Angel or demon?

It was nighttime and the moon shone high in the starry sky, bathing the land with its silver light. For many this was the time to rest after a long day of work, but for Princess Celestia sleeping was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

Dressed in a white dress with golden finishing, the white alicorn walked at a quick pace through the corridor, the clicking of her heels on the marble floor being the only sound to accompany her at this late hour. Her long legs allowed her to cover more distance in a single step than what one of her subjects would do without running, each step causing her big breasts to bounce slightly. Her face, usually adorned by a warm serene smile, now bore a serious expression. Those who knew her well could tell by a look at her magenta eyes that something seemed to trouble her, and the way her ethereal mane and tail waved behind her more agitated than usual, partially hiding her big angelic wings, seemed to confirm it.

A pair of guards wearing the armor with the colors of her sister were guarding the glass door leading to the gardens. The moment they saw her, the two guards snapped to attention and, once realizing her intentions, they dutifully opened the door. The princess didn't slow her pace, but nodded in acknowledgment to the two ponies while she passed through the threshold. The fresh air of the night welcomed her as soon as she set step outside, but she barely noticed it as she made her way through the royal gardens.

Given the size of the royal gardens, it took her several minutes to reach her destination. Of course, she would have arrived more quickly if she had flew with her wings or even used her magic to teleport, but using her legs offered advantages. The content of the last report from the Crystal Empire had been shocking to say the least, and the emergency council that had followed had just managed to make her even more worried. Walking gave her the opportunity to clear her mind a bit.

‘Stop trying to fool yourself,’ she thought. ‘You know the real reason why you chose to walk is because you want to delay this meeting as much as possible.’

She passed through a gap in a tall hedgerow, leading to a secluded area of the park, a sort of backstage for the gardens where parties usually took place.

The air here smelled of freshly cut grass and loose soil, so different from the smell of ink and paper of her office, but not in an unpleasant way.

After a bit more wandering, she finally found the pony she was looking for. The gardener was mulching a flower bed housing big blue luminescent mushrooms, humming a familiar tune. Despite a voice inside her mind telling her to make haste, she waited patiently until the pony completed his task, before cleaning her throat to attract his attention. The young stallion turned his head curiously, but when he realized who she was, he hastily got back on his feet and bowed.

“Good evening, your Highness,” he saluted politely with a friendly smile.

“Good evening, Autumn Harvest,” she responded, reciprocating the smile. The sight of a gardener working so late would have been a strange occurrence in other circumstances, but Autumn was a case apart, as he was helping with a special project.

“How may I serve you, princess?” he asked.

“Uh, is Selena nearby?” Celestia asked somewhat awkwardly, briefly darting her gaze around. ‘Of course she is, you royal idiot.’ Due to the special situation of the mare, she wasn’t allowed to wander freely around, and when she left her quarters, it was always under direct surveillance of a squad of her best guards. Celestia knew it perfectly. After all, she had been the one to establish the procedures about how to deal with their… special guest. The princess however asked it anyway. It helped to give an illusion of normality, at least for the sake of the young gardener.

If Autumn noticed any changes in her behavior, he didn’t show it. “She’s in the greenhouse, princess. I’ll lead you to her, if you want,” he offered, pointing with a thumb behind him.

“Yes, please.”

The stallion nodded and gestured to follow him. He was tall, not as much as Applejack’s brother, but still taller than average. He had a nice muscular physique, the evident result of a life spent working outdoors. His coat was a soft chestnut brown and his short hair was blond like ripe wheat. His clothes consisted of a pair of green overalls, worn over a black shirt with rolled up sleeves, and a pair of garden boots.

It wasn’t a long walk to the greenhouse. It was an elegant rectangular structure, roughly the size of three tennis courts, built in wrought iron and clear crystal coming directly from the Crystal Empire. In the surroundings of the structure there were several guards tasked with securing the area and keeping an eye on the pony working inside the greenhouse.

Autumn Harvest opened the door out of courtesy to the princess and they both stepped inside.

