One for a Doorstep, Two for a Garden. (Concluded)

[Xelliea]

As soon as Night spoke, the bodies of the three creatures began to shift and waver, their outlines rippling like a heatwave. Before long, the captain could notice that everything around her was going dark. So dark, in fact, that beyond her and the animals, there was just void. As soon as everything around them had faded, the three Hyenas instantly melted, and it was quite the sight, even for an experienced captain. The beings had each melted in a large pool of rippling beige. Slowly but noticeably, the liquid started to pull itself up, started to make... something. First, the liquid shed a layer of what looked like ghostly fabric, forming a strange, loose cloak with nothing under it. The rest of the liquid made its way up further, collecting above the cloak. Shifting further, it formed an alien looking head. It had the shell-like surface of an insect's, but with a bird's beak and three eyes forming the shape of a loose triangle.

It groaned for a moment, like one yawning after waking from a long speak. Then, all at once, its eyes rested on Night. So happy to finally face you without the smoke and mirrors. You do have pretty eyes, if you'll take the compliment. The voice was the same as that of the Hyenas, but with a deep harmonic to it that undercut every syllable. After a couple of moments, it made a noise like clearing its throat before speaking in a formal tone. Nightfall, daughter of Fire Breeze and captain of the Luna guard! I, Rieh, grant you what you desire. With the last word being uttered, Night could feel invisible, spiritual tendrils pierce through her chest. For a moment, there was some pain as they dug into her very soul. Then, there was no feeling, as the darkness began to fade to white. Rieh disappeared, and Night might have been mistaken for thinking that she'd just been killed.

In reality, she'd just left the void. Alone, Rieh closed its three eyes, smirking a little. Behind it, two more beings like it faded in. As if expecting them, it turned. It is done, brother and sister, the pony had become our instrument. We will find the souls somewhere else... but, with the fear Yiirace will feel... the feather will activate. All will continue as planned... just as planned. With that, there was a pause, and all three beings disappeared.

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Rather than flickering awake in a daze, Night burst forth from some kind of dreamy stupor. She could feel pure strength, pure power, running though her. Bright lights of blue flame flickered within her pupils, yet her vision was much better than it ever had been. Her hooves literally buzzed little sparks every so often. Her wings had grown, her mane flowed thicker and longer, as did her tail, and her whole body felt invincible. Even now, as soon as she had become what she was there, she could feel a part of her, in the back of her mind, willing her to do things she would never have thought of before. Telling her to destroy creatures, cities and countries. Telling her that she could now, and that nopony could stop her.

Maybe that part of her wasn't even herself, maybe it was born when she became empowered, or maybe it was completely foreign. Even then, it seemed no more separate from her than the rest of her, and it certainly did take a measure of will to resist. Looking around, Night could see that time had started once more, and that everypony was staring, just staring. Slowly, Evy stuttered Night...fall?

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Yiirace pressed her hoof away from the two ponies' heads. She sighed, confused as to what to do. Cliff seemed happy to help her, but, the other one... not so much. She was worried about this, and she knew if she kept using ponies as tools it would cut her apart inside. Closing her eyes for a moment, just to collect herself, her eyes flashed once more, and both of the recruits would be returned to themselves. I'm sorry... about using you both like I did. Miss Cliff Diver, I'm extremely glad you're willing to look past all this and do the right thing. And, Mr Ship Shape, I hope you'll listen to reason. If not, you're free to go. Just... be careful. What's back there is much greater and darker than I. With that, she sighed once again, and waited to see the result of her words.

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall backed away two steps as the figures began to melt, watching with narrowed orbs in worry. Whatever was happening wasn't anything good, and she didn't intend on letting her guard down when such a terrifying transition took place. Keeping her hoof held just above the ground, she prepared for whatever might come from the pool of liquid. What happened instead though left her speechless as the creature formed out of the liquid, and became a being the likes of which she had never seen before. While it stood and spoke, she just stared at it dumbly, unable to respond as she took in the situation. While speaking might have been an impossible task at the moment, she instead concentrated on keeping herself aware of the situation around her, and focused on the changing scenery, and the movements of the forming creature.

However, when she found herself being struck by the tendrils of the unforgiving magic, she recoiled in shock, and lowered her head in an attempt to see whatever was entering her. The shock of the situation kept her from being able to raise her head, and in an attempt to feel the differences of the change, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Nightfall found herself thinking about her mother once again, and her many lessons of indoctrination. Power changes ponies, my dear Nightfall. Those who have it will often use it against those who have none, and those who have none will strive to steal power from those who have it. It's a vicious cycle, one that will never end. The only way to prevent this is to know how best to use what power you have, and keep balance. Always know who you owe your life to...

Nightfall gasped a little at the sudden difference in her very reality. She noted the clarity in her senses, and the feeling of her power changing her very mentality. It was unnerving to say the least. She slowly opened her orbs, staring down at the ground for what felt like an eternity, studying the dirt at her hooves as if it held the answer to some long-forgotten question. When her head darted upright to face Effervescence, she had really only been staring at the ground for a second at most, and her orbs turned straight to face him with a burning of rage deep within them. Someone had stolen away her kin, taken away those who she called comrade. That meant that someone was going to pay the price for such a transgression.

In silence, she turned her attention around her troops, taking in their expressions in silent consideration. After a moment, she finally spoke, "We have no time for me to explain what has occurred here. What has happened is beneficial. And we must move quickly if we are to find our comrades..." she proclaimed in a bold tone, loud and commanding. They were going to help her to find her kin, and then they were going to tear Yiirace's skull from her very spine. Her mother's favorite words rang through her mind, shooting through like a bullet. For Luna. Her voice echoed her mother's words as she turned to the line of the forest, "For Luna," she spoke, flaring out her wings with a snap in the eerie ambient of the Everfree.

Cliff Diver, while not pleased to have to work with the creature, was willing to do so if it meant that they were doing the right thing. She had no idea what she meant by there being something darker then her, but if there was, then that would spell little else but doom for both her and Ship Shape. Turning to him, she gently put a hoof on his side, "You should stay. We don't know what's back there, Shape... Don't take the risk," she pleaded to him quietly, her ears flat back against her skull. She didn't want to be alone with the mare, even if it was better then whatever was out there. She'd rather take her chances going off with Ship Shape if he decided to leave, just because she actually knew him and trusted him.

Ship Shape was silent for a few moments, looking down at the ground before turning to Cliff Diver. She was smart, but she was also bold and didn't think about things. He, on the other hoof, thought things through and preferred not to jump into things. But with this situation, there was very little information to go off of, and he had no previous experiences in such a situation. He could only go with his gut feeling, and at the moment, he didn't really want to run off into the forest on his own. He hesitated before he nodded to his friend once, and turned to the mare in front of them. While he wouldn't enjoy working for the otherworldly being, he would endure it if it meant that he was both with his friend, and safe from whatever might be out there.

