The Monument to All Your Sins.

Starlight was in her room, wrapped in the sheets of her bed crying inconsolably in silence, between her hooves was still Sunburst's horn which she had not let go since she returned days ago.
The room was completely dark and messy, there were half-finished plates of food scattered on the floor, torn and destroyed books everywhere and the mirror on the piece of furniture Twilight had given her was broken.

Suddenly a flash of light from the open door illuminated the entire room, Spike stood in the doorway looking worriedly inside.

“Starlight can I come in?...” asked the dragon, but receiving no answer he opted to slowly make his way deeper into the room, dodging all the garbage and making his way to the bed by hopping up, once there Spike looked at the pile of sheets Starlight had wrapped herself in, he could hear her sobs low down.

Spike didn't know what to do, he couldn't even begin to imagine the pain his friend was feeling at the moment, but what he did know was that they had a mission, and he couldn't afford to abandon it.

“Starlight..” he called finally as he reached out to put a claw on the pile of sheets ”Listen I, I really can't say that I understand how you feel, because, well...what I mean is that I'm really sorry, we're all sorry, you don't know how sorry, and we want you to know that we'll be with you no matter what...”

Spike waited for some kind of reaction from Starlight but Starlight just remained silent forcing the little dragon to try again.

“Listen, I know you loved Sunburst very much, he was your best friend and I'm sure he would have wanted us to continue with the mission...”

“And what the fuck do you know about what he would have wanted?!” Starlight jumped off the bed suddenly, shooing the dragon who fell to the floor, hurting a little from the amount of stuff strewn about ‘Are you implying that he wanted to die?! How the fuck could you think something like that...!’ starlight's voice cracked and she sobbed again, covering her face with her hooves.

Spike took a moment to recover from the shock, getting up sore and correcting himself.

“Starlight you know that's not what I meant, it's obvious that Sunburst didn't want to die, what I mean is, he knew the risks and still agreed to go with you, he was brave and followed you on a dangerous mission because he believed in you and what we're doing...” Spike paused, he didn't want to make Starlight dizzy with cheap speeches, he knew there were no words that would ease her friend's pain, he had to get straight to the point “Starlight... I'll be honest, we need Sunburst's horn...”

Starlight raised the furious look that made him recoil in fear.

“Uh, no, listen to me, he's the only one besides you who was close enough, he's the proof we need to send with Twilight-”

“That's what you want, a fucking horn with the right memories?!” interrupted Starlight sharply, standing up quickly and frantically starting to bang her head sharply against the wall of her room, right against her horn which let out a small crack.

Seeing this Spike unhesitatingly lunged at the mare, having to put all his weight into knocking her down.

“Starlight what are you doing!!!”

“Get off me Spike, this is what I deserve!!!”

“But why, why are you doing this!!!”

“Because it's my fault Spike, Sunburst died because of me!”

Starlight's struggles ceased as she slowly fell back into unrestrained crying, Spike was finally able to loosen his grip leaving them both lying on the ground.

“Starlight...”

“He...he told me to stop, that enough was enough, if I'd listened to him he...he'd still be here, but I didn't and now...I'll never see him again...”

Spike decided to let her vent, keeping his claws around her neck, now as a reassuring hug while Starlight cried and cried, when it finally seemed that her crying had calmed significantly the dragon decided to speak again.

“Starlight, I understand, you feel guilty and you think it should have been you, but, and of that I am sure, it is not what Sunburst would have wanted.”

At those words Starlight looked confused, pausing her sobs a bit to ask why that strange choice of words.

“What do you...what do you mean?”

“I mean Sunburst risked his life to save you, he gave everything to make sure you got back here safely, if you had died instead of him don't you think he would have felt the same or worse than you?”

Starlight thought for a moment, what Spike was saying made sense, but still the thought gnawed at her.

“But...if that were the case, he'd at least be here.”

“And do you really think he could handle all this?”

Starlight didn't understand what the dragon was getting at, it's not like she was an expert either but she was sure that wasn't the right way to cheer up someone in mourning.
Spike noticing this quickly sought to correct himself.

“What I mean, is that you started all this, you are the leader and Sunburst knew that without you, this whole mission would go nowhere, he wasn't just saving you, he saved this whole operation, he gave you the opportunity to be here and not let his sacrifice have been in vain.”

