Path up to The Ruler

by overkiller

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Sad, Dark
Length: 34926

After the defeat of Tirek, Princess Twilight Sparkle must now face new challenges, including betrayal of her friends and worse.

After the defeat of Tirek, Princess Twilight Sparkle must now face new challenges, including betrayal of her friends and worse.

This story takes place after MLP FiM Season 4 Finale as if EG 2 and later Seasons never existed.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-04 22:52:19 UTC

Chapter 5

Nighttime. All Twilight’s new friends were sleeping in a guest room. Twilight finally was sleeping in her own room.

Somepony silently broke into the castle. “Ah think this ain’t good idea,” Applejack whispered to another invader. She and Pinkie Spy were invading.

“Don’t worry, I done this with Twilight before.”

“You mean this ain’t yer first time kidnapping Twi’?”

“No, silly, I never done that to a dead pony. Now shush, we don’t want to attract attention.”

Pinkie and Applejack reached Twilight’s room. They grabbed her and brought out of the castle undetected.

Then they dragged her to the Sweet Apple Acres barn, put her in the coffin and buried there. Applejack worried, “Ah don’t think this was a good idea.”

“Don’t you worry, nopony will know this happened,” Pinkie tried to cheer Applejack.

“Yea, but this ain’t normal.”

“This isn’t murder, silly, she’s dead anyways. We just brought her where she belongs while anypony else didn’t.”

“I guess you’re right, Pinkie. Ah just don’t know how to feel ‘bout this. What if ponies tried searching and questioning me about it? Ah can’t lie to them or pretend everything is okay.”

“Well, then don’t lie, just don’t tell the truth.”

“But that’s the same thing.”

“Hey looky here, madam. This is our secret, and if you’re smart you’ll keep it a secret. Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross mah heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye,” Applejack performed Pinkie Promise.

“Splendid. See you tomorrow.”

-

“Where’s she?!” Trixie was enraged while searching the whole castle in and out for Twilight.

“I checked everything, she’s not here,” Sombra provided bad news.

“How is this possible?! I locked every door and window!”

“I did notice opened window near the entrance, outside pile of boxes resembling stairs.”

“Are you saying that somepony kidnapped her?!”

“Yes. Also I found this yellow hair piece.” Sombra gave evidence to Trixie.

“Oh! I know whose it is! I’m going to say Big hello to them.”

“How do you expect walking around freely in Ponyville?”

“Unlike you, I can do that. I’m citizen of Ponyville as much as anypony else living in it.”

“Very well.”

-

“Howdy there, Trixie. How can Ah help you,” Applejack greeted angry Trixie.

“Where is she?!”

“Whom?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know! Where is Twilight?!”

“Ah really don’t know what you’re sayin’. If you keep shouting I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Don’t play dumb with The Great and Powerful Trixie, you peasant!”

“Hey, that’s offensive. Ah ask yer arrogance to leave my farm.”

“I’m going to choke truth out of your bloody mouth.” Trixie was just about to attack Applejack, but Discord interrupted her.

“Now that’s not a nice way to treat dear Applejack, Trixie.” Discord zipped Trixies mouth and imprisoned her in a big jar.

“What you’re doing here?” Applejack was confused.

“I was just searching for her, and with her shouting, I just couldn’t not find her.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.” Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared out of Applejack’s sight.

-

Discord returned with Trixie to Twilight’s castle and her friends. Trixie was boiling in pure anger, but unable to scream with zipped mouth. Everypony else were rather confused.

“Where’s Twilight?” Sombra asked Discord.

“She’s buried under the barn of Sweet Apple Acers.”

“What?! And you did nothing?”

“I did, I saved Applejack from Trixie.”

“Whose side you’re on?”

“Our.”

“Doesn’t seem like so.”

“This strange opportunity is perfect for us to act. Remember others telling you the plan? Now with your excellent mind manipulation powers, with Chrysalis infinite energy reserves and my chaotic nature, we can begin. Twilight never knew about the plan. This is our gift for her.”

“Very true. How about Twilight? She’s going to suffocate.”

“Nah. She’s an alicorn. Besides, Luna spent a thousand years on the moon.”

“Then we begin,” Chrysalis suggested.

Sombra began performing powerful mind control megaspell. His eyes went pure red emitting purple glow. His horn emitted a few layer purple and green overglow. He was draining Chrysalis energy, her body, piece by piece, began to crumble creating new holes in it and enlarging existing ones. Trixie was melting in a jar from pure anger because she was forgotten and not included. Amethyst was admiring the “light show”. Luna was casting a camouflage around the castle so that nopony could notice anything suspicious (She had read the forgotten books and knew most of the spells, this one was one of these spells).

Negativity surrounded Equestria.

-

Within days everypony gradually developed hate and jealousy towards other pony races, and heightened supremacy of their own race. Within first days it was curse words and occasional clashes (hoofights) with the opposite races. Later ponies started creating blockades to protect “their racial property and services”. Finally armament began thus war and death. War raged across all Equestria, even between royal guards who abandoned their duties and betrayed Celestia and Luna.

Earth ponies – physical strength, innovative weaponry and use of the surroundings in the fights to their advantages allowed their race to survive and not die out instantly, but they were losing most fights. The lack of time and preparations pushed their complex ideas for weapons to abyss—if only they had more time, they would had presented themselves as a bigger threat—Most used weapons were lassos for dealing with pegasus, rock traps (a lot of traps with heavy rocks) for unicorns, nets against pegasus and stationary siege versus both.

Pegasus ponies – agility, flying abilities and aerial advantage allowed their race to avoid most devastating injures between battles. Defense was unnecessary for them, they thought, as other races had nothing that could access their bases in the clouds. They attacked with all of their forces and won most battles against earth ponies and all battles against unicorns with almost flawless one-sided victories.

Unicorn ponies – magic, only magic. Most unicorns were highly inexperienced with their magic. They mostly used basic levitation spells. They were throwing sharp projectiles at their enemies.

All of the three races hated each other a lot, but they hated alicorns even more. They questioned Celestia’s dictatorship. Celestia and Luna had to flee and hide. Cadence and Shining Armor broke up.

Megaspell had no effect on Celestia, Twilight, Twilight’s friends and Element carriers.

-

“Rainbow Dash, stop slacking. We need everypegasi on the battlefield, that includes you too,” Spitfire demanded Rainbow Dash’s support.

“I can’t, this doesn’t seem right.”

“Ugh! I understand why Fluttershy doesn’t, but you, Dash, you’re very important in this war. With your help we can win faster, you’re one of the strongest and fastest of us.”

“I’ll have no part in it!”

“Join us and I’ll make you one of the Wonderbolts, I promise.”

“No, I will not let you manipulate me with your promises. If becoming a Wonderbolt means to kill others, I refuse.”

“What?! How can’t you understand? From birth you were destined to live your life for this moment. This is the prime of our existence. Victory in this war for pegasi means Equestria. There is no place for inferior races to roam free in Our Equestria.”

“Inferior? Everypony is equal.”

“How dare you degrade Our perfect race. You’re useless, you refuse to participate in a war for racial supremacy and on top of that you humiliate Us. Death to you! Pegasi, take her to the rack, make every bone in her body crack.”

“No!” Rainbow Dash tried to escape, but failed. To prevent her struggling she was hit to unconsciousness.

“Soarin, bring me Fluttershy here.”

-

“Sister, I don’t like this place. It reminds me of Nightmare Moon,” Luna whimpered. Celestia and Luna returned to their Castle of the Two Sisters (ruins) in Everfree Forest.

“I know. But this is the best place to settle for now – nopony will track us here. Besides, they are fighting each other to the death and we can’t do a thing about it. Our presence would only make things worse. All we can do now is wait.”

“All of this is happening after Twilight’s death. I believe her connection with The Elements disappeared after her death thus disharmony reoccur. And I’m the pony responsible for it – I killed her.” Luna’s eyes went blurry with tears.

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine – I ordered you to do such a thing. I should have been smarter, I should have taught her better, I should have used other means to stop her. She’s the very pony connected to the world itself, if she’s dead – our Equestria is as good as dead.”

“We’ll live through it.” Luna gave a hug to Celestia.

-

“Rarity, may I have you for a few moments?” Prince Blueblood called for Rarity. They were in Canterlot’s sewing workshop.

“Well yes, of course.”

“I admire your dressmaking skills, but I would like you to join us in battle.”

“I can’t, I’m not that strong, and who would make all the clothing besides me?”

Prince Blueblood raised his forehoof and struck Rarity with it, sending her falling to the ground. “Do not act stupid. I know what you are doing – you are avoiding participation in this war. I was ok with that at first, but now we need you in the front lines, or we will lose.

“I think your clothing is the reason we are losing. Basically – your clothing makes us look like targets. I admire all the fancy colors and designs you are making, but it is useless in the battlefield. You are the reason why we are losing to these inferior races. Unicorns are the future for Equestria. That being said, you are fired.”

“What?! Why?”

“Just now I explained why.”

“You can’t.”

“I can. I’m the highest ranked figure around here and a Prince. If you refuse, I am going to kick you out of My Canterlot without hesitation. Choose wisely because I don’t care about individual unicorn. Through unity we can achieve victory. Unlike you, everyunicorn else understands that.”

“But-but… Is there another option? Anything else I can do?”

“Yes, there is.” Blueblood surrounded Rarity’s body in his levitation spell, then sent her crashing through window into air, far enough to disappear out of sight. “I do not tolerate you.”

-

“Why’s this shield so strong? Everypony once more, clop yer hooves and ram that castle,” Braeburn was becoming furious. Everypony charged Twilight’s castle, but got knocked by the shield surrounding it. “Horseapples, this is useless.”

“Why don’t you stop? Let everypony rest, we need them rested,” Applejack suggested.

“Ah know, but there’s the last unicorn in Ponyville. Gettin’ rid of her would provide us a hub for our operations, it’ll be perfect finalizing our schemes for weapons n siege. Ah hate damned pegasus that destroyed my home, Appleloosa. We need this castle.”

“Ah don’t feel right attacking anypony who did nothing to us.”

“But they did. Don’t ya remember that these darned unicorns killed yer Granny Smith and Big Mac, also destroyed yer whole farm with trees?”

“Well yes, I do, but Trixie did nothing.”

“It’s not about the individual pony, it’s ‘bout race. We mustn’t share Our lands with bullies like pegasus, or unicorn hierarchy-wannabe’s. They’ve biological advantage over us, that’s why we need this.” Applejack seemed like crying. “Listen ‘ere, AJ, Ah don’t like this either, but if we do nothing, we’ll become extinct. Every chance we get is a possibility to save Our lives.”

“Ah think we can reason with ‘em.”

Suddenly Rarity fell flat onto shield attracting attention of everypony around. “Ugh.” Then slowly slid down.

“Unicorn scum. Everypony surround her, don’t let her escape,” Braeburn reacted with a command.

“Hold yer horses, everypony,” Applejack interrupted. “Let me talk with her first.” She approached Rarity. “You okay? Can you speak?”

“Yes,” Rarity nodded with a whimper.

“What happened?”

“Prince Blueblood kicked me out of Canterlot because I refused to join him in war.”

“She ain’t hostile fellas! Rarity, can you open a gap in the shield? Ah wanna meet Trixie. Alone. Well, with you, but without them. Ah believe she’ll be keen to talk with us.”

“Yes, sure.” Rarity used her horn to open two pony sized holes in the shield. Rarity closed the holes as soon as both got in.

“What’re doin’? It’s suicidal, AJ,” Braeburn warned, but it didn’t stop Applejack with Rarity entering the castle through unlocked castle door.

Applejack and Rarity walked slowly and cautiously inside, it was empty and quiet. They checked most rooms finding nothing, until they opened Twilight’s bedroom and saw Trixie sitting in chair, near Twilight’s bed, and starring into it. They approached Trixie, her mane was messy and unwashed, her face was tired, eyes red from tiredness.

“Are you okay? We would want to speak with you,” Rarity suggested.

“Leave,” Trixie responded heavily.

“Please, we don’t want any harm. Look, I’m here with Applejack and we came here to discuss a plan to stop this nonsensical war. We’re sure you would like that, since you haven’t participated in it.”

“Sit.”

Rarity and Applejack sat on Twilight’s bed to face Trixie, up close she looked even worse, evidently she was casting that shield for days and hadn’t slept. “Talk,” she encouraged her visitors.

“Listen, Trixie, we want to end this war, but the two of us won’t be enough, we need yer help,” Applejack explained.

Trixie hysterically giggled for a moment, then quickly stopped to respond, “Funny you’re seeking my help, the ponies I hate so much came here uninvited for my help, don’t tell me you don’t even have a plan of any sort, but ok, I have a plan: go die.”

“I think she’s crazy,” Rarity whispered into Applejack’s ear. “Let me try.

“We do hope we could find more followers that seek peace and racial equality. We don’t have many ponies as of now, but we do have to start from somewhere.”

“I lost everything: my fame because of this racial war, respect because I refuse participation in it, strength because I must keep shield up at all time to save myself from it and its absurdity of what this war is all about, but worst – I lost my best friend, she’s dead, even Applejack buried her away from me.” Trixie wasn’t crying and her voice was unemotional at all time. Her eyes exposed massive hatred towards Applejack. “I would love to strangle you for that, but it’s as pointless as everything else.”

“I think we can’t convince her to join,” Rarity whispered. Applejack agreed with a nod.

Then they left outside. All the earth ponies were waiting them with grim or angry faces. “So you failed?” Braeburn asked knowing the answer was yes.

Applejack and Rarity nodded then proceed through the shield, closing behind as they pass. Other earth ponies seemed hostile towards both mares. Applejack noticed it and tried to explain what happened, “We did what we could. Reasoning with her is useless.”

“That’s what you can expect from other races, they have no integrity. They are ignorant hierarchy or bullies, unlike us – hard working ponies who are the future of Equestria’s prosperity.” As Braeburn gave a speech, other ponies were slowly getting closer to the two mares. “Listen ‘ere, AJ, Ah know what you want, Ah want that too, we all want our Equestria as it always been in the past, but times are different. We can’t live by our imagination, or else we extinct. Now we must eliminate oppressors. To be honest, Ah don’t ‘ave bucking idea how Equestria got to that point, but Ah’m assure it was the fault of these two other races, and now we suffer as well. That is also why this castle is essential for us. Please Applejack, understand.”

Applejack hid her disappointment as much as she could to respond, “Ah know, Ah well darn know this, you don’t need repeatin’, but unlike you, Ah haven’t lost hope for peaceful negotiations. Ah believe Ah can find a way to stop the war without the need of killin’. Ah ain’t joining you. If that castle is so important, you’re in luck, the mare casting the shield is exhausted to death. It won’t take days before yer free to raid.”

Every earth pony was tense in a battle stance waiting Braeburn’s command to attack. Fortunately for Applejack and Rarity, Braeburn gave no such order and allowed the mares to leave, “Go, you are as good as dead anyways, no need to get our hooves bloody over nothing, Ah rather know you suffered. Applejack, I’m most disappointed in you. Yer family was nothing to you after all.”

-

“Welcome to Cloudsdale, Fluttershy,” Spitfire welcomed. Fluttershy was dragged there against her will. “I personally apologizing for the inconvenient trip here, but there are important stuff to discuss concerning everypegasi, including you – we are losing some ground and we need all our troops to overpower the enemy,” Spitfire lied.

“I… Um, don’t know… how could I help?” Fluttershy was still frightened by the trip to Cloudsdale.

“We need you on the battlefield.”

“No… I can’t… I don’t want…”

“I don’t take no for an answer. Everypegasi that disagrees will meet the same punishment your friend there did.” Spitfire pointed at clearly dead Rainbow Dash near the most noticeable place in Cloudsdale – billboard. Her body was stretched beyond the limitations of limbs and joints. Right forehoof was detached from the rest of her body. Rainbow Dash died either from unbearable pain of the rack.

Fluttershy wanted her friend alive. At the sight of her dead friend she froze like a stone by cockatrice’s gaze. It was too terrifying for her to faint.

Above Rainbow Dash’s body in the billboard, there were ads inviting every pegasus pony to join the war in the front lines, promising honor and material rewards for the bravest. Other ads mostly included disgusting propaganda about other two pony races and glorifying their own.

“What’s your answer?” Spitfire encouraged her. Fluttershy didn’t responded for good two more minutes then suddenly tried to escape, screaming and crying. She was too slow and got caught.

Spitfire gave threatening smile to Fluttershy. “I suppose that’s a no? To the rack her!”

-

Pinkie Pie dug Twilight’s coffin out, it wasn’t easy with all the debris littering around. Inside the coffin was empty. “Where’s she?!”

-

Applejack’s and Rarity’s journey from Ponyville to changeling’s castle through San Palomino Desert was consuming: no clean water, high temperatures and buffalo aggression, but t was a necessary route to avoid pegasus patrolling town ruins that used to be Appleloosa.

As they were approaching Chrysalis hive-castle, they were attacked by changelings. These changelings were slightly different than before – their insect-like wings were dark purple. Both mares dealt with changelings easily, there were very few of them, but such hostility meant that changelings weren’t welcoming anypony. They proceed inside anyways.

Castle looked like ruins. The thought of somepony (Changeling) living there haunted shivers up Rarity’s spine.  She was dodging all the filth on the floor making Applejack annoyed as they wondered around the mazes for a long time and nothing attacked them.

They reached center of the hive. Manny cocoons with not yet hatched changelings filled inside big room. Amethyst was sleeping in the embrace of Chrysalis (what shell was left of her). Chrysalis was missing most of her horn, three of her legs crumbled into immobile state, fourth seemingly soon would as well, her eyeballs grey (she was blind), wings, tail and mane: no more.

Chrysalis sensed the invaders and greeted them, “What brings you here? If you were to attack, I’m sure you would have done so by now with a lot of noise. Come, sit. Tell us your names.” Amethyst was waking up.

“What happened to you? I’m sorry, I’m Rarity and this is Applejack.”

Amethyst trotted behind Chrysalis. “Mama, these ponies will hurt me?”

“No, don’t worry. These ponies are good. They are friends of your Papa. Rarity, Applejack, why won’t you sit near us? Tell us how are things. I wanted to share some stories with pony folk for the last few days now. I don’t have anything to offer, you know, we don’t eat ‘your kind’ of food.”

“Oh it’s ok, we’re not hungry,” Rarity lied. She hadn’t ate a thing since morning. “We’re here to seek help.”

Chrysalis chuckled, “Sure, like we’re able to help you in any way. You see we’re at the edge of extinction if Amethyst here doesn’t learn to rule over the hive. I, as you can see, am not in any shape to do that, nor that I would be able even if I was at my best. All I can do is share my wisdom with Amethyst until I’m ceased to exist. But I’m interested what help you need us for.”

“There is war between earth, unicorn and pegasus ponies in Equestria, and we are seeking help to stop it.”

“Well, that’s impossible. You see, the state I’m in is because of the war. Sombra casted strong megaspell to stop it,” Chrysalis lied, “and he needed a lot of power so he used mine. He failed and consequently got evaporated into ether. Me? Well, you can see yourselves.”

“Um, Wawity, pwease stop bad ponies. I can’t defend yet.” Amethyst poured a tear from her big green eyes with purple flares burning within. She had tiny, common size for her age, horn and wings. Her wings surprisingly weren’t like Chrysalis insect-like ones, Amethyst wings were princess-like feathery wings.

“We will, I hope. Sorry to disturb you, we’ll be going.”

“Have you forgotten what I said earlier? Please stay for a night, I’m bored and I don’t want to die being bored. I know I can’t help, nor does Amethyst, but I can suggest seeking help from griffons. If the war is only between ponies, you might be in luck, but I warn you – you must offer them something or else they won’t care.”

Rarity,  Applejack, Chrysalis and Amethyst spent the remaining of the day and night sharing stories with each other, mostly about Twilight. Rarity was hungry, very hungry.

-

“Trixie, no! You look horrible.”

“Twilight.”

“Don’t tell me you were holding this shield all this time? I’m so sorry. It was my fault that I was hiding from these ponies. I should have stayed here with you and used that shield myself.”

“Twilight, I’m happy to see you.” Trixie’s voice was slow and weak.

“I’m going to deal with all this war myself, for you, for everypony.”

Trixie hobbled slowly towards Twilight and gave her a weak hug that looked more like she was attempting to hold on Twilight’s neck to not collapse. “Save yourself, find friends. You can’t do that alone. We wanted to help you, clearly we weren’t strong.” With every word Trixie’s voice was slowing down. “You’re strong, you must be strong, be strong for us, remember us, let that strengthen you, but never do everything by yourself, find friends. I want you succeed, we all, your friends, want you to succeed. Where we failed, you must not.” Trixies last words were really slow. “My last wish to you is to create the perfect Equestria we dreamed of.”

Twilight saw through the window that the shield was going down in cracks. Trixie stopped breathing and holding on Twilight, she collapsed. She used everything, only through sheer willpower she managed to keep the shield on. Twilight held her in her hooves covering Trixie’s body with her wings and tears. Loud echoes of ponies galloping in the castle forced Twilight to escape.

She teleport away, out of sight, with Trixie. Twilight felt a rush of emotions striking through her whole body: sadness, regret, hate and revenge. She wanted to kill everypony for what they did – peace through death. Then she could form a new life, once again, and guide it away from repeating mistakes that became this war, she thought. But her mind defeated corrupted emotions, she knew – death and suffering solves nothing, friendship does, she had to reunite everypony.

She buried Trixie beneath Sweet Apple Acers Barn, in the same coffin and hole that Pinkie dug out. “I’m sorry I can’t arrange anything magnificent that you deserve, but I promise I will when I’m done with this corruption.” She left her.

Twilight never noticed red and green (Fluttershy’s and Rainbow Dash’s) Elements on her cutie mark.

-

Rarity and Applejack left early the next morning. As they reached one of the hills near Badlands and gave a glimpse at Changeling Wasteland, they saw earth ponies from Oxford and unicorns from Manechester fighting each other near the hive-castle, clearly deciding which race would annex its territory. Changelings (what few of them there was) were defeated. Rarity hoped that Chrysalis and Amethyst (or at least just Amethyst) managed to escape. There was nothing they could do.