[Xelliea]

Black skies bring blue omens. Evy stood still, not even blinking. Nightfall... everything was wrong. There was no transition for him. She'd changed in a fragment of a moment. And what she'd changed into... it was wrong. It was evil. Her fiery eyes burnt into him, into every feeling of joy he'd ever felt, past and present... even those he would feel. Whether she'd become this thing of her own will or if she'd been made into this by force, he didn't know, but the previous wouldn't make him feel any better. She'd always felt a little odd, a little imposing... but that was just due to her personality and rank. Now, however, it was everything. She almost pulsed fear into his heart, no matter if she meant it. Her wings covered the moon, leaching all light and plunging darkness upon him. Even Yiirace hadn't really scared him, her actions had just panicked him. Night however, she was something else. She spoke, but he paid no attention, trapped a little in his own mind.

Black skies bring blue omens. He stumbled back, tried to stutter a few words but nothing came to his lips. In truth, Night was no different personality wise than before the transformation. Sure, there was that corrupting voice inside her, but her mind and thoughts were still the same. Even on the outside, she wasn't that scary. Longer hair and wings, and burning eyes really weren't that bad, and for all the others present, they'd probably view her not all to different than before. She seemed to have the same cares and resolves as before, at least. The new look meant little. However, to Evy, something cut deep into him. It wasn't just the appearance, it was that subtle aura that swirled around her. So subtle only he could feel it, but it was there. Slowly, he could feel the aura seep through him, all the blood in his body gradually start to be filled with a burning feeling. It got stronger and stronger, then a quick jolt of pain ran through him, causing him to close his eyes for a moment.

Black skies bring blue omens. Just as a flash, he saw something in that moment. A number of rapid frames, like pictures, running past his eyelids. He saw a creature, a black dragon dripping ooze. It looked like nothing that was meant to be. In the next frame, he saw seven beings, all insectoid, beaked and three-eyed. All staring at him. He opened his eyes again, still standing feet away from Night, or whatever she was now. Black skies bring blue omens. He opened his mouth, trying everything to force words out. N-no... ... No! With that, he turned his whole body, and began to run as fast as he could. He sped through the gates of Clipeus, and deep into the tree line of Everfree.

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Yiirace was overjoyed that the two guards would be willing to help her. She knew they didn't trust her at all, and would rather have been anywhere than with her, but she was still glad they'd done what she hoped was the right thing. If we're going to stop what's going on here, we need to find something called the Precursor Feather. A huge stone statue of a feather. Even I don't know what it does exactly, but I do know it's our only choice. She didn't want to seem too much like she was in charge and telling them what to do, lest they chose to leave. Instead, she tried to keep them on the same level as herself. After a brief talk, she took to wing, trying to invite Cliff to do the same. They'd have a better job of finding their goal from above, after all.

A number of minutes later, Yiirace spotted some movement under the tree layer. Her eyes, while quite similar to a pony's, had the increased sharpness of her eagle-like blood. She wasn't sure what it was, but it looked bigger than most of the Everfree's fauna. While Cliff stayed airborne, Yiirace decided to swoop down. The movement had stopped when she came through the trees, and so she decided to come down near where she last saw something. Touching the ground, she saw a shape behind a nearby bush.

Getting a little closer, she noticed it was, oddly, a pony. She hadn't seen him at the outpost, but he wore armour similar to what one would expect from a guard. Currently, he laid against some of the undergrowth, clearly too out of breath to even stand. Yiirace paused for a moment. She had no idea how he'd react to her, but she decided it was better to greet him with kindness. Slowly, she tried to move her hooves around his grey-coated body, helping him up. He wasn't hurt or anything, but she still found herself a little worried. Are you... ok?

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall watched the cowardice of the pony, only in her peripherals though. He didn't deserve her full attention if he was going to run from her. She shook her head once, "Pity. The rest of you, fan out! We have soldiers to find!" she exclaimed to them before launching herself into the air with a single powerful beat of her wings. Sailing up into the air, she started combing through the forest, speeding just above the canopy with speeds that she had never reached before. It seemed like the change was good for at least one thing, maybe it wasn't a total loss.

Steel yourself, child. Power brings corruption. The annoying voice of her mother fought at the back of her mind with the tempting whispers of the darkness. Like two miners on either side of a stone wall, both chipped away and chipped away, trying to get through. But the mental battle wasn't her concern, she could deal with it all later. At the moment, she had to find her soldiers, and find that blasted Yiirace before she could do any more damage. The image of tearing her skull from her spine was enough to bring a sinister fanged grin to her lips as she soared above the canopy.

Smokejaw watched as all the ponies of the outpost fanned out through the woods, some taking to the sky and the rest taking the ground. He would have been out there with them, but he was more likely to get lost then any of the others. Instead, he saw fit to carry Patchworks inside and lay him out on one of the cots, tending to his wounds to keep him alive and as comfortable as he could. While he was sure that Patchworks would come out alive, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to serve in the military anymore, or even walk again. It was a long fall that he had taken, and a lot of bones had been broken. He sat down worriedly next to his comrade, thinking about how Nightfall had changed so suddenly. In her presence, it felt like he would never be happy again, and that was saying something considering the fact that he was always cheerful.

Cliff gave a little nudge to Ship Shape, reassuring him before she took off into the air with Yiirace. She darted around, staying relatively close to the other mare, but she gave her a wide berth so that their search pattern wasn't so narrow. She thought about the situation in silence and wondered where exactly it was that their day went from being normal to being downright insane. Still, she was alive and she wasn't under some sort of trance anymore, so that was at least one small bright point in their otherwise bleak situation.

Ship Shape quickly started off across the ground, running about in the same direction as his winged companions. While he was silent himself, that was more because of the fact that he had a disfigured voice box that caused him pain when he spoke more then a few words, rather then the fact that he had no one to talk to. Otherwise, he would probably be talking to himself just to keep himself relatively sane. Instead, he saw fit to focus solely on the situation that they were in, and kept his eyes peeled for the ruins that they were supposed to find. What he saw instead, however, was the new transfer to the base that had arrived earlier. If he remembered correctly, Effervescence was his name. Odd that he was that far from the outpost. He skidded to a halt a few meters away from him, watching him with curious skepticism.

[Xelliea]

Evy staggered, the shock of everything still blasting through his system. The fact that Yiirace hadn't tried to harm him yet, and was actually trying to see if he was ok only confused him further. She was the enemy? Right? And yet the pony who was named his commander was now something awful. Maybe if he stayed with Yiirace for a while, he'd not only learn more about the whole situation, but the whole thing might be over much quicker. So, he steadied himself so that he could stand on his own. I'm fine, I'm fine, but thank you... He paused, noticing something in her eyes, the same supernatural fear he felt ran through her. It brought some camaraderie, but also questions. You know. You know exactly what's out there, what's coming after us. You need to tell us. The two recruit, me, and even yourself. You need to explain what's going on. True, he was being quite forceful, be he didn't fear Yiirace, he feared Nightfall, and the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Yiirace, hearing Evy speak, sighed to herself. He was right. All three of them deserved to hear what all of this was about.