The interior of the greenhouse was spacious and well equipped, with two lines of wooden benches neatly lined along its length. Some of the benches were empty, others were covered with flower pots with plants in differents stages of development, ranging from seedlings to full grown specimens. Even a pony without any experience in botany could easily tell that none of these were ordinary plants, given that some didn’t even exist in nature.

In front of one of the workbenches, showing her shoulders to the entrance, there was a mare who was planting blue striped bulbs in some pots. The mare was a unicorn, apparently a few years older than Autumn, dressed in an attire similar to his, only with blue overalls. She had a blue coat with shoulder-length cerulean hair. Autumn Harvest coughed to attract the attention of the mare. “Selena? You have visitors.”

The mare paused her actions and turned, revealing her eyes. The irises were round, like those of every other pony, but where the eyes were supposed to be white, they were teal instead. Celestia did her best not to look perturbed, but every time she saw the mare, she felt a cold shiver run down her spine. There was only one pony with that kind of eyes...

“Oh, Celestia. I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” the mare said neutrally with a straight face, without bothering to bow or perform any other kind of gesture of deference. Around her neck she wore what at a first glance appeared to be a simple choker with a small sapphire, but Celestia knew that it was actually an inhibitor collar. “So, what brings you here? Did you come to see the latest results of my work?” the unicorn asked casually, gesturing to a row of pots arranged ordinately on a nearby bench, each one containing a tulip. The plants were rather unusual, with blue leaves and flowers that glowed of a gentle purple light. “I’m quite satisfied of the result, although I think there’s still room for improvement. Maybe the leaves could have silver veins?”

“As much as I’d like to discuss magic botany, I came here to talk with you about a delicate matter, Selena,” Celestia said.

The unicorn studies the visage of the princess. Her face would have put a poker player to shame, but the blue mare was good at reading facial expressions and she was able to tell that Celestia was worried.

“I see,” she said slowly with a dry tone. Her face suddenly brightened, before she turned to the stallion. “Autumn? Would you be so nice to leave us for a bit? You know, mares talk.”

“Uh-” the stallion seemed to hesitate a moment, as if worried to leave Selena alone with the princess, but the smile of Selena seemed to reassure him. “Sure. Call me, if you need anything,” he said, before saluting the princess. “Your highness.”

The alicorn nodded to him in return, her gaze lingering discreetly on him as he walked away.

When she looked back to the other mare, she saw that she was looking at her with an annoyed expression. “What? The great princess of the sun is afraid that I’ll try to overthrow her with an army composed by a single gardener?” Selena asked sarcastically. “Don’t worry, I’m not gathering followers.”

“That’s not-!” Celestia paused to recompose herself. “I was not implying anything like that. I’m just pleased to see that there is somepony that seems to care for you.”

The unicorn pursed her lips and gave her a dismissive look. “Umpf, I guess. He’s a bit naive, and sometimes he can really be annoying, but he’s the only one that doesn’t seem to be afraid of me.”

“Everypony needs a friend,” Celestia commented.

Selena rolled her eyes and snorted. She removed her gardening gloves and placed them on the table, focusing completely on the princess.

“So, can we stop this pathetic and awkward attempt of a friendly conversation and instead get to the reason that forced you to speak with the mare that you despise the most?” Selena asked with a provocatory smirk, crossing her arms under her modest chest.

“I-” Damn, why was it so difficult to say something so simple? “I need your help.”

“Really?” The unicorn stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “The great princess Celestia comes to ask help from me of all ponies. Ah. How amusing.” She smiled, as if she was the only one to see the irony of the situation.

The princess tried to keep her composure, but a mix of different emotions flashed briefly in her eyes. Embarrassment, humiliation, guilt, and if Selena read correctly, anger. Well, at least Celestia was being honest.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. You don’t even have to say anything. I know what really lies behind your perfect mask of serenity, as well as what you would really say when instead you are forced to tell all those sappy speeches about second chances and redemption in front of your subjects. You do not trust me and probably never will, not that I can really blame you for this. Given our story, if it had been up to you, you would have ordered my execution a long time ago. The only reason I’m still alive is the circumstances behind my existence in the first place. You hoped that on that night I would have been wiped away forever, only to become a horrible distant memory. A nightmare.”

That last word, pronounced by the mare in front of her, made Celestia flinch visibly.

