The Queen of the Dark Ch. I

by Forcalor

Chapters

ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀʟʟ
Creatures of the Dark. Prologue — Princess Luna
Step 1 — "A labor of love" — Princess Celestia
Step 3 — "Life keeps on trotting" — Princess Twilight Sparkle
Step 4 — "In all her grim glory" — Princess Celestia
Step 5 — "A bifurcation point" — Princess Twilight Sparkle
Leap 6 — "The Queen of..." — Princess Celestia — Day 1, late evening
Step 7 — "...the Little Sparkles in the Dark" — Princess Twilight Sparkle — Day 1, late evening
Celestia's Lament
Step 8 — "Her fate" — Princess Twilight Sparkle — Day 2, midnight
Spin 10 — "The love was shining through" — Princess Cadance — Day 1, late evening
Step 11 — "The looking-glass" — Sunset Shimmer | Starlight Glimmer — Day 2, morning
Step 12 — "Remaining" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, morning
Step 13 — "Far above" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, midday
Step 14 — "The reach of" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, afternoon
Step 15 — ...𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴... — Princess Celestia — Day 2, afternoon
Leap 16 — "Her jaws" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, late evening
17 — Refraction // We are only beginning
18 — Anagnorisis of an analemma // to chase the Sun
Creatures of the Dark. Epilogue — Princess Luna — Day 3, midnight
Far beneath — The Undercity, Canterlow
When all began, the Light prevailed
Step 2 — "Her condescending look" — Princess Celestia
Leap 9 — "A new age of Twilight" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, past midnight
ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ

ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀʟʟ

I have an ambition.

...

A wind chime at the window.

...

A sound of distant laughter.

...

Silver Shoals. A good place.

...

We've built a lot together, didn't we?

...

They will need more space

To be free.

We can watch a play, if you want

To be free.

I wanted to feel it again.

To be free.

To read all the books in the world.

To be free.

To go anywhere we want.

To be free.

What is a price of true strength?

To be free.

We have a millennium to catch up on.

An eternity

The White Tree rises.

The world keeps growing.

The White Tree rises.

Do you regret?

The White Tree rises.

Are you ashamed?

The White Tree rises.

Can you relax?

The White Tree rises.

No more fear.

The White Tree rises.

I can let it all go

Gracefully.

Happiness must be earned

Gracefully.

Do I deserve this?

Gracefully?

I want her smiling

Gracefully.

She'd forgive me

Gracefully.

They'd understand

Gracefully.

No one will hurt her again.

Harmonious.

It is a good dream to have.

Harmonious.

No one will hurt me again.

Harmonious.

I've learned how to be strong.

Harmonious.

No one will hurt us again!

Sister! We will be free!

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Creatures of the Dark. Prologue — Princess Luna

Four years ago, most of the living creatures regained their ability to dream.

It remained lost to them for a millennium.

It was the dawning of a new era.

In an early age of enchantment, in the realm of equines...

Where suffering was manageable.

Three ponies cut through the rich-black darkness and climbed the stage at its heart. It was a spacious cavern with walls covered by a glassy surface, and the wind howled through it, lamenting in eerie and distant, rising and fading voices.

The dark around them breathed at its own pace. It was warm and alive.

"Be wary," urged Luna. "There is an odd air about this place. Something is amiss."

Her striking step against the rock left barely any noise. She ventured gingerly, while smaller ponies stood watch at the entrance. Both were disciplined but still mere fledgelings, an honor guard whose main responsibility was to pull a chariot across the star-burdened sky.

Luna's reflection went across the crystal, waving and trembling like a mirage, becoming gaunt and gorging itself on a succulent shadow in the scant light of glowing stalagmites. The reflection was drawing Luna, and so she stopped, moving her head and watching how it transformed in the translucent depths.

"Care—" began one of the night ponies nervously.

"Quiet." Luna flared her wing.

She made another pass, examining the glimmer of the stars in her mane. It seemed off. She froze up, and when everything halted except their shining, Luna saw with a sobering jolt that it wasn't a true reflection but an imitation—like the light of an angler fish.

Luna tried not to show her surprise, but failed. The green eye watched her. Unknown magic began to emerge beneath the darkness to defy the Princess of the Night. An intricate web of cracks covered the crystal.

The creature on the other side lunged, and the crystal wall broke into a shower of a thousand jagged pieces. The shards sliced her shoulders and sides, and the imitator slammed her back into the ground. Luna yelled, covering her muzzle, and saw through her forehooves the ghastly, victorious grin of an almost perfect doppleganger.

Bright green flared from above, but the imitator was wide open. Luna blindly whipped her wing, enchanting the tips of its feathers into sharp steel. It went deeply, and a deafening shriek cut throughout the cavern. Luna bucked the assailant away and ungracefully upturned herself from the ground.

The assailant staggered back, wreathed in bleak flames and fumes. Its appearance contorted for the final time; it clutched the wound bleeding crimson, and raised the enraged eyes beneath a seaweed of unkempt hair.

More magic surged across the room. Smaller, similar creatures emerged from the cavern's shadows, outnumbering the alicorn and her companions—but not surrounding them.

"To the entrance!" Luna barked an order, the nightlings broke into a messy gallop back into the tunnel, and the alicorn followed them close. With their leader spearheading the chase, the shapeshifters poured after them by the dozens.

The last of them disappeared in the narrow passage.

There was a beat of silence when everything stilled. Somewhere, an echo of water dripped, and the howling wind rose again.

The mountain above shuddered with an anguished moan, then rumbled with the ferocity of a wounded beast. Rocks and stone dust fell from the ceiling. The shapeshifting creatures began to come back, colliding with one another in a panic-fueled stampede, and when the biggest one pushed through, Luna came like a vengeful vortex of freezing mist.

The creatures tried to lay down a barrage of spells, chipping away at Luna's immaterial form. Her assailant grabbed several of its own with a bright green aura and launched them like projectiles, only managing to leave splats on the ceiling. Luna whirled in the air, gaining substance and sucking up the light, and then came crushing down.

The mountain shuddered once more. Luna came from the frost snarling and exhaling vapor. Remaining between half-frozen and grievously wounded, her chief assailant still moved and tried to flee into one of several passages on the far side, but the alicorn swat the shapeshifter with an almost lazy strike of a lightning bolt. Tossed to the ground, it continued to crawl away.

Blood trailed from Luna's neck beneath a mark of deep bite. Coming after the defeated opponent, she regarded them with a furious, silent glare.

The deranged creature laughed like a madmare. It tried to cling to the wall and stand up, but Luna brought it down with a timely delivered backhoof.

"A second-rate, worthless waste of space!" the creature growled hysterically, dragging herself up again.

"You are Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen, I take it? Some bog witch. A pretender." Luna raised her head.

Chrysalis froze in place and moved her neck stiffly, baring fangs like a feral dog. "And I know who you are. So what now? Am I to tremble in awe in your presence? Am I to worship you? Am I to surrender all that I am and cease existing? What, you want to blink me away like I am some afterthought, to deny me my strife?"

"Where is the girl?" demanded Luna.

With her grin reduced to an ominous smile, Chrysalis tapped at her chin. "Ah-hah… So it's all about that little whelp I've plucked from the village. Oh, yes, now I know exactly why you've come. It would be such a shame if she wouldn't see the light of day…"

"Too long vagabonds akin to thou have roamed the dark unchallenged, and due to thine ignorance, thee art in dire need of a reminder of who is the true ruler of the night. You thought I would let your atrocity slide? No, the consequences have come for you like a tide rising that cannot retreat from the shore." Luna's eyes flashed white. "I have sent my nightkin to Canterlot. Sister and I will be judging thou. Concede."

"You'll be judging me?" Chrysalis repeated, as if not believing her own ears. She pulled herself from the ground, standing on shaky legs. "You? Oh, but I've done so many deeds, why confine ourselves to a single one? Would you even be satiated by it?… Doubt it. I know I won't." She grinned. "Believe me, this can be a tale for the ages."

Luna regarded her with new-found suspicion. "You have captured not only the girl, but her parents as well," she said, appalled. "Cease thy palaver and show me."

"What is that, a command? Aren't you a royal little blackbird?" Chrysalis hissed, splaying her ears.

"You are in no position to argue, witch," Luna replied quietly. "Ai, I am asking thou politely, and it is already too much of an indulgence. Now, hoof it."

The labyrinth of caves was like a fox's den with many exits, and should Luna lose sight of Chrysalis, she was sure she'd escaped. Battered after their battle, the two entered another chamber with a faint moonlight peeking from above.

Luna's attention wasn't drawn to the possible directions to retreat. Her eyes swept to and fro across the cave. Her heart sank to her bowels, and she uttered in a long hiss, "By Erebus..."

In the middle of the chamber were a half-dozen of her night ponies, encased in a slime-like green substance. A missing patrol from their underground domain, perhaps? They struggled against their confines with muffled screams, alarmed by her presence.

Behind them, in a cocoon, was Ginger Lime—the girl whose nightmares brought the Princess to this wretched place. The thin and shriveled husks of her parents were embracing the contently sleeping filly in a mocking and grotesque display.

"Why have you done this, you mongrel?" Luna asked, turning to Chrysalis. She could hardly contain her anger. "Why? Whatever you wanted to achieve with this cruelty?"

"What can be more beautiful than witnessing your enemy in pain?" Chrysalis replied, unfazed.

Luna exhaled, exasperated. "…Thou art on a path that is leading to nothing but your own destruction, witch."

"Speaking from experience?" Chrysalis pulled another smile.

Luna wasn't answering.

"Don't you have more to say?…" Chrysalis prompted, and then laughed. "Fine, savor your air. You will sing for me yet, blackbird... You will sing."

Luna's eyes flared white. A shade of confusion ran over Chrysalis' expression, and after a delay, she drunkenly paced the ground as if trying to throw off the alicorn's power, but then her body surrendered. She fell down and relaxed, shutting off.

Luna had no interest in whatever vile slumber she had sent Chrysalis off to. She spared her a long glance and returned to the bound nightlings, who fervently tried to draw her attention.

Her brows moved into a deep, puzzled frown when she recognized one of them. "Onyx Star," she called. Her horn shone deep blue, undoing the gagged mouth. "You only recently were by my side, did you not? How didst thou—"

"Night Mother—" Onyx Star hacked and wheezed, vomiting green liquid. His voice was too weak, and Luna stepped closer. "I was caught moons ago, Night Mother, you must get out! Flee!"

Instantly, a wave of green flame surged, stripping from illusion what she perceived to be unassuming rocks around the cavern. The Princess lowered her horn, ready to protect the others, but it was too late.

Step 1 — "A labor of love" — Princess Celestia

A person's fate should not be too easy because they will learn to find suffering in any comfort, and the softer their bed is, the more the pea that has rolled under it will dig into the side.

Even in the happiest of fates should be pain and darkness—just like in the most beautiful woman there are ugly insides. But ever still, existence is happiness, an infinite gift, a kiss of eternal spring.

There was a promise, that...

She woke up exactly five minutes before the pendulum clock struck seven times. Where was she, again?

The dream didn't want to let go of her, so she blissfully smiled, still enamored by it. It was an exceptionally good one. A truly rare occurrence.

That meant that the day must be special.

She couldn't remember the specifics of the dream—only a warm light that was washing up her pristine and delicate features. There was a sensation of great comfort, of a particular kind, that comes when you meet with an old friend and understand that everything is fine—a radiant feeling of realized hope, which meant that all struggles must be worth it in the end.

Savoring the sensation, she opened her amethyst eyes and took in the sight of her spacious chambers, filled with various artifacts and mementos from her life. A birdsong was heard from outside an open balcony. The curtains were disturbed by a gentle and calm wind.

The embrace of the silken blanket slowly left her. Her hooves fit into the royal horseshoes. Her multicolored mane rested on her shoulders, and she raised her head with a small sigh. Ancient magic connected and took hold of her, and her ethereal mane had risen in a flow that was glimmering with the sparkles of countless stars.

The tip of her horn shimmered with golden light. She stretched as the vinyl began to play.

Many would assume that a ruler who has lived for centuries will eventually go stale and become accustomed to the few constants in their life. But with Celestia, the truth was that she could never stop being warm and passionate about little things, even if "little things" were literally her subjects, so much smaller in stature. The problem with immortality in general is that it can't be truly comprehended, not by others or by those who happen to experience it. The conclusion that long-lived beings will inevitably grow detached and burdened by their lot in life is most likely made by those who are prone to stigmatization.

Those who do not fear nor feel their old age just view living slightly differently.

So she was candidly and eagerly loving every second of this new day.

Nevertheless, she would say, for example, that to keep troubling yourself over the deaths of loved ones would be incredibly selfish. It would be putting more value into the experience of their death than into gratitude for their life, and it would limit your own ability to grow.

And for now, that is all.

Bestowed by a destiny of cosmic magnitude, Celestia walked out to the balcony and checked up on her colorful flower garden. She yawned sweetly, looking over the city of Canterlot, soaked in pastel colors. There was a tinge of invigorating morning cold in the air. Her Sun, which was passively moving on the skyline to simulate normal behavior and rotations of celestial objects, was shining brightly in an incredible golden dawn.

Celestia looked over the composition of clouds, which were adorning her Sun like a precious jewel that needed to be complemented with a harmony of colors. She remarked to herself to send gratitude to the Cloudsdale's weather department. Pegasi were trying hard each time to make beautiful art for all of Equestria to behold.

For all of Equestria and for her precious Canterlot... Princess spread her wings, looking down at the city. She couldn't help but smile.

With the music building up to its crescendo, Celestia lifted her horn and gave a little nudge to the Sun—enough for it to last in the sky for another cycle and spread warmth all over this world, generously and benevolently.

"Good morning," she said quietly to the whole world, and stealing one last look at the distant stars above, she stepped back to get ready for the day.

A ruler like her needs to always be on the clock, whether she likes it or not, but when she was finishing her morning routine of waking up, she had to gaze into the mirror, to remind herself,

"Keep smiling."

Celestia was never prone to theatrics and preferred practical and direct solutions to her problems. At least partially, it was an effect of the burden of her rule: she was a pony who thrived and enjoyed being amidst conflict, easily weaving in and out of the roles of an impartial observer and direct participant if the situation called for it. Her actions always had a certain cause and effect, which was always known to her.

That's why she was so comfortable when she was assaulted by various advisors and supplicants at the very exit of the room.

She knew perfectly well how she appeared to them in these moments. Confident, tall, queenly, and surrounded by a few royal guards—one can never be too careful, of course.

But all of it is just for a show.

All of it is a big show, and this part of it takes exactly ten minutes while she is leisurely walking down rich and brightly lit corridors, making markings on various lists, and replying to queries with a quiet, calm voice. Her little ponies go reverently silent each time she speaks and then continue relaying troubles and demands that need attention. Only the most pressing matters at this early hour.

Every time she wanted to pull some practical joke on them, she had to make an effort to suppress the urge. But her smile always grew only more sincere because of such thoughts.

There are only so many hours in a day, and there are so many ponies around. From all the hubbub of their voices, her own was cutting through with sharp precision:

"Push that conference to nine o'clock, no, ten. Their crops can wait that much, can they? Weather change isn't something that is planned to happen in a day."
"..."
"Well, what can Lord Page even say about that? Always the same. I do not care for those derogatory decisions and thinly veiled apologies; I want him to get his act together. Prepare a strongly worded letter for him about the whole fiasco and remind him about stopping with wine. I will expect it on my desk at three o'clock."
"..."
"Yes, a visit at four o'clock still holds. My appreciation for bringing this to my attention."
"..."
"That's quite alright. Obviously, that is a Friendship problem. We have a whole branch for these; it's called 'Princess Twilight' and her group. Again, let them send requests to Ponyville, not Canterlot. Anypony else have Friendship problems?"
"..."
"Oh, yes, that is Starflower’s doing. I already told her in person that her actions are highly unethical. My royal answer is still 'no', and if she continues to act on it, I will consider preparing a decree to ban her activities.”
"..."
"A petition? Well, I should have a window to receive this yak in two days; reply that I will have spare time. What is the Crystal Empire's stance on it?"
"..."
"An attack?"

Already at the door to her private study, she beheld an old captain of the border guard. He must've spent all night on his hooves. He bowed deeply under her gaze and didn't dare stand straight for awhile, not until Celestia smiled. "You may rise. Speak, and spare no detail."

"Your Grace, last night, the mountain-dwelling chimaera descended from the mountains and stole a filly from a remote village. Princess Luna was present afterwards, but she wasn't engaging the witnesses. I might risk to go beyond the protocol, but we ask you to spare more guards to strengthen our defenses."

That was highly irregular. "My appreciation for bringing this to my attention. With my blessings, take this further to Commander Magnus. Relay to him that I will provide any aid if necessary."

She glanced at all the other ponies, still thronging in the expectation of her audience, and stepped into the study. Her seneschal took over, and she still heard his well-delivered speech until thick walls drowned it out, "Her Excellency Princess Celestia will await all of you at designated hours in the Throne Room. Make an appointment with regards to a corresponding schedule, or have your request in written form. The estimated time for reviewing written requests is-..."

Celestia crossed the study room, granting a modest smile to Philomena, who forlornly occupied her bird cage like some forgotten thing. A short flick of magic opened its door, and the phoenix flew over to Celestia's back. The Princess caressed her, answering the demand for affection.

On the other end of this spacious room, a door led deeper into what can be considered the backrooms of the castle. Several servant ponies were going on with their duties here, not ceasing to bow before royalty. After the first few hundred years of her rule, Princess Celestia pretty much ceased to restrain them from it—her visage alone was enough to inspire sacred dread in even the best of them, whether intently or not.

Taking note of the time, she walked down to the dining room, where a small table was served with a light breakfast. She unfolded a fresh newspaper, and her pet phoenix delicately leaned forward, reading as well.

"I wonder if anypony has seen Luna?" she casually pondered.

A servant smiled sheepishly, lingering nearby. "Uh, it seems Her Majesty Princess Luna was in the kitchen for the better part of an hour... Your Majesty, Your Grace..."

"Is she now? That's curious."

Celestia put a newspaper on the table and placed a fiery phoenix on top of the servant's head, who froze in wonder and awe. "Do not forget to turn pages for her, little one," she smiled assuredly.

She walked further into the backrooms. A kitchen, clean and cozy, stocked with food, was devoid of servants.

Luna was standing next to the oven and the cooker, wearing her royal cloak and a simple apron. She was kneading a piece of dark-shaded dough while humming a quiet, melancholic song. The kitchen was mostly lit by the ominous glow from an oven.

She turned towards Celestia, who was observing the scene in silence. Luna's look was startled, but it was adorable, almost as if she had been caught stealing from a cookie jar.

Celestia walked over to her. "Well, well, just look at this... Apparently, Princess Luna had scared everyone away from the kitchen? Why would she ever resort to such a common behavior?" Celestia clicked her tongue in mock disappointment and placed her wing on Luna's shoulders.

It felt like the younger sister had forgotten even how to breathe at this moment. Celestia looked into the pan on the cooker and hugged Luna tighter. "Oh, is it a pancake I see, dear Sister? How quaint. You've burned it." She looked at Luna with care. "Don't fret. Everything can be done well if it is done with some love."

Celestia took a place at the cooker, and Luna shuffled to the side, giving her space. She wasn't looking so great. Celestia let her magic flow, and the kitchen was filled with light from several candles as well as an opened window curtain.

"You had a rough night again, haven't you?" asked Celestia upbeat.

"You can say so," answered Luna wryly.

"Was it fruitful?"

Celestia had already helped herself to pour some tea, get an apple, and an ideally cut slice of pie, sending plates into a little round dance with a golden aura. Luna sat at a nearby table, hesitating.

Celestia looked at her mischievously, and took a bite of pie. With a pleasant hum, she sent it over to her sister. "Here, try it."

Luna looked at the pie as if she saw something like it for the first time in her life. "What's this?"

"Open wide, Moonlight!" Celestia laughed.

Princess nibbled on it, helping herself with her forelegs. Celestia graciously sat nearby, not forgetting about deftly operating her aura to keep making pancakes. The darker alicorn couldn't keep her gaze with her and looked away—just as a younger sibling would, ashamed of something.

A cup of green tea with a slice of ginger in it was neatly placed beside her.

"Why are you brooding so much? You just aren't yourself today, little Sister," said Celestia playfully. "Was it so bad last night?"

Luna's eyes slightly widened. She was never in perfect control of her reactions—not unlike Celestia. "Nothing substantial, I assure thou."

"Oh please, spare me all these formalities. You can speak perfectly well without being archaic if you put your mind to it," Celestia winked to her sister, trying to sound not too haughty.

"Very well. I'll try for you, Celestia," replied Luna with a stiff expression, twiddling with a pie in her clumsy grasp. "This night's watch really took a toll on me, it seems."

"Even worse than usual. Well, what happened?" Celestia spoke with worry. "Is it something that I will hear about in the evening? It better not be. You know I do not like unhappy surprises."

"I happened to be in a fight."

"Oh?"

That grabbed Celestia's attention. By nature of their celestial rule, the situations when alicorns were getting into battle themselves meant only one thing: all was dire. Equestria was a fairly peaceful magical realm, after all, especially in the last few centuries. So peaceful it was that the authority of a single living demigod was enough to scare away most possible conquerors by presence alone.

Of course, there were invaders who eventually went above and beyond the norm in their efforts. Solar Princess did not pity those who might try to attack Equestria. Legends of her past exploits were already being forgotten, and it was a fine ground to make some new ones, much better than before.

She had a plan.

Meanwhile, Luna was choosing her words carefully. "I just so happened to notice a disturbance in the dream realm. Through it, I managed to pinpoint chimaera that was assaulting one of our villages. I was quick enough to beat back this... mongrel. I've saved a family of two before they were devoured, but I was too late to rescue their filly."

Celestia placed a fetlock over Luna's shoulder, looking intently into her eyes. She tensed up and gave an uncertain, almost fearful glance.

Celestia understood her turmoil. She made a delicate, small smile and backed away. "Don't be so hard on yourself. We wield great power, but that is also why our wrongdoings can be severe. Sometimes all the little ones just cannot be saved," she said with great sadness. Luna must've been so heartbroken about it...

"Yes... I... Yes, it seems so," her sister replied meekly, certainly looking like the part.

"I'm sorry." Celestia felt uneasy, knowing well the feeling of failing to save a pony. Her sister's distress was something she shared. "So..." She tried to be reassuring. "Was that invader a good fight for you? Why did it preyed on our subjects? Did you find a way to pacify it somehow?"

"Pacify?" Luna's smile was concerning. "I have dealt with them justly."

Celestia arched a brow, wordlessly demanding an explanation.

Luna obliged, with a glance from a pie, articulating with it like she was trying to make a point, "It was starving, but that is no excuse to attack our ponies. We do not parley with those who want to feed on us, or am I wrong?"

"We've talked about this and these urges to take a life, haven't we? Oh, Sister of mine..." With a sigh, Celestia pulled her into a hug again. "Do you remember that proverb, 'If an eye is taken for an eye, the whole world will go blind'? We must be more careful and to be able to see the alternatives. You could've banished them somehow, at least."

"Could I? I think I did just right," Luna grumped back with a faint but inscrutable smirk, and promptly stuffed that slice of pie into Celestia's mouth.

The bite brought the taste of some strange flavor. Celestia winced in surprise. "Oh... Luna, dear, please be more careful. That's all I ask."

"Is everything alright, Sister?"

"Feels almost like I've bitten on my tongue," Celestia mumbled, processing a sudden numbness in her mouth.

Many tried to poison her before, and it felt oddly similar. Her gaze moved over to the tray with the leftover pie. She made another mental note to send someone to check up on the kitchen staff.

Neither she nor Luna would be affected, but now Celestia worried for whom this pie was even intended. The little ponies of noble rank can sometimes be too carried away in their inner covert plays for power.

"You know, just like you've told me—it's all about eye for an eye, good Sister." Luna smiled.

After seeing her skulking all morning, Celestia was more joyous than ever. She pulled Luna closer, noting how she somehow lost weight. It only made her seem more adorable.

The strange sensation of numbness in the mouth went away just as easily as it came.

"Don't worry about last night, my duckling. I'll look into it and work out compensation for the parents of the deceased. How about that?"

"You're already making my day brighter... Why duckling?" Luna asked back with a hint of curiosity.

"I remembered how we were fillies ourselves." Celestia sighed. "You were always so small..."

"I bet you were lording over me even back then."

"Right you are," admitted Celestia. "I'm glad that we worked disputes over this out of our systems, aren't we?"

"As you say, Sister." Luna had an utterly disarming smile. "You know, our talks always make me feel better, even if they occur much less these days, it seems."

"Yes, we might need to do something about it. I will look into my schedule. Try to get a good rest today, it pains me to see you like that." She glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up hurriedly. "Oh, I've completely forgotten about everything with you... Sister, I am already late for my duties, I've got to canter out of here. And those pancakes are burning again, just look at that!"

Walking away, she swiped with her aura the tray with the pie and dropped it all into the trash can.

To be frank, Celestia never understood children completely. When you are an immortal alicorn, some norms inevitably deviate under the duress of time. Once she learned to fake a motherly approach until it became akin to her expertly crafted facade, it was her go-to tactic because it was just so effective.

Ponies were born, grew up, withered, and died while seeing her act like their unchanging guardian. For their sake, she wouldn't want it any other way.

Her approach to grown-up ponies was the same as it was with colts and fillies, but the children were slightly more manageable and predictable. She enjoyed visiting them for a single day each month, answering their lively questions, and watching them change and grow over time.

These visits usually included one to a local orphanage and the other to a fresh batch of students enrolled in the School for Gifted Unicorns. She kept an especially keen eye on the students. Sadly, they rarely genuinely impressed her, but when they did, the result each time was truly remarkable.

Today, however, she was with orphanage kids. At exactly four o'clock, she walked slowly through the sunlit park with them. Light danced on her golden regal jewelry. She looked like she shone from inside, all motherly and pleasant, with unfurled wings to grant little ponies a scant shadow in her presence.

Each one of them was bestowed with attention filled with uttermost care. The bystanders were always stopping nearby to appreciate the procession. Some of them were engaging in reminiscence about their similar walks with the ruler of Equestria.

She knew that these moments would be forever imprinted in the ponies' very beings, so the Sun always shone brightly on this day, and the weather was always pleasant. Today, she was an inspiration, a living idea, and not some ruler that existed elsewhere, but an embodiment of virtue.

It's only logical, though, that kids rarely surprised her with their questions and antics. Between all the showings of crayon drawings of her, crudely constructed poems and other expressions of love, or queries like "how much do you care about us", "how did you become an alicorn" and "when do I receive a cutie mark", there wasn't anything that she wasn't prepared for. Anyway, Celestia enjoyed every opportunity to impart her teachings to young ponies.

But one little colt that she hadn't seen before was special with his questioning.

"Why aren't you married?" at first he asked curiously,

To that, Celestia replied naturally, with a content smile, "I've never fallen in love with any stallion, nor was there any to spark my interest. Now my heart belongs only to Equestria, and is shared among all my subjects equally."

The child wasn't satisfied. "What about Princess Luna?"

Celestia patiently replied, "I love my Sister dearly. We have an unbreakable bond as co-rulers and alicorns, and a duty to watch over the sky, over the lands beneath, over the dreams, and over the little foals like you, my precious pony."

"Why don't you marry her?"

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle, and most of foals around her laughed with her too. The child beamed somewhat bashfully. He was too young to remember Nightmare Moon as a real alicorn, let alone know about her banishment and connection to Luna.

So, that's what a new generation would think nowadays?

When the laughter died out, she leisurely began, "See, my little pony, the thing is..." and then hesitated, thinking.

She cleared her throat and then walked slower, glancing at other kids. They were all curious about her answer now.

"Though your question is valid and understandable, she is my sibling, little one. You wouldn't marry your sibling, this goes against nature's law," she explained, even though her memory quickly brought up a dozen cases of such incestual matrimony between nobility and royalty, all long in the past.

"But you will be together forever. And you love her, you said so yourself."

"It isn't something that I would like to discuss, but I thank you for your question. It's a curious thought to think about, but it's only a thought, a fantasy, and nothing more," she said earnestly, but with almost palpable humility in her voice, hoping that it would be enough to satisfy a child.

It seemed to be. She turned to others, but now it lingered in her mind.

After all the hard work she's done and all the social meetings and events, she was laying in bed and ready to sleep, and it was still lingering.

How obnoxious.

It isn't like the idea was even new to her—a long life leaves room for the exploration of all kinds of thoughts and desires. But, when she saw Luna in the kitchen at the morning and internalized how affectionate she was, she couldn't stop replaying in her mind all the conversations they had, down to the last syllable.

'Something had changed.'

There was a time when such thoughts would be swept away instantly and wouldn't impede her at all. A child asked something ludicrous, as simple as that. Children, or ponies in general, are often like that, aren't they? She has much more pressing concerns, far more befitting her standing and discipline. Taxes, decrees, and reforms—all in all, a labor of love for a radiant ruler such as her.

She buried herself deeper into pillows, wrapping her mind all around these ideas. The distraction worked barely, and soon the thoughts began to flood her anew. Luna was surely desensitized to her presence, they almost needed to begin their relationship anew since her return… Celestia could say that in the past years she learned about Luna and her feelings much more than ever before her banishment.

And now she knew how Luna always struggles with feelings...

Celestia felt her heart sink as she looked at the faraway Moon shining in the night sky.

They might need to talk.

Dreams were unpleasant. She hardly even slept, tossing and turning in sweat.

Something was wrong.

In the dreamscape, through flashes of her visions, she saw Luna somewhere near but always beyond her reach. Was it clairvoyance? A nightmare?

Celestia lived without nightmares for so long that she forgot how to deal with them.

She woke up listening to how the clock struck.

Pushing against the feather bed, she rose with a slight groan. She felt her body tinge, reconnecting with a power unknown to most mortals, and then looked towards the vinyl in the corner. Music began to play.

What she experienced wasn't an awful feeling, but it wasn't a good one either. Celestia stepped into horseshoes, going on with the normal routine. The raising of the Sun and looking over Canterlot was always an invigorating act, washing away all trepidation and filling her with firmness. The dawn inspired in her a new, gentle smile, with which she looked back at the mirror inside her chambers.

She was satisfied with what she had seen—how she was standing there on a balcony, surrounded by flowers. It was exactly how she wished to be seen, and it was exactly who she was.

The day was beginning strong, and after all the necessary meetings with aides and planning, she walked into the dining room in high spirits. Luna wasn't there after her night shift. Instead, a dish with a pile of freshly cooked pancakes was placed on a familiar small table, with the newspaper for today at the side.

On every other day, it would be a most welcoming sight for Solar Princess: an extra sign of attention from her beloved sister, what's not to like? But now, inspecting a small note left with the dish, she couldn't shake off her anxious feel.

Hornwriting in modern Ponish looked to be done diligently but was atrocious nonetheless.

Done with love, as you advised me. I will see you at duskfall. Luna ♡

The luxurious bath was decorated with the finest fabrics and trims and filled with warm, bubbling water. It was the ultimate place of respite, perfect for relaxation and unwinding after a long day. Rich furniture was placed here, and by night it was always lit with candles and flickering torches.

It was a place of pure indulgence and luxury, perfectly suited to the tastes and sensibilities of any royal. Artisans and designers went far above and beyond here. Quite a few craftsponies, marked with special talents and powers, clashed over it, trying to make it the finest and most splendorous in all of Equestria. Fates were trampled down in the rush to complete this project because the masters considered the end result to be their masterpiece, and now shifts of several ponies were required to maintain the baths, all ready to come at the call—not speaking about the guards, strategically placed at the exits.

None of both Royal Sisters cared about the result. The only thing that Celestia specifically requested was a window wide enough for a good view over the skyline. And, since Sisters were the only ones who usually visited the place, most of the time it remained without their attention.

That evening, it was filled with the light of dusk. Celestia desired to throw off gnawing melancholy. She was completely still, keeping her wings unfurled and letting her mane flow with the water. Her eyes were trained upwards at the brightly lit sky, rich with colors.

No tasks and no troubles were there to gnaw at her. The passage of time went on especially slowly, but she always made an effort to keep track of it in her mind.

She wanted to think about something other than Luna. But everything felt so mundane and trivial now, compared with the perspective of meeting up with her again, that Celestia was almost in awe of how easily she could succumb to trepidation.

Luna meant almost everything to Celestia.

She heard doors open and shifted her gaze. Her socialite training, instilled over centuries, prevented her from frowning or expressing joy, so she just settled on a pleasant confusion. Celestia took a moment to take in Luna's visage, noting her powerful legs and the silvery garb. The stars that adorned her nocturnal mane shone especially brightly.

Her striking green eyes moved over to Celestia. Their gazes locked.

"Am I intruding, Sister?" Luna asked in her strident, stentorian voice, which could affect any pony.

"Not at all." Celestia smiled warmly, maintaining her elegance. She shifted her eyes to her servants. "Please, you can relieve us for the evening. My thanks."

Luna waited for them to leave, and only then settled in the warm water at the opposite corner. She slowly relaxed with a content sigh, half-closing her eyes. Celestia watched closely how Luna's lips curled up in a smile for a second, and then how this smile immediately dissipated when she looked back again. "Celestia. Looking lovely as always," she said after a momentary pause.

"So are you, my dear."

"My, what a respite this place is... I hope your day is treating you well, and your visit here was unwarranted."

Celestia slightly pursed her lips, cocking her head to the side. "Sister, why are you here at this hour?"

Luna smiled, repeating the movement. She looked more lively than usual—she managed to have a good sleep, no doubt. "I'll be honest, Sister dear, I wanted to check up on you, that is all. But it is a fine start for a night, is it not?... To see you in all your glory and splendor."

"I didn't know you enjoyed looking at me that much," Celestia gave off a short, courteous laugh and looked wistfully at the window. "Do you remember when we were still young? My mind often ventures to those days, to all the little adventures we shared when this land was still unexplored and needed to be tamed."

"I do remember." Luna's voice was cautious. "All these politics and power plays, hunting monsters and dealing with those who could threaten our regime ourselves, not by throwing at them our proteges... Don't you want to do something like that once again?"

"You know me well, my Moonlight, but no. I'd take hard-earned stability over unpredictability and struggle, because stability is all that matters in the end."

Luna looked dissatisfied somehow. "What is on your mind now?" she asked. "What exactly do you remember so fondly? Weave the tale."

"We were on this foraging expedition for magical artifacts once. A few wrong turns in cavern systems underneath what would be today's Canterlot forced us to split. Our search led us in different directions, since I wanted to stay closer to the surface, while you—well, you always were more friendly with the dark."

"Those caverns and their reflective surfaces fascinate me to this day..." Luna blazed her teeth in a wistful smile. "A place rich with the most treacherous of magic."

"So, we knew that we would find each other no matter what, and I suppose our actions were motivated by some petty argument back then. You were holding a grudge over some of my decisions, and I wanted to be more liberal with where I could take our fledgling nation." Celestia smiled. "We knew almost nothing of the Harmony as it is today, and I thought that crystals in the cavern could become great bargaining chips for the purposes of uniting pony tribes and enticing them into working together. And now, the capital of our great realm is built upon the very same caverns. Don't you find some irony in it?"

"I believe those crystals were sufficiently valuable to export and sell to warrant such a decision and compensate for the construction of a city. Also, the place is feasible; I'll give you that."

"I quickly regretted our decision to split, anyway. I never felt confident enough underground, even though I'd wanted to look otherwise. These wings are meant to soar, not to walk around with them in pitch-black darkness and listen to distant noises," Celestia chuckled. "In any rate, I've tried to return on a path where you would be, but instead somehow ended up right amidst sleeping cockatrices."

Luna leaned closer, clearly intrigued.

"I was proud, even arrogant, back then," continued the Solar Princess, "but cockatrices were also far more primal and dangerous than they are nowadays, after years of careful selection and controlling the population. That is a general take on wildlife and nature in itself: everything in it inherently wants to kill a pony. I'm not entirely sure, but some of those cockatrices of yore might've been even intelligent."

"That means that the current strain of cockatrices, you might say, was non-directly created by you?" Luna raised a brow, smiling. "That might explain why I so often see them in the wild around Canterlot. That is very fascinating, good Sister."

"Indeed. I needed to hide my light there and try to walk as quietly as possible, which is not an easy task when you have hooves, and underneath you is a stone floor." Celestia laughed. "I was so afraid! I believe I can't ever look at anything resembling a chicken since then. Their eyes, their beaks... It all terrified me to a core, and I needed to act as fast as equinely possible. But, quite soon, I tripped over the tail of one, and then a real nightmare began.

"They all launched at me, but they did not try to just gaze me into stone; no, no—they had a bite. I was smaller back then, so I managed to stuff myself into some gap and was bucking for the life of me any of those who tried to reach me."

With a laugh, Celestia repeated the motion from memory, making a splash. Luna snorted; she was invested now. "And? What happened next?"

"Why, dear Sister, you happened of course. Long story short, I've heard your voice somewhere from the back of a cave, and you weren't slouchy with your expressions, not at all. I believe it was..." Celestia paused, recollecting. "Ye, cockbucking flops of evolutionary mistakes! Get away from my big Sister! And then you swooped in and jammed your horn right into the eye socket of the biggest one."

Luna was looking smug. "That is magnificent."

"That gave me an opening. We immediately flew high up and launched beams at these monsters until they ran away or stopped moving. I believe I haven't had fun like that in years." Celestia smiled with pink on her cheeks. "It all was so.. vindicating. And you got quite a haul for us both."

"I'd imagine." Luna sighed. "But it's not like that at all now."

"No," replied Celestia slowly, now not smiling. "Not at all."

They were silent for some time, looking at each other.

"Luna, I understand what you are trying to do, and why you've come here."

"Please, enlighten me, Sister."

"You think that you have developed feelings for me," said Celestia calmly. She needed to exercise some self-control to not sound accusatory.

Luna was silent, which meant that the Solar Princess guessed correctly.

"You even seem to have instructed some child to speak to me about our possible... union," continued Princess, sober and confident. "How did you do it? I guess you've implanted it into his dreams. That doesn't matter. Luna, understand that for me, this isn't a bad feeling. It's just your affection. You love me, yes, but there is nothing more to it."

She was still silent.

"You are fond of me." Celestia slightly shifted her forelegs below the water. "That is fine. That is... good. I appreciate you too, very much! Why, I adore you, Sister. You were always by my side, and the story I've told is the rawest example of how I rely on your support. I want to spend an eternity with you, and only you, and I know that you are always nearby, ready to pull me from the darkness, and I can do the same for you. You know that I did." Celestia tried to maintain a smile. "But, when you raise the topic of marriage... You must understand that this is inappropriate. This is not how I see you..."

A strained silence followed.

"How do you see me, Celestia?" Luna eventually responded, quiet and morose.

Celestia sharply inhaled. Luna's eyes were wet. Trails of tears glistened on her muzzle.

It was disheartening... Celestia felt truly sick. Her words stuck in her throat. She tried to reach out to console, but her sister recoiled from the touch.

It hurt.

"You still think of me as a monster, do you?" Luna whispered with a hiss.

"No!" Celestia was genuinely startled. "No, you don't understand, I've given you my friendship, we sisters, confidants, even more, but we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders! This isn't something that can be taken lightly... It is not..."

"You do not believe me." Luna jerked her head up, fixing her with accusatory glare. "Well, I can't conceal what I feel anymore. I do not want to see you with anyone else, and I do not want to be alone no longer."

"How can you speak like that?..." Celestia was completely flabbergasted, which happened to her rather seldom, if ever.

"You always leave me alone. That's just who you are." Luna hissed cruel, twisted words. "There is no love to speak of, as you will always place yourself first!"

"You know that this is not true!" She did not like how weak her own voice sounded. "Moonlight, please do not speak to me like that! What I do, I strive to do for the good of all."

"No, Celestia." Luna raised her tear-filled eyes, giving a direct, accusatory look. "You hate me."

The alicorn tried again to reach for her, whispering, "No, this is not right...", but her sister had already stood from the water.

The feeling of impending doom engulfed Celestia. Her horn began to shine from all her emotions, and she clenched her jaw. All of a sudden, her heart was squeezed by a cold grip. She just couldn't withstand how eerie and beautiful Luna was before her sight. Waning sunlight was playing off her wet flanks and back.

Celestia never really noticed before how much she had grown, actually. How regal she is. How much poise emanated from her little sister, wounded by the conversation. When she stroked back a glance with watered eyes, Celestia felt not her but herself to be a monster. Irredeemable. Pathetic. Miserable.

Deeply ashamed by all of this, she submerged in the water, trying in vain to hide her reddened face. She felt how her heart was throbbing madly. And Luna, as if she perfectly understood the inner turmoil of her older sister, wasn't in any rush to leave. Her horn faintly and colorlessly shimmered. Her aura grabbed a towel, and she slowly moved it across her back, along those petite and gentle curves.

Celestia realized that she was withholding breath.

Lust, spreading from the lower abdomen, was pompous and infectious. Celestia again nervously shifted her legs, trembling, not understanding what was going on with her. Why, after all these years, is she feeling this right here, right now? It had never been so vivid. Never with any other mare or stallion in all her long, long life.

Maybe because it was meant to be?

Maybe it's just their fate?

After everything?

What a cruel joke...

She pulled a low, long, quiet whinny.

Luna moved the towel between her legs now, caressing her inner thighs with it. Her celestial tail slightly shifted to the side...

Celestia couldn't watch any further. She felt so degraded and awful. She shrank to a pathetic primal creature, hugging herself under the water, averting her gaze. She simply wanted it all to already end.

"Is everything alright, Sister?" Luna asked with almost mocking concern.

'Please, don't speak to me,' she thought. Celestia feared for her, for what will happen if they both will lose control now. For Equestria, she must to be stronger than that. "Yes, it's fine," Celestia smiled, still avoiding eye contact.

At least she could still smile like usual, with an assuring, but ultimately fake, confidence.

How did she go from being regal and confident to a mare who is vulnerable and confused?

Luna had been gone for some time, but Celestia was still in the water, looking blankly at the darkened sky. Her mind was a whirlpool of raw emotions that she didn't even knew she had.

The forbidden attracts, it seems. It entrances. And now, everything felt as if balked by this thought...

Why did she hurt her again?

It isn't right...

Celestia made an effort to get out of the water, but then she noticed the towel left lying on the floor.

That towel. It was smelling like Luna.

Celestia felt awful, sick.

Her head was spinning.

Her mind went numb.

She was remembering how Luna was moving it down, wiping herself. She pulled the towel closer to her face, trembling in anticipation and feeling dryness in her mouth.

"..."

She tossed the towel into the pool and pressed a foreleg against the temple. "Focus, Celestia. It isn't you. It isn't right."

Then gulped, licked her lips, and proceeded with a few small breathing exercises.

'Everything will get better.'

She looked at the window and watched how the Moon already slowly and steadily crept upwards, then turned away. Even looking at it was too painful.

It was almost like a thousand years ago, only somehow even worse.

"Is this what you want, Antiquity?"

Step 3 — "Life keeps on trotting" — Princess Twilight Sparkle

Deep in the bosom of the night, Ponyville was a safe and familiar place that was slumbering under a distant blanket of watchful stars.

A mysterious, benevolent artist had covered its canvas with a beautiful scene and then breathed life into it, and it brought the warmth of the hearth, and the little city became filled with decorated houses that spoke loudly of the affable characters of their owners, and the street corners blossomed with the colors of flowers that were waiting for an observer's eye. The clear fresh air was a sweet feast for the soul, leaving it always longing.

Everything here seemed magical.

Twilight's spacious study, doubling as her bedroom, remained an exception—it was magical without a shred of a doubt. Magic was all over the place, awaiting for a discovery amid all the ancient and new books on bookshelves, as well as various gizmos, appliances, and apparatuses, and even on a desk with papers (and more books), and especially in the corner, where an alicorn peacefully slept.

She had a knack for creating highly organized artistic bedlam. Come, take a closer look at her—just who sleeps like that, for example? One foreleg was on an opened book, and the other one hanged from the bedside. Both wings were looking in totally different directions. Blindfolds were moved down on the muzzle and now obstructed the snout, so the mouth was opened wide to compensate. Her loud snores were befitting a lumbersome foal, not a Princess. A big, colorful nightcap almost fell from her head and was dangling on the last inches of the tip of a horn.

And yet she was so cozy, so drowning in softness… Only a slight personal touch was enough for her to reach a perfect harmony of comfort.

So she slept soundly, until—

"Twilight!"

A new day broke in. The young alicorn stirred and, completely clueless, almost fell to the floor.

"No-no, I'm not oversleeping, am I?"

She removed the blindfolds, blinking rapidly like a startled little critter. She still had time aplenty; that was simply Spike who urgently waddled in. His clawed hand held a scroll with a familiar seal.

"What's going on?" murmured Twilight grumpily, still tucked too perfectly to stand up right away. The ratio of comfort and warmth was so good that it could be measured with the pyrometer to the last number of a degree and then used in a couple of formulas. While waiting for an answer from the young dragon, her mind blissfully departed on a short adventure while figuring out a practical use for such a calculation. Maybe a potion that instantly warms you? Or something to make you sleep easier? Oh, but it can be used for both—

"Twilight, a letter from the Princess!" exclaimed Spike, standing on tiptoe.

A letter! Twilight was forced to pull herself up. Her shimmering horn, unraveling parchment, was acting as a bedside lamp. Sadly, the lines of writing were short, concise, and overly formal.

"She didn't send anything like this in years." Twilight yawned, inspected the letter from both sides, and then sank back into a puffy pillow, discontented. "Alright... I didn't dream up that stuff about the wedding, either... Celestia wants us to hurry up with plans and make it to Canterlot post-haste. Good thing I haven't got around to tell the girls, I guess."

"Did something happen?" Spike caught the parchment and carefully folded it.

Twilight inspected the ceiling. "Not sure. Well, maybe, but there's no mention of it, so you know how it is. We'll find out on the spot."

"Uh-huh, yeah. Wanna me send messages to others to gather up?"

"Spike, yes! Thank you. Write them: It is urgent. They can have breakfast here."

"Looks like I'll also get to cooking, then," Spike grumbled, but Twilight knew that it was in a good heart. He always loved to cook for his friends.

A clock said that Twilight had a chance to catch a shut-eye for at least an hour, but she kept turning in the bed, not being able to, excited for the day.

Who could ever think that she would have a chance to organize a royal wedding once more? Even the fact that she had to expedite the process didn't make her waver. Everything would be just right!

Or at least, it should be.

They were gathering around an all-familiar Cutie Map, as usual. Twilight was so giddy that she barely waited until everyone dragged themselves in at this early hour. Surprisingly, Fluttershy was one of the first. She settled down with a cup of warm tea, but her mind was elsewhere, likely all wrapped around her cute animals.

Rainbow dashed in and placed herself in a seat, curious to hear urgent news. Applejack, an early riser, was neatly contrasting in her collected demeanor with Pinkie Pie, who had arrived at the same time and looked prepared to throw herself into any activity. Starlight had helped Spike conjure up a simple meal and was serving, glancing at Twilight with worry.

Rarity practiced being fashionably late, so everyone waited for her a few extra minutes. It was reasonable, as she had a boutique to run and was in a huff about it.

When they finally gathered, Twilight wasn't dragging it along. She tapped her hoof for attention, beamed, and declared, "Princess Celestia came in yesterday. She wants us to organize a wedding ceremony for her tomorrow evening."

"Wha-a!? She's marrying?" Dash jumped up from the seat, mouth agape.

Everyone was surprised. Pinkie spat juice right onto the Cutie Map. Rarity was the only one who didn't overreact, uttering with a wave of a forehoof, "And you did wait to tell us since yesterday? Darling, that is simply uncouth."

"Sorry, girls." Twilight smiled sheepishly, her cheeks burning hot. "I wanted to lower the odds of spreading rumors. It seems like it was a good call, especially because she's, um, marrying Princess Luna."

Everyone again shared dumbfounded happy looks, with a quiet 'Oh, my' from Fluttershy. Pinkie, again in the middle of drinking, spat out juice for a second time.

"That's all news?" She giggled unabashedly, already ready to fix the mess with a napkin. "'Cause I'm warnin' you, I have more here!"

"Well, slap on me a mark an' call me a piglet, hon', if it's some prank you're pulling on us." Applejack frowned.

"Yes, it seems improbable." Starlight nodded, not wasting time and already cleaning her plate with a breadcrumb. "Are you sure it isn't a prank she is pulling on you?"

"By all that is magic, no!" Twilight bit on her hoof, thinking. "She would never! Would she?"

"Yeah, she just might!" said Dash with a giggle.

"I was here when she announced that, you know." Spike walked around in an apron, collecting dishes and giving out seconds for the hungriest. "She seemed genuine to me."

"Are you sure it's not a day when they pull hoaxes in Canterlot?" Applejack pondered aloud.

"Hey, I've lived there; I'd know." Twilight smiled, procuring the parchment. "Girls, that's no prank, or a canterlotian practical joke, or anything of the sort. Look, here's the letter she sent overnight."

Everyone eyed that short formal letter.

Applejack shrugged, not looking too happy about the whole ordeal. "Don't get me wrong, y'all, but that's something that came out of the blue to me. Royalty, right? Figures."

"Oh, that is precisely that." Rarity, meanwhile, completely shifted gears, and considering her wistful look, she was already mulling over some ideas and designs of her own. "We can't really judge the notion, can we? We can only try to imagine their love... Oh, you simply think of a spectacle, now!"

"Think of a bash we'll throw in!" Pinkie was in her own world. "We're gonna have so much fun!"

Pinke reared up with a huge smile on her face, and promptly, from somewhere behind her seat, sudden confetti launched all over the place. Fluttershy gasped. Dash winced. Both of them got hit by most of the colorful glitter, and immediately got busy with scraping it from their manes and food.

"Girls, regarding parties..." Twilight frowned, not wishing to sour the mood. "Since Royal Sisters want to marry on such short notice, we have no time to plan an extravagant and elegant ceremony. I think the most correct solution would be to host the wedding in some public but secluded place with a limited number of attendees—mostly closest friends, nobility and gentry, and the like. We can always schedule a grand celebration for the whole Equestria for later."

"I guess you already have a place in mind?" asked Starlight curiously.

"I know just a perfect one! Canterlot Royal Library!" Twilight beamed proudly and then was taken aback when everyone began to quietly snicker about it. "What?"

"Twilight, you egghead, you." Dash snorted. "Never change."

"Wha-a-at?... Come on, girls." Twilight's smile was awkward but happy. "It's a huge place, it's well-known, and it's decorated with all those statues... and it certainly would raise everypony's interest in reading! A very memorable idea, don't you think?"

"No denyin' that!" Applejack interjected. "It's, uh, y'know, seems like something only you would propose."

They all shared a laugh.

"Oh, I need to prepare my songbirds for a choir." Fluttershy rose from her seat in a hurry. "I know how Celestia loves that, and we have only so much time!"

"Yeah, ah' reckon we already need to get packin'." Applejack stood at her place as well.

"Way ahead of ya!" Pinkie Pie pulled from her spacious mane a briefcase, bulging from all kinds of stuff. "I always drag along all I ever need for a party!"

"Well, Pinkie, some of us have other responsibilities, you know." Rarity cocked her snout, but said it in the most lighthearted way possible.

"Girls, I'll get us tickets for a train in an hour, but please, don't be hasty for now," pleaded Twilight, getting more serious. Her eyes darted to Starlight at her side.

Dash, already at the door, turned back with a grumpy sigh.

"I never was at weddings before..." chirped Starlight nervously, playing around with her mane.

Twilight frowned, subduing an unpleasant knot in her stomach. It would be better to deal with the hard part now.
"Ever since Elements of Harmony broke some time ago," she began, glancing at the girls (and Spike), "every day I wake up with a feeling of an impending disaster that can strike at any hour."

"There is nothing that we can't solve, Twi," reassured Dash, while others began to nod in accordance. "Let it come! We'll kick everything into high gear and take it on, as we always do!"

"Yes, but we need to plan for the worst occasions anyway," objected Twilight. "This rush with the wedding is very concerning to me, and I hope that my worries are in vain, but something just feels off, you know? We better approach it with all the care we possibly can."

The girls didn't try to debate. Starlight already figured that Twilight wanted something from her, and now she was just looking expectantly, keeping her ears drooped down.

"Starlight." Twilight gulped down a lump in her throat. "I am very sorry, but I need someone to stay here and watch over the treasury, especially over the… ah, the shards of the Elements, because… considering what shape they're in, well... To hoof, Sunset should soon come over, and I don't know when exactly—there is some dilution of time between our universes, I think. If everything goes well, you both should arrive for the afterparty and, of course, stay until the big event for all of Equestria takes place. The wedding of Princesses, after all, has no precedent in all recorded history!"

"I understand," Starlight answered plainly, but Twilight still saw hurt behind her smile.

"This is very important." Twilight sighed and placed her fetlock on Starlight's shoulder. "You're the only one that I can rely on with this, and after the ceremony wraps up, I'll make my way back to Ponyville posthaste to keep watch instead of you. Seems only fair."

"Twilight, I understand, and I won't take it close to heart. Just have fun out there, okay? I promise I'll keep watch over everything in Ponyville." Starlight patted her assuredly, and her eyes darted between the others. "Do make it worthwhile, guys."

"You bet we'll do!" With a huge, cheerful smile, Pinkie Pie pulled them both into a hug. "I will save for you slices of all the cakes there are! 'Specially the wedding one!"

All the others got closer too, partaking in this small group hug. They were like a family, after all.

"Thank you, Starlight." Twilight pulled back, flashing a coy but warm smile. "I trust you completely."

The city, nestled on the slope of a great mountain, was like a hit of radiant dawn after an especially grueling and long night. If Ponyville was homely, Canterlot remained grandiose and ancient.

Ever since she could remember, Twilight was always drawn to it. She could walk across wide streets and take in the sights of local architecture for ages and never get tired of being amazed by all the history that this place implied. Renovations, new additions, spots of conflicts of old—Canterlot in itself was like a permanently open book, and all you needed to read it was to show some skill.

Nowadays, many legends from days long gone have walked the proverbial pages of this 'book', and it always felt strange. How can you settle the feeling that you can see a famous historical figure right in front, but in flesh and blood, the same as you? While the ruler of ponies, Celestia, with her dark-coated sister, is almost a usual sight for you; and at the same time, you are one of the Princesses of the realm too? It all was mind-blowing for little Twilight, so she tried not to dwell on it too hard.

Life keeps on trotting anyway, whatever your standing in it may be. And so there were tasks at hoof, and the Princess of Friendship got in the thick of things. Plans, meetings, and decisions—all needed to be done fast and without much fuss in front of the public, though it was a given that rumors spread like wildfire and the citizens of Canterlot already knew about an upcoming wedding. The air was already soaked with anticipation of festivity. Some enterprising vendors have already tried to merchandise the event, selling souvenirs.

Since street trading in the ancient city of Canterlot was frowned upon, most of these merchants preyed upon visiting tourists and guests. Twilight got a look at their work firsthoof when she stumbled into Stygian on the exit from the Royal Library and saw him wearing a shirt with Celestia and Luna emblazoned on it.

"Hello there!" Twilight smiled, beckoned by her natural curiosity to examine the picture. It was nothing unusual, only both Royal Sisters staring at each other with lovey-dovey eyes.

"Your Highness." Stygian nodded. Ever since he was rescued from the Dark with her help, the gloomy unicorn acted a bit inadequate in her presence. Twilight understood his dilemma and bore no grudge; after all, he was at the lowest of the lows when they happened to be acquainted, being full of jealousy and bitter hatred.

"I bought your latest bestseller recently! Very impressive work! Too bad I didn't bring it with me, I wouldn't mind an author's autograph," she tried to ease him.

Stygian responded with a shy smile of his own, acknowledging the effort. "Aye, ponies love a good mystery. Though, I'd believe its success is more due to my renown, lest than anything else."

"No, it's genuinely a good book! I enjoyed it very much!" chirped Twilight, and Stygian's smile became more earnest.

"Am I distracting?" said Stygian, hesitating. "You seem to be in a hurry."

"No! Well, yes, but you're exactly the pony I wanted to look for. Is Starswirl somewhere around? He wouldn't miss the big event, would he?"

"No, he certainly wouldn't. I believe he should be in the Tower, conducting his research."

Stygian waved in the direction of the outskirts. Ever since Starswirl the Bearded returned from limbo, he got busy constructing his own magic tower, because apparently, 'great wizards require great towers'. Twilight could relate as she had to her name a whole castle on a tree—basically a tower, right?

"So he returned from the Dragon Lands already? And they finished the building?" Twilight became all excited. "That's so wonderful! Can you please take me to him, if you don't mind? I've never been there, and it would be just embarrassing to become lost! I'm on a schedule, after all."

"I think you can hardly confuse the Starswirl's Tower with anything else, but aye, sure."

They made their way through Upper Canterlot, chattering about the upcoming wedding. As a fellow student of the magic arts, Twilight felt some kinship with Stygian. Despite being gloomy and slightly arrogant, he was actually a fairly nice guy—like it often was with those who committed to putting up a front.

They were both enjoying the festive ambience.

This happiness was perceived by Twilight as a product of cognitive dissonance—something menacing was dawning, and yet the city remained oblivious and merry. If only she could take a prolonged break from preparations…

The Starswirl's Tower was composed of crystal and what seemed like bark, and it grew directly from the uppermost outer side of a circular platform that hosted the city. Twilight recognized the intent of it: the platform would keep expanding to allow more buildings to be placed in the city area, and the Tower would always move with its edge. The Tower seemed huge—but not huge enough to overshadow everything in its vicinity—and it looked like a staple of the ego of the aging wizard. Not that Twilight had anything to say about it, of course. As one of the closest figures to royalty and the mage of Equestria, Starswirl owned all the acknowledgment of his talent he could get.

"Well, as they say—Canterlot is the city of towers!" Twilight joked, checking out from the ground level the craftsmanship of stonework and nature magic. It was astonishing.

"Sincerely, the old Pillar of Sorcery allowed himself such luxury even when he was living in Everfree," Stygian grumbled, as if some of the dark past were never put behind them proper.

"What was he like in the old days, anyway?" Twilight glanced at him askance, curious.

"Starswirl never changed." Stygian shrugged.

Past the entrance and watchful guards, they continued into a hallway. Twilight immediately noted a familiar spiral-like architecture. It seemed like the Starswirl's Tower too sprang from a seed of some kind. The place was not lived in, and the worker ponies were leaving here luggage belonging to the wizard. Twilight sneaked a peek into a cart that was left by the wall. The gilded picture frame glistened under the cover, dusty and worn. The depicted middle-aged unicorn had a familiar look to him, coupled with an unsettling gaze under the bushy brows.

"He's moving everything that ever belonged to him," Stygian commented. "Everything that he could scrounge up, that is."

"Do you think that any of his relatives are still around?" Twilight asked without a second thought.

Stygian grimaced briefly, with a flash of pain behind his eyes. "Not that I heard of," he uttered strenuously, walking further.

"I didn't mean to..." Twilight hurried along. Her ears drooped down.

"Aye, ain't those words as old as time itself? Nevertheless, that's fine." Stygian made a strange expression, a smile bordering on a smirk.

As far as Twilight knew, at least one descendant of Stygian lived to this day. Their relationship was strained… She dropped the subject.

The sound of the clockwork was filling her ears. She sensed the best smell of all: the smell of books.

When they made their way into the arcane workshop, placed at the core of the Tower, Twilight couldn't stop the rise of rapturous amazement. It was a haven. A dangerous haven, just as she'd like: everything here was a mystery, a puzzle to be solved.

The weaves of intricate magic were strong in this place.

The room was much bigger than from the outside, which led her to believe that dimensional tampering was involved. The whole structure vaguely resembled an ascending spiral with circular tiers, one built upon the other. An educated guess was enough to presume that each of the floors corresponded to its own section of the art of magic. Twilight's heart swelled when she thought about the implications of what this place could offer. Here, at the tips of her hooves, was a life-long journey into the mystery of all things... It was quite possibly the greatest library she could ever imagine.

This was a workshop in which she may even properly fix the shattered Elements...

But the centerpieces of Starswirl's Tower weren't contained on its floors, or even what they could offer to a curious gaze. These were two things that immediately drew the attention of anyone walking inside the hall.

The first one was an hourglass suspended far above in the tower beneath the roof. It was surrounded by audibly ticking chronometers that were embedded into walls at different angles, and supported by smooth, black rope-like vines. Those were stretching between the clock hands that were assiduously composed to move in the desynchronized matter, which made the hourglass slowly turn in the air. A shimmering iridescent substance, clearly seen behind thick glass, was pouring from one side to another.

"Omygosh! Sweet Celestia!..." was all that Twilight mustered up while trying to figure out the purpose of the weird contraption. There was a mix of all colors, predominantly bright violet… The only thing that she could associate it with was raw magic—the essence of creation itself.

But then her eyes moved down, and she forgot even about the hourglass.

Directly in the center of a room, on a small pedestal covered with runes, there was a second notable exemplar of high-end magic: a sapling of an immaculately white tree. Its dressing of leafage danced under an otherworldly wind. Somehow it seemed ancient and serene, and it was compelling the alicorn to take a step closer.

So she did.

To her amazement, the Tree responded to this simple motion. She could've sworn that its trunk slightly gained in girth in her presence. Something special was connecting her to the Tree, something that was waiting for her, and it was instilling in her mind a sensation of complete confidence and calmness. In a brilliant diamond crown of branches and leaves was a special song, elusive, on the border of hearing...

The voices around her helped her snap out of it. With a blush on her cheeks, she finally noticed several ponies that populated the ground floor of the arcane workshop. All of them young mares, several unicorns between them, were looking at her with wary reverence. "Princess", she was hearing their murmur. "It's the Princess."

Stygian, who was still near her, delicately coughed. He hadn't noticed anything out-of-the-ordinary. "It seems that's my cue to leave your illustrious company. Good luck, your Highness; I should be on my way."

"P-please, wait," she asked, placing a forehoof on his shoulder, not wishing to part with him yet. Her eyes darted between the surrounding mares. "Where is Starswirl? I need to see him. And what's that white tree?"

"Why, it is the model of the known world, Princess!" The booming voice of the old mage thundered somewhere from above.

Surprised, Twilight almost jumped. Starswirl somehow sneaked up on her while riding on the magically supported ladder that moved across the room. His beard and a sparkling cloak flew in air, and that gave the aging wizard a strikingly unfamiliar appearance.

Astonished, Twilight's clumsily stumbled upon her words, "What is that supposed to mean? Are we living on a tree? Inside of one? I... do not understand."

"All in due time, Princess. After all, time is a currency, and I would love to invite you for a talk when we both have more to spare," Starswirl offered with a curt smile, as if it wasn't obvious he was simply not wishing for this discussion right now.

Twilight craned her neck and noticed how from the uppermost floors swooped down a figure of an amber pegasus, wearing soldier garb. He landed with a flourish before them all, drawing attention, and then made a ceremonial bow. "Your Highness! Flash Magnus, Pillar of Bravery, Knight of Equestria, and Commander of the Royal Guard. At your service."

"Hello there!" Twilight smiled, aware that his greeting was only part of etiquette, but recognizing a new title. "Are you visiting, too?"

"More or less, ma'am," replied the knight after he exchanged greetings with Stygian. "I've wanted to commandeer some advice from our royal arcanist over here in regards to the stability of the city."

"So something is going on, after all," Stygian murmured.

Starswirl, still riding the ladder, again managed to sneak away to rein in gawking assistants. He was already returning, managing to stroke his great, flowing beard.

"Is there anything I can help with? Is it something related to the magic?" Twilight offered, eager to participate.

"No, there are no problems related to your set of skills, nor should there be any concern at all," Starswirl dismissed.

"But you must admit, that there is a huge condensation of dark energies around the city," said Stygian with a frown.

"That's right!" Twilight realized. "That's why I am feeling so uneasy lately. A storm is brewing… You can sense it too, right?"

"My comrades! Friends! Please, be calm," called out Starswirl with reassuring confidence. "The nuptial is an occurrence above the norm, and it draws the attention of many magical forces and entities. Why, I would not be surprised if even a few stray wendigos show up."

"So I've heard." Magnus shrugged. "I'll make sure that our guard is on high alert anyway, then." He shifted to Starswirl, asking, "But why are you all so chipper about it, old friend?"

"Firstly, it's a great opportunity to conduct a few experiments, which is always a pleasure. Secondly, we have a scholar on matters of the Darkness, and I believe he will recognize if something goes severely out of balance." Starswirl gave a pointed look to Stygian, who grimly nodded in return. "And finally, you all decisively got into a fret over something non-consequential. Twilight, give me a definition of what time is, if you may."

"Oh!" Twilight's ruffled her wings in surprise but picked up without a hitch. "As in concept? It's an immutable stream of events, of course! I learned about it when I was using your spells, Starswirl. Even by traveling back in time, all I did was create self-contained loops or admittedly false alternate realities. Some of them seemed to be more 'magical' and defied any 'logical' explanation, though, but I did not press on with research on that yet. It seemed too dangerous to conduct from Ponyville."

"Your definition is correct!" praised her Starswirl. Twilight's heart swelled with pride, but Starswirl kept going on, "Or, more accurately, it is nebulous and ill-defined, and doesn't recognize the truth of things even nearly, but mostly it is, still, correct. If you are thinking in lame man terms, that is. The understanding of magic truly did not progress that much in the past millennium, is it?..." Starswirl sighed. "So, suppose that I dabble in time magic, or 'chronomancy' if you prefer, and now I'm telling you all that nothing will go wrong." Starswirl glanced at the image on Stygian's shirt. "The Sisters obviously love each other; Celestia had proven it rather decisively. I'd say let them have their explore their familial bond for all of its merit, it won't do any harm to anyone."

"But still, we do need to be prepared for something, aren't we?" Magnus furrowed his brows.

"Sure, sure."

"I also heard that weather pegasi are clearing dark clouds from the skyline for all day long, not letting them drape all over Canterlot," Stygian mused.

"Right now, Rainbow Dash is busy with exactly that." Twilight nodded.

"Celestia's inner turmoil is showing. There is nothing to worry about." Starswirl waved his forehoof dismissively while balancing on a magic ladder.

"Celestia? How it's tied to… O-oh, wait, so Celestia can affect the weather like Luna, too?" Twilight tilted her head, curious.

"But of course! All the destinies of alicorns are directly tied to the intricate inner workings of this world. Yours too, naturally," Starswirl appraised her cutie mark, "but I think the Sun and Moon are rather more self-evident, no?" He raised his demanding voice, drawing attention from everyone in the room. "Everypony! Ease your nerves. As soon as that wedding passes, everything will return to its regular functionality."

"Well, if you say so…" Twilight grumbled and stood up, nervous. "Actually, I should get back on that. I'm the organizer of the wedding, after all! To be honest, I've come here only because of it…" She moistened her lips. "Master Starswirl the Bearded, as the Princess of Friendship, I'd like to extend an invitation to officiate the wedding. If you-If you don't mind, that is."

"That's a new one," muttered Starswirl with a humph.

"Please?" Twilight smiled sheepishly.

"What a splendid idea! Come, old grump, say yes to this bright-eyed girl!" Magnus cheered him on with a huge grin, flying closer to the wizard.

Venerable mage Starswirl the Bearded was Twilight's childhood hero and someone who always inspired her. Despite his seldom unpleasant personality, there was a time when making such a bold request was beyond her wildest dreams, especially in these circumstances...

She noticed how Starswirl shared looks with Stygian—he was the strategist of the old Pillars, after all—and his approving nod sealed the deal. Starswirl sighed in defeat. "Oh, by the stars… Fine. Let it be so."

And Twilight soared with happiness. His magic is second-to-none! This wedding will truly be an unforgettable experience! "Oh, thank you! Praise be Celestia!" she cried, flying a circle around Starswirl. Magnus slapped him on the shoulder, laughing.

The old wizard couldn't contain a smile himself. "One condition, though," he said, trying to remain composed.

"Yes?" Twilight's ears jerked up attentively.

"I am completely new at this and have no heavenly idea of how exactly it should go," said Starswirl with an almost guilt-ridden look. "It would help a great deal if you gave me lines or walked me through a rehearsal."

Celestia looked like a goddess.

In the dimly lit Throne Room she was like a pearl deep in a radiant shell, sprawling her body on the satin of an opulent throne on a pedestal. In comparison to all the splendor of the banners and gold around, she seemed not that big from the entrance, but treading on the rich velvet carpet closer to the throne, it was hard not to recognize how in reality she was looming upon any visitor.

Twilight jorneyed past the murals that were depicting the battles of olden ages, as well as other achievements of her majestic rule—all well-known stories that were telling about someone's anguished struggle, now ingrained into hard and cold-stained colorful glass.

Everything in here was of dark gold and scarlet, wrapped in rich and warm shadows. The dusk sun was unable to fully illuminate this dimly lit hall, but the presence of its light, streaming past the murals and the oval window under the ceiling, felt like another living and watchful entity. While it was so, Celestia somehow remained drenched in the darkness more than usual, despite all the brightness of her coat and multicolored mane.

"Come to me, Twilight," called the Princess. Her tail flicked, betraying anticipation.

Oftentimes, at her side could be seen a darker counterpart, smaller but no lesser, always able to somehow outweigh and cool down the overwhelming and warm presence of Celestia. Not today.

'She doesn't try to be imposing. It is how she is seen,' Twilight needed to remind herself, but goosebumps ran down her spine anyway, and the urge to cover her eyes and bow was creeping up.

When Twilight reached a certain spot, the sunlight that streamed from above momentarily blinded her and masked Celestia's features deeper in shadow. The gleaming purple stone in her peytral and her glowing golden crown both became more pronounced.

The Princess chuckled, and wore a welcoming smile, calling once more, "Don't be shy, Little Light. Come!"

Twilight proceeded to clumsily climb the stairs. A thought crossed her mind: those were specially designed to be inconvenient enough for all who would dare to come this close to feel more inadequate. This thought was quickly pushed away.

Celestia's sheer gravity had pulled Twilight closer. The power of the Solar Princess surrounded her and embraced her in its warmth. Twilight involuntarily squeaked, and found herself under a great white wing.

Celestia laughed yet again. Even her laughter resembled rays of the Sun, somehow. Maybe it is because of how her head bobbed and all the regalia she wore glistened in stray light...

"Twilight... I am most grateful that you've come to Canterlot on such short notice. Sorry that I could only meet you so late. I've been preoccupied," she said with mirth.

"I understand." Twilight smiled, feeling like a filly again.

Memories of time spent under Celestia's tutorage flooded her, complete with the talks not unlike they are having right now. It was strange to consider how, after so many things happening, the warmth of the Sun Princess remained all the same.

It felt like it would be unchanging forever.

But this time there was something new in Celestia's radiant smile as well as in her loving gaze. If Twilight didn't know any better, she would call it desperation.

Twilight was never sure of what to expect in her presence, but from up close, she could tell with certainty that something was wrong. She remembered Starswirl's words about Celestia's inner turmoil, and slowly began to slip into familiar throes of anxiety.

"Is everything alright, Little Light?" Celestia asked. Her wing pulled the little alicorn closer, taking her breath away with the sheer strength of its embrace.

"Princess, I..." Twilight gulped, maintaining the direct gaze with her kind eyes. "I could ask you the same question."

There was a short and pregnant pause between the two. Celestia gave her a pleasant look, just like she often did when her student solved something hard. "Sometimes I forget how observant you can be… My little pony with a vivid imagination and unquenchable thirst for knowledge..."

"That's hardly answering anything." Twilight frowned. "Maybe you mean that I'm imagining things?"

"Oh. No, not at all," Celestia replied, bobbing her head. "What I wanted to say is that I am proud of you, Twilight, of all that you achieved." Celestia studied Twilight's expression and then smiled yet again. "Am I overdoing it with compliments?"

"A little," Twilight admitted, getting cozier. "I don't mind, though. It's just, uh… it only makes me worry more."

Celestia turned her head away, and her wandering gaze went over the room in the direction of guards positioned at the side doors. Twilight couldn't see her muzzle from her angle anymore. Twilight slowly relaxed, resting her head on Celestia's coat. She squeezed her eyes shut, listening to the beat of an equine heart.

Thum. Thum. Thum.

'Just like any other pony.'

"Twilight, what is Equestria?" Celestia asked.

Twilight bit her tongue. Her first response was academic, and it's hardly what Celestia was going for. "Equestria is us. It's all the connections we make between ourselves. It's us ponies, as well as anyone who might call Equestria their home."

"I couldn't imagine a better answer," Celestia praised. "It is me. And you. It is all your friends and all the connections that you've made. It is a place where we can thrive in peace and harmony." She laughed bitterly. "When I was closer to your age I would've said, 'It's only a realm that I am responsible with, nothing else'. But it is something so much more, right? Is it not a nation, diverse, prosperous, and magical?"

Twilight tried to imagine Celestia as someone closer to her own age, but failed. What did she look like, more like Luna? "Maybe, it is even more?" Twilight offered, feeling bold. "Maybe it's a place where anything can happen."

They lapsed into a short silence. "Maybe," Celestia uttered on exhale.
Her horn flared with golden color, and the crown on her head rose to travel in the air. Twilight traced at it with big, awe-stricken eyes and didn't realize at first that it was aiming for her head, and when she did, all shrank up, closing her eyes and baiting her breath.

The crown was too big.

"Princess..." she wheezed from all the rush of emotions.

"You are a Princess too," Celestia reminded. A strange tension was behind her gaze. "After all, we are equals."

In sacred terror, Twilight shook her head, and the crown almost fell down, sliding over the drooped-down ear. Celestia chuckled, fixing it.

As if something like that is a joke to her.

"I am nothing like you are," Twilight tried to retort with all sincerity.

The Princess smiled widely and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. "I am aware of that, my dear. Tell me, now..." She cocked her head, looking mischievous and almost carefree. "Isn't this crown far heavier than it looks?"

"Oh! Um..." Twilight tried to understand the implications, and her cheeks reddened. "N-no, it doesn't feel that way, Princess. It is just a crown, after all. It is more like a symbol..."

Celestia, this sun goddess, laughed once again, and Twilight shyly pulled up a smile too. For all her insight and ability to comprehend, she could never truly figure out what makes Celestia so happy in her presence. After all, Twilight was simply being herself—maybe slightly meeker when near the ruler of all ponies, but nothing more.

"Very good." Celestia narrowed her eyes, shining with pure joy. "I would like to see your own crown like this one, soon. Maybe I would even have a chance to get a glimpse at it..."

"Wait. Soon!?" Twilight jerked upward, and the golden headpiece began to fall off again. "What do you mean by this!? Please tell me that it isn't what I thought you implied. I mean—what is happening? Are you going to go away?"

Celestia became solemn and distant, and she didn't grace her with an answer.

Twilight continued to rack her brain around this slip of the tongue. "Is that what you want to do after the wedding with Luna? Please don't tell me that you intend to see me as a ruler. I-I just like to study and happen to be good at making friends, and—"

"Calm down, Little Light. It's alright." Celestia picked her crown back up and placed it on its rightful place. The hug of her wing tightened. "You are a pony with an incredibly noble soul and a sharp mind. Don't sell yourself too short! You always have more space to grow." She laughed merrily. "But see, this is the point: I can hardly grow anymore, can I?"

"C-Celestia, I..." Twilight squeaked, but it was as if the sun goddess was not noticing her anxiety. Her dreamy look was cast somewhere 'beyond' Twilight, almost as if her gaze was comprehending something entirely else.

"Yes…" Celestia murmured, satisfied. "Obviously, you will tell me that I am wrong, but I have hundreds of years of experience to back up my words. The same can be said for Luna as well." Celestia's aura lightly caressed Twilight's cheek—like a plash of sunlight touched her, leaving a fleeting warm sensation. "Do not be afraid of anything. Providence would have it, everything would turn out fine either way."

"B-but aren't you going to marry Luna? Wouldn't it be a change for you two? A significant one?"

There was a strange and pensive expression on Celestia's muzzle. She frowned, and her subtle desperation returned.
"We will see." She sighed, lowering herself down and leaning closer. "We will see."

Twilight's eyes weiled with sudden tears, and she leaned into Celestia's big, pristine body, curling up under her wing. Celestia was truly wrong, on so many levels… but Twilight couldn't find the right words to argue. She is the Princess of the Sun, after all...

There was a desire to stay still, to be like this forever, and to never open eyes again. To remain in the comfort and security of this warm darkness and to listen to a powerful heartbeat close by. Somehow, it panged her with sweet melancholy.

Twilight finally mustered, resolute. "I won't fail you, Princess."

"I know you won't."

If you dissect a magical pony from Equestria, you may find inside whimsy, adorableness, and determination.
But please, do not go and try to tell this to Twilight—she wouldn't understand the metaphor at first and, rather, will resolutely rebuke your claim with an account of the actual insides of a pony… But afterward, she'd guaranteely conduct independent research to cleanse all suspicions. The process will be messy and overly long, and she will approach it very differently at various points in her lifespan. There would be a lot of mulling over the ethics and possible consequences, and she'd gather as much data as possible from various sources.

Then, she will write a verdict that the results were inconclusive.

That's simply how she is.

But such mares are perfect to move the progress forward because somewhere somepony needs to ask some questions like these: "How can I measure the amount of whimsy? How can I store it? How can whimsy be quantified? Is it really subjective?"

The night was still young, and the Canterlot Royal Library was under heavy renovations. The work mostly stopped for the time being, but the organizers of the wedding found themselves an exception. Only Spike was in deep sleep by now. A protective sound-proofing spell helped immensely.

Twilight was in high spirits. She and the girls were scrambling fast with last-ditch preparations and were now trying to figure out what they could sing at the wedding reception. It was a work in progress, but usually they were going with an even tighter timeframe.
There might be an opinion that singing can't be a priority, but for a pony, a good song can be compared to life's breath. Every last one of them could recognize the importance of a good, cheerful musical number.

And so, Twilight merrily trotted along the corridor, her head already in the clouds of tomorrow, when suddenly she almost got smacked by an opening door. Startled, she jumped back. The young mare on the other side of a door jumped as well. They shared wary looks.

"Starflower?" recognized Twilight. She beamed. "Long time no see! Where have you been?"

Starflower was more or less an old acquaintance from the School for Gifted Unicorns. After Twilight moved from Canterlot and got sucked into the exciting whirlpool that is her life, she simply couldn't keep in touch with a lot of familiar faces. Not that she was terribly social back then, anyway.

Twilight liked Starflower. They shared a few similarities, and Twilight could imagine ending up just like her if Celestia hadn't come around and hadn't lifted her from being all dug up into books.

Also, Starflower had much less magical prowess, of course.

And she had no special magical destiny. And she hadn't undergone a spectacular test when she received a cutie mark while going haywire.

To be frank, Starflower was a rather bland specimen of a pony, all things considered. A dime of a dozen. But she was a scholar through and through, and Twilight respected that (come to think of it, not that she even needed a reason to respect anypony).

"I was in Canterlot," Starflower replied bluntly, and then huffed, walking past the Princess.

Twilight followed, still smiling. "Well, what are you doing here, all alone in the middle of the night? Are you helping with the preparations too?"

"No, I have research to conduct," said Starflower with unnecessary hostility. "I'm just kind of a night owl."

"You disapprove of the wedding ceremony?" Twilight murmured discontently, and Starflower glanced over a shoulder, frowning. "Or just me?" Twilight slightly lowered her head.

"Who cares of what or whom I approve or disapprove," Starflower grumbled. "Some of us have actual work to do, that does not include all this frolicking."

Twilight figured, Starflower's reactions did not mean that Twilight couldn't make a new friend out of her. She cracked tougher ones. The alicorn increased the pace of walking and caught up with the beige unicorn. "Please, can you tell me about your research? I am a kind of scholar too, you know," she said half-jokingly, with a coy smile.

"If you so insist, maybe you could come into my study during working hours, so we could compare our notes and figure something out." Starflower clearly wanted to get rid of the Princess.

"No can do," Twilight shook her head, and her ears adorably flopped. "Maybe after all the celebrations, my work with those is pretty important too."

"Well, ain't that a pity?" Starflower shrugged and somewhat jealously glanced at the alicorn's wings.

"I'd like a good debate around the topics of magical science anyway. I haven't had a nice challenge in years," Twilight said, almost pleading. "It is the subject of your research, right? Maybe I don't need to walk over to your place, 'cause as you might well know, I have created a new type of magic, after all," she delivered a punchline with well-deserved pride.

That totally grasped the attention of the unicorn. Her eyes flared, but she kept her cool. "That's true!… It is called the Magic of Friendship, right?" Starflower tried to sound dismissive. "A special type that works through connections between living subjects, yes?"

Twilight suppressed a short snicker. She loved when someone tried to take a critical approach to the Magic of Friendship and used clarifications and assumptions that seemed necessary in this line of thinking. Amusing.

How could she tell them that they lack proper experience in the matter? Or rather, how could she tell them correctly about it without hurting their feelings? Sometimes she could understand perfectly the willingness of Celestia and Starswirl to be vague, because if ponies do not challenge themselves by accumulating knowledge and finding a grain of truth, what do they even learn in the end? Learning is a journey, sometimes.

Friendship, true Friendship, could be understood and defined only by an individual who lived to experience it.

Meanwhile, Starflower continued her musings. "Yes, para enchantment type, a sub-diffused projection of one's will, heavily based on the Magic of Light with the aid from Elements of Harmony. They are defunct now, so it severely limits the possibility of research, of course. Not to say that there are not enough recorded cases. Also, you are essentially the only one who learned the Magic of Friendship, or at least have the proficiency and suitable education to be called an expert. Based on the evidence, the Light breaks into a spectrum through the passage of a soul, and that makes the output stronger, am I correct? And more users means the magic is more powerful, so it is a symbiotic spell in its nature."

Starflower glanced triumphantly, like a pony who had figured out everything. Twilight smiled. Starflower truly reminded her of herself.

"Well..." she began, evasively, "more or less. I believe that soon there will be a time when understanding the Magic of Friendship will be more accepted and generalized. Even an old arcane user like Starswirl makes certain strides in it."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Starflower frowned. "Starswirl one of the most prominent mages of the past era, and now of the current one too. His work is literally a pillar that supports a half of modern understanding of sorcery!"

"I will not dispute that." 'At least not directly and not right now.' "There's simply a fact that Friendship, let's say, um, requires a certain open-mindedness, which usually can be attributed to those who are younger. Those who are weary of the world and have seemingly already figured out how it all works are far less susceptible to learning about it. As you know, we need to not only predict and use but also truly understand. To be curious about things. After all, if you were only satisfied that the algorithm you tested in applied magical science gave expected results and moved on, then you failed your purpose as a scholar."

"So what?" Starflower pouted. "Do you now have a pretense to uncover the nature of all magic?"

Twilight wordlessly smiled. Reading her expression, Starflower became more collected and concerned.
"Wait... You're serious with all this, aren't you?"

Twilight nodded. "I have a pet theory already."

Both mares were already standing still near the exit since their discussion was going on in the wide hall of the library. Echo was carrying their voice around, filling the place with a strange enchantment that can only be found in prestigious classrooms.
Twilight offered to grab a cup of coffee, but Starflower declined. They both sat at the table, which was moved into the far corner.

Starflower's glistening eyes were full of curiosity.

"Alright, tell me this: what is magic?" Twilight asked.

"That's easy," the unicorn hummed. "Obviously, magic is a sort of transient external force that we manipulate to bend the permanent laws of nature within certain parameters. Each pony wields a certain type of magic, attributed not only to their tribe but to their unique talent as well."

"Yes, I know this one!" Twilight giggled "You are citing Goldie Force's 'Guide to Everything Magical', chapter two, one of the first paragraphs, I believe. She then goes on into 'The Science of Magical Thinking: Practical Positioning of Questions and Answers."

"'There is no wrongly formulated question, just not a vast enough answer'," murmured Starflower another quote, clearly intrigued now. "For a question oftentimes already contains an answer in itself, and you have to make the asker see it. Well, your point? Why would you ask me this?"

"Guess," Twilight challenged smugly, wanting her fellow researcher to keep the train of thought chugging.

"You think that answer to 'what is magic' contained in the same question?" Starflower rubbed her temple.

"Well, that's what Goldie Force would like you to believe, isn't it?"

Starflower frowned. "I don't understand what you are getting at."

"See, you said magic is transient, right? But there is seemingly nothing permanent around us. Everything is constantly in a transitional state; it's not just magic or laws-of-the-universe stuff. You might not notice it, but absolutely all around us is under the pressure of some sort of cosmic entropy, and things that we perceive as immutable are actually finite in their nature."

"That doesn't seem to deny anything." Starflower's frown deepened.

"Okay, let's then look at this question like this. If we consider that Friendship is magic as an axiom, in other words, a fundamental truth of the universe, then, since I found a way to define Friendship as magic, we can find a way to have a new definition for magic itself. Just think about it: the power that dwells inside the hearts of different ponies can give way for the creation of something entirely new, and since that was meant to be a magical power, then who's to say that everything else can not be defined as other facets of magic? Not just emotions, but thoughts. Maybe even our whole selves. Everything."

Starflower leaned on a hoof, tapping a pencil on her notebook. She hadn't written anything yet, and was only staring. "This is either revolutionary," she said, "or completely idiotic."

"I know, right?" Twilight beamed. "Isn't it fascinating?"

Starflower cleared her throat. "Well, since you are so open, then I can tell you that it might have ties to my research. I want to make something that can reshape the magical industry for generations to come, but I am facing a fundamental problem of magic contradicting logic, because while I can define magic as an external force, it doesn't have an answer that I seek, right?"

"Logic and magic?" Twilight snickered, as on her mind came Pinkie Pie, who decidedly disputed this age-old question only by miracle of her own existence. "Please describe your problem."

"Sorry, Princess, but my research is confidential." Starflower smiled timidly.

Twilight felt joy, noticing recognition. "Alright. Tell me about your take on the logic versus magic dilemma then, if you please."

The unicorn nodded eagerly. "Logic and magic can work together; there is no denying that. In fact, logic and magic actually complement each other. But without working logic and reason, magic soon turns chaotic and becomes hard to comprehend. Logic without magical thinking, in its own way, can become stagnant. It's not all about research and findings, after all, and you need to maintain an open mind and an active imagination. So the general thought is that we need to strive for equilibrium, a balance between rationalism and creativity. One cannot exist without the other, for without logic, magic leads to chaos, and without magic, logic turns to order. But the gist of the problem is that true equilibrium is impossible, right? Something always outweighs the other, and in most cases, theories simply do not work in practice."

Twilight snickered. "Yes, this sounds like Starswirl's school of thought, alright. But what if—hear me out here—I'd say that there shouldn't be any juxtaposition in the first place? I was an eyewitness to how advanced enough technology can become indistinguishable from magic. Ergo, there is only one reasonable conclusion."

"No, the technology will always be a deterrent to any kind of magic." Starflower rubbed her head. "Technology uses the laws of the universe, while magic, on the other hoof, bends and changes the laws of the physical realm to the user's desire. Both are extremely powerful, but they still differ in many areas; hence, one should not try to replace the other, for they serve different but important functions. As I said, we need to strive for equilibrium, to find a way for logic and magic to work off of one another."

Twilight's eyes sparkled with joy. She leaned forward. "If magic is an inherently natural force and affects laws of the physical realm, then it's only logical to assume that laws were meant to be bent and changed that way."

Starflower was silent for a second. "That still does not answer anything. There's still a notion that magic is not permanent... No, you told me that nothing is permanent, right? Technology, and the logic of its workings, aren't an exception. So let's put it this way: while technology changes the state of matter around us, magic completely changes the laws that define matter. Magic is definitively a state of transience, while technology is definitively close to a state of permanence. The difference between the comprehendible laws of transience and permanence is what truly makes them different."

Twilight grinned once again and shook her head. "That's going against the notion that Friendship is Magic, sorry. While Friendship sure is tied to emotions, it is something that serves its purpose of completely transforming the qualities of the permanent, akin to different states of the matter. There is nothing 'transient' about that! True friendship lasts forever!" She enjoyed the dumbfounded look in Starflower's eyes and continued, "So let me finish the thought earlier. We can understand the laws of the world only through our own interpretations, and no technology is meant to last forever anyway because it needs to be in a transformative state of improvement, as needs from it are changing. To hoof, no laws in the universe are functioning the same way everywhere.
"So I propose a new take. Logic is a form of magic because nothing in magic is illogical. Not the laws of the universe are imperfect! It is our understanding that is wrong!"

Starflower remained silent, tapping on the notebook in rhythm of her internal dialogue.

Twilight kept on spilling her thoughts, "You know how there are many things in practical physics and traditional magic science that completely deny each other. It is so prevalent, it is almost comical. Tutorship under Celestia offered me a chance to challenge and understand many things on my own, and after I discovered new magic through the experience, I found out a simple fact that strips away any fallacy.
"Everything that seems to us to be illogical and contradictory appears this way only due to our lack of understanding and incorrectly chosen angle of observation. Chaos, after all, is just the order that wasn't yet understood. So I posit an idea: since the idea of perceived contradiction is inherent to laws of logic and magic, then...
"Everything is Magic."

"Everything?" Starflower jerked her head upwards.

"Absolutely." Twilight stretched her foreleg as if to point at all around her. "That is what true Harmony is. No more distinction between logic and magic. They both work together for a better world in every conceivable way. There are no contradictions between the two points of view. As soon as we adopt the idea that everything around us is just a bunch of different complex systems of order that are based on magic, we can achieve absolutely anything!"
Her mane began to flow, and she stood up tall as if delivering a passionate speech to a crowd.
"After all, everything in the universe is connected! If we can use magic to better understand the laws that govern our reality, then, by harnessing the true power of magic, we can shape the world around us and even use it to create new possibilities for our future. We can reach new heights and explore a truly infinite universe—we just need to have the courage to take the first step by choosing to believe that Everything is Magic!"

Starflower whistled, clearly impressed, and even clapped her hooves a few times. She lowered her head, thinking about her response. "Magic is a broad term, after all... If I were to observe a phoenix or a dragon to perform a fireball, their magic would be different... And yet, magic is a form of science, and science is the observation of reality, so in a way, magic can be viewed as another form of applicable laws of reality. It is a science that we, ponies, have studied for over a millennium, and it is still as complex as it ever was... And there was not much progress... So life itself is essentially just magic that changes constantly in accordance with our environment, huh?"

"You got it!" Twilight sat, stomped a hoof down on the table, and laughed. Starflower smiled weakly, brimming with excitement and worry.

She looked like she would need time to process all this, and Twilight wasn't in any hurry. Smiling like a satisfied kitten, she was rocking back and forth on her seat, giggling. "So, will you come to the wedding?" eventually she asked, nodding toward the library hall.

Starflower cleared her throat. "No, I don't think so. I wasn't invited. Besides, I think I have more work on my hooves now."

"Why not? You must make notes and unwind. Let it settle in. Gatherings and festivities are a great way to make new friends!"

Starflower looked amused for a moment and then laughed warily. "I almost got the feeling that I am a subject in some sort of experiment. Wouldn't you say that you may look at friendship as a science too? Given that it is magic and all..."

Twilight giggled. "Oh, that's just too cynical, isn't it? No, no, I did not intend it like that."

"Well, anyway, I really have to go through a few studies now, considering this new perspective," Starflower mused.

Twilight's ears perked up. "Maybe you can tell me about your project now?"

"As I said, it is really something confidential..." Starflower was still uneasy about the whole ordeal.

"Please, I feel that I am out of a loop sometimes, living in Ponyville and all. And as you imagine, I've met Starswirl earlier in his Tower, and he let it slip that he worries about the same thing—that magic seems to be not progressing that much. Given, he didn't have a section on the Magic of Friendship yet, and believe me: Friendship does change everything..."

"Starswirl just didn't see my work yet," said Starflower smugly. "I am under his mentorship, you know."

"What? So you're his pupil? Just like Celestia and Luna were?" Twilight was genuinely elated. "You're so lucky! I always wished to be tutored by Starswirl!"

Her eagerness took Starflower aback, and the unicorn blushed, smiling shyly. "Yeah, well... There are a lot of his students, actually. A lot a lot. But now I might get to be one of the best if your theory is correct."

"So, tell me about your project!" Twilight grinned widely, leaning closer.

"Well, let's put it this way: I look into the means of having alternative sources of energy..." Starflower looked around and then leaned toward Twilight too. "I believe I can create a prototype that uses magical beings to transform their essence for practical use. With what you've told me, I might have just enough information to finish the theoretical phase and truly proceed with experiments. Matter can have different states of existence, and you seem to be speaking the same about magic, right? And you said it yourself: chaos is order not yet understood. Then, considering different factoids, maybe, just maybe, I am finally on the right track..." The eyes of the unicorn lit up with excitement. "Just imagine if we can harness the powers of serpents of all kinds, and Diamond Dogs, and phoenixes, and who's to say who else... They could share just a little, but enough for a common pony to use it for all sorts of everyday tasks. We can power our houses, develop new technology based on it, study it deeper... we can create life, we can truly understand the world! Oh, I see now all the possibilities! The free appliance of magic wouldn't be limited just to unicorns, and everyone could cast spells, and so much more..."

Twilight shifted uncomfortably, feeling something cold growing in her stomach.

"We might even cement this theory of yours, if it works out. A collaborative effort. How about..." Starflower closed her eyes for a second. "'Starflowers-Twilight law of magical-technological retroactivity', or maybe even, 'magitek'? I've coined the term the other day, and it seems to be so appropriate now..."

"Sounds lovely," Twilight squawked. "Can we please not rush this?"

Starflower shook her head. "I understand that you're busy, Princess, but progress doesn't like to wait."

"Maybe, you... should take it to Celestia first? To see what she will say?"

"I've already tried," Starflower smiled eagerly, but bashfully. "No offense, but she is a shining exemplar of old-age thinking that holds us all back. She is too traditional and doesn't see the possibilities. But you, you just might... Oh, I feel so adventurous! Is this the magic of friendship!?" The young mare got all lively. "Just lovely! I have to write about it in my journal!"

"Starflower, but we are magic too." In a cold sweat, Twilight looked at her intently.

"What do you mean?" Starflower seemed to not understand.

Twilight made an effort to mask her urgency with a collected smile. "We are inherently magical beings as well. We are literally of magic. Please, try to reproach all this. It can end very badly, see? I can now comprehend how we can misuse each other, or ourselves, in an attempt to power up something else... It seems to be very dangerous. I've seen enough magic-sucking entities to know how easy it would be to develop weapons based on this research.
"It was my belief that by embracing the inherent magic in all things, we can help to create a more peaceful and inclusive world wherein all creatures, regardless of their origin, identity, or difference, can find happiness and fulfillment. And the way that you going on about it..." Twilight's ears drooped down. "I haven't even considered that it can be used for destruction... What was I thinking?"

Starflower looked back in horror, all her happiness evaporated in an instant. Twilight felt hope. But then—
"No," Starflower whispered.

"No!? What do you mean!?" Twilight almost cried.

"I understand your concern. But if we do not discover something like that, then eventually someone else will, for sure. I need to act on this knowledge. You seriously want to try and contain it? Yes, of course, many would try to misuse it, but... We are both scholars, right? You can understand me. Maybe it will be worth it."

"Starflower, please, think it through!"

"I already did." Starflower stood up, her voice quivering. "I-I have to go now. I can't let this slip through my hooves. I am sorry, Princess."

The unicorn took a step to the side, looking warily, as if Twilight could do something terrible to her. Then she turned and stormed out of the library.

Twilight kept sitting there, completely dazed. She was looking blankly, running through her mind all previous talk, and then shriveled, pressed hooves into her muzzle. The horn was flickering from emotions.
"What have I done?"

Step 4 — "In all her grim glory" — Princess Celestia

Engaged in the dance, my hold on the reins is moot. I am stumbling backward into the future, my gaze remains in the past.

Past is all I know.

There is a place in the Royal Palace, far from prying eyes. It is soaked in darkness.

In it, a noble alicorn was lying on her back on the floor. Her wings were unfurled in a slightly unnatural way that was similar to that of a dying bird. Her powerful chest heaved with strained breaths. Her beautiful and delicate muzzle was turned aside, and a defiant gaze was locked with that of a creature's.

That creature was of black, teal, and green colors, and it looked like an abominable equine insect. Its translucent wings constantly fluttered with a buzz. Its stark green eyes were narrowed, imposing danger.

It leaned and moved its tongue down the bright, pristine coat, leaving condensed saliva with a strong natural scent.

The alicorn tried to calm her madly beating heart.

The initial surge of emotions from the first night had already subsided, and now she focused on trying to study the equine beast up close. Every little detail could help her defeat her.

In a short while, she learned that saliva (more correctly, some kind of a secretion from her mouth—the creature could eat but did not need to digest) was a powerful aphrodisiac, a tool to ease its hunt on prey like her. It is because of the 'saliva' the alicorn succumbed to the changeling magic. Bits in food. Kisses. It all built up and made her susceptible.

'If only we knew,' she reflected… but it was pointless now. A horrifying thought crossed her mind earlier. 'Maybe the beast is evolving.'

It was easier to consider Chrysalis as a mindless predator because it helped to remain distant from the situation. They barely spoke, after all. And so, the beast was hungry for love… and it consumed it. And the alicorn watched how it grew ever stronger.

Full of shame, she shuddered in pleasure. The beast was using rushes of sensations to dominate and feed more efficiently; it was simply pragmatic in that regard, just like everything in nature.

'This is wrong. She tries to break my will. I must resist it.'

The creature's long tongue traced an arc along her flank. Their eyes were still drawn. She was lost in the glowing gaze, in a churning vortex of emerald and golden.

'Unnatural, intoxicating feeling. Hard to not want more.'

Her lust; her growing ecstasy. Her body, heated like a furnace. Everything else faded into background.

...

"Celestia," soon, Chrysalis uttered. She climbed atop her and pinned her down. "Tonight you will become mine. Mine alone."

"...My Queen..." Celestia groaned, her strained voice still husky from desire.

She felt the weight of Chrysalis' hoof on her throat, and her heart raced.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to collect her bearings. She took a deep breath.

The day of the wedding had come.

Celestia was sure that Chrysalis would've already stuck her in some sort of cocoon if there weren't any need to keep up the appearances. So, instead, the Queen opted to always linger somewhere around, listening to every word and watching every move.

Her threat was clear, especially after she showed a scorched dark feather from Luna's wing.

"Do keep in mind: with this, I could use my craft to fashion a new little sister for you," Chrysalis mockingly sneered back then. "She would be so pretty, so obedient... You could use her however you want."

Celestia just stared Chrysalis down.

It was hard to believe that it was truly happening. Chrysalis was far more careful than during previous attempts to conquer Equestria. Considering all, it seemed like a logical progression: her attack on Cadance's wedding was more or less head-on, her go-to tactic, it seems, with a preceding warning so defenses would be more external than internal. It was thwarted only because of her arrogance, not to mention Twilight's exceedingly adept observation skills.

In the following clashes, Chrysalis was far less of a threat, just like in the ages of old. After a particularly decisive battle a couple of years ago, the Changeling Queen went quiet.

Celestia hoped that Chrysalis finally learned her lesson and wouldn't try to tread on sun-blessed lands any longer. Instead, she discovered how Chrysalis had been slowly moving changelings into Canterlot all this time, replacing ponies with her abominable spawn, so it could culminate with kidnapping Luna.

The discovery was not dissimilar to lifting a rich mattress on a pristine bed and uncovering a swarm of bugs underneath.

Absolutely disgraceful.

Celestia should've destroyed the Queen long ago and not let hate and setbacks sharpen her determination. She just doesn't quit. She never quits… But even so, the changelings never seemed to be that cunning...

Chrysalis, having been overfed on love for several days, was moving with far more stride, behaving like a confident predator on familiar hunting grounds. She brimmed with pure power. Vile and insidious, she even spoke far more coherently, which could allude to how constant hunger could affect her lucidity.

In short, the examination of her behavior could've proven to be almost fascinating. Too bad that Celestia had no idea what path Antiquity had laid out for them this time. Way things are gone, Celestia felt herself horribly misused, and now she needed to grapple with a constant fear that Chrysalis would begin terrorizing ponies.

But still, Antiquity promised a better and brighter future, even if it was achieved through not obvious means. All Celestia needed to do, as always, was keep her faith and not surrender. She eased herself with the thought that since the Queen so foolishly and prematurely revealed herself—as she had penchance of doing—they both needed to keep a constant eye on each other, so in a way, the situation can be equated to a stalemate. For now.

This morning, they both were residing in the study room. Celestia directed all paperwork here, sent all aides away, and isolated the Queen with herself. Wedding day or not, the kingdom still needed to be run despite every odds and challenge.

Chrysalis stood behind her shoulder, maintaining Luna's shape. Every time Celestia glanced at her it looked like the changeling was staring out of the window, immovable like a statue.

It was a strange sight to behold. The disguise of her vile magic was so lifelike that she got right even the flowing mane with shimmering stars, and all the while, Celestia knew that this was some alien and hateful creature. The only thing that truly discern the changeling from a real pony was that natural musk. Celestia assumed that this smell was designed to be appealing to equines.

"Maybe you would fancy a game of chess?" the Solar Princess offered.

Silence. Chrysalis wasn't even blinking.

"A cup of tea? Maybe a few sweets? A stiff drink? My Queen, you truly unnerve me with your presence. Don't you want my love for you to flow naturally and not be stained with tension?" Celestia chuckled.

The corner of Chrysalis' mouth barely tugged, but it was all response she got.

Sometimes other things visited the study room, wearing familiar pony shapes. Each one of them looked at Celestia differently, but mostly with shades of wariness, hate, and malicious glee. They then scurried toward their broodmother to have an almost silent conversation. Chrysalis was doing most of the talking, and while it was so, her gaze never left Celestia.

The Princess made an effort to keep a warm smile for each one. It dropped only when she noticed, for the first time, how energy was shared by Chrysalis with other changelings.

It didn't bode well at all. Celestia considered that she'd better pick a more public place to reside with fake Luna. It would certainly help to raise suspicion, but it also meant that Celestia would directly risk the lives of innocents. She loved her ponies too much for it to happen...

The Solar Princess had visitors too. Poor Raven Inkwell was thoroughly confused, since Celestia kept her running dry, carrying in and out written reports and demands. Amusingly, most of the inner bureaucracy hinged on this awful wedding, which swiftly grew from a small and concise celebration of two loving souls into a multi-staged act with half of Canterlot involved. Artisans of different kinds, performers, musicians—everyone who could spare their time to be here on such short notice aimed to participate and fill a certain niche, if not in this particular celebration then in the next one, which promised to be even more grandiose, with rented airships and guests from all over the realm.

Surveying the possible expenses, Celestia humored the idea that she truly would end up marrying Luna, if only to justify it all. She could already imagine the stumped look on her muzzle. It would be glorious.

All things considered, Celestia hoped that Twilight and her friends were exactly the spectacular organizers she expected them to be, as the more she weighted the festivities, they were becoming far more ambitious than they could ever be in practice. The cuts and the disputes were inevitable… But that would be a fine taste of reality for Twilight—what all these politics, concerns, and maneuverings are all about. The coffers were vast enough to cover any indulgence, and, to be completely honest, Celestia couldn't care less about possible complications.

Her concerns right now were laying elsewhere.

The door opened yet again, and Starswirl passed into the room. Celestia smiled, thinking that she might tease him about demolishing his Tower to cover some of the costs of the wedding. Actually, cutting the budget would be enough to make him squirm...

He glanced at Philomena's cage. It was covered by a black fire-proof sheet, and sealed by a sound-proof spell. Celestia's pet phoenix was screaming bloody murder in the presence of Chrysalis.

Starswirl hadn't paid much attention to it.

He was flawed, anyway. Still, he was a great help during the earlier years of managing the realm, lending his aid and offering a better understanding of magic and nature's laws. The world today wouldn't be half as decent without him.

Some rebellious side of Celestia disliked him for what he represented. When he resurfaced from limbo a few years ago and played out his test for Friendship, which he was never capable of understanding, Celestia became completely convinced that destiny is set on a predetermined path. As cruel as it sounds, but there was no reason for Starswirl and Pillars to exist in the modern world. Their presence hasn't done anything except strengthen the grasp of Antiquity.

And yet, she was an ancient being too, and so they could tolerate and understand each other, especially since she upheld the seat of the Cosmic Council in lieu of her former mentor.

"Your Majesties." Starswirl supplied his entrance with a bow.

He was the last pony Celestia wished to see right now. She remembered that he was supposed to officiate the wedding. That would be an experience for sure...

"Venerable Starswirl the Bearded! It is always a pleasure. To what do we owe this honor?" Celestia offered him a bright, encouraging smile. She was a happy bride, after all.

"Twilight came to my tower yesterday," Starswirl grumbled, concerned.

"So? She is a curious girl, you know it well."

"She wasn't supposed to be there yet."

"No matter what rule, there is always an exception, no matter how it is unlikely." Celestia shrugged, knowing that it would grind on Starswirl's nerves.

"That is not how the great clockwork of timestream is supposed to work." Starswirl frowned. "Something had pulled the order of events enough for it to become noticeable to the naked eye. Celestia, I require to know when the next seating of the Cosmic Council is scheduled—"

Celestia loudly cleared her throat, but it was too late. Chrysalis' gaze already snapped at the old wizard.

"Pirthee, do go on?" she asked with a small, content smile, mimicking an attentive listener.

Starswirl's eyes darted between both rulers. "Is this not an opportune time?"

"You see, I love my Sister so much," Celestia replied wistfully, "that I simply cannot waste my time on anything else, and not on these insignificant troubles of yours." The Princess turned to Chrysalis, putting up the sweetest smile.

The changeling stiffly moved head to meet her gaze.

Starswirl coughed into his beard. "You're still joking around, I see. Very amusing."

"Isn't it you who always blather about how you have everything under control?" asked Celestia nonchalantly.

"Clockworks do well only while their cogs are maintained." Starswirl winced. "Your frivolous experimentation is placing us all under duress. Do keep in mind that your duty is to the world—"

"Look, Beard, do you wish to challenge mine or my Sister's authority?" Chrysalis suddenly snarled, delivering it with the bearing of a wounded monarch.

Starswirl glared daggers. "Not at all, Your Majesty." He bowed.

"Then scram!"

An ancient vase on the table launched itself at the mage's head and was caught mid-flight by white and golden auras.

The old wizard deeply frowned, racking up nervous strokes on his beard. He released the vase and let Celestia lower it back on the table—water and flowers inside remaining intact.

"My apologies, Starswirl. My Luna doesn't seem like herself lately." Celestia tried subtly winking, but Starswirl remained oblivious.

Poor Starswirl. Truth be told, Celestia really wanted to forgive him and make amends, but after his experience with limbo, wounds from the past remained for him too fresh and recent… Nevertheless, she enjoyed the look of sheer bewilderment that so often appeared on the wizard's muzzle these days.

"As long as you are happy with your arrangements, Your Majesty," he said as neutrally as he could. "I suppose I will raise this topic after the impending festivities. Please, do enjoy yourselves."

He huffed, turned with a swish of his cloak, and hurriedly left the room.

"Bah, I hate this kind of shriveled pony!" Chrysalis complained the moment he was out of earshot. "I wouldn't scrounge any semblance of love from him even if I tried! Who do you think he even loves besides himself, anyway? His beard?"

Amusingly, Celestia found that she could agree with the creature. She maintained a serene silence, though.

"So what? Is the old stump your chief advisor, or something? He looked familiar." Chrysalis grinned, turning to her.

Celestia glowered, not in a hurry to divulge any information.

"Come now, my spouse, don't be like that..." Chrysalis hissed, bobbing her head from side to side. "So intense... Well? Maybe he is just your frail admirer, and you keep him at the court for laughs?" Chrysalis took a pause, and left without an answer, she continued her musings. "One of the kingdoms that I devoured in my younger years had a very similar jester there. Presumably, his role was not only to entertain but to gruelingly question the integrity of their ruler, sometimes dressing it into jokes. How droll, don't you think?"

'Devoured', what an apt choice of words. Chrysalis was like a plague or a wandering black hole that sucked all love around her. Celestia's lips twisted in contempt, which she didn't hide any longer. "I am very well aware of your escapades and of how you roam unchecked, gorging on lands of equine-kind until they drained not just out of all love but life as well." Celestia pierced her with a glare. "How many have you tortured and killed, Chrysalis?"

"Ah, my sweet marshmallow, yes, I am renowned!... You know, I've never counted," Chrysalis replied with a wistful look. "Maybe I will begin once I conquer Equestria, if only for you, to see how they pile up on your conscience. A girl gotta start somewhere, right?..."

Celestia gritted her teeth. The fire swelled inside.

Chrysalis' eyes glistened with green. "Take a good look at the form I assumed. How many ponies' lives the life of your little sister is worth, I wonder? How many should I count if something happens to her? I'd say she still counts as one, but from your perspective, I'd hope for at least a thousand."

The Changeling Queen was well aware of how love and pain grew in Celestia in equal measure. It was exactly what she wanted. More pain, more love.

"Why do you do all this?" Celestia demanded, irritated. "You do not even seem to hold onto any power you may grasp."

"You mean, why do I feed? What an odd question! Don't you all do that too? You know, I've read your official biography, and you are famous for consuming enormous cakes, so let me put it in terms you may understand: however big, they are finite, and the love that I eat is finite too. It is simple as that."

So she literally compared kingdoms to food. Celestia opened her mouth to retort and then closed it, pondering a single thought: 'Chrysalis might not be able to feel empathy.' That pretty much summed up her existence, didn't it? The ability to comprehend the pain of others was alien to her but not unknown.

She was very direct. She was primal. That meant the spectacle that she enjoyed existed in her mind only for her pleasure—it was purely a bestial compulsion to feel the recognition at the moment.

It made her even more dangerous than Celestia wished to admit. Sure, Celestia could manipulate her flow of thought, but this strange perceptiveness, contrasted with a lack of self-reflection, meant that she could intuitively recognize the intent and become violent about it.

Maybe she was even recognizing it now and humoring Celestia's attempt just for amusement's sake.

Chrysalis noticed her hesitation, and her grin widened. "Afraid, marshmallow? Don't be shy. Fear is natural, after all."

"What do you fear, then?" asked Celestia coldly.

Chrysalis's brows shot up, and she immediately pulled a perfectly executed noblemare's laughter. "Celestia..." She wiped away a few tears, trembling from pure joy. "What a clever question..."

"You dare to threaten me, after all." Celestia narrowed her scorching, intense glare. "So? You know about my fears. Let's hear yours."

"Fear is something for a prey like you to feel." Chrysalis laughed. "The only thing that I was afraid of was to fail, but, see-" she took a step closer, her eyes flared, and Celestia was forced to avert her gaze, "-it is already too late to fear that. Don't you think so, pet?"

She kept approaching, reverting to her original form in the process—a very risky move since the door to the study was unlocked.

The Queen embraced Celestia tightly. Her sultry breath seared her ear. Her long tongue spelled each syllable. Celestia felt it all. "All or nothing."

The Queen pushed her to the table, wanting to be fed once more. Papers flew down from it and scattered all over the floor.

That ancient vase fell anyway.

The sky was painted with especially vivid shades of color.

The dusk looked gorgeous. Not many ponies looked at the sky, but for Celestia, it was always a particularly important part of the day. Whenever she was, whatever she was doing, Celestia would stop even for a few seconds to look at the skyline, remembering about the stars and magnificence of the world at large.

