Enigma walked slowly into the lab. He didn’t need to, but he figured it would be better that way. He let the soft clopping of his hooves on cold stone announce his presence as he approached the mare inside.
Bluebonnet was standing at the far end of the lab, staring at a huge, glass jar filled with clear, green liquid. There was a small body floating inside, pipes and wires extending from it and out of the jar, towards a collection of beeping machines. Bluebonnet didn’t turn around when Enigma entered, only a flick of her ear signifying that she registered his presence.
He walked until he was standing right next to her. For a moment, he just stood there at her side, no sound in the room beside their calm breaths, and the soft beeping of the devices. Finally, Enigma shifted uncomfortably.
“I had hoped that bringing you two here would save her life,” he said, looking through the glass, “I was wrong.”
“You… did all you could,” said Dr.Bluebonnet. She turned her head towards him as she spoke, but when he didn’t meet her gaze, she awkwardly turned back to looking forward. “You have nothing to blame yourself for.”
Enigma took a deep breath, and this time he did turn to look at Bluebonnet. “I’m taking you out of here.”
Bluebonnet jerked in surprise, looking back at Enigma. “What? why?”
“Because,” said Enigma, “there will be a war. It is inevitable now. This conflict has already cost you your daughter. I don’t want it to cost you your life as well.”
Bluebonnet’s face shifted through conflicting feelings, the most visible being confusion. Enigma could see the slight pinkness of her eyes, a sign of the time she had spent crying.
“But-” she hesitated, “I can’t just…” She shook her head. “No, I can’t go.”
Enigma’s face tensed slightly. “Of course you can. You’ve worked with my ‘family’ long enough to know them. They may be great actors, but they’ve let you in on enough of their secrets. All you have suspected is true, and worse. You don’t need to keep working for them.”
It took Bluebonnet a moment to respond. She stared into the floor, milling her thoughts while Enigma kept looking at her expectantly.
“It’s not that simple,” she finally said. “I know what they are like, but…”
“You know nothing,” said Enigma, his nostrils suddenly flared with anger. “They are monsters. I know. I’ve been one of them for thousands of years.”
“Then why did you bring us here?” said Bluebonnet, her own face tensing. “If you knew them so well? Why did you trust them with my daughter’s life?”
Enigma flinched away as if struck. “Because I thought Gloria had changed. She’d been keeping up this charade for a millenium. I thought she’d finally become the mask she was wearing. I thought there could be some good in her icy heart after all. I offered her my services in return for Tourmaline’s health. And she cheated me.”
Enigma’s voice was stern, but calm, his anger quickly pushed under the surface. “You didn’t know that, did you? They told you it couldn’t be cured, but I’d seen Eve perform real miracles. She purposefully left the tumor in, commanded it to freeze, but left it in place, just so she could keep it hanging over my head.”
“And how right it was,” said a voice from the console. Both ponies turned towards it in surprise.
There was an image of Dr.Stone’s head hovering in the air, formed of deep blue light emitting from one of the outlets on the machine.
“I thought it was cruel of the princess to do such a thing, but in the end, you’ve proven completely untrustworthy,” said the disembodied head.
Enigma tensed, ready to kick back. In the corner of his eye he saw Bluebonnet’s eyes widening in panic. Stomping his back hoof angrily into the ground, he turned towards the apparition. “Deception. What are you doing here?”
“It’s my lab. And you… know well, what,” said Dr.Stone with irritated voice. For a moment, she was Eve again, her old uncertainty clearly audible. “You waited till I was away,” she finished, glaring at him.
“Yes,” confirmed Enigma, “but there’s no point hiding it anymore. I’m taking Bluebonnet away from you. I’ll keep her safe from your evil.”
Eve’s eyes turned cold, her Dr.Stone persona back in an instant. “Like you kept her safe from the Elements of Harmony?”
Bluebonnet pushed past Enigma, facing the machine. “So, it’s true what he said? That you could have cured my daughter, but didn’t?”
