The Ascent: To Liberate a Kingdom

Chapters

Chapter One: The Climb
Chapter Two: The Fall
Chapter Three: The City
Chapter Four: The White and Black Alicorns
Chapter Five: The Trap
Chapter Six: The Prophecy
Chapter Seven: The Archon
Chapter Eight: The Driving Force
Chapter Nine: The Worst Place in the World
Chapter Ten: The End

Chapter One: The Climb

“I suggest you hold on to something!” cried the Dragon King as he began climbing the cliff-face below Canterlot. Celestia did indeed hold on firm, as they were climbing at a very brisk pace; one slip, and it could all be over before it even began. She looked around at the Dragon King’s allies; various Dragons from an array of lands had rallied to his call to arms. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of climate that the White Dragon came from. Nonetheless, she looked back up towards her goal – Canterlot Tower. The clouds were hanging thick overhead, and as they moved through them, she was able to make out the figures standing atop the tower. Most notably, she gathered, The Archon.

The Archon was a mysterious male Alicorn who had arrived in Equestria just a few weeks ago, the only thing he’d done in that time was rally all of Equestria’s enemies and launch a large scale attack on Canterlot. Stood to the left of him was Discord, a long time foe of Celestia’s. Discord had a look of anticipation on his face as the Dragons made their way up the Cliffside that she hadn’t seen in a long time. Another foe was to The Archon’s left, and was the most surprising of the group; Nightmare Moon. Nightmare’s betrayal of Celestia was somewhat of a shock to Celestia, considering how close they had been before the arrival of The Archon. She assumed it was the prospect of power offered by The Archon that had drawn in Princess Luna. To The Archon’s right was another member of Alicorn royalty; Queen Chrysalis, Ruler of the Changeling kingdom, and arch-enemy of Celestia. They had clashed profusely in the months before The Archon’s arrival, but she had quietened down for a while after that. Finally, there was a foe that had been missing for quite some time – King Sombra, of the Crystal Empire. He was notorious for how he had worked his subjects to the bone. He had been banished by Celestia for aeons, and now he shows up alongside The Archon?

“His power surely had to be immense.” She muttered to herself.

“You say something?” boomed the Dragon King.

Celestia simply shook her head.

Looking back up at her adversaries, she saw The Archon raise his arm in a gesture to the rest of his allies. They each took off in different directions, but all with the same purpose – to eradicate the trespassers below. They each attacked in their own separate way, but Celestia didn’t have time to look – Sombra was already shifting into a serpentine figure, with the upper body simply a larger version of himself. Looping around through the air, Sombra aimed to lock them against the wall. He fired himself at the Dragon King with tremendous speed, piercing the Dragon King’s upper arm and pinning him against the rocks.

“Gonna need a hoof over here!” he called over to Celestia. She sprang into life, and began running up his back, only to be accosted by a squad of Changelings that dropped in from a portal that meticulously appeared above her. Snarling, the leader of the pack lunged at her with his horn – a gambit too simple to beat Celestia. She parried his blow and beheaded him on the counter, a flourish so perfect that it made the rest of the pack flinch. Taking the initiative, she lowered her horn and fired a beam of flame at them, scattering their scorched bodies across the vicinity. Too easy, she thought as she continued towards the Dragon King’s shoulder.

As she reached his shoulder, she assessed the damage. A blow like this certainly wasn’t going to put the Dragon King out of a fight, she thought. He probably suffered worse whilst playing ‘King of the Hoard’. She slid down his arm to the area where his arm was being pinned and fired quick, precise bolts of light at the claws; with them removed, the arm would be free to move. Taking his chance, the Dragon King grabbed Sombra, forcing him back against the Cliffside. Celestia moved to the Dragon King’s wrist, kicking at the chest of the serpentine creature he had formed himself into. Celestia saw an opening, and forced her horn through its chest, piercing its heart and sending Sombra crashing to a nearby ledge. Celestia descended to where Sombra was lying, glaring at the pathetic Unicorn crippled on the floor. She suspected that the fall had dealt most of the damage.

“You’ve... already failed...” groaned an ailing Sombra. “The Archon... can’t ... be beaten...”

Celestia stalked towards him. “You’re a state!” she joked. “This is exactly how I perceive you in my mind too.”

“Joke... as you will... Celestia.” He spat. He spoke her name in a particularly vile way. “The Archon... will take... your head as... his trophy!”

“Enough of this pointless chiding!” Celestia retorted. “I have no time for you, Sombra. Die like the vermin you are.” She levitated Sombra’s weakened body and hurled it against the wall. He hit the wall with a truly gut wrenching crunch.

“No... Have mercy!” howled the Crystal King as she tore his horn off and pressed it against his throat.

“This way, Sombra, I can make sure you’ll never harm another subject again.” She sliced his throat with his horn, and let his lifeless husk collapse to the floor. She teleported to the Dragon King’s shoulder.

“No holds barred, eh Celestia?” the Dragon King chuckled.

“None.” She responded. They continued up towards the Tower.

It was a matter of minutes before they reached the Tower. The climb had gone relatively smoothly for the two of them since taking care of Sombra, and Celestia was eager to regain control of her Kingdom. The Tower itself was a tall, imposing stone structure akin to one that could be found on a castle. The stone was a brilliant white, even more brilliant in comparison to the ruination beneath it. The most prominent feature was its pavilion on the top, surrounded by marble pillars. It was used for Stargazing, among other things, and Celestia remembered fondly the nights she spent with her sister staring up at the Stars. A wry smile crept across her face, but it was quickly suppressed as she steeled herself for the imminent confrontation. The Dragon King dropped Celestia onto the pavilion, on the opposite side from where The Archon was waiting.

“Indeed, Celestia.” The Archon began. “I thought somepony of your strength would have made it up here alone. I see I was mistaken.”

“And I see you took the time to prepare yourself, Archon. I was under the impression that you wouldn’t need to muster your full arsenal of abilities to take on a ‘weak Princess’ like me. Or perhaps you’re compensating for something else?” She retorted.

“Hah! I’ve prepared for every contingency, Celestia. Apparently something that you clearly failed to do. All you have to do is look at the state of your capital to see that.”

“It matters not, Archon. I will bring your head down to Canterlot and parade your dismembered corpse through the city streets, in the name of Equestria!”

In a flash, Celestia lunged at The Archon, jabbing at his chest early. He somehow absorbed the blow, and began to levitate Celestia, before throwing her across the marble floor. She shook off the pain, and regained her composure. The Archon was no longer stood in his original position. She looked left, right, and then behind her, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Up Here.”

She stared up, mortified at the visage of two Archons landing on her. She rolled out of the way and into open space. Standing ahead of the other, the first Archon spoke.

“I expected no less from the Alicorn who took down Discord. Tell me, can you fight six of me?”

Out of the pillars, four more Archons formed, surrounding her. They were all physically similar, but there were also telltale signs that neither one was the same. One had swelled to a gigantic, hulk-like physique, another had a ball of flame in his hand, and another was covered in a light green aura. The last one simply stood there, with a blank expression. He wasn’t doing anything at all. The one next to the prime Archon had drawn several swords of varying lengths, whilst the main Archon stood exactly how he was when the battle started.

“This has grown tiresome.”The Archon sighed. “You’re going to die now, Celestia, and your pathetic lands will be mine to do with as I please!” He took her by surprise, making contact with a bolt of paralysis from his horn. She was completely frozen, and could only move her eyes. The Archon levitated her over the side of the Tower, and dropped her. The last thing she thought of before hitting the ground was of her beloved Equestria, and how she had failed to protect it a second time.

Chapter Two: The Fall

The shock that Celestia felt as she woke up was not from the alien surroundings nearby, indeed, but from the fact that she had woken up at all. She had fallen from a tremendous height, and couldn’t have shielded her fall or used her wings due to the paralysis induced by The Archon. She attempted to pull herself upright, but collapsed again; the fall may not have killed her, but it had certainly taken its toll. She tried a second time, and with great effort regained her feet. She took a moment to survey her surroundings. She was stood on a raised platform with an expansive view; albeit a foreign view to her. Above her, the sky was an almost black colour, the clouds ominous and unnatural. Below her she could see virtually nothing, as it quickly dawned on her that the particular platform she was stood on was precariously hanging over the abyss below. Celestia began observing the nearby platforms as she searched for a way out of the region she had appeared in, and made short yet painful leaps from platform to platform. Her body hadn’t fully recovered from the landing, but she had regained enough of her faculties so that she could at least move naturally.

It didn’t take long for her to find the way out, but reaching it wasn’t the problem she was faced with. Ahead of her, she could clearly make out a massive, flat wall, inscribed with various depictions of major moments in Equestrian history. She could see the founding of Canterlot, the (unfortunately short lived) peace treaty with the Crystal Empire, and many more murals. After seeing this, she was able to put a name to the location. It was Tartarus, the Underworld, and it then dawned on her that she was actually dead. Her eyes drifted to the gateway protruding from beneath the wall; and behind that, a blue, swirling portal. To make things worse, she could plainly see the gateways’ guardian. Like every newly deceased Equestrian, she could reclaim her life by defeating Cerberus, the giant Three-Headed dog; no mean feat by any standards. Nevertheless, it was something that she had to accomplish if she was going to save Equestria.

She had recovered enough to fight Cerberus now, and she took off for the gateway. As she landed, a deep chuckle shook the area.

“What’s this?” boomed the voice. “It’s been a while since a soul this intense had found its way into my domain.”

Celestia readied herself. Cerberus was massive, but a truly agile foe. He was quick thinking too. She gathered that it was a benefit of having three brains.

“Ah, Princess Celestia. The Archon got the better of you then, I presume.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. When I get out of here, Cerberus, I will gift you his soul – you’ll have a lot of fun with that, I promise you.”

“Right you are Princess. I would. But I’d have even more fun with yours!”

Celestia didn’t have time to evade the attacker from above; his shadow over her had more than revealed where he was coming from. She teleported away with ease.

“Let’s recap on the last few weeks – this will make an excellent addition to the wall.” Celestia swallowed her anger. She was just as eager to hear Cerberus’ take on the events over the last few weeks.

