To understand the end result of any conflict, one must understand the intentions behind it. A war won is countered by the death and destruction left in its wake. A disease eradicated celebrates a cure while mourning the thousands who died before its completion. And a pony who stops the end of the world relishes the days before they lost themselves to blood and regret.

One conflict caught the eye of Equestria when it was almost too late. The sheer number of battles fought and ponies lost to get to where it all supposedly began was staggering, and some of the most important of these engagements were spear-headed by two ponies ripped from their old lives at a tender age.

Much like the conflict itself, these individuals were not born as a means to an end, but rather were made into a solution by those around them. Two ponies, one connected to the earth, the other a denizen of the skies. These two ponies would go on to help drive one of the most important campaigns Equestria would ever know to its end, their fates, and the fate of all they loved hanging in the balance.

And it all began, more or less, in a laboratory underneath Canterlot.

That place, what the two would call their home for over twelve years, was a place of great knowledge, and good intentions. But despite their compassion and nobility, the Princesses Celestia and Luna were blind to what really went on in the research and development wing of the castle.

A unicorn called Nova, manipulative and hungry for change, took it upon himself to set ablaze the old monarchy and usher in a new era, starting of course, with Aurora and Thundervolt.

Taken from their old lives without so much as a warning, Nova bred them into efficient combatants and even better killers. He gave them the best training, a thorough education, and a reason to keep going. He gave them the choice to stay and fight, or abandon his cause and sign their loved ones death warrants. They made the only choice they could live with, and became his two most infamous assassins, and surprisingly, his greatest weakness.

Nova wanted to give them the world, but he didn't stop to think about the repercussions of his actions. What toppling the monarchy would do, how the feelings of his agents would come back to bite him, and least of all, how his greatest invention would change the world forever.

The serum.

A bright green compound derived from unknown science and fused with magic, it altered the two ponies physical forms to make the ultimate soldiers. They became faster, more resilient, and were able to retain much more knowledge than they would be able to on their own. And then there were the side effects.

Thundervolt gained the ability to direct electricity through his body, behaving like a deadly strike of lightning. His wings set ablaze with electrons could slice through most materials with ease, and they boosted his flight speed three fold, just barely granting him the ability to keep up with Rainbow Dash at her fastest.

The cyan pegasus was left at the same orphanage as Thundervolt as an infant, and suffered at the hooves of Nova as well, losing the closest things she had to family on the way to her new path in life. Their best friend and mother figure disappeared, and the only father they could even try to claim lost his life in their defense.

Aurora came from much more mysterious circumstances, unaware of any immediate family or relatives. She was raised by the forests below Canterlot, and matured early as a result. Her one tie to that life came in the form of Octavia Pie, her best friend as a filly, and her only reason to keep living. Her powers remain an enigma, though she regenerates injuries much faster than her experimental partner, whose own healing is well beyond that of an ordinary pony.

Cursed with power, they followed orders for years, running missions all over Equestria, and spilling bad blood wherever they went. Those days haunted them, but they believed they were making a small difference as they cut down the truly evil souls that lurked the land in the shadows not even Celestia's sun could reach.

Once they'd had enough, they began to formulate a plan. With its execution, they managed to escape from Nova's clutches and pursue freedom where they could. But Nova had other plans, watching them closely and letting them roam according to his own design.

Aurora and Thundervolt spent two years on the run from Nova, in which they grew as ponies, coming into themselves for the first time. A failed attempt at a relationship split the two up, sending Aurora into a conflict she wasn't prepared for. Reuniting with her lost friend Octavia in the city of Manehattan, Aurora was quickly drawn into the dealings of a power hungry executive and a gang under her employ. It turned out she couldn't abandon her skills so easily.

Thundervolt followed her, and meeting with the few friends he had left in the city, managed to assist her where he could, keeping the mare out of serious danger and serving to alleviate his own guilty conscience. The resolution of this journey was the evolution of relationships, the sacrifice of good lives, and the new determination of a few proud ponies. And the city seemed to think that was worth it.

About a year after this ordeal, the two ponies decided it was time to put an end to their fugitive lives, and begin anew. To do so however, meant destroying the monster that made them. And so, to Canterlot they went, with only one objective.

