The chains to the castle gate moved for her quickly. Much quicker than she had hoped for.
The guards caught a glimpse of the new arrival and immediately stood at attention. Their armor gleamed with a mixture of hues from the morning that’d just begun. Abstract smears of orange, reds, and pinks danced brightly across the polished plates and chainmail. In contrast, their faces were uniform and stoic under their helmets, not letting up the firm grips on their spears. Theirs was a guard without glamour, no ceremony in their posturing.
One made their way to the front of the pack, filling the air with the smell of steel and freshly washed fur. She gave them a nod of acknowledgment. “They’re waiting for now, down in the throne room.” Their voice was hard as their armor. No emotion. High alert.
Urgent, she thought. That’s what the letter said. Urgent.
Often they were, and for very understandable reasons. They’d always arrive at the most ill-fated of times. The times when she’d be settling down after solving some major catastrophe or making plans amongst her peers with expertly crafted lists and planning, just for another to come tumbling afterward. This case happened to be the former, but she was desperately craving the latter. She even planned on sleeping in some this morning and cuddling up tight in her oh-so-warm sheets. Perhaps even brewing some tea and spending a few early hours in a book. But no, apparently that was one of the only luxuries she wasn’t afforded these days, and that list had increased significantly as of late, even if it wasn’t that much of a concern to her.
A few guards were signaled to break off, those of stockier frames and sharp eyes, as they took up position by her sides and motioned for her to lead. Some had checked behind her to see if any more were going to arrive, they even examined down around her hooves, but found only air.
This was urgent. She could tell by the signs her not-so-pleased reptilian alarm clock was giving off a few hours prior. It’d happened so many times. She’d basically had them memorized down to the very seconds themselves. She even cataloged these symptoms of what each letter could entail, with key factors such as tone, subject matter, even the word count could have a major impact on its delivery. There was a pause, a moment of sober contemplation upon a strange sensation of unknown origin. Then, the stomach would gurgle deep and frantic from its indigestion. He keeled over almost immediately, gripping his stomach tight between his claws, seeing the pained strain across his snout. He would grunt and hiss, growling expletives and declarations of utter heresy while the sweat poured off in buckets.
Then, just as soon as it began, an explosion, one massive eruption from deep within would go off, so loud it shook the windows. A great raging fireball plumed into the air, curling and crackling as it morphed into a giant green mass. It remained airborne for a few seconds, nearly catching the crystal ceilings ablaze, before evaporating and leaving behind a single object. A parchment.
Urgent.
She and the guards made their way through the grand halls of the castle in a swift trot. The rhythmic sliding of polished steel pounding in her ears with its blunt shuffle echoed out against the hooves on the marble and glass. No stopping for small talk, no stopping to see what new additions have been made after the castle’s long reconstruction, not even to say hello to old acquaintances in the staff. They would notice her, their faces remained still with concern, whispering as they returned to their daily tasks.
These halls. These walls.
She’d been down them so many times, and just about every part of this ancient structure for that matter. So many times, she could’ve slept-trot around each room without waking a sleeping dust bunny tucked tight out of sight. This wasn’t out of the question, given the many times she found herself waking in the middle of library books when she was a filly. So long ago. So much to read. So much to learn.
Now, she constantly found herself retracing the same hoofprints wafting with magenta aura. Even with her closest friends at her side, even after the panic, the fights, the triumphs, it’s still brought her down these halls, looking at the same walls. Perhaps she still needed to wake up more.
“How long have they been waiting?” She asked.
“We’re not sure, your Highness.” One responded, making her cringe internally. Your Highness, ugh. “The message was sent out before the sun was raised. The morning guard could hardly prepare, some only had time to put on a breastplate and helmet before marching out. Apologizes for their nonstandard dress, the entire castle has been put on high alert.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me over that, and if security has been increased to that level, why is there only the standard guard stationed outside?”
“Royal orders,” Another said, “They wish not to raise any concern amongst the citizens of Canterlot.”
