Author's Note

Pinkie Pie stared out of her window into the night, down at the flickering city lights of Canterlot. Something had been troubling her terribly since they had left Ponyville. Perhaps it was that her travel bags were so light. Had she forgotten something? As she stared straight out of the screen at the reader, she finally realized what it was, muttering nervously to herself,
"We've left canon behind..."

The More They Stay the Same.

After attending Twilight Sparkle's Princess Coronation, Cadence and Shining Armor stayed in their reserved suite at the castle. Shining was ready to settle down after an exhausting day. Cadence was already on day two of no sleep. After walking inside, Cadence closed the door behind her and sat Shining down in his chair.

"We need to talk." She said. Shining had been married long enough to know that those four words were never a good sign.

*Sigh* "What did I do now?" He asked.

"I think the more important question is who." She said.

"Who?"

"Yes, 'who'. Now that we are done doing our impression of owls, we need to talk about who you did now." Shining locked up. He had the right to remain silent. He knew anything he said can and would be used against him.

Admit nothing. The burden of proof lies on the prosecution.

"I know about you and Twilight. I saw you together this morning." She said.

"Like... at the coronation?" He tried.

"No. Like literally together. In bed. With your dick still inside her!" She said bluntly. Shining tried to speak, but any argument he had in his mind fell flat. It wasn't like he could just say that she slipped, fell and landed on his dick, now could he? No, his ass wasn't talking his way out of this one. She'd caught him red hoofed. The web of lies he'd built was like a house of cards that he kept building taller with each lie, each deceit. A delicate house of cards he'd worried about constantly, losing sleep over. And now Cadence came in like a wrecking ball as it all started to crumble before his eyes. What was he supposed to say? What could he say?

"How long?" She asked.

"How long what?" He asked back.

"How long has this been going on?" She asked. "With you two."

"That... is a very complicated question, with a very long answer." He said solemnly.

"Then get started. Before us?" She asked.

"Sort of."

"And during us." She added.

"Sort of.

"I'm not liking these answers." She said.

"To be fair, I don't particularly care for these questions either."

"I am your wife! I think I'm entitled!" Her voice rose.

"You want answers?"

"I want the truth!" She shouted. He looked at her. She looked at him. She looked hurt. He'd deceived her. He was completely in the wrong and had no right to get defensive. She deserved to know the truth and he damn well knew it.

"Okay." He started. "Okay. I think you can handle it. Please," He offered her a seat. "I guess it really all started when Twilight was much younger. I didn't know about it until later on when I found her diary..."
_________________________________________________________________________

Next door, Twilight struggled to keep her wings down long enough to get comfortable in bed. She tossed and turned, pulling the sheets up and kicking them off in frustration. Suddenly her window opened as Luna glided in from the night sky. Twilight scrambled to get to her hooves, but was still tangled in the sheet she'd wrapped around herself. From her saddlebag, Luna pulled two familiar looking notebooks. Twilight's diaries.

"We need to talk." Luna said. Twilight recognized the books immediately. The realization caused her to turn stark white. "Ah, now I see the family resemblance." Luna remarked of Twilight's newly pale complexion.

"I- I can explain!" Twilight blurted.

"That won't be necessary. The situation is quite clear to me." Luna said flipping through the pages. "You, however do not fully know what is going on. Mostly because she's been controlling you this whole time."

"Who?"

"Princess Celestia. Her hoof has been guiding your path your entire life. Even before she discovered you at her School for Gifted Unicorns. She had created that school specifically to find you, or rather a unicorn with your raw ability. Her success in manipulating you would have been complete if it were not for Discord."

"What do you mean?"

"Discord triggered your suspicion of your memory being tampered with, as he had done so to the others. But in doing so, you uncovered the feelings for your brother that she had buried."

"At my request, as I recall."

"Oh, I'm sure that's how you 'remember' it." Luna said. "Celestia has been making every effort to keep you two apart. Do you think it was a coincidence that Cadence was sent to your house to foalsit you? She's a construct. Sent to try control your brother's love. You said it yourself, 'What other pony can just spread love wherever they go'?"

"Wait, what do you mean, a 'construct'?" Twilight asked, confused.

"Princess Cadence was never born. She was made. She's a fabrication of Celestia's magic. She's a pony of flesh and blood, yes. She has her own mind, body, and... if you like... soul. Why do you think you've never met her parents? Alicorns don't just fall out of the blue yonder."

"But... but why? Why do all this?"

"Because you are an Element of Harmony! What you don't understand is that the trinkets your friends wear about their neck and on your tiara are merely a tool. A focus. YOU embody the spirit of the Elements you represent. The magic of the Elements are powered by love."

"When Celestia and I controlled them, they were powered by Familial, the Love of family members, as sisters. You and your friends power them with Philia, the platonic Love of Friendship. She had created Cadence to control them with Eros, the romantic Love between ponies. Cadence was able to tap into that, using her power with you brother to save Canterlot on the day of their wedding."

"So what does that have to do with me now?"

"Twilight, do you not understand? You are romantically in love with your Big Brother, Best Friend Forever. You control the power of the Elements with all three loves! You are the Triumvirate! The last time this happened, it nearly brought about the end of our race!"

"Ponykind?"

"No Twilight, Alicorns. We were not always just us two. We were once as populous and thriving as Earth, Pegasi, and Unicorn alike and we were no more special. We were simply winged unicorns. But when Discord came to power, Celestia and I sought out the Elements to defeat him with our Familial love. As bearers of the Elements, we were heralded as heroes, given a coronation as Princesses, the sibling rulers of Equestria. But our position of power came with isolation, and heavy did lie the crown. As we became more insular, we turned to each other for companionship, and... more."

"You were lovers?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, we were." She said wistfully. "We were each other's best friend, lover and sister. It was then that we discovered the Triumvirate of the Elements. It gave us our immortality and province over the heavens. Our apotheosis in the eyes of our subjects made us deities. But our ascension came with a heavy cost."

"What do you mean?"

"The rest of the winged unicorns began to change from a mysterious plague. Tens of thousands of ponies! Some lost their horn to rot, others lost their wings to gangrene, most lost both. What few were spared, including us, were struck sterile. Tia and I watched as the last generation of Alicorns died off, until only we, she and I, remained. We were immortal, but we neither could sire an heir." Luna bowed her head. "We later came to understand that through the Triumvirate, we had absorbed the lifetimes of the Alicorns who died. We could not have known that would happen. But she refused to be my lover after we discovered that." Luna shed a tear. "And with my love for her unrequited, the Triumvirate was broken. But the damage could not be undone."

"So where do I come in with this?"

"Starswirl was a brilliant unicorn. He struggled to find a way to try to resurrect the Alicorn race. Between his anti-social ways and Celestia's refusal to open her heart to anypony else again, he did not understand the magic of Friendship as you do. Eventually, the cruel hoof of time took him from us before he could finish."

