Where Will You Run to When Your Goddesses Are Gone?

"Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people."

~ Spencer Johnson

—————

All around, ponies everywhere were hard at work at their instruments. Bright lights illuminated the area, which appeared to be a large, circular room with a ceiling about two-and-a-half pony-lengths tall. Every instrument had at least one pony working on it, and all the instruments wrapped around the outer edge of the room, with bright, sleek lights and holographic displays presented a wealth of information regarding what was all around.

A long island sat in front of a huge window that took up one entire area of the room, with three ponies taking the controls that were provided there. They were separated equally from each other, with the middle Earth stallion as the helmsman, the unicorn mare on his right as the navigator, and the Earth pony mare on his left as the radar overseer.

Behind the stallions, a distance away, on the elevated middle of the large, circular room, was a rotating chair with all sorts of instruments encircling it. Hologram HUDs surrounded the upper area, easily able to be controlled with the flick of a hoof or by direct magic, while there were many different buttons and whatnot on the arm/hoofrests on either side.

To tell the truth, it looked exactly like the Starship Enterprise's control room. And yes, it was true that they were on a ship — a space-faring warship armed to the teeth with weapons unseen by the likes of any beings. They were that advanced. However, this was not Pony Trek or any sci-fi television series back in Equestria: this was real life.

A few moments later, the captain of the ship, a unicorn stallion with a dark blue coat, black hair, brown eyes, and a planet for his cutie mark, trotted into view. At his appearance all the ponies around saluted to him, and he smiled at them all, enjoying his position of power for a moment before relieving them all. They turned back to their duties, and he turned to his; he sat down on the rather spacy chair and relaxed, enjoying the cushioning underneath his rump that the exquisite magically altered clouds provided him. He smiled and pressed a few things on the hologram before straightening up, clearing his breath. He was about to issue a brief to the entire ship.

"Ekwae et ekwoe d'ployún. Zhatte heggfáthaga Equestria indo dy zhimer'st. Parkel, baranone praepet. Tha'site ominu," he informed them all. He ended the stream to the rest of the ship and sighed softly. He knew that the Equestrian Princess needed as much help as soon as she could, so it was no surprise that his commanding officer had requested three capital ships and five freighters (full of munitions and specially trained ponies) to arrive at Equestria as soon as possible, which was two days if their calculations were correct. He sighed softly to himself and nodded to the helmsman to enter hyperspace.

The Earth stallion bowed his head low before pressing a few buttons, making sure a things were properly functioning before he disengaged the singularity brake and pulled down on a lever. The front of the ship began to seem as if it was receding from them, and so did all of time and space itself, before suddenly the aperture in front of them was filled with a bright bluish-white. He then tweaked the controls so that they could stay on autopilot for a while before he relaxed in his seat.

The captain stallion, behind him, was busy. He had brought a hologram of Equestria up near his face, sighing, using his hooves to manipulate it and hold it curiously. He gazed over every area on the planet, focusing especially on the small empire of Equestria, which was only a small upper part of a large continent. The empire had slowly been shrinking over the past 2,500 years, and he knew the Princesses were slowly losing their power, especially after Luna's banishment to the moon. He had only learned his Equestrian history during his education back at Cyprus, but it was quite a formal and rigorous curriculum that taught him everything he had to know. There was a reason why he was elected as Captain of the Royal Fleet.

In the back of his mind, he knew that if the Princesses were to remain in power, that they would have to give them tremendous help. Stealth was not an option here.

He sighed again, placing the globe back down before it disappeared. His thoughts began to wander again, and he found himself gazing at the bluish white glow of hyperspace just ahead of them before relaxing completely.

———

Back in Equestria, a certain Royal Tower was finally devoid of any activity. All the candlelight had been extinguished, no voices could be heard, and crickets chirped all around.

If she was in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle would still be studying. But here, exhausted from everything she had gone through today, having finally met up with her friends in Canterlot, and having found an exotic piece of an enigmatic mystery (and studying it), she couldn't do anything else but sleep.

