I'd done everything possible in my power to try and escape them. Barricades, force fields... Nothing had worked. They were relentless, searching in drones and tearing down homes. They were taking the ponies around me- Families, friends... Every pony and any pony who stood in their path. There was no other thing to do but run, evacuate from civilisation and everything we'd called home. Run far away and never look back... Because maybe, just maybe, my face was the next to be stolen... Having sped as fast as my hooves could've taken me from my home, I found myself trapped in an endless spiral of turmoil. I couldn't prevail in finding my freedom from those things. They followed wherever I went.
I was already weakened from countless, freezing nights sleeping in alleyways. I had been too terrified to sleep lest one of them find me. The shadows were already beginning to hang heavy under my eyes. Sleeping upon such dirtied cobbles was certainly not the lifestyle I had hoped to be reduced to. In times where I had hidden from them, I had caught myself wishing-- mourning for the warm, safe home I had left behind me. Wondering what had happened to my friends-- Where they had run to, if they were safe... If they were even still here. The feeling was too much. Simply too painful. I was alone and I knew it. The world had never felt so hopelessly vast. There was not a friendly face in the streets for miles... Not a face at all, to be quite blunt. I was reaching my absolute limit. I knew that, on this empty stomach and tired four legs, I could not possibly carry on as I was. I felt my legs give out below me as I fell heavily upon the uneven brickwork with a thump. Winded from the impact, I took a moment to catch my breath, trying with all of my will to calm my shaking legs. My powder blue fur was grubby, unbrushed for days... My silvery mane was a matted disaster. Somewhere along the line, I'd lost my favourite hat and cape, but my concerns were deemed to be petty-- I could hear the sound of hooves reverberating from the walls of the gloomy alleyways and I almost caught myself saying my prayers to Celestia… I got to my hooves shakily, instantly at seeing a police pony just ahead.
I felt a great rush of relief flow through me, beginning to approach the turned stallion. Oh how naïve I was. I lifted a hoof, wanting to get his attention, but recoiled when the so called police pony turned to face me. I was greeted with white. No face, no colour-- not even a mouth! Simply uniform encasing a colourless, emotionless shell. I felt cold, hard fear as I gazed into the soulless face, unsure if the being was even returning my gaze. I couldn't hear it's breathing, I was unsure if it even had a heart. I felt frozen, I couldn't even scream. As the being seemed to reach out towards me, I gathered my senses and turned tail as quickly as I could make my hooves move. As soon as I had begun running, I found myself stopping, crashing to a halt and almost tripping over my own hooves as I found myself surrounded. Blank, white faces were turned to me, each of them seeming to be watching my every move and twitch.
I observed them wearily as they circled around me, vigilantly watching my flank as a couple attempted to draw closer. There was something on their heads. These things were certainly not unicorns... They didn't even seem to be earth ponies nor pegasi. They had a single antennae-like appendage from their forehead-. Where a unicorn horn would go naturally, but there was not a single trace of one... On any of them. A yellow-green ball hung shining at the tips of the abominations. They had closed me in, drawing the circle around me into an inescapable trap. If you are to think I had somehow escaped... You are most sorely mistaken.
That was the day that I... Great and Powerful Trixie... was powerful no more.
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Celestia paced the perimeter of her bedroom chamber, every so often glancing out of the window that offered her a wide view of her surroundings. Upon her request, it had not been boarded or protected with iron bars... She did not want her only gateway to the outdoors to be spoiled. The regal lady was quiet as she stared at nothing in particular, her features giving no sign of her inner emotion... Or turmoil. She was watching, waiting, wondering. It was as if the Equestria she knew had begun to disappear right under her hooves. Luna was safe enough, she knew that much-- They had been taking refuge with one another in a hope that they would not be discovered. Her sister would look to her now and again, a look of constant confusion and worry on her face... But her eyes repetitively asked the same questions, 'What is happening? Where is everypony? Why can we not stop this?'
Celestia didn't know, and so she often found herself shaking her head in return as if to answer her. There was nothing else she could do. There were no words to say. Even their false hopes were beginning to crumble away into dust, blowing away in the wind and disappearing like the inhabitants of the towns and villages of Equestria.
