itself to Chrysalis. She nodded to the figure as she returned to her bed, now ecstatic. The figure eased it's way into the front door of the caslte, approached by the speared Changeling guards. Trumpets blew in a wicked cadence as King Craw walked from the center staircase to greet the figure. "Welcome to the Changeling Empire, stranger. What brings you here?" Craw asked. The figure removed it's hood ominously as it revealed itself to him. Voice low and layered, it spoke to him. "My name is King Sombra. And I am here to negotiate with you." "What could you possibly have to negotiate with me, Sombra?" Craw barked as the guards raised their weapons. "Your plans to rule Equestria. I may be of assistance," Sombra answered. Craw contemplated before raising a hoof to silence his drones. "Go on..." Craw beckoned. "I am the king of the Crystal Empire, and I can assist you in your efforts to rule Equestria." "Former king of the Crystal Empire, in fact. I have no time for your games, Sombra," Craw snarled. "And I have experience in controlling slaves. Think about it, Craw. We both strive to conquer, why not we be united to do so?" "Slaves? You judge my Changelings to be my slaves?" "Oh, I assume you view them as minions then? Irrelevent though, you must understand your minions are in vast numbers, quite strong and commanding, and they are eternally loyal to their king." "Your point being?" "One regal ruler to another, I am willing to offer you all my knowledge of conquest. Perhaps you could actually overthrow Celestia with me in second in command." Craw put a hoof to his chin in thought before turning to the dark lord. "Then we shall make arrangements," Craw said, turning to an armor-plated Changeling by his side, "Prepare our gourmet lunch at once." *** King Craw and Sombra were seated on opposite ends of the dining table, as platters were spread across the clothed table by Changeling waitresses. They traded glanced in between the massive plates served by the service drones, as Chrysalis sat in the middle of the table. They sat in silence before Sombra spoke up. "King Craw, I must ask you. Your Changeling armies?" "Yes, King Sombra? What of my armies?" "If you are wishing to conquer Equestria, your best method would be sending armies after many of the cities in the country." "How do you see that plan working?" "It's painfully easy to see, Craw," Sombra continued as a waitress unveiled the platter, with a mash of fruits glazed with nectars, glistening in the dimmed dining room, "You're aware Queen Chrysalis' attempt on Canterlot many months ago?" "Ah yes, I'm well aware of my queen's failure to secure the capital," Craw said with a sneer that Chrysalis looked away from. "Ah, there's the rub, you see," Sombra explained in a philosophical tone, "Chrysalis'...minor defeat. However, be aware that she many things right in her invasion." "And how do you reason with that?" "Chrysalis flawlessly imitated Princess Cadence in order to infiltrate Canterlot, and lower it's defenses through manipulation. A very delicate plan, I must say, to chip away at the shield being employed by her militia." Chrysalis' smile grew in gratitude as Craw's brow furrowed. "What does this have to do with my armies?" Craw asked with annoyance, tucking into his meal. "To further direct attention from Canterlot, it would've been better suited to send armies around the country. I feel like I am repeating myself, Craw." "And to put my Changelings in danger? To serve just as distractions before striking outright? Sombra, I believe that plan is primed for failure." Sombra grew more and more irritated at Craw, but held his smile in earnest as he settled into his platter. "I agree with Sombra. His ideas are exceptionally brilliant," Chrysalis voiced. Craw rose from his seat. "This is between us kings, Chrysalis. Do not voice your opinion in this matter," Craw hissed. "Now, that's no way to treat a lady, is it Craw? I may be over a thousand years old, but I am still aware of chivalry," Sombra chided. "And you believe yourself to be a more suited king than myself? Is that it, then?" "Perhaps it is, Craw," Sombra raised his voice, rising from the table. The waitresses stood in shock at the ensuing arguement before heading back to their dining halls. Craw sneered at the dark lord before chuckling. "You honestly believe that you can rule Equestria? That you can lead my armies to conquer? You are a fool." Sombra could barely hide his irritation at Craw, not until he delivered his final message. "Then let us prove it. I challenge you to a duel. Your terms, your rules. For the throne." *** The two kings were situated in the Changeling Colosseum, thousands of drones lined across the seats of the arena. Craw was outfitted now in custom made battle armor, constructed by his Changeling blacksmiths. His ribcage area was armored with plated steel as his body was layered out in similar fashion. Sombra was clad in nothing but his cape, discarding his crown. His silky black mane waved in the wind as he growled through his bared teeth. Chrysalis raised her flag to sound the battle as Craw acknowledged his opponent. "This battle will dictate who will rule the Changelings Kingdom! My terms of the duel; you may use one weapon of choice, along