Thus always to Tyrants.

The Fall of Asgard left behind a new world. The dragons tried to claim it, to create a new World of the Dragons. But yet, they were unsuccessful. Though, it was only through trial and tribulation that the Regal Sisters and Discord managed to wrest control of the world from Berzerkiel. Both sisters nearly lost their lives to slay their great foe - and if it weren’t for Discord’s intervention, the remnants of his army most assuredly would have killed the sisters.

An empire rose from the smoldering cadaver of the Dread-Emperor. Beollyssurth, one of their staunch few allies in the barbarous terrene of Aezilan, rose - proclaiming herself Fire-Queen, many moons before she would light the shard of divinity within herself.

There were other threats and foes from the afterbirth of the Dread-Emperor. Even as his scales were pulverized by spell and blade, his might met with equal force in the form of mysticism - forces that sought to claim the wreckage of the ruined world began their mobilization. Before the rise of the Good Lord Hermes, tyranny rose from the debris of the griffon empire.

His name was Blackwing - for he donned one of the scales of the Dread-Emperor. He was a cruel griffon that feasted upon the flesh of ponies, and would see to it that the entire world fell under his rule.

During a summit to discuss the terms of a treaty between fledgling nations, Celestia glanced at her sister - and it was Celestia who broke the tyranny with four words.

“He looks tired, no?”

Later, the news that the griffon empire had fallen would reach Celestia. Famously, upon hearing it - she would turn to her allies and say in the old tongue of Asgard -

“Thus always, to tyrants.”

“Unicorn,” the Nightmare stated.

The skies erupted as projectiles showered from the heavens. The crag that the two stood on was torn apart by sheer telekinetic might. The filly dodged and weaved to the best of her ability, even as her mouth moved on instinct.

“Target the horn. Break the ley,” Rainbow Dash answered.

“Lightning,” Celestia warned.

The skies erupted as arcing energy tore itself from the gates of heavens, striking down in a barrage towards the filly. Twilight cut space and teleported between the bolts, exiting out of her teleport by Celestia’s side.

“Excellent, Twilight,” her mother smiled.

“Earthpony.”

The barrage of rock didn’t end from the sky - now, erupting from the floor below. Pillars of stone moved on a course to impact the filly, but she curved and bounced from post to post - throwing all of herself into her movement.

“Aerial mobility makes them useless against a pegasus. Aim for the head.”

Celestia cried out no warning - but Twilight could feel it coming. She could see the bubbling at the tip of her horn, sickly black energy being called up from the depths of the ground as it curled around her horn in a swirling pattern - convening at her tip in a small orb.

The swirling nothingness that Celestia called forth from the bowels of the world was an ugly thing. It consumed and ate - it was the darkest magic that Twilight had ever seen Celestia summon. She could hear Celestia pant with exhaustion after calling it forth; she could listen to her heart quicken.

To Twilight, it was a challenge. She would not let Celestia down - she would not. So she reached into herself - she took hold of her magic, and she summoned forth - light.

Celestia stood there on slightly shaking hooves when the light faded, but Twilight was there to push against her, keeping her upright.

“Are...you-”

“I am alright, Twilight.” She spoke softly. “My magic does not lend itself easily to darkness.” Celestia smiled softly at her daughter. “Your concern, however, is much appreciated.”

“Pegasus.”

Rainbow Dash snorted with a hint of arrogance as she felt the air shift. The Nightmare was moving heat in and out of the air around her. She was creating deadly fields of death that surrounded her - and it was only through sheer skill that she was able to weave in-between them with ease.

An ugly shard of forced fulmination whizzed past her, ever-so-slightly grazing her wings. The light brush caused her to wince.

“Target the wings.” She said curtly.

“Noted,” the Nightmare said. Rainbow Dash blinked, but knew better than to question her.

“Light,” Celestia spoke - and the element she named tore from her horn with torrential force. It split the ground, seared her eyes, singed her coat, and pushed her backward - and Twilight felt herself begin to break within the stream of light.

“Split it,” Kesmera spoke - but Twilight couldn’t focus long enough to do so. Slowly, the light faded.

Celestia teleported behind Twilight and curled her wings around her, squeezing her tightly.

“Stars.” She whispered. “Twilight, I - I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have - I-”

“Fine.” Twilight groaned out as she blinked the dots out of her vision. She hadn’t been prepared for the sheer force behind Celestia’s attack. “A-gain?”

“No, Twilight.” Celestia shook her head to the side. “I have been - reluctant, about training you in combat as is. You are a filly, and a filly needs a break.”

Twilight was silent for a second. Then, Celestia craned her head down so that her head was upside down at the edge of Twilight’s vision - a pleasant reprieve from the mundanity of the Badlands.

“How about a steak, and we can go back to teaching you to read?”

Twilight started salivating at the idea before nodding vigorously - before rubbing her side up against her mother.

“Alicorn,” the Nightmare spoke softly. Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to respond - but it had been a moment too late.

She stifled a cry as a lance of power tore through her wing. It pierced the skin and muscle underneath the feathers, pushing her down into the ground. Another shard of energy tore down from another angle, embedding itself into her stomach. There was a twist, and a veritable soup of blood and gore seeped from her stomach.

