Slowly Kaiscillius wheezed his way to consciousness, and immediately gasped in pain. Never before had he felt such an intense shortage of magic, his brief stint in overdraw had taken everything from him. His stomach rumbled heavily, failing to find anything digestible now that the well had run dry, and his throat clenched painfully as his sandpaper tongue hung listlessly from his mouth. The hunger he could deal with, he'd felt as such many times before, but the thirst... it was killing him.

"Ah, so you're awake now, are you?"

A voice reached Kaiscillius's dull ears that sounded as raspy as his throat felt. Slowly he broke open a grime-crusted eye and rolled it around until he faced the speaker.

There wasn't really much to see. The room Kaiscillius was in was meant to be pitch black but night vision negated that as a factor. It was dome shaped with large bands of iron running around the room every ten feet up or so, which meant that at it's tallest point in the middle it was forty feet. The pony who had spoken to him was the only other living thing in the cave. It was a grey pegasus, bound in stone that covered most of his body. Around the stone were patterns of the six elements carved into the rock that glowed strongly with energy. An anti-magic shell. Kaiscillius doubted that they'd be able to build one big enough to contain him, if that had been their plan.

"Well... hello... there," Kaiscillius grimaced at how scratchy and unappealing his voice was. He wasn't going to be seducing guards anytime soon unless they had an unhealthy attraction to frogs.

The pegasus's blue eyes lit with the spark of amusement, "Ah, it speaks! Good! I thought Celestia had finally found some way to kill me besides waiting me out, but no. You're just another prisoner here aren't you? Well, the only other prisoner," the pegasus frowned for a moment as Kaiscillius surveyed himself.

Chains bound his three necks to a far wall, as well as his two front limbs. He tested the bonds and received a sharp zap for his efforts, as well as determining that he was in no fit state to be ripping iron out of walls. His hind legs were merely bound to the floor, leaving him in a rather uncomfortable upright position which brought his head almost to the ceiling. He noticed with amusement that a cloth had been slung over his genitalia, he wondered who'd drawn the short stick for that job.

"Wait a minute," the Pegasus called, "If you're here then that means... no! Could it be? After all this time? Tell me, boy, are you a thaumatist?!" The Pegasus seemed very excited, shifting against his stone prison as though he couldn't help himself.

"Boy?" Kaiscillius snorted, "I do reckon I-" he swallowed laboriously, "-am older than you, pony."

The Pegasus gave a dismissive eyeroll, "Older, perhaps, but there is not as much Time in you, the years you have spent have passed you by, while I have known every one."

Kaiscillius blinked as he realized that, with the depletion of his magic, his traumatic shielding had fallen, but in order for this pony to see what he was that would mean...

"You possess the Sight? Impossible! Ponies are not born with such gifts!" Kaiscillius devolved into a dry wheezing cough after this declaration as his fellow prisoner laughed.

"Any thaumatist can possess the "Sight" as you call it if they are experienced enough! I suppose that's as good an answer as any, but I must here it directly! Are you a thaumatist?"

The pegasus's voice was strange. A mix of barely contained excitement and eager hope. As though he'd been waiting for news of this sort for a long time. Kaiscillius briefly considered withholding the information to be churlish, but dismissed the thought. Any new allies that could be added to the plan were welcome. And he could be removed later with little difficulty.

"I am," Kaiscillius attempted to sound proud and majestic, but again his desert of a throat betrayed him and made him sound sad and tired. He really needed some water.

The Pegasus howled with joy, "Oh, finally! After all this time, I had thought none would be able to decipher the manuscripts! I thought the language had been lost! Or burned," he spat out this last line with no shortage of vehemence, clearly the subject irritated him greatly.

Kaiscillius began to recall some interesting facts he had learned from his spies in the Canterlot Archives, and from Twilight Sparkle's own compendium of knowledge. Records of a great crusade against magic that rose up some 500 years ago. Details on it had been sketchy at best, and nothing had any hard evidence behind it. Most were simply folk stories, if what this pony said was true, then perhaps this was when Celestia had abolished thaumatics.

"I hate to... be the (cough) bearer of bad news but... I did not learn the arts from any manuscripts, and I have never heard of any such existing. I was instructed before the days of Nightmare Moon."

The pegasus's eyes widened, before disappointment settled in, "Ah, a shame. Nightmare Moon, you say? Truly ancient history then, even for one such as me who has been alive since... uh, since... oh I can't remember, but Nightmare Moon was but a foal's tale even when I was a child."

Kaiscillius grunted in acknowledgement, then asked, "I have seen no other thaumatists in this land since my arrival a few weeks ago, why, then, does Celestia have a prison for them?"

The pegasus chuckled, "You're looking at "them". Whole thing was built to contain me, and so it has! For the last few hundred years or so. She had deemed thaumatics too dangerous sometime before I finished my instruction in it, and burned my order and it's hall to the ground, along with my kind master, who'd never hurt a butterfly in his life. My master helped me escape, for the sole purpose of disseminating knowledge of thaumatics to the people. Of course, I had to write in cipher, and hide it so that Celestia wouldn't be able to destroy it easily. Alas, after too long a time alone, I went slightly mad, and sought vengeance for the countless murders she had committed. I rose up a great army of metal and the dead and marched on Canterlot," the pegasus got a faraway look in his eyes, "Ah, what a battle that was. My greatest machine, which stood about 80 feet tall, assaulted the shield-wall of the city as my ground corps slammed into the enemy. Celestia and I did battle personally, and I suppose that me going crazy and nearly destroying the city didn't really help me prove that thaumatics was worth keeping around. But enough about me, what about y-"

A loud rumble reverberated through the chamber as one of the smooth stone walls slid open, revealing a staircase and three ponies. Two fresh-faced guards stood looking from side to side nervously, half hiding behind the third pony. Princess Celestia.

Kaiscillius was glad that his throat couldn't get any dryer as his eyes locked on to her. Celestia had been one of the most difficult ponies to keep composure in front of ever. His chest tightened as she took a few sashaying steps forward, and he realized with a start that he'd been straining the chains around him as tight as they could go, and he forced himself to relax.

