All of the Ryborian Legions were in formation several kilometers outside of the Crystal City, being led by various Ryborian commanders. As he promised, Venquis stood at the city's gates awaiting for Tricorna's arrival. The Eriborian was going to use naval ships to assist in the battle of Neromia, using 30,000 soldiers in naval combat while the remainder take Neromia and the rest of Ardelan on land. With his signal, the Ryborian armies went to travel across the oceans and the land for thousands of miles, with an estimated arrival time of two weeks. Venquis was gifted to have the ability to reduce his time to three days due to Sihana giving the Eriborian wingless flight. Midnight walked out from one of the hallways and stepped out to see Star Shimmer. Midnight walked out of the hallways with Twilight Sparkle, whom have both been married once the republic retook Zebrica. He had not met Star Shimmer previously, but stood directly next to Candace proudly.
Cadence acknowledged Midnight and Twilight's presence with a smile and a nod. "Excellent! I was hoping to see at least one of you. Twilight, Midnight... This is Star Shimmer. The one I told you about." Star Shimmer nodded curtly, not really knowing what Cadence had told them. (Whatever you want, really.) Cadence returned her attention to Star and somberly added, "I'm sorry about what happened to Broken Parson, truly. If I had been there, you know that-" "No." Star interrupted. "Don't try to comfort me. Your words are meaningless. He is gone and he will not return." Cadence drew back. "But I really do-" Star stomped her hoof. "I don't want to talk about him! End of discussion!" She hung her head as her body trembled. She spoke her next words through gritted teeth, seemingly attempting to hold back her tears. "The so-called Solar Flares ripped away a piece of me that I cannot regain." After a pregnant pause, she looked Cadence in the eye. "A year ago, I said that I would not let Equestria fall into the hooves of another tyrant. I intend to keep my promise. But know this: The Solar Flares will personally feel my wrath, whatever is left of them. Mark my words."
Nightmare Moon entered the throne room, and looked curiously at Star Shimmer. "Hmm. You have returned. I owe Silver fifty bits. I thought you had left us for good after...." She shook her head. "...Nevermind. It is good that you have returned. We will need your skills when we attack Canterlot."
Star let out a dry laugh when Nightmare Moon revealed her bet with Silver. "I lied... Again." She then smiled wickedly. "I think you'll be pleased by the new skills I've taught myself during my exile, Savior Sister. No longer will I hold myself back with simple shields and parlor tricks. As their ranks thin with each one slain, or ranks will swell. My power is still not as great as yours, but I have learned to be more efficient with it."
The Dark Princess frowned. "The road you walk is a dark and dangerous one, Star Shimmer. Such magic can corrupt the soul of the pony that wields it." Silver Crescent entered, carrying several bottles of wine. "Princesses! Midnight! Come on and join the par..." He stopped in his tracks when he saw Star Shimmer. "So, the Amethyst Witch is back. Your timing is impeccable. I was starting to wonder if we would need to find somepony else to take your place in the final attack."
"It appears that would no longer be necessary Silver. Our witch here wants revenge against Celestia's finest, and she looks like she might be able to handle them." Midnight turned his head to Silver before returning a frown to Star. "As you should know from experience, Solar Flares are basically the Equestrian equivalent of Auntie's Night Guards, with Celestia changing some factors here and there. They take orders directly from her, all of them are hand picked, all of them are 20 year plus Ranger Veterans and they all serve as her own body guards and spec ops squad. Thanks to Silver and Obsidian, not many are left now. I promise you Star, you will avenge your husband." Midnight and Twilight began to walk away from the throne room with smiles on their faces, lightening up the mood. "I'll see you at the party guys" Twilight spoke out. The two Alicorns walked past Star, but Midnight had sent the crystal pony a message telepathically while he was walking off. "Come see me before you head out. If you wish to see me, do so when it is late and ponies have gone to sleep."
Star first responded to Nightmare Moon with a nod. "I'm aware of the path I tread, Savior. I will tread carefully until my work is done." She didn't get the chance to respond to Silver before Midnight interceded. She listened to his words with a frown on her face, but replied, "I do not fear them. Their credentials will mean nothing in the face of my vengeance." She remained where she was as the two alicorns passed by, and tried to conceal an expression of shock when Midnight contacted her telapathically. She replied in kind. I will do as you ask. We hadn't had the pleasure of being introduced when my husband was alive. I don't sleep much these days, anyway...