“No,” said Dr.Stone. “She was cured.”
“Don’t lie,” growled Enigma through his teeth.
“I admit, such was my order,” said Dr.Stone, “but I didn’t do it. I merely kept a couple nerves off-tune to simulate the symptoms.”
Bluebonnet looked from one Shattered to the other, utter shock on her face. “What? But… why?”
“Because Gloria needed Enigma by her side, and he wanted Tourmaline to live,” said Dr.Stone. “I did what I could to stay loyal to my family, all of them, despite their disagreements. I knew your daughter would suffer for it. I tried to make it up to her by tweaking her brain to make her a little genius, so she could help her mother work, hoping she would not resent being stuck here so much. Then it was I who persuaded the princesses to let you relocate to Ponyville, so Tourmaline could make some real friends. Still, she never got the life she truly deserved… but she was never in any danger! Not until Enigma let this happen!”
Enigma’s jaw dropped. He then advanced at the machine, snarling. “You have the gall to put the blame on me!? After all you’ve done!?”
“I do,” said Dr.Stone. “I was the only one left at Gloria’s side when all of you were gone. She trusts me. And now that she has Light back, your services were no longer crucial. I had almost convinced her to let me cure Tourmaline, and release you, when the Elements disappeared. If you’d just helped us end this crisis, she’d have no arguments anymore. But you kept proving her right time and time again, ruining my efforts.”
“What else did you expect from me, keeping me like a monster on a chain?” barked Enigma.
“It wasn’t my idea,” replied Dr.Stone, her own temper visibly rising, “but it sure explains why you let that diversion hold you for so long. You knew the child could be in danger, after what Honesty’s power did to her friend. But to leave Arrogance to fight the Elements alone, after what she did to you, it was so deliciously ironic, you couldn’t resist, could you?”
The image seemed to grow bigger and brighter. Enigma was still snarling, but he actually took a step back.
“And so, the fastest pony in the world failed to show up on time, until the battle was over. Until it was too late to save those he had vowed to protect,” continued Dr.Stone. “What were you going to tell Bluebonnet if she pushed the subject? That everypony is free, and her daughter made her own choice? You love that excuse so much whenever somepony dies, and you don’t prevent it. Like with the girl’s father.”
“What?” said Bluebonnet.
“What?” said Enigma. “How did you… you were spying on me!”
The vision shrugged. “Hardly. I just ran a background check on a potential employee at Equestria’s most secret lab. I then asked her a couple of questions about her past, and since you recommended her for the job, I guessed the rest. Seems I was right too. It’s been four thousand years, and of all of us, only you haven’t changed one bit.”
Enigma turned away from the machine and towards Bluebonnet. The mare was standing there with a horrified expression, her eyes watering again, and now looking straight into his.
The unicorn sighed deeply.
“I can’t force you to leave with me,” he said, “but I know you will want to, when you finally see her for who she really is. I won’t get in your way until then.”
And then he was gone.
An awkward silence filled the room, disrupted only by the slow beeping of the machinery. The image of Dr.Stone flickered and dimmed.
“I… will leave you as well,” said Dr.Stone, her voice softening again. “Please take... as long as you need. I can examine the emitter myself.”
“No,” said Bluebonnet, a bit too loudly. “I will do it. I was the one who built it… I… must know.”
She turned once again to look at the small, inert body inside the tank.
“Just give me some more time.”
***
"Thank you, doctor," said princess Cadence.
“It’s been an honour, your Majesty.” The medic nodded his head, and turned to leave the room.
The blue crystal pony had spent the last couple hours examining all the ponies that the Elements have brought in, as well as the girls’ own injuries. Now that he had left, his patients resting in the Crystal Tower’s guest wing once it was certain they were in no danger, the Elements were left to their own devices.
They were standing around the table in a small council room near the heart of the tower, the five of them except Applejack, accompanied by Obsidian, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Bling. All the girls were wearing some bandages, Obsidian’s magic insufficient for healing them in a hurry; Rainbow Dash’s wing was in a sling, causing her to shift uncomfortably whenever she caught herself instinctively trying to fly up.