I was sent here, forced really, by my mother. She is the great Eagle, known as Pyrette in some forgotten tongue. She wanted to me awaken some relic, some giant statue of a feather that will let her, and her siblings, come freely to Equestria. I've seen what she's capable of, what darkness she can bring. Looking at what I did to both Cliff and Ship Shape, I've come to realise I'm not my mother's slave. I didn't want to activate the Precursor Feather. But then he, or they, perhaps, got involved. Rieh presented your captain with a offer she couldn't refuse. And now, turning that thing on is the only chance we have. I just don't know why Rieh and Pyrette would be working on opposite sides of the table. They're family. Unless... unless they're all playing both sides...

She finished by explaining that, no matter what was going on, she knew they needed to find the Precursor Feather. From there, they could work out how all this would end. So, with Evy happy to help with anything that might end the whole thing, the group set off searching once more. Two ponies in the sky, two on the ground.

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It was a whole ten minutes later before Yiirace spotted something that looked like what she was looking for. Jutting out of the ground, in the centre of a grass carpeted glade and with its tip less than a yard from the tree line, stood a huge carved feather, constructed from a stone half way from granite and marble. Worried that a further attempt at teleportation might just kill her, she shouted to the other three as to the location of the site, then set off a little ahead, desperate to secure the glade before Nightfall and her guards. She came down at the edge of the clearing, not wanting to move another inch until the others got there, just glad she was alone when she got there. However, even when the four unlikely companions stood before the statue, the glade was filled with silence and awe. Still, one could only stand in wonder for so long. Nightfall would be on her way.

[ForgottenExistance]

Cliff Diver listened in silence to the explination from the sky, refusing to land as she listened. It was strange to think that the other mare didn't want to be doing this, she had just assumed it was out of some misguided sense of vengeance. But, the lesser of two evils appeared to be the mare in front of her, so she would settle for it in that situation. Ship Shape, while he wanted to argue about the situation, kept his mouth shut until she was finished speaking. There was really no point to arguing about what he couldn't change. Then, he turned to Effervescence and spoke hoarsely, to the whole group, "Lets get moving," he said, glancing at each of them before turning and starting off in the direction he was heading to begin with.

Nightfall flew, relying on instinct. She had no idea where it was that she was going to go, but she relied on the little voice in the back of her mind. Not a corrupted voice of power, or the insistent memories of her mother, but instead it was the voice she had always known. It was her instincts, an inner knowledge that could never be explained through simple words. Ever since she was born, she somehow could almost feel where her comrades were. And in the few short minutes of having received the power from those creatures, that inner knowledge didn't decrease an iota. In fact, she would go so far as to say that it was more accurate then just a general feeling after receiving the power.

Sailing through the air, she tuned out the conflicting voices in her mind, and took the moment to just take a breath as she flew. Letting it fill her, calm her and relax her, the brisk night air helped her to focus on the here and now. Turning her gaze down to the ground as she exhaled, she found a peculiar sight. It seemed to be a glade, with some sort of unnatural statue in it. Letting a small smirk touch her lips, she turned down and dove to the glade, the only sound being the wind ripping past her extended wings as she dove to the ground. Landing gently, she glanced around in minor awe. While it was an impressive statue, that's all that it was to her. It was a statue. But, though it meant nothing to her, she had no doubt that it meant something to Yiirace. All she had to do was wait in the shadows. Quickly darting off to the forest's edge, she knelt down behind the second line of trees, and waited with the utmost of patience.

It was minutes after this event that Yiirace wound up finding the glade, arriving on the edge by herself. Upon hearing the call, Cliff Diver quickly changed her course and sailed over to the glade, landing about a minute after hearing the call. She landed nimbly and shook herself off before looking up at her, "Is this the place?" she asked, quickly turning her gaze out at the rest of the glade. She thought it was oddly untouched by the overgrown flora of the Everfree. She frowned slightly to herself, and hoped that this would be the end of their misadventure, then they could all go home and be done with it. It wasn't twenty seconds later that Ship Shape burst into the glade, skidding to a halt beside his Pegasus companion. He took a moment to survey the glade, then glanced up at Yiirace, awaiting further instructions.

However, it was when they all reached the glade when Nightfall decided to make her appearance. Not ten meters away from the group, she stepped out into the light of the moon and stars, her wings spread out behind her as she increased her silhouette. Looking at the lot of them, her slit orbs settled on Yiirace, and everything fell into place. She spoke loudly, "Yiirace, daughter of Cardinal Sapientian. You have committed crimes against the Kingdom of Equestria. These crimes include trespassing on military property, conspiring against the ruling body of the Kingdom, and assaulting royal Guardponies. For these crimes, you are hereby sentenced to summary execution, to be carried out immediately. How do you plea?" the whole time she spoke, she crossed the glade to swiftly stand in between the group and the statue. While her voice wasn't particularly different then it used to be, it rang with threads of darkness in it, like it were poisoned by the corrupting power within her.

[Xelliea]

Seeing Nightfall approach, Yiirace closed her eyes for a moment. This was it, this was what she was worried was going to happen, but was sure was going to happen anyway. She stood between Nightfall and the others while the previous spoke, the words cascading through the air and piercing the soul of all who listened. Yiirace listened, her fear turning to hatred with every word. At the last word, she spread her wings, the feathered pair juxtaposing Nightfall's bat wings. What authority do you hold? None! You're no more than a puppet to that monster Rieh! But, I don't expect you to listen. Yes! I plead guilty! You want a death penalty? Then come... There was a crack of thunder above, the clouds themselves parted, a bolt of lightning cascading down from the heavens, the power of Pyrette herself coursing through the electrical blast. As Yiirace raised her head, the bolt thinned, hitting her horn, then enveloping her whole body. causing feathers and hairs to stand on end, and her eyes to blaze brilliant emerald. Nightfall had a Sentinel behind her, it was only fair Yiirace should too. She looked deep into Nightfall's azure-flaming eyes, her smirk lit with jade flame. ... Preform it!

Yiirace took the opening move, her whole body still sizzling with the lightning. With an otherworldly growl, she lowered her head and, even before Nightfall could start against her, she unleashed the store of energy from her horn like high pressure water from a pipe. The lightning itself wasn't what had empowered her, rather it was just the delivery vector, but it still gave her the ability to unleash it without enervating herself. The bolt of energy crackled forward in the form of a black lightning bolt, surrounded by sparks of deep green. The speed of the pillar of voltage was awe inspiring, speeding past even Nightfall's neural impulses to crash into the dark pony, sending her flying backwards with enough force to cause pain, even in the new form Night had been blessed with. The bat-pony smacked against the Precursor Feather, the statue itself remaining without even a crack despite the impact. Flickering sparks of black and green arced from Night to the relic, causing various runes on its surface to being to light up in brilliant emerald across the great white feather.