“Indeed, first, a mysterious figure arrives from a ship at Fillydelphia, no doubt The Archon, and makes his way to the north.” This was as much as Celestia had gathered; it’s what he did there that her spies couldn’t find out.

“Then, he holds counsel with King Sombra – who also happens to be entertaining the Queen of the Changelings at the time. I hear that Sombra was to trade the love that powers the Crystal Heart for minerals found in the rocky terrain of the Changeling Kingdom.”

“This is a mere triviality, Cerberus.” Celestia spoke. “We all know that he gained the allegiance of both The Crystal Empire and the Changelings.”

“That we do, Celestia. The other notes are worth mentioning though, as history is easily twisted if comprehensive records are not kept.” Cerberus cleared his throat, and began to continue. “Now then, after recruiting the two rulers, he makes his way south and across the Everfree Forest, only to end up in Canterlot. After helping Discord break free, a changeling spy is sent disguised as a Shadowbolt to Princess Luna’s quarters.” This is the part that Celestia was most keen to hear of.

“So he got to her with a spy? I should have known as much.” Celestia mentioned.

“I’m surprised, Celestia. I thought Canterlot Castle’s security was bar-none!”

“I cannot wait for you to finish talking, Dog.” Celestia growled. The Guardian merely raised an eyebrow, and continued.

“Anyway... It is then thought that the ‘Shadowbolt’ made Luna believe that The Archon was offering power, and had made an offer of Eternal Night to Luna.”

“And she took it!?”

“So it seems.” Celestia’s head dropped. Apparently something as trifling as Eternal Night was enough to buy Luna’s betrayal.

“And finally...” began Cerberus, “The Archon rallies his combined strength and takes Canterlot within a matter of hours, clearly not enough time for even the most gifted strategist to counter. I think that about settles it.” Cerberus lowered his jaw, making eye contact with Celestia. There was definite bloodlust in his eyes.

“I take it you won’t let me pass?” Celestia inquired.

“And miss a prize like your soul? Don’t make me laugh.” Cerberus lunged at Celestia; he was at full stretch and attempted to swipe Celestia early with his claw. She was ready however, and effortlessly teleported to her right. Cerberus’ left head caught her, and he swiftly turned to face her. A glint of light caught Celestia’s eye; a key was attached to Cerberus’ collar. It would be impossible to remove whilst the enormous canine was still breathing, however. Cerberus lunged at her a second time as she leapt to his rear, and shifted towards the very edge of the platform. He soared at her, and she teleported away. He was a little confused now, and his delayed reactions would only benefit Celestia. He howled in anger, shaking the floor and causing a stalactite to drop down near the platform, missing it narrowly. Celestia could see many more stalactites, and began formulating a plan. Cerberus regained calmed himself, and lowered himself to the ground – it was obvious what he was going to do. He pounced at Celestia who teleported behind him again, she subsequently fired a bolt of flame at the stalactite, causing it to drop and impale Cerberus’ right head.

The beast scrambled around; he was both enraged and in enormous pain. Celestia jumped onto his head, and removed the stalactite via levitation. She angled it at his head and launched it in his direction, but the dog saw it coming and held his paw ahead of his face. Cerberus was swimming in his own blood, but she couldn’t wait for him to bleed out. Cerberus would expect another stalactite, so she grabbed a nearby chain from the gateway. She took it in her mouth, and ran towards Cerberus. She quickly tied the loose end around his head and locked it there, before taking the end in her mouth and soaring towards a nearby stalactite on the roof. She tied it to that and kicked it off. Cerberus, realising her plan, was unable to respond, and the heavy rock took his entire left head with it as it plummeted to the darkness below. Left with only a single head, Celestia impaled his remaining head with her horn, before watching his remains crumple into a dark heap before her. She grabbed the key from his bloodied collar and opened the bulky gate to the portal.

Stepping near the portal, she took a deep breath as she stepped through, only to be blasted back onto the platform in front of the gateway. An equine figure could be made out from the portal, and Celestia was stunned as she identified its key features; a predominantly black coat, with a mane and tail of a deep blue, with sparkling dots frequently visible. It had what appeared to be a helmet, and a broach bearing the sigil of the moon. It became evident that this was Nightmare Moon.

“Fear not, dearest sister. I am not here to do battle.” boomed the Mistress of the Night. Celestia’s expression was perplexed, to say the least. “I wish to forgo my role in The Archon’s forces. I...” Nightmare Moon suddenly sighed.

“Go on.” inquired Celestia. Nightmare Moon’s typical voice dropped to a quieter, softer tone.

“I want to be Luna again.” Needless to say Celestia was taken aback. Something had to have brought this sudden change in her sister. There was a strong hint of regret, fear and sadness in her voice.

“I didn’t expect this, Nightmare.”

“Please, call me by my true name.”

“I didn’t expect this...” Celestia swallowed. “Luna.”

Luna quickly shed her armour, which then rapidly disintegrated on the floor.

“The Archon and I didn’t exactly see eye to eye on many things. You cannot fathom how much regret I am carrying right now, dear sister.” This broke Celestia’s heart. She couldn’t admonish her sister in the way that her actions warranted, especially after what Luna proceeded to say next.

“I want to help you in stopping The Archon.”

“No. I would not risk you, Luna, even if I were to defeat him.”

“I can help!”

“Yes. You can. You can help steering clear of me. The Archon is my foe and mine alone.”

“Was it ‘You alone’ that stopped Sombra the first time? Was it ‘You alone’ who set Discord in his stone prison?” Celestia took a deep breath. Her sister was right.

“Fine, you can start by informing the major settlements that Equestria is not lost yet. Inspire them to fight back against their oppressors.” Luna saluted; she had a beaming smile on her face. Celestia was usually very strict in situations like these. The younger sister took off through the portal, followed shortly by the elder sibling.

Chapter Three: The City

Celestia stepped out of the portal and attempted to recover her bearings. Shattered buildings, dead bodies and thunderous clouds ahead; even a hint of rain beginning to fall. It was Canterlot all right. She moved towards a nearby building and peered around the corner. There was a pathway with a rosebush on the right, and a gateway at the end. It was all clear. She rounded the corner and proceeded up the pathway. She again pressed herself against the corner and looked. Another pathway, with a rosebush to the right. Once again, she crept against the wall and looked.

“Damn it Discord, stop playing with me!” she cried.

“Oh my dear sweet Celestia, don’t you enjoy a quick game or two?” joked the Draconequis. He was nowhere to be seen, but she knew he was nearby.

“Show yourself you cur!” she howled.

“Oh, fine. It was getting boring anyway.” moaned Discord. He appeared a short distance in front of her and snapped his fingers, restoring the streets to their original layout. “What’re you here for, a drink? Or perhaps a game of checkers?” with each question, Discord kept snapping his fingers, at first conjuring a glass of water in his hand, then a set of table and chairs with a checkerboard on top.

“Cease the games, Discord. I’m heading towards The Archon.” she snarled, threateningly.

“Oh! You think you can... I mean you actually believe you...” Discord erupted into a fit of laughter. An unimpressed Celestia stood before him, not fazed by his mockery. His expression suddenly turned serious. “You truly are insane if you genuinely believe that he is stoppable, Celestia.” Discord spoke with his usual tone when he was being serious; Celestia’s presence was clearly not affecting him.

“Why are you with him, Discord? Why would you throw your hat into the ring with someone like that?”

Discord sighed. “Initially I was craving the chaos that would ensue from his little ‘Insurrection’, but that ‘thing’ is even more obsessed with order than you are Celestia. His wish for Equestria is essentially taking the worst points from all of the rulers in Equestria, and merging them all into one.”

“Go on.”

“Take, for example, Sombra’s slavery, Chrysalis’ feeding from ponies to strengthen herself, and your almost ‘obsessive compulsive’ need for justice. Now, combine it with Nightmare Moon’s desire to shroud the world in eternal night, and my shaping of the world to fit my needs, and what are we left with?”

Celestia didn’t respond.

“We’re left with hell, Celestia. We’re left with an evil far beyond me, or Chrysalis, or anything the world has ever seen.”

“I suspect this is why you’re having doubts.”

“His goal is the very antithesis of my existence. There is no future for anyone but him in this world.”

“Then join me, Discord! Everything can go back to normal with his destruction.”

“Normal? Hah! Who do you think I am!?” Discord’s short burst of laughter was quickly replaced with an expression of anger. “Normal is my greatest enemy, Celestia. I will not surrender this beautiful chaos around us whilst I still breathe.”

“Then I will defeat you.”

“You’re welcome to try; but only if you can catch me!” Discord was off like a shot as he finished his sentence. He was spraying ice from his claw in front of him, and he was skating along it at an incredible speed. Celestia’s wings were still a little sore, but she had no other real way of catching him. She raised her wings and took off after him.

He was already a fair distance ahead of her, so she had to apply some cunning to the situation. The problem with this is that she was battling Discord. Cunning was his way of life.

“What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, Celestia?” called the Draconequis.

Celestia remained focused on him. It was the least she could do right now.

“Tell me, my dear – are you an immovable object?”

Ignoring his question, she increased her speed. Discord’s speed was lacking as he posed Celestia these questions; it would give Celestia a precious few seconds to catch him. She kept her focus as Discord weaved through the narrow streets of Canterlot, his knowledge of the streets was impressive; the kind of knowledge that she thought would be her trump card. He seemed to have been preparing for their altercation. Discord began whistling to the tune of ‘Come Fly with Me’, and it was beginning to enrage Celestia. His reckless abandon at times like these was infuriating, how he thought that everything was a game. She wanted to completely dismember him and throw his body off of Canterlot Tower, but she was also beginning to resent her violence towards the other foes she’d encountered. Slicing Sombra’s throat, and crushing Cerberus’ heads? It felt like she’d done too much, when she’d done what she had to do. She promised herself that she wouldn’t kill him.

“You know? I like Canterlot.” Discord said, half jokingly. An interesting comment from him, she thought, as Discord spoke again.

“I think it looks even better now than it ever did!” he chuckled. Celestia was beginning question that promise she made to herself, but took a deep breath and continued the chase. Discord suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke right in front of Celestia. She brought herself to a slow pace, and trotted for a few feet before stopping completely. She paused for a moment.

