Her Birthright

Chapters

Chapter One- What in Tarnation?
Chapter Two- Grimoires, Uno, and Robot Dragons
Chapter Three- Missing the Starfield for the Stars
Chapter Four- The Mirror in Which She Gazed
Chapter Five- Butterfly of Chaos
Chapter Six- Pandora's Box
Chapter Seven- The Left and Right Hooves of the Sun
Chapter Eight- Melancholy Beneath a Neon Moon- Part One
Chapter Nine- Melancholy Beneath a Neon Moon- Part Two
Chapter Ten- Mirrors to the Past- Part One

Chapter One- What in Tarnation?

A lavender-furred Unicorn slowly backed up, calling out directions to a construction vehicle; a massive hollowed out tree dangling from the swaying crane.

“Alright, bring it forward. A little left, a little more and there. Perfect!”

As the crane lowered the tree down to rest on the ground, A light orange Earthpony quickly approached her.

“Hey now, what’s all this?”

The Unicorn laughed lightly, her indigo mane lightly blowing in the gentle breeze generated by the impact. Slowly, she turned around and faced the Earthpony, greeting her in a soft, velvety voice.

“Hello there, Miss Earthpony, I’ve decided to move to Ponyville; this is my new house-”

Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, she continued.

“What a lovely property, wouldn’t you say?”

The Earthpony’s golden mane fluttered in the gust under the vintage Stetson she wore on her head; on her flank was a set of three red apples. She stamped her hoof indignantly.

“Of course, Ah would, ya Bonehead, on account of this bein’ mah farm!”

Taking it in stride, the Unicorn replied with a gentle tone.

“Is it?”

“Darling, this here is the Sweet Apple Acres, mah name is Applejack and mah house is over there!”

Applejack gestured at the barn that was right next to the giant tree.

The Unicorn looked surprised and thoughtful as she stared at the barn.

“Hm. That’s odd. Spike!”

In a puff of smoke, a tiny dragon appeared and made a sweeping bow.

“Yes, my liege?”

Applejack’s emerald eyes grew wide at the title. She started stammering.

“L-liege?”

The Unicorn ignored her sudden fear as she said simply, gesturing at the little dragon.

“This is Spike, my familiar. Spike, this is Applejack. Hm.”

Looking at Spike, the Unicorn gave a soft sigh of disdain.

“Spike, Applejack here says this farm belongs to her. Can you show me that contract again?”

With a breath of emerald fire, a rolled-up scroll appeared, which was immediately grabbed by the Unicorn’s purple levitation magic. Unrolling it as it floated before her, she began to read it; Applejack feeling a sensing of increasing dread as the Unicorn calmly read out loud:

“I, Princess Celestia, hereby do allocate the Apple Orchard on the outskirts of Ponyville, to the beloved daughter of my sister, Twilight ‘Celestial’ Sparkle. As well as anything or anypony on said property. For Twilight is my most faithful student.”

Rolling back up the parchment scroll, the Unicorn smiled sweetly.

“By the way, allow me to introduce myself, Miss Jack.”

Her smile vanished and her eyes became as cold as the ancient magic of the Windigos.

“Twilight Sparkle, niece of The Princess Celestia.”

Applejack’s knees began to quiver as she whispered.

“Princess Celestia as in-”

Twilight stared at her.

“The Immortal Alicorn of the Sun, herself. The one, who with a single twitch of her mane could have your head rolling, and nopony would dare to oppose her judgement. Yes, that one. Now then, what exactly was your grievance with my moving my new house here?”

Applejack kicked a small rock by her hoof as she stated quickly.

“Not a one.”

Twilight chuckled darkly.

“Oh? But didn’t you just come here and start shouting, rather hurtful might I add, slurs at me?”

Applejack looked abashed and her knees were shaking noticeably now. Trying to keep the fear out of her voice, she replied quickly.

“Darling, please. That was before Ah knew ya had the rights t’ this land. As for the insult, I hope y’all can forgive me-”

Lowering her voice she whispered.

“An’ spare me an’ mah family-

Her voice returned to normal, her farmpony drawl re-entering her voice as though talking to an old friend.

“Darling, I have no issues with ya moving here, it’s yore farm, after all.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, as a large imposing Unicorn dressed in golden plate armor, approached her; a large sharp spear grasped in his hoof, a stern expression on his face. Suddenly, Twilight dropped her head down in a bow, while hissing at Applejack.

“Say nothing, unless she or I speak to you. Trust me.”

Applejack barely had time to process this as a chillingly emotionless voice sounded from behind her.

“My faithful student. I trust there are no issues with your new residence?”

Applejack’s heart stopped momentarily in utter shock as she slowly turned around and found herself staring into the gorgeous amethyst irises of the ruler of Equestria. Those eyes, as beautiful as they were, were completely devoid of any soul; dark as the void itself. The white fur that graced the Princess’s hide was pure as the driven snow, yet the sensation of something foul and revolting emanated from beneath as though something was rotting within.

Celestia stood well over twice as tall as Applejack, a young mare and fully grown. Her frame was one of delicate elegance, a beauty like none other, but one couldn’t help but feel that gentle pose concealed a strength like none other. Her wings rustled, a sign of restlessness in Alicorns, though her expression never wavered; seemingly peering into the depths of Applejack’s very soul.

The farmpony began to mentally break, faced with Celestia’s stare. Her mind started to run rampant with thoughts of abstract terror; what was going to happen to her family, to her? She messed up, she never should have insulted Twilight and now her destruction was most certainly assured.

“No, Princess Celestia, there have been no issues.”

Applejack’s mind suddenly snapped out its turmoil as Twilight spoke up. She broke her line of sight with Celestia’s gaze; turning to stare in surprise as Twilight stood there staring directly at Celestia, lying through her teeth. Twilight’s stature was perfectly calm, yet her voice was as emotionless as Celestia’s own. There was no hint of tremor or hesitation as she spoke.

“Applejack here was just coming over to greet me.”

Though neither Twilight nor Princess Celestia so much as blinked, Applejack swore a battle for the fate of her was being fought between the two at that very moment. The Princess replied.

“Is that so, my faithful student?”

As Applejack stared at Twilight she couldn’t help but visualize two unfathomably powerful beings, neither giving or taking ground as the two conversed in a vicious, emotionless, stalemate; both vying for a vantage point over the other.

“It is. In fact, after I explained to her how I not only own her farm but her as well, she volunteered to help me unpack my boxes of books.”

Shooting a glance towards Applejack, Twilight’s expression never wavered, yet Applejack saw beneath the cold exterior; something far scarier awaited her if she didn’t play along and side with Twilight.

“Isn’t that right, my Earthpony?”

Swallowing hard, Applejack nodded, shaking like a leaf.

“Right ya are, Mistress, a servant to th’ core, that’s me.”

Celestia was silent for a moment, deadlocking her stare with that of Twilight’s, before nodding approvingly, her horn glowing brightly, as she spoke.

“How wonderful. Well then, every pet must have a collar. Such is the law in Ponyville.”

A strange metallic choker appeared around Applejack’s neck, as Celestia continued, turning as she did so.

“I shall leave you to settle in. After all, your mother is returning from rehab tomorrow. Make sure you care for that pony after all, my faithful student, it would be such a shame if she was found to be without her leash or owner, wouldn’t it? I’ll check on you from time to time. Make sure I am not disappointed, my faithful student.”

In a flash of light Celestia had vanished, though Twilight’s demeanor hadn’t changed at all, gesturing to the tree domicile.

“Let’s go, my pet. We have boxes to unpack.”

Applejack’s keen eyes quickly picked up on her surroundings; Celestia had left, but the royal guard was still nearby, watching her every move. Making sure not a sound passed her lips, Applejack followed Twilight into the tree.

Once inside and the door was shut, Applejack opened her mouth to speak, only to find Twilight’s hoof pressed firmly against her lips, hissing at her.

“Not yet.”

Twilight’s horn glowed brightly, and a layer of purple magic coated the inside of the empty library. Her expression shifted in an instant, giving a sigh of relief. Lowering her hoof, Twilight’s eyes seemed more gentle, friendly almost.

“Alright, go ahead, speak freely; what did you want to say to me?”

“What in tarnation is goin’ on, Darling?”

Twilight’s eyes half-closed as she gave a sigh of distress, conjuring up a bottle of hard apple cider and popping the top. She took a slow sip.

“If I were to tell you I was actually a wingless Alicorn, and a daughter of Celestia’s sister; that I was born well over a thousand years ago to an Alicorn who controlled the moon, what would you then say to me?”

“Ah would say Ah dun understand, Darling.”

Twilight nodded, appearing disparaged from the remark. She placed the bottle down and turned towards the door.

“Yeah, that’s about what I expected.”

Calling out over her shoulder as she threw open the door with her magic, Twilight shouted.

“Spike! Help AJ here sort those books after she unpacks them. Have them on the shelves by the time I return; I have some stops to make. Oh and AJ? Let’s call this a test of trust, don't leave this library for any reason.”

With that, Twilight walked out, heading towards Ponyville as the collar around Applejack’s neck fell to the ground with a loud Clang.

Chapter Two- Grimoires, Uno, and Robot Dragons

Applejack glanced at one of the very thick books as she carefully lifted it from within one of dozens of various boxes. She tried her best but couldn’t really decipher what seemed to be moving letters of various calligraphy on the spine. As she handed it to the strange dragon, she noticed his strength was impressive for one of his tiny stature; effortlessly holding it in a single claw, before shelving it.

“Hey Spike, what kind o’ books are these anyway?”

Spike spoke in a less formal manner than before, his accent seemingly having vanished.

“Hm? Oh, these are Grimoires Twilight has collected over the past thousand years, Applejack.”

“Is she really that old?”

Spike climbed up the ladder and slid the book into place next to a book that looked to have been made entirely of woven gold. Looking down, Spike replied offhandedly.

“Much older than that, to be honest. If it weren’t for Celestia’s enchantment on her, she’d probably have her wings by now, like her cousin.”

A look of abject horror appeared on Applejack’s face as she shouted out in fear.

“Can we say that?”

Spike just laughed.

“Yeah, thanks to Twilight’s spell, Celestia won’t be able to see or hear what we do in here. Feel free to say that tyrant’s name all you want.”

Applejack pulled another strange book that watched her back with a single bloodshot eye, causing her skin to crawl.

“Huh. Well, what about uh-Mistress?”

Spike opened his mouth to respond, only to be knocked off balance by a spurt of emerald flame; a rolled-up scroll flying out. Applejack gasped as she watched him fall and just when he was about to crash to the floor, a light purple glow enveloped Spike’s body causing him to levitate there, upside down. The scroll unrolled before his eyes, as he floated upside down.

“It says: Yes, I can hear and see everything that happens within my magical domain, Applejack and don’t ever call me mistress again. Twilight is fine. Since you’ve been working rather hard, take a break and enjoy some hard cider on me. Now, then, I have to take care of a cyan Pegasus who needs her wings clipped.”

At that moment a bottle of hard cider materialized, levitating before Applejack. Meanwhile Spike suddenly spat out yet another scroll in a plume of emerald flame, as he was lowered to the ground after being flipped right side up:

“And Spike be more careful.”

Applejack blinked in surprise as she reached out and grabbed the bottle in her hooves.

“Oh, Uh, Thanks, Twilight, Darling.”

Suddenly, Applejack gasped and ran to the window fervently scanning the landscape outside.

“Did she just say a ‘cyan Pegasus’, that sounds like Rainbow-”

CRASH!

Outside the window, Applejack was interrupted by several flashes of lightning over Ponyville, amidst the clear blue sky, were seen striking with fury: the explosions of the various impacts causing the ground to quake. And ten seconds later, the furious onslaught was over.

“What in tarnation?”

Moments later, the library door creaked open, and a blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail stumbled in, her wing tips charred black, groaning in a dazed stupor. Collapsing to the floor, she winced in pain as she murmured.

“I gotta help with unpacking books, or something.”

Applejack stared at the burns of lightning.

“Darling, what in the name of apples happened to you?”

Rainbow chuckled weakly.

“I-I don’t know.”

With that Rainbow fell unconscious.

Hours later, on another assigned break, Applejack took a cold swig of her cider, glancing at all the empty boxes, and the dozen or so more to go. Then her eyes wandered over the limp form of Rainbow on a cot nearby.

“Hey, y’all sure she’ll be alright?”

Spike didn’t bother glancing at Rainbow as he laid down a two of spades on the box.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine; if Twilight meant to kill her, she wouldn’t be here. My guess is she has plans for her. Not my place to question an Alicorn, and word of advice, I suggest you don’t either. Your move.”

Applejack took a look at the cards in her hooves, before playing the ace of spades on top of Spike’s card. Once more she glanced at Rainbow, still asleep, before shifting her gaze over to the bookshelves once again.

“Uno. So what exactly are these grimoires anyway?”

Spike replied while drawing a card, his bright green eyes almost appearing to dull as he did so.

“Books of the damned. Forbidden spells, taboo knowledge she’s taken from various, now extinct, ancient civilizations around Equus, and the like. Twilight says it quiets her mind to read them and remember those times. Ugh, go.”

Spike threw down an eight of spades in disgust after drawing fifteen cards. Applejack paused before lowering her final card, curious.

“There are darn near one hundred an’ twenty of those things on the shelves, an’ that’s only what we unpacked so far, we still got-”

Applejack paused to mentally count the boxes that were still sealed, gesturing with a hoof as she did so.

“Forty-five boxes to go. If they’re extinct then how did Twilight come across them?”

Spike seemed troubled for a moment.

“It’s still your turn.”

Applejack however, refused to let it go.

“Spike, how did Twilight get these?”

Spike looked her in the eyes with a deadpan expression, saying simply.

“The world has forgotten them, and you should forget this conversation ever occurred. Even a torch wouldn’t light the darkness ahead, if you don’t.”

Applejack glared at him and raised a hoof in annoyance.

“Darling, that best not be a threat.”

However, Spike didn’t seem bothered by the aggressive movement as he rose from the box and walked over to a sealed one; extending his razor-sharp claws to slice open the tape in an instant. He sighed, almost as if he had this conversation before.

“It’s a warning, from one who knows. Sometimes the light we follow hides the real monsters. Anyway, get your flank in gear, we got books to shelve, and you never know when Twilight will return.”

As AJ took a moment to try to comprehend his words, behind her Rainbow groaned and attempted to sit up, disrupting her thoughts.

“Ugh, what is going on?”

Turning around Applejack gave a warm smile and gave Rainbow a giant hug.

“Rainbow! Well, well. Look who finally woke up, Darling.”

A searing pain shot through Rainbow’s body causing her to grimace.

“AJ, take it easy. My wings are killing me.”

Applejack let go and looked at Rainbow Dash’s wings, sure enough, they were still crackling with electricity. Not only that, but she had electrical burns across her flank that seemed to be arcing with live current, still.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her head in confusion as she winced from the pain.

“I remember being yelled at to ‘go unpack books and stop being so lazy’ before being forcibly teleported to this place by a really angry purple Unicorn.”

Applejack frowned and stamped her hoof; a sign of annoyance for Earthponies. Locking eyes with the magenta eyes of the cyan-furred Pegasus, her tone became rather demanding. Almost like that of a mother asking a filly who took the cookie from the jar.

“Dash, y’all tell me right now. What did you do?”

Rainbow Dash twitched as electricity ran down her flank, and across her cutie mark; a rainbow-colored lightning bolt shooting from a fluffy white cloud. She shouted.

“I don’t know!”

“Oh yes ya do Darling, now you tell me everythin’ about your meeting with Twilight.”

“What’s a Twilight?”

“Darn it Dash, that purple Unicorn is Twilight!”

Spike interjected, as though in reflex.

“Alicorn.”

“Oh, that’s her name? Wait, she’s an Alicorn? She didn’t have any wings though.”

Applejack placed a hoof to her face and sighed in distress.

“Nevermind the wings. Just tell meh what ya did, Dash.”

“Oh right. Well, I was napping on a cloud above Ponyville when…”

A large insectoid-pony made its way towards the golden throne in Canterlot Castle, the creature’s black exoskeleton sparkled in the sunlit room; her wings of light blue fully illuminated, resembled spun star spider nests. A mane and tail of teal swayed to and fro with the slightest of breezes from a nearby window; while her fangs resembled those of a spider about to strike. With eyes of a bright envious green, she eyed the figure before her.

Though she stood as tall as any Alicorn, Chrysalis, Queen of her Changeling Hive, hesitated. She was a predator herself, hunting and trapping prey with ease, but as Celestia’s shadow from the throne washed over her, she felt uneasy. This was no predator; this was a monster. She was dangerous. Chrysalis’s every instinct was telling her not to just run, but to be afraid. She did her best to stand tall as her mind screamed to run, to hide somewhere, anywhere. Instead, she found herself instantly kneeling in submission as she greeted the Princess of the Sun.

“Princess Celestia.”

“Chrysalis”

The single word was spoken without a shred of emotion, as the Alicorn raised a hoof to gesture at Chrysalis.

“Rise. And tell me about the progress on the testing arena, my Little Changeling.”

Chrysalis slowly rose up, trembling from head to hooves. Though she herself was Changeling Royalty, she had been forewarned by her predecessor never to correct Princess Celestia. And now, she could see why. She considered her words carefully. Opening her mouth, she spoke in the strange, feminine multi-tonal voice native to her kind.

“My children are awaiting your command, Princess.”

Celestia smiled, sending Chrysalis’s flight or fight response into overdrive, stating in a voice devoid of any feeling.

“Perfect. I am glad I could count on you, such a shame the other hives decided to refrain from heeding my call. I knew I could rely on the Last of the Changeling Hives for assistance.”

