Corruption Of The Sun

Chapters

Spark
Vent
Warmth
Tempering
Forge
Sunburnt
Blister
Heresy
Tyrant Sun
Eclipse: Part 1
Eclipse: Part 2
Overtone
Doll
Dark Stars

Spark

“For as long as I can remember I watched over Equestria with benevolence, never faltering in my duties and never once asking for anything in return. Selflessly, I gave my life to every creature within these lands. I gave my little ponies protection against evil forces beyond comprehension and reasoning. So much so, that I banished my own sister to the moon when she submitted to her jealousy and became the tyrant, Nightmare Moon. I did it all to save Equestria from an unending darkness and yet what I did to her was perhaps a fate worse than that. I allowed my own flesh and blood to stew in a celestial prison for a thousand years without ever once reaching out to try and save her. I blamed myself for my sister becoming fully consumed by the darkness which originally took her away from me and I knew one day, she would return to finish what she had started. And on that day? I knew what I had to do. What I should had done when she first raised her hoof against me. I had hoped there would be another way; some kind of miracle that would change her back to how she used to be. How wrong I was...”

Twilight nodded slowly, her face partially hidden underneath her disheveled bangs. The young mare trembled before her mentor’s intense gaze. “There was nothing anypony could do, Princess. If only my studies in the magic of friendship had yielded something, maybe I could have done something. I honestly believed we could had saved her, with time and research into the Elements of Harmony... but—”

“Time was against us,” interrupted her mentor, “and Nightmare Moon returned for the last time. Do not believe this to be your fault, Twilight Sparkle, it was I who allowed this to happen and it was I who needed to deal with the consequences of my actions. With her death, I-I lost everything. My precious little sister. The one I loved more than Equestria itself… and I killed her.”

The lavender mare nibbled at her lower lip as she felt tears swell behind her eyes. “Princess, I’m so sorry. I wish I could go back and somehow just change what had happened… but I—”

“She smiled at the end,” the Princess yet again cut Twilight Sparkle off, “I like to think she smiled because she was free from her torment. But before that, did you know what I saw, Twilight? I saw fear in her eyes. Pain. Betrayal. In that moment I too died along with Luna when she looked upon me. I watched her life slip from her eyes and it was I that did it. Not some creature or villain. I killed her.

Twilight lowered her head, unable to say a word.

"I sat upon my throne and ruled the skies; raising and setting the sun and the moon with my own two hooves day in and day out for a thousand years, and I always thought banishing her would forever haunt my every waking moment whenever I looked upon the moon, but I was wrong. That expression she had when she slipped away—that, is what will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Turning, Celestia walked slowly across her bedroom towards the french windows that opened up onto her own private balcony basking in the glorious light of the full moon, passing by Twilight without so much as a glance.

Twilight sadly observed the strong mare she once considered untouchable, now brought so low. As she slowly trotted on behind her and hazarded a glance up at the alicorn, only to find a blank expression and a set of tired eyes that were not present before.

“Princess, I know it is not much, but you can talk to me about anything. If you want a shoulder to cry on or a hoof to hold or someone to hug, then I will always be here for you.” Twilight resisted her tears the best she could, but to no avail. The droplets slipped down her face unrestrained and struck the floor besides her hooves. "Always."

Celestia glanced down at the mare, her lips curling into that warm and loving smile that melted almost any heart. Lifting a leg, she scooped Twilight Sparkle into an embrace and nuzzled the top of her head affectionately as a wing wrapped around mare’s body. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle, that means a lot to me.”

“I-I’m sorry, Princess,” Twilight sobbed as she thrust her muzzle into the crook of Celestia’s neck. “I’m s-so sorry! I-I couldn't do a thing to help her.”

“Twilight, there is no need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. You tried your best and that is all I could ever ask for from you. You did me proud and I am thankful for everything you ever did to try and research a way to bring back Luna to me, but, sometimes life will not give you an easy option.” Celestia soothed the mare the best she could, even if her thoughts turmoiled into an amalgam of regret. "Sometimes you have to go with the decision that will benefit the greater good."

Celestia held strong and kept her smile, even as the regret and sorrow swelled within her chest. The last thing she needed to do was break down in front of Twilight given the mare's vulnerable state; and if truth be known, Celestia too felt like crying, yet for some unknown reason something held it all back. As if a mental barrier had been erected within her mind with the ability to hold back every ounce of sadness and rage she knew she could feel festering inside of her.

There was no escape—no vent for it to take, no matter how much she wanted to scream and shout.

Even upon the very last moments of Luna’s life, Celestia did not weep or mourn in any any form. Not even during the state funeral put on for the fallen Princess, which merrily celebrated the life of Luna before she had succumbed to the night’s dark allure. It was indeed a grand funeral. Many ponies came throughout Equestria from all walks of life, lining the streets of Canterlot, weeping and mourning for their dead Princess whom they had never met, while Celestia herself barely shed a single tear that day.

How could she? When it was she that had brought the axe of justice down upon her own sister’s neck and executed her.

Luna was not the only one to die that day, Celestia thought sourly to herself, I don't know who I am anymore.

As Celestia muddled this over in her mind, she guided Twilight Sparkle to the bedroom and towards the closed bedroom doors. “Perhaps it is best you sleep, Twilight Sparkle. You must be very tired and if I am not mistaken, your Ponyville friends will be coming tomorrow to visit you, am I right? You will need your energy. They are quite the energetic group.”

Twilight removed herself from the embrace of wing and leg, rubbing at her puffy red eyes as she nodded solemnly. “Y-yeah… you’re probably right. I do feel really tired.”

Nodding, Celestia offered the mare a final smile before issuing her goodbye with a light nuzzle to the side of Twilight’s face.

“Sleep well, my most faithful student.”

“I will,” Twilight smiled, “you too, Princess. If you need anything, I'll be right here.”

As much as Celestia did not want to be alone, she knew taking time for her thoughts would perhaps allow her the capability to finally grieve for her sister. When Twilight disappeared from view after departing, Celestia turned back into her bedroom as her lips curled up into a pained grimace.

She flicked her horn and slammed the doors shut with her magic just as the grimace transformed into a fierce scowl.

Why won't I cry?

“I did the right thing.” Celestia whispered as she returned to the balcony, her eyes staring up at the moon. “... didn’t I?”

Shaking her head, Celestia turned away from the moon as her scowl only intensified in its severity. “I chose Equestria over you and I know it was the right choice. You would have done the same if you were in my position. So why do I feel as if I did something wrong? Something heinous.” Celestia’s voice raised in pitch and loudness as she felt the foundations of that mental block crumble away at the merest accusation that she murdered Princess Luna. “When it was you who turned your back on us. On me. On Equestria...”

With her eyes clenched tight, Celestia quaked and trembled as wave after wave of sorrow and self loathing that had been building for days—no, for many, many years, finally escaped from her body in an euphoric torrent of rage directed at herself.

“I know I should had tried harder. I should had found a way to save you from the darkness; something, anything! I should had done something sooner. I failed you and I will never get to say I’m sorry for sending you to the moon. I’ll never get to eat cake or drink tea with you ever again. We'll never play pranks on each other like we always did and it is all my fault. This is all my fault and I deserve everything that is coming to me. E-everything....”

Despite her sudden eruption of emotion, Celestia noticed that she still could not bring herself to to shed a single tear.

But what she did notice, confused her, tearing her from her current dystopia.

The air around her felt oddly alight with a heat that felt familiar. It was as if the sun’s rays were washing over her coat within the dead of the night.

Celestia opened her eyes and glanced up to the sky to establish that the sun was indeed nowhere in sight. Upon confirming this to be the case, she next looked down to her hooves to find the stone that she stood upon to be glowing red hot, as if it had been contact with some kind of intense localized source of heat.

“What in Equestria...” Celestia lifted her right forehoof up to further inspect this anomaly, only to find nothing out of the ordinary wrong with her hoof. Stepping back, still dumbfounded at the scalding stone which had mysteriously heated harmlessly beneath her, Celestia noted yet another strange detail.

She was sweating profusely.

“Something is not right.” Celestia shook her head from side to side as if to break herself out of a haze. Quickly, she trotted forward back into her bedroom, heading straight for the vanity next to her circular bed.

Upon arriving before the mirror, Celestia stopped, frozen in her tracks, at the image staring back at her.

It was not her own.

It was Luna’s.

Author's Note

First real bit of writing I have done in weeks.

I hope you all enjoyed the story, which is partly inspired by the photo for the Fic.

Leave your likes, hates, flames and questions down below.

Thanks. o7

(Yes, this will be a Twiliestia Fic.)

Vent

Unable to sleep for fear of the dreams that she knew awaited her upon closing her eyes, Celestia took to wandering the halls of Canterlot Castle to clear her mind, but to no avail. The image in the mirror she thought she saw was nothing more than a figment of her imagination, for by the time she blinked, the visage of Luna had become her own once again.

Each hoofstep was as heavy as the last and with each new hallway she wandered into, Celestia felt the great weight of the moon and the sun upon her, weighing her down and sapping away the once calm and kind demeanor she was supposedly renowned for possessing.

Celestia could no longer hide behind her regalia or collected composure anymore, given how exhausted she felt due to the death of her sister plaguing her every waking moment. Her once proud and dazzling smile was downcast into a frown while her once bright eyes had become half-lidded and forlorn; almost lost to the raging sea of anxiety that crashed against her body in a relentless attempt to shatter her resolve where she stood.

Without knowing so, she had trotted into the gardens where many parties had been held in the past, celebrating various events that were almost always pleasant in nature from birthdays to social gatherings. Most recently, it held the wake that took place immediately after Luna’s state funeral, where close friends and family attended and bereaved together.

Throughout the entirety of the party that celebrated the life of Luna, Celestia barely talked to a soul. She smiled and merely nodded as she was forced into various conversations she had little desire to be a part of, which the recently deceased Princess was almost always the subject of.

From that day on, the gardens had become nothing short of a refuge for Celestia, whom had barred the immaculately kept beauty of the grounds from everypony except herself and the royal landscaper who attended to the various fauna and flora presented there.

A place where she could stand in the night’s cool air and bathe in the celestial light that once belonged to her sister and remember the good old days.

Above all else, the reason why she visited the gardens was somewhat more puzzling and macabre to the Princess, for Celestia could almost feel her sister’s presence.

It was as if Luna had never left.

As if her soul inhabited these grounds.

Craning her neck up, Celestia regarded the moon high in the night sky, becoming lost in her thoughts as her teeth clenched tightly together against the rising bout of self-loathing she could not quite shake off, despite her best attempts to reassure herself and defend her actions regarding Luna’s death.

“There was nothing I could do,” Celestia whispered to the moon, praying silently it would answer her back and reassure her of the choices she was forced to make, “but I don’t think I can live with myself knowing I—”

Murdering your own sister... I remember that expression you gave to me when you used the elements of harmony to turn me into stone so very clearly, Princess. So I have to wonder, did you show her the exact same expression? That same resolve and merciless action I know you are fully capable of when it comes to protecting your precious little ponies…

Celestia’s body became rigid at the mental invasion of one she did not have the time or energy to entertain. “Discord, are you without remorse as well that you have to twist the knife that is already buried deep in my heart? Have you no sympathy? Or are you beyond that capability as well?”

The Princess kept her eyes upon the moon as her eyes narrowed dangerously upon it. Discord’s words had stung deep, for he had called her out on exactly what Celestia thought herself to be.

A murderer.

Oh come now, Celestia, don’t be such a drama queen. I am merely stating what it is I see. And right now? I see a broken alicorn Princess that essentially whittled her own breed down to just two. You saved me a lot of effort, Princess.

Celestia’s eyebrows twitched. She knew exactly what it was he was doing, but no matter how much she knew the harbinger of chaos was attempting to get under her skin, Celestia could not deny he was succeeding with very little difficulty.

“What is that supposed to mean, Discord?”

What will you do, my dear, when I escape? If you think your sister’s power was terrible and something to be feared, then, imagine what will happen when I finally break out of this prison? You don't exactly have her around to help you stop me this time, do you?

“That will never happen, Discord. You are forever locked in stone. Luna and I made sure tha—” upon mentioning her sister’s name, Celestia trailed her words into oblivion as a pang of regret jolted her heat, bringing a misty eyed expression to her tired gaze, “even if you do escape, I will simply lock you away myself.”

And I will escape again and again! You really are quite dim, aren’t you, Celestia? You can never truly stop chaos or evil. It is as constant as your precious little trinkets of harmony. Be it because of myself or another, Princess, you will be forced to fight for your little ponies and for their peaceful little lives. You will come to the similar juncture that presented itself before you when it came to your sister and I just have to wonder… can you?

“Silence.” Celestia whispered, huffing angrily.

Will you do what is right in the eyes of your fickle little pony morals or will you do what is necessary to save Equestria? Can you do it again?

“I SAID SILENCE!” Celestia barked angrily in the traditional Canterlot voice, wheeling about to regard the statue of Discord in his perpetual state of alarm some ways across the garden with her wings spread wide and her eyes blazing a glare that almost resembled the smouldering surface of the sun.

Oh my, did I strike a nerve? Well, I am right you know, so you can’t exactly blame me for calling it as I see it.

“I said, SILENCE!” Celestia’s hoofsteps approached the immobile Discord as her eyes only intensified in their expression of unbridled resentment. Unbeknownst to the Princess, each hoofstep left a smouldering hoofprint in her wake that cindered the grass she trod upon into ash.

“Do you think I do not know what it is you are doing? Do you think me a fool, Discord? I will not fall for your petty insinuations nor will I rise to your heckling for another moment longer. You best stay your tongue or so help me I will—”

Or you’ll what, Princess? Kill me?

The alicorn stopped before Discord, sneering, as a sinister and fiery glow consumed her horn, her pupils shrinking into thin, serpentine slits. “My sister’s death weighs heavily upon my heart, Discord. What I did, I regret with every fiber of my being but do not think for a second I will grant you the same mercy I showed her. You terrorized Equestria and got what you deserved. Your eternal imprisonment of stone is supposed to be a fate worse than death,” Celestia summoned her magic to encapsulate Discord’s arms in her magic, “but I see now you have not learnt your lesson, even after all these years. Perhaps it is about time I have done something about that.”

Are you threatening me, Princess? That isn't very friendly of you, is it?

Celestia’s fiery eyes drew amused at the slight panic entering his voice as the magic surrounding his arms drew brighter and more luminous with each passing second. “I am going to make you wish you had never opened your mouth this night, Discord.” She stared coldly into the statue’s gaunt face. “If you are so intent on sprouting your nonsense to try and get a reaction out of me, then allow me to give you one.”

W-wait! Let us not do anything drastic here. I was merely playing with you, Princess. I do get so very bored out here all alone, you know. No one ever comes to visit me so there is no need to resort to violence. I was just playing a game with you, that’s all! And you won! Congratulations!

“Don't you know, Discord? If you play with fire, expect to get severely burned. Do I look like I am in the mood for your games?”

I-I apologize profusely, Princess…

“Do I look like I care about your hollow apologies? I have been through Tartarus and back these past couple of weeks.”

Let's not blow this out of the water, Princess. Let us talk about this like civilized—

“I have always wondered if you could feel pain in your current state.”

What do you mean—

The magic that surrounded Discord’s arms flared into a torrent of flames as Celestia’s eyes shone as bright as the heart of a supernova, causing Discord to yelp and howl.

What are you doing?!

Celestia’s face remained expressionless as she stood directly before the inferno she had created, observing with a perverse curiosity as it extended its lethal tendrils out to char the ground around the statue of Discord.

MERCY! PLEASE!

While the flames lashed harmless at her pure white coat, Celestia calmly closed her eyes and basked in the screams of the harbinger of chaos, mixed with the comfortable and cathartic warmth of her Promethean flame.

“Mercy? You are beyond the right to have mercy.” Celestia whispered to herself. “Now plead for it…”

For the first time in a very long time, Celestia felt tears finally slip down cheeks as she listened to the tortured screams of Discord ringing in her ears. It somehow comforted her to know someone so vile was finally getting what he deserved.

By the time the tears had dribbled down to her chin, the intensity of the heat had already evaporated the liquid, leaving small crystals of salt in their wake.

Author's Note

Huh. Turned out darker than I had intended.

Oh well.

Lala-lala~

Questions? Comments? Hates and flames? Corrections? Direct them down below.

Warmth

By all accounts, what Celestia was forced to do to Luna was an inevitable outcome that could not have been avoided. For the protection of Equestria, Celestia would give her own life if it meant that her little ponies would continue to live on in harmony, so that they would never feel the need to fear for their very lives.

Rationally, many knew Celestia’s choice to end her own sister could not have been more difficult for the alicorn. But at the end of the day, the Princess did what was right in their eyes and had managed to survive and overcome the odds, even if they were significantly stacked against her.

Nightmare Moon was a powerful foe indeed, but it would seem the extent of Celestia's rarely displayed power caused the Nightmare’s lunar light to pale in comparison to the blinding rays of the sun unchained.

It would be a victorious and yet sad tale to be forever told in the annals of Equestrian history for future generations.

For she defeated an enemy in battle; there is nothing more glorious for a ruler of a kingdom than to single handedly strike down the head of the beast that threatens peace to their lands. Swiftly and without remorse. To reign supreme and to be praised forever more as a hero.

But what she did to Discord…

That was something she knew her little ponies would never be proud of.

By the time she had realized what she had done, Celestia had already returned to her chambers and collapsed upon her bed, laying there motionless, barely moving a muscle as her brain processed the scene frame by terrible frame.

She kicked the enemy when they were down.

Celestia tortured a prisoner as if he was nothing more than a filly’s plaything to be discarded when she grew tired. But that was not what scared Celestia the most.

Deep down inside as she stood amongst the comfortable heat that swirled around her in a torrent of hellfire, Celestia enjoyed what she did to him. Every second and every succulent scream that sang from the statue invigorated the mare to a near point of harmony.

Everything was made clear.

Is this how you deal with your enemies?

Is this how you deal with criminals against Equestrian perseverance?

Like leeches, do you burn them off the flesh and crush them underhoof when they are at their most vulnerable?

Celestia kept her face buried in her pillow as she wept, the dark thought and its methods making a twisted kind of sense, and it only served to frighten the mare. She could not quite believe what she had done or what she was thinking of doing. Once she had labelled such actions as barbaric and beneath ponykind. It was a thought process she would have associated with King Sombra and most assuredly not herself.

No matter how hard she tried, Celestia could not push aside the fact she had almost killed Discord without any real provocation.

Before this terrible night, her sister’s face would forever haunt her dreams… but now?

Now, she had to contend with the horrific screams of Discord’s agonizing wails repeating over and over again in her head.... combined with that laughter.

That terrible, heinous laughter that cackled over the crack and snap of burning grass and Discord’s pleas.

Laughter she refused to believe came from her own lips.

_________________________________

Twilight awoke in her old and yet still untouched Canterlot bedroom to a ray of sunshine spilling in from an open nearby window. Rustling under the covers, Twilight yawned and itched at her head, further creating a more frizzed style to her rather unkempt mane.

Blinking wearily towards the small clock nestled atop of a bedside cabinet just next to her head, Twilight had to blinked several times before the hands upon the clockface actually registered within her brain.

It was midday.

