The Pony Beast

Chapters

The first day
Elements of Harmony
The Mare in the Moon
998 years later
Start of the Canterlot Sisterhood
Redemption of the Darkness

The first day

"She's getting worse."

In a dark room with stone walls a large beast sobbed. It was crouching in a corner and from it came occasional bursts of untamed magic, warping the room near it. The wall zapped into life, a huge mouth growing to swallow the creature whole; then another bright burst and the wall grew into scenery, a fantasy landscape growing out from the tower, spreading out into the night! Yet before its great forests could span far another spark of rogue magic turned the wall into a vertical lake...

"...Sir, somepony will notice if we don't do something soon..."

"Worse than that," a gruff voice replied, "Take a hard look, colt. What you see before you is the end of Equestria, mark my words."

"The... The end? But, sir, my family! My-!"

"Calm down colt... I have a plan... Go to the late general's house. Ask for his sister. Equestria will not fall on my watch, but... What we must do... It's a sin, colt. You will tell no one of this. You will let us old stallions and mares carry the burden and, in return for your silence... I will see peace reign again."

The young colt looked uneasy but nodded and turned to leave, pausing to add, "I will do as you say, sir... I... No one shall know."

With that he left the room, leaving the old stallion alone with the creature whose uncontrolled magic fits seemed to have died down with the sobbing as it finally cried itself to sleep.

"My..." he went over to it. Some starlight shone through the transparent wall, lighting the large being. It looked strong and healthy, in its sleep seeming as vulnerable as a foal... Yet it was more than that. Much more.

"You are a foal to come here..." murmured the stallion to the sleeping beast, "What brought you to us? We were safe... And you do not belong... You crash here, a formless beast, and steal our very shape... A mess that you are now, did you mean for this to happen? Surely not, for you cry so long and hard... And I, I heard you... I..."

He shook his head and looked through the rippling surface of the wall, the night's scenery barely visible through it. Sighing, he continued to mumble to himself, "We said we'd take you in, as you were alone, confused... Our god's word was that we must do so, and you... You destroy half the village... So MANY lives lost... But not you, you could not even be damaged. Not a scratch... And yet," he looked back down at the creature, "I heard you... Did I not? Or were you only echoing those around you? I thought I heard you say sorry..."

"Is it safe to be so close to that... That MONSTER?"

The stallion turned to the mare. As always she was upright and calm, her face a perfect mask for the grief she must feel. Smiling, the stallion returned his gaze to the "monster" at his feet.

"The temple of our god will become a palace..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our god has arrived."

"Our- no..."

"...The old prophecies are true at last..."

The mare's voice took on a panicked tone, "You cannot MEAN that, has this chaos taken your mind? Please, tell me tha-"

"WHAT CHOICE DO WE HAVE!"

The stallion's composure had finally cracked as the day caught up with him; the confusion, the curiosity; then the shock and finally... The horror, the overwhelming terror... He took a few deep breaths and then, with a worried glance to check the beast still slept despite his outburst, approached the mare to continue in a frantic whisper.

"Of course I don't think... None of our stories, it... But we cannot kill this beast. They tried. She takes no wounds from the guards and now... Now she is with me, and did I not take the oath? To look after the lost souls of this world... If I fail, the others will run, but first we must TRY... We must keep our people calm. Canterlot must stand."

The mare's eyes showed in the faint starlight and her visible fear at his words comforted him. She had always been a steadfast source of sanity.

"...Will they believe it? And... The creature itself? It too?"

The stallion nodded, "They will have no choice... And as for this terrible beast... She IS young, I believe, despite her looks now... If her form is stable, she can even be shown to them. A god among us, the power would be immense... But not just a god. A child god in a palace... The... Outburst only started when she was distressed. We should try to keep her sheltered. We will make this young god our princess; we will save her and ourselves from the nightmare she has brought upon us! ...I think it will work."

The mare paused and then, almost to the disgust of the stallion, nodded. If she was agreeing to such measures then it had truly come to this...

"We shall form a small group, us and a select few... A sisterhood to know her secret and to look after her... I'll have the village fixed as quickly as possible, we can tell her that today was... A dream. A terrible dream. Convince her she is sinless and she will work harder to keep her slate clean. She is young and confused enough for that to work, is she not?"

"I believe so..."

The mare looked to the small creature sleeping in the starlight, "Its-... Her mane, it flows so oddly... Almost looks like the sky... How fitting. I'll see to it the neighsayers are silenced. Whatever ponies saw I shall make sure that everypony knows our truth; Canterlot's greatness is confirmed, for today the celestial heavens birthed us a god. A god in pony form."

Elements of Harmony

A filly was crying as she sped through the castle, calling a name over and over.

"Sister Gem, Sister Gem!"

A cream-coated pegasus pony with dark turquoise hair came rushing over, catching the white filly in a warm hug, "Celestia! Goodness, whatever is wrong?"

"Cord and I, we were playing in the garden, and the statue of- oh Sister Gem I AM SO SORRY!"

The pegasus sighed, a smile playing on her lips as she realised all this fuss was about some garden ornament. A few of the Canterlot guard had come into the corridor at Celestia's shouts. The pegasus waved for them to move on before she patted her princess on the back.

"Now, now, Celestia... It's okay..."

"NO IT IS NOT!"

The cry echoed around the corridor. Celestia, crying hard, her eyes screwed tightly shut, waited for her Sister Gem to reply, to insist it was indeed fine. Instead she felt Sister Gem's reassuring hug slip away, followed by a soft thud...

The princess opened her eyes to see Sister Gem lying on the ground. Around her the corridor's guards were frantic, somepony was yelling for a Sisterhood member to be fetched, but Celestia was deaf to these cries. She was staring at her Sister Gem, who had fallen down. There was something very, very, wrong with her eyes... They were far, far, deeper than they should have been, like wells, and something seemed to be shining at the bottom...

"CELESTIA!"

That voice made Celestia start and she looked up to see an elderly stallion; Brother Gold Fleck. Before she could speak he was holding her with a firm hug. A screen had been set up by the guards around Sister Gem.

"Are they taking her away...?"

"Just for now, Celestia..."

"But..."

"Celestia, nothing has happened, don't dwell on that... Has something upset you?"

The white filly thought back, "The garden... The statue broke... Cord and I, we were playing and-"

"Him again? We told him not to come back here..."

"But Brother, he's my friend! He's..."

"Celestia, listen to me. He is nothing but a spirit of chaos. A mess, a monstrous thing."

"But it was me who-"

"CELESTIA!" Brother Gold Fleck moved back to look her sternly in the eye, "Celestia, listen to me. He's a creature of chaos. He brings that with him. You have done nothing wrong, it's him. He's never been anything but trouble. He corrupts things close to him. Now say it."