Chrysalis froze, as sweat flowed across her exoskeleton. What did she just say? The last…There were over one hundred functioning hives to her knowledge. There’s no way she could have…Princess Celestia put an end to the ambiguity in a soul-shattering instant.

“I was most displeased by their replies. I have no doubt the last remaining Changeling Hive will flourish under your rule; Last of the Royal Changeling Family, Queen Chrysalis. Make sure you do not fail me, as they did. I would hate to see you suffer their fate.”

Chrysalis stared speechless into the mercilessly icy eyes of Celestia, as once again the Celestial Ruler smiled; a steely, emotionless smile. And Chrysalis swallowed hard.

“-And after that she transformed into a giant robot dragon and blew up the sun. It was awesome!”

Spike and Applejack stared in disbelief at Rainbow Dash. Spike sputtered.

“What in the- is she just stupid or something?”

Applejack sighed and looked down at her hooves.

“Ah am not drunk enough fer this. No, she ain’t dumb, she just doesn’t have a great attention span. Musta been zoning out when Twilight was talking to her. Truth is that the gal probably thinks that there daydream really happened.”

Rainbow Dash looked around at the bookshelves and suddenly shouted excitedly.

“Wow I didn’t know Ponyville had a library, oh hey AJ when did you get here?”

Spike just stared at Rainbow Dash for a moment before rolling his eyes and stating.

“Break’s over. Now help me get these on the shelf before Twilight returns.”

“Oh, that’s right. I gotta help unpack the books, too.”

Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves, careful not to move her still-sparking wings and walked over to where Applejack was and started unloading boxes with her. That’s when a rather fancy-sounding voice spoke up from the doorway.

“Is this the Sparkle residence, Dears? I was told my assistance was mandatory to put books on shelves by a member of the Royal Family.”

The three halted what they were doing and turned around and found themselves staring at a Unicorn mare whose mascara had been running down the sides of her face. Her teeth were exposed in a grated, forced smile. Her mane and tail were in utter disarray poking out from beneath a rose-colored ensemble that featured gold silken trim. Her azure blue eyes went wide with surprise upon recognizing both Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She frowned and spoke in utter disdain.

“Hold on, why are you two here?”

Chapter Three- Missing the Starfield for the Stars

Applejack’s mouth fell open at the sight of Rarity’s appearance, too stunned for words. Rainbow Dash however, grew excited at first and then confusedly inquired.

“Priestess Rarity, why are you here?”

The alabaster fur of the Unicorn mare stood up in fear, her eyes dilating as she scanned the library interior in a panic. Applejack, having come to her senses, quickly spoke up.

“Ya can relax, Darling, that one’s presence can’t enter this home.”

Rarity gave her a look of suspicion.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. If what Spike here says is true-”

Applejack gestured to the small dragon peering down from his perch on the ladder, before continuing.

“And after everything I’ve witnessed in the past few hours tells me it is, the magic spell on this library prevents Celestia from spying on us.”

Rarity tensed up; holding her breath as Applejack spoke the Celestial Ruler’s name, but when nothing happened after several seconds, she gave an exhale of sheer relief.

“Well, that’s a relief. Now then-”

Turning towards Rainbow Dash, she spoke, a thin-lined frown graced her lips.

“Why are you not preparing for the Lunar Communion?”

Glancing at Applejack, Rarity added.

“And associating with this heathen?”

“Now you just knock it off, Ah ain’t no heathen; Ahm a devout Lunar and y’all dern well know it!”

“Then why do you never attend nighttime mass at the church anymore?”

Applejack huffed, her nostrils flaring as she shouted at Rarity.

“Because if Ah dun get sleep I can’t harvest the dern Apples. If I don’t perform mah harvest every day, Celestia’ll burn my trees, ya bonehead!”

Taken aback by this ferocity, Rarity just stared at her. Applejack’s eyes grew wide in realization, before taking a deep breath and reaching up to pull off her stetson. Her blonde mane flowed down like windswept gold, sparkling in the light of the library; her eyes watering as she looked at it, and the large stain of rusty red that was splotched across it. She spoke in a softer, somber tone mixed with a bit of heartache.

“Look, Rarity, I’m sorry. We both just said some things we don’t mean. Ah say my prayers every night beneath the ‘mare in the moon’ before Ah close mah eyes. One night, it’ll be better, I believe that with all my heart and soul. Just like Mah big brother used ta say, before well-.”

Rarity looked down as she gently patted Applejack on her shoulder.

“Applejack, I’m sorry. I just miss you at the sermons. Your singing used to brighten the mood of that drafty basement so much. About your brother,I didn’t mean to bring that up. I- How have you and Applebloom been doing?”

Applejack seemed distressed as she scuffed her hoof against the library's golden oak flooring. Her voice trembled as she replied.

“I’ve been managing, but Applebloom ain’t said a single word since that day.”

Rarity’s expression changed to one of sympathy, as she gave Applejack a gentle hug. Applejack continued on, her voice dropping to a soulless whisper.

“She just goes ta school, does her chores, an’ her expression never changes. An’ y’know I don’t know what to tell her. I mean, What can Ah even say? You’ll see him again one day? That sounds good in theory, but Big Mac an’ I were all she had after the timberwolves-”

Applejack’s voice broke suddenly. Rarity released her hug, leaning back to gently dab the tears in Applejack’s eyes with a hoof.

“Oh dear. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like; forced to watch her own brother’s execution, like that. That poor filly. Maybe you could introduce her to my daughter; Sweetie Belle. I mean having another filly around her age to talk to might help. Dear I’m really sorry about earlier.”

AJ sighed heavily before placing the only memento of her brother; given to him originally by their Dad, back on her head.

“Yeah, forget it, we both got pretty heated fer a moment. So how did you end up here anyway? Your boutique is in the middle of town, last Ah checked.”

Rarity put a hoof to her forehead in theatrical distress.

“Oh that. I was working on an order to supply decor for the Lunar Tidings Celebration, when some purple Unicorn named Sparkle or something, demanded to see what I had done so far. So I-”

Applejack and Spike exchanged a glance as AJ interjected.

“Rarity, did this uh, Sparkle have a magenta star with, Ah dunno, six points on it, and oh say, five white stars forming an outer ring as a cutie mark?”

Rarity seemed slightly surprised, and gave her a nod.

“Why yes, she did. Applejack, I know you have an eye for detail, dear, but how did you know that?”

Spike spoke up.

“Alicorn.”

Rarity blinked in confusion.

“No, Celestia wasn’t there.”

From off to the side, with her head in a box Rainbow Dash piped up.

“I thought her name was Twilight!”

Applejack sighed.

“It is. She’s an Alicorn.”

Climbing back out of the box, with a book now clenched in her teeth, RD tried to speak.

“Rggh dar elrgh?”

“What?”

Rainbow repeated herself.

“Rggh dar elgh?”

Applejack and Rarity just looked at each other, before Applejack placed a hoof to her face in exasperation.

“Dash, Darling, take the darn book outta your mouth before ya speak.”

A look of realization dawned in Rainbow Dash’s eyes, seemingly just realizing she still had a book in her mouth. Placing it in Spike’s outstretched dragon claw, she turned towards Applejack, who nodded in approval.

Let’s try this again, what was your question, Dash?”

“Who’s Celestia again?”

Rarity chimed in, as though she had answered this question many times before, as Applejack took a bottle of hard cider and started chugging it in frustration.

“The white Alicorn tyrant that rules our world, Dash.”

“Oh, and the pink one is Twilight, right?”

Slamming the empty bottle down with a cracking sound as the glass shattered under her tremendous strength, Applejack groaned.

“No Dash, That’s Celestia’s daughter, Cadance. Look, Rarity. Twilight Sparkle is the so-called Unicorn that entered your Boutique. In reality, she’s a wingless Alicorn, according to Spike, got it?”

Rarity seemed a little intrigued.

“A wingless Alicorn, huh. I’ve never heard of such a thing. I wonder what happened to her wings.”

Spike gave a sweeping gesture towards the filled shelves, full of various grimoires, remarking quietly.

“Stolen by the sun.”

Applejack stared at Spike before suddenly her eyes grew wide with great concern; as if a light had gone on in her mind. As Rarity continued musing over the reason, AJ interjected swiftly, noticing a strange light in Spike’s eyes.

“Hey, uh, Rarity? How about instead of worrying about that, you tell us what happened between you an’ Twilight.”

“Applejack, I-”

Rarity's blood ran cold as Applejack locked eyes with her. That look. She knew that look. In an instant her mind flashed back to the events of ten years ago.

Applejack and Rarity quickly moved around the pulpit as they set up for the upcoming Lunar mass in the Church of the Silver Moon. In the main room, the Lunars; devouts of Luna, were already taking their seats.

“Applejack, make sure those notes are in order. Tonight we’re gonna discuss the virtues of self-sacrifice as told in the Book of Luna; Eclipse 16:12-25.”

“Yeah, yeah, Darling. I got y’all covered…wait a moment.”

In the middle of placing down the ceremony notes onto the podium, Applejack stopped suddenly, muttering to herself. Rarity looked at her.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

Applejack had a confused look on her face as she locked eyes with Rarity.

“Ah dunno. Something feels off. I can’t help but wonder about what that pony said in the marketplace earlier. Something about more guests attending tonight. They way they said it, shivering like-”

Applejack froze in mid-sentence as her eyes suddenly grew deathly serious, grabbing Rarity and throwing both of them down out of sight of the main room. The next instant, the sound of shattering glass and screaming was heard. Only to be silenced the next instance. Then there was just silence. Nothing but silence. And then:

“Who is responsible for this blasphemy?”

Rarity slowly poked her head out to see Applejack’s brother Big Macintosh with his stetson on his head, standing before the silent form of Princess Celestia; all around them the crimson remains of the patrons lay splattered.

“Me.”

Celestia stared down at the candy apple red furred stallion. Though it was clear he was terrified, he stayed standing in her presence, his knees shaking violently.

“You say that you are the one in charge here?”

“Eyup.”

After staring at him for a moment, Rarity watched Celestia’s eyes glance in her direction, before announcing coldly.

“I see. I’m afraid Ponyville has forgottenwho is in charge. Chain him up, I think tomorrow will be a beautiful Sunday to remind them.”

Big Macintosh was led away, his head held high in defiance, while behind the podium Applejack shed a single tear.

The next day, the crowd stood before the hastily built stage in the center of Ponyville; all of the townsfolk watching in dread as Big Macintosh was led towards a large guillotine. His face was blank, as he was locked into the device. In the front of the crowd, ordered by mandate, stood Applejack with her little sister on her back. Applebloom , though two years old, was silently watching as her brother looked up at her and smiled. Above his head, a massive steel blade glinted in the light of the sun.

Having already given the speech of crimes committed against the crown, Celestia gave the signal; a single, elegant flip of her mane. The sparkling blade of the guillotine came crashing down with a sickening THUD amidst the horrified screams of those watching.

Rarity watched as Big Mac’s head tumbled off the stage to land before his sister. Applejack stared at the smile forever on his face, for just a moment before leaning down to pick up the stetson he had been wearing, and though still saturated with a damp crimson, placed it on her head. Applebloom had begun to cry, inconsolable at the sight. Applejack turned to stare into Rarity’s eyes, AJ’s eyes watering in pain while the fresh crimson soaking the hat continuously dripped down her face.

Rarity knew that look, and she knew Applejack; better than most. She knew that look, and though she didn’t know what exactly AJ had figured out, she knew without a doubt she was being warned. And Rarity would have, and on a few occasions did, trust Applejack with her life.

With Charisma befitting her position of High Priestess of the Underground Church of the Silver Moon, honed over ten years of delivering mass, Rarity pivoted the conversation with ease; as though it was intended all along.

“-Was busy making some gold and white banners; almost finished mind you, when she walked in…”

Gesturing to herself with a purple hoof, Twilight spoke abruptly, as though there was something else on her mind.

“Twilight Sparkle, niece of Princess Celestia. I’m here to check on your progress as to my Aunt’s desires. Are you the one in charge of the decor for the Lunar Tiding Celebration?”

Rarity looked up from her sewing machine, and frowned.

“Customers are not permitted past the register.”

Twilight’s eyes half-closed in annoyance as though she were holding something back. She tried again.

“Listen, you. I have been instructed by the sun, herself, to see what you have done, and I just went through this with that insanely lazy Pegasus about the damned clouds. Show me what you have.”

“My name is Rarity. And I don’t care who you think you are. You are not permitted past the register. Now leave.”

Twilight’s body wiggled as though she were a pegasus attempting to rustle its wings. Her lip was curled in disgust. Yet, she continued trying to explain herself, in a semi-even tone.

“You really think throwing out the ‘niece of Princess Celestia’ regarding the ‘Lunar Tidings Celebration’ decorations; the decorations for the return of ‘Princess Luna, Celestia’s sister’, mind you, is the best idea?”

Rarity sneered at her.

“Oh please. Everypony knows Princess Celestia would send Cadence if anything, to check on her personal order. A real Alicorn, Not some random Unicorn with a mussed up mane and tail from off the damned street.”

Twilight gritted her teeth to force a smile, as her horn started sparking erratically.

“A Unicorn, huh? You think I am just ‘some Unicorn’?”

Twilight took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm herself down, as she began to twitch. Rarity failed to notice this as she continued on, oblivious.

“I doubt the likes of you even have enough magical energy to pose any kind of threat to me, so knock off the tough mare act. I graduated top of my class in a very Private Academy. Judging by your appearance, some street urchin like you isn’t even qualified to shine my hooves.”

Looking like she was about to suffer an aneurysm, and shaking rather violently, Twilight started cackling before suddenly becoming perfectly calm. In fact, her eyes were empty of any soul or emotion. Her horn glowed brightly with black magical energy as she spoke, tonelessly.

“I have things to do and I have no time for childish taunts. You are going to show me the decorations-”

Twilight’s eyes glowed a venomous green mixed with purple wisps as she continued.

“Or I am going to show you an eternity of utter despair as you live out your worst fears in a world where nightmares never end. Got it?”

Rarity finally seemed to grasp just what she was messing with, and began to slowly back away, trying her hardest to de-escalate the situation.

“Okay, let’s all calm down. Look, I’m getting the banners, see? We’re all friends here.”

Startled out of her rage, the glow in Twilight’s eyes faded, returning them to her usual shining amethyst, staring, stunned in utter disbelief at the many banners Rarity levitated before her.

“You can’t be serious.”

The banners were extremely well-made, from the trim to the emblem on the front. There was just one problem.

“White and Gold. You made white and gold banners for a ceremony to celebrate the return of the blue and black Princess of the Moon. Are you joking? Please tell me this is all a gag to make me laugh.”

Rarity shook her head looking confused.

“No. I am not all that great at making ponies laugh, Pinkie is the best bet for that. And I’ll have you know these are the exact specifications Princess Celestia always orders. Made to order as always. You wanted to see them and here they are.”

Twilight’s eyes twitched. Placing a hoof to her face, she groaned.

“I can’t believe I’m being this generous. Show me the order forms.”

“Why do you-”

Twilight shouted.

“NOW!”

The word was said with such force that all the windows in the boutique shattered, causing Rarity to rush frantically into the next room and swiftly grab the parchments on her desk. Returning, she found Twilight drinking a summoned Sweet Apple Acres Hard Cider that was nearly gone, with several other empty bottles beside her; seemingly a bit more mellow than before.

“Let’s see-”

Before Rarity could move, the parchments were ripped from her hooves and floated before the now rather intoxicated pony, as she read them.

“One hundred banners with a black border, royal blue background, featuring a black pennant emblem with a moon emblazoned in the center. The total cost was 4000 bits, and it says here she even paid in advance-”

Looking up at the utterly mortified face of Rarity, Twilight sighed and took a sip of her cider, smiling in victory.

“Now then, miss high horse, care to explain?”

Rarity began to panic, muttering over and over.

“But she always orders the same thing, I-”

Twilight’s horn glowed with a light purple magic.

“As insufferable as this has been, I’ve felt rather generous since I stepped into your little shop here, which means I’m in the right place-”

The banners changed to match the description on the forms before Rarity’s very eyes, which shocked her out of her breakdown. Twilight continued.

“So I’ve decided to help you out. In return, you will help me move into my new house. And so there is no misunderstanding, you will be helping to shelve my books.”

Before Rarity could utter so much as squeak of dismay, Twilight added.

“When I learned that a Priestess of Lunarism was running this shop, I assumed I would be met with elegance and class. How disappointing that I found a pony who can preach and lecture the virtues of the moon, yet fails to adhere to them, herself.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide, as Twilight sighed in annoyance.

“Humility was once Luna’s greatest virtue. And as generous as I am currently feeling, I shall allow you to think about what you’ve done here today. While you unpack my boxes, of course. Begone.”

“...And that is when I found myself here, with this wretched appearance. I assumed somepony of Celestia was waiting for me, so I did my best to announce myself as such. And on top of it, now no matter what I do, I can’t straighten my mane or tail out.”

Rarity frowned.

“I still don’t get why she felt the need to preach about the moon to me, though. How could she possibly know more about Lunarism than me?”

Applejack blinked at her.

“Uh, Darling?”

“What is it, Applejack?”

AJ gestured at her dress, particularly the golden crescent moons embroidered into the trim.

“Ya really don’t understand?”

“Applejack just spit it out.”

Pulling her close with a hoof, Applejack whispered in her ear.

“Rarity, in order to be Celestia’s niece, Twilight would have to be th’ daughter of her-”

Applejack left the sentence hanging and pulled back to see the reaction it garnered.

“Her sister, of course, but what would that have to do with-”

Rarity’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and her pupils dilated in panic as it finally dawned on her.

“Oh, stars above. Princess Luna. The daughter of Luna. Are you telling me, I insulted the daughter of the Princess Luna?”

