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                    A New Kind of Guard                    
                    -by Mystic Sunrise-                    
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                 Post Coronation Thoughts                  
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Post Coronation Thoughts
Of the many mysteries in the land of Equestria, few of them begs as many questions as those about the ones who guard princesses. I do not speak of the Royal Guard though.
I, of course, speak of the Centaurides that guard Celestia and Luna day and night.
While the Royal Guard does protect them to some extent, they only guard their residences and place where they are to appear and are the first line of defense.
But the Centaurides, they do much more. They guard the princesses' lives with their own. They are their personal guards in effect. Only Celestia and Luna can command them, and they bow to nopony but their princess.
Not much is known about them. That they are fearsome warriors none doubt, as those few stupid enough to try and kill the princesses have discovered to their doom, for their life is forfeit should they attempt to kill the princesses.
Versed well in the arts of bow and blade, they are seen as scary and unapproachable when you first meet them. Having known them now for some years, I can say that underneath that warrior mask, they can be as friendly and outgoing as any.
It is not just their skills and demeanor that leave many questions, but also their physical appearance. For while they have the lower bodies of ponies, their upper halves do not conform to any species known on Equus.
Having asked them myself, they would not speak of it. It is obvious they know what they are, but if they have told any, only they know.
Even the name Centaurides is a best guess name, for they do not speak of it themselves. Where the name comes from is also a mystery. Some say it comes from another world, but none know for sure.
There are also rumors that they and Celestia and Luna are more than just princesses and guards. But when I asked, all Princess Celestia would give me was a wink. Luna was even less help. All I got out of her was a roaring blush before she teleported away. Make of that what you will.
Regardless of any truth to the rumors, it is obvious that both princesses have the highest regard for the one who stands beside them. And I believe that is all that matters in the end.
With them by Celestia and Luna's side, I for one look forward to whatever future they make for Equestria.
From the Diary of Clover the Clever.
***
Princess Twilight wasn't quite sure what to make of what she had just read. It was an interesting read to be sure, and it was an honor to read something by somepony so famous.
But it raised more questions than it answered.
She, of course, knew the ones who protected Princess Celestia and Cadance. Luna's was more of a mystery, but she hoped that could be fixed.
Appitrite, the one who stood by Cadance, was much like her in some ways. Kind, loving, and beautiful in a way that made stallions fall head over heels for her. But she remained dedicated to Cadance alone.
Twilight knew her young age did nothing to take away from her combat ability. During the Changeling Invasion one year ago, she had lost track of how many of the creatures Appitrite had slain with her bow. When it had come to close quarters, her blades had claimed even more. Twilight had never seen anything so beautiful and yet so deadly at the same time.
And then there was the one stood beside Princess Celestia. Twilight couldn't help but gulp at the thought.
Hippothea was very much like her mentor. Regal, majestic, and not a little mysterious. She had a more rugged beauty to her than Appitrite, but Twilight could still admire it.
But that was not what stood about her to Twilight. Hippothea fought with the largest bow she had ever seen. It was so large in fact that she carried it on her equine back, unlike Appitrite, who carried hers on her upper body.
It was her work with the greatsword though that really stood out. How she could carry it was a mystery for the sword looked as heavy and was as big as Hippothea herself was, and yet she swung it like it weighed nothing more than a leaf.
Which was even more amazing seeing as her upper body was no more muscular than Appitrite's. Maybe Twilight would have a chance to ask her about it.
And that leads her back to the present. Her coronation After Party was still going on outside, but she had returned to her Guest Room some time ago, tired out from all the day's activities.
As she had been saying goodnight to her friends and family though, Princess Celestia had given her this book, saying it might make for a good bedtime read. As usual, she was right, but Twilight still had a ton of questions. It hadn't answered much about Hippothea and Dianathe, but it was a start she supposed.
One thing though stood out in her mind. Now that she was an alicorn as well, would that mean she too would soon have someone like them watching over her? She wasn't sure what to think about that. Her new status was something she was still getting used to.
And everything that came with it.
If she did though, how would she choose them? The book had never said how Celestia and Luna had, and she'd never thought to ask Cadance. For that matter, where did they even come from? How did they know when to come to Equestria? And how did they come to Equestria? So many questions, and no answers.
Twilight could only hope that would change in the future as she switched off the light, and soon passed into a dreamless slumber.
***
Across Eternities Crossing, in land only six knew of, but only three had ever seen, another journey was about to begin. Whether Twilight knew it or not, she had called out to those who would stand beside her for all time, and they had answered.
Ponyville would never be the same again in the coming weeks.
***
Hippothea and Appitrite watched the light go out in Twilight's window with interest. They too had heard the call she had unconsciously sent out, even though it wasn't meant for them. What surprised them though was how many had answered it back. Never before had so many done so.
"This is unexpected," Hippothea said after a moment. "I did not think so many could ever hear it at once."
Appitrite smiled. "Twilight is a special pony. Maybe that's why? Nopony expected Cadance to ascend either, and now look at her."
Hippothea smiled as well, but there was more to it than that. "You hope one might be as young as you, don't you?"
Appitrite frowned as she crossed her arms and stomped a hoof. "Is that too much to ask for? No matter how much you try, I still don't feel like I belong with you two."
Hippothea's smile dropped. It was a thought Appitrite had shared before. One she and Dianathe had tried to assuage again and again, but they could only do so much.
The three of them came from different times. She and Dianathe had come from a time when the world was still recovering from the Age of Fools, as they called the Three Tribes Era.
Appitrite had grown up in the Age of Enlightenment, as the new age was called. Neither of the two eldest could say what might have changed in their old home.
Once one passed beyond the Forbidden Portal, none were ever allowed to return. It was the price they paid for their service.
Hippothea wrapped an arm around her younger companion and pulled her close. "Never think you are not good enough. You have proven that time and time again. I am proud to call you sister."
Dianathe soon joined them and wrapped her arm around Appitrite's other shoulder. "As am I. Though you are young, that does not take away all you have done."
Appitrite couldn't help but blush as her tail flicked back and forth. No matter how many times she heard it, the praise of her elders was something she could never forget.
Together now, the three of them stood there, sisters in all but blood, as their thoughts turned to the future and what it might hold for them all.
Author's Note
To be clear, this is a crossover with Disney's Fantasia. Namely the Pastoral Symphony segment. Aside from now being native to Friendship is Magic's universe, they don't look any different.
The names for Celestia, Luna, and Cadance's are all based on names from Greece. I felt it fit them since Fantasia had them set there in the film.

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                   Journey Far from Home                   
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Journey Far from Home
Looking around her home for the last time, Mellinia couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at all she was leaving behind. But she knew it was for the right reason. How many others could say they had been given this honor? Only three in the long history of Xanadu had been chosen before this.
To protect one who bore the blood of the Great Mare herself. The last time had been almost twenty years ago now when she had been but a newborn filly.
Giggling, Mellinia shook her head. She was not the only one to have been chosen for this. Something that was unheard of in their long history. What made it special for her was who she would travel with.
Her sister and her oldest friend had all been chosen as well. None were sure what it could mean. But some were saying that it was a sign of ancient prophecies coming true.
That the Mare who Mounts the World would soon return and lead her people into a new golden age.
Turning to the image that stood above the family weapon rack, she went to one knee and crossed her hands over her heart and said a silent message for the journey ahead and for those they were leaving behind.
The image showed their savior in one of her infinite forms, the Wartrotter, casting down Drakix, the demon who had bound her people into slavery until she had lead them to freedom.
Of course, it wasn't the full story, for no image or tale could tell the full story of that day. And each family in the Hidden Realm told it differently, but one thing was consistent across all versions.
Namely the end result. The death of Drakix at the Warmistress's hooves, and the Great Migration she had lead to the place where they now lived. For a time she had lived among them, helping them forge a new destiny and teaching them the ways of battle.
For in that age, Equus had been a barbaric place. The Three Tribes Era was at its height, and the other races were little more than mindless brutes and savages.
In the end, those she had saved had begged her to stay and lead them. No other race would allow them to live, and they were still new to much of the world. In the end, she had relented and had been universally acclaimed as the First Empress of Xanadu.
It had also given birth to the role Millinia would soon take on herself. While none would ever say she needed it, several had sworn to stand by her side at all times.