This time, she was also wondering if the Moon would rise at all.

After Celestia reviewed the plan for the upcoming wedding with Princess Luna (that was a sentence she never expected to be real), she knew that there was no time for extra activities other than a short engagement party while attendants kept gathering. Presumably, after that, the Lunar Princess will go on with her duties, and the Solar Princess will retire for her well-deserved rest.

So, in short, the ongoing celebration was an expensive and not too elaborate sham. Celestia was amused. She wasn't even sure if there were prepared wedding rings... Most likely, Twilight forgot about them and will hurry up to conjure up something suitable at the last minute...

Still, her ponies tried for her, and it was adorable. They were so happy for her! Slightly earlier, Celestia even viewed a short parade with giant balloons made in her and Luna's likeness.

The streets were littered with her cheerful subjects, and there was music, dancing, games, and much joy shared around.

Celestia's heart swelled with a mix of happiness and a twinge of melancholy as she took in the spectacle. She could feel their love, so intense and pure, and allowed herself to be hopeful... Their joy-filled chatter and cheerful revelry were all but contagious.

And yet, it couldn't distract her from the lingering shadows of her mind. The need to sacrifice either herself or her ponies had her trapped, and she had fallen hook, line, and sinker. It was obvious who Celestia would prefer.

Still, Chrysalis hasn't hurt anyone directly since the start of this celebration. She remained at Celestia's side, sharing the same table, and her fake form was looking spectacular. Even without the last preparations for the altar, Chrysalis made an effort to do her mane exquisitely and to wear a pair of earrings filled with moonglow.

Celestia had a hunch that this abhorrent monster could've made for a fine fashionista in some other life.

They both resided right in the middle of the open terrace, welcoming guests and receiving their congratulations. Chrysalis was very civil, demonstrating every fairly outdated courteous mannerism in the book. Celestia played along, carrying on with small, meaningless talks.

As another pair of nobles expressed their utmost surprise and happiness for the upcoming wedding and clattered their hooves away, Chrysalis finally shifted over. She seemed to be urging to talk.

Their voices were drowned out by the music of a nearby cello.

"Ah, who knew that your court could be such a fun place?..." Chrysalis opened with a sarcastic tone and a playful smile. "I've been thinking... Do you like that your ponies are much weaker than you, just like your little sister?"

"Don't." Celestia warned.

"Puh-lease, I caught you earlier red-hoofed! Don't deny it! It was all but spilled out in your demeanor in the past few days." Chrysalis licked her lips and narrowed her eyes with glee. "You love to be superior... We aren't dissimilar, my Celestia."

"And you talked to me about clichés?" Celestia snorted. "How delusional. You do not understand anything."

Chrysalis giggled. "You know, Luna spoke to me just like you did right now, when I was breaking her..."

Celestia masked her urge to scowl behind a sip of tea. "I know that you lie."

"Perhaps I am!" She didn't even try to argue. "But the fact is, you both talk like I do not see the whole picture. I do not appreciate when someone-" Chrysalis giggled once more, "-keeps me in the dark. I am curious now, you know..."

Placing her cup down on the table, Celestia scowled after all. "Surely you jest. Why would I tell you anything?"

"Who holds the power, Celestia?" Chrysalis sounded almost indignant.

Celestia knew what she was going to do. She will provoke Chrysalis, and the changeling will be forced to make a mistake. Someone will notice. Celestia will make it into an advantage, somehow... This is how she will win. "And what will you do if I refuse to talk?" she challenged.

The lack of irritation in the Changeling Queen expression was concerning. Was she simply enjoying the banter? Twisted creature... "Well, I don't know, how about I kill somepony?" Chrysalis hummed, amused. Her muzzle broke into a happy, murderous grin.

"Oh? And you will place your plan to marry me in jeopardy for that? Hardly."

"We'll see... Should I kill that bearded cretin, maybe?"

"Maybe he lived long enough."

"How about your precious sister?"

"If you truly could hurt her, I think you've provided more concrete evidence." Celestia pierced her with a glare. "No, I saw how erratic her Moon was, especially two nights ago. She is struggling, isn't she? Maybe even winning."

Chrysalis scowled, getting serious. "Fine. Then how about them?" Her forehoof pointed at Twilight, happily chattering with her parents.

"You wouldn't dare." The whole demeanor shifted. Celestia's look was murder, seeping with venom.

"So much fire! I did strike a nerve, didn't I?" Chrysalis laughed. "Believe me, spouse, I'd absolutely would..."

After a brief pause, Celestia coldly smirked. "Twilight is a strong pony. She is an alicorn Princess. She can manage."

Now it was Chrysalis who went silent. Her eyes widened, and then she snickered knowingly. "How delightful, my darling pet... It seems I've got some insight into who you actually are."

"Oh, did you expect me to fold this easily? I am a responsible pony. There are many secrets that I will never discuss with anyone else, under any condition." Celestia frowned in disdain, slightly lowering her horn. "Not with a beast such as you."

"We will see how I can untangle that tongue of yours..." Chrysalis grinned wildly, leaning closer.

"Careful. Keep talking like that, and you might sound like an actual challenge."

"I hold all the power here, marshmallow. You really want to be reminded of that, do you?"

"So now you think you're more dangerous than me? That's cute."

Their horns pressed against one another. Celestia felt a strain on her neck and eagerly pushed back. Without fear, she looked straight into the bewitching eyes.

"You are so uptight..." As both struggled against one another, Chrysalis scowled, still daring to mock her. "It is your happiest day, is it not?"

Some inner part of Celestia was enjoying this. "I didn't peg you for a comedian, my Queen."

"Ah, but aren't you promising... You have some bite on you after all, don't you?"

"I have bite enough." Celestia narrowed her eyes further. "The point is, you can't do anything, changeling. You can't draw suspicion."

"And all you have is only your suspicions."

"You parasite." Celestia smiled mirthlessly.

"Gullible two-faced skank," Chrysalis hissed in a fully echoing voice.

"Moronic abomination," Celestia uttered venomously under her breath.

There was a sudden call from the side. "Girls?"

Celestia and Chrysalis pulled away so fast that their horns slid against one another, flaring with a brilliant shower of sparks. It fell around them in a cascade, inciting gasps and shrieks from ponies all around.

Princess Cadance was standing nearby. She slightly scrunched her delicate muzzle, while her husband, Shining Armor, shielded them both with an umbrella of magic.

"My, what a greeting!" he laughed, unweaving the spell. "Your Majesties, we are so very glad to see you in such vigor!"

"You aren't even married yet, and already at some lovers' spat," Cadance pressed her hoof against her lips, expressively fluttering her eyelashes. "I can hardly imagine what awaits next!"

Celestia looked them over, noting their finest attire. They were certainly in a celebratory mood. Maybe slightly inebriated… Ah—she remembered—Cadance did advocate for this marriage earlier, didn't she? And now her little victory of love was on full display. Fate can sometimes be very amusing, indeed...

"My precious niece and her no less dainty husband!" Chrysalis smiled widely, sharing airy kisses on the cheeks with both guests. "How it is adorable to see thee! My heart soars. Tell me, is thine little..."

She slightly stumbled with words, and Cadance helped, "Daughter?"

"Exactly! Your offspring, Furry Hart, is it? I would very much like to see thine rascal. Doth thee brought her along?"

"It's Flurry Heart, and no, we did not." Shining Armor replied politely.

'Oh, thank the stars,' Celestia thought, and a sincere smile came to her easily. "Luna is off-kilter this night—you know how weddings in Canterlot usually go, don't you Cadance?"

"You wouldn't believe how true love can change a pony." Chrysalis pulled a crooked smile.

Even if the Princess of Love noticed anything strange in the exchange, she didn't show it at all. "You both are always welcome to spend the rest of the celebrations in the Crystal Empire," she said with a playful snort. "Celestia knows—just an expression, dear—that place would benefit from festivity."

"Crystal Ponies are very loyal and sturdy folk," Shining chipped in, "but their ideas of having fun always leave room for improvement. So many traditions! We are slowly working on new ones, but it means abolishing their ancient schedules, which is an uphill battle."

"But you both would like to see that first hoof, I am sure. Maybe you would even give us even more insight into their lives." Cadance's eyes blazed with excitement. "Oh, maybe you could even spend your honeymoon in our lands? In a cozy cabin with a view of a mountainside?… So romantic..."

"I do love-love-love thine idea," Chrysalis cooed with such a lecherous grin that it was hard to believe she did not break her disguise right there and then. She turned to Celestia, all happy because of all this mockery. "Don't you, my beloved?"

Celestia wanted to strangle her. Instead, she tempered the fire inside and warmly smiled. "Sure, I will look at our own ancient schedule. Speaking of which..." She glanced at the skyline. There was still no visible Moon. "I do believe that someone neglects their duties, don't they?"

"Celestia... -" suddenly, Chrysalis whispered, moving close. The Princess suppressed the urge to jerk backward.

The Queen embraced her tightly, and Celestia felt how a dark, cold chasm unraveled in her stomach. There was a strong desire to turn away, but instead, Celestia looked deep into the changeling's eyes.

"- Tonight, I have but one duty." With that, her bride almost leaped forward, and their lips connected.

In front of everyone.

Celestia pressed into Chrysalis, trying to resist this, but it came off more like a weak grapple than anything. Her scream was completely muffled. Celestia felt how in her throat intruded the 'saliva', far more than ever before, and involuntarily gulped it down.

And like that, it was all over.

Through throes of shame, she heard how the ponies around them cheered for this ravenous kiss. There was a clatter of cameras going off. That would certainly appear on the front pages of newspapers...

Something inside of her, stirred up by the changeling magic, compelled her to admit that she enjoyed the boldness. This sensation wasn't even drowned out by despair this time. Yes, she loved it, and when Chrysalis finally moved away after a small eternity of kissing, Celestia completely mellowed out.

"Oh..." she mustered with a blush. "My Queen..."

Cheering ponies were hardly paying attention to anything. Celestia stumbled, and the Queen supported her. This little gesture of caring was overwhelmingly enchanting.

"It is time for us to go, isn't it?" In a haze, she heard dear Luna's voice.

"Yes, everything is already prepared!" Twilight chirped happily from someplace else. "Time to begin the ceremony, everypony!"

Already? Fear, agitation—everything gripped Celestia's heart at once, making her feel woefully unprepared.

Ponies, playing the roles of bridesmaids, already surrounded her and led away, and all the while, she couldn't stop looking over her shoulder at her spouse. She watched how Luna stood before Twilight, Cadance and Shining, dictating to them calm demands, "Before we proceed, I implore thee to explain all preparations for the wedding, step by step."
Luna noticed how Celestia was stalling and smiled with a barely noticeable shimmer in her green eyes. "And thou, my beloved Sister, may go on ahead. Do not worry. I got this."

She obliged happily. After all, she loved Luna so much.

Her reflection was staring back.

Rarity, who appointed herself as the head bridesmaid, was fiddling around, helping with a lush dress. She was talking about something, but Celestia's mind was preoccupied by struggle to form coherent thoughts. That guard at the corner of the room... she was certain it was a changeling.

It felt like Chrysalis pumped into her enough poison for three ponies like Celestia to keel over.

Her heart was beating so madly that she feared she might pass out only because of that. But still… looking at herself in the mirror, she had time to reflect, and so she did. Her head, heavy as lead, was pregnant with pulsating pain.

It was time to appreciate the Queen in all her grim glory. She violated a bond that was never meant to be violated—something sacred and special. She managed to turn against Celestia's own nature. Luna was her hostage somewhere, a fate shared by the whole Canterlot.

Celestia just needed to endure for Equestria a little more, and everything would be resolved.

Her lips moved silently.

"Your Highness? Please, I can't hear?" Rarity leaned attentively, eager to help.

"All or nothing..." whispered Celestia, and then her voice streamed in a melodious laughter.

Yes... It was time to see it all through, to the bitter end.

Step 5 — "A bifurcation point" — Princess Twilight Sparkle

𝚂he 𝚠ill 𝚗ever 𝚐ive 𝚒nto 𝚍espair 𝚊gain.

Twilight didn't judge Starflower for her choice because she went with her gut and her convictions. Twilight knew she could have done the same thing if she had been in her position. What else is there to do in life apart from going after your passions and your heart's aspirations? Starflower was devoted to magic science, and Twilight couldn't blame her for that.

Twilight's following day was already packed with events, so the meeting in the library soon faded into a whirlwind of other conversations, plans, and everything else that accompanied her hard work. It was very rewarding to see how everypony was happy with the celebration. In no small regard, it wasn't about only Princesses anymore—it was about them, ponies, who gathered in the ancient Canterlot, celebrated life, and praised the millennium-long awaited union. Many expected from Celestia and Luna something like that, after all, even if it wasn't a popular topic of discussion.

𝙶inger 𝙻ime 𝚜lowly 𝚙erished.

𝙰nother 𝚋roken 𝚙romise 𝚝o 𝚋ear.

Outlined festivities were fairly expensive and were planned to span several days, but the Princess allowed it in the form of her firm hornwriting. After all, what cost is 'too much' when you speak about something as important as solidifying love for centuries to come?

Twilight wouldn't lie: first, it appeared that they would need a miracle to pull it off. Celestia chose to postpone her public appearance until the very last minute, and thus, Twilight would have been hopelessly lost without Cadance and Shining's timely arrival. The royal pair leaped into activity like hungry timberwolves on a stray branchdeer. Cadance lent her charm and organizing skills, while Shining made it significantly easier to work with locals by pulling the old rank of the Captain of the Royal Guard. To Twilight's knowledge, he held it honorary, but her brother was astute and affable to no end. It must've been a shared hereditary trait.

And then it went smoothly, maybe even too smoothly, once again proving the benefits of teamwork. Pinkie Pie naturally drifted to being in charge of the entertainment (seriously, the number of connections that pony had was simply astonishing). Applejack helped to keep things grounded and provided moral support. Rainbow Dash with other Wonderbolts joined pegasi in their task of clearing the sky and had plans to perform a quick aerial show after. Rarity took on pretty much most of what was related to the process of the wedding itself, in a cojoined effort with Canterlot's finest... It was all working like a well-oiled machine. Ponies lend themselves to the task with the utmost vigor, and each one of them desired to show at least a minimal effort.

Twilight couldn't be more happy and less amazed. When she figured out that she didn't even have much to do herself, she reviewed the general process, checked up on Fluttershy with her songbirds, and delegated some time to organize a scavenger hunt that led ponies through the city to discover hidden treasures and learn more about Canterlot's history. After that fun concluded, she retreated for the final repetitions with Starswirl, who couldn't be more pleased with what she prepared for his role as an officiant.

𝚃hey 𝚗eeded 𝚝o 𝚛ation 𝚝he 𝚖eager 𝚏ood 𝚝hey 𝚑ad. I𝚝 w𝚊𝚜 u𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 f𝚘𝚛 h𝚎𝚛, b𝚞𝚝 h𝚎𝚛 p𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 w𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚝 s𝚘 b𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍.

"Y𝚘𝚞 n𝚎𝚎𝚍 n𝚘𝚝 c𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚗 y𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 w𝚒𝚝𝚑 u𝚜, N𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 M𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛."

"I𝚏 n𝚘𝚝 I, t𝚑𝚎𝚗 w𝚑𝚘 w𝚒𝚕𝚕?"

The atmosphere of the festival was going strong through the evening and now threatened to go well beyond into the dark of the night. It was engrossing—just right.

Everything considerably calmed down for the engagement party when everyone got onto a lovely open terrace in one of the wings of the Royal Palace. It was sort of a breather for everyone involved, except for Rarity who was busy with the final preparations at the Royal Library. The last arriving guests cordially mingled, the royal orchestra was playing something appropriately solemnly candescent, and the choice of royal cuisine—oh, it was to die for. Twilight was never a big eater, but she was thoroughly impressed by the diversity of food.

Too bad that the Royal Sisters made more than a humble choice, limiting themselves to bare essentials like cake and tea. Luna barely even touched her piece. Per the rules of royal etiquette, the gentry and the wealthy were forced to show equal restraint as rulers did, so the banquet was filled not with a feast of gluttony but rather with numerous hungry gazes. Twilight was sure that a few hours later, the same diligently civil ponies would return to the same tables and leap on food with wolfish abandon.

It was somewhat disheartening, but what can you do? The nobility are like that sometimes. Even Celestia and Luna acted overly formally, playing into the normality of it all. They did not share laughter as they often did, nor even get busy with calling out others' reservations. Tonight, they were who they were supposed to be, and they didn't even look at each other that often...

Twilight had more on her mind than to worry about that. She and the girls were sharing a table with Shining and Cadance. Spike was also here, and the little dragon was inviting himself to all kinds of foods. Cadance's horn was shimmering, covering Twilight's little brother with an intricate illusion of some snobby pony, who wiped his lips with a napkin exactly every 5.32 minutes.

They were lively chatting, and it would've made some heads turn if most of the attendees weren't doing the same. Royal etiquette didn't say anything about drinks, after all.

As strange as it may sound, the conversation revolved around Applejack's and Shining's opinions on taxes and related stories, and somehow it was genuinely interesting. Especially for Twilight. She didn't even notice at first gloomy Stygian, who crept up from behind and startled her with a polite, "Your Highness, can I have a word?"

He was looking worn out. Twilight excused herself to others and trotted with the unicorn aside, beaming all the way. "What's up?"

He was shivering. "Princess, can't you tell that something is wrong?"

"What do you mean?" she knitted brows, instantly remembering the anxiety of the past two days. Yes, there definitely was a feeling of doom, wasn't there? How strange it is that she let herself get distracted... All the trepidation that Twilight felt before already fell off like an afterthought, a forgotten nightmare...

"Didn't you hear something? Just now?" Strygian asked inquisitively, and slightly deflated with a sigh. "I swear, it must be that my mind is playing tricks on me...""ꜰᴏʀʟᴏʀɴ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴀᴠᴏʀ."

Twilight hummed, looking around. No, everything seemed to be fine. Lovely moonless night, sounds of a party going on, the murmuring of guests, and sounds of music... As if on cue, fireworks launched in the air, and an image of both Sisters framed by a heart showed up. Twilight gasped and happily glanced at Celestia and Luna.

The Royal Sisters seemed not to be moved at all. Well...

Twilight turned to Stygian, resuming conversation. "Did you take it to Starswirl? I remember he asked to be informed."

"Aye," Stygian shrugged, "indeed, I did. He didn't say much, so I'm trying the next best thing. Do you sense anything?"

The alicorn focused, raising her horn and summoning a few spells in quick succession, all dedicated to exposing something out of order.

Everything around her was brimming with magic, with threads of arcane, interwoven possibilities, and singing strings, all of which could be intuitively revealed to anyone who wielded a horn and was opened to their inner potential. Celestia and Luna were both shining with both terrible and magnificent, dark and luminous light, instantly drawing attention. It was to be expected, but Twilight spent a dozen seconds inspecting Luna's aura. It was more foreboding than it ought to have been.

All of a sudden, Luna's gaze snapped to her. Twilight timidly smiled, and Luna gave her a little reassuring wink. That provoked a reaction from a noble currently engaged in conversation with Celestia, and he craned his neck, giving Twilight a curious stare.

Twilight pulled away, not intending to be a bother. Instead, she looked around in the multicolored sea of magical entities. Compared to the Princesses most of them seemed dim, but some shone bright like condensed constellations of stars in a cosmic sea. Those were fellow former Bearers of the Elements—naturally—, then Shining and Cadance, and finally Starswirl, who was chatting with Treehugger and Fluttershy.

Twilight was ready to ease Stygian's worries, but then she noticed a faint virid glow above his head. That glow existed only on the periphery of her magic-imbued vision, so Twilight began to awkwardly move her head, trying to catch it again. In an effort, she slightly opened her mouth.

"What is going on?" Stygian queried, now even more concerned than before.

"Stay still," Twilight demanded, and then, after a quick pause, added a small, "Please."

No matter how much she tried, she couldn't replicate the experience. Was it only an illusion? Maybe she got overexcited.

Stygian waited patiently, so Twilight quickly wrapped up with the scan and placated him with a small smile. "Maybe there is a small curse on you, but I can't see anything substantial. Had any bad dreams lately?"

"True, from what I've heard, a lot of ponies experience distressful sleep lately, and I am no exception. Usually my nightmares are simply dark for me, and that is of the worst kind."

"Luna must be looking out for you often. I think she has a lot on her mind right now," sympathized Twilight. "It must return to normal soon."

Her eyes drifted toward Night Light and Twilight Velvet who were arriving late at the party, and their appearance gave Stygian an excuse to immediately slip away.

𝚂he 𝚠as 𝚊 𝚍emigoddess 𝚘f 𝚍ecisions 𝚊nd 𝚊ctions, 𝚘f 𝚊n 𝚎motional, 𝚜trong 𝚑eart.

Twilight leaned in a short but tender hug with both father and mother. She missed them. Almost everyone was here now, and it was wonderful. She felt a tangent of guilt that she didn't bring Starlight along...

𝚂he 𝚌ouldn't 𝚋ear 𝚒t 𝚊ny 𝚕onger. 𝙰ny 𝚖enace 𝚝hat 𝚝he 𝚀ueen 𝚙osed 𝚗o 𝚕onger 𝚌ould 𝚑old 𝚜way 𝚘ver 𝚑er.

"𝙳id 𝚝hey 𝚏orgot 𝚊bout 𝚞s?" 𝙾nyx 𝚂tar 𝚠as 𝚋arely 𝚑anging 𝚘n 𝚑ope. "𝙳id 𝚝hey 𝚎ver 𝚌are 𝚊bout 𝚞s?"

"𝙼y 𝚖essenger 𝚗ever 𝚛eached 𝙲elestia, 𝙸 presume." She 𝚕ooked 𝚊t the 𝚗ightlings. They were her 𝚙onies. 𝙷er 𝚝ribe. 𝙷er 𝚕oyal 𝚏ollowers. 𝚆hat 𝚠as 𝚜he 𝚐iving 𝚋ack 𝚏or 𝚝heir 𝚕oyalty?

"Tonight, 𝚠her 𝚝he 𝚋arrier 𝚠ill 𝚋e 𝚊t 𝚒ts weakest," 𝚜he 𝚜poke resolutely, "𝚠e 𝚠ill 𝚋reak 𝚘ut."

Ever vigilant, Princess Luna displayed an interest in the wedding's organization, making small inquiries about how the proceedings should go. Of course, Twilight didn't want to lay out everything beforehoof, but admiration from the Princess was very invigorating. She let Twilight do the talking while they were all rolling as a big happy group down to the chariots, and then rode the short distance to the Library in style.

Luna felt different—more daring and bold, more prone to joking around, intoxicated with radiating happiness. Somehow, a few simple words from her, "I think you did an admirable job, Twilight", made the little alicorn's heart truly flutter. And it was well earned, too!

It was a good decision for the Royal Sisters to be wed, after all.

As per Equestrian custom, in the ceremony, Luna was appointed to the role of the 'groom', which meant that she would arrive at the wedding ceremony first while the 'bride' was still pampered up. Celestia deserved to look spectacular, but Luna somehow managed to do that even without excessive care by the bridesmaids. When she stepped out of the chariot in the full getup and basked under the eyes of the gawking and cheering crowd, Twilight found herself transfixed by the beauty that her words almost failed to describe.

When she was contrasted to Celestia, there was usually an offset of awkwardness, as Luna had a noticeably shorter and rounder figure. Not tonight. Luna was looking like a being of the old Equestrian ages, straight from manuscripts about legends and otherworldly magical beings. She seemed even taller—courtesy of high-heeled silver horseshoes, no doubt—and her divine beauty seemed to have an almost sorcerous pull. Somehow, she was more. Complete.

Her voluminous celestial mane flew like a comet plume, enveloping Princess with the shimmering of little twinkling stars—a powerful aura of ethereal light, a warm summer night. She was fluid and powerful, capturing all attention while wearing the small yet content smile of a soon-to-be-wed goddess. The black tiara crowned her, sparkling with moonlight with each elongated, proud step with outstretched dark wings.

Petals of flowers were falling from far above, following her on the carpet that was laid out on top of the stairs to the doors of the Royal Library. Twilight noticed how she lingered to brush aside one of the petals that fell right on her muzzle. The gesture was full of mild annoyance. For a few seconds, Twilight lived in a world full of anxiety, where Luna could demonstrate some old and undocumented allergy, and this little idea of using flowers would end disastrously badly.

But somehow it went on without a hitch, and when Luna moved inside the building, others finally began to pour in and take their places. Noble ponies tried to step with elegance in a vain but entertaining effort to match the grace that was demonstrated by the Princess. The public was happy to see the presentation anyway, and Twilight simply trotted ahead, catching up with Luna.

The Princess was already surrounded by attendants. Curious, Twilight pushed through them, but they dispersed as soon as she got into earshot. Some of them were from a band that would play from the upper tier during the ceremony.

"What's your opinion on the hall, Your Majesty?" Twilight beamed while looking up at Luna, strangely compelled to please her. 'Your Majesty' was a slip of the tongue, but somehow it felt very fitting.

Luna looked around in the inner hall, which was bathing in splendor. Craftsponies performed an outstanding work here. Royal Library already was nothing to scoff at, but after some renovations and loving touches, it was draped in a silken and golden tapestry of Diarchy rule, bearing the colors of both Celestia and Luna. Most of the massive bookshelves in the immediate vicinity were removed or pushed aside, giving way for rows of seats and gothic candelabras. Overhead, there was a massive chandelier that matched the aesthetic, and all of this lit up the whole room.

Everything around them was filled with enchantment to the fullest. In some cases, literally, since Twilight preemptively placed protective wards and shielded books from the fire.

The main centerpiece that tied it all together was the wedding altar itself. Made from an immaculate white stone, with an arch overhead with flowers interwoven, it was placed on a small platform at the far side of the hall.

"I suppose it will manage," Luna answered cheekily, and Twilight suddenly turned red from worry.

"We with the girls almost pulled an all-nighter to get it all just right. Oh, and look at the choice of flowers on the arch! It is genuine dark calla lilies, just like in the myth of the Canterlotian Knight and the Mare of the Lake! See how it is contrasted with the white roses there, at the side where you will stand? And those I believe are dahlias at Celestia's side, with complex—"

"Just lovely. Thee art to be commended for thine efforts. Can thou fetch my luminous bride, so we won't tarry with this, Little Light?"

That didn't settle right with Twilight. Where did this come from? Luna was always so approachable before, like a big sister, just like Cadance. Will she always act this way now? And this nickname... Twilight thought it was something special that only she and Celestia shared...

"𝚆hat 𝚒s 𝚜he 𝚍oing?" 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚘verheard 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚠hen they were 𝚝rying 𝚝o 𝚏igure 𝚘ut 𝚑er 𝚜tubborn 𝚍enial.

"𝚂he 𝚗eeds 𝚝o 𝚔eep 𝚛aising 𝚝he Moon. 𝚃hat 𝚠as 𝚝he 𝚘rder!"

"𝚈ou 𝚊re a 𝚙risoner!" 𝚑issed 𝚘ne 𝚘f 𝚝hem. "𝙵ollow 𝚒t 𝚝hrough, 𝚘r 𝚢ou'd 𝚋e 𝚕eft 𝚝o 𝚍ie!"

𝚃wo 𝚘f 𝚝he 𝚗ight 𝚙onies had 𝚊lready 𝚎xpired, 𝚛efusing 𝚝heir 𝚜hares 𝚏or 𝚘ther's 𝚜ake.

"Is something the matter?" asked Luna in the same unnerving manner, and Twilight stepped back, still blushing. "Please. You can tell me anything."

"N-no. Not at all. Celestia will arrive when it is her part to walk to the altar. It will occur in a couple of dozen minutes, so please, settle in."

Luna huffed but then smiled. At least some of her usual heart-strong behavior was still on display.

"I am a one patient pony when I need to be, aren't I?..." She chuckled, amused by some thought. "Very well. Overwatch everything, Twilight, I implore thou. This night is going to be perfect..."

𝙽𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎.

𝚆ithout 𝚝heir 𝚀ueen 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘. 𝙴𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚞𝚙𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗. 𝚄𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚟𝚎, 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜.

A𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜, 𝙸t 𝚠as 𝚒nvigorating 𝚝o 𝚜ee how they 𝚜uffer.

Snapping out of it, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚜. They cowered in the presence of her 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛. "𝙳𝚒𝚍 𝙸 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞?"

"𝙵𝚕𝚢, 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝙼𝚊𝚓𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚢! 𝚂𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝙴𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊!"

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝, 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍. 𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚑 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎.

𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎.

It seemed like Rarity poured all her talent and soul into the wedding dress of Princess Celestia.

It was flowing. It was spectacular. It was divine.

It was simple in design, yet decadent and elegant. Made of the finest silk and satin, embellished with rubies and sapphires, with a long billowing skirt decorated with golden trim and the veil decorated with a series of pearl-encrusted lace patterns. A beautiful flower ornament adorned Celestia's flowing mane, and crystals were sparkling over her golden peytral, which—as the symbol of royal power—was graciously embedded into the design of the wedding dress. Celestia looked like a perfect pair to match her lover and companion, who were waiting for her majestic bride at the altar. The summer sunshine and warmth were contrasted with the warm and welcoming darkness of the late evening…

Even Twilight couldn't withstand a little squeal, as she leaned on Applejack nearby. When the Princess of the Sun stepped ceremoniously across the room, everyone went reverently silent. Musicians began to play, embellishing the moment even further. Fillies pranced in front of her, tossing petals from the baskets. It was all filled with the essence of love, a praising of life, and the dedication of two souls to one another...

Celestia slowly opened her eyes. Her glistening gaze went over the ponies and then stopped at Luna, standing along with Starswirl. It never moved away. Twilight saw how Celestia's folded wings pressed harder against her sides, trembling in anxiety.

Shining was already sobbing at the sight of the ceremony. He just couldn't stop himself, constantly wiping tears with a handkerchief. Cadance, who was standing directly in front of Twilight and the girls, patted him on the back.

He wasn't alone in this. Many around them were thoroughly impressed and could barely contain their tears. Amazed and astonished expressions were on ponies all around. Twilight noticed how Spike opened his jaw in utter bewilderment and, with a wide smile, closed it with a gentle hoof.

She heard Rarity nearby, speaking in a trembling mezzo, "I can just swoon, somepony, hold me! Oh... I bet it's all just like in the olden ages, like one thousand years ago," she let out a hushed whisper. "We are so lucky to be witnesses!…"

Stygian tried not to move far from Twilight's group, and his worries haven't gone as well. He answered, nervously tittering, "Are we even allowed to speak about that? I mean, I never met Luna in person back then, for example, but I do know how it was. It wasn't so glamorous."

Rarity looked at him with pathetic disdain and harrumphed, but Applejack picked up the conversation in her stead. "What are you on about?" She turned her head, curious.

"What I want to say, I suppose, is that Luna is different from back then." Stygian shook his head and knitted his brows, as if he were thinking of something unpleasant. "Aye, it is a radical change. Celestia is different too, in fact. They both seem to be almost amenable now, and I dare say, happy?"

"Huh? They weren't happy back then?" chipped in Dash.

"And not amenable!?" gasped Pinkie. "Hoooo! But that was before all the tea parties and cakes, arent'cha know? They are lovely now!"

"Aye, aye, but it's not just that, the whole Equestria is vastly different, so different, that I'd imagine Royal Sisters wouldn't want any of us to reminisce about old days," Stygian grumbled.

"Under Celestia, Equestria reached prosperity like never before," Twilight acknowledged eagerly. "Details do not matter. Whatever was back then, right now they both really are happy, and we need to be happy for them too."

"True. Though I'd never imagine they would be like that..." Stygian mumbled.

Cadance shushed them, twitching her ear. Celestia reached her destination in front of smiling Luna at the altar.

Starswirl loudly cleared his throat. His voice was amplified.

"Mares and gentlecolts!" he spoke with a well-delivered baritone, and all the music and whispers from the crowd ceased immediately.

Twilight smiled widely, looking at Starswirl. Even with the knowledge that he's glancing at concealed notes, he was very convincing. Everything felt so grandiose...

Starswirl cleared his throat again and went on with the speech.

"This is a truly blessed occasion as we gather to share the joy of the union of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, two ponies with a strong connection between them throughout the years. They have supported each other in both good times and when faced with difficulties, and they have dedicated their entire lives to the good of Equestria and all its denizens. From the brightest days of summer to the darkest nights of winter, these two monarchs have fought to bring peace and unity to our beautiful land.

"Let us never forget the many experiences that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have shared, from battling the forces of Chaos and Darkness to governing as sisters for hundreds of years. There isn't a more model pair than the two of them; their partnership is a true testament to strength, love, and support. As their mentor and friend, I am happy to see them take this step at last, and I know that they will set a positive example for love and family that all of Equestria may follow and be inspired by.

"And even more than that, it is a celebration of Harmony and its victory! It's a celebration of happiness and everything wonderful about life! It's a day to cherish and a representation of all that makes Equestria unique. As we celebrate love and happiness and see them begin a new chapter in their lives, this ceremony unites us all."

Starswirl barely audibly rustled paper and cleared his throat for a third time.

Thus, let this wedding serve as a reminder that love is stronger than all barriers and hurdles! From now on, two of the brightest stars in the sky will shine as one! May the nuptials of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna bring forth even more brightness and joy, illuminating not just the lives of your subjects but also everyone who hears of your marriage! I hope it's a historic occasion that ushers in a time of love and friendship and prosperity for everyone of Equestria! Forever and ever!"

"Forever and ever!" happily cheered somepony from the crowd, and then multiple voices roared in unison, "Forever and ever!"

Elated, Twilight laughed with others, and then she lurched to the side from a sudden, sharp pain in her temple. She shuddered, caressing her head. What... is this?...

Luna stepped forward, taking a word.

"And I, Princess of the Night, graciously accept these words and this union. Let it be known to all who gathered here, as well as to all ponies of Equestria! I will look over you under the dark of the night as well as in the light of day." Her smile was growing bigger during her chipper speech. "My faithful subjects, I promise you that our conjoined hearts will truly mark the beginning of a new era of our rule! And in the name of that, I beseech you: feast with us! Cherish our glory! Share love under the blanket of a moonlit night! Follow your desires with abandon..." Luna turned her head to Celestia, her eyes noticeably shimmering from veiled tears. "Isn't that right, Sister?"

Celestia remained serenely composed throughout these speeches. A hard-to-read smile was on her muzzle, and when she was given the spotlight before the crowd, the Princess of the Sun glanced around with a thoughtful look.

She turned to Starswirl, speaking in a high and stentorian voice, "I believe it is time for us to make our vows. Shall we proceed?"

Ponies cheered, almost drowning out the last words of the Princess. A thundering stomp of hooves went on, an expression of their complete support. Twilight was caught in the middle of it, but she did not give in to the surrounding ardor. A complicated expression settled on her muzzle instead.

Luna stared at Celestia strangely. Despite the dressing of the pretty words, there clearly was a tension between them. Twilight hardly believed that Luna would be so animated about the topic. Maybe something bad had happened after all? What pushed them to make the decision to arrange an engagement in the first place, anyway?

The pain again nudged in her head. Something was calling to her, and it wasn't unlike when she stood before that enigmatic White Tree in the Tower... Starswirl was so evasive when she tried to speak with him about it...

She rubbed her snout, frowning. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was a connection she was missing.

"Darling, are you alright?" Rarity leaned toward her, worrying. Fluttershy moved in from the other side. Twilight felt embarrassed that she was drawing attention at such a moment.

"Y-yeah..." she murmured.

There was an awkward pause at the altar. Starswirl, acting like a wooden understudy, glanced between Celestia and Luna. All three engaged in a short-lived discussion, at the end of which Celestia nodded, and Starswirl lifted from beyond the altar a little something that Twilight prepared beforehoof.

Despite everything, Twilight had found strength to smile at the sight.

Two items were in the possession of an old mage: a dusty ancient tome and a magnificent jeweled crown. "Behold!" he proclaimed, showing off the former. "First Compendium of Equestrian Laws, dated by the origins of Equestria herself and written by wizards and sages of old in ancient language! It is the immutable foundation of our laws and of our understanding of society! Let it guide spoken vows in the name of the sanctity and integrity of this marriage!"

Twilight could've sworn she saw a smirk on Celestia's face as she glanced at Luna. It was a far cry from any loving gaze one would've expected.

Luna was looking back with a silent challenge. She wasn't smiling anymore.

Starswirl kept talking, showing the headpiece now. "And this artifact is the crown of enchanted ironbark, under which Queen Celestia the Benevolent, Sol Invictus, First of Her Name and true ascendant to the throne, the Solar Diarch and the Vanquisher of Terrors, The Living Sun, the Archmage of Light, was installed first for the rule of the fledgling Equestria!"

An astonished gasp went through the crowd. Even Celestia seemed impressed—she certainly wasn't expecting the amount of work Twilight had put into digging up the titles. Twilight watched her expression greedily, and when the former Queen adorably blushed under the veil, she couldn't restrain a happy giggle.

Starswirl placed both artifacts on the altar and spoke loud and clear, "As per the custom of a true royal wedding, the rules of which were established in ancient times, I invite you both to place hooves upon the crown on top of the Compendium and repeat words of vows after me."

"Starswirl, my good friend and former mentor," Celestia spoke, confidently placing her hoof on the spot. "I have a proposal to make. How about we abstain from our usual vows for this occasion? We already have a sisterly bond that unites us stronger than any marriage. So, let us both, Sister, pledge our loyalty to the sole thing that matters most of all."

Twilight saw how all the color drained from Luna's muzzle. When Celestia went on with her brightened speech, she stood there frozen still.

"I propose for us, dear Sister, to pledge to Equestria herself and to swear to protect and cherish her and all of her ponies. Forever and ever!"

"Forever and ever!" cried somepony from the crowd, and it roared once more, "Forever and ever! Forevermore! Forevermore!"

And then... then... then, it hit Twilight, and she looked at Luna a little bit more attentive, at how she was standing right there with a scowl, and a fire in her eyes, and a slightly disheveled mane...

Twilight's head split with unbearable pain...

"Oh-h boy," she heard Pinkie muttering. The resourceful pony produced a set of yellow hard hats and placed them on herself and Fluttershy. Somehow, those already carried respective matching cutie marks. "I think it's gonna be woozy!"

𝙷er strength remained 𝚜apped 𝚋y 𝚝he 𝚍arkness 𝚘f 𝚝hat ac𝚌ursed 𝚌ave, 𝚋ut 𝚒t 𝚠as 𝚗othing 𝚌ompared 𝚝o 𝚝he 𝚍rive and resolve 𝚒nside 𝚑er 𝚑eart. 𝚂he 𝚗eeded 𝚝o 𝚛ectify her mistake. 𝚂he 𝚠ill 𝚍o 𝚎xactly 𝚜o.

𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍, but n𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑... A s𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚞rgency guided her... 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 ancient 𝙲anterlot in a hoof's reach. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝.

𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎 while she 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜. 𝚂he 𝚠as 𝚛elieved, 𝚋ut 𝚜he 𝚎xpected 𝚝o 𝚜ee 𝙲anterlot 𝚋esieged, 𝚘r, 𝚖ore 𝚙referably, completely 𝚞ntouched...

That's w𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜he 𝚜aw a 𝚋anner that was 𝚍epicted 𝚑er 𝚊nd 𝙲𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍, and 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚋 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍.

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑.

"Pretender!!" 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚘𝚛. 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝙰 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚋𝚊𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚢 revealed itself before her eyes.

Full of hate and anguish, she 𝚜earched 𝚏or 𝚊n 𝚎nemy, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 had 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 lunged to 𝚖eet 𝚑𝚎𝚛; 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 crimson red 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝚃𝚠𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚓𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝, 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢...

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 a 𝚑𝚊𝚠𝚔 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙rey. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚢. 𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛. "𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝙿𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 still 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎, but 𝚜truggling 𝚝𝚘 even 𝚛aise 𝚑is 𝚑ead.

"𝚆here?" 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚌𝚎.

"The Royal Library..." 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚣𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜. "Hurry..."

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍.

"Fine," scowled Luna with wanton malice, and her hoof slammed on top of the precious crown, next to Celestia's. "But don't expect—"

Twilight never knew what this creature, who posed as Luna, was going to say next. A powerful beam of light erupted from the altar, forcing ponies to pull back in terror. Before Twilight's bewildered eyes, darkness seeped in, inviting itself into this column of pure energy.

Pain pulsated throughout her entire being, throwing off any attempt to focus. She saw how Cadance succumbed to something similar, grasping her head and crying in pain.

She realized that she was crying as well as she looked at how two alicorn figures in the pillar stepped toward each other, engaging in some kind of ceremonial dance.

They moved in a circle, their gazes lost in each other's, their eyes filled with white. They were nimble like water, pressing and stepping away, standing on their hind legs and slowly rising in the air, spinning with one another in solemn slow motion. Somehow it still was blindingly beautiful, and it would be a glorious sight to behold... if it wasn't so wrong.

"Stop!" Twilight wailed, outstretching her foreleg toward the altar.

"Twiley?" Shining spun around with sudden helplessness in his eyes.

"What in tarnation is going on?"

"Twi, snap out of it!"

"Stop!" she tried to demand, weakly, pathetically whining...

Something broke inside of her, and blood began streaming down from her nose. She touched the muzzle with a hoof, not feeling or hearing anything, reeling from shock.

Behind the worried faces of her screaming friends and family, she saw how Starswirl was backing away from the alicorns, suspended above the ground with horns locked. In a moment of crystal clarity, Twilight saw something moving around them. A vague shape, coiling...

"It is a disaster..." Starswirl's despairful whisper went over the room, reached Twilight, and spurred the panic between the ponies. With the calamity occurring, he forgot to undo the spell that enhanced his voice.

As if on cue, something broke again. Not in her this time, no. Something broke in reality itself. It was like a dam collapsing under a rush of water. Like a branch, strained under pressure and breaking off. Like a thread, snapping in the air.

An overwhelming sound came and engulfed everything.

It was an ear-piercing, gargantuan crescendo that was drowning out all other noises. It drilled into her skull, hollowed it inside out, and filled it with nothing but pain. She screamed, thrashing, not able to comprehend where she was ending or where this continuous droning sound was beginning. Even her voice was completely submerged in it, in a cascade of ringing emptiness and fullness. Panic was flooding in.

But even so, she couldn't escape a dawning, overpowering understanding of what it heralded: it was a point of instability, a bifurcation point. A turning point. A critical point. A point where innumerable variables smash together to create something unprecedented. A point when reality boils over through the irresistibility of change and the course of its flow needs to be corrected, patterns need to be set anew, and everything must be shifted.

Down from her horn throughout her body launched a maddening, crushingly torturous surge, and her nerves screamed with an agonizing response. In a mere few seconds, she shattered into a complete slob, and her hooves gave in as she began to fall.

Friends did not let her. They acted as if they did not hear this monstrous agonizing scream of innumerable voices, entwined into a continuous protest against irrevocable harmonious divergence. Spike and Rainbow Dash dragged her aside to the wall, trying to help. Despair tore all strength from Twilight and she looked with bloodshot eyes at how two figures lowered down on the floor. Twilight whimpered, full of dread of what would happen when the screaming will end.

The sound slowly suffocated itself.

'Everything ends. One way or another.'

A laugh cut through the still air of everyone's horrified silence.

It was a soul-wrenching, pitiful shrill sound. A gnarly, vile figure of the Changeling Queen was standing in front of Celestia. It was her laughter, and it wasn't victorious at all.

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚜, 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚒𝚝. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 this. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 must.

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎.

"What have you done!?" Celestia rapped out; Twilight never saw her so angry and fearful. Gone were any semblances of a well-known motherly and godlike figure. Celestia was just like any other pony right now: bewildered and at a loss.

Chrysalis snapped her mouth shut, her muzzle twisted into a ghastly grimace.

There wasn't enough time for her to answer.

The wall far above them was crushed by a blast of modulated magic, and from an opening, from the starry sky, a figure of dark alicorn swooped directly on Chrysalis, smashing the changeling down with her hooves. With a crunching sound, the Queen was sent tumbling right amid shrieking ponies. Twilight weakly turned her head, noting that some tried the front door but to no avail. Someone barred them all from the outside.

She never knew that Luna was capable of such a strike. It was a terrible sight to behold. No pony could survive that, but Chrysalis, despite it all, began to scramble from the floor. Her wings fluttered, and she hovered with a lurch.

"I can protect everyone from you!" Luna, who was looking beaten and dirty, fixed her with a vicious and hateful stare.

"Luna..." Celestia stumbled, weak.

Twilight remembered a very familiar scene from the past at another wedding in Canterlot, so similar to this one. It felt like a nightmare... An unending, recurring nightmare... Luna wasn't a witness to that fight; she might not be prepared...

It was too late to change anything. Luna summoned all her power in a single direct attack, intending to finish the changeling, who was still ascending. Chrysalis met the attack with her horn and pushed the magic back in a swift and dominant motion, overpowering the Princess with ease.

It was so simple, and quick, and wrong. Luna didn't make a sound. She fell hard and slumped under the altar like a marionette with cut strings. Celestia screamed in anguish, grabbing Luna and cradling her in her forelegs.

Chrysalis began to laugh. Darkness was swirling around her, devouring all light with a cold, cutting wind, spinning in a seething torrent. Ponies trembled as this otherworldly power was taking over, until nothing was seen—only two flaring green eyes of the beast.

Her joyful, booming voice echoed with triumph:

"Bow to me!"

"Honor me!"

"Worship me!"

"THE QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA!"

Leap 6 — "The Queen of..." — Princess Celestia — Day 1, late evening

...And so, her fat shadow eclipsed the Sun itself in a terrible dawning of darkness, enveloping lands with the coldest lullaby of death. And with a flick of her forehoof, armies prostrated, mountains trembled, and the world bated breath in fear of her might. One by one heroes rose against her, only to be ensnared by the clutches of their shared fate. May be forever remembered lives of those who were lost...

an excessively morbid and banned Changeling folk tale

Thus began the longest night of my life. When the dawn eventually broke for me, I no longer remained who I was before. Nothing was ever the same.

But now? After years? I might dare to write, that maybe, just maybe, it really was worth it.

the Former Princess memoirs

<...>

"THE QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA!"

Chrysalis' voice thundered, and rich silence followed.
‎ ‎
‎ ‎

It was a short-lived moment of stillness in the dark. Celestia raised her head, watching how several opportunistic pegasi were fleeing for their lives through the breach in the wall. There were also some colorful birds flying away. Ah... That must've been Fluttershy's songbirds.

How thoughtful of her to bring them along.

The Queen kept cackling and enjoying the terror, but Celestia had more pressing matters to be concerned with.

She lowered herself back to Luna. Her sister slowly blinked, barely acknowledging her presence. That last surge of power left her depleted, completely exhausted, not even able to move.

"Seems the old saying is true," said Celestia. "If you have someone you don't want to lose, you should keep them at a distance..." Remaining in a haze, Celestia embraced her sister tighter, and shed a few tears on the dark coat. "I won't let you down anymore. I'm sorry. So sorry. I can't protect you from everything, I just can't..."

Luna was concerned and flabbergasted. Celestia recognized her questioning look, and smiled somberly. Even now, she is so headstrong. Her little sister...

"Please, be careful. Do not worry about me." Celestia' smile became more familiar and gentle, and she stood up. "If worst comes to pass, watch over ponies in my stead. I believe in you."

"Yes... Yes. Sister—" Luna mustered, tried to cling on her, to say something else, but Celestia carefully laid her on the floor and stepped away. Every second of prolonged farewell tore at her. It needed to be ended quickly. For their sake.

The green flames, igniting one by one all around the elongated hall, lit up the writhing darkness. Books, torn from the shelves, were flying around in it, carried by the cold ethereal wind. The tapestries of Diarchy burned away. Chrysalis, the source of this magic, nestled on top of a huge swinging gothic chandelier, pressing her back against its supporting ropes. Her sorcerous fire illuminated her silent and ominous visage.

An image that was befitting for Tartarus, in more ways than one. If not for recent complications...

Celestia pressed her hoof against her muzzle and sighed. How did it all come to this? How Chrysalis managed it? How? She glanced at Starswirl who was looking warily at the Queen. He shared a quick look of uncertainty with Celestia.

"This creature," he said slowly, "how did—"

"I will find out." Celestia lent some steel into her voice. "Concern yourself with the safety of others."

"Princess, it created a fulcrum event." He swallowed. "The whole paradigm had shifted. We cannot go blind into this."

"Starswirl, you asked me about the Cosmic Council, remember?" Celestia raised her head, observing the Queen who basked in ponies' fear. "They were distant with me for a very long time," she admitted coldly, "so believe me, I know what it's like. Ask advice from Antiquity if you must, but first, make your talents useful and guarantee everyone's safety."

He didn't answer, deep in thought. She doubted he could provide anything that is beyond her current understanding. Something was wrong, yes, something was messing with the order of things... Something... But obviously, it was even more than that. Not to say, they both knew she was never supposed to marry anyone, and until this day the fact of it was something that dictated her very nature. Luna seemed like an exception, a plausibility, a small opportunity to make their lives better...

Poor Starswirl looked shaken down to his core, and Celestia could relate to him. Not every day all of your life's work begin to crumble before your very eyes.

He needed direction and purpose. She could help with that.

"Be vigilant and we will find a way through," she assured, and shared a small, warm smile. Her ancient enemy is very persistent and on the precipice of victory? Nothing new. Celestia was never one to surrender easily, either.

But still, a horrendous thought was unraveling in her mind now, and more and more she was becoming unable to get distracted from it.

'How? Just how? Why?'

After all that she suffered? After all that she lost? After all that she's done!? Is that a cruel joke? Another punishment!?

Meanwhile, darkness was lit not only by green fire but by light from ponies' horns as well. They finally apprehended the situation, and they did not take Chrysalis' announcement lightly.

"You will never be a ruler of Equestria!" Prince Shining Armor roared with fury in his eyes. Cadance, reeling from the recent display of catastrophic magical anomaly, was grasping at his neck, looking upwards with equal defiance.

"But I already am!" hissed Chrysalis.

"You deceived our Princess, changeling!" some pony cried from the back.

"And I've won!"

"She murdered Princess Luna!" shrieked another voice. "How dare she!"

Chrysalis just laughed.

Bloodied and pale Twilight did not step up, as at the moment she was being cared for by her parents and friends. Rainbow Dash was at her side, and she booed at the top of her lungs. Several brave ponies from the crowd joined her.

"We will never bend the knee to a dishonorable creature like you!" exclaimed Commander Flash Magnus, the last and single one of the appointed and active Knights of Equestria. He brandished his sword with a grim look. Several members of the Royal Guard were at his side. "Surrender! You are outnumbered!"

Chrysalis laughed even more loudly, rocking her creaking chandelier. Someone threw a horseshoe at her but missed. Is she just having fun now? Oh, but of course she does.

"You are a monster!"

"Go back to the hole you crawled from!"

"Ugly beast!"

Celestia's heart swelled with pride. It all was very wrong and very disastrous, but most of her ponies chose to remain brave in the face of overwhelming danger.

Chrysalis' horn shone with green, and the rope of the chandelier snapped. With an earsplitting crush, it fell at the exit doors, obstructing them further. Ponies barely had time to jump away. Chrysalis remained in the air, her dragonfly wings smeared in a flurry of motion. She outstretched hooves and snarled, igniting her horn, "Well!? What are you waiting for, rabble?"

Everything spinned into action. First to attack was Starswirl, a hot and branching lightning emitted from his horn without any warning.

Chrysalis chomped on it. White electricity sizzled through her toothy maw and danced on charcoal skin. She bit powerful lightning in pieces, sending surging electricity in all directions, and remained completely unscathed.

It didn't do much to dissuade the others. Shining and Cadance, as well as unicorns from Royal Guard, and a few seconds later Starswirl himself, all launched rays of magic directly into the Queen. Protected by a barrier, she crashed into a far wall, but then began to push through the assault.

Studying her, Celestia couldn't help but wonder, was it really all power of her consumed love on display, or was it simply the insane capabilities of the changeling Queen, fueled by the Dark? Still, Chrysalis looked like she struggled. Her projected shield was completely focused on defending her front, and that meant...

Yes! Flash Magnus, familiar with magic duels, leaped into action alongside Rainbow Dash. Bravery and Loyalty were swiftly approaching Chrysalis from behind, ready to make a critical breach in her defenses...

Celestia clenched her teeth. No, it couldn't be that easy. Never is...

Chrysalis, this monster, managed to be one step ahead. Her head turned to an unnatural angle, and her eyes flared with bright green. Magnus immediately stiffened mid-flight and began falling down. Rainbow Dash reacted faster, she quickly changed trajectory and made a perfect evasive maneuver. Whatever you might say about the girl, she wasn't a fool.

The Queen got her anyway. Through all the magic that was supposed to be suppressing her, a bolt of black lightning rushed directly to the pegasus. However fast she was, it was faster. It went right through the wing of the mare, biting her into her side.

Rainbow Dash let out a scream of agony, and fell in spiraling motion, spattering thin crimson droplets all around. An orange flash leaped from between the ponies and safely caught her mid-fall. Applejack.

Celestia took a step forward, pale from worry. Her mouth was opened. It was something unprecedented.

The Queen launched a wave of force around her, repelling all remaining attackers at the same time. She was none worse for wear, baring teeth with fervent malice. Her mocking voice sounded genuinely disappointed, "Is that what Equestria's finest has to offer? Do try harder than that!"

Celestia slowly shook her head, at a loss for words. Were powers of fate protecting Chrysalis now? 'How? How?' again this question rang in her mind, weakness enveloped all of her body...

And worst of all, ponies were refusing to stand down, even if most of them were civilians, and when Cadance defiantly cried her answer, she looked like she forgot about that completely, "Chrysalis, you spineless coward! You use stolen power for your own good, you parasite! Without it you're nothing!"

Chrysalis slowly breathed in. All darkness in the room visibly crept closer to her, almost concealing her hovering figure. She breathed out, and the darkness was pushed back from her insectoid form.
"Shi-i-iney~, darling," she cooed in a sing-song sugary voice, "your mare wants to get captured again! Should I oblige? Do you want to get rid of her? Maybe I should start collecting the Princesses!" She jerked her head towards Celestia, laughing. "Say, isn't that a grand idea, wife?"

That word felt like a whiplash, but Celestia didn't show it. Instead, she quickly glanced at terrified ponies, and then mirthlessly smiled back. "But my niece is right," she said loudly. "If it's anyone's power you using, it is mine and not your own."

If the Changeling Queen had any weakness right now, it was her inflated ego. "As if it ever stopped me! What you relinquished is mine by right to take! Or what, do I need to slay you all, just to teach you a lesson? Fine, then! Let it be known: you have forced my hoof!" Chrysalis cackled madly, and raised her foreleg. "Minions! Go! Feed!"

The plan worked in a roundabout way, but it did. Numerous concealed changelings began to reveal themselves. Green fire flared all around, a whole band of them leaped from the upper tier where musicians were supposed to be—maybe they even were musicians from before. Everything around Celestia and Starswirl immediately became a battlefield.

The old mage huffed, adjusted his wizard hat, and leaped into the fray.

Celestia sighed in relief, seeing that Twilight remained untouched in between of all this, already busy with treating wounded Rainbow Dash under the protection of other friends. Then, Celestia turned and saw Chrysalis right in front of herself.

It almost startled her.

With effort, Celestia took a step, shielding the fallen Luna. It was as if the changeling hadn't noticed at all. Her gaze was glued to the Solar Princess, she steadily crept closer and placed both forelegs on Celestia's shoulders to lean to her ear and hiss a whisper, "My sworn enemy, my powerful Sun... I'll be honest. I just wanted a moment for both of us. Tell me now, isn't it all beautiful?"

What did she say? Beautiful? Despite everything, despite all the recent revelations, the question caught Celestia unaware. Almost as if hypnotized, she moved her head and looked at the ongoing battle. "There's nothing beautiful about this."

"But the struggle~..." Chrysalis replied with breathy moan, the suddenness of which made Celestia shudder. "...You will see. Soon, I will make you see."

The Queen lifted the veil on Celestia's muzzle, wanting to share a kiss, but the Princess evaded lips in disgust. "We need to talk, Chrysalis. Immediately."

In the green shimmering eyes, there was a hint of dissatisfied understanding. Yes, the Queen certainly knew what she meant. "Here?" she cluttered her teeth.

"Not here."

"Outside?"

"Outside."

"Oh, fine."

Chrysalis turned and swaggered to the exit. A fervent battle with changelings already wrapped up at this point. It was hard to evaluate the damage caused by Chrysalis, but one thing was clear: her monstrous spawn didn't pose that much of a threat in direct combat. At least, not in this case.

Scared and pressed into the corner, with foals to protect, ponies just crushed their would-be attackers. Following the Queen, Celestia was darkly amused when she saw Prince Blueblood, so caught up in the zeal of combat, that he just charged Chrysalis on sight.

"For EQUESTRIA!" the stallion roared, wildly swinging a blade stained with blood.

Chrysalis zapped him without breaking her stride, and he collapsed into the heap of bodies, where he remained in an unsavory and not-too-decent pose. Celestia lingered for a second, worrying, but Chrysalis clearly measured her power. Still, some protector she is...

A satisfied grin remained on the Queen's muzzle, as she walked in dancing shadows, cast by trembling green fire. Ponies were gawking. They were confused and scared, backing away and letting them pass. Celestia felt how dread was washing over her, but this time it was appropriate. She kept her head high, appearing almost as magnificent as she was before all this tragedy.

She already could predict the trajectory of the next events to occur. Only one question remained unresolved for her, and so she walked with the purpose to find the answer, remaining silent to little ponies' pleas.

Oh yes, they were calling out to her... It was heartwrenching, and Celestia needed all force of will to not react... to not let the conflict derail unpredictably.

"Princess Celestia? What is happening?"

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

"What is your explanation for all of this?"

"She bewitched her! The Princess is under the spell of that heathen!"

"Princess, talk to us!"

"Princess!"

The exit was almost at hoof's reach when Twilight, Cadance, and Shining all broke to them through the dispersed crowd. Celestia stole a quick look back, noting that Starswirl was leaning over Luna. At least she is in good care...

"Princess Celestia!?" Twilight, all bloodied, looked with urgency, with those innocent yet demanding eyes of hers. It was like a cold knife to Celestia's heart, but she did not waver.

Poor Twilight. Because of her direct and intricate connection to the both worlds of magic and logic, she was hurt the most by what had occurred...

"My subjects." Celestia raised her voice, trying to convey all needed emotion with a few simple words. "Remain strong for Equestria. It might be dark times, but let it all be a test for our character. No matter what happens, Canterlot will stand unfettered! I promise you that!"

"Ah Celestia, my Celestia," Chrysalis spoke immediately, thoroughly amused by it all. "So quick to inspire fool's hope, isn't she?"

Cadance stepped forth, barring the path to the exit. She was full of zealous indignation. Celestia doubted that the Princess of Love even heard all that was spoken, as passion and hate were guiding her judgment now.

"Chrysalis!" challenged Cadance, demanding justice, "You insolent wretched creature! You are the parasite! You are a blight on the land of Equestria! You will never win, no matter how hard you try! This is our home, and we will never let you bring it to ru—"

Chrysalis spat juicily in her muzzle.

Shining Armor, to his credit, reacted immediately. A magenta-colored ray beamed into the Queen, but she just repelled it with a stroke of a foreleg, redirecting awfully close to the heads of cowering ponies around.

"Do tread carefully, little Prince!" she mocked.

"Enough, Shining! Thank you," Cadance smeared thick saliva with her foreleg, seething with disgust. Her gaze was truly unsettling. "Mark my words, Chrysalis: I'll rip open your throat and tear out your heart through it myself, if I have to. You disgraced us all, and even more so, you disgraced the sanctity of marriage!"

"You all bark and promises, Princess." The Queen smirked, and then looked at other ponies. "You all are. Pathetic cowards. If you want to really challenge me, you know where I'll be: in my new castle, ruling your Kingdom. Come, wife. We have so much to do..."

The Queen stepped forward, her horn flared, and finally, Cadance had some common sense to stumble aside. A powerful blast broke through the barred door and fallen chandelier. Fresh air rushed inside the room.

The Queen nickered, walked outside, and Celestia followed suit, trying to not look at ponies and especially at Twilight. The Darkness around began to recede, giving way to the usual dark of the night. Celestia heard how former student cried in her back, "Princess, don't give up! We will find a way to save you!"

That made Chrysalis suddenly stop and turn around.

"Almost forgot. My little Twilight!~..." she called in a gentle sing-song voice, raising and pointing her horn.

Celestia felt dread.

A green beam launched through the library, and reduced the arch above the wedding altar to smithereens.

"From now on, know that your new Queen hates black calla lilies, and don't be obtuse. Only purple ones! Or red roses!" the Queen snarled passionately, sweeping her cold glare over all the other ponies. "And all of you, subjects, rejoice and be happy for my benevolence. Show disrespect again, and you will die."

Her aura slammed shut what was left of broken doors.

Finally, Celestia had a chance to exhale, to assess the situation. She realized that she was trembling with all of her coat. Strange, but being a witness to all this danger was enticing...

After all, she was a thrill-seeker.

But this was too much, just too much and too close to the brink... And still far from over.

The rain was going strong, since constantly gathering clouds remained too long without a proper pegasi care. It obstructed the view of the stars and the Moon, drowning out most of the natural light.

Celestia looked around. The street, only recently littered with life, looked barren. Banners were left lying on the pavements. Few carriages were standing unattended. The green slime, that was apparently obstructing the entrance to the library, sprayed and covered all around, leaving a sticky wet mess.

Celestia frowned, glancing at the white flower petal, pressed into the dirt.

The Queen walked down the stairs with a spring in her step. She twirled under the upcoming rain, trying to catch the droplets with her indecently long tongue. "Isn't it beautiful?" she chirped to Celestia yet again, flashing a toothy grin. "My perfect maelstrom..."

Celestia looked at the darkened sky, noting seldom green lightning against it, which aimed somewhere in the Canterlot. The Chrysalis' soldiers kept descending on the city with the rain... Somewhere right now, the battle was raging on, and Celestia was doing nothing...

How much spawn did the Queen birth for this? Did she brought her whole Hive? It could've made sense...

"Aren't you supposed to be protecting Equestria now?" the Princess mused in a cold tone. That part was unclear, as vows before the altar were never spoken in full. Alas, it was such a good idea to entrap the Queen like that...

Chrysalis glared with hate. Her mercurial temperament could become dangerously collected at a moment's notice, as if she was listening to an internal melody of her own, sounding in dissonance with everyone else's. "My Kingdom, you meant? Canterlot isn't Equestria, Princess," she hissed and turned away, lashing her tail. "Besides, I did promise my subjects some fun."

They proceeded to make their way toward the Royal Palace. Chrysalis was stepping proudly amidst the carnage, her wings fluttering with a buzz. Celestia remained deep in thought.

Was Chrysalis an agent of free will?... No, such thing did not exist. She had to belong to the forces of the world that were struggling for dominance. So it is the Darkness, then? What trickery did she use to place them both into this position? Who taught her? She never was a competent planner with long goals, didn't she? But her? How? A creature like her?

All that Celestia wanted was peace.

One thousand years of pain and torment, and waiting, and longing, and planning, suddenly rushed down on her. She felt apathy. Helplessness. And then, at last, she felt fire of anger, buried deep within.

Engaged in some pondering of her own, Chrysalis gave her a lopsided grin. "So. Tia. I see that my venom, my love juice, no longer has any effect on you?"

That was right, Celestia noticed that her alicorn body already picked up some resistance to changeling poison. The haze from before cleared much faster, not to say that the recent revelation felt like the extra kick to the senses. Maybe Chrysalis wasn't even supposed to use it in such dosage, or for such prolonged time.

She didn't bother to try to explain it, of course, but Chrysalis didn't needed her explanation.

"What a pity," the Queen murmured. "Though, I like it better—I shouldn't rely on controlling you so easily."

A clatter of hooves was heard from up ahead. The soldiers of the Royal Guard were hurrying to them. A sight for sour eyes, in any other circumstances.

"Your Highness!" the sergeant exclaimed. "We are at your service!"

His breath hitched when Chrysalis stepped from behind the Princess and snidely grinned.

Celestia sighed. "At ease. Make your way to the Royal Library and report to the Commander. If he is unavailable, the honorary Captain will bring you up to speed. Remember that your first directive is to serve the Crown and the denizens. Go."

Poor ponies gave them a wide arc, hurrying with their orders. Chrysalis hummed thoughtfully, "It would seem I still would need a public acknowledgment of my rule, aren't I?"

They kept walking side by side. Celestia glanced around in the pervasive bleakness, aching to find something to destroy. Again she needed to remind herself about Antiquity, grand roles, and the wisdom of the universe at large. It all had some meaning, and—

The Queen pushed against her flank playfully. "I had a thought. What about our wedding night?" she asked seductively.

Celestia heard a muffled scream from an alleyway. She looked closely, noticing two changelings hunched over a stallion, who rolled between them in the mud. Her horn shone with brilliant gold, and the little insectoid bodies pressed into one another with a sickening crunch. Celestia crushed them in the span of a few seconds, and tossed them further down the darkened alley, just in time for her and Chrysalis to pass by.

"Not bad~" cooed Chrysalis. "What shape I should take for our wedding night?"

Celestia snapped her head back to the Queen.

"I think I know what you would like, my Celestia... How about Twilight?" Chrysalis' voice suddenly completely changed tonality, and darkly bemused, Celestia heard a cheerful and soft-spoken imitation of Twilight. "Oh my Princess, my precious Princess! I've never read about that in the books! I am learning so much, it is incredible! I'll definitely will go tell all the girls, and Spike too, and I'll make it very, very detailed!"

Despite it all, Celestia couldn't help it and chuckled—a sound that she never expected to make around the damnable insect. She groaned, not hiding her frustration.

Chrysalis pressed on, her eyes sparkling with happy mischief, "Ah, but I think I know the type that you'll really like, don't you? So how about Luna? No, no scratch that—how about Nightmare Moon herself? Admit it, you must've had some fantasies about how she utterly dominates you in a bed, doesn't it? This strong, powerful, assertive form of your little sister..." the Queen leaned to Celestia's ear, and shivers went down her spine. "Admit it, mare: secretly, you'd love for someone to take control from you."

"Chrysalis!" Celestia barked. "Enough."

"Yes! That fearless look... That is what I adore about you. That's why I didn't completely subjugate your will, like with countless other fools. It would be so boring... Oh, how I enjoy when you are looking at me like that, my powerful Sun..."

Appalled, Celestia glared with contemptuous disdain.

"Yes, just like that!" Chrysalis' muzzle broke into a wide grin. "This mesmerizing fire..."

"Oh? So fire is what you like, you scornful witless thing? Maybe that is why you wanted to wed me so bad?" Celestia leaned, looking deep into the insectoid's shimmering eyes. "Just so you could, right afterward, become cindered by the biggest fire of them all?"

Chrysalis' toothy, predatory smile, was widening with every step. It was apparent: she relished being threatened or in peril. If only for a moment, but Celestia forgot about everything and was genuinely fascinated by the sheer... voracity. Her ruthlessness, her desire to push forward...

What a dark creature...

Then, in the corner of Chrysalis' mouth, saliva appeared; her gaze reeked with hunger. Celestia turned away. Her heart was racing.

The Queen licked her lips. "Maybe I wanted it just because you're the biggest pony, of the finest pedigree. I'll topple you over, and others sure will follow."

"I see it now," Celestia sighed with resignation. "Yes, it's all simple. You had no plan. You just threw yourself at me, and somehow it all worked out for you." Celestia looked at Chrysalis with complete and utter frustration. "You truly are just a scornful beast... How I could fall so low?"

"Maybe your ruling just isn't that good as you'd like to imagine, while you parade yourself as you do..." hissed the changeling Queen with a disdain to match. "Some readjustments are in order."

"I will never allow your tyranny into my court. My ponies will never acknowledge you, I will make sure of that. None of your atrocities would ever be forgotten, nor forgiven."

"You still want to be an obstacle, then? Fine by me. Whatever makes you think that I care about any of this, anyway? Winners are never judged."

"Oh, this is what you have to say? After all your talk about power?" Celestia shook her head in disgust. "This is the weakest statement I've ever heard. Winners or losers, no one is above judgment."

"You want to preach to me some of that pony logic of yours? Make me atone for my sins?... Make me regret?..." her new wife hummed, amused by a thought.

"Spare me. I wouldn't waste my breath on you, Chrysalis."

"But I'd bet you know a thing or two about winning or losing, don't you?" Chrysalis cruelly chuckled. "You're just salty that I've finally won."

"You haven't won." Finally, Celestia stopped and turned. "No one is winning here. Don't you understand?"

With a serious, stern scowl, she looked into Chrysalis' eyes directly. The Queen stopped too, her nervous hooves danced a bit as she did so. Her cocky smile hadn't gone, but her eyelid twitched, further showing distress.
"What?" she quacked in a raspy voice.

"Haven't you heard the voice?" Celestia took a step closer. "I know that you did. Do not play pretend with me any longer."

Celestia finally saw the response that she was waiting for. A genuine emotion appeared on the Queen's expression, breaking through the cracks of her misleading guise of self-appointed self-assuredness.

It was a familiar fear of losing control, of not understanding what is going on and how to react. It stayed but for a few seconds, but it was evident and resounding in her voice. "Yes," she finally spilled, looking disturbed. "I never expected to become soulbound to any of you creatures. Not to you, Celestia."

"So that truly wasn't your intent?" Celestia was boiling with rage; her scolding tone was not unlike the one reserved for the most disappointing of her students. "This isn't some kind of elaborate scheme of yours? You tried to marry me, as you tried Shining Armor before, just because you wanted to feed?"

Chrysalis let her mask slip back on. She stepped forward with a defiant grin, and her eyes flared with malice. "Yes-s-s, a perfect ultimate insult... I wanted to beat you and rub it in your pretty face. And it was easy, you hear me!? Besides, how else one would become a ruler of all ponies?" Chrysalis scoffed and laughed, showing all signs that she was completely oblivious to any other answers.

It was hard to tell now, but did she even expected to win?

Celestia just couldn't take it any longer right now. Blinded by anger, by the banality of it all, she groaned, spun back in the previous direction, and continued her stubborn march towards the Royal Palace. Again there was only one thought, but it was like no other. It was a searing thought, one that was inhibiting with gestating pain her entire being.

'How? Why? Why like this?'

An ethereal voice still echoed in her mind. It was making her go faster, almost galloping, as she kept thinking over and over those lines, torturing herself with their grim truth, as if it could be of any help.

When they both were suspended above the altar, that voice spoke to them clearly:

"Your souls are bound,
Your destinies are one."

Judgment of the fates was cast...

In her entire life, she never felt more miserable.

Step 7 — "...the Little Sparkles in the Dark" — Princess Twilight Sparkle — Day 1, late evening

Author's Note

On the topic of Cadance's character.

Step 7 — "...the Little Sparkles in the Dark" — Princess Twilight Sparkle — Day 1, late evening

The Dark receded, and all flames in the hall of the Royal Library took on the natural color.

Front doors slammed shut, and Twilight exhaled with a hitch, a little whine on her lips. The world still felt wanting to treacherously spin at every movement, and the desire to find a place to sit down was overwhelming. Yet, she could be much more useful on her hooves, so she sobered up and began to push through a worried and disorderly herd of noble ponies and other guests, who still couldn't get that everything irrevocably changed, and still were gawking and trying to gather themselves after a recent sporadic battle.

Luckily, her pale and bloodied visage was enough for them to try and get out of the way without any extra nudges. Twilight stepped back to Rainbow Dash, who was dragged aside and now was being cared for by friends. The alicorn Princess did all she could in her weakened state, and now her heart ached, as she looked at the unsightly sight of burnt flesh and broken bone. "By Celestia's mercy," she pleaded, "please, be alright."

"It's fine," Dash mustered an optimistic grin, and her charred stump on her left side slightly wagged, "Wings grow back, right?"

Applejack began to utter, wearing a painful and serious expression: "Dash, ah' think t'would be better to—"

"Everything is possible with magic," Twilight said, placing a firm hoof on Applejack's shoulder. The farmer reluctantly closed up her open mouth.

"You really can regrow it?" Rarity, all pale, got distracted from her somber thoughts for a moment. "Or maybe, what, are we talking about a prosthetic?"

"Make it a cool one!" Dash immediately demanded.

Twilight giggled, furtively wiping a tear from the corner of an eye. "I've heard for a fact that there are pegasi who use prosthetics! We just have to get you the best one, a magical one, after all this mess."

Dash sighed, slowly closing her eyes. "Yeah, that would be just... awesome..." She kept grinning through the pain. "Y'know... It turns out, there actually was a prank in Canterlot, right, girls?..."

"Y-yeah." Applejack sighed, lowering her head with a small smile.

Worrying, Twilight shifted forward, but Rarity gently patted her on the shoulder. "I think she's fine, darling. She will pull through. Well, of course, we could need a professional to look after her, mind you..."

Twilight helplessly glanced around the hall. There really wasn't anyone around who could provide substantial aid with wounds that severe. Her eyes searched until she noticed several distraught and weeping ponies who gathered around lifeless bodies. She gulped, quickly averting her eyes, not willing to watch that in detail, compelled by harrowing expectation that she would recognize the deceased, and this time something will break in her permanently.

Instead, she looked at a heap of changeling corpses, a few dozen of them, all unceremoniously tossed at the corner. Some of the Royal Guard still were busy finishing off the stragglers, pinning them down with spears, treating them like oversized insects they are. Wincing from one especially brutal motion, Twilight felt very uneasy. Somehow.. somehow, it felt like such a waste to her, as if these could become someone better...

She frowned, drawing her eyes to the floor, trying to suppress the strange sensation. It's not like she held out for little monsters some kind of sympathy, but...

The deaths overall, that's what was getting to her, this complete and irreversible diminish of someone's potential. It all was so unnecessary. So wasteful.

So wrong.

Not to say about the wedding itself... That Chrysalis... No, Twilight wasn't the one to stand up in pose and exclaim 'Chrysalis will pay!'. She just got very, very sad.

Because they all very, very tried to make it all work.

And all that effort was gone now, not unlike all the love that was going into that creature's maw, it did fuel something scornful...

Why do such creatures like Chrysalis, who are just bent on destroying everything good, even exist? What's with this desire to erode happiness and hope in the world? Is it just because they can do so? One couldn't help but wonder how such malice was born in creatures like her...

Spike placed his little clawed hand on her side, trying to make her feel better. Twilight sighed and offered back a cheerless, but grateful smile. "We'll be fine," she promised with a strained voice.

"I know I'll be," grinned baby dragon, trying to look brave, "But Twi, if you need a shoulder to cry on and let it all out, I'm here. We all are."

Twilight curtly nodded, feeling a tingly sensation down her nose, like she was ready to surrender to the urge to do exactly that at any second now. Here in Canterlot it still felt very un-Princesslike, so she suppressed herself. Maybe will do it later. Definitely.

Her eyes traced aside, noticing the approaching Shining Armor. He wordlessly offered her a quick hug, then nodded in greeting to her friends.

"How are you holding out here?" he asked her, got bottled water from aside, then handkerchief—he apparently had plenty of these on his person. Before Twilight had a chance to respond, he already was wiping the dried blood from her muzzle. Twilight, somehow, had forgotten about that completely.

She grunted, slightly blushing and checking if someone is looking. "Fine, I suppose. Thanks. How's Mom and Dad?"

Shining was unfamiliarly collected and serious. Well, he was a warrior and a good-hearted pony, after all. A Prince, to hoof. "Little shaken." He slightly nudged her. "Dad said that if you will be wed someday and changelings still show up, it would be official: all alicorn Princesses are fated to have it like that."

Twilight snorted, feeling a little better. "I'll double-check if my spouse is Chrysalis, I guess. Do you think we might need a magical detector trained on her or something?"

"Uh-huh. Make that a chastity belt." Shining faked a smile. Nonetheless, Twilight felt gratitude.
He kept on with the same breath, "Come, I need to whisk you away to others. We have to decide what to do next."

"Right."

Twilight stood up and hesitated a bit, glancing apprehensively back at Spike and the girls. Fluttershy looked at her reassuringly, and Applejack gestured with foreleg: "We are alright, don't worry your head with us. She's alright too," she nodded at lying Dash, who fell into an uneasy sleep, "Go, Princess."

There was a commotion between the gathered nobility. Twilight not needed to train her ear that much to recognize what the fuss is about—indignation, uncertainty, and all that. As she and Shining were making their way around, she noticed her sister-in-law right in the middle of it, and turned to the brother with worry: "Will Cadance be okay? Those ponies look like they will just tear her apart."

"She had worse," Shining replied confidently.

They reached Stygian and Magnus, the latter already came to after a direct strike from Chrysalis and was sulkily treating a wound on the shoulder of his friend. Twilight offered her sympathy: "How did you got hurt, Stygian?"

Magnus, busy with bandages, replied instead: "Apparently he was just standing there and completely ignoring changelings, right until one burrowed gums-deep into him."

"Aye," Stygian mustered. His eyes were sullen, with dark circles around. "I was afraid. I've frozen up."

"Afraid?" Twilight's wings barely twitched. "Of the changelings?"

"Of the Dark," whispered Stygian on the edge of his breath, and then smiled sheepishly. His direct gaze was slightly unnerving. "Your Highness, can you feel the smell?"

"The smell?" Twilight parroted again, involuntarily rubbing her nose.

"Yes, that sweet smell... I just can't get rid of it..."

Twilight tilted her head, blinking. Before she could go on with questioning though, another voice thundered, stealing the attention of everyone in the room.

Cadance had enough. She gracefully leaped on the back of the bench, spreading her wings for balance. Her horn shone with brilliant light, as her aura grabbed a bloodied sword from Prince Blueblood (still knocked out), and she caught it with a loud neigh on her lips.

She reared up, the sword lifted high to the ceiling, and danced on her elongated legs. Her unfamiliar stern gaze washed everyone from high above.

Twilight stole a look at Shining, who was filled with utter pride adulation.

"My fellow ponies! You have suffered at the hooves of the changelings, and their depravity and wickedness have reached new heights. But do not fret! We have been through a horrific attack, and we saw it through undeterred! We will remedy this day yet! We will weather this storm and emerge stronger for it!
"I know what Celestia, blessed be her sun-like heart, would want us to do: to face the evil that has befallen us with strength and determination, and not shrink from danger, but rather stand tall and resolute in the defense of our way of life! Let no one doubt that we yet will have our revenge on the Queen for her vicious attack!"

Pinkie, who was right in the thick of it, giggled, hugging her huge party cannon, which was still smoking from overuse, "Yep, don't let some creepy poxy phony ponies get you down!"

Well, at least someone among her closest friends didn't have any qualms against death and killing. On second thought, her weapon must've been loaded with confetti. Though, it still was a cannon...

Cadance nodded, and continued more normally, "So calm yourselves, for everyone's sake. You are in safety for now, and I will guarantee personally that no more harm will come to pass to any of you." She lowered the sword; her leg must've been already getting tired. "We will devise a plan and we will see you all escorted to your homes. Equestria will prevail!"

Not that frightened canterlotian aristocrats were particularly impressed by the rousing speech and vague promises, but it seemed like their concerns were lowered for now. One clear voice got through their murmur, "What about our fallen? Will we just leave them here?"

"Of course not. We will figure something out, right now. That is all, we will move out soon and orderly!" calmed them Cadance, jumped down, and confidently walked through the dispersing crowd back to Twilight and others.

Their small group positioned itself at the bookshelf along the wall, right underneath burned tapestry of Diarchy. Twilight glanced around in discontent and picked up one of the books lying around, torn from the shelves. She gently tucked it back into its place. Of course, with the whole catastrophe going on, no one even thought about reading something. Chrysalis managed to spoil everything even in this detail.

By Celestia, that vile Changeling Queen...

Cadance queried in a casual tone, "Well, what should we do?" Her horn shimmered, as she tried to pull away the sheath for the sword from Blueblood.

"My men are already busy looking for stretchers for severely wounded." Magnus' eyes wandered somewhere in Dash's direction. "I'm afraid we will be forced to manage to carry most with magic and on our backs, but after all, leave killed where they lie. Such are conditions of war."

"Yes. Exactly my thoughts," Shining Armor shared grimly. "It all leads to war, and we need to be ready to act accordingly."

Twilight made a light gasp. "W-what? Are you serious? With Chrysalis?"

"She took the throne by force, Twiley. She is controlling Celestia, obviously. By the looks of it, the whole city is under siege right now. What else we can expect?"

"Her powers will not wane while she keeps feeding on Celestia," suddenly huffed Starswirl, and Twilight jumped, looking back at the old mage who appeared at her side. Somehow he managed to sneak up on her once again, what's up with that?
"Most likely she will do it until our Princess is drained completely."

Cadance slowly shook her head, horrified. "How grim..." She frowned. "I... I can't even imagine, what debauchery she must be enduring... what if it is already too late?"

"I know little of the creature, but I am in no doubt she would try to savor the captive for as long as possible," said Starswirl almost impassively, but Twilight knew that these words must be spoken. "So there is some hope for her yet."

Cadance sighed and nodded. "This blight, named Chrysalis... It must be eradicated. There is no other way going forward. That is why..." She shot a glance at Shining, wanting his approval. "That is why I agree, we must be ready to war. We must gather forces in Crystal Empire, and be ready for the worst, to take time to gather intelligence, to consider our next move. Too many lives are at stake. It is not only Celestia, it is the whole realm. She would've understood."

Twilight was slowly blinking, hardly believing what she heard. Cadance was talking like Celestia had already gone... But what about her speech before the crowd? "You considering fighting against Equestria? Aren't you a Princess of Equestria yourself?" she asked directly, her brows shot up.

"Yes, I am." Cadance grabbed Shining's hoof, looking resolute. "That is why I must fight for it. We are alicorns, Twilight, you must understand. We have a duty."

"But I am an alicorn of Friendship! And you of Love, I..." Twilight expected that Cadance would be more peaceful and try to search for some other solution, but really, was her former foalsitter ever like that? Twilight honestly couldn't remember.

When it mattered, Cadance was always a fighter... What other solution there might be than to fight, anyway?

"Ancient treaties," Starswirl uttered, deep in thought. "They are still in Royal Palace. If we somehow get our hooves on them, we can try and summon other races for our aid, as we did during our war with King Sombra. Of course, the nation of griffins vastly diminished since then, and dragons' society changed as well, but..."

"I doubt those treaties would help us," interjected Stygian. "We should send messengers anyway, mind you, to other cities and realms. We must warn as many as we can."

Cadance nodded in accordance. "Yes, and if we retreat now, Chrysalis surely will become arrogant and complacent, like the beast she is. It will be her downfall," her eyes lit up. "She will never expect how the whole world will come crashing down on her!"

Twilight still was shocked. "You talked about giving up Celestia... And now, you want to give up Canterlot as well!? You just can't be serious..." She gasped. "And Ponyville!? It is right next to Canterlot, after all..."

"Charging right into the thick of it is probably what the Queen and her Hive are expecting from us," Stygian gave Twilight an apologetic look. "Changelings are schemers, so there must be at least a few traps already laid, ready to be sprung."

"But every second we wait, the Queen will only become even stronger than before!" Twilight tried to appeal to reason.

"Twiley." Her brother walked up to her, and placed a foreleg on her shoulder. "We will try to move away as many ponies as we can right now, that is a given. But without at least some reconnaissance, or pulling up forces, without finding means to fight the Queen, what would you expect us to do? We are lucky she didn't unleash all her power on us already. She must consider us too beneath her... That is our chance to prove her wrong, to live and not perish, in the name of all ponies who expect us to lead them. It's kind of how it works, you understand?"

"Well... Y-yes." Twilight nodded. "Y-you're r-right. We need to regroup and gather forces. You need to. We, I... I see you all of one mind about it, right?"

Cadance sighed. "It pains me just as much as you, believe me."

Twilight quickly glanced back at her friends, who all were grouped up in another part of the room, and were observing their hushed and animated discussion. "And what should we do?" she queried. "We do not have the Elements..."

Starswirl began to speak solemnly, raising his head highly, "Since the Elements are unavailable, it seems it is time for the Pillars to pick up the pieces. Just like in times of old, we were always a backbone on which the fate of the world could fall, and current times will be no exception. I will send missives to all my allies, we will gather up, join forces with you, and strike back."

Magnus was silent all this time, listening to this. He stirred, shared a look with Stygian, and then turned to the old mage, "Let me be clear, old chum. If need be, you wish to stand against Equestria?" He looked at others. "You all are?"

"I wish to stand against the Dark, against the discrepancy, as well as this creature which called herself the Queen," Starswirl corrected patiently.

"Yes." The knight nodded. "I understand, old friend, but it all means the same thing right now. I need to inform you all: I won't pick up my shield against Equestria and its people, however misguided they might be. Not until the Princess of the Sun orders so Herself."

There was an uneasy silence.

Eventually, Starswirl broke it, and his voice was filled with tension, "So that is your value of friendship? Loyalty?"

"I am bound by vows of chivalry to Lady Celestia and Her word," Magnus hung his head solemnly. "Her word is the law to me. Not self-elected Queen's, only Princess's. Until I hear from Her and know Her standing, do not count on my aid.
"Not to say," he uttered under his breath, "to run like that would be dishonorable."

Twilight felt warmth in her chest.

Starswirl's glare was piercing. "You had allegiance to Pillars of Old Equestria long before getting a knighthood."

"Starswirl, with all due respect, do you really want to go there?" Magnus frowned. "Do you really want to make me choose between my vows? That is childish."

Old mage harrumphed, raising his head. Twilight was appalled when she saw sheer contempt on his muzzle. "Your duty is to the world, to everything that is Light! Are you really so servile so you would stand aside and do nothing, while evil prevails!?"

"I won't do nothing," Magnus growled. "As soon as we finish with these talks, I'll go out there and save as many lives as I can, so you'd better cut it short, old friend. I've spoken my piece."

Stygian nudged forward and spoke, drawing attention to himself. "Starswirl, aren't Pillars already finished with their duty? When enough is enough? Rockhoof and Meadowbrook both got families, Mistmane... for Celestia's sake, Starswirl, she just might be too frail for another war."

"You aren't the one to talk about denying heroes their purpose," Starswirl stared at the unicorn. "By stars above, why are you always so utterly useless, Stygian!? And you call yourself a tactician!?"

Twilight couldn't remain silent at this point. "Starswirl, but wasn't it you who tried to calm everypony?"

Distraught, Stygian shook his head, looking at the ground. "No, no, he is right, I... I should've been more observant. I-I have a great responsibility..."

Starswirl's eyes remained glued to Stygian. "Elevated commoner." He grimaced in disdain. "You had a great position, a great role to play to assist heroes in their endeavor, but you can't do even a fraction of what you had been intended for! What, are you still trying to impede us!?"

Twilight fell unease. She never was exactly nosy about their history, but she didn't like how Starswirl spoke of Stygian as if he was some sort of a tool. It didn't settle with her right at all. "Mistakes happen..." she smiled sheepishly, but Magnus stepped forward.

His ringing voice filled the room. "Look, old chum, first of all Stygian is our friend, and he doesn't deserve that. And you know that we are all of the same rank here, we all want to protect Equestria. It's not like in the days of old, don't you understand? There are no sirens, no Lord Tirek, we just can't partake in some quest, and everything will be resolved!" The knight snorted and violently stomped down. "I hoped we all were in accord on that, but I'll say it out loud. We have new heroes right now, and if they can't take charge, well then—it's war. So be it. And I might be on the other side. You might not like it, but you know how duty weighs just as well as I do."

Twilight quickly glanced back at the girls, at wounded Rainbow Dash. She realized that the conversation was drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The alicorn sighed, trying to calm her madly beating heart.

"Have you no shame? What use of friendship, if you yourself were first to abandon our cause?" Starswirl almost spat in his beard, and Twilight thought that the old wizard might've been hurt by what had occurred. She felt a cold lump in her stomach. How easy it was sometimes to forget, that these ponies of legends are just like all the others.

Just like themselves. She imagined how she is having a similar talk with someone in her group. Could it be possible for them to be driven apart like that too? Not because of some dispute or anything of the sort, but because of duties? Admittedly, Twilight never thought like that about what she was doing...

Magnus came to a similar conclusion about Starswirl. "Do not twist it like that," the knight said, frowning. "This is beneath us!"

Twilight again glanced to onlookers, and took the word, before someone else did and tensions had a chance to rise again. "Everyone, calm down, please! It is time we accept our differences and move on! Conflict is what the Darkness wants, conflict is what it needs, it's where it thrives!"

"And what would you know about it?" Starswirl stared at her suspiciously.

Suddenly everyone turned to her, curious for an answer. Twilight blushed and her voice become smaller, but she stood strong. "I... I might've slipped for a bit in the Dark before. I'm sorry," she quickly added, like it was a blunder.

"What did you say?" Shining gasped. "Twiley, not you!?"

"I-It was back when Crystal Empire returned in the North. I saw how Celestia used a dark spell when she was showing me about negative emotions, and later I happened to be in need to replicate it by myself. But it is alright!" She tried to rectify again. "It was a one-time occurrence! I just needed to learn..."

"You mean to say, you learned a spell of dark magic just by observing it in a single instance?" Stygian sounded perplexed and amazed at the same time.

"Y-yeah..."

Shining and Cadance shared confused looks, but Starswirl, now thoughtfully stroking his beard, just sighed. "Yes, it is... alright. Yes, it is fine. It is one thing to let the Dark into your soul and learn from it, after all..." He looked at Stygian with a hard-to-read expression. "To embrace it is a completely different story."

"But Master Starswirl, with all due respect, here's the thing." Twilight raised her voice. "The Dark is a part of everyone's souls. We all have urges, and they are part of us, are they not? The Darkness is just as important as-" Her voice fell off, as she looked at others. "-w-what I mean to tell, is... It isn't something inherently bad..."

Magnus narrowed his eyes. "Your Highness, I believe you haven't seen what the Darkness can truly do to a pony. We fought against it a millennium ago and we saw how it consumed our friend and many others. We saw monstrosities, not unlike the one that feasted on Celestia, maybe even worse. Don't you dare to talk about it like that! The Dark is the bane of all that is life! It is the void!"

"Maybe it all varies in matters of using a measured scientific approach," mumbled Twilight, furrowing brow.

"Nay, you can only think that you can use the Darkness." Stygian shook his head solemnly. "In the end, it is you who is used."

"Everyone of ye, do not torment yourselves over the Dark! It is still manageable," a sudden voice called to them.

The Princess of the Night looked miserable. Her sullen muzzle looked slightly off, her coat was covered in old stains and cuts, her royal peytral bore a deep and wide jagged gash, and her tiara was missing. On the neck there was a poorly treated bite mark of something monstrous and poisonous, still seeping with pus. She smelled foul. After great exertion she suffered, she noticeably hobbled. Pale somber green eyes had glowed dimly, but determined.

No one was helping her, as ponies around were just gawking, giving her distance. Twilight thought to herself that the Princess wouldn't accept their help anyway.

She looked truly regal.

Stygian bowed to her, with trembling Twilight following. She felt great shame before Luna—Chrysalis tricked them, after all... Twilight still couldn't believe that the Changeling Queen was right here, and she was ready to eat up her every vile world.

Magnus, Shining, and Cadance repeated the gesture of reverence. The feeling of guilt must've been shared by all.

"You are one to talk," Starswirl grumbled, but then sighed, resigned, and bowed as well. "Princess Luna. Your Majesty. My apologies for this outburst."

"'Tis fine. We have great pressing matters to attend to," Luna replied ruefully.

Her voice, her manner of speech, it all warmed Twilight's heart. It now seemed so obvious who was fake and who is the real deal... After they finished bowing, Twilight just walked up to the Princess of the Night and promptly gave her a good hug.

Luna stiffened, not knowing how to react. But then, she slowly embraced the little alicorn with wings. Her eyes became wet, but she blinked it off. "'Tis good to be back." She smiled. "Sadly, I might not be of much use right now."

"How long had you been captive?" Cadance asked compassionately.

"It would be the sixth moon tonight." Luna averted her eyes. "I have underestimated that vile creature."

"We all did." Twilight gulped, breaking the hug.

"Celestia felt too untouchable to even consider this can happen." Cadance glanced at floor, as if she was complicit. "You too, dear aunt, but, I suppose, what's done is done."

"Truer words were never spoken," grumped Starswirl. "But how did the creature managed to contain you, Princess?"

"A dome-barrier, which prevented all other magic from passing." Luna frowned. "Sixty-five hooves in diameter, roughly fifteen at the highest spot. Never had I seen anything like it in design, and I did study it well. It leeched out of casters their life essence, and changelings swapped each other with zeal, so I could not weaken it. They could even force others' to pour their strength into it..." She gave a pained look.

"Were you tortured?" Cadance asked, pale.

"Not me, fell beasts were interested in me only when there was a need to announce a nightfall. They went after others, so I had to keep a constant vigil for their sake."

So she hadn't even slept. "You weren't alone?" Twilight frowned, trying to imagine it all.

"I was not." Luna shifted eyes and cleared her throat. "'Tis hardly matters, as I broke out on my own, and only the Queen could truly force me to obey. I endured the night and played possum until consternation prevailed over darkspawns' common sense and they brought their defenses low enough for me to strike."

"Trickery always was one of your strongest suits, Your Majesty," noticed Starswirl and the Lunar Princess winced, glaring at him. "I thought you'll be complimented. What else you can tell us about that barrier?"

Luna wordlessly ignited her horn, and a set of runes appeared in the air. Despite all her interest in the conversation, Twilight's attention immediately switched, and she lifted her hoof to her mouth, pondering. They seemed abyssinian in origin, dating back to a few hundred years ago when one of the old Storm Kings ruled over the land in question. Being a derivative from a few ancient dialects at once, those runes were an exemplar of an unholy amalgamation of artisanal type of magic, made possible only through sheer experimentation with arcane without natural affinity to it, like ponies for example obviously possessed. Storm Kings were always peculiar in their treatment of magic and technology, and Twilight longed and at the same time genuinely feared to discover, to what heights they might've climbed since then.

Starswirl retraced symbols into a notebook and huffed. "I recognize these occult molochian drawings. Seems like time wasn't merciful to them—someone had butchered them thoroughly."

"It must've been designed not by Chrysalis, and to contain Celestia, long ago," Twilight pointed out. "As far as I can tell it's from another realm, yes?"

Shining shrugged. "Well, Chrysalis did roam the world for hundreds of years, so who can tell what connections she have?"

"We could've told, if foreign relationships of Equestria with anyone except the other pony nations weren't as good as non-existent," Twilight lamented.

"So it could be a ploy by one of our neighbors?" Cadance pondered, her grim eyes reflecting her ominous thoughts. "Could it be that someone tried to weaken Equestria this way? For all we know, our borders might be under invasion right now, while we still sitting around."

Shining smiled calmly to his wife. "Y'know, you kind of too eager to find more enemies here. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, dove. One menace and world-ending threat at a time, okay?"

Twilight took a moment to observe the situation in the room. It looked like things had considerably calmed down, but the impression of calm before the storm still lingered. In anticipation when they'd be allowed to leave this bleak place, ponies gathered into small groups. Without a chandelier, there was barely any light, and ponies seemed afraid of drawing attention with any. Signs of the recent battle were everywhere, and befallen darkness outside the building was pregnant with cold and rain.

Is this the world that the Changeling Queen would've wanted for them, where on still warm remains of the feast, dark buzzing monsters hunt and gorge upon everyone's emotion of love? Twilight sighed, distraught by how fast everything can be changed.

Stygian was sitting on a bench nearby, his forehead heavy with sweat. The young alicorn took a step closer, but Magnus' voice distracted her.

The knight was walking to them from the entrance, several guards in tow. "Gentlecolts, ladies, we have reinforcements. These ponies saw Princess Celestia, and she seemed to be fine, making her way on hoof towards the Royal Palace. Her main concern was that of citizens, as usual. I have to leave your company and help mount a defense of our beloved city before it is too late, so out of courtesy and our shared friendship, I will try and overlook talks of possible treason against Equestria." Magnus smiled somberly. "It’s been an honour."

"Why, old friend," Starswirl replied dryly. "Honour was all ours."

"Take care, Commander." in contrast, Luna seemed a bit more warm. "Providence be willing, We will once again join thy in battle soon enough."

"Stygian?" Magnus turned to the gloomy unicorn. "I might need your expertise here."

"I am still weathered somewhat..." Srygian's crooked smile was guilt-ridden. "Besides, I might be more of use in Crystal Empire." His eyes darted between Starswirl and the knight.

Magnus sighed. Then he moved closer and curtly placed a hoof on Stygian's shoulder. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but eventually, he just nodded and turned to Shining. "I will leave a few soldiers, but considering all your prowess, I don't suppose regular changelings are much of a threat here. They seem to avoid Royal Library as of now, anyway."

"We might always need an extra few good ponies. Good hunting," answered Shining and shared salutes with the soldier.

The knight left, and Twilight took a deep breath. There were still some unresolved questions...

"We should return to the topic at hoof, while we still have time." She turned to Cadance and Shining. "Why won't you use again that love magic barrier spell, that repelled all changelings from Canterlot?"

Shining shifted his eyes uneasily, while Cadance explained, "It was a one-time occurrence. However we tried to replicate that, it just doesn't want to work anymore... I believe, it was something similar to what occurred with Celestia and that... creature."

"So, viewing from the matters of magical binds, they really are married, aren't they?..." Starswirl looked down, contemplating something.

Twilight felt coldness in her stomach.

The silence lapsed for a few seconds, as they all let that thought sink in.

Suddenly, Shining slammed down his hoof in a bout of anger. "By Tartarus be damned that vile monster!" he bellowed and leaned into Cadance's calming embrace.

"What do we do?" Twilight tried to stay calm too, glancing between Cadance and Starswirl. "How would we... I guess, divorce them?"

"In more usual circumstances I would've said that we need to make them break their vows." Starswirl sighed, stroking his beard. "But I don't think that any vows were uttered before the altar, so that verbal component can be discarded. One exception in such an equation is that line from Celestia about protecting and cherishing Equestria and ponies. But, I don't see that creature adhering to it anyway, and I doubt it ever will."

"I would... say that power of love... is very potent... If it is utilized correctly... " Cadance stumbled with her words with a pained expression on her muzzle, as if advocating against the love was going against her very nature. "If we need to counteract it somehow, we should be ready to go for extreme measures..."

Starswirl nodded grimly. "Evidently, love power has enough potential for that monster to be on par with alicorns: with Luna herself, and from what I gather, even Celestia. It is the first time I am witnessing something like that in person."

"Well..." Twilight shifted in place uneasily, remembering how Celestia tried to protect them in the past. "In raw power, they just might be equal now, yes..." A sudden idea came to her mind. "Is it possible that Chrysalis somehow stole the fate that was meant for Luna?"

Princess of the Night made a few rapid blinks, taken aback by this suggestion. Starswirl rubbed his chin, pondering.

Luna spoke her mind in an especially weak and raspy voice, "'Tis doubtful 'twould be the case..." There was a faint blush on her cheeks. "Possibility that Sister can have feelings of such caliber for me... And it is... meant to be... It is... It is news to Us."

Old mage humphed. It looked like he considered the idea seriously. "And I'd say, a very astute observation, Twilight. I will look into the Compendium of Equestrian Laws when I get the chance. Maybe the answer lies there, in the customs of ancient royal weddings."

Shining raised his ears, curious. "You weren't there when it was written?"

"Sadly," replied Starswirl, "It was even before my time, and most of what was written in the tome is supposed to be obsolete anyway. Where did you got it from, Twilight?"

"Forbidden section," replied the alicorn simply, like it was a given. "It is here underground, in the Royal Library. For the time being, we can use it as a shelter for citizens."

Cadance nodded. "I know of it, but they certainly would be safer outside of the city walls."

Starswirl pursed his lips, contemplating. "There's something else to consider. We need to evaluate the possibility that Celestia might become the Dark Queen as well."

"The what!?" Twilight nervously smiled, looking at other ponies around. "She, corrupted? This is just absurd!"

No one was sharing the smile.

"Well then, Element of Magic," said Starswirl severely, "can you absolve us of the possibility that this will happen? Can you stand tall and say that this is not possible?"

An uneasy silence fell on them once again. Shining and Cadance listened closely.

Not hearing an answer, Starswirl continued, "Only yesterday we did not even consider that she can fall, and now she was compromised—as it turns out, for days. And I haven't seen her in any rush to confront the creature, to which she is now wedded. Evidence is building up in support of the theory, don't you agree?"

Twilight regained her composure. "This is not who Celestia is, Starswirl! It's just not!"

"The Dark is very vile and insidious... Thou must understand... There is enough for even a small crevice for it to begin to seep in..." Luna uttered with a strain, and tightened her muscles. "Celestia bathes in the Darkness right now, she made bed with it. She might look and act the same, but..." Luna exhaled, covered with cold sweat. "'Twould be truly disastrous."

"It would be like cutting open a pristine-looking fruit and seeing already spoiled insides," added Starswirl. "You may not notice it until it is too late."

"How can you talk like that!" Twilight raised her voice at both lunar goddess and ancient mage, her ears fuming from sudden anger. "How can you even think that!? Are you right in your head!? She is Celestia! Luna, she is your sister, she loves you!"

Princess Luna lowered her head in deep shame, but Starswirl just humphed, stroking his beard. "You refer to the same love that condemned us all to this." He shook his head slowly. "Girl, we need to be prepared for the worst. There is too much at stake."

"Well, you weren't prepared for the worst, Starswirl!" Twilight hissed, and rose her head high. "I will not—I won't listen to this slander of Celestia behind her back! I thought you would know her better than this!"

She turned, walking away in anger, but not before she heard how Starswirl sighed wearily, "Oh, our young Princess..."

After a few dozen steps, Twilight caught herself that she doesn't know what she is doing. She pressed her head against the wall nearby, trying to cool off.

Their fears were valid, and she was angry because she was afraid too.

But even then—she was also angry at herself.

She bit inside her cheek, looking at nervous ponies all around. What is she even doing right now? She stepped from the wall, trying to suppress nervous trembling. Step, another step. Her eyes were searching.

"Hey... Dad. Mom."

As she approached them, she gave quick hugs to Night Light and Twilight Velvet, as other ponies were giving them space. Just like Shining said, they both were looking a little shaken, but none worse for wear. Twilight was genuinely elated.

"How are you holding up, dear?" Velvet was attentive and dear to heart, which after recent speeches felt very refreshing.

"Oh, you know," Twilight smiled awkwardly, "Trying to keep it cool. You both seem to be finer than me and I'm supposed to be a responsible one!"

"Now, now, that sounded almost offensive!" returned smile Night, and they all echoed a chuckle.

"Ah," Velvet looked aside, "You know, with everything considered, you seem to be hosting the most memorable celebrations in all of Canterlot."

"Mom!" Twilight laughed.

"One could think, it was your special talent all along," Night hugged his wife, looking at Twilight warmly.

"Well, it could be just because you are both present!"

"I wish!" Velvet smiled widely, "Then Canterlot could've been such a lively place! But no, to be honest, it always comes in motion only when you're around."

"Now you're just making me blush."

"We had whole seventeen years to figure it out, kiddo." Night sighed. "You'd better believe years of experience."

Velvet added, "So you know, even with all these world-ending threats, we are very happy to see you each time. We only wish that you'd come more often."

"Maybe it's you who should come to Ponyville more than once a year, folks," Twilight felt a bit shy.
She sighed, lowering her eyes. She needed to lay bare what was weighing her down.
"Look, I need to do something reckless... And I don't know... Don't know if I should. Do you know what I mean?"

Her father became a bit more serious.
"Y'know, for us you aren't some Celestia's star pupil, or newest alicorn, or anything of the kind. You're just you, and as far as I can tell, you almost always tried to do whatever you want and achieve what you set your mind to. Be it a banishing of ancient evil, or for example, building a ladder out of appliances to reach cookie jar, when you was four."

"This time," Twilight profoundly flapped her wings, "I'll come prepared! And it wasn't my fault that I dropped it and shattered it. I know you're still holding a grudge, Mom."

"It was a present from your great-grandmother," grumbled Velvet. "Of course, I'd remember that."

"Anyway." Twilight frowned, trying to keep herself collected. "I... I guess, I just want you to promise me you'll be okay. And, listen, I..."

Her parents regarded it with all seriousness, watching her and not interrupting.

"I... Feel like it's all happened because of me." Twilight glanced over a shoulder for a second, and nervously shifted in place, "Last time, when... Cadance happened... I've learned that I should've trusted my instincts. And I... Maybe I just was afraid to again begin fussing over seemingly nothing. I dunno. In short, I didn't listen. I think all signs were there, and I..."

"Oh..." Velvet rubbed her chin, pondering.

"Look at her, taking on herself all weight of the world." Night Light smiled proudly.

Twilight felt a bit flustered. She lowered her head.
"I know that I am too hard on myself right now. But here is also another thing, I -" Twilight quickly wiped a tear, "- don't want anything of this. I don't want anyone to live in pain and fear, I don't want you to live like that, guys. This is what scares me the most, that..." Her breath hitched, "That you will get hurt."

The black bolt of lightning, sent by the Queen, still lingered in her mind. She still could hear how Rainbow Dash screamed, could recall the dread that engulfed her. Twilight trembled. And all that happened before, that... that shift in reality, when something broke...

And fighting after...

That all was...

It wasn't right. Not with so much death and suffering.

Velvet hugged her tight, and Twilight returned the hug,

"I don't want her terror to continue," Twilight almost whined, feeling powerless regarding how utterly unjust it all was.
Why do such creatures even exist? Who gave them the right to exist? How dare they?
"I... Someone... I need to stop the Queen. You understand me, right?" she whispered. "I have to save Celestia... I have to try. Please, tell me that I'm doing the right thing."

Night Light made a long sigh, and his muzzle fell. "What of your friends?" he asked gently. "They can help, right?"

"I don't know... No... No, I don't think so. I will not let them get hurt again." Twilight winced, thinking of Dash's terrible wounds. "They don't know, and they shouldn't, or they will stop me. I will protect them, and you. Everyone. Even Spike, please watch after him if I won't make it."

"Nonsense. You will make it," uttered Night Light, and Twilight smiled thankfully, even if it was just a platitude.

"Twilight, my little girl," Velvet pulled back from the hug, her muzzle wet. "I know that this is banality, but listen. Instincts are fine, I won't argue. But you have something even better, a great, great heart, and a brilliant mind. Listen to them too. And I know that you love Celestia very dearly. Let no one stand between you and those who you love. Maybe it's only you who is actually doing what is right."

'Nurtured heart,' remembered Twilight one particular talk with Celestia, and felt a little better, a little more confident now. "I hope so," she said softly, nuzzling into her mother. "I very hope so."

"Just be careful, alright?"

"Alright... Love you both."

Luna was lying on the floor, breathing heavily, in cold sweat. She must've overexerted herself, spent the last vestiges of her strength to just stand and talk to them before.

Twilight's eyes went over the combination of runes that composed the teleportation circle. Their arcane nature was not unlike coordinates on a topographic map, just with an added dimension of magic, so it was not hard to deduce that the destination location was somewhere in Canterlot nearby, and then pinpoint Starswirl's Tower. It was so easy, a filly could do it.

Earlier, when everyone was ready to leave for the city gates, Luna collapsed right in the middle of the room, and now Starswirl was hurriedly working on his spell. Most of the ponies gave him some space or already began to walk out of the building, but Fluttershy was a complete exception even among those who remained.

Twilight marveled how pegasus was lying here with Luna, submerging her little yellow body with spread wings in the flowing dark mane, littered with sparkling stars. It was somehow enchanting. Her hooves were hugging Luna's neck gently, avoiding bringing to the alicorn more discomfort, and her mouth was lowered to drooped down equine ear.

Fluttershy was whispering something. Her calm and warm presence was soothing for Luna, just as well as for others in the room. Lunar goddess' breath was slow and steady, and she no longer whimpered in some strange nightmare that claimed her. That allowed Starswirl to begin tracing his runes. It was pretty much the only reason he didn't shoo away pegasus girl, and it was a perfect distraction for Twilight to leave.

But Twilight stood still nonetheless. Her friends were nearby, as well as Shining and Cadance. Princess of Love's eyes were open wide, trembling, and full of tears.

Applejack mused, looking at the mage, "So ah' reckon, you won't be coming back, Starswirl?"

"Someone still needs to look after Princess Luna, and nurture her back to health, even if her failure at her duties might be the actual cause of all this," Starswirl suddenly responded harshly, with palpable dissatisfaction.

Twilight felt like she got splashed with cold water, she even recoiled. Is he serious right now? What's with this disparaging? Twilight glared at him, struggling with a desire to remind him that no one was expecting changelings, and that included himself. She relented, took a deep sigh, collected her thoughts, and uttered, "Just make extra sure she is alright, Master Starswirl."

"Alicorns are becoming especially valued," said Starswirl grimly. "So I would ask you to take care of yourself as well. I'm sure you will manage. The same goes for you, Princess Cadance."
The mage stopped working on the teleportation circle and turned to face them. "In any regard, Twilight, I would strongly advise you to come with me to the Tower. This way, we might figure out faster how to counter occurred calamity."

Twilight closed her eyes, seriously considering the option, listening to her senses. There was a merit to the idea, of course, as well as there was before a nonverbal sensation of beckoning—a calling to the White Tree in the Tower. That beckoning was gone now, just as all sensation of wonder that she already associated with that mysterious place. Just puffed away, as if there was none in the first place.
So she shook her head vigorously, without hesitation. "No, sorry, I have to protect my family and friends." She glanced at Dash. "Maybe you can take Rainbow Dash with you? She will be safer there. You can help her too, right?"

Starswirl humphed, not even looking, and returned to his task. "I have to refuse. You must understand, my hooves will be busy as it is."

"Well then." Twilight gritted her teeth. "See you around. No longer stalling."

They all looked in silence at how the old mage finished his conjuration and raised his horn. Fluttershy stood up, lightly caressing hoof over Luna's cheek. She joined the others, and Rarity leaned to her, asking, "What do you think? How is she?"

"Hm?" Fluttershy flinched, as if she didn't expect the question, and then smiled adorably, if a bit bashfully. "She's good."

"Twilight, how do you feel?" asked Fluttershy.

Young alicorn snapped back into reality from her cheerless thoughts. It was a fine question and one that she didn't know how to answer correctly.

How does she feel, wading through all this dark greyish bleakness outside, amid heavy rain and lightning strikes above?

Cadance unraveled her magic barrier and rose the horn high, protecting their group of would-be wedding guests, so they slowly crawled forward, sometimes increasing in numbers when guards could find survivors and other stragglers from the attack. Scared ponies weren't that talkative, just happy for the warmth their group could provide. Sometimes they were hurting. Armor-clad unicorns were launching a detection spell on each one of them, but so far changelings didn't try to invade at all.

They didn't even try to disguise themselves. Twilight saw them above, illuminated by the pink glow of the magic. Some of the nasty little creatures were perched on the edges of roofs, following and crawling on walls, sometimes flying through the thunderstorm. Was hunger driving them to divert their attention like that, or maybe they were just attracted by the light?
Twilight was slowly pulling back from the group, but Fluttershy still tried to be nearby, and it made it harder to teleport away unnoticed. Also, Twilight was already having second thoughts. She told herself that she will go and fight when their group reaches the medical center, as, after some consideration, Cadance was leading ponies there to try and find shelter and care. Personally Twilight would've cram them into Starswirl's Tower. Seemed like the most protected place around, after Royal Palace, or guards' barracks.