“Pathetic.” The nightmare sneered. “Is this how you would defend your mother if Celestia were to descend?”

Rainbow Dash just let out a soft whimper. The Nightmare let her projectiles dissipate before a wave of healing magic pulled the filly back together. The pain was unimaginable - the pegasus girl’s innards writhing as they were forced and snapped back into their proper position. Finally, she stood up on trembling legs.

“Again,” the Nightmare ordered.

“Y-yes, Nightmother.” Rainbow Dash whispered.

The Royal Medic of Canterlot - Doctor Needle Heart, was a rather feared stallion.

He was an unimposing unicorn doctor with a gray coat and a red mane. One of his eyes was a fleshy mass of scar tissue. However, his physical appearance was not why he was feared - no, it was his actions that spoke much louder than his appearance.

He was a modern-day master of the amniomorphic spell - the spell created by Starswirl the Bearded to restore blood in a time where blood transfusions weren’t fully understood - to the point where he could allegedly manipulate the blood within a pony’s body through their hold.

It was claimed that he had earned his cutie mark - a needle through a heart - by performing open-heart surgery on a dragon at the age of six. And there were rumors that he had even brought the recently deceased back from the grave.

In reality, only one of those things was true. Not that the good doctor would ever say which.

But, in reality, he was a rather affable stallion—kind, gentle, great with foals - and damn well the best at his job.

This was why Steelshy’s heart sunk into her stomach as she heard a light emission of air through his teeth.

The Master-Commander had been in his office many times before - he was part of the reason why she wasn’t a hulking mass of scar tissue. Now though - she was splayed out on her stomach on a table, prepped for surgery - her daughter in the other room, waiting with bated breath for the results as machines whizzed and beeped around her.

“That bad?” Steelshy joked lightly.

“Hm. Good news or the bad news first, Master-Commander?”

“I think I need a little bit of good news in my life.”

“In the absolute worst-case scenario: you’re going to be able to fly again. Prosthetics have developed quite significantly. Not nearly as fast as before, but you’ll be able to fly.” The doctor slowly circled her, inspecting her slightly blackened wing stump intensely.

“It’s a messy cut. Looks like something was embedded into you, then yanked out of you. It was corrosive, right?” A nod. “Hm. Good. It was done messily, but in time. A little bit longer, and I’d have to amputate.“

Steelshy let out a soft sigh. “Okay. That’s - a good worst case. Best case?”

“I’m reasonably confident that I can repair the damage. It’ll sting just a little, but I can guarantee I can get you most of your wing back. Which would be good - means the prosthetic has less work to do.”

Steelshy nodded. “Will it hurt?”

The doctor smiled weakly at her. “The bad news is that you’re going to have to bite down on this.” He slowly pulled out a towel from his rack of tools.

Steelshy gulped.

Fluttershy was shaking like a leaf as she sat outside in the Royal Infirmary’s lounge. Despite her mother’s insistence that she didn’t want her to come - Fluttershy had all but demanded to come, showing one of her rare moments of assertion.

It didn’t make the situation much more manageable, though. Fluttershy wanted to be there for her mother when she came out - but the wait was by far the worst part. Her mind was racing through every possible outcome -

“Flut-ter-shy?” Twilight’s raspy voice caused Fluttershy to snap out of her downward spiral.

“Guh!” Fluttershy jolted as she held a hoof to her chest. She took in a deep breath before slowly turning to look at the filly. “O-oh. Hi, Twilight.” She pawed lightly at her chair. “I didn’t - hear you.”

There was a slight hint of smugness in Twilight’s expression as she nodded. “Sneaky.” She agreed.

“Are...um.” Fluttershy glanced around. “Why - are you here? A-are you okay?”

“Fine,” Twilight smiled with far too many teeth. While most people shuddered, Fluttershy and Twilight were friends, and she had gotten used to some of the girl’s more aberrant traits over the year she had known her.Tenuously, but genuinely. It mainly consisted of the two sitting in the gardens while Fluttershy talked at Twilight about animals, but Twilight seemed genuinely interested in Fluttershy’s dialogue.

“Here - for you,” Twilight wheezed. “Friend. Stressed. Heard your - heart. I was - worried.” Twilight awkwardly shambled over to Fluttershy’s side, placing her hoof on her hoof. While most were warm - Twilight’s hoof was instead startlingly frigid. The pegasus jolted ever so slightly.

Fluttershy was ever so slightly perturbed at the thought that Twilight could hear her heartbeat, but she appreciated the gesture. She smiled warmly at the filly, who met it with one of her slightly unsettling smiles that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Twilight sat down in the chair by Fluttershy and turned to look at her.

“How’s - um...your - magic training, going?” Fluttershy offered, tentatively, as she fiddled with her mane.

“Flut-ter-shy. We - can just - sit.” Twilight tilted her head to the side. Fluttershy let out a soft sigh of relief and nodded in thanks.

So Fluttershy and Twilight did precisely that. They sat down in their chairs, Twilight’s hoof on top of Fluttershy’s reassuringly - the constant presence of her hoof reminding her that there was someone with her.