An internal lockdown? She thought with a nervous ringing in her head. She couldn’t remember a plan of that nature ever being enacted. To keep those in the castle on the prowl for danger, yet to keep the public unaware of any dangers to the royal sisters? Her whole body tensed. The base of her horn burned with a presence of idle magic. Wings unfastened from her back, ready to unfurl and fly at a moment’s notice.
Urgent.
“Have you noticed anything strange here, anything that could truly raise alarm?”
“No reports yet.” They replied as the group started to round the final corners. “The only thing we can say that’s out of the ordinary is the increased amount of patrols dispatched to the gardens, and all areas surrounding them. Tripled, at the very least.”
The gardens? Why would they need to send additional guards there? Unless, what if there’s an external threat, trying to sneak in under the veil of night? An intruder, here in the castle!
That wasn’t exactly an uncommon incident at this point, as many ne’er do well’s have found a way to slither their sinister schemes right under the sisters’ muzzles. Workarounds could be found all over if you had the eye for it. She certainly did, she certainly did it, and she certainly got in trouble for it.
But still, anypony wanting to harm royals of any kind must be sought out and stopped, an export she had an evergreen supply for.
They arrived, staring high at the ginormous doors that gave passageway to their destination: the throne room. They were tall and incredible in their grandiose appearance, each placement of the ornamental pieces was pure perfection, doing their best to set the atmosphere when one is about to come face to face the country’s ruling body. Hundreds of years of knowledge and experience between the two of them. Sure, they were on their way out…very soon. Very-very soon. They elected to stay present to oversee the castle’s full grueling restoration. Until the last door was hinged. The last piece of rubble swept. The last speck wiped from the windows. It was a message, not just to the country, but to the world at large. They would stand tall in the face of danger. That ponies would move as one with unbreakable resolve. Their stature, their power made it absolutely clear. Above Equestria, goodness strides.
Even if she was just answering an innocent social call, she’d still get the nerves regardless. But eventually, they would wear off. These weren’t going away.
The guards posted by the doors jumped to life, reanimated by an invisible shock. “Princess Sparkle!” One exclaimed, nearly dropping his spear. The scruff of his blue fur poked wildly through the corners between plates.
She gave them both a nod and spoke as calmly as she could. “…I would say good morning to you, but judging from everything going on right now, it’d be an insult.”
“Even then, that would be an understatement.” The other one groaned, readjusting his helmet. “We’re trying to holdfast as best we can, but the Princesses are getting…restless, even before the time of dawn.” He looked at the guards beside her. “Anything from the search teams?”
“Negative, personally speaking. As far as we’re aware, they’re still looking outside.”
“Return to the rest of your team,” She said to the guards at her side, “If any further developments come about, we must know immediately.” They saluted at once, and galloped back down the halls, as the sounds of their steel and hooves echoed into nothingness. Those nerves were still present.
She can do this. She’d done this many times before, many-many times before, bordering on routine. She’d describe them more like bad habits, perhaps even an addiction. Nasty thoughts. Nasty habits. She’d done this before.
She moved to the center of the room and signaled to the guards. They two looked at each other, and turned around and parted the doors in one smooth motion. They groaned deep under their weight, yet effortlessly glided over the vibrant velvet rug that shot out along the floor. Eyes tracing along as they looked up to the opening display.
The guards had only been half right. The vast open space of the room was awash in seas of multicolored lights from the windows, bending and twisting like waves of a steady ocean. Drapery hung, curtains and banners shifting lightly with a breeze. The room seemed even larger, as the floor reflected a crystal clear mirror-like they were floating in midair. Despite the commotion going on around the castle, the room had kept its’ atmosphere of a place meant to hold civil, important discussions, lessons, revelations, and the most exquisite gossip this side of Equestria. Not that she was one to engage in conversation that petty and pointless. Never. Mostly not.
The thrones, tall and elegant as they’d always been, even if they were newer constructions. Though, it still didn’t help quell that feeling of foreboding, then and now. Especially now, looking across the stained windows lining the walls. Past, present, and future on the not-so-distant horizon. Future events. Future changes.
“Your Highness.” A guard announced, with a little crack in his voice. “Princess Sparkle has arrived, no updates to report as of now. The search teams are still, well, searching.”