She was, in a word, perfect. Flawless milky skin, smooth muscles, and a matchless natural figure that put even the most talented of shapeshifters to shame. Her rainbow hair flowed brilliantly in some non-existent wind, and the severe look she gave him didn't help anything. Kaiscillius could practically feel the primal part of his mind struggling to take this mare for itself. Kaiscillius didn't, as many might speculate, hate Celestia. Quite the contrary, she was the only pony he truly wanted. He'd been created for her, she was his perfect fit, the object of his greatest fantasies, she was the reason his mother had created him. To be with her, to have her be his... was his life's greatest purpose. In the long-term, for now, other things took the forefront. Holding himself in check was nigh impossible, but he wanted to make a good impression. Well, at least better than the first, in which it appeared he'd been trying to kill her.

"Hi there, Tia! This must be a very special guest you've brought me indeed if you've come all the way down here yourself!" The Pegasus called with cheerful familiarity.

Kaiscillius repressed a surge of jealousy. The thought of another male, of any species, being so friendly with her in front of him made him quake with fury. Luckily neither party seemed to notice his reaction. That, or his three different reptilian faces were throwing them off.

Celestia cast a dismissive gesture towards the other prisoner, "Wheel him out to the garden."

Both of the guards snapped to attention with a, "Yes, Princess!" before scurrying to be about her orders. The pegasus, for his part, looked incredibly perplexed, and his mouth opened and closed several times with no sound. He cast a final questioning glance towards Kaiscillius before he was pushed out of the room and up the stairs. The wall slid closed behind him.

Kaiscillius was now alone, in close quarters with no way out, with Celestia. And his body was doing a damned good job of making sure he knew it. Her her scent of vanilla and clean linen soon reached his nostrils, and he held himself back from drinking in as much of it as he could. He was straining the chains again, and received another zap to the spine. He barely flinched, and remained locked in position, transfixed by her beauty.

Celestia regarded the creature in front of her with a cool gaze, and said, "What is your name," it wasn't a question, but an order.

"May I have some water, before we converse?" Kaiscillius asked politely. This time true lightning shot down the chains and ran all throughout his body. No doubt this was meant as negative reinforcement, but his body naturally digested some of the spell as it passed through him, and he'd experienced much worse pain than this before. It did, however, irritate the deep gash burned into his chest from when he'd let Celestia spear him with a ray of sunlight. He'd healed most of the damage shortly after the injury, but it had stopped as soon as he'd started the "if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me" spell. He would have let her hit him a few more times to sell the lie, but the first had nearly pierced his heart, and he didn't want her getting any more lucky shots like that one.

A momentary look of surprise flashed across Celestia's features at her captive's lack of reaction to the punishment, but it was so fast that no pony would have been able to pick up on it. No pony that is.

"The rules here are that I speak, and you answer monster, understood?" Her voice cracked with the sharp whip of confidence.

Kaiscillius focused all of the energy he'd ingested into soothing his parched gorge, and gave a three-mouthed grin, "Of course, Princess," that was more like it, a sinister purr that visibly had an effect on the target.

Celestia hesitated only but a moment before continuing, "What is your name?"

"Kaiscillius, your majesty," he kept up the purr, but made it more soothing this time, although that too could be unnerving when it came out of something so large.

Celestia nodded in gratitude out of habit before stopping herself. Clearly she hadn't had to interrogate a prisoner in a while. At least not personally.

"What are you and where do you come from?" she asked, a pen and paper snapping into existence in front of her as she jotted down notes.

"I thought this place had an anti magic shell?" Kaiscillius said to nopony in particular.

"Oh, it does," Celestia responded absentmindedly as she glanced back and forth between her paper and Kaiscillius's body, "nothing cast in here can get out, but that doesn't-" she stopped herself and glared at him right in the eyes. Another arc of lightning slammed into his spine. Kaiscillius felt that the information was well worth the momentary pain. And it eased some of the clenching in his stomach.

"I asked you a question," she said smoothly, but Kaiscillius interjected,

"Yes, all questions you already know the answer to, unless Nightmare Moon has been keeping secrets," another two bolts of electricity. He must have been getting under her skin.

"This is for the record, what are you and where do you come from?"

With an unconcerned smile he replied, "I am a nighdra, created, along with thirteen other siblings, by Nightmare Moon for the express purpose of taking you down," he grimaced and added, "granted, I haven't done a great job of that..."

"Luna told me you came here to "free" Nightmare Moon,"

"I thought it would be beneficial if my true intentions were unknown. I was about to impale her with a sword when you walked in, no?"

She jotted down a few more notes, more than likely unaware that Kaiscillius could see every word she wrote. Words were strange in thaumatics, which was why it was incredibly hard to make a book using magic alone. Every word, every syllable, every letter was it's own complex layering of emotional meaning, but this also meant that they were easy to read without having to look at them. Even inexperienced thaumatists could get the general feel of a book just by looking at it, while masters could recite the whole thing and give detailed insights into the author's thoughts at the time.

Unfortunately, Celestia held no ulterior motive in interrogating him, at least not as far as he could see. She'd only written what he'd told her along with some question words like "when?" and "where at?"

His attention was brought back as she spoke again, "Where have you hidden the device currently bombarding the city?"

"Oh, I ate it," he replied with a bored look.

More lightning? (Sigh) I would have gotten this information out of me in a few seconds. Ooh! My galaxies are back on!

He'd passively absorbed enough energy from the torture spell that his armor patterns started to shift on their own again. Celestia looked at them, puzzled, then wrote, "Spirals related to pain?"

Ooh, that could be useful, he thought for a moment, Well, maybe not really.

"Tell me, if you would, where the source of the bombardment is," she said icily, but Kaiscillius could tell from the page in her hand that she knew this wasn't going to work, torture rarely did against a fanatical enemy.

"Look," Kaiscillius said, "I have lost, I concede that. More than likely, there's no way I leave this prison for thousands of years. But I still have to try, you understand? I've been planning this since Nightmare Moon's defeat, and it all came crashing down right as things were working out. I guess that's no different than any of the other villains you've fought. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not Thrassimund, I can't weave intricate, century long plans the way he can. Tartarus, I can't even take a castle! So I won't fight back, this was my last ditch effort, but I won't help either. Not yet, at least," he sounded downhearted, defeated.

