Who Rules?: Relations

Each hoof hit the floor with a solid step. She was hoping that it would somehow sound louder, though. As it was, she just created a very noticeable walk, and not the imposing stomp that she was hoping to convey.

Whatever the case, it worked. It brought the attention of the pony she was looking to find.

“‘Bout time you showed up,” Apple Bloom huffed, staring at the shadowy figure on the far end of the room. “Ah’ve been waitin’ here darn near an hour now. Ah was startin’ to think that you might not show.”

“Oh no, I cannot leave just yet.” Eidolon’s voice was deeper than Apple Bloom remembered, and it was echoing or something now. “This is my home, after all. Where else would I go?”

“Well, to be honest, Ah don’t give a two ticks on a toad where you go, so long as Ah get what you done promised.” Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes and took a big step towards the mare. “An Ah’ve done mah part, so give me back mah family.”

A chill ran through Apple Bloom, freezing her in place instantly. The laugh echoing through the room didn’t seem to originate from Eidolon, but rather came from everywhere at once—and it was unlike anything she had ever imagined.

“Slaves do not give orders, girl,” Eidolon’s voice growled.

“Slave? Ah ain’t your—”

“You will do everything that I tell you or I will bring your family to you one piece at a time.” She didn’t mean to, but Apple Bloom took a step backwards. Eidolon didn’t move, but it felt to Apple Bloom like she had shifted—that she was closer somehow.

“What…what happened to you?” Apple Bloom whispered. “What did you do to yourself?”

“Do?” The shadows in the room repositioned, spreading out and around, closing in towards Apple Bloom. “You say that as thought it is completed. No, it’s what I’m still doing.” Eidolon took a full step forward and smiled. Her teeth seemed to glow through the shadow. “And what I’m going to do.”

“But you said that you was—”

“You never met Empress Coldheart, did you?”

“Uh, no.” Apple Bloom took a small step backwards.

“There has never been, and never will be again, a creature as lovely—as magnificent—as she. And she is wise, so very, very wise. It was her wisdom that created me. She…she molded me,” Eidolon stepped forward, and the shadows of the room moved with her.

Apple Bloom stumbled backwards, her hooves falling over each other.

“But each lesson, each time she made and remade me, I grew stronger.” A glow grew in Eidolon’s eyes, and then began to leak out and fade to the sides. “And I learned. She showed me what it takes to be in control. And I will have her back with me. We will be together at last—forever.”

“To-together? Like…like a couple,” Apple Bloom scurried backwards.

“Oh no,” she growled, her voice beginning to fill the room completely. “We will be much, much closer than that.”

“Ah…Ah don’t…”

“And I need you to do one last thing for me,” Eidolon smiled, revealing two perfect rows of teeth, “before I am finished with you.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Darkness surrounded her. Whether by design or accident—or a convenient combination of the two—no light reached her at all. Which was exactly the way that she wanted it to be.

Luna sat perfectly still. If anypony had been able to see her, they may have mistaken her for a statue, or a misplaced shadow lingering well past its lifespan. No pony saw her, though. The only ponies who might be able to see her in such absolute darkness were the other princesses who inhabited the castle. A castle that she supposedly ruled.

Without turning her head, her eyes moved through the room, traveling slowly from point to point, item to item—and always returning to the same place. The same item that sat directly across from her. Resting high upon the final tier in a series of dais, with a gradually rising ramp covered in lush red carpet, it stood as a golden reminder of the status of Equestria.

The throne.

The high oval back was covered in a rich, lush, red velvet, framed in a gold leaf construct of heavy aspen. Atop the entire thing was an abstract icon of a star—or rather a sun—cast in solid gold. In the dark it was all just varying shades of grey. The shine was missing, but the message was not. Despite how long she stared at it, she could only see one thing: Celestia. This was not the throne of Equestria, it was Celestia’s throne.

A light appeared, piercing through the darkness as brightly as a beacon. Seemingly pouring from Luna’s eyes, the midnight blue energy glowed as it trailed away from her face and towards the ground, dissipating before hitting the floor.

As the dripping magic grew stronger, the light in the room grew with it, eventually casting the whole room in a dark shade of blue, and revealing Luna’s face. The magic streamed down her coat, flowing freely from her eyes.

With each tear that struck the ground her lips moved further back, twitching and wrinkling her nose until it formed a frown, which quickly grew into a scowl. Her fangs barely poked out from her lips, but the jagged teeth at the back of her mouth were on full display.

The first sign was a slight twitch of her wing. The outermost feathers moved, just slightly, but it only takes a tiny rock to start an avalanche.

A few feathers turned into a full ruffle, which then flared out away from her body. Luna’s shoulders rolled back and her neck twisted first left and then slightly right. Her chest swelled out, rising and falling with a slow, steady rhythm. Then her right forehoof lifted from the ground and dropped down, scraping at the floor of the room. The sound of her shoe on the floor echoed through the room, only to be replaced by the sound of flooring being dug up and dislodged with a sharp cracking sound.

The light in the room grew brighter when Luna’s horn finally came to life. Her summoned magic spread out in three separate beams, spiraling from her horn and circling the room, winding its way towards the single focus of Luna’s attention.

When the first strand of magic hit the throne it wobbled, teetering as the power entered into its structure. The second strand moved through the throne, turning it sharply and then lifting it into the air where it hovered over the dais. It was when the third fiber of Luna’s magic that the destruction began.

A sharp cracking sound helped to reveal the break that ran the length of the throne, which quickly grew as the throne split in two completely. The two halves of the chair began to spin, orbiting each other and moving faster and faster in mid air. Splinters began to trail behind each piece of the throne, creating a trail of debris that followed them like a tail. The fragments became a blur, details of them lost in the whirlwind they created.

And then, they exploded. Blossoming out in a blue plume of light and debris, the fragments filled the room and then slowly pulled back together into a solid ball hanging steady above the dais—and then dropped in a shower of splinters onto the platform that once held it.

Luna’s face relaxed into a smile and her eyes narrowed to near slits.

“Step one,” she growled.

* * * * * * * * * *

For the third time in less than a minute Twilight looked over her left shoulder. Each time she held on to the precious hope that the result would be different than the time before, and each time she was disappointed.

Trueblood wasn’t in her normal seat. In fact, the room sat empty. All of the audience that had been there before was missing, leaving the room still and quiet.

Without realizing it, Twilight began to rock back and forth in place. Her mane was a disheveled mess, but she didn’t care. Glancing at her notes, some part of her brain recognized the fact that they weren’t in the proper order, but all she did was stare at them.

When the judge spoke she finally looked up and away from them.

“Come to order.” Twilight shook her head and stared up at Judge Maven. She was reasonably sure that she was smiling.

The judge wasn’t smiling back. “Ms Sparkle, are you all right?”

“Hmm? Oh sure! Yep, I’m right as rain!” Twilight’s right eye twitched. “Yes, ma’am! Rain sure is right, and I’m just like the rain! Good old reliable rain!”

There was along second before the judge answered. “I…see.” Judge Maven looked to the prosecutor’s table and then back over at Twilight. “As you both can tell, I have kept the courtroom clear of all disturbances today, and I trust that you will both cooperate in maintaining the decorum of the court. I am specifically referring to you, Ms. Sparkle.”

“Y-yes, Your Honor,” Twilight squeaked.

“This does also reflect upon both of the prosecutors in the case, as well. The theatrics of yesterday were a direct result of your actions. While I appreciate what you were trying to accomplish, the manner and means that created it will not be repeated. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Vesting Claus answered.

“Good, now that we can proceed without any undo interruptions, why don’t we—”

The door to the chamber slammed against the wall as it was thrust open. All eyes turned to the entrance, and Twilight found her heart suddenly caught up in the middle of her throat.

“Hi there,” Trueblood said calmly. “Sorry about that, but I could hear you on the other side of the door and it seemed like the perfect time to come in.” She looked over towards Twilight and winked, and suddenly Twilight felt herself exhale completely.

“Superintendent Trueblood!” Judge Maven banged her gavel against her desk. “I just finished explaining to both the defendant and the prosecutor that I will not tolerate any more disturbances! If you do not leave immediately I will have you thrown into a cell until the trial is complete!”

Waving a hoof, Trueblood shook her head casually as she stepped into the room. “No need, Your Honor. It would be a waste of time, anyway.”

“I beg your pardon?” The judge’s eyebrows went up.

“Well, unless I’m way off base regarding the law—which I admit is possible—trials like this one don’t allow outside tampering, do they?” Trueblood walked up towards the bench, casually passing by Twilight.

There was something different about Trueblood. Something Twilight hadn’t seen in a long time. Since they had first met, in fact. A swagger. The confidence that originally attracted her to the white mare.

“That’s a bold accusation, Superintendent,” Judge Maven leaned forward as she spoke. “You had best have evidence to support your claim.”

“Evidence! What an excellent subject to bring up,” Trueblood turned and smiled at Twilight once more, and a sharp gleam of light shone from her teeth. She turned back to the judge before she resumed speaking. “So, what evidence do we have against Twilight Sparkle? So far it’s just a collection of theories and hearsay. Nothing substantial, and certainly nothing that is strong enough to convict her of such a heinous crime. Which reminds me…”

Trotting up to the prosecutor’s table, Trueblood casually rested one of her hooves on it as she stared at the two attorneys. “How are you doing? Let me ask you, where did you find that little piece of hearsay that you entered yesterday? The one about Twilight trying to get closer to Coldheart and that’s why she became an alicorn. You remember that part, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” Vesting Claus said.

“Great! Well, would you care to tell us where that information came from?” She glanced back at the judge. “It’s okay that I ask that, isn’t it?”

“The admission of evidence is challengeable, yes,” she answered.

“Great, thanks.” She turned back to the prosecutors. “So, where did you get that evidence?”

“My partner provided it,” Vesting Claus answered, glancing to her left.

The stallion looked over to his right with a twisted expression. “No, I didn’t. I thought that you presented it.”

“What do you mean? It was in our notes. I didn’t put it there, so you must have,” she turned to face him directly.

Frank Axiom sat back and brought his hoof to his chin. “I didn’t, though. You told me about it, in fact.”

“I didn’t. You told me about it,” she stated.

“One moment,” Judge Maven interrupted. “Are the two of you saying that you do not know where that information came from?”