“So, what would the problem be?” Selena asked innocently, deciding she had teased the princess enough.

“It’s the Crystal Empire.”

“What happened? The overgrown lizard of your student started eating it?”

“He’s back,” Celestia said seriously, looking the mare straight in the eyes.

Selena looked at her in confusion. “Who are you- no.” She looked at the princess in a brief display of surprise and incredulity when she realized who Celestia was talking about. “No, it can’t be. The Crystal Heart killed him. From what you told me, he literally exploded.”

“And yet, by means completely unknown, King Sombra somehow survived, and now the Empire is under his control.”

“Hmm. You have to give him credit. Taking over an entire country all by himself is not an easy feat. I know it from direct experience.”

Ignoring the mare’s remark, Celestia continued her tale. “According from the reports that I received from my agent before he was captured, he’s building an army to wage war against Equestria, using the citizens of the Empire as soldiers.”

“What’s so strange? I doubt he would have used them only to work in his mines. Although, I find it strange that they are willing to fight for him.”

“They don’t. They’re actually mind controlled. The armor that they are forced to wear suppresses their own free will and personality, turning them into mindless slaves that obey every single order of the king.”

This seemed to catch Selena’s interest. “Really? Interesting,” she muttered. “I guess that the armor is also enchanted to prevent magical manipulation, right?”

Celestia nodded. “There have been a couple of skirmishes across our borders during the last few hours. From what we have ascertained, the armor possess special crystals that protect them against most of the spells. Combat magic can still affect them to a certain degree, but all our attempts to remove them or cleanse them of the mind-control spell have proved to be unsuccessful.”

“Sombra may be crazy and cruel, but he’s not stupid. The Crystal War proved it.” The unicorn looked at the princess thoughtfully for a moment. “Speaking of which, I still can’t see where the problem is. You and your sister already defeated him in the past. You surely can do it again.” She paused, studying the alicorn. Celestia was powerful and there were few things on this world able to pose a match to her, especially now that Luna was back. “Unless there’s something that prevents you from going there in person.” A flash of suspicion crossed her mind. “Say, where is your niece?”

Celestia took a sharp breath, clenching her fists. If it wasn’t for the color of her fur, Selena would have probably seen her knuckles turn white.

“Cadence and Shining Armor are prisoners of Sombra,” she said with a barely audible tone, confirming Selena’s suspicions.

Selena nodded slowly. “I see. You fear that he will use them as leverage if you try to fight him like you did the first time, which he would probably do. He knows that in a direct combat he would be outmatched, so he wants to force you to engage him in a conventional conflict.”

“They are my family, Selena. And as much as the alternative pains me, I can’t bear the risk of losing them.”

“And you’re willing to risk a war just for them? Aww, how noble,” Selena said with a tone that dripped with sarcasm. “So, even the perfect princess of the sun is able to act egoistically for once, choosing her family over her country. Strange, considering what happened last time.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed dangerously and gave her a glare that would have set a tree on fire. “My actions were justified,” she hissed. “And do not dare to say I did it lightheartedly because it was the easiest thing to do. I’ve cried over my sister for centuries because of you.”

“Alright, alright. I crossed the line. You don’t like to be reminded of the past and there’s no point starting a verbal fight that none of us would win. But you have yet to explain why you came asking for my help.”

“There’s another reason why neither me and my sister, nor Twilight and her friends,” - she ignored the look of disgust of the unicorn at their mention - “can get close to Sombra. The king used his powers to corrupt the Crystal Heart, which now acts as a barrier against the avatars of harmony, both past and present.”

“And given that you and little Woona were the bearers of the Elements before those six fillies, none of you can get through the barrier,” Selena said, putting together the pieces of the puzzle. “Still, why me?”

“Your powers are... different. They should allow you to get inside the Empire without a problem. I need you to reach the Heart and break the spell, so that we can deal with Sombra once and forever.”

“Oh, no banishment or reformation using the magic of friendship?” Selena asked, pouting with faux disappointment.

“There’s no light in his heart. But I guess you know it from direct experience, right?” Celestia said innocently with a hint of a smirk, ignoring the dirty glare of the mare.