“Yoo hoo! How’s it going over there!?” yelled the Draconequis. She jumped to the rooftops, and looked around. She caught sight of Discord, sat on a hammock on a rooftop garden a large distance away. He was wearing sunglasses and peculiarly, a summer dress. He also had a summer hat on.

“Discord!” she roared. “Enough of this tomfoolery! Your cowardice truly has no limits does it!?”

“Cowardice!? Moi?” he effeminately responded. His tone abruptly changed into an enraged one. “Could a coward do this!?” he snapped his fingers, causing a large house next to the one he was perched on to collapse into rubble. Celestia twitched. His disregard for her hometown was maddening, but she still resolved to hold true to her promise.

“Could a coward do this too? Or even this!?” Discord’s tone grew louder and louder as he tore down a larger house, and then created a massive rift in the floor between them. The rift appeared bottomless, but was large enough for her to be unable to teleport across. Flying to him would be too slow, he’d have too much time to react, she gathered. She looked to the left and saw a fully operational Ballista emplacement nearby. The rain was coming down thick and fast now, so she cast a bolt of flame at the floor in front of her. The fire reacted with the puddles, and she instantly moved to the ballista through the cover it created.

“Excellent! It’s already primed!” she muttered, as she rotated it in Discord’s direction and removed the bolt on it. She lay down on top of it and sprouted her wings. Celestia kicked the lever, and it launched her at a blistering pace straight towards Discord. She tackled him to the ground and held him there.

“Curse you!” he cried. He clearly hadn’t anticipated her use of the ballista, and he was now totally at her mercy. She threw her head forward at his, and smashed his head into the ground. Dazed, confused, and dizzy, he reeled in pain. She got off of him, and collected herself. As Discord continued to writhe on the floor, she cast a prison spell around him. He was completely trapped, and at her mercy.

“Tell me how to defeat The Archon.” she demanded. Discord was still in clear pain, but he could still think straight. Straight enough, anyway.

“I told you earlier, he is unstoppable.” Celestia delivered a swift and decisive kick to his face; he keeled over in agony.

“You’re hiding something!” She growled through gritted teeth. “Tell. Me. Now.”

“Fine, I’ll tell you, but only in a way that I feel comfortable.” Celestia sighed. Discord’s damned riddles.

“Your foe resides on Canterlot Tower; a foe who holds considerable power. Locked away for fear of her potential; this filly you seek is absolutely essential.”

Celestia exhaled. “The first part’s obvious; you’re talking about The Archon.”

“Genius.” Discord clapped sarcastically. “Simply genius!”

He stopped as soon as she scowled at him.

“The second part – an ‘essential Filly’?”

“Yes..?” Discord was waiting for her answer eagerly.

“You must mean...”

“Yes!?”

“The ‘filly’ is figurative!” She exclaimed.

“Oh for Pete’s sake!” bellowed the Draconequis, bursting from his prison. Celestia was astounded at how he was able to do that – and why he didn't do it sooner. “It’s a literal Filly! Li-ter-al! I mean that The Archon locked away a small Filly whose magical potential is astonishing!”

It suddenly dawned on Celestia what Discord was talking about.

“The prophecy? That’s just an old ‘doom and gloom’ story, Discord.”

“Look around you Celestia. Is this the Equestria you ruled but a month ago?” Discord raised an eyebrow to Celestia’s silence. “A small Filly was incarcerated not two days after you were dethroned.”

“But the prison is destroyed.”

“The prison is the first place you thought of. This is The Archon’s biggest fear. He’s not going to take any chances on this is he?”

“So where did he lock her away?”

“In the Crypts beneath Canterlot Castle. He sent Chrysalis to guard the Crypt entrance. Like I said, he took no chances.”

“I could use your help Discord. You can’t just return to The Archon after divulging such privileged information.”

“No, but I refuse to help you either. You seem to forget just who I am in relation to you, Celestia. The world may be ending, but there are still some traditions to be observed.”

“Fine. But don’t you go causing any trouble around here anytime soon, Discord.”

“Believe you me, Celestia. I won’t be back here for a long, long time.”

And with that, Discord vanished. Celestia was a little disheartened by his departure, but she gathered that his heart was in the right place. There was a sensation of dread with every word he spoke. She had never heard anything like it.

“It looks like Canterlot Castle is my next destination then.” She spoke to herself. This was far from the Canterlot that she’d ruled a while ago, but she could at least find her way around. She suspected that flying to the castle would arouse the enemy’s suspicions, and resolved to walk there.

Chapter Four: The White and Black Alicorns

The journey to Canterlot Castle wasn’t the smoothest, but she had managed to avoid any and all combat since parting ways with Discord. She had encountered numerous patrols, mostly comprised of changelings, and assumed that the ruins of Canterlot were under the jurisdiction of Chrysalis. She was one foe Celestia didn’t fancy running into anytime soon; but these things were usually unavoidable. She had also noticed that the changelings weren’t actively looking for anything; they were patrolling, simply keeping an eye out for any survivors. The Changeling Kingdom had a habit of taking prisoners to feed off in times of strife, and there were numerous hostage situations that Celestia had to deal with when the two nations clashed.

Moreover, her journey to Canterlot Castle had given her sufficient time to take in full view the desperation of her surroundings; there truly was nothing left of Canterlot. She hoped that this wasn’t the case in the other cities and villages too. Stopping in a nearby ruin, she caught sight of two changelings with their back to her. She was able to overhear the two speaking.

“You don’t think that bitch Celestia will get out of Tartarus, do you Sergeant?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t bet on it. They say she wasn’t actually dead when the Shadowbolts found her.”

“Right. Still, I’m not totally convinced that idiot Cerberus has what it takes to seal her there.”

“You should learn to have faith; The Archon is more than capable of making the right decision when it comes to a threat as great as Celestia.”

“True. The Archon is an impressive being.”

“Don’t let Chrysalis hear you saying that, she already killed an advisor for hinting that The Archon was stronger than her.”

“It is common knowledge though, isn’t it? I mean, the general consensus is that Chrysalis is slightly weaker than Celestia, and The Archon simply brushed her aside like a fly. I dread to think what he’d do to Chrysalis if she betrayed him.”

“Indeed. This ‘Alliance’ was doomed to fail; but I don’t think that was The Archon’s aim anyway.”

“I agree, we should consolidate our power and secede from this alliance before he chews us up too.”

The conversation was brought to an abrupt end as Celestia smashed their heads together from behind, knocking them both out instantly. She’d heard enough, and wanted to get to the Crypts before dark.

Celestia soon reached the front of the castle; its brilliant white stone was blemished with the scars of battle, and its front gate was barely intact. A small fire was raging in the corner of the front garden, and one of its stainless steel windows was smashed. She approached the doors cautiously, its heavy frame would be difficult to push open without making a large noise, but there was no alternate way in. She threw the doors open. The room was completely empty. After taking a few steps forward, the true nature of the deserted Main Hall was made clear. It was a trap. Multiple changelings stepped from the darkness and surrounded her.

“Thought you could sneak past us eh bitch?” grunted the larger changeling. “No matter; we’re taking you to the Queen.”

A wry smirk crept across Celestia’s face.

“What’s so funny?” asked a smaller changeling.

“I’ve got to sneeze.” Celestia calmly replied.

“You’ve got to... sneeze?”

Celestia let out a dainty sneeze, before shaking her head and looking back up at the changelings.

“What is this, ash?” questioned the original changeling in relation to Celestia’s sneeze.

Celestia grinded her teeth together, creating small sparks that suddenly ignited the ash, blasting most of the changeling ambushers away. She took the initiative from the smoke and resulting confusion and soared up to the darkness of the rafters, its lack of light providing temporary solace as she began planning.

“Where’d she go?”

“Aw man, I don’t want to die here!”

“Spread out and find her!” commanded the leader of the group. There were only four left, so she decided that her best plan of action would be to silently take them out one by one.

“Maybe she went outside!?”

Two changelings went outside to look, playing right into her plans. She dropped a small piece of wood into the corner of the darkness, alerting the nearby changeling. He panicked and looked in its direction, opening up the other changeling to attack. She swooped down, landing on his back. He cried out in pain; he wouldn’t be getting back up any time soon. She leapt back up to the rafters quick enough to avoid being seen by the other. She dropped down again behind the remaining one and swept his legs, before stamping on his head as he hit the ground. The commotion alerted the two who had left the Hall, and they both came back in to the room. Dropping down behind them for a third and final time, she smashed their heads together, a tried and tested tactic. And one that made her chuckle.

After dusting herself off, she moved through the hall. It was more damaged than the outside of the castle; it was evident that The Archon’s forces met the fiercest resistance of the whole invasion in this part of Canterlot, and that’s when Celestia saw it. She looked to her left and saw how her fallen allies had been treated; their carcasses burned, others crucified. In the corner was a pile of bodies very different to the Guards. They were Civilians. The elderly, the wounded, even the Children were simply piled in a corner. This time, the devastation got to her. She fell to the floor in a mess of tears and emotion. The invaders didn’t even keep the defenceless alive. She couldn’t stop herself from crying, as she remembered all of the young children at the Summer Sun Celebration, how they would gaze up in awe at Celestia’s power and resolve to do something great one day. She was proud to fill the next generation with hopes and dreams. It made her a happier pony. And in a matter of hours, those dreams were crushed forever under the might of one foe. She got back to her hooves more resolute than ever. The Archon would pay.

Opening the next set of doors, leaving the Main Hall, she entered the Throne Room. Here, she would hold court and discuss matters both great and small with all manner of ponies. They were some of the more boring things she had to do, but she loved conversing with the farmers, the simpler characters that lived in Equestria. Sometimes, she was slightly envious of their lives; blissfully unaware of the dangers that lay but a few miles from their homes. Her thoughts were soon cut short by a sinister voice addressing her.

“My my, Celestia. What a... pleasant... surprise this is.”

Celestia looked forward. There, sat on her throne, was Queen Chrysalis, the Alicorn Leader of the Changeling Kingdom. She was as relaxed as ever as she sat up on her throne, smirking at the white Alicorn standing before her.