Celestia looked off to the side. The stallion sighed and nuzzled Celestia's neck softly, "It's okay, Celestia... That's just how some things are... Please say it, for me?"

The white filly looked back, sniffling a little before she stated clearly, "He is a creature of chaos. The statue was not my fault. He is a monster. He has always been trouble. He should not exist."

"Doesn't that feel better?"

Celestia nodded a little, smiling, "Yes... It does..."

Later that night Sister Dewdrop, a bright pink unicorn pony with purple curls, was with Celestia in the royal's bedroom. Since the incident with Sister Gem the day had been uneventful, at least for the princess, and Dewdrop was charged with helping her ready for bed as well as an unusual task. The young unicorn, having heard the news of Sister Gem, had tried her best to get out of being involved, but it had already been decided. Now here she was, pausing uneasily, at the point where she'd normally leave the room so that Celestia could retire in peace. Dewdrop cleared her throat and used her magic to bring over a polished dark wood box, the princess watching with evident curiosity.

The young unicorn forcing a smile as she presented it to the white mare, "Look what Mr Stoneworth made you!"

Celestia let out a delighted squeal as the box was opened to reveal a set of stone orbs, each engraved with a symbol, "I KNOW those markings! I've drawn those!"

"That's right! Now that we've cleared up that Discord mess the Sisterhood thought we should tell you about how you did it. You may not have realised it at the time, Princess, but you are a very special pony- aha, well, THAT you should know... What I mean is; you have control over some special forces. They're called the Elements of Harmony..."

Sitting on the soft carpet Celestia listened in wonder as Sister Dewdrop told her about these balanced powers and how, using them in ways the Sisterhood could not fathom, she'd banished Discord.

"...And so we thought maybe it'd help all of us to understand if you could SEE the elements... So we researched them and we think we've now worked out how you called upon their power! You see, they're all very important qualities that you have, princess..."

The white equine nodded eagerly, "So as long as I have these I'll be strong and can protect Equestria?"

"That's exactly right!"

Celestia giggled excitedly and Dewdrop listed the Elements of strength Celestia possessed...

"Honesty, because a kingdom must know where its princess is and you never let us worry!"

An announced predator takes no one by surprise. She must talk to us.

"Loyalty, like how we all stay together!"

Our princess must not leave us. With her Canterlot is invincible.

"Laughter, as you bring us all so much joy!"

The darkness of her mind brings her darkness onto us. Keep her happy.

"Kindness, like you show to every subject you meet."

Stress her good nature. Emphasise its importance.

"Generosity, because you are our princess and your kingdom is wonderful."

Remind her that we rely upon her. She must feel some responsibility.

There was a pause. Celestia looked at Dewdrop, "Well?"

Dewdrop smiled, "What do you think, Celestia? I'm sure you already know what your last power is."

The princess wrinkled up her nose in thought...

Humour her. This story lacks credibility unless at least one is a power she truly feels. Make her name the last element.

"A power I possess... Oh! Magic!"

Dewdrop forced a smile, "Of course!" Her mind replayed the news of Sister Gem. "See, Celestia? You knew about the Elements of Harmony long before these were presented."

Celestia gleefully cheered for herself before looking over the stone orbs, happily trying to work out which was which. Dewdrop, forcing herself to keep focused, congratulated Celestia every time, making a mental note of which symbol was which so that the "old scriptures" would agree with the princess.

When this task was finally completed Dewdrop praised the princess' intuition once more, wished her good night and moved to exit the room...

"I think I saw my sister today..."

My sister? Dewdrop turned, "Excuse me, your highness...?"

Celestia didn't look up from the stone orbs, "My... Real sister... Her... I thought I saw her around when... When I banished Discord... Do... Do you think she was helping...?"

"I..." Dewdrop didn't want to pause too long, she didn't want to be in this room anymore, "I'm sure she was. Goodnight princess."

Having shut the door behind her Dewdrop broke into a gallop. She had more than expected to tell the Sisterhood...

In her room the princess listened to the hoof beats fade away and sighed. Extinguishing the lights she looked out of the window to the cool clear night and its dark sky. Yes, her sister... Another as old as she who was never going to grow old or disappear before her... True family. And Celestia knew where she'd been hiding. She could see her right now. She'd been told it was an old mare's tale that the Mare in the Moon was a real pony but Celestia knew better. Every night before she slept she could feel her sister's presence. All this time she'd been hiding in plain sight... She'd done terrible things, but she did mean well, didn't she? She was sorry? She didn't mean to... Be involved... With what happened... She hadn't meant...

Celestia closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep with the feel of her sister closing in all around and the hope that the Sisterhood could... Help her...

"...No, then her position as ruler of the kingdom would be questioned. It must be her YOUNGER sister, a dark mare... We can make this work."

Some of the others present in Canterlot Sisterhood's council chamber were less than impressed with their elder's words, the candlelight revealing more than a couple of worried and sceptical expressions.

"This is nonsense, everypony will notice! Why have they never SEEN this second princess?"

"Our princess Celestia brings the day, her sister must bring the night. Ponies sleep in the night. That is why they missed her."

"Oh for rut's sake..."

"Watch your tone!" snapped the elderly mare, "We WILL make this work, and this is how we will do it!"

Another mare chimed in, "This aside, what about her Sisterhood companion tomorrow?"

"Brother Gold Fle-"

"He followed Gem to the infirmary. I don't think we'll talk him into coming back anytime soon."

"Dewdrop then."

The named pony stifled her shriek and looked desperately to her mother who, seeing her daughter's terror, opened her mouth to respond, and was cut off before she could start.

"It WILL be Dewdrop, no discussion. We CANNOT fall apart now, this is NO TIME to get cold hooves! Just remember your training young filly, Gem's case is a tragic one but rare. Be strong. We will find you a replacement soon."

Dewdrop doubted the elder's words but held her tongue. Unless she intended to flee the kingdom it was clear that she'd be spending the next few days with Princess Celestia...

As the sun rose the next morning Dewdrop trotted into the bedroom as casually as possible, bringing the princess her breakfast, "The Sisterhood wish to meet with you today, Celestia."

The princess yawned before looking over to the unicorn with a hopeful smile, "Is it about my sister, Sister Dewdrop?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia."

"She... She went too far, didn't she..."

Dewdrop meant to pick her words carefully, to be ambiguous, but before she could she heard her own quiet response, "Yes... Yes she did..."

The Mare in the Moon

In the small village of Fillydelphia the Summer Sun celebration was in full swing and everypony was wide awake despite the late hour. The pegasus ponies had done well; not a cloud in sight and the warm weather had brought most parties outside. Away from most of the bustle was Celestia and a selection of Sisterhood members, waiting for the princess' key role at dawn.