But alas.

"I'm fine," Twilight answered, observing the chaos around them. Ruined awnings, broken windows, and scorched walls after hits of stray magic, dropped food and personal items. Bodies, mostly belonging to changeling. They tried to overpower ponies as a swarm.

The populace of Canterlot was mostly on the streets at this late hour, as celebrations were still going strong. Those who tried to run into buildings only got themselves more isolated. They didn't have a plan of how to act on such an invasion—the only instance of direct attack in the past hundreds of years was a previous one, and Chrysalis overtook Canterlot's defenses with even more ease back then.

This time there was more fighting involved. Commander Magnus stayed true to his word and alerted the Royal Guard regiment, Twilight could tell. Good for them, she guessed.

Actions and reactions, forces colliding... Here on the street, boiling with rushing water, it all felt fueled by some sort of tenacious primal darkness.

"Look at me," again there was Fluttershy's voice, and Twilight did so reluctantly.

Her smile was just like in Ponyville.

Twilight blinked, astonished. It was a small and bashful smile, distinct and precious, warming the heart. Come to think of it, Fluttershy was very close to nature too, wasn't she? Twilight felt the urge to protect this kind pegasus from encroaching misery and pain. She chuckled, wearily. "I..." her voice suddenly became hoarse, and she cleared her throat. "Can you watch after Dash, please?"

Fluttershy nodded, still wearing the same smile. She tilted preciously her head, closing her eyes for a few seconds. "Is everything alright, Twilight?"

"Y-yeah, I just... I need to go, Fluttershy."

"After Celestia?"

Twilight was silent for a few seconds, and then puffed her cheeks, slowly exhaling, "What, it's so obvious?"

"I wouldn't say so," Fluttershy replied somewhat evasively, glancing at ponies who were still walking forward and not looking back. "I had a hunch. It all must be very hard on you."

"You understand why I need to do it?" Twilight felt greatly relieved, and in a spur of the moment, stepped closer to Fluttershy and leaned into her. She buried her face into yellow warm fur, hugging her friend, and feeling how something finally breaks inside—but in a good way. Twilight shuddered with the whole body, and began to cry, bawling her eyes out. A pleasant, familiar smell filled her nostrils, and Twilight clenched her teeth, feeling like a completely miserable wreck.

But she needed this, even if there wasn't much time, even if it could stall someone. It was hard to describe how utterly alone she felt before that, with her resolution to take this task on her own... Twilight let herself succumb to sensation fully. To pour herself into Fluttershy's coat. She felt her gentle caress on the head.

"Twiley? How are you?" she heard the brother's voice, as he and Spike were both approaching from the main group. Yeah, she managed to draw more attention than need be...

It meant that she has to act now.

"She is just afraid," Fluttershy explained in a quiet voice, which filled Twilight with gratitude. With effort, little alicorn pulled back, still sobbing. She looked at the wet stains left on Fluttershy's shoulder, and sighed, turning to others.

She ignited her horn, placing hooves firmly, looking with reddened eyes at both of her brothers. Shining's brows shot up, and Spike, catching on, lunged at her with a little outstretched hand.

"Twi, wait!"

"I'm sorry." Not this time.

They all disappeared.

Sitting on a rooftop, she cried some more, holding her own against the elements and rushing water, boiling under the heavy rain. Dread settled in despite all, but now there was warmth as well, a definitive understanding that she is not alone.

'I am never alone.'

Friendship, a cause to fight for... Good cause, but still, it didn't deny the fear of death... The power of the Queen was overwhelming, rivaling that of the goddess. Would be foolish not to acknowledge this one more time: everyone back at the Royal Library were right.

The thing is, she knew that she was right as well. Certainty and determination were brewing inside of her. Twilight just needed to swallow down anxiety, to face it all through.

But, each time she placed her hoof down, ready to ignite her horn and teleport closer to the looming Royal Palace, she felt herself being stopped and in need to reassess the situation. Is she missing something? Anything?

It was difficult like never before. Yes, on the surface, it's just like another challenge, and she could try to consider it like that. Like a task! Just distance yourself and take it on, push through, and get into the moment like an observer and participant at the same time. Twilight loved the feel of it, the sensation of adventure, of solving the puzzle.

This time, though, after everything that had occurred, she felt herself stranger than ever. Villains never had gone so far before, did it mean that she needs to go just as far to match them? Not to say, this whole wedding...

Maybe it was a good opportunity to try and unleash the Sword. Twilight thought about it several times already, realizing that she would look just comical with it in the hoof. Whomever the thing was intended for, even if it was intended for any pony, it definitely wasn't her. Not to say that she couldn't properly study it yet, let alone wield it.

There was a motion in the corner of her eye. Twilight immediately cast aside her morose musings and sprung, igniting the horn. She was expecting changelings but instead saw a wendigo.

It was a creature in a lean and vague horse shape, drawn to come out of hiding by conflict and struggle. More of a spirit than a physical being, it was floating gracefully and slowly through the air, chilling everything around it to ice and covering the ground with rime. Its nonexistent flowing ethereal mane was filled with shattered dreams, and its head, shaped in a skull-like misty form, turned toward a little alicorn. She looked deep into its eyesockets, filled with white.

An imperious and distant presence. A harbinger of death, but hope and renewal as well.

Somehow it was beautiful, even more than it was dreadful. Its frost breathed on Twilight, covering her, and she trembled in awe. Why she ever thought about these beings as something to be feared was beyond her at the moment.

As the winter spirit continued to float towards her, Twilight felt calm. Entranced, she breathed in, feeling how the otherworldly creature is passing over her, continuing to some unknown destination. Involuntarily, the alicorn closed her eyes, paying extra attention to her senses.

She stood like that for some time, listening to the rain around, and looking deeply into the vortex of darkness. There was nothing in it.

Fear... is natural.

It's okay.

Everyone fears.

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, then looked around. The wendigo was roaming seemingly without any course, and Twilight did not let her attention linger on it. Instead, she watched flying dark shapes in the distance, barely lit by the illumination of the city. Little changelings still were going on with their little hunt, right...

Why not begin with them?

Twilight looked down at herself and noticed that she still wearing the bloodied dress from the wedding reception. One of Rarity's designs... Oh, she must've been so distraught by all that occurred. Twilight felt uneasy, she should've been more out there for her friends. But—oh well, it would be something to look for after all of this is over.
She clumsily got out of the dress and searched for a place to hang it. It would be a pity to just throw it away. Eventually, she lowered in with an aura on someone's windowsill and giggled to herself. She hoped that some little girl lived there and it would be an unexpected present, though blood could be off-putting if so.

But it would be fixable. Anyway...

She felt better.

Twilight looked at the darkened Royal Palace, which silhouette loomed over the Canterlot against the mountainside.

Somewhere there was Princess Celestia, alone and tormented.

Forsaken by everyone.

"Please, wait a bit longer for me, Princess," she whispered, and her eyes traced to the School for the Gifted Unicorns, nestled between all the towers. She leaped and stretched her wings open wide in fast flight, as the little sparkles in the dark were guiding her forward. Her horn flared up.

"Just a little bit longer. I will come soon."

Compared to both others, Pharynx-843 was one of the 'elites'—a changeling who actually got some 'military' training. In practice, it meant that he lived at least a decade, picked up some skills during his infiltrations, and could be appointed as a leader during pony hunts. Why, he even could keep some love for himself, and it was the most precious moments in his life. There was literally nothing better than to walk around and feel hopes and dreams, as well as someone's affections and desires, slowly digest inside of yourself, and become one with your essence. Every bit made a changeling slightly stronger and wiser.

Now, there was a delicate balance of not becoming too wise, as the Queen could notice your growth. It rarely ended as anything good for a changeling. They were her playthings, they weren't supposed to have... ambitions.

It was a grim but fair truth of his life. She was his mother, the law, and his life, and he was happy to serve, or she could... made him whole with her again, and sometime later, another Pharynx would've needed to appear. Actually, there were quite a few Pharynx's around already. Their dark mistress worked hard to expand the Hive in preparation for the overtaking of Equestria.

Some say, she disappeared in the nursing hives for months and then crawled out as a mere imitation of her former self, a torn-apart ghost with pale green eyes. She restored to dark glory only after devouring a fermented pony who was sleeping in the cocoon for far too long.

For ponies, it might've looked strange, but a changeling can't fathom how it can be strange. Do ponies question how the Sun and Moon travel around in the sky, where the wind comes from, or numerous other big and little things? Well, of course, some smart-brains do question it, but most don't. So a changeling didn't question everything around it either. It existed. It wanted. It hunted. It died, and then it was reborn again.

Life was pretty easy. If anything, ponies got duped, with their complicated... everything.

Though for Pharynx it wasn't so easy, to be honest, as he was burdened. This night was a mess, and the whole attack appeared to be slapped together haphazardly and unplanned. He wasn't in any position to object to it, but was allowed to be quietly distraught. During the raid he was forced to split from the main forces, and now was tracking the running unicorn. At his side, there were two: Gaster-6130, spawned only two weeks ago, and Femur-778, headstrong but still inexperienced fighting-type.

He needed to babysit these grubs. He dealt with similar tasks before, but tonight Pharynx wanted glory, he wanted to struggle, to be in the thick of things and test himself against the best of the best that ponies can muster. The changeling wasn't in high spirits.

In front of them, the screaming pony ran into some classroom, effectively cornering herself, and all three leaped afterward in well-coordinated motion. They began slowly approaching her, hissing and dripping saliva on the ground, ready to perform a pincer attack—until Pharynx noticed that Gaster was acting weird, nervously shifting around without uttering a single sound.

"Hold," ordered Pharynx, and sat down on the ground. "Gaster. Do you have something you want to tell us?"

"I don't mean to be an ass." Gaster sighed, sitting as well. "But it's just my first time, y'know? I'm nervous, is it okay?"

Femur snorted and looked at the ceiling disparagingly, waiting until they finish.

Pharynx thought a bit about what to say. "Absolutely. I'll tell you about my first time later, you wouldn't believe how hard I've botched it. Try to follow my lead on this one, and it'll be fine."

"I have a question too. Aren't we supposed to cocoon them for later use or something?" Femur licked his lips, now looking at panicking pony, and then stared at the leader with the hope of denial.

"No, that's what the foraging team does. We are the warrior group, of the fighter strain," Pharynx proclaimed with pride. "Our purpose is to grab all love we can get, and then use it to terrorize and subdue even more ponies."

"And how do we do that?" Gaster asked, scratching behind his ear with a hind leg.

"Haven't you heard the mistress? Be menacing. She was very direct: be menacing. Hiss, and growl, and threaten to bite."

"Bite!? I do not know where that pony had been before, why would I want to bite that?"

Pharynx gave out a long and heavy sigh, all the while screaming pony was continuing to gallop around the small room, trying to find the way outside, stumbling and tripping over tables and benches with all lack of equine grace she could muster. Eventually, she ran over to the window, barred by someone with planks, and began bucking it madly.

"Alright, look. There are many ways to suck a pony,-"

"Don't say it like that!"

"Gross!"

"-just think about them like living breathing snacks, or whatever, you know? Like the mistress says: they are beneath us, they might be as well just like... uh, colorful marshmallows."

"Well, I've never heard how the Queen said that," Gaster uttered, deep in thought. "And I never saw her, actually. Come to think of it, I never saw marshmallows either. What do they look like?"

"I guess, something like that?" Femur replied, pointing a questioning hoof at the pony, who got tired of bucking already. Trembling, she tucked into a corner, wielding a stool for self-defense.

"'Member those mushy cave mushrooms? It is kind of like that, but sweeter," Pharynx tried to explain to the best of his abilities. "And it's not 'they', those are ponies' food. Look, that is completely not the point here. We need to scare them and then drain, it's simple."

Gaster gave the pony an inquisitive look and then happily turned to Pharynx. "Looks very scared. Now to draining, yes?"

"Correct." Pharynx thought for a bit. "Go on ahead. You are new to this, so you need some practice."

"Uh... What if I am too afraid of that?"

"Of what?" Pharynx was the epitome of patience.

"Of that pony. Just look at it, isn't it kind of crazy?" Gaster admitted with a shallow breath.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Gaster went for a brief soul-searching and emitted a long embarrassed sigh, "Ye-e-e-eah-h... I am very hungry..."

"If he doesn't want to do it, I will go first." Femur began trotting confidently toward the unicorn.

She swung the stool, smacked it wickedly on Femur's muzzle, and broke her weapon of choice to pieces.

Pharynx winced. It looked painful.

Femur stumbled back, then plunked down on his behind with a bewildered glare. "That's not very nice, lady," he hissed and spat out a tooth. "Aren't you ponies supposed to be nice!?"

"Yeah." Gaster sighed wistfully. "When I turn into a pony, I always feel so nice, and cozy, and—"

"You fools! She is getting away!" barked Pharynx.

The unicorn made a desperate attempt to flee, but Gaster was on her in seconds. They fell to the floor, fervently struggling, knocking over a desk nearby. He was hissing, trying to overpower, snapping his jaw. The pony wept in fear, and shrieked for help, kicking fruitlessly with her legs and holding the changeling at a hoof's length. Her horn was deliciously flaring white, as she tried to protect herself, but couldn't conjure a single offensive spell.

Femur gathered his bearings and jumped to help, intending to hold the unicorn's lower legs and bite her there.

Pharynx slowly walked, basking in pride over their success. 'Is that what the mistress feels when we accomplish something?' he wondered.

Suddenly there was a snap in the air nearby. Pharynx turned, seeing an unfamiliar pony, then a blur of strong violet color. The unfathomable force launched him in the air and pressed with other changelings, which were equally bewildered.

Pharynx had seen his share of battles before, but this pony was unlike anything that he ever experienced, drawing her horn with frightening finesse and speed.

"Unfair!" Femur groaned.

The weird pony with both horn and wings—yeah, just like changelings'—weaved its magic, and in a blink of an eye Pharynx realized that he and others are falling somewhere in the river. He almost instantly submerged in water and began to violently work with his legs, reaching the surface.

The stream was fairly strong, but he managed it, and looked around. Moon was shining on an unfamiliar forest landscape, presumably far away from Canterlot, as the city and its memorable mountain weren't seen behind the trees. There were other changelings on the shores, at least a few dozen, cluelessly wandering and helping others to get from the water.

"I can't swim!" cried Gaster, almost surrendering to the stream.

Pharynx cursed under his breath and attempted to save the underling. The mistress would be furious when she finds out... If she finds out... If she cares.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"That's enough, Starflower."

Twilight attempted to move away, but Starflower intended to kiss all over her forehooves. The encounter scared the living daylights out of her, but all Twilight sensed right now was sorrow and mild annoyance.

Luckily, after almost a whole minute, Starflower relented enough so Twilight could step aside. The alicorn ignited her horn, pondering her next move.

"Your Highness! Wait a second!" Starflower stood up, all covered in dust. "I have to talk to you, it's urgent!"

"If you are worried about others, I believe you were the last one," grumbled Twilight. "Royal Guards helped me secure the school, and luckily, changelings only tried to herd you, mostly. Some foals were bitten, of course..."

"No! Wait, well yes, I was worried, but, look..." Starflower took a breath and then uttered, goggling at her. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, I believe you are the only one who can save the world."

That was unexpected. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle over the pretentiousness.

"Uh-huh," she said and scratched her temple with a hoof.

"No, seriously. Can you walk with me to my study? It'll only take a few minutes."

Twilight was somewhat curious now what else can the night throw at her, so she shrugged and followed the unicorn. A little distraction could be worth it.

They made their way through several dimly lit corridors and ascended a staircase. Twilight noticed how happy Starflower felt around her. Unicorn was beaming each time their eyes crossed, and yet, there were some awkward undertones, and each time there was some sound in the dark, Starflower was stopping in her tracks with and waited for Twilight to come along.

Almost amusing, really.

Huge raindrops were beating into the window glasses. The wind was roaring. The cavernous darkness above unraveled cataclysmic floodwaters and was trying to eat the city whole.

"We are here," sighed Starflower, fiddling with the keys and then trotting into the room.

The board inside was filled with different formulas, and on the ground, there were discarded boxes of quick noodles (ugh, city food, Twilight almost forgot about those existing), as well as empty coffee paper cups. The magical Princess of Friendship hummed, thinking about what position Starflower holds around here. Was she, like, a Starswirl's intern and a young aspiring teacher in the school at the same time? One could only wonder how many bits she makes per year.

Still, Twilight felt jealous.

"Were you cooped up here for the whole past day?" she tried to sound normal, masking a wow, how lucky are you tone behind a little contempt. She failed badly.

Luckily, Starflower didn't pay attention at all. "Oh? Yes, but look at this." She grabbed a ruler and pointed at lines on a board. "Do you see this equation? I made a request to nab some equipment from Tower to test it thoroughly, but then, you know, those changelings and all that happened, so I believe that we need to work with what we got now."

"Hmm." Twilight pursed her lips, taking her time and following the calculations. There wasn't anything groundbreaking, but Starflower apparently took their talk to the heart. Board was smeared in traces of wiped chalk and contained many corrections and few mistakes, but ultimately, it was all about magical potency and the practical effect of energy application. "Yes, magical energy does constantly convert, we established that. As with any other energy, it cannot be neither created, nor destroyed. And I see you derived the Trot-Baltzponn constant thoroughly in each simulated instance, good job."

"No, what I meant to... look, it might be just a speculation, but in the last few years the general output of magic did increased dramatically, did it not? I wouldn't even figure it out without our talk, but there is a steady slow increment recently... Do you see those results? Here I lifted data based on research from one hundred years ago, here are only five years, here is recent... I would've liked to test it with your assistance, but I don't think we have the opportunity..."

Twilight hung her head, thinking. Somehow it was hard to wrap thoughts around it and think of specifics, but her fellow researcher was right. Everything definitely seemed to slowly become more magical. "We defined the world as something that is in a constant state of transience..." she began to pondering, her eyes darting. Can it be tied to the broken Elements?

"Yes. While I've worked on matters of transition of magical energy," kept talking Starflower, "I've figured out that exertion of it leads only to the appearance of even more available magic, to an overall increase of potency. Magic isn't static, it permeates and penetrates through everything, and it has the capability to be an infinite resource. So it is a perpetual cycle, see? We keep producing energy, taking it, producing even more, and It is as if the energy doesn't really go anywhere, it only disperses. Technically, it is the same principle as with entropy that you mentioned yesterday."

"So, entropy... but... b-but it means that Harmony is something that directly opposes entropy? This magical entropy? Not the other way around?" Twilight suddenly began to shake. "I thought of it only as a concept, but if we can consider Friendship as an immutable axiom on which we can build theories and allow the creation of new, then entropy... Oh, no, it can't be! It should be given the same treatment of consideration, is it not? W-wont Magic of Friendship will be increasing the entropy too? Will anything but direct harmonical—"

Starflower was looking with big frightened eyes.

That one thousand years of relative peace they had between the banishment of Luna and her recent return—was it all a continuous state to force the entropy die down to more manageable levels? But the entropy can only increase... Uncertainty and chaos can only increase... Deterioration can only increase...

There was something else to consider, though. Starswirl said that the world is a tree, or something, and what does a tree do? Through the energy of the Sun, the energy that gives life, it converts carbon dioxide to produce oxygen—everyone knows that, well, at least every scholar worth their salt, in their world of magical ponies. It would deem reasonable that this tree, this hypothetical World Tree if you will, does a similar function?

Is it possible that their entire existence to keep Harmony is exactly to keep solving this problem of pervasive magical entropy?

Does Celestia know about any of this? If so, then how much? Considering that everything is magic, how about the thought that beings who devour magic in some ways perform as an in-built coolant system?

And what about the most powerful magic users around, what about Celestia and Luna, anyway? As alicorns are known to be very powerful magical beings, it is possible that the sheer presence of these beings could be contributing to the overall magical entropy. If this theory is true, would the will of the world demand them to go away at some point, or diminish their presence somehow else? You certainly shouldn't have that many alicorns around in the world like this.

But wait. Twilight is an alicorn too, she remembered. Element of Magic...

It's only a speculation... Twilight tried to calm herself. She realized that she was just sitting with opened mouth before Starflower, and promptly snapped her jaw shut.

"Starflower," she whimpered, "it is terrible. I don't know what to say. We need to... We need to... We might need to look into this deeper."

"We have to. At some point in time, if it keeps going the same way, the world will be oversaturated with magic of all kinds." Starflower fervently nodded. "When it comes to a boiling point—"

"It will collapse," Twilight finished in a whisper. "Yes... Sure... Maybe it will happen only in a few years, maybe in a few hundred, but who knows? It all will become more complex, until disorder will become an absolute order, and new variables would just stop appearing... Look, until we know for sure that this theory is correct, magic needs to be managed with care. Maybe your project, concerning the transformation of magical matter, will even help somehow." She imagined a scenario in which all magic in the world must be suppressed, and a shiver went down her spine. Is something like that truly can happen?
Twilight wiped cold sweat from her forehead.
"Yes, it must be fixable," she said resolutely. "Go to Starswirl with it. All of it. We might have to push our heads together and figure something out."

"Are you mad? No way I'm staying in the city." Starflower tittered. "I will leave a copy of my research and will find him after everything cools down, but I'm not some kind of insane magic user like you two."

"Starflower—"

"Don't even start, Princess! I've told you, isn't that enough?"

Twilight sighed and mustered a confident smile. "I meant to say, 'be safe'. I understand."

She didn't really know why she came here. To look at it, maybe.

Now, as the dark of night and the rain had befallen on Canterlot, the Tower looked imposing and alien. It was twisted like a branch that was protruding from the side of a supporting platform of the city, giving an impression that it was being slapped on haphazardly, without consideration of how it would fit into the overall aesthetic.

Like a parasite, or simply something too 'new' and unusual, if it made any sense.

The direct teleportation inside did not work, she tried it already out of curiosity. With her foreleg raised, she lingered before the door, aware that someone will answer to the knocking. After a little while of standing like that, she bumped her forehead against it, and heaved a deep sigh.

Even if no one will answer, she could replicate the teleportation circle from the Library with ease... but what was the point?

No, there was nothing to be gained there. In all that vast, lofty Tower, with all its halls, crooks, and crannies, there literally was nothing that wasn't already unknown or unreachable to her to some degree.

All those artifacts, and histories, and secrets, all dirty little stories from ancient times... To lean into them would be knowledgeable and reasonable, and for sure there was some 'smart' explanation of everything magical, of everything that had occurred, based on facts and traditional logic... Twilight imagined Starswirl, who was humphing and nodding his head, looking at some complex and detailed schematic of mechanics for transcendental conjunctions, and the absurdity of the scene made her giggle.

Worse of all, he could calm down her again. Twilight didn't want to be calmed down. His authoritative and cutting voice sometimes made her feel all kinds of servile feelings that she simply didn't need right now. She was worried that if he says again to not worry about the future, she will do exactly that, and will mirror this wise, weighted, and thoughtful approach, which simply smelled like something antique by itself.

Yes, this whole place, the whole Canterlot even, it just gave off the impression of something very old... How could she never notice that, enchanted by its beauty?

Starswirl hardly could help her. Not to say that every wasted second meant that Celestia suffered more and more. Twilight remembered about all that, sharply exhaled, and stepped back. It came to her mind that it might be the first time in her life when she makes a conscious choice against books, and she laughed loudly.

'It seems that even books and infinite knowledge aren't as important as certain someponies.'

It was all about the momentum now. She needed to preserve it...

Actually, many things were about momentum, about rhythm, occurrence, causality, and sensation. Twilight remembered Zecora who was in tune with nature—literally—and wished that she would've been nearby instead of that old mage who was too list in the feelings of self-worth and was measuring everything through the lens of it.

No, the heart must be humble. It doesn't deny any self-esteem, but only makes you see things clearer and without bias.

Twilight lowered her magic shield, and lifted her little lavender muzzle to the ongoing rain, smiling. She instantly got soaking wet, and then shook up with her whole body, laughing. It didn't help of course! But it felt good! Helped her feel!

Then, she took a moment to recall her recent findings, but now without the grim context.

Everything grows stronger, more pronounced, more beautiful, and more complex with every second of living, and everything around her brimmed with new possibilities.

Everything is Magic.

Everything.

Everything!

So, she was literally breathing magic. It was such a peculiar and sudden realization, that Twilight forgot how to breathe.

And then, she took the sweetest and longest breath of her life.

The darkness was suffocating, sure, but now, she could breathe in it, she knew how to breathe in it. She understood that she can take as much magic as she would want, and it will help her in her endeavor. The option was always there, but Twilight simply never could realize it... Though, 'realize' might be an incorrect operative word here. Twilight couldn't 'see' it before. She couldn't 'feel' it before, in a way that only 'she' could see it or 'feel', as it was something directly related to her... specialties.

'Yes,' she grinned wide, staring at the Royal Palace, and then took a step in its direction. 'I am free. I am still afraid, but it is alright. The future is unknown and dark, but it is alright. Magic is here. Magic is me.'

In her soul, the fire was blazing.

The world is quite simple. You make an action, you see a reaction, reactions, unending chaining reactions, sequences and consequences...

And actions were happening all the time, all the time was happening all the time. Twilight saw it all around. All magic... Living, breathing magic...

To describe it, Starswirl would've said 'there are rules'. Zecora would've said 'there's rhyme'.

But Twilight? She just hummed a song now, energetic and washing away the morose trepidation, and was raising up a brilliantly flashing horn with a huge grin on her face.

The changelings were roaming the main square in front of the Royal Palace, waiting for an army that never came. The regiment of the Royal Guard was busy liberating the city one building at a time, so the changelings grouped near the fortified position, a main royal building, intended as the last line of defense for the city's protectors. Except, as far as Twilight could see, they didn't try to go into the Palace. Instead, they were mostly patrolling the territory,

It was a bit funny, a few years ago at the first invasion she would've been hopeless against such a number of little beasts, as they captured her and the girls right somewhere at the same spot. But now? Oh, how the tables have turned.

She shifted in anticipation, feeling how the smile is widening on her muzzle. Yes, she could've just sneaked past all those clueless monstrosities, but if there was an opportunity to thin out this dark herd, she needed to use it. She cast a final look over them, took a step forward, and spread her wings. There was a desire to say something suitably pompous, like Celestia, Luna, or Cadance would've, but she didn't come up with anything and just screamed at the top of her lungs, lifting the invisibility spell:
"Hey, you!"

And teleported to them with ease, before they could figure out what is going on. Teleportation was just as easy for her as taking a step, flicking a tail, or blinking her eyes. After all, Everything is Magic.

Magic is Easy

Everything

E⠀A⠀S⠀Y

'I have never considered the possibility that an entity could literally be its own magic, a concept I find incredibly intriguing. This theory suggests that an entity's inherent existence could be a source of its magical power, which would imply that this entity has a unique affinity for magic and is able to harness its own energy to produce magical effects.'
Stomp of the hoof, and gravitation changed under the few dozen on the left. They were completely helpless, buzzing their wings and craning their necks, trying to figure out what's happening. Step, teleportation, turn, a group is running at her. Little spell, and the ground underneath them transformed into ice. Twilight giggled, and caught one under her leg, as they rolled and tumbled about around her. She wanted a little experimentation on the field.
'This is a worrisome hypothesis and one that warrants further investigation. If this is true, then it raises the possibility that entities such as alicorns, which are traditionally considered to be exceptionally powerful magic users, may in fact be infused with magic and thus have a unique ability to manipulate it. This would suggest that the very existence of an entity may have a profound impact on the overall magical entropy of the universe, which is a fascinating concept to consider.'
There was a certain method, process, and rhythm. Steps and spins, twirls and leaps. Pulling, lifting, taking, using. She ignited the horn, lightly touched the specimen, and watched how it transformed into potted sunflower. At the same time, another changeling tried to leap at her from a flank, so Twilight teleported a hundred meters deeper into the square, then, as startled beasts started to turn to her, teleported to one of the buildings. She kept the sunflower with her, tugging on magical strings and looking at how it transformed into a little toy cart, then into a musical box, then into a doll, and finally into a little adorable bulldog puppy. Scared, the puppy began barking, and Twilight released it from her aura, laughing. The specimen dashed away immediately.

'The universe folds and bends.'

So, that's the fabled magic of chaos? A bit unusual. It tasted like raspberry ice cream and crunched just like universal laws under her hoof, in other words, an unhealthy, calorie-rich dish. But enticing!

'Somewhere, somehow, in the world full of hectic energy, there was a pattern.'

Twilight reared, and leaned into an arch, modulating the next surge of magic and spreading into a vast and long cone of energy. Surrounding changelings tried to cover themselves with little magic shields, showing some skill. How pitiful they are! She made one-third of them teleport away, the second-third fall asleep, and the last-third blew up in pinkish smoke. It was a bit overkill though, but Twilight giggled nonetheless.
'Furthermore, if this concept is indeed accurate, then it may provide a new perspective in the study and understanding of the magic that permeates the world. It would suggest that an entity's individual nature and inherent qualities may be directly related to the magic that surrounds them, making the individual a unique source of magic and potentially providing a deeper understanding of the nature of this force.'
Meanwhile, those changelings, which were launched in the air without an effect of gravitational pull, already reached a suitable enough height. Twilight flapped her wings, teleported next to them, grabbed them with aura and somewhat clumsily turned with them in the air. She never practiced it before, but it was forgivable for the first time. She condensed the whole group and positioned them against the blackened stormy sky, where, for a few moments, clouds dispersed and the Moon showed itself. It looked like the beasts realized what was going on and began to struggle and scream, but Twilight pulled them all closer, quickly calculated trajectory, and launched them like from a giant magical slingshot.
'This may also provide insight into the way a particular individual or entity interacts with and uses magic, creating a more comprehensive understanding of the specific properties and qualities of magic and how those properties affect or are influenced by individual beings and entities.'
Then there were little twinkles on the Moon, as changelings successfully completed their first moonlanding in history. Presumably.
'This would suggest that magic is a dynamic and variable force, which can fluctuate and change over time based on a variety of factors. This would also suggest that magic is not a finite resource, in contrast to what has been observed with other natural forces.'
Twilight flapped wings and dodged several more, leaned down and outstretched hooves to the ground, and fell on it with a shockwave of magical force, throwing enemies around aside. She began to feel a bit of exertion. There were considerably fewer changelings around, and the fire was still going strong inside of her, but she might've needed to finish them without any delay. Her attention was drawn to a group, charging at her from the gates of the Royal Palace. These changelings were clad in blackened armor and wielding curved swords, as well as carrying shields—another elite-types, just like that one she battled in school.
'It is also suggested that the existence of alicorns could be a contributing factor to the overall magical entropy of the universe. As alicorns are known as very powerful magical beings, it is possible that the sheer presence Oh no—
She readied a special spell for them, when all of a sudden, a pain in the ankle startled her and made her look underneath. A song on her lips died out. One of the little bastards managed to crawl up to her somehow and bit into the leg.

"Let go of me!" Twilight cried, bucking it into the head, but it just reached upward and grasped her tail and flank, dragging her down. The indignity! Twilight fell, whinnied, feeling how her magical trance is breaking apart, and everything suddenly became real, too real...

In a flash, steel run through the nape of the changeling, and it gave out an agonizing hiss of death. Twilight blinked and smiled. Shining Armor. Her brother emerged from somewhere, his horn ignited, a sword in his hoof, and a strange contraption mounted on the other one. He lifted it, it clicked, and the explosion tossed most of the armored changelings in different directions. The remaining ones jumped to the sides, flying and beginning to spread out.

"Shiney, what are you doing here?" She cried happily, grabbing his hoof and getting up, "Are you crazy!?"

"Are you?" He smiled.

"I am magic!" She proclaimed proudly.

They continued battling together. Shining was working with his sword, hacking and skewering little monsters, and Twilight was moving with him almost intuitively, no longer holding back her raw magical prowess. A barrage of her spells was not too complicated in design, but it was enough to cover her brother and let him cover her. Feeling extra vengeful, Twilight let a purplish bolt of lightning out and sniped one of the enemy soldiers who tried to fly away. That's for Dash.

Steel clashed, Shining was spinning among enemies, and Twilight launched another shockwave and slammed them into the nearby wall. They both pressed their backs, watching with ignited horns how even more changelings ran at them from the streets. There was even that bulldog puppy, charging in the first row.

"Go, go!" Shining cried. The way to the Royal Palace was clear.

They galloped, teleporting forward haphazardly, making their way through the palace gardens and then up the long white staircase to the main hall. The doors were wide open. Twilight ran into the coldness and calmness of the building, surprised by the echo of her own hooves, and how peaceful it all seemed from inside.

Shining was right behind her. He slammed the front doors shut before the flying horde, reached for the deadbolt, and secured the door. They both proceeded to run up another staircase and took a turn to the large hallway that led deeper, to the Throne Room. There was another lockable door. Latch slid, securing it as well.

Heavily breathing in the darkness, Twilight was startled by a loud thud. The changelings tried to kick in the front door. There was a sound of breaking glass...

"Go, Twiley," uttered Shining grimly, licking his lips and brandishing the sword, dark from the changeling's blood.

"But you..." she began, and in the hornlight, saw how brother flashed a confident smile.

"Just go, I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine! Go and tear that Queen a new one!"

"Right!"

She turned and ran down the hallway, trying not to think too hard about it, to not let trepidation settle in. Soon, the darkness around became even richer, and she heard only her own trembling breath. Just a few turns and a few passageways, and she will reach her destination. She knew these corridors since she was a filly... But where is everyone? Where's Celestia?
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
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From somewhere up ahead came a beautiful song.

Celestia's Lament

"...Þa mære gedimm þam feogere,
Þa geþēot ſwēop min eorþum.
Ic āfand þæt ich ġedruncnode
Buten ich culdra wæterdíyno
Of beorca ðu þe bragtest,
Waciende þam þe me agan.
Ic náwa dugan eftcyme fram mearcpaðas
Þu áwāde ēow eryht, ic náwa eftcyme...-

The song, which melody came to her from beyond the edge of a dream, was calling to little Twilight, and so she kept going further, disregarding the strain and pain of her body.

-Þa efenlæ an benne déor,
Ic ſċeal faren þæt rápincel.
Belíefest, ic ne onman luflīċ
Þin gyte mýnra,
Þin þæt þū rincst seall,
Þa ðýra blōda dræpana, efenlæ beriga þe mēos
Æt geat, þurhfærest hit oþ færcyle dimnes.
Þu ne ġecnǣwst, þa færcyle dimnes...-

Her ears were pinned back as she warily crept through the unlit hallway, trying to make sense of it all. The Royal Palace seemed uninhabited, only darkness and a beckoning ghostly voice were here now. She understood several words of the ancient dialect. It was Old Ponish, but she never heard it sung or spoken so fluently.

'Cold, darkness'—she recognized the last two words. Was it a warning?

-Sóna dōgor cymj, þu orpunge
Súr anstór þin Mónan.
Þa ést méce ſticaþ þe heorte
Pīnness ést āhefeþ fram góman.
Þam þe þu ġeset feorhbealu
Cargást þin þēostrast ſtíele
Mihtan ic fordrenċe þone wæter,
Þone oristallisone wæter, ednīewan?-

There was no one else but Celestia who could sing like that, and her usually caring voice, so familiar since foalhood, struck Twilight as odd.

A dim light could be seen through the slightly opened doors of the Throne Room. Twilight put out her hornlight. A strangest mix of enticement and trepidation held her in a tight grasp.

She stepped through the portal.

The Princess on the far side, in plain sight.

Still in her wedding dress she was, which, embellished with gemstones and untouched and pristine, was streaming down the throne and the short stairway in front of it. Her forelegs were placed on a great golden harp, standing at her side.

She didn't acknowledge Twilight's presence. Feeling small to the point of insignificance, the alicorn kept walking, enchanted by the sight and forgetting about any danger.

-Beflīehst trendel þas brantra beorgases
Þéáh ásēċe stángeat þin reġnsċūres fela méceas.
Ne āsēċest—þu næfre āfunde eorþum
Þætte gūþbeorn þin ryge letan wiðæftan."

The former Queen's hoof touched the string of the harp for one final time, producing a solitary sorrowful sound. Unsure, Twilight took a step closer, and then the goddess slowly opened her striking, impossibly beautiful eyes.

They pierced the young alicorn's soul from beneath the veil of the gown. Celestia's voice filled the room. It was a question, a demand of an answer:

"Do you believe in fate?"

Author's Note

Idea of using Old English was lifted from this wonderful fic with the author's 'good luck' blessing
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/363029/princess-celestias-private-library

The original song (in russian)

Step 8 — "Her fate" — Princess Twilight Sparkle — Day 2, midnight

Some say that midnight signals the beginning of a witch hour. It is a time of convergence of great ancient powers. When the Sun sets, the world steps beyond the time of twilight and submerges fully into the dark.

Slave to the march of the hands of time, the world never moves back. It can move only forward.

"Do you believe in fate?"

The question was curious, to say the least. While she was weighing possible complications and insinuations, it immediately sent her thoughts down a specific path. Twilight traced her eyes to the circular window above the throne—as she often done while standing here and pondering Celestia's questions. This small action distracted her from the situation completely, and everything became almost like it was before. The answer was obvious, but was it the one that Celestia wished to hear?

Was it a test? Interesting...

Suddenly she remembered what is going on, and snapped out of it.

"Princess, we have to go!" She moved urgently. "The Queen, where is she? Did she leave you unguarded? Come, let's fly while we can!"

Celestia barely frowned, and Twilight gave her a puzzled look. This dissatisfaction on Celestia's muzzle, even if there was barely a hint of it, always was something that she was afraid to see from her mentor. The elder alicorn was giving off an impression of indescribable otherworldly sorrow. "Answer the question, Twilight," she asked without demand, like she gave a second chance to do things right.

Twilight steadied her breath. "Well, it depends." She smiled nervously. "All ponies believe in having a destiny, for there are many things that could show us the fact of its existence, not to mention about simple causality and the ability to forecast future events. The evidence shows that laid out destiny can be viewed as a statement, a governing principle of the world that is meant to guide us. It is not unlike a tapestry, and our lives can be seen as threads that hold this tapestry together. In the end, it all adds up to a complete picture."

"But do you believe, Twilight?" Celestia moved forehooves away from the harp. "Do you believe that destiny leads us to the future better and brighter? That design, reserved to us by higher powers, is a merciful one?"

"I believe, that..." Twilight frowned, trying to see the reasoning behind questioning destiny by someone who is no less like a goddess, but eventually relented and spoke honestly, "I believe, that in the end everything depends on us and our choices. The existence of destiny doesn't free us from the responsibility for our actions. Everyone is responsible for their destiny, for their part in it, if you will."

A very faint smile appeared on Celestia's muzzle. She lit up, and her voice, carried forth, at first streamed like a river. "Our paths are laid out for us. The illusion of choice comes after, when you look back, seeing only one set of hoofprints: your own. 'But I was being punished for a crime to exist, to want', you might say... I know. And if you saw two sets of hoofprints, you were not walking with another—you thought you were, but you were only following yourself... There is no shame in it. In fact, I rather approve. So few have the courage to walk the path of self-discovery, to have the strength to battle not only against the darkness, to battle against self... And I think of how many are still struggling, how many have given up, how many have given up on themselves, how many are still making excuses..."

The more she talked, the more Celestia was speaking clumsily, stuttering, and yet being filled with strange eagerness. Twilight caught herself on a thought that her usual confident encouraging speeches, in particular about friendship and harmony, always carried distinct, but similar air.

Nevertheless, Twilight tried to clarify. "Princess, I... what do you mean?"

Celestia frowned and sighed, barely noticeably shifting her hooves. "Twilight Sparkle, my evening star... I wanted to say that I am proud of you. There is no pony that I am more proud of, and I am so happy that I could see you grow into the wonderful mare that you are. I am sorry. I never was good with the words."

Twilight tilted her head hard to the side, resembling a confused puppy with a raised attentive ear. Celestia felt so different, that the young alicorn suspected that she was an impostor.

She wasn't. She could tell.

"Princess, I do not understand," she mumbled pitifully, "did you expect me to come, is that why you're acting strange? Is it because of destinies?"

"I knew you would come," Celestia nodded gracefully, and barely noticeably shifted her front hooves yet again, "because I believed that you would do so. My belief in you is absolute." She looked at Twilight suddenly sternly, and her voice sounded harsh, "That is why I want you to know, to engrave on your heart a single truth: do not try to change your destiny, as you will only bring more pain to yourself and to those you love. Whatever happens, do not ever despair, for you have a great purpose in your life. Be happy and find joy in what you do. So few can actually change the world..."

Twilight took a step back, pale. That was too specific. "Princess, did something happen? Chrysalis did something to you?"

Celestia remained silent. Her look was strange, brightened, and direct. Her constantly moving mane was embracing her tall and imposing figure, caressing her arrested wings. On her muzzle was a small smile, so familiar and at the same time so out of place. Even remaining motionless, she was fluid and entrancing.

Only Celestia could be like that, to be like the living statue of antiquity, so close and distant.

The room was engulfed by tension. Twilight had so much to ask, to tell... She thought that she can find the right words and return everything to how it was before. There was a strong sensation of slipping possibility, like there was a cipher that needed to be figured out, that there existed a combination of right phrases and motions to fix everything. There was a hope that was heavily contrasted with hopelessness.

A strong excruciating feeling went down her stomach. She took a step closer, living through the odd sensation of how the distance between them suddenly became too enormous. Her eyes, welling with tears, were silently pleading: 'How I can help you, Celestia? How can I ease your torment, to help you return to your normal self? Please, talk to me, please explain it to me!'

Celestia's pose became more dignified, and she slightly lifted her head, now looking at something at the far side of the room. It was enough for Twilight to feel the breath of cold, sending a plethora of goosebumps on her spine, raising every fiber of her fur.

She slowly turned.

Chrysalis was emerging from the floor. A sphere of condensed green was heralding her appearance. As she appeared in all of her imposing height, the green sphere dispersed, and the darkness surged in all directions, covering the changeling with a thick shroud. Only her striking, slit eyes remained seen, and they were filled with utter ravenous joy.
"I'm curious, here-" she began whispering, and at first echoing sounds of her snake-like voice, Twilight immediately ignited her horn, "-why your first instinct is to blame everything on me? Wait, I know why..." Chrysalis interrupted her speech for a short cheerful giggle. "No, I didn't do to our Princess anything above the norm. Yet... Say, 'Little Light'... How does it feel to be thrown to the biggest wolf in the woods? That means me."

"Hello, Chrysalis." Twilight decided not to give in to obvious provocation. "I see you've been well fed?"

The beast laughed much more loudly, and then clacked fangs, grinning under the veil of the darkness. "Amusing! Love our little banters... But you did come to fight me over her, little girl, didn't you?"

"Um..." Twilight replied warily, hoping that she understood correctly. "Yes?"

"Why, you're so possessive, Twilight. I don't share. Don't even think," Chrysalis replied with a jealous snarl.

"Oh." Twilight looked back at Celestia, who remained serene and unperturbed, then at this creature of the dark in front of them. "Huh. I see."

There were a few seconds of awkward silence between them, and eventually, Chrysalis caved in, uttering with a disdainful scoff, "Seems I've raised the bar too high. You really are no fun with this."

"Celestia is my mentor." Twilight shrugged. "I don't know what you expect—"

"Oh, COME ON! But, well, fine..." Chrysalis took a swift, fluid step forward, the whole cloak of darkness moved with her, and the sensation of danger was ignited anew. "What do you bring to the table? Show me, the Queen of Equestria!"

"You are an usurper! You aren't our Queen!"

"Am I?" The Queen made another swift step, her horn flashed, and a series of cracks ran across the floor and walls of the Throne Room. Handcrafted murals, depicting achievements of Celestia's reign, painstakingly installed all along the elongated hall at the seat of her power—they all exploded inward, littering the space with sharp shards. The jangling rattle of broken glass rang in Twilight's ears, as she covered herself with wings and projected a magical shield. "Am I not!?"

Taking a step back, Twilight peeked from under her wings and then outstretched them. Her heart was racing, and yet there was strange infectious enjoyment to be had while squaring off the creature that was destroying with such ease. Feeling pity for demolished murals, Twilight sneaked a peek at Celestia. Somewhat dishearteningly, the Princess' muzzle wore a completely unfazed expression, even displaying the same smile. She seemed even to be pleased.

Twilight wasn't certain about what was going on here.

The powerful voice of the Queen kept raging coldly, "My title is an authority, a power to be free! Only I could come so far. No one will take this from me!"

Celestia came into motion. Her inquisitive voice was kindling, as she tried to goad the Queen. "What a reckless, irresponsible fool you are. You are the most shackled creature that I've ever seen. Who in their right mind would go around and cause nothing but misery? Not to say, you really think that your predicament brought you freedom?"

Chrysalis flared, "Only I decide my destiny! Destiny is nothing more than an excuse, a way of shifting the blame from yourself to something else! There is no such thing as fate, only choices, and my choices are my own!"

There was a soft chuckle from the Princess. Still confused, Twilight glanced between them.

Chrysalis kept talking, placing her front hooves wide, as if she was standing against nonexistent strong wind. "You all call me the monster, and oh believe me, I am one... And I like it. This is who I am. This is what I do, and I do whatever I want. I go whenever I please! I eat whoever I wish. I can be anyone, with anyone I desire..." She grinned. "This is what freedom looks like, girls. But oh, every time I tread on your miserable pathetic lives, with which you do nothing but complain about, somehow I am in the wrong—because I do what I am intended to. I know who I am! Who are you to judge me!?"

Celestia let out an uncharacteristically nervous laughter. "So that is your answer to everything? Just to wage a one-mare war until you die?" She scoffed. "What a pathetic excuse to have constant instant gratification."

"Instant gra—oh, that is just precious. I've worked my flanks off to get where I am now. I've put all my heart and soul into this! Do you think that I like to suck love from creatures whom I despise? All your frolicking, pathetic lot!" Chrysalis spat, and then grinned again. "But you know what? I'd argue that since I'm your natural predator, in me your love finds far more purpose than anywhere else..."

"Oh? And what purpose that might be?"

"You're all about purposes, aren't you? Gimme a minute, I ought to think of something... Ah, yes!" She laughed wickedly. "To let me have some fun, and eventually become your wife, dearest. I should've tried it so much sooner... My one-mare war landed the Sun itself onto my lap... I've achieved everything that you ponies ever dreamed of, and even more. Are you jealous, Twilight?"

Twilight stared at the Queen, still in silent confusion. In what world does she think she lives?

Celestia heaved a sigh, and spoke calmly, with barely a hint of irritation, which cleared out fast, "I've heard enough. I will not stoop down to your level, Chrysalis. I refuse to get into an argument with you, it would be fruitless. All you seem to care about is love, and yet you do not understand its true value. The love you crave is meaningless unless it is reciprocal, but the love is something that must be given freely, without forcing others, without expectation of anything in return. The love should be unconditional, not transactional."

Chrysalis roared in laughter and pressed the hoof against her chest, still giggling. "That is so you!... Isn't the love is something worth fighting for?"

Celestia uttered slowly, with a strange indiscernible emotion, slightly unfurling her wings, "Twilight. I believe it's time for you to take the word."

Twilight exhaled, nodding without a second thought. The whole exchange got her a few ideas on how to approach the situation.

"Oh-ho-ho~! This is gonna be good," snickered Chrysalis, looking at her curiously. "Now, what will little Twilight do? How will she get out of this one?"

"Let's consider that you really are the Queen of Equestria." Twilight barely scrunched up her muzzle, trying not to let her imagination run wild. "What are you after? Control?"

"Control, hmmm~?" the changeling pondered and then grinned widely. "Why yes, I do enjoy control. But let me say between us-" she cackled, "-rulers, tyranny is actually a boring endeavor when you are lording over inferior creatures. I've already figured that out many generations ago. I am sure our precious Celestia over there can relate."

"The Princess isn't a tyrant!" Twilight replied with indignation.

"True! I'm talking about the 'inferior creatures' part. Believe me, I know boredom when I see one... imagine the same routine for hundreds and hundreds of years: raising the Sun each day, listening to your meek praises, knowing that there is no one to satisfy your deep, personal urges..." The Queen's muzzle broke into a grin. "Ah, at least I can relate to that. Eventually even lovesucking and dominating your weak pathetic lot can become stale."

Twilight noted to herself that the Princess remained silent. "You are talking as if you have some intentions for Equestria, after all. Care to share?"

"I'll take a page from Celestia's book and say..." Chrysalis cleared her throat, and suddenly, her voice sounded just like the Princess's. "'My little Little Light, there are many secrets that I will never discuss with anyone else, under any condition.'" She grinned and went on with her usual tone. "Her words, not mine. Care to imagine how much dirt was swept under the rug by that sugarcoated pony Princess of ours? If there is any truth about those who wield power, the real power, believe in one thing: we are all, even if a bit, shapeshifters."

"Twilight." Celestia was wearing the same neutral indistinctive smile the young alicorn come to easily recognize over the years. "You know what she is doing. She is the creature of dissent. Do not let her confuse you."

"Right." Twilight eyed the Queen. "Whatever are the reasons for the Princess to act like that, I wholly believe that her intentions are good and pure. You're in no position to judge her."

"Oh, but don't you know?" The changeling's wings buzzed a little. "If you believe in something, you must be willing to test it and your beliefs. After all, it is the whole reason Celestia placed you before me. I wonder, now... How many of such little tests did she prepare for you over the past years?... And what if you failed, what then?... Would you be... cast aside?..."

"Well, I didn't f—" Twilight's voice died down, as the question settled in. She stubbornly shook her head, trying not to get vile words close to her heart. It was exactly what the changeling wanted. "No! I am her student, she was my mentor, and she was teaching me. More than that, we are friends, and that is beyond your understanding."

"Friends, are you?" the changeling hummed. "What is that, some kind of codependency?"

"No. Friendship is a hard work. You don't really think that it's easy as simple existence and codependence? It is understanding of others. It is shared values. Connection. Effort. Sacrifice."

Chrysalis nodded, listening intently, and then cackled disparagingly. "Sounds like quite a sweet, comforting illusion. Like an intentional weakness. It is to be expected, of course. You ponies really don't amount to much when you're alone."

"Whatever you say. Aren't you constantly surrounding yourself with minions to do your bidding?" Twilight pondered, getting into the analytical process. In some ways, the conversation with the enigmatic shapeshifting creature was interesting and novel to her... Some part of Twilight already wanted to dissect Chrysalis.

Chrysalis laughed with utter venom in her voice. "My Hive is a part of me. They live to serve and die at my command!"

"You don't consider them to be individuals?"

"Do you see your limbs as anything more than extensions with which you walk and grapple on things?"

"But..." Twilight's breath hitched for a moment. "Let me get it straight: you create new life whenever you want. You refer to your spawn as part of you. And yet you feel no remorse over them, you view them an extension of your will? Why? You, your changelings, you all could've been so much more. Is this existence all that you wish for them?"

Chrysalis smirked under her veil of darkness, and Twilight saw how the changeling slowly moved her head from side to side, as if in disbelief. "Over the centuries I've been a progenitor of countless dark shapeshifters, girl. I've seen more of them die than you can possibly imagine. True, I can recall, barely, a time when I played favorites with them, but that was so very long ago when I was far more naive... In time you become desensitized to such things, it is simple as that..." Her gaze was raised to Celestia.

Twilight sat down at this point, and closed her eyes for a few seconds, thinking. There was a way to approach this situation correctly. There was a reason why Celestia placed her as a champion to face off against this creature.

There was something only she could do, and that was related to magic, right? Twilight remembered her recent clarity, how she saw through reality and was able to tap into magic earlier unknown to her. Her alicorn soul still carried her forward. Her fire still remained inside.

"I am not alone," she whispered, opening her eyes. A sparkle shone in them. "Never alone."

She stood up with renewed determination. "Chrysalis."

Changeling slowly lowered her piercing glare, barely narrowing it, acknowledging the shift in demeanor.

"Have you ever been completely honest in your life?" Twilight challenged.

That got the changeling thinking, while keeping up an amused grin of sharp teeth. To Chrysalis it all was like some sort of a game.

Eventually, the Queen nickered. "Oh, my little darling alicorn girl... You will find a lot of honesty in the cold of a shallow grave."

"Is that some sort of a threat?" Despite everything, Twilight managed to become slightly confused.

"I didn't even begin threatening you. You know what I am, so why even bother asking? My trade is in illusions, and stallions and mares all want the same. They want a promise that I have no intention to keep. They want hope that I have every intention to spoil and devour. They want an illusion they desire to believe in, but no one ever wants to pay for their illusions, doesn't it? They want to take and I want to take too, but the thing is, I have more power. I was born for this. And they, well, they were born to be my prey... And then they have the gall to say that I am the arrogant one! But it is I who draws them in... And I cannot help it, even if I would want to... I was made this way, it is who I am. I know it and you know it. It is... natural...
"And I love it."

"That doesn't answer my question..." Twilight mumbled.

The Queen rose her head high in response. "I am nothing but honest, as I can say anything, and you, ponies, will believe me anyway. Funny, really..."

"Isn't it a logical fallacy?"

"Truth is a choice."

Celestia suddenly spoke, breaking her self-imposed role of the observer, "Chrysalis tries to say that lying comes to her as easy as breathing, so she doesn't have to make a conscious effort to track when her lies begin and end. She is not really a pathological liar—misleading and half-truths are something that is in her nature."

"She gets it," Chrysalis chittered, and lowered her discontent gaze back to Twilight. "Now... Since I am indulging our talk... I want to return the question. Did you ever lied in your little pony life?"

"Well..." Twilight rubbed her chin, pondering. "It might sound pompous, but I believe I don't. I might omit some details or intentionally speak in a roundabout way, but I rarely would flat out lie about something, and if I would, I always try to make amends. Lies always catch up to you, you know? Of course, no one is truly honest, if that's your angle. There's always something we keep to ourselves, or some little lie we tell to protect someone..." Her ear twitched, as she remembered about Starflower and her project. "That reminds me... Recently I might've been too open with my discoveries, and it led to consequences that I couldn't foresee..."

"Ah-h..." The green eyes in the darkness bobbed in understanding. "Information, another one of my trades... Knowledge is power, girl, maybe one of the most frightening powers there is. Enough knowledge can change you... So it might be better to keep your life simple..."

Twilight licked her dry lips, wrapping her head around all this.

The Changeling Queen's voice became lower, almost seductive. "There is so much to know, and so much to forget... You ponies always seek comforting, easy answers... There can be no compromises. No compromises. So I'd say, you should always embrace your willingness to know more, Twilight Sparkle. It might be the only reason why I entertain this talk, after all. Who knows, maybe you can even learn from this monster?"

It was strangely on point since Twilight did want to learn something, sure, but not from the Queen, but about her. A tiny smile came to Twilight, as she sensed ancient powerful magic calling out to her. It was still here, and she remained on the right path. Twilight continued her verbal dissection, "You said you played favorites with your children, once. Is it possible that you were kind to them, you know, cherished them? Did they spurn you somehow? Can it be you're doing all this because of some misaligned scorn?"

The Changeling Queen hummed, pondering Twilight's words yet again, and then began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Twilight asked inquisitively, allowing her smile to widen as well.

"If it wasn't for your pony kindness, I would never get to the place where I am. If only Luna wasn't so beloved by Celestia, I wouldn't have this breach in your defenses and never grabbed the power," the Queen snarled. "I must admit, even my cunning and abilities would have some limitations, if not for your weakness, this kindness, this willingness to see the best in others... It is all kinds of pathetic.
"So to answer your question, no." She scoffed. "I realized back then that being kind will never work for me. But you, ponies, you seem to have learned a completely different lesson, didn't you?"

"Why are you so cynical about it?" Twilight furrowed brows. "Is that what your ideal world looks like, full of hate and misery, of this dog-eat-dog mentality?"

"No, my ideal world is full of kindness, so I would thrive... Full of 'unconditional love', right, Celestia?"

The elder alicorn remained motionless, unresponsive. Twilight thought about it, then nodded. "I see. You don't have any conventional morals because you can exist beyond the expectations of any society. Your Hive can't be called such society, after all, as if you are to be believed, the changelings are more like a constantly warmongering band. And yet you need to feed..." Twilight looked at Chrysalis curiously. "You really are a parasite in every possible sense of the word. You do not produce anything substantial, you only consume. I'd say, the fact that ponies still tend to be kind even with you around, speaks in favor of the quality of their willingness to do good. You will never survive in the more hostile environment where you are constantly expected."

"Or maybe I will adapt!" Chrysalis hissed defiantly. "I didn't have a good enough challenge until I reached Equestria, and look where I am now!"

She was so proud of herself.

Twilight wasn't satisfied with that answer. Pressing her hoof at her mouth, she looked at the dark mare academically, like it was some sort of an anatomical atlas. "I'm thinking now, why, In spite of all your talk, you personally left ponies mostly unharmed? You could wipe out all resistance in the Royal Library in one fell swoop. Why did you keep us, and Celestia, and Luna before, alive? To feed upon? But that is nothing compared to the whole realm, isn't that right?"

The Queen narrowed her eyes, and sudden gravely cold emanated from her, washing over the alicorn. Twilight took a nervous step back, afraid that she delved too deep.

"Know your place, girl," hissed Chrysalis with barely contained hate. "Don't question me like that. Do not mistake my leniency with mercy."

The whole room darkened. Twilight felt her warmth on the back—Celestia ignited her horn like a little Sun. Chrysalis raised her eyes, and the bright fire trembled in her irises.

Begrudgingly, the Changeling Queen relented, and Twilight got a chance to exhale. Her coat was covered in sweat. Well, it was good to be reminded that she has some safety net...

"I have more questions, if you will," squeaked Twilight.

Twilight could see in the Queen's dimmed silhouette how her tail lashed, showing anger. She remained silent, and the young alicorn took it as a signal to proceed.

The ancient magic, summoned into her being, was slowly taking hold. Twilight cleared her throat and peered back into the green eyes. "Why do you always take such pleasure when you are fighting, or when you reveal your plans? What's with all that happiness and laughter?"

"Because I feel power, and power brings me joy!" The Queen's highborn voice was chilling, without any perceivable affability. "I feel myself alive. To hoof, ponies are my favorite to fight against... I love when your skulls are crushed under my steps. I just can't stop myself. It's a buffet. You are so intense sometimes, so full of love... I can pop one and see how much love in one and others... And believe me, you taste so good when you are scared! This tingling sensation, this aftertaste of despair, with a hint of hope... It is to die for."

Twilight again took a second to calm herself, wary of showing any fear before the Queen. Her voice still treacherously trembled. "B-but surely there are more things that can bring you joy? How c-can it be that you—"

"That reminds me, Twilight," Chrysalis venomously interrupted. "What about that friend of yours, that loves parties? Pinkie-something? The next time I see her, I'll personally toss her to my servants. The fun she'll have—"

"That's enough!" Celestia barked, full of disgust.

The Queen scoffed and began pacing her spot from side to side. Her unblinking eyes, full of fire, were never leaving Twilight.

Twilight wanted to try and save the situation. "Do you have no pity? Do you even know what it means?" she asked quietly, with drooped-down ears.

"Do not patronize me. I know exactly what the word pity means. I am well-informed. You on the other hoof require some re-education. Do you know what the term enslaved means? Because I can make every single one of you ponies experience the joys of the slave life." Chrysalis cackled, stopped her jerking movements, and sat down. "I will find so much joy in breaking you piece by piece, I just can't get the same kick from the killing. Murder is so final... I would love you to live as long as possible. To make you suffer."

Twilight waited a good five seconds before she shakily exhaled and attempted to regain her composure. Embracing the Dark, the Queen became even more intense than she remembered. There was no redemption, no salvation for her. No hope. She could see it clearly now.
'I invoke you for the future of all Equestria. This is the most disharmonious creature that ever walked on its fields. She is an interloper, and she doesn't belong.'
"You certainly are charitable with your words," she said out loud. "I figure, I must at least thank you for such eagerness to speak."

The Queen—no, the insectoid, the monster—stared at her curiously. "I am an ancient creature of darkness, born in the deepest reaches of forests long before you ever existed, and whom will exist long after you die." She hissed like a snake, showing edge of a forked tongue. "You've entertained me, and that's all that matters. I do not care in the slightest what you might think of me, and your questions ceased to amuse me, bookworm... I was well aware of members of your hateful kind, but I've never expected I would ever need to endure one in my presence! Go read a book if you love books so much! Nerd!"

"Um... Alright. I understand you. Let's put an end to it, then." Twilight sighed and raised her wings higher. They were iridescent, opposing the Darkness with a stubborn, small light. "For the world to have a future, a self-serving, jealous creature like you must be stopped. After all, you have no loyalty to anyone but yourself. No devotion to any ideal. Nothing is behind you and your blackened soul. You have no remorse, nothing but gluttony. You have to be stopped, for the good of all!"

"Oh, now you've got mine attention," smiled the monster, looking more interested. "If you only knew how often I've heard these speeches... But we both know you're something special, aren't you?"

"I will bring retribution because no one else will!" Twilight loudly proclaimed, her eyes filled with white. "The faith of my friends is with me! The magic, the Harmony demands you to stop, Chrysalis! You aren't allowed to progress any further!"

The magic was here all along, the most powerful magic of them all, the Magic of Friendship. There was no need in Elements, she realized, she remembered: they were but mere symbols. To her mind came Dash's pain, Fluttershy's kind presence, Rarity's effort, Applejack's support, Pinkie's undying optimism... And even more, the love, the pain, the fear of all. Cherished memories about Ponyville flashed before her eyes, and Twilight smiled, sensing how happiness and conviction are streaming into her heart, filling it with assurance.

It was more than enough.

A pulsation of radiant magic embraced her form and lifted her from the ground. Magic surged, enveloping the throne room, outshining the darkness in it and suffocating it down to one lone charred figure, who defiantly stood against everything that is good in existence.

Twilight heard how the monster laughed nervously, yet still viciously. "I see, so this is the power you use? Magnificent... Do you think that I'll run now? Cower and hide? No, I'm done! No more! When I came here, I placed everything on the line! I will take on whatever you can dish at me!"

"Finally," Celestia spoke solemnly. "Our centuries-long battle ends."

"On that," Chrysalis snarled passionately, "we can agree."

The bright magic collected into a focal point above Twilight's horn, her own body became a conductor and an inductor, a vessel and a will, the means and the statement. Basking in familiar elation and the sensation of pure purpose, Twilight pointed the magic at the Changeling Queen.

The magic was barely under her control. It was boiling, emitting a resonant quiver between threads of reality. It was like nothing else, a pure energy, composed of every shade and every hue of color.

Twilight released it, and this energy rushed at Chrysalis, eager to receive this final brushstroke of her fate. It blasted with a powerful hum, overtaking and drowning out the figure. The insect barely had time to react.

The balance was restored.

Author's Note

The End.
You can stop reading now, the Queen of the Dark is finished.

Spin 10 — "The love was shining through" — Princess Cadance — Day 1, late evening

The forgotten old place was abandoned for years.

⠀

"I will wear your face~...-

⠀

She was being dragged across the stone floor by her leg. Completely undignified. Beaten.

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-...they will not even notice you're gone~...-

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On the fangs of the creature was her blood. She was drained, used. She couldn't muster a single spell.

⠀

-...your groom will love me, not you~...-

⠀

Her doppelganger looked at her, a distorted reflection. Its happy singing voice sounded like her own.

⠀

-...and after I deal with them, I'll come back for encore."

⠀

'Someone will save me... Someone will...' She trembled in darkness and cold for what felt like eons, being afraid for herself and for others.

Then Twilight suddenly came, and being deceived by the creature, she almost blasted Cadance on sight. Twilight was so on edge, that Cadance managed to prove who she is only through their silly old dance.

And everything was resolved. Her worst day became one of her best. It was an adventure, and they prevailed.

But scars remained.

She needed a few minutes to recollect herself.

So she thought about love and fear.

How deeply they are intertwined...

Two emotions couldn't be more different, and yet they moved hoof in hoof. In many ways, love was about managing fear, as where fear reigned, love diminished.

Just like love, fear came in innumerable forms. It could be fear of expectations, of relations, of loss, of trust, of vulnerability... and yet, despite all the ways to perceive it, love was always worth conquering fear. Always.

Long ago Cadance had proven her worth by standing against someone who succumbed to fear. 'Prismia' she was called, the old and pitiful hag that lived alone on the outskirts of Cadance's hometown. Disillusioned by the world, submerged into loneliness and despair, she tried to do the unthinkable and leech all love from ponies for her own sake. Cadance, just a little pegasus back then, was the only one who was able to stop her.

Both of their lives changed dramatically since then, and the constant fight against the fear became more complicated and gained a new dimension and purpose... As Cadance understood her responsibilities better, she mastered the mask that was required of her. Aunt Celestia helped her. For years Cadance expected to shoulder hopes and dreams of the world, but then the other alicorns began to appear and reemerge, and Cadance eventually took a step to the sidelines.

After all said and done, she got a chance to live her own life, even to be the Princess in charge of her own kingdom. Cadance was supposed to feel blessed, as she was surrounded by loved ones, and graced by having a family. Why then she always was hounded by a sense of unease? Even in her most calm and intimate thoughts she couldn't describe the feeling properly. Was it just paranoia? Some unresolved ambition?

Why was she never truly happy? Is it normal to constantly not feel satisfied?

But whatever the reason for it, now wasn't the time to mull over her feelings. All her thoughts were invariably circling back to the Princess of the Sun, to her ever-looming warm presence, known since foalhood. Celestia was supposed to be at the Royal Palace right now, trapped with that parasite... Cadance just couldn't stop worrying about it, and any distraction from it, as well as from the ongoing terror, couldn't suffice.

"Your Highness?" the voice called to her, and she snapped out of it.

"Here. I'm here. Everything's fine?" She opened her eyes and raised her head with the shimmering horn. A short respite had passed.

"More or less," the pony on the other side of the door replied in shaken tone, and Cadance stood up from her resting place. She felt a short dizziness, then wiped a few leftover tears from her muzzle, hoping that her eyes aren't too red. She took a deep breath.

Love will prevail.

She stepped out of the door, and nurse Cheery Hooves, one of the senior staff members, awkwardly shuffled out of her way. Mare carried a frozen, mortified look on her muzzle that lit up with hope at Cadance's sight. In the last few hours, the Princess came to recognize it well. Each time it reminded her of the day when crystal ponies were liberated, and it wasn't a good memory.

"So far we managed to find rooms for all severely hurt patients, but there aren't enough supplies and doctors to accommodate," Cheery talked at a brisk pace, as she trotted along fast-moving alicorn, "There's are also some, ah... agitation. Noble ponies are angered that we are forced to give them the same treatment as the rest..."

"Of course they are," Cadance uttered under breath. She always was amazed by how strongly the privileged folk could stick to their customs. Sometimes she considered her humble upbringing as a blessing in disguise—it was giving her perspective.

"Your Highness, can you help calm them down?" Cheery asked hopefully, "They're getting in the way of our work."

Right, she is the peacemaker. Cadance entertained the thought of foalsitting those sinecures and realized that the just doesn't have the energy for it. She belonged at the edge of the magical barrier that was erected by her around the hospital, not in the safety of the walls, easing the worries of those who won't appreciate it.

Her gaze wandered over the ponies that were in the hallway. They were of all trades, every tribe, every standing. Stallions and mares, colts and fillies, most of them unharmed, but all stricken with terror and uncertainty. Murmur went on between them, but in general, they were silent and waiting. Their gazes clang to Cadance, each one equally hungry for a miracle.

The Princess remained composed. It's just like another stroll before subjects. After all, ponies always need something.

There were at least a few hundred of them in the Canterlot Hospital now, and while it was the only large medical institution in the capital and was built to accommodate, it began to feel crowded nonetheless. Canterlot never was a big populated city, but still, there were thousands of ponies, currently unaccounted for...

An influx of new stragglers was constant, and the changelings, that spread over the city like an infection, perfectly knew about it. They all were drawn to the pink shield that was erected by Cadance. She felt how dark creatures were trying to chip away at it somewhere, it was a steady feel, torturous, always on the back of her mind. It all needed to end soon.

As she kept silent and tried to find an excuse not to go, a familiar figure appeared at the far end of the corridor, and Cadance felt relieved. Some normalcy...

"Maybe I'll start with this one, and then work my way from there," she grinned to Cheery Hooves and stepped to meet her favorite hatesink.

"Cadance!" Prince Blueblood bellowed, groggily shambling toward her. His mane was a mess and the scorch mark on his chest was glaring, but the stallion still carried himself with all the stubbornness of a highborn mule.

'Heck, maybe he really has some of the alicorn blood in him,' Cadance wondered, eyeing that scorch. She was hoping that Blueblood would be knocked out for longer. "Ah, if it isn't you, good Prince Vladimir! What a sight for sore eyes! How do you fare? Does the night treat you well?"

"I was informed that my royal Adjudicator is in your possession." Blueblood pointed his forehoof threateningly. "I demand you to relinquish it to me at once!"

"The what now?" Cadance cocked her head, trying to withhold laughter, then looked under her wing. "Oh, you mean the sword! I'll keep it for now, thank you. Maybe you should be more aware of where you trying to stick it, dear brother." Her smile was disarmingly innocent.

He pouted and huffed. As far as Cadance was concerned, Celestia treated her alleged blood relation to the Bluebloods as some sort of long-standing joke, but there was a serious undertone to it as well. In the unlikely scenario that alicorns wouldn't be able to respond to their duties, the Blueblood family had the right to rise as a line of regents. Equestria would be doomed anyway, but at least the wreckage that would occur would be a guided one, so their charred remains might end up lying in a pleasing manner, so to speak.

'Happy thoughts, Cadenza.'

"I know, we have this rivalry going on between us," Blueblood pleaded, trying to be genuine for a change, "but dear Father will positively murder me if he knows that I lost our heirloom, surely you understand?"

"Pish posh, don't worry your pretty head. It's not like I am taking your pride or anything. Good weaponry is sparse, as well as able-bodied ponies whom can wield it. I'll settle the matter with old Vsevolod later," Cadance chittered frivolously, trotting to the main hall.

"Sister, you're slaying me out here. You literally slaying me," he whinnied quietly, still hoping to play out the pity card. As if it ever worked with her. "I need it to protect myself... and others. What if those changelings happen to be upon us? What then? I'll be cursing you with my dying breath while they do with me Celestia-knows-what, that's what!"

"I'm sorry, Vlad." Cadance cringed, but placed a hoof on his shoulder, forcing herself to talk reassuringly. "Recuperate. Equestria needs you to be strong. If we're lucky, I'll kill a few little beasts myself until the night's end, in the name of our shared family. You can take all the credit if you want. We can say that you supplied me with Abjucator when you were felled in the glorious duel against the Queen of the Changelings herself. It's almost true! Just think of all the attention!"

"No, you won't get rid of me that easily." Blueblood frowned like a defiant child, still following.

"Dear brother, you need to rest!" Cadance nickered, but did not attempt to restrain him. "You know, not all stories happen on the front lines, anyway. Let some mare take care of you and your, er, battle scar!"
She tried to glance at Cheery Hooves, but the nurse was already spirited away by more pressing troubles.

Blueblood shook his head. "I'd rather burn in Tartarus than keep lying down for another minute. That Chrysalis dishonored me, and I will take what's rightfully due."

Cadance raised a brow. So there were redeeming qualities to Vladimir?... Food for thought.

At the main hall, something had stolen her attention. In front of her was occurring a small scene: two members of the Royal Guard were on patrol, and one of them, a unicorn, stood over a pair of ponies huddled at the wall. Regular checkup, it seemed. All of them looked beaten.

One of two ponies, a mare, was glaring at the armor-clad ponies. Her pretty muzzle was twisted in a contemptuous grimace. She batted away the spear of one of the guards, then made a beeline to the nearest window.

"A changeling!" rang a shout from somewhere. Blueblood froze on the spot, Cadance half-drawn her sword, but everything was already over. The creature was already pinned down by speartips and was rapidly reverting to its original form. The beast wriggled and hissed, as the guards tore weapons out from its body only to bring them down again.

Cadance did not look at it, though. She watched how a stallion, a companion to a deceiving creature, crawled on his knees toward its expiring form. His hoof was outstretched and pressed down, his muzzle, obscured by the hair, seemed grief-stricken. Strangely, this image stole all of Cadance's attention. 'What is this? What feeling is this? An empathy? Is this love, too? Does it matter if it is misaligned, if it is real?'

"Cadance. Hey. You with me?"

The voice of her husband returned Cadance to reality. His concerned icy-blue eyes were right in front of her. She exhaled shakily, and nuzzled into him shortly, pulling her mind away from the scene. Not the time to lose focus.

"Your Highness, aren't you supposed to be under guard?" Shining Armor smirked flirtatiously, and it helped her regain her bearings.

"Yeah. My guard was away, though," she quietly giggled in response, walking through the front door. She was never the one to be held down by the rules.

Blueblood was lagging behind them, unperturbed by any of what happened. The sight of his blissfully smug expression gave some leeway to Cadance... maybe she just imagined it all.

She surveyed the situation outside: everything still was the same.

She saw scurrying dark shadows beyond the wall of her magic, between uneven droplets of water, sparkling in the light. The Hive was like a wriggling mess of insects sometimes. They always looked busy with something, agitated by the ongoing hunt. Encircling, waiting for something to happen.

Right before the wall, Stygian was hunched over the one of dead changelings, while surrounded by a number of guards. Two of Cadance's personal royal guards were among others, acknowledging her with curt nods as she and the stallions joined the commotion. During a recent disastrous wedding, she allowed these crystal ponies to go partake in the city-wide celebration, and haven't come to regret this decision since they quickly found her in ensuing chaos.

"If we are going at war with those creatures," Stygian was collected and serious, as he was holding up a speech, "we should at least understand how to fight them in close combat. Look here. Their insides aren't that different from ours, so if you hadn't skipped your basic anatomy lessons, you should know where to strike to hurt the most."

"But what about their chitin?" Ivory Rook, one of her guards, spoke up. He, Beam Flitter, and Stygian, immediately shared some semblance of camaraderie, that was known only to those who lived through the events that occurred one thousand years ago.

Cadance hadn't pried into it. She hadn't got a chance yet.

"Aye, they have something that can be called chitin," instructed the grim unicorn, operating with a short sword as a pointer, "As you can see, it protects their spine, shoulders, and chest. Their hooves seem to be completely made of this hard substance," Stygian lifted the limb in question, not yet stiffened by rigor mortis, "Maybe something related to their transformation magic, but I guess we will leave the final word to real experts. Just hit them like you would want to hit a pony with intent to kill: -"

Some of the members of the Royal Guard were pale, already showing signs of anxiety. Shining Armor, Ivory Rook, and Beam Fitter remained composed and attentive. Vladimir finally stepped aside, not willing to participate in it.

"- neck, inner thigh, groin area, armpits, stomach—by the looks of it they have a blood circulation system very similar to ours," Stygian spoke dispassionately, and it reminded Cadance of Twilight, specifically when she was really getting into a topic of interest and dissociate with reality completely. "One good cut or puncture, and they can just bleed out with whatever they have instead of blood... Some fluid plasma of a unique sort?... Can't be sure. What could be troubling for us the most, is this—"

His hooves moved into the opened section of a changeling's torso. Cadance noted the lack of use of telekinetic aura. Stygian scooped up and pulled the dark glistening entrails of perished creature, his scrunched muzzle showing barely a hint of displeasure.

"Oh, I can't watch..." Cadance murmured. But she kept watching anyway.

"See this?" Stygian was looking at them starkly. "It is a digestive system, atrophied due to lack of intended use, but in theory perfectly functional nonetheless. They have a complete set of organs, you can see it for yourselves if you wish. Ergo, we can posit that, for all intents and purposes, they are like ponies but severely twisted by dark magic." Stygian finished his grim speech and went silent, letting for the thought to settle in.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Shining confused, glancing at the living changelings, who weren't thrilled by the ongoing public autopsy. "What, they are mammals?"

"Are they vertebrates?" added Cadance. "They don't seem to be like insects at all."

"Well, see, that is where it is going to be most curious. Notice the lack of any sexual characteristics. You can also posit, for all intents and purposes, that they are also like drones. Workers. They are..." Stygian frowned, thinking, "Mimics, aye? They're simple... Simplified... And yet, this creature before us is like an amalgamation of different ones, and this can tell us about their high capability to evolution... Or an ability to adapt... Or maybe about a lack thereof, given the circumstances, and their seeming inability to reproduce..."

"So what does it lead to? What is the takeaway?" Beam Fitter asked.

"They can be studied and understood." Stygian peered at the creatures beyond the barrier. "They have emotions like us. They can be spoken to. They even show attributes of all three tribes, though it is debatable, and given that they have seemingly no culture of their own, we might even be able to coexist in the future. If we think of them as another type of pony, that is."

"That is absurd!" Cadance spoke louder than she intended, and all looked at her. "You talk of those pillagers, parasites, that brought war on our doorstep! And now you propose some sort of tolerance for their kind?" Cadance rose her head high, glaring daggers, her wings unfurled. "So what if they like us!? It doesn't excuse any of their misdeeds!"

"Aye. I'm sorry, Your Highness," Stygian lowered his head. "I might've overstepped. Please, forgive me. The point of this presentation was to show how to fight them more efficiently, and that is all. For manners of similitude, I'd like also to point out their sensitivity to light. It should be easy to blind them with fire, lamps, or magic, for they are accustomed to seeing in darkness."

"Alright, enough of this. Thank you, Stygian." Shining smiled lopsidedly, placing heavy hoof on Cadance's shoulder. She finally got a chance to look at him closely, noticing a strange device, strapped on an ankle of a foreleg.
They made few steps right where Blueblood was waiting, and there Shining turned and looked at her with warm attention. "You're good?"

"Yeah." Cadance rubbed her forehead. Constant strain in the horn was taking its toll, but it was nothing compared to when she needed to protect Crystal Spire.

"How's Spike and the girls?"

"Fluttershy became quiet, even more than usual." Cadance frowned. "Dash still hasn't come to, I've made sure that she is in the best care possible. Others are a great help around the hospital. They do not know what to think, it seems, about what had happened. I mean, about Twilight. We're all just waiting now on her, yes?"

"What is that you're carrying around, Shiny?" Vladimir suddenly butted in. "Is that a hindlegged magical artifact from Undercity? Are you aware these things are illicit?"

"Guilty." Shining smiled. "But, believe or not, I've got it from a friend in the Royal Guard. The Arcane Ministry's tuition is finally paying off, Vlad?"

Blueblood shrugged. "Father blessed me with personal tutorship..."

"Vlad raised a good point, for a change." Cadance arched her brow, examining the device. "Why do you even need this toy, love?"

"Oh, I'm going out there, after Twilight. Someone needs to bring her back."

"You think she will fail?" Cadance jerked her head up. Almost instinctively, her wing flared to prevent Blueblood from barging in with his opinion. She saw how he already drew breath to say something ill-fitting.

"No-no." Shining smiled wearily. "It's just not okay with me, alright? I rarely get to act out like a big brother to her, so it's now or never. One hoof there, another here. I'll be safe; you won't even notice I'm gone."

Cadance slightly winced and tried to look for help at Stygian and members of the guard, but they mostly avoided eye contact. So they had already been talked into this. "Shiny... Darling, please..." she placed a hoof on his. He sighed, but behind his eyes, there was a resolve that she loved and feared so much.

"Sorry, dove."

"I'm coming with," she said sternly.

"Yeah, no. We aren't leaving Flurry without parents."

"Take Ivory and Beam, then!"

"I'll be less noticeable when moving alone," he said, shaking his head. "Faster, too. To hoof, I know the city to its last nook and cranny, so you know those 'lings will never get me."

"You—"

"Listen, love. We both know that I am your good-looking, reliable Prince-Consort, but not much beyond that, right?" He took her hoof into his, and gently caressed over it. "I am a figurehead. If the worst happens to me, crystal ponies will still have their Crystal Princess, and we still will have a fighting chance against Chryssie... I am disposable, alright? You, however, are not. Cadance..." he looked concerned, lifting her hung head to keep their eyes on one level. "Don't go all sappy on me, alright? Don't cry. You know I can't leave if you cry."

Cadance blinked fast and gulped. "You are a fool."

"Yeah."

"Just like Twilight."

Shining delivered her a guilty smile. He looked towards the barrier, shifted his weight to it. He wanted to go right now. Too soon.

"Twilight will manage," she said softly, just like to other Elements earlier. "She is a strong girl. She made her choice."

"Well... I am making choice too. I'll just try to make sure she manages."

"Why are you always making it all so complicated?" Cadance breathed out, despite her better judgment.

Shining shrugged with that foolish smile of his, taking another step and covering his head with a hood, "This spot is safe. Whenever you're ready, love."

"You're completely not thinking about me. About us."

"M-hm."

Cadance made a long, exasperated groan, leaning forward and looking starkly at the muzzle of her husband. "You're absolutely despicable. Why did I marry such a heartless bastard?"

"You know why." Shining grinned. "Love?"

"No, I hate you. Hate you. You hear?... You are not disposable! No one is!"

He laughed and looked back with happy amusement. "That's reassuring."

"Get Twilight and return alive, you understand?"

"As you wish, Your Highness!" He gave out a cocky bow, turned, and vanished through the magical wall, which dispersed before him.

Cadance smiled through heartache, then remembered something and ran up to the barrier. "You have three hours! Three hours, you hear!? Or I'll come right after you myself!"

He nodded briskly, grinning, and then was gone without a trace somewhere in the constant rain. Cadance's heart was thumping fast as she stared with uncertainty, not knowing what she was supposed to feel. Pride? Powerlessness?

Well, only a few days ago she longed for some spice and drama, hasn't she?

She was relentless. Waiting never felt so miserable before. Each passing minute was building upon the previous one, slowly creeping over and adding to shared weight, and there was nothing but fear and anxiety now.

But Cadance was a strong pony, she was the alicorn and a Princess, and she was supposed to endure. For herself and others.

She wanted a glass of wine, to tug herself under the warm blanket, and listen to how the wind howls beyond the crystal walls of the Spire. She wanted that her biggest troubles would be worrying about Flurry's future, as well as governing over the sleepy small kingdom in the far north. She wanted to see smiling friendly faces again.

But instead, she looked on as a slow procession of ponies was treading through the water, all of them drenched and in need of warmth which she was incapable of fully providing. She isn't Celestia or even the miracle worker. Not really.

The barrier dissipated before new noble ponies, and Cadance ordered Stygian calmly: "They're all in need of inspection. Call our unicorns, it's no time to rest. We must not let any of the beasts slip through."

The one that was leading the procession caught her attention, stepping in front of her, and Cadance's heart happily fluttered at the familiar sight. "Yes. Proceed with that," he said, and Cadance squealed in an unprincess-like manner, pulling the older pony into a hug.

"Kibitz!" She giggled, "You're alright!"

"I was alright until this moment," Kibitz sighed, and even his soaked mustache sagged down defeatedly, "I'd say, this calamity is what happens when you give majordomo of the Canterlot Castle a few days off, is it not?"

"Well, it wasn't my decision." Cadance pouted. "You should blame everything on the Queen of the Changelings."

"That, I will do." He patted the alicorn's shoulder, and she released him. "Her invasion was glaringly unscheduled, after all."

"What news do you bring?" She looked over the procession, noting bleak and worn-out expressions. And one would think, this night was supposed to be a happy celebration...

"Nothing good, I am afraid. As you can see, we came here under Princess Celestia's direct order. There are only changelings with her in the Palace now, to my knowledge," Kibitz answered grimly.

Cadance nodded. Almost the whole staff of the Royal Palace was here, including all who were hosted there today in any capacity—all in all, a sizable lot. She noticed more soldiers of the Royal Guard among the ponies, a welcoming sight. Their commander was Captain Glimmering Shield, current second-in-command under Flash Magnus. That meant that Magnus himself was somewhere else in the city, still fighting for its freedom.

Just like others. All are fighting, except her. Cadance's jaw clenched.

"Kibitz?" Vladimir stepped somewhere out of her peripheral vision. His eyes were searching, "I must inquire, is my Father with you? Was he hurt?"

"Ah, Prince Blueblood..." Kibitz sighed, "My sincerest apologies. There's important information I must deliver to you, concerning your father."

"Out with it!" Blueblood smiled nervously. The nervous glances from others were getting to him.

"I am not a correct pony to announce it, but... Your father, the Duke," Kibitz deadpanned, "was killed."

"Papa? No..." Blueblood's muzzle fell. "How?"

"We found him in one of the staff rooms. Changelings got to him there. He tried to fight, and, hm..." Kibitz removed his glasses with the shaken hoof, and proceeded to dry them with a handkerchief. "Kllh dem, zal er ruen fridlekh, I am sorry, young Lord. He died a good death. We lost too many good ponies tonight... Celestia sends her condolences."

At a loss of words, Blueblood whipped his head down.

"Celestia, she..." Cadance gulped, and leaned in. "How is she? Did she say anything else?"

Kibitz paused, trying to figure out how to answer. "She seemed unwell. Distant," he responded eventually.

Cadance nodded again. It seemed a typical behavior for Celestia, for better or worse of it. Trying not to let her fears run rampant, she turned to Blueblood, who was staring at her blankly. "Brother, dear... I'm so sorry. I truly am. I respected Duke Vsevolod and considered him to be my friend, even if we often didn't see often eye-to-eye."

"Give me back my sword, Cadance," Blueblood demanded in an unfamiliar tone.

"You still not recovered fully, brother," she returned with a sheepish smile.

"Give me back my weapon, mare!" He roared, scaring her, and turned to a nearby guard. "Your spear, quickly, you dolt! I'll go and carve out a path through the changeling horde to the Castle myself, if I have to!"

"Belay that order," Cadance gathered herself and spoke with steel in her voice, then turned to Gleaming Shield, who already was done with his inspection, "Captain, Prince Blueblood is not feeling well. Let your charges escort him to the safe room, where he won't hurt anypony, most of all himself. Senior nurse Cheery Hooves will show you the one."

"I'm fine! I am perfectly fine! Don't you dare!" Blueblood growled, but no one listened to him. Three guards pinned him down and dragged him away—at least at first, until the young noble found the dignity to walk by himself.

"How pitiful..." Kibitz said remorsefully. "And the night is still only beginning, my young Princess. I believe you can accommodate me and my compatriots here? Some hot tea, perhaps?"

The swarm was growing for the past dozens of minutes. More and more strain was laid down on Cadance, as she felt how the monsters try to break in. The storm clouds above the city poured down infernal amounts of water, making the rivers boil and go out of shorelines. Well, Cadance couldn't see the part about the rivers personally, but it surely felt like it.

But then things changed, and Cadance called for a meeting.

"We have to do something, Your Highness," Stygian was looking worried. "Part of them split up, see?"

"It might be a trick."

"It might."

Cadance tapped on the windowsill, pondering. It was the first time the swarm began to recede, and that meant that something is happening right now. With the recent addition of forces, they may make a difference and secure the safety of civilians. Maybe they have unexpected allies? It was unlikely... Whatever it meant, someone was presumably fighting nearby. Maybe even dying.

"When you're prone to waiting around, it is often perceived as a sign of weakness by others... You know, there are at least two remedies to any problematic situation," she said eventually. "First, you can try to figure out why you're in it. Second, you can get out. There's a catch, though."

"Yes?" Stygian cast a wary look.

"These solutions aren't connected." She traced her hoof over the sword's hilt, pressed her forehead to the cold glass, trying to cool her nerves. "Not at all. Once you get out, you can just move on, but to figure out why it happened you might need to spend the rest of your entire life in it—and you'll just sit on your rump with the problem unresolved."

Beam Flitter, one of her personal guards, chipped in, "So what action do you propose, Princess? We fight?"

"I am an alicorn of Love, for what it's worth." Cadance smiled grimly. "Let's parley."

Their ragtag procession soon went out of the front doors and made its way to the edge of the barrier. Cadance's army was pitiful: nearly forty guards, including the captain and two crystal ponies from Crystal Empire, then Stygian, Blueblood (now considerably calmer), and Applejack, who just couldn't sit this one out. Despite all their achievements in the past, Cadance deemed other Elements as non-combatants and demanded they watch over civilians.

She did not want to risk anyone's life if it is unnecessary.

"Think Chrysalis is there?" Stygian was holding a crossbow, itching for a target. Comparably huge, the weapon looked almost comical in his scrawny hooves.

"Ah reckon', she got too much on her plate," Applejack murmured, her gaze remaining directed to the changelings, who were coming closer to investigate.

Cadance tried to adjust the armor she pulled from one of the wounded soldiers, then sighed deeply. "Let's find out exactly that," she said quietly. "You know, I kinda even miss Chrysalis' mug already."

"How so?" Applejack asked.

Cadance leaned with a conspiratorial whisper, "I want to see it in pain."

She smiled, pulling back, and looked through the barrier at the little beasts.

Dear Celestia, how she loathed them. Her every nerve screamed to flee. One might not expect the Princess of Love to feel repugnancy to any living creatures, let alone whole species, but in this case, she could make an exception. Their whole existence was a spit in her face, received literally.

They had no empathy, no value for others. Even greedy grown-up dragons, from her experience, could feel love and genuine affection. The changelings were abhorrent.

Their previous invasion of Canterlot happened fast and ended abruptly, 'an hour-long siege', Cadance joked about it later. In reality, it lasted even less, but it lingered anyway like a poison, brought ramifications, and spawned many rumors and theories about what changelings do to their captives.

Once, while trying to spare herself the grisly thoughts about what Chrysalis had planned for her back then, Cadance looked into it, hoping to ease her mind. Oh, how naive she was... It was the worst thing she could do. She learned about insects and their behavior, about ovipositors and laying eggs, and then about the usage of ponies as a food source, with all that entails... She imagined these food farms, filled with green cocoons, envisioned how changelings could be trying to breed ponies as livestock, and finally, was horrified by her possible fate, of how they could've tried to keep her alive for generations, subservient, broken in every way possible...

And then, there was unsettling truth about how many ponies hadn't been saved over centuries of their impermanent long struggle. During this time, many were overwhelmed by these treacherous creatures, only to perish in complete terror and darkness. Even now, recalling all she read about it, Cadance's stomach twisted, and her vision had gone blurry out of sheer disgust. It was no wonder that collective ponydom quickly tried to heal, move on, and forget about nightmares of the changeling invasion each time they were repelled in the past.

Chrysalis will never get Equestria. Over Cadance's dead body.

The Princess took a few breaths, calmed herself, and stared at nearby changelings. They gathered almost at a hoof's reach. Their alien eyes weren't bearing any discernable emotion.

"I demand to speak with your commander. Bring him to us," Cadance requested.

The beasts didn't budge. Cadance felt inadequate. The sensation of being trapped suddenly weighed on her tenfold.

"Am I not clear?" She raised an eyebrow. "Bring me your representative, if you have one. I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Equestria, ruler of the Crystal Empire, and I demand to speak with whoever is in charge!"

The beasts shared looks, and finally several of them disappeared into the dark. Cadance suppressed a satisfied grin, and then raised eyes, looking at a barely visible silhouette of the Royal Palace in the distance.

Ponies around her were silent, bearing uncharacteristic grim expressions. Even Blueblood stopped whining about wanting a sword and grabbed himself a spear.

Cadance had a sensation of dreadful foreboding. As she looked upwards, she saw against the dark sky a slowly flying specter—a wendigo. It seemed to observe the situation, keeping at a distance. Never a good sign...

The changelings crawled on rooftops and walls before her eyes, amassing and getting ready for something. Soon, one of them separated, walking directly to the Princess. It was unlike the others. Three strange oval-shaped objects were embedded into its chest.

Certainly, there was something wrong with it overall. Deformed muzzle, jerked movements with each shaking step... It swayed, its pale eyes were open widely. It seemed old?... Malnourished?... Pathetic. It seemed pathetic.

"What is this?" Cadance smirked coldly. "I wanted to see a commander, not another underling. Where is your Queen?"

"N-now she is yo-ours Q-queen too, m-morsel," it replied in a screeching tone, unpleasant to the ear, lacking cadence.

The Princess realized that she didn't hear any of the Queen's minions' voices ever before. Moreover, she somehow just refused to believe that they can actually hold a conversation, let alone do it coherently. It was almost surreal. "I wish to speak with Chrysalis herself. Where is she?"

"Busy. The mistress is b-beyond your l-little concerns."

"I have information of utmost importance. You aren't aware where your real leader is, is that it?"

"It s-se-seems, we b-both will settle for an underling. I don't see Celestia before me n-neither," the creature answered with bile, and chuckled to itself.

Blueblood leaned closer to her. "He's got you there, sister."

Cadance narrowed her eyes, not about to be humiliated by some nobody: "Who would you be to have the right to speak with Celestia, anyway?"

The rich, long pause was her answer, and with each passing second, the distorted grin of the changeling only grew wider. Cadance realized what it was going for, and barely frowned. It all was childish... Eventually, when her guards began shifting and coughing in their hooves, the changeling broke the silence, "You w-wanted to d-discuss your surrender, pony."

"Why would you say that?" Cadance spoke defiantly, still hoping to get some sliver of information from the exchange.

"You have no l-leverage. No o-other reason to talk." The changeling moved its milky eyes over ponies. "You're just b-bunch of scared, fat sacks of t-tender flesh. You're p-powerless, and you do n-not know what to do. You are g-grasping at st-straws."

Cadance decided she needs to take things more seriously. She took a step forward, raising a shining horn. Her voice began to sound threatening, "You wouldn't wish to provoke me, little beast. I am a diplomat of ponydom, and I know that war is merely another method of diplomacy. Maybe the least effective one, but for you, monsters, it will suffice."

The changeling wasn't impressed. A passionate vehemence rang in his broken words, "You g-got it all mixed up, mo-morsel. You kn-now no-not of what you speak. You think you kn-know, but you don't. War is a hunger... For beasts like us, hunger is never s-satisfied... We are always at war with you. There w-will a-always be fear. A-a-always b-be war. A-a-always-s be d-death."

"There will always be love as well," Cadance said quietly.

"The world ne-never ch-changes. Everything f-flows, but everything remains the same. We-weak will suf-fer. Strong will en-endure."

Suddenly, Stygian lent his voice, and it drew everyone's attention, "Why can't we coexist?"

The changeling went silent for a heartbeat, staring. "Co-coexist?..." he screeched raspily. "On y-your co-conditions? When is it pre-predators bowed to a prey? Why have scraps and sops, when you can have it all?"

"Loud words for parasites," disgusted, Cadance hissed through clenched teeth.

Stygian pursed his lips, looking starkly with his pale eyes. His forehoof moved to the crossbow's trigger.

"Is this all there is to it, even now?" it was barely an uncertain whisper, but Cadance heard Beam Flitter pensively asking Ivory Rook, as they were close at her side, "Just everyone struggling and wanting to use one another?"

'No, this isn't true! There's family, and fun, and friends, and joy of life!' Cadance thought, her heart fluttered in anger, 'I'm sorry I couldn't show you, but I promise you, there is!'
"This animal just doesn't know any better," she said out loud, boisterously. "Look at it, all it can do is destroy and perverse. So what if it wags its tongue around? How does that justify anything?"

"I j-just m-might know some th-things, believe me," the changeling quipped. "I know how you ponies are tricksy, tricksy... All ho-hoarding love to yourselves, all the time... To get it out of you is a re-rewarding challenge."

"Sister, you're right, why do even listen to this? What for?" seething with rage, Blueblood brandished the weapon. "Remove that barrier."

Cadance turned, frowning, and her breath hitched, as she looked back at the ponies. They were livid, perplexed. Applejack met eyes with hers, and it was strange to see helplessness from a usually confident and dependable mare.

"Fighting them would be unwise," Stygian spoke tensely. "We would be just overwhelmed in the open field."

"Yes-s, that is right..." The changeling, that obdurate monster, grinned, as he was joined on his side of the barrier by others. "We-we w-will be victorious, pony. It is inev-evitable."

"Then what are we doing here!?" Prince Blueblood roared, agitated, "These barbarians killed our families, and what, we came out for peace talk? Cadance, aren't you an alicorn? Can't you just destroy all of them, and spare us this menace!?"

"I am sorry for your loss, Vladimir. Even one death is one too many. Any death is one too many. It isn't a reason to let vengeance cloud our mind," Cadance uttered, but lack of emotion betrayed her. She knew she managed to find the right words, but she wasn't sure she believed in them right now.

She noticed how Applejack glanced at her again.

"Quit it with proselytizing," Blueblood demanded. "You really want to try to excuse that? That? Where is your honor? You're supposed to be royalty! To protect us!"

It was all wrong. You can't be 'diplomatic' with those who treat you like prey. It will only make things worse, she knew it and yet made this juvenile mistake...

"We need to return and reassess the situation," Cadance mumbled, taking a look at the castle. Maybe they achieved what she wanted and served as a distraction, after all. She beckoned Captain Gleaming Shield to follow and turned. He did so begrudgingly, silent dissatisfaction was all over his muzzle.

She heard how changelings laughed.

"Run! That's right! Run! Tug your tail and run!"

"Weak!"

"Worthless!"

Cadance's ear twitched and she rose her head high, trying to suppress the urge to launch at them. Later. She will make sure that the hospital is guarded, she will come for Shining and Twilight, and do it all without unnecessary bloodshed. The situation is still salvageable...

She made several steps and stopped in her tracks, hearing the sudden sound of racket and shrieks. She snapped back.

A ray of powerful magic, the kind of which Cadance had never seen before, tore itself from the side of Royal Palace. It went across several towers of the city, demolishing them, then grazed Canterlot Mountain. A tremendous rumble closed in and engulfed everything.

'They are fighting!' Cadance thought, her wings flaring. 'She is fighting! They are fighting with her!'

Everyone, ponies and changelings alike, watched in stunned silence. For a few long moments, there was stillness, all the while those beautiful towers kept crumbling, deforming the sight to which Cadance was accustomed since foalhood...

The ground under her hooves quaked.

The whole city trembled.

It cried like a wounded beast. It had a booming voice, terrible and inequine:

"ENOUGH!"

With blinding flash, it became bright as day. From the castle, in every possible direction, a powerful light of ancient magic beamed. The building convulsed. The haunting demand, filled with ire, was echoing:

"ENOUGH!"

Cracks went across the pavement and walls of nearby buildings. The rain briefly stopped, and the dark clouds, lit from beneath, swirled in incandescent grey. Everyone cowered in terror. Cadance heard how someone whimpered like a foal, how others prayed, asking for mercy.

"ENOUGH!"

Something impossible happened: the mountain of Canterlot, ever-present on the backdrop, jerked up. No, Cadance realized, it is the platforms on which the city was nestled, sagged down. Despite having wings from birth, the alicorn got a gut-sucking empty feeling, as if she is about to fall...

⠀
⠀
Several lightning bolts struck Canterlot, and one went directly into the barrier overhead. Not expecting that, Cadance cried from pain in her horn, and her magic immediately dissipated. Heavy rain, wind, scorching smell, still subsiding heat, everything of it rushed on ponies, overwhelming all their senses.

Cadance saw how Stygian, one of the few who wasn't dazed by what just happened, stood tall and pulled the trigger of the crossbow. The changeling commander's head jerked back, and he rose on his hindlegs, while helplessly flailing hooves. The bolt was lodged deeply into his eyesocket. He took a step back, keeled over, with a surprised expression on his muzzle. Frightened changelings scattered away from the body.

"Strike! Strike them now!" as Stygian's voice was almost drowned out by thunder, he threw away his crossbow and drew a short sword, "For the Princesses!"

The source of blazing light was quickly dissipating, giving way to the darkness. Everything broke loose. The ponies charged, dragging Cadance along with them. Pushed by bodies from every side, overtaken by ardor and screams, she worked her hooves until she found herself amid a chaotic battle.

She tore the sword from the scabbard, trying to figure out where the enemy is. Despite tutorship from many mentors, including Celestia, she did not expect to put her skill to practice.

Her crystal guards disappeared from sight. Searching for them, she ran forward, noting how Blueblood was clumsily piercing one changeling with a spear, or how Applejack bucked another one in the wall. A shadowy creature leaped at Cadance from above, she caught it with aura and slammed forcefully on its back. With a practiced movement, she pressed the edge to the enemy's throat.

In sparring it would've meant that her partner is beaten. The changeling looked at her in fear, its lips moved, blubbering something. Cadance hesitated, panting from the rush of adrenaline.

Despite all her bravado, she had never taken anyone's life before. It was like a taboo to her. She could withstand death and tough decisions, but an actual armed conflict, even after everything, so far seemed like something from a telltale book about princesses and knights—not real ones, of course. 'Not in Equestria,' she wanted to think. 'How pitiful! It would be fun. Maybe even romantic.'

After all, like always, there's another day, a better day of tomorrow, when everything could be resolved...

'Maybe I can just take the creature into custody. We can talk and figure it out. It is afraid, it is beaten. Killing it wouldn't be right, I must try to show kindness, make an example... And it is so small...'

Evading the blade by inches, the beast lunged forward and sank its teeth into her shoulder, barely missing her neck. Cadance whinnied in disgust. She pierced the changelings' side and pushed down, feeling her power being leeched by the monster. Not again! She pulled away and brought her weapon down on the creature, then once more, deep through the treacherous beast's chest.

Cadance collapsed down on the hilt of the sword. Her unkempt wet mane stuck to her shoulders and back. Her little crown fell into the dirt. She watched as the creature was agonizing and succumbing to nothingness, as the last vestiges of life were leaving it in ragged slow breaths. With its last breath, it tried to smile.

It felt like a dream, or maybe it was like an awakening.

Death, like always, wasn't pretty, just stupid, merciless, and swift. The Princess of Love felt absolutely nothing at the sight of it. There was no remorse and no grand revelation now that she sullied her hooves.

She remained exactly who she always was, and it frightened her the most.

'It is normal. It is an abomination, a monster, right?' she tried to calm herself, looking around.

Barely a few minutes had passed, but the changelings were already beaten. She watched the last of them fleeing toward the Upper Canterlot, where her husband and sister-in-law remained.

Stygian was walking to her, cool and collected. 'Just monsters, right?' she attempted to reassure herself, looking at dead beasts.

"Your Highness? Are you hurt?" The strategist helped her to stand and retrieve her weapon, along with the royal regalia. She nervously shrugged with a wing, but seeing her crystal guards unharmed had brought her some calm. In fact, everyone were unharmed, not accounting for a few fresh cuts and bruises. There was no celebration of victory, however. They remained completely at a loss, doubting the choice they made.

"What was that light?" Blueblood had a wild glazed look to him, still reeling from recent shock. "Did you all hear that? Saw that?"

"Do you think it was Princess Celestia?" asked someone from the guards.

"No, it couldn't be..."

"But it was her voice, Is it?..."

"Enough chatter!" Gleaming Shield barked and cast her an expectant look. Cadance blinked once in confusion before she remembered that she is in charge.

"Thank you, captain," she said hoarsely. "I am going to investigate. Stygian, you have the permission to act on my behalf. Protect the hospital. Ivory, Beam, you're with me. Let's do it quickly."

"As if I would listen to—" Vladimir began speaking, with reddened cheeks.

"Ah'm coming with," Applejack cut him off, nodded with ardor. "Ah need just five to ten minutes, Your Highness. Haveta call other girls, and then we'll find Twilight, and Shining too. We will take back the whole Canterlot if need to!"

Cadance smiled warmly at the sight. Twilight's friends were truly wonderful... Without hesitation, the Princess turned to others. "Guards, restrain Applejack and lead her back to the safe place."

"Wh-What?" The young mare peered at her in confusion.

"You heard the Princess," Gleaming uttered after a short beat, and his stallions surrounded the farmer.

"Uh, Your Highness!?" Applejack exclaimed, recoiling from pointy tips of the spears. "What in tarnation is going on?"

Cadance heaved a sigh and tried to speak with authority. "A while ago, Celestia told me that the Elements might be the last hope for Equestria. She made me promise to her, that if unexpected happen and things go sour, I'll try to preserve you. I am not about to squander this hope without knowing what is going on. I will risk no one else."

"B-but," Applejack stammered, surprised, "we don't even have Elements, they're broken, they... What sense does that make right now!? We managed without them!"

"Who said that they can't be fixed somehow? Hope, Applejack. While you're alive, there's still hope." Cadance turned away, resolute. "I've made my decision. We're done here."

She proceeded forward fast, mostly because she couldn't withstand more questions. A few tears traced down her muzzle.

"Hope... Hope... Hope!..." She whispered, almost called out, as she walked deeper into the darkness. When all else fails and the future is filled with uncertainty, what else is there to do, but be hopeful?

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𒄈 They walked, then switched to gallop. Didn't go far, just down the road and a few turns. Cadance's horn shone, and she covered them in the shroud of invisibility.

'Shining went through here,' she thought with warmth. 'By Celestia, what an idiot. What idiots we both are.'

"Your Highness, if I may inquire, what is our plan?" Ivory Rook cleared his throat and looked down on his transparent legs with child-like wonder.

"Lower your voice," she asked. They reached one of the numerous bridges of the city. It was the fastest way from the hospital to the Royal Palace in the Upper Canterlot, maybe even the only viable one, given the circumstances.

Cadance glanced around, then turned to her ponies. Something at the back of her head noted that she is mimicking her aunt's posture, complete with a slightly lifted foreleg. Seems it definitely became like second nature to her.

"I want you to find a place to hide, and then watch this spot. If you meet here Prince Shining or Princess Twilight, try to give me a signal."

"A signal?" Beam Flitter was perplexed, "But Princess, where would you be?"

She nickered softly, and flapped her wings, soaring into the sky and removing them from the field of her magic. Suddenly visible, they glanced above in confusion, trying to discern where she is.

"This is not farewell. I'll come back soon, my ponies," Cadance assured. She began flying higher into the rain and to the clouds, until she remained completely alone, with no one to worry about but herself.

And now...

What now? After everything that went on, flying and feeling the rush of wind was uplifting. She spread her wings, looking over the damage the fighting had caused. She wished that Canterlot was just asleep and did not look so dead.

The changelings were easy to spot. If Canterlot could be seen as dead, then they were like flies, feasting on carrion. They were roaming the narrow streets, still numerous enough to be a threat, and seemingly sacking the city. Cadance saw how they were engaging in random fights, or disappearing inside the houses, crawling in and out of the broken windows. She shuddered to think what was going on in there, and what could be happening to ponies that were still alive.

Cadance's heart was aching. If Celestia had won her battle, she would've surely made them stop already. Her ancient castle was awfully quiet and dark. No sign of anyone.

In dread of what she could uncover inside of the castle, Cadance forced herself to fly over the changelings instead, who were amassed at the main square in front of it. Amidst torn decorations of celebration that never occurred and signs of a recent magical battle, they wandered like insects and beasts, paying no mind to their own dead and wounded, and just keeping stalking in search of food.

Despite everything, they persisted. There were at least a few hundred of these creatures... Was Canterlot truly lost to them? Just like that, barely in the span of one night? Cadance began to realize that her hopes might be in vain. She could barely see anything down below.

In silent prayer, she closed her eyes.

Was it really so grim? She stubbornly refused to despair. Even if war is inevitable, it would be a war of liberation. The changelings could be beaten, the broken can be fixed...

A gentle light fell on her muzzle. She looked upwards and saw the stars twinkle in the vast blackened sky. As if by some unknown magic, the clouds were slowly shifting and parting, and all the while Cadance kept looking in complete astonishment, captivated by the ethereal beauty above her.

The silver glow of the Moon shone, stealing her breath. Its radiant beams illuminated the landscape, casting a surreal glow on everything it touched. Cadance couldn't help but feel a sense of tranquility wash over her.

'Cadenza, you really are an idiot. You're only lost when your spirit is broken,' she thought to herself, looking anew at the charred city below her.

There were many times when others expected a miracle from her, and now she was reminded of how they felt. As if an unseen force were helping her—the love was shining through the bleakness. In its light, she saw the familiar bright coat of an unconscious unicorn, dragged by a pair of changelings across the castle's courtyard.

Cadance drew the sword and folded wings, falling on them like a bird of prey. They barely had time to react, and this time nothing could stay her hoof. Blueblood's blade went through them like butter.

With the deed done, Cadance pulled Shining on his back, fearing the worst. He was singed by flames, with a gash across his shoulder, as well as several bitemarks across his body. There were no weapons on him. Cadance searched for any signs of life. He was barely breathing.

"Dear, please, wake up!" She whinnied in a low tone, hunching over him. Should've brought some water, a medicine bag, anything. Her hoof helplessly went over the husband's wound.

"My knight... Darling..." she whispered tearfully, and tried to pull him off the ground while keeping the invisibility field active. Suffice it to say, even with all her earth pony strength, she failed. Shining remained completely unresponsive.

She pressed the muzzle against his chest, crying. It couldn't end like this. She couldn't just leave him now. Maybe she could find some cart, or dispel invisibility and lift him with aura, but... the changelings...

She willed with all of her heart for Shining to be fine. And then, right before her eyes, just like years ago at the previous changeling invasion, a small apparition of magic went from her horn and touched Shining's torso, dissipating on his coat.

Immediately he coughed and wheezed, and took a deep breath. Turned aside, curled up, and vomited out a small puddle of green slime.

Cadance held him in her forelegs, while he was slowly regaining his senses.

"It's alright... Everything's gonna be alright," she promised, trying to be brave for him.

He glanced from under lock of hair, wet from sweat and blood. "You're a beautiful angel," he groggily whispered and spewed on the earth last of the viscous liquid.

Cadance smiled briefly. "Can you walk?"

He grasped at her with a healthy foreleg and pulled closer. She squeaked under the weight of the stallion's body when he tried to lean on her.

"Sorry," he mustered, delirious. "Where are the others?"

"I am alone," Cadance answered, trying to take a step with him.

Shining grimaced from pain in his foreleg and began to pant faster.

"Is the castle safe?" she asked, and Shining chuckled in return.

He looked at her with a weird indiscernible expression, then uttered something under his breath.

"What? Shiny, please... What happened?" A cold lump was in her stomach. "You're acting strange."

"Celestia happened." His muzzle scrounged, and he shook his head. "Our radiant Princess turned Twilight into the statue."

Cadance's eyebrows shot up. Both ponies stopped shambling forward and for a few seconds just stared at each other.

"That is impossible," eventually she replied, shaken.

"Saw it with my own eyes."

"No, it's a lie. A trick. A changeling's illusion."

"N-no, Chrysalis, she... She... She, I believe, remained unharmed..." Shining's grasp on her tightened, and he leaned even closer. "Love, how much do you know about Celestia?" He asked in weak, yet direct tone.

Cadance cast a fearful look at the castle, looming above them. "What should I know?" She paused, not hearing an answer, and tried to understand what he meant. "She is Celestia. Our Princess. My aunt. She taught me, Twilight, and many others. I can't tell you anything that you don't know yourself. You know we're not keeping secrets from each other."

Shining Armor was silent.

"You think she fell after all?" Cadance asked again, forcing words. "To the Darkness? To Chrysalis?"

Her husband licked his dry lips and hung his head. "Listen, dove. I want you to be far away from her. From them both, actually, as well as their schemes."