Then the minutes began to drag on into hours, and the two didn’t exchange a single word. Until eventually - Fluttershy sniffled.

Twilight’s gaze snapped to the side, breaking from her thoughts of magic that she was idly discussing with the disembodied voice in her head - suppressing the surge of irritation that came with it. Instead, she examined Fluttershy - and saw that her hoof was trembling, one of her legs was drumming up and down and her eyes were slightly wet.

“... I’m scared,” Fluttershy murmured.

Twilight didn’t know what to say as her mouth fell open - words slowly trying to make their way out - until finally, she thought of what Celestia would say.

“It’s okay to be scared.” She shifted over, leaning over and wrapping her hooves around her neck. Fluttershy moved her face towards Twilight’s neck, letting out a soft whimper as she did so.

It was, honestly, mildly uncomfortable. The two sat like that for a long time - for a little over three hours, Fluttershy’s occasional soft sniffles breaking the silence as Twilight’s eyes looked starry and far-off.

Neither of them heard the good doctor until he cleared his throat. Only Fluttershy noticed that time - quickly uncoiling from their embrace as Twilight briefly slumped over before sitting up straight in her seat.

“As a doctor, I am entitled to say that most assuredly, it is not healthy to sit down in a seat for four hours without food. Which is why I brought candy.” Doctor Needle Heart promptly pulled out a lollipop that he tossed towards the two of them. Twilight didn’t catch it, letting it smack against her face and fall to the ground without so much as flinching - while Fluttershy caught onto it with a small flail.

Needle Heart sat on his haunches and scratched behind Fluttershy’s head. “Still, though. I’m sure your mother will appreciate it. She’s a tough one, you know! I’ve patched her up before. And this wasn’t any different.”

Fluttershy’s eyes were wide. “Is - is her wing-”

“Yeah.” Needle Heart let out a soft exhale. “Her wing is going to be fine.”

“C-can I see her?” Fluttershy stumbled up to her hooves, tenderly setting the lollipop down on her seat.

“Of course you can.” Needle Heart smiled warmly at her. “Family only though. Sorry, uh-” He paused for a moment as he glanced at Twilight and her unblinking stare.

As Fluttershy quickly brushed past the doctor, she only faintly caught Twilight rasping out - “How?”, before she was in the same room as her mother.

Steelshy was lying down in a bed, her eyes half-lidded as she took in slow, deep breaths. The bridle had been stuffed down her throat, and her wing was currently stretched out awkwardly - a splint locked around it, keeping it from so much as twitching.

“Flutters,” Steelshy mumbled out.

“M-mom. Are - are you-”

“I’m gonna be - fine, trooper.” She shut her eyes. “I just - need to sleep.”

“...but...I don’t want to leave you.” Fluttershy pawed at the ground.

“What. Too old to sleep with your mother?” Steelshy snorted and tilted her head up. “Cmon, kid.”

Fluttershy didn’t waste a moment crawling into her lap, resting her head on her chest - and promptly letting her exhaustion take over her.

Eyes that weren’t eyes opened.

The mare with a grizzled soul stood bare in a silver grotto of silver blades, silver trees, silver leaves.

“Why?” The warrior asked,

And Conquest spoke in his horrible tone of his silver-clad sister.

And eyes that weren’t eyes closed, for the last time.

The filly with a kind soul stood bare in a golden void of golden conquest, golden victory.

“Where?” The pacifist asked.

And Conquest spoke in his horrible tone of his flame-hearted brother.

And a heart that could not harm was given the greatest blade of them all.

There was a misconception among tribalists that there was a hierarchy of ponies. Thus, for example, unicorns stood at the peak among unicorn tribalists, pegasi below, and earth ponies at the lowest - for they had no active magic to speak of.

Among the more educated folk of the rest of the world, who understood the difference between active and passive magic - all races were equals. The Unicorns shaped the world’s reality as they summoned forth magic and power, the Pegasi commanded the world’s forces of lightning and wind as they took to the skies - but the earthponies controlled the world itself.

The alicorns, who had it in an extremity, could present it so powerfully that it was essentially geokinesis. Some earthponies could mimic this feat, but in most, it presented itself through other means. As one might say, a green hoof is particularly common among earthponies - as their natural flow of magic lends to the creation of life itself. In addition, some earthponies can heal with a mere touch, communicate with animals - or, if enough work together, can even perform an act so great as an earthquake.

The most combative asset an earthpony had, though, was their regeneration. Although it hadn’t been seen since the times before Asgard, there were myths, legends. Earth ponies, pulling spears out of their hearts without so much as a flinch. Raging on with absurd strength that could crack the scales of dragons or the antlers of deer - only the destruction of their brains could keep them down permanently.

Yet - their regeneration was not perfect. If the wound was cauterized, or if Cruel or dark magic was used, or a particularly deadly warspell devised by the rams - it would be unsalvageable. And considering how closely related their hooves were - it would be like a unicorn, forever losing a section of their horn.