Aunt Chestnut, the only earth pony to be the Sisterhood elder in a long time, smiled to herself. She remembered joining the Sisterhood and learning the shocking news that, without Celestia, the sun had always risen... The crazy conspiracy to convince ponies of otherwise must have been something to behold at the time. Still, if a god lands in your kingdom you may as well make it your god, and why not with every power of the old texts? Generally ponies had been taking those powers less literally before Celestia came but the Sisterhood founders were not to be put off, insisting on those parts of the text as literal fact and, smart ponies as they were, shifted and reworded other existing myths and indeed celebrations to fit their story and praise their princess. In particular the Harvest Renewal, rebranded as the Summer Sun Celebration, was celebrated with extra gusto. With the joy of the parties, stroked pride and the kingdom's growth came less questions asked, and eventually such questions were forgotten. Certainly nopony in Fillydelphia seemed to have anything but joy on their minds, and why should they? Lately ponies had believed that the village had a lot of economic growth coming its way and the Sisterhood had planned for Celestia's visit to help with that.

The princess herself stood upon a small grassy hill watching the moon. The Sisterhood had more or less gone along with Celestia's insistence that her sister was THE Mare in the Moon. The story now went that her little sister, "Luna", was hiding as a shadow cast upon the moon. She was hiding as she'd been naughty but she was still there for her sister, a true family member. Celestia had seemed to take much comfort from the concept and Aunt Chestnut felt rather proud of herself. It seemed Equestria would be safe for a while longer yet...

There was someone else.

Someone else was by the princess.

Aunt Chestnut started heading towards the pair; she had not agreed for anypony to talk to the princess before sunrise, what was-

It was Gold Fleck.

The Sisterhood elder broke into a gallop, joined by Dewdrop and her mother as they rushed to stop whatever disaster the former Sisterhood member could trigger, to stop him from-!

Too late.

"...-PID, STUPID, MONSTER! I WAS THERE! You have no idea what you are, do you? What you did to Sister Gem? How much pain you bring EVERY pony EVERY day! You KILLED her, you awful, TERRIBLE, BEAST!"

The three mares slowed to a halt as they heard the end of his rant. Celestia hadn't moved or even talked since the mares had noticed Gold Fleck, but her eyes were upon him, her bizarre mane and tail flowing though the light breeze had altogether stopped as the stallion yelled at her.

Dewdrop's ears lowered as she watched the scene. Something was happening to Gold Fleck. His mane had stopped before the wind had and it looked strange, like it was shortening. Under his skin something seemed to flow. He was trying to talk again, but no words were coming...

Celestia spoke.

"I..."

Something was happening to the stallion's legs now, they looked like they were dripping, he seemed to be seeping into the ground...

"Don't..."

Dewdrop's mother covered her foal's eyes and shut her own as tightly as she could.

"Believe..."

Dewdrop heard somepony gasp.

"You..."

Aunt Chestnut gritted her teeth and charged forward, "CELESTIA!"

The white mare was looking back at the moon now and by the time Aunt Chestnut reached her there were tears streaming down the princess' cheeks and the ground beneath them was starting to heave as if the land itself were breathing.

"She... She's coming, Aunt Chestnut..."

"No, Celestia, LISTEN TO ME!"

Around them the wind was picking up, quickly becoming loud and fierce.

"I... She's done horrible things, I..."

"FIGHT her, Celestia! STOP HER, use the Elements of Harmony!"

Nearby trees splintered in half as if an unseen force swept through them.

"She's... She's so powerful...! I don't think I-"

"She's your little sister Celestia, you're the responsible one, PROTECT YOUR KINGDOM! If she will not follow your rules then STOP her! BANISH HER!"

"My own... Little sister... Banish? Aunt Chestnut, I can't-... This is her HOME, I-"

A quake ran through the ground and the sky itself shook.

"She's a creature of the MOON Celestia, SEND HER THERE!"

Squinting through her windswept mane Aunt Chestnut saw Celestia gasp, the white mare's wide eyes still fixed on the moon. The Sisterhood elder bit her lip, had she gone too far? Was the whole illusion, the illusion of Celestia herself, about to break?

All at once a bright light emitted from Celestia's horn and around the filly five floating stone orbs appeared. Celestia was mumbling to herself, "...Honesty, for I lie to nopony... Kindness, for I look after all... Laughter, for the joy I bring... Generosity, my plentiful kingdom... Loyalty, I will forever protect my subjects... And my greatest power, MAGIC..."

At the last word the sixth orb appeared above her, her wings spread and Celestia's brilliance truly became that of a sun goddess. From her came a bright light that filled the entire area and all who looked upon her dazzling form forgot the quaking ground and howling winds, they forgot their confusions and worries, forgot their hopes and loves, they forgot their own lives at that time and it mattered to them not, for in that moment it was only Celestia...

It was over. The scene had ended abruptly as a waking dream. The ground lay still and Aunt Chestnut found herself, in one piece, on the grassy hill as it had been before. She looked to her princess to see a smile creeping over the tear-stained face.

"I... I did it, Aunt Chestnut... I sent her there..."

The Sisterhood elder looked to the moon and her jaw dropped. Clearer than ever before were its Mare in the Moon markings, dark and distinct upon its surface. Swallowing hard and picking her words carefully the elder responded, "She'll be safe there, Celestia... You know where she is, she's far away but you'll always be connected because she's your family... Everything is safe like this..."

Celestia nodded happily.

A few hours later the rising of the sun ritual went ahead as planned, revealing a surprisingly cloudy day and many damaged trees, though thankfully the buildings of Fillydelphia and its inhabitants had suffered no major damage. Anypony who had seen strange things happen with Celestia on the hill quickly had their stories set straight. The frightening events had in fact been caused by her younger sister, not Celestia herself, as Princess Luna had come to try to stop the celebration, to keep it as night forever. Luckily, everypony was told, the great and wondrous Celestia had used the Elements of Harmony to banish her sister to the moon. There her sister could enjoy her nights and Equestria its days. The Sisterhood and its influence had insisted this was a happy ending to the matter. There was little in the way of objections but, after an entire morning selling that story, the present Sisterhood members were looking forward to leaving Fillydelphia as planned.

As the crowds dispersed one young Sisterhood member found the time to quietly approach Aunt Chestnut, checking over her shoulder before whispering, "I can't find anything on the hill, I-"

"Don't worry yourself about it, Sister Dewdrop."

"But the body, was it cleared or-?"

"There is no body. I was watching. You should not dwell on the matter. The princess is waiting and we must be strong..."

The young pony felt a slight chill as the words sunk in and she watched her elder head towards where the chariots awaited. It had been scary enough to hear of Gem, and to see... Whatever she did see happen to Gold Fleck. Yet Aunt Chestnut had watched it all and then saved everything. No major thanks and already she was going back to the monster she had defeated, to act like all was well... Dewdrop herself had long regretted joining her mother's special club and hoped to withdraw as soon as she was allowed to, but... She couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride. She and the rest of the Sisterhood; the unsung protectors of Equestria, protecting it from its own mad deity.