Silence fell over the room for the next few minutes, while Rarity continuously murmured to herself in shock.

“No,no,no. What will she say when she returns, no, what should I do?”

Suddenly a burst of emerald flame shot out from Spikes mouth revealing a rather lengthy scroll. Taking it in his claws he read it out to everypony present:

“Good. Glad you finally understand, yes Miss Uppity, I am the daughter of Princess Luna and luckily for you, I still need you for- What in Tartarus? Where am I, and is this a Chaos Glyph? Did I just get summoned? How? Who could possibly summon- Was it you? Who are you? Vow of Disharmony, huh? So you are a survivor of the purging of Discord’s cult. Yes, I am aware you wouldn’t be heard by any not touched by Chaos. Yes, Miss Buttersky I can hear you. Fine, Flutterbush then, look I don’t give a flying feather what your name is, tell me why you made this glyph; quite unusual for a Pegasus to be performing such-high level magical incantations.”

Rarity blinked in surprise.

“Has she gone mad?”

Applejack, looking thoughtful, inquired.

“Spike? Are you allowed to explain how Twilight writes these?”

Ever eager to assist, as Familiars are, Spike nodded.

“She has a spell that allows her speech to be transcribed in real-time. When she recasts the spell the writing is halted and the message is sent.”

Rarity suddenly looked intrigued.

“I wonder who she’s talking to?”

Rainbow chimed in.

“Maybe it’s Twilight!”

Applejack shared a look with Rarity, the latter walking over to RD and gently hugging her, chiding her gently almost with a hint of sympathy.

“That’s right, dear, it’s Twilight. Applejack and I are so proud of you, why don’t you continue what you were doing.”

Rainbow Dash got excited and immediately, with a big smile, went back to unpacking books. Rarity went back over to the others and without any elaboration, aside a single, knowing look exchanged between Rarity and Applejack. Looking towards Spike, Applejack nodded.

“Sorry about that, Darling, never mind her. Carry on.”

Spike once more continued to read the writing on the scroll.

“You wanted a friend? Are you telling me that you tried to summon a being of Tartarus at random in hopes of summoning a friend, Buttershush? Yes, I suppose not being able to talk to anypony would be maddening. Hm? Me? I’m an Alicorn, but that’s not important, Shutterfly. Like I said, I do not care what your name is. What you’ve done, even in desperation, is a bastardization of Discord’s Law of Chaos.

Hm? Oh yes, I am well aware of exactly what Discord would say to you drawing this glyph, sloppily, and untrained I might add; summoning a demon of Tartarus with a direct thought in mind, instead of at random. How do I know what Discord would say to this? Who do you think taught that ungrateful Draconquis to begin with? Don’t bother answering that, no one else is aware of it either, Flutterstout. Don’t put too much stock in what can be seen, I really am an Alicorn. My wings will return to me in time and the ones that took them will perish in time. Now about you, you have a real magical potential, join me. I can teach you how to properly summon a familiar and maybe even help you remove that cursed vow you performed. Yes, I am feeling rather kind at this moment. Yes, this is a bit odd for me to feel such an emotion. What parchment? Oh hell, I forgot about that.”

Spike rolled up the scroll and tossed it to the side.

“That’s all there is.”

Applejack put a hoof to her chin and sighed. She muttered.

“Seems I were right after all. Guess we can expect a new visitor. Wonder who it is.”

Spike pointed behind Rarity.

“She’s been here, trying to talk to you for a few minutes now.”

Looking towards the door, both Applejack and Rarity noticed the butter-yellow Pegasus in a witch's hat, wearing a void-black cape with red writing on it, symbols of an unknown nature. On her flank she had three butterflies that were oddly gray, along with her mane and tail. She seemed to be yelling to get their attention, her mouth moving as she spoke to them, but neither Applejack nor Rarity heard a single sound.

“What in Tarnation?”

Spike nodded attentively as he watched the Pegasus, as if understanding her completely.

“I see…Welcome Fluttershy…Don’t bother, they can’t hear you…Why yes, I am her familiar…We can discuss that later, the books are over here. If you want to get on her good side, I would suggest unpacking them, so we can shelve these things. There is much to do. And time grows ever shorter.”

Chapter Four- The Mirror in Which She Gazed

“I’m looking for a pony with three balloons; one yellow and two blue on either side, as a cutie mark. I have reason to believe it is most likely a mare I’m looking for. Have you seen her?”

The pink filly in front of Twilight raised an eyebrow, her mane was a periwinkle with white stripes, while her flank boasted a small tiara on it. She tapped a hoof to her chin as if in thought, before turning to call out to another filly off to the side.

“Sweetie Belle! I think one of your mom’s friends is looking for somepony.”

A little white Unicorn came running over, her fluffed pink mane and tail bouncing as she did so. She had no cutiemark to speak of though she appeared the same age as the pink filly, and shouted at her as she ran up.

“What makes you think it’s a friend of my mom, Diamond Tiara?”

Next to her, hovering a few feet off the ground, an orange Pegasus filly rapidly fluttered her wings; like her friend she boasted no cutie mark. Her voice was rather gruff as she added.

“Yeah, what makes you think it’s her mom’s friend?”

Diamond Tiara looked unphased, turning her attention to the orange Pegasus, responding loftily.

“Well Scootaloo, she is looking for a mare and has an apparent focus on her flank. How many mares do we know like that?”

Sweetie Bell placed a hoof in exasperation against her face.

“Yeah, that’s definitely one of mom’s friends, alright. I’ll take care of this, why don’t you two go and play on the teeter totter or something?”

A look of concern appeared on Scootaloo’s face.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Sweetie Belle gave a bright smile.

“I’ll be fine, after all I doubt she needs me to perform magic.”

These words caused Twilight to focus her attention on the little Unicorn, as the others took off.

“You can’t use magic?”

The words were spoken without a hint of emotion, causing Sweetie Belle to grow anxious at the question. She stared up in Twilight’s eyes, trying to put on a brave face, but as she gazed into them, Sweetie Belle felt like she was staring into the void, itself. Her knees rattled as she stammered out bravely.

“N-no. It’s a medical c-condition. Mom says it-it only affects one out of a few hundred thousand Unicorns, guess I was just lucky.”

Twilight was silent, before nodding. Once again, the inflection in her words was flat, empty.

“I see. Maybe if you help me, I can give you something that may assist you with that.”

Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but feel existential dread just being near the Unicorn before her, still something told her this mare meant no harm.

“Are you really a friend of my mom’s?”

“Perhaps one day I will be. Now I am looking for a pony mare with three balloons on her flank; one yellow and two blue.”

Sweetie Belle sat for a solid minute, deep in thought, while Twilight stared down at her completely motionless with no expression on her face. Suddenly the tiny Unicorn brightened in excitement.

“Pinkie Pie! You can find her over at Sugarcube Corners, Miss uh-”

Twilight had already turned to head that direction, calling out, in a flat, expressionless way; her horn glowing light purple, causing a book to appear in Sweetie Belle’s hooves.

“Twilight. Twilight C. Sparkle. Thank you, Miss Belle.”

Sweetie Belle blinked in surprise, looking down at the book in her hooves: How to Overcome Unicroninuculosis, by Twilight Celestial Sparkle. Swiftly in surprise she raised her head to shout out to Twilight, only to find she was already gone. Behind her, her two friends ran up behind her.

“Sweetie, are you ok? We saw magic!”

Looking down, Sweetie Belle stared at the book in her hooves, hearing that toneless voice once more in her head:

What you do with the knowledge within those pages, is up to you. But keep in mind, you are the only one who those writings are meant for, others won’t be able to glean any information from my words. Perhaps an unfair hand can be redealt, or maybe you’ll disregard it. It all depends on what you decide. Regardless, this concludes my end of our bargain with your desire granted, the verbal contract has been fulfilled. Take care.

She glanced up at her friends, quickly hiding the book in her saddlebag as they approached. Smiling a huge smile, she gave them both a warm hug with the slightest spark of hope suddenly shining in her radiant green eyes.

“I’m fine, she just needed directions to Sugarcube Corners. Let’s get back to class, Miss. Cheerilee is waiting.”

Walking into Sugarcube Corners, Twilight approached the front counter, where she was greeted by a mature blue Earthpony mare, featuring a trio of cupcakes for a cutie mark; her mane and tail styled to resemble flowing pink cake icing, while both ears had tiny green ball earrings.

“Well Cinnamon Sugar on Toast, Princess Celestia’s own niece in my little shop. What can I do for you, your highness?”

The expression on Twilight’s face never changed; blank and just as empty as the words she spoke.

“Do you mind if I seat myself?”

“Not at all, do you have something in mind?”

Twilight glanced at the menu, a strange glow seemingly appearing around a particular item on it. She nodded stiffly.

“A ‘Party Surprise’ Cupcake, if you don’t mind.”

Nodding, Mrs. Cake jotted the request down on a notepad, giving a warm smile.

“Oh, what a wonderful choice! Please have a seat, it'll be out in a moment.”

Taking a booth by a window, Twilight sat there stone-faced, waiting and watching the doors of the kitchen. That’s when a bubbly, cheerful voice said energetically.

“Oh, wow! It really is you. I’ll be honest, I didn't think you would be arriving here this chapter.”

Twilight jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of a Pink Earthpony suddenly beside her, before chuckling lightly at the theatrical entrance.

“What the hell? Oh, I see. Laughter. You must be Pinkie Pie.”

Giggling, the bubbly Earthpony with a Dark Pink mane all poofed up, nodded; a massive smile on her face. Suddenly, Twilight frowned, something wasn’t right. Everything around her glowed brightly with the magic of the world, but around the mare sitting by her, there was no such glow. She opened her mouth to say so, when Pinkie leaned in close and whispered.

“Listen, Twilight, I already know what you want to say. Instead of talking here, how about we discuss this in private? My break is in fifteen minutes. Please, I promise I’ll explain everything, if you can just be patient.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this. After a second of staring into the pleading eyes of Pinkie Pie, she nodded; her voice suddenly gentle and caring.

“Alright, I’ll indulge this desire of yours, but no tricks.”

Grinning, Pinkie pulled a giant cupcake from out of her mane, one that couldn’t possibly have been hidden by it. Twilight blinked in surprise; the cupcake was the size of a dinner plate, and fully decorated with many colors of icing and sprinkles, even having been adorned with a fresh maraschino cherry.

“You’re the best! Here’s your ‘Party Surprise’ Cupcake by the way~”

A blast of confetti showered down from out of nowhere, while Twilight watched Pinkie cartwheel backwards into the kitchen. Twilight giggled at the sudden antics, looking at the ginormous cupcake before her. So that’s the Element of Laughter, huh? Impressive. Though why can’t I sense this world's energy on her? Twilight sighed. Now I just have to wait for-

“Sorry that took so long!”

Twilight looked all around her in absolute confusion. She was suddenly outside the town, next to Pinkie Pie beneath a tree, both sitting there. How did she get here? Pinkie, noticing her confusion, giggled looking directly at you as she spoke.

“Sorry about that, you’ll have to forgive me; I skipped a little ahead in the story so you wouldn’t have to wait as long for your answers.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Pinkie turned to look at Twilight, completely taken by surprise.

“You saw that?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, before replying in an inquisitive nature.

“Of course I did. You just looked towards the sky and while I couldn’t see exactly who you were talking to, you clearly were speaking to somepony. How could I not?”

Pinkie sat down, placing a hoof thoughtfully on her chin.

“That’s odd, usually nopony takes notice when I talk to them.”

“Who is ‘them’?.”

Pinkie points a hoof directly towards you.

“The one reading this story, of course. Right there, see?”

Glancing in the direction of the hoof, Twilight saw nothing, but rather than dismiss it as insanity, Twilight took a moment to ponder the situation out loud.

“You are able to see beyond the confines of our world, huh? And you claim we are part of some story?”

Pinkie nodded, glancing up once more, laughing brightly.

“That’s right! A Dystopian Drama, according to the tags.”

Twilight considered what she had said, and though she wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, she was certain of one thing.

“Correct, I am not from this world of yours, Twilight.”

Pinkie popped up beside her in an instant, no longer standing where Twilight had been looking. Twilight stiffened; Alicorns in this world were mediators of Harmony; both Chaos and Order. Morality such as good and evil didn’t concern them at all, as long as the balance was maintained in the process through their actions. Twilight was struggling to resist removing Pinkie from existence; something, Pinkie, upon reading this paragraph, began to address immediately, and quite frantically at that.

“Wait, wait, wait! Before you do that let me explain what happened.”

Twilight was oddly curious at the display Pinkie was putting on. Something about her was wrong for this world, but yet, Twilight for once, felt a pang of desire to let her be, as there was clearly no malicious intent present within Pinkie. Plus, she was begrudgingly warming up to this ball of energy.

“Alright then. It’s clear you can see something I can’t, and I can clearly see you're not the Pinkie that should be here at this point and time. Go ahead. Explain it to me. But like I said before, no tricks-”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, causing even Pinkie to lose her energy just staring into those merciless orbs.

“-Or I will end you, here and now. Start talking.”

Pinkie suddenly stopped bouncing around, nervously glancing up at you as she leaned in close to Twilight. Twilight took notice of this sudden shift while Pinkie whispered in her ear.

“I know you want me to be serious right now and tell you everything, but rather than just talk about it in a hyperactive way as is often expected of me, how about I show you instead?”

Twilight leaned forward and whispered back.

“Why are you whispering in my ear?”

Pinkie replied with a shrug.

“Dramatic tension.”

Twilight blinked in annoyance.

“Be serious. Or I will kill you. Last chance.”

Pinkie threw her hooves up in surrendered panic. She began to speak quickly.

“Okay, listen. I really do want to show you something. Problem is, I need you to laugh first, otherwise I can’t.”

Twilight frowned.

“You need me to…laugh?”

Pinkie nodded as Twilight inquired.

“Is this some kind of magic?”

“A magic of sorts.”

Twilight seemed intrigued by this reply.

“Is it a magic I can learn?”

Pinkie sat down and tapped a hoof to her chin, considering the question. Musing out loud she slowly turned towards you while revealing the following.

“As the Element of Magic, many, including yourself, are aware of your capability, Twilight, to see, and immediately decipher, cast and replicate any form of magic. However, the magic I perform has no exact rhyme or reason-”

Pinkie’s tail started to twitch, and she moved to the side as a flowerpot crashed to the ground where she had been; followed by a dresser, and a four poster bed. Twilight looked up to see a gray Pegasus mare with several bubbles on her flank calling down to her.

“Sorry! I just don’t know what went wrong!”

Twilight looked at Pinkie realizing that the Earthpony had known what was about to happen. How was this possible? Pinkie continued her explanation as though nothing had even happened.

“Except one constant rule to activate it: Laughter. My magic is tied directly to the ability to make others laugh. If I can make them laugh then the action can be done; even if impossible by any known standards. And in your case-”

Twilight nodded.

“Alicorns don’t laugh naturally. In fact, when it comes to emotional responses, we just don’t have any. If it weren’t for your Element being near me, I probably wouldn’t feel anything whatsoever, as Alicorns operate only on pure logic and practicality. We maintain the balance, after all; both sides of it, the good and the evil as others may see it. Or at least, we did.”

Pinkie nodded, excitedly stating.

“Exactly! So no, to answer your question. In your current state, I don’t think even with the Element of Magic you can learn to perform this magic, Twilight.”

Twilight was silent for a moment, glancing down at the ground as she thought about this new information. Slowly, a smile spread across her face, evolving into a light giggle and finally loud laughter as she exclaimed.

“That is so ridiculous. The Element of Magic, according to the book: Elements of Harmony, is able to learn any magic and is currently unable to learn magic clearly being shown to her. An Alicorn that literally is the living manifestation of magic, itself, has no chance of learning a type of magic cast by a single Earthpony, whose kind are known for not knowing magic to begin with. How ironic is that?”

Pinkie watched Twilight laughing and a massive grin appeared on her face. Leaping into the air an abundance of confetti fell down from nowhere, as she shouted excitedly.

“That’s it! Let the show begin!”

Twilight, startled by the sudden shower of confetti, ceased laughing and watched in astonishment as Pinkie stretched her hoof like it was made of rubber, grabbing hold of the sky itself and pulling it down to reveal a massive hole in reality.

But it was what was in that hole that Twilight couldn’t believe she was seeing. A living room, with an empty couch in front of a strange device, that showed moving pictures and seemed to be speaking:

“Now let’s get back to My Little Pony only on the Hub!”

In an instant, the scene shifted and Twilight gasped.

“Is that me? Rainbow Dash? And you? And Rarity, Applejack, - Pinkie what is going on?”

Pinkie, standing off to the side, pointed to the scene as it continued on:

“-And magic makes it all complete, you have my little ponies~”

“Twilight, this is the world I came from. I give you My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. A world that existed as a TV show that aired in another world. My friends and I went on wacky adventures, learning lessons, and discovering the magic of real friendship; metaphorically and quite physically.”

Twilight watched in surprise in awe as the version of her and the others walked about the animated world. She had never heard of a TV before, but something about it made her smile. On the device’s front appeared the words: ‘Too Many Pinkie Pies’.

“I wanted to make them smile.”

Pinkie Pie’s tone was horribly somber, causing Twilight to turn to look at her. Pinkie’s mane was deflated, and she looked despondent.

“Are you alright?”

Pinkie sighed, lamenting.

“I loved making Ponies smile. It gave my life purpose, and it still does. But I stretched myself too far, trying to be everything to everyone, and as a result I lost everything. Just-just watch Twilight.”