“Like what I’ve done with the place? A little ‘Spring Cleaning’ never hurt anyone.” Chrysalis hinted at the pile of bodies in the corner. “I had to get rid of the nasty bugs, you see. This whole city was crawling with them.” Chrysalis erupted into a thunderous cackle.

“Those ponies were civilians. They had no part in this war.” Spoke Celestia through gritted teeth.

“Didn’t they, Celestia? I think otherwise. How else were we going to rile you up?”

“You treated them like Pawns in some little game!?” Celestia screamed. “That’s deplorable... even for you.”

Chrysalis cackled again. “Would you like to know how they died, Celestia? Would you like to know what the last thing they saw was?”

Celestia remained silent. She couldn’t take anymore of this.

“The last thing they ever saw was their loved ones being picked at random, and having their throats cut right in front of them.”

Celestia was yet again reduced to tears. It was an atrocious thing to do, and Chrysalis knew it. When it came to mind games, there wasn’t anyone more ruthless than Chrysalis.

“What do you say to that, Princess of the Sun?”

“I say that...” Celestia choked up again.

Chrysalis chuckled.

“I say that you deserve every new hole I tear into your body!” Celestia tearfully screamed. She soon erupted into an explosion of white light, the emotion controlling her thoughts. All she wanted to do was remove Chrysalis from the world, be it with her lifeless body or piece by piece. Her rage was dictating her every action as she shot a massive blast of light at Chrysalis. The black Alicorn was quick to evade it though, rolling away from the throne and firing back with her own sickly green blasts of magic. They simply rebounded off the glowing aura now beginning to encase Celestia. Celestia retorted with a rapid barrage of flames into Chrysalis’ general direction, managing to graze Chrysalis’ wing. Chrysalis responded by aiming a pinpoint shot at Celestia’s head, only for a burning flare to reach out from Celestia in the shape of a hand and grab the bolt, crushing it in its grip. Chrysalis grunted angrily, nothing she was throwing at Celestia was working.

“Are you just throwing magic at the wall and seeing what sticks, Chrysalis?” roared Celestia. Her voice was a deep, sub-equine roar, almost as though it wasn’t hers.

Chrysalis was taken aback. She wasn’t fighting the Alicorn she’d once warred with all those years ago. This was something else, something colder. Chrysalis had to take definitive action.

“Enough messing around, I’ll end this battle once and for all!” The Changeling Queen charged up a powerful bolt from her horn and aimed it at Celestia. “I’ll freeze you where you stand and cut off your head myself!” she fired the bolt, and an enormous explosion filled the room.

Celestia opened her eyes. The sun was bright out, and Celestia realised that she’d been unconscious for a few hours. It was already morning. She was unscathed though, and looked around to find Chrysalis as she pulled herself back up. She caught sight of the black Alicorn lying near the throne itself, her body contorted in an unnatural way. It looked highly painful. Celestia shuffled over to her, and realised that Chrysalis’ eyes were open, and very dry. She had not blinked in several hours, too. Her horn was shattered; telltale signs of a miscast paralysis spell. A thick scent of magic filled the room, but it didn’t smell completely like Chrysalis’. It was definitely Celestia’s though. Coupling this with the fact that she did not remember a lot of how the battle started, only being able to remember what she was talking to Chrysalis about just before. Something was odd here though; and that was how Chrysalis was capable of miscasting a simple paralysis spell. It was easy enough to cast one, and overcharging a spell didn’t shatter your horn. Something was off here.

“That settles it then.” Celestia muttered to herself. The only original member left of the alliance was The Archon, and he was always up at Canterlot Tower. She passed through the door on the north side of the Throne Room and into the Castle Gardens.

Chapter Five: The Trap

Celestia entered that Castle Gardens from the southern door and was met with an uplifting image. The Gardens had been left untouched. She blinked, and then saw through the mirage. They were just as torn up as the Castle they were part of. Probably Discord’s doing, she thought, as she took in the sight. Not one shrub was left intact. The wildlife had been massacred. Even the very grass was uprooted. It bore no resemblance to the Gardens that were here during the last Wonderbolts Derby. In truth, she had never shown much interest in the Canterlot Castle Gardens; but now that she’d lost it, she regretted ignoring it.

“Maybe I’m thinking about something else entirely.” she mumbled. She followed what remained of the path past the fountain and towards the stone statue in the centre of the Gardens. The statue was of a Pony holding a banner; it had been erected after the first defeat of Sombra, and had a door on the pedestal it stood on. The door was a basically a heavy sandstone block, and was easy enough to operate by using the lever to its right. She went to grab the lever and stopped dead in her tracks; there was no lever in the socket. A familiar, yet disembodied voice echoed from behind the door.

“Where do hopes go up? And pennies come down? And both meet to make a splash?”

It was a riddle. And the voice was Discord’s. It seemed to Celestia that The Archon had used Discord primarily as a locksmith to safe keep his ‘secrets’ - particularly this ‘Filly’ – from potential enemies. Celestia sat on the fountain opposite the statue and began to think aloud.

“Hopes go up? Hopes go up...” she looked around. It wasn’t how the hopes got up, as much as what they were going up for.

“A wish perhaps?” She proceeded to think about the second part. “Pennies? Are they figurative?” she tapped the fountain she was sitting on when it hit her.

“A Wishing Well! But there’s not one here. It has to be something similar.” she pondered. This wasn’t one of Discord’s harder riddles, but it was still a riddle all the same. “These hopes and pennies make a splash. Perhaps it’s a water feature that I’m looking for...”

She put her hoof to her head.

“Of course it’s the fountain that I’m sat on right now.” she got up and hovered to the top of the fountain, where the severed lever handle was placed. She grabbed it and placed it into the socket, before pulling it down. The door shuddered and rumbled as it began to grind down into the floor; the dust from within was disturbed and clouded further vision into the crypts. All she could see were the first few steps in front of her. She lit her horn with a light spell and descended further into the crypt beneath Canterlot Castle.

She hadn’t been going long when came to the first antechamber; it was a dull room, it’s age apparent within moments, and she could tell even from the scent that this room hadn’t seen a living being in ages. In truth, the crypts never saw much use; they were to be used as a memorial to fallen war heroes, but it hindered visits from their families, and was soon put into disuse. There was no sign of it being disturbed, save for the subtle footprints in front of her. Celestia could make out two sets of larger hoofs going forward, accompanied by a smaller set – no doubt this ‘Filly’ – but only one set of large hoofs leaving the crypts. Something had been left behind to guard the Filly. She pressed on, easily tracking her target through the crypts.

After navigating through several narrow passageways, she finally arrived at what seemed to be a newer part of the crypts than the entrance. It was a perfectly round room, with a large hole in the centre, the bottom of which was extremely far down. Hovering over this hole was a small cage with a bed. Someone was on the bed. She was a small purple coloured Unicorn Filly, with a darker purple mane accentuated by a simple pink streak splitting it.

“Excuse me! Miss!” called the small pony in the cage. “Can you get me out of here please?”

“Who are you my dear?” replied Celestia. It would be good to put a name to an as yet unseen face. She definitely had a filly’s voice.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle! I’d say a little more, but I don’t really like heights!” the young filly skittishly replied.

“How do I get you out of there Twilight Sparkle?” asked the white Alicorn.

“I think there’s a button that opens the cage over there!” directed the filly. Celestia quickly trotted over and pressed the button. The two exits to the room instantly slammed shut, but the cage door did indeed open.

“Are you sure that was the right button?” inquired Celestia.

“Oh I’m quite sure...” laughed a voice from the cage. It was noticeably deeper, but still feminine. Celestia turned around in time to see the filly change into a figure about as large as Celestia herself.

“Princess Celestia. It’s been a long time.”

“Chrysalis!”

“That’s Queen Chrysalis to you, you dethroned pretender!” snapped the Changeling Queen. “It seems the decoy I placed in the Throne Room didn’t prove much of a fight. How did you end his pathetic existence Celestia?” she questioned, this time in a far calmer tone.

“He ended himself. He had me quite fooled until his miscast.” Celestia responded. She’d been through enough until now, and Chrysalis’ mind games weren’t going to work on her again.

“That fool. I knew he couldn’t cut it.”

“And you, Chrysalis? I bet you’ve been bored out of your mind in here.”

“True. Indeed, I have been bored, and I would have spent my time draining the life from these subjects of yours if my armies hadn’t murdered them all anyway.” Chrysalis pouted. “Still. Your life ends in this room, Celestia. I’m here to make sure of that.”

With that, Chrysalis ran at Celestia. The two Alicorns had never fought face to face before; when these two clashed it was always their armies who did the fighting. Nonetheless, Celestia had no idea of what Chrysalis was or wasn’t capable of, and as such would not let her guard down. This would be a learning curve for both of the combatants. Celestia and Chrysalis locked horns. Chrysalis wanted to test Celestia’s strength, and was quickly taught just how strong Celestia was as she forced Chrysalis aside and darted back. Celestia was seeking out Chrysalis’ strengths and weaknesses; it would be unwise to lunge straight for her. Neither Monarch was stupid enough to go charging in head first, as their first mistake would be their last. Celestia rapidly fired a series of small embers at Chrysalis who had no problems scurrying away. Chrysalis responded with a salvo of magic, and Celestia teleported away. Celestia was beginning to get the image that the two were of similar power, and decided to start thinking outside of the box. She took off into the air, Chrysalis following suit. The two engaged each other with damaging spells of varying power, evading and teleporting away to avoid their opponent’s attacks. This proceeded for several minutes, all the while Celestia formulating a plan.

“This is a close contest, eh Celestia?” panted the black Alicorn. She was getting a good workout from her white counterpart, and was enjoying every minute of it. “They say that a ruler is only as good as the decisions they make. Tell me, Sun Goddess. Can you call yourself a good ruler?”

Celestia didn’t respond. She watched Chrysalis intensely as her adversary lowered herself to the floor. Dropping to the floor as well, Celestia began running around the outside.