Tricorna, worn from her training throughout the various training grounds of the empire wandered through the dark streets toward the gate where she'd meet Venquis come morning. When she arrived at it she simply stared at it. She felt herself seem to flow with pride, and before she knew it, it seemed her pride felt like it was overflowing. She suddenly fell to her stomach as a yellow mist flowed out of her mouth and eye-sockets. It took the shape of a completely anonymous pony shape. She writhed in agony as her energy fell low. "Hello sister deer." The mist spoke softly to her in chirps and whistles that she somehow found her subconscious translating. "We have much work to do for you to become my deciple." The mist encompassed her and she vanished as the mist was blown away by the wind. (have the party, she'll be back to meet Venquis at the gate)
With Twilight and Midnight leaving to attend to the party, Venquis soon caught wind of the celebration and decided to attend. If he died, this would have been the last time he would have spent with his friends outside of battle. With the party soon starting to get wild, with music being played to celebrate the occasion, so did the mood. While not being chaotic, it would have been a celebration to remember. Venquis had bottles of special Ryborian wine dating back over a thousand years, bottles that would have cost a small fortune being given to the Eriborian as a 'gift.' Crimson and Ocean spent the night dancing together when the mood of the party calmed down, making the night magical as the couple romantically danced in fashion. Venquis tried something, but word of him not having the best dancing skills quickly caught along. Nothing negative was said about his dancing skill, but it sometimes seemed comical. Midnight and Twilight spent the night together as well, but were in charge of the music. Crimson and Venquis then decided to perform on stage with some musical instruments, with Crimson playing a harmonica and a guitar while Venquis played with an Ocarina, both of them taking the spotlight. However, Venquis felt as if somepony was missing. He thought that the doe he had encountered would have enjoyed the party. But assumed that she was busy with other matters. Midnight, late into the party, stood lonesome as he expected Star. It was getting late now and over three quaters of those in the party had went to bed, but Midnight was wide awake. He relaxed as he expected the arrival of the Amethyst Witch.
Star attended the festivities, but only briefly. She didn't attempt to socialize with anyone and hastily departs when Crimson and Ocean began to dance. She had begun to think of...him...again. As she wandered the hall, she found herself drawn to the Crystal Heart's chamber. The guard posted there allowed her to enter without question. "I knew about you since the Defense of the Crystal Empire." "That's nice," she remarked as she stepped into the chamber. The Crystal Heart shone with a bluish light and almost seemed to acknowledge her entry. Star narrowed her eyes at the crystal and approached it. "You watch your own, huh?" The crystal brightened for a moment, then returned to normal. "So...what about non-crystal ponies, huh? What about Parson? Why didn't you watch over him? Oh, right, you did. You watched him die." The Crystal Heart appeared to not reply. Star couldn't take the silence anymore. She murmured, "Fine. Be silent. I have other engagements..." With that, she stormed from the chamber and headed to Midnight's meeting place.
While the other ponies were enjoying the festivities, Silver Crescent was on his way to the small forest village of Hollow Shades. Landing at the edge of town, he whistled three times, and waited. Within a matter of moments, a large Timber-Wolf appeared from behind a building, carrying an intricately carved horn-ring in her mouth. Silver grinned. "Hello, Holly. I see your mission was a success. Good work, old friend." He took the ring and placed it in his saddlebag. "This was the last of them. We're finally ready to face Celestia." Picking up Holly, Silver flew back to the Crystal Empire.
Midnight stood completely lonesome as he rested upon a wall. If Nightmare or Candace knew about this encounter, they were more than likely not to care. After all, they authorized it's construction personally. He looked at the ground as he pondered over his mother and her fall from grace, much to his dismay. If he had killed her over a thousand years ago, the events of the future that have been set in motion would have never happened. However, he would have never met his new friends. He smiled at seeming nothing as he spoke. "Glad you made it" He rose his head as Star appeared dozens of meters away from him. He looked up and gave her a nod to the side, indicating her to follow him. Midnight led Star deep into a nearby forest. He came to a stop as a small stone hut came into view, opening the door to Midnight and Star as if it indicated their own presence. Once they were both inside, the two of them travelled down several flights of stairs that seemed to lead forever before coming to a stop inside a large room, with candles flickering to life as soon as Midnight walked in. Midnight soon broke the deafening silence. “You might not like me talking about your husband because of your feelings to him, you have my deepest condolences. However, I have something you would find very interesting. This is one of only two bunkers of its kind in the entire Republic. Instead of protecting valuable members during times of war or disaster, these serve as an operation centre and a training ground. When I was Plague, this was my home. When Auntie lost her power, I helped her regain it within the timespan of a week. However, unlocking your potential would take me several minutes. This will help you extract revenge on the ones that took him away.” Midnight then levitated three photos of unmasked Solar Flare members, all of them being very familiar to Star. “These are the three who killed Parson, correct? These three have been involved in dozens of murders and crimes against ponydom. They have gone rogue when put in the simplest of words. These three shall be your targets if you are to accept my offer of unlocking your true potential, and I understand your ambition for your personal vendetta. You can object to this offer, so i’m not forcing this upon you. Do you want to avenge Parson ?”