“If I may, Your Honor.” Trueblood kept her eyes on the prosecution. “Can I see the document that you used? Your notes?”

Twilight watched the attorneys file through their notes, moving one after another until they settled on a single piece of paper. Even from where she sat she could see their expression change.

“That’s my writing,” Vesting Claus stated. “But…but that’s not possible. I didn’t write that.”

“Yes, you did,” Trueblood said plainly. She turned back and looked at Twilight as she moved away from the prosecution, the right corner of her mouth turned up, and then she turned her attention back to the judge. “Tell me, Your Honor, how much do you know about magic?”

“I’m not an expert if that is what you’re asking, but I do know the basics, Superintendent,” Judge Maven said.

“Well, let me explain something about magic, if I may.” Trueblood’s horn lit up and a small sphere of light appeared in front of her. “When you are casting magic, it is what we like to call ‘obvious,’ meaning that you can see the magic in effect, and in many ways it is trackable. The color of magic is linked to the caster. My magic is a golden color, and that is indicative of the glow around my horn, and the glow surrounding the small ball of light hovering in front of us.”

“This is fairly common knowledge, Superintendent,” Judge Maven commented.

“Bear with me, please.” The sphere of light faded. “Now, tell me, where is that spell? Can you see it? Can you tell that I had just cast it at all?”

The judge looked blankly.

“I get it.” Twilight’s voice was soft, but confident. “Oh wow, how did I miss that?”

A quick look to the side brought out another smile towards Twilight, and this time she smiled back.

“Would you care to explain it to me, Ms. Sparkle?” Judge Maven leaned back slowly.

Twilight trotted around her table, and moved over to stand beside Trueblood. “Magic is transparent after it is cast. Once the spell has occurred, there is no immediate trail back to the caster. It’s invisible. Here, let me show you.” A lavender glow surrounded her horn and one of her stacks of notes floated up past her and landed on the judge’s desk. “Okay, you watched me move those papers, right?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“But, at this point you can’t tell that I moved them with magic. I might just have easily carried them there and placed them on your bench,” Twilight explained. “But there is an obvious after effect. The papers are now on your desk.”

“Okay, this is interesting, but what’s the point?” Vesting Claus asked.

Twilight smiled. “You don’t remember writing that information down. The one about me becoming an alicorn.”

“No, I don’t,” she answered.

“Which means, in all likelihood, you didn’t write it,” Twilight stated. “Somepony else had you write it.”

“Ms. Sparkle,” the judge began, “are you suggesting that somepony controlled Ms. Claus’ mind?”

“Exactly,” Trueblood said with a beaming smile. “Somepony else gave them that information without them even realizing it.”

“But how did they get it?” Frank Axiom asked.

“Well, it’s safe to assume that if they were able to take over one mind to convey that information, they might be able to…” Twilight trailed off and looked at Trueblood. “They might be able to read the mind of somepony who had that sort of thing on their mind a lot to get it.”

“Meaning, Your Honor,” Trueblood took a deep breath, “they got the information from Twilight’s thoughts. They read her mind.”

“Is…is that even possible?” Vesting Claus asked.

“It is,” Twilight answered. “It’s a very dark form of magic. Something that ponies in my world avoid except under the most dire circumstances. Well, all of the good ponies, at least.”

A long silence hung in the courtroom.

“Twilight is innocent.”

The voice came from the side of the chamber. It was high pitched and carried a thick accent.

“Apple Bloom?” Twilight pulled back slightly.

“She’s right. Ah was helpin’ out to make sure the ponies comin’ in here were in a bad state. Everypony was supposed to hate Twilight.” Apple Bloom looked at Twilight and lowered her head. “And Ah was wrong fer doin’ it. Ah’m sorry.”

Judge Maven rose up and looked down at the young mare. “Are you telling me that you are responsible for all of this, Miss?”

“No.” Apple Bloom shook her head sharply. “No, Ah only did what Ah was told ta do.”

“Who told you to do it?” Twilight asked.

Apple Bloom swallowed visibly. “She calls herself Eidolon, an’ she sent me here to tell you that she’s gonna go free that trapped Empress lady—right now.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Do you think this will work?”

Fleur looked over at Cadance, tilting her head slightly. “Are you worried about trying?”

Cadance rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’m not worried about trying, I just don’t want to possibly make things worse.”

“I won’t make any promises,” Fleur’s smile eased Cadance slightly, “but I’ve put a lot of thought into it. I don’t think that I’m wrong about this, especially not since talking to you.”

“Well, I do agree with you, and I must say that I’m impressed with your deductive skills.” Cadance casually looked around the hallway, seeing ponies moving about in their normal early morning routines.

Fleur kept her eyes forward, with a smooth, steady gait to her pace. “Thank you, I do try.”

They walked on in silence, with Fleur’s head forward while Cadance nodded at the ponies who smiled at the pair. A few hushed comments and the occasional giggle accompanied the two of them walking past, eliciting a repressed smirk from Cadance.

“I think that everypony is a little curious as to why we’re together this morning,” Cadance chuckled.

“They think that we slept together last night. I have that reputation.” The words came from Fleur with a light, casual ease.

“I…I beg your pardon?” Cadance blinked.

“It’s necessary for me to keep a rather flighty reputation. I can’t be seen as what I really am, so I do tend to sleep around a good bit. Think of it as a disguise.” She looked over at Cadance with a smile in her eyes. “You wouldn’t be the first pony in the castle, by the way. Or the first time between the two of us, actually.”

“But I’m trying to get rid of that reputation! I’m a married mare!” Cadance whispered loudly enough to be heard. “And besides, no pony knows about that first time, except me, you, and Twilight.”

“Sorry.” Fleur laughed.

“Shining Armor has already had to deal with me having, shall we say, lapses. If—and I’m going to say if—he hears about this, he’ll—”

“He’ll have you to tell him the truth,” Fleur interrupted. “Or do you not think that he trusts you?” She looked over at Cadance once more, letting her lip curl up. “Besides, would it really be that horrible to have happened?”

“I didn’t say that,” Cadance replied, and then immediately added to her statement. “Not that I thought about it! And don’t even reply to that! You just… Look, I’m supposed to be the one that flusters other ponies.”

“Oh, you do, trust me,” Fleur said softly.

Cadance looked over with one raised eyebrow. “What is that supposed to—”

Fleur’s right hoof crossed in front of Cadance, stopping her abruptly. Both ponies looked straight ahead at their intended destination. A half dozen guards stood shoulder-to-shoulder, blocking the doors to the throne room.

“That’s not normal,” Fleur stated.

“I would have to agree, which is why I’m going to go find out what exactly is going on.” Cadance moved past Fleur’s hoof, trotting up to the line of guards.

A curt nod from one the guards both acknowledged the Princess’ approach and suggested that she not come much further.

“Good morning,” Cadance began. “What’s going on here? We have come by to see Princess Luna.”

“I-I’m sorry, Princess, but Her Majesty, Princess Luna, has instructed that no pony is to disturb her. She gave no exceptions.” The guard’s voice faltered slightly as he spoke.

“What? Why did she do that?” Cadance asked.

“She didn’t say, Princess. I’m sorry,” the guard answered with a swallow.

“This is a matter of national security. You need to let us pass,” Cadance stated.

The guard’s mouth opened and moved without any sound. Then, after a quick glance to his right and to his left, he leaned in closely and whispered. “I don’t know what’s going on, Princess, but something has been happening in there. Lots of noise. Not good noise. I’m…I’m concerned.”

“Define not good noise,” Cadance spoke to the guard but stared at the door behind him.

The sharp sound of something breaking—possibly wood, but possibly stone—carried through the door, causing Cadance to pull back and bump into a stock-still Fleur de Lis.

“That kind of noise, Your Highness,” the guard mumbled.

Cadance glanced to Fleur and then looked back at the guards with no mirth in her eyes. “Why don’t we do it this way: I overpowered you, temporarily incapacitating you and the other guards, forcing my way past you into the room.” It was at this point that Cadance smiled. “Or we can actually carry that through, if you prefer.”

After blinking twice, the guard in front licked his lips and swallowed. He stepped to one side slowly. “Make room! Princess coming through!” He followed that statement with a light cough.

The gap gave the two mares clear passage to the door, but they stopped for a moment before entering. Cadance glanced over her shoulder. “You may want to move off, just to be safe.”

Without a word, they did just that. Cadance watched them, waiting patiently until they were just out of sight, and then she carefully opened the door to the throne room. She walked through the door, with Fleur only a half-step behind.

Cadance gasped.

The chamber was a capsule of destruction. Virtually none of the room stood whole, save the walls, floor, and ceiling themselves. All other things in the space were in various degrees of dismantling. A mix of wood, stone, cloth, and other things intermingled to create a battlefield inside a single room.

“What in Celestia’s name?” Fleur whispered.

A massive piece of stone rose into the air, hovering five meters above the floor in a deep midnight field of magic. A brilliant flash of white sparked at its core, and the piece exploded, scattering shards of stone to all four walls. Both Fleur and Cadance were able to erect a shield at the last moment, preventing any of the dangerous debris from reaching them.

“Celestia isn’t here.” The voice was deep and thick, carrying something dark beneath it. A shadowy form of a pony rose up, slowly climbing over the mountain of remains in the center of the room.

Cadance felt her pulse quicken and her breath slow. “A-Auntie Luna?”

“I thought I told the guards that I wanted to be alone. Do I have to make my orders more clear next time?” Slowly, Luna began to descend the gathered pile. A pale teal glow shone in the back of her eyes.

“No. No, I made them let me in. They didn’t have a choice,” Cadance answered. “You know they couldn’t stop me.”

“True.” Luna reached the floor and walked directly towards the two mares.

“Your Majesty, what are you doing? What have you done?” Fleur raised her head up and narrowed her eyes.

“This?” Luna motioned behind her with her head. “I’m just…purging.” She looked at Cadance. “You understand, don’t you? It’s not a good idea to let negative things build up inside your soul.”

“I…do.” Cadance took a step forward, positioning herself between Fleur and Luna.

There was only a short distance left, and Luna covered it quickly, stopping when she stood in front of her niece. Then she smiled, bent her neck down, and hugged the princess warmly.

“What are you doing here, Cadance? Is something wrong?” Luna asked.

Cadance’s eyes popped, turning into pools of white with tiny spots of color in the center.

