//------------------------------//
// The Prince of Peace 
// Story: The Bearers of Harmony 
// by Naren 
//------------------------------//

Celestia didn’t know what to do. It had been days since Sunset had fallen unconscious, and she hadn’t woken up since. Even worse, it seemed as if she was deteriorating. Her skin was becoming more and more pale, her normally scarlet and golden hair losing its shine. Her breathing was getting shallower with the pass of every hour. Sunset Shimmer was dying. And there was nothing she could do.

They had tried everything to wake her up, yet none of it had worked. Instead, her student kept slipping away from them. They had even tried to give Sunset’s magic sword to her, but it hadn’t helped her. They had moved her to the nurse’s office, as it had a bed and some medical tools, but they had no way to help her. 

Celestia turned away from the nurse’s office, heading towards the foyer and her office. While they had been saving the others, Fluttershy had stayed behind and worked on making the ruined school into a proper home. She had carved paths through the growing wilderness, made classrooms into livable rooms, and she had even started a small farm. It hadn’t been nearly long enough to produce a yield yet, but eventually they would stop having to scavenge for resources. 
  
When she arrived at the foyer, she found it deserted. Luna and Applejack were out in the city, actively scavenging for resources, and Fluttershy was in the infirmary watching over Sunset. Rarity was helping direct her sister and student, warding them away from the dangers out in the corrupted world. With everyone else busy, it left her alone. 

While a somber mood had descended upon the group of survivors, it would appear that the Crystal tree hadn’t received the same message. Over the course of a day or two, it had grown in size again. Its branches had thickened, along with many smaller ones extending out from the main five. The crystal symbols that were embedded into the tree glowed with soft light, illuminating the entire room. 

Celestia wasn’t a fool, she could see the correlation between the survivors, the symbols, and that sword. The sword would lead Sunset to one of her friends, and when they returned, their respective symbol would light up. The tree would grow bigger, and the sword would lead Sunset to another friend, repeating the process. She didn’t know how it worked, or why, but it was helping them regardless. 

Her attention was drawn to a flicker of light from the tree. Whereas everyone else’s symbols glowed with a constant light, Sunset’s had begun to flicker. It had started since she collapsed in front of the tree after teleporting them from the forest. Celestia didn’t know exactly what it meant, but she could hazard a reasonable guess. It had to do with the fact that Sunset was dying.

She pushed past the rampant nature, ignoring the waterfall that had engulfed one the stairs. She ignored the many animals that had come to call the school home, and instead trotted over to her office. Her twisted body had made it impossible for her to open doors, her paws incable of twisting the knobs. Fluttershy had understood, and with Applejack’s help they had made it so her door would simply push open. Her office had been made a lot more habitable, able to accommodate her cursed body.

As she settled down in the bed like construction in the corner of the room, she felt a familiar feeling welling up inside her. The desire to hunt, to kill. Before Sunset, she had been a slave to it, unable to resist it. She couldn’t remember who had taken refuge at the school when the world had ended, but Celestia knew their blood was on her claws. She couldn’t remember the face, but the screams echoed in her mind. Whatever Sunset had done had allowed her to overcome the horrific desire, and ever since, she had denied it its place. This would not end now, nor ever. She banished the feeling to the bottom of her mind, and she swore she could hear it howl as it was denied. 

With the desire to hunt banished, Celestia only found a different, more peaceful desire. The wish to sleep. Unlike the other, more horrific desire, she embraced this one. Without any fanfare, her eyes closed and she drifted into nightmares that had plagued her since her transformation.





Celestia ran, dashing through the hallways of her school. Behind her, a great wolf-like beast roared, rattling the lockers on either side of the hall. She turned a corner, and only found more hallways, stretching on for what seemed like miles. The beast behind her was much less graceful, slamming into the corner. It gave out a howl, but Celestia couldn’t tell if it was out of pain or frustration. The demonic beast continued the chase, but Celestia spotted something down the hallway. An open door. She pushed with all her might, ignoring the burning sensation in ehr legs, or how her lungs ached. She dashed through the doorway, slamming the door closed. 

Celestia couldn’t hear the beast anymore, she couldn’t hear anything outside the door. She waited for a minute or two, before trying to open the door and check the hallway outside. The knob refused to twist, locking her inside the room. Celestia gave out a sigh, but at least she was safe from the wolf. She turned around to inspect the room, and screamed.