“You know, I want to punch your face so badly right now, but then I would be fined for damaging an archeological artifact.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “I’m not the only one to lie about the number of her birthday candles.”

“Hmm, touche. Jokes aside, this leaves only one question: why should I help you?”

“If you assist us, there will be benefits for you.”

“Oh? Really?” Selena raised a brow, showing mild interest. “What kind of benefits?”

“A revision of your custody conditions. You will receive a more spacious accommodation in one of the towers, the restrictions about the nature of the objects you may request will be less strict, and…” Celestia paused a moment to get the previous information sink in and stir the interest of the mare, “... you would no longer be relegated inside the castle. Your freedom of movement would be increased to the entire city of Canterlot, with even the possibility to visit certain locations of the country. Of course, you will always remain under strict surveillance and leave only with an escort of guards.”

“Mmm,” she hummed, assuming a contemplative expression. “Nah, I think I’ll pass.”

“Think about it. Do you really want to spend the rest of your existence behind the walls of this castle?”

Selena chuckled. “I’m not your dog, Celestia. Even if you were to give me a longer lash, I would still be a prisoner.”

“Can you really blame me?”

“No. But I still refuse your offer, if this is the best you can do.”

“Countless lives will be lost if you don’t help us,” Celestia said, trying to invoke the mare’s morals.

The unicorn snorted. “You speak of it as if I should care for their miserable lives. We both know that they’re nothing more than dust and shadows compared to us. We are superior to them in the same way they are superior to insects. They should be glad that we allow them to serve and die for us.”

Her words caused Celestia’s face to turn into a mask of anger, but taking a sharp deep breath the princess managed, although barely, to not explode. “I had almost forgotten that you don’t have a soul. Alright, what do you want then?”

“Ah, finally you asked it! But I think the answer is pretty simple, my dear.” Her hand moved to her neck, tapping the choker with her index. “Remove this collar and set me free.”

“NO!” Celestia shout vehemently with enough force in her voice to cause the crystal of the greenhouse to vibrate for a brief moment. “That’s absolutely unacceptable,” she said once she had regained control. “The best you can hope for is a reduction of the suppressive spell.”

“And how do you expect me to pass through Sombra’s defenses? Let me guess, you were planning to throw me over the wall with a catapult?”

“Do not try to insult my intelligence. We both know that even with a fraction of your powers you would be as powerful as Twilight was before her ascension.”

“And we all know how well your little precious perfect student fared when she faced the King last time,” Selena said with a condescending smile. The princess remained silent. “Consider this, then. You know what I’m able to do. Everypony knows it, it’s stuff of legend by now. Sombra, however… you and your sister stopped him before he was able to enact his plans. When you faced him last time, you only got a little taste of his power. Who knows what kind of surprises he has for you and your beloved little ponies.” The mare closed her eyes and smiled. “I can already see it. A king with delusions of grandeur and great powers, without minimal respect for life, with an army literally ready to die at his will. Hmm, sounds like your guards and the population of the future war zones will have lot of fun in the next future.” Selena reopened her eyes and locked her gaze with the one of the princess, her smirk never leaving her lips.

“I will think about it,” Celestia said neutrally after a bit.

Selena seemed satisfied. “Excellent. You know where to find me,” she said, returning to work on her plants. “Goodnight, Celestia,” she saluted without even looking at her.

“Goodnight, Selena.” Even if the mare was turned, Celestia could clearly see that she was smiling.

The alicorn left the greenhouse and walked toward a big oak tree located about a hundred meters from the crystal structure. Waiting for her under the shadow of the big tree was another alicorn. Dressed in a black and silver dress, she was a bit shorter than Celestia, with a dark blue fur and a mane that resembled the night sky. Her physique was a bit less curvaceous than her sister, looking instead more athletic.

“So? How did it go?” Luna asked, stepping out of the shadow of the branches and into the moonlight.

Celestia rubbed her face and told her sister her conversation with Selena.

“Are you sure it is the right decision, sister?” Luna asked, clearly skeptical after a few moments of silent reflection.

“No,” Celestia admitted, glancing back at the greenhouse. “But I fear it’s the only choice we have.”