“What…I…you…” Her head twisted quickly, moving around to stare at the destruction around her. “Auntie Luna, what are YOU doing here?!”

“I told you, I’m venting. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I decided to make a few changes around the castle.” She looked to the side with a smirk. “Starting with the throne room.”

“Are you…?” Cadance pulled back.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Have I gone over the edge? Returned to my, shall we say, darker ways?” She shook her head. “No. No, this is a step to hopefully prevent that sort of behavior—plus a little more.”

“Is it working?” Cadance asked.

“Well, I have yet to decide to level Canterlot and declare myself Queen of Equestria, if that’s what you’re asking,” Luna chuckled. “Besides, I haven’t had much luck with that approach in the past.”

“Good. That’s…good,” Cadance nodded. “Auntie, if you need to talk, I’m always here. You do know that, right?”

“Or course I do.” Luna smiled. “But sometimes I want to do things to help myself. My way.”

“We want to help in our way,” Fleur stated as she stepped up to stand beside Cadance. “We’ve been talking.”

“Have you now?” Luna scowled at Fleur. “And what has the pony with the very long nose been putting it in this time?”

“Luna, Fleur is only wanting to help,” Cadance said in a soothing voice. “She and I did have a long talk, for most of the night, actually. We’ve come to the same conclusion, and we think that we might be able to help.”

She paused, staring at the two mares, and then Luna took a full step backwards and sat down slowly. She smiled. “Please, do explain.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“How did she even get there?”

Twilight stood beside Trueblood, Apple Bloom, and a gathering of guards, voicing the question that was on all of their minds. From their current position at the edge of the wall, they could only see a faint outline of a pony in the midst of a swirling shadow inside a darkness that had engulfed the entirety of the courtyard holding Coldheart and the heart of ice.

“No pony knows,” Trueblood answered. “Every attempt to get close to her has been less than successful.”

“Has anypony been hurt?” Twilight looked over at her marefriend with concern.

“Yes, but thankfully nopony has been killed. Whatever that shadow stuff is, it’s nasty,” Trueblood stated.

Twilight looked back over towards the mare. “It’s dark magic, and a lot of it. Whoever is inside there, she’s messing with some nasty stuff.”

“Miss Twilight,” Apple Bloom stepped up a little closer, “you just gotta go in there. She says that she’s got mah family. Please, ma’am?”

“Don’t worry, Apple Bloom.” Twilight smiled at her. “Applejack is a dear friend of mine back home, so this is kinda personal to me, too.”

“Maybe, but I don’t want you going in there alone,” Trueblood stated, putting her hoof on Twilight’s withers.

“I don’t think we have a choice. If it’s only me that she wants in there, then any other pony is going to get hurt.” Twilight shook her head. “I won’t let that happen.”

Twilight and Trueblood looked at each other and let the seconds pass between them. The moment collapsed as the space between them closed, ending with Trueblood’s lips pressed against Twilight’s. Neither of them thought that the kiss lasted nearly long enough.

“For luck,” Trueblood whispered.

Without another word, Twilight stepped into the maelstrom of darkness.

Immediately her senses were disoriented, lost in the constant motion around her. A reflexive bubble of protection went up around her, creating an oasis in the chaos, and giving her a clear view once more of the mare she was after. One hoof followed the other, moving towards her goal.

And then there was calm. The eye of the chaos opened up, leaving a hole in the shadows, and bringing her face to face with the creator of the darkness. They stood there, staring at each other, and Twilight felt herself cringe despite her own efforts. The mare was a patchwork quilt of flesh, sewn together in the most crude and obvious manner—while wearing a perfect smile.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked. “What do you want?”

Eidolon’s head twisted, falling off to the right as the rest of her stood still. “You, Twilight Sparkle. We need…you.”

The voice was rough and grating, with no firm foundation. A deep, dark echo of the words surrounded Twilight, playing back onto her ears.

It was frighteningly familiar.

“Sombra.” The name froze in her throat.

The other mare straightened up and stared at Twilight. Her eyes closed as she focused in on her. “How do you know that name?” And then her eyes opened wide. “We’ve met. On your world, we’ve met.”

“No. No, not like you,” Twilight said.

“Noooo?” Eidolon moved her head, lolling to the left before pulling it back up straight. “No. It doesn’t matter, does it? Only now matters.”

“Yes. Right now. We…we can help you. Help you now. Today. It’s not too late.” Twilight looked at the mare’s body. “We can…fix you.”

“Fix me? I am not broken,” a chilling laugh cut deep into Twilight, “though you shall soon make me whole.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, stepping slowly to her right. Eidolon turned with her.

“Alicorrrrnnnn.” The word slurred and dragged from Eidolon’s throat. “I need alicorn maaaagggic.”

A dark glow formed at the corners of Eidolon’s eyes and began to bubble and churn.

“Why? What is this about? What do you want with me?” Twilight continued to move slowly, sliding around to reposition herself.

“The hearrrrt. I cannot penetrate the heart. I need alicorn magic,” she growled.

“And you think that I’m going to help you?” Twilight replied.

“Not your help,” Eidolon smiled, showing her perfect teeth. “Only your maaagic.”

“Sorry,” Twilight narrowed her eyes, “but I’m still using it.” She gestured over her shoulder. “Why would you want that monster back?”

The laughter pierced the space and tore a gasp from Twilight’s mouth.

“She loved me,” Eidolon said. “Loved me enough to show me my true self. How can I not help her? Give myself to herrrrr?”

“G-give yourself? What do you mean?” Twilight stopped moving, standing directly between Eidolon and the heart of ice.

“Let me showwww youuuu.” A long crystal appeared in front of Eidolon, glowing with lavender magic. A twisting ray of black power wormed out of Eidolon’s horn and struck the crystal, changing the dark magic into a concentrated line of indigo that pierced the protective bubble around Twilight and plunged into her body.

Twilight screamed. She felt something tearing through her body, arcing through each bone and sinew, before passing through her. Images—faces—filled her mind. A cavalcade of identities and thoughts not her own danced delicately through her memories, leaving behind a breadcrumb trail of history. Her entire body trembled, spasming and convulsing, as she felt the magic rebound, moving through her in the opposite direction. Dimly, she was able to see Eidolon as the magic hit her. It coursed over her body, penetrating into every seam and stitch, lifting her from the ground as she began to absorb the power.

“No.” Twilight’s voice was weak, barely more than a whisper. Inside, she felt herself harden, her own magic welling up and turning into a shape. A point. A disk. A shield. A spear. “NOOOOOO!”

Lavender power spread out from her in a wave, passing into and through Eidolon, and shattering the darkness that surrounded them both. Light flooded down onto her as the cloud of darkness was destroyed, and Twilight faintly heard the sound of a scream, and realized that it wasn’t her own.

As she fell to the ground, Twilight saw a cloud of darkness twist and turn through the air as it raced away from the courtyard. The sound of hoofbeats came next, and before she could react she heard a voice beside her.

“Twilight? Twilight, speak to me.”

She recognized Trueblood’s voice and felt herself relax.

“What happened? We heard a scream, saw lightning, and then an explosion followed by another scream, but we couldn’t see any details. Are you all right?” Trueblood’s words raced, and she felt the delicate touch of her marefriend on her coat.

“We…we have to hurry,” Twilight muttered as she stood up. Her knees nearly buckled beneath her.

“Hurry? Why?” Trueblood asked.

“She…she wasn’t trying to free Coldheart.” Twilight shook her head, clearing the last of the cobwebs. “I saw her plan. I saw everything.” She looked at Trueblood. “She was trying to give it a new body. Her own body. She was taking the power for herself. Trying to become the one pony she always wanted to be. The pony who did this to her. She wanted to change herself into Empress Coldheart.”

“That…doesn’t sound good,” Trueblood stepped back.

“We have to find her.” Twilight swallowed and took a deep breath. “We have to see how much power she absorbed.” Her wings spread out and her neck pulled back as a breeze caught her mane and blew it out around her neck. “Fortunately, she left me with enough memories that I know where she would run to. I know where she is.” Twilight turned and looked at Apple Bloom, who stood a solid meter away. “I know where everypony is.”

* * * * * * * * * *

She stood at the door, hesitating. Somewhere in the back of her head, she heard herself chiding her own indecision. A part of her argued that she was being patient, but that was quickly shot down by the centuries of experience that knew exactly what patience truly meant.

Her hoof raised up, ready to knock on the door, but she held it still. Slowly, it went back to the floor and rested. She closed her eyes and tried to stare at the image in her mind. The possibilities that might be waiting for her—both good and bad.

When Celestia finally reopened her eyes, it was accompanied by a deep breath. Magic surrounded her golden horn, and the door swung open silently. After she stepped inside, Celestia quietly closed the door behind her.

“Luna?” she said softly. “I’m…I’m sorry if I am intruding. Are you here?” She walked into the room a little further. “Luna?”

“What do you want?” Celestia froze at the tone of Luna’s voice.

“I…I just wanted to see if you were all right. I was just worried about you.” Her hooves obeyed her once again, and Celestia moved further into Luna’s private chamber. She looked around at the deep colors on the walls—the blues and violets—and felt herself smile. All of the things that she remembered being in this room were still there. Still in place. “Luna? Where are you?”

“What do you want, Celestia?” Luna’s voice asked once more.

“I want to see you. Is that asking too much?” Celestia stopped and looked around the room, focusing in on the bed. It lay neat and clean, and apparently undisturbed. “Luna? Where are you?”

“I’m here.”

“I was afraid you had gone,” Celestia said softly.

“Where would I go? To our old castle? I’m trapped here…with you.”

Celestia’s body slowly rose up, seemingly growing larger as every heartbeat passed. Her wings flared out from her body and the color of her mane became darker. In the area immediately around her, the temperature of the room raised noticeably.

“Come out.” Her voice was like boiling metal. “Chrysalis, I will give you this one opportunity to come out under your own power, or so help me….”

A figure moved from the shadows of the room, stepping into the growing light emanating from Celestia. Chrysalis’ face hovered somewhere between amusement and disappointment. “Oh, you will tell me where I went wrong, won’t you? I thought I copied her voice perfectly.”

“How dare you,” Celestia growled. “How dare you impersonate my wife! And then you go so far as to invade her private quarters? We made it clear that you are specifically NEVER to take the form of any member of the royal family!”

