The hooded Pony entered the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. Magic-powered spotlights lit up the stone statues in the late night, along with the plaques explaining what each one represented. Friendship, harmony, teamwork, and other such things.
How gaudy.
She didn't like being so close to the castle. Even a decade after Celestia and Luna stepped down from their thrones, she could still feel their influence. The hope and joy radiating from the citizens was in the air, and she was close to choking on it.
At least she was finally ready to begin. A lot had changed since her return to Equestria, but recent events weren’t going to deter her.
In fact, things were going to be much, much easier.
She stopped at a sculpture that really stood out among the noble and heroic Ponies. Three figures were posed on the podium; a pre-metamorphosis Changeling lunging forward with fangs bared, a scrawny Centaur reeled back in fear, and a Pegasus filly holding her face in her hooves with a face of impending doom.
She recognised them all right away, of course. They were just who she came to see.
She looked around, and nickred at the guards patrolling in the distance. The Sculpture Garden was open to the public at all times, but she couldn’t be seen doing what she was about to do. Her horn glowed a dark purple, and the air around the statue began to fuzz, like an invisible fog. Once that was done, she focused her magic on the stone filly. The purple hue around her face caused the granite to fade away, and the hooded mare heard breaths.
“I-I’m free?” the filly said, looking down to the mare. “Oh, thank you so so much, kind Pony! I’ve been stuck in that statue for so long!” She put on a sickeningly sweet tone, fluttering her eyelashes.
“I know who you are, Cozy Glow,” the mare said. “No need for the act.”
Immediately, Cozy’s face flopped into an indifferent frown. “Well, whaddya want then? Something tells me this isn’t an exclusive interview for the paper.”
“Unfortunately not.” The mare lifted a roll of parchment from inside her cloak and unravelled it in front of Cozy. “I believe you know what this is?”
Cozy’s sharp gasp spoke volumes.
“That?!” she squeaked, then quickly composed herself. “Ahem. I dunno where it is, if that’s what you want. That goody two-hooves Princess Twilight probably has it, and I don’t think you wanna break into the castle.”
“You’re quite correct,” the mare agreed, tucking the parchment back in. “Breaking into Canterlot Castle would be folly, even for myself. So I simply wish to know something else; where did you find it?”
“Why ask me?” Cozy asked, gesturing toward the Centaur and Changeling she was stuck with. “Why not ask Tirek or Chrysalis?”
“Because I know better than to expose myself to a being capable of absorbing energy. You have nothing to threaten me with, so you may as well make it easy on both of us.”
“Then why should I tell you anything? You’re just gonna put me back to stone, aren’t you?”
“Believe you me, Cozy Glow; when I’m done, you’ll be free as a bird. Well, a Pegasus in your case.”
“No offense, lady, but I’m done trusting anyone who’s not me,” Cozy said. “I trusted these two bozos, and look where that got me. Your word ain’t gonna cut it.”
“Oh, very well.” The mare’s horn glowed once again. “I don’t like doing this, but if you prefer the hard way…”
A magic stream shot from the mare’s horn square into Cozy Glow’s forehead, and she closed my eyes. Flashes of memories appeared before her eyes, but they were not her own. She saw three fillies with matching cutie marks. The School of Friendship. A cavern. Tartarus, interestingly enough. Grogar? A song number?
“Wait… this is it.”
She opened her eyes and broke the magical stream. Cozy groaned and loosened her face.
“What the heck was that?!” the filly demanded. “I didn’t say you could poke through my memories!”
“You should have been more upfront with me then.” The mare turned her back, and the granite started to close back up around Cozy’s face. “Thank you very much, all the same.”
“W-wait! C’mon, let me free!” she pleaded. “I helped you, didn’t--?!” She was cut off by the stone covering her mouth back up.
“You did,” the mare said, “and I’ll make sure you’re rewarded with your freedom.”
The fuzziness in the air faded as the illusion spell wore off. The mare looked at another parchment, this one creased from being crumpled at one point.
“In fact, you’ll never have been turned to stone in the first place.”