“Huh…? But I was supposed to wake up at eight o'clock sharp … Spike? Spike!” She called from her prone position upon the bed, hardly making the effort to get up, as for some peculiar reason the bed was surprisingly warm, thus making it extremely comfortable. “Spi—oh… oh! That’s right. I’m still in Canterlot, aren’t I?” Disorientated to her exact location and still somewhat half asleep, sure enough, Twilight Sparkle soon recognized that she was not in Golden Oaks library and that Spike was nowhere to be found.

Eyeing the alarm clock, she frowned at it as if it was the reason why she did not wake up at a more appropriately earlier time of the morning. Not that two minutes after midday was exactly the correct definition of morning.

“By Starswirl’s beard… I really did oversleep.”

That and she did simply forget to set the alarm. But who could blame her? After her brief meeting with Celestia last night, Twilight was both mentally and physically drained. She had been like that since the death of Nightmare Moon and Twilight did have to wonder just how Celestia was able to cope with what had happened.

Maybe that was why she adored her mentor so much?

No matter the adversary or the task, Celestia directed herself with a calm air of neutrality and professionalism, doing what was right by Equestrian law. A law Celestia herself hoofwrote over the thousand years of her singular reign.

“Urgh, why does this bed have to be so warm!”

Lifting the covers up over her head, Twilight groaned as she kicked out her legs in a rather childish display of resistance against the concept of getting out of bed. Instead, she flopped over onto her other side, bringing her face away from the tick-tock of that damn traitorous clock to nuzzle her-

Twilight’s breath caught in her throat.

Initially her brain screeched to a halt, more than likely crashing against the inside of her skull as she quickly jerked her head back from the sleeping, angelic face of Princess Celestia…

Who was sleeping in her bed.

Right next to me!

With wide eyes, Twilight’s heart had already started to pump her blood throughout her body in a quick and rather predictably alarmed response.

For she loved Princess Celestia, far more than any student ought for their teacher.

Swallowing hard, Twilight had become the veritable deer in the headlights at that precise moment in time. She was simply transfixed by the serene visage before her or perhaps more notably, how Celestia’s lips were subtly parted just enough to entice another more embarrassing reaction from the mare.

“Uhhhhhhhhhh, P-Princess?” Twilight stammered in an adorkable squeak, flushing red as her eyes came to rove anywhere but upon Celestia’s face.

Shifting only slightly on the spot, Celestia parted her eyelids by a mere fraction to regard Twilight as she was stirred from her slumber. “Hm? Oh. Twilight… I’m sorry. This is probably a little bit of a shock. I hope you don't mind the intrusion.”

Oh no! I don’t exactly have my mentor AND the mare I am in love with in bed with me or anything! Nope! Not a shock at tall! This is the complete opposite of shock! In fact this was very highly expected to occur at some point! Twilight practically screamed within the safe confines of mind. Or at least, she hoped Celestia’s powers did not extend into the realms of telepathy. Not that that’s a bad thing…

“Forgive me, Twilight Sparkle, I know you have to meet your friends later on this afternoon, but…” Celestia’s voice seemed strangely strained. Quite hoarse in fact.

Twilight’s embarrassment was pushed aside as she lifted her head from the pillow with concern etched upon her features. “Is something the matter, Princess?”

Gently, Celestia lifted a foreleg and draped it over Twilight’s midsection, bringing her head forward to press her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck. “Just let me stay like this for a little while. I’m so sorry to ask you of this, but I… there is no one else…”

Frozen in place, Twilight swiftly swept all of her embarrassing (and lustful) thoughts and feelings aside in favor of the task at hand. This unexpectedly pleasant encounter was not because Celestia was finally returning her unrequited love.

No.

This was something else entirely.

She needed Twilight.

Twilight nodded and curled her forelegs about Celestia’s head, drawing the older mare closer. “Of course, Princess, anything for you.”

With permission achieved, Celestia muttered her thank yous and turned her face downwards into Twilight’s chest.

After a beat of silence, Twilight felt Celestia's entire body tremble.

Finally, after so long, Celestia wailed Luna’s name into Twilight's fur and broke down.

Twilight Sparkle held onto her mentor, struggling to keep her own tears in check as the mare she had fallen in love with; a mare she held in such high regard, was reduced to a wreck in her embrace.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the third chapter of this little corner of my world.

Like, hate, flame and comment! Got questions? I'd be happy to answer em.

Kudos for blazeofheat, for the sudden proof read of this. Cheers mate. /)

Tempering

By the time Celestia cried herself to a deep sleep, Twilight Sparkle had reluctantly peeled herself from the mare’s comfortably warm presence to prepare herself for the arrival of her Ponyville friends, which was due any minute now.

“I’m so late…” Twilight whispered to herself as she used a brush to tame her unruly mane into its correct position, while seated at a stool close to the bedside allowing her to perfectly capture the serene mare slumbering peacefully within her bed.

There were many openings throughout the encounter that Twilight’s brain simply screamed at her to just kiss the princess and be done with the inevitable rejection. Naturally, she could not bring herself to do it, for it was neither the right time or place to do so.

Well… it was the right place, thought Twilight with an embarrassed smile, her cheeks and nose flushing a shade of red. Princess Celestia is still grieving and it would have been wrong for me to take advantage of her.

Sighing, Twilight glanced to the clock, noting it was past two o’clock.

She had to get to the station in record time, and that would be no problem with several timed teleportations, for if there was something she was extremely proficient at it, it was most certainly teleportation magicks… besides being a living encyclopedia, of course.

Having lived at the castle for quite some time before moving to Ponyville, it would be no stretch of the imagination that Twilight knew Canterlot like the back of her hoof; she knew her first port of call was to be the Canterlot Gardens.

A place she knew to be off limits these days.

“It’s not like I’m going to stay there to look around or anything. Besides, it will make my journey much shorter. I’m sure the Princess won’t mind. I hope?” Twilight placed the brush down onto the stool just as she stood up.

With one final glance to Celestia, the flare of her lavender magic consumed her horn and then eventually her body a second before she popped out of existence and teleported herself into the middle of the gardens.

Inhaling the sweet, flowery air of the gardens, Twilight sighed heavily.

She really did not want to leave that bedroom.

Not now and not ever.

If only Celestia’s visit had been for different reasons. Reasons that involved the two of them—

“Whoa there, Twilight,” she talked herself out of her dirty thoughts and shook her head side to side as if to shake the images of Celestia's very attractive plot out of her mind, “thinking of things like that will only serve to hurt you in the end. You just don’t know if she’s into mares yet or even willing to have any kind of relationship with her own student at that! Focus, Twilight. Stop living in a fantasy world.”

Closing her eyes and directing her thoughts to her next teleportation point outside castle grounds, Twilight summoned her magic only to stop herself and widen her eyes at the sound of somepony… crying?

Naturally curious and now somewhat concerned, Twilight turned about on the spot, looking all around to try and identify the source of the whimpering.

“Hello?” She called out, “is something wrong? Are you okay?”

The whimpering had ceased, and for a couple of minutes Twilight simply strained her hearing to try and see if she could at least hear a reply.

Instead, she got nothing. Either the pony was too afraid to come out or was too lost in their sorrow to want to reply back.

Trotting forward so that she peered around a mulberry bush that was nearby, Twilight swiftly found herself aghast at what she discovered.

The statue that stood within the garden grounds was one she knew all too well. It frightened her as a filly but not so much any more, having long since grown up to the truth (after many hours of research mind you) that Discord was indeed long gone and that likeness of him was nothing more than a harmless effigy.

The reason for her reaction was due to the vandalized state of the statue, its once pristine white surface having been blemished black in various areas upon the mismatched animal body, as if it had somehow caught on fire.

Stepping forward to investigate, Twilight further noted with a growing concern that the area about the statue had also been scorched into dust. Yet no other part of the garden appeared to have been touched, as if the fire did not exist long enough to spread throughout surrounding area.

“What happened?” Twilight stopped before the tarnished earth and narrowed her eyes, “wait a minute...this can’t be a natural phenomena. This statue is made out of marble and thus is a calcium carbonate in molecular formula, making its melting point above 825 °C... it is as if a localized source of high heat was projected right here on onto the statue with a degree of directionality that can only narrow it down to it being a magical creation...” puzzled, Twilight inspected the sculpture of the Lord of Chaos to further note the limbs that were once a lion’s paw and eagles talon, had been melted away to the elbow, “and it was at its hottest point apparently on the ends of his, uh, where some of his arms used to be.”

It hurts so much.

“What?” Twilight sprang back, startled at the voice she could hear clear as day. As if someone was standing right next to her. But no one was there. “W-who’s there?”

It burns.

There it was again, but this time, she could almost feel as if the voice was coming from directly in front of her, as if it was coming from the—

Twilight’s blood ran cold as she swung her gaze up at the statue of Discord, her mouth agape in complete and utter surprise.

“Discord?” Twilight stammered, almost smiling at the ridiculousness of her query.

Please, little pony, if you can hear me, help me escape before she comes back to finish me off.

“I don’t understand,” Twilight took a step forward, doubly perplexed by the statue’s plea, “did somepony do this to you? Who? Why?” For a second, she had to just gawk at the fact she just asked a statue who vandalized it.

I’ve never felt such chaos… I should had been reveling in it but it terrified me. There’s a fine line between chaos and destruction and I don’t know which side she belonged!

“Who are you talking about? Please, if there somepony responsible for this, I promise you Princess Celestia will—”

NO! Don’t bring her here! She’s the one that did this to me! You have to believe me!

Twilight took a single step back, looking upon the statue with sudden suspicion. She had to just remind herself of the identity of this statue. If it was indeed Discord himself, then all of this could be some kind of trick.

After all, why was he so intent on her releasing him?

If she remembered her history correctly, Twilight Sparkle was sure Discord was defeated by the two royal sisters in battle. But the outcome of the battle was never recorded, other than the fact that the princesses defeated him.

Perhaps this was the result of that day?

Perhaps Discord was forcibly imprisoned here in the gardens all along right under everypony’s noses. Her fillyhood bogeyman was in fact in front of her eyes the entire time and she was now silently thankful she never knew of this shocking revelation when she was a filly, as she would have never set hoof in the gardens again.

Please! I’ll do anything! I’ll reform! I’ll make it rain chocolate and hail marshmallows—anything! But please you have to set me free from this infernal prison before she comes back!

No matter how convinced she was that somepony or something did indeed attempt to harm Discord in his vulnerable state, she could not swallow the concept that
Princess Celestia was capable of torture.

“No,” Twilight narrowed her eyes upon the effigy, “I will not. Quite frankly, I don’t trust you, Discord, and while I am sorry you are in pain I simply do not believe Princess Celestia is capable of torture, let alone cold blooded murder. For all I know this could be some kind of trick.”

This is not a trick you confounded purple coloured unicorn! If you do not release me, my death will be on YOUR hooves!

Turning about, Twilight summoned her magic, shaking her head from side to side. “If there anypony who will know how to figure out who did this to you, it is Princess Celestia and as her student it is my duty to inform her.”

Using her magic, Twilight slipped into the ether, leaving Discord alone to the garden’s serene and idyllic backdrop.

____________________________

Regardless of her state, Celestia had her duties to perform.

Running both the Day and Night Court most certainly ate a majority of her attention, and thankfully, it consumed a lot of her thoughts. It was in these long hours of administration that Celestia felt her whole world was once again at peace.

For it was here in the warm confines of her throne room that she had fashioned her image as a benevolent and powerful ruler. Gentle natured and loving, yet firm and fair when the need arose, no one would dare oppose her methods or decisions even if they turned out to be quite controversial.

Equality for everypony, no matter the social status or their income, was perhaps her biggest scandal of the most recent years. A fixed taxation no matter who you were, was made mandatory to fuel a free health care and educational system, even going as far as to create a housing scheme to make sure that everypony within her kingdom possessed a good quality of life with a stable roof over their head in some shape or form.

Yet, nothing was said or done to change Celestia’s plans, for it was working.

Sure, she had some grumbles from some ponies from time to time, but they were either too afraid or too brainwashed during this age of unrivaled harmony, so that nopony actually considered the pink, two headed elephant in the room.

The system was extremely flawed in its management of finances.

Eventually the economical establishment of Equestria would fall into debt, but not for a good few years to come.

“Maybe a hundred if I am lucky,” Celestia commented with a mutter.

Celestia had hoped open trade with surrounding nations would perhaps curb the astronomical costs of her ideas to create an idyllic land for her little ponies to frolic in.

But things were never truly that easy, were they?

Reviewing the scroll of the months financial report, Celestia sighed heavily as she lifted a hoof to press against her closed eyelids as she leant back defeatedly against the throne.

“Is something the matter, Princess?” Inquired Raven as she approached the throne, pausing once to bow her head low.

Snapping out of her silent despair, Celestia poised herself more appropriately and befitting of her position while using her magic to roll up the parchment, placing it aside on top of a fairly hefty mound of similar scrolls just next to the throne for the time being.

Celestia smiled down at Raven, chuckling lightly as she shook her head from side to side. “You don’t have to bow every time you see me, Raven. We are friends after all.”

Raven lifted her head, grinning back at the Princess. “Sorry, Princess. I have just come to inform you that a letter has arrived from Saddle Arabia. It seemed pretty urgent.” Withdrawing a scroll from her saddlebag, Raven summoned her magic to levitate it over to the Princess.

“Oh?” Celestia blinked, somewhat surprised by the news. Leaning forward, she tilted a brow and took the scroll in her own hue of magic to review the contents silently for a few moments, before her expression solidified in a rare expression of annoyance. “Not again,” she sighed, placing the scroll down to allow her hooves to rise up and rest against her now closed eyes.

Concerned, Raven stepped forward. “Is something the matter, Princess?”

“Politics,” Celestia grumbled a little as she slipped open her eyes and revealed a sour smile for her scribe, “nothing more. Could you arrange for a visit to Saddle Arabia, departing tomorrow morning at the earliest convenience? I am afraid I am needed to once again curb some hostilities between our neighbors.”

Nodding, Raven turned about and headed for the throne room doors, “I will get right on it, Princess.”

Just as Raven departed, Celestia thanked the mare and was immediately bedazzled by a bright lavender flash appearing directly before her throne.

Before her stood Twilight Sparkle, with an expression Celestia knew all too well. Either she had found yet another puzzling spell she could not quite figure out that had driven her to the edge of rationality, or perhaps—

“Princess, I’m so sorry to interrupt you like this but I was just in the gardens—”

Celestia’s heart seized in her chest, her eyes widening a fraction as she felt her usual, warm and loving smile falter.

“—and… I know the gardens are off limits now, but I was simply there just to use it as a staging point to teleport myself across Canterlot to meet with my friends and I—”

Inside, Celestia’s mind was aflame with a mixture of emotions; the tumultuous thoughts raging in her head were nothing compared to the icy chill of fear creeping up her throat.

“—found the statue of Discord… crying… I didn’t quite believe it at first but, he started to talk to me inside of my head. He was begging for me to...”

Celestia had not noticed it, but she had abruptly narrowed her eyes upon Twilight in such a fierce manner that it caused the lavender mare to shrink back and clam up, yet the words that came from her mouth, combined with the authoritative tone she delivered them in, caused Celestia to shiver the moment they passed her lips.

It felt strangely pleasant, for some peculiar reason.

“What did he tell you?”

“He…” Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat, though found herself unable to speak under such an uncharacteristic glare from her mentor. “He told me to f-free him. I didn’t! Because I thought it was some kind of trick-”

Celestia stood up from her throne and released a heavy sigh. “Twilight Sparkle, while I can overlook the fact you went out into the gardens, what I can’t forgive however is that you were almost fooled by the Lord of Chaos himself. He is a very crafty character and you must be careful around him.”

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to—”

“Stop, Twilight Sparkle, let me finish… I do not want to hear an apology. I, on the other hoof will apologize to you,” softly, she smiled down at Twilight, attempting to show she was not angry with her at all. Though the truth of the matter was she was in fact simply seething towards a certain Draconequus at that point in time, and she struggled to contain it. “I should not have allowed Discord to be publically displayed like he has been. I am surprised he has not yet attempted to trick anypony thus far. I can only assume he chose to talk to you because you are my student and he knows that I care for you deeply, far more than any other pony in Equestria.”

Fear was replaced with relief and then finally joy, for Princess Celestia had openly admitted that Twilight was the most important pony to her in all of Equestria. It renewed hope in what Twilight had long thought to be a selfish, one-sided affair.

“Princess,” Twilight finally managed, her smile bright and her eyes glinting with restrained tears, “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing needs to be said, my student” Celestia moved forward to embrace the pony briefly, “now, forget what Discord told you. He is a master manipulator and has no qualms using anypony to realize his goals.”

Twilight pulled back, looking up at the Princess with a quizzical expression. “I think he’s telling the truth, in part. His statue is damaged. As if some kind of heat had just suddenly appeared only around him.”

Celestia could not help but smile. She loved how Twilight could analyze almost any situation and formulate several possible scenarios, one of which was, more often than not, the truth. “I see. Do not worry, Twilight. I will personally look into this and find whoever did this to Discord and bring them to justice. While he is a monster of chaos, he is still a living creature and I will not stand idly by as an attempt on anypony’s life within Equestria happens under my reign.”

Before Twilight could speak, Celestia placed a hoof over her mouth and guided her the rest of the way down the dais. “Now, push this thought from your mind and go and have fun with your friends. You are extremely late and I can only assume they are worried about you.”

Twilight gasped. “Oh no! My friends! I completely forgot about the—I’m super tardy! I-I have to go! Thanks Princess! I'm sure Discord will be somewhat relieved you are protecting him, too!” And just like that, Twilight blinked from the throne room, leaving Celestia by herself.

For many long minutes Celestia simply stared at the ground between her hooves as the smile she used to calm Twilight's curiosity mutated into a sneer that revealed teeth. “How dare he…”

Author's Note

Comment, like, hate, love, it's all good.

Thanks for the read, hope you enjoyed it.

Questions? Fire em down below.

Forge

For thousand of years she had no desire to raise the moon in her sister’s stead during her banishment. However, since her sister’s demise by her own hooves, such a thought only solidified in its conviction to something far more sorrowful. Now she believed she had no right raise Luna’s mysterious and yet beautiful celestial object through the night sky.

The dazzling rays of moonlight, bathing Equestria were not as a pleasant to look at anymore. At times like these at night staring down from her balcony, she reminisced on the good times with her dear sister, smiling and chuckling to each and every memory as it filled her with pride and a hope that one day she would return by her side.

But now as she looked upon the rooftops of the other buildings within Canterlot under the full moon’s silent gaze, nothing but pain lingered. In her eyes, the moonlight bathed her once peaceful kingdom in a shade of blood.

The blood of her sister, she had sacrificed to save them.

No matter how hard to tried, she continued to cry whenever she was alone; yearning for a comfort that was vile and villainous.

She wanted to torture Discord that little bit more to fill in the empty hole inside of her chest Luna’s death had left behind.

Breathing heavily, she turned her gaze down towards Canterlot Gardens, noting the vacant empty spot that Discord once stood at.

Celestia had kept her promise to Twilight and had moved him to a safer location, deep beneath Canterlot Castle, within the dungeons… where she had disposed of him.