with any of your magical abilities. The brawl will cease when either opponent is unable to continue dueling, or in fatal condition. Along with that, there is to be no outside help of any kind during the fight, no exceptions. One last rule, loss of the battle will result in banishment from the kingdom. Failure to will result in death. Do you agree to these terms, King Sombra?" Sombra smirked, "I agree." "Then let it begin!" Craw shouted. Chrysalis waved the flag, and the two sprung into action. Craw's gnarled horn shot forth a beam of vivid red light headed at Sombra, and the demonic unicorn did so just as quickly. Dark magic collided with Changeling magic in a struggle, seeming to be equal in power until the black aura of magic slowly gained the upper hand. A bead of sweat dripped from Craw's forehead as he was forced to cut off his magic and teleported from his position. He watched as the dark magic struck where he had stood, creating a deafening explosion that shook the battlefield. Craw charged at Sombra with his horn, primed to stab him as Sombra simply stood there. Sombra waited just as he was about to make contact with him before he swiftly turned, grabbing Craw by his horn and lifting him from the ground, and slammed his elbow against the king's cheek, knocking him to the ground. Craw charged his horn and shot another beam of magic. With a burst of speed, Sombra dashed from the impact site and leapt at the king, bucking him across the chest with his titanium-plated hooves. Craw once more hit the ground as Changelings screeched to each other. Levitating himself in magic, Craw roared as he shot blasts of magic towards Sombra with wild speed. Encasing his hooves in his magic aura, Sombra stood on his hinds hooves and literally flicked away the magic blasts with his hooves, shooting them into the walls of the arena. Glaring daggers at Craw, Sombra's horn became engulfed in flames, and spat an inferno directed at the Changeling. Backing away, Craw conjured up a blast of water from his horn, dousing the flames in an instant. Gritting his teeth, Sombra reared up and rammed his hooves into the ground, causing it to crackle in a jagged circle around him, and he levitated the chuck of land from beneath him into the air. With a flick of his hoof, Sombra tossed the landmass at Craw, intending the smash him to bits. Craw barely jumped out of the way to only dodge more and more chucks of dirt. Teleporting out of range, Craw appeared behind Sombra and socked him in the back of his neck. Craning back, Sombra shouted in pain as he charged at him, and a scuffle ensued. Blows were struck, and Craw made to strike him. Catching him hooves, Sombra squeezed his hooves hard before lifting Craw off the ground, and slammed his hard down with a sickening crackle. "Is that your best?" Craw challenged, spitting a bit of blood from his maw. "It's all I need," Sombra assured as a hilt flew from inside his cape. With a golden lightweight finish to it, Sombra struck a stance with his weapon, and a crimson blade was spat from the hilt. Getting up from the ground, Craw engulfed himself in magic, and a sword appeared in his hooves. Sombra noted from the sparks of magic flying off it that it had been magically enhanced. "Then show me your little glowing toy!" The two ran at each other with their sabers at the ready, primed to strike either one down. At that moment, Craw and Sombra were locked in a fierce bout of swordplay against one another, until Sombra called upon the Force to push Craw high into the air. He fell hard onto the crushed rubble of dirt the dark lord had wrought, and immediately got back up to fight. Now blindly taking him on, Craw charged sword first at Sombra, who merely leaped above the king with ease. Twisting and turning with barely any movement, Sombra easily dodged Craw's now frenzied strikes, and only delayed igniting his saber as if to toy with him. In their lock of blades, the Changeling glared down at Sombra with hatred as he struggled to keep his sword high. Kicking Craw in the ribcabe, Sombra danced around his wild strikes before retaliating with his own, and shoving Craw aside with the blade. The king roared in defiance before making one last dash at the dark unicorn, and the two were pitted once more in a severe battle of blades. Sombra's superiority with his lightsaber was far more than enough to outclass Craw's display with his magic sword. Towering over the king, Sombra crossed his saber in an X fashion, knocking the sword out of Craw's hooves, and in turn, lobbed off his horn. Craw barely had the ability to scream as Sombra lifted him off the ground with the Force, using it to wreck his body in all possible ways before slamming him harshly into the arena floor. He then thrashed Craw into the wall of the arena, and with a clutch of his hoof, the Changeling was sent rocketing before him. He cowered finally, and attempted to crawl away from him. "Somra...please...have mercy. Please!" Craw pleaded, green blood dripping from his horn. "There is no mercy, Craw," Sombra stated as he raised his front hooves, unleashing a torrent of Force Lightning upon the defenseless Changeling. Craw writhed in agony as Sombra relentlessly continued his torture. He waited until Craw's cries