Applejack’s plan was to reach Baltimare, then borrow a ship and reach Griffon Port by sea. Baltimare was controlled by earth ponies, it was the safest town in this war so far – nopony attacked it and nopony from there participated in the war. Unicorn Rarity wasn’t a problem, her headwear was enough to hide her horn, nopony there met her before.

Mares passed through dangerous Badlands, avoiding lava and rock debris. They reached Hayseed Swamps. Swamps were dense, disturbing vision. Rarity despised dirty water and was whining all the time making Applejack annoyed and hostile with her.

They finally reached Baltimare. It was heavily guarded with ballistic engineering Applejack and Rarity never saw before. Electric fences and earth pony patrol prevented them from proceeding in without guard inspection. “Right: Applejack, mare, earth pony from Ponyville.” Stallion guard was checking documents. “Second: Rarity, mare, unicorn pony from Ponyville.” Rarity forgot to fake her documents (but she wasn’t aware that she would have needed of them). Guard knocked Rarity’s hat and spotted her horn. “Unicorn, what business ya got ‘ere?”

Rarity was sweating in horror, unable to respond. Applejack responded instead, “You see, we need a boat to Griffin Port.”

“That doesn’t explain that unicorn ‘ere.”

“She’s with me. Ah’ve got a task.”

“Yea? Who sent ya?”

“Commander Braeburn,” Applejack lied.

“Never hear of ‘im. Never mind, Ah don’t care, ya can go in. If she’s a spy and yer a traitor, Ah still don’t care. Ah’ll be transportin’ ya straight to the Bay so ya can’t see anything much of our town. Do anything dumb and Ah’ll make sure one of them ballista’s pierced yer skull.” Guard had terrible accent, but was convincing enough to make Applejack and Rarity not fool around with him.

“Open the gates!” he shouted, and the gates slowly opened. Inside was small, but crowded: Small, but tall, three to six storey wooden buildings without glass windows (just holes), beaten by age and lack of treatment. Streets were full of young foals and elderly ponies trotting about their business, some gave a glimpse at the visitors, but mostly didn’t care. “What ya scoutin’?” Guard asked seemingly suspecting Rarity, since she was looking around the town passionately.

“Oh nothing, I’m sorry,” she got startled.

“Ah suggest ya lookin’ at the ground until Ah tell ya otherwise.”

Rarity did as she was told. This wasn’t something she wanted to risk her life for. Meanwhile Applejack spent every second inspecting the surroundings: town was tightly locked up as much from inside as outside, few shops selling very little, decayed furniture and vehicles, a five-on-one hoofight in the narrow walkway, few not functioning fountains, overgrown with grass, and a lot of random wreckage.

The state town was in made no sense for a town port. “Why is this town so buried?” Applejack asked.

“Pirates,” Guard answered. “Them were raidin’ us even before the war. Cut down our trade roots and destroyed our economy to crap yer seein’.”

“Pirates? And we’re sailing? We’re gonna die.”

“Yea, Ah’m sendin’ yer to death. Oh, and Ah’ll charge ya twenty bits for privilege.”

“No! We don’t need the ship, we can find another way. Sorry to disturb you.”

“Ya ain’t goin’ anywhere, turn around and ya’ll be shot. Ah don’t care if ya die now or later, but Ah’ll rather take yer bits.” They arrived to the Horseshoe Bay. Applejack paid guard the price, he pushed both mares into raft made out of some rotten logs then he bucked the raft and set it sailing.

-

Battle between Manechester’s unicorns and Oxford’s earth ponies had ended in a victory for earth ponies, but huge losses delayed annexation, battlefield was full of dead ponies, they retreated.

Twilight took that opportunity to enter hive-castle. Temporary barricade wreckage littered every room up to the heart of the hive. Every cocoon was devastated and destroyed, unborn changeling bodies lying everywhere, most decapitated or crushed.

Amongst changelings Twilight found Chrysalis (what was left of her). She was in even worse condition as when Applejack and Rarity visited. “There is nothing you can do,” she spoken, her voice was slow.

“Not here too. What are you ponies doing?!”

“Suffering the reality of this world.”

“No, but… But Equestria was never like this. This doesn’t make sense, why ponies are doing this.”

“It’s no different – ponies seek their perfect Equestria.” Chrysalis began choking yellowish-green fluids (changeling blood). “I wanted Equestria for my children to grow in, Discord needed Equestria as his playground, others – their own reasons. None succeeded.”

“But you were the most powerful being in Equestria. How could you end up like this?”

“I never killed a pony, I never would, even Celestia.” Chrysalis tone kept slowing by every sentence. “I claimed she must be killed, but if I had the chance and free will to kill her myself, I wouldn’t. Sombra tried to perform a powerful megaspell on ponies – he used my magic, that ended in his disappearance, and me – what you see now of me.”

“W-why would you do that?”

“Because you inspired us to become a better ponies, and at the time like this, we stood against it, just like you would if you could.”

“I killed you all.” Twilight couldn’t hold tears any longer and opened the flood gates.

“True, but don’t blame yourself, that was our decision.” She caught spilling again. “You allowed us to change, change for the better. You taught us to seek our dreams with friendship. These ponies fight for their own dreams of their perfect Equestria. These ponies aren’t any different than us. They need your help and guidance, Princess of Friendship.” Chrysalis vomited all yellowish-green fluids and died. Twilight felt like Chrysalis's gifted magic faded.

Twilight was losing her friends, dying before her eyes. She wanted to kill everypony even more so than ever before, but by doing so would cause a disservice for her friends. They sacrificed themselves for Twilight to help create their perfect Equestria, even if they wouldn’t be there to see it, the thought that she could succeed was enough to risk their own lives for.

Twilight levitated all the bodies of changelings, including Chrysalis, into one pile, then with a spell set everything on fire. “Your dreams will never leave my heart. Your ashes will fertilize Equestria, your perfect Equestria. I promise, you all, I will not fail your dreams, my dreams.”

-

Applejack and Rarity were floating above the sea within thick and quiet mist, waves softly splashing their raft

“This is pathetic – at this pace we won’t reach Griffin Port in days,” Rarity was disappointed.

“Quit yer whining and help me pull,” Applejack encouraged.

“I’m not whining, I’m complaining.” Rarity was also hungry and weak.

“Ah don’t care. Help me if you want this to end faster, or do you want pirates catching us instead?”

Suddenly huge shadowy ship slowly appeared into sight then began shooting cannonballs at the raft, nearly missing it. Pirates roared their battle cries as they were shooting (but mostly missing) and closing in.

“This is it Ah recon,” Applejack whimpered as one of cannonballs hit a hole in the raft (but raft wasn’t drowning yet). “Rarity, Ah did so much wrong to you and my friends, last few week went completely to hell, starting with Twilight then war.” Another cannonball hit the raft (less devastating). “But Ah’m happy to say Ah’m not dying alone. If we failed that doesn’t mean we haven’t done everything we could.” One more cannonball hit the raft and obliterated it into pieces.

-

Twilight was standing at the peak of mountain in Badlands. Hostile dragons flying around her, but smart to not attack her. Her eyes were burning with rage as she was lost deep in her thoughts, yet again, questioning her next approach in fixing the problems in Equestria, or just destroying it and starting new.

-

Applejack and Rarity woke up in pirate ship. It was pink? “Good you’re awake,” Pinkie Pie bounced around them.

“Pinkie, I’m glad you saved us, but what are you doing here?” Rarity asked.

“I’m searching for Twilight.”

“Here? But she’s dead isn’t she?”

“Somepony stole her body from the grave. Without digging it out!”

“We should get to Griffin Port,” Applejack suggested.

“Griffin Port? Well, we’ll be there soon,” Pinkie said then trotted to the steering wheel of the ship.

The mist dissipated and Griffin Kingdom was visible: huge skyscrapers and sheltered mountains piercing the clouds, even the Griffin Port, being just above sea level, had tall buildings.

Armed griffons approached the ship. “What business do you have here?” one of them asked.

“We’re here seeking help with the war. We want to end it,” Rarity explained.

“This again? We said numerous times before that we’ll take no part in it. Now turn back before I hurt anybody.”

“What do you want for your help?” Applejack remembered Chrysalis telling that they needed to offer something for griffons to get help.

“Your head.” One of the griffons attacked, knocking Applejack from the upper deck to lower deck. Other five griffons who weren’t talking also attacked. Their brutal force, speed and maneuverability prevented anypony from counterattacking thus inflicting mortal injures.

Unexpected rays of magic hit all of the attackers from within the mist. Later it was clear that Twilight had unleashed these rays and was flying closer to the ship, her facial expression revealed anger. Upon arrival she managed to scout the ship: griffons blasted to unconsciousness, Applejack mortally impaled into ship wreckage that her falling impact had caused, Rarity was torn apart, Pinkie Pie missing lower half of her body, but alive. Twilight flew closer to Pinkie.

“Here you are,” Pinkie greeted Twilight. “These necromancy books surely were in use.”

Twilight said nothing. Soft tears in her big eyes.

“I was wondering where were you. I took a sail to find you, and I did find you, or was it the other way around?” Pinkie tried to giggle, but it was too hard for her, instead she coughed.

Twilight said nothing. Her tears dripping on the ship deck.

“We were trying to fix the war, but as you can see, this happened.”

Twilight said nothing. Closed her eyes, tears trickling.

“You know, it would have been great if we were all here, you know – the six of us, or better – your new friends as well. There is nothing we can’t overcome together.”

Twilight said nothing. Slowly moving closer to Pinkie, her own tears flowing along her body.

“What were you doing the past few days, you know – during the war and such? I bet you and your friends were planning something special to stop it all. Besides, you stood against Celestia yourself in their aid and—” Pinkie Pie got interrupted by Twilight’s waterfall that was her tears.

“I failed everypony, my friends, everypony… My friends, all, all of them dead.” Twilight gasped for words. “We should have done everything together. I should never distanced myself from you. The bond we share isn’t just The Elements. Why was I so blind?

“Every time I tried my best to help you, all of you, even when I shouldn’t… And I shouldn’t have used that spell on you. I knew that I did wrong. I thought that if I distanced myself from you, you would be safe, that I deserved the suffering, and that my place was with others – the ones who suffered the same thing as well. They are my friends, yes, but they should never be your replacement. Never.

“Now they’re dead, you’re dead. I’m alone, all alone. They failed fulfilling their dreams. How would I succeed alone?” Twilight collapsed next to Pinkie, saving her from drowning in Twilight’s tears.

“You’re not alone.” Pinkie pointed her hoof at Twilight’s cutie mark, five out of the six Elements on it. “They are with you. You’re not alone, never alone anymore. I’ll be joining you soon. I’ll be with you forever. Together we can overcome anything, My friend. Please, invite me in.”

Twilight struggled to get up. She scrubbed her tears. She rose her hoof above Pinkie’s neck, she was smiling—for the last time—With a lot of hesitation Twilight smashed Pinkie’s neck, killing her. The last Element appeared on her cutie mark.

She stood there for an hour lost in her thoughts. That time she was remembering everything she did with her friends: adventures, pitfalls and uprisings of their and her lives together as friends. All of them wanted this war to end, after that Twilight could form a new Equestria, her perfect Equestria. In this quest she wasn’t alone – she had friends. Forever.

-

“Luna, do you think there is any hope for Equestria anymore?” Celestia asked Luna while both of them were watching from a safe distance how ponies were fighting to the death.

“We can always hope.”

“Then I’m hopeless.”

“Sister…”

“Just look what they are doing, what they are using – weapons of murder. We couldn’t interfere before, how can we do that now, since they are using even more devastated weaponry now? I have power, but only to destroy, kill, annihilate all of the ponykind, but what good does that do? Luna, they are going to destroy each other, they don’t need me to help them. I rather stay hidden until it’s safe to roam once again.

“We can only raise and lower the moon and the sun, even if because of the war they completely forgotten that’s our doing. I actually hope they did. I’m glad they aren’t hunting us, they probably are, but hadn’t found us yet.”

-

Twilight flew into Baltimare. She was met with hostility: ballistas were shooting at her, but there was nothing her shield couldn’t handle. “Ponies listen!” she began to speak, her voice heard across the whole town port and beyond. “I’m here to announce that I’m ending this war. No more suffering.”

“We’re not suffering ‘cause of war, you tyrant,” somepony shouted from the crowd of listeners, others agreeing. Another set of ballista bolts hit Twilights shield, it wasn’t very effective.

“No matter what’s the cause, I’m willing to fix it. You will live your perfect life. No starving, no poverty. All I ask you is your cooperation with me – treat me like your friend and I’ll treat you as mine. I’m not asking anything more.”

“Horseapples, yer want us worship yer plot,” another shouted, others agreed. More bolts came Twilight’s way, still useless.

Twilight surrounded whole city with her magic, scaring its citizens. Wreckage slowly fixed itself and transformed into a more pleasing and durable things (buildings, stalls, furniture and vehicles). Dead grass growing swiftly once again. Twilight fell softly, the spell requiring a lot of her strength.

Town citizens trotted around her looking disorientated. They had mixed feelings: hate, fear, happiness, but mostly confusion. “There are also berries in the swamps near,” Twilight added.

Guards aiming ballistas at Twilight ready to shoot, but hesitated. Some bright light lightened their corrupted hearts, a familiar feeling – friendship. “Ah shucks, yer got us. We’re willing to follow ya.”

“Please tell every earth pony about what happened here, about me.”

-

Entering Cloudsdale was rather easy. No other pony race could fly, and even if it was princesses flying, their figure would reveal themselves. Twilight – pony sized mare, with wings and small horn that’s hardly visible while flying.

Cloudsdale was pretty empty, there was only Spitfire shouting at pegasus fillies. Twilight landed silently behind Spitfire. “Can I have your attention?”

“What is it, private? Why aren’t you down there? Name!”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

“I’m not in a mood for silly jokes. You’re in a big problem.” Spitfire wasn’t looking at the mare she was taking with. The facial expressions of the fillies encouraged her to eventually look behind her. She saw Twilight smiling and grimacing at her. “A princess? Fool, you’re in my domain now. There is no way for you to win, not even escape. Guards! Intruder alert!”

She got no response. “Guards! Intruder alert!” she tried once more. Only a few fillies hesitantly approached Twilight and started unwillingly bucking her legs. Spitfire facehoofed herself. “Stop! Ugh, what do you want? Considering you’re not attacking me there is something you seek to discuss.”

“Well yes. Earth ponies will be withdrawing from the war because I asked them to and provided a compromise for such action. I’m asking you do the same.”

“And why would I do that? Why would I believe you in the first place?”

“Firstly, you’re lucky I’m not doing the same to you what you did to Fluttershy and Rainbow there.” She pointed at the two brutally bullied pegasus ponies on the billboard. “Secondly, I can fulfill any of your offers, anything you desire and all pegasus want.”

“Equestria free from inferior pony races.”

“Then there will be no more ponies in Equestria, only princesses.”

“What are you saying? Pegasi are the supreme race.”

“Every race has its advantages and disadvantages: Pegasus – flying, air and weather control, unicorns – magic, earth ponies – physical strength, alicorns – all of that and more.”

“And you’re here to tell me that? There is no convincing. Leave! Hide before my troops return.”

“Heh,” Twilight chuckled. “Thirdly, if you win the war by wiping out other races pegasus will suffer too. There’s no way your race could possible do what other races can, and I’m not even talking about unicorns and their magical abilities, even earth ponies – farmers are necessary. I can’t imagine any pagasus as a good farmer.”

In a distance Twilight saw a swarm of pegasus returning. “If you value your racial supremacy then do so, but don’t attack and destroy other races. Treat them as inferior, but if you destroy them, you will destroy yourselves as well. I’m willing to create perfect Equestria for everypony. Ending this war would be the first step towards that goal. All I ask is your cooperation. What’s your answer?”

Spitfire said nothing. She was waiting for all of the pegasus to reach Cloudsdale. As they did, she rose her hoof ordering them to hold. “What can you do?”

Twilight smiled. She focused her magic on Spitfire then they both teleported away from Cloudsdale. They appeared in dead cropland. She used her magic to revive it. It was slow process and Twilight was burning herself rapidly by doing so. “I can manipulate life itself to some extent. I can fix everything overtime, but I want you all to stop this war.”

Spitfire was amazed, “I see. Ok I’m giving you a benefit of a doubt. Anything goes wrong, you’ll hear from us first. Loud.”

-

Convincing unicorns to stop the war was easy. They were losing – basically they had only Canterlot and Manechester under their control left, not yet destroyed or lost in battle. Fighting wearing nothing yelled more devastating losses, clothing Rarity was making weren’t just for fashion and looks, but also provided moderate protection to some degree.

Other news from earth ponies told that truce had been established.

Twilight was now searching for princesses to deliver the good news. She knew where she could most likely find them. She arrived at Castle of the Two Sisters ruins. Without long searching she found both of them.

Celestia wasn’t happy, “This world is already in distress, we don’t need you helping its doom.”

“I fixed everything. Ponies stopped fighting, war is over,” Twilight announced happily, but that didn’t help cheer Celestia at all.

She stood into a battle stance. “This was your plan from the beginning: fake your death, somehow start this war, act as if you were fixing it, all of that just to make me look like a tyrant. I hate you!” Celestia pushed herself into attacking Twilight, trying to knock her with her ramming attack, but all her attempts got dodged by Twilight’s teleportation.

Then she launched several chains of rapid strikes with her horn, all got deflected by Twilight’s shield. Everything was being repeated like when they fought trapped in the spell few weeks ago. Twilight knew how it would end.

She surrounded Celestia’s body and horn (but not face) with heavy crystallized rocks, immobilizing her. “What’s with you? For past weeks you were acting like I’m your biggest nemesis. Where your love and care disappeared? You would go to the lengths of destroying all ponykind, just to obliterate me. I’m not releasing you until you explain yourself. Talk!”

“What’s your game here? Why don’t you imprison everypony already? What’s with the shady tricks you’re attempting to pull?” Celestia was struggling to get out.

“I know that it’s not about me you’re upset about. What is it that’s concerning you?”

“It’s the same, every time the same. All of my previous students failed, met with the same conclusion – lost to the influence of evil forces. You’re the same, but unlike them your influence outgrown theirs, so now you possess a greater threat than they could ever did.”

“I can see in it your eyes – that’s not the truth you talk. You might believe that it is, but it’s clearly false. You only try to believe it because it’s easier and it allows you to hide the truth from your own self. It’s about something deeper. I want you to explain it to me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Celestia’s pale face was becoming red. Flames were leaking through the cracks of crystallized rocks and melting the rocks. Luna fled in horror.

Twilight knew where this was going. She imprisoned Celestia in the shield, then another, and many more. Shields weren’t strong enough to hold Celestia’s outburst and slowly melted. Twilight pushed her to the limit trying to contain the shields. Her eyes began glowing pure while, her mane and tail extended and colored itself with additional stripes of yellow, her hooves sparkled with her original cutie marks – Rainbow Powers returned.

Twilight’s shields became thick and strong, but it wasn’t enough. Celestia’s eyes glowed pure white, her whole body turned into solar flares, she was bringing the heat of sun itself.

Twilight was pushing herself to the limits trying to hold the shield (she didn’t wanted to cut Celestia’s horn, choking wouldn’t have been effective either as Luna spent a millennium on the moon without air and Celestia was no different), Celestia as well trying to bring the heat of the sun itself. Destruction of the shield would have meant incineration of Equestria and beyond.

White glow of Twilight’s and Celestia’s eyes intensified and was surrounding everything around it in its purest white. Both princesses disappeared within.

-

Twilight was floating on familiar pure water in white void. Most of her upper body and face was burned black. She couldn’t move, feel or talk, hardly could hear. Her eyes were stuck on Celestia who was approaching her walking on solid ground. She looked like her own self and unharmed, crying.

“This is it, I did it, I defeated you, but why are you here? This place isn’t for you, only the purest hearts can travel it, you’re nothing like that,” Celestia said. “But why am I crying then? Probably because I hate myself for what I did, but it was a must. Still, why are you here?”

“Because she does have a pure heart, Tia,” voice from behind her announced. “And you surely took her down, hard.” With jingling sound voice slowly approached. “But her wounds can be healed with time. This mare has indestructible will.”

Celestia took a glance at mysterious stallion behind, he was Star Swirl the Bearded. “Nice to see you again,” he said with a fake smile.

“Mentor? I don’t understand why do you sympathize her?”

“I’m not. She is truly with a pure heart, she cares about everypony, including you too, even if her methods you find are vile. She was here before, asked me how could she help you, not only as means to prevent you from bullying her, but also to help you overcome whatever it is that bothers you. She’s your friend, and beyond that, she respects you the most of all up to unhealthy levels.” Star Swirl pointed at Twilight, she painfully nodded to the best of her ability, barely.

“You refused her help, but will you accept mine? Please tell us what’s troubling your soul,” he requested.

Celestia looked at him, then at Twilight, then down at her own shadow, then up. “I’ll have to tell the whole story then: Real alicorns are the foundation of ponykind and all of the universes in the infinite galaxy. All alicorns are born from the original two, my, Luna’s and other real alicorn’s parents – Life and Soul.

“Every single alicorn has a planet to rule. I and my sister were not exception. But before we did that, we had to learn basics. We were very bad at it, the worst. Our parents were disappointed in us, but they still loved us, so they gave us ownership of the smallest planet, this one. We were truly terrible, we couldn’t control all of the planet together, so we settled in Equestria, the third of the planet’s dry surface.

“Despite all of these flaws and weaknesses, I promised myself that I will protect my planet from any threat. We found help and established a semi-stable peace in our world, but it wasn’t enough for me. I strived to create absolute harmony.

“Through mine and Luna’s efforts Tree of Harmony grew. We had no idea what it was, but we knew we had a connection to it. The Tree had three symbols, later we understood these were of cutie marks: first, mine – the sun, second, Luna’s – the moon, third, Twilight’s – the star. Three of us now are the essence of harmony.

