The Sun, but Not

by PerpetualMotion

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Breezies, Seabreeze, Original Character, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 16428

A freshly retired Celestia goes for a long, long walk. Along the way, she responds to a call for help from the usually isolated Breezie Village, which is suffering from an otherworldly affliction. An affliction much greater than a simple disease...

Retirement is a scary concept when you've barely had more than a day off at a time for over a thousand years. Doubly so when it's not physical or mental infirmary driving the decision. For the former princess Celestia, everything that has happened has sparked what was supposed to be a small, casual adventure, but as per usual, nothing is as simple as it's supposed to be.

A chance encounter and a cry for help puts Celestia face to face with an otherworldly affliction that endangers not only the Breezie village where it seems to have originated, but potentially all of Equestria should it spread. Cut off from the allies she normally relies on, Celestia must instead rely on her intuition, wits, and leadership to battle an enemy she can't even see, or else succumb to the will of this dream from beyond the void.

A crossover with Hollow Knight, with spoilers for the ending of that game, though knowledge of the game's story is not necessary to understand this story.

Published 2019-12-28 00:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-12-28 00:10:01 UTC

Going for a Walk

Author's Note

Have you ever had a dumb idea that wouldn't leave you alone, so you just had to write it down? This is that. I'm not normally that interested in crossover stuff, but some thematic parallels and opportunities for characterization pushed me forward with this. It was also supposed to just be two chapters, clock in at around 6-7k words, and be finished in about three days. As you can see things got a bit out of hand. In any case, I don't expect this to be that amazing, but I have to put it out there so I can get back to my ongoing story and not have this tugging at the back of my mind constantly. Hope somebody enjoys!

Going for a Walk

The Sun was rising, and Celestia was just watching. It had been about a week since Twilight Sparkle's coronation, but this was still a novel experience. Her first idea was to sleep in for the first time in centuries, just skip dawn for once. Really revel in her newfound freedom. That turned out to be physically impossible, though. Every morning, like clockwork, she was up well before The Sun had crested the horizon, and no amount of lying in bed could let her rest. Magic was always an option, but a mind-altering spell, even one as benign as a sleep spell, was never something she was comfortable with. Thus, just sitting and watching the sunrise became her "thing."

"Still at it, sister?" Luna said as she touched down on the balcony of their suite in Silver Shoals. Like Celestia, she'd thus far failed to adjust her sleeping habits, remaining a night owl for the most part. Not that she'd have it any other way at the moment.

"Isn't it wonderful, Luna?" Celestia asked. "Equestria is at peace, our duties are completed, and we get to just... watch."

"Your duties are completed, perhaps," Luna responded, rather put off. "As I've told you already, I left Equestria without a guardian of dreams for a thousand years already. I am not about to do so again."

"Luna, I didn't mean..." Celestia sighed. "You don't need to shoulder this for all eternity. I know you feel guilty, and Twilight wasn't a suitable candidate for your dream magic, but there are still steps you can take to shed this burden you've placed upon yourself."

"Oh?" Luna raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"You can always search for your own successor," Celestia said. "It may take a while, I certainly had my own fair share of failures before I discovered Twilight," she grimaced as memories of Sunset Shimmer, among others, flashed through her mind, "even the rarest of spells are rarely completely unique. Surely there must be some unicorn out there you can mentor. Who knows, they might even make a good princess themselves someday!"

"I will... consider it." Luna stood there fidgeting in awkward silence for a bit, and Celestia could tell that she was trying to come up with something to change the subject. "So... What are you doing today?"

"Oh, not much. I was invited by our neighbors to officiate a game of Bingo this afternoon, then I thought I might join a painting class! I never had time to indulge in art as a princess, but now I have all the time in the world!"

"That sounds... lovely," Luna said before turning with a yawn to go inside and sleep. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Celestia. Good day."

"Sleep well, my sister." Celestia turned back to look at the sun, now completely over the horizon. This time, however, she couldn't summon her previous smile. Instead, Luna's words echoed in her mind.

I hope you find what you're looking for...

Three days had passed since her conversation with Luna, and Celestia was still walking. She had set out from Silver Shoals on hoof immediately after Bingo, never attending the art class she had been looking forward to, and only leaving a note for Luna. She only intended to be gone for that day, just to get some fresh air and think about things, but when the sun finally set, she was no closer to figuring anything out, including what exactly she was trying to figure out in the first place. Everything was fine, right? A thousand years of sacrifice, pain, and planning had concluded in overwhelming success. Her work was done, and now she had the rest of her life to do...

Do what? Fade away like the mentor's ghost in your average heroic fantasy? She couldn't even relate to the other retirees at Silver Shoals. Like her, they had completed their life's work and finally stopped to rest. Unlike her, they were living out their golden years, of which there probably wouldn't be many left. Celestia, on the other hoof, had time. Celestia had more time than any ordinary pony could comprehend. And so she kept walking. Perhaps a bit of adventure could spark an idea? She had the sense to keep Luna informed of her whereabouts, at least, using the same spell she had used to send Spike the Dragon so many letters over the years. It could send to all sorts of recipients, provided they knew the magics to connect themselves to the network.

She had been walking along a river for a most of that day, as she had moved beyond lush coastal forests and into a more arid part of Equestria, where having water on hoof was much appreciated. Eventually, she came to a calm pool, near the entrance to a canyon that had been carved out by the river. A lone tree managed to thrive on the riverbank, providing a convenient source of shade for a short rest. After drinking her fill and sitting at the base of the tree, she closed her eyes and listened to the noises of nature around her. Crickets chirped in the evening air, and even the calm river made trickling noises as it flowed over rocks and the occasional frog made a leap for its dinner.

Perhaps I could just spend my days as a wanderer, appreciating the land I worked so hard to save. I've earned that much, right? Before she could contemplate any further, though, a new sound caught her attention. It was high-pitched and entirely unnatural, but so faint that she hadn't even picked up on it until a coincidental lull in other background noises. It almost sounded like... crying? "Hello?" Celestia called out, opening her eyes and scanning the environment. As far as she could tell, she was the only one there, but still the cry persisted. This called for some more aggressive tactics.

A quick flash of light emanated from her horn, and immediately all sound in the area was silenced, even her own breathing and heartbeat. Now, if I adjust the filter a bit... After a second, smaller flash, she could hear the crying again, but this time it was the only sound she could hear. This made it much easier to pinpoint, and soon she managed to find its source: a tiny winged creature hidden in tall grass a short distance away, with golden coloration to match the dried grass and a plain, white mane and tail that rendered it practically invisible to anyone not already looking for it. Kneeling down for a closer look, Celestia recognized the creature to be a Breezie. A very out of season Breezie, as their annual pollen-gathering journey wasn't scheduled for at least two more months.

"Hello there, little one," Celestia said warmly, ending the noise filtering spell. "Are you okay?" The Breezie lifted their head from their forelegs and looked up, managing to squeak out a short sentence in the Breezies' native tongue before beginning to sob again. "Hmm. That won't do." Celestia's Breezie was... rusty, to say the least. She hadn't spoken a word of it in centuries. Luckily, translation magic was an essential part of any diplomat's toolkit. One quick casting later, and Celestia tried again. "I should be able to understand now, my friend, if you want to explain to me what happened. What is your name?"

"I..." the Breezie began, wiping tears from her eyes. "My name is Willow Wisp. I never thought I'd find anyone. Ponies are so far away. We had to try, though. The Light, it's..." she shuddered. "It's..."

"The Light?"

"Please come back with me!" the Breezie shouted, rising into the air on delicate wings. "Our magic is too weak, but you are strong, yes? You can help? You have... to..." Willow slowed briefly before slumping and collapsing in mid-air, drifting back down unconscious as if she were a leaf fallen from a tree. The golden aura of Celestia's magic enveloped her, catching her before she hit the ground.

"I will do everything I can, Willow Wisp, you have my word," the alicorn said, standing up with newfound purpose. Even if she didn't have an aim in the long term, helping creatures in need took precedence over everything else. The first thing she needed to do was get Willow back to her village and survey the situation. Luckily, if she remembered her geography correctly, the entrance was nearby, just at the end of the canyon. Assuming it's even open, that is. Celestia shook her head, banishing the thought. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it. Knowing that time was not on her side, she stretched her wings for the first time in days and took off upriver. The walls of the canyon rose up on either side of her, the ancient formations reminding her that she was not the oldest thing in this world. Not by a long shot. As she neared the canyon's end, though, Willow began to murmur in her sleep. That much was understandable, she had been through a lot, but it became worrying when a strange orange glow began flickering across her antennae. Breezies were certainly magical, but to Celestia's knowledge, the color of that magic, insofar as magic had color, was a soft white. Altered magical auras were almost always the result of outside influence, whether from an artifact or powerful being.

"Please... Just listen..." Willow whispered. "This is wrong... We have to... fight..."

"Please hold on," Celestia said, though she knew that Willow likely couldn't hear her. "Keep fighting, and stay strong." At the end of the canyon, the river flowed inside over a rather pretty waterfall, but Celestia's goal was the small cave entrance halfway up the wall next to it. If memory served, the portal to the Breezie Village was inside. The interior was damp and cramped, forcing the alicorn to fold in her wings and walk once past the entrance. Finding the portal, luckily enough, was easy, as the cave had no real twists or branching paths. The problem was that it was obviously created with Breezies in mind. It was far too small for even a foal to slip through, and it was shrinking fast. Celestia estimated that she had about a minute before it disappeared completely.

Her first thought was to bolster the portal with her own magic, widening it enough for her to pass. The Breezies' magic was foreign to her, though, and mixing foreign magic types was a dangerous proposition without proper preparation, study, and safeguards, three things she did not have time for. Her next idea was to teleport Willow and herself through the portal. Even if she didn't know where it led, a simple line-of-sight blink would do the job, since the portal created a physical connection through space. That, unfortunately, could have disastrous consequences for wherever she appeared. The massive difference in scale between herself and the village would mean that everything in her immediate vicinity could be crushed without warning.

