A portal opened, sucking up Flurry Heart and transporting her to another planet. She woke up in a city called Solus Lux. An industrial district of the planet's largest empire as she found out in at a local university, which hed it's books available to the public. She also found that the planet is in a perpetual eclipse and darkness due to it's two moons, one of which isn't natural and is big enough to cause a perpetual eclipse.

Flurry Heart was send here by Anocratic empire to investigate the source of the fast growing violatile crystal meteorite that landed on terraformed Venus prior.

Going outside, Flurry Heart bumped into a feline figure, wearing a hood and outfit bearing the emblem of crescent moon. A magical rifle secured on her back. She introduced herself as Vivienne the devout follower of the moon, telling Flurry Heart that she needs partner to help fight eclipse worshipping cultists and fighting Ishma leviathans.

Before agreeing to anything, Flurry Heart inquired about the Ishma leviathans, since those sounded scary. Vivienne told her that they are crystal monsters from a circular lake in the empire of Luthador that they are in.

Having nothing better to do. Flurry Heart agreed. With her she brought vials of snow leopard mutagenic goo. Along with a saddle bag filled with medkits. Traveling an eclipse zealot camp, Vivienne managed to score stealth kills before the rest of the camp was alerted. Vivienne did most of the work, while Flurry Heart used her alicorn magic to subdue some of the cultists alive, using her snow leopard goo vials. She transformed the cultists into conflicted gootraxians and blackmailed them into acting as her guards. Killing one more of such a camp, the Luthador authorities paid them well.

Vivienne and Flurry Heart spend the money on buying a property to live in and perform magical studies. Leaving the gootraxian guards on their property, they decided to rent a boat next week. Sailing in the Ishma lake, they briefly saw a rock with crystals flying out of the lake and into the air, with such velocity that it could have possibly escaped the planet's atmosphere.

Then their boat tipped over, sending them under water. Resurfacing, they can see a big sea serpent with jagged orange crystal growing out of it. Vivienne starts shooting the sea serpent's weak spot. While Flurry Heart flies into the air to distract it. Their combined effort killing the crystal serpent. They then flip the boat back and secure the crystal covered corpse on the boat. Despite the boat tilting quite a bit to rear from the corpse's weight, they manage to sail back to the coast to sell the crystal covered corpse.

A week later, Vivienne takes a loan on Flurry Heart's behalf. For Flurry Heart to start an agricultural company. Due to the ongoing eclipse, there was a lot of money to be made growing food in hydroponics under artificial lighting. Along with growing Ingredients needed to transfur more enemies into gootraxians.

A long time since then. Vivienne came to Flurry Heart with a puppy eyed look. She was telling Flurry Heart that she is tired and bored of doing odd jobs on Luthador and wants to instead try doing something else on a different continent. Out the blue, Vivienne says that she read in a newspaper that there is a necromancer lord ravaging the northern part of the continent.

Flurry Heart was taken aback by this, necromancy back home is a regulated practice and she didn't hear of any unicorn practicing necromancy being capable of animating enough undead to cause a lot of destruction. However Flurry Heart's agricultural company was now actually profitable, so she could afford to leave Luthador and sail west with Vivienne to fight the necromancer. Flurry Heart despite her better judgement, agreed in the end. Sailing to the east coast of the necromancer's domain.

They found the necromancer, who was a bipedal unicorn with hands and presumably no cutie mark on their white coat, to be fighting crusaders with a small but still sizable army of undead. Vivienne takes a shot at the necromancer from the back. However the shot in the torso didn't seem to do much beside get the necromancer's attention. Turning towards them, the necromancer orders some of the undead to attack the two of them.

Flurry Heart defends herself using lightning magic. While Vivienne continues shooting. Good thing those cartridges are rechargable by unicorn magic, otherwise Vivienne would have go back to Luthador. The necromancer was visibly frustrated, crossing his arms with a blue glow of his horn. He then teleported away. The remaining undead were quickly defeated by the duo and the crusaders. The duo was unsure what to do next. "Oh wait! I remember reading that there are artifacts capable of granting magical power or banishing those with powerful magic." Said Vivienne.

"Would said artifacts just happen to be laying around or still exist in the first place?" Asked Flurry Heart tired with skepticism.

"Well... Possibly? We could try splitting up to cover more ground that way. It is risky, sure eh. It is the best idea i have... However i suppose we should get some rest first. Maybe the crusader people are nice enough to provide us with a place to sleep in?" Said Vivienne.