"But now, you were able to complete his work! Your ascension is the final piece in Celestia's plan that has spanned countless centuries. Your self-substantiation is proof that you have the power to create Alicorns of ponies. You did so with yourself first! The only thing keeping her from seizing that power is your Love for Shining Armor. That's why she's tried everything to prevent it. Luckily for you, I've been undermining her work, helping you two toward each other."

"I don't understand." Twilight asked.

"Only together will you two be strong enough to stop her! Twilight, life is an energy. And like energy, it can not simply be created or destroyed. It merely changes form. She can not just conjure her own life force. It would have to come from somewhere. And she will not sacrifice her longevity now. She's become too comfortable with her immortality. And there are many ponies in Canterlot. Why do you think there are so few reported crimes? They are made to 'disappear' and be forgotten about. Absorbed into her life pool's coffers."

"I, I just can't imagine her doing anything like this..."

"I have seen her dreams Twilight. I have seen the terrible things that she has done. That she plans to do. But we must act quickly while we still have the element of surprise on our side..."
_________________________________________________________________________

"... and then on the day of the wedding, after the changelings were vanquished, we finally confessed our love to each other." Shining Armor finished explaining. "And we've been... you know, ever since."

"Huh." Cadence answered with unexpected calm.

"Huh? You aren't mad that I cheated on you? That it was with my own sister of all ponies!?" He asked.

"Well, I am upset. But not about that so much as the lying, the secrets, the deceit." She said in an even tone. "But it actually explains a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"Shining, I'm the Princess of Love. I can tell when somepony's affections are going elsewhere." She said.

"But I do love you!" Shining said.

"I know. But just... not as much as her." She sulked. Shining wanted to disagree with her, tell her she was wrong. But she wasn't. And they both knew it.

"Well, why didn't you just... magic me back into loving you more if you knew something was wrong?" He said.

"That would be dishonest. And I think I've made it pretty clear about my stance on that issue." She said. Shining put his head in his hooves.

"So what do we do now?" He asked.

"I think the three of us need to all just sit down and-"

The door to the bedroom opened a bit as Twilight poked her head inside.

"Oh, hey. Um, Shiny, can I talk to you about something?" Twilight said.

"Sure Twi, come on in." Shining said.

"Uhm, Cadie, could you give us a few minutes?" She asked.

"Why? I'm his wife. Whatever you need to say to him you can say to me." Cadence said, trying (and failing) at not sounding defensive.

"Um, if this is a bad time I can-"

"No it's okay Twilie, come on it. She... already knows everything." He said. Twilight's eyes went wide.

"Do you mean-"

"Yeah. That everything. Come on, and have a seat so we can talk." He said.

"Well, actually I came to talk about something really urgent about what I just learned about me becoming an Alicorn." Twilight said. "Let me explain..."
.....
.....

"... and that's why Celestia had been trying to keep us apart." Twilight finished relaying the information to Shining, omitting Cadence's role for now.

"I bucking knew it!" Shining said, slamming his hoof on the table. "I knew she was doing that shit on purpose. Cancelling my vacation time, weird shifts and postings! Sending us to oversee the Crystal Empire half a world away!"

"She's been keeping tabs on me from very early on." Twilight said.

"It just all seems so big! I can't imagine her doing something like this." Cadence said.

"Wait, so how did you find out about all this?" Shining asked.

"Princess Luna just told me a few minutes ago." Twilight said. Shining jumped from his seat, running over to the door. He opened it quickly, checking the hallway. Empty. He closed and locked the door, moving to the curtains. He peered out into the night. Nothing. He locked the window and tied the curtains closed. He double checked the other rooms in the suite. They were alone, but just the same, he huddled the girls close to him.

"I don't trust her." He whispered. "She's got something else going on that we don't know about. We need to get more information about what's going on."

"Do you think we might be in danger?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. All I know is we are getting to the bottom of this first thing tomorrow. But right now it is already unfashionably, unreasonably late, and I'm exhausted." Shining said.

"Okay. But, um, what about us." Twilight asked.

"Well get that figured out too." Cadence said.

"Okay, well, I guess I'll get back to bed then." Twi said, walking toward the door.

"Twilight," Cadence called out. Twilight looked back at her. "Why don't you sleep in here tonight... For safety." Twilight looked at Shining. He just shrugged. He had no better idea of what Cadence had in mind than Twilight did. Twilight hesitated for a moment, before walking back across the room and climbed into the spacious bed. Cadence motioned for Shining to get in next. She climbed in after him, pinning him in between them. He shifted a bit to try and roll to face Cadence, but she put her long hoof across him and Twilight, holding them both tightly together against her. Twilight's wings *pomfed* open.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. You'll get used to them." Cadence said in a motherly tone as she helped her fold them back up, placing Shining's hoof on them gently until Twilight could fall asleep.

With all the uncertainty of what was about to happen tomorrow, Cadence held on to the one thing she knew for sure. There was a lot of love in that bed. It comforted her, helping her to fall sleep herself. Shining and Twilight felt her hoof across them go a bit limp as she fell asleep. But neither of them felt particularly inclined to initiate anything, whether Cadence was right there in bed with them or not. Maybe Cadence knew that, and that was why she was so confident to let them have the bed together. She really was the Princess of Love.

Shining was perfectly content to just hold Twilight.

Twilight was perfectly content to just let him.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

It was still early when Celestia awoke, as usual. She roused from her bed and began her morning routine. The coronation yesterday had been a long day, even by her standards. She bathed, put on her royal attire, had her morning coffee, raised the sun and tended to her bird. The phoenix had reached the end of its life cycle much more quickly than last time. Feathers were strewn on the floor below the cage.

"Philomena, you're not looking so well. Why don't you just go ahead and get it over with." She said. Philomena actually looked a little hesitant this time. The room echoed with a labored squawk as the last feather fell to the floor of the cage. "Don't say that." She said to her. "It's never really goodbye. I'll see you soon." Philomena dropped from the perch, bursting into flames before striking the cage floor. In an instant all that was left was a pile of ash.

"There. That wasn't so bad now was it? Honestly, I don't see why you feel the need to be so dramatic about the whole thing every time." Celestia said, waiting a moment for the Phoenix to rise from the ashes. "Come on now, you're not fooling anypony." Still, nothing. She began to worry. "Philomena, come on, you're scaring me." Celestia said opening the cage.

.....

"A gift your majesty." A young Starswirl said, "A Phoenix. A magical bird that rises from its own hot ashes after dying, and enchanted to continue to do so as long as you reign."

.....

Celestia had always interpreted that as 'forever'. She touched the ashes with the tip of her hoof. For the first time, ever, they were stone cold. A chilling omen.