She was lying peacefully on her comfortable bed, a purple blanket with all sorts of stars and constellations knitted into it pulled up and covering her to keep her warm. A gentle, warm breeze wafted through the small, open window, keeping the room in equilibrium.

She was alone in the room with a sleeping Spike, while the rest of her friends were in separate rooms and floors by themselves below her. She had told them that she was too exhausted to continue partying (much to Pinkie Pie's dejectedness), and that she would go back upstairs to sleep. True to her word, she did exactly as she said she would do, and nothing else.

When she got back up, she had found that Spike was acting a little weird. It was as if he wanted to tell her something, but just couldn't decide whether or not he really wanted to or not. Of course, she had been through and observed that kind of thing with Spike many times over before, and they always ended up badly, but this time she sensed something... different. It was as if there was something big, something severe that he wanted to tell her, yet never got around to doing so. It worried her, and she had almost fallen asleep in a cold sweat because of it. She had seen him fall asleep, and he himself seemed uneasy.

So, as a result, her dreams were filled with such worries. Her anxieties and doubting feelings took precedence over nearly everything else she felt while she slept, and it was as if she was being betrayed.

Her doubts about the Princess didn't help at all, either. Her shocked gaze, her blank stare was replaying itself in her mind, over and over and over again, which made her heart race. She had never seen her mentor in that state before, and she knew for a fact that she was definitely hiding something behind that normally straight, regal face of hers. Perhaps it had to do with the object she had shown her? The very same object she was having trouble with?

She squirmed in bed, letting out an audible whimper. What if that was true? What if everything she had known was all a lie? What if her mentor wasn't as good as she seemed?

No, that wasn't true. That couldn't be true. She forced herself to bask in these reassuring thoughts, and eventually fell back into a peaceful sleep. It would be alright. Nothing would be different, and the world she knew would remain the same.

Beside her, Spike gave a slight shudder.

———

Princess Celestia surfaced from her dreams. She kept her eyes closed, but heaved a heavy, yet contented sigh, and stretched her limbs out in front of her. The golden horseshoes she usually wore were sitting on the desk beside her floorbed, and her crown encircled them neatly.

"Mmm... sweet morning..." she breathed, nuzzling her face deeply into the comfortable velvet cushion. Outside her window, the sun hadn't risen yet, reminding her of her nonexistent duty: to raise it.

The thought made her guilty every day. Every morning, she would be reminded of the sad truth she was forced to cover up for the sake of the nation. She usually weighed the consequences and wondered if it was worth it to lie to her subjects for the sake of peace. Most of the days she considered the past action a necessary deed, yet some of the days, such as this, she was reminded of the heavy burden she was forced to carry not only on her shoulders, but deep inside her heart. It pulled on her heartstrings and even impacted a good portion of her mind, tugging on her very soul.

"Sweet, sweet morning..." she murmured again, pushing the thoughts away. She closed her eyes tighter, pushing her muzzle deeper into the bed. Even as a little filly, she enjoyed sleeping in, burning daylight, especially when she was a teenager. It was quite odd to her, remembering that her sister, the supposed Goddess of the Night, woke up earlier than she did. But when their parents died, she realized that she had to do something to keep the country in shape and in peace. She and her sister—

Her thoughts were consuming her, much to her dismay. She raised her heavy head, quickly summoning the hidden holographic clock in her room to read the time. It was much earlier than usual: the time was 4:56, which was a whole two hours before she usually woke (the sun rose by itself, anyway). But she had to do something to get the distressing thoughts out of her head.

