Chessmaster through Life and Shadows

by Prismfire Productions

The Book of Nova

-Train ride to Manehatten-

All was quiet in the compartment where the stowaways were packed liked sardines. The clickity clack... clickity clack... acting like a soothing metronome, with Windy and Crypt Keeper already falling victim to its wonderful siren song. With Dash being Madame of the Night, she had more of an immunity than the others, but even she was starting to succumb to its lullaby. The beat echoed in her ears and soothed her brain, taking with it the troubles of her mission as she drifted off to sleep...

~~~Dreamscape~~~

Dash looked at her surroundings in puzzlement, for this dream was unlike any other she’d had before. Everything she saw in her vision felt familiar but looked different. The polished marble floors allowed her to see her reflection, a view she hated, but had to come to terms with as a sign of her Auntie Tia's betrayal. The ornate tapestries and glimmering stained glass windows made her think that she was in Canterlot Castle, but the distant howl of timberwolves made her do a double take.

She realized she was in Everfree Forest, in the Castle of Two Sisters, a place she had only visited once in her short lifetime. All was quiet as the clock struck twelve times, signaling it was midnight. She started exploring, and before she knew it 3 a.m. had arrived. During those three hours, she found nopony, which made the castle seem abandoned so she trotted for the balcony. The full moon shone a graceful glow over the courtyard below her, where ponies hadgathered in nice organized rows. Each pony was wearing a lovely robe of purple silk, trimmed in silver, and it clung to their forms like a second skin. The moment they spotted her they lowered themselves into a bow, which further confused the thestral.

"At ease everypony," She said blinking once, then twice, as everypony stood to attention and saluted as her order coursed through the crowd. "none of you have to bow to me."

A young unicorn colt, who could not have been older than fifteen, stepped forward and raised his voice loud enough so Dash could hear. "Oh but we do Your Highness, for you alone are going to restore what is right! You have come to free us from Princess Celestia's tyrannical hoof and restore true peace upon Equestria, and for that we are forever thankful, and will follow your commands Madame Nova. We have gone before Princess Celestia for each of the past three days to convince her to let our Princess return, but she refuses to see reason."

"We shall go at daybreak," Dash addressed after a few moments of indecision. "but for now everypony rest. A better future, one of eternal night, is on the horizon. My dear auntie will pay for her tyranny and we, the followers of my mother Nightmare Moon, shall take what is rightfully ours. Day will fall to night, the sun will no longer shine, and my mother will again walk amongst us!"

A thunderous chorus of cheers and the stomping of hooves greeted this proclamation, and it echoed through the courtyard and into the surrounding forest. The shock wave from the hooves stomping in unison was like a miniature Equisquake, and caused the nocturnal animals that called Everfree their home to head for cover. Most of the citizens who had greeted her went to sleep shortly after, a few staying up to keep watch, and Dash retired to the bedchamber deep in thought.

"I know this is a dream, but I'm going to see where this goes..." Dash thought to herself as she layed in the queen sized bed. "If I can beat her in this realm, I can take her out personally. Oh how sweet my vengeance will be for her betrayal, my mother will rule and I can be finally happy again!"

True to her word, when the day came, Dash lead the ponies of Equestria who followed her and Nightmare Moon to present themselves before Celestia. Dash stayed among them to present herself before the Princess as well, for she wanted to handle this matter personally. When Celestia spotted Dash her jaw dropped. "Dash, my dear niece, where have you come from? It has been so long since that fateful night."

"Where I have come from you ask...I have come from roaming about the night and walking around Equestria during it." Dash replied in a cold tone as she stepped forward. "In the time since your betrayal I have come to be known by many names Auntie, but I answer to being called Madame Nova. Some of my subjects have told me they have came to you for the past three days concerning my mother's return, and it is that matter that draws me here since you refuse to abide the request."

Celestia chewed her bottom lip as she pretended to muse in thought. When she had heard the crowd approaching as she rose from slumber, she had already knew why they were coming. The 500th anniversary of Luna's banishment was close and they wanted their princess back, but Celestia had remained steadfast in her decision. Deep down she wanted her sister back, just as much as they did. Their separation pained her and made her heart ache, but she also knew when Fate had decreed their paths would cross again.