“But I didn’t!” Chrysalis pulled back, holding a hoof to her chest. “I looked like myself the entire time. I simply was practicing my vocal skills.” She turned her head to one side. “Now, was it something I said? Or was it how I said it? And please, be detailed, I can only get better if somepony gives me an honest critique.”

Celestia’s head moved closer to the ground and she angled her horn towards the changeling. Bright, glowing eyes stared out under narrowed lids. “You are very lucky that I place honor so highly, Chrysalis. Otherwise, I would…”

“What?!” Chryaslis’ wings buzzed and she turned herself in the air, coming to face directly towards Celestia. “What would you do, Princess? What is it that you think you could do to me?”

One corner of Celestia’s mouth curled up. “Well, if we want to speak hypothetically….” She raised her head back up. “No. No, you won’t get me to go down that path, Chrysalis. I won’t sink to your level.”

Step after step, Chrysalis moved towards the other mare until they stood as close as possible without touching. “You aren’t on my level, Celestia. You come close, but we both know that I’ve beaten you before.” She leaned in until the edge of her twisted horn brushed against the metal of Celestia’s spiral. “Or is that what you want? Do you like it when I beat you?”

The explosion of light sent Chrysalis stumbling backwards and shielding her eyes. When the brilliance dimmed slightly, she saw Celestia hovering in the air, her wings beating in a steady motion while her entire body radiated power.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Celestia’s voice filled the room. Her eyes were a solid field of white. “I have put up with your childish actions long enough!”

Chrysalis turned, her eyes glowing with green power as she faced the radiant sun goddess. “Fine. I’ll stop if you will.” She took a half step forward. “Let us deal with the matter as mares, shall we?”

“Matter? What matter?” Celestia hovered in the air. “The matter that you have been trying to STEAL MY WIFE?!”

“I can’t steal what’s being given to me!” Chrysalis shouted. “If you cannot hold onto your own possessions, it is certainly not my fault!”

A pulse of shadow shot through the room.

“ENOUGH!” Both mares turned to see the dark figure filling the corner. Luna stepped out towards them with her ears laid flat and her mane flowing wildly. “This endless bickering will cease NOW!”

As her hooves touched to the ground once more, Celestia spoke softly, “Luna, I—”

“Silence!” Celestia pulled back from the sound of Luna’s voice. Moving from Celestia to Chrysalis, her intensity did not diminish. “Neither of you will speak. You will both listen!”

Taking a deep breath and pulling back, Celestia waited. Chrysalis raised her head up, and her eyebrow even higher.

“I am not a prize,” Luna stated, staring at both of them. “I am not something the two of you get to fight over to decide who has the right to claim me. Neither of you possess me or own me. If you want to hate each other, then by all the stars in the sky do so, but do not bring me into this matter.”

Luna raised her head high and stepped towards the pair. “Neither of you decide anything for me. I am my own mare, and not yours. Is there anything I need to do to make that point more clear to either of you?”

Celestia’s eyes dropped and she slowly shook her head. When Luna turned to Chrysalis, she saw the changeling’s tongue finishing its journey across her lips before disappearing into her mouth once more. Luna came to a stop between them, standing equally apart from either.

“Now, if you would, sister, please teleport all of us to the throne room. There is another matter I wish to discuss.” Luna looked to her wife, and Celestia thought for a moment that she saw a smile in Luna’s eyes.

“Of course,” Celestia answered. A brilliant flash of gold filled the room, accompanied by a soft implosion of air, and the trio found themselves in a different setting.

What remained of the throne room.

“Luna, what have you done?” Celestia gasped as she took in the surroundings. Only destruction stood in the place where she spent so many centuries on the throne. A wrecked memory of what once was.

“I decided to redecorate,” Luna laughed.

“I like it,” Chrysalis stated.

“This is no laughing matter!” Celestia turned to her sister. “Luna, why have you done this? This is madness!”

Her laugh only grew louder. “No, Tia, this is not madness. Madness is thinking that three massively powerful beings could live under one roof while fighting over a single chair.” She shook her head. “No, this is sanity.”

Luna walked ahead and then turned back to her companions. “Oh, and I have also abolished both the Day Court and the Night Court, effective immediately.”

Celestia blinked. “Explain yourself.” Her voice was soft in tone, but harder than stone in resolve.

“Starting next week—I’ve given our counsel that long to arrange things—there will be only one court, running from noon until midnight.” She looked from Celestia to Chrysalis. “One court where we will oversee things—together.” Turning her back, Luna began to climb the mound of rubbled where the throne had directly sat. “And the single throne that rested here will be replaced,” she glanced over her shoulder, “by three thrones sitting side-by-side. Where the princesses of Equestria will sit in unity.”

Her mouth hung open for a moment before Celestia spoke while a smile gradually began to play around her lips. “And you didn’t feel it appropriate to discuss this matter among us before acting?”

“Why? I rule Equestria. I decide what is best for it, and this was my decision.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Do you disapprove?”

A slow easy shake of her head emphasized her words. “No. Not at all. I find it a lovely and graceful decision—as I would have expected from you.”

Luna bowed her head towards her sister and then turned her attention to Chrysalis. The changeling simply stared back up at her.

“Nothing to say, Princess Chrysalis?” Luna asked.

“Would it matter if I did?” she droned. “Though I will say that the thought of having to constantly argue in front of our subjects is a little…curious.”

“We won’t,” Luna answered. “When we are on the thrones we will act like princesses. Behind closed doors matters may be different—as I said, if you two want to hate each other, do not let me stand in your way—but when we are seated, we will show the respect and decorum that is expected of our place and our position. Is that clear?”

“Well, I think Celestia—”

“That was not a matter of debate, Chrysalis!” Luna snapped short, cutting off the other mare. “It is how things will be. I still hold the central throne until it is decided otherwise.”

Chrysalis’ hum echoed of approval. “And how do we decide otherwise?”

“I believe that a consensus is easy to count in a group of three, Chrysalis,” Celestia stated.

“Then when shall we have our first vote? I have many ideas that I think would be lovely to consider.” The easy growl behind her voice was far from threatening.

“Not today,” Luna answered quickly. “Tomorrow we will begin discussing the details of the new throne room, but other than that, there are no official duties to be performed at the moment.”

“Oh, I wasn’t thinking of anything along those lines, Luna.” Chrysalis stepped forward as Luna once more reached the floor of the room—and watched as the dark alicorn passed her by.

“I’m sure you weren’t,” Luna said plainly. “However, at this time I have other matters that must be attended to.” She stopped in front of her sister. “Princess Celestia, will you accompany me to our chambers?”

Celestia stared into Luna’s eyes, searching them. All she found was a dark reflection staring back at her. “Of course, Luna. I would be delighted.”

Stepping past her sister, Celestia paced towards the doors, with Luna falling in immediately behind her.

“So, the two of you just simply intend to waltz out of here and leave me in this broken room all by myself? How rude,” Chrysalis commented with more than a slight tinge to her voice.

Luna slowed down, but did not stop. She glanced over her shoulder, not fully looking at Chrysalis. “We are not waltzing, Chrysalis. My sister and I are simply walking. At least for now.” She turned back to look ahead of herself as she continued. “Besides, I never said that I was leaving you alone, either.”

The doors shut behind Luna and Celestia, clicking closed with a distinct sound. Raising a single eyebrow, Chrysalis slowly turned around to see what—or who—was in the room with her.

Cadance and Fleur stood together, smiling at her warmly. It was Cadance who spoke.

“Hello, Chrysalis. I do hope you were expecting to see me.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Why this place?” Trueblood asked. “I’ve seen this place a hundred times. It’s nothing.”

The wall stretched up above them by ten times their height, but was only barely able to stand two ponies shoulder to shoulder. It lay in the deepest bowels of the castle, among the cages and cells that housed dozens of ponies in their day. Each lay empty now, but the aura of fear and pain still lingered. An easily overlooked alcove.

“It’s a door. Well, of sorts.” Twilight answered. Her magic ran over the stone, searching for some identifying mark.

“A door? I don’t think so, Sparky,” Trueblood stated. “This is a wall.”

Twilight looked at her and smiled. “Which is what makes it sort of a door. It’s very well hidden.”

“Okay, well, if it’s a door, how do we open it?” Trueblood asked.

“We…don’t.” Twilight took a step back, and in doing caused Trueblood to step with her. “We don’t open it, we just go through it.”

“Well, that’s a difficult thing to do, usually,” Trueblood turned her head slightly.

“We both can teleport,” Twilight said. “And she can, too. Sombra moves through the castle in the passages that are behind this wall. We just have to take that leap.”

Both of Trueblood’s eyes doubled in size. “You want us to blindly teleport into a wall?”

“Not a wall. A passage. A space between walls. They lace all through the castle.” She looked over at Trueblood. “I’ve seen them before. My Canterlot Castle has them, too. I just never thought about them being here.”

“Okay, well…” Trueblood smacked her lips. “This is going to be an interesting trip.”

“You don’t have to go. I can do this alone. It might be better if you stay, actually,” Twilight suggested.

“And leave you with no back up? Nuh-uh. That’s not happening,” Trueblood said with a shake of her head. “Where you go, I go.”

“Ah wanna go, too!” They both turned to look at the younger mare staring at them with a pleading expression.

“I’m sorry, Apple Bloom,” Twilight said with a sigh, “but you can’t. We’re barely going to be able to get ourselves in there safely. I can’t teleport with you and stay safe. It’s going to be dangerous as it is.”

“Ah don’t care about mah safety! Ah gotta get in there and find mah family!” Apple Bloom stomped a hoof defiantly.

“Well, I do care about your safety! Applejack would kill me if she found out I took you in there.” Twilight reached out and placed a hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “I’ll bring them back. I promise.”

Apple Bloom stared into Twilight’s eyes, measuring what she could. “Ah’m holding you ta that.”

Twilight simply nodded in reply. Turning to look at Trueblood, Twilight took a deep breath. “You ready?”

“So, just straight through? How far?” Trueblood asked.

“Three meters?”

There was a pause. “You said that like a question, you know.”

“Just being honest.” Twilight nodded. “Let’s do this. We don’t have time to wait.”

Trueblood gestured wide with her hoof. “After you.”