After a minute or two she rose up to her full height, her regal, almost magical mane and tail beginning to wave through the air. She took her crown in her magical hold and placed it carefully upon her head, aligning it and fixing it proper before she brought her golden horseshoes down, stepping into them neatly. She turned her head and fluffed up her bed, making sure it was completely neat before moving to the bathroom. She gazed at herself in the mirror, carefully checking every pose she could possibly make in front of an audience, then moved on to making faces to make sure there were no blemishes on her face. When that order of business was all done she took an intricate device from the drawer and placed it over her mouth, which then proceeded to clean her teeth and tongue while freshening her morning breath. After all, nopony would want to smell that at close proximity, would they?

Pulling it away when it finished up, she smacked her lips and licked her teeth, swallowing. Now all set, she left the bathroom, then opened the door to the wide hallway leading to her room. It was grand, with circular pillars lining every side all the way down up to a large double door that opened to the main castle. A wide red carpet lined the ground between either side, softening the floor below. On either side, in places unobscured by pillars, were large windows not unlike those in the courts. Outside, the Canterlot Garden could be seen, darkened by the lack of sunlight at the current hour.

The Princess arrived at the ceiling-height double doors and glanced around to see if anypony was watching her. Relaxing a bit when that was the case, she grabbed hold of a handle and slowly, very slowly pulled, opening the door just a smidge so she could walk through with minimal noise. When that was done, she closed the door and silently strode out of the castle through a side entrance, leaving through another pair of large doors in the same way. She trekked towards the Garden, wanting to breathe some fresh air.

The moon slowly began to set as time passed. The Princess glanced around her warily while she strolled through a path, enjoying the silence the foliage in the deeper parts of the forest offered her. The wind wafted through the leaves, the sound of soft rustling soothing her ears. She dove into deep thoughts, walking without thinking through the large forest.

It had been six hundred years since the Canterlot Royal Territory was re-formed. The garden out back was extended dramatically, with most of the existing forest planted on a huge extension of the mountain formed by piling sturdy rocks and stone until a ledge hanging off of the mountain was created. The undertaking of such a massive project entailed a few hundred unicorns, plus the two Princesses themselves.

They said it was just going to be a little touch-up.

Smiling because of her thoughts, the alicorn hadn't noticed how much time had passed, nor the distance she had walked. When she opened her eyes again, the sun was beginning to rise of its own accord, and she had been walking on an unmanaged path for as long as it extended. In front of her, the end of the crumbled-away walkway ended, and, along with the treeline dramatically decreasing at this point, a huge ledge showing the bottom of the mile-and-a-half-tall mountain unfolded below. The Princess stood on the very edge of the world, experimentally kicking a rock off with her front hoof to see how long it took until it hit something.

After a few minutes, and tired of waiting, she heaved a sigh and sat down. She crossed her front hooves in front of her and watched the sun slowly rise. In a bit, she would have to be back at the castle to eat some breakfast, then look over and fill out paperwork and contracts, then listen to court for a few hours. Her only reprieve during this time would be lunch break, but then again, it was always boring sitting on the table while sipping on some coffee.

It was during this time that the same dilemma she had been weighing invisibly between her two hooves for 2,900 years manifested itself. She shook her head impatiently, wishing the feeling of guilt would go away. Surely someday the truth had to come out? She had accepted that fact while she was considering lying to all her subjects, but she hadn't thought that that day would be coming soon.

Not to mention that the Summer Sun Celebration would be in a few days.

Having been irritated by her dilemma, she stood up before spreading her wings and jumping off of the 7,000 foot drop, catching air in her beautiful feathers before she soared up into the air, riding a warm current up the mountain. She turned towards the castle and narrowed her eyes at the small shape in the distance, more than three miles away from where she was. She tucked her wings tight to herself and began a quick descent down to solid ground. If she had travelled any faster she would have created something similar to a Sonic Rainboom.

Right now, all she wanted was to drink some coffee.

———

"Wake up, Spike! It isn't very polite to sleep when our friends are standing around," came an impatient voice.