A terrible threat was endangering the land they had sworn to protect, one of which that swept even the strongest ponies to their knees in one, foul swoop. Grave consequences were certain to await them if this mess was not fixed in time, for it was spreading so rapidly that even the royal guard did not detect it's progress until all of Manehattan was painted completely in white. The white buildings had been left empty, and as if by magic, the population had been completely assimilated (sp) and abducted. Any pony to have faced these faceless lifeforms never seemed to make it back to tell the tale. Not even those of the Royal Guard who had been sent to protect those in terror.
One thing that the helpless Princess of the Sun did know, was that this was identity theft at a whole new level. This was stealing of the one thing that Equestrians rely on. The ponies' lives depended on their identity and what talents they had discovered. Their unique abilities and quirks were absolutely vital for Equestria to run in perfect harmony. With such a lack of ponies around, who would be there to complete the winter wrap up? Or who would control tornadoes and hurricanes least there'd be one? Nopony. Nopony at all. Equestria would surely fall heavily. Thankfully, the mysterious invasion had begun to move at a more steady rate. Though Celestia did not know why, she was surely thankful for it and simply prayed that the ponies who had escaped their wrath had hidden somewhere safe. If there were any, that is. Already having wiped Manehattan and Fillydelphia clean of the once loved ponies and their talents that resided there, the invasion, despite it's now calmer course through Equestria, was surely to continue rapidly making it's way to other places such as Baltimare, where the ponies continued to live blissfully unaware of the destruction heading their way. It seemed unstoppable, no amount of magic could rid the once peaceful world of it's invaders. Not even Celestia or Luna could take action. They had been forced to the sidelines, confined to the walls of the Canterlot castle that the Royal Guard so bravely protected. Surveying the destruction of their land was painful. They had heard no word from Cadence nor Shining Armor. Not even from Celestia's faithful student; Twilight.
After a particularly long debate with the leaders of Canterlot's best guard ponies, it had been decided that news of this invasion was not to be leaked or told to anypony outside the palace's walls. Not even to the very citizens that resided in Canterlot. Such a thing would surely put the community into chaotic panic... It would only cause more suffering. It may even speed up the process of the invasion. They didn't know what incentive these new life forms had to wipe equestria clean of the ponies that resided within it's once safe boundaries. The questions were on everypony’s tongue; Why were they doing this? What did they want? They didn't know. Nopony knew. And as long as they sat within the safety of the palace and boundary of Canterlot's walls, they were never to know.
Luna's gaze fell quietly to the marble floor, she felt helpless and knew that her sister felt the same. It showed in her eyes. It was evident in the way she acted and spoke to her guards. There was a painfully off tone in her voice that simply spelt 'lost hope'. It was painful to watch and listen to. The younger princess didn't want it to continue. Not for any longer than it had to. Ideas had steadily ran their course through her head since the invasion had begun, some chasing their tails while others evaporated in lost hope. Each seemed to be as useless as the next... But she did not want to give up trying. She needed to know that something was being done to eradicate Equestria's so-called 'visitors'. There was one idea that kept recurring to her, sometimes in her dreams, other times in her subconscious. She'd seriously considered it, but there was a little hitch that simply could not be overlooked. Her sister nor anypony else in the palace knew of her misendeavor a couple of years back. But, if it were to save pony kind as she knew it... Wouldn't it be worth the royal scalding she was certain she would receive? Yes. Yes, it would. Her resolution was made, she knew that it was a long shot, but nothing other was being done to defend Equestria as far as she knew. She was to call upon her strange acquaintances from beyond the mirror. The one she met many years ago. Both princesses knew this invasion was far too great a problem that could be simply dealt with using the elements of harmony unlike all the previous catastrophes. For all she knew, Twilight and her friends could already have been captured. Wearily lifting herself from her resting place and stretching slightly, she shook her mane out of her face and turned to her sister with a determined yet slightly nervous glance. Celestia continued to pace, now softly murmuring to herself, not noticing Luna's sudden movement to her hooves. This was a desperate situation. And desperate times call for desperate measures. She made a soft noise to gain her sister's attention. Celestia's eyes were on the Princess of the Night in an instant.
"Luna? Is something the matter?" she had asked, sounding worn from the monotonous days of continued hiding. Her fretful eyes surveyed her sister with false calm.
"I have some business I must attend to!" Luna announced boldly, looking her squarely in the eyes. Before Celestia could get a word in edgeways, she had left the room with swishing of the door's hinges, mane and tail streaming behind her as she made her escape. She didn't even stop as her sister called her.