Mellinia shook her head as she stood up. Her mind was wandering again, something her sister had warned against again and again. It could get her killed if she wasn't careful.
Especially now as she walked over and took hold of her most treasured item. Something that made her stand out, even against the most gifted Battle Mage.
A bow carved from solid dragonbone, the first made in over a thousand years. Not only that, but she was the youngest to ever claim the honor of felling a wyrm. Mellinia had only been twelve when she had done so.
It was a nice contrast next to her tan equine body as she strapped it comfortably to her lower back and slipped the quiver over her shoulder. As she did so, she wondered how the others were coming along. It was almost time.
***
Her sister Sophile, at that same moment, was in the Temple of the First Mare, kneeling before the crown said to have been worn by her as she had lead them from Drakix's fallen realm.
Religion was something all their kind despised in every way. Memories of the false gods of old were as fresh now as they had been then, and the persecution other races had heaped on them as "Abominations against the will of the gods," had destroyed what chance there was they might have done so in time.
The temple was not a place of worship, and the crown was not a religious relic in the normal sense, but rather it represented a beacon of hope for the future and the struggle it had taken to free their people from tyranny.
Many had come here before starting a long or difficult journey or task, to reflect at the crown. Whether it actually did anything for those who did, none knew. Only its bearer knew for sure what power it held.
And she departed long ago. It was said though that one day, one would come and claim the crown, and lead the world into a new golden age. None knew for sure whether it was true or not.
At the moment, Sophile would take whatever help it could give her. She was more nervous now than she had ever been before in her life. In all her life, she had never expected to be chosen for this. Let alone that her little sister would be chosen as well. She loved Mellinia with all her heart. But the fact remained that she had barely been beyond the Watching Mountains in her life.
And now they were being called far from their home, to a land that no matter what was said, had still not outgrown some of the darkest parts of its past.
Looking up, Sophile took in the image above the crown. One that was always shifting, moving from one form to another, of the mare that had worn the crown.
It was still a question of what exactly she had been. Powerful beyond comprehension and that was she no normal mare was beyond a doubt. But that all that could be said for sure. But that about it. She had made it clear she wanted no worship from them, and vehemently denied ever being a goddess.
Standing, Sophile looked away from the image. It didn't pay to look at it for long. Only a Chrono Mage could for any length of time, and even then they couldn't for any long length.
Readjusting her bow, she turned and made her way to the exit. All she had she carried with her now. All that remained was to mee the others and be on their way.
Sophile never noticed that the crown began to glow slightly as she left.
***
Outside, she found Mellinia waiting for her. She smiled as she walked up to her sister. "Are you sure you're ready? It's a long road ahead of us."
Mellinia only rolled her eyes. "Sis, I've been ready for a while. Just waiting for you. Eudiera is waiting for us at the gates." She looked back at the temple. "Anything?"
Sophile shook her head. "No. But I really didn't expect anything."
Mellinia put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You expected something though?"
Sophile nodded. "I don't know. This many of us being called? For one pony? Why? I feel there's something we're not seeing yet."
"You don't think she's the right one for us?" her sister asked.
Sophile shook her head. "No. I am not going to judge her before we have met. That she is one of them means she has deserved this. Whatever else might come."
Eudiera soon joined them. Her light skin tone stood out next to her bright pink hair and equine body, one of the few whose equine and human halves did not share the same color. "A fair point. I don't like this. But I will not shirk from it."
Mellinia though noticed something in Eudiera's hands. "Something for the road?" She asked, pointing at the flowers.
Eudiera's smile grew. "Home is no longer here, but I will take something to remember it by. I doubt Equestria has the same kind here does."
She was the oldest of the group. But few would know that as she looked to be Sophile's age, and she was in her early 20's. She was also the most strict, and while some might call it being a stick in the mud, those who knew her knew she had a kind heart and cared for all of them.
By this time they had come to the Inner Gates. No guards stood there, for none were needed. No outsider had ever been allowed to come this far into the Hidden Realm.
Only one thing would allow them to pass. Reaching up, all three took a flower from the garlands that encircled their chests and placed on a slot on the gates.
As they did, the gates unfolded before them and slid into the ground, revealing a narrow path beyond. This they followed for some time before they came to another set of gates. This time they waited, for no force they had would open the Forbidden Portal. Only one could, and soon she made herself known.
"Travelers. Why do you come here and where do you go?"
The voice of the Way Warden was less spoken aloud, and more said in their minds, one they all heard. And as one, they responded.
"We go now to seek the one who bears Her blood. To offer our blades and our lives to hers, now and for all time. In the name of the First Empress and the Fallen Kingdom, we ask for passage."
For a moment, nothing happened, and they began to fear that they had made a mistake, that they were not worthy of going forward, but then the voice answered. "Go then little sisters, and may the Great Mare always guide your steps."
As the last word was spoken, the portal shimmered before it dissolved away, revealing another passage beyond. As the girls took a step forward though, the Way Warden spoke again. "Know this also. Once you pass beyond the mountains, the way will be shut to you for all time and you will never be able to return. Do you still intend to go forward?"
For the first time, Mellinia hesitated. She had known what this meant of course, but only now was it driven home what she was doing, and what she was leaving behind. Fighting back tears, she bit her lip. Could she do this?
With a start, she felt someone take her hands. Looking up, she Sophile and Eudiera giving her a loving look and a nod. It was all the strength she needed as she addressed the warden. "We mean it."
The voice smiled, they could all feel it. "Then go forward, and know that you will always be loved here, no matter where you go."
The girls nodded as they walked forward. Looking back one last time, they watched as the portal closed behind them, leaving nothing but a blank wall of rock where it once was.
For a time they said nothing as they followed the tunnel. When they finally saw daylight, they were relieved to be almost there. Coming to the end and out into the lands beyond, they took in the surrounding terrain.
All around them was a desolate wasteland for as far as the eye could see. Behind them lay the mountains that ringed their old home and protected it from the outside world.
Raising her hands, Eudiera made a series of gestures in the air. "Stay close to me. This will take us to where we need to be."
Gathering as close as they could, the girls watched as the air hummed with power that grew louder and louder. When it reached a point that they had to cover their ears, a bright light filled the sky that engulfed them all.
When the light had faded, Mellinia, Sophile, and Eudiera were gone.
Author's Note
Game of Thrones reference for those who know the books or the tv series. Whether the crown of the First Empress will play more in the story will not be shown for a while now.
As for their disgust for religion? That's partly my own views on it, and the idea of it in My Little Pony and Friendship is Magic in general.

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                    Historical Tid Bits                    
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Historical Tid Bits
Twilight awoke next morning feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time. It probably had something to do with being an alicorn. She could get used to it though.
As she rose and stretched all her limbs for all they were worth, she went over the day's schedule in her head. Her friends couldn't stay long since Ponyville had also planned its own party for its new princess, and Pinkie Pie couldn't wait to get started on that one.
Up first for her though, after breakfast, was a meeting with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Cadance. Cadance couldn't stay long either for she had to be back in the Crystal Empire soon.
Even now, months after King Sombra's defeat, there was still a lot to be done. While Twilight didn't know the full story, the crystal ponies had taken to Cadance well. Her help in defeating Sombra, and then securing the Equestria Games, helped for sure.
But it was her kind and caring nature that had endeared her to most ponies of the empire. Many had said she reminded them so much of Queen Amore before her. Twilight wasn't sure what that meant, but it seemed to be something important.
It was Appitrite though that was raising eyebrows. Nopony it seemed had ever seen Celestia or Luna with their own guard, so she had caused quite a stir. And it had gotten more so when Cadance had announced that Appitrite was to be her one and only personal guard.
The Imperial Guard was slow to take to the change. None would say anything bad about her. But her young age had raised plenty of questions among the officers.
But all those had been put to rest when Appitrite had out shot the Crystal Empire's best archers, and had even defeated a few in an impromptu jousting competition.
Twilight herself had plenty of questions for her and all the others as well. Her current read had left her with more questions than answers the night before. Maybe her biggest one was where did they come from? She remembered asking Hippothea the same question years before.
But the glare she had received in return had sent her running for cover, as if the elder was about to attack her. She didn't think she would have, but the memory remained vived in Twilight's mind.
In all the time when she had been folasitting her, Cadance had never explained it either. Whether that was because she didn't know or not, she wasn't sure.