With a flash of magic, Princess Twilight appeared in the throne room, looking frantic. She swallowed, wiping sweat from her brow.
“Anything, Spike?” she asked. “At all?”
“Nothing,” said the large purple Dragon. “No letters from anypony, even Celestia and Luna.”
“I checked all their homes, and nopony is there,” Twilight murmured as she began pacing around the room. The guards watched her, frowning. “Starlight isn’t in her castle either, or the School. It’s like everypony just vanished.”
“I sure hope Rarity’s okay,” Spike admitted, then upon seeing Twilight’s face quickly added, “a-and everypony else too, of course.”
The ruler of Equestria bit her lip. “It isn’t like them to not let me know if something’s wrong.”
“Maybe they’re just planning a surprise party for you?” Spike suggested. “You know how Pinkie Pie is, even now.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight sighed. “Something about this feels… wrong. There’s something in the air.”
She and Spike jolted when the throne room door burst open, and a griffon clad in armour rushed in.
“Twilight, you gotta come quick!” he cried. “This crazy mare just showed up and started taking out the guards, and she said she’s looking for--!” He was cut off by a grunt of pain as a dark purple aura surrounded him. Much darker than Twilight’s.
“Crazy?” a mare’s voice repeated. “I’m very mentally sound, I can assure you.”
Twilight steeled herself as the intruder walked inside. A violet Unicorn, about as tall as Luna, her long black mane draping down her face, her body mostly covered with a dark cloak. A pair of icy blue eyes locked onto the Princess of Equestria.
“Put Gallus down,” demanded Twilight. “You’re hurting him!”
“Am I?” the mare asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She sounded almost like she didn’t belong in this plain of existence. “I am so sorry, I had no idea.”
She callously tossed the griffon toward Twilight, who caught him in her own magic and gently set him on the ground.
“Who are you?” the Princess asked. She almost shivered; the longer she looked at this mare, the stronger her uneasy feeling got. A feeling that grew more and more familiar as she thought about it.
“I suppose it has been a long time,” the mare chuckled. “We met at your mentor’s old haunt.”
“Haunt?” Spike gasped. “Princess Celestia’s a ghost?!”
“Spike,” sighed Twilight, “don’t be ridiculous.”
“I should be so lucky,” the mare scoffed. “Both old crones are alive. I need them to be, for a little longer at least.”
“Wait,” Twilight muttered, sweat trickling down her face as memories surfaced from many years ago, “I know who you are.”
“What’s my name, then?”
“Night Spark.”
“Oh, you do remember me! I’m touched, truly.”
Twilight took a step forward. “What do you want here?”
“A Pony can’t come to visit an old friend?”
“We are not friends.”
“Not something you’d hear every day from the Princess of Friendship,” Night Spark chuckled, sauntering toward the Alicorn. “And here I thought your other friends would put in a good word for me.”
Twilight’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes wide with terror. “What?!” She and Spike looked at each other, immediately catching on.
“I swear, if you did anything to Rarity,” Spike snarled, green embers spitting from his jaw.
Night Spark tapped a hoof on her chin, furrowing her brow. “Rarity, Rarity… forgive me, which one was that? The other purple one?”
“You don’t even know their names?!”
“Is that important?”
Spike went to charge the Unicorn, but Twilight raised a hoof to hold him back. “She knows who they are, Spike. She targeted them all specifically. She’s just doing this to get you angry enough to lose focus.”
“Very good, Princess,” said Night Spark. “You definitely are the smart one of your little group.”
The praise made Twilight’s skin crawl. “What did you do to our friends?”
“Oh, don’t worry about them,” Night Spark said, getting close enough to Twilight that their noses almost touched. “You’ll see all your precious friends very soon.”
Twilight didn’t back down, fixing the Unicorn with a glare. “What do you want with me and my friends?”
“I just wanted to see how different Equestria is with a new Princess,” Night Spark said, starting to slowly pace around the Alicorn. “I’ve been to Ponyville, Cloudsdale, the Crystal Empire and more. I even paid a visit to our old mentor. She was certainly surprised to see me.”