She looked out to the dawn she had just risen. She feared that this would be her last.

"Guard!" She called out. In an instant the guard pony just outside her door entered.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Summon Twilight Sparkle right away!" She said. The guard vanished out of the door and down the hallway.
________________________________________________________________________

Down the hall, Twilight began to stir from her sleep. She recognized the familiar fetlocks on the hoof around her waist. She took hold of her brother's hoof and pulled him closer behind her. He hugged her a little tighter in his sleep. Her eyes blinked open. Cadence sat awake in the chair opposite her. Twilight panicked. A magic aura froze her motions in place, sealing her slips.

"Shhh," Cadence said, putting a hoof to her own lips. "You'll wake him." Twilight was still wide-eyed. "I'm going to let you go now. Are you going to be okay? Are you going to stay quiet?" Twilight nodded silently. Cadence's magic vanished. "It's okay." Cadence whispered. Twilight relaxed. Cadence pulled Shining's hoof gently over Twilight waist again, and he hugged her again his sleep.

"I woke up just a little while ago." Cadence explained quietly. "I was going to wake you two for an early breakfast but... seeing you two together was just so- adorable." She said. "Maybe I should be mad. I suppose I was at first. Though, not because of this," she motioned to them in bed, "rather, because of the secrets and the lying." She paused.

"Did Celestia send you to be my foal sitter to keep us apart?" Twilight asked.

Cadence sighed. "Told you, did she?"

"Luna did." Twilight said.

"Hmm, Interesting." Cadence hummed.

"Why is that?" Twilight asked.

"Luna wasn't here when you were a foal. How could she know such things?"

"She's read my diaries." Twilight said. "I have them back now."

"Do you mean that diary?" Cadence said, with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you know of it?" Twilight asked.

"Well, since we're getting all of the secrets out of the bag, I must admit that I did happen to take a peek at it when I saw where you hid it once." She said. Twilight blushed. "Now now, there's no need for that now. I already caught you two yesterday while you were still... coupled." Twilight blushed deeper. "But as I was saying, after I had read it, I had to report my findings to Princess Celestia."

"Princess Celestia knows!?"

"Not so much. Only what I told her at the time." Cadence said.

"But why?"

"You were right about how she had sent me to keep tabs on you for when you would one day become her pupil. I didn't question how she knew you would be one day, but then I didn't question her much at all. I wasn't lying when I told you that you were 'anything but ordinary.' Together we formulated a solution to keep you on the 'right' path. But ultimately it was my idea to date, and eventually marry, Shining. At first, yes, it was to keep you two from each other, but my love for him is, and always has been real, I swear it." Twilight slipped carefully from Shining's hoof.

"I need to go talk to Princess Celestia before this gets out of hoof." Twilight said. "But before I do, just in case..." She turned to her brother in the bed, her horn glowing. "Shining, there's something that you and I need to do." She said to his sleeping form as she cradled him in her levitation. She turned to Cadence. "You can watch if you like."
___________________________________________________________________

A guard searched Twilight's room frantically, unable to locate the new princess. He burst back into the throne room to deliver the news of her absence. "You Highness, I have news about Princess Twilight!"

"What is it?" Celestia said.

"Well, it's just that, um- she's..."

Twilight walked in behind him. "Excuse me, Princess. But if you're not too busy, I'd like to talk with you if that's alright."

"She's- right here!" He said before scurrying back outside the door, having dodged that bullet.

Twilight closed the door behind her.

"Ah, Twilight, just the pony I wanted to see." Celestia said.

"Oh? And why is that?" Twilight asked suspiciously.

"Much has changed lately. So much... so quickly. Three hundred lives of ponies I've walked this world. And now I have no time." Celestia said, walking over to her bird's cage. She ran her hoof through the ash. "How did it come to this?"

"Princess, I... I don't know what you're-"

"My phoenix, Philomena is dead. She's not coming back this time." Celestia said.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Twilight said.

"She was a gift from Starswirl the Bearded." Celestia said. "She was enchanted by him, binding her to my magic, to live and die and be reborn for as long as I reigned as Princess of Equestria... She died shortly after sunrise. And for the first time, her ashes have gone cold."

"As long as you reign?" Twilight asked.

"Your ascension to a Princess can not be a coincidence." Celestia said. "What do you think that could mean?" Celestia said, slowly striding to the smaller, purple princess. The great door was kicked open. The two guards outside had been put to sleep. Luna stepped through the door.

"Do not be coy with her Tia! We know all about your plan to keep Twilight from gaining the Triumvirate" Luna shouted.

"Do you now?" Celestia said turning back to Twilight. "Is this true? Have you come to usurp me as a tool of my sister's vengeance? Is my Phoenix's omen true?"

"Your sis- Princess Luna's vengeance?" Twilight asked, nervously as Luna walked up beside her, horn glowing at the ready.

"What lie did my sister feed you this time?" Celestia ask accusingly. "Do you honestly believe this is her first attempt at a coup? Did she tell you that I'm actually 'Solar Flare', set on making eternal day? Or are you going to accuse me of committing genocide again?" Celestia wings flared open, taking up a defensive stance from her elevated position.

"Do not listen to her!" Luna said to Twilight quietly. "She knows she's cornered and will say anything to get out of it!"

"Have you considered the source of your information, Twilight? My sister, a pony who has twice tried to take over Equestria!?" Celestia said to Twilight.

"Can you really trust a pony who already has?" Luna said to Twilight quietly.

"TWILIGHT! Get away from her!" Came a shout from the door. It was Cadence, rushing to Twilight's side, pulling her away from Luna.

"Which one is lying?" Twilight asked

"I don't trust either of them!" Cadence whispered.

"What?!" Twilight was exasperated. This had escalated more quickly than she had planned. All she wanted was Celestia's side of the story, not this standoff! Cadence leaned in close to Twilight and whispered.

"Shining and I figured it out between the two of us."

"Where is he?!" Twilight asked desperately.

"He'll be here soon! We just need to stall them!" Cadence said.

"Princess Cadence!" Celestia said. "You, who are bound to me. Do you stand against me also? If so then you have sealed your fate young lady!" Celestia said, vanishing in a flash of light.

"There's only one place she could be going!" Luna shouted. "Come on!"

"What about Shining Armor?" Cadence said.

"There's no time!" Luna yelled, making for the door.

"He'll find us." Twilight said with certainty. Twilight focused her thoughts as they followed Luna.

Brother!
Find me!

Shining Armor stopped in his tracks. The assembled battalion of guards galloping behind him skidded to a halt. Shining listened to the voice in his mind.

Find me!

And then he knew.