At the time though, Twilight hadn't thought much of it. Appitrite was as kind and caring as Cadance had been. During the few times when they had stayed the night, for one reason or another, she had shared some of the stories from her home.
Adventure, romance, a bit of comedy, even a little bit of mystery. All things in common with stories from Equestria. One thing though stood out to her.
Not once had there ever been a mention of a male centauride. All seemed to be mares. But that didn't make any sense. How would they have children? Twilight knew their numbers weren't small if Appitrite was right, but there seemed to be no way for them to mate.
Why that was, Appitrite had never said, and now that she thought about it, there seemed to be more to it than her not just telling them.
How many of the stories were real or just allegory, Twilight didn't know, and neither did Cadance when she had asked her some time before. Somethings it seemed even she didn't know.
She had never asked Hippothea. There was just something about her that made her worry it would be the last thing she ever did if she ever asked her.
Dianathe was an even bigger mystery. Twilight hadn't had many chances to talk to her. During that first Nightmare Night in Ponyville, she had been so focused on helping Luna that it had never really crossed her mind. She made a note to change that today.
And those were just some of the questions she had for them. And now with the chance that Twilight would soon be getting her own, her anxiety was higher than ever. What could it mean for her life in Ponyville? For her life in general? Twilight liked her life the way it was, thank you very much. She wasn't sure she was ready for a change like that.
But as she left her room and headed for the Royal Dinning Room, something told Twilight that she really didn't have a choice in the matter.
***
"So how much do you plan to tell her if she asks?" Princess Celestia asked Hippothe as she sat down at the long table. For the moment it was just the two of them.
Hippothea shrugged. "Enough to keep her happy for now. It is not my place to tell her all she needs to know. And there things she will never know as well."
Celestia's brow rose. "You know Twilight will not be happy if she doesn't know all there is to know about you. Faust above, you have never told me everything. No matter how much I ask."
Hippothea frowned, and Celestia wilted under the look she was getting as she realized what she had said. It was one thing they disagreed on. Equestria had no true religion per se. Some say alicorns as gods.
Most though prayed in some way to Faust. The creator of all life on Equus and the universe in general and whose image, all alicorns had been made.
To say it had disgusted Hippothea and Dianathe when they had discovered this would be an understatement. Celestia well remembered what had been said that day.
"A false god claiming power it has no right to. If this Faust exists at all, then it is nothing but a sham made up by the stupid and ignorant," is how Dianathe had put it."
To this day neither Celestia or Luna knew why they despised the idea so much. Alongside their home, it was the one thing they refused to talk about.
"We swore an oath long ago Celestia that we would never again bow down to false gods or fake religions ruled by corrupt fools. Leave it be," was how Hippothea had explained it to her.
And for her part Celestia had. Something told her she didn't want to know. Most in Equestria though knew where the two stood on the subject, for they made no secret of their hatred of it.
Unfortunately some of the more zealous ponies had tried to promote their faith anyway, either by force or asking Celestia for funding for a church, and despite what she may have thought of the idea, she had never said no to such requests. There was no harm in it.
All were dead within a week of completion. Zealots had tried to place the blame on Hippothea and Appitrite for the deeds. But Celestia and Cadance knew for a fact that no blood stained their hands. Whatever they thought of it, they would not kill unless it was to protect their princess.
But she was letting her mind wander as she bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I know how much you hate that name."
Hippothea relaxed. This happened every time this came up. Before she could comment though, a feeling passed through her whole body, one that made her smile.
Celestia was surprised by this. "Is something wrong?"
Hippothea shook her head. "No. Something has happened." She raised a hand before Celestia could ask more. "This involves Twilight. You will learn of it when the time comes."
Celestia was still worried. Anything that involved Twilight made her feel this way. "Can you at least say if it is bad?"
Hippothea shook her head. "No. It is nothing bad." She chuckled. "How Twilight takes it though, I can't say."
That helped Celestia relax, though she still wondered what it could be.
Any futher talk was put on hold as a member of the staff announced the arrival of one Princess Twilight Sparkle. Nodding, Celestia sighed. No matter what she may have said, she was still nervous about what Twilight might ask.
Clover's journal would have wetted her appetite for more information, but there was only so much she, Luna, and Cadance could tell her, and having read the journal herself, she had an idea of what some of those questions could be. No matter how awkward they might be. She only hoped Cadance wouldn't overdue it.
She felt Hippothea place a hand on her shoulder. Celestia gave her a grateful smile, one that was returned, as a familiar purple head poke her way through the door.
"Princess Celestia? I hope I'm not early?" Twilight asked.
Celestia chuckled. "Not at all Twilight. Luna and Cadance are not here yet." She nodded to Hippothea. "I can guess you have a lot of questions after last night?"
Twilight nodded. "I don't even know where to start though."
Hippothea nodded. "Know this though Twilight. There are things I will not talk about. Our kind swore an oath long ago to never reveal all to outsiders, no matter who they are."
Twilight wasn't too shocked honestly at this. "I guess the first is, what do you call yourselves? Clover said something about Centaurides, but is that right?"
Hippothea smiled. "She was right. It is what we call our kind. Where the name came from, we don't know. We have used it for as long as we can remember."
Celestia nodded, smiling slightly. "And even getting that out of them was a chore. Let alone their own names."
Twilight was lost. "Why is that?"
Hippothea frowned. "Understand this Twilight. Our kind has been seen as freaks and abominations for centuries by those who see themselves as enlightened and right. We do not trust easily."
Twilight's ears wilted. "Not even us?"
"Not even you," Dianathe said as she and Luna entered the room, followed soon after by Cadance and Appitrite.
Appitrie chuckled. "Don't take it too personally. If you can get us to open up at all about anything, then you've earned our trust."
Cadance chuckled as well as she laid a wing on Appitrite's back. "It took me months to get her to open up about anything other than her role and name."
Twilight didn't fail to see the gesture, and neither did anyone else. But only she seemed confused by it.
Luna rolled her eyes a bit. "You read Clover's journal yes?" Twilight nodded. "Then I can say the part about us being more than princess and guard is true."
Twilight's mouth dropped in shock. "Is that why you've never been married Princess Celestia?"
Celestia nodded. "In part yes. But I have always prefered mares over stallions. I have even before we had met."
"As have I," Luna added.
Twilight looked at Cadance. "Is that why you and Shining never went anywhere?"
Cadance rolled her eyes. "That's one way to put. Of course for us, it didn't start out that way." She smiled as Appitrite placed a hand on her shoulder. "But it worked out for us in the end."
Twilight digested this. It was a lot to process for sure. Maybe even more so because she didn't know which way she swung yet. Which also lead her to her next question. "What about me?"
Hippothea, Dianathe, and Appitrite all shared a look. "You will know it when the time comes. And maybe sooner than later," Dianathe replied.
Twilight gave her a look. "What do you mean?"
"They are already on their way, and they will be here any day now. They left the homeland shortly before you arrived," Hippothea replied.
Twilight was still lost. "What do you mean they?"
Appitrite. "Looks like you have three coming, instead of one."
Celestia and Luna shared a concerned look. "Should we worry about this? It has always been one that has come," Luna asked.
Hippothea was also concerned. "I am not sure. As far as we know, this is the first time this has happened. What it means, I do not know."
Twilight though saw another problem. "Where would they stay? Golden Oaks Library doesn't have room enough for me, Spike, and now all of them at the same time."
Dianathe chuckled. "Lucky for you then that we sleep standing up, and we only sleep for an hour before we are fully rested."
Twilight was interested now as she pulled out a note pad and quill, in case she could ever use it herself, or for Equestria. "How does that even work?"
They only chuckled. "We're not sure either. It just comes naturally to us," Appitrite replied.
Twilight harrumphed in annoyance as she sat down next to her mentor and Cadance. "Oh, fine. Be that way. If they're on their way though, when will they get here?"
Hippothea shrugged. "We don't know. It's a long way from the homeland to Equestria, and if they are anything like us, they will arrive just in time to help you with something major."
Twilight was worried about it now. "What do you mean?"
Cadance sighed. "Ours came when we needed help the most." She smiled. "For me, I had just ascended from being a Pegasus filly to alicornhood, and I had just come to Canterlot. I didn't have any friends yet, and I hadn't even met your family Twilight." She squeezed Appitrite with a wing. "Appitrite came to me at the right moment. She gave me more than a guard. She gave me a friend."
