Echoes of the Past

Chapters

Prologue
1. Just a Thief
2. Smoke and Mirrors
3. Loose Ends
4. Business as Usual
6. A New Equestria
7. In Her Sister's Horseshoes
8. A Parting Gift
5.The Cloak and Dagger

Prologue

Prologue

I can't tell you how many times I've been called a thief. It seems every other day somepony accuses me that I took something from them, or that I was spying on them and I should be locked up. I just keep saying to them "I am the Thief of Goodwill. I do not take what is not mine. I do not spy for no reason. If something is missing then it was paid for. If I was watching you then somepony is doubting your friendship." There are not many who believe this but if I was lying then I would be in jail. Of course, when they have a job for me, they'll change their tune.

My talent is stealth. Sneaking around and avoiding getting caught is what I am good at. Unlike most ponies the day I earned my cutie mark was received with mixed reactions. Many ponies were worried that I would become a thief. They were concerned that I would break into other pony's houses and take what was not mine. That wasn’t me. My destiny would not be behind bars. I would show them I could bring good from stealth.

It took a long time to turn my talent into a career. I first needed to find ways to use stealth in way that I can be helpful. So I figured that there must be errands that needed to get done that ponies would rather not be seen while doing. Eventually most of my jobs would be watching other ponies to see if friendships were going sour, as well as obtaining items that were difficult to acquire. Then there were also those special jobs. Those are what I am known for, those are were the challenge is.

After I figured out what I could do with my talent I needed to get properly equipped. I did not want to be spotted because of my bright eyes. I had four similar cloaks made. One is black to keep me hidden in the dark. Another is white to let blend in the snow and the sky. It's also useful when I get a job in Cloudsdale as well as making me nearly invisible while spying on top of a cloud. The third is a dark green scheme to cover me when I'm in a forest. Lastly, one for when I'm in broad daylight: a bright color scheme that keeps me concealed during the fall as well when I need to create a distraction. Each had various slits to allow my wings, mane, and tail to come out. It also had a hood that can cover my whole face to protect it from high speed winds. My last bit of gear is some glasses attached to the hood to let me see better in the dark and shield my eyes from the sun. These were designed by me but made by the same pony who made the outfits for the Wonderbolts. She did a good job: strong metallic looking fibers interwoven with silent aerodynamic material keeping me warm and cozy any time of the year. It did cost a lot but it was worth it. Then I took all that to get it enchanted by the local wizard. I got a spell put on that made the wearer slightly transparent; a ghost-like appearance. I also got an enchantment for my horseshoes; it made my hooves practically silent. Now all geared up I was ready.

The final piece was all a matter of getting attention. This was easier than I thought. Apparently my talent is in high demand mainly because there are so few ponies that can do this. I soon had so many jobs I had to turn some down. The biggest reason why was that the job wanted me to perform a crime or other dark deeds that ponies needed to get done but don't want to their own hooves dirty. So usually my services were off to the highest bidder. As for my name, I stopped using it as it did not match my skill set and now I'm only known as The Thief of Goodwill.

So we begin: I was standing in my small isolated house between Ponyville and Canterlot just taking off my gear and brushing my mane and tail when I found a small white square on the floor. It was a tiny piece of paper. Somepony must have slipped it into my wings when I was in town. I read it:

"Thief of Goodwill, meet me in my bedroom in Canterlot tomorrow night.
-Celestia
PS Don't get caught."

Wow. The first thing I knew is that this is big. I don't know what I would do but I would have to find out. I haven't gotten big job since I had to shadow the Mayor of Ponyville. This was Celestia's signature so it must real. She also said not to get caught. This must have meant that I had to prove to her that I'm ready for whatever task she gives me. I stomped my hooves in excitement and began planning how I am going to do this. How will I do this?

I took tomorrow off to plan to break into Canterlot Royal Castle. I pulled out some of my schematics I have acquired throughout my adventures, studying them as much I can, trying to find anything I don't already know. I spent the whole day trying to find anything that could help me. I did not find much. In the afternoon I was a nervous wreak. I was banging my head against the wall and cursing myself for having made no progress. I have not found a single thing that could aid me in my break in. Finally I gave up this search. If I could not physically prepare myself I could at least get mentally ready. I spent the rest of the day building confidence and focus.

Sunset arrived so fast that day. The sun usually crept over the sky for me. But today it dashed across that blue sky. Well I was ready as I could ever be. I snapped on my cloak and my various tools and gadgets that I would probably need and stepped outside of my house. I watched the rest of the sun disappear over the mountains, took a deep breath, unfolded my wings, lowered my hood, and "Here we go."

1. Just a Thief

Canterlot: The capital of Equestria. I've always liked to believe that Canterlot was once a floating city, like Cloudsdale. And that one day Canterlot fell from the sky and crashed into the mountain. I always keep that in mind whenever I get a job there.

The crisp cold air, the sound of the breeze whizzing past , under the cover of the night sky, were your workday begins after sunset, keeping a sharp eye, and the constant awareness of one's surroundings. All too familiar in my line of work.

I have made the flight to Canterlot many times before. Over time I have come up with many different flight paths that allow to enter with out being detected. Including one that allowed me to reach the royal castle with out being spotted. Flying in between houses, soaring through alleyways, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and dashing from one shadow to another I finally arrived at the castle.

I stood behind the wall that separated the castle from the rest of Canterlot. I knew I could not just fly high in the sky and land on top of the castle and enter Celestia's room that way. I was lucky enough to know that there was an invisible magic barrier that covered the top and sides of the castle. It would detect whenever a pony crossed that barrier and alert the guards were exactly that pony. The only way was to enter at ground level.

OK now what? I paused and thought about my next move. I needed to scout the castle first. I need a fresh idea of what the situation is. I had to find a cloud. I looked up at the night sky; not a single cloud is sight. But I went up anyway. As always a Pegasus could find a cloud whenever they needed one. I brought it down from the sky and positioned it in a discreet location.

I laid flat on the the cloud and took out my binoculars. I have been planing for awhile now to install a zoom-in feature on my hood specs so I won't need binoculars. But I never quite got around to doing it. So for now I was stuck with my bulky binoculars.

I observed the guards that patrolled the castle; watching their behavior, routes, routines, and how alert they were. After studying their habits for around ten minutes I devised a path that to take that should allow me to reach the base of Celestia's bedroom tower with out being spotted. I sat up on my cloud and stretched. I put away my binoculars and kicked the cloud back into the sky. I began my break-in into the Canterlot royal castle.

I leaned close against the wall listening to the hoofsteps the royal guards were creating. It was very hard to determine exactly how far away they were from me. After what seemed like an hour I thought I had an opening. Just to be positive I brought out my small adjustable mirror attached to a long collapsible metal rod to peek over the wall. I did not see any nearby guards and without hesitation I jumped over the wall.

I flew up and went over the wall and dropped down into a large bush directly on the other side of it. Instead of receiving a softened landing I was met with sharp pains all over my body as I entered the bush. The only reason I did not cry out was through the bush I could see a royal guard's head turn in my direction and he started trotting toward me. The stomach fell all the way down to the end of my tail.

That’s when the adrenaline kicked in. I forgot about the pain entirely. I was only focusing on how I was going to avoid getting caught. My brain seemed to slow down time giving me around a minute to react when I actually had only a few seconds. I have never thought so quickly before in my life. In what seemed like the absolute last second I had left I got an idea.