There was a figure present on the throne, as the ears of the sun fluttered lightly, and their body motioned to rise. She stepped forward in front of the guards, and extended her wings with a courteous bow, “Princess Celestia.”
No matter what the cause for concern, Celestia was always one to keep her composure. She had to, being one of the great leaders of the land. A coat as white as the clouds, draped in the most fabulous sundress and a ceremonial breastplate of gold. Jewels, lining each limb bright and shimmering in the sunlight, bouncing along in the colorful waves of her mane swirling around the island of a crown. It was a figure Equestria had seen for millennia. Unchanging. Unflinching. Her loving wings caress as they wrap around the heart of every subject in the land.
As they all basked upon her figure, her peaceful smile parted to speak.
“Huzzah!” Boomed a voice, loud and rumbling as it shook the entire room. Everypony looked around confused, before hearing something thrown in the air, wings unfurling with multiple blasts of magic sounding off. She sensed objects were thrown in her direction, and reacted quickly with a stasis spell, giving enough time to hear a magic whine whiz by her ear. So high pitched it made her ears fold. She turned to see what was caught in her magical aura.
A spoon, of which silver was melting from the heat of the blast.
The figure landed on the ground with a crushing slam, and they sprung up quickly to prepare another shot. “Curses! Off by mere inches again!” They shouted in frustration.
“Princess Luna?” She responded, confused. She also noticed a now empty space by her side and looked behind to see one of the guards stuck to the wall, with impaled garments full of forks and knives. His eyes were wide in a frightened, unfocused stare.
“You think you can just sneak in here without anypony noticing, grub?” Luna snarled, “I see right through you, you’re not getting away this time!” In her blue magic, a wide array of sharp utensils were aimed straight for her. The other guards were devoid of color, shakily looking at each other nervously.
Restless seemed a good description going by Luna. Disheveled fur and a skewed dress of the night. The stars of her mane were random and warped all over. From one glance at her face, it looked like she hadn’t slept. Or rather, like she never took a break from her shift. Not that she was any better at the moment, having hastily put on a skirt and blouse as she was practically running out the door. She still had on her socks and mane tied up in a bun. She never minded the mundanity of it. Some ponies still referred to her as the librarian even to this day. No amount of royal posturing or ceremonial displays could ever knock her of Ponyville’s small-town chic, even if the materials were of higher quality. A gesture of thanks from those who’ve supported her over the years.
Luna’s attempt to hurl more silverware was halted, as a golden aura wrapped around her waist and flung her back into her nightly themed throne, the utensils falling to the ground in a shower of clangs. “Luna!” Twilight yelled, as she and the remaining guards looked to her sister, seeing her horn’s magic glow slowly fading away, showing even further her tired eyes. “What’re you doing, Celestia?”
“Everypony please relax, I don’t need anypony else using their cutlery as their own personal armory.” Celestia sighed, running a hand down her face very slowly. After a moment, she looked down to her and put on another traditional smile. “Ah…Twilight, it’s so good to see you again.”
Twilight tilted her head confused, careful not to make any sudden movements, “Right…it sure seems that way when somepony’s trying to scoop my eyes out.” She replied, holding the spoon in her hand, bent over like a wilted flower.
“Of course, and we will see that to that issue once somepony calms down.” She said while turning to her sister with a raised brow.
“I am calm.” Luna replied. Twilight relaxed her body and took a few more steps forward, only for Luna to appear before once more. She was trapped stiff in another aura of magic, as she began pulling at her cheeks and lifting underneath her eyelids, followed up by spinning around in ways that were far too thorough for this early of an hour. After lasting much longer than…whatever this was supposed to be, she was set back down, and Luna reappeared on her throne. “She’s clean.”
“Sister!”
“Just making absolutely, positively sure.”
“And you’re acting like an absolute madmare! Fondling Twilight won’t get us anywhere, I could tell it was her from the moment she stepped hoof in the castle. Her mana’s one of the easiest to identify in all of Equestria.”
Luna yanked her by the collar of the sundress. “And that’s exactly what she’d want us to believe, to mask her scent and fool them all until she’s standing right before us! Ready to strike!”