The crusaders didn't have much to say but they wanted the duo to see their leader. Walking among the crusader they noticed that all the crusaders are goat people. Including their leader, who was a goat woman with blue runes on her broad sword.

She introduced herself as Eternia of the Eternal crusade. Vivienne was too tired at this point for a long conversation. So she wanted to keep things brief. "So miss Eternia, i read that there could be artifacts of potent magic-" Vivienne started before Eternia interrupted.

"I think i know what you are referring to feline. We suspect that these artifacts do indeed exist. And that the necromancer used them to become powerful enough command whole undead armies. However we only know one possible location and there is likely more that needs to be put togather. But if you are willing to help, here is the plan. We will attack the undead in the morning, while you two sneak out and head into sneak around the planned battlefield into a nearby tomb, where one of the needed artifacts is suspected to be." Eternia said with a serious tone.

Flurry Heart with Vivienne noded and found an extra tent reserved for them to spend the night inside. In the morning, they heard a bell, sounded by Eternia, a call to wake up and execute the plan. Vivienne is given a heavy bag with rations for her and Flurry Heart. They move north with the goat men crusaders, staying to the back they split off from the crusaders and head to the tomb in question. Among the rations was a map of the north east part of the continent that they were on.

Traveling to the tomb, they entered without resistence as seemingly all the local undead were distracted by the crusaders. However there were a few traps inside, strings that when triggered, caused darts to shoot out of the walls. Which the duo was just barely missed by when they found that out.

Several disarmed string traps later, they found one of the hidden artifacts in a tight chamber. It was a crown of unidentified bones with holes between the bones stuffed with enchanted gems. Vivienne picked up the crown with excitment. Only to painfuly realize that this was a trap. Two darts hit Vivienne's back through her clothes as she let out a feline screetch, dropping the crown on her feet.

Flurry Heart right away rushed to open her saddle bag and a medkit. Taking out two antidotes for common poisons and applying them to Vivienne. Hoping that one of them would be correct. Flurry Heart then took the crown and put in the Saddlebag next to her medicine. Carrying dizzy Vivienne with her gun out of the tomb.

Outdoors she could make the undead at a stalemate with Eternia's Eternal crusade. There was no guarantee that the crusaders would win this time and Vivienne looked to sick to assist. So Flurry Heart decided that the best course of action right now would be to retreat south by flying.

Flurry Heart and Vivienne have been traveling, for while now, almost out of food. They have arrived at the entrance of an odd looking temple. The temple's exterior was covered in bones and the temple itself was constructed on a short mountain side towering over a razed town.

They only hed enough rations for a trip back, so this was their best bet. Entering the building, a loud bell started banging from the top of the temple. Confused, the two entered the middle of the temple's interior. Which was made of marble blocks, with rows of pews facing an altar. Behind the altar was a ladder leading to the temple's tower.

Then Vivienne heard a faint pop of displaced air as sharp pain pierced her back. Flurry Heart looked behind them and there stood the anthro unicorn necromancer, this time wielding a crossbow as he just shot Vivienne. Vivienne tried to remove the arrow out of her body, but Flurry Heart stopped her, saying that she would just be bleeding more and should retreat behind her.

Vivienne listened and decided to jump over the altar and climb the ladder, while Flurry Heart was busy exchanging series of magical attacks, magical barriers and physical dodges. Vivienne was inside the interior of the temple's tower, which contained shelfs with tomes for theoretical magical concepts and necromancy. There hava also been two chest with a lock each, one chest on the ground, while the other was hap hazardly on a shelf.

Vivienne tried to shoot the lock of the grounded chest, the lock held. Vivienne pressed the barrel against the lock and shot again. The lock broke, allowing her to open the chest. Inside being an odd golden cube with gemstones embedded into into.

Vivienne wonders what it is for before being interrupted by a skeleton falling through a roof hatch, presumably the skeleton was the one who rung the temple bell. The skeleton got up and walked towards her, she shot the shelf with the metal chest on it. Causing the chest to fall on the skeleton, crushing it's fragile now no longer animated bones.

Vivienne managed to open the chest. Inside was a torus shaped object, a chocker with gemstone amulets attached to it, she put it on and could feel a strange magical aura from it but didn't know what to do with it. With her magical gun on her back again, she rummaged through the rest of the room. Managing to find behind a shelf an object that resembled a water gun with a hose.