Seeing Dash among the citizens, looking and sounding like a true and absolute leader, made her mind race. A figurative light bulb went off as a possible loophole struck her like a thunderbolt. "I could not help but notice that you referred to the Children of the Night as your subjects... how could you lay claim to that? Dost thee not consider my dear sister Lulu as the more fit ruler? A leader who is more perfect than myself, and will lead you to a better tomorrow by improving on the already existing peace on this land?"

"I lay claim in her name, as I'm her daughter," Dash answered the Princess of the Sun not as an equal, but as a ruler talking to an inferior. "and they all see me as their leader in my mother's unfortunate and uncalled for absence. I believe thou are scared Auntie, for I know deep down my mother is not scared of thyself. For thou hast cast her aside to have everypony worship you, when it was her that kept everypony happy by banishing their nightmares and watched over their dreams. Yet thou received all the credit, credit that belongs to the true Princess of Equestria! Bring her forth and unto our hooves, and soon everypony in Equestria will spit in thy face, and not even as much chew cud in the direction thou trot. Even the worshipers of thy sun will eventually come to love the coolness and comfort eternal night will bring."

Being the old and wise ruler that she was, Celestia knew better than to tempt or anger Fate. She also knew Destiny had foretold the battle not being for another five centuries, not sooner nor later, and had to play the delicate balance and keep the status quo until the true moment of her sister’s return. However, she also thought this would be a good life lesson for Dash by teaching her patience, that everything happens for a reason, and not to rush things before their time.

"Fine, Madame Nova," Celestia said making sure everypony sensed her disdain at the self-proclaimed title of her undead niece. "I shall listen and put your mother in charge for now. I give you this warning, I am putting her in your hooves and yours only, for everything she does, you will be held accountable. You and your followers wanted eternal night, so now my sun's warmth shall never again be felt by anypony. If your mother gets too out of hoof, immediately come wake me, for I will cast a sleeping spell on myself that only you can break. Until this lesson is learned, farewell, for in an hour your mother will return. Leave now, and go alert the populace as the final preparations are made. So here, on the sixth day of the sixth month in the sixth year of this solar cycle, I turn control of Equestria over to my sister Princess Luna."

Dead silence persisted as Celestia retired, leaving the gathered ponies to look at Dash with great anticipation. The mare was frozen, shocked to her core, her brain running a million miles a second. She had lucid dreamed before, but this was different and felt too real, and it seemed a little too easy. She was snapped back to attention by the colt from the previous night tapping her withers.

"Are you ok Madame Nova?" He asked with concern in his tone, his muzzle twisted and became downcast with a look of deep worry.

"Yes... I am," Dash said as she got her thoughts and emotions back under control, once again able to think clearly. "Most of the townsponies should be getting up about this time, let us go forth and bring them the good news of my mother's return."

The crowd bowed and proceeded to march through town, eager as foals on Hearthsday. As they went down Mane Street, one of them started to sing, and soon they all joined in.

At high noon the church bells rang and each successive ring echoed through the air as the skies started to darken, for the sun was rapidly heading for the western horizon and the moon rose into the sky. Something was different about the moon however, as the normally dull and flat image of the Mare in the Moon was pulsating with a vibrant light. The moon then reached the highest point in the sky, encasing the sky in eternal night as a beam shot down from the moon and onto the courtyard below. The brightness of the beam made everypony shield their eyes, and when their eyes had adjusted and they looked back, there stood Nightmare Moon. Most of the townsponies ran back into their shops and locked their doors, but to the Children of the Night, their princess had finally come and each of them lowered themselves into a deep bow.

"At long last mother," Dash said stepping forward and bowed. "Equestria is now ruled by its rightful ruler. At last, your vision of an eternal night has become a reality. Long live your rule, and may your moon bask us in the soothing light of its moonbeams. For 500 years this land was ruled under the mask of peace, but now thou shall show what true peace is."