Twilight swallowed. The longer this went on, the more uneasy she felt.
“She even left me with a parting gift. Would you like to see?”
Not waiting for an answer, Night Spark’s horn glowed a dark purple, the same hue covering her cloak. It unclasped itself and fell to the floor.
An icy dagger of pure terror shot through Twilight’s heart when she watched a pair of violet wings open with triumph.
“What do you think?” asked Night Spark. “They rather suit me, wouldn’t you say?”
“How…” Twilight whispered. “How did you…?”
“Why just tell you? I’m sure you’ll love the surprise.” Her horn began to glow once again, the hue large and intense with growing magical energy. “But for right now, I will show you what this new power of mine can do.”
Twilight had no warning, and just barely ducked beneath the huge blast of magic. With a crash, the ceiling above the throne had all but disintegrated, the sun shining through the large hole like a natural spotlight. The guards standing by the throne were nowhere in sight.
“Oops,” chortled Night Spark. “No matter, I plan to do a bit of redecorating anyway.”
“Alright, that’s it!” Spike growled, stomping forward. “Alicorn or not, nopony messes with my friends! Especially Twilight! And especially Rarity!”
The dragon lunged for Night Spark, fangs and claws bared. Before Twilight could grab him, he was already wrapped in Night Spark’s magic, helplessly floating in the air. He swung his large arms around to try and attack, but to no avail.
“Your loyalty is foolish, but admirable,” the new Alicorn simply said. Her horn charged up once again.
“Spike!” Twilight called out, and shielded her eyes as another blast of energy shot out of the new hole. She looked around, but the dragon was nowhere to be seen. “No…”
“I dislike disposing of nuisances in such a manner,” Night Spark sighed, “but his bravado was misplaced.”
A blast of lighter purple magic struck her, sending her into the wall by the door. The impact left a small crater, and she fell out onto the floor.
“Why?” Twilight demanded, stomping on the floor. “Why target me and my friends?!”
Night Spark got onto her hooves, shaking off the rubble. “A necessary evil, unfortunately. I happily would have left you alone, but you and your friends have a bad habit of throwing the magic of friendship at whatever you deem to be problems. I simply can't take any risks, you see.”
“How can you talk so casually about what you’ve done?!”
“Oh, calm down. You don’t even know what I did to them.”
“I know enough to see that you have to be stopped, right now.”
“I suppose if you must, you’re welcome to try.”
Twilight fired another magical blast, but Night Spark was prepared this time. She threw up a barrier which easily absorbed the attack, then the shield condensed into a dark purple orb that she flung at the Princess with a flick of her horn. Twilight spread her wings and leapt into the air, avoiding the orb and swooping outside through the hole. Night Spark followed, the two Alicorns taking the battle to the skies above Canterlot. Beams of purple shot in all directions in the sky as they duelled, occasionally colliding in a small-scale blast forcing them back through the air.
Using the lull in the conflict, Night Spark’s horn glowed and she flipped onto her back to fire into the sky. The blast dissipated into multiple clouds of purple smoke, which darkened into what looked like black clouds that grew and grew until the afternoon sun was blocked out by darkness.
Twilight halted her charge toward the other Alicorn when thunder rumbled around her. Drops of rain trickled onto her mane, before she was assaulted by a sudden torrential downpour.
“A bit more fitting, wouldn’t you say?” she heard Night Spark over the rain. “I’d be careful, Princess--this is the kind of storm where lightning can strike twice!”
Twilight yelped as a bolt of purple lightning crashed next to her. Determined not to be intimidated, she continued her assault of magical blasts, which Night Spark deflected and shot back. Stray shots struck towers and roofs in the city below, causing passers-by to run for shelter if the flash storm hadn’t already deterred them.
The Princess of Equestria refused to be intimidated. She charged and fired another blast of magic at Night Spark, swooping and swinging around bolts of lightning. Her horn glowed, and copies of her split from her body until they surrounded her opponent. A bolt struck one of them, and it popped into purple smoke.
