Where Gods Rest

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Precursor
Chapter 2 - Ancient Secrets
Chapter 3 - Frozen in Time
Chapter 4 - The Veil Rises
Chapter 5 - Sins of an Alicorn Empire
Chapter 6 - Legacy of Darkness
Chapter 7 - A World in Flames
Epilogue - Into the Light

Chapter 1 - Precursor

Twilight's Castle, Ponyville
December 25th, Year 22 under the Four Princesses

Even under regular circumstances, sunset over Ponyville was a spectacle quite a few ponies desired to see at least once in their lifetime. A cascade of light filtering through the mountains to the northeast and reflecting off the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle to bathe the entire town in a full spectra. During the Hearth's Warming period, the effect was amplified significantly with light reflecting off the snow and countless decorative lights helping to create a display of organised chaos that bathed the town and surrounding area in techicolour beauty. For those lucky enough to know the right places to see it, the view was as unique as was possible in Equestria.

Twilight was thankful her balcony provided such a view. It was easy to let her thoughts wander away from the rigors of duty and simply relax in the face of such beauty.

The princess of friendship sat leaned up against the railing of her overlook of Ponyville, smiling gently to herself, watching the light show as the steadily sinking sun steadily shifted the display to the south. It felt good to be able to find a little time to unwind by herself, especially when she couldn't remember the last time she had truly had such time. It felt far longer than thirty years since she had been an innocent filly that was able to study the wonders of magic for both the approval of Princess Celestia and her for own enjoyment. Before her life had become a steady stream of adventures, dangers and tribulations that few ponies should have to go through and fewer still would desire.

She knew each of the Elements of Harmony had been worn down by years of being Equestria's first line of defence that seemed to come up every few months, but none of them could deny she had taken the worst of it. As enduring a pony as she was, there was still only so much she could handle and the results of her showdown with Starlight Glimmer had resulted in months of therapy with the support of the other princesses and working herself back up to a position where she could fully resume her duties again. It had paid off though as she had been able to commit herself with even greater vigour over the past few years. The months she had spent tutoring Princess Celestia's student, Sunset Shimmer, along with her initiatives that had resulted in the foundation of the Canterlot Institute of Development, had been boons both to Equestria and herself.

As she had grown back into her role again, she had changed in more ways than one. Her body had finally begun to feel the influence of her alicorn magic over the past few years, steadily adapting and growing. Physically she was now equal to Cadance in every regard, to the point that they could be mistaken for twins. The Twilight of today though, had grown overall as well. Though still capable of her neurotic moments she was wiser, more level headed and far more magically adept. She was now a leader that could truly do her part to help Equestria. At least, she hoped so.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a steady clacking of claws on stone behind her. She didn't need to look round to see who it was though, that sound was so familiar to her that what it signalled was comforting. She only needed to spare a welcoming smile as Spike came up by her side, sitting down and taking in the view with her. Her number one assistant had grown even more than she had, now standing as tall as the average stallion, or eye to eye with Celestia if standing fully on his back legs. His body had filled out and gained some muscle to it, giving him a slightly bulky look when on two feet that evened out when on all fours. Although his body was still clearly intended to be bipedal and he could switch between two and four legged movement at will, he seemed more comfortable when he had his hands on the ground these days.

"It's quite a display this year." Spike commented as he took the scattered light show in. Twilight's ear twitched slightly as he said it, taking in the smooth, hybrid dragon-pony accent he had picked up alongside his maturity.

"Almost as beautiful as Rarity?" She teased, grinning slightly as he shot her a playfully unamused look and shook his head.

"I'd say it's more, pretty as Flash Sentry." He countered, getting a chuckle out of her in turn.

"Alright, I walked into that one," Twilight said with a gentle sigh, turning toward the dragon she still saw as a brother. "You finished up your ambassador duties for the day?"

"Yep. I don't have to head out to the Dragonlands until next month though so, we can just focus on tonight for now."

"Great," Twilight pulled her view away from the town completely and turned back toward the castle. "What do you want to do first, hanging up the dolls or presents?"

"Oooh, tough call," Spike commented, sucking some air between his teeth as he mulled it over. Most ponies would be wary of giving a dragon a choice that involved material gain, but Twilight knew him well enough. "Gotta go with the traditional order."

With that decision made, the two of them headed back into the castle. It almost felt a little strange for it to be empty right now, most years the castle was completely open over the Hearth's Warming period to anypony who wanted some company or an ear to their concerns. With Pinkie Pie throwing one of her classic parties today though, everypony for miles around had had their attention focused there. In this case though, a little time to themselves was just what Twilight and Spike wanted.

A room had been set up near the library for their traditions tonight, decorated with tinsel and ribbons in purple, green and red, along with wreaths along the walls and both their presents laid out next to the fireplace at the far end of the room. Spike still referred to it as the gift room since they'd been using it for this purpose since they had first moved into the castle. These days he had the patience to wait for Twilight to be ready before getting started at least, eyeing up the various presents and sorting them while she fetched a pillow and placed it in the fireplace. Being ready in case Pinkie dropped in was something of a tradition too.

"Well, feel free to dig in," Twilight said once everything was ready, stepping next to Spike. "Happy Hearth's Warming."

"Happy Hearth's Warming, Twilight." He said in return, turning to face her and wrapping an arm around the back of her neck to pull her into a hug. She returned it in kind. It still surprised her a little when he was able to supress his draconic instincts when offered a change to freely indulge them, but that only made her all the prouder of how much he'd grown up.

For the next few minutes, little was said between them, only really exchanging comments on the gifts they'd received. Twilight's presents were of the kind she was accustomed to; Personalised mementos from the other element bearers, books to peruse for both study and leisure from the princesses, a wide variety of well wishing gifts from fans and grateful ponies across Equestria. Spike's haul was more modest, though he received similar gifts of thanks from ponies of the Crystal Empire who still knew him as Great and Honourable Spike the Brave and Glorious. There were even a few awkward but well meaning items from the Dragonlands, steps of progress from those that were fully embracing his and Dragon Lord Ember's efforts.

"Feels good to know how much you're helping others doesn't it?" Twilight asked happily as she watched Spike place an opal geode down and open up his last present, a simple scroll from Rarity.

"Yeah, ca-" Spike started before pausing and putting it down again, holding a claw up for a moment before holding it out and belching a burst of fire that materialised into a scroll with the seal of the royal sisters. He let it drop into his waiting hand as he sniffed the air where the fire had been and grinned. "Mmm, sunflower."

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle softly at the sight. It had been something of a shock the first time she had heard him claim he could pick up scents coming from magic but after a week of tests she realised it was genuine. Her conclusion came from the fact that his ability to send and receive such scrolls came directly from alicorn magic Princess Celestia had gifted him with when he had started assisting her. Decades of constant use had attuned his body to magic in curious ways, though smelling it was the most obvious so far.

"As I was saying. Can't deny it's nice playing a part in keeping the world safe and happy," Spike finished as he passed her the scroll and read through his own. "Huh...Wow. Thanks, Rarity."

"Are you ok?" She asked as she put her scroll down, a simple well wishing letter from Celestia and Luna. She'd noticed how he'd tensed up slightly while reading and his wellbeing was her first concern right now.

"Of course. Just some things are hard to let go of completely, y'know?"

Twilight just nodded knowingly, all too aware of how it felt to move on from things you'd held to dearly. She let him digest whatever had been written down and brought her gift back over to her. She only had to glance at the writing style on the tag to see it was from her nephew, Aurora , and that he'd got her a book as well. What he'd included on there caught her attention though.

'I found this deep in the castle library but we don't have any translators in the city right now. I thought you'd enjoy it.'

Curiosity piqued, Twilight opened the wrapping up and let the book fall into her hooves. It was in something of a state, not dissimilar to how her old journal of friendship had been when she recovered it in the aftermath of Tirek's rampage. Her focus was more engaged with the writing on it though, a collection of symbols and icons that would be indecipherable to the average pony. She'd spent enough time in the empire to recognise the language of the ancient crystal ponies though, as well as a partial translation. What she could figure out resulted in a happy squeal as she opened it up and started studying the semi-faded inside cover.

"Haven't heard the nerd side come out in a while. How good is it?" Spike asked, slightly amused as always to see one of the most important figures in the world sounding like a filly that had been allowed extra ice cream.

"This, is a history book from the earliest days of the old Crystal Kingdom!" Twilight exclaimed, turning it round to show him. "If I'm translating the date right, this book is at least four thousand years older than Equestria itself! Think of just how much we can finally learn about that time!!"

"Woah...They don't make books like they used to."

Twilight barely heard his quip as she opened the book up again, intently studying everything about it. Both of them knew where the rest of her day was going.

"Twilight, it's nearly eleven o'clock. Should I fetch a pillow?"

Had it been that long already, Twilight thought as she managed to pull her eyes away from the ancient history book and look up at Spike. She'd hardly been able to wait as the two of them had cleaned up, hung up their Hearth's Warming dolls and taken their presents to their rooms before heading into the library to study it in intricate detail. The fact she was having to work on translating at the same time had delayed things considerably but she was finally making some headway. Or had been before he had joined her. Now that her focus was broken though, she was aware of the steady drain of her magic from holding multiple books, quills and parchments around her, as well as how thirsty she was.

"Oh. No, Spike. I'm going to start winding down now, I promise."

"Define how long starting to wind down takes."

He really did know her too well.

"Twenty minutes at most." Twilight admitted.

"Heh, maybe I should get my old comics out so you can be one giving me a bedtime again." Spike said with a chuckle, placing a glass of water down on the table for Twilight.

"I mean it this time," She replied with a slight pout before giggling herself and stretching slightly. "Really, I'll be up soon. You get some rest."

"I know you do," He said softly, turning and heading for the exit. "Goodnight, Twilight."

"Sleep well, Spike." She said back, waving farewell to him before taking a few gulps of water and getting back to her studying.

For the next few minutes the only sounds in the library were the scratching of quill on parchment and Twilight's quiet breathing, her eyes straining slightly in the dimmed light of the stars and her own horn as she checked her translations of the old crystal language and copied it over to equestrian. While the book had spare illustrations, its condition left them largely indistinguishable and she didn't want to chance any restoration spells when tired. As she stifled a yawn as she put everything down and went over what had been written so far, the yawn stopped in her throat as the reading let what she had seen sink in. Suddenly sleep was the last thing on her mind as a confused tension flooded her senses and she darted up out of her seat.

What she had written, assuming the translation was flawless, was unlike anything she had expected when she started. She had to tell somepony about this right now, but who? Princess Celestia and Queen Cadance would both be sound asleep by now. Princess Luna was awake but she had said she would be busy tonight with some task crucial to the Equestria Defence Force. Even if that was done by now she'd be busy guarding the dream realm and that would require sleep to get to, something that seemed impossible right now. The only one of her friends who might be awake at this time would be Rainbow Dash, probably out celebrating with the rest of the Wonderbolts. Important as this was, she couldn't bring herself to interrupt her friend's happiness for something she might not understand. Spike? That seemed to make the most sense, he wouldn't be deep asleep just yet and both he knew about the book and how to help her out of the incoming panic.

Not ideal, but it would have to do. Twilight quickly gathered up her translation notes and the book, barely keeping a hold of it all in her rush. She couldn't wait, not with information that might shatter every preconception of ancient Equestria as ponykind know it. Her horn was engulfed in its light purple aura and she teleported up to Spike's room, barely waiting long enough to materialise before calling for him.

"Spike!"

"Whazzappened?" Spike asked quickly as he shot up in bed. The sight of an alicorn hyperventilating slightly, legs quivering in restrained panic, was enough to shake him awake and he immediately clambered over the foot of the bed and up in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Slow breaths Twi, hoof over the heart, just keep focusing on me."

Twilight nodded and pressed a trembling hoof over her chest, keeping her eyes locked on Spike's as her breathing steadily slowed and she got her heart rate back under control. The two of them had developed the techniques for bringing her out of these freakout moments while she'd been recovering from the aftermath of the Starlight incident, but in all these years after that Twilight had never forgotten just how invaluable his help was when she needed it most.

"Okay...Okay..." She said quietly after a full minute, looking down and seeing her hooves had stopped shaking before sitting down and nodding. "That was a bad one..."

"What happened?" He asked gently, his voice filled with concern. Twilight knew he already knew what the cause most likely was and placed down the book and notes in front of them.

"Page thirty-three, paragraph four."

Spike nodded, making one last check over to be sure Twilight was calm and settled again before reading the relevant translated note.

'Although the unexpected conditions meant the Ferruci coast ultimately proved incapable of supporting a permanent settlement, the expedition was not a total loss. Explorers tasked with searching for rare resources in the inland hills described finding a mural carved into a rock face, thirty square feet and depicting a trio of equines unlike any in recorded history. Each appeared to have a pair of wings along their sides and a horn atop their foreheads. The bottom of the mural contained a line of what is presumably these beings language, though any attempts at translation have met with failure. Speculation on the origin of the mural, as well as the fact it remains in prime condition today, has lead to a common belief among those who know of it that these beings are in some way connected to the surge.'

"I still haven't figured out where Ferruci is meant to be," Twilight said quietly, taking a slow breath. Now that the tension of her momentary panic had subsided, the exhaustion resulting from both staying up and stressing out was starting to weigh down on her like a lead blanket. "But that expedition mentioned took place around forty-seven hundred years before Equestra was founded."

"And they found a wall carving of a bunch of alicorns?" Spike mused, putting the papers down and scratching his cheek in thought. "Now that I think about it, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have never mentioned anything about an alicorn race. Or even implied anything..."

"Exactly. If this is true...Why has there been no evidence of any other alicorns? How much of an influence have they had? So, many questions."

"Yeah, I can see why you'd react like you did. I'm guessing you're gonna want to follow up properly tomorrow?"

"Maybe. Right now, just going to take a few minutes here. Wake me if somepony comes by." Twilight murmured, her already drained endurance losing out to her shock exacerbated weariness. She could feel Spike moving over and placing his hands under her as she leaned against him and slipped into a dreamless rest.

Author's Note

For the curious, there isn't really a real world match for Spike's hybrid accent. The closest comparison I could make would probably be an Icelandic accent.