At the princess' chariot, Aunt Chestnut smiled and gracefully thanked her ruler once again. Yes, at last... Celestia seemed happy, more sincerely happy than she'd ever seen her. Maybe everything was indeed safe...

998 years later

"Where did you get this?"

The young colt flinched at his elder's yell, "In th-the courtyard, ma'am! A school filly s-said it's a new version, that b-bookshops throughout the land will have had deliveries...!"

Many Sisterhood members had yet to arrive at the emergency meeting, either busy with jobs or out enjoying the sun. Unfortunately, those gathered were coming to realise, it seemed likely that the rest of their day would be spent in this windowless council chamber. The book now being passed around the room's tables had grave implications.

One of the members present gasped sharply as she read the page, "Why would they DO this?"

The elder shook her head, "An honest mistake, or an attempt to add suspense perhaps? Most ponies these days don't think that the Mare in the Moon sealing story is real, let alone know when it happened... And all this is now besides the point, we MUST get rid of these books...!"

"It'll attract too much attention! Were that to happen it could backfire!"

Another member spoke, "At least the ones in the kingdom?"

The elder nodded, "Yes, we'll go with that... You three, I need a backup plan, and... Where is the princess now?"

"I think she's with that Twilight filly..."

Groans came from many of those gathered.

It had been an accident; Celestia had been expected to head straight back to the palace. At first the Sisterhood had thought her distracted by the Sonic Rainboom that lit up the sky for a dazzling moment that day, but it was not to be; a dragon's head had burst through the roof of an exam hall. Celestia had gone to investigate and met Twilight Sparkle, a fangirl with a talent for magic and, instantly taken with her, their princess had on the spot made the filly her "protégée". After finally retrieving their princess the Sisterhood had soon heard more than enough about "Twilight the protégée" as their god-like being bounced around the castle telling the news to anyone who would listen. The Sisterhood had planned for any protégés to be Sisterhood members and this slip in protocol on top of the letting Celestia befriend an outsider was... Embarrassing at the very least. The guard was tightened after that day.

"That bookworm... I can see where this is going..."

The elder sighed, the same thoughts not far from her mind, "We must try... Still, let us further discuss our backup plan..."

She pushed aside the book that had been brought in for the Sisterhood to read. Open on the subject of the Mare in the Moon, its page ending with this:

"Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year the stars will aid in her escape and bring about night time eternal."

Some months later an unusually tall pony was trotting confidently into the castle. She was a dark brown pegasus, her mane done up in a tight bun and her tail in a short braid, their pale grey colour the only hint of her age without one getting close enough to see the wrinkles on her face. She wore a yellow woollen shawl that was a little soggy due to the rainy weather that dark-skied day. Still, head held high she had primly trotted straight past the guards before they had chance to stop her. She ignored their commands for her to "halt" and continued on her way at a brisk pace. Arguing over who would take the blame the guards, not used to physically restraining the elderly, uneasily started to give chase. They were relieved to be quickly interrupted by a commanding officer who reassured them that Mrs Weather Shine was to be expected.

It wasn't until she was well within the castle that she was actually stopped by somepony.

"You there, are you here to help with the carpet?"

At these words Mrs Weather Shine stopped. She was close to her destination now, running a little late on account of the weather, yet had no intention of letting herself be addressed in such a manner. She turned, narrowing her eyes, and glared through her half-moon spectacles at the stallion who had spoken, "Excuse me?"

The youth, a white unicorn with light amber hair, rolled his eyes, "Oh PLEASE, don't tell me you're deaf? An old nag like you dressed in nothing but a tatty shawl, you MUST be here to help clean that old rug."

The pegasus pony stifled a grimace as she realised he was indeed talking to her. As she didn't comment, however, the stallion apparently took it as his cue to boast...

"It's very expensive, you know. Made by zebras."

Another pause. He narrowed his eyes.

"Don't think you'll get chance to run off with it either, we'll b-"

"You're a Nephew aren't you."

The white unicorn eyed her suspiciously, "What of it?"

"I could spot your type a mile away. Not initiated, probably not intending to be, not in fact DOING anything, just living off mummy and daddy's wealth. How do you expect to learn about the world, to do anything worthwhile? What do you contribute in any way to anypony?" The pegasus stamped down a hoof and snorted. "You will refer to me as Madam Weather Shine and I'm here to meet the Aunt."

The young stallion's eyes widened as he realised his mistake, "You? Y-you're here to meet the Sisterhood? You mean...? Oh, please, M-Ms Wea-!"

"Madam."

"-Madam Weather Shine, let us talk this over! If my mother knew that I'd spoke-"

"I will tell whichever pony whatever I please. If you're going to stammer like a foal all day then get OUT of my sight to do it."

The stallion spluttered out gibberish for a moment before turning tail and galloping away from the angry mare. She spat, muttering to herself as she continued on her way to the Sisterhood's council chamber.

The room was large and lit only by a small lantern on one of the tables. Alone at this table was a pale green unicorn pony, Aunt Parsley; current elder of the Canterlot Sisterhood. She was staring at the table's surface, deep in thought, her eyes full of sadness. Hoping her friend's sadness didn't relate to her being slightly late for their reunion Mrs Weather Shine cleared her throat as she headed into the room.

Aunt Parsley looked up at the sound and, smiling warmly, went to greet her friend.

"It has been too long, Shiner..."

"Indeed it has... And here you are, finally the elder of the Sisterhood! I thought Aunt Song Heart would NEVER leave her title...!"

The unicorn smiled sadly, "I do not think she would have were the situation not so dire..."

"Threw it off onto you once she foresaw bad times, hm? Ah, that clever old mare... Still, I assume that the Sisterhood aren't all as bad as the Nephew I met on my way here?"

"Who do you- oh. You've met Prince then. Honestly, that colt... I wish I'd never let that Hoity Toity character onto the grounds! Though I suppose most of his models don't let it go to their heads quite so quickly... Yes, that Nephew's good for publicity but bad for our reputation and the Sisterhood would prefer a little less of both. Which brings me to the matter at hoof..."

"Indeed. What part do I play in all this, Parsley?"

"You know I cannot say much, Shiner... But it concerns your schools, we're looking for somepony to perform a... Rather unique role, should the time arise. And it must be kept quiet."

Mrs Weather Shine nodded, "I'm listening..."

Start of the Canterlot Sisterhood

This is my confession. Until recently I was head monk at the glorious temple of Canterlot. Now... I would not wish for anypony to know my name. Over the past few weeks my life has turned into a surreal spectacle on account of her arrival. Perhaps our Queen, in her wisdom, had decided it was indeed time to end all ponies. These days more than anything I fear that, and for my immortal soul, but the path I have started on I can no longer turn from. Forgive me, my Queen God, for I have sinned...