Bile rushed up her throat as she felt suddenly pleased with herself, painfully swallowing back hard as a hoof lifted up to place against her muzzle.

“What is going on with me?” Celestia wept, “why does it feel right when I know it is wrong?”

Settling back onto her haunches, Celestia bowed her head and kept her eyes low to the ground, barely able to bring herself to look up at Luna’s night sky, attempting to try and push aside the thoughts to which has brought this once great monarch low.

Everypony makes mistakes. But killing Discord? That was just outright murder; and it was a murder she had greatly enjoyed enacting. He had overstepped his imprisonment and had attempted to corrupt Twilight Sparkle; HER faithful student.

“I have rid Equestria of an evil.” Celestia affirmed to herself, turning her gaze up towards the moon. “I had no other choice. Imprisonment was… eventually, I knew he would escape from our prison, Luna. We were wrong in thinking perhaps one day he could become reformed. Just like I was wrong in that you could… that you would come to me.”

Celestia stood up, attempting to hold herself with some sense of decorum befitting a Princess.

“From now on, I must do what is necessary to protect my Equestria. I must not show weakness. I must do all that I can to protect my little ponies from evil, no matter what… and if such beings must perish? Then so be it.”

Turning about to head to her bedroom door with the inevitable meeting between Maredonia and Saddle Arbia tomorrow weighing heavily upon her mind, Celestia had finally come to her conclusion on how to deal with these two nations’ breakdown of negotiations on a particularly sensitive subject matter, involving a territorial dispute that Celestia had thought was dealt with hundreds of years ago.

“If they will not cooperate and abide by the original law laid down by their ancestors, then they will have no choice but to agree to my ultimatum. If they refuse that, I will have to take more drastic measures to ensure peace. No pony will die and no pony get hurt over this silly dispute; that I will make sure of.”

Throwing open the bedroom door, Celestia turned down into the darkened hallway to head straight for the royal kitchens, feeling suddenly peckish. Though, in passing, she noted a small amount of light coming from Twilight Sparkle’s bedroom, which was located fairly close to her own.

Celestia smiled softly, knowing full well her student would be wide awake studying. Rubbing her eyes with a hoof, she cleared up an excess tears and gently tapped upon the bedroom door, speaking softly as she did so in a slight disapproving singsong.

“Twilight Sparkle, is it not time for bed?”

A scurrying of hooves animated on the other side , including a yelp and series of dull thuds which Celestia assumed to be from a falling pile of books.

Celestia’s smile only deepened as she intruded in Twilight’s room to discover Twilight attempting to pull herself out of a pile literature. The Princess merely chuckled.

“P-Princess, I… I’m sorry the room looks a mess but I was—”

By that point, Celestia had switched off. She enjoyed Twilight’s worrying demeanor at times and if the truth be known, Celestia almost enjoyed making her skittish within her presence. Deep down inside she knew it was a bit sadistic of her, but it was only a bit of harmless fun on her part to watch her most prized student fumble over her own words.

“Princess?” Twilight asked carefully, noting how strange Celestia was staring at her. “Is everything alright?” A realization came over the lavender mare as she placed a hoof to touch Celestia’s own. “Is it about Luna?”

“No,” Celestia droned monotonously, before shaking her head and reaffirming her warm and friendly tone of voice, “no, Twilight, I am just… I just wanted to see how my student is holding up during her rigorous evening studies.”

“Oh!” Twilight beamed, turning about as she practically bounded her way across the bedroom towards another pile of books. “Well, I was studying the old texts that talk about other such cultures, such as Saddle Arabia, the mysterious northern part of Equestria that was inhabited by the mythical Snow Ponies and of course the Gryphon Empire in its infancy.”

Celestia looked up to the ceiling, chuckling as she nodded. “Those were all very troubling times indeed.”

“Yeah… there seemed to be a lot of fighting back then.” Twilight nodded with a frown, before looking up at Celestia. “Princess, can I ask a personal question?”

Blinking, Celestia merely nodded. “Don’t be so silly Twilight, you know very well you can ask me anythi—”

“Did you ever... love somepony?”

Well, that took Celestia by surprise.

Speechless for a few seconds, Celestia simply released a nervous chuckle. “Well, yes. Once I did love somepony. But that was a long time ago. I feel as if I had outgrown the need to feel the love of another.”

Twilight placed down her book, looking curious and yet cautious. “Why?”

Celestia tilted a brow towards her student, disapprovingly.

“I-I mean, if you don’t mind me asking that is!” Twilight twiddled her hooves, blushing a little.

Shaking her head, Celestia looked upon Twilight with her most gentlest of smiles. “Because my love is only for Equestria. I cannot afford to love somepony else specifically over the rest. My dedication to my little ponies as a whole was once not as strong as it is now. But… that was because I once loved a pony so much that he… changed. Became something else.”

A sadness grew in Twilight’s expression, placing a hoof to her own chest. “I-I’m so sorry, Princess. I didn’t mean to bring up any painful memories.”

Lifting a hoof up, Celestia silenced Twilight’s worry with a chuckle. “It is fine, Twilight Sparkle. I have long since pushed such feelings aside for it was a mistake that I had learnt from. Something that made me grow into the mare you see today.”

“Will you… ever love again?”

Both mares locked eyes as the question hung in the air.

“Sorry…” Twilight whispered, “I didn’t mean to...”

Celestia stared long and hard at Twilight before she slowly turned away to depart Twilight’s bedroom.

With both of Twilight's ears flattened against her head as her heart drummed against her chest as an overwhelming sadness pushed tears to the corners of her eyes, unsure as to why she had to go and say such things so openly to the Princess.

But a part of her knew.

A part of her wanted to know if she had a chance.

Bursting forward, Twilight moved to interject between Celestia and the door, her eyes wide with guilt. “I’m so sorry! I won’t ever ask again. I did not mean to upset you; it was poor timing to ask such questions considering what you have gone through and, well, it has always intrigued me and I just—”

Twilight was cut short as a set of lips pressed lightly against her own.

Celestia parted the kiss and kept their faces a mere inch apart as a desire burned deep within her eyes that drew in all of Twilight's attention. “I have already fallen in love with somepony, Twilight Sparkle, but I am afraid to do anything about it. It would be a scandal amongst the gentry and the nobles that their Princess; a teacher, is in love with her own young student.”

“P-Princess?” Twilight barely managed to whisper.

“I know you love me; more than any student should, Twilight, but we can never be together. It would be wrong and I cannot afford to ruin my image and cause a slight unrest within the nobles over such a matter. I am sorry.” Celestia turned, an usual expression of stoicism present that left the rejected Twilight Sparkle staring numbly after the Princess she loved more than life itself.

“But,” Twilight felt tears fall down her cheeks as she shook her head side to side, “it isn’t fair.”

Princess Celestia paused at the foot of the doorway to glance back towards Celestia, frowning sadly. “You will grow to love somepony else, Twilight.”

“No,” Twilight affirmed, struggling to keep her tears in check as she took a quivering step forward towards Celestia, “it isn’t fair that you have to be alone. I-it isn’t right! I don’t know the details of what happened in the past with your past lover but, P-Princess, you don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Celestia bit at her lower lip. “You’re young, Twilight Sparkle. Trust me, you will look back in the future at this moment and realize that this was never meant to be.”

“Y-you need me,” Twilight nervously advanced, oddly confident though expression none of it on her face, “you cry every night alone in your room; and you can’t say you don’t because I can hear you. At least, please, tell me how I can make your sadness go away… I know I can never replace Luna, but, at least allow me to help you somehow. I-I don’t want to see the pony I… I…”

“Remain being my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Advance in your studies and grow into the most wisest of unicorns I hope will one day even surpass Starswirl himself. Have a family and grow old with somepony you can be with that will not hurt you in the end... that alone will suffice to make me happy.”

“I-I love you,” Twilight pursued in the face of rejection, “I-I know I am young and I-I know it's ludicrous for me to even seek your affection; I know there is a gap between us when it comes to social status and duty and age... b-but isn't love supposed to be one of the strongest powers in all of Equestria? Does not love and friendship conquer all?"

Celestia simply stared down at her own hooves. “I am not so sure, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight noted the Princess’s body trembling. Cautiously and somewhat boldly in the act itself, she placed a shaken hoof upon Celestia’s rump and gently guided her to turn around so the young mare could look up into her mentor’s troubled eyes.

“I was afraid of my feelings would never be returned, but now that know you love me too, I almost think I can take on anything that can come at us! I won't ever let it bring me down no matter what!” Twilight shook her head and smiled sweetly through her tears. “Tell me what it is that scares you and I will do my best to make it go away, much like you had did with me so many times when I was just a filly. I want to be there for you like you were there for me...”

Celestia’s heart melted in her chest, despite the walls she had erected around it, there was nothing she could do to defend herself against such a display of affection.

What am I doing, Luna? Celestia thought as she felt her lips crash against Twilight’s own in a heavy and abrupt kiss. Do I even care anymore?

Author's Note

Well, this chapter came out of the literal-fucking-nowhere. My next chapter was supposed to be something completely different but... yeah.

There's some corruption in this chapter so I will allow it.

Like, hate, flame... all good.

Sunburnt

Celestia had never felt such a release of tension in her entire life.

Despite knowing the fact that the atrocity she was committing; abusing her power as a mentor and as a friend to seduce a mare that she considered more like a daughter than a student, Celestia had enjoyed every dominating moment of it and yet, unlike Twilight Sparkle who had fallen asleep soon after the act, the Princess was far from satisfied and was completely unable to sleep for reasons she could not quite grasp.

Twilight Sparkle had pushed all the wrong buttons and as much as Celestia chalked up the whole scenario to a moment of mad lust, she knew full well that she was just making up excuses to make herself feel better for the violation she had wrought on such innocence.

Celestia did not sleep a single minute after their intense joining of unshackled passion. She took the reigns and ran Twilight Sparkle through the grinder; every single second to the very frame, replayed in her mind in a constant loop, torturing Celestia; goading her into waking up the disheveled visage of the peacefully sleeping mare besides her and to take her for a second time.

A third.

A fourth.

By the time Celestia had realized it; laying there motionless while struggling with her inner demons throughout the unnaturally quiet night, she turned her head towards the window on the far side of her chamber. She knew she would have to rise to raise the sun and lower the moon soon, but she had no desire to leave the warmth that was present within her bed.

In fact, she did not want to tear her eyes from Twilight’s serene face for another moment longer.

Celestia knew Twilight had loved her for a long time now and yet, she always manage to avoid last night.

So why did she give in now?

Why did she ruin the seemingly perfect teacher-student relationship?

If anyone found out about this, who knows what ramifications it will bring.

Too many, thought Celestia.

“This…” Celestia whispered to herself as she ran her eyes over the strands of Twilight Sparkle’s mane, admiring how it accentuated her beauty as she slept… even if the mare’s mouth was slightly hanging open and a smidge of drool leaked from the corner.

It brought a smile to Celestia that she could not control. Her heart fluttered at the sight and considering what had occurred last night, it was no wonder. The mere sound of Twilight calling out her name in the throes of her misty eyed bliss had only encouraged what Celestia had always known.

There was something not quite right with her.

Celestia, Princess of the Sun (and now Moon), would had never acted this way in the past. It was as if Luna’s death had irrevocably changed her in ways she could not quite comprehend. But now, she had the evidence and it was looking right back at her, with warm and loving eyes.

Her heart was not sure what to do as she stared back at the awoken Twilight Sparkle that had already reached a hoof to place upon her cheek.

“Good morning,” Twilight whispered groggily, her eyes half lidded in a near sultry manner she did not mean to intend, “um… are you okay?”

Celestia merely stared back in silence at the question, unable to vocalize a response; or even the correct response she knew she had a duty to say.

“This…” Celestia found herself again unable to convey what was practically screaming in her head.

Concern wiped away the loving expression from Twilight Sparkle’s face as she lifted her head from the crescent shaped pillow, drawing her muzzle in close to lightly touch noses with the Princess in a show of affection.

“Stop.” Celestia insisted in a strong and near heartless manner, drawing her head away from the touch as if it had scolded her. Swiftly, she slipped up from the bed to stand besides it and stretch her legs, earning her a disappointed and slightly hurtful expression to settle upon her from the very bed the two had made love in hours ago.

“D-did I do something wrong?” Twilight leant up fully and moved to depart from the bed herself, though moving with a renewed vigor as a dread had crept into her voice. “I-I know it was my first time and, I know I wasn’t very good, but I’ll study how to do these things better. I'm sure there's a book somewh—”

“No, Twilight Sparkle, last night was…” Celestia had to say the right thing. Last night’s moment of mad love needs to be nipped in the bud before it bloomed into something altogether, ending only in deeper heartbreak. “A mistake.”

“But I… I thought...” Twilight approached Celestia, raising a hoof to touch her cheek once again.

Celestia steeled her gaze as a hoof shot up to slap Twilight’s limb away, successfully forcing the mare to take a step back, gasping in surprise as she did so.

“It was a mistake.” The Princess turned her head away, refusing to look Twilight in the eye as she spoke. “This can’t happen. I am sorry I… did what I did… and I know you have this grandiose concept that I am perfect, but the truth is I am probably the most flawed pony in existence. I hide so much behind a smile and a supposed wisdom. But what kind of wisdom makes a pony betray their student’s trust and force themselves upon them like I had did?”

“Celestia, no, please, it was not like that. I consented—”

“I know you are stubborn when a problem is presented before you. But I am one problem you can never figure out. I’m not as great as you think I am. I am only looking at this with your best interests to heart. It is true I do love you, but that type of love is wrong for us. It will destroy us.”

“That… you’re… that doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight lifted her voice, suddenly desperate to convey her point. “You give me this speech about… being hypocritical and not being perfect? I have come to realize these past few years that nopony can be perfect and… Princess, I couldn’t care less if you were the most flawed mare in Equestria.”

Celestia observed Twilight as the mare walked into her view as the tears forming in her student's eyes stung the Princess enough to warrant a flinch in her posture and facial features. “Twilight—”

Boldly, though shaking from head to toe, Twilight stomped a hoof. “You cannot be alone forever. No pony deserves it and if you are going to be this way and pretend that last night… it felt real… you were so passionate; a side I never thought I’d get to see and now, you say I may never get to see it again? Why? If you are going to be alone then I too will be alone, because I am going to be waiting for you to realize and accept that I don't care what other ponies think! All we have to do is be there for each other. That's what lovers do, right? That’s something I learnt from you Princess. How can you stand there, lie and hurt yourself like this? The Princess Celestia I know would—”

“How dare you...” Celestia growled, the walls shaking as she did so. “How dare you talk to me like that! Do you have any idea what is going to happen? This is not just about what the others will say. You are going to grow old and wither away while I do nothing but watch you turn to dust! To leave nothing behind; no legacy, no children, no grandchildren—nothing! And do I want to see the mare I love hopelessly fall into that pit? Never. Never in a millennia will I wish that on anypony.”

“Even now…” Twilight’s bottom lip quivered, her eyes clenching tight as she struggled to restrain herself. “Even now you are trying to protect to me. But I am no longer that little filly. I can look after myself and make my own decisions and my choice is to be with you. No one else… I-I have to leave; I have library books that need returning. Excuse me, Princess.”

Rushing past Celestia, in a dazzling flash of lavender Twilight Sparkle departed just as the Princess turned about to stop her, leaving Celestia alone in her bed chamber with nothing more than complete silence to accompany her.

“She’s young.” Celestia muttered to herself. “She’ll come to understand when she is older that ponies fall in and out of love all too easy.”

Not entirely sure she believed her own words, Celestia looked back to the bed, breathing in the still lingering scent of her student that still hung pleasantly in the air.

Just as she turned to commence with the lowering of the moon and the rise of the sun to help clear her mind, she heard something shuffle outside of her door. Giving the door a suspicious glance, Celestia used her magic to throw it open, revealing a shocked looking Raven standing stock-still in the doorway.

“P-Princess! I-I was just—”

Celestia advanced, her posture threatening and her voice flat as her eyes lit like two smoldering pits of Promethean flames. “How much did you hear?”

Raven swallowed hard. “N-nothing, your Majesty! I was just going to get a glass of water. I-Is something the matter?”

“You are lying to me, my little pony.” Celestia too stood in the doorway, towering over the mare with a glare that could incinerated her on the spot. “Do not think your Princess can’t tell when one of her subjects is lying.”

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Raven moved to take a step back, but found her body unable to move. “W-wha?”

A yellow aura covered Raven entirely and as Princess Celestia took a few steps back into her room, Raven was dragged along with her.

“W-what are you going to do to me? I… I’m sorry! Please, I beg for your forgiveness, your Majesty!”

“I thought we were friends, Raven.” Celestia spoke monotonously as she circled the frightened mare, her fire-kissed eyes looking down to note a puddle of urine had started to form beneath her. “Do not worry, Raven. I am going to look past this transgression providing you tell me exactly what it is you heard.”

Nodding frantically, she licked her dry lips and spoke in a hurried manner, desperate to leave the Princess’s unusually violent gaze. “Th-the fact that Twilight Sparkle and y-yourself were in… love and were…” Raven had finally broke down into tears. “Please, please don’t make me leave your service, Princess! I’ve served you loyally as your scribe for many years and I… I feel terrible for eavesdropping! It’s not r-right of me to do so and I can't stress how sorry I really, truly am!”

“Walk with me for a moment.” Celestia released her, turning to walk towards the open windows that led out onto the balcony without even looking back to see if the mare had followed her or not.

Raven did exactly that. Hot on the heels of the Princess, she struggled to compose herself, her breathing ragged. “Y-yes, anything, Princess! I’ll do a-anything to make up for this mistake.”

Celestia found herself before the edge of the balcony, looking up at the moon with a sad smile. “Raven, we have been together for a long time now. I feel like I can ask of you anything and it would done without a second thought. You are dutiful, loyal and committed and I would be a fool to try and find somepony to replace you.”

“Th-thank you, Princess.” Raven bowed her head low, keeping close to the taller mare’s side. "Th-that mean's a lot to me."

Celestia regarded the groveling and the top of Raven’s head with a glare. “Do you think I should… risk it?”

Raven blinked up at Celestia, clearly stunned. “I… that is to say…”

Summoning a warm and caring smile; the fire in her eyes long since put out, Celestia placed a hoof to Raven’s shoulder. “As a friend, I would like your opinion.”

Struggling not to sigh in relief, Raven looked out over the night sky, rubbing at her eyes as to clear the tears away. “Follow your heart… is what mother said to me once. So, I suppose, you should just follow your heart, Princess. I think you should have the time to be happy too while you still can.”

Celestia nodded slowly at her words. “Thank you, Raven. Your position as my scribe means that you are perhaps the only mare in Equestria who is closest to me. A mare that knows this kingdom inside and out. A mare who is loyal and honest...”

Guilt found its way to Raven’s face and voice as she looked up at Celestia. “I’m so sorry.”

“I forgive you, Raven.” Celestia shook her head as she lifted her hoof from Raven’s shoulder. “How are your children?”

“Oh! They’re fine, thank you for asking.” Raven beamed. “They’re both so very strong. Just like their Mommy.”

Celestia chuckled to herself, her smile slowly slipping from her lips. “A shame. If that is the case, then it would appear that they may have inherited their mother’s traitorous intentions.”