Once the echo of the doctor’s hooves on the crystal floor died down, Obsidian tapped his staff on the floor. Glowing runes flew in every direction, sticking to walls and around the windows, glowing brightly for a moment before fading into nothing.
“So,” started Obsidian, “what have we achieved?”
“We’ve saved all of the ponies we set out to save,” said Twilight, before hesitantly adding, “except Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle. We still have no idea where they are.”
“We’ve destroyed one of the princesses,” said Bling, “though if what you say is true, the monster she was will be back soon, in another body.”
“We are at war now,” said Shining Armor, “I hate to say it, but there’s no escaping it. The Equestrian army will be on our doorstep within days, perhaps hours. The lives of our subjects will depend on how well we do.”
“I was hoping for another awakening,” said Obsidian, “but it was not the case. A pity really. Another awakened bearer would have been a great help.”
“Can’t we just tell them the truth?” asked Cadence, “With the power Applejack has?”
“We can,” said Obsidian, “And I’m sure the Shattered have prepared some kind of plan against exactly that. We will try, of course. As long as Applejack is willing to do her part.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” asked Bling, raising his eyebrow.
“Because that power is creepy,” said Pinkie Pie, “She said that’s not how Honesty’s supposed to work.”
“She’s wrong, of course,” said Obsidian. “Honesty is all about others being able to trust your word. It’s just how she’s forced to use it that’s creepy. Still, she’d better get used to it, unless she prefers to watch ponies die over watching them hear painful truths.”
Twilight frowned at him over the crystal table. “You have no idea how much truth can hurt.”
***
“You’re lying… it can’t be true,” stammered Scootaloo.
Applejack sighed sadly. “No, I’m telling ya the truth. She made some kind of weird weapon to shoot the princess with, and whatever it was, it worked, but then it blew up in her face.”
Scootaloo turned red. “No, you don’t understand! Minty is a genius! Her inventions don’t blow up. She told me herself. That thing she uses is not like magic, it doesn’t do weird things.”
“I believe you,” said Applejack. “But I saw it with my own eyes. I don’t know what happened to her weapon, perhaps there was some fault she didn’t know about, or something…”
She paused, looking at Scootaloo. The filly had stopped protesting, and now was just looking at her, her facial expression shifting slowly from anger to resignation as the news slowly settled in.
“And… did you see her… really…” she finally managed.
Applejack nodded slowly. “I did. At first I had hope, but… Obsidian said he’d seen it before, and that she’s gone. I don’t like him, not one bit, but he knows a lot… and he never lies about such things.”
Scootaloo trembled involuntarily. She looked around the bedroom they were in, her wings opening and closing. She looked up at Applejack, and asked:
“What do we do now, Applejack? What do we do?”
Applejack walked closer, stopping chest to chest with the filly, and putting one pastern over her withers.
“We’ll find a way. We’ll find Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. And then we’ll all go back home.”
Scootaloo, pressed forward, melting into the hug.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know where they are,” she said.
Applejack leaned forward, blowing softly into her mane. “Of course not. You were locked up, remember? You didn’t even know they were there.”
“I should have escaped,” mumbled Scootaloo into Applejack’s chest.
There was a tap on the door. Both ponies looked up.
“Yes?” asked Applejack.
Rarity poked her head into the room.
“I’m very sorry to interrupt,” she said in a timid voice “but our mysterious guest has woken up, and Obsidian would like you to be present when we speak with her.”
Applejack looked from Rarity to Scootaloo, and sighed. “I can’t go yet,” she said, “Tell them to wait a bit.”
Rarity hesitated. “Could I... take your place here with Scootaloo? I mean, I don’t think they’ll need me there, and … I’d just like to help if I can.”
Applejack looked at Scootaloo, who nodded silently. The girl was not crying, like she expected, rather she seemed silently shocked. The farmpony knew that tears would come, in their own time. For now, she stepped back slowly, breaking the embrace, letting her friend take her place by the filly.