Chapter 2 - Ancient Secrets

December 27th

"Okay, are you sure everything's here?"

"Well everything you wanted to bring hasn't left your sight since you woke up so yeah, I'm pretty sure."

Twilight sighed slightly to herself and nodded, making one last double check that all the books and notes she needed were present before getting up from her study desk and stretching slightly. It was so much easier to think when she had a clear head and a proper nights rest behind her.

Much of her shocked reaction to the possible revelation about the alicorn race had come from the stress on top of physical weariness, she had decided. All the same, she had woken up in Spike's bed the following morning still feeling shaken and more than a little guilty that he had ended up sleeping on a cushion pile that was normally reserved for when he was in a more feral mood. Though a little weary himself, he hadn't seemed to mind though and the two of them had been able to enjoy the rest of Hearth's Warming as it had been meant to be, relaxed and in the company of those closest to them.

The break had been invaluable for Twilight, letting the worst of her concerns and doubts be withered and blown away by the crisp winter air. It was impossible to let everything go though, not for a detail focused pony like her. She had brought the issue of her discoveries up to Spike again at dinner that night and they had both come to the conclusion that something like this should be followed up on, both to get it out of her system before it turned into an obsession and for the fact it really was a curious subject. Given everything they had at the moment, the only real lead available was to follow the information back to its source.

Back to the Crystal Empire.

"And the notices are up?" Twilight asked as she flicked through the notes and tucked them under a wing, placing the history book under the other.

"Directions to the library, the sorting method and why we aren't available, check," Spike confirmed as he scratched the back of his neck. "Gotta admit, I'm actually looking forward to going after some ancient secrets, possibly unravelling some great threat to Equestria and bringing it down with the others."

"You miss the old days?" She asked in surprise.

"Well...Yeah. I don't mind helping ponies but we haven't had any major adventures like that since St-" He stopped and bit his tongue before he could finish the name. Reopening old wounds was the last thing he wanted to do. "...For about twenty years. They kept things interesting."

"Hmmm, true," She nodded, seemingly not catching his little faux par. "This is going to be a nice little change of pace. You ready?"

"Always!"

Twilight nodded and stepped over to Spike, moving up to his side before her horn lit up and she teleported them out. As the flash faded she nodded to herself that her aim was as accurate as always. The purple crystal walls of her castle study had been replaced by a blue crystal walled room, devoid of furnishings. She'd long stopped wondering why a room in the palace of the Crystal City had been set aside just for her to teleport to anytime she needed. Having a space that was guaranteed to be clear helped more than most ponies realised. A quick look to the side confirmed Spike was unfazed and the two of them headed out.

The hallway outside was empty as they stepped out, Spike with some difficulty due to his bulk. Twilight knew from experience that they were on the south side of the castle, near the library and with some great views of the city available. While she wanted to head for the former, they had to make her presence known first. With that settled the duo moved toward the throne room, keeping a look out for anypony else. After a minute of silent walking a unicorn mare rounded a corner in front of them and stopped in surprise.

"Princess Twilight! Spike! This is an unexpected pleasure." The pony said as she dropped into a bow. White coated with a mane of red-violet with ice blue highlights, light blue eyes and a cutie mark of a snowflake surrounded by a pink glow, Twilight recognised her as one of Cadance's aides. That simplified things a little.

"Flurry Heart," Twilight greeted her in return, motioning for her to stand and relax. "How are things here?"

"As well as we could hope for, all things considered," Flurry Heart said as she stood up, rubbing the leg she'd bowed on. "However, I'm afraid Queen Cadance and King Shining Armor are in todays' deliberations at the moment and have asked that they do not be disturbed under all but the most serious circumstances."

"I see," Twilight frowned for a moment before letting it pass. "That's okay. I'm actually hoping to speak to Aurora, is he around?"

"Of course, the Prince is in the library," Flurry said as she bowed her head again. "If I may, once Cadance and Shining are free I shall let them know you're here."

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you." Twilight said with a smile, watching for a moment as Flurry turned and headed back the way she'd come from before turning and heading in the opposite direction toward the palace library.

"Hrrmmm. Wonder how bad it is." Spike mused as he fell into step beside her, drawing the alicorn's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Shining and Cadance always make time when you visit. If whatever they're talking about is important enough to come before you, it has to be something major."

"Well they do have a kingdom to run. You should know full well what kind of complications can come up." She replied, though she couldn't help but frown again. He had a point.

The rest of the walk was made in silence until the two of them stepped into the library. While she wasn't as familiar with it as her own, Twilight quickly felt that familiar sense of calm from taking in thousands of books on display, ready to dispense their knowledge to those who sought it. These rooms had been a second home to her for several months while her nephew was growing up, introducing him to books and finding out what subjects he liked best. As well as giving him a drive for learning that was almost a match for hers, it made it easy to know where he would be right now.

A quick trot through to the history section brought them to a study table in the center of the area. As expected a lone unicorn stallion was sitting there, poring over a book. Only twenty years old, he had a bronze coat and a long, flowing silver mane with a white fringe, focused hazel eyes and a cutie mark that could best be described as the ghostly white outline of a pony. His ears twitched on hearing both hooves and claws approaching and he looked up. Any seriousness on his face vanished at the sight of who it was and he barely had time to light his horn in a white aura before he teleported from his seat to in front of them.

"Aunt Twi!" He exclaimed in excitement, grinning happily and wrapping his front hooves round her shoulder in a hug.

"Hey Aurora. Surprise!" She replied without missing a beat, returning the hug and patting his back as she did. Most ponies would be put off by how passionately he embraced the bond they had but she was thankful to be so close with her nephew.

"Sorry. It's, been a while and things have been quiet around here," Aurora managed to say as he extracted himself from the hug and smiled sheepishly before turning his attention to Spike. "Hey, little guy."

"How's it going, bookworm?" Spike replied with a chuckle, offering a fist out to the stallion and getting a hoofbump in return.

"So, how have things been for you? We haven't really had a chance to talk recently." Twilight asked. To her surprise, Aurora looked away slightly and bit his lip.

"Well, things have been about normal here, probably a little better than usual since Onyx Dawn has been pretty quiet. Except for yesterday. Princess Luna came to us, saying she wanted my help. Some top secret military project in Canterlot. I didn't understand it fully but I think it's because of my talent. Mom and dad have been discussing if I should go through with it all morning."

"Well, that explains the deliberating." Spike said.

"What do you think about it though?" Twilight added.

"I...I actually don't know," Aurora turned and went back over to the book he had been reading, taking it in his magic and putting it back. "I mean, I know I need to push myself a little harder but you've seen how ponies react to me. What if the whole reason I'm there puts me at odds with everypony again?"

"I'm sure Luna wouldn't have asked you if she didn't think you were the best pony for the job." Twilight said reassuringly. She had no idea what the project he had been invited to would involve as Luna handled all of Equestria's military affairs on her own, but she trusted the princess' judgement.

"Maybe, but you didn't come just to catch up. Something bigger concerns you." Aurora said, his horn still glowing after returning the book to its shelf.

Twilight's ears twitched slightly as she noticed the nervous edge had left his voice. As expected, when Aurora turned back to her his eyes had paled to a white-brown mix. It made him look like he was blind but both Twilight and Spike knew it was simply his special talent at work, sensing how those around him truly felt through his magic. Ponies unfamiliar with it did tend to be deeply unnerved but Twilight and Spike had seen it more than enough times to be unfazed and he was usually much calmer when doing.

"You're right. I'm actually here about this." Twilight stepped forward and brought the book out from under her wing. Aurora looked at it and gasped slightly, his magic fading and eyes returning to normal.

"Oh. Was there something wrong with me giving you it?"

"No, no. I've had a great time working on translating it. I just came across something in there that I wanted your help with," Twilight explained as she took her papers out from under her other wing and placed them down on the table. A few moments searching brought out the page that had started all this and she passed it to Aurora. "Take a look through this."

Aurora took the page in his magic and read quickly. The way his eyes widened the further he went told the others all they needed to know, and by the time he reached the end his jaw was occasionally opening and closing as if he didn't know how he was supposed to respond. Even his reaction wasn't far off her initial one, Twilight thought as she watched. The more she was around him, the more she realised just how much he acted like she used to before becoming the element of magic.

"Wow," Aurora eventually said, shaking his head slightly. "That's quite a whammy if it's true."

"Exactly. So, you want to help us get to the bottom of this mystery?" Spike offered. It took a moment for the words to sink in fully but the moment they did Aurora broke into a grin.

"You bet! What do we need to do that?" He replied, looking round and scratching the side of his head.

"Anything we can use to compare records of the old Crystal Kingdom and the Crystal Empire. Make special note of anything in the forty-six to forty-nine hundred years before the foundation of Equestria or of any old maps. We're looking for a Ferruci region." Twilight explained as she gathered her things up, privately relishing a chance at a proper research project.

"Right. Will we need a comparison between the old imperial crystal calendar and modern equestrian?"

"It'll definitely help. Where should we start? You know this library even better than I do."

"Well, I found the book over in the depths of the empire's archives. I bet we could find a few more classics like that on the way. Let's go!" Aurora was moving before anyone else, gathering everything up and heading for another section of the library.

"You'd never guess he still has trouble making friends." Twilight commented to Spike.

"Eh, more often I have to remind myself he's not actually your son." Spike replied, getting a chuckle from her as they went to follow.

The quiet echoing of hooves clacking against the floor was the only thing to distract Shining Armor from his thoughts as he made his way through the castle hallways, mid-afternoon light filtering through the windows and warming his coat. In the forty-nine years of his life, and especially the twenty-one he'd led the Crystal Empire, he'd had to make a lot of tough decisions. Decisions regarding his family were tougher still. Coming to an agreement with his wife that it was best for their son to go ahead with Luna's request was one of the toughest. On the plus side, Flurry had told them that Twilight and Spike were here. Cadance had gone to make some preparations for them while he went to find them in the library.

Some good news like that was just what he needed. Today had been rough enough with word of fresh disturbances within Crystal City that were related to Onyx Dawn on top of his family issue. As he stifled a yawn as he walked, he silently admitted to himself that the fatigue would have been another issue if it hadn't been lingering for years after a diplomatic meeting with Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer...Went awry. He did his best not to think about what little he remembered of that day and continued onward.

As he stepped into the library, Shining's ears twitched and he followed the unmistakable sound of voices in discussion and multiple quills at work on parchment. He followed the sound to its source and stopped at the sight before him. Twilight and Aurora had pushed a pair of tables together and now had them covered with books, notes and translation sheets they were studying, copying and note taking from intently. Spike was facing the wall behind them, poring over a dozen maps that ranged from modern Equestria to what looked like ancient exploration charts. He didn't even have a chance to ask what it was with how quickly they were talking among themselves.

"Okay, I might have it narrowed down but I need an answer." Spike said as he stood up and cupped his chin in his hand.

"On it," Aurora told him as levitated several papers over and skimmed through them. "The area between Crystal City and Rainbow Falls, that was marked as the Tolis region at that time."

"Then the only other area with hills like those..." Spike nodded and clicked his fingers. "The Ferruci Region has to be the current Luna Bay!"

Twilight immediately teleported out of her seat and next to Spike, looking over everything he had noted down and the maps he indicated, breaking out in a grin.

"Spike, you're brilliant!" She exclaimed happily as she gave him a quick hug, smiling more at his gentle smile in response. "Aurora, didn't you say you found a record of the last time the crystal ponies sent explorers that way?"

"Yes, I did," Aurora quickly brought some more papers over and tapped at them. "The last recorded group were in Equis during year four seventy-four of the Time of Chaos. Not much to go on, but an area and a lead is better than nothing."

"It is. Your help has been invaluable in this too." Twilight said as she stepped back. Any further comments she had died in her throat as she turned and caught sight of Shining Armor standing there, a bemused look on his face. "Oh. Hi, BBBFF."

"Twily. Should I ask what all was all about?" Shining asked, chuckling slightly at the sight of his little sister, one of the most powerful beings in the world, still getting excited over learning as much as she had when she was a filly. For her part, Twilight simply gave a sheepish little shrug.

"Long story. But, we've got some time to explain."

"Glad to hear it. We've all got some catching up to do as well." Shining said as he watched the others gathered their things back up. He had no idea what all this was about but based on the little he'd heard, he could only suspect that it was something big.

Chapter 3 - Frozen in Time

Vanhoover
December 29th

As much as she would have liked to stay in the Crystal Empire longer with her brother, sister-in-law and nephew, Twilight knew that there was little point in remaining if she wanted to continue following this mystery. Aurora would be unable to help any further as he needed to head to Canterlot for his top-secret project tomorrow. Hours of scouring the depths of the Crystal Empire's ancient history had only hinted at answers to the west and there was nothing else for them to go on. All she could do for now was make sure there wasn't anything going on in the empire that her family couldn't handle, briefly return to Ponyville to update her notices that she would be away for longer than anticipated and then head for Vanhoover with Spike.

As much as she wanted to head straight for the next lead, even she needed to get permission for that particular location first.

The Equis ruins were among the two dozen sites across the country marked for their historical, geographical or cultural significance to Equestria. The majority of these spots were protected by a unique magic perimeter, the counterspell to which was only carried by one pony, known as the warden of the their location. Ponies could only earn such a position through proven, unbreakable trustworthiness, though some became wardens of less protected sites due to a connection to the place they guarded. Even the princesses respected the value of these places enough that few of them were entered without the counterspell or the knowledge of their warden. That was why Twilight had come to Vanhoover.

Spike had used the two days he'd been waiting to remain in Ponyville and stockpile supplies as neither of them knew exactly how long they would be out in the frozen wilds. Twilight had spent the time going through the proper channels to contact the Warden of Equis and was now waiting in her 'office'. It was really just a fancier way of saying her house but Twilight didn't mind. Sitting in a plush living room chair with a cup of tea in her magic, possibly one with a hint of peppermint in it, she'd been in far worse offices in her time. This was one she actually wouldn't mind falling asleep in. It helped that the warden was a former Ponyville resident. Not one she knew well but one that was easy to remember.