“Got you on the back foot have I? Don’t worry - you’ll have plenty of time to rest soon my dear...” Chrysalis menacingly said. The Changeling Queen began to give chase to a ragged Celestia; it appeared that Chrysalis had indeed fuelled up before their confrontation. Celestia was tired, and hadn’t properly rested since defeating Cerberus in Tartarus. She had to focus, and turn the tables on Chrysalis. The black Alicorn was catching up with incredible pace, and Celestia had to dart inside and go through the cage in the middle of the room just to avoid being tackled by her. Chrysalis followed suit, and as she entered the cage, Celestia nimbly fired a bolt of magic at the cage’s button, locking Chrysalis in.

“You whore... I’ll kill you for this!” roared the Queen as Celestia again fired a bolt of magic, this time at the chain suspending the cage over the abyss below.

“No!” cried Chrysalis as she was sent plummeting to her death below.

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her foe plunge. It was short lived, however as Chrysalis fired a heavy shot at the roof of the cage, throwing it open and flying out. The bolt went wayward, and met with the roof of the room, releasing sunlight into the prison. Chrysalis returned above the abyss and began to laugh madly. Celestia was nearly spent, and resigned herself to her only option. She took off, flying higher and higher. She held her arms aloft and suspended herself in the air, before throwing her hoofs back down towards Chrysalis in an almighty heave. Celestia began to glow brightly as an intense beam of light shot down from the Sun and burned the room up. Chrysalis’s screams of agony and shock were soon drowned out in the cleansing flames of the Sun.

“I can’t take much more of this...” Celestia said to herself, collapsing to the floor. Having defeated three of her long standing enemies in one day was enough, and to finish it all off she still had to face The Archon. She also hadn’t had to tap into the Sun’s power for centuries, the last time she did was when her and Luna first banished Sombra from the Crystal Empire. She dusted herself off and made for the exit.

Chapter Six: The Prophecy

Celestia stepped through the doorway of the prison, and noticed an immediate change in her surroundings. It was what looked like Canterlot Castle’s basement, with its white stone marble walls and cobbled floors. It was a nice homely change from her previous surroundings, and she felt her heart lift just a little bit. The passage that she was traversing came to an abrupt end, however, with just one door ahead of her. She pressed her ear to it and could hear what sounded like a young child humming a lullaby. She gently pushed the door open; much to the child inside’s shock.

“Ah!” The filly yelped, and bolted under her bed.

“Easy there my little pony.” Celestia softly spoke. This was no doubt the filly that Celestia had been searching for. She had the purple coat, darker mane and even the pink streak. Yes, this was her alright. The filly came out from underneath the bed at a snail’s pace, before getting back to her feet.

“Oh no.” said the filly. Her face dropped sullenly. “You’re here to kill me now aren’t you?”

Celestia frowned. This child could be no more than seven and was already faced with her own mortality. A concept no youth should have to come to terms with. Celestia sat down beside her.

“Not at all. As a matter of fact, I need your help.” smiled Celestia. She was being as compassionate as the last few hours were letting her be.

“Wait... are you..?”

Celestia nodded.

“Huh?” exclaimed the filly.

“Like I said I need your help.”

“Huh!?” exclaimed the filly a second time.

“Yes.”

The filly inhaled again, but was quickly suppressed by Celestia. She gave to child some time to calm down as she looked around the room. It looked like any typical young filly’s room. There was the bed, a desk by a window, and two posters hung up on the wall.

“So you’re Twilight Sparkle?”

“My name... how do you know my name?”

“I need to know your name if I’m going to find you!” chuckled Celestia. Her expression was genuine, and could tell that Twilight knew it too.

“And you say you need my help? What are you trying to do, brush your mane?”

Celestia chuckled heartily. “No my dear, I need your assistance in a matter far more important.”

“Wow... if the Princess of the Sun needs my help then it has to be something really difficult.”

“Indeed. But I’d like to talk with you a bit first, and rest a bit. I’ve had a hard time getting here.”

“So you beat that nasty shape shifting Queen then?”

“How do you know about her?”

“She brought me here with that scary Alicorn. I couldn’t look him in the eye, every time I did he shouted at me.”

“That’s probably because he was scared of you.” Celestia nudged Twilight. She laughed briefly, but returned to her previous expression. Celestia looked closely at the two posters on the wall. They were clearly hand drawn. The one on the left was of a dry, arid desert. The only features in it were the dunes that composed the desert.

“What’s that picture meant to be?” She pointed Twilight towards the poster that she was observing.

“Oh. That’s what I imagined would be the worst place in the world. I can’t imagine hating anyone enough to want them to go there.

“And the other one? Tell me about it.”

“That’s what I think the rest of the world is like.” Celestia observed the features of the picture as Twilight spoke. There was a large field full of flowers and apple trees, and a candy shop that looked like it was made of confectionery and a smooth river with a bridge over it.

“What about this tree-house?” asked Celestia.

“That’s where I’d live.”

“It’s very nice.”

The silence returned between the two. She opened her mouth to address Twilight again as the door was thrown open. Celestia had no time to think. She positioned herself between the two intruders who were storming the room and closed her eyes, waiting to be struck down. “At least I’ll protect someone before I go.” Celestia thought to herself.

“Ladies.” said a familiar voice.

“Wow!” said Twilight, in awe of the sight. “I get to meet the Princess of the Sun AND the Princess of the Moon I one night!”

Celestia opened her eyes. The two intruders were both unconscious and underneath the hooves of Princess Luna, who was stood in the doorway.

“I was hoping they’d lead me to the right place.” said the Mistress of the Moon as she carelessly threw their bodies to the floor.

“And you must be Twilight Sparkle!” said Luna in a serious voice. “I take it you two have already met?”

“We have. Twilight here was just telling me about those beautiful pictures over there.”

“Forgive me for not joining in, but there are far more pressing matters here.” said Luna. “Have you told Twilight anything yet, dearest sister?”

“No. But now that you’re here, you can help me explain.” responded Celestia. “Twilight Sparkle, you have an astonishing gift.”

“I do?”

“You do.” continued Luna. “It’s your destiny to save the world, it seems.”

“That sounds really cliché.” commented Twilight. She was clearly unimpressed by how the sisters phrased it.

“This is no time for jokes. Your gifts are capable of beating The Archon.”

“The Archon...” stammered Twilight. “Just how astonishing are my gifts?” she asked.

“Well... You certainly seem like a talented Unicorn.” mentioned a smiling Celestia. “You’re smarter than you appear.”

“I agree.” interjected Luna.

“If I told you that your latent abilities dwarf even mine and Luna’s combined, would you believe me?” Celestia said. She then winked at Twilight.

Twilight could only remain silent. A response to a statement of that magnitude was just not possible.

“I think I know how your abilities are the key to beating The Archon too.” said Luna.

Celestia was the most shocked by this. It seems Luna wasn’t just checking on the other settlements when they parted ways at Tartarus.

“Luna.” began the Princess of the Sun. “We need to talk outside for a while.”

“Indeed. Wait here, Twilight Sparkle.” She ordered.

The elder sister followed her sibling through the door and pulled it shut.

“What news do you bring from the other settlements?” asked Celestia.

“They’re not lost yet. I’ve managed to rally the townsponies into forming a resistance with what’s left of the guards.”

“Good. Now you can tell me what else you were doing.” responded the elder sister.

“I went to the library in Ponyville and gathered what information I could about the prophecy.”

“Whatever for? Didn’t you think I could’ve needed as much help as possible?”

“I suppose it would be improper of me to wear a sisterly face and apologize. But if you hear me out, you will see how the ends justify the means.”

“Okay then. How do you defend your prolonged spell away from here?”

Luna summoned a small, dark blue dossier; Celestia quickly recognized it as Luna’s journal.

“Moonlight.” Luna whispered into the journal; its seal unfastening upon hearing the word. Celestia knew it was enchanted, not that she ever wanted to read it to get a better idea of what went on in her sister’s head.

“Here.” Luna handed Celestia a small page; it was loose in the dossier, and had been clearly ripped out from another book. “It states about a prophecy found in a small book found in a far away land.”

Celestia read ahead. It certainly looked genuine, and its text went into vast detail about ‘The End of Days’. She flipped that page over.

“Amazing!” exclaimed the Sun pony as she saw a picture at the back of the page. “This looks exactly like Canterlot!”

“Indeed, not to mention it had been written aeons ago. Now look at the bottom.”

“That’s..!”

“The Archon.” finished Luna. “They saw his arrival in the stars; this whole war was fated to happen. I’ve also written down everything I’ve keenly observed from The Archon.”

“Do tell.”

“First of all, there’s the main one. He’s the brain of the group. He does all of the talking, the strategizing, you name it.”

“Okay...”

“Secondly, there’s The Blademaster. His domain is his masterful combat skill. He carried out several assassinations for The Archon.”

“And then?”

“Thirdly, there’s The Brute.”

“The massive one?” asked Celestia.

“Yes. He is usually tearing down obstacles ahead of the group. His strength is unmatched.” Luna exhaled. “Furthermore...”she began. “We have The Elemental. He is a master at all types of offensive spells. There are no spells that he couldn’t master.”

“Then? Then we have The Mender.”

“The Mender...” repeated Celestia.

“Like The Elemental, he is profusely talented at defensive and healing magics. He is the one that heals the others. Taking him down first is our main priority.”

“Of course.” added a bewildered Celestia. She was in awe of the wide array of the powers at The Archon’s disposal. “And the sixth?”

“The sixth is a complete mystery.”

“Wait.” interjected Celestia. “So we don’t even know what this one does? How are we supposed to counter that?”

“We’ll just have to make room for him in our plans.”

Celestia looked at Luna expectantly. “What else did you find?”

“Prepare yourself; this is even more shocking than the original prophecy.” Luna handed Celestia a picture taken from what looked like the same book; there were similarities in the way they had been drawn.

“This is Twilight! This is a picture of that young filly on the other side of this door!”

Luna simply nodded. “I know how she can defeat The Archon. But first, we need to go back into Twilight’s room. She needs to know about this.”

Celestia turned to open the door, but was pulled back by Luna.

“Oh, and I forgot to give you this too.” Luna gave Celestia her armour. “I picked this up from the Armoury on my way back here; I suspect we’ll need all the help we can get.”

The two sisters stepped back into the room. Celestia could see that Twilight hadn’t moved a muscle since they left, save for her now staring wishfully at the two posters.

