Princess Luna shuffled through the cavernous royal hallway, with its impossibly high ceiling and marble floors that reflected her somber face back at her. She stopped on the trailing red carpet, turning her gaze to one of the many stained glass windows lining the tunnel-like hall. Some displayed the deeds of her and her sister, others martial feats like Concrete sealing Trixie away, or Solar Team 8 along with a sea of soldiers planting the Equestrian flag on the zebra nation. Glass River was setting the flag.

She shook her head, looking to the others, involving the Elements. The most recent of which was Twilight solving one of Starswirl the Bearded’s old spells. She even surprised Celestia with that feat, not with the accomplishment but with the speed that she completed it. She had earned her place among royalty then, though she was close to it before.

She continued with difficulty to the first mural depicting Twilight and her fellow Elements. The defeat of Nightmare Moon. The younger princess could barely look at the image without her vision becoming glassy. She was the villain in this one, and it was because of her that the villain in another mural won. It was all starting to weigh down on her.

Luna understood that on their face, her subjects forgave her. But she couldn’t fully believe that they truly did, or for that matter, that she could forgive herself. A thousand-year reputation doesn’t just reverse itself in a few years. She could always wait until the last remaining ponies who believed her to still be Nightmare Moon to die off, but in that time her own lack of forgiveness in herself would fester into something unmanageable.

She let a sigh slip through her teeth, which she hadn’t realized she was grinding. It was Twilight that helped her that one Nightmare Night to curb her reputation into something better, but even then nopony bought it. She supposed that eventually, the princess of friendship would change their minds. In the best of worlds, she still didn’t see her changing her sister’s mind.

Luna understood that Celestia forgave her for her actions before, but for letting Glass River answer a fatal call? She doubted anypony could change her mind. One of her prized soldiers, her prized pupil after that. It was her along with the Field Marshall who received his ashes, and the General that didn’t want to let him go that allowed him freedom from his duties. Luna knew that Point Blank was filling her sister’s head with thoughts that he was in the right and that he was against it from the first word exchanged. She knew Celestia would believe him too.

The conversation she was about to have with her was not one that she could win, or even so much as wedge in an argument for herself. Luna couldn’t defend herself, more so, she didn’t want to defend herself. Though they were equal in power on paper, in practice, they each had different spheres of power and knew better not to make them overlap. When they did, as sometimes was unavoidable, Luna would often concede to her sister. This was one of those occasions.

Before she exited the huge royal hall, she tossed a misty-eyes glance at the throne that sat on the opposite side of the marble chasm. Only one chair stood proudly among the entire expanse, as though declaring itself sovereign empress of the hall. She closed her eyes and let a single tear fall to the crimson carpet, leaving a darkened stain which she stamped a hoof into. She would not concede this time.

Luna strode past the guards standing post at one of the many mouths of the hall, and out into the royal botanical gardens. The air was cool on her coat as she raced past the uncountable varieties of plants. She had no time to stop and smell the many varieties of roses, for she was on a mission. Her sister had to be somewhere out here, past the exotic fruit trees? No. Past the flowering hedge maze? A quick aerial view confirmed it to be a no. It did show Luna that she was by the lone allfruit tree.

It was truly a marvel of botany. Everything from apples to pears, plums to peaches in its leaves, and its roots held everything cucumbers to melons to pumpkins. A towering testament to the gardeners and scientists of Equestria. Below its branches, however, was her sister and her star pupil: Twilight Sparkle.

From what she could pick up when she landed, they were having a conversation about a phenomenon that Twilight had started reading about. A wonder and a horror of the cosmos, the black hole. They paused upon Luna’s approach, Twilight with a look of concern and Celestia wore her typical stoic look. A barrier to her emotions that her royal place had constructed.

Luna understood its place in official dealings, that you couldn’t show weakness of any kind, or emotion of any kind. She remembered her sister telling her once that concealing her emotions made it so ponies could only take you at your word and their suspicion. Luna didn’t understand why she had to keep that mindset with Twilight, a fellow member of the royalty now, and her very own sister. She surmised that if she held a face for a millennium, it would freeze that way even among close company.

Twilight backed closer to her telescope as Celestia took a step forward, her eyes closed in a serendipitous smile. “Luna, my dear sister, I’m glad you could join us tonight.” She opened her eyes and her smile straightened slightly but remained intact. “We’re celebrating the defeat of the zebras tonight, won’t you join us?”