She swatted her hand away, giving her a very visible scowl. “We’ll have this problem under control as long as you keep yourself under control. We have soldiers working tirelessly to get as much information as they can. Honestly, have you no faith in our royal guard anymore?”
“After these many recent events, do you?”
She stared at her intensely, before gazing down to the one still pinned to the wall. She quickly yanked him out, and turned cheek as she grumbled under her breath. “That’s a topic saved for private discussions, Luna. A time for when their services aren’t in such dire need.” She looked back at the guards, both pale and shaking in place as they stared back at her. The quiet between them was strong. She coughed. “Yes, thank you for your assistance in securing Twilight’s safety. You may leave us now.” She sniffed the air and masked a grimace. “And you may go…change into a fresh pair of garments before returning to your post.”
They gave her a quick sloppy salute, “T-Thank you, your Highness!” And scurried out of the room, closing the doors behind them with a hard slam. That left Twilight alone to look up at her once-mentors. Celestia ran a hand through her glowing mane, with a few sparks of light flickering off as she did.
Twilight found a moment to slip into the conversation, as well as putting a bumper between the bickering. “…Uh…yeah, may I ask why the rise in suspicion here?” She asked cautiously, minding her choice of words as well as her tone. Unfortunately, so was Luna.
“Suspicion? Why do you say it like that…suspicion, hmm? Is there something wrong with my suspicions? What, do you think I’m being irrational, that I’m paranoid, is that it? Do you think I’m being paranoid? Paranoid? You mock me for my concern, you all mock me! Everypony! You know what? You and sister can take that cool, calm, collectivity and shove it up your-“
An object was thrust under her muzzle, sparkling in a golden aura. A cup, small and ornamental.
“Drink it.” Celestia ordered with a stern chill in her voice, to which the younger sister followed as she spoke to Twilight. “Hmm…I’d be lying if I were to say her behavior isn’t unfounded. The situation at hand is incredibly serious, one that has put Equestrian society, perhaps the whole world, in grave danger once more. And, we still don’t have a complete grasp on what exactly we’re dealing with yet.”
“Which is?” Twilight asked with a snort. “So far, I’ve been startled, rushed, groped, and insulted, while not once actually being told why I’ve been summoned here.”
Celestia’s eyes were hard, almost like a stone furnace, housing the deep spark of fire within. Rare were times they appeared, they were not pleasant times. “…Chrysalis has escaped.”
“WHAT?” All drowsiness had completely washed from her system. Every sense was now pristine and fully operational, the very pinnacle as they were when regarding alicorns. The ears especially, because she couldn’t think of any arrangement of words she’d want to misinterpret less than those three.
Chrysalis. Just the name alone made her fur stand on end. Even on her own, her reign committed to untold havoc on the lives of ponies all across Equestria. Her infiltration of the wedding, the use of her once misguided drones to feast upon friends and family alike, draining them of their love and shattering all connections in their way. How she was able to overpower and underhoof her way into a cocoon still kept her up some nights. And this was just on her own, when she teamed up with Cozy and Tirek…they’d brought Equestria to her knees, and nearly delivered the killing blow. Literally. Spilled across many lands of the tribes and kingdoms.
But they were defeated.
Now…now…
“She escaped?” Celestia nodded, “But…when…how could she-“
“That’s what I’ve been trying to discover ever since the day started. It’s why we have so many out in the gardens right now, to investigate their stone prison and all areas surrounding them.”
“The statue?” She panicked a little more, “That would mean, the others-“
“Are still imprisoned, at least for now. Not a single crack found on their bodies, our magic is still holding strong against Cozy Glow and Tirek.”
“Then...how could Chrysalis break free of hers?”
“I wish I had an answer for that now, but we're still searching. The first one who reported about it was Luna, but that wasn’t much help. When she came out from her night shift, she wasn’t one for discussion. She desired…confrontation.” She almost chuckled. “Hmph, at least it was a little more eventful than my usual morning routines. Some of those moves I haven’t used in years.”
Luna jolted forward in her throne, her eyes wide and alert with an ecstatic smile. She let one loud sigh of delight, as she examined the cup for any remaining droplets. “Oh my, sister, this is fantastic, I feel so rejuvenated, like I’ve slept a thousand nights all at once! Just what fantastic concoction have you brewed for me?”