I felt my hoof on the ground searching for an object. I found a rock. As quickly as I could I grabbed the rock and threw it in the direction of the bush adjacent to mine. This caught the guards attention. He changed his course and headed toward about were the rock landed. The royal guard took a quick look inside the bush “Dumb squirrels,” the guard mumbled to himself. He returned back to his post.

That was way too close. But I had to keep moving. The guard may still check this bush later. I took a quick look out side. Things seem clear but I felt I needed to wait before I make my next move to a nearby tree. As I put my head back into the bush I changed my mind. I was hiding in a giant thorn bush. Hundreds of tiny spikes were digging into me from every direction.

With that I jumped out of the bush and headed into the tree silently. Much better then my entrance in to the bush. Thank Celestia that I had the sense to look behind me. On the bush there was around a dozen feathers covering it. My feathers. They must have gotten snared in the thorns and disconnected from my wings as I exited from the bush.

Another surge of adrenaline. In just a few seconds I jumped down from the tree, sped over to the bush, gathered all of my indigo quills with extreme dexterity, and like lightning I was back in the tree's branches. Just a few moments later a different guard went by. He stopped for moment and looked at the bush. The same bush I was in not even a minute ago was terribly distorted. Some of the twigs were broken and it was flattened and out of shape. Thankfully the guard continued his route and said to him self “Is it really that hard for the gardeners to maintain their plants?”

Finally I was given a sigh of relief. I put the feathers from the bush into one of my pouches. I also checked my wings to make sure there aren’t any more lose feathers and brushed off any remaining thorns still on my cloak. It took just a few moments from me being cool as a cucumber to me sweating terribly. I needed to chill out. I decided to stay in the tree for a few extra minutes.

After I stopped sweating I began waiting for the right moment to move to my next position. I managed to cool down a bit but I was still very on edge. My next spot was a large statue’s pedestal. This time when I made my move everything went smoothly. My final move before I arrived at the castle's base was a gazebo.

No royal guards in sight I darted and hid under the ceiling of the gazebo. I almost got ready to move again when I heard some more clopping. I was getting gradually louder. I would just have to stay put. Then to my horror I saw an royal guard step on to the gazebo. I quickly curled up my tail and did my best to not be seen.

I realized what an idiot I am. I'm trying to hide in a white wooden gazebo when the color of my cloak is black. So stupid. My hooves began to slip. Even extra grip horseshoes had their limits. I considered whether I should drop down and knockout the guard as he was standing in the middle of the floor. But I did not have any experience with that as I am not an assassin. Even if I did I don't think I would have the strength to drag the body into a hiding place. I just had to put all of my strength into keeping me rooted to that white ceiling.

The guard looked all around the gazebo. Seemingly scanning every inch except were I was hiding. Finally after what seemed like forever the guard resumed his patrol. Another sigh of relief. I guess I can thank a ponies bone structure for not getting caught. It's nearly impossible for a pony to look directly up.

I held out for another few minutes. With my last amount of strength I lowered my mirror to scan the area. No guards visible. At last I let go of the ceiling and fly out of the gazebo and toward the castle. The moment I reached the castle base I soared upwards.

As I ascended the castle I could feel the adrenaline wearing off. The pain I received from the thorn bush was coming back. I could sense my extra strength slipping away. It was a punishing climb to reach Celestia's bedroom. My vision was blurring, I couldn’t fly straight. When finally I reached Celestia's room I landed on the roof and nearly passed out from exhaustion.

I spent ten whole minutes just regaining my stamina. I hoped Princess Celestia didn’t hear me when I landed on her roof top. After I regained full consciousness I decided to take a look at my injuries. The cloak itself was intact I would take a lot more to cut those threads. I examined my coat. It was stained with blood from of the thorns. There were punctures all over my body. But I concluded it was nothing a few dozen bandages wont fix.

I started look for an entrance into Celestia bedroom. I first tried her large window. I positioned my mirror to see inside the window. Looking at it for only a few seconds I see a flash of blue, pink, and green. I quickly withdraw the mirror. OK now I know that Celestia is in there. No point in entering through these windows I don’t think they even open.

Next I tried the balcony that jutted out from the rest of her room. It had a door that allowed access into the main part but it was locked. I was thinking of lock picking the door but then I peered inside the room from the doors window. With my mirror I could see what Celestia was up to. She was guarding both the window and the balcony door. Looks like I will have to find another way in. Fine by me. I could usually find three or more entrances to a single room.

I looked around Princess Celestia bed room to find more unconventional ways to enter a room. I checked underneath to see if there are any lose floorboards. I circled around the room for any other windows. I finally struck gold when I was searching the roof top. I found a sunroof. The ceiling window was locked but I could unlock it.

Picking locks on windows are a lot harder than picking locks on doors. Mainly because window makers don't expect you to unlock a window from the outside. I have practiced this before so after a few minutes I managed to get the window unlocked. I opened the sunroof and Entered Celestia's bedroom. I dropped down onto a nearby bookshelf. I took a quick look around the room and there she was.

2. Smoke and Mirrors

Princess Celestia sat waiting. She knew that one of two things were about to happen. She was ether going to have a surprise guest or one or her guards would inform her that a young pony tried to break into the castle. She closed her book and her eyes and hoped there is not a knock on her door.

That's when I said with my face nearly touching her mane "Beautiful night isn't it Princess?" I was smart enough to back away as Princess Celestia spun her body around creating a mess of mane and tail.

She said to me gasping for breath "OH MY..." For moment I thought she was going to drop a legendary Canterlot swear word. But she regained her posture too quickly for that. "...goodness you gave me quite a scare." I frowned, she recovered so quickly I could barley have any fun with her. She couldn’t actually see my face yet as I still had my hood covering it. The princess said in her elegant voice "Now take off that mask and let us... talk."
I raised my hood and stared into what was to be the first of many times I stare into that unfathomable face. Her first question was the one I was expecting the most "How did you get in here?"

"A thief does not reveal its secrets"

"Very well, By now you should know I have an assignment for you... I need you to spy on somepony."

"Ahhhhhh. So who did you have in mind?"

Celestia paused then sighed and said grimly. "My sister"

Surprised I responded "Princess Luna? Why her?"

"She has returned from the moon very recently. I can't be completely certain she is on our side. Recently I have gotten this hunch that Luna may be up to something. I want you to eavesdrop on her and find out if she is up to anything or if she really has changed. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course but every pony has their price."

"I will grant you basic access to the castle so that you can go to nearly every part to get any information that you need. I will also pay for whatever information you can find out. Finally you can't tell any other pony what we are up to. So, is it a deal?" She did not give me much to think about. I quickly came up with a yes and we shook on that.

Celestia sat up and shuffled toward her large ornate window and looked out. She said to me in that smooth voice "Good, now I would like you to start tonight. Head to Luna's bedroom and find out what she was doing."

I immediately came up with two questions. "Won't Luna be sleeping? Also where is her bedroom?"

The Princess did not need think for the answer. "My sister's bedroom is on top of the observation tower she lives in the cone roof of that tower. You will find the entrance on the bottom edge of the cone. And Luna won't be asleep she is the Mare of the moon after all. Good Luck." Celestia finished with great certainty.