“Young filly.” began Luna. “Look at these excerpts from a book I found not long ago.”

“Did you... tear these from a book!?” gasped Twilight as she was given the pages.

“Is there a problem?” inquired Celestia.

“Why would you harm a defenceless book!?” she yelped. Both Luna and Celestia looked at each other blankly.

“Regardless. Just peruse those pages for a while.” said Luna. The two sisters watched intently as the young filly’s expression turned from wonder, to shock, and finally to amazement.

“These pages must be centuries old!” cried Twilight.

“You see now just how important you are, my dear.” said Celestia. “And we need to include you in our planning to help us defeat The Archon.”

Chapter Seven: The Archon

The trio stepped outside after what felt like hours of planning. A quick look up towards the sky would confirm their feelings. The moon was fading towards the western horizon; it would be morning soon. Celestia yawned – she had managed to steal a few hours of sleep – before turning to face Luna. Her sister looked just as tired, with good reason too. She had flown over miles and miles of Equestria to rally a resistance, and she probably felt even worse than Celestia did. It didn’t matter now though; for better or for worse, their journey was about to come to an end. Celestia looked down at the young filly beside her. Twilight Sparkle looked fresh faced and ready, she had been told her duties first, and was given the rest of the meeting to rest. She was only young, and was playing the biggest part in their strategy.

“That plan is more than risky my sister.” warned an uneasy Luna. “It will most likely end in your destruction.”

“There is no need for doubt right now, Luna. It’s do or die time; and I intend to do.” Celestia responded sharply.

“I’m not so sure I can pull of what you want me to do.” Twilight confided.

“It will require perfect synchronisation. But we are ready for it. Even if you fail, Twilight Sparkle, you will fail knowing that you did your best. There is no better way to fail than failing with great effort.”

Celestia’s words had affected Twilight well, and she perked up instantly. She felt confident, and Celestia could see that completely. The trio basked in what could be their last few hours of moonlight, and resolved to get moving to Canterlot Tower.

The journey there was smooth; The Archon had consolidated his forces and moved to quell the resistances popping up across Equestria. A two pronged move from Celestia. The resistance would both clear the way for Celestia to Canterlot Tower, and prevent reinforcements arriving to help The Archon. He was completely alone, and everyone knew it. Upon reaching the Tower, its true height became apparent. Celestia could see Twilight inhaling nervously, the Tower was an intimidating sight. She put her wing around the filly and smiled, filling the child with confidence. They kept eye contact for a brief moment as they were disturbed by a large imposing shape hurtling towards them. Luna ordered them all to step back, as the corpse of the Dragon King landed nearby with an ear splitting crunch. He carried deep scars and multiple burns. He had clearly coaxed The Archon to invoke much of his power into defeating him. Celestia gritted her teeth. She was completely enraged and wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She nearly did, until Luna placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

“This is where I take my leave then, for now.” said Luna in a hushed, almost disappointed tone.

“Whatever for!?” spluttered Celestia. “Why do you have to leave!?”

“I’m going to don my armour; as well as check a few things. Besides, my late arrival will come as an unexpected shock to The Archon. He thinks you killed me.”

Celestia still had an unimpressed and betrayed look on her face.

“Have no fear, sister.” Luna pleaded. “I will be back in time to aid in your strategy; I daresay that you won’t have even started by then.”

Celestia thought Luna looked confident as she said this, and even felt slightly emboldened by this herself.

“Okay then. Perhaps your late arrival will be an important boost for us.”

With that the Princess of the night took off into the moonlit sky, travelling as fast as she could. Celestia sighted and looked back to Twilight; she seemed encouraged by Luna’s words too. They both continued up the Tower.

The two hurried along towards the summit. They gathered that The Archon was probably still recovering from his battle with the Dragon King. Celestia slammed open the door, and stepped through. The Archon was already facing them.

“Well, well, well. Still in one piece I see Celestia?” inquired The Archon.

Celestia lowered her head slightly, keeping eye contact with her foe. “It’s over, Archon. I’ve had a little chat with this young filly here.”

The Archon’s expression dropped upon seeing Twilight. In a flash, he lunged at her, but was soon knocked back by a fast reacting Celestia.

“Whore!” he screamed at Celestia, picking himself up from the floor. “How did you find out about her!?”

“Discord told me. He told me everything.”

“That bastard. He has no idea of the enemies he’s making.” The Archon calmed himself down. “Still, was it fun killing your own sister?” he chuckled.

Celestia didn’t react; as long as he believed that was the case, Luna’s impending arrival would shock him.

“Although... that isn’t really what happened is it Celestia?”

The Sun Goddess sighed. “How did you know?”

“You seem to underestimate just how much I know. Did you also know that I know where Luna is right now? Do you also know that I know how you intend to use that filly behind you?”

“You’re getting cocky, Archon.” spat Celestia. “A rookie’s mistake.”

“I don’t make mistakes, Celestia. That’s why I’m stood here with an entire land at my disposal.”

“I guess it’s time to get started then.” said Celestia.

“Indeed. And so begins the last few hours of the series of errors that you call a life!” The Archon’s horn began to glow, and five copies of himself emerged from the behind the pillars nearby. They all matched Luna’s description. The Archons all assumed their formation, with The Brute standing at the fore, with The Elemental to his left and The Blademaster to his right; behind The Brute stood the main Archon, with The Mender behind him. The sixth simply stood there where he had appeared; his face still expressionless. Celestia took a deep breath. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The sky was hiding nothing, and neither would she.

“I want to ask you a question first. I’d like you to think about it as we fight.”

Celestia glared at The Archon. “What is it then?”

“If your plan succeeds, and you free Equestria from my grasp; do you think you can bring a true peace to the world?”

Celestia was baffled by this, and didn’t read The Brute’s first move. He charged at her with surprising speed, but he wasn’t fast enough for her to leap over him. The Brute collided heavily with the archway behind her. She turned in time to parry a strike from The Blademaster with her horn, he forced her back and attempted a stab; only for her to roll out of the way and kick him in the side. He evaded her counter attack too, and went to strike again, only for her to teleport away. They were piling on the pressure, trying to force her into a mistake. The Elemental joined in, and launched a bombardment of rocks he’d pulled from the cliff side near the Tower in her direction. She teleported away again, and was met with The Brute charging at her. The two collided, and she was slammed into a pillar. She tasted blood, and coughed some up onto the floor. Her enemies gave her some space; they were toying with her.

“Princess!” yelled Twilight as Celestia pulled herself back up. She fired a precise bolt aimed directly at the main Archon’s head, and it then became apparent what the sixth Archon’s abilities were. A small magical shield was emitted from his horn, and it effortlessly absorbed Celestia’s entire projectile. He was a guardian; there to stop her from counter attacking.

She ran around the periphery of the pavilion, firing scattered bolts at the group of Archons. What the sixth didn’t absorb, the others avoided. She had to get at The Mender; he was her number one target right now. Celestia wanted to stun them all at once, giving her ample time to defeat The Mender. She leapt into the air and sprouted her wings, soaring up and holding her arms up in the air.

“Look away Twilight!” she yelled, as she erupted in an explosion of light, blinding the six Archons. As she dropped back down, she attempted to behead The Mender, but he was not where she thought he was. The blinding wouldn’t last for much longer, she thought as she stabbed the heart of her closest foe and pulled back to Twilight. As the light faded, she made out the one she had killed; The Brute. That specific Archon was the key to building combat pressure, and she would be given a few precious moments to relax during the fight with him removed. The Mender, stood on the opposite side of the pavilion, teleported over to his corpse, and began administering treatment.

“Get ready Twilight.” she whispered to the young filly. Celestia teleported into the air once again, this time she was too high up to be targeted by The Elemental, and could begin the first part of their plan. She started soaring in the direction of the ground at a blistering pace, a visible stream of air seen in front of her. She looked like a distant comet as she dived, and soon her work had come to fruition as she exploded into a magnificent Sonic Rainboom.

The shock from the Rainboom knocked Twilight into the air, who had somehow stabilised herself. It became clear how as her eyes were engulfed in white, and a purple aura surrounded her body. She hovered there momentarily as her horn fired an intense beam of purple light at The Mender, who was still struggling to revive his comrade. He was totally overwhelmed by its sensational power; and was left as little more than a pile of ash in a smouldering crater as the beam, and Twilight’s aura, subsided. The young filly, exhausted from the event, passed out. Celestia landed on the ground and smiled at the child.

The Blademaster stormed over to her again and kicked her to the floor, pinning her down by forcing a dagger through her leg. The main Archon surged towards the unconscious Twilight and picked her up in a matter of seconds; she was helpless now.

“It’s over.” stated The Archon, as he held Twilight Sparkle over the edge of the Tower.

Chapter Eight: The Driving Force

“You’ve been quite a handful, Celestia. It seems you know more about my abilities than I suspected.” said The Archon. “It isn’t enough though, is it?”

“Why are you doing this Archon? You have to have a reason.”

“You’re right, Sun Goddess. I do. But to fill you in on my motivation, I must first tell you how I came to be here.”

“I was born in a small hamlet to the west; my family were poor to begin with, but these petty wars that you and Chrysalis started always took its toll on us. We were never prospering. The two armies would use our homes as a battleground, and would leave them in tatters when the fighting was over. We would always recover, though, and were perpetually forced to rebuild from the devastation left by your conflicts.” The Archon took a deep breath. “Now comes the part that changed me. There was one such clash between your two kingdoms that took a particular toll; your forces collided on a field a few miles away from our homes, and some soldiers clad in golden armour came by our hamlet. My father went out to meet them, and told them that they couldn’t establish a camp on out lands. He quarrelled with the leader, who commanded that his troops murder him. As far as the General was concerned, our family was a traitor to Equestria.”

“Where are you going with this Archon?” questioned Celestia.

“In time, Celestia. You wanted to hear my motivation? Here it is.” The Archon again breathed heavily. “My family and I watched from our windows as the troops slit his throat and torched our house.”

Celestia looked towards the ground. She felt ashamed that this had happened. War Crimes were something that she took very seriously.