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Somewhere in the sky, high above the battle, Rieh watched with a smirk on his avian mouth. He could already feel the power that was being absorbed by the feather. Nightfall's next move would likely resonate enough power to fully activate the thing, and then... Showtime...

... and what of Yiirace? Behind Rieh, another being like himself flickered into existence: Pyrette. She looked rather similar in appearance to Rieh, indeed all the Sentinels did, with only slight differences on their insecoid faces. Nightfall's out for blood. What can I say, the little minx had quite the dark side. Strong too, given that she hasn't started killing her friends or anything.

I'd rather Yiirace not die unnecessarily. Rieh turned away from the battle, looking level at his sister. If Nightfall does get her way, it'll be after the Feather's turned on. Your daughter will be quite the martyr. Either way, the plan is a go. Trust me, little Nighty might have quite the willpower, but, you know me, sister, I've always got a trick here and a backdoor there. Best of all, I know when to spring them.

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Evy looked on in disbelief as to the events before him. The worst thing was, he had no idea which side to support. Nightfall was his CO, he'd sworn loyalty to her, but was the Nightfall he'd pledged his blade to that one that he was looking at now? She was something of nightmares now. On the other hand, Yiirace seemed like the villain, but she'd actually been nicer to him than Nightfall ever had. It might be some façade she was putting up, but he saw the same feelings in her as he felt in himself. Instead of helping either side, at least at the moment, he decided to shrink back a little, lest he end up getting caught in the crossfire.

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall, though prepared for an attack, had not been prepared for it of such magnitude that she would actually be flung through the air. Recovering her senses, she grit her teeth and threw herself to her hooves, ready to unleash the full might of her wrath on the mare in front of her. It was only when the power she called, gathered around her in preparation to be unleashed, reached it's peak of strength did one particular voice screamed in her head. It wasn't the voice of vengeance or the need for Yiirace's blood, and not even the voice of reason that caused her pause.

It was the voice of respect, of her very soul. She had been taught that magic, especially dark magic, was a cheap way to win a fight. She had learned that it was the most disrespectful towards your enemies to try and finish them with magic. While a certain whisper in her head told her that she could raze everything for miles around if she so desired, she found herself unwilling to do so. If she was going to defeat Yiirace, it would be with the respect deserving of an opponent of her skill. And that meant she was going to kill her with hoof and fang, sword and shield. Even if the whisper of corruption told her in sugar sweet words that Yiirace didn't deserve such respect, that she should just unleash the fury of Luna on her, she partitioned her mind away from the corruption, and focused on what was happening.

The process of realization had taken little more then two seconds at most, but when she snapped back into reality, she vented her bloody rage, and let her magic dissipate. Cracking her neck from side to side, she turned her attention to Yiirace and made a small bow of her head to her opponent before she stood up on her hind hooves. Balancing skillfully, both of her gauntlet blades flicked out, ringing with the familiar sound of metal against metal. Nightfall stood, her wings flared out behind her as a counter balance, her left front hoof held out in front of her with the blades pointed at Yiirace, and the other kept loose and pointed downwards. Her defensive stance would allow her mobility in any direction, should Yiirace decide to continue to fight her as pathetic magic weaklings did. Or, if she decided to fight her like a true warrior, then she would be able to counter or dodge almost any physical attack from her position. She held no presence of anger, or fright. She had shrugged all personal feelings aside for the battle, and instead would rely on her own skills, only enhanced by whatever she couldn't remove of the other being's powers. If only she knew what that very same being was planning...


Ship Shape quickly retreated to Effervescence's side, watching what would happen with wide eyes. It wasn't good; their Captain was fighting some sort of creature that didn't even belong in their world, and something even worse was going to try and get back into their world. More importantly, he had no idea who he wanted to win more. Nightfall didn't seem to be herself, with tangible shadows seeming to cascade from her very body before she was flung against the statue. But at the same time, Yiirace radiated corrupted power of her own, and no longer seemed to be the creature who had pleaded with them earlier. What he was more surprised about, however, was Nightfall's power disappearing like somepony had flicked a switch whenever she stood up. That practically opened herself up to be destroyed by Yiirace's power, it was all-but suicide!

Cliff Diver quickly ran off to the side, trying to angle around to the feather. She had no idea what she would do with the statue when she got there, but she hoped to disable it however she could, and stop it from glowing up like it did whenever Nightfall slammed into it. Skirting around the glade as quick as she could, she approached it from behind, and kept herself low to the ground. She didn't want any stray bolts to go her way and take her head off, after all. Crawling along, she quickly got to the other side of the statue, and stared at it in panicked silence. She had absolutely no idea in the slightest what to do with it. Keeping up against the statue, she peeked her head around the side to see what was going on with the fight, only revealing her head for a split second before pulling back hastily behind the feather.

On the other side of the glade, Longshot burst through the foliage and skidded to a halt at the scene. Blinking a few times in surprise of what he saw, he quickly fumbled with the Guard horn he had strapped to him, and blew into it. The resulting sound was ear-splittingly loud, and echoed through the Everfree, allowing the other Guards who were spread out to know where they were. Letting it drop back in its sling, he stayed where he was, and readied a spear for the Captain's order. But he would watch and wait, and he would be ready.

[Xelliea]

It felt wrong. Yiirace just couldn't shake the feeling. The power that radiated from her was her mother's gift, right? The gift that would help her fight for not only her life, but the lives of the other ponies. But, it was wrong. She could feel that darkness running through her, empowering her, but at the same time corrupting her. Just like Nightfall, she'd been tricked in her desperation. Looking around at the three ponies she'd tried to protect from the dark powers of Nightfall, she saw glimmers of fear in their eyes. They were scared of her. But, she needed the power, she needed to be able to fight Nightfall. Then, it all hit her. Nightfall thought the same thing. Both of them had been corrupted in their fear and desperation. Her mother, the others, they were playing both sides. They had been all along. They weren't the good beings here, they were as evil as they came. As hard as it was for her to admit it, she knew now that her mother was the enemy, not Nightfall. The captain was just a puppet, and so was she.

No! I won't! I can't! Yiirace, using all of her mental power, pushed the tendrils of darkness from her mind. She could feel herself rising a little off the ground, followed by a short silence. Only then did a duo of pulses, one green and one black, fly from her into the clouded sky. She dropped to the ground, feeling too dizzy to really concentrate on anything. P-please... Nightfall, you have to listen to me. All this is a trick, please... just... She found herself lacking really enough energy to speak further. She stumbled a little, trying to stay on her hooves. To Nightfall, the whole sight might have just looked like an attempt by Yiirace to trick her, or maybe it she'd believe her, it was all in Nightfall's personality. Then again, the voices in her mind didn't help either way.