She dropped the golden cube to the ground floor and climbed down to see Flurry Heart and the necromancer focused on their duel, full of adrenalin with both of them having visible injuries. "Flurry Heart i found stuff!" Vivienne yelled as she threw her the amulet chocker and the hosed gun artifact before picking the golden gemmed cube.

The necromancer looked at Vivienne and Flurry Heart with horror. While carrying the cube, Vivienne noticed that it hed a circular hole, presumably for the gun hose.

Despite the pain from being with arrows multiple times, Flurry Heart was able to put on the amulet chocker and the bone crown that was inside the saddlebag. The necromancer tried to stop her from taking the gun with a hose but Vivienne shot him into his arm, causing him to flinch.

Flurry Heart then also noticed the hole in the golden cube. She plugged in the gun shaped artifact. Channeling all her alicorn magical power to the artifacts, she aimed the gun artifact at the necromancer who created a magical barrier to defend himself. However as magical energy was drained out of Flurry Heart's body. The gun artifact started shooting lasers in pulses, hitting the necromancer through the barrier and desintegrating his body piece by piece. With the anthro unicorn how nothing but burned carbon. Flurry Heart collapsed from exhaustion.

Vivienne stayed with her, petting Flurry Heart's mane and feeling her horn, which was still warm from magical charge. "I am sorry, this was my idea. We should have rented a boat for more then just the two of us, that way we could have taken your gootraxian guards with us." Vivienne whispered as she stood guard while Flurry Heart slept.

The next day, the duo managed to make their way to a Eternia's camp. Where they tried to negotiate with Eternia, for coastal land that they could develop for their own purposes, since they defeated the necromancer for them. Eternia refused, only giving them rations for a boat trip back to Luthador.

Dissapointed, they loaded the four artifacts on their boat and returned to Luthador. They unloaded the four magical artifacts at Flurry Heart's agricultural company. Where they rested after the long boat trip home, waking up, Flurry Heart decided to do some administrative work in her company while Vivienne went to buy something. Meeting up with Flurry Heart again, Vivienne said with excitment: "i rented a book which mentions how the eclipse caused by the unnatural moon could be ended! There is a city south of where where we fought the necromancer where we are allegedly suppose to charge the artifacts and give us the power to teleport outside our planet to explore other nearby celestial bodies in search of a way to stop the eclipse." Vivienne told Flurry Heart.

"How do you plan to stay alive outside of... What is this planet actually called?" Asked Flurry Heart

"Solus Lux?" Said Vivienne perplexed

"Yeah, how are we suppose to stay alive in space without space suits? I don't suppose that the magical artifacts we found can provide breathable air. Also i don't feel like going on more adventures, since this world is more dangerous then i expected." Flurry Heart said with a sigh to Vivienne's dissapointment. Flurry Heart starting drifting away deeper into her thoughts. When she could hear commotion outside. Twitching her ears, she trotted outside as Vivienne followed her.

There she could see that above them was a heavier then air airship of Anocratic empire's design. Flurry Heart flew towards it, Vivienne tried to stop her with her hand missing Flurry Heart.

Flurry Heart managed to make her way to the airship entrance. And enter mid flight, the first pony she came across was Emperor Bigpip, wearing his usual robe with ruby heart, along with unusual watches. "I was expecting you, forgive me for possibly taking so long to send anyone here. It took a while to charge and calibrate the long range teleporter in order to take an airship with us. I take it you did your due dilligence to figure out what the source of that orange crystal meteorite was, along with gathering general information about the planet we are on." Stated Bigpip with his usual stoic face.

"Ugh, yes. The meteorite seems to have flew of a lake north east of here, with crystal monsters swimming in that lake too. As far as i know from Vivienne, also there is an unnatural eclipse caused by a seemingly living moon." Flurry Heart answered.

"Well that is unfortunute for the people living here. I can't imagine they will live that long without direct sunlight. Also who is Vivienne?" Bigpip responded.

"She is a bipedal feline friend of mine. Also, are you going to actually help the people here or are you just going to try to convince everyone to migrate to Anocratic empire again‽" Flurry Heart said with a hint of anger.

"Do you expect me to figure out a way to destroy a whole moon that is causing an eternal eclipse here? Be reasonable. Besides, Anocratic empire has everything people need to live a good life. Let me guess, you are still upset about me being chosen to rule after Twilight Sparkle?" Bigpip told her calmy

Now Flurry Heart was angry. "N-Yes! Because instead of just helping people. You force them to assimilate into Anocratic empire. Instead preserving their way of life and letting us stay out of conflict, to add insult to injury, you renamed Equestria and it's regions!"