“I feared that with all the vile knowledge Twilight consumed she would destroy the planet itself. Not by force, but by disruption of harmony in our world.”

“You love your planet too much. I don’t say that’s a bad thing, not at all, but you’re suffering paranoia. You’re too distant from everypony, but you’re not bad. Why don’t you try fixing your problems with your friend here? I’m sure she’s more than willing.”

“No, I’m irredeemable. I cannot be trusted.”

“Or maybe you need rest from your princess duties? Go explore your world, meet other caring ponies.”

“How about my royal duties? Luna won’t handle it alone.”

“You can pass it on this young princess. Don’t you think she more than deserves it, gone through what she did?”

Celestia said nothing. Twilight began to evaporate, leaving the white void and returning to reality.

-

Their battle left devastating results: huge molten crater around where Twilight held shield on Celestia, massive incineration of Everfree Forest behind where Twilight was lying. Around her many earth, pegasus and unicorn ponies gathered. “She’s alive!” one of them screamed, others cheered. “You saved Equestria. She exploded and you contained most of that explosion."

Twilight was too tired to care, she fainted.

Chapter 6

Twilight took few weeks to recover. No regular pony medicine or healing spells could recover burnt damage, but necromancy did. Necromantic regeneration proved working, reviving dead cells to their former forms. But such procedure was slow and excruciating.

Meanwhile, ponies were rebuilding the losses made by war. Still hostile and negative to other race, but war was over. Even if their efforts were mostly selfish, it still proved overall progress and benefit.

Political disaster was present: air, ground and sea griffon blockade. Griffons took the events at Griffin Port to declare military isolation: nopony or griffon could get in or out through the blockade. Any attempts of negotiations were met with cruelty – death on sight.

Princess Luna was struggling without Celestia’s co-rulership aid. Her inexperience led to higher taxes for trade routes with most non-griffon countries (griffons made none). Miscommunication and lack of management led to weak control over ponies, they did what they thought was best, each city (or town, or village, etc.) was populated by single pony race, operated as individual anarchy.

She was playful, cheerful and immature (despite living for over a millennium, being Nightmare Moon prevented her maturity). Luna wasn’t the pony fit for such role and Twilight knew that.

-

Twilight arrived at Crystal Empire. It was divided into three heavily defended territories, each dominated by one crystal pony race. Crystal Castle abandoned.

Territory controlled by earth crystal ponies was most of the cropland. Only earth crystal ponies were working there, harvesting more than they consumed, but not sharing or selling with ponies in other territories.

Territory controlled by crystal unicorns had most of the pre-war shops, mostly vandalized and looted. They owned the biggest territory, but it was pretty empty. Some trace of trade routes that were active before unicorns sold out everything they could and were beginning to starve.

Pegasus owned territory was a few skyscraper buildings. Pegasus were visibly starving.

The situation was absurd: earth ponies were overeating and not even sharing eatable trash with other ponies while other ponies were suffering famine. Twilight wanted to help them, but there was nothing she could do at that time (it would take more than words to fix their situation).

She proceeded to the castle. Inside was empty and dusty, but nothing broken.

The portal to Canterlot High was working. She went through.

-

The school was rebuilt after Sunset Shimmer’s “demonic performance”. And she was sitting near the portal-statue in that world, miserable.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Wha? Who? Oh… It’s you… What do you need?”

“I came here to see how are things, how are you doing?”

“Everybody hates me. The very people who you asked to help me transferred to other school in other town, all of them. I’m nothing anymore.”

“I want you back in Equestria. There are disturbance that could be fixed with your help, you have the qualities necessary.”

“I don’t know.”

“You said you are nothing here which means you have nothing to lose. I offer you something, definitely a better life, what you always wanted.”

Sunset Shimmer took a short minute to look at Twilight’s face. Without hesitation she jumped through portal. Twilight behind.

-

They were slowly returning home (to Ponyville; transport was unavailable), Twilight was answering questions Sunset was asking, “…I still don’t understand why would you choose me? It wasn’t perfect in that world, but hearing how’s Equestria now, I really don’t know which is worse.”

“I chose you because you are the best pony I know for such job. I don’t know if you will pull off this hard task, but that’s not a reason to not let you to. I believe in you.”

“Was this because I wanted to rule Equestria?”

“Well…” Twilight took a moment to decide if she should lie or tell the truth, “…yes, but let me explain: I’m princess of Friendship and I’m friends with some villains, I was… they sacrificed themselves in the war. I know the mindset of a villain, they are people too – they have their dreams, wants and needs that our world cannot fulfill. But unlike others, they seek drastic change that goes against the roots of already established reality. Doings so, they submit themselves to evil forces and go on destroying, manipulating or enslaving everybody in their way. You are just like them.

“I’m gifting you what you wanted – Equestria, but you’ll have to deal with responsibilities at hoof. You can refuse and return I’m not forcing you.”

“I want to stay, but what will other ponies think of a leader that’s not an alicorn?”

“They will be happy about it. You’ll be representing a pony race – unicorns. Or they will forever hate you. These ponies are racially hostile. I hope for the former, but you always must take a risk to achieve anything, and I’m sure you’ll receive more respect and praise from people than invading them as a demon with your zombie-student army.”

“I suppose, but if things go wrong I would have nothing to defend against it.”

“I’ll be always here with you whenever I can if that happened.”

“Thank you.”

-

Sunset insisted returning to Crystal Empire after Twilight mentioned situation there, she had a plan: she wanted to explain why what they were doing was stupid, and that they should share. It was nothing different than what Twilight would had planned if she decided to (and it would mostly fail with just talking and convincing alone), but Sunset had an unusual charm and was able to persuade crystal ponies there into doing so. Even as far as removing blockades. And all three races began living together in harmony (more or less).

On a way back to Ponyville Twilight encouraged Sunset to visit Hoofington and try fix things there. Hoofington was once populated by unicorns before the war when earth ponies won it over. Some trace of earth pony engineering at action: turrets and traps. Failed attempts of growing crops (land wasn’t suitable for that). Sunset successfully encouraged citizens there to open trade routes with Crystal Ponies for food. She was perfect, Twilight was sure about it.

-

“You’ve recovered,” Luna was happy seeing Twilight. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m in need of help with all of this nonsense. Celestia never taught dealing with this, nor was I ever really interested in it.”

“I’m happy to help you, I have a mare who will help you, she’s really good at it, I promise,” Twilight announced. She moved aside to reveal Sunset hiding behind her.

“Sunset Shimmers, I know of you, thou student of Celestia’s with a lot of potential. Twilight, may I have a moment with you? Alone.”

“Um, ok?” Twilight and Luna walked outside the room. They left Sunset admiring soon-to-be-hers quarters for operation. “What was you wanted?” Twilight asked Luna.

“Why haven’t you told me you’re bringing her here?”

“She’s great, don’t worry. I saw her in action, she’s perfect.”

“Ok, but I don’t think bringing her here was good decision.”

“If you’re concerned about what she was before and what she intended to do, don’t be. You must befriend her. Knowing that you successfully managed that with Sombra and Discord, I see no reason why you couldn’t with Sunset.”

“It’s not that. Other reasons – personal reason. I never told you what happened between me and her.”

“But you were trapped on the moon as Nightmare Moon before and after she was Celestia’s student, you couldn’t possible met her.”

“You don’t know a thing.”

“Look, whatever it was it must not interfere you two. Put it aside and focus for the better of Equestria, I need you both working together. If you try anything against her, I’ll have you suffer, I’m protecting her.” Twilight returned to Sunset.

“You know nothing,” Luna whispered to herself and followed to the room after Twilight.

“I’ll leave you two for now. I promised I’ll be helping pegasus after I recovered.” Twilight left.

Luna was giving Sunset a lengthy tour around the castle and Canterlot.

-

Nighttime. Sunset was sleeping in Celestia’s (now hers) bedroom, Twilight in Cloudsdale, Luna was not. She left Canterlot and flew to Griffin Kingdom.

Griffon patrol used one-barrel rifles (muskets) for long distance combat, for melee combat they wielded sharp metal attachments to their talons and wore heavy leather armor.

Griffon patrol spotted Luna incoming. They had orders to kill anypony on sight trying to cross the blockade, but they let Luna through without even struggling to lift their weapons or fly closer for inspection. Luna got through uninterrupted.

Luna flew above barracks where even at night griffons were training their agility and marksmanship skills in obstacle courses.

She arrived at Gryphendel, the tallest city in whole Griffin Kingdom. She entered the cathedral to meet with Grand Duke Feather Terror the Second. Griffon guards escorted her to him. “Luna, good to see you in person after so long,” he smiled. “What brings you Here? You’re not here about us removing the blockade?”

“Of course not, I’m here to report an important intel.”

“And you’ve gone through all this trouble to arrive here by yourself? You could have said that through my dreams, like you always did.”

“Says the griffon who hardly ever sleeps. This matter is urgent and delaying it would cause more danger to me and you. Sunset Shimmer is back, and she’s a co-ruler of Equestria now.”

Grand Duke stood up from the throne he was sitting in with facial expression of anger. “How did you allow that?” he growled. “And co-ruler? What were you thinking? Are you here just to smack my face after all I’ve done for you?”

“No, no, It’s not my fault. Twilight Sparkle brought her and appointed her for such role.”

“Who’s that Sparkle you speak of?”

“She is a barrier of all six Elements of Harmony and she defeated my sister, permanently. She’s also guarding Sunset Shimmer.”

“Hmmm… What’s your plan and why do you need me?”

“I want you to attack Equestria and knock her out of the post. What you conquer you can take for yourselves.”

“Risk my flyers? And you offer us land that we would obliterate? We are not barbarians or conquers, this is a Kingdom. But since it’s about Sunset Shimmer, I’ll accept, but I’ll claim no land of Equestria, just loot. I’m not sure how will ponies recover from that, but frankly, I don’t care, I’m not destroying your Equestria, you are.

“Although, I’ll require you eliminating Sparkle, I don’t want to suffer huge losses or a failure because of her. I give you three days before we act, don’t disappoint me.”

“This shall be done.” Luna left the cathedral and flew back to Equestria.

“Where were you,” Sunset asked once Luna returned.

“The Princess of The Night doesn’t sleep during the night. Now return to sleep, you must rest, you’ll have a lot to deal with tomorrow.”

“Yeah, whatever, Nightmare Moon.”

-

Daytime.

Swarms of pony complains mobbing Sunset Shimmer’s sanity, Luna wasn’t anywhere—where was she?—Ponies demanding changes that required turtle-speed to implement, but they wanted it now. Twilight was flying all over Equestria fulfilling desires of everypony that only she could with her magic. A whole day just like that.

Nighttime.

“Where were you all day?” Sunset asked Luna.

“You serve the ponies throughout the day. I do that throughout the night. This how it was when Celestia was in charge. I was resting during the day. Now please don’t disturb me, I must guide my subjects in their dreams.” Luna disappeared.

“I hate her.”

Twilight trotted to Sunset. “Don’t mind her, she’s not used to any of this. You still have me, and I’ll do everything to help you.”

“Thank you. I just feel like I’m not the right pony for this job. Celestia had many years of experience while I had none. She’s an alicorn and she had more power than I could ever posses in my lifetime. I’m just a mere unicorn. I’m not even sure she could handle this herself. Who am I to walk in her horseshoes? Twilight, are you sure you did a right thing?”

“I am.”

“Ponies don’t respect me at all, especially earth ponies and pegasus. While for them you’re ‘their everything’, I’m less than your assistant – a grumpy politician who they must endure before you could help them. I feel like just having horn and no wings is the image of their ruler they dislike.”

“If it’s the image they dislike, I can fix that.” Twilight focused her horn on Sunset, enwrapped her in thick layer of magic. Several layers of overglow appeared from her horn.

After long concentration and a lightshow she was done. She drained herself of magic: her body and mane became colorful grey, Elements cutie mark vanished. She transferred the third of her alicorn magic to Sunset, making her grow wings (this spell was different than when Princesses transferred their magic to Twilight who was already alicorn, Sunset was not; spell required two other thirds of her magic to perform). Sunset was lying unconscious, the procedure was painful.

Luna saw what happened. She approached Twilight. “You’re insane, you don’t know what you did.” Twilight was sane, but unable to talk or move. “I’m going to punish you.” Luna’s horn glowing red, she concentrated her magic on Twilight, she sent Twilight to far unknown. “As for you.” Luna turned her gaze to Sunset.

Discord appeared in a flash, “No,” then disappeared as fast with Sunset.

Luna took angry moment to realize what happened. “DISCORD!” her voice bringing earthquakes.

-

“Grey: grey mountains, grey rocks, grey sand, I’m grey. Black: black sky, black night, black stars, inside of me is black,” Twilight was explaining her surroundings to herself, unable to move, just hardly speak. “Where am I?”

-

“Who? What? Where? Explain!” Sunset woke up. She was in Discord’s chaos dimension. “What is all of this? Who are you?”

“I’m Discord – master of chaos. This is my home. You like it?”

“Why would I like this place? Why did you bring me here?”

“I saved you from Luna. My dear Twilight sacrificed herself for you.”

“What do you mean? What happened to her? How long was I out?”

“A day. I suggest you looking at yourself.”

Sunset looked at herself she noticed wings that she could move. “AH!” she screamed and was flailing her body awkwardly. She felt alien in it and was panicking.

Discord was recording her with a movie camera by spinning the lever on it. After awhile, he had enough footage for a laugh to share with his… friends… The last friend he had was sent to the unknown and he couldn’t sense her magic to find her. “Enough games. We have pressing matter on our tails.”

“But I’m alicorn! I haven’t asked for this.”

“Please, you can’t even fly with these things. All that dark magic is just an illusion that drains the caster for no apparent reasons. I could have done the same if she asked me to, too late for that now.”

-

“Everything is the same.” Twilight was wobbling slowly through the unknown, tripping and falling then getting up and continuing going the straightest line she managed.

Fell again. That time she saw her cutie mark, grey sparkle-star, no Elements. “I’m all alone now.” She didn’t get up, her tears and emotions consumed her will.

-

Sunset Shimmer was traveling all across Equestria, warning about upcoming griffon aggression (not blaming Luna for it) the whole day and night. She did so mostly without Luna knowing, and when Luna did, it was already the next day.

Griffons obscured the sky and the sun, countless of them above pony homes. It felt like changeling invasion all over again, but it was worse: Each griffon equipped with more powerful weaponry than what ponies had. Every griffon (not including the elites who were superior) was equally match with most skilled pegasus flyers in aerial combat. Armor – durable, light and convenient compared to what ponies used (which mostly was nothing).

To every city (or town, or village, etc.) griffon messengers were sent for diplomacy. One of them was sent to Horseshoe Bay, “We’re here under Grand Duke Feather Terror’s will of diplomacy with you, our pony friends.

“We offer low costs for taxes, protection and free access for trade routes with Griffin Kingdom, ideal for any business. We require everypony’s signatures for the offer. By signing you agree that our Grand Duke will have influence in Equestria’s political infrastructure, and get Sunset Shimmer fired. But do not fear, your princess Luna will remain in charge without any restrain.

“Refusal would result in suffering, destruction and death.”

The messenger got shot and impaled into the ground by ballista after he finished. “Ah ain’t followin’ yer buffalofudge. Don’t listen’ to any of dem lies he’s spoutin’,” the killer and guard of Horseshoe Bay claimed. “Ponies, this time we fight fo’ our freedom. Dem enemies think we’re dummies. Well, Ah say we show ‘em wrong with guns.” Cheering of agreement followed and citizens began preparing for the fight.

Other messengers were met with similar fates by other ponies in Equestria as well. Seeing the situation, Feather Terror with his elite squad flew to Canterlot for a chat with Luna. Upon arrival, he was met by royal guards. They had spears and were ready to attack. None reached him alive. He entered the castle. Any resistance inside were met with cruelty. Luna was sitting in her throne-chair.

“What’s the meaning of all this? Do these ponies value their lives, or are they too dumb to save themselves?” Grand Duke was mad at Luna.

“And why would you care?” Her eyes glowing red, she was wearing her armor and a necklace – Alicorn Amulet.

“I don’t. I care about my griffons. I don’t want this war I don’t care about it, it can ruin my reputation, but retreating would ruin it too. It’s your fault you brought me in all of this. I demand you ordering your ponies to surrender.”

“I have no power over them, If I did, I wouldn’t asked you for anything in the first place.”

“I don’t care, you must, or I’ll make you to.”

“Please do! And I’ll try my best to longer the list of dead griffons you care so much about. I promise.” Luna’s horn glowing red, she stood in battle stance. “You’ll find her yourself. I have more important matters to deal with than helping you.”

Griffon leader scratched his head then turned around to his troops to gesture an order to leave. “I don’t understand what you’re planning. And that artifact, you’re wearing, tells me that you’re after her as well. Why don’t we team up? We have common enemy and goal. Together we’ll make this faster, less people will suffer.”

“I need you only for a distraction.”

“Figures. You really don’t care about ponies.”

-

Twilight reached top of the hill, closest to her, to scout around. Everywhere bumping grey, the planet had no colors, but in all of that grey she noticed a difference – an occasional abrupt green flashes in the same spot half a mile away from her. “This could be my only way out.”

She raised her hoof to accurately climb down, but ground crumbled beneath her and she fell like a ragdoll down the hill badly injuring her. “I must…” She spent a little more time to rest then ignoring unbearable pain, lack of strength and balance she continued.

-

Griffons showed no mercy to anypony: Killing them without any regrets or hesitation, destroying homes, historical and cultural monuments and other priceless wonders. Very few ponies could hide or escape their assault (they were searching for Sunset Shimmer and killing whoever else they found).

Looting wasn’t successful: Newest invention of earth and unicorn cooperation created dynamite. From attaching dynamite to projectiles to dynamite-suicide ponies prevented griffons from accessing these resources (mostly food supplies and gems) without suffering loss, and even when they reached it, ponies set traps destroying these resources and unfortunate griffons caught in it.

Ponies were losing, and they knew that, but their spirit and beliefs told them that they were doing the right thing and it was worth risking their own lives for it kept their motivation adamant. Foals were protected the most, so they suffered the least or nothing at all.

-

Twilight reached the source of the light. It was a green creature with a body like timberwolf, but looking more like a deer, sleeping in a small crater. Its coughs emitting blinding lights from various sized dots that dominated its body—the only different color in all of that grey around—

Twilight adored the little creature, even if she had to cover her eyes every time it coughed, but there was no time to drool for hours, she felt that Equestria was in danger (and it was), she had to return.

Twilight tried to carefully and slowly descend down the crater to not scare the creature, but rocks behind her started to roll knocking and further hurting her. She fell into the creature with a gentle push, enough to awake the creature.

Creature opened her pure green eyes and spotted Twilight. “Mother is that you?” Twilight wanted to open her mouth to disagree, but was unable, during the fall few rocks pierce her cheek and damaged insides of her mouth. A whine and a squeal was all she managed. “It is you,” the creature continued, “I can’t confuse you with anything. You are the mother of this planet.”

Twilight remembered Celestia’s tale about original alicorns and how each of their children had a planet to rule. That creature believed that Twilight was the one who supposed to rule it. “It is you. Grey as all of this around. Sad as all of the vegetation around. Hurt as all of the creatures around. Alone as I am,” it explained. “What happened, dear Mother?”

Twilight cleared her mouth from blood and saliva with a cough. “I need help.”

“Anything,” creature replied and stood up then with her magic touched Twilight healing her wounds and easing the pain.

“Thank you. I need to regain my magic. How can I do that?”

“You lost the connection with this planet and it lost with you. You need to reunite. You must remember about all of the creatures and vegetation that existed here. About the landscape and cultures settled here years ago.”

“I-I… I don’t know any,” Twilight felt ashamed of what she said, feeling worthless and helpless.

The creature looked into Twilight. “Then let me remind you. I’m the druid of the past. I dedicated my whole life for this, and outlived everything else.” Its eyes connecting with Twilight’s, it consumed her in a vision.

The vision was of the planet in the past: rich vegetation, stone dominated settlements for intelligent creatures (who were earth, pegasus, unicorn ponies, griffons, zebras and other) and a pink alicorn. Twilight required no time to recognize the alicorn, it was Cadence. The planet was formerly hers. She abandoned it.

Twilight returned from the vision. “Yes, ok, what now?”

“Recreate.”

Twilight looked around to scout her surrounding then merged it with her mental image of the vision she saw and began casting the exact same spell that manipulated life she used in Equestria before. She had no magic, but it wasn’t required, planet bowed before her and life slowly re-emerged. While she was casting, periodically her natural colors returned, then one-by-one The Elements, then Rainbow Powers extended and colored her mane and tail with additional yellow, and lastly, something more – a stripe of dark green on her mane and tail.

The creature reformed into a zebra. “You look not the same.”

“I’m not your Mother. She is my sister-in-law. I’m sorry I haven’t told you that, but I really must return back where I came from.”

“It does not matter, you’re not. You’re the savior of our planet. You’re our Mother now. Don’t leave us like she did. We seek your guidance, Mother. We are now your children, now this is your home. We need of you, we don’t want a wasteland.” Manny ponies, zebras, griffons and other beings surrounded Twilight, their expressions full of hope.

Twilight was shocked. It was the hardest decision she had to make in her life: remain there and be the ruler of that world, possibly achieve perfection, or return to Equestria. Choosing the former resulted in betraying her friends; and their sacrifices had been for nothing. Choosing the later resulted in abandoning these people; and they could possibly make the planet a wasteland once again.

After deep consideration Twilight chose the former. She couldn’t abandon her friends dying wishes. “Sorry, I can’t, but I promise I’ll return. For now you must cope with your lives yourselves.” The crowd around her began whining, but Twilight calmed them before it gotten worse.

“I have a gift for you all.” She cast a spell that consumed their minds. With it she showed what pony (and not only) friendship could achieve. “With that I must go. I hope you can live without me for the time being before I return. Alone I can only do so much, but together you can do far more.”

The crowd was sad, but not whining anymore, sad because she must return, not because their hopes were destroyed. Twilight gave them purpose.