“Only me and my younger sister made it out, Celestia. We hid for a while, and returned after the war had ended. With nowhere else to go we built a small shack from the rubble of our destroyed home. I put my sister’s safety as my prime concern. After a few years, I was able to successfully scavenge what we needed from the endless supply of battlefields. I felt it was all for the best though. I was able to feed us both enough.”

Celestia was thinking. There was no way she could remove the blade in her leg.

“One fateful day, about three years later, I went out to scavenge. I found a good haul, and was especially chipper on my way home. When I got back...” The Archon paused.

“When you got back?” Celestia asked.

“When I got back... she was lying peacefully in bed. I tried to wake her, but couldn’t. She had written a note detailing a disease she was suffering with. She neglected to tell me about it, and it claimed her life that day. She said in the note that she had no way to procure any medicine for it. I was distraught. It sent me over the edge.”

“I’m sorry, Archon.” replied a genuinely compassionate Celestia.

“I resolved to sell everything I had found and spent what I earned on a scholarship at the University of Manehattan. I always did have a knack for magic.” The Archon gritted his teeth. “But I was thrown out a few years after that.”

Celestia remained silent.

“Apparently you couldn’t test on human subjects. They kicked me out without trial. I hated them. I hated everything. I broke in one night and stole every forbidden textbook I could. I poured my heart and soul into learning their secrets and mastering magic. Eventually, I did.” He lowered his tone. “After that, I had nothing left to do. I was haunted by nightmares of my sister, of the day my family were killed, and of troubles that I had endured. My hatred fuelled my studies, and it soon consumed me.” He looked at the distant horizon; the sun was beginning to rise. “I went back into the University and murdered every single person in there. Women, Children, the Elderly. Everything.”

“Monstrous...” added Celestia. “The police never found out who killed those people.”

The Archon turned to face her. “I knew sorrow. I knew fear. I knew pain. Those feelings were my friends.”

“And you ask me why I am here, right now, destroying Equestria. I’ll tell you why. I’m here because I want the world to experience what I’ve experienced – Anger, Sadness, Fear – I want them to feel it and scream ‘Why Me!?’ And I’ll tell them why. I’ll tell them that they cannot ever truly understand one another until they’ve experienced the same fears. Until they’ve felt the same sadness. Until they’ve been consumed by the same anger that I’d once been consumed by.”

“You’re insane.” moaned Celestia. “Why didn’t you just accept that life throws these things at you? Everyone has to feel these things at some point. It’s something we all must deal with.”

“Cease your words!” spat The Archon. “You speak of matters that you do not truly understand. Have you seen your family burned in front of your eyes? Or a parent murdered right in front of you? How about witnessing something eat away at a loved one, as you sit idly by, powerless to stop it!?” The Archon regained his composure. “Do you see where I’m heading with this, Celestia?”

“No.”

“I’m trying to tell you that this ‘disaster’ could all have been avoided if you’d have stopped this pointless warring. My dream is rooted only in the past. I am standing here because I will stop all wars. I will have everyone live in fear of my power. They will get along because if they don’t, I will destroy them. That is the peace that I wish to create.”

“That isn’t a true peace!”

“Exactly. It isn’t. A true peace is folly. It can’t happen. It’s everyone’s nature to fight. Wars are fought because ponies like you and Chrysalis demand it, for whatever reason. You want money? You start a war. Land? Start a war. Ideals? Start a fucking war!”

“We fight to protect our loved ones. The changelings only want to invade so that they can feed themselves!”

“Do they?” The Archon responded instantly. “Have you experienced changeling life, Celestia? They invade because, back in the Changeling Kingdom, there is no living space. They are overpopulated because they are an expansive species. How would you feel if everyone denied you the right to even exist?”

“They don’t... It’s not...”

“You don’t have an answer, do you? What about the Crystal Empire?”

“What about them?”

“You like them, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“But you don’t like Sombra?”

“No.”

“Of course you don’t. You and your sister decided that the best way to protect the Crystal Empire would be by removing Sombra from power.”

“It was our only course of action.”

“Sure. But you went about it the wrong way.”

“War was the only option. There was no way he would let us march into the heart of his empire and destroy him.”

“Okay. But think about what happened between your declaration of war and your banishment of Sombra.”

“What are you getting at?”

“He forced thousands of his Slaves to enlist. Slaves that wouldn’t dare lift a finger against Equestria. But what did your armies do? They cut a bloody swathe right through their ranks and you didn’t even permanently defeat Sombra.”

Celestia remained silent.

“Love breeds Hate. Neither one of those two things can exist without the other. If you love something, you want to protect it. To do that, you must hate the thing that wants to harm it, don’t you agree?”

Celestia was speechless. Everything The Archon had said was probably true. She had been a horrible leader. A Tyrant.

“No response? Pathetic. I can’t wait for you to die. But right now...”

“No!” cried Celestia as The Archon dropped Twilight’s unconscious body from the Tower. Celestia was released from the dagger’s grip, and The Archon levitated her over to him. Watch as your little prodigy plummets to her doom. He cackled madly. Seconds felt like hours to Celestia as the little pony fell down the Tower. She was metres from the floor before something broke her fall.

Princess Luna struggled to keep Twilight on her back; she wasn’t awake to balance herself, so Luna had to control the little filly’s body as well as her own.

“What is this!?” roared The Archon.

Celestia couldn’t contain her emotions. She shed tears of happiness as a fully armoured Luna ascended the Tower and landed on the opposite side of the pavilion. She fired a bolt from her horn at The Archon causing him to drop Celestia; who was soon under the influence of Luna’s levitation. The Princess of the Moon lifted her elder sister over and set her down next to Twilight. Celestia got back up and took her position next to her younger sister. They had positioned themselves in front of Twilight. The Archon rejoined his compatriots and they grouped together tightly.

“You’ve done well my sister. From below the situation appeared a lot worse.”

“What else were you doing, aside from armouring yourself?”

“I went to double check on the resistances.”

“And?”

“They aren’t doing too well.”

Celestia sighed. There was nothing either of them could do to help them right now.

“I see you managed to take out The Mender. That makes things a lot simpler.” remarked Luna.

“Simpler yes, but no less difficult.”

“Indeed. But it’s four against two now. The numbers are beginning to edge in our favour.”

The Archon interrupted their conversation. “I hate to interrupt your little conference over there Ladies. You’ve done enough damage.”

“The same could be said for you.” retorted Luna. “Prepare to face the combined might of Day and Night!”

Chapter Nine: The Worst Place in the World

“Dearest Sister...” began Celestia. “I’ve discovered the true nature of the sixth Archon.”

“Do tell.” asked Luna. His true nature had been bothering her for quite some time.

“He can absorb any blow hurled his way, be it magical or physical.”

“I see. It will take the both of us to attack in synchronisation then.”

Celestia nodded. They both knew what to do. The Blademaster made the first move; he lunged forward with a blade in his mouth and two being levitated. It required both Celestia and Luna to keep his blades in check. As the three engaged in melee, The Elemental was casting long range barrages their way. Luna successfully goaded The Blademaster into attempting a stab at her; freeing up Celestia to kick him in the side. He travelled some distance before making contact with the pillar; he was clearly winded by the kick. Celestia fired a concentrated beam of fire at The Elemental. The Sixth moved in between them and absorbed the entirety of the beam; Luna took the opportunity by racing behind The Elemental and sweeping his legs. As he lay on the ground, The Sixth turned his back to face his comrade, only to get hit in the back by Celestia’s continued beam. Luna’s stamp on The Elemental was blocked in time by The Sixth, and she was forced back to her sister’s side.

The main Archon hadn’t moved a muscle. “That’s it? That’s the power of Day and Night combined!?” he burst into a short lived fit of laughter; it was clearly forced, but it still enraged the two sisters. “Have you had time to think, Celestia? I asked you earlier if you thought that you could protect Equestria better than I can. From what you’ve learned about me; from what I’ve told about love and hate. About fear, anger, and sadness. From your battles as a leader. From everything you’ve ever done on the throne of Equestria, can you honestly say that you can bring a true peace to the world? How do you truly believe that you can stop these wars?”

Celestia could only look back to the floor. Her sister gave her a concerned look. Celestia had always enjoyed debates, and this was a face she pulled when she had no answer. Something happened then. Celestia thought back to Twilight’s room; the two posters that she had, and specifically the one of ‘the rest of the world’. She looked back up, then straight at the unconscious Twilight. She then looked back at The Archon with a determined look.

“I would... I would...”

The Archon looked expectantly.

“I would embrace both love and hatred in this world. I would throw my arms around my enemies, and let them know that their actions, regardless of whether they are perceived as good or bad, are understandable.”

The Archon remained focused on Celestia.

“I have lived as a leader; but on my way back up here I have been introduced to things that I never would have seen a month ago. Your story is truly a miserable one, Archon. You have had to feel emotions that no one would want to ever feel. You have had everything taken away from you. And for that, I can only apologize.”

“What are you...” began The Archon.

“I still believe that a genuine peace can exist through compassion between all things; and that war can be made a thing of the past. This is where we differ. Whilst I believe in a time where war is asked about by children and their parents can reply: ‘We defeated War.’, you on the other hand believe the opposite. You think that war can only be stopped through fear.”

“So what if I do? We share the same goal. That is evident. But the method is far more important than the result, for without a sound method, you cannot achieve the desired result.”

“How can we have the same goals if our methods completely warp the original goal? You let your negative feelings control you; you let them make you believe that you are something more than a mere mortal. They made you believe that you were a Deity. You were blinded by these feelings into thinking of yourself as immortal.”

“I am immortal! I am The Archon!”

“No! You are a simple living being, no different from me, Luna, Twilight, the soldiers fighting your battles, or even the trees and grass that make this beautiful land we call Equestria!”

“False! A creature, be it great or small, is defined by what they do in their time in this place. I have taken over the world, and have become a god because of that!”

“You would deny somepony their right to exist because they hadn’t done anything worthy of your recognition? By that logic, your sister never even existed!”

“My sister...” The Archon fell to the floor. He closed his eyes, trying to hold in his tears. “How dare you twist my words this way.”

“I haven’t twisted your words, Archon. Your emotions have twisted your words.”