Luna nodded, doing her best to hide that she felt crushed under Celestia’s infinite royal magnitude. “I will, sister. But won’t you please include me on the conversation with Twilight?” She noticed her hoof was trembling and stilled it. “All things cosmic do fascinate me so.”

Twilight beamed and opened her mouth to start a long-winded explanation of everything she read in the past few days, but was hushed by a wave of Celestia’s hoof. “I’m glad you asked, Luna. Twilight was discussing something called an event horizon, and I must say it’s fascinating.” Her eyes opened, revealing that they were reddened and faltering to conceal her rage. “It’s the point in a black hole where you can’t escape. The cusp of annihilation was how my favorite pupil put it.” She closed her eyes and nodded to Twilight, who seemed to be unaware of her sister’s gaze.

Luna all but crumbled before her, and her eyes failed in containing any of the tears that welled up instantaneously. Luna’s voice was shaky, coming from a quaking body. “That’s… That’s very fascinating, Tia.” Her sister’s eyes shot open with her wings, displaying the full extent of her wrath. Still, her voice remained calm and balanced.

“Isn’ it? Once you’re caught in one particular spot, you have no hope of recovering. Twilight describes it that your atoms are ripped out of their usual order, lined up and sucked in. What a delightful name it has, what was it, Twilight?”

Luna understood what her sister was saying. That the kingdom was on the verge of collapse from a single individual, one that Luna let become ever more frightening. An individual that at some point would become too powerful to stop, and would take the whole kingdom down with it.

“Oh, it’s called spaghettification, how silly is that?” She giggled. “You know not many ponies know about that? Especially in Ponyville where everypony’s concerned with their jobs more than they are any kind of science.” She caught herself, realizing what she said made the residents sound uneducated. “Not that they couldn’t be taught, or wouldn’t want to know. Just…” She trailed off when she saw Celestia glaring at Luna, backing further into her telescope.

“That’s right, Twilight. Not everypony knows about this, and that’s ok. What they don’t know can’t scare them. Or in this case, spaghettify them.” She giggled, with her eyes still holding with them an intense fury, which prompted Twilight to join her shakily and agree.

Luna turned away from the two, and let several tears fall freely before starting for her chambers. She had wanted to stand up to her sister, as she had always wanted to, but it was impossible. She understood that there was no standing up to her, she knew more than Luna and was able to execute on her knowledge with vastly more efficacy than her. Though her face was one of neutrality or polite amusement, it terrified her with the message it carried.

She couldn’t apologize for Glass River because she didn’t need to. Celestia didn’t forgive her, and she wouldn’t soon forget either. She couldn’t even apologize to her subjects because they didn’t know, and Celestia wanted it to stay that way. For all they knew, Glass River was avoiding the party tonight, not that he had died or that he was killed by that mare.

“Oh, and dear sister?” Celestia approached Luna, getting in extremely close, her voice was low and harsh through her gritted teeth. This was the voice of a monarch punishing a peasant. “I was asked a long time ago by a philosopher named Marekiavelli if it was better to rule with an open hoof or an iron one. You know what I told him?”

Luna shook her head and opened her mouth for a reply before an incendiary glance forced it shut.

“I told him that it’s better to rule with an iron hoof, but it’s best to keep your subjects wedged beneath that hoof. Do you understand what I am saying to you?” Luna could feel her sister’s hot breath in her ear and understood that Luna had seen her iron hoof, but her sister was pinning her under it with this exchange. With flecks of her sister’s spit on her ear, Luna nodded sheepishly.

“Good.” Celestia drew back and called to Luna as she walked away, her pace quickening with each step. “I hope to see you at the celebration tonight!” As she broke into a trot, which grew into a sprint, Luna’s tears felt hot against her face. Her sister wanted Trixie dead, not neutralized as Concrete wanted.

It was in her sprint ending behind her closed door that she understood she couldn’t stand up to her sister directly. She would have to stand up to her behind her back. Standing in front of the sun only left her eclipsed by it, but it was when the moon wasn’t visible that it was free from the sun. The new moon would make peace with the amulet, from behind the unyielding wall.