Appitrite smiled as well. "And I've never regretted it since."
Celestia and Luna nodded, though their expressions were grim. "We'd rather not talk about our first encounter. Only that the same applied to us as well in some way," Luna said.
The looks on their faces told Twilight that she probably didn't want to know that story, even though she was curious. She sighed. "Great. Now I have to worry about when they show up and everything else," she grumbled.
Celestia draped a wing over her student's shoulder. "Twilight, you know that we will help you as much as possible right? Much of this will come down to you. But we will all do what we can to help."
Cadance and Luna nodded as well. It helped ease Twilight's spirits, but something was telling her that it wasn't going to be that easy.
Then again, it never seemed to be anymore.
Author's Note
So how good was Appitrite's archery in the Crystal Empire? She could do a Robin Hood more than once, something few had ever done at least once.
Look the term up if you don't know what it means. It's not the character though. It is an archery term based on England's legend.
And yes, I am making total and absolute fun of the fandom's idea that Lauren Faust was ever the supreme god of Friendship is Magic in the show's universe. I am not sorry at all.

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                     Arrival and Oaths                     
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Arrival and Oaths
It was easy as taking candy from a filly, Sunset Shimmer thought with an evil smirk. It almost made what she was doing to easy. Almost being the keyword there.
Her trip from the World Mirror through the Crystal Palace had been easy so far. Nopony had seen her arrival, and she intended to keep it that way for as long as she was here.
Finding the right room had taken longer than she had planned for, but in the end her prey was where she expected her to be. That there were no guards anywhere nearby made it easier.
Sunset had vivid memories of Princess Celestia's own, and she didn't want to have to deal with that. That there were none meant her prey didn't have any. Perfect for what she was doing.
Pushing open the door, she saw that Princess Twilight was fast asleep in her bed. On a bedside table sat the Element of Magic. Perfect. Quietly, Sunset made her way to the table. With a quick grab, she pulled out the fake crown from her saddlebags and replaced Twilight's Element with the fake crown.
Sunset sighed. That was part one of her plan done. Now all she had to do was get back to Canterlot High and put the rest of her plan into motion. It shouldn't be too hard.
Turning away, she saw the little bed right in front of her, right as she almost tripped over it. Wiping her brow, she stepped around it. That had been too close for comfort.
As she turned to the door, Sunset caught a faint wiff of something she couldn't place. Yet it smelled familiar all the same. She shook her head after a moment. No matter, she had what she had come for, and that was all that mattered.
Sunset hadn't gone more than four steps to the door when she heard the faint sound of a bow string being pulled back, before a voice spoke from the darkness. "I suggest you put that back if you value your life."
Sunset came to a screeching halt as from the darkness strode two figures. Human upper bodies and pony lower ones, but not the two she knew. But she knew enough about their kind. What worried her the most were the two arrows aimed at her that would kill her instantly if fired.
She growled. This was not a part of the plan, but she could get around this as she ignited her horn and prepared to teleport back to the mirror instead.
Only to freeze in fear as she felt a blade at her throat and another at the base of her horn. Cold sharp steel made her gulp as another voice spoke from behind her in a cold and deadly whisper.
"Use your magic, and I cut off your horn. Run, and I cut your throat. Your choice. Either way, you will not leave this room with what does not belong to you."
Sunset shivered. She knew those weren't hollow boasts. It wasn't the blade at her throat that scared her the most though. Unicorn horns were supposed to be unbreakable except by extreme force, and the shock usually killed the owner.
Sunset had seen a unicorn who had lost most of her horn. While it hadn't killed her, the magical feedback had destroyed all of her higher brain functions. Fizzlepop Berrytwist had been reduced to a vegetable in Canterlot General Hospital, and even at her absolute worst, Sunset had felt horrible for her. Nopony should ever be like that.
Yet, she had seen a blade very much like the one at her horn base cut through Mithral like it was a sheet of paper. Mithral was the strongest metal on Equus. Not even magic could get through it.
By now though, all the noise had finally woken up Twilight, who was staring in shock at what was going on in front of her. "What's going on? Who are all of you? And why is she taking my crown?" She asked, pointing at the Element of Magic.
The youngest of the Centaurides, a light tan in color all over, lowered her bow before taking the Element of Magic in her hands before bowing down to Twilight. "Your highness. I believe this belongs to you."
If Twilight had to guess, she didn't sound much older than she was. Whatever that meant for their kind as she nodded and took the crown back and set it on the table. By now, Spike had been awoken by all the noise and was giving everyone a sleepy look. "What's going on?" He asked.
Twilight shook her head as she looked at the three Cenaturides. "That's what I'd like to know. Who are you, and why are you helping me?"
The pink one smiled. "All in good time your highness. But first we must deal with this one." She pointed at Sunset. "Do you have a way to contact your friends?"
Twilight nodded as she looked at Spike. "Spike. Go find Princess Luna. Tell her something's happened, and then wake the others. Meet us in the Throne Room."
Spike nodded before running off, careful to avoid everyone now in the room. None of them paid him much attention, and soon his footsteps faded from hearing.
Twilight relaxed somewhat. She still had a lot of questions, but for now she waited. As she did, an odd sensation came over her. Whoever these three were, she was comfortable in their presence more and more every moment they waited.
Another thing she would ask about when the time came.
***
Thirty minutes later, all had been gathered in the Throne Room. Twilight's friends were still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, but the princesses seemed more alert than usual.
Princess Celestia bore a look few had ever seen her with as she looked at Sunset, who for her part only glared back, one Celestia could only sigh to. "Sunset Shimmer. She was my student before you Twilight. I saw much the same I did in you in her." She smiled as she recalled those long ago happy days, when Sunset had been so different.
"Unlike you Twilight, Sunset began demanding the world bend over and kiss her flank. Eventually she demanded Celestia make her a princess as well," Hippothea added.
Celestia nodded as her frown deepened. "I of course refused to do so, for she did not yet deserve it. And from what I see Sunset, that has not changed at all."
Sunset spat on Celestia's hooves as she glared at Twilight, who wilted under the look. "It was my destiny. You know it is. Little miss perfect over there stole what was mine. I'm taking it back."
Hiipothea unsheathed her greatsword and held it out to Sunset's neck, a move that made the unicorn's ears fall and her cocky expression to fall away. "I see you've become even more delusional and stupid since we last me Sunset. I assume you remember what I told you then? What I would to you if you ever came back like this, or worse?"
Sunset nodded. She remembered alright. It was something she could not forget easily, and she knew for a fact that Hippothea would make good on her promise. Hippothea always made good on a promise she made.
Hippothea though smiled as she retracted her blade, but there was no mirth in her smile. "Lucky for you then that it is no longer in my hands what happens to you."
"Whose is it then?" Rarity asked.
"Twilight's. As Miss. Shimmer tried to steal her crown and Element of Harmony, the right of judgement is hers alone," Luna said.
"But I didn't do anything. They did," Twilight said, pointing to the three Centaurides around her.
Celestia nodded, smiling now as she looked at them. "And I am grateful for all their help. I can guess why you three are here now."
Eudiera nodded. "We came because the one we are bound to called to us. Whether Twilight knew so or not."
And Twilight hadn't known she had. She'd have remembered doing something like that she thought. It had been almost a month since her ascension. Why now of all times?
Mellinnia chuckled, guessing her thoughts. "We don't get it either. We just left our home a few minutes before we came here it feels like."
"But Twilight's been a princess now for a while. How the hay does that work?" Applejack asked.
Sophelia shook her head. "We don't know. It has always been this way for our kind when we leave our old home behind."
"Don't you miss it and your families?" Fluttershy asked.
Mellinnia and Sophelia shared a loving look. "Well, we're sisters, so we're not completely alone, and we've all known each other for years now," Mellinnia said.
Hippothea and Dianathe both nodded, while Appitrite looked happy to have someone her own age around now, even if they served different princesses.
Before anypony could say more, Eudiera, Sophelia, and Mellinnia walked to stand before Twilight. With solemn expressions, they removed the bows from their backs and set them to the side.
Twilight watched in shock as each and every one of them removed the blade from their back, pointed them at her for a second, before, as one, ramming them into the crystal floor and kneeling reverently before her, bowing their heads as they did so.