The unicorn didn't remember Spike being so level headed, she thought back to the first time she had seen the little dragon, how she thought he was just a naive child, and also thought about how much time had really passed since then, he may have looked pretty much the same as he did back then but he had definitely changed a lot.

Starlight finally managed to recover, they both sat on the bed again, side by side facing the wall.

“Sunburst..he was never very adventurous, you know, not even when we were little...” Starlight still held Sumburst's horn in her hoof, holding it against her chest “Even when I goaded him to get out of the house once in a while he never agreed, he always wanted to stay home reading...”

Spike could see a nostalgic smile creep across Starlight's face.

“I can't believe that, the one adventure I managed to convince him to join me on was his last...” tears again appeared on her face as the dragon quickly hugged her from the side.

“At least...” began Spike ” I think it was the greatest adventure Equestria had ever seen...”

“Yes...I think you're right...” replied Starlight thoughtfully ”But Equestria must see it, of that there is no doubt.”

Spike smiled at Starlight's change in attitude, she still looked sad, but now more focused.

“Yes you're absolutely right!” exclaimed Spike ”And as a first step, we must send the evidence they got to Twilight so she can use it..”

“But how are we going to do that?” asked Starlight suddenly ”It just dawned on me that we don't even know where she is, she told me she lets me know when she gets to a safe place but she hasn't sent us anything How are we supposed to deliver it to her?”

At this Spike couldn't help but let out a mocking chuckle, one that missed Starlight the most.

“And what are you laughing at?” she asked somewhat annoyed.

“I'm laughing because you are forgetting the most obvious solution..”

Spikke was silent waiting for Starlight to understand what he was referring to, it took a moment for the unicorn to catch on but when she did she couldn't help a smile of reassurance as she now gently held her best friend's horn.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight, her friends and Bek walked through the streets of the crystal empire, as they passed many of the inhabitants were staring at them, not only because they were five of the elements of harmony but also because they looked very different from what the crystal ponies were used to, the mares were dirty and disheveled, you could even perceive a slight unpleasant scent coming from them.
They walked steadily and heedless of prying eyes in the direction of the large castle in the center of town, however Bek was beginning to find herself very uncomfortable with the unwanted attention.

“Ehhh Twilight...” she began to say approaching the unicorn ”Remind me why we can't sneak into the castle at night.”

Twilight turned slightly noticing the discomfort of the mare who was trying to cover herself as much as possible with her hat and cloak.

“You have nothing to worry about Bek, I know you don't like the idea of being seen but as I told you this is a safe place...”

“Yes honey...” began Rarity ”You don't have to worry about the ponies around here, they may be a bit reserved and a bit eccentric but I can guarantee you their manners are impeccable”

“Rarity is right, of all the times we've been here no one has ever treated us badly...” began Applejack.

“Except the first time we came, everyone was gray and very grumpy” said Rainbow Dash causing the farm girl to give her an annoyed look.

“Well...!” interrupted Twilight ”That was because they were still under King Sombra´s spell.”

“Yes! Now everyone is happy, smiling a lot and having lots of parties!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

Bek was reminded of some old experiences by the name Sombra, for a second she thought about asking more about it but quickly dismissed the idea, after all the stallion she had known must have died a long time ago.

Finally before them stood the palace, towering like an imposing tower whose brilliance seemed to shine like a second sun.
The mares approached until they were almost underneath, heading towards the main entrance, and then Bek stopped dead in her tracks, causing them all to stop and turn to look at her.

“Bek? Is something wrong?” asked Twilight worriedly.

“No, it's nothing it's just....I don't really like the idea of sneaking into a castle uninvited, that never usually ends well.”

“Oh you have nothing to worry about...” started Twilight ”Cadance is one of my oldest friends and Shining Armor is my brother, I assure you they would never do anything to hurt you...”

Twilight couldn't finish the sentence as in an instant several dozen Empire guards came out of the doors, quickly surrounding Bek and pulling Twilight and her friends away from her, before any could protest a large figure in purple armor jumped out in front of them.

“Easy Twilight! You're safe now!” Shining Armor stands in a defensive stance while the guards surrounding Bek pointed their spears firmly at her.

“And this is exactly what I meant...” said the unicorn letting out an annoyed sigh.

“No! Shining Armor wait...!!!” started to say Twilight but was quickly interrupted.