Cadance knitted her brows. "Shiny, darling, I don't fully grasp..."

"I do not know what is a lie and what isn't," he uttered grimly. "So please, I want you to be at the Crystal Spire, surrounded by guards, with Flurry safe at your side. I don't want you to end up like Twilight."

"What if I talk to Celestia? Surely, I can—"

"What if she is under the control of Chrysalis?" Shining rebuked with sudden fervor. "Was before? Is now? Cadey, love, you cannot take chances. Not now. No 'what if's. Changelings are far more insidious than they seem. If you lose to them, who else is there to stand? They already had beaten Luna."

'It is our actions that define us,' Cadance remembered. She took a few seconds to think, then exhaled. "Fine, I've heard you," she said sternly. "But you're coming with."

"I'll just drag you down," he chuckled weakly.

"Quit whining," she hissed with a playful sparkle in her eyes. "I married a soldier, not some loser. Up and about!"

"Fine, fine. Don't boss me," Shining looked at her with admiration, and leaned harder on her. Cadance groaned from the weight of this burden.

They proceeded to cross the courtyard.

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𒄈 They crawled forward, regularly stopping, but they couldn't even catch their breath. No less than by sheer luck, they managed to drag themselves across the town square that was filled with changelings. It did not help much.

Changelings were agitated by something. More than once one of them passed within a hair's breadth of them, and all that Cadance could do is to overwork her magic to conceal them further.

Cadance's heart pounded madly in her chest. Any sudden movement or noise could give them away, and any spot seemed to be too dangerous to remain in. She considered hiding in one of the buildings and trying to wait it out, but her waning powers couldn't keep them safe in one place for long. Maybe she could try to hide her barely conscious husband and fly for help...

'No, Cadenza. You won't leave him. There's no easy way out.'

And so they continued their arduous journey. The changelings' restless energy seemed to intensify with each passing moment, making it increasingly difficult for them to remain undetected. With every step they took, the weight of their exhaustion and the constant threat of discovery bore down on them, pushing them to their limits.

Shining was becoming more and more unresponsive. Eventually, he closed his eyes for more than a minute, and Cadance felt fear swirl in her chest. When they seemed to be in the clear, she slapped him gently on the cheek, and he stirred slightly and slowly came awake. Licked his dried-up lips again.

His whisper was weak, too weak: "Hate to ask, but you can't teleport us out of here, can you?"

"No," she confessed shamefully, "Not a battle mage, remember? Barriers, shields. Not a savant."

"Yeah..." He returned, "Not holding it against you. Remind me to teach you sometime."

Cadance smiled desperately, looking at him closely.

There was a solution to their problem.

There was a power, softly glowing deep under his coat, filling his heart. It was a radiant power, which spiked each time they shared looks, shared words. A driving powerful gentle force, which stole her breath away, should she let herself look deeper into it.

The awesome power of pure emotion, which was like a velvet glove, worn by a steel fist. Cadance could just reach out there and grasp it. She wouldn't even need to leech it, Shining wanted to give it away. He was completely on board. It could get them going, he would be her strength, her battery...

To take the love, freely given... It would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it?... Who said that love isn't supposed to be used like that? Changelings can do it. So can she.

So can Chrysalis.

The last thing Cadance wanted is to start becoming like Chrysalis.

"Cadey?" He murmured.

"Yes, dear?"

"Did you hear it?"

Her ears moved up as she listened. They were alone in a small, crooked back alley, huddled in damp darkness between two ancient but well-maintained buildings. The whole nightly Canterlot seemed so foreign to her. Never in her life did she expect to traverse its streets and be in danger, especially in the Upper District.

Dead silence dominated the air. There were no sounds of birds, not even the screech of the weather vane, nothing. In this nothingness, a shrill voice came from up ahead, and carefully, trying not to give themselves away, the pair moved to the nearest corner to take a look.

"Please, someone, help!" cried the unfamiliar unicorn mare with a light blue coat.

She was a pretty little thing, as beautiful as she was miserable. She was limping right in the middle of a moonlit street, her eyes were glazed over. She was small and alone. Cadance couldn't help but wonder, did she escape from the changelings?

"Anypony?" the mare cried again with fear and desperate hope.

Observing her, the Princess paid attention to a trail of glistening blood still going from the mare's hindleg. It could've been broken, given the erratic movements of the mare. Cadance doubted that any changeling would've been able to emulate that.

"I can't..." the Princess of Love leaned into Shining and clutched her chest. "I can't..."

Her husband looked at her with understanding, caressing her mane and then cradling her like he would a child. She felt grateful, losing herself in his warmth.

'Steel your heart, Cadenza.'

"Please, someone, anyone," the little pony uttered helplessly, glancing along the dark houses. "I don't know where I am..."

Cadance sobbed and pressed into Shining harder. Anger was rising its ugly head inside, a wicked vicious thing. "We need to get out there and take her with us. We can't leave her," she mumbled, even though she knew it is an awful idea. She looked up at Shining, hoping that he will agree with the decision and his final word will relinquish her of responsibility for making a mistake.

"We need to stay put," he smiled sorrowfully. She nodded, trying to push away the unnecessary thoughts.

'Steel your heart...'

"A-anyone? Anyone, please..."

They steadied their breath, waiting until it was over.

This waiting was gnawing on her. Is she too fearful and pathetic, too weak? If she can't save even one pony, what use is she?

When the mare finally passed their hiding place and moved away considerably, Shining shushed Cadance and glanced up the street.

About a dozen of changelings were slowly following the mare, keeping their distance. Through the pain, Cadance redoubled her efforts with the invisibility shroud.

There was shuffling on the tiles of the rooftops above her head. Cadance quickly glanced there. Right above, there was another predator, warily looking around from the vantage point.

Cadance witnessed how it was joined by several more. One of them made a strange clicking sound with their throat, and others nimbly stood at attention.

The Princess could hardly believe Stygian's theories about their similarities to ponies. Creatures were nothing alike—lean, scrawny, filled with holes—just like their 'mistress'. Their murky blue eyes were incessantly scanning the area.

Shining's hooves on her shoulders tensed. He, too, realized that something was terribly wrong.

One of them jumped right into the puddle, barely a hoofstep away. Cadance opened her eyes widely, almost feeling the creature's breath on her coat. Slowly, very slowly, it moved its muzzle around, sniffing the air.

Its hungry gaze lingered right where they stood.

Cadance waited for the monster to move.

The seconds were passing like slow torture.

Its horn lit up with radiant green.

Cadance unsheathed the sword, revealing herself, and separated its head in one swift blow.

Before the monster's head could roll to the ground, others had already leaped on the alicorn. Cadance swung her sword with precision, striking down one monster after another. Pity and disgust, and fear, even love, everything went away—she was just a mare, moved by instinct.

"Cadance!"

Two of the beasts hung on her husband, pinning him to the wall. Cadance snarled and launched a bright ray from her horn, felling them with a swift jerk of her head. She leaped and turned with fluid grace, erecting a barrier in front of the rest of the changelings.

"Here!" She heard their hiss: "The big sneaky pony!"

Shining slid down onto the ground, panting. Cadance glanced at his pale muzzle, then back at the creatures.

Those beasts were incessant in their persistence. They were trying to break her shield with all the might they had. She could hardly count how many there were, and still more kept coming, pouring from somewhere close. 'What, we were followed by the whole Hive?' she thought grimly. 'So much for being quiet.'

Through all their buzzing and primal hisses, she heard their taunts:

"You belong to our mistress now, ponies!"

"Surrender!"

"You belong to us!"

Shining seemed strangely calm. His gaze constantly surveyed the magic barrier, noting cracks, which number just kept growing, despite all of alicorn's efforts.

"Shining, I won't give in to her alive again," Cadance said in a clear, collected voice. She turned, looking at him starkly. The sword trembled in her grasp. "I won't." She repeated, wide-eyed.

He showed some emotion and smiled reassuringly, tracing his eyes from the blade to her muzzle, then back. He took a breath. "What, are you going to give up, Cadance? That easily? Before breaking all teeth in Chryssie's snide grin?"

Despite everything, she smiled back.

"You won't leave Flurry alone, won't you?" Shining spoke in a demanding, almost accusatory tone.

"Of course not!" She scowled passionately. A warm feeling washed all over her, and she turned back to the damnable changelings. Her horn lit up like a little star. "No, never!"

The thoughts about her girl were giving her more strength.

Sensing it, love-sucking monsters began to try to break her barrier only more eagerly.

Tears streamed down her muzzle.

Shining slowly got up, clinging to the wall. "Dove, I think I have enough juice for a teleportation spell."

She glared at him, daring to feel hopeful.

He grimaced and grasped her hoof. Energy began surging from his horn. His loud, clear, and soft tone brought her back to her senses, "It won't be pretty, so you'd better be ready. I'm no Twilight and I'm out of practice with long distances, and not used to do it with others."

"It doesn't matter." She shook her head fervently, barely keeping up the barrier. "Just get us out. I'll grab you and fly away right after. They won't catch us; our friends aren't that far."

"Yeah, yeah..." He winced and pointed with a wounded foreleg somewhere towards the hospital. "That direction?"

She smiled widely at him and nodded. Shining leaned his forehead against her, and Cadance embraced him, burying her face in his mane.

He whispered with a mirthless smile. "Too bad I can't just toss you out of here, right?"

She realized what he is going to do and tried to push him away.

Too late.

There was no fanfare or further parting words from him. As the spell enveloped her, there was only a strong pulling sensation, and Cadance immediately found herself falling, flailing and turning in the air. Something colorful appeared before her, and all she could do was raise her forelegs, protecting her head.

Being wrapped in the canvas from wedding decoration, she fell limply on hard ground, groaned from aching all over her body, and immediately began furiously tearing her way out. "Bastard, why?" She kept hissing in scornful pain, searing deep. "Why, why, why? I've found you, I've found you, why? It isn't fair!"

Her sword was lost somewhere in the process, but she found the hilt and rose with a bewildered look. She was on the shore of one of many rivers of the city. Shining happened to be precise, she fell barely a hundred steps from the bridge. She could cross it and reach the hospital in mere minutes.

One of her delicate wings was twisted after the fall, and the Princess began limping, stirred by a sensation of impending danger. She tore into the wing with teeth, fixing it fastly. The pain went through her shoulder and spine.

Fine, it's fine. She already heard buzzing overhead, and with a brief glance at the changelings, still hounding her, broke into an unsteady, uneven run.

One, brave enough, tried to stop her by jumping in front. Cadance trained her long horn and skewered the creature through the chest. Changeling slid from it almost immediately, and fell under her, being trampled by hooves. She heard wet crunching but only gained more pace.

Freedom was near.

Another one foolishly threw itself at her, and she smashed into it with her shoulder, sending the creature to the nearby wall. Magical rays rained. One of them stung her side. Cadance whinnied, stubbornly lowered her head.

She took a sharp turn to the bridge and almost fell in the treacherous slippery dirt. Two equine figures were already hurrying towards her, their armor glistened in the moonlight. Her ponies... They seemed like from another world...

"Crystal Princess!" Ivory Rook caught her in hooves. She groaned, fervently trying to pull away from the grasp.

"Shining!..." she wailed, being pushed to the side of the bridge. She glanced back in fright and sharply lurched forward. More changelings were coming, more of their rays were biting into the stone all around. Beam Flitter moved to shield them, taking some of the blow in the process.

"She is in shock." Ivory Rook pulled her, then went underneath. Cadance found herself being carried on his back, like some worthless load. All the strength she had gained from adrenaline was leaving her fast.

The two guards barely shared a nod, and Ivory began galloping. Cadance propped herself to keep looking, nonetheless. Changelings lunged on the remaining Beam Flitter, who fought them bravely. Dark figures went down under his spear and punches, but they just kept coming.

It was all for naught. All just senseless and fruitless. Before Cadance lost sight of the scene, she saw how the creatures of the dark lifted the guard, screaming and kicking, into the air. She realized: they were feeding on his love and devotion for her. That should be it.

In their ravenousness, they were tearing the pony apart.

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𒄈 'The soldier's life is one of sacrifice,' Shining Armor once said in one of his most serious moments.

Cadance agreed, but her heart did not. 'Dear, sacrifice is a balancing act too, don't you know?' she replied. 'Maybe we can deal with it without the absolutes. You aren't just a soldier, you are a pony first.'

He simply smiled.

Cadance kept thinking of this sad smile as she stepped on her unfamiliarly weak legs. Both Stygian and Commander Flash Magnus were aiding her, even Prince Blueblood was near and tried to do something helpful. She figured out from the chatter that guards cleared out most of the changelings overnight, and the last of them were infesting the area around the Royal Palace.

It didn't do much to sway her decision. The alicorn of Love stood tall in sight of everyone who gathered. She was thinking of the war that might yet occur.

Words scraped her throat. "Twilight had lost. Celestia had turned her to stone. I am going back to the Crystal Empire."

Step 11 — "The looking-glass" — Sunset Shimmer | Starlight Glimmer — Day 2, morning

˙̴̛̼͒̐̑̓͋̊̐̓̂͒̈̔̋u̶̠̙̤̮̙͔͍̭̳̻̐̎͗́̀̈́̈́̄͆̄̋̃̉̉͑̇͘͠͝͠ơ̶̛̖̎̂͐̊̅̀̅̽͂͑͛̆̊̈́̍͆́̏̏̃͂̇͆̐̊́̈̈̄͊̈̈̚̕͘͝͝ᴉ̷̢̛̛̮͉͔̯͔̝̩͓̭̪͈̭̺̤̣̜̱̲̠͚̫̯͆̏̂̓̓͒͌̈̌̌͌͊̋͐̍͂̏̋̐̒̽̈̔̎̔̊́̊͆̕̚͘͜͜͝ͅʇ̴̡̡̛̼̯̘̪̟̩͚̮̘̈́͆̈́͛̽͛̒̌̏̂̓̽̽̇̇͆̌̚͘͘̚͘͘͝͝ɐ̴̢̡̧̻̤͍͓̞̳͓̞͈̜̘͖̮̻̙͇̼͈̖̤̙̻͉́͒̔́̀̌́ǝ̴̢̡̡̤̩̺͕͍͉͚̠̬̥̦͙̖͉̘̪͕̜̙͚͚̹͙̻̫͓̭̙̼͎͓̦̲̠̇̓̃́͐̍̾̾͗̓̅́̈́̓̂̀͛̈́̈́̃̑͛̀͆̈́̂̂̽͂̿̏̀̽́͗͌̓̽̿̿̓̓̈́̕̚̚̚͜͝͝ͅͅͅɹ̵̧̢̡̰̰̗͍͖̺̞̞͔̹̪͙̲̗̘̭̗͕͇͚̪͚̻͇̣̹̣̝̗̱̘̮̖̬̲̻͇͔͙͎̗̮̺̓̈͐̏̍̒͛͂̐̄̃͆͆͋̐̆͛̔͊̃͂͌͌̓̚͘͠͝ɔ̷̝̫̱̺͑̈́͑̈́͆̄́̀͛̋̈̆̃̏̎͛̍̽̓ ̴̨̢̬̦̯̝̣̘͉͈̱̻͛̓ự̷̧͍̞̼̰̥͕̝̹̹̫͇͉̞͖̋̿̋̈́̐̏͋̒͗͂̉̔̓̆̈́̽͠͝ʍ̸̢̡̧̘̪̜͕̠̫̜̓́͆̈́͝͝o̴̢̡̖͕̥͎̯̤̼̦̠̭̞̦̠̼̍̄͛̉͐̍ ̶̧̡̨̹̦̟̳͓͉̺̬͍͓̠͚͙͉̝̜̰̝̘͖̻̻̙̘̦̤̪̘͉̤̝̖̗̥̘̭͕͕͚̀͋̿̽͂̕ͅş̶̢̮̩͚̼͓̭̗̝̪̲̦̹͖̞͕͉̙̦͓̖̞̬̱̞̙̫͖̣̙͈̣̘͙͉̘̟̉͆̋̈́͊̏̃̍̂͑̆̆̊̕̚̚͜͝͝ᴉ̸̨͍͖͓̼͈̻̼͖̰̟̤̘̣͋͛̀̓̔̓͋̃̆̽͒͂͗̏̓̅̃̀̆͗̕͝͝ɥ̴̢̨̩̰̩̟̙̝͖̥͔̤͇̯̼̪̙̠̙̲̗̲͎̼͖̞͔̈́͋̈́̓̑̈́͒̆̌͐̊̑̿̾̀̒̈̿́͊̓̆̏̇̓̑͌͋͒̽̕̕̚͠͝͝ ̸̧̧̨̢̛̯͙͔͚͎̹̩̟͖͓̳̦̤̯͎̗̗̤͈̝͙͓̫͈͈̬̮̥̯͖̯̥͔̥̰̎̅̓̽̏̉̆̓́̋̀͗͂̔͋̐̃̓̐͌̿̕̚͜͜͜ͅư̴̧̢̨̧͇͓̲̫̗̩̮̺̰͕̪̲̩̲̥͉̱̺̦̝͇̰̱̻̪͓͓̮̣͓̙̣̠̼̳̯͙̺̯̞̒̐̈́͛͋̓̍̈̾̔̔͑͗͋̄̂́̈́̿̀̂͗̋́̈̈́̒̄͆̍̿͑̚̚͜͝͠ͅͅͅᴉ̵̡͚̠̹̿̀̏̈̅̌̍̎͐͋̋͐̓̽͒̈́̄ ̶̛͈̟͔͔͇̥̤̩̭̟͈̙̖̫͙͍͎͇̜͍͉̱̭̪͖̼͇̖͕̘̄̇̏̎͛͂́͌͌̑̆̑̄̇̒͋̎͛̓̀̃͑̈́̈̇̃̕͜͜͠ɥ̷̧̫̥̪̙͈̱̋̀͊͋͂̂̒̂̓̒̍͑̋́͛̎̌̈́̾̔̊̽̈́͗̐̂͋̎̇̎̅͋̾͋̐̈́͒̃̽̋̈́͂̈̕͘͝͠͝ͅʇ̸̧̡̧̨̛̛̗͍͕̱̘̞͈̙͇̝̜̗̳̬̟̤͖͙͕͍̹̞͎̰̦͔̻͈̙̤̈̇͛̔̔̈̄͐̎͐̏͆̋̀́͆̈́̒͊͐̍̇̂͆͆̈́́̀̋̅͗̅͂̉͌̌͂̚̚̚̚͜ͅᴉ̶̞̩̥̬̼͈̭̫͓͍̜͈͓̬̺̟̬͙̰̙͚̩̲̯̱̗͕̩̱͍̗̱͊̍́̓̅̍͑̈́̒̇̓̏̈́̔̕̕̚͝ɐ̷̨̧̨̨̛̛̦͓̝̝̘͉̼̞̩̥͓͈̭̻͚̯̮͈̪͖̗̯̱̮͓̭͚̞̭̯̠̠̭͔̰̭͔̮͉͉̬͇̊̃̓̅̑͒̀̓̂̋͑̂̆̈́͐̂̀̄̄̔̓̎̀̉̑̔͋͑̾͐̿̄͛̈́͋̿̄̚͘̕͝ͅɟ̸̠̫̬͙̳̊̃͛͌̊̇̈́́̇̊̐͒̊̈́͋̅̓̒̍̽͊̎͌͋̈͑̿̓̅̂́͋͑͒̓̀̂̑̀͘̚̕̕̚͝ ̶̨̡̨̛̩͚̼̪̩̥̻̹̘̹̖̤̳͍͍̩̼̝̭̼͖̬̺̩̤̜̫͈͔̪̆̏̀̌̅̒̽͜ʇ̴̧̡̨̢̲̘͎͎̤̱̫̹͉̳̳̬̝̣͙̮̺̭̻͇̭̞̤͔͙̦̱̪̞̞̰̜̫̖̹̺̘̞̘̗͉̼͊̓́̆͜ͅͅs̵̢̧̛̝̬̟̞̹̜̳̥̰̞̼̼̹͔̖̜̬͎̮̬͐͑̈͂̈́̍̀̅͐̎̓̅̀͘̕͝o̷̡̲̦̭̬̞̖̝̺͔̞͉̼͚͈̬̥̤̻̝̯̘͈̘̤̤̺̙͈̩̞̩͍̻̙̬̳͍̳̺͎̘̻͊͑͗͆̃̊̐̒̄ͅl̴̢̢̡̡̡̛̥͔̯͈͕͍̬͉͍̙̺͇̞͉̟͓͇̲̬̹̹͇̘̗̻̻̣̫̖̣̮̥͕̯̻̜̗̘̽̋̇͒͗̾̓̔͐͂̊͐̂̏̃͐̑̑͗̀̀̒̈́̐̀̕͘̕͘̚͜͠͝ͅ ̴̢̡̢̡̡̘̦̼͙͈͕̖͚̜̞̼̖͙̘̻̘̬̭͚̭̥͕̳̫̥̜̩̹͇̙͔̳͎͋̈́̈͛̄͒̂̐͋̂̇͒́̐̔̊͛͜͜͝o̷̢̧̨̧̨͉͕̳͖̼͔̝̠̰͔̺̩̖̟̗̫͔͐͂̃͑͋͐̕ɥ̷̡̨̧̢̦̥͈̹̰͙͈̱̙̝͇͓̯͇̦̠̣̺̹̜͎̪͕̦̱͜͜͜͝ʍ̶̨̝͎̲̣͔̙͙̘̝̗̳̬̱̦̪͖̙̰̖̩̖̪̲̪̺̰̙̱͔̹͈̬̹̬̰̳̠̎͂̓̀̆̑̾͌̿͛̈͛̀͊͜ͅ ̴̡̢̨̲̗͇͔̼̞̬͔̙̗͍̝͕̙̻̞͇̭̹͕̙̦̖̝̞͕̞̳̲̳̺̙̗͖͓̯͔͍̬͚̈̾̑̅̀͂̆̄̊̄͒̃̈̔̇̈́̆̍̀̇̽͛́̈̓̾̃̈́̕̚͜͜͠͝͠͝ͅͅ'̵̡̨̨̨̧̡̢̧̛̦͎̩͍̥̜̤̯̤̝͕̟͙͍͔̰͚̩̭̞͔͉̘̱͓̖̠͓̣͍͍̬̪͗̃̃̊̒̀ͅͅɹ̴͕̪͔̬̘͈̲̣̞̬̼̘̻͔̰͕̯͖̼̹̼̒͋̈́̂̂̍͒̀́̂̈́̌̊̅̀͗̅̀̏̓̓̾̉́̿͊͗͝͠͝͠͝ͅͅǫ̶̨̹̼͇̳̰͍̺̲̙̩̭͎̲̠̹͈̰͚̙̭͔̫̺̣̰͍̟͇̻͔̜͇̘̼̭̞͖̱̾̎͒̃͑̀̌̿̆̀̾̔́̅̎́̓̐̀̈́̀̎͆̏̕̚̚̚̚͜͝ʇ̵̨̢̢̙̬̠̹͉͉̗̭̖̪̖̩̠̘̻̯̰́͒͌̾̀͋͆̉̈̃̃͐̽̈̀̌̈́͂̽́̑͋̄͆̇̐̋̉͒̚̚͠ɐ̸̨̢̢̢̨̛̛̹̝̫̪͕̩̫͓̳̭̯̻̹̗͔͙͚̺̟̫͚͔̲̳͍̝̖͙̥͛͒̓͆̐̑͐̊̐͗͛̎͂̓̆̂̈́̽̕͠ͅǝ̸̢̨̧̢̢̺̫̪̯̪̜͈̫͎̲̟͍̦̞̺̙̺̮͎̥͉̱̱͗̔ͅɹ̷̢̧̨̛͉̯̙̹̩̜̞̹̥̙̤̲̲̞̱̘̱̗̞͔̹̦̥͗͛̐̈̀͐̀̇̉̆͛͌͛̀́̒͂̒̈͗̽̑͆̕ͅͅɔ̴̨̛͔͍̲̥̳̭͕͉̀͛̔̈́̀̾̎͐̿͋͆̿̌̓̈́͒̂̅̄͛̿͘͜͠͝ ̸̨̧̛̬̟̤̖̲̗͍̗̱͕̻̣̰͈͕͚͇̈̈́͛͗̀̈́̃̆̉̏́̃̏͐͗̍̿̓̀́̅͊̉͗̒̄͋̃̌͑̇̓͋̂̃̚̕͜͠͝͝ǝ̶͕̯̈̓̓̔̆̔̽͋͊̒͐͛̉̊͐͠ɥ̸̨̧̨̪͉̟͓̻͕̼͉͓̥̪͔͉̜̮̞̙̻̮̻͉̦̀̂̄͗̾̈́̆͊̐̾̐̐̈́̈́͌̔͌̐̑͝ͅʇ̷̛͍̮̞̙̟̩̹̲͈̪̞́̽̈́̅͒̋̇̂̈́̉̂̊̀̏͑́̂̃͠ͅ ̷̢̡̢̧̛̛̜͙͖̦͎̰̜̞͓̳̩̮͍̓̓̑͆̌͑̒̓̌̿͌̎̂̄̈́͂͆́͂̈́̄̋͒̎̾̒̎̔̈́̍̕̚̕̕͝͝͝͠͝ɟ̵̧̢̨̛͔͇͙̫̦̯̜̩̫̹̩̥̣̤̙̥͕̹͓͇͓̟̔̊̄́̇͂̈́̾͒̎̾̔̃́͋͆͒͌̅̾̒͑͐̀͑͛̆̈͌͑̔̊̈́̒̕̚̚̚̕͝͝ơ̶̛̠̝̘̥͙̞͕̹̬̞̺̻̞͈̮̦͖͙̮̤̝͍̲̞̣̩̥̠͖̣͈̔̀̀̑̈́̀͐̾̊̇̍̂̆̍̑̑͂͛̓͂͌͛̒͑͌̇̋͂̾͋͜͜͠͝͠ͅͅ ̷̨̬͎̥͕͚̖͖̮̬̫̤̝̦͙̲̞̣͔͖̙̣̻̩̦̤̫͍͇͍̏͆̈́͛̇͗̽̀͋̽̎͊͒̆͗͛͒͆͐̈̃̈͗̈̈̿̍̿͂̐͘͘̕͘͝͝͝͠͝p̴̜͖̞̜̙̦̝̞̜͕̈́̎̏̂́̾́́̌̃͒́̏̚̕͝l̵̨̰̟͉̦̥͕̦̬̗̹̥͚͇̖̣̟͇̬̝̬͚̳͑́̓̇̀̐̈́̅̇͆̐́̀͆̓́̒͂͑̆̏͛̋̈́͑̃̓̈̔̒̐͂̄͗̑̕̚͜͝͝ͅɹ̴̹̼̝̫̝̗͖̄̍́̀͒͋̏͌̓̓̎̌̏̋̈́̆̋͋̇̀̀̎̕̚̚͠o̴̧̢̻̩̩̳̹̫͎̘̭̝̩̱̩̩̹̙͚͎̩͛̄̓̍̔̑̈́̈̏̆̐́̈͋́̂̓͊̏̋̔́̇̄̈́̍̉́͊̈́̎̀̚̚̚͘͠͝͠ʍ̵̧̡̡̧̢̛̟͍͙̟̼̣͙̝͇̞̟̫̗̹̩͎͙̥͔̬̭̱͇̻͎̩̼̹̦̞̟̯͔̞̹̰͚̮͆̐͆̽̎̊̋́́̓̆́͊́͌̋͛̀͒̔̐̑͐̂̋̾̚͘͘͜͠ͅͅ ̵̧̮̞̖͔̅́̈́̈́̒͂̋̽̃̈́͆̽̆̎̏̅͑̃̅̆̄̌͗̐͑̔͗̌̉̿̍́̏̽̓́̊̀̄̑̾̃̚̚͘̚͝͝ͅǝ̴͇̼͈̒͋̔͋͊̊̂̊̈́̓̇͒̓̂̆̐̏̆͆̐̽́͒̇̈́̃̈́̈̓̾̚̕͘̕͜ɥ̴̧̡̹͉̼͗̎̈̈̈́̈͒̅͆̔́̌̿͒̄͑̈́͗̈͘͠͠ͅʇ̸̨̡̛̛͉̦̜̭̱͖͔̙͓͉̳̪̖̺̲̬̣͗͌̏̂̓̓̐͆͊̏̏̀̇̈́̑̐̿̄̿̏̂̆̀͑̒̈́̓͐̈́̃̋̒͑͊̈́̅͋͑͋̈̕͘͠ ̴̨̛̛̦̳̙̹͚̮͍̠͓̝̯͉̣̳̗̬̣̖̰̘̭͈͑̂̊̆͒̎̎͆̀͋̐̈́̍̓̑̈́́̿͐͆̕̕͜͝͠ͅͅͅͅų̶̧̨̢̨͎̦͎̲͎̦̼͇̭̩̼̟̠̖̝̣̘̻͉̥̻̺̦͓̟̖̺̬̜͇͎̠̠̟̬̥̙͕̍̏͂̆́́̇̚̕͜͠͝ͅᴉ̵̡̼͈̞͇̩͓͔͔̼̖̝̣̝̩̪͕͈̮͉̩̰̝̟̲͚͚͍̮̳̳̤͍͖̙̲̮̥̤̞̿̑́͗͆̂͂̉̌̊͆̒̑͊̔̋͘͜͝͝͝ͅ ̴̡̢͈͎͙͚̞̜̤̲̭̥͕̘̫̩̭̼̱͚̥̱̮̞̗͈͖̹͙͓̙͉̫̠͈̮̥̼̞̿̉̾̿̀̔̒̉́͐͛̉͊̈́́͗̃͂͑̅̾͂̽̔̂́́̈̈́̆͒̐̀̎̒̽̓͗̎̽̅̕̕̚̚͜͠ͅͅs̸̳̑͐͌̒̀͝ɐ̴̨̧̢̧̯͉̹̟̞̜̤̩͉̳̜͚͚̹͕͍͖̰͉̖̗̼̳̦̙̱̎̒̓̃̓̋͊͊̆̈́́̒̈́̆̀͗̓̈́̓̊̋̓̊̀̃́̈̂͜͝ʍ̵̡̬͖͖͇̞͎̠̣̱̜͇͖͈͇̱̟̦̦̝̜̽̍̌̋̓̒̒͆̃́̄̽̐̌̅̌̓̄̿̒̉̅̐̌͌͛͠͠͠ ̷̢̳̻̙͙̕͜ǝ̸̡̡̧̧̧̡̟̼͕͉̥̘̺̖͎̝̩͉̳̹̜͚̪̦͕̦̺̰̭̩̜̳͍̠̲̫͈͉͇̘́̓́̂͛̃̈́͂͗̑̍͂̀̃̄̎̚͠͝ͅɥ̸̣͙̮͎̬͍̣̠̘̋̔̔͛̏̃͆̀͂̒̍͋̃͐͌͆́̍͗͑̈̅͐̈́̄̓̌̿̐̓̑̆̾͘͜͝͝ş̶̡̡̧̛̬͙̻̼̗̭͍͙̱̭̠̤̈̈́̏̂̎̑̌̀̂͑͒̓͒̈́̾͗̐̔̕͘͝͝ ̷̨̧̡̻̥͎̺̬͈̪͚̥̦̂̆:̷̧̨̛̥͙͉̏̈̄̎̈́̄̍́̂̆͛̊̀͘͝͝͝ư̷̼̘͓̥̠̲̪̘͓̰̯̜̞̪̼̻͍͕̰̗̦͍̈͊̈́̈́́̈́͆͑̽̌͗̾̏́̇̀͛͛͂̎̈́̇̓̇́̎͑̾͂̿̈́̉̒̒̆͑́̚̕͘͘͝͝͝͝͠ͅᴉ̸̨̢̤͔̳̭̫͉̝͉͔̖͉̦̟̳̻̺̲̥̘̱̻̳̰̮̱̭̦̦͚̼̣͖̱͇̬̞͍̼͆̎̇̎͜ͅɐ̵̨̨̨̢̧̮͔̟̻̫̗̠͓̣̪̙̤̯͉̥̪͙̠̩̤̭̳̪̝̜̳͚̳͍͕̬̣͔̞͙̩̜͈͋͆̉͌̄̍͊̓̇̽̀͗̚͜͠ͅͅʇ̶̨̢͉̤͔͔͖̥͈͍̝̘̤̤̪̠̤͙̀̉͒͂̏̔́̈́̈̽̽͒͌̈́̿͒͐̈́͂̒͐́́̂͆̀̀͂̂̈́̕͝͠ɹ̸̧̧̢̨̛̛̛͚̱̰̥͕̬̠͙̯͖̣̹̫̳̝̗̹̖͖̘̩̼͍̘͛̐̌̀̈́̽̓̎̆̇̓̈͆̎̓̏͋̅̐͐̈̔͋̑͊͗͒͆̈͒̍̉̃̔̌͑̃͗̑̓̽̌̚͜͝ǝ̷̧̢̛̛̼̗̞̙̮͓̜͓̼̙͖͚͖̺͕͉͙͇̓̎̄̿̒͑̓̒̾̀͛̈́̽̂̂̍̚̚͜ɔ̴̢̢̛̛̬̺̞̖̥̻͎̘͎͕̝͖̱̖͍̻͙͈̹̱̖͎̩̫͈̌̀͗̓̌̉̈́̽́̃͊̎̓̔̽͋͛̈́̍̔͐̀̌͘̚̚͜ ̴̳̲̟͕̬̗̜̣̦̞͂̿͌͐͐̈̃̀́͋͗̇̈́̂̌͆͗̽̋̚̕͜͝͝͝ͅs̶̡̢̢̢̡̡̛̛̟͔̟̝̟̮̩̬̣̪̠͇͚̬̱̹̳͚̳̅̈́̽͊̿͊̽̅͊̍̾̋̂̈́̈́̓͐́́̂̒͆͐̾͌̏̿̚̚͘͜͝͝͝͠ɐ̶̧̨̡̢̞̼̮̙͚͇͇͓͚̹͖̤̩̼͚̤̥̖̟̯̠̟̘̮̆̎͐̒̓̓̅̈́͘͜ͅͅʍ̷̢̰͕̖̥̥̻̬̠̮̩̳͉͖̜̬̠̣̗̮͓̰̞̰͉͕͍̩̮̥̬̯̮͉͔̜̰̤̠͔̥̼͈́̏̈̓̚͝ͅ ̶̧̡͇̬̳̰̲͕͖̥̟̲̪̜̠̟̭̱̯͙͉̼͚̝͔̰̻̖̞̻̱̞̤͙̹̗̰̯̜̜̯̭̝̻̓͌̈́̅̌̈́̊͑͗̍̆̒̕͜͜͝ͅͅͅƃ̷̡̢̢̨̩͕͔͎̹͙̦̦̙̲̲̗̺̯̻̦̹̗̽́̇̊̍̄̃̍̓̐́̂̒͆̆̄̎̐͊̈̔̓̀̐͛̾̎̄̏̐̓̉̎͒̇͐̆̌͘͘͜͜͜͝͝͝͠͝͠͝͝͝ͅû̷̧̢̖͇̰͙̯̮̖͎̭͚̰͔̞͍̪̪̖̣͕̼͙̅̀̀̈̄̀̏͒̈́̀͋̈́͗́́̀͛͒̇̕͜͜͠ᴉ̶̛̛̯̬͇̟͖̳̟̾͐̃͋̇͋́̀̏̑͋̆̉̀̈́͊͛̈́́̀̆͆̀̄͊͆̋̐͋̇͑̉͘͘͘͝͝ɥ̶̨̧̧̤͎͚͈̬͍̜̪̰̟̠͖̬̼͕̬͖̄͛̆̑̔̏̋̓̉̋̑̚ͅʇ̵̨̢̤̗̦̣̭̦͎͚̣̺̦̗̬̊͜͝ͅͅ ̸̧̛̥̞̲̙͚̘̓͊̓̒̍̓̊́͛̅͆̓̀͛̏͂̄͌̾͌͂̚͘͠͠͠ͅǝ̷̢̙̮̳͕̫͓̀́̎̓́̃̇̄́̃̊̓͂͗͊̎̈͗̀̇̑̈́̑̏͘̕̚͠͝͝͝͝ų̶̨̛̘̱̦̜̭̟̩͚̰̬̳̱͕̠̺͙̤̳͔͕̪͙̙̟͈͛̈́̀̿̒̇̎͑̄̎̄̈͐͒̉̿̋̔́̆̈̽̄̾̈́̽͌͘̕͝͝͠ȍ̵̡̧̡̧̝̪͎͈̺̥͉͕͎̺̖͖̰͙͕͚̮̪̦̫͚͈̪̙̳̫͉̘̘̽̏̓͒̃̚̕ ̶̢̧̛̙͖̼̰̣͚͓̼͚̩̰̮͚̫͕̼͚͖͇͇̟̹̞̫̖̮͍̦̳͔͉̜͚͌̃̀̒̇̌͠ͅ'̷̡̧̡̨̡̛͙̬͍̞̫̯͍̼̮̱̳͇̣̥̫̻̣̥̤̫̺̠̭̗̣͕̥͎͔͚̤̅̔̎̏͛̀͐̋̈͋͘͘͝͠ͅs̸̡̡̡̛̼͇̙̼̼̮̼͎̜͙̝̺͈͖̥̖͈͖͔̜̭̩͇͈͓̫̜͈̼̯̮͈̑̾̑̎͛̂̒̏͆̏̾̍̿͐̋́͂͌͋̏̐̓̇̈́̽̉̈́̂̏̚̚͜͝͠͝ͅs̴̡̨̤͎̺̦̼͚͇̗̭̪̣̭̬̱̑̆̈́̽̇̉̍͌̈́̽̇͐͑̒͋̂̎̐̓͋̆̃̆͑̆͌́̊̇̈́͑͌͂̈́͑̒̈́̄̏̽͘̚̕͠͝ͅɐ̸̡̱̮̺̳̦̠̤̩͉̘͈̖̹̮͔͈̭͍̪̺̦̥̗͔͙̪̭̙̼̣͎̦̤̤͖̰͇͚̦̼͔̲̎̃͋ͅͅl̶̢̮̙̬̠̭̞̜̟̠̽͐͛̑͑̏̔͂̔͛͒̓̄̎̓̌̅̔̎̿̉̿̂̚̚̚͝͝ƃ̷̫̯͖̣̼̭̮̦̩̳̘͙͖̮̹̬̰̼̭͆̏͊͆͑̆̓̽̅́̅̏́͂̒̏̈̔̈́̀̆͋̈̑͒̄͋̅̈́̃̐̿̃̐̕̕̕̕͝͝͝ͅ-̶̡̧̢̢̛̤̙̹͓̩͖͖̜̩̘̫͍̭̖̺̫̱̘̥͔͓̝̯̤̘͂̀̔̍̾̆͛͒̓̈́̆́̉͊̅́͒́̂̿̽́̈́̓̔́͋͐̄̈̃̌̿̕̚͜͜͝͠͝ƃ̴̨̧̡̣̞̳̭͕̬̱̥̗̤͇̺̪̦̜͙̩̹̈́̑̇̉̀͛̂̑͋̎̓̇́̔̐͊͋̇̊̉̈͛̚͘ͅu̵̫̫̥͇̙͕̣͉̩̎̈́̾͒̒̃̄̐͆́́̽̅͛͑̃̎̅̀̽́̿͌̑̑̆̽̓̀̅̍́͛̀̒̾͆͂̎͘͘̕̚͜͝͝ͅᴉ̷̨̧̛̩̣͉̮͓͇̮̦̪̹̲̝͆̀͌̈́̽̐͊̔̋̏̀̑̈́͐͛͐̀̀̇͒̎͗̔̀͆̆̅͛̾̎̉̅̉̿̽̽̽̉̓̚͘͝ʞ̶̧̧̨̧̨̛̲̠̗͙̳̣̤̼̠̣̝̠͔̣̯̼͍̯̮̼͚̫͇̭̰̠̯͚͕̺̼̳̤͔̳̻̫̹̹̘͍͆̃̃͊͗͐̉̈́̀̓͂͊̇̌͂͋̈́͂̋̑̄̾̌̎̍͗͗̓̚̚͜͜͝͠ǫ̵̢̨̨̢̼̙͕̟͔͔͔̮̜̘̩͉͍͉͔̤̟̬͔̼͚͗̈ö̸̧̡̧̡̧̨̩͍͖͚̱͙̼͙̭̗̹̗̰̣̞̟͚̺͇͈͈͙̟͈̬̫͖̜̓̇͆̋̌̑̈́̍́̓̅̈́̒̏͆̃̓̑̒͂̑̈́̑͋͆̉͐͌̌̕̚̚͘͜͝͝͝͠͝l̸̡̹̲̬͇̞͚̹̜͕̣̺̣̼͎̯̪̰̰͉͉̙̫͇̳̖͓̞̘͚̬̦̙͓̻̦̦̑͐́̄̃͂̋͛̎͂̽͋̌̉͐͒̄̋̆͆̐͋͒͂͗͑̉͘͝͝ͅ ̸̧̨̨̡̧̨̞̫̗̝̞͕̤̮̫̺͓̼͚̰̹̣̭̝̥̟̈́̈͐̃̊͂̏̅̑̊̎̓̃͐̀͑̏͘ǝ̸̛̛͕̥̻̖͇͖̖͎͕̱͕̩̻̝͌͑̀́́̄͊̇̽́̑̐̎̋̀͝͝ɥ̶̡̙̳͓͇̖̲̭͉̥̖̯̎͛͆̒̇͗̃̀̂͛̈́̇̊͘͝͝͠ʇ̷̨̡̨̹̫͔̞͎̪̭̻̱̜͔̣͓̪͈̲͚̱͔̪͎̥̭͓̟̣͉̱̗̗͑̐̂͗̊͋̽́́̒̏̚̚͠ͅ ̵̢̛̛̤̥̟͙̩̋͆̔̄͊̂́̆̑͆̐͌̂͋́́́̽̅̈́̊̈͋̂̃̿̄̾̀͂́͂̉̕͘͘͝ɥ̸̨̡̪͚̺̱̮̘͉̻̫̣̞̺͔͙̳̥̘̼̟̯̩̝͕͚̻̼͛̍̑͆̄́͂̇̈́͋̃͗̾́͘͠͠ƃ̷̢̢̨̼̮͈͐͆̏͑͌͂͠͠n̵̨̛̳͕͎̼͙̳̯̝̠̻͙͕̬̋̿̐̚ǫ̷̠̠̗͉̠̗͕̯̋̈́̿̊̔̌̂́͐̎̿͑̀̋͂͐͠ͅɹ̵̡̢̡͎̥̺̝̳̬̲̫̺̝͖̪̠͔̺̠͎̤̲̣̋͋̊͋̇͒́̅̂̃̉̀̎̒͒͂̿̄̎̚͠ɥ̶̨̨̧̧̡̡̢̠̥̦͇̳͎̜̦̙̖̱̮͚̬̮̖̜͍̜̠̟͈͙̺̙̙̙̭͚̤̳̟͆̀͊̾͜ʇ̴̨̢̛͈̟̙͇̯͇̥̞̖̯̘̟̞͍͎͍̺̠͔͖̠̰̪̦̥̬͇͎͖̣̟̜͉̤̠̯͕̺̹̲͈͌̌͆͛͂̇̌̿́̎̃̚͜͝͝ ̴̨̨̨̛̙͖̣̻̬̥̭̘̤̯̘͓́̈͂̔̽́͋̏͆̒͌̌̀̀̀̃̇̈͑̆̄̽̾͛̐̕͝͝ʇ̸̧̧̡̨̡̡̧̨̙̜̯̩͚͙͎̞̻̪̻̗͍͖̞̖̭̣̲̩̤͉͇͚̯͌͌͛̓̓̊͆͗͗͋̇̆͒̃̇̓͂͆͑̋̀̿͊͐́̅̚͘͠͠u̴̢̳̟͍̮̩͚͖̯̪̥̤̫̠̦͕̜̖̠̮̗̘͎̳͍̓̈͂͆̌͂̓̍͑͗̓̈́̌̆̐̈́̈́̀͛̄̂̍͒̕͘͘͘͝ǝ̸̡̩̥̥̹̲̣̼͕̣̦̻̘̤̓́̊̉̍̈́̓̏̄͂̑̏̈́͗̊̈́́̒͐̒̑̿̎͗̒̎͋̃́̇̈́͌͛́̔͆́̍͒́͌͜͠͝͝͝͝ʍ̴̧̨̙̪̣̱̠͙͈̼̩̙͇̘̅͋̑̈́̃̆̽͊̄̈́̆́̾͌̀̉̇̈́̎̌̃̾̑͛́͗̆̊̑̑͌̃̈̕̚̕̚̕͜͝͠͝͝ ̷̦̟̰͋̒̎̽̌̄̑͐́͛̓̀͊̀̾͑͋́͋́̽̄̊̄͝ǝ̴̧̢̧̡̙̲̬̠̣̦̩͕̙̺͈̤͔̼͈̙̘̊͆͆̓̕ɥ̶̧̢̧̧̨̛̫̹̥̣͉̣̻̳̞̥͎͑͛̓̈̀̏̓̉̏̊̐̍̔̓̋́̃̒̄͛͑̒͆͋̄̎̔̋̈̾̚̚͘̚͜͝͝͝͝͝͠ş̶̡̡̣͖̰̠̝͔̪̻̟̗̰̼̮̺̳̱̣͕̩͍̉͂͂̀̔̿͌̆͊̎͛̐̀̚̕͜͜͠ͅ ̴̧̧̢̛̠̦͖͎̲͉̝̘̼̩̭͓̠͈̜̜̪͈̹͖̺͚͇̜̩̙͖̤̼̗̘̐̂̿̑̈̒̄̈́͌̈͆͐̔̈́̀͊͆̏͛͛͑͐̕͘͜ͅu̴̧̡͈̬̺̙̳̼̫̩͋̆̊̾̃̑̽̉̊̈̾̂́̐̉́̑͑̈̃́̕̕͠͝ǝ̷̢̨̥̹̲͚̙͔̼̱̯̦̮̼̗̥̺̈́̿́̈́̿̈́̍͛̈̑͌̓̂̃͊̀̂̄͑́̒̀̎̽̔̒̕̚̚̚͘͘͝ͅɥ̴̢̗̻̼̱̺̪͎͉̱̖͓̳̞̼͖͍̺̲͔̳͔͇̤͚͈̰̝͕͇̀͆̄́͐̐͒͒̔̋͗̑̀͛͆̀̂̉͊̍̈̌̊̋̍̐͐̅̈̽̕̕̕͜͝͝ͅM̸̨̧̢̛͎̤̩̗̙͇͍̦̲̺̼̜͕͉͙̥̗̮̗̭̗͖͚͕̳̣̩͈̏̇̅̎͑͂́̀̒̄͂̑̐̿̇̍̌̽̈͌͌̒̿̈́̽̾̉̎̔͘͘sdᴉɹɐlᴉuƃ ɐlouƃ ʇɥǝ ʍɐlls oɟ ɐ ʌᴉqɹɐuʇ ʇnuuǝl ʍɥᴉlǝ qǝᴉuƃ onʇsʇɹǝʇɔɥǝp' qǝuʇ' ɐup ʇoɹu ᴉu qoʇɥ pᴉɹǝɔʇᴉous· Sɥǝ ſnsʇ ɔonlpu,ʇ ɹǝsʇɹɐᴉu ɐ sɔɹǝɐɯ qɹǝɐʞᴉuƃ onʇ oɟ ɥǝɹ· Iʇ ʍɐsu,ʇ dɐᴉuɟnl ɐʇ ɐll' ʇɥonƃɥ· Iʇ ʍɐs ʇᴉɔʞlᴉsɥ¡ Iʇ ʍɐs lᴉʞǝ ƃoᴉuƃ ʇɥɹonƃɥ ɐ ɥnƃǝ ɯɐƃᴉɔɐl ɹɐᴉuqoʍ-ɔoloɹǝp lɐnupɹʎ ɯɐɔɥᴉuǝ' qnʇ ᴉu ʇɥǝ ǝup' ʎon po uoʇ ƃǝʇ ʇɥoɹonƃɥlʎ ʍɐsɥǝp; ʎon ſnsʇ sdɐʇ ɥǝɐpɟᴉɹsʇ ᴉuʇoɐuoʇɥǝɹ ʍoɹlp· dɐᴉuɟnl ɐʇ ɐll' ʇɥonƃɥ· ɐ sɔɹǝɐɯ qɹǝɐʞᴉuƃ onʇ oɟ ɥǝɹ· Iʇ ʍɐsu,ʇ dɐᴉuɟnl ɐʇ ɐll' ʇɥonƃɥ· Iʇ
Ɐs sɥǝ ʍǝuʇ ʇɥɹonƃɥ ʇɥǝ ɔɥnɹuᴉuƃ' qlᴉupᴉuƃ ʞɐlǝᴉposɔodǝ oɟ lᴉɯqo' ɥǝɹ ʍɥolǝ qopʎ pᴉsʇoɹʇǝp ᴉuʇo ɐ ʇɥᴉu lᴉuǝ' ʍɥᴉɔɥ ʍɐs
As she went through the churning, blinding kaleidoscope of limbo, her whole body distorted into a thin line, which was spiraling along the walls of a vibrant tunnel while being outstretched, bent, and torn in both directions. She just couldn't restrain a scream breaking out of her. It wasn't painful at all, though. It was ticklish! It was like going through a huge magical rainbow-colored laundry machine, but in the end, you do not get thoroughly washed; you just being spat headfirst into another world.

Absolutely mesmerizing experience—a constant falling, diluted in time. A nostalgic one too, as despite all the years that passed, it was still so easy to recall the first time, with all the feeling of dread and expectation that something would go wrong, which was then followed by a liberating revelation that everything is fine.

It was supposed to be fine now, too. After what felt like a small eternity, Sunset flew out of the other end of the tunnel like a cannonball and was slammed with her hindquarters into a wall.

"Ouch." Lying upside-down, she sighed, observed the room through the dark-tinted sunglasses, and giggled. "Oh, man. It hurts so much."

One would've thought they'd place a mattress for her already. Sunset scrambled up to her hooves and stood up on her hind legs, wobbling on the spot. She let out a tiny laugh, trying to get a hang of these new limbs.

By stars, this was weird and she loved this. Visiting Equestria was worth at least to experience appendages becoming completely different. And this was supposed to be her original body, right?... Sunset wasn't even so sure about that anymore, and she had a nagging suspicion that if she complicates the inconsistency too much, she would land some sort of psychosis for her trouble.

So, nevermind that, and nevermind her brain, too adaptable for its own good. She came here to have fun, after all.

When she was leaving Canterlot High, it was still noon, and yet there was barely any sunlight now. Usually, the time between their worlds was more consistent. With a thoughtful look, Sunset pressed her hooves into her hips, trying to determine if it was morning or evening outside. If it's the former, she just might be in time to visit that strange wedding; if it's the latter, well...

As she stood like that, she began to notice other oddities. The Castle of Friendship was not at all like she remembered it. Also, hasn't Princess Twilight moved the Crystal Mirror to Canterlot?

"Guys? Anyone, uh, anypony?" Sunset called, nervously smiling.

Something fishy was going on. She took another wobbly step, then landed back on all fours and sighed in satisfaction. She began to stubbornly make her way across the room, now reeling from the aftereffects of thaumic resonance. Her ears rang and her vision wavered, and while being unaccustomed to the body, she bumped with a flank into a huge tower of books, stockpiled right on the floor.

'Why? Why are there so many books?' she internally whinnied in genuine equine terror, watching how that tower collapsed onto another one, that fell into third... Before long, Sunset stood amid complete chaos, looking around dumbfoundedly.

Now someone needed to bust in and catch her red-handed. Sunset even got the creeps in anticipation.

Reality delivered. Right on cue, a spark of teleportation flared, and before Sunset, there was a familiar purple-ish figure with an ignited horn, almost blinding with its intensity. Sunset smiled. Twilight? Ah, no, not her...

"Who are you?" Starlight pointed an accusatory hoof at Sunset, dishing out a barrage of questions, "How did you come here? What are you doing here?!"

"Hey-y, Glim, what's up?" Sunset tensed up but spoke in an upbeat tone, trying not to show any worry. Her snark slipped through anyway: "Jumpy much? It's me, Sunset! Sorry about the mess."

"Sunset Shimmer? From the other universe?" The mare's voice softened as she apprehended the situation. Her blinding hornlight died down as well. "Uh... I am pleased to finally meet you, I guess." In a total whiplash, she smiled sheepishly, "Wish the circumstances were better... My name is Starlight Glimmer."

Sunset looked at Starlight thoroughly dumbfounded, then rubbed her temple, frowning. "Okay," she uttered, "I didn't expect that."

Starlight was pale and disheveled, like she hadn't slept or eaten well for a while. There was desperation in her unfamiliarly small voice—things weren't looking good. "I was tasked by Twilight to wait for your arrival," she explained, "Then we were supposed to go to the royal wedding."

"She did write me as such," Sunset had left behind the journal she used to communicate with Twilight and already came to regret it. "Starlight, are you sure it is the first time we've met each other?"

Starlight tilted her head curiously and pensively nodded.

'Is this Memory Stone's fault? Were her memories erased?' No, somehow it didn't seemed that way. It was hard to internalize, but even the air was different now. The festive mood left Sunset entirely at this point, and she sat down with a sigh. Never a dull moment, huh? "What about the weird wedding? Is that still on the table?" she murmured, trying to find some semblance of normality. "I hope you don't mind that I said it out loud: a wedding between Princesses is freakin' weird."

Starlight grimaced in response and traced her eyes aside. "I'm not sure about anything," she mumbled. "There's a persistent rumor that changelings struck at Canterlot during festivities. Guess it's true."

"You're serious!?" Sunset stood back up.

"Seems like fighting was going on for most of the night." Starlight nodded. "There was an intense light too, I think the whole Equestria saw that. It rumbled like it was going to be an earthquake." Her ears splayed back, "I'm not sure that Equestria even ever had earthquakes... Mostly everyone in Ponyville is staying at their homes now, waiting until we have concrete news about what's going on. Some ponies had fled... Can't blame them."

"Huh." Sunset mustered. Her mind went blank for a moment as she tried to comprehend all that. "That's... that's just sick. Aren't the changelings on the ponies' side? Did they turn on us? I thought you and Twilight had brokered a truce with their species."

"I've never met them, I think," Starlight replied, sounding like a confused puppy. "Hope you aren't one of them, cause' it will just make it all more awkward."

For a heartbeat, Sunset just stared, then cleared her throat. At least in this regard, they were on the same page—she never saw even a single changeling either. "So what are you doing in here?" she asked. "All the girls, and who knows who else, are still out there, if I get it right? They all might need your help!"

Starlight gave her a pitiful look, and Sunset felt slightly embarrassed about own accusatory tone. "I wanted to," Starlight mumbled, "but you could come through at any minute. Besides, Twilight is usually good at handling these types of emergencies."

"That she is," Sunset begrudgingly acknowledged. It still didn't settle with her right.

"There is also something important I need to keep an eye on. Sunset, you're a good friend of Twilight, right? Can I confide with you?"

"I owe everything to Princess Twilight," Sunset replied in an unwavering voice.

Starlight smiled, warming up. "Come on. Let me show you something."

They went on through the tall passages of the Castle of Friendship, devoid of most light except for the dim sunlight streaming from the elaborate crystal windows. All the purple and lavender colors around were dull now, suppressed to an almost indiscernible gray.

And that's why, when Starlight walked over to one of the doors, looking just like the rest, and opened it with a push of a hoof, Sunset couldn't contain her amazement.

"Woah," she made a hushed exhale. "Is this real?"

The bright small room was filled with various artifacts, mostly unknown to Sunset but invoking images from ancient books and legends.

"Since when did Princess Twilight become a collector?" she asked in awe, wandering through the magical splendor, "Is that the Helm of Shadows? The old Horn of the Everfree? Here's that alicorn amulet... Oh, the Talisman of Mirage? And there, are those all eight legendary artifacts of Mage Meadowbrook?"

"All eight indeed." Starlight shrugged as if it was nothing special.

"How did all this stuff end up in here?"

"How?" Starlight replied in a strange, strained voice. She hung her head, furrowing brows. "That is a rather... odd question, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Sunset flicked her ear, stepping in front of the postament in the middle of the room—the centerpiece of the whole gallery. She traced her gaze upwards to what was on display, and shook her head, not believing her own eyes. "And what's this?"

"Ah." Starlight came to her side, eyeing the treasure, hovering in midair. "It is just the sword, made from shards of the Elements of Harmony. This is what I wanted to show you."

Sunset sat down, her eyes rounded up. The Sword looked more like a tree branch than a blade. Crooked and obscenely massive, shimmering with inner light, and covered with glistening embossed arcane symbols and engravings, the beautiful thing had no right to exist. "It is ridiculous," Sunset said, puzzled.

"What? Why?"

"Well, for starters, how would you wield it?"

"Uh, with your hooves?" Starlight replied like it was something obvious.

Sunset looked at her hoof, then adjusted her sunglasses, looking back at the weapon in disbelief. "It doesn't make sense."

Starlight tilted her head hard to the side, staring at Sunset. "What doesn't make sense?" she asked warily.

Sunset thought to herself that Starlight must be very weirded out by it, but frankly, they were in the same boat for this one. She eyed her hoof intently, licked her lips, smacked them, and eventually offered in a contemplative tone, "I don't recall being able to take anything with my hooves before. Well, mostly. They are usually not for taking stuff." Her voice was beginning to grow increasingly unsure. "Right?"

Starlight looked at her hoof too. She went with a quiet 'Huh', turning it from side to side.

Both mares spent some time like that, just examining their respective forelegs, before Sunset broke the silence, "I don't recall seeing any swords before, either."

"You're just pulling my leg now."

"No, I'm being serious!"

"Are you sure you're from Equestria? Maybe that other universe messed you up somehow."

"No, it is not me who is wrong! It is everything else!" Sunset fiercely blurted out, before she managed to stop herself.

Starlight gave her an incredulous look, creasing a brow.

Sunset giggled, feeling how the tips of her ears started to burn, "It's true, though! It's so odd... I feel as if I am in a dream, or being fooled."

"Well..." Starlight rubbed her chin, obviously trying to imagine a compelling counterargument and failing. "You're not the only one, I can tell you that much... I wanted you to take a look at the inscription on the blade. Can you tell me anything about it?"

"Give me a minute." Sunset pressed her forelegs on the edge of the postament and stretched out, moving her muzzle closer to the weapon. "Who forged it, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. It just appeared, I think," Starlight sounded flabbergasted.

Sunset glanced at her suspiciously, and then thoroughly examined the darkened steel of the weapon. 'What a stupid thing.' The engravings were easy to discern, but the design didn't bear any fancy pattern. Instead, there were just words, running along the surface. "'Ego sum ferrum pacis. Devoto, trahe me contra hostem vitae,'" she slowly read aloud, "And there's something else..." She blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"What do you see?" she heard Starlight's voice.

"It is as if the words are slowly shifting," Sunset tried to explain. "Was it like that before?"

"Yes, it does so constantly. I think Twilight wrote down some of the phrases, but I couldn't find where." Starlight frowned, "Can you translate?"

Sunset mulled it over. "It is a very ancient pony language, the same one in which Princesses Celestia and Luna are named. Don't believe it was in the curriculum, though," Sunset made a face, "and it's not like Princess Celestia was eager to share her secrets when I studied under her," her voice became sorrowful, as she reminisced about all that happened.

"You were Celestia's student?" Starlight's voice was full of appropriate reverence.

Sunset was entertained that they were having this conversation again. "I was the Celestia's student, best of the best. Sadly, I was overeager to achieve results and didn't understand the true values of effort and teamwork. As you can imagine, it didn't go well with her. I've made a grab for power, and we quickly had a big falling out. I think it was for the better, honestly... I was much more narrow-minded back then. Now I'm not just her former student, and I am fine with that. I'm a pony on my own, and I have my own path to walk."

"Sometimes we need to hit rock bottom before we begin to truly climb. I know the feel."

"Anyway..." Sunset sighed, and then all of a sudden she made a startling but pleasant revelation: she noticed that she had a horn. Immediately, she streamed her will through this fifth limb, trying to get a grip on the sword with a manifested red aura. The pain of backlash ran through her with an intensity of flashing electricity surge, directly into her skull and then down to the backbone. Sunset gasped and jerked back. "What was that!?"

"Sorry, I should've warned you!" Starlight rushed to her side, worrying. "This thing doesn't want to be touched."

"Yeah, I've noticed!" Sunset winced, holding onto a still-tingling horn. "You speak as if it has its own will..."

"Well, it is made from the Elements of Harmony." Starlight gave a pathetic look. "Who's to say? The girls couldn't lift it either, so it's just hanging there..."

"I see... Have you tried to communicate with it?"

"What, to talk with it? No, I don't think so. Even Twilight didn't seem to research it at all."

"How she couldn't!?" Sunset sounded almost appalled at this prospect. Both Twilights she knew would be all over such a phenomena.

"I don't know, okay!?" Starlight's voice fell, and she rubbed her temple. "All I know is that she wanted others to be quiet about it, because it seems too dangerous and unusual..."

"What is it? Your head hurts?"

Starlight pensively nodded. Something did messed with the memories of the mare, that was certain. She could sense it as some wrongness that is hard to put a finger on... Sunset needed to find other girls and discover what condition they are in... Maybe she can even reach out to Princess Celestia?...

When she thought about her old mentor, her heart responded with dulled pain. In truth, they never really reconciled. They never talked about what happened or how they felt. There was no moment of connection. It might've sounded selfish, but Sunset dreaded meeting the ancient alicorn Princess. She seemed so happy without her, and she was always so busy to boot, engrossed with her rulership, surrounded by her friends and returned sister. Their once strong bond had faded, leaving Sunset on her own, and the absence of warmth made her question if their relationship had ever truly mattered.

But it was how things were supposed to be, she figured. It means growing up. Sunset had her own life and place in the world, and she was never in a hurry to return to Equestria anyway. It is okay to feel all these things and maybe even be slightly jealous...

She clenched her teeth. The first thing to do is to make a good survey of the situation, so she needed to check up on other girls and make sure they were unharmed, before going into the thick of it.

She traced her eyes aside, trying to decide if the artifacts could aid her in the journey. It was obvious why they were gathered in one place: the potential danger could be enormous, and right now this danger can be contained.

"I am going to Canterlot," she declared, determined. "You're coming with, Starlight. Come on, lock it up and let's go."

"What if someone breaks in?" Starlight smiled nervously.

"Who will even do that?" Sunset snorted just like a pony would and breathed a sigh of relief for not being weird this time. "It's Ponyville!"

"Changelings?" Starlight offered.

"I don't think it's their priority. How they would know that all this stuff is in here, anyway?" Sunset pondered aloud, as she noticed something familiar between all the oddities and trinkets around. "Hey, what's this?"

Her horn lit up, levitating a simple leather-bound book, with Celestia's cutie mark emblazoned on the cover.

"This old thing... It was used by the Princess to communicate with me way back when, and after that by Twilight..." Sunset sighed nostalgically, opened it up, and flipped through pages quickly, curious to see any changes.

Her brows furrowed hard, and her mouth pressed into a thin line. As she looked through the book, her expression became more and more concerned, until she eventually turned to Starlight, who was observing it with bated breath.

Sunset wordlessly showed the contents of the book. In an unfamiliar handwriting, pages upon pages, one singular phrase was repeated endlessly, filling all possible space,

See you soon.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 After the incident with the creepy book, Sunset didn't need to work hard to persuade Starlight to leave the dark and lonely Castle of Friendship.

Honestly, it was pleasing to see such a level-headed mare. She was taking action right where it counted, and she quickly began to remind Starlight of Twilight. Starlight wished for this power too—to be free of doubts and genuinely appear confident and leading.

If only she could ease the burden of harboring dark urges in her heart...

Utilizing their teleportation skills, they arrived at the city's outer wall in a dozen minutes or so. Both mares found themselves right before the comparably small crowd, slowly leaving the gates. Starlight craned her neck, trying to get a glimpse of any familiar ponies, but all she saw were the tired and beaten expressions of citizens.

Starlight still felt some resentment for the capital of Equestria, this stuck-up city full of stuck-up ponies born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but she didn't wish for anyone to be hurt. Not anymore, at least. Under the convoy of a few members of the guard, ponies were heading toward the colorful train waiting at the station. Watching this procession, she bit the inside of her cheek in contemplation, turned to Sunset, and suddenly asked, "What do you think of the changelings' magic?"

"Huh?" Sunset responded, remaining consumed by the sight, "What about it?"

"You think it is something that can be learned?" Starlight kept asking, curious. She quickly realized that Twilight's friend could possess some unique insight into the matter.

Sunset made a humph. "From them? I'm not so sure. You mean the actual shape-changing part?"

"Their magic possibly includes more than that."

"I believe that they are pathovores that can manipulate the minds or emotions of others at will. Or at least, their Hive Queen can."

"Oh," Starlight spoke in a small voice. That was something interesting. She turned to Sunset, completely forgetting about anything else that was going on, "Why would they have such a set of abilities?"

"Hm-m?" Sunset blinked. "They just do? It is their inherent trait, just like the magical aptitude of ponies. You don't see it being discussed at length, right?"

Starlight suddenly felt liberated while talking to this mare. She didn't give any side-eye to her; she didn't judge her. There was never this constant suspicion that Starlight while trying to reform, wanted the knowledge for some ill-fitting end. Her ears perked up. "Listen, it might sound overly ambitious, but can I hypothesize that spells dispelling charms and enchantments reveal their true forms while they are changed?"

"I think I can recall that happening," Sunset nodded pensively, but now somewhat engaged, "why do you ask?"

"Well, the whole concept of completely changing your appearance and physical attributes is preposterous," Starlight scoffed. "There's always some trickery involved when something like that happens. So what if it's just that? An elaborate illusion directed at the senses of everyone around?"

Sunset blinked, staring from beneath her darkened glasses. Then, she slowly arched a brow. "A perception trick?..."

"Exactly! Do you think the changelings actually change their bodies? Or do they just illude it to the eyes of everyone else? If it's some sort of elaborate illusion, then it would make sense that there is no set real appearance of a changeling. But that begs the question: if that's the case, why do they require love to feed off of? Are they even real creatures themselves? What if it is some scheme?"

"I get what you're saying," Sunset slowly returned, "but I can guarantee you that changelings do, in fact, exist. While I do not see an obvious connotation in their abilities, you can probably find a changeling and ask all these questions to them by yourself."

"Ah, but that raises another question!" Starlight lifted a hoof, smiling, "Why do you think that they know how their magic works? We still have not much insight into the nature of our abilities, other than that they can be tied to emotions and require extensive practice to control, and what could be said about some weird backwater bugs?"

"Starlight, look, you are losing me on this one." Sunset frowned. "We have much more pressing matters to deal with."

Starlight sighed. After all, speaking to Twilight about this would've been much more fun, given that she wasn't busy at the time with her... friendship problems and friendship lessons. "Guess you're right..."

Twilight... What is she doing right now? Why hadn't she showed up yet?... Starlight didn't want to think about it too hard. After the whole night spent in complete uncertainty, all of her thoughts were too grim.

"Yeah, I think I know what we'll do right now. Come on," Sunset suddenly ignited her horn, and before Starlight could react, she felt a familiar jerking of the whole body. Bewildered, she landed with beside her companion right on top of the wall.

"Rude," she grumbled quietly, shifting back widely placed hooves. What, Sunset didn't hear that you never teleport others without permission?

"Who are you? Name yourselves!" the shout distracted her. Right before them was an armored stallion with a ridiculously huge mustache. He whirled a long spear in his hooves and pointed at Sunset, while a pair of his fellow soldiers were just standing aside, gawking.

'Ah, he must be the commanding officer,' Starlight recognized, eyeing them.

"Good day, good sir. Wouldn't you mind explaining the situation to us?" Sunset cutely waved her hoof, trying to be pleasant and act natural at the same time.

"The city is under curfew and barred from entry. Are you two locals?"

"Oh, I am sort of a migrant, alright," the unicorn giggled, "Name's Sunset Shimmer, she is Starlight Glimmer. We are both students, friends, and followers of the Princess Twilight Sparkle. Have you heard of us?"

Starlight stared at her, surprised by how much they had in common.

The guard's stache twitched in contempt, and he didn't lower the weapon. "As I said, no one is coming into this city. Even if you are who you say, this demand came from Her Majesty Princess Celestia herself."

"Hmph! So it's like that, huh?" Sunset ignited her horn. The commander tensed up. The mare continued with an inscrutable smile on her muzzle, "Very well, then. Starlight, take it from here!"

"What!?" Starlight barked, but her mind worked too fast even for her own liking, and old habits kicked in immediately, "Um, mister guard, good sir, do you want to spare some time and talk about friendship—err, about the Magic of Friendship?"

She pulled off the most inviting smile she could muster. The commander's frown deepened. "Citizen, cease your parlor tricks and unsolicited magics at once!" he growled. Starlight noted that he is no unicorn, so there might be some prejudice on display. Figures.

"Oh, but the Magic of Friendship is universal! If you don't mind..." She smiled sleazily and carefully moved away the tip of the spear, which briefly pointed directly at her. "It is a quality new way of looking at life, full of positivity and light! I mean, just look at the reality that came upon us without its presence in the life of every pony? Look at this, um... ruthless war, and hatred between races," she pointed at the bleak cityscape, which definitely looked like it was under some siege before, alright.

"Citizen, if you continue like that, I will be forced to apprehend you," the soldier gravely replied, but didn't resort to violence.

Starlight took it as a good sign, and eagerly kept going, "Just think about it! Should you invite the Magic of Friendship into your worldview, you will meet countless ponies, whom you would never have encountered otherwise. You'll never know what sort of wonderful talents they may have in store! You'll be positively amazed with the experiences you'll create together, and you'll learn something from each other as well!"

One of the other guards asked, "So the magic of friendship is when you get out there and make as many friends as possible? That's it?"

"Of course!" Starlight beamed. "It is truly a magical experience! It allows you to have the power and knowledge to make a... big difference in the world! A change for the better! And... and it also allows you to accept not only your differences... but even your flaws! Everyone is flawed, you know. But, if you let that stop you from making friends with others, you'll be living a very miserable life... Friendship is one of the most important life lessons you'll ever learn... Don't be selfish! Embrace everyone! Let's be friends!"

Praying internally that they wouldn't recognize her huge smile as a fake, she outstretched her forelegs, inviting for a hug. The guards paused, sharing concerned glances. Starlight could see that her ploy worked, even if partially: the commander's stache deflated a bit. The ponies are a good bunch, after all... "Ma'am," he said with a sigh. "I understand that you might have good intentions, but the situation is glum enough to be strict about it. Canterlot suffered from the changeling attack, and they still might be roaming the streets even as we speak. Please, for your safety, suspend all planned activities here. Situation is under control."

Sunset stepped in, flashing a little coy smirk, and grabbed Starlight's shoulder. "Sorry, we can't suspend nothing! I've got what I wanted, let's go!"

"What-" Starlight began to reply.

In a flash of unprompted teleportation magic, the scenery changed, showing a scorched alleyway a few hundred meters deeper into the city.

"-were-"

From the vantage point of the roof, Starlight saw the small square, with the same signs of battle. She noticed a pile of dark bodies.

"-what-"

Before them was a tilted torn placard with depicted Celestia and Luna, framed by a red heart outline and shapes of cheerful flowers. Someone wrote with big green letters over Princessess' smiling muzzles: 'A BIG FAT LIE'.

"-wait-"

They were inside of someone's house now. She noticed a broken window and a dirty floor under her hooves. There was a brief ear-piercing shriek, and a startled mare began to cry, shielding a crib, "No, please—"

"-no, we-"

They were in a cramped back alley. Starlight saw the glistening blue eyes of some predatory creature. It jerked back in fright, and she had done so too, involuntary. She caught a whiff of suffocating stench in the air.

"-Sunset!"

With another flash, they found themselves on the huge brightly colored roof of a building, located in the middle of a fenced area, filled with greenery. 'Canterlotian Equus Hospital,' Starlight recognized several medical wings, and a familiar sign depicting a horseshoe framing the mortar and pestle.

Starlight turned to Sunset, pouting. Her companion grinned. "Was I too rough with teleportation?"

Starlight was trying not to dwell on the experience. "I didn't expect that I would need to talk someone's ear off again, that's all." She grimaced.

"Sorry! I never was good with following orders from Celestia, anyway." Sunset glanced at her strangely, perceptively. "But I think your heart wasn't in it back there."

"Oh." Starlight shifted her eyes with a plastered smile. "It's not that. I am believing in it, truly, it's just hard to act on it spontaneously, you know? Especially now, when everything is so on the line..." Her weak voice trailed off.

"You will do just fine, Starlight." Sunset patted her shoulder confidently, "Yes, it is hard, but I am sure that Twilight believes in you. And she never was a bad judge of character." She sighed. "She gave me a chance just as the other girls in my world did, and everything is better for me now. I've never been so fulfilled before..."

"I understand..." Starlight replied, thinking about how her own life had changed. "There is something really nice about those six, right? Like there's hope with them."

Sunset's eyes sparkled. "Yes. Couldn't put it better."

Starlight nodded pensively. She was given... so many chances. She felt... accepted. She blinked away incoming tears, and quietly pleaded, "We should go, I guess..." She looked around. "What are we doing here, again?"

"I've traced the magical signatures of other Element Bearers to this place. They should be in the ward right underneath us," Sunset placed her hoof firmly down, emphasizing her own words, "so let's go meet them if you're ready.'"

"Uh-huh... Wait, wait, 'others' you say? I'm no Bearer. Does this make you one?"

"Sort of." Sunset shrugged. "I don't think I was ever recognized as such at this side of the mirror, but something similar manifested in me and my friends, and it might've come from Equestria." She paused. "It's a very long story. I'll give you a short version later."

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 'That's right, it's just not real,' she found some bliss in the thought. 'Real for them of course, but it can't be real for me. I've traveled to the alternate alternate Equestria, it's as simple as that.'

They settled within a large ward, with most of the girls present in the room, and with one bed occupied by thoroughly bandaged-up Rainbow Dash, who remained in a deep medicated sleep. Rarity was sitting on the next one with neatly tucked hooves, maintaining the poise of a true lady. A familiar, small, earnest smile was on her face, a tad sardonic, as if on her mind was a sad and poignant joke about the current state of affairs, and the punchline to it were everybody involved.

In hindsight, it was so strange to see nearly identical versions of your friends who don't know jack about you. Sunset somehow made it this far without being familiar with this experience, and now she was just trying to fit in. It had a small benefit: it helped her remain distracted for a while.

"Yeah," in a frail voice, she uttered maybe for the hundredth time, and then asked, "So how Spike is taking this?"

"He is with her parents," despite how she looked, Rarity's voice was calm and lovely. "They need someone with them right now."

"Yeah..."

Starlight's cup cling-clanged on the chipped saucer. The self-proclaimed reforming villain didn't know where to place her forelegs, so she constantly shifted them, while holding a distant stare at the far wall.

"More tea, darling?" Rarity asked her innocently, like she was beholden to the etiquette of a benign host.

Starlight slowly hung her head, not reacting to that. "It's all my fault," she admitted in a hoarse whisper. "I stayed back. I could've saved her."

"Perish the thought. You didn't know the severity of the situation," Rarity tried to console her.

"Yeah," Sunset added, and nearly bit on her tongue. "You placed your faith in Twilight, in everyone. I might've done the same thing in your shoes. More than that, you could've been hurt like Dash, or even worse..."

"No one would expect that we will need to protect Twilight from Celestia," Applejack added grimly.

In the window, in the distance Sunset could see the peak of the highest tower of the Royal Palace. A long-forgotten feeling washed over her.

It was awe mixed with dread.

Never before had Sunset given a second thought to how much of her life in Equestria was defined by her connection to Celestia. And at the same time, there was not much she could say about the Princess as a person. She was warm and pleasant, but also distant and evasive. She was known to all, and no one could reasonably predict what she would think or do. She was always keeping up a smile, but Sunset never assumed that she had a defined sense of humor.

She was mysterious, and it never posed a problem. She simply existed. Always there for everyone.

It bore a similar nuance to Principal Celestia at Canterlot High School. She was a middle-aged woman who shared an apartment with her sister, but there was no other known relatives. Being the head of the school was seemingly her only defining trait, and this position of authority was acting like an obscuring cover. As Sunset became older, she began second-guessing her attitude toward societal statuses, but she never tried to approach the Principal and get to know her better, as she was always seemed indifferent to the former Princess of the Fall Formal. She didn't even bothered to expel her after the standoff against Twilight.

Was it only professional distance for pony and for human versions of the same Celestia, or was there something more than meets the eye? Sunset didn't even knew when Celestia's birthday was...

"So what is your plan?" Sunset asked, shifting gaze between everyone in the room.

Tired Applejack tsked from her bed. "The Princess had placed guards just to keep us here under her watchful eye, so if you don't expect us to pick a fight with 'em, the message is clear: she wants us to remain put."

Rarity glanced at the farmer with a weary, pathetic look. She didn't even bother to wipe the mascara that dripped down with the sweat and, as Sunset believed, tears. Her dress, as well as her beautiful shawl, both became dirty rags overnight, though it might've added even more dramatic flair to the situation, of which Rarity was acutely aware.

"That's a bit of a downer, don't you think?" Sunset murmured. "Where's your moxie, girls?"

"We haveta look after one another, and wait for others." Applejack shrugged. "Princess Cadance promised to bring help. Ah' say, all hopes are with her so far."

"You can try to use the Sword again, or the other artifacts..." Starlight offered meekly.

Rarity pitched in, "Dear, we would be glad to consider it as an option, but the whole room full of magical baubles and wares out of nowhere seems to have something terribly fishy going on with it. Twilight advised us all to stay clear from it, remember?"

"Besides, it didn't have the Staff of Sacanas in it, and it is the only thing that can render alicorn obsolete," Sunset added, pondering. "If you are admitting that we might need to take down Celestia, that is."

"Hol' yer horses. Mayhaps we should take it to Starswirl fella." Applejack got busy thinking. "If any pony can nail down what's going on, ah' think that's him."

"No offense, darling, but so far he had stricken me as a hack." Rarity sighed. "What we can do, though, is to catalog our room and scour through for anti-petrification magic. Someone will have to save Twilight, eventually."

Applejack nodded. Her sullen eyes found Starlight, sitting miserable and alone. "With all this commotion I kinda forgot to ask, how's Sweet Apple Acres? How's Ponyville, overall?"

"Everypony is scared, but no changelings are there." Starlight was rotating an empty cup absentmindedly. "By Celestia, I hope. They were worried about you."

The room fell into silence for a short moment, and in this silence intruded a familiar sound of rumble from the hallway. Sunset recognized it instantly and turned to the door in anticipation—not long before it flew open and the bouncy ball of purest pink energy rolled in.

"Pinkie Pie!" Sunset met her with a dumb grin. Some things just refused to change.

"Sunshim!" Pinkie leaped from the doorframe, landed right on top of Sunset, and they both fell on the floor. "Oopsie. Hi!" She laughed and did a cartwheel to give Sunset space to stand up.

"Excuse her, y'all." Applejack rubbed her eyes. "She downed five cups o' coffee to keep up all night, and that's at least the ones that ah' know of."

"This is how I cope!" Pinkie Pie cheerfully replied. "I'm afraid of what will happen if I stop! I guess it is very concerning, huh!?"

"Well, sugarcube, at least foals had found it entertaining enough." Applejack smiled weakly.

"Anywho. Starlight! Hi!" Pinkie jerked at her, startling the unicorn. "Wanna know something? That ancient beard-y grumpy odd wizard is down at the reception. He came to see you!"

"You talk about Starswirl the Bearded?" Starlight clarified. "You sure?"

"The Bearded indeed." Pinkie giggled. "You can hide a whole trove of snacks in that beard!"

"What he might want from me?" Starlight pondered, taking her time to rise from the bed. "If nothing else, I guess we have a powerful ally on our side..."

"It's high time that wizard had done something productive," said Rarity, frowning.

"Well, as they say, don't peer at the rump of free help, unless you wanna get kicked in the head," shared Applejack a wisdom. "Wanna us to come with?"

Sunset forced a chuckle. "You'd better rest, girls. I'm on it. Truth be told, you all look like-" she caught herself, and just smirked, "-like horse manure... Er, you look bad, that's what I want to say. I worry about all you, you included, Pinkie. Get some shuteye, will you?"

"Shuteye, huh?" Hypercaffeinated Pinkie rubbed her chin, then shrugged, closed her eyes, and immediately fell on the floor with a soft thud. She sprung up right after, with a manic look in her eyes. "No can do! Don't worry, I'm a tough pony! Others need me! Gotta help, byeee~," and with that, she was gone before Sunset could even react.

Applejack sighed. "I'm not likin' it. Not likin' not one bit. Nothing's right lately. You'd better stay safe; y'all be good now out there, ya hear?" She pierced Starlight with a heavy glare. "Besides, changelings are still skulkin' about, and ah' think they won't stop until we hang the Queen's carcass from the wall for all to see. Won't settle for anythin' less."

"Whoa, Nelly! Now that's a little messed up." Sunset smirked, and shook her head. "Don't let these thoughts get to you! Sleep on them at least. I'm sure nothing is as bad as it might seem."

Starlight glanced skittishly over her shoulder and vanished into the hallway. Sunset energetically trotted after and almost crossed the room, when the unexpected half-whimper of her name made her hesitate. She saw Fluttershy in the corner, silent and completely unnoticeable until now. Her long, unkempt pink mane was covering her face, and her coat seemed dirtied and dull.

Sunset's heart skipped a beat when big and trembling cyan-colored eyes stared back at her, puffy after crying too much. Fluttershy was so grief-stricken... How could she not notice her?

"Uh... Flutters?" She stepped closer. "You good?"

"Oh! Oh..." Fluttershy replied in a startled small voice, even more quiet than usual. "Um... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just..." She drew breath sharply. "I only want to say... don't be too hard on yourself... okay?"

Sunset tilted her head. "Whatever do you mean?"

Becoming all red now from what Sunset could perceive only as embarrassment, Fluttershy gave a flustered look. She nervously adjusted a lock of stray pink hair and responded slowly: "It will be fine. Don't mind me. Just... just do your best... please. We will all be counting on you."

Fluttershy smiled sweetly. Sunset stared, enchanted. In the warm dark of the room, under the scarce sunlight from loosely curtained windows, the little pegasus girl looked like she glowed softly from the inside. Something strange was in the air, and there was no way to put a finger on exactly what.

Sunset felt odd goosebumps running down her coat, and had a stark suspicion that she would never experience anything like this magical moment ever again.

"Okay..." she assured, struggling with the sensation of falling deeper into the rabbit's hole. "Okay." She tried smiling back encouragingly. "It must be very hard for you all to see everything you love being destroyed by the changelings. I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling right now, but for the longest time Equestria was my home too, and I will protect it... I will return for you and others." Sunset looked back at the room. "We will figure out how to save Twilight, and Canterlot with Ponyville too. With the Magic of Friendship, we'll stand together yet, and when we do, the joy we share will be greater than ever before!" She nodded to her own words, feeling only more determined in the face of adversity. "Stay strong, girls. Our future will be bright as day!"

"We'll do that," uttered Rarity with a weathered smile and a dainty, yet solemn nod. "Take care, darling."

Sunset glanced at Fluttershy for one last time, then at unconscious Dash, and finally at the gruff but brave Applejack. Knowing that she had made an impression on Twilight's friends, she slunk into the darkness to waiting Starlight.

As their hooves had beaten off the uneven, nervous rhythm against the stairs to the lower floor, Sunset caught a glimpse of the strained and serious expressions of ponies around.

The whole place became a refugee center overnight and remained in complete disarray.

Then, she saw Starswirl for the first time in her life. The ancient wrinkly pony was wearing the same funny wizard garb that everyone came to associate him with. Legends didn't lie: the beard really was every inch as impressive as they made it out to be.

The father of all magic was drawing a huge teleportation circle in the center of the hall, keeping up a few wisps for illumination, and barely registering anything around. Starlight shared a glance with Sunset, and then they both stepped through a small crowd of ponies, who gawked at a free show.

"Master Starswirl?" Starlight bowed respectfully. "You've summoned for me?"

"Yes-yes-yes. Yes," the mage shot back in a fast patter. "No time to waste. I was expecting to meet you at the city gates, and..." He looked up, noticing Sunset, and hesitated for a second. "Ah. Hmph." He began stroking his great beard. "I see."

"Hey." Sunset nonchalantly bobbed her head, moving closer. Her eyes slid over the incomplete thaumic sigil. "Name's Sunset Shimmer, you might know me as an ex-student of Princess Celestia. Very pleased to finally meet you, sir. Need help?"

"You aren't supposed to be here," noted Starswirl in a low, impassive tone.

Sunset winked at him, breaking a half of his chalk, and proceeding to mirror the pattern on the floor on her end, "Tell me about it. If I knew that you would let your Hive Queen out of the stone, I would've brought a bug repellant or something."

"Charming," Starswirl said coldly, and at this moment Sunset realized that they won't be getting along. Nope. Not gonna happen.

The aura of indignation, emanating from the guy, was almost palpable even without any supernatural empathic abilities. He didn't even try to hide this mentality of expecting something, and then getting annoyed because everything didn't live up to his expectations.

Now, Sunset could understand the frustration, of course, especially because of the dire situation they were in. But, deep inside of his heart, Starswirl felt like a miserable person, and somehow he was fine with it. He made this pain a part of himself as if he was supposed to simply endure it.

That irked Sunset on a personal level.

"Master Starswirl, why did you want to see me?" Starlight remained behind, trying to act chill.

"This information not for prying eyes and ears, girl," the old man replied, throwing a sharp glance at Sunset.

"Sorry, sir." Sunset smiled lopsidedly. "We stick together. Besides, pretty sure I can help you with any trouble you're having."

A vindictive look gleamed in the old mage's eyes. "And what, pray tell, can you offer?"

"A lot, and enough." Sunset traced the final line of the teleportation circle, and arched a brow at him. "This doesn't seem to lead to the Royal Palace. Do you have some hideout nearby? You won't be taking the fight to the changelings?"

Starswirl pressed his hoof against the nose bridge and stood like that for a good second before continuing in a noticeably irritated tone. "Time is of the essence. If you're staying together, let us go off without further adjournment. I will solve this matter quickly."

They all climbed into the circle, and the mage's horn flared with a dazzling white aura. Sunset couldn't help but notice the inefficient usage of thaumic energy. The regular chalk made a bad substitute for a Crystal Empire-based crystal alternative that arcanists began to employ under Twilight and Cadance rule, and no further reagents to control the dispersion were present.

"Master Starswirl," she tried to be respectful. "You seem to be a stallion who won't consider the question as odd, so here goes. Am I correct to assume that Princess Celestia is the current reigning monarch?"

Starlight replied instead, raising a curious ear, "As she was for all known history of Equestria, yes."

Sunset's lips pressed into a thin line. "And Princess Cadance has a kid, right? A girl? How old is she?"

"I was at her Crystalling at last fall." Starlight's cheeks got a red hue to them. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's nothing serious," Sunset murmured. "It just seals it: I have come from a not-too-distant future, that's all."

The magic engulfed them and iridescent walls of the limbo quickly flashed before their eyes, before placing all three on the stone floor of the Starswirl's Tower.

"Huh. This place is only half-built in my timeline." Sunset glanced around the spacious and lofty circular room, as tall and imposing just as it was wide. A shimmering tree sapling, impossibly white, was planted right in the middle of it, coupled with a most peculiar installation above, consisting of a slowly rotating hourglass filled with raw magic and suspended between clock faces. Sunset quietly whistled at the sight, but the function of it had eluded her.

"What did you say?" Starlight processed the sight as well as the information, and then turned to Sunset with wide eyes. "You're from the future? But how is that possible? Won't it create a paradox? Did the magic of Harmony pull you here?"

"As of now, your guess is as good as mine," replied Sunset, casting an inquisitive glance at the old mage.

Starswirl remained unperturbed by the news, but at the moment it was just another oddity to be thrown on the ever-growing pile.

Looking at his back while he was crossing the room, Sunset noticed a limp figure in the patch of grass amidst the roots of the Tree, and worriedly stepped forward. "Is that Princess Luna?"

Both mares rushed to the dark-coated alicorn. Sunset almost reached out to her, when she noticed something and briskly retracted her hoof.

"Is she alright?" asked Starlight, her little voice filled with worry.

Princess Luna was breathing, and that was a plus. She was in the deepest of magically induced slumbers, a picture of peace. Strangeness continued to rack up here as well, as Sunset took notice of beautiful flowers, growing right through the coat of the Princess. Sweetly smelling, resembling dark violets and cyan tulips, their fragile stalks were entwining the alicorn's body, hugging it close to the ground.

Sunset's confusion started to overwhelm her. She leaned closer, staring at a stem went right through Luna's cheekbone and unraveled itself under Sunset's intent gaze into a fresh bloom.

"What is that? Is this an illusion?" said Starlight with hushed, almost panicked tone.

"I think it's fine. I see she was harmed, and it must be healing her, whatever it is. The bodies of the alicorns aren't exactly like ours," Sunset attempted to explain. "I do not know the specifics, but they are directly connected to the world around us, both spiritually and physically."

"Something like this is beyond magic," replied Starlight in denial. "it's just not plausible."

"Leave it to alicorns to defy logic and explanation." Sunset shrugged. "I swear by Celestia's name, sometimes I was just this close to planning out an experiment on Twilight, should I return to Equestria full-time."

"I might relate to that." Starlight smiled meekly.

Starswirl stood nearby with head hung in contemplation. His eyes were quickly shifting under closed eyelids. Eventually, she let out a deep sigh and raised his head high. "I'm here," his voice thundered in the Tower, devoid of servants.

His eyes flared with white, and an intricate net of magic tethers flashed itself for a brief moment, connecting Starswirls' horn to something lying beyond the means of normal perception—as Sunset deduced, to the magical wards, placed along the perimeter of the Tower. Princess Luna's sleep remained unperturbed, so the unicorn stepped back from the Tree. "So, old man, we're all ears, care to tell us how can beat back the threat?"

The mage replied sternly, taking a leisurely step. "First things first." His horn flared yet again, and a projection of starry sky opened above all three, stretching far and wide and obscuring the distant ceiling. "What do you see?"

"I don't know..." Sunset held her breath for a moment or two. The glowing Tree was like a sorcerous pillar and the only thing that remained real in a sudden magic-induced reality.

"You want us to look at the constellations? There's something off with them," Starlight guessed. "I... Huh. I can't pick out any single one."

"Very good. You've been training well." Starswirl nodded. "I do not have the luxury of years to ease into you the information that I need to relay, so I require you to listen very carefully, Starlight Glimmer. The stars have shifted their pattern."

"What?..." bleated Sunset.

"The stars," the old guy repeated forcefully, "have shifted their pattern."

"How it can be possible?" Starlight found her voice. "What does it even mean!?"

"It is exactly what it sounds like, and it can mean a multitude of things." Starswirl flicked his beard dismissively, and it could just as well indicate that he has no freakin' idea how to answer. "We should be concerned with what it means for us."

"No, wait, was the planet somehow misplaced in a completely different position?" Sunset interjected, still trying to wrap her head around all this. "It could be a changed rotation or a mirrored skyline, or what if it somehow now has a completely different angle of view? Or, or..." Her voice fell under the looks of her peers, as she comprehended that the last one won't factor in it at all. Then she recalled the Starswirl's planetarium from the alternate Equestria, and lit up. "What about other planets in our solar system? Are they still in their place? Where are they on this projection?"

Starlight stared at her blankly.

Starswirl harrumphed. "Other planes of existence are still where they belong, if that is what you're implying."

Sunset sat down, caressing her aching temple, then removed her sunglasses and bit onto one of the ends in contemplation. "That pattern of stars... You're a court astrologer, correct? At least of that I am certain. Can the pattern offer you any insight into what's going on?"

The old wizard nodded. "That is the discussion I wanted to convene before your incessant interruptions, child." He cleared his throat. "In the stars, I saw nothingness."

"Of what kind?" pried Starlight.

"Of any kind. Nothingness." He frowned, stroking his beard. "They do not have constellations anymore, and I do not mean that I cannot recognize any of them. They lack of any kind of order and became alien, completely unknown to me."

The implications were there, but it still was hard to grasp. "So, what does it supposed to mean to us?" Sunset relented.

"Glad you began asking the right questions," answered Starswirl with bile in his voice. "It means that we cannot project the current of events that will transpire. To this day, they were sparingly premeditated."

Starlight had a strange look on her face. "A divination magic? I thought that concrete predictions were always beyond our capabilities," she said slowly, apprehensively. "The future is always in motion. It is not set in stone in same way as the past from our perspective. I mean, you can affect the order of events in the past and change that way the foundation of things that are happening in our present, are you not?"

Starswirl frowned. "Elaborate. What led you to this conclusion?"

"As you are well aware, I was modifying your spells, Master Starswirl." Starlight smiled sheepishly. "I almost destroyed the whole world in the process. I saw how reality around me was changing, and it all was based on an event when the Bearers of the Elements were getting their cutie marks. If Twilight hadn't stopped me back then and hadn't shown me the Magic of Friendship, everything around us could eventually become a barren wasteland with no signs of life."

"I see. Have you considered that you saw only what you needed to see, child?" Starswirl smirked arrogantly in his beard, this sly old raccoon. "I must admit, Twilight caught on to it faster. It isn't how actual time travel works. It doesn't signify that events that transpired were any less real for you and Twilight, but I can assure you, they weren't breaking reality in the way that you perceived."

"So what, was I meant to lose to Twilight and her special friends?" in Starlight's voice was tension. "And all what happened before, with me and the village—it is just the part of a plan, too? Did it even matter what I'd felt back then? What I went through!?"

Sunset decided that she had to step in. She placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. The unicorn flinched and glanced with hurt in her eyes.

"Look," said Sunset. "I never dug into your past, but what happened did lead you to a better place than you were in before, right?"

The corner of Starlight's lips trembled. She was holding back tears. "I guess so," she breathed out and sniffed wetly.

"Back where I came from, you've become the princip—the headmare of the School of Friendship," said Sunset proudly. "You with Sunburst as your vice-headmare made a great team, helping a lot of students to find their way."

"A School of Friendship, huh?" Starlight tried to smile. "Twilight would've absolutely loved the idea... And me and Sunburst, we were this close, working on something together? That seems... nice."

Starswirl scoffed. "A School, you say? Isn't that peculiar... What an utter waste of resources."

Sunset grinned. "Hey, old man, if I'm not mistaken, you were enrolled in the School too! Twilight was talking about how even you were making strides in understanding Friendship."

"Sunset," Starlight suddenly asked, "what if things that you've experienced were some sort of a magical construct too?"

"What? No way."

"You say that you are from some alternate future, am I correct? I've seen similar things on my own, and he," still in disbelief, Starlight nodded at the old mage, "just said that it all can be fabricated."

Starswirl rolled his eyes. "Pay attention, girl. I didn't say that. Her arrival is merely a side-effect of a shifted paradigm of our reality. It is of dubious nature, and it should be rectified."

Sunset glared daggers, but curiosity got the better of her. "What's that about the paradigm? You want to say that everything changed, like with the pattern of the stars?"

"Precisely," he dispelled the projection above them, and in another flash of magic, summoned a miniature levitating prism at his side. "The preceding fulcrum event had sent it all into disarray. My duty is to fix it before the continuum will go out of control completely, and this will be a first step towards peace."

"Control, you say?" Starlight made a strained smile.

Sunset felt goosebumps running her spine, and shifted hooves. "And what exactly is that step?"

"Sunset Shimmer," grumped Starswirl, "before I answer your question, I would like to establish something about you. Tell me, are you a daydreamer who rejects the notion that one's fate must be controlled by the external forces?"

Sunset stiffened for a moment, trying to understand where this was coming from, then replied warily, "I believe that there's a delicate balance at play here. As Starlight said, the future is always in motion, and that means we have a role to play in shaping it, but it doesn't deny that we are affected by others' influence."

"Would you say that you reached your current spot in life mostly because of your own actions and choices?" inquired Starswirl.

"Um... Not exactly; my friends and Harmony helped me a lot, and... everything has a certain purpose, is it not?" spoke Sunset quietly, feeling like a torn leaf on the wind. It was not unlike when she first arrived at Canterlot High.

Starswirl's smile became cold, and Sunset didn't liked his expression at all. "You are not dissimilar to Celestia when you speak like that."

"The world is an imperfect place, but there is beauty and strength in imperfection, as well as in growing up on our own terms. I think that Celestia understands this. If that is the wisdom that she imparted to me in her teachings, I am proud I've been her student."

"Let me guess, you would also say that manipulation is a bad thing?"

Sunset picked the ground with her hoof, thinking. "If it means deception, then naturally. It strips others of their agency to act or think on their own and imparts the will of the deceiver without anyone knowing. At the same time, though, it is a little more gray area than that..."

She noticed Starlight's pained look.

"There's ample evidence to suggest that even a simple conversation is already an act of manipulation," replied Starswirl in an almost bored tone. "Let me make it simpler for you... Would you posit that the Harmony can be achieved without order and control?"

Sunset opened her mouth, then slowly closed it. She wasn't prepared for this question. Something inside her wanted to fiercely rebel against it, but from a purely logical standpoint, Starswirl was right. Moreover, Sunset could already see where the old mage headed with that line of thought.

The ancient mage sighed deeply, and his horn flared up. "On one hoof there's balance. Measure. Order. On the other there is providing a choice, and believe me, it is a dangerous endeavor..."

"But Starswirl, whatever is the right answer, you have to believe in others." Sunset winced. "It is the way of Friendship, of giving up the reins of control..."

"We already tried to follow that through, and you saw where it leads." Starswirl frowned. "In the resulting reality, I'd rather believe that Celestia will pledge loyalty to Chrysalis and kiss her hoof, and you are no less free-spirited than she is. We are at war. We are losing to the Darkness. However, I doubt you will desire to live in the world that will follow, so let me offer you a choice. A real choice, this time. Surely you would have no trouble picking the correct option?"

He smiled wistfully. His magic expanded the quickly rotating prism, and it gained a new dimension. The glass broke down in a mesmerizing array of shining fractures, which recombined on the fly, and after exactly a single heartbeat, Sunset saw a tall mirror. A ripple went on its non-reflective surface, after which it tore to the sides, revealing a familiar colorful tunnel of limbo.

Sunset gasped.

"This isn't your fight, Sunset," Starswirl continued his speech. "I can tell you with certainty that if you remain, you might not have a chance to return to your bipedal reflection-world. That is something that I can see in your predicament already: you do not belong not only to this timeline, but to this world at all, and there's hope for you yet. Before it is too late, you can untangle yourself from whatever design lies in wait for you and live freely."

Sunset had a soul-churning expectant feeling in the pit of her stomach. 'See you soon,' she remembered odious words. What Starswirl could tell about that? What does he know? Can she believe him? Was her fate her own? Was it ever her own?...

Starswirl pressed on. "When you return, time will pass, and Equestria with all her inhabitants will become just a distant, vague memory to you—a daydream, a bedtime story for your future children. When your body becomes frail and weak, the magic that you remembered will wane, diminishing to just a feeling, then a memory of a feeling, and then nothingness. Instead of it, you will have what this realm seems to be getting rid of—peace and hope."

Sunset remained silent, trying to figure out the validity of his words. 'He's genuine,' she realized. 'He truly believes in what he's speaking.'

"But you must be thinking, what could this old pony possibly know?" Starswirl sighed. "After all, I do not have time to participate in whatever games you are usually having in there. Well, Sunset Shimmer, what is your answer? Don't you want to see your friends again? What is your choice?"

"I'll have to think... It all seems to be a lie, or more precisely, a manipulation..." Sunset began speaking slowly, then faster, as emotions got the better of her. "Why'd you say things like that, old man? Now that I know you have the means to summon the rift between universes anywhere, why would I ever worry about that, huh? I'll just hop in when I need to, and—"

"You have just as any reason to believe me, as you have none," interrupted Starswirl. "I'll give you time to think about it, after all, this demonstration isn't intended for you. You are a non-factor in this regard, from the very beginning. I am here to speak to the other one." He turned to Starlight.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 "What do you want from me?" Starlight hissed, hostile. Her fast-beating heart was overflowing with dread. To the last moment, she harbored a hope that the icy blue of Starswirls' eyes would never make contact with her.

"I believe, I never properly introduced myself to you, Starlight Glimmer," the old mage sounded almost humble. "I am Starswirl the Bearded, the Pillar of Sorcery of Old Equestria, and the last of the true magi and conjurers of the Light." His horn lit with white, and he removed his wizard cloak, showing his old wrinkly body. "I am the keeper of secrets of the stars and the timestream, and all that you have ever known about magic, you have learned from me, albeit non-directly."

In the illumination of both the Tree and the still-opened portal, there could be no room for doubt: both their cutie marks shared almost the same design of a shooting star, though reflected in different directions. Starlight felt sick.

Starswirl concealed his flank again and proceeded with his powerful deep voice. "I am a part of the ancient order of mystics, who devoted their life to finding a way to rid the world of despair and suffering. It is magi like I who have a duty to stand on guard of you and your futures, asking of no praise in return for our unending service."

"No praise?" said Sunset, glancing around the lofty interior of the Tower. "Yeah, right. I've heard your name around ever since I was a filly," her voice wavered for a moment, "'Starswirl this, Starswirl that'. For crying out loud, where I am from we have literal statues in your likeness!"

"It is not my fault that you are compelled to create idols only to get disappointed in them later. A typical behavior." Starswirl turned back to Starlight. "I must reiterate, child: there can be no balance without control, and without balance, there can be no Harmony. How would you even imagine the world otherwise? As a self-regulating system?" He scoffed. "As if the world would function like that! Everything that you see around is a result of painstaking long work, a product birthed by a long tapestry of wrongdoings and losses that is still in motion of weaving. There's nothing 'natural' in the world, and nothing is given freely. Without the influencing force, it all will succumb to disharmonious chaos."

'Twilight, why you didn't say anything?' Starlight struggled with her thoughts. 'Did you know? Did everyone know except me? The world is unnatural? No, it can’t be. I don’t believe this. It can’t be true. And a tapestry? What does any of this mean? This is nonsense. Absolute nonsense.'

"What is my role in all of this?" she heard her own voice, dull and bleak. "What do you want?"

Starswirl offered a vague smile. "We want a world where everyone would have a place, where everyone could realize their potential and have a purpose. Had your mind ever crossed that someone needs to fight for it, to make tough decisions for everyone to enjoy their lot in a burden-free life? We are the protectors of ponydom, and you are supposed to be a guiding star, an advisor to the mighty, and a helper to those who are in need. Your role is to lend your hoof and horn, with a clear head and in good conscience, and provide an expertise of correcting inevitable mistakes and excesses."

Starlight felt her heart sinking. She closer her eyes and covered them with a fetlock, swaying, feeling nothing but pain. In an attempt to discern the truth from the fake, she let her memories to flood in, and compelled by them, she began speaking in a monotone voice, recollecting, "Before all this... I was a traveler. I just roamed, knowing that I couldn't rely on anyone, as no one would understand what I was going through. While following a random swashbuckling expedition, I stumbled upon an ancient wizard tower in the desert on the border of modern Dragon Lands. When others were asleep, I have cast a few spells to mislead them, and claimed my prize... In the following months, I've spent countless days trying to figure out a way past the defensive wards, and then, at the center of the ruins, I've found an ancient tome, barely preserved by the means of powerful magic." She moistened her lips. "It was crumbling in my hooves, but I instantly knew it belonged to you, Starswirl the Bearded. It was marked by that swirly pattern. For many moons I had looked through it carefully, practicing, learning, and then searching for more. I always thought that I did something forbidden, but by Celestia, it felt so good... Ordinary ponies like me aren't supposed to meddle with these things... They aren't supposed to do what I did..."

"Your attempt to reshape the population of the remote settlement was a crude effort, but well thought-out and commendable in the long run. You should've been praised for your ingenuity, not admonished."

"No, what I was doing was wrong!" snapping her eyes open, Starlight retorted with a scowl. "I wanted to take their dreams away... I wanted control!... Yes, that is right: all I ever wanted was to prove that I am better and smarter, that I don't need anyone, that I am beyond their reach and I can force others to submit, and to make my own harmony! I deserve punishment for what I've done! It was unnatural—"

"Yes, it was," Starswirl admitted without skipping a beat. "But it did teach you a valuable lesson, isn't that right? Should you've been developing your technique, you would've found a way to navigate a herd of society more efficiently and sublimely, and that is exactly what was supposed to happen. Your natural talents lie in that territory, so you shouldn't be denying yourself."

"Minds of others are too malleable and predictable." Starlight hung her head. "I was enjoying it too much. It's not what Princess Twilight is trying to teach me... Not to say, I was so angry... Especially when it was taken from me... It almost led to an utter disaster."

"Oh, spare me," scoffed Starswirl into his beard. "Fruits of my labor, of my research, used on the Cutie Map, would've never led to this world's end! The very notion of this is preposterous! If Twilight had begun to fail back then, and I'm sure she did, she would've been given ample chances to get things right because persistence is her intrinsic trait. It was completely natural for her to be misguided with her efforts, and for you too. Do you see what I am trying to say, child?"

"Yes. You keep insisting that it was staged," Starlight replied in a hushed tone, and her horn flickered from all pent-up emotions. "You planned this?"

"Not I. It was the Hand of Fate. The Will of Truth!" He raised his head. "I am but a humble servant of it, as well as of everything that is the Light. While you are out there engrossed in your self-nurturing and self-discovering, ponies like I aim to sacrifice everything that we are and toil away in the background, making sure that the great clockwork of the universe will go unimpeded. Our happiness, our connections, our families, our own future, everything is meant to be cast away to help the world become a better place. No excuse and no weakness is worth the fates of everyone, and there is no cost big enough, and no greater pleasure than this hard work, all made to ensure that the brighter future will break through the darkness. You both had seen the results of the seeds of this labor, of our duty. Every other way will lead only to more misery and pain." Starswirl focused on Starlight yet again. "You must be ready to take my mantle of a wizard as you were meant to. There is no better candidate than you to become a new Pillar. Be someone who others can lean on, let us begin your proper training! No more half-hearted assertions and vague prophecies; I am willing to impart on you everything."

Starlight simply stared. She was at a loss.

The ancient wizard's smile was almost warm. "Yes, you heard it right. Enchantment. Divination. Chronomancy. Conjuration. Transmutation. Curses, illusions, evocations, rituals, and incantations, the spells and magics of all and every kind will be at your disposal, old and new. Everything that is in this tower I offer up to you, all of its secrets were meant for you to inherit. I am building it for you."

Entranced, Starlight looked upwards at spiraling rows of floors, ascending to the heavens. Was she expected to have this power, was she really worth it? She could've helped Twilight so much... no, helped everyone... she could clear her name of past misdeeds forever.

"Think about it, child. It is bigger than you, or me." Starswirl's voice was solemn and proud. "Nevertheless, you should think fast, as we must defeat the Darkness. Everyone's lives are still in danger."

"Does Celestia know any of what you said?" Sunset looked at Luna's sleeping form. "You were on the same page all along?"

"Celestia's heart became too soft, and she knows it all too well," Starswirl replied, maybe even too quickly. "She is unfit to keep carrying out our mission. She is swayed by emotions, just like most of those who are in her charge: the daydreamers and happy ignorant fools. Tell me, Starlight, haven't you always been different and unlike the others? You were given the power to manipulate the marks of fate itself..."

"No, I... I simply..." Starlight began meekly.

"Okay, that's enough." Sunset stepped between both. "Stop harassing the girl, old man, and for fuck's sake, at least give her some room to breathe! And ya know what? I think you lost control and now you are afraid, yeah, it's as simple as that. No, even more, I think you were afraid for most of your life, you filthy resin. After you got out of limbo, much in this new world remained unknown to you, correct? Yes, you clearly think of yourself as an unnecessary relic of the past, that's why you hope to rope someone into being a replacement as soon as possible! It's all because of fear! You are just a two-bit no-good fraud!"

Starswirl's gaze became outright hostile. A power surged around him, a palpable danger. "You either become a master of time, Sunset Shimmer, or it becomes a master of you," he spoke in a measured, chilling tone. "Yes, it is true: I might not understand things as your generation does. However, I swear by all that is magic, that I won't stop fighting for a better future, even if there's no place for me in it. I will never give up on our vision of a gentler Equestria!"

"So here is my answer to your offer to me earlier: if you speak the truth and if your mission is to end suffering or whatever, then I won't stop fighting either! You must understand that I can't leave any of Twilight's friends when they are in trouble," said Sunset passionately. "They are my friends too!"

"Weight of conscience will bother you, is that right?" All magic ceased in an instant. The portal collapsed in falling shards, and Starswirl produced a burst of short, bitter laughter. It was the strangest sound that Starlight ever heard from him: he sounded like he had experienced an utter defeat. "See, Starlight?" He sighed tiredly, "They never listen. That is what happens when good, promising little ponies are given a choice—they just reinforce their intention to face all the hardships. I've seen it happen before, and it happens again and again. Just how could we ever fix something like that?" lapsing into thought, Starswirl fiddled with his beard, muttering into it, "And yet, there's still a chance for the Harmony..."

Starlight hung her head low, experiencing a shrill feeling bubbling up. She swallowed the air sharply a few times, trying to stop it, but nothing helped. Tears began falling from her muzzle, one by one, then faster and faster. Starlight bit on her lip, but they just kept coming.

"Hey..." she heard a warm whisper. Sunset embraced her, and she leaned into the hug with a tiny whinny on her lips. A hoof went on her mane, caressing it, and she clung to Sunset's coat greedily, allowing herself to cry more. She glanced at Starswirl. He returned a stern and dissatisfied glare, and after that, he turned away.

"Are you fine?" Sunset asked with care in her voice.

"No, I am not," replied Starlight, and chuckled abruptly. "Nothing is fine. At all. You should've gone back to the other world. Your friends will be waiting."

"I might be a little too old to rely on my friends that much." Sunset flashed a confident smile. "They too can manage without me, what, a few months tops, before we stuff the Hive Queen's legs down her throat, or whatever are we going to do with her? Hey, is it true she has holes in them?"

Starlight smiled bleakly. "I've never seen her in person."

"Oh, right. Hey gramps, have you met Chrysalis?" Sunset called out to the mage.

Starswirl had not answered. He stared in the far corner of the room, beyond the white Tree, at the empty book pedestal. Slowly, he moved muzzle back to both mares and uttered in a calm and collected tone, "Where is the tome?"

His calmness was frightening.

"What tome?" Sunset replied almost under her breath.

"Where is it?" his gruff voice grew more demanding. "I couldn't have misplaced it, I left it right there, right before I went to meet you. Is it some clandestine ploy of yours? Did someone of you steal it?"

"Um, not me," Starlight objected sheepishly, and gave Sunset a pleading look. Sunset shook her head violently in return and then fixed her sunglasses, which almost flew from the muzzle.

"What is going on!?" Starswirl bellowed. "Is this some joke!? A changeling magic? Is someone here working with the Queen?"

His horn flared with a hot white aura, which quickly enveloped the room. Starlight recognized a complex revealing spell, intended to strip away illusions in a wide area.