Cadance and Luna held up a wing to stop the girls and Spike from rushing forward. Luna shook her head as they gave them both a pointed look as the scene played out before them.
As one, the three before Twilight spoke. "Twilight Sparkle, born of mortal kind, now risen in image of the Great Mare. We now swear our blades to you, to stand by your side in good and bad, to never leave your side. Even beyond the ending of the world."
Mellinnia looked up and stared straight into Twilight's eyes. "Do you accept our service?"
Twilight hesitated only for a second, but in the end followed her heart. "I do."
They smiled as they looked up at her. "Then accept our Aeternus Oath. In the name of the First Empress and the Oath we swore in the ashes of the Fallen Kingdom, we are now yours to command," they said together.
Twilight felt the oath lock in place around them. Her soul reached out to theirs, and they in return reached to hers. Together they intertwined so fully and completely that nothing could ever tear them apart.
At that moment, Twilight understood. They truly meant what they had sworn. They would never leave her side for whatever reason and could not be tempted to betray her. Now she understood why her fellow princesses only had one. A guard that was only loyal to them above any other and would never even think of selling them out? Most rulers would kill to have that.
Questions of why she now had three were high on her list of questions, but that could wait for the moment. Another was at the top though, but it was too early to think about asking that one. Far too personal when they barely knew each other yet, and Twilight wanted to get to know them all.
If they were her guards, she wanted them to be so not only because they had sworn an oath, but because they cared enough about her that they would do so. Was that too much to ask?
Pinkie Pie suddenly popped up between them, startling the three before Twilight. "Hey! You know what this calls for?"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "A party?"
Pinkie's squee was the only response anypony needed.
Author's Note
Yes, Equestria Girls 1 has been 100% derailed from what we know. Twilight will still go to Canterlot High and meet the Rainbooms. But now not as we saw it.
Sunset is not going anywhere ever again. At most to Canterlot's dungeons. Princess Celestia wants to think she's changed. But she hasn't.

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                         Questions                         
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Questions
Sometime later, Pinkie Pie had a full-blown party going for the new arrivals in the Throne Room. For most everyone there, it was a normal thing at this point. Even Hippothea, Dianathe, and Appitrite got in on the fun.
But for Mellinnia, Sophelia, and Eudiera, this was not something they had expected to happen. Not that they didn't know what a party was of course, but the ones they knew were never like this.
"Is she always like this?" Eudiera asked after she, once again, had to warn Pinkie about personal space. Twilight could see that it was beginning to get on her nerves as she nodded.
"Yeah. You get used to them eventually." She gave her companion a look. "Though I wish you would be nicer to her."
Eudiera shrugged. "She needs to learn that not everyone is fine with her invasion of privacy. I am willing to be nice, even be friends, but if she can't learn to ask before getting that close again, there will be problems."
Twilight sighed. She could tell she meant it, and that she wouldn't hurt Pinkie on purpose. Not yet anyway. She made a note to talk to her friend about it later. "Can't you girls lighten up a little?"
Sophelia smiled a little. "We are new to everyone here Twilight, and with what happened with Sunset Shimmer earlier, can you blame us for being a little tense?"
Twilight nodded sullenly. Okay, so she had a point. That didn't mean she had to like it. But the whole mess with Sunset still had her on edge. No wonder the girls were as well.
Sunset herself was currently in the Crystal Dungeons, now fitted with a Magic Suppression Ring designed for Princess Celestia herself on her horn. That alone made Twilight uneasy.
Princess Celestia was still upset about the whole incident. All could see it in her face. No one blamed her though. Twilight still had many questions for her mentor. Namely, where had Sunset come from? From what little she had heard, the mare had apparently appeared out of nowhere at some point.
Celestia and Luna seemed to know something about it, but neither was talking at the moment of it, so she had to wait. But that didn't mean she wouldn't still be asking questions during the party.
Once the mess with Sunset had been resolved, Eudiera, Sophelia, and Mellinnia had relaxed considerably. Except when Pinkie Pie tried to get to close, they were actually rather friendly.
Twilight had already memorized their names. She made another note to ask where their names came from, for they belonged to no known language, alive or dead, on Equus.
At the moment though, one question, in particular, stood out for her about them. Eudiera must have seen it, for her expression softened. "Come on Twilight. You can ask us almost anything. We won't speak of everything though."
Twilight nodded. She had expected this as she placed a hoof at where Eudiera's pony and upper halves connected. "Okay, so. What are you up here? Pony and?"
Eudeira chuckled. "I believe the term is human." She shook her head at Twilight's look. "You won't find it in any language of Equus. It was given to our kind long ago."
Twilight tilted her head. "Do you mean it comes from another world?"
Sophelia shrugged. "We don't know. This is what we have called our upper bodies for as long as our kind can remember. It seems as good as anything."
Twilight nodded. It wasn't much, but it was still something new she had learned about them. Her gaze soon turned to the bow Mellinnia wore on her back. She hoped it wasn't made from what it looked like.
Eudiera saw the look and sighed. "Yes. That is what it looks like. A bow carved from solid dragon bone. Not an easy feat for anyone. Let alone someone so young."
Twilight was aghast at the thought. "Why? Why would Mellinnia do that? What did that dragon ever do to her?"
Mellinnia must have heard their conversation for she soon joined. "It tried to kill me, that's what." Her gaze softened a bit at Twilight's appalled look. "Not every dragon is like Spike Twilight. You should know that. He wouldn't be any different if you hadn't raised him."
Twilight gulped. She did know that in fact. Memories if the most recent Dragon Migration flashed through her mind for a moment. "Okay fine, but couldn't you have just driven him off?"
Mellinnia shook her head. "Trying to talk to a full-grown dragon is a waste of time, and he wouldn't have left me alone even if I had. They won't be bullied by anyone smaller than themselves."
Twilight decided not to mention what Fluttershy had done to one dragon not long after her move to Ponyville after the Summer Sun Celebration. But her interested in the bow, no matter what it was made of, was genuine. "How did you carve it? Ponies have tried and failed for years to do the same."
Mellinnia grinned. She always loved talking about this when she had a chance. "Our own magic, and a lot of hard work. It took me months to do it."
Now Twilight's interest was piqued. She loved new magic, and she loved learning it even more. "Can you show me it? I've never heard of it."
The three of them shared a look. "You wouldn't have. It's one we've always know. Teaching it to you might not be easy," Sophelia replied.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she extended a wing. "Please. I've done new magic before. I wouldn't have wings if I hadn't mastered one."
Eudeira chuckled. "Good point. I don't see why we couldn't teach what we do know to you. I will say we don't know all our kind's magic, but we know enough."
Twilight was confused. "Why don't you know all of it?"
The three of them shared a long look. "We never needed to learn all of it. None of our kind knows all of our magic. Although, we might learn more after we do one thing for you," Eudiera replied.
"And what's that?" Twilight asked.
The three of them shared a smile before Mellinnia replied. "You know how Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are more than just princesses and guard with their own?"
Twilight nodded. She was still coming to terms with the idea, but she knew it. And who was to say anything about how her fellow princesses did anything? Twilight sure wasn't.
"A time may come when we approach you with the same. We won't hold it against you if it does not work out, but be ready for it all the same," Sopheila added.
Twilight scratched her chin. "So how do I know when you're doing it? Is something I should watch out for?"
Eudiera giggled. "You'll know it when it comes. Kind of hard to miss if all three of us start to do it together. Just ask Celestia, Luna, or Cadance. They will tell you."
Twilight harrumphed at not being able to have a clearer picture of this. But a small part of her was looking forward to it, and whatever came after that for all of them.
Author's Note
Okay, so now we come to a crossroads with what happens next. Either go straight to Equestria Girls 1, or I go to a mini-arc of sorts with Celestia, Luna, and Cadance.
It would only be three chapters long, one for each princess, and it would show how they and Hippothea for Celestia, Dianathe for Luna, and Appitrite for Cadance, became more than just friends.
If you know what I mean. The story would not change no matter which way I end up going.

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             Strutting Their Stuff: Appitrite              
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Strutting Their Stuff: Appitrite
From a short distance away, Cadance watched as Twilight converse with the new girls. She couldn't hear all that was being said, but she could see that Twily was slowly getting used to them being there.
Knowing her as she did though, it would be a while before she was fully comfortable with them being around her like they would be. She had been for sure, and there were still many things they had to show and tell Twilight as well.