“I’ll be there, if ya need me, sugarcube,” she said, before walking out of the door.
***
Deep beneath the main lab level, Lightbringer opened his new eyes slowly. The contents of the tank were draining away, the liquid replaced with warm air. The stallion took a couple of slow breaths, adapting to the new lungs. From the outside of the glass, Dr.Stone waved her hoof at him, checking his reactions. When she was satisfied with the results, she pulled a large lever, and the tank rose into the air, leaving Lightbringer standing on a small metal platform, in an unfamiliar lab full of similar tanks.
“Took you long enough,” he said, flexing his muscles, as he made sure his new body worked properly. He spread his wings, shaking the moisture out of the red feathers.
“I needed the time to transform your body to match your needs,” said Dr.Stone. “You’re lucky I had one ready for you. We haven’t been dying much recently, and Equestria doesn’t have that many ‘undesirables’ we can use.”
Lightbringer snorted derisively, blowing the last droplets of liquid from his nose. “Where’s Enigma?” he asked.
“It appears, he’s abandoned us again,” said Dr.Stone. “There have been some… unexpected developments while you were out.”
Lightbringer walked up to Dr.Stone, towering over her even as he levelled his face with hers. “Unexpected, you say?” he said. “Let me guess. You let the girl die, and Enigma got pissed. And that means Gloria had come up with some harebrained plan to solve everything by herself, and it blew up in her face. She didn’t get her alicorn body killed, did she?”
Dr Stone seemed to shrink under his gaze. “The girl hit her… with her mother’s pattern gun.”
In an instant, Lightbringer’s aura of disdain was gone, his pupils widening as he stared intently at Stone.
“Pattern gun?! She wasn’t ?”
Dr.Stone shook her head. “Fortunately, no. The magic invested in her form shielded her from the worst of it. I’ve just established contact with her spirit, and am waiting for her to get coherent enough to communicate. Of course, her body wasn’t designed to handle pattern of such intensity…”
Lightbringer exhaled, regaining his cool. “Aurora.”
Stone nodded. “Yes. The space wrinkle holding her inside the body unravelled explosively. The effects were quite messy. There’s no way to repair it.”
Lightbringer face started to regain its derisive sneer. “And I don’t believe you have any spare alicorn bodies, do you?”
To that, Dr.Stone gave an exasperated sigh. “Of course not. Do you know how much work it took me to build the first ones? Not to mention finding the right ponies to power them?Nopony planned for losing one. I might cobble something up for Gloria, to let her pretend for a time, but such ruse would only fail at the worst possible moment. I guess she’ll just have to work with what’s available.”
“Serves you all well,” said Lightbringer. He looked towards the other end of the room, where a new set of heavy plate armor was waiting, propped against an empty pod. “Why did you even build a pattern gun?”
Dr.Stone glared at him. “To be able to handle powerful magical threats. I made it so that we didn’t need the Elements of Harmony. But of course everypony had some bright ideas of their own. If only they listened to me, this mess would have been over ages ago. But no…”
Her voice got softer and softer until she was grumbling inaudibly under her nose. She stopped, hearing a strange rumbling sound behind her. She turned to see Lightbringer’s body shaking rhythmically.
“What are you laughing at?” she asked.
The huge pegasus grinned, showing more teeth than a pony was supposed to have. “Don’t you see it? The Elements are back, and we cannot hide anymore. We’re back at square one.”
His grin melted into a content smile.
“There will be war again.”
***
"I should be with Scoots," grumbled Rainbow Dash. “She needs me.”
“The world needs you, Rainbow Dash,” said Obsidian, “And this is a matter of great importance. I don’t need all the Elements by my side for this, but you and Applejack are essential.”
They turned a corner, and stopped at the last moment, the sound of running hooves warning them about a galloping guard. The crystal pony skidded to a halt and saluted.
“Situation?” asked Obsidian.