"This way!" He shouted, heading in a new direction.
________________________________________________________________________

Princess Celestia stood atop the crossing of the two most powerful magic Ley Lines in Equestria. She built her whole city, her whole empire, around this one spot. They thought her mad to try to build the Equestrian capital on the side of a mountain. But this was where she wanted it to be, where it had to be. She felt its channeled power running up through her legs. Today she would need all of it. She had sacrificed so much, too much. What had she gained? She wondered as he looked out over the sprawling landscape of the land below her, Ponyville and beyond. Even after all these years she was not entirely sure. But whatever it was, she was not about to lose it now.

"Celestia! Stop!" Luna shouted. Twilight and Cadence were right behind her.

Celestia turned and looked at them. The mana of the land coursed through her. Her ethereal mane billowed and whipped up from an unseen gale, and magic arced from its fringes in electric snaps. She gave Twilight one last chance to come back into the fold.

"Twilight! You do not yet realize your potential! This needn't end for you here!" She said. "Your fate is not with these usurpers! I have seen it! Your fate is to rule Equestria! Together we can rule Equestria in peace for millennia to come with you at my side!"

"No."

"It's treason then." Celestia took to the air, her horn coming alight. Her eyes became a brilliant white, bearing down on the three Princesses on the ground. Without control of the Elements, banishing her sister was no longer an option.

She could mourn her later.

A bright bream came down upon the group in a wide swath. She sought to strike down all the enemies of the throne in one fell swing. Twilight was ready. Her shield came up in time to protect the group. Celestia's attack buffed against the shimmering barrier, washing over it. The clash of magic thundered in the early morning quiet of the castle courtyard, waking the other Elements who rushed to the windows above. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Celestia focused her attack on their friend, channeling seemingly inexhaustible energy. But Twilight held her shield fast.

Twilight's horn began to glow red hot as her shield absorbed the attack. But she held her shield.

Her violet mane around her horn began to smolder and burn away. But she held her shield.

Celestia narrowed her attack to a white hot lance of magic. Twilight followed suit, countering the move, neither losing focus. Beside her, Luna and Cadence fed every enhancement spell they could remember into Twilight's side of the fight.

Without her connection to the Lines, Celestia's assault slowly began to falter and lose ground. Twilight pushed her back, physically pushing Celestia away from the others. With each small step forward, Twilight got closer to her goal. She could not see or hear her friends up in the castle windows, but she could feel them. She could feel their fear, their confusion. They didn't understand what was happening. How could they?

Cadence and Luna helped to bring the fight to a stalemate. Neither Twilight or Celestia gained any ground in the battle of wills. Twilight took a final step forward, then she felt it. She was standing atop the Ley Lines. She felt the weight of the shield spell she was holding lift away. All it needed was a nudge now. She focused and remembered why she was here, why she was doing this. For her very survival. For her friends. For Equestria!

For Shining

Twilight closed her eyes. The purple beam surged up and reached Celestia, knocking her from the sky with a dull thud onto the grass. The air smelled of ozone and burnt hair. Twilight walked over to Celestia, there on the ground, and looked down at her old mentor.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

"When diplomacy and defensive magic fails, what are the three rules in offensive magic, class?" Celestia asked the room of unicorns. A young Twilight Sparkle raised her hoof. "Yes, Twilight?"

"One: I know when to attack." Twilight recited.

"Yes, and the second?"

"I attack!"

"Correct. And most importantly?"

"I know when to stop attacking." Twilight said.

"Outstanding! Remember class, it is always important to show restraint when you gain the upper hoof." Celestia said.

"Even if you know your enemy wouldn't?" Twilight asked.

"Especially if you know they wouldn't!" She said. "Or else you become no better than that which you sought to defeat."
__________________________________________________________________________
Celestia's words echoed in Twilight's mind as she stood over the fallen matriarch. The princess squinted up at her, waiting for the coup de grâce. She took comfort in seeing how funny Twilight looked without a mane. The sulfurous stench of burned follicles hanged in the air.

"I understand now," Twilight spoke, "why you were afraid... Afraid of our love, of Shining and I. By gaining the Triumvirate, I was able to self-substantiate my own ascension. To make myself into an Alicorn. But you know as well as I do that the Law of Inverses applies to all magic."

Celestia cringed. She knew what was coming next.

"If I have the power to make an Alicorn..." Twilight's horn glowed. The spell washed over Celestia. She expected pain, cold, something terrible. But there was nothing.

"... then I have the power to unmake one."

Twilight stepped back. Celestia stood up. Twilight had gotten a good deal taller, or rather she had gotten shorter. Her golden shoes were now much too big for her. She stepped out of them. Her crown, too heavy and large fell down her forehead, with no horn to stop it. Her sides felt cold in the absence of her wings. And worst of all, her flank was bare. She looked at Twilight, with Luna looming behind her. Luna was enormous now. She seemed to tower over both of them. Was this how she appeared to her subjects all this time? No wonder they cowered. Celestia felt so small. The sky began to grow dark. Something was blotting out the sun. It was a swarm of... Changelings?

"Twilight!" Celestia shouted.

It was the last thing the lavender princess heard before the blow struck the back of her head.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

The battle between Twilight and Celestia raged. Lightning flashed and thunder clashed as worlds collided. Yet Twilight was somehow watching herself from somewhere else.

Was she having an out-of-body experience?

She looked down at her hooves. They were pink! She was... Cadence? She was watching the fight from Cadence's point of view. She watched... herself, defeat Celestia. As soon as the larger Alicorn hit the ground she felt the blow. The world spun as she fell to the ground. She watched Luna step over her and walk up behind Twilight as Changeling minions began to flood the sky. She tried to cry out to warn Twilight, but her voice failed her. Twilight had cut Celestia off from her magic. Cadence's vision faded to black.

"Remember me"

_____________________________________________________________

Twilight opened her eyes. Her vision was clouded and tinted with green. She tried to focus. She tried to figure out where she was. It looked like the throne room, but the throne was on the ceiling. She tried to re-orientate herself, finding her motion hindered. She was bound by... something. She realized she was upside down, it was her, not the throne, suspended from the ceiling. Blurry, black figures scurried about the room. Beside her, cocooned in the next pod, was a small white earth pony. Celestia. Cadence was nowhere to be found. The throne below was occupied, not by Queen Chrysalis, as she had expected, but Luna.

"Oh good. You're awake." Luna said. In the cocoon, Twilight called to her magic, but the conductive gel she was suspended in grounded any attempt she made. "Oh don't bother trying anything. You're not going anywhere."

"Chrysalis!" Twilight shouted. "Drop the act! We know it's you! What have you done with Luna?!"

"What have I done with- oh HO HO!" She laughed.

"What's so damn funny?" Twilight shouted.

"For all your book smarts you still haven't figured it out? Still using all the muscles except the one that matters?"

Twilight grit her teeth. She would not stand to have her intelligence insulted.

