Celestia paced the length of her personal quarters, holding a piece of parchment in her magic.
"You knew you would have to tell her sometime."
"Sister?" She looked towards the entrance, where Luna was standing silently. The doors closed behind her.
"You can't deny it any more. We cannot treat Aurora like you did Twilight."
Celestia looked at her pleadingly. "But she's still a foal! She's not ready!"
Luna's expression softened. "I know, Tia, I know. if there were any other way, I would have jumped on it in an instant. But Aurora is stronger than you think. It will be difficult, but she can handle it."
Celestia sighed, rolling the letter back into a scroll. "I suppose you're right. That doesn't mean I like it. But I still don't understand how Smarty found out our secret."
Luna smirked. "I'm more surprised that she didn't notice as long as she did. That was one of the reasons I didn't just decide to tell her anyway. Perhaps she isn't as far as we thought. After all, she..."
Luna reacted instantly, taking to the air just as an immense wave of magic passed through he floor and right through both of them without any apparent harm.
Seconds later, just as Luna had settled back to the ground, the doors burst open as Twilight ran into the room. "Are you all right? What was that?"
Celestia looked upwards at where the wave had gone. "I think Aurora might need our help, if that flare was any indication. "
Twilight paused, catching her breath. "No, I don't think that was her. That wave wasn't just directed here. From what I saw, it passed through all of Canterlot."
Luna stared. "Are you certain?"
"Quite. And based on the density of the magic involved, that was far more energy than she should have been able to use."
"Then we need to get down there, immediately." She looked at Celestia. "I can only hope she didn't do what I think she did."
BOOM
All three Alicorns' heads whipped around seconds before the doors burst open once more.
Smarty's wings still crackled slightly as she set Aurora down on the giant cushion Princess Celestia used as a bed.
"Sorry about the guards, Your Highnesses; they wouldn't let me through. But Aurora needs help, and fast. She still has a pulse, but... that much death magic in her..."
Twilight rushed over, examining her forehooves closely while Celestia watched her from the side.
Luna glanced outside the room at the four unconscious guards, surrounded by thousands of fading shield fragments.
She chuckled, closing the doors. "It seems like your guards need a bit more training, Sister."
Twilight looked up from her work. "To be fair, I think they were expecting normal pegasus lightning, not an alicorn spell." She stood up, turning towards Smarty. "Anyway, Aurora should be okay. She does have some severe leyline damage almost all the way up her front legs, but she should recover with time."
Smarty sighed in relief. "Thank..." Her eyes drifted over the Princesses. "... goodness. I was worried that it got further than that."
Twilight met her eyes. "If you don't mind me asking... what exactly happened down there? All of us felt that magic just now."
Smarty shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure I'm the pony to ask about that. We didn't exactly have time to compare notes before... well... I can't tell you the who or why, but some group of ponies has been stockpiling a lot of magic. Death magic, the kind that attacks the wellspring. We found their village underground, all carved out of a crystal that was enchanted to reflect magic back at the user."
Smarty put a hoof to her chin. "Come to think of it, they must have started this a really long time ago, if the rumors about those mines were correct. Or maybe somepony else did that."
She shook her head. "Anyway, from what Aurora said, the amount of magic was so big, she thought it might be enough to hurt or even... kill... one of you. That's what we thought it was for, but now I'm starting to think it must have been something different. I felt it in a way different part of the castle."
Twilight nodded. "It was spread over all of Canterlot."
Smarty paled. "...oh."
Celestia placed a hoof gently on her shoulder. "Please, continue."
"Well, Aurora knew she couldn't counter it with any magic of her own, we couldn't turn the device off, and there was no real way to redirect it, so... she tried to convert the magic instead."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "And she thought she could?"
Smarty gave a humorless laugh. "No. But she thought she could make enough of a difference to count."
"...I see."
"I saw her start, but the magic seemed to fight back. It started to go into her. She... fought it off somehow, but... I was worried it still might be too late."
Celestia smiled. "Your devotion is commendable. However, excuse me for a moment while I check that my guards have not sustained any permanent injury."
Smarty smiled sheepishly.
"And on the other matter... Don't worry. I will tell her when she wakes."
Smarty's eyes widened as she remembered her previous contact with the Princess of the Sun. "Oh! Princess, I apologize for that. The letter was written in the heat of my anger, and-"
Celestia met her eyes. "And you were right. It is a hard truth, but it needs to be told."
Smarty nodded mutely, watching as she left the room. Her gaze drifted back to Aurora, her chest rising and falling slowly.
Safe.
She blinked, seeing through different eyes. She sighed, gazing at the hooves that were damaged so terribly. Yet at her core, the small star still shone, its two sisters burning brightly beside it.
She smiled, nuzzling her head against her side.
Everything would be just fine.