Several Hours Earlier...

A warm breeze blew through the desert air. Bits and particles of sand seemed to whip about in the wind, their small pebbles capable of tearing through the most dexterous of clothes. The sun beat down upon the earth, its relentless rays causing the ground to shimmer and wave as if it were an illusion.

A small town lay beyond a sand dune, and within this town, quadruped and bipedal beings alike roamed the streets. A dense, but small, apple orchard lay off to the side, and beyond that, the beginnings of a mesa formed. On the side of town where the Mesa began, a train track could be seen traversing between two cliffs. The track itself continued past the town, but stopped nearly a hundred meters away near the beginnings of the desert.

See, this was no ordinary desert, this was the Badlands. Beyond that town, many a pony and Elf have gone missing. It was once said to be a cursed place by the ponies, one that was forged by the battle between the Solar Princess and the Mare of the Night, but the Elves knew better.

Beyond the many dunes, through a long dead forest, and in the middle of what could only be a meteor crater, sat the Changeling hive in all its glory.

Many avoided the place, but there were two individuals who had this place as their destination. Hidden under a cloak of rough material, the armor of the Demon in metal was concealed. Him and an Elven companion, the Prince of the Dark Elves, walked through the town and towards the sand dunes. Had anybody wondered where the two had come from, they would have a hard time finding out. The footprints of the two were long since wiped away by the wind and the sand, and they didn't acknowledge anyone within the town.

Mothers hid their children away, and farmers kept a wary eye on the two strangers. There would not have been much of a fuss, but the imposing seven and a half foot tall 'Elf' was truly a sight to behold. He was built like an ox, and his features were grim. A scar ran down the side of his face, barely noticeable if one weren't looking directly at it.

The other sported a scraggly beard, but was also quite muscular. His hair hung loose around him, down to his shoulder blades, and an aggressive look was cast across his face. He gave the town a look of disdain, especially upon passing a wire-fenced pen full of ponies.

The Equestrians, tired and starving, watched the two pass with dead looks in their eyes. Their coats, along with their normal colors, seemed to contain a sheen of light gray. Each and every pony had their ribs exposed, and dirt, grime, and feces littered their holding pens. Despite the filth, each of them still held a wistful expression.

As the pair passed through the town and approached the dunes, the Prince of the Dark Elves spoke.

"Your idea of concealment is very... shoddy at best." The Elf smirked at his companions' outfit as the Sergeant scowled. The Human's eyes were darting back and forth at each passing glance they received. More than a few Elves held a look of suspicion.

Dean wondered if this particular area was similar to the fantastical wild west from back home. People with revolvers, stand offs, and brigands all over the place. Everyone in the town currently wore rugged, utilitarian clothing, and more than a few had sabers at their sides. If only there were a few horses tied up on a post, waiting for their owners while they went about an errand.

Oh... wait.

Dean saw Trignar's eyes passing over the various ponies, each in a worse state than the last. He watched as the Prince's scowl seemed to deepen, and his fist balled up and shook in rage. Trignar's breathing was erratic, and while Dean didn't trust the dark Elf, he could understand the feelings he was going through.

"Ignore them. There is nothing we can do." Dean spoke. His gruff voice snapped the Prince from his stupor and he shook his head.

"I cannot believe it. All this time, I was so blind. I get why you hate my people so much," his eyes caught movement down a street to their left. An Elf in a wide brimmed hat was beating a pony mercilessly. Blood caked the stallion's fur as the whip came down again and again; the pony sobbed on the ground weakly. The Demon and the Princes passed by with looks of disdain.

"Does this not make your blood boil? Does this not make you want to find the nearest Elf and wring their neck till they collapse at your feet? How can you say 'ignore them'?" Trignar whispered to Dean. The Human sighed and shook his head, a far off look entering his eyes as he stared past the town.

"Buddy, while everything here is downright horrible and deserving of some form of justice... it currently doesn't hold a candle to what I've seen. At least here, I have a chance to save people. Back home, the enemy didn't take prisoners or slaves. They just killed anyone in their sights; man, woman, and child. The reason I can stay so focused on the mission is because if I learned that if I don't, then even more will die." Trignar stared at the Human in stunned silence. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was in the shape of an 'o'. Dean shook his head and the two continued walking.