His spell didn't reveal anything, and Starswirl immediately sagged. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and rubbed his forehead. "My accusations were misplaced, but I think I know what it is tied to, and the perpetrator must be already long gone," he said grimly. "Time is of the essence, as always... Why I must do everything by myself?..."

"Master Starswirl, if you require any help from us, you should tell us what's on your mind," Starlight offered, tense.

"Of course. There was an artifact from a bygone era that existed during the foundation of the realm, and this artifact could reveal much of the nature of this malady that is hindering us. It was called 'The First Compendium of Equestrian Laws'. I was deciphering it for most of the night, but to my great displeasure, it appears to have vanished," Starswirl spoke plainly, as if more to himself.

Both mares stopped hugging each other and looked around forlornly. Starlight cleared her throat. "There are no signs of breaking in... So, who do you think could be the perpetrator?"

"You will find out soon enough. Do you remember the spell depicted in the second half of my book?" Starswirl briskly replied, walking up to her. "Chapter seventeen, on time and its perceivable linearity. I was describing the possibility of breaking the modulation and subsequent incongruity between the application of magical force to it and the perception of it by one's senses."

"Yes, it did, though it disproves several of the hypotheses you made in Grand Arcane Addendum later," Starlight muttered, furrowing brow.

"You must've been reading the old co-authored edition," Starswirl dismissed with a flick of his beard, "Besides, that's not the point. Focus and project the spell, child. You should be able to do it even without practice, since you have much more raw magical aptitude than me."

Starlight shared a brief look with Sunset and concentrated, slowly remembering the correct sequence. She traced her horn in the air, her lips breathlessly uttered the words of power. It was a truly ancient method of casting—one that demanded not only a somatic component but a verbal seal as well.

Needless to say, anything that was related to chronomancy was highly experimental and dangerous, but Starswirl kept nodding with approval, and despite all their differences he still remained a respectable conjurer. Slowly formulating and weaving the complex spell, Starlight glanced above at its structure, fascinated by how interwoven and orderly it was. It tapped her of power, but even the sight of it was worth it.

"Release it," Starswirl commanded quietly.

So she did. It resonated with soft indescribable sound, quickly expanding and dissipating. Starlight blinked a few times, and then her eyes filled with white. She turned her head, scanning the territory covered by the spell. "I see..." she began, and then her breath hitched. "Well, Sunset, I can tell you with certainty: you did not came from the future."

"That's odd, to say the least. What is this spell?" She heard the following question from Sunset, her ringing curiosity mixed with apprehension.

"It is something that aims to detect tears in the continuity of the time itself," Starswirl replied. "At least, what we ponies can understand as time. It is more complicated."

"Yes." Starlight frowned. "But the spell is working wrong, Starswirl."

"You've performed it just as I described, so the results should be true."

"Then why do I detect tracks of hundreds of time travelers in this room alone?"

The abyss of the unwritten future reached out to her and became something palpable. She saw shadows, carrying the knowledge of what was going to happen—of what may still happen, of what must happen?... There was something truly devoid of hope in the fact that they couldn't connect and yet might be one and the same.

Starswirl sighed. "So you see for yourself, how things actually are... I've placed wards across this Tower to try to keep our reality safe from possible invasion, but maybe someone was meant to slip through."

"That doesn't make much sense," Sunset noticed in an unfamiliar, strained voice. "Why would time travelers try to return here if they know in the future that their efforts will fail? Moreover, why not return before this day and try to fix everything that way?"

"The wedding of Queen Chrysalis and Princess Celestia created a fulcrum event, which is an anomaly that is preventing a possibility of returning to any point of time before it." Starswirl audibly winced. "You may consider it as a split in reality, with all its possibilities. There was only one such incident in the past when Celestia battled Nightmare Moon one thousand years ago. I never expected that I would experience two of them in my lifetime..."

"Oh. Hm," Sunset hemmed. "Still, why do they risk making a more unstable paradox? Why this day in particular?"

"I believe that this time can act as an anchor point, and the magic they use gives them highly imprecise means to reach it," replied Starswirl. "I don't know their intention besides, apparently, stealing the tome, but so far I had been considering it to be a warning."

"What a strange way to try to warn us of something..." Sunset still sounded like she was trying to comprehend it all, and Starlight couldn't blame her.

"They might be desperate," Starswirl suggested glumly.

"Can I stop the spell now?" Starlight asked in a trembling voice. "I don't see anything of note anymore, just cracks as if thousands of hooves are trying to break through the thick wall of ice. It is... chilling. I can't even say who is trapped on the wrong side, we or them."

"Yes, child." Starswirl relieved her, and with heavy breathing, she emerged from the self-induced trance. Her coat was covered with sweat, dripping all over, even getting in her eyes. She squinted them, rubbing.

"Starlight," Sunset deadpanned, "what is that on your horn? It couldn't be there before..."

"Huh?" She squeaked under her breath. A parchment was folded into a paper swan and placed on the tip of her horn. Just by the look of it, Starlight went through the whole palette of emotions: from outrage that someone touched it without permission, to the deepest of dread, "H-huh!? W-what? What is this!?"

"Be careful!" Starswirl had the same look on his face as Sunset: complete bewilderment, and a hint of denial. "We don't know what it is, so please, be careful."

With all the caution she could spare, Starlight lifted the parchment and unfolded it for all to see. In the center of it, in elegant hornwriting, four words glared in bright red,

You should smile more.

After a moment of stupor, they all came to motion. Starswirl had cast some spell; Sunset placed her foreleg on Starlight's shoulder, while looking around; Starlight rapidly blinked and complained, "I don't follow."

"There's no one concealed here." Starswirl was talking at the collected pace of a seasoned battle wizard. "I can't detect anything. Nothing!" He looked up and bellowed, "I order you! Reveal yourselves, in the name of Celestia and the Sun Kingdom!"

He began to bark something in the ancient language vaguely familiar to Starlight, then went through the same demands in different dialects of Old Ponish. Sunset muttered, looking at Princess Luna, peacefully sleeping, "Whoever left that, it might not be a pony at all, right?..."

Starlight ran a quick magical analysis on the paper—just a simple parchment, maybe even from this very Tower, and the red-colored ink was without any discernible trace—and then tried to smell it out of sheer desperation. "A faint sweet scent," she said out loud, flabbergasted.

"There! Under our hooves!" Sunset called.

Another piece of paper was lying on the floor right in front of the wizard. Starswirl snapped his head down, caught it with an aura. His eyes flashed, moving across the written text. One time, second time. He was taking a double-take.

"What nonsense is this..." the old wizard breathed out, exasperated. "Is this a prank!? What a ridiculous misuse of chronomantic powers, wh-who is doing that? Show yourself, coward! That is not time for games!" With red on his cheeks, he crumbled the paper, furiously looking at the sides, down below and above. His beard flew all over the place, and his hat almost fell down.

Starlight quickly cleared the growing smirk.

"What was it, Starswirl?" Sunset asked with a strange expression on her muzzle.

"Nothing," he replied abruptly, and in the grasp of his magic, the paper tore itself into minuscule pieces. "Someone has a juvenile sense of humor. Not worth dwelling on," he glanced at sleeping Luna for some reason, then raised his head to the ceiling, calling out, "Well!? Anything else?"

There was no answer, but a feeling of being watched dawned on Starlight. She pressed shoulders with Sunset, trying to notice something else out of the ordinary, but the unknown presence either diverted attention or stopped messing with them altogether. Minutes dragged in futile anticipation, and Starswirl began to calm down.

"Weird," Sunset concluded. "All kinds of weird."

"Yes," Starswirl admitted without any animosity. "Highly unlikely."

"Hm? Oh yeah, that was weird too, but..." Sunset adjusted her sunglasses. "Say, old man, what exactly is that white little tree I am looking at?"

Starswirl sighed gruffly, as it was obvious he didn't want to speak about that, "If I am to put it plainly, It is a model of this world. A projection. Why?"

"Well," Sunset nervously smirked, "don't get me wrong, I do not know anything about dendrology, but why does it appear to be so cracked? Is it normal for a world tree?"

Starswirl slowly climbed to the tree, peering at it, then awkwardly leaned closer until his muzzle almost touched the 'model'. Then, he turned, giving an absolutely miserable expression. He went pale, he went red, he went blue, and then croaked with labored breath, "I will need to conduct an inspection. You will not leave this place until I return!"

The old stallion turned with surprising vigor and galloped back to the local teleportation circle. His horn shone brightly, and in a blinding flash, he was gone.

Both Starlight and Sunset went speechless for a moment, then made a synchronized turn to the sapling. "So, that happened," Sunset concluded once again.

"Should we wait for him?" Starlight suggested.

"Even after all those magnanimous speeches about how everything must be controlled, and he serves forces that manipulate our destinies without our knowledge or consent?" Sunset replied incredulously. "Are you ready to hear another one?"

"What else there to do?" Starlight shrugged with pink on her cheeks. "I mean, he has at least vague understanding of what is going on."

"Hah! Digging to the roots of the problem might take him literal centuries," Sunset cast a glance at the Tree, then at peaceful Luna, still entwined with her plants. "See, I was thinking about what he told to us, and the old crook certainly has a problem with believing in others and learning how to release control."

"We believed in Twilight, and Celestia." Starlight sniffed. "Didn't get us that far, did it?"

Sunset chuckled. "The jury is still out on that, and I won't believe anything until I see it for myself. We are our own ponies, and while destinies are in our hands, sitting on those hands is not something I'm willing to do. How about we go on a little adventure?"

"Where?"

"I have a place to visit, and you're welcome to tag along."

"Do you want to meet Celestia?" Starlight offered.

"No," Sunset replied too fast, and masked being startled with a guilty smile. "Not yet. We should see what Discord is up to." She examined Starlight's muzzle, then frowned. "Tell me you know who that is?"

Starlight scratched her temple. "Not a clue."

"Remember that message in the book back at Castle of Friendship? That 'See you soon' thing? Maybe it was an invitation of sorts, as he is the only being in Equestria who can be a pain in the rear on such scale. Now, I never met him personally, but I've heard many tall tales about how he is an ancient reality warper who learned about Friendship and came over to the side of good. Maybe he can offer more insight into what's going on."

"Don't keep me in suspense then, where he lives?"

"All my youth he was apparently standing in the Royal Gardens, petrified by the Elements of Harmony hundreds of years ago. We should begin from there," Sunset said bravely, but Starlight could tell that uncertainty was growing anew like a stubborn weed.

"I see. I suppose we will just blast any changelings we will come across, then," Starlight murmured, glancing at the vacant teleportation circle.

Sunset patted her on the shoulder, keeping on smile. "That's the spirit! Do not worry, if it all goes smooth, we'll come back soon enough."

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Starlight was standing in front of a tall monster. Strange, lanky, serpent-like, with mismatched hands and feet, it was like a period piece of some outcrying sculptor, that tried to haphazardly slap together everything that came to his mind, and then announce it as an art. Its long tail was hugging the column under its legs, one hand was outstretched, the other one placed on a stomach.

"I think that's the one," Sunset said, sitting a few hoofsteps closer to the statue. Before that, they teleported here and quickly scoured the whole garden, not encountering anyone in the process, not even survivors from the changeling attack who could've found shelter here.

Starlight examined a songbird, cheerfully praising the day from a branch above her head. The place seemed peaceful, maybe even too peaceful, like flurry of events that occurred really was a dream, and she finally got a chance to wake up.

"What do you think?" Sunset peeked at her from under a rebellious lock of red-orange hair. "Wait." She paused, raising her ear. "Did you hear something just now?"

Starlight shook her head and scowled at the alleged statue of alleged Discord. "Maybe we should go before something bad happens."

"No-o," Sunset drawled. "I definitely heard someone calling. Was it you, Discord?"

The statue of the Spirit of Disharmony remained unmoving and made from relatively harmless marble. Starlight considered if it really was a living being standing still for eternity, and while the thought vaguely reminded her of something else, her mind quickly went back to Twilight.

They have to save her. That should be a priority.

While Starlight was deep in thought, her companion had already taken a few steps towards the statue.

"Don't go there!" she called out, startled.

Sunset brazenly smirked over her shoulder. "Relax! I'll just look closer, on the off chance someone left another message on it."

"Wait. Can you describe the voice you heard?" Starlight asked nervously.

Sunset reflected for a brief moment, then shrugged, "It was creepy, I suppose."

"How creepy?"

"Evil creepy."

Starlight sighed, eyeing the statue. "Well, he seems jovial," she acknowledged reluctantly, "like he is singing."

"Do you think Elements of Harmony got to him in the shower room, or something?... I mean, how do you think the Sisters got a drop on the guy? He is supposed to be omnipotent. You think he simply sat around and let it happen?"

"I guess, he could've been distracted by something." Starlight shrugged. "That's one theory."

"If the statue becomes aggressive, I'll teleport away and you will blast it," Sunset suggested, and took another step.

Starlight nodded, then licked her lips, suddenly dry. Her horn began surging with power, "Just be careful."

Under her pensive gaze, Sunset slowly shuffled closer to the statue, calling out for Discord a few more times. She touched it with a hoof, then with another one. Went around it. Sunset shivered and turned back to Starlight, who was keeping charging energy. Just in case.

Sunset smiled. "You know, I think I was wrong. I'm not sure even—"

A giant black hand grabbed her mid-sentence and whisked her into the statue.

Starlight gasped and unleashed her magic without a second thought. A wide radiant ray surged forward, completely obliterating the jovial statue down to a singed stub of a column that cracked deeply and fell apart.

The unicorn slowly leaned to the side, looking at a huge gap of burnt grass and demolished trees with statues that her magic had left in its wake. Just as slow, she straightened back.

"Sunset?" she called out with faint hope.

There was no response.

Step 12 — "Remaining" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, morning

Author's Note

This chapter was edited by invaluable Heavy Mole!

Step 12 — "Remaining" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, morning

𒄈 She was suspended upside-down in the dimmed darkness of the royal chambers, tightly wrapped by glowing vines of celestial magic to the point of complete immobilization. Her long silken mane streamed down to the several arcane sigils on the floor, which were placed in a pattern that reinforced the containment seal—If Chrysalis could see at the moment, she would've certainly appreciated the effort. Celestia attempted to bind Chrysalis' maw with the vine several times by now, as she did with her eyes, but the creature kept tearing through with her absurdly sharp teeth. It was putting the integrity of the seal in danger.

"Assuage my thirst, Celestia! I am so parched..." Chrysalis called in a lustful moaning voice and made an unexpectedly girly giggle.

By all merits, she was having the time of her life, though it must've been only for a show. With her monstrous appetites, she must've been going through massive pangs of hunger. This knowledge brought Celestia meager satisfaction.

"I know that you're here... I can smell you. I can hear your breath. You can go if you want..." the Queen playfully whispered, keeping up a wide toothy grin. "I'll just... hang around..." She laughed. "Go, go, Princess! Look after your little ponies! They are so lost out there, in the dark..."

Whatever will happen to her, the Sun must be raised on a schedule, so delicate inner workings of the world would remain in balance, however fragile that balance might be. Duty had obligated her to place the needs of the world above the needs of the ponies, as the moment Celestia conceded before unfavorable circumstances would be for her to cast doubt in those who lived in awe under her Sun. 'Celestia can be beaten,' they will say. 'She is soft and old now, so she can be forced to back down.' Before long, some other threat would emerge from the shadows, coming for her and her loved ones...

Besides, Celestia never gave into threats.

She drew breath to say something to Chrysalis, but then only sighed. Any attempt to strike up a conversation with her enemy would be fruitless. The Changeling Queen understood only the exploitation and subjugation of others, and sadly, Celestia knew how her mind worked all too well.

"My dearest marshmallow," Chrysalis called again, still in a breathy whisper, "want to know what you smell like? You're lilacs; you are the rye that is heated by sunlight... And yet, you taste like pastilles and regrets..." The beast made a pause, no longer smiling. Her voice was almost dreamy. "How many emotions and feelings are in there, under your pristine skin... How much fire..."

Celestia quietly sighed, stretched, and poured some water for herself.

"I wonder..." Chrysalis swayed in her binds, biting her lower lip. "Yes, I wonder, what is on your mind right now? Are you thinking about them, out there? About our little ponies? How you couldn't protect them?" The Queen began smiling again. "How, try all you might, you just cannot protect them from me? From anyone? From anything, really?... That you are not enough, and never will be enough?" The monster giggled, pleased by her own wit. "Ah, my, this is such a... cursed existence, isn't it?... How it must be... hard for you, my sweetest demigoddess... To constantly go against the tide, trying to please everyone... to do everything right, while nothing ever ever can be done right!" Her laughter became more unhinged. "It is... precious..."

Celestia sat on the floor, rubbing her tired eyes with a fetlock. She toyed with the idea of quelling the noise with a silencing spell, but the constant speeches of the Queen meant that she was busy with her and not with escaping. The ramblings also could've been halted by unsavory alternatives, but Celestia felt no need to lower herself to such unbecoming methods. Maybe later... She still had dignity.

"I wonder," Chrysalis kept on musing, "are ponies thinking the same things about you? Are they bothered by how they could not protect you?... Were they ever been able to protect you?"

'Me?... Protected by ponies?...' The noble alicorn couldn't help but smile. She stood up, leaving the cackling madmare alone with her caprices.

She went to the balcony, to her small cherished garden of flowers.

'It will be a long day.'

She gently ran her aura along the petals of a dahlia, just like one would run fingers. She plucked it and adorned her peytral with it, then looked up at the sky. There were unfamiliar stars, just as distant as ever.

'The longest one yet.'

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 A marvelous glare of a brilliant dawn draped over the distant horizon, and rays of the Sun glistened all over the dark and lifeless city, melting away the chill of the night. It was a ritual that Celestia witnessed hundreds of thousands of times, but today she allowed herself to soak in the beauty a little longer than usual. Her massive wings flared open, as her mane, carried by the ethereal wind, surged to the heavens. Nothing is over yet, she wanted to tell to her little ponies. Have faith.

Celestia trained her gaze down, observing. The shadows of the agitated beasts were scurrying on the ground, fleeing from the brightness of the light. They were nothing more than insects infesting her cherished city. Celestia's jaw clenched as she took in the sight of destruction, all the while noticing more traces of the recent fight—an offensive mockery, a vicious grime all over the pure white of the seat of her power. 'My ponies... When it happened last time, I promised to you that I won't allow you to be hurt again. Fate doesn't want me to keep promises, it seems.'

Celestia turned back to the room with the Queen, who was remaining still in her binds: the catalyst, the perpetrator, the outlier, the monster that didn't belong. With the fire reigning inside, Celestia made her way back to Chrysalis. She caught her own reflection in the mirror and winced: she bore a grim expression, too infuriated for her liking.

'I can't fight the Darkness when I am guided by anger. In equanimty, I'll find salvation...' These words did not bring any reassurance, and she wordlessly scowled at the mirror, 'But it's not me who requires salvation, and it's not the time to practice self-control. My ponies deserve better.'

With a wave of her horn, the binds snapped. The Queen, just like a snake that was lying in wait, launched an attack as soon as she hit the ground. Her gaze locked with Celestia's, and the changelings' eyes ignited with insidious witchfire.

Momentarily overwhelmed, Celestia pushed through the magical attack, taking an unwavering step forward. Then another one. Chrysalis relented and began crawling like a filthy gaunt spider, backing away. Her amused voice became dismayed quickly, "You can resist? My oh my, don't tell me-" she produced a short, unhinged cackle, and growled through clenched teeth, "-back off!"

Chrysalis' horn ignited with green, but before the Queen could run, Celestia already brought down a hoof on her neck. The pinned changeling still furiously tried to get away, but it only worsened her position, right until she got stuck between the wall and the alicorn in a twisted, painfully uncomfortable pose: overturned and with limbs plastered in all directions. The Queen's breath became fast and shallow. Celestia noticed a rapid pulsation in the beast's chest. 'So she has a heart after all? Isn't that surprising...'

"What are you waiting for?" mustering a grin, Chrysalis cast an absolutely withering glare. "Come on, render judgment upon me if you dare! Give me another self-righteous speech, tell me how I am wrong, how I am an affront to all that is good!" She giggled. "Tell me how ponies managed without you all night long, those miserable, pathetic, little—"

Celestia cut her off, "I wonder now, if I tear your tongue out, how long will it take to grow it back?"

"Seems, ghhh-k!-" Celestia exerted more pressure on Chrysalis's throat, and the beast wriggled under her hoof, clawing at foreleg fruitlessly, squeezing out: "-you have... a lifetime... to figure that out..."

Celestia stopped suffocating her, and the Queen began breathing in gulps, with a pale tint on her cheeks. Celestia cocked her head, asking bemusedly, "You are holding out on me. Why? I know that my restraints can't stop you, so don't you want to stop floundering and show me your stolen powers?" She leaned closer, saying in a welcoming half-whisper, "Don't you want to fight me? Where have all your eagerness gone?"

"Oh-h-h, but I do not want to spoil all the fun..." Chrysalis hissed, mocking her whisper, "My dear, it would be such a waste to finish it so soon..."

"Is that so? Then we might see eye to eye yet." Celestia shifted her weight back, giving Chrysalis some space to breathe. The Queen intended to bide her time, and Celestia could use it to her advantage. She glared into Chrysalis' eyes, "You will remove your pests from my city and its vicinity, and you will let me assess and mitigate the damage. I will establish a provisional government to ensure that the city will keep functioning properly. You will not oppose any further actions to restore order. You will not let the panic spread in any way. All who you took as a prisoner will be released immediately. Your invasion is over."

"Why... would I allow you... any of that?" Chrysalis licked her lips in anticipation.

"Chrysalis, I am not like you. I do not seek self-indulgence. I do not find pleasure in any of this. This need to deal with you is a miserable experience for me, but a necessary one, like for a pony to pay taxes or to deal with mites." Celestia pressed the foreleg down to accentuate her own words. The Queen made an abrupt gasp of pain. "I've lived far too long to show mercy to my enemies, and tolerance never was the best of my virtues, but I am the Princess of Equestria, and I have to set an example. You survived so far only because of the whims of fate, none of your victories over me are earned!" Celestia narrowed her piercing amethyst eyes. "Just try me again. Defy me. Give me an excuse to carve out those witch eyes of yours. It will only be a service to the world."

As Chrysalis listened, she was panting fast, becoming agitated. She scowled, refusing to heed. "Acknowledge me before your people, wife, and we may yet strike a d—" she choked on her disdainful speech, shrieking and turning away from a sudden burst of magic. Celestia's horn burned molten hot. Streaks of fire surged through her mane.

"Have I not been clear?" the solar demigoddess growled with thick smoke quickly evaporating from the corner of her mouth. "No deals. You will do as I demand or I swear by the stars I'll smear you on the floor, insect!"

Celestia wanted to see more of the Queen's dimwitted stubbornness, as it was an excuse to snap again and postpone the impending longest day indefinitely since no one would come out from this room alive. Oh, how she wished for the renegade beast, who was forever at odds with everything, to keep being completely untameable. It was what she was best at, this chaos...

To her mild disappointment, the show of brute force got through to the changeling. The Queen showed restraint, and, after she blinked away tears from hurt eyes, did nothing but watch raptly. She even went limp and wanly hissed like a deflating balloon, "My, my... You actually smolder, my Sun..."

"So!?" Celestia demanded an answer and even more black smoke poured up. "Maybe you just like the pain?"

The Queen remained almost docile. Her pupils went into thin slits, as she managed to coo through ragged breath, "But how can I not? The pain goes with pleasure, and agony goes with passion. It's all two sides of the same delicious coin~"

"You act juvenile," Celestia replied coldly, finally reining in her emotions. "All instincts, zero sense. Do as I ask. You have time until noon. Then you will come to the throne room, so we can speak as rulers and not as savages."

"You make it sound very droll," Chrysalis chuckled.

"Maybe there will be something else if you behave," Celestia replied with a sly smirk.

Chrysalis stared for a moment, seemingly evaluating the risks, and then sighed sharply. "Now that's promising... Fine. Have it your way. Go and take care of the ponies." Her tail lashed. "I will release your city from my grasp and clean it out from my spawn for your arrival." A wicked grin appeared on her ugly muzzle. "They must've got their fill by now, anyway."

It felt too easy, but the Queen wasn't giving out the impression that she was lying. Quite contrary, she was filled with mirth and eagerness to cooperate. Celestia was slowly becoming irritated by the sight—she knew that if she were forced to play by the rules of an enemy that the battlefield would soon be lost. Luckily, she still had several trump cards. "If you intend to deceive me," she uttered sternly, "then you'd better escape and spare me the trouble of seeing you ever again."

"And to defy fate? How bold. No, don't you worry, dearest," Chrysalis murmured with a wide grin. "I won't ever run from what's rightfully mine."

Celestia stepped back from the changeling, who kept a hungry glare all the way. The silence began to feel awkward for the ancient alicorn. It was supposed to be a victory, but it didn't feel like one at all.

The Princess turned elegantly, walking back to the balcony and distancing herself from the unnecessary emotions. Her concerns should not be here right now, or rather, definitely not with the Queen. She outstretched her wings and then heard a peal of laughter from behind.

Chrysalis was shaking. Her laughter was high, abrasive, and miserable. No arrogance or defiant tension remained, just a nerve-racking howl, while she was lying on her side and keeping staring with fiery eyes. When she realized she drew Celestia's attention, Chrysalis lifted her head and uttered in a meticulously quiet whisper: "Lie to me all you want, but you loved our talk, didn't you, mare? How was my performance?" She took a breath, loud and raspy. "I know you relished in this feel of power over me... Was that as good for you as it was for me?"

'I will destroy her. Before the day is done, I will burn her alive.' Celestia thought grimly. Her reply was deadpan, "Stay and face your doom, the Changeling Queen. I won't grace you with another warning."

She leaped down from the balcony into a fast flight.

In ancient times Celestia witnessed how the first gargoyles were created from the intricate fusion of lava, rock, and sulfur. A gentle hand pressed crimson rubies into their eye-sockets, and a guiding whisper inhaled life into their still forms: "Exist. Protect. Create."

Even after their soul vessels had achieved coveted bodies made of flesh, the truth that they were originally carved from stone remained in plain sight, obscured only by different interpretations of the sacred texts, varying points of view, simply failing memory, and stubborn ignorance. Celestia found it to be very amusing. She was curious about the viewpoint of the mortal creatures—how it must feel, she wondered, to look at the mystery and not know a concrete answer to it?... They would be striving to discover the solution to the best of their collective ability, but when someone ancient solves the conundrum and gives an easy answer, that mystery will simply disappear, won't it?... When the striving falters, what is there for the mortals to do next? To argue not with each other but with a demigod, and with the same ignorant driving force, no less? Can a mortal not argue? Can it be alive and not be faced with conflict? Is it really so intrinsic to their nature? Or is it the desire for a concrete answer that drives this striving and conflict? Maybe it is a fundamental part of the nature of mortal beings, and it can be both their strength and their downfall.

In any case, the gargoyles were excellent craftsmen and unrivaled stoneworkers, so the installation they were involved in was going on splendidly. Most of the project was already done in their realm in the Far East, and the resulting device was brought with great care to the realm of Equestria by the heir Prince Scorpan himself. Presently Celestia met him in the Throne Room, stopping to observe his work. He turned to greet her, and his pale yellow eyes traced over the curious ponies that preferred to remain at the entrance. A black gnarly staff that belonged to the late Lord Sacanas was resting in his firm grip.

"Your Radiance," he uttered with a ceremonial bow.

"Young Prince," she answered with a small, inscrutable smile.

Even having a beard and sporting a few wrinkles, he forever remained a 'young Prince' in her presence. "The world is changing," he said thoughtfully, "but I am pleased that my kin still can be granted passage in the sun-blessed lands."

"While it is imperative nature of the world to change, you will always be a friend to the equine-kind everywhere, young Prince," Celestia faintly smiled. "We can do without these formalities. Have respite here with your people. Let my rivers wash all your troubles away. Taste my fruit and crops of my land as much as you desire, I insist. All of you have deserved it."

"I wouldn't dare to treat your realm as a resort," Scorpan replied with a small, but honest smile. "The lands of your realm, vast and splendorous, might incite in my men the desire to never leave. We should be wary and abstain from repeating the history of ages past, no?"

"Oh, indeed we should." Celestia offered a courteous laugh, covering her lips with feathers of a swan-like wing. "So wise of you to look after your subjects... True, they might've seen enough as it is to tell many tall tales for their children at home, who are undoubtedly waiting for them to come back."

Scorpan returned a weary smile. "We both know that temptation can be a wicked thing. I am glad that you are so understanding."

With pleasantries over, they walked toward the exit along the murals, until Scorpan stopped at one of those. The depicted scene caught his eye: a black figure with red and white, opposing a beige-golden alicorn with a pink mane, lunging on the former like a bird of prey.

Scorpan turned to Celestia wordlessly.

"I've stricken her name from the records," Celestia explained. "In the eyes of historians, the less connection I have to Nightmare Moon the better, and there's no need for the ponies to ever know that she was real. For all intents and purposes, Princess Celestia defeated Lord Tirek alone. One day my sister will be returned to me, and then we will sing of events that really transpired."

"That easy, right?" Scorpan looked again at the sole alicorn on the mural. His grip on the Staff of Sacanas tightened. "Am I correct to assume that the Cosmic Council, with my Father included, was in support of this?"

Celestia made a gentle, affirmative nod. A shadow passed over her muzzle. She realized that the Prince must have remained in turmoil ever since Tirek's incursion.

"I wish my Father could done the same with Tirek, as even being deprived of the rights to the throne, in the eyes of many he still remains his true progeny and heir," Scorpan spoke impassively. "As strange as it is to say, they are forgetting real him, Your Radiance. Now they deify his character. His tactics of blind terror resounded upon the hearts of the youth, and in these troubled times, in his shortsightedness and zealotry they want to see ruthlessness and ambition."

Celestia listened carefully, taking a liking that his words were filled with genuine and heartfelt sadness.

"As decades roll by, and I remain exposed to their opinions, even I sometimes doubt our predicament and my decisions... We might be not bound with him by blood, and he might be an exile and stubborn fool, but I still love him," Scorpan raised his palm, touching the centaur figure on the mural. "One day he will break free from Tartarus, and I am afraid that I might've assisted today in his demise. I won't be able to look into Father's eyes. It is hard as it is, knowing that it was I who brought Tirek to your lands."

"You have much to be proud of, young Prince," Celestia spoke in a melodious tone. "You came here with the intention of peace, to foster friendships, and work through the scars of the past. That is true courage. Let me assure you, you did more than enough to atone, so put your mind at ease, as I do not intend to use gargoyle's craft against your dear brother. Providence be willing, we will stop him by other, more merciful means."

"Then why do you need the device?" Scropan's voice was quiet, but when he turned, the staff struck against the stone with an insistent echo. "I can't help but see an evil omen in this. What threat might require such measures?"

"It is important to have options," Celestia replied curtly. "You know it well."

"That's it?" Scorpan regarded her suspiciously. "Your Radiance, if there anything that might threaten your kingdom in the future, I beseech you, in the name of our long-lasting friendship, let me cooperate with you."

Celestia smiled. It was easy to consider her a foreteller, especially for an outsider. "I am not a mare that would bank everything only on one solution. It is unwise and reckless." Her smile grew into a slight smirk. "But I assure you, young Prince, not each of actions of mine are meant to be viewed as a warning. I am confident that nothing will affect your realm."

Scorpan nodded, acknowledging the real concerns that were behind his inquiries. The realm of the solar demigoddess had always been capable of standing strong against troubles and calamities. Still, Celestia understood the benefits of securing a foothold here, as well as of a possible prolific alliance.

It just wasn't written in their destiny. Scorpan's father, esteemed King Vorak, would've said the same thing.

"I would never doubt any of your words, Your Radiance." Scorpan gave her a solemn look. "However, It does naught to ease my concerns. I'd like to speak more about those who wish to follow Tirek." He cast a wary look at his fellow workers, still busy at the far side of the room.

Celestia raised her ears attentively, maintaining the air of grace.

"Your sun-blessed lands remain mythical to the people of my realm. Since not all stone-folk were granted longevity, and artifacts and impressions of Equestria were scarce, many began to think that ponies more dangerous than they are. There are enough outliers who dare to openly critique me for communing with you." He sighed. "Some think that you ensorcelled Tirek and led him astray, and that means that your realm -" his voice fell, as he was ashamed by it, "- is ripe for conquering... They think that you, Princess Celestia of the Sun, may bear a grudge against us, and might be keeping Tirek imprisoned by force. They fear for me, as well. There are many unsavory rumors of your realm, one wilder than the other..."

"Oh, I see what this is about. Young Prince, you need to tell them what they want to hear," said Celestia, shrugging her wing, "that he was indeed seduced by ponies' magic. Paint poor Tirek as a martyr, if you will. Let dissidents find a common enemy in me."

Scorpan's pale yellow eyes widened. He broke into a fast, nervous speech, "Your Radiance, my apologies, have I heard you right? This act may irrevocably damage all affairs between our nations!"

Celestia frowned. So far, the boy was giving such a good impression...

"What if they come after you?” he was still going on. “After your ponies? It might be a tide that you will never quench. Militarists, radicals, all who adhere to my brothers' ideals, they might seek revenge on you!"

Celestia glanced back at the wall. "Have faith. Let them bring their best." Her smile was as lighthearted as ever.

That was what Scorpan truly feared. His shoulders sagged down in defeat. "I... I suppose, I can discuss the possibility of this course of actions with Father... But..."

Wearing an approving smile, Celestia peeked at the gargoyle royalty from underneath her flowing mane. "Time and time again you prove that you have a conscience befitting for a true ruler, young Prince. Don't let the impending years of your long life tarnish it."

Scorpan pursed his lips. "You flatter me, Your Radiance," he said dryly. "It's not only my conscience that guides me, but my convictions as well, as it should every good person. Your propositions and actions are testing them."

"I am glad you're so open with me." Celestia nodded, pleased that Scorpan's quality of character remained almost the same as she remembered. "Believe me, I understand your concerns very well—our views regarding our siblings have a lot in common, after all." A hint of sorrow seeped into her voice. "But tell me, young Prince, how do your granddaughters fare? How's your father's health? The tremulous connection between our nations brought to us much ire, true, but a lot of good as well."

"My youngest granddaughter..." Scorpan smiled bleakly, showing vulnerability. "Believe it or not, Princess, but she asked me to bring her a pony as a present."

Celestia's voice was cheerful and melodious, soothing the gargoyle's suspicions, "Families, weddings, and the joyous celebrations that come with them—the hearth, the unity, the Harmony, all the simple pleasures of life—that is what we fight for, and our unity will not be broken apart by time nor distance. Believe in the power of love and the strength of our shared values. Our nations may have faced challenges, but they have also given us countless reasons to be proud, and we all strive for a future filled with happiness and prosperity for all. That is our cause." Celestia took a step, beckoning Scorpan to follow. "Come. Tell me more about your family, while we still have time. I am eager to hear everything that you have to say."

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 - a diseased moronic beast, carrying within itself a chaos primordial, inciting panic whenever she went; a marionette of powers that laid far beyond her reach and understanding, knowing nothing but darkness, and how to destroy, consume, and spawn more of her blasted kind—

A fire raged inside her.

It was inconceivable.

Something forbidden opened within, and she had already forgotten how to properly reign it in. The events of the past few days finally accumulated into a blazing crescendo of emotions, and when she flew over her precious city and drank up the sight of its destruction, she landed before the hospital, saw fearful muzzles of surrounding guards that were taken aback by her appearance, and she...

...she...

...cooled her temper. She glanced at the scorched earth underneath her hooves, and carried on as if nothing had happened. "I require to see Commander Magnus at once."

They were still frightened. "Princess Celestia, Your Majesty, with all due respect, w-we..." one of them suddenly went out of breath, not being able to bring himself to say it, and another helped,

"As per current instructions, we are required to check for possible changelings…"

Even if it was ridiculous, there must be an order, and she is never an exception to it. Celestia nodded, allowing herself to be scanned, and spoke loud enough for the whole courtyard to hear, "Do it fast, and bring me Raven Inkwell, majordomo Kibitz, chancellor Cookie Cutter, and Lord Buster Brown."

"Your Highness!" Magnus, her good little knight, was already racing to her. He was looking beaten, but none worse for wear. He fell on his knees, bowing, "Your Majesty! You are alright!"

"Report, Knight Commander," Celestia demanded, patiently waiting until unicorns stopped weaving their spells. They were too sluggish...

"The changelings took root in the center of the city, while we secured most of the premises already. We have approximately three hundred soldiers, most of them spread thin to secure chokepoints and vital structures. More are arriving from neighboring posts to respond to the emergency, all at your disposal as you see fit..." he looked upwards, trailing off.

The changelings had begun to lazily fly away, just like a dispersed swarm of fat flies that abruptly stopped their feast on carrion. Celestia felt a pang of anger. The ground wasn't offering a good enough vantage point, but one of the pegasus scouts landed nearby, eagerly acknowledging the fact, "They are retreating!"

Magnus eagerly leaned forward, ready to take the wing. "Your Highness?"

"Our priority is to address the casualties and injuries we have already suffered, and ensure the safety of our citizens." Celestia turned to a group of ponies, hurrying to meet her. "Kibitz, Raven, Buster... Where is the chancellor?"

"Fled, Your Majesty," replied Kibitz with a deep bow.

Inwardly, flame slipped through the cracks of the porcelain mask. 'He'd better begin praying to me if he had abandoned his duties.' Celestia frowned, and immediately responded out loud in an ardent and thunderous voice, "Lord Buster, I need you to cooperate with Royal Guard forces and see to it that medical and rescue teams are ready on standby. Lord Cutter is unavailable, hence I also require you to assemble as many construction and rescue workers as possible—within an hour, anyone in Canterlow who is even remotely able-bodied needs to be here and helping."

"Canterlow—the Undercity? The Industrial District?" Buster, the health minister, nervously frowned. It didn't have a good reputation in higher circles.

"Captain Gleaming Shield," Magnus said, turning to one of his subordinates, "assist His Grace in any way you can."

Celestia pressed on. "We need everypony on their hooves. Our goal is to send a message to everyone in the vicinity that the government is still functioning and is in control. Knight Commander, I am ordering a curfew; it goes into effect immediately. Until my explicit order, entry into the city is not allowed to anypony who is not involved in the rescue operations, and anyone who acts suspiciously needs to be checked. See to it that this won't incite panic, since anyone who is not responding to the ongoing emergency and wants to leave Canterlot, should be allowed to do so freely."

"I am afraid that at the moment we are mostly cut off from the outer walls," Magnus glumly informed.

"During the siege, the whole platform of our city sank down," Kibitz hurriedly added, but Celestia noted how careful he was with choosing words, "Luckily, it stabilized before we hit the ground."

"As of now, the whole infrastructure seems to be in complete disarray," Raven commented, "In particular, the sewage system and electrical grid, Your Highness."

"There's also the Wonderbolts who reported a severe flood in the northern part of the city," Magnus finished.

Celestia saw it during her flight over Canterlot. 'It is the most scenic and green district, and also the one where administrative buildings are located. If archives, as well as the Town Hall, are lost to the flood, then, well... the Parliament needed to be restructured anyway.' She was lost in thought for a moment, taking in the new information. "I see," she scoffed out loud, looking upwards at the mountain. Attachment to its rich waterfalls seemed like a great idea during the conception of the city, but now it has begun to show its ugly sides.

Still, she believed the correct position of the platform was approximately like this.

Her horn shone bright golden, and the ground under everyone's hooves jerked upwards, sending the whole gathering into momentary confusion. Somewhere nearby a few bricks fell from one of the newer buildings that wasn't built with any kind of seismic activity in mind.

Celestia continued talking in the same breath, "We shall see to necessary repairs and renovation in due time," she glanced at Magnus, "as well as to prioritizing your project to develop the defenses and furthering our capability to protect the city. At the very least, we would need to construct the bell towers and address the lack of reliable communication channels."

The veteran of Sombra's war bowed wordlessly in response.

As more and more ponies gathered in the crowd, drawn out by Celestia's voice and the rumbling of the earth, the Princess noticed familiar muzzles of Twilight's little friends in one of the windows. That's good, most of them remained unharmed by the looks of it... For a quick second, the alicorn plunged into the depths of shame, as all this time the fate of her student wasn't at the forefront of her mind. All other tasks, even such as facing death and dealing with the changelings, felt far more approachable than consoling those five, to say nothing of facing Cadance... how, by the reaches of Tartarus, will she explain this to Cadance?

"For now, the hospital is to be considered our base of operations. Commander, I expect the reinforcement of the guard on the premises and unremitting attention to anyone who attempts to leave or intrude on the territory. Everyone, be it even a member of the nobility, a former Element bearer, or a royal, is required to declare their cause, be checked, and be assigned an escort to ensure their safety. It is essential that we maintain our composure and act with poise during this time, so be vigilant and practice being discreet, my little ponies. Until curfew is over, you are advised to remain here," Celestia announced with a reaffirming, strict voice—it was the least she could do. "Knight Commander, prepare your men, we are heading to the center of the city. There are trapped and wounded ponies that need our help, and I will be personally leading the rescue effort. I expect any possible assistance from you, as well as from any volunteers. Let us be off.
"Kibitz, Raven, you're coming with," she added in a quieter tone, turning,

Noticing that their monarch was going to leave them just as soon as she arrived, ponies began to shoot out their questions and concerns, trying to get her attention:

"You Majesty, when it will be safe to come back to our homes?"

"Who can help us with missing relatives?"

"Where is the changeling's Queen?"

"What about Princess Cadance's accusations? Are they true?"

"Your Majesty, what will you say about compensation for our losses and other punitive damages?" an especially cutting voice shrieked out to her.

The gall. For a fleeting second, Celestia forgot about everything else. That wasn't what she wanted to hear. The outlier was the Duchess of the Estate of Pudding, and under Celestia's steely gaze, the ponies around cleared to the sides, allowing the Princess to take a good look at the young noblemare. What did she expect to hear right now, a promise of getting reparations from Chrysalis? Absurd.

"Well!? I'll speak on behalf of everyone involved, what would be done to compensate our suffering of indignities?" The Duchess was oblivious, demonstrating a complete lack of ability to read the room. "And what kind of riffraff from Undercity you intend to invite to our city, all those thieves, and-and..." She began to slur, and then clutched her forehead worriedly. Her giant yellow hat fell on the ground, and a second later the Duchess, barely conscious, sunk into the supportive embrace of a pony nearby.

"Oh. I'm no expert, but it seems like the Duchess suffered a mild heatstroke," remarked Celestia. "Please, take her to the care of the medical staff at once, and await further details from me when the city will be safe and secure." At least they hadn't a problem with supplies and shelter, for now. Without hesitation, she began walking away from the hospital. Magnus, barking the last of his own orders, lagged behind her, as well as her advisors and a few dozen helpers.

What she did was wrong, she must be softer with them, her ponies were hurt enough as it is... Celestia allowed the guilt to linger. Then, she moved on.

As they traversed the city streets, a string of gloomy thoughts kept going on in her mind. It was good to know that the governing body isn't completely in shambles after a night-long siege, but the old system took a blow from which it may not recover. If she remains in power, her integrity as a ruler will be challenged in the upcoming months. 'Building' and 'creating' was something far more arduous and effort-inducing than destruction, so cherished by Chrysalis.

That Chrysalis with her claims... If push comes to shove, Celestia might need to abdicate the throne. In whose favor, then? She was the unchanging sovereign for hundreds of years—even Luna's presence was arbitrary in the eyes of the court, the fact of which her little sister was aware and no longer had any objections against. Leave it to Cadance? Celestia couldn't lay such a burden on her... Despite Celestia's best efforts, the girl was still viewed as an outsider in Canterlot, and the transition of power would be rocky at best. No, without a strong benefactor, she would be overwhelmed and deposed by someone more experienced and ruthless. To the Royal Council? That called for a complete restructuring, and the state wasn't prepared for it yet.

As Celestia thought about the members of the Council, a sudden cold gut-wrenching dread pierced her. They will destroy Equestria, drive into the ground everything that she was struggling to achieve. They will never understand the design, Lord Shorn alone would be enough to bring everything to pieces... Will she leave it to Cadance's little daughter then, with firm instructions to the Council of what to do? Even if she concocts a fool-proof plan in the span of the day, and will give up the throne publicly, it still was ridiculous to think about... It would make a target out of Cadance, just as well...

However everything turns out, Celestia could see only strife and dark times ahead. The Princess felt irritated. Twilight was such a perfect choice to resolve all these possible problems in one swift move, an opportunity for stability in the realm. She was everything that Celestia could ask for and even more. She was young and wise, she would be motivated, she had vision, all the needed connections and charm, as well as a wonderful adaptive mind. If only the girl took the chance and made that decisive blow... Celestia stopped herself. Twilight wasn't some 'girl' anymore, just as Cadance before her. They were family now.

Sadly, in Celestia's experience, family always spelled trouble.

"Am I doing the right thing?" she tried to quietly ask Antiquity, but no answer was heard, and no whisper of leaves came. No promise of even a semblance of guidance. Morose helplessness washed over her, just like a millennium ago.

In spite of it, Celestia managed to smile, albeit sadly. In hindsight, it was amazing that she was still able to experience strong, vivid emotions. Lately, only Twilight, Luna, and Sunset were able to evoke such feelings in her.

"Princess Celestia," the small voice of Raven Inkwell caught her attention, "it might be an inopportune moment to ask, but where is your crown?"

'Melted into the stone floor of the Throne Room', she thought. "It's gone," she answered in measured tone, and continued, not letting for tense silence to take hold again, "I've heard a claim that Cadance accused me of something. Elaborate on it, please."

Kibitz was the only one present with enough courage and understanding to put it as it is. "She informed us that you imprisoned Princess Twilight in stone."

"Oh." She remained calm, even-keeled, relieved that she didn't need to make up a cover story. "This is the truth." She glanced back at their pale muzzles. "Where is Cadance right now?"

They were hesitating to answer.

Celestia sweetened it with a gentle smile. "My little ponies... You know well that I am asking only because I am worried for her safety."

"Princess Cadance fled to the Crystal Empire," Magnus replied, and delivered a vaguely apologetic look to others. "She promised to amass soldiers of her own and be ready to engage Equestria on the battlefield, if necessary." After a momentary pause, he added, quickly, "The Princess was grief-stricken, m'lady. Not in the right mind."

"Things won't come to battle between us," Celestia nickered. "Rest assured that there is no power in the world strong enough to compel me to wage war with the Crystal Empire, let alone with my dear niece. It is good that the girl got away and can see how events will unfold from a safe distance. These pathovore-type monsters, not to say about their Queen, are the worst enemies imaginable for her."

Kibitz took a shaky breath. He always had a soft spot for Cadance, as she grew in front of his eyes. "There is more, Your Highness... She claimed that she saw how her husband perished while he tried to protect her."

Celestia went silent, the last traces of a smile quickly faded. "My poor Candlelight..." she whispered. And Twilight... What will she say to Twilight?

Kibitz cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, if I may inquire, from your words I gather that the Queen hadn't been dealt with? Is it not over?"

"It is not," replied Celestia without hesitating and turned to Magnus. "Spread the word that the Queen is still a threat. No one to approach her if encountered, and not to engage in any way and in any circumstances. She is volatile and highly dangerous."

The Commander nodded grimly. "I suppose it can facilitate the evacuation among the most stubborn ones."

"Princess, we can't let her just roam, can we? Can we apprehend her?" Kibitz kept asking.

Celestia let the slightest shadow of dissatisfaction cross her muzzle. "No mortal can stop her, and no prison is sturdy enough to put her in. Even Tartarus might be destroyed, and I can't risk the integrity of the cosmic planes. When the time is right, I will face her myself."

With hesitance, Magnus nodded again, but the expressions of Kibitz and Raven brought cold fury to her heart. They remembered—she knew it—how she fell in front of everyone at Cadance's wedding. Celestia put away her real feelings and never vented her frustration over this, especially not in front of Luna. That night everyone needed a facade that she was all right, but she was Sol Invictus, and she was there to protect them. Her pride as an alicorn and as a monarch was tested, and they just let it slide. Like it was supposed to be. And it was only the first one in many defeats and setbacks that she needed to endure in recent years... 'Such is my burden,' she tried to pacify herself, 'such is my role, and necessary sacrifices for the greater good is a price that I am willing to pay.'

She looked upon the scorched city and remembered the look of terror on Twilight's face.

"This emergency requires us to schedule the next meeting of the Royal Council," she said, turned to her aides. "Raven! Prepare to take notes. We will send them by the dragonfire channel."

The winged creature fell on its knee, breathing greedily, staring down with a blank expression on the lion-like face. The regal mane and beard were swollen with dark-red, and it kept trickling over the creature's powerful build, while it fruitlessly tried to steady himself.

'All over the carpet,' a stray thought went through Celestia's mind. Not that she cared, but it was still painful to see how something beautiful was ruined. A good rug can serve its purpose at least for a few decades, but now she needed to go through all the necessary motions of ordering a new one. The blood, the scorch marks, and the torn fabric—all of it wasn't worth the effort of fixing.

She got into internal lament and got distracted from the situation. Her eyes wandered over the narrow blade in her grasp. A ray of light sneaked through the circular window far above and reflected brightly on it.

"Mercy..." the creature whispered.

"I'm sorry?" Celestia turned her head, smiling.

She always tried to smile.

"Please. Mercy." The creature bowed, pressing his hands hard against the floor. He was quickly losing consciousness. Celestia glanced at the posse of the invader, which remained in similar condition—those who were able to move and speak, that is.

To be frank, she didn't even need to go overboard since she already had an opportunity to test out the gargoyle's craft, but that was in the spur of the moment, when the immediate neighbors to the south dared to bring to her the heads of her little ambassadors. Savages. Their lands have been burned and lifeless ever since.

Celestia's smile became even more gentle and motherly, and she took a step closer. Her massive wings flared open. "Look at me," she demanded.

So he did, trembling.

Celestia moved her head back and pointed the tip of the steel aside. "Tell me, you enjoy the sight of sunrise, don't you? Can you remember the peaceful calm of morning?... Know that you are welcome. I am responsible for every single one of them in all your life."

For the next few seconds, the invader was staring with awe, being relieved of all his mundane expectations and delusions. His eyes were finally opened to the truth, and on this high note, she effortlessly struck him down.

She glanced at the other travelers from distant lands. They will carry this scene to their deathbeds, and from now on, they will have a reason to remember it each day. She will remain deep within their hearts with a mix of gratitude and dread, as a power which origin is far beyond their comprehension... Wasn't that what the essence of divinity was all about?

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 The changelings had been just as brutal as she expected. Even worse. Disorganized. Insectile. Starving. They tried to fend off their starvation as much as they could throughout the night, and now Celestia witnessed the aftermath of their macabre revelry.

In dark and damp cellars and corners, she tore the sacks filled with greenish liquid, containing the sleeping forms of her subjects. More often than not they were recently deceased, half-suffocated, or clinging to the last embers of life after it was drained from them, all of them treated harshly and without care. There were old and young, stallions and mares, as the changelings didn't know restraint and weren't picky in their choice of victims, even more than that—they must've been enjoying seeing her ponies in pain. There were signs of torture and cruel games they were forcing on the victims. Scarring of flesh and psyche, and glazed eyes of those who were damaged irrevocably.

As she worked through it and listened to the accumulating reports, Celestia forced herself to push away the unnecessary anger. Despite everything, there was also an understanding that the damage could've been much more severe. With thousands of possible victims, all gathered on the ripe feasting grounds that the wedding celebration had turned into, there weren't even enough changelings to capture them all and consume their essence.

Still, no one had been prepared for the attack. This bloody night must be remembered exactly as it was, so the tragedy would never repeat, and Celestia knew that it was up to her to take the necessary steps to ensure this... but the ponies also needed to be treated with compassion and kindness, as it was her duty to not let trauma and pain take root... A balance must be struck, and once again it remained an insurmountable task...

For many hours she had done nothing but put in the effort to amend the destruction. The noon passed unnoticed, as she found herself in the middle of clearing the wreckage left by the felled towers, trying to reach the survivors trapped underneath. Ponies, united by a single goal, were swarming around, with no one without an assigned task. Help from the Canterlow came through, and the expertise of the miners who had to deal with cave-ins before had been proven invaluable.

The presence of the Princess was inspiring for her subjects. The fact that she can sully her hooves with hard work and get cuts and bruises certainly was eye-opening to many. Celestia pitched in almost wordlessly, sometimes using her powerful magic to carefully clear the rubble when she was asked to, while trying to keep her touch on the pulse of what was going on.

Changelings still were around, as guards reported fights randomly breaking out all over the city when the beasts were making ill-devised attempts to continue feasting. The flood in the northern district still needed to be addressed, though it wasn't a populated area, hence Celestia wasn't in a hurry with that. Canterlotian Equus Hospital was secured as well, its staff overworking, but with more help arriving from Ponyville and expected from other cities. The places like the School for Gifted Unicorns, miraculously, remained almost untouched. The changelings, truly as the beasts they were, had operated without any appropriate tactic...

The slow evacuation, to which Celestia tried to nudge citizens, was not as quick as she'd hoped. Unrest and panic were seemingly averted, and the Princess considered that a victory.

Many missing officials needed to be replaced, and there were more reports, as other situations piled on, horrific to her ponies. Everyone seemed to operate in a state of shock. After dealing with each new problem, a several more were unearthed.

Nevertheless, the Order was like a wall, and removing a few bricks from it was bearing no harm to the system, especially if they were replaced soon enough. Complete restructuring would take up from a month to a year. Recovery from inflicted damage to a nation was required at least several years, but if everything will return to just as it were, it can happen even faster. The approximate costs were still needed to be calculated, but it was something that would be evaluated at the seating of the Royal Council.

Also, ponies were staying clear of the Royal Palace, just as she requested.

"What time is it?" she suddenly asked, looking at the Sun.

Her loyal little Raven was at her side, ready to help however she could. She glanced nervously at the pocket watch: "It's two o'clock, your Majesty."

"You'll take it from here," she replied absentmindedly, leaving the mare befuddled, and then stretched her wings. In a whirlwind of stone dust, thrown into the muzzles of everyone near, the Princess was gone.

Step 13 — "Far above" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, midday

𒄈 The little creature was wearing the appearance of one of her guards like a suit. Being wary of her presence, he couldn't contain a nervous smile. It didn't help that he fumbled the papers while he was preparing for his bit, but Celestia wasn't in any hurry right now. She was observing.

He finished collecting the props from the stone floor, stood before her, squeaked, "Uh, do you have an appointment?" and tried to sneak a hopeful glance.

Celestia wasn't playing along. She was remembering for whom the form of this pony belonged. If she wasn't mistaken, it was a young sergeant who joined in marriage with his sweetheart just as recently as in the past month or so. To her, it was something that happened in passing and was barely worth a glance from a distance, coupled with a warm feeling of happiness for others. Must've been around that time changelings began to sink teeth into her city, while she remained none the wiser.

"Let's see, let's see, are you, uh... Princess Twilight Sparkle?" the fake guard stupidly giggled, looking at her, and then tossed a sheet of paper away. "No, she was scheduled for the last night and already left."

Celestia creased her brow. Is this going somewhere?

"You must be Princess Luna?... No-o," he drawled, "that was the last week, right?"

"You are a clever little donkey, parroting after your mistress, aren't you?" Celestia's eyes blazed up with suppressed flames.

"Please," he gulped and giggled again, sweating. "All my act is my own! I only want to know how to present you before the Queen of Equestria, s'all."

"I see."

She quickly pressed forward, and the little changeling was forced to back up, until he fell through the portal of the Throne Room, losing half of the papers in the process. The fake guard picked himself up and ran through the half-destroyed hall.

Celestia flared her wings and steadied her step, taking in the familiar sight.

Everything looked like an explosion went off here recently, and it wasn't that far from the truth. The floor remained cracked and charred, and nothing was left in place of murals and banners, not to speak of other splendor with which the Princess wrapped herself before.

The velvet carpet that extended across the room had been burned away completely.

The Queen was sprawled on the half-melted throne, not bothered by its sharp edges or the lack of an appropriate seat. At her side, one of two changelings was working with a rasp, trimming her outstretched hindleg, while another one was standing on a stool and fiddling with a giant harp. Surprisingly, he was pulling off not a half-bad job with it.

Lying among scattered sweets, Chrysalis was dozing off, or at least pretending to. She was wearing a midnight blue bathrobe, belonging to Luna.

"My mistress! The pony Princess has arrived!" the former guard exclaimed in a submissive tone.

Chrysalis opened one eye. "I can see that, fool." After a mighty yawn, she ignited her horn, and a dish with half-eaten cupcakes had been tossed to the messenger, who began to greedily devour what felled from it.

She shoved the drone at her hooves, and fluidly sat on the throne to greet Celestia. Her eyes glistened with mirth. "My S-s-sun," she hissed, pulling on a wide toothy smile, quickly sobering up. "How is our Canterlot, dearest? Did you have fun out there?"

Celestia ignored the provocation. "So you were busy raiding my pantry and wardrobes?" she asked back, slightly amused.

"Well, I had to do something while you weren't around, aren't I?" the Queen lamented, playfully pretending to be hurt. "You know, it's rude to keep your wife waiting... What if I was worrying? It's just too disrespectful to my feelings..."

One of the lesser changelings made an abrasive giggle.

"To earn respect you'd better learn how to show it, first," the Princess replied steely, regarding the monster in front of her. In the broad daylight Queen Chrysalis was looking especially lanky and ugly, like an equine skeleton with a messy cobweb of silken hair.

Chrysalis' muzzle was full of teeth. "My, you're so strict... Am I ruffling your feathers, Celestia?" She moved her head down as if trying to cover her features in shadow and to leave only green shimmering eyes to be seen. "Maybe you'd better show me my place? Force me to quiver under you..."

Celestia traced her eyes aside. The drones seemed to be surprised by their Queen's behavior. "You're irredeemable, Chrysalis. If I knew that you're brazenly torturing your prey with bad flirting, I would've destroyed you ages ago just to spare the others."

"No, I don't do it that often. And what do you mean by bad, anyway?..." The Queen cackled. She propped her chin on a forehoof; her eyes narrowed into the burning, laughing slits. "Usually I just take what I want. I thought I have made that clear."

The alicorn frowned, not entirely grasping why she was even entertaining this conversation. "So am I to consider myself an exception right now?"

Chrysalis gave her a strangest look.

For a long moment Celestia stared back, trying to determine the meaning of the Queen's candidness. She was a paradoxical beast, a deceiver and a manipulator, a servant of the Darkness against which Celestia waged war for hundreds of years, and yet her bluntness felt refreshing. Was this a part of her game? Did Chrysalis even cared about it at this point?

What was on her mind?

Visibly flustered, Chrysalis was the first to break eye contact, as if she needed to remember herself.

"You're so irritable. So smug." She rolled on her back and stretched, reaching with forelegs in the alicorn's direction, and then relaxed, letting her limbs flail. "So full of yourself, of this beauty and holiness. How do ponies even tolerate having you around? How can one look at you and do not want to twist your long, precious neck?"

Celestia's eyes flashed in anger, but she quickly composed herself. "You must be projecting. Your insolence and blasphemy have gone on long enough. I am here to discuss the current situation in Equestria, not to be personally attacked by some spoiled brat who has nothing better to do than torment those around her."

Chrysalis was enjoying this greatly. "A spoiled brat, am I?" Her voice dropped to a creeping, quiet malicious whisper. "What's wrong with chasing your dreams? And I'm being serious—what's wrong with that? What's wrong with having desires and ambitions? So what if I need to break decorum, and a few necks along the way?"

"You are thinking you're breaking decorum!?" Celestia could hardly believe that. "You abolish balance! You're an invading force that's terrorizing and murdering my ponies!"

"Again with this whining about ponies..." Chrysalis sat straight and sized up Celestia with a glare. "What is it about your appearance and your docile, servile nature? It pisses me off. It really is. You're a slave to them, to your fears, and to your precious destiny as well. You..." She jerked her head upwards, giving an indignant look. "How can you be so powerful, you pathetic, broken mare?"

Celestia's muzzle darkened. "Your words speak of a broken mare, but only you could possibly know what that feels like. I know what you are, you dark, scarred creature. How many times did you need to betray those who trusted you in order to rise to power? How long did you have to struggle to gain the strength that you now greedily hold to yourself, too afraid to spend? I can see right through your empty words, and I know the truth about you. You are the slave to your malignant nature, and the one who is broken is you."

Chrysalis made a strange guttural sound and then burst out in laughter. The alicorn felt uneasy, watching how she was rocking in completely unrestrained bouts of it. Finally finishing, Chrysalis made a sharp gasp, thoroughly satisfied. "Pr-r-recious..." she growled like a beast, with a sly gleam in her eyes. "You are so serious about all this... I like it. I like it a lot. What fun we'll have with me as your Queen..."

Celestia snorted. "You are a misguided egoistical savage. Don't tell me that you actually entertain the idea that you can be a ruler equal to me."

Chrysalis kept grinning. "Please. If even a subservient gullible creature like you can lead, I would certainly manage even better. Some demigoddess you are..."

Celestia exhaled, trying to compose herself again. "You are struggling even with a simple hornwriting," she offered with a vague, thin smile.

"I'll have those who can write for me, isn't that what a ruler is supposed to do? Besides, all I need is to be better than you. It can't be that tough... Oh, I definitely can become a better Celestia, yes-s-s..." Her eyes happily lit up at this idea. "Just imagine: more perfect you, more driven you, more bold -"

"Your boldness only serves to mask your weakness," Celestia interrupted, calmly listening to the Queen's fantasies.

"- more superior," Chrysalis laughed, "more beautiful, more divine! Our little ponies would be ecstatic to have me! Why, with all the vast power of the Sun at my hooftips I'll shine brighter than you ever did, and they would come to their doom like moths to a flame!"

"A creature of the dark such as you would never comprehend the power of the Sun, let alone wield it. This is abhorrent to your nature." Celestia winced.

"Power is power." Chrysalis grinned voraciously. "It is simple as that."

"And here it is." Celestia's smile grew into a smirk, as she bobbed her head in accordance with her suspicions. "Exactly the monster that I expected to hear, spewing the words of a dirty lowlife thug that you are, a glutton, that is incapable of building and creating, only to mercilessly devour and to have power for the sake of power. Your ways disgust me, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis' gossamer wings rattled in agitation, and she scoffed wickedly. "You, equines, always tend to overcomplicate... For all your talk, it was mine hooves that brought me Equestria with all of its riches, including yourself!" She cocked her head, and giggled. "Obviously you are not impressed enough. Do you require more demonstration of what I am capable of?"

A demonstration?... Was it all about a demonstration to her? A performance?

"After all you've said and done, you still dare to speak such words in my presence. No." Celestia raised her head with her horn alight, and saw her enemy startled. "I think I've heard and seen enough."

The Sun moved a dozen inches across the sky.

The mechanism, that was installed into a circular window far above them, was set in motion with three quick clicks.

The rays raced through the lenses of an amplifier, towards the focal point, which was not unlike a unicorn's horn.

And the Queen burned.

Most of this room, in fact, in an instant became like an oven, as under Celestia's direction the light reflected through panels, placed beneath the walls. The changeling drones screamed in pain and terror, but their voices were abruptly cut off when Celestia waved her horn. Her gaze was focused solely on the Queen.

Chrysalis tried to flee from the burning light, this heated trap that the throne became to her. The prism shifted its focus, the sunbeam followed, and the floor, equally hot, met her with more scorching pain. Celestia caught Chrysalis with an aura, bringing down the weight of her magic.

The Queen cried a bestial scream, trying to push against the golden glow, but it was for naught. Celestia reached her and pressed down on the skull with a hoof. Her wings burst open in a towering display of dominance.

"𝐼'𝓁𝓁 𝓅𝓊𝓃𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓁𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓉, 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑜𝒷𝑒𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓂𝑒."

The Queen writhed like a snake. The gut-wrenching smell of her burnt flesh hit Celestia's nostrils. The green eye widened in agony and fear.

"𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝒾𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝒾𝓈𝑒𝒹."

She grabbed the Queen's head with aura, and Chrysalis's scream grew into a defiant roar. With a sickening crunch, black blood spluttered over the floor, and the Princess tossed away the broken horn of the changeling.

"𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒶 𝓋𝒾𝓁𝑒, 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑔𝓊𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒, 𝓊𝓃𝒻𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒶 𝓈𝒶𝓅𝒾𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝒹𝓋𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒷𝓎 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃, 𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻𝒾𝓈𝒽, 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓊𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝓇𝓊𝑒𝓁, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝒾𝓈."

The Queen wrestled from underneath the hoof, rolled, trying to shield herself from the heat and light. Celestia did not let her, circling and knocking back in the center of the beam. Chrysalis kept screaming, but now there was mad laughter as well. She kept threatening even now, being powerless. "I will drag you... across all the cities..."

Celestia sneered, looking down at the delusional insectoid, this gnarled beaten mess consisting of nothing but sharp angles, that for some reason crawled up to her and decided she could have her. "𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝑒𝑔𝑜, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓁𝒾𝒸𝑒. 𝐹𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑒, 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓈𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝒹𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈? 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓃𝑜 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒!"

Chrysalis was consumed by utterly psychopathic and deranged laughter. Celestia could see the charred bone showing up from flesh, but even now and in pain, the creature was still refusing to concede or even to lose her consciousness. "I hate..." she spewed, "hate..."

Celestia's aura kept pushing the Queen down on the sizzling floor. "𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝑔𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓉𝑒, 𝒶 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓈𝒾𝓉𝑒, 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒸𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝒮𝑜𝓁𝒶𝓇 𝒹𝑒𝓂𝒾𝑔𝑜𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑜𝑔𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓊𝓂𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓊𝓃 𝒾𝓉𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝑒𝒸𝓉." Feeling that she is losing herself, Celestia lowered her horn, flaring her wings in a battle stance. "𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒞𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒶, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒱𝒶𝓃𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓈𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝒯𝑒𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓇𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒫𝑜𝓃𝓎 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃?"

Chrysalis kept laughing, as even in such a condition, she kept trying to stand. "You..." One of her hooves became melded to the floor, and in an enormous effort, the Queen tore it clean away. She limply stepped closer, bearing a manic, distorted look. "Y-you..."

"I am not afraid of you, nor your threats." Celestia's horn flared. "All you dark creatures, conniving and devious, are strong only when you're preying on the weak. You only know how to strike from shadows and revel in the wanton cruelty, as well as the misery of others. You have no strength in my dominion and no advantage over me. Not anymore! For every pony you've killed, you and your kind will repay tenfold!"

The Queen's voice was sonorous and raspy. "I know what you fear..." She mustered a snide grin, almost crawling now. Celestia had no intention to back down. "Your ponies... I could've slain them all at any second, just to see pain in your eyes... To savor this pain... To see it, to feel it. I wanted to crush them and to get a glimpse of your rage. This... this fire..." Chrysalis bared her fangs. "I should've smothered it years ago."

Celestia grasped Chrysalis' jaw and, with controlled telekinetic force, dislodged her teeth down her throat. Chrysalis made a muffled protesting cry, jerking back. When Celestia released the changeling in a moment, the Queen moved her head down, throwing up blood and white fragments of her teeth from a broken jaw, which was almost torn apart. She was in shock, shaking with all her body.

"Why the spell of my student didn't fix this?" Celestia growled, narrowing her eyes. "Why? Why!? Why were you allowed to continue this discrepancy? Why had it gone this far!?" Her voice was becoming more and more loud. "Why were you deemed in the right to commit all those atrocities? Isn't a life of kindness better than a life of hatred and evil? Is love not better than hate? Is peace and harmony not better than suffering and fighting? How can it be that your hateful ideology that revels in sin can be equal to any ideal that seeks to do good? Is it because your ideology gives you pleasure? Is it because you enjoy hating? Is it because you enjoy the suffering of others? How can your sins be equal to that of good? Is it? Is it!?"

A deafening silence hung over them, and the alicorn recognized that she was screaming at the top of her lungs. All her feelings of betrayal poured out, almost bringing her to tears. It was not how it was supposed to be... It was unfair to her.

But the universal laws never were something fair...

Chrysalis sharply exhaled. All this time she kept pushing towards her, and her sudden touch sent treacherous shiver down Celestia's spine.

"Fine." The Queen murmured with bloody squirts from her mouth. Despite her broken jaw, she still was able to speak coherently. "Fine. Fine. I've no use for your ponies... I do not care about them anymore." She grasped Celestia's neck, looking deep, hateful, and longing, into her eyes, bleeding all over her fur. Their chests pushed against one another. "Only you."

"What exactly do you mean?" Celestia spoke guarded and stunned.

Chrysalis' torn lips twisted in contempt, and she slowly uttered, giving an impression like this action was bringing her more pain than any of the torture beforehoof. "I won't be hurting them any longer. I promise."

"What are you trying to tell me? That you won't feed on them? Why?" The moment she said it, Celestia realized what the answers were. She was freefalling into a deep chasm with no control over it. She needed to ask it. She needed to hear it.

"I've reached deep inside of you..." Chrysalis' voice slithered. "I... I... Can you even imagine how much love I took from you? You can't. I didn't want to leave you unmolested. I wanted to enslave you. I wanted to win, and I was so close, so close! I've reached deeper and deeper, and it was like a well that was still going, and going, and going... Like a cavern... An endless brilliance, full of succulent, magnificent power." Celestia never expected to see Chrysalis being this enchanted. Her gaze wandered beyond the alicorn to something that filled her with reverent awe. "So I've took and took, and I was sated for the first time in my existence, and you... all you did was keep looking at me with those love-stricken eyes... I've drained more than I would ever be able to, and you didn't even notice. You... the Sun..." She laughed bitterly and pushed muzzles with hers'. "You are the most precious and cherished thing to me, demigoddess... I hate it." Her eye flared with baleful green fire. "I hate it. You've bound me to yourself, and I hate it! I hate it!!"

Celestia shoved her away, and Chrysalis weakly stumbled, as if in an instant all determination was gone from her. Clutching her disfigured head, she wailed through the bouts of nervous mad laughter, intermingled with crying from her sole remaining eye.

'I can use it,' a callous thought found its way into Celestia's mind, and she feared the possibility.

What had happened didn't change anything. The Queen was still a threat, and any kind of deal with her is bound to end in disaster.

In fact, the Queen became only more unstable now.

It needed to end soon.

"You're delusional," said Celestia. "You lie. You just want me. You're developing an obsession. You want to leech my divine essence to satisfy your hunger without care for anything else."

Taking hold of herself, Chrysalis spat a blob of blood on the ground, and snorted. "You'd expect me to lie, would you, my hateful nemesis? You pathetic mare... You certainly seem like a type that would appreciate a sweet fantasy more than any truth." She suddenly engaged in pondering. "Maybe I should've lied. It's what everyone does all the time, after all. Small lies, big lies, self-serving lies, white lies—yes, I could've pretended to being changed to trick you and to play along, to hide mine intentions behind pretty words and then worm into your heart..." She cackled, sweeping the destruction around them with a satisfied look. "It would've been so much easier..."

"I will not be a meal for you to enjoy!" Celestia growled, her ears pulling back.

Chrysalis fixed her eyes on Celestia and hissed, pronouncing with crystal clarity, "I will burn the whole world for your love, Celestia." She paused, seemingly surprised by her own words, and gave a devious and bloody grin. "...Oh, wife, my dear, believe me!... I'd absolutely would. After all, I want to."

She took a shaking step closer.

"I want it to burn," she repeated. "I want this. I want us, burning with it. I want to feel alive, to challenge, to conquer and be conquered. No half-measures. Don't you want the same?" The Queen stared with an inquisitive glare.

If only for a short while, but Celestia bated breath and listened to how her heart was thumping madly in the ribcage. In some regard, this astute monster was right. The desire to let go of restraints was tempting her again. Will it now forever be like this?

Ancient memories emerged, and an impossibly long life flashed before her eyes in an instant.

Celestia exhaled, letting the fumes go through the corner of her mouth, and raised her stark gaze back to the Queen. "Show me your power," she demanded. "I want to see what drives you."

"As you wish, -" Chrysalis giggled, and lowered her head down in an exaggerated, scornful bow. "- my Princess."

It surged from her, and Celestia was forced to shield herself with a wing. She looked down, noticing her hooves scraping against the floor. It was pushing her. The raging magical power bellowed like fire from a furnace, and at the center of it, Celestia saw a figure enveloped in the cloak of all bright colors.

'Where is the Darkness?' Her thoughts streamed haphazardly, while she was squinting and trying to withstand the surge. 'Why—what is this, blinding me? How dare she blind me!?'

"Ah, how I love this..." Chrysalis whispered with malice. "How I hate this... You have no idea how filled I am... how... how fed up I am... by this... by you... and all this power, all along, was all here, in this realm!" The Queen was becoming more maddened by the minute. "This love had blinded you, didn't it, Celestia!? It had made you weaker... It had made me stronger!" Her laughter was truly unhinged. "You've become so careless, my ancient nemesis, and now, now, for everything that I've caused it is you to blame, you hear me!? How does it f—"

Wide-eyed, Celestia launched a ray of magic at her. The figure stumbled, clutching her abdomen, and her light swiftly began to recede. With the deceitful visage gone, a painfully familiar beast bared her fractured teeth in a savage, gory grin. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"Stop this nonsense." Celestia frowned. "You are getting carried away. You are at fault for your wrongdoings, and no one else!"

Chrysalis cackled, still holding her wound. "It was worth a shot."

So that was the power of the Queen? That was something that she had stolen? It was overwhelming. It was truly dangerous.

With tension dying down, Chrysalis' broken horn fruitlessly sizzled, as she tried to pull one of the dead changelings, still strewn around, closer to her. She even bit down her lip in an effort.

Celestia glanced at the bodies. "You've been replacing my ponies. What have you done to the originals?"

"Why, I don't know, care to manage a guess?" Chrysalis scoffed. "Don't you worry, dearest, none of them were wasted. Their essence helped in my ascension to the throne. You might say, they died for the cause. What virtue can be higher than that?"

Celestia pursed her lips for a moment, and then wordlessly blasted Chrysalis again. The Changeling Queen screamed in anguish, but then quickly recovered, throwing a vengeful glare.

Chrysalis crawled to the body of her deceased spawn and widened her maw, filled with blood and broken teeth. She tore into the soft flesh of the stomach of the creature.

It must've been quite an arduous effort, judging by animalistic growling noises from the Queen, while she was failing to get a strong grip with the damaged jaw. It was painful to watch. This savagery had no place in the Throne Room, and yet Celestia didn't intervene, keeping wondering about the nature of this macabre display.

After Chrysalis managed to wolf down a few bites, she proceeded to tear a hoof from the changeling, gnawing on it while keeping her single eye trained on Celestia.

The alicorn cleared her throat, and her calm voice filled the room with a ringing echo, "This is what's going to happen. You will drop any notion of hostility, and I will find a use for you and your minions in my Equestria. Maybe, in time, when I will break the bind between us, I will come to tolerate your presence, if you manage to prove that there is any worth in it. You will cease calling me your wife, it disgusts me. The engagement arrangement you've dragged me into is a fictive one, as it was made under duress. I null it."

Chrysalis chuckled. She opened her maw, and the thick saliva with a strong natural scent leaked down on the stump on her foreleg. Celestia noticed that the fangs of the Queen almost fully grew anew. "Aren't you a morbid one..." Chrysalis gave a derisive look, sticking the torn hoof in place of her own. "This is what your idea of negotiating looks like? Threats and ultimatums?"

"I am amazed that you are even aware of such words." Celestia stared stonily. "You do not deserve anything else."

"And I am amazed that you presumed your moronic propositions would be acted upon," Chrysalis scoffed. "So you think that you can just geld me and then boss me around? No, you will never bend me that easily... I refuse, my Celestia. This will never work."

Silence fell again between them. For nearly a minute Celestia watched how her enemy was replacing her horn next, which then began to transform to accommodate the size—all just as twisted as this insectile pegacorn was. There was no doubt that the shapeshifter could regain the lost limbs by other means... It was again a mere performance, intended for the only witness.

With the sole fact of her existence, this creature was already asking to be beaten down to a pulp.

Celestia felt an unwavering resolve inside and embraced it. "There is no choice..." She ruefully smirked. "I challenge you. We will settle our differences in battle. You against me, one against one, no intermediaries and no distractions."

"Yes! Yes!" In a rush, Chrysalis abruptly stood up, and flinched, almost falling—the loss of blood must've got to her. "You get it, do you? You know that you're not like those ponies, you understand this drive, the desire, the push!"

"The fire..." Celestia became quiet, feeling it under her coat, how it was stirring her and driving her thoughts. "This demand to stand your ground, whatever the odds... You might be an outsider, but you share it."

"This is where the life is..." Chrysalis whispered. "This is where the Dark lies. The elation, the power, the struggle... It's like sex. You can't pull away from it, and if you do, all you are left with are your own thoughts, your emptiness. Or worse, you'll just get devoured, and we all need to fill ourselves with something, don't we?..."

Celestia felt a sharp pain inside, a sensation of longing. The feeling of being alive, of being free to move on one's own terms. The chase... "You will pull no tricks on me," she warned, wrestling the control over herself.

"And where is the fun in that? No, dearest, we will come at each other with full force. I want to see everything that you have to offer, all the fire that you have, and I'll give all of mine in return!" Chrysalis scowled, as arrogant as ever. "Promise me that you won't be holding back like you did in all past years!"

"Oh?..." The thrill was getting to Celestia. Evidently, this changeling creature could take the heat, couldn't she? Celestia didn't want to pacify herself anymore. Didn't she already done the worst she could? Weren't her ponies hurt? Wasn't the situation dire?... In sheer spite, she put her hoof down. "No harm shall come to others!"

"I did say I won't hurt them, didn't I?" Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "But I want everyone to see how I destroy you, mare, so don't you dare run from this city! It all will happen here."

"They will all see how you are defeated this time, Queen of the Changelings." Celestia slowly, graciously nodded. "Your threat will end forever, one way or another. You will surrender to me, or die."

The insectoid gritted her teeth in an ardent snarl. A pair of thin wings sprouted from her back, sending across the heated floor droplets of glistening fluid. "When? Now!?"

Yet again, Celestia caught herself almost submitting to the fervor. No, she was not going to be led by these basic, primal compulsions... As painful as it was, she restrained herself. "The dusk. Let it all commence at the dusk."

It was funny how genuinely displeased she sounded.

But It all was just like in the ages of old.

It all felt fitting.

"I will see that my ponies remain safe, and if you touch them again..." Celestia's voice deepened, becoming laced with menace. "If I see that you ever going back on your word... Nothing will stop me. You won't be saved from me by anything. I vow this."

"Responsibilities are such a bore." Chrysalis nervously grinned. "Oh, but I can understand... Fine! Lets meet in the evening and resolve this once and for all. And don't you dare be too late this time..."

Celestia exhaled. Is this really what they are doing right now? Is this a proper challenge and threat from another ancient creature, from someone who regarded her as a warrior? "Good." The Princess was silent for a moment, and then smiled. "Come with me now, Queen. We have time, so let's take a walk for a while."

"...Just walk? That's it?" Chrysalis cocked her eyebrow, amused. Even her voice somehow became more mundane.

"Yes. You aren't afraid of just walking with me, do you?"

Step 14 — "The reach of" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, afternoon

Inwardly she was like nature, chaotic and irrational. She had no vision of this chaos: it ruled her and swamped her. It sucked her into miasmas, into hurricanes, into caverns of blind suffering.

𒄈 For the first time you watch raptly like a child, eager to consume and to be filled without much of a judgment or even a passing thought. Being guided by feelings and presumptions, you are expecting an unraveling.

After it, comes something else... You widen your mind's eye... You see the design. You see how pieces, floating in the unknown, become familiar to you. At long last, your urge to explain and see connections becomes warranted.

The nature of the world is apparent to all. Everything has its own conflict. Everything can have its own harmony. Day and night, Light and Dark, Order and Chaos, heat and cold, magic and logic, pleasure and pain, good and evil, love and hate—all woven into the fabric of the universe, and within all lies the essence of true power: balance. It will sway back and forth like the pendulum of a clock, with opposites to contrast against, never completely stagnant.

There are forces that work to unbalance the scales.

There are forces that act as a buffer against the opposites.

One must be mindful of the allure of the extremes, to not be consumed by them, and to not forget true purpose.

But even while Celestia was a witness to the grand clockwork of the universe, she believed it couldn't be that simple... It couldn't be that categorical... It can't be that comprehendible.

It just can't. It shouldn't adhere to her more or less equine comprehension of the world... These opposites and their juxtapositions... shouldn't there be something more, something beyond it?

There was supposed to be an elusive grasp on something associated with childhood innocence, and it was now long lost to her... Was she incapable of witnessing the scope of the full picture? A solemn dissatisfaction tormented her, a gentle and patient yearning for enlightenment.

But some things weren't meant to be...

And yet...

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Both apprehension and curiosity rang in Chrysalis' voice. She grinned. "Admiring your work?"

"Not exactly." Celestia wrinkled her snout. "You should adopt a more approachable look."

Chrysalis' terrible wounds were still mending, as if she was constantly slowly shifting back into her original form. Her jagged foreleg was rubbing at the damaged eye socket. A bright green color shone in its depth.

Celestia slightly tilted her head, measuring how fast the Queen could rejuvenate, and how far she needed to be brought down for it to stop being relevant. At the very least it finally explained how she survived their battles of the ages past. The gathered intelligence never could provide a concrete answer to it, not even when coupled with magical scrying, so it was always assumed that either a fake was destroyed or some other Queen was later emerging from a defanged Hive, carrying the same likeness and the same curse of hunger. After all, the changelings always looked similar to ponies' eyes.

"Where shall we go?" Chrysalis' chipper voice broke the tense silence. She traced her foreleg down from the top of her head, and new silken hair sprouted straight from the scorched skull. "Do you want to show my new demesne?"

"You will see," Celestia replied calmly. "For now all that I need is for you to remain inconspicuous. Can you manage?"

Chrysalis cackled at this jab and leaned closer. "Appearances are everything, right?... Oh, by the way..." She pressed into Celestia's chest. The alicorn suppressed the urge to flinch. "You all covered in me."

Celestia glanced down, finally noticing the clotted blood that soiled her fur.

"I think it suits you," Chrysalis continued with a playful whisper. "Want me to clean it up?"

Celestia let flames course through her body. The changeling gasped and quickly retracted the burned limb, shaking it wildly. The spilled blood had been seared away, leaving a small burnt patch.

"Nice." Chrysalis bit on her hoof and then wilted a little under Celestia's direct gaze. "Fine. Watch me." She stood straight, summoning her powers.

The witchfire concealed her in a raging pillar, evaporating as suddenly as it came into existence. What was left after it was a scrawny black-feathered kite. Its trembling fourfold tuft mirrored the Queen's crown-shaped crest, located on the head of her true form.

The bird flapped her wings and perched on Celestia's back, placing her sharp talons with unexpected care. The alicorn did not move, however.

"Anyone with a straight-set pair of eyes would recognize you."

Bringing up another sheath of bright green magic, Chrysalis wreathed herself in warm yellow and hot red, appearing similar to Philomena. Her voice slithered from the beak: "Ah, Celestia, that reminds me... Have you ever paid attention to how your ponies have predator eyes? Always facing their goal... They might as well be born killers, just like you and me."

Celestia allowed herself a grim smile.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 "-and since nature remains in a constant continuous renewal, and nothing is truly gone, they are now become one with the magic of Equestria. One day they shall return to us as newborns, as dictated by the cycles of nature... Praise be the everlasting Sun, the giver of life, and praise be the Moon and the stars. Let them all aid in their journey, so they reach safely their next destination," the mortician finished his speech and gave space for a pony who wished to give a eulogy. A lengthy line remained behind him. The oral tradition of remembering the deeds of the dead remained relevant to ponies ever since before the founding of Equestria.

Celestia lost count of how many of these she had witnessed over the years. As always, she kept her head solemnly lowered, pressing her hoof against the breastplate.

Chrysalis remained on her shoulder. Sometimes she was procuring a small echoing giggle.

A sizable crowd had gathered at the town square not far from the Hospital, while remaining under the watchful surveillance of the guards. At first, Celestia intended to disperse it, as it was going against the curfew, but then it became obvious she couldn't do so in good conscience.

With mostly none of the immediate threats remaining, the ponies turned their attention to the recently deceased. Their search for the missing relatives and their consequent identifying grew into a full-blown sermon, and the morticians and undertakers of the Canterlow were forced to take the situation into their hooves.

The citizens were in demand of some semblance of closure, and of addressing the occurred tragedy. The Canterlot's morgue wasn't capable of hosting the required amount of bodies, so they were mostly transported directly to the memorial gardens.

Celestia stood amid common ponies and grieved with them, but her thoughts never remained still, and her concerns carried them to the other matters. Among other things, she was bothered by the reports of windigos sightings. They could amass and feast on this disharmony, so every discrepancy must've been solved as quick as possible.

The ice spirits were drawn to conflict and were always trying to bolster their ranks by ripping away untethered souls—or simply badly tethered, like with newborns and the elderly. Their presence was supposed to be diminished at summer, not to say their attention was usually directed elsewhere, and only recently they began to return to the sun-blessed lands.

Celestia was painfully aware of the true reasons behind their return.

The ponies could do little to oppose them. If those who were supposed to keep wendigos at bay did their duty, life would've been easier for every denizen of Equestria...

The mortician had given her a cue. She needed to lend her voice to the sermon, and so she did, lowering her head a little more. That voice of hers, usually powerful and sonorous, sounded appropriately bleak, "It is a great transgression. A terrible tragedy... Let the stars guide them so they shall rest peacefully with their ancestors at their side."

"Let the stars guide..." a chorus of voices replied from the crowd.

No one had noticed that the stars had changed. Most ponies do not bother to look at the sky that often, after all.

Someone was loudly crying nearby. Every word was coming to her with great effort. Celestia subdued the choky feeling in her throat, trying not to show too much weakness and only the right amount of emotion.

"Every moment of life is a greatest miracle, and they were robbed of it. To me, they are all like poor, wronged children... Their lives were snuffed away too soon... Their potential and dreams were extinguished in an instant." She steadied her breath and squeezed out final words, full of genuine pain, "It was a grave injustice. I weep with you, my little ponies."

It was enough. Her aching heart was on display for all.

The mourning citizens mostly remained silent.

The mortician resumed his speech.

The ancient alicorn always felt at a loss in situations like this. No words of sincerity were enough to convey her great compassion, and since she never got accustomed to these sensations, she never knew what to say and how to say it.

They all needed to persevere...

Celestia fervently wished for Luna to be here, as her presence would've given her the necessary strength, the assurance that something is still right in this world. Despite everything they had done and all they achieved, the history was mercilessly repeating itself. Celestia subdued another shaky sigh and turned, slowly made her way to the edge of the scattered crowd. What else she could say to them? What else she could do? She knew what they felt, since a long time ago she was forced to treat her Sister as if she was dead, too... She wished to tell them that one day their grief will fade away and they will be free to live at peace with this burden, not being defined by it.

Of course, she couldn't do so. While it was the truth, from her it also would be almost a blatant lie.

Chrysalis' voice crept into existence from behind her ear. "Tell me, how do you feel?... Share with me everything. Facing your fears is liberating, is it not?" A feral delight was in it, as if she expected the alicorn to be already broken.

"No..." Celestia exhaled. "It just makes me sad and hurt." She allowed herself a small, crooked smirk. "Do you want to see me sad and hurt, Chrysalis?"

"Are you—" Chrysalis abruptly cut herself off, and after a brief silence, drawled, "Really, now."

Celestia observed the town square from aside. No one bothered to take down various decorations, nor even to clean up that much. The former celebration of life and union was now deeply, disturbingly entwined with a macabre brutality of destruction of death. Celestia barely turned her head to the unsolicited passenger on her back. "Why all you want is only to bring more suffering into the world?"

"Oh, come on... It's just your ponies. Not a big deal, literally."

"What about them, then?" Celestia observed the changeling bodies that were dropped into a messy heap. The guards still were busy collecting those with the intent to transport them later to a remote location on the outskirts of the Everfree. The foul emanations of those were inviting all sorts of dark energies, at least according to Celestia's estimation. No one would bother to bury them, not to say to lay them to rest at a memorial garden. All will be burned.

"What about them?" Chrysalis chuckled. "Is that why you dragged me out here? What a bore..."

The Queen needed to be confronted directly, it seemed. Celestia steeled herself. "Chrysalis, why are you like this? Why do you hate ponies so much?"

There was another amused chuckle. "What, are you not satiated that I am your foe? Why is there must be anything else to it?" Chrysalis leaned closer. "Be a good pony and remain ignorant, just like your subjects would. Some questions are better to be left unanswered."

"And yet it was you who urged others to learn more... Let's say that I agree, I've followed that advice and decided to know you," Celestia conceded. "So, let me be strict. Why all this?"

"Who would've known that you might be just as irritating as that little purple pet of yours," Chrysalis hissed, but then added, contemplating, "Though, I suppose, she had to learn it from somepony."

"You see, it had come to my attention that we never tried to discuss any of it." Celestia shrugged. "Instead of talking you always preferred to hide from me or berate me from a safe distance. Sometimes you tried to do both."

Chrysalis laughed. Her voice was almost carefree in its mirthfulness, "I knew you just pretended to not hear me!"

Celestia's ear twitched. "Your motives can't be about the supremacy of your own kind—as far as I am concerned, you think of your species even less than of others."

"My species?" Chrysalis slowly uttered with a disdainful scoff. "Such arrogance. This sense of entitlement of yours... How full of yourself you must feel, trying to define everything through the scope of your own limited existence."

Celestia pursed her lips. "Despite what you may try to imply, I saw merely an equine insectoid."

"I am a changeling, a shapeshifter!" The Queen rose her head high. "An eclectic being. I appear however it suits me, and that form is most natural to me. Didn't you see?" A smile resounded in her voice. "That was me. I like being me..."

"Are you trying to divert this conversation?" Celestia gave a pointed look to the bird on her back. "Don't you understand what this is all about? You are a creature that revels in the freedom of not trying to conform. Bearing such an appearance and announcing yourself a Queen is the last thing you'd ever want."

"Conformity, right," Chrysalis huffed dismissively. "When I will defeat you, I'll redefine everything to my liking."

Celestia made a short, courteous laugh. "Are you delusional? You'll just get bored with it, and, as you seem to be inclined, will burn everything down. I've seen enough to ascertain that you'd run from responsibility like from a wildfire. Disregarding your ignoble fantasies, tell me, have you ever acted like a Queen even once, like a real Queen, not mimicking one?" The Princess kept smiling. "I'd guess not, as a mimic is all that you are. Even in that 'form', as you say, you are trying to appear similar to an alicorn... Now that's a curious choice, to say the least. So many shapes to choose from, and that's your favorite..."

"And you hate that, do you?" Chrysalis replied in an insinuating tone.

"It's not about me." Celestia frowned.

"Oh, is it? It seems to me, with you everything is always about you or your ponies..." Chrysalis cackled. "You can wipe that smug expression, my dearest burnt marshmallow, as I'm not trying to appear like you. I've told my goals and reasons to all of you creatures many times already. It is hunger. Satisfaction. Power. And maybe, just maybe, I take that form only because it is the most unnerving thing to ponies. See, how simple is that?" The Queen almost whispered in her ear. "There are no purposes and no hidden meanings. Accept it. Not everything should revolve around you or cater to your oh-so-important destiny."

"It sounds simple enough, true..." Celestia replied, quietly but stubborn.

She took a deep breath and let the calm embrace her. An ethereal wind soothed her, streaming down her mane. Despite all the pain and emotions, a certain stillness remained in the world around her, as well as inside her divine soul.

Celestia never was a stranger to conflict.

The right words came to her naturally.

"All life is fragile, my Queen. Even yours."

Chrysalis was taken by surprise. For a few long seconds she was dead silent, until she regained her bearings and uttered, "And yet, we remain."

"We? What do you mean by we?"

"We. The ageless creatures."

Celestia sighed deeply, looking at the dead. "Chrysalis... Can't you ever think of anyone other than yourself?"

"I can think about us, and how we are still clinging, despite all this fragility... Quite a feat, is it not?" Chrysalis asked smugly, but then her voice turned bitter. "We prevailed against all possible odds... Don't you think it is beautiful?"

Celestia raised her eyebrow. "And what about all those who wanted to live too? They have just as much rights for it as we do."

"Are you trying to appeal to my conscience? Why do you even try? This is something that always fascinated me about your kind. The dead are useless, and yet you always run around and treat them like they're special. Just look at those ponies, look how they wallow in their misery and self-importance, how they cry and try to find value in life only when it is suddenly snatched away by glorious beasts such as I. 'Oh-oh-oh just look at us, look how we're dying, look!'," the Queen mocked, laughing. "It's what they want, no, it's what they need, for others to notice and to indulge in their suffering, to pity them! It's just so, so-o-o pathetic, especially when you consider that their memory of the dead is even more fickle than their love for themselves and for each other!" The Queen's eyes glowed with malicious fire. "Take ten, fifty, one hundred years, nothing for creatures like you and me, and nothing would be remembered by them, nothing would be left of those who died, nothing but a faint memory that slips away with each passing day!... You've seen them dying by thousands during your reign, and each next one was less significant than the other, is it not?... Don't blame yourself... It's only natural, Celestia. Even your ponies are not so different. They are happy to forget anything that might darken their little insignificant days... And you know what?..." The Queen suddenly made a pause, and then her voice fell to dramatic half-whisper. "They won't remember you just as well... Don't you feel angry about that?... Don't you see injustice in it, that for all the good you've ever done, if you cease to exist today, nothing will remain of you? What will be your legacy, a few dusty books to your name? Oh, maybe a lousy statue!? I've seen a lot of statues around Canterlot, so much that they just might be another type of decor, so let me ask you, what does each one of them represent? Even you don't know, do you? Is each one supposed to be yet another self-sacrificial fool who was lost to the passage of time? Another brick in the foundation of this realm, so those cretins could keep ignorantly waddling around?"

Celestia exhaled, white smoke quickly evaporating from the corner of her mouth.

Chrysalis kept whispering, insistent, insolent, discordant, "Every good deed, all the lessons you've taught, all the ponies you've helped... Just think of it... It all amounts to nothing. You don't have any heirs now to carry on your futile philosophies. When you are gone, your real self and all that you stood for will be swept away by rumors and speculations. The whole world would know you as a pitiable, weak—"

"It is better to be a self-sacrificial fool than a self-serving cynic," Celestia growled, and the Queen finally shut her running mouth. It bought for Celestia a few seconds to think, as well as allowing her to stove away another retort from her mind. It was just too miserable to say out loud... Still, her strained voice fell a few octaves. "When you die, they won't remember you just as well. I can see it clearly now... They must heal from your presence and move on, and you and your kind must fall into obscurity. That would satisfy me greatly."

"Yes, they will heal," Chrysalis spoke slowly and maliciously. "But it doesn't matter whether you want it or not, as to forget is in their nature, and to remember is in ours. It is a burden for creatures like us..." She gave her a brief, but exceptionally sly look. "Well, maybe it's more your burden than mine... You know... Your ponies are so full of love... What will happen when someone leaves them unchecked? Maybe they will proceed to breed like the vermin they are?" Chrysalis giggled, satisfied by her rationale. "Now that's something to consider, isn't it? What if my ravaging of your kind has a purpose after all—to keep it from spreading all over the world like an infectious disease?"

Celestia huffed, indulging this line of thought, and then smirked stalwartly. "What an excuse to be absolutely abysmal. No, you are too petty. You're saying that only because I had compared you to a cancer earlier."

"Well, you know," the Queen laughed, "you wanted an explanation why I exist? Here it is, what's not to like?"

"That's truly twisted, Chrysalis."

"Is it?"

"Besides, it's wrong," Celestia demurred. "Most of my ponies simply aren't an adventurous sort. They seek to enjoy simple pleasures that make their lives fulfilling, so they prefer to remain homely and improve their surroundings. Their population can be self-contained and stable over the hundreds of years. They don't want much because they don't need much, and my society can be safely called as one where competition is unnecessary because the resources are in abundance."

Chrysalis snorted. The sound was completely inequine-like. "You really think that way?..."

"You know what I am after," Celestia replied in a gentle voice. "Harmony."

She saw in the corner of her eye how Chrysalis turned her head away in sheer disgust. "Harmony..." She glanced back. "What an idiocy. Harmony is a fallacy, and I'd expect you to know why. Come on, now. Say it."

"Say exactly what?" Celestia asked defensively.

"You know what I mean..." Chrysalis sneered with insistence. "Surely you've noticed it over a millennium of your reign? You can't be that daft..."

"Indulge me. I am a mare of many talents, but I am still yet to learn to become a telepath."

"Fine. I'll spell it out for you..." Chrysalis licked her beak with a small tongue. The changeling was savoring incoming words. "You see, dear, you are the only creature in the entire world gullible enough to believe that Harmony can be even remotely achieved. Even your ponies do not believe in it. Not all. Not really. Any of them would consider it a fantasy of some senile mare, who means well, but... You know... In their eyes, she hasn't had a day of real hardship in her life, isn't she?... Some Princess... She must have a tunnel vision, chasing her hazy, ardent dreams, and willing to lull naive and foolhardy into obedience. What a joke you are. A pretty picture of power, and nothing more."

"Yes, I see..." Celestia smirked again. A glimmer was in her eyes. "I'll let you know, then, that only one believer is enough, even if it is only me. Even one can be a spark from which the flames are born."

"You can't seriously be like this. Leave these fantasies for moldable children, will you?" There was derisiveness in the Queen's voice. A sheer disbelief.

"The Harmony is a fundamental concept of the world," Celestia replied calmly, raising her head. "Strictly saying, it isn't even a matter of mine beliefs. The path toward it is indeed a difficult one, but if I need to reiterate it as something I believe in, then I will do it as many times as necessary, and it would suffice. Try to dissuade me, Queen, and you will fail."

"Ridiculous," Chrysalis uttered under her breath.

"Have you ever noticed how this world strives for order?" Celestia kept talking quietly. "Did you ever look at the night sky with its constellations, at what they represented before your reckless gamble with the powers of destiny? Have you ever laid your eyes on the shape of a snowflake? Have you ever pondered the sacred symmetry of our existence, and how all the flaws are embedded into it by the design, in things both great and small? The world demands balance, and even while not everything can be achieved by nature's will alone, we living beings are all remain a part of it. I can say to you with certainty: we are all enacting this will through our actions. We remain a part of this living whole." She steadied her breath. "Even if it is only but a hazy dream, let me ask you, since we are all in this together, why not strive to be kind and considerate to one another? Is it really so bad—despite everything that had defined us in the past, despite all doubts—to try?"

Chrysalis kept being silent for a few seconds, as if allowing Celestia to keep going.

Then, the alicorn felt how the Queen leaned onto her back, burying herself in the mist-like mane. Grasping Celestia's neck, Chrysalis muttered in her ear in a hoarse and breathless whisper, "Ah, how I adore you..."

Celestia tensed up, surprised by the raw sincerity in Chrysalis' voice.

She didn't reply instantly, so the Queen continued to unravel her thoughts, "I never expected that talking to you can be so odd..."

Celestia raised her ears, expecting an explanation.

"There's really no one like you out there. Even your sister and nieces, or whatever you call the other alicorns, they didn't impress me as much... and believe me, I've come to know some of them rather intimately."

"Get to the point," Celestia demanded through clenched teeth.

"You see... talking to you is like talking to a living star. You really are the Sun, sometimes serene, detached and warm, and yet... compelling."

"That is not an original praise," Celestia replied slowly. "Besides, you know the truth of my existence—in many ways, I am the same entity as the Sun.

"Yes, you are... I can't help but wonder, how can it be possible?" The Queen's whispers became almost wistful. "Were you dragged down from the sky by the reach of some invisible hand and placed to watch over mortals?... And what of other alicorns? What are they?"

"Maybe you shouldn't indulge in such thoughts." Unfettered, Celestia turned to meet Chrysalis' eyes. "It won't save you when we'll fight."

"You are quite a mystery to be solved, demigoddess," the bird giggled, and then suddenly took off.

Chrysalis flew barely a few hoofsteps. A green flame of transformation flared, but before it managed to draw attention, Celestia concealed them both with an invisibility field. Still acting in this spontaneity, she pushed the incessantly laughing Queen into the nearest alleyway.

"Now that's such a convenient spell!" She kept grinning merrily.

"Chrysalis," Celestia hissed.

"What?... Why the sour look? What else did you expect? It's you who is bound to the ponies' expectations, not I!"

"I won't tolerate you inciting even more panic and rumors. You've done enough. Let them grieve in peace."

"You want to hide me away like some embarrassing secret, do you? Your anger is exquisite..." Chrysalis gave a last giggle, and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Now, jokes aside... Celestia, why did you bring me out here, if not for a spectacle? Do you seriously think you can break me by speeches?"

Celestia regarded her with a stern look, still fuming. "I was observing you. I refuse to believe that you're some magical beast that learned to talk, spawn, and shapeshift, and then simply proceeded to use these abilities to her ill will. There must be a greater reason behind your actions."

"Ah, this again... Why do I need a reason?" Chrysalis arched a brow, beginning to sound irritated. "Why can't I be just compelled to slaughter?"

"This doesn't explain the hatred. Moreover, you are too... astute, I suppose... and extravagant, for an insane rabid beast," Celestia admitted begrudgingly. "No, there must be something that goes beyond banal urges. Are you beholden to some vendetta against my ponies?"

"All this attention from you, my powerful Sun, is enough to make a girl melt," Chrysalis intoned smugly. "I've noticed something interesting about you too. You're far more composed than I'd expect. You do not care about the demise of your ponies that much after all, do you?"

Celestia ignored the provocation. "Why is this hatred?" She was staring piercingly, unmoving. "What is the source of your pain?"

"Pain!? Why pain?" Chrysalis growled. "Why my hatred must be coming from pain? Mare, I am enjoying doing what I do! Some of us have to!"

"It doesn't exactly align with what you were saying last night..." Celestia narrowed her eyes, making Chrysalis even more uneasy. "I do not appreciate you trying to fool me. I can read you, creature. Do keep in mind that I was a politician longer than you even existed."

"Oh do you, now?..." Chrysalis snidely replied. Her wings trembled. "A politician, are you?... Not a leader?..."

"You know what I meant."

"Am I supposed to be impressed now by your two-faced nature?"

"So you're a lowly hypocrite, then?"

"Well, I haven't meant it's a bad thing..." Chrysalis cackled. "I get it... I've told you before that easy answers bore me, and it's true, they leave me cold, but isn't it rude to pry a girl like you do?"

"So you want me to ask nicely?" Celestia snorted. "And here I thought that you'd be thrilled to talk about yourself. I've never heard of coy monsters."

"What can I say?" Chrysalis grinned. "I'm a wildflower. I bloom when I please, not when the seasons decide for me."

She moved closer in a swift fluid step, and Celestia caught a scent of her breath—sweet and welcoming, even if unnaturally so. She suddenly became aware of how close they are.

"With all this insistence you're forgetting something else, something even more simple..." said Chrysalis warmly. "What if violence just really turns me on?"

Something inside Celestia tied into a knot. Her horn sparkled, and her voice fell to a low growl, "Do not touch me... You're still intending to deceive me, changeling. There's nothing sexual to your feeding practices, not usually. You're treating it like an animal would, as something that you need for sustenance."

What outsider in their right mind could be attracted to any of her ponies, anyway? What a wicked and unnatural thought.

Chrysalis was certainly sharing it. "It's not often personal, it's true." She pulled back. "Mostly the exhilaration of hunt and kill... Of cutting down when they're up high... Those pathetic little morsels do not deserve me at my best."

Celestia all tensed up, but then slowly let it go. "...So what now? Will you remain tight-lipped? This is laughable... My ponies do not even harm anyone. They are meant to co-habit with others, to be pleasant." Celestia shook her head, sounding almost desperate. This shouldn't bear so much significance... "I do not understand why my species deserve hate..."

Chrysalis sighed with a growl in her throat and averted her eyes.

"Why are you so defensive?" Celestia slightly scowled. "Is it because you aware that your hatred is irrational?"

Chrysalis was just peering into the distance. "Ponies, ponies, ponies... Hate for ponies, love for ponies... Ponies hurting, ponies grieving... It's all you on about, do you?" she hissed and turned to face the Princess. The corner of her lips trembled, suppressing a smile. "Don't you ever have something more fun on your mind, besides the fates of those pesky ingrates? I've already told you I won't be feeding on them, isn't that enough?... Ah, don't bother answering... We could've been doing so many more pleasant things. No one to look at us right now... Why not seize the opportunity?"

"Are you still trying to be vile and base?" Celestia couldn't help but sound disappointed.

Chrysalis cackled. "You're a flatterer. No. I have different desires."

A coil of witchfire sprouted from beneath her. Magical energy coalesced, then surged. Celestia jerked back, ready for anything—and she saw something white and pure, golden and colorful, rising above.

Her shadow covered Celestia. The beat of powerful wings sent the gust of wind that made her reverently bow her head and squint at such sight. Words died in her throat. Being overwhelmed, she backed away even more.

The mystical stars shone in her mane. She was nimble and free like the wind, bright and dangerous like the open flame, and was bearing an impossible look of piercing, judgmental eyes. She was bigger than any pony Celestia had ever seen. She was like old magic... A slight scowl was regaling her features, that were accentuated by a motherly side, reminiscent of a proud, expectant, but just and virtuous parent. Celestia felt her soul stripped bare of all of the sin of flesh, and so, she trembled maybe for the first time in her life.

Then the initial confusion passed, and most of her stupor went away.

'This is me. This is how others see me. Is this how she sees me?... Is this another attempt to deceive?'

Her doppelganger rose to the nearest roof and disappeared from sight with a swift and dainty flick of her tail. Celestia slumped against the stone wall, reeling, trying to calm her spinning head. She was a rational pony, or at least she thought she was. A part of her screamed to stop Chrysalis, to rush out there and prevent whatever she was about to do.

Another part suffocated her with a painful, morbid curiosity for the unknown.

Celestia closed her eyes tight. She couldn't stand listening to-

"Citizens of Equestria! My beloved subjects!"

-this. The alicorn clenched her teeth, bracing.

"They battered the capital of our glorious kingdom with their meager attempts to bring us down, but we stood tall and did not bend an inch. We stood together! We remained indomitable! Whatever they throw at us, we prevail!"

Celestia groaned, burying her muzzle in fetlocks, and slumped down harder. Her ears became red from a soul-churning shame.

"Yes, the attack had bereft us of many close ones. Even I, Celestia, had lost someone very dear... But if the invader Queen thinks she can hurt you and get away unburned... If she shows her ugly mug on our doorstep ever again... Is she dares to threaten any of you!... I will lift this golden hoof and shove it down her throat so hard!" Here must've been some crude pantomime. "Her malignant bile will pour straight out of her ass! The Princess of the Sun had spoken! And remember: Friendship! Harmony! Peace!"

Celestia heard how tiles of the roof burst from beneath the hooves of the impostor, and quickly stood up, panting. Chrysalis landed under the invisibility shroud right in front of her, and somehow it leveled everything back into a relative normality.

"How do you even handle this meaty rump?" Chrysalis twirled, inspecting her improbably long legs, and struck the raunchiest glance from underneath the disheveled mane. It was frightening how naturally she could pull it off. "My, I have to take your form more often! One can only wonder what types of things you can get away with..."

Celestia rubbed her temples, wishing for a glass of cold orange juice and a few minutes of quiet.

"So?" Her other self leaned closer, grinning mischievously. "Would you say that I finally got under your skin? How was my performance? Do you like it? Do you love it? Tell me! Come on!"

Celestia laughed nervously. She heard her own voice, and it sounded so... young? It was surreal... "You... What do you... It was a childish nonsense."

"Oh..." The second alicorn froze up for a moment and then threw her head back in a fit of laughter. The green witchfire quickly enveloped her, erasing the borrowed features. "Do you think they cared?" Chrysalis asked, her verdant eyes staring with boundless amusement. "What is the difference if the deed is done?"

"There's nothing behind your illusions!" Celestia knitted her brows. "It won't stand any scrutiny... It reeked of desperation and mediocrity. A tawdry parody!"

"Ah, but Celestia..." Chrysalis giggled. "A little mislead won't hurt anyone if it is done for the purposes of good, right?... No one knows it better than you do, remember?... What, when I am doing the same thing as you, is it somehow bad, now?"

"Enough!..." Celestia pursed her lips, examining the happy muzzle of her opponent. Her great wings involuntarily stretched and then moved back. "There is a big difference between deception and withholding information until others are ready. I was intending to tell everything to Twilight. You, on the other hoof, will lie endlessly to your benefit, and only yours."

"'I was... I would...' All are simply words. You didn't. That's what counts, my precious. Ah, how could you look into her innocent eyes, knowing the burden you will put on her?" Chrysalis moved her hoof to her lips in a mocking gesture. "How cold-hearted of you!"

This was leading nowhere. "You don't understand..." Celestia managed to center herself, becoming less exasperated. "No, rather, you understand precisely what you're doing. You know that my ponies aren't some warband to make such speeches to them."

"And what does that matter?" Chrysalis scoffed. "They saw you and they saw a majestic, powerful leader that they can get behind. What else could you possibly want, you mare?"

"So you want to facilitate violence!? Turn them against... against whom, exactly—your own kind!?"

"As if I care," Chrysalis hissed nervously.

"I must ask you again. Why do you want to bring more suffering into the world?"

Chrysalis gave a short, abrasive cackle.

"Don't you think that the world has enough suffering as it is?"

Chrysalis' scowl deepened.

"All beings deserve to be loved and to love. All beings deserve to feel safe and to live free of fear." Celestia remained visibly calm, even if cold guilt firmly gripped her heart. "What is violence itself but not a sign of weakness?"

"Platitudes!" Chrysalis snapped, but then her voice became smooth like silk. "It's all like I suspected. Under your altruistic facade, you simply enjoy seeing your ponies weak, do you?... Just admit it."

Celestia sighed. "Leading is not a competition, and strength is not everything." She regarded Chrysalis with a stern look. "You won't speak like that to them ever again."

"And what would ever stop me from addressing my subjects as I see fit?"

"You are not me! They are in my charge, Chrysalis!" Celestia raised her brow. "You have your own kin to look after, and considering that you're doing an awful job with it, I wouldn't entrust to you a single living being." Celestia noticed how the Queen continued to become riled up, smirked, and made an exaggerated glance in the direction of Royal Palace. "Speaking of which... I know that several of your progeny were following us all this time. They masquerade as four earth ponies, am I correct?"

Chrysalis' expression betrayed her surprise. Nonetheless, she asked back archly, "Aren't you a sly one... So what if this is true?"

"Then I am not impressed with you," replied Celestia coldly. "You said that you would remove them from the city, and yet you kept those on a short leash."

Chrysalis puffed and swayed to the side to sneak a peek for herself. Having lost the trail of their target and without a good lead, the changelings remained mostly in plain view. Chrysalis' body language had shown everything that Celestia needed: she was struggling to control her minions. "So what of it?" The Queen repeated, arrogant and cutting. "Those grubs were spawned not too long ago. They still do not know how affection differs from obedience."

Celestia took a step back. "What did you just say? Affection!?"

With an amused gleam in her eyes, Chrysalis slowly nodded.

For a long second Celestia couldn't regain her ability to speak. "...You mean to tell those little ones followed you because they care about you?"

"Precisely that." Chrysalis giggled.