“Huh?” Blinking in confusion, Raven’s blood ran cold as she felt herself yanked from off of the ground by her mane and sent dangling over the railings, suspended above the gardens below that was quite a distance down. “W-wait! Princess!”

Celestia had used magic to ensnare Raven’s hair, keeping her exactly where she wanted her for the time being, dangling helplessly before her. “Their mother was in fact a traitor to Equestria. Unfortunately for her however, her plans were thwarted by Princess Celestia as she attempted to assassinate the Princess as she slept… Princess Celestia fought off the assailant and unfortunately, the assassin was killed during the altercation. The Princess has pardoned the family, as there was little evidence to suggest they were involved in the plot. That is what the newspapers throughout Equestria will read after they scrape your remains off of my lawn.”

Raven shook her head, mouth agape. “You… you can’t do this… I-I thought we were friends… this isn't right! This is murder!”

“I cannot trust you. That much is clear. With the information you have, anypony with half a brain can formulate a plan to severely challenge my rule by using Twilight Sparkle. It is just one possible scenario of many. Who is to tell you won’t betray me again? Much like my sister, I must act for the good of Equestria and for Twilight’s sake. This has to be done. You were right though, I must follow my heart even if what I must do will blacken it to protect her and everypony else.”

A peaceful smile formed on Celestia’s lips as she regarded Raven’s screaming face.

"PLEASE, DON'T!"

Releasing Raven upon her final words, Celestia leaned over the balcony and watched with the same smile as the mare fell to her death. She struck the ground with a sickening slap of broken bone and splitting flesh, her screams cutting short immediately.

“And fortunately for Twilight Sparkle, she no longer has to be far from my reach. As a vacancy very close to my side has just become available.”

Author's Note

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I worked REAL hard to get this out tonight and I really do hope you enjoyed it.

There has been no editor on this, as I am practicing trying to edit myself as well. It's good practice to improve my skills, after all.

Next chapter? Onwards to Saddle Arabia for REAL this time.

Blister

Twilight Sparkle trotted through the halls of Canterlot Castle aimlessly for hours on end after watching Princess Celestia and her cohort depart for Saddle Arabia, her mind swirling with questions upon questions as the weight of the task given to her bore heavily upon her shoulders.

The investigation of Raven’s betrayal had left many mysterious that Twilight Sparkle could not quite see the logic behind.

While Raven’s attempt on Celestia’s life was evidently orchestrated by who knows what power, a mind boggling puzzle lingered as to the reasoning behind the assassin’s attempt.

Raven had chosen to strike in a room with no clear methods of escape with a foolishly direct attack against the Princess.

Why would she do that, unless she knew she was going to die?

Was it a suicide mission?

If so, wouldn't the assassin make with absolutely certainty that the termination of their very existence was meant for something? To achieve some hidden agenda or at the very least, to succeed and overcome the impossible and actually ensure the death of the Princess?

Twilight Sparkle had found herself wandering back to Celestia’s chambers, staring at the closed doors as her lips curled into a frown.

The mere concept that the very place they had shared their love for the first time was sullied by this sickening attempt on her one true love’s life, generated an apprehensive state that was not the usual excited perturbation she used to feel.

As of this moment, Twilight Sparkle felt sick to her very stomach being anywhere near it.

She needed answers.

There needed to be a devil to which Twilight could direct her simmering rage.

But there was none.

With that in mind, Twilight Sparkle headed deeper into the halls of Canterlot Castle, descending a stone spiral staircase that headed into the bowels of the castle itself, where no pony ever wished to tread.

As a young filly, Celestia had warned her that the long abandoned dungeons were to always be out of bounds for the lavender mare, stating that its construction was used in a time when strife and darkness threatened the peaceful lands of Equestria.

Where criminals, prisoners of war and creatures of darkness were held before their fate was sealed in a court of law.

As Twilight Sparkle came to the bottom step, she paused for a moment to shiver before she started off down the long stone, dimly lit corridor, bearing iron barred cell doors on each side of the wall, noting in passing how cramped and poor the conditions were for the inmates long since passed into the annals of a best forgotten history.

Eventually, as Twilight turned left as the corridor branched off into three different directions, she spotted the immobile Royal Guard standing beside one particular cell not too far away.

With a shaken breath as to steady her beating heart, Twilight Sparkle approached the guard, who immediately took notice of the mare’s approach with a stern expression and just as steely frown.

“I’m sorry, but I am under express orders by the Captain that there are to be no visitors.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded, straightening her posture the best she could as she cleared her throat, attempting an air of authority that almost looked like it worked. “As Princess Celestia’s personal student, I have been given the task of heading this investigation.”

The guard raised his brows. “I received no such information.”

“Well then, you best report to Captain Flash Sentry and correct that, won't you?” Twilight Sparkle walked past the bemused guard, who only moved out to hook a hoof around Twilight’s leg, to cease her advance.

“Until I can confirm that, would you please come with me?”

Losing her confidence somewhat, Twilight Sparkle turned to regard the colt with a nod, though found herself frowning instead as a part of her screamed out that she had no reason to agree with his demand. She was well within the right to be here.

She was the one with the authority.

“No,” Twilight Sparkle announced with a stomp of her hoof, “if you do not believe me then perhaps when Princess Celestia returns from her duties in Saddle Arabia, I will tell her of your complete incompetence by hindering my investigation into the assassination attempt, then perhaps, you will be more inclined to take me more seriously.”

The guard felt himself grow ten times smaller under the smaller pony’s intense gaze. “I—uh—”

“Or,” Twilight lifted a hoof back down the corridor, “you can report to Captain Flash Sentry where this whole misunderstanding can be played out without having to inform the Princess that you doubted her most favored student.”

“I-I apologize Miss, I-I believe there is no need for something that harsh. I’ll head straight to the Captain to confirm. Please, excuse me, Miss!”

As the guard scrambled off with his tail between his legs, Twilight Sparkle released a heavy sigh.

“That… that felt kind of strange,” she muttered to herself, “but in a good way. I should be more confident more often.”

A confidence that was well placed, mind you. After all, is she not the student of Princess Celestia? Is she not more than just a mere pony?

Breaking herself from such self indulgent thoughts, Twilight Sparkle turned to peer into the cell, noting the grey coated, silver maned pony seated in the corner of the cramped confines with his face in his hoofs, completely silent.

Clearing her throat, Twilight Sparkle attempted to once again attain that air of authority she had just shown the guard.

“Excuse me,” Twilight spoke with a clarity and tone of professionalism, “my name is Twilight Sparkle, I would like to ask you a few questions in regards to your wife, Mr… uh, Silver Hammer, was it?”

Silver Hammer lifted his wet muzzle from his hoofs, his bloodshot, red rimmed grey eyes gazing up at Twilight Sparkle with a despair that caused the mare to nearly instantaneously lose whatever confidence she had mustered.

It almost broke her heart.

“Leave me alone… haven’t you done enough?” His raspy voice belonged to a stallion that was dead in spirit. There was little life behind his eyes let alone his words. “I’ve answered your questions already... can't you just leave me alone to grieve?”

Twilight Sparkle shifted on the spot uncomfortably, directing her gaze away. “I am, truly sorry what has happened to your wife, Mr Silver Hammer, but I—”

“She didn’t do it.” He shook his head as he stared up at Twilight. “She would never do anything like this… she loved the Princess like a sister! There is just no way it was her. She’d never harm a parasprite let alone the Princess; it has to be some kind of mistake.”

Although his sorrow was understandable, Twilight Sparkle could not help but frown towards the stallion, her simmering rage bubbling at the mere concept that Raven was anything but guilty.

“I am sorry, but, the Princess was only defending herself from Raven’s attack. Princess Celestia did not mean to hurt Raven, but I can assure you with absolute certainty that the Princess did everything in her power she could to try and stop her without resorting to violence.”

“Liar.” The stallion muttered.

“Pardon?” Twilight felt her lips pull back into a tight frown.

“She’s a liar!” The stallion snapped, rushing to his hooves to advance on the bars, pounding his hooves against it. “You, are a liar! Why would the Princess kill her?! Why go that far?! Isn’t she supposed to be powerful enough to raise the sun and moon; so why in Tartarus could she not contain my wife if she was indeed as guilty as you all seem to say!?”

Twilight Sparkle took several steps back from the bars, her eyes wide. “S-she had no choice… Raven was—”

“Innocent!” He shook the bars violently, the metal of his cell clanging together in a cacophony of noise. “The Princess murdered my wife!” Tears came to his eyes as he broke down, his attack on the cell weakening. “Raven was innocent! I’ve known her since we were young; I loved that mare so much and yet Princess Celestia selfishly took her away from me, with little to no proof! She murdered her! If she were alive right now, I am sure Raven would only mirror exactly what it is I am saying! You have to believe me when I say she would never harm a living thing because it is true! The only one that has harmed anypony here is the Princess!”

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes clenched tightly, unable to look the stallion in the face.

“Please, please, let me see my children. They are all I have left… p-please.”

“H-How dare you,” Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes, glaring up at Silver Hammer with a ferocity that forced the stallion back from the bars, “how dare you say those things about the Princess!”

“Please—”

Twilight Sparkle summoned her magic to grip the earth pony by the neck and to throw him back against the wall, pinning him there as she pushed her face against the bars, snarling towards the stallion as every single word barked from her lips.

“Raven attempted to murder the Princess in cold blood and all you have got to say in her defense is that Celestia is a liar and a murderer?! Who knows; perhaps you had a part to play in it as well? Perhaps that is why you are preaching your wife’s innocence just to save your own stinking hide from the justice that will befall upon you if I discover you are even slightly involved with the assassination attempt!”

“I-I didn’t do anything wrong!” Silver Hammer clawed at his neck with his hooves, desperate to release the ring of magic slowly constricting his throat.

“I am not so sure… as far as I am concerned you are guilty until proven innocent!” Twilight Sparkle released the sputtering stallion, stepping back from the bars as she breathed heavily through her nostrils, her face burning with anger and her cheeks aching from the scowl present upon her features.

“What I have just witnessed is a stallion so devoted to her treacherous wife that I am beginning to suspect that you may have had a part in knowingly harboring an enemy of the court. You may not have had a hoof in the assassin attempted, but as far as I am concerned, you are an accessory to attempted murder.”

“L-let me see my children! I beg of you, let me see them! Th-they’re all I have left!”

“You are going to remain here until I get to the bottom of this,” Twilight Sparkle leaned forward, her voice hollow, “and if I find out you are truly guilty? I am going to make sure Princess Celestia delivers a punishment that fits the crime… and I know just who to ask to find out if you are telling the truth.”

Turning, Twilight Sparkle trotted back the way she came, ignoring the desperate pleas of the prisoner as she disappeared into the cold darkness of the corridor.

_______________________________

Nurse Redheart stared down at the the prone body laid out upon the cold metal slab, unable to bring herself to start the autopsy.

She had known Raven for a very long time. In fact, she might had considered the mare one of her closest of friends.

They were close to the a point that either mare would do anything for the other. Many times throughout her life, Nurse Redheart had relied heavily upon Raven’s support and yet...

And yet now? She was not entirely sure she recognized the mare at all, in light of the shocking revelation that the kind and loving family mare she once knew was in fact somepony sent to kill their beloved Princess.

Nurse Redheart did not wish to believe it, even as she stared down at the peacefully sleeping corpse of her best friend, her body mostly intact except for the fractured right leg that angled awkwardly to the right.

A leg she needed to reset ready for a funeral she suspected would be operated in secret.

The cause of death was to be expected. Heavy trauma to the skull, resulting in extensive hemorrhaging of the brain. Her death was quick, at least, but Nurse Redheart was not entirely confident she was pleased about that outcome.

She had so many questions to ask her.

With a sigh, she turned to the small trolley to her right, picking up a scalpel from the array of tools neatly arranged upon its surface.

Then, just as she was about to begin, the doors to the morgue erupted open, startling the mare and causing her to drop the scalpel with a yelp.

“E-Excuse me!” Nurse Redheart exclaimed, narrowing her eyes upon the advancing lavender mare magically carrying in the air above her head a large dusty tome. “This is a controlled environment! You can’t just barge in here without—”

Twilight Sparkle swiped a hoof and brushed aside all of the tools from the trolley, uncaring of the mare’s shock as the operating instruments clamored upon the floor, Twilight's glare lifting from the tome as it was dropped with a resounding slap upon the trolley’s surface.

“Get out.”

Nurse Redheart simply did not know what to say. But she certainly did not heed Twilight's order.

"I'll have you know this is a morgue. What do you hope to achieve here?"

“Guards!” Twilight Sparkle glared back through the swinging doors as two Royal Guards slipped into the room, saluting, “escort the nurse out.”

Redheart gawked at Twilight Sparkle as the two guards flanked either side of her and forcefully ushered her towards the door.

“This is outrageous! You have no jurisdiction! I am the highest ranking medical official in Canterlot!” Although Nurse Redheart did not resist, she did look back towards Twilight Sparkle, watching as she opened the tome, completely astonished to the sudden intrusion. “If you plan on a medical examination then please at least allow me to assist you!”

Twilight Sparkle flipped open to a specific page as the protesting nurse was forcefully ejected from the morgue, paying the mare little attention.

“I am sorry, Princess, but I have to do this. I know you told me to keep away from these types of magics, but I have to know the truth... I need to protect you and this is the only way I know how.” Twilight narrowed her eyes upon the magical incantation etched in an odd shade of reddish brown upon the old, fragile pages, her nostrils wrinkling at its musky, dusty scent.

"And you? You are going to tell me everything you know, Raven," her eyes slipped over to the corpse, her horn aglow with an aura of bubbling darkness, "whether you like it or not."

Author's Note

*Wiggles fingers* A thanks for everypony for getting this thing to 90 likes! I was going to hold off releasing this chapter, but here it is! A present to you all for following this mad rush of dark Twilestia.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please do comment your concerns and or questions below. I will answer em the best I can without spoiling the plot.

Love, like hate and flame! Comment too if ya'll inclined that way,

Heresy

Twilight studied the incantation over and over again, her desperation growing all the more fervent with each passing failure.

Although the words scrawled in blood were archaic and certainly not of pony origin, she was almost one hundred percent certain her pronunciation of the text was absolutely flawless.

So why wasn't it working?

This was her tenth attempt to reanimate Raven with no success.

Twilight was growing impatient.

Dispelling the bubbling darkness attached to her horn with a clench of her eyes, Twilight swung from the book to trot up to the cold lifeless corpse, her head shaking back and fore as her mind boggled with the latest problem that has come to hinder her investigation.

“I don’t understand what it is I am doing wrong. From what I have studied of the tome, the incantation alone should have an effect upon a corpse even hours after death, so, why isn't it working? Is her body too damaged? From what I can tell, the brain needs to be somewhat intact for the spell to take effect but, there seems to be no major damage to the cranium except for some fractures, if Nurse Redheart's preliminary investigation is anything to go by.”

Twilight rushed a hoof through her mane, impatiently pacing back and forth beside the operating table, muttering to herself. “What am I doing wrong?”

How else was she to discover the truth?

Who else would know of Raven's true purpose?

No pony, thought Twilight, except Silver hammer, but even then... he won't talk. He'd take the secret to the grave.

This, was the only way.

How else will she be able to properly understand just how far these black roots of betrayal snaked within Celestia’s kingdom?

Raven was the only one who would know the totality.

Twilight has to make this spell work, no matter the cost.

Frustration soon bled into anger as Twilight stomped a hoof down onto the cold red tiled flooring, bucking over the trolley to send the dusty old tome skipping across the ground until it struck the wall on the far side of the morgue.

“I cannot give up!” Twilight growled between clenched teeth. “I cannot fail the Princess—I will not fail her! I need to know the truth. I can’t turn back now; I have to make this work, somehow.”

Squeezing her eyelids shut, Twilight Sparkle replayed the tongue twisting mesh of words within her mind while her lips silently worded each and every awkward syllable over and over again, digging deep not into the well of magical energy she was used to, but tapping into something she could feel tugging at her soul.

Something she had felt when whispering the words previously, but was too afraid to willingly acknowledge its icy existence inside of her.

Eventually, she broke out into a hurried whisper as a powerful sensation bloomed like a dazzling rose deep inside of her heart, causing her body to sway on the spot and for that odd sensation inside of her to thaw.

A rush of emotions she was ashamed to admit pumped through her veins and thundered against her eardrums.

It felt… interesting.

Oddly empowering in a guilty sort of way.

“Cerebus tutore de Tartarus, seni Phastami Raven venire contri nihilim…”

Twilight’s horn erupted once again in an aura of abyss that consumed the lavender horn completely, chasing away the light and plunging portions of the room into total blackness, as she broke out into a loud and clear voice, feeling the need to fuel the incantation with the emotions that longed to bleed out of her tongue.

“Phatasmatis, radaiix quoda causca di vita! Comando adeo fhtagen adeo nihi meus e negotigm!”

Slipping open her eyes, Twilight Sparkle glared upon Raven’s corpse with glowing red irises, a soft sheen of green creeping in from the corners to consume her narrowed, concentrated glare completely as a pleasant smile washed over her lips.

It’s… it’s working! I can feel it… it’s… it’s, warm… kind of comforting. Why was I so afraid before?

“Gratia ago eyal, infernis da Cerebus! Tartarus ago ve Phastami Raven silenti ec transeic!”

Raven’s hoof trembled under the infernal words, catching Twilight’s attention before throwing more of her energy into the spell, pouring every ounce of emotion she had to spill behind her voice, her excitement rising as victory was but a few seconds away.

“Tartarus! Ago ve Phastami Raven pro iuntia nihil in meus!”

Twilight’s hot breath blew out from between her lips in the drastically freezing cold air of the morgue, black shapes of creatures and monsters often witnessed within the deepest mania of nightmares danced wildly along the walls, as an ethereal inky substance slithered from the tip of her horn and snaked into each and every orifice of Raven’s corpse, causing the once mobile pony to tremble and then to violently spasm upon the operating table.

“Tartarus! Ago ve Phastami Raven pro iuntia nihil in meus!”

Twilight took a step forward, her green tinted eyes manically wide as a purple slither of energy escaped her gaze, her smile so wide her cheeks began to ache as she watched the fruits of her labor blossom before her.

“IN MEUS, NIHIL, RAVEN!”

As Twilight Sparkle screamed out the finale of the spell, Raven’s body writhed as her eyes flew wide open, startling the lavender mare and causing her to fall back onto her rump, staring wide eyed as she watched the once dead pony thrash and scream an inequine howl that caused the two guards that had escorted the nurse out previously to come rushing in.

Both of the stallions paused before the door, their mouths agape as they watched the corpse slip from the table and strike the ground hard with a sickening slap.

“W-what in Tartarus?” Whispered one of the guards to the other, the response little next to nothing as he too simply stared on in disbelief.

Twilight Sparkle; frozen to the spot, only watched on in horror as Raven pushed herself to her hooves; unflinching despite her broken leg pushing its damaged bone right through the flesh of her thigh.

The boiling aura of the darkened formation disappeared from Twilight’s horn as all thought of the incantation was abandoned, although, the green sheen and red coloration of her eyes had certainly remained for the most part, though in a lesser state of its former intensity.

She had done it.

Twilight had brought Raven back from the dead.