"There is no Chrysalis!" Luna laughed. "I created the identity of a changeling queen to seize control of a wayward changeling army. A force enough to overpower the Royal Guards loyal to Celestia! I thought you would have figured it out after I shape shifted on Nightmare Night. I had honestly thought I had given away my plan that night. But when the wedding came and went with me stealing the form of Cadence, nopony put it all together. The one pony who had been conveniently absent for the entire invasion!" The gears whirred in Twilight's head. A giant, obvious, puzzle piece fell into place. Luna's plan became clear.

"The caves beneath Canterlot." The false Cadance said to Twilight on the day of the wedding. "Once home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems that could be found inside. And now, your prison. No one can hear you. And no one will ever think to look for you either. Most ponies have forgotten that these caves even exist. Which is why they are the ideal place to keep the ones who try to interfere with my plans."

Most ponies have forgotten that these caves even exist.

Most ponies have forgotten that these caves even exist.

A queen of the changelings would never have known about those caves. Only those who knew about the area before the city was founded... And that narrowed it down to just two ponies.

"But... why? Why do this?" Twilight pleaded from her pupa prison.

"You dull creature!" Luna snapped. "Do you have any idea how long a thousand years is!? Can you even fathom it? You have no idea, not even the slightest clue what that kind of time is like in complete isolation. With nothing to do but watch, and wait, and plan, and scheme! And for WHAT? To be redeemed in a hoof full of minutes by the 'magic of friendship'?" Luna spat at the floor. "The idea is laughable!"

Beside Twilight, Celestia hung idly in her own pod, occasionally rubbing her forehead where her horn had been. Her own schemes of eternal life paled by the complexity and execution of Luna's plan.

"The first invasion was a test, ultimately under the guise of a changeling queen. I was able to test the security of the city, the guard, and the ability of Celestia herself, all without ever truly reveling myself!" Luna mused for a moment. "Though I must admit, I took a bigger gamble than I had planned on at the wedding. I actually hadn't counted on you to escape the crystal caves with Celestia's puppet. But I'm nothing if not pragmatic" Luna gloated, walking past Celestia's pod.

"But my pièce de résistance was my sabotage of my sisters efforts to keep you from your brother, ensuring that you would invoke the Triumvirate! Power enough to overthrow her, even at the height of her strength!" Luna hissed. "An alicorn she may be-" Luna walked past her trapped sister. "Or was. But she was no longer connected to the Elements. She got lucky with the Ley Lines, Twilight, but your- I mean my victory was all but assured. Though I can't say her evil plan would have had any of you fare any better. After all, for a few to be immortal, many must die."

"No pony should be immortal if even one pony has to die." Twilight retorted.

"What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment!" Luna cackled. "In the end, the only other variables were your friends-" Luna was cut off by the doors opening. Twilight's friends came in. They were likewise cocooned and carried inside. "But here you all are, safely in my keeping. All that's left now is for my changeling army for hire to- Oh, and this is the best part! I didn't even have to sell them on the idea of invading Canterlot again, they volunteered! Hungry for revenge!" Luna laughed. "But as I was saying, all that's left is for my army to clean up whatever disheveled mess is left of the royal guard. Including, I imagine, your dear brother. Equestria is mine!"

"Equestria will never be enough." Twilight said.

"Hmm, that is true." Luna purred. "But it's such a perfect place to start." She sat back in her throne. "I'm actually quite disappointed. I had made so so many plans during my time on the moon. I hardly used any of them." Luna walked over to the other Elements of Harmony. "I was originally going to use Applejack here, with what she had going on with her brother."

"That is-" Applejack blushed. "That ain't none a y'alls darn business!"

"But alas, it had to be a unicorn." Luna said moving down the row. "And the one this one here had, well, it was a bit one-sided."

Rarity hollered at the changeling holding her captive. "Let me out of this thing at once!" Her eyes glared at Luna intensely "I'll destroy her!"

"Which brings us, of course, to Twilight dear." She waltzed over to the lavender pony suspended from the ceiling. "I actually feel a little bad about him. Of all the parts of my plan, of all the ponies I had to manipulate, your brother was the easiest."

Twilight fumed in her gooey cell.

"You must have gotten ALL of the smarts in your gene pool... because him? HA!" Luna tapped a hoof to her chin. "Though I must admit there was a bit of a trade off. For a mere unicorn he has- or, had by now, quite the bit of magical clout."

Find me, brother.

"But what good is all that brawn with no brains?" Luna taunted.

Find me, brother.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "When I get out of here, I'm going to-"

"YOU'LL WHAT?!" Luna shouted in utter contempt. "You'll stop me? Foil my master plan? Save the day? No, Twilight, the only way you're leaving that pod will be as a dead, shriveled HUSK!" She barked. "And when I consume your Triumvirate life force, I'll be more powerful than Celestia could have ever dreamed!" She cut Twilight down from the ceiling, holding her pod close, yelling, drunk with power "I will be a GODDESS! A Goddess with an army!" Luna's horn began to glow, surrounding the pod. Tendrils seeped through the membrane and into Twilight's chest. The lavender pony could feel the life being sucked from her body. "And what will you have? Huh? WHAT HAVE YOU GOT!!!"

.

.

I...

...found...

...you.

.

.

"A brother."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"LUNA!!!"

The very foundations of the castle trembled. The walls reverberated the thunderous bellow. Windows burst their meticulous stained glass. The roof of the castle glowed and tore away, shaking Celestia loose, and falling to the floor. Glass, tile and stone brick fell about as the magic crumpled the ancient granite roof like so much paper into a stone meteor.

Hovering behind the compressed sphere, Shining Armor's horn glowed with the intensity of a thousand suns as he beat his broad, mighty wings. His voice thundered.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

"But how!?" Luna cried out in fresh terror, dropping Twilight's pod. Twilight could not longer keep the smirk from her face, speaking with utter assurance.

"It takes two to Triumvirate, Luna."

Shining moved with unnatural speed, hurling the projectile. Twilight's whole world slowed down. She could actually see, in the fraction of a second that the meteor broke the sound barrier, and at such terrible speed, the stone ball even came alight, burning up in the atmosphere, in the mere few hundred feet it moved. Luna had the barest instant to teleport away. The missile struck the throne, obliterating the dais completely in a hail of brimstone.

Yeah. He was mad.

Twilight watched in slow motion at molten rock, inches away from her, fragmented into a thousand pieces of super-heated shrapnel, annihilating everything caught in the blast. Every changeling present was instantly incinerated. Twilight watched in awe as the flaming rocks flittered off of the shield he made surrounding her, and the other pods, like delicate snow flakes from hell. Except for one sharpened stone each, carefully slicing open each pod with the precision of a surgeon. His clumsy levitation of a writing quill gave him the penmanship of a foal. But when it came to combat magic, her brother was a savant!