I sat up and said "I just hope she has changed" Then I spread out my wings and lowered my hood. Just before I took off I asked the princess "And would you kindly leave that sun roof unlocked?" I did not get a response as I was already outside once again.

The tower was farther away than I thought. At the cone's base it was about thirty feet in diameter and about a hundred feet tall. I took me awhile to find the entrance. I circled that thing three times until I found the opening. I was well hidden since all of the wood looked exactly the same. The entrance was quite large given it was supposed to be a secret. Large enough to allow space for my wings. I entered without touching the floor, walls, of ceiling. I was used to this; I didn't let a creaky floor give me away. Moving slowly I entered the room.

Princess Luna's room was not as wide as Celestia's but it was much taller. It was also very dark the only light was coming from a round window. There I saw Luna looking into a telescope. She looked just as I remembered when a saw her on Nightmare Night. A sapphire coat with blue eyes. I quickly glided to a darker part of the room behind a shelf. Luna did not notice a thing. There, I took a look at my surroundings.

The room was round and there was a spiral staircase in the middle. There were various bookshelves, tables, cupboards, and chairs. Then I looked up. The room was narrower the higher up you went. The oddest thing I saw was several feet above me were all these floating objects. But then I realized they were standing on a clear floor, not sure what the floor is actually made of but it appeared nearly invisible. Then I stopped focusing what I was inside and started focusing on why I was inside.

Princess Luna was still looking through her telescope. I can't really make anything of it. Then she stared out the window and back to her telescope. Now she lowered her telescope so she can see higher in the sky. She kept lowering it until the eye piece was almost touching the ground. She was so low I was wondering if she could actually see into the telescope. Then in an in an instant Luna's horn glowed and the shelf I was hiding behind was thrown away. I heard a door slam and a light was now shining brightly on me.

Luna spun around and pounced toward me. Her eyes were glowing a bright white and her coat was a solid black. No! Princess Luna was still evil. Is the end? Was I going be gobbled up by Nightmare Moon? I did not expect what actually happened. She shot at me with a loud aggressive shout "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I don't know what was going through my head but I managed to surprise myself at what came out of my mouth. "How did you find me?" Sure I've been caught before but not like this. Ponies have found me when I got cocky or when I'm not taking my job seriously enough. Not when I'm at my absolute best, not when it's certainly the most important job I will ever have.

Strangely enough Luna did answer me. Even odder her eyes stopped glowing and her coat returned to it's usual navy blue. She used her much calmer, silky tone of voice too "One listens quite a bit harder once they've spent a millennium on the moon."

Then she said something even more dismaying "Please I want to talk to you. I need your help." Was that begging I heard? A princess begging for help? Already intrigued not to mention seeing no other way out I obeyed and removed my hood yet again.

Luna began, "Of course you were sent by Celestia..."

"How did you..."

"My sister is the only pony who knows were I sleep; it's quite obvious she wanted you to spy on me correct?"

I nodded and she continued "So she doesn't trust me eh? Well that's reasonable. I need to show you that Princess Celestia is nowhere near who you think she is"

This was getting more and more interesting by the second I responded "So then who is she?"

Luna began talking in slower manner "She has led a dark past and I fear she is leading us to an even darker future and she has forced me to carry this terrible secret. No more, let me show you her true past:

3. Loose Ends

"A long long time ago when the founders of Equestria were still alive I still lived with my sister. At the time I was only a filly and my sister was a young mare. Many things that are different from then and now, but the one that was the most important, the one that had the biggest impact was the fact that us ponies lived with humans. For a few years things seemed to work well. But as time went on the humans became more obnoxious, greedy, bossy, and they pushed us around more and more. Then my sister finally snapped.

She said that humans are terrible and that things need to change. I agreed. So we did the math and found out that if nearly everypony fought then we would easily dominate the humans. The one thing we disagreed on was our plan of action. I thought that giving the humans a bloody nose to show them who's boss would be enough. But Celestia went for the biggest possible move. She thought it would best to do a total complete genocide. I so shocked, I wanted to argue with her but I knew that would be useless. Instead we held secret rallies to convince all of Equestria to fight back the humans. Celestia was a stronger speaker than I so she managed to convince everypony that exterminating all humans was the only way and... that's what happened.

In a genocidal campaign spearheaded by my big sister every human was eradicated. Just like that... 500 million humans dead, the human species was almost extinct. It happened so fast too, less than a year, I never knew my sister was capable of this. After this was all said and done it was clear that Celestia would lead the new Equestria. With her taking the reigns and me playing as second in command we have ruled Equestria ever since.

The way Princess Celestia set up her kingdom was in a way that I just can't help but admire. First she made this whole human incident meant to be forgotten, made it so that all ponies wanted to forget this. Next she put it very vague how a pony was to run for ruler Equestria. This problem eventually disappeared as after a few years nopony wanted anything to change. After that nothing really has changed for a long time.

Over the course of time I have changed some of my opinions of my sister. I now can see that see that she was right after all. Equestria was truly better without humans in the end. I won't forgive my sister entirely for what she did but time has revealed to me that there is some justification for her actions.

Have you ever heard the rumor were if you stepped even slightly out of line Celestia would banish you? This rumor did not start with her banishing me but long before that. Shortly after my sister took power she started sending out ponies to search the globe; hunting down the last remains of humanity.

Whenever they found a human they would bring it back to Celestia. Princess Celestia always gave the humans a chance to speak. But the moment a human made a mistake she banished them. The remaining humans that survived the initial slaughter were all banished by my sister's hoof and her's alone. Since then the fear of Celestia banishing any misbehaving ponies has been with us. The last sign that humans ever existed."

I could not hold my tongue any longer "Celestia is the real reason why humans are gone? I always though they went extinct ages ago when twenty foot tall ponies ruled the land. How could she have done this?"

Luna said simply "Yes, my sister is the best at what she does. Now please may I continue?"

"There more?" I said in agony.

Luna continued "I'm afraid so:

"So since that point the ponies of Equestria have lived in harmony. Now we jump forward to about a thousand years ago. I have over years grown worried about my sister. She never told me were she got the idea to get rid humans. I wanted to find out. I wanted to reassure myself that Celestia still had the best intentions for Equestria. For awhile I have been searching my sister's room for information on what she planned to do next as Princess. My opportunities to do this were few and far between and I rarely found anything that I did not already know.

Finally one day Princess Celestia announced that she has initiated a research project that will try to find a way for Pegasi and Unicorns to grow food. She said it was in response to the food shortages that have occurred every year a week before apple harvest. I did not give this much thought as I didn’t care much about science. But shortly after that I finally found Celestia's secret.

I found her diary hidden under her wastebasket. I did not even know my sister ever had a diary until that point. It was also very old which meant that has had this diary for a very long time and without me knowing. I opened it and what I read changed everything.

This diary showed her true intentions with the new research project. She wanted to remove Earth ponies entirely. It said that Earth ponies are a burden and they have slowed down Equestria long enough. This diary has chronicled the steps that Celestia has taken to reduce the need for Earth ponies to exist. It stated that this project would "cut the last thread that latched Earth ponies to this land and would finally allow them to fall to their deaths." For the second time in my life I was shocked beyond belief at my sister.