Still - Applejack would manage. Celestia herself had been involved in the creation of the prosthetic that she would be getting, providing metals directly from the armory - enchanting and preparing the limb so that it would be, for all intents and purposes, practically identical to the leg she had lost - one that would even grow with her, feel with her, and could be wrapped in synthetic skin. The bleeding edge of techno-magic.

The attachment process had taken an entire day - even with the work of three doctors, including Needle Heart himself. After that, it would need to lay dormant for a few hours before she could finally activate it and walk - and that time was happening now.

Her father was there - along with Ivory Chaser, Rarity, Celestia - and much to the Head Judicator’s distaste, Twilight was also there. It had been Applejack who had insisted that she come, which was the only reason that the Head Judicator hadn’t put up a bigger fight about it.

“Are you ready, Applejack?” Ivory Chaser said softly.

“Y-yes, yes’sir.” She mumbled out. She slowly reached out both her hooves - gripping onto Rarity’s, who hadn’t left her side since the Iampex, as well as her father’s.

Ivory Chaser’s horn began to glow - and for a few minutes, the room was silent save for the scant few noises of whirrs and clicking as servos and technology were locked into place, slowly activating. Then, after three minutes had passed, and the unicorn stepped back with sweat dripping from his brow - Applejack’s hoof began to thrum.

“Can you move it around?”

The leg twitched once. Applejack’s eyes widened as it jerked a few more times - before it sluggishly started to move back and forth. Rarity let out a soft gasp while Goldspur placed both his hooves on his daughter’s hoof.

“Okay. Try standing up now. Be careful - test your weight on it. Leave her, sweetie.” Ivory lightly flicked his daughter’s horn.

Applejack was helped out of her bed by Goldspur, who supported most of her weight as she tenderly tapped her hoof against the floor. She stumbled but quickly caught herself on her father. She eventually stood, still resting some of her weight on her father.

“Feels - funny. Like I’m moving it through water.”

“It’ll get more natural as time comes. Okay - now here’s the big one. Try taking a step forward without Gold’s help.”

“Ive,” Goldspur began,

“Sir Ivory Chaser,” the head researcher corrected with a slightly arched eyebrow. “She has to, sooner or later. You’re a fast stallion. You can catch her if she stumbles.”

“Which she won’t.” Rarity quickly added. “Applejack is far too stubborn to let something so mundane keep her down.”

“...was that supposed to be a compliment?” Applejack snorted. Rarity upturned her nose and let out a slightly undignified huff.

Slowly, Applejack examined everyone in the room. Ivory Chaser and Rarity were staring at her with an expression of respective curiosity and hope, while her father’s gaze was more - worried, behind his mask. Celestia’s expression was unreadable, her flowing ethereal mane the only movement from her -

And Twilight, who looked at Applejack with a face that only she could read - a face that spoke three words.

“Please forgive me.”

Applejack just smiled slightly at Twilight - and promptly took her first step.

Few would argue with the Head Judicator. Ivory Chaser was one of them - although he tended to phrase his words in such a manner that Goldspur would either come to his desired conclusion himself. Likewise, Steelshy and Goldspur rarely argued, but she would stand her ground against the imposing stallion - and Celestia felt no threat from the stallion whatsoever.

And, of course, his daughter.

It was a dark night within their home within the castle. It was a far cry from their real home - the good farm of Sweet Apple Acres, down from Ponyville - but after the fire, the Head Judicator took Applejack back within his care.

“That filly ain’t right, Applejack.” Goldspur growled softly. “Ah don’t want to see you talking to her. She brings danger with her - brought it right to our damned doorstep!”

“She didn’t mean to!”

“Says who?”

“Says she!”

“Damn it, Applejack - can’t you see that the monster is lying?” He slammed his hoof into the wall. The wood cracked slightly. “Ah see her, and ah see damnation! Ah see the pits of hell burning, the same fires that consumed your momma!”

Applejack reeled backward. “...daddy. You’re scaring me.” She said softly.

Goldspur took in a deep breath and let out a slow exhale. “...I’m sorry, Sugarcube. But that filly - she ain’t a filly. She’s a monster.”

“Monster,” Twilight repeated. The two slowly turned to face her.

“She’s a monster.”

They both said something. Their words came simultaneously, and Twilight’s senses were overwhelmed - she could hear every individual beating heart in Castle Canterlot, she could hear the air leaving and entering the lungs of the nobles and commoners below - she could hear ponies being beaten to death for the sheer sin that they were born alone. She could hear everything - but one thing came into focus.

“She’s a monster.”

Goldspur’s words echoed within her skull. They rattled and bounced around, each pass through her neurons making it grow louder and louder - and louder until it was screaming.

“SHE’S A MONSTER.”

“He wants a monster?” Kesmera’s voice within her head was a deep, feral snarl - the hiss of the Personification of Destruction herself. “Then we shall give him a monster. Shall we wrest his heart from his body, shatter his bones? Or cripple him, pull his legs off and enchant him so that he may never know my sister’s sweet release?”

A word.

“Yes, I like that idea. Allow him to regenerate forever unfettered, so that even as the world burns underneath your “monstrous” hooves, his putrid, gargling cadaver will dance cavort through the vacant void of the atramentous Beyond!”