“You don't have to explain anything Twilight, we're already aware of the situation..” he said seriously before turning to his guards ”Capture her! But be very careful, she's a very skilled fighter!”

The guards began to approach still holding their weapons aloft as Bek began to get upset, tensing his body and preparing to draw his sword.

“Shining Armor!!!” Twilight shouted finally getting the attention of her brother who turned around in confusion “Please listen to me! She's not evil!”

“No, she's just crazy!” replied the stallion but Twilight lashed out.

“That's not true, she needs help!”

The guards were getting closer and closer to Bek who had already started to flash his horn.

“Please, brother, just let me explain...” Twilight said with a pleading tone.

Shining Armor now hesitated, looking directly into his younger sister's eyes and finding no fear now put him in a dilemma, that runaway unicorn had shown terrifying sword skill, not to mention her attempt to hurt her sister during her coronation, but Twilight was begging him not to hurt her.
As the captain of the guard debated on what to do a voice rose in the heights just above the tide of guards.

“You don't have to fear Twilight anymore, stop lying for this scum!”

Cadance flew majestically over the crowd, her beautiful wings outstretched and her crown perfectly visible, the moment she saw her Bek jumped all his alarms, pulling out the hilt of his sword and igniting the magical blade, all the guards instantly tensed up and prepared to lunge.

Seeing this Twilight quickly flashed her horn, teleporting right next to Bek and putting herself between her and Cadance.

“Everyone please stop!” shouted the purple alicorn ”Cadance please listen to me...!”

“Cadance?!” asked Bek in surprise, ”She's Cadance?!”

Twilight turned to see Bek who looked extremely upset.

“Yes, that's her why, what's the problem?”

“You didn't tell me she was a fucking alicorn too! How many of you exist now!”

Everyone present was startled by the curse, even Cadance looked indignant at the words.

“Twilight, get away from that pony, we know what she did to them, you don't have to defend her!” claimed the princess of love holding her breath.

“What are you talking about? She hasn't done anything to us...!”

“Enough..!” interrupts Cadance ”Stand back and let the guards capture her!”

“NO!!!” shouted Twilight, so loud it echoed beyond the castle grounds ”I won't do anything you say until you listen to what I have to tell you!”

At that moment Applejack and Rainbow Dash burst through the wall of guards, followed by Rarity and Pinkie Pie, they all moved in and surrounded Bek, getting in the way of the guards' spears.

“No matter what you think you know Cadance...!” began Twilight ”None of that matters now, just trust me when I tell you that you must listen to me.... and her.”

Cadance didn't know what to do, she didn't understand why Twilight and her friends would put themselves in danger to defend that unicorn who had caused so much havoc, the one who had threatened her own life, but just like Shining Armor, she met a look full of determination in her sister-in-law's eyes, one that seemed to have overcome any fear or doubt.

Finally Cadance gestured with his hoof and all the guards relaxed their stance, though still keeping their spears pointed.

“Well Twilight...” began Cadance as she descended and stood on the ground ‘I will listen to what you have to say, but she must surrender her weapon’ she said pointing to Bek who was still levitating his sword near her.

Twilight then exchanged glances with Cadance for a second, realizing she was completely serious, then turning to Bek she motioned for her to hand over her sword the unicorn quickly shook her head clearly still upset making Twilight insist.

“Please...”

“No” she replied firmly ”It's mine and I won't let them take it...”

“I'll take care of her for you...” interrupted Twilight making Bek look surprised ”Please, just so they'll listen to us.”

Bek hesitated a long moment, she really didn't trust this, recently discovered, new alicorn, or any of her glass armored guards, but Twilight's face didn't lie, it was obvious that the only inconvenient for this meeting to take place peacefully was her and her weapon, without any other choice Bek turned off the blade of her heavy and allowed Twilight to take it with her magic, keeping it in her saddlebag.

“There, that's it...” said Twilight looking back at Cadence who had a serious look on her face.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The princess of love walked through the corridors of her castle in the company of her husband, just behind her were Twilight and her friends surrounded by guards, and a little further back was Bek, separated from the rest and with even more guards around her checking her every move, the unicorn was beginning to feel trapped and she didn't like that at all.

Finally they all arrived at the throne room, the moment they entered almost all the guards dispersed, placing themselves at the sides of the room, except Bek's guards who stayed uncomfortably close to the mare and still holding their spears tightly.
Cadance walked without a word until she reached her throne, sitting down and finally looking directly at Twilight.