The day had started simply enough and it wasn’t until the evening that it truly began. I was called down to the East section of Canterlot where there had been some sort of event. A forest fire had broken out and in the midst of it all a lone foal had been found. Canterlot army had the fire well under control by the time I got there and I congratulated their efforts, though many ponies seemed perturbed. At the time I put it down to the fire alone.

There was no one in the room with the foal when I met her. They’d told me she was a pegasus pony but before me was a small unicorn. Again, I put this down to a confused report due to the fire. It did not for one moment occur to me to think odd of the small white foal. Her pink-tinged mane was strangely flowing, yes, but that could be from emerging magical skills or some such innocent explanation. At any rate she seemed lost and shy. In hindsight I suspect she was still working out our language but at the time... At the time I was so naive...

I took her to my favourite cafe. It had a pleasant indoor setting that I hoped would help keep her mind off of the fire, a disaster no doubt traumatising for a young pony. I asked her if she wanted anything to eat and she was quiet. Thinking her timid but hungry I ordered on her account; sugar cube salad (a favourite of mine when I was younger) and a glass of mixed berry juice. It was around then that I noticed the crowd outside the store window. Reassuring her I’d be right back I went to talk to them.

Upon exiting the cafe I confronted the crowd; what did they think they were doing? Sheepishly they began to reveal their story... Some ponies had said that the blaze was started by a meteor. One pony had said a lot more. Apparently a pegasus pony had seen the meteor before it crashed and followed it, describing it as a “glittering black blob” that she felt “look” at her and would have sworn it started to change shape as she watched, to grow wings... There had since been speculation that the lone foal was not really a foal at all.

I was not remotely impressed by this story, the idea of grown mares and stallions believing such nonsense! On top of that to come here and harass a lost foal? Did they have nothing better to do, with a fire in Canterlot, than to spread worry?

Before they could reply there came a sound from inside the cafe. A cry. We turned to look and saw that the waitress had dropped her tray and the little lost foal was looking on in horror. The foal cried out again and the sound will not leave my mind; it was not the cry of a small filly, it was more like the bellow of cattle, like it came from something much larger... To my horror the filly changed to match such thoughts.

She had backed off of the chair, still staring at the tray, and she was stretching; her limbs elongating as if fueled by her panic. The waitress screamed and the “foal” mimicked the sound, her noise similar but much more shrill, like that of a bird. The waitress screamed again but this time was cut off as the pony monster attacked. The foal’s entire body had flashed brightly and the waitress was ripped apart into a cloud of fragments that fell wetly to the ground. The pony beast bellowed again, a large pair of wings tearing out from her sides in a shower of sparks that set light to the tables around her.

By now most of the crowd around me had fled (good luck to them, for I have not seen them since) and as the pony beast turned her gaze upon us it was time for the others and I to do the same. The glass of the window shook and one pane leapt out, as if in life, grabbing and wrapping around one of the ponies beside me, dragging her to the ground. The rest of us kept running. I fled to the outskirts of Canterlot before I collapsed, panting to catch my breath. Part of my mind wished I could just continue to run, to be as far away as possible... Yet even as I wished to flee forever I already knew I had to return. Head monk of Canterlot, the first stallion in charge for centuries, protector of the city... Ponies had joked that a monk could not do a nun’s job but I had reassured them that my belief was stronger than they could imagine, that I would never abandon my divine responsibilities... I had meant it. Canterlot needed me and I would be there.

Flames were lighting up buildings as night began to fall. I found some of the guards and they told me that they had been trying to fight the monster. They informed me that their general had died, that he had collapsed as if his bones had just vanished... He was a good stallion, may he rest in peace, but right then I had the guards pull themselves together; Canterlot needed us.

It being against my vows to send others into such danger I had them take the outskirts of the burning buildings whilst I tried to find survivors in the areas touched by the invading beast. Through the smoke and heat of the fires I searched hard but it was as if all that saw her were taken apart. There were large, curious, creations in various areas, like twisted pieces of dried fruit, that I hope were just items but fear were our citizens... One pony I came upon seemed trapped in time, her body parts rearranged as if a young foal’s poorly constructed doll, but her attempts to run were frozen. I believe her to have been still alive because she appeared to be crying. I admit I was thankful that a collapsing building stopped me approaching and, hopefully, relieved her of her suffering.

Soon after that I heard screams and went running, hoping for survivors with better fortune, but was too late. I have here written enough of the grizzly fates suffered and at these ponies I will draw the line. I pray that those four have eternal peace in return for what they suffered then and thank our Queen God for my sanity that they could not scream more by the time I arrived. What sounds could have come from what I saw there belong only in my nightmares.

Of course the one responsible was here too. I had caught up. She still had both wings and a horn, a bizarre mix of ponykind in stretched form. At last there was something truly pony about her, however, for now she was crying.

Perhaps I should have fled. That would have been sensible. Perhaps I should have tried to kill her, despite my slight chances of success where the Canterlot guard had failed. I think killing her was first on my mind, as I approached her, but as she continued to sob I found it harder to think of what she had done. She seemed so sorrowful, so... Lost. I doubt many would have interpreted my vows to apply to such terrors as her but at that point I had seen enough death. I talked softly to her, urging her to come with me, telling her that I would keep her safe and take her away from these ponies. She agreed and I lead her towards the temple.

She was surprisingly elegant in that tall form. I had chosen an old secret tunnel to one of the taller towers, with low ceilings and many stairs, yet she kept near to me despite my quick pace. Eventually we got to the top room where she went to collapse by a wall, resuming her sobbing fully, occasional bursts of feral magic emitting from her. I left her there while I went to contact the remaining guard. I explained the situation and ordered them to keep me informed on the fire. I had worried that they would be angry but instead they seemed relieved to know that the monster was no longer nearby.

I spent some time working with the guard, getting arrangements made for the wounded, and evacuation procedures from the endangered housing. Eventually it became clear that the situation was under control and I returned to the room to watch over the pony-shaped thing. At one point, as I had snuck her to the temple, over the sound of ponies trying to tackle the fires, I thought I had heard her say “sorry”, though to this day I am not sure. Perhaps she was just mimicking what another had said, if she had spoken at all? I wonder still if it is possible for a merely pony-shaped thing to find redemption, especially for the crimes she committed... It was then, as I watched her in the tower, that I came up with my ultimate sin.

Glimmer Dawn is one of the smartest ponies I’ve ever met, not to mention a strong politician; I had one of the guard fetch her for me. Together we planned and founded the Canterlot Sisterhood but on my shoulders should the blame be for the great crime soon committed. We had Canterlot renounce its true faith for the new monster. We made her into a god in pony form. We treat her like royalty and refer to her as Princess Celestia. The name was Glimmer Dawn’s idea. She has dealt with this well, despite the creature being responsible for her brother’s death. She almost seems to have developed a bond with the beast as time has passed, or at the very least the creature is attached to her and Glimmer Dawn knows how to use that to her advantage.