Sitting in the desks were corpses, blood flowing from open wounds in their bodies. Every single desk had an occupant, and despite their slightly rotted form, Celestia could recognize each and every one. Sunset, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, even Spike lay dead at a desk. All of her students, dead because of…

“It’s your fault.” One of the corpses spoke. It was Rainbow Dash. 

“Why didn't you save us?” The dead body of Fluttershy asked her. Celestia tried to respond, but found that she couldn’t speak. No words would come out.

“How could you? We trusted you, believed in you. How could you let this happen?” Twilight’s rotting form spoke.

“Tia, where were you? Why weren’t you there, when I needed you most!” The dead body of Luna accused her.

“Why did you kill me?” The other voices disappeared in an instant, leaving Celestia alone with the mangled body of one of her students. He wore a black jacket over a bloodstained T-shirt, three massive gashes in his chest. His blue hair was torn and ripped apart, his face gone as something, someone, had eaten it. Beside him lay a guitar, shattered into many pieces.

“Principal Celestia, how could you kill me?” Asked the dead corpse of Flash Sentry. “I trusted you, and you tore me to pieces. YOU killed ME.” 

It was too much. Celestia couldn’t, wouldn’t defend herself. She had betrayed, and worse, murdered one of her students. One of the kids she had sworn to protect. She fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes. The broken corpse of Flash towered above her, but Celestia could’t meet his gaze. Instead, she looked down and found that her hands had become long claws, dripping with blood. The blood of one of her students. One of her kids.

“Why didn’t you stop yourself? WHY? Why weren’t you strong enough? Why…why did I have to die? Why did you kill me, murder me, butcher me? WH-” Flash Sentry cut off. Celestia didn’t look up, at least until another voice spoke. It was soft, it was not accusative, it wasn’t even hostile. It was…empathic. 

“Guilt. Nothing hurts more than the guilt, the pain we lay upon ourselves. After all, only we truly know how to make ourselves hurt.” The voice spoke. Despite its softness, she could tell that its origin was masculine in nature. It was familiar, oddly familiar, but she knew one thing for a fact. Celestia didn’t deserve its kindness. 

Still, her gaze drifted upwards allowing her to see who had spoken. Flash was gone, and instead was replaced by a kneeling man. Silver armor with golden trim covered his body, and two massive wings were folded into his back. He wore no helmet, allowing the tips of his blue hair to flick around in a nonexistent breeze. His eyes, a gentle blue, were staring into hers. 

“Come, Principal Celestia. Let us retire from this nightmare.” He extended a hand out, hand open and waiting for hers.

“I…I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“Then what do you deserve? My scorn, because you killed someone when you didn’t have control over your own body? Hatred, for an action that is truly an unfortunate accident? No. If you deserve anything, it would be kindness.” The man said, his voice never rising above a whisper. The words struck at Celestia regardless, forcing her to think.

“I still killed him. My poor, precious student. I killed him.”

“And the guilt will never leave you, nor should it. But you cannot let yourself be destroyed by it. It would be a disservice to Flash Sentry. Remember the pain, take it, and use it as fuel so others may not. Now, let us be free of this nightmare.” 

Celestia blinked. Perhaps… perhaps he had a point. Even if- even if Flash Sentry was dead, she still had many students who needed protection. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity…Sunset. They all needed her. She looked at the man’s outstretched hand, and took it.





Celestia found herself in a strange place. It was a long hall, with stained glass windows dotting the walls. At the end of the hall was a golden throne, but it looked…ruined. Unlike the rest of the hall, the golden throne was in terrible condition, barely holding itself together. A red carpet ran the length of the hall, from the large gateway at the front of the hall to the raised dais where the throne sat. 

She looked around, and saw that the armored man was standing next to one of the windows. He was inspecting it, and with a wave of his hand, Celestia saw the window change. Shapes began to form, things Celestia would recognize. A massive jaw crashed into a pink dome, forming cracks which were filled by a silver light. A blue winged horse raised its wings in defiance of the great jaw, while silver light emerged from a horn protruding from its head. Two humans stood behind the horse, one in silver armor with blue hair, and the other wearing a black jacket with red and gold hair. Sunset. Celestia recognized the second figure instantly, and the armored man must be the same as the one in front of her. Sunset was laying on the ground, a familiar sword beside her. The man was standing in front of her, between the horse and Sunset. His hand was raised, wreathed in pink light. 