Twilight's current look of confusion said that they had just hinted at some of it at that moment.
"Do you think they'll tell her everything tonight?" Cadance asked Appitrite, who just giggled.
"Probably not. It's more fun if it's a surprise," she replied as she gave Cadance a look. "Or at least it was for me and Hippothea anyway. That's how she tells it at least."
Cadance gave her a pout in return. "Have I ever said how much I'm still sore you didn't tell me about it before you hit me with it? Not that I'm complaining since we have what we do now, but still."
Appitrite gave her a flat look. "You're the Princess of Love. I was surprised you didn't see it coming before I did."
Cadance stuck her tongue out at her. "Well excuse me if I was still new to all of this at the time. It's not every day I grow a horn and have to learn all new magic. I was born a Pegasus remember?"
Both of them held their looks for a moment before they both broke into giggles. It was a running joke between them and had been for years now. Neither were ever that annoyed about it.
Cadance though was a bit annoyed she hadn't seen it coming though. Love was her specialty, and it still stung slightly that she had never seen the signs and hints Appitrite had given her. Speaking of which.
Cadance leaned into the embrace as Appitrite pulled herself closer. Her own mind soon began to back to that day so many years ago now. For being as young as she was, and still was now, Appitrite had done rather well when the time came.
Love hadn't been something Cadance had much experience with before then. But the end result had been worth it.
***
Cadance knew something was up the moment Appitrite looked in her direction like she was. As new as she was to all of this, something was telling her that something big was about to happen.
Today was one of her lessons with her Aunt Celestia's Day Court. Normally this would be the time she would be foalsitting her favorite filly, Twilight, but the Sparkle Family had left on a trip to Vanhoover the day before, and wouldn't be back for a week, so here she was.
Not that she minded of course. It was always interesting to see how Equestria's government worked. One day, she too might end up doing this very same thing.
But she had made it clear when she had first come to Canterlot that she wanted to have as normal a childhood as she could, and Princess Celestia was more than happy it seemed to let her.
For crying out loud, she went to Canterlot High like other teenagers, she listened to the newest colt bands and swooned over who was cuter, and she did sleepovers with her friends at least once a week.
Seriously, how many could say that they had a sleepover at a castle with an actual princess?
But that was beside the point. Cadance couldn't explain the look Appitrite was giving her, and the feeling it was giving her as well. Whatever it was, she liked it.
And then Appitrite flicked her tail over and ran it over Cadance's back. In a way that was far more than just a friendly gesture, and it made the young princess blush to no end. Her, blush? She made other ponies do that.
Celestia saw the gesture though and gave them both a knowing look. "Feeling something new my dear?" She asked Appitrite, who just grinned widely.
"Maybe?" She singed songed, one that got a chuckle out of Hippothea.
"There is more to it. I know what you mean, for I once had the same feeling. Long ago now though it was," she said, as she and Celestia shared a knowing smile.
Cadance gave them all a flat look. "What are you three talking about. You know it's not nice to kee things from me like this."
Appitrite gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry Cadance, but this isn't something I could explain if I tried. It has to be shown. I think Hippothea knows what I'm talking about."
Hippothea nodded as she held up a hand. "Indeed. This is not something I can help you with Cadance. This is for the two of you alone to do among yourselves."
Cadance crossed her hooves and pouted. "Fine. Be like that. So where do we start then?"
Appitrite's grin grew. "Someplace where we can be alone if we can."
Celestia nodded as she ignited her horn. "And I know just the place. We did it there once upon a time many years ago now." With that, she teleported Cadance and Appitrite away to a secret glade only she, Hippothea, and two others knew about, but they had been gone for almost a thousand years now.
She and Hippothea often wondered what had become of Dianathe, for she had vanished the same night as the Nightmare Moon debacle. Neither of them thought she was dead. She was far too good for that.
***
When the light of the teleport had faded, Cadance and Appitrite found themselves in the Royal Canterlot Gardens, and the most restricted section at that, for only Celestia was ever allowed to come here.
Cadance blinked away the spots in her eyes. "I hate it when Aunt Celestia does that. I'm still not used to it."
Appitrite giggled. "No kidding. But this is a perfect spot for this. It's only for you Cadance."
Cadance gave her a look. "What is? I'm not liking you not telling me something Appitrite."
Her companion smiled slightly as she removed her glaive and bow and set them aside. "Sorry, Cadance. But you probably wouldn't have believed me if I'd told you before now about this. But the time is right."
"Right for what?" Cadance asked.
Appitrite ran her hands along Cadance's spine, right between her wings, hitting every sweet spot. Cadance couldn't help but lean into the touch. "This," Appitrie said in a husky whisper.
Before the young princess could respond, Appitrite strode forward. Smiling in a way she never had before, she flicked her tail up and brushed it along Cadance's snout, causing her to blush heavily. A fact that made her brain crash. She had this effect on ponies, so why was it happening to her now?
And why did it feel so good? Cadance sighed in delight as she felt the tail drop away as her companion walked in front of her. Her flared wings didn't lend any calming effect to the scene.
"There comes a time when we feel more for our charge than the love our loyalty brings. Much more. That time has come for me," Appitrite explained.
Cadance's mind began to race. She wasn't asking what she thought she was, was she? "Do you mean?" She asked.
Appitrite nodded. "Cadance, can I be your special someone? I know you don't look at stallions like that. You never have."
Cadance couldn't argue with that. It was true. She had always preferred mares but had never worked up the courage to confess to any. And she knew several who also liked other mares like that.
One thing though came to mind. "What if I say no? What happens then?" She asked.
Appitrite's smile dropped. "Nothing. I pledged myself to you and to be at your side forever. That won't change." She took a step forward. "But do you want the pain that comes as a lover grows old and dies, while you remain forever young?"
Cadance bit her lip. She knew Appitrite was right. It was a fact of what she was now, no matter how much it hurt to think about it. And she knew that Celestia and Hippothea had shared this same conversation once. How she knew, she didn't know, but she did.
A small part of her wanted to say no, that it was too weird, that she wasn't ready for this, that they should wait a few more years. But Cadance ignored it and followed what her heart was telling her. Consequences be damned to Tartarus.
With a speed that harkened back to her Pegasus ancestry, Cadance leaned forward and locked lips with Appitrite, who was happy to return the kiss in full Together, they both felt the new bond ram home between them. It only strengthened the idea that this was the right way forward.
As they pulled apart after a time, Cadance smiled and made it official. "Yes. I will be your special somepony."
Author's Note
So I decided to go with some flashback scenes before we move on to the Equestria Girls stuff. Princess Celestia is next, and then Princess Luna. Twilight's turn will come later.
To be clear about the new cover art. That is Appitrite. Young as she looks in it, I felt she fit Cadance the best of those shown in Fantasia and the Pastoral Symphony.
The cover art will change again when we get to Celestia, and then again with Luna.

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             Strutting Their Stuff: Hippothea              
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Strutting Their Stuff: Hippothea
Celestia watched as Twilight conversed with her new guards with a small smile. While she was glad for all they had done, her mind was still troubled.
"No good will come from keeping Sunset here," Hippothea said, guessing her thoughts. "She will not change her ways."
Celestia nodded. "I had hoped her time in that world would change her. Perhaps I put to much hope on it. Starswirl never said anything bad about it."
Hippothea frowned. "That old windbag wouldn't know a good thing if his life depended on it. How Twilight looks up to him I'll never understand."
Celestia returned the frown. "He was a great unicorn. Equestria owes him and the other Pillars much. I just wish I knew what became of them."
Hippothea's frown melted. It was true. While she had nothing nice to say about Starswirl, she had nothing but respect for all of them.
She placed a hand on Celestia's back. "What is to be done with Sunset though? We cannot send her back through the World Mirror."
Celestia nodded. "I am not sure. The Suppression Ring will hold her magic, but there needs to be a permanent solution."
She sighed. "As for the World Mirror, I'm not sure. I always intended to show it to Twilight, but not like this."
"You would send her through?" Hippothea asked, surprised.
Celestia nodded. "I know she would love to study the other world. I do not fear her falling to darkness as Sunset did."
Hippothea couldn't argue that. Twilight and Sunset shared many things, but that was not one of them. And now with the three around, it seemed even less so.
Seeing them though had reawakened memories she had long put away. Of the home and life, she would never see again.