Celestia wrote a small bit, and looked up, "What do you mean not yet?"

Kaiscillius looked her in the eyes with all six of his, "I'll tell you where it is... later this week, sometime. 3-5 days from now."

She raised an eyebrow, "And, why the time limit?"

"Like I said, I can't just give up. My plans may have fallen apart, my claws may be blunted, but that doesn't make me dead."

Celestia sighed, "You realize that I could just kill you and look for it myself?"

Kaiscillius snorted, "Good luck, you won't find it with a detection spell, and it could literally be anywhere. And in the place where it is hidden, are traps and enchantments that only disengage with my say-so. You're stuck with me until I give up the information. Unless you want to wander the countryside searching for it for the next few hundred years."

In response to her sigh, he said, "I will tell you where it is sometime this week, that I give my word of honor on. A word which, I am proud to say, I have never broken."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" She asked suspiciously.

With a small, honest smile, Kaiscillius replied, "You'll just have to trust me."

Celestia tapped the pen she held on her jaw, giving the large creature a questioning look, "Really? Trust you? I'm afraid I don't quite find myself inclined to do that after what you've done. I think what will happen is that I will find and destroy your device without the need for your assistance. I will then leave you here, in this room, without food or water, for all time."

With a cold glare she drew herself to her full height (which still wasn't that tall compared to the four story mass of steel and muscle in front of her), "So you can either endure that, along with increasingly horrible levels of torture each day, or you can tell me, now, what I want to know."

The creature snorted in derision, "You cannot break me, mare. My will is stronger than the mountain which sits atop me. You will have the information, and it will be true. But you will not force it from me, only when I decide to give it will it be given."

So that's what this is about, Celestia thought as she chewed her lip, It's about pride.

She hated this. Torture was so barbaric and terrible a practice, most especially with animals. But this thing was no animal, it was intelligent, brilliant even, and cunning, and-

"You are undoubtedly a genius, Celestia, being an alicorn it is impossible for you not to be, and you will have had magical detection spells running since the day that you figured out that the unicorn's horns could be reattached. Another kindness of mine,"

"Kindness," she said with exasperation, "was it kindness, then, when you murdered forty guards that posed no threat to you?"

He leveled a stern gaze at her that gave her shivers, "You know they could have been resurrected. You made the choice to let them die. And I'm sure that poor Princess Celestia has never ever killed anyone that couldn't fight back,"

One thing Celestia would enjoy about the coming days was just listening to this thing speak, even if its words were poison. It's voice was deep and sonorous as an ocean in a storm, and rich as dark chocolate cake. Unfortunately she could guess what its next statement would be, as he'd been correct in all his assumptions so far.

"The attempts to locate it will fail. The... device as you call it has countermeasures that prevent it from being discovered magically. Using traditional methods or otherwise."

Darn, Celestia fumed. That had been one of the reasons she'd dared to let the Grey out of this room, so that he could locate the device, and maybe he could, but she was starting to doubt they would find it without help from the creature, though she was loath to ask for it.

"Very well," she said, unconcerned, "if that is how you wish to proceed then I will be back tomorrow. You will not enjoy the visit," the last proclamation sounded threatening enough to her, but she found herself very much showed up as she turned to leave.

"Oh, I don't know. I think I just might," The statement, for whatever reason, sent chills up and down Celestia's spine, in a good and bad way. Her breathing quickened and the hair stood up on the back of her neck at the ominous (and suggestive) chortle that followed the words. Remaining strong, Celestia refused to turn around, and walked to the smooth stone dome that surrounded the prison. With an activation frequency, the wall slid open with a grinding rumble, revealing the torch-lit stairwell behind it.

Without so much as a backwards glance she ascended the narrow flagstone steps as the entryway scraped to a close behind her. Once safe in the flickering torchlight, she breathed a massive sigh of relief. She didn't know why, but for the last few seconds she'd been tense and held her breath. Maybe it was because of the strange smell that had permeated the room. She couldn't quite place where it was from, or even what it was exactly, but it set her on edge.

Celestia, after a moment spent fortifying herself, scaled the drafty stairwell, which she eyed with disgust. This whole section had been built recently (around 600 years ago, which was recent when compared to the rest of the castle) and the time period showed. It hadn't been Equestria's Golden Age by any stretch of the imagination, and so cheap stone had been in high demand. Bare mortar held most of the aged and molded bricks together, and most had been weathered by time, if not through frequent use.

Finally Celestia escaped the dark clingy air of the passage, and exited into the Hall of Elements, undoubtedly one of her favorite locations in the entirety of the castle. She sighed with contentment as her Sun's warm rays shone upon the pristine white marble through the intricate stained glass windows. With another magical command sequence, a powerful illusion locked into place over the previously exposed doorway, ensuring that no passersby would be tempted to venture down below the castle. Celestia praised Faust that the creature's black fire hadn't hit this section of the castle, it'd been focused mostly on the other half. That said, though, a very very large chunk of the castle was missing. The most notable losses were the main storehouses and kitchens as well as several servant's quarters, barracks, a laundry room, and...

Celestia stopped in the hall and drew a deep breath in and out, in and out. She'd nearly lost it again when she saw the state of Twilight's old room. Thick toxic smoke roiled from the blasted off windows, and everything, books, quills, glass, and even the rocks that made the room itself were burning. Water hadn't put the fire out, neither had magic. It took them five hours to discover that the only way to stop it was to start a larger fire next to it, and by that point... it was beyond saving. But Twilight's death was something she had spent far too long dwelling on, and she would not let herself be bogged down in despair again, unable to aid those who needed her.

Shaking herself out of the momentary stupor, Celestia started down the hall towards the Royal Gardens. The Gardens were one of the best parts of the castle, always bright, safe, and teeming with life. Any door that led to them had rose vines carved onto them in mind-numbing detail. Celestia wondered, though not for the first time, if the artist had hidden anything in the vines. A child's name perhaps, or spouse's. Opening the door, her eyes were bombarded with color.

The Royal Gardens held some of the largest assortments of plant life that could be found all over the world, even carnivorous ones, though they were safely contained. Celestia knew where the attendants would have wheeled the Grey, but she stopped by her favorite patch of sun daisies before continuing on. Bending over, she lightly touched each of the gold and white flowers, and they began to shine brightly, making Celestia smile at their simple beauty.