“Welcome to my dream, Principal. It should be a bit safer than your nightmare.” He spoke, before turning around. In the much more peaceful and calm environment, Celestia was able to look much closer at the man. His armor was mostly blank, save for a few symbols engraved into it. On the upper section of his chestplate were two more of those winged unicorns, facing in opposite directions. Connecting his pauldrons to his chest plate were two rounded plates, with two different symbols engraved on them. On one side was a six pointed star, glowing with purple light. It was the same as the star engraved into the magical sword's hilt, and the one at the bottom of the crystal tree. On the other plate was a blue shield, with three golden stars placed above it. Two lines formed an X in the shield, one pitch black and other a pale silver. Extending below the bottom of the chestplate were two plates, covering either leg. In between them was a blue-ish purple piece of leather, with another symbol placed onto it. It was the same shield symbol, but instead of an X the six pointed star was in the center of the shield. His pauldron had the strangest symbols, though. A sun and moon were engraved on his left pauldron, but they were very familiar. The sun was the same as the one she used to wear, while the moon was very similar to the one Luna wore. 

The man noticed her inspecting his pauldron, but said nothing. Instead, a small smile formed, as if he was amused. It was almost as if he was waiting for her to say something, but after a few moments of silence he spoke.

“I am The Knight-Regent, but you may call me Knight.” The Knight-Regent said, yet there was something oddly familiar about him. Celestia just couldn’t place what it was-not yet. 

“H-how?” Celestia said, still trying to find her voice. She gestured around the room, causing the Regent to give a chuckle.

“Anyone can shape their dreams, if they are lucid. But to travel between them, that requires magic. I’m sure that you’ve had more than a few encounters with magic by now.” He was right. Not only with the tower, but before as well. The incident with Camp Everfree, The Friendship Games, the Battle of the bands, and the Fall Formal. Celestia was familiar with magic, at the very least. She should have figured that magic would be the answer.

“Then why? Why come into my nightmare, and save me?” Celestia asked, drawing a look from him. He rubbed the back of his head with a hand, averting his gaze.

“Ah. You see, I wasn’t actually looking for your dream. After Sunset’s run in with the Dream Eater, I wanted to check up on her. Only I wasn't able to find her dreams at all. Instead, I found your nightmare.” He turned his gaze upon her once more, but it became a little harder, a little more direct. “Sunset is getting sleep, right? Sleep is extremely important, especially when wielding a blade like Para.”

Celestia felt the wind leave her chest, like she had been punched in the gut. “S-Sunset is-Sunset is…dying.” She finished with a whisper. The Knight flinched, eyes widening. 

“What? How-explain. You must explain.” He spoke quickly, his eyes narrowing. His voice was hard now, not at all like it had been before. It wasn’t a question, no, it was a command. An order. 

So she did. She told him of how Sunset had woken, convinced her sister that she was safe, how they made it to the front of the house without issue. She told him how the forest had begun to crawl with monsters, horrors emerging from the tree line. Of how Sunset gathered all five of them, and used magic to teleport them to the High School. And how she passed out, unable to wake, and how her condition was worsening by the hour. 

“Damn them. Damn them all.” The Knight-Regent swore, and Celestia was inclined to agree. “If what you said is true, then it would explain what happened. Sunset used part of her soul as fuel for magic.” He explained, causing her eyes to widen. She didn't know too much about how magic actually worked, but the idea of damaging one’s soul was…horrifying.

“There are only two possible outcomes when dealing with a damaged soul. Either the soul heals and the person recovers, or the soul splinters apart completely and the person…Well, they don’t just die. They become a shell, unable to do anything but follow the simple instincts the body naturally has.” He took a breath. “Worse, it doesn’t sound like Sunset is recovering. I…I don’t know what to do-unless.” He stopped, his eyes darting around as he processed an idea.
“Unless what?” Celestia asked, a small drop of hope evident in her voice.

“She ascends.” He said, his voice somewhat distant. “If Sunset can ascend to Alicornhood, it would heal her soul.” He could see Celestia’s eyes light up, and he already knew what she would ask next.

“How? How can we make this happen?” She asked 

“We,” He said, gesturing to both of them. “Cannot make it happen. Rather, we must do everything to make it possible. It will come down to Sunset to make the final step.” He paused, taking in a deep breath. “She will need a large amount of magical energy, and a catalyst.”

“Magic…and a catalyst?” Celestia asked, questioning him for more information. 

“For an equestrian to ascend, they need two things. A large amount of magic, from any source, to initiate the transformation. The pony in question would need a catalyst as well, to bind the power to their soul and complete the transformation. Without it, the magic will just flow through their body, and possibly do more harm than good.”

Celestia’s hope, while still there, shrunk ever so slightly.

