//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15 
// Story: Post Revolution 
// by SC_Orion 
//------------------------------//

	Twiligth stared intently at her moon as it disappeared below the tree line. The further it sunk, the more the edges of her ethereal mane became corporeal, taking with it the sense of curiosity it brought. She sighed as her sun started to warm the sky and bring light to the world, dispelling the darkness with its brilliance even though it was still hidden from her sight by the trees. She enjoyed controlling the sun and the moon and bringing forth the day, although she disliked her mane returning to its daytime state. The daytime state, despite being how she used to be, felt almost condemning. During the night, her mane was ethereal, while during the day it was normal. Princess Luna controlled the moon and Princess Celestia had controlled the sun. Princess Luna had turned into Nightmare Moon, too. It left her with a lot to ponder, how during the night her mane was ethereal, and yet during the day, it was not.


She pushed the thoughts aside and cast a glance towards a sleeping Fluttershy and Discord. She wasn't sure when they fell asleep during the night, but they had fallen asleep. She was grateful for that, it meant that maybe they wouldn't have as hard of a time adjusting to the new time zone as she expected. It wasn't of great benefit to her, but it was a benefit to both Fluttershy and Discord, it would be easier on them. She took comfort in hoping they would adapt more easily than she had expected.


She sighed and closed her eyes, then she bowed her head and lit her horn with her magic. A brilliant lavender aura lit the clearing as she reached out to her sun and took hold of it. The sun welcomed her. She greeted the sun the way she would have greeted a friend from long ago, she greeted the sun with a warm hug from her magic, then coaxed it further its journey into the sky. The act was so simple and effortless to her, yet in the back of her mind, she knew that it took several ponies to perform the same action as her, and they couldn't do half as good a job as she could. She smiled as warm sunlight started breaking the hold the night held, basking the world in the dawn of a new day.


Her task completed, she lifted her head back up and opened her eyes. Although the world still wasn't as warm as it had been three years ago, it was warming up gradually because of her keeping the sun on a schedule that even the most talented unicorns working together couldn't match. The cold wasn't a threat to her, but it was uncomfortable. She missed the warm summer days that filled her foalhood and the years she spent in Ponyville, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she brought them back. That knowledge gave her something to look forward to and hold on to.


She pushed her musings aside and stood up to her full height. She gazed around the clearing and let her gaze fall on Fluttershy and Discord. She watched them for several seconds, pondering the past three years before turning her attention to the tent. Both Zenith and Rainbow were still asleep. She wasn't sure how long it would last. Everypony with her was asleep. While they rested peacefully, Twilight stood guard, protecting and watching over her ponies that she loved. And yet, in the back of her mind, she knew that while she stood sentinel, ponies elsewhere were in danger and suffered, and evil roamed free.


Her thoughts turned to the Inquisitor. She frowned and her brow furrowed. Her salvation came several seconds later when she heard the zipper on the tent. She extended her senses and magic. Determining Rainbow had awoken, she smiled. "Good morning, Rainbow," she greeted as light hoofsteps approached her. Her greeting caused the sound to stop. Several seconds passed before they resumed.


"Morning..." Rainbow mumbled as she sat down beside Twilight, stifling a yawn.


Twilight glanced at her. "You're up... rather early."


Rainbow grimaced. "I... had trouble sleeping," she said at length.


Twilight frowned and turned to her. "If you'd like, I can cast a spell to-"


"No," Rainbow replied quickly. "Thanks, but... I think I'd rather stay up now. I'll keep you company."


Twilight scrutinized Rainbow's expression for a few seconds before turning away from her. "Alright."


Rainbow shifted her weight and turned towards Twilight. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, only to pause. Several seconds passed and she slowly looked away from Twilight, her gaze falling to the ground. "Are you okay?" she asked.


Twilight turned back towards her. "Other than being on the verge of being insane and suffering from a whole host of mental issues? Yes." Rainbow winced and glanced at her. "I'm okay as I can be..." Twilight restated. She frowned in thought. A few seconds passed, each one bringing her more concern than the last. "Are you okay?" she asked.


"Yeah... I just..." Rainbow trailed off. She turned back towards Twilight and gave her a wry smile. "I'm worried about you."