“Alright Twilight, before you say anything let me read you something Princess Celestia sent me shortly after you disappeared...”

Twilight then felt panic slowly take hold of her, she knew it was likely Celestia would report her disappearance, but considering the welcome they had she was worried what kind of information she might have shared with Cadance, she even wondered if perhaps her friend was aware of what she was about to tell her, before Twilight could finish elaborating on those thoughts Cadance cleared her throat, appearing a scroll in front of her and beginning to read.

“Dear Princess Miamore Cadenza, I write to you now with a great concern in my being, as you may well know in recent days both myself and my sister Luna and your sister-in-law Twilight were victims of an attempt on our lives, something never seen before in Equestria, unfortunately I must inform you that I was not able to catch in time the perpetrator pony who unfortunately has undertaken another dirty trick, one that goes beyond anything I could have imagined.
Somehow this deranged unicorn managed to manipulate Twilight into believing that some of her madness was true, I'm not sure if it was through lies or using some spell on them but the point is that now both she and her friends have disappeared and I have no idea where they might be.
This has me extremely worried, I have already used everything in my power to find them but I have had no luck, therefore I need to ask for your help, your kingdom is vast and your connections in the northern lands are wide, if you were to discover something, any clue that could lead us to their whereabouts I beg you to share it with me immediately, and, in the horrible case that you were to meet them and the unicorn directly I beg you, for all that is Equestria, do not trust them, even if Twilight herself or any of her friends try to defend that pony, assume the worst has happened and capture them all, then let me know immediately and I will stop whatever I am doing to go immediately and undo whatever spell or curse the mare has put on them and then see to it that that deranged unicorn gets what she deserves for attacking us princesses and Equestria itself.
Yours truly Princess Celestia.”

Twilight and Bek both turned pale at this, if this was true it was likely that they were now in horrible danger, as Twilight did her best to quickly gather her thoughts Cadance spoke again.

“Despite the fact that yes, it seems that most of what this letter predicts is true, they don't seem to be under a spell to me, so do you want to explain this madness to me Twilight?”

Instead of answering the question posed to her Twilight responded with a completely different question.

“Did you even tell her yet?” her voice was breathless, fear at the thought that Celestia had already found out chilled her blood.

“What are you talking about?” asked Cadance.

“To Celestia, please tell me you haven't told her...”

“No, not yet..” replied Cadance finally understanding ”But don't get confused, if you can't give me a good explanation of what's going on here I won't hesitate to call her...”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief, there was still a chance, she just had to explain herself, but, before she could start she realized something.

“I can't do that if your guards are here....”

“What?” asked Cadance incredulously.

“What I have to say you must hear first, before you decide if it's wise to let more ponies know.”

Cadance for a second thought Twilight was joking, but her look didn't lie.

“Twilight If you know that goes against any common sense that seeks to preserve my safety? You can't be serious.”

“I'm very sorry Cadence, but it's necessary.”

Cadance thought seriously about it, no matter where she looked it seemed like a cheap technique to get her to let her guard down, definitely now she was even more suspicious about what the letter said, she shuffled the idea that Twilight was being controlled, turning her attention to Bek who kept her gaze to the ground, she couldn't appreciate her face covered by the hat but she couldn't feel magic coming from her either, just in that moment Shining Armor whispered to her.

“I think we should do what she says...”

Cadance looked at him in confusion.

“Listen, I've never seen her like this before, this seems serious indeed.”

“But what about the unicorn?” Cadance asked worried.

“If she tries anything, I'll take care of it” Shining put a hoof on Cadance's, holding her tightly and comforting her with a smile.

After a moment Cadance finally let out a sigh, she turned to her guards and motioned for them to leave the throne room, they hesitated for a moment before finally turning and slowly exiting until only Twilight, her friends, Bek, Cadance and Shining Armor were left in the room.
Just as the last of the guards left the room and closed the door behind him, Cadance spoke again.

“All right Twilight, I'm listening.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
By the time Twilight finished telling the whole story Cadance didn't or knew what to say, she had a look of dismay him the face, she had decided to stay quiet during the whole story keeping her gaze fixed on Twilight while Shining kept an eye on Bek who had barely moved from where he was.