One filly trotted to Twilight giving her a hug and tears. She picked something from the ground and gave it to Twilight. It was a brutally looking little worm-thingy. It quickly jumped into Twilight’s mane and settled. Twilight wanted to panic, but calmed herself (she didn’t wanted to disrespect the filly for the gift) “I want this to remind you of us,” the filly explained. “It’ll protect you.”

“Thank you.” She ascended into air, gestured a farewell and flew away. She didn’t know where Equestria was, but she trusted her instincts and, with new powers that she obtained, glided through the atmosphere in high-speed.

-

Equestria – rivers of blood and wreckage, smells of disgust, bodies of dead ponies and griffons, landscape ruined, settlements vandalized. No more harmony.

Three figures were standing in a tense battle stance outside Canterlot castle: princes Luna’s horn was glowing threatening red with hovering spears, covered in levitation magic, above her, ready to launch; Grand Duke Feather Terror was holding two one-handed shotguns in both of his talons, aiming at his opponents; Sunset Shimmer’s horn was glowing, ready to cast a shield or teleportation spell. Around them were dead royal guards and dead elite griffon fighters.

Three of them were talking. “Out of my way, she’s mine,” Luna began. “I’m not going to let you have her.”

“You should have considered that earlier, before you brought me into this bloodbath,” Grand Duke countered. “I have scores to settle with her myself. I won’t tolerate your disturbance.”

“All this suffering and death only because I failed with teleportation spell and ruined your ancestor’s kingdom; and created an evil deity known as Nightmare Moon that consumed princes of the Night?” Sunset asked.

“Yes,” Luna and Terror answered in unison.

“And all of this was worth all of the death and suffering?”

“It wouldn’t been this way if ponies weren’t resisting,” Terror exclaimed.

“For crying out loud, if I’m the one you’re after just kill me right here and now.”

Grand Duke and princess looked at Sunset Shimmer then at each other. They drew their aim from Sunset then set it at each other. “After all what happened? It’s not worth it. You deserve torture. But first: her.” Feather Terror shot at Luna, but missed.

Luna threw spears at griffon, but missed as well. Both opponents took into air to continue fighting. Luna shooting missiles with her horn, Terror continued using his shotgun, reloading every two shots with each. Both flyers struggled to hit their opponent. The fight dragged for a long time in a stalemate.

Green and purple roaring flash pierced the sky. It fell on Grand Duke Feather Terror. It was Twilight killing him instantly with the momentum. She looked at him without regrets then at Luna and Sunset Shimmers who were stunned by what they saw. Twilight looked around seeing results of the fighting between ponies and griffons then stared at Luna. “I wish I never saw this. I wish I didn’t know whose fault it was. I wish I was here to prevent it.”

“H-how d-did you?” Luna lost her tongue.

“You are the determent factor to this destruction. You deserve nothing. I’m going to end you.”

“And what are you going to do?” Luna regained her cool. “How will you stop me? I’m the most powerful alicorn, stronger than Celestia ever was, and you barely won against her. What makes you think you have any chance against me?”

Twilight’s horn lit green. From the ground grew huge oak tree and imprisoned Luna in itself as it grew. Not giving time for Luna to break free, Twilight dragged the tree to the depths of the planet with its prisoner.

Twilight looked at Sunset Shimmer whose facial expression was pale. “It’s over for her. I told you that I will always help you whenever I can.”

“It’s never over,” voice from behind called. Luna threw something at Twilight. It bounced off Twilight’s shield. It was something looking like a green bean. “You’re the one with nature now?” Luna levitated the bean to her. “Why don’t you return to where you came from!” Luna crushed the bean with her hooves.

Twilight felt weak. Roots formed from her hooves into the ground giving away Twilight’s body and magic. “This is my world,” Luna laughed as Twilight was consumed. “As for you,” she turned her gaze into Sunset, “torture.”

Chapter 1

Sun was shining bright up high, it was a new day. Life of the ponies had returned to normal after the defeat of Tirek. Everypony could breathe with ease.

As our hero Princess Twilight Sparkle has exhausted herself from exploring the castle, she took a break in her most favorite place in the castle – the library. The library had lots of new books Twilight had never read, perfect for her to relax.

It felt like nothing could ever go wrong.

-

Days passed.

“The Spells of Conjuration” Twilight took the book and surfed through its pages. “The content of this book is about various powerful spells. Knowledge within this book must never reach anypony.”

After reading it Twilight threw the book into a fire with the other books burning, with similar titles and content. These books were forbidden in Equestria, hidden and guarded or lost. Twilight found them in her own castle library. Twilight knew they were forbidden, but she was a bookworm and couldn’t just not read them. This caused her to become crazy. “Knowledge is all mine,” she hysterically giggled.

-

Rainbow Dash had crashed through the library window ans broke it. She hurt herself. “Ow, my wing!”

Rainbow Dash took a moment to scout the surroundings and spotted Twilight. “Twilight it’s you! Where have you been? Everypony started to worry about you.”

“I was here.” Twilight still continued reading the book despite Rainbow Dash talking.

“What have you been doing here all this time?”

“Reading.”

“Again you’re onto books, aren’t you an egghead enough?” Rainbow Dash noticed a fire of books, “What’s that fire doing here? You’re going to burn your tree castle!”

“Crystals can’t burn, fire is a light source and keeps me warm. It’s books burning, I’m getting rid of unwanted stuff.” It wasn’t cold nor was it dark, there was no need for fire.

“But how did you transferred so many books in here by yourself?”

“I didn’t, they were here with the castle. Now please leave, tell everypony I’m here and there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Ok, I’m glad you’re alright. Hey, do you want to see my ne—”

“No! Leave,” Twilight rudely interrupted Rainbow Dash’s offer.

“Ok, ok.” Rainbow Dash left through the window she crashed into. Before she left, with her good eyesight, she managed to determine what kind of books were burning. Her wing still hurt, but she didn’t care as she filled her mind with thoughts about Twilight’s behavior and books she had been reading.

Twilight smiled as she threw another book into the fire. “Knowledge is all mine.”

-

After Rainbow Dash was done drowning in her own thoughts, she took her time to tell her and Twilight’s best friends: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, what happened in the library.

After some discussions and mostly pointless arguing with each other, they finally agreed that it would be best if they consulted with Princess Celestia, Twilight’s ex-personal teacher, on how to approach the issue.

-

“I hoped this would never happen. Twilight has fallen victim to the evil might,” Celestia continued, “just as all of my previous students had, she failed me as well. We need to banish her so that Equestria could be safe.”

“But this isn’t right. Twilight is nothing like other students you had. We saved Equestria many times together. She’s Princess of Friendship, not some victim of evil or a failure you claim she has become,” Pinkie Pie disagreed with Celestia.

“I’m aware and understand of your feelings, but I know from experience it will be the same like with the others. I’m not going to repeat past mistakes, and you shouldn’t live by the past experience. We acknowledge the past so that we could learn from it and avoid mistakes that had happened so that we could form a better future for everypony and Equestria.”

“But this isn’t right,” Pinkie Pie became sad. Nopony else in the room was any happy either.

“There is no other way,” Celestia added more dark clouds onto the mood. After that, silence took over the mood.

“How do we defeat her?” Rainbow Dash unwillingly broke the momentary silence.

“With The Elements of Harmony.”

“But we are The Elements and Twilight herself is an Element of Magic. We ca—”

“I can deal with that as I had used The Elements before. I can’t take away Twilight's Element, but I could still redirect the power of other five against her if the holders agreed.”

“But she’s our friend,” Pinkie opposed.

“Would you rather sacrifice one friend or all of your friends, family and everypony else in Equestria?”

“One.” Pinkie would have chosen none, but there was no such option.

“Then it’s settled, we leave right away. Luna, take care of the things in my absence.”

“Yes, sister.”

Ponies left.

-

“Necromancy” Twilight tossed another book into the fire.

Suddenly huge loud force kicked the door into library.

“What was that?!” Twilight got surprised.

“It’s all over for you and your plans, my failed student Twilight,” Celestia insulted Twilight as soon as she and other Twilight’s friends entered.

“What are you saying? And you girls? What’s going on?”

“Everythin’ will be alright, Twi’,” Applejack tried to calm Twilight.

As Celestia was absorbing magic from The Elements, excluding Twilight’s, Rainbow Power appeared onto mane five. Lifting them slightly in air, emitting white, blinding, orb shaped magical aura around them.

Seeing what was happening, Twilight got paralyzed from a shock. “What are you doing?”

Celestia unleashed the power into Twilight. Twilight in a split second managed to create a force shield, but it was of no use and disintegrated upon impact.

Twilight was banished. Her body and soul got imprisoned into the star on top of the castle, it lit bright purple.

Shortly Rainbow Power wore off.

“It’s done,” Celestia smiled softly.

“I can’t believe this happened, she’s gone.” Pinkie’s mane became straight. She started pouring tears.

“It’s for the best, my little ponies, it’s for the best.”

Nopony had anything else to say.

-

Years passed.

Equestrians had been living as they always did, occupied by whatever they were always doing. Everypony but Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity whose life had changed because of Twilight’s banishment – a loss of a friend.

Fluttershy decided to stop taking care for animals. This behavior of hers had led animals becoming diseased and infecting ponies. Fluttershy knew about it, but willingly did nothing to fix it. Discord stuck around to accompany and defend her against occasional animal attacks. Element of Kindness?

Rainbow Dash gave up on her dream becoming a Wonderbolt. Furthermore, she abandoned her responsibilities and stopped caring about anything but herself letting down everypony who were depended on her. Element of Loyalty?

Applejack became known liar in Ponyville after numerous instances where she lied for her own benefits and gains, later it got even worse. Element of Honesty?

Rarity was happier than ever, she took ownership of Twilight’s castle. After all, it was big and specious, perfect for her and her inspiration to reside. As business strived, Rarity became greedy – no more requests, only commissions, then profit and fame. Element of Generosity?

Pinkie Pie had it the worst, she became sad, never again would she laugh to bring joy, sorrow seemed closer to heart, sadness friendlier, loneliness accepting.

Princess Celestia ruled Equestria as she always did. Banishing Twilight was just another event. She felt no pity or guilt. It was something that must had happened.

News never reached Twilight’s brother Shining Armor or her sister in law Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Cadence) in the Crystal Empire.

-

Suddenly the light of the star on top of Twilight’s castle faded away, creating neon smoke which morphed into Twilight. “Oh they are going to regret what happened. My friends, I’m going to bring pain you have brought upon me.”

-

“No clouds in the sky, no worries in sight.”

“Hey, lazy,” random pegasus called Rainbow Dash, “mind help moving some clouds? Rain is required for crops right about now.”

“I’d like to, but I prefer bright sunshine right now.”

“Why even bother?” Random Pegasus left.

“Lovely, exactly what I would have expected from you, my friend.” With an elbow attack Twilight struck Rainbow Dash off the tree she was resting on.

“Ugh, what was that?” Rainbow Dash quickly checked her surrounding to spot the attacker. “Twi’?”

“Hello, friend.” Twilight grabbed Rainbow Dash with levitation spell covering her whole body and preventing her from moving much.

“How did you?” Rainbow Dash was surprised seeing Twilight. “Celestia was correct, you’re evil, you attacked me.”

“Evil? No, my best friends are evil, I merely returning the favor, you took my life.”

“You will be stopped.”

“No.” Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a little shake with her spell.

“Why are you doing this? You’re not the Twilight we used to know.”

Twilight lifted Rainbow Dash slightly closer to her. “Well, you are not the Rainbow Dash I remember either. My best friend Rainbow Dash would never betray her best friend with no reason. Rainbow Dash I knew would never leave anypony in danger. My Dash would be loyal and would help everypony in need. You are none of that, you’re useless to me and everypony else.”

Twilight lifted Rainbow Dash higher.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting rid of useless trash, just like what you and your friends did to me.”

“But I don’t want to die.”

Twilight levitated Rainbow Dash really close to her head. “If there was an option for you to go back in time and prevent what happened to me so that you could be what you were before, would you take it?”

“But, but it’s so great and relaxing, not having anything to worry about.”

“So pitiful of you, truly. The pegasus who were the center of attention, loved and respected by everypony, an inspiration and idol for every filly and colt, to just become nothing – to be useless. Really, that’s what you want to be?”

“No,” Rainbow Dash responded almost in tears.

“So would you take an option to change the past?”

“Yes, I would.”

Twilight closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Suddenly flow of magic started leaving Rainbow Dash into Twilight’s opened mouth. She was draining her life essence and killing her.

Once Twilight finished draining Rainbow Dash, she released her allowing her to fall like a ragdoll. Twilight’s cutie mark changed, red crystal appeared, she acquired another Element of Harmony – Element of Loyalty.

“You served your final use.” Twilight left Rainbow Dash.

-

“Applejack, it’s yer shift to buck ’dem apples.”

“Big Mac, Ah can’t I’m sick, could you buck some fo’ me?”

“Ya could ‘ave said ya ain’t.” Big Mack left the room where he had conversation with Applejack in.

“There’s no time fo’ that, I’m gonna win mah prize. Mah project, Ah need time to finish.”

“So many awards—“

“Who’s there? Show yer self!

“So many… Where do you keep the ones you got awarded for being the best liar?”

“Twilight?” Applejack got surprised. “Stay back!” Applejack picked the closest chair she could find as a weapon. “What’re you doing here?”

Twilight moved a little closer to Applejack.

“Stay away, Ah don’t mean no harm!” Applejack started waving chair at Twilight’s general direction—out of range—as means of offense.

Twilight mildly laughed, took the chair from Applejack and covered her body with levitation spell preventing her from causing any more trouble.

“What do you want? Stay away!” Applejack tried to struggle free, but failed.

“I want to talk.”

“Talk? Yer want me dead.”

“If I wanted that so badly, I would have killed you right after Big Mac left.”

“Listen, Twi’ It’s not the best time to do so.”

“No? But you’re sick, that’s the best time to talk. All you can do is rest in bed and bore yourself, not dance swinging random chairs at me.”

“Well, Ah… Listen, Twi’, I’m sorry fo’ what happened to you, but Ah ain’t got time fo’ you. Ah must finish mah project.”

“Oh, what is it? Let me help.”

“Ah dunno, Twi’, if I should.”

“Everything will be alright, Applejack.”

Applejack hesitantly pointed at her project behind her bed. It was a bucket with holes drilled and wires passing through these holes connecting electricity flow, some unfamiliar buttons and an unfinished mechanism inside reassembling engine of some sort.

“It ain’t much yet, but with yer help I'll finish it by the deadline.”

Twilight released Applejack. Accurately picked the mechanism, levitated it closer to herself to inspect, then suddenly threw it across the room into first hard surface it hit scattering most of the pieces upon impact.

“Mah work!” Applejack was just about to run to her invention, but got intercepted by Twilight’s levitation spell preventing her from doing so. “You said everything will be alright, you lied.”

“Yes, so did you when you and your friends got rid of me. If by your definition alright is being banished and imprisoned for years, I see it nothing more than a lie of yours.”

“That’s yer excuse for what you did?”

“No, I don’t seek revenge. This was something that would have eventually happened to you, that’s what you deserve for what you did during the years of my absence.”

“What you want?”

“I want you to feel what I and other ponies, you lied to, had felt. Some had lost their business, the respect for others, trust and understanding, even the purpose of life because of your lies.”

“Yer lyin’.”

“No, not this time, I’m not.”

“You do, you must’ve. This ain’t true. Ah didn’t do that. Ah don’t wanna.” Applejack began pouring tears and would have curled into a ball, if not for Twilight's spell keeping her on all four hooves and preventing her from moving. “Go away. You ruined it. Let me go and leave.”

“This is what it feels being lied to, Applejack.”

“Ah didn’t… Ah didn’t want that to happen to anypony.”

“What if there was an option for you to go back in time and become what you were before, would you take it?”

“Yea, Ah would.”

Twilight levitated crying Applejack closer, drained her life energy and absorbed her Element, orange crystal appeared on Twilights cutie mark.

She left Applejack.

-

“Fluttershy, animals invading us withdrew.”

“Good, thank you, Discord.”

“It wasn’t me this time, it was very powerful magic, nothing I ever felt before, but yet it’s so familiar.”

“Is it Tired?”

“No.”

“It was me!” Twilight opened tight and heavily barricaded door of Fluttershy’s house where Discord and Fluttershy were in.”

Discord snapped his fingers removing Twilight’s wings and horn, as well as fixing the barricaded door.

“This is welcoming,” Twilight smiled.

“Do something stupid and I’m going to send you to the abyss without your precious alicorn magic,” Dicord threatened Twilight.

“I’m here only to talk. If that makes you feel any safer, I’m not requesting you returning my wings or horn to me, not that you would.”

“What is it you want?”

“You both are aware that animals are sick, hostile and spreading diseases in Ponyville?”

“Yes we are aware. What’s your game here acting like good-two-shoes all of sudden?

“Wha’? What’s that? Never mind, no I’m not acting. Fluttershy, what happened to you? You cared about all the animals so much, they were your friends and you treated them as such. What made you abandon them?”

“None of your concerns.”

“Discord, please, she asked me and should know,” Fluttershy requested Discord to cut off the tone. “Twilight, I still care about them, I really do, but their misbehavior drove me insane. I… I couldn’t control them as well as I used to, so I abandoned them all entirely, including my pet Angel.”

“But these animals need your help, ponies need your help. How is it alright for you and Discord to lock yourselves here and do nothing about it?”

“I already said I can’t, sorry, Twilight, it’s not my fault they are this way.”

“Actually it is, Fluttershy, you stopped showing kindness to these animals, shouting at them for misbehavior, not fulfilling their needs,” Discord continued. “We never had any tee-parties for years either. This is chaos.”

“Chaos? So this is all your doing, Discord. How can I be friends with you?”

“My doing? You’re acting as if you don’t know me. Chaos I create doesn’t harm anypony, I like making fun – disharmony, not disaster.”

“I cared about you, I was your friend. Your master-plan was amazing – creating chaos around Ponyville, but staying here with me so that I couldn’t assume you were behind all of this. No wonder you did nothing to fix it, no wonder you avoided any discussion about it with me.”

“And this is your problem, Fluttershy – you can’t understand your own errors you made, and now you blame me. Why I can’t fix the chaos? Well, I can’t permanently fix chaos I haven’t caused.”

“Fluttershy, Discord is right, you lost your charm of being a kind mare, and you can’t acknowledge your mistakes you made,” Twilight added.

“I understand and I know my mistakes I made, it’s just that I don’t know any better anymore.”

“What if you could return to the past and change everything to how it was before, would you do it?”

“Yes I would.”

“Discord, please, return my horn and wings back to me.”

“I know what you are going to do, Twilight. I know what you did to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. I just don’t want to lose my only friend,” Discord hesitated.

“Discord, I’m your friend as well. I may look like I don’t want your presents around me, I may react negatively to your jokes, but that’s normal and you like that more than quiet tee-parties, and even then you like to create a mess there, that’s why these are your favorite.”

“You are right, Twilight.” Discord snapped his fingers and returned Twilight’s wings and horn back to her.

Twilight approached Fluttershy who heard the conversation between Discord and Twilight and was hesitated of what Twilight would do. “What happened to Rainbow and Applejack?”

“I drained and absorbed their life energy.” Twilight pointed her hoof at her cutie mark.

“But I don’t want that.”

“Don’t worry. After it’s done you will be living your perfect and happy life within your imagination.”

“Oh, ok.”

Twilight drained Fluttershy and acquired her Element.

“Discord, I’m sorry.”

“No, Twilight, I must be thankful to you, your words allowed me to see a brighter light in this dark reality,” Discord thanked Twilight.

“Can I request you something?”

“Yes.”

“Please go to Canterlot castle and inform Princess Celestia of me and what I did.”

“Why would you want that?”

“I want her to see the errors of her rulership. Tell her I might be after Rarity in my castle by the time you’re done talking with her and arriving to Ponyville.”

“Ok.”

-

“Darkness illuminating the room – night has arrived. I can’t sleep, nor I ever will. Void fills the room, just like my heart. Some moonlight passing through window curtains, and, and a small purple light approaching, slowly with every hoofstep, it’s a pony, a unicorn, no, I can see wings – an alicorn, purple alicorn. Her mane… it’s Twilight… she’s probably the last pony to make me happy. Even if she’s not real and I’m hallucinating, I want to feel happy, even if just for a moment.” Pinkie Pie jumped at Twilight and hugged her who was close enough for Pinkie to reach. “You are real.”

“Hi, Pinkie.” Twilight gave Pinkie a hug back as well.

Pinkie burst in tears of happiness. She didn’t let Twilight go for a good minute or two.

Pinkie let go of Twilight and sat on the floor. Twilight sat next to her.

“Let me turn on the lights in the room,” Twilight suggested.

“No please, I like the light from your horn, it’s enough. Lone light in darkness fits the mood.”

“Pinkie, what’s wrong? You always loved color, smiles and sunshine.”

“I couldn’t recover after losing you. Of course there were ponies leaving forever and such, but with you it was different. I couldn’t bring happiness and smiles to lives of the ponies anymore. It’s been weeks since I made any parties, but it doesn’t seem like anypony care, they abandoned me, my best friends abandoned me too. Only Mr. and Mrs. Cake acknowledges my existence, and now you too.”

“At least you’re not alone, they care about you.”

“It would be nice if they did. I only receive some leftovers or expired sweets from them to fill my tummy. They don’t let me near their foals.”

“That’s better, than starving.” That reminded Twilight of her other friends: Fluttershy and Discord being locked in, Discord had to scavenge (steal) food and supplies for them to survive. Rainbow Dash and Applejack weren’t saints in that matter either. Applejack had lied her way to get free or discounted food and supplies, Rainbow Dash stole. Rarity? Well, she was rich anyways.

“Twilight, how did you returned?” Pinkie Pie interrupted Twilights thoughts.

“My imprisonment wasn’t as strong with five of The Elements as Luna’s was, and I’m far stronger than Luna, so I broke free faster than she did.”