For a few seconds, Twilight's expression was unreadable, then she slowly looked away from Rainbow and sat down on her haunches. She unfurled a wing and laid it over Rainbow. "I'm still managing it. You don't need to worry about me."


Rainbow turned away from Twilight and looked at her wing. "It's my fault you're in the state you're in, though."


Twilight smiled, snorted, and shook her head. "It's not entirely your fault, Rainbow." She turned towards the pegasus. "Besides, I forgave you."


"I'm still partially responsible for it..." Rainbow said under her breath. She turned back towards Twilight and smiled wryly. "What do you plan to do now that you found Fluttershy and Discord?"


Twilight sighed and cast her gaze onto the bubbling stream. "My end goal is still the same, kill the Inquisitor and regain control of Equestria." She pursed her lips. "I have more questions than what I did before finding Discord trapped in stone, though. It's..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't understand it. I have no idea how he could be using chaos magic if he's not Discord, and yet, he is."


Rainbow grimaced. "Maybe it wasn't chaos magic?"


Twilight turned to Rainbow and looked at her seriously. "I know what I saw, Rainbow. It was chaos magic."


"Then how?" Rainbow asked.


Twilight shook her head. "I have no idea. Neither Celestia nor Luna know anything about... something other than Discord being able to use chaos magic. The only thing I can figure out is he somehow absorbed some of Discord's magic and took on attributes of it. Lord Tirek absorbed Discord's magic, but he couldn't use chaos magic. He only had access to the power of it, he couldn't bend reality by actually using chaos magic. It's infuriating."


"And you can't use chaos magic?" Rainbow asked.


"No. I can't use chaos magic," Twilight answered. She tilted her head to the side and looked at Rainbow thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you're actually having this conversation with me."


Rainbow frowned. "What do you mean?"


"We're talking about magic. You never really showed much interest in it years ago... Whenever I tried to explain it to you before, you mostly ignored me..." Twilight trailed off, expression mixed between curiosity and annoyance.


Rainbow shifted her weight and smiled sheepishly. "Well... I mean, you... you did say that you'd consider ascending me. I figured that I should... pay attention now."


Twilight smiled. "As much as the idea of teaching you magic excites me, at the same time I know that you're you. That..." She nodded. "That makes me cautious about it."


"I'll pay attention," Rainbow said.


Twilight nodded to herself. "You would be one of the most powerful ponies alive after I ascended you. Not at first, of course. You would likely be weaker than I was when I was a unicorn at first, but you would grow over time."


"Have you decided yet?" Rainbow asked.


Twilight turned away from Rainbow and looked over the treeline. "I'm still thinking about it," she said softly. "I don't want to be alone forever. I can't just ascend anypony... It has to be somepony I can trust, somepony who won't turn on me... I trust you, but I'm worried that you wouldn't be able to help me run Equestria."


Rainbow shifted her weight and looked at Twilight curiously. "Do you actually want me to help you run Equestria? Or would you rather I just be there for you?"


Twilight pursed her lips. "I need you," she said. "Perhaps not on a political level... But as a friend, somepony to keep me sane..." She bit her lip and looked at her hooves. "Somepony to keep me in check," she said in a low voice. Rainbow clenched her jaw. Twilight took a deep breath and looked back at the pegasus. "You could be useful as a commander, too."


Rainbow took a deep breath. "Do you really think you need somepony to keep you in check? You're not evil or crazy or anything like that. I trust you and I know you. You may be a bit..." she trailed off, bobbing her head as she searched for the right word. "You're hurt and a bit unstable, but you're worrying too much."


Twilight bobbed her head. She chose to ignore Rainbow's justification and instead focused on her question. "I don't know. On one hoof, I'm not sure anypony short of Discord could keep me in check, and I'm not sure even he could. On the other hoof, anypony able to keep me in check is a threat to me..." She sighed. "The problem... my... internal argument concerning that has a lot more to it, but I won't bore you with the details since they relate to my frayed mental state and..." she trailed off grimacing. "And telling you would put both of us at risk."


Rainbow turned away from Twilight and took a deep breath, letting the morning air invigorate her body with strength. Twilight averted her gaze from her friend and watched the treeline, scanning it for any potential threats, despite knowing that they were safe. "Why can't you use chaos magic?" Rainbow asked.