“Twilight...” she finally said ‘I have taken care of you since you were a baby, I am one of the few ponies that you can say that know you as well as you know yourself, that's why I want to believe that you know that I know how smart you are...’ the princess of love paused, thinking well what she would say ”And I assume that for that same reason you are also aware that what you are saying is completely crazy...”

Twilight was beginning to tire of that phrase, although she understood why, since recently, it had become so common to hear it, she couldn't expect any pony she said it to to understand it immediately, so she had already prepared herself with arguments to debate heatedly with Cadance if Cadance looked reluctant to accept it, however before she could begin her meticulously planned speech Cadance herself said something that neither Twilight nor anyone else present had expected.

“If you really expect me to believe this you are telling me I expect you to at least bring with you some proof.”

It came as a major surprise to realize that Cadance was willing to listen and not simply disavow what was being presented to her, a surprise that Twilight quickly shook off, reacting quickly to present what she had.

“That's right Cadance, I wouldn't have come here to tell you all this without proof, I'm not that naive, I know how everything I just told you sounds, trust me...” Twilight then turned to Bek, indicating her to come closer.

Bek hesitated for a moment but she knew that they were right now on the edge so he didn't want to complicate things any further, she slowly advanced until he stood right in front of the throne, still with her head down and without saying anything.
The silence lasted for a long moment until Bek finally unbuttoned her cloak and removed her hat, unveiling her scarred mangled body, something that elicited a gasp from Cadance before Twilight regained the floor.

“She...she is my proof Cadance, she comes from that dark time, she is the reason I know all this now, she...she was a victim of Celestia and Luna in the past.”

Bek felt like an animal on display, it was a feeling she hated, she could feel the gaze of everyone in the room on her, still she stood her ground, turning slightly so that Cadance could see directly into her burnt ark at her side with the representation of what were clearly Celestia and Luna's cutie marks.
Cadance couldn't help but be disgusted by the grotesque spectacle the mare was exhibiting in front of her, even Shining Armor was dumbfounded, she didn't understand how it was possible that a pony could become so injured.

“Twilight...” began Cadance ”I'm sorry but, this is not enough...”

“What!” exclaimed Twilight.

“Do you really want me to be convinced just because you bring me a poor deranged and...maimed mare?”

“I have a name” interrupted Bek suddenly drawing everyone's attention.

“Excuse me...:?” asked Cadance.

“I'm not a poor mare I'm Bek and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop acting like I'm not here...”

Cadance finally got a clear view of the unicorn's face as well as her bright green eyes that remained fixed on her, without any hint of fear or respect for her, as Cadance looked into them she realized something he had deduced the first time she had seen the mare, something about her was not normal, certainly something about her was different than anything she had ever seen, at this she turned to Twilight and continued.

“Twilight, there's something wrong with this mare...”

“Of course there's something wrong with her, I told you she came from a different time than us...”

“And you really believed that? Please Twilight, you're not that innocent.”

“You don't know what I've seen since I met her, I'm completely convinced of her story and I'm willing to help her...”

“Help her in what?” exclaimed Cadance getting more and more upset.

“To unmask Celestia...”

“I can't believe it Twilight...” Cadance tapped her temple with her hoof in frustration “How can you believe what she says? You don't even know who she is or what the hell she is...”

“I'm a soldier!” firmly said Bek interrupting again, this time with an annoyed tone in his voice ”I'm a soldier and I fought for the damn lands you're standing on now, I fought on this place when it was just scorched and barren land to turn into your stupid empire!”

“How dare you!” exclaimed Cadence indignantly and finally turning to Bek.

“How dare I, I dare because Twilight assured me that you were someone worthy of her trust but in the end you turned out to be just as arrogant and stupid as your so acclaimed princesses, not to mention I'm still alive so from that I can deduce two things, first, you have no idea what we're talking about and second and more importantly, you're not a real alicorn either!”

Cadance didn't know what he meant by “Real Alicorn” however it was obvious that the unicorn had no intention of having a civil conversation.

“You dragged my friends for three damn months through no man's land, you come and stand at the entrance of my palace asking for my help and now you insult me?”

“I didn't know it was still a crime to ask respect from an alicorn.”

Bek faced Cadance, planting herself firmly without breaking eye contact while the alicorn didn't know how to react to this but could feel the anger building up.
At that moment she jumped in the middle of them both and pushed them away.