“Coffee.” She replied bluntly, crossing her legs as she turned in her seat to look at her. Luna saw now that she’d forgotten most of her royal features. “But now that you’ve decided to join us in the waking world, sister, look who’s finally arrived.” She said, pointing to Twilight.
Luna’s face drooped with an apologetic frown as she set the cup down by her side. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “I apologize for my behavior there earlier, it’s been difficult to concentrate. Everything…everything that’s been going on…it might’ve caused me to act unreasonable there.”
Twilight waved a dismissive hand. “It’s alright, but now that you’ve calmed down, we need to figure out what happened with Chrysalis and put a stop to her! Celestia said you were the first one to notice any sign of her disappearance, what exactly did you see?”
“It’s a little more than that…” She trailed off, and became small on her throne with nervousness, “…I might have assisted in her escape.”
“You did what?” Twilight and Celestia asked simultaneously.
“It wasn’t on purpose! I would never make the conscious decision to release that foul beast back into Equestria!”
“Are you saying she was able to manipulate you?” Twilight asked, “Even after we finally managed to imprison her in stone, not to mention she’d been incredibly weakened by that point, how could she have gotten the drop on us…again?” She finished meekly.
Yeah, finding herself quickly surrounded by the enemies of Equestria who were just moments ago, the spitting image of her closest friends even after having fought against these foes not too long ago? Not her proudest moment. Especially not upon finding her fellow royal constituents wrapped up in their organic prisons. There’s still some slime she hadn’t been able to scrub from her fur. Gross.
“If I were in your hooves, I would’ve agreed before yesterday,” She said, leaning back in her throne, “In the waking world, I was around halfway or so through the night. My shift was in full swing. Things were going as routine while I was monitoring my orbs, pondering what they could entail. Some were expected, some were a surprise. Some were good, some were bad, some were just downright naughty…Miss Sparkle.”
Twilight’s face heated and she looked away, twisting a hoof. “I…uh…I’m not sure I follow, Luna.” The two sisters glanced at each other with a sly smirk. She continued.
“Everything was shaping up to be an average night in my books. All of my subjects were due another night of peaceful, prosperous sleep, so they may greet tomorrow with a clear mind full of motivation. Until…” She lifted a finger, tracing the air as if she were replaying the events in her head. “…I came across one particular orb. One I’d always seen, but never gave enough thought to thoroughly examine, lest I expose myself and bring about more conquest and despair on Equestria…”
“…The orb of Chrysalis…” Twilight said lowly, “…It makes sense she’d still be cognitive enough to dream. The stone encases around the figure, not from within them.”
“Yes,” Luna continued, “But something felt off, everything felt off. When I arrived, I discovered she had envisioned herself in a memory cold and snowy. I believe it was the last time she and Starlight engaged one another in combat.”
Starlight had told her of that, her last-ditch attempt in keeping her students safe as they were in the process of evacuation. Disregarding her own safety to give others those precious seconds needed. While she was not victorious in the battle, Twilight couldn’t have been prouder.
“I could feel it, even with it's frosty nature, the fires of battle were still raging. They were warping the orb in its’ thermal heat. Radiating with this energy unfamiliar to me. It felt…otherworldly…and powerful. Powerful enough to invoke concern, and curiosity within me.”
“Impossible!” Celestia’s fist slammed on the armrest. “We stopped those villains dead in their tracks. Everycreature banded together to deliver one of the strongest blasts of harmony I’ve ever felt in my entire life. By the end, their bodies were completely scarred with defeat! We crushed them to dust!”
“Physically.” Luna said, bringing confusion, “We had defeated the three physically through and through, there’s no way in Tartarus they could’ve overpowered us with such a strong combination of Harmony and Chaos. But, it wasn’t accepted by them all.”
“Accepted?” Celestia had nearly slipped into her Canterlot voice. “Acceptance? Were we accepting of having our nation attacked? Of having our magic stripped, our home destroyed, our society devolved back into tribal superstition?” The flames within her flared, and she spat with a furious snort which quickly evaporated in midair. “Hmph! Like I care if they were accepting of their punishment.”