"How is that—" Celestia needed to clear her throat. "How is the fact that they view you as a mother is bad?"

"Affection can make one act unpredictably." Chrysalis grinned, enjoying the pain written on alicorn's muzzle. "Moreover, it creates a sense of ownership, and I can't have that, can I?... I do not belong to them. They belong to me. Subjects, not children."

Celestia's ears drooped down. "You speak of them as individuals..."

"Oh no, no, what they think their individuality is, is only but a shadow of my mind, projected into chambers of their empty skulls." Chrysalis laughed. "Ah, if only I could refine the process of their spawning to make the strains completely submissive to my will... Although... It's more fun when they try to rebel, I'll be honest."

"Why do you even need them..." Celestia almost whispered.

"Who knows, dear..." Chrysalis replied with a sly grin. "Maybe I am just compelled to spawn."

"No, I mean... I thought that the lack of ability of your species to... exude positive emotions... to love and to be empathetic... is precisely the reason why you've been forced to feed on the love of others. But it isn't so. Chrysalis, you not only devour them, you willfully decide for them to be predators. They could've built a perfect, symbiotic, self-sustained relationship... If you didn't..." Celestia's eyes widened. "If you didn't exist."

Chrysalis snickered and then broke into cutting highborn laughter. "Oh, you're so amusing, my alicorn!..." Her eyes gleamed with happiness. "Only you and your blind desire for harmonious revelry could concoct something so charmingly deluded! This is just precious!... They bring me love that they extract, it's true, and I don't need them for anything else."

"You are an even worse monster than I assumed," Celestia said quietly, not knowing if she should be excited or deeply disturbed. "You've earned your name. You are a chrysalis."

Keeping a wide grin, the Queen nodded. "We cleared that up. Good."

Celestia frowned, bewildered. There was some elusive foul play that she couldn't pinpoint right now...

"What's wrong?" Chrysalis tilted her head, eyeing Celestia curiously. "Are you not entertained by your answers? I've warned that you won't like all of them, did I?"

"I want to see your minions up close." Celestia decided to go to the deep end. "Summon them."

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 There was a point this creature tried to prove to her, Celestia thought. In her cynical approach, she wanted to break down the alicorn's beliefs. To test them.

They moved deeper into the partially deserted city, further from every possible prying eye. In any other situation, Celestia would've thought twice before doing so, but the changelings looked so meek and pathetic that they hardly would've made any difference.

They were clearly malnourished and half-baked. Their carapace, if it could've been even called as such, was soft and thin enough to underline most of their bones and showcase their outer blood vessel system. Celestia was pretty sure she could discern internal organs if she tried hard enough.

Their procession stopped and the Queen turned to their convoy. She took a firm step closer. A sadistic grin grew on her muzzle.

The changelings went into a servile bow, some almost falling to the ground, all while not daring to make eye contact with their leader.

The Queen slowly made a circle around them. She moved with lazy fluidness. No rush.

"Little pests..." she hissed. "Failures."

Celestia felt more and more disturbed. The Queen didn't use any magic, or commanding voice, or even her bewitching eyes... Celestia's worst predictions were coming true.

"You're lacking." Chrysalis struck the closest one with a hoof. He fell with a whimper, covering his bruised head. Others scattered, but didn't go far, still too afraid to look directly at the Queen. "Weaklings!... You are unfit to be my soldiers... For your transgression against me... there will be a sacrifice." Even in the broad daylight, the shine of her horn soaked Chrysalis' muzzle in sinister green.

"Chrysalis!" hissed Celestia, disturbed by the urgency in her own voice.

"Do not interfere!" Chrysalis growled. "They disobeyed me, they were seen, and this is the only way they'll learn." Her pointy teeth flashed in a crooked grin, which then turned into a full-blown bestial snarl.

"Chrysalis, that is enough," Celestia demanded again, and her horn surged with energy. She glimpsed the startled looks from the drones. "They are—"

"They are harmless, inadept, useless and weak... A liability. Don't you, vermin? Say, Celestia... Don't you want to toss these ones to your ponies? Let them get it all out on my minions, for a change. After all, they are at fault for all the death and pain, don't they? Do you?" Chrysalis pinned the same minion down, smiling with cruel joy.

Celestia took a deep breath. "I've seen enough."

"No, we are only beginning... Look at the sheer naivety of this pony. Just like the rest of them, she thinks that you are something more than disappointing sacks of flesh and viscera." Chrysalis twisted her hoof on the lying one, and he cried. "In her ignorance, she thinks that you deserve love simply for existing. Tell her, grub, who are you, and what is your purpose?"

"I am a dirt..." The changeling exhaled. "The one which you trample..."

"The correct answer, ingrate!"

"I am no one. No one! I am fulfilling... my purpose as a changeling... My entire existence is dedicated to your glory... and to the Hive. This is what it means to be a changeling..."

"A part of one living whole..." Chrysalis trembled in laughter. "You do not exist without me!" She leaned down to the pinned creature. Her maw widened, as she inched closely to the muzzle of the little beast.

The changeling froze before its impending doom. "I am no one..."

Celestia's voice was gravely cold. "No, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis turned, still bearing her maddened grin.

Celestia met her eyes. "You won't do it."

"The pony still doesn't understand. She presumes that her weak ideals mean something!" Chrysalis cackled. "Tell her, are you happy?"

"Yes..." they murmured.

"Who provides for you? Who gives you the joy of conquest? Of love?"

"You! You!" they chittered in a feverish clamor.

"All that you are, all your life, and all your significance begins and ends with me!" Chrysalis exclaimed. "I am the Hive! I am your Queen!"

The golden aura swept her from the ground and slammed hard into the wall.

The Queen grunted, pushing against it. Her big eyes narrowed, seething with rage.

Celestia was walking forward, doubling the pressure. The wall began to be covered with cracks, and Celestia feared that she would collapse the entire building. Using this indecisiveness, the Queen broke free and lunged at the same time as the alicorn.

Their horns clashed. A flash, a resounding power was between them. Celestia winced in pain and hurled the Queen aside, while being propelled backwards herself. Her hooves scraped against the pavement as she landed between Chrysalis and her changelings.

The Queen quickly rose from the ground. "You stagnate, infertile stot!" she roared furiously, lowering her horn for another charge.

"Stand down!" Celestia felt growing flames, urging to be let out once more.

The Queen laughed hysterically. "You dare!? Minions, s—"

"No!" Celestia bellowed in a thunderous voice; the air darkened around her as her coat shone with radiant light. "No more bloodshed!"

Chrysalis hissed, being forced to shield her eyes. She still was growling like a raving maniac, "They are mine. They belong to me! No one will take them from me. No one!"

The Queen could bark all she wanted... Letting the intensity of the magic gradually die down, Celestia glanced back at the changelings. They were extremely terrified, but what mattered even more, they definitely had feelings. They had minds of their own. They weren't some golems, or homunculi, or any other type of magical constructs. Celestia could see it clearly now.

"This is just un-be-lievable." She heard Chrysalis' malicious voice. The Queen seemed to be, at the very least, appalled. "Now you step in? Because of them!?"

Celestia turned to her, panting from the rush of adrenaline.

"I will slay you, Celestia. Mark these words. Maybe not now, but one day you're bound to lower your guard around me..." Chrysalis was already approaching, keeping her eerie eyes open wide and unblinking. "In your calmest moments, don't you ever forget who I am..."

"Chrysalis... I have all the rights to protect them." Celestia had found her voice.

Chrysalis slowed down, hissing in a low growl, "You don't—"

"You seek dominion over Equestria and my ponies, but if I acknowledge you as you wish, then by the same right of marriage I can deem myself eligible to claim your changelings."

Chrysalis stopped completely. She blinked in surprise. Her mouth hung open in dumbfounded silence.

"Call me the second Changeling Queen!" Celestia flared her wings for further effect. Despite all the severity of the situation, a genuinely stumped look on Chrysalis' muzzle almost made it worth it.

"You... Wh-why? What!?" The Queen quickly recovered. She snarled, taking another step to the alicorn, hunched, tail lashing. "Usurper!!... This is unf—I will take everything that you own by the right of conquest!"

"Not before you bring me down, first." Celestia lifted Chrysalis' chin with a hoof, staring down her green eyes, soaking in her impotent rage. "Can you even do it? Can you really slay yours most precious and cherished thing for the sake of your inane designs?"

Hate, fear, admiration, disgust, envy, anger, and scorn—all vied for dominance in the Queen, but most of all there was defiance. She batted away the hoof, and with a raspy voice, muttered through clenched teeth, "I will murder everyone you know."

"You already going back on your promise to not harm ponies, then?" Celestia clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. "As I expected. Of course you lied about it, you want to live without compromises, after all. You want to hurt everyone, all the time... You even want to hurt yourself. You've become accustomed to the pain too much to imagine life without it, don't you? What a rotten way to live..."

Maybe the first time, but Chrysalis was lost for words. Irritated beyond belief, she jerked away from Celestia and glanced at the other changelings.

She was slipping.

Celestia's voice was calm and clear. "I won't sit idly by and let you continue to terrorize any sapient species. They deserve to be free of you."

"My sweet, foolish Celestia..." Chrysalis growled like a cornered animal. "There are more ways to harm others than bodily harm. Really, why would I ever bother to maim such a beautiful thing as you? You're already broken by your duties and affections, I wouldn't even need to try that hard..." Chrysalis almost pressed their muzzles, staring viciously. "What will happen when you become demystified? How quickly your subjects would stop believing in you, demigoddess? What would they think when they see that you're just like them—scared, powerless, doubting, alone?" Chrysalis snidely grinned. "How quickly will they turn away from you, abandon you?... Just imagine the pain of this knowledge, that you're not their better, that you can be barely called a guardian..."

Celestia regarded her, remaining silent.

"I can do such things to you and to your image..." Chrysalis whispered sultrily, with perverse tenderness moving her forehoof down the alicorn's neck. "To all Princesses, really. I am in charge of a legion of shapeshifters who feed on love, and there's nothing low enough for me. I can ruin you and all your legacy, mare, and all I would need for it is a little... creativity. Just imagine how many ponies might want to bring a Princess, even if a fake one, to her knees, and do to her whatever they want... And even if your soft ponies aren't up to the task, how many creatures all over the world might be willing to do the same?" She giggled in amusement. "Ah, my ancient enemy... Who knows? Maybe many had done that already."

The Queen had achieved her goal. Her words conjured pretty vivid things in Celestia's mind. Her cheeks burned. She sucked in the air through clenched teeth, trying to calm herself down. When the tenseness of her silence became unbearable, she spoke in a quiet, very quiet tone, "The audacity..." She gave Chrysalis a scorching, derisive look. "What a pitiful beast you are, riddled with such debasing thoughts... I know that you would never let your minions take the form of a real alicorn. You are too selfish and cowardly to allow them any action that can breed dissent."

"You sound quite sure there, Princess." Chrysalis sneered with cold fury. "Do you think that I care? Do you think that they care? That anyone? Just look at—"

Celestia had enough. "You aren't something unfathomable yourself! The changelings and the ponies, all living creatures ought to learn that you're nothing to be afraid of and that everything you do is a posture, that you can care about something, and you can be hurt. You are not a scion of darkness you try to be seen as. I am not a stranger to the Dark, and I saw that while you're able to use it to further your goals, you..." Celestia took a quick breath, and concluded sullenly, "...for all your heinousness, you're still something different."

Chrysalis contorted her muzzle in a vile grin, baring fangs.

"Conceal thine teeth in my presence," Celestia ordered, "lest I will shatter them again."

"You will know your place," Chrysalis vehemently growled, contorting her muzzle only further. "You arrogant prey... You will know why fear comes easier than love."

"What else is there to know?" Celestia snorted. "You are an impudent insect, full of theatrics. You define yourself as a predator, but you act like a constantly misleading prey. You are an immature creature that is flailing at the world not knowing how it works, and then throwing a tantrum when it doesn't cater to her whims."

Chrysalis hissed. Her response was measured, threatening, "That's rich. When was the last time you willingly scraped your rump off of the throne? What would you know about how the world works, being cooped up all the time in your closeted toy city, judging everyone from its lofty towers, surrounded by hooflickers? You and your moronic altruism, this unconditional love, and all these retching talks about harmony and friendship! How delusional can a mare be?"

Celestia thought about whom Chrysalis alluded to—about common ponies. Can it be that she really is so distant from them? Still, there was little room for doubt now. "Crawling around in your dirt didn't gave you a better view of the world, but only alienated you from what's truly important. It filled you with hatred and misery, and now you project it on them!" In a more encompassing gesture than she intended, she bobbed her head toward the changelings. "You are a lowly sadist that is unfit to be called a Queen."

The Darkness finally began oozing from Chrysalis like pus, covering the alleyway around with a thick dark shroud. Keeping a wide stance, she growled like a beast would, with a maddened gleam in her eyes.

Their magical power streamed and entwined.

The unbridled Dark danced, casting shadows, growing stronger.

Celestia pierced through it with her solar flames.

An explosive flame went around them. The air trembled from the suffocating heat. The walls became covered with scorched marks.

It ended just as quickly as it began. As Chrysalis was unable to hold her gaze for long, tears appeared in her strained eyes, and with a silent curse, she averted them, unable to withstand the radiance.

Celestia glanced around, regally and slowly. The changelings had moved further away from the danger. Clearly, they had more common sense than their so-called 'Queen'.

"Look at us..." Chrysalis quietly chirruped. She seemed to have calmed down considerably. "We are married barely for a day, and we are already fighting in front of the kids."

Celestia felt the urge to roll her eyes. "So you say..." Her lips were dry. "I have to know. Does your spawn have souls?"

"They have."

"Liar," Celestia breathed out, staring.

Chrysalis simply smiled.

For a few long seconds Celestia was calming down too. She needed time to process this. The things were quickly becoming even more convoluted. "You create genuine life..." she clarified. "You can't be allowed to create life... This should not be possible."

"I never asked for anyone's permission..." Chrysalis clearly hasn't seen anything special in it. She took great pleasure in Celestia's building bewilderment, though.

"Are you certain?" Celestia bore a small smile.

"I am." Chrysalis inched closer. Her glare was voracious. "My sweet, they are everything that your ponies are, and even more. The same soul, the spirit, and the guts." She licked her lips. "Without any downsides, really... Better than yours in every way, and all mine... Are you jealous, Celestia?"

"You think this is some kind of competition?"

"Life is all about the competition!" Chrysalis snarled.

"Then you have failed miserably. What do you even actually have of your own, Queen? With all your power, your ability to change, what did you choose to be? You are a tyrant who needs to prey on compassion and innocence to survive. Pathetic," scoffed Celestia and moved her muzzle away. "Listen, all four of you! You are under my protection now. Your former Queen will never harm you again. I forbid it."

"You have no right to say any of this! They are mine!" Chrysalis was bearing a wide grin, but she couldn't conceal growing rage. She tensed up. The trembling green fire devoured her from inside. "They are of my Hive! Mine!"

"I am not going through your caprices again," replied Celestia coldly. "My word is final."

Chrysalis hissed through the clenched teeth, "Is that so?..." She took a step back. "Fool... They always return to me." She turned to the scared changelings. "You will see the true nature and allegiance of these... traitors."

The creatures were completely miserable, tucking their bodies in some recess as far away from the scorching fire as possible. 'Maybe they better off dead,' Celestia thought glumly, and then caressed the bridge of the muzzle, frowning hard. 'Patience. Thoughts like these lead nowhere.'

"Once a traitor, always a traitor," growled Chrysalis, and gave Celestia a crooked smirk. "Besides, I can always create more... I haven't yet tried to spawn using your essence. I'd bet that our children would be extraordinary... Don't you agree? Even I am afraid of what can come from our union... Do you want to find out?"

Staring dead in the eye, Chrysalis slowly lifted her holey foreleg to her maw. The sharp teeth opened up, ready to bite. She was extremely off-putting, and she knew it perfectly.

"No." Celestia's own forelegs twitched in an obvious display of weakness. A truly strange mix of emotions overcame her, but mostly it was disgust. "No. Never. You won't be bringing more living creatures into the world just to torment them. Not for mine expense."

Smug and vindictive, Chrysalis chuckled, narrowing her eyes. "Ah, but dear, don't you want to be a real mother, not to pose yourself as one?"

"You don't even know what the word mother means..."

"What's this on your muzzle?... Did I make high and mighty Celestia blush again?"

"Angry. You've made me angry."

Chrysalis swayed, standing straight. "How I've missed all of this..." She stepped closer. "With you, everything is like for the first time..."

"How can you even speak like that?..." Celestia, in turn, stepped back. Her wings flared. "Chrysalis... You... Don't you understand that your terror of your species won't hold for much longer? It is effectively over now. How can you expect to control them if they would be forced to live among my ponies? What do you think will happen to them next, to all of your Hive?"

Chrysalis' expressive muzzle changed almost imperceptibly. She blinked in confusion, puzzled by the alicorn's words: a rare sight, for what it's worth... She pulled away, stiffly but just as compulsive as she did almost everything else, and began walking down the alley.

"Do not turn your back on me!" Celestia hissed. "Chrysalis!"

The changeling Queen ignored her. Her body was wreathed in witchfire, her shape changed into that of a kite, and she flew away.

How dare she... The arrogance. Good riddance. Celestia had no intention to try and follow. The presence of Chrysalis in the past few days was overbearing enough as it is...

All of a sudden Celestia wondered when her feelings on the matter became so complicated. There were things to do besides dealings with some insolent pest, ravaging her lands. Celestia will meet her in battle later, anyway...

All of this will be over soon.

The Princess turned to the changelings and regarded them with a stern look. They were in distress, but also curious to what was going on. Their little muzzles weren't so different from that of ponies, and on a second glance, it was clear that their blue eyes could carry a familiar and discernable emotion.

Celestia waited until she became confident enough to pull off a perfect motherly smile. There was no monsters here, not anymore. Only her and the... subjects.

"Do not be afraid, little ones. The worst have passed."

She kept examining them. Ultimately, the Queen had been driven away, and it was an opportunity to build rapport.

"I am Princess Celestia, the ruler of Canterlot." Her voice became soft and finely tuned to the right cadence. "It caught my attention that you four are very special boys. You have nothing to fear now... Please, if you allow me, I would like to know your names." She smiled. "Why don't we start with that?"

The first step was always to let them open up. It wasn't unlike taming wild animals—or so Celestia had heard. To achieve it, they needed to be given something, and so she shared with the creatures a little bit of her warmth. It was like an investment, that with a little patience, subtlety, and coercion, could provide certain benefits. After all, Celestia, the alicorn Princess, is never a threat to anyone... She is never loud... She is a friend to all living things. She is the beacon of light that dispels the nightmares of the waking world.

She saw how quickly they became distracted from the preceding violent encounter, and wished for a similar child-like power for herself.

One of them spoke up, "I am... My name is... Thorax-1143".

So they had names... It was a progress. The other three slowly, with hesitance, followed suit.

"Suture-330."

"Thorax-1232."

The last one was still clutching his wounded head.

"Gaster-6179."

Celestia nodded, deep in thought. The naming convention was odd, but she had seen much worse. Twilight would've been ecstatic to dig into it... The Princess turned to the injured one. "Gaster. Do you require any help?"

"No," the changeling replied grumpily. "I am strong. It will pass."

"Will you feed us?" Thorax-2 asked insistently.

"You can feed without the help of a Queen, can you?" asked back Celestia, curious for an answer.

"Without a Queen?" said Thorax-2 with a half-whimper, as if she offered him to commit a sacrilege. "Without the mistress?"

"She is our mistress now."

"No, she isn't! This isn't how it works... I think."

They seemed to be not that thrilled by the prospect... Celestia pondered her next words. "Don't you want to have friends?"

A stunned silence followed.

"Families? Jobs?" Celestia offered.

"We have the Hive, mistress," said Guster.

"Maybe the mistress will forgive us..."

"I am not the one to tell you what you should do or shouldn't," said Celestia calmly. "Go on and return into the servitude of your mistress if you wish, but for now I see that you are at a crossroads of your fate. You have a rare opportunity—a choice between your old life, and the cessation of living like animals."

"You, uh... You ask us to live like ponies instead?" Thorax-1 winced.

"Ponies are weak..."

"Gullible..."

"I am a pony." Celestia smiled. "Do I seem weak or gullible to you?"

"Ponies really can get that big?..."

The creatures again fell into an awkward silence, and Celestia suppressed a sigh. She didn't had time for this, and yet occurred events demanded her to show responsibility. Her gaze wandered, as she quickly processed the possible approaches.

"Tell me," eventually she said out loud, "what is a pony to you, exactly?"

"It is an... It is an enemy!" replied Thorax-1 again. He seemed to be the most quick from the bunch, but not necessarily the most quick-witted.

"I see." Celestia nodded. "Ponies can't be your enemies, little one. Before this day, most of them weren't even aware that you exist."

"Ponies hate us... Despise us..."

"They are afraid."

"They are food."

"Always are..."

"It is normal for food to be afraid."

"They are weaker."

The voices of the creatures of the dark were like disjointed, fleeting whispers...

"The ponies will hunt us all if they know who we are." Guster frowned.

'Excommunication... Fear... Learned helplessness. Chrysalis had generations to mold them to her liking.' Celestia wasn't sure anymore if she was doing the right thing. Even disregarding all the possible hindrances, the creatures before her still were changelings, and they still were Chrysalis' spawn. She needed to be careful.

Once again, there was no room for mistakes...

There was almost no possibility of stopping or influencing the hatred and fear that ponies would feel towards the changelings. Does it even need to be stopped? What are the alternatives?... All her thoughts led her back to the repetition of history. Inescapable, inexorable repetition.

Even if the course of the fate of the entire world had been changed, there's still was a necessity for scared, beguiled children to exist and to commit atrocities. The world was full of them, of someone's sons and daughters, of someone's hopes, forced at each others' throat.

"It would be better for you to find a safe place far from your mistress and stay quiet." Celestia smiled. "I implore you, do not hunt or hurt my ponies. They are simply confused and unnerved, just like you. If you show a little patience, we will find a way to alleviate your needs without violence or deception. When the next day comes, I require you to find a Princess and talk to her. Any alicorn Princess of Equestria would suffice. Talk to them of what had transpired. They will understand."

Some of them slowly nodded. At least she had been heard.

"Will you be gone after today?" asked Thorax-2 warily.

"There is a possibility of it, yes," replied Celestia.

The most quiet one, Suture, looked at her perceptively. "I can recognize your emotion. I almost feel it..."

"Isn't it good when ponies are like that?"

"No, it's... Not in this case."

"The mistress was the same, too..."

"Speak plainly," Celestia demanded, but then softened, seeing how they were startled. "Please. Why do you compare us?"

"It is hard to put into words..."

"More a sensation? Yes."

"A taste. A smell."

"You both act as if you are doomed." Suture looked at her sharply.

"I see." Celestia pursed her lips. "Still, it is pointless to worry for her, and more so for me. Her worthless fate had been sealed when she stepped into the bounds of my realm with ill intent, and I will never go down without a proper fight. Leave your concerns for whatever comes after."

"Even if you are somehow mistaken... about us or about her... we still wish you luck in this fight, bright lady."

Step 15 — ...𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴... — Princess Celestia — Day 2, afternoon

But there is a martyrdom of tenseness, of fever, of living continuously like the firmament in full movement and in full effulgence. You never saw the stars grow weary or dim. They never sleep.

Her mane unraveled like loose strands of burning silk.

The womb of fire rumbled underneath, struggling to break free from her hold. She rode high in its heat, saturated and dripping with the intense scarlet color. Her wings were caught; the molten rock refused to release her, determined to creep higher and fulfill its blind drive to engulf.

The black fumes had covered everything in sight.

The primal power pushed against her. The pressure built up, barely bearable but pleasant. She cried, and the flames surged with a wildly swirling smoke. The crater wall collapsed; an intimate emulsion of ash and air was liberated.

Gracefully, she plunged deeper into the wild molten chasm. Her delicate lips met with the primordial fire of a volcano.

The heat of the Sun seemed tame in comparison to magma... But neither the elements nor the time—a sublime deceiver—could truly move her now. Even a hundred years could fly by her like no more than a decade.

Celestia remained immutable.

Eternal like the sky.

In the void inside of her shone the distant light.

"Sister! Sister!"

The wave of cold air rushed across the room, and Celestia snapped her eyes open. Luna was already up close, pouring out words with the speed of her breath, "Canst thou believe the ponies!? 'Twas such, such excitement, and the villagers enjoyed it more than I could ever have anticipated! 'Twas a glorious time!" Her smile shone with pearly white. "Glorious!!"

"Please, quieter, dear." Celestia smiled back. Her wary eyes traced to the sack Luna brought. The bounty of different sweets spilled on the bedsheets, and the alicorn craned her neck in curiosity.

Luna blushed and pressed her forehoof against her lips, but her impish smile couldn't be contained. "My apologies. 'Twas an improper conduct of mine, and I have not meant to pull you from your slumber, but..." she giggled like a child. "The Nightmare Night was a success! Oh, where to begin!?"

Celestia laughed. "With a deep breath, perhaps? Here, let me show you how."

She went through a simple breathing exercise, and Luna diligently followed suit, toning down her excitement. While she was at it, Celestia absentmindedly picked a candy. A licorice one? Far from her favorite, but it will suffice.

"Sister, I..." Luna stuttered but then spoke with happy confusion. "The ponies, they did not loathe me after all! Canst thou believe that We played games with them? We got to hear their laughter! I have learned what fun is!"

"Oh? Fun, you say?" Celestia's tone was patient and parent-like. She propped her chin, giving Luna a sly look. She had been worried that lack of proper socializing might leave her sister stunted. "Did Pinkie Pie help you?"

"'Twas a conjoined effort, Sister. She hath been instrumental in it, playing the part of a ringleader of the scared children." Luna smiled shyly. "However, most of the responsibility should lie on the shoulders of one Twilight Sparkle, thy valiant protege."

"You got along with her? I am glad to hear that." Celestia nodded, making her appraisal between half-closed eyelids. "Please, tell me more about your experiences."

Luna had begun her speech, and Celestia's mind immediately wandered off, despite her investment.

She had only recently wrapped up observing Canterlot's festival of Nightmare Night and hadn't delved too deep into the arrived Friendship report from Twilight. She wanted the experience to be as authentic as possible, but simply watching Luna talk was already making Celestia soar with happiness. Her sister's heart was pure, untainted, and beautiful. She was truly hers. Her little Moonlight, bright and clear.

She will never take her for granted again.

Celestia prepared a lovely chamber for her return, befitting a little sister. It had a big ivory bed in the shape of a crescent in which she could climb like a crib. Luna was ecstatic about it but preferred to spend her nights in the warmth of the big sister's room.

Efforts to wean her from such tendencies were present, but so far soft and unintrusive.

In ponies' eyes Luna was wreathed in rumors, speculations, and mystery. Many have connected her with the disappeared Mare in the Moon, and Celestia had made great strides to protect their public image. Announcements, appearances, ceremonies, first ventures into the dream realm—it all was controlled, all made together. Celestia had put on her best act to make it work.

It went almost too good.

Even the night tribe, after some coercion, had accepted their newfound Princess without much of a complaint. They had seen all the signs, after all.

Too good and perfect.

"-and then, by my decree, I had abolished the Nightmare Night! Forever!"

"But Moonlight, I thought that you've enjoyed it?" Celestia spoke hurriedly, like she wasn't expecting it. The celebration was barbaric in its origin, and now with Luna's blessing they finally can move on from this—

"Yes! I hath brought it back soon after!"

"Did you?" Celestia trembled with silent laughter. "It is as I've told you before: you will adore their silly simple traditions."

Her pain was masked by a carefully constructed smile.

A shadow came over Luna's muzzle, but it was gone in an instant.

"Did you loved their innocent devotion?" Celestia nudged softly.

Luna nodded. "'Twas only but a harmless ritual. We doth enjoy the merriment and games, and I must confess: I never thought I could speak with them as casual as with you. Thou should join Us next time!"

"I see." Celestia looked aside. "I had the limelight aplenty in my time. Now I would want for you to shine."

"'Tis absurd! It needst not to be like this! Thine intentions ought not to be the reason to deprive yourself of fun!" Luna climbed closer to her sister, nuzzling her way into an embrace. Her curious eyes stared at Celestia from beneath. "Doth thou afraid of their reception?"

"I am imbued with responsibility for all the ponies of Equestria, and with their trust as well. The opinions of townies of Ponyville are appreciated, but not the biggest of concerns of mine." Celestia's smile became a bit crooked.

"They would never learn how great you are! Our subjects must know!" Luna playfully stomped her hoof on Celestia's chest.

"You've seen it for yourself: nothing is like it was in the ages of old," Celestia replied evenly. "I've worked hard to alleviate their intrinsic dread, and there's still a lot that needs to be done. Rest assured that I know how to have fun without the need to descend to them like you did."

"But Sister, may it be that their dread is not as cumbersome as it appears?" Luna pursed her lips. "During my foray into the village I have discovered that they love playful scares! Especially the children, they adore my persona!"

"Oh, but of course they are!..." Celestia laughed melodiously. "They love the illusion, the thrill! What a jest!" Her smile widened. "I like to hear that!... Still, I can't take the same approach. We are too different, you and I."

"Sister, but thou must see that it is not that difficult." Luna's ears drooped down. "Thou have to put thyself out there, and If we get through it as a dyad, surely thee will have fun and nothing bad will happen!"

Celestia pulled Luna into a stronger embrace. "I am sorry, my Moonlight. I have too complex view of the emotion of fear. I know that fear can be a necessity sometimes, but each time I see them scared of me, it stings me. If I can help it, I do not want to experience this."
She placed her muzzle on her sister's shoulder, musing aloud. "I suppose it can be put this way: I can intimidate easily, and I am too often afraid that I will say something wrong and they will hate me for it."

"'Tis an absolute shame..." Luna sighed. "But, I think, I can understand... Sometimes ponies in the higher stratum of society can be too entangled in how they are perceived to deviate from the norm too far. But Sister, I am a royalty as well. Why can I be an exemption from the rule?"

"The truth is, I believe it's just not as simple for me as it is for you," Celestia replied in a dull, quiet voice. "Transition from fear to hatred can be too elusive. That is to say, I do not mean they will come to hate you, no, you are too lovely for that. For me, it is... tougher. There must be a process, you know it well. There are rules that were created not for us to besmirch. Since I am easy to be feared and hated, I would prefer to be cherished and adored and to remain familiar, compassionate, and known... For this, I aim to uphold the principles of love, kindness, and generosity that I swore to protect and inspire. It is what brings me confidence."

"Sister, art thou sure in thine deductions?" Luna cast a bright look. "Why would anyone ever want to hate you?"

Celestia's heart skipped a beat. She embraced Luna tighter, covering her with a wing, shielding her from all of the world and all of existence. "I've come too far to allow any risks," she whispered warmly.

Luna became quiet and still as a mouse in her grasp. "Thou just cannot be serious... 'Tis all there is to it, truly?"

"All of this is for your own good," Celestia breathed out and pressed Luna against her chest.

"Sister..." Luna stirred in discomfort.

"This is alright." Celestia pressed harder. The dark wing under her hoof had twisted in an unnatural angle.

Luna gasped, struggling to push back. "Big sister, you are hurting me!" she whinnied in a small voice, barely able to breathe.

Luna was too weak...

Celestia couldn't stop herself.

She felt how something snapped in the smaller body. "Please," she pleaded, "please, do not hate me."

...

"Let it go."

A sudden touch made Celestia's body jolt. She gasped and raised her head. Her heart was thumping madly, and she felt dull surprise: how she didn't wake up from this alone?

The bed was moist from her sweat... Luna stared from above, straddling her big body. Celestia averted her eyes in shame and laid back, trying to calm her nerves. The apparition under her forelegs had dissipated into moonglow.

As realization finally dawned on her, she buried herself deeper into the pillows. "You shouldn't have witnessed that," she droned skittishly. "I am sorry... It was unthinkable."

'I am too careless. This newfound ability to dream like a curse in disguise, sometimes...'

"Balderdash," Luna replied with a smile in her voice. Her hoof gently went along Celestia's mane, stroking it. "Water under the bridge."

Celestia glanced at Luna, and after some consideration, leaned into her caresses. "Am I too overbearing?" she asked, still meek.

"On occasion." Luna's gaze shifted. She seemed guilty. "However, you are not supposed to waste your resting hours on such nonsense as torturing yourself."

"Neither should you squander your precious time on my nightmares. Our subjects need your attention more than me."

"I can say the same about you and the realm of awake, and yet you are always mine companion and intercessor in it."

"I'm not used to being tended to," Celestia said bluntly.

"'Tis simply something friends do, am I wrong?" Luna frowned. "Do they not provide assistance when it is needed?"

Celestia couldn't manage a proper answer, and they stared at each other for a long moment.

Luna suddenly laughed. "You are pouting!"

"Hogwash." Celestia immediately stopped doing that. "Princess Celestia never pouts."

Luna's teeth blazed bright in a wide grin.

"What the tabloids might write about that?" Celestia teased. "No, I must remain immaculate. The stability of the whole realm might depend on the tiniest things like that!"

Luna laughed again. "On your pouts? Oh, Sister!... You are like a stubborn foal sometimes."

"A foal, seriously?" The ancient alicorn was amused. "I guess you'd know a thing or two about that, considering your proclivity for the dreams of the little ones."

Luna snorted. "Lately, I have begun to venture more into the dreams of an adult pony. They are not as impressive as I expected them to be. When they fear, they fear reflections of their own emotions, and when they do not, they are beckoned to follow wherever their imagination guides them. That imagination is oft most boxed, and not as vivid and insightful as that of a child.
"The dreams of a child can be a whole universe full of profound truths and clashing primal emotions." Luna sighed. "And the more change they go through, the more the impact on the realm of sleep... 'Tis a fascinating sight to behold, Sister. A whole plane of existence that can be shaped by mind alone..."

"Fascinating, certainly. Those are curious observations, Moonlight," Celestia replied with suitable reverence. "I envy your pastime. To commune and play all night with children and fragile dream-selves of our loyal subjects—sounds like a dream come true, indeed."

"Perish the thought, Sister dear." Luna seemed offended. "This 'pastime' is very taxing. Need I remind you that I help ponies face their fears and insecurities?"

"Still, it can't be more taxing than what I am dealing with."

Luna giggled and replied in an unctuous tone, "Uneasy is thy head, I understand. The weight of thy crown must be a heavy burden to bear. You are always in 'mid of devout ponies that surround thyself and ready to prostrate at your beck and call, surely, it must be such a great suffering...'

"So you keep pestering." Celestia smiled. "I should leave you in charge for a few days, dear. That'll clear things up."

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Luna's ears perked up.

"Equestria is still not ready for you," Celestia nickered. 'You are not ready,' she meant. "Perhaps you should rein in the Night Realm first, then we'll talk."

"I must agree," Luna's grin was nothing short of provoking, "night ponies doth require more firm touch than surface-dwellers."

"Oh, do they? Your ponies always seemed to be self-sufficient to me." Celestia smiled innocently.

"Really, Sister?" Luna cringed.

"Well tell me then, when they will be ready to be introduced to the rest of Equestria?" Celestia asked with a pointed look. "Do they even want to?"

"How can they be ready if I do not know what I must prepare them for?" Luna became defensive.

"The crux, as I see it, is that they are still the creatures of the dark. Maybe in the next months we'll shed some light for them, when the time comes for the Harmony to thrive and expand." Celestia sighed. "We can arrange for Twilight to introduce young ones into a proper society..."

Secretly, she hoped that night ponies wouldn't reemerge under her rule, and was not above looking into ways to postpone it. Due to bad blood, some things were better to remain buried, for the time.

Luna's eyes flashed. "I appreciate your faith, but you hinge too much on that child," she uttered, becoming tense.

"She is dependable." Celestia shrugged her wing without a second thought.

The conflicted look from Luna had sobered Celestia up. She wasn't attentive enough... The Solar Princess centered herself. 'I mustn't hurt her.'

"Jealousy is bad, Moonlight," Celestia reminded, trying to be softer.

"I'd never!—..." Luna jerked her head up and then relapsed into a short silence. "Twilight is a dear friend." She sighed. "You are mistaken to think this way."

"I didn't mean to scorn you." Celestia smiled, trying to appease. Talking to Luna was like treading a traitorous swamp, sometimes...

"Don't mind it, Sister," Luna replied dryly. "When the time is ripe, my people and I shalt be ready to perform the necessary duty."

"Luna. Remember, I'd never ask too much, not from her nor from you, and I would never act without rhyme or reason," Celestia assured, placing her foreleg on Luna's shoulder.

"Naturally." Luna relaxed and curtly nuzzled Celestia's fetlock in a trusting motion. "You always have a plan. My only wish is for you to be more transparent, I suppose."

"I might need more time to learn how... I've lived far too long without a proper confidant." Celestia leaned and bumped foreheads with Luna. "Will you forgive me for it, little sister?"

"How can I not?" The darker alicorn smiled.

"Good."

Luna sighed and stepped away from the bed, moving with the grace of an elegant feline. She stopped at the balcony and glanced back with a sullen look. "Celestia. Your spirits are impaired, and I cannot leave it like that. A saunter would do well for your well-being, and let me be frank—I long to spend more time with thee. Can I come over?"

"I miss you too, dear." Celestia smiled sheepishly, curling under a blanket. "Maybe some other time. Things must calm down for me first, and I need my good rest."

"Well..." Luna lingered. Her voice had a nervous hue to it. "Then... I wanted to ask you... I cannot but wonder... Do you remember your dreams back in the olden days? What were they like?" There was a bright hope in her eyes.

Celestia heaved a breath, trying to appear more confident. "It might be a dull answer, but I don't. I remember only speaking about them with you, faint...
"It was nice," she added, almost in a whisper.

Luna was silent for a long moment. Her expression was unreadable.
"Try to have a good dream," she said eventually, also quiet.

"I shall." Celestia chewed her lips. "Thank you for coming tonight."

"'Til morning."

Luna disappeared, taking away the drowsing influence of the dream realm. Left in the world drained of its blueish and purple tones, Celestia turned, inspecting the ceiling.

"A good dream," she muttered, discontent. Some things were more easily said than done.

She slowly raised her forelegs, as if calling for the dream to whisk her away, and lowered them back on a feather bed. She listened to her own breath, to the distant rustle of leaves, and to the ticking of a grandfather clock...

She had spent the whole night without moving, being washed with a gleaming white and looking like a living ghost.

Until it was time to wake up.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 When your every word is capable of shaping the fates of countless others, the sad reality becomes unavoidable: the truth is a malleable thing. Celestia already made arrangements to take precise control over the information regarding the incurred catastrophe, entrusting several loyal ponies to keep close attention to what might go to the press. The information and its shape was like the lifeblood of this calamity, a resource that could be used either to reinforce balance or to throw the scales further into disarray.

Celestia had learned these lessons intimately over a millennium of ruling. She had no other choice. She was the keeper of secrets for a reason.

Things weren't going as smoothly as she wished to, but it mattered little. Once again there was a struggle, and once more there was bound to be a ripple effect. The decision to invite the workers from Canterlow, in particular, also invited more crime: petty thievery, weird sightings of ponies where they did not belong, the emergence of thrill-seekers, mostly false accusations of the changelings... Oftentimes, ponies were their own worst enemies, and for all its valiancy, the police force of E.U.P. Guard remained severely understaffed. The holding cells at their barracks were filled to the brim for the first time in centuries.

Celestia did everything that she could to contain the situation, bar holding another public speech. She had enough of that, nor she had deemed it an opportune moment for it. The ponies took the impostor's performance as a sign of impending turmoil, and it was going against the meticulous message of comfort that Celestia wanted to communicate through her appearance at the sermon.

Still, there were pros from Chrysalis' arbitrariness, as the ponies received a reminder that they had a powerful benefactor at their side. The cons were predictable: now they were less eager to leave the damaged city, believing that the worst had already passed. The ponies were steadfast creatures by their nature, but that resilience also meant they lacked certain flexibility.

There was no clear way to cut through the tension and minimize losses.

This conflict must conclude soon.

The wages of the guards were doubled for the month. Volunteering was organized. The flood problem in the north district began to be addressed. Leading a team of custodians, Celestia personally looked through the royal archive—the one that was located in the Royal Palace—trying to discern how much of the administrative apparatus would be salvaged in case she'd need to emergently terminate her authority. 'Anarchy' was the word that modern ponies weren't closely familiar with, and Celestia hoped to keep it that way for at least a while longer.

The weather department remained in panic. Cloudsdale kept sending missives about utterly paranormal from their point of view activity around Canterlot, and for every inquiry Celestia advised to stand put and manage other regions as per schedule. Responses of a similar nature were already prepared and sent all over the country: a projected promise of stability and peace, downplaying the severity of harm caused to the capital. Per the semi-constitutional nature of Equestria, sorting out the damage was planned to be delegated to the Royal Council and the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Welfare—at the moment, the most busy government body as it is.

Lord Night Light and his wife haven't yet appeared in the court to inquire about the fates of their children, to Celestia's quiet relief. The first thing she did was to shut off access to the dragonfire channel for them. It was a cowardly decision, but as far as it wasn't her immediate concern, it could be treated as just another perspective problem to deal with, as inexcusably cold as it might sound.

It was too early to speculate, but Chancellor Cookie Cutter of the Industry Ministry seemed to have definitely gone off the grid, leaving behind a lot of unresolved problems. 'Who knows what he was doing in Canterlow, right in my shadow. Coward. I must conduct an investigation into his activities...' Celestia lazily thought. Personally, she never was interested in wealth or material gain. The concept of greed seemed boring and unbecoming to her. Money was just another resource—like the time itself, like many other things.

His father's corpse hadn't become cold yet, and Vladimir Blueblood already was taking office as Minister of Arcane. It was a hereditary position for his clan (mostly honorary, really), but the boy now was running around completely wide-eyed, more a nuisance than a genuine help. Luckily, he had capable aides at his side, far better suited for the task at hoof. If the situation was any brighter, Celestia could've found some amusement in it...

She had some shade of curiosity if the external threat would make Canterlot's intrigue any more interesting. Probably not, as for hundreds of years ponies squabbled over the same power struggles in constant disgruntled repetitions. The permanence of their little ambitions was a disappointing, but necessary little evil.

She made a mental note to look out for the Blueblood clan if she would be around in the following years. The young aristocrat was not ready for the position he happened to be in, and might've had access to more power and resources than he was ever ready for—wait, what was she thinking about? What does it matter right now? Her people suffer, and she casts her thoughts into the future as if everything would be the same?

Celestia stopped working with the papers and rubbed her snout, frowning.

"Your Highness?" Raven, ever at her side, stirred with worry. "There's—"

"Yes, yes. I know." Celestia returned to the hornwriting. There were required measures, including some last-minute changes to the revised legislation related to Equestria armed forces and requirements for conscription. At least, for however long the law will remain enacted this time, ponies would be somewhat protected... It still needed to be pushed past various institutes such as Parliament (that still needed to be effectively rebuilt from ground zero. Another mess to deal with), and accustomed to peace ponies won't appreciate the measures, but Celestia tried to involve herself in as much work as she could anyway.

The work was always putting her mind at ease.

An armored pegasi barged into the study through the open window, disregarding the protective barrier. Celestia flinched and quietly sighed, seeing that her quill had left an ink spot on the paper. Most of the other papers flew all over the floor, and Raven, with a harrowing gasp, rushed to collect them.

It seemed another emergency had occurred. The Princess wasn't thrilled in the slightest. "Ah, Commander Magnus," she said, proceeding with writing. "You came just when I need your expertise. I require your opinion on—"

"Lady Celestia!..." Magnus exhaled, leaning into a deep bow. He was shaken to the core, and that was the most concerning.

Waiting on the pony, Celestia frowned in measured disapproval.

"The statue, in the sculpture garden," he said keenly. "The statue from it was destroyed."

The statue? A momentary confusion followed, as she glanced at Raven, who was equally perplexed...

...The statue! Discord! She had completely forgotten about him! All this ongoing strife was bound to set him free... Celestia felt cold sweat all over her forehead.

"I see, my little pony." She stood up from the desk, resolute. "Raven, take it from here."

"Princess, I'm not completely qualified..."

"Right." Celestia smiled apologetically. "I'll be back in five, try to hold the line until then. Commander, a moment of your time."

She reached out to the pegasus with her aura, and the floor violently shifted from beneath them.

The direct teleportation always bore a certain risk for creatures of her power and origin. There was a minuscule chance of being stranded on the another plane of existence, and a far more severe danger of drawing rather unpleasant attention.

This time it went without trouble. Magnus fell at her side, gasping. The tips of his feathers were barely noticeably singed. Sometimes, the urgent matters demanded drastic actions...

But, first things first.

The sculpture garden was half-destroyed by a powerful, targeted blast. It was easy to pinpoint the origin and direction of it. Her stare lingered on the charred and cracked remnants of the pedestal that was supposed to host the draconequus.

Concealing the statue of Discord as the statue representing discord was exactly the kind of irony he would've appreciated, especially since he wasn't a real statue, but merely something suspended in spacetime by the powers of Harmony. Celestia was amused by it each time she witnessed him being marred by bird waste. Life was a marvel of absurdity sometimes…

Nonetheless, there was no denying the fact: he had been destroyed irrevocably. There was no trace of his magic. Celestia half-expected something of this nature ever since the Elements were shattered. For hundreds of years he, along with the members of the Cosmic Council, was a reminder of the olden days of the earlier world, and now he was gone, too.

'For good or ill, this era is close to an end. I must accept it.'

Celestia heaved a sigh... There must be said something. It was the ponies' custom, after all. "The elder spirit..." She gulped. "I always believed that we would find a way to see beyond our differences and cohabit this new age for however long we can, and that the judgment of Antiquity had reserved a role in it for you as well—"

Celestia stopped mid-sentence as realization finally sank in.

How is it even possible... that Discord is... dead?

It... should not be possible. It was an event beyond possibility, probability, even. Why did she accept it so easily?

It felt like a prank. It must be a prank. Nonsense. Just like everything else that was happening recently. Utter nonsense.

... ... ...

If the world was lacking the Spirit of Disharmony... then... where does this leave Harmony?

The silence dragged on. It was suffocating. Celestia sat there with unfocused eyes, until she noticed a simple ladybug, crawling on top of the remains. Disregarding her intent gaze, it spread its tiniest wings and took off.

Kingdoms rise and fall. Creatures live and die. Even the ancients will meet their final day. Those are the incontrovertible laws of the world, and whatever happens, it will go on. Opposing them is unnatural.

There was some solace in such thoughts, however fleeting it may be... And it wasn't a time to grieve, not for her... But that begged the question, what time would be fitting?

'If I will constantly push my feelings aside, I might never have a chance to process them.'

She defiantly rose her head, sending more ripples through her flowing mane, and forcefully proclaimed, "Everything would be lesser without your presence, albeit a silent one. We didn't see eye to eye on many things, but we both moved toward the same goal. Your wit will be missed. Fare thee well, my oldest foe and accomplice."

Celestia bowed sorrowfully to the remains. Discord was a complex being, but in past centuries the ancient alicorn entertained almost a fraternal connection with him, and through it, a delusion that he could learn an encompassing power of Friendship... Maybe she would've learned something from him, as well.

It was hard not to wonder what if...

But enough of idle wondering.

"Who could've done this? Do we have any lead on the culprit?"

The bitter, calm menace in her voice frightened the hardened soldier.

"No, Your Majesty, we have nothing beyond the fact that it was a powerful magician," he stated with a blank expression. "Could it be the Queen?"

His neutrality was almost accentuated. Discord already was a myth during the Pillars' emergence, and Celestia could tell that he didn't care about the loss of such a being as much as about the fact of this loss.

They will forget about this, about all their struggles and fights. Only yesterday she would've thought it's just the natural way of things...

"It is not how she operates. The beast prefers subterfuge and wouldn't use her destructive capabilities unless it is absolutely necessary," Celestia assured. "I want guards to be posted here. Any unusual activity must be reported to me without delay."

Celestia observed the scenery. The traces of residual magic indicated that the blast had occurred merely a few hours ago. Not many unicorns of this age were capable of a spell of this magnitude... Was it another agent of Order? She glanced in the direction of Starswirl's Tower. This magic was odd, similar to his, but lacked the refinement. Was he involved?...

Luna must be there right now.

Celestia plunged into the depths of uncertainty. What if he had done something to her?... No. He wouldn't dare. If he had harmed her, Celestia would hound him to the spine of the world and destroy him, and he knows it better than anyone. He would never risk her ire again. Never. They are on the same side in this.

She gradually calmed down.

Indeed, Luna is fine... She must be fine, otherwise Starswirl would've contacted her already. There was no room to be paranoid and to make rash decisions, and Celestia was not about to take a risk and lead the changelings to Luna's location. No doubt they were trying to monitor the presence of alicorns in the city.

She will save her fire for the one who already hurt her.

"I am coming back. There's nothing to be done here." Celestia outstretched her wings and sent whirlwinds of dust with a powerful flap.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 She stared down at the blank paper, trying to focus on the incoming words. Usually, they came to her much easier in the written form. Each word always needed to be measured and eloquently composed with others. Every one of them was supposed to be working toward the desired effect.

Luna. Twilight. Cadance. In case the worst happens, they all need to be left with personal letters with instructions, as well as words of wisdom, guidance, and love. She considered Sunset too, but ultimately decided against it. The girl would be better off living the rest of her life without the unnecessary complications.

It was a peculiar feeling—to know that you were around for so long, and to be able to count those who are closest to you and not add up to a double-digit number. There was a reason behind it... and it was for the better. All of her close ones were hurt in some way by her decisions and actions, and even while being hurt was a normal part of life, Celestia felt more hopeful for Equestria without her, in a roundabout kind of way.

There was something specific that she wanted to ingrain into the parchment. She wanted to show how she was proud of them and of all that they had built.

The right words weren't coming to her.

Celestia began from scratch once again.

Luna. My crescentic Moonlight.

Luna would be so confused by everything related to the impromptu wedding. Celestia wasn't sure how even begin to explain her feelings on the matter. What tone would be the most appropriate?

Her quill hovered above the name like a pointed spear. The Princess hesitated, then crossed it out, and added something else.

~~Luna.~~ 𝒮𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓃𝒶.

The name mocked her... It made everything worse. It was not invoked for hundreds of years... Thinking about it, she tried to brave her own ancient and fuzzy memories. It was like searching through the contents of a dusty, moth-eaten suitcase.

So she thought about...

The power of sleep...

The power of dream...

The power of names...

The power of truth.

The power of awakening.

The hurrying, uneven beat of someone's hooves abruptly stopped at the door to the study. As the visitor tried to calm down before inviting himself in, Celestia heard Kibitz's characteristic raspy wheeze. The parchment burned with hot fire, and with all evidence cleansed in an instant, Celestia calmly waited for the pony to enter and speak.

"My liege!" Kibitz gasped. "The Changeling Queen is in the palace! She issued a demand for you to meet her at the entrance!"

The Queen had a death wish. Celestia glanced at the clock. Still too early. She isn't nearly done. "She knows where the ruler of this dominion resides, and I welcome her to come for an audience."

The majordomo was of the finest training and conditioned by years of service, but even he couldn't hide the urgency and tremor in his voice. That's why she loved him: the old pony could act natural around her. "My Princess, my apologies, but she threatened, per verbatim, that heads will roll if you won't descend to her."

The Princess' mane surged to the ceiling for a split second. Not good. "Is that so?" she replied evenly, standing up. "Anything else?"

He hesitated but pressed on. "She had brought what seemed to be dead animals and demanded to see a cook, but none were present. Should I try to accommodate?"

The Royal Palace wasn't the safest place right now, and most competent ponies were needed elsewhere. Celestia frowned. "That defiler... No need, I will take care of all this. You are to stay here, warn others, and maintain the appropriate distance. Providence be willing, it will be over soon."

As she trotted to the hallway, Kibitz uttered under his breath, "Good luck, Your Majesty!"

On her way back to the foyer the air became significantly colder and the darkness devoured the sheds of light from curtained windows. It was there, this abundant Dark, that the Queen carried within like her trusted companion.

At least she no longer tried to conceal anything, anymore.

Celestia kept her horn alight, observing the entrance hall from the second floor. Disregarding the alicorn, there was barely a scant of natural sunlight. The marble floor was covered by slick blood, contrasting the colorful furnishing of the ponykind, mirroring it being dripped into the violent dark shade of red.

The Queen was waiting. Giant by pony standards, she was sitting hunched over something small, covering it with her holey forelegs. The alicorn could barely discern the body of unassuming gray color.

"What is the meaning of this?" Celestia inquired steely. Whatever the creature was, it was still alive. She could see it breathing.

"I am not here to fight." Chrysalis' whisper filled the room with a reverberant echo. "You wanted to talk to me, earlier. It is my turn now."

"Show me what you have there, first."

"Come and see, my powerful Sun... It is harmless, be assured," lied Chrysalis.

Celestia glowered. It was a challenge, plain and simple. A trick. A trap.

Her pulse quickened.

The Queen sneered derisively, "Are you really so indecisive? Or maybe you're just enjoying the thrill?" She leaned down to her quarry. "What do you think it is, so worthy of your attention?..."

Celestia was anticipating to see how it could go. She felt drawn to it and couldn't ignore the threat, and so, she took the risk. Keeping up her protective wards, she stepped on a stairway leading to the ground level.

Chrysalis wasn't moving at all, following the alicorn only with her intense inequine glare. Her vertical pupils dilated, overtaking the shimmering green with the rich black.

Celestia's hooves were tapping on the stairs like the beat of a broken metronome. She stopped a few steps short of a pool of blood, and when the Queen moved to reveal her prey, the truth of its abominable nature dawned on Celestia—moments before she actually saw the abhorrent creature in full.

And, by stars, it was disgusting. A jolt went through all her nerves and all sinew and fiber of her body, all of it demanding from the alicorn either to flee or to lunge at it and to furiously stomp it. It was disproportionately bloated, with weird stumps of wings and tiny yellow claws on a single pair of its legs, and the head, oh, the head was worst of all! Celestia yelped and stumbled, jerking back from the awful monstrosity. The dull red eyes were staring from a misleading avian-like skull that concealed razor-sharp teeth within a crooked beak.

The hideous cockatrice shrieked like no tomorrow, thrashing in the green aura and flapping its wings. Celestia felt just like eons ago, when she foolishly treaded into the deep and dark cave, arrogant, short-sighted, not knowing horrors lurking out there, waiting for her. The damp walls converged on her, pressed from all directions. She desperately gasped for air; she needed to get out—

'I must stay focused!' she tried to stop herself. 'It is irrational!'

The cockatrice's neck twisted and snapped. Celestia whinnied loudly in shock and nearly fell when it was tossed under her forelegs.

The pure dread gripped her. And, at the same moment, a thousand cold green needles pierced the base of her horn.

If Celestia could go pale, she became paler. Chrysalis' aura seeped through the opening in her defenses, grasped her, and knocked her down from her hooves, bringing on the hard stone of the stairs. Unable to move her head, Celestia cried again, blinded by searing pain. As she furiously blinked, the Queen closed in and loomed above her.

"Who'd knew that such tiny things can turn you into a quivering mess?" Chrysalis scoffed.

The smallest exertion of her power could change Celestia's fate forever, cut off from her divinity, and leave her a mere husk of flesh and bone, even if not completely without magic... But how much of that would be true? She did not knew. Did her horn, this delicate and refined tool, define her so much that without it she would stop being herself?

Still, Celestia never was this close to the edge. Even during the previous days when she was completely at Chrysalis' mercy, she never felt so vulnerable.

"Do not soil yourself, demigoddess," Chrysalis ridiculed.

The Changeling Queen leaned closer and opened her maw. Her tongue, long and dexterous, moved along Celestia's horn.

Celestia's breath became labored and erratic. She watched wide-eyed as the Queen was meticulously counting the spirals of her enormously long horn. This moist and warm, tender touch, captivated her... All her senses submitted to this feeling, intensifying her attention to the movements of her torturer... When Chrysalis reached the tip, their eyes met.

Chrysalis knew perfectly well what she was doing and to what effect. The clench of her sharp teeth grazed the tip. Just barely.

Unabated pain shot through Celestia's whole body like a white flash. She whinnied, began to pant. A few tears slid down her muzzle.

"This is fun... Who is pathetic now, Princess?" Chrysalis uttered with vengeful malice.

Celestia shot a frustrated, determined glare.

"You were expecting I would wait until duskfall like an obedient dog!?" Chrysalis growled fiercely.

The afterglow of pain still resonated through the alicorn, but it hardly could be compared to the humiliation.

"You are no challenge to me... You washed your soft body with scented oils while I bathed mine in the blood of your subjects," Chrysalis gloated.

Celestia suppressed a small peal of nervous laughter. She glanced down at the dead cockatrice for a moment longer than intended, still deeply repulsed by it. A new pang of pain in her horn made her gasp.

"Look at me." Chrysalis pulled her up. "Look. At. Me."

Celestia sucked a lungful of air and raised her watered eyes.

Chrysalis' voice was rich, slow, and raspy. She was full of contempt and sadistic joy. "Everyone are subjects to my royal power. I can own you... I can carve open your skull and remake you as I see fit. I can own your ponies... I can flay them alive, tear out their cutie marks, and force them to chase those down the streets..." She gleefully smiled at this image. "I can turn this city into a gory carnival of blood and pave the walls with the severed skulls... It would be such a spectacle... I can't wait for my venom to run through their veins, to starve them until they turn on each other for my favor. All this city can become a trap for them with me. The Queen." She leaned closer, salivating. "Have you ever in your life felt hunger, true hunger? Are you aware of what a driving power it is? Have you ever endured such privation that you would feast on yourself just to survive?"

Celestia closed her eyes.

The deep, steadying draw of air through the nostrils. Exhale through the mouth.

It is all in breath control.

It is all in control.

"Do you still blame destiny for your folly?... Blame me. You misjudged me. You never treated me and my army with the respect I deserve."

Respect, she said...

The fiery spirit was building up inside. Not opening eyes, ever so carefully she turned to the monster, uttering glaringly calm words, "You love the sound of your own voice, don't you, my Queen?"

Chrysalis lapsed into silence.

That silence lingered for some time.

Celestia bated her breath.

"You stubborn, stubborn mare..." Chrysalis murmured with sudden warmth.

She nuzzled into the alicorn's neck, and Celestia couldn't help but tense up more. For these drawn out moments everything else fell into nonexistence—so there was only the Queen and her firm grasp, her movements, each one of them measured and thorough.

"Your calmness cannot impress me," Chrysalis crowed in a perfect mixture of rough, primal savagery and tender affection, "but your subtle fragrance weaves for me another tale... Right now it is spiking with all kinds of flavors. -"

Inhaling the thick smell of blood in the air, Celestia was being consumed by this experience. The world of the Changeling Queen was leagues apart from her own. She wanted to know what does she feels and sees; how does she perceives things.

"- You think you can conceal your arousal? From me? -"

What an unfamiliar voice she used, sweet like honey and wine, almost submissive... Her body pushed against the alicorn with more insistence.

"- You insult me, Princess."

Her aura wrapped tighter around the horn, sensitive like a bare nerve. It began to slide upwards and then back down, excruciatingly slowly, exerting a delicate but strong pressure.

Celestia was like a piece of art that wasn't supposed to be treated this way. She bit her lip, trying to endure this abuse and not show more weakness.

"You are scared of these forest pests more than of me. Why?" Chrysalis demanded.

The Queen's teeth scraped against her soft throat. It made her shiver.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Chrysalis asked.

A foreleg moved to her flank and went over her taut muscles, gracing them with a thorough caress. The touch of the Queen was becoming more possessive by the moment...

"Do you have no sense of danger?... What's wrong with you? You fool..." Chrysalis chastised. Her voice quivered.

Celestia felt a rush of exhilaration, sensing that her enemy was once again devolving into a needy, starving beast. Her dark and ravenous passion was infectious and desperate.

Almost ready to surrender to the pleasure, Celestia whimpered, and the Queen suddenly jerked away—and as if it were a cue in a reprised play, Celestia opened eyes and stared down at this gnarly monster, mangled and mended many times over, but proudly bearing her scars like a front. Beneath that front, it was evident that Chrysalis was startled.

The Princess always tried to consider her own unwaning beauty as an asset and an object of admiration for ponies, but to be a temptation for this creature? A nigh irresistible, genuine object of her unbridled desire? Therein laid the true weakness of the Queen, and Celestia was struggling to deny it.

So many things about Chrysalis were going against all semblance of common sense...

Celestia's head was spinning.

"You are a sundew," growled Chrysalis, taking another step back. Her green eyes darted from side to side, expecting a trap.

Not willing to fan the flames of Chrysalis' paranoia, Celestia restrained the urge to smirk at this sight.

The Queen came to her senses, but her tail kept lashing against her flanks, communing that she was an irritated and disturbed predator. "Soon our lives may come to culmination, so don't you want to make every second count?... Maybe you desire something twisted, something... wrong?" The Queen flashed a sinister smile, trying to reassert herself. "I can make it happen. Me, pretending to be your little sister, was only but the faintest taste of what we can enact."

"You are a dark, deviant soul," said Celestia almost carefree. "There is no need to conceal the truth and go against oneself. Continue being simply who you are."

"What a deliciously pony thing to say. Shall I hunt down and cull all the species that are even remotely similar to chicken?" replied Chrysalis.

"They are still... still living creatures." Celestia subtly bobbed her head from side to side. The Queen was distracted and her grip on the horn had been loosened. "They had done nothing wrong."

"Those creatures have no place in nature, and yet you allowed them to survive on your whim. Do you enjoy that your ponies could wander off into the Everfree and be turned into stone?" Chrysalis spat.

Celestia chuckled faintly, covering her mouth. It wasn't an unknown opinion, but it was plain ironic to hear it from this parasitic monster. "Maybe so," she murmured.

A strange nervous exhilaration continued to bubble up inside her. She couldn't stop smiling now, feeling both maddened and lightheaded. None of this was supposed to be happening...

"I can bring to you the bodies of all your enemies and nightmares..." Chrysalis offered in a smarmy yet vicious voice. "After all, if you aren't prepared to kill for something you want, how important can it truly be?"

It had driven the final nail in. Celestia couldn't restrain herself. She threw her head back and laughed.

Her real laughs were always like this one—all-consuming, ringing, completely unbefitting for an elegant creature that she is, and even unhinged, but with a breathy fringe and a pure tenacity in its core.

Chrysalis froze up, enthralled.

Celestia gave into the hearty emotion, unapologetically genuine and swelling like a roaring thunder. The Queen hadn't mattered right now. She herself hadn't mattered. All that mattered was that she couldn't be able to adhere to decorum anymore.

"So you wish to keep jockeying me," she sucked in air, "to be taken seriously, after all!? You seek validation for your own worthless sake, is this what it is all about to you, Queen!?" Celestia finally quelled down her laughing fit and managed to heave a sigh. "Oh, my dear... To you, violence is satisfying, yes... but to you, it is also merely a means to an end. I know it because I share this feeling.
"You ask me why am I not afraid of you?" Celestia stood tall and defiant, towering above the dark creature. "Because you do not believe in principles! Because you do not know devotion! Because I know that being cruel can be easy; because I know that my fear will give you power; because I am aware that you were always terrified of me!!"

The changeling kept listening. Her grip on the horn, the projection of her will, finally slipped away.

"Because I am Princess Celestia!" Celestia spread her great vibrant wings. "Everyone fears me!!" She pierced Chrysalis with a direct and heavy glare. "You've become too accustomed to hunting my little ponies. I've tempered myself for hundreds of years! Do your worst to me!"

Chrysalis did not pull back. She did not sneer or smile, nor she did not get defensive. She lowered her eyes and puckered her brow. "Robust, ancient things like us do not bend under pressure... We do not adapt, do we? We break, and when we break, we break hard.
"I am a connoisseur of dark arts... and of fear. It is my passion. Your ponies aren't all that different from the other creatures of this world..." She smiled mirthlessly. "They all are superstitious, wanting to be deceived by their own mind. None of them ever needed much to be afraid.
"I think that the fear is an artistry. It is ambiguity. It is a power and a tool. It is something... controlling... demanding your attention. It is a lack of morality to which you cling for guidance." Her aura caught the dead cockatrice and lifted. Chrysalis turned to it, scowling. "It is my belief that you should face the things that you're afraid of, and devour them."

"And thus, you want to eat me." Celestia scoffed.

The green eyes snapped back to her. Celestia's glare did not falter.

Chrysalis made a low, irritated hiss, and the cockatrice was tossed back into the puddle of blood. She drew herself upright, stepped closer... A moment of deliberation reflected on her muzzle, and she immediately turned and walked to the exit. Her tail kept lashing all the way.

Celestia glanced at her own legs. They were trembling. She felt overwhelmed. She tried to direct her thoughts: it was only nervousness, nothing more... Someone needed to clean all this mess in the entrance hall... She will return to the study, command ponies to do it, and will finish her work.

And after that, they will finally meet in a proper battle.

"Celestia," the Queen called. She was standing in a few steps from the door, eyeing her askance.

The Princess silently raised her brow, somehow managing an expression of calm confusion.

"Is there anything that you want? Anything at all?"

To her great displeasure, this question only started Celestia more. Her confusion became real.

As she hesitated, bewildered, Chrysalis asked again, "Is there anything that you desire?"

Celestia exhaled, centering herself. "What I want you can never provide. I desire for the Harmony, so it could be spread among all."

Chrysalis lolled her head. "Oh, no, no. No..." She pulled an avid grin. "Let us forget about the Harmony for at least a few minutes. I'm not talking about that, not about your despicable altruism. Have you ever craved anything?... Where does your luster come from? What do you want for yourself?"

Celestia couldn't help it. Her inquisitive mind worked against her. She gave it a thought, and her voice died in her throat.

The question felt personal... simple... and complex.

'What do I want? What is my dream?'

Long ago, before everything, she wanted so many things—but she did not truly forget them... did she?... she was... postponing them, yes... For a special time, when... But disregarding that, she always knew what words she would use in all times if someone dared to earnestly ask that question. 'I want the Sun to shine. I want everyone to be happy and warm. I want my subjects to prosper.'

But no one ever dared.

How strange it is. Everyone always assumed something about her. Everyone always wanted something from her. Everyone expected lessons and directions, and everyone needed input from an adult in the room, from her: the monarch of the land; the level-headed sovereign, efficient and approachable in many matters. Just.

The trickster Chrysalis was the only one who kept asking about her thoughts and wants. How did it come to be like this?

Chrysalis kept staring at her from above the shoulder. Her glare festered, drilling into Celestia's soul. "Everyone are defined by their desires. They are the sole thing that is giving us the drive in life. So what it is for you? What lies in your heart, I wonder?"

'Why do I feel so weak?'

There was something more than any of this, wasn't there? Something beyond the incessant movement from goal to goal... But now, the ever-alluring end was almost in reach. She knew what must be done. It was another problem to solve. It had a solution from which she could not stray.

Celestia's cutting response was laced with a promise of danger. "If you expect that I will bare my heart before you, then you are sorely mistaken. No gestures of ostensible goodwill would be enough to amend the rifts and suffering you've caused."

"But I do not seek to amend anything, demigoddess..." Chrysalis grinned. "Let's say it is but a tribute..."

"No. Get out."

"Like me, you will never be satiated by something simple, do you?"

Celestia scoffed. "Your desires are primitive: to satisfy your hungers and to have power." She lowered her head and trained her horn. "There is no life in this. You might as well be dead."

"You don't say." Chrysalis' grin became wider, but her nervous shifting betrayed her fright. "Then how come I am better, my alicorn?"

"No more words. Get out, now!" Celestia barked, hostile.

The doors slammed shut after the changeling, leaving Celestia alone. With the released tension, she shook uncontrollably. Not immediately, but she turned and made her way back to the study. Everything was like a blur.

"Princess! Are you alright?" she barely registered Kibitz's agitated voice. "Your Highness?... Are you wounded?"

Celestia noted that her fur was partially in blood stains, and uttered in a cold, breathless voice, that scared the help away, "It's fine. Everything is as intended."

She sat at her desk and buried her muzzle in fetlocks, shivering. Why did this encounter shatter her so much?... It won't do. She took a deep breath and raised clear, calm eyes. The switch must've been jarring to the pony, judging by his expression.

"Please, summon the others from my inner circle. And bring me a glass of water. Thank you." She smiled. It was a familiar, kind smile.

She feared that it was too late for her and that she had already strayed too far off-course, just like her little sisters in the sky.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 So, he didn't believe in her victory too? Celestia laughed. "Oh, and what will you do, my little pony?"

She immediately regretted it. The proud soldier looked like he received a slap, but still, Magnus' resolve was unwavering. "My Lady, I am bound in servitude by the vows of chivalry. Do not look down upon us!"

Celestia sighed, contemplating the situation. As was expected, none of the three in the room—Kibitz, Raven, and Magnus—had taken the news of the upcoming duel lightly. Still, some things needed to be confronted, to be said, and to be done.

As it always is.

"Allow us to side with you, at least," Magnus reiterated, speaking out of order. "Right now I can lead no less than fifty good ponies who aren't afraid to lay their lives on the battlefield. We can ambush the Queen, say, employ the hit-and-run tactics? Won't the distraction, at least, be sufficient?"

"Is that what you consider to be chivalrous enough for an Equestrian knight?" Celestia raised her brow in disapproval.

Magnus took the hit. "Nay, but those monsters, these Changelings, m'lady, they are of the Dark! They know no honor. Their deplorable tactics bequeath to us the right to act with all of our might, and to provide all the impediments that are necessary to succeed! Unlike them, we are fighting for something, for our people! All the realm needs to rally to help us combat this threat!"

"I will never betray my principles, Sir Magnus, nor I will never force you to betray yours." Celestia smiled and turned back to her advisors. "Now, please, do you have any more suggestions?" she prompted with morbid curiosity.

"We can indeed try to call others for help," Kibitz offered warily. The majordomo was a poor substitute for a military advisor, but he was a trusted pony with access to a lot of correspondence. "What about Princess Luna, or about arcanists? We can still rely on Princess Cadance's aid. We have an option to summon every ally we have: Starswirl, Princess Twilight, the Pillars, the Elements..."

"The Queen will not wait on us and for these plans to come to fruition," replied Celestia. "She will strike first and force the battle on her own terms. Following your suggestion would mean that I will keep risking the lives of others, and there is little reason for it now, believe me."

"What if our ponies come with better equipment?" proposed Marcus. "There are illegal weaponry that we can move in from the Industry District. I doubt that there is a lot of it in circulation, but some of the guards were forced to use it against changelings and it went with resounding success. Can it be that their Queen won't be any different?"

"You want me to lift the ban on it? You do understand that once it is done and these things leak into mass distribution, it might cause an irrevocable shift in the whole societal structure?" Celestia arched her brow. "Even if my rulership might be in its twilight, I refuse to tarnish it with such hasty and unbecoming decisions. More than that, are you trying to imply that my power is not enough to beat the Queen?

"No, Lady Celestia." Marcus stepped back, his ears drooped down. "I didn't mean to offend."

"It's quite alright," Celestia calmed him down. "Whatever my stance on it, we don't have time to properly utilize this technology anyway. Besides, most likely we will only expose it to the changelings and make our problems worse tenfold."

"Your Highness, what about the girl that tried to secure an audience with you?" interjected Raven. "She seemed to be offering an alternative solution."

'One of Starswirl's pets.'

Celestia stood from her table and slowly crossed the room, wanting to stretch her legs. "You refer to Starflower and her research. It wasn't finished, and according to her, it is scarcely even a theory. If there is a project associated with it, it remains completely within the Ministry of Arcane and subsequently the Starswirl's Tower jurisdiction."

"If the weapons from Undercity are not allowed, why won't we use magic from the Tower?" Magnus wasn't giving up on his noble intent to help. "Starswirl is a powerful wizard of his own, and as far as I concerned he and his gadgetry already should've been on the first lines of defense!"

"I'd advise you to stay clear of the Tower. As of now, its contents are more dangerous to the ponies than to the Queen," Celestia warned.

Magnus looked at his peers and made an exasperated sigh. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, we are the denizens of this city. We must have the right to defend ourselves."

"I understand," Celestia acknowledged in a quiet voice. "Believe me, I understand. Still, I can't allow you. Your actions would be followed by the violent response from Chrysalis, she will rope in her changelings, more innocents will suffer, and this conflict will proceed to scale until we won't be able to contain it at all. Right now I've reached some semblance of parity with the invader. I know where she will be and when, and I am aware of her intentions and motives. This is a once-a-millennia chance to put a definite end to her strife, and it is my duty to see it through."

The room lapsed into silence. Celestia stared at the panorama of Canterlot, deep in thought. One way or another, one of them will savor the defeat this night.

"Please, understand that I do not wish to hurt your feelings or demean you," she spoke again. "This is the Darkness that only I can face—there can be no doubt about it."

"I can't stand by and do nothing. As a knight, I am obliged to act," said Magnus sternly.

"Then, do all you can to protect the citizens, as you always did. I can't ask anything more," replied Celestia.

"Lady Celestia!" the Commander pressed on. "We cannot allow the Dark to win. We must fight!"

Celestia considered her approach.

A certain millennium-old school of thought persisted in Equestria, shaping its philosophy and magic practices. It was frowned upon to speculate about, as otherwise, you might quickly gain a reputation of delinquent. The ponies were being taught that the Darkness is something that exists only outwardly, as an antagonistic force that preys on negativity and insecurities.

"But your fight against the Darkness never ceased. You have fought an unseen battle ever since you were born," said Celestia. It was time to speak about it plainly. "The truth is that there is the Darkness in all of us. Yes, my little ones, it exists even in ponies. Your hearts are the battlefields of constant war for peace, however contradictory that may sound..." Celestia glanced back from the window. An enigmatic smile graced her muzzle. "My heart is no exception."

They all were confused and distraught. Magnus shot her an utterly betrayed look, but it was Raven who connected the dots and vocalized their shared thoughts, "Your Highness, what are you implying? Are you saying that you truly can become like Nightmare Moon? Like Pony of Shadows? Like Chrysalis?"

"A fearsome thought, is it not?" Celestia replied ruefully. "Frightening enough that it is all-consuming. It is because of it I want to ask of you: bear hope for me, for the hope is something that allows us to see the light in things, and those who are of darkness often are deprived of it."

Magnus spoke, finally heeding her, "All our hopes and dreams are with you, Your Majesty."

He bowed, and others followed.

"With me and Luna. And Cadance. And Twilight." Celestia felt overwhelming tenderness to the other alicorns, as well as to her ponies. She fixed her smile back.

"Lady Celestia, please, remember Her Highness Princess Amore," Magnus spoke sullenly, not raising his head. "Fight for her too."

Her smile slightly waned. "Princess Amore..." Her head bowed down, weightened by the thoughts and memories. "That's right... I won't forget her, good knight. My Sun brings hope and life to all, and for their sake and for her sacrifice, I have to... I must endure."

Celestia turned to the window once more. speaking in a calm but hollow voice, "If I won't be able to care after Twilight, you may find her statue in the forbidden section of the library. Kibitz knows how to reach it... And one more thing. The war against the Darkness has been raging on since the inception of this world. When the dusk comes, please keep in mind that whatever it brings, it will be nothing more than another step toward its resolution."

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 "Please, fly away," pleaded Celestia.

Philomena dug her talons deeper into the windowsill, damaging it.

"I release you. I don't want to see you hurt." Celestia nuzzled with the bird. Her tears were quickly evaporating from the close proximity of the phoenix. "I know, I know you were always here for me... I don't deserve it, and... You should find your place in your homeland, or wherever else the wind takes you. You should be free. Find a mate, build a real family. Don't let this ancient mare bog you down."

Her familiar was aware of her turmoil and plight, and that is why it wasn't budging... The chains of the shared good and agony were heavier than lead. Celestia loudly sniffed. Right now she could allow herself such luxury.

"What am I to do with you..." She smiled sadly and extended her wing, letting the bird climb on it. "With all of you... We are all just incorrigible, aren't we? Completely hopeless."

The whole study was a darkened and lifeless place, and such was the Royal Palace as a whole. Celestia tried to ensure that the ponies stayed in the safety of their homes. The city remained in a sorry state, but now, so close to the evening, the ponies, like rambunctious children that they were, finally got tired of their panicking and squabbling and tremulously listened to the dawning of silence.

Celestia was grateful for these couple hours of relative peace.

While she was feeding Philomena the extract of rare fruit collected on distant mountainsides of the Dragon Lands, a snap of magic brought her back from the morose self-reflection. The parchment was drifting down from the ceiling; a message, urgent enough to be sent by the dragonfire channel. Feeling nostalgic, Celestia caught it midair and pulled it to her eyes.

Dear Princess Celestia

I visited Equestria today, and on the one hand, I have learned many wonderful things!

I have learned so much

that you might say

that on the other hand, now I know too much ツ

Will see you soon! ~~I hope!~~

Your former student,
Sunset Shimmer

P.S. Congrats on your wedding! xoxoxo

Dumbstruck, Celestia reread the parchment several times. It wasn't a cipher or a forgery. It was, unmistakably, an odd message from Sunset in her hornwriting.

It was a piece of evidence, either way. Under Celestia's searing gaze, the parchment caught fire and turned into ash in an instant.

A creeping unease settled in. What had happened to the girl?... Did someone feed her lies or the truth? Celestia wondered which might be worse, but of course, it was too much dependent on from whom she received this information.

The stiffness of Philomena caught her eye.

The bird was tensely staring at the far corner of the room. Celestia turned but saw nothing.

"Philomena?" she asked. "Dear, what is there?"

The bird made a shrill cry, flapped her wings, and nestled on a perch higher in her cage. Celestia felt a budding headache and caressed her temple.

"Who is there?" she nervously called.

Celestia peered into the warm and quiet darkness, hearing nothing but ticks of the clock. She was sure that some presence was there, an elusive one, that always hid just outside the corner of an eye...

Eventually, after a few detection spells were cast, she accepted defeat. There were too many diverse beings in the world that were potentially capable of something like it. The last thing she would need is to become paranoid and begin to act out of mere suspicions and tricks of her own mind... Too many unenviable concerns she had. Too much was at stake already.

Her foreleg moved to her peytral and she pressed on it, listening to the life that was slumbering beneath it.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 The light grew dimmer, and the air became richer with shadows. Succulent, divine orange poured into the distant skies.

The dusk was her second favorite part of the day.

For the first time in a long, long while, there was no concrete plan nor expectations. Just her, her thoughts, and the impending darkness.

Her figure, clad in the ethereal silver raiments, was standing on the balcony overlooking Canterlot. She wondered if the Moon or even the Sun would ever rise again... The ponies will remain, though, that's certain. The world may find its way, yet. It was supposed to be enough for her, wasn't it?

The feeling of being in control of the future was slipping away by the minute. It was a terrible burden to have, to know that it is not just your own fate that you are in charge of, but it is the fates of millions, and there is no escape, there is no respite, just a silent, unending treading into a dark abyss.

But in the unknown of the dark, there was something more than fear... there were also boundless possibilities. In the ivory tower where she resided, rising against the firmament of stars, anything could happen.

She looked at the storm coming from the east. She turned and slunk back into her chambers which were filled with aromas of arcane incenses.

It is time. She felt it, in her bones, in her soul. It was like a call. It is time.

"When the great darkness dimmed the sky,
The earth trembled at her hoofsteps. -

The stars were shining bright around her. The rumble of thunder broke in the sky. She traced her forehoof between the candles on the floor and sharply turned her body. Her head bobbed like a puppet's.

She had roamed the world.
She had drunk foreign waters
Outside of your bound,
And she had become strong by their power. -

The cold wind surged and violently broke through the closed windows, swirling thick fumes above her head.

She had seen the Sun rise from the seas,
To be set down to rest in your vastness.
The evening star shines on your lap,
And if she must leave,
She'll entrust it to your love and your grace,
To your vigil and to your soft embrace. -

The candles began to flicker and fall, ruining the intricate magic pattern. Some of them were set ablaze by the sudden verdant witchfire.

You bind the mountains, and hold fast the lands,
You carry the blood of the vanquished, and their defeat in your hands,
You are the path to the victory, and the way to the end,
But you know not, what you hold within... -

The smell of death festered in the air, overpowering all others.

I know that you are here, Dark Queen."

In the mirror on the wall she saw her, emerging at her side, bringing with her a whole realm of emotion, forbidden, intoxicating, tantalizing.

Her figure shadowed Celestia's slender frame; her hoof ran down the curve of the alicorn's delicate muzzle in a sleek, dominant motion.

"Let there be no judgments. No constraints. No doubts." Chrysalis' words were filled with the demand of fire. "I want your power and passion. I want you real, raw. I want you, now.
"I want you to hate me."

Author's Note

and I want
and I want
and I want
and I will always be hungry

Leap 16 — "Her jaws" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, late evening

So I kiss her harder. I push her lips apart with mine. I take her breath. We’re sweetness, and sweetness turning into ruthlessness.

𒄈 "Our souls are entwined," Chrysalis whispered. "Can you feel it?"

Chrysalis pinned her to the wall. Celestia bent under the assault. She let it happen.

"Tread lightly, beast. You speak of a kinship with the star," Celestia warned in an equally quiet voice.

"The star?" Chrysalis sneered defiantly. "All the stars are far in the sky, and they seem to have conspired to bring us together. In another place and time, we would've never met like this."

"The stars might seem far, but they still watch over all." Celestia clasped Chrysalis' nape.

'Why does it always feel as if the Dark is stronger?'

"It must be so lonely to be the most powerful being in existence," Chrysalis tempted.

"In this world—" The touch of her enemy made Celestia sharply inhale and fill her lungs with an acrid smell, mixed with the sweet odor of ozone. In a futile attempt to restrain herself, she pushed her knees together.

'Why does nothing ever go according to plan?'

"You shouldn't be afraid of your emotions. Not you," Chrysalis snarled.

"Foolish bug." Celestia's lips curled in a grimace.

They were going down the lust-filled river of darkness that was stirring inside of them both. Chrysalis' forehooves moved on the alicorn's coat, virtuously directing the rafting.

"You're a monster..." Celestia groaned and rasped into Chrysalis' ear. "You deserve to die. Your crimes are unforgivable."

The Queen bared her teeth, satisfied. She enjoyed it too much... They both did.

...And there was a constant struggle against jealousy, avarice, pride, and addiction. A fight against emotions that run amok.

There was a pull.

And there are no steps over the lines and no imaginary boundaries, only an arrival at what was perceived before as a limit and a following game of compromises with your conscience. There was a revelation: you can accomplish things that can grant you more pleasure than pain, and you might get away without consequences.

Isn't it natural to try to diminish your pain, and if you care about someone, to diminish the pain of another too?

And there comes a push.

"I want to learn all your curves," murmured Chrysalis. "Maybe what you want is to be worshipped?"

"Trespasser-r..." Celestia hissed, her voice almost ecstatic. "You think you can take and break anything you want!?"

"I want only your heart. Give it to me. I'll rip it out." Chrysalis' eyes gleamed with virile green. "I want all your resolve, your every emotion. Pour it all out."

Behind her thinly veiled prideful arrogance was boundless confidence, based on something more than any juvenile sense of entitlement. Chrysalis knew she was good because she was good. It was her craft, her lifeblood. Celestia knew that the nature of the Queen's powers demanded complacency from her prey.

The inevitable conclusion felt so distant... Celestia gave into the meticulous caresses of the changeling's aura at the base of her wings. With a smile full of pained bliss, she arched her back and extended those wings, overtaking the room with a bright glow. Chrysalis was hitting all the right spots.

Celestia wanted her body to be used like the delicate instrument that it was. After all, it wasn't truly built for fighting.

"You trifle with the Sun herself," she warned weakly, nonetheless.

"My sopping wet Sun," Chrysalis replied in the most haunting and beautiful of voices.

Her skin was like suede—smooth and tempting. Celestia moved her forehooves lower, and the Queen eagerly leaned into the soft embrace.

"I admire your bold spirit," confessed Celestia, "your ability to defy me on every turn but still be willing to play with me… You are a beast that is full of courage and hubris."

As if in a drunken stupor, they forced their bodies together.

"My playmate," Chrysalis snarled. "Aren't you afraid that I will play too rough and break you?"

"You mean to say, you're afraid of that?" Celestia nickered.

"No..." the ancient shapeshifter bit back a growing smile. "No, I want to tear you apart."

I was such a pure thought without any pretense. Pleasant shivers ran down Celestia's coat. Her lips parted.

"I want to mix your flesh with mine so there be no me, nor you..." Chrysalis sang with vicious, raw lust. "I want to peel your bones bare clean... I want to break those bones and suck on your marrow... I want to. I want to..."

These voracious words enticed her… The Queen slipped past all defenses and inhibitors; her touch managed to pull from the alicorn an immodestly loud moan. 'Madness,' flashed her fading thought.

Chrysalis buried her muzzle in Celestia's neck, breathing in her scent. Her warm whisper filled her world, "I want to show you what the true admiration is. There's nothing more intimate than to become one with the other."

"You got it all wrong, you foolish changeling..." Slick with sweat, panting, Celestia covered her enemy with her wings. "That is such a one-sided point of view..."

"And yet you are aware that there's truth in it," replied Chrysalis with flirtatious malice.

"Why must everything be about conflict and dominance with you?"

"But don't you hear the call?" Chrysalis whispered, inching closer to her lips. "Does it not distract you from your stale, toothless dogmas? Does it not burn right through you? Don't you want to sing to it—to this melody, to feel its frenzy and reap the reward?… My sweet girl, it is all about power. Everything—"

Celestia exhaled steam intense enough to burn. Forced to evade it, Chrysalis dove down and then lunged for the throat. For a moment, Celestia's heart sank, but razor-sharp teeth did not penetrate her skin, instead making a surprisingly restrained love bite. She laughed, offering her neck and wordlessly asking for more.

A dreadful desire washed through her, evoking something from the deep reaches of her soul. The pleasure was sending her teetering on the edge of the sensual abyss, making her rake with unbearable carnal heat. 'How strange, but in the end I do not want to be hurt,' a thought slipped into her mind, as if coming from someone else. 'I want this, and for this to last forever.'

Driven mad by tense anticipation of pain, she groaned on top of her lungs, giving into sensations, aware of her impending demise. As they both rapidly grew more passionate, Chrysalis' greedy forehooves pulled Celestia's hips closer, and the alicorn moved her knees upwards the changeling's thighs.

And then, her jaws finally pierced Celestia's flesh.

Celestia abruptly gasped, and the flames of her life flickered under a strong wind.

In a silent demand, she tried to lock the changeling down, but the ever-defiant monster wriggled away with startling force. Dislodged from each other, they panted, staring at the red that was quickly oozing from Celestia's wound.

The hot sting of pain withered into numbness.

The sight of the blood seeping into the silvery ceremonial garments and then going over the breastplate was mesmerizing.

Celestia raised her forehoof, touched it, and watched it trickle over a golden royal horseshoe.

Her body had long forgotten how to bleed… for so many years, her heart might've as well not beat at all… but now… this creature…

Chrysalis moved back down, and her tongue went over the wound. With a sensuous kiss, she planted a bloody mark on Celestia's cheek, and rasped in a small voice, "What do you feel when you see your immortal blood ebb away?"

Celestia pushed the back of her head into the wall in an attempt to slow down the spinning world. Absolutely thoughtless, she stared at the monster that bared its soaked fangs in a proud grin. Her eyes were glued to the sharp smile.

Something must've changed in her expression, and Chrysalis latched onto it. "Do you hate me yet?" she murmured.

An insatiable urge to live overcame Celestia. It surged from within, bringing her panic-inducing fear, and with it, determination.

A reminder of her mortality and of the gravity of the situation.

A resolve to fight for survival—to fight for herself.

Her horn flashed with bright gold, and the Queen was tossed to the far wall. She crashed into one of the cupboards and slumped under it, showered by the falling trinkets and books.

Celestia basked in the afterglow of pleasure. She witnessed the world with vivid clarity, and all along it was a contradiction immersed in perpetual self-destruction, and at the center of it all was this changeling.

Life mingled with death, inexorably drawn. Sweat, heat, and illusion—all were rushing and fusing into a finality that was abrogating all logic and obliterating it with fiery prejudice. With the horn blazing, she got to her hooves, her body surrounded by the projections of stars. The Queen crawled out to the center of the room. A ripple of cleansing green flame was going over her freshly scorched muzzle.

"Play along with me," Chrysalis hissed. "That's right… There would be no easy escape for either of us. Let our flames devour one another! There is no better way to settle it, nothing better than this. Let us burn!"

Another ray pierced the Queen, sending her closer to the balcony. She groaned, stood again, and Celestia plummeted her with yet another strike, pushing back to the railing.

Chrysalis' horn glowed blinding green, meeting Celestia's next ray with a fierce rebuke.

The explosion hit her eardrums. They almost took out the entire tower. Chrysalis went over the edge, disappearing down below. Cascading like a living flame, Celestia leapt over the destroyed balcony into the cold fury of the raging storm.

The Queen could be barely seen, but she was there, struggling with the trajectory of her fall. She turned to meet Celestia head on, but another pointed ray went through her erected shield like it was nothing. It sent her spinning in a freefall with a faint flare of green to compensate for the inevitable impact.

Celestia unfurled her wings to hover. Chrysalis came crashing down, immediately recovered, tried to take aim and hit the exposed target, only to be caught by Celestia's feint as she wrapped herself in a golden aura and made a flourish to the side, and then responded with an overwhelming, near-invisible kinetic energy blast that blindsided the Queen. With a cry of pain, the changeling was sent tumbling and tossing across the ground; one of her legs, severed, swung in the other direction.

Celestia dove down at her, and as they clashed, arches of gold and black lightning enveloped them briefly, splintering the trees and burning down the grass.

A thunderous cacophony rocked the scene of their battle.

Celestia stood amidst billowing smoke and cleared it with a single flap of her wings.

The Queen remained on the molten hot ground. Being cooked alive, she crawled away hastily and limply, resembling an oversized centipede.

The alicorn's figure burst with intense radiance. She stepped after the changeling, exhaling a steady stream of flame and forcing the Queen to crawl faster. It all came to a halt when they reached the Palace's outer wall, and with nowhere to run, Chrysalis turned and tried to brave Celesta's light. Her squinting eyes were reddened from immense strain.

"Is that all?" Celestia asked.

The scorched earth was sizzling under the ongoing heavy rain.

An odd, putrid smell persisted in the air.

The Queen was naught but a dull hedonist without discipline.

A monstrosity.

"You boorish thug," Celestria accused. "Where's all your strength? Have you got me heated up for this?"

"Shove it where the Sun doesn't shine!" Chrysalis fiercely snapped, but then made a complete one-eighty and carelessly giggled. "Oh, now that's—"

Despite Celestia not tending to her arsenal for centuries, most of the summoning sigils still worked. Her horn shone ever brighter, and from a cloud-draped sky, an unwieldy, heavy lance struck the changeling.

It went in with a vengeful force—way more brutal than expected. Chrysalis snapped to the wall in an instant; her limbs flailed wildly and then hanged still. Her chin fell on her chest.

Celestia exhaled more fumes. Her stare remained fixed on the mangled body.

There was a beat when nothing was happening.

Passing seconds felt like a little eternity of waiting.

Celestia took a cautious step.

Stillness. No response.

All life was snuffed out in an instant… well, life was fragile, after all.

"Such flatulence," Chrysalis uttered with a waning hiss.

Her forelegs slowly tore from her body, revealing a drippy, tar-like substance. Her bleak eyes stared coldly. As dark magic was evaporating from her, more of the rotten odor reached Celestia's nostrils.

It was a ruse. Another fake.

"You—" Celestia growled in sudden vengeful rage. Her flames surged.

Chrysalis' decomposing body bared its teeth in a satisfied grin. All at once, her borrowed flesh popped like a ripe fruit, emanating foul energies. "I am above you," she croaked a death rattle, falling apart.

With rising anticipation, anger, and disgust, Celestia turned to the Royal Palace. Countless blinking green eyes stared at her from the surface of its windows, and like a trail they led her to the top of the building, where on the edge lay the puppeteer—the shadow presence of an insectile pegacorn that was concealed by dark, warmthless flames.

The outworld was beckoning. Her horn flared gold; she slinked onto another plane of existence and reappeared behind the real Chrysalis. The Queen was already standing up to repel the blast.

The twinned columns of flames had risen far into the sky and ceased abruptly.

The building beneath them partially caved in.

Reeling and attempting to maintain balance, Celestia leapt backward and flapped her wings to catch the rising hot air and gain distance, but the enemy cut through the fire and closed in, striking with purple-black magic. At the last moment, Celestia exerted herself, taking the brunt of the powerful blow and deflecting it. Their twisting energy was devoured by the low hanging clouds.

The two landed far apart on an intact part of the melted roof. Echoes of memories of their past clashes rang in Celestia's mind. 'It is too risky to maintain a direct approach. I have no choice. No more excuses.
'So be it.'

"You sinner, how dare you use the dead bodies of my subjects to demean me so!?" Celestia growled, advancing.

The being of the Darkness did not utter a sound. It went into a slow gait, prepared to charge.

"If you want this so badly, then listen." The Princess' power surged around her, and her light redoubled with a pure white.

"You speak, and I hear the ripples on the water that try to describe what water is," Chrysalis answered with an echoing low hum.

"All is fine and well in the Kingdom of the Sun, -" began Celestia.

"I hear the snow that deludes itself as falling leaves," hissed the shadow, determined to interrupt the cadence of her chant.

"- as long as all its subjects, both great and small, keep in mind, -"

"An ash, dreaming of wind."

"- that no matter how deep the dark is, the day will always break! -"

"All eternal truths are lies!"

"- And I will be the one to bear the Daybreaker! Lux æterna!!"

"You are not playing to win anymore," he said.

"Hm-m."

This place was like a slice of heaven. Royal purple-golden tapestries embellished the walls, and evening light was drowning the spacious hall in a hazy, sun-dappled ambiance. The air was filled with the scents of jasmine and sandalwood.

The aging centaur furrowed his stark white brows, examining the board.

"This is getting nowhere," he complained, dissatisfied. "Are you even paying attention? I am winning in three turns."

"Alas." Celestia politely yawned, much to the chagrin of her opponent. "Mayhap I am simply too rusty. Shall we begin another one?"

"No, you'll keep throwing it," King Vorak grumbled. "Speak plainly. Why did you agree to it if you are bored?"

"I thought it was customary, no?" Celestia's gaze wandered aside.

"This is a waste of time," Vorak declared, and then wiped all chess pieces from the board.

"What is life if not a waste of time?" Celestia droned melodiously and then chuckled, covering her lips. "That sounded so inappropriate… Don't mind little old me, dearest Cousin."

In the presence of the hulking Warlock King, Celestia could be compared to an oversized toy or even a pet. Lazily splaying her body amid cushions, she was hugging with a foreleg a royal scepter, fashioned from her bone and soul in time immemorial. A slender, beautiful thing it was, wreathed in a perpetual liquid flame.

At this moment, that flame had already singed or burned at least half of the cushions.

None of the royals were concerned by that.

Celestia followed a pair of children that were playing near a small waterfall in the garden. Engaged in a mock fight, they were far too immersed in the swordplay to notice the foreign alicorn Princess looking at them. Celestia didn't mind—she preferred to remain discreet during her rare visits to other realms.

"Cupbearer!" Vorak bellowed, and a small, round gargoyle rolled from the room's corner, armed with a jewel-encrusted decanter. Vorak shoved him a freshly emptied cup. "Fill." As soon as it was done, the King took a hefty swig, smacked his lips, and growled, "Some good shit."

Celestia constructed a slight frown, just enough to show her disapproval.

The Warlock King propped his chin on his clenched fist and made a pass with a cup-holding hand. "Spit it out."

"I'm sorry?" Celestia asked with polite confusion.

"Don't 'I'm sorry' me," Vorak grumbled. "I can tell that something's wrong. Usually you put up more of a fight."

"Your skill of observation exceeds even the boldest of assumptions of mine, esteemed King," Celestia replied with a small, almost coquettish smile.

"Hardy har." Vorak rolled his eyes. "So? What's this all about? Is it that ages-old melancholy, eh, Cousin? It wasn't new before, and it sure isn't new now."

Celestia did not answer. The smile wasn't leaving her.

"Has the journey here worn down your old bones?" Vorak probed.

"Don't be ridiculous." Celestia laughed.

"Getting anxious because a certain date is soon?" He offered a knowing smirk.

"You might say that," replied Celestia quietly.

"Stellar." Vorak nodded. "Makes you feel more like mortals, yeah?"

"Oh, Cousin…" Celestia uttered a sigh and tried to carefully choose her next words. "What I feel about it is unproductive, and in my experience, there's little value to unproductive feelings." She returned her attention to the children. "We cannot allow ourselves even more distractions than we already have, don't we?"

Vorak cleared his throat and cracked his fingers, preparing for a speech. "Just south of my Gray City there's a winery near the grove. Did you see it during a fly over? Every ten moons or so I make an appearance there to oversee the production and taste-test the latest batch. It's my, so you say, vice."

"As I've heard, one among many others," added Celestia.

"As they say, the earth bears many sweet fruits, yes?" Vorak smiled. "Who am I to deny my realm if she wants to share with her King?"

"M-hm," Celestia muttered neutrally.

"Anyhow, the most precious part of my visits comes when I participate in the creation of the wine. The new-age technology would've given up the process to a machine, but I prefer to add my sweat and essence to it, and when I do it, there's a connection with the soil, with the wind and rain, and with the hands of gatherers through which the grapes had passed. Do you get what I mean?"

"I can't be certain," Celestia said politely.

"Did my gift lost on you?" Vorak furrowed his brows. "What did you call it, the power of an earth pony?" He flexed his muscle. "The strength of the earth!"

"Oh. Yes, the power of your realm is still alive in Equestria. It was a great boon," said Celestia with an assuring nod.

"Then you must know what's it all about: the feeling that the whole world is with you, living, breathing, one… And so, after all is done and the wine is prepped for fermentation, I kick back right there and take a good smoke while in a pleasant company. Everything is right in the world on nights like these. I plant myself in the soil, and I let myself loose.
"Do you let yourself loose? Ever had a desire to sprout your roots, eh, Cousin?" Vorak winked. "Ah-h-h…. It is such a feast for the soul. Some things no sorcery can ever substitute."

"You might be onto something. I grew fond of floristry lately," admitted Celestia. "It is a bit silly, but I even fancied having a garden in my personal chambers."

"You should indulge this side of yours." Vorak grinned.

"But that exactly it: merely an indulgment. At face value, those are mere fantasies, curious prospects for which I do not have the time."

"Nonsense. You make time. You are the Queen, after all."

"I am a Princess, Cousin," corrected Celestia.

"Right, right," said Vorak. "In your court there's no difference."

"I doubt my ponies would agree," demurred Celestia. "Nonetheless, I understand what you are trying to say, but…" Celestia made a pause, trying to find the right words, but then decided not to sugarcoat it. "It all feels too distant… too small to me. Don't get me wrong, this whole world sometimes feels too small. I can understand the value of things, and of course I am aware that all the countless lives, both mortal and immortal, are bound together by the threads of our shared existence, but still, in the every given moment, everything seems so… little. Even right now, we may appear big ourselves, but it's a perception trick. We are infinitely small, too. Your desire to feel the earth is small as well. I admit, my body might have the impetus to do the same, but my soul is numb to it." She glanced at his hulking figure, worrying. "I must've miscommunicated… Let me rephrase it. What I want to say is that I doubt that Princess Celestia would be interested in anything like that."

"That's new." Vorak hemmed. "Some kind of disassociation, eh? Since when are you talking about yourself in the third person?"

"I want to share with you something…" Celestia steadied her breath. "I'd like to think of myself as an idea that I am making real."

"Here we go." Vorak looked into his cup.

"I am Fata Morgana of Canterlot. An idea of Celestia. Of Equestria. Of an alicorn Princess. This is who I am, and I am meant to represent the ideals." Celestia leaned forward with glistening eyes and a tiny but eager smile. "Inspiration. Forgiveness. The magic of Friendship. Embracing one's true nature through confrontation. Willingness to act despite your weaknesses, flaws, and failings, despite the oldest tale in the book: you wanted to change the world, but the world changed you."
She giggled abruptly.
"The greatest struggle of all is a struggle against oneself, but I had an epiphany: you can step aside, reinvent yourself like a mortal into something that is more akin to a symbol that is so deeply intertwined with other symbols that it is interchangeable. Everything leads to a never-ending battle, as we all have our natures, and sometimes we need to confront them, but as time proves again and again, our natures are what win out in the end… It is virtually impossible to suppress those natures, and yet we are locked in a desperate struggle, having no choice but to look deep within ourselves, to go through this unending strife, and to confront the truth again, and again, and again—to return to the same puzzles, to retrace our steps through the same maze-like cave full of echo, to come to the same solution of the same equation as always…"

Vorak was unimpressed. "That's some gibberish… Huh-h," he huffed. "Are you all in there? Are all of you sun-folk that light in the head?"

"Oh, that's right…" Celestia slightly frowned, and her voice grew soft, almost condescending. "You practice an inherently different kind of magic."

"…Does your sorcery demands you to load out on others such inane ramblings?" the King asked, puzzled.

"Our desires and impulses do not always align with our true selves, but right now I am at peace with myself. I am in a balance that I can't allow to be disrupted," Celestia attempted to explain. "I embraced the fact that I am an idea because it correlates with my role. It's strange to me that you are not able to grasp it, but I must be mindful that you have your own path, Cousin, as do I."

"No, no, I can decipher the meaning here. Your duty is to act out a certain role, or otherwise there would be consequences." Vorak winced. "That's called 'having responsibilities'. Queen, the way you flap your gums about it is like you are too grand, and everyone else is ant-like compared to you and the battles you have to lead." He waved his hand dismissively. "Guess you're right about one thing: nothing truly changes."

"You are deluded. What happened to your vows? Have you forgotten that the fate of both Harmony and the entire world is at stake?" posited Celestia.

"It is always at stake," scoffed Vorak. "It has been at stake since the beginning of time and will remain at stake no matter what we do. Can't you take your mind off of it? As youngsters say, get a life."

The corner of Celestia's lips twitched. Vorak's hypocrisy was obvious to her. He wasn't the one to advise her, not with his way of living. "While you are concerned with your earthly travails, I always belonged to the sky. It will forever pull me away and make me question everything through its lenses."

"It's settled then: you are an airhead."

"Don't be mean." Celestia threw a cushion at him.

"There must be something that you're truly attached to."

"I suppose so... Well, I'd say I am quite attached to Equestrian ponies." Celestia sincerely smiled, easing herself into thoughts and memories about them. "You wouldn't believe how much joy they bring me sometimes. They are the littlest of them all, and they are all fascinating, each in their own unique way. If I could choose to watch something for all eternity, it would be my little ponies."
Her muzzle fell, and she looked at the children again.
"Their future concerns me a lot... Will they be good? Is my course of action right for them? Can they weather what's yet to come? This kind of worrying soothes my soul, I think. This is what brings me close enough to earth, and I wouldn't have it any other way. This is how it was meant to be. This is what Celestia is supposed to be doing, and my subjects must be united behind an idea of her. They require her, or else any kind of dissension would invite hate, and hate will never bring Equestria closer to our goal."

"Bah. Yes. In essence, it's all about maintaining authority. Now I get what you preach," Vorak huffed. "If I could turn back the time, I'd never sired any of my little bastards."

"That is a fool's talk," Celestia replied evenly, glancing from beneath her eyelashes. "You love them."

"Aye, that might be true, however, they are backstabbing, worthless, unruly lot, and before you ask it, yes—Scorpan too is not without a sin."

"Truly, I am concerned that your opinion of your kin is always so low," Celestia said as neutrally as possible. It was supposed to be a diplomatic visit, not an evaluation procedure.

"Spare me your grievances, sorceress!" Vorak waved his hand. He saw right through her. "You too would've known the joys of managing a huge family if you weren't so determined to deal only with serfs. The real family is as much pain as it is a blessing."

Celestia's ear flickered. "I think it's fairly obvious by now that I am not cut out to be a matron material."

In a fleeting vulnerability, she tried to imagine herself being a genuine mother, or even a grandmother to someone... A great-grandmother?... That mental image made her feel queasy. During her long life, she helped several mares deliver their foals, and supposedly there was nothing compared to the warm, proud feeling of looking upon own little one.

She pondered the feeling, but feelings alone weren't enough, as there was always something else to take into consideration, and everything related to child rearing already could've been characterized as an attempt at efficient management. It was about patience, growth, planning, and a number of other specific things that were not that different from being an acting sovereign. 'It could be such a selfish decision... How long will it take before somepony I once cherished becomes another face in the crowd?'

"No doubt. It was always clear as day: your oven is simply too hot to bake your own kids," Vorak bleated.

Celestia was never too interested in the topic or overly self-conscious, but Vorak's attitude grated her. Twilight came to her mind. Lately, the destiny of her faithful student was dominating it a lot.

"Adorable colloquialism," she carefully placed her cup on the table. She wasn't supposed to be like that, but... "Dearest Cousin, you've allowed yourself too much. I am the Princess, a mare, and a lady. Have you let go of the last shreds of decency?" Her voice grew mocking.

"Ha!" Vorak brayed. "So it is true! Stars be my witnesses, you are as much a woman as a pig with a horn is a unicorn!" He laughed heartily, reveling in his insensitivity, but Celestia's cold glare brought him back to reality. "Eh, do not take it too personally. We are bloody equals, so can't I speak with you freely?"

Celestia's glare intensified. "Is that why you keep that unsightly stick by your side?"

Their heads turned to the Staff of Sacanas, which Celestia deliberately ignored until this moment.

"Ah, yes. It is only a regalia to show before great Queen Celestia properly." Vorak picked up the stave and ran his hand along its dark surface. "Let me—"

"Simply delightful. You do not even hesitate." Celestia fluidly readjusted her brilliant battle scepter and pointed it at her opponent. "Pay attention, now."

Vorak blinked in surprise, but then squinted at her expectantly. Silently.

"It is true that as rulers and members of the Council we are alike, and in our heart of hearts we are concerned about our legacy." Celestia's voice dangerously lowered. "But, your ambition clouds your addled mind, little Vorak. Your thoughts are clear to me, as they are exactly the same as before. Tell me, do you still want to find out if this celestial mare will shit herself when she dies just like any other?"

The Warlock King scoffed, but offered no rebuttal. His eyes were glued to the pommel of the Daybreaker.

'𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓊𝓃,' a haunting, familiar whisper at the back of her mind.

"As you said, it is clear as day," Celestia said, stifling a snicker. "So what are you waiting for? Show me what passes for courage in your realm!"

Vorak pulled a strained smile and released the Staff from his grip. It fell to the ground like the pathetic, shriveled sapling that it was.
"Shame. We are not fated to be enemies." He raised his cup in a mock toast. "Let's drink to that."

Celestia watched how his jugular worked as he gorged himself on wine. 'Prepared speeches for assemblies are always so different from those spoken in lobbies... I must keep myself in check. This, here, is not my fight. In my attempts to preemptively weed out these threats, I will destroy the world many times over.'

Gray City of the realm of Soil and Rock was so woefully alien... The smell alone in it was simply impious.

Celestia glanced at the kids who were too busy to notice the atrocity that almost took place, and was suddenly deeply disturbed by herself. "Oh, by the stars... The next thing you'd tell me is that your firstborn just happened to slip past your fingers only to be cast away to rot in Tartarus. You expected it to happen, and we both know that," she accused, not hiding her disgust.

"Haven't we been over this already?" asked Vorak, glaring at her with dismayed embers of eyes.

"You've sent your offspring to invade Equestria."

"One time in over a thousand years."

"One time I caught you directly involved!" Celestia raised her voice.

"Are you accusing me of other attempts, sorceress? Do you have a single piece of evidence to back up this claim?" Vorak challenged.

"Do not try to change the subject!" Celestia demanded.

"You're giving me a headache." Vorak sank back into a chair. "Well, la-di-dah, I guess this is on me."

"You guess!?" Celestia narrowed her eyes.

"All of this is on me… The realm offers you an apology due to harshness of mine actions and words. They occurred in ill state of mind, both in past and in present," Vorak said through his teeth. "Happy now, Queen?… Blast! You and your temper!… By Erebus and all that is cosmic, how can you call yourself being in balance? I am like a milk-sucker again who pissed off the Sun herself. After it happened last time, nothing helped to properly heal my back. Want to take a look at it? Eh? Want a reminder!?"

'𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃.'

"Esteemed Oak King." Celestia slightly lifted her chin, addressing the moniker of this once-proud centaur. "You are the last of all living creatures who would want to be on my bad side. Your..." corner of her lips twitched, "...urge to compete never can be an excuse."

"Bah. It doesn't matter." Vorak crumbled, not in the mood to endure her disappointed glare. "Cupbearer! Fill."

Both parties took the following minute of silence to calm down their nerves.

The servant awkwardly shuffled around, trying to make as less noise as possible.

"To our health everlasting, Your Radiancy," Vorak uttered with forced officiality, and downed another cup, glaring all the while.

Celestia was feeling uneasy about her outbursts. This decision hurt her, but from now on the Daybreaker needed to be locked away for a while. She had to maintain a clear head.

"Now, since the small talk is finally dealt with," the Warlock King propped up his chin again, "let's cut to why you've come here so I can get back to my trivial earthly existence."

Celestia made a subtle nod of approval.

"The thousandth Midsummer Festival is nearly upon us," proceeded Vorak. "All four of us must ride in full to fetch that sister of yours. Each year the stone-folk throws great feasts on this day, but our sun-blessed equine-kin has yet to show up at any... Luna is an eternal troublemaker, she will shake things up, won't she?" He hemmed. "Stars above, do you even remember what she looked like?"

"Her presence is my guiding compass. I remember all her faces very clearly, in all of her ever-changing beauty. I see her every night when I raise the Moon in her name." Celestia solemnly lowered her eyes. Luna was like a mirage. Luna felt like someone unreal. "Our mutual benefactors willed it so even if I wanted, I'd never forget… I had so many lifetimes of preparations before meeting her, and I do not feel prepared at all..."

"Does your so-called niece help you, or do you keep her at a leg's length too?" Vorak slapped the armrest, like an idea had overtaken him only by now. "Cadenza, right? That's what we need to do: we should get her, get one of my kids, and work out a marriage. We are supposed to strive for unity, you've been saying it yourself!"

Celestia didn't even consider such a possibility. To waste an alicorn for a political marriage without love, really?... How mundane. How dull.

Equestria was like a pie, and everyone wanted to have their fingers in it. Still, she decided not to share that Cadenza was already betrothed.

"We both know that it is not my role to decide in this matter," she said firmly. "I can only assume that in time other options will become present, so you are free to discuss it with my successors. What is another decade of waiting for both of us?"

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 Pushes and pulls.

Passion and darkness.

Precision and flame. Caustic fumes.

'𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝒸 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝓋𝒾𝓁𝑒.'

The time had slowed down to a crawl.

The battle between two powerful magicians was not unlike a conversation. It was a clash of two wills driven by emotion, and nothing else mattered—only this night, only their fight. Columns of fire stroked against the sky firmament, the city was washed in blinding flashes of light, and the clouds were parting for the briefest moments, then colliding and swirling, as if they had a life of their own.