A word.

“Bend reality! Breathe death and bask in his blood! Break the day and night - devour flesh, bring forth entropy and an age of endless flame! Force him to seek reprieve in our light even as it boils and burns his undying form!”

A word -

“No,” Twilight Sparkle spoke, and she was gone.

Twilight loved Celestia. Celestia loved Twilight - her little star. What Twilight loved most about Celestia, though, was her teaching.

Celestia’s overarching curriculum was rather loose. She allowed Twilight to express an interest in something and provided all the tools she could use to teach herself about it, as well as direct instruction. Her instructions tended to be more practical than anything else - especially when Twilight had seemed to get somewhat perturbed at some of the more theory-based lessons Celestia had - as Kesmera corrected Celestia on many misconceptions that she had about magic.

After expressing interest in elemental magic and combat training, she had shown an interest in history. Celestia was delighted to teach that particular subject - especially when it was history that she lived through.

For the time being, though - as she stuck to times before the deer, she had to stick to the book. And now, she was telling her darling filly the story of Hearth’s Warming, even as snow began to fall on the edges of Canterlot.

“Monsters, called the Windigo, that fed on hatred and disharmony-”

“Monsters?” Twilight asked in a whisper.

Celestia arched an eyebrow, inviting Twilight to continue.

“...but...they’re just...eating. Feeding.” She whimpered. “Am - am I a monster?”

Celestia’s eyes widened slightly. “Heavens above, my little star. You are not a monster.”

“But - I eat - things. Meat. Other ponies - don’t. They don’t - want to kill. Drink, blood.”

Celestia paled ever so slightly. “Do you want to kill ponies, Twilight?”

“...I - need to.” Twilight whimpered. “I get - angry. But I don’t. I - I’m a good monster. A good monster.” Her eyes watered. “A good monster,” she repeated a third time.

Celestia curled her wings around the filly tightly as she pulled her close. “You are a good filly, my little star. You are not a monster. You would only be a monster if you gave into those thoughts, Twilight.” She whispered, slowly stroking her hoof through her hair.

“...Goldspur - thinks...I’m a monster.”

The temperature of the room rose a few sharp degrees. Celestia’s face pulled into a sneer, and she was thankful that Twilight had her face buried in her chest. Her tone didn’t deviate in the slightest, though.

“Goldspur is wrong. I will have a talk with him. He is a reasonable stallion. I am certain that he will realize that you are not.”

“...you’re - lying.” Twilight slowly glanced up at her. “You’re speaking - longer. Only when you’re - angry.”

A slight smile graced Celestia’s features, but it didn’t meet her eyes. “As per usual, Twilight, you see right through me. Please. Push those thoughts to the side.”

“Don’t...do...something. To him. I’m - monster. You aren’t.”

“Twilight, you are not-”

“N-no! It’s - fine. I - want to be - a monster. Your monster. A good monster.”

Celestia shut her eyes. “We will talk more about this later.”

There was a quick beat of silence.

“...whatever you are, Twilight -” and how Celestia truly meant that, even as she imagined the filly tearing her heart out with her teeth - “you are my daughter.”

“...Love - you.”

“I love you too, my little star.” Celestia whispered as she shifted around her, pulling Twilight deeper into her bulk.

There was a yearly meeting under the Ruins of Asgard, but each Embodiment, in times of great crisis, possessed the ability to call forth a forum at any time. So far, in all the millennia that the Aspects had ruled, there had only been four occasions in which circumstances dictated the necessity.

The first was the growing madness of Discord - until Thaola suggested using the magic of the Once Great Deer present within Equestria, the Elements of Harmony, to seal him away in stone.

The second had been when a sect of dragons rediscovered mind magic, resulting in hazardous artifacts - including the Dragonstone Scepter that Beollyssurth kept within her personal vault.

The third had been Tirek - who, after he desolated his homeland, arrived within Equestria. His threat was so imperative, that the embodiments at the time - all but Zarrat and Hermes, summoned Starswirl from before his death using chronomancy so that he may aid them for one final time.

The fourth had been the banishment of her sister - nearly a millennium ago. A time during which both Lord Zarrat and Lord Hermes had joined their ranks.

Considering the sheer scale of the events that hurried meetings were ever called for - Celestia quickly scrambled to her hooves as she felt the soft tug of an ancient enchantment at the nape of her neck. She didn’t waste a moment activating the magic contained within the balcony, finding herself underneath the wreckage of Asgard.

Beollyssurth and Thaola looked comfortable - and so Celestia determined it was they who called the meeting. Zarrat, and lastly Hermes - fashionably late as ever. It was always Hermes who was late, despite being the fastest among them.

“How urgent is this?” Celestia quickly asked.

“Fairly, but not immediate. Incoming, I would say. Rest yourselves - there will be no battle today, thankfully.”

Celestia let out a soft sigh. Hermes and Zarrat followed while Thaola remained impassive.

“What of the Little Love?” Zarrat tilted his head to the side.

Hermes thought for a second. “We didn’t add her to the enchantments.” He sighed.

“How fortunate, then - for a youngling should not have to see this.”