General Concrete sat on the other side of a pierced cherry wood desk with Solstice opposite her. The Field Marshall said nothing, only pushing forth two golden stars, which scraped across the desk. The only sound was their breathing and the ticking of a clock to the right of the general. These sounds found themselves less lonely when Concrete’s heart started beating in her ear.

“These are yours,” the greying Field Marshall croaked. Concrete reached for them, and Solstice placed his hoof on hers. “If you can pull this off.” He pulled them back to him, placing them in a desk drawer. “This will be incredibly delicate, and if we execute this correctly, quick.”

Concrete sparked a cigarette and inhaled deeply from it. With the smoke, she tried unsuccessfully to expel the stress resting within her. Celestia had directly given them both an order to kill Trixie. The previous order had been to neutralize the threat in any number of ways, but this one left no terms uncertain. Concrete’s eyes looked hollow, as though she were devoid of any sleep or optimism.

She had advanced through the ranks rather quickly because of this one mare where other Generals would have to wait possibly a decade to get to the same spot. Concrete didn’t understand the order. The language the princess had used was one of discretion. Kindness. The language she used this time was fiery and spiteful. Was it because she had changed her mind about Trixie after the Second Battle Beneath Heaven’s Fissure? Or was it that she was a loose end? Moreover, why had this specific set of circumstances given her such a boost in rank?

Was it so Concrete would look the other way after it was all said and done? With the Amulet destroyed and peace restored, Celestia would have one less adversary and Concrete would have everything to show for it. That much she could answer for, but what about the others?

“Field Marshall, help me understand something.” Concrete started, ashing her cigarette with a nod from the stallion. “Who is Trixie to Celestia, and who was Glass River to her?” She stared into Solstice’s unflinching emerald eyes, a boulder staring on into a mountain.

“You ask me as though I have a better idea of what the princess thinks. I’m as surprised by this sudden change in the directive as well. Trixie was like every other enemy of the state. That is to say, we treated her as we would anypony else, but we’ve never had somepony crawl out of hell after being sent there. Not even…” He trailed off, his eyes looking outside the window.

It was an unremarkable day, barely any clouds amid a blue backdrop. It had started a rather gloomy grey day, but once the pegasi got wind of the celebration tonight, they immediately busted the overcast clouds.

“Not even who?” Concrete leaned in, taking a drag.

“Well… I think you deserve to know if you’re going to be ending it.” Solstice told Concrete the story of the Amulet, of Black ice, and of Arkon. How it was Celestia’s plan from the start to send in the wrong Solar Team, especially one with as bad a reputation as 12’s. How she convinced Glass River to reject the order Concrete gave just so Trixie could be sent to hell. It wasn’t her plan for Trixie to succeed, but it didn’t matter so long as somepony came from Tartarus.

“So.” Concrete interjected. “Killing her is the last part of this plan? That sounds like Celestia alright. Even if we wanted to forgive Trixie, and we both do, we don’t forgive Black Ice.”

Solstice continued after Concrete. “Correct. Celestia’s a betting mare, and she bets that Black Ice will consume Trixie. And she bets that killing her and destroying the Amulet will strike him from the list forever.”

“But.” Concrete ground her cigarette into the ashtray. “If we can get her to remove the Amulet, we don’t have to, right?”

Solstice let out a long sigh. “I wish that’s how this worked. Even if we could, Black Ice would still be in her, not the Amulet.”

Concrete turned her gaze to the front of the desk. “So he’d take her over and take the Amulet back anyway.” She shook her head. “Fuck.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Solstice stared at the puncture in his table.

Concrete sat up, placing a hoof near the hole. “This can’t be the only solution, can it? There has to be some other way.” Concrete desperately searched her mind for any other option but found none. She didn’t know whether to cry or yell.

The General didn’t feel that Trixie was evil deep down, only driven deep down a dark path that crumbled behind her. Every step in the wrong direction she took, she couldn’t reverse. The first was putting on the Amulet itself, then Paper Trail. Then Moondancer, Sterling Glint… Every step corroded the very ground she walked upon until she took a step onto the EUP. In stepping over Scorpan’s grave, she walked into her own grave.

The room’s energy went from a calm quiet interrupted only by a ticking clock, to one of anger that grew with each tick of the clock. Celestia had been gambling everything on this moment, hadn’t she? Just how much did the princess know? Where did her line of sight end? Where was her end game? The anger slowly replaced itself with dread.