"It's complicated..." Twilight said at length, obviously uncomfortable with the question. "I'm going after him soon... I don't know whether or not I should go after the rest of our friends first or not..." She looked down at the grass and scrutinized it. "If I kill the Inquisitor first, then I don't have to worry about them being in as much danger, but I will be too busy to go after them... Leaving to go after them could cause everything to fall apart. If I go after them before I kill him, they will be in danger, and he will be in power longer, which means more ponies could die. And then I have another dilemma," she turned to face Rainbow, "when I go after the Inquisitor, you will all be safer away from me since I'll be fighting him, and yet if you're not with me, I can't protect you. If I take you with me, you'll all be in danger."


"I'm going with you when you fight him," Rainbow said firmly. "I can help you."


Twilight nodded reluctantly. "I trained you and Zenith... You two will probably be safe... If something happens to either of you, however..." she trailed off, not wanting to think about the possibility. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "If something happens to me, you will both likely be killed. I will try my hardest to protect both of you if that happens, but I cannot guarantee your safety."


"That's why I'm going with you." Rainbow said. "To make sure that doesn't happen to you." Twilight glanced at Rainbow. At Twilight's confusion, she continued, "I owe it to you," she said. "To make sure you don't get hurt or... get killed."


Twilight grimaced and bobbed her head. "I'm not sure you could actually help me when I'm fighting the Inquisitor, but you could prove a useful distraction, or perhaps you could make sure that I only have to deal with the Inquisitor."


"I've got your back," Rainbow replied.


"We will see," Twilight answered.





Everypony looked at ease as they sat around in a circle, talking to one another. Some of them were getting to know old friends again, while others were making new acquaintances. None of them looked worried in the slightest. It bothered Twilight, they acted almost like they had three years ago. As much as it bothered her, watching it play out gave her a sense of calm and left her smiling at how right it was, it was the way things were supposed to be. They weren't supposed to be afraid, they were supposed to be happy, Celestia had made sure of that for a thousand years by herself, and several thousand with her sister before that. 


Unfortunately, while they were safe and oblivious, Twilight's mind wandered. It was her burden to keep them safe. She had been watching them for at least ten minutes, devoting only a small portion of her mind to watching them. The rest of her mind was in overdrive, thinking about the problems that faced her and the best solutions. From what she could tell, she was faced with three major problems. She wasn't sure which one was the biggest. She wanted to say the Inquisitor was the biggest, but she wasn't sure she could say that. She didn't like that, it made her feel selfish, but she crushed the feeling, although not as easily as she would have liked. With what she had been through, she felt that deserved to give more attention to her own personal problems than the problems of Equestria.


But it was a fragile balance. She walked a fine line, and she knew it. Everypony said they trusted her, that they trusted her not to do something she would regret. She didn't trust herself, however. After talking with Rainbow, despite her best efforts, the thoughts about what would happen to her if something happened to Rainbow or Zenith plagued her mind. It was the main reason she wasn't with the others.


She hated it so much. It felt perverted and twisted. The choice she was faced with was one she wouldn't wish on anypony, and if she had her way, nopony would ever be faced with the same choice she was ever again. It was the burden of a leader. If she let herself have friends again, she knew she would grow attached to them, she had already grown close to them. She didn't want to be alone anymore.


But, she knew that with having friends, with having connections, there was a price. Connections can be severed. Close friends can be used against her. She hated knowing that. Celestia and Luna's memories only further served to reinforce that idea. Three years ago, her friends betraying her had devastated her. Now, she knew it would be worse if something happened, she wasn't as stable as she had been back then. She didn't want to give the thought any purchase, but it demanded attention and would not be refused.


Twilight was a mess and she knew it. Everypony around her knew it. She was healing, she knew that, but as with any injury, aggravating it while healing will make things worse. Despite her best efforts, she feared that if something were to happen to one of them, it wouldn't simply make things worse. It wouldn't simply hurt her.


She knew she couldn't handle the pain that would come with that. It made her vulnerable, which weakened her and gave the Inquisitor an advantage. It was simple, and she wondered if he realized just how simple it was. They had fought before, she hated the outcome, she hated herself for failing, but she would not fail again. But unfortunately, that left her with a choice. It was simple, really. All he had to do to win would be kill one of them, one of the ponies she watched.