Shining Armor lofted down to Twilight's side. "Are you okay?" Twilight nodded, a bit tired from Luna's attempt to consume her life. "You look silly with no mane."

"Go kick her ass." She said.

"You're coming with me!" He said.

"I don't think I can... She took... part of me." She said. Shining leaned in, kissing her. She felt the rush of energy flowing through him into her. She felt reinvigorated, with the energy of two, no, THREE of Pinkie Pie's espressos. Her mane even sprouted and grew back in. She'd always suspected it, but now she knew it.

His kisses were magical.

The remaining pegasi from Airborne Division, led by Camisa Roja, flew in to (what was left of) the room, tending to the others.

"We need to stop her!" Twilight said. "She could be anywhere!"

"Well, we don't need to worry about her going back to the Ley Lines. I rigged that whole area with so many defensive wards that it'll take her an hour dispelling them, or die trying."

"But she's escaped!" Twilight cried.

"Hmm, If only there was some way to teleport her back here..." Shining mused. "Oh, wait." His horn flashed, causing Luna to reappear from... wherever she had fled to at high speed, sending her careening into the remaining stone wall. Still conscious, Shining's magic grasp lifted her from the floor, bringing her horn to bear against the stone wall, dragging it along the coarse surface, grinding it to a nub. The sound was a horrific version of nails on a chalkboard. Every unicorn in attendance cringed, knowing just how sensitive a unicorn's horn was.

"Shining stop!" Twilight plead for mercy. He paused.

"After what she did to you? To me? What she was going to do?" He fumed.

"And if you carry on like this, then you're no better!" Twilight cried. He yielded, tossing Luna at Twilight's hooves. Luna writhed on the floor at the edge of consciousness, clutching her head with, what Twilight could only imagine was, a headache making her pray for death. In almost an act of mercy, Twilight cast the Alicorn spell on Luna. Her horn faded gently to dust, her wings molted their feathers and then fell painlessly from her body. Her mane fell limp and her flank faded bare. Her body shrank down to an average-sized earth pony.

She looked up at Twilight, the visceral pain of her horn was gone, but it was still fresh in her memory. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy. She spoke the only two words on her mind.

"Thank you."

Shining's eyes still bore daggers into the frail blue pony. Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder, staying his rage. Luna cowered away backwards, bumping into the white pony waiting behind her. It was her sister.

"Celestia and Luna." Twilight addressed them. The new earth ponies both looked at the pair of new Alicorns in front of them. "I, Twilight Sparkle, as ruler of Equestria-"

"We." Shining cut in.

"What?"

"We. We as rulers!" Shining insisted

"Heh heh, you said weewee!" Twilight chuckled.

"Oh, oh hoho I did! Ha ha. But no time for that now!"

"Ahem. We as the rulers of Equestria, do find you both guilty of crimes against Equine, and do hereby banish you both from its borders, never to return."

"You know, we do have a court system for this sort of thing." Celestia said glibly. "You may want to entertain the idea of actually using it in the future."

"BANISHED!" Shining yelled, teleporting them both in a flash as far away as he could envision.

May you find solace in the love you once had in each others hooves. Twilight quietly prayed. "I hope you sent them someplace nice at least."

"Actually I did. A little slice of paradise I found a few years ago off the western coast."

With the dust settled, Twilight's friends walked over to them.

"Well, that escalated quickly and ended abruptly." Rarity said.

"So uh, you and Shining, huh?" Applejack said, trying to broach the elephant in the room.

"So uh, you and Big Macintosh huh?" Twilight parroted. Applejack promptly silenced herself. "So what are we gonna do with this place?" Twilight said, changing the subject. She waved her hoof at the demolished castle around them.

"Hey, Camisa Roja!" Shining called out. The Pegasus double-timed it front and center. "Go over to engineering squad and have them send over all of their one-stripers with some bricks and mortar, and see about putting this place back together again, huh?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" He said before taking off.

"HEY wait!" Shining groaned. "I liked it better when it was just 'Captain', or even 'Sir'."

"Well, get used to it." Twilight said, fluffing his wings with her tail. She walked over to the edge of the floor, looking down to the streets of Canterlot. The swift counterattack led by an Alicorn Shining Armor at the head had sent any remaining Changelings into a full retreat. The citizens began to file out into the streets near the castle seeking explanation.

"I guess we should go address the ponies." Twilight said. "Let them know that there is still leadership alive in this castle. And, you know... that Equestria is under new management."

"Aren't they going to think it's a little weird for a brother and sister to be the prince and princess?" He asked as they walked out toward the balcony.

"Actually I was thinking as King and Queen."

"You know what I mean." He said.

"Celestia and Luna ruled as siblings. No one said anything about that being weird." Twilight argued.

"Well you haven't seen the erotic literature about them that I have." Shining said. Pinkie Pie came pronking beside them.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it Twilight." Pinkie said. "I mean, kinky Celestia on Luna action? Now that's some hot stuff! But who would ever want to read erotic fiction about you and your brother getting it on?" Pinkie said as her gaze slowly turned toward the reader.

"Shining Francis Armor! You naughty colt!" Twilight scolded playfully as Pinkie bounded away back to the group. She looked down at the crowd gathering below them. She sighed. "Shining, we're celebrities. And tabloids will be tabloids. Let them say what they want. It's not going to affect how I feel." She looked at him. "Is it going to change how you feel?"

"Of course not." He said, waving to the crowd and showing off his wings. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said. "Should we just kiss now and get the rumors out of the way?" Shining looked back at Applejack, still beet red with her own embarrassment.

"Uh, why don't we wait a couple centuries and let them warm up to the idea a bit." He suggested, giving her a chaste hug.

"You ready?" She asked. Shining nodded, bracing himself for what he knew was coming next.

"CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT," Twilight addressed the crowd in full Royal Canterlot Voice.

Right in my bucking ear. Shining winced.

"WITH THE CHANGELING INVASION REPELLED, PRINCESS CELESTIA AND LUNA HAVE RETIRED! AS YOUR NEW RULERS WE SHALL BRING EQUESTRIA TO A NEW GOLDEN AGE! STARTING WITH A BRIGHT AND GLORIOUS FEEEAST!"

Seriously. This is why I have tinnitus. The ponies below cheered. "Did you just make that up on the fly?" Shining asked. Twilight nodded.

"Everypony like victories and feasts. Give them what they want I say." Twilight said.

"And a 'new golden age'?" He asked.

"Oh... we'll just make something up. I'm good at thinking on my hooves after all." She said.

"You're telling me! You know, when I woke up this morning I wasn't expecting to have these." He said, giving them a little flap.

