Saviors of Equestria

Moonlight streamed through Twilight's window, falling on the purple mare as she tossed and turned uncomfortably in her starry sheets. Finally, giving up on trying to sleep at all, she got up and tip-toed down the stairs of her castle to her kitchen to get a glass of warm milk.

Settling down on one of the stools, she sipped the milk slowly. It churned uncomfortably in her stomach as she recalled the last conversation she had with the princesses, just a two months ago.

~~~

"Do you wish to join, Twilight?" Princess Celestia prompted, her vivid amethyst-colored eyes soft. Twilight glanced around in horror to Princess Luna, who was staring at her expectantly, and Princess Cadence, who flashed her a brilliant smile and nodded encouragingly. Twilight swallowed shakily, closing her eyes as pure stone-cold fear lanced through her.

"Y-You're asking me.. to join you, with.. with your depopulation plan.. and implement a 'perfect world' as you all see it?" Twilight stuttered, her mind swimming with all the things these princesses had told her.

Celestia nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips ever so slightly. "Yes, and so much more, Twilight. You will have a place in history if you join us and help create such a world. I promise, it will be for the good of every pony, you must believe me."

Cadence chimed in excitedly, saying, "Twilight, would it not be good to solve the world's problems? You can be Equestria's savior, you will be remembered by the masses!"

The purple mare's jaw dropped in disbelief. "How could depopulating the world and causing, what, a civil war in such a manner help?"

Princess Luna's teal gaze turned wintry. "If thou does not join, thou shall not be spared, Twilight. Think about it. Does thou want to meet such a gruesome end, with thine head under a guillotine's bloodstained blade? Because it will happen, Twilight Sparkle. There is no running from the all-seeing eye."

Twilight's head spun as she rose to her hooves, nausea crashing down on her mercilessly. "I-I-I can't! You're asking me to kill my neighbors, my family, my friends! You can't do this!" She looked around wildly, tears dripping from her purple eyes. Cadence's stare was full of pity, whilst Celestia's were overflowing with revulsion. She curled her lip, glaring daggers at her former student.

"Very well, Twilight. From now on, know I will not rest until I have you brought to me, and seen you and your harmony friends die in a pool of blood. Watch your back, Princess." Celestia spat the last word as if it were venom in her mouth.

She had trusted them, she had sacrificed herself countless times over for these ponies. She had helped them when Nightmare Moon struck, when Discord struck, and was made a princess. And what for? So she could be pushed into this inhumane plan? She had fallen for betrayal at it's finest.

~~~

Twilight shuddered, her blood turning to ice. For weeks, she had ordered her guards to consistently follow her anywhere she went (with an exception to bathrooms, of course) and keep watch at any possible entrance in the castle for fear of assassination. She had just recently ordered them to go back to regular duties.

She remembered very clearly though, that Princess Cadence seemed unwilling and sort of uncomfortable during the duration of the meeting. Maybe she doesn't agree, but is too scared to not join! Twilight thought, her eyes brightening.

Suddenly, hoof-steps coming down the stairs startled Twilight, making her almost drop the glass of lukewarm milk. It was Rainbow Dash.

The sky-blue pegasus rubbed her magenta eyes, yawning before catching sight of Twilight, who looked as if she were about to topple over. "Hey, Twi! Calm down, it's just me." She whispered, before trotting over to sit next to the alicorn. Twilight then briefly remembered that the group were staying in her castle that night, due to Twilight's paranoia of the princesses taking out her friends one at a time.

They all agreed happily, trying to cheer Twilight up and tell her that the Princesses couldn't do anything now, but it didn't help one bit.

"What are you doing up so late?" Rainbow asked, staring at Twilight intently. Twilight shook her head, signalling what Rainbow already knew.

"...It's about that, isn't it.." Rainbow murmured, her eyes glazing over before focusing on Twilight again. "Well, they can't get you! They'll have to get through me first!" The mare puffed out her chest, attempting to look heroic.

Twilight blushed, then chuckled slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching. The blue pegasus grinned and sat back down contentedly, before realizing that Fluttershy had been hiding behind the doorway to the kitchen. Rainbow rolled her eyes playfully before beckoning Fluttershy over with a twitch of her ear.

Fluttershy shyly stepped out of the doorway, scaring Twilight so much she crashed into the blue mare sitting at her side. Rainbow and Twilight fell out of the stools and landed on the floor with a thud and a "Oomph!"

"Oh my! I-I'm so sorry Twilight, I should've known you were still jumpy-" Fluttershy stopped talking as she rushed to help the two mares tangled together on the cold, crystal floor. Twilight stood up and brushed herself off gently, shaking her head.

"It's not your fault, it's mine. I shouldn't be so jumpy that when the quietest pony steps in the room, I have a near heart attack." She apologized, before muttering an apology to Rainbow Dash for knocking them both on the floor like that.

"Ah, don't sweat it. But-" Rainbow was immediately cut off as armed soldiers burst through the doorway.