That left but one option: actually altering her size. A full transformation spell would take too long, she was no Changeling, after all. She'd need to use something quick and messy. She'd dabbled in shrinking spells under Star Swirl's tutelage, but that was over a millennia ago, and she'd never cast one on herself before. The closing portal was forcing her hoof, though, so the decision was made to make the leap of faith. She first levitated Willow Wisp through the portal alone. She needed her full concentration for this, and if she failed, at least Willow would be back home.

"I'll be right there after you, don't worry," Celestia said to the no longer present Breezie, trying to psyche herself up. She closed her eyes and focused on her ancient arcane knowledge, envisioning the desired results. After a moment of building magical strength, her horn flared with an intense light and... nothing. Celestia opened her eyes and looked around. Nothing had changed in the slightest, and the portal had shrunk so much that trying again likely wasn't an option. "I'm so sorry, Willow," she said, staring at the ground. "I'll try and reopen the portal with my own magic, maybe by then it won't be too laaaaaAAAA-" Without warning, her form collapsed in on itself with remarkable speed, leaving a dazed, confused, and very tiny Celestia suspended several feet in the air, exactly where her center of mass had been. Within a second, gravity kicked back in and resized alicorn managed to instinctively unfurl her wings and stabilize before falling far. By this point, however, the portal was almost completely closed, leaving precious little time to reach it.

Celestia poured on the gas, pushing herself to fly as fast as her wings could carry her. She managed to make it precisely nowhere, vastly underestimating just how incredible even seemingly small distances were to a creature the size of a Breezie. Marveling at the tenacity of the creatures would have to wait, though. She needed to pull off one last desperate gambit. As the portal shrunk to the size of a keyhole, Celestia managed to catch the smallest glimpse of what lay beyond, giving her just enough information to teleport herself through the hole as it sealed itself shut. Thankfully she was now small enough to avoid any potential collateral damage. As she was flying forward when she teleported, she entered the village in a forward tumble, hitting the ground hard and rolling a fair distance. Oddly enough, she was no worse for wear, despite the crash landing.

Am I more... durable at this size? she wondered as she pulled herself to her hooves. It was certainly possible. She had no idea how the shrinking spell interacted with physical density or strength, though. An ant could lift things much heavier than itself, after all, but introducing magic into the equation complicated matters. Celestia took in her surroundings, astonished by what she saw. The Breezie Village was frankly beautiful, with buildings constructed around a central pond, which caught the rays of the now setting sun just perfectly. The architecture was surprisingly varied, too, with some houses carved out of large, luminous mushrooms, while others wouldn't have been out of place in the upper districts of Canterlot. The Breezies may isolate themselves for safety, but they didn't seem to be shy about borrowing ideas they saw in the outside world. Something was incredibly off, though. Besides herself and Willow, who lay a fair distance behind her, there was not a soul to be seen. The vibrant village was empty, and Celestia needed to know why. That meant she had to help Willow Wisp first. She was the only one who knew what was even going on.

"I... don't want... to go..." the Breezie muttered in her troubled sleep as Celestia approached, the foreign orange glow on her antennae now a constant presence.

It's gotten worse since I brought her here, Celestia realized. Is that because of proximity to the village, or time? There was only one way to find out. The alicorn tapped the Breezie on her shoulder with a hoof, attempting to rouse her. "Willow, please wake up. I need your help!" Willow stirred a little, letting out a squeaky groan. "That's it, come back to me, at least for a little while..." It was at times like this that Celestia wished she had the power to purge sickness from a creature's body. She only knew of one unicorn with such a gift, and she was long gone on her own quest for atonement. After about a minute of prodding, Willow Wisp finally tried to stand, having a very hard time of it. "Here, let me help you." Celestia lifted the Breezie with her magic, gently setting her upright on her hooves, supporting her as needed. At her current size, she was actually a fair bit shorter than Willow, doubly so if she counted her antennae and wings. "There, how are you fee-" Willow had opened her eyes, and what Celestia saw stopped her dead in her tracks. No longer did she see bright, intelligent eyes staring back at her. Instead, the orange magic had enveloped those too, giving off a haunting glow as if they were lit by some distant, flickering light. "...Willow? Are you there?" Celestia asked, dreading the worst.

"I... am..." Willow answered in an eerie, detached voice. "...not Willow...?"

Her mind is being... subsumed. By this "Light," perhaps? Celestia had to act fast, before Willow Wisp was lost forever. Luckily, a corruption being forced upon the mind was easier to track and dispel than a physical sickness was, so she had a point of attack. Celestia closed her eyes and focused, casting out tendrils of thought to make contact with the Breezie's psyche. Her spell quickly ran into a problem, though. She found thought and activity, yes, but nothing to latch onto and make contact with. It was as if everything left in Willow's mind was an echo, not of her own thoughts, but of... someone else's. Many someones, in fact. There has to be something left! She was just saying things a minute ago! Celestia had an idea, though. If she couldn't go to Willow, maybe Willow could come to her instead. "Willow Wisp!" Celestia shouted across the attempted link, hoping that the name would reach something buried just out of reach. Everything halted, even the disparate voices echoing in Willow's mind seeming to take notice of the intrusion. Something... reached back. A magic Celestia had never felt before, and yet was strikingly familiar. ...Luna? Then it all clicked. These thoughts consuming Willow's mind. They weren't waking thoughts! It was a dream! A very deep and powerful one that Celestia wanted no part in. The dream brushed against the alicorn's defenses, not attacking, but almost... curious? A single image, the Sun, immense and blazing bright in a sparkling orange sky, flashed across Celestia's mind, but she dismissed it out of hoof. This was powerful magic, and very dangerous, especially without a spell like Luna's to interact with or dismiss the dream outright.

"...Hello?" a familiar voice echoed across the mindscape, drawing the attention of both Celestia and the "Light." Celestia's call had resonated with something beneath the dream, and Willow Wisp's thoughts broke through the invasive noise. "Can... Can I go home now? I just want it to be dark again... The Light hurts my eyes..." This was all the opportunity Celestia needed. She rushed ahead of the dream, even as it moved to submerge the glimmer of independence before it, and completed her spell, forging a direct link with Willow's mind. "You... came back?" the Breezie said, marveling at Celestia's radiant presence. "We can do this! We can win!" Through the link, Celestia's mental barriers encircled Willow's mind and pushed back against the Light, cutting it off from advancing any further. In return, the sheer strength of Willow's newfound determination bolstered Celestia's confidence.

"The creatures of Equestria are under my protection!" the alicorn declared. "Begone, and do not return!" The Light wavered, seemingly confused by such resistance. Rather than crash against Celestia's defenses, it seemed to acquiesce, retreating and taking its myriad of voices with it. However, just before vanishing completely, a tendril of the dream lashed out with impossible speed. It didn't pierce Celestia's barrier, but it didn't even seem to try. Rather, it simply pressed against it, forging it's own sort of "connection" before-

HIGHER BEING. YOU TREAD UPON MY DOMAIN. THESE CHILDREN ARE MINE, AND I SHALL NEVER FADE AGAIN. LET ME BE FREE, AND YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO DO THE SAME.

The Light vanished as quickly as it struck, leaving Celestia and Willow standing in stunned silence as the blindness faded, their mental link severed by the dream's direct contact. Not since her first battle with Discord had the alicorn encountered something so alien and disconcerting. Whatever this Light was, it was ancient and very powerful. One thing was abundantly clear, though Celestia may not be welcome here, but she was exactly where she needed to be.

Eyes in the Dark

"Princess Celestia, you did it!" Willow exclaimed as she snapped back to reality with surprising ease, seemingly unaware that The Light had spoken at all. "I don't remember much of what happened after I passed out, but I remember you, and what you said." She paused, noticing something odd even before Celestia did. "You are Princess Celestia, right? That's the name I... "felt" from you? When we were connected, I mean. Tales of the Sun Princess of Equestria are extremely popular with the village's youth. To think that I managed to stumble into you of all ponies..."

"It's... just 'Celestia' now," the alicorn said with a sigh. Is the title really that ingrained into my identity?

"Oh, I'm sorry," Willow said. "Did... something happen?"

"Nothing that wasn't supposed to happen, it's fine. In any case, we don't have time to-" This time it was Celestia's turn to realize that something was wrong. "Your accent is... Are... you speaking Ponish?" Sure enough, taking stock of her active spells revealed that her translation spell had been interrupted by The Light's incursion as well.

"Oh?" Willow tilted her head quizzically, taking a moment to think about it. "...Oh. That's... not good, is it?"

"It's not healthy, that much is true," Celestia said. Magic of the mind was always dangerous. In fact, knowledge of such spells was forbidden, tucked away in restricted archives. The stronger presence in a connection ran the risk of overpowering a weaker or otherwise compromised one if the spellcaster wasn't careful, and the potential for abuse was much too high. The incursion to save Willow certainly hadn't had time for caution. "It would appear that some amount of my knowledge mixed with yours. You should still be... you, though." I hope.

Willow Wisp grimaced in thought for a moment before speaking again, but this time in her native tongue. "I still remember my Breezie just fine, thankfully," she said afterward, sounding relieved. "Sorry to worry you."

"None of this is your fault, my friend," Celestia said. "That said, the situation here is rather... dire, from the looks of things. What happened?"

"It was slow, at first," Willow began, becoming rather sullen. "A few months ago, some of us started having dreams. Simple, pleasant dreams of a warm Sun in a strange sky. No one thought much of it or even knew that the dream was common for a long time. But once some Breezies did start talking about it, something odd happened. They remembered each other, in the dream. As the dream spread, the more clear and memorable it became, until it became... a social event, of sorts. Breezies would dream together and eventually... they stopped caring about anything else."