muted, and he ignited his saber once more. "Welcome to Tartarus." A slash reverberated across the arena, and a hushed silence fell over as Sombra stood, victorious. The mane six stood in front of Golden Oaks Library with Princess Celestia as they looked off at the train station before them. Hundreds of multicolored Macintoshes were lined up, boarding onto the train headed for Canterlot. All the same stoic expressions on their muzzles as they marched inside. Celestia waited until all the clones had been boared onto the train, and she slowly trotted to her nearby chariot. "Thank you, my little ponies. With this army of clones, Equestria shall have one more method of defense against any threat that opposes us. You all have my gratitude," Celestia said, as her subjects bowed to her. Aqua gave a nod as Celestia glanced at him with her smile. "We will meet soon enough, Princess," Aqua said as he bowed, "To check on this militia of ours." "I shall be expecting you, then," Celestia turned to leave on her chariot, and she soared from Ponyville into the sky. The group watched her leave in silence. Twilight then broke the silence. "So everypony, what are we going to do now?" "I suppose we simply go on from here," Rarity suggested. "We just now got a new clone army, we may as well let that sit in," Aqua agreed. "Hey guys! I have an idea!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Let me guess, another party?" Rainbow deadpanned. Pinkie Pie instantly blew a noisemaker as she was now covered in streamers and balloons. She bounced off to Sugarcube Corner with so much as a goodbye. The others shrugged nonchalantly before Rainbow spoke up. "So...party?" "Ah'm coming," Applejack trotted off with Rainbow over to the gingerbread house. "Darling, a party should be a useful stress reliever after all that we've gone through in the last few days. I shall be off, then," Rarity stated before walking off. Soon it was just Twilight and Aqua, standing alone amidst the blowing leaves in the mid-evening air. "You coming, dear?" Twilight asked as she stared at Aqua, who was now glancing at the ground. The mare asked again in concern, "Aqua? You ok?" Aqua was snapped out of his trance and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I-I'm fine." "Are you coming to the party?" Aqua gave a slight shrug before answering. "I-I don't know, Twilight. I'm just so...against this whole clone army idea," he said as he scruffed the ground with his hoof. "Come on Aqua, it's not that bad of an idea. We're gonna have more protection from Queen Chrysalis, and who knows? We'll eventually corner her, like you wanted to," Twilight reaffirmed with a loving nuzzle, "You sure you don't wanna come?" Aqua paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Yeah, I'll meet you there in a minute," he said as he kissed her goodbye. Aqua watched Twilight walk away to the bakery building as he remained alone in his thoughts. I doubt even Utopia Prism could've prepared a Jedi for this. With those thoughts in mind, Aqua joined up with Twilight back in Sugarcube Corner as the party now began. "Come on Aqua! Dance with me!" Twilight shouted from the center of the room as music played. The mare was dancing quite horribly, but was genuinely enjoying herself. Aqua smirked as his thoughts left him, and he trotted over to Twilight. The group watched as the pair now danced with each other. The moon rose just in time for the song to play. And somehow, Aqua knew something was amiss.
<6> A Normal Day in PonyvilleSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
<7> The Changeling CrisisSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
<8> Morality [Part One]Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
<9> Morality [Part Two]Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
<10> Invasion of the Crystal EmpireSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
<1> Captive LoversChapter One: Captive Lovers A Sparkling Romance: The Magic of TwoOnce upon a time, in the land of Equestria... It was just a peaceful morning in Ponyville. The birds were chirping, the skies were blue without a cloud to be seen. The Celestia risen Sun was just beginning to appear on the horizon of the lush green plains. A quite blissful morning for any inhabitant, be it lounging in bed in the summer or frolicking in the flower fields. Sadly though, this was not one of those mornings. It was quite different. The skies were riddled with dark clouds of black smoke, billowing from the wreckages of simple towns down below, the landscape itself wracked with pony-sized craters. The calm and peaceful land below was replaced with a battle-torn wasteland, devoid of tranquility. The city of Fillydelphia had been the unfortunate victim of an assault by the Changeling army. It had also been days since the wedding couple of Twilight Sparkle, personal student of said Princess, and Jedi Master Aqua Blue went off as peacekeepers to quell the conflict. Celestia expected them to have returned to Canterlot after a few hours at the most, but an errie silence for days on end worried her. This is when Celestia took matters into her own hooves. A golden chariot tugged by four guards hovered through the blackened skies of Fillydelphia, the fog blinding the