That is, until one of the townsfolk decided to talk to them.

It was the first female elf Dean had seen up close, and she was quite pretty. She sported flowing silver hair that was braided down to her waist, and a desert flower of some kind sat at the very end. She sported no makeup of any sort, but that only made her look more beautiful. She had dimples on her cheeks, and her teeth were a pristine white as she smiled whilst walking down the road. She wore a long flowing dress akin to what a post-medieval woman would wear, which was quite simplistic in design.

Dean snorted and glanced at his Elven companion. The Prince had a gobsmacked look as his mouth hung slightly open. His stare followed the girl as she slowly approached the two, and it seemed he had lost all motor function. Dean halted in his tracks when he realized the Prince wasn't following and his hand slowly drifted to his pistol. If the Prince decided to betray him here and now, things were going to get messy.

The girl noticed the Prince, but she didn't react to him. Instead, her focus shifted to Dean. The Human was vaguely aware of the exaggerated sway in the Elves hips as she leisurely changed her course towards him. He heard the Prince give a jealous huff but paid him no mind; he needed to find a way out of his current situation.

"Hey there, good looking... What brings you into town?"

Dean couldn't help but admire the frame of her body. She had a decently large bust as well as an hourglass frame. While anybody else would find it arousing and practically be drooling over the girl, Dean was no such man. He raised an eyebrow and gave a grunt.

"Just passin' through. Myself and my companion have business in..." Dean's brain scrambled for a destination. He had scoured the map during their train ride, and had found a multitude of towns he had not known previously existed. Finally, he found a name that was somewhat relative to their location. "... Dodge Junction."

The girl hummed as she analyzed his face with a critical eye. She seemed not to mind that his ears were the wrong shape, and her eyes instead seemed to admire his scar.

"Say, a scar like that must mean you've seen some action... Where'd you get it?" She leaned a bit to the side and put her hands on her hips. Dean could feel Trignar's eyes on his back but ignored him. Dean was once more stumped for words. He couldn't well say he had been fighting an alien menace.

An idea came to his mind.

"Ever heard of the Demon in Metal?"

A chill seemed to pass through the small group, causing the girl to shiver and her ears to lower. A door somewhere to their left creaked ominously, and a tumbleweed barreled across the road behind them. Dean let a hard glare cross his features to maximize the effect, and the girl's eyes dilated.

"Y-Yes, I do." She squeaked, no longer as confident.

"I fought him at Ravenford. I'm sure you heard of that fiasco, but I'll give you a little insight." Dean's hand suddenly raised in a flash and his index finger pointed to his scar. "The Demon gave me this in one on one combat. I remember seeing the dark pits it has as eyes, and the three inch fangs with blood dripping from its mouth. I had no time to feel fear, and the Demon struck me with its sword." Dean slashed his hand down, causing the poor Elf to jump. He continued. "I could only watch in shock with blood pouring down my face as the Demon tore through my fellow soldiers' ranks, killing everything in his path before he came upon the bloody Baron himself."

A small crowd had slowly gathered to listen to Dean's recounting of the story, and nearly all held some semblance of fear in their hearts. A cloud passed over the sun far above, and a shadow seemed to fall across Dean's face as he scowled.

"It was a vicious battle, but the Bloody Baron stood no chance. Magic did not work on the Demon, swords, arrows, and light-spears could not pierce its metallic skin! The last thing I remember before passing out from blood loss was seeing the Demon surrounded by hundreds of my fellow soldiers. It alone stood there, unflinching in the face of certain death. We all thought we finally had it outmatched... we were wrong. It pulled two devices from its waist and through them towards the soldiers. There was a blinding flash of light along with the sounds of a hundred explosive detonations, then it all went black."

Dean stood to his full height and looked around the fearful gazes of the crowd, his eyes scanning each and every single one critically and precisely. Movement suddenly caught his piercing eyes, and he saw the ponies from behind the fence. Instead of fear, they held a look of astonishment and hope. Their coats no longer seemed gray in essence, and some smiled as tears fell down their cheeks.