"I see." Celestia didn't know what to make of this, but it was extremely worrying. From her small experience in the realm of dreams, she knew that they were sequestered worlds, and linking them required a great deal of power. Power that, to her previous knowledge, only her sister had possessed. "What happened to all the others, though? The village shouldn't be so empty, even if everyone is sick."

"There is one place they should be, but if everybreezie has ended up there..." Willow shuddered. "I was chosen to leave and seek help out of those of us who realized just how dangerous the dream was, and we used what little power we had left to open the portal out of season, but that was just a few days ago and at least some of us were fine then. Then again, considering how even I managed to fall prey to the sickness when I felt fine when I left..."

"Well, they can't have vanished altogether," Celestia said, placing a hoof on Willow's shoulder and meeting her gaze with reassuring warmth. "We'll find them and do what we can for them. In the meantime, do you have any parchment I can take a write a letter on? I know just who to call to help with the problem of the dream."

"O-oh, of course! Yeah, there should be plenty in my house. Follow me." The pair took to the air, and Willow led Celestia across the pond to one of the many mushroom buildings planted along the shore. The inside was rather spartan, with limited furnishings aside from a soft, cotton bed and a simple wooden desk, though with the Breezies' propensity to float without actually expending any effort it made sense that places to sit wouldn't exactly be necessary. The walls were far from undecorated, though, covered with pages upon pages of black ink sketches, unframed and slapped up rather haphazardly.

"Did you draw all of this?" Celestia asked, examining a particularly detailed drawing of an orchid.

"It's just how I pass the time," Willow said, moving to rummage through a desk drawer. "They're nothing special, really. My real job is tending to the flowers, like most of us here. Anything else I do is just superfluous."

"There's nothing superfluous about art, dear," Celestia said. "An active and creative mind is a healthy one, and I'm sure that your friends would love to see that creativity themselves." A lesson I never really learned, I suppose.

"T-thanks..." Willow said, blushing as she buried her her head even deeper in another drawer. "Ah, here we go!" With a familiar rustling sound, Willow emerged from the desk with a piece of parchment in her muzzle, which Celestia took with her magic and examined. At this size, the soft blue glow of the mushroom-house's natural lights shone through the stationary like it was barely even there. It would serve their purposes just fine, though. "Here's a pen you can use." Willow presented Celestia what appeared to be a small dried reed between her forelegs. "It should be filled with ink and ready to go."

"Thank you, this should only take a minute." Celestia began composing her letter, the reed-pen working surprisingly well. It was functionally similar to a modern fountain pen, hollowed out and filled with ink that flowed through the sharpened tip. Celestia herself had always preferred the classic quill and inkwell method, though not for any real practical reasons. Old habits died hard, especially when practiced for centuries ad nauseam. After a minute or two of writing, Celestia finished her letter to Luna detailing the situation. Even if it would take her half a day to get here herself, she could at least respond with some tips on what to do in the meantime. "Now all that's left is to send it." The messenger spell quickly took effect, and the parchment dissolved into mystical smoke, which would soon disappear into the aether. Only it didn't. The smoke hung in the air for an uncomfortably long time before poofing back into existence not having gone anywhere.

"Oh, that was quick!" Willow said, not noticing the shock on Celestia's face. "What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything," Celestia said, picking the letter back up off the floor. "My letter... never went anywhere." She tried to send the letter again, achieving the same results. "That's impossible, unless..."

"Unless what?" Willow asked.

"Willow, where is this village, exactly?"

"That's... a difficult question. We Breezies have been trapped here in this valley for all of our recorded history. It's physically impossible for us to climb the mountains, the wind up there can tear our wings off or dash us against the rocks before we even make it past the base. We created the portal out of desperation centuries ago, not knowing where it would go. We just needed some way to bring new pollen to our dying flowers. Why? Can't that spell send a message anywhere, no matter how far away?" Willow placed her front hooves on her forehead and groaned. "Ugh, I don't think that memory was mine. This is just weird..."

"The spell does have unlimited range, yes," Celestia explained. "But it can't send a message to somepony who doesn't even exist, at least not in this world."

"This world?" Willow tilted her head in confusion. "Do you mean..."

"It's the only explanation I can offer. The portal your people created appears to bridge not only space, but the barrier between worlds as well. It's not an impossible magic, my mentor Star Swirl the Bearded was quite adept at it, in fact. But I am not, unfortunately, and this... complicates things. I can't send this message to Luna unless the portal to the village is reopened. Do you know how?"

"Yes... and no," Willow said, staring at the floor. "I was part of the ritual to open the portal so I could find you, but it took five of us to accomplish, and I was only there to assist. I don't know how to actually cast the spell myself."

"Then it looks like we have but one course of action. We need to find the rest of the Breezies and get their help." Assuming there are any left to help... Celestia tried to dismiss the thought. This was no time for pessimism. At this point, The Sun had completely set on the village, draping it in shadows cast by mushroom light, but Willow knew her way around well enough to lead Celestia to where they needed to go regardless. There was no time to lose, before hope faded once and for all. Sleep would have to wait.

Seabreeze watched as the last light of day faded from a nearby window, knowing that he wasn't going to sleep that night. And probably not any night soon after, either. Even under the most generous of circumstances, the portal to the outside world would have shut sometime earlier that evening. If Willow Wisp wasn't back by now, then she wasn't coming back ever.

Maybe it's better that way, he thought. At least one of us made it out, then. Part of Seabreeze knew that it should have been him that left. He actually spoke Ponish, after all, and was far more familiar with Equestria at large, but the very idea of doing so had sparked a deep, paralyzing guilt within him that refused to let him act. They need me here. No, I need them... I couldn't just leave them, not when they're like this... A loud banging noise followed by some shuffling and scraping startled Seabreeze from his introspection, and he sighed. "Moving around now, are ya? Must be feeding time." He moved to gather a large tray overfilled with nectar cups from the makeshift kitchen before heading towards the building's basement door. As more and more Breezies had slipped into the dream, those remaining decided that a quarantine was in order, hoping that it would halt or at least slow the spread of the sickness. The old storehouse built half way up a cliff face, empty this time of year, was the ideal location, but ultimately proved to be better for protecting the victims than those outside. The infection was more than capable of hopping from mind to mind regardless of what physical barriers were in place, but at least if they were confined, they couldn't hurt themselves... or anybreezie else.

Seabreeze's antennae glowed softly as he unlocked the door, the internal plant-entwined mechanisms responding to his magic. After opening the door and and traversing a short ramp, he came to the main holding room. It was wide and dark, lit only by a few oil lamps lining the walls. Not that the inhabitants really needed the light, they tended to provide enough of it themselves. As soon as Seabreeze crossed the room's threshold, all activity stopped, and dozens of pairs of glowing orange eyes fixated upon him. It was more than enough to send chills down him spine a hundred times over, but he was getting used to it. Somewhat.

"Alright, sleepy heads, I brought ya some refreshments." Seabreeze placed the tray on a nearby cot, one of many lining the room, though nobreezie seemed to use them. In an eerily orderly fashion, the infected Breezies lined up to take their meals before returning to the back of the room. Seabreeze turned away as two particular Breezies, a woman and a child, passed by the tray, paying him no mind. They were the reason he couldn't leave. And they were the reason he couldn't stay. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you," he whispered as he floated back towards the door, only to bump into one last Breezie who hadn't gotten in line. Twirly.

"Sea...breeze," Twirly said, or rather, something said through Twirly. Seabreeze knew it wasn't really her.

"What do ya want? I already changed your bandage two hours ago!" Twirly had been one of the first to fully succumb, but she hadn't gone quietly, managing to injure herself in a rather disturbing fit of madness. She'd been patched up just fine afterwards, just needing the bandage on her leg tended to a few times a day as she was in no condition to do so herself. This, however, was what had alerted Seabreeze to an additional distressing effect of the infection. The wound was unnaturally slow to heal, and eventually started bleeding... orange. The sickness was changing her, changing all of them, in ways Seabreeze couldn't comprehend, and frankly didn't want to.

"You are... alone?"

"All thanks to you, dearie," Seabreeze said. Actually conversing with this... thing was disconcerting at best. He'd heard a few stray words spoken by the afflicted here and there, but they were in a language he didn't recognize, and certainly weren't directed at him. Every attempt to talk back had been met with silent stares. Still, he put on his bravest and calmest face. No point in showing fear if he didn't have to. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." He tried to move around Twirly, but she simply matched his movements, blocking the door.

"Being alone is... unnecessary," Twirly said. Her unblinking stare seemed primed to pierce Seabreeze's soul. "The Radiance welcomes all."

"Oh, so now you're asking nicely? What, don't want to steal my soul outright like all the others?"

"You reject her in your dreams."

"Well, perhaps there's a reason for that," Seabreeze said. He was never one to remember his dreams, or even if he had them at all. He supposed he'd have to take the thing's word for it.

"No child deserves to stay... lost... in the dark," it droned on, seemingly struggling to find the words at times.

"And what do you know of children!" Seabreeze snapped, all fear replaced by by a burning, righteous fury. "Because I know children. And I know one little boy trapped in your damned mind prison exceedingly well! You stole them all away from this world, away from me! What choice did you give them? Did they even understand that one was being made?" The "Radiance" had no answer, and simply puppeteered Twirly to drift aside, allowing Seabreeze to pass.

"Kin-light approaches," she said as Seabreeze was halfway up the ramp. "Assist her at your own... peril. Not even the Radiance has... mercy for children who would betray her. Not anymore." Seabreeze said nothing, slamming and locking the door behind him. Once out of sight, though, his rage faded into abject despair and he sunk to the floor, landing completely drained in a misty eyed heap. Not even the ominous warning the Radiance had given him really mattered at this point. At least, not until he heard a knock at the front door...

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Celestia asked as she and Willow Wisp hung in the air in front of the elevated door, her first knock having gone unanswered.

