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// CH 16: "...And Justice For All" finale part 2 
// Story: Path of the Unforgiven 
// by HeatseekerX51 
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PRESENT DAY, CANTERLOT

The royal hall was abuzz with chatter, jam-packed as it was with ponies come to see the spectacle. The noble unicorns of Canterlot city dressed as if the Grand Galloping Gala had come early, with plumaged hats and bustled gowns in constant motion as they gossiped, laughed, and speculated. Guards stood by at the exits and throne dais stoic and professional, spears raised at perfect verticality. The only floorspace that remained clear was the central aisle, which was partitioned from one end to the other by foreboding iron gate brought in from the outside. 
A single unicorn guard stepped out into the path near the double-door entrance. 
“MARES AND GENTLECOLTS…” He loudly proclaimed in a nasally yet melodic voice. “ANNOUNCING, KING ASPEN, LORD OF THE KINGDOM OF THE THICKET!”
As the doors opened, all heads turned to see the stately deer king enter the hall, adorned in his antler cuffs, sabatons, and bearing his philter around the neck. Two of his guards followed half-a-pace behind, one of which was Blackthorn who now wore a breastplate of ruddy brown with the emblem of an oak tree on the front.  
Behind the attention-drawing stature of the dual thrones was the non-descript red curtain that led to the princesses’ private chamber. Presently, one of the curtains was partially drawn aside so that a pair of emerald green eyes could take stock of the gallery in attendance. 
“Looks like we’ve got a full house today, your Majesty.” Pulling away from the threshold, the mare with the dirty-white coat and beige mane filled her cheeks with a breath and exhaled for several seconds. “This could get really bad.”
“Indeed, there are many in Canterlot who would pay good money to see Chrysalis in chains.” Luna chimed from the corner of the room, using a tall mirror to dress herself in royal raiment, delicate silken robes of translucent blue with decorative golden meander & lines bordering. “Art thou sure a week in the stockade would not be warranted, sister?”
In another corner of the room, Celestia was engaged in a similar process of making herself an even more presentable semi-divine being, with rainbow pastel robes arranged on her in such a way that even an experienced seamstress would struggle to emulate. She paused in her fixation of the crown and spared her sister a brief glance. “Warranted, yes.” She admitted. “But I would not trust in giving her any new chances to escape.” Going back to focus on herself, Celestia used a wing to lift a bit of fabric higher around her haunches. “Just bringing her out of the cell is risk enough. Being prostrated in the public square would be too easy for her to devise some plan.”
“And it would probably scare a lot of children.” Capulet added, pacing nervously back and forth, absent-mindedly chewing on a bang of mane that drifted in front. “It would be a public-relations disaster.” 
Celestia could not help but pull herself away from the mirror, putting a wing on Capulet’s back to calm the assistant. “Fortunately, none of that will be happening.”
The fretting unicorn looked up to see the soft smile of the alicorn beaming down on her, a benevolent presence doing more to relax her nerves than a hot bath. “Right... right.” Capulet exhaled, letting her blood pressure settle. 
“I promise. Now do go and inform King Aspen that we will be beginning.” With a gentle maternal patting of the back, Celestia sent Capulet towards the curtain. 
“At once, Princess!” She chirped; her confidence reinvigorated. 
“I like this one.” Luna said once the mare had exited. “She is much more personable than the nannies we had as fillies.”
“I agree, she has a lot of upside. If only she didn’t get so terribly anxious.” Celestia mulled on her next thought, staring out through the sliver of a gap Capulet had left in the curtain. She could see the consolidated mass of ponies waiting in the gallery, which was nothing new, but this was a rather unprecedented occasion. 
“Let us hope this kind of procedure does not become more common.” She sighed. 
“More common than once in an eon?” Luna asked sarcastically. “I should think it’s a rather low bar. But then again, Chrysalis is a repeat offender.” 
“Hmm…” Thinking back to their battle in fallen Trot, Celestia remembered the snarl of hatred on the black queen’s face when she was confronted. A string of successful conquests had allowed Chrysalis to believe that the Changelings were unstoppable, an overconfidence that gave Celestia the opening to deliver a decisive blow. 
“There was no small amount of luck on my behalf back in Trot you know.” She said, still looking forward. “You may remember that dueling wasn’t exactly my favorite class.” 
“You gave Starswirl no end of grief!” Luna chuckled as she joined her sister’s side. “I remember you actually held your breath until he let you out of the lesson early.” 
It was a memory that caused Celestia to shake her head with perspective. “In retrospect, I should have taken them more seriously. When I faced Chrysalis, she well could have defeated me if she had set her mind too. As it was, I don’t think she took me very seriously.”
“More’s the pity.” Luna mused. “That you only blew bits of her apart and not destroyed her wholly in the moment.” 