Thaola’s horns began to glow as they lit with magic - deer magic. Zarrat and Hermes shied back, while Celestia and Beollyssurth remained adamant.

A projection of the past was called forth - a projection of carnage. The trees were burning, there were corpses everywhere - and there was a filly. Cradling her mother’s dead corpse, even as -

Even as Nightmare Moon pressed down on her shoulder.

“Luna,” Celestia whispered out softly.

“I believe, Celestia - that it is time for you to tell us exactly what happened to Luna.”

“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria - there were two regal sisters that ruled the land.”

“The eldest was INDOMITA, and she was the Day. The younger one was ASTRELLA, and she was the Night.”

“The Regal Sisters ruled as equals, their words of equal weight and their rank of equal value.”

“Yet, as time went on - INDOMITA became burdened with the affairs of state, while ASTRELLA took the mantle of Equestria’s sword.”

“She protected Equestria from those who would do her ponies harm - but her greatest burden was the protection of the night itself. It was she, and she alone who stood between the Things at the edge of the universe and the errant consciousness of her ponies.”

“ASTRELLA stood stalwart, but even she began to crack underneath the weight - until the Things that the Deer had brought onto the world began to whisper to her mind.”

“The alicorn sought counsel from her elder sister, but INDOMITA had no time for her. She did not understand the scale of the threat that ASTRELLA faced, and did not give it weight - even as her sister pleaded.”

“ASTRELLA succumbed to her madness and sought to save the world by casting it into a state of utter oblivion. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the Things at the edge of the universe had corrupted her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.”

“It was with a heavy heart that INDOMITA was able to use the magic of the greatest foes of Ponykind to banish her sister to the moon for an æternity.”

As the snow fell ever deeper -

There was one statue that had always struck Twilight as strange. Celestia visited it without fail, once at the end of each month - and stood there within a soundproof barrier for no more than five minutes before leaving.

Celestia had always deftly avoided the question as it was brought up, much to Twilight’s annoyance. And Kesmera - who had been nothing but brutally honest and straightforward with Twilight, to the point where she wondered if she truly was that bad - merely responded with disdain or disgust at the mention of the statue.

Twilight stood at the base of the statue as she inspected it fervently. It was a strange, mismatched thing that seemed to pulse at the edge of her vision - there was a font of chaos magic contained within, but there was something - else. A frail spark of red.

She inspected it, and it seemed - pure. So much more pristine than anything she had seen before - it was as if everything was distilled or watered down, and this was the only untainted source left. She reached out to touch it -

“It’s rude to touch people without permission, monster.” A deep voice echoed from within her mind. She stumbled backward and fell down to her haunches.

“W...who…”

“Hello, brother.” Kesmera’s disgust was evident.

“Ah! Sister. Settle a bet that Void and I have going - was that Conquest kicking the bucket, or War? My bet was on Conquest. His bet was on neither.”

“It was neither. I suspect that Conquest might wish he may die, but I will ensure that he cannot. How is our darling brother doing? Still - ravishing?”

“Gross! Gross gross gross gross gross.”

Twilight’s voice rang out. But, unlike the low rasp of her physical voice, the tone of her mind was perfectly flat, even - each word delivered clearly, yet with a strange, otherworldly style.

“Who are you?”There was a soft thrum of power in it that gave Kesmera and Discord both pause.

“Ah. So the monster speaks.”

“If you call her a monster again Discord, I will ensure that even Conquest will pity you.”

“But sister dear - I only call it as I see it, so to speak. And she is indeed a monster. You know, Fate spoke of the Ruination that you would bring.”

“She mentioned much the same to me. She’s spoken of it ever since you burst out from Mother’s beating heart.”

”The Ruination?”

“Hah! How amusing, monster, that you don’t recognize what my sister would have you bring. The Ruination is the end of all things, and I see it written upon your heart that it will be you who calls it forth. And yet, Celestia refuses to kill you.”

”She does?”

“Oh yes - darling, perfect Celestia. She’s fine with casting the Shepherd of Magic itself into stone for an eternity, but when it comes to killing the being responsible for the snapping of Fate's loom - she can’t bring herself to lift a feather. What an outstanding moral compass.”

Then, Discord’s voice dropped a few octaves as he whispered in a low tone. "Asides Fate herself, l know the Queen better than anyone who was or will be. And yet, Twilight Sparkle - my sister guides you down a dark path, while Celestia shields you with her body even at this very moment. I see you, Twilight Sparkle - and I name you a monster, The Lady in Lavender who will bring Ruination!”

“At...this - very moment?” Twilight glanced up towards Celestia’s bedroom.

Only then did she realize she couldn’t hear her heartbeat - and it was only then that a bolt of lightning struck her.

Celestia loved tea.

There were rumors that she did not love tea and simply drank it because she was expected to drink it. No - Celestia most assuredly loved tea. Strawberry cake and chamomile tea mixed rather deliciously within her stomach - and for the last six thousand years, every night - she drank tea before she retired for the night.