“I’m afraid -” The door behind Concrete flew open, and in walked a sniffling Princess Luna. The two officers jumped from their seats, both saluting the princess, who waved their hooves down. Her eyes let loose a cascade of tears and in their reddened state held a dreadful mix of despair and fear. Concrete and Solstice exchanged glances before returning to the princess. Both feared there had been a tragedy, a devastating addition to the state of Equestria behind the curtains.

“Speak freely, princess. Did something happen?” Solstice took initiative, magically closing the door. Concrete offered her seat and a handkerchief to the princess, who took both without hesitation. She blew her nose as Concrete drifted to the left of the table, standing adjacent to both Solstice and Luna. “Is the nation in danger, princess?”

She shook her head, prompting a sigh from the other two in the room. Concrete spoke up, placing a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “So what is the issue, your majesty?”

Luna’s puffy eyes tossed a glance to both of the officers, then to the plain crystal flooring with a shake of her head. “I don’t think my sister is well.”

Solstice cautiously took his seat. “Not well how? Is she ill? Where is she?”

Luna shook her head, dismissing the possibility of illness. “She’s still here, but I feel that this situation is corrupting her. She told me, her own sister, to stay ‘pinned beneath her iron hoof.’ Or such similar terms.”

“That’s awful.” Concrete spoke in a hushed tone. “You’re rulers together, you shouldn’t be put down like that. Much less, she should know not to talk to her own kin that way.” She rubbed her hoof on Luna’s shoulder in slow strokes.

“The General’s right, your majesty.” Solstice folded his hooves across the desk. “But you say she’s being corrupted. How do you know?”

“Are you going to take her side? She’s the bigger sister, her crown’s heavier I understand. But for once will somepony listen to me?” Her eyes welled with tears as her voice grew shakier.

“Now hold on, princess.” The General started. “We’re not taking anypony’s side, we’re just trying to get to the bottom of this. Why do you think your sister, is being corrupted, as you say?”

“I don’t have any proof if that’s what you’re asking for.” She blew her nose. “But I know that she never talked to me like that before. She spoke like the kingdom was on its last legs and almost wanted to blame me for it.”

Solstice leaned forward, tossing a cautious glance to Concrete, who nodded. “Princess Luna.” He cleared his throat. “How much do you know of Trixie?”

“Everything you know. I know that my sister wishes to kill her, and I disagree.” She waved her hoof as if dismissing her sister’s wishes.

“Then, Luna, we’re in agreement with you.” The Field Marshall leaned back into his large, ornate chair. “If you’d join us in our plan to offer amnesty, we could override your sister.”

Luna began to tremble with the memory of her sister’s words. She hunched over, as though Celestia’s iron hoof was real, and pressing the mare into her seat. She knew that such a decision would split the kingdom in two, with her sister’s half being considerably larger than her own. There were far more followers for the sun than the moon.

“I…” Luna quaked. “I would, but then I’d be taking the side of a serial murderer.”

“Maybe so, Luna.” Concrete’s voice was rolling and low. “But answer two questions for me: How many have been killed by your sister’s orders? And could she ever bring them back?”

Luna rose in her seat just above a noticeable amount. The weight was coming off her. “Too many. Many more that I wasn’t around to count, too. While I’m sure my sister could raise the dead, she would be morally against it.” She straightened herself. “But I want you to answer a question for me: Why should I support the Amulet over my sister? My sister kills ponies for the sake of the kingdom, but Trixie kills for herself.”

Concrete opened her mouth to respond, but a wave from Solstice closed it. “We are aware this decision makes no sense on its face. If what you say is true, Celestia is losing her grip on reality.” He shifted in his seat, haphazardly staring in every direction before back to Luna. “As you had just over one thousand years ago.”

“Excuse me?” Luna tossed Concrete’s handkerchief on the desk, disdain draped across her face.

“What I mean, your majesty.” He tugged at his collar. “You turned into Nightmare Moon because you were losing your grip, for lack of a better description. What I fear, and likely what the General does too, is that Celestia might turn into something similar.”

“With Trixie dead…” Concrete interjected. “The one thing that could put up even a semblance of a fight would be dead and would have taken any other powerful sorcerer down with her.”

“You forget me and Solar Team 8, General.” Luna turned her disgruntled gaze to the greying mare.