She wasn't sure she'd have the will to stop herself or keep herself going. If he killed one of them, there were only two possible outcomes. Neither of which would benefit anypony. Under the circumstances that he did kill one of them, the better outcome was that she lose her will to fight. She worried that it would be better if the Inquisitor killed her and established a fascist regime worse than King Sombra's than the alternative of her surviving. She feared the alternative was far worse.


And yet, the choice wasn't simple. While if she pushed them away she might be able to handle their deaths, she could lose herself. The first time after three years when she laid eyes on Rainbow, she had wanted to kill her. She stopped herself and she had not regretted that decision for a second. She knew that killing her might have given her a moment's pleasure, but she would have had a lifetime of regret, and what was worse was where that action could have led. If she had killed her, she would have killed one of her closest friends, soempony who her destiny had been intertwined with for years, perhaps her entire lifetime. Killing her could have put her in a very dark place, one which she knew she wouldn't recover from.


The thought made her sick to her stomach. She had Nightmare Moon's memories, she knew she could have ended up worse than her. The thought scared her. She didn't want that. As much as she wanted revenge on the Inquisitor, she didn't want everypony to be too afraid of her to live their lives.


Of course, there were still three more options available to her. She could go ahead with her plan to separate the memories and knowledge she had, and she could go a bit further to take steps to ensure that losing one of them wouldn't break her any more than she already was. Unfortunately, that was also a slippery slope that could still lead to a dark place. Another option was weathering it out, trusting that they would be okay with her. She knew that being unable to decide which course of action in regards to taking them with her or leaving them somewhere was a problem with her mind. She could not decide whether it was better to keep them close, even when confronting the Inquisitor or to leave them someplace safe. If they were out of sight, she had no way to know they were safe or keep them safe, although she could give them some more of her magic. That idea gave her pause, it was worth investigating.


It boiled down to decisions she couldn't make, decisions she couldn't process. If she made a wrong decision, the results would be disastrous, and she knew it, and yet, the longer she delayed, the more ponies would suffer, and the longer the Inquisitor had to prepare. It did give her time to recover and prepare, but she didn't know how to analyze the benefits against the drawbacks. The Inquisitor had more resources and more options to use against her, but she had power which he couldn't match if she let herself use it.


She shifted her weight and pressed her hooves against her temples. She closed her eyes, trying her best to ignore the pain surging through her mind caused from the decisions she couldn't make. She logically knew that the problem was her indecision, her best option was to make a choice and stick with it, to stop thinking and take action, but the weight of the consequences of her actions were just too much, if she made a mistake, everything could be lost. She opened her eyes and glanced at her friends.


Perhaps one day in the future, she would look back at this moment and regret it. Perhaps one day in the future, she would look back and smile. Despite knowing that she should, she didn't. She didn't decide to walk over to them and join them. She took a deep breath and stood up. None of them noticed her movement. Their obliviousness to her actions left her feeling calm despite the battle raging in her mind. She lit her horn and teleported away to the nearby plateau. The second she appeared, she regretted not telling them and felt as if someone had wounded her, leaving her with a hole in her chest.


She glanced at the rocks beneath her hooves, then closed her eyes and looked up into the sky. When she opened her eyes, the cloudless blue sky greeted her absently. 'You must do this on your own,' Celestia's voice echoed in her mind. The memory followed shortly thereafter, from Celestia's perspective. As it played out, she found her gaze drawn back to the ground.


"This is a mistake, isn't it?" she asked aloud. "I should be with them instead of doing this." She stood still for half a minute, waiting in silence for an answer which never came. Despite nothing answering her, she knew the answer in her heart. She sighed and casually started walking forward, with no set destination in mind. As she walked, she lit her horn. After several minutes of aimless wandering, she found herself in the forest. The tall trees blocked out the sun and provided protection from anypony flying overhead, her friends wouldn't be able to find her.


She channeled her magic into the air, six points of magic formed, each one growing as she slowly channeled more magic into the air, careful not to make any mistakes. As the points grew into orbs, they started to take on shapes, an image of the sun, a crescent moon, a crystal heart, a shield, a six pointed star, and an blank pink orb. The sight of the blank orb was physically painful. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at it, but she could still see it in her mind, it was forever burned into her memories. She fought passed it and surged more magic into her horn and the air, causing the magic to quickly reach its apex. Once the first part of the spell was ready, she cast the second part of her spell. The magic became corporeal, replaced with six crystals.