She had no regrets for her choice. The fact that Dianathe had come with her had eased the pain of saying goodby.
Appitrite's appearance had surprised her as much as Cadance's had Celestia. Young as she was, she was very skilled with bow and blade.
She chuckled at another memory. Appitrite had also made her move with Cadance far sooner than she and Dianathe had.
That too brought back fond memories as her mind returned to that day over eleven hundred years before.
***
The moment Hippothea gave her the look she was, Princess Celestia knew that something was up, and that it would have a huge impact on her future, and Hippothea's as well.
Her and Luna's lessons for the day with Starswirl had ended some time earlier, though there hadn't been much to them. Something that was becoming common in the last few months.
Ever since she had first raised the sun on her own, Celestia had found that a whole new world of magic had opened up to her. The magic that would have been demanding, she now breezed through like a hot knife through butter. The same could be said of Luna as well, since the night she had first raised the moon on her own.
Even Starswirl himself had admitted that there was little he could teach the two of them now. Though he would never say it out loud to the two of them, he was immensely proud of them both. That said though, he was still their teacher, and the sisters still treated him as such.
What had confounded all three of them, was Hippothea and Dianathe. Starswirl had seen many strange things in his long life, but the two of them took the proverbial cake.
The two of them had shown up at the Everfree Castle not long after Celestia and Luna had both earned their cutie marks. Immediately after they had, the centaurides, as they called themselves, had pledged themselves as Celestia and Luna's sworn protectors.
To say it had been awkward would be an understatement. Dianathe and Hippothea both refused to speak of where they had come from. "It is a secret we will take to our graves," Dianathe had said when Luna had asked her. "No outsider, no matter who they might be, will ever know of our homeland."
And that had been the last word either would speak of it. Not even Celestia or Luna knew more about them, and it was driving the two crazy if they were being honest.
For Celestia especially, it was driving her crazy. While she had come to trust Hippothea, their refusal to speak of their home or if there were any more like them, was something that drove the young princess up the wall.
That annoyance aside though, Celestia did enjoy Hippothea's company. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't try and use her position so close to the throne of Equestria for their own gain, and she had a fresh perspective on life that was a breath of fresh air for the Solar Princess.
So when Hippothea gave her a small smile, Celestia knew that something was up. But it was as Hippothea walked forward that it really hit home. Hippothea smile grew.
And then she flicked her tail up and ran it down Celestia's snout, an action that set her face ablaze with a roaring blush. The gesture was unmistakable, but she couldn't be asking her that. Could she? The hand that ran along her spine, hitting all the best spots, only added to it.
Hippothea chuckled. "Come now, Celestia. Do I need to do more?"
Celestia finally found her voice, as she sat back in her throne. "What do you mean?"
Hippothea rolled her eyes as she stood in front of the princess. "Since I came to Equestria, I've found that I was right to oath myself to you. You have proven yourself a worthy leader, far better than those incompetent fools of the Three Tribes Era."
Celestia bit back a scowl. Hippothea had never hidden her contempt for Chancellor Puddinghead, Commander Hurricane, or Princess Platinum, more than once saying their titles were meaningless in the grand scheme of things, and that they weren't much better.
Hurricane had almost lost a wing, and Platinum her horn when they had taken offense to that and had attacked Hippothea in their anger. Only Celestia's command to stop had stopped the centauride from doing more than injuring them. They had kept their distance from her ever since.
Celestia gave Hippothea a look. "Which means?"
Hippothea rolled her eyes. "I wish to take our bond farther. If you will have me? Our bond will not change no matter what you say. I will not abandon my oath."
Celestia's brows rose as she heard the earnestness in her guard's voice. The look in her eyes told her all she needed to know. Hippothea meant all she had said as well. She did want to be her very special someone. It helped that Celestia had always been attracted to mares, though only her sister Luna knew this.
But could she do that with Hippothea? Both of them were immortal, this she knew, so neither would have to worry about outliving the other, but this was a huge step. For both of them.
But, in her heart, Celestia knew that this was the right thing to do, and as always, her heart won out. She smiled as she leaned forward, extending a wing to caress Hippothea's flank as the two came together in a kiss.
The kiss lasted for only a moment, but in that time, both felt their bond strengthen. Neither one wanted the kiss to end, but in the end, they pulled apart, both smiling now.
Celestia finally said what she felt from the bottom of her heart as she looked Hippothea in the eyes. "Yes. I will take you."
Author's Note
Just to be clear again, the new cover art is Hippothea. I admit writing her and Celestia's time was the hardest for the story so far. Up next is Luna and Dianathe.

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                      Darkness Rising                      
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Darkness Rising
In the grand scheme of things, Sunset blamed Princess Celestia for all of this. What right did that old hag have to take away her destiny and give it to some filly who still looked like she lived at home with her parents?! Sunset had worked too hard for this to have it taken away from her.
She ground her teeth, straining again at the manacles that held her securely against the cell wall. If Celestia thought that this would hold her, then she was more blind than Sunset had thought.
Not even this stupid Magic Suppressing Ring around her horn would hold her for long. Getting out of it would be a cakewalk. And then she would be paying a visit to a certain alicorn and taking what was rightfully hers.
Her ears perked up as she heard hoofsteps approaching. Maybe it was this so-called Princess Twilight coming to gloat at her, rub it in Sunset's face how much she had taken from the unicorn.
If she thought that Sunset would just let her, though, then she had another thing coming.
But the alicorn who came around the corner was not, in fact, Princess Twilight, but another. One that Sunset still had trouble believing was real. "What do you want, Princess Luna?"
Luna looked at her, unimpressed and unamused. "I suggest you watch your tongue, Miss Shimmer. Unlike my sister, I do not tolerate open hostility like this."
Sunset spat on the floor. "Like I care. Neither you nor your sister is my princess. I will have what's rightfully mine. And I don't care who gets in my way. All will fall one way or another."
Dianathe shook her head. "Hippothea was right. Your arrogance knows no bounds. It will kill you one day if you keep to this path, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset sneered. "And what would you know? You're a thousand years out of date! All of your kind are. Go back to whatever backwater hole you came out of."
Luna just barely held herself back from slapping the impudent little brat of a unicorn right then and there. Nopony spoke to her or Dianathe like that and got away with it. "You are fortunate that your fate is in Princess Twilight's hooves. I would have you strung up for your slander, Miss Shimmer."
Sunset snorted, as she looked around. "Where is that purple parasite, anyway? She and I aren't done yet."
Dianathe smiled. "Gone. To a place, you cannot get to them."
Sunset blinked, confused at what she meant. "What do you mean, she's gone?"
Luna smirked. "She and her guards have gone to the world you came from, Sunset. To help repair the damage you have done to it. I have full confidence that the four of them can do it."
Sunset's jaw dropped. She hadn't expected that. "I doubt that they have any idea of what that place is like. I hated every second I was there. But I had time. Your little princess only has three days before the portal closes, and they can't come back."
Dianathe chuckled. "You know her very little then if you think that Twilight Sparkle is incapable of handling a new world. However strange it might be. She is far stronger than you will ever know. And those that stand with her are just as strong as she is."
Sunset laughed, but there was no mirth to it. "Why are you down here? To laugh at me? Enjoy my misery? These chains won't hold me for long, and neither will this darn ring on my horn."
Luna shook her head. "Nay. I had hoped that you might be different if it was somepony other than the ones you hate that came to see you. But I see that I was wrong. When she returns, Princess Twilight will decide your fate. However, you will be looked after while you are here. Princess Cadance is kind in that regard. Too kind if you ask me."
Sunset snorted, as the pair turned away and left the way they had come. "That's always been that up pumped Pegasus's problem. She's far too nice for her own good. It's going to bite her in the flank one of these days. And I hope that I'm the one to do it!"
Neither Luna nor Dianathe said a word and soon passed out of sight, leaving Sunset alone with her thoughts, as she again strained at the manacles around her legs, to no avail. How she hated this. All of it.
"Poor little unicorn. All that anger and hatred. Wasted on those around you. It's almost quaint."
Sunset jumped, as a voice came to her from beyond her cell. But there was nopony there. "Who said that? Show yourself!"
A pair of eyes opened in the blackness beyond the torchlight. Yellow and cold, calculating. They looked at her with malice, and yet not with curiosity as well. "You have a big mouth for someone in your position. I could use that. You will do well in my service."