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Useless! Pyrette, feeling rage at Yiirace's actions, found herself rapidly loosing concern for her daughter in a sea of anger. Not to worry, sister, I had hoped to be able to trust in our little Nightfall, and your daughter too, for that matter, but perhaps more... direct intervention is required. I can't guarantee Yiirace's safety.. Pyrette gave what could be translated as an angry and cold stare to her brother, her three eyes transfixed on his form. Her safety? She's ruined the plan, kill her for all I care. Off her and be done with it!

Rieh chuckled, but attempting to refrain from enraging Pyrette further. Far from it, dear sister. Not ruined, just... complicated. Be right back. At the last word, Rieh flickered, then disappeared, as Pyrette gave a groan, turning to watch the events below once more.

__________________________________

Whatever Nightfall saw in Yiirace's display, one could bet weakness and cowardice would factor in somewhere, the voices in the back of her mind continued their poisoning drone, telling her how easily she could kill, how easily she could end it all right now. However, as if magnified, the voices shifted. Rather than sitting in the back of her mind, like a sewage drain mixing with a pure lake, they began to mix with her thoughts as a whole. In fact, they almost became her thoughts. No matter what maternal teaching or honourable oath she might have brought to her mind, her thoughts seemed to fail to obey her. It soon became almost like she herself was thinking like that, as if there was nothing to resist.

Before she could even come to terms with the strange goings-on in her mind, she could feel the thoughts causing her body to act. Magical and dark energies whipping around her body, she felt her wings flick forward. There was a brief laugh, sounding just like the being that had given her this power, before she felt twin rays of dark violet energy burn forth from her wings, slamming simultaneously into Yiirace. The mare was thrown into the air, just as Nightfall had been, but with considerably more damage. Her whole body seemed to smoke like one giant ember as she was thrown like a discarded doll into the nearest oak tree, then flipping downwards onto the floor.

Behind Nightfall, some of the energy of her blast had blown backwards, ripping through the air and running into the Precursor Feather, mixing with the green and black to create a rushing combination of all three colours, like a limited rainbow. Nightfall could hear a whisper through her mind... Fun while it lasted. ... before her thoughts returned to their own free will. The power still ran through her, perhaps just for Rieh's amusement. She could force it from her, or keep it. Either way, Rieh got a laugh.

________________________________

From across the glade, still clutching on to life by whatever thread she could, Yiirace coughed quietly. Her eyes fluttered open, looking up at the sight before her. She wanted to call out to somepony, anypony, mainly to warn them as to what was about to happen, but she could do nothing but groan. Evy, stunned by both the backlash of Nightfall's "spell" and the events going on before him, ran over to her, noticing that she was, indeed, still breathing. Keeping his eyes on both the captain and the statue, he tried everything to get Yiirace up, just as she had done for him. The way he saw it, kidnapping may be a crime, but it in no way warranted death. And didn't everypony deserve a trial, a chance to plead their case. Yiirace didn't get that. She just got Nightfall, and Nightfall, at least at this point, was nothing short of a monster.

________________________________

Ready?

Ready.

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall was willing to listen to whatever she had to say for herself; she wasn't listening to her own mind at that point. That didn't mean that she would care what she had to say, but she'd make a point of listening. At hearing that it was a trick though, she found herself inclined to believe the strange mare. The power, the situation, the division, it all screamed to her that she was being played for as a fool. But neither of them were relying on the power that they were granted anymore, which she believed would dramatically reduce the chances of either of them being pulled like puppets. Unfortunately for her, she didn't steel herself for what the creatures above her had planned.

Whenever she came back to controlling herself, one thing shot through her head like a bolt. Failure. She had failed in her duty and her purpose, she had been stripped of her mind and control and been used like a puppet of the creatures who thought it amusing to play with them. Feeling like suddenly waking up from an anesthetic-induced haze, she found herself looking at a wounded Yiirace, with frightened troops, and a blazing magic coursing behind her. She didn't have time to think of something clever to do, instead, she found herself sprinting towards the downed creature, running as if she were in a dream, like she wasn't herself. Skidding to a halt, she knelt down next to Yiirace, pushing Effervescence away from her as gently as she could manage with one of her wings.

Failure.

Nightfall had no idea what her hidden powers were capable of, and didn't know what the side effects of them would be. But what she did know was that she wouldn't be able to take on whatever had been unleashed with just her hooffull of soldiers. She needed something else, someone else who would be able to hold their own. Setting a hoof over the smoldering wound Yiirace sported, she concentrated through the haze of her state of shock, and focused on projecting whatever power was in herself into healing the mare who she called an enemy not a minute prior. Imagining the magic as a channel into the wounded mare, she focused on strengthening what health she had left, and used the darkness of her magic for the sake of good. Despite her hatred for magic, she found herself opening the channel of magic to whatever was left of Yiirace, so her enemy would be able to face an honorable death against whatever supernatural forces that were about to breach their world.

Failure.

Longshot was stunned by the sudden attack by Nightfall, but didn't move from his position in the treeline. He also didn't let down his guard as the rest of his comrades came up behind him, keeping to the extended shadows of the forest with their weapons drawn. They weren't exactly an armada, but they were soldiers, and they knew how to fight. Every single one of them would gladly fight and die for the pony standing to the right or left of them, and they weren't about to let their guard down when that statue was shooting out magic. Even if they couldn't take on Yiirace or Nightfall by themselves, a group of determined soldiers, even recruits, would be able to dish out some incredible damage.

Cliff Diver and Ship Shape were no different. However, instead of staying where they were (Behind the ignited statue and in the tree line, respectively), they turned and charged for the line of their comrades, giving the two enhanced mares a wide berth in case they started fighting again. They dashed into the forest and took up positions alongside their comrades, drawing their own weaponry and preparing themselves for whatever might happen next. There was no awkward glances or short words, they were welcomed into the ranks again as if they had never been indoctrinated by the foreign mare on the other side of the glade. They were once again soldiers, once again comrades ready to fight and die for each other.

[Xelliea]

Chapter III - If They Pull a Knife

For however short a moment, as Nightfall channelled her cursed power to heal Yiirace, the mare felt a connection, an empathic link almost, between the two of their minds. She could feel Nightfall's shame, the pain of failure that weighed so heavily on her. Despite having been blasted by the captain a few moments before, Yiirace felt herself feeling sad for the mare. She didn't deserve to feel that way, she'd done what most leaders would never have even tried. She'd effectively given a part of herself up to something evil, just to save those she was in the care of. Once the healing effect had given her enough energy to make any movements worth anything, she slowly reached out a hoof to touch Nightfall's leg, looking up at her as she slowly tried to get herself off the floor. You didn't fail. Don't you dare even think that you did. Sure, they got inside your head, and yes, you might have been their pawn, but that was the sacrifice you chose to make to save your fellow guards, and you did save them. You succeeded in your duty. You succeeded in your purpose. Worrying about the past... that's what sends ponies mad. Right now, everypony is still here. Only thing to worry about now... is that.