She opened her eyes and caught the crystals in her magic, holding them suspended in the air. The six perfect crystals could have been sold at very high prices, but she had something more important in mind. She levitated the crystals around in a circle around their center, then stopped when the sun crystal was in front of her. It was a spitting image of Celestia's cutie mark. She swallowed at the sight and found her mouth dry. She licked her lips and then took a deep breath.


Creating the crystals was the easy part, the next part, separating her memories and knowledge, then ensuring that they were protected and would be preserved for eternity would be the challenge. She closed her eyes and delved into her own mind with her magic. She wasn't surprised at the state of chaos and disarray she found herself in, she felt absolutely nothing when she looked at it. In another life, it would have horrified her to no end. Now, it just left her feeling dull, bland, and empty.


She began weaving her magic through her mind, searching out Celestia's memories and knowledge. As time progressed, it became easier, like the memories and knowledge were coming to her, wanting her to find them and use them. She collected the memories and knowledge, along with the remnants of the spell that gave them to her, then took a deep breath. She needed to do it, she needed to remove them from her mind.


Her magic refused to obey her. She clenched her jaw and tried harder, only to succeed in giving herself a headache. She poured more magic into the spell, a wave of nausea and dizziness overtook her. She spread out her front hooves to prevsent herself from falling forward from the dizziness and pain. Something warm rolled down her muzzle. She grunted, fear slowing gripping her being. It wasn't that she didn't have the power to remove it, she didn't want to, and because of that, her magic wouldn't obey her. She didn't have the willpower to follow through with it.


She didn't want to lose it. She dispelled the magic, immediately she felt like the pressure inside of her head had halved, sending a wave of relief flooding through her body. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the crystal in front of her. A sense of calm overtook her, then she closed her eyes as she felt an oncoming onslaught. Her eyelids were unable to stop it, and soon her fur was matted by her tears.


She had failed again. There was nopony alive who would be able to remove the memories from her mind since she couldn't do it herself. She sat down on her haunches and wiped the blood from her muzzle with the back of her hoof. "This is..." she trailed off. She smiled and snorted at how ridiculous the situation was. "I don't want to let go of their memories, despite how detrimental it is to my health... I'm going to drive myself insane, aren't I?" She took a deep breath and then exhaled sharply. "I can't fix myself," she said. "Of course I can't..." she said grimly.


She bobbed her head as disgust filled her. "And I know the solution, but I can't bring myself to take it," she said bitterly. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She lit her horn again and teleported the Elements of Harmony to her, replacing the six crystals she had created. "I need you, don't I? I need my friends. Perhaps this bears some strange twisted resemblance to when we faced down my... to when we faced down Nightmare Moon?"


"What would have happened if I had killed Rainbow Dash?" she asked the Elements aloud. She revolved them around and stared intently at the Element of Magic. "What would have happened if I had killed her?" she demanded. "How would things have turned out by now?" She paused to take another deep breath. "Would I be dead, or would the Inquisitor be dead? Would we both be dead? Would I be in power, or would I rule over a dead world?"


She clenched her jaw at that thought, then replaced the Element of Magic with the Element of Loyalty. "You betrayed me. I forgave you. I needed to forgive you. If I didn't... well, I can take a guess at where we'd be right now, but you know for a fact, don't you?" She tore her gaze away from the artifact and glanced at each Element in turn. With each time her gaze passed over one of the gems, a part of her broke, the memories hurting her. She clenched her eyes shut. "Help me, please..." she pleaded in a low voice.


As she expected, no help came from the inert gems. She opened her eyes and teleported them away. She swallowed and delved into her memories, making sure she still had access to Celestia's memories and knowledge. The thought of losing that knowledge, of being the one responsible for destroying all of that knowledge, horrified her. Much to her surprise, the memories came back to her with less effort and they were sharper and clearer than before. She breathed a sigh of relief, the sense of calm returning along with knowing that she hadn't inadvertantly destroyed Princess Celestia's memories. Just to make sure she didn't make anything worse or damage the memories or her power, she checked herself with magic.