“And what are your goals now?”

“I want to help my best friends understand mistakes they made during the years of my absence, help them escape present and gift them eternal happiness in their eternal slumber.”

“That sounds tempting, but it will be fake. I still want few minutes with you, friend.”

“Sure.”

“It would be amazing if all of my best friends were here as well: Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and you, then I probably would made a party for us all.”

“I would like that, why don’t you try it? Imagine all of your friends are here.”

“I can’t, it would just be an illusion.”

“Why don’t you make one for me then?”

Pinkie Pie went silent for a minute. She was battling between her thoughts and feelings. How was it normal to make a party for a pony whose imprisonment was her fault, and at the same time it was something she asked her as a friend – the only friend she had at that time.

“Pinkie!” Twilight tried to snap Pinkie out of her thoughts.

“No, I can’t, it wouldn’t be the same even if I tried to. I want things to get back how they were before.”

“If you could return to the past and change it so that it could prevent the present – this dark reality, would you do it?”

“Yes, I don’t like this, I want to be in my perfect world.”

Twilight drained Pinkie Pie’s life-energy and absorbed her Element. Only Rarity remained.

Twilight wasn’t too keen to leave Pinkie yet. She levitated her to her bed and covered her with a blanket. “Because of you and your unwillingness to seal me, seal wasn’t as strong as it could have been, and I managed to break free faster. Thank you.” Twilight kissed Pinkie’s forehead and teleported away.

-

“AH!” Princess Celestia woke up in her bed in a cold sweat.

Luna came to check on Celestia. “Sister!”

“Luna, I had a terrible nightmare of her returning and doing horrible thing to ponies.”

“It wasn’t a nightmare, sister, it was a vision.”

“Then it’s true, we must prepare and stop her before she’s able to do a thing.”

“Your quite too late, dear Celestia,” Discord’s voice echoed throughout the room.

“Discord show yourself, where are you?”

Discord appeared in front of Celestia. “I’m here.”

“What do you want?”

“I’m here to inform you of some purple pony you envisioned.”

“Twilight Sparkle, what do you know about her?”

“I know that she is after her friends – The Element carriers. She already dealt with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy… Fluttershy, I seen how myself.”

“Why didn’t you stop her?” Celestia gave cold, unpleasant stare to Discord.

“But, Celestia, I’m a trickster – not a fighter, and how could I fight somepony so powerful like her?”

“I suppose that’s reasonable,” Celestia sighted in disappointment.

“We must hurry, she’s probably after Rarity by now,” Discord encouraged Celestia to act.

“Right. Discord, Luna, we’re leaving now.”

“But, sister, I cannot, as Princess of The Night, I cannot abandon my duties. Ponies require my guidance while they sleep. Even now this chatting is disturbing my work.” Luna left.

“Celestia, I wouldn’t want to face Twilight again, I barely escaped her. I won’t be much of help anyways,” Discord refused and disappeared.

“Fine, I’ll deal with her alone. After all, it’s mostly my fault she’s so strong.”

Celestia left to Ponyville.

-

“Spike darling, could you go and buy me some cyan, crimson, coral and jade color cloth, oh, oh, and some lilac and navy or dark blue ones as well.”

“Anything for you, my Rarity.” Spike left for cloth.

“Sweetie Belle.”

“Yes, sister, I’m here,” Sweetie responded.

“I’m getting low on buttons, the ones with four holes in them, will you buy some for me?”

“Yes, sister. Um, what shape or color do you need?”

“Oh don’t worry about that, Sweetie, go have fun deciding the ones you would like the most.”

“Sure thing, sister.”

“I’ll need dozens of these!”

As Sweetie Belle left, Rarity returned her full focus towards one of the set of her new designs she was working on for mass production.

“I like your dresses,” Twilight said.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, you returned early—”

“I’m not Sweetie Belle.”

“I’m sorry, you can’t be here, it’s off limits. I would have to ask you to leave. Please, if you’re here for business come back next week when I’ll have more free space and time to accept your commission.” Rarity didn’t bother to look who she was talking to, nor did she recognized Twilight’s voice.

Twilight mildly laughed, “You’re acting as you own the place.”

“Oh for the –” Rarity turned to look at Twilight. Upon instant realization to what she saw and who she was talking to, she began gasping, her heartbeat gone out of control. “– Twi’, Twi’… Twilight?!”

“I don’t like what you did to this place, it looks like a mess.”

“Wha’, how, Twi’, no, please don’t, I did not, no—”

“I’m not doing anything. I want to talk.”

“Castle is yours, just don’t hurt me.”

“How generous of you, Rarity, but I’m not here for that. If I was, I would had taken it yesterday when I broke the seal you performed with your friends and Princess Celestia. I’m here for you, Rarity.”

“Please, I’ll do anything for you.”

“Anything? Ok, don’t react to what’s going to happen.” Twilight used magic from her horn to levitate all of the designs Rarity was working on, including the ones she already finished, and set them all on purple fire disintegrating it all into mere ash.”

“All my... No… This is the worst possible thing!”

“Yes, and just like that, you ruined the lives of other ponies.”

“I did not burn anypony’s clothing”

“Me burning your work was a metaphor. I wanted to create something to really hurt you as much as you hurt them.”

“What are you saying, you vile monster, I didn’t hurt anypony.”

“Directly – no, indirectly – yes. Do you remember a pony, who was in need for clothing in winter. He asked, begged you to donate anything for him. He was far from his home and had a bad luck in Ponyville, totally ruining his clothing into thorn bushes he didn’t saw, because of snow covering it. You refused because he had no money (not enough), he spent most of it already. You had some not of your best designs you could had given him. He got sick, then worse, he never reached his home. Oh, and these designs you could have given him, you threw away.”

“I…I-I—”

“I could talk about all of your corrupted marketing and advertisement skits you pulled off to ruin you competition up to bankrupt, but I won’t, you know very well what evil you had done.”

“I didn’t wanted to do all of that to anypony,” Rarity regained her breath and replaced it with tears ruining her makeup instead, “but that was something I had to do to stay competitive. Nopony wanted to assist me, only later Sweetie Belle and Spike volunteered to help, that’s only after the business began to flourish. I believe they did that for the money, but I don’t blame them, everypony is for the money.”

“Words Rarity I knew would never say. In the past you weren’t driven by money, you did what you did, because you loved it, not because of money, therefore you were more generous to everypony.”

“It would be great if I could live like I used to, but now the damage is done, it’s too late.”

“If you could return to the past, would you?”

“No, I already have so much success here.”

“What’s good success for if you don’t have friends. You care about success and money. Sweetie Belle and Spike do too, because of money, not friendship. How’s now better than before?”

“It’s not.” Rarity collapsed onto herself.

Twilight absorbed Rarity. Twilight changed into how she was in Rainbow Power mode. Now she had all of The Elements of Harmony power within her. Her cutie mark is perfect layout of The Elements.

-

As Twilight walked outside her castle, she suddenly got struck by Celestia’s ramming attack. But the attack did nothing more than knock and momentarily stun her. Anypony else would had been paralyzed or worse.

Not giving time for Twilight to recover, Celestia launched a chain of rapid strikes with her horn at Twilight, but the strikes did nothing as Twilight managed to create a shield to defend against it.

After failing with the strikes, Celestia attempted to ram Twilight again. But all her attempts were dodged by Twilight’s teleportation spells.

Celestia wasted a lot of breath on these attacks and required a timeout. Twilight noticed that and took the opportunity to have a conversation with Celestia, “You finaly cooled off. Let’s have a chat.”

Celestia had no intention to contribute anything to a conversation with somepony she wanted to permanently eliminate. But it was necessity as her opponent gave her time to recover and plan her next move. “And what is it you want to speak about?

“I want to explain where you failed in your rulership.”

“I only failed by providing you with so much power and influence as now everypony are in danger of such threat – you, and I’m fixing my mistakes.”

As Twilight got frustrated with Celestia’s response, she closed her eyes. Because of that Celestia got an opportunity to charge powerful blast at Twilight—now or never—while she was distracted by her own frustration. “Couldn’t you get over your thick skull an—“

The blast hit Twilight perfectly. She didn’t used any shield or teleportation spell. The blast pushed Twilight into hard, thick crystal castle wall with a crushing impact.

A minute of silence got interrupted by Twilight’s laughter, then again a minute of silence and Twilight got up. Her hooves were shaking and she couldn’t kept her perfect balance, nor speak normally (Impact damaged her bones and nerve connections along back and neck areas), but she still had Rainbow Power.

It would have been perfect for Celestia to finish off Twilight right then, but she was occupied by the sheer astonishment of Twilight’s stamina, although she wouldn’t be able to perform such attack again.

“I never thought I would have to do this.” Celestia spread her wings and lifted herself in air. She hovered in between Twilight and the Sun, blocking almost all of the Sun based on Twilight’s viewpoint. Her eyes lit white and shortly afterwards she formed a weapon – a bright golden spear with artificial decorated wings separating spear’s handle from the blade.

“With this mighty artifact your terror ends now.” Celestia threw the spear at Twilight with a huge force and speed.

Twilight hadn’t had time for teleportation spell. She managed to create a shield. But it was of no good use as the spear passed through the shield into her.

Celestia felt no sympathy to Twilight, nor sorrow or happiness of what she did, only a cold stare and emptiness.

Twilight moved and got up again. Spear only damaged her right ankle. Celestia missed? No, Twilight managed to jump just before the impact with the spear, avoiding it piercing through most vital organs. She took the spear with a levitation spell and with force struggled to eventually bend it into unusable state. She was able to do so despite her injures, she still had Rainbow Powers within her mostly unused.

Celestia watched everything with a cold stare hovering in air and clenching her teeth in anger.

“This is unacceptable!” Celestia burst into flames creating massive heat around her.

In response Twilight put a shield around Celestia containing her and the heat with fire. But the shield started to melt and gave an opening for flames to leak. Twilight quickly created another bigger and tougher one on top of it, then four more, stronger than the previous, up until it could contain Celestia’s outburst.

Celestia wasn’t pleased with that so she decided to give everything she could. She began increasing the temperature and density of the flames up to nearly the temperature of the Sun itself, potentially endangering herself to melt.

Before Celestia could do that, Twilight formed sharp, strong, circular and durable saw from the first shield inside and launched the saw spinning into her horn, cutting it and all the magic it emitted off. Quickly afterwards with the rest of the shields, she sucked air created vacuum and putting off fire.

After heat finally chilled off and it was safe, Twilight released Celestia. Her skin was reddish and her mane burned on the edges, but with all colors mostly unaffected, but not sparkling. She was unable to move, but surprisingly conscious and able to speak. “So this is it… I failed to protect everypony.”

“Protect them? With the stunt you did you could have burned alive half of Ponyville and its citizens, if not for my shields containing you,” Twilight got frustrated with Celestia, despite it was hard for her to speak.

“It was necessary.”

“Everything would have been avoided if we just talked.”

“It would have changed nothing.”

“I beg to differ. Sigh. My best friends and you acted not as themselves, as if they abandoned who they were before.”

“It’s called development.”

“Development? A downgrade what it is. That very day you imprisoned me, they, you and everypony else lost link with The Elements of Harmony. Unnecessary stress, hatred, betrayal, and disharmony developed over the time.

“And you just came killing your friends, because of that?”

“No, I just reminded them of how they were before, convincing them it was better, then taking their Element of Harmony thus ending their lives.”

“How’s that any different from murder?”

“I offered them a better reality, and I was going to offer that to you too if only you listened to what I had to say.”

“What makes you think I would have agreed? I would never.”

Yes, after witnessing what you did, I believe you wouldn’t. After all this was a test for you and my friends, I gave you and them a harsh lesson to learn. They passed, you failed. I’m disappointed in you.

“What are you sa—” Suddenly the ground started shaking and collapsing on itself into a white void.

-

Celestia and other mane five woke up in the castle where they used The Elements against Twilight.

“Good you're all awake,” Twilight continued. “What you saw and experienced wasn’t real. That’s also why you remember everyone’s of you six viewpoints, feelings and emotions. I asked you if you wanted to return to the past, the ones that agreed to, have passed the test, Celestia failed. Well, you never really were in future, what felt like years there were a few hours here. You were under my powerful spell, similar to what Sombra used, but better and stronger.”

“Woah, woah, woah, is this for real?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“This is reality, what you had experienced was fake, I actually never hurt any of you at all.”

“But how is this possible, we banished you with The Elements,” Celestia was confused.

“The Elements didn’t work as I’m the carrier. I performed the spell right when it looked like I was creating a shield in your eyes.”

“That’s indeed amazing, Twilight, bravo!” Discord appeared out of Twilight’s ear.

“Oh, how I love this trick.” Discord snapped his fingers, Twilight’s horn and wings disappeared. “Ta-da—”

“Discord,” Celestia confronted Discord, “how do you know about it, and why did you help Twilight?”

“Oh, Celestia, I can sense magic disturbance, and since this used a lot of that, I got cough up in it. I had no influence in it, but I did saw and felt everything. Applejack you should cut off apple pie.”

“Hey, what does that supposed to mean?” Applejack felt insulted.

“Oh nothing,” Discord giggled.

“Sister!” Luna flew in through the broken window.

“Luna!” Celestia spotted Luna.

“Sister, I saw everything, but I had no influence over it, I’m sorry, I hope you’re ok.”

“I am. Thank you.”

“Everypony, including Luna and Discord were pawns controlled by me,” Twilight answered unasked question.

“Oh, Twilight, you could have added some fun, like—”

“Discord!” Twilight interrupted Discord. “I’m trying to say important stuff, I don’t need your jokes ruining it right now. And return my horn and wings!

“Fine.” Discord snapped his fingers returned Twilight’s horn and wings and creating a random door as well. Discord opened that random door acting as if he was insulted, then left closing it after himself. Door disappeared.

Princesses left as well, flew out back to Canterlot through broken window without saying their goodbyes.

“I need that window fixed,” Twilight thought out loud.

“I can’t believe this is real,” Pinkie Pie finally gathered enough courage to speak, “all you wanted is to help us understand.”

“Yes, Pinkie.”

“I… I…” Pinkie’s mane got messy from sudden happiness rush. “OH MY GOSH, Twilight, thankyousomuchitwasImeantotalycrazyand…”

-

“You know what she’s capable of, Luna?” On a way back to Canterlot, Celestia asked.

“Yes, sister.”

“We need a plan to make a stop of her before she becomes any stronger, I’ll need your help.”

“Yes, sister.”

Chapter 2

The day after.

As it felt like things were becoming better, it weren’t. Unknown hooded figure arrived to Ponyville, it was a tall mare, taller than Celestia. The hood was covering mostly everything, but glowing green eyes and black hooves. With every horrific hoofstep squeak she brought fear to everypony as she was walking through Ponyville towards Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle.

-

As she was searching the empty castle for Twilight, disturbing the silence with her hoofsteps, she was opening doors finding nothing.

Finally she reached the library door. The door was locked, unlike all others she opened. She tried to budge it open, but it gave no results.

Door unlocked, not because of the mysterious hooded mare’s efforts, it was unlocked from inside. As soon as door opened, Twilight grabbed the intruder with her levitation spell. “I’m not deaf.”

Twilight removed the hood tossing it away. The mysterious hooded mare was Chrysalis – Queen of changelings. But she was different than when Twilight last encountered her: bigger, stronger, crumbly – her bone joints were weaker, holes bigger.

Twilight released Chrysalis throwing her across the room. “What do you want? There must have been a reason for you to go through such trouble for me.”

Chrysalis stood up. “Please, I’m here to ask your assistance.”

“Why should I assist you?

“Because my castle – my hive will be destroyed if you don’t.

“Why’s it being destroyed? How’s it possible anyways? There must be countless numbers of changelings. I’ve been there with my friends before.”

“It was months ago. I was stupid then, my ego and ignorance wanted Equestria, perfect plan failed because of it. After it I wised up. It’s pretty empty there now.”

“How about the ponies you kidnapped to lure us then?”

“It was a follow up of my stupidity after the wedding. I let my emotions overtake me, consequently failing yet again.”

“I still don’t understand why would you need my help?”

“Look at me. How do I look?”

“Different?”

“Exactly.”

“What does that have to do with you needing my help?”

“You haven’t researched that yet? I’ll have to explain everything for you to understand, and really I can’t waste too much time on that right now.”

“Just tell me who is trying to destroy your castle?

“Celestia is trying to wipeout our race.”

“Why? What have you done to push her to this?”

“Nothing, she decided that on her own. It’s the best time to do so. After we declared peace, we were required to stay low. Because of that we were starving and couldn’t reproduce. I came here, Princess Twilight Sparkle, to ask your help. I offer you good, close connection with me and changelings – a friendship. If you agree to help, we must leave at once. Any questions you may have I’ll be answering on the way.

“Ok, I agree. Lead the way,” Twilight took no hesitations.

Twilight and Chrysalis left.

-

During the downtime while flying, Chrysalis as promised was answering Twilight’s questions.

“…Can you expand on your evolution?” Twilight continued asking.

“Ok. This stage of evolution is called an Elder, last time we met I was in a stage known as the Queen. Evolution stages are as follows: Hatchling, then a Kid, a Teen, an Adult, the Queen, an Elder and lastly the Ancient. We feed on love, that’s how we reproduce. When we starve, that’s what we currently are, we can’t reproduce. Starving changelings become weaker and can potentially die. Leaders, that’s currently me, when starving evolve faster and become stronger.”

“If you’re becoming stronger when starving isn’t it a better idea to starve yourself and feed your changelings to reproduce?”

“It’s not that simple, with every evolution my control over changelings differs: When I was a teen and a kid changelings were protecting me. I grew fast, because of the lack of food – love we had. During my adult days I learned to interact with my changelings, little games became real training. I felt a mother-children relation with them. I understood what condition we were in and that we had to do something. When I became the Queen I had full control over my changelings. Now as Elder I do not, changelings obey me only if it does benefit them as well. Currently I’m helping them defend their home – the hive with my warfare strategy lead. When I’ll become the Ancient I’ll lose all control and influence on changelings.”

“That’s sad, but if that’s true then there’s nothing that could be done.”

“There is a way I’ll explain it when we get there it’s not far anymore. But for now I suggest you looking below for any potential crossfire coming our way.”

Below there was a battlefield, changelings were clearly outnumbered by Celestia’s troops. There were no troops of Luna’s.

“Why aren’t changelings shapeshifting into enemies to confuse them or into stronger beings to overpower them?”

“There are limitations: they cannot use magic while disguised, of course it could confuse enemies, but it won’t be too effective, also changelings can’t transform into anything way bigger or way smaller than themselves.”

“There’s Celestia alone engaging a dozen of changelings. Shouldn’t we send all of the changelings to attack her? That way we could defeat their leader and win.”

“We are defending – holding our ground, delaying them. The top Elites are fighting Celestia. If I was to send all my troops against her it would be suicidal, we must prevent them from advancing towards our hive… And here we are.”

Twilight and Chrysalis arrived. The place looked horrible: dead trees, green polluted river, fungus overgrown on castle ruins, and a mist. Fresh air would had been ideal for Twilight after a very fast flight, but the air wasn’t nice, it was hard to breathe.

“Come,” Chrysalis invited Twilight into her hive.

Chrysalis was leading Twilight through sticky, stinky, maze-like facilities. They reached the heart of the hive. It was filled with changeling cocoons.

Chrysalis stopped near the biggest cocoon there was. “This is the only option for us to survive.”

“A mega changeling?” Twilight asked.

“You could say that. It’s my daughter. She’ll continue to rule after me. When she hatches I’ll become the Ancient – strong enough to defeat Celestia or anypony else and defend her. I never knew my mom, that’s also why I failed as a Queen. I won’t allow her make the same mistakes I did, I’ll raise her to become the best mother for changelings there was. Celestia knows this and wants her killed before she could hatch.”

“How can I help you?”

“One of your friends told me of your new powers, and how did you used them on Celestia and your friends. I need you to use it on the enemy.”

“That’s why you asked my assistance?”

“You are the only one who would understand me, that is why you’re titled Princess of Friendship.”

“There are limitations to my abilities. It’s fact that I learned a lot of very powerful forbidden magic, but I’m too weak to use most of it.”

“Just one – your fear control, I would like you to use it on our enemies. It would destroy their spirit or at least delay them.”

“I’m unable to cast it at such scale, there’s thousands of enemies. If I used it on some of them, the spell can be broken easily by others. If I used it on Celestia I’m sure she’s prepared a counter-spell to dispel it easily, last time it succeeded was only because she wasn’t aware of it, now she is.”

“So, it’s useless. What else can you do?”

“Teleportation, levitation, shield, variety of projectile attacks with my horn, melee.”

“So, the basics – nothing.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Another hoof to the battlefield can make all the difference, and I won’t say you’ll be useless. I have something to gift you.”

Chrysalis leaned her head to Twilights, touched Twilight’s horn with hers. Twilight felt insane rush of electricity-like impulses through her whole body collapsing her off her hooves. Chrysalis gifted Twilight power, her eyes obtained chameleon-green shine indicating that.

“What was that?”

“More power for you. Now you can distinguish changelings even when they are disguised. It also enchants your current physical and magical abilities. However you can use it only as long as I’m alive and it also needs fuel – love, you’ll have to feed it, but don’t worry, knowing how much everypony admire you it’s not a problem at all.”

“I… Thank you…” Twilight was highly surprised receiving this from her. She matured and really changed for the better.

“Now let’s join the battlefield. We’ll go after Celestia, my elites could use some time out.”

“You haven’t told me how long do we have to delay them before she hatches?”

“You haven’t asked. Since we’re starving I’ll say three more hours.”

Both of them left the castle and went into battlefield after Celestia.

-

“Squad Alpha, regroup in the castle and hold that position until later order. We’ll take her from now on.”

Elites were severely injured, such orders were a blessing for them, and they hovered back to castle. Celestia was barely scratched, just as much as she was by Chrysalis before she left for Twilight’s help. Celestia seemed rested, as if fighting them was playing around while she was recovering from previous battle against Chrysalis.