The sound of hoofsteps shook her thoughts and she looked over to the warden entering the room. A tall, somewhat lanky earth mare with a cream coloured coat, a light scarlet and very bushy mane and tail, gentle light purple eyes behind thickset blue glasses and a cutie mark of two candy canes forming the shape of a heart. A scroll was wrapped in her hoof, one she offered to Twilight.

"Here you are, Princesth Twilight." She said, still sporting her foalhood lisp. It was rare to hear such a thing on a pony in her mid-twenties but she seemed unbothered with it.

"Huh," Twilight mused as she got up and took the scroll in her magic. "Twist, if you don't mind me saying, this seems like a rather simple method to get to this spell."

"Ah. Well thee, I know that if you need to get into the ruinth then you mutht have a very good reathon. It normally taketh another week or two just to check the background of the pony who athked and the thpell is kept in a lockbox Princesth Luna thaid was unbreakable without my intent to open it."

"Alright," Twilight said as she opened the scroll and checked the spell over. It was legitimate, the kind of thing she could do easily on her own if she so desired. "Sorry for doubting you."

"I take my job theriouthly." Twist replied with a smile.

"I know, you wouldn't be a warden if you didn't," Twilight rolled the scroll back up after a few seconds and handed it over. She'd seen enough to have it memorised. "But you're doing really good work and this is going to be a huge help. Thank you."

"Glad to be of thervice." Twist's smile grew further, the sight of the small beaming mare bringing a surprising sense of content to Twilight.

Although their business was concluded, Twilight stayed for several minutes longer, making small talk while she finished her tea. She could tell much Twist needed a little time to just unwind and find out how her old friends in Ponyville were doing, not having much chance between running northern Equestria's most popular confectionary business and keeping on top on her warden duties. Before long her curiosity drive took over again though and she made her farewells before teleporting back to the castle.

"Well, that was quick." Twilight said to herself as she reappeared in the map room and headed up to a storeroom on the floor above, able to hear Spike at work from down there.

As she reached the room and looked in she had to pause for a moment, marvelling at his efficiency. Two days of work had been condensed into a pair of saddlebags for the two of them that he was putting the finishing touches on. Twilight's bag mostly contained her books and notes while Spike's larger bags carried all the supplies they would need for their expedition.

"Oh, hi Twilight. Everything we need is packed and ready to go. If we're careful, we should be able to last a week without needing to resupply." Spike told her as she stepped into the room fully.

"Thanks Spike. You've really outdone yourself this time," She said as she double checked the bags. While his organizing was still a little below her level she couldn't hope to match his skill at packing if she tried. "No time like the present then. I have to say though, at this point I'm not sure if I want to figure this out more than I just want to stop focusing on it."

"You've been losing sleep again haven't you?" Spike asked. The slight exhale Twilight gave was all he needed to hear.

"You may need to make sure I don't obsess any further while we're out there." She admitted, lifting her saddlebags into place and adjusting them as Spike fitted his own bags over his back.

Neither of them needed to say anything else on the matter. As soon they were both completely set, Twilight moved next to Spike and charged her magic, being sure the teleportation spell was powerful enough to carry them both before casting. In a flash the room around them was replaced by blinding white, the slight chill of an interior in winter dropping to a furious cold that bit hard at fur and scale alike. Intense storm-force winds slammed against them and while Spike was able to dig his claw through the foot deep snow and find some grip, Twilight was forced to throw a forcefield around them within seconds to keep from being blown off her hooves.

As the shield deflected the worst of the elements the wind dropped and the temperature raised from overwhelmingly cold to uncomfortably chilly. Twilight steadied herself and shook off the snowfall that had rapidly accumulated on her body, flexing her wings to keep the blood pumping through them. Frostbite was a major concern for pegasi working in the cold for extended periods of time and she'd heard enough stories from Rainbow Dash to take measures against it.

"Well that was an entrance," Spike said as he pulled his claws from the ground. "So where abouts are we?"

"Twist's scroll included safe routes into the area, including one for teleporting if any of the princesses wanted to," Twilight explained. "I did bring us slightly off the listed point though. There's a view I've wanted to see for years and I'll never get a better chance than this."

She looked round for a few moments before nodding to their left. The view was somewhat impaired by the blizzard raging around them but the occasional lull in the wind let them see all they needed to. The two of them stood atop a small cliff that looked out on the snowy plains of Equestria's northwest coast, a gentle shift from white to icy blue marking the beginning of the frozen waters of Luna Bay. The mile between their position and the waters edge was filled by countless stones, the remains of walls and buildings. Though it was a wasteland now, this was a place of great significance and reverence.

These were the Equis ruins. This had been the first capital of Equestria after the three tribes came together nearly five thousand years ago, the birthplace of a unified ponykind. Approximately twenty-two hundred years ago the city had fallen to yak invaders during the Contact War and been reduced to its current state. While ponykind had been unable to return for centuries due to the interference of the old Crystal Empire, more than enough records of the city had existed for Twilight to learn all about it growing up. Documents, blueprints, stories of a bygone era. She had always hoped that she might one day stand upon this precipice and look upon the place where everything she had ever known began with her own eyes.

Now she was finally here, with a purpose.

"Wow..." Twilight and Spike both said in unison, soaking in the sight before focusing again.

"So, Twilight, where to now?" The dragon asked as he adjusted his gaze.

"If we're east of Equis then..." Twilight mused to herself, scanning the city before pointing to what looked like the base of what would have been a sizeable building near the center of the city. "The civic headquarters would be there. If any records about the crystal ponies expeditions have survived, they'll be in a sub-level there. We shouldn't teleport though, both for the perimeter and because we need to keep moving in this cold."

"So we're doing it the fun way then." Spike said as he looked over the edge of the cliff and swung himself over, using his natural agility honed by years of dealing with the castle's massive bookshelves to scale down the cliff face. Twilight quickly took off and flapped over to him, descending in time with him to keep the forcefield covering them both.

"And we shouldn't get separated either. The weathers not normally this bad but, I couldn't risk something happening to you if we did."

Though he was focused on his climbing, Spike still shot Twilight an appreciative smile. The duo descended in silence for the next minute until claws and hooves came to rest on solid ground again, the base of the cliff sheltering them from the worst of the winds. After a quick check to make sure their supplies were still intact they made their way toward the ruins. As they approached a faint, almost invisible shimmer in the air made Twilight halt and activate her magic, reciting the spell to allow them safe passage through the magic guarding the site. A momentary pulse of magic over her and Spike confirmed it had taken effect and they stepped through.

Inside the barrier the wind dropped to nothing and no snow fell around them, though a layer of it still blanketed the ground. The city ruins sat in complete silence, nothing moving, nothing living. As if locked in its current state forever. It left the area with an eerie, haunting atmosphere that permeated everything. Despite being raised not to believe in the supernatural, Spike couldn't shake the worrying sensation that somepony was watching every step they took, spirits of those that gave their lives trying to save this city that wished it be left in peace. His concern was almost tangible before Twilight stopped and turned to him.

"I can feel it too. We shouldn't stay any longer than it takes to find where the mural is."

"Good. Something in the air just doesn't smell right," Spike commented, sniffing the air and wrinkling his nose slightly. "And it's not the hint of camomile coming from the barrier either."

Twilight just nodded and kept moving, slightly tenser than before. The rest of their walk through the city streets was silent, broken only by the crunching of snow beneath feet and hooves, before they reached the remains of the civic headquarters in what looked like the former city center. Though there was nothing left on the surface, Twilight had read more than enough records of Equis to know what she was looking for. A simple twist of her magic grabbed at a pull ring beneath the snow at the far edge of the building and lifted it up, revealing a trapdoor with a set of stone steps leading underground. She kept her horn lit for light as they stepped inside, Spike needing a moment to squeeze through the opening, and down into the archives of Equis.

"Twi? Should I be ready for a-" Spike started, only to be cut off by an excited gasp from Twilight that almost slipped into a squeal. On instinct he moved up to her and placed a hand around her chest as a precaution, taking a look around as he did.

Considering all they could see down here was rows of bookshelves filled with hundreds of books and scrolls that had survived in secrecy for millennia, he wouldn't put it past her fainting in excitement. In this case though she merely went a little unsteady on her hooves before focusing again. He removed his hand from her chest to let her finish her descent, though instead she flapped over to a lantern that lay on the floor, using her magic to light the candle inside and placing it on a table. It didn't provide much light with the size of the room but anything was better than nothing.

"Look at it all," Twilight said in a hushed whisper as she gently span on the spot, fascinated adoration in her eyes. "Thousands of years of history and knowledge, thought lost forever...."

"Try not to get too side-tracked in looking for that mural." Spike advised as he put his bags down and fished out a blanket. He could already tell they'd be making camp down here and while it wasn't as bad as outside conditions were still far from ideal.

"Right. Right right right," Twilight shook her head slightly and put her bags down. "Still, it might take a while to find so much as another hint of what we're looking for. It wouldn't hurt to learn a little while we're here, right? I mean, how many documents can there be in here?"

"Well, if the room is seventy-five feet long like in the blueprint, filled with ten rows of six foot cases that each hold about four hundred and eight books and or scrolls each side..." Spike's hand twitched slightly as he stood on his back legs and ran the numbers in his head. "Approximately ninety-seven thousand two hundred and twenty."

Twilight simply looked into the darkness that hid the rest of the scrolls, mind racing. Despite her determination, she found herself unexpectedly torn. Excitement at discovering so many ancient secrets, including the very real possibility of a lead on her hunt for the ancient alicorns, and a sudden, lingering sense of fear about the same.

"Whoa..."

Chapter 4 - The Veil Rises

January 6th

"Nothing. That's thirty thousand, give or take a few books."

Twilight yawned slightly as she gently placed another scroll back in its slot and checked her notes. Her memories of the past week had become something of a blur, steadily working her way through the Equis archives, translating where necessary and recovering as much knowledge as she could while looking for any hint of the alicorn mural or its location. It was a lot easier to operate on her body clock than the rising and setting of the sun in an environment like this, eating and sleeping as needed and occasionally having Spike step in to make sure she didn't end up staying awake for eighteen hours at a time.

She didn't want to think just how hard she'd been focusing on this mystery and what she might have done without his support. Twilight knew from plentiful experience that every scroll or book she searched without finding an answer only intensified her desire to find said answer. Spike had kept himself less involved, simply staring out over the city for hours at a time or taking the two of them on walks around the ruins when he felt she needed a break. Though the eerie atmosphere remained, it was far less intimidating when the snowfall beyond the perimeter had ceased and the area looked the same inside and out. Trying to map out how Equis used to look in her mind had been a been a great way for her to unwind when she needed it most.

"Twilight, how long since you slept?" Spike asked as he gnawed on a fire ruby, watching her pick out another scroll.

"About nine hours, and two since I ate." Twilight replied, pausing to look back at him.

"Huh, pretty much spot on."

"My mind's feeling fresh right now. Cold winter air does wonders for the senses."

"Well we may have to head somewhere warmer soon," Spike commented as he looked through his noticeably emptier bags. "We're pretty much out of food by now."

Twilight paused and trotted over, still carrying the scroll in her magic. A quick look through both their bags confirmed they now held far more of her notes from all the old books than anything else.

"Good point...Just a few more though, call it a hunch."

"Alright," Spike sighed slightly. "Just a dozen or so, I'll keep count."

Twilight nodded and opened her scroll, skimming through it. Just a list of tax collections this time, she had to have found at least five hundred of those already. It was quickly returned to it's place and she kept searching. Trade treaty with the Crystal Kingdom, no. Report on new agriculture gathering methods, interesting insight but no. What looked like a crude cartoon about Commander Hurricane drawn by somepony with too much time on their hooves, maybe Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash would have found it amusing if they'd been here. Map of a Crystal Kingdom survey team's route through the hills to the northeast...A lead!

"A-ha!" She exclaimed, bringing it over to Spike and showing him the map, quickly pointing out the writing on it. "This is dated from the sixty-ninth year of recovery in the old Equestrian calendar, the same as four seventy four TC! You see the final point is in the old crystal language instead of equestrian as well?"

"Mmmhmm," Spike mused as he took what was left of his gem out his mouth and studied it closer, remembering the translations. "Mural site? Well that was convenient."

"Would have been more convenient if we'd found it after a hundred scrolls instead of thirty thousand," Twilight countered. "It's something though. You up for going now if it's still light?"

"And if the weather is holding. I've walked through more than enough snow to last my lifetime."

Twilight nodded and teleported out of the archive to check the weather conditions. Spike had just enough time to pop the fire ruby back in his mouth and finish it before she returned to the same spot.

"Princess Celestia's just starting to lower the sun and the weather is all clear."

"Well, may as well go now before the cold sets in any further," Spike said as he got up and stretched. "Sooner we do this, the sooner you can put this behind you and the sooner I can move my bed in front of a fireplace again."

Twilight chuckled slightly and placed the scroll back before packing up everything they had left over. One way or another they wouldn't be coming back here immediately. The thought sent several sparks of emotion through her. Anticipation, wonder, that niggling sense of fear again. Though she couldn't explain it, it was a concern that she was almost certainly stirring up a potential hornets nest, some ancient secret that had been forgotten for millennia and would end up creating a new threat she would have to face with her friends when uncovered. As interesting as the adventuring days had been, she still wasn't sure if she wanted to return to them again. Not if it meant risking a repeat of Starlight Glimmer...

She shook the negative thoughts before they could take hold again and focused on her spellwork, gathering the spell around the two of them before teleporting them out. She'd seen the area they needed to head for from the ruins and the map had given her a set point. As the familiar flash of teleportation wore off she looked round to see they were on the lip of a shallow valley that rose fifty feet either side, the ruins just about visible off to the southwest. This was as close as she could get visually, but the mural site was within a few hundred meters if she'd read it right.

Twilight scanned over the valley and her eyes settled on an area to her right where the snowy incline gave way to steeper rock. She pointed it out to Spike and he nodded, bounding ahead to go check while she flew after him. After a week of keeping herself restrained inside the archive, letting all that tension out with a quick rush through the crisp air like this was nothing short of exhilarating. After a minute she saw Spike dig his claws in and skid to a halt, flaring her wings out in response and coming in to land just behind him.