To kill Nova.

Before they could enact their plan however, fate laughed in their face and stole their chance from them. A changeling invasion at the capitol city disrupted the royal wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, driving a hammer into their plans for a covert entrance.

Thundervolt barely made it out of the lab and away from Nova alive before a blinding white light pulsed out of the castle, sending changelings flying in all directions. What was seen as a miracle of love by all who attended the wedding, spelled disaster for the pegasus. A particularly heavy changeling struck Thundervolt, sending him hurtling towards the earth at a ridiculous speed.

Without his partner to intercept him, and without a wing to lift him up, he hit the ground hard, injuring himself severely and knocking his memories from his head for a short while.

Not long after the impact, the Element bearers returned from Canterlot and found his unconscious form at the bottom of a self-made ditch, lacking just about any clue to help them recover his place before the botched assassination.

A journey of self-discovery put his life back on track, where he fell for a kind pegasus mare by the name of Fluttershy. Her nature brought out a kind of hope he had lacked for years prior, and made him want to become a better pony. He regained contact to his roots and set out with Aurora to put an end to their suffering.

On the way to their former prison, they discovered that Nova had anticipated their return and kidnapped their friends. Fluttershy and Twilight who were unlucky enough to come across him in the Whitetail Woods were taken and held in the very cell that Aurora and Thundervolt had shared for years, watching as Nova slowly gave into his madness and guilt.

Seeing visions of his old friend Tempest, Thundervolt's caretaker, drove Nova to the edge. He began to slip, losing his grip on reality, and the plans he held for the world. Without a calm mind and the support of his proteges, he crumbled, falling to the hooves of the white pegasus in a close and long fought battle.

As the maniacal unicorn's unconscious form plummeted down to the bottom of Canterlot Caverns, Thundervolt fell unconscious, whereupon his friends came to his aid. The battle was won, and he and Aurora were finally free.

The victory, unfortunately, came at a price.

Stepping up to save her new friends in their time of need, Twilight Sparkle unsheathed her horn and went head to head with Nova. Seconds before she could knock him out of the fight, Rainbow Dash became the target of a deadly spell. Twilight threw herself in front of the blast, nearly dying in the process.

To keep her alive, Aurora made a hard decision, one that racked her with guilt. With a single dose of Nova's serum at hoof, she acted, plunging the syringe into the lavender unicorn and filling her with the very poison that ran through her veins. The solution saved Twilight's life, but the side effects would not become clear until about a month later.

Having enjoyed a few weeks of quiet bliss, it came time to shed light on the situation. The Princesses called for a meeting in which both parties would share all their secrets, and move on from the dark time that Nova brought upon them.

Aurora dreaded her days of silence. Though she found pleasure working the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, and the serene bliss of family life, she had begun to let guilt eat away at her soul. She remembered her days on the run, and her especially important run in with Octavia. Reluctantly, she told her story on their train ride to Canterlot, bringing up feelings and thoughts she had long since tried to bury.

With a new found resolve, Aurora decided to make things right between her and her friend. But to the horror of all her allies, she wouldn't get that chance.

Two mysterious ponies, twin sisters, had stowed away on the train. Ally and Megan, members of a spiteful organization called the Cult of Revelation, were sent to execute an attack on the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

These two ponies, much like Aurora and Thundervolt, possessed strange abilities. Ally's body was able to withstand disturbing levels of physical trauma, making her a pseudo-immortal. Megan, while much more fragile, was the owner of a set of eyes that pierced the world around them, literally bringing ponies to their knees.

Unprepared for a force so resistant, they were unable to stop the newcomers attack. The train heading for Canterlot derailed, careening into the river far below, dragging everyone on board with it. Everypony managed to escape with their lives, but Aurora was lost to the dark and raging water. To make matters worse, Twilight's powers exhibited a disturbing surge of power, bringing Applejack back from the brink of death.

Crippled by the loss of their friend, and burdened with unanswerable questions at every turn, the remaining group did the only thing they could stand to do when faced with such an obstacle.

They moved forward...