I headed back to my room. I needed time to think about what to do next. But Celestia acted first. She must have seen the expression on my face and after a quick investigation discovered that I knew her plan. I spent the whole night thinking of what to do and decided to confront my sister first thing in the morning. But morning did not come. Not sure what was happening I headed to the main hall. The moment I stepped in I could tell it was a setup. Celestia did not let me speak. She was hammering me with lies. My sister told me my bitterness is no excuse to let everypony suffer. The princess was wearing the Elements of Harmony. With them she banished me to the moon.

Only after my return did I found out what actually happened. Once Celestia found out I discovered her secret she acted quickly. She told everypony that I have grown bitter because they slept through my beautiful nights so I would not allow my moon to lower ever again. More lies I did not refuse to lower my moon, Celestia did not allow her sun rise. So when I stepped into the main hall everypony was on her side. True, my sorrows have grown over the years because ponies do not enjoy my nights but I have gotten over it. I have accepted that ponies will always miss my majestic nights.

I spent so much time on the moon scheming against my sister. I had all time I needed to create the absolute best plan of action. So when I returned I had it all planed out. I acted exactly how Celestia told the other ponies I was. So my return was what was expected by the ponies at least to those who remembered me. This gave me some freedom to do what I needed to do but far more impotently it let my sister know that I wasn't about to spill the beans on her. The first thing I did was I tried to destroy the Elements of Harmony but I failed. So my whole plan was scuttled. After that my sister took me back under back under her wing. Since then I have been trying to find another way to stop Celestia. My sister knows this and she has ever since been trying to convince me that her way is the right way.

Now time is running out that research project started long ago is finally finished. Right now Princess Celestia is making preparations that will bring the end to Earth ponies. If I don't act now my sister will once again succeed.

So I ask you will you help me. Will you help me stop my sister from doing her vicious deeds? Will you help me stop any more damage from being done? Will you help me prevent the extinction of Earth ponies? Will you help me maintain the balance of harmony? Will you help me save Equestria?"

4. Business as Usual

What was going through my mind was unimaginable. How could this really be happening? How can Celestia be hiding such a big lie for such a long time? I began speaking very slowly "If this... is true... then … I will help you … I will help you defeat the princess"

Luna's eyes look looked relived. For once in her life she has managed to convince a pony to do what she wanted over her sister. There was a long pause. I finally said "So what do you want me to do? Spy on your sister?"

"No" Luna quickly shot back "I want you to gain her trust; I want you to make her believe anything that comes out your mouth. There is no need to spy on her. I'm already certain what she is up to."

"So what is the plan?"

Luna began "I want you to give Celestia false information. I want you to give her the idea that I'm up to something completely different then what we are currently doing but not quite enough so that she will have to confront me. I need you to give false leads and hopefully stretch out her guard system enough to allow an opening for us to strike. Return to my room after midnight every day and we will talk about our next move, what you will say to my sister next and what I will do support it."

"How exactly are we going to strike?"

"Leave that to me. All I have to do is backup what you say to my sister, so I will have plenty of spare time to find the perfect moment to attack."

"So what do you want me do now?"

"Tell my sister that I was reading a book and I was making notes."

"OK, see you later." I looked at her face one more time and left the room. I exited with massively different intentions then when I entered. As I headed back to Princess Celestia's bedroom I began thinking if this is true or not. But the more I thought about it the more the more it made sense. Why else would Celestia would want me spy on her sister other then that her grand plan was about to take place? The one question that puzzled me was how did Celestia get these ideas? How did she come to the conclusion that the death of all Earth ponies would benefit Equestria?

I returned to Celestia's bed room. "Ah good you weren't found. So did find anything out?"

I answered the Princess "Not much Luna was only reading a book and writing some things down."

"Reading?" The princess said puzzled "My sister isn't much of a reader. Anyway good job, keep an eye on her whenever you can. Now go get some rest, its far too late for ether of us to be up." She finished with a yawn. The princess paid me and I left her room.

It was a long tiring fly back to my house. I was exhausted when I finally made it home. I was too tired to take my cloak off. So I just went to sleep standing up. This was a habit I've acquired ever since I was caught because I could not stay still for an hour. It has helped improve my posture and my discipline. It has also allowed me to stay in difficult positions for long periods of time. Nearly every time I did this I woke up in a different place then was I fell asleep. That was not the case that night. I was exactly in the same spot from were I fell asleep. It must have been my thoughts weighing down my hooves down.

The next day I spent most of my time at the castle. Not exactly looking for anything in particular. I was just getting a feel for the layout of the castle. I had to learn every part of the building. Every room, every corridor, every nook, every inch of space that castle took up.

Finally night arrived. I returned to Luna's room. She was waiting for me. Luna asked me "So what have you been doing all day?"

"I've just been roaming the castle, getting to know the passages and hallways."

"Well then time to make our next move. Tell my sister that I visited the library and I returned the book I was reading back to the library. Also report to me how Celestia reacts, try to figure out what she is plans to do about it. But don't ask any questions. I don't want her to get suspicious about you."

"Got It"

So that's how it went for the next few weeks or so. I did a few things different then when I came to the castle in the beginning. First I started wearing my white cloak instead of my black one. This proved to make me harder to be seen when I'm inside the castle. This was thanks to most of the walls being painted white as well as there being various clouds floating near the ceiling to help keep the castle clean. The other things that changed is that I began sleeping in Luna's room. It was more than big enough and besides I was going to be at the castle every day I might as well sleep there. I also wanted to sleep there because I've never seen a room like it before; I seemed to tell her how much I liked her room almost every day.

In the beginning told Celestia small things that Luna did. I told her that I saw Luna "go into the library and return a book" or "I saw her go into Ponyville and buy a bushel of apples" or "she went the Canterlot garden, I spotted her picking some plants."
Celestia's reaction seemed to be very calm. She usually said after I gave her my report "I guess I need and extra pair of eyes in that area" or "I should send one of my ponies to check that out" but half of the time she told me "I don't think that has anything to with what I'm looking for but good job anyway keep up the good work".

As the days went on I told Celestia more and more sinister things. By the end of the third week the princess was taking everything I said very seriously. Some of things I told her were "Princess, I saw Luna get another book from the library. This time it was from the restricted section." and "I spotted Luna going to Cloudsdale, I saw get some strange looking clouds" also "Celestia, I saw you sister visit the dungeons again. But this time she visited Discord's chamber."

At this point Celestia did not try to hide her plans. She now said things to like "I really need to tighten security in that place" or "I'm going to have to send a team to see what Luna is up to" and finally "No! She is trying to ruin everything."

Then one day I told the princess something the really made her freak out. I told her "Princess Celestia I Saw your sister at Zecora's house. Luna showed Zecora that book I saw her take from the library. Then she gave the zebra the plants she picked from the garden, the clouds she got from Cloudsdale, and few other things I haven't seen before. Zecora made a potion with all that and give it to Luna."

Celestia was very shocked "So that's what she is up to. I'll send some of my ponies to check on Zecora just to be certain. As for you I need to keep a very close eye on my little sister. Something big is about to happen so be ready."

I left Celestia's room not sure was about to happen. I flew around the castle to make it look like I was doing as the princess asked. Midnight arrived and I returned to Luna's room. However Luna was not there. I was not very suspicious of this she has done this a few times before but this was still a rare occurrence. I was too tired to wonder about it and so yet again I went to sleep standing.