“I don’t mean acceptance of that nature, Celestia. Acceptance of defeat that comes deep from within oneself. When defeat is inescapable, etched directly onto one’s soul, weighing down the body with its presence. To know there’s no hope, no possible path for any kind of triumph. To be at the mercy of another’s will, now and forevermore. An emotion, cold and ruthless, a feeling I know all too well myself, and one that they came to understand at that moment. All except her.” She said with a growl at the end, hearing it reverberate against the walls.” Only two of them finally understood what it meant to be defeated. But for her, she was the only one who could never accept it. She could never comprehend it. No, she still needed to learn it. To experience it.”
“Luna, please tell me you weren’t trying to emulate those motion pictures you watch in your spare time. I’ve seen how enthusiastic you get about those with swordsmares at sunset.” Celestia groaned through her palm.
“Ahem, they’re called movies, Celly, and I assure you they’re regarded as high art amongst those in Canterlot. Not that I would do something as foalish as that, anyhow.”
“Oh really?” Celestia’s horn lit, casting a spell and causing a very familiar sword to appear from thin air. “Then what would you call this, then? A toothpick?”
Luna looked at the sword, then back to her sister, and shrugged it off as she spoke. “That…is a collector’s item, and I would appreciate it if you would be more careful with it.”
“This is the same sword you used in our battle a millennia ago! The only collecting this should be doing is the money of tourists who come to gawk at a display case.” She pulled it from its sheath and examined it, eyeing the intricate Damascus pattern running down the broadside. “Dark Sister, seriously?”
“It seemed a fair fit at the time, given the circumstances. Many ponies name possessions close to them.”
“Including the sword you tried to kill me with?”
“Of course, in fact, I’d say it has greater sentimental value because of that!”
Celestia rolled her eyes and rested the sword beside her throne, which Luna side-eyed cautiously. “So, you figured the best course of action here would be to engage a prisoner we’d already dealt with effectively, much less while they were still asleep? Do you know how disastrous this would’ve been if the media had gotten wind?”
“It was not to engage, merely…observe.” Celestia cocked on eyebrows as she lifted the sword again. “The use of force hadn’t come about until she had explicitly threatened me.”
“Did the words cruel or unusual come to mind?”
“No, however, I did get plenty of snarling, fuck you-s, incoherent ramblings-oh! She even gave me a monologue!”
“Oh, wonderful, nice to know our top priorities are in order. Not ethics, but making sure we check all the boxes of our personal power fantasy.”
“Oh hush, like you’re one to pass on an opportunity for a good fight, especially after all that conquest and repeated attempts of destroying us. Plus, we were fighting in the dream realm, it’s not like she was at risk of getting injured…mostly.”
“And now Equestria is mostly at risk once more now that she’s been released!”
“Wait a minute,” Twilight piped up. By now, the mare had flown herself up to the steps just before the thrones, her neck wincing from constantly having to look up. Now she was able to see them at near eye level. It was far more comfortable, and even more terrifying. “By the time you imprisoned Chrysalis, she was incredibly wounded, and whatever magic she used to break free would’ve drained her completely. She’d be so deprived of magic, I doubt she could even shapeshift effectively. I understand the benefits of mental resolve, but if the body is weak, a can-do-attitude isn’t going to, well, do much.” She crossed an arm over her chest, propping the other with a finger to her chin. “So, why would she ever want to engage in combat?”
Luna’s ears fell with a sigh, “Looking back, I should’ve realized something was suspicious in how eager she was to fight. That she would've had something planned right from the start.” Another low grumble under her breath. “Chrysalis was weak, damn near a spirit dragging a corpse when I found her crawling through the snow. Ranting mindless confusion…madness, it seemed isolation destroyed her mind to the point she couldn’t even remember herself.” She stood up and took her sword in hand, causing Twilight to take a step back. “But no, it was a ruse, for her aid was right around the corner.”
“Aid?” Celestia asked.
“Magic,” She responded, “Foreign, one I’ve never felt on this world before.”
“A new magic source?” Twilight’s ears perked up, feeling a slight building of enthusiasm under her concern.