“Nothing violent so far, sir,” said the guard, “but I don’t know how long. I’ve just been sent for backup, just in case.”
“That shouldn’t be necessary,” said Twilight. “We will handle this from here.”
The guard visibly relaxed. Obsidian walked past him, slowing down when he felt Pinkie Pie vibrate slightly behind him. The mare was looking intently down the corridor, her body rippling with tiny, involuntary twitches.
“What do you think, Miss Pie?” asked Obsidian.
The party pony smiled, the corners of her mouth sliding slowly higher and higher until she was beaming. “We’re meeting a new friend!” she said in an excited voice.
“That’s a relief,” said Fluttershy.
“You know,” said Obsidian, “sometimes you scare me. How reliable is this thing?”
“It doesn’t always come,” replied Pinkie, “but when it does, it’s always right.”
They turned another corner, and got to the door, where a worried-looking nurse was standing. She looked at the approaching group with pleading eyes.
“I need to run a check up on her, but she wouldn’t let anypony touch her,” she said. “She says, she wants some answers, but she’s been asking things I know nothing about.”
“Do not worry,” said Twilight, “It will be okay once we talk to her.”
There was a sound of galloping hooves behind them. Everypony turned, as Applejack joined the group.
“I came as fast as I could,” she said. “Rarity’s staying with Scootaloo,” she added.
“That’s everypony you need, isn’t it?” asked Bling.
Obsidian looked towards the officer. “More than we need, actually. I’d rather you stayed with the princess. We don’t need to overwhelm our guest with a crowd. I’d rather it was just us for now.”
Bling scowled, “And I’d rather meet her alone to ask her some questions. Serious matters of security are at stake, especially if it is as you say, and she used to share the body with Celestia.”
“Everypony will get their turn, I assure you,” said Obsidian. “And now, let us delay no longer.”
He pushed the door open, and stepped aside, letting the Elements in. Twilight Sparkle went in first, followed by Pinkie, who pronked happily forward, pushing ahead of Dash and Applejack. Fluttershy followed, Obsidian entering behind her and closing the door.
Inside there was a guest bedroom hastily converted into a patient’s room. Right now it was occupied by two ponies, one of them a teal, crystal guard, who clearly didn’t know what to do.
The other was the white pegasus mare, now standing on the bed, apparently having broken out of restrains, crouching in a low stance, like a cat about to pounce. When she saw the Elements enter the room, her eyes slid over the gems they were wearing, and she relaxed a bit, but remained wary.
“The guard is telling me this is the Crystal Empire,” she said. “And you’re the new Elements of Harmony, yes?”
Obsidian nudged Applejack from behind, causing her to flinch and trip forward. She looked over her shoulder indignantly before turning towards the mare, the orange gem on her chest lighting up.
“That’s true,” she said, “This here’s Twilight Sparkle, this is Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie-”
“Nice to meet you!” shouted Pinkie, pushing forward alongside Applejack. Obsidian held her back, using his staff to pin her fluffy tail to the floor.
“-and Obsidian,” finished Applejack “though he isn’t an Element anymore. And I’m Applejack.”
“I… hope it will be nice to meet you,” said the white pegasus. “My name is Aurora, the bearer of Loyalty… though it looks like I’m not an Element anymore,” she finished with an awkward grin. “How are my eyes?”
“Completely normal,” said Obsidian “So, you used to be awakened.”
“I remember you saying that the Elements bond for life,” said Twilight Sparkle.
Obsidian walked closer to the bed. “They do. I still feel her link to Loyalty. Which makes it a really unusual situation. Rainbow Dash, would you come here for a moment?
Rainbow Dash walked to the forefront of the group, standing at the edge of the bed. Aurora eyed her curiously, walking off the bed to be on even level. The two mares froze, one foreleg in the air, each a mirror image of the other, and for a moment Twilight had an intense feeling of deja vu.
“You’re weird,” said the two mares in unison.
“An unintended side effect of what I did to you,” said Obsidian to Rainbow Dash. “I never planned on you meeting another Loyalty.”