"Wake up, come on!" This was the rude awaking I had to a rather good sleep. I opened my eyes and yelled out in surprise. The floor was several feet below me. I spread out my wings and began to hover. As I gained consciousness I realized were I was. I was on the second floor of Luna's bedroom. The glass floor tricked me yet again that I was floating the air. I must have sleepclopped up the stairs and onto this glass. Finally I looked up into the face of Princess Luna.

Luna gave me an funny face "That's one way to wake you up" I took good look at Luna. She seemed to be wearing more jewelry than usual. She told me again "Come on lets get going"

Still half asleep I asked her "Wait what is happening?"

Luna was getting impatient "Were taking down Princess Celestia"

I wasn't thinking straight so I asked her "We have a plan to do this?"

Luna sighed and said "Yes we do, now can you please follow me?" I began to tail Luna as she went out of her room and downward towards the rest of the castle. I just stared coming to and then I realized what I was actually doing. I was about to save all the Earth ponies of Equestria.

6. A New Equestria

My ears were throbbing, my eyes burned. It took a moment for me to recover. Finally I opened my eyes to see Luna sprawled on the carpet with the area around her slightly burned. Her coat shined from all the sweat on her body. It seemed to be that she was so tired from using such powerful magic she must have passed out. I charged over to Luna and looked into her blue eyes. She said, more to herself than I in a voice that sounded like she was crying however her eyes shed not a single tear "My sister, my last living relative, what happened to her? We were so close not that long ago. But then she banished me to the moon because of what I saw her write. What could have possibly done this to her, give her those ideas?"

I said to Luna in a voice more confident than I felt "How about we find out? Surely there is something in this room that will let us learn more about her." Luna did not move. I began searching the room by myself. After a long time the Princess finally got up and began helping me with the search but not before repairing the window that Celestia crashed through.

There was not much to find in her room. After two hours of slow difficult searching we have hardly made any progress. Finally Luna asked me with her hooves leafing through one of Celestia's waste basket's "See if you can find my sisters diary. It should be somewhere well hidden in the castle."

This was far easier than I expected. It was not about blindly searching the castle, it was just a lot of hard thinking. I just had to think about what most ponies don't know about Celestia. I found the diary at my sixth guess. It was behind a mirror in the library.

The diary has been updated since Luna first saw it a thousand years ago. It did look old. Its first few pages have long lost its color. The edge of each page was very jagged. It was also well taken care of. The spine of the book has been repaired. The cover has been replaced at least once. The pages varied in size, shape, texture, and color. The diary appears to have expanded multiple times to make room for more pages. I've never seen anything like this, not even in a museum. The pages were so well preserved. Not a single smudge of ink on any of them. It was easy to read despite its age too. And it was all still, in till now being written in as well. This was the most impotent diary I have seen and I have looked at quite a few diaries in my adventures.

I ran my hoof over the black leather cover. It felt very smooth. I read its unusual but rather fitting gold letter title and opened it. I turned to a random page. It was very white and rounded at the edges. Celestia's writing was very elegant however her letters were remarkably thick. The quill she used must have come from a very large bird. This proved effective as the ink earlier pages was partially faded but the fat letters make it still easily readable.

I read one of Celestia's later entries "Now all the gears are in place to operate the vessel that will guide us to an Earth pony free Equestria. With Luna back on my side and now the study with a few months left until its completion it appears that this generation will finally see the fruits of my labor. I can only hope that this whole thing will go at least somewhat smoothly. I know that won't true, therefore I must be vigilant and alert. I need to make sure there is nothing that will interfere with my plans. Perhaps I should get some help on that."

I closed the diary. This was exactly what we were looking for. I turned around and headed back to Celestia's room. The door creaked open as I walked in. I saw Luna sitting at a desk. I glided over to see what the Princess was doing. Finally Luna turned around and asked me "So did you find it?" I nodded and she continued "That great let's take a look."

I gave the diary to Luna. She examined it and gave the book a puzzled look. Princess Luna said "She gave it a title? I wonder why my sister would do that. Anyway this must be were the evidence is hidden let read this." She turned around again and I sat down next to her. She laid the black leather book on the desk and with excitement in the air she opened the diary with the sound of splitting wood. Together we began to read THE ULTIMATUM.

The diary was very long. Luna and I had to skim in order to get the important information. Each of us took notes of what we found out in the book. It was a lot of grinding work. It was well into the afternoon when me the Princess finally finished. Our eyes hurt from so much reading and the desk was a mess from all the parchment scattered around us. But we managed to acquire all the proof we need to show what Celestia has been up to.

I got up and stretched, half of my limbs were numb. Luna looked out the window. She said to me very calmly "It will be sunset in a few hours. Now is the time for me to address the crowd. Now is the time for them to finally hear the truth. I can do a more official speech tomorrow but I must have one now to prevent bad rumors from surfacing. Let's go, the sooner I do this the better." Luna got up and headed towards the door, I followed her.

We traveled down the corridors and hallways of the castle. As we passed the royal guards looked nervous towards Princess Luna. She was still wearing the Elements of Harmony. After we passed them some of the guards followed us at a safe distance. We moved along the marble floor going past sculptures, paintings, stain glass windows, large vases, fancy chandeliers, and display cases containing all sorts of things until we finally reached the main entrance.

The door was very high and made of mahogany. It was open as usual during the day and I and Luna passed through. As we stepped outside we were both blinded by the sun. I shut my eyes to try to protect them. I lowered my hood and slowly opened my eyes again. The glasses helped but it was still very bright. I looked at Luna, she was squinting her eyes as we continued. We arrived at Canterlot Square. The market was starting to close; ponies were packing up their merchandise and getting ready to leave.

Luna started speaking "Good ponies of Equestria gather around. Your princess has important news to deliver." A circle made of half blinded ponies began to form around Luna and me. Luna started her speech "Today is an historical day for Equestria. Today I have good new and bad news. Allow me to start with the bad news." Chatter in the crowd began to increase.

Princess Luna continued "I'm afraid that Princess Celestia has been lying to you for as long as you can remember. She has told you ponies that since you are happy she does not want to change a single thing in Equestria. In reality she has been preparing for a major change for a very long time."

Luna paused. At that point the crowd was getting impatient. They started shouting at the Princess.

"How do we know you aren't lying?"

"Stop delaying tell us what happened."

"Are your trying to take over?"

"Are you going to tell us something interesting? I need to get home."

Luna started to get nervous. She started using her Canterlot voice "Princess Celestia has been planning to eliminate Earth ponies entirely. For thousands of years Celestia has been removing the reasons for Earth ponies to exist. She is now done and very soon she would have gotten rid of every Earth pony."

The crowd fell silent. I couldn't see the expression on their faces as it was too bright but I could tell they believed what Luna said. The Princess shouted once more "From what I have gathered in about a month Princess Celestia would stage a meteor to fall from space and land near Canterlot. You ponies would be told that the meteorite contained and unknown disease. As a result Equestria would be under temporary quarantine. You will be ordered to go to designated safe zones located all over Equestria, one for Pegasi, one for Unicorns, and one for Earth ponies. Were the Unicorn and Pegasus ponies go will be given vaccines and told it will help protect them from the virus. However it would actually make the ponies fall gravely ill. You will just be told that the vaccine was barely managing to fight off the decease. But for Earth ponies they will be given a slow acting poison. Eventually all of them would pass away. After this the Pegasi and Unicorns will be told that the Earth ponies were not able to fight off the virus because of their weaker immune systems and they have unfortunately died. Given that the rest of the ponies nearly died themselves they would consider themselves lucky be alive."