Nightmare Moon grinned, showing every single razor-sharp tooth, before doing a bone chilling cackle that pierced the air like a witch's call on Nightmare Night, and made most of the crowd shiver. "So, my dear sister Tia decided to let me rule for a change? About time she came to her senses and let me out of that accursed prison to which I was wrongly sent all those winters ago. Now, would somepony please tell me where is she now?"

"Oh glorious Night Mother," One of the Lunar Guards said stepping up alongside Dash. "Sunbutt is in her bedchamber asleep. She has cast a sleeping spell on herself while you are in control, so she is out of the picture. So now what is your first order of business your Highness?"

Nightmare Moon pursed her lips and closed her eyes as she hummed, weighing her thoughts before coming to a conclusion. "My first order of business is to give Celestia her punishment... for I sentence her to the same banishment that she made me suffer through. The era of the day is over, now only night shall prevail!"

A wave of cheers swept through the crowd, but surprisingly Dash was not one of those cheering. As her mother retired into the castle, her Aunt Celestia's words echoed through her mind, plaguing her conscience and making her think about her choice. She saw a bright beam come from the castle a few moments later, shortly followed by the familiar portrait of the Mare in the Moon, but it was different. It now faced the opposite direction that her mother's image had been, and the moon changed shades to match Celestia's mane and tail colors. As the only one who could wake the Princess of the Sun, Dash knew the only way to bring her aunt back was to betray her mother. Dash's unusual behavior did not go unnoticed, and she was snapped out of her thoughts once again by the feel of somepony tapping her withers.

"Are you alright Mádame Nova?" Emerald Lily, her best friend, asked as she seemingly materialized out of the crowd. The moonlight shimmered off of her bright emerald coat and cherry blossom pink mane and tail. Dash looked into Emerald's eyes, the pools of aquamarine staring back at her full of concern. "Why aren't you cheering with the rest of us? You did what you set out to do, you brought our beloved Princess back and brought forth eternal night. Yet I can tell you seem displeased about something, is it the fact that your mother just banished Princess Celestia? All of us here heard her words, that you were the only pony who can break the sleep spell. Surely you aren’t thinking about possibly waking her... you are the Element of Loyalty, and on the off chance you did want to wake Celestia that would be betraying your mother. So I ask you Mádame, which is it?"

"Everypony celebrates in their own way Emerald..." Dash's tone level but firm, hiding how she was truly feeling. What her mother just did was a sign, like the canary in a coal mine, and deep down she had a feeling that things were only going to get worse and that she had made a costly mistake. "and not always is the celebrating a show of external emotion. I know you addressed me in an official manner to try and make me feel better, but it is unnecessary for two reasons; first of all you are my friend and secondly I am fine. I just need a bit of time to sort everything out, trust me, I am happy that I am once again with my mother..."

"But Celestia is still your aunt..." Emerald interjected. "You have so much hate and anger towards her, but she is still part of your family. We all have a relative that we fight or disagree with, myself included, but they are still family and nothing can change that. Your loyalty needs to be redirected, instead of focusing your loyalty at revenge, focus it on trying to repair the bond between all three of you. You said that you would not be happy until your mother returned, yet here you are looking just as miserable as you did during your speech last night. We all have to make sacrifices to do the right thing, even if it is not the thing we want to do. Besides, look around you, not at the Children of the Night but at everypony else. You said that everypony would bow Look outside the box, see it from their perspective, you just did the same thing to them that Celestia did to you."

Those words hit Dash like lightning, penetrating and reverberating through every muscle and nerve in her body. Her pupils dilated and she started to slightly shiver as she looked around and realized that Emerald was right. In every storefront was a sign, each hoofmade and had a variety of designs, but each said the same messege: "PRAISE THE SUN, MAY CELESTIA RETURN".

"I...I am no better than her then..." Dash said while trying, and failing, to keep tears from building. However she quickly got herself back together and saluted when her mother trotted back onto the balcony.

"So who do I have the pleasure of thanking for my return to Equestria?" Nightmare Moon asked her subjects, while also scanning the crowd at the same time.

"It was me, dear mother," Dash said with a bow, making her mom look straight at her. "I am the pony responsible."