Yiirace, finally getting to her hooves, pointed to the Precursor Feather with a slightly shaking foreleg. She'd seen what destruction the Sentinels could bring with them, and it was up to her, Nightfall, and that small group of guards to stop them from hurting anypony more than they already had. It wasn't clear if they could, but it seemed every one of them were willing to try to their last breath. Yiirace, still recovering, found herself wanting one final word to the others, lest she not come out from the coming battle. Warriors of Equestria, I stand before you now, knowing that I've been far from a friend to most, if not all, of you. Yet, I ask that, by fighting at your side, I might earn forgiveness. I come from a place distant in the past, a place where I've seen what happens when only hate fills a pony's heart. But here, I know courage and hope flows through all of you. Whatever happens next, know that I've found it an honour.


_______________________________________

You promised no bloodshed. Moments before the two Sentinels plunged into the tunnel that connected their world and Equestria through the Feather, a third being of their kind phased in, his three eyes fixed on both of them. I understand our need for the relic's activation. I don't understand the need for mindless slaughter. Who do you think you are? Vowz? The other two froze for a moment, turning to their brother. Quis, please. Why come down here and spoil the party for us? We worked hard for this. And what if miss feathers-for-brains deactivates the Feather? She knows how. Dear brother, be reasonable.

Then prevent her from doing so. There are other ways beyond death. Pyrette staying in place, Rieh slowly flew over to his brother. Taking their side over ours? Reminds me of dear Kithyu, and look what happened to him. Sister, go have a head start down there, I'd just like to have a few more words with Quis, I'll be right down there behind you. Don't have too much fun without me, eh? Pyrette gave a slight grunt-like chuckle, then quickly descended through the cloud layer and flickered into nothing. She thought she heard She's your daughter! from somewhere above her, but quickly dismissed such a statement. Yiirace was, and always had been, a tool for her arts, and now that tool was broken and useless.

________________________________________

A brief flash of lightning arced down from the heavens, flicking at the great stone relic. The rainbow-like streams that ran around the Feather slowly lost all colour, merging into a single black liquid. After a couple of moments had passed, the goo seemed to flow from the ever-full ducts around the statue, quickly forming a large puddle on the forest ground, instantly withering the grass beneath. At an alarming rate, the puddle seemed to spawn a rough figure, soon growing to stand above the trees around the glade, and even the Precursor Feather itself. Then, after a moment's pause, a pair of wings that had been wrapped around the figure burst forth, sending black, tar-like liquid in all directions. Still dripping the substance from which it formed, the huge eagle-like being stood before the onlookers. In many ways, it looked just like an eagle of awesome size, but, instead of feathers lining the wings, a mass of tentacles writhed under each gaunt appendage.

Pyrette, eyes like undying coals, glared down at the beings below, finding it hard not to smirk. Vermin. Insipid vermin, the lot of you. You crawl like ants, yet fancy yourself on par with gods? And you, Yiirace, you stand with these vermin? Looking up at the enormous form, Yiirace kept her gaze meeting her mother's. Better to stand with vermin than be the slave of one! The Sentinel gave a wicked grin at the remark, her many tendrils starting to lash out into the air. You forget your place, dear daughter, you forget your place!

With that, a single tentacle plunged toward the group below. Instead of going for Yiirace, it instead flicked forward, wrapping around one of the guards a little further back, whipping the pony into the air. Shaking the pony around the in air, Pyrette turned her eyes upon Nightfall. Oh, sorry, did I take something of yours? With a dreadful inhale, she pulled life energy from the captured recruit, pulling him from the waking world into a catatonic sleep. With another flick of her tendril, she cast the pony down like a rag doll, back at Nightfall's side. Smirking with pure malice, she readied her tentacles for round two.

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall blinked in surprise as she felt the brief connection, but didn't waver in her attempts to heal her downed opponent. Filling her with the dark powers until she was able to move on her own, she pulled her hooves back and looked down at her worriedly before she spoke. It was strange, to think that one who she had previously called an enemy would now be able to understand her better then most of her lifelong comrades could. But that didn't matter. What matters was that she was right. She had sacrificed almost everything for the sake of her troops, and had agreed to becoming something sickening just for the sake of her own soldiers. She was willing to do anything for her soldiers, and she had proved it that day.

The Captain didn't even feel the whispers of the corrupting powers in her mind anymore. Even if they were still there, she paid no attention to them. What mattered was what she was doing, where she was and what was about to happen. She was about to fight something that she could never have dreamed of. Everything she had done in her life led up to this moment, and she was about to fight alongside somepony who she had called a foe. Turning away from the feather, she spoke quietly to Yiirace after her reassurance, "Thank you," she said simply to her before following her gaze to her own troops in the forest. They were the colts and mares that she would die for, and that would gladly follow her into the maws of hell and back. They were recruits, rookies, and inexperienced. But she was proud to have them at her back for the coming battle.

When Yiirace finished her speech to her new comrades, she turned to her soldiers and lifted her head, straightening her posture. Speaking loudly, she spoke to each and every pony in the glade, "Comrades! Tonight, you have had to fight for your lives, and the lives of your comrades. But now, you are all fighting for the sake of all of Equestria! If we fail here tonight, then Equestria will fall. That's why I'm going to have to ask one of you to fly back to the castle and warn the Princesses for us. If we fail here, then our forces must know what dangers they face. Shadow Call, you're the fastest Pegasus here. Take to the skies now, and get back to the castle! Let them know what has transpired here!" she ordered loudly, turning her gaze to the veteran Pegasus. Though he looked like he was going to argue, he shut his mouth after a moment and snapped off a brisk salute before darting into the sky and off towards Canterlot.

"The rest of you! This isn't a battle that can be won through standard tactics. We can't have any of you charging in to try and get a good hit. Instead, I want you all to spread out, make yourselves scarce. Take cover behind trees, use arrows, magic and spears. No matter what, I want you all to provide support for Yiirace and I. We will take the fight to the enemies as they appear. Be prepared for anything!" She exclaimed in conclusion before turning towards the feather. The Captain didn't see them winning this battle, but the best she could do was buy Shadow Call more time to warn the others. Even if she was going to die though, she was going to make the battle worthy of history.