chauffeurs were it not for the solar monarch's golden magic illuminating the sky. Dreadful moments passed before the princess broke the silence. "Guards, land me there." Celestia said as the chariot began it's descent to the ground. With a gruff neigh from the guards, the chariot slowly touched down on the ground. Celestia rose to her hooves with a huff and walked off the platform. True to the nature of the attack, not much of the city was spared. Smoke sizzled all around as Celestia trotted from the chariot, not taking her eyes off the road ahead as she passed several bodies of Changelings and royal guards. Discarded papers flew in the rough gale, blowing away the hazy smog of battle debris. A fellow royal guard approached the solar alicorn as she made her way to a crossroads in the street. "Your highness, we've scoped the area of any remaining Changeling forces." the guard spoke in a tired voice. "And what news have you found?" Celestia asked. "We seem to have driven the entirety of the army forces before any more significant damage could be done." "Hmm, and what of Twilight Sparkle and Master Aqua?" Celestia questioned with worry in her voice, "Surely they're alright at the moment, wouldn't you agree?" "Um, I'm sorry to say this, Princess, but we...we lost communications with them after the fourth day of invasion. It seems they were captured when the 4th wave of Changelings assaulted the city center." the guard admitted with a break in his voice. Celestia said nothing, only quickening her pace. Replacing the commonly seen gentle and patient smile was a grimace of worry plastered on the solar diarch's muzzle. Soon though, her qualms would be resolved. A small warehouse of sorts laid in dilapidation among the towering skyscrapers and businesses of the modern city. Guarding the doors to the storage building were two armored Changelings wielding spears of stainless steel. Inside the building was what was the turning point of the invasion, what had given the Changelings victory over the city. Two powerful assets to the city's security. Amidst the dimly lit room, surrounded by crates stacked upon crates filled with who knows what to be shipped to who knows where, held two ponies. One mare, one stallion. Twilight Sparkle and Aqua Blue, tied back to back in opposite chairs. Twilight lifted her head groggily as she glanced around her surroundings. A weak gasp escaped her throat as her pupils now darted around in a frantic search for Aqua. "Nrrgghhh!" Twilight struggled in her seat as she strained to free herself of the bonds holding her in place. The mare attempted to jerk her head, only to find a strap restricting her movement. She made the most possible effort to contort her head to view her husband, in an unconscious mood. "Aqua?" Twilight asked. No response. "Aqua," the lavender mare repeated in a firmer tone. Twilight attempted to teleport from her ropes, but found her magic energy too tired and exhausted to comply. "Aqua, wake up!" Twilight cried, tilting her chair back so the legs of Aqua's chair would slam against the steel floor, jolting the pegasus Jedi to consciousness. "W-What? What happened?" Aqua asked as, in his rude awakening, tried to jerk his head as well, to no avail. "We got captured by the Changelings and put in this...where are we, anyway?" Twilight explained before getting confused herself. Aqua glanced around the dim building before closing his eyes for a moment. Minutes passed until Aqua spoke. "We're in a warehouse...surrounded by Changelings, I believe. We need to find a way out of here, but first to get out of this trap." Aqua said. "Nrrghh! N-No. It's too...tight." Twilight groaned, struggling to break free. As Aqua's ears drooped in distress, he eyed something far away. In plain sight, on a crate about 10 feet away, was a metallic handle of some sort. The blue stallion's eyes widened as he identified the object in particular. His lightsaber. Twilight again attempted to utilize her magic, only for a few sparkles to fizzle out of her horn, nothing more. With a frustrated groan, Twilight swished her tail as Aqua focused his gaze on his weapon. The mare even considered gnawing her way through, but her head restraint prevented such. In one last effort, Twilight slammed her head against the back of her chair, the force of it only rocking the chairs to the side a few inches. Her ears drooped as well as she lowered her head as best she could. "Well, I'm out of ideas. Any suggestions?" Twilight asked. "Always full of them, dear," Aqua replied, "Now brace yourself." Peering at his lightsaber, Aqua gestured ever so slightly with as much reach as his restrained hoof could allow, and like party supplies from Pinkie Pie's party cannon, Aqua's lightsaber shot right towards the duo. Guided by the stallion's usage of the Force, the lightsaber cleaved right through the ropes tying the chairs together like butter. With a outwards blast of raw Force energy, Aqua released himself and Twilight from their chairs. No longer restrained, Twilight lunged for Aqua, pulling him into a tight hug. "I love you so much." Twilight gushed, burying her face in Aqua's chest. Aqua reluctantly broke from the embrace gently as a confused chatter rang out from outside. "We're not done