If only the world could be more like a flower garden, she thought, so many colors all mingled together, and each only wishes to find a spot for future generations, content to leave the others be.

"And all watched over, clipped, and pruned by one all-seeing authority? With those individuals who are unique or different being removed for the sake of purity?" Celestia shook her head with a smile at the aged voice that rang out through the bushes to her. Funny how much the Grey had come to sound like Starswirl in his later years. He was wise for only being 623.

Still, she supposed, that is many times longer than any normal pegasus. And I've known many of them who were very wise.

"But none quite so handsome, eh?"

Celestia laughed, and walked toward the voice. Zenith Terrace held one of the most famed views in the city, having perfectly clear access to gaze down at Canterlot, and out onto the wide plain that stretched away from the mountain. Even after hundreds of years of this view, Celestia's breath could still sometimes be stolen by it, especially during the sunrise, as was the case at the moment.

The Grey sat, encased in his stone as he always was, but he curiously had his eyes closed. Celestia looked at him in confusion, one of the grandest views in the world and he closes his eyes.

"Try it," he whispered reverently, "Feel it."

Celestia looked around to see if anypony else had walked here, but she confirmed that they were alone. Taking a deep breath, Celestia closed her eyes, and felt. Things she had missed became clearer, the birdsong whistling through the trees, the warmth of the sunlight, and the cool tickle of a breeze over her skin, the soft grass pressing against her shoes the smell of hundreds of flowers mingling, not forcing her attention, not smothering her, just there. Waiting, hoping for her to notice. Celestia sighed as contentment washed over her in shallow waves. With each deep breath she felt more calm, more relaxed. For several minutes, though she knew not the exact time, she stayed like this. At peace, breathing in and out and letting the nourishing sensations comfort her. Unfortunately, though her body ached to stay, she had work to do.

Opening her eyes, and surprised to find them slightly bleary, she said, "What puts you in such a good mood today?"

He snorted, "How about that it's A) the first time I've been out of that cave in 583 years 3 months 4 days 5 hours 7 minutes and 50 odd seconds? And B) that I get taken here of all places when I am allowed out. Magic is heavy here, not just strong but heavy. The air is thick with life, care, love. You should give your gardener a raise, Tartarus, just give him my salary."

Celestia chuckled again, "I wasn't aware that you were being paid to stay with us."

The Grey returned a wan smile, "Why am I here Celestia?"

She sighed, "You're a smart stallion, you may be able to guess."

He grunted, "It's something to do with that new... thing isn't it? A new thaumatist, after all these years..."

"Don't get too excited," Celestia gently admonished, "He tried to take over the city, came pretty close. Still is pretty close, actually."

The Grey grunted and tilted his head at the shimmering blue dome that simmered around the city, "I imagine that's what this is all about then. Looks nice, very efficient. Expert level I'd say, but the real masterpiece is the thing you probably can't see."

"I know it's there," Celestia replied pointedly, but The Grey was already on a roll.

"I mean wow, that is an intense field. I can't believe I didn't feel it in my cell! Just look at the intricacy of the Hatred, and the Fear! So subtle it could slam in to you at hurricane speed and you'd barely feel a breeze, almost 100% of the power is emotionally converted! I have to meet the mage who- oh," he curbed his enthusiasm when his mind reached the obvious conclusion.

"I really must ask him more questions," he mumbled, dissecting the invisible spell with his eyes.

"I'm afraid you won't get the opportunity," Celestia said sadly.

His gaze swiveled to look at her, "Why not? Are you going to try and kill me again?"

Celestia laughed, "No, silly, you're being moved. Here, in fact. I'm going to ward off Zenith Terrace so that you can remain here while the situation is sorted, consider it a reward for 500 years of good behavior."

He stared her dead in the eyes with a look that said, Really? That's all I get?

She laughed lightly again, before tentatively approaching the reason for her unscheduled kindness, "Can you see where it's coming from?"

He shook his head, still distracted by it, so it was unlikely he'd guessed her intentions, "No, too well hidden. Too too well hidden. In fact, I'd almost say that the thing is actively shielding itself from detection. You think it's some sort of contraption? And don't try to hide things from me Celestia, I can read your mind. I know this is the real reason you're playing nice. I also know you're now worried about the creature being able to do the same. Don't worry, he can't."

Celestia glared at him indignantly, "Have I not been kind to you while you were here?"

The Grey opened his mouth, but Celestia interrupted, "I know you'll say I only kept you comfortable because I couldn't kill you, but you don't think I could have made your life the embodiment of misery? Are you in pain every hour of every day? You don't think that, if I kept at it, I could have eventually found a way to end your life?"

She finished with a huff, and the gentle whispering breeze took the place of silence. The Grey didn't say anything, and Celestia couldn't read emotions like he could, so she couldn't tell if he was furious or ashamed. The silent breeze kept each to their own thoughts for a while, and Celestia wondered if she'd been too harsh.

"You could have set me free," she heard him whisper. Looking over she was surprised to find a tear in his eye. In all the years she'd known him, he'd never cried before, never even been sad as far as she knew.

"Did you know that pegassi hate confinement more than any other in ponykind?" His voice raw, and she saw now it wasn't the spell far in the distance he was staring at, it was the sky, "To be free, to soar, to race! It is our birthright. For 500 years I've been denied the sky's touch, and now... now I do not know which was more terrible, suffocation, or being so close that I can taste it, only to be chained."

"You know I can't free you," Celestia had been touched by the speech, but she remained unswayed.

"Even if I swore off thaumatics?" He sounded desperate, like a drug addict.

Celestia shook her head, "You use it passively, even you can't control that, it's a part of you. And as such, you have no part in this world."

"Hypocrite!" He spat at her, visibly angry. The colored runes carved into his prison glowed brighter, and began smoking, "You dare spout such drivel as you propose to use thaumatics to imprison me? You are as dependent on it as I! What do you think kept you alive those two weeks as your grief over Twilight's death robbed you of your self control, your will to even move!"