She galloped through the castle as quickly as her hooves could carry her, hooves thundering upon the marble floors as she hurriedly attempted to remember her path back to the mirror's resting place. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, head bowed. Guards' faces rushed by in a blur, each asking her why she wasn't in her chamber. She didn't address them nor offer them a sideways glance, ignoring their calls as they reverberated from the tall, grand walls. The mirror was all that mattered now.
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As Celestia wordlessly watched her dear little sister rush from the bedchamber, she shook her head quietly and closed the door once more. It was always like Luna to run off. She'd done it whenever she had an idea or something to do, but now... Surely she must know the urgency of the matter enough not to do such things? What in Equestria was Luna's reason for rushing off at such a hurried pace? Part of her simply dreaded to know, the other was intrigued. Retiring to her bed with a melancholy sigh, she put her head to rest and closed her weary eyes... It had been so long since she had slept…
But, alas, her long awaited rest was not to be. Awoken most rudely by the sound of frantic, clattering hooves advancing through the hallways, she raised her head. Was Luna back already from her endeavors? Why would she be running? The doors to her chamber soon burst open with swing, but the pony that stood before her gaze was not her sister. Not at all. It was none other than her star pupil Princess Twilight Sparkle. Twilight had about enough stamina to bow before her former tutor before allowing her legs to weaken entirely underneath her, letting herself collapse heavily against the marble floor before her ruler. Judging from the state of her face and the way she was heavily breathing, it looked as though she ran all the way from Ponyville on nothing but pure panic. Something told the Princess that the train was certainly, if not before, 'out of commission'. Twilight's wings unfurled in a flurry of bent feathers and sore joints, lying outstretched within the space the princess's chamber allowed. The cold of the marble soothed her body marginally, allowing her to focus on calming her breathing. Her mane, usually kept in pristine condition and brushed to a grand appearance, was in a terrible disarray of tangles and knots. As she lay flat, Celestia's eyes had opportunity to take in her student's situation more carefully. Twilight had great scuff marks all over her fur, dirt and soil clinging to her legs as if she had been literally scrabbling for her life. She looked utterly downtrodden.
What Celestia was then to wonder was what she doing here after such long means of no communication in the slightest. After receiving no word from either Twilight herself or her friends, she had lead herself to believe they had also been swept powerless by the oncoming invasion. Ruffling her feathers in means to this sudden intrusion upon her sleep, she slowly lifted herself up from her bed and ventured slowly to greet her student.
"Twilight," Celestia called calmly, looking down at her student with pity, "What brings you here to the palace? I trust you must know what is occurring as of late..."
Twilight couldn't answer for she was breathing too heavily for words. Celestia could see a look in her eyes that she knew all too well in these days. The lost look of potent terror, as if she had watched her world before her smash into a million shards like a falling mirror. As if someone had literally carved the hope right from her eyes and locked it away, leaving nothing but a deadened gaze of lost hope. Celestia sighed, aiding the younger one to her bed carefully. She knew that now was not the time for talking in any sense. Not about the outside, not even if she wanted anything. No matter the desperation of the situation, the thing clearly needed now was rest... And calm. Calm that the rest of the world outside of the palace's walls could evidently not supply. Twilight had made it here in one piece. Safely but perhaps not soundly. But safely, yes... Calm and reassurance was certainly all that was important at that moment.
Twilight visibly relaxed as she was laid down onto the princess's soft velvet bedding, body willingly sinking into the support and comfort it offered to her. She closed her eyes, yes, but sleeping was certainly not to be on her agenda. Biting down her panic and taking several, slow, calming breaths, she turned away and curled up defensively. Celestia sighed from somewhere above her in the loamy dark that now surrounded her subconscious.
"Twilight... Get some sleep, won't you? There is plenty of time... We may only speak after you have rested."
The worn out mare knew she couldn't possibly refuse her former mentor's wishes in the state she was in and conceded her defeat. Resting more easy, now, she allowed her breathing to level out, letting the dark seep in around her tired mind. Falling into an uneasy sleep, Twilight's breathing gained a slow, comfortable rhythm. Celestia smiled softly, turning her head away and pacing once more to beside her window, staring out across the fields she yearned to step upon once more. Slowly but surely, she sank back into deep thought, eyes misting over. This is the first problem she knew couldn't be solved as easily as the rest. No amount of power seemed to affect these great foes. The Elements of Harmony may as well be flashy jewelry due to their lack of authority against them. Worst of all, it wasn't just one being creating means of havoc... It was an entire species. It didn't help that despite the elements' lack of power as it was, the ponies that were to bare them were nowhere in sight or communication. The only one she was assured that was safe and well was Twilight-- but that was only solely because she had burst in of her own accord and was now sleeping on the royal bedding at the very minute.