“Trying to confuse the storm, are you?” asked Night Spark as she ducked and weaved past a flurry of blasts. She grunted as one struck her wing, blackening its feathers. “Hm, well, I have my own solution for that.”
A small bolt trickled from her horn into the clouds. In seconds, multiple strikes cracked the sky, eliminating every clone at once.
Twilight yelped and grunted as purple lightning shot through her body. She was singed and in pain, but she was prepared for the next strike. Her horn glowed as she pointed it toward the sky. A bolt came down, her horn acting as a lightning rod, and it turned a shade of pink before she fired it toward Night Spark with a direct hit.
Night Spark was sent reeling, her own face slightly scrunched up. “Pain,” she said. “Now there’s an unfamiliar sensation. I’m glad you’re at least not as much of a pushover as our mentor.”
Twilight grit her teeth. The idea of having any kind of affiliation with this Pony--no, this monster--filled her with rage. Normally she would weaken her opponent just enough to get them to listen to reason and change their ways, but it was clear, after what she did to Spike, and no doubt her friends and loved ones, Night Spark was too far gone.
“Celestia banished you once,” she growled. “I can do it again!”
“She needed the Elements of Harmony to do that, to my recollection,” Night Spark pointed out. “The Elements that were destroyed by King Sombra. So, what’s your plan, Princess?”
She was quickly answered with a flurry of fast magic strikes. Twilight sped toward her, firing as she went, knocking Night Spark further and further back through the storm. Since she was familiar with the Princess’s meticulous planning, Twilight was certain a sneak attack would take the other Alicorn by surprise, and it seemed to be working. She grabbed the delirious Night Spark in her magical grip and threw her against buildings, slammed her against the castle towers. She swung her up into the air, and her eyes turned a sickly green, firing similarly coloured magical blasts at her before throwing her back into the throne room.
Twilight grunted and held her head as her eyes returned to normal. She hated doing that, but it was going to take everything she had to take Night Spark down. She looked and saw the rain begin to lighten up, deducing the magical storm relied on its caster’s focus. Something to note for later. She flew back through the hole, landing on the soggy carpet, and watched Night Spark slowly stumble onto her hooves.
“That was dark magic just there,” the other Alicorn muttered, her body burned and stinging. “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises. Perhaps you’ll be the only one who will listen to reason?”
“I’m not listening to anything you have to say,” Twilight snapped. “One last chance, Night Spark. Surrender and face the consequences of your actions, or I will destroy you and wherever you may have placed your black soul this time.”
“She told you about my little trick, did she?” Night Spark chuckled. “You’re a lot more pragmatic than she was, that’s for sure. But I’m afraid that if you won’t listen to my plan for the future, then we have no more to say to each other.”
“All I will say to you now, Night Spark,” Twilight said, her eyes glowing white, pupils fading, “is that I do not need the physical Elements anymore. The Elements of Harmony are within me, and you will see their true strength! As Princess of Equestria, I sentence you to banishment!”
Her horn glowed lighter, its purple hue mixing with shades of pink, blue, orange, yellow and white into a cascading orb of raw strength like nopony had ever seen before. The ground shook, rubble rising from the floor. The clouds parted and the sun shined down on the Princess once more, giving her the air of authority and dignity she deserved.
With a mighty swing of her head, a rainbow-like blast fired from her horn.
Over the loud hum of magic, an otherworldly chime rang out.
Twilight felt… odd. A little lightheaded. Her knees began to shake. She couldn’t keep up the attack much longer. The beam got smaller and smaller before it completely fizzled out, and she collapsed on the floor. She could barely lift her head, but she could see Night Spark. The Alicorn was standing tall, the burns and wounds on her body fading away.
“Much better,” she said, sauntering toward Twilight, holding something in her magic. “Tell me, my fellow scholar; do you know what this is?”
Twilight’s eyes widened and a lump formed in her throat. “That’s… the Bewitching Bell!”