Without a second thought, Dean grabbed Trignar by the arm and began walking. The Dark Elves parted for him silently as he marched ever onward. He did not look back. He did not stop, he just kept walking. Trignar was silent beside him, and feelings of resentment and hate began to build in his chest towards the Elven Prince. Sure, he was trying to help now, but for two years he had helped in the destruction of this planet. For two years he had relished in the pain and suffering he and his kind brought upon the peoples of this world. And for what? Was it to satiate their hunger for death and destruction? Did they merely think of themselves as superior? Or was the Guardian right, and they were being influenced by the true Demon known as the Destroyer. Whatever the cause may be, Dean now had a role to play. Contrary to the words of the Guardian, he was the judge, the jury, and the executioner. Discord had brought him here to enact vengeance and save a planet once more from the tides of darkness. It was his duty, and his calling to defend the weak, protect the innocent, and destroy those wishing to eliminate peace and justice. It was a bit dramatic, but Dean couldn't care less. He wanted this done so he could go back to his wife and kid. He wanted the war, the pain and the suffering to stop. He would get these things, but he would ensure that the peoples of this planet were safe first. This all started with a Princess.

Dean now had no doubt in his mind that the Emperor was planning something big. So big in fact, that he didn't tell his own son. Whatever it was, it required his charge, Princess Twilight in some way. The Human felt a bubbling rage build inside him and used it to keep his legs moving forward with renewed gusto. He would die before he let Twilight fall into the Dark Elves' hands, and even if she did, nothing would be able to stop him from destroying every enemy in his path before he could reach her again. Now that he thought about it, he really did care for her. She was funny, adorable, she listened to him and always seemed enraptured by what he had to say. He had saved her once before, and he would die trying to save her again. It would be hard to let her go once this was all finished, once he returned home to fight another war. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had a duty to Humanity.

"Did that really happen? Did you really kill the Bloody Baron?"

Dean was snapped from his musings and glanced sideways at the youngest Prince of the Dark Elves. He held a look of wonder rather than fear, and it confused the Human greatly. It was unheard of for someone to switch so fast from being an enemy, to being an unlikely ally. Had it happened any faster, Dean would suspect the Prince of being bipolar or something.

"Yes, it did happen. And yes, I did kill the so-called Bloody Baron, 'best swordsman in the Empire.'" Dean waited, but the Prince was silent. He preferred it this way, as it left him to his thoughts and musings. His mind has always wandered like that for some reason, but he had found it never truly distracted him in any way. He always had top marks in school, he could hold conversations as well as the next guy, and his attention never wavered whenever something was going on. Maybe it was the creative side of him? He had always dreamt of filmmaking or writing, but he never got into the hobby. Maybe--

His thoughts were stopped when a flash caught his eye. He could see the sun was quickly falling from its zenith and went to check his tacpad for the time. As he raised his arm, it suddenly crossed his mind that he had given the device to Stormfly.

He hoped they were all okay. The Changelings had taken them all by surprise and left Maritime Bay vulnerable to attack. He needed to get the Princess back as soon as possible before he began to upgrade the defenses around the city. While they had walls, Dean knew the Elves had many different ways of breaching the defenses. He needed a proper anti-air, and anti-tank system set up, but he didn't have the time. Two weeks was all they had. Two weeks before the Emperor's grand plan.

Dean had a plan of his own, however, but he didn't have a lot of time to enact it. If he killed the Emperor, then the rest of the Elven regime should follow suit. If not... Well, he had guns, swords, and his own fists. He would kill them all if he needed to.

*****

The two walked for more than three hours into the night before they came to a seemingly dead forest. The desert had given away to some kind of Mesa, and brown grass rose up to Dean's knees. He could see a decrepit forest with a slight tinge of green in the distance, but unlike the Everfree, it was nowhere near as dense.

"The hive is a two hour walk beyond that treeline, but I know not whether there are scouts out and about. Queen Chrysalis is quite cocky, even with her forces outnumbered. She has a magic dispelling device seated inside her throne, which makes it nigh impossible for a magic user to wield their art."

Dean paused and glanced back at the Elf, a question immediately springing to his mind.

"If that's so, then how was it that I could hear Twilight cry for help every once in a while? Surely something like that requires magic? If she is in the hive, then such a connection shouldn't be possible."

The Prince was silent for a moment, and Dean took that as a que to continue. However, a ting of pale red caused him to stop in his tracks. The Prince, who was still contemplating Dean's question, walked right past him. It took the Elf a moment to remember where he was, but when he turned around, he couldn't help but sneer.