"You look different, why are you a thestral?" Nightmare Moon's tone was mixed confusion and wonder, but still carried an ominous tone, like interrogating an imposter.

"I was turned into a vampony thestral by Commander Blackwing," Dash answered with a dry gulp, feeling a bit intimidated. "I then killed him in an act of revenge."

"Very good, and now since that is out of the way," Nightmare Moon said addressing her subjects. "come now my children and let's go and spread the word of my return. Commander Nova, my dear daughter, will be leading you on this objective. Rainbow, the court is now yours."

Dash froze, she was not expecting her mom to give that proclamation. Circumstances considered, she went with what she felt her mother would want her to do. "All who do turn their loyalty over to my mother, our royal Highness, will be welcomed with open hooves and can continue about their daily lives properly cared for. Any who still still swear their loyalty to Celestia are to be arrested on the spot and charged with treason against the crown. In addition to being arrested, all their rights are to be stripped from them, and held in the Canterlot Dungeons until they change their mind... or die."

Everypony bowed and left except Emerald, who pulled Dash off to the side for a private chat. "What the hay were you thinking Dash?!? Not even ten minutes ago you admitted that you were no better than Celestia, but you just went out on a limb and gave that disastrous order!"

"Give it some time... I am sure-" She was cut off by a sad sight as scores after scores of citizens were being led, flown, or teleported to the castle and let inside, just like cattle on market day. "You know... perhaps I did make a mistake, I am going to talk to my mother right now. The worse she can do is banish me after all. Not to mention all I have to do is somehow get Auntie Tia woke up to end this if things go south..."

Without another word, Dash took off and headed for the castle. As she neared the balcony, she took a moment to collect herself about how to approach this delicate matter. She knew this was not going to end well, she hoped she was wrong but deep down she felt like she was trotting into a lion's den. She descended in a long, slow glide, landing on the balcony without a sound before heading for the throne room. When she entered it, she saw tomes and scrolls had been tossed about, and her mother was muzzle deep in one of the thickest tomes in the room... "The Celestial Guide to Equestria's Tax Code and Porportancy"

"So much has changed since I was last here..." Nightmare muttered under her breath while scrunching her face in disgust. "Took half of what was supposed to be directed for my subjects and redirected it towards refurbishing the noble sector of the city... and only giving three bits to the Underprivileged Foal Fund. That fact alone and itself is sad and unjust, I bet the rest went to eating cake to pad her flank..."

Dash cleared her throat. "Um mom... I hope you aren't too upset with the order that I gave earlier. I made it on the spot and did it without thinking, if you want to override it I will not be mad."

Nightmare looked up from the tome, leaned back, and sighed. She blinked a few times as her posture relaxed, clearing her eyes of the stinging pain brought on by straining her eyes at the pages. "I am going to override it Nova, your order was too severe and more along the lines of capital punishment. Your heart was in the right place daughter, but your execution was poor. I am not mad at you, and your command is something I will help with as I train you as my successor. Eventually, I will retire, and then Equestria will be yours to rule as you please as the sole authority in this land."

"Ok Nova you can do this..." Dash took a silent breath before looking up, meeting her mom's gaze. "About that, once I take over I plan on ending Auntie Tia's exile."

The mood shifted, like a switch had been flipped, the atmosphere thickened and became heavier as Nightmare glared at her daughter. "Why? After all she has done to me... She ignored me when I needed her most, cast me away into the realm of shadows, banished me to the moon for these past five centuries... but yet you still want to bring her back. I have but one simple question for thee and it is the same as the first... Why?"

"The answer is just as simple as the question," Dash's tone, despite her being scared, held firm with false confidence. "even with everything she has done, she is still my aunt and your sister. We are related by blood and nothing can change that mom. I want us to eventually be a family again, no hate or anger between us or at each other, just close-knit and loving one another."

Nightmare, surprisingly, did not hiss or snarl at the explanation. She looked up at the moon through the skylight and sighed, it was a deep sigh of longing and pain, but a hint of anger still seeped through. "It is a vision you should abandon daughter, because there is no way that I can forgive Celestia. You can do whatever you want once you become the ruler my little Nova, but as long as I am in charge please keep those kinds of things to yourself, or at least make sure none of the nobility overhear you. The fact you are even wanting her back could be seen as an act of betrayal, considering you are the one who convinced her to turn her reign over to me."