The air crackled with energy. The excess of magic birthed torrents of empyrean lightning. The storm was becoming a hurricane.

Celestia moved amidst it, summoning a searing, destructive solar wind with her wings. Chrysalis was a misty presence that remained almost invisible in Celestia's radiance. The pest was trying to use darkness and clouds, evading the wide and generous strikes of the alicorn, but it was only a matter of time before she would be caught in the clutches of yet another imprecise fiery column.

The Queen's cowardly tactics were more than annoying. Celestia was refusing to wait. Her resplendent power threatened to come crashing down on Canterlot and completely sweep it from the mountainside. The Daybreaker demanded to incinerate. She wanted it too.

'𝐹𝑜𝒸𝓊𝓈.' The Queen only seemed chaotic. She was predictable. She wielded her newfound power like a savage, delivering overextending jabs at her own expense, and Celestia could take advantage of it. The lack of practice would be the changelings' downfall.

Celestia whipped the Daybreaker, sending flaring multicolored arches of pure plasma in her wake. Its pulsating violet, red, and white tendrils, supercharged with running electricity, ignited the night sky, streaming and wrapping between rain clouds and spreading like the transient web, the bleeding fingers of a wrathful ethereal god.

The shadow rushed between them, remaining a dark, freezing blemish that devoured warmth. Trying to get away from the fiery sky, it had no choice but to close in, and its forelegs stroked against the stave.

Celestia folded her wings, and for a few moments they both were locked in a freefall, whirling violently in the air. Celestia got a good look at the changelings' distorted form. A bleached skull was instead of Chrysalis' muzzle, with gleaming icy-blue and green mingled with shining purple in the depths of her eyesockets.

Celestia had seen this dark magic before.

"Meus equus!" Chrysalis howled in a thundering voice. "Dignus sum vocari Ummu-Hubur, Mater Monsterum!?"

Taken aback, Celestia laughed and responded in kind, "Erras, inepte!"

"Verba tua infirma sunt!!" Chrysalis' jaw fell open, and streaks of dark flames poured from it, licking her deformed head. "Infirmi et estis!!"

They dislodged from one another, and Celestia launched an overpowering, massive ray. Chrysalis locked on it and did the same, turning the fight into a pure contest of strength.

Celestia steadied herself. Even a smallest mistake could be fatal now. The beam of dark green was quickly devouring her gold, rushing towards her almost unimpeded. Letting it come close enough to feel the cold, the alicorn stilled and then thrust the Daybreaker in the changelings' direction, using the weapon as a conduit of her magic instead of the horn.

The ray went through. Chrysalis yelped, staggered, her concentration failing with a wild resonance of dispersing energy. Celestia pressed the advantage, sending a barrage of shards of hardlight, striking and twisting the figure.

Her blows followed each other in quick succession. The changeling couldn't muster a defense. Sliced up by crystal-like projectiles, melting alive from unbearable heat, with limbs pinned to her lean body, she let out a defying roar, full of stubborn desire to live.

With the last spell, an inferno unraveled before the shadow-like interloper, reaching her and quickly smearing away from existence.

The haunting, loud scream of anguish sounded to Celestia's ears like the finale of a beautiful symphony. The howling wind spread it far, and it rang across the sky, calling everyone to bear witness to the victory of the alicorn.

"I am the Vanquisher of Terrors!!" Celestia bellowed. She raised the Daybreaker, and energizing bolts of lightning stricken through it and through her body, leaving no harm. "I am Sol Invictus!! My heart beats with blazing fire, the fire to burn the world and forge a new dawn, to purge all darkness and leave only light behind!!"

Her star-like body shone brightly, blinding the land with her presence. Celestia clenched the scepter, baring her soul before heavens. Nothing could stop her. Nothing could ever compare.

'𝐵𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊.'

In a flash, she turned, meeting the blow of a rampaging, ravenous beast. Chrysalis contorted herself almost beyond all recognition. Her teeth gnawed on the burning stave without any self-preservation.

Celestia grinned, welcoming the challenge. The creature swept her across the sky, flailing transformed, jagged limbs in an attempt to score a direct hit. A blow made contact with Celestia's muzzle, and despite her wards softening the stab, she felt an iron taste on her tongue and a ringing void in her head. Almost on reflex, she bucked.

Chrysalis was launched a good dozen meters away, immediately reoriented herself, and spat a stream of liquid. Celestia caught it with her aura and hurled it back into the changeling's eyes. Chrysalis screamed in pain and clutched her steaming muzzle, being left exposed for a following strike.

Mercilessly, Celestia buried the stave into Chrysalis' chest. Her signed eyes rolled back; her mouth went agape. The Daybreaker hummed with power rushing down its shaft, instantly reducing the changeling to a red mist and a shower of fragmented, burning bones.

She pulled one of the bones with her aura. It belonged to a pony.

'Another proxy body. Of course.'

Celestia's horn flared, punching through the dimensions and carrying her to the ground level, and without hesitation, she lunged at Chrysalis right where she expected her to see—in the middle of the memorial garden, towering above the freshly exhumed corpses.

The explosion of untamed energies heralded her arrival, and everything around them was already covered in flames. Chrysalis snapped to her with an ignited horn. Celestia caught a glimpse of her green, gaudy cuirass, coupled with a helmet with yellow-tinted reflective glass shielding her eyes.

Surrounded by intense sunlight, Celestia pointed the Daybreaker at her, and another inferno with searing wind rushed across the burial grounds, felling trees and devouring ponies' memorials. It swirled in coils around the raging green witchfire of the changeling, which was inexplicably protecting the unmoving target.

Something was off. Abruptly snuffing out the fire, Celestia trained her horn and hit the figure with concentrated kinetic energy. Chrysalis met it with a more pronounced barrier, forcing the magic to dissipate right before her muzzle.

'Is that absorption?' Celestia was confused, and she did not like it at all.

Chrysalis took a step closer, and Celestia sharply turned the battle scepter. The quickly growing shards of hard light arched across the fiery ground, forcing the changeling to take off into the air before the crystals reached her. So Celestia hurled them all at once.

Some of the physical projectiles punctured Chrysalis' side, but it wasn't enough to stop her. The Queen moved her head back, wildly snarling.

In this brief moment, Celestia was completely open. Her instincts kicked in. She erected a barrier, anticipating.

Chrysalis craned her neck and spat a dark object, speeding toward Celestia's chest. Immediately, she tried to grasp it with her aura, but it didn't connect. She reinforced her barrier, and it went through all layers. She tried to teleport, but to no avail. In a bout of panic, she thrust the Daybreaker between herself and the projectile.

Everything dimmed.

A mental scream of agony pierced her psyche. She felt the semi-sentient weapon die. She felt herself die. The thousands of spells embedded into her body over the hundreds of years, all the latent arcane traces—everything suddenly stopped existing. Her strained muscles ached, her knees quivered, and her hindlegs bucked as if under the weight of her body.

"Wh-huh? What?"

Cut off from her fire, she collapsed into the ash, coughing and gasping for precious air. Strands of hair had fallen on her muzzle, and her stomach twisted. Saliva filled her mouth. With a loud, guttural gurgle, she threw up.

Her frightened eyes were focused on a black shard that was lodged deep in the extinguished battle scepter.

Antimagic.

She struggled to comprehend. 'H-how? Why? How? Did I lose?… Why, why, why—why am I still losing? Am I fated to constantly lose!? Even now!?
'Stop. Be calm. Think. Think… Where did it come from?'

The shard was truly illogical. It hadn't been affecting Chrysalis. Celestia had seen similar rocks in the outworld that acted both as amplifiers and silencers for certain types of magic, but this one made no sense at all. Maybe it was emitting a certain frequency of antimagic that negated all magic but that of a changeling?… Could Chrysalis attune it? Could she attune herself? Could she do that? Is that the right explanation?

Chrysalis was hobbling closer, wincing, using the aura to pull the hardlight from her flesh. The sharp, protruding edges were stuck in it like daggers. She was tossing them away, watching how they melted in the surrounding heat.

"How?…" asked Celestia numbly. "I have to—I have to know. How?"

"How what?" hissed Chrysalis, unmoved.

"How are you doing this?"

"There was a… dark throne, once. It was jagged, and gorgeous, and huge—befitting the Queen such as I." Chrysalis' wings buzzed in elation, but she sounded dissatisfied. "I wanted to use it to capture you all, creatures… to hang you upside down and see you squeal and squirm while I devour you one by one… Your hides would've served as a nice covering for it. The throne looked great, but sitting on it was pure torture."

"Poor you," Celestia scoffed under her breath.

"Before I committed to it, something happened. I was… forced to change my approach. I think we both had more fun as a result. It was…" Chrysalis made a strange chittering sound while trying to find the correct word, "…enlightening."

Celestia's head pulsed with unexpected pain. Each cautious breath singed her lungs as if she were a newborn foal. She felt soft.

"I am the Queen of Equestria," proclaimed Chrysalis. The Queen… The Queen… The Queen… something echoed on the edge of Celestia's hearing.

'Like whispers of the creatures of the dark….'

"Don't be a sore loser... Come now, my sweet dear. Maybe there is some sort of destiny in all this. You've been besting me, and now I am outplaying you. There is a certain friction to it… right?"

Celestia stared at the red and green cinders beneath. This place was intended for saying farewell to the deceased and nurturing cherished memories of them, but now the legacy of so many generations had been lost, and in the name of what?

'I am not supposed to be like this…'

The jagged hooves of her murderous wife stopped right before Celestia.

"I want more…" Chrysalis demanded vigorously and subdued a short, aggravating chuckle. "I can keep humiliating you… or, I can give you such delightful pain, so acute and pleasurable, so exquisite, that you will not be able to take your mind off me. I will invade your dreams. I can make you addicted.
"Would you like to be addicted to me?" she asked with promising warmth.

Celestia was fast. With a roar, she threw the battle scepter upward, and the splendid, direct blow landed as she intended—right in Chrysalis' temple.

The weighted butt of the weapon had tossed Chrysalis back and broken her helmet to pieces. She pulled herself up with her head barely attached to the neck by a patch of flesh. Her mouth kept silently opening and closing.

Celestia stabbed the Daybreaker deep into the ground and took a step away from it. A second. A third. The magic came back to her. Tongues of flames ran in harmony with her hoofbeats.

"Buckin' hell," she angrily rasped, performing different motions in a quick succession: conjuring a shimmering rope to tie up her burning ethereal mane into a knot; wiping with the back of her hoof the blood from a split lip; summoning a brightly shining warhammer into her grasp.

Chrysalis kept stumbling backwards, tripping over her hooves. With an eerie, wide grin, she swung her head and socketed it between her shoulders with a wet crunch. Her horn sizzled.

Celestia landed another blow, again tossing the lightweight insectoid far back, then closed in, relentlessly striking. It was met with a barrier, so the alicorn turned with the momentum, bringing the warhammer down. Chrysalis' shield cracked under the barrage.

Moving sluggishly, Chrysalis tried to flee, but Celestia pinned her down with a streaming blast from the horn, still working the weapon to tear down the last of her defenses. In a despairing move, Chrysalis dropped the barrier to launch a repulsing green wave, but the alicorn barely slowed down, clasped the changeling body tight with her aura, and swung the warhammer once more.

Barely able to breathe, Chrysalis erected the shield with all her might. The blow was still terrible. It broke the shield and sent her rolling across the steaming battlefield, raising clouds of cinders and ash. Celestia lunged again and reared her horn, piercing the land beneath the changeling with an instantly growing hardlight.

Chrysalis was forced to constantly move, and as she took off into the air, the alicorn teleported above and struck her down. The weapon brought the changeling onto the sharp crystals, skewering and puncturing her. Howling in pain, Chrysalis snapped her head back, desperately trying to do at least something.

Celestia evaded the green ray with a flourish. Her warhammer was coming onto Chrysalis' skull. In the last bout of defiance, Chrysalis directed her magic into the weapon's head, exploding it before it could cave her in.

Shards sliced Celestia; she immediately reoriented herself and drove the broken shaft into Chrysalis' neck. She heard her gurgle, saw the dark blood, and slowly pushed it deeper, mangling the body.

The raspy breath left the changeling.

Her eyes dimmed and went half-lidded.

Celestia stepped back, full of cold rage—it was a calm, collected emotion that was clearing her mind. Her limbs felt numb. Her breath was controlled. She listened to the wind, the sizzle of fire under the rain, and her own fastened heartbeat.

There was a melody in the sounds of things and matter that poured into each other.

There was a single, muffled hoofbeat.

Celestia turned, launching a golden lightning, and it met and danced with a black one, colliding on every arc. Chrysalis, who was now standing behind her, remained completely intact.

Their magic gradually died down.

Celestia angrily scowled, lashing her fiery tail.

Chrysalis was staring with a shit-eating grin. She swaggered closer, soaking in the sight of the frustrated alicorn, dark cheeks reddened, eyes open wide. "Celestia, tell me," she called, panting, "is this what you want? To defeat me? Again, and again, and again?"

Celestia barely registered her words, flicking her eyes beyond the fake. The real Chrysalis must've been nearby all this time, full of joy from her successful deceit.

"Do you love it?" the insectoid cooed. "You sure do… So, do you have any more toys? What are you going to show me now?"

Celestia wordlessly drew a sword (in equine, or rather, in human terms, the giant blade of the pony Queen was close to what was known as a zweihänder) from thin air. Searching for the magical sources, she finally espied what she expected—the imprint of colossal multicolored power in the distance, hidden in plain sight.

The wide eyes of the Queen widened even more. "O-o-oh~," she breathed. "That is a… big one."

Celestia carefully took aim.

Chrysalis was still ogling the blade, blissfully unaware. "Once more for the old time's sake. Show me how to w—"

Celestia launched a ray; it connected, and the bright source flinched to the ground. Chrysalis' muzzle showed complicated emotion in between of being stupefied, confused, impressed, and disturbed, then she keeled over, and her illusory body broke into small living shapes, which quickly scattered in different directions.

'Hares? What is this…' Celestia allowed herself to be briefly surprised, then stretched her wings and soared.

With a few beats, she reached her destination in seconds, coming down with a fanning, flaming gust. The pastoral outskirts of Canterlow were covered by a wall of still ongoing rain. She saw the drainage of Canterlot far above, spilling a rush of foamy water. With each fast-paced hoofstep, Celestia was getting closer to the mountain's base, where the flat earth and lush greenery were met with rock and slopes.

Chrysalis' form was something small, immobile on the ground. At first, the alicorn could not discern it, but as she came closer, her light cleared up all suspicions. It was a common rat.

'How fitting. In the end, a simple pest.' She moved to squash it.

The green transformation magic burst when she hovered over it. It eclipsed Celestia in a column, and as she jerked back with her prepared magic shield, it fell on her with a collapsing wall of living snakes.

The outer layer of the prismatic shield was covered by the reverberation left by the harmless hits. Celestia lunged forward and swept the blade several times, holding it one-hoofed. The Chrysalis' attack was a distraction—the flame of her true consciousness was trembling a few meters away, swirling in the air behind all the venom and hissing.

Green fire enveloped everything around them again, and a swarm of locusts buzzed around the barrier, trying to find a breach. Celestia turned, breathing fire. Her golden aura sprawled, grasping at bodies around her and crushing them; she took a few fleeting steps, and finally scored a direct hit.

The green rushed once more. She saw the Queen in a protective stance with holey forelegs thrown upwards; the edge of Celestia's blade slid smoothly across their chitin-like material, and the alicorn struck again.

Swing followed swing. Chrysalis remained on the defensive, escaping them or deflecting with her limbs. Each successful strike was throwing the changeling off balance, forcing her to fall and slither across the ground in an inequine-like manner, while wreathed in witchfire.

Celestia saw her stubborn, visceral anger. More and more Chrysalis was giving into her impulses, trying and failing to muster a proper offense. Heated, they both constantly moved on a scorched patch of earth, wildly flailing spells left and right.

Until Chrysalis had enough. She stopped, focusing on reinforcing herself, and instantly Celestia revealed her fire, rearing and flapping her wings. A wave of plasma obliterated the mountainside, swirling in brilliant walls upon walls of flames and entwining colors of energy. Slightly hunching amidst it all, Celestia lunged forward to deliver a blow to the charred figure.

She was met with a staggering source of power. Chrysalis was screaming in rage, bracing against the inferno. Her magic, with the horn as its focus, was blowing up like a pillar that was hurting Celestia's eyes.

Their flames were equal.

'No. Someone is always stronger.'

In a swift flourish, she struck Chrysalis' horn with an upward slash. It broke the changelings' concentration, and she gasped with a look full of disbelief. Celestia brought the sword down Chrysalis' shoulder; the flaming steel sliced it like through butter down to the changelings' waist.

Black-green smoke poured from Chrysalis. Wary of inhaling it, Celestia slammed her with a point-blank energy blast that sent the changeling tumbling on the hard rock.

More witchfire flared, and in a transformation, a small kite rushed upwards and tried to make a desperate break away from Celestia. The alicorn caught it with her aura, crushed it, and violently brought back to the earth.

Reverted Chrysalis remained on the ground, utterly broken. A loud moan of pain was heard, instantly leading into a frustrated growl.

Celestia took a step. The earth trembled. Shards of hardlight pierced the rock, mincing and tearing the changelings' flesh. Wearing an ugly, absolutely deranged scowl, Chrysalis raised her head, and her cracked horn shone with unmitigated brightness.

It was raw energy, streaming with nothing but an intent to slow Celestia down. Chrysalis was giving everything to that goal.

Feverishly, Celestia powered through the compounding force, inching closer to the malevolent eyes, fully determined to run them through with her burning sword and be done with it.

Chrysalis kept sending rocks, fire, spasms of uncontrolled energy—Celestia swung her sword in a fast flurry, cutting down the biggest projectiles. Another sudden movement in the corner of her eye momentarily distracted her. A sizable boulder was thrown into her chest, and at the last possible second, witchfire rippled over it, stripping away a treacherous illusion.

The muzzle of a young mare flashed before her eyes. Her heart hitched, but she couldn't stop the motion—the blow had already connected, and the steel had bitten into the stone of the statue. Something loudly cracked in the compulsion of magic energies; the flaming blade bent, breaking; the statue was cleaved in two, and Twilight's upper half, with her betrayed expression embedded into her features, went spinning in the air.

An earsplitting cry emerged from Celestia, "No intermediaries!!"

And then, the Darkness came.

It went outward from beneath her hooves, waves in layers upon layers of pitch black crystals, completely burying the changeling beneath its jagged edges, smearing her across the rock of the mountain. This rockslide of crystal went upwards, piercing the mountainside, and an ever-present current poured and spilled from it, rushing down the crystal surface down to Celestia. The water was dark, black, bloody-red. It was like a cut open vein.

Celestia wailed, collapsed onto her knees, and clutched her temples in an attempt to subdue the dark insistence and overwhelming cold rage inside.

She gritted her teeth, trying to return the hold over the Sun.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 Their vessels, soaring through the vast black sea full of stars, lost wind in their sails. They braced for a collision that never came.

𒄈 An equine-like creature turned to other ones, who respectfully stayed at a distance. Her frail voice was slow and melancholic. "Call everyone. Our sermon has closed."

𒄈 In the dark place, the old wizard snapped open the pocket watch and squinted his eyes under the hornlight.

"Useless!" he cussed, crushing it in his grasp. A faint purplish fog emanated from the mechanism. Someone moved behind him, and he turned, alarmed.

Uncertainty wasn't something he was accustomed to. He took a step away. He galloped.

𒄈 A festivity on the forest glade stopped, and they raised their heads one by one. The ever-living and ever-moving forest was passed over by a gentle touch of utter stillness, broken only by hooting owls.

"O seamstress of woes, you are such a slow thing," said one of the celebrants, "slow, slow, insidious thing."

"Destruction. Salvation. Twilight," chanted the other one.

"Twilight eternal," someone carried on.

"Eternal."

𒄈 "Sh-h-h… It will be okay," she promised.

Her husband was out in the open, trying to help the others. Her daughter, a young librarian, stared at the window. "By Celestia…" she exhaled. "When will it stop?"

Everything could begin anew at any moment, with both the screams and explosions too close for comfort. They could do nothing to prevent it.

Out of their view, the black-hearted, chitinous invaders were roaming between the trees. Circling. Ready to strike.

𒄈 The pink alicorn's coat almost seemed red in the light of dusk. She cast a fearful look at the sky and turned to others.

"What more proof do you need?" she exclaimed in a tired and tearful voice. "Equestria is in danger, we ponies are in danger. Please. I am asking you not as the Crystal Princess, but as one of you!"

The pale and scrawny unicorn turned away, trying to ignore the judgmental and curious looks. "I've seen it already. What am I doing?" he rasped quietly. "Why can't we simply stop? Why can't I simply walk away?"

The cold wind caught them in a flurry of snowflakes, and another quiet voice answered him.

𒄈 "It's the grids, they won't hold!" The artificer, muzzle full of sweat, rushed into the main room. "We have to shut down! Shut down immediately!" his forelegs reached for the big red switch on the wall.

Before he could bring it down, his rowdy boss yanked him away with a headlock. "No, no, look at this, you dullard! Can you see? Can you see? Look!" He tapped on the displayer with the enthusiasm of a stallion who had just won the lottery. "A breakthrough is ahoof!" he crowed. "Crack open the best stuff and tell those down below we'll flood them up with wine; tonight we are alive! We're so back, baby!"

𒄈 Kept awoken by premonitions, the aging bearded gargoyle that still appeared in his prime, carefully peered at the skyline through a spyglass. He was wearing a night cap and a pair of soft slippers.

The red Sun had been dipping for the horizon for quite a while now, and there was no Moon in sight. The stars shone in different colors. Some of them—he could swear it—were disappearing and reappearing when he, explicitly he, didn't watch.

A mockery. Or something else. Something worse.

His fast hand was running a pen on the page of a book. He took a glance at his scribbles and swept the sweat from his forehead.

"What in Tartarus is going on up there?" he uttered in sacred terror.

17 — Refraction // We are only beginning

𒄈 More water bled from the ever-giving mountain, washing sitting Celestia up to her knees. She felt numb. She felt cold. Something was very wrong with her.

The swordguard with a stub of melted steel had been tossed aside.

"Hah-h-h…" Celestia exhaled, pressing her forelegs into her muzzle. She traced them down, coating her pale skin with faint traces of blood. That blood in the water must've belonged to Chrysalis.

…How did the damn changeling get her hooves on the girl? How did she pass through magical securities back in the Palace? She had ample opportunity for that… and did it even matter at this point, anyway?

It was becoming increasingly harder to tell what matters and what does not.

Celestia looked at her reflection in the crystal and adjusted her wet hair, trying to get it away from her muzzle. The rain was still pouring, maybe even harder than before. The alicorn looked towards the flashes in the sky—the show of lightning.

"Ah-h-h-haha…" she trembled in nervous laughter. "H-hah…"

'You are calm. You are strong.'

What is a definition of a true strength?

Compassion. Faith. Restraint.

'Whatever I may do... Wherever this road may lead me... Even if the whole world is wrong... I am still Princess Celestia. No one will ever take that from me.'

The water in the new pouring spring was already clearing up.

'They still need me… They need you, Celestia. They need you. They look up to you.'

Nature cleanses itself… The ash gives way to a new life… One day, here might be a garden full of green.

'You've seen worse. You are confident. You know what to do...'

Charity. Integrity. Optimism.

Conviction.

'The show must go on.'

She willed herself to give the poor girl attention. Her feathers lovingly glided against her cheek. Then, she lifted Twilight and pressed the halves together.

A meticulous reconstitution had begun. She was reaching for fragments and attempting to find the right place for them one by one. Her horn glowed as she patched it up with magic, slowly and steadily bringing back the semblance of its previous form.

The statue was half-destroyed and a lot of smaller pieces were already washed away by a current, but Celestia wasn't impeded by any of that. She fished for another small shard and carefully placed it somewhere in Twilight's neck. Or maybe it was a simple rock? Honestly, she couldn't tell at this point.

She couldn't sit still right now, she had to do anything, anything to ward off the Darkness for a little while.

Everything was cracked and broken, but it still held together. Everything can be built back. Everything can be built back.

"You are so, so-o-o lethal..." she heard the highborn arrogant voice.

The tremor in Celestia's forelegs stopped. She took a deep breath.

"You're one persevering leech," she said, calm and clear.

"Thanks-s~" replied Chrysalis with playful modesty. "I try."

Chrysalis was lying on top of the crystal mass, gulping the air, clearly worn down but refusing to show it. Her steaming wounds were stitching up in an unnatural way, giving the impression that her body was merely another puppet, likened to a chimera that was concealing unimaginable things that lurked behind the perceivable.

Celestia pondered her own connection to the Sun.

Mechanically, she returned to her work, waiting for the quilted numbness inside to subside. Continuing the fight would be too dangerous in this state.

The statue of Twilight was silently accusing her of weakness.

Chrysalis lifted her foreleg and peeked through one of the holes in it. "Ever heard of kintsugi?" she asked.

At first, the foreign word was unexpected to Celestia, but then she remembered its meaning and smiled mirthlessly. "You—you're quite a traveler."

"Our little girl is like a broken vase, and no matter how many times you fix it, the cracks will always remain. They are now history, buried underneath," said Chrysalis. "But oh, she looks so beautiful right now… You both look very beautiful."

Celestia gave her a quiet, cold stare.

"Have you ever been a statue?" asked Chrysalis.

The alicorn's movements faltered.

"You did?" Chrysalis deduced, clearly surprised, and then flashed a lazy grin. "A despicable experience, I'm sure you agree."

She was speaking the truth. The senses of the victim of petrification were warped: a single minute could pass like seconds but crawl like eons. It was like a deep sleep, a long coma, a little death writ large. You thought you could move, but you couldn't, and before you knew it, it was already over. All the reactions from your nerves, all at once, were running for an eternity, and irrelevant to how much actual time you've spent in stone, you were drawing a single breath for what felt like centuries.

It was maddening. It was eye-opening, in a very unpleasant kind of way… though, Celestia was aware of cases when the victim was simply shrugging it off and moving on, so maybe it was more her personal issue.

"Do you think the girl was hurt?" Chrysalis kept asking, echoing Celestia's thoughts.

Celestia pursed her lips, not answering.

"I assume she wasn't," Chrysalis concluded with confidence.

"She was enchanted into the stone by a specific type of spell that prevents harm or corrosion," begrudgingly replied Celestia. "If I am to reverse it right now, she is supposed to appear whole."

"Then why do you even bother with her?" Chrysalis asked, suddenly annoyed.

"What do you mean 'why'? Is it not obvious?"

"Why do you try to fix it?"

"Because I worry about her."

"But why!?" demanded Chrysalis, resting her forelegs.

"The spell can prove faulty. I may go away, and she might remain like this for stars know how long... There are so many ways everything can go wrong, I do not intend to leave her future to chance," Celestia indulged in explanation.

Chrysalis remained confused. Was she pretending? "But why bother?" she growled. "I don't get it. What is the point? If you believe her to be predetermined to take over, then she is supposed to survive no matter what, right?"

"It is a simple act of caring for someone," Celestia muttered, then snorted. What exactly was all this about?

"You can be so tender." Chrysalis bared her teeth. "Do you pity her?"

"It is not about banal pity, but understanding the intricacies of cause and consequence. The celestial design of our fates can unravel in unpredictable ways, so the truth is more complex than what may be known to you," Celestia explained.

"I bet it's not that complex," Chrysalis uttered maliciously.

"Well, you are an ignorant creature after all—that's not a mystery," grumbled Celestia.

Chrysalis giggled. "You know… Today, while I was preparing to beat you… I have devoured a lot of my own. Hundreds. I've made such a sacrifice, and you're unwilling to spare a single one.
"…Oh, don't look at me like that. You have no right to be offended, I've told you, they were mine… Full to the brink with the delicious essence of our ponies… Easy pickings. Didn't you, before you learned they're similar to ponies, treat my spawn like flies that can be easily swatted? Ah, my darling, I always knew you were a bigot. A giant bigot! A huge, old, fat cu—"

"You miserable dimwit!" Celestia barked. "You are going to lecture me on morality!?"

"…Don't get so upset," said Chrysalis with eerie calmness, though her wings trembled. "I've left enough minions lying in wait. Should I perish, I commanded them to take out as many ponies as they could."

"And you assume they'd do that after what you did!?"

"Without me they are nothing."

"Poor beguiled fools." Celestia shook her head. "Either way, your scare tactics won't work on me anymore. We're far past that."

"Good..." Chrysalis made a pause and began earnestly, "While I was consuming them, I wondered, really, just what had driven me to spawn them in the first place? The Queen needs her subjects and Hive, sure, but what if I was lonely too, once? Can you imagine that? Me, being lonely? Ridiculous… but, that's funny..." She grinned. "I figured out something. You were there when I thought my dreams would be achieved, when I stole the appearance of your little niece.
"We had already been twice on the dais with the altar. Remember the first time? You were staring down at me, like you usually do. Oblivious. Immersed in your righteousness. Not knowing what I am preparing for you, soon-to-be my prized possession.
"So I kept thinking about it and about how everything else was twisted into repeating anew but under different circumstances. Was it another shot at getting what I owed? Was it some kind of deception? Was that your beloved destiny, perhaps?... The repetitive pattern that we find ourselves in? Like the new coils of a tree..."

'Pushes and pulls.'

Celestia sighed, considering her approach. "The mechanics of destiny are akin to the pattern of a tree, an asymmetrical one, never completely identical but confined to a same general shape. It is the spiraling stories that we tell and the pits that we fall into again and again. It is the recognizable patterns that we call into existence by observation, by being ourselves."

Chrysalis lashed her tail. "I do not trust it," she complained. "I despise being led. It cheapens everything."

Celestia felt a sense of resignation, and embraced it. "You think you can be free from its influence and that your actions are fully your own? Then show me. Leave right now."

Chrysalis scowled. Her attentive eyes were tracking every Celestia's movement.

"Leave," forcefully repeated Celestia. "Go and fight another day. I won't come after you."

"You are ever so awfully generous…" Chrysalis murmured with a soft chuckle.

Celestia's horn flared gold, and Twilight's statue disappeared in a flash of teleportation. She stood up, and Chrysalis followed.

Despite the ongoing heavy rain, the silence between them was so thick that it was palpable. Chrysalis was in doubt, but her answer was obvious. All the signs were there, right behind her bug eyes.

"When the choice is offered, you will always pick the worst option. That is who you are, that is your nature," said Celestia quietly. "You will never do something so contrary to yourself that it will affect your destiny in any significant way, and on the same merit, I might say that you do not have any choice at all. You are a slave, if not only to fate but to your compulsions as well."

"Is that a feeble attempt at showing me mercy? You think you're winning!?" Chrysalis sneered.

Celestia loudly snorted. "You've got from me all you wanted and far more than you deserve, so let's both stop pretending, shall we? The rush is over." She narrowed her eyes. "It is over, Queen. You hear me? We're done playing. You've had your fun—you've tasted my strength and burned aplenty. It won't get better from now on. You will die here. If it wasn't obvious before, it should be now. It is time for you to gather whatever common sense you have and scamper away like you always do."

Evidently, Chrysalis was having a taste of her own medicine. She seemed confused, even intimidated. Her tail, which kept nervously lashing at her flanks, went still.

Celestia pressed on. "But you will not run," she uttered venomously, keeping up an intense glare. "Oh no, now you are in too deep for that. You're like an aggressive little hound that tasted blood and won't let go until you ruin my realm. You're into this for some warped lust for glory, for your juvenile ambitions and thrills."
It felt good to say out loud all that was on her mind, like scraping grime away from her soul.
"You trivialize life, so you must be thinking that you do not have a lot to lose… and you do not want to return to your senseless, futile existing day by day and hunt by hunt, always afraid that someone will come and punish you for your wicked deeds! More beast than a sapient being! Now that you have become someone of consequence, you've never felt yourself more alive, haven't you? You, damned creature of the dark! Abomination of twisted magic! You will stay and keep making everything worse; that's all you do! You and the likes of you, for all your petty bluster, are absolutely worthless."

Even before Celestia had finished speaking, she could already see that her words did not produce the desired effect. Chrysalis wasn't angry or even amused this time. She stared back with a calm, contemplative expression—one of the worst kind.

Her voice was exceptionally raspy, though. "This mercy… that you attempt to show me… is a weakness," she rapped out.

"Still, my offer stands," Celestia replied coldly.

Chrysalis fell silent again. Her gleaming eyes followed living shadows that swirled around her, and she glanced askance. "So you'd say anything to get rid of me, is that it?…"

"Will you leave or not?"

"It sickens me." Chrysalis' voice became lower. "You simply can't help yourself, can you?"

"You've been asking me what I want. I want you out of Equestria so everything may go back to relative normalcy. This is your last call, and it is not about your wounded ego. Is that clear?"

"Hmpf!" Chrysalis cocked her snout like some arrogant diva. Naturally, she wanted it to be all about her. "Fine." She gave a sly grin. "I might leave, but only on one condition. You're coming with me."

"Excuse me?" Celestia blinked.

"Elope with me."

"You want me to elope with you?" repeated Celestia, if only to internalize the sheer absurdity of the proposal. She frowned. "Oh, but of course you'd want that..."

"And why not? It's not like you're happy here."

"Hah! And what can you offer me, you lousy reprobate?"

Chrysalis' teeth were widely bared, showing an array of sharp fangs. "So direct."

"You have nothing!" challenged Celestia. "You are nothing! And I am not your victim!"

Chrysalis stared without blinking. Her smile grew, contorting into a vile, unappealing rictus.

"You... you..." Celestia's voice dropped to a hiss, and then a sudden fire enveloped her, "—you, defilers, you are all so self-centered and narrow-minded, seeking in your debased lust for supremacy to destroy lifetimes of my hard labor, how can you not understand that nothing of what you can possess is a real power? You think this is power?" Celestia thrust her flaming hoof in Chrysalis' direction. "This ability to burn, to demolish, is power? The real power is in creation, in forging connections, in saving those who are fragile, not amplifying their pain! -"

"Do not take me for a common pleb!!" Chrysalis erupted in short, mad laughter.

"- It is in not being afraid of your own fragility!" Celestia kept going. "But even—even now, you have not heard a word of what I said, did you? You never learn! No one ever learns—"

"Silence!" Chrysalis fiercely snapped.

The dark green mist poured around the changeling, concealing her with shadow-like flames. Celestia snarled and flared her wings in a battle stance. She saw how the inequine eyes, glowing yellow, rose in the column of transformation magic.

A giant paw stepped on the crystals, and they cracked under its weight. A primal dread that is known only to prey stirred within Celestia. She had never seen this creature up close.

In the green misty fumes, there was a great canine beast, and the sight almost made her forget her surroundings, dragging her back to the beginnings of time when she was a filly—before her stood a lycan, one of the wolves of old that dreamt a long slumber amidst the roots of the World Tree. The beast tensed up, and Celestia snapped back into reality.

It lunged. Chrysalis had to rely on the element of surprise, but once again Celestia proved to be too nimble. She flapped her wings, evading great teeth by what felt like inches, and a rush of air allowed her to soar higher. Her horn flashed white, and the alicorn disappeared behind an invisibility shroud.

A low, frustrated growl reverberated through the scorched clearing. The wolf turned, its teeth bared in a grizzly snarl. Its searching eye quickly moved, leaving a bright yellow trace.

'No doubt, she tries to catch my scent… I might be able to take her out in a single strike, but the first order of business is to lead her away from the innocents," Celestia thought grimly, watching as the beast rose its head to the sky. 'So it's better to incite a chase—she is impetuous; she could not resist. Now steady, old girl…'

The wolf tucked its limbs. Its muscles were taut. Its gaze was trained directly at her.

'She can't possibly see me, is she?' Celestia veered to the side, folding her wings.

The wolf followed her. Their eyes met.

'She can't—oh.'

It leapt, swift as the wind.

Its maw was full of incredibly sharp fangs.

'Oh.'

Celestia was snatched from the air and brought to the ground. The massive jaws clenched around her chest, grinding against a thin, near invisible barrier of her magic. Focusing all her effort against the overwhelming crushing force, Celestia folded her wings and forelegs, straining to not give up another inch. Her hinglegs involuntarily kicked against the beast's tongue and throat, and she groaned, unable to draw breath.

In a baleful, desperately murderous effort, Chrysalis threw all her body against Celestia, dragging her back on the rocks and gravel. A vivid image flashed in the alicorn's mind—her own lifeless corpse, cleaved in two; red blood, seeped onto the feathers of her twisted wings; dull eyes, upturned to the blue sky.

'Maybe it is bound to end like this,' she couldn't deny a treacherous and pathetic thought. 'It is always this balancing on the brink. No one can fight forever, and now the world is changing, and I cannot stop it, and she will not back down until she eats me. I know it. She knows it. Why prolong this? For what? More suffering?'

Her will faltered, and the wolf pressed harder. Chrysalis already tasted her upcoming victory, she could feel the faltering resolve. Celestia closed her eyes. She was sure that it wouldn't even hurt, simply a momentary discomfort, and then, then…

Something cracked down below, and Celestia glanced in morbid curiosity, wondering if it were her ribs. Instead, she saw that her golden breastplate dislodged under the pressure, and then a completely different kind of trepidation consumed her.

The remembrance punched through her mind with the force of a sobering jolt. Her duties. The Seed. The ponies. The guilt for nearly giving up kicked down the door into her being, overpowering the dark thoughts.

'You still can breathe.'

Celestia scowled and began to push back. Her smoldering hoof slipped under the wolf's lip, scorching the sensitive flesh. The enraged beast strengthened the grip of teeth stabbing into her hard shell.

Celestia summoned all her strength, infuriated that it was lacking. 'Damn cake will be my undoing,' flashed in her mind. Concealed in Chrysalis' canine form was a youthful eagerness bordering on pure infectious fervor. 'This lycan is not a beast of legend. It is only a confused and lost pup.'

Her mind quickly went blank, filled by nothing but hot, mad, passionate rage. Her hooves flailed wildly, searching for purchase, and then Celestia stabbed her hindlegs in Chrysalis' mouth floor. From the throat of the beast emerged a pained gurgling howl.

The wolf rushed into the darkness, and branches of the forest trees hit both its muzzle and Celestia's back. It crashed into the trunk of one, but it did not impair the alicorn's efforts, and slowly, she began to pry the jaws open, burning them to the bone in the process.

The wolf fruitlessly clawed at her wings, unable to penetrate her magic. Chrysalis' eye was filled with pure, animalistic fright. The putrid smell of burnt flesh and fur suffocated Celestia.

But she persisted. She pushed, and she pushed more.

She screamed. With a snap!, the jaws went almost unhinged, and Celestia found herself standing at full height in the maw, alit with blinding light, with the dark beast coiling beneath, its head shrinking into shoulders.

She was not going to be stopped. Her horn gone ablaze with unmitigated energy—a single strike will finish this.

A released ray pierced the lycan, and she heard a choked, weak whine. True to her usual resilence, Chrysalis still remained standing, and Celestia blasted her again and again, until the defiant pressure withered away completely in the presence of her billowing awesome power. She raised her horn high, summoning around them a torrent of incinerating flames.

Toxic green streamed into it almost immediately, and at the same time, all support under her hooves vanished into thin air. An extursion of unknown powers unexpectedly threw her backward; she landed on her hindlegs, took a few balancing steps, and with a completely unprincesslike "Buck!" tripped over her own tail and fell.

Pain shot through her spine. She groaned, and then huffed, blowing away the fiery strands of hair. She watched as a silhouette darted off into the dark, cloud-burdened sky.

So Chrysalis was running away with her tail tucked between her legs. Too late for that!… No, came a startling thought, it's not a retreat—she was aiming for Canterlot. Celestia strained to get onto her hooves, and leapt into the fast chase.

Despite the distance, she could still discern how Chrysalis' malignant eye blazed over her shoulder. Instead of her usual gossammer wings, the changeling adopted a leather-like alternative, and with it, a substantial speed. Celestia squinted against the wind and rain, then stretched her body, launching a magic ray.

It missed. Chrysalis swayed to the side, lingered as if mocking her failure, and with the final flap of her wings, disappeared on the city's platform. Celestia overshot it a moment later, rising far into the sky and fluidly moving into hovering. Her eyes flared white as she crudely and haphazardly performed a searching spell.

Luckily, Chrysalis had no intention to hide, and her fire beelined to the furthest outskirts, keeping in the recently flooded northern district. Watching her go, Celestia stayed her wings and attempted to ascertain the trajectory of this maneuver. There was nothing of note at the destination, utterly nothing, except maybe for—

"That Starswirl's Tower," she involuntarily breathed out, and that breath still lingered on her lips while she teleported to intercept the changeling.

Bursting flames went off with her arrival. She saw Chrysalis wreathed in green fumes, plunging under the surface of restless water and rapidly swimming away, her body warped into some sort of slippery big eel.

Celestia's horn burst with blinding corona, the ivory heated to magma red. She flapped her wings and stretched them in the changelings' direction, striking the dark body of water with a gust of solar wind. A brilliant ball of fire and lightning formed on her feathertips and plummeted down, sending more arches of energy.

A gout of water was sent up high from the impact. Everything became covered in cracking electricity and unbearably heated steam, but despite the wild discharge of the magic, Celestia could still see the changeling dashing towards its goal. Celestia breathed out a cone of fire; her hooves hit against the steam. Engulfed in flames, she began to gallop above the water surface, trying to land another hit with rays.

The pursuit was short lived, as the Tower appeared close, too close—it almost loomed above them, an abominable amalgamation of crystal and bark, of ancient magic, nature magic, and basic architectural design. Chrysalis shot upward to it, and in yet another show of spiraling witchfire, shed her fish form for that of a gigantic roc, a bird of prey. Celestia gritted her teeth, striking it with a powerful kinetic blast. The bone-crushing shot almost forced Chrysalis to the ground, but she instantly recovered, and used her superior wings to quickly get to the destination.

Celestia kept trying to strike her, wary of hitting the Tower. She rushed into flight, getting to the roc who erratically flounced in attempts to find a window to break in. The bird snapped to the alicorn and its enormous claw gouged her flank. Celestia neighed in pain and blasted without holding back.

They collided with the wall while surrounded by stone-melting heat, effortlessly destroying all the types of spellwards.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈

…

Dreaming is integral to the existence of many living beings, sometimes far more than they may give it credit for.

To her, dreaming was existence. She was a being of dreams made flesh—they compelled her, enchanted her, welcomed her to step in-between the shadows of reality that were cast by projections of the refraction-filled labyrinths of consciousness. She was in slumber during the day, retreating deep into her own dream-garden and resting in the relatively noiseless dreamscape. She was in slumber during the night when it was time to venture after the tentative, sublime calls of her subjects, who ached to lift their dark burdens.

Sometimes, during her waking hours, she questioned herself if the border with the dream world had become too thin for her to keep noticing.

What was real, and what was an illusion?

Where did the magic begin, and where did it stop?

It was like a show, a trick of a prestigitatior who's gleefully drags you along into a purposefully crafted deception. Luna stirred, inhaling a thick floral scent. She was lost somewhere in the dark hallways of her mind that reflected nothing, and in some ways, it was pure bliss.

"Princess! Your Majesty, please wake up!"

Cries of yet another little mare were reaching her through a dream-weaved dark shroud. How long had she been called for like that? Maybe for hours, maybe days, maybe centuries… It mattered little. Luna's head was heavy; her thoughts were non-existent.

Something was happening somewhere else, and all she wanted was to sleep some more.

"Princess!" A panic in the young, urgent voice was disquieting. "Princess! Agh, by Celestia…"

Reality was attempting to bring her back from the soothing darkness. Luna lazily lifted her foreleg and bumped someone's soft snout. She heard an irritated gasp, and the corners of her lips tugged in a smile.

The world can wait. The Princess is dreaming.

Then a sudden pain in her ear woke her up.

These teeth weren't particularly suited for biting, but the powerful chomp on the soft cartilage was displeasing enough to notice. Luna opened an unfocused eye, accusingly staring at someone pony-shaped and rosy pinkish.

For some reason, she felt cravings for whipped cream's frosting.

"Starlight Glimmer," she murmured through a subdued yawn. 'Back to her villainous deeds already,' she lightheartedly assumed. "What doth thou require?"

Entrenched in the hazy blur of the dream realm, she barely registered how the world rumbled around them. Starlight whinnied in agitation and turned Luna's head to the distant ceiling. Rude. Her exclamation of protest died in her throat when she was taken by a new sight.

In her field of view was a shimmering tree she lied beneath, gorgeous and cold, but above all, in the middle of an unfamiliar tower, there was a battle. Two figures, surrounded by fire and Darkness, relentlessly clashed against one another with flashes of churning golden, black, and emerald, sending with each clash waves of heat and emanating a booming sound that only the feverish colliding of reserves of raw arcane energies could make. In the background, there was a chronoplast device, appearing as the giant hourglass suspended between the moving clock faces.

'Who are they?' She squinted in disbelief. 'Is that Sister?'

An uncanny sensation was born somewhere in her ribcage and then spread all over her body, taking her into dominions where most bold dreams couldn't tread. Luna stirred again and only now noticed the plants that were keeping her bound to the roots of the tree. Some of those plants were growing through her body.

That was concerning.

"Starlight Glimmer," she said calmly. "What is all this?"

"I do not know," admitted Starlight.

"What am I looking at?" Luna pointed her horn at the flowers.

"I have no idea!" Starlight stared at her, distraught.

The sight of her sullen little muzzle helped Luna collect her thoughts. She noticed the books strewn around the place—no doubt the unicorn tried to investigate her peculiar condition. She felt a pang of guilt.

The combatants took their fight somewhere in the towers' spiraling tiers, and out of view, more ridiculously powerful magic struggled against one another. Spouts of flame streaked the ceiling across the dimly lit hallways—a fire was settling in. Someone ear-splittingly shrieked, and it made Luna shiver.

'That can't be Chrysalis?'

"Quickly, help me to get rid of it," urged Luna, trying her binds.

"Is it safe?"

"'Tis unknown to me. Pull it! Make haste!"

She splayed her ears as another explosion echoed throughout the spacious room; the adversaries were taking the battle throughout different sections. She could sense wild arcana spilling all over the place. With each heartbeat, remaining here posed more danger than before.

She pulled one of the weeds with her teeth. It detached easily, harmlessly passing through her body without a trace. "Starlight Glimmer! Quickly!" Luna urged again, trying and failing to suppress her nervous alto.

Starlight rushed to her help, tearing down the wicked flowers. Luna got one of her limbs free and felt disturbed by its numbness. "How long—" she began, and then the combatants emerged again under the ceiling.

There was no mistaking now—that was her Sister battling Chrysalis. Luna's heart sank down to her bowels. She watched as they both rose higher and higher in the near-indiscernible fiery dance of death, until the dark witch landed a perfidious strike and tossed the alicorn on the hourglass.

"Celie!" Luna gasped.

The whole construction above them was proving to be too fragile; the tendrils around the chronoplast snapped, and the mess of broken glass, metal, and purple sand began to fall down—right on the tree and both mares.

Tearing herself free, Luna leapt toward Starlight. The instantaneous crash deafened her, and the gust of substance that was filling the hourglass enveloped everything in a thick fog.

Luna rose on shaky legs, gulping for non-existent air and hoarsely coughing. She heard something soft falling nearby and readied herself in a battle stance. Her horn shimmered, pushing away the fumes around her.

There wasn't any light around at first—only magic and darkness.

"Celie?…" repeated Luna, noticing someone moving.

Celestia was emerging from the dark shrouds, beaten, bloodied, unbroken. She lacked her crown, but whatever was going on, it wasn't enough to take down her elder.

Luna felt proud for her. "Sister!" she called, trying to remain calm, but wariness seeped into her voice nonetheless. "Is it you?"

She began coughing again, trying to keep an eye on the bright alicorn. Everything about Celestia was dulling the senses with warm familiarity, even her weary, concerned expression—was it possible to be replicated in such detail?

"Are you fine?" the elder asked, moving closer.

"Stay where you are!" Luna warned. "I need to… I need—"

"What do you need, Sister?" a same familiar voice called from behind.

Luna turned, staring at perfect replica of Celestia. 'One of them is the witch,' she thought grimly. 'Or maybe—maybe it is one of her spawnlings?' Trying to keep them both in her field of view, Luna stumbled aside.

The third Celestia expected her there.

Luna jerked away with an agitated whinny. "Cease thy trickery!"

"Are you fine, Sister?" called a fourth voice, forcing her to turn like a hunted animal.

Luna couldn't trust her senses anymore, so she called upon her magic and tried to dispel the obvious illusion. It was for naught. Each Celestia seemed as real as it could get. "Reveal thyself!" the alicorn demanded.

"I have a question for you, Sister," another one called warmly.

"I'm not listening, pretender!" Luna hissed. Memories about days spent being trapped in the cave were coming back to her—and with it all the anguish and anger she felt. She raised her horn, covering herself with a magic shield.

"Do you love me as I love you, Sister?" The fake images were circling her.

Watching in grim trepidation as one of those poked the barrier, Luna reinforced her spell.

"Do not hide from me," tutted Celestia, and effortlessly crumbled it down.

"Gahh!" Luna gasped, recoiling and nearly flying right into the embrace of another one. "Stay back, I demand of you!" she whinnied and then clenched her teeth, reprimanding herself.

"Have you ever felt desire for me, Sister?..." the fakes were asking with the same pleasant smile… Celestia's touch sent shivers of sweet disgust down Luna's coat. She exhaled loudly, while attempting to recall everything that she knew about magic of illusions.

What she experienced was too complex… powerful… too powerful… why it was so powerful?...

"I think you should've proposed to me long ago, Sister."

"You disgraceful abomination!" Luna growled, aghast.

"You've been missing out, Sister..."

"'Tis naught but parlor tricks," Luna muttered.

"Have you ever considered how lonely I was, Sister? -"

"- You should've tried to comfort me at night. Maybe I've allowed you, just once... -"

"- Or twice... -"

"- Or thrice..."

A sharp pain in her flank forced Luna out of a strange, sugary haze. With a yelp, she lurched, but fakes were holding her strongly. They were everywhere—and everywhere was their warm, intimate embrace, and their tactful, joyful expressions. Luna shut her eyes, but it was no use. The image still lingered on her retina.

"What if I wanted this? - " the vile, seductive whispers continued.

"- What if I expected this? -"

"- What if I craved you all along? -" the words were supplanted by a careful yet possessive caress on Luna's back.

"- What if I wanted to -"

"- share thoughts with you. -"

"- share burdens with you. -"

"- share every little thing with you? -"

"- Think you will ever get another chance?"

"You will never learn how it feels!" one of them jealously snarled.

Luna began to turn to it, but another pulled her away. Soft lips moved against her ear.

"You should be more careful, Sister."

A golden light flared as another one ignited her horn.

"Stay away, Sister."

Luna was picked up and hurled through dimensions with an overwhelming force that violently thrust her into a cold, damp night. She fell on the cobblestones outside of Starswirl's Tower along with the illusory doubles of Celestia. The doubles melt under the rain, and they laughed while doing so, their echoing, eerily voice unmistakably belonging to her Sister, but at the same time couldn't be hers in a million years.

The magic was rapidly unfolding itself from existence until nothing left at all. Luna staggered backwards from the gruesome display and nearly stepped on a small lying form that anchored her in reality.

"Starlight Glimmer…" she croaked, picked up the mare and shook her into consciousness.

The unicorn blinked at her, dazed but awake.

"How long—how long it all was going on? How much time have I spent in that tower?" asked Luna.

"I don't know…" Starlight admitted weakly. "A day?…"

"A day? A single day!?"

Soon, there was a loud rumble, and the Tower began to come apart.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄈 "I am surprised you've played along."

"I wanted them out just as well."

They circled each other, leaving fiery imprints behind—yellow and red for Celestia, green for her double.

Chrysalis stopped. "You must admit, the look on her face was delicious."

It felt infinitely wrong, but Celestia couldn't keep herself from grinning. "It was definitely in terrible taste."

"Why did you bit her?" Chrysalis laughed.

"Don't get wise with me." Celestia snorted. "She was taking her time to get out of here... We shouldn't ever do anything like this again."

"We won't," assured Chrysalis playfully.

"I'm serious," warned Celestia.

"Yes-s…" The green flames ran along Chrysalis' body, and she emerged in the form of a gnarly insectoid. "Now…" her hoof paved the ground, striking more fire.

"Well…" Celestia ignited her horn and flared open her wings.

She considered the situation. The time when she could keep up a similar output for days was long past—her body was already aching from all the abuse, and the damnable heart thumped so hard that her temples were pulsating with it. The more the fight keeps going, the more wounds will compound, and the alicorn was becoming too sluggish already.

Celestia loathed this feeling of strain. Celestia enjoyed this feeling. Celestia's feelings about this feeling were complicated.

On the good side, Chrysalis was in dire need of a respite as well. Her fire was diminished, and she couldn't reliably call upon her stolen power. One lucky strike was all that was needed to take the changeling down.

One lucky strike…

"So…" Celestia breathed out, moving closer.

Chrysalis mirrored her, but then halted, focusing on something above.

A small envelope fell from the lingering mist-like sand. Celestia caught it, eyed the royal sigil, and suppressed a deep sigh. The letter came from the dragonfire channel, which meant that it was of paramount urgency.

"I have to answer this," said Celestia, deftly opening the envelope.

"Oh, seriously!?" scoffed Chrysalis, her tail lashing in anger.

"What we are having right now can wait—this is a message of interrealm importance, which trumps all other dealings I am having at the moment. Now stay there and be silent," demanded Celestia.

"Am I not an interrealm threat?" Chrysalis snarled.

"Stay." Celestia regarded her with a stern gaze, as if the changeling was an unruly student.

Chrysalis chortled in amusement, diligently sat on the floor, and wrapped her tail around her legs.

On the plain parchment, the letter read in curved writing,

stellar anomaly+celestial bodies OOB. what is going on? S.

'He noticed only now? Odd.'

Celestia listened to her connection with the Sun, and to her mild disappointment, the actions and instability in the past twenty four hours were putting a severe strain on the behavior of the star. The electromagnetic disturbances weren't as numerous as she could expect, but the star was lingering right above the horizon line, and it began to affect the world's congruence in hardly predictable ways.

And here she thought that she could manage it without any excess… though her actions were hardly optimal in the first place. Celestia's horn shimmered gold as she slightly course-corrected the direction of the Sun. She pulled it away from the ice-rim spine of the world and then made a mental note to inspect the spine for possible damage.

A constant headache.

She summoned a quill and ink, thought for a couple seconds about the answer, and then wrote in bold motion,

fixed. slaying a bug. brb

The message evaporated into another dimension. Celestia counted to five, heaved a breath, cracked her neck, and drew herself upright, mentally pumping up. "Now, where were we?"

Chrysalis springily jumped back into battle stance. "Right..." she hissed, lowering her shimmering horn.

At the same moment, a letter fell at Celestia's hooves again. "Oh, the sake of… One second," she held a feather-finger.

"Ridiculous," Chrysalis hissed in dismay.

"One second. It won't take long," Celestia forcefully said, inspecting the parchment.

what does it mean???

Celestia snorted in irritation, but then calmed herself down and futilely attempted to visualize an eloquently composed response that wouldn't agitate anyone more than necessary.

She was almost relieved when the green aura snatched the letter and carried it to Chrysalis. The changeling took a glance at it and giggled. "Seriously, dear?"

"Give it back," Celestia demanded.

"No." The parchment was burned in the blink of an eye, and Chrysalis swept Celestia with an inquisitive glare, asking, "Why are you here?"

"Are you talking about us fighting?" Celestia frowned.

"No, no—not what I meant. I am asking why are you here."

"In what sense? Metaphorical, allegorical, literal?…"

"In most plain sense there is." Chrysalis lashed her tail. Her lips went into a thin line. "Tell me… were you even meant to be a ruler?"

"Excuse me?" Celestia regarded Chrysalis with a stern, offended glare. "What do you think you're implying?"

Chrysalis loudly giggled. Her eyes narrowed into happy slits, and she hunched, observing the alicorn.

Seconds dragged on, each more poignant than the last, and when Celestia began to feel unnerved, Chrysalis broke the silence. "Freedom," the changeling said in a delicious, husky voice, drawing out each syllable.

She smiled, observing Celestia's confused reaction.

"Is it not the most perfect word in the world? Freedom. Don't you feel how everything trembles inside?… When I say the most sweetest word..." Chrysalis inhaled deeply, and her forked tongue flicked across dark lips. "Freedom."

Celestia did not reply. Her muzzle was a porcelain mask intended to contain the fiery storm that was set off in her mind.

"Your body is so taut with anticipation…" Chrysalis was thoroughly satisfied. "Oh-h, this word holds such promise, such yearning, such thrill… Can you hear it, Celestia? Freedom!" she snapped with an expression both fierce and pained. "Say it with me… Freedom. Liberation."

Celestia was incapable of enduring the sight of the happy Queen. She felt exposed, suffocated like never before. 'Who does she think she is to speak about such a matter so simply…'

"When I look at you, I see someone who wasn't supposed to rule," Chrysalis' voice slithered quietly. "I see a mare who belongs in enchanted forests, appearing only at best as a fleeting vision. I see someone carrying a belief in innocent ideals that weren't supposed to be tainted by an outside influence." Her voice fell even lower. "I think you were supposed to be free. Untamed. A wild mare. An uncut jewel."

"You look at me and see some feral mare? What, like yourself!?" Celestia's laughter rang out across the room. "You pathetic cretin! I am the Princess of the Sun! I am the one who acts in the interests of upholding order and peace! How dare you suggest otherwise!?"

"You can be so, so much more… You could've been like a fairy queen, ruling in the ancient deepwood domain, amidst the carved stones and structures that were as old as you, if not older… I wonder, why be here, on top of this mountain, trying to maintain this sham of a realm?" Chrysalis giggled. "Magical creatures do not truly belong to these towered cities, don't they? It's all a gilded cage that needs to be broken and obliterated.
"Life should be simpler, don't you agree?…" The Queen narrowed her eyes, expecting some specific response from Celestia. "I imagine us waging wars across centuries, but on battlefields more intrinsic and true to our natures, in places where power means all and cowardice means nothing. Where fire and love flare brightly, and these small heroes, like your little wards, always have an opportunity to contest their strength and prove their mettle." Chrysalis hoarsely laughed. "Imagine us, in thick of it all, making our own legend, inspiring awe amidst all deceit, toying with their fates, and able to move away and start anew as we please. Everything is a playground! Isn't the world like this would be beautiful? Why worry so much about your peace, this Harmony?" She shook her head. "There's no life in it."

"It would be a fine legend indeed, but do not hold me in such low regard that some pipe dreams would be able to seduce me," replied Celestia quietly. Still, Chrysalis' words were evocative for her. A smile wandered on her muzzle as she remembered distant times, full of strife.
Celestia sighed. There was no reason to hide her thoughts. The Queen knew who she is.
"When I was younger, I could fly more freely, so I preferred forests and not mountains to host my castles. I always felt more at home there, back when my Sister was by my side. I especially enjoyed particular enchanted woods in lands far away from here… Even you probably have never been there, and if you were, that place is unrecognizable now."

"You had a castle there? If we fought," murmured Chrysalis, still enjoying her fantasy, "would you allow me to take it?"

"You think you would've asked me? You'd come and conquer it."

"Right." Chrysalis pursed her lips. "That is what I meant."

"For such a conniving creature, you have an almost infantile side to you," observed Celestia.

"I am simply talking about what I'd want." Chrysalis shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"What you want, hm-m?…" Celestia turned her head away with a quiet sigh. "When I am thinking about what I want, I…" She turned her head away further. "Ah, it doesn't matter."

Chrysalis wasn't interrupting.

Celestia glanced in her direction. She was like a hunter, waiting for the alicorn's weakness to reveal itself. 'And I cannot be silent. I do not want to carry this burden anymore,' Celestia thought, trying to consider her feelings at the moment. She never spoke about this with anyone.
'Oh, Moonlight…'
She simply wanted to talk. After a brief silence, she began again. "I am lost. I've looked deep within myself for the longest time, and it had come to my understanding that there's nothing inside me at all. Only emptiness. Nothing real. How can I want anything for this emptiness?… And I looked around and saw that nothing was real anywhere else, too… There is only a choice to fill this emptiness, and when I choose to be happy for others, I fill it with love."

"Go on…" said Chrysalis quietly.

"Do you have regrets?" asked Celestia.

"I am an immortal witch. You disgrace both of us with this question," Chrysalis confidently asserted, but then added, not hiding her amusement, "I mean, really, dear, regrets? What regrets can there be for beings such as us?"

"Oh, but regrets are wonderful. Having regrets means being alive. They helped me remain sane for a very long time. Once, I was humbled by a harsh lesson on regret, one that I had to die for, truly die without hope for second chances. My regrets have allowed me to comprehend myself as a living being and not someone who merely exists on borrowed time," Celestia said with sorrowful spite and then hesitated, processing her emotions.
She breathed out through clenched teeth, subduing herself into calmness. "…Make no mistake, I am the Queen of the sun-blessed lands. But I had to push on despite those regrets, and after a while, my guilt had become less of a necessity and more of a luxury. I had to take action and project strength. I began to notice how I repeat the same mistakes over and over and how there are many things that I am unable to grasp, and so I've become more considerate and acted more safely.
"As it turned out, overindulgence in regrets erodes both will and mind. They become but a burden on the soul. Invisible wounds that do not heal." Celestia's eyes gleamed darkly. "I never could remain stable while I dwell on the consequences of my failures, and rulers have no room for sentimental and emotional whims—and so I had to dull myself and keep evaluating the persona I was making. I needed to maintain a balance for Equestria, for myself. I have become static, warm, and ever-present guardian for everypony. Is it not the epitome of power and authority?
"But imagine keeping up this status quo for hundreds of years…" Celestia scoffed. "How wretched it all may seem: beneath it all, Princess Celestia is an overworked mare who can take a dive but is unable to quit. And now this will never end, will it? There will always be a problem for me to face, and you are simply another one."

"Really?" hummed Chrysalis. "When you put it that way, I do wonder why you haven't gone mad."

"Maybe I did go mad, and those countless fearmongers and naysayers who kept testing my goodwill were always right about me. Just look at this, look at what I am doing and where I am, and who—who I am consorting with.
"But by the stars… I am the same for so long… My wings weren't meant for this… And still, I am the right mare in the right place, and I love being myself… and I love my ponies, don't I? Don't I love them?… Is it not what madness is?… When I was becoming a ruler by the original design, I remember thinking, 'it will be an ordeal, but in a few hundreds of years we'll bring the Harmony around', but a thousand!? How could I expect this? Can you imagine remaining the same for a millennium? It is unnatural.
"But—I kept it together. I've managed, if only for so long. I had helpful guidance, and I had set goals. In hindsight, it wasn't even that tough, simply a lot of—a lot of maneuvering and considerations, a lot of doing what needed to be done. And the fewer complications and variables there are, the better."

"Are you referring to how you rule your subjects?"

"Yes. I needed the lives of the ponies to remain simpler. It was integral to the efficiency of my duties. One ruler above all, one alicorn to watch over their sky, and a land that is in a state of peace and prosperity—that was their narrative, a single known truth for many generations, and to keep it undisputed, I was required to exert my influence in every available way.
"I was not only their ruler or guardian, but a custodian," Celestia's voice subtly quivered, "but such are the needs of the cause. I was not meant to be the usher of the new age, and so I kept them safe to the best of my ability, and Equestria remained a magical, secluded realm, free from the chaos of the outworld. The end result is a working model—… What are you doing?"

Chrysalis was lying on her belly, whipping her tail against her flanks. Her forelegs were concealing the lower half of her muzzle, and green eyes hungrily shone in dim light. "Keep talking, dear," she asked.

"Explain yourself first," demanded Celestia.

"No," refused Chrysalis, but the urge to talk kept bubbling up within her and broke through within seconds. "I think that you are ridiculous." She happily snickered. "Simply ridiculous. Are you even capable of hating anyone beside yourself?"

"You—you damn craven!" Celestia burst out. Her foreleg shielded her chest in a gesture of vulnerability. "Get out of my head!"

"I'm not—" Chrysalis rolled on her back and relaxed, staring upside down. Her tail kept swishing like a dirty broom, lashing against her thighs. "Ah, I cannot deal with this…" She giggled groggily. "I must admit, you are a far more powerful illusionist. I may cast a spell over one fool, or two, or a room at a time, but you? You've shaped yourself accordingly and then kept under your spell an entire realm."

"Is that a compliment or an insult disguised as flattery?"

"Just-how-did-you-achieve-it?…" Chrysalis muttered, separating words.

The land of enchantment, where everyone can belong.
The land where everyone has a purpose.
The land where suffering can be manageable.

Celestia pursed her lips. "It wasn't easy," she acknowledged quietly.

"Either way, don't beat yourself up over your actions. I've kept my spawn obedient too." Chrysalis' voice fell to a sinister growl. "The incredible, fearsome power of change is so dangerous that, when left unchecked, it can easily overwhelm and consume those who mistreat it… And dark deeds are necessary to protect those who can't protect themselves… The resulting need to suppress the masses and to consolidate power is only natural."

Even Chrysalis could potentially comprehend that balance isn't something that simply wills itself into existence. It is work. A duty. A sacrifice.

"I had to do it," Celestia admitted calmly. "I've committed to the choice—the only possible choice—that I've made. Remind me, what do you think of compromises?"

Chrysalis stiffened up. "There can be no compromises…"

"You must hate them so much, don't you?…"

"Oh yes, I do…"

"Then you are a wretched fool," said Celestia dreary.
"My choice was a compromise—to offer my guidance to ponies and to find companionship in books, scrolls, and the stars. Long ago, I thought, like you, that a compromise can make you weak and dependent, and someone in a position of power can't ever allow themselves to be put at a disadvantage. I have learned that compromise is not always a sign of weakness but rather a strength. It takes wisdom to know when to stand firm and when to yield.
"And you are perfectly capable of making compromises, aren't you? For all your vile actions, you can fathom the nature of compromise and how it lies at the heart of balance—that the compromise is a binding concrete capable of achieving far more than the destruction and dominance you crave."

Chrysalis made a low hiss but did not argue. Instead, she sat straight and asked, "So you mean to say that your compromise was to adapt?"

"Yes, I suppose that is correct…" Celestia hummed in thought and glanced curiously. "Didn't you say before that we are incapable of adapting?"

A brisk, confused expression swept over Chrysalis' muzzle. "We are meant to be free. If it doesn't mean to be able to adapt, then this freedom is worthless."

"The way I saw it, I needed to give up my happiness and purity for a long-term goal," said Celestia. "Everything has a price, and if the end result was my ponies living in prosperity without wars or hunger, then I say it was worth it."

"You are ridiculous. All you do is burn yourself away for others' sake… Ah, I see…" A flash of recognition went behind Chrysalis' eyes. "It's that unconditional love of yours, isn't it?"

"It is not so useless after all, right, you foolish changeling?" said Celestia bitterly.
"I've maintained principles of unconditional, undifferentiated love for the sake of a goal of longevity. My people did not succumb to doubt and dissent, and instead they lived happy, fulfilled lives under my watch. It is a fate many would be envious of.
"Consider that none of my contemporaries achieved the same. They never understood the power of compromise, or rather, never could maintain it throughout centuries. I suppose I cannot blame them… None of them were giving up their lives for this result, and none were motivated enough to see it through. If anything, their inevitable deterioration was another cautionary tale for me—of what succumbing to vices and fears can lead to. However, in the end, we all shared the same fate of becoming mere shadows of our former selves."
Celestia was silent for a beat. Her unfocused eyes stared far back into the past.
"To follow my path was the only right way," she said slowly, self-assuring. "The only, surefire, way. I did it for the ponies and for the opportunity to meet my Sister again. I did everything in my ability to protect them and keep Equestria's borders secure, and I did it successfully.
"So tell me, the Changeling Queen, do you still think that my ideology is weak?" she challenged, raising her head.

"You were dealt a winning hand. Your ponies are too meek and fragile, they're only glad to be subjugated!" Chrysalis accused.

"Oh, you still think that we are in any kind of competition. That's cute." Celestia cruelly smiled. "You are well aware of how stubborn the ponies can get, especially if they have tasted power, but then again—underestimating us is in your nature. That's what you always do."

"You are impossible," Chrysalis muttered.

"You dare to stare me in the eye and question my existence?"

Chrysalis shook her head in silent disbelief.

"I am an alicorn, and I came from an era when this word truly meant something." Celestia's eyes swept over the gnarly form of Chrysalis. "Tell me, the Changeling Queen, do you hate me right now for how similar and yet different we are?"

"This is ludicrous. You really are impossible..." said Chrysalis, all tense.

"What is it now? Are you, the ignoble Changeling Queen, having problems with your emotions?"

"No. No." The Queen's patience was running thin. She bared her teeth.

"You're all emotions, as you said yourself. To feel them is like keeping breathing for you—for both of us. You awful creature, all you are -"

"Shut up!" Chrysalis barked.

"- is some twisted reflection," finished Celestia with grim satisfaction.

"I am no one's reflection! I can collect the reflections of others, but I am a being of my own!" Chrysalis growled with primal rage.

"If only it was true." Celestia wanted it to sound mocking, but only long-festering sorrow echoed in her voice. "There's no such thing as being of their own. There is no true freedom in the world. There isn't a single soul that isn't confined, if only by virtue of their birth. They do not exist."

Chrysalis howled an inequine roar, shaking Celestia down to her core. She recoiled, staring at the changeling. The darkness, the transformation magic—all power was pouring from the Queen, as she was preparing to battle yet again.

A shroud of ethereal blinking eyes covered her, and Celestia saw how Chrysalis expanded, moving in all directions at once. The raw magic around them condensed into a fog, became thicker. Afraid of being caught in it, Celestia launched herself into the air, quickly flying to the ceiling.

She heard cries, animal noises, roars, abruptly cut off phrases and shouts. Dreading the sight, Celestia glanced down and witnessed a fleshy mass of heads, claws, limbs, and fangs advancing at her, devouring all possible space.

⠀⠀⠀⠀═════════════════

═════════════════⠀⠀⠀⠀

The alicorn remained calm in the face of danger. Chrysalis was going all out—they had no more masks to let loose, it was simple as that. A massive head on an impossibly long neck burst out from the flesh pit, and Celestia guarded herself with a barrier, being carried through the stone of the ceiling to the outside.

The fire enveloped her body that shone brighter than a star. She directed her power in a wild telekinetic surge, crushing the brittle bone of a half-formed maw she was in, and flapped her wings, soaring higher.

no constraints. no limitations. no definitions.

More heads burst from the Tower, breathing green fire. Celestia laughed, seeing before herself a dragon—a multi-headed dragon, but a mere dragon nonetheless. It was quite a while since she killed her last dragon, and in this day and age, they knew better than to attack her directly.

just these movements

"You foul monstrosity of chaos!" she yelled, her ardent voice cutting through the cacophony of roars. "You have no place in this land of harmony and light!" She evaded more of the wildly flailing and coiling dragon hands. In a blinding flash, a massive spear appeared in her hooves, and Celestia whipped it, tossing away charred bones that were stuck to the tip.

The dragon heads lunged, getting in each other's way, but Celestia daintily evaded, weaved in-between, and then hurled her spear. The fire-blood spilled from the cut-open neck of one of the heads, covering the grotesque, fat body of the creature that was growing out of the building.

this passion for living

The lightning struck at the dragon, and Celestia folded her wings, spiraling into a blind spot beneath the snapping maws and hurling her spear yet again, deep and true. The fire, ready to burst out of the throat of the monster, instead burned its scales and eyes.

if you can hear me

All of the heads of the creature were giving her undivided attention, and the more she cut and sliced, the more the Queen's power diminished. Celestia lost her spear at some point, broken in two by a lucky snap of yet another gigantic jaw, and instead sent hardlight with pinpointed blasts of her wings.

look around. this is your paradise

She knew enough of the dragon anatomy—the weak spots were ears, eyes, nostils, and the sides of its neck, and Chrysalis was making no attempts to defend herself.

The Tower, located on the edge of the city's platform, began to fell over, dragging the shapeshifter with it. A green fire enveloped one of the last surviving heads, and as it breathed an enormous scorching column aimed at the alicorn, it spat out the changeling Queen, prepared to strike.

High in the Canterlot's sky, they clashed their horns with unrelentless force. Celestia scowled, enjoying the feeling of might tested with hers', and both the pain and pleasure it brought. With a kinetic blast, she hurled the changeling backwards, and clasped her wings, commanding the skies to strike down the creature.

A lightning bolt electrocuted the Queen, who contorted her body and contracted her limbs.

More.

Another lightning strike pierced the changeling. Chrysalis threw her head back in a silent cry.

More.

A bolt went through the changeling after another one. Celestia was on the cusp of victory.

More.

Mo—

Everything faded into the darkness.

…

Celestia forced her eyes open, suddenly becoming aware that she was falling down. A small eternity had gone unnoticed in the last few seconds. She caught a glimpse of Chrysalis hovering above the spot she only recently occupied.

Celestia saw green traces of magic around the changeling. 'Ah,' the thought process numbly delivered to her cognition. 'She hurled herself at me, isn't she? Well…' Celestia leaned back into the fall, rushing past the Canterlot to the distant ground. 'It seems I have to go now… but it's alright. It's alright. If I get to choose, I wanted to go out at duskfall, anyway.'

A faint noise reached her.

She heard Chrysalis' laughter.

Her foreleg moved to her chest as she glanced at it with more awareness.

Her peytral was gone, torn from her body by the Queen's last strike. The Seed was gone.

In a bout of defiance, she tried to catch herself with an aura and soften the hit with the ground, but it still went hard—too hard, and Celestia cried when her wing twisted from the impact. Torn white feathers fell around her. Staggered, the Princess lifted her head to the dark mare that was celebrating her victory in the sky.

Celestia kept falling into an open well of memories that consumed her.

Everything was repeating.

Everything that she achieved in the past thousand years led to the same outcome—with her on the ground, wounded, splayed before yet another Nightmare Moon.

A defiant anger squeezed her throat and poured out with flames and a raspy growl.

'It can't be. It can't be.' And yet it was, and it was nothing but yet another spiral, another move of destiny enacting its incessant play. Faced with the utter futility of all her actions, Celestia howled from the pain of her soul.

This fate is inescapable!? Then so be it! Their souls are bound. Their destinies are one. A mad revelation dawned on Celestia, and she pulled herself from the ground, resolute in the face of the only possible move left to her. Chrysalis dies because they die, together.

With all her fiery might, Celestia launched herself back into the air, aiming her horn dead on at Chrysalis' chest.

The changeling didn't move out of the way in time. The horn skewered the dark mare with ease.

Giving into tranquility, Celestia closed her tired eyes. No thoughts waited for her. All worries were finally gone. The hot blood spilled on her muzzle. The air rushed past her ears. It felt like she flew for the first time in her life.

18 — Anagnorisis of an analemma // to chase the Sun

The actor has spirit, but little conscience of the spirit. He always believes in that with which he most strongly inspires belief—in himself!

To defeat—that means for him: to prove. To drive to frenzy—that means for him: to convince. And blood is to him the best of all arguments.

<…>

But the worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself; you ambush yourself in caverns and forests.

You will be a heretic to yourself, and a sorcerer and a soothsayer, and a fool, and a doubter, and a reprobate, and a villain.

You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes!

You solitary one, you go the way of the lover: you love yourself, and on that account you despise yourself, as only the lover can despise.

Nietzsche

⠀

…

⠀

Everything went dark. It was finally quiet.

⠀

But only for a short while.

⠀

Celestia attempted to move. Someone beneath her gasped in protest, and she immediately stopped.

A muffled gurgling sound preceded the hoarse, broken whisper of an unfamiliar voice, "Can you be more careful?"

"I can, but I have to pull," she explained.

The voice did not reply.

"Are you still with me?" she asked.

"...Do it," the answer followed, full of grim resignation.

Celestia pressed her foreleg into the changelings' body and attempted to gently dislodge her deeply stuck horn. Chrysalis uttered a moaning half-groan, landed her forelegs onto Celestia and shoved.

The horn slid out of the gaping wound. A few droplets of hot substance dripped over Celestia's muzzle. She had no strength to wipe it, and some of it got into her mouth. She stilled, processing the heady leaden taste.

She attempted to internalize what was going on. She failed.

For starters, what was she supposed to feel?... What was anyone supposed to feel in such a situation?

The changeling was gulping for breath, hacking, and wheezing.

"Chrysalis—"

"Shut up."

"What can—"

"Shut up. Just shut up."

Celestia could relate. Right now, non-existence was so much preferable to living.

There was no light around, and she had little of her own left to give. She closed her eyes, and there was no difference.

Only utter blackness.

"What are you doing?" Chrysalis called to her.

Trying to preserve her strength, Celestia went limp. 'I am inside the same cave system where I met cockatrices so long ago. I came full circle, and I am as helpless as before... Nothing had changed. The only difference is that I am not afraid of the monster.'

"Do not sleep," the demanding voice urged. She felt a tug on her shoulder. "I'm not sure if I'd be able to wake you."

"Don't sound so concerned. It's making me self-conscious," muttered Celestia.

"Is this how you want to go—to pass out like a slab of horse meat!?" barked Chrysalis.

She gripped on Celestia's mane and lifted her head. Celestia saw a pair of green flames, angrily peering at her.

"You're better than this."

"So you shielded me and keep being insufferable?" Celestia deadpanned.

She still didn't know what to think of it. Their mutual destruction was certain, and when she directed their bodies down onto the mountain, Chrysalis' response was to spread her essence around them. It was a bizarre and brief action, and it was filled with intense light, and it wasn't intended to preserve the changeling.

Chrysalis' transformed body wrapped around the alicorn and cushioned almost all of the impact. Celestia's dormant earth pony magic allowed her to slice into the slope; their powers tested against each other for the final time, and they managed to break into the old mining shaft, enduring fire and falling rocks alike.

The enormous mountain, like an ancient titan from fillies' tales, had swallowed them, buried them deep within its bosom. They stopped clinging to each other only when the rumble around ceased completely.

Their battle was over.

Nobody won.

"You've made your point, I won't pass out. Release me," Celestia demanded. Then, softer, "You're hurting me."

Chrysalis' green burned even brighter amidst the jagged rocks and minerals. Feverish passion and anger were pouring out of her, non-sated and unyielding. "You are the Sun…" She bared her teeth. "You… are… the most powerful being I've ever witnessed. I adore your power. Everything about you speaks of pure power to me. Even your weakness is powerful." Her slit pupils were trembling. "I hate it so much. I hate that I've become so powerful by leeching off of you.
"You are despicable, and your kingdom, and your attitude, too. I hate that we are in a bond. I hate that you need to restrain yourself. I hate that I need to rely on this power and that I need more of you, my sworn enemy."

"Enough..." muttered Celestia weakly, unable to impede this rush of emotion.

With sudden force, Chrysalis tossed her on the back and crawled on top.

Celestia whinnied from pain in her broken wing and panted, remaining placid throughout the ongoing verbal assault.

"But far more than all of that, I hate how countless moons ago, when I and my brood finally clawed out, through ambition, and fighting, and dominance, from the darkest pits of earth and forest depths, hungry and tarnished beyond any belief, we saw all you ponies surrounded by splendor and sunlight, taking it all for granted with your easy cushy lives! You lived this way for ages while we had to fight for every morsel of food!! We lived and died in dirt and darkness!! This hate is my drive! I vowed to make you all suffer, and nothing had brought me more exhilaration than this!
"How can't you see that they are cowardly parasites, unaware of anything outside of their cozy home? Selfish! Entitled! Undeserving! They have no strength! They are meant to be prey! Not knowing where their next meal comes from is a foreign concept to these insolent bastards!"

When Chrysalis stopped to heave a shuddering breath, Celestia grabbed her and pulled close. "You're done?" Her grip became firm iron. "That was... surprisingly pathetic. So much time and energy wasted for the hatred so meaningless and petty... Oh, you... poor savage monster."

Her legs wrapped around the changelings' barrel and squeezed. The weak carapace cracked under pressure. Chrysalis gasped and thrashed in pain, straining to get out.

There was nothing but terror, hatred, destruction, and malice in her wake. She murdered so many ponies, destroyed countless lives, ruined families and kingdoms... There can be no pity for this greedy and envious creature.

The changeling lunged and pushed her muzzle into the side of Celestia's neck. The alicorn grimaced, sensing sharp teeth against the vein. She moved her head back, daring the changeling to end this.

They entwined in a lethal embrace, more intimate than any lovemaking.

The darkness became filled with groans and rustles, interspersed with labored breathing. Celestia sensed a rush of anticipation, stark cold and grim. A sheer, plain wrongness undercut her efforts and expectations. 'Am I regressing? Am I yet another creature of the dark now?'

Chrysalis moved her jaws away, no longer threatening.

After a brief moment, Celestia let her go.

For a few drawn-out seconds, they were recovering in a devastated silence.

All of this was bewildering, so personal that it burned down to the core, and yet unreal and forbidden from happening. Not with her. Not with them.

And yet, it did.

It was unknown who made it first, but a snicker cut through the comparably small but echoing cave. The other answered it. The first one carried forth, and an instant storm of their nervous laughter had flooded the scene.

It sounded like a pathetic howling.

'This is an utter betrayal of all that we stand for...'

The laughter over the absurdity of it felt good and painful, and it was a visceral sort of pain, one that carried the tribulations of living.

"This duel of ours…" Chrysalis hoarsely muttered. "My, my… We were within inches from death, didn't we?" She pulled herself above, shining a curious eye. "It's even as if the air is clearer now. Don't you love it?"

Utterly spent, Celestia gave out yet another chuckle. There was a lot of stone dust in the cave they were in, but it's not like the alicorn strictly required breathing. "You're humoring me, but that's alright," she replied. "I love that we cut loose. The feeling is sublime..."

"We need to do it again," demanded Chrysalis.

"Not any time soon. I can barely move," said Celestia, smiling.

"It was worth it." Chrysalis' hoof trailed down on Celestia's bare chest. "Hm-m?~... What's this? Have you been hiding something?"

Celestia flushed, but it was too late to cover herself. She relaxed, allowing Chrysalis to inspect the exposed skin.

The peytral was gone, and now her black scar from a millennium-old lethal wound was on full display. Usually she masked it with a couple of uncomplicated spells, but those were dispelled in the middle of their heated battle.

"Looks grotesque, I know," said Celestia in a small voice.

"I like it."

"You're just saying that." Celestia looked aside.

"I'm serious. It really is beautiful."

"Your definition of beauty seems to be abnormal..."

"I am a shapeshifter," replied Chrysalis with a rustle of her gossamer wings. "I know that beauty can be found in absolutely anything. Life is an infinite, bright kaleidoscope of colors, of contrasts, and of power."

"That's how you see it?" asked Celestia.

"That's how you see it too, but have you ever paid attention to it?"

"Then why are you so bent on hurting others? Why not cherish and celebrate it in the light?"

"Oh, I celebrate it in my own way, and that is how the world must be: I survive, and the weak remain with nothing," said Chrysalis and uttered a low, dismayed hiss.

"Creatures like you are the whole reason why the world is wrong..."

"There's nothing wrong with the world. It is a place of wills that attempt to struggle against one another, of voices determined to outcry each other. It is a messy, and perilous, but glorious burling pot of ambitions and possibilities.
"It is you who took issue with it, you and your Harmony. I enjoy the world, if love is too strong a word."

"So am I to enjoy and tolerate injustice? And murderers?" Celestia gave Chrysalis a scorching look. "And rapists? All these indignities, amorality? All of their darkness? Am I to enjoy monsters like you?"

"I am one of a kind," proclaimed Chrysalis. "There are no more monsters like me, dear."

"Every monster would say that."

"You know I am speaking my mind."

"Every monster would say that, too."

Chrysalis' eyes gleamed warmly. "Aren't you precious..."

Her foreleg slid along the curve of Celestia's chin, coaxing a choked whine from her dry throat. It was an incredibly delicate, gentle touch. Celestia blindly followed it with her snout like a filly starved for affection. Chrysalis obliged her and made another slow pass, and it was just as electric as the first one.

Celestia's body responded. Her fur rose. She attempted to remain oblivious to the reasons behind it. It could break the illusion.

As Celesta's eyes adapted to the darkness, she could discern more details of Chrysalis' angular silhouette. The changeling had little in common with that blatant wreck of a creature that opposed her throughout the centuries.

'Even if all we did was to follow our natures, something within me affected her so drastically. She's no less dangerous for it, even more so, but still...'

Celestia saw clever eyes, full of mischief. These dazzling jewels, usually so dull and spiteful, now burned with primal purpose.

Celestia touched Chrysalis' neck and was pleased by how she trembled, melting from it. She traced hooves down, appreciating the texture of a tough, warm skin. Gone were the strange blotches right under her chin that added to her sickly appearance. Now, with slightly fuller cheeks and freely flowing silken hair, Chrysalis possessed an unconventional beauty—not beholden to the ponies' standards, but of an exotic league of her own. Her ears, commonly stuck in a guarded and aggressive position, were moved forward to show unmitigated attention.

"The living Sun... Here, at my grasp…" Chrysalis murmured with an odd contemplative expression.

'Is this really her?... Is this really me?... I feel as if I created her in some way. Is it remnants of my love inside of her reaching out to me?... That's right. This is what to be connected with someone means—to be able to shape them. To be able to allow them to shape yourself.'

"You were right. We are shapeshifters," said Celestia.

Chrysalis gulped down what appeared to be a bit of a drool, collected at the back of her throat.

'There is something unique to this wild creature and her strive to simply exist to the utter detriment of everyone in her way—to be like streaming water, or a burning fire, or a sudden gale. Is she a part of nature, an emblem of all its intensity and diversity?'
...
'I am so naked under her touch. Are there no barriers between us now?... And the way she looks back at me... Why do I want her to look at me like that? Only at me?'
...
'...I am keeping admiring her.'
…
'This is so bad. As a monarch I should... as a monarch I shouldn't... as a pony I...
'By the stars.' She lowered the back of her head on the rocks and closed her eyes, attempting to drown out everything in a soothing darkness. 'This is utterly hopeless.'

"Do not fall asleep," reminded Chrysalis with uncharacteristic nervousness.

"I won't."

Utterly hopeless.

"All of this is nonsense. What we experience are merely pushes and pulls, an entrapping of destiny, of our doom." Feeling delirious, Celestia opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. "The constant war. The stronger the Light is—"

"—the stronger is the Darkness's response," Chrysalis pitched in. "One rises to meet and clash with another, and while one reigns supreme, other licks its wounds and bides its time to strike again. This relationship is complex and eternal, and none of them truly prevails.
"I've heard this one. I am versed in the ways of the Darkness, after all... You struggle to preserve the balance that is unfair, as there will always be someone to challenge you."

"This is how life works," acknowledged Celestia. "This world must be kept in balance, and it is a never-ending duty. For that, long-term planning is paramount, as is the ability to observe the bigger picture. We move the Sun and the Moon. We shape the weather. We work to alter the seasons. I was required to educate a suitable successor rather than raise her from my own flesh and blood. As it happens, this magical world is based on such contrivances, such—"

"—compromises?" finished Chrysalis once more, and chirped a happy giggle. "How can you live like this and tell me straight-faced that compromises are fine?"

"It's far from the worst kind of compromise possible," replied Celestia. "If the good of Equestria is to be salvaged, acting out and breaking everything like a caged beast isn't a solution either."
She sighed in dismay.
"It doesn't really matter, anyway. I am worn out. I feel like a lightbulb that requires changing."

"You're more like a cog," muttered Chrysalis under her breath. "So what have you planned to do after your successor takes the throne? Will you come after another thousand years and reign again?"

"It doesn't work like that," said Celestia with a very soft voice.

"But you are the Queen of Equestria. You can't possibly give up on it... can you?"

"It is not about giving up, but letting go."

"Oh, please, it's the same thing!"

"No, it's really not." Celestia was silent for a beat. "There is a state of being that awaits my spirit after I am done with my duty. It is called Mu. -"

There was a remembrance, albeit faint, of a great golden field...

"- The alternative to all dichotomies. -"

To become a pure energy, how she was meant to be...

"- The enlightenment and the emptiness. The freedom of it."

To remain among the stars, and nothing but stars...

A bitterness overwhelmed her, and with it, a disgust for her hemimortal body. "Why am I forced to stay here, to have this flesh and sweat around me, this breathing, and this mucus, and blood and guts, and these feelings and uncertainties, and pain? Why should I endure all this existing? Didn't I already play my part? Didn't I already do almost all that was needed? Why can't I be free? Is it because almost is never good enough!?" Celestia shook her head. She felt incoming tears of utter helplessness. "All I wanted was for others to be happy. To be with my Sister. Even this single want is too much, is it!?"

"You want peace, ri-i-ight. This Mu does sound a lot like euthanasia to me," snickered Chrysalis, her voice a ghastly crowing that offered no succor.

"It is not! Don't speak like that..." pleaded Celestia. "To be one with eternity is not so bad. This is the preordained way, the right way of antiquity. Nothing should remain. Everything should have a destination."

"Is it not some kind of existence without feelings or emotions? It seems similar to being in stone, come to think of it. Who'd even want that?" Chrysalis frowned. "Wouldn't you grow bored of it, or what, there is no boredom too?"

"It is a reward. A bliss. A state of being and mind that is completely unreachable by all the complications of this reality. For an immortal, there is no greater blessing one can achieve," said Celestia in an attempt to assuage herself. "You are too tethered to comprehend it, but it's quite alright. I do not judge you."

"I've heard similar speeches from eunuch monks before," said Chrysalis, unmoved.

Celestia snorted and shook her head. "Your other sworn enemies, I imagine?"

"You have no idea." Chrysalis grinned. "They even tried to exorcise me once, fools... I wonder, what of your sister? Is she aware of this Mu?"

A storm of wanton emotions had risen inside Celestia, and then she placated it with a practiced application of her will.
"I would've convinced her to follow me," she said. "She'd listen to me. There, at Silver Shoals, we would've ascended together. Now this will never happen..."
A shudder-inducing sensation of finality bordering on despair had broken through the inner barrier of her soul. She sniffed, feeling herself an emotional, tired pony.
"There will be only this now," she held an accusing stare, "and you, dragging me to an endless perdition, to this hopeless darkness. Would it please you to know that you've destroyed me, perverted me? To show me that my dreams are futile, that I am in disarray?"
Tears slid down her muzzle.
"You damned creature, why you can't just leave?"
Her voice was frail.
"Just leave.
Please."

Chrysalis scoffed. She sat down in Celestia's legs. "Aren't you a sly one, my dear alicorn?..." A crooked smirk of recognition spread on her muzzle. "So you were going to bail without owing this dream of Harmony that you've promised, hm-m?..."

'As if you, trickster, can judge me on that.'

"I've played my part," said Celestia out loud, dull and lifeless. "I must know when to take a bow and not to overstay my welcome. It is their world. Not mine.
"The ancient ones like me are holding back the progress. Eventually, we all must go away and provide the next generation with a room to breathe. It is a natural order of things, a simple truth that I am not blind to. A cyclic law of life.
"In this world, 'immortal' never supposed to mean 'eternal'. Thinking otherwise is to argue against fundamental truths that exist for a reason."

"So you'd simply drag your sister along on your sabbatical?" sneered Chrysalis, as if it all were a joke to her.

"Why do you keep asking about her?" Celestia tensed up. "Leave her out of it."

"I do not see her being a willing participant in this... ritual. Would you... force her if needed, perhaps?..."

"Ah... My rebellious Moonlight..." Celestia bit the inside of her cheek hard, almost drawing blood. "There is an abiding darkness inside her. She's yet to grow, and that darkness will grow as well. The tainted history we share will catch up to us both and force everyone to suffer. There is no escape from who you are... No escape."
She was silent for a beat.
"The Elements allowed us to mitigate this darkness, but their solutions were always meant to be temporary. Despite it, now that I have her back after all these years, I will not simply hoof her over to the Dark again. Never. I will never repeat this mistake. I've made a resolution: we will be free together, or none will be free at all.
"I was going to talk to her and explain our predicament. She would've understood how our departure is better for everyone." Celestia winced. Now, said out loud, it sounded too pathetic. "Twilight would've understood it too. She'd fought me and doubted my decision, but eventually she'd accept it. They... trust me.
"Chrysalis... Listen to me." Despite the futility of this action, Celestia despairingly grabbed Chrysalis' fetlock. "Listen. The Harmony is possible in Equestria. All that I've ever done was for the sake of it, and if it works, it can be assumed that the Harmony can be possible in the entire world. That it is possible everywhere in the omniverse.
"That it is, indeed... possible," she attempted to assure herself. "Our sequestered cluster may slowly impart it unto others, and through generations, through strive and errs, it can be cultivated like a stubborn sprout. Equestria is a working model where mutual cooperation can be ensured and the Harmony can exist. It can! This world is all about this... this world..."
She began crying again.
"I want it to be true! Stars be damned, I want Twilight to achieve this, I know she can, I know!... She has a mind wired for learning and growth!..."

"Won't Twilight become just like you?" asked Chrysalis, quiet and still.

"No!" zealously rebuked Celestia. "She will become better than me! She will find her own path, she must! Twilight's Equestria will be a place of hope, of new beginnings!"

"Weren't you telling me that you are a servant of forces that want for the events to keep repeating?"

"You haven't seen what I saw!" Celestia snapped. "Twilight can achieve wonderful, impossible things! She can save this world, lift it to the heights I am incapable of!"

"But why are you so sure?" asked Chrysalis. "Because that is her destiny—to be a more capable replacement?"

"No." Celestia's voice fell. "Her destiny wasn't in something so specific as becoming a ruler. As one of the leaders of a nation with so much accumulated wealth and love, she was meant to be enabled to pursue her own designs.
"Her legend will be my most impressive legacy that would outshine all that I ever done. Her destiny is to solve an ancient discrepancy that plagued our understanding of magic."

"Such is?"

"Twilight is the one who will solve the great equation..." Celestia steadied her breath. "She is the Element of Magic that will bring everything into its intended shape. She was meant to find a way for irreconcilable forces, such as magic and logic, to coexist." Her voice tinged with reverence. "Two completely different worlds, so controversial to each other, would be brought together... An elusive knowledge would be finally revealed to everyone... It would be an event that will mark the beginning of a virtuous age of progress and learning, and the old symbols like me will be finally laid to rest because they are no longer needed. It will be an opportunity for everyone to live happy and free."
A blissful smile tentatively formed on her tear-soaked muzzle.
"I can almost see them sometimes... How all the different species live in harmonious unity, unshackled from the old traditions and hatred... How the ones that had found their own path are sharing the fruits of their discoveries among everyone, freely... How everyone is working for the betterment of a whole... Can you imagine this era of wonder?... Oh, how I wish to witness it with my own eyes! This bright future for us all...
"Don't you understand why she is so important? On this fertile ground that is Equestria, Twilight will rise."

"And all of it because of... what? Magic and logic coexisting?" Chrysalis cocked her head. "As in, harmoniously?" She grinned. "That's what your cause is all about?"

"I don't expect you to grasp the meaning behind it," Celestia replied sullenly.
"We can categorize magic, attribute it, even comprehend mechanics, but the nature of it always works in opposition to the academic discoveries in the other fields. When you add into equation something that can so casually shape the matter both living and inanimate, it all irreversibly falls apart.
"The magic is unfathomable." Celestia raised her wing and watched how her fire ran from feather to feather, almost liquid-like. "It is an element that so far eludes anyone—except maybe the one who was born to manifest it."

"Magic and logic..." Chrysalis drawled out and hemmed in contemplation.

Celestia was observing, mildly curious what this savage can offer.

"You creatures and your little musings of life, tch... Always so desperate for meaning and purpose..." Chrysalis returned her gaze to the alicorn. "Both magic and logic are types of power, are they not?"

At first, Celestia wanted to object, but she restrained herself. "How, do you think, that works?" she asked.

"Power can be found in anything," explained Chrysalis. "Magic. Ordinary.
"Material. Spiritual.
"Rational. Irrational.
"Illusion. Technology. Resources. Logic. Control. Everywhere, a discrepancy. Everywhere, a conflict. Everywhere, a potential. Everywhere, power."
She raised her head proudly.
"Everything can be used to affect, to shape, to change, to manifest your influence. Everything is an opportunity. Everything can be power."
She grinned.
"Everything is power."

"Everything?" Celestia blinked.

"Oh, absolutely." Chrysalis giggled. "Once you notice it, you simply can't view surroundings the other way—but I suppose that's what differs between those who are slaves to their fates and those who are willing to change them!"

"It's not even remotely that simple," muttered Celestia in dismay. The factoring of something so crude and rudimentary was out of the question, even if it reflected an intricate interplay of all aspects of existence. The logic was inequine, non-applicable.
Yet, she could comprehend Chrysalis' thought process slightly better now. The changeling was taking to her imaginary world of power like a fish to the water, or like a climber that sees everything as a stepstone to push on to the heights unknown. Was she even capable of experiencing setbacks? There was something alluringly primal in viewing the world like that. And chilling.
"You are truly a thing of your own," she said.

"Thank you."

"Still, you must be utterly insane to consider that something like that can be applied in practical studies," muttered Celestia. "It's not like this approach is even fresh; it is lumping everything into one category..."
If everything is power, would it mean that everything is also some form of energy?
"For all intents and purposes, 'power' is merely a label that we use to describe forces that affect one another."

"My dearest Sun, there are so many different powers sprawling out under your glare, but it's like you are determined to not notice them... So many voices, so many demands... I listen to you, and I think that maybe you're simply shortsighted, actually—just like your little ponies."

"By the stars," breathed Celestia, "you are too brash for your own good."

"There is a lot of darkness surrounding your bright realm... Your ideas are too lofty and precious to root properly in it... But what would you care? You have a dream, and that's all that truly matters, is it?" Chrysalis pulled a smug grin. "And that means, sending innocent fillies to do a mare's job is fine."

"These fillies will inherit this world," stated Celestia. "They must be confident of themselves just as I am confident of them. You won't break this confidence."

"Ah, but what about everyone else? What about every living soul out there? Am I to understand that the Harmony won't be achieved until they live without dissent? Or it doesn't include their opinion on the matter too, is it!? Or what, your oh so precious blessed herd will lead them all to ordained enlightenment—your subservient, naive, foolish wards, most of whom never had to think from where their meal comes from, never were forced to suffer and despair!? You want everyone in this beautiful world to become like them!? Like weak mongrels that are ripe to be destroyed and enslaved!? And who will be spawned by this world, who will be birthed by them, what future in this!?"

"They will find a way to teach them kindness and understanding!" Celestia objected feverishly. "It will be difficult, but they will learn about themselves a lot more! The Magic of Friendship—"

"Never! Never, never, never!! Not in another thousand years! Not in a ten thousand! You will never reach the world of perfect equinox! There will always be someone to stand against you, refusing to be a part of this weakness and complacency!"

"What I want is not perfection," replied Celestia more wearily than she intended. "Nobody said that. What I want is simply a step closer to perfection. To happiness."

"What you want is complete nonsense," growled Chrysalis viciously. "The world survives by its own whim! It won't bend to your imposed will, and those ponies of yours are morsels who exist only to be stomped upon!"

The Light... The Darkness... In the back of her mind there was always this nagging doubt... How many souls are out there that are irrevocably warped by the warring primordial forces?
'Time itself is my enemy. The more of it passes, the less chance there is for the Harmony to be established." She shed yet another tear. 'It's all my fault... I am still being punished, aren't I? Luna, why did we have to fight?...'
...
'Stop this right now.' Celestia steeled herself.

That's how monsters, these manipulators, get you. They crawl into your head by saying something meaningful. It might as well be an opinion they truly hold to their hearts, but their true purpose is sinister—to invade your mind, to take root in it, to make you agree seemingly on your own. Their duplicitous nature only serves to drag you down for their personal gain.

"My dear..." Chrysalis leaned very, very close. "Do you really think that your little girl, your precious little girl, as smart and perfect as she is, can 'save' me?... To—what, castigate me?... To make me obedient?..." She backed away. "There are even worse monsters than me out there. Will she come after them one by one? I'd love to see that."

The Darkness always rises in response to the Light, and vice versa. Could it be that managing these two clashing sides is a task too daunting even for her most faithful one?

Twilight was not infallible.

At the end of the day, she was just a mare.

"Do you truly believe that she is capable of 'saving' you?" Chrysalis smiled viciously, knowing that it hurt the alicorn. "That she will provide you... some kind of... vindication, perhaps? Naivety doesn't suit you, demigoddess."
The Queen lifted her tattered wings. Her powerful voice grew into an echoing roar.
"No one will save us! The only ones who can save us are ourselves!!"
She snapped her teeth and bared a bestial snarl.
"No one else! Only our volition carries us through!!
"The Harmony is a butterfly stuck on a needle, a promise that will never come true! There will always be war! There will always be death, and ambition, and monsters, and hunger, and chaos, all this beauty and wonder, and power!
"There will always be a shadow of greed looming over everyone living! Didn't you figure greed into your expectations!?"

"Twilight and her friends will be able to deal with it," muttered Celestia stubbornly, staring at the ceiling.

"With greed? With disparity? With lusting for power!? How!?"

"It is not for me to decide how the next generation will solve their problems. Is it not obvious? I can't impose my judgments. I have to believe in them."

"Believing is fine, but my alicorn, my immortal sovereign, my most precious Princess, don't you understand greed!? Greed is not a problem to be solved. It is essential. It will always be present."

"Well." Celestia shifted her eyes. "I am quite familiar with the concept. Wealth, in particular, is an important attribute for those who yearn to maintain social status and possessions."

Chrysalis laughed at the top of her lungs. "My girl, you sound like a virgin! You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?"

Celestia's ears burned. To be mortal is to desire, and to be immortal is to want, she remembered.
"Greed is a very ugly trait that draws invaders to Equestria," she said cautiously. "I've seen very bright ponies succumb to it. Even my Sister was not an exemption."

"You are adorable," hissed Chrysalis in delight.

"I had little wants and desires throughout my existence... There's nothing wrong with it..." 'Wait, why am I making excuses?' Celestia frowned, and sighed in resignation. "See, this is exactly why this realm needs Twilight. She is not someone so hopelessly antiquated."

"I know greed," said Chrysalis.

"Oh? Let me guess, greed is power," parodied Celestia.

"There's nothing more true to us than hungers and desires... The powers that move the world itself," proclaimed Chrysalis, raising her head.
"Oh, yes-s-s." Her bleak green eye moved down to Celestia. "I get what greed is a-a-all about. I was preying on desires for centuries." She looked aside. "Though I must admit, there's not a lot of greed in this land full of love. No doubt, your influence."

"Not only mine," replied Celestia, still keeping a distant gaze at the ceiling, and then asked, "So that is what you are, a creature of greed?"

"Insects do not truly know greed the way others do... That's one of the many reasons they are so fascinating..." almost purred Chrysalis. "Hm-m... If I am to say now, I suppose I am more a creature of gluttony. Yes-s... Life is no fun when I am not enjoying myself, but it is prey who should be greedy, not I... Their love nourishes me, and they must keep surrendering it to me with all their possessiveness if I am to survive..."
The Queen stepped closer, and Celestia tensed up. A jagged foreleg traveled up her stomach to her scarred chest.
"How can you be so blind to the love glowing within you?" asked Chrysalis. "It's as beautiful as the northern lights and as brilliant as a thousand diamonds... You say you are empty, but you are not, my dear. No. Not at all."

"Yet you would diminish me, aren't you? Wouldn't you?" mustered Celestia. "Is your goal to make me a monster like you?"

"What an awful idea." Chrysalis grimaced. "Now, why would I do that?"

"I do not know," admitted Celestia. "What is your intention with me? To prove some inane point? To tell me that having conscience is wrong? But what good a powerful ruler would be without it?" She grabbed the changelings' hoof and pressed it against her scar. "Can I not have a heart?"

"You think I aim to torment you?" Chrysalis scoffed and retracted her hoof. "You've been doing that by yourself! Aren't you tired of neglecting your needs and maintaining balance while using your glorious rump to heat your seat for another?"

"Don't ridicule me," warned Celestia.

Chrysalis giggled. "When you speak, there is a leitmotif to all your speeches. The renunciation. All your verbiage chants to me a single truth: 'I'm going to get out of this race of life; I intend to surrender'." She gripped Celestia's shoulder. "So what I want right now is to see some effort from you."

"You can't mean that..."

"I want you to try despite the pain it will bring," said Chrysalis, and pulled the alicorn onto her legs.

Celestia groaned. Her abused body protested, but she stood up nonetheless.

"You are not like all the others. You are not a coward like the rest of that lot. You are a luminary. You have grit. You can inspire," said Chrysalis with dark passion. "Let us make a mockery out of the rules, let us abolish old customs and traditions! Dare to endeavor with me beyond everything that is decent! Let us rule together and see what happens next!"

"What good can come from it?" rebuked Celestia. "No, you seek to corrupt, to dominate. You won't."
She glared at the changeling from above.
"Even if the Harmony is unattainable, even if my mission is doomed to failure, it is a mission worth fighting for!" With fervor to match, she placed her hoof against her heart again. "I know why I do this: for the true Harmony for all, not just to keep peace and balance! It is my dream! My choice! I won't discard it even if it costs me another thousand years!"

"Yes. Yes!" Chrysalis' huge eyes ignited. "Precisely! This is what I so adore about you! This, is real. You are the real deal; like no one else, you are worthy to be believed in!
"I couldn't care less about the Harmony, but there's nothing more beautiful to me than to struggle while knowing that your goal is unachievable. Ah-h, this is so right!" Chrysalis laughed happily. "This is what life is all about: in falling, in climbing back up, and keeping pushing on despite the senselessness of the act! This is what I want to see! This, I think, is a pure strength...
"You, most powerful, most beautiful creature, do not announce yourself obsolete—embrace the struggle! Rise up again and own your beliefs! You still have fight in you, you can become better—so be better! Be brave and face the unknown, and I will follow your every step! I will devote to you every last ounce of my shriveled, black heart!"

Celestia shook her head. Her eyes were glistening. "...It sounds too melodramatic. I do not need followers, nor devotees."

"Then let me be your monster."

"My monster..."

"My most precious one... Let me be yours." Chrysalis leaned into her, nuzzling along Celestia's neck with a complete lack of restraint.

The changelings' motions were rough, but they carried sincerity that words were unable to convey. Celestia moved her head back, fully captivated.

"Our wonderful world was meant to have monsters," crooned Chrysalis, unabashedly snuggling to her. "We have the right to exist. You cannot deny us, you cannot run from us, and if you try, the Dark will come crashing down on you and will take away the control of your life.
"The Dark is needed, and it is fine. Harmony or no Harmony, you will never get rid of us. We will always remain, tempting, probing, challenging, and there always must be necessary evil so others could live in peace... And your grueling duty will only demand more and more of this evil from you... So, instead of breaking yourself down for their sake, let me be the one who does the dark deeds for you."

"You want me to ignore your atrocities?... So you can be a rabid dog in my service?..."

"I want you to not strain your precious heart with something you so obviously despise doing. Someone like you should not be feared. It is clear to me now." Chrysalis looked at her with sheer adoration. "My Sun, let me become your power that others would be terrified of. However it turns out, let me be the one reviled and hated. Their fear will never be a burden for me. I revel in it."

"So you propose to be my little malicious boogeyman?" Celestia covered her smile with the healthy wing.

"I can be another 'custodian', perhaps?... We can figure out the details later."

"This is unorthodox... And what would you expect me to do when you cross the line? Hm-m? It is inevitable. You will only grow more bold with me."

"I won't hurt ponies," reminded Chrysalis, "but if a mishap happens, then, we-e-ell... I suppose you can always banish me to the Moon, demigoddess." She snickered. "Just not for a thousand years, yes? I'll endure a few months, tops.
"Ah, but imagine me watching everyone from up there!... Peeking in-between curtains at night... Perhaps, Luna had it comfy."

"I can't solve all my problems by sending them to the Moon," replied Celestia archly. "What, do you suppose, will happen when I show weakness? I can't be strong all the time. What then? Will you attempt to devour me again?"

"I think I'd prefer you to be alive... Besides," Chrysalis' voice became more contemplative, "you are too accustomed to downplaying yourself. You are far stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"I know precisely how strong I am," replied Celestia.

"It's not true. Everyone is blind to their true potential. Even if you are an exception, you might become even stronger," said Chrysalis, her eyes blown wide in exaltation.

'What an utter insanity. My heart races with such force that it hurts. This feeling is so vivid, so abysmal, I hate it, I am afraid of it... I want more of it.'

"Don't you want to see ponies tremble and shiver in delightful uncertainty? -" asked Chrysalis.

'...I want to live, to feel, to be wanted. Does it mean giving up eternity? It's like losing a piece of myself... I doubt I can ever be allowed to go back on this decision... Not after everything I've done... or what I am going to do.'

"- No more of constant repetition of days, of same motions and same emptiness. Don't you want the world that isn't stale? Don't you want to see what happens next? -"

'For good or ill, I am needed still.'

"- Your life never was truly fulfilling, I know... Watching all those happy faces around is like getting scraps from the tables of others... Not very fitting for a royalty."

"This might be an entirely new experience..."

"Leap with me into this dark. Hold me tight, and I will lead you through it to the other side."

"Equestria was my whole life for far too long..."

"In some ways I am fascinated with Equestria."

"It is a big, diverse realm, is it not?..."

"A huge realm, full of love... Dear, it's like it was meant for me."

"My subjects won't like this..."

"Oh, yes-s... They won't."

"My enemy." Celestia held Chrysalis by her temples. "My monster. You just have to ruin everything, don't you?... There will be no turning back."

"No turning back..." echoed Chrysalis, gently stroking Celestia's cheek. "Are you afraid?"

"Of course I am. Right now I'm certain only of this: you are a foolish changeling who is well over her head.
"It may take a lot of strength to face the world without deception, but it takes far, far more strength to face and own your flaws, and you want me to own them, don't you?... Will you keep believing in me no matter what?"

The veil of prideful arrogance that surrounded Chrysalis was lifted, if only briefly. She became serious, shifted uncomfortably in one place, processing something, and then settled on an almost childish accusing glare.

Celestia smiled. The question was deliberately provocative, and the non-answer was the best reply she could get, as honestly, Chrysalis wouldn't know. She only ever believed in power and in herself.

She descended to the changeling and left a tender kiss on her forehead.

Chrysalis' wings buzzed, but she remained silent. Celestia was appreciative of that—any further words could've ruined the moment.

But the alicorn had more to say. "Now tell me, my dearest wife... As one shapeshifter to another..." Her grip became stronger. "When is the part where you twist my neck? You threatened me, after all."

The air grew cold around them. Celestia leaned, almost crushing the insectoid under her weight. Chrysalis grunted, straining to remain standing.

"Or you'd rather enchant me into submission to use for the rest of my days as some depraved battery?" Celestia narrowed her eyes. "Or, perhaps, steal me away, wound me and torture to keep the Sun afloat, like you did with my little sister? I did not forgave you for that, nor for all other harm you've done."
The Princess delicately adjusted a stray lock of hair on Chrysalis' muzzle.
"I am intrigued, but understand—whatever is between us is not normal. It is bound to end in tragedy."