A purple implosion began the trip, and then concluded it with the arrival of Twilight Sparkle in the middle of a hallway slightly wider than she expected. Her head turned around, taking in her surroundings as quickly as possible, and then stopped when an implosion of gold appeared barely out of reach.

“You made it,” Twilight said.

Trueblood let out a sharp breath. “Right next to you.”

“Let’s go.” Twilight didn’t wait for a reply, but broke into a light gallop and headed down the passage. She could hear Trueblood’s hooves echoing off the walls behind her as she turned and moved through the narrow maze. The image of the halls was still fresh enough in her mind that she never hesitated, working her way on until she saw her destination.

Without breaking stride she hit the door, pushing open the heavy wood and moving directly through, stopping only at the image of dozens of ponies staring back at her from a wall. Twilight moved slightly as Trueblood ran into her and then slipped to one side.

“Oh no,” Trueblood gasped. “It’s just like Fantasia’s wall.”

“I think that’s where she got the idea,” Twilight replied.

“Friennnnndssss.”

Both mares turned as one to look towards the voice. She stepped from the darkness of the corner, slipping free from it and into the dim light cast by the combined horns of Twilight and Trueblood.

“Sure, we’ll be friends. Just surrender and we’ll be great friends.” There was more than a slight hint of uncertainty in Trueblood’s voice as she spoke.

“I don’t think she was talking about us,” Twilight explained as she stepped forward. “Surrender, Sombra. It’s over.”

“Sommmmbra?” Her voice droned long, snarling through every word. “Yesssss. Yessss, that is it. I am of his line.”

She stepped completely from the shadows. The flesh that had once been a crudely stitched patchwork was now whole, though heavily scarred. Deep grey flesh and a rich black mane were offset by the dark magic surrounding her eyes and horn—and her horn was another matter entirely. Shards of purple crystal were embedded in the long spiral on her forehead, pulsing and growing slightly darker each time.

“My ancesssstor was king. King of the Crysssstalll Emmmmpirrre. Coldheart took his head, and put it on her wall. There were ponies—cryssstal poniesss—who wanted me to be their queeeen.” She shook her head. “My Empressss did not like thissss. She took me. Brought me to her cassstlllle. Made me…better.”

“I know,” Twilight said. “She…she did horrible things to you. It’s not too late, though! We can save you!”

“Save me?” A rough laugh shot rumbled through the room. “I do not neeeed to be saved. I have begun my journey to perfectionnnnnn. I have taken in a portion of the Empresssss.” Her head raised up and a large pair of fangs shone in the dim light. “I am now Queeeeen, as I was meant to be. Queeeen Sommmbra. I will go hommmmme and rule. My cryssssstal poniesss. My cryssstal slavessss.”

“I can’t let you do that. I’ll do what I have to do, but I don’t want to hurt you,” Twilight said as she took a half step towards the dark mare. “Don’t do this. Please, let us help you.”

“You caaaan help me,” Sombra growled. “You can give me powwwerrrr.”

Bubbling black magic rolled out of Sombra, lancing across the room towards Twilight—and missing its intended target. Twilight stood still, staring at Trueblood who suddenly appeared between herself and Sombra. Time slowed to a crawl, and Twilight swore she could see every detail of the dark magic ripping into Trueblood’s flesh, burrowing deep into her being. The scream that welled up sounded like a dim echo to Twilight, as though it was something happening to somepony far away. Twilight’s own scream was just as faint to her, even as she unleashed a powerful ray of energy that shot past her marefriend towards her tormentor.

Sombra recoiled, roaring as the bright beam of purple magic washed over her body. From the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Trueblood collapse, which only strengthened her action. A wellspring of power that she had never known before came up, and the beam of power took on a briliant white around the edges.

Twilight could see Sombra’s form, fighting against her onslaught. Dark magic slipped over Sombra’s skin, coating her in a shell of energy. And then the first edge of Sombra’s form faded, losing itself in the shadowy magic around her.

The beam from Twilight’s horn stopped, and in the sudden silence that followed the only audible sound was the heavy breath of Twilight panting through clenched teeth. She stared at the figure of Sombra, lying prone against the floor. Half of her body seemed to be in a shadow that rolled and coiled around her form, but she lay unmoving. The horn on her forehead was different now, encased completely in purple crystal, and bent in a slight backwards curve.

A faint groan brought Twilight back and she looked down at Trueblood. The white unicorm’s chest rose and fell, softly but distinctly.

“Tru!” Twilight dropped down, her hooves quickly picking up the other mare’s head. “Tru, are you okay?”

“Ouch,” Trueblood replied weakly.

“Why did you do that?” Twilight’s eyes were still scanning over her marefriend, checking for obvious injuries.

“What? Y-you’re my mare. I wasn’t gonna let her…do anything to you.” She smiled up at Twilight. “Besides, Sparky, you’d have done the same for me.”

“Hrrrnnnnnn.”

The gurgling growl caught Twilight’s attention immediately, and she looked up to see Sombra stirring. Her head was raising up and the early trickle of dark magic played around the shadowy mare’s horn and eyes.

Twilight’s lips pulled back, showing tightly clenched teeth. Her eyes glazed over white and her mane began to flow around her head as though blown by an unseen wind. The words that came from Twilight sounded an octave too low for her voice.

“Go. Away.”

The flare of lavender magic filled every corner of the chamber. When it finally faded, the only ponies in the room were Twilight and Trueblood. The only sign of anypony else was a faint, pony-shaped outline barely visible on the far wall.

Falling back down, Twilight covered Trueblood, wrapping her arms and wings around the mare gently.

“I’m so sorry,” Twilight wept. “I’m so, so sorry.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Well, well, well,” Chrysalis purred. “How delightful to find the two of you together.” She licked her lips. “Please tell me this is a social visit.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Cadance answered. “Though really, isn’t that what your best at, after all?”

“I beg your pardon?” The translucent wings on Chrysalis’ back buzzed slightly.

“Flattering yourself.” Taking a few steps forward, Cadance grew closer to Chrysalis, though the angle of her walk kept her at more than a hoof’s reach away. “Ever since I can remember you’ve gone on about how good you are at this and how wonderfully you can do that.” She shrugged. “Frankly, I don’t see it.”

The smell of ozone lightly filled the air as a spark ran across Chrysalis’ horn. “Well, perhaps I should show you, then, as a reminder. Or maybe I should pay another visit to Shining Armor. Has he been asking about me again?”

There was a long pause, with a multitude of answers visibly crossing Cadance’s face, until finally she took a deep breath and smiled. “Believe it or not, I’m not here to argue with you, Chrysalis. I’m actually here to help.”

“I already suggested a way to help, but you seem opposed to it.” Her voice kept a primal hint beneath it.

“Fleur, would you step in here? I’m afraid that Chrysalis is not really ready to listen to me,” Cadance said without looking towards the unicorn mare.

“Oh, no worries there,” Chrysalis leaned towards Cadance, “Fleur has already given in to my charms.”

“Actually, that was just work,” Fleur answered dryly. With an exaggerated slowness, Chrysalis turned to look at her. “No offense. You are pretty good, but I wasn’t there for that.”

“Odd. It certainly seemed otherwise.” Turning her body so that she faced her directly, Chrysalis stared at Fleur as her eyes turned to slits.

“That was the idea. I wasn’t expecting you back in your room so quickly. When you tripped the alarm I had set up outside, I had to act quickly.” She shrugged. “So I crawled into your bed and let you think that I wanted to be there.”

The right side of Chrysalis’ mouth began to twitch, and slowly roll up into a snarl. She glanced over to Cadance, and then turned her attention back to Fleur and took a pair of steps towards the mare. “Not that long ago, that would have been enough for me to tear every ounce of emotion from you and then shred your body apart to be eaten by stray animals.” She smiled. “But…I’m a princess now.”

“Okay, that’s not helping.” Cadance quickly trotted over to stand beside Fleur once again. “Let’s start this over, shall we?” She took a deep breath. “Chrysalis, we’re here to give you a proposal.”

Chrysalis opened her mouth, but never got a word out.

“And before you turn that into another sexual innuendo,” Cadance interrupted, “what I mean is that, after she and I had a long discussion, and then spoke with Princess Luna about it, we’ve come to a decision.” Cadance looked over to Fleur and then back at Chrysalis. “We’re going to help you hunt down the hive.”

“I beg your pardon?” Chrysalis’ eyes blinked and then opened rather wide.

“Originally I was working with Princess Celestia, monitoring your actions here in the castle,” Fleur explained. “Then, after she took her leave of absence, I was working with Princess Luna. She, however, wasn’t quite as sure how to use my abilities, so I ventured off on my own accord, following the original edict put in place by Princess Celestia.” Fleur smiled. “I was spying on you.”

“You were giving me information, as well,” Chrysalis turned her head slightly askew, “or was that nothing but lies?”

“Oh no, all of that was true,” Fleur said, “I just didn’t tell you everything.”

“The point is,” Cadance jumped back in, “Celestia was worried about your temper and your loyalty coming into play when it came to the idea of hunting down this new hive of changelings. She was afraid—with good cause, I believe—that you might forego your duties to Equestria to pursue this as a personal matter.”

Chrysalis’ head rolled slight to her right and she closed her eyes for a brief second. “Fair enough. I can understand her being afraid of me.”

“Right,” Cadance took a deep breath. “In any case, after my research and Fleur’s investigation, we both believe that you…aren’t.”

“Aren’t what?” Chrysalis asked.

“You aren’t going to give up on Equestria. That you aren’t going to betray us.” Cadance nodded. “So, we are going to help you.”

The light chuckle that came from Chrysalis was far from amusing. “If you honestly believe that I do not take the arrival of this new hive as a personal affront, than I’m afraid you have seriously misjudged me.”

“Oh no, we know it’s personal. That doesn’t change things, though.” Cadance shifted slightly closer to Fleur. “In fact, it being personal even resonates with our cause. We both believe that you are placing the new safety and well-being of your hive above personal vengeance.” She turned her head. “Or are we wrong about that?”

Chrysalis stared at them silently. Her head raised up and her tail flicked behind her, the thin, wispy nature of it appearing as though it had suddenly caught a solid breeze.

“Why the two of you?” Chrysalis asked. “Why are you the ones helping me?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Fleur said. “I’m going to be assisting you because it’s my job. And I have some friends who will be able to help us, as well. I’ll look into having them meet with you.”