Rising to her hooves, Twilight moved around the table to approach Raven, only to pause and take another step back, gasping at what she saw.

Raven, although animate, regarded Twilight Sparkle with dead eyes, blood leaking from her ears, nose, eyes and even the corners of her mouth as a soft though droning moan passed her drool smeared, grey, lifeless lips.

As the guards pressed forward, one of them regarded Twilight Sparkle with worry.

“Stand back; we don't know what is going on here, but she may be dangerous.”

Twilight only nodded, retreating as she kept her eyes locked upon the reanimated mare as something deep inside of Twilight told her something had gone very, very wrong.

Of course, by the time the guards had approached the mare, it was already too late for Twilight to share her concerns.

Raven’s body, although damaged, moved with a swiftness of an athlete, quickly snapping her muzzle up to clench her blooded teeth around the throat of one of the guards and with a effective simplicity, ripped her head back and tore the flesh from his throat, dropping the guard instantly as he helplessly gripped at his throat, trying to plug the hole with his hooves before he could bleed out.

Snarling like a beast, Raven lunged down at the dying guard, plunging her teeth into his exposed stomach; ripping and tearing with her teeth until his soft gooey innards were exposed for her to noisily feast upon.

The remaining guard, although as terrified as the shivering Twilight Sparkle who had long since retreated into the corner of the room screaming, quickly broke from his stupor and flung himself into action.

"Monster!" He yelled.

Summoning a discarded scalpel that had been previously knocked to the ground by Twilight Sparkle, the guard quickly jabbed the surgical implement deep into the back of Raven’s head, causing the mare to sag heavily against the corpse of his dead comrade, convulsing in what Twilight could hope to be the mare’s final death throe.

The guard panted heavily, stepping back from the bloodbath with wide, disbelieving eyes. “W-what did you do?”

“I… I-I was just trying to…” Twilight looked up at the guard with guilt riddled across her face. “I-I didn't mean to…”

Approaching Twilight Sparkle, the guard shook his head as he moved to grasp at the mare’s hoof, dragging her towards the door.

“Save the explanations for later, Miss Twilight Sparkle. I am going to get you out of—aruuuuuuugh!” The stallion released Twilight Sparkle, his muzzle contorted into agony as he looked down and attempted to wrench his leg away from the two set of jaws that had clamped firmly about his thigh.

Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flung herself back from her savior, her hooves scrambling against the ground as she firmly backed herself up against the wall.

“HELP ME!” The stallion yelled as he fell to the ground, as both Raven and the recently deceased guard feasted upon his mangled leg while he reached out towards Twilight Sparkle with both hooves, desperately trying to claw his way towards her as he kicked out at the two assailants.

Twilight Sparkle placed her hooves against her head as she violently shook her head from side to side, sliding across the wall to keep far away from the guard's grip. “Th-this can’t be happening!”

Abandoning the pleas of the guard as the two monstrosities crawled up his body to feed elsewhere from his still living flesh, Twilight resigned herself to leave the poor stallion as bait, just so she could at the very least escape with her own life.

B-but what happens if these things escape?

Twilight paused mid trot, her eyes turning from the door to the monsters feeding from the still struggling guard, who looked upon her in his dying moments with an expression she could only describe as betrayal.

I have to stop them… this is my fault!

Scrambling across the room towards the discarded tome, Twilight used her magic to quickly flick through the pages as she skidded onto her haunches before it. “There has to be a counter-spell; a dispel—or something! Anything!”

Casting a nervous glance over her shoulder, Twilight Sparkle had to clench her lips tight to restrain the nausea building up inside of her throat at the sight of two ponies actively devouring another of their kind—shredding and ripping flesh, swallowing whole mouthfuls of the still warm meat and guts, spreading blood across their grinning faces as they dipped their muzzles into the gaping wound.

Breathing heavily through her nostrils; fearing she would most certainly vomit all over the pages of the book, Twilight Sparkle eventually came to the spell’s original incantation, her eyes raking over the text before it and afterwards to discover…

“There… there is no counter-spell… there’s… there's nothing!” Twilight flicked through more pages, skimming their contents in a vain hope she would come across something... though in the end, she found nothing of use.

“No… no, no-no-no! NO! This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening! This—”

A groan from over her shoulder and the cold breath of something breathing heavily upon the back of her neck, caused Twilight Sparkle to rigidly sit up straight. Her body quaked as she whimpered, casting a tearful, fearful glance over her shoulder to witness the bloodstained face of a drooling Raven grinning wildly back at her, inches away.

“R-Raven… d-don’t…” Twilight pleaded, cautiously turning her body so that she could face the creature, forgetting about the book entirely. “S-stay back…”

Raven simply tilted her head.

The undead mare shambled backwards, as if complying with her demand.

Regarding Raven’s retreat with a raised brow and a growing, nervous smile, Twilight nodded slowly. “That’s it... just… sit there?” She almost laughed.

Surely that was just a fluke?

Raven slowly sat back on her rear, rocking back and fore as fresh blood seeped from between her teeth, staring at Twilight as if patiently awaiting her next command.

Glancing to her trembling hooves, Twilight Sparkle turned her gaze to the guard still feasting upon his now motionless comrade, then back to Raven who remained exactly where she was, as commanded.

Was this happening?

“I-It can’t be…” Twilight stood up to her hooves, looking between the two mobile corpses, unsure as to what to do with them.

If Raven was intelligent enough to understand basic commands, then surely...?

“Raven… Raven! Look at me,” Twilight Sparkle tried her best to push out the sounds of gnawing bone and the squelching of flesh gnashing jaws out of her mind, with little success, “who ordered you to kill Celestia? Why did you do it?”

Raven merely replied with a blood gurgling moan.

Twilight hesitantly lifted her hooves to place them either side of Raven’s bloodstained muzzle, shaking the mare's head lightly. “Raven. Focus! I order you to tell me why you tried to assassinate the Princess.”

The undead mare shook her head from side to side in an hypnotic sway, groaning still.

“Raven!” Twilight pushed past her fear, anger rising in her words that subsequently caused her red irises to spark into a deep crimson glow. “Tell me!”

Raven released yet another expected groan as she lifted her dead eyed gaze up to the ceiling, staring up at it as if something had caught her interest there.

Useless… Twilight thought. Who was I kidding? A dead pony being able to speak? Of course they wouldn't… I’m such an idiot.

Standing up, Twilight took in the chaos to which her actions had wrought.

Two ponies had died through her gross misconduct of magical incantations beyond her comprehension.

“When the Princess finds out… she’ll hate me… b-banish me…”

Biting at her lower lip, Twilight Sparkle felt a flare of rage eat her up inside at the mere concept of complete and utter failure in the face of what she believed to be a righteous act.

The truth to Celestia’s assassination was forever lost with Raven’s death and there was nothing Twilight could do.

Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes down at Raven who only stared up at her obediently, awaiting her next command.

Summoning every drop of malice she had towards the mare’s reanimated presence, Twilight Sparkle gathered her energies about the tip of her horn, manifesting her hatred into a darkened aura that caused the undead guard to look up from his meal and gawk towards Twilight Sparkle, while a chunk of flesh dangled from his bloodied maw.

“I gave myself to black magic; I gave myself to something that was forbidden… I have forsaken the trust of someone I love just to bring you back; to make you confess for all that you have done; and the result? You killed two innocent stallions and it was all my fault!”

With her eyes wide with fury, Twilight Sparkle swung her horn, summoning an ethereal blade that screeched through the air and sliced Raven’s head clean from her shoulders, dropping the undead creature instantly.

Turning to the undead guard and his reanimating partner, Twilight Sparkle lifted the bloodied magical blade up high into the air as tears streamed down her muzzle, striking them both down just as the morgue's door opened.

As their decapitated heads struck the ground, Nurse Redheart screamed as Twilight Sparkle lifted her red eyes up to narrow them upon the mare trembling in the doorway.

"M-MURDERER!"

Author's Note

Well, I don't know about you guys but I fucking enjoyed that! I hope you did too.

Like, hate, flame and/or comment! It is all good.

Tyrant Sun

The delay early that morning had thrown Celestia at least four hours late for the meeting between Maredonia and Saddle Arabia’s chosen representatives.

Although her thoughts were firmly upon the task at hand of preventing hostilities between these two countries under her protection, Celestia’s attention did often wander elsewhere and more pointedly towards the visage of a certain lavender unicorn trapped below her; the young mare’s moans still fresh and vibrant, eagerly whispering sweet nothings Celestia could not quite shake herself from.

At times she found herself breathlessly sighing, wordlessly lipping Twilight’s name, which was thankfully overlooked by her squad of Royal Guards who escorted her through the ancient hoof-cut stone walls of the Czar’s palace, following the pegasi flower mares as they scattered rose petals ritualistically below her hooves to tread upon.

In a land of sand and nigh on perpetual heat, the sun was worshipped more than just a celestial object, but in fact as a God in and of itself.

Celestia always did find the irony in their fanatical religion, for it was she that manipulated the sun’s course.

Surely it would make more sense if they worshipped her, instead?

The Princess pushed such thoughts aside, knowing full well their religion called for a much more primal ideology to be revered, rather than the adoration for a living, physical entity such as herself even if the ponies and the Czar of Saddle Arabia respected Celestia as a servant of the sun, despite her control over it’s destiny.

Princess Celestia found herself smiling to herself at the contradictions of their doctrine as she and her entourage approached the doors to a room isolated completely from the rest of the palace, after passing row upon row of Saddle Arabian soldiers brandishing their trademarked, ceremonial scimitars at the ready, their shimmering, bronze scale armor polished to an immaculate perfection to which Celestia appraised with her eyes.

With their narrowed eyes and scowling features, they looked quite intimidating.

However, Celestia knew full well that their stance and facial expressions were part of their infantry’s posture. It was to show dominance in the face of a friend or foe; to hide any displays of weakness and to prove to all trespassers upon their holy lands that they were not afraid to reveal their deep seeded hatred for outsiders.

Which was more than likely the cause of Celestia’s summons to this diplomatic event.

Maredonia and Saddle Arabia has had a long and bloodied path together over territorial disputes. However, both nations have been begrudgingly a part of what Celestia liked to call a ‘pact’ of non-violence for many generations quite successfully, that she herself enforced upon them many, many centuries ago.

As they drew close to the door, the flower mares ceased their spill of the rose petals and quickly dashed forward to open the door for the Princess, allowing her entrance while own troops filed into line beside Saddle Arabia’s own.

Trotting into room and with the door closing behind her, Celestia took in the visage of the elegantly silken dressed Czar and his wife curled up together upon a stack of plushed pillows upon one side of the room, close to the central fire pit that lit and warmed the windowless space, while on the other side a mare adorned in a white cotton toga paced impatiently besides the wall, far away from the Czar as possible.

Judging by their grim expressions, Celestia presumed talks had already devolved into a awkward and tense silence between them.

“Princess Celestia of Equestria! I am pleased to be meeting you this evening.”

It was the Czar who spoke first, rising from his pillow and offering his hooves out towards Celestia as he approached her, kissing both of Celestia’s cheeks to which the Princess silently complied with a smile... even if her skin crawled after being subjected to his stinking breath.

“And I am honored to finally meet you Czar Maaz Muneer. Your Father and I were very close. I hope our relationship can be as fruitful as it was with him. He was a kind and wise ruler that was respected far more than any of his predecessors.” Celestia kept her gaze firm, though her smile was more than pleasant enough.

The Czar pulled back, beaming wide. “Of course! Of course! I have nothing but respect for you Princess,” he waved a hoof about as he settled next to his veiled wife, his eyes however narrowing across the room to the mare in the toga, “not that I share the same sentiment with that mare.”

Celestia ignored his slight towards the Maredonian diplomat as she turned towards her, knowing full well sexism was quite wrought throughout the Czar’s culture. Especially in Maaz Muneer’s near tyrannical reign.

A womanizer and a racist pig, Celestia had only heard stories of his grand misogyny.

Biting back her prejudicial opinion, Celestia released a softer smile for the toga-wearing mare, bowing her head towards her. “And you must be the diplomat that the council of Maredonia has entrusted with their authority?”

The mare bowed low towards the Princess, keeping herself in that posture for quite some time out of respect for the alicorn. “It is an honor to be before you, your Radiance. I am happy that you were able to attend this meeting and bless us with your wisdom.”

Shaking her head, Celestia drew her eyes to the fire pit, approaching it so she could feel its warmth wash over her coat. “I apologize for my tardiness, but I had certain... internal affairs to deal with that could not had been avoided.”

“Nonesense!” The Czar announced with his forehooves out to the sides. “Take all the time you require, Princess Celestia. Relax! Relax! Would you like to convene this matter until the morning? Allow yourself to soak in our luxurious baths and partake of a few of my wife’s concubinus? I have heard they are quite adept with their tongues, among other parts of their body.”

Celestia raised a hoof, shaking her head. “Unfortunately I have only come to diffuse the situation and return to my lands as quickly as possible.”

The Maredonian diplomat scowled towards the Czar. “I agree. We should diffuse this situation immediately before somepony does something they are going to regret.”

Glancing between the two, Celestia hoisted a brow into the air. “Under the pact I have made with your ancestors, I am to believe none of you have yet made a hostile action against the other, as per the agreement?”

The Czar frowned. “Of course. We may be simple folk here in Saddle Arabia, but we are not barbarians. The pact has been honored as per—”

“You filthy liar!” The Maredonian mare trotted forward, pointing a hoof towards the Czar. “Several raids upon our outlying villages and the corpses of innocents soaking our soil say otherwise!”

Celestia narrowed her eyes upon the Czar. “Is this true?”

“Of course not!” The Czar scoffed, rising to his hooves, clearly offended by the mare’s accusations. “I have ordered no such thing. If it was indeed a raid by my people then it was without my blessing. I will investigate this problem immediately, discover these culprits and have them executed.”

“That is simply not good enough, Czar! Families were slaughtered and for what? Nothing!” The Maredonian mare approached Princess Celestia, her eyes pleading with her. “How are we to trust a stallion who ordered the public execution of one of our own Maredonians for a crime he in fact did not commit?”

The Princess drew her attention to the mare, then back to the Czar. “Public execution?”

The Czar snapped. He raised his voice while pointing an accusing hoof back at the mare. “That blasphemer trespassed upon holy ground, desecrated a temple within my lands and was caught red hoofed! By the law of my forefathers such an action is punishable by death!”

“And that warrants your people to slaughter fifty-five innocent lives, all because of the damnable actions of one pony; who as far as we know, could had very well been an innocent as well?” The diplomat turned about to hiss right into the face of the Czar. “You knew your subjects would react violently and you did nothing to stop them!”

The Czar appeared offended, placing a hoof to his hest. “How am I at fault for a few fanatical followers of our religion?”

“You knew what was going to—”

“ENOUGH!” Celestia bellowed, the room trembling under her voice, causing both ponies to look up at her, their argument instantaneously ceasing. “I have heard enough of your childish bickering.” Celestia regarded the Czar with a narrowing of her eyes.

“I don't know what it is that is going on here, but, you had no right sentencing a pony to death without a proper trial. Such a trial ought to had been mediated between your governments with a verdict that would appeal to both sides, not just your own. You overstepped your mark, Czar. Perhaps if you had went about this situation in an entirely calm manner, then maybe your subjects would not had reacted as violently as they had and murdered countless of innocent lives.”

“While I have pity for their loss, I fail to see why it is our fault. I ordered no such—”

Celestia lifted a hoof, silencing the Czar before he could continue. “While I am sure we are now unable to find the culprits that slaughtered these innocent Maredonian civilians to properly sentence their heinous actions, we can however work together to prevent any further hostilities from taking place. These are your ponies Czar and you must control them, appropriately.”

Next, Celestia turned on the Maredonian diplomat, who was looking just a little too smug at the Czar’s reprimand. “And you…”

The mare blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You know your ponies are forbidden to set hoof in Saddle Arabia without consent of the Czar and his court, for this very reason. Not only that, one of your own infiltrated a temple to which is considered a sacred place to the ponies of Saddle Arabia without your supposed knowledge and while I do not condone the stallion’s abrupt execution, I cannot support his illegal presence either within such a holy site. Strengthen your border protocols and be sure that this does not happen again.”

Princess Celestia took a step back from the two. “As far as I am concerned, this meeting is adjourned. Perhaps if you had both placed your prejudices aside and worked together more closely, maybe we could had avoided this diplomatic mess, entirely?"

Celestia glowered at them both. "And if I so much as hear a single death on either of your hooves after this meeting is adjourned? I will uphold the peace between you two myself with militaristic action.”

The Czar gawked. “Are you threatening us?!”

The Princess advanced upon the arrogant Czar, while the diplomat of Maredonia shrank back in terror at the dangerous look in Celestia’s eyes.

“Much like when I had forced your two countries into this peace treaty centuries ago, I am going to tell you now, Czar, exactly what I told them.”

The fire pit within the center of the room flickered and roared, the embers reaching far higher than what was considered natural. As if someone had fueled the embers with a flammable liquid.

“If either of you so much as set hoof in each other’s territory with an improper intent ever again, I am going to come back here with every single soldier I can muster and I will trample your lives into the dirt, personally… I will destroy you, your culture—everything you stood for and replace your authority with my own to make sure with absolute certainty the peace is upheld… is that understood?”

The Maredonian mare shook her head, aghast. “Y-you wouldn’t! That goes against everything the treaty you created stood for!”

“Don’t think for a second I won’t follow up with this threat, because somepony belonging to who knows what faction has already made an attempt on my life… so don’t give me a reason to believe that it might had been either of you.”

Celestia glanced to the veiled mare.

Gulping hard, the Czar shrank back from Celestia. “I-I swear on the souls of my children and my children's children, that we had nothing to do with any attempt upon your life, Princess Celestia.”

The Maredonian nodded as well, mirroring the Czar’s concerns. “That is correct, your Radiance, even the Maredonian government would never—”

“You can save your breath, for I know you both don’t have what it takes to try something so idiotic,” Celestia muttered, her eyes returning to the Czar, “I take it a room has been made available for me?”

“O-of course! Only the finest for—”

“I will depart upon first light to Equestria. Remember my words well and dwell upon your mistakes. Work together in peace and your people will live long and prosperous lives… but if you disobey me? Well then, you can only hold yourselves accountable for forcing my hoof and taking you out of the picture.”

Celestia turned to approach the door, though paused to glance back towards the veiled mare still silently seated upon the plush pillows. “You… come with me.”

“W-wait!” The Czar looked between the two, evidently concerned. “What is it you are doing with my wife?”

“I am extremely tense after this tantrum between you two little foals,” Celestia indicated the Maredonian and the Czar with a wave of her hoof, “and I have heard the mares in Saddle Arabia are very good at releasing tension,“ Celestia smiled as she extended a wing and embraced the Czar’s trembling wife closer to her body, “I want to find out for myself if that is the case…”

Celestia’s smile dropped from her lips as she gave one final glare towards the two. “A good evening to you both… sleep well.”

Author's Note

Dumdedumdedum!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Like, hate, flame, sacrifice plushies in Celestia's name... it's all gooooood.

Eclipse: Part 1

As her carriage finally touched down within the palace’s courtyard, Princess Celestia alighted with a slight smile forming as her hidden, inner excitement reached to new heights.