"Yeah. This is where we had started quarantining the sick before I left," Willow Wisp answered. "The idea was that there would always be Breezie on guard at all times, to care for the victims and keep them safe."

Celestia rattled the door a bit with her magic. "Well, it's certainly still locked up tight. Stand back, I may need to rip the door off of its hinges." Before she could concentrate the power to do so, though, the door's latch clicked and it creaked open, revealing a very haggard and bleary-eyed blue Breezie with a fluffy pink mane and tail.

"Seabreeze!" Willow shouted, lunging forward and embracing the startled Breezie before he could say anything. "You're okay!"

"W-Willow?" Seabreeze stammered, returning the embrace after the shock wore off. "You came back? But I thought..."

"It was tight, but I managed to find help! Look!" Willow gestured to Celestia, who smiled warmly.

"Who are..." Seabreeze began, trailing off into a wide-eyed, slack-jawed stare as he recognized exactly who he was looking at. "P-princess-"

"Former Princess Celestia, at your service." The alicorn bowed. "May we continue this inside? I'm afraid I'm not built for hovering like the two of you."

"Of course!" Seabreeze moved aside and waved them in, shutting the door behind them as they entered. Once they were inside, he pulled Willow aside. "Uh, Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you speaking Ponish?" Seabreeze asked at a near whisper in their native tongue. "And so cleanly, too?"

"It's... a long story," Willow said, obviously embarrassed that she'd defaulted to Ponish without thinking. "I-"

"I'm sorry," Celestia interrupted, "I'm sure the two of you would like to catch up, but we don't exactly have time on our sides at the moment."

"Aye." Seabreeze nodded. "I'm afraid things have been falling apart here at a rather rapid rate."

"Seabreeze, we need to open the portal again," Willow said. "Celestia's sister is an expert on dream magic, but we can't get a message to her with it closed."

"I... have some bad news, then. I'm..." Seabreeze sighed, glancing at Willow, then over at the door at the far end of the room. "We're the last ones left."

"But Celestia-"

"Even if Celestia was able to make up for the missing three we'd need for the ritual, Elder Glitzy was the one who actually knew how to run the whole thing, and she's... long gone."

"Then... then..." Willow struggled to speak, what was left of her optimism straining under the weight of the situation. But even then, it wouldn't break. "Then we fight!" she shouted, turning to Celestia. "You saved me from the dream, so you can save the others!"

"I'm not sure I did," Celestia said solemnly. "And I'm not sure I can."

"What? But you-"

"It let us go, Willow. I'm sure it could have put up a fight in our encounter, but it didn't. It... respected me, and asked me to do the same."

"So you're just giving up?"

"Of course not! I just... need to think." Celestia was lost. She wouldn't give up when others were in need, that much was certain, but she had nothing of what had brought her to this point in her life. No family, no students, no friends of those students, and no plan. The plans were always her ace in the hole. Even when something unexpected surfaced, and it often did, those contingencies, those other ponies she had prepared and groomed and nurtured over the years were always able to come through, even when she inevitably fell. But none of them were here. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"Kin-light!" Seabreeze exclaimed, breaking the silence his face lighting up with realization.

"What?" Willow asked, confused by the seeming non-sequitur.

"It's something the Radiance said. 'Kin-light is approaching.' Along with a dumb warning not to help them that I wasn't going to listen to anyway." Seabreeze turned to look at Celestia. "I think she meant you!"

"Whoa, back up," Willow said. "Who's 'the Radiance?'"

"That's what she calls herself."

"That thing talks to you?"

"For a given definition of 'talking,' yeah. But that's beside the point!" Seabreeze shook his head and waved a hoof, trying to get back on track. "She means 'kin' as in family, right? And you're certainly both associated with 'light.' So are you two related?"

"I don't think so," Celestia said, pondering the question. "At least not in the conventional sense. She did call me a 'higher being,' though."

"Am I the only one here who doesn't get to talk to the dream monster?" Willow asked, getting rather exasperated.

"Shh!" Seabreeze raised a hoof to Willow's mouth, pointing back at Celestia with another.

"Whatever a higher being is to her, she apparently holds us in higher regard than than you and the other Breezies, but not... out of malice."

"We're not her 'children,' though!" Seabreeze shouted. Obviously the topic was a sore spot. "You don't get to just go around adopting entire peoples because you miss whatever you had before!"

"Before?" Willow asked. "What do you mean?"

"It's another thing she said offhoof. She implied that she'd been betrayed by her children in the past. Whoever they were. Not like it really matters."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Celestia said. "It means this Radiance is motivated by more than just power. She's been hurt, clearly."

"So we go for Pony Plan A, then," Willow said. "Just... talk it out?"

"No, I doubt it will be that simple. In my experience, the most powerful beings need a bit of... softening up before they can be reasoned with, and some never come around at all, no matter how real their pain is."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Seabreeze asked. "If Miss Radiance here regards you with that much respect and doesn't want me to help you, obviously you pose a threat that she doesn't want any direct conflict with. If our only options are sitting here and waiting for the end of the world or fighting back, then we we fight, right?" Both Seabreeze and Willow turned to look as Celestia, eager for her response.

Perhaps I'm not as alone here as I thought. Celestia smiled. Even cut off from the crutches of my past, hope still springs eternal. "Yes," she said, her confidence restored. "We fight."

Perchance

"Wait, so we are going to talk to her?" Willow Wisp asked as Seabreeze unlocked the basement door once more.

"Consider it a scouting mission," Celestia answered. "Like I said, I doubt we'll see much success to the end of diplomacy, but learning as much as we can about what we're dealing with before things go south permanently is a good idea."

"Hmm."

"Well, I hope you two are ready for what's down there," Seabreeze said as the door's latch clicked open. "It's... pretty bleak. About as bleak as ya can imagine, frankly."

"I don't know, Celestia's seen some pretty bleak things..." Willow shuddered.

"And how would ya know?" Seabreeze asked, obvious skeptical. Willow said nothing in response, opting to stare at the floor instead.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, my dear," Celestia whispered, placing a reassuring hoof on Willow's shoulder. The Breezie gave her a weak smile before returning her gaze to the floor. Celestia had only the utmost sympathy for Willow's situation, and a great deal of admiration for her strength. She had no way of knowing exactly what of her own memories Willow had taken into herself, but Celestia had seen a lot in her time, and she'd had centuries to compartmentalize and cope with the worst of it. Willow, on the other hoof, had just woken up with it all in her head a few hours ago. It was an unenviable situation for any emotional being, to put it lightly. Celestia wasn't about to chastise Seabreeze and explain what was going on, though. This was a private problem, and Willow had the right to choose who she confided in and when. "I wouldn't mind a preview of exactly what bleak situation we're about to walk into, in any case," Celestia said, turning back to Seabreeze.

"Well, they're not dead, if that's what you're worried about," Seabreeze said. "They're more... puppets, or empty shells, only working on base instincts if the Radiance isn't pulling the strings directly."

"And they haven't tried to escape?"

"Oddly enough, no. Some of them turned rather... violent when their mind's caved under the infection's influence, but they all became rather docile once that passed."

"Mind if we just... get this over with?" Willow asked. "I already know what I'm going to see. I don't need it beaten into my head any more."

"Right, right. Fair enough. Getting it over with sounds like a plan." With that, Seabreeze started down the hall to the basement, Celestia and Willow following close behind. The hall was a lot shorter that Celestia anticipated. Usually these kinds of things almost seemed like they were designed to build suspense. Though this building wasn't originally a dungeon, so false expectations were a bit of an eventuality. What they found at the end, though was unsettlingly striking regardless of how much verbal preparation they had received. A mass of glowing eyes fixated on them from the dark, unblinking and unmoving. Seabreeze only sighed, obviously having been through this numerous times already. "Hey, sunshine!" he shouted at the crowd. "We're here to talk!" There was no reaction from the Breezies, their eyes remaining trained on the trio, or rather, Celestia specifically.

"Please, we only want to have a civil discussion," Celestia said. Her speaking up seemed to get a response, with the crowd rearranging and shuffling about as a single Breezie emerged and drifted their way, her hooves lightly dragging across the floor as she hovered just a smidge too low. Nothing marked this particular Breezie as any different than the others, save a bandage wrapped tightly around a foreleg, stained the same bright orange color as her eyes and antennae.

"You are... unusual," she said, her tone of voice completely flat. "The Wyrm sought... devotion. You seek... harmony?"

"You are very perceptive. Harmony has always been what I strive for. Who is this 'Wyrm'?"

"There is harmony in unity," the Breezie said, ignoring the question.

"That's... true, but surely you realize that a harmony without the will to choose it is a false one?" The rest of the crowd of Breezies began to move, floating around the edges of the room. Willow and Seabreeze noticed as well, tensing up.

"I will not relinquish my children." The crowd finished encircling the intruders, cutting off their escape. "Not... a single one."

"We're not your damn children, you b-" Seabreeze's outburst was cut short by the mob of posessed Breezies lunging at the trio in unison, stopped short by a timely barrier raised Celestia. They bashed against it with a surprising amount of force, and continued to slam their forelegs against the shield in a bizarrely consistent rhythm.

"N-nice save," Willow said, doing her best to keep from trembling. "What now? We can't fight them without hurting them..."

"I'd say a timely retreat is in order," Seabreeze suggested. "Can you get us back out the door?"

"Certainly, just give me a moment and..." Celestia trailed off as something very odd began to happen. She sensed a subtle, but powerful magic surge through the room, and the wings of all of the Breezies in the room, Willow and Seabreeze included, began to shimmer.

"That's..." Seabreeze began, caught completely off guard.

"Our protective magic?" Willow said, finishing the remark. "But that's only supposed to activate in a steady, gentle breeze..." Peering through her barrier, Celestia noticed that the manes and tails of the attacking Breezies were flowing, as if in just such a breeze. Looking even closer, there appeared to be small orange particles flying through the air, propelled by the miniature artificial whirlwind.