“I can’t wait.” Chrysalis licked her lips and turned to look at Cadance expectantly.

“Me? Well, as a Princess of the Crystal Empire, I’m not in direct competition with you here in Canterlot. So, I can be politically unbiased in my approach to how and when I can help you out. You and Celestia have an obvious issue with each other, and you and Luna have a very different sort of issue, so I’m the natural choice.” She shrugged slightly. “Plus there is that one other thing.”

“What other thing?” Chrysalis asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, just the fact that I can kick your ass.” Cadance’s smile turned into a full smirk.

“I beg your pardon?” Rearing her head up high, Chrysalis looked down her muzzle towards the pink alicorn.

“You remember, right?” Cadance took a step forward. “You had Celestia beaten and locked in a cocoon. Twilight and her friends were helpless and at your mercy.” She took a deep breath. “And then Shiney and I tossed you and all of your hive right out of the city. Just like that.” She leaned forward. “You DO remember that, right?”

A rumble somewhere below a growl echoed from Chrysalis’ body. “I seem to recall capturing you, imprisoning you, and replacing you in your fiancees bed.”

“True. You caught me off guard, drugged me, and then put me in a maze with no food, water, or any idea of direction at all.” Cadance nodded. “And then I still managed to beat you.” She let out a heavy, fake sigh. “Oh, and let’s not forget the fight you had with Coldheart—the me from another dimension—when she literally almost beat you to death.”

“Not the same, I don’t think,” Chrysalis snarled.

“No, not really.” A shadow fell over Cadance’s face. “I would have to have somepony do something that I thought was truly horrible for me to become like her.” A single smile shattered the dark light. “But we don’t have to worry about that, now do we? We’re working together.”

In two steps Chrysalis was standing in front of Cadance. Her body dwarfed the alicorn, staring down at her through green, glowing eyes. Cadance looked up at her, unblinking.

“We will see, won’t we?” There were razors laced into Chrysalis’ words. “I will expect you to respond and respect any and all of my requests.”

“Within reason.” Cadance’s voice was flat.

“Within…reason.” The breath that Chrysalis took in gurgled past the back of her throat. She never took her eyes off of Cadance. “Fleur, I will see you tomorrow morning in my office—not my chambers, but my office. Dapifer will see you in and we can begin our planning.” Another breath went in past the edge in her throat. “Then, Cadance, I will contact you when you are needed. Don’t bother showing your face to me before then.” Finally, Chrysalis pulled back. “And then we shall see, Princess. Then we shall see.”

The rubble on the floor shattered beneath the heavy hoof falls as Chrysalis exited the room. Both of the other mares simply stood and watched in silence until the last echo of the changeling’s exit had faded.

“You are a braver mare than I,” Fleur said.

“Tell me about it.” Cadance let loose a full breath and her body seemed to sag slightly. “I think it worked, though.”

“Oh, I would say it worked.” Fleur moved up to stand alongside Cadance. “I think the rivalry she was feeling with Celestia is suddenly on the back burner.”

“It just has to be for a little while,” she answered. “Both Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna needed the break. I can handle this kind of thing for a little while.”

Fleur turned to look at her. “Are you sure?”

“I…yeah. Yeah, I’m sure,” Cadance answered.

“I’m going to be there to help.” Fleur’s voice took on an edge of compassion. “And hunting down this hive is going to keep her distracted.”

“And that’s a whole different level of fun,” Cadance said. “Plus, I get to explain all of this to my husband back home.”

“Well, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Cade,” Fleur said as she put her hoof on the alicorn’s withers.

Cadance looked over at her with a twisted muzzle. “No, I didn’t.”

“I meant this particular job. The Chrysalis one.” Fleur corrected.

Looking up, Cadance let her head bob in a shallow nod. “Okay, yeah, that one…”

The two mares looked at each other and after a moment started giggling softly. As one they began to walk towards the door, chuckling with every step.

* * * * * * * * * *

As the door shut to the Princess’ personal chamber, Luna’s horn lit up, casting the room in a bright glow tinged with deep blue.

“What was that?” Celestia asked.

“I’ve sealed the room,” Luna explained. “A collective spell. It will take both of our magic to unseal the doors so that we can exit. The time has come to resolve this matter between us, Tia.”

Celestia smiled. “Luna, if either of us truly wanted to get out of this room, the walls themselves couldn’t hold us in.”

“True, but think of it as a gesture.” Luna took a deep breath and stared at her wife. “I feel odd asking you this, but…how have you been, Tia?”

They stared at each other for a lingering time. Celestia swallowed roughly, forcing a smile to her face.

“Miserable,” Celestia said finally. “I’ve been miserable.”

“Let us talk, shall we?” Luna said. “Do you want to sit down?”

“Not really. Standing here is just as good for me,” Celestia replied.

Luna turned and walked across the room, standing with her back to her sister. Even from her perspective Celestia could see every labored breath as Luna gathered herself. Eventually she turned around, her face a piece of stone.

“What happened?” There was a harsh edge to Luna’s voice.

Celestia’s face scrunched into a tight point. “What…what happened? Are you serious?”

“Yes! I want you to tell me what it was that made you so…so distant lately.” Luna took a couple of steps forward, and each step saw her face become slightly more intense.

There was a visible tremor that ran over Celestia before she thrust her wing out, pointing it towards the heart of the castle. “She happened! You LET her happen!”

“I what?!” Luna reared up and stared at her wife. “And just how was it that I was able to ‘let her happen?’”

“Every time I saw you, she was there.” Celestia took her own step forward, and her face took on a golden glow. “Even if she wasn’t there physically, she was with you. In your head. Always standing there putting herself between us!”

“You put her there!” Luna paced forward, coming to stand in front of Celestia. “Chrysalis is a Princess of Equestria now and as such is going to be a part of our lives. That was the cost of having her work with us to fight Empress Coldheart! A price you agreed to! I wanted to send her away, remember?”

“You are the one who made that agreement! And we cannot simply go back on such a promise! You know that!” Celestia snorted. “But it isn’t the fact that she is a princess that is the problem. It’s the way you’ve let her into your head!”

“I did no such thing! She and I worked together, and you were the one who—”

“YOU CALLED OUT HER NAME!” Celestia screamed in Luna’s face, stopping the dark mare in mid-sentence. A light froth formed at the corner of Celestia’s mouth, and her breath was harsh and ragged. “You called out her name.”

“What?” The sound of Luna’s voice was almost completely hollow.

Celestia turned away, moving a couple of steps to the side and staring down to the floor. “One day while we were making love. When you…when you orgasmed. You called out her name.”

They didn’t look at each other. Celestia’s eyes focused on the ground in front of her while Luna stared up blankly at nothing. There was no sound in the room, not even the sound of breathing—or tears. It was a blanket of nothing.

Until Luna’s voice broke through.

“So what?” she growled.

Celestia stiffened. Her neck pulled up and her wings pulled away from her body. With a hard click on the floor with every step, she turned around to face her sister once more.

“What did you say?” Celestia’s voice matched her continence.

“What difference does it matter what I said? It was, very literally, in the passion of the moment. Until a minute ago, I didn’t even know I said it,” Luna snarled.

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Celestia screamed. “It tore my heart out, Luna! You called out HER name!”

“And how many times have I caught you with another mare?!” Luna’s voice topped her sister’s, causing Celestia to recoil.

“What? Th-that’s ridiculous!” Her eyes traced up and down Luna’s body. “I would never…” She stopped herself.

“In your dreams, Tia,” Luna said in a much softer tone. “I doubt you remember them. You might even remember them being with me, but that isn’t always the case.”

“You go into my dreams? Luna, I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t do that!” Shock laced Celestia’s voice.

The sigh that came from Luna was half shrug and half apology. “I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t going to tell you. I just…I wanted to share that part of your life too, Tia.” She smiled. “I do have problems with being a bit rebellious at times, remember?”

For a moment Celestia’s mouth hung open, but she finally closed it and stood back up, ruffling her wings and laying them down on her side gently. “Fine, but what happens in my dreams is different from what happens in the real world.”

“Not for me,” Luna answered. “I don’t dream. I can’t. When I sleep I visit others in their dreams. I don’t have the luxury of having any of my own.” She shook her head. “So I live my dreams—and I let one slip out.”

Stepping softly, Luna walked up to once again face her sister directly. “It was a fantasy, Tia. Nothing else. Since the experience with the changeling poison, I have had nothing to do with Chrysalis. Not intimately.”

“But you wanted to,” Celestia said.

“No. No, I fantasized about it. Chrysalis has a…a raw quality to her. A primal nature that appeals to, well, to the darkest side of me. Nightmare Moon would have taken her in as an ally in a heartbeat. That side of me still wants that to happen, but it’s a fantasy, Tia.” Luna brought her head down and rested it beside her sister’s, rubbing their cheeks together. “I love you, Celestia. Only you.”

Celestia pressed her muzzle up against Luna’s. “You’re certain? As much as I hate it, if you aren’t happy with me, then—”

“I’m certain, Tia. I’ve been certain since she tried to kiss me the other night,” Luna whispered.

Immediately Celestia pulled back and stared into Luna’s eyes. “She did what?”

“You heard me,” Luna laughed. “It was all I needed to jolt me back to reality and out of fantasy. I realized that all she saw me as was a conquest. There was no warmth.”

“You weren’t attracted to her warmth,” Celestia said.

“No,” Luna agreed with a shake of her head. “I was aroused by her. Drawn to her raw sexuality and ability to be so…overpowering—at least sexually. What she lacked was the emotion I truly needed—that I still need. The emotion that I can only get from you. I was being stupid.”

Celestia swallowed visibly. “Well, I have to tell you that you were not the only pony being…stupid.”

“Go on,” Luna hummed.

“The other night, I… It was late, and I was having a bad night, and…” Celestia took in a deep breath and held it.

“Say it, Tia,” Luna urged.

“I slept with Cadance,” Celestia muttered weakly.

One of Luna’s eyebrow’s tented high on her forehead. “I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t know what happened. How it happened. I was just… It was a moment of weakness. I regretted it immediately, especially since I…” The words trailed off.

“Since you what?” Luna’s voice was surprisingly level.

“Since I…” she took a deep breath again. “Since I used the toy that I had made for you—with her.”

Luna’s eyes fell into shadow. “That does upset me.”