Celestia came to accept that this was a situation where using what knowledge she already possessed was useless and, frankly, ineffective. Luna had ran off some time ago now without telling her where she was headed-- this alone was odd in itself. It was true, Luna certainly ran off a lot of her own accord, but she always had the time to inform her elder sister where she was disappearing to in such kinds of hurries.
Whatever business her younger sibling had to attend to, surely it was important enough to include the Princess of the Sun herself in such things, right? Anything concerning Luna almost always tended to concern Celestia alongside her. The two were inseparable in any means. Yin and Yang, dark and light. Sun and moon. They relied upon one another to maintain a strong balance within Equestria. Upon the time her dear sister was sent away by means of heinous betrayal, problems had arisen with such calamity that the single princess did not want the newer generations of ponies to remember them by only those times. Celestia had grown more restless due to the new responsibility she was given, but in return, she had also grown weary and exhausted. Raising the Moon, felt so alien to her. It was entirely out of place. On some days, she simply slept the hours away, not wanting to bask within in the rays she had risen upon the land she now hopelessly ruled alone, knowing that soon after, the moon would have to appear under her lead. There was even a period of time in which Celestia simply refused to leave her chambers, refusing her departure until her sister was to return and continue doing what she was born to do. And that was rule Equestria at her side. It was foalish at most, but she was intent on taking a stand and protecting her younger sister's name. There wasn't much that could persuade her otherwise. As a princess, she had always been open to change and new experience... But she simply refused to work without her sister. This was not a change that she was going to agree with easily. Those thousand years, Celestia planned hopefully for her sister's return. She even set up a school for gifted unicorns in hope of finding the one who could bring her dear sister back safe and sound.
Celestia had to restrain her excitement with great effort when a little filly had successfully completed her test and proved herself worthy. The test to open a dragon egg with nothing but the power that resided within. The Princess raised Twilight as her own. Teaching her all she needed to know and more, helping her with valuable life lessons and morals. When Twilight and her newly found friends successfully brought back her only sibling safely, she had to reward her for her most grandly for her great deed. And what a better honor than to become the Princess of Friendship? An alicorn; the highest of all ponies in Equestria.
Celestia's eyelids drooped despite her inner rush of thought and concern. She had not slept for so long due to the invasion-- she may as well be utterly mindless from the amount of sleep she had managed to starve herself of... Tiredly and with a bowed head, she made her way slowly to a cluster of assorted pillows made from spider's silk. She kept them all in the corner of her chamber for studying and reading. She knew that her bed was comfortable enough, but there was something special about her reading corner that she couldn't quite put her hoof on. Her sister and herself used to sit in the reading corner together until the late hours of the night. Perhaps it was those special hours they spent together that made the space so favourable. Choosing her spot upon the bundle of cushioned pillows and settling down, she allowed herself a glance at her former student. There was a slight look of discontent on her features that suggested that even sleep could not aid her escape from the confusion and stress she felt. Celestia silently recalled upon how Twilight had looked upon bursting into her chamber. She had been, and probably still was, a complete mess of nerves and mixed messages inside. It was a wonder she had even focused upon where she was headed throughout the array of panic and confusion in the air. Perhaps it was instinct that led her to the palace's safety. Or a miracle, it was hard to tell. But Celestia knew that now was not the time to ask what could have happened.
It was a time to count her blessings and be thankful for the relief she has recieved. Motherly instinct eventually took over as she heard the first, soft sound emitting from Twilight as a result of her troubles. Lifting herself wearily from her temporary perch in her reading corner, she approached the bedside to offer what comfort she could give. She quietly edged across the duvet's surface, moving carefully in order to not to awaken the shaken mare from her sleep. Settling down by Twilight, she held her close protectively, taking her under her wing-- like a mother guarding her foal from all that dared harm it. Listening as the soft sounds of discontent faded from the air, calm breathing was all that remained in it's place. Celestia allowed her eyes to fall shut and soon relaxed into the mattress underneath her tired body. At last, her reward was won, and the familiar feeling of oncoming sleep washed over her and welcomed her wholly to it's dark, dreamless domain.
Author's Note
Please tell me your opinion below! Also constructive criticism is requested :3