Twilight turned back towards the opening, and watched as the device showed her Pinkie’s past. For thirty-two minutes and forty-five seconds, Twilight observed her antics; the desire for more fun, the inability to be everywhere at once. It wasn’t until the mirror pool was revealed that Twilight frowned in annoyance. Still, she stayed silent and watched it all to the very end, turning towards Pinkie and taking a deep breath.

“You became a casualty of your own greed. Do you realize that?”

Pinkie was a bit surprised.

“Greed? No I just-”

Twilight cut her off, marching up to her, clearly not having it as she lectured Pinkie heavily.

“Wanted to have fun with your friends, all at once and all the time because you were quantifying the amount of fun you were having with one, and greedily decided you could have more. So you decided to use the Mirror Pool. Something your Twilight may not know of, but this one sure as Tartarus does.”

Pinkie cowered under Twilight’s glare. Yet, the Alicorn continued, clearly having something to say on the subject.

“Oh yes, Pinkie I am well aware of the Mirror Pool; especially how it reflects not you as yourself but what you desire most at the time you glimpse yourself within it. Your doppelganger is then infused to emulate this desire of yours, little miss fun,fun,fun-”

Noticing Pinkie’s eyes tearing up, Twilight sighed and took a step back, her horn glowing with light purple magic; a large bottle of Apple Whiskey appearing to levitate before her. Conjuring a glass, Twilight poured the bottle until it was halfway filled with the golden amber liquid. Pinkie just stared in disbelief as two ice cubes were also conjured and dropped in the glass.

“Not that I don’t have my own issues, mind you.”

Standing up and brushing her tail off with a hoof, Pinkie stared at her before inquiring.

“Like what?”

Twilight, having downed the glass in an instant, and now halfway through the bottle, smiled.

“Oh, I like you.”

Pinkie giggled.

“Oh thanks, I-”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, throwing the glass bottle to the side with such force that it created a miniature explosion of glass fragments.

“Back to the matter at hoof. I’m going to tell you what is going to happen. You are going to fix that hole-”

Pointing directly at the living room, Twilight continued.

“Going to acknowledge what you’ve done. And believe me, that Mirror Pool nonsense can never happen again, I took care of that long ago. So that’s no concern of mine. And you are going to-”

Twilight’s eyes softened.

“-Join me for a shake at Sugarcube Corners. We can talk more there.”

Pinkie, having just finished rolling back up the flap and closing the break in reality, turned around to just stare at her.

“I-What? But- But there’s no Romance tag on this story!”

Twilight chuckled drunkenly.

“No, not as romantic partners, just as friends. Frankly, you've been through enough and I want to see you smile.”

Pinkie grinned and bounced around in excitement.

“I’d love that!”

The two started off, walking side by side, as Twilight suddenly said.

“You know, after everything that has just happened, we are definitely putting rum in that shake.”

“Sounds like fun!”

“And making it a double. I really need a drink.”

Chapter Five- Butterfly of Chaos

The silence was maddening, though for her the madness was home. She had been born into it, and grew up welcoming it. Fluttershy slowly pulled books from within the boxes of Twilight’s library. It was rough going, her physical strength wasn’t much and she struggled just to move one of them. Still, she refused to give up. The silence was madness and the madness her strength; again and again she repeated this mantra in her mind. The same mantra she had been mentally whispering since that fateful day one millennium ago.

In the time before Celestia’s rise to power, The Kingdom of Central Chaos was bustling as the skies rained chocolate milk. In the downpour completely unfazed, the residents went about their business. All of them various kinds of Ponies, they all boasted curiously gray cutie marks. Their manes and tails were all the same similar shade of gray, though their fur boasted a wide variety of colors. Green, orange, yellow and even blue and red Ponies casually went from shop to shop, often stopping to chat amidst random occurrences happening all around them.

As a flurry of sunflowers sprouted from the ground in her wake, an adolescent, yellow-furred Pegasus happily pranced down the street, a basket clutched in her teeth. Dodging nimbly to the side as a flaming meteor slammed into the ground where she had been, the Pegasus headed towards an empty shop stall.

Standing in front of the vacant shop counter, she watched as a magical symbol drew itself on the wall in front of her, and from it stepped a shadowy form in the shape of a towering dragon. Its voice was a rough, gravelly growl.

“Welcome mortal, to Spike’s-”

His voice softened upon seeing the happily waving Pegasus.

“Why hello again, Fluttershy, what brings you to my stall today?”

Fluttershy giggled as a hoola-hoop suddenly appeared and the monstrous demon suddenly swayed for several seconds, swinging the hoop around and round until it vanished; the conversation carried on like nothing even happened.

“Today’s my Vow Day! I was wondering if I could see a bit of chaos before my ceremony, Mister Spike.”

Spike chuckled, before coughing up a bunch of soap bubbles, and a black rose appeared in Fluttershy’s mane.

“I think we can do that.”

Pulling out a paintbrush, Spike dipped it in an empty pan, before closing his eyes; drawing concentric shapes in the air. Fluttershy clapped her hooves excitedly, suddenly letting out a sudden wolf’s howl as a bright red circle with a multitude of colors making various lines appeared before her eyes. The circle glowed brightly before a single golden rose started to grow within her basket.

Spike opened his eyes, and the symbols vanished, taking note of the rose and smiling.

“It would seem the Lord of Chaos blesses you this day, little Shy. Now off you go, time to say your Vow. You really don’t want to keep Discord waiting, after all.”

Today was Fluttershy’s sixteenth birthday; unlike the others around her, Fluttershy’s mane and tail were a beautiful silken pink and her flank boasted three pink and blue butterflies. Today was a momentous day, Vow Day; the day Fluttershy would take the Vow of Disharmony before the Chaos Lord, Discord bearing witness. Today was the day she would become Discorded. And Fluttershy was excited.

She raced off towards the massive castle with high spirits. For years she had excelled in her Chaos studies; the thoughts of spreading it far and wide in Discord’s name caused her glee. Bursting literally through the front door when it suddenly turned into a slice of swiss cheese, Fluttershy giggled. Today was the day. Today was her day. She stopped running and slid down the hallway as the carpet became slippery like ice; barely avoiding the help, who seemed to be working hard to use rubber chickens as brooms.

Fluttershy’s spirits were high as she pushed open the door to the inner sanctum. On a throne of candy corn sat the Draconequus ruler of the known world, peering down at her with his yellowed eyes and red pupils.

Fluttershy stared in awe at her chaotic idol. He stood upright, bipedal, with limbs mismatched, seemingly representing the various races of Discordia, talons of a griffon on one side and a manticore paw on the other for his arms. His mane was that of a zebra, while his neck elongated like that of a hydra. His two legs featured a hoof on one side, and an insectoid limb on the other. A long scaly tail, resembling a dragon’s own curled around the base of his throne, as he clasped the sides of it, dramatically rising to his feet.

With the snap of his talon, Discord was suddenly beside her, speaking in the tenderest, dulcet tones.

“Well, well, well. Little Fluttershy the night has come, little one. I can see-”

He said, closing his eyes, as Moonlight shone down from the sky in the light of day over the kingdom. All traffic stopped as his voice boomed across the entirety of Discordia.

“The Chaos you will spread; a Pegasus with a propensity for magic. Why, if that isn’t chaotic, nothing is. What a thrilling day this is, your Discoronation. You may end when ready.”

Fluttershy bowed her head in respect, her voice broadcast to all as she spoke straight from the heart.

“I, Fluttershy, in malice and kindness, disorder and chaos shall share the joys of ruining the Order and Harmony within the world and within myself. As long as the sun shines brightest in the night, and fish may fly through our skies I shall shout your greatness in the softest of whispers. I vow to make Chaos my guide, and Disharmony my purpose.”

Discord laughed and tapped Fluttershy on the head, watching as her tail and mane slowly turned gray, her cutie mark losing every semblance of color it possessed turning gray. And yet, Fluttershy smiled. She had been accepted by her hero.

All around her, the area suddenly glowed with an intense golden light, a mare’s voice void of any emotion shouting in a booming voice, that echoed across the landscape.

“ We are the Harmony.”

A bright silvery light intertwined with the golden glow, as another cold as ice voice, also void of emotion called out.

“We are Judgement.”

Discord’s eyes grew wide as he quickly grasped the scenario, the lights growing ever brighter. He turned to look at Fluttershy, and snapped his talons, causing her to appear in his arms. He spoke to her in a soft serious voice, she had never known, as she gazed up at him, her eyes watering in fear.

“My little Chaos, your story has just begun. I’ve watched you as you’ve grown and-”

A portal opened in front of Discord as the lights around him grew brighter still.

“You have no idea how proud I am of you, my daughter.”

In one swift motion, Discord tossed her into the portal, his limbs now turning to stone as the glow around him erupted in a massive explosion.

“Now Perish. All of you.”

And in that single, fiery, icy blast, with the sun and moon both shining down, the last Kingdom of Chaos was wiped from the face of what was to become Equestria. And with it, all traces of Discord and his Chaos followers from the annals of history.

Fifteen hundred years later; Equestria flourished under Celestia and her sister, and after a furious war, eventually just Celestia. The world continued turning and in a cavern within the Everfree Forest a portal opened up, and out tumbled Fluttershy; confused and frightened. Frantically she surveyed her surroundings, but there was nothing.

“Dad?”

Nothing but darkness, nothing but silence.

“Dad!”

Just silence greeted her. She was completely alone.

Fluttershy dropped the book in her hooves by accident. She stared at it. It was so heavy, but she couldn’t give up. She thought about that fateful meeting just hours ago; that Unicorn, no, that Alicorn and the words Twilight had told her before sending her there.

“-Parchment, ah hell, I forgot about that.”

Twilight spoke these words with a devilish wink, watching as the message vanished in a puff, before turning back to look at Fluttershy.

“Now that we are alone, let’s talk for real. I can sense his magic in you. Tell me, Fluttershy, how do you know Discord?”

Fluttershy stared in disbelief at the self-proclaimed Alicorn before her. Something was different, almost sinister about her.

“Who are you really?”

Twilight smiled, an empty smile that sent shivers down Fluttershy’s spine. With every word spoken, the temperature within the cavern dropped; the very air seemed to crystalize and turn to ice.

“A Nightmare, like my mother before me. And the only chance you have of ever seeing Discord again. Now answer my question.”

Fluttershy cowered under the soulless glare of Twilight.

“M-my father.”

Twilight blinked, taken by surprise. Had she heard right?

“What did you just say?”

“Discord’s my father!”

Fluttershy, in complete panic, shouted the words in Twilight’s face. Twilight however, ignored the action, instead more interested in the statement Fluttershy had made.

“Your father? Hold on, are you saying Discord is your dad?”

“Yes.”

Twilight stared at Fluttershy, who trembled under her gaze. The magical energy of Discord definitely flowed throughout her body, but for her to be directly related to him she would have to be well over fifteen hundred years old; not nearly as old as Twilight, but then again Alicorns were immortal. Pegasi were not. Not to mention Pegasi, well, actual Pegasi, were believed to be extinct, ever since her cousin’s wedding to that Changeling Queen, a dozen years ago. She was vaguely interested before, but now, Twilight was completely invested.

“You have my attention. Explain. And do it fast, we don’t have much time.”

Fluttershy told Twilight everything. She didn’t know why she was spilling her life’s story to the rather arrogant, self-professed ‘Nightmare’. Yet as Fluttershy stared into those soulless amethyst eyes, the Pegasus felt a sort of kinship; was it that both of them utilized chaos? Perhaps because both knew Discord. But Fluttershy felt something closer than that. Something familiar.

“-and so dad threw me into the portal, and I arrived here.”

Twilight was quiet for a moment, before her horn glowed a light purple, touching Fluttershy’s head without a word. As they stood there, Fluttershy’s eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as more and more images were magically passed through her mind. She stammered out.

“Then your my m-”

Twilight smiled coldly.

“Who knows? It was so long ago, after all. Though-”

That cold smile softened, and a strange warmth could be felt radiating from her.

“-Your name, Fluttershy is pronounced Flutar-shai, or Beauty of Kindness, in Ancient Alicornian. Because while I held you in my hooves, that’s all I could see.”

Before Fluttershy could so much as gasp, Twilight started fussing with her mane, seemingly driven by instinct, muttering to herself.

“Your father always was so selfish, a brute and such a comedian; never taking anything seriously-”

Pausing, Twilight used her hoof to straighten out Fluttershy’s mane; the latter of which didn’t attempt to stop her, still in shock.

“Still, I can’t deny Discord’s intuition has always been uncanny. To think he would send you forward in time to land here, probably knowing full-well we would meet again-”

Twilight took a step back, to nod approvingly at her styling job, before her horn glowed with a light purple once more.

“-Though, to think he didn’t even provide you a proper Chaos Mage’s attire. That idiot, So irresponsible.”

Gently wrapping the summoned cloak around Fluttershy’s midriff, Twilight locked eyes with her, a soft sentiment present for just a moment while she told her.

“We argued all the time. And we never saw eye to eye. But there was one thing we agreed upon. And that was you.”

In the library, amidst the maddening silence, Fluttershy gave a small smile of happiness; gently pulling her cloak all around her, comfort and warmth flowing through her as she thought about Twilight’s words. Glancing at the book on the ground, she used all of her strength to pick it up once more and slid it with great effort onto the bookshelf; the magic surrounding the bookshelves, becoming slightly darker in color. Fluttershy grinned in victory before turning to the box of books and gave a sigh of lament, noticing the five left within.

“So is Fluttershy really your dau-”

Twilight slammed her hooves on the table, snarling at Pinkie Pie.

“Don’t say that word!”

Pinkie stared wordless at the sudden outburst from the normally reserved Twilight. Narrowing her eyes, Twilight spoke with deliberate emphasis as she stated.

“She is always listening. My child died a long time ago.”

Pinkie froze, staring into those dead eyes, before swiftly changing the topic.

“Oh hey, I just finished reading the other chapters and something has me curious.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, having summoned a few bottles of cider and was currently downing them at a rapid pace. Her tone suddenly became more mellow, and she gently lowered the bottle onto the table. She considered asking about the chapter comment and then decided it was more of Pinkie's ‘magic’ at play.

“What’s that?”

“How did you lose your wings?”

Twilight froze for a moment, before taking another drink. She then replied.

“We possess no emotions. We feel nothing. An Alicorn must never let emotions get in the way of their decisions.”

It was an odd phrasing of words, almost as though it was something she had been told hundreds of times over. Pinkie took a sip of the rum-infused milkshake, considering everything before glancing at you.

“So, what happened?”

Twilight’s voice was completely aloof as she replied.

“I did exactly that. Aunt Celestia and my mother did not approve. So, they took my wings, and siphoned much of my power. Though, I didn’t make it easy for them.”

Taking note of the horrible smile on Twilight’s face, Pinkie swallowed hard. Maybe for once she didn’t want to understand. Maybe she could just let it go, maybe she didn’t need an answer-

“How so?”

Pinkie clasped her hooves over her mouth, silently cursing her inability to stop herself. Twilight, however, seemed to have no issue answering her; every glass in Sugarcube Corners shattering, spilling their contents all over, as she did so.

“Who do you think trapped Luna in the moon in the first place?”

Amidst the cries of dismay from the patrons, Pinkie sat there in stunned silence. She stared, mesmerized by the murderous rage shining deep within those normally placid amethyst eyes; the wingless Alicorn quietly taking another sip from the now-partially cracked cider bottle.

Chapter Six- Pandora's Box

The Pink Alicorn lay in a hospital bed, in critical condition. Hooked up to the best magical generator-prototype bits could buy, she gasped and struggled to breathe. Her one remaining wing was mangled beyond recognition: a twisted mass of bones and muscle. A team of medical Unicorn stood by it, furiously channeling everything they had into repairing it. Her other wing though, was completely gone, with a metallic alchemical construct being slowly fused to the stump that remained.

Her barrel, or rather what remained of it heaved in erratic intervals; the exposed organs, being held in place only by a magical barrier. Her remaining eye was wide as she mentally screamed in utter agony, the bloodshot appearance indicative of her inability to close it.

She glared, unblinkingly at Princess Celestia. She had warned her mother. She had warned Aunt Luna. Neither had listened, and now half the continent had been altered forever. Using her only good hoof to rip the mask off she gasped, with a hoarse, gravely, voice.

“You’ve opened up Pandora’s Box.”

With that she finally closed her singular, remaining eye, losing consciousness as the medical personnel frantically rushed to reattach the mask.

Cadance sat upright in her bed; a horrible pain shooting up her reconstructed spine. She panted, with a metallic breathing, looking around her in utter panic. Slowly, she came to her senses and realized it was just a dream. No, not a dream. A memory. Her robotic eye rotated in its socket, before she blinked both eyes in annoyance. Fifteen hundred years since that apocalyptic event, and still she trembled at just the mere thought of it.

“Nrrgh…Honey what time is it?”

Disturbed by the sudden movement, her wife rolled over and drowsily called out to Cadance, causing her to smile. Not once had Chrysalis ever asked about her scars or augmentation. Never once in the past twelve years had Chrysalis been anything but supportive; even when Cadance had renounced her claim to her mother’s throne. When she turned her back on her heritage, Chrysalis had been there for her.

Cadance leaned down and used her hooves to pull the comforter up onto her wife of twelve years.

“Go back to sleep, honey. It’s still daylight out.”

Apparently, that was all the Changeling Queen needed to hear, sleepily wrapping the silken sheets around her body and rolling back over; a loud snore emanating from her. Before she finished turning over, she had already gone back to sleep, Cadance gently kissed her cheek.

“Sleep well, I’m going to go for a walk, see what the children are up to.”

Cadance left their bedroom and started down the hallway, passing a massive nursery; Pegasi mares of every color were racing around tending to the hundreds of swaddled grubs, pausing just momentarily to give a respectful wave to Cadance before racing around once more.