"That is where you are wrong mother," Dash retorted with a slight glare. "my loyalty to you is still there. However, something recently was brought to my attention and it made me rethink some things. In my honest opinion, I feel it would be in the best interests of our subjects if their rulers all were on the same page. Keep in mind, you taught me when I was little that everypony deserves a second chance. I am willing to give her one, now the question is will you practice what you preach or make yourself look like a hypocrite?"

Before she could even blink she was snagged, dragged, and suspended in midair by her mother's magic. Now muzzle-to-muzzle with her, Dash was directly in the crosshairs of her mother's scornful glare. "Now Nova, because you are my daughter I am going to let you off with a warning, next time you will be punished for such a question. I will admit, your question warrants merit, but at the same time I think she should have a taste of her medicine about how I felt the whole time... "an eye for an eye" and all that."

"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind mother..." Dash snarled. "violence should only be used as a last resort. Tell me mom, what are you going to do if I step out of line again... Put me in the dungeon? Ground me? Banish me!?!? Go ahead and do that last one, I dare you to!"

Dash could see the cold rage brewing in her mom's eyes, but for once she did not care as she continued. "As I was flying over the crowd, all I saw were the faces of depressed citizens, and in every storefront was a sign praising auntie. I see now that this, ruling with an iron hoof, is not the proper way to preside over a nation. If you banish me to be with auntie, then you will have to spend every waking moment suffering the guilt of banishing your daughter... You won't do it, not because you don't have the guts, but because you know deep down that I'm right.”

Dash's vision suddenly went white and she could feel herself rising up through the air. Her first instinct told her that her mom had blasted her through the skylight in anger, something she felt she deserved for the way she had been talking. However, when she felt herself keep accelerating upward panic set in. She desperately tried to move, or at least tilt, her wings to slow her momentum but to her shock she could not move them. When her vision finally cleared, her eyes widened and her heart sank; instead of looking at the moon, the beautiful blue orb of Eques was staring back at her. The surrounding landscape was a bleak and desolate grey, and flat as a rock farm except for the occasional crater that pin pricked the land like holes on a changeling. The sky was breathtakingly beautiful, her mother's stars and galaxies painted against a black canvas better than any master artist could even dream of, but there was one glaring omission.

Celestia's sun, the hot ball of magic that was a harbinger of morning since time itself began, was not visible. In its place was a dark mist-like void, only the occasional speck of light peeked through only to be swallowed up again less than a second later. Once her senses keyed in fully, she could feel that her body was charged. The static-like nature she felt was also familiar, it was faintly of her mother's magic, and it was that magic that was keeping her alive in the thin atmosphere of the place she had to now call home.

" Well buck... she actually did it..." Dash thought to herself as she started to aimlessly wander around. "now I just got to try and find Auntie Tia and wake her up, and hopefully that will set everything back to normal because this has become a nightmare."

Not wanting to risk flying in such low gravity, she kept to the surface as she trotted around. Minutes, hours, days? It did not matter to Dash, for time seemed to have mixed and flowed into one continuous stream, the only movement being her putting one hoof in front of the other and the occasional specks of moondust moving up into her vision. After some time, a faint glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes as she saw hoof tracks up ahead of her. The hope was squashed as she remembered one important detail, Celestia was asleep so she couldn't have made the tracks. Approaching then, she realized they were bigger than hers, so only one pony could have made them.

"Momma..." Dash's voice was like a whisper with no echo, even her own ears could barely pick it up as she set her hoof inside of the impression. It was more than twice the size of her own hoof, a size that Dash knew she would never get to because of how small batponies were compared to alicorns. Not only that, the fact she was a vampony meant that she grew at a slower rate, in the 500 years since her death her body had only "aged' by two years. Seeing that there was nothing else she could do, she started following her mom's hoofsteps. Sometime later, she came across a large temple-like building that seemed to be something out of the days of old.