Sunset frowned. "Yeah? And what's in it for me if I do?"
"You will get nothing!" The voice hissed. "You are in no position to demand anything. Yet you have something I want. Something I need. And I will have it."
Sunset glared at the eyes. "Fat chance, bozo. I ain't giving you anything until you let me out of here."
The voice chuckled, a sound like nails on a chalkboard. "Poor, pathetic, weak, mortal. You do not have a choice in the matter. I will take everything from you, and you will serve me. Whether you wish to or not."
A shadow came from the blackness, blacker than the blackest night. A clawed hand came up and touched Sunset's forehead.
Sunset screamed.
***
Luna allowed herself a few moments to collect her thoughts, as she and Dianathe left Sunset behind. She now understood why Tia had said her former student could be so infuriating. She had tested her nerves far more than she had expected.
Dianathe seemed to catch what Luna was thinking. "It was worth the effort. But I fear that Sunset Shimmer is beyond any hope of redemption."
Luna nodded. "Indeed. I feel the same. But I had to know for sure. A part of me hoped that my sister could be wrong for once in her life." She huffed. "Once again, she is right. I hate it when she's right all the time."
Dianathe giggled. "What do you think Twilight will do with her once she returns?"
Luna sighed. "I do not know. She will not leave her down here, for that is not her way. Only Princess Twilight herself knows for sure what she will do. And she-"
A blood-curdling scream cut off whatever Luna was about to say. The pair turned in shock at the noise. It had come from Sunset's cell. But there was nothing there that could've caused it.
Running back toward the cell, Luna's mind was already considering what could've caused Sunset to cry out like that. Dianathe was right behind her as they turned the corner, and stopped dead at what lay before them.
Sunsets' body lay outside the cell on the floor, the manacles still attached to her hooves. The cell door had been ripped off its hinges and lay discarded inside the cell. Luna's horn lit up, as the torch on the far wall flickered and died.
Sunset's eyes were open. But there was recognition in them, and they gazed soullessly at the pair as they came closer. No movement could be seen in her chest, yet there were no wounds on her body. The Magic Suppression Ring lay broken and shattered by her side.
Praying that she was wrong, Luna placed an ear next to Sunset's heart. Her body was ice cold to the touch, but what she heard confirmed her worse fears. Or, what she didn't hear, as she looked at her guard in sorrow.
"She's. She's dead."
Author's Note
Okay, so this chapter went through several changes. It was going to originally be showing how Luna and Dianathe became like Celestia and Hippothea, and Cadance and Appitrite, are.
But that was boring. So I changed it to this. The beginning between the three is the same as the original draft. It's after Luna and Dianathe leave that's been changed.
And we get our first look at what is to come. It's only going to get worse before it gets better.

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                More Questions Than Answers                
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More Questions Than Answers
Celestia looked at the lifeless body of her former student with a heartbroken expression. For everything that had passed between them, she had still loved the unicorn as the daughter she had never had. To see her like this ignited a burning rage within her, but she did not let it show. "How? Nothing could get in without someone seeing it."
Luna nodded. "No one passed us, sister. And you know I would not do this. No matter how much I feel Miss Shimmer needed to be slapped repeatedly for her insolence."
Dianathe nodded as well. "I did not like her much better. But I would not wish this on anyone."
The rest of the mane 6 shared a look. Fluttershy seemed to be on the verge of tears. This was something nopony should have happen to them, no matter how mean Sunset had been. "Does she have a family?" Applejack asked.
Celestia nodded. "Her parents still live in Canterlot. Sunset was an only child. I do not know how I will be able to explain where their daughter has been for so long." Her tears began to fall at last. "Nor do I know how I will explain that I let her die."
Hippothea placed a hand on Celestia's shoulders. "This was not your fault, Tia. You could not have known this would happen."
Celestia shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Hippothea. Her parents entrusted me to look after Sunset. Not only did I fail once when I knew full well where her path could lead her. But I let her die as well."
She looked out a nearby window. "No more. I will find the one who did this to her, and I will make them pay ten thousandfold for what they've done!"
Everyone took a step back at the Solar Monarch's anger. They had never seen such anger from the normally calm princess before. Only Luna had, and it had been many centuries since that day.
Hippothea's hand went to her sword, ready to draw it in case she needed to fulfill the oath none of her kind wanted to fulfill. Celestia saw it and immediately cooled off before she said or did something rash that would make the situation worse. "Pardon my anger. But this was not how I imagined this to go."
"What do we tell Twilight?" Spike asked. He could almost taste something in the air. It was a kind of magic, one that he didn't know of. And living with Twilight his entire life, he could taste most kinds.
Cadance shook her head. No matter how much Sunset had tormented her when they were younger, her heart was still broken to see the unicorn like this. "We don't even know what killed her. What kind of monster would do such a thing? How could they get past the Suppression Ring? I didn't think they could be broken."
Luna shook her head. "That is because they cannot be. A Ring can only be removed by the one who put it on. A unicorn cannot remove it themselves. Let alone destroy it like this."
Celestia nodded. "Because this one was made especially for me, it was never made to come off at all. If I ever lost my sanity and followed the path of darkness, this would hold me for all eternity. The more I would have fought against it, the more it would have clamped down on my magic."
Everyone shared a look. That was news to them. Only Hippothea and Dianathe had known of this before now, aside from the sisters. Even Cadance was shocked by this. "Somebody broke it," Appitrite said after a moment, poking at it. She could feel the residual magic left inside of it, and something else. "And if this was meant to keep Celestia bound for all time, then I'm not sure who or what could have done this."
Hipoothea and Dianathe shared a look. "Do you feel it as well?" Dianathe asked.
Appitrite nodded, her head falling. "But that's impossible. That magic died out ages ago. He's dead. The Great Mother killed him herself."
"Someone taught it to him, though. It is possible that whoever that was is the one who did this," Hippothea added, not liking the implications if this was true.
Rainbow threw her hooves up in exasperation. "Will you three start making sense! What are you talking about?"
The three shared a look, and something seemed to pass between them. "Sunset Shimmer had her very soul stolen. A painful and agonizing process. Whoever did this made sure that she felt every second of it," Appitrite replied.
The group gasped. "I've never heard of such magic," Rarity replied. Celestia and Luna nodded, showing that they didn't know it either.
Dianathe nodded. "You would not have. Only one being has ever used this kind of magic, and he has been dead for thousands of years. Yet our records say that he was taught it by another."
Celestia and Luna shared a look. They knew how much their guards disliked talking of their kind's past. This was something new to them. Yet they felt it was not the full story. "Then how do we fight it?" Luna asked.
Hippothea shook her head. "We don't know. Nothing we knew of could fight it. Too many of our kind died to Soul Drain. But that was only the start of a new nightmare."
Dianathe nodded. "Even when we learned magic and how to fight, we still could only just fight against it."
"So who's the Great Mare?" Pinkie asked.
Appitrite bit her lip, but a nod from her older siblings gave her confidence. "She was the one who ended the nightmare for good. She taught us everything we know. How to fight, how to cast and use magic that no other race can. She killed the Enslaver who held our kind in bondage."
"Sounds like someone we could use for this. Where is she?" Applejack asked.
Appitrite shrugged. "We don't know. She led our kind for a time after we took our freedom, and then she just vanished. No one knows where she went or why."
The group groaned. "Well that's just great," Spike grumbled. "So what are we supposed to do now? Crazy new magic we don't a lot about, and no way to fight it. Can it get it any worse?"
Celestia smiled slightly. "We look out for anything strange. I doubt whatever or whoever did this will be happy with just one. It is never that simple I'm afraid."
Luna nodded. "Princess Twilight must know of this when she returns. Her attunement to the Element of Magic may be able to help us. Until then, we must keep a constant guard, and pray that whatever did this has left the Crystal Empire."
The group nodded, heading for the Kitchen. Sleep was the last thing they needed right now.
***
From a darkened corner, a deeper shadow watched all of this with a cruel grin, before dissolving away.
Author's Note
Time for the new threat to make its move. I know who it is Equestria must face. And the nightmare to come. Anyone who watched Fantasia will know who it is when the time comes.
No spoilers though. I won't say who it is even if someone guesses it right. Where's the fun in ruining it for all? So there's your warning.