The dragon groaned softly and rubbed his head as he sat up. Twilight Sparkle had prodded his temple rather harshly with her front hoof, and that didn't really help with encouraging him to get up. But knowing that Rarity was there, watching him, along with the rest of their friends, made him sit up and climb out of bed a little faster than usual.

"Morning, Rarity. Morning, everyone," the baby dragon yawned softly, closing his eyes. Even now, his dreams were fresh in his head, and replayed themselves every time he closed his eyes. Exo-atmospheric craft, advanced technology... it made him quiver and want to break down. The Princesses had been lying to them for centuries!

Twilight Sparkle noticed that her Number One Assistant was shaking, and his eyes were closed, his head hung low. She went over to him, bringing his head up with a hoof elevating his chin. When he opened his emerald green eyes, Twilight gazed softly into them and sighed, looking especially at the dragon-slitted pupils. "Spike, tell me, is something wrong?" she asked in the most soothing voice she possibly could.

Spike broke away after she asked, and he stifled a soft sniffle. "It's nothing, you guys... I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with this here dragon..." he muttered quietly, sighing a little.

The six friends looked between and amongst each other and shrugged. Spike had never been like this before, even when he was really sad. Something must have been wrong.

Rarity was about to address the situation before Spike glanced up at her, smiling. "It's fine, really..." his eyes were truthful; he had gotten over whatever was bothering him just a few moments previous.

The alabaster unicorn relaxed her shoulder and smiled. "Oh, poor Spikey-wikey..." she nuzzled his cheek for a brief moment. "If there's anything wrong at all, don't hesitate to tell us, alright?" she murmured gently, her voice much more soothing than Twilight's could ever be.

Spike nodded a bit, seeming entranced by her beauty, before jumping when Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground.

"Alright, girls! This is it! This is when we begin decorating the Royal Hall in preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration! Rarity, you have the cloth and the extremely delicate fixtures! Pinkie Pie, you've got the balloons, banners, and ingredients for the food! Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, stretch your wings out because you're going to be doing a lot of work in places we flightless ponies can't reach! And AJ! You're gonna be doing some heavy lifting, so work those legs of yours!" the lavender mare said in an almost-drill-sergeant-like tone of voice. Everypony nodded when she addressed them, and Pinkie Pie almost brought out her party cannon before she gave her the evil eye. She smirked in content and nodded to each of them. "Are you girls ready?!"

"READY!!" erupted the loud cry from the five. Spike had to close his ears from the sheer volume.

"Then let's go!!" Twilight narrowed her eyes at the door before galloping out at full speed. She ran down the spiral staircase while the other five ran to their rooms to grab their materials for the duties they would be finishing. Rarity grabbed the large roll of cloth with her magic, while she put the rest of the "extremely delicate fixtures and decorations" carefully into her saddlebags, before proceeding downstairs. Pinkie Pie grabbed all the ingredients she needed to make a gigantic cake, confetti, balloons, streamers, and many other things before bouncing downstairs not too far behind Rarity. Rainbow Dash streaked downstairs, right through the spacious spiraling staircase, leaving her signature rainbow trail, while Fluttershy whimpered behind her, trying desperately to keep up — no, trying desperately to fly. And not too far behind the sensitive yellow pegasus ran Applejack, carrying many lengths of rope in her saddlebags, among other things, to help with lifting heavy objects up high.

The six of them were fully mobilized.

When they left the tower, they galloped as one to the main Castle, with Twilight's intention to meet the Princess once more, while the others were going straight to the Royal Hall to begin decorating for the upcoming monumental event. The lavender unicorn wanted to discuss a few more things with the Princess, and hopefully with her sister as well, before getting to work with the rest of her friends.

———

The five arrived at the Royal Hall. It looked just as it did during the Grand Galloping Gala: gigantic until a point at which it was almost claustrophobic, except now, it was bright; rich sunlight poured through the large windows, bathing the checkered white-and-blue tile ground and the large red carpet that ran through it in rich color. The five mares couldn't help but "Oooh" for a moment at the spectacle that greeted them.