"That would not appear to be an issue for her," Celestia said.

"What does it matter?" Seabreeze shouted. "We weren't going to fight them anyways! Just get us out of here!" Celestia nodded, preparing the teleportation spell. Something was wrong, though. Almost as if...

"Oh no," Willow said, realizing what was going before Celestia even finished putting things together. "Our 'protection' doesn't discriminate! It'll block any magic Celestia tries to use on us, regardless of intention!" Celestia quickly confirmed the theory. She couldn't even get a solid lock on her companions, much less safely teleport them away. She might be able to force something through with enough raw energy, but teleportation was way too complex to attempt anything that unstable...

"Clever girl," Seabreeze said, sighing with resignation. "Well, what're ya waiting for, princess? You're not protected, so get yourself out!"

"I am not going to leave you!" Celestia shouted before wincing as the strain on her shield spell mounted. Whatever the Radiance had done to the Breezies, she'd somehow enhanced their physical strength, and it seemed that the volume of the alicorn's own magical strength had decreased in proportion with her size.

"Don't be an idiot! You're the only one who can fight this thing! We're just dead weight!" Willow cringed as Seabreeze said the last sentence, but quickly looked up and met Celestia's gaze, a quiet determination in her eyes.

"Just go. You can save us later, okay? Just... don't let this eat you up in the meantime. I know making sacrifices always does, but your head needs to be in the game. For all of us..."

"Oookay," Seabreeze said. "Weird speech, but pretty on point. What's the holdup? Go!"

"I. Will. NOT!" Celestia's voice boomed, rattling everything around her with magically reinforced fury. Willow and Seabreeze nearly jumped out of their skins, and even the mindless horde outside paused their attack. "If she can't take your minds, then there's no guarantee she'll even let you live. I'm not taking that risk!"

"You don't have another option!"

"Actually, I think I do. Just hold still for a moment." The glow of Celestia's horn began to intensify rapidly. This would take everything she had, but if she could just pour enough juice into something simple and direct...

"Wait, what are you-" Willow never got to finish the sentence, as Celestia's final spell fired off, and everything went black.

Princess Celestia groaned as she regained consciousness.

Wait, no... I'm Willow Wisp, right? she asked herself. Things were still a bit fuzzy, not helped by the information that popped into her mind uninvited to tell her exactly what had happened. Sleep spell. I hate sleep spells. She shook her head as she struggled to her hooves. You've never had one cast on you before, idiot! Why would Celestia put us to sleep any... Willow's thoughts trailed off as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and finally saw where exactly she had ended up. The floor was made of a strange dark stone, carved with swirling patterns that extended off into the distance in all directions, with great curved spires scattered about arcing into the sky. Oh, and the sky! It was a spectacular golden-orange color, like it was frozen in a perpetual dawn, and filled with a smattering of light, fluffy clouds and shimmering... runes (?) that faded in and out through the air at random. Some of the clouds drifted across the ground, creating a fine mist obscuring Willow's hooves. It all seemed to frame the sky's centerpiece, a blazing bright Sun, at least three times larger than it should be. Willow waited for some memory of Celestia's to fill her in on where they were, but it never came. Instead, a different memory, apparently her own, resurfaced within her. I've... been here before? This is the Radiance's dream. Does that mean I'm sharing this dream with the others? "Hello? Celestia? Seabreeze?" Willow called out into the mists, hoping desperately for a response. None came, though. "They have to be out there somewhere. If only we were-" Suddenly, the ground beneath her hooves stretched and shifted, creating the illusion of movement. "-closer."

"Willow?" Seabreeze said, causing Willow to jump in surprise. "When did you get here?" Seabreeze was just standing there, obviously just as confused as Willow was.

"I'm pretty sure we're dreaming together," Willow said. "Celestia put us to sleep."

"I figured as much. I think I... remember being here? Can you only fully remember dreams when you're dreaming?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think even Celestia knows all that much about the mechanics of dreams. That's Luna's thing."

"What is it with you and her? You've known her for all of half a day and you're practically joined at the flank." The concern on Seabreeze's face was obvious.

"It's nothing. She's just nice, is all. She saved me." Willow knew she had been acting strange, but she couldn't explain what had happened to her friend. Not until she could figure out what it even meant to herself. If she ever could. "Did she come in with us?" Willow asked, changing the subject.

"She'd better have!" Seabreeze shouted at the empty air. "Otherwise this is the dumbest plan I have ever seen."

"Well, you showed up when I thought about you, so maybe if-" Once again, the ground warped, and the pair found themselves standing next to Celestia, who was just as shocked by her sudden appearance as they were. "That was easy."

"Thank heavens you two are okay!" Celestia said. "I'm sorry I bet everything on a hunch, but it was the only way to protect you."

"And how does this 'hunch' protect us, exactly? I'm fairly sure that now we're just laying crumpled on the ground waiting to be torn apart by the horde."

"My barrier should still hold for a few minutes, at least," Celestia explained. "And time does not pass normally in dreams, so from our points of view we should have plenty of time left."

"But how did we end up here together?" Willow asked. "You certainly don't have the power to do this."

"No, that's where the hunch came in. I figured the Radiance wouldn't be able to resist pulling us into the dream to try and convert us directly. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it's automatic."

"But... now what?" Seabreeze asked. "My memory's a little fuzzy on the specifics, but I think that thing just... talks to you here."

"That was because you two are 'children' she wanted to claim. But how will she respond to somepony she has no interest in talking to?" As if to answer the question, a strange, electric feeling filled the air, causing the trio's fur to prickle uncomfortably. Willow caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned her gaze skyward. At first, nothing seemed different, except...

"Did the Sun just... move?" she asked, shielding her eyes as she tried to get a better look. Her suspicion was confirmed as the Sun began to move again, but not in a way that any of them had anticipated.

"That's not the Sun!" Seabreeze called out as the orb of fire unfurled its wings and soared towards the ground to meet them. It's blinding corona faded as it approached, letting the trio see exactly what they were dealing with. "It's... a bug?" It certainly seemed like an insect, at the very least, or some twisted facsimile of one. It was vaguely moth-shaped, but colored pure white, with wings composed of sinewy tendrils rather than feathers or scales and two elegant, blade-like legs hanging below it. Three spikes adorned its head like a crown, and two orange eyes shining out from a dark void of a face, blazing with the same intensity as the Sun-like guise it had previously assumed. Willow had never seen or heard of anything even remotely like this before, and seemingly neither had Celestia. It just wasn't natural, at least not in any sense she was familiar with. And then it spoke.

HIGHER BEING.

Seabreeze cried out in pain as the words blasted across their minds, falling to his knees. Even Celestia flinched, though her stare remained unbroken. Willow, on the other hoof was... fine? The voice was loud and felt like it echoed through her very bones, but she had felt this before, somehow.

I was already under the Radiance's sway before, even if only briefly, she realized. And have I... inherited something from Celestia? What would one even call it? Resilience of the ages? It didn't matter what it was called. She'd lucked into a twofold defense against the Radiance's brand of mental bombast, but Seabreeze... "Seabreeze!" Willow called out as she rushed to her friend's side, but was unable to do anything more before the Radiance continued.

YOU ARE NOT WYRM NOR ROOT NOR VOID, BUT STILL YOU TAKE MY CHILDREN AND TURN THEM AGAINST ME.

"We're... not..." Seabreeze struggled to speak, even as his mind was overwhelmed by the conversation at hoof.

"Just hang on..." Willow said, desperately trying to come up with something, anything that could help. Resilient or no, she still felt useless.

"I am not, any of those things," Celestia said. "Nor am I a 'higher being.' I am Celestia, pony of Equestria, and friend to the Breezies you claim false dominion over." She stamped a hoof into the stone floor, the impact powerful enough to dispel the mists creeping across it. "Free will is the right of every creature! I will not tolerate tyrants in any form, and I ask you but one time. Leave in peace, or face the consequences." Celestia lowered her head, her horn alight with power. The Radiance narrowed her eyes.

SO BE IT, PONY.

The floor beneath them began to glow, hundreds of pinpoints of light erupting across its surface. It only took a moment for Celestia to recognize what was coming and leap into action.

"Willow, Seabreeze! Scatter!" she shouted, taking to the air and using her magic to toss the Breezies skyward as well. As soon as they left the ground, a metallic spearhead burst from each point of light, skewering the air where the trio had just been. Willow struggled to keep ahold of Seabreeze's limp form as Celestia charged the Radiance, her magic unable to support and attack at the same time. Luckily, the field of spikes wasn't infinite, and Willow managed to find a clear spot to set down a short distance from the mounting battle. She couldn't help but stare at the alicorn's deft movements, weaving among a multitude of orbs of light that tried to track her down, all while peppering the Radiance with energy blasts of her own. Even Seabreeze was entranced by the dance as he began to recover. Unfortunately, the pair's respite was short lived.

"Seabreeze?" a new, familiar voice called out, and two shadowy shapes approached from the mists. They materialized into two Breezies as they approached, one adult and one child. Seabreeze's wife and daughter. Seabreeze leapt to his hooves at the sight of them, nearly collapsing once again immediately, only to be caught by the hooves of his family.

"Gloria... Darling..." Seabreeze seemed almost resigned once he overcome his initial reaction to the sight of them.

"Don't trust them, Seabreeze!" Willow shouted as her friend was set shakily back upright. Willow had memories of enough illusions floating around in her head to be immediately suspicious.

"I... I know," Seabreeze said, trying to meet his wife's gaze, only for her to, oddly, look away. "This is how that monster tries to convince me. They'll cry to me that they're real and they miss me and that I can just be with them and all our friends forever." He stabilized, managing to stop his trembling, never breaking his gaze. "Go on, say the lines! Just go and tear my heart apart again!"