One day, near the first public appearance for our “princess”, Glimmer Dawn had come to tell me that she’d taught her to age. It was entirely appropriate that our new god was not much taller than a normal mare for her first public appearance. She was still tall but seemed much younger... Glimmer Dawn expects that she shall grow back to how she was before, but slowly. It’s of course a matter useful to us but I do shudder to think how long this creature may live... If she has to be taught to age, could she be taught to die? I once questioned Glimmer Dawn on the matter but she did not believe it to be possible and feared what may happen were to confront the princess with such grim thoughts. So we shall stay quiet on the matter and hope that, one day, Equestria may be freed from this shadow without our involvement.

The way that Glimmer handles the princess is a sight to behold. Never an order, Glimmer Dawn directs Princess Celestia by subtle suggestion, always positive, forever encouraging the creature to think of only bright things, bringing it into the conversation in a casual manner though sometimes she has the creature repeat words to retain her focus... Glimmer often has the Sisterhood forge documents such as “old texts” that back up stories about Celestia’s existence. It all seems to work very smoothly though Glimmer Dawn assures me that ours is not a stupid beast. Just suggestible. Once she told me that she’s unsure how much the princess has truly forgotten and how much it just wants to forget. Glimmer also believes that in part things have gone so smoothly as fate itself bends to the will of what our royal beast believes. In its implications this is a more than chilling thought that I prefer not to dwell upon.

So it has become that our terror from that first day is now worshipped in Canterlot on a daily basis. She sits upon a throne whilst the families of those she slaughtered have no graves to mourn over. Yet despite the lies our power is spreading and soon Celestia will be the princess of more than half of Equestria. It is as if we paid for greatness with blood sacrifices. It is as if we traded in truth for power.

...May the Queen God forgive us and may Canterlot stand strong.

Redemption of the Darkness

It was a few hours until the Summer Sun Celebration and Aunt Parsley was terrified. Just another day and they might have made it... When she had agreed to take over as elder she knew that there was the possibility of things going wrong, and the preparations had all been made, yet they had still come so close to making it through the year... Now everything was happening after all. That morning it had all kicked off... The guards had rushed her to outside the princess’ room where Sister Dazzleprance had updated her swiftly...

“...She’s been crying since she got the scroll. I answered it as quickly as possible of course and, thank goodness, there have been no outbursts, but she’s ever so upset, if she stays this way...”

Damn that Twilight filly.

Aunt Parsley had nodded and, whilst sparing some members to keep the princess distracted, their plans had been put into action. Thanks to prior arrangements all that was really now called for was to bring the required ponies together, ready for whatever may happen at Ponyville. It had all seemed fairly straight forward until Celestia had burst in on the Sisterhood around midday.

“Have you seen Twilight?”

The other shocked Sisterhood members tried to cover up various documents as Aunt Parsley and Sister Dazzleprance rushed over to the princess.

“She went to Ponyville, your highness.” Dazzleprance had told her.

“What? Why has she gone there?”

“She’s checking on the celebration’s arrangements,” the Sister had replied.

Celestia was giving them a perplexed stare.

Aunt Parsley had always been told that the elder needed to be ready to think on their feet but right now she was drawing a blank, “...She knows it’s where tonight’s celebration will be, of course...”

Realisation appeared to dawn upon the princess, “Is she... Is she going to try to stop my sister? She’s going to try to save Equestria?”

Aunt Parsley nodded, “It may be so, your highness.”

Those words had thrilled the princess and, hugging both Aunt Parsley and Sister Dazzleprance, she left the room to where the Sisterhood members responsible for accompanying her waited. Those unlucky ponies gave apologetic looks to their peers before following the princess, leaving the rest of the Sisterhood to deal with the new plot point.

“Was that a wise thing to say, Parsley?”

“My Sisterhood, let us not forget... With our Princess Celestia the most important part has always been keeping her belief strong. Our plan has many risks but, just maybe... If Celestia believes that Twilight can save her, then maybe she can.”

The Sisterhood had nodded uneasily, not entirely convinced but ready to try and make things work.

Now on her way to Ponyville Aunt Parsley sighed to herself... At the time she had sounded, and felt, so sure that it would be so but now, just hours before the celebration began, she was worried... Could Twilight Sparkle really be the key to Celestia’s redemption?

“She’s coming closer!”

It was almost time. They hadn’t known what to expect, would a beast be summoned? A pony changed? Or perhaps she would alter herself? Would the events of the original Sisterhood entry be repeated? All these outcomes had been considered but now Aunt Parsley was hoping against hope for one particular outcome, one she had wished for since her initiation into the Sisterhood: For the Sisterhood’s message to turn out fake. A lie, pure fantasy. To find that their princess was indeed the benevolent goddess she had so admired growing up... Isn't that what every Sisterhood member truly hoped? All those recorded incidents... Couldn't they be a lie? Nopony alive had seen the princess do such things, so maybe... It was a mistake, a misunderstanding? A cruel prank? Maybe... After all, many of the things written by old ponies turned out misinformed, untrue, or purely symbolic, resulting in the "old mare's tale" phrase and fairy tales. The great Princess Celestia, ruler of Canterlot, a monster? The idea was ridic-

“She’s... Here...”

The monarch’s voice was strained. Looking to the princess the Sisterhood’s elder felt her hope drain from her. Something was happening to her Princess Celestia...

A long time ago, when Parsley was just a filly, she and her father had travelled far north to see the aurora ribbon that filled the skies, a magnificent light display. Her father had explained the phenomenon to her but all she really remembered was how beautiful and mesmerising it was, as if the sky were trying to taunt her into playing with it in the way that one would tease a kitten with string... Thinking back, yes; she had seen colours like those of Celestia’s hair.

Before Aunt Parsley now was a new wonder to behold and it started with that long aurora ribbon of a tail; from the tip it changed, the colours burning up to reveal a tranquil night sky, as if it had always been hidden beneath. The princess' entire colourful tail was eaten up by this transformation and when the change finally reached her hindquarters it continued through the fur; a ripple of darkness seeping out over the princess’ body. Once it touched her mane it spread to that, the mane’s pastel colours disappearing, burnt away to show a star-studded night... As the changes devoured the mare her golden armour warped and reformed, turning blue, the tiara gripping the royal’s head as it bubbled and melted, stretching into a helmet. The transformation reached the tip of her horn, her eyes a cloud of colour that finally settled on cyan. A chilling yet beautiful sight to behold but the dark mare meant so much more to the onlooking Sisterhood. The monster of untamed darkness was confirmed and her appearance mattered less than the stories they remembered. It meant that finally they had to see their “god” for what she was; a monster, a creature better deserving the fear of foals than the fictional “sister” used to cover her darkness, for it was the Princess Celestia who had long been the most horrible secret of ponykind, a terrible monster of the night.