Although she had spent the better part of a day away from Equestria, there was only one pony she was hoping to meet and yet despairingly upon her arrival, Celestia could not see Twilight Sparkle amongst the gathering of Royal Guards that stood at attention, with Flash Sentry and the Captain of the Wonderbolts: Spitfire, at the head of the display.

Casting a warm and loving smile across the procession as she approached her most highest ranking military officials, Princess Celestia bowed her head towards them both.

“Thank you all so much for greeting me upon my arrival, my little ponies. It is so good to be back on Equestrian soil once more. I take it everything has been peaceful in my absence?”

Spitfire and Flash Sentry gave each other a silent, knowing glance that Celestia immediately picked up on, though chose not to pursue the matter considering how out in the open they all were, making it hardly a place to discuss a potentially sensitive matter.

However, Celestia did place a worried gaze upon both ponies as she tilted her head, silently questioning their lack of a response with a frown.

“Y-yes,” Flash Sentry began with a nervous nod, “things have been, uh, peaceful, your Majesty. I take it your presence in Saddle Arabia has managed to calm the tensions between the two nations?”

Rather than remember what had transpired on her trip between herself and the two other ponies in that isolated room in the Czar’s palace, her memories did however return to a certain veiled mare she had the pleasure in bedding throughout most of last night.

The poor mare could barely stand by the time Celestia had raised the sun over their bed.

A little grin formed on Celestia’s lips as she nodded. “They eventually came to terms with each other. I doubt very much they will head down a path of war any time soon. It was very easy to convince them for the most part,” she spoke as she trotted past the two and towards the palace’s main entrance beyond an ascending flight of stairs that wound its way up to it, “cooler heads almost always prevail; especially in these instances. Had I not arrived in time, the outcome could had very well ended in all out war.”

Celestia stole a glance over her shoulder to further note the apprehensive expression upon Spitfire’s face she was struggling to contain.

As the trio approached the door, Celestia turned, comfortable that they were a safe distance from any guard, speaking in a whisper so that only them could hear. “Did something happen?”

Spitfire was the first to speak. “There was a… problem, in the palace yesterday…”

“Problem? What kind of problem?” Celestia’s heart began to pick up its pace. A certain feeling of dread she could not quite explain squirmed inside of her like a maggot gnawing away at an apple.

Flash Sentry took a step forward, keeping his voice on level with Celestia’s own. “Two guards were murdered, your Majesty. An investigation revealed that Black Magic was the cause.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Black Magic? But that is impossible. All texts on all such subject matters are in my possession… the only pony capable to wield such terrible powers other than myself has been dead for a very long time.”

Spitfire spoke, her eyes roaming everywhere but upon Princess Celestia’s face, to which the Princess noted with a growing concern.

“The corpse of the assassin, Raven, was raised from the dead and although it appears it was the reanimated corpse that killed two guards; from what we understand of what had transpired, Raven was ordered to dispose of them by the one controlling her.”

Celestia simply stared, unsure as to what to say.

Black Magic... in her palace? Such an event has not occurred since the days of King Sombra.

The assassination attempt—Raven’s involvement, it was all but an elaborate lie constructed to protect Twilight Sparkle… so how in Tartarus could her actions bring about this kind of turmoil?

It was almost completely impossible to fathom as to how it could had ended up like this.

A nagging question that niggled at Celestia’s brain flew out from her lips in a cold and lifeless tone as she leaned forward towards them both.

“Who did this? Who was the one that instigated this madness? Is the culprit captured at the very least?”

Flash Sentry nodded. “Nurse Redheart was the one who raised the corpse. She has been captured and is currently being held in the dungeons awaiting your verdict, your Majesty. However, she has admitted to the act and has also admitted to conspiring with the assassin to kill you… it appears she was attempting to start an outbreak of the undead while you were away. Fortunately for us, her terrorist act was discovered and prevented at the very last minute.”

Celestia knew better than to listen.

After all, there was no real assassin, was there?

So why would Nurse Redheart admit to aiding something that technically never existed?

More over, Nurse Redheart surely did not have the magical constitution to raise a dead Parasprite let alone a fully grown mare.

“How?” Celestia lifted a brow, clearly perplexed by this bizarre phenomena. “How was she stopped?”

“Twilight Sparkle was the one who discovered—”

Celestia raised her voice, causing all the guards roaming in the courtyard to tilt their gazes up at their Princess as such an uncharacteristic tone of anger seethed passed her lips, her aforementioned dread transforming into a panic that was visible within her eyes.

No... it can't be...

“Where is Twilight Sparkle?!”

Spitfire took a few steps back, keeping her head bowed. “S-she’s resting in her room, your Majesty. A few of our best doctors have determined that her close proximity to the vessel of the Black Magic has sapped her energy and left her weak… but I have been told she will make a full recovery after a couple of days rest.”

Black Magic does not work like that, you foal! Celestia struggled to contain what she thought, her teeth grinding together.

Celestia wrestled to contain the confused panic that rushed through her veins, causing her entire body to quake and for her wings to erupt open wide in quite the unwarranted and threatening manner.

“I want the dungeons heavily guarded and I want Nurse Redheart interrogated to make with absolute certainty she is telling the truth.” Celestia turned, using her magic to fling open the palace doors.

“B-But,” Flash Sentry looked on at Princess Celestia, clearly confused by the order, “she has admitted to her crimes, your Majesty. She merely awaits your—”

“Did I not make myself perfectly clear, my little pony?” Celestia pushed her muzzle close to the cowering Flash Sentry’s face. “Interrogate her. Make sure your information is correct. I do not want to go sentencing a pony under false pretenses.”

Because clearly, somepony here is feeding you lies... and I fear I know who.

Celestia slithered her burning gaze towards Spitfire. “You will interrogate her personally, Spitfire. I don’t care how you do it. Beat it out of her for all I care.”

“B-beat her?” Spitfire repeated, dismayed at such a prospect. “But, P-Princess, there is no need for such vio—”

“Do I need to repeat myself, again, Spitfire?” Celestia stomped a hoof upon the ground, huffing through her nostrils angrily.

Both Flash Sentry and Spitfire shook their heads, bowing low towards the Princess, their eyes narrowed upon the floor as Celestia took off into the palace, both trembling and wide eyed as they observed with each and every hoofstep, Celestia’s shoe imprints had been left indented into the stone… as if it had been branded by an impossibly hot, smoldering iron.

____________________

Twilight Sparkle laid silently upon her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she lifted a shaking hoof up to stare at it with half lidded, tired eyes.

“I've washed them twice but I can still feel the... I can still feel the blood on them...” Twilight whispered, her voice hoarse. “What I did was… everything… I’ve k-killed… the blood... everywhere...”

Once again Twilight’s face scrunched up as more tears leaked from her bloodshot eyes, unable to escape the unending despair of the past twenty-four hours she longed to erase from her memory.

What started off as an investigation into Celestia’s attempted murder quickly transformed into an inquisition Twilight herself led into a bloodied ruin.

Her emotions ran wild in her desperate attempt to find somepony-anypony to blame.

Raven’s husband was the obvious choice, but failing that and resolving herself to the reanimation of Raven's body with magical powers beyond her control...

Why did she even think that was a good idea in the first place?

What did she hope to achieve?

How could she not realize that it would go horribly wrong?

Reflecting upon her myriad of mistakes; questions only now coming to the forefront of her mind that ought to had been considered before her foray into dark powers, Twilight Sparkle knew if she had gone about it all in an entirely different manner, perhaps the families of those two guards would not be suffering for the loss of their loved ones.

“Th-their screams… I can't stop thinking about them.”

But nothing compared to the guilt of what she had done to Nurse Redheart. That alone would forever scar whatever Twilight Sparkle used to think of herself.

It terrified her how simple it was to submit herself to darkness so easily.

“I’ll never… I’ll never use magic again…” Twilight whimpered as she pressed her hooves to her eyes, crying hard as the desperate screams of Nurse Redheart forcefully continued to echo against her eardrums.

Twilight Sparkle had actively enforced her will upon Nurse Redheart’s mind; she poured every ounce of Black Magic into the mare’s body, to actively dominate it and to control her every action.

Nurse Redheart was rendered into a mere puppet that Twilight utilized to cover up her own crimes.

She forced Nurse Redheart to confess in her stead.

A part of her was relieved that the plan had worked, but yet, a much larger part of what was left of her innocent soul condemned every notion of what she had accomplished.

The Magic of Friendship, to which she had studied so ferociously, was almost but a flicker of light compared to the shining and intoxicating power she could still feel festering within her heart; tempting her to use more of its vile energies to fuel her everyday function.

And what was far worse than this niggling temptation she resisted, was that her total submission to darkness had permanently changed her eye color.

They remained a dark shade of red Twilight had to cover up with a minor illusion spell; to make her eyes appear once again their usual brilliance of amethyst.

It was a stigmata to forever remind her of her corrupted deeds; a mark she would be forced to conceal for the rest of her days.

I feel so... wrong.

As Twilight Sparkle turned to rest on her side, she drew her hooves away from her eyes and quickly gasped.

There in the doorway stood Princess Celestia, an expression of sadness wet with silent tears that fell from her eyes like broken diamonds.

Twilight Sparkle remained still as she struggled to restrain her despair, her glowing red eyes despondent at the visage of the one she loved expressing only what she could described as total anguish. “P-Princess…”

Celestia remained exactly where she was, as if entranced by those crimson orbs staring back at her.

Her words were hollow and lifeless as the Princess spoke, unable to drive any emotion behind them.

“Twilight Sparkle… what have you done?”

Author's Note

The corruption begins.

Like, hate, flame... comment! Tis all good.

Eclipse: Part 2

The two mares gazed at each other with their own measures of guilt and despair for what seemed like an eternity.

Twilight Sparkle had resorted to crying into her hooves once more, unable to deal with the consequences and the sheer disappointment expressed in Celestia’s eyes. Twilight's heart bled as fast as her eyes and her whimpering would not cease for a moment, fearful that she too would meet a similar fate as Nightmare Moon.

She would be banished.

Or worse.

Princess Celestia found her body heavy and numb. As if she no longer controlled or felt it; for her lies and deceit has wrought an outcome she could never had expected.

Celestia could deal with other ponies finding out the truth. by simply disposing them much like she had did Raven... but this?

For once in her life Celestia felt as if she had not a clue what to do, for Twilight Sparkle had wielded magical powers that was strictly taboo and rightfully banished for a very specific reason. Powers that were punishable by death or banishment into the darkest depths Tartarus.

Even Celestia herself would never stoop so low as to use Black Magic for any reason, knowing full well of its corruptible properties and ability to twist even the most kindest of ponies into the cruelest of monsters.

Why? Celestia lamented. Why has this happened to us?

“I… did not want to believe it when I heard about what had happened… none of it made sense to me. There is only one pony adept in magic able to pull off such a feat of reanimation and I really wanted to believe it was Nurse Redheart who had done the deed, but… I just knew, Twilight Sparkle, I just… knew… it was you...”

Celestia took a hoofstep forward, her mind reeling from the stench of Black Magic practically oozing out of Twilight Sparkle’s body. The corruption of the mare’s eyes an all too familiar sign for the Princess.

She had lost one pony before to its allure of power.

And now? She had lost another.

However unlike last time, this was all her fault.

If she had spared Raven's life then none of this would had happened.

“You still have it, don’t you?”

Twilight Sparkle lowered her hooves from her face, nodding silently as she chewed on her trembling lower lip, her eyes glancing to the bedside cabinet where she had hidden the root of her downfall.

That damnable tome she had stolen from Celestia's bedroom.

As Celestia approached the bed cautiously, her eyes glanced to the cabinet and then back to Twilight’s face.

Should practically feel that infernal book drawing her attention towards the cabinet, as if it longed to be read.

“It’s going to be okay.” Celestia soothed, lifting a hoof to touch the mare’s wet muzzle.

However, Twilight Sparkle recoiled from the hoof as it had scolded her, shifting further along the bed from Celestia’s touch.

“D-don’t touch me… I’m… I’m… disgusting."

An inner, unbearable pain caused Celestia’s eyes to squint, unable to fully absorb her student's conviction in her self observation. “Twilight—”

“I-I don’t deserve it… I don't.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Celestia whispered, lowering her hoof reluctantly. “Twilight, don't worry, we can fix this—”

“Fix it? That’s the very reason why I am in this mess in the first place! I shouldn’t had meddled with magics beyond my control—I should had never even thought I was capable—I murdered two ponies! I… I… to Nurse Redheart… and now, you know the truth...” Twilight Sparkle leaned up in the bed, panting heavily as stared at her pillow. “I’m a monster. I deserve to be locked away—no, worse… I should be banished for what I did!”

“If there is anypony that should be punished for their crimes, it is I, Twilight Sparkle.” Princess Celestia slipped into the bed, embracing the panicked mare against her chest.

"No... no you can't—"

“This is all my fault.” Celestia took a deep breath as she felt Twilight Sparkle nuzzle against her, trembling like a foal frightened by a nightmare that plagued her sleep.

“W-what do you mean?” Twilight tilted her head to stare up at Celestia, clearly not following what the Princess had just said.

As she gazed back down into those eyes, Celestia’s gentle smile faltered. “ You have nopony to blame but me. If I had not had killed Raven, none of this would had happened.”

“You can’t blame yourself for my mistakes... I was the one who—”

“I can,” Princess Celestia kissed the top of her head, “and I will. Don’t worry, Twilight Sparkle. I am not going to let anything bad happen to you. Nopony will ever know the truth, that much I promise.”

“But,” Twilight Sparkle pushed Celestia back, breaking the embrace, gazing up at her in disbelief, “I-I can’t live with myself knowing what I had done. I just… I just can’t! It’s wrong. It’s not what I believe in; it’s not what you had taught me! Those who commit crimes must be brought to justice—I must be punished for my actions. I... I willingly used forbidden magics... you didn't make me!”

“No.” Celestia firmly shook Twilight Sparkle. “I will not condemn you. I will not punish you when you were not in a right frame of mind. It is the Black Magic’s fault that you went as far as you did. It twisted your perception, it—”

“Was my choice!” Twilight wept. “I killed them! I-if you won’t punish me then… then I will!”

Celestia’s blood ran cold at Twilight’s words. “Don’t ever say that again.”

“If you won’t do anything, then I—”

Twilight Sparkle yelped as a hoof struck her across the cheek, dropping the mare back onto the bed with a whimper as she nursed her pulsing cheek, staring wide eyed up Princess Celestia as she pinned her down with her hooves.

“W-what...?” Twilight, stunned by the blow, made no attempt to struggle. She simply gawked up at the Princess, who simply looked down upon her with cold and emotionless eyes that almost frightened Twilight.

“I need you, Twilight.” Princess Celestia, much to Twilight’s horror, was crying. “I can’t punish a mare I love… I can’t punish the only pony I have left in this world. Please, Twilight, never say those things about yourself ever again because if I lose you, I’ll… I’ll have nothing. I’ll have nothing worth living for. I'll be an empty shell of what you love about me and I fear if I lose you... I might just break.”

“Princess… I-I don’t know how I can go on with this guilt…” Twilight clenched her eyes shut. “I keep seeing them; hearing them. When will it stop?”

“Then… erase them.” Princess Celestia kept her eyes closed, unable to bring herself to look upon Twilight Sparkle as she whispered words she knew she was going to regret.

“Erase it?”

“Erase their screams and be done with your guilt. They were merely victims of circumstances beyond your control.” Princess Celestia finally summoned the courage to look upon the mare, finding a smile for Twilight only she would ever receive.

A warm and loving expression that Celestia would give to no one else.

“B-but… that’s evil—”

“Then so be it. Call yourself; no, call us evil if that is what you think… but I don’t care what it is; in fact I don’t care what other ponies think it is, but Twilight, you can’t keep going on in this life thinking that their deaths were upon your hooves and your hooves alone… no, you are not alone in this. As far as I am concerned, you were looking out for my best interests. You were trying to find the true culprit and in doing so, you touched upon powers beyond your comprehension… a power that you could not control. We are both at fault here, for I should have taught you properly the dangers of Black Magic and what it entails. I should had taught you better, my student... this is not your failure. It is mine.”

Twilight Sparkle stared up at Celestia, shaking her head. “It’s not your fault and we can’t hide the truth. What I did was wrong... evil! You banished your own sister for submitting herself to darkness and yet... why not me?"

“We can and we will hide the truth, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia leaned down and kissed Twilight’s lips, seeking to calm the mare with a passionate gesture.

For the most part, it most certainly worked.

Twilight’s mind went blank as the lips of her loved one touched her own.

Nothing mattered in that instance except the sensation of warmth filling her chest and chasing away her dread.

Breaking the kiss, Celestia gazed lovingly into Twilight’s crimson eyes. “The Black Magic inside of you is only going to grow stronger. Eventually, you will become so corrupted you may not be worth saving, but, I will not condemn you. I won't punish you, even if you become everything I fear and more.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded her head slowly. “W-what do we do? There has to be something we can do to stop it? I-I don't want to become evil. I... I don't want to be like that.”

“There is nothing we can do… but accept it.”

“Accept it?” Twilight Sparkle whispered to herself, before looking up at Celestia with a perplexed expression. “You mean... embrace it?”

“Your studies in the Magic of Friendship is over, Twilight Sparkle… from now on, learning the art of Black Magic shall take precedence. Perhaps if you can learn to control it, you can learn to resist its corrupting properties.”

“Th-that’s… but Black Magic is against the law. If I am discovered, then—”

“You won’t be discovered, Twilight Sparkle, for I will make sure of it.” Celestia stroked the mare’s muzzle, nuzzling her nose against Twilight’s own in an affectionate manner. “We will perpetuate your story involving Nurse Redheart's involvement. Once she is silenced, no pony will ever know the truth except for us.”

“S-silenced?” Twilight questioned with a stutter. “D-do you mean…?”

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, I mean exactly that. We have to kill her.”

Never had Twilight thought she would hear such words pass the lips of Princess Celestia.

Worse still, never had she thought she would agree to something so heinous.

“I-I don’t want to say this, but your right, Princess. If by some miracle she regains control of her mind… she could destroy everything… she could rip us apart.” Twilight nodded, her eyes drifting away from Celestia.

“We will make it look like suicide, Twilight Sparkle. That way, we can play it off as if she could not deal with the guilt of her crime and thus, took her own life. No pony will be the wiser to the truth of the matter.”

“But how?” Twilight lifted a hoof up to rub at her tear stained eyes. “She is heavily guarded and I... I don't think I can kill a pony...”

Princess Celestia’s smile wavered. “I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle, but this is the only way I can think of… you are still in control of her mind, correct?”

Twilight nodded.

“Then order her to do it.”

“B-but that would mean I would have indirectly killed her… I-I can’t do that! I don’t want to murder anypony; I don't want to be that kind of monster!”

Princess Celestia cupped Twilight’s muzzle with her hooves, directing her crimson gaze to her own. “She must be sacrificed, Twilight. For us. Severing all ties with Nurse Redheart will cement our innocence. No one will ever know.”

"B-but... I'll know," whimpered Twilight, "I'll have to bear with the guilt for the rest of my life..."

"No, Twilight. We, will share the burden together. I will be here for you... I promise."

