Without saying a word, Princess Celestia entered the throne room. Everyone was staring at her. All lives she held in her hands. The guards, the courtiers and her sister. Her vision of her as a reanimated mangled and burned corpse flashed again before her. She had so many things to do. So many things to teach. She walked up to her undeserved throne and sat down.
"What happened, Celestia?" Luna asked in a scared voice.
Not now. Not yet.
"Wine. Bring me wine." Celestia commanded one of the guards.
When the guard rushed back with a bottle and a glass, Celestia ignored the glass and instead greedily started drinking directly from the bottle, ignoring everyone's worried stares. She knew wine was for males, but she needed to calm her nerves. She had relived the first part of her experience at the Caribou camp one too many times on her way back. She closed her eyes and tried to refind that serenity and certainty she had felt during her baptism. She yet again failed, but at least she managed to steel herself.
"We... have new allies." she began.
"But why were you gone for so long? Why didn't you lower the sun?"
"I was busy."
"Doing what?" Luna asked, accusation mixed in with her worry.
"Learning."
"Learning what? Where are the guards you took with you?"
Dainn still had them in his captivity. This was supposed to be easy. Males were supposed to take care of things like this and she was supposed to take care of them. Now, instead, here she was having to explain why their allies held four of their guards captive. No, the third aspect. She had to employ the third aspect.
"They're on a mission. Timberwolves attacked the Caribou and they're helping them by teaching them how to deal with them."
"Timberwolves? On the Equestrian Grasslands?"
She wasn't good at this. Never before had she thought of lying as a good thing. But it's what the Two Faced God wanted, so she'd have to learn.
"Yes, I was surprised too, but I saw them with my own eyes."
How was she even going to begin this? So much of the way they were living was dragging them to oblivion.
"Announce to my subjects that I'm going to give a speech."
"Right now?"
"Yes, right now. The Two Faced God's patience isn't infinite."
"What are you talking about, sister?"
"Just make the preparations."
A confused crowd stood down bellow, under the palace balcony. Yet again, the gathering of corpses flashed before Celestia's eyes.
"My subjects. I bring grave news."
The ponies bellow mumbled.
"An almost unstoppable force threatens Equestria. And if it wins, we all die a horrible, fiery death."
The had mumbling stopped. Good.
"I can not stop it. My fellow alicorns can not stop it. The elements of Harmony can not stop it. Discord can not stop it."
Discord. She had to send for Discord. Her Khagan had commanded it.
"Only one can. And only one has so far. The only reason we still draw breath is that the Two Faced God protect us all."
The mumbling started again.
"But our way of life is an INSULT to this benevolent entity, an ABOMINATION!"
She looked sternly at the crowd. Even now, she could see some faces show hints of anger at that accusation.
"We will have to change. Every single one of us, including me. It will be hard, I won't deny it. Us mares will bear the brunt of this task. We will have to do many things that will seem weird or outright unbearable."
Celestia shuddered at the thought of losing her horn and her wings. It seemed so right when the Two Faced God had guided her, but now it also seemed so wrong.
"But for your husbands, for your foals, for your friends, I BEG you to do them."
She sounded pathetic. Just like she was and should be.
"I will try to make the changes we have to undergo as easy as possible. In return, I expect cooperation from my fellow mares. Not for the sake of me, but for the sake of Equestria."
Celestia walked back inside. Her sister rushed after her.
"What the hay was that?" Luna shouted at her.
"Meet me in my dreams. I will explain there."
Author's Note
I won't be finishing a fanfic like this in one go like I usually do. The task Celestia faces is enormous and consequently it won't be easy for me to write this either. As more chapters are added, the number of tags will grow as well.
Luna approached the door to her sister's dream and braced herself. Celestia was shaken up to say the least. Luna could tell she would be having nightmares tonight and Celestia probably knew that as well when she had collapsed on her bed after the speech she gave. As she opened the door an overwhelming smell hit her. She couldn't quite place it. Ash mixed with mushrooms? Or was it lentils? Or both? There was something disgustingly off about it, and not only because of the ash. The streets of Canterlot were before her. Or what was left of them.
