//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Reality - Part 2 // Story: Our Chaotic Tranquility // by Edensola //------------------------------// CHAPTER 9: REALITY - PART 2 This was it, this was reality. The world was far from a perfect place. And there was nothing that could shield Eve's fragile mind from the painful methods used to build this supposed utopia, not anymore. It was a world built on a pack of lies, fields of blood, and endless sacrifice. Princess Celestia claimed by ignoring it, this is the type of world that would be reborn? A world of carnage, tears, and injustice? A world where no race, not even ponies, frolicked happily in their peaceful towns and cities; no, they'd be forced into this madness much like her. Eve felt the guilt swelling up within her once again. Is this what she wished upon the peaceful ponies? To bring their society down and create a world like this? If so she truly was a monster. How much did Princess Celestia sacrifice in order to finally make it where she was today? How many methods did it take her, how much of this horror did she have to see, have to instigate, in order to finally create the world as it is today? Eve found that the answer seemed to be endless. And as her innocence was steadily deteriorating by these images of blood and gore, she still found herself at a crossroads. The pony princess said it was her destiny to shield the eyes of all others, to ensure they didn't have to see what she was seeing now. In their worlds, everything was still perfect, and the princess wanted to keep it that way. So what was she to do? What was the baby draconequus to decide? It all still felt so unfair. Why did her life have to accumulate into being one big sacrifice due to what she was, due to the suffering she'd already experienced? Was she truly nothing but some slave to a world that'd previously wanted nothing to do with her? But if she still refused, would the world not have the shield it needed? Would she be the one responsible? She was a child, and wrapping her mind around the possibility seemed horrifying. She didn't want to be the one, she didn't want to be the sacrifice, she just wanted somepony to be there for her. For once, she wanted somepony to be able to be with her without needing to worry about anything. She just wanted everything to be simple. But it was far too late for her now. Death was no longer a stranger to her, it was an acquaintance; if not a common guest. She now probably knew more than most adult mares and stallions. She knew more about the darker side of life, more than they'd ever need to know, more than they ever would know. Being such a young age, it was no wonder that the princess wanted her to play such a role. If she continued along this crude path, there's no telling what type of mindset she could grow into. But Eve found herself still wanting to run away; she didn't want to play the role, at this point, all she wanted to do was run away from everything. She wanted to run to the farthest reaches of the world and hide away in some corner, to escape everything, to deny this world's very existence. But could she ever forget what she'd seen here today? She doubted it, already it was consuming her mind like a plaque. The gore, the grim details, it was all so easy to see now. This reality was forced upon her, and it ruined everything. It ruined her view on the world, ruined any chance of her seeing anything the same way ever again. Ruined her chance of a normal life, for now she knew what happened in the background, the background everypony couldn't see. The nameless sacrifices made throughout history to ensure this perfect world would never fall. And she hated it, the jealousy seething within her. Her jealousy of all the fillies of colts, all the mares and stallions, all the creatures who could stand idly by and go on in their privileged lives. She hated that she was meant to be forgotten, that this was what the princess said was her destiny, to be a shadow, an invisible shield. And she hated the fact that she still felt the need to run away from it all, to risk driving them all into a corner like she'd been so many times. She didn't want anything more to do with them; she wanted to escape, to disappear. She didn't care, even though she knew they'd only find her again, she'd try anything! She was done complicating things, she just wanted out, no matter what! She couldn't even grasp majority of what she was seeing; the blood, the gore, the crying and death from all these creatures that surrounded her in this madness. But she was slowly forced to understand, slowly forced to realize that these horrible scenes before her were most certainly real. And she just couldn't take it anymore. Eve gritted her teeth as the anguished cries rung out all around her. She put on a look of steadfast determination as she eyed the bracers shackled around her wrists. She had an unspecified amount of time before Princess Celestia returned, and these bracers prevented her from using any magic. She had to get them off, no matter what. Her driving motivator being the thought of escaping this horror, she attempted to block out any future thoughts of the pain she was about to go through. She couldn't remain here any longer, in this insanity, or by the end of this she'd be too far gone to even process any thoughts for herself. So she gripped her left wrist with her claw, and braced herself. And as she slowly dug into her own frail wrist with those sharp claws, biting on her lower lip as the tears swelled in her eyes "Nnnn..."- KRCK!....SNAP! And Eve looked to the infinite sky of this now twisted realm. She felt as if her mind couldn't even process her own actions anymore, the fear, the accumulation of these negative emotions, giving even a child such as herself the strength to carry out such a demented task. She cried out, her piercing cries echoing on as the blood from her wrist protruded onto the floor. But this blood, this sickly amount of shredded muscle and torn skin was nothing compared to the amount that surrounded her in these nightmarish scenes, scenes she could no longer take. She needed to escape, and she had to do whatever it took. __________________________________________________________ As Trixie and Kelax looked down into the arena at Princess Celestia hold the all too familiar baby draconequus in her hoof, the two of them couldn't help but wonder what she was planning to do with her. The punishment for a crime as severe as Eve's could easily be banishment. What were they to do for the little draconequus who got herself in this situation? They barely even knew her; but still, she seemed so kind, but were these her motives from the very beginning? Were they all duped? Perhaps she was planning to attack the princesses all along. Either way Kelax and Trixie, had varying opinions, and LemaLime was quite clueless about the entire situation. Trixie continued to peer at Princess Celestia, then she set her focus to Eve, then particularly at Princess Twilight. She gulped a bit, because even though she knew draconequus were dangerous, even though she'd just seen that same one attack the princesses of Equestria themselves and ruin the mood of this great festival, she couldn't help but feel the need to attempt talking Twilight into discussing with Princess Celestia into hopefully showing mercy for the draconequus. But it all felt so confusing, why did Eve even attack? She showed no signs of baring ill will against the ponies, and Trixie couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for what'd occurred even though she didn't know all the details. "Kelax..." Kelax who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as well, glanced at Trixie with a cocked brow. "Hm?" Trixie looked to him worriedly. "Trixie would ask that you and Lema stay here for your own safety. As you probably know changelings are not welcomed amongst ponies, it would do you good. There is nothing we can do for Eve, but perhaps Trixie can convince the princesses to go easy on her. It's the least I can do for the poor thing." Trixie sighed heavily as she shook her head due to the prospect of Eve's punishment. Kelax groaned at the showmare angrily. "You still haven't explained to me how this even happened? Wasn't she with you!?" Trixie snapped back at him, utterly offended by his tone of voice and accussations. "Don't you dare blame Trixie! You know how dangerous draconequus are!? You just saw what she was capable of down there! Trixie wanted nothing to do with her! Trixie has no idea why she attacked the princesses, perhaps she was planning it all along." Trixie huffed in irritation, looking away from the changeling for a moment. "She did this of her own volition, she wasn't my responsibility..." Kelax only gritted his teeth, frustrated with the mare but surprisingly found himself silent. He made the assumption since Trixie was so accepting of his presence that perhaps she'd be willing to show that same kindness to Eve, he'd let his guard down and he knew Queen Chrysalis would've been quite pleased to have a baby draconequus in her ranks. Now there was a slight chance that same baby draconequus would be added to the ranks of the enemy. But Kelax couldn't expand on his thoughts openly, he could only keep his frustration and personal goals hidden away. Lema trembled a little due to the tension between the two. But she found herself more worried for Kelax in particular. She was a fluffy pony, often overlooked and often never taken seriously due to her goofy appearance and lack of intelligence. Kelax didn't care about that, he was the first to give her the real light of day. Although she seemed more like a small companion to him she still felt she meant something a little more to the changeling, and that acknowledgment was more precious to her than anything. "K-Kel? Are you okay? I'm sorry about Eve, I hope I didn't do anything wrong." Kelax glanced back at Lema; this fluffy pony was like a living stress reliever. Although he felt his frustration getting the better of him, her honest curiosity soothed his feelings quite a bit as he just looked back at her with a smile. "No Lema, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just a little worried about Eve is all. She's our friend you know." He closed his eyes with a soft laugh. Lema smiled while sitting on his back. "She is! I hope she's going to be okay!" Trixie scoffed. "Alright alright; we get it already, she was nice. Now if you two do not mind, Trixie is going to go attempt at making that draconequus's situation a little better." And with that the brilliant azure mare was gone in a poof of purple smoke. Kelax and Lema coughed for a second after she left as Kelax took a few trots back; away from the purple smoke. But as he was doing so, he then bumped into somepony else who'd suddenly appeared at his position in the stands. Kelax's eyes snapped wide as he immediately turned to see who'd gotten the jump on him. "Why you-" He paused for a moment before that look of recognition came over him and he'd looked dumbfounded. "Silver Shade!?" Silver Shade stood there with a sneer on her face as she raised a brow at Kelax. She leaned her head back a little amused by his sudden reaction. She then eyed the arena grounds, seeing as Trixie had already made it down there by the time of her arrival, this caused the disguised changeling to chuckle. "Having trouble with your marefriend there Kel?" Kel's nose wrinkled a bit in response to that. "Tch! She isn't my marefriend! You know the hive comes first before any of that, she's just being stubborn is all. I'm sure you don't need me to connect the pieces for you about why I'm annoyed." He looked down in shame of his failure to withhold Eve, shamed at the fact he let such an opportunity slip away for the hive. Silver Shade just continued to look at him with that same sneer. "Hah; yea you don't. I can see that you're little draconequus buddy had been apprehended by the princesses." She then looked over at Princess Celestia who was still standing around with the mane six and the crystal guard, and who also still had the baby draconequus curled in her hoof, she then looked back at Kelax with a look of interest. "Mind enlightening me on why she was attacking the princesses anyway Kel?" Kel's expression sunk even more, and that look of shame remained on his face. He was supposed to be good at these sorts of things, yet he felt more clueless than ever. He had no idea why Eve attacked the princesses. What would compel the little creature to jump into the fray in such a manner? It was practically suicide. To him this was a failure in his duty, he'd accomplished his mission but still, he could've accomplished so much more. "I don't know why she attacked alright." Lema's face saddened in response to Kel's tone of voice. Silver Shade chuckled. "No need to get all nasty now Kel, we're all friends here. Besides, a baby draconequus who hates the ponies just as much as our precious queen? I don't know about you, but that sounds quite helpful to our cause." She smirked patting her comrade with a hoof in reassurance. "It's not over yet, she may be caught but there's still plenty of time to apprehend her before she's out of our reach. She can still be of use to the hive." Kel's eyes widened. Silver Shade seemed amused. "You didn't really think I was that clueless did you? Of course I noticed how anxious you were when you spoke of travelling with a baby draconequus Kel. We all could use more recruits seeing as we're horribly outmatched at this point. But now you've lost you're little bonus hmhm, don't worry; I'll play a role in the recovery." Kel wasn't taking to her sarcasm kindly, he just sighed. "Well what's your plan then Miss.Know-It-All?" Silver Shade looked back down towards the arena. "Break her out of course, I doubt whatever her punishment is they'll carry it out without figuring out her motives first. Although judging by the look on Princess Celestia's face, I have no doubt that punishing the little thing is the first idea that comes to mind." Silver Shade looked to her comrade with a cocked brow. "Remember when I told you about Harmony's Shield?" Kel nodded simply. "Of course, but why does that-" He paused, as the realization came to him and he seemed a little shocked by her assumptions. "Wait, but that's impossible. How could she have possibly known that everything would play right into her hooves; I don't think anypony has such foresight unless they could look into the future itself." Silver Shade groaned in response. "Well obviously she does, you're really underestimating her. She is the pony who built this society you know, and she is the god of the sun might I add. What else could they possibly need her for? Especially Princess Celestia of all ponies." She then sighed heavily, looking towards the gathered ponies with a worried look. "We've just witnessed the capture of perhaps one of the greatest weapons that could be used against us. But based on that little draconequus's personality, there will need to be some work done before they can abuse her in the field of battle." Silver Shade raised a hoof at Kelax "That makes two draconequus and four alicorns, which means defensively they've got us cornered with no way out." She sneered once again "But we've got the upper hand on offense." Kel and Lema just remained silent, continuing to listen to Silver Shade. Silver Shade nudged her head a little in their direction. "For ponies it's all about appearances as you probably know, the princesses can't just go out and get rid of the changelings, could you imagine how that'd make them look in the eyes of the other races? And they've built this image of themselves as the heralds of friendship and harmony, and perhaps some of them actually believe they are. So it's in their best interest to probably remain outside direct conflict." Silver Shade took in a deep breath, revealing some hint of disappointment due to the circumstances of their situation. "But with a villainous baby draconequus in their hooves, well, they no longer need to worry about that problem." Kel's expression sunk as he looked down. "So what do you suggest? I still don't get how you plan to get her out." Silver Shade did a facehoof. "Well I'm going to trot in and let her out of course. I am one of the head captains of the Lunar Guard you know; as well as a private member of Herald itself. Of course it'll take some time to track her down, but I'm pretty sure I can handle getting something as small as that draconequus out of Canterlot, where I'm sure they'll be taking her." Kel suddenly seemed a little puzzled. "Canterlot?" Silver Shade nodded. "Yea; I'm starting to think that this whole festival thing was just some sort of ruse, or lure. I don't really understand why it needed to be here, but I'm pretty sure they got what they came for now that I've seen this. I've heard the talks of Harmony's Shield, and if we're right about this whole thing then the Crystal Empire plays no significant role besides this from what I can make out of it. Besides, Princess Celestia is only here as a royal guest, she has no need to stay." Kel then glanced back at Lema curiously, running Silver Shade's plan through his head before debating what to do himself. As he thought about it for a moment, he then stated something quite absurd. "Silver, I want you to take LemaLime with you. She's more helpful than you might think, and I'm pretty sure she has a couple of perks that'll help us out in the long run. I have something else that I need to take care of in relation to the mission." Lema suddenly seemed horribly frightened as she shook her head, burying her head into his mane. "Uhm; I don't think that's a good idea." Silver Shade looked a little distraught. "Erhm yea, I think I'll pass as well." Kel laughed a little, not surprised by both of their reactions. "Haha, wait wait; hear me out for a second here you two. Listen Lema, you need to have more confidence in yourself. When we first met you showed me on numerous occasions that you're tracking skills are unusually good. I'm sure Silver could use your help. Plus," the changeling grew silent as he snickered a little, somewhat embarrassed by what he was going to say next. "I also want you to start getting used to tagging along with us on things like this." He lifted the little fluffy pony off his back and placed her on the ground in front of him. "I also have somewhere I need to hurry off to, and flying would be the best course of action. I can't have you falling off my back." Lema then looked worriedly at the changeling. "Wait, you'll be back right?" Kel nodded, lowering his frame and patting the fluffy pony on the head. "Yea of course, we're gonna be sticking together for the long run you and I. This is just something I need to hurry off and do, and I know you'd best be suited with Silver on this one. And don't worry, she's one of my most trusted friends, you're in good hooves." He gave the disguised changeling an amused glance. "Probably the best." Lema bounced happily. "Okay! If you say so!" Silver Shade sighed before laughing a little. "Alright, I guess I can take her. But her tracking skills better be as good as you claim; or I'll give her a good shaving by the time I'm done with her." Lema then started sniffing around on the ground in a similar fashion to a dog. "We're spies! Spies we are!" Silver Shade smiled patting the fluffy pony on the head. "Well aren't you the funny one." Kel sighed with relief. "So I guess I better get going as well then." Silver Shade cocked a brow at him curiously. "Where're you running off to anyway?" Kel then smirked before morphing into a pegasus. "I'll be going back to the hive, I need to speak with the queen." Silver Shade seemed a little baffled by his words. "What, the queen? What business do you have with the queen?" Kel rolled his eyes before flapping his wings a little; lifting himself off the ground. "Does it matter? She's my queen to you know." Silver Shade shrugged, its not like it mattered to her. "Well I'll find out eventually either way. Guess it's up to you when." They both nodded to one another with humored smiled as Silver Shade put Lema on her back. She chuckled a little, realizing it was once again time for the two of them to part ways with one another. She saluted him in a similar fashion as always then smirked. "Well, I'll catch you later then you goof, stay safe." Kel nodded. "Likewise, and keep her safe, she's very close ot me." He winked at Lema with a soft snicker. Lema then buried her head into Silver Shade's mane, a little embarrassed, but she didn't fail to smile. Silver Shade sighed. "Bleh, you're going to make me sick, and no worries, I'll keep the little ball of fluff safe. I'll catch you later, and expect to see that little draconequus in the future as well." Kel just rolled his eyes before flapping his wings and turning, making his way off into the sky. "I have no doubts." As Kelax ventured off into the sky, Silver Shade glanced back at Lema with a smirk. "Alright kid, let's head out." Lema nodded to Silver Shade with a hint of determination, although she was highly nervous. "A-Okay!" And the two of them disappeared poof of smoke. __________________________________________________________ Trixie teleported into the coliseum grounds as she looked nervously over at Twilight and her friends. Her gaze shifted to the lower right as she debated whether or not she should actually do this. She'd caused so much trouble for them in the past, how could they possibly listen to her? But still; that burden of responsibility still loomed over her and she wanted to at least attempt doing something for the baby draconequus she'd shunned. "Oh Trixie, why must you be so willing to jump into the frey for others? Just a part of being me I guess." She then began trotting over to Twilight and her friends. Twilight was just standing off alone looking towards the ground, still lost in her own thoughts regarding what Princess Celestia could possibly be considering to do with that baby draconequus. Why did the princess treat it as if it were some precious object or pet? It'd just gotten done attacking them; if anything it should've been apprehended and imprisoned right away, not caressed like some baby foal. Did Princess Celestia really not trust her with her reasoning? But as Twilight was lost in her own thoughts, she found them interrupted by somepony calling her name in the distance; causing her eyes to widen. And as she turned to regard that somepony, the confusion only continued after seeing who it was. "Trixie?" Trixie took in a deep breath before rolling her eyes, gulping a little; then muttering to herself. "Well Trixie here it goes." She then bowed before the newly crowned princess of friendship, smiling up at her graciously. "Twilight Sparkle- Oh erhm! I mean; Princess Twilight, if you could spare a moment of your time? Trixie would like to speak to you." To see Trixie acting in such a manner seemed a little awkward, and Twilight found that she couldn't really take the mare seriously when she acted like this. "Uhm; sure, it's no problem Trixie. What would you like to talk about?" The violet mare smiled a little, giving Trixie a humored look. But the rest of the mane six didn't fail to notice the approach of Trixie either. Most particularly Rainbow Dash who'd glared at the mare on sight. "Ugh! What's she doing here?" The rainbow maned mare groaned before making her way over to Trixie and showing off some flex. "Come to start a fight again Trixie! Well I'll have you know I'm ready for you this time! Come on, show us what you've got!" Trixie backed away from Rainbow a little amused. "Hah! Trixie has no time for duels, especially with a mere pegasus!" Rainbow gasped before snarling at the showmare. "What'd you just say!? I'll school you any day of the week!" Pinkie Pie even seemed a little annoyed by the appearance of Trixie as she pointed her own hoof at her muzzle. "She took my mouth last time! I'll show her nopony takes away my mouth and gets away with it" She then batted her own chest with her forehooves; followed by a roar, and went for the charge. Rarity grabbed the frustrated Pinkie hurriedly. "Now now calm yourself darling!" Applejack did the same for Rainbow, grabbing the pegasi and holding her back before she did anything too rash. "Now hold on a second ya'll; remember Trixie patched things up with Twi last time we'd seen her. Sure she still gots quite a bit to make up for but doesn't mean we shouldn't give her the light of day now." Shining Armor couldn't help but laugh a bit in response to seeing how all of them were reacting to this showmare. Apparently whatever she did in the past stuck with them. "Trixie huh? She get in a fight with you all back in the day or something? Twiley never told me this story." He nudged Fluttershy softly with a hoof and a raised brow, interested. Fluttershy shook her head. "O-Oh no, Trixie is just a little uhm....confident is all." Twilight chuckled a little, almost as amused as Shining. "It's a long story Shining." She then looked back to Trixie with that welcoming smile. "So what was it you wanted to talk about anyway Trixie? I'm all ears." Trixie nodded nervously. "Uhm of course...eeeeh-" Trixie looked towards the ground, unsure how to put what she wanted to ask into words. Her request was a little out of place, and would obviously be taken the wrong way. "Trixie was hoping that you could erhm, perhaps...look into seeing that the little creature over there can be shown a little mercy?" Trixie found herself feeling stupid, seeing how she was so direct with her request. How suspicious could one get? "I-I mean uhm! Well if you don't mind that is- Of course Twilight immediately found this request very suspicious. Trixie wasn't one to go out of her way to do such things for others, at least based on what she could remember. And even so, why would she do it for this little draconequus in particular? A touchy subject for the violet mare seeing as she already had enough of a vendetta with Eve. "Wait, what? Why does it even matter to you Trixie?" Twilight made her way over to the showmare, before getting in her face with a raised brow. "Do you know this baby draconequus?" Trixie then looked highly nervous shaking her head "N-No reason! It's just that...well...uuuugh- Trixie was hoping that maybe you'd be willing to find out what has occurred here and why before dealing out any sort of punishment, Trixie doesn't take pleasure in seeing little creatures good or bad, harmed in anyway. Y-You see! Trixie has gained quite a soft spot for the little things." She gave a cheesy smile to Twilight hoping to pull off her pathetic attempt at a bluff. But one mare fell for it. Fluttershy fluttered up to Trixie with a delighted smile. "Aw that's so sweet of you Trixie." Twilight seemed a little offended by Trixie's attempt of an excuse, before shaking her head and not letting up with the mare. "Uhuh, there's something you're not telling us Trixie and I want to know what. You're hiding something obviously, and if you're connected to this attack let me assure you that it won't be like in Ponyville where you can just trot away from all of-" Princess Celestia suddenly trotted over to them, cutting into the conversation. "Why Trixie Lulamoon, isn't this a surprise? I'm happy to see one such as yourself has taken an interest in the wellbeing of this little draconequus. You see the issue revolving around the draconequus hasn't been playing in their favor as of late, I'm glad to see there are others who seem to think differently on the matter. Perhaps it is time we delved into this issue more thoroughly." Princess Celestia closed her eyes before looking down at the showmare with a gracious smile. "Actually; I will have you join us in Canterlot in discussing this matter, seeing as you so conveniently showed up when you did." Twilight gasped, looking back towards Princess Celestia. "W-What!? But princess, she might be-" Princess Celestia looked to her student with a familiar judgmental glance. "Now Twilight, don't be like that. Trixie is here to offer her opinion on the matter, and she was willing to approach us to do so, even after all that'd occurred. I am willing to have somepony like that present in this affair; you're a princess now, you need to start considering accepting the counsel of your subjects as well, besides the opinions of your close friends." Princess Celestia then turned around, trotting away from the group and back over towards her sister who'd just descended onto the ground. "Everything matters my dearest student, and everypony has their role to play." Twilight's expression sunk as she lowered her head in response to her mentor. "Y-Yes you're right princess, sorry, I'm just new to this whole princess thing still." Trixie to was quite baffled as she couldn't believe that Princess Celestia herself came to her defense. She then looked at Twilight who still seemed quite upset with her. Trixie muttered beneath her breath "Uhm..sorry eheh..." __________________________________________________________ As Princess Celestia made her way over to Princess Luna, that caring expression never left her as she looked over Eve. It'd been so long since she'd seen one of these creatures so young, and in some way she was happy there were still some left around in general, let alone Equestria. By the end of Discord's reign, the princess believed the draconequus to be practically wiped out, and the few that remained long gone from these pony inhabited lands. It seemed so amazing, that such a race could be born naturally even with their twisted forms, and that they could also house such deadly potential. As Eve slept curled into her raised forehoof, she couldn't help but smile. Princess Luna however; was quite skeptical about this entire thing. "Are you sure about this dear sister? It seems that everything is going as you said, but this one seems far too young to shoulder such a responsibility." Princess Celestia looked to her sister with a reassuring nod, smiling softly. "I understand your concerns dearest sister, but this isn't like last time. We've had our share of misconceptions in the past, but we must only push a little further and everything will fall into place, it will be much different this time. She is not like Chrysalis; and I've learned from my mistakes. And now I'm certain, she is perfect." Princess Luna smiled at her sister, then at the baby draconequus she kept close to her. "Let us hope so dear sister." She then cocked a brow as she recalled another problem that they'd be sure to deal with in the future. "What of the schoolmare sister? She is most certainly going to become involved in this matter." Princess Celestia chuckled. "Yes; Miss.Cheerilee, I have no doubt she's already quite involved with the matter as is, which is why she'll be joining us in Canterlot. Her involvement as well as Zecora's has helped make this all possible, but still they must learn to let go if we're able to proceed. I will assure them that they have no need to think otherwise. I have already informed the guard of their task, worry not sister, I have thought everything through." Princess Luna nodded to Celestia with a smile; a little amused by her thoroughness. Princess Celestia then approached Shining Armor who was still with Twilight and the others. "Shining Armor, we'll be taking our leave of the festival to settle this issue in Canterlot. Please give Cadence my sincerest apologies, but this is something I'm sure you understand requires our utmost attention at the moment." Shining seemed a little disappointed by the aspect they'd all be leaving so soon, but nodded to Princess Celestia anyway. "Ah; it's cool princess, I'm sorry to hear you'll all be leaving so soon. I'll make sure Cadence gets a heads up. And we'll clean up here and continue with the festival so if you guys are looking forward to coming back in the next few days, things will still be up and running." Shining then raised a hoof to his mouth doing a whistling call, and almost immediately afterwords, many chariots were called out, being pulled by none other than the crystal guard themselves. "My guard will ensure that you all make it back to Canterlot safely." Princess Celestia lowered her head somewhat in the form of a bow to the stallion. "Why thank you Shining, you're too kind." She then looked over to Twilight and the others with a smile. "Twilight; we'll be heading back to Canterlot now." Twilight wasn't surprised to hear they'd be going back to Canterlot, and she wasn't exactly looking forward to it either. As she trotted over towards one of the chariots, Shining Armor didn't fail to say goodbye to his little sister for the time being. "Catch you later kiddo." Shining patted Twilight on the head softly. Twilight groaned as she climbed into one of the chariots. "Yea..." As Rainbow made her way over to the same chariot as Twilight, the rainbow maned mare rubbed the back of her head with a slightly nervous look, then shrugging at Twilight. "Hey uhm Twilight; I think I'll be staying here for the time being. I mean I'm not that good with the whole political stuff, and; it's not like you'll run into any trouble with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with you." Applejack made her way over next to Rainbow Dash. "Yea, I think I'll be doing the same Twi. Shucks-" She then nudged Rainbow softly with a hoof. "Rainbow and I here still have a heck of a lot of stuff to be doing here at the festival, and I think we can help clean up the coliseum pretty well. Well; I know I can, that's for sure. I'll just be taking the train back later, I gotta get back to helpin the farm anyhow." Rainbow smirked at Applejack. "Hah! Is that a challenge?" The two mares then bumped heads with one another. Rarity then cut in from afar, standing beside Pinkie Pie as she did so. "Yes, same over here darling! We'll be staying as well." Pinkie cocked a brow at Rarity. "Will we be cleaning up as well!?" Rarity gasped before snickering a little. "Yes; of coooourse, cleaning. That's what we'll be doing." Twilight chuckled a little as she smiled at her friends softly. "It's alright guys, you can stay here if you want. I'm sure Shining could use the help setting everything back up as well." Shining nodded. "Hah! You bet, thanks for sticking around to help out guys, we really appreciate it. And there'll be plenty for you all to still enjoy afterwords." Fluttershy however made her way into the same chariot as Twilight, remaining silent. She was going back to Canterlot; and she wanted to see what'd become of this whole Eve situation. And sitting next to the shy mare was Trixie, who obviously seemed more comfortable sitting next to Fluttershy rather than Twilight. Seeing as everypony who'd be returning to Canterlot was now in their chariots, Princess Celestia didn't waste anytime to get into hers as well, before waving at Shining and the rest of Twilight's friends. Princess Luna then joined her soon afterwords as Shining Armor did the same whistling motion that signaled the guards for liftoff. And so they did, taking the chariots off into the sky as Rainbow and the others waved at them depart, and they all swiftly were carried across the open lands of Equestria to the shining capital of Canterlot. But little did Twilight know, she would be having a little surprise already waiting there for her upon her arrival, whether she was prepared or not, depended on her. __________________________________________________________ The hours seemed to creep by as the two individuals only continued to sit there lost in silence. They didn't speak to one another, and both seemed to be quite impatient and eager to see Princess Celestia already. "I was on my way to get you...." Sitting at a large banquet table on opposite sides was a familiar schoolmare and a zebra. Although the tension between the two didn't go unnoticed as the guards simply kept silent, observing from a distance. It seems that Cheerilee and Zecora had already been gathered before they even had a chance to meet with one another themselves, either way it didn't matter to Cheerilee, actually, the situation was quite perfect as is. She just continued to look at Zecora with a contemplative look as the zebra avoided eye contact with her. Cheerilee frowned a little. "I thought you told me she was safe....." This caused Zecora to look at Cheerilee with a gleam of annoyance herself. "She was safe." Cheerilee then snapped, slamming her forehooves atop the banquet table. "OBVIOUSLY NOT ZECORA!" Zecora kept her cool as she just sighed heavily; about to reply, but as she did so, the doors to large chamber doors to the room slowly creaked open, accompanied by some all too familiar voices. The fellow guests entering into the room had no idea what they were trotting into seeing as the moment Zecora and Cheerilee took notice of who they were, caused them to just sit there in bewilderment. In a way, they felt like kids who played a bad prank and were now all gathered in the police station about to do the time. Seeing as everypony here, was specifically involved with the issue of Eve, an issue that needed to be settled by the end of this meeting. Having entered the room, looking just as shocked was none other than Twilight and Fluttershy, as well as Trixie who felt a little out of place in this entire scenario. Twilight cocked a brow at Cheerilee and Zecora, at a loss for words. "C-Cheerilee?....Zecora? What're you two doing here?" Fluttershy was trembling tremendously as she noticed Zecora was here. "Z-Zecora?...." If Zecora was here that meant Princess Celestia knew everything, or somepony did to the point where she knew that Zecora had been involved with this entire thing, unless they came here of their own accord, which couldn't have been good either way. Now the main players were practically gathered in a room with one another. And as they all regarded each other there couldn't help but be a looming silence between all of them. Of course Zecora and Cheerilee had already been here some time beforehand in order to already be here before Twilight and Fluttershy, but still the fact they were all here together in this room couldn't have been a mere coincidence. Trixie chuckled a little. "So uhm; does anypony else feel famished!? I'm quite starving!" __________________________________________________________ Princess Celestia was busy still setting everything up after her arrival, she'd first dealt with the issue down in the lower parts of the castle, then making her way back upstairs and not hesitating to head on over the meeting room she had setup to discuss this issue, a meeting she already was aware of long before it'd even begun. And the princess could only smirk. She'd informed Twilight to head there immediately after their arrival in Canterlot, and she was certain that the newly crowned princess would probably need some time to talk with Cheerilee, Princess Celestia could use this time herself. Princess Luna as well as Discord were outside the castle, overlooking the city from the skies. And neither of them said anything to one another as Discord looked up at the night sky, curled into his throne as he yawned sleepily. __________________________________________________________ As the three figures stood outside Eve's chamber door, they couldn't help but look on in puzzlement as they had no idea how to get the blasted thing open. Silver Shade and LemaLime were accompanied by a fellow changeling, although he was disguised as a Lunar Guard. Silver Shade looked the door up and down with a look of worry. LemaLime approached Silver Shade, concerned for the disguised changeling. "Are you okay?" Silver Shade remained silent as she couldn't shake off this ominous feeling. __________________________________________________________ Eve fell to her knees as all the color sunk from her face, and her body trembled. She looked at her blood stained wrist and the hanging slivers of flesh as she felt herself becoming sick. Deep bags underlined her eyes and it wasn't hard to tell just how lost this baby draconequus was, her act of desperation going further than she'd ever expected. Her vision became foggy and she felt as if she were about to faint; but she had to get out, she couldn't stay here any longer. The taxing on her mind was unbearable, and escape was the only goal she had in mind at the moment. It seemed almost alien to her how much blood seemed to spew forth as she slid her frail wrist from the restraining cuff. And in a way she'd become an emotionless shell, seeing something so disturbingly shocking that she couldn't even react anymore, especially after what she'd just done to herself. Her breathing became harsh, as she found that thankfully her gamble had worked, but it wouldn't matter if she remained like this for much longer. Her magical abilities felt faint, out of place, but they were there. But due to her new 'circumstances' she couldn't get the aim of her magic quite right, so it took her a little bit of extra time than usual to destroy the other side of the cuff, releasing her claw and returning the rest of her magical potential to her. I imagine this was hard to accept when you'd first realized it. But little Eve, now that you've had your memories restored to you. Now that you know that your greatest treasure is a pony. What will you do? Do you still wish to bring down the society we've established? Do you still wish to shatter this world of perfect harmony? The world your adoptive mother lives in? The world Zecora lives in? The world Trixie lives in? Do you still wish such things upon all of us? Eve curled in her claw somewhat, the unsightly amount of blood dripping down her sharp appendages and onto the floor. The baby draconequus then attempted to stagger to her feet; but ended up falling to her side, landing next to her severed paw. The world around her became distant as everything started to fall silent, and she almost welcomed that silence; that unexpected comfort & drowsiness. But then the fear overcame her again, and she wondered what would come after. Where would her mind wander? And what would happen if it still didn't end after she fell into that deep sleep? What happens if she survived and ended up back here again? These thoughts compelled her to stand, to force herself up as best as she could as she grabbed her severed paw. And her blood red iris's burned with determination as she gritted her teeth, revealing that undying motivation. She then looked at her bloody wrist and layered it with a thick crystal casing with a simple yelp. The baby draconequus kept her severed paw in her claw, and as she looked at her only form of escape, she pulled back her right arm and set the goal in her mind, destroy that door at any cost, and escape. But such thoughts still haunted her. You see this world now for what it is beneath its beautiful shell. You lack purpose; and I am offering you one. A purpose to protect your mother, a purpose to protect the society you've loved and cherished. And from the shadows you shall be rewarded with the greatest gift of all, the gift of knowing that you're doing what's best for the perfect world. Draconequus are creatures born with power, and power corrupts those who cling onto it. Such is the case with you draconequus; who grew corrupt over time, greedy, selfish, menacing. This is the world you risk bringing forth if you choose to ignore it. Would you like that? Would you like to see kind ponies like Cheerilee; torn to pieces before your very eyes little Eve? For it will happen if you do not come to accept your destiny. For it will happen if you do not come to accept your destiny. For it will happen if you do not come to accept your destiny. For it will happen if you do not come to accept your destiny. Your destiny. And Eve screamed at the top of her lungs; propelling a frighteningly large blast of chaotic magic towards the door. __________________________________________________________ As Silver Shade looked towards the ground still with that worried expression; her eyes then widened. LemaLima looked up at Silver Shade. "Silver Sha-" Silver Shade then tackled the little fluffy pony to the floor, causing them to skid out of the way of the chamber door. And their actions were soon followed by the sounds of a crackling explosion.