The ponies of the Guard all quickly dispersed and took up positions around the glade, keeping their ranged weapons handy as they waited for their opponents to appear. They weren't trained, and only two were experienced there since the third flew off. They were short hooved with Patchworks and Smoke Jaw both back at the outpost. But out of the few of them they had left, they would fight and they would die to buy their messenger even ten minutes to get to where she needed to go. But despite their preparations, they were not even close to expecting the resulting creature that appeared from the portal. Bigger then anything they had ever seen, and terrifying in its own right, they could only hope to wait for the perfect shot before they started attacking it. Before this could even happen though, one of the recruits, a stallion by the name of Turning Tides, was gripped by the monster and shook around like a ragdoll in the air before being tossed to the ground.

Nightfall grit her teeth and looked up at the monster before yelling out, "All Guards, fire! Throw everything you have at it!" She yelled out before quickly spreading her wings and shooting up into the sky as fast as the membrane and her re purposed power would take her. The Captain screamed out at the top of her lungs, "FOR LUNA!!!!!" as her gauntlet blades flicked out of their homes and sliced through the air. The war cry was echoed all around the glade by her fellow Guards around the trees. A being as big and lumbering as Pyrette theoretically wouldn't be able to move as swiftly as something as small as Nightfall could, and she planned on taking advantage of it. As the Guards around the glade began heaving spears, charged magic and arrows at the monster, Nightfall flew straight for the Sentinel's head, blades held out in front of her. Flying in an unpredictable serpentine manner, she concentrated on any tentacles that shot at her, and either dove to the side to avoid them completely or spun off to the side with her blades out to cut the fleshy masses as best as she could. The resulting targeting path had her fly straight past the creature's head on her left side, dragging her blades through the flesh of her face and side of her head straight to the bone. The momentum she had could only carry through the flesh as she darted past her head and up into the sky behind her, but it would hopefully be enough of a wound that the mare would be tricked into turning her back on Yiirace.

[Xelliea]

Pyrette let out an irritated growl as Nightfall cut into her avian head. She attempted to suck energy from the captain as she passed, but with the way the pony darted around, any she could consume would only be a little, almost exclusively from the residue of the powers given to her by Rieh. Still, she'd be sure to take a lot more once she got a hold of Nightfall. The cut she had suffered was little worry, damage wise, but the magic of the blade burned at her body of negative energy, and it made the captain that buzzed around her even more annoying. Masses of tentacles trashed around in the air, some going for the main group of guards, but most trying to get hold of Nightfall. Come here you little... She considered perhaps calling out to Night, to demand the captain's life in return for a longer life for her guards, but such a deal would be a lie, and, as honourable as Night might be, she'd see through it. So, it looked like she'd have to do it the hard way. Still, while she had only pulled enough energy from the recruit to knock him out, she'd enjoy draining the captain of every last drop.

Below, Yiirace looked up, thoughts running through her mind at a mile a minute. She had to help, but how? Any power she had would pale when compared to her mother's. Suddenly, she had an idea. An idea that was both mad and desperate. Her powers might not help much in this battle, but that wasn't the only thing she could use her powers for. Keeping her head down, she quickly sprinted toward the nearest guard, Evy in fact. Effervescence, right? I need to go for a while, to address our problems from a different angle. Please, especially if I don't make it back, just tell your captain I didn't abandon her. Evy, hearing this, turned for a moment to face Yiirace, looking into her eyes with a look of concern. Don't make it back? You're not going on a suicide mission, Yiirace! He used his hoof to reach out to her mane. You're coming through this with the rest of us. Besides, we need you! The end of his sentence took place seconds before a tendril shot between the two of them, causing them to jump apart. I'm... sorry. For what it's worth, you, all of you, were the best friends I...

Another tentacle slamming into the ground cut her short. It was clear there was little time for her to act, and even less for her to talk. Looking down for a moment, she fought against the increasing urge to turn to tears. She knew she couldn't become too absorbed by emotion, as her next task would take quite some concentration. Mouthing a "goodbye" to Evy, she closed her eyes. She tuned her energies to the same state as she would if she was teleporting, but then changed them a little to harmonize with the power coming from the Feather and the negative energies from Pyrette. She could feel her whole body buzz and heat up as she poured everything she had, every shred of concentration, into pulling this off. What she didn't notice, however, was that, while she focused, Evy dashed forward, leaping as far as he could in his armour. Reaching out, he grasped at her leg. You're not... Before he could say another word, the two flickered, then disappeared.

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They're sapient beings, Rieh! Our races aided each other for so long! Why turn on them? The two Sentinel brothers locked their gazes together, even Rieh, at this point, could feel himself welling with rage. We're dying! You might be willing to put them above yourself and your family, but I am not! Shouting the last part of his sentence, his gaze was diverted for a moment as two forms flickered into view behind his brother. Noticing the distraction, Quis turned, also looking at to two... Ponies?! What is this? ... oh, it's you? He groaned a little upon seeing Yiirace, who stood, breathing heavily, alongside a stunned Evy.

*huff* Why? *huff* Why is mother doing this? *huff* Why are you all *huff* doing this? Her words echoed across the cloudy plane, causing both Sentinels to stand silent for a moment. Evy found himself in a utter stupor, trying to recover even the ability to move after the effects Yiirace's power. Yiirace, on the other hand, just looked up at the two beings before her. She'd never seen Sentinels in their true form as she was seeing them now. No, I was either in their bestial forms of negative energy, or as whispers in her ear. Still, she found no awe in this new sight, all she could think about was wanting answers.

They deserve to know why. Go on, tell them, Rieh. While Quis had calmed down a little, his brother was clearly still in a rage. It took a lot for Rieh to get angry, but he stayed like that for a while when he did. You have no right to know! I... I... urgh! Fine, something to do before I head down there. Besides, he'll say if I don't! You better be sitting comfortably...

[ForgottenExistance]

Nightfall darted over the Sentinel's shoulder and up into the sky behind it before hitting a hard bank to the left. The turn was anything but graceful, it was a rough and quick turn that would make a professional flyer queasy, and left her completely sideways in the air. Like the apex of a roller coaster turn, she whipped back towards the Sentinel with the added momentum of the turn, and dove towards the back of it's head. She had no time to worry about anything like whiplash or wing tears. Those were the least of her concerns when facing such a terrifying opponent. Gritting her teeth, she let out a war cry to force down the wrenching feeling in her gut as she whipped towards the back of the Sentinel's head.

Screaming for blood, for the vengeance of her fallen soldiers, for the glory of Luna and her wondrous Night, and for the Ancestors, she dove onto the back of the creature's head, digging her four blades into flesh and as far into the skull as she could manage. Tearing, digging and clawing at it's skull, she ripped through layers of flesh and muscle, and chipped at the bone as much as her enhanced strength would allow. The meager amounts of blood that came from the wound and covered her fur didn't bother her, nor did the sparks that arced from her magical blades like the fury of the night itself. They were but distractions, only painful proof that what she was doing could only hope to delay the inevitable.