As they both stared into each others eyes, Twilight eventually nodded her head.

“I’ll... I'll do it,” Twilight Sparkle tried her best to smile, though it felt sour upon her lips, “for us...”

Author's Note

Together they trot down the path of darkness, with Celestia's corruption spreading out onto the one she loves.

Watching the world burn around you is always better in pairs, no?

Like, hate, flame! Comment! Smash that thumbs up button if you are inclined that way.

Tis all good.

Overtone

Two Months Later

Spike wobbled as he carried the stack of eight books through Ponyville Library, his face cemented with a determination as he peered around the side of the literary tower, carefully placing one foot before the other as made his way up the stairs.

“Twilight!? A little help here? I know I’m a strong and a devilishly handsome dragon and all, but, I am not exactly tall enough yet to kind of see where I’m going over this stack...”

“Oh! I’m so sorry Spike, I should have kind of realized that a bit earlier, huh?” Twilight climbed down the stepladder and wandered away from her personal bookshelf located in her bedroom, summoning her lavender magic to float half of the stack from Spike’s grip, levitating them into their proper place upon the bookshelf.

As Spike finally made it up the stairs finally, he made his way towards Twilight’s bed and dumped the books there, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Phew! That’s a lot of new books you ordered,” Spike remarked as he lifted one up, “the history of the Crystal Empire is a particularly big one,” he then picked up another, reading aloud the title again, “... observations of Changeling Magic by Starswirl; wow, hoof written too! The anatomy of a pony? Eesh, this is all pretty deep stuff, Twilight.”

“I’m researching something important for the Princess that involves changes in the physical shape of objects and ponies.” Twilight turned, offering Spike a loving smile, floating the discarded books off of her bed and from his grip to neatly put them away.

“So, pretty much, you’re researching Changeling Magic? Um, why?”

“As the Princess’s scribe, I kind of have to document quite a lot of things I see and hear everyday. But in this particular instance, there has some been rumors of Changeling sightings across Equestria, so I have been tasked in developing a spell that could counteract a Changeling’s natural ability to disguise itself, just in case we need to unveil one.”

Spike crossed his arms over his chest, raising a brow. “Something tells me you volunteered for this rather than the Princess actually going out of her way to give you this task. You've quite a lot on your plate as it is, you know… besides, a scribe isn't supposed to go off and create magical spells for the defense of Equestria, you know… they’re supposed to, you know, do scribey things?”

Twilight blushed a little as she gave Spike a little bit of a shrug. “It’ll keep me entertained on my day off, at least?”

“Only you would consider taking a day off to involve intense research as a pass time,” Spike rolled his eyes as he made his way back down the stairs, “I’m going to go and buy some apple pie before they’re all gone. Want any? I know it’s not exactly the healthiest of breakfasts but I sure can go for some scrumptious apple pie right about now.”

“Sure, Spike, grab me one...” Twilight nonchalantly replied, her nose already buried deep into the pages of a general history book about the origins of Equestrian magic.

“Be back soon!” Spike announced as the door to the library was closed shut behind him, leaving Twilight Sparkle alone with her book.

With Spike’s departure, Twilight Sparkle lowered the book from her gaze and trotted towards her bed, discarding the book she was pretending to read upon the plush surface she laid to rest most nights.

Drooping low, she summoned her magic to drag out a small brown chest from under her bed, its surface riddled with drawn incantations of a language not quite of pony-origin, though rather, a strange perversion of the language that Twilight Sparkle herself had developed from her studies into Black Magic over the past two months.

The various incantations were designed to bar anypony but herself from being able to open the chest and to conceal and contain the alluring existence of what was trapped inside.

“Laxanta.” Demanded Twilight Sparkle, the magical lock deactivating, allowing her to use her hoofs to easily open the trunk and to draw out the tome she could feel reaching out and penetrating her mind with its insatiable allure.

There you are, you annoyance. Happy to see me?

The trunk had done its job in containing the tome’s rather magnetic desire upon Twilight Sparkle’s attention, but she could not prevent her own mind longing for its dark presence to be near and within her hooves.

With a blink, the illusion spell to which concealed the true colour of her eyes faded away, allowing the crimson, glowing irises to regard the tome with a lust and longing one might give a long lost loved one.

In this case, it was a look she expressly reserved for the Princess Celestia during their midnight rendezvous when ever she stayed at the palace.

Shaking her head, Twilight Sparkle resorted to rid the disembodied whispers uttering from the book that only she could apparently hear; her trembling hooves placing it back within its container and closing the lid to shut off its incessant, incoherent babble.

Though its presence was still strongly felt through the box, despite it being closed.

Every day, Twilight was compelled to look at it atleast once or twice.

She just needed to hear the mesh of voices; ironically enough to bring a clarity to her thoughts.

A fix to get her through the day without growing mad with hunger for its very appearance.

“Obfirmoia.”

With the magical lock activated and the chest sealed once more; safely securing the tome and its influence over her, Twilight pushed the trunk back under her bed, swallowing hard the lump in her throat as Celestia’s premonition echoed strongly as if it was uttered from the mare’s lips herself.

“There is nothing we can do… but accept it.”

And accept it she has done.

Before the cold, squirming sensation within her soul had frightened Twilight Sparkle, but as she learned to control it, Twilight had come to appreciate its existence; often finding herself drawing upon it and utilizing its energies in everyday menial tasks, expressively hidden of course from prying eyes.

Especially Spike.

Twilight could not imagine a worse kind of hell if Spike were to discover that her big sister was in fact a murderer and a wielder of forbidden magical powers.

Although the guilt of Nurse Redheart’s ‘suicide’ still weighed heavily upon her shoulders, Princess Celestia was right in saying that the guilt would only lessen as time went on.

These days, she almost considered Nurse Redheart’s death as a necessary evil to protect what was most dear to her; however, there were some nights as she laid awake in her bed that her guilt chewed away at inside of her brain, reminding her the cold, hard truth that a pony had to die to save her own hide.

Twilight’s attention perked upon noticing the sound of the front door opening, her ears erect and her tail swishing as she regarded the bedside cabinet and the alarm clock to which was perched upon it

It’s that time again, already?

Turning, Twilight made her way down the stairs and into the library to discover Rarity standing in the center of the room, staring vacantly into thin air as if gazing upon something so unfathomable, that it had left the mare devoid or incapable of any type of reaction.

“Good morning, Rarity,” Twilight smiled as she approached her friend, “how are you feeling today?”

“Good morning, Mistress. I am quite fine, thank you for asking.” Rarity replied monotonously.

“This is the forty-second morning in a row you've reported to me in some shape or form. I didn't expect the effects of the spell to last this long,” Twilight Sparkle drew upon the seemingly never ending well of dark energy inside of her, causing her horn to become smothered in a hue of an intensified black and green as she scanned Rarity’s body with a ray of black light, “and it seems the the Black Magic has not yet affected you adversely, either. That’s very goods news. Have you been eating well? Have you felt any strange symptoms I need to know about? Loss of sleep, increased hunger... that type of thing?”

Rarity shook her head. “Everything is perfectly fine, Mistress.”

Twilight winced. “Rarity, we’re friends… I am not your Mistress. Please, just call me Twilight.”

“I apologize, Twilight.”

Sighing, Twilight dispelled her infernal magic and took a step backwards, regarding the mare’s body with her cold and clinical crimson eyes for any physical changes.

Upon finding none, Twilight nodded to herself.

“Thank you for your help, Rarity. I have learned so much in the past few weeks because of your help. I know you won’t remember this, but, please know I am forever in your debt… if there is any way I can make it up to you by using you like this, I promise, I’ll do whatever I can to make you happy.”

“Thank you, Twilight.”

With a sad smile, Twilight lowered her head.

This isn’t what friends do… they don’t use each other like this.

No matter how many times she had seen it, she still could not bring herself to enjoy Rarity in this state of total subservience, even if a small part of her was ecstatic that her abilities of mind control was coming along quite nicely.

If only she had this measure of control with Nurse Redheart… then maybe the mare could had been saved from her fate.

“Aperi oculos.”

As the words uttered past Twilight’s lips, Rarity blinked once and then twice before beaming towards the lavender mare, almost ignoring the fact that Twilight’s eyes were an entirely different colour.

“Oh! Twilight, I am so terribly sorry for intruding within your abode so unannounced, but I was just coming over to pick up a book you may or may not have in your possession. Do you happen to have ‘A Stitch's Elegance?’ It’s a pattern book with plenty of design concepts I would very much like to acquire for some inspiration.”

As if rehearsed to perfection, Twilight turned about and moved to the exactly the same shelf she approached every day, picking up the exact same book and delivering it into the hooves of one of her best friends, smiling as she did so.

“Sure thing, Rarity. Take as much time as you need.”

“I will have it returned tonight. Thank you very much, Twilight! I will see you later. Do send my Spikey Wikey over for me won't you? I have a gem to which he would simply adore to have for his lunch today.” Rarity announced with a flick of her mane, departing the library to return to her shop.

Alone once again, Twilight glanced to the clock hanging on the wall, frowning a touch as her stomach protested to its near empty state. “I’m so hungry I could probably eat three apple pies… I should had told Spike to get more than one. What was I thinking?”

You weren’t. You were thinking about the book.

Groaning at her hunger, Twilight Sparkle trotted back up to her room to begin her task set out for her by Princess Celestia, curious to discover herself in which spectrum Changeling magic truly resided.

“From what I understand, a Changeling is fueled by their consumption of love… but the magic they inherently use is to deceive their prey, right?” Twilight whispered to herself, pausing midway into her room as her eyes uncontrollably drew towards her bed. “So surely, that must mean their magical attribute is a form Dark Magic? A selfish desire to acquire more love can only be associated with a being inherently evil… I wonder...”

Twilight found herself drawn to her bed, her curious nature causing her to drag out the trunk once more.

“Maybe in the same way I am able to suppress the corruptible energies of the tome using this trunk through seals and incantations, maybe the Changelings are able to suppress their auras naturally? That way it makes perfect sense as to why we are unable to detect them, even if their magic is predominantly of an origin seeded in Black Magic…”

Her hooves caressed the trunk, her crimson eyes glowing as shook her head, chuckling to herself.

“But that’s just speculation… I can’t really prove that theory unless we can capture one alive at the very least. I wonder if the tome has something about them? Whoever wrote it was very adept in the realms of Dark Magic, so surely there must be something about transmogrification or high end illusionary magical practices similar to a Changeling’s capability...”

Twilight stared at the chest, finding herself peculiarly breathless the longer she gazed at it.

“I have to decipher the rest of it… I only wished Princess Celestia would tell me just who it used to be long to so I could at the very least research them enough to try and understand what language this is and what each spell actually does.”

Frowning, Twilight Sparkle lowered herself so that she draped her body over the chest, calmer now that the object of her desire was in close proximity. “Tomorrow… I’ll start tomorrow. I think today I am just going to take it easy and save my strength… maybe I’ll invite the girls over to the Spa? I could use something to take my mind off of things and relax.”

Twilight blinked. “You know what? That’s a great idea.”

______________________

“—is that fine with you, Auntie?”

“Hm?” Princess Celestia blinked from her daze as she regarded Prince Blueblood, who looked all the more irritated at the lack of attention the Princess was giving his update on the preparations for the coming Grand Galloping Gala.

“I’m sorry,” Celestia shook her head in an attempt to rid the cobwebs blocking up her thought processes, “did you say something, nephew?”

“The list of ponies to which I had just relayed that is going to attend the event is to your satisfaction?” Prince Blueblood lowered the very long list away from his face, tilting a brow towards the Princess that sat rather slumped and inelegantly in her throne.

“Is something the matter, Auntie? You are not carrying yourself with your usual grace this morning. Are you unwell?”

“Oh… I am sorry, Blueblood, unfortunately my mind is elsewhere at the moment.” She offered an apologetic smile to her nephew.

“Clearly,” Blueblood frowned, “should I start again?”

“Whomever you have invited to the Gala, Blueblood, I am sure will meet to my satisfaction. But, I would like to add an extra six to the list, if that won’t be any trouble?”

“Whatever you wish, Auntie. And just who exactly will you be inviting?” He summoned a quill from his blazer pocket, skipping down the list until he found enough space to scribble the extra six ponies’ names on.

“Twilight Sparkle, plus five… actually, I suppose you better make that a plus six. I am sure Spike would be very disappointed to miss out on a free buffet.” Celestia mused with a warm smile, her light chuckle as dazzling as it ever was.

“Those country bumpkins? While I understand why you would wish to invite Twilight Sparkle to the Gala; being your student and scribe, but I fail to see why her friends ought to be—”

“Nephew… you are being outrageously improper. Twilight Sparkle’s friends are by default my friends too, so please, do not insult them in my presence ever again.” Celestia glared at Blueblood. “Sometimes I cannot believe we are of the same family at times, your prejudice to the lower class does you no justice, nephew.”

Blueblood tilted up his nose, a little insulted, but he hardly showed it in his voice. He knew better than to argue or talk back with the Princess.

After all, her word was law.

“I just believe their lower class presence will ruin the festivities—but so be it, Auntie, I have added them to the list and will make sure the necessary arrangements is in place to receive them. Would you like them to stay within the palace?”

“Of course. I would hate to separate Twilight Sparkle from her friends. She suffers enough of that having to travel between Canterlot and her home in Ponyville just to do her duty as my scribe.”

“As you wish, Auntie.” Bowing low, Blueblood turned about, departing the throne room, allowing Celestia to follow him with her eyes until he was nowhere insight.

“That insufferable stallion,” Celestia hissed, “some days I wish I could just…”

Dropping that twisted thought altogether, Celestia stood up before her throne, regarding the empty throne room with a frown as she stretched out her legs.

The day’s court was surprisingly quiet. She had probably met with a handful of ponies today at best.

“Everything seems so quiet without you near, Twilight Sparkle.” Placing a hoof against her chest to still her aching chest, Celestia released a heartfelt sigh, content that their lives had intertwined the way it had.

But she wanted more.

She wanted all of Twilight’s attention.

Suddenly assaulted with a jealous notion that seemed almost impossible to fathom, Celestia shrugged off such a feeling with a giggle.

“Don’t be absurd, Celestia. Twilight loves you more than anypony in Equestria… how could you doubt her like that?”

Grinning to herself, she headed down the dais and towards the throne room doors.

“I think I will have some tea in the garden today. Might as well enjoy the serenity of things while it lasts.”

Author's Note

Filler? Yeah filler. Sorry.

Doll

Twilight could never tell how late it was outside when occupying the bowels of the library’s dark, dank basement.

The room itself was expansive, though filled with old furniture, broken bookshelves and stacks upon stacks of old tomes that nearly touched the low lying, wooden ceiling.

Despite its dirty and chaotic state, it could not have been a better personal study for Twilight Sparkle when she dabbled in her secret studies into the manipulation and control of her recently acquired Black Magic.

There were no windows for people to spy through and only one entrance from a creaky set of stairs that had seen better days, complete with a heavy old wooden door at the very top that thankfully, much like the stairs, made enough noise to alert Twilight Sparkle the very moment an intruder had entered her sanctuary uninvited. Furthermore, she had arranged the clutter to fully wall off a section of the basement completely from the sight of anypony that did manage to venture too far down the staircase before she could intercept them.

One such being Spike, whom Twilight occasionally caught sneaking a peek down the staircase whenever she had forgotten to lock the door. He was naturally curious as to what his big sister-figure was up to all alone in the basement these days.

Though Spike never really did overstep his position when she officially warned him to never venture down into the depths alone, Twilight hoped to keep it that way.Thus, she had installed a magical lock to seal the door when she was not occupying the space or the library itself, preventing the aforementioned curious dragon from causing any untoward mischief when she was not around.

Only she was allowed in, aside from Princess Celestia of course.

Heavy lidded eyes squinted at the infernal book that rested upon an old rickety coffee table that stood within the purposefully sectioned off portion of the basement, with a single lit candle in its holder seated upon the corner of the slightly slanted surface.

It was the only light source that allowed Twilight Sparkle enough illumination to read the unique scrawl written in the tome, which she had only recently discovered to be inked in blood and its binding to be tanned hide from a heavily discolored pony.

At first, Twilight felt sick that a pony was used to even create such a twisted book of spells… but then, a twisted curiosity soon overtook her revulsion as her thoughts turned towards the mysteries behind the more than likely unwilling donor of such materials.

Was it from a unicorn? Or was it just simply fashioned from any old pony, be it earth or pegasi?

Such a concept alone had almost spurred Twilight to dedicate some of her limited time to researching the issue, to fully analyse the book’s construction itself to perhaps unravel more of the mysteries that surrounded it?

Another time, she thought, even though it is very tempting. I have more important matters to attend to, after all...

Twilight’s horn ignited, aglow with a sinister coloration of purple and black as she turned her attention to a small notebook next to the tome, in which she had written a detailed observation of every known written character within the tome’s pages.

It was a complex cipher, arranged in a specific numeric order so that only the owner of the book could understand what was written. By correlating the existing letters with languages used near and further afield from Equestria, Twilight Sparkled had managed to create a decoding notebook to help her fully translate the multilingual mash-up the tome was expertly crafted in.

Whoever wrote it was of a higher intelligence than even she.

But who else in Equestria could possibly wield such magics?

No one. It's as if I was fated to meet with it... as if it... as if it chose me, somehow...

She was almost jealous of the original author, though. After all, he constructed this fine puzzle from scratch.

All it took now was for her to line by line decode the tome to fully understand it and to finally unlock the secrets the originator had so desperately tried to keep hidden away.

What other spells will the book hold? What untold, forbidden knowledge has it been hiding for all these centuries?

Twilight almost salivated at the prospect.

“This is probably my biggest personal project to date. It has taken me weeks to grasp the cipher, fully, with four days straight trying to make sense from just one spell,” Twilight whispered to herself, quietly determined to, by the end of the week, fully translate another which had piqued the mare’s curiosity when she had read the translated title out loud. “Life Drain… sounds pretty morbid. But it might be useful.”

Closing the notebook, Twilight Sparkle flipped through the pages of the tome, searching for the true resurrection incantation and not the spell she had attempted to use before that ended in disaster. “I suppose it will take me a further five months to completely translate everything from beginning to end, maybe if I pull all-nighters from time to time, but… for now?”

Twilight dropped her gaze to Smarty Pants whom she had carefully placed some time ago upon the ground at the center of several chalk-drawn circles a couple of hoofsteps away.Her face softened from its serious expression as she studied the stuffed animal's ragged appearance, stirring all kinds of warm and loving memories inside of her.

She quickly dismissed them with a shake of her head.

“I’m sorry, Smarty Pants, but I have to try this. I owe it to Celestia… I owe it to Nurse Redheart. I owe it to the families of the guards I... that I had killed... This time I will not fail; I will not make the same mistake twice; you’ll see. This will work. There will be no mistakes.” Her gaze darkened as her thoughts turned towards vengeance. “And when I am successful? I will find out just what I need to know and then nopony will be safe from my wrath. I will make them rue the day they even so much as thought about harming the ponies I love… especially Celestia.”

Twilight knew she would one day repent for her selfish actions when she had attempted to wield powers beyond her comprehension at the morgue, resulting in two more innocent deaths. After all, it was her fault that she had used the wrong spell upon Raven’s corpse in the first place.