"I think, this is it." Spike said, sniffing slightly as he eyed up the rock face in front of him.

Twilight only needed to look for a moment to know he was right. A thirty square foot area of the rock had been perfectly smoothed and inscribed with a trio of figures. Seeing them up close and assuming they were the ones who had made the mural that was still in pristine condition after thousands of years, they were unmistakably alicorns. Two stallions and a mare, standing together in what looked like casual conversation. There was also a string of symbols underneath the image, language she'd never seen before...Yet it felt familiar.

"Wow..." She said softly, moving to take a step forward for a closer look. Only to be stopped as Spike thrust a hand out in front of her chest.

"Something's wrong about this. There's magic imbued in the rock, probably keeping it looking so good. Most of the scents, they're unlike anything I've ever smelt before, but there's definitely the smell of ammonia in there."

"Is that bad?" Twilight was pretty sure she already knew the answer and her concern was completed as Spike turned to her with a grim look.

"It's one of the stand out things from when Princess Celestia was teaching me what the scents of magic mean...It's the smell of dark magic."

Twilight took a step back without thinking. Having used dark magic on more than one occasion, she knew just how dangerous it was to wield. Knowingly or not, if an alicorn used such power openly...

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. There's more, but if you want to have a go at translating those symbols I'd do it now. This is big."

Spike's words did little to reassure Twilight in any way. She nodded and focused on the symbols all the same, trying to figure out what felt so familiar about it and why. It was almost as if she'd instinctively known what these symbols meant, what letters they were supposed to be, like they'd been imprinted into her mind at birth and always lingered there despite never being seen again. As the seconds passed things began to click, several letters making sense. While most of the inscription was still incomprehensible with what was available there was one complete word. Vaire. Much as she wanted to use her magic to translate the rest, she didn't want to touch the mural in any way at this point.

"Okay," She said, taking a steadying breath to brace herself for whatever was coming next. "Define big. Possible threat to Equestria big or world ending big?"

"World ending," Spike replied slowly, trying to judge how best to say what he knew. "That same scent of dark magic and this unknown, this alicorn magic. I've felt it before. I never figured it out at the time because they were so subtle behind the rest of the magic but now I know what they're like for sure, I know it was them. Those two scents together, I've picked them up in a few other ponies before."

"Who?" Twilight asked quickly, ears folding back as she waited. Spike sighed slightly before looking at her regretfully, clearing not looking forward to saying this at all. In that moment her blood froze as she made the connection between the small number and the magic.

"Celestia, Luna, Cadance...And you."

Three days later...

Twilight's mind was blank. Though for the first time in days, it was thanks to her relaxation methods rather than numb shock. Pretty much everything she had done since finding the mural in the hills had been on autopilot, barely able to summon up enough focus to teleport herself and Spike back home. She'd done her best to catch up on what she'd missed during her week long expedition, though all of note that had happened was Applejack and Fluttershy being called on a friendship mission to the Crystal Empire. But even that had barely registered in her mind at the time.

She'd taken a lot of shocks in her time, but learning that not only had there actually been an alicorn race once but that they might have been casually wielding the most dangerous magic known to ponykind had knocked her for a loop. The idea that such power had been unknowingly, perhaps casually, used by her and ponies she looked up to so fondly had been an extra blow that had taken all her relaxation methods to come down from. At least they had worked and today she was using them simply to finish unwinding, rather than try and keep from losing it again.

Twilight opened an eye and smiled to herself at the sight of six melon sized orbs of water held in her magic in front of her, all perfectly spherical. This was her favourite method right now, keeping her magic engaged to the point where she couldn't focus on her worries and the setup she had was perfect for it, gathering some water from the underground pool she levitated herself above and them firing them off like pinballs against the gems throughout the cave without spilling a drop or leaving any behind on the gems. Such rapid, precision magic was soothing, helped by the rush of the waterfall at her back and dozens of colours reflecting through the air around her. A small part of her was thankful the ponies that had found this cave years ago had decided its value in beauty was worth more than its value in gems.

"Twilight?" Spike's voice called through from the entrance, echoing around her. Talking while relaxing like this would be nice too.

"In here." She replied, sending her water orbs oscillating in front of her before shooting off in every direction, ricocheting around the cavern.

"You weren't in bed and I got worried, so I thought you'd gone somewhere quiet to think and..." Spike's concern gave out as he entered the cavern, leaning against the wall to watch her display. "And for once I had nothing to worry about."

"Sorry, I just wanted to get a few thoughts together." Twilight replied as she opened her other eye and looked back at him, pinging one of the water orbs off his shoulder. Despite it not even making his scales damp, Spike glanced down at the spot and brushed it off with a chuckle.

"I'm glad to see you feeling better at least."

"Imagine how it feels for me then," After a few more seconds she brought the orbs back in front of her and studied them. "Four percent total loss, not bad all things considered." She said to herself as her magic faded, the water dropping back into the pool below with several rapid splashes as her wings opened to keep herself in a hover.

"Liberating," Spike suggested after a moments thought before getting back on all fours as he moved to the edge of the pool. "So, now that you've got a clear head and enough of a solved mystery to behave normally, what do you plan on doing about this alicorn enigma?"

"Well, so far we only know that there were several we've never heard of at least nine thousand years ago up in the Crystal Empire," Twilight recapped as she came down to land in front of him. "But there being more, that this 'Vaire' I deciphered is the name of one of them...It's just a hunch, but I've never been so sure of a hunch in my life. The only way we can learn more now is by seeing if another alicorn knows anything. Spike, what time is it?"

"With how long it took me to get down here...About the crack of dawn." Spike said, watching as Twilight mentally ran through the general schedules of her fellow princesses in her mind.

"Princess Celestia will have raised the sun in a few minutes. We can talk to her about what we found out over breakfast." Twilight started before biting her lip to stifle a yawn.

"And maybe catch a few extra winks of sleep?" Spike added with a grin, one that was slightly returned.

"That actually sounds pretty good. The sooner we go, the sooner we can relax properly."

With her mind still buzzing from the rush of her magical meditation, it was no trouble for Twilight to teleport the two of them to Canterlot castle. The hallways were virtually deserted at this time of day and any guards that were present knew the princess and the dragon well enough to let them by. A quick check with the guards on duty confirmed that Celestia was raising the sun in the castle's highest tower, nicknamed the solar point for both the vantage it provided and the fact the princess typically retired there for her most private deliberations.

By the time the two of them had made their way up the tower the sun had risen entirely. Neither of them had ever actually been up here and were surprised to see the top of the tower was devoid of walls, only a dozen support pillars around the edge holding the roof up. The roof was covered with rows of inscriptions that Twilight suspected were in the same language as the ones she'd seen on the mural, though none of it made sense in the few seconds she had to view them. Princess Celestia herself was standing on the far side of the area, staring out at the blanket of fog that kept most of Canterlot and the lands beyond from view. Even the fully raised sun struggled to pierce through the veil.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight said once she was off the stairs. Whatever Celestia may have been thinking before, the look on her face as she turned to face them showed that she had put it aside.

"Twilight! Spike!" She exclaimed happily, walking over and hugging Twilight in greeting, one the smaller alicorn returned in kind, before offering Spike a hoofshake that he took. "What brings you both by so early?"

"We wanted your advice on something." Twilight replied, not wanting to waste time on such a matter. "A few weeks ago I received a book that compelled me to do some studies out at the Equis Ruins. Those studies brought me to a mural that depicted what I can only believe to be alicorns, carved thousands of years before Equestria was even founded."

Although her appearance didn't change, the atmosphere around Celestia shifted instantly. It was almost a surprise that a sudden rumble of thunder didn't manifest outside to match.

"While..." Twilight continued, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable about where this was going. "While I wanted to investigate further, Spike stopped me when he picked up a trace of dark magic on it, as though it had occurred naturally in the magic used. The most I could do was decipher the word 'Vaire' and-"

"Twilight," Celestia suddenly leaned in and grabbed her former pupil's shoulders, her voice stern and tinged with desperation. "Where did you find this? Where exactly?"

"About a mile northeast of the ruins, rocky valley, the mural about thirty feet tall," Spike explained. Celestia simply nodded to him and teleported herself out. "Was, that bad?"

"I have no idea..." Twilight hesitated, not knowing how she should have reacted, or even if she should have done that at all. After about a minute the princess teleported back into the chamber, eyes clenched shut and body tensed.

"I should have known it was too much to hope..." She said to herself before steadying and looking at her two visitors. "I am, sorry you both had to see that. I had wished to see our past sins would remain lost forever, but now...Now we have much to do and more to discuss."

"Your sins?" Twilight asked warily as Celestia stepped past her, watching as she stopped and looked back sadly.

"The sins of myself, and those of the alicorn race."

Author's Note

In case anyone wasn't sure about drawing the connection, the cavern Twilight was relaxing in is the same one Maud moved in to during season 7.

Chapter 5 - Sins of an Alicorn Empire

"Wait, so there really are, or, were, alicorns besides the princesses?" Spike asked as Celestia led Twilight and him out of the solar point and back down into the castle.

Celestia was silent for several long seconds, the only sound coming from her being the gentle clacking of her hooves on the stairs. Then her ethereal mane went still for a split second, dropping onto her back and shoulders for the briefest of moments before returning to its usual flow. The significance was not lost on Twilight; one of the few things she'd been able to learn about alicorns was that the natural mane flow could be disrupted by intense emotion. Most commonly sadness.

"Twilight," She eventually said, doing her best to keep her voice normal. "I promise I wont be offended by your answer but, how old do you think I am?"

"Oh. Ah," Twilight stammered, so caught out she momentarily forgot the answer she had come to. "I've never really known, but all the research I did indicated that you could live for so long that you'd effectively be immortal."

"That's, not inaccurate. Even the meekest of alicorns would live to be five hundred years old and their lifespan only grew with their power. Forty thousand years was not unheard of, though I do not know what the true limit is."

Both Twilight and Spike were unable to find words through their surprise. The way Celestia was speaking about this for the first time, not only discussing an entire race of alicorns as they had existed, but also in that tense. Like they had existed. While they tried to wrap their heads around these developments as they moved back into the hallways, Celestia stopped a passing aide and asked them to reschedule all her meetings for the morning before moving on to her private chambers. As soon as the three of them were inside she cast a bubble of silence around the room followed by a glimmer cloak spell on the bubble, rending it invisible. Anypony who looked into the room would have no idea they were there.

"It has been so long since I've tried to remember my the days of my kind," Celestia continued. " I had hoped the great mistakes we committed for tens of millennia would be lost to time, a distant footnote for the scattered few who remembered them. Your discovery of the mural near the ruins though...You deserve to know the truth before we take action though."

"What truth? What action? Princess Celestia, I don't understand what all this is about!" Twilight replied, her voice bordering on pleading for her former mentor to speak some sense.

"Well, don't take this the wrong way..." Spike interjected. "But it sounds like it wasn't just the fact there was an alicorn civilization, it was that they were kind of evil as well."

Twilight gasped and rounded on Spike, ready to shoot that idea down. Dark magic didn't necessarily mean the user was evil, she'd used it before after all. Besides, how could he accuse Princess Celestia by proxy like that?!

Then Celestia motioned for her to stop.

Then she nodded.

"The alicorn race rose to prominence in these lands roughly fifty-four thousand years ago," She began to explain, waiting for a moment as Twilight and Spike composed themselves again and sat down to listen. "It was long before I was born and records no longer exist. I remember learning while I was growing up though, that they pushed every other race out of the lands that now make up Equestria. Minotaurs, caribou and hippogriffs alike, all of them driven away and the entire mainland of the continent claimed as the domain of the Alicorn Empire. Even though they never settled beyond one city."

"Why would they do that?" Spike asked.

"...Arrogance," Celestia replied sadly. "Most alicorns believed that their inherent power, magically, physically and mentally, entitled them to control the world over all other races. Those that didn't typically were the weakest and of the rarer few who spoke up about it were destroyed as soon as they were exposed."

"D-destroyed? They could just do that?"

"It will take a little more to explain, but anything that advanced the alicorn race was advocated. Even...Especially murder and even darker actions."

"That's horrible!" Twilight exclaimed, wings fluttering in anger as she got up. "No matter how powerful they were, nopony has the right to make decisions like that! It's an affront to basic pony rights!"

"It was, as I said, considered culturally acceptable," Celestria replied, though her tone made it clear she agreed with her former student. "Such actions were merely the most common. Population control was enforced due to our numbers and lifespans, so births were monitored. Those small numbers also meant genetic alterations could happen. What we see as unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies, they saw as defects and encouraged the parents to 'Discard the mistake and try again', with everything that entailed."

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth, her rage evaporating into shock as she realised the implication. Spike shifted from sitting to lying down and took several deep breaths. It wasn't clear if he was keeping his emotions in check or trying not to throw up.

"For what little comfort it is, I was just as disgusted as you are." Celestia said quietly as she moved over to Twilight and sat down in front of her.

The smaller mare took the invitation and pulled herself into a hug with her former mentor. Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight and held her closely before looking over to Spike and offering an open hoof to him. The dragon took a shaky breath as he got up and joined the other two in a three way embrace. It was a long, silent moment of both sharing the pain they felt from the truth and mourning for the countless lives lost for the most unjustifiable of reasons. The fact they may be the only ponies to ever do so only made it worse.

"How..." Twilight eventually said as she pulled her head back slightly, a million new questions running through her mind. After a few seconds she found one that she didn't worry about the answer to. "If you were so against all this, how did you survive?"

"Merely the fact I was useful," Celestia admitted. "An alicorn's worth, their place in society, was measured by their special talent. Those with talents considered mundane or no use were typically relegated to being the smallest and weakest of our kind. Those with more powerful or beneficial talents were the only ones allowed in leadership positions. My control of the sun could have allowed me to take control of the empire if I so wished. But I knew that few would accept my stance for long, so I settled for the fact such power meant almost everypony left me be without attempting to uproot my views. They knew angering me could bring about the end of the world if I used..."