The suggestion caught Celestia off-guard with no small degree of shock, and only a pace from the other side of the curtain she turned on her sister. “I wouldn’t do that, not even to her. Everypony deserves a second chance. Surely you would agree.” 
The stellar Princess methodically turned her head and raised an eyebrow of skepticism. “Better than most. But it would be untrue to say that we have not destroyed a foe before. Chrysalis would not have been the first.” 
Celestia said nothing in return, knowing full well what she meant. Her sternness faulted into an uncomfortable grimace. More than one painful memory forced their way to the surface of her mind. The first was a face filled with more rage than she thought possible for a pony, eyes brimming with dark magic. The next was a memory of soft comforts and a warm body next to hers. A set of emerald eyes resting lovingly on her. “And there will never be a second.” She said firmly. 
Luna said nothing in return, preferring to let the needless issue rest. Instead, she gave a tight nod before striding onward through the curtain. 

The assembled crowd in the hall suddenly came to a hushed silence as the alicorns ascended the dais. The guards stiffened to attention without prompt, armor polished and spears spotless. Luna was first, her renowned stoicism on display as her expression betrayed to hint of emotion, only the serene poise of the night. 
Celestia was a few paces behind, her expression more congenial as she looked out over her subjects. Her wings were flared out in a show of grandeur that made her presence all the more majestic. Once both princesses had surmounted the steps, a quartet of guards posted at the base directly on the rug that ran down from the top, barring the path behind them. 
Already seated on an ornate chair placed to Celestia’s left, King Aspen rose as the princesses came near, his guards swinging their right legs out only to snap them back crisply. The king greeted them each in turn by offering a polite bow as they did likewise. Once they were each in their respective position, they looked out over the crowd, allowing the photographers a few moments to capture the auspicious moment for papers from Manehattan to Las Pegasus. 
The chatter and murmurs had risen to a dull roar, filling the space with a cacophony of voices. Displaying no sense of hurry or concern, the royal trio assumed their thrones, Luna on the audience’s left under the lunar mural, Celestia on the right under a solar fresco. None dared look away from the alicorns and Thicket King, all awaiting the beginning of the proceedings. 
Celestia leaned her head to the side to speak to Aspen. “Thank you again for coming, I know your realm must be in great need of your guidance at this time.”
“The Thicket will persevere a day or two in my absence, there is much work to occupy their time for the duration. Besides, I owe it to them to be here. My subjects deserve to have a representative stand before that vile creature as her doom is laid down.”
“I agree. I think this is a good opportunity for our realms to be seen working together.” 
“Hm.”
“BRING FORTH-” Luna began in the booming royal voice that silenced all others. “-THE PRISONERS, PERNICIA MAGNA, AND SCINTILLIOUS VARUS.” 
As heads swiveled towards the high-rising double doors at the other end of the hall, the doors themselves were parted with the resounding grind of powerful hinges. The first two across the threshold were uniformed earth pony guards wearing special harnesses over their barrels, loops on the tops that anchored a pair of chains. 
Stripped of their armor, Varus and Magna followed, the chains running to collars affixed around their necks, their horns fitted with magic-blocking locks. Magna repeatedly glanced side to side, mortified to be under the judgmental scrutiny of her natural enemies. Varus however was a miserable sight. He cowered beside his sister, skulking like a fearful dog, trembling like an elderly mare in winter. More, he twitched involuntarily, as if something might strike out against him at any moment. 
Two more guard stallions followed in the rear, similar constraining apparatus’ tethering them to the changelings. Those along the aisle gawked through the bars of the barrier, wide-eyed and whispering from the corners of their mouths. General Magna, increasingly irritated at being put on parade hissed at one particularly ostentatiously dressed mare. A hard tug from the front brought her into compliance with a sharp gag. 
The pair were led to the base of the dais, the guards in the lead stepping to either side so that Varus and Magna could be presented. Although she looked down at them with a mask of solemn impartiality, Celestia could not help but feel pity. There was a cruel necessity to their existence, an imposition of needs that set their species at odds. So long as it was irreconcilable there would always be the antipathy between pony and changeling. But still, she did hope to find another option eventually. Without the volume of the royal voice, Celestia folded her wings against her sides and began. 
“As Generals of the Changeling Swarm, you have been chosen to represent the rank and file of your kindred and receive our judgement in their name.”
Magna squinted suspiciously at the princesses, as if experiencing this level of ritual and consideration was not to be trusted. For his part, Varus could not muster the nerve to raise his head high enough to look upon them. 
“Be advised, that this is not a trial. Though you will be given an opportunity to speak in a moment, your fates have already been decided and shall be carried out summarily. You will not be harmed, but nor shall you be allowed to harm others.”
Still, the relative benevolence appeared to distress Magna, who darted from side to side in expectation that some severe retribution was awaiting the perfect moment. 
Celestia relaxed her posture. “Now, if you have anything to say, you may speak.”