“You finally returned and brought Twilight with you.”

Celestia burst into flames, in response Chrysalis emitted green, skin chafing, glowing smoke, and they both began exchanging shots with their horns in the sky. It was dangerous and pointless for Twilight to engage Celestia with melee attack or stick close to Chrysalis. Providing flanking attacks and backstabbing Celestia were the best options to take, but even then Twilight’s attacks won’t do too much of impact even if they hit. Talking Celestia out from attacking was also pointless—what to do—Twilight had no strategy.

As Twilight was deep in her thoughts Chrysalis and Celestia were deep into fighting and entirely ignoring Twilight. Both of them were equally matched: Chrysalis with her powerful flying skills was dodging all Celestia’s attacks. Celestia was nullifying all Chrysalis attacks with fire barriers and then counterattacking.

Twilight got behind Celestia, formed sharp and strong projectile knives with the same spell for shields. She threw these at Celestia, but they evaporated before they could hit her. Twilight tried to shoot some magic strikes with her horn, but these got consumed by the fire. Twilight felt completely useless.

Then Twilight remembered Chrysalis gift – power. That opened her more possibilities to plan her attacks. The plan was simple – break Celestia’s wings, if she succeeded it could help them win, if it failed, well at least it was worth a try.

Chrysalis began to pant, she was getting tired faster than Celestia was, that's obvious considering Chrysalis moved (flew) more than Celestia did.

Twilight flew to Celestia as close as it was safe enough to. She had to do that quickly, or else Celestia would notice her. It also was possible to get hit by Chrysalis crossfire, but Celestia was absorbing all Chrysalis attacks into her fire barriers so it was mostly safe from any of it.

Twilight concentrated all her focus into implementing her plan. In an instant she used most of her levitation strength on Celestia’s right wing joints. It didn’t break them, but it was enough to pull a muscle and send her falling to the ground hitting it with a boom. It wasn’t a big drop.

Chrysalis and Twilight followed Celestia to the ground. Her flames disappeared, she seemed hurt.

“You lost,” Chrysalis announced.

“Yes, it seems I did.”

Chrysalis was about to end Celestia with a hoof stomp, but got interrupted by Twilight giving Celestia some questions, and she backed off. ”Why are you attacking changelings?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They are weak. It’s the best time to attack them before they get any stronger.”

“But you had declared a peace with them, why destroy it?”

“You know nothing about being a good leader. Why share the land with some abominations that could potentially endanger my own well-being. Striking them when they are weak, just before they could become any stronger, is necessary. You, young one, don’t think about the future. Eliminating potential threats ensures safer future.”

“How can you speak of such words? You mustn’t view other races as potential threat, you must view them as potential allies.”

“Why are you defending them? They attacked us during your brother’s wedding. Unless you are here to use their power and conquer Equestria for yourself, I cannot let you.”

Celestia burst into flames once again forcing Chrysalis and Twilight to take cover. She spread her wings and dashed towards castle emitting toxic smoke trace behind herself, preventing Chrysalis and Twilight from instantly following her, and left them coughing.

When Chrysalis and Twilight escaped the smoke they saw Celestia heading towards the castle. “We need to spot her,” Twilight shouted.

“You go join the others in the battlefield, maybe you’ll be more of use there. I’ll go after her. When you and Discord both are done join me,” Chrysalis ordered Twilight in anger. She was angry at Twilight for letting Celestia trick them.

Both of them separated.

-

Celestia arrived to caste. She was devastated by it—how could anything live here—Alpha squad greeted her with an attack. She easily defeated and killed all of them.

An idea of destroying the castle and allowing it to collapse on itself crossed Celestia’s mind, but after several failed attempts – blasting it with her magic, she gave up, the castle stayed intact. Then she tried to fill it with fire and burn it inside-out, but that also didn’t work, inside was too humid for fire to spread. She had to proceed inside.

The castle was like a maze. Celestia wandered lost in it for some time cursing every minute of being there. Atmosphere was disgusting, everything seemed the same: colors, facilities, mazes within mazes, abnormal construction defying laws of gravity. Occasionally she spouted anger and unleashed fire, but again all of it was useless.

Celestia’s expedition around the castle hadn’t lasted for too long as Chrysalis found her. “Sunburns!”

“You filth!” Celestia exchanged insult with Chrysalis and marched into an attack.

The arena (the room) they were in was too small for any aerial combat. Celestia and Chrysalis both spread their dangerous spells filling the whole arena. Celestia’s fire and Chrysalis’s smoke mixed with each other and nullified themselves. Arena got filled with green-burning-smoke-mix covering most of the view within it. Celestia and Chrysalis jumped into melee fight beating the heads of each other with their bare hooves and shooting random missiles from their horns into every direction missing the target.

Both Celestia’s and Chrysalis’s melee skills were mostly equally terrible – failing to dodge or parry opponents attacks. Celestia however had better stamina and resistance to such attacks than Chrysalis did thus eventually turning tides in her favor against Chrysalis.

Celestia noticed that Chrysalis was beginning to lose her strength and her body began to crumble, she took more concentrated attacks into the areas where Chrysalis began to crumble thus delivering more devastated damage to her.

Chrysalis couldn’t bared any more of the pain and fainted. Celestia was victorious and not too badly hurt either: a few contusions from Chrysalis blows and a lot of minor bruises from rolling all over the arena during the fight, but she was very tired.

She looked at what was left of Chrysalis and then put a hoof into her face totally crushing the skull and killing her. “What a waste of an hour.”

Twilight with Discord teleported into the arena dispersing the green-burning-smoke-mix with the wind they dragged in with their teleportation. Celestia was tired enough for Twilight to be a match, and with Discord’s help – a guaranteed victory. Chrysalis was dead.

“You… You… You killed her!” Twilight screamed in agony and was just about to jump and attack Celestia for that, but managed to contain herself for the response.

“Yes, now get out of my sight while I finish what I’m here to do.” Celestia spoken as if she was in most perfect condition to continue fighting, she wasn’t.

“I hate you!” Twilight used levitation to push Celestia into a wall and then into the ground. Jumped on her and started beating Celestia’s head with her both front hooves with all the strength she was able to summon at that time.

Twilight could only kept it for roughly five minutes before she fainted and collapsed from exhaustion. Her front hooves were filled with blood, not Celestia’s blood, but her own, her hooves very bleeding. Celestia wasn’t too affected by Twilight’s weak attacks. She took these five minutes to rest.

Discord did absolutely nothing, not even reacting to what was happening, just standing behind Chrysalis corpse.

Celestia got on her hooves pushing exhausted Twilight off her. “This was pathetic, Twilight, you’re useless without your Rainbow Powers.”

That was true. Twilight could had planned a better attack than this, but instead she was consumed by anger.

“Now you, Discord,” Celestia gave Discord a threatening smile.

Discord snapped fighters three times: the first removing Celestia’s horns and wings, the second imprisoning her into a cell cage he created, with the third he disappeared.

“Just perfect,” Celestia was mad. She could dispel Discord’s magic and regain her wings and horns, but not it the state she was in. Discord clearly gave Twilight time to regain consciousness and delay Celestia more.

-

“What… I… What happened?” Twilight woke up.

Celestia was still in the cage. “I killed Chrysalis, you attacked me, hurt yourself doing so and passed out, Discord locked me in here and left.”

“Why did you?” Twilight was just about to stand and attack Celestia once again, but pain from badly hurt front hooves prevented her.

“I already told you why. I want to ask you, Twilight, why did you abandon me and everything I taught you? You read forbidden books, learned forbidden spells, used it on your best friends and me, now you’re helping an enemy fight us. You’re not the Princess of Friendship to anypony, especially not me.”

“This isn’t true I—”

“It is true, even now I see a green shine in your eyes, it’s obviously from her.”

That let Twilight to remember, that the power she gifted to Twilight will only work if she’s alive. It did work, she was still alive, but in no condition to move, or breathe. Twilight burst in tears of happiness.

For Celestia these tears seemed sad so she continued “hurting” Twilight’s feelings even more, “I had many students that failed me, you personally know Sunset Shimmers. You’re different than them, you reached the level that none of them did, that’s why you’re the biggest threat. Even now before my eyes you’re building relations with the enemy and gaining power. What’s your goal? Total control? Total destruction? Enslavement? Something else or everything and then some more?”

During her monologue she regained wings and horn. “I’m done.” She broke the cell. “Now onto finding and destroying that hatchling.”

“You’re quite too late.” Celestia got hit and pressed into wall by something massive and strong. It was Chrysalis: stronger, a whole head bigger than Celestia and twice the size of Twilight, crushing her. “You lost. You deserve to die for what you did.”

“Stop! Please don’t! Chrysalis, release her,” Twilight begged Chrysalis.

Chrysalis was hesitated to release her, but did so anyways. “Why? You know what she did, that’s what she deserves.”

“Yes I know, but killing her will only make her into hero, a hero that fought brave battle for the better future of Equestria. It would also encourage followers of hers to try and constantly attack you.”

“So what? I’ll kill them all.”

“You’re acting even worse than when you were the Queen.”

“I’m not, I… You are right… But that’s the only way. If I don’t kill her, she would attempt to attack again.”

“And every time she would you’re going to defeat her now that you’re this strong.”

“You’re right Twilight, I’m sorry.” Chrysalis withdrew from Celestia.

Celestia just laughed at what she saw and heard. “I haven’t lost. I failed to destroy the hive, but my plan succeeded – I have proof that Twilight is evil, she helped our enemy win, everypony is going to know this. You’re going to lose all respect and honor.”

“I’m going to kill you!” Chrysalis roared at Celestia.

“Even if you did it won’t change a thing, every soldier fought here will tell, and Twilight was right, if I die here I’ll become a hero.”

“There is nothing we can do,” Twilight teleported everypony in the room into the battlefield.

“Oh here you three are. You’re in time, I just finished my art.” It was big sculpture of Discord’s head made out of Celestia’s solders, exactly all of them.

“Release them, Discord. They are leaving,” Twilight ordered Discord.

“But I worked so long on it.”

“Now!”

“Fine. You’re no fun, Twilight.” Discord snapped his fingers and released everypony.

“Listen everypony,” Twilight was hovering in air. “This pointless attack wasn’t necessary and could have been avoided. I can assure there’s no threat of changelings invading ever again. Celestia herself destroyed the peace they declared with the changelings and attacked them. I want to declare peace between changelings and everypony else once again.”

“Peace with that monster? No way!” random pony shouted, others agreed with him. Then uncontrollable swarm of insults towards Chrysalis began.

“Shut up!” Chrysalis shouted bringing shivers and fear to everypony. Soldiers went mute. “If I was such a monster, I would have killed you all! Now leave and never return.”

Every soldier and Celestia left, they were injured, but nothing severe compared to changelings (or what was left of them anyways).

Twilight fell and collapsed on herself crying. “She’s right. There is nothing I can do. She won. We defended against her. I lost.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight, I brought you into this,” Chrysalis apologized.

“It’s not your fault, you didn’t know… It was her perfect plan succeeding.”

“At least our hive is saved. You should meet my daughter, I’m sure that would cheer you up a bit.”

“I suppose.”

“Let me get you all there in a first class.” Discord snapped his fingers and teleported all three of them to heart of the hive through chaotic theme park teleportation spell of his. Chrysalis was highly annoyed by it, Discord was happy and entertained, Twilight was sad.

They arrived. The biggest cocoon busted. Little hatchling was adorably failing to keep her balance on slippery surface she hatched into. Chrysalis levitated her higher, the little hatchling seemed to enjoy it like a game. She looked just like her mom: black, green eyes, green hair, but not entirely, her mane hair endings purple, her mane also reminded more so of Twilight’s style.

“Isn’t she cute?” Chrysalis asked Twilight.

“She is.”

“She looks just like you and me.”

“Yes she does… What do you name her?”

“Her name is Amethyst.”

“It’s pretty.”

-

Twilight and Discord returned to Ponyville. As they were hovering everypony gave them “the looks”.

“They know, don’t they?” Twilight asked obvious question.

“They do.” Discord answered Twilight’s obvious question.

“News spread fast.”

“Yes.”

“We returned a day later than Celestia and her troops did.”

“We did, but rest was needed, especially for you.”

“My hooves still hurt. I still can’t touch the ground with them. Bandages don’t help easing the pain.”

“They don’t, but time does.”

Both reached Twilight’s castle. There were six ponies waiting their arrival – five Twilight’s best friends and Luna. But they weren’t giving Twilight and Discord “the looks” that everypony else did, their expression was somewhat worrying and rather sad.

“Welcome back,” Luna greet Twilight and Discord.

“Hi Princess, girls,” Twilight responded.

Pinkie Pie jumped onto Twilight knocking her off hovering mode. “I know this isn’t true what Celestia said. I know why you did it. You wanted to save your friend, Chrysalis.” Other five agreed with Pinkie.

“Thank you all. But that’s only six ponies here thinking that way. The rest believe Celestia.”

“Seven,” Luna corrected Twilight. “Trixie is in need of your and my assistance with her nightmares. She was messing with unknown magic and brought unusual and dangerous nightmares upon herself.”

“Sure I’ll help her. But for now leave me alone until it’s nighttime. I’ll be in my library.”

Twilight entered her castle. Inside was destruction: everything what could be broken was broken, paintings and words in red and black cursing Twilight and what she did, trash and litter everywhere. Clearly somepony vandalized her castle. “I can’t bother. Spike will fix this, wherever he is again.” Twilight hovered to the library and locked herself in.

Chapter 3

Nighttime.

Somepony knocked the library door. “Twilight, can I come in?” Door unlocked, The Great and Powerful Trixie walked in.

Library was in a mess: broken glass fragments all over the floor, bookshelves destroyed, books scattered around with torn out pages, pages were drawn over with pictures and words hating Twilight. Twilight was sitting in a middle of a puddle she created with her tears, shivering.

“Oh no, here too?” Trixie was shocked.

“Hi, Trixie,” Twilight responded unemotionally.

“Are you ok? What’s going on here?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. Look what happened.”

“I’m better than ever.”

“Don’t lie to me. I’m The Great and Powerful Trixie going to help you with your problems. We’re going to find who did this and punish them. With your intellect and my Amazing Power nopony will escape the justice.”

“I don’t need your help. You need my help.”

“Well yes I do, but you do too, different kind of help.”

“It’s time!” Luna entered the library.

“Ok,” Twilight responded unemotionally.

“What’s the meaning of all this mess?”

“Everything is great.”

“She doesn’t say what’s wrong, I asked her,” Trixie whispered to Luna.

Luna avoiding stepping on any shattered glass approached Twilight. With her hoof she raised Twilight’s head to meet hers. Twilight was soaked with tears and blood: her bandages on front hooves were all red and loose, her eyes watery blurring her vision, she was shivering.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?”

“Nothing. I’m having the best time of my whole life.”

“It’s ok, you can tell me, I’m not going to hurt you or think about you any differently if you just told me what’s bothering you so much?”

“Open your eyes! What did you see coming in here?!”

“A mess?”

“Yes and I am the pony doing all of that? I mean destroying my home, painting interior with all the profanity calling myself the worst pony in existence and that I should die. Does that make sense?”

“No. But you shouldn’t take that to heart.”

“How?! How can I do that? I saved many lives of these ponies and Equestria numerous times, I helped them with their problems, I always been kind to them. I see everypony as a friend if he or she accepts my friendship, it doesn’t matter what they were before or what they’ll become later as long as I can offer them my friendship I’m happy. But how can I offer them my friendship now if they don’t accept it and despise me entirely. Discord, Chrysalis, you – Trixie, Luna, ponies change… Celestia… Ponies change.”

“There is a way to change all of this.”

“Yes? Overthrow Celestia’s leadership and take over? Then ponies would hate me even more. They probably would start riots and revolutions against me. Ask Chrysalis to come over to Ponyville and tell the truth? Like ponies would believe her after what happened before. I’m sure they will be hiding or attacking her rather than listen. Kill myself and spare them the hassle? Yes that’s the best option. I bet they’ll be having yearly celebrations of my death.”

“No, none of that. Twilight, you must show everypony what happened while Celestia was under your spell, the spell you used to teach her and your friends a harsh lesson.”

“That won’t help. That spell is evil and forbidden. It would be no problem for Celestia to tell everypony is being manipulated by it and nothing they saw was real. That would be a proof that I’m evil and further increase pony hostility towards me. Can you understand the absurdity of this?”

“But you don’t want them any harm. You want to help them.”

“It doesn’t matter if I do, and I do, but nothing is going to change the minds of anypony no matter what I did. I’ve been through these possibilities in my thoughts while waiting for you two, I found no solution. Unless you could convince your sister to stop all of this.”

“I can’t, it will be impossible.”

“Kill me right now. I can’t make myself to do so. I rather die getting killed by a friend than anypony else.”

“Twilight, what are you saying?! Snap out of this!” Luna grabbed Twilight and hit her several times.

“Please use more force to your attacks, or better yet find something sharp and stab me.”

“I’m not attacking you. I’m not trying to kill you. What possessed you?”

“Realization.”

Luna released Twilight. “She’s helpless. She’s mentally broken. Let’s go, Trixie, she’s unable to help us now.”

“No. I’m not going to leave a pony who needs my help not helping her. It doesn’t matter how bad I feel, I’m going to help my friends. I’m not the pony who gives up only because of hate, I’m going to do what I’m passionate to – help my friends.”

Luna admired Twilight’s determination. “So, you’re not dying as long as there is a friend in need of your help?”

“I guess so. Thank you, Luna.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll understand if you need some time to calm yourself, you should make something hot to drink, and you should clean this mess, we’ll be happy to help.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not stoop to this low level of peasantry,” Trixie disagreed.

“But you do clean the mess after your performances, don’t you?”

“I-I… Yes. I’ll help.”

“Thank you, girls,” Twilight smiled.

She removed her bandages and looked at her hooves, it wasn’t bleeding. “I’m not dead yet.”

-

“Are you sure you’re up to the task? We can do it tomorrow night if you’re not feeling alright,” Luna was worried about Twilight.

“I’m fine,” Twilight was positive.

“Then we begin. Now we sleep.”

Trixie, Luna and Twilight fell asleep in a guest room in Twilight’s castle, locked it from any possible disturbance.

-

Three of them were standing in a middle of a battlefield barely avoiding crossfire. Two obvious factions were fighting. What appeared to be Trixie-like different skin colored pegasus, unicorn and earth pony clones with different color manes and manestyles to Trixie’s fighting undead zombies, skeletons and other shadowy beings in the battlefield.

It wasn’t long before “the Trixies” noticed them and started escorting them after commander’s order. “Our Empress returned and brought Goddesses for aid! Squad Foxtrot and squad Sierra, form Cage and escort them to the main camp, Squad Echo, provide support.”

Luna had heavy armor covering everything but eyes and wings. Her armor was a mix of black and dark blue color. It wasn’t what Luna was used to – it was very inconvenient and hardly mobile. Weaponry included five hard steel swords and two iron daggers she could levitate and use in combat, one bag full of smoke bombs and another bag full of exploding ones.

Twilight had light purple, dark purple, dark blue and pink colored magical wizard robes with a hood. The robes were surprisingly light considering how thick and massive they were. Weaponry included a magical staff for fire spells, a wand for lightning spells, one bag full of offensive and defensive alchemy potions and another bag full of healing potions and other eatable (or not really) herbs.

Trixie had steel, gilded and decorated light armor covering whole body but not head, it was light blue and silver color. She had a golden crown decorated with a sapphire of her cutie mark initials. Weaponry included magical glowing sword, pony sized round, gilded, steel shield with Trixie’s cutie mark decoration, oak bow and iron arrows.

-

“All hail The Great and Powerful Empress Trixie Lulamoon The First and the two Goddesses she brought to our aid,” chorus of loyal soldiers greeted.

“Isn’t it a big excessive?” Twilight whispered to Trixie.

“Legion – my loyal soldiers, I have returned, and as you can see I brought Goddesses to help us: Goddess in blue heavy armor is Luna, the Goddess of the Night. While I’m a great leader during the day, my skills lack at nighttime, she will lead our soldiers fighting during the night. Goddess in purple robes is Twilight Sparkle, the Goddess of Guidance, Morale, Unity and Care, or in short the Goddess of Friendship. She’s going to be boosting morale of our soldiers and healing them with the help of zebras. She also possesses powerful aoe (area of effect) spells and can fight.

“Both Goddesses can fly and use magic, better and stronger than us. Losing either one would be tragic. In this pony form Goddesses can die as you may think otherwise. I want everypony to provide equal support and backup to both of the Goddesses as much as you do for me.”

“That’s definitely too excessive,” Twilight mumbled so that nopony could hear, unfortunately Trixie did.

“Scouts, report the current status of the battle.”

“Yes, Empress. During your absence and lack or guidance our troops push onto enemy main stronghold gates failed. Our siege suffered hugely and is in need of repairs, but we don’t have enough wood for that. Cutting down trees is dangerous with all the enemy shadow assassins lurking inside the forest, and there is nowhere else near enough to obtain wood without wasting too much time.”

“Buck! How’s aerial battle?”

“We won many important fights and pushed enemy aerial forces back to its stronghold. However we cannot directly attack the stronghold from air, enemy is using some kind of magical black smoke around the stronghold preventing our air forces from engaging, anypony caught in that smoke suffocates. Zebras are currently researching a solution. Meanwhile our commanders ordering some air unit squads to bombard enemy ground units with holy water bombs, it’s somewhat effective.”

“Good.”

“Sadly some of our hospital tents were destroyed by successful enemy assassin infiltrations. All of our best nurses and most wounded soldiers there are killed. The remaining tents are overfilled and we cannot tend all of our injured soldiers at the same time anymore.”

“Hmmm… So, we need wood for siege repairs. Ok, Luna, go to the forest, gather most of the bravest ponies up to the task and defend them from assassins or any other threat endangering them. I’m sure you can spot enemy shadow units hidden in dark.”

“Yes I can.”

“Good. When you’re done return here with the wood, a lot of wood, and help our engineers fix our trebuchets, your levitation abilities surpasses theirs. You have your orders, now go.”