Aurora looked at him quizzically. “What? What did you do to her?”
“Am I missing something here?” asked Applejack.
All eyes turned to Obsidian, except Rainbow’s who was still looking at Aurora.
“I needed Rainbow to have the fighting skills I didn’t have the time to teach her,” explained Obsidian.”I experimented, casting a spell that connected her to the memories of the past bearers of Loyalty. It seems to have worked - she’s absorbed enough not to die today, and little enough that she didn’t go crazy.”
“I’ll wait, and see on that,” said Rainbow with a scowl. “This is getting seriously weird.”
“As I said, I never expected you to see another Loyalty,” said Obsidian. “Though this might explain you failing your test.”
“Wait, so she has my memories now?” asked Aurora. She looked more confused by the second, and her muscles tensed again, as if ready to fight.
“No, I don’t,” said Rainbow. “You just seem awfully familiar. And what do you mean, Obsidian?”
Obsidian looked from one to the other. “Your connection is imperfect. It seems the Shattered had made some effort to disconnect Aurora from Loyalty. They almost succeeded, by the looks of it. Aurora must have been locked away for centuries, and Loyalty was embedded in that tree of theirs. Yet the link didn’t sever completely. Now, you two are sharing it, something that wasn’t supposed to happen. That’s why, despite your qualities, you can’t fully master Loyalty’s powers. Not as long as…”
A ring of purple magic wrapped around Obsidian’s mouth.
“Obsidian, I know being blunt is your thing,” said Twilight, “But… Harmony be my witness, if you ever finish this sentence, I will throw you outside the city barrier, and find a way to save Equestria without your help. Do you understand?”
Obsidian’s staff rose into the air, vibrating menacingly. Then, with deliberate slowness, it returned to his side. The stallion took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and shrugged. The spell around his mouth faded, and disappeared.
“Now,” said Twilight, “There’s a lot of questions we have for you.”
“Yes!” piped in Pinkie Pie, “When is your birthday?”
There was a moment of awkward silence.
Pinkie looked around the room. “What? I already know she’ll be our friend. I need to include her in all my schedules.”
“Pinkie, we have more pressing matters at hoof,” said Twilight Sparkle.
“Yes, “ said Aurora, “I’m in the Crystal Empire. But I’ve watched it disappear. Why is it back, and how long has it been?”
“Oh…oh my goodness,” said Fluttershy, covering her mouth with a wing.
“Wait, so you’ve been… inside Celestia this whole time?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“A thousand years,” said Obsidian, “The Crystal Empire returned, because the spell binding it away unravelled naturally.”
“A thousand years?” said Aurora, her ears falling. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy to break out, but this?”
Rainbow Dash turned, putting herself between Aurora and Obsidian. Fluttershy moved from her place in the back, and towards Aurora’s other side.
“So, you didn’t know what was happening?” asked Applejack. “I was hoping you could tell me where my sister is.” she added with a resigned sigh.
“I’m afraid I can’t,” said Aurora. “I used to be able to get some glimpses through Arrogance’s eyes, but after that one time I managed to take control and sent Envy to the moon-”
“WHAT!?” shouted all the girls, even Fluttershy.
“I… I think you have a lot to tell us,” said Twilight Sparkle.
“She can do better than that,” said Obsidian. “Send your dragon to have the ritual chamber prepared. If we take her to the Void Passage, she’ll be able to show you.”
Aurora raised an eyebrow at him. “What is the Void Passage?”
Obsidian closed his eyes. Twilight looked in his direction just in time to see the telltale vein bulging on his temple.
***
The great hall was full of talking ponies. There were nobles, guards, military commanders and diplomats. The corners of the hall were swarming with the castle servants, who took a moment off their work to attend. The atmosphere was heavy, hushed voices taking more and more hysterical undertones, as they gradually merged together into an cacophony of noise. The egos of the aristocracy seemed to be the only thing preventing the crowd from panic, no pony wanting to be seen as the first who completely loses his composure, everypony focusing on their conversations, trying their hardest not to look at a small table at the end of the hall, where a bent and burned golden tiara was left on display.