As the party drew to a close, Silver Crescent sent out several Night Guards to deliver messages to Crimson, Ocean, Star Shimmer, Tricorna, Brisk/Flitter, and Robin Hoof. The message was simple, hastily written note. "Meet me in the highest room of the Crystal Palace. Tell nopony where you are going."
The night guard arrived at Tricorna's room, finding the door unlocked he entered silently. The room was full of the things she had collected on her travels. He walked slowly into the room, and the door slowly closed behind him. He turned, finding the door locked. The yellow mist flowed in under the closed window and took the shape of a pair of hands. One grabbed the note from the guard and enveloped it before vanishing. The other pulled a wooden staff from the wall, twirled it, and smacked the guard. The door then unlocked and opened on its own, allowing the guard to run out, clearly frightened.
(Going for a funny scene) Crimson and Ocean received a knock on their rooms during the night, waking both them up. Crimson grumbled slightly as he got out of the bed and opened the door to reveal a Night Guard holding a letter. Still half asleep, he had an awful bedmane. Ocean had the same bedmane as well. "Letter from Silver Crescent, sir." The Night Guard spoke Crimson held the letter like he was drunk and looked like he was about to collapse on the floor due to his hard night partying. "Thank you....Thank you." As soon as the Night Guard left and the door was shut, Crimson stumbled across the room and fell onto the bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was out cold. Ocean took the letters from her husband, who was much less drunk and tired then him. As she read it, she closed it and placed it on a desk besides her as she fell back asleep.
Robin awoke from a hard night of drinking and celebrating. A pounding headache and hangover in his head. When he did manage to stop getting blurry eyesight he noticed something different about his surroundings. "Uh, what happened and why am I in the mare's barracks. Whatever happened it must have been good anyway." he looked up noticing a female night guard who then handed him the message. "thanks." he said groggily as he walked out not noticing the fact that he was sort of wearing the mares dress uniform and shows under his cloak.
Star heard all that she needed to hear from Midnight, which came in two statements: She would have more power, and she would be able to avenge her late husband. She grinned wickedly as she glanced over the images of the three cowards who killed Parson. "You know that this is the only reason I returned. These three will suffer, and be crushed beneath my hooves before this war is over." She gave him a hard gaze and added, "Do what you will with me."
Midnight shown no expression on his face, but hid a smile that would have indicated her power. He walked towards Star and stood in front of her. "Alright, this should only take a moment. Stand still." Midnight placed his hoof on Stars head as he began to mumble something under his breath before a white light enveloped Star's body. She felt a strange tingling sensation that took over her body before completely disappearing, alongside with the light. Midnight took his hoof off her head and smiled. "This should be more than enough to kill them. Your powers have basically been doubled, I assure you that you’re going to enjoy taking down those murderers. However, i must warn you about the dangers of your future. I walked down a similar path like yours, and tens of millions of ponies died when I lost control of myself. My rampage made the destruction of Old Canterlot look like a summers day.” Midnight placed his hoof on Star’s shoulder. “Don’t turn into Plague. Don’t become like your murderers otherwise the cycle would begin anew.” Midnight soon teleported himself and Star back onto the surface as the bunker disappeared from view entirely. Midnight handed three notes of paper to Star. “Your target’s previous whereabouts are written on here. Considering their reputation, they should not be hard to find. Good luck.” Midnight soon vanished in a cloud of dust from the area, allowing Star to begin her Vendetta.
Silver waited for nearly an hour in the tower, but nopony showed up. He sighed, and spoke to Holly. "Twelve hundred years of planning, and it all comes down to a bunch of drunken ponies who can't follow simple instructions. The Republic is doomed, you know that, right?" Holly barked conversationally, and he smiled. "You're right... we all want this war to end. They'll be here."
Crimson and Ocean were the first to arrive, now apparently showing no signs of having a hangover. It's amazing what Crimson could cure with his own personal 'remedy' for getting drunk. The red unicorn and the light blue Pegasi appeared in full armor, which looked similar to Solar Flare armor with the exception of Crimson's being Black and Red, while Oceans being a dark blue. They both saluted Silver and Holly before standing besides him. "Better late then never. Had troubles with an overdose on my remedy, had 'slightly' over the average doze. Any who, we will fight alongside you Silver. Cant think on anypony else to fight alongside against."