The Human was leaning down and lazily swishing his hand through a crop of what appeared to be poppies. Trignar knew they produced a particularly powerful drug, but other than that, he failed to see their significance to the Human.

"Sergeant, while I would absolutely hate to annoy you, I don't believe now is the time to be frolicking through the flowers." Trignar, while still not on good terms with the Human, had attempted to make his words seem like a joke, but the look of ferocity he got from Dean could melt through the strongest Eskil alloy. The Prince took a step back as his ears folded to the sides of his head. He could only watch as a shadow seemed to fall across the Human's face while he stood and began stomping towards the forest at a heightened pace. Trignar scrambled to keep up with Dean's long strides, and was soon huffing and puffing for air.

'What did I say that was so wrong? Did those Poppies hold some kind of significance?'

Trignar huffed and glared at the Human's back in disdain. He had tried to be nice; he was trying to put himself into a good light... but it seemed that the more he tried, the more he was shunned.

He hated himself and his people for what he had done, but that didn't mean he could quit. He had to strive to fix the wrong doings... it all starts with one person after all. He was trying to show he was a changed Elf; he was trying to show that he wanted to fix his mistakes!

'Mistakes? What mistakes? The Dark Elves are the superior race! The magic harnessed by the ponies is Elvish by right!'

Trignar did not know where the dark thoughts suddenly came from, but a splitting headache was beginning to form. He could hear every thump of his heart, and every breath of his lungs as his skull tried to tear itself apart. It felt as if two people were warring for control over his mind once more. Now that he thought of it... he had felt this feeling once already--

Trignar's hands scrambled into his pocket on their own accord as sweat began to slide down his face and back. Dark, murderous thoughts were flashing through his mind as he glared daggers into the Humans back. What was the likelihood that the Sergeant would hear him coming? He could quickly take that knife strapped to his chest and impale him through the exposed part of his neck! Maybe--

Trignar's fingers touched the purple orb in his pocket, and a feeling of nausea threatened to send him pitching forward. He blinked; the grass was racing towards him. He blinked; he could see the Human scowling down at him, but he couldn't move. Trignar blinked once more, and darkness finally swallowed him.

*****

"Ughhh..." Trignar groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He blinked once, then twice before he was finally able to take in his surroundings. A picturesque night sky floated far above him, and he even saw a shooting star as it flashed across the heavens. He would have stared at the beautiful scene for hours, had a curse followed by what sounded like someone bodily falling on the ground not suddenly startled him.

Trignar sprang to his feet and scanned his surroundings with tired, but practiced eyes. He saw the Demon sitting on the ground, awkwardly propped to the side as he moved to sit himself up properly.

"What happened to you?" Trignar asked, causing Dean's eyes to find his. He still saw the Human's anger behind his eyes, but the intensity was gone. Instead, what looked like tiredness slowly took over as the Demon shook his head.

"None of your fuckin' business." the Human grumbled as he finally managed to right himself. He slung his weapon, a rifle if Trignar recalled, and began inspecting it with a critical eye. The oddly shaped device was still very foreign to Trignar, even if he had seen it in use. To think something without magic could be more advanced than Elven magic was a foreign thought. Such a thought would bring harsh punishment should someone of higher rank hear of it. Trignar remembered being taught how the Elves were the master race, how their conquest and ultimate crusade was noble and beneficial to all beings of the planet. He remembered being taught to hate the Equestrians the most, and their friendship loving, magic hoarding ideology. It took them a month and a half to take Equestria. With such vast resources, and such a powerful army, they were literally unstoppable.

However, amongst all the killing; all the pain and despair... was Trignar Blueblade. He had looked away when the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon had their powers absorbed and their necks slit. He did not follow when the Princess of Friendship attempted to escape. And he did not participate in the mass killings of the mares, stallions, and foals the day after the invasion. At the time, he had thought he had simply been a coward, and was labeled as such. Then, he went and began doing minor acts of terror and violence: taking his soldiers and destroying a town of equalists, torturing a father by forcing him to watch as Trignar raped his wife and two children, and so much more. In the end, the darkness in him grew, and so did his lust for power.