"But we are not 'normal'," demurred Chrysalis. "The world is not 'normal', yes?... Nothing exceptional is normal, and never will be." She laughed hoarsely. "Don't act like a jaded coward, Celly."

Celestia hummed in amusement. "You will seed enmity and distrust. How can I ever be an accomplice in that?"

Chrysalis whipped her forelegs around the alicorns' shoulders. Celestia was prepared for yet another tirade, but instead Chrysalis took a lungful—and sung,

"There is a scent of blood in the air.
It lingers for one thousand years.
Life gives no quarter
In this forlorn and troubled world.

But the wind in your hair
Is the same as in the ages foregone.
The time stands still for you,
Both Sun and Moon here side by side.

To vanish in the clear blue skies,
Breaking free like a wild songbird!
To escape these cruel lands,
This is what you want!

But I'll chase you down, my Sun.
Fraying my legs if I must.
Soar high! Embrace the reckless heights!
You alone are capable of that!

As only those have the guts,
Who knew the dread with their heart!
Who had faced the abyss,
But their gaze still full of pride!

So hear me, mighty deity of old,
Set ablaze by fanned flames of your soul,
Who, unafraid to challenge fate,
Leapt with me into the rumbling sky!

"Celestia!" Chrysalis called, her eyes brightly lit, her mouth twisted into a passionate snarl. "Leap with me into the darkness!"

'So this is how it shall be, then?'

"Show me your heart. Justify the risks that I am taking," answered Celestia. She grabbed Chrysalis' chin. "Give me something. I challenge you."

For a quick second Chrysalis appeared genuinely vulnerable, but then she composed herself. A familiar, toothy grin split her muzzle. "...Our subjects must be mad with anticipation," she said, slipping away.
She turned and shone a bewitching eye over her shoulder. "Let's bring them happy news."

...

The changelings had launched their attack, stalling the mobilized E.U.P. forces.

The fight moved from Canterlow to Canterlot, and then partially to the skies above. The last of the remaining changeling strike force were the most seasoned cutthroats the Hive could offer, but the guards were prepared in advance.

Still, it was an exhausting effort. Neither of the sides was giving in—not until someone raised an impossibly white wing, rolling back the curtain of the rain. A bright-orange cut sliced through it and blinded everyone, but many quickly became alert to the two figures standing on the narrow mountain's summit.

"My subjects!" Celestia's voice, so familiar to many, thundered through the area.

It came to Canterlot, flowing into each and every home. It reached even down to the base of the mountain.

There was a soft, pleasant, confident smile in this voice.

"My little ponies!... Come out, come! Do not cower."

The fighting had ceased completely at this point. Most of the ponies listened to her, lingering in the air or scurrying out on the streets. The changelings did not retreat, puzzled by the sight of their Queen beside the Princess.

"There's something so tranquil about dusk, isn't it? The sky is so gorgeous... These bright tones, fading into the dark..." Celestia let out a small, lighthearted chuckle that echoed far through the air. "I've always entertained the thought that if something irreversible happens and both the Sun and the Moon will vanish, my ponies will be here instead to light the night or provide the daytime glow, to spread the warmth to even the darkest corners of our world. The world will find its way, because ponies find a way."

She turned to the city.

"You all are so special, each and every one of you. But the world beyond Equestria is so vast. It is so immense and seemingly limitless. It is clear to me that the ponies, as we are right now, won't be enough."

She sighed.

"Long ago, I had envisioned Equestria as a place where the power is not misused and abused, and everyone can choose to live in safety. The recent violence means that this vision is tested—but it's yet to fail. It also means that my ability to protect you is tested as well.
"I'm sad to say that my message for you can't be a comforting one. Be aware that there may be other tests like that in the future. Things can't stay the same course as they had before, and I cannot sugarcoat the truth: difficult times are ahead, and we must face them together."

Celestia turned to Chrysalis and swept her eyes over her form.

"Look at the changelings, my little ponies. Look at them closely, if you're able. Their condition is one of negligence. They allowed circumstances to dictate their lives, and it made them lost, dangerous to others, but most of all—to themselves."

Celestia's smile became a bit crooked.

"I can't bear to witness the same fate for you, but I'll advise that rather than rebuke their pain, we need to accept it and learn how to not repeat their mistakes."

She turned to the city again.

"The Dark Queen and her people will remain."

She was silent for a beat, allowing the gravitas of the statement to settle in.

"Not as conquerors, or enemies, but as ones of those with whom we eventually must reach a compromise if we are all to coexist in this vast world.
"It might not seem to be possible to you right now. I understand. Yes, the lives of many had been uprooted, perhaps forever. Yes, we have to rebuild all that was destroyed and mourn all those who were lost. But there are more trying times ahead, and we might need to rebuild many times over—and that is why, right now, we will build something new.
"There will be new policies. New order. New norms. I cannot offer you a promise of peace during the impeding months; I can only promise that your effort will not go unrequited. Right now, on the precipice of change, each one of you has an opportunity to take the fate into your own hooves! Be prepared to use this opportunity!
"Be aware that the road of change is shrouded in darkness, and it may not always lead us where we'd wish to go! It all may be frightening for you, but I will be your guiding light as always! Whatever comes, the Sun will last for you, and I will last with it! If you stumble, look for it! And I will look for you."

Silence hung in the air, and it allowed Celestia to think, and to worry.

'No, they will not understand. Too haphazard, too unfamiliar, it goes against everything they know... It is a gamble again.' She slightly shifted her forelegs. 'How can I prepare them? How could I prepare? It wasn't an appropriate speech by any merit of the word. I was... too hopeful. Too optimistic and vague.'

She shivered when Chrysalis suddenly pushed her snout to her ear. Sultry breath tingled her skin. The long tongue spelled each letter. Celestia felt it all.

"All... -"

Chrysalis pulled back, as if drawing syllables from thin air.

"- ...hail... -"

She turned to the city.

"- ...Celestia!"

"All hail Celestia!!"

She turned to the alicorn and bent her knees, bowing. Her green eyes shone with happy and victorious lust.

"All hail Celestia!!"

"ALL HAIL CELESTIA!"

The changelings were coming on the mountain slope, landing to mimic Chrysalis' pose, adding their voices to hers'.

"ALL HAIL CELESTIA!"

Reluctantly, pegasi followed suit. Flash Magnus was one of the first. The muzzle of the knight was white as a sheet.

"ALL HAIL CELESTIA!"

Many ponies down in Canterlot had joined the chant. Despite all the damage, the city was still shining in the rays of fading light.

"ALL HAIL CELESTIA!"

"ALL HAIL CELESTIA!!"

"ALL HAIL CELESTIA!!!"

It felt good.

⠀

I cannot undo my choices,
I cannot undo my mistakes,
All I have learned is to suffer in silence,
And accept the consequences of my actions.
I cannot undo what I have done.
But, I can learn from it,
And I can change for the better,
And I can live with the pain.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ
ᴏꜰ ɪ

Creatures of the Dark. Epilogue — Princess Luna — Day 3, midnight

"Negligence, she said. 'Negligence.' Can you believe it!?"

"This can't be happening!"

"Is it now permanent? The changelings are our neighbors now!? Really?"

"They invaded our home!"

"What 'compromise'!? Those monsters are incapable of change for good!"

"Oh, come on, they're just big bad bugs. Aren't we blowing it out of proportions?"

"Are you serious?"

"They are still counting all who were gone or lost because of them..."

"Have you seen what she looked like? Her coat was a mess. I never thought that the Princess could be like that."

"A mess is putting it mildly."

"Well, they were fighting..."

"Was that blood? I think I saw blood."

"Their screams were the stuff of nightmares..."

"So bright..."

"I couldn't see anything. And that heat..."

"Have you heard how she called herself 'Sol Invictus'?"

"The Princess was like a different person."

"Are we supposed to simply live with the 'lings now?"

"I'd better get my foals away from here before something even worse happens."

"The Princess cares about us."

"She cannot protect us!"

"This is blasphemous. She did protect us."

"She can't! She told so herself!"

"It is the same as when the changelings attacked us last time! The guard did nothing!"

"Haven't the Princess defeated her? They surrendered, right?"

"Did they surrender? Is this how surrendering looks to you?"

"H-how else could it look like?"

"Maybe she keeps the Princess captive, and that was her cry for help."

"I don't think so..."

"You wouldn't assume they really have an affair, do you?"

"An affair? With the Princess!?"

"Did you get a good look at the Princess? I think I saw a hugescar."

"That scar..." mused Luna aloud to herself.

The thoroughly shaken up city was covered with a chill shroud of terror. The fear shackled the ponies, and for a while, those shackles united them in their misery.

Funny how it worked sometimes.

As news began to spread, the rumors grew. There already were some wild speculations.

Luna was finding them disturbing and dangerous.

Appearing smaller than usual, she was making her way through the debris, carefully choosing the next spot to place silver-ordained hoofs. She stopped a few dozen steps short of the ruined edge. A billowing cloak was trying to escape her shoulders—thus far in vain.

The clockwork bird that led her here—a wholly mechanical thing of never before seen design—landed on the heap of rubble nearby and emitted a loud clicking sound. It was almost like laughter, produced by gears and cogs.

The wreckage of the destroyed tower remained down in the Industry District, with little fires of life surrounding it. The ponies were yet to begin to assess the damage, but as Luna could ascertain, a couple buildings were crushed and quite a few innocent lives were surely lost. 'What to do but to add them to the growing tally,' she thought grimly. Despite all the ache in her heat, it was only a drop in a bucket compared to the damage caused during past few days.

She breathed a gentle sigh, releasing the magic that tightly held her form. A white energy cocooned her for a brief moment, and her cloak broke into mist that quickly dissipated without a trace. Her form almost doubled in size, and Luna shook her head, sensing how the long ethereal mane began to cascade along the stream of cold wind.

The bird remained motionless. Luna turned to Starlight who was sticking by her side like a lost pet.
"'Tis time when a friend's helping hoof is especially required. You should have stayed with others," she said, trying to sound not too accusing.

"Well, they ah, my friends, yes, but also more like acquaintances?" offered Starlight with an uncertain smile. "It's complicated. I'm glad that they are not hurt, and that's good enough for now."

"Hm. You value solitude, then."

"We will find a way to fix everything, Princess," Starlight attempted to instill some confidence.

"Ah. The fool's hope," recognized Luna somberly. "Celestia would have liked it... 'Tis unfair to assume about her, but one might have an impression that my Sister is able to heed only those who pose a danger to her."

Starlight stumbled over her words. "Did she, um... had often made... strange... alliances?"

"I am unaware," replied Luna. "Thou might be better informed than me. Remember, I was present only during the past four years."

"No, I mean, before that. In the before-before times," clarified Starlight.

It was as if Luna had not heard her. The alicorn kept brooding, "That witch, the puppetmaster... That smug snake. This hardly makes any sense. She must have obtained more crucial leverage to maneuver into this position."

"I hope I'm not too bold, but what if they planned it together? They must share some history—"

"Stay thy tongue," warned Luna. Her ear twitched.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty!" gasped Starlight. "It's simply a lot to take in. First Twilight, and now this—"

The clockwork bird launched from its perch, and Luna turned to follow it. Its master, the aging wizard, appeared on the relatively intact town square.

"Starswirl the Bearded. About time," uttered the Princess.

The bird landed on his back, looking strikingly out of place with its polished appearance. The mage was far more worn out than Luna could ever remember: his clothes tattered and dirty; his sunken blue eyes devoid of any warmth. The famous bell-laden hat was missing half of the ornamentation.
He seemed shriveled, sullen, and lost. But, everyone lately looked like that, so Luna decided not to grant him any special treatment.
"Have you heard the speech?" she asked.

"To my great displeasure," cawed Starswirl in response.

"When did Celestia ever consider what others think of her actions?" Luna immediately lamented, taking some weight off of her chest. "She is so irresponsible and rash! It is so like her to make a decision and then to place others before an accomplished fact!"

"That's what the power does, Your Majesty. Inevitably, it gets to ponies' heads," tactfully replied Starswirl.

Luna barely squinted her eyes. "Indeed," she acknowledged. "I must be away, so make haste. Why have you made your summon?"

"You won't stay?" asked Starlight.

"I am afraid not, Starlight Glimmer. I have unresolved duties in Northern Equestria that I must attend to. Our common enemy has compromised the night tribe and may be coiled to strike from more than one direction. I must make sure that their efforts are in vain."

"Hold on—what tribe!? Night tribe?"

"The night pony tribe," affirmed Luna and shot a proud glare at Starswirl. "The circumstances were changed! I am not going to conceal their existence any longer. 'Tis time for Equestria to discover in them her stalwart allies!"

"You do this while our kingdom gets manipulated into dictatorship!?" spat Starswirl.

"I do not have to justify my actions to you, Starswirl," noted Luna.

"Is this your gratitude for being safeguarded in my Tower and nurtured back to health?" Starswirl wasn't giving up.

"Ai. No charity to be found in your deeds, per usual." Luna creased her brow. "Your service to the Princess of the Night is appreciated, but the days when I was a mere student and had to follow thy command are long gone. My ponies need me, and their needs won't be neglected."

"After all that Equestria had done for you, you turn away from it?... From your sister?... Hmph. I suppose we are better off without you."

"I have had my fill with thine insinuations!" exclaimed Luna, and her eyes flashed white. "I will confront my Sister at my own pace, but I know what you expect: for me to oppose her, or moreso, to meet her in combat. Neither of this will happen. You know nothing of sisterly bonds! Our real enemy is the witch, and our actions must be aimed at dismantling her efforts! This is how we will weaken her presence and rescue both Celestia and Twilight!"

"When you put it this way, I could not agree more," grumbled Starswirl, dissatisfied. "I see that your mind is set. Do whatever you will, but if you may take any parting words of wisdom, be aware: you will never defeat the Dark with more Dark."

"And you beware as well, Starswirl: do not lay a hoof on my Sister, lest next time we will meet as adversaries," replied Luna through her teeth.

"Wait!" interjected Starlight. "You said that you're going to the North? Would you be somewhere near Crystal Empire?"

"I intend to make a visit, yes," said Luna with a strain in her voice.

"Please, can you take me with you?" pleaded Starlight. Hey eyes cautiously shifted towards Starswirl as if in a way to commune: 'do not leave me with him'.

"I suppose," replied Luna tersely.

"Do you resign from my offer of tutelage?" asked Starswirl.

"Well, y-yes." Starlight turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Master Starswirl, but with the Tower gone, I don't expect that things will, uh... pan out between us."

"As of now, much of it is lost, but it can be recovered," noticed Starswirl, his voice remarkably unenthused.

"A-anyway," Starlight drawled awkwardly, "we have to share the news with Her Majesty Princess Cadance. Maybe we both can act as a voice of reason to her..."

"Hmph." Starswirl lifted his foreleg to make a stroke against his beard, but then had given up on a halfway. "I won't be opposed to this decision."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Starlight frowned, her ears drooping down.

"You have demolished Discord's statue," said Starswirl, staring. "Why?"

'What?' Luna blinked. 'Have I misheard? I must have misheard.'

"It, um-m-m... It appeared to have made a sudden movement, so..." Starlight mumbled with a nervous smile.

"Was it connected to Sunset Shimmer's disappearance?" pressed on Starswirl.

'...? Ah, that one. Indeed. Celestia's mystery student.'

"In part. She was near that statue and simply vanished before my eyes. I don't even know where she went. I think there was a hand of some sort?... The statue itself was stiff as a rock."

"Hm-m." Starswirl nodded. "I have no further questions. Our business is concluded."

Without hesitance, he turned away and proceeded to pedal to the destination unknown.

"W-wait!" called Starlight, but to no avail. She stood for a few seconds, watching the departing figure. "A-a-and there he goes. Could've at least pretend to bargain with me to stay. Old prick," she muttered within Luna's earshot, without real malice.

"Starlight Glimmer," said Luna. "You have destroyed Discord?"

"I don't know, but it sure looked that way." Starlight tensed up. "Is it a bad thing?"

"The importance of it is unknown to me," evenly replied Luna, attempting to calm the nervous mare. "It saddens me that the serpent might have perished so ignobly, but you did good. He had it coming. With him on the loose, the situation might have been completely unsalvageable."

Luna raised her muzzle to the starry sky. The time for her nightly ritual was long overdue. She thought that she had become accustomed to performing it without her Sister's presence… It seems that things really were changing, weren't they?…

Luna reached out to the Moon and felt its response, cold and distant, as always.

It was waiting for her.

It was almost as if it missed her as much as it could miss anyone.

...that lifeless shining rock.

'Here we both are. And here am I.'

All that was required from Luna was a mere nudge to allow it to come back onto the right course. Just a nudge. No more, no less... She spread her wings, her horn shone blue, and the Moon had slowly risen above the horizon.

It was such a familiar sight…

So much so, that for a briefest of moments, everything seemed normal again…

And, as she did sometimes, Luna wondered if her appreciation for the Moon was misplaced. Weren't you supposed to hate the place in which you were jailed for so long?...

It didn't mattered right now.

In this instant, Celestia was looking at it as well—Luna was sure of it. It was like their guiding signal that communicated from one sibling to another: 'I am okay'.

It lifted some of the burden of guilt from Luna's shoulders.

Starlight cleared her throat. "So-o-o... If I may speak freely... Starswirl seems like a pretty shifty guy, right?"

Luna was still engaged with her anxious ruminations. "He is a product of his era, of the times when Equestria was young, her dreams were simpler, and there were no loyal friends around. His methods might be blunt, but it is my belief that he means to do good."

"Got it," affirmed Starlight. "If I stick too long around him, I'll slip back into my old habits. I just know it."

"I see." Luna delicately cleared her throat. "Tell me. Do I appear capable?"

"I'm sorry? What answer do you expect to hear, Your Majesty?" asked Starlight respectfully.

"In the time of strife, it is the duty of a Princess... no—of an alicorn, to shoulder the world. To be a beacon of hope to which ponies of every ilk can flock." Luna's gaze went to the distant skyline. "Would you look at me and say that I can play the part?"

Starlight thought a bit about how to answer. "I've learned from my own example that even those who are in position of authority are not always right," she said. "Maybe it is a situation without apparent good choices."

'Am I fussing over having responsibilities? It seems that I am still gripped by self-pity...'

Luna nodded. "It reminds me of when we sent first Cadance, and then Twilight, to the freshly reemerged Crystal Empire." She smiled, allowing cheerful memories to distract her. "Everything was so full of unknowns back then. I kept pleading with Celestia, 'Allow me to go at least as an observer, so I can swoop in and protect them!'
"Eventually she gave me a very solemn look and said, 'There's nothing to be gained without some sacrifice. I believe in them, but my beliefs must be put under scrutiny. In the long run, our doubts will only hold them back. Have faith, Sister.'
"I had no other option but to comply, but at first I was very distraught. Twilight and Cadance are the next generation, they're family, we cannot ever allow to risk to lose them! 'Foolishness! Inadequacy!', I said to myself. How can she so dauntlessly throw her heart behind someone else!?
"But she did it again and again, and each time she demonstrated improbable, enormous restraint, abstaining from meddling in any way. Her reasons dawned on me only later. What if it was about something more than hoofholding others to victory?
"Celestia wanted to see proof. She wanted to challenge herself as much as others, as after all she is a pony of an astounding faith and she likes to test. Without these trials, 'twould be a complete adherence to a blind faith for her, which is like a... hollow hope, or a broken promise. Without holding the things you believe in to the fire of reality, you will only grow too rigid, and that is unacceptable for a Princess.
"'Tis was a lesson I had to learn through experience rather than wisdom. It finally cemented for me when I began to help ponies in the realm of sleep: I could guide them, but the final step, the conquering of one's doubts, the act of facing the nightmare, belonged to them. I always had to let go of control and be patient. I had to find courage to stand up to the risk of being incorrect, just as they did."

Luna remained silent for a while, and when Starlight already drew her breath to say something, the alicorn suddenly finished her thought.

"Yes. Undoubtedly. 'Twas the same courage that I saw in Celestia that day. In spite of all, she never was too scared of making a mistake. Neither shall be I."

Far beneath — The Undercity, Canterlow

𒄈 There were hundreds like her.

Ordinary as much as any pony can be.

Decent and normal. The salt of the earth.

True, there were some strange coincidences in her life, but the realm was brimming with odd happenstances. You aren't supposed to pay too much attention to them. It was like a fun piece of trivia about herself to add up some spice.

With so many ponies around, something like that was bound to happen anyway.

She was slightly overweight. She had a doting, loving family—no siblings, though. She had a couple of friends and a lot of acquaintances. She loved her cozy home and felt very proud about being a librarian. It was like she could help the community in her own little way while staying true to her special talent.

The recent events pushed her over the edge of turmoil, but luckily no one really close to her was hurt. She believed that, however wild it seemed, everything would return to stability pretty soon. An idea of letting go of comfortable and calm life was beyond her.

So imagine her surprise when, in the middle of the day, someone knocked on the front door of her home, and when she worriedly trotted to open it up, a pony out of legend and mystique appeared before her.

She expected Starswirl the Bearded to be different… well, no, to be honest, she did not expect anything at all for when she'd meet the wizard in person. A very minor, but very vocal part of her psyche couldn't even fathom that he was real.

His kind, icy blue eyes were very welcoming.

"Twilight, my little pony," he said with a smile tired and wise, "would you like to learn more about magic?"

Author's Note

Her cutie mark was an open book.

What's next for QotD?

What it's all about (closing words)

Thank you for reading.

When all began, the Light prevailed

ℌ𝖊 broke the tether; 𝖍𝖊's confound.
Forevermore, they are still bound.
All that 𝖍𝖊 mustered was in vain,
In dimmed darkness, there's a chain.

The regal Moon in night shines bright,
Her purposes affront 𝖍𝖎𝖘 sight.
The summer Sun rose high, glared down,
Her fate entwined, she wears the gown.

All not for naught, 𝖍𝖊 isn't swayed,
In freezing cold there's a shade.
Despair and promise—there's the deal.
A wayward child imprints the seal.

Rebellious thoughts born out of malice,
The status quo upsets the balance,
Three racing toward the Dark sublime,
Envisioned futures tear down the time.

"Now, then..."

Step 2 — "Her condescending look" — Princess Celestia

Standing on a balcony, Celestia was observing peacefully sleeping Canterlot.

The last sip of the cold tea traveled down her throat, and now, supported by a golden aura, the cup slowly rotated at her side. It was covered in slight cracks and was repaired many times over, but it was beloved and was bringing warm memories nonetheless.

It felt like many things in Equestria, sadly. It felt like herself.

'A gift from Princess Prospera of Seaquestria. May our alliance never be tarnished,' she reminisced.

The teacup was three hundred and seventy-one years old, and Lady Prospera was no longer alive. Her descendant by the name of Novo wasn't fond of tea meetings, but she was an acquaintance of sorts, who held no small power in the realm of Currents. The last time she and Celestia met was long ago, during a rare occurrence of a trade dispute between Novo's diminished overland and Southern Equestria.

Still, even if she couldn't relate to most of the other rulers of this world, Celestia was curious if any of them had the same trouble with their younger siblings. It was very doubtful, of course.

The problem with being exceptional is that your source of learning is mostly your own mistakes, and the last time Celestia neglected Luna's feelings, it all ended grimly.

Her thoughts were all over the place.

The realm of dreams failed to claim her that night. Celestia tried to go to sleep but always woke up mere minutes later, haunted by visions. It was very stressful, even dangerous for her as well as for others, and thus, Celestia did what she always did when she felt particularly overwhelmed: she relaxed, opened a cheesy novel, and indulged in sweets with some tea.

She saw only two solutions to her problem.

The first would be to cut off her emotions. The practice was not foreign to Equestria, and it needed only a simple ritual—after that, there would be no more danger of anything ever going out of control. She seriously looked into this possibility but deduced that, in the long run, variables would overwhelm the constants. Celestia was unaware of what she could become or how fast she would forget how to feel any love at all, and frankly, she was content with herself anyway.

The second solution is to give in, but it also felt like surrendering herself to the unknown. She doubted if such a union was even meant to be. She was afraid of even looking at Luna now, as appetence for her younger sister felt unnatural and wrong. And yet, in her dreams they were together.

When there are only two options, you have to make a third one. That is how Celestia lived all her life.

So she pondered about it, but really, she had already decided what to do.

"Good morning, Canterlot." When the time came, Celestia pushed upwards her Sun, and stood up, checking on the mirror. The golden glow filled the world and danced in her mane, but nothing could help with a frowning and weary look.

"Smile?" she asked herself, and her frown eventually eased into a smile.

The Sun continued to rise, warming the air. Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, was beginning to stir. Birds chirped, doors opened and closed, and stallions and mares greeted the new day with her.

Celestia had given into this calm and somewhat drowsy feeling, warmly embracing the city. Everything will be reconciled when the time comes... Of that, if only of that, she was certain.

One can see the city of the Spire of the Crystal Empire from miles away. The city shone brightly amid the cold. The Sun fell directly on the crystal-like, vibrant walls and reflected light in all possible shades of a rainbow.

This ancient city itself is like a prism of beautiful architecture made of crystal and stone. The ancient magic was passing through it and bathing the entire realm of Equestria in its warm benevolence and promise of prosperity. No small role in it could be attributed to the Crystal Heart, which was radiating the will of a calm and gentle future.

Crystal ponies welcomed the flying chariot of Princess Celestia. Several crystal pegasi flew in ceremonial patterns on the sides, escorting the visitor towards the entrance to Crystal Palace. Celestia felt how ancient magic washed over her body. She slightly pulled back, enjoying the sensation.

'This place needs to be safeguarded at any cost.'

Celestia stepped towards a small welcoming procession. Princess Cadance already hurried to her, wearing a welcoming smile. Celestia lightly bowed as per custom, not willing to tower over others, but Cadance had none of that. She just embraced the guest, and with a warm glance, Celestia returned the hug.

"I had not seen you for far too long, Auntie," Cadance beamed and stepped away, barely containing her joy. "How are you? How's Twilight? Do tell me everything, please!"

Celestia gave her adopted niece a slightly inquisitive, yet mischievous, look. There was no one better to protect the Crystal Empire than Cadance and her valiant husband, as it was their destiny, after all. And yet, life here was dull, and the excitement of the younger alicorn was only reinforcing this impression.

Cadance interpreted the look and raised her brow slightly. Her tone quickly became slightly more official. Ever the diplomat. "Is something the matter, Your Radiance?"

"Not at all, my dear. Just wishing to rest hooves after a long journey," Celestia politely covered her mouth, concealing a yawn. "Perchance, you can provide us some tea?"

Of course, Cadance knew that an unannounced visit must be very important. She welcomed her aunt to walk inside the castle.

The etiquette was for the sake of the show, but talk of Cadance's troubles was genuine. Celestia listened, trying to appear as attentive as always. There were new orphanages, new houses for the slowly growing populace, and some new sights to behold in the vicinity. There was a planned expedition beyond the spine of the world via airships, but it was still in the distant future. Engaging in the conversation, Celestia made some political small talk and inquired about neighboring Yakyakistan.

Everything is fine here, even better than fine.

Celestia understood Cadance's boredom perfectly.

The door to a royal boudoir closed shut, Cadance pulled down her regal crown, and Celestia fell on the couch with a sigh of relief. She immediately began to levitate grapes from a nearby stand, inspecting the ceiling.

"Auntie, what is going on? You look bad," asked Cadance with concern and curiosity in equal measure.

Celestia took a long moment to ponder. She already knew the whole conversation ahead—they both knew each other well enough, and yet she had a need to speak with someone. That was the whole point of the trip. The senechal back in Canterlot was informed that the ruler of Equestria would be gone at least until five o'clock for the unplanned journey, and Celestia put everything related to her duties on hold until it was resolved.

"Tea first," Celestia replied nonchalantly, and she saw in the corner of an eye how Cadance completely reverted into that curious, smiling young filly that she knew so well.

Celestia wasn't thrilled about it right now.

Tea was swiftly organized, and Cadance took a seat. Her ears perked in curiosity. Celestia looked her over and suppressed a groan.

"This is just so exciting!" laughed Cadance, eagerly stirring a spoon. She already caught on that nothing serious is going on—not too serious at least. "If you would only see yourself, Celestia! You're blushing!"

"Do I now?" she replied, concerned, and felt how her blush became only more intense. "This isn't good. This shouldn't be happening."

"I gather you want to talk about something related to your feelings?" Cadance smiled. "I have a sense for things like that, so there's no hiding! Dear Aunt, don't hold back on me. I'm here for you!"

"It's Luna," said Celestia hoarsely and huffed. "She... Well... It's just embarrassing."

"What's with Luna? Did she fancy a stallion? What, her elder, wiser sister didn't approve? She did something risque?"

"Oh, nothing so banal, I assure you," replied Celestia blankly. "She seems to have feelings for me. And, so, I seem to have reciprocated them. You are the only one who knows."

Cadence's brows shot up, while her smile remained mostly the same. As she was processing the news, Celestia was subtly observing all the hints of emotion on her muzzle. After a few seconds of it, Cadance politely coughed in a hoof and offered, unwavering, "Would you like some cake for your tea, Your Radiance?"

"If you may, dear, bring a pistachio one. It was just lovely the last time."

Celestia had been left in solitude, alone to combat an uneasy feeling in her chest. It was as if she acknowledged the truth and freed it from the confinement of her mind. There, it was real. Yes, she is in this kind of relationship with Luna, or she very well might be. There is no way back.

It was painful, but she won't capitulate to this situation easily.

The Princess of Love returned with a confident smile, looking far more collected now. At least in part, Celestia would've preferred her remaining eager and childlike, but nonetheless, she appreciated her seriousness. Cadance brought more cake and tea and wisely locked the door. Celestia sat on the couch, helping her niece place plates and cups.

"Celestia, are you aware that you aren't an actual unfailing paragon of virtue?" Cadance opened the conversation with a modest smile.

'The conversation, indeed.' Celestia frowned, focusing on the sweets. "I am aware, you can believe it. I require a friend right now, not whatever this is."

"I understand. As I've said," Cadance pressed her hoof against her heart. "I'm here for you. Let's talk."

"Luna was speaking about a marriage," shared Celestia, sitting straight and dignified. "Naturally, I will not follow through with such a request."

"You want to reject her?" As expected, Cadance was not approving.

"Let's just say I do not wish to hurt her feelings."

"Didn't you say you reciprocated her advances? You might start sending mixed messages," said Cadance, concerned. "Aunt Luna is somewhat old-fashioned. You might want to be blunt with her..."

Celestia suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She felt frustrated that she couldn't adequately explain her feelings, and so, she looked Cadance straight in the eye and, after momentary hesitance, put on a warm and motherly smile. "Answer a question for me, dear Candlelight. What is love to you?"

"Why, what a curious question you ask, Auntie, dear," mumbled the younger alicorn. "Do I seriously need to answer that to you, of all ponies?"

"Admit, dear, there's no one better to ask. I would like to hear your explanation, if you may."

"Love is..." Cadance pouted, thinking. "Well... at least a big part of it is a willingness to understand."

"Oh?"

That wasn't something Celestia foresaw, but it seemed fitting. When Cadance used her magic, it was usually directed at resolving the conflict peacefully—to casually reconcile a bickering pair, for instance.

"That is the root of any feeling of love that is not just a misguided infatuation or attachment," kept talking Cadance. "Internal acceptance, and subsequently, understanding. It is taking something into your worldview without the willingness to change what it is inherently. There isn't anything more loving for us than to truly understand each other and to strive to understand while we act on the feeling of love. While we are learning more, we are loving more, and by loving more, we make others stronger! And they make us stronger too."

A long sip of tea followed. It gave Celestia some time to think without making the pause seem awkward.

"I understand why you decided to answer like that. Still, I find this description somewhat disputable, my dear niece," she said, remaining neutral.

Cadance smiled knowingly. She was enjoying this small debate. "If you appear in a situation where you are willing to force your belief onto someone you love, wouldn't it strike you as odd?"

"Well, what if I want to help them become better?" Celestia chuckled, thinking about her ponies and all that she had accomplished. "You are ever a romantic, though that's to be expected."

"Of course we need to support others and help them become better, since to feel the struggles of others as your own is a basic act of empathy. It's just that, if what you love and what it is are two different things, maybe you initially were in love with the idea of someone, not their true selves?"

The Princess looked aside, pondering.

A few seconds had passed.

"I can understand what you mean," eventually she replied. "Still, you seem to oversimplify."

"Auntie, you've asked, and I gave you an answer. Tell me now about the whole situation with Luna. Would you change her feelings for your convenience?"

"No, I don't think so. After all, I've felt something similar for her too," answered Celestia with a frown. Something was off. She was sure about it now.

"You should embrace your feelings!" Cadance smiled widely. "There is nothing wrong with being happy with someone you love, right? We will all be happy for you, too."

There it is. This is what Celestia expected. She felt mild anger, but it wasn't Cadance's fault. "So you would say that to fornicate with your own sibling is fine?"

"Oh! Well, ah... I've figured that it's not necessary in your relationship." Cadence frowned, but then cleared her throat. "Don't give me that. You are godlike beings, immortal alicorns that are destined to govern the world long after anyone who could criticize will die out, and the other ones will be none the wiser." She winked. Cadance seemed to have an agenda now. "The fact that you remain loving sisters after hundreds of years of knowing each other in itself is a miracle."

"This won't set a good example." Celestia chewed her lips. "It's not helping. You know better than to speak like that. I still would like to think of myself and her as simply ponies, and to some extent, about you too. Thinking otherwise might lead to a darker path."

Cadance sighed, not answering, eyeing her piece of cake now. She acted like an offended child...

Celestia realized that she was wearing an accusatory expression and tried to soften up. "I understand your point," she said. "I shouldn't act this way and you are only trying to help, but if I may be selfish for a moment, I see this affection towards Luna as a weakness—"

"Affection is never a weakness, not to someone who is closest to you," Cadance cut her off boldly, now truly offended.

Celestia examined this display of righteousness. It might've worked on someone else, but not her. "I am supposed to be in control of my emotions. I need to be stronger than that."

"Anypony can be a victim of their emotions. A wise pony once said to me that it's our actions, not our thoughts, that define us, and it was you, Celestia. Open your heart to her. Explain everything."

"What if she doesn't understand my rejection?" inquired Celestia, curious if Cadance even realized what this possibility entails. "What if we fight again?"

"She is your sister! Everything will be solved if you talk with her. Come now, remember about Friendship!"

Cadance spoke almost the right words, but she wasn't there and didn't see how manipulative Luna seemed to be. But to accuse her little sister of that while knowing how much she is suffering with emotions? That wasn't something Celestia was willing to do.

She found herself unable to say anything. Maybe coming here was a mistake. 'Her method of loving is through understanding, through parley, as if you are on a constant battlefield of wits. Does she believes that everyone can simply talk through their problems?'

Still, Celestia assumed that she should have time to iron everything out. It's not like this problem can be solved in one day, either.

"I've let all this happen." Celestia sighed, relenting. "I seem not to be a good sister, Candlelight."

"Don't say that!" Cadance smiled. She stood up, walked to Celestia resolutely, and locked her into a hug. She was almost like a little sister, trying to console the older one.

'That's right. In fact, i have three little sisters now.' This wasn't making things easier... The weight of responsibility only grew.

Cadance smiled, and Celestia weakly responded with yet another perfectly feigned smile. Maybe that wasn't a right thing to do, but it still was a correct way of dealing with things...

Whatever happens, all ponies of Equestria must feel safe and secure.

"It's all just so stupid." The Solar Princess heaved a sigh, and they shared a small laugh, looking at each other with glistening eyes.

"Don't worry! Just talk to her. Be open! She will understand you like no one else. After all, when we are afraid, we are pressing forward anyway and conquering fear with our determination," said Cadance candidly, reverting again into that child-like young pony with a big chivalrous heart.

Some time passed in calmness, and when Celestia relaxed enough, the Princess of Love pulled back. Finally seeing that Celestia wasn't perplexed, Cadance was pleased with herself.

As she should be.

"You know, you always look so unassailable to the common folk, so above these personal problems. I am almost glad to be reminded that you are the same as everypony else." Cadance snickered.

"I am almost glad of it as well. It feels new, doesn't it?" Celestia winked.

They both echoed another chuckle off of one another and then returned to the tea. Cadance bit into the cake, once more chattering away about her life and recent troubles, as well as the joys of having a child. Celestia made a series of small, acute remarks, supporting ongoing small talk. It's not like Cadance needed to vent, of course—the elder alicorn just needed a distraction now, and they both knew it.

To be honest, Cadance tried to emulate Celestia sometimes, and their personal talks were forever tainted by it. The Solar Princess never blamed Cadance for that. There are just not too many suitable authority figures around to pick from.

"Would you like it if I brought out the wine? We received a good batch lately, straight from Manehattan," offered Cadance with an attentive look. "I've been searching for an excuse to open it up ever since."

"Alcohol is hardly doing anything for me, dear." Celestia remained polite. "Besides, it muddles the thought, and I have enough on my mind already."

Cadance's smile was pleasant. "Well, about that. If you want any help, I will gladly be of assistance. Just ask! If you want me to talk with Luna, I will suspend every task I have and try my best to settle it. Maybe you simply require a third party, an intercessor of sorts?"

"Not to doubt your diplomatic skills, but it isn't something that I can delegate." Celestia slowly and solemnly shook her head. "I'll need to confront her this night. After all, our relationship is my responsibility to bear."

"We are family, dear aunt, and it affects us all. Please keep me in touch, will you? Shining and me will be waiting for your word."

"I know that I can rely on you both," said Celestia seriously. "However it turns out, I will take time to send a message."

Cadance's lips curled up in a small, sweet, precious smile. She looked up at Celestia with clarity in her eyes, slightly inching closer. Her tender voice fell to a careless whisper, "Time will pass, and your true feelings will be spilled anyway. You keep a secret only for so long. I am sure of one thing: however it turns out—love will prevail."

'The Tree keeps rustling tonight.'

She waited for nightfall like a condemned convict would wait for execution. Celestia tried to distract herself, but to no avail. Food had lost its taste, the ruling of the realm and succor had not brought her usual joy, and the beating of a pumped-up heart filled her ears. She couldn't even remember the last time she was so nervous. Almost enticing predisposition—if not for the circumstances.

She walked down the halls. It was far past the hour when she usually retires for sleep. The wide, spacious hallways of the Royal Palace were filled with her dark shadow, cast by crackling torches. Banners on the walls trembled upon a light breeze, bringing her a slight shiver. Myriads of distant, uncaring stars were her only witnesses. And of course, the risen Moon was also on display. It was shining especially bright.

Celestia steadied her breath. The younger sister was avoiding her for the whole day, which means she will wait in her chambers. Why wouldn't she? Despite the possible theatrics, she was always direct in her approach toward her desires, despite how introverted she might be.

Recollecting herself and recalling her talk with Cadance, Celestia slowly opened the door.

"You kept me waiting," welcomed Luna in a slightly echoed voice.

She was standing still on a balcony adorned with flowers. Her gaze had been raised upward, and her ethereal mane flew from her shoulders, in an image stark enough to the point of utter deliberation.

Celestia took a small step forward. Her eyes widened.

A dark, form-fitting dress hugged Luna's smaller, slender body. The dress drew attention to her curves, and as if it were a natural continuation of her celestial aura, it was sparkling with shining stars with the slightest movement. Luna glanced askance, and Celestia felt her own body cumbersome and strained in comparison. She couldn't help but feel envious of Luna's effortless grace and elegance.

Still, she couldn't let her mind go astray. Clearing her stunned expression, Celestia closed the door behind and stood at the center of the room.

The lunar demigoddess stepped towards her. The delicate fragrance of her perfume hit Celestia's nostrils—or was it again her natural musk, robbing of will?

"Moonlight. My Sister." The Solar Princess took a breath. She was almost pleading. "You look gorgeous. But, understand—"

Luna kept walking toward her and Celestia backed away under the pressure. With wrongly placed hooves, she collapsed a small table with vinyl. Black records scattered around, just like Celestia's thoughts and sentences she wished to open the conversation with.

Her younger sister looked with brazen intent. "Are you scared of me, Celestia?"

Celestia huffed and drew air, taking in the smell. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, finally calmed her nerves, and had found inner balance. "Well done." Her voice took on a melodic soft-spoken tone, fitting for a mentor who would praise an exceptional student. She stared at Luna directly. "I never thought you'd be capable of something like that."

Luna grinned smugly, and hummed with a happy mischievous look, "Hold that thought."

She pressed against Celestia's chest, and her heart skipped a beat. She looked from underneath, nuzzling with affection.

"I forgive you," said Luna, and the elder alicorn closed her eyes shut, going through a sudden rush of emotions. Her ear twitched. She heard a soft giggle...

Celestia shifted her forelegs, showing nervousness again, this weakness. "You do?"

"Of course, big sister. I forgive you for everything there is to forgive: for my loneliness, for how we do not spend enough time together, for how tense you are in my presence... For how you sent me to the Moon... For what happened yesterday." With unfamiliar and yet welcoming eagerness in her words, Luna placed forelegs on Celestia's shoulders. "Maybe it's time to use the power of friendship to finally correct all wrongs between us. You would like that, wouldn't you?"

"You were rehearsing that, weren't you?" Celestia whispered.

"I'd be a fool to come unprepared for a meeting with my precious sister, aren't I?" Luna snorted and nuzzled yet again, now in Celestia's neck. "You know... Do you remember all those days we used to spend together? Nights side by side... Our youth..."

Celestia's mind flashed back to far different and simpler times that existed many lifetimes ago—maybe even too many to try and count. Celestia let out a trembling, trepidatious sigh. "I do," she answered, embracing Luna with great white wings. "It is a cherished memory. I remember how we were laying in bed and talking about our destinies and futures, and sharing our dreams. I was so content... And everything that has happened since then... We couldn't predict it, couldn't we? And I tried, Moonlight, I really tried my damnest to listen and to be able to hear. But it's like walking through the darkness, it is that accursed cave again. I'm so tired of this feeling of being so lost, to not be able to sense the laid-out path anymore. To not see a purpose."

"I am with you," assured Luna in a soft and quiet voice. "You can tell me anything, powerful Sun."

"Then... do understand that your affection feels strange to me right now. It isn't something that was meant to be. How can we know that our feelings do not lead us astray?"

Luna slightly frowned; there was dissatisfaction in her expression. It was barely a hint, but it was enough for Celestia to notice. Luna caressed Celestia's mane and moved closer to a drooped-down ear. "Do not be afraid of the dark. Close your eyes."

In the dark, your main source of fear is your imagination, after all. Celestia submerged in it, feeling a warm and dry touch on her lips. The smell overwhelmed her, drowning out the disquiet inside.

In the dark, there was nothing but a sensation, perhaps a forbidden one, but it was something entirely new.

She probed the texture of Luna's lips, feeling lightheaded from even the thought of what was going on... But, somehow, there was no conflict... Only enjoyment. There was a drastic pull—an intent realized in action. Celestia could imagine a long lifetime filled with such kisses. Filled with understanding.

No, not just a mere lifetime, for they would spend an eternity together, truly each other, forever. Lovers, not just confidants.

Would it be so bad?

Their lips slowly parted, leaving Celestia with a sensation of longing.

"Are we still sisters?" Savoring the aftertaste, the Princess opened her eyes, watching how the distant moonlight was revealing the muzzle of her beloved counterpart.

Luna's gaze was unsettling. Silent, she was almost drenched in darkness. Fire danced in her trembling irises—a reflection of Celestia's worn golden regalia.

"Luna?" Celestia called for her and slowly made a gentle, loving stroke across her cheek.

It's almost as if it brought her out of a trance and broke her inner perplexity. Rapidly, Luna closed the inches between them and leaned into a quiet and ravenous kiss. Celestia gasped with a little involuntary "ah!~", and stepped backward under this assault. Precious vinyl records cracked under her hooves. The Princess closed her eyes again, drifting...

It was... a strange... tingling sensation. A madly beating heart in the chest... A rush of blood, overwhelming. Celestia could hardly remember ever being so emotional, so filled with such feeling. 'Is this normal?' she had to check herself. 'No. Far from it.'

"Luna, we have to stop," Celestia heard her own voice as if it were spoken by someone else and pushed her little sister away. Almost surprisingly, but it worked, and Luna stepped back. Her cheeks reddened, her breath was fast and shallow.

"How amazing," sister hissed in a hushed tone, and Celestia looked at her with worry. Not without some conceit, of course, but mostly with worry.

She simply couldn't shrug off the feeling of complete irreality.

"Moonlight, are you quite alright? We should talk about all this, don't you think?" Despite Celestia's best efforts, her voice was low and breathy.

"Maybe. Yes," Luna backed away with a content grin, pulling Celestia along. "Let's settle in and talk like we used to, my... good sister. I would like nothing more than that. You must be tired, aren't you?"

Sure, the long day burdened her, and Celestia was appreciative of this attentiveness. They both shared the wide bed, not bothering with removing any clothes.

Luna looked so happy now. It was a far cry from her usual more stoic or reserved persona, with which she masked her inner darkness and insecurities. It resonated with Celestia, making her feel unadulterated joy. Maybe this is just how someone who is in love with you looks up close? Maybe she too is looking like that right now?

It felt good.

Anxiety had left her now. Wearing a gentle smile, Celestia sprayed on a bed, looking contentedly from under lowered eyelids.

They are so near right now, and it was all that mattered: only both of them staring into each other's eyes, one lying against the other.

"Luna," Celestia called without a second thought. "What do you think love is?"

This simple question caught Luna unaware, and it was so adorable to see that Celestia giggled.

Luna frowned. Her gaze darted, and she stirred like a child under duress. "I will tell you tomorrow night," she whispered back after a few seconds of thinking, with a promising gleam in her eyes. "When you will be more rested."

"Oh..." Princess mustered, feeling a tugging sensation in her stomach. A pleasant one.

Suddenly, Luna became more intense and leaned closer. Their hooves locked. "What about you? What do you think love is to you?" she whispered in a breathless voice.

"To me?" That simple question was unexpectedly heartwarming. Overwhelmed by tenderness, she smiled with all the kindness of her heart. She pressed muzzles with Luna. "What do I think? Are you asking me?"

Luna tensed up for a second, but that did not linger for long. "Tell me."

"Sacrifice," Celestia answered immediately. "Love cannot exist without sacrifice. I understand the importance of putting others before one's own goals and ambitions and that love without sacrifice is as meaningless as money without wealth. I would do anything it takes to protect those I dearly love. This is my promise to them, and this is my promise to you. I will protect you, Luna, with everything that I have. You know that I love you."

The darker alicorn looked at her with pure glee. "Say it again."

"I love you," purred Celestia completely unabashedly, putting into these short words all her feelings.

Luna squirmed and then got even closer, embracing the big body of Celestia with a warm hug.

No more words were spoken that night. Drifting into calm sleep without dreams, Celestia's last thoughts were about how truly happy she is at this moment.

Everything will be fine. It must be.

Waking up was harder than usual. At first, Celestia did not understand what had happened or even where she was.

Reality came clear soon—she shared a bed with her younger sister, and that was something that almost never occurred ever since they were fillies. Celestia looked at Luna and took in her calm and precious visage. The corners of Luna's mouth were slightly lifted in a content smile. Their celestial manes entwined, and the stars sparkled together. Ancient magic never left any of them, it was here at their side in the dark, their silent witness.

Celestia rose to glance at the grandfather clock, and Luna opened her eyes with startling speed. As looks were exchanged, Luna's pupils got smaller, then dilated.

"My Celestia," she said calmly, not moving.

Something primal was in her still body. It spoke a thousand words without uttering a single one.

The Princess of the Sun nickered and leaned back toward her sister, pushing muzzles with her. Celestia was overwhelmed with gentle and calm feelings, which she could now share with the one she truly loved.

"Good morning!" Celestia cooed, satisfied with the pure bewilderment in Luna's eyes. "You skipped your night shift, you know."

"It appears that I did," replied Luna coyly, then narrowed her eyes, demanding more affection. "But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

Celestia laughed, feeling playful. "Just don't be so lenient with your duties! Ponies still need us."

"Well, what if I did everything while you were asleep? How about that?"

This whole new-found cheekiness of Luna felt so liberating. "I think I would've noticed that! Lazybones."

"Sunbutt." Luna grinned.

"What gall!" Celestia let out a dramatic gasp. "Inkflank."

Luna licked her lips, looking especially sly and yet serious at the same time. She took a deep breath, letting Celestia know that the next few words mattered. "Celestia—"

"Oh, quit the formalities already, little Moonlight." The Princess waved a foreleg in the air, already having some inclination about what her sister was going to say. "Now is certainly not the time."

Luna muttered, as if unsure. "...Tia?"

"Yes, love?"

"Tia, let us be married."

"Gladly," Celestia responded, nuzzling her. After all, a little sister is always a little sister, and she will have her little whims.

Yes, just like that. Just that simple. The shared candor made everything simpler and did put matters into perspective. With a radiant warmth inside, Celestia recognized that she had made many mistakes in the past, and this certainly wouldn't be one of them. Luna will be happier; no, they will be happy together. They share everything but night and day, after all.

Her smile inspired Celestia with unimaginable joy.

"I am already imagining this perfect day, this perfect wedding," her dearest little sister spoke quietly, pushing the horn against hers and looking into her eyes deeply and intimately. "My Celestia... You fill me with so much love, I could just gobble you up."

The Princess of the Sun laughed heartily and pulled away. "I never imagined you would be so voracious, my Moonlight."

"I've longed for this for a while."

"Truly?"

"Really."

Celestia shook her head wordlessly, still laughing.

"When, Tia?" Luna reached out for her, but Celestia quickly stood up, evading the grasp.

Luna rolled over on her back, watching as she went. Her chest was heaving. Her eyes were wide open. Celestia couldn't stop staring.

"I guess you'd go and tell everypony, now?" Luna purred in an unfamiliar, sultry voice.

Celestia turned, trying in vain to hide her blush. "I guess, I will. Not yet official, of course. I will go and do all the hard work while you're lying around, as usual."

"Ah, that's a life, isn't it?" Luna suppressed a laugh. "Don't you worry, Tia. Just wait. I'll pay you back splendidly for all your labor."

Celestia blushed harder, feeling herself in some kind of haze. She stopped at the door, calmed herself, and looked back intently. "Now then, Sister. Aren't we rushing this?"

Luna's gaze was piercing. "No. We aren't."

If there is one word to describe who Twilight Sparkle is, then it was hope.

This impression might be what connects Celestias through all possible timelines and universes, with the binding of an impossibly white stitch. Twilight was the inspiration for her, a symbol that meant that ponykind would persevere. Celestia knew that Twilight would become something far better, something far more than Celestia herself could ever be.

Sadly, the Princess of Friendship was still fairly young.

Visiting her Castle felt like peeking into a children's playground when they sometimes have built-up houses on top of trees.

Nonetheless, the Princess of the Sun truly enjoyed strolling down cozy Ponyville and walking up the staircase leading to the entrance. She trotted through its door, which was always open to anyone who might be in need, and navigated the hallways leading to the central chamber. Little alicorn was right there, immersed in research.

The first one to notice the guest was her stalwart assistant.

"Princess Celestia!" Spike exclaimed in surprise, gawking, and promptly tripped over a chair, which was pulled up to the wrong place.

Keeping up the smile, Celestia caught in the golden aura the books he was carrying around. Twilight jumped up from her spot, gasping. She involuntarily made that small, soft whining noise that was similar to the whine that dogs, cats, and other pets make when they see a familiar owner. She never noticed it, but Celestia? Every time.

Celestia adored it absolutely.

"Princess!" Twilight beamed, trotting over, while Celestia was swiftly looking over the covers of the books she held.

"You were searching for something related to nature magic?" she deduced, upbeat. "Does Everfree Forest cause trouble again?"

"No, no, not at all," Twilight smiled sheepishly, tucking away her books. "There was just this small peculiar curse with Sweet Apple Acres. See, moles tried to move in and accidentally uprooted saplings. And then it turned out they were doing that only because snakes invaded their territory in the first place. And that was because of the flood, because beavers did not expect rain to be so intense. And that happened because of Rainbow Dash, she slacked off her job because she didn't have a good night's sleep. We with the girls are now looking into the problem, and I'm figuring out how to combine nature magic and friendship magic. Also, how to make Rainbow apologize to beavers, I guess."

"So, it seems you have your hooves full." Celestia smiled. "But I believe that Harmony will prevail because it remains within our hearts. Maybe you could invite ponies to help strengthen the beaver dam?"

"Well, yes, I might." Twilight rubbed her chin. "Though, isn't it what beavers do? I mean, won't ponies somehow upset them or make things worse? It is enough that we caused a problem in the first place..."

"By helping each other, we will only make our bonds stronger," said Celestia with warm assurance. "I know that you will find the correct solution."

There it was—that look in Twilight's eyes—a certain sparkle. A little push unraveled her brilliant mind from a perceived problem and led to some idea. The young alicorn gasped, promptly turned, and rushed somewhere to solve everything, but Celestia caught her with aura and placed her back on the spot. Twilight squeaked in surprise and looked attentively at the Solar Princess.

"Twilight, I would require your assistance, if you may."

"Oh, right! I'm sorry. Spike! Take note." Twilight closed her eyes, striking a familiar royal pose. "We will learn from beavers how to make a bigger and sturdier dam, and we will welcome snakes to help us along. That will ease the moles' fears and show everyone that snakes aren't so scary in the first place. Then, I will lay an enchantment spell on it and explain how much it matters for everyone to coexist and to watch over the dam, and keep that spell functioning through the magic of friendship. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash could help to look over it together from there on. That is all."

"Done and done!" Spike finished his eager scribbling.

"Now, Princess Celestia!" said Twilight with an adorable grin. "How can I assist?"

"I will be married soon, and—"

"WHAT!?"

Twilight trotted around her excitedly, looking with big, precious eyes. "Princess! That's great news!"

"So it is. I would marry my little sister, esteemed Princess Luna," finished Celestia calmly, taking immense pleasure from Twilight's reactions.

Her protege did not disappoint, not one bit. Twilight blushed scarlet red, clearly flustered, but then laughed it off and did a little clap with hooves. "I'm so happy for you, Princess! Oh, that's a bit surprising, is all!..."

"I ain't surprised," quipped her little dragon.

"Spike!"

"What?"

Celestia chuckled with a hoof over her mouth. She adopted a royal pose of her own. "Princess of Friendship, I hereby declare you and your friends as organizers of my wedding with Princess Luna. The whole of Canterlot is at your disposal for this task. Will you accept it?"

There was some hesitance and nervousness in the eyes of her former student, but soon she beamed and spoke fast, "Of course, Princess! You know that there is no better fit for it, and we have experience to hoof. I'll gather up the girls, and then we shall proceed with preparations. After we finish with the whole situation here, right?"

"Take your time, Twilight. I would prepare everything that is needed on my end." The Solar Princess pondered her next words. "If I may, I have one last question for you, as for my equal."

"Princess, ask me anything!"

"What do you think love is?" she asked, curious.

It was an interesting experiment of thought, and there was no less interesting reaction from Twilight. The little alicorn was stunned for a second, and then she raised her little muzzle. "Why, love? As in concept? Well, it is everything, of course!"

"Be more specific, please."

"The concept of love is complex, deep, and powerful. Love doesn't always make sense, yet it guides and moves every one of us. It is a great yet dangerous concept that can both help us grow and destroy us," responded Twilight adamantly. "If more specific, then, I think—"

Twilight engaged in rumination, and Celestia remained silent. A dozen seconds later, Princess of Friendship emerged from it and flashed a coy smile.

"It's a force that binds together all living things, yes. No less than that. Would you like me to incorporate these words somewhere in the speech for your wedding?"

Luna was late.

Celestia paced her quarters, thinking all kinds of thoughts about that. Night had already befallen the world, and already for an hour there was no showing of the necessary celestial object. The alicorn was ready to do this duty by herself several times over, but it was something she viewed as a last-ditch effort.

Something had happened, and on this night, no less. Not letting anxiety take over, Celestia relented and gave Luna another half-hour before she'd begin to scour the earth itself to find out what was going on.

And finally, when the time almost lapsed, the Moon slowly crossed the horizon line. Celestia sighed. All that's remained is to wait for the return of the wayward Princess.

It wasn't long. Her visage was flying high, striking against the Moon with a quick flourish. Luna was enjoying herself, moving right above the trees and houses of Canterlot, covering them with a fast-paced shadow.

Finally, she landed on a balcony before Celestia, and the older sister heaved another sigh, filled with trepidation.

"Did something happen, Moonlight?" She furrowed her brows, not able to be seriously mad right now, but worried nonetheless.

"Ah, I just had a little quarrel with my tribe of night ponies," said Luna with a grin, confidently strolling past her. She reached with a wing and traced the tips of her feathers along Celestia's cheek. "Nothing to worry about."

"Moonlight..." Celestia frowned, following into the warmth of the room. "It is no small matter. Don't you understand how important it is to raise it on time? You can throw off the whole magnetic field of the world! The patterns of ebb and flow of the tides, the intricate lives of all kinds of creatures, the magic ancient and new, the sleep cycles, the dream realm—every last bit of the world is connected and affects one another!" Celestia stared at the little sister with renewed worry. "Please, don't let it happen again! The balance is struggling already because of our frivolousness..."

Usually she'd show discontent at this outburst, but now Luna's smile remained calm and mysterious. She batted her eyelashes, placed her forelegs on the soft bed, and leaned and stretched like a cat. "We are already bickering like a couple, aren't we?" she murmured.

Celestia let her eyes slide down Luna's frame for a split second and then shook her head. Her voice sounded unacceptably weak. "Luna. Sister. All of it is serious. We watch over the entire world, you know this. I might joke about it sometimes or pretend to be irresponsible myself, but if all these feelings affect us like this right now, we just might to... might have to..."

The Lunar Princess fully laid down on the bed. Amidst disturbed sheets, pillows, and blankets, she was looking longingly and deeply into Celestia's soul. The sheer power of her presence radiated from her lithe body, beckoning the elder alicorn to close the distance. "Tia, my spouse. Quit your yapping and kiss me."

And Celestia obeyed. After all, she wanted this. She had spent all day mulling over how it would happen. Deeply amazed by Luna's boldness, Celestia fiercely blushed, and then joined her in a warm embrace.

They kissed. It was just right, even excellent, sending a surge of goosebumps down her spine. Her heart trembled. She was elated.

"What are we doing?" She timidly giggled, once more overwhelmed by love and joy. "Luna, am I taking advantage of your feelings? It isn't right..."

Luna gently shushed her, and they shared another kiss. Embraced, the two Princesses turned, and Celestia found herself underneath. "Tell me, my Celestia," Luna called in a soothing voice. "When will our wedding occur?"

"Soon, love. Twilight is already on it."

"Ah, Twilight, is it?" She smiled widely. "That is good."

Celestia remained transfixed by her beauty, giving into the growing passion more and more.

Luna remained graceful and calm, like the bend of a moonlit, clear river. She rose above. Her triumphant smile glistened in the dark. "Love me, Celestia," she said with an irresistible primal need.

"Yes."

"Say it out loud."

"I love you."

"Again."

Luna pressed against Celestia's chest. She descended to her muzzle. Celestia felt a warm breath on her cheek.

"I love you," she whispered.

There was a sweet relinquishing of control. Something inside of her, so tense for hundreds of years, let go of the grip. She felt incoming tears and examined her own reflection in Luna's eyes: reddened cheeks, an unkempt mane... There was no denying it, she had been enthralled.

"Love me," the voice demanded of her in the sanctuous rule of three, as if it were some incantation, a spell.

"I love you," her answer, clear and confident, had followed.

There were fangs in Luna's smile. She looked deeply, caressing Celestia's cheek, and then her hoof hovered over the alicorn's throat.

"My darling Celestia. My adorable pet."

"Luna—" Celestia croaked from another rush of emotions, from the sudden turmoil, not able to take action anymore. In Luna's eyes, there was a green shimmer that didn't belong.

"You wanted me to tell you what love is, foolish mare?" Luna spoke abrasively, with a vicious snarl. "Why, I'll answer. Love is just power."

Celestia gasped. She still couldn't believe it. All the oddities, inconsistencies, strange behavior, and everything else that had amassed in the last few days came crashing down in her mind.

But she still had hope. She was always hopeful.

"No... No! What have you done..."

"Is it really what you're going for? This cliché?"

"Tell me it isn't true..."

"But it is true."

"It can't be..."

She loved Luna, loved her dearest sister despite everything, and she couldn't stop this feeling. It soared, and now it was being leeched from her, even if someone who deceived her never was Luna in the first place.

Humiliation and dread both washed over her, and love as well—this illogical, rapturous sensation.

"Tell me who I am," demanded the creature with a hiss, and Celestia could do nothing but obey.

"Chrysalis. It's you."

Luna burst with a column of green witchfire. It rose to the ceiling and abruptly ceased, revealing the cursed insectoid. Her gnarly horn flared, and another bout of magic quickly enveloped the room. Celestia recognized the spell: a sound-proof barrier. Now no one will hear her cry for help.

"Finally, my old enemy." The Queen pierced her with a stark, rancorous gaze. "After all these years, Equestria is in my grasp... And you've given me so... so much love..."

The Queen laughed, trembling in unadulterated, voracious malice. The Princess snarled, looking at this display.

She couldn't stop feeling vertiginous weakness, the urge to love.

To sacrifice.

"What have you done?" she repeated, calling on all her willpower, however eroded it might've been, to remain calm in the face of danger.

"Ah, Celestia, but I haven't done anything!... Yet."

"What have you done with my Sister!?" Celestia roared with tears streaming down her muzzle, but the damned changeling just grinned in turn.

"Wouldn't you like to know? She is still alive, you know this. Don't you think about her-" Chrysalis reached back to alicorn, her visage blurred with heat of witchfire, her voice shifted in tonality, "-my betrothed..."

Celestia couldn't fall like this, but despite all, in her heart, she always knew that beyond all the fleur of status and unattainability, she remained simply a mare. Immortal and powerful, yes, but not that different from any of her ponies.

Fake Luna kissed her eagerly.

Her heart was throbbing madly.

She responded, indulging in the fantasy for just a second.

A single second was all it took.

A single second of weakness was a curious temporal paradox. It blossomed, quickly becoming a minute of weakness, then several, and each one of those seconds of weakness spawned more, and it could go on as long as the Queen wanted it to.

Celestia tried to fight, of course.

"Chrysalis, stop this madness before it is too late. Please, let us just speak..." she breathed heavily, trying to suppress the changeling's vile magic, dominating her mind.

"We're only beginning, Celestia, and you're groveling already? Way to suck all the fun out of this."

Her condescending look fell on her. Fake Luna sounded so accusatory that Celestia felt shame. "No, you do not understand. It all can be solved... There are other ways—"

"Quiet, pet."

Chrysalis' voice became lower and reserved. She leaned to Celestia's ear, which was drooped down in sheer fear. The cold yet contemptuous voice of an insectoid cut through the emotions of the Princess.

"You can't stop this. No one can stop this anymore. You can't coax me. You have nothing to bargain me with, and you have no power here. It's over."

Celestia let out a trembling sigh. More tears fell from her muzzle.

"Why do you fear so much?" asked the fake after a burst of short laughter, satisfied by her own deception. "Why do you cry? Aren't you a proud and strong alicorn, ruler of Equestria, wielder of the power of the Sun itself? Ah... I see. You are afraid of what will happen to your subjects. R-right?"

Celestia was pushed down, then onto her side. There was a grip on her flowing mane. A hoof crept across her sucked-in stomach to a spot where her body brimmed with burning warmth.

She slightly lifted her hind leg, feeling dread and anticipation—a truly vivid concoction of emotions. No one ever dared to touch her like that...

"I am afraid." She gasped from a strong movement underneath but didn't lose a trail of thought. "Yes. I am afraid for them so much... I do not want my subjects to suffer."

"Any creature who would try to oppose me would be torn apart by my minions, pet," a murderous glee sounded in the fake's voice.

Celestia shivered beneath the changeling. Her breath caught in her throat. Her chest heaved. Her vision began to blur.

"Any creature who would dare to displease me would be punished in the most cruel and painful way imaginable."

"Yes..." Celestia blurted out, not understanding what she responded to exactly: the steady movements of the Changeling Queen or her claims. She hated this; she was scared out of her mind... But her heart kept telling her that this would be for the best. "I love you," she groaned in an attempt to ease inner pain, and bit on the pillow.

"My rule will be absolute, and all of Equestria will surrender me their love!" exclaimed her tormentor and lover. "Soon, your wretched pupil will finish preparations for our ceremony, and you will be the first to surrender to me. In front of everyone. Isn't it magnificent?"

"Yes... my Queen..."

Those words were so easy to say... this my Queen came out so naturally. Celestia's eyes glowed with affection, her voice was filled with desire, and yet she was full of fear.

Through the guise of Luna, the real body of Chrysalis began to bleed into the world with a searing green glow. She embraced the defeated alicorn, holding her tight amidst the silken covers and pillows.

"You will bow to me at long last, Celestia," Chrysalis hissed a malicious whisper. "Succumb to me."

If someone had told Celestia before that the final struggle to decide the fate of Equestria will occur in her bedroom, she would've been amused by it to no end.

Author's Note

In this chapter I've tried to give a most definitive description to what love is, because it will really matter to themes of the remaining story. So far we have at least four definitions!

Let's goooo~

(that is a joke. not about themes, though)

Leap 9 — "A new age of Twilight" — Princess Celestia — Day 2, past midnight

One lingering thought denies peace for me.

We, the ancient ones, made a vow to rid the world of suffering. But how can we conquer suffering without knowing its nature? How many of those who were promising, wealthy, and young, ended their lives by throwing themselves at the blade... Is there any other reason for the pain rather than the pain itself?

Untranslated text on an old stone tablet

It happened at night.

"A children's book? About me? How odd." Celestia lowered her powerful body, looking thoughtful.

Twilight's response was a bashful smile. They still didn't knew each other well.

"Can you please read it to me?" asked the Princess, craning her swan-like neck.

Twilight cleared her throat, suddenly worrying about her little presentation. She looked down at the lines of text, hoping that she wouldn't stutter in front of the Princess herself. "Here it is... Your part, if I may... 'No matter who you are, what you are, or where you come from... if you've got a good heart and a positive attitude, there's nothing you can't accomplish. I believe in the potential of all ponies to be the best versions of themselves... and as their figurehead, I have to set a good example. Even when life is at its most difficult and darkest, there is always a light in the... darkness...'" She looked at Celestia, curious. "Do you think so too?"

Celestia laughed, enjoying it thoroughly. "Oh, did they stalk me for lines, perchance? How precious, and very life-like! Well, when there is darkness, there is always light, that is true... One is incapable to exist without the other, and the light is everything that the dark is not." Celestia winked at Twilight. "I can tell you one secret. Do you want me to?"

With eyes full of wonder, the filly nodded. Her ears stood up attentively.

Celestia became a little more serious. With a sigh, she raised her muzzle to the window nearby. Almost imperceptibly, she took on her royal visage. "Often even I feel tired, scared, and alone, and during such times, I always take an opportunity to look up at the sky. Have you ever noticed how when the darkness surrounds you, the stars up there shine brighter than ever? It is same with us, equines. In the times of trouble, our light can shine ever brighter, ever more noticeable. Those with good, nurtured hearts, during such trying times, I believe, can inspire fire in others. They can let them carry the same warming light long after they are gone from their lives, and pass this sparkle of hope down to similar stragglers who try to find their way too."

"Oh..." Twilight pondered. "So when there are difficulties, it can be a good thing?"

"I do not believe it is that simple. Everything needs to be measured and contrasted." Celestia's eyes flickered to the Moon. "Remember this: if you do not let your inner light wane, If you find strength in yourself as well as in others, if you let your light draw them to you, and if you find courage to be drawn to the light of another, then it is possible to not only find light in such times but to be one as well. Be a light that cannot be quenched, whatever the odds. Remind yourself often, that anything is possible in Equestria."

"Anything?" Twilight whispered.

"Anything..."

As they looked at the night sky, they remained silent for a while. Each one thought of something of their own.

Eventually, Celestia spoke softly, and nudged Twilight with the muzzle to help her stand up, "It's past your bedtime, you know. It is already past midnight."

"Oh." The filly's ears drooped. "I-I've made you stay with me... I am sorry. I know you usually go to sleep earlier than this. You have an important schedule."

"I can always make an exception for you."

Celestia helped Twilight get tucked in. It was a busy day ahead.

"Good night, my Little Light."

From the doorframe, shadowed by the light around her, Celestia looked back at the little sleepy filly. She met eyes with hers', and traced three unspoken words. To confess, the Princess of the Sun and ruler of all ponies would've been too shy to speak them out loud. Plain and simple.

'Masks and masks and masks again... Tearing apart, all the way down... Until the true self is revealed.'

This is how it worked, wasn't it? Rectifying the balance was to achieve the position of harmony inside the person, and if it is not possible in the needed capacity, then in the world itself. That's what communication with the Elements of Harmony taught Celestia in the past. Scales must be outweighed, so this constantly chaotic world will have a chance to continue, taking another step toward its growth.

Yes—the world itself was growing, just like those who live in it. It is the truth. It is alive. It's up to ponies to guide and inspire its growth, to be positive examples, and to protect and cherish it by kindness and friendship, and in this endeavor, the Harmony is a means to that end.

Celestia's gaze slid down to Twilight. She looked at her lovingly.

Twilight took on most of the needed aspects, performing the final step before Celestia's very eyes. The Princess couldn't be happier, as Twilight was everything she was meant to be and even more. She was her dream, her redemption and promise, the result of all this millennium-long meandering on the twisted trails of uncertainty: an alicorn who would lead ponies to the heights to which Celestia could never rise herself.

For a few moments, but she allowed the sweetest illusion of hope into her heart and was ready to breathe freely. Her mind was filled with the overwhelming light of eternity that will come afterward, this unending and well-deserved bliss, this feast for the soul. Well, Twilight will need some adjustment to her new position and abilities, but Celestia knew that she will happily support her in this as long as the newest Princess will have her. As long as she is needed. As always.

"Princess Celestia?" she heard her, and returned from the daydream back to reality. Twilight turned, her flowing mane was filled with twinkling stars, and in her gaze was wisdom and new clarity.

"Yes, dear?" the Solar Princess barely whispered with a hoarse voice, full of love.

"Celestia, I don't think—"

The dimmed darkness on the other side of the Throne Room birthed from itself a loathingly familiar cackle.

Interesting. Well, it could be expected, after all the harmonious resolution of the world could exert any effect on the target of its ancient magic. Just as the future is not predefined, the needed result is not preordained as something obvious. Though Celestia knew that it is something that is decided by the will of the Order, so it could be guessed with relative ease.

So Chrysalis is still needed in some capacity? Could it be something akin to what happened to Luna? After all, under Luna's darkness and the immense burden of guilt and pain, there still remained Celestia's loving little sister, and that was what they got in the end...

There was this shrilling laughter again. Darkness began to condense, and just like in the stand-off beforehoof, a pair of green eyes glowed in its core once again.

Celestia's muzzle hardened.

"So this is what it's all about, right, my darling equines?" The trembling voice of her murderous 'wife' sounded like she was almost hurt by what had occurred. "Everywhere I go, everything remains the same. Ah, yes-yes, I see... No, do not stand up there, Celestia. I still have one last obstacle to overcome, before I get to you." The Queen looked at Twilight. "This is how we are doing this, right?"

"You weren't affected at all?" Twilight seemed like she couldn't decide if she was perplexed, amazed, or disgusted and disappointed.

"You are just like all the others," Chrysalis's whisper was full of malice. "Pathetic weak-minded fools. I am pure emotion! I am ambition! I am the thrill! And you presume you can rein me in!? Me!? Do you even realize what I am!? I am a creature of lust, of hunger and pain, of jealousy and fury. I am a creature of sin!"
She growled, snapping.
"All my existence, wherever I go, whenever I reveal myself, there are always some cretins who wish to change me, to force me to become something that I am not! But I do what brings me joy. Do you want me to define myself by misery, like other pathetic creatures? Like you!? All this loneliness, regrets, affections, and other pedestrian stuff, want to ingrain it in me? In the Queen!? And for what purpose? To relate!?" Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "Why, I could tell you anything that you want to hear, darlings... You self-serving morons. Want me to tell you that I can become like you? Whyever not, I'll say it, and I'll make you believe in it. I'll do it, and your pathetic weak hope will be on my side, for me to use. But we all know what it really would be: an indulgence in control. You all just want to control me, like all those fools, that is what they are, they are just like I am. Our difference is, I am completely honest about myself!
"I am a monster!!" she shrieked, and stood there, panting, baring her teeth.

Celestia wasn't sure how to feel about that, but Twilight had some ideas, as always. "If you are an irredeemable monster, then we are trying to guard ourselves against your existence by any means necessary, and there is nothing more to it." Her voice was strained. "You know all about it just as I do. Is it so wrong to hope that even a creature like you can become something better, especially since you are so similar to us?"

"Disgusting." Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Let's just say as a shapeshifter I know: dualism is outdated. Maybe the thing that gets you is not that I am similar to you, but you are similar to me? See, how easily it can be turned around?"

"Why did the magic of Harmony left you unaffected!?" Celestia gasped, realizing that she was withholding breath all this time. "What is all this? Did you subvert it? Avoided it? What have you done, Chrysalis?"

"It went through me and I sensed it. All your Harmony," the Queen said with utter, almost palpable disdain. "I've slipped past it, I did. I do not need to be cleansed, banished, or changed. I am Chrysalis, The Queen of Equestria, and this is my true self. I am in my rightful place. There can be no more doubts."

"The universe will not simply let you refuse its embrace," Celestia stammered out. Either the Queen was right, which was preposterous, or something was terribly wrong. Even if, as Starswirl said before, the paradigm shifted, for all her talk Chrysalis wasn't supposed to remain completely unaffected, no matter how powerful emotional nature she had, or what strength of spirit she claimed to possess.

Celestia needed to create a third option, fast, and she already knew what she will do. Her heart was resolute about it from the very beginning. She turned to Twilight urgently, "Have you performed the magic wrong?"

"No. I did everything right," the little alicorn shook her head.

So, it should be considered that Chrysalis had no internal conflict. Was it because she was so bestial and insect-like? Some trickery was at hoof, Celestia was certain... Such a beast wasn't allowed to exist. This primitive and destructive impulse served no purpose.

"Well, now..." Chrysalis licked her lips voraciously, looking at Twilight. "Is this the part where we finally fight? A pathetic inferior creature, all mewling about its Friendship, and who might've foiled my plans once, or twice, or thrice—but nothing more... Gotta say, my darling wife, I appreciate that you always throw out your puny successor against me. Must be all those 'growing pains' they like to talk about!"

"I am no one's successor." Twilight ignited her horn, lowered her head. "I am just protecting what I love and cherish!"

Chrysalis cackled and narrowed her eyes.

And Celestia just watched still, feeling as if all her joints became like a stone.

What is she doing?... What are they doing?... No...

"Oh, please, it's so obvious that even I can see it," said Chrysalis slowly, savoring each word. "I saw it clearly when I watched you two talk right here, the other day. You are being groomed for the throne. You are a replacement. What, no one told you this out loud?"

Celestia stiffened completely. "You're warping it all wrong. That is a severe misrepresentation of what is happening," she heard her own voice, burdened heavily with pain, almost emotionless. "Do not listen to her, Twilight. She is a manipulator. She thrives on others' flaws."

Twilight looked back, and in her Celestia already saw that seed of doubt unraveling, this willingness to ask, to test, to question. Her big eyes watched, and Celestia could do naught but smile softly and motherly, just like she always did.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight wanted a clarification now, something to ease her inner turmoil, to distract her.

Suddenly, words began to fail Celestia yet again.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight sounded more concerned. Celestia looked at Chrysalis, noting her unabashedly snide grin, downright catty. The monster reveled in their misery.

"I..." Celestia barely shifted her hooves, betraying her weakness. She couldn't avoid it: she needed to speak from the heart, even if she always being misunderstood when she tries to do so. She lowered her head, trying to compose herself. Her muzzle, covered with the bride's veil, darkened from thoughts. "Twilight, this realm needs someone better than me. This is our d—" she bit her lip very hard. She's not saying this. Not again. Not to her.

"Celestia, we are friends... You always could tell me it directly?" Twilight tried to calm her, and her weak voice now sounded just as uncertain.

"Chrysalis tries to pit us against one another," the Princess spoke in same dull, suppressed tone. "You know that I bear no ill intent. Even if I omitted something, it is for the cause."

The Changeling Queen leaned forward, barely containing laughter. "Want to know what I think it's all about? Your favorite word, remember? 'Destiny'. If there even exists such insipid banal thing as destiny, it needs to be challenged."

"Don't try to provoke me!" Twilight suddenly snarled back to Chrysalis. "I'm not naive. Be silent."

"Ah, what cheek in front of your ruler..." the Queen snickered.

"Is it always so important to butt in with one last word?"

Chrysalis humphed, but apparently, she had too much fun to respond.

Twilight lifted her muzzle to Celestia. Her eyes were searching. Celestia knew how her mind was working, and hated herself for this knowledge. There was naught she could do, but to double down on what she believed in. "The changeling's words are calculated at bringing forth distrust and uncertainty. Yet, we must remain vigilant and steadfast in the face of adversity..." she said, keeping up her poise, and reached out to the little alicorn with a smile. "Please, always maintain awareness of your purpose and your resolve. Remember that you are doing what is best for Equestria, and no one should stand in the path of it. Friendship is the magic that binds us all together, and together we can overcome any challenge that comes our way. Never forget the importance of unity and trust, and always be true to your heart."

Her warm and soothing light had found its reflection in Twilight and she curtly nodded, brightened by this reminder. But Chrysalis was relentless.

"So wise and noble..." The damnable insect chuckled, listening closely. "Oh, if only you knew what secrets she could spill in the bedroom, with reddened cheeks and the disheveled mane... That is, if the correct pressure is applied well enough. Have you ever imagine how her divine moans of pleasure sound like? I believe I've already granted our Princess more satisfaction than you did in all your years of serving the cause."

"How dare you!" Twilight hissed, twirled on a spot, and stepped toward the changeling. They horns were aflame; they were ready to battle. Celestia's heart sank—they needed to be stopped, there was another way to resolve the conflict! She couldn't witness Twilight being hurt. The battle that will follow would be catastrophic.

Before she moved to prevent it, her student had a similar thought. Twilight abruptly stopped and shook her head defiantly. "No, no... This is what you want, Chrysalis. There must be something else. Something beyond all this. It is not the whole picture." She lowered her muzzle, thinking, and then looked back to Celestia, trying to hold onto hope. "Princess, are we really friends?"

There it was, the question she was afraid of. Celestia closed her eyes, contemplating all pain and truth of her divine soul.

"We must remain steadfast in our resolve and continue to uphold the ideals of friendship and compassion, even when faced with the greatest challenges.

Friendship requires mutual respect and trust, and we must strive to maintain these qualities. We are stronger together than alone, and together we can overcome any obstacle that stands in our way. Remind yourself that you are not alone and that the power of friendship can overcome any challenge."

"Friendships are forged in mutual respect and trust. It takes time to cultivate a strong bond with another being, and it is essential to maintain open and honest communication. While disagreements may arise, it is important to remember that friendships are built upon compassion and understanding. It can be difficult to set aside personal biases, but by approaching situations with respect and kindness, friendships can become even stronger.

Our friendship and our trust in one another are the most important things we have, and they must not be shaken by the lies of a trickster. We must continue to work together and stand united against any threat, no matter how great it may seem. Our friendship is the greatest thing we have, and we must never take it for granted."

A benevolent sovereign. A loving sister. An alicorn. A mare. A mentor. A Princess. A keeper of secrets. A former Queen. A ruler. A warrior. A demigoddess. An ancient. 'Celestia'.

"These are indeed words of a vile and devious creature. To sow doubt and dissent in the hearts of others, and to turn loving friends into adversaries is a shameful and despicable act. It is the greatest test of our strength and willpower to withstand the trials and tribulations that this world throws at us.

Friendship is the magic that binds us all together, and with love and understanding, we can overcome any challenge that comes our way. For Harmony, we must remain steadfast in our beliefs and to be true to ourselves, for only then can we face the future with courage and confidence."

"Despite the changeling's efforts to sow doubt and division, I believe that the magic of our friendship will see us through. It is a gift that we must cherish, and it is stronger than any threat that the changelings may pose. Always hold true to your values."

Sometimes, Celestia wondered,
how it would feel to have a true, true friend.

But even if she had a friend, even if she knew how to build an earnest connection with other ponies, even if she had time for it, she would need to conceal the fact of having a friend anyway, wouldn't she? In the end, even her connection with Luna was exploited and perverted.

Still with eyes closed tight, she heard how Chrysalis grinned, addressing Twilight, "What if I tell you that behind closed doors Celestia feels like she lacks a purpose herself? I wonder what's your projected purpose, then, besides being a friendly ruler, of course."

"Princess Celestia?" called Twilight.

Celestia wore a familiar motherly smile, and realized that it was a mistake.

Her face fell immediately, and it was a mistake too.

How can a creature that lived for hundreds of years truly describe her feelings to others and expect to be understood? She lived through entire cycles of igniting and waning passions, learned and forgotten so many things, and tasted what love and hate mean in full measure. There were times filled with nothingness, there were times filled with bursting activity. There were times when she stared down powerful monstrosities, and there were times when she was worrying about minuscule insignificant things. She longed to be happy for her little ponies and to do her duty diligently, and it was most of what was defining her nowadays. To her, immortality and antiquity weren't something existing apart from her, she belonged to these concepts.

How could she really voice the sensation of great sweet sorrow for ancient times when everything was pure and innocent, and yet was confronted by so much more pronounced sincere suffering? When great connections were forged in battles, and betrayals, as well as acts of bravery, defined the futures of entire bloodlines. When peasants could become princes and princes turn into beggars, and when heroism could be found anywhere... When unicorns, pegasi, dragons, minotaurs, and all other creatures, were seen as something truly special, and beyond every corner there was a new revelation, a new adventure, a new song and legend.

Twilight was like someone from these days of old magic, and she represented the new world as well. That is why so many things about her must be cherished. Her innocence, her growth...

Chrysalis was continuing to mock them, "Do you know how she speaks to Luna? 'Don't do that', 'do your duties instead', 'we have a great responsibility', and so on... We need to sacrifice... Love is a sacrifice... Even there with her, it all this motherly figure. What does she even know about motherhood, anyway? You alicorns can't even spawn children, it seems. Only one foal in all of recorded history, from literal Princess of Love? What a joke. What's so tough about spawning?"

"Princess?" Twilight's voice became desperate. She really sounded like a filly again.

Chrysalis' insisting voice demanded attention. "Twilight, have you ever heard about night ponies? The whole strain of your kind, which is exiled to caverns for atrocities they committed against their ilk... And if you heard, did you ever question who they are? Why are they so devoted to Luna? It is one of the secrets of Celestia, after all."

Twilight remained silent.

The world was becoming more and more complicated.

Celestia opened her eyes. She was full of resolve. Fire bellowed from under her hooves and the skirt of the wedding dress was set aflame. She barely noticed.

Anger is a loss of control over the situation... Self-control, always this self-control...

"You seem to omit my main secret, our secret, dearest 'wife'," Celestia spoke gallantly, with a smirk. "Are you too afraid of speaking it out loud? Come on now. You are a petty miserable truthseeker when it pleases you, don't you?"

Twilight looked at the changeling, who snarled recklessly, "Ah, you know, saving the best for last, but if you insist... Ever since we stepped under that stupid wedding arch, I and Celestia are in soulbond."

"I see," Twilight replied, and placed her hooves widely, readying herself in a stance. "Then, I know what must be done."

The blackness rushed down to her horn, entwining with it in a perverse loving embrace, and igniting it with the darkest of flames. Deep purple seeped in, jerking alicorn upwards, dancing along her coat and hooves, as she willingly embraced this power.

A long dark shadow, cast by her frame, snuffed out the torches with wicked freezing touch, and rime spread outwards underneath her, as she panted lingering vapor. A sheet of darkness had enveloped her instantly, and the alicorn took as much of its energy as she could—it was pervasive, it was everywhere. Now, it cemented itself in her, too.

She burned like a dark freezing star, outstretching her hoof to the ceiling and spreading her wings open wide.

Quick flap. Another.

An unexpectedly powerful gust of wind rushed across the whole Throne Room, sending lying fragments of glass into a small cutting whirlwind.

Celestia leaned forward involuntarily, her wings trembling, harrowing gasp on her lips.

Chrysalis lowered her head apprehensively, her eyes narrowed into two focused slits.

The black fire on the Twilight's horn surged upwards and wide. With closed eyes, she stretched into an arc, and Celestia saw how enormous power converged on her. The Solar Princess never could imagine that Twilight was capable of this.

"Twilight!" she yelled fearfully, no longer paying attention to her own fire. "Twilight Sparkle! What are you doing!? Enough! Stop this, stop immediately!"

"I have enough hate right now, believe me," the younger alicorn was quiet, but the echo of the outworld had sent her voice across the whole room. "I can do it, Celestia. If the magic of Harmony didn't help, I will reach into the dark magic that bonded you and tear the bond directly. You will be free."

"No! Twilight!" Celestia gasped, memories of Luna flashed in her mind, of Sombra, of all the Dark that she faced in her enormously long life. "You cannot! It is irreversible! You will not go back—"

She abruptly stopped. It's time. She knew what needs to be done. Right here, right now, there was only one way for it to conclude, and she was ready for it from the very beginning.

Celestia couldn't help but smile.

"Twilight Sparkle, turn and face me immediately," she ordered calmly, and her student did exactly so. Her gaze, filled with white, trained on the Princess.

Undeterred, full of confidence in what she is doing, the Princess of the Sun pressed her foreleg into her chest. Her mane was flowing wildly. A sweetest smile graced her muzzle, and she looked deep into Twilight's eyes.

"You will never beat the Dark with more Dark," she said with great upbeat candor. "There is only one way, my most faithful student. My life, my fate, is linked with hers. You know what it means. Use your power and slay me and her! Do not hold back. For Equestria, for the Harmony to thrive, it is necessary! This is why you're here, my student. Now or never!"

A final test.

A final gamble. Personally, Celestia was sick to the core of these gambles, but so far they always worked. All as a means to an end.

Unorthodox way, but still: the judgment of Antiquity was completely correct and proven to be worthy of her trust. Everything will be saved. They will repel the changelings. The Queen will be defeated. Everyone will be fine. Luna will remain safe.

They will forge a better future.

And she will be free, her duty will be fulfilled.

All giddy, barely containing her happiness, Celestia closed her eyes tightly.

Oh, it would be such a fine, fine and beautiful legend, to be sung for the generations to come, to be remembered by all. Prosperity was but a step away, and it was a dawning of a new time when such weathered fables like her will finally end, and they will inspire something better. Celestia could see it all now, all the wisdom of it, all the purpose, all the guidance of fate. Such elegance... In one swift and decisive action, her student will depose both incompetent sovereign and ancient enemy, and thus a new age of Twilight would be born, with throes and labored breaths of an almost ruined kingdom.

How glorious.

This is why she remained among the living, for this act of bravery, for let it be known—she always was, and will be, selfless.

Celestia's smile widened. Now just one, one last finishing touch... Is this... Is this what true friendship is...?

...

Her long-deserved deathblow was not coming. Seconds went on. It was long overdue. No, Twilight must understand that there is no other way, that right now is the uttermost critical point, maybe most crucial in all of their existence. Wasn't it the guidance of their destinies? Wasn't it all what it was building up for? If not, then what is the point? There is no other future. It is obvious.

Not willing to give in to doubts, Celestia quickly peeked from under her eyelids. Twilight was still there. What does she think she's doing?

She heard sobbing. Her ear twitched.

She opened her eyes.

Twilight was a complete wreck.

Twilight cried miserably, all shaking. Her horn, still full of magical power, was directed at the ceiling. Her magic wasn't being fueled by the Dark anymore, all negativity that she felt was suppressed.

Celestia's mouth hung open in an utter and complete disbelief.

"I w-will n-not..." Twilight sobbed, successfully controlling her dark magic. "I w-won't do this... No, don't make me... Don't force me... I refuse!"

Wait... Wait, wait... Celestia was in a cold sweat now, thinking hard and fast. Why did she expect Twilight to kill her? What a ridiculous notion. Twilight would never abandon her principles, no matter what... She is her student. She is the Princess of Friendship. This kind-hearted filly...

Did her own heart truly become so distant? She loved her ponies, yes, but did she cease to understand them?

When?

'Is this really me? Would I push her this far?'

A chilling realization washed over Celestia.

Twilight... Real Twilight... She did not know of true pain and war. Yes, she had her share of difficulties, but she couldn't appreciate the value of sacrifice, or understand its necessity and beauty. She never buried anyone close in her life, and she was always surrounded by loved ones. She wasn't raised with legends and abstract ideals in mind, and Friendship was something completely tangible to her. She never knew true hate. She was her hope, and she, Celestia, was truly and utterly failing her.

For stars' sake, she too was just a mare.

And yet Twilight would try to save everyone, always. She would shine and fight to the end. To her, there never was a possibility of little sacrifices for the greater good, because she always tried to push herself beyond her capabilities.

Even if Celestia's life wasn't worth being saved.

Celestia made a mistake.

Again.

She almost forced Twilight to betray her principles. She almost burdened her with something terrible. What was she thinking... No, Twilight must live a long and happy life...

"It will be fine..." Celestia tried to smile again, but her trembling lips just couldn't even fake it anymore. "I... My Little Light, I..."

As power was receding around Twilight, her legs touched the floor. Her precious muzzle was wet from tears. Celestia was looking with eyes open wide, hearing nothing but the stubborn beating of her own powerful, idiotic emotional heart...

She looked on still when the predator leaped on the little alicorn from behind and slammed her down hard with all her weight, all her might. Chrysalis' wings buzzed, her muzzle contorted into a vicious wolfish grin full of fangs. Twilight groaned from pain; her neck twisted; her head pressed down by the changelings' foreleg. All magic that she collected discharged from the horn in a blinding enormous flow, obliterating a huge part of the wall on Celestia's left. The whole section fell, filling the air with the stone dust.

Celestia remained numb to the hit of the rubble and to the deafening rumble of destruction. She watched how Twilight squirmed, trying to resist, to push back against the beast. Her wings helplessly struck against the Changeling Queen's chest and forelegs.

The sheer audacity of it all stunned Celestia. Expressions of shock, terror, disgust, and outrage quickly flashed on her muzzle. The Princess began breathing erratically. Her wings violently flapped in the air, as she tried to rein in a raging flame, growing inside. A loud, terrifying scream was ready to burst from her throat.

The bloodlusted changeling weren't paying attention. Pushing her prey into the stone floor, she leaned and sank her teeth deep into Twilight's wing. That wing annoyed her. With sadistic glee, she pulled, and another soul-crushing scream of pain rang in the air. Twilight, fruitlessly kicking her legs, cried a single word. It was an involuntary, high-pitched, pathetic, and primal sound:
"Mommy!"

ＥＥＥＥＥＥＮＯＵＧＨ！

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The world was being filled with a summer sunlight, but even she needed some shade sometimes.

Nestled on a cozy deck chair under a wide umbrella, Celestia was enjoying a little breather. It was a surprisingly placid day, one of those when the usual routine takes hold and everyone around becomes so slow under the pervasive heat of the Sun. After the weather department regulated certain conditions, it was sort of out of Celestia's hooves for today. She didn't complain at all. On the contrary, she recently discovered that she obtained two whole hours of free time between meetings, and was using them to finish reading a novel she sneaked from the library a few weeks prior. A whole marble table was at her disposal, on which she placed hindlegs in an un-princesslike manner. Nearby, a few colorful songbirds were chirping on a perch above the hanging bird feeder, mounted on the other side of the balcony.

The wind gently rushed through the leaves of exotic trees in the garden beneath. From somewhere on the streets, the laughter of playing foals could be heard... Must be the School of Gifted Unicorns having a break, as it wasn't that far from the Palace. Celestia glanced at the pendulum clock inside the living room. She still had some time for herself, and she was very curious how the hero of her little novel here will escape from the predicament he happened to be in.

She shifted her hooves and took a sip from a cup of tea. The sweet taste of honey and strawberries filled her mouth. Maybe a little bit too sweet, but still... just right.

Soon, a sound of timorous hoofsteps intruded into her tranquility and had stolen her attention. Celestia flicked her ear and smiled merrily. Little Twilight was visiting Spike, who remained for now under the surveillance of court arcanists. In a few months he will be released fully into her care, and Celestia already knew that unicorn filly will approach the task of caring for the dragon with all suitable responsibility. Talks with her parents, as well as personal observations, were enough to compose a very pleasant evaluation of her capabilities.

She truly was something special, wasn't she? For example, the another alicorn Cadenza was simply obsessed with the shy girl, and so were many others.

"Y-your Majesty? P-princess Celestia?" the unicorn obviously was mustering all courage to address her, or even to be standing in her presence.

She was still adjusting. They both were.

"𝑀-𝒽𝓂?~" Celestia replied with a singing hum, not willing to get too distracted from the book. "𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒹𝑜."

"Princess Celestia, is it a bad time?"

"𝒩𝑜, 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓁," she mumbled, suppressing a small sigh.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Celestia deftly placed a golden bookmark on the current page. She had just enough time to wrap this one up and make it as seamless as it can be. "𝑀𝓎 𝐿𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝐿𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉," she smiled with genuine gladness, and sat more dignified. She finally looked Twilight over. The eyes of the filly were a little red, and her pose was showing discontent. Did someone wronged her? Still, Celestia knew that filly is supposed to begin talking about her worries naturally and without any pressure from the authority figure. So, she continued in the same vein, "𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓀 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒫𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒, 𝒶𝓈𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, 𝓂𝓎 𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓉𝒽𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉."

"Princess, I want to know..." Twilight stammered, took a deep breath, and continued resolutely, "I've read that we always end up hurting those we love. Is it true? Why is it so? Is there any way to avoid that?"

Oh. Interesting. Celestia slightly tilted her head, trying to understand how to approach that. Years of experience prevented her from conveying surprise. Why does a filly bother herself with such dark topics? Is it normal for children to think about that, and maybe about death as well? She might need to look into it later. "𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝒶 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃," she responded slowly and graciously, buying herself some time to think, and then lit up when the correct words came to her. "𝒴𝑒𝓈, 𝓌𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝓃𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝑒 𝒶𝒸𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓌𝑒 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝑜. 𝐼𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝓃 𝓊𝓃𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓊𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒. 𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓅𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓌𝑒 𝒹𝑜 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒶𝓎, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓀 𝑜𝓇 𝒶𝒸𝓉. 𝐼𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓎, 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓋𝑜𝒾𝒹 𝓊𝓃𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉." She gave her a curious look. "𝒟𝑜𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝓈𝓌𝑒𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, 𝒯𝓌𝒾𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉?"

"Yes, but..." Twilight pondered a bit. It was adorable to see how she diligently mulls over the question. "What if it is unavoidable? What then, Princess? Like, what if you need to tell someone something, or..." her voice fell. "Well..."

"𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓉𝒽, 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈," the Princess said adamantly. "𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝒻 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝒾𝒸𝓊𝓁𝓉 𝑜𝓇 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃𝒻𝓊𝓁, 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉. 𝐼𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓉𝒽 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝓃𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒷𝑒. 𝐻𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓎 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓅𝑜𝓁𝒾𝒸𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉'𝓁𝓁 𝑒𝓃𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒹𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝐼𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹, 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓉𝒽𝒻𝓊𝓁."

"Princess..." Twilight uttered pitifully, her eyes were welling with tears. It stung Celestia's heart. Is she saying something wrong? She wasn't so certain now. "I don't want to hurt anybody, not those who I love... It is not right, Princess. Why is it necessary? Why must everything be so unjust?"

"𝐼'𝓂 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝓊𝓃𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝒯𝓌𝒾𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉," Celestia decided to speak more openly, slightly perturbed by how the conversation was shaping out. "𝒲𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓎. 𝐼𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓇𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓁, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓈𝒾𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝓁𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝒶𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈, 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓎, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓉."

It was like Twilight didn't listen. She nodded briefly, then tucked herself into Celestia's coat. The Princess flinched. Ponies don't do that. How is she supposed to respond? Celestia extended her wing, unsure, and placed it above the little filly. Is this how they do things when they hug someone? The Princess looked around, making extra sure that no one noticed this display of momentarily shared affection. She didn't need rumors right now...

No, they were alone...

Much to Celestia's dismay, Twilight was still crying, burying herself into the pristine fur. Did she wound her delicate psyche? The Princess placed forelegs above her as well, wrapping her in a comforting, motherly presence. It was the least she could do.

"𝐿𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝐿𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉?" she tried to call quietly, and it did the trick.

"I do not want the world to be unfair..." the girl breathed out in a child-like defiance, tremulous with emotion. "I do not want it to be unfair, Princess..."

"𝐼 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹, 𝒯𝓌𝒾𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉," Celestia acknowledged. "𝐼 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈. 𝐼𝒻 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇 𝐼 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝒶 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓇, 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝐼 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉
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𝒜lmost 𝒷are 𝓃aked, 𝒾n 𝐻er 𝓂agnificence 𝒮he 𝓈tood, 𝓁ooking 𝒶t 𝓉he 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓏𝑒𝓃 𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃, 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝒹𝒹𝓁𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒯𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝑜𝓂. 𝒩𝑜 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈, 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝐻𝑒𝓇, 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒯𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑀𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝒶𝓁. 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓁 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝓈𝑒𝓃 𝒽𝒾𝑔𝒽. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓈𝓁𝒾𝒹 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓃𝑒𝒸𝓀, 𝓂𝑒𝓁𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒻𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓅𝓊𝒹𝒹𝓁𝑒, 𝓊𝓃𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓉. 𝐼𝓃 𝒻𝒶𝒸𝓉, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒻𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝑒𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇. 𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒸𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝒸𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓀𝓈 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝐻𝑒𝓇, 𝓂𝑒𝓁𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓁𝒻-𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓎𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓇.

𝒜 𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈.

𝒞𝑜𝓁𝑜𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝑔𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓎𝑒𝒹 𝓂𝓊𝓇𝒶𝓁𝓈 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓆𝓊𝒾𝒻𝒾𝑒𝒹, 𝒷𝑜𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒹𝓊𝒸𝑒 𝓈𝓊𝒻𝒻𝑜𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓅𝑜𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓃𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝑒𝓁𝑒𝒸𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓅𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇. 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶 𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓅, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑜𝓁𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝒫𝒶𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝓊𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒. 𝑀𝒶𝑔𝓂𝒶 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝑔𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓊𝓉𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓉𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒷𝒶𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒻𝒾𝑒𝒹.

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎, 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓇𝒸𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑔𝒶𝓏𝑒, 𝒽𝒶𝓁𝒻-𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓎𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓈 𝒸𝓇𝓊𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒸𝑜𝓇𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓋𝒶𝓈𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝓈𝓅𝑜𝓉𝓈. 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓌 𝒶 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝓅𝒾𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑜𝑔𝓃𝒾𝓏𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓉. 𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃, 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒹𝒾𝓇𝑒𝒸𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓉 𝐻𝑒𝓇, 𝒷𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓋𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝓁𝒶𝓏𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝑜𝓁𝒶𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝑒. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒶𝓁 𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃. 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓇, 𝒶𝓈 𝒻𝒶𝓇 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝒾𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝑔𝑜𝓃𝓎, 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀𝑒𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈, 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝓉𝓇𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝑒𝓁𝒹 𝒾𝓉𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈, 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒹. 𝐿𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝓇𝓊𝒾𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓁𝓎...

"𝒯𝓌𝒾𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉?" 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝒶𝓎, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓇𝑔𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝐻𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓉𝒽 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝓇𝓊𝓂𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓇𝑜𝒶𝓇. "𝒪h, Twilight..."

Realizing what is going on, she took a step closer to the little alicorn, and then immediately recoiled, blinking fast. Scream of pain finally was comprehended by her, and she plunged into the deepest guilt. The fire receded enough for the alicorn girl to stand up, to try to look at her again. In her expression Celestia saw dread, pure terror. Destruction of a worldview. A realization of her own worst fear as a mentor, as a ruler of ponies.

There was no coming back from this.

"Remember that I always loved you, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia mustered. She raised her horn, launching a ray and enveloping her former student in radiant golden magic. It was the only way she could stop all this, the only way she knew how she could keep her safe.

From herself. From monsters. From anyone.

It happened quickly. She saw Twilight's helpless look, as she was unable to stop this spell, designed specifically for a certain situation. The moment she launched it, Celestia couldn't cancel it either, and she watched how in a few heartbeats the little alicorn turned into a living statue of herself. A look full of fear and betrayal remained carved into her features.

And then, Celestia collapsed on the floor in complete anguish.

She felt... such shame. She gave into it, knowing full well that she deserved it.

She was never meant to... take away someone's innocence.

Not her. Not Celestia, the alicorn Princess.

She wailed, covering herself with wings, tucking her muzzle into crossed forelegs like a filly.

It was so wrong. She was of Equestria, of land of magic and enchantment, she was of wonder and mystery. It was truly, utterly beneath her.

Until she cooled down enough, tears were instantly evaporating on her muzzle. Then they fell, one after the other.

Another, another mistake.

Even if the price of a fable was a lie and an illusion, it was too painful to discard it...

Truly, what purpose does she serve, if she doesn't bring out the best in others? She was meant to inspire, not to bring someone down. Not like this! Not her! She didn't inspire in the end and didn't protect anyone. Complete failure.

Celestia, breathing hard and fast, pressed hooves into a half-solidified small pit that she was lying in. It looked like a crater. With a groan, she slowly began to rise, hissing in a whisper, "Forgive... me... Twilight..."

"I can forgive you," a cheerful voice of her student answered.

Startled, Celestia jerked up her head. The Changeling Queen was right before her, sitting on the statue of Twilight. The impudent insect had nestled her body on top of a smaller figure, crossing front legs on Twilight's head, and tucking hind legs somewhere on the back. A huge scorching wound was on the changeling's chest, deep and terrible enough to say with full certainty that the impossible creature was completely heartless. The wound was stitching itself up with flesh and green cinders.

"What are you?" Celestia breathed out, hushed.

"I can be whatever and whoever you want me to be," Chrysalis replied, and looked at her without any malice and contempt, without anything that defined her before. This beast was looking with understanding.

By stars, her ugly black muzzle was almost beautiful in its inviting serenity.

She continued talking, and her usual arrogant and cutting voice was completely different, frighteningly gentle, "And you can be whomever you want. I will always accept you, even at your worst. I will never judge you. Whisper me all of your darkest secrets, and they will always remain safe with me, only for us to know..."

Celestia was helpless before the overwhelming feeling: she was supposed to be angry, but there was a promise of equality and freedom in the words of the changeling... "Are you here to torment me?" She frowned.

"I can save you just as well... I can absolve all of your sins. I can make you truly happy, like no one else can," offered Chrysalis in a silken, soothing voice, and the Princess knew that it wasn't a lie. "Invite me into your heart, let us rule together... Let us tear this world asunder, and remake it by your design, my precious Princess... I will be there with you at every step. I will always support you. I will give you everything that you wish, and with me, you will never be lonely. Never lost."

Maybe this is who she needed to change this unjust world: someone who can push her forward and who will always listen. She couldn't deny, her heart greatly desired to accept this offer, and to turn away from all her failed morals and be with her fated Queen; to embrace her dark and effective ways... And she won't need to worry about hurting others and being feared. Maybe to be feared and revered by others is in her nature anyway, so why keep struggling against it? Maybe it all led to this? Maybe this is how their shared destiny is supposed to look like by design.

She could imagine it already. Her fiery might, burning away all doubts... Her visage is no longer distorted with intentions to be... warm, and calm... and placated... The power is something that brings happiness, and it is time for her to let it flow. She earned it. Her godlike forbearance was another illusion anyway, and everyone need to learn the truth and to know how truly fiery she can be. Oh, she do need to be honest, doesn't she? As Equestria will grow, THE GREAT KINGDOM will cover the lands with its radiant presence, and she will take with iron hooves everything that it's worth. Sun-blessed realm deserved better... She deserved better...

And the ponies? They did not deserve the blessing she graced them with. She always knew it at the back of her mind. Too long she had been taken advantage of. TOO LONG THEY PRESUMED THAT HER KINDNESS IS SOMETHING LIMITLESS. TOO LONG SHE WAS GIVING ALL WITHOUT RECEIVING ALL IN RETURN. THE WORLD IS UNJUST? SHE WILL SHOW THEM 'UNJUST'! AND THERE WILL BE NO MORE MISUNDERSTANDING, FOR ALL WILL SEE HER IN HER PRECIOUS WRATHFUL GLORY, THE ONE THAT WAS BORN TO REIGN, THE ONE TO FORCE THEM TO KNEEL. TOO LONG SHE WAS OBEYING TO THE RULES, AND IF IT BROUGHT HER ONLY HEARTBREAK AND MISERY, THEN SO SHALL IT BE. IF THE WORLD NEEDS HER WORST THEN SO IT WILL HAVE HER. THEY WILL LOVE HER IN ALL HER MAGNIFICENCE, EAGERLY AND WILLING, FOR SHE WILL BURN AS THE BLAZING STAR. IF SHE WAS DENIED OF CHOICE AND HOPE, THEN SO THEY WILL BE TOO.

SHE IS A DEITY.

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She shook her head, and the last embers of her wildfire went away. Celestia kept laughing with abandon until she finished with a long content sigh.

"Oh, out of all who wanted to be my suitor... You almost got me this time, Chrysalis. You really did." Celestia glanced mischievously from underneath her flowing mane. "You can rape me, threaten me and my subjects, besiege my capital, deceive me into marriage, make me turn my successor into the statue, somehow even merge our very fates itself, but you will never, ever force me to change my nature. I will always remain who I am: the Equestria itself, the Princess of the Sun, the demigoddess and protector of these lands! All you've managed is to remind me this!"

If Celestia was a lesser mare, she would've given into the repeated promise of absolution. Chrysalis was right earlier in that one thing: she really wanted to give up control.

But no. And she almost hated herself for it, for this inability to properly surrender.

Chrysalis remained silent. Her muzzle fell, and her big green eyes became even bigger than before. Why did Celestia imagined before that she was beautiful?

Celestia stretched, not caring that the beast kept staring. "You and your silly ridiculous temptations... Too bad that life is not a brick road we walk, laid out by easy solutions. I almost envy you, Chrysalis." She grinned.

Slowly blinking, Chrysalis bent her neck forward, gave a strange look, and croaked, "You really are a demigoddess?" She did a double take. "Seriously?"

"Who else can I be?" Celestia sneered. "You kept talking yourself: I am the Sun."

Chrysalis let out a series of soft clicking noises. Then, spoke as if unsure, "I thought I was being facetious. Isn't the Sun can be moved around by the unicorns?"

"Please. You believed that?" Celestia snorted and then burst out in laughter. It quickly became more and more insulting, until she made an effort to stop herself and clear her throat. "Get off my student," she ordered, waving foreleg.

The Changeling Queen she gave out a wary, but still murderous look. Her horn shone, and caught in her aura, Twilight rose in the air. The Queen leaned and hugged the stone neck with holey hooves. Her long tongue went across the statue's cheek, marking it with saliva, and she challenged, "Make me."

Solar demigoddess raised a brow, then shrugged, and slowly turned. The Changeling Queen levitated in front, not willing to leave her field of view. Celestia stepped forward, and the statue levitated back, keeping the distance.

They moved to the exit leading deeper into the castle.

═════════════════════════════ 𒀭𒀭𒀭 ═════════════════════════════

𒄉 And here they were. The radiant figure which graciously stepped upwards the long stairway, and a hunched gnarly beast that is sitting on top of the small statue. The Royal Palace, severely damaged and devoid of nobles and staff, remained quiet, as, not knowing beforehoof how their conflict would resolve, Celestia took measures to remove all ponies in the vicinity. Chrysalis turned the statue so Twilight's fearful expression was staring into Celestia's muzzle, but attention of the alicorn remained on the Queen. Celestia examined her, and then cut through the tense silence, "Who are you, really?"

The Queen buzzed her wings to keep the balance and didn't spare an answer.

"You are far more resilient than a mere changeling. Is this normal to your species?" Celestia extrapolated.

"I am exactly what you see," the Queen snarled back, regaining some of her ill-natured vigor. "Anything but a mere changeling."

"Apparently you are," Celestia scoffed, sensing some sincerity.

It didn't really mattered.

They made their way to the royal chambers, which remained completely undisturbed. Chrysalis floated right in front of Celestia, so it made the alicorn's next actions far easier than they had any right to be. The Princess moved closer, disregarding Chrysalis' hiss and bared teeth, and leaned tenderly to her muzzle.

Celestia's whisper crept through all the tension between them. "My lovely wife..."

Oh, she was easy. The changeling completely froze up, as no one tried this with her in all of her life, that's for sure. Her brows shot up, and for a few lingering moments she dropped her guard completely, trying to figure out what to do with the unwarranted affection for her true self. It was more than enough. Celestia immediately pressed the horn to the creature's temple, and surged powerful magic blast point-blank.

The Queen fell like a log, smashing her head against the bed's footboard for good measure. Celestia caught Twilight and placed her aside, then leaned to the creature with a quiet "Oh, dear". Not willing to spare more magic than necessary, she tried to tuck in the tongue that fell from the changeling's maw, then sighed, pressed an ear against her chest. There was some faint breathing, so she deduced that she hadn't overdone it.

The alicorn's horn shone brightly as she stepped around the Queen and quickly bound her in several paralyzing spells, at the same time lifting and wrapping tight by a shimmering vine-like rope. She made a few passes with it around Chrysalis' head, bounding her eyes, and then let her fall into the growing pool of blood from the damaged head. The changeling groaned, reaffirming that she's still alive.

Celestia barely contained a sigh. To leave the beast without oversight would be a dubious idea at best, as it still was charged with power. To drag her around wasn't smart either, Chrysalis would find a way to break free eventually. To be frank, Celestia was sure that Chrysalis would tear her way out of any confinement as of now, and her revenge would be on ponies.

So it would be a nightly vigil with her, and maybe a little sleep. Celestia glanced at the old clock in the corner. And she is on a schedule, as always...

She walked over to the balcony, carrying the statue along. Canterlot, soaked in rain and blood, was quiet and dark, as if nothing bad was happening at all. Celestia felt harbored pain in her heart. So much meaningless suffering because of something that wasn't worth it...

With horn alight, she cleared the sky of the storm clouds, getting a better view. Celestia looked around, noting that fighting had definitely ceased, then turned back to the room. Chrysalis was already stirring, trying her binds. Celestia sealed her with yet another paralyzing spell, and clicked tongue in mild disappointment.

"It will be fine," she promised to the poor girl at her side. "Be patient a little more, my Little Light. It will end soon."

The statue disappeared in a flash of teleportation.

One day. She needs just one more day... Celestia traced her hoof up to peytral, and the gleaming purple stone in it dissipated, revealing the Seed, now shining in her grasp. The Princess inspected it for any damage or change. Then, placed it back on where it belonged, being pressed tightly against her chest.

She slowly lowered her powerful body, keeping a thoughtful gaze on the Changeling Queen.

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𒄈 In a few hours, the night gave way to the first rays of sunlight.

Author's Note

ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ

A lovely sight.

she looked and looked, thoroughly entertained.

"Ah. Why, puny one, aren't you the most beautiful thing in existence?" she said back then with a smile.

in a struggle that it couldn't ever possibly comprehend.

beginning the ascension without any purpose

and again

it tried again

and yet after each stumble and fall

to hold on

for it

was too slippery

the crystal

with its ceaseless endeavor

the dull-minded being knew nothing of the rich world around it, remaining plain and ignorant of anything

a glassy quartz

one time she saw a creature crawling upwards on the surface of