“Please, let's all calm down...” Twilight then looked directly at Cadence “She, is a pony in trouble Cadence, and she needs our help..”

Cadance put her pride aside for a moment, there was no malice whatsoever in Twilight's words, she seemed like the same old Twilight, as contradictory as that thought was.

“Even if I didn't tell Celestia Twilight...” began Cadance ”I'm still not convinced by your story...”

“Then look at her memories...” suddenly exclaimed Twilight surprising Cadance ”Use a spell to read her mind so you'll know it's not a lie!”

Cadance looked again at Bek who still kept her gaze fixed on her, she again lost herself in the deep gleam of her eyes and considered it, Twilight was right, it was the ultimate test, to clear herself of all doubt, but, although she was almost certain that the story she was told could not be real, a hint of fear crept into her thoughts.

“I won't...”

“What!” asked Twilight incredulously.

“I'm sorry but, I don't trust the veracity of her memories, you know perfectly well that the mind connection spell is a double edged sword, if the mind of any of the participants is damaged in any way it's very possible that that imbalance will be transferred to the other pony, I won't risk damaging my mind by the altered memories of a crazy pony...”

“She's not crazy Cadance! yes maybe she's a little deranged, but she's not crazy...”

“Still she has a point...” interrupted Bek suddenly ”It's one thing to relate it and quite another to see it directly, I'm worried your friend might not be able to handle the shock.”

Twilight looked at Bek and analyzed what she had told her, she hadn't considered it but it was true, mind reading spells were a very complex and delicate thing, she didn't know what kind of repercussions there could be if Cadance got too deep into Bek's memories, another option was for Bek to project her own memories through her horn but this was even more complicated and she was sure the mare had no idea how to do that.

“Then let her see my memories!” exclaimed Twilight finally making everyone look at her strangely ”No, seriously think about it, I don't have many related memories but the little I have are blunt, that might clear the doubts...”

“Actually that's not a bad idea...” began Bek ‘Unless your friend is a purist and they aren't enough for her’ Bek gave Cadance an annoyed look which she decided to ignore for the sake of Twilight's good idea.

“Very well, that I can do” Cadence finally said.

Twilight and Cadance stepped slightly away from the others, facing each other and flashing their horns.

“Cadance...” began Twilight making Cadance look at her ”Just...no matter what you see or how horrible it is, believe me when I tell you it's all true...”

Cadance did not answer and simply nodded slightly, a light thread of magic came out of her horn, approaching little by little to Twilight's horn until touching it, connecting and in an instant, she felt that everything around her turned off.
It was a very strange sensation, before her eyes passed endless images of Twilight's life, it was like moving through a very fast tunnel made of memories, some she could recognize as shared memories of the two of them together, she saw the time she spent as her nanny, her wedding with Shining Armor, and the crystallization of Flurry Heart, others, on the other hand, were personal and private memories, like Twilight in her youth reading romance novels too strong for her age, her obsessive memories with all the foals and mares she had liked throughout her life, culminating in a too-private memory of her and Pinkie Pie, Cadance quickly detached herself from all those personal memories and focused on what she was really looking for.
Suddenly the tunnel of memories stopped completely, stopping in a section of too dark memory that contrasted with the endless colorful memories, that had to be if or it, before entering Cadance made sure one last time that she was not in an illusion created by Twilight verifying that, indeed, she was in the memory of her friend.

Everything lasted only a second, a torrent of information that filled her in an instant, she could see the conversation Bek had had with Twilight, the sadness reflected in the unicorn's eyes, she saw the secret door in the castle of the two sisters, she saw the abominable creature on the roof of the cavern and the mountains of bones, then she felt the panic, the paralyzing fear and madness threatening to take over Twilight's mind, culminating in the memory of the tea with Celestia and her blood chilling monstrous expression, those orange eyes were fused in Cadance's own memory, even through the memory she could feel a primal fear within her, that couldn't be Celestia, it couldn't.

In less than a second Cadance came to, finding herself back in the throne room, the flood of memories stunned her to such a degree that she staggered backwards, seeing his wife almost falling to the ground Shining Armor quickly jumped up to hold her.

“Cadence! What happened, are you okay?” the stallion asked worriedly.