“In Sunset’s case, there is little we can do that will worsen her situation.” He said, answering her unspoken thoughts. “We must try. So many have already died, or worse.” The Knight-Regent spoke, his voice soft. 

“How can we help make it possible for her to ascend?” Celestia asked him, and he glanced away from her for a moment.

“Harmony should be able to provide the source of power. You must move Sunset to the crystal tree, if you haven’t already. You’ll need to continue to rescue the other Bearers of Harmony, which will allow Harmony to manifest more power in your world.”

“And the Catalyst?”

He took a deep breath in. “Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about that. Once the power is secured, it will be up to Sunset to find her catalyst.” He paused for a moment, before snapping his fingers. Pink energy swirled around her, weaving things that Celestia swore looked like symbols. The magic flared up, before fading into nothingness.

“What did you just do?” Celestia all but demanded, her voice slightly unsteady as she felt something deep within her change.

“A gift. When you next touch a source magic, it should activate. You’ll be human again, or very, very close. I can’t guarantee it’ll be painless but-” At that point, Celestia stopped listening. She would be human again. Not some horrible, hideous beast. 

“...Why?” Celestia asked, once she found her voice. He looked down, before meeting her gaze. There was something in his eyes, and while she couldn’t place it exactly, it looked awfully close to shame.

“It was not completely selfless, I will admit. Someone needs to wield Para to find the other Bearers of Harmony, and to oppose the Crawling Chaos’s legions. Unfortunately, you are my best option. If I could, I would do it myself, but that would leave Equestria vulnerable. The Princesses can only do so much against the Dream Eater.” His words were soft, and sincere, but something else he said caught her attention. Crawling Chaos? Wasn’t that-

“Nyarl-” A metal hand snapped in front of her mouth, cutting her off before she could say more.

“Do not.” He took a deep, shuddering breath, before continuing. “Do not say its name. Drawing its attention, even in my dream, my seat of power, is a very bad idea. But yes, him.”

Celestia blinked, eyes wide as he retracted his hand. “That's who caused this? A Lovecraftian God?” She asked, her voice beginning to shake. 

“Lovecraft. A poor, poor man who saw far, far too much. My pity and grief goes out to him. But yes, and no, we are facing Lovecraftian beings. The Crawling Chaos did not directly cause this, but the beast he is employing did. The Dream Eater.”

The Dream Eater. Celestia racked her memory, but she found nothing. It was Cadance, of all people, who was fascinated with Lovecraft and his whole mythos. Then it hit her. The Lovecraft Gods were real. The Horrors from beyond the stars, unknowable, highly likely to cause mass suffering and insanity, were real. Not only were they real, at least one was actively invading their world. It was as she was well into hyperventilation that she felt a metal hand press onto her shoulder.

“Principal Celestia. You must calm yourself. I know that the idea of them is insanity, much less the idea of facing them in combat. You need to recall why you fight. For Sunset, for your students. Your children.” The Knight-Regent spoke quickly, and forcefully. It was enough to snap Celestia to her senses. 

“W-What are we supposed to do? How do we fight something like that?”

“With any luck, you won’t encounter one, much less fight them. That is Harmony’s and my task.” He paused. He glanced off to the side, as if confirming something. “You’re waking up. I’d imagine it would have to do with the stress of that revelation. When you wake up, you must deliver Sunset to the tree. Recover Para, wherever it may be, and save the rest of the Bearers of Harmony. Only then may Sunset have a chance.”





Celestia woke up with a start, before nearly clawing an eye out. She still had claws, and she could see the fur surrounding her arm. She was still a beast. She let out a sigh, or as close to one as her form could get. It sounded like the mix of a tiger's roar and an eldritch growl.

Considering her current state, she must have dreamt that entire encounter. An impression of a scowl crossed her face. Things were really better in the dreamworld, weren’t they? It didn’t matter. She needed to check on Sunset, and see if Luna and Applejack had returned.

Slowly, she raised herself from her bed like arrangement, stretching her arms out. She pushed onwards, opening the door to her office with her snout, and heading out into the foyer. It was still empty, but the lights from the Crystal Tree were dimmer now. It must have been late, nearing midnight. 

As she trotted past the tree, her eyes caught on something laying in the ground. The Sword, Para. Perhaps…perhaps a quick touch wouldn’t hurt. If it had been a dream, then the worst it could do would be to feel uncomfortable. If she hadn’t just dreamt it all up, then…she could be human again. She approached the sword, and with a single claw, reached out to touch it.