Today was no different. She quickly brewed herself a quick cup of tea within her personal kitchen in her rather lavish room. Of course, it was more of a penthouse than an actual room - but considering the sheer amount of stress she had on her shoulders, it was one of her guilty pleasures to spend a little bit on her personal accouterments.

Especially now that Twilight shared them. She had plans for a room of Twilight’s own design - or maybe a pocket dimension might suit the filly better. Assuming that she could even fit her soul into such a space - that was one of the reasons why Discord avoided pocket dimensions, after all. The sheer scale of his soul meant it would burst around him and damage his very soul itself.

Not that Celestia or Luna had ever been able to weaponize a pocket dimension against him - not for lack of trying. There were times where he simply seemed to ignore conventional rules of magic altogether.

Celestia let out a soft sigh as she raised her tea to her lips. She languished in the taste before she turned around - and promptly let her favored teacup, a gift from Thaola herself, smash against the floor and splinter into shards.

“Hello, sister.” Nightmare Moon inspected the Hammer of the Moon placed on the table in front of her before her gaze rose to Celestia.

“We have much to discuss, do we not?”

Seconds turned into moments, which turned into eternity as the two stared at each other. Then, finally, Celestia’s horn lit, but the Nightmare held her hoof up.

“As predictable as ever, Celestia. I would advise against wasting your magic - the magebane I slipped into your tea would make it rather - painful.”

“Nightmare.” She whispered as the corona around her horn faded.

“No, sister. I am still Luna. Although - I suppose to you, I am your nightmare. A being out of your control, whose morals do not align with your own. And we all know what you do with those.” She gestured at Discord, locked in stone. A bolt of lightning whizzed past the window, and Celestia rushed over.

“Twilight.” She gasped. Her wings spread.

“There is no need to worry, Celestia. My pupil will distract your student until our grandfather may claim her.”

“Grandfather?” Celestia turned her head to the side.

“You truly know little of the world you’ve stumbled into, Celestia.” She sighed blissfully. “I genuinely wish that things did not have to turn out this way. Be it through my continued ignorance of the end of all things - or a world where you did not stumble like a blind tyrant foal through the night. Through my night.”

The Warhammer slammed down through the table as the Nightmare pulled herself up to her hooves, her slitted pupils beginning to ooze out black smoke as sickly magic bubbled at the tip of her horn. “So, Celestia!” She cried out. “Fight me. Fight me, die, and break underneath my hooves - and know that your fate is the fate that will befall all tyrants.”

Celestia’s eyes shut.

Her horn lit with magic as her mane etherealized into a burning mass of flames. Moments later, her armor formed on her with a surge of energy that shattered all of her windows. The Glaive of the Sun entered her magical grasp, spinning around as it glimmered with a silver sheen - eager to test its might against the Warhammer of the Moon, as it did ages past.

“I see one tyrant here, Nightmare Moon, and it is not me.”

Her eyes opened, and she was the Sun.

“Know, that as I wrest my sister back from the clutches of your insanity - as your broken body falls to the Worlds, that it will be a mercy.”

The two forces collided.

There was something unique about pegasus lightning. It was used to synthesize artificial magebane - because it had the rather unique effect of draining the magic pool from which a unicorn worked. The stronger the pegasus, the stronger the lightning they summoned drained the mana of a unicorn - or really, any active magic user.

As the bolt struck Twilight, it drained more magic than most magic casters could dream of using in a single spell. Yet, Twilight didn’t notice so much as a dip in her magical capacity.

Twilight teleported behind Discord’s statue. Her face was blank and impassive as Kesmera helped guide the flow of her magic - tearing the three lightning bolts that were aimed to strike her into their component parts. There were strings of magic that curled around them - and simply unraveling them broke the spell.

Twilight glanced up at the pegasus on the roof. She could see her soul - it burned blue, with a spark of something red and angry at its center.

“Break her. Tear her to shreds. Rend her to dust,” Kesmera cried.

“Yes, monster. Give in to your instincts. Show Celestia what a beast you are.” Discord hissed viciously within the back of her head.

”No,”she thought.

She teleported by her side with a flash. The blue, prismatic maned pegasus sent a quick jab towards her horn - angled strangely, right towards its center, where it was most fragile.

Her blow struck - and there was a ringing within Twilight’s head. She stumbled backward as a horrible mass of writhing darkness tore from the fracture in her horn - quickly pulling it shut. The pegasus filly stumbled backward, her mouth gaping open as Twilight and she stood a scant few feet apart.

The two were sent into freefall as Celestia and Nightmare Moon erupted from the sky. The two hurtled into the black sky with a speed that only an alicorn could hope to have - barely registering as blurs at the very edge of her vision.

Twilight tried to teleport - but found that a sharp lance of pain tore through her head. She fell towards the ground at an angle, one that would most assuredly snap her neck -

Until she felt her head a little lighter and found herself standing on all four of her hooves, peacefully on the ground.

“She - what?” Discord sounded - shocked. “She’s never - she’s…” He trailed off.

Only when the projectile impacted the back of her head did Twilight realize just what had happened. She had been teleported - but not by herself.

Kesmera wasn’t in Twilight’s head anymore.