"No," the illusory Breezie said quietly, her very image shimmering as she did so, as if the simple declaration threatened dispel her. "You're right, Seabreeze. We're... not real. The Light latches onto anything and everything to use against you. Will, fears, hopes, desires... loves. You'd have to be completely hollow for her to have no true purchase in your mind."

"Why... Why are you telling me this?"

"She is... distracted," the image said, glancing at the battle behind them. "And you are not as powerless as you think. We are the Radiance's illusion, yes, but without her direction you have just as much influence in this dream as she does. Of course, this means that I'm not telling you anything you anything you don't already know, but something tells me you didn't quite believe it yourself."

"So, you're not Seabreeze's family," Willow said, picking up the gist of things, "but rather the version of them he holds in his heart?"

"Something like that," Gloria said, finally cracking a faint smile. The heartwarming moment was cut short, however, by a pained scream ringing through the air. Seabreeze and Willow spun around just in time to see Celestia skid across the ground, an obvious scorch mark marring her coat where one of the Radiance's orbs had made contact. A circle of white blades materialized and fanned out in the air above Celestia, poised to finish the fight then and there.

"Celestia!" Willow shouted, not garnering any response from the alicorn or her opponent. A memory flashed through her mind. Betrayal, a battle in a castle, and most relevant to the situation at hand, blinding pain as a direct hit landed. Willow knew that Celestia could get up from this, she always did, she just needed time. Time that she didn't have. "We need to do something! But what-" A sudden gust of wind knocked Willow off balance, and she turned to see that Seabreeze had vanished, only the ripples of the wind on the mist left behind. "W-wha-"

BOOM

Before Willow could process what was happening, a deafening impact rocked the dream. Spinning around yet again, Willow saw the Radiance slide backwards through the air, a triumphant Seabreeze hovering over Celesta as the floating blades dissolved.

"Attaboy," Gloria whispered, shimmering for a moment before both her and the child illusion vanished.

"Ya know?" Seabreeze began, extending a hoof to the recovering Celestia and helping her back onto her own hooves. "I'd been wondering how your magic was working in a dream. Turns out you just need to imagine what you want to do and it comes naturally. Magic fits your style. But for me?" Once again he vanished, slamming into the Radiance at imperceptible speeds with a spinning kick. "Getting my hooves dirty is a lot more fun!"

"Do not defy me, child." The Radiance's voice echoed in their minds once again, but no longer was it booming and nearly incomprehensible. It even managed to show emotion, much to the surprise of the moth-beast herself, her eyes widening after she spoke.

"Yeah, the whole 'brain melting voice' thing got a bit tiring, so I... turned down the volume," Seabreeze said, sporting a smirk. "I'd have shut you up completely, but we're all sharing the dream, so it would seem that your will still matters somewhat."

"Enough!" The Radiance exploded into shards of light, dispersing around the arena and sending Seabreeze tumbling across the sky. The ground began to crack and tremble, forcing Celestia and Willow back into the air just in time for it to break apart completely, the majority of it falling away into the clouds below. Only random floating chunks were left behind, leaving precious little space to land, especially if any of them got knocked around again.

"Did we do it?" Willow asked, floating up to join the others.

"I... don't think so," Celestia said, her breathing obviously somewhat pained. "But in the meantime... thank you. Both of you."

"I didn't do anything, though. It was all Seabreeze..."

"I'd be full of more holes than a block of cheese if it weren't for you," Seabreeze said. "Besides, I'm sure you can-" A loud, otherworldly roar rippled through the air, interrupting the conversation. Numerous pillars of light burst into being in a circle around them, extending vertically as far as the eye could see. Far above the trio in the center of it all, the Radiance appeared. She said nothing, only watching as the pillars began to constrict, closing in on her enemies.

"Hold on!" Celestia shouted, her magic flaring up briefly before flickering out, unable to muster enough energy complete the teleportation spell. Celestia tried again, this time conjuring a barrier, only for it to immediately shatter on contact with the advancing light. Celestia slumped, visibly drained of what little power she had managed to recover since the first part of the bout.

"Oh no you don't!" Seabreeze rocketed off towards the Radiance, hoping to disrupt its attack as he had before, only to nearly collide with an impenetrable wall of blades which materialized above them and began to fall, forcing Seabreeze back to the rest of the group.

No... Willow trembled uncontrollably as she realized that they only had a few seconds left. I couldn't do anything. I... I'm sorry... She shut her eyes tight, waiting for the end, centuries of regrets flooding her mind in her final moments. She managed to settle on something that was actually hers, though. All of the art pinned up in her home. Nobreezie would ever get to see it. Eventually it would just fade away to nothing, forgotten and abandoned.

But then... something peculiar happened. A strange tranquility washed over her. It was a hollow, empty feeling, as if she were "in the zone" while sketching her pictures, and suddenly the humming sound of the advancing light just... stopped. Willow opened her eyes, only for her surroundings to remain just as dark as when she'd had them closed. She wasn't scared. This all made sense, somehow. After a moment, the blackness began to drip away, quite literally, revealing a bewildered Celestia and Seabreeze beside her, right where they had been before. The advancing walls of death were nowhere to be seen. The dark liquid pooled around Willows hooves, steadily flowing and adhering to her legs like some sort of amorphous familiar.

"Is that... ink?" Seabreeze asked. Staring at the floating puddle.

"Yes... and no," Willow answered calmly. Like Seabreeze, she had conjured something familiar in her desperation, but she had tapped into something more in the process. Something that lined the fringes of the dream, just similar enough to what she had imagined to respond to her plea.

"I told you a creative mind was a healthy thing," Celestia said, grinning briefly before turning back to their opponent. "As for you, I think it's time that you left."

"Void!" the Radiance hissed as she locked eyes with Willow, a bubbling rage obvious in her voice. "Ancient enemy, even here you hound me! I will not be consumed again!"

"Nor shall you consume my friends," Willow said, unflinchingly returning the fiery glare. The shadow at her hooves began to writhe, prepared to strike. "Now, we end this."

Dream Forever More

Beams, orbs and blades flashed across the sky as Celestia, Seabreeze, and Willow Wisp went on the attack. The Radiance wasn't holding back now, more determined than ever to pin the trio down through the sheer volume of her firepower. Luckily, Willow had some new tricks up her metaphorical sleeves. Even if she wasn't sure how she knew what she was doing. It was almost like...

Please tell me I don't have a third set of memories rattling around in here... She didn't have the luxury of introspection at the moment, though, and the Void's presence continued to be unnaturally calming. Another field of blades rocketed towards them, arranged just so such that there was no opportunity to maneuver around or through it. She had an idea, though. Somehow. At her direction, the liquid Void spread out, coating Willow and her friends in a form-fitting cloak of shadows. Seabreeze squeaked something out in muffled protest, but quickly realized the idea's merit when the flying blades passed harmlessly through them as if they weren't there at all. The Void fell away soon afterward, cluing Willow in that this technique could only protect them for a brief moment before needing time to recover. Timing would be key.

It was rough going, but now the fight seemed actually winnable. Seabreeze was fast as ever, laying into the Radiance at every opportunity, while Willow did her best to tie down and suppress the floating monster, tendrils of shadow lashing out from the Void clinging to her body. Even Celestia was able to contribute in her weakened state, finding the resolve and inner strength to blast their opponent with whatever she had left.

However, as things dragged on, thoughts began to drift into Willow's mind. They weren't quite memories, but rather stories, presented to her by the Void itself. The Void didn't think like Breezies or ponies or even the Radiance, but it thought all the same. It was amorphous, its form and consciousness easily splitting into independent beings as needed, a trait that had been painfully abused in the past. This potential for individuality born out of unity stood opposed to the Radiance, who devoured individuality, just as much as the Void's elemental darkness opposed the Radiance's light.

Why are you showing me this? Willow asked, hoping that her guest would understand the question. A series of images flashed across her mind. Alien creatures in masks, dark twisting tunnels, all consumed by the same infection that had taken Willow's people. The Void had risen up, not by its own will, but rather the will of an individual, born of both Light and Void. It consumed the Radiance within its own dream, casting it to the depths of unreality. However, even the Void was not infinite, but rather unaware of its own depts. Eventually, the Radiance "fell out" the other side, for lack of a better term. The Void watched, but had neither the will nor means to intervene as she regained her power and found new creatures in a new world to claim as her own. It was a neutral, reactive entity, perfectly content to exist in peace, but not unsympathetic to the emotions and wills of those in contact with it. So that's why you're helping me? You can't act without a driving force...

One last story unfolded in her mind, this one less clear than the others, as if it was only experienced second hoof. A lone creature, moth-like in visage, wanted nothing more than to atone for her people's sins. She was the last of her kind, and so the full weight of this guilt fell squarely upon her shoulders. In the end, though, the best she could manage was to gift someone else, the being of Light and Void, the tool they needed to put the vengeful goddess and creator she had betrayed long ago to rest. The moths had abandoned one light for another, chosen individuality over unity, and condemned the old light to fade away, forgotten completely. Willow realized that it was this desperation, this fear of being alone and forgotten, that fueled the Radiance's rage and ambitions. This was the betrayal that had nearly doomed one world and now threatened hers.

Thank you for telling me, Willow said. The Void fell silent, having said everything it needed to say. As it did, Willow snapped back to reality, the entirety of the Void's stories having taken mere seconds to play out in her mind. It was just in time, too, as she barely had time to cloak herself in shadows to avoid a directed beam of light. She attacked with renewed confidence, now knowing that the Radiance could indeed fall as it had in the past. And sure enough, she began to falter, taking to retreating farther and farther away as the battle continued. Retreating was useless against the impossible speed of Seabreeze, though, and after one last massive jump, the Breezie connected with a solid buck square to the head. The Radiance crumpled, collapsing onto a decent-sized chunk of floor floating below. Willow was quick to bind her with tendrils of Void, which spread across her form like creeping vines. The trio landed in front of her, met only with the harsh glare of the enemy's eyes as resistance. This time, it was focused entirely on Willow rather than Celestia.