She nodded and continued to the rusted door that led outside; her mind distracted by thoughts of that memory. She hadn’t thought about that for hundreds of years. Using her hooves she pressed lightly on the door, causing it to fly open with tremendous force; causing those outside to stop what they were doing as the door flew across the courtyard of the bustling military compound.

Above the fragmented concrete, a Pegasus stallion hovered, watching over a gathering of fifty or so infant Changelings currently attending Kindergarten. Cadance watched him shout down to a group playing Four Square.

“You four! Repair that. Now!”

The four immediately rushed, with tremendous speed and efficiency; having the door mostly repaired by the time Cadance took a single step. Watching in amusement as the Stallion approached her, Cadance took note of his features. He had white fur, and a midnight blue mane and tail. His cutie mark was that of a winged lightning bolt, making her chuckle at the thought. Staring down into his gorgeous emerald-green eyes, Cadance smirked.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Thorax.”

The Pegasus stallion gave a laugh and placed his hoof to the back of his head, blushing in embarrassment.

“Sorry, mom. I found this one during cleaning duty, and I really enjoyed the colors of his fur and mane and tail and…Do I look cool?”

Cadance gave the stallion a loving hug as she replied.

“Very cool, honey. So, what was this one’s name?”

The stallion seemed thoughtful as he talked through his thoughts.

“I think he was one of those Wonderbolt things…Um, Steve, no, Stew, no…Soarin! That was it. His name was Soarin.”

Cadance nodded.

“Well, that appearance looks good on you. By the way, where is your sister?”

Thorax placed Soarin’s hoof against his chin.

“Ocellus? I think she’s over on the runway. After repairing the damages, she gathered a bunch of drones to do flying lessons, I think.”

“Oh? They finally repaired the runway?”

“Yep!…oh wait. No. She wanted it to be a surprise! You didn’t hear it from me, okay?”

Candace patted her Changeling son on the top of his head, gently brushing her hoof through his transformed mane. Wrapping both of her wings, the metal one and the magically reconstructed one, around him in a warm hug.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t hear a word.”

Cadance’s working ear twitched slightly.

“Besides, it would seem you have something else more concerning to deal with besides your sister yelling at you.”

Thorax looked confused at the statement.

“Mom what are you-”

“Mama, mama! Us dids it!”

A tiny Changeling drone came running, stumbling every now and then as she approached Cadance, clearly proud of her achievements. Cadance glanced up and looked towards the door, desperately trying not to laugh. Trying to keep her voice even as she gazed into the overjoyed drone’s face.

“You certainly did, mama is so proud.”

Following her gaze, Thorax’s mouth dropped open in absolute shock. The door had been repaired alright, upside down and backwards, with the push bar facing outward at the top. Somehow, the four had also managed to turn half of the push bar to the inside as well; turning the door into an impressively impossible to open entryway. Leaning down, Cadance picked her child up with her tremendous strength in a single hoof. She nuzzled her daughter whispering gently to the drone; her voice raspy and distorted by her alchemical vocal cords.

“You did wonderful but maybe you should-”

The drone listened to her mother, before her eyes grew wide with realization. Frantically, she tried to squirm out of her mother’s grasp; running as fast as she could back to the others and started drawing a picture in the dirt. All of them immediately tore the door off the entryway and worked to re-attach it properly. Cadance smiled.

“Thorax, go assist your little sister and brothers.”

No sooner had she spoken his name, Thorax had rushed over and began directing them. Cadance, meanwhile, turned to leave, her thoughts a little lighter. These were her children and she loved them all. Though suddenly an image from the past resurfaced in her mind.

The Alicorn Twilight frantically searched the wreckage of Discord’s dwelling, tearing away the rubble with her hooves, her teeth, her magic; tears running down her face. Again and again, she murmured to herself.

“No, no,no. Please no. Where are you? Please no. Answer mama, please…Answer…mama.”

Behind her Princess Cadance stood trying to get her attention.

“Twilight, they’re-”

Whether by shock or denial, Twilight ignored her and continued her desperate attempts. Finally, three days later, her body gave out and she sat there, just staring at the mangled rubble of Discord’s Kingdom.

Suddenly her eyes darkened, and an unholy, guttural scream tore itself from her throat. Cadance, who had remained there to console her, could feel the winds around her swirl, with a massive hurricane developing all around them. The thunder crashed, and lightning struck the ground all around them.

Twilight looked at Cadance, while an aura of void magic engulfed her body, wrapping around her with tendrils of darkness.

I’m going to kill you…”

Her teeth grew into fangs, while her horn glowed with black magic.

“I’m GOING to KILL you.”

She slammed her hooves down in rage, causing the ground below her to spiderweb with cracks from the impact as she roared out in teeth-gnashing fury.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!”

Cadance screamed as Twilight launched herself towards her.

“Aurgh!”

With a sudden jolt, Cadance was brought back to the present; finding herself being threshold carried by Chrysalis. Chrysalis looked down into her wife’s eyes and chuckled.

“Well, look who decided to wake up.”

Cadance was confused, frantically inquiring.

“What happened? Where’s Twilight?”

Delivering a kiss to Cadance’s forehead, Chrysalis’s explained everything while using her powerful hindlegs to kick open the door to their bedroom.

“You let out a blood-curdling scream that caused every one of our children within Cloudsdale to freeze in panic. I woke up hearing you in distress and rushed to your side; just in time to see your knees buckle from fear. I raced to your side as fast as I could and just managed to catch you before you hit the dirt.”

Laying Cadance on the bed sheets with the most delicate of grace, Chrysalis’s voice grew suddenly grim.

“As for this Twilight of yours, baby, you know I’m not one to pry into your past, but considering this caused our entire Hive to momentarily panic, I think you owe me this one.”

Cadance lay there staring up into the concerned eyes of the one who’d been by her side for the past twelve years. She silently cursed herself; she hadn’t thought of that moment for hundreds of years. Why? Why has that memory come back now? Slowly, she nodded. Using the robotic synthesizer that served as her voice she spoke in a metallic, grating voice.

“You’re right. It’s just-”

Chrysalis lay down next to her and dragged a hoof slowly down Cadance’s barrel.

“Love, I’m here for you, and no matter what you may say, I’ll always be right here, beside you. Talk to me.”

Cadance let out a sigh of resignation, changing her position to lay her head on Chrysalis’s midriff.

“It’s not a memory I like visiting, but you are right I owe you an explanation. Twilight Sparkle is an Alicorn, like me. My cousin, actually; the spawn of Princess Luna and King Sombra of Tartarus. A hybrid. Unlike me, however, she had her wings taken by my mother.”

Chrysalis blinked in confusion.

“What could an Alicorn possibly do to warrant such a punishment from the Sun?”

“Fifteen hundred years ago, she lost control of her magical abilities and annihilated eighty percent of all life on Equus.”

“So, your body was…by her then?"

“Yes.”

Chrysalis shivered at the thought.

“That’s…But what could cause her to do such a thing?”

Cadance was quiet for a moment before uttering.

“Aunt Luna and my mother…slaughtered Twilight’s daughter…without mercy.”

“Mother, don't do this!”

Cadance yelled at Celestia, her own wings pinned back, denoting her fear. Celestia stared soullessly at her daughter; neither her posture nor her words gave any sense of life in the pure born Alicorn.

“The balance must be kept, my child.”

Cadance desperately stamped her hoof.

“You have to listen to me, if you do this, it can’t be undone. She won’t forget and she won’t forgive you!”

Behind her a just as passive voice commented.

“We maintain Harmony. There is too much Chaos. Those two are tipping the scale. How my daughter or you perceive our actions doesn’t matter. We will do what we have to.”

Celestia nodded stiffly.

“My sister is right.”

Cadance screamed.

“You don’t realize the monster you are unleashing! Twilight will destroy us all. Don’t do this!”

Luna spoke with an icy indifference.

“My daughter’s grasp of magic is far less than our own. And she is very intelligent. She would not be foolish enough to retaliate against us. We will do what we must to keep the balance. This discussion is over.”

“...I did my best to stop them. My mother and Aunt Luna didn’t have emotions; being pure born Alicorns. For Twilight and I though, our emotions were bestowed upon us at birth, as we were hybrids. And our emotions were tied directly to our magical abilities. They didn’t understand. They couldn’t understand what enraging Twilight would result in.”

Cadance slowly brought her metal wing to the front and placed her hoof upon it. The metal reacted and resembled the feathers of an Alicorn; having been constructed by the best metallurgy wielders at the time. She stared at her wing in silence for just a moment before continuing her explanation.

“When they destroyed Discord’s Kingdom, Twilight, who was out looking for the perfect gift for her daughter’s birthday, returned only to find the carnage they had wrought. She searched and searched, but she couldn’t find any trace of her daughter or Discord. And then her anger came to the surface; from pain to utter rage, Twilight lost her mind, and attacked me.”

Cadance placed a hoof to the artifact that served as her eyeball, the Alicorn looked over at Chrysalis with her good eye. Her wife gave her a reassuring nuzzle before giving her an encouraging nod; having been listening with great interest. Taking a deep breath, Cadance continued on.

“I woke up in a hospital room fifty years later, healers all around me, doing what they could to repair the damage. Mother was there, apparently monitoring their progress. She informed me the death toll was in the literal billions; with thousands of cultures and creatures completely wiped from the face of Equus. Extinct. Gone. Entire areas of land were uninhabitable, and Twilight had been restrained.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow in a bout of curiosity.

“Just restrained, not destroyed?”

Cadance nodded.

“A crime of such magnitude would normally warrant death, but Aunt Luna and mom found out they were outclassed, overpowered, and out of options. The battle was described as fierce, ending when Aunt Luna was sent to the moon to recover her health, while Celestia cast a last-ditch time spell; reversing the years of Twilight’s life until she was the Unicorn she was born as, and nothing more than a filly without her magic. Or memories.”

Patting her on the head, Chrysalis spoke gently.

“Truly a terrifying power, for Princess Celestia to only have been able to merely contain it. Still at least such a nightmare resolved itself. You’re safe here, with me.”

Closing her eyes for rest, the Princess of the Changeling Hive, Cadance, couldn’t help but wonder why now, of all times, had the memories returned? Her side of the family was known for Clairvoyance, and the last time it had happened, Cadance had foreseen the disaster that befell Equus. Could these memories be a warning? Cadance sighed, dismissing the notions and let the world of dreams take her.

Surely not, there is no way Twilight remembers what happened, right?

Outside, a heaviness hung in the air, as the winds in the sky began to swirl while a chill slowly crawled up the spine of all living creatures on the continent of Equestria.

Chapter Seven- The Left and Right Hooves of the Sun

Two Unicorns walked down the royal hallway, on the way to Princess Celestia’s throne room. Both seemed to be in high spirits, having a carefree conversation and laughing in excitement.

The cornflower blue Unicorn mare spoke to her Lilac-furred counterpart; her words carrying a sense of smug, superior self-worth. The Unicorn’s deep purple eyes carried a fiery arrogance, while her walk was little more than a permanent strut. On her flank she boasted an icy crescent moon with a tilted wand going through it. From her perfectly coiffed silvery mane and tail with their vertical stripes of ice blue, to her perfectly manicured hooves; everything about her screamed ‘better than you will ever be’.

“So, what’s the assignment this time, Left?”

The Lilac Unicorn had a friendly smile on her face, her every movement gentle and graceful. Her flank had a beautiful scene of a falling star in a spiral. Everything from her violet mane and tail with their singular seafoam green, to the crystalline horseshoes that graced her hooves made her alluring to all those who gazed upon her. Everything about her screamed ‘friend’ and ‘trust me’. But that allure was only ever one-sided; for any creature gazing into her eyes could feel the malicious, devious, and manipulative snake gazing back at them, calculating exactly how and what to say, to bend every being around her to her will.

In front of the one called Left floated a parchment scroll that she was reading while walking down the long hallway.

“It says we need to attend a Centaur delegate’s plea. Let’s see-”

Her amethyst eyes scanned the document, before summarizing the details within.

“Something about our Queen’s annexation of their empire, it seems, Right.”

The Right Hoof of Celestia laughed, haughtily.

“She’ll lecture you for calling her that, you know.”

The Left Hoof of Celestia grinned, her face sprouting a lovely shade of red across her cheeks, as though she was having an embarrassing thought.

“I hope she does. My Queen can lecture me anytime she wants.”

Right grinned.

“You are incorrigible.”

Left nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, and of all ponies, you would know, wouldn’t you? Hmm…Do you think the Centaur will try anything?”

Right chuckled darkly, her eyes flashing a ruby red for merely an instant.

“I really hope they do. Been a while since I’ve had a challenge, after all.”

As the two laughed together, Right seemed to not notice or care that the soldiers they passed were suddenly stricken with strange behavior watching them; quivering in terror as Right passed them. When one was as great and powerful as her, why wouldn’t they be fearful of such overwhelming might? You are lucky to gaze upon my majesty.

Left, however, kept watching from the corners of her eyes, adjusting her movements to elicit a reaction from those watching her; slightly swaying her flanking with every step she took, making sure her tail followed suit. She suavely flipped her mane while sneaking winks in the guard's direction. They loved her and she knew it. The smile on her face was warm, and every movement was completely calculated. The guards were nothing more to her than mere amusement when she was bored, not that they would ever know that. Fools. Feel free to dance for me. That’s right, adore me, you simpletons.

Left's eyes cut to the right suddenly as Right seemed to miss a step of her signature strut. She’s nervous. Who could blame her? Centaurs are known for magic stealing practices. In raw power, I would put my faith in her abilities over even my own, but for that to happen she needs to be completely invested in herself. This will never do. Time for a boost.

“I don’t see why you still wear that amulet, when we both know you’ve surpassed its limits years ago.”

Right immediately sped up, her steps suddenly invigorated. Nothing made her feel better than those words of honey from her counterpart. The red in her eyes suddenly glowed in full force, while a wicked smile crossed her face.

“Naturally, we both know the great and powerful me doesn’t need any trinket like the Alicorn Amulet, but her majesty gave this to me, to throw it away would make me sad.”

Without missing a beat, Left spoke rather flirtatiously to her other half.

“Well, it does make you look stunning, after all. Then again, what doesn’t?”

Right glanced at Left, smirking.

“You are such a silvertongue, love. But even though I know you’re playing me, you’re right. I make everything look good. Now, let’s go kill a centaur.”

Left nodded, giving a little giggle before swiftly correcting her Partner.

“Observe a Centaur, Sugar. Observe.”

“Same thing.”

Together the two pushed open the massive, gilded double doors of solid gold; one crackling with an unholy might eager to show off her power, while the other was already memorizing every last inch of everything in the room, from the beings to objects, nothing escaping the mare’s ever-roaming gaze.

Twilight and Pinkie walked side-by-side on the pathway, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres, talking about Pinkie’s various experiences.

“And then I said, ‘And that’s how Equestria was made!’ You should have seen their- huh?”

Twilight turned to see Pinkie had stopped moving, staring upwards in silence, her eyes seemingly following something Twilight couldn’t see. Pinkie’s eyes moved along as she read the previous section above the page break, something peculiar about it catching her eye.

Curious about what she saw, Pinkie suddenly called out.

“Twilight?”

Twilight's reply was filled with a surprisingly friendly tone. Though she thought the pink Earthpony was as crazy as could be, she was actually enjoying her company. As far as Twilight was concerned, she too had her own insanity to contend with, so who was she to judge?

“What is it, Pinkie?”

Pinkie slowly read the words that held her interest.

“Who are…Left and Right?”

Twilight’s eyes dilated and a look of actual fear crossed her face. Tackling Pinkie to the ground, she shouted angrily in a blind panic.

“Where did you hear those names? What do you know?”

Pinkie cried out in pain.

“You’re hurting me, Twilight!”

“Tell me now, damn it! Are you in league with them?”

Pinkie winced, as Twilight’s hooves pinned her to the ground. Desperately, she squeaked out.

“No! I…read…it in the section above!”

The panic faded from Twilight’s eyes, slowly removing her hooves and watching as Pinkie slowly and painfully rose to her hooves, Twilight’s horn glowed with a violet light. Pinkie gasped in surprise as her scrapes were instantly healed. She paused in her excitement, looking at her.

“Why were you scared? Are Left and Right really that scary?”

Twilight took a moment to conjure up a bottle of cider, popping the top as she considered how to respond as she calmed her nerves with a slow sip. Feeling a serene calm wash over her as the smooth liquid slid down her throat, Twilight looked Pinkie Pie in the eyes.

“Yes. They are.”

Pinkie quietly glanced at you, before turning back to Twilight, as the wingless ruler continued her explanation.

“All creatures fear the unknown. It’s natural. And magic itself can be an unknown, though there are simple concepts magic is usually based on. Those two though…”

Twilight paused to take another sip from the surprisingly ice-cold bottle.

“They are an anomaly, even when it comes to magic. Though only Unicorns, their magical abilities rival my own mother’s, though they have absolute devotion to my Aunt, heeding and obeying her every command. Those who know of them call them her Watch Dogs. Left is ridiculously analytical, not just surface level either. She sees into your very soul, preferring manipulation to actual combat; she can determine your strengths and weaknesses and how to exploit them in ways you would never see coming. And that’s where Right comes into play…”

Downing the rest of her bottle, Twilight felt the gentle numbing sensation she loved more than anything. All the screams in her head fell silent, and the hunger of the void within her quieted down; muted by the inebriating effect, if only for just a few minutes. She sighed in bliss, before continuing.

“Right’s ego is her main weapon. It ties directly to her magical strength; the more she believes she’s better than her opponent, the stronger than them she becomes. And when Left goads her on, Right’s power is completely immeasurable-”

Twilight continued talking, while Pinkie looked down at the paragraph below, her eyes following the scene depicting what she was reading.