“I’m sorry! Luna, I am so sorry! And don’t blame Cadance, none of this is her fault. I just—”

“I’m not mad, Tia,” Luna said calmly. “In fact, if I had know that a tryst with Cadance was an option, I’d have suggested it a long time ago. I’ve wanted to pry into that plot for a while now.”

“Luna!” Celestia gasped.

“Oh, please. She’s gorgeous. I’ve watched her walking away more times than I can remember.” Luna jostled her head to snap back to the other matter. “Besides, I seem to recall you and Twilight Sparkle sharing in a moment together not that long ago—more than once, actually. You’re not quite as chaste as you like to think you are, Tia,” Luna laughed.

“That was different! We weren’t married!” Celestia replied.

“I’m aware of that, but having a ring doesn’t make infidelity a greater crime. If you cheat on somepony, you cheat.” Luna shrugged. “I’ve always known you would have a wandering…eye.”

Celestia gasped. And then snorted. And then made a sound not too far from a whinny as she shook out her mane. “I feel you have misjudged me. I am faithful to you.”

“Yes, you are,” Luna moved around to stand beside Celestia, bringing them both facing the same direction. “You are also very prone to your libido. Just because you fuck another pony, doesn’t mean that you don’t love me and won’t be sharing your life with me.”

“Luna! Don’t say it that crudely,” Celestia chided, glancing up and down at her sister. “And I cannot believe that you are being so…cavalier about this. The thought of you having sex with Chrysalis almost destroyed our relationship.”

“Only because it was Chrysalis, I think. If it were anypony—and I mean that almost literally—other than Chrysalis, I’m not sure it would have upset you so much,” Luna said.

A sharp breath came out of Celestia. “It’s not so much her as how she just…” She took a deep breath. “For a queen, Chrysalis shows very little in the way of courtliness.”

“It’s just her nature, Tia. The changeling world is different than ours. More harsh. She has to be the same or it will overcome her,” Luna answered. She then drew herself up and tapped her hoof lightly. “Which reminds me…”

“What?” Celestia looked to her sister curiously.

“Nature. We’ve got to stop this silliness,” Luna said. “I think it has played a major part is what happened to us over the past few weeks.”

“Our nature? Would you please explain what you mean?”

“It means that, as much as I appreciate you letting me explore my submissive side, as well as your dominant side on my account—”

“Which I did very well!” Celestia added.

“—that the past few days have reminded me one thing.” Luna’s eyes glazed over teal. “I am not a submissive. You are. We are denying ourselves, Tia. By doing that we are only putting more pressure on the two of us, and with everything else…” She shook her head. “It isn’t a good idea.”

“You weren’t enjoying yourself?” A fragile tone hid behind Celestia’s words.

“Quite the opposite,” Luna answered. “I was having a wonderful time, in fact. Perhaps from time to time, it might be nice to…switch. To change things up for a night. Allow each of us to take on that alternate role.”

“I…would like that, actually,” Celestia answered, and Luna could see a tinge of pink on her sister’s white cheeks.

Luna sighed. “And perhaps…perhaps you should be the one on the central throne when it is rebuilt.”

A wide, warm smile dawned on Celestia’s face. “And why would I want that?”

“Because you are meant to rule!” Luna snapped. “Since I took the throne there has been nothing but chaos in this castle. You wouldn’t have let that happen.”

“Really?” Celestia chuckled. “I think that, for one thing, you very seriously overestimate my abilities, but even more, you underestimate your own.” Raising her wings up, Celestia bowed her head. “It was your wisdom to restructure Equestria to match the current ruling body.” She looked back up. “I was too stagnant to see it. I will gladly sit beside you and aid in your decisions, but let’s keep you in the central position. At least until Chrysalis is accustomed to her new role as well.”

“You want her to learn her place, then?” Luna raised an eyebrow.

“So to speak,” Celestia laughed again. “If she’s having to deal with me directly, then…well, we’ve seen how that ends, haven’t we?”

“And how should I deal with you directly, Tia?” Luna asked.

Celestia took a deep breath. “Equestria is yours. You tell me what role I can best serve.”

“I know the exact role for you,” Luna said. “It’s one that you should be very familiar with, despite a lack of recent experience.”

“Really? What position are you suggesting for me?” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“I’m suggesting that you prepare to be lying on your back while I grind my cunt down over your muzzle, that way while you are showing your Mistress how much you appreciate her, I can torment you in any way I see fit.” Luna pulled up her lip, showing a bit of fang.

“I…see.” Celestia’s tail lifted up behind her.

“Why don’t you go fetch that toy you were telling me about. The one that you abused by allowing Cadance to use it first.” Luna lifted her muzzle higher and narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps I should punish her for that, as well. You’ve already had her, so she should at least get a chance to experience the better of us.”

“If that’s what you feel is best…Mistress.” The word came with some hesitance, but filled with an undeniable hope.

“It’s not your place to question me.” Luna’s voice took on a sharper edge. “You will be punished for that, slave. Now, what are you standing there for? I told you what I wanted. Step to it!”

Moving to stand directly in front of her wife, Celestia’s head lowered to the ground with her wings spread wide out to either side. “Thank you, Mistress!”

Keeping her eyes diverted to the ground, Celestia backed away from Luna and then turned to head toward’s the cabinet to retrieve the magical toy. Three steps in, just as she was about to break into a trot, she stopped. Turning around completely, Celestia stared straight into her sister’s eyes. She felt her heart tremble.

“I love you, Luna,” Celestia said softly.

“And I love you, Tia. I always will,” Luna answered with a warm smile. After a moment, she raised one eyebrow, the smile turned colder, and turned her head slightly. “Well?”

Celestia dropped her eyes once more. “Yes, Mistress!”

As Celestia moved away, Luna smiled and let out the long sigh she had been holding in. She watched her wife as she walked away, moving across the room to retrieve a special gift for them to share. They were together. They were as they were meant to be, and that was enough.

In fact, that was the only thing that truly mattered.

* * * * * * * * * *

Epilogue One

She groaned. Apple Bloom was sure that she heard her groan. Instantly, Apple Bloom was at the side of the bed, hovering over the figure resting in it.

“Applejack?” she asked softly.

Despite the groan, Apple Bloom didn’t want to push. The first thought that Apple Bloom had when they brought Applejack out of the maze of tunnels was that her sister was dead. She was nothing more than a frail shell. All of her ribs, her shoulders, her hip bones, and even some of the bones in her neck were visible from the outside. It was like she was a skeleton with a thin skin stretched over it, but no meat—no muscle.

And Applejack was the lucky one. There was a funeral for both Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, but the caskets were closed. They didn’t even have Apple Bloom identify them. Apparently, Twilight Sparkle’s familiarity with her world’s version of the Apple Family was enough for officials here.

Naturally, Apple Bloom protested. She wanted to see her big brother and granny. She wanted that chance to make sure the ponies they brought out actually were her family and not somepony who just looked a little like them. Twilight said that she had to use magic to properly identify them, but even so it didn’t seem fair that she couldn’t get that last moment.

Twilight Sparkle had her own issues to deal with, after all. The first pony she brought out with her was Superintendent Trueblood. She was alive, but very badly hurt. Just like her, Twilight had been spending the past week doing nothing but sleeping in the room with the Superintendent.

The biggest difference was that Twilight was able to talk to Trueblood. All Apple Bloom could do was watch and wait. Twilight had been nice enough to come into the room at least once a day to check on both of them. Apple Bloom could tell that she cared—genuinely cared—but she couldn’t do anything to wake up Applejack.

The doctors said they thought Applejack would make a full recovery, but every time they said it, Apple Bloom could only focus on one word: thought. That meant they weren’t sure, and that terrified her more than Eidolon—or as Twilight kept calling her, Sombra—ever did.

“Applejack, can ya hear me?” Her voice was low and gentle.

Apple Bloom wanted the first thing her sister to see to be her. To be a member of the Apple Family.

Her mind kept wandering back to that mare. The mare that did this to her. It didn’t matter what anypony wanted to call her, she was the same twisted monster by any name. Twilight told her not to worry. That she had taken care of her, but that wasn’t an answer, and she was getting very tired of unicorns and alicorns and all those ponies with them treating her like she was just somepony to pat on the head and set aside. Twilight claimed to know her family, but she might not understand what it truly meant to be an Apple.

If that mare—that Sombra—was still out there somewhere, she was going to find her. She was going to make her understand the true strength of the Apple Family.

“Apple Bloom?”

The words were so soft that she wasn’t sure she heard them. The young mare looked down at her sister and her eyes widened. Right there, right on the bed, she opened her eyes. Not much, but just enough to see back up. Just enough so that their eyes met.

“Applejack?” Apple Bloom felt her cheeks grow damp. “Ah’m right here!”

She turned her head away and shouted at the door. “Nurse! Nurse, she’s up! She said mah name!”

The youngest Apple looked back at her sister. Applejack’s eyes were closed once more and Apple Bloom watched her tears trail down onto the sheets below. Her hooves grabbed Applejack’s forehoof and held onto it tightly.

“Don’t go nowhere, AJ. Don’t you leave me now!” she insisted.

Her sister’s mouth moved, causing Apple Bloom to lean in closely to hear the faint words. “…real tired. Ah hope your real. Ah can’t take no more lyin’.”

“Ah’m real, sis. Ah’m right here, and Ah ain’t leavin’ you no way, no how.” Apple Bloom buried her muzzle into her sister’s neck, weeping openly. “Ah ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

She could hear the medical staff rushing in through the door, but there was no way that she was going to move or look away. Applejack was alive. They would have to drag her out of the room if they wanted her gone, and that wasn’t going to be a good idea for any of them.

* * * * * * * * * *

Epilogue Two

“Did you hear? Applejack woke up.” Twilight’s voice was light and cheery as she trotted into the room.

“Somepony told me,” Trueblood answered. She turned herself around from the window, wheeling into position to look at Twilight. “I’m glad.”

Cantering over to her, Twilight bent over slightly and gave her marefriend a quick kiss hello. The room was bright and airy, filled almost to overflowing with flowers and balloons. “How are you feeling today?”

Trueblood looked down at the chair she was sitting in. It was hospital issue, but they said a custom one was being made for her. They came in to measure her for it two days ago, in fact. It seemed like a long process, but they said it was only the beginning. Lots of adjustments still to come.