The Hammer of the Moon crashed against Celestia’s rotating shield as the two hurtled through the blizzard that raged above the sky of Canterlot Castle. The Glaive of the Sun quickly passed through her own shield, the two weapons meeting with a blazing flash that sent both weapons hurtling out of their telekinetic grasp.

The two mares entered a grapple - the Nightmare throwing a sloppy punch towards Celestia’s face even as she batted her with her wings. Finally, Celestia resorted to more childish tactics - grabbing onto her sister’s hair, biting her, and pushing at her leg with her hind leg to crack it.

The two hurtled through the Tower of the Archmage. Celestia heard Nightmare Moon’s leg snap with a bloody crack. She heard a pony be pulverized as the sheer speed they were traveling at ground him into dust, and she wept.

The two smashed down into the royal courtyard. Their weapons reformed in their telekinetic grasp simultaneously - and the two met each other again with steel. A violent shockwave formed between the two - and she could hear the cracking of bones and the screams begin.

“Leave them out of this,” Celestia pleaded.

“They are this,” the Nightmare hissed.

Nightmare Moon teleported into a horde of escaping ponies. She pulled the Warhammer from its spot by Celestia and swung it in a wide arc - with such a speed that the ponies that it impacted were utterly destroyed. Their eyes and teeth sprayed out of them before the rest of their organs did - a mushy paste of brain and tongue, their necks beginning to sear from friction

“NO!” Celestia screamed, and she tackled the Nightmare with all her speed. The ground erupted as a shower of flame painted the air. A coronal eruption followed them as a single blow, infused with all of Celestia’s earthpony strength - shattered ribs, pushed bones into lungs, and sent the Nightmare hurtling back up the length of the mountain.

Without Kesmera - Twilight was having a lot more difficulty than she’d like to admit.

While she was managing to block the lion’s share of projectiles that the pegasus was throwing at her - from shingles of the shattered roof, shards of glass, bolts of lightning, or even quick jabs towards her face - she couldn’t really go on the offensive. Ponies were just too fragile - and Celestia hadn’t told her to kill this pony.

A small part of her wanted to. No, a large part of her wanted to. She was the only thing that stood between herself and her Celestia. It would be so easy to tear the wings from her back, to let her bones shatter -

But that would make her a bad monster. And she was most assuredly not a bad monster.

The pegasus mare quickly closed the distance between them, tackling the filly up the mountain and flying above the castle. Twilight curled her hooves around her even as the pegasus pounded on her back.

Twilight was hungry. She hadn’t eaten her midnight snack. Surely - a little bit of blood wouldn’t hurt?

Her teeth sunk into the pegasus’ wing. She let out a startled cry as she tore her wing from Twilight’s mouth, along with a chunk of flesh - and as Twilight chewed and swallowed, she found that pony meat tasted - nice.

“MONSTER!” The filly shrieked.

Twilight nodded. “Yes,” she agreed - and the two began to hurtle down towards the ground.

The two smashed into the throne room - the pegasus falling down with a sickly crunch as one of her wings snapped. Twilight seemed rather - undisturbed by the whole thing, instead blankly staring up at the roof as she realized just how much she missed Kesmera’s presence in her head.

They were not alone in the throne room for long. Despite Celestia being the aggressor, it was Nightmare Moon who managed to roll around and pin Celestia into the throne - or more accurately, the throne into Celestia. Celestia’s guts were sent spilling out onto the floor with a spray of pink blood as her throne tore through her skin, the Hammer of the Moon striking against her ribs as it sent her front half - and only her front half, as both of her back legs were torn off with a messy rip, splattering against the wall. I

Twilight stared at Celestia for a moment with wide eyes. Then, she glanced at the Nightmare. Twilight’s eyes began to open, and open, and open-

“NO!” Celestia cried. “My little star, don’t!” She whimpered, even as she gurgled on her own blood.

And Twilight’s eyes snapped shut, and the girl stumbled backward. The Nightmare regarded her with a cool glance, as well as one directed at the whimpering pegasus filly on the ground - before her attention snapped to Celestia.

“How pitiful, Celestia. For all of your machinations, your history and skill - it was furniture and poison that ended up destroying you.” She snorted. She dragged the Hammer behind her, letting it scrape against the ground before she stood over Celestia.

“Goodbye, Celestia. I hope to join you in oblivion, once the Great Work is done.”

She brought the hammer down, and there was a spray of pink blood. It splattered all over Twilight, all over Celestia’s body, all over the Nightmare’s pupil-

But mostly, all over the silver broadsword that had torn through the midsection of the Nightmare.

“Sic Semper Tyrannis,” he whispered in the tongue of the Asgardian. He wrenched the blade upwards with a bloody tear, slicing through the Nightmare’s spine and rendering her back legs useless, tearing a heaping chunk of flesh from her back.

The Nightmare’s horn lit as she teleported over to the broken heap of a filly on the ground. She curled her wings around her as it lit again - and the two disappeared with a much more violent pop.

He snorted as he let his blade drop to the ground. Slowly, he glanced between the two remaining ponies.

“Hello, Astaroth. Daddy’s home.” Frost grinned wolfishly.

-

Author's Note

Behold! A discord server!