With a final mighty blow to the skull, she shoved off of the Sentinel's head and flipped backwards off of it, diving off in a furious burst of speed to escape whatever attack the Sentinel may have had in store for her. The entire attack, while not devastating, was a bee attack. It was quick, and chipped away at the Sentinel's defenses enough to keep her from attacking her soldiers anymore. She fought with the strength and determination of a thousand ponies, and the sheer fury of a million. It was her, or her soldiers. It was her own life, or that of those who trusted her and put their lives in her hooves. She would trade her life for even one of them to survive, and if that meant that she would have to take the Sentinel on with her own two hooves...

Then so be it...


The entire time that Nightfall fought, her soldiers, her kin, they fought to do as much damage as they could to the creature. Echoing in Nightfall's war cry, they poured out their sorrow, their rage and their malice to the stars above. Spears were snapped, arrows were shattered, but the sound of the battle was nothing compared to the screams of the soldiers. The blood curdling scream of one group of ponies, crying out for their fallen comrades, crying out for revenge, crying out for honor and for valor. It was an earth-shattering scream, ringing throughout the Everfree, echoing outwards from the glade. Their collective cry muted everything within a mile of the glade, letting all who could hear the sound know the cry of the night.

Cliff Diver sprinted off, weaving through the trees left and right to keep from getting near the tentacles of the Sentinel. It only took her a few moments before she skidded to a halt next to the comatose Turning Tides, and scooped up his lance. Hoisting it up heavily, she took to the sky as fast as her wings would take her, inspired by the deafening cry of her kin. It wasn't the best idea, it wasn't really even an idea, but it was something better then standing around trying to whittle away at the creature's defenses. Bolting to the sky, well above the Sentinel and her Captain, she spun around and turned downwards, her lance pointed at the Sentinel's skull. Taking a deep breath, she praised Luna quietly before darting towards the ground with the lance forward, heading directly for the bloody opening that Nightfall had viciously dug out with her daring attack. The scout didn't trust her own voice, and feared that the creature would hear her and turn to her. But, unable to contain herself, when she was less then two meters from the bloody opening, she allowed her desperate shaky voice join in with the haunting chorus of screaming voices.



There really is nothing like the cry of those who are afraid to lose everything. They fight the hardest, and they are notoriously hard to kill. Even if they don't know how to fight, these troops of yours will fight and die in the name of Luna, and under your command. Those you've inspired, they step up to fight with you, they step up to try and save what they have left. They will fight for you, they will fight for Luna, they will fight for family and friends. But more importantly, they will fight for their fellow soldier. There is no greater inspirational token then a fallen comrade. These ponies...they may be recruits. But, my dear Nightfall, they are your recruits. They will follow your lead, straight into the abyss if you so chose to lead them there. It is up to you to lead them out on the other side though. Never forget that, Captain. Never forget that it is you who must lead them out on the other side.

[Xelliea]

In a time long forgotten, we hoped to stand with this Equestria. We were your friends, and you were ours. With our magic, we aided you, gave you all the blessings and gifts you wished for. And when you passed onto the next world, we would nibble at the part of your soul that kept you locked to this one, letting you pass on in peace. It was our food, too. But nopony felt pain or suffering, we helped each other. Your mother, Pyrette, even felt love for a certain pony, and they came together to make you, all that time ago. But then brother Vowz rose in hate. He saw pony kind as unworthy, as vermin. He tried to end you, but brother Kithyu did stand against him, and trapped him. He was punished with destruction for standing against a brother, but, even with his last breath, swore he made the right choice. But, your kind feared us ever since. We lost our connection with you, and your friendship. Slowly, we also lost our connection with your souls. They were still bound to this world, in a void. We had lost our food, and so we slowly starved. When Vowz did awaken and fall once more many a thousand years ago, we too awoke from our sleep. In some of us, hate grew like within Vowz, and we turned that hate toward your kind. Without souls, we know we will die, we will pass into a sleep forever. So, we need a new way to get souls, we need to take them first hand. So, we shall. Through the Feather, we shall invade your world, and take our food to give us life.

There was quite for a while. Rieh and Quis floated tall, towering over both Yiirace and Evy. As the bird-pony looked on in silence, Evy felt a quiet buzz in the back of his mind, something like he had felt when he saw Nightfall turn. He tried to ignore it, but it slowly was growing, seeping into the rest of his mind. As he blinked a few times, he noticed something odd. Tears slowly fell from Yiirace's eyes as she looked down at her hooves. You have to stop. Ponies don't deserve this. We don't deserve this. There has to be another way. I don't want to have to pick between my mother and her family, and my friends. Again, for a while, there war quite. Then the silence was pierced with Rieh's voice. It seemed calmer than before, like embers of a once roaring flame. Your people either fear us, or know not of us. There is no other way, my dear, we must survive. His tone shifted a little, the low harmony turning to a more moderate vibration in his voice.

Before he could speak again, Evy felt himself begin to speak, as if he'd suddenly realised something that couldn't stay secret. What about Eden? Rieh turned to him, glaring. As he spoke, his voice returned with the same low harmony. Eden? You are unworthy to speak of such a thing. Vowz was right, your kind is a lesser one. Through our years in sleep, we have lost our cares for your kind. We shall continue in our plan. Like a wisp, Quis floated around between the two ponies and Rieh. No. No you shall not. Vowz wasn't right, but Kithyu was. Stand down, 'Seff will know what to do better than you do, let's talk to him. There may yet be another way. Rieh glared at his brother. Without a word, a number of tentacles drifted out from beneath his cloak-like body. This is treason. Quis glared back, his own tendrils drifting out. Then I shall face the punishment gladly. The two clashed together, creating a crash like thunder.

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Pyrette let out a growl at Nightfall when the latter connected with her blades. The electrical charge on the knives buzzed with Pyrette's negative energy form, causing sparks to crack around her body. Looking skyward, she kept her eyes on the little fly. That is it! I'm pulling your petty little soul out right now! Turning her attention away from everything else, she turned all her tendrils skyward. Like they were moving around an invisible ball, they started to surround Nightfall. Then, all at once, they moved inward, caging in Night without any way to go. Tentacles coiled around her, pulling her out of the air with a tug. While some held her, the other tentacles could now focus on the recruits. With fearful speed, more and more of the ponies around Pyrette were pulled down to the ground. But, it was Nightfall that the Sentinel really cared about.

She pulled the captain to the ground, bringing down her avian head to be level. You lose! Game over. You certainly didn't live happily ever after. Like one would inhale cool air on a winter's morning, Pyrette began to take a long breath in above Night, rather quickly draining away not only her energy, but soon she'd be pulling at the captain's very soul. Oh yes, she'd enjoy finally ending the annoyance. She kept a few tendrils free to swat away any recruits who might still be free to move, but kept her eyes looking at Nightfall, looking her eyes, slowly watching her vitality drain away. Good night, little pony.