She looked back up at Twilight. “Just sitting here,” she joked.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight smiled—awkwardly. “I’m glad you can make a joke.”

“Beats the idea of me crying or screaming about it,” she answered. “How about you? Have you had any luck?”

“Not really,” Twilight’s smile became even weaker. “I’ve been going through the tunnels trying to find more things Sombra had hidden in there, but the memories I got from her faded very quickly. I can’t recall what she had done, and the place is a maze. I was hoping that magic would help me find anypony else that she might have locked away, but the whole thing is shielded somehow. I guess it was to keep her hidden from any magical detection.”

“Yeah, and it worked. Well, I’m sure you’ll find anypony that’s left,” Trueblood held out her hoof and Twilight took it in her own.

“I almost hate to say this, but I hope not.” Twilight shook her head. “After what we’ve already found, I’m not sure I could stomach much more.”

“You can. Any sign of Sombra herself?”

The weak smile came back. “I told you, she’s not there. She’s…gone. I sent her away.”

“Where?” Trueblood asked. “Where did you send her?”

“I don’t know!” Twilight pulled away, taking a few steps back. “I was angry and scared and I just…. I don’t know where I sent her.”

“Hey. Hey, it’s okay, Sparky. I was just seeing if anything had come to you about it,” Trueblood’s voice was calm and reassuring.

“It’s not okay! If I hadn’t just stood there, then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt! You’re in that chair because of me!” Twilight’s wings ruffled out.

“No!” Trueblood wheeled forward. “I’m in this chair because of HER. You didn’t do this to me, she did. And if you hadn’t been there, who knows what she might have done.”

“If I hadn’t been her, then….”

Trueblood gave her a chance to continue before she spoke. “Then what?”

“Then she wouldn’t have had access to alicorn magic. She wouldn’t have been able to do…whatever it was she did. Use that magic to syphon off some of mine. Use that crystal. Tap into the heart. Become what she became.” Twilight shook her head. “All of this is my fault.”

“Have you found out anything about her?” Trueblood asked.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I got a message to Trixie, who looked through the archives in the Crystal Empire. There are no records of King Sombra having any descendants. He never married. I’m not sure that she came from there at all. We don’t know who she really is still.”

“Maybe not. She was…well, not to sound rude, but she was nuts! I’m not sure she really knew who she was or where she came from. The idea that Sombra was her ancestor might have come from anywhere. A book. A story. All we know is that she was fanatically loyal to Fantasia, to the point where she actually wanted to become her.”

“I know,” Twilight said. “I’m guessing that when Coldheart left and went to my world, she suddenly felt abandoned and alone. She wanted everything back the way that she thought it was supposed to be, I guess. She was as lost as anypony in the passages behind the walls. Those tunnels ran everywhere. I’ve seen some like that back home, but I never knew they were quite that extensive. She had access to everything.”

“She was a sad creature,” Trueblood said with a shake of her head. “Fantasia always took a perverse pleasure from taking creatures apart and trying to put them back together. I wonder how many times she did that to that poor mare?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight’s body sagged a little as she stared at her marefriend. “How can you be like this? You sound more like you feel sorry for her than you’re mad at her.”

Trueblood laughed. “I am. I grew up with Fantasia, remember? I know what kind of monster she is, and just how much that can affect a pony. I was the lucky one because she couldn’t use her magic on me. This Sombra mare didn’t have that.” Her face contorted slightly. “Speaking of which, you’ve been keeping an eye on Fantasia, right? She’s still secure?”

“Frozen solid.” Twilight nodded. “As far as I can tell there’s been no visible or magical change to her. So, at least we have that going for us.”

A long moment passed between them.

“Sparky? Why did you come here?” Trueblood’s voice was soft, but far from gentle. “Why did you become an alicorn?”

Twilight stared at her and swallowed. Twice she took a deep breath, but as far as Trueblood could tell, she never let the air back out. “I had to.”

“That’s not an answer. It’s okay, Sparky, you can tell me.” She forced a smile on her face.

Another deep breath caused Twilight to close her eyes. “To check on you. To check on Coldheart. To make sure that…to make sure that no pony was coming through into our world.”

“You know they weren’t. We monitor that sort of thing,” Trueblood answered. “And you didn’t need to be an alicorn to check on that.”

“I did.” Twilight turned her head, looking away. “I wasn’t just checking on what we monitor, I was here to get to the heart. To…” She looked back at Trueblood. “There’s been an invasion in my world. Another one. A new hive of changelings has appeared, and we don’t know where they came from. We thought there was a chance that Chrysalis—your Chrysalis—had come through to our world. That she had tapped into Coldheart’s magic again and become something very dangerous. We can’t let that happen.”

Trueblood blinked. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me that when you got here?”

“Because I couldn’t. There was no way to be sure that you were actually you, or that you weren’t under her mind control.” Twilight said. “I’m sorry.”

Trueblood frowned. “You couldn’t tell? I mean, we did kinda sleep together.”

“Oh, I knew it was you almost immediately,” Twilight’s smile was weak, “but it’s much tougher to tell if a changeling is mind-controlling somepony. They were able to do it to our princesses back home.” Twilight sighed. “I became an alicorn to help defend against that happening when I came here. That and to…”

“To what?” Trueblood leaned in. “To do what, Twilight?”

“To…get rid of the heart. To take it away from you.” Her voice cracked. “That’s what the spell that got rid of Sombra was for. I was supposed to use it on the heart.”

The words ran through Trueblood’s head for a moment. “Why? If you were able to tell it wasn’t Chrysalis, then why get rid of the heart?”

“To protect us.” A tear ran down Twilight’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“You were going to come here and just…get rid of it? You weren’t going to tell me? You weren’t going to ask me? Nothing?” Trueblood’s body pulled forward, dragged by her hooves.

“No. No, I wasn’t. I couldn’t. If I did, then you might have talked me out of it,” Twilight wept.

“So, you didn’t even trust me to understand?” Her eyes narrowed.

“I did! I do! I just….” She dropped her head. “I’m sorry.”

Trueblood’s chest swelled and relaxed as she sat back in her chair. “What about now? Are you still going to get rid of the heart?”

“I…I can’t. I could only cast that spell once. It’s too late.” Twilight’s eyes drooped as she stared at her marefriend. “Forgive me? Please?”

“That’s…” Trueblood hesitated. “Don’t worry, Sparky. I love you. I can work through this, but this hurts. A lot more than being in this chair, actually.”

“I’m sorry.” Twilight repeated.

“I know. I know, and I accept that. I just have to let this sit in my mind, and my heart, for a bit.” She looked over at her. “Don’t ever lie to me again, though. Not like this.”

“I won’t! I swear it!” Twilight took a step forward. “From now on you’ll know everything. I won’t be keeping any secrets.”

“Good. We already had one pony who was skulking around this place in secret, I don’t need another one.” Trueblood forced a smile onto her face. “Hey, at least you are better looking than her. Of course, she was completely malformed, so you have a slight edge.”

“Almost,” Twilight replied. “She was almost completely malformed. Her teeth were perfect.”

“Really? Huh.” Trueblood mused that over. “I suppose my mother wanted something to remind her that she once was…whatever she was. I wonder if she was pretty before?”

“She certainly had a pretty smile.” Twilight smiled and stepped closer to Trueblood. Her heart fluttered in hope. “It doesn’t matter what she was, though. It matters what she became. Right?”

Reaching out, Trueblood took Twilight’s hoof once more. “Sparky, we’re going to be okay.”

Twilight fell into Trueblood, wrapping her hooves around her in a full hug. One that lingered.

“Sparky?” Trueblood whispered. “I can’t breathe.”

“Oh!” Twilight jumped back and ran her hooves over Trueblood’s withers, straightening her coat. “I’m sorry.”

“You’ve gotten strong,” Trueblood said.

“Yeah,” Twilight muttered. “Alicorn.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.”

It started as a snicker, but soon enough, both mares were laughing at each other’s side.

* * * * * * * * * *

Epilogue Three

“Knock, knock?” The door creaked open and Fleur stuck her head inside.

“Come in!” Cadance was standing beside the bed, closing up the last of her luggage. “I’m just finishing.”

“When is your train?” Fleur crossed the room, her hooves slipping one in front of the other, causing her hips to sway more than just slightly.

“In an hour.” Cadance levitated the piece of luggage to rest with the others near the door of her quarters. “I’ve just got enough time to say my good-byes and then leave.” She trotted over to Fleur and wrapped her hoof around the mare’s neck. “So, I guess you get the first official farewell.”

“Not farewell,” Fleur replied. “We’re going to be seeing too much of each other for this to be a farewell. It’s more of a…have a good trip.”

Cadance pulled back, laughing. “I suppose so.” She motioned to the door and opened it with her magic. Taking the cue, Fleur stepped out with Cadance right behind. “So, how are things going with Princess Chrysalis?”

“Well enough, I suppose. She’s made it clear that I’m working for her, not you, and that she expects quick action on this whole Legion Hive matter,” Fleur said in a cool, husky voice. “I don’t think she likes you very much.”

Cadance smiled. “Well, that was the plan. And it seems to have worked. Luna and Celestia seem to be very happy once more.”

“Yes, which is wonderful. Celestia means the world to me. I’ve admired her since I was a filly. I’m just glad that she and Luna have some peace now, thanks, in part, to our effort. But then, Chrysalis is easy to manipulate,” Fleur said.

“I beg your pardon?” Cadance’s eyes fluttered.

Fleur looked over at her. “Her ego. If you play to it, she barely notices that you are tricking her. It’s like when she caught me in her room while I was searching it. She thought I was there for her, so I started to play on it. And the fact that I kept reinforcing her position—calling her ‘Your Highness’ with every opportunity—just made her feel more and more in control.” She shrugged. “It was fairly simple.”

Cadance’s eyes stopped fluttering and became huge. “Wow. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

Fleur chuckled. “You don’t have to worry, Princess. I have pledged my life to Equestria, which means I will always honor those who rule it—so long as they are loyal to Equestria themselves. I will do everything in my power to make sure that Equestria and its princesses are safe.”

“Good. It’s comforting to know that somepony like you is out there.” Cadance smiled over at Fleur.

“Thank you.” Fleur smiled back at the princess.

Her teeth were perfect.

THE END