The two unicorn guards on either side of the entrance to the Hall didn't seem to mind them, either.

Immediately, Pinkie Pie was in the center of the room not too far from the statue Rainbow Dash had toppled over a few years ago. She grinned a wide grin and busted out her party cannon. "If we're going to decorate, we better decorate... PINKIE PIE STYLE!!!" she squealed, and loud, rapid cannon fire exploded out from it. The four other ponies jumped, and now, even the guards were startled, peeking in to see exactly what was happening.

Pinkie spun the cannon around 360 degrees, shooting confetti and streamers everywhere rapidly in the process. When she was finished, she was panting, gazing around at the work she had done.

It was almost magical: balloons of all different colors were tied to all sorts of anchors, such as chairs, tables, and torch sconces. All sorts of cloth was hung everywhere, from the tops of pillars, to high parts of walls and the like. A huge banner that read, "Happy Summer Sun Celebration!!" was neatly placed in a visible area elevated over the entrance. The ground, however, could have fared better; there was confetti everywhere.

"Ta-daaaaa!!!" she turned to her friends, her smile wider than it ever had been the entire day. She had finally been able to use her party cannon to its full extent, something she had never been able to do. Rarity couldn't hope to create such an efficient technological advancement in ages, no matter how she tried!

"Well... that's Step One," Rainbow Dash shrugged and flew around, tidying up every part of the place that was kinked, or at an angle, or untidy in general. Fluttershy was close behind her, fixing everything the athletic blue Pegasus had fixed, and catching things that she accidentally tipped over and fixing them.

Within just a few seconds after Pinkie Pie's flurry of explosions, the entire hall was abuzz in conversation and activity. Pinkie was over at the kitchen, mixing up a batter for a cake; Rarity had begun to put up some of her finer, more extravagant pieces of furniture and fixtures in places she deemed needed a "lady's touch", fixing up tables with tablecloths and aligning chairs to their proper place; Rainbow Dash was helping Applejack move unneeded things out of the way, and Fluttershy was looking over and fixing every small detail to the best of her ability.

They would be done in no time at all.

———

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was trekking around the castle. She had heard the cannon fire and almost had a nervous breakdown, before hearing voices from the same direction, coming from her friends. She dismissed it as Pinkie Pie using the very thing she had explicitly restricted her from using, but it was too late now; she couldn't do anything about it.

The unicorn was approaching the throne room, in hopes of finding the Princess(es) there at an early hour, discussing a few things. It was too early for court; only eight thirty in the morning, but she decided to go anyways. Besides, it was a good way to get reacquainted with the castle she lived in as a filly for so long.

When she reached the large room after a few long minutes of walking, she opened the doors to find that there was nopony inside. Light streamed inside, giving the room a lovely warm glow, but that wasn't why she was there. Sighing, she turned around and closed the doors tightly, sitting down on the cold tile floor for a moment to think. It made her flank freeze, but she ignored it.

Her mind spun for a few moments before she resolved that the two alicorns were eating breakfast at the dining area. She stood up and dusted her flank off, straightening out her tail, before turning into a hallway leading to the large dining hall. The hallway had white walls with no windows, but portraits of the Princesses and a few other past monarchs lined it just over head height. The unicorn giggled a bit when she saw a portrait of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as little fillies making cute little faces, and she couldn't help but wonder how long ago that was painted. She couldn't think for long though, since she trotted straight into the wooden, heavy double-doors that separated the hall from the dining room.

The noise must have been loud, since, even though the two guards only glanced at her without turning their heads, she could hear a soothing, muffled voice from inside. "Come in, Twilight Sparkle. My sister and I are just drinking some coffee together here."

Instantly, the lavender unicorn reared back and shook her head, her heart pounding from excitement. The Royal Dining Hall? She wasn't even allowed there as a filly, even though she was Celestia's protégé.