Celestia screamed in agony as her claw made contact with the purple star in the sword’s hilt. Pink energy rushed around the sword, and poured into her. Symbols flashed into existence, the same ones from that dream. She screamed, and found that the noise was transforming. It was becoming more human, less primal and bestial. She felt her bones shift, her muscles and skin moving. The fur retracted, revealing a torn suit. She felt her hair cascaded down her shoulders, now unbound from that demonic form. As her body transformed, she heard a voice speak directly into her mind.

Principal Celestia, I see you found my blade. I have left this message to help assist you even out the dream. Wielding Para will enable you to do magic, to the level of adapt Unicorns at the very least. There are no spells that you need to learn. Rather, just focus your will and intent though the blade, and it will take care of the rest. Find the other Bearers of Harmony. Good luck, and remember this; There are no Gods, only Tyrants. It helps when opposing those things. May Harmony Prevail.

“Sister? What is going on? I heard screa-TIA!” Luna shouted as she saw her sister lay at the base of the tree, with a few less claws. She rushed over, nearly tripping over a tree root, dashing to her sister’s side. “How-how did this hap-” She was shushed as Celestia shakily raised a finger to her lips.

“S-Sunset. You need to g-get Sunset. To the tree. B-bring her to the tree.” Celestia spoke hoarsely. Her throat burned, and she felt as if she could drink a whole lake, but it was a good pain. She was able to speak again. She was human once more. Even though her head was wrapped in a fog, from the pain and how tired she was, it couldn’t curb her joy. She was human again.

Her sister, hesitant to leave her side, called out to the other figures running towards them. In the dim light, she couldn’t make out each of them, but she did see them slow down. Shaken out of a trance, they rushed into action, the figure that looked like Fluttershy rushing off to get Sunset, while Applejack grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the waterfall in the stairwell.

Celestia drained the cup in a single gulp, and found her head cleared of the fog that engulfed after her transformation. “L-Luna?”

“Tia? You are back? You are…truly back?”

“Y-yes. I think… I think I am.” She looked around. “Where’s Sunset?” She asked.

“Fluttershy is retrieving her. She will be back soon, sister.” The words did little to calm her. Every second wasted was a second that Sunset edged closer to death. Not only that, but since she had turned back, that meant…they were real. She could feel a panic attack, something she hadn’t truly felt since she was young, begin to come on. She felt Luna’s grip tighten around her wrist, as her sister could see the signs.

“Tia? What is wrong?” 

She couldn’t tell her. Out of all the thoughts rushing through her head, that one stuck out to her. She couldn’t tell her, not about the fact that Lovecraftian Gods existed. They did exist, and, and…There are no Gods, only Tyrants. The phrase echoed in her mind. She realized what exactly the saying was. It was a way to understand, no, accept the Lovecraftian beings. They aren’t gods, just Tyrants, even if they have unimaginable power. Celestia caught her breath, and looked her sister in the eyes. She would be okay.

Before Luna could say anything else, they heard a noise behind them. A thousand small clicks, the sound of a creature with many, many legs walking over stone. Fluttershy emerged from the hallway, with Sunset laying over her back end. She brought Sunset over to the tree, and as Celestia struggled to stand up, she saw how bad she had gotten. 

Sunset had gotten very pale, and her hair had dulled incredibly. Her breaths were shallow, and Celestia could tell that she was approaching a fate worse than death. She made a motion to the tree, before speaking quickly.

“The Tree. Place her by… by the tree.” She said, even as she exhausted herself trying to stand. Fluttershy acted at once, acting quickly. She removed Sunset, and with Applejacks help, placed her at the bottom of the crystal tree.

The Roots of the tree began to move the second Sunset touched the earth. The coiled next to Sunset, forming a crystal bed. Smaller ones wrapped around her body, and Celestia could see as they began to glow. She could also see Sunset stabilize. Her breaths got deeper, her color returning ever so slightly. She didn’t wake up, but she was much better than she was a few minutes before.

Celestia let out a sigh, before falling back against the tree. She was exhausted, but she was also happy. For the first time in a few days, things were looking up once more. Even the knowledge that eldritch beings wanted them dead could bring her spirit down. She was human, and Sunset was saved, if only for a little longer.





Sunset gasped. She was in a ruined city, one that looked oddly familiar. White spires with golden roofs stretched up and into the sky. Many of them were shattered now, falling down and into the city below. She could tell that the city was built onto the side of a mountain, and after taking a few glances around, she knew where she was. Canterlot.