“That’s right, the one used by Grogar himself and tucked away into Mt. Everhoof by Gusty the Great. That reminds me, I must thank Cozy Glow again if I see her.”
“Cozy Glow?” Twilight repeated, trying to get up but slipping on her hoof. “But she’s in Tartarus. H-how could she…?”
“Oh, that’s right,” chuckled Night Spark. “I may have altered the past a little bit. Star Swirl was a genius, but he should have been more careful with his scrolls.”
“B-but I destroyed the scroll,” Twilight grunted.
“Dear, did you forget?” Night Spark murmured, kneeling down and propping up Twilight’s chin with a hoof. “I was around before Luna went on her little interstellar constitutional. I made my own copy and tucked it away centuries ago. It’s not hard when you know the tricks.”
Twilight scrunched up her face, but her horn did nothing. She had no magic left. All she could do was watch as Night Spark balanced an orb similar to the final attack the Princess had tried.
“That worked so much better than the last time I tried it,” she chuckled. “The power of the Elements… a bit saccharine for my tastes, but I will make do.”
Twilight watched helplessly as the orb on Night Spark’s horn grew larger. The same colours circled around it, but now with a hint of black and green.
“Now then, let me have a go at that spell.”
The mare poked her head out from the alley, looking around. The Canterlot streets were empty as usual, save for the occasional guard marching down the snowy cobblestone path. Not the same guards as when Princess Twilight was ruling Equestria; these guards were meaner, dressed in dark, imposing armour and keeping an eye out for law breakers.
Something she would fit their vague description of.
Everypony who knew better was locked up safe in their home by nightfall, away from the constant overcast and the occasional storm. Away from the ghostly wendigos swarming the howling winds above the city. The mare, however, had somewhere to go, and something to do.
She made sure her saddlebag was secured, and once the coast was clear, she crunched through the thick snow. Restaurant Row had certainly seen better days, but the fear of going out and the lack of tourism made it hard for businesses to stay afloat. She raced down the street toward the shopping district, looking at all the boarded-up windows and ‘Closed forever’ signs. Her destination was no different; Canterlot Carousel was once the fashion centre of the whole city, founded by Rarity herself. But nopony had seen the Element of Generosity in a long time, or any of the Council of Friendship for that matter.
Making sure no guards were in sight or wendigos were overhead, she gently rapped on the door. It opened a sliver, and she saw an eye scanning her up and down. It closed, and she heard a series of locks and bolts being undone before it reopened wide enough for her to be ushered inside.
Dim lights from candles, lanterns and a few Unicorn horns provided light inside the shop, which had become a secret refuge for those willing to fight back against the new regime. She was one of the lucky few Unicorns left that were still permitted to use magic, because she hadn’t been caught yet.
The refugees crowded around her with desperate whispers. She couldn’t make out what anypony was saying, but thankfully they were quickly silenced by another. The crowd parted to make way for a slender mint-coated mare, her orange mane still neat and wavy despite all that was going on. She was Sassy Saddles; the manager of Canterlot Carousel in the old days, and the de facto leader of the group.
“Did you get it?” she asked in a hush.
The mare opened her saddlebag with her magic. “It wasn’t easy, but I got it.”
Gasps rose around the shop as the Bewitching Bell hovered between the two Unicorns.
“I… I don’t believe it,” Sassy murmured, eyes wide. “How did you thread the needle like that?”
“I told you I have the skills,” the mare boasted.
“You sure did,” the designer agreed, taking the Bell in her magic. “This is it. This is the big break we’ve been waiting for!”
“What’s the plan now?” asked a stallion in the crowd.
“We keep this safe for now,” Sassy said. “Night Spark’s gonna start sending guards or wendigos to come after it.”
“I say we find Discord,” a Pegasus called out. He looked fit enough to be one of the guards. “His chaos magic is still inside, since he's the only one who can use it.”
Murmurs of agreement sounded, before a Unicorn spoke up. “We don’t know where to look for him, or for any of the Council for that matter. They could be in the castle dungeon or even Tartarus for all we know, and it’s dangerous to just go outside, let alone leave the city.”