"I don't think you orthodox Harmonists understand that the so called galaxy we find ourselfs in, is full of potential danger. Robotic invaders blowing up things and getting over two million creatures killed, should have been a wake up call. By forcing people to join us on our five planets, connected by portal gates, we can protect them and ourselfs from future existential harm, both external and internal." Bigpip told her with confidence, despite his stoic expression changing to that of frustrated one.

"Well, what if i don't want to be under your version of Equestria anymore huh?" Flurry Heart said with her pose changing to a defensive stance.

Bigpip sighed "You will never understand me despite our long lives but i still have respect for you, i will tell you what. You can live in the wilderness of Acrab or Nuchadus with your friend Vivienne if that is what you want. Honestly with you consistently winning elections in Crystal duchy, i was expecting you to rebel. But then again, i know you too lazy for that, rarely leaving your crystal palace."

Flurry Heart pointed his hoof at him. "Cut it with your remarks! And yes i would much rather live in the wilderness then to live in the shame of your shadow!"

Bigpip looked at his watches and answered. "I drew a purple and blue X on the ground where the teleporter is set send anything back in... 16 minutes, so make your way there, about 3 meters above the ground. I hope you can carry your friend, otherwise Vivienne would have to stay here."

"Fine, if thats all thats needed for me to retire without having to see you again. Then i am leaving." Flurry Heart said with new found relief as she turned around flew out of the airship.

She flew back to now worried looking Vivienne. Landing softly, Vivienne crouched to be at head level with her, "Whats going on Flurry Heart? Why is there an airship?"

"People from my home arrived, we have an option for you to go explore my world, even if only small part of it. Do you want to go with me? It will be a one way trip." Flurry Heart said with calm voice.

"Oh... Well i don't actually have anyone else to really go to, beside you. Since i grew up in an orphant and i only hed friends in school, whom i haven't seen in person for a while... I should bring my gun with me, along with few extra clothes" Vivienne told Flurry Heart, standing up and running inside the building.

Flurry Heart waited a few minutes before Vivienne returned with her stuff. Flurry spread her wings and carefuly grabbed with her hoofs and telekinesis as Vivienne too off into the air at the X marked stone pathed location where they waited for about ten minutes. After which they were teleported to a bleak looking stone block building, in front of a towering machine. Pegasi guards were stationed there awaiting orders.

"Good day, i was ordered by Emperor Bigpip to take this creature with me to Nuchadus. So if there are no issues i will go do just that." Flurry Heart said trying to assert authority as the pegasi guards simply saluted. A bell rang right after, signaling break time for the guards as Flurry Heart with Vivienne made their way out the building and went to Nuchadus.

Epilog

And so, Flurry Heart made her way to the volcanic lands of Nuchadus with Vivienne. Leaving the city life behind and traveling to the wilderness. They set up camp by a river to provide them with fresh water. Over time they build themselfs a comfortable wooden house, away from politics for Flurry Heart and the unnatural eclipse for Vivienne.

Good thing Vivienne did. As eight days after Flurry Heart with Vivienne left, whatever natural magic was keeping the ecosystem alive failed. With trees and smaller plants dying outside of environments where plants and fungi adapted to living with little to no sunlight. This caused chaos and political upheaval on Vivienne's planet, due to living in most parts of Solus Lux became impossible. The mostly feudal societies on the planet hed their elites hide in bunkers as fishing and hydroponics growing became the only reliable sources of food.

Emperor Bigpip capitalized on this upheaval with many people being eager to migrate to Anocratic empire. However they could not accept to teleport everyone who showed up at once. Which did mean ponies on the expedition to the eclipsed planet, hed to resort to violence to preserve order while the teleportation rescue operation lasted.

A long time afterwards, the only people left there were the elites trapping themselfs inside their bunkers and wandering scavangers who did not have the skills to rebuild civilization in the new conditions, eventualy subcoming to infighting and death.

During this chaos, a unicorn mare was abducted into one such bunker to be experimented on, turning her into a dragon pony with excelent shooting skills and combat capablity. Thankfuly she managed to escape the elite's bunker and regroup with Emperor Bigpip's rescue team before they returned back to pony planets by one way teleportation. But her story is for another time...