Nightmare Moon had arrived at last and, transforming into cloud of blue smoke, she swept out of the room.

From outside Parsley heard cheers and the mayor introducing Celestia. The Aunt hissed the word “confused!” at her fellow Sisterhood and just in time for a moment later the curtains opened and a young white unicorn soon peered into the dark room. The Sisterhood member shrugged and shook their heads.

“She’s gone!” the unicorn announced to the crowd in the hall and Parsley could hear the shocked gasps of everypony gathered.

The green unicorn elder whispered under her breath, “Oh, sweet Celestia, please let no harm come to them...”

Somepony let out a startled cry and the present Sisterhood members watched from the darkness as their princess’ blue mist returned and reformed on the balcony.

“Oh, my beloved subjects... It’s been so long since I’ve seen you precious little sun-loving faces...”

Her voice was different and her tone mocking. There was an air of danger about it. Cowering back the Sisterhood listened to the Ponyville inhabitants take poorly to the dark mare...

“Did you not recall the legends? Did you not see the signs?”

“I did!”

Parsley’s ears perked up. Twilight’s voice.

“...And I know who you are! You’re the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon!”

Gasps from the Ponyville ponies.

Celestia sounded impressed, “Well, well, well... Somepony remembers me... Then you also know why I’m here!”

Twilight's initial bravery had left her, “You’re here to... To...!”

The dark mare chuckled, “Remember this day little ponies, for it was your last... From this moment forth the night will last FOREVER!”

Maniacal laughing came from the balcony. The Sisterhood crept closer to Aunt Parsley.

“Is this how it’s meant to go?” asked Sister Sunberry.

“Aunt Parsley, what if this doesn’t work?” whimpered Brother Spice.

They all glanced to the balcony as two guards attacked. They were swiftly knocked back and the royal mare returned to mist and flowed swiftly out of the door, into the night.

Looking back to their elder the Sisterhood resumed questioning her. Parsley gulped and shook her head, “Trust... Trust in whatever you can. Celestia. The old god. Young Twilight Sparkle. Stay strong my little ponies, I must go to the next part of the plan... Go, be with your families.”

With that Aunt Parsley left the building to a chariot waiting nearby. She watched the other Sisterhood members hurry past her, no doubt taking her advice. Her heart heavy she had the stallions pulling the chariot take her to the Everfree Forest. Her journey was not alone, however, for with her sat the young pegasus pony recommended by Mrs Weather Shine. The young mare looked worried now, no doubt having overheard the commotion within the hall and also having watched the frightened Sisterhood gallop back to the other chariots. As the ground passed swiftly below them and the young pony finally spoke to the elder next to her.

“Aunt Parsley, can you tell me what is happening?”

“My dear, we cannot tell you too-”

“Please...”

There was fear in that voice. The Sisterhood elder sighed, “A dark mare has come tonight. The Nightmare Moon of legends is more real than you... We... May have thought...”

“...Nightmare Moon? But...! My mother said that Princess Celestia banished her to the moon forever!”

“That is... One version...” One that I wish a certain Twilight Sparkle had kept to... “But she is here now... I am not sure if you still have a part to play tonight my dear but trust me when I say I will keep you safe.” It was a lie, her loyalty was to Canterlot and Equestria first, but Aunt Parsley hoped she would not have to choose.

The young pony nodded and the rest of the journey was quiet.

The old castle grounds were overgrown ruins. Luckily a unicorn pony helped signal them down to the chosen area, a patch in between two of the main towers. Aunt Parsley got out of the chariot and looked from one to the other curiously, as if trying to work something out...

A cheerful pony came to greet her, “That one’s the element chamber, that one’s the old throne room. Took us a while to ready this area for both chariot and hiding but I think it came out quite well.”

Dazzleprance’s smile faded as she got closer to Parsley, “...Did something happen?”

Parsley put on a brave face, shook her head a little and then broke into sobs. Dazzleprance rushed over, catching her in an embrace, “What happened???”

The elder pulled away, regaining herself somewhat, “It... Nothing we didn’t plan for... But... Sweet Celestia... Ha, she had always been so sweet, Dazzleprance... I had hoped...”

“So it is her afterall?”

The green unicorn pony nodded sadly. Dazzleprance hooked a hoof around the elder's shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting gesture without being too patronising, “Have faith, Aunt Parsley...She may not be what we grew up believing but she is still our princess. And your plans are all set, she’ll come back to us.”

“I... I do not think she’ll ever come back to me, Dazzleprance... After so long waiting to be the elder I think I realise why it took me so long to get here...”

“We are prepared... The Sisterhood is still strong, Canterlot is still safe, and... I believe you’re right, about Twilight. I think she can do it. This is all going as well as could be expected, is it not?”

Parsley gave a small smile, “You’re very... Collected, for one your age. You’re right, this is going well, all things considered... Even if I retire from this post early I will see this through first..." The sister gave her an encouraging smile. Parsley paused and then continued, "Tell me, Dazzleprance, have you ever considered being an elder?”

The Sister laughed, “I’m not THAT old, Aunt Parsley!" She caught herself, "Uh, not that you’re-”

“Aunts can be young. Admittedly it’s been a while since that’s happened in our Sisterhood, but have you considered it?”

"I... Well, some day, probably, but..."

"Come..." Aunt Parsley went to settle down under some of the prepared cover, "Let us consider the possibilities..."

Together the mares talked, every so often stopping to receive updates on the situation from their pegasus pony spies who had set out to monitor pony activity in the forest.

First, “...Dropped them off a cliff? But they’re all okay? And then a MANTICORE? Goodness...”

Later, “A fashion-aware sea serpent?”

Their original conversation soon gave way to a puzzled discussion of the situation.

“...Well yes, of course I didn’t think she’d just wait in the castle but... Scary trees and wild beasts?”

“I think they’re tests for the Elements.”

Parsley and Dazzleprance looked up to see a Sister and Brother approaching, the actual siblings Candy and Buttermint.

“What elements?”

“The Elements of Harmony.”

Parsley eyed the ponies, “The... But I thought it seemed certain Celestia would not use them this time?”

“Think about it...” Buttermint explained, “One of them calmed the manticore and removed its thorn, that sounds like kindness doesn't it? Laughing at scary trees? And it seems the pony who caught Twilight was talking to her before letting the others catch her, that could be loyalty or honesty, couldn't it?”

At that moment a pegasus flew in, “Aunt Parsley, the six are over the chasm.”

Candy spoke up, “How?”