Luna left.

“Commander, order the wounded to go to zebras.”

“Yes, Empress!”

“Twilight, go to zebras and help them researching the solution for that black smoke. And while you’re there heal all the wounded ponies coming there. I’ll join the front line and distract enemy bringing their attention on me so that my other troops could backstab them.”

“You surely took a leading role here,” Twilight smiled.

“You have your order, go!”

Twilight left.

“Commander, squad Foxtrot, squad Sierra and squad Echo return with me to the battlefield. The rest of you here, continue your work tracking our scout reports. When Luna returns and finishes with the siege repairs, report to her all the new intel our scouts gathered and tell her I ordered her to return to battlefield with the siege weapons.”

“Yes, Empress!”

Trixie left.

-

Luna struggled to find many willing to help her with her dangerous task. Even as a request from a Goddess “the Trixies” hesitated and refused. Eventually she managed to gather roughly about twenty woodcutters. She decided to join them cutting the trees for wood too, risking durability of her swords and lessening her focus on shadow assassin assaults.

Cutting down trees fast wasn’t too much of a problem with the tools woodcutters used, and it also spared Luna of helping them. Luna dealt with all of the shadow assassins attacking easily. When woodcutters were done a bigger problem emerged – transporting everything to the camp. Their unicorn magic alone weren't enough to transport everything at once and it would waste much more time than Luna wanted making several tours transporting everything. Carrying all the wood herself was possible, but that would prevent Luna from combat endangering the woodcutters and herself on the way back. Luna chose carrying everything herself in hopes of not getting attacked.

Luna was in luck she and the woodcutters returned safely.

Fixing the trebuchets was quick. In cooperation, Luna lifting the heavy parts and engineers connecting them with other parts, the siege weapons were fixed.

“Goddess Luna, the Empress ordered us to report you all the intel we gathered from our scouts: Apparently the enemy is gathering forces in North-East from the battlefield for a flanking attack, if they succeed uninterrupted, and they will, their attack will reach zebra camps. It’s far too late for you to help them, but Twilight is there, nothing is lost. You must meet the Empress in the front line with the siege weapons. That’s an order of the Empress.”

Luna proceeded slowly as siege weapons were massive and slow.

-

“A fine solution for a pony issue, a gas mask against smoke mask, we begin production immediately,” zebras thanked Twilight.

Their rhyme-talk wasn’t as good as Zecora’s was, but that’s not a reality, it was just what crazy Trixie’s mind imagined and she couldn’t handle it alone after messing with the magic she couldn’t control, Twilight thought to herself while healing another soldier with a healing potion. Apparently she had infinity of them, which made no sense, or that potions were able to regrow body parts, but really nothing made sense in Trixie’s mind world anyways.

“They are here! The enemy skeleton troops are attacking! They will be here any minute now, everypony must defend Goddess Twilight Sparkle or everything is lost!” random Trixie’s scout warned everypony.

“That’s no good,” Twilight regretted releasing all healed soldiers back to the front line. Being alone with defenseless zebras and wounded soldiers was unfair against thousands of enemy skeletons heading their way. Even if soldiers were to defend Twilight with their lives it was pointless, they were in no normal condition to fight, and losing any of them was also not good. Twilight had to fight skeletons alone. “Zebras, run from here and hide at the camp, soldiers who are in no condition to fight, go with the zebras as well. I don’t have enough time to provide healing potions to all hundreds of you here before they attacked us.”

Zebras packed all their equipment and gas mask sketches and ran to the camp, after them hundreds of soldiers followed, leaving Twilight with a dozen most heavily armored unicorns guarding her. She gave potions to boost their strength, stamina and agility.

Skeletons reached the camp. There were so many of them that they surrounded Twilight and her guards blocking all the exits. Shortly after they attacked.

They were earth pony skeletons, very fragile, but heavily armored. They were using basic iron flails, swords and axes with their hooves or teeth. Their attacks were weak, inaccurate and blocked by Twilight’s shield and Twilight’s guards armor, but there were so many of them filling the space all around Twilight and her guards. Their armor prevented them from going down easily.

Twilight was using quick strikes with her horn, but these were as useful as to only push skeletons a bit. Twilight also was swinging her staff to hit skeletons with, it was mostly useless, she didn’t knew how staff was working. Randomly Twilight was able to cast a basic fireball with the staff, she just had to focus her magic into it instead of her horn. Fireball was more effective against the skeletons than anything she cast with her horn. Shorty Twilight was blazing hordes of skeletons creating opening for her and her guards to escape being surrounded.

When they finally escaped being surrounded, a shower of arrows from the sky met them. Twilight formed a shield above her and her guards blocking all incoming arrows, but the arrows kept on coming and Twilight had to hold the shield at all time thus limiting her attacks with the staff. Twilight replaced staff with the wand. The want required less magic to cast electricity which traveled from one skeleton to another electrifying their bones into ash. Soon only their ash, armor and weapons remained. Onto archers.

Archers kept shooting nonstop as Twilight and her guards were approaching. Her shield was blocking everything. When she was close enough, she used her wand to finish off the archers. This however required her to open a hole in shield for electric attack to hit skeletons, consequently several arrows gone inside the shield piercing armor of Twilight’s guards, but not inflicting any sever injures.

Twilight and all twelve of her guards, now heroes, returned to the main camp alive. Zebras were finished prototyping designs of gas masks and were in a middle of mass production.

“Goddess Twilight Sparkle, we’re glad you have returned victorious and safe. Zebras are finishing producing a solution for enemy aerial blockade, when you’re done healing the remaining troops here, return to the front line with them immediately.

“Scouts report that Goddess Luna with siege weaponry are halfway to the front line and will reach it within half an hour. Empress is holding the front line very well, but draining her energy too quickly, if this continues she won’t have enough for main attack onto the stronghold when the gates falls. You must hurry.”

-

“They keep coming, there are infinite of these damned undead,” another soldier was whining.

“Don’t lose your spirit. These creatures are no match for our forces: they have no brains, no strategy, no motivation, no goals, unlike we do – our unity,” Trixie encouraged the soldier to not give up.

Swinging her sword through endless hordes of zombies and skeletons was very tiring and mostly pointless, but it was part of the plan drawing attention on her until Luna and Twilight joined.

Trixie’s shield was battered, her sword was out of magic charges and dull after long use. She had a bow and arrows to use, but it wasn’t effective against heavy armor enemies wore.

“Empress, the Goddesses arrived with a backup and siege weapons,” commander informed Trixie.

“Good. Commander, order engineers to build up trebuchets as soon as they are in range of attacking the main gates. Tell the Goddesses to join me in the front line with the troops they arrived with. We will be attacking with all our forces as soon as gates are destroyed.”

“Yes, Empress!”

Luna and Twilight joined in. Twilight was providing potions and herbs to boost all the soldiers, and was also engaged in the battle dealing fire aoe damage to zombies and electricity chain damage to skeletons. Luna was leading the army while Trixie returned to the main camp to resupply and rest.

-

Stronghold gates were almost destroyed. Before that happened Trixie gave encouraging speech. “Legion, our war is coming to an end, the war that lasted us months. The enemy that endangered our perfect well-being – kidnapped and killed the closest to us, burned our homes and violated our economy. I’m going to need everypony giving your very best in the final battle, and the enemy stronghold is going to fall! Legion, ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine in hell!

“Yeah!” Soldiers cheered.

Twilight found Trixie’s encouraging speech to be really grim. She herself would never came up with such morale boosting speech even if she’s Goddess of Morale (and other stuff) based on what Trixie identified her as.

Gates had been destroyed, just in time for pegasus soldiers to return with gas masks on. But before they were to attack, hundreds of huge skeleton elephants were charging on the ground, stomping everypony and killing them instantly without getting slowed down. Twilight tried to use electricity and fire spells, but these were of no use. Then she thought of an alternative.

“Girls, I know what to do!” Twilight dragged Luna’s and Trixie’s attention. “We need to charge our most powerful spell we can handle together and fuse it into one.”

“Might work, worth a try,” Trixie was pleased.

The charged blast was so powerful it melted all of the skeleton elephants, piercing them like butter. Path was clear for an attack. Pegasus were already inside fighting, gas masks worked, everypony else charged inside as well.

Once everypony was inside, the enemy trap went out – dynamite explosions, severely injuring or killing most ground and some air units. After that a massive quantities of enemy zombies and skeletons came from graves and cellars and surrounded the attackers.

Trixie was aiding ground units and killing enemy units. Luna was helping air forces in aerial combat, inside there were more enemy air units than what they could had handled alone. Twilight was healing everypony still alive as fast as she could. Slowly three of them with what’s left of an army were enclosing enemy’s main castle.

Pegasus scout flew to three of them to tell latest intel. “Two thirds of our forces were killed by enemy trap. Dragging all our forces here opened enemy a free pass to the main camp, they are headed there right now as we speak. All exits are blocked by enemy units, and even if we managed to kill these units more traps will go off. Air forces are outnumbered by enemy three to one, ground forces outnumbered ten to one. We’re all dead, everything is lost!”

“No, we’re not! We will win, no matter what you think. Every unit here is worth fifty of these darned undead. Our unity is stronger. We will win.”

“Y-Yes, E-Empress.”

“All of you here are my heroes, no, heroes of Trixiestria—she calls her world Trixiestria—Unspeakable glory awaits you all if we win!”

“Yeah!”

“Twilight, teleport to the main camp and deal with the attackers there. Make sure everypony and zebras could return somewhere safe – back to the Empire, we don’t need their assistance anymore. Leave the camp empty before enemy reaches it if possible and then return here.”

“But how about you? You will lose a lot of aoe damage coming from me, and potions.”

“Leave your bags here, we can take and use them ourselves. Don’t worry about the damage output, we will manage. Now go!”

Twilight teleported out of the stronghold, with several teleports got back to the main camp. Luckily it wasn’t attacked yet and enemy was still beyond sight. She ordered everypony and zebras there to return back to Empire.

Enemy forces approached the main camp, it was empty, only Twilight stood against them. She could had left it as well, but that may had meant enemy advancing further into Empire, she couldn’t let that happened. If the undead had any brains they would had laughed at her. They attacked.

Enemy included just same skeletons she fought before and no archers, just more of them, a lot more, and she was alone. None the less the fight was easy with lighting chaining through all them, turning their bones into mere ash. Twilight was done there. Back to the Stronghold.

Luna, Trixie and remaining soldiers struggled to overcome hordes of enemies. It was a relief when Twilight returned sweeping away the enemy with aoe fireball blasts.

-

They finally reached the entrance to the main castle. It was guarded by four heavy armored undead alicorns.

Twilight used every spell she could, but her magic did nothing more than draw their aggro on herself. Avoiding damage she was teleporting all over and counterattacking, but her magic still was of no use. Their fight seemed like cat n mouse chase than an actual battle, but it did provide time for Trixie and Luna to come up with a plan. Soldiers were forming a wall of barricade with themselves holding the enemy from behind, not engaged into fight with undead alicorns.

“Twilight, can you stop them from moving?! We have a plan to defeat them.”

Twilight levitated the alicorn skeletons. Luna used four of her swords to stab them through the back imprisoning them to the ground, immobilized, but still alive. Trixie ordered all the soldiers to continue holding the line, if needed using any potions, Twilight left her bags near them. Three of them proceeded into the castle.

Inside the castle was specious. There were lack of furniture and rooms in the castle for its size. Every room they checked was filled with bloody piles of dead and rotten unknown mutant beings. The ceiling was up so high it felt like castle was one floor high. Nothing tried to attack three of them there. They were walking slowly, resting, but cautious towards the biggest, not fully closed door with some red light leaking from inside.

They opened the door. Inside the room were stairs leading to a throne with zombified Celestia sitting in it. Some bits of her flesh were torn exposing rotten teeth and insides. Her mane unbelievably was still as glorious as Celestia’s in real Equestria.

“This is the source of all of this?” Twilight asked Trixie.

“No, it’s not. This is just another of his minions, our last challenge I’d say.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s dead (undead). Also I saw the one behind all of this – black alicorn stallion.”

“So, we defeat her and then go after him.”

“Not so easy. Knowing how well he planned his moves throughout the whole war, I’m sure he’ll be more of a challenge than we had hoped. I’m almost certain that our military advantage was an illusion and part of his master plan of some sort.”

“What made you think that?”

“Unlike you, I was in this war longer. I know how he was conquering my empire’s lands, what trickery he used. He even killed my Maud Pie—“

“Ok, ok, enough, we got it – he’s evil and smart. How do we defeat him? But first her?”

“Hmmm… Don’t fight her at all.”

“What?!”

“We will defeat him by waiting, close the door, she’s not attacking.”

“I don’t understand. This doesn’t make sense.”

“Like healing potions regrowing pony flesh made sense to you.”

“No.”

“This is my world, other rules apply.”

“So, our Empress received Godly aid from outside this realm,” mysterious voice echoed throughout the room. His voice was more terrifying than Chrysalis’s.

Twilight lost the ability to speak. Luna didn’t, but she hadn’t anything to say. Trixie went for chitchat with the mysterious voice.

-

Chitchatting lure him out of the shadows. He was black alicorn stallion with red eyes and a cutie mark of a skull. “Hello.”

Luna, Trixie and Twilight stood into a battle stance.

“Welcoming, indeed. Shall we dance?” He immediately dashed into attack knocking off Luna and Trixie and stabbing Twilight’s throat. Twilight choke blood and couldn’t breathe. He got stuck on Twilight after his attack, with excellent opportunity Trixie and Luna stabbed him to death—that was quick and easy—Twilight felt like dying.

“She cannot die, if she does, she won’t wake up. Luna, do something, get potion from outside.” Trixie was holding Twilight in her hooves.

World around began erasing itself into white abyss. “Everything is great, one of use woke up. Twilight is okay. I hope she is.”

-

Luna and Trixie woke up. Twilight was having uncontrollable seizures, spitting blood from her mouth and crying out bloody tears. She couldn’t control her magic: she was shooting random missiles and levitating random object, including Trixie and Luna too, in the room.

Suddenly her magic flow stopped and some kind of worm with sharp teeth pierced through twilights belly from inside into outside. The worm died instantly chocking on its yellow blood (or whatever that was) after being separated from Twilight. Twilight wasn’t breathing.

“What was that?!” Trixie was shocked.

“Oh no. I must have forgotten that. No!” Luna realized something.

“What? What you did?”

“It was in the tea, Arcane Worm. I forgot I put it in Twilight’s tea, I didn’t wanted to.”

“What you did?!”

“My sister ordered me to kill her. She knew Twilight will be helping you and asked me to use it.”

“So, you’re on your sister’s side then?”

“No, no. Listen to me. I had to do it, or else she would punish me.”

“Great you did what you must. Now leave my sight, you traitor.”

“I’m not finished. When I saw how sad and depressed Twilight was, I genuinely wanted to help her. I decided to not obey my sister, and tell her that worm didn’t worked. But I forgot I used it.”

“That’s the lamest excuse I ever heard. It doesn’t matter what you wanted, you killed her. She needs medical help.”

“Nopony will help, it’s still past midnight, and if it wasn’t, still nopony would have helped her, everypony despises her and wants her dead.”

“Oh shut up, you! Like I don’t know that, I understand, there’s nothing that could be done. Buck you and your sister! Leave my sight at once... The Great and Powerful Trixie demands you to not die… Twilight I demand you live… Trixie demands you… Twilight, please…”

-

“White, I think it’s white. I can’t feel myself. I can’t move or speak, or can I? Where am I? Is this the end? Where ponies leave to after death?” Twilight was floating on pure water in white abyss.

“Such words of such cute and young mare? I refuse to believe,” unknown jingling pony responded.

“Somepony is calling me? I don’t know here, show me a way.”

“Done drowning yourself in that bloody well yet? If you continue thinking like this you truly will die. Or do you need a leading hoof for help? You’re not dead, filly, stop acting like you are. It’s disrespectful acting here like this you know. Very few could be proud to ever be here.” Jingling pony was Star Swirl the Bearded. He levitated Twilight from the water onto a more solid surface.

“S-Star S-Swirl the Bearded?”

“Oh, excellent. I’m glad somepony remembers my name after a millennium. And that Equestria has more Princesses than just two it had, my students – Celestia and Luna. Say, how many are there now?”

“F-four: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence and me – Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh, great. How’s my Tia and Woona doing?”

“Who?”

“Celestia and Luna. I just used to call them that back then.”

“I and Luna were helping our friend with nightmares. In these nightmares I got stabbed and died, in reality too, or that’s what I think happened.”

“Interesting. You should’ve used insane amount of magic to kill yourself and appear here. Please, do tell about Celestia.”

“Celestia was a private teacher of mine until I became a Princess.”

“Are you saying that you haven’t been an alicorn all the time?”

“No.”

“But how did you became one?”

“Because of The Elements of Harmony, I and my friends are the carriers.”

“The Element of Harmony? I had been researching them my whole life. I never expected The Elements to provide ability to become an alicorn. Please do tell me more about The Elements.”

“To be honest I don’t understand them myself either. It’s just that The Elements awarded me with wings and my own castle after my adventures with friends.”

“Everything sounds amazing, but why are you here then?”

“It’s not. Celestia is doing everything to make me regret everything and die.”

“Why? What have you done so horrible that led her to that? She’s mostly gentle and kind.”

“A thousand years ago – probably yes, now – no. She wants to end me for reading books on forbidden magic. She totally misunderstood my intentions, and tried to justify her actions claiming I’m evil.”

“These books are forbidden for a reason. Your intentions mustn’t been noble.”

“These books appeared with the castle – a gift (or a curse) from The Elements. There was a reason for it. I knew these books were forbidden, and I was burning them, but before I did so, I read them all, I couldn’t stop. I always loved books so much, these were no exception.”

“You little fillies and your addictive nature to books. I guess in your future everypony will be glued to mechanical devices wasting their lives on.” Star Swirl laughed for a brief moment. “Say, did you used any of the spells from these books?”

“I did on Celestia and my friends as means of defense.”

“Oh no. This is why she must be so determent eliminating you.”

“No. She wanted that as soon as she heard about it. The spell I used wasn’t harmful. I used fear to create and show her and my friends a dark alternative future if they succeeded getting rid of me. I wanted good for them even if that was too harsh.”

“Your cause sounds reasonable for using it, but you should never relay on it, or else it will consume you, and it will, I just know it. As much as I hate to tell you this, but Celestia is doing a right thing.”

“But I don’t want anypony harm. I want to help my friends. That’s why I was helping my friend before I got here. Everypony is my friend if they accept me as theirs. I saved their lives and Equestria many times from the evils that I even managed to change into good. I’m not evil, I don’t want to be and I never will. I’m Princess of Friendship, not Tyrant of Corruption or something.”

“You have undeveloped mind and inexperience as Princess. Mistakes are made. But probably it’s too early to jump onto conclusions about you, young Princess.”

“What should I do?”

“Firstly convince Celestia to stop trying to kill you. I still don’t understand how can she do such a thing to her only student?”

“I’m not the only one, and I’m not her student anymore. She had many before me, none succeeded as much as I did. Celestia said they all failed her, but neither managed to become as influential as I did. That is also why I’m the bigger threat to her than they were.”

“Poor Tia, she burned herself over the years. She lives with guilt of failing her agenda I suppose.”

“I don’t understand.”

“She has personal issues. And unless you manage to convince her in talking about it, there is nothing else that could be done. And you wouldn’t want to kill her, do you?”

“N-no.”

“And you won’t be able to. Alicorns don’t die or be killed. And you’re not dead, unless that’s what you want. Alicorns meet their doom only if they decide to, you almost did. You didn’t looked like you were mentally stable when we met.”

“It’s just that nopony appreciates what I did and flat out hates me, misunderstood.”

“It must never concern you what others think about you. You did nothing wrong, or at least not for any evil intentions, you must prove that to them. How? – I don’t know, this is something you’ll have to deal with. Heck I don’t even know the full story of your problem, just that it’s destroying you mentally.”

“B-but—”

“You do have friends?”

“Y-yes.”

“Splendid. No problems or hard tasks should be dealt alone, you have friends to help you with that… And they are calling you right now. They do care about you. Don’t let them down. Join them. They need you.”

Twilight began to evaporate. “But I have so much to ask—”

“Don’t worry, we will meet again. Only the most powerful ponies with pure hearts can access this place. I knew you were good. I just wanted to help you, and I hope I did. Goodbye for now, Twi—”

-

Twilight woke up in a painful gasp. She couldn’t felt most of her body, but the rest was like on fire. Amethyst was licking Twilight’s nose before she got scared by Twilight waking up. She almost began to cry, but didn’t, instead she jumped on Chrysalis sleeping in bed and began jumping on her screaming repeating “Mama, Papa is guwd,” until she woke up.

“Look who’s back in Equestria.” Chrysalis inspected Twilight’s forehead for temperature, it was boiling.

Twilight examined the room with her hardly mobile head and blurry eyes. She was still in the same guest room. There was Trixie sleeping besides Chrysalis and Amethyst, but no Luna, or anypony else.

“Trixie was worried about you. She didn’t wanted to believe you’re dead, I did, claiming you’re one of her very few friends and she doesn’t want to ever lose you. She couldn’t sleep – she was awake for full three days and two nights. It’s a miracle she’s asleep now. You should get some as well. We’ll talk in the morning there’re important matters to discuss.”

Twilight was too tired to even talk and fell asleep quickly. That time happy dreams.

Chapter 4

The morning after.

Twilight opened her heavy eyelids and struggled to sit. Vision was blurry, head spinning, the whole body itching, stomach hurting. Twilight vomited her bed and herself with blood. She was deadly hungry and thirsty.

Amethyst heard Twilight and jumped on her and the bloody mess she made. Happily poked Twilight’s nose with Twilight’s blood she stepped on. Her eyes were really big green burning with purple flare glow within. Her hair was a little more purplish than the last time Twilight remembered seeing her. She was also bigger.

“Good morning, Twilight. You look like you awfully need a bath. You too, Amethyst, come with mamma we’re playing ships,” Chrysalis smiled making the situation less serious than it actually was.