She grabbed hold of one of the handles with her magic, yanking the double doors open with some difficulty. It was a six hundred-pound set of doors, after all. When she opened her eyes, letting go of her magic, her horn glow faded and she grinned, giddy and happily when she saw her mentor standing before her with a loving twinkle in her eyes.

"Princess Celestia!" she ran forward and gave her a hug, and was given a hug in return. Though she had known the Princess for more than ninety percent of her life, she was still excited at the prospect of talking to the Goddess of the Sun every time. It was almost a dream come true; she was so lucky.

"How are you, Twilight Sparkle?" the Princess asked her with a smile. She sat back down and lifted the cup to her face, drinking from it neatly.

"I'm doing very well, and you, Princess?" Twilight answered politely, but smiled, staying where she was. She glanced over at Princess Luna, who smiled gently and approvingly at her. She didn't dare move unless either pony told her to do so.

"Come, Twilight Sparkle. Take up a seat with us," the Regent of the Moon offered happily. It was odd; to Twilight, Princess Celestia's younger sister always seemed more mischievous and a little less "proper" in her own way, almost to a sly playfulness. It was a peculiar sensation, since she was always wondering whether or not the Lunar Princess would prank her everywhere she went, even after the events of her first Nightmare Night celebration.

But now, she had to obey. And obey she did; she took up a seat opposite of the two alicorns, settling down and glancing around. She shuffled a bit nervously; the two gazes seemed to burn into her, or so she thought, making her squirm a little. Imagine two sister Princesses giving you the stare-down!

Princess Celestia was first to break the silence. "What would you like to discuss with us today, Twilight?" the whiter-than-white alicorn asked her small student. "Maybe our preferences for the Summer Sun Celebration decorations and food?" she smiled lightheartedly.

The lavender little pony grinned sheepishly up at the two, focusing on the Solar Princess much more this time around. "Well... yes, among other things. Is there anything you would specifically prefer us to do in terms of decor?" she asked, desperate to get some feedback on the subject.

"Hmm..." the older sister thought for a moment, eyes up to gaze at her floating imagination. After a few seconds she answered, a smile on her face. "Personally, I would like for my statue — yes, the same one that your friend Rainbow Dash destroyed a few years ago — to be cleaned until it is shiny. I've seen it fade in luster for years and I would really like to see it back to the way it was originally crafted. Anyway... I believe that's all I really would like you to do for us, Twilight," she finished with a nod, grinning.

"Oh! I would like to suggest a few things that may be able to improve the atmosphere of partying!" the younger sister piped up immediately after her sister stopped speaking. "If it may be arranged, I would enjoy a finely crafted Solar Cake just for us two, my sister and I, made with the finest materials! I am sure you will be able to do such a thing?" she asked, her eyes big, almost puppy-dog-like.

Twilight blinked over at her, smiling softly. "Of course, Princess Luna, I would be honored to make that happen," she bowed her head low for a moment before straightening up.

"Oh— Would you like to have some coffee, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked thoughtfully, offering her a cup she was about to pour some black coffee in. There were all sorts of different creamers in a bowl in the middle of the large table.

In fact, the Royal Dining Hall was massive: it was half as big as the Royal Hall where the Summer Sun Celebration party was to take place itself. The three ponies were, in fact, just sitting at the very tip of the long table which extended more than three hundred feet to the edge of the table to the wall where a window provided ample light to assist the torches and candles above.

The little pony thought for a moment before accepting the offer. "I could really use some coffee right now, Princess," she smiled, letting loose a huge yawn that told the Princess she had been partying with her friends all night. She had arrived late in Canterlot in any case, and a get-together party with her friends was much-needed, or, according to Pinkie Pie, it was.

She nodded and placed the cup in front of her student, pouring a generous amount of coffee in, almost until the tip, but making sure there was space for the coffee creamer. From there, the lavender unicorn took over, taking three tiny containers and opening them, pouring them simultaneously into her coffee. She took a silver spoon and stirred the coffee until it was uniform in color, and she took a sip, sighing in content when the warmth flowed into her stomach.