Celestia's eyes widened slightly and she made a sound of sudden, unwelcome realisation. Both Twilight and Spike extracted themselves from the embrace and took a step back to check on her. Neither of them had ever seen the ruler of Equestria look so...Brittle. She had gone slightly rigid, her mane flowing reduced to a gentle flutter, her eyes locked in an unbroken stare. There was something more behind them too, a haunting glint as if something she had kept buried deep within had woken and she was fighting to subdue it again. Before they could say anything though, she clicked back into reality and shook her head quickly, looking down at the two of them.

"Princess?" Spike asked hesitantly. She simply took a long inhale of air and blinked rapidly for a second in response.

"Don't worry, I'm prepared this time," She told them, glancing down slightly as they shared a look of confusion. "What was I saying?"

"S-something about your power if you were angry?" Twilight said, watching to see if any similar reaction happened. This time, Celestia simply nodded with no further changes.

"The greatest mystery of the alicorn race. Nopony was ever able to truly understand it but, every alicorn had what we referred to as a 'Lekli'. The closest translation in Equestrian would be 'Superior'. The closest way to describing it I could come up with would be calling it a separate entity that lives within us, one that feeds off the impulses in a pony's heart while removing most of their inhibitions about using their incredible power when it is allowed to exert itself. It was largely treated as a power booster, but the effects if a lekli was allowed to take full control over their host could be disastrous. Though you know this just as well, you've already confronted two."

"Two? Who could-" Spike started, only to be cut off by a gasp as realisation dawned in Twilight's mind.

"Nightmare Moon..."

"Yes, though her real name is Tantabus." Celestia finished gravely. Both Twilight and Spike recoiled slightly at the revelation, both remembering their encounter with the Tantabus and how the combined might of all Ponyville had been useless against it even in a position where they could actually fight back.

"But, if 'Tantabus' is really that powerful, then surely she was holding back when she escaped from the moon and tried to bring eternal night as Nightmare Moon." Spike eventually said. Twilight thought about it for a second and realised he had a point.

"While she was recovering from her return, Luna told me how Nightmare was thinking, while she was kept in the darkness of her mind, a prisoner of her own body," Celestia said, pausing for a moment. "She knew as well as I that if Tantabus had returned to find me still leading Equestria, she would have held nothing back to try and dethrone me for good. By making it seem like I had vanished, she would consider herself to have no real opposition and underestimate you and your friends...I am sorry that I never told you."

"I see..." Twilight wanted to say more, but the way the princess wilted slightly as she finished speaking was enough for her to know she genuinely regretted what she had needed to do. The old Twilight would have been shocked to know her idol had played such a manipulative game, but she had learned from being a leader herself that actions that seemed illogical immediately often had a long term plan behind them. None of them would be where they were now without this one after all.

Then another thought came to her.

"If Nightmare Moon was using an assumed name...This may be reaching a little but, is Princess Luna using one too? Are you? I-I'm sorry if I'm asking things you'd rather forget."

"It's alright, Twilight. There are still some things I shouldn't forget, even as I tried to avoid them for millennia," Celestia managed to smiled gently, though her tone was wistful. "To answer your question. My real name is Vaeac. Luna's is Nezzari. I do prefer the names you're used to, if I'm honest."

"Makes two of us." Spike commented as he lay down and rested his hands across each other, settling to listen and learn again.

"Three," Twilight added. "I've never actually heard you talk about your past before. Though I understand why. This is a lot to take in."

"You've always wanted to know though, I can tell," Celestia replied, chuckling gently at her former student's eager little nod and relaxing somewhat herself. "I was born in the lone alicorn city of Viam Dei, roughly ninety-six hundred years before Equestria was founded."

Twilight could do the numbers in her head and they momentarily left her reeling. Her theory about extreme alicorn lifespans was more accurate than she had believed if Celestia was approximately fourteen thousand five hundred years old!

"It's been a long time since I've tried to remember my childhood," She continued. "Most of the details are still a blur. I remember my parents, Doress and Taliska. They were comparatively good ponies that worked as messengers within different sectors of the city. Unfortunately, by this time the alicorn race had adapted a strict hierarchy that was centered around your special talent, how you could contribute to the advance of the empire. My parents were among the lowest levels of the order due to how 'mundane' their talent was, while exerting control over the sun put me along the city's hightest elite. I was expected to treat those below me like servants at best and non-existent at worst..."

"Oh..." Twilight said softly, realising the implication. For all the problems she had faced in her time, an experience like this was almost beyond her comprehension.

"I was shocked to my core, but I could do nothing as even with my power it would be one alicorn against thousands. The rulers of the empire looked down on any attempts to affect their order..." Celestia closed her eyes and hesitated, her voice cracking slightly for a moment. "I wouldn't have minded so much if my parents hadn't started treating me like a temperamental goddess, instead of their daughter...It only got worse when Luna was born, her control of the moon put her within the same level as me and she was forced to endure it as well. She chose to isolate herself as much as possible rather than be treated like she was living perfection."

"Woah..." Spike said quietly, shifting slightly in place. His discomfort said enough.

"I actually did the same for several decades," Celestia admitted. "It was our belief against the worlds for hundreds of years, feeling like being born with a conscience was a curse. Then I met him."

Twilight didn't need to ask. The way it had been phrased, Celestia's reaction earlier, it could only refer to one pony.

"Vaire."

"The mural you both found was a marker commemorating the furthest north the alicorns had explored, little more than bragging rights for the three ponies involved. I was around fifteen hundred years old at the time, chancing upon their return from the north. Vaire was unlike any other alicorn I'd met, willing to talk with me normally despite being further down the order. His friends probably expected me to kill him for it, but I couldn't even if I wanted to...He was one of the few beings who had an outlook that could make me smile back then."

"I imagine it'd be too much to believe he also didn't follow the alicorn ideology?" Spike commented.

"Less than you'd think," Celestia replied as she stretched her wings, twitching them slightly as she smiled gently in reminiscence. "Vaire's usual role within the city was to monitor lekli use and report the rare instances they threatened the stability of Viam Dei. Mostly that involved making sure no unauthorized power jumps were taking place."

"I'm almost afraid to ask but, power jumps?" Twilight asked, pre-emptively sitting down.

"If a lekli decided that another alicorn's body with a weaker lekli would be a better host for it, they could move over to the new body, consume their original lekli and take control of it. This was approved by the empire's rulers as it often meant a powerful lekli would have a stronger physical body that could benefit the alicorn race..." Celestia paused for a moment, tucking her wings back in. "This was the main reason murder was overlooked. Due to the natural bond between alicorn and lekli, power jumps put the pony that had been abandoned under incredible stress, causing damage that very few survived. Not to mention the effects that could happen to the unlucky pony being targeted."

"Somehow, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually tried to make the process easier." Spike said, rubbing his arm awkwardly. Celestia simply gave a sad nod.

"Pendants were made that the lekli could place on their target and use as focuses for the jump. Part of Vaire's duty was to make sure these weren't used without express permission. Fortunately most have been destroyed since those days, only one is currently known to exist. One that was stolen from the castle two years ago, though the pony that took it hasn't been seen since."

Twilight gasped and shot up, pacing in place in a momentary panic before managing to calm herself as her rational thoughts caught up with her impulses. Odds were such an artefact couldn't be activated by anypony other than an alicorn and whoever had taken it almost certainly didn't know what it was used for. It was a concern, but there was nothing that could be done right now.

"Vaire may have followed the alicorn beliefs," Celestia continued, taking Twilight's little moment in stride once she was sure she was okay. "But he understood the dangers of the unrestrained power of the lekli, how close our race constantly was to disaster. It proved an extra layer of bonding for us and while most alicorns believed our marriage was a political one, we were truly close."

"Huh." Twilight simply said, looking down in thought before back up at her former mentor with a surprised glint in her eyes. Spike simply stayed in place, enjoying watching and listening. "I ah, didn't expect that."

"That I had a special somepony?" Celestia said with a slight chuckle as Twilight tried not to look too embarrassed. "It does look strange now, but I was once the lovestruck kind too. Only Vaire and I were trying to save the alicorn race from itself on top of everything."

"So, what happened then?" Spike asked as he stretched slightly.

Celestia thought for a moment before a ghost of a true smile flickered onto her face.

"If you wish, I can show you."

"You can?" Twilight asked in surprise.

"The writing on the roof of the solar point describes a certain time from my past. Between that and my memories, I can reconstruct the scene in my magic whenever I'm feeling...Nostalgic."

Twilight mulled it over in her mind for a minute. While agreeing would mean prying into the personal life of the ruler of Equestria, something that was still such an unknown concept that just jumping in felt awkward, it was being offered willingly. There was also the fact that it meant taking a firsthoof look at a lost civilization. In the end her eternal drive for knowledge tipped the scales and both she and Spike voiced their approval. Celestia closed her eyes and focused, horn shining brightly with her magic before the world around them vanished in a flash.

When Twilight's eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing she noticed was that the hoof she had used to shield her eyes was now transparent. Likely an effect of being projected into this reconstruction. Then she noticed the layout of Celestia's memory around them.

The three of them were in a stone cobbled street lined with marble buildings that stood three stories tall, the sunny skies above reflecting off the purple and white paint they were covered with, banners of the same crossing between buildings. In the distance stood a stepped pyramid roughly fifteen stories tall, each level covered with buildings and topped by a statue of a colossal alicorn stallion reared up in a majestic pose. The streets were filled with dozens of alicorns in every colour combination imaginable, varying in size from four foot workers barely taller than the average pony to imposing ten foot individuals that could clear the entire street by walking with their wings out. Virtually the only constants between them were the fact they all had flowing manes and cutie marks. The fact those larger and stronger were often harrying those beneath them sent angry itch down her spine, challenging the sheer wonder that came from the sight.

"This was Viam Dei?" She asked, barely keeping her temper out of her voice. If Celestia heard it, she didn't comment.

"As it looked a little over twelve thousand years ago," The princess replied, a little longing creeping into her voice as she stared down the street. "A city where power meant everything, grand on the exterior but ultimately somewhere nopony today would want to call home."

Before Twilight could probe further, Spike drew her attention to back down the street where every alicorn, regardless of their seeming stature before, was parting to let a pair walking the center of the road together through. The figure on the left was a stallion with a sleek, seven foot build, an emerald green coat, an orange-red mane and tail, deep saffron eyes and a cutie mark of a white horn with a gold cap on it. The one on the right was none other than Celestia herself, though she was only the same size as Princess Luna was now, a full foot shorter than her companion. In addition, her mane was almost completely cyan with hints of pink around the edges and there was far less royal composure in her walk. She seemed almost carefree.

"Huh, not what I expected two-thousand year old you to look like," Spike commented. "I kind of like your mane now more though."

"Yes. When I was only known as Vaeac, I was still growing up in a sense." Celestia replied, her eyes never leaving the stallion by past hers' side, a few tears lingering in them as she watched. Twilight and Spike both knew better than to bring that up.

As they watched, past Vaeac and Vaire made their way past the trio's position, alicons still parting for them. The two of them entered a building like any other near the far of the street, any others who saw them go in being sure to give it a wide berth. The amount of respect they were displaying toward the pony who controlled the sun was astounding, even more respectful and wary than ponies today. Celestia's horn glowed again and teleported the three of them to another location, inside the same house. The furnishings were lavish, sapphire, lazuli and onyx jewels adorning most of the fixtures in some way. Vaeac and Vaire were moving around a table to a third alicorn. Luna, or rather Nezzari, looking the same as she had when she had been reformed by the elements of harmony.

"Sister, we came as soon as we could," Vaeac said as she hugged her little sister in greeting. The fact they were speaking modern Equestrian could be overlooked as present Celestia translating through her magic. "Has somepony caught on to our intent?"

"Worse, and I fear it will be even harder for you to hear, Vaire."

"Nezzari, how bad could it possibly be if they haven't found out what the elements are really for?" Vaire asked, his voice deep and stern.

"While you were in the outlands, I was approached by Viles, though Impersa was in control at the time. He mentioned you as well, Vaeac."

"Oh..." Vaire said, fuming at the name. "Let me guess, he wants Tantabus' help with another of his schemes for power, right?"

"He was even more evasive than usual on his intent, but the craven turncoat mentioned a lot of alicorns you've been monitoring. I think he's planning something big. I've been running the numbers since I asked for you both and in the past fifty years he's gathered enough of a following to match Emperor Garukan's guard, including some members of the elite caste. If he keeps this up, he could have the strength and numbers to attempt a coup within a century!"

Vaire's jaw dropped slightly while Vaeac looked down and closed her eyes in thought. From where she was standing, Twilight was starting to get a very uncomfortable idea of just what may have happened to the alicorn race.

"Vaire, darling..." Vaeac said softly as she moved round to her husband and placed a hoof on his shoulder, drawing his attention. "You know how charismatic Impersa is. If you report him now his supporters will move, lekli will clash and our race will be put into a position it would never recover from regardless. We need to focus on saving as many lives as we can now, even if it means-"

"No!" He declared firmly. "Taking alicorn foals to the outlands is one thing, but asking me to raise defects?!"

"Even if they don't look it, they're still alicorns too," She countered, a familiar tone of authority creeping into her voice for a moment. "You put your life toward ensuring the survival of our kind, would you let your pride allow thousands of deaths rather than giving them a chance to rise again?"

"I..." Vaire tensed slightly, deeply conflicted. A look toward Nezzari for advice was met with a silent, curious stare before he sighed. "Alright. For you, sunshine."

"Thank you, I know how hard that was to agree to." Vaeac said softly, nuzzling him lovingly. He returned it immediately, planting a kiss at the base of her horn.

"What can I say, you've rubbed off on me," He chuckled, holding her close for a moment before turning to Nezzari. "Alright, how else have things been here?"

Before things could proceed further, the scene faded to darkness around Twilight, Spike and Celestia.

After a few seconds the light returned and they were back in the princess' chambers. Without the memories to distract her a mind, a million questions flooded Twilight's mind at once regarding everything she had just seen. All of them died at once when she turned to Celestia. The princess hadn't taken her eyes off the spot Vaire had last been, ears folded back, mane still, eyes shining with regret. Regret masking grief.

"Too many responsibilities to spend my days with a dead stallion..." She said to a question that only she had heard asked, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths.