“Yes, I'm ...fine Shining” Cadance replied exhausted as she looked up to see Twilight who had also fallen and her friends were standing around her making sure she was okay ”That's...”

“Impossible...” interrupted Twilight ”I know that, and yet you just saw it...”

“But why, because Celestia would do all this...?”

“Because she can do it...” interrupted Bek approaching from the side and standing in the middle of both alicorns ”She doesn't have to have any reason to do what she does, make no mistake she has her reasons, although unfortunately the aforementioned are a mystery even to me, but that's just an addition, she thinks she has the right to rule over all things, that implies deciding over life and death...” Bek paused, she hadn't really thought much about her personal speech, she finally let out a sigh as she flashed her horn and covered her body again with her cloak “Listen Princess Cadance, you don't have to try to understand why your princesses do or don't do things, just trust us when we tell you that, whatever they are doing now, it's not a good thing at all.”

“And how are you so sure?” Cadance asked exalted.

“Because while I was locked in her dungeon the solar bitch kept repeating that my presence threatened everything she had been building up to this day,and I honestly don't think she meant her beloved kingdom Equestria...”

“Bek is right...” began Twilight ”Celestia is hiding something, we don't know what it is yet but it's something she's been working on for a long time, we must put it, whatever it is, to stop, and if possible and ultimately..." Twilight swallowed hard, she couldn't believe what she was about to say “Remove Celestia and Luna from their royal duties and put them on trial for their crimes against the ancient pony world.”

“Twilight...” said Cadance as she finally managed to stand up ”You're talking about overthrowing the princesses Do you understand how serious it is that you would even suggest it?”

“I'm very sorry Cadance but I see no more solution to our problem, an injustice has been done, one that both princesses hid in the past, one that could be the greatest barbarism ever seen by this world. Are we really going to stand by and do nothing even knowing that they have been getting away with it for so long?”

Twilight's question echoed in Cadance's mind, her friend was absolutely right, if it was all true it was something that couldn't be ignored. What kind of princess would she be if she let something like that go through, though the idea of overthrowing her lies still didn't quite convince her, maybe there was a more diplomatic way to resolve this.

“So what do you need from me?” finally asked Cadance.

Twilight couldn't help but smile with relief.

“For starters asylum, we need a safe place to start mapping out a plan of action.”

“You can stay in the castle no problem, I'll have rooms prepared for all of you...”

“I don't need a room...” interrupted Bek abruptly eliciting a confused look from Cadence "I ...prefer the outdoors, if you don't mind" she finished by relaxing the tone of her voice and bowing slightly.

“Oh...no problem, as long as you don't inconvenience my citizens everything will be fine” Cadance replied trying to be polite.

“Well...” resumed Twilight ” Next we need to figure out a way to convince as many ponies as possible of Bek's story.”

“Not an easy step at all...” suddenly interrupted Applejack.

“Yeah, if we, who saw it firsthand had a hard time taking it in ¿how are we going to convince all of Equestria that the princesses are evil?” asked Rainbow exaggerating her tone.

“I have to agree with this...” began Rarity ”I sincerely doubt that our memories of the cavern and Bek's emm..torturous dodgy memory will be enough to convince anyone, after all she's just a pony.”

“If only there was a super convenient way to get more direct memories of that era lost in time” exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

At that moment a strange sound filled the room, it sounded like a gas coming out under pressure, a sound that quite disturbed the atmosphere and made everyone look up, finding a small purple cloud that seemed to build up more and more, everyone looked confused for a moment before suddenly the cloud of smoke turned into a small package wrapped roughly in paper and it fell to the floor with a thud.

Everyone looked quizzical for a second before Twilight and her friends shouted in unison.

“Spike!”

It was indeed one of the little dragon's breath shipments, the smoke and slight burning scent was unmistakable, quickly everyone approached the package, Twilight flashed her horn and untied the small cord holding the package, she had no idea what it could be but if Spike sent something to Twilight directly it had to be important, quickly the wrapping was opened and, the moment the contents were exposed to everyone, the faces of almost everyone present twisted into expressions of panic and disgust.
There, in the center of the package, rested only a pair of objects, two cut unicorn horns, one of a dark red color and one of a very soft orange hue that, to some, was frighteningly familiar, right in the center of both horns rested a small note written on a torn piece of parchment, this one had a single sentence written on it.

“For the help you surely need.”

