Herald of Dawn

Twilight was paralyzed. Her eyes burned but she was unable to blink.  She could only wait. After what seemed like hours, she heard a loud clomp-clomp-clomp ricochet from somewhere outside. The doors flew open. Twilight could not see the pony for the swarm of guards around them.

Click-click-thump

The sea of bodies parted, allowing the pony through.

Queen Enigmatic Insanity all but sprinted to her throne. The 'Triad' lounged at her feet, content to do nothing until they were forced to. Sonny eyed Twilight hungrily, occasionally licking his beak.  Enigma ignored her and them for the better part of an hour, piles of paperwork consuming her attention.

Fwip. Fwip - fwip- - fwip

The pounding of wings deafened the room; the winds caused by the clamor ripped the doors apart. Sunlight filtering through the stained glass caused the massive pegasus to glow with a radiance that could blind. With one hoof, Enigma gestured for the shades to be drawn. As soon as she could look upon him, Enigma gasped quietly.

"I - Iron?" The once dignified Queen staggered forward like a drunk, her hooves extended out towards Iron Ire. "I ... I thought you were gone for good. Come here. Please. Don't leave me." At his Queen's command, Iron darted forward, catching her in his forelegs. The two stared at each other like they were afraid if they looked away, the other would disappear.

Enigma sighed softly.

"Well Twilight, your precious mentor came through for you." She turned to her guards. "Release the girl. Take her --" Her orders were cut off by Iron's hoof.

"We have the advantage here, lover. Why should we give it up?" he asked, smiling wryly at Enigma. Enigma shook her head.

"What of Singer Chaser? The only way I will get her back is with Celestia's blessing. No, we are going to return Twilight Sparkle to her rightful place."

"It's no longer your decision to make," Ire chided, whistling loudly. In an instant, the two of the Triad were to their feet. Dawn refused to rise. Her glossy mane sparkled in the weak light as she drug herself to her Queen's hooves.

"Until the day I die," she said, kneeling before Enigma. "I will protect the regent to whom all things are owed." Enigma pulled away from Ire, glancing around the room.

"Traitors! Every last one of you!" she screeched. Her eyes glowed a soft purple, the magical field surrounding Dawn and pulling her to her hooves.   Twilight could only look on in wonder. She had never seen anypony sight-cast before, but that was exactly what Enigma just did. It matched the reports to the tiniest detail. She found herself wishing she -- wait.

Did her hoof just move?

Twilight wiggled her legs, realizing to her relief, that she was free! Thoughts of escape sparred with thoughts of being the first pony to have first-hand experience with a true sight caster.

Her thoughts of scholarly grandeur absolutely pummeled thoughts of her own self preservation.

Twilight scooched closer to the fray, watching as the Queen threw ponies (and one gryphon) around the room just by looking at them. She had to abruptly jump forward, almost under Enigma's hooves, as the floor exploded in brilliant blue flames. The burning wall effectively segregated Twilight, Dawn, and Enigma from the rest of the room.

Twilight felt the familiar prickled of magic on her skin, and then, all went dark.

In a burst of fire and smoke, the youngest alicorn was unceremoniously dumped on the Canterlot Castle grounds. Twilight looked around. Enigma was nowhere to be seen. It looked like it was just her. She struggled to her hooves. Above her head, unknown to her, a guard was on lookout. The speed with which he ran back into the castle would have made light jealous.

His speed was nothing compared to that with which Celestia broke through the door and part of the wall.

"Twilight!" she said, Canterlot Royal voice shaking the foundations of the castle. Celestia jumped from the balcony and tackled Twilight. She stared at her student like Twilight was a precious gem, to be coveted and kept safer than a dragon's horde.

Her mind having caught up with her emotions, Celestia stumbled to her hooves, trying to grasp some semblance of courtly presence.

"Twilight. You have been missed," Celestia said, a tad more icily than she intended. "Come with me. We have much to discuss." With that, she turned and trotted back into the castle, repressing every urge to skip like a schoolfilly.

She had her beloved student back.

It only cost the lives of an untold number of ponies.

Celestia couldn't objectively say that it was a worthy trade, but to her, it was.

Twenty minutes and some very deep breaths later, Celestia was sitting in her room with Twilight at her side.

"She sightcasted! Unicorns aren't supposed to be able to do that!" Twilight enthused, waving her hooves around. Celestia hadn't seen her student this worked up in a long time. She tried to calm Twilight down, to no success. She could only wait and listen.

After about an hour, Twilight finally settled down, having said her piece. Celestia finally had the chance to ask a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"Twilight, what happened to your wings?" she asked, trying not to spook Twilight into another hour long monologue. Twilight looked down, seeing the clasp of her cloak glittering back at her. She had forgotten she was even wearing it. Free from the magical constraints of Hajahact, she made an attempt at breaking the clasp.

To her surprise, the clasp slid apart, dropping the cloak to the ground.  It sparkled faintly, a blue-grey pile of mesh. Celestia looked between the cloak and Twilight, then back again. Carefully, she lifted the cloak in her telekinesis and watched as it shifted to fit her size. The clasp then went from a star ruby to a gleaming opal.

Sensing no dark magic from the clothing, Celestia slipped the cloak on and clasped the opal around her throat.  She looked down at herself and gasped.

Her ribs were grossly distended, the individual bones clear as day. Mud matted her fur down. Blood caked around what were obviously untended wounds.  Thick scars spidered over her back and neck, their pattern suggesting ... cracks? Celestia trotted over to a mirror, examining every inch of herself.

A mare much older and tireder than her stared back from beyond the mirror.

"She does a poor impression of me," Celestia thought, forcing a laugh. Her heart grew heavier as she continued to stare at herself. Faintly, she became aware of Twilight's voice.

"Princess? Are ... are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked, her voice trembling. Celestia unclasped the opal and let the cloak drop to the floor.

"I will be fine. Twilight, what all do you know about Queen Enigmatic Insanity?" Celestia asked, surreptitiously pushing the cloak aside with a gold-clad hoof. She trotted over and sat beside her student, waiting for what was to be no doubt a barrage of words. To her mild surprise, Twilight had very little to say.

"Well, I know she's a kirin, or sometimes that's pronounced qilin. I also know that she inherited the throne from her late mother. Other than that, there wasn't much to find. It was as though she didn't exist," Twilight said, shrugging. "But you mentioned that the country of Hajahact has some very secretive tendencies, so maybe that's it."

"That is because Enigmatic Insanity doesn't exist. Her name is Divine Wine. She is, at her genetic core, a unicorn. Kirin are made. They are not born," Celestia explained. "Now you were saying that she sightcasted? Did any of her spells result in fire?"

Twilight nodded excitedly.

"She put up a wall of blue flames, but that was all I saw before I was teleported here."

Celestia sighed, resting her head on her forelegs. Slowly, she stood. She gestured to a guard, who rushed to her side.

"Awaken Princess Luna. I have need of her counsel," Celestia ordered. A short while later, Luna trotted in, rubbing at her eyes with one hoof.

"What is it, dear sister?" Luna asked, suppressing a yawn.

"Iron Ire has seized control of the capital."