Then came the Demon, and that night on the hill. Something in him had tried to break free, tell him something was wrong. He had ignored it then, but as time went on in that dank, dirty cell, Trignar had a revelation and made a connection. He was no philosopher, but whatever had happened between the Human and the Princess had seemingly affected him as well! The purple orb could only have come from the Princesses magic, but he had never seen the likes of this before. He recalled Twilight being labeled as the 'Princess of Friendship,' and he had found an old dusty book in Celestia's collection to the 'magic of friendship.'

It was possible that the Princess had used some kind of deeper power when she embraced the Human super soldier, and it had somehow wound up sticking to him as well! The implications of this being the case were astronomical, and if he could show this 'magic of friendship' to his fellow Elves...

Trignar huffed and sat down on the ground across from the Human, his eyes sporting a sad glint to them. All this theorizing was due to his extended stay with his own mind to keep him company, so who knew if it was true. There was one problem to solving this growing mystery, and that was the Princess herself. Trignar knew what the Changelings were going to do to the Princess; he had heard news of something similar happening to one Princess Cadenza. The bugs were slimy and untrustworthy, and he knew that they would likely only try to spite his father. What better way to do it than executing his long-sought after prize via one of the most vile forms of death imaginable. Trignar had been told horror stories about what certain species of bugs and spiders would do to a mammal in the deeper parts of the Everfree, but knowing that a sentient being was doing it to another sentient being...

He shivered. He couldn't really judge per say, as his kind had introduced genocide to another race of thinking, breathing people. While the Changeling's methods were... gross, his own kind were much, much worse.

Trignar watched as the Sergeant absently fiddled with his weapon, then his armor, and then his helmet; never ceasing to move. His eyes were alert and attentive, but Trignar was no fool. He could see the nervousness and fear behind those cold, merciless pits. Having heard Dean's backstory, the Elf actually felt quite bad. To lose one's family, fight for seven years in a grueling war, and then get trapped on another world... Trignar would have broken down into a sobbing wreck had that been him. A thought came to his mind, and he cocked his head to the side.

"What keeps you going, Demon?" He had decided that either Sergeant or Demon was a respectful way to approach things. He didn't think they were on a first name basis yet, after all.

There was a second of pause as the Human's eyes flicked towards the Prince, a scowl crossing his face momentarily before settling back into the ever neutral look.

"Didn't you already ask this question back in town?" Dean responded with a question of his own, letting a brief tone of annoyance creep into his voice. He had enough on his mind as it was.

Trignar shook his head and folded his hands together.

"No, that was different. I am referring to something else." He gestured at Dean and huffed. "You have fought against an alien menace, watched countless people die, you were pulled from your world, witnessed the atrocities of my kin, and forced to fight in another war. I would imagine that a lesser... Human, would have broken by now, but still you persist. So, I ask again. What keeps you going?" Trignar had made sure not to include the death of Dean's family, as he knew that was a touchy subject and did not want a repeat of nearly having his head popped off his shoulders. He waited in silence as the Demon stared into the distance, an unreadable mask concealing his feelings.

Finally, he spoke.

"Do you remember those flowers from earlier, the poppies?" Dean's voice was quiet, and the Elf listened with rapt attention as he nodded his head. The Human must have seen the movement, for he kept going.

"Back on my world, there was a war. It was a gruesome war, full of death and destruction on a scale never seen before in my people history. In the end, when the dust settled, and the guns fell silent across the continent, we realized just what kind of horrors we had created, and how many young men willingly marched towards what they thought was a noble battle of history. It ended up as their early grave." Trignar was silent as his eyes widened in shock. He was fascinated to be hearing such history from the man.

"Someone wrote a poem named 'In Flanders Fields.' and it went like this:"

'In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.'

There was a moment of silence as the Human hung his head, and Trignar swore he could hear the mutterings of what sounded like a prayer. After the moment was done, the Human resumed his position and continued.