“Foreign, Twilight, not new,” Luna responded, unsheathing her sword which began glowing bright with blue magic. The two other mares shifted nervously, causing her to roll her eyes, “Relax,” She held up the blade and cut into the air, tracing a circle and slashing at it. The very air appeared to shatter around the circle like glass, breaking away to reveal a glowing window, “I’m simply giving a visual demonstration.” Twilight looked into the circle, watching as the light warped around some kind of object. “You’ve seen this visage before, have you not?”
“...Yes...I have...” Twilight responded in a quizzical murmur, studying as the object slowly took shape. “It looks…human.” The sword cut right down the middle, making her squeak in surprise. The image split away into shards, going further underneath to show another creation, one that morphed and pulsed with an odd glow. An organ, such as, “A heart?” She looked up to Luna confused, “Why’re you showing me this?”
“It appears our fallen queen has gained herself a sympathizer willing to lend a hand…or heart when needed.” On cue, the vision of the heart crushed in on itself, spraying blood and pink-ish mist to drip over something invisible, slowly forming into the shape of a muzzle. Twilight felt all the color leave her fur. Celestia’s white was still pristine, yet her brow darkened further. "It was through this sympathetic being that Chrysalis managed to gain back her strength, and by that point, I was too late to change anything. She bested me not long after...for now."
Twilight continued to stare at the visual. “She’s…made contact with the…”
“Human realm.” Celestia's hooves slammed on the ground when she leapt from her throne. Her entire body had taken on a faint orange glow. “This is far worse than I could’ve imagined. Not just ours, but we have two realms compromised by her influence, and with the human’s lack of knowledge on magic, they could very easily be taken advantage of through her deceitful tricks.”
“I’m afraid we may have suffered a casualty already, willing or otherwise,” Luna sheathed the sword, the click of the steel causing the vision to vanish in a fine mist. “…And there can very quickly be more on the horizon. We’re all well versed on how effective she was against those experienced in changeling tactics, numerous times in fact. To have her roam free amongst a species completely unaware of her methods…”
Twilight gasped, “They wouldn’t stand a chance! She could slither up the chain of influence, and if she were to take hold in a ruling body, who knows just what she would do to them!”
“No.” Celestia responded, “Not if we get to those who are aware first. Twilight, are you still in contact with Sunset?” She nodded. “Good, write to her at once about these recent revelations and gather the rest of the Elements, we’ll inform the Crystal Empire and the Hive. Once we are all together, a battle plan will be laid out. Equestria must be her most vigilant, as long as we lead this land, no villain threatening our subjects will go unpunished!”
“Indeed! For what evil lurks in the shadows…”
“Will be brought into the light!” Celestia roared, pausing for a moment to glance at her smirking sister. “Now’s not the time for tag-teaming catchphrases, Luna.”
“Any yet you’re the one who finished it.” She ended with a small giggle. Celestia rolled her eyes with a playful snort and disappeared in a golden flash of light.
Luna’s smile dropped as she turned back to the purple alicorn standing before her. “We’ll continue our investigations here and update you as soon as we can. An escort team will go with you as transport heading back to Ponyville. Gather your friends, we must make haste at once.”
“Of course, Princess Luna!” Twilight gave a short regal bow and galloped down the stairs and towards the doors. “Stay safe, you two!” She yelled over her shoulder.
“You as well, Sparkle!” Luna responded, watching as Twilight bucked the doors open and disappeared from view. Some may not have noticed it, but she could see the elusive changes her transformation started long ago. Her ever-inching increase in height. The soft waviness of her mane. The defining tone of her musculature were almost chiseled like a statue. She even whined sometimes about ponies bugging her about her non-existent workout routines. The almost smothering presence of her magical capabilities. They were all signs. Signs of a mare who knew of the struggles on the long road ahead, and had met them head-on time and time again. It was clear, she was ready for her new role. She was ready to rule.
“Stay well, stay sharp…” She whispered as she prepared to teleport to her sister, “…Even in this short period, who knows where she could’ve run off to, who she’d manage to encounter, what shockingly wicked, evil, vile schemes she’s crafting right at this very moment!”