Luna took flight. Despite the city lying in ruins, she could tell she was close to the city square beneath the palace. As she took flight high enough the source of the smell revealed herself. Thousands of her subjects, all burned more horrifyingly than she had ever seen anyone, even in the most depraved dreams Equestria had to offer. She felt her stomach turn. At the same time she felt shame for her insulting guess about the source of the smell. She flew over to the balcony trying to look down as little as possible. It was the best bet to find her sister and find out what had gotten into her.
"I'm sorry, Luna. I'm so sorry! I won't let this happen to you!" Celestia's pathetic voice pleaded.
"Don't be. You haven't done anything wrong." Luna explained calmly.
"Then why do you still have that crown? Why do you have that damned horn and those wings?" her own voice cried out, but those weren't her words.
She was standing both behind and in front of Celestia. Well, she was standing behind Celestia, the dream version of herself was using the one arm she had left to point accusingly at her sister. Luna shivered. Her dream self was gruesomely mutilated. She had suffered the same blazing faith as the ponies in the square. There was barely any skin of hers left intact, barely enough for her to recognize herself. Luna could tell by her one vacant eye that was still in her socket that she was dead, if her grievous injuries weren't enough of a clue. Luna dashed to Celestia and embraced her, trying to take her attention away from the sight before them.
"It's okay. I'm here, sister. She's not real. She can't hurt you."
Celestia burst out sobbing. Luna summoned a cozy room filled with purple pillows around them to keep out the impostor.
"It's okay. Let it all out. And then we'll punish whoever hurt you like this."
"But... I...You...Din't...you..." Celestia stammered between her words.
Luna patiently waited. There would be plenty of time for revenge. Right now her sister needed to be cared for.
"You heard my speech, Luna."
"It was those Caribou wasn't it?"
"What do you mean? No, the Two Faced God spoke to me!" Celestia finally managed to get out once she managed to pull herself together.
Luna had to somehow be both gentle and firm. She had to banish this nonsense from her sister's head without furher hurting her.
"Did he? You would think that he'd speak to us earlier if our way of life was such an offence to him."
"Don't blaspheme, Luna." Celestia replied sternly.
"Where did you learn that word, sister? What does it mean?"
"I don't know." she replied with genuine confusion. "And it means to mock the Two Faced God."
"Okay, I won't mock him then. Tell me, why is it that none of our books had ever spoken of either him or this "great fire" that's so scary?"
"You saw what it can do, Luna. I'm reliving what the Two Faced God showed me."
This "Two Faced God" or whatever puppet master moved him would pay dearly for scarring her big sister like this, Luna vowed.
"So, what are the Two Faced God's conditions for protecting us? What does he want from us and from us mares specifically?"
"Obedience. Submission. Sacrifice." Celestia chanted.
"Obedience and submission to whom? An entity that only after over a millennium has bothered to even speak to us by scaring you like this?"
"I said don't blaspheme." Celestia replied with a more angry tone "To males."
"And tell me, the leader of our new "allies", is he male?"
"Of course, Luna. And one day he'll take our thrones and crowns and rule in our stead." Celestia said in an almost happy tone.
"You're saying this like it's a good thing." Luna said, flabbergasted.
"Because it is, sister."
Her sister was brainwashed. Starlight. She'd know how to undo this. Twilight's student had helped them out once before, but this would be even more challenging to say the least. For now, Luna would have to do what she could.
"Is that all the Two Faced God wants from us?"
"No. Just like the phantom said. Our horns and our wings. They have to go." Celestia replied in a somber tone.
"THOU ART INSANE, CELESTIA!" Luna snapped in the old Canterlot voice.
"No. I'd gladly give up my flight and my magic to save you, sister."
"AND THEN WHAT? DOES THOU NOT REMEMBER WHY OUR MAGIC IS NECESSARY?"
"The Two Faced God will do our old work for us."
Luna closed her eyes and took a moment to compose herself. She started pacing around the room.
"You know what I think, sister? I think this leader of the Caribou simply wants unopposed power and doesn't care about the disasters he'll cause."
Celestia sighed deeply.
"I knew you wouldn't understand. If you couldn't see into my dreams I wouldn't have bothered explaining this to you."
Both sisters stared at each other. Luna could see the anger in Celestia's face.
"What happens now?" she asked.
"Equestria changes. Whether you like it or not."
"Equestria will not stand for this and neither will I."
"Then so be it. It'll be up to whom of us is the best politician. I'll give you a hint, it's not the one that spent a thousand years on the moon. Now, do me a favor, Luna, and get out of my head."