“One of the pegasus ponies flew across to fix the bridge. Nightmare Moon became three ponies who resembled the Wonderbolts and then summoned a lot of mist while talking to the one who went to fix the bridge..." he cleared his throat nervously, "My apologies, it was hard to see, but the bridge was fixed and the pony flew back alone.”

Dazzleprance and Parsley looked to Candy, who looked to her brother, “What do you think? Loyalty?”

“Probably. I mean, what young pegasus doesn’t want to run away with the Wonderbolts, right?” he smiled at the reporting pegasus who, rolling his eyes, trotted away.

Dazzleprance pondered aloud, “So she’s getting the ponies to represent the Elements... To imprison herself?”

Parsley shook her head, “We’ve been working on this for years, it’s clear that the princess wants redemption...”

“So to fix her? She’s going to admit who she is?”

“...I’m not sure...” Parsley sighed and glanced behind her to the young actor pegasus whose unusual costume was being touched up, “We should stay prepared for otherwise...”

Candy eyed the costumed pegasus, “Someponies said that Nightmare Moon looks much more like Princess Celestia than we expected... Will our Luna still work?”

“It’s better than nothing,” Dazzleprance replied.

“I suppose...”

“Sisterhood,” a young pegasus mare landed by them, “Aunt Parsley... They are almost here. They seem to be heading for the Element Chamber’s tower.”

The Sisterhood nodded, all members quieting down and setting about readying their actor to move closer to the selected tower. Chariots hidden and all accounted for they were quickly on their way, keeping low as they rushed through the forest, unicorns at the front doing their best to clear a subtle path without lessening their pace. The darkness all around them as they rushed forward Parsley was reminded again of her trip to the aurora ribbon. It had been a colder night then but she had been just as afraid of the dark unknown. At that time her father had reassured her that, so long as she had ponies willing to protect her, and so long as she was willing to protect them in return, she had nothing to fear. He had told her that when friends fight together for each other there is nothing they cannot overcome, for she could feel her bravery and trust in that of her friends. Parsley smiled, a flicker of confidence warming inside her... Then almost ran into the pony in front of her. Everypony was looking up, they were almost at the tower and a light was coming through the windows, and then... A flash.

“Was that it?” whispered one Sister. One of the pegasus spies flew up, cautiously, and narrowly missed being spotted as one of Twilight’s companions came to the window. She was looking outside, but not to where the Sisterhood hid...

“Over there!” somepony gasped and the Sisterhood looked behind them to see that the windows of the other tower, the old throne room, now shone with light!

Turning around and quickening their pace in the new direction the Sisterhood found themselves delayed again as they heard galloping approach. Keeping low they saw five ponies dash past on the main track joining the towers.

The pegasus spy, nearly seen moments ago, flew down to Aunt Parsley once the five had passed, “That’s all of them, the purple one transferred with the elements.”

“Come on!” urged Parsley. The Sisterhood and their pegasus helpers rushed after the five, keeping to the shadows as best they could but needing to be at the right tower before they missed any potential cue...

Nearing the tower they saw a bright white light stream through the windows. Nearly there... Was that Nightmare Moon crying out in defeat? Was it over?

With a pegasus to lift her up to the window Parsley peeked in. Twilight and her friends had acquired some new jewellery. By the sounds of it things had all gone smoothly...

“Indeed you do.”

Parsley was thankful that her gasp was not overheard as across the throne room she saw a ball of light rise with the sun and come through the window, turning into the Princess Celestia she’d known for so long. This wasn’t over.

“Princess Celestia!”

“Twilight! My faithful student... I knew you could do it.”

Parsley signalled to her ponies below to get the actress up.

“But... You told me it was all an old pony tale...”

“I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more...”

Parsley eyed Dazzleprance as the unicorn was lifted up to take her place by the edge of the window, making a mental note to check that the pony had accurately updated the princess on the reply to that scroll...

At the window now and staring at the spot with the abandoned Nightmare armour Dazzleprance concentrated, her horn starting to glow...

“..I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her...”

At the bottom of the tower lay the actor pegasus. Her heart was thumping as she felt her part approaching, a one-shot act on a unique stage... She felt a strong pull, the undergrowth beneath her become stone floor as she was teleported to inside the throne room.

“But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well...”

Aunt Parsley bit her lip. Trust in Celestia...

“Princess Luna.”

The actor pegasus, finally on her stage, gasped and lifted her head to observe her princess approaching.

“It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this.”

Outside the window, Dazzleprance signalled for her pegasus pony to land, smiling to the green unicorn elder who let a quiet sign of relief. No time to change the costume’s armour, certainly no time to find a taller actor, but it had worked... It was working right now.

At the bottom of the tower the Sisterhood and their helpers strained their ears, “...Will you accept my friendship?”

There was an overly melodramatic pause before, “I’m SO SORRY! I missed you so much, big sister!”

Parsley smiled. She’d forgotten how much her old friend Weather Shine favoured cheesy acting. Still, it had worked... She collapsed onto the grass in the morning sun, smiling as her fur absorbed the dew. They had done it... Her Sisterhood. This ridiculous plan had come together...

Dazzleprance nuzzled her elder happily and added, as the old pony seemed to have missed it, “They’re having a party!”

The Sisterhood elder smiled at the Sister and looked to her companions, “Well, shall we join them?”

The party was a welcome idea to Ponyville and had quickly got into full swing as the "princesses" mingled without problem. Away from the main events the Canterlot Sisterhood had their own small gathering in honour of their elder and the plans that had turned out so successful, the redemption of their princess! As Ponyville celebrated the happy end to the old mare's tale of the Mare in the Moon the Sisterhood hoped for the end to another old tale, of the Canterlot nightmare... The latter's party had the mood temporarily dampened when Aunt Parsley took the chance to announce her retiring from the post of elder. However, after she’d shared both her hopes for the happy future of Canterlot and given her vote for Dazzleprance to be the youngest elder for generations, the celebration soon recovered its joy; a retirement party with optimism for the future.

The Sisterhood returned to Canterlot as evening came. There was some concern at the fact that Twilight was not with them, but Celestia seemed rather happy regardless, reassuring the Sisterhood that Twilight would keep in touch with her. Soon they began to believe her. It helped that the Sisterhood were generally happier keeping Twilight at a distance, many of them considering her a key factor in the creation of the recent crisis. Also quite happily they soon found that their Luna actor need not move into the castle, a possibility they had not mentioned to the pegasus herself. Celestia seemed surprising uninterested in seeing much of her “little sister” now that she was redeemed. The actress, horn and body paint removed, was able to return home.

A few weeks later Aunt Parsley performed the ritual to give the Sisterhood over to Dazzleprance, the youngest elder in generations.

“May you be the last one, Dazzleprance...”

The young unicorn smiled. She did not believe things would be over so quickly but it had been a long time since she’d seen Aunt Parsley so honestly hopeful. Who knows, maybe she’d be right...