“I do not, your majesty.” She flexed her shoulders. “Would that team fight Celestia? And would you have the strength to?” Concrete then leaned into the princess, gambling her alliance on her next sentence. “If her words now can devastate you, imagine what her actions can do then.” She took a single step back, straightening herself. “Her and her army of loyalists.” She added.

Luna looked near her boiling point. “I came here for emotional support, and you two talk about your own princess as a pawn in your plan!?” She sprang up, the chair beneath her crashing into the door behind her. “You look at my loyalty like a rebellious child!”

“Your majesty!” Solstice interrupted. “We do not like these circumstances either! If you want us to stop looking at you like a child, then act accordingly!” He slammed his hoof on his desk near the hole, sending small fractures out from it. “We ask this of you because you are the only pony in the position to make such a call. Your sister is going to implode, or your nation is, and your only action now is to choose which you side with.”

Luna’s anger melted to depression, and her face told of that transfer. Her cobalt aura surrounded the chair and placed it back behind her. The monarch walked to the door and opened it, and with half of her body through the door responded. “I’ll see you at the celebration tonight, both of you. You’ll have my decision then.” She closed the door behind her, hiding her emotions poorly, leaving two saluting officers behind.

I was amazed that my disguise fooled the royal guards. I thought for sure they’d see my dragon scale leg and take me straight to Celestia for judgment. It was the only thing I couldn’t cast an illusion over. Perhaps it was anti-arcane, or maybe my magic refused to acknowledge it as a part of me. Either way, the worst thing I got from it was a few sideways glances from toy soldiers.

What amazed me further was that they were throwing a party tonight, one that they weren’t exactly being humble about. As much as I wished for it to be about me and my triumph over the Infinite Swordsman, it was for the victory over the zebra nation. Those poor fools over there never stood a chance. What did you expect when going to war with a monarchy whose namesake can move the sun with her mind? They had to be expecting defeat in flavors of crushing to humiliating, and this party sweetened it towards the latter.

Tonight, I was Dry Gulch again. Tonight, I was in Equestria’s heart despite my lesser instincts telling me to hightail it to the Crystal Empire and lay low. Tonight, I was going to be the belle of the ball!

Though, as fate would have it, the moon would be. There in the decadent hall, with a band playing a classical epic in full swing, There with all manner of gourmets being served amid the best dressed. There among the most powerful. She and… General Concrete and Field Marshall Solstice marched to the center of the ballroom floors, just beneath an impossibly intricate chandelier.

“Celestia!” Luna bellowed, in a familiar royal Canterlot roar. “We three stand against you in your decision to kill Trixie!” Oh? Perhaps I was going to be the star tonight after all. “Furthermore, we stand against you and your martial tyranny over the surrounding regions! We stand before you tonight and demand peace with the surrounding nations and peace with the Mare That Split the Sky!”

“How dare you, Luna!” Celestia rushed at her sister, wings outstretched. She exceeded her in every discernible measure: Volume, intensity, height. Whatever Luna carried with her, her sister surpassed her. “I have kept Equestria sovereign and prosperous for millennia! I do not wish to fight either, we are a nation built on the principle of harmony.” She stamped her hoof into the shining marble beneath her. “Your hatred doesn’t lie with my wars, but with the Mare.”

“Perhaps that is the case, dear sister.” Luna took a step back. “We still stand against you in your decision. She is not in Tartarus, nor did Colonel Glass River succeed in quelling her!” Luna shouted, looking in every direction, then to her sister, who practically exploded. The crowd that drew in, surrounding the four, murmured in uncertainty.

“Luna! Do you know what you’ve just done!?”

“Told the truth! What the ponies of Equestria need to hear.” The two were just inches from each other.

“You have given power to that evil fiend! Her banishment was a success, one ponies could rally behind! If she was to die, she would do so in darkness, but you have given her success a spotlight! You stupid foal!” Celestia looked as though she were about to cry. As though everything around her, though luxurious and plentiful, was rotting away.

I stepped forward, marching just before them and tossed my disguise off. The crowd withdrew with horrified screams. I looked to both parties, a smile growing across my face into a wicked sneer. “Celestia, you know Trixie's willing to share that spotlight. Just say the word.”

Author's Note

The big 10th chapter! Things are reaching a climax aren't they?
This chapter was proofread by the lovely Krixwell! Go check them out!