With this, The Archon started weeping. The rest of his group stared at him, awaiting his next action. He stood back up again, giving the two sisters a look of pure anger. The Archon roared as he leapt into the air and began glowing profusely. He lowered his head, aiming his horn at Celestia.

“I will show you how much faith I have in my goal! Archons! Hold them off whilst I charge myself up!”

“Wha... what’s going on?” said a voice from behind the two siblings.

“Twilight!” called Celestia. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. What happened?”

“You passed out after taking care of The Mender.” stated Celestia as she beat away The Blademaster. “You did a great job.”

“Celestia!” yelled Luna. “Behind you!”

Celestia effortlessly deflected a bolt of ice from The Elemental. It was absorbed by The Sixth on its return.

“Feel the power of a god!” bellowed The Archon as he clapped his hooves together. The ground rumbled, and a massive beam of black energy thrust from the skies above him. They were all fired at major cities of Equestria. The impact completely covered the lands below as they fought. When the beams ceased, The Archon dropped back to the ground with a thud. The spell had taken its toll, and he had a large nosebleed. “And then there were three.”

Luna looked at him, shocked. “What did you just do!?”

“Have no fear, Princesses. Now there is no one that needs protection. They’re all dead.”

“You wiped out an entire nation!?” yelled Celestia tearfully.

“Indeed. Now none of us need to rule this land; there’s no one to rule over.”

“Celestia.” whispered Luna. “Over there.”

Celestia looked over at the eastern horizon. The sun was beginning to emerge. She then looked to the west; the moon was setting. Both were visible.

Luna leapt into the air, her sister following suit. They both fired a wisp of energy at their respective domain, and were suddenly hit by a beam from each.

“Using the Sun and the Moon’s power to empower yourselves. Didn’t think you’d bother.”

“The odds are in our favour, Archon.” Stated Celestia.

Luna simply glared at The Sixth, and he fell to the floor screaming as they made eye contact. He picked himself back up soon after that. He was crying.

“What have you done to him?” asked an infuriated Archon.

“I’ve sent him to sleep; he’s currently living an intense nightmare about his worst fear. Apparently, yours and his worst nightmares are about your sister being locked in a burning barn.” laughed Luna.

“Whore!” spat The Archon. The Sixth began running around as if he was on fire, and fell off the side of the Tower to his doom below.

Celestia glared at the remaining three Archons. The Blademaster, The Elemental, and The Archon. All offensive types; their defensive counterparts were all dead.

The battle continued for a while. The two sisters were embroiled in a bitter struggle with the three Archons, and they were all exchanging powerful blows. Luna took off into the sky to engage the hovering Elemental, leaving her elder sister to battle The Blademaster. The elder sibling fired a bolt of short bolt of light at The Blademaster. He may be a master of evading, but this was an unavoidable attack, and there was no Sixth to hinder it. The light burned the word ‘Flare’ into his skin, and a huge ball of flame scorched him in a matter of moments. Using that may have been a bit reckless, she thought to herself. But The Blademaster was one of the more dangerous Archons, and leaving him alone was like betting your life in a game of poker. Luna was able to teleport above The Elemental, and she kicked him with all of her strength and passion toward the ground. He impacted, and was left a lifeless mess after the dust had settled. The resulting impact also reawakened Twilight’s magic, and she again was swallowed up by the purple aura that had covered her when she shot The Mender.

Time appeared to slow down for the sisters then, as Twilight’s horn exploded towards the sky. There was a brief moment where nothing seemed to happen, and the Last Archon was left laughing to himself.

“Once again, Celestia. You and your allies bottle it at the last minute.”

He was interrupted by a deafening boom, as a huge portal ripped the sky open. The Archon was swept up into the air; he was being dragged into the portal by Twilight’s sheer magical prowess. He could do nothing but curse them as he disappeared into what looked like a familiar place to Celestia, and was lost to the arrow of time forever. Celestia collapsed, she had overdone it a lot, and felt that she was dying as her eyesight faded to black.

Chapter Ten: The End

Celestia felt a nudging on her shoulder; she opened her eyes to a clear, morning sky. She was being prodded by the young filly beside her. Celestia got up, albeit slowly, and looked around for Luna. She caught sight of her near a pillar, staring out at what was left of Equestria. The devastation was immense, and was clearly irreparable. The ground was scorched beneath them, and rubble was everywhere.

“You’re awake, sister.” said Luna. She got up and walked over to Celestia. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, considering I should be dead right now.” Celestia looked over to Twilight. “And how do you feel my dear?”

“Okay, I guess. I don’t know what we’re going to do now though.”

Celestia turned to her sister. “Luna, I want to talk to you for a minute.”

The two sisters strolled over to the opposite side of the pavilion.

“What is it Celestia?”

“We are the last few ponies alive. There is no future for either of us.”

“What are you proposing we do exactly? We can’t exactly bring everyone back to life?”

“I remember reading about a certain spell a few years ago.”

“Stop right there. I know what you’re getting at.”

“Just hear me out, Luna. It was called ‘The Terraformation Spell’.

“Dear sister, we do not have the ability to perform such a feat!”

“No, but she does.” Celestia nodded to Twilight.

“She doesn’t have the magic levels though.”

“We do.” added Celestia.

“But only just enough. If we were to donate our magic to Twilight, the spell would surely consume us both, and potentially her too.” Luna pleaded.

“If it can heal the damage done by The Archon, then it’s a sacrifice we have to make.”

Luna looked over to Twilight. She was sat humming to herself, looking at the view. “I don’t know.”

“It’s our only option.” stated Celestia.

The younger sister sighed. Celestia was right.

“Twilight Sparkle.” called the Sun goddess.

Twilight ran over as fast as her legs could carry her. “Yes Princess?”

“We are going to sacrifice ourselves to power your abilities one more time.”

Twilight opened her mouth but was quickly stopped by Luna.

“You are going to use our magic to perform a Terraformation spell, and remake the world in your vision.”

Luna continued from Celesta. “Indeed. We saw how you drew inspiration from your earlier drawing to create a prison for The Archon. Now we are asking you use that inspiration to create a better world.”

Twilight simply nodded. The two sisters tearfully looked at each other before resting their horns on Twilight’s head. They slowly disintegrated, and their essences, as well as their memories, were absorbed into Twilight’s horn.

From that moment, Twilight Sparkle was the last living thing left alive in the world. Her eyes lit up in a brilliant white for the third and final time of her life, and she began thinking about what she thought the rest of the world would look like. She imagined lush green fields, snow capped mountains, and crystal clear seas. She thought of what the Crystal Empire would look like, and how Canterlot would’ve appeared in its prime. The land was exactly how she’d dreamt it. She now had to populate this world. As an idea popped into her head, she closed her youthful eyes as a dainty smile made its way across her face.

Princess Celestia and her younger sister Princess Luna were sat on top of a cliff. They were facing the over the edge, into the endless sea beyond. The sun was setting, and the sky was a brilliant shade of orange. They were in limbo between the Plane of the Living and Tartarus.

“We have to travel into Tartarus soon.”

Luna looked at Celestia. She was staring off into the distance. “Are you still thinking about what The Archon said?”

“Yeah. Do you remember when he mentioned about Love and Hate existing in a mutual way?”

“When he said one couldn’t exist without the other?

“Yes. That’s really made me think. You and I share a sisterly love. I also feel similar feelings towards Twilight here. I also love this land, and the people that lived in it.”

“Of course.”

“It’s that love that made me hate The Archon. We protect things because we love them, and from that love, hatred is born.”

“I see. There’s something paradoxical about that, don’t you think?”

“How so?” asked Celestia.

“Well, nobody loves everyone. It’s impossible. If for example, you love both me and Twilight, and I hate Twilight, you can’t love me because you have to protect Twilight because you love her.”

“That’s very intuitive. You’re telling me that this idea of compassion will only work if absolutely everyone loves everyone?”

“I guess so.”

Celestia put a hoof to her head. “I’ve only just woken up; all of this thinking is going to knock me back out!”

Luna half heartedly chuckled. “You still want to think about it all don’t you?”

“You know how he talked about the other rulers having their own views?”

“No. I wasn’t here then. What did he say?”

“He said that Chrysalis, Sombra etc. All did what’s best for their subjects.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. For example, we were always under the impression that Chrysalis wanted to destroy us to feed her changelings. Isn’t that quite noble, when observed from their perspective?”

“I don’t -“

“- I mean The Archon talked about how the Changeling Kingdom was overpopulated; he went on to say that Chrysalis was trying to expand to provide ample living space for her people. In hindsight, what we were doing was the bad thing.” Cut in Celestia.

“I understand now. What did he say about Sombra?” asked Luna.

“Sombra was an interesting point. He worked his people to the bone to collect valuable minerals from the mines there. Not for his own greed, but to pay for foreign foods. They couldn’t grow food in the glaciers of the north.”

“And we perceived his working of his subjects as his own tyranny?”

“Yes. Can you see what the real problem here is Luna?”

“A lack of communication?”

“Exactly. We didn’t confer with Chrysalis or Sombra before declaring war. Our thoughts were warped by our own beliefs of how to rule a country; and of how subjects should be treated.”

“I see. We are just as tyrannical as we perceived our foes to be. How could it all go so wrong? Our fierce temperaments have left us a destroyed nation.”

“Neither do I.” finished Celestia. “The Archon also demonstrated how his emotions twisted him into the foe he was. Did you know that he started life as a simple farmhand in a hamlet west of here?”

Luna shook her head.

“His life was that of torment; his family all died, one by one, before his very eyes.”

“That’s horrible. But I have to stop you there Celestia. You’re empathizing with your enemies a little too much; the blame must also be laid on them. They always declared war on us, not the other way around.”

“Still. Don’t you think we’ve learned a valuable lesson?”

“I do. I believe we’ve found an answer to that question.”

Celestia looked back towards the ocean.

Luna did the same. “How would you bring true peace, Princess Celestia?”

Celestia took a deep breath, and then smiled. “With Compassion.”

The two sisters sat in silence for a while. They looked up to the skies; a bright white light had appeared.

“Twilight has succeeded.” said Luna.

“And it looks like she’s chosen us to join her there.” added Celestia.

The two sisters flew into the light side by side.