Princess Luna paused once again. Her crowd did not move. I could vaguely make horror on some of their faces. She continued speaking "Now I bring the good news. Today I have banished Princess Celestia to the sun. On this day I have put an end to my sister's terrible plans. Thanks to me I have saved the Earth ponies. Now this day writes a new page in the history of Equestria. I will step into the horseshoes of my sister. I will live up to the promises Celestia has given you. If you are happy I will change nothing and I will listen to your opinions and give them thought. But most importantly, I will not lie to you as my sister has for so long I will at all costs give you the truth. I ask you now to spread the word. Let other ponies know that I have not returned not to bring misery on you but to maintain the balance of harmony. Let them know what sister has really been doing."

There was a long silence. The ponies did not know how to react, how to respond to this. The silence was finally broken by voice behind us "Is this really true? Has Celestia really been lying to us all this time?” His voice was very strong and meaningful. Luna and I turned around; it was the royal guard lead commander. He said to us "I don't believe it, I have always trusted her my whole life."

Luna answered him "I've known my sister far longer than you have she has made keep this secret for a very long time."

The guard frowned "You mean you have known this for a awhile time why have you not told this before, why?

Princess Luna responded "She had the Elements of Harmony at my throat. I could not tell you until she could not use them against me; I did not want to get sent to the moon again.

The commander was doubtful "I still don't buy it. I need some proof to show what Celestia has been up to or I really can't trust you. None of my guards will work for you if you can't convince me otherwise." Luna simply held up her sister's diary.

It took what was left of the day convince that old stallion. He was very stubborn. But the overwhelming amount of evidence we had forced the pony to believe us.

7. In Her Sister's Horseshoes

Luna and I Returned to Celestia's bedroom to possibly find any more information we could use. The sun was just beginning to set. I was watching Celestia's phoenix flutter around her cage and Luna was reading more of her sister's diary when there was a knock on the door. Luna answered with a calm come in. A royal guard opened the door.

"Princess Luna, there is a mare who requests your presence. She says she was a student of Princess Celestia. Would you like see her?" The guard said in his emotionless tone.

"Yes, I would like to see her. Send the mare in." Luna said smoothly, without turning around

There was a series of clopping and eventually a door slamming shut. The princess sighed "Hello Twilight Sparkle. I knew you would be the first one who wanted to see me."

Luna turned around. It was indeed Twilight Sparkle. Her eyes have clearly been crying, tears of sorrow and confusion. Twilight opened her mouth, with a pause she spoke "How... could this be? How can... this be happening? She was my teacher. I was her student." The unicorn began to cry again "She was my Idol since I was a filly. I would not be were I am if it wasn't for her." Tears were once more rolling down the mare's face.

The sapphire pony took a deep breath "Twilight Sparkle I am sorry that some things that you believed about Princess Celestia were wrong. I do apologize that you could not find out about this earlier. I regret to inform you that my sister has indeed been plotting to get rid of Earth ponies for a long time. But that is in the past we must move on. I have managed to save Equestria but now you must manage to save your self. I know, the one pony who was most important in your life, the one pony you loved most in this world, the one pony who is not who you thought she was, now gone forever. This is hard for you but you must move on. Don't let this be your downfall. Don't treat this as the end. Don't give up. You have so much potential, you must not let it be thrown away.

The Unicorn look into Luna's eyes "Princess Celestia was planning exterminate all the Earth ponies. What did she plan for me? Did she want me to become an evil witch? Did she want me to murder Earth ponies, murder my friends?"

Luna answered "I know my sister more than any other pony. I may not have any proof of her plans with you. But I think that Celestia intentions for you did not involve murder. She wanted you to learn more about magic and friendship nothing more. She would never tell you what you should do with your talent."

Twilight began "Your right I must move on. But... what am I going to do now? I don't have a teacher. I won't be writing any more letters about what I've learned. With nopony to guide me, I'm... lost."

Princess Luna was puzzled. She said to the unicorn "You're a smart girl, can't you see a solution? I can be you teacher. I will guide you. You can write your letters about friendship to me. I will allow you to continue your studies."

Twilight sniffed "I didn't think of that. Could you really pick up were Celestia left off? Could your really be my mentor?"

Luna said with confidence "Yes I can. I have learned many things from watching my sister, especially when she does not know I'm watching her. Its time for me to step into her horseshoes. It's time for me to take charge. If I become your teacher it will help me more than you think. It will help me become the liked, respected, and honored Princess that Celestia used to be. If I am your teacher it will let ponies know that I am not here to bring treachery. I am here to live up to what Princess Celestia has promised them. So Twilight I ask you, will you be my apprentice? Will you show Equestria who I really am. Will you help me prove once and for all that I have returned to do good and not evil?"

Twilight Sparkle stopped crying. She looked hard into the Princess's eyes "This is the best solution to my problem. I will be your student. I do hope your right. I do hope you are a good teacher."

There was a long pause. The unicorn eventually said "Well I better get going. There has to be many important things that you have to do." She turned around headed toward the door.

"Wait! There's one more thing." Luna suddenly said. Twilight in surprise stopped and yet again faced the Princess. The Mare of the Moon continued "Before you go I want to give you your first assignment" She held up the red book.

It was same book that Celestia showed us when we entered her room for the first time that day. Only recently have I gotten a close look at it. It appeared to be a rather plan looking book. There seemed to be nothing special about it. I had a hard cover a simple red. It was a regular size however it was very thick. But I knew there was something quite sinister about it. First this book did not have a title nor an author. The writing of the pages were small and took up every inch of space on each page. To me It was one those books that would be really boring to read. There was only one thing that really set the book apart from all the others. Only one thing that made the book recognizable. There was a picture on the front. The only image of the whole book. The red cover of the book bore a black Swastika.

Luna said to the unicorn with great importance "My first assignment for you is I want you to take this book."

Twilight Sparkle looked confused "A book? Why do you me to have that?"

"This in no ordinary book. It is nothing I have ever seen before. I don't know what it is or were it came from. But that does not matter. What I do know is that this book is the source of the evil. This was what gave Princess Celestia her terrible ideas. This is what made her want to get rid of Earth ponies. So in an effort to prevent anything like this from happening again I am giving the book to you"

"Can't you just burn it? Destroy that book so nopony can ever read it again."

"Actually no I can't'. This is one of the reasons that make this book very unique. I don't why or how but this book can not be destroyed or damaged. If it is lost it will be found again. Twilight I want you to keep this book safe. I want you to keep it hidden from the rest of Equestria.

"Couldn't you just put the book into the Canterlot vaults? It would be much harder to be stolen if it was in there."

"Yes, the book would be well protected from theft in the vaults. But I do not want this book to be sought after. Nopony should know that this book even exists. I want to keep it that way. Twilight, you live in a library surely you know many good places to hide a book. Can you do this for me? Will you take this book out of Canterlot? Can you keep this book a secret?"

Twilight Sparkle's eyes no longer showed any signs of crying. She said to Luna "Yes. Yes I will. I will hide this book from the rest of Equestria." She grabbed the book with her horn and placed it into her saddle bag. "I take it you don't want me to read this."