Amethyst jumped down and left with Chrysalis leaving blood hoofprints after herself. Twilight spent good few minutes gathering strength and filling her mind with anything so that she could ignore pain.

After half an hour she gave up and fainted.

-

“…Ready the cannons.”

“Arr.”

Splashing Amethyst woke Twilight up. She was in bathroom in one of the three baths there. In another there were Chrysalis and Amethyst bathing and playing pirates together. Trixie was wet, but not from bathing herself, wet from Amethyst splashing all the dirty water across whole bathroom.

“Welcome to the living,” Trixie smiled.

Twilight had so much hard time talking, her throat filled with nasties. “How long?” That was all she managed.

“Four days. Everypony thinks you’re dead, Spike announced that to everypony. He’s at Rarity’s Carousel Boutique, or at least that was what he told me he was headed. He can’t deal with ‘the intruders’ in your castle. Said he was sending an army to kick us out. That was three day ago. He didn’t returned, and no army.

“Ponies are celebrating your death, you were right, they really do hate you. Celestia declared that day to be ‘The Twilight’s Eve’. I really want to strangle her for doing that, I mean we don’t have days memorializing Tirek’s defeat or anything like that.”

Trixie got terrified seeing Twilight attempting to drown herself. She levitated her out of the bath onto a rug and covered her in few towels. Twilight had no strength or will to stand, and she collapsed off her hooves on her face into crystal tiles. Hopeless.

“What’s wrong, Twilight? What were you thinking? You tricked death, now you want to meet it again?”

“Food,” Twilight weakly replied.

“Oh no! You haven’t eaten a thing for days.”

-

Trixie was a terrible cook. Food was either overcooked or undercooked. Barley porridge with baked beans and lettuce for Twilight, colorado beetles and pig hearts for Chrysalis and Amethyst, hay and daisy sandwich for herself.

Chrysalis refused to eat anything, she can’t eat “normal food” but feed on love, and she doesn’t need love to survive. Amethyst ate all beetles with a relish, but left all hearts untasted. Twilight had no strength to eat, or keep her head straight above the table. Trixie had to feed Twilight.

“You don’t look good, Twilight,” Chrysalis disturbed the silence, “but you still must know. Your brother at Crystal Empire got captured. Nopony knows where he is or who captured him. I met Cadence’s crystal troops at my castle accusing me of it, but seeing in what condition my castle and I with Amethyst were, they felt absurdity accusing me of such thing. They asked my assistance finding him. I had no intention of doing so, but I agreed, he’s your brother after all, and it would soften my relations with Cadence. I came here for your help, but you were dead. Trixie told me what happened, but refused to believe you were actually dead.”

“She’s not dead, you can see that with your own eyes,” Trixie denied.

“Probably. But look at her, she’s completely physically exhausted and can’t even speak properly.”

“Then why are you asking her help. She needs a rehabilitation, she clearly can’t do a thing for a few days.”

“Yes I can!” Twilight struck her hoof into table. Her horn flickered a few times, but stopped and she fainted collapsing her head into the meal. That took all her energy.

“See?” Trixie took Twilight’s actions as proof.

“I know how’s she. I’m not asking her help, but she still must know what happened.”

“And you think the best time to do so is now?”

“I—”

“I see you’re all here,” Luna interrupted Chrysalis and Trixie’s pointless arguing.

“What are you doing here? I ordered you to get out of my sight. Chrysalis, get rid of her.”

Chrysalis stood up and approached Luna. She met Luna’s eyes with hers. They took a long minute to stare at each other in silence.

“What are you waiting?” Trixie got impatient.

“Your actions are pardoned, Luna. Come take a sit with us,” Chrysalis invited Luna.

“What?! You know what she did?!”

“Yes, and she is sorry about that. She wants to say something, and it would also be stupid to kick her out without letting her. If you really don’t want her presence, I suggest you leaving, play with Amethyst or something.”

“I’ll stay.”

“Come, Luna, take a sit. Don’t mind Trixie.”

Luna took a seat next to Twilight. “Why’s she like that?” Twilight’s head was still in her meal.

“She’s really weak right now.” Chrysalis withdrew Twilight’s head out of the food and cleaned it off barley porridge with a napkin.

“Talk,” Trixie was avoiding direct eye contact with Luna.

“I’m here to say sorry, but that’s not all. My sister and everypony else thinks Twilight is dead, but I know she isn’t, I met her in dreams. I told her everything, and that I’m sorry, she forgave me.”

“Good for you, I don’t.”

“I’m sorry. But this ‘death’ of hers opened new possibilities plotting against my sister.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Force her to give up her throne.”

“What’s your plan?”

“Do you trust me?”

“I hate you, but I hate Celestia even more, anypony willing to go against her is an ally of mine.”

“Good. I want to create chaos, or better – war, the war which would be Celestia’s fault for happening. We’ll need to use powerful forbidden mind control megaspell.”

“Why do you want that?”

“Sometimes you need to be a villain to achieve good, I feel like I owe Twilight. This megaspell can be nullified with The Elements of Harmony.”

“So what? Twilight ‘is dead‘. I don’t understand how that will work out if you want to keep this secret.”

“The war will consume a lot of lives, hopefully including the five owners of The Elements thus transferring their Element onto Twilight.”

“It would empower Twilight, and then what? She’s ‘dead’.”

“It will be as if The Elements revived her, and she’s the savior. Everypony then would pressure Celestia to abdicate.”

“Interesting plan. What do you need our help with?”

“Chrysalis help actually. She’s the strongest pony in whole Equestria. Her magic would be enough to perform, control and defend against the megaspell. But I’ll also need Discord’s help to direct it into anarchistic chaos.”

“I do have ears and eyes everywhere, unlike our little friend here sleeping,” Discord’s voice echoed throughout the room. “I’ll be happy to help you, just tell me when you’ll begin. You know where to find me – I’m everywhere, so you don’t need to search,” Discord’s voice laughed and disappeared.

“Creeper. Just how much does he know?” Trixie wondered.

“Luna, I like your plan and I will join you, but before we begin we must save Twilight’s brother – Shining Armor,” Chrysalis implied.

“Ok, we’ll do that right away. I know where he is. Trixie, stay with Twilight and make sure nopony knows or suspects she’s alive. If needed tell them that her castle belongs to you under Luna’s orders, which is true if she’s dead. And never let Twilight expose herself to public or friends, nopony but us must know.”

Luna and Chrysalis left.

“…Left with ill and a baby… Great!”

-

“…Knowing where he is, why haven’t you told me we’re headed north? Cold is my biggest weakness.”

“You’re blind for such a huge head and eyes. Can’t you see what I’m wearing?”

“You put that on moments ago.”

“Yes. And I have one for you too.” Luna took warm cap, fluffy scarf and four furry boots from her bags and gave them to Chrysalis. “These may be too small for your Big head.”

“It’s pink.”

“You’ll look adorable in these.”

“You’re mocking me.”

“I’m not. Put it on.”

Chrysalis jumped into pink boots, put on pink scarf and budged her head into pink cap. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? I look stupid. Ugh… You owe me a gallon of hot tea when we get back!”

Luna giggled.

Luna and Chrysalis reached an ice cave in black crystal mountain. It was lit inside. Both proceeded in. They were walking slowly and cautiously towards the source. Finally the source was recognizable – King Sombra was performing experiments on Shining Armor.

Thinking that Sombra hadn’t noticed them, Chrysalis and Luna launched powerful combined spells with their horns at him. Spells went through his body and hit Shining Armor instead. His body turned into void black smog with his eyes piercing shivers through Luna’s body. His eyes were different: three red eyeballs in each.

Chrysalis did nothing. The strongest being in whole Equestria could not defeat or harm Sombra in that shadow form. She had a plan: Distract and lure him out of the cave, while doing so Luna could save Shining Armor. Lure him to Crystal Empire. The power of Crystal Heart would weaken him.

But Luna had different plan: She had fought Sombra a thousand years ago and knew all his weaknesses. She knew the very spell that defeated Sombra. She needed massive amount of magic that Chrysalis possessed. “Chrysalis, I know how to defeat him, and I’ll need your help.”

“I have a plan of my own. But do tell what’s yours.”

“Attack!”

“That’s no plan at all.”

“Trust me.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. That’s just stupid.”

While Luna argued with Chrysalis over nothing, king Sombra took opportunity to attack. He consumed Luna with smoke, redirected his gaze into Luna’s eyes and trapped her in eternal fear. He then preformed the same thing on Chrysalis, but it did not work. Equestria’s strongest pony and Equestria’s master of mind manipulation and fear were immune to each other.

“Interesting – a mare that withstands my power. Size do matter I suppose.”

“What’s your plan? I can’t do a thing to you, might as well tell me.”

“I’m going to fuse my power and myself into Shining Armor’s body, then sneak back into Crystal Empire and reclaim it as mine.”

“Simple. But how would you return? Just walk in as Shining and tell everypony that you escaped?”

“Yes.”

“If so I’m sure many will suspect you. I have a better idea – come with me and I’ll tell everypony I saved Shining Armor.”

“Why would they trust you? More importantly, why would I?”

“They asked me to save him. I can’t defeat you, but they won’t know that.”

“Hmm, why would you want to help me? You just told me you’re here to save him.”

“I did promise them I will save him, but I did not promise them I will defeat you. You know that I can’t. It is said ‘If you can’t defeat them, join them’, that’s what I’m doing. Don’t you think I’m doing this for you, I’m doing this for myself – I have some scores with Cadence I want to settle. This opportunity is perfect.”

“How about your little friend here? I’m not going to release her from it, and ponies may suspect she’s missing.”

“Nopony knew she was going with me. And really nopony besides Celestia and other few ever sees her anywhere at least on a weekly basis. Leave her here. She won’t freeze considering you didn’t with just cold iron armor.”

“Very well. I’m hesitant bringing you in, so I’m watching you.”

“Sure, whatever, let’s go.”

Chrysalis plan luring Sombra to Crystal Empire couldn’t have gone better. Sombra entered Shining Armors body and left with Chrysalis to Crystal Empire. Luna stayed with the nightmares, consumed in fear.

-

“…I don’t care that you are here and that you legally own this place, but you can’t keep Twilight’s dead body here. Where’s your soul? Other ponies might not care about her, but we do. We need to bury her in a grave, that’s the least we can do to her as her only friends,” Rainbow Dash stated.

“How dare you call yourselves her friends! You are the very ponies who wanted to imprison her. Twilight had all the reasons to hate you for that, but she didn’t, her heart is the purest. You didn’t help her aiding changelings in fight against Celestia and her army. I know why – you’re weak, you were scared thinking that Celestia would pressure you all too, like she did to Twilight. Twilight needed you the most, her thoughts were all about suicide and death, but you never came to her. I and Luna did, we convinced her that Equestria would smile for her if she tried and we would help her achieve it. Luna killed her, I hate her, but I understand why she did it – she is weak too, she had to do what her sister ordered her. Chrysalis, Discord and me are the only true friends she ever had. You are not!” Trixie shut castle entrance door with a bang leaving Rainbow Dash and other four of her friends outside miserable.

Trixie returned to Guest room where Twilight was, just to find her missing there. Trixie was just about to panic and search for her, but there was no need for that. Twilight called her from behind, “I understand your frustration with them, but you definitely were too harsh on them.”

“Twilight! Did they see you?”

“No.”

“Good. I told you shouldn’t let anypony see you.”

“Yes. And that I need to wait until ponies needed my help to step in and help them so that they would like me again and such. But I don’t want to be imprisoned in here. I need fresh air, stretch my wings and hooves.”

“You know you mustn’t risk like that. Besides you barely recovering, you need all the rest you can get – bed, hot fluids and sleep. What’s wrong? Can’t you occupy yourself with books and not wander around risking getting exposed?”

“I can, I am, but this doesn’t feel right. Somehow I feel like you and your friends came up with some kind of evil plan just to get rid of Celestia and put me in leadership, but that’s crazy talk I’m sure.”

“Heh. Where do you come up with that? This just proves you need some more rest. I’m happy for you that you can now walk and talk, but please return to bed.”

“Fine.” Twilight returned to guest room and sat in bed. Trixie wondered if Twilight heard their plan or not.

Twilight was flipping through the pages of a book with her hoof, it was inconvenient for her, but she was beyond using even the simplest spells.

-

“Um, Discord, can I ask you something?”

“Well of course, Fluttershy.”

“I wanted to know of your feeling about Twilight’s death, if that’s ok with you telling me.”

“Oh, Fluttershy, why would I poison my mind with it? I tend not to think about that sort of stuff. I don’t want to be all sad, that’s just not my nature.”

“Oh, ok. I think that’s reasonable. I just can’t understand why Trixie doesn’t let us bury her. That would be the least we could do to her for everything she did for us. Trixie told us you were a better friend to Twilight than we were. How did you manage that?”

“Existing for eons helps. Fluttershy, I’m older, wiser and more experienced than you. These things repeat ever now and then and I’m so used to it. I was a stone for so long, but I wasn’t blind.”

“That’s not very helpful.”

“If I cared for everyone, I would have hung myself long ago.”

“So you don’t care?”

“Yes and no. Yes – I acknowledge Twilight and what she did. No – I don’t have feeling for her. Apparently that was enough for her – just being with her, helping her, making fun of her, not letting emotions kick her lying, unlike where you all failed. Isn’t it interesting that ex-villains were better friends to her than her ex-best friends were?”

-

“Let me in. I was asked to save Shining Armor, so I did.” Chrysalis with Sombra in Shining Amor’s body arrived to Crystal Empire. Guards let them pass.

They were met by Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (Cadence) herself. “I’m so happy to see you, Shining. Chrysalis, you redeemed yourself, your actions pardoned and we seek new mutual diplomatic connections with you from now on.”

Chrysalis with a gesture pointed out to Cadence that Shining was being possessed.

“You are free to go, Chrysalis, thank you,” Cadence understood Chrysalis. “Now let’s go to some warm place away from all the eyeballs, husband.”

Cadence dragged Sombra in disguise towards Crystal Heart. When at it, Cadence pushed Sombra into Crystal Heart, consequently pulling out Sombra off Shining Armor’s body into force-prison made by her horn magic and Crystal Heart. “I know my husband too well to know you’re not him!”

“Fool, all I need was just to get inside The Empire. It doesn’t matter if you do or not, I’m inside – submit to me.” Sombra unleashed all his might consuming all Crystal Empire in his void-black smoke. “This is the very end for you and the new beginning for me.”

From above Empire wide blue flash struck Sombra’s smoke expansion. It was Luna with the same spell that defeated him before. Sombra got constrained into mere black ash.

Luna landed near Cadence. “This should stop him for few hundred more years.”

“I thought he was destroyed with the Crystal Heart,” Cadence remembered.

“These pure magic entities never die as long as life exist. Sombra is entity of fear, but as a unicorn he’s long dead. Only this magic entity is Sombra, and seeing his pony form is nothing more than that magic in a pony form.”

“I have hard time understanding this.”

“It’s because you’re still young alicorn. Alicorns themselves are entities, godly entities – spirits or deities. Like other magical entities our lifespan surpasses anypony else. Where’s common pony’s lifespan is determent by biological laws, our lifespan is determent by other factors: Celestia by the Sun, me by the Moon, you by the crystal ponies, Twilight by The Elements, etc. This is why we, alicorns, don’t die unless we choose to abandon our determent factors.”

“Really? Then Twilight is alive, she’s not dead. I know her far too well, she would never refuse—”

“You don’t know how much mentally broken she was. Celestia eagerly condemned Twilight enough for her to give up everything thus dying.”

During their conversation Sombra’s ash disappeared.

-

“Oh no! Pinkie Pie what are you doing here! You can’t be here! Oh no no no no! Everything is ruined!”

Amethyst shapeshifted back into herself. “Twrik ya!” she laughed.

“Don’t you ever do that in time like this!”

“Don’t be harsh on her, she’s learning. Besides, nopony, even Pinkie Pie, could enter this place, it’s safe from exposure,” Twilight tried calming Trixie.

“I didn’t know. Do you understand how much this matter? I legally own your castle if you’re alive. If you’re alive Princess Luna would suffer, she’s already taking enormous risk disobeying her sister. If ponies found out you’re not dead before they really needed you, they would hate you even more, possibly claim that you were plotting evil plans or something like that with their empty brains.”

“I do realize all of that, don’t worry I’m careful.”

“It’s just that I care about you, Twilight. It’s not just that I feel like I owe you, it’s different – warmer and closer to my heart. This feeling so similar to what I felt for Maud. Back then my arrogance took away everything from me. As somepony said ‘You never know what you have until you lose it’ I guess it’s very accurate. Just lately I have managed to rebuild myself: fame, friends, lo—“

Twilight jumped on Trixie and gave her a hug and a kiss. “Say no more.”

“Coming here I did not expect seeing a fillyfoolers,” Sombra attracted attention. As soon as Trixie, Twilight and Amethyst spotted Sombra they were instantly consumed by his magic of fear.

-

Everything was pure black void. Twilight was floating on colorless black liquid. Only she illuminated herself with her own body colors. “Dark. Same familiar feeling – loneliness. Again drowning. This is my biggest fear? I know it’s not real, Sombra, you’ll gain nothing.”

“No, it’s not.” Millions of Sombra’s red eyeballs suddenly appeared, every single one of them looking at Twilight and not blinking. “I’m just setting the mood. As what I’ll be showing you will further determine your fate.”

Twilight strugglingly managed to escape the liquid then she stepped on hard surface while Sombra was talking. “Yeah? Go ahead, I can handle it. I dealt with worse threats than what you could ever be. Fear fails if you know it’s not real, and I do.”

Some eyes disappeared, in place of them screens appeared, seven in total around Twilight. Each of these screens showed all the horrible things Twilight did and how other ponies reacted to it, Sombra was commentating every one of it.

Twilight wasn’t listening or paying attention to what was being displayed, instead she was planning to escape. More importantly, why he was there and what he wanted, finding that out was the best start for any plan. “I don’t care! Nothing you show matters to me. I don’t need anypony telling me what I did wrong, I know that far better myself. I know there is something more important you want from me. That is why you are here in the first place. I’m not that dumb to not understand it.”

All the eyes and screens closed and disappeared, black void turned into scenery of dark Crystal Empire, the time when Sombra was the ruler. Hundreds of crystal ponies were working in gem mines: some mining, others dragging carts back and forward. “This,” Sombra said, “is how everypony believe it was!”

“This is horrible. Why would you do that to these ponies?”

“These times were desperate. I had to do that in order to maintain my leadership. It was necessary as outside my Empire, at that time my Kingdom, Equestria was in disharmony, led by Discord himself. I was the strongest, the last member of my royal family and a king. It was my responsibility to defend my people from outside threat. I had to submit myself to gain more power – power of fear.”

“That’s no excuse for enslaving your citizens.”

“What you saw was just few citizens working there compared to the total population at that time. The rest were living as they always did. Gems were required for magical weapons, we used them for defense.

“Over time ponies developed dissatisfaction towards me, they began to question and condemn my rule, but in truth they feared my power. To control them I used fear on them so that it would prevent them from rebelling against me. It did the opposite.

“In my Kingdom there was another royal family. They were the ones that defeated me. I’m not going to explain how, but it was rather shameful. After that they released all the ‘slaves’ from the mines and began huge militarization. During their rule, more pony lives were endangered and their freedom diminished than when I was in rule. I would say it was worse, but these brainless ponies happily sacrificed their lives for their kingdom, and a lot of them died.

“To make things worse, with successful defending they began attacking and conquering nearby provinces and my Kingdom became an Empire. I couldn’t stand it and attacked. I defeated everypony who stood in my way imprisoning them in their biggest fears, but not harming or killing them, I cared for my people, even if they didn’t care for themselves. With fury I defeated the current leaders at that time. Then I took full responsibility to defend the whole Empire, and I failed.

“Outside forces overran our empire defeating me and claiming the leadership. Their leaders were powerful beings called alicorns. New leader of my Empire was called Mi Amore. She spread the propaganda of being here to save everypony from the true evil – me. And these brainless crystal ponies believed their new leader. Yet again a huge militarization began.

“All my periodical attempts to reclaim my Empire, when new inexperienced Mi Amore came into rule, failed every time over the millennium. I had nopony that supported me, nopony that understood my intentions, nopony that shared the pain I had suffered, nopony that gave a flying buck when I tried to speak with them and explain what I wanted… Nopony but you. When I met you for the first time I understood you were different, but then I didn’t try to tell you all of this, back then you haven’t experienced the pain yet, I knew it was still too early.

“I know you always wanted to help everypony, and you did, but these ponies never gave a thing to you in return, worse – now they’re celebrating your ‘death’. You were betrayed by your closest friends, by the ponies you admired, respected and trusted the most, but yet you did no harm to them. You are the victim of the absurdity of this world, just like me. Nopony understands our intention, but questions our actions like they are all knowing.

“This is also why all ex-villains understand and help you with everything they can. They suffered similar things, but unlike you, they fallen to evil – if they couldn’t change reality to better, or at least suitable for themselves, they decided to destroy it entirely.

“All I ask you is to help me and them, to create perfect Equestria, without all of that unfairness. In return I offer myself and my assistance to you. I will help you when the time for Equestria-wide revolution occurs. I’m sure without ponies like us they will destroy themselves sooner or later.”

“I-I… I don’t know… Don’t know what to say… How to respond to that,” Twilight was having difficulties processing everything Sombra said.

“If you’ll say yes – you’ll agree to lead revolution for a better Equestria, if you’ll say no – you’ll agree to give up, you’ll disappoint me and your new friends.”

“I-I… Yes… I mean… Yes, I say yes. Yes I’ll do that, my friend.”

“Thank you.”

-

Reality returned. Twilight was released from Sombra’s magic. Around her all her new friends were standing: King Sombra, Discord, Ancient Chrysalis, Trixie Lulamoon, Princess Luna and Amethyst. They knew that Twilight understood their intentions and why they decided to follow her. She was willing to help them. Together – for a better Equestria.