In the throne room Right stood next to a large meteorite, still smoking; above her a large hole in the ceiling.

“I guess I overdid it. Sometimes I just can't contain my awesomeness.”

Right’s body was speckled with a splattering of blood and what remained of the once battle-ready form of the Centaur delegate. Cackling, Right looked at Left.

“Did you see that?”

Chortling, Left nodded.

“Of course I did. He really should have listened to my warnings. What a waste of life.”

Right shrugged, a horribly smug grin on her face.

“It’s his fault for underestimating my might.”

Left flinched, something was wrong. What was this feeling, like eyes upon her flesh. Something was watching them, watching her. But weren't they the only ones in throne room? Frantically, her gaze swept over the throne room. Where? Where were they? She saw nothing. Still, she couldn’t shake the sensation of her skin crawling from observation. Something was watching her without her knowledge. Her! She could not, would not stand for it. Right looked at Left as she freaked out.

“Is something wrong?”

“..........watched.”

“Left, are you okay? You’re muttering incoherently.”

Left ignored her as she furiously searched the throne room, before her eyes grew wide with sudden realization and she turned her gaze upwards towards the ceiling. She thought she saw a pink Earthpony staring down at her, but the instant she saw them, they had vanished.

“Who was that?”

Right followed her gaze, only to see nothing but the hole the meteor left in the ceiling.

“Honey, are you alright? No one’s there. Maybe you need a nap.”

Left shouted at her.

“Someone was watching us just now!”

Pinkie recoiled in shock as the gaze of Left fell on her. Leaping back out of the portal she had been looking, Pinkie watched as it closed in an instant. Twilight had noticed none of this, continuing her explanation of the two.

“-And nopony knows their real names, not even sure they do anymore, to be honest. They’ve referred to each other as Left and Right for longer than most remember-”

Pinkie sat on her haunches just staring at the spot. Was she crazy or had that Unicorn looked directly at her? This was something new. Twilight noticing her actions was one thing, but she was an Alicorn, and even Twilight with her frightening level of magic had only been able to see her gestures. This though, that Unicorn had seen through them; slicing the barrier between them and making contact in a mere instant.

Laying on her bed of red satin, Left stared up at the ceiling. Who was that? That pink Earthpony, who was she? And why couldn’t she see her face? The body had been a mare’s build, that much, she was sure. She had seen the color pink. A lot of pink. But nothing else. How was it possible? Had her vision failed her? Next to her, Right snuggled against her, completely asleep, twisting and muttering as she battled an invisible adversary.

“I am the great and powerful…behold my magic Twilight, you traitor. You will die by my hooves!”

Left giggled lightly at the sight. Perhaps she was mistaken, though something told her that she would see that pony again. Maybe even tomorrow at the ceremony. Maybe they would try that trick once more. A cold, sinister smile graced her face as she slowly closed her eyes and joined the realm of dreams.

I can’t wait to see it.

“She really is dangerous, isn’t she?”

None the wiser as to what had happened, Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, of Left and Right, Left is truly the more dangerous of the two. And her eyes never miss anything. Anyway, we need to get to my house. Mother’s homecoming party tomorrow is going to be so satisfying. And I have the perfect gift.”

Twilight grinned, her fangs sharp and her hunger immense. Within her, the void screamed to be fed, as it had for nearly two millennia. And this time, Twilight had no desire to hold it back.

“After all, I’m sure she’ll love this surprise so much, she’ll just die.”

Chapter Eight- Melancholy Beneath a Neon Moon- Part One

Applejack sat at the table, her hind hooves on top of the table while she tilted back in her chair. Outside, the sun was being lowered, not that she could actually use the front door; it was being sealed by what appeared to be some rather ominous magic.

Not gonna mess with that. She turned her attention from the door to the bookshelves; now fully loaded with the many grimoires and glowing with a pitched black magical energy. It was intriguing to her, then again, magic always had been. A nullification spell, with those books as a catalyst. A rather crudely made artifact to seal another’s power. The energy is too unbalanced should it be activated, that battery is going to detonate.

Applejack chuckled wryly to herself, lowering her eyes to stare at the cider bottle in her hooves. It somewhat amused her, seeing such a crude device, like looking into the past. Spells ain’t like artifacts, and Twilight might be a powerhouse of magic, but this is like when Rarity and I had that assignment in Professor Flamel’s class.

Sighing, Applejack took a smooth sip of the golden amber, feeling her normally sour mood vanish once more as it flowed down her gullet. A dozen or so years ago, she would have probably offered advice on the topic, but that felt like a lifetime ago for the Apple Farmer of Ponyville.

The cider made her feel good, really good. Years of regret and pain were washed away with just a few swigs of the homegrown brew. She grunted in a slight annoyance at thought, hating herself for relying on such a crutch, but after a few more sips, she no longer cared. She felt warm and bubbly once more. Her memories became nothing more than fuzzy images she could neither see, nor cared to try. She could smile; friendly, hospitable, and just the loving down-home Earth Pony all of Ponyville knew, once more. For just a few minutes, she was truly free of her past.

Rocking her chair lightly, Applejack glanced over at the corner of the library and chuckled; the boxes from the books had been piled up in a makeshift fort. It wasn’t the fort though that made her smile, it was the sprawled out, softly snoring form of Rainbow Dash in the opening; a soft smile on her muzzle. Applejack’s heart leapt at the sight; she wasn’t sure when the last time she saw a genuine smile from Rainbow Dash. Rest well. And perhaps just as surprising was that right next to Rainbow, curled up with her gray tail wrapped around herself, was Fluttershy using Rainbow’s stomach as a pillow.

Applejack stared at the odd scene with mixed feelings. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of Fluttershy; after all, according to her and Rarity’s knowledge, Rainbow Dash was the only surviving Pegasus of that day twelve years ago. The strange coloration or rather, lack of color, in Fluttershy’s mane suggested she wasn’t a Changeling in disguise. Cutting her eyes slightly to the right, she noticed Spike sleeping against the fort. Ah, a castle guardian, hm?

Once more though, she stared at Fluttershy. Spike seemed to know that Pegasus, and since Applejack couldn’t really sense or see any magic emanating from her of a decidedly wicked nature, she decided to let the issue be for now. Good for you, Rainbow. You’ve made a new friend. Suddenly a loud, horribly grating sound hit Applejack’s ears. She glanced over at the source and tried hard not to smile, though she failed miserably.

Rarity lay on a couple of boxes she had turned into a makeshift couch, snoring loudly. Her pose was anything but ladylike, one hoof hanging off the edge while she used the puffiness of her own mane as a pillow. Taking a sip of her cider, Applejack lowered her Stetson down over her eyes. Mares and gentlecolts, our prim and proper Priestess. She chuckled silently to herself, when the door to the library opened, causing her to glance up. And now the castle’s queen makes her entrance. Suddenly a bottle of ice-cold cider appeared in her hooves. Looking at it in surprise, Applejack popped the top off and began to eagerly drink the beloved beverage. And she seems to be in a good mood as well. That’s when she noticed Twilight staring at her.

“-oddly enough Aunt Celestia used two different Sirens for contributors of magic when creating her two children. Cadance will never cast magic again, you know, since I ripped her horn off. As for Sunset-”

Twilight stopped talking to Pinkie Pie as they both arrived at her front door. Staring Pinkie in the eyes she stated.

“We’re here. Don’t make a sound, it is getting late and I’ll bet they are all asleep. And frankly, it’s better that way.”

Without waiting for a response, Twilight slowly pushed open the door; standing in the doorway and taking in the situation at a glance as Pinkie ran past pulling a pillow from her mane and diving onto Rarity’s box couch; without a single sound. Empty boxes, full shelves, and at a makeshift table, Applejack sat rocking lightly back in her chair, her fabled hat pulled down over her eyes.

While Twilight was confounded by Pinkie’s antics, per usual, her attention was mainly focused on the dark scowl slowly forming on Applejack’s muzzle. It started as a twitch of her lips, before slowly turning into a frown. Twilight took note of the dozen empty bottles of cider scattered around Applejack. Just like me, she thought bitterly. Her horn glowed brightly and in an instant a bottle of cold cider appeared in Applejack’s hooves.

Without hesitation, Applejack expertly popped off the bottle cap and began downing it; her horrible expression changing almost as quickly. Twilight met Applejack’s gaze as the farmpony smiled gratefully back at her. Twilight turned around, calling out to her in a quiet whisper.

“Follow. Let’s have a chat.”

Without waiting for so much as an acknowledgement, Twilight walked through the entrance to the outside.

Applejack was a bit startled. Her body had begun to move on its own, forcing her to rise up and follow Twilight. Calming down, she analyzed the situation, noting her inability to stop herself. It seems my soul has been bound to her will. She was no Familiar, but suddenly she understood. Celestia! I see, it was the collar from before, the magic within it. But why? Applejack didn’t know, but something told her she was about to find out.

Walking through the doorway, Applejack was aghast at the scene that greeted her. Ruins, dilapidated and forgotten by time, lay scattered across the seemingly burning landscape. The fire was a mixture of black and purple flames as it raged all around her; though she couldn’t feel a thing as she walked through it.

Cautiously, Applejack reached out a hoof to touch the fire. It was cold, strangely cold, making her shiver uncontrollably until she wanted to scream in panic. Suddenly a barrier of light purple magic surrounded Applejack’s body and she felt the warmth of her own body once more.

“Be careful. These flames are not for mortals to touch.”

Glancing up, she saw Twilight, standing there staring at her from amidst the flames as they lapped hungrily at Twilight; though she seemed completely unconcerned.

“My magic. I did this.”

Her words weren’t ones of pride, rather she spoke in a tone of pure misery. The look on her face was downcast; her eyes as empty as could be, and yet Twilight continued.

“The Centaurions used to thrive in these woods, well they used to be woods. Now they are gone. The woods, the Centaurions…and many other civilizations. No creature can live here now. Because of me. Because of my magic.”

Applejack looked around her at the bones scattered all around her hooves, while Twilight whispered disheartedly.

“Bones and ashes, ruins and destruction. Because of me. Because of me. Nothing remains. Because of me.”

Applejack hated the entire scene; from the tears on Twilight’s face, to her hatred of Alicorns in general, not to mention the remains of a once bustling civilization. She could see the pain written across Twilight’s expression, how what she did seemed to be tearing her up inside.

Applejack just stared at Twilight. She didn’t know what to say. What should she say? What could she say? Perhaps if this was a dozen years in the past, Applejack might have given some form of farmer’s wisdom; about apples and the like. But now? She wasn’t sure she had any words to offer in comfort. Was there even any comfort for a situation like this? She didn’t know, but she did know one thing; her throat was feeling pretty parched and her buzz was fading fast.

“Hey darling? You got anymore of that cider on ya?”

Twilight’s eyes widened from surprise at the comment, before the ghost of a smile flitted across her lips. Just like me. Twilight’s horn glowed a light purple and a bottle of cider appeared levitating before Applejack. Twilight watched as she immediately grabbed it and began to down it, contemplating what could have made Applejack require such a thing to function.

In her case, Twilight felt more at peace from the dulling of her mind; she could simply turn off her mind when drunk, no more screams, no more thoughts. Twilight summoned a glass of rum, sipping it lightly and letting the familiar feeling of shutting down wash over her. As both finished their drinks, Twilight summoned some more, before casting a teleportation spell.

“Let’s go somewhere a bit more tranquil.”

The tingling sensation on her skin faded as Applejack looked around at her surroundings. Around her, glistened crystals of various colors shimmering in the single beam of moonlight that filtered down from a hole in the top of what she perceived to be an underground cavern. The cavern was massive, and the faint sounds of many waterfalls reached her ears.

“Watch your hooves, they’re a bit fragile.”

Glancing at her hooves she was a bit surprised to see little lifeforms, if they could even be called that; tiny little insects, seemingly made entirely out of crystals, had stopped their motions, staring back at her. Their eyes, made out of mismatched gemstones, blinked in confusion as she peered down at them, causing Applejack to feel self-conscious of herself.

“Sorry, little ones.”

Twilight watched the scene as a tiny crystal crawled across her hoof, chuckling as Applejack called out to her.

“What are these things?”

“Crystal mites. They thrive in extremely crystalline environments, and care for the crystals. Cute aren’t they? I love watching them scurry about. To this day, no creature knows how or why they came to be, then again the same could be said for my mom and Aunt Celestia.”

Glancing up at the moon, Twilight continued softly.

“My first time seeing moonlight in a thousand years. Crazy isn’t it? Might very well be the last time I get to as well.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“What’re you talkin’ about, Darling?”

Twilight gave a half hearted chuckle.

“I’ve been chained up in a pitch-black cell within the deepest depths of Tartarus’s Maximum Security Ward for the past thousand years, Applejack.”

Applejack gave a rather doubtful reply.

“If that’s true, then what’re you doing walking around without restriction then?”

Still staring at the moon, or rather the fabled imprint of the ‘Mare in the Moon’ on its surface, Twilight bore a wicked grin.

“Aunt Celestia let me out, to kill my mother.”

“Kill…Princess Luna?!”

Applejack’s reply contained a bit of panic within it, so Twilight asked her a question in reply.

“That night fifteen hundred years ago. I believe Aunt Celestia said it is referred to as the start of the Great Cataclysm. Tell me, did you ever learn about the events that transpired leading up to it? I mean, Earthponies do learn history in your schoolhouses, right?”

Applejack snorted in derision.

“Actually, yer highness, I’ll have you know Ah attended that fancy pants school of Princess Celestia’s; the School for Gifted Unicorns.”

Twilight seemed intrigued by this proclamation; at first it seemed rather ridiculous to her, but she couldn’t really sense any deception from Applejack.

“Really? Earthponies can attend a school for magic nowadays? Times really have changed.”

Applejack shook her head.

“No, it ain’t the norm. Truth is I’m pretty dern gifted with magical artifacts. Or well, that’s what that Princess told me back when I were a filly. Ahm the only Earthpony to ever be permitted to attend, let alone graduate from the magical university, darling.”

Twilight stared at her in silence, considering this new information. If what Applejack said was true, then it was quite an impressive feat, and in magical artifacts, nonetheless. Upon returning to the realm of Equestria, Twilight had been forced to attend private lessons from her Aunt; history, spell crafting, and magical devices.

She knew first hoof that Magical Devices was a subject most magic users failed to comprehend; as spell casting was more technical, while devices required mechanical knowledge of spells. Unicorns were more mentally focused, but rarely did Unicorns use their hooves in combination with their horns, resulting in the fundamental lack of knowledge of mechanical intricacies of magic devices.

The lessons had been utterly brutal for Twilight. She glanced down at her left forehoof, thinking bitterly to herself how her lack of her ability to cast her own magic had made it a living nightmare for her. Even now she still felt the stinging punishment of every wrong answer she had given; a year of torture.

Glancing up at Applejack, Twilight decided to test her claim.

“Alright then, what’s this?”

Holding out the hoof for Applejack to see, Twilight watched her carefully as she inspected the bracelet that materialized on it. Trust was not something Twilight easily gave, nor friendship. Still, if the farmer really was well-versed in magical devices, then there would be no reason she wouldn’t know the answer.

Applejack gazed in amazement at the bracelet as it shimmered into view. Instantly, her mind went into overdrive as she noted every detail about it. Etched with arcana circuits, each circuit ends at the end, but they all meet up in the center. Solid gold; good for conduction of magical current. Hm, these glyphs seem to be activators and that one there is a dispenser.

“It’s a storage device for dispensing magic in an emergency situation. Magic is stored in it and can then be used by the one wearing it. From what I can see, the amount of magic it currently contains is enough for nearly five hundred Unicorns to utilize.”

Twilight blinked in surprise. What skepticism she had towards Applejack vanished in an instant. Still, an Earth Pony with knowledge of magic was quite peculiar to her. Sure, Pinkie had what she called magic, but that was an anomaly casting at best. Applejack seemed to grasp the fundamentals of real magic, though Twilight doubted she could actually cast spells due to her lack of a horn.

“Yes. Aunt Celestia’s magic; to be specific, less than a fraction of a tenth of one percent of it.”

Applejack swallowed hard; the power contained in that bracelet was nearly enough to vaporize the entire planet. Just what were the limits of the Alicorn Princess? Still, that just raised more questions.

“So why do you have it?”

“Can I trust you?”

Applejack was stunned. The question had been instant and staring into Twilight’s eyes, Applejack could see why. She saw the hurt of betrayals from those closest to her. The centuries of burning hatred echoed within those beautiful purple irises, though the shine of hope seemed long dead and buried. And staring in those eyes, Applejack had never felt closer to another pony in over thirty-two years of life.

She nodded, looking somewhat amused by the idea of her relating to an Alicorn, as she spoke her thoughts aloud.

“Well, considerin’ mah soul is now bound to y’alls will, I’d say you can trust me with your very life, Darling.”

“Good, because what I’m about to tell you could literally be doing exactly that.”

Applejack blinked in confusion. Telling her about wanting to kill a worshiped deity wasn’t as dangerous as this back-up bracelet? Twilight took a deep breath and seemed to be struggling to form the words.

“I-I-”

Applejack spoke up suddenly, attempting to comfort her.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want-”

Twilight cut her off as she seemed to be having an internal conflict with herself.

“No! No…I can say it, it's just a rather hard pill to say the words out loud.”

Applejack watched Twilight close her eyes and take a deep breath before blurting out in frustration and slamming her hooves down.

“I can’t cast magic without it!”

Silence fell over the cavern and Twilight slowly opened one eye to gauge Applejack’s reaction. The Earthpony silently gazed at her for several long minutes of silence. Twilight’s frustration reached a boiling point and she shouted in annoyance.