"It is over," the alicorn said. "Release the minds of the Breezies. Now."

"No," the Radiance answered bluntly. "I cannot be destroyed. I will linger in the thoughts and dreams of my children no matter what you do to this form. I shall never be forgotten, and perhaps when I have returned and unified this world again... I shall bring yours the harmony you so desperately seek."

"You will not touch them!" Celestia shouted.

"I misjudged you, pony." The Radiance sounded like she'd be smiling if she had a face. "A true higher being would care not for the companionship of those lesser than them. Children, worshipers, and devotees should never be disregarded, but you are riddled with connections and insecurity. Subjects, students, family. Perhaps when you are all of one mind, such weakness can be of use." Celestia shut her eyes as the Radiance spoke, breathing deeply.

"She's just picking at your head," Seabreeze cautioned. "Mind games are all she has left now."

"I know," Celestia said, trembling slightly. "But this... ends NOW!" The alicorn's eyes snapped open as she roared, glowing a bright, ominous green as dark magic encircled her horn. The memories floating around Willow's mind recognized this as umbral magic, born of hatred and fear. Not necessarily evil, but dangerous and driven by negative emotions that threaten to consume the user. The Void squirmed at Willow's hooves, sensing that the power was similar to its own in nature, though derived from a very foreign source. "You shall be cast out, back into the darkness from whence you came! I will not permit your light to sully their dreams any longer!" Shadows spread across the ground beneath the Radiance, connecting to the Void binding her and threatening to absorb her once again.

"You sure you're okay to do this?" Seabreeze asked. "It's not like we're pressed for time at the moment, if you want to rest..."

"I'm determined," Celestia answered through gritted teeth, showing obvious signs of strain. "That's enough for now." Seabreeze nodded in approval, and Willow almost did, too, only...

"Wait!" she spoke up, reaching a sudden epiphany. Seabreeze gave her an odd look, but Celestia didn't even turn. "You can't just keep doing this!"

"I'm doing what I have to do."

"But when has this ever worked? Discord, Sombra, Tirek, Cozy Glow... Luna. All banishing or imprisoning them ever accomplished was to kick the can down the road for some later generation to deal with, at best!"

"Willow, what the hell are you talking about?" Seabreeze asked, never having heard the majority of those names before. Willow didn't have time to explain, though.

"The Void can't contain the Radiance forever. Even if she never returns here, she'll just end up in some other world! How is that fair to them?"

"What do you expect me to do, then?" Celestia asked, raising her voice again. "This is all I can do! This is..." The dark magic faded from her eyes and horn, and she collapsed to her knees, finally spent. "This is why I had to retire..." Celestia finally met Willow's gaze, a few rare tears rolling down her face. "I was never what Equestria needed. I did my best, but you're right. In the end, all I could ever do was delay threats until they fell upon the shoulders of ponies Equestria truly needed."

"Celestia, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, I know what you meant..."

"Okay, okay, back up," Seabreeze said. "I get the moral quandary here, even without the, uh, context, but we still don't have a solution to the situation at hoof. Obviously just slapping a delay on it isn't ideal, but buying time is all I can think of right now."

"We need to remove her from her seat of power, which is this entire dream," Celestia said weakly. "And right now, the only place she can go is back out the way she came."

"Well, we can leave the dream if we wake up, right?" Seabreeze asked. "What if we woke her up?"

"You have to have a body to wake up to," Willow explained. "My si-" She cut herself off, sighing as she realized her identity was off again. "Princess Luna once created a dream entity with her magic that had the potential to manifest in the waking world if it were to gain enough power, but that's incredibly specialized magic we don't have access to." Seabreeze opened his mouth to speak, before thinking better of it and shaking his head. He had fruitlessly asked what was wrong with Willow enough times already to know he wouldn't get any answers right now. He wasn't the only one there with input, though.

The Void at Willow's hooves shot forward a short distance before a small glob of it rose into the air. The Void orb uncurled and took shape, taking the form of a small, cloaked figure. Two curved horns arced inward from the top of their head, just as black as the rest of the Void that made up their body. In fact, the only points of color on their body were two, blank white eyes that stared back at Willow. The creature was familiar, somehow, though she couldn't quite place it.

"You!" The Radiance squirmed in her bindings, but couldn't muster the strength to break free and attack her enemy, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Uh, hey there little guy," Seabreeze said, giving the creature a short, curt wave. The shade remained silent, but surprisingly enough acknowledged the Breezie, bowing in return. "Do you have an idea?" They nodded, raising an arm into the air. A bright light formed in their hand, as if they were gathering the very essence of the dream itself. After a moment, the light sprouted into an unstable beam-like blade. It was all too much for the shade, though, and it exploded back into bits of formless Void, which sank to the ground and rejoined the rest of the pool. The blade remained, hovering in the air where it had been summoned. "Are... are they okay?"

"I... think so," Willow said, one final piece of the story popping into her head. "That creature once wielded the Dream Nail against the Radiance, but sacrificed their physical shell and rejoined the Void in the process. A shade cannot wield the blade directly, its light disrupts their bodies on contact."

"So... this 'Dream Nail' is... what, exactly?" Seabreeze was way past questioning how she knew any of this by this point.

"It's certainly a very powerful artifact," Celestia said, struggling to her hooves. "I can sense its energy from here."

"It can cut through the veil between the waking world and dreams," Willow said reciting the explanation the Void provided. "Celestia! You can use it to break open the dream! Then we can drag the Radiance out and save everyone!"

"Something tells me that you are the one meant to wield it, my friend." Celestia smiled and placed a hoof on Willow's shoulder. "I know you can do it, you're more than strong enough."

"I..."

"Go on, then. What're ya waiting for!" Seabreeze shouted, joining Celestia at Willow's side.

"Okay... Okay. Here goes..." Willow took a deep breath and stepped up to the nail, bending down and taking its hilt in her mouth. It was clearly not designed to be held this way, but it would have to do for now. Just think of it like... a pen stroke. Willow told herself. Draw the line, and open the gate... She tensed up for a moment before taking off at a full gallop towards the Radiance. She turned her head, closed her eyes, then swung the blade across the Radiance's body in a single, great slash, focusing her mind on her objective. As she did so, the dream around her exploded into light, and-

Willow Wisp watched as the Sun crested the horizon, bathing the village in its warm light. The implications of adopting the activity were not lost on her, but she'd woken up at this time for the past two days despite her best efforts, and it felt nostalgic all the same. In any case, she couldn't help but wonder who raised the Sun and Moon in this world, if indeed any creature did at all. This morning, though, she wasn't alone, as Celestia silently approached and took a seat on the hill beside her. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes before Willow finally initiated a bit of small talk.

"It's nice to see you up and about," she said, flashing her a quick smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock." The alicorn chuckled. "Sorry I missed everybreezie snapping out of it. Turns out completely draining your physical and metaphysical energy in quick succession isn't good for your health. I think I woke up for all of five seconds before passing right back out. Did they all recover nicely?"

"For the most part. The mental effects were largely lifted right away, and nobreezie remembered anything but the vaguest recollections of the collective dream. The physical effects of the infection didn't exactly fade overnight, but it seems more like getting over a bad flu than anything super serious. Those worst hit were the ones who had been converted the longest. We're still not sure what color they're bleeding now, and none of them are very keen to check."

"That's fair. Seems like they'll recover just fine, in any case. What about you, though?"

"What about me?"

"You've been through a lot in a short time. Just because you're a hero doesn't mean you're invincible, believe me."

"I'm... fine," Willow answered, her hesitation prompting Celestia to raise an eyebrow. "No, seriously, I'm fine. I just have a lot to think about, is all. Most of all what to do with all this." She raised a hoof in front of her face, and much to Celestia's surprise, a small glob of Void pooled on it before taking the shape of an intricate black flower.

"You kept that?"

"More like it kept me," Willow explained. "Void's choice, not mine. The company is nice, at least, even if it's not much of a conversationist." What she omitted, though, was that she had been leaning on the Void's innate tranquility more than she cared to admit. It wasn't forced upon her or anything, but tapping into it when her anxieties over her predicament started rising was an easy, if short-sighted, solution. "So, if you're feeling better, I take it you'll be heading out today?"

"If re-opening the portal isn't too much trouble," Celestia answered. "Luna is probably worried sick, it's been days since she last heard from me. She's probably roped Twilight into trying to track me down by now." Willow giggled at the pretty accurate assessment.

"There should be enough of us up for it, yeah. You miss your sister more than enough already, it'd be cruel to keep you two apart any longer than we have to." The alicorn tilted her head, giving Willow a rather odd look. Willow blushed, quickly realizing what she had just let slip.

"You miss her too, don't you," Celestia said with a heavy sigh.

"W-what? I... I mean..."

"The only way you'd know how I felt with absolute certainty, given that I've barely even mentioned Luna before now, is if you were feeling those emotions yourself."

"It's... it's just so stupid!" Willow snapped. "I've never even met Luna, or Twilight Sparkle, or Cadance! But I care about them so much! I want to see Flurry Heart's smile, and check up on my old magic students, and attend that painting class I skipped out on to have an impromptu adventure! But that wasn't me! I don't have a niece, or pupils, or any of that..."

"It's okay," Celestia said softly, embracing the now sobbing Breezie with a wing, pulling her close. "It's going to be okay."

"Is it?" Willow sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes before pushing away from the alicorn, again turning to the Void to calm herself. "You said I'd still be me, but you were wrong. Willow Wisp the Breezie died days ago, and the only reason I'm not pleading with you to bring her back is that I have the same knowledge that you do telling me that it's impossible."

"The new you is still you, though. You're not me, and maybe you're not even Willow Wisp, but you're still your own person. A person who saved her people. A person who saved me."

"Maybe... But still..." Willow stood up and looked back at the sunrise. She'd made a decision. "I'm coming with you," she stated bluntly.