Luna Responded "Well that is up to you. It's your choice if you read that book or not. But either way be very careful with it."

The unicorn nodded and said "I see. Now I really should leave you alone. I bet you have plenty of other important things to do."

Twilight Sparkle turned around and trotted to the door. Before reaching it she stopped and looked at me. At that time I was by instinct standing in shadows. She asked me "You're the one who has been sneaking into my library aren't you?"

"Yup, that's me" I wouldn't deny it. I've been in that library many times after it was closed to get some quick information. I did not actually take anything from there. I've never been caught there but I figured that she found out some proof that somepony has been creeping around her bookshelves at night. But I was puzzled how that unicorn narrowed it down to me.

Twilight continued. "How about you stop by my library sometime? Instead of reading a book how about we chat and learn a thing or two about each other?" She left the room without waiting for my answer.

That really intrigued me. Not by what she said or how she said it but the expression on her face. There was something about it that made her request so interesting. What was her request anyway? An invitation no doubt, but to what? Did she want to find out more about me? Did she want to find out more about Luna or Celestia? Did she want to know more about what happened for past few days? Or did she just want to my friend. Well it looks like I will have to go to find out. Now was not the right time. I should at least let the dust settle before I do anything like this. But I could all ready feel that my curiosity will get the best of me again and I will go too early.

This whole time Luna was giving me a confused look. The Princess asked me "You sneak into her library at night just to read a book?"

"Well were else can you get information at midnight?" I said in my defense. Princess Luna laughed and tougher we watched the rest of the sunset.

Shortly after Twilight left we were able to find out the origin of the red book. In one of her first entries that was written before the humans were eradicated Celestia wrote:

“Sometimes you discover your purpose in life on the saddest occasions. My mothers funeral was that occasion. I was digging my mothers grave when I found it. A red book that was buried six feet under. This is no coincidence. This is my destiny. My mother wanted me find this book. She wanted me to grant her final wish. We are the dominant species. We deserve better. It is up to me to save us ponies from the humans. With this red book as my guide and my mother on my side I will lead Equestria to it's true potential.”

8. A Parting Gift

At last night arrived. After a long day the moon has finally risen in the sky. I was in Luna's bed room. She let me have her room as a way of saying thanks. Luna on the other hoof was living in her sister's room because she felt she needed to live in a less isolated part of the castle. I was watching night sky in awe when I heard a thump behind me. It was Luna; she was trying to get into the bedroom.

I saw her enter the room. Before I could ask her any thing she said to me "How could Celestia not have her own telescope?" The princess strutted over to the window and grabbed her own telescope and began setting it up.

I was not paying attention to her. I was mesmerized at what was happening in the sky. I asked her in a trance "What is that?"

What I could see outside my window was truly remarkable. I have never seen anything like it. It was some sort of light show in the night sky. There were dozens of these long ribbons, all different sizes, shapes and colors. They were moving slowly and gracefully through the sky. This phenomenon was so beautiful, so majestic but had no idea what it was or why it was there. What is it?

Princess Luna answered my question "This known as an aurora. I have seen this only one time before in my life. That was when me and my sister traveled to the northern most city of Equestria known as Stalliongrad. I was just as amazed as you are when I first saw the aurora. I never thought it be possible for the aurora to come here."

"But why is this happening here? Why is this happening now?"

Luna was puzzled with my question. She answered with uncertainty "I'm not sure myself, but a princess has her theories. Auroras occur because of solar storms released from the sun. When it enters our atmosphere the solar storm creates an aurora. However auroras typically are only seen in the far north and south. This is because of the magnetic field that surrounds this planet. When a solar storm reaches this barrier the storm is pushed either north or south away from Equestria. So that is why we have only seen the auroras in the north or south of our planet. Today is different. Today an aurora is visible far away from the North or South Pole. I believe that this is caused by Celestia's rage. This is also why the sun was significantly brighter today. Celestia's anger has made her sun give off more light and energy. Now the sun is unleashing far more intense and frequent solar storms. These storms are stronger that our magnetic field and therefore have broken through into the planet's atmosphere. Thus an aurora is created."

I could only understand half of what Luna just told me. I decided to change the subject "So what are your plans for the future?"

At this point the princess has finished setting up the telescope and was now making some minor adjustments. She said in quiet voice "I did promise the ponies that I would not change anything but I believe I will have to make two exceptions. The first thing is now that the sun gives off a lot more light our plants could wither away. In order to prevent this, the Pegasi will have to change their recipe for clouds. They will need to make their clouds block more sunlight or else we will lose our crops. The other change is something that I originally doubted ponies would like. But I feel it is necessary if I am going to rule this kingdom by myself. Tonight however makes me believe that perhaps ponies may actually want me to do this. What I want to do is... well see for yourself." Luna gestured toward the telescope.

I positioned myself behind the telescope and looked into the eyepiece. The telescope was not aimed the night sky but instead it was looking directly at Ponyville. At a glance there seemed nothing unusual. Ponyville was usually very busy around harvest. But then I remembered what time it was. It was nearly midnight but I could see dozens of ponies through the telescope. Some of them were lying on the grass watching the aurora. Others were talking and laughing to each other. Some were dancing around because of this extraordinary night. The ponies were doing all sorts of things but this powerful telescope could make out a smile on every one of their faces.

Luna said to me in a loud whisper "I want my ponies to live their lives during the night. I want them to spend their days under moonlight and not sunlight. I want them to be nocturnal. This aurora, this parting gift that my sister gave us may just be the leverage I need to make my dreams a reality. Finally ponies can enjoy my night, finally I will..." Luna stopped talking and closed her eyes.

I could tell she wanted to be left alone for a moment. At this point I was also getting really curious about that aurora. So to kill two birds with one stone I told the princess "You know what? I'm not that tired. I going to see it can touch the aurora."

Luna almost laughed as I dashed outside and soared into the distance. She watched me disappear into the night, into the aurora. Slowly she began to realize what was taking place. Slowly Princess Luna began to cry.

After thousands of years it is finally over. No longer will she have endure ponies ignoring her nights. The hardest thing that she had to face being princess is gone. Finally her sorrow and bitterness is at long last over. These long waited tears of joy trickled down her face and on to the floor creating a large stain in the rug. She realized that she was wrong about one thing she said to her sister. This was worth the death of all Earth ponies.

I returned half an hour later failing to touch the aurora. I was standing in the room I could see that Luna was still crying. That was the only time I believe she did not know I was there. As I took another step the floor creaked and the Princess charged toward me. She galloped to me and contrary to all of my expectations she embraced me.

Princess Luna said to me in a voice of great gratitude with tears sill rolling down her eyes "Thank you. Thank you for all that you have done for me. Thank you for lifting my sorrows and pain away. Thank you for being the best friend I have had for thousands of years. Thank you so much." She continued to hug me. Luna was still crying. We clutched each other for a long time. Only when Luna began to stop crying did she let go.

Now I lay in what was Princess Luna's bed. I could not fall asleep. The sandpony would no doubt be skipping this room tonight. I had too much to think about. What is the fate of Equestria? What will I now be doing? What will happen to Celestia? That aurora...

Now what is the fate of Equestria? Luna said she wants everypony to live during the night Can she really do that? Could ponies possibly want to be busy during moonlight? Only time can tell.