"I need to go talk to Princess Celestia before this gets out of hoof." Twilight said. "But before I do..." She turned to her brother in the bed, her horn glowing. "Shining, there's something that you and I need to do." She said, turning to Cadence. "You can watch if you like." Twilight's horn glowed, encapsulating Shining Armor in a veil of magic, lifting out of the bed. A part of his essence left his chest and swirled around him, turning into a blurry ring, before snapping shut in a bright flash. She gently set him back down in the bed, being careful not to ruffle his new wings. "Keep an eye on him, and make sure he doesn't panic too badly when he wakes up."

"Well it's a good thing I did." Twilight said, walking with him back into the throne room. "Now get over here so I can preen you." She said as she started nibbling on his wing.

"OKAY we're leaving!" Rarity said, ushering group out, leaving the siblings to their privacy.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

---Two Years Later...---

In their royal bedroom, Shining sat at his desk, his quill scrawling feverishly. Outside, the sun shined brightly, its warm light pouring through the large window.

Twilight walked in and put her bag down. When she saw Shining busy at the desk she asked, "What are you writing?"

"I'm writing the history of Celestia and Luna's rise and fall." He said as he wrote. "I'm calling it 'A Tail of Two Fillies'."

"There is already a book called 'A Tale of Two Fillies'." She said.

"Braaak!" Philomena agreed from her perch.

"Yeah, but mine is spelt T. A. I. L. And my version is going to have way more corn dogs and explosions." He tittered, causing his wings to *pomf* reflexively.

"It sounds like a dirty romance novel with that spelling." Twilight said as she walked over, leaning her chin on his shoulder, running her hooves through his ethereal mane, massaging his wings and looking at his work. "Your penmanship still looks like a foal's hoof writing." She teased. He turned around in his seat, kissing her.

"How did your trip to Saddle Arabia go?" He said, putting down his quill.

"They agreed to the 'vegetable oil for wheat' trade proposal." She said. "Any news from the Crystal Empire?"

"Everything's fine there without Cadence. Rarity is doing a fine job as the Stewart for now. I still can't believe she volunteered to move all the way out there."

"Are you kidding me? She practically creamed herself at the opportunity to live with 'oh my gosh, CRYSTAL PONIES!' But I hear her crystal fashion line is a big hit there now. At least it's better than the desert of Saddle Arabia. I don't know how they can stand living there like that. But that's diplomacy for you."

"You're too good at this whole 'politics' thing. I'm going to have to keep my eye on you." He said.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why you're keeping your eye on me." Twilight said, flagging her tail at him, flicking his nose. Shining got up from his desk, threw the cover over the phoenix's cage and followed her over to the bed. "Hmm, Shining, is that your royal scepter? Or are you just happy to see me?" She teased.

"Never gets old." He grumbled.

"Oh, shut up and kiss me." Twilight said as Shining climbed on top of her in bed. He ground against her as they kissed passionately. The spark of the 'honeymoon' phase had never left them. If anything it was hotter than it had ever been, sharing a bed as often as they could. Sure, ponies talked for a while. They always will. "Oh, I almost forgot, we still need to go to the Canterlot Hearth's Warming Eve pageant."

"Ugh. Can't we just stay in and... rut this year?" He said rolling onto his back. Twilight leaned over beside him and started kissing a trail down his belly.

"We can still do that before the pageant." She said, grinning. He still groaned. He hated official outings. "And after." She bargained. He groaned a little more agreeably. "Aaand maybe during." He perked up. "BUT only if you're good this year!" She teased, keeping her mouth off his 'scepter' for a moment.

"Aww come on! Celestia used to make fun of the play every year! I want to keep that tradition at least."

"You can get one or the other!" She said, standing fast, playing with Little Shiny in her hooves.

"Ugh, fine."

"Thank you." Twilight said as she started to work on him with her mouth. Shining groaned, this time rather, in pleasure.

"Wow, almost three years and you're still amazing at that." He complimented.

"Thank you Shiny. Oh, Did we get a Hearth's Warming card from mom and dad this year?"

"No. I think they're still not talking to us." He sighed, killing his mood.

"Aww, I'm sorry." Twilight said, trying to rub some life back into Little Shiny, wilting in her hooves. "They'll come around eventually."

"I guess." He sighed. It had been so long, since now they mostly saw each other as lovers. Only occasionally, like this, were they reminded that they were still siblings.

"Hmm, there was something else... Oh, is Camisa Roja out of the hospital?"

"He'll be out in a few days. I swear, with the way he keeps almost dying on me, it's like fate has him marked for an untimely end. I just visited him today."

"I'm glad you still look after the troops like that. I know it means a lot to them."

"Yeah yeah. 'Peace is our profession'." He recited.

"No, peace is my profession, Mr. 'Commander in Chief'. Your profession is to make sure that when I fail at my job, you don't fail at yours."

"Hey, don't jinx it. We've had two peaceful years."

"Well here's to nine hundred and ninety eight more." She said as she kissed him. She got a naughty idea. "You know what? For visiting him in the hospital, I think you've earned yourself a special treat." She reached inside the night stand getting the bottle of personal lubricant.

"You mean?" He arched his eyebrows suggestively. She nodded. Little Shiny came back quickly, throbbing menacingly with each excited heartbeat. He crawled over to her quickly, raring to go.

"Hey!" She halted him with her hoof to his chest. "Are you going to be gentle?"

"Yeah yeah."

"Are you going to go slow?"

"Yeah yeah."

"Are you going to slow down when I tell you to?

"Yeah yeah. Yeah yeah."

"I mean it!"

"Yeah yeah." She passed him the tube and rolled onto her stomach, lifting her flowing tail. He gave himself a generous coating, as well as her presented plot hole. Shining knew better than to just use spit. Those dirty films that they had rented we nothing but lies!

"Hey! Remember," Twilight said, "this is a special, sometimes thing. Not an all-the-time thing. And be quiet this time! I don't want to wake up Cadence again."

"Yeah yeah." Shining's blood flow had clearly left one head for the other. Twilight took hold of her pillow and tried to relax. She felt her brother's hooves on either side of her waist. His cock bobbing behind her as he aligned it with her back door. They were both slick with lube and his precum. He added a bit of pressure. Twilight tensed up.

"Wait. Just, let me get it started at least." Twilight said, keeping her pert ass poised on the round end of his member. She wiggled a bit, trying to work in a tiny bit at a time. This was of those rare instances she regretted having a brother who was quite so well endowed. Gradually her body got on track with her mind and began to relax, letting in just a bit. She felt him get excited. "Hold on. Stay still." Twilight kept gradually increasing the pressure back on him, controlling the pace. He was actually being very well behaved this time.

Twilight took a deep breath as she felt his head finally slip inside her tight ring. He stayed put, letting her adjust to him inside her. Her gradual pressure slipped another inch of his slick shaft into her. With enough lube running through her to service the axles of an entire chariot fleet, the rest was relatively easy going. "Okay." She said, giving him the green light to start moving. He took over where she left off with gentle pushing. Once he was able to get completely inside her, he could really start getting to it. But not before.