“Well we can’t just do nothing,” said another. “I’m tired of how cold and gloomy it is. I can't remember the last time I saw the sun! I say we march to the castle and take her and her guards down right now!”
“Only a hoofful of us can still use our magic, remember? What if we get caught? There’ll be nopony left to fight back!”
“If we just stay in her, she may as well take our magic right now!”
The boutique erupted into a wide argument between both sides. Sassy buried her face in her hoof before she tried to calm everypony down. Though, what did silence the room was the sight of the Bewitching Bell floating up in the air. Verypony stared at it, tension so thick it could be cut with a cleaver, and they looked down at the mare who brought the Bell to them in the first place.
“If I can make a suggestion?” she said, stepping forward. “Not to brag, but I’ve proven you can break into the castle without Night Spark finding out. It’s certainly not easy, but it can be done. I say those of us still with magic left should take the Bell back and present it to her, then we hit her with it. We take back every ounce of magic she’s stolen and find where Princess Twilight and the Council are.”
Ponies looked at each other and murmured. The tone seemed like they were considering the plan.
“Sounds like suicide,” one said. “You’d never make it back out.”
“If she’s not careful,” Sassy pointed out. “You did it once, do you think you can get a group of us close enough to her?”
The mare nodded. “You’ll be eye-to-eye with her soon.”
Soon, the mare and a small group of Unicorn rebels were led by a guard up to the gates of the castle. They were stopped not far from the Boutique, and the mare quickly spun a lie that she was being forced to return the stolen Bell, flashing a glimpse of it as proof. In recent months, there was a much different air to the ancient building; while it once had an air of regality and security, it was now a cold, imposing silhouette beneath the dark sky. The group felt more like they were being marched into a prison.
“Why aren’t the wendigos attacking?” one whispered, looking up and swallowing as he watched a ghostly Pony-like creature gallop across the sky.
“Maybe they don’t see us?” another guessed, trying her best not to look up.
The mare in the lead hushed them, keeping her face forward and ignoring the icy glares of the two guards standing by the castle doors.
“More undesirables?” one asked.
“This undesirable has stolen it,” said the guard leading the group, shoving the mare forward, “and these ones are bringing her to the Queen.”
The door guards looked at each other, obviously grasping the seriousness of the situation. “Let’s hope she’s in a rewarding mood,” the other said as they both pushed the doors open, revealing what felt like a portal into pure darkness.
The group walked into the entrance hall, and were met with a chill even colder than the wind outside. Princess Twilight and even the Royal Sisters would keep the castle warm on snowy days, but now the castle almost felt abandoned. Rugs were creased and kicked over, any paintings left were rotted away, and the stairs creaked ominously as the Ponies were led up to the next floor. Sconces were filled with dead plants or candles emitting cold flickers of black fire. The hallway leading up to the throne room was usually decorated with stained glass windows depicting important figures in the realm, but now snowflakes floated in and dampened the mossy rug thanks to every window being destroyed.
“Would it kill her to turn a light on?” one Unicorn murmured near the back.
“Quiet,” the guard snapped. “You may have captured this thief, but that gives you no right to insult our Queen’s changes.”
They were led to the large doors of the throne room, and the guard relayed the same message to the two standing by each side.
“The Queen is not here at this present time,” one said. The group watched as the mare stepped forward, and the three guards looked right at her. The one by the door blinked, then pushed it inward. “Very well. If you must insist, then you may wait inside for her return.”
The group was ushered into the throne room, and the Unicorns gasped and murmured amongst themselves at what they saw. The throne looked like it was made of crystallised spikes that twisted contorted this way and that, making the Castle of Friendship appear in the Unicorns’ minds. The hole left from the battle on The Darkest Day, as it had come to be called, had seen no sign of repair. The rug leading up to the podium was stained, torn and rotten. Cold winds blew through the shattered windows, and the water pools beneath the throne were now stained by moss, and curiously, occupied by statues of Ponies.