“Say something, damn it!”

Turning her gaze from Twilight, Applejack stared up at the moon, speaking softly.

“You know, the moon is beautiful tonight.”

Twilight was a bit startled by the comment, she had expected surprise or anger, or perhaps for Applejack to attack her in a desperate bid of freedom, but not this.

“W-what?”

Glancing down at the cavern ground and kicking at a tiny rock, causing crystal mites to flee in panic, Applejack spoke in an uncharacteristically dark tone.

“Ya got no magic? Am I supposed to freak out, Miss Wingless Alicorn? Yore tellin’ an Earthpony, Darling, that you have no magic. An Earthpony. I can’t really begin to fathom how upsettin’ that could be fer a normal Unicorn let alone a damned Alicorn like yerself. So tell me, Immortal One, what exactly am I, a mortal who can’t use magic, supposed to say to ease a mind that has seen eternity and spells I cannot possibly imagine?”

Twilight blinked in stunned silence; she hadn’t considered that. She herself was literally an immortal being her body was completely constructed of her mother and father’s own magic. She had seen many lifetimes, even before her incarceration, in Tartarus, of all places.

And here she was expecting a reaction from a creature that by their own nature could not use magic like she could. How could she possibly expect Applejack, the pony she had just met that morning, to understand such a declaration? She really did just ask Applejack to describe the dark side of the moon, didn’t she?

Twilight hung her head, chuckling in embarrassment.

“You…have a point there. Maybe I should explain more about Alicorns, here have a drink.”

As midnight fell on Equestria, within the cave, Applejack and Twilight sat with their backs against the wall; dozens of empty glass cider bottles laying strewn about the cavern floor. Giving a gentle, satisfied burp, Twilight said.

“-And when the magic of an Alicorn is combined with the willingly given magic of another being, a hybrid is made. The combined magic then creates a body, combining elements from the two involved, as well as the magic both contain. My traits are a mix of my mother’s cunning and my father’s unapologetic brutality.”

Applejack seemed to stare up at the moon, thinking about what Twilight had said.

“Well now, that really is something. So, a being of magic losing its connection to usin’ magic. I can see why y’all were so upset there, Darling. Though your traits sound pretty destructive if ya ask me.”

Twilight gave a drunken giggle as she too stared up at the moon.

“I’m a Nightmare, you know Sugarcube.”

Applejack laughed rambunctiously.

“Ya certainly are, Twi.”

Twilight waved a hoof weakly at the farmer as she giggled once more.

“No-no. I really am a Nightmare, Applejack.”

Clearly not understanding, Applejack stared at her.

“An’ what exactly is a Nightmare?”

Twilight pointed a hoof to herself.

“Me-”

Pausing, Twilight gestured towards the moon.

“And mom. We destroy and bring ruin to all we wish. Nightmares. See?”

With a wave of her hoof, a nearby crystal shattered into pieces amidst the glow of her bracelet and horn. Twilight chuckled at the display, while Applejack took note of the crystal mites screaming in panic and running around in fear.

“Ah see. But what about Princess Celestia?”

Twilight giggled.

“A Daybringer. Well, now that she has my magic, perhaps a Daybreaker. The Daybringers are the Harmony and Light to balance out the Nightmare’s affinity for Darkness and Destruction.”

“So, what, are ya sayin’ yore evil? Gonna be honest with ya Darling, I ain’t all that content to follow an evil entity; soulbound or not.”

Twilight seemed to immediately sober up upon hearing the word ‘evil’.

“Evil? No. Necessary.”

Applejack turned towards Twilight, speaking incredulously.

“And just how in the world is destroyin’ stuff necessary?”

Twilight chuckled and threw back her head against the rocky wall, before taking a deep breath and sighing.

“Because from the ashes of destruction rise new and stronger forms of life. The sun must set on all lifeforms, just as the sun is lowered each evening. When the sun falls beyond the horizon, the night falls and the moon must rise as well.”

Her tone was surprisingly gentle as she explained to Applejack. Her words didn’t seem to fit her at all, as though she were reciting a lesson she had heard many times before.

“When the sun has set on a civilization, we are the ones to make way for the next one. Though the rubble remains, those left behind rebuild stronger foundations than before. The lessons taught and the histories written are passed onto those that come after they are gone.”

Twilight noticed the surprised look on Applejack’s face, before gesturing at the crystal she had destroyed.

“See for yourself.”

Glancing over at the broken crystal, Applejack stared in shock. What had been fragments, was slowly pulling itself together, no, not it but the little crystal mites; having gotten over their panic and loss, the little insects were busy swarming over the various shards and placing the pieces of what had been one area into another.

The crystal was a bit different than it was before, with little houses and porches etched into it. As Applejack watched a tiny road was carved into it, spiraling around the side.

“So, what yore sayin’ is ya dun destroy willy nilly?”

Twilight smiled contentedly watching as a little neighborhood developed from the once shattered remains.

“While I do love destroying things, a Nightmare’s actions are quite necessary so that the Daybringers can nurture the foundations that are created in the place of the ruins. Understand?”

Applejack was silent as she thought about that; destruction was just as necessary as the building and rebuilding of life? She supposed it made sense; after all, new cannot be if the old remains. A fire burning foliage leaves nitrogen embedded in the soil beneath the ashes, growing a much lusher foliage later on. But that still left one thing she didn’t understand.

Looking Twilight in the eyes, she asked her.

“If you destroy only when necessary, can you tell me what you did to end up locked away in Tartarus?”

Twilight nodded.

“I destroyed eighty percent of the world fifteen hundred years ago, rendering it completely uninhabitable-”

“And you want me to believe you ain’t evil?”

Twilight’s eyes hooded over as anger gleamed within them.

“I was not the one controlling my body at the time. Mother was.”

Chapter Nine- Melancholy Beneath a Neon Moon- Part Two

Miles below the surface of the Realm of Tartarus she hung there, chained to a sharp, jagged wall of rocks; cutting into her if she so much as twitched. Her eyes were covered with a mask cast from molten iron. The metal would never cool as it seared her flesh, forged with magic to ensure that. The manacles she wore were crafted with spikes on the inside that went straight through her hooves. The pain was unimaginable.

The cell housing the prisoner was completely dark; not even a photon of light could enter, thanks to a special magical barrier. No sound was heard when the massive twelve foot tall, forty-foot thick door, crafted from Osmium, was shut; making it weigh well over five hundred tons. It was never to be opened, the prisoner knew. This was no cell, this was a tomb.

This concept amused the prisoner. She could not die. Though her limp, gaunt form from lack of food or water was evident, she had hung there for one thousand years, silently waiting. The mare possessed a Unicorn’s body, and though she couldn’t cast magic, a sealing ring had been painfully fused to the base of her horn. Yet, she never whimpered, she never shed a tear. What she had done was unforgivable, and for retribution she had accepted her fate; to rot forever, forgotten by history as time passed.

The prisoner’s nostrils flared as she smelled it. A magical scent hung upon the musty air, and it was growing stronger with each passing second. Her body trembled as a terrifying pressure slowly grew. It was getting nearer and the prisoner smiled wickedly.

A thousand years had come and gone but she hadn’t forgotten that feeling. The feeling of being utterly helpless in her gaze. She knew who it was, and heard the walls starting to shake as she drew nearer. That unbridled power; the embodiment of the might of the heavens themselves.

Her ear twitched as the massive door to her cell melted into nothing, the scent of molten steel reaching her nose. She chuckled.

“Aunt Celestia. To what do I owe your presence?”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

The Princess of Equestria stood amidst the slag that had been the door, her amethyst eyes shining even in the absence of light. Her mane waved with the colors of the Aurora Borealis; mint green, light blue and cotton candy pink. She wore no expression on her face as she spoke to the Fallen Alicorn.

“Do you seek revenge?”

Twilight laughed, the words muffled by her iron mask.

“No. I’ve brought this on myself. I have no qualms about my suffering.”

Silence filled the cold, dark room for several minutes. Twilight listened intently for any sound, but there was none. And then-

“But what if it wasn’t you?”

“Did she really say that?”

“Yeah. Yeah she did.”

Laying on the cavern floor staring up at the moon, with her head on Twilight’s lap, Applejack listened as Twilight shared about her past. Pausing, Twilight took a sip of a pina colada she had summoned.

“Hold on, I need something stronger for this next part.”

The pina colada vanished, replaced by a bottle of 140 proof yakyakistan vodka. Taking a sip of it, Twilight grinned.

“Alright, I’m ready. Let’s continue.”

Twilight was silent for a moment before chuckling.

“I never knew you had a sense of humor, Auntie.”

“I don’t, Twilight.”

Twilight was silent for a moment, before her body began to shake. She felt her blood begin to boil, and the rocks tore into her back, as she struggled in pain against her chains. She snarled angrily.

“What did you just say?”

“It wasn’t your fault, Twilight.”

Her motions grew more violent and a hook ripped out of the wall, as she tugged against her chains. She muttered in a mixture of insanity and disbelief.

“Not my fault? Not my fault?”

She screamed in rage as her other hoof came free from the wall, the chain holding it snapping under the immense pressure.

“Not my fault?”

She had been in this dungeon, this hell for countless years, enduring this torture as a retribution for her crimes, and now she was being told it wasn’t her fault? The searing hot iron mask scorched her hooves as she ripped it off, revealing the burns across her face.

“You told me I killed everypony!”

She tore apart the leather bindings covering her eyes and glared angrily at Celestia. She shouted in utter rage and agony as she felt the material fused to her face tear away.

“You said it was my fault, and now it isn’t?”

Full of fury, Twilight took a step towards the Celestial Ruler, before rearing back and slamming her hooves, chains and all onto the Princess’s body as she screamed.

“You locked me away!”

With each blow a shockwave of force slammed into the cell walls. Again and again, Twilight brought her full terrifying fury to bear against Celestia’s face; the screams of the exile echoing in the corridors of Tartarus’s prison surface. Convicted demons cowered as the Alicorn’s rage sounded all around.

“You took my wings!”

Celestia didn’t move as her niece struck her again and again, each blow bearing the force of a meteor reaching terminal velocity. And still, Celestia didn’t try to stop her.

“You took my magic, claiming I was a danger to everypony!”

A pair of prison guards had ventured down to the depths, alerted by Twilight’s rage, only to be struck by a shockwave of wind pressure that slammed them into the stone walls with a sickening crack; their armor shattering as they lay there still, in eternal rest. And still Celestia didn’t move.

“Your strength is as incomparable as always, Twilight.”

For a solid hour Twilight struck her with all her might, the very surface of Tartarus shaking under each of her blows. But when her energy ran out, and she could swing no more, Celestia stood there, staring down at her; not a scratch on her face or body. Celestia seemed unbothered by the assault, almost as though she expected it, and spoke in her usual empty tone.

“Do you feel better now, my niece?”

Her energy completely exhausted, Twilight weakly raised a hoof and collapsed on the ground, still attempting to growl menacingly, though Celestia ignored this and spoke down to her.

“Are you ready to hear the reason for my visit? Or do you wish to flail around some more, little Nightmare?”

Without waiting for a reply, as Twilight glared weakly up at her, still attempting to swipe at her, Celestia’s horn glowed with a golden light, and an amulet materialized; a hollowed metalwork piece, it featured a bat with sharp fangs with a black opal embedded within the center. Celestia tossed it to land in front of the stunned exile.

“Recognize this?”

Twilight continued her grumbling, refusing to speak, she turned her head away. This display of disrespect did not please Celestia. Though her face remained eternally passive, her eye twitched ever so slightly in perceived annoyance.

Celestia raised her hoof off the ground before gingerly tapping it against the unbreakable stone flooring. The result was instantaneous; the entire cell shook and long cracks appeared in the floor. Twilight was startled by this, and swiftly turned back to face her aunt, shaking uncontrollably in fear. Celestia spoke once more, in her coldly passive way yet her words echoed like a roar within the small room; her tolerance showing signs of waning.

“Do you recognize this or not, Twilight Sparkle.”

Under the watchful gaze of the merciless ruler, Twilight slowly picked up the small amulet with trembling hooves, turning it over while casting quick glances at Celestia; wary of any sudden movements.

“Yes.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“Well?”

“It’s the amulet mom gave me to give Flutar-Shai for her sixteenth birthday.”

Glancing up and locking eyes with Celestia, Twilight snarled in anger.

“Where did you get this?”

“Your sister.”

“Hold on- You have a sister?”

Twilight frowned at being interrupted, before giving a sigh and downing the rest of vodka before answering as she wiped a satisfied hoof across her muzzle.

“Yeah, I do, but it’s a pretty complicated topic. Mom disowned her when she swore herself to the daylight. Can you imagine? A Nightmare wanting to serve the Sun, makes me ill thinking about it. Not that she had a choice; Cadance’s magic had to go somewhere after all, the balance must be kept, and all that. And Cadance certainly wasn’t using it anymore, you know, since I ripped her horn off entirely.”

Applejack looked surprised for a moment, before asking Twilight.

“Huh, you mind if I get a top off of some cider, Darling?”

Twilight chuckled and conjured a glass with Applejack Daniels on the rocks within. Raising it in a drunken toast, Applejack smiled.

“Thank ya kindly. So, this sister of yours got a name?”

Twilight nodded before summoning and downing a jello shot of a tropical liquor; native to the underwater kingdom of Seaquestria. It burned with the intensity of the sun, before becoming icy-cold like the northern winds with the hint of coconut and pineapple, Her sister's favorite.

“Her name is-”

“Left Hoof of the Sun, Captain of the Guard Shining Armor, ma’am.”

Opening her eyes as Celestia’s personal guard flung open the door to the Master Bedroom of Right and Left, Left rolled over to stare at him. Slowly she slid out the majestic queen-size canopy bed; encrusted with all manner of precious stones. Walking slowly towards the stallion, her hips swayed slowly and seductively, her mane, her tail all of it to elicit a reaction. And a reaction, is what she got.

Shining Armor began to sweat and tremble as she slowly approached, his knees visibly quaking as Left gently drew a sultry hoof down his neck. Her voice was tender and utterly captivating as she whispered to him in the silkiest tone, just inches from his ear.

“How can I help you, Captain?”

His lips quivered as he stared into her hypnotically alluring amethyst eyes.

“P-Princess Celestia has asked for you.”

Left let a look of disappointment cross her face as she pouted slightly.

“So then, not here for fun? Pity. What a missed opportunity. Alright, let’s go.”

As the two walked down the hallway towards Celestia’s Royal Chambers, Left mentally laughed at how helpless the stallion had been before her charms. Not that she cared for him, or really anypony aside Trixie.

Still, with all the Magic of Love housed within her, why not have a little fun with it, and what better playthings than the weak-willed guards? Such sickening pleasures never got old for the sadistic being. After all, she had been doing it for one thousand years.

Lightly straining against the door, Left watched as Shining Armor seemingly rushed to her rescue and flung open the door with a mighty push, looking proud of himself. Silently, she considered mocking him, but decided to throw the guard dog a bone. He is only trying to help after all, nothing more.

Batting her eyelashes she feigned delight as she slipped inside.

“Thank you so much, what a big strong stallion you are.”

Seeing his smile, before the door shut, she smiled back. The smile left her face immediately as the door shut completely. She seethed in annoyance.

“Idiot.”

“Starlight.”

Turning towards the voice, Left found herself staring at Princess Celestia, lying lazily on her bed, no poise or consideration for dignity in her pose. Left paused for just a moment seeing such a sight, before answering the Sun.

“That name is dead to me. Aunt Celestia, what has you up this late at night?”

“Can you show me tomorrow’s outcome?”

Left was quiet for a minute, her eyes glowing fiercely, before shaking her head slowly.

“Aunt Celestia, my eyes are good, but they cannot see for certain what will happen. All I see is my little sister yelling at mom, surrounded by limp forms of various types of ponies, and nothing more.”

“What is she saying?’

“There is nowhere in Equestria you’ll be safe from me, mother!”

Celestia was oddly silent for a few minutes; the glow of her horn a bright golden aura. The glow faded and the Celestial Alicorn sat up and stared passively at Left.

“And you see nothing else?”

Though Celestia had a completely blank expression on her face, Left could tell something was concerning her Aunt.

“Aunt Celestia, is something worrying you? Is something going to happen to my little sister?”

Celestia seemed hesitant as she replied.

“I see her lying limp on a stone floor, her body cold as the rain falls across her corpse.”

Left placed a hoof to her chin in deep thought, before suggesting.

“Are you sure that is tomorrow’s outcome?”

“No. I cannot be sure this is tomorrow I am seeing. That is why I wanted you to use your sight to confirm.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Left exclaimed.

“It takes a lot to stop Twilight. Even mom and myself had the hardest time whenever little sister wanted to do something; she had a way of making what she desired to happen. Regardless of what those around her thought or did to the contrary. Even now, you can bet she is making use of every second leading up to mother’s return. We both know she doesn’t require sleep, after all.”

“True. Just like Sombra.”

There was silence for a moment of reflection before-

“Do you think she can do it?”

Left considered the question.

“Kill mother? Without her magic, and even armed with all of yours, Aunt, no offense but Twilight won’t stand a chance. Mother’s true power is just as terrifying as yours. By herself, mom will certainly kill her, if she intends to do so.”

Celestia silently pondered this.

“You mentioned other ponies. Can you describe them?”

Left was surprised by this, but her eyes glowed with her All-Sight magic, before stating.

“What looks like A white Unicorn Priestess of the Moon, dressed in an ornate Robe of the Night. an orange Earthpony wearing a Stetson on her brow, stained in what appears to be decades old blood, a cyan-blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. Another Pegasus, butter-colored, though her mane and tail seem to lack any discernible color; appearing gray. And a strange pink Earthpony that I could swear I’ve seen somewhere before. Oddly enough, she seems to be staring back at me.”