"War after war, the poppy became a symbol and an important part of culture. It is meant to represent those who went to war for the greater good, fought for our freedoms, and died so that we may continue to live." Dean turned to Trignar. "To answer your question, Prince Trignar, I keep going because it is my duty. It is my duty as a soldier to fight the enemy, and to protect the innocent. It is my duty as father, to fight so that my son and my wife are safe. And lastly, it is my duty xto know that if I don't fight, then someone else I love may die, and I can't allow that. I keep going because there are people who need me, whether it be fellow Humans or Ponies or otherwise. I keep going because my friends, my family, and my kind are in danger. I keep going because who else will answer the call when the cry for help goes out, when the oppressed call for a savior? That is why I keep going, and that is why I keep fighting." The Human slowly stood to his feet and let out a drawn out sigh as he stared in the direction of the hive, a forlong look coming across him.

"Get some rest and hide under that blanket behind that boulder, I'm going to scout the forest and find a route into the hive. I will be back, and then you will help me rescue the Princess." A scowl came across Dean as his hands balled into fists at his sides, shaking with barely contained fury. His next words dripped with enough venom to paralyze an Ursa Major.

"In a few hours, those Changeling scum will learn just why humanity is considered an Apex predator."

Without another word, the Human slung his weapons and slid on his helmet. His bootsteps thumped off into the distance before disappearing along with any sign of his presence. A lot had been said, but instead of fear, Trignar felt resolve. Dean's explanation had seemingly sparked a fire in his heart, and he knew that while the Demon was still alive, so was hope for this world.

With that final thought Trignar found the blanket, hid behind the boulder outcropping as instructed, and dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

*****

"Incoming projection, your majesty!" Captain Kioti called from the door to Princess Mya's planning room. The female Dark Elf in question nodded her head and began preparing the spell to receive the transmission. "Thank you Captain!" She called before focusing her magic.

In an instant, a hooded figure materialized before her. It looked real enough, but should someone decide to poke the figure, their hand would go right through. The spell was done by combining a special magical device created by the Dark Elves along with an Elves' magic. In doing so, a strong enough link could be created in order to visually see one another. This device was always carried around on Princess Mya's waist, but without it, such a way of communication would not be feasible.

"You're highness." The figure bowed his head before standing up straight. Mya could feel the Mage's eyes on her, but could not see them. That particular group had always sent shivers down her spine, and it was no different tonight.

"What is it?" She demanded haughtily. Her group was making good time towards the Changeling hive, and they only had a few more hours to go. She did not need any more distractions.

"Princess, your father has requested that you stop in Appaloosa and await the aid of the forty-first company, fresh from the war in Griffonia." The mage bowed again, but the Princess paid it no mind. Her cheeks were alight with fury.

"What the fuck do you mean wait in Appaloosa?! If we wait any longer, the Resistance might make a move!!" She all but screeched at the mage. The Elf seemed undeterred by the outburst, and calmly answered her.

"The Emperor figured you would say that, but his demands are final. I'm not allowed to say this, but all I can tell you is that the Demon in Metal has now been raised to an Apex-Level threat. He fears the Demon will show at the Changeling hive, and he wishes to be ready in order to kill two Pegasi with one stone. I believe the plan is that the Demon will weaken the Changelings, and thus be weakened in turn. From there, we will swoop in and finish the job while capturing the Princess in the process."

Mya was silent for a moment while she pondered the mage's words, her finger tapping against her chin. She, along with most powerful magic users, knew the Princess was at the hive. The intense waves of communication magic that only an Alicorn could produce had rolled across her like a wave when it was unleashed. She was surprised that the Alicorn was able to even use her magic due to Chrysalis's throne, but it didn't matter. With the technological leap they had begun achieving, the Elves had already found a way to bypass the thrones' enchantments.

Finally, she faced the mage.

"Very well, I will wait for the company in Appaloosa. What is your name, mage?"

"Di'etrues, your Majesty." The mage bowed again.

"Di'etrues, I for the information you have given me, I will send a message to the royal handler. You will be able to pick one of the Elements of Harmony to warm your bed tonight." She saw the mage visibly shake and swore he heard her mumble something about a Pegasus, but she ignored it. "If that is all, I must get back to planning."

The mage came back to his senses and bowed for the last time, maintaining the bow even as the projection began to fade.

"That is all, Princess. Good luck, and may the Destroyer guide your path to salvation."

With that, the hologram disappeared with nary a sound, and the Princess returned to her musings. One way or another, she would get that pesky purple Princess.

A devilish grin split her face, and a tinge of red winked in her irises. Soon, the fun would start, and the Emperor's plan so long in the making would finally come to pass.