It was a foolish mistake on her part. If she had only waited and patiently translated the text fully then maybe she would had realized her error before it was too late. The spell she had used on the traitor was not supposed to bring the dead back to life; it was supposed to raise the corpse as a mindless, flesh hungering ghoul and nothing more.

It did not breathe the life back into it like she had believed it would.

But this spell? This one was entirely different.

It took some preparation and some manipulation of a couple of guards over the course of a couple of weeks, but it appeared Twilight had managed to get away clean, without lifting a hoof or even alerting anypony of her involvement with a recent bout of grave robbing that had struck Canterlot.

Controlling the guards to do her dirty work while forcefully erasing their memories was the perfect plan, and it was executed beautifully right under everypony’s nose.

As far as anypony else was concerned, some very angry ponies dug up a traitor to deliver their own brand of justice upon her decomposing corpse.

They had chopped it up and maliciously set fire to it as if the purification of the flames would somehow cleanse her sins, a sickening act of desecration that Twilight Sparkle herself had programmed into the guards to specifically enact, once they had obtained the samples she needed, of course.

Not even cleansing your rotten filth in the baptism of fire will clear you of your sins, Raven. You deserve worse… I will give you, worse.

“As stated here within this text, I have correctly woven Raven’s hair in severals places into the vessel which I want her to possess, so that’s one thing off the checklist.” Twilight found herself smiling again as she looked to Smarty Pants.

There was nothing more harmless she could force Raven’s soul into. After all, it was just a mere stuffed toy. What could she possibly do in such a state?

Nothing. And that is precisely how I want her.

Weak.

Feeble.

All mine to control and do with as I please.

“Anyway! Right then; have I also prepared myself appropriately? Since it is written that the ritual can drain a vast amount of energy from those that use it and as much as I don’t want to feel drained, I don’t really want to use the alternative.”

That option involved using another pony to siphon the energy from. Apparently, using such a method often killed the subject for whatever reason Twilight Sparkle did not bother to fully translate.

Killing another pony just for her own personal gain was strictly out of the question, no matter how desperate she was for the spell to succeed.

“I have rested well, eaten well and conserved my magical energies throughout the day the best I could. My magical reservoir is far larger than that of any other pony since practicing Black Magic, so, I shouldn't be in any kind of real danger, other than maybe getting one really bad headache.”

Using her magic to lift the tome from the rickety table, Twilight Sparkle approached the chalk circle, her eyes gazing down at Smarty Pants with an excited smile.

“This is going to be unprecedented. I am going to bring back a pony from the dead with full consciousness.” Her smile darkened suddenly. “And when you are back amongst the world of the living, Raven? I am going to extract what I want to hear from you, very slowly. For all the trouble you have caused me and the deaths you wrought with your betrayal, I am going to make sure you sufficiently suffer for your crimes... and I am going to enjoy it, every last bit of it.”

Drawing a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes as Smarty Pants was consumed by the same purple and black aura that encapsulated her horn and tome, levitating the stuffed animal within the center of the circle.

“Decemuir clamávero immortuis Tartarus, audite hoc votum, Cerebus. Suscita mihi quem ut cognoverunt Raven, in vitam aeternam, ut mihi est in æternum…”

Slipping open her glowing crimson eyes, Twilight Sparkle smiled as her body suddenly shivered, noting the sudden drop in temperature as she witnessed the shadows around her awaken and shift into horrific shapes that danced a macabre movement just inside of her peripherals.

It’s working. I can feel it!

“No longer does she need to sleep in peace within the realm of the damned for I, your Mistress in darkness; your curator of death commands you, usque ad animam, quae libera vas benedixique!”

Twilight’s red eyes widened excitedly as she noted the toy’s leg twitch, a green vile mist rising up from the ground to churn around the doll’s form, swirling in an all too familiar torrent as it penetrated through the buttons that were the doll’s expressionless eyes.

“Mihi vivere illam industriam, Cerebus! Ut quondam iterum!”

Suddenly and without warning, Twilight’s mind reeled as she felt a sudden chunk of her energy rip out of her as if someone had reached into her heart and clenched tightly around the beating muscle with icy fingers, causing the mare to stumble forward, breaking the circle and disrupting the incantation as she fell to her knees within the chalk outline, dropping the tome as a hoof shot out against her lips.

Twilight retched, heaving until a splatter of blood and something dark and inky ejected itself from her body, striking the ground with a sickeningly wet slap.

Struggling to breathe, Twilight lifted her panicked gaze to Smarty Pants as the doll fell to the floor, remaining stationary within the center of the broken magical ward as whatever Twilight had expelled from her system slithered its black mass and penetrated the doll before absorbing completely into it as if it had never existed.

After several long, painstaking moments in silence, Twilight spoke.

“M-move…” She whispered through gasps. “Please! Move!” She struck a forehoof on the ground beside Smarty Pants, her eyes eagerly waiting for the toy to show signs of life.

“No… no…” Regaining some breath, Twilight’s aching body sat back onto its haunches as she struggled to maintain her focus.

Everything just seemed to spin.

Lifting a foreleg up, she wiped her bloodied lips against her fur and felt herself whimper, staring face to face again with yet another failure.

Exhaling a mist of hot breath in the cold atmosphere, Twilight Sparkle slowly got to her hooves.

“I-It should have worked…”

Spinning on the spot, Twilight’s eyes drew wild with rage as she stood in a threatening posture. “WHY DIDN’T IT WORK!?”

Twilight swung her horn violently to the side, upturning the table with her magic before hurling it across the room, causing the piece of old furniture to smash against a disused, old bookshelf that immediately toppled over and broke apart against the force of the impact.

Huffing through her nostrils, Twilight picked up her most precious of fillyhood possessions and shook the doll violently in the air before her snarling face. “I did everything by the book! We got the hair samples—I gave my energy as it said! I felt it leave my body! I said the words correctly; I even translated some of it into Equestrian! What more does it want from me?!”

Then as if someone had flicked a switch, Twilight Sparkle felt all of her rage bleed away instantly the moment Smarty Pant’s arm tore from the socket, sending a small ball of white stuffing to drift aimlessly to the ground. Her eyes followed the descent as she held the doll and its dismembered arm within her magical grasp.

Despair overtook her features as she took a step back, placing a hoof against her head as her crimson eyes pulsed with veins of dark energy that sparked outwards from her pupils. “The Dark Magic… I-I let it get to me…”

It felt… good.

"No! No, it doesn’t feel good! I can’t let it make me think that; I can’t let it think I depend on it.

Dropping Smarty Pants, Twilight stumbled a few steps until she threw herself to lean against a wooden crate, turning away from the tome entirely, feeling mentally drained as opposed to physically. “I-I need to relax and focus myself… m-maybe I’ll take a walk. Get some air. W-we need to clear my head.”

I have to get out of this basement… out of this library… I have to get out of here.

Abandoning hope of achieving her goals for the day, Twilight summoned her magic to unconsciously lift the tome off of the ground and place it upon her back. She made her way across the basement, slowly trotting up the steps as her mind remained locked on this most recent of failures.

The ward was drawn perfectly. I had more than enough hair samples to weave in Smarty Pants for the ritual to succeed.

At the mere thought of her doll, her concern returned to Smarty Pants.

I’m so sorry, Smarty Pants…I’ll fix you later, I promise.

Shaking her head to rid herself of any such lamentations, Twilight Sparkle reached the top step of the darkened stairwell, lifting a trembling hoof to wipe away a tear that slipped down her muzzle.

“S-Silver…?” Came a tiny and frightened voice echoing from the darkness below.

Twilight’s ears instantly perked, her body freezing in place as her eyes grew wide.

W-what was that?

“Wh-why is it so dark in here?” The voice wept, seemingly drawing closer. “S-Silver?”

Slowly, Twilight turned to look over her shoulder, trembling as she stared with her mouth agape at the one armed Smarty Pants standing at the bottom of the stairs under its own power, looking up at her with its vacant, blue and purple buttoned eyes, its head turning side to side as if in search of something.

Or somepony.

“S-Silver Hammer? Is that you? Where am I?”

Author's Note

Because my lovely editor is swamped with so MUCH shit right now that I have thrown his way, I've decided to stupidly edit this myself so... I apologize.

Anyway, it's an update! That's something, right?

Dark Stars

Celestia felt little to no remorse as she raised the sun and lowered the moon over the lifeless corpse below her balcony.

It was similar sensation to Discord’s execution, as she melted his statue into a bubbling puddle of molten slag; watching on with a smile as he cursed and spat her name before succumbing to his ultimate finality.

Even with Raven; the sight of the mare staring back up at her with betrayal laced across her terrified features as she fell away from somepony she had considered a close friend, simply garnered an absence of emotion from the Princess.

Celestia felt afloat with neither anger nor sorrow, nor a feeling of righteous victory. She felt neither proud nor disgusted with herself, unlike what she had experienced with Luna’s death by her own two hooves.

But that was different.

She cared deeply about Luna like any other sister would…

But Discord and Raven's insignificant lives were snuffed away with no effort and with little thought to the consequences. Both were threats in their own convoluted way so it was her right to dispose of them as quickly as possible.

Raven’s death was a necessary act for the continued peace of Equestria and to secure her right to the throne, while protecting the one she cared most deeply about… though she did regret in her method of execution in regards to Raven; though Discord’s most justified execution on the other hoof was everything he ever deserved and more.

Yet, to label Raven a traitor and an assassin?

It almost seemed like the perfect excuse with the current tensions rising between Maredonia and Saddle Arabia. She could probably use her lie to her advantage in that regards later on; to perhaps use this most fortunate circumstance as a form of leverage.

But she knew she had to be careful.

Celestia knew she was playing with fire.

A fire she felt would never burn her.

After all, she was their beloved Princess, right?

Surely she could do no wrong, right?

No sooner had Raven perished, the castle was immediately thrown into an uproar. The Royal Guards deployed in force, weapons and magic ready to defend their capital from a potential enemy attack while securing every entrance and exit of the castle and most notably, the throne room to which Princess Celestia had retreated.

“Don’t worry your Majesty, the palace is on lockdown and the city is on high alert. The Wonderbolts have sortie to the surrounding area while the Shadowbolts have been dispatched to several key locations along the borders. If an army even so much as takes a single hoofstep on Equestrian soil or so much as breathes the same air as you within this palace, we will be more than ready to take them out.” Flash Sentry stood at attention with an entourage of trusted soldiers before the two empty thrones.

Celestia was standing between them, her wings spread wide with an expression of grim determination present upon her features.

“Well done, Captain. There is no telling what Raven’s true intentions were, but we do know she had made a foolish and desperate attempt on my life. We must be cautious from here on out. Who knows how far the root of this betrayal has seeped into my court. I never would had thought my closest friend to be an assassin.” Celestia closed her eyes, as if fully incapable to accept Raven’s betrayal. "I simply cannot believe it."

With a sigh, Celestia slipped open her eyelids just enough to stare down at the ground in front of hooves. “I want a full investigation of every member of staff in the castle performed by a team you trust absolutely,” Princess Celestia regarded Flash Sentry with a stern stare, “is that understood? Leave no stone unturned.”

Flash Sentry saluted. “Yes, your Majesty. What of Raven’s family?”

The corner of Celestia’s lips curled into a sad smile as she looked sorrowfully down at her subordinate. “Arrest her husband and send him to the dungeons temporarily. I will interrogate him myself upon my return from Saddle Arabia.”

“And the foals?”

“Place the children into protective custody. We must separate them from any potential corruption their father may be guilty of. If he is found innocent, we will naturally reunite them. But until that time I want them to never see each other unless completely necessary. We must conduct ourselves carefully from now on.”

“Yes, your majesty.” As Flash Sentry saluted one last time, he turned about to bark his orders at his most loyal of soldiers before being interrupted by a dazzling flash of lavender light and the figure of a similarly colored pony dashing towards the throne.

Moments later, the throne room’s doors burst open, followed by an outpour of guards chasing Twilight Sparkle.

“HALT!” The guards called out, Flash Sentry mirroring their outcry as he too moved to intercept.

“Celestia!” Tears flew from Twilight Sparkle’s cheeks as she dashed around Flash Sentry and his group as they moved to intercept the mare before she had time to reach the Princess, but with little success.

The moment a guard had got close enough to tackle her to the ground, Twilight Sparkle teleported the entire way across the room before the throne, rushing up the steps of the dais towards the Princess, leaving the rush of panicked guards eating her dust.

Celestia felt her body sway as she felt Twilight Sparkle fling her hooves around her neck and squeeze ever so tightly against her body, weeping as she did so.

Everypony in the throne room paused, the sudden clamor and chaos silenced by the muffled sobbing of the lavender mare echoing off of the cold marble walls.

“I-I thought I—when I-I heard,” Twilight Sparkle whimpered, pulling back her face from Celestia’s chest to stare up lovingly up at the Princess, “are you okay? Are you hurt? Why would… why would Raven—”

Princess Celestia lifted a single hoof to embrace Twilight Sparkle, allowing her to once again bury her face into her chest and weep while the guards looked on, unsure what to do given the circumstance.

“You may all leave.” Celestia announced, her eyes softening at Twilight’s despair.

Flash Sentry stepped forward. “But your majesty, she is also under investi—”

“I said, leave.” Princess Celestia affirmed with a glare. “If there is one pony I can trust more than any pony in this world, it is in fact my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Her narrowed her eyes upon them all. “She is exempt from your investigation, Flash Sentry. In fact, you are all hereby commanded that you treat her as you would treat me… any objections?”

“No your majesty… o-of course not, your majesty.” Flash Sentry bowed low, before turning about and raising his voice.

“You heard the Princess. Everypony out! I want four guards stationed outside these doors at all times. No one is allowed in or out except for the Princess and Twilight Sparkle; whom is also under twenty-four hour surveillance and protection. I also want the quickest of flyers to escort Princess Celestia’s caravan to Saddle Arabia formed up outside in the next twenty minutes for inspection! Move it!”

The guards replied with their ever silent salute, departing the throne room and closing the massive golden doors behind them with a resounding clunk, plunging the silent throne room into a solitude of two mares, one comforting the other.

“Why… why would she…” Twilight shook her head from side to side, her face nuzzling harder against Celestia’s dazzling white coat. “It… it does not make any sense!”

“Twilight,” Celestia’s voice was soft and gentle as she gently prised Twilight Sparkle from her chest to stare sadly at the tear stained face of her most precious student, “it’s okay. I’m fine.”

Twilight shook her head, clearly confused as she wiped her tears away with a hoof, her body trembling and her stomach cold with the passing dread she had felt so strongly up until a moment ago.

Gathering herself, Twilight quickly looked over Celestia from head to hoof, searching for any sign of injury. “Did she hurt you? Are you okay?”

Light as a feather, Celestia placed her hooves either side of Twilight’s muzzle and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose in an attempt to further quell her worry. “Quite honestly, Twilight Sparkle, I am fine. A little disheartened, but fine nonetheless.”

Entrapped by Celestia’s intimate gesture and passionate expression, Twilight stared up at the Princess, her bottom lip quivering as she resisted yet another sob. “I-I didn’t know what to think… wh-when I heard I… I just knew I had to come here. I needed to see you and make sure you were okay.”

Half-lidding her eyes, Twilight looked away, guilt rising upon her features as her mind thought back to their minor altercation after their blissful night of forbidden passion. “W-what I said, Princess, was out of line and I want to apologize… I had no right to speak to you the way I did.”

“I too want to apologize, Twilight Sparkle.”

Princess Celestia’s words stunned Twilight into blinking up at her. “I… I was the one who—”

Celestia placed a hoof against Twilight Sparkle’s lips as her own words slipped into a whisper.

“No, Twilight Sparkle. You were right. It should not matter what I think anypony says. Everything you said was absolutely correct. I was just being the stubborn mare I tend to be when it comes to romance. I feel as if I should distance myself to prevent further heartbreak; to erect walls that you have clearly demolished around a heart that is feeble and bleeding, yearning for a mare I cherish more than my own life.”

Pulling her hoof away from Twilight’s lips, Celestia noted the returning flame of hope that was sparked deep within Twilight Sparkle’s eyes; joy following soon after in the form of a smile that grew upon a set of lips Celestia now longed to taste.

“A friend once told me… that I should follow my heart, no matter what. Your words renewed her advice and I… I can now see that you are also in fact right, Twilight Sparkle. I should love who I want.”

“C-Celestia…”

Leaning down, Celestia gently pecked a kiss to Twilight’s lips, grinning a little as she did so. “Besides, I believe I want to teach my student everything I have to offer.”

Twilight Sparkle blushed, looking away as she shifted upon the spot. “O-Oh.”

“Perhaps later though,” straightening her posture, Celestia regarded the empty throne room with a sigh, “now is not the time for such thoughts. I… I have much on my mind to consider after all.”

Celestia glanced down at Twilight’s concerned features, noting a lavender hoof had touched her own.

“I’m so sorry.” Twilight shook her head. “I just can’t believe Raven of all ponies would… would try to…” The concept of somepony trying to assassinate the Princess left a bitter taste in Twilight’s mouth, including another more heart pounding, blood boiling emotion she could not quite figure out.

“I had no choice,” Celestia remarked in a kind of monotonous way that caused Twilight Sparkle to nod, “I tried to talk to her; tried to make her see reason, but I failed her. Just as much as I did with Luna.”

“No,” Twilight raised her voice, “you can’t think like that Princess. What happened with Luna was different. Raven was…” With a grit of her teeth, she snatched her gaze away from Celestia to glare off into the distance. “She was villainous. She deserved everything that she got coming to her. She tricked us all into thinking she was this kind and loving mare when in fact she was nothing more than a liar and would-be assassin.”

“Calm yourself, my student. She is gone. There is no use working yourself up over a mare that is dead. She failed in her mission; whatever it was, and had met with a fate that was deserving of her crime.”

Twilight Sparkle nibbled at her lip. “But why? If only she were alive, maybe we could had got some answers and find out who was pulling her strings.”

“For now,” Celestia moved to guide Twilight Sparkle down the steps, keeping a hoof upon the back of Twilight’s head comfortingly, “despite what has occurred I must set off for Saddle Arabia.”

“Is that safe, Princess? Considering what has just happened, don’t you think you should—”

Chuckling, Celestia smiled down at her student. “The situation in the east is only going to grow worse if I am not present to mediate between the two parties. I would take you with me Twilight Sparkle, but, I fear for your safety. Remain here in the palace. It is the safest place in all of Equestria right now, given how high the security has become in light of recent events.”

Twilight Sparkle bit back her tongue on the subject and smiled. “Okay, Princess. But, please be careful,” Twilight turned to steal a kiss from her lips, “I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Celestia returned the kiss with a soft chuckle. “Perhaps in my absence you could take over some duties of mine, to pass the time and to keep you from worrying about me? Consider it... homework.”

Twilight, ever dutiful towards the Princess bowed her head low. “Of course! I would be more than happy to help you, Princess!”

“Perfect.” Celestia lost her smile. “It won’t be easy. But, I feel you are more than up to the task, Twilight Sparkle. I know you will do me proud.”

“I will do my best, Princess.”

A confident grin passed Celestia’s lips as she magically flung open the doors with a wave of her horn. “That is all I can ask for.”

Author's Note

Better late than never, right?

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