"Get out of my head," it was Celestia's turn to be choked up, indignation and shame rose in her throat, as well as the intense black pit of grief that threatened to swallow her again.

"You weak, pathetic girl! You could not even aid your sister as your world burned around you, so subdued by the spell was that feeble will of yours! You call yourself a thaumatist, you are a liar! You know our forms, our techniques, but our secrets? Our inner workings? You are still as ignorant of them as you are of who is actually assaulting your kingdom!"

The righteous fire of Celestia's oncoming retort died in her throat with a vengeance. After several moments of stunned silence, Celestia croaked, "W-W-What?"

But he was already gone. It had happened often when their arguments became heated, it was too much for his fragile mind to handle. He began to thrash in earnest at his restraints, teeth and eyes clenched he growled, "Said too much, too much. The ticking clock must, on it's own, tock. She burns, red as- ahem, excuse me, old insanity acting up again, what were we saying?"

The Grey actually cringed as Celestia towered over him, her eyes ablaze with god-like power and purpose, "Do not play games with me about such things, something else powers the device? Not Kaiscillius?!"

"What are you talking about woman?" The Grey cried, suddenly seeming much more his age than he had only a moment ago, Celestia knew (though she wished to deny it), that this was the second stage, "I don't even know who you are! Where am I? Why is it so bright here? So many colors! Too many, take me away from this place, whoever you are, there's too much red."

Seething with rage, though she knew it wasn't the old stallion's fault, Celestia could only stand and tremble until his episode of forgetfulness was finished. She heard a hissing noise, and whipped around, ready to take out her anger on whoever happened to be standing nearest. To her horror, she saw that the garden had begun to steam, and, looking up, saw that the sun was incredibly bright, she must have overloaded it with her emotions. She got a hold of herself, sat down, though it strained the fabric of her dress to do so without showing herself off to anypony in front of her, and began counting doubles, tens, meditating, anything to calm herself down.

Eventually her heart and breathing slowed, though it was difficult with The Grey mumbling to himself and occasionally shouting about random things in some foreign language. Whether it was real, or a figment of his shattered imagination, she had no way of telling.

Eventually, inevitably, came the third stage, and he passed out in the earthen harness. Celestia growled in frustration and kicked at the grass in an incredibly undignified manner. This sort of thing was bound to happen if they argued, but never had it happened at such an inopportune time. It could be hours before he was awake again, much less able to talk, which usually took about a day.

Celestia clenched at her dress for a few minutes, alternately fuming and being stricken with embarrassment at losing her temper so. Glancing once more at the aged pegasus, she sighed, and stood up. Digging deep into a well of magic that had long lain dormant, she conjured the powers of thaumatics, binding the soft air around her with the flame of the warm sun, the cool water of the morning dew, the quite order of the well kept grounds, and the slow decay of all living things. Pulling all of the elements she needed to Ward the area from her surroundings, the only real magical effort Celestia had to expend was to bind them together into a double sided anti-magic shell. She repeated this process several thousand times, each taking no more than a nanosecond to complete, as the formula was so simple. With a sigh of contentment, the magical exercise having calmed her quite a bit, Celestia made for her third appointment of today, and the one she was looking forward to the most.

"So you think he's lying?"

"Oh I know he's lying. The trouble is to figure out how much he's lying, and what, specifically, about."

Celestia, after her rather stressful conversation with The Grey, had returned to the dining room in which she and Luna always shared breakfast. Luckily this had been one of the few parts of the castle left standing when the creature blasted away half of it with that beam of his.

She and Luna now sat, as they often had, at either end of the small table. A steaming coffee sat in front of Celestia, which had remained untouched for the entirety of their meeting.

"I think he's telling the truth about wanting to kill me. I don't care what he says, that sword would have ended me according to Blueblood," Luna said.

Celestia sighed. Luna had often talked about Blueblood's advice and information when describing the events that had transpired while Celestia was under the influence of the spell. Celestia didn't like that a thaumatist had managed to evade her for so long, two in fact. It made her doubt whether or not it was really dead. She would have to do something when this was all over. She couldn't kill him, she wasn't that sort of pony anymore, and after sacrificing so much to save the city she couldn't imprison him either. Maybe she could get Twilight to...

She swallowed as the pang of loss clogged her throat and eyes for a moment, before forcing herself to move on.

"Something he said still bothers me..." Celestia began, getting her mind back in gear, "He mentioned another. A Thrassimund, was it?" She directed the question to her sister, who shrugged.

"As I said, I remember nothing of these creatures, none of them. He said he had thirteen siblings, this elusive Thrassimund may have been one of them. He's no doubt long dead by now, no?"

Celestia shook her head, her face heavy with concern, "No, the way he talked about him, it sounded as if he knew that Thrassimund was still alive. This unnerves me greatly, as you can imagine."

Luna nodded, before turning to her own untouched cup of coffee. She'd seemed very distracted of late, often staring off into space and prodding the air. Perhaps the battle had shaken her more than Celestia knew.

Looking at her sister more closely, Celestia noticed the dark bags under Luna's eyes, and an occasional twitch of her fingers that indicated some form of either lack of sleep or unease. Possibly both.

Reaching out and grabbing her sister's hand, she said, "Sister, you and I have faced far worse than this together. When all of this is over, the plague of thaumatics will no longer threaten you, me, or anypony else."

Luna smiled, but Celestia noticed that she seemed even more on edge now than she had before the "let me cheer you up" speech. Not saying anything, her dark blue sister looked away to the tall windows that had recently been re-installed.

Celestia pulled away with a small frown and said, "So what do you think, can we afford to kill him?"

Luna started a bit, before she realized who they were talking about and shook her head, "No, so far the unicorns we've had searching for the device have turned up nothing. Which is truly incredible when considering its size and scope that it is hidden so well. I wish you could have seen it sister, the power inside of it rivals that of an alicorn focusing with all her strength on a single spell!"

"Luna," Celestia spoke quietly, hearing the edge of eagerness in her sister's voice, "You know that magic is dangerous, yes? That it is not to be tampered with?"

Especially not by you.

Luna gave Celestia a forlorn look, "I know sister. But think of the things it can do! If it were only allowed use by those who were pure of heart-"

"I tried that once," Celestia snapped, "and it ended with the city besieged, and me half dead while you rotted in your lunar prison!" She shook her head, "I will not allow that foul thing to creep back into this realm of peace, do you understand?"