“Did you say Pegasi, not Changelings?”

“Now that you mention it, I thought that was strange; weren’t the Pegasi made extinct twelve years ago by the Changelings?”

“Apparently not. Show me these Pegasi.”

Curious at the request, Left obliged; her eyes glowing with a lavender magic that funneled into her horn and emitted a projection in the room. Celestia turned her gaze on the projection, her eyes examining the figures of two Pegasi within the scene; laying on the ground, completely still. Their wings were flared wide, clearly having been knocked out of the sky. Yes, they are Pegasi, no Changeling magic within them.

As she examined the scene, Left waiting anxiously, her thoughts wandered and suddenly she blurted out.

“Aunt Celestia, you never really explained what happened. Why didn’t you intervene when the Changelings committed genocide on the Pegasus?”

Swiftly, Left threw her hooves over her muzzle in embarrassment, however, Celestia didn’t seem bothered by it as she responded in a flat tone.

“Because they were acting like fillies that didn’t like the new kid on the playground. When Chrysalis and my daughter decided to have their wedding at Cloudsdale’s Chapel, the Pegasi decided that a Changeling didn’t belong there. During the vows, instead of biting their tongue and tempering their thoughts, a rainbow-maned mare and her husband led the Pegasi in a physical assault on Chrysalis.”

Her eyes roamed across the various figures, noticing that every one of them had an aura of magic that Celestia identified as Luna’s own. That is interesting, my little niece, what are you up to?

“And then they found out Chrysalis was not as gentle as Cadance. In no time at all, swarms of Changelings that had been watching their queen’s big moment descended on the inhabitants of Cloudsdale. And just like spoiled fillies on a playground, after learning the new kid wouldn’t stand for such an attitude, they cried out for momma to save them.”

Celestia took note of the look on Twilight’s face, one of pure rage; one that only one who cared for loss, would make. Friends? Little Twilight making friends? Never thought I would see the day.

“Only momma didn’t. And why? Because they were at fault. Like many civilizations throughout history, they faced the consequences of their arrogance. And it’s the same reason the other Changeling hives were eradicated; they got too ambitious. My daughter-in-law actually had no desire to stir any conflict, had the Pegasi simply let her be, they may still be around.”

Celestia’s eyes grew hard as diamonds and as frigid as the Wendigos themselves as she spoke, empty and as unfeeling as always.

“But they didn’t, so they aren’t.”

Silence fell over the room as Left mulled over these words. But then, Celestia spoke again. This time however, it was different than usual. Her eyes sparkled with life, and a thoughtful smile appeared on her muzzle as she spoke, a very uncharacteristic sight. Her tone had movement to it, and for once was not at all placid and empty.

“For 15,000 years, I have walked this world; since the world began, Starlight. Since time began, I have raised and lowered the sun every day. I have seen civilizations come and go, empires rise and fall. You, Twilight, Cadance, myself, your mother, and even Sunset; we are not mortals. For us, a lifespan is meaningless to consider. And I hope you’ll remember this when tomorrow comes: Our magic is unique to us, mortals look to us for encouragement and empowerment. But our magic is too powerful to be used on a whim. We cannot interfere because we ‘feel’ like it, Starlight. Every action has a consequence. Now then, little Daybringer, the sun is down, and you, Starlight, need your rest.”

Before Left could even react, Left vanished in a flash of light; suddenly lying unconscious next to her wife. Left reached out in her slumber and wrapped a hoof around Right, pulling her close to her and snuggling against her; a soft moan of happiness escaping her wife’s muzzle while the two slept on, unaware of the going-ons of the world.

Meanwhile in the throne room, Celestia sat, still as a statue, staring up at the looming full moon. She spoke to it, quietly, pensively.

“It seems like our reunion will be short-lived, little sister. A new era is dawning, and the sun is setting on our time in the light. Your daughter's fates have become intertwined on opposite sides. I wonder what changes they will wrought.”

Her eyes flashed, as she observed Twilight and Applejack within the crystal caverns; the two discussing hopes and dreams, fears and pains.

“Hey, Twi? Wouldja mind tellin’ the rest of your tale? What happened after Princess Celestia gave you the amulet?”

“Oh right, well you see…”

Applejack listened as Twilight continued her tale, popping the top off a cider with her teeth and getting comfortable on Twilight’s lap, as she did so.

Celestia smiled, devoid of any expression once more.

“I wonder.”

Chapter Ten- Mirrors to the Past- Part One

Twilight stared at the amulet dangling from Celestia’s hoof. It glinted in the light from the Sun’s horn; twisted and black with a vile purple aura emanating from it.

“That’s my sister’s-”

Celestia nodded, her empty expression never wavering for a second as she responded in complete monotone.

“Yes, this is Starlight’s-”

She was interrupted by Twilight’s hoof Smashing into the side of her muzzle, as the Nightmare screamed in rage once more.

“What did you do to her, what did you do to my sister?”

The impact from the blow, however, was far stronger than before and a small trickle of blood dripped down Celestia’s muzzle. The Tyrant didn’t betray any emotion but her eye twitched ever so slowly, as she reached a hoof up and lightly wiped it across her muzzle.

Looking down at the crimson smear on her hoof, Celestia’s normally passive eyes widened with shock. Looking up she noticed Twilight pulling back for a full-powered strike. Celestia’s eyes narrowed, moving faster than the rays of light from her beloved sun, she raised her hoof to block Twilight’s blow.

As the two made contact a scream of agony echoed throughout Tartarus as Twilight fell to the ground. Her forehoof had impacted Celestia’s so hard that it now hung with mere strands of flesh connecting it to the leg. Celestia stared in silence as her niece rolled on the floor screaming. After a few minutes, Celestia’s horn glowed an obsidian black, intertwined with a purple sparkle.

The malicious magic swarmed around Twilight bathing her body, and her hoof reattached as nerves and veins, arteries and capillaries shot out from her leg, grabbing the severed hoof and drawing it back towards the leg. Twilight’s flesh enveloped the bone that grew from the mass, and in an instant it was over. The glow faded, and Celestia stared ever-blankly at her handiwork as Twilight’s screaming ceased.

Twilight flexed her hoof in surprise, glancing up at her aunt in surprise, but before she could utter a word, Celestia spoke.

“Enough. Starlight is safe, Twilight. No harm has come to her.”

Twilight stammered, caught off-guard.

“B-but you have her amulet, her proof of being a Nightmare.”

Celestia nodded stiffly.

“Yes, because she isn’t a Nightmare anymore, Twilight. She’s a Daybringer now.”

The color drained from Twilight’s face.

“A Daybringer? Why? Why would sister-”

“An eye for an eye, A wing for a wing and a horn for a horn.”

Twilight’s blood ran cold as she stammered out.

“That-that’s-”

It was impossible to see what Celestia was thinking, the Alicorn’s face completely blank and her words completely monotone. Still, Twilight felt an abhorrent malice within her words as she spoke.

“Because of you, my daughter will never cast magic again. And the magical balance must be maintained. So options were put forth after your entombment: I kill you, as retribution for my daughter’s wounds as is my right and eliminate your propensity to cast spells eternally. Or find a host for Cadance’s magic. Your sister, upon hearing this, knocked down the doors to my throne room and begged me not to take your life.”

Celestia stayed quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in before continuing.

“Normally I wouldn’t have bothered to entertain such a notion, however, Nightmares are well documented for their narcissistic natures, yet she cared for you. A Daybringer trait. Something you seem to possess as well, in regards to her.”

Celestia paused once more, the ever-so-slightest ghost of a smile on her lips. Still she continued in her deadpan monotone once more.

“How very curious indeed. Seeing this, I offered Starlight a choice between two options: She could renounce the Nightmares entirely; having her magic completely replaced by my daughters, with hers lost to the aether replaced by love and compassion. Or I would personally make sure she watched you die a truly excruciating death.”

Twilight’s eyes grew wide with shock, while Celestia simply stared at her.

“Nightmares become stronger with feelings of anguish, regret and rage. If you were to be executed at least your sister would be stronger from it. However, she, surprisingly to me, chose the former; surrendering her control over time and dreams, to protect her little sister.”

Looking down, Twilight felt lost. The concept was simply impossible and yet, with literally all the power, including Twilight’s own at her disposal, Celestia had nothing to gain from lying to her.

“Starlight…did that for…me?”

“Yes, and you can thank her, when we get back up to the surface. She’s been waiting at the entrance for quite a while to see ‘little Twi-Twi’. Which is why you are going to shut up and pay attention. This is important.”

Once more, Celestia held the amulet before her, before tossing it into the air, issuing a command as she blasted it with the light of the sun.

“Stand against the wall and don’t move a muscle until I say so.”

Twilight instantly felt compelled to rise up onto her hooves and before she even noticed, she was standing next to the wall; her body pressed as tightly against it as was possible. Standing there she watched in utter awe as Celestia’s might was brought to bear against the sparkling jewel in the Amulet’s center.

The jewel pulsed dully, and then brighter and brighter still, until long black tendrils began to snake out from within. Twilight’s jaw dropped as the tendrils grew in number, twisting and wrapping around themselves until they formed a large black blob. From within that blob emerged a large black pony with the form of a large stallion; its eyes glowing bright white as it seemed to be looking around for something.

Twilight then saw a sight no creature ever had and lived to tell about it. Celestia’s expression changed to one of absolute rage as she snarled at the figure.

“Your victim is right here.”

The black stallion turned to look at her, and Celestia smiled coldly as her body erupted forth in flames. Her mane and tail blazed forth in a firestorm of heat, moments before Celestia blasted the being with all her fury, the stallion vanishing in an exorcism of light.

“Begone.”

Her flames died down and she stared at the spot where the stallion had been, breathing heavily. The walls and floor of Twilight’s cell of indestructible stone began to drip; reduced to molten rock from the full power of the sun’s fury. Twilight stared in disbelief as the face of Celestia took on an expressionless appearance once more; placid and empty.

Twilight stood just five hoof lengths from the Celestial Princess, though the distance between the two was truly immeasurable.

“We need to leave. Now.”

Just as the waves of molten rock crashed down, both Celestia and Twilight vanished in a flash of golden light. Seconds later, both reappeared in the hallway of Canterlot Castle. Twilight stood there, panting heavily as the sensation of awe subsided.

“What…what was-”

“Twi-Twi!”

At that instant Twilight was knocked off her hooves as a blur of bright pink slammed into her from out of nowhere, sending her crashing to the ground. Glancing up in surprise as she lay on her side, Twilight saw a tall soft lilac pink Alicorn standing over her, its wings reaching out to grab her.

Twilight found herself effortlessly lifted up and pulled into an overwhelmingly loving embrace as the Alicorn nuzzled her.

“Twi Twi, I missed you!”

Twilight blinked in startled recognition; she didn’t understand who the figure hugging her was, but that manner of speech could only belong to-

“Star, is that you, big sister?”

The hug was released and the Alicorn took a step back, her wings flared wide in an almost theatrical display. Twilight steadied herself on her hooves and gazed at the unfamiliar being.

The fur of the Alicorn was a bright lilac, whereas her sister’s had been a dark gloomy gray. The mane and tail were definitely the colors of her sister’s though the style was much different from the Starlight she had known as well as significantly brighter. On the Alicorn’s flank was the familiar image of a falling star. Twilight stared into the magenta eyes of the towering Alicorn, before addressing her.

“Starlight?”

The Alicorn smiled lovingly back at her, slowly folding her feathery wings, before causing them to vanish in an instant; revealing the suddenly smaller form of a lilac unicorn mare.

“Hello little sister, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The words were gentle and loving, just as Twilight had always known her to be. An expression of joy filled Twilight’s face and she grabbed her sister in a tight embrace, while Starlight gently caressed her mane with her hoof. Still, one thing was concerning to her.

Looking over at Celestia, Twilight inquired.

“What was that…that thing?”

Celestia nearly spat out the words.

“Pony of Shadows.”

Twilight looked confused.

“Pony…of…Shadows?”

Surprisingly, it was Starlight who answered. Leaning down to lightly nuzzle her little sister, Starlight’s voice was soft and warm like melted butter on fresh baked bread.

“The Pony of Shadows is a hex; a curse that waits to be activated by its caster. And a horrible one at that. It steals the body of its victim, possessing them and placing them completely under the control of the caster.”

Twilight looked aghast as the images of that night flashed before her eyes. The destruction, the pain she had inflicted. Even a Nightmare had standards when it came to destruction, there were limits to what could or could not, would or would not be destroyed. Twilight suddenly felt sick.

But Starlight wasn’t done. And what she said next really made Twilight’s skin crawl.

“It gets worse. It draws out 100% of the victim's inert potential to use magic. The magic of the victim is then multiplied by the casters own and well, mom’s magic is comparable to Aunt Celestia’s.”

Unseen by the two sisters, Celestia’s normally passive expression flickered as her eye twitched at being compared to her sister. Almost as if she was insulted by the very idea. Still, she stood quietly by and watched as Starlight continued.

“Which is why you were able to cause apocalyptic destruction, and overpower not to mention nearly slaughter Cadance in the process, little sister.”

A soft nearly inaudible clearing of a throat suddenly reached the ears of the two sisters. Both Twilight and Starlight turned to see Celestia standing motionless, staring blankly into Starlight’s eyes. Starlight’s eyes suddenly widened in absolute terror. Swallowing hard, she turned to Twilight and spoke gently, yet somewhat urgently to her little sister.

“Hey Twilight, why don’t I introduce you to my wife. Come now, let’s let Aunt Celestia have some time to herself to do um, whatever she wants to.”

Celestia stayed motionless as she watched Starlight usher Twilight out of her sight in a flustered panic. Once they were out of sight, however, she spoke in an almost inaudible whisper, the ghost of a smile hovering on the lips of the Celestial Sister.

“It’s up to you now. Both of us are counting on you.”

Twilight groaned in frustration, as she conjured another drink, this one native to the Dragonlands, a fiery, burning mead.

“That’s enough of that.”

Applejack objected to this, staring at the frozen scene window to the past the two had been watching.

“Hey now! What happened next? It was just getting good.”

Twilight grumbled.

“I met her annoying wife. She did nothing but insult me, claiming I was nothing but a filly who just got their cutie mark. And how could I possibly possess any magical prowess.”

“Aw c’mon! Show me!”

Twilight stared at the drunk Earthpony in silence. Applejack gazed back and fluttered her eyelashes, causing Twilight’s face to flush a bright red. Throwing up her hooves, Twilight growled.

“Alright already. I’ll show you.”

“Yay! Another drink please.”

Twilight conjured another bottle for AJ, stating.

“Only if you share your past with me as well”

Twilight grinned victoriously while inwardly cheering in the stark silence that followed. There, that will stop her from asking about-

“Alright, Sugarcube.”

Twilight laughed.

“That’s what I- wait, what?”

Applejack’s buzz faded from her words, movement and even her eyes as she said simply.

“I said I’ll share my past with you. Let me see your bracelet.”

Twilight blinked in surprise, but seeing AJ gesture at it again, she slowly undid the binding around her hoof, whispering quietly.

“Can I trust you?”

Applejack paused for a moment, before lifting Twilight’s muzzle to stare her in the eyes.

“With your very life, Sugarcube.”

Twilight sighed, flustered by the motion, but also by the notion of trusting others. Twilight said softly as she gave the bracelet to Applejack.

“Fine, I’ll be leaving it to you then.”

Applejack smiled and strapped the bracelet to her hoof, making sure it was secure. Twilight spoke incredulously.

“Can you really use magic?”

Applejack laughed.

“According to everypony else? No-”

Her eyes glowed brightly with an orange light. Applejack took a deep breath and drew some strange signs in the air. Twilight was mesmerized by the fluid graceful motions; like that of a practiced dance, Applejack wove an invisible portrait in the air. Twilight couldn’t believe it, every stroke was masterfully polished, this wasn’t novice-ranked technique, this was a master’s craft.

“-No, I can’t.”

Twilight could visualize the areas where a Unicorn would have drawn using magic, though slower than a Unicorn’s cast, Twilight couldn’t help but be in awe of the Earthpony’s knowledge of the arcane. Applejack continued.

“But as a secret between us, Sugarcube?”

Applejack reared up and slammed her hooves on something in the air, her eyes glowing with magic channeled from the bracelet. Twilight clapped in excitement as a portal materialized.

“I dabble.”

Applejack chuckled at her own joke, before waving a hoof and an image of her next to a white Unicorn came into view. Twilight recognized her, it was Rarity and the two were walking down a dirt path outside Sweet Apple Acres.

“Darling, have you ever thought of having foals?”

Startled, Applejack came to a sudden stop.

“What in tarnation?”

Rarity just laughed and kicked up some leaves while explaining.

“I was just thinking of our plans, you know, Darling, for when we leave school?”

Applejack and Rarity were walking down the path to the woods towards the Apple family farm, talking about this and that; what they would do once school ended that winter.

“Rare, we’re both mares. I don’t think we’ll be having foals regardless of our activities.”

“We could always adopt.”

“True, but-”

Rarity’s eyelashes fluttered in excitement. She exclaimed.

“Oh, what do you think would be better? A Unicorn or an Earthpony?”

Applejack scuffed her hoof, voicing her thoughts.

“I don’t think it would matter, to be honest. Even a Pegasus orphan would be treated with nothing but love.”

At that moment, as if the Universe had heard her words, from the sky a ballistic missile of cyan came crashing to the ground, slamming into it with great impact, great enough to create a crater.

“What in the name of Princess Celestia-”

There before them, unconscious and shivering, murmuring nonsensical words was a little cyan-furred filly Pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane.