Chapter 6
For a while, Luna drifted up and down between sleep and consciousness. First, nightmares would start to bubble up from her memories, pushing her towards wakefulness. Then, she'd pull the pony wrapped in her legs a little bit closer, and fall back into a comfortable sleep. Eventually, she came close enough to waking that coherent thoughts began to form. She's so soft... And her mane smells nice, too, even after last night. Why didn't we do this before? Wait, hold on. What?
Luna's eyes snapped open to find her view obscured by a lavender mane with streaks of magenta. The pony it belong to was curled up tightly against her, their limbs completely tangled together. Haven't woken up like this for a dozen centuries or so, thought Luna sardonically. Though I'm fairly certain the last time I did, the night before was a little more pleasant. She started to untangle herself from Twilight, but was gripped by a strange reluctance. Instead, she found herself pulling the smaller pony closer and snuggling herself back into her mane. It's just a little bit of cuddling, she told herself. I think I'm entitled to that after last night. What harm can it do?
Even as she produced her justifications, though, she knew they rang false. You told yourself you'd never let this happen again, insisted the responsible part of her mind. You can't. You know where it will lead. But even with her conscience clamoring at her, she couldn't bring herself to push Twilight away. I don't want to wake her up, she reasoned. She needs her rest just as much as I do, if not more. I'll wait for her to wake up, and then I won't let this happen again.
Twilight seemed to go through the same process Luna herself had. Ever couple of minutes, she'd squirm a little bit, and then cuddle closer to Luna. After perhaps a quarter of an hour, she woke up enough to realize that somepony was holding her, and that this wasn't, in fact, normal. She raised herself up enough to see Luna's tail, still gently flowing as it always did, and then tried to practically fly out of bed. Since the two ponies were more or less completely entangled, the attempt was less than successful, and she ended up merely facing the other way, her face inches from Luna's.
“Good evening,” said Luna, doing what she thought was a rather spectacular impression of casualness, and forcing herself not to think about – No! You're not thinking about that! “At least, I think it's the evening. Always hard to tell after one of us disrupts the cycle.”
“Evening. Cycle. Right,” said Twilight, doing a rather less spectacular job of appearing casual. Pressed together as they were, Luna couldn't help but notice Twilight's rapidly increasing heart rate, or the blush rising in her cheeks. The situation was spiraling out of control, and the responsible part of Luna's brain finally got loud enough that she couldn't ignore it anymore.
“Now that you're awake, we should probably go talk to my sister and see what she's learned,” she said, unable to keep a hint of regret from entering her voice.
“Right. You're right,” said Twilight, seeming to come back to reality. “We've wasted enough time already.” The ponies awkwardly separated themselves, avoiding each other's gaze. Now that the moment was over, neither one really wanted to acknowledge it. Luna stole a glance at Twilight's back. The battle last night had left her something of a mess, and collapsing straight into bed afterwards hadn't helped matters. “You might want to take a moment to freshen up,” she said. “It's fine. I'll walk to Celestia's room. If you teleport, you can brush your mane and still get there about the same time as me.”
Twilight found a mirror and glanced in it, wincing at what she saw. “I suppose that's not a bad idea,” she said. “I'll, ah, see you in a minute, then.” She glanced at Luna awkwardly for a moment, and then vanished in a flash of purple light.
Luna walked out of her room, sighing. If she was honest with herself, she'd realized what was happening at least a day or two ago. She'd told herself it was just a result of her loneliness, that it didn't mean anything, that she had more important things to worry about, but deep down, she'd known the truth. I promised myself I'd never fall in love with another mortal pony. It can't end well, and it's not fair to her. I need to stop this before it's too late. Part of her feared that it was already too late, though.
The halls were still crowded with refugees, but many seemed to have returned to their homes. The ones she saw bowed deeply to her as she passed, and a few murmured praises, sounding almost worshipful. She supposed she should have expected it, but it still embarrassed her a little. Going from a tale to scare fillies to the savior of the city would take some getting used to. Soon enough, she arrived at Celestia's rooms. She brushed passed the guards at the door and knocked. “Come in,” said her sister from the other side. “Hello, Luna. You're looking much better,” she said.
Luna frowned. “Would you care to explain how you flew all the way from the Gryphon kingdoms last night, stayed up all day, and still look fresher than me?” she asked in irritation.
“Some of us simply have deeper wells of energy to draw on,” replied her sister serenely. She held the facade for a moment longer, then cracked a grin. “Actually, I just woke up an hour ago. I did have the advantage of not having used my entire reserve of magic, though. Anyhow, I've found some things I think you'll be very interested in,” she said.
“What's that?” asked Luna.
“About ten years ago, there was a researcher named Amber Dawn at my academy who stumbled upon the rudiments of mind-control spells. I informed him that the subject was absolutely forbidden, and he promised to cease all research into the area. But then, a few months later, I discovered that he had secretly been continuing his research. I banished him from Equestria, and I that was the last I heard of him.”
“Amber Dawn? That does sound suggestive,” said Luna.
“Yes. He was a powerful unicorn, nearly as powerful as Twilight Sparkle, and with much more experience. He was also driven. He wanted to unlock the secrets behind magic, but for his own gain, rather than for the benefit of ponykind. He told me as much when I banished him. He said those with the power to dominate should do so, and called me a fool for not doing it myself.”
“That would certainly fit,” replied Luna. “But it doesn't explain how he went from the rudiments of mind-control to full possession in just ten years, not to mention his ability to create breaches. Is it possible he found something outside Equestria?”
“Possible, but I find it unlikely,” said Celestia. “Ponies are the only race that still have the ability to use magic, so it couldn't have come from one of the other races. As for lost unicorn knowledge, you know how thorough we were in our search for hidden strongholds or repositories after the unification.”
“True, but I see no alternative. We have no idea how far he traveled after you banished him. The world is a large place, and many ponies who opposed us were scattered to the very edge of it. It's fully possible something slipped through the cracks.”
“Perhaps. I suppose it doesn't make much difference now. The important thing is to figure out how to close the rifts he creates.”
“Agreed. I haven't had much time to think about it, but I think there should be a way, as long as he doesn't damage the mechanisms too badly.”
Luna was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Come in,” said Celestia, and Twilight entered, looking much better. “Welcome, my student. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thanks,” said Twilight. “Have I missed anything?”
“We were just discussing what to do about the rift, in case Dawnbringer opens another one,” said Celestia. “I understand my sister has been teaching you about the heavenly devices?”
“A little,” said Twilight. “I don't know how much help I'll be, though, since I can't even see them.”
“You might surprise yourself,” said Celestia. “After all, you found a feature Luna and I never noticed.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that, actually,” said Luna. “After the events of last night, I believe those features may be related to how Dawnbringer was able to create a breach.”
“How so?” asked Celestia.
“It's the way they feel. They're like the old breach, like flaws or scars in the mechanism. I think the reason we never saw them before is because they're recent,” she replied. “I think it's possible that-”
Luna cut off abruptly, and both she and her sister snapped their heads to a point in the city. “Do you see where it's coming from?” asked Celestia urgently.
“I have it,” said Luna. “Do what you can to keep the rift from opening.” With that, she dashed out of the room towards the balcony. She just caught Celestia instructing Twilight to go alert the guards before springing into the air. Although alicorns were most noted for their powerful magical abilities, the aspects of the other kinds of ponies were just as heightened within them. A ring of silvery blue light exploded away from Luna with a resounding boom as she crashed through the sound barrier.
Canterlot was bathed in golden light from the setting sun, and Luna absently noted several dragons circling in the distance, but her attention was fixed on a small house near the edge of the city. Not this time, you bastard, she thought viciously as the house rapidly grew in her vision. An instant before impact, Luna surrounded herself in a magical shield, which took on the aspect of a comet due to her speed. She blasted through the roof, shattering the entire second story of the house to splinters, and landed with a crash on the ground floor.
The scene before her was just as she'd expected. In the middle of the room, the diagram had once again been burned into the floor, with another poor pony laying dead in the center. However, this time she was not alone. At the other side of the room lay a unicorn, just recovering from Luna's explosive entry. He was light gold in color, with a darker gold mane, and his cutie mark was a dark orange sun, radiating curving lines.
Luna was in no mood to play fair. Without hesitation, she fired a blast of magic at Dawnbringer, not quite powerful enough to kill. However, Dawnbringer responded with lightning reflexes, deflecting the bolt with a shield. Snarling, he retaliated with a barrage of magical darts, but Luna brushed them aside with ease. Dawnbringer might have been powerful for a mortal pony, but he was no match for an alicorn. Luna fired a series of bolts, shattering his shield and forcing him to dive for cover.
With a burst of golden light, Dawnbringer teleported away. Oh no, you don't. Not that easily, thought Luna. With a slight pulse of magical energy, she found the resonance where Dawnbringer had emerged, and quickly cast a teleportation spell of her own. She emerged in an alleyway near the house, and saw a flash of gold disappearing around the corner. Luna leaped into the air, using her mobility to her advantage. She saw Dawnbringer disappearing into a house that had been partially ruined in the battle last night. Without hesitation, Luna fired a powerful bolt of energy into the house. The top of the house exploded, and the lower floor caved in. Luna flew down, clearing the dust with her wings. Using telekinesis, she lifted all of the wreckage into the air, revealing the floor beneath. Dawnbringer, however, was not there. Luna cursed, casting another resonance spell. She detected a very slight resonance a few blocks from her, but when she teleported, she saw no sign of the golden pony.
Letting out a long stream of curses, Luna hovered in the air, searching for any sign of Dawnbringer, but there was nothing. After a few moments, she resignedly headed back towards the house she had discovered him in. The scene appeared to be exactly the same as the first time they had found the ritual.
Luna gently shifted the dead pony, a pegasus mare, to the side. She regarded the diagram, but saw no difference from the previous one. Disheartened, Luna glanced around the rest of the room. Her eyes immediately fell on a pack lying just about where Dawnbringer must have been standing before she'd interrupted him. Walking over, she opened it. One side contained only a few odds and ends, the sort of thing she'd expect a traveling pony to carry. The other side, however, contained a thick tome bound in dark leather, and on the cover was a motif she knew all too well.
“Of course,” she breathed. “How could we have not seen it before?” Tucking the book close to her, she took wing for the palace. She glanced at the place where the rift had opened as she flew, now a large patch of blasted stone scoured clean of buildings, streets, and soil. However, the rift itself did not reappear. She had stopped Dawnbringer in time.
As she approached the palace, she saw Celestia landing on her balcony. She followed her sister down, and heard her telling the guards that the rift had been prevented from opening, and to tell the other guards to stand down. “That was well done,” said Celestia as she turned to her. “I doubt the city could have survived another breach, even with most of the dragons still here.”
“Dawnbringer got away,” said Luna angrily. “But he left something behind.” She tossed the book down on the floor in front of her sister, who looked at it curiously.
“Of course,” she said, echoing Luna. “This explains everything.”
Emblazoned on the cover of the book were the words, “The Path of Discord,” above a stylized figure of a draconequus. “Discord hedged his bets,” said Luna, flipping the book open. “We underestimated him. We assumed he would be too arrogant to consider the possibility that he might be defeated a second time. Look at this. Mind control. Possession. Forbidden combat spells. This is how Dawnbringer became so powerful so quickly.”
“Discord was always able to sense strong negative emotions. That must be how he found Dawnbringer,” said Celestia, taking the book. “If we can find the method he's using to open the rifts, we might be able to stop him from doing it again.”
“There, look. There's the diagram,” said Luna. She turned the page, revealing a rather gruesome illustration of a pony being sacrificed, along with an explanation. The two alicorns pressed together, both trying to read.
Every pony contains within themselves a spark of the world's magic, obtained at birth and released at death. This is what grants unicorns their magic, pegasi their connection to the weather, and earth ponies their great strength. When a pony's spark is released at death, a brief connection to the heavenly mechanisms is formed as the spark is reabsorbed. This connection can be held open and exploited. Using the diagram on the previous page as a guide, channel the magic of many unicorns through the connection to the places indicated. When the surface of the world has been weakened enough, the gateway will be opened. Each successive opening will take less effort and will make the gateway larger.
Celestia growled. “Two thousand years, and we still know less about our own world than him. Trapped in stone, and still he's wrecking havoc. I should have spent longer searching for a permanent solution.”
“You know it's impossible. Only the Elements have enough power to overcome him, and they can't be used vindictively,” said Luna softly.
“It's not vengeance, it's justice!” the older sister snarled. “Do you doubt he deserves it for what he did to the world? What he did to us?”
Luna laid her hoof on her sister's shoulder, and Celestia seemed to deflate slightly. “I'm sorry,” she said quietly. “I know I should let it go. You'd think two thousand years would be long enough.” She sighed. “You know, I haven't asked you since you returned from exile. Can you still remember them at all?”
“Barely,” said Luna sadly. “I was too young. Mostly I remember the end, after Discord found us.”
“I'm sorry,” said her big sister again, folding her wing around the smaller alicorn. “I wish you could remember the good times, before he killed them. Although, maybe that's the reason I was never able to move on the way you did,” she said wistfully. “We can't let it happen again. You know how Discord thinks. He places himself over everything else. This book isn't just a tool of revenge against us. If Dawnbringer has been following these instructions, you know it will result in Discord's freedom, one way or another.”
“I fear you may be right. Look at these flaws, the ones Twilight noticed,” said Luna, flipping back a page. “They're like cracks in the heavenly mechanisms. Every time Dawnbringer tries to open a rift, the cracks get a little bit deeper. If he keeps going, they'll fail entirely, and so will the Elements of Harmony. Without the Elements containing him, Discord goes free.”
“If the mechanisms were that badly damaged, there's a good chance that the entire world would shatter and be reabsorbed back into chaos,” said Celestia, alarmed.
“I doubt Discord cares all that much,” said Luna. “Like you said, he puts himself first. He might have liked this world as a plaything, but he's probably realized we're too much trouble for him. He can always find another one after he escapes.”
Celestia made a sharp motion with her hoof. “None of it matters. He will not escape,” she said. “We need a plan. So far, we've been reacting to Dawnbringer's moves. If we want to stop him, we have to go on the offensive. How long do you think it will be before he makes another attempt to open the breach?”
“Probably not long,” said Luna. “Hopefully the loss of Discord's book will slow him down, but I would assume that he's either memorized the design he needs, or he has another copy of it somewhere. He'll probably also be more careful next time. He obviously didn't realize we could trace him before, but he will now. He'll stay farther from the palace next time he performs the ritual, even if it means it will be less powerful.”
“It won't have to be very powerful,” said Celestia. “I barely managed to keep the rift from opening this time. I don't know if you'll be able to get to him in time the next time he casts his spell, and the rift is going to be much larger than before.”
“How large?” asked Luna, with some trepidation.
“I don't know,” said Celestia. “It's possible it could swallow the entire city.”
“We need to evacuate the palace immediately, then,” said Luna. “The rift will destroy everything above it when it opens. If the palace is still full of refugees...”
“You may be right, but I dislike the thought of surrendering the capital,” said Celestia. “I don't like admitting defeat.”
“Neither do I,” said Luna, “But consider: If Dawnbringer thinks we're retreating, it may make him overconfident. We can't save the city, but we can turn it into a trap.”
Celestia nodded slowly. “I think I see your plan. I don't like it, but I can't see a better alternative. We'll need to move quickly to evacuate everypony before Dawnbringer tries to open the rift again. You should find Twilight Sparkle. We'll need her help.”
* * *
Just a few days ago, organizing the evacuation of the entire remaining city of Canterlot would have seemed so far-fetched as to be absurd. But after the night before, it seemed almost comfortingly normal. After all, organization was second nature to Twilight, even if she wasn't usually organizing a mass exodus from the capital of Equestria.
First, she needed to round up all the ponies left in the city. Although many remained at the palace, by choice or not, a large number of ponies who still had homes had chosen to return to them. Others had already left the city of their own accord. In the end, it was impossible to make sure she had gotten the word out to everyone, but she hoped anypony who missed the initial announcement would figure it out on their own soon enough.
Then, of course, there was the matter of actually convincing the ponies to leave. The princesses handled that, which Twilight was immensely grateful for. She certainly didn't want to be the one knocking on ponies' doors just as they were going to bed and telling them they had to leave again. However, organizing the evacuation itself was left largely to her. Ponies needed food on the road, not to mention a place to go at the end of it. Twilight did her best to split the refugees between the other major cities, no one city would be overwhelmed.
Lastly, there was the fact that while Canterlot was not the largest city in Equestria, it was easily the wealthiest. Although the lives of ponies had to be the priority, there was no way they could let all that wealth be destroyed, not without triggering a depression after Dawnbringer was defeated. Twilight's primary concern, of course, was for the books in the Royal Canterlot Library. She tracked down every librarian she could find, and even enlisted the guards who had been assigned to patrol duty in the library, putting them to work finding and removing unique texts. She was sure she had missed hundreds, but she finally moved on to other areas after Luna came and personally dragged her away.
Finally, in the small hours of the morning, the evacuation was underway, and everything of value that could be feasibly removed was on its way out of the city. Twilight reached the end of her latest checklist, and belatedly realized she didn't know what to do next. The sudden lack of tasks left her feeling uncomfortable, so she went in search for one of the princesses.
She found Celestia sitting quietly in a small garden near her tower. Twilight had been there before on occasion; it was one of the sun princess's favorite places when she wanted peace and solitude. Celestia didn't turn as Twilight approached. After a moment, Twilight coughed slightly. “The evacuation is proceeding,” she said. “The city should be empty within the hour.”
Celestia nodded, but kept her silence. After minute, though, she spoke. “You know, I built this city, but in some ways, I won't even be sad when it's gone. No matter how far its come over the centuries, I'll never be able to forget why we needed a new capital in the first place. It almost seems fitting that the city should be destroyed now that my sister has returned.”
“You sure there's no chance of saving Canterlot, then?” asked Twilight, unnerved by the princess's casual acceptance of defeat. “You think Dawnbringer will succeed no matter what?”
“Actually,” said Celestia, “We're counting on it. Dawnbringer thinks himself clever. He is clever, to his credit. The kind of pony who comes along once in a generation. But for all his cleverness, he is still a fool if he thinks he understands what we are capable of.”
Twilight didn't respond. She had known Celestia for most of her life. In some ways, she was closer to the sun princess than she was to her own parents. But what was she in the princess's immortal eye? Barely a blink. She was just as much of a fool if she thought she understood the immortal rulers of Equestria.
Celestia seemed to sense her train of thought. “You don't need to be intimidated by us, you know,” she said gently. “We may have abilities that set us apart from other ponies, but at heart, we are the same. Don't think that just because you don't know the extent of our powers, you don't know us.”
“You've lived for thousands of years, though,” said Twilight. “How could you be the same after so long?”
“We change, it's true. But mostly, we forget. From my first thousand years of life, I can remember perhaps a decade total, spread out here and there. And we often remember the bad times over the good ones.” She sighed, looking around the garden. “In fact, sometimes I think it would be for the best if we weren't merely ponies who happened to stumble upon such immense power. We feel the same emotions you do, both the good and the bad. We make mistakes, and our mistakes tend to be... larger than other ponies'.”
Twilight didn't have anything to say to that, so she merely stood, feeling awkward. After a moment, though, Celestia spoke again. “You and my sister are good for each other, you know,” she said.
Something funny happened in Twilight's brain. The speech center seemed to come disconnected from the vocal cords, so what was meant to be a casual inquiry of what Celestia meant instead came out as something like, “Huh buh wuh?”
Celestia chuckled. “You didn't think I wouldn't notice, did you?” she said. “I've known both of you too long for that.” She sobered somewhat. “Luna needs something, or someone, to keep her from withdrawing from the world the way she did before. She doesn't want to admit it, though. Sooner or later, she'll try to push you away. Don't let her.”
“Why?” asked Twilight, the simple question being the first she could articulate.
“I'll let her answer that, when she's ready,” said Celestia. “Just remember: Whatever she says, we're both still ponies at heart. We have the same needs and make the same mistakes as everypony else. Now, come. We should join the evacuation.”
Twilight followed automatically, opening and closing her mouth without making any sound. Celestia knew? And she approved?! Twilight had been operating under the assumption that Luna couldn't possibly return her interest; after all, what was she next to the immortal ruler of Equestria? She had been glad that Luna didn't seem to remember her ill-advised confession cut short from the previous night. But if Celestia supported her, who knew what could happen? Shaking her head to clear it, she followed Celestia out of the garden and towards the main gate. There would be plenty of time to ponder when they weren't busy fleeing the city.
The line of ponies stretched from the front gates all the way out of the city. Most of them seemed fairly stunned. Some hauled wagons full of valuables, whereas other had only saddle bags. Twilight sincerely hoped the princess's strategy wouldn't cause too much suffering in the long run, whatever it was. She comforted herself with the knowledge that she had done the best she could for them.
“I must go and join Luna in patrolling the sky,” said Celestia. “Will you remain here and make sure there isn't any trouble in the line? The guards have been assembling temporary shelters a few miles outside the city. Make sure everypony reaches them.”
“Of course,” said Twilight. Celestia launched herself into the air, and Twilight began cantering up the line of refugees. Fortunately, most were far too scared to cause any trouble, and in less than an hour, they'd left the city behind them.
The refugee camp had been assembled on the far side of a low hill, a collection of large tents set up in neat rows and surrounded by a swarm of smaller tents. Twilight arrived with the tail end of the evacuation, making sure nopony was left behind. She paused at the crest of the hill and looked back, and an unexpected wave of homesickness washed over her. Although her home was unquestionably Ponyville now, Canterlot was still the city she had grown up in. The thought of it being gone was not only sad, but rather disturbing. After all, the royal palace was visible for miles and miles around the city. Even now, she couldn't really accept the idea that it could somehow vanish.
Two soft thumps behind her announced the arrival of the princesses. “Look,” said Luna quietly. “It's starting.”
“Yes,” said Celestia. “Polite of him to wait until everypony was gone.”
“More likely he was waiting until we were out of the way,” said Luna.
Twilight squinted at the city, but she saw no difference. But then, there was a shudder, and a pulse seemed to issue from the center of the city, stronger than the night before. The world in the center of the city twisted unnaturally. Then, suddenly, it was gone. The Royal Palace remained, but now it overlooked only a massive rift, far larger than the first one. Even from miles away, Twilight heard the shrieks of the creatures as they passed through the rift in the hundreds, or maybe even the thousands.
Celestia sighed. “I was almost hoping he'd destroy the palace himself,” she said. “It would have made it easier.”
“He's probably sitting there right now,” muttered Luna. “Shall I do it, then?” Celestia only nodded, sighing again.
The Princess of the Night stepped forward, raising her head and closing her eyes, her horn starting to glow. At first, Twilight saw no difference. She stepped back nervously, glancing at the two alicorns, but they seemed only sad, not concerned. She forced herself to look at the rift, and the massive swarm of creatures issuing from it. In fact, she was staring so hard at the city, she almost missed it. A slight motion in the sky drew her gaze upwards. She frowned, looking at the sky. Twilight had been fascinated by the night sky her whole life, and had memorized the locations of the stars and constellations years ago. But now, something was wrong. Some of the stars appeared to be out of place. As she watched, she realized they were actually moving. And not just moving; they were growing larger.
The scene before her was cast in an eery pale light, rapidly growing brighter. Dozens of stars plunged towards the world, freed from their eternal positions in the sky. Each one was a ball of pure white flame, hundreds of feet across and too bright to look at directly. With no perspective, they moved deceptively slowly. Then, suddenly, the first of the stars entered the atmosphere. It was immediately surrounded by a trail of orange flame and dark smoke, and it streaked downwards and impacted the rift with an explosion that made the ground shake.
Twilight threw up her front leg to protect herself from the brilliant flash. It was followed by several more in rapid succession. A few seconds later, the sound reached her. The shockwave nearly knocked her off the hill, and made her bones rattle. She spared a glance at the rift. It was still there, but the land around it was scorched clean, and of the creatures, there was no sign. The palace somehow still stood as well, although several of the spires were in the process of toppling over.
“The palace too,” said Celestia, although Twilight could barely hear her with the ringing in her ears. “You know that's where he'll be.”
“I know,” said Luna. “I'm sorry.” Another wave of stars streaked down. These impacted in a perimeter around the city, clearing out anything that might have survived the initial bombardment. They marched around the rift, closing in on the palace from both sides. A final trio of stars fell towards the palace itself. But then, they suddenly swerved, falling to the side instead.
Luna staggered backwards. She whispered something, but Twilight couldn't hear. Twilight glanced at Celestia, and recoiled. For the first time, a look of real fear was written on her mentor's face. “Impossible,” she just heard the Sun Princess say over the roar of the distant explosions.
“What is it?” asked Twilight urgently. “What happened?”
“He's done it,” said Luna woodenly. “The thing no one else has ever been able to do. He's learned how to manipulate the heavenly mechanisms.”
“Yes,” agreed Celestia darkly. “He's become an alicorn.”
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Fimfiction appears to be having issues. It removed all the spacing in the new chapter right after I published it for some reason. There may be delays until I get this fixed.
Edit: Alright, it looks like its playing nice now. If it acts up again, someone do me a favor and go hassle a mod for me. Anyway, this chapter gave me a bit of trouble, so I'm glad to finally have it up. Also, if everything goes according to plan, the next chapter will be the second to last. Thanks to everyone who's made this story such a success.
935335 All better now.
DUN DUN DUUNNNNNNN
It is amazing how often this picture is appropriate->blogs.westword.com/showandtell/04%20shit%20just%20got%20real.jpg
Its like a repeating cycle of shit becoming increasingly real.
And you know what? I like it
Great googley moogley!
I must admit - I am a sucker for stories where Celestia and Luna open up the WHOLE can of whup-ass.
Luna calling in orbital strikes on Canterlot WITH Celestia's tacit permission and support, because the situation is THAT bad? I have to admit - that's a first for me. That's full of win right there.
Have a fav and thumbsup.
935342
i noticed!
awesome chapter! my only regret is that it's now one chapter closer to complete, i don't want it to end!
Wow this was unexpected and totally great. Keep it up!
shits about to get surious!
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw5739-tumblr_m4wmpyw2YX1rr81eho1_250.gif
In the words of ArguingPizza shit has just got real. Oooo this is gunna be good!!! MWHAHA!
That new Banner
you win Fimfic I am not even mad anymore.
good chapter too. Stuffs about to get serious also cute TwiLuna Beginning Scene.
What a cute way to start a chapter!
Also, Celestia now officially approves! 
I've got a feeling Celestia and Luna came up with the decision to abandon Canterlot way too fast. Did they really have no other options?
Overall, it's been a very good chapter. Cannot wait to see where would the story develop... It seems like a logical thing for other element bearers to make an appearance, now that epic destruction of Canterlot has broadcasted seriousness of current events to all Equestria.
PS: after the last line of this chapter, I'd rate probability of Twilight becoming an alicorn by the end of the story at 85%
Edit: just read your comment.
"Also, if everything goes according to plan, the next chapter will be the second to last."
Damn! I was expecting at least 5-10 more chapters! I don't want this story to end so soon! ;_;
Either Twilight becomes an alicorn aswell by studying the book.
Or she unleashes a power even an alicorn can't fathom.
Cause i doubt that the princesses will be the ones that stop Dawn Bringer
Both are interesting:D
I wonder if things will get as bad as the Upheaval universe?
Go read it if you like this story.
Incoming legendary boss fight.
Ah approve! And cnat wait fer Twi to do the same!
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNN!!!!!!!!
I LOVE IT!!!!
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This is my reaction...
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I imagine that Tiwlight, Celestia, and Luna are going to do something like this..
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935601 That, or Twilight suddenly channels the Elements of Harmony through her own body, temporarily becoming (as stated above) the most powerful being in Equestria.
Likely after all hope is lost and to save Luna and/or Celestia. 
Well, a guy can dream.
well, shit. Insane pony able to control the very mechanics of the world?
Discord will be pleased...
There's some times in the Celestia Luna dialogue, after Luna chases Dawnbringer, where they speak in the same paragraph. Also one instance like that when Luna first enters Celestia's chambers. Thought you ought to know.
Keeping in the spirit of things: SWEET. MOTHER. OF. GOD. This is one of the most interesting fictions I've read. I'm kind of wonder where Cadence is right now.
oc gets turned alicorn....
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Twilight deserved it more
935396
Endings are not bad, if there is a new story coming afterwards.
935795
To save luna. Because love does crazy things.
935861
Bunkered down pleading the creators to end the horror.
935960
who's saying that twi won't, we'll never know until we get there!
935963
(kidding of course, endings are good, but when a good story reaches it's end; i always feel bit sad (as well as happy...it's a very strange and confusing mix))
as in sequel-"new story coming afterwards" or just generally "new story coming afterwards"?
and i got evidence that endings are a bad thing!
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try telling her that endings are a good thing!
936067
She will feel better upon being given the next Daring Do.
GREAT SCOTT!!!
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Elements of Harmony are about to be involved.
935279
Don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but this paragraph:
>“Amber Dawn? That does sound suggestive,” said Luna. “Yes. He was a powerful unicorn, nearly as powerful as Twilight Sparkle, and with much more experience. He was also driven. He wanted to unlock the secrets behind magic, but for his own gain, rather than for the benefit of ponykind. He told me as much when I banished him. He said those with the power to dominate should do so, and called me a fool for not doing it myself.”
And this one:
> Luna frowned. “Would you care to explain how you flew all the way from the Gryphon kingdoms last night, stayed up all day, and still look fresher than me?” she asked in irritation. “Some of us simply have deeper wells of energy to draw on,” replied her sister serenely. She held the facade for a moment longer, then cracked a grin. “Actually, I just woke up an hour ago. I did have the advantage of not having used my entire reserve of magic, though. Anyhow, I've found some things I think you'll be very interested in,” she said.
Should be split up because they have two separate speakers. I'm sure these was just a result of those last minute formatting problems.
935960 Twilight probably will get it too. It does solve the nagging mortal-immortal relationship thing that's brewing.
935861 936705 Thanks. Let me know if you catch any more. Let me tell you, the sight of your lovingly constructed chapter suddenly being turned into a giant wall-o-text is not fun. The admins need to kick the server some more until it starts working again.
935601 935608 935795 936907 Just to throw everyone, I should just have Luna and Celestia run over and whip Dawnbringer's ass no problem.
Nah, I wouldn't really do that. I still have a few small surprises in store, though, I think.
935374 Glad to hear it, since that was pretty much my goal for this story. Thanks.
First shit was okay, then shit got scary, then shit got real, now shit just got serious.
MOAR! NOW!
Also unexpected was the fact that this is almost the last chapter.
I had this pegged as a very long epic adventure fic that was just getting started. Hopefully this leads to a sequel or even better sequels
937022 Please don't do that.
Twilight's just too awesome.
937022google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1TSNO_enUS485US485&biw=1366&bih=611&tbm=isch&tbnid=oRmMYDhVYj92EM:&imgrefurl=http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/27423285/Why_Arent_You_Localizing_Ace_Attorney_Investigations_2%3Fpg%3D318&docid=wQRqBO4iIK1kjM&imgurl=http://static2.fjcdn.com/comments/All%252Baccording%252Bto%252Bplan%252B_13388c14922a0e7495ef7dcc079e9f42.png&w=500&h=456&ei=rIcIUPb1EsiyqQGF49DnBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=517&vpy=297&dur=1639&hovh=214&hovw=235&tx=184&ty=108&sig=116840981551296446978&page=1&tbnh=116&tbnw=127&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0,i:131
937246 It'll be about as long as Apotheosis when it's finished. The idea with this fic was to just keep upping the situation, and you can't keep that up for a super long time.
some newcomer needs a sound ass kicking here, how dare you deflect whoona meteor strike???
I've some theories on how this will go on but I'll keep them for myself, no use risking to spoil everypony's cospiration fun
937568 Why don't you PM me and I'll tell you how close you are?
god that is such a clifffhanger, you just left me sweating O.o (kinda hoping twi gets alicorned later on in the story, even if its just to please luna
im a sucker for romance) your writing is great, the action is big, the characters feel good, great stuff! 
I believe that Twilight will somehow be forced into raising the sun and or moon duty at some point due to Celestia / Luna being busy fighting somewhere else (or locked up in a prison somwhere else)
I can't wait to see Twilight explain how missing princesses are OK because ... see? suns up and all? perfectly normal ....
"Twilight! how did you figure out how to use the celestial mechanics?"
"oh, i found a book. It reads kinda like VCR instructions."
935374 I like this one better.
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Mother of Celestia!! (not trying to be redundant but..) SH*T JUST GO REAL!!!! I. Freaking. Love. This. Story. :3
Shit just got real. The un-official catchphrase of this website.
935611
Eh, Upheaval? Been there, and honestly, it got way too flooded by its own version of the Ponyverse a long time ago. Also, since when do Twilight and Applejack fight over at stallion while OCs swoon over him left and right? He's even charcoal grey. I'm starting to really regret making an OC couple in which the stallion is grey after reading so many fanfics.
But as for this chapter: I'm enjoying the story and the unique worldbuilding concepts it introduces, but is introducing the idea of ascending to become an alicorn really appropriate now that we're 100% sure Cadance is one? After all, it sort of debunks Dawnbringer's ascent. Not sure I would plunge forward with a tentative theory so close to being overturned officially. (Thanks to Mi Amore Cadenza, I had to throw out a few of my own stories.)
939421 This will be addressed.
Holy shit, those last few lines sent tingles around my body. Shit got real, as is the norm for the comments right now.
Buuuuuuuut....I'm guessing Twilight, at some point in the upcoming battle, will go ape on his ass. Just a hunch.
Oh god! Dawnbringer has just become the most fearsome creature known to the MLP universe - an alicorn OC!
Only one thing can sace us now! That thrice damned talking paperclip from hell.
Hello! It seems that you are trying to take over the world. Would you like some help with this?
And that's how you derail a train.
935960 i have a feeling that if he became an alicorn then twilight probably also will... just saying... it being a twiluna ship... happy ending would probably mean them both having to be alicorns or else twi would just die at some point, you know?
Run! Run everypony! I do wonder when Discord had time to write an entire tome.
Actually I'm surprised Discord can read & write...
Now seriously, you sir keep working on this awesome universe or the consequences will be dire!
Give us the TwiLuna now!
please 
Omfg! What an amazing story! I can't wait for more!