Celestia flinched when she saw that Luna had begun to cry, and she realized what she'd said.

"Oh Luna, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that- it's not your fault that-"

Luna held up a hand and shook her head, but didn't speak. Celestia sat, speechless for a long while, before there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, that'll be the Restoration Committee, I-I'll um..." she sighed heavily with regret, and the knowledge that they still needed to discuss a lot more of the information she'd gathered today, "I love you Luna, and I'm incredibly sorry that I let my feelings get the better of me. It seems I've been doing that a lot today. I'll see you later, alright?"

Luna nodded, poking at the tablecloth.

Celestia nodded, walked a few steps, looked back at her sister, nodded again, and left the room. Waiting for her outside was a brawny pea-soup green earth pony with a five o' clock shadow beard wearing full workman's clothes, complete with hardhat and a stained sleeveless white t-shirt.

"How's it goin Princess? Yeah, I's just comin to inform ya that me and the boys is nearly done fixin the throne room like ya asked. We're gonna be movin on to the corridors here real soon," He spoke with a thick Manehattan accent and seemed to continually chew a piece of gum, though it didn't impair his speech.

"Thank you so much Mr..."

"Mover, Hearth Mover at ya soivice," Celestia raised at eyebrow at the phrase, quite certain she'd never heard anyone actually use it who wasn't making fun of Manehattan speech patterns.

"Mr. Mover, charmed. I am relieved to hear that the room is nearly rebuilt, may I come and see it?"

He chewed a little more before responding, "Oh, sure, it's ready to look at, may be a little dusty from all the stone bein moved around, but don't worry about it, me and the boys'll have it spotless in no time."

Celestia gave him a warm smile, which made him blush slightly, "Ehhh, uhh, I-it's right this way miss," He said, gesturing down the hallway.

Celestia giggled, "Yes, I suspect I would have gotten quite lost if not for your help."

The earth pony looked confused, and then his face cleared and he let out a loud laugh, "Sorry Princess, I suppose you's is the one that lives here, eh? I'll, uh, I'll let you get to it in due time, I gotta go check on the rest of the crews. Er, farewell your, um, highness?" He finished with an uncertain bow (which in no way suited him) and then awkwardly shuffled back down the corridor.

Celestia laughed to herself as she started down the path to the throne room, her usual mischievous mirth dulled somewhat by the sting of lingering regret over what she'd said to Luna.

No use thinking about that now, she told herself, you'll just have to remedy the situation when next you meet, which would mean tomorrow morning more than likely. Luna rarely ever got up after sunrise and, though she hadn't said it, Celestia knew that the weeks of the reversed schedule had probably taken a hefty toll on her sister. Just another thing for Celestia to feel guilty about.

Reaching the throne room, Celestia was quite impressed with the restoration of the doors, which had been blasted off of their hinges, and could hardly tell the difference between them and the original. The only way she could tell, really, was that
it just felt new. It was slightly too shiny, the hinges too smooth to be the real deal. Still, nothing that couldn't be fixed with the oldest of both remedies and curses, time.

Behind the doors was everything she could have hoped for. The scorch marks and deep gashes in the floor were all but disappeared, only a trained eye would be able to spot the subtle changes in the marble pattern. All of the stained glass windows had been replaced, as well as the clear skylight, and the far end, which had been completely obliterated, stood as proud as it ever had been. Celestia motioned to one of the new guards standing in the interior to come speak with her.

"Aye, ma'am, what can ah do for ya?" Well he was certainly very candid. His accent reminded Celestia much of the Element of Honesty, Applejack, though his was slightly less pronounced, and gruffer.

"What is your name soldier?" Celestia liked to call all of the guards by name, it made them feel special, and did no small part in improving her reputation as Princess.

"Grey, your majesty, Grey Shade," It certainly seemed apt, his body was a motling of different grey colors, and his eyes were like stormclouds.

"Grey, would you mind fetching the two Elements who are staying with us for me? Tell them that our appointment can now be held in the throne room."

'Of course, ma'am," with a crisp salute the guard walked at a determined pace towards the guest quarters. Celestia wondered how he might have already known where the Elements were staying without being told.

I suppose he's just doing his job, she thought, walking to the large dais at the fat end of the room, and I would guess that news gets around when the Elements are in town.

She didn't have to wait long. At 9 on the dot a vibrant pink earth pony was practically shoved into the room by a very elaborately dressed white unicorn.

"But I'm tiiiiiiirrrrrred!" protested Pinkie.

"It doesn't matter, the Princess has requested we meet her now, and so that's when we're meeting!" Rarity told her flatly.

"And neither of you have disappointed," Celestia called out to them with a smile.

With an, "Eep!" Rarity turned to face her and executed a nearly perfect curtsy. Pinkie Pie on the other hand, with speeds that rivaled teleportation, appeared next to Celestia and gave the alicorn a crushingly strong hug.

What is this pony made of? Celestia thought with gritted teeth. She returned the hug, although more gently, and squinted in pain at the ear shattering, "CELESTIAAAAA! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE BETTERRR!!! Ohmygosh, we need to throw a party right now! A 'Celestia Isn't So Sad That She Can't Speak Anymore' party! I've never thrown one of those before, it's gonna be so fun!"

As fast as she was there, the pink whirlwind was gone, bouncing off of the walls and stringing streamers that Celestia hoped she was pulling out of her jean pockets and not... somewhere else.

"I'm sorry Pinkie, but I don't believe we'll be hosting... that, um, particular party anytime soon."

Pinkie Pie screeched to a halt, making Celestia wince in sympathy for the brand new floors, and deflated next to Rarity, "Awww, no party? You guys need a party after all you've been through!"

Celestia laughed lightly, "Thank you for the sympathy Pinkie, but I have another job for you and Lady Rarity."

"Oh!" Rarity spoke up, "Whatever it is, Princess, we'll be happy to do it!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie affirmed, back to her full volume.

Celestia smiled, "I'm so happy to have such dedicated ponies at my side. I've ordered the mandatory evacuation of Ponyville due to the magical circumstances in the surrounding area-"

"Excuse me Princess," Rarity interrupted, which made Celestia blink in surprise.