The moonstone was well polished, and shimmered similarly to mother-of-pearl at the right angle. The columns at the corners rose and curved, forming an extravagant arch with gold leaf trimmed olive vines, each looking full of life. Dash marveled at the exterior before making her way inside, where she was greeted by the misty apparition of a grey alicorn.

"Hello moon child," The figure said in a warm natured tone. "I have been expecting your arrival. My name is Esprit de la Lune, but you may call me Fille. I humbly welcome you to my stellar form, you are here for Celestia correct?"

Power... That was the first word that came to Dash's mind as she could feel the strong aura the apparition gave off, and her instincts told her to listen and obey the spirit in front of her. "That is correct Mrs. Fille, I am, but I have to know... just who are you? How did you know me and what I want?"

"Obviously you need to work on your foreign languages..." Fille said with a knowing sigh. "My name is Prench in origin, and means "Spirit of the Moon"... which is in fact what I am. The moon is a personification of my being, and do you think that your mother is the only Lunar Diarch to ever exist in history? Her age is that of an embryo compared to mine, and the first Diarch of the moon was from Prance, hence my name. The reason I call myself Fille, or daughter, is because I am just a small part of the vast reaches of space. As far as knowing who you are, I have seen your mother long to be reunited with you and I comforted her when she needed help."

"Then why did she still seem lonely?" Dash asked with a raised eyebrow, even with Fille's words sounding truthful she still wasn't fully convinced. "And why call me moon child?"

"I could only give her so much comfort, but it still wasn't what she needed, she wanted you and on,y that could have filled the void. You questioning why I call you moon child, yet your mother is the current Diarch is she not?" Fille countered, her tone turning a little bitter. "It isn't every millennia that a new one is chosen, I only bestow that honor on those whom I deem worthy to carry that title, and you are her daughter. Now come, I will take you to Celestia as I explain some things..."

Fille's tone shift made Dash gulp, and she knew she was now trotting on very thin ice. Conceding to the ancient spirit in front of her, she simply nodded and followed her through the lavish and ornate halls. Paintings lined both walls, serving as a time capsule spanning the millennia. The paintings on the left had gold coated frames, whereas the ones on the right had silver coated ones. One thing stood out, there were no Alicorns in the paintings, but instead there were a mix of the other three tribes. Unicorns were the most common, but there were also some Pegasi, and even a few Earth Ponies were shown. Another thing was that not all of the ponies in the paintings were mares, in fact, it looked like a healthy 50/50 mix of mares and stallions.

"I am sure you noticed a constant variable little Prism, it is the fact there are no Alicorns..." Fille speaking interrupted the stillness of the air, and startled Dash to the point she keed, which made Fille giggle. "Sorry to startle you, but anyways, the honor of becoming a Diarch comes from me and my sister Soleil. Any time the serving Diarchs become unfit to rule, we look look at every individual's souls and desires, those who we think can handle the responsibility of being able to wield us are made the new Diarchs when the time comes. When one becomes the Diarch of the Sun or the Diarch of the Moon, they are made into Alicorns to better handle the magic. Of course, there are a few exceptions when the ruling change is unjust, but those are few and far between."

Dash nodded in understanding. "Have either of you made a mistake when it comes to who you chose to wield yourselves?"

The question made the atmosphere thicken, Dash could feel it shift, and if that wasn't enough then Fille's reaction was proof. Her eyes became downcast and she lowered her head, like recalling a bad memory. "Nopony is perfect Dashielle... as far as your question is concerned, it happened once. The one time it happened, it was a set of circumstances that both me and Soleil had no control over, would you like to know what happened?"

"Yes I would Fille," Dash said as she sat down like a student preparing to listen to a lesson. She had never been one to like history, but Fille's reaction had her curiosity peaked as to what had happened. "that is if you do not mind sharing..."

Fille sat by Dash and wrapped a misty wing around her. "Now listen close to what I have to say... Hundreds of millennia before Celestia and Luna were even born, there were two queens, Firestorm and Morningdew. Times were simple and peaceful back then, and since ponies had not found Zebrica, the concept of alchemy was new and exciting for unicorns to use. One fateful day, Firestorm was experimenting with ways to combine alchemy and magic. It was then she made an amazing discovery, she found a way to transfer Soleil's magic to another pony..."