She nodded to herself, then she focused her magic into the air once more. The magic flowed from her horn like a fluid and coalesced into an orb which burned with energy. She let the orb grow for several seconds until its radius was as long as her body was. She watched the orb as it rippled and churned with raw power, distorting the air around it with heat and energy.


She tilted her head to the side and formed a barrier around it, then compressed it. The lavender orb quickly collapsed in on itself under the control and coaxing of Twilight's magic. As it grew smaller, the lavender and pink hue gradually shifted to blue, and then to white, until the miniature star was the size of her hoof. She glanced back behind her and took several steps back, then relaxed her hold on the orb.


Almost immediately, the orb flared to life, expanding back to its original size, and then doubling in size. It's color shifted from white, to blue, to lavender, to pink, and then to red in the span of a few seconds. Twilight was mesmerized by it, and she continued to be impressed by her control of such magic. After a few seconds, she collapsed her barrier and then reabsorbed the magic through her horn.


For several seconds after the orb dissipated, she stared into the empty space it once occupied. Her mind wandered, going over Celestia's memories. She was disappointed to find that like before, not all of her memories were available to her, but she shook it off. Over the next few minutes, her head gradually fell downward, bringing her gaze to her hooves. She had still failed to accomplish her goals. Even if the momentary distraction had helped make the pain more tolerable, it did nothing to make it easier for her to accept that she couldn't fix herself.


She slowly stood up, then lifted her head back up, although she didn't have the will to carry it as high as normal, and started walking out of the forest. It was a slow walk, every step felt like it took an eternity to pass, but eventually, the clear blue sky greeted her. Twilight wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she knew she needed to get back to the others. Even if she didn't want to talk about it, she needed to. If not to tell them, then to help herself. She glanced up at the clear blue sky and watched it closely for several seconds, looking at it with a threatening expression.


Eventually, she pulled her gaze away from the bright sky and shook her head, then she channeled her magic into her horn and teleported back to the others.


She wasn't sure what she had expected. She knew that not very long has passed since she left, but they were all still surrounding the orb. Unlike before, however, they were all looking at her. At first, they had looked at her expectantly, like they had expected her to comment on what she was doing, but their expectancy quickly faded to worry. As if they were a wave, they all stood up and turned around, then rushed over to her.


"What happened?" Rainbow asked quickly.


The others shared a look of concern, although Rainbow and Fluttershy had the deepest expressions of worry. Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head. 'My nose was bleeding,' she remembered. "I tried to separate their memories," she answered. Her answer only caused their worry to deepen. Her lips drew into a straight line, and she sat down on her haunches. "It didn't work," she snorted derisively. "Of course it didn't work. Of course I can't fix myself..." she grumbled.


"But I thought that-"


Twilight looked at Rainbow and lifted her hoof up ever so slightly, motioning for the pegasus to stop. "I would be capable of removing them, but I don't have the will to. It's either that or I'm missing something." She shook her head. "So, you know, I'm just kind of stuck like this, on the brink of insanity, for the rest of my life," she said harshly. Rainbow winced and stepped back from her. Twilight sighed.


"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, gaze directed at her nose.


Twilight took a deep breath. She waited a few seconds to think about it, then pursed her lips. "I don't know. Theoretically, yes, I am fine. Physically? Probably. Mentally?" she paused and grimaced. "Not so much," she said at length in a strained voice.


"What about emotionally?" Zenith asked.


Twilight glanced at her and bobbed her head. "Not really," she answered. Zenith wrapped her arms around her as best she could, the other three quickly followed, although Discord was much more reserved about it. Twilight swallowed and closed her eyes. "I... I don't know what to do," she admitted. She extended her wings, then pulled everypony closer to her and held them against her.


"Then we'll help you figure it out!" Rainbow said enthusiastically.


"But I can't separate their memories from my mind. I can't fix that... I won't be able to..." Twilight bowed her head. 'I really am going to have an interesting life, aren't I?' She snorted at the thought which was accompanied by a memory.