If Rarity of all ponies is willing to interrupt me then it must be important.

"Yes, what is it Rarity?"

"Is that... Blueblood over there?" Celestia looked over to where she was pointing and jumped with a start. Standing there was indeed Blueblood, in the same position he'd occupied for days, hands outstretched, horn aglow. Celestia didn't know how she could have possibly missed him... or the state he was in. Every inch of him was drenched with sweat, his skin was grey and clammy, and his once impeccable blond hair was now hanging over his face and sickly as straw. Seeing him like that made Celestia's chest clench. He may have lied to her his entire life, but she'd still thought of him as family not too long ago, and now he seemed a corpse. He practically was, all fat had melted from his body, and a good deal of muscle too, Celestia didn't know really how long he could keep this up.

"Yes, Rarity, it is. He is currently powering the shield around the city. It is a valiant sacrifice that will, more than likely, claim his life," Celestia said soberly.

Rarity looked shocked, "Oh! Oh my, I had no idea!"

Celestia nodded gravely, "As I was saying, I have ordered the mandatory evacuation of Ponyville and a few other hamlets. You two will be in charge of organizing them as they get to Canterlot. Between Miss Pie's planning skills and your multitasking, Miss Rarity, I believe you two are perfectly suited to the job. We will, of course, be housing them here in the castle, I just need you to make sure that everyone is organized into their rooms. Are you up to the task?"

Rarity took a breath to answer, but Pinkie bounded into action first, "Are you kidding me Princess? We could organize the pants off a fully grown dragon! A few rooms will be no problem!"

"I'm... not quite sure what that means, but I'm relieved to hear it. They should begin arriving by train later tomorrow evening. Now, if you'll excuse me ladies, I have a public appearance to make. I wish you both the best of luck, and stay safe. Oh, and the gardens are off limits for now, if anypony asks."

Rarity nodded, but Pinkie looked confused, "Why's that?"

Celestia descended from the throne as she chuckled, "A matter related to the case Miss Pie, and, while not immediately dangerous, it is still inadvisable to admit anypony back there. Don't worry. After we fix the remainder of the issues it will be opened back up."

"Okie-Dokie! Bye Princess!" Pinkie called out to Celestia.

"Oh yes, farewell!" Rarity added, she seemed somewhat distracted by Blueblood. Celestia could imagine why, he wasn't exactly the picture of health he'd once been.

On her way out, Celestia spotted the new Guard Captain. Well he'd been in his position for a few weeks while Celestia was... out of action. If she remembered correctly Luna had said his name was Golden Lance.

His smile was wide and welcoming when he saw her, one of the reasons that Luna had recommended him. That, and the fact that he was very cute. Celestia was almost jealous.

"Princess, how lovely to see you today! Are you ready for your visit around town?" He was incredibly upbeat, and his smile was bright. Almost blindingly so, in fact.

"Yes, I believe I am," she replied with a gentle expression.

He looked even more excited, "Great! Then it's time for your safety briefing!"

Celestia hesitated, "Safety briefing?"

Nearly three hours later, Celestia stumbled out of an impromptu briefing room beleaguered and half asleep. The amount of information thrown at her had been both astonishingly dull and nail-bitingly anxiety inducing.

"And don't forget to come by tomorrow! Should be a great round two!" Celestia almost hissed at the accursedly excited pony, his enthusiasm for board meetings and flow charts made her want to go interrogate the Machiavellian monster in her basement again.

"Oh yes... tomorrow. Well I suppose I-'ll see you then!" She desperately attempted to flee, but the huntsmaster of boredom ensnared her once more.

"Ha! You're funny Princess! You know I can't let you wander the streets all by your lonesome!"

"I'll have a team of guards," she growled with disbelief and a slight hint of fear.

"Of course you will! I've hand picked them myself, and I just so happened to meet my own standards! Come on Princess, I'll escort you to your carriage! We can discuss some of tomorrow's briefing on the way!"

You vile, unholy creature! What sort of demonic cult conjured you into being? No pony can enjoy fact checking that much! Even Twilight would have gotten bored and done some form of experiment!

Celestia smiled, "Oh... of course! The more we speak of today, the less we have tomorrow yes?"

She should have known her tone was too full of hope, too full of desperate dreams!

"Haha! No, silly, it just means we can spend more time tomorrow on the next day's briefing!"

WHAT KIND OF CYCLICAL HELL IS THIS?

It was well past three in the afternoon by the time they actually reached the royal carriage. Luckily it seemed that Golden Lance had a sense of humor, or a sense of self preservation, and had refrained from discussing anything else to do with her safety on the way there.

"Alright boys, thunder up!" He called out to the guards pulling the carriage as he ducked inside, "Where to first, your majesty?"

"Oh, just to the center of town I think, I'll ask you to stop on the way if I see anything that requires my attention," she knew there would be at least a few things that would. This was a public relations mission. When the shield fell, she wanted to be in the ponies' good graces so that it took longer for them to be seduced. Celestia was surprised with the speed at which they got going, usually it took a while for the guards to stretch or adjust their armor. A glance out of the window told her that the guards pulling her carriage were also new, which reminded her...

"I'm very impressed with the caliber of guard you've found in such a short time, Captain Lance," she began.

His ever-present smile widened a bit when he looked to her, "Oh of course, ma'am! They come with the most shining recommendation I can think of. I trust it's the speed at which we set off which grabbed your attention? Yes, these men are professionals, and of course we've as many of the old guard back as we can but... well, shame prevents some from returning, which only makes the problem worse of course," this was the only time she'd seen the Captain look slightly down, so she refocused the conversation to its original topic.

"And I trust you've taken care of the special prisoner as I requested?"

His smile returned, though it was more a knowing smirk now. He'd been one of the three ponies who'd been informed of the arrangement with Kaiscillius, and Celestia had asked him to whip up a special task force to keep him under control.

"Oh, indeed ma'am. All rough and ready soldiers with... let's say previous experience with such matters. They'll keep him locked down, especially with the new armor you supplied us," he grimaced, "That damn sword of his tore us apart last time. Er, pardon my Prench, Princess."

Celestia waved it off, "No Captain, I quite agree with the sentiment. And I'd make more but... frankly I'm strong enough to forge suits of armor for an entire army by myself. Ooh, stop here please!"

With a chance peek out of the window next to her Celestia had managed to spot a situation that would, no doubt, appreciate some official governmental aid. Stepping lightly out of the carriage she approached two ponies, one a peach color, the other more of a grape. Both of them were earth ponies, and seemed to be trying to decide how to fit a too large piece of glass into a smashed window.

The grape colored one noticed her first, "Princess Celestia!" he cried, and immediately gave her a deep bow, the other, after a moments confusion, followed suit.

"Am I correct in assuming that you two could use assistance?" She asked regally.

The grape on scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "No Princess! It's just... well, during that time when everybody went crazy I smashed this fine stallion's window, so I was going to help him repair it."

This, more than anything she had seen today, gave Celestia hope. So soon after a cataclysmic event where they were all ready to gut each other like fish, common ponies were willing to make reparations, to help rebuild and renew. It warmed her to her core, and the world seemed just a little brighter.

"But the problem is, you see," he continued, "The glass piece we ordered is too big."

"My fault," the other one mumbled, "I took the measurements in the wrong units."

"Never you mind who's fault it was," the purple pony chastised lightly, "Anyway Princess, we just need to get a unicorn to resize it for us, no biggie."

She laughed lightly and said, "While I may not be a unicorn, I believe that I may be able to suffice."

Gripping the window frame with her magic she quickly ascertained its measurements, then it was a simple thing to separate out the extra glass and teleport the correct piece directly into the storefront.

The two earth ponies looked at each other, slack-jawed, before the peach one stuttered, "T-t-thank you Princess, you're more than kind, you didn't have to come help me out! Us, I mean, us out."

"It was a very simple thing, my little ponies, nothing a Princess shouldn't be able to handle. And I think it is very admirable, what you two are doing. Keep up the good work," she turned away from them with a warm smile.

"Oh, and uh, Princess!" One of the called out.

"Yes?"

"You might want to check the square where the riot happened, we aren't there because we were fixing the window but... you'll like what you see."

She gave him a questioning look, but he didn't say anything else, "Well thank you for the information, I certainly will, should I have the chance."

The ponies nodded to her and then turned to examine the window, Celestia climbed back into the carriage just in time to spot something curious. She was just in time to catch a small white pegasus with bright orange hair retreating from the other side of the carriage. She only caught a glimpse through the open window on the other side before the pony disappeared down a side street that was far too dark to follow. Her greatest surprise, however, came from Captain Lance's stormy expression, and the tiny part of her brain that thought, He's even more attractive when he's angry!

"Who was that?" She asked, carefully watching him.

He shook his head, "An old acquaintance delivering bad news. It's a personal problem your Majesty, I will... handle it later," his smile was slow to return, but it eventually worked its way back, "Where to next Princess? Still the center of town?"

Celestia glanced at the sky and saw that it was getting late, around five or six in the afternoon if she was right, "No I don't think so, I was recommended to go to the square by those fine gentlecolts over there. They said I would enjoy the sight."

He nodded, "Very well, on to the square boys!"

Celestia gazed out of her window for the rest of the journey, wondering only a little what could have transpired while she was helping the two ponies. She was mostly worried that the streets seemed to be deserted, she saw not a soul on the way to the square. Normally Canterlot was bustling with life, perhaps it was still subdued due to the tragedy of a few days ago. This was what she believed, until she heard the noise.

It was the sound of thousands, no, tens of thousands of ponies, all talking at the same time, moving in tandem. She began to see a gigantic crowd, though they hadn't even yet reached the square. The streets were absolutely packed with bodies, all of them moving, talking laughing, and... exchanging gifts?

"Stop here," she said distractedly, immediately departing from the carriage, looking this way and that at the massive throng of ponies, many of whom noticed her approach, and ran to greet her.

"Princess Celestia everypony, Princess Celestia is here!" The call rang out, and soon she was swamped into a sea of happy faces and hopeful expressions. She laughed aloud at the wonderful feeling she received from this place, and she asked the nearest pony, "What is going on here? Hearth's Warming isn't for another few months!"

The pony in question, a storm cloud colored unicorn shuffled uncomfortably at being addressed so directly and answered, "Well, a few ponies felt so bad about... what happened that they organized a small Apology Day between themselves, but then word got out around town, and," he gestured around himself, "everypony just got really into the spirit of things."

Somepony tapped him on the shoulder and jangled the present they held in their hand.

"Oh right!" He said, and then held out his present to Celestia.

She gasped, "Oh, that's incredibly kind of you, you didn't have to get me anything. I didn't even know this event existed until just now!"

There was a general wave of laughter that rolled out from around her, and Celestia looked to Lance, bewildered. He shrugged with a similar expression.

"Ahem, with all due respect Princess," the unicorn said nervously, "they're not for you. They're for Princess Luna. We all treated her awfully durning the time when that spell messed with our minds, and so, we know this probably won't go all the way towards forgiveness, but we think it's a good start."

Speechless, Celestia looked out over the veritable sea of shining faces. There must have been at least twelve thousand ponies gathered together, each held a gift. Some were as small as a fist, others were larger than the pony carrying them. Celestia held a hand to her mouth, and began to cry tears of joy.

Maybe... maybe there's hope after all.

Author's Note

A nice day in Canterlot, when all is said and done. Double meanings are fun. Can you figure out this one? And perhaps, a snipet of conversation.

"You're late."

"I know."

"Here, take it."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You know what to do."

"I don't like the taste anymore."

"When the shield falls, you'll feel it. He assures us."

"All of it?"

"Every grain."

"... Fine."

Also the breaks this time represent time jumps, not perspective switches (well, except for the one that isn't :D ). The next two chapters will be the same. Oh, and the reason for the delay of this chapter? Hurricanes. Lots and lots of hurricanes,

Kaiscillius is chained beneath Canterlot, Equestria's staunchest protectors stand vigilant, ready to defend their home, and this time of peace has brought a resurgence of faith and good will. Things seem safe, stable, unshakable. So why, then, does he laugh?