"Are you sure?" Celestia asked, sounding as if she'd expected this.

"Yes. I'll always cherish this village, but Equestria weighs just as heavily on my mind now. And frankly? This place just doesn't have the resources or experience to help me figure out who I am."

"Of course. You'll always have my support, one hundred percent."

"Thanks. I'll go tell the others that we're leaving today so they can prepare the ritual. Catch you later, okay?"

"I shall see you then." As Willow turned and flew away, Celestia was left to watch the sunrise finish. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "for all of your pain..."

Celestia stood at the edge of the village with Willow Wisp by her side, surrounded by a large crowd of Breezies come to see them off. Three in particular, Seabreeze's family, approached them.

"You're really going through with this, huh?" Seabreeze asked, giving Willow a bright, encouraging smile regardless of his actual feelings on her leaving. "And here we were about to invite you over for dinner tonight!"

"It's what I have to do. Besides, I'll probably visit around harvest time every year. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"I just can't thank you enough for everything you've done, both of you," Gloria said, looking at Celestia. "Our little Darling Dayflower owes you more than we could ever repay." She ruffled the mane of her child with a hoof. He was still too young to respond verbally, but managed to show his appreciation nonetheless by doing a cute little flip in the air before flying over and giving Willow a hug. Celestia couldn't help but laugh at the adorable display.

"Hey now," Willow said, prying the foal from her leg. "Seabreeze is just as much a hero as either of us. Don't ignore him just because you live with him."

"Oh, I'd never forget!" Gloria leaned over and gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"A-anyway," Seabreeze stammered, "Elder Glitzy is almost done preparing the ritual. After that, and a bit of celebration, of course, you're free to leave any time."

"Sounds grea-" Willow began, pausing suddenly. Celestia followed her gaze and caught a bit of movement on a rooftop overlooking the area. "Excuse me for a moment." She took off towards the activity, and Celestia followed at a distance. The Breezie landed on the rooftop, the half of which they could see appearing to be empty. "You can come out, I already know you're here." A resigned, high-pitch hum sounded from the opposite side of the roof, and an ordinary looking white moth crawled over its peak. Of course, at this scale, an "ordinary" moth was actually just as large as Celestia or Willow, but its fuzziness and blank expressionless face rendered it completely non-threatening, at least as far as Celestia was concerned. "Did you come to see us off, too? Or were you planning to escape once the portal was open?" The Radiance, or at least what was left of her, said nothing, being physically incapable of speaking in her new physical form. "Seriously, though. This won't do at all. Hold still." Willow took a deep breath before holding a hoof out in front of her. Much to Celestia's surprise, a familiar beam of light sprouted from its tip, thrusting into the Radiance's head. The Dream Nail didn't seem capable of harming a physical being, though, and the Radiance didn't even flinch as the blade harmlessly passed through her before fading.

You really are full of surprises, my friend, Celestia thought with a smile. Willow's own smile, however quickly faded as the artifact relayed the Radiance's thoughts to her.

"I'm cruel? You're the former extra-dimensional tyrant here! You're lucky nobreezie remembered enough of what happened to hate you so much that you wouldn't be able to hang around here. Maybe if you stopped thinking of everybreezie as wayward children to control and more as potential friends to make, you wouldn't be miserable!" The argument continued for several minutes, completely one sided from Celestia's perspective, and Willow's originally gentle strikes with her nail (It appeared that she had to make contact every time she wanted to hear more thoughts) steadily became more obviously frustrated as it went on.

Perhaps it is for the best I can't hear her, Celestia thought. This kind of ironic mercy was not beyond her, but she was rather bad at it. It seemed that Willow had learned something of the Radiance's past as well, which would explain the additional patience and sympathy with the bizarre being. The more Celestia thought about her, the more she was unsettled by her apparent motives. She wanted to be the light for her people and guide them with the visage of the Sun itself. I can relate to that much, at least... But to be hurt by a betrayal so much that you'd conclude that free will itself was the problem? That your guiding light was mandatory in the life of every creature? Memories of Nightmare Moon crept in to her mind, and Celestia realized the key difference. I blamed myself for Luna's fall, even if it wasn't entirely my fault. I could have seen the signs and helped her. But this moth? Something tells me she doesn't see herself at fault in the slightest. Existing so far removed from those she ruled over left her with this idea of "higher" and "lesser" beings. After all, how could she be in the wrong if she was objectively above everyone else? If she never needed anyone else? Celestia had had enough nightmares over the centuries trying to tell her the same thing to know where that path would lead.

"Well, that's just too bad!" Willow shouted, and the Radiance buzzed loudly before taking to the air and flying away, having had enough of her. "Maybe try just being friendly for once!" she called after the moth. "At least that will get you somewhere!" Willow sighed as she turned to fly away herself, only to nearly jump out of her skin when she saw that Celestia had been there the entire time. "You, uh, heard all that, huh?"

"Only the half spoken out loud, I'm afraid," Celestia said. "It's commendable that you're willing to put up with that, especially after everything she did."

"Well, she's harmless now, at the very least. Maybe she can have her own dreams instead of just stealing the ones belonging to others. Interacting with the Breezies on even ground would be a good learning experience, too, if she ever comes around to the concept."

"Hey!" Seabreeze called out from the crowd below. "Are we going to have a farewell party, or what? I'm more than happy to stuff my face without you two if I have to!"

"I can't turn down one last home-cooked meal before hitting the road, now can I?" Willow said, beginning to fly back down. Celestia nodded and returned with her, happy to take in the peaceful beauty of the village one last time before departing. It was a delightful time, so many Breezies chattering in their squeaky voices in creating a... rather unique soundscape, to say the least. The genuine gratitude they displayed was also rather refreshing. Lately it had seemed that only Twilight ever showed appreciation for her efforts, which was fair. Until all this, she'd done little to actually save the day for years now. And even now, it had been those by her side who had done the bulk of the work. She'd just... given them the push they needed, even if unintentionally. She tended to operate best that way, anyway.

As the festivities continued, a quintet of Breezies were hard at work mustering the magic to open the portal once again. It was a very beautiful ritual, the participants chanting in unison as the glows of their antennae spread out into an impressive array of multicolored sparks. Eventually they coalesced into a singular shifting mass which drifted into the cliff face, the chanting picking up in tempo as it moved. Upon contact with the stone, the magic exploded into a brilliant aurora, eliciting cheers from the gathered crowd. Much to Celestia's amusement, a few younger Breezies even gathered and pointed at her mane and tail, noting their similarities to the ongoing spectacle. At that point, the portal progressed as normal, starting as a pinhole before slowly growing large enough to allow a whole swarm of Breezies through.

"I guess this is it, then," Seabreeze said, walking up beside Celestia. "Don't be a stranger, okay? I'd swing the harvest group by Canterlot this year for a visit, but I don't think we can do that kind of altitude."

"Well, you're in luck, then. I'm residing in Silver Shoals for the foreseeable future. Considering that I got here on hoof more or less accidentally and how free my schedule is nowadays, it would hardly be inconvenient for me to stop by and assist the migration, or maybe even shrink back down and participate directly. Twilight told me that it was quite the marvelous experience when she and her friends did it."

"Aye, that'd be... nice. I have to admit, it'll be hard to go back to the peaceful goings on around here after all that action. I've always hated how... weak we are. Being unable to so much as float outside that cave without ponies watching over us isn't the best for morale, ya know? Being able to actually throw a punch and have it matter for once felt really good, even if it was just a dream."

"You're stronger than you think, my friend." Celestia smiled at the Breezie. "That strength and determination you displayed in the dream was genuine, and you're a fantastic leader to your people. I'm sure Twilight would love to work with you on a diplomatic level some day."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Seabreeze said, fidgeting nervously. "I just lead harvests, politics aren't really my game. I tend to get a bit... heated."

"You aggressively defended the freedom of your people when everything was on the line and never gave up, admirable traits for anyone in that kind of position. You'd do quite well in a debate, I think. Not every speaker has to be eloquent." Celestia paused for a moment before an idea struck her. "You know, you could always come with us," she suggested "I could take you to establish better relations with Twilight. As a new ruler, I'm sure she'd love to have a more formal partnership with your people beyond assisting the harvests. Establishing alliances is practically her calling."

"Nah, as great as one more adventure for the road sounds, I really need to be here right now. Gloria and Darling still have nightmares about this ordeal, and I want to support them as best I can. I'm sure Willow can handle all the diplomacy just fine herself."

"Of course. Family comes first."

"Hey, Celestia!" Willow called, landing next to the pair. "The Elder want to give you a formal goodbye and thanks before we go, and this particular opening of the portal isn't set to last for very long, so it's now or never."

"I will be right there. Thank you, Seabreeze, for everything." As the two began to make her way through the crowd, Willow stopped after a moment before rushing back to give her friend one last hug.

"I'm sorry I never told you exactly what was going on," she said.

"It's fine, really," Seabreeze responded, patting Willow on the back. "I'm not sure I get it even with a proper explanation, anyway. I'm just glad you're okay, or at least going to be. Be good, alright?"

"I'll do my best. See you around!" And with that, things finally drew to a close. Elder Glitzy said his piece, and Celestia and Willow exited the portal, returning once again to that dark cave. One spell reversal later, and Celestia was back to her original, towering stature.

"It's a shame you can't make me that tall yourself, or at least normal pony sized," Willow said. "I vaguely remember something about energy densities and the like making growth spells pretty dangerous to living things beyond small adjustments."

"Indeed, but I think our journey will be uneventful enough that it won't be necessary," Celestia said. "You know, I already have a good idea of what you can do once we're back home."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I know somepony who could really use a student with some ability in the realm of dreams..."

"I wouldn't mind giving that a shot, then." Willow grinned with newfound optimism. "Thank you for this."

"Any time, little one. It is my pleasure." Celestia's horn flared with its signature light, and the two vanished into the new day.