Let's see, what am I going to do now? I believe I am going to help Luna around the castle. But there is now way I am giving up my... thievery. I will not stop sneaking around and watching other ponies. This is my talent, must pursue it. I do hope I still get plenty of spare time still.

But what about Celestia? What will she be do doing on the sun? How can she even survive on the sun? Well, I guess the same way Luna survived on the moon for a thousand years. I wonder what she will do being trapped of sun for a very long time. I really should ask Luna that same question. What did she do while she was on the moon? I know that eventually Celestia will return. But that won't happen for a long time. She will return when I'm long gone.

This aurora... so mysterious. Made from the anger of Celestia. But it does not make me think or feel angry. It's so unusual, so graceful, and so magical. This aurora creates joy, love, peace, and happiness. How ironic these curtains of red and green were created from lies, hatred and rage. These lights will make sure we remember Princess Celestia. They will prevent us from ever from forgetting the truth. This aurora will loom over our lands serving as a constant reminder of how close Equestria came to a holocaust.

5.The Cloak and Dagger

Princess Celestia sat in her room tapping her hoof on her desk in impatience. "Any moment now there will be a knock on my door." Celestia kept telling herself "The guards will say that my sister tried to release Discord. I would then ask my sister how could she do this, why would she do this and then my sister would say..." The door to her bedroom was slammed open. Luna and I stepped inside and then Luna with her horn closed the door and locked it.

Celestia spun around looking at the two of us. Up in till this point I was still sleepy. Then I saw Celestia's face. The usual unfathomable expression was replaced by sheer terror. That face finally made me awake and alert. There was a long pause, I looked at Celestia and then back to Luna. I suddenly realized that Luna was not wearing some extra jewelry she was wearing the Elements of Harmony!

Luna spoke first with her coat black and her eyes glowing white "Big sister it is finally time for me to put an end to your genocidal plans."

Celestia's voice clearly showed anger "How did you..."

"Get these?" Luna lifted one of her hooves. "Sister originally you left eight guards to protect the Elements of Harmony. After hearing all of my suspicious activities you send some of the guard's to reinforce other areas or to check on places I have been outside of the castle. Finally thinking that I was about to unleash Discord you left only two guard's to protect the Elements. Did you really think I would actually release that lunatic? Why would I want him to take control of Equestria again? Anyway I was able to get past the guard's and seize the Elements of Harmony for myself. "

"They put up a fight though didn't they?" Celestia saw the silvery blood that came out her neck and ran all the way down her left leg nearly touching her hoof.

"Yes, but they were still not match for me. Now let's discuss your fate."

Celestia began talking in a more convincing tone "Don't you see that all this is for the greater good?"

The black pony looked hard into her sister's eyes "Nothing is worth the death of all Earth ponies."

Celestia shot back "Nothing? How about a greater Equestria? How about an Equestria that gets more done, one were Earth ponies do not take up space."

Luna was starting to get angry herself "Earth ponies are not a waste of space. They are just as useful as a Pegasus or a Unicorn."

Celestia's face was slowly tuning from terror into rage. "Earth ponies can't fly or use magic, the only reason for their existence is that they can grow food. Now that we have discovered a way for the Pegasus's and Unicorns to grow food there is not a single reason for Earth ponies to exist any longer. Not only that I have also conducted other studies on Earth ponies while you were... gone. The most important thing I found out I that an Earth pony's digestive system is very primitive compared to Unicorns and Pegasi. When an Earth pony eats something there intestines can only absorb some of the energy contained in the food and then leave waste. Pegasus ponies and Unicorn ponies absorb all of the energy and leave no waste. So in conclusion Earth ponies have eat more food than Unicorns and Pegasi but they still do less work then them and on top of that they leave the rest to waste. So sister can't you see this is whats best for Equestria? Cant you see I' m making Equestria a better place?"

I could see that there was weakness in Luna's eyes. Slowly Princess Celestia was slowly convincing her sister. If she did not act soon Celestia would win. I had to think fast. I said "Luna! Snap out of it. Let's get this over with!" Thankfully she did. Luna shook her head and took out her wings.

Celestia gave me a fierce look and then turned back to her sister. Luna said using her Canterlot voice "Sister, today is the day we bring an end to your evil. Today is the day were I save every Earth pony of Equestria. Today is the day were I finally banish you to the sun." Luna has risen a few feet in the air and then the Elements of Harmony started to glow, getting brighter and brighter every second.

This shot fear into Celestia. Her eyes began to dart back and forth. She was still trying to fight back. Then I saw Celestia's horn flare. It looked like she was about to attack her sister. But instead she brought a red book forward. It was the same book I saw Celestia reading when I first entered her bed room a few weeks ago. I could not get a good look at it as it was directed at Luna and not me.

Celestia's expression went from rage to insanity. She said to Luna with the most sinister voice yet "Little sister it is our duty as the master race to carry our Unicorns and Pegasi to an Earth pony free Equestria." Celestia pointed to the book "I will succeed were he has failed. Sister join me; let us rule an even greater Equestria"

Luna's eyes stopped glowing; The Elements of Harmony began to dim. Luna said is a soft voice "Maybe... you right, maybe... it is the best path for Equestria." Unbelievable, Princess Luna was right; Celestia is the best at what she does. She is actually convincing her sister to kill Earth ponies. I had to think fast or very soon Celestia would have her way.

"Luna!" I said at the top of my voice "Do you really want to be responsible for the death of two billion Earth ponies? Do you really want to help Celestia with another genocide?"

"NO!" Luna said even louder. "I will not let this happen. Sister I have submitted to your evil long enough. I am the only pony who can put an end to you. Now is the time for me to finish you once and for all. Everypony of Equestria has listened to your lies long enough. I must let the good ponies of Equestria know the truth. I must let your lies finally be known. I am who I am, you are who you are, nothing can change that." The Elements of Harmony once again began to charge.

Princess Celestia gritted her teeth and looked at me. It seems that she has pieced it all tougher. It looked like Celestia finally figured out what I was actually doing as she said "How dare you!" Her anger has returned and even more ferocious than before. "How dare you lie to the Princess of Equestria. How dare you betray me. You should receive a punishment worse than death. I will make sure you don't away with this. Thanks to you Equestria will never be as advanced as it could be. You have ruined everything."

I Thought Celestia wanted me say something in my defense. But what she just said to me made me paralyzed in fear. I was too scared to think of any thing to say. The Elements of Harmony were glowing very brightly by now. Princess Celestia looked at Luna and I and said with pure rage "This isn't over. I will get rid of those pathetic Earth ponies one way or another."

At that moment Celestia turned around and galloped toward the window. She jumped through that large window, shattering it into pieces. Princess Celestia then unfolded her wings and dived. The Princess was out of sight.

"No!" I thought she was going to escape from being banished to the sun. But then a bolt of fire came out of The Elements of Harmony. It sped forward and went out the window. It then immediately shot downward leaving a trail of smoke. It appeared to be following the same path that Celestia was traveling.

Then moments later several things happened at once. First the bolt of fire touched Princess Celestia with a loud crack. In an instant there was a loud cry of rage, terror, and hatred. In an instant there was a bright blinding flash that forced me cover my eyes. In an instant Princess Luna's eyes closed, her coat returned to its normal dark blue as she fell to the floor.