Rainbow grimaced and bit her lips. 'Is this my fault?' she asked herself. It felt like it. She blamed herself. If she had chosen a different course then maybe Twilight wouldn't be suffering so much. She didn't understand it though, 'Why would Princess Celestia do that to you?' While she never really knew Princess Celestia as well as Twilight, but she could tell that Celestia would never intentionally hurt Twilight. "What if.... What if you're not supposed to separate the memories from your mind?" she asked, then pulled back and looked up at Twilight.


Twilight tilted her head to the side and looked at the treeline thoughtfully. "I'm an alicorn, and by far the most powerful one to ever have lived, and carrying six sets of memories is still detrimental to my health," she answered.


"Why would Princess Celestia cast such a spell on you if it would hurt you?" Rainbow challenged.


Discord frowned and pulled back. "She would never cast a spell on you with the intention of hurting you, and I know for a fact she wouldn't cast a spell on you if there was a chance of it hurting you," he answered. He stroked his goatee as he thought more about it.


Twilight snorted derisively at herself. "Then I guess she overestimated my capabilities... Because I've failed."


"Princess Celestia would never hurt you, Twilight..." Fluttershy added, holding Twilight tighter. "You know that, don't you?"


Twilight clenched her jaw shut. "I-I know that," she said. "I just... what if she is dead because she thought that I could save her, and then I failed? What if she thought that I could handle this power and their knowledge and memories, but I can't? I'm already a mess, and it could get worse!"


"What if your only being hurt by the spell and carrying six different sets of memories because you're trying to deny or reject them?" Zenith asked.


Twilight grimaced. "Fighting against mind magic can be... detrimental," she admitted. "But this is different..."


"They put their faith in you, Twilight. I know they trusted you with their lives, and I know that you won't let them down," Discord said. "You said that Celestia cast that spell on you. When she died, when Luna died, when Cadance, Shining Armor, and-"


"Don't," Twilight said firmly.


Discord paused and scrutinized Twilight, who was staring intently at the grass in front of her hooves. "When they died, their magic, their memories, and their special talents saught you out." He paused to let it sink in. After several seconds, Twilight looked up at him. "Now, normally that doesn't happen," he said matter-of-factly. "But they chose you, Twilight. Princess Celestia chose you to be her student because you demonstrated high aptitude for magic. She didn't just teach you, she practically raised you from what I've heard..." Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "She chose you to be her successor. They chose you to be their successor. You clearly have neither recognized nor accepted that."


Twilight tentatively opened her eyes and met Discord's gaze. Discord held all of her attention. "They. Chose. You," he said firmly. "They knew you could handle it. I know you can handle it. You can do this."


"Yeah!" Rainbow agreed. "We all know you can do this, Twilight! If anypony can, you can."


"I'm not stable," Twilight stated. She swallowed and licked her lips. "If I snap-"


"You won't," Fluttershy said in a soft voice.


Twilight turned and looked at Fluttershy. "I've snapped before... you saw what happened then."


Fluttershy wanted to take a step back from Twilight, but she didn't. "You didn't hurt anypony," she said.


Twilight sighed. "I'm not the same pony I was back then, Fluttershy..." She shook her head and glanced up at her sun. "I... I'm just going to have to deal with this until I have more time and resources I can devote to fixing this, I guess." She sighed and looked down at the ground. "Which means I'm going to have to fight him again, in the state of mind that I'm in..." she grumbled. Her lips curled into a neutral line, and she looked up. "I want you all as far away from me as possible when I fight him," she said. "It's too risky to have you nearby."


"I'm staying with you!" Rainbow said firmly. Twilight turned and opened her mouth. "You could use the help," she said. "You've said it yourself, you can only do so much." Twilight closed her mouth.


"I'm coming too," Zenith said.


"Zenith..." Twilight said as she turned to face the young unicorn. "You should-"


"You trained me for this, didn't you?" Zenith asked.


Twilight sighed and relented. "I guess I kind of did, didn't I?" she asked. "But I don't want either of you to get hurt." She tilted her head to the side. "I have plans for both of you after Equestria is mine."


"We'll be fine," Rainbow said.


"Thank you," Twilight said. "This... talking does help. I just... I need to set my mind on a course and stick with it... but I can't decide... but... this has helped." She took a deep breath and nodded to herself. "I'm going after the rest of the girls and Spike, then I'm going after the Inquisitor... After he's dead, I'll bring you all back to Canterlot and... I'll figure something out."