The Unicorns walked closer, and hearts sank when they recognised the stone Ponies. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy occupied the first two pools. Above them were Applejack and Rainbow Dash, then Rarity and Starlight Glimmer. Above the pools were Princess Twilight, Cadence, Celestia and Luna. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were frozen in what looked like mid-charge, with defiant scowls on their muzzles. The others were reeled back in a prone position, holding up their hooves with faces of pure terror. The Council of Friendship, the hadmare of the School of Friendship and the Alicorn leaders of Equestria, all depicted as helpless victims and put on display like trophies.
“This is disgusting,” a Unicorn spat. “How could that witch do something like this? Turning our heroes into decorations!”
“M-maybe they’re not the real things,” another murmured.
The mare with the Bell stepped up to the stairs leading to the throne, and turned to look at the group.
“I don’t know,” said Night Spark’s voice. The mare’s eyes turned an icy blue. “They look incredibly lifelike to me.”
The Unicorns gasped and scrambled away from her. “RUN!” one yelled, but they were halted by a horrible, familiar ringing. A black and yellow blast of dark magic swept over them all and they slumped to the ground, groaning and struggling to get up. The mare cackled as she became enveloped in dark purple magic, and the new Alicorn ruling Equestria soon stepped out.
“Impressive what a little Changeling magic can do, hm?” she said. “The metamorphosed ones are more potent, so I suppose it’s only right I repay King Thorax by having him displayed in the gardens.” She gestured with a hoof, and the throne room was quickly swarming with guards. “I’d heard rumblings of a rebellion forming right under my nose, and I thought it only right to investigate the matter personally. Your bravery is admirable, but misplaced; all of Equestria’s strongest have fallen to my hooves.”
“Why?” one Unicorn asked, managing to get on one hoof and look up at her. “You had us all right there in the Boutique. Why bother with the disguise?”
“Because animals are at their most dangerous when cornered,” Night Spark said nonchalantly, “and in numbers. I had a feeling you’d try a sneak attack and overpower me so you could use the Bell against me, so I thought I’d beat you to the punch, so to speak.”
“What will you do with us now?” a mare asked, sounding more like she wished to get her punishment over with.
“Normally, I’d have undesirables thrown back into the street, offenders into the dungeon. But you all actively staged a coup against me. That’s going to need something extra special.” Night Spark tittered into her hoof at the fear in her captive audience’s eyes. “I think I’ll start with keeping you all in the cells for the moment, and I’ll have just the thing by the time the rest of your friends join us.”
She nodded, and the guards forced the captives onto their hooves and prodded thm toward the doors.
“Why?” a stallion called back to her. “Why are you doing this to us?” To them?” He pointed at the statues.
A wave of darkness overcame Night Spark, and he gasped as her cold, almost lifeless eyes were right in his face.
“Magic should belong to those who can be trusted with it,” she said quietly. She looked back at the statues “Celestia and her little favourite had you all believing that friendship is the most powerful form of magic in the world. Now look at them. Look where their precious friendship has gotten them. The harmony they brought was artificial, built on dependence. The magical threats brought onto Equestria time and time again, most commonly from within Equestria, have always been fought with magic. But with one purely magical being in the realm, there are no internal threats, and one all-powerful protector. I’d happily share the wealth, but the likes of you have proven that you don’t deserve it. Those who wish to live under the Princesses and bring them back to solve all your problems. Now you have no choice but to take care of your own insignificant problems.”
The Alicorn allowed herself a sinister chuckle as her new prisoners were led out of the throne room. She turned and walked up to the throne, passing the terrified statues. She stopped in front of Celestia and Twilight, smirking.
“I know you can hear everything,” she murmurs. “I can taste your despair. It’s delicious. I will force these weaklings you coddled to take care of themselves without abusing magic, and no creature will be strong enough to stop me.”
Another chuckle quickly erupted into a cackle as her horn glowd, and the clouds over the castle grew darker, black lightning bolts striking the throne room.
“No more Princesses. There will be only one Queen.”