"So, Twilight. What else would you like to talk to us about?" Princess Celestia asked, smiling softly at her student. The incident last night was in the back of her mind, and she was open to any sorts of conversation without restrictions. Of course, this also meant that she was off guard.

"Well..." she sighed a bit and straightened up, her face turning serious. "Princess, I ran some tests on the object I found last night and came to no definite conclusion as to what it was. Don't you think that's a little odd?"

The Princess's eyes widened in shock, large enough for her student to see, but she quickly hid it, pretending as if nothing had happened. She hadn't seen it coming, and definitely decided inside to keep on guard. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed softly, placing it neatly back down on the small plate.

Even Princess Luna flinched visibly beside her sister, but was quicker to hide her shock at the mention of the subject.

"Well..." the Regent of the Sun began vigilantly. "There are a few things in this world, this Equestria, this nation, that ponies have yet to discover. It seems you may have a new material in your hooves that nopony has discovered yet," she smiled, trying to deviate the stream of conversation towards something scientific so as to distract the studious pony.

But Twilight Sparkle had noticed her mentor's reaction. Doubts manifested in her mind, much like the previous time, but this time, instead of dismissing them, she continued on, desperate to know something she probably wasn't supposed to. "What kind of material, Princess?" she began in a low voice, edgily.

The Princess glanced quickly over at her sister before back at her student. She gave a small, invisible quiver, and gave a soft sigh. She wouldn't hold out for long against an inquisitive pony of her caliber, so she would only have one last successful chance to derail the topic before she was forced to tell this unicorn, this beloved lavender unicorn of hers, this most faithful student and protégé of hers, the truth.

"Well, Twilight, you see, I think it's time that ponies began on the path to scientific and technological advancement, instead of staying in the dark ages like they have been for three thousand years. This is a responsibility I will personally head, as Princess of Equestria," she said firmly, gaze locked on the doubtful little pony in front of her. That was her last ditch effort to change the pony's thoughts, but at once she knew that it had been utterly unsuccessful.

"Princess..." Twilight herself gulped. Now, instead of her doubts subsiding, they transformed and manifested themselves as an act of open rebellion to her own teacher. There was something missing, something everypony should have known, yet didn't, and she was determined to find out what. "Princess Celestia, I know you're trying to make me change my mind so that you wouldn't be forced to tell me a lie. I know you..." she shuddered, sounding as if she was lecturing a pony younger than her. She glanced up at her mentor to see if she had become upset at what she had just said, yet she saw nothing except for the intent gaze of the Goddess — or was she? — on her.

"Please tell me the truth..."

At those words, the Princess knew the time had come. Her thoughts churned; she knew she had flinched and blanked out enough to give her student the notion that she was hiding something, which she was. If she were to tell a lie at this stage, the unicorn would be sure to pick it up, and the love that the two shared would most likely shatter in a single instant.

Yet, if she told the truth, something bad — no, something worse would happen. It was a difficult fight...

But eventually she made up her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and formulated her words before opening them again to speak to her beloved student; her daughter, almost.

The lavender unicorn was still gazing up at her intently, with doubt creeping into her gaze.

"Twilight Sparkle..." she began. "I am... so, so sorry to have been lying to you all these years..."

Her student just continued to gaze at her motionlessly, absorbing every single word.

"I am also sorry for lying to all my subjects. You see... I am not a Goddess. I do not control the sun, nor my sister, the moon. We are but two gifted unicorn pegasi who were given the responsibility of upholding the nation, lest it boil down to chaos and discord. We had no choice— please understand..."

And yet, her student just continued to gaze at her beloved mentor, the doubt in her eyes mutating into blatant disgust and distrust.

Princess Celestia closed her eyes and looked away from her student, finally beginning to break under the pressure that was being applied to her for three thousand years.