S-
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was midnight on the outskirts of Canterlot, all the ponies were sleeping peacefully in what was an extremely quiet night.
Suddenly and without any warning, on the side of the mountain on which the capital city was built, right at its base, the rock suddenly opened, it moved as if it were simple earth making a strange muffled sound and leaving a huge opening that went deep into the earth.

For a moment nothing could be seen but the darkness of the entrance but little by little and from the bottom a flash of golden light and a blue one began to be seen, finally Celestia came out of the cavern, stopping for a minute to appreciate the sunlight reflected on the moon which was shining fully in the sky.

“Sister, not to rush you but this is very heavy...!”

Luna's voice was heard speaking from further back in the cavern.

“Oh! sorry sis” said Celestia turning away from the entrance.

Soon after a huge iron cage was pushed out of the cavern and right behind it came out Princess Luna who was sweating profusely and collapsed as soon as she stepped outside.
The inside of the cage was kept in darkness due to the deep shadow cast by the roof of the same, leaving hidden what was inside, which now remained in a perpetual silence.

When Luna finally managed to gather the strength to get up, she approached her sister cautiously.

“Celestia...” she called softly.

“Yes! what is it Luna?” the voice of Celestia was calm and cheerful, on her face was a smile full of peace and calm, as if the two of them were just sharing a tender moment.

Luna hesitated at this, she really had been having a hard time reading her sister's feelings lately, she couldn't even guarantee anymore if that little casual gesture was sincere or not, finally she managed to get the hindrances out of her head and spoke even with a low voice.

“You know, we can still fix this, we just have to come up with a proper excuse and ...I'll take care of Bek, I can promise you that she won't interfere with our plans again...” the soft speech was interrupted by an equally soft chuckle.

“Oh little sister, I know you miss having fun with your little pet, but you must understand that she is no longer simply a piece of meat for your amusement, in this beautiful world we built, she has become a danger, a threat too great to pass up If you understand?”

Luna didn't want to try her luck, she had decided to be cautious , she had to move forward little by little.

“Yes, I understand sister, but even so, this still seems...excessive” Luna looked at the cage and felt a chill, not because she knew what was inside, but rather because of the perpetual silence the thing kept, that was unnatural and disturbed her deeply by this fact.

“It may be a drastic thing Luna but we must make sure that her death is effective and that, in the end, not the slightest trace of her is left in this world...”

“And what about Twilight and her friends?” asked Luna bluntly.

“Well...” Celestia thought about her answer “It's possible that, as things stand, we may have to dispose of some of the elements of harmony, but, lucky for us, all the threats of Equestria were finally eradicated, so it seems to me that we'll be fine until the next reincarnations show up, as long as she brings Twilight in one piece we'll be just fine.”

Luna didn't know what else to say anymore, she couldn't disavow her sister's plan without getting into conflict and that, wasn't an option, at least for now.

“Well what are you waiting for?” said Celestia suddenly.

Receiving a confused look from Luna Celestia let out a sigh.

“To open the cage dear, after all I opened the cavern..” Saying this Celestia flashed her horn and the large entrance to the cave slowly closed behind them.

Luna walked with resignation towards the opposite side of the cage, shining her horn, this glow started to cover the bars of the cage one by one until it was completely covered, Luna started to open the internal mechanisms of the cage little by little, just at the moment she felt the last lock she stopped and looked at her sister and tried to reason with her one last time.

“Sister how do we know it won't get out of control?”

“I told you Luna, it's likely that, because of hunger, it will devour a couple of innocent ponies on its way to Bek, but it won't go on a slaughter unless they get in its way...” the tone of Celestia suddenly became sterner, in a light and almost imperceptible tone, but without a doubt, demanding ”Now, please, open the cage.”

Luna felt a shiver, resisted the urge to start shaking uncontrollably and simply unlocked the last latch without thinking.

In that instant the entire cage disintegrated in a flash of blue, disappearing completely and, in less than a second, whatever was inside shot off into the trees in the distance, so fast that all that could be seen was a flash of black.

“And that's it!” exclaimed Celestia happily ‘Now we'll just wait for him to come back and everything will finally be solved’ the alicorn let out a sigh of relief and immediately flew calmly in the direction of the castle.

Luna could only stand there looking in the direction the thing went, listening to the high-pitched screech getting farther and farther away in the darkness of the night.