Twilight realised that for the first time in years, she was the one who really needed to give the support between them and wrapped her front hooves and wings around her mentor as best she could. Celestia pressed her face into Twilight's mane and held it, several shuddering sobs audible. Spike came over the instant he heard and held Celestia as well, patting her back gently. The three of them held their position for several minutes before Celestia raised her head again, holding back the last of her tears.

"Impersa made his move against the emperor eighty years later," She explained, her voice shaky. "Vaire had developed a contingency plan to ensure my survival, using every ounce of his magic to place Luna and myself in suspended animation, safe within the heart of Canter Mountain until we were found again. He had no way to seal himself away...And the civil war within Viam Dei began before I could convince him to find another way...The last time I saw him was as he completed the spell."

"Well, maybe he survived if you were far enough from the city." Spike offered hopefully.

"It is a wishful thought, but when Luna and I were found and released during the Time of Chaos we spent years scouring Equestria for hints of what had happened. Seven thousand years had passed but we could still feel the traces of alicorn magic throughout the entire continent. If it lingered so long after the fact, there was no doubt the force that caused it would have been enough to kill anything in its path. It was only confirmed when we came to the badlands in the south east and found nothing but a wasteland tainted with dark magic, a hundred miles in each direction. The center of the badlands was the former site of Viam Dei, now nothing but a deep crater."

"Oh...Princess Celestia, I...I'm so sorry..." Twilight said softly, holding Celestia a little closer.

To her surprise, she simply lifted herself out of the hold and wiped her eyes, taking a steadying breath before she looked down at them.

"Thank you, both of you. For allowing me to finally let that piece of history out." She said softly, her voice shaky but coming back to that caring tone she used so often.

"Thank you for trusting us enough to do so." Twilight replied.

"We, saw how much our actions had changed the world while we slept," Celestia continued once she had composed herself again, still tender but improving. "You heard mentions of what we had done in the past. Foals from parents who wanted theirs to do better, some who believed being raised by somepony of my stature would give them a boost, even a few of my own children with Vaire over the centuries. We raised them to be more peaceful, tolerant, in better control of their lekli. The three of us managed to establish a secret colony of these new alicorns beyond Equestria, in a region known as the outlands."

"Were, they affected?" Twilight asked gently.

"They survived the cataclysm that occurred. However, the effects of such concentrated magic had an adverse effect of their biology...When Luna and I investigated where the settlement had been, we found a city that bore Vaire's name. The heart of a nation called Outlani. A race with chitin over their skin, smaller bodies and a magic that allowed them to change their very physiology. We did not make contact with them as they had built their own lives without us. We had no way of knowing they would eventually come to us instead."

"Princess...Were they...?"

Celestia simply nodded. Twilight's jaw dropped while Spike rested his on his hand to keep from doing the same.

"We had attempted the same thing with 'defect' foals after the scene you witnessed," Celestia said, her ear twitching with nerves. "Those that we could save were raised far to the northwest, beyond the frozen north. With how low everypony else looked upon them, we could bring even more to safety. Enough to make multiple settlements."

"The pony tribes," Spike mused, pausing a second later as he realised what he'd said. "Wait..."

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed, coming to the same conclusion. "I...How..."

"Luna and I took great pains to ensure our presence was remembered as little possible. With the migration to Equestria, it's likely any surviving records were lost in the old home of the tribes."

"You know, that would actually explain some things I've wondered about," Spike interjected. "Twilight, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't there a legend about a second tribe of earth ponies that split off from the original long before the foundation of Equestria?"

"Yes, that headed sou-" Twilight started, only to stop as she realised what he was getting at. "You think they were caught in the magic too?"

"The crystal ponies..." Celestia finished in surprise, just as caught out by the revelation.

"And, the whole lekli thing. That would explain a few of our friends more...Unusual moments," Spike added. "Like, say, 'Pinkamena'?"

Twilight was about to speak up again when she realised that he had a point there. She and her friends, not to mention other ponies they knew, had all suffered a number of moments where they hadn't been themselves, suffering outbursts that had left everypony dumbfounded. If they really all had alicorn genetics, a lekli that had been attempting to surface again...As far as theories went it was felt very convincing right now and she decided to try and move the discussion on before she let it take hold. There was one other thing mentioned in the princess' memory that she had noticed.

"Alright. One, last question for now. When Vaire mentioned 'the elements'?"

"One of the most common pastimes in Viam Dei was developing new ways to further the power of the alicorns. Both individually and the empire as a whole," Celestia explained. "The alicorn amulet is one such example of the results."

"Again, makes way too much sense." Spike commented, shaking his head.

"Luna, Vaire and I were able to use this as a cover to develop an anti-lekli measure. Strong enough to counter even the most powerful dangers through concentrated magic focused with the intent to do good. The result was so potent that we considered it a brand new element; harmony. We were forced to hide them in their current resting place when others began to take interest and created a magically protected area of land to guard them. While the tree of harmony that resulted from this remained safe underground, the effects of the rampant alicorn magic contained in the blast that destroyed Viam Dei corrupted the rest of the area and created the Everfree forest."

Twilight could only blink in surprise. She had no way of verifying all this that had happened millennia ago but she trusted Celestia's word implicitly and it did seem to match up with her own experiences. Plus, as Spike kept saying, it all seemed to make so much sense for filling in the gaps in her knowledge.

"Is that why you built the Castle of the Two Sisters? To guard the elements?" She eventually asked.

"That's two more questions," Celestia replied with a weak chuckle. "But yes. After Luna and I had discovered ponykind was deep in the Time of Chaos, we were both surprised that they had remained undiscovered for so long. Yet their magic was powerful as ever. After defeating Discord and deciding to remain and ensure the safety of our descendants, we decided having a dedicated space to protect the elements was best."

Twilight nodded and sat down, rubbing her forehead as she processed everything she had heard. While she had developed dozens of theories when she had first discovered the information about the mural, the fact it would lead to her to all of this had not been among them. While had lead to some revelations that had been rather tough to swallow and all three present were still shaken, they were helping each other through it and it had given her enough historical information to keep her busy for months.

"This is a lot to take in," She eventually said. "So for now, maybe we should take some time to let it all process and-"

"I'm afraid not," Celestia said, her eyes shut and her voice taking on a stern tone that instantly had Twilight and Spike worried. "The fact more evidence pointing to the alicorn empire has been found means their existence will not be hidden forever. Although the empire was destroyed millennia ago, there still exists one secret of their legacy, a last refuge of my kind that hides their greatest strength..."

There was a firm glint of determination as she opened her eyes again.

"... I need your help to destroy it."

Author's Note

This is the kind of chapter that either silently impresses someone with the lore, or (if Celestial Advice was any indicator) has them flipping their table at Celestia having a background.

Anywho, chapter 6 will still be up on Sunday, but expect it a few hours late due to my working that day.

Chapter 6 - Legacy of Darkness

If it was possible, the atmosphere around Celestia had become even tenser than it was before. Her muscles were rigid, her jaw clenched and her eyes were narrowed slightly, an unfocused gaze within them. Twilight and Spike looked at each other with concern, neither understanding what had brought this on but both knowing they needed to do something to help. By the time they looked back though, the princess had relaxed slightly and recovered her composure.

"Princess?" Twilight asked cautiously, hoping that she wouldn't do anything to make things worse.

"I...I'm sorry," Celestia replied, shaking her head slightly and turning to them again. "It's been a long time since I've felt the pull of my lekli so strongly. Like a voice in the back of my mind that constantly whispers about what I could do...Even after so long it still tries to find the right incentive to break through the restraints I keep around my heart."

Twilight didn't know what to say to that, though she noticed that the room seemed to have become slightly warmer. After a few seconds it cooled down again and the princess of the sun relaxed completely. The only evidence of anything being wrong was a thin trickle of sweat that ran down her right temple and onto her neck, though she seemed to pay it no mind.

"So, some last remnant of the empire that you want our help to put out of commission?" Spike asked, hoping to get Celestia focused on topic enough to keep her mind off her troubles. It seemed to work as she nodded and looked at them with renewed vigour.

"The Tomb of the Gods. It is...Power incarnate. The mere mention is enough incentive to get any lekli excited," Celestia continued, turning and pacing slightly. "It was the alicorn empire's greatest secret, and its last resort. A resting place for the strongest souls known to our kind, allowing them to live on as their magic imbued the spells protecting the tomb to make it almost indestructible."

"Is, that even possible?" Spike asked cautiously.

"I have seen it with my own eyes. Only those eligible to be laid to rest there were aware of its existence, those who had either provided exceptional service to Viam Dei or wielded unparalleled power. When discussed around those considered unworthy of it, it was only referred to as 'The place where gods rest'. Only a few dozen alicorns were ultimately buried there, but each of them had lived for over forty thousand years and many of those were at least as strong as Luna. Had the empire survived long enough, we both would have been buried there."

Twilight gasped slightly as she realised just how significant a threat this place could be. If the alicorns within the tomb, or just their lekli, were still alive in some way and managed to find a way to manipulate their link to the tomb to escape, Equestria would be facing several dozen variations of Nightmare Moon, many of them likely stronger than she had been and with far less restraint.

"Okay. That's definitely bad." Spike commented, unable to keep his own fear out of his voice.

"It isn't as serious as you fear," Celestia told them, sitting down in front of the two and placing a gentle hoof on their shoulders. "Even in the event that a lekli managed to escape the tomb, without a physical body they would not be strong enough to attempt a power jump into another alicorn. Although ponies still have a weak lekli that would be vulnerable, the difference in bodily strength would leave the new one severely impaired. Dangerous, but still nothing you or I could not handle."

"You sound like..." Twilight started, pausing as she wondered if she should finish the sentence. She'd let that much slip though, leaving it hanging would have just as bad results. "Like you have experience with this happening."

"Some alicorns did, experiment with the idea in a hope to finding a way to make 'defects' useful to them," Celestia took a long exhale through her nostrils before shaking her head slightly. "But I found out just how much damage such a thing could do the same time I learned the tomb of the gods had survived the destruction that claimed my race...Are you familiar with the name Cosmic Eye?"

"Your last student during the Age of Advancement? I don't know much about him beyond the name." Twilight mused. The only other former students of Celestia she really knew beyond name were those that had come before and after her; Cadance and Sunset Shimmer.

"He was a perceptive and intelligent stallion that had potential to change Equestria. He did but, in a way nopony saw coming. In year eleven sixty-one of the era he led a research expedition into the badlands, one I personally approved as I hoped his insight might find something Luna and I had missed about the destruction of Viam Dei. The team returned without him, claiming he had entered an underground ruin and returned changed, referring to himself as Sombra."

"The second lekli we've dealt with." Spike said quietly. Celestia nodded solemnly in affirmation.

"Even as one of the weaker alicorns within the tomb and now restrained in a unicorn body, Sombra was incredibly dangerous. Enough to assassinate Queen Osmium and seize complete control of the Crystal Empire on his own. The only reason he didn't attempt to make a move against Equestria was because he mistakenly assumed Luna and I had conquered it ourselves. Instead he focused his energy on ensuring the empire would remain his, leaving him weak when we moved to stop him. You, both know the results of our efforts."

"I had no idea..." Twilight said sadly as she took it all in. The crystal ponies were still recovering from their enslavement by Sombra even today. The thought that even more ponies had suffered terribly as a result was weighing on her hard.

"You couldn't have known. I only wish that had been the end of it," Celestia paused for a little longer than usual before continuing, struggling with recounting this as well. "I knew the tomb was the only thing that could have caused this and was able to get its location from the rest of the expedition. I merely visited the location peacefully to try and find a weakness. When I couldn't find anything significant without raising suspicion, Luna headed out on her own, intent on destroying this last remnant of the old world. The protection in place meant that her attacks triggered a safeguard and teleported the tomb to an unknown location, out of our reach. Worse, the influence of so many lekli in one place woke Tantabus within her again. Luna was able to supress the desires at first but, after years of fighting she succumbed to the darkness in her heart. The first rise of Nightmare Moon, and everything that followed, everything you'd had to endure, was the result..."

Celestia practically wilted before their eyes, ears folding back and head bowed, body shuddering slightly as she choked back a sob. It was clear how much she regretted the choices she'd been forced to make for the future of Equestria, knowing that her own power was too great to use without greater risk and that somepony else would be forced to step into the horseshoes of Equestria's frontline. The knowledge that her actions had led to much that had gone wrong in the past thousand years, the secrecy, the guilt, would have crushed a lesser pony. Even as Twilight moved to try and comfort her she pulled herself back up and buried her emotions back down, only needing the time to take a breath to appear her usual composed self again. Exactly how much inner turmoil she was going through hower, could only be guessed at.

"Celestia..." Twilight said softly, concern crossing her face. "If you need to let all this out now, we're here for you."

"There will be time for all of that later," Celestia replied as she opened her eyes again. "Right now, we need to focus on the tomb. I was able to track it down due to the concentration of alicorn magic, but I cannot face it alone and couldn't ask my sister to come with me again...Twilight, it pains me to ask yet more of you, but you stand more chance of learning how to counter their power than anypony. Your lekli is still too weak to be worth their initial notice due to being born a unicorn and you have an insightful mind unlike any other."

"I understand," Twilight told her, standing up and nodding firmly. "For both Equestria's safety and your peace of mind, I can try this. Spike, you in?"

"He-" Celestia started, only to pause as she noticed the dragon had tensed up slightly.

Spike looked at the two of them and raised a finger after a moment, holding still for a few moments before letting out a quick burst of fire that materialised into a scroll in mid-air.

"Ugh, bad timing on that one," Spike said as he picked it up and checked the seal. Seeing that the markings showed it had come from Twilight's castle he opened it up and quickly read through. "Really bad. It's from Applejack, and Bounty."

"Oh.." Celestia said quietly, having a good idea what the message was about.

"Yeah. Short version, he's figured out what he is."

Twilight quickly took the scroll in her magic and read through it, sighing sadly as it was everything Spike had said. The part about bad timing was true as well as with the scale of each problem she was facing right now, the most she could do right now was write a reply apologising for both her part in his problem and that she and Celestia couldn't help immediately. Applejack could keep supporting the stallion for now and he would be her first priority upon returning to Ponyville but as things were she merely passed the scroll containing her reply to Spike and watched as he sent it on in his dragon fire.

"I know it's hard to be in such a situation," Celestia said as she dropped the spells around the room and watched the wisps of smoke containing the scroll pass out the window. "But that is why I wish to see this done, so we may fully focus on the ponies that need our help."

"Of course, princess," Twilight flexed her wings slightly and took a last moment to internally steel herself for whatever may come. "I'm ready when you are."

"You may come as well, Spike. I know better than to separate you two for a task as important as this."

"Yeah, we know how to get things done." Spike said as both he and Twilight moved over to Celestia.

In a flash of light the world around them shifted from the castle interior to deep forest, vines crisscrossing the canopy above them and birdsong permeating the air. Based on what little she could see, Twilight guessed that they were near the edge of the jungles that marked Equestria's southeast border. Celestia looked round for a few moments before silently heading off to their right, focused on something out of sight. Twilight and Spike followed on, weaving their way through the trees for a minute until Celestia stopped. At her hooves lay a ten by twenty foot opening, stone steps descending into the darkness below.

"Such a little thing, that holds the most dangerous beings to ever live at bay," Celestia said softly before turning to the others. "It would be best if you go in together. Alicorn magic is safe but I don't know how it would respond to a dragon."

As they nodded she turned back to the opening and fired a spark of magic at it. The spark hit an invisible barrier covering the entrance that pulsed silver before fading. After a moment she motioned that it was safe to proceed. Twilight thought for a moment before climbing on Spike's back to make sure they would both fit without trying to squeeze through. Spike shot her a quick smirk at the role reversal from the old days before heading inside slowly, Celestia following them both.

After a few dozen steps the floor levelled out and went on for another minute into what could only be described as an underground temple. Roughly sixty feet wide and stretching far enough into the darkness for the far end to be obscured, pillars ran in pairs down the length of the area and four hallways were visible leading deeper into the tomb, two either side. Against the walls were several tables dressers with gold lining and decorated with jewellery and relics, there was even a framed painting just about visible down one of the hallways. Still, it all had a rather decrepit look though, dust hovering in the air and only the entrance behind them as a light source. Celestia lit her horn to provide some extra light and looked around warily.

"The whole tomb is filled with tunnels and connections like those, leading to some of the most elaborate graves you'll ever see," She explained, stepping in front of Spike. "The strongest concentration of magic in the world is all around us now. Can you sense it?"

"Yeah, so many scents and so pungent..." Spike replied as he sat down for Twilight to dismount. "It's nauseating."

"It's fascinating." Twilight interjected as she stood next to him, taking everything in, unable to hide her awe.

"The magic of an ascended alicorn will also be an unknown to those here. Hopefully it will buy us some time," Celestia kept watching each of the other entrances to the area, sounding more and more on edge. "Study the magic for as long as you can without disturbing it, hopefully you can see some way to destroy or at least neutralize the tomb's power that I could not."

Twilight nodded and placed a hoof on Spike's shoulder as she closed her eyes and let her magic surround her horn, gently feeling the flow of magic that permeated the stone around them. Spike looked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder in turn, letting her use whatever she needed of the magic running through him to aid her study. Time seemed to stand still as they remained in place, Celestia watching the entrances like an ancient guardian while the charges she protected sought to undo the potential harm within the walls around them. The silence was eventually broken by only a gentle swish of air as Celestia's ears twitched.

"Twilight, stop." She hissed, tensing up completely.

Twilight's magic immediately faded and she got up, looking round for what had got her mentor so worked up. Then she froze as she noticed a white glow down the nearest hallway to their right, steadily getting brighter.

"In the entrance and stay behind me," Celestia added, waiting until Twilight and Spike had moved back before casting two small darts of magic that hovered over them and landed on their ears. "Translation."

She didn't wait for a reply before relaxing her body and focusing on the glow again, never taking her eyes off the entryway. Twilight and Spike pressed themselves up against the right wall and peeked out as much as they dared, trying to see what was going on. After a minute or so the glow manifested itself as what could only be described as a spectral silver alicorn entered the area. Completely translucent with wisps of magic constantly flickering up off its body, it had a huge, broad build that reached eleven feet tall and a few small indications that it was a stallion's form. Though it lacked any kind of facial features beyond faint eyes, it focused on Celestia immediately and spoke with faint, echoing voice.

"Vaeac. It's been too long."

"Just over a thousand years, Caligo," She replied, managing to keep her voice civil. Her voice also carried some of the echo as the translation spell went to work for the other two. "You've grown some since we last spoke. It looks good."

"Thanks! I mean it's not that powerful without a body but for keeping unbonded lekli in line, it feels good," Caligo replied, actually sounding cheery as it flexed out a front hoof and relaxed its posture. "So, why are you here?"

"I thought I would come and see how you were doing. Keeping watch over the tombs must be lonely work."

"Oh," Caligo looked down for a moment, disappointment creeping into its voice. "And here I hoped you might have come to apologise for Nezzari's little stunt. Do you have any idea how hard it is to explain to everyone else here why their home suddenly relocated a few hundred miles?"

"If it makes you feel any better, Tantabus woke up as a result and I had to...Deal with her."

"Actually it does, apology accepted. Nice to see you stepping up and doing your part to keep things secure up above," Caligo started to pace around the area, Celestia adjusting her posture in response to mask Twilight and Spike moving to the other wall to stay hidden. "Did Vaire teach you how to do that?"

"Vaire's dead," She replied, her voice tensing up again as she tucked her wings back in and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Rogue lekli."

"Oh...Oh. I'm sorry," Caligo paused and turned to her fully, actually sounding somewhat saddened. "He may have been beneath somepony of our stature and you know you could have done so much better, but I can tell you two had a genuine bond."

"I'd, thank you not to talk about my husband that way."

"Sorry. I know it didn't sound it but I honestly respected how well he did," Caligo leaned its head slightly, as if trying to look past Celestia. It was impossible to tell what it was thinking due to the near total lack of facial features. "Something a little more cheery then, how'd your studies into that spell go?"

"You'll have to be more specific."

From her position, Twilight shrunk back further into the dark and glanced back at Spike. Both of them had been watching the subtleties in the princess' body language, the muscle tension, how terse her voice was while speaking. There was only one way to take it considering what was being said and her earlier emotional release. Celestia was really struggling to keep it together and things were only escalating.

"The one for genetic manipulation. Ronnok had the basics down when I gave you the spell, with your power and a good thousand years to work on it I'm sure you could have defects fixed at birth by now. Of course, they'd still be subpar to even the dullest lekli due to their origin but I'm sure we'd both agree that being an alicorn that...Ascended to the role, is better than nothing."

It took all of Twilight's willpower to keep from making a sound. Hearing those words, that a pony she would trust with her life had given her wings through a means that was effectively meant to enslave those her race considered subpony was like a punch to the heart by a minotaur. By an ursa major. The only thing that kept her from trying to leave was the expression on Celestia's face. Sweat was rolling down her forehead and her mouth hung slightly open as she kept staring at Caligo. She seemed to have almost completely shut down.

"I...Wh...Are you...?" She stammered, clenching her eyes shut.

"Oh don't be so modest. Sure it's not like being Emperor Garukin, but ruling an empire of ascended is still quite the mark of power, especially for you," Caligo continued, its head tilted in such a way that if it was capable of it, it would almost certainly be smirking. "You can always start with subduing the one behind you, unless you'd rather I have the honour...Or maybe, you'd be willing to let me jump in?"

The grandeur quickly stopped when it realised Celestia hadn't moved or replied. Then it took a step back as she chuckled slightly.

Twilight's ears folded back as she heard it as well, Spike frozen in fear behind her. It sounded so unlike her normal self it was terrifying. Celestia's chuckles were gentle like a mother's embrace, this was smooth like a viper deciding which part of you it wanted to sink its fangs into.

"She isn't going to be able to say it now, but threatening those she cares about is a really bad idea." Celestia replied sarcastically in that same dangerous tone. Then her eyes shot open again. Gone were her pale magenta eyes that had looked upon so many ponies with care and affection.

Now they glowed a burning gold.

Chapter 7 - A World in Flames

Before anyone could react to the intimidating sight, Celestia raised her head and gave a high pitched, almost primal shriek, eyes shooting wide open as her pupils rapidly contracted. Her entire body went rigid as two tendrils of fiery magic shot from her horn and wrapped around her torso, growing thicker as five more joined them until her entire body was hidden beneath the flames.

"Princess Celestia!!" Twilight cried before she could stop herself, horn flaring to life as she tried to rush forward. Spike caught her before she could move out of reach and pulled her back, using all his strength to keep her from struggling out of his grip.

"Twilight, don't! You don't know what's happening!" He told her as he managed to pull her back against his chest. She relented in her efforts but looked up at him sternly.

"Yes I do! And so do you!"

If Caligo could hear the commotion, it didn't give any indication. Its gaze remained locked on the fireball that Celestia was inside, watching as the magic condensed into a sphere surrounding her, quickly glowing brighter and burning hotter. Within seconds it became too intense to look at, forcing Twilight and Spike to shield their eyes, the dragon shifting his position round to in front of Twilight to keep her sheltered from the heat. As the combination reached unbearable levels the scream stopped and the magic collapsed into a blinding shockwave that blasted out in every direction, searing everything it touched. Spike grunted in pain as he bore the hit across his back and even Caligo was staggered from the intensity of the wave. As the light reached normal levels again all three looked to the epicentre of the blast and froze in shock.

Celestia still stood there, though her figure and cutie mark were the only things that remained the same. All her royal attire had gone, melted into a eerie puddle at her hooves from the intensity of the heat. Her coat had shifted from pure white to ivory. Her mane and tail now flickered rather than flowed and the gentle colours had been replaced with those of fire, burning orange at its core and shifting to red as it rose upward before the contact with the air turned the solid colour to a clashing mix of blue, green and white. Her pupils had shifted from a natural round shape to that of a jagged flame and the whites of her eyes were a murky tan. Most concerning were the glowing orange cracks in her skin that ran from the base of her horn, down into her eyes and on to the sides of her neck before halting at the base of her wings.

Her lekli, in all its terrifying glory.

"Ooooohh, finally," She said in that same smooth, dangerous tone, rolling her neck as she brought her head back down and shook a hoof, as though getting a feel for the form she had now. "You're lucky, Caligo, getting to share your body with Kosung sometimes. Do you have any idea how it feels to sit in silence for tens of thousands of years, watching your waste spread over the world?"

"You...Who are you?" Caligo asked in fear, taking another step back. It seemed to know the answer but didn't want to hear it.

Celestia simply raised her head and laughed. A harsh, mocking laugh that echoed through the halls of the tomb even as she finished and focused in on the spectre with a ferocious intensity.

"I, am Ortasin. The better, prettier and more powerful version of that traitor to our race, Vaeac!"

"No..." Twilight whimpered quietly as she watched the developing situation from the entry tunnel. Seeing her beloved mentor twisted like this, into one of the nightmares she had effectively been fighting her entire life, was tearing a hole through her heart, a feeling that was only compounded as Spike let her go and put a hand out to lean against the wall. It was enough for her to see that his back was smouldering from the blast, his resilient scales scorched black. Such magic must have caused him indescribable pain, yet he had remained standing, likely through sheer willpower more than anything else.

"Twilight..." He said quietly, sitting down and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry to heap more on you but, I'm a little overcooked here. Celestia needs help out there. If anypony can save her now, it's you."

Twilight hesitated for a moment before realisation flashed through her mind. There wasn't time to panic or worry in the middle of a crisis, she had to focus and use everything she had learned both today and when facing Nightmare Moon. It was another situation where the fate of Equestria was on the line, as any kind of failure on her part would leave nopony strong enough to stand up to Ortasin. She couldn't fail Celestia here. She wouldn't. Her expression hardened to one of determination and she nodded.

"I'll find a way. Spike, get to safety."

"I'm safe enough here. No way I'm letting you deal with this all alone," He told her, leaning forward to keep his back off the wall. "Besides, I might need to pull your tail out of the fire again."

Her face softened slightly at his loyalty and she gave him a quick hug of thanks before turning and facing the chamber again. It seemed Ortasin had kept her priorities elsewhere during their discussion and was now advancing on Caligo, wings flaring out as the spectre turned to flee.

"Ah ah ah," Ortasin tutted as her horn lit up, her magic a fiery flickering yellow that made the cracks in her skin glow brighter. The same light quickly enveloped Caligo and pinned him in place before forcing the larger alicorn to face her again. "You didn't think I was just going to let you leave without some response, right?"

"Well, I...Errr..." Caligo stammered, struggling to gain any purchase against the grip it was held in. For the first time, the calm demeanour in its voice was shattered, replaced by genuine fear. "H-hail Empress Ortasin?"

"Oooh, Empress. That's got a nice ring to it. Flattery like that might even keep you alive. " She flashed a momentary smile before leaning in close with a dark look, magic sparking from her horn as the energy built up. "Implying that I'd let you out to share this world with me though, I can't forgive THAT!"

As she roared the last word her eyes glowed with ferocious intensity and her mane burned white hot, the incredible heat radiating from her enough to ignite the dust hovering in the air. In the blink an eye the chamber was engulfed in a firestorm and Twilight was forced to throw up a barrier to protect herself and Spike from the blaze. Though the flames kept them from seeing anything, they could hear the unmistakable whine of magical power being constantly ramped up stronger and stronger, followed by hysterical screaming. Neither had any idea what was going on, nor did they want to know. When the fires cleared half of the vast room had been completely scorched and only Ortasin remained, her mane colours returning to the mixed fires of before.

"Ohhh, you ran back into your walls?" She said as her magic ceased, her glowing parts returning to what passed for normal on her, her voice taking the tone of a parent chiding their foal for misbehaving at first before calling out down the halls. "Let this wretch serve as an example to the rest of you watching! You can have your hole in the ground, and your lives, so long as you keep yourselves away from my empire!"

Twilight tensed herself slightly. One way or another, she had to move now if she wanted to keep things contained here. With a last look back to ensure Spike was still okay she dropped the barrier and stepped forward, unfurling her wings in a gesture of blocking the exit. Ortasin's ear flicked at the sound of magic deactivating and she turned to face the smaller alicorn with a look of curious bemusement.

"Oh, Vaeac's little pet project," She mused as she turned fully, her voice back to its venomous charm. "Twilight Sparkle, yes?"

"You know who I am?" Twilight asked, her own ear flicking in irritation at being referred to that way.

"You can understand me?" Ortasin countered in momentary surprise before shaking it off. "Of course, Vaeac would make sure a prize like you would be prepared."

"What do you mean?"

"Every moment she's been wasting our time on trying to guide a land full of defects to fruitless endeavours, I've been forced to sit and watch, seeing everything she tries. Most of her actions would have seen the true empire calling for her head, but her work toward 'ascended' alicorns...That actually impressed me. The first one, Cadance was it? She was a decent test for the magic but applying it to a powerful pony like you...With a power jump you could have actually passed for an alicorn approaching the middle of the castes."

"You really think that I would just agree to work with a race only interested in their own selfish interests, just like that?" Twilight responded firmly, standing her ground even more than before.

"Defiance born of ignorance," Ortasin replied matter-of-factly, shaking her head slightly. "It's funny, I wouldn't normally have such tolerance of insubordination. But seeing what both Vaeac and I made you into, part of her must have rubbed off on me a little because whether through lack of options or genuine interest, I do see you like a daughter figure."

Twilight barely kept herself from recoiling, internally offended at the audacity of such a statement.

"That's why I'm giving you this chance," Ortasin continued, taking a step forward, her tone actually softening. "Your magic still isn't close to mine, but I can teach you, finished what she started. Between us, we could help everypony out there ascend to their rightful position, undo the damage done when the empire was ruled by the wrong hooves. Come now, little one, help me save our race."

Twilight simply remained rooted in place this time, staring down the threat in front of her. There was no chance of her willingly helping in any way after everything she had been told today, but even less chance of her being able to defeat an alicorn as powerful as this in a straight fight. Not that she was she sure she even could attack her opponent, she was still Princess Celestia beneath all that. That thought sent a momentary twinge of fear through her before being suddenly replaced by clarity. An idea of how she could break through to the princess. All it required was to get within a foot of the most powerful and dangerous being on the planet without getting blasted. No pressure then.

"I..." She replied slowly, looking back at Spike. He was in bad shape, leaned up against the wall and panting hard, clearly struggling after the hit he took. Her eyes met his and she gave a silent wink, hoping he was getting the message she was trying to give.

Please, trust me on this.

"So, you just want a peaceful rule that will allow the alicorns to survive?" She asked, hoping she looked curiously optimistic as she looked forward again.

"Yes!" Ortasin replied in relief. "Even I can agree with my worse half that there's not much point leading an empire of four."

"And you promise everypony's safety if you lead Equestria?" Twilight continued as she relaxed herself, taking a step forward. The fact there was no sound from behind her was a silent relief.

"Of course," Ortasin replied happily. "Even those that don't want to be ascended right away will be begging for it when they see how good life is as a real alicorn."

"Then, maybe we can work out a compromise of sorts." Another few steps. Just a few more and she'd close enough to touch at a stretch.

"I'm glad to hear it. Though I should warn you in advance that there will have to be..." The lekli's gaze turned to Spike with a sudden intensity. "Exceptions."

Twilight's instinct kicked in almost before Ortasin's horn started glowing. She pushed herself between the two and threw up her strongest shield just in time to intercept the attack, flames licking away at her magic as the main blast crashed against it. Though the shield held out, the force knocked Twilight out of the air and she rolled as she hit the ground hard, knocking the air from her lungs and sending her skidding to a halt back at the exit.

"Twilight!"

"I'm okay." She gasped as she looked up, convinced she wasn't badly hurt from the attack.

She had distinctly heard three voices cry her name, all of them familiar. Spike had been one of them, the other two had come a little after but at the same time as each other. More importantly, they had been both Ortasin AND Celestia. As she looked back toward the lekli she noticed that she was being watched with a look of concern, through normal, magenta coloured eyes. It hadn't been the original plan but it was doing some good. Now she just had to help Celestia keep fighting back and if that meant remaining in harms way, so be it. As Ortasin blinked her eyes shifted back to gold, though the pupils remained normal.

"Knew it," She remarked coldly, her horn, eyes and cracks all glowing as she began to advance. "Some ponies just can't be trusted anymore. I suppose killing you both will have to be my warm-up before the rest of the world feels the flames of destiny."

"You'll have to take me first." Twilight growled as she got up fully, rushing toward Ortasin and firing a beam from her horn. Although the larger alicorn dodged the attack with ease, she had taken off at the same time and dashed in close, swinging a hoof that caught a glancing blow against Ortasin's shoulder before flying off into the far right hallway.

"You DARE lay a hoof on a goddess!?" Ortasin roared, all pretence of control lost as she fired a wide shot at the exit before flying after Twilight.

As far as plan Bs went, Twilight had to admit to herself that deliberately angering an evil version of the princess of the sun was among the worst she had ever come up with. It was a necessity this time though. Celestia was the only pony powerful enough to stand up to Ortasin and if driving her to attack was the best way to help her mentor fight back then she would do it without hesitation. The halls of the tomb passed by her in a blur as she constantly twisted and span in mid-air to avoid any kind of assault, barely able to focus enough to see upcoming corners, let alone anything else around her. She could still hear Ortasin was right on her tail though, chasing her down and occasionally firing bursts of magic that connected with nothing but the walls. At this point it was hard to tell if the rarity of the attacks were down to not wanting to risk the tomb or Celestia's influence.

"If you were powerful enough to lead, wouldn't this be over by now?" Twilight called back as she threw herself into a tight right turn, her wingtip brushing the wall as she moved onto a straightaway. Taunting wasn't really her thing as the Princess of Friendship but she needed to keep her opponent fired up enough to attack, which in turn would drive Celestia to resist. The only response this time was a furious snarl.

A sudden flash from behind her was the only warning she got before Ortasin teleported twenty feet in front of her and gripped Twilight in her magic, extra pressure being applied to her neck and chest. Twilight gave a strangled gasp and tried to stop herself only for her world to become nothing but white pain as her aggressor used the momentum to swing her round and choke slam her into the wall. The pain spiked as her body hit the wall at an angle a moment later, crushing her left wing between stone and body as the magic grip on it intensified.

"You, stupid, pest," Ortasin panted as she leaned in closer to the writhing alicorn. Her words sounded strained as though she were fighting to get them out. "Not smart. Any...Last, words?"

Even through all the pain, Twilight saw it. Her last chance to save Celestia and all of Equestria. She forced herself to relax her body and get the words out.

"L...Look me in the eye...As you...Do it."

She tensed as Ortasin smirked and lowered herself in closer, locking her eyes on Twilight's as her horn glowed with fiery energy, the tip aimed right between her prey's eyes. The heat from her mane radiated like a furnace that seemed to cook the air around them and left Twilight struggling to breathe even harder.

"You've, earned a quick...First death for your, blind, foolishness. I'll just find, a way to bring you....You back and..."

Seconds passed. The attack never came. The temperature in the corridor dropped slightly.

Ortasin had tensed up, eyes shut tight, jaw clenched. Twilight gritted her teeth as the magical grip on her throat tightened enough to throttle her completely for a moment before loosening again.

"No..."

That was Princess Celestia's voice.

"Stay out of this..."

Ortasin's fired back a moment later but it was shaky. Her focus had shifted from killing Twilight to containing her other half. Even as she kept speaking her voice kept changing between the two, Celestia's growing stronger with each word.

"I, won't let you harm her more."

"You don't get a say in what I do with a reject!"

"That 'reject' is like a true daughter to me! I'll tear you apart myself before you lay another hoof on her!!"

"Really? You can't destroy me. I'm everything you should be!"

"I will see you cast back to the darkness you belonged to, and you will never exist again!"

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!"

Ortasin cried out in frustration and pushed her head forward as she fought her internal struggle, almost impaling Twilight on her horn. It put her close enough to attempt plan A again while this opening was there. Twilight twisted her head round and forward, pushing through her inability to breathe as the magic pressed her throat harder, managing to get the tip of her horn to Ortasin's forehead. Her magic sparked to life and fired a spell directly into her mind. It was an old tactic, but it had worked wonders when she and her friends first faced Discord.

Projected memories of all the times Celestia had spent with Twilight, twenty years of the closest kind of bond they had shared with each other, their familes and friends. Everything that was at stake if she lost this struggle. Hopefully it would help motivate her enough to win the hardest fight of her life.

Ortasin screamed as the cracks in her neck shot blinking streaks of light from within that engulfed her entire body. The magic holding Twilight faded completely and she dropped to the floor, clutching her throat as she fought through the pain wracking her body. Within seconds the light faded and a figure collapsed to the ground next to her. After a moment they stirred and reached out, gently touching her shoulder with a hoof.

"Twilight...?"

Twilight could practically feel all her pain and fear melt away in a heartbeat as she raised her head.

"Princess Celestia..."

It was her. She looked awful, as though she hadn't slept or eaten properly in a month, her royal regalia still missing, but it was unmistakably, completely, Princess Celestia again.

Twilight..." Celestia said softly as they both pushed themselves into a sitting position, tears welling up in her eyes. "I...I'm, so sorry. I should never have made you-"

Twilight silenced her with a hug.

"You weren't the one who hurt me," She told her mentor quietly, failing to keep tears of her own contained. "All that matters right now, is that we're still here. I forgive you, for everything."

Celestia gave a small happy sob and embraced Twilight fully, taking care not to touch her injured wing. For a minute neither of them moved, simply letting everything out. The stress, the pain, the sheer relief at seeing each other alive despite all they had suffered through today. There would be time to deal with everything that had happened later. Right now they were in silent agreement on what needed to happen next, helping each other up to their hooves and bracing themselves on each other as they slowly made their way back to the main chamber.

"Twilight..." Celestia said as they reached the ash scarred remains of the entrance again, looking down at her former student and managing a small smile. "Thank you."

"You were the one who had the resolve to defeat Ortasin. I only gave you a boost." Twilight replied, wincing as she adjusted her wings.

"It was still a battle I could not have won without your help. I just hope I can find a way to repay you someday."

"Does that mean we're done here?" Spike's voice drew their attention toward the exit where he was still waiting, sounding a little better after the short respite provided by being out of action. Twilight smiled softly at seeing him improving and nodded.

"Yeah, it's over. Let's get out of here before we wake up something worse."

Epilogue - Into the Light

The sun had never felt so wonderful. Now that the skies had been cleared of fog and snow, its glow was steadily warming Equestria again and a bright day was starting to take hold. As she watched afternoon light rays filter through the window opposite her bed, the symbolism was not lost on Twilight. With the weight of the past off her shoulders and fresh hope in her heart, she knew Princess Celestia was ready to move forward again, back to putting her everything toward helping other ponies be their best.

Once the trio that had entered the Tomb of the Gods had managed to extract themselves, Celestia had returned them to Canterlot. Heading straight to either the castle or hospital to deal with the injuries they had all sustained would have caused too much of a furore to keep the reason a secret. Instead she had brought them to the Equestria Defence Force HQ adjacent to the castle, knowing the infirmary there would provide the medical attention they needed with an extra level of privacy. Twilight's wing had fortunately not been broken and while she wouldn't be able to fly for a few weeks, it was unlikely to have suffered permanent damage now it had been treated. Spike's burns would normally have been more serious but with Celestia doing what she could with them the damage there was also mitigated.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Twilight asked as she stretched herself out on her infirmary bed, her wing bandaged up and bound in a sling to keep it against her body and make sure she didn't move it too much.

"Honestly, the fact I managed to keep standing after being hit by alicorn magic is a small miracle," Spike replied from the bed opposite her, laid out on his front while Celestia worked on his back with her magic, colour starting to come back to the scales. "After all that, I'm feeling pretty good."

"You do have a tendency to keep coming out of trouble in better condition than you should. Maybe you should have been the Element of Luck."

"It's a nice idea but, then everypony would expect me to keep up with you." He chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"Well if you ever change your mind, Luna and I could probably make it happen. Assuming we have advance warning of about a century to get everything ready." Celestia chimed in, her voice back to its usual warm tone as she applied her magic toward fixing the damage she had caused. A blanket of yellow aura currently covered Spike's back, steadily working away the damage from the blast burns.

"And, what about you, princess?" Twilight asked cautiously. To her surprise, Celestia simply nodded to her.

"For the first time since I can remember, I feel free. From the influences of Viam Dei, from the lingering threat of the Tomb of the Gods, even from Ortasin. Now that I've faced her for the first time and know what I must do to counter her, her power over me is lessened. Plus, I like to imagine you found out something during your study of the magic present."

"There was so much magic I'd never experienced within those walls," Twilight reminisced, getting up from her bed and trotting over. "I didn't even come close to looking at it all, but it could take me months to go through all I did and even longer to see if there was any weakness within it. It almost feels a shame to let all that knowledge just disappear...I think I understand why you wanted to learn it yourself."

"For all the malicious intent it was used for, I couldn't bring myself to just let it be lost," Celestia admitted. "But I also hoped that it could be used for purposes that would benefit all ponies. The example Caligo mentioned, about subtle genetic modification to create ascended alicorns. They would have used it to enslave countless lives to their ideals. I only used it to help Cadance and yourself reach your full potential, and it is not a spell I would use lightly."

Twilight nodded, feeling far less rattled about that revelation now than she had before. While she still wasn't sure where she stood about the existence of such a spell, she couldn't deny that her former mentor would only use such things for beneficial purposes. All ponykind as it currently stood was due to the actions of Luna, Vaire and her, she would always look out for them first and foremost.

"I know," Twilight said, relaxing herself. "But all the same, we will still need to neutralise the tomb and end any risk from the old empire once and for all. It may take some time but, I'll find a way."

Celestia smiled gently and nodded.

"You always do."

Author's Note

Well, as far as my stories have gone this year I think I'm out on a high note. I've felt good about this story all the way through and it'll be leading in to my grand finale piece for this part of the Quickverse next year. Hopefully, depends how long it takes me to get that 40 chapter beast down.

Thank you every single person who's even given this a look and have a good rest of your year!