yet, Twilight." Aqua said as he brandished his saber. The two confused Changeling guards raised their spears, only to leap back in surprise as a shining blue blade shot out of the doors, carving away at it until a rectangular hole was sheared through, and before they could blink, the iron slabs were blasted away with blazing speed. Stepping out of the ruined door, Aqua readied his saber as the two guards charged for him. Before anypony could make a move, two shots of golden yellow magic were fired at the insect drones, knocking them unconscious. The dense fog shrouded everypony's view until a pristine, long horn jutted out of the smoke, revealing a crown atop the alicorn greeting them. "Master Aqua, I see you are unharmed." Princess Celestia remarked with a relieved expression. Aqua bowed in respect as his wife shortly behind followed suit. "Princess!" Twilight hollered as she ran towards the deity and nuzzled her, "I'm so glad you're here." "I was beginning to worry. It isn't often a threat to Equestria doesn't get solved in under an hour or so," Celestia quipped with a bit of a smirk, "But I digress, I am glad to see you two safe." "We'll be safe when we're back in Ponyville," Twilight shrugged as she looked around the forgotten ruins of buildings, "The royal guards already secured the city, no more need to be here." "Then I wish you the best of luck, but first, do you require a way back to Ponyville? My chariot's back at the city square and ready." Celestia asked. "No worries, we have our own chariot awaiting." Aqua said as he put the hood of his cloak over his head, clipping his saber to the belt of his tunic. "Fair enough. Twilight," Celestia turned her head to meet her student, "I will send a letter to you when you return. I trust you'll be ready for your next spell?" "Of course, Princess. Thank you for making the trip here. We greatly appreciate it." Twilight answered with a smile. A breeze blew several discarded items along the dirt road as Celestia departed from the duo to return to her chariot. The fog had already began dissipating as the unicorn saw her own chariot come into her vision. "Aqua, does this strike you as a bit suspicious?" Twilight asked. "Fillydelphia, of all places invaded by the Changeling hive? Yes, it does. From what you told me about the time Queen Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, she struck with the force of her entire legion." Aqua answered. "Exactly, but why strike so many places, and not Canterlot?" the unicorn retorted with a hoof to her chin. "Hmph, maybe she learned her mistake from last time. War does harden a soldier, none the less the leader behind it." "I guess so," Twilight said as she approached the chariot and emptied her saddlebag onto the seat. The guards in front of the chariot frightened her a bit, their usual focused stare replaced with a bit of a...greenish glow. "Guards, could you take us back to Ponyville?" Twilight asked, to no answer. Only a quiet moan not unlike a zombie. "Um, hello? If you could take us to Ponyville, we'd love for that to happen." Twilight prompted, only for another silence to ensue. A guard slowly began reaching for something in his saddlebag. Aqua's eyes widened as he nudged Twilight silently. Changelings. Celestia's chariot emitted a golden glow not unlike a comet as she stared over the ruins of Fillydelphia. The immortal alicorn turned her head as a content smile raised her muzzle. Flaring her horn, the Sun rose and glared through the last of the fog, illuminating everything in the joy of the light. Keeping the smile on her face, her thoughts changed to that of her personal student Twilight, and to her good friend, Jedi Master Aqua. "May the Force be with you two, always." Celestia whispered to herself as she watched a castle spire appear in the dawn of the day. In fact, the Force has always been with them. Two swift slashes were heard preceeding a sharp snap-hiss sound. An agitated hiss of pain rang in the air along with the sound of organic flesh separating it's source. With an ugly flopping noise, the heads of two Changelings dropped to the cold ground, the decapitated origin bodies falling in suit. The blade of his saber illuminated Aqua's face as he grimly deactivated the plasma beam of his hilt, fastening it to his belt and pulling down his hood. The Jedi stallion turned to face Twilight, his face softening to a gentle smile. "Are you alright, Twilight?" Aqua asked. "I'm fine," Twilight said with a hint of annoyance, "Just really getting tired of Changelings today." "Same, same. The more important thing is we have no chauffeur to lead us back to Ponyville." Aqua grimaced as he stared off into the sky. His focused stare eased as an idea finally hit him. Turning his head back to the unicorn, Aqua spread his wings and hunkered down. "Get on." Aqua said as he made a mind gesture to her. Smirking, Twilight caught the gesture and carefully situated herself on Aqua's back. "Like we practiced before." Aqua followed as he hovered off the ground, slowly taking on flight. Calling upon the Force, Aqua emitted a blue glow as Twilight glowed magenta. With a complex teleportation spell in sync with Aqua's Force Speed, the two disappeared in what would appear to be an...indigo flash of light.