Twilight cast her pillow aside and hung her head. On her knees, Shining was coming in at a steep, downward angle. She felt her tummy filling up as more of her insides had to move out of the way to allow her brother's girth. Twilight took a sharp breath as his medial ring passed inside hers. Twilight looked underneath as his shaft began to produce a notable bulge in her belly. It always fascinated her to watch it move inside her. Just as it reached her belly button, she felt his warm scrotum resting against her marehood.

Twilight brought her panting under control. After a moment she just nodded, letting him know he could continue. He began to withdraw, and Twilight watch as her belly lost fifteen pounds in moments. He pulled back until just his head remained inside. Then he slid forward in one continuous motion this time. He increased the pace and speed with each successive rut.

"Ahem!" Twilight reminded him. Shining had enough presence of mind to slip a hoof between her legs, playing with her marehood as he went. This was a treat for Shining, sure. But it shouldn't mean that she shouldn't get her 'treat' as well. And she didn't get off to anal penetration alone. Another porno lie.

His hoof played with her sopping marehood, rubbing and teasing at her winking clit. With the additional stimulation, Twilight began to really get into it. She moaned into a pillow as he stated to really give it to her. His balls slapping into her added to his manual stimulation. She felt her vagina clench and grab for something that wasn't there. Her inner walls gripped and ground against themselves with Shining's dick pounding against the membrane just next door.

She trembled as a small orgasm rippled through her, causing her vacant pussy to spurt little droplets of marecum onto the sheets. Her already-tight ass clenched around his invading shaft, causing him to groan. "Ngh, ngh, getting close." She was impressed. That was almost a full sentence. She reached underneath herself, swatting his clumsy hoof away. When you want it done right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself. She began to clop herself at a fevered pace, her hoof was a blur on her pussy. She was not about to have him finish in her with only her small one to show for it.

She quickly caught up to where she imagined he was when she has a wicked idea. First she started in with the dirty talk. "Oh, yeah Shiny, that's right! Fuck your little sister in the ass! You gonna cum inside your sister? You're so dirty!"

"NGH!" Shining's knees buckled as he started to really jackhammer now. It wouldn't be long before he popped.

"Oh, I'm going to cum all over you! My big brother is gonna make me- cuuuuuum!" Twilight beat herself to her own punch as she felt her climax wash over her. Her intentions to get her brother worked up had worked all too well on herself. Juices dripped from her pussy profusely, splattering with each wet slap of him sinking home against her. She felt him flare inside her, signalling his finish. This was it. Twilight smirked.

"I wonder if mom likes it in the ass too?"

"GAH!" Shining's wings burst open and his body jerked uncontrollably as the first volley of cum loosed inside her ass. His back spasmed as he lurched forward trying to deal with the weirdest orgasm of his recent memory. "GHH! NGH! NGG!" Twilight had no idea what he was trying to say but there were obviously no vowels in any of his attempts at words. Conflicting trains of thought jumped tracks in his head creating a massive wreck. It was like somepony had put a ball of tinfoil in the microwave that was his brain and set it to eleven. He was fried. Twilight chalked it up to her imagination, but she swore she could feel him cumming more. "NAH OH AHHH!" He involuntarily yelled out loudly, collapsing on top of her. Twilight knew what was coming next.

"WHAAAAAA! WHAAA!"

Shining groaned. Twilight tried to block it out. For several more seconds she could still feel him twitching, long after his actual orgasm had ended. "Come on." She resigned. "I need to clean up." She passed him an old towel. Tomorrow was laundry day anyway. But then again, they were royalty. Every day was laundry day.

Shining pulled himself free of his sister with a *plop* and wiped lube and... himself from... himself. Twilight sort of waddled quickly to the restroom, trying to keep from making an unholy mess of the floor. All to the symphony of an infant's wails. Shining sorted himself quickly and had cleaned his hooves. He tended to the crib just as soon as he was decent.

He gave the foal Twilight's old Smarty Pants doll, ceasing her cries. She promptly threw it out of the crib and fluttered her wings. She watched as he picked it up and gave it back to her. She immediately threw it again. Twilight walked back out of the bathroom and joined Shining's side after a few moments. She threw the doll again and giggled.

"Do you think she remembers who she is?" Shining asked.

The battle between Twilight and Celestia raged. Lightning flashed and thunder clashed as worlds collided. Yet Twilight was somehow watching herself from somewhere else. Was she having an out-of-body experience? She looked down at her hooves. They were pink! She was... Cadence? She was watching the fight from Cadence's point of view. She watched... herself, defeat Celestia. As soon as the larger Alicorn hit the ground she felt the blow. The world spun as she fell to the ground. She watched Luna step over her, er- Cadence and walk up behind Twilight as changeling minions began to flood the sky. She tried to cry out to warn Twilight, but her voice fell silent. Twilight cut Celestia off from her magic. Cadence's vision faded to black.

"Remember me"

"Cadence delivered clear instructions in the moment she cast her final spell, as well as for how to save her." Twilight reassured him. "She gave me all of her memories, and the means to 'make' her again." They sat and watched their foal throw the doll again.

"Yeah, but, do you think it will still be the same Cadence?" He asked.

He was answered with a glow of blue magic from the foal lifting him into the air. "Hey what the-" He yelled out. The magic carried him outside and tossed him over the edge of the balcony. Baby Cadence had a fit of giggles. After a moment, Shining flew back up and onto the balcony. Both Little Cadence and Twilight were in hysterics now. Twilight caught her breath just long enough to speak.

"Yeah, I think she remembers just fine!"

____________________________
____________________________

Half a world away, Celestia sat on the beach of the small island. Beside her was a bowl of assorted tropical fruit in a bowl she'd made of a coconut shell. She closed her eyes and felt the sun on her face. She tried to reach out to it, but she could no longer feel her connection to it.

Luna sat beside her, playing in the sand, making small piles of it with her hooves.

"How much do you think she gave us?" Luna asked. Celestia opened her eyes and looked at her sister. She wasn't sure what Luna meant by the question. Luna clarified. "Time, I mean."

Celestia looked down at her hooves. She didn't feel herself aging. She didn't feel two years older. But she knew she was. She knew that they were no longer immortal. She moved closer to her sister.

"She gave us what any pony gets." Celestia said, putting her hoof on Luna's. Slowly, Celestia leaned in and kissed her. A tear rolled down her blue cheek. Celestia wiped it away. "She gave us a lifetime."

One mare come in the name of love.
One mare come and go.
One mare come here to justify
One mare to overthrow.
In the name of love.
What more in the name of love.
Free at last, they took your life.
They could not take your Liquid Pride.