A door opened, and a line of guards strode into the hall. They marched in two lines, forming around the table, and coming to a halt, still and solemn like gilded marble statues. Silence fell in the hall, as Princess Luna entered, following her retinue, and stopping in front of the table.
All eyes focused on the Princess of the Moon, taking in her appearance - a stern, sad face, the flowing mane tied in black ribbons, a lightweight, navy blue armor covering her chest and limbs. All ears turned towards her, ready to catch every word she’d say.
“Ponies of Equestria,” said Luna, “I come to you this evening, with grave news. Princess Celestia is dead.”
She didn’t use the full power of her voice, only magnifying it a little to carry across the room. She didn’t need to. The effect on the gathered crowd was such as if they were struck by a hurricane; there were panicked whinnies, ladies fainting, ponies standing in stunned shock, tears streaming over their faces.
Luna magnified her voice a little more. “After striving to keep Equestria peaceful and prosperous for a thousand years, she was betrayed and murdered by those she had considered her friends.”
This was enough to get their attention again. The death of a ruler all of them had learned to consider a constant, like Sun and Moon themselves, was clearly not the end of the bad news. Luna took a breath and went on.
“The greatest heroes of Equestria, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony have turned to the whispers of darkness. An ancient evil known as Obsidian the black-hearted, a monster responsible for the villain you knew as King Sombra, one we had thought long vanquished, returned from the dead once again, and managed to corrupt them, and bring them under his sway.
When our heroes returned, after being lost for months, we welcomed them with joy in our hearts. Too late did we discover, that they had sold themselves to dark powers. They stole the Elements of Harmony, turning them into a tool of evil magic, capable of enslaving the hearts and minds of those they encountered. They murdered my sister when she tried to stop them. Right now, they reside in the Crystal Empire, along with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, all willing servants to Obsidian, using their powers to transform the crystal ponies they enslaved into an army of conquest. For the first time in Centuries, Equestria is going to be at war.”
There was no cacophony of voices this time, only horrified silence. Luna could clearly smell the dread in the air, spreading from pony to pony, as the nobility of Equestria was transformed into a herd on the edge of panic.
She spread her wings, and rose into the air, her voice growing in volume.
“The darkness is upon us, like it hasn’t been for a thousand years! But I swear upon my life, as the princess of Equestria, I will defend the ponies my sister dedicated her life to! Tomorrow morning I will raise the Sun, and with the new dawn, new hope will shine for ponykind! We will stand strong, and defeat this evil, like we always have, together!”
She looked down upon the crowd. There were some voices raising already, the ponies grasping at the hope she gave them, trying to cheer themselves into courage. She stayed in the air, her horn casting a silver halo around her.
She turned towards a stained glass window, depicting the defeat of Nightmare Moon by the Elements of Harmony.
“As for those who were once our heroes, they are no more. The ones who once saved me from my own darkness, have now descended into evil beyond return.”
Her light intensified and the window exploded, a rain of glass pieces falling into the growing darkness outside. Luna turned towards another window, one depicting the victory over Discord. A single tear ran down her cheek, for everypony to see.
“Whatever good they might have done once, whatever values they stood for, all of it is lost to them now.”
Another blast, another explosion. Luna turned toward the image of Cadence and Shining Armor defeating the changeling swarm.
“Once we have brought justice to them, for all the crimes they’ve committed, they will never be mentioned again, except as a warning against consorting with evil powers!”
The image exploded, and cold air blew into the hall. The princess faced the most recent window, a picture of Spike the dragon saving the Crystal Empire.
“Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Cadence, Shining Armor, and all who stand by their side… are now enemies of ponykind!”
She blasted the last window, and turned towards the crowd.
“Remember this night, my ponies, the darkest night in all your lives. For when the Sun rises tomorrow... There will be JUSTICE!”