"What!?!" Dash's jaw dropped and she stared at Fille in shock. "I did not think such a thing would be possible!"

"Neither did me and Soleil..." Fille conceded, making sure Dash was paying attention. "Anyways, Firestorm had grown tired of the weight the role she had carried was on her. She quickly ran to Morningdew and shared her findings, trying to convince her to do it with her as a cop out to be freed from their duties. Morningdew, however, disapproved of the notion and threatened to destroy Firestorm's findings. As you could imagine, Firestorm was awfully upset, and came to the conclusion that things would be better if Morningdew was out of the picture. So, in revenge, she plotted to kill Morningdew."

Dash cringed at the thought. "The ultimate betrayal... that makes what Auntie Tia did to my mom seem like a timeout."

"Good comparison, and this story does have a happy ending." Fille said with a nod before continuing. "Anyways, Soleil felt the change in Firestorm's heart, and alerted me as to what was going to happen. I was able to warn Morningdew in her dreams that night, that made sure she was not blindsided and allowed her to mentally prepare. The next day, all of Tartarus broke loose as the two engaged in a fight to the death. Morningdew, despite having more book smarts, was not as skilled in the art of combat and eventually lost. Firestorm, still wanting to make Morningdew suffer more, did not outright kill her; but instead she broke Morningdew's wings and horn and tossed her into a gorge. Shortly after, a young changeling mare found Morningdew and started to try healing her. Sadly, the damage was too great, and despite the mare's efforts Morningdew was slowly dying."

Dash raised her hoof in an attempt to ask a question, but she lowered it as Fille continued. "As I stated, Morningdew was smart, and she was known to have an almost-perfect memory. Recalling Firestorm's notes on how to do the power transfer, she managed to concentrate enough to pour the last bit of her magic into the remnant of her horn. With her last moments, she told the mare what had transpired and the power she now wielded. Fully enraged at the act of betrayal that Firestorm had done, the mare hunted down Firestorm and easily overpowered her. Not wanting the sun to burn out, she transferred Soleil's power into her Captain of the Guard, and then died shortly after. The new Diarchs, now an Alicorn and Changeling Queen, went on to get married and be the longest lasting Diarchs at 15,000 years."

"So Firestorm was the mistake then?" Dash asked but stopped in her tracks as her muzzle hit something. Regaining her focus on her surroundings, she realized that she had walked right into the double doors at the end of the hallway.

"Indeed she was," Fille sighed as she became more transparent. "and my time with you is close to over. You will find Celestia behind those doors resting peacefully on the bed. Until we meet again, farewell moon child."

Dash did not even have time to blink before Fille faded away, leaving her all alone in the hallway, which seemed to have become more dreary. It made a creepy sensation start to crawl up her back, making her bust through the door and glide straight to her sleeping aunt.

"Auntie... Auntie wake up!" Dash pleaded, shaking Celestia to the point she woke up with a jump. "I was wrong about everypony forgetting about you and worshipping mom, I am sorry for the way I acted and how I spoke to you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Celestia smiled and pulled Dash into a hug. "Of course my dear niece, I already have, and I hope you learned your lesson from this. Things are not always as they seem, and there are consequences for every action, no matter how big or how small it may look. Your mother will return, but now it is time you wake up dear."

The last thing Dash saw was Celestia's body emit a bright white glow as everything became swallowed by it.

~~~waking world~~~

Dash woke and, forgetting where she was at the moment, hit her head on the top of the confined space. "That was some dream... I wonder if any of that was true or was that my imagination running wild again..."

A sudden jar stirred her, Windy, and Crypt like potatoes in a stew and signaled that they had arrived at the Manehatten train station. Meanwhile back in Canterlot, Celestia woke up with a smile spread across her muzzle.

"I honestly hope that Nova takes those lessons to heart..." The alabaster alicorn thought as she summoned some of her favorite tea, then turned her attention to the moon. "Although Fille's interference was unexpected, but also welcomed..."