Magna’s lip trembled as she finally settled her attention on the alicorns. She swallowed, staring forward blankly, unbelievingly. 
“We live, to serve.” She began, voice quivering. “To serve the swarm, and to serve our Queen. And to serve them well is the greatest honor. Mother’s love is reserved for those who prove their worth.”
The gallery reacted with a small rise in whispers, questions about Changeling society, speculations and curiosity. 
“As all creatures do, we need sustenance to survive; plants from the sun, ponies from the plants, Changelings from the ponies. Unlike grass however, you ponies actively resist predation, making our survival all the more ruthless an effort.”
Magna craned her neck around to address the crowd. “If you ponies came here thinking to hear us beg for mercy, or apologize for trying to survive, your expectation is in vain. I have reaped ponies just as you reap hay, and for no less noble a cause.”
Slowly she returned to the princesses, jaw still trembling but her eyes ablaze with fearful defiance. “Make no mistake, I feel no guilt for what I’ve done.” She snapped. “I accept your judgement only in the respect that we were bested by a superior foe.” 
With that final declaration, Magna steeled her mouth shut and lowered her gaze. Celestia understood the body language and accepted the testimony with a silent nod. “Varus? Anything to say?”
Varus didn’t speak at first, rather he slowly raised his head and looked about for something.  “Where is Crassus?” He asked shakily, forlornly. “Crassus is our elder, he should be here.”
“Unfortunately, General Brutalico Crassus could not be located. Teams of ponies are still searching for him. If you are concerned for his fate, I can-”
“No need.” Varus cut in, a glint of a smirk curling the left side of his mouth, gaze on the floor. “I’m sure he’s just fine.” 
“Good to see you’re holding up, Varus.” Aspen suddenly chimed in with words that were friendly, but a voice that was stone-cold. “Loyal soldiers deserve a certain amount of consideration.”
Blackthorn’s eyes darted over to the pathetic Varus, imagining himself in the same position. The reward of a loyal soldier. 
“I have met the both of you in battle and taken your measure.” Aspen continued a bit more at ease. “To that end my quarrel with you has been satisfied, and I am content with the ruling that the Princesses have decided upon. May your punishment serve to remind the foes of Equestria of our strength…” He glanced towards Celestia. “And our mercy.”
When the King said no more after a few moments, Celestia decided that the time had come. “Well spoken, your Grace.” Coming out of her seat to stand, she lifted her chin and opened her voice box to speak officially. “For their offenses against Equestria, the Thicket, and other realms, I do hereby sentence the Changeling swam to be put into a magically induced slumber and housed in a private location. They will remain so, until options can be devised to remedy the conflict between our species. Luna, if you will.”
Without further ceremony, Princess Luna stepped forward, her horn glowing with power. She flew down to the base of the stairs, going no further than the line set by the guards. The changelings shrunk back reflexively, fearing the prospect of imminent suffering. Instead, Luna touched her horn to their foreheads, Magna first then Varus, and in sequence they collapsed to the floor, asleep and breathing softly. 
As Luna returned to her throne, pegasai guards descended from above to take custody of the prisoners, the Earth Ponies affixing their ends of the chains to a similar harness worn by the fliers who wore the anchors on their underside. Lifting them with care, the pegasai ascended and made for a side exit. 
Waiting until the hall was clear, Luna cleared her throat. “BRING FORTH THE PRISONER... QUEEN CHRYSALIS”
Hearing this, the volume of the crowd’s chatter rose sharply as ponies tried to talk over one another, the main event, the entrée, the big moment here at last. Like before, the looming doors came apart with an ominous creak, and all voices died in a snap. Ponies crowded towards the aisle seats until the faces piled four high in some places, just to get a close-up view. 
The sound of rolling wheels was the first sign. A new pair of unicorn guards marched into the hall, these wearing yolks that tethered chains running behind them. They hauled forward and in came the wooden platform on four wheels, a dark queen chained to the four corners of it by each limb. 
Chrysalis stood stone-still on the platform, the high ends of her restraints worked through her perforations to ensure there could be no escape. Her body was wrapped in chain as well, pinning the wings to her flanks. Like her children the magical lock remained in her horn to shut out any tricks. There was now also a muzzle strapped over her snout, leaving her unable to speak. Peering forward, she paid no mind to the throngs climbing over each other, no reaction to the curses flung her way. Instead she raised her head proudly, her physique statuesque, confident. 
Even now she refuses to be humbled. Celestia thought. 
Coming to the base of the dais, the guards again partitioned to either side to present their charge before the princesses. For a few pregnant moments Celestia said nothing but merely stared down at her counterpart, her mouth tightening into a faint scowl. Chrysalis sensed the tension between them and met her gaze with a curious gleam, then tilted her head to the right, inviting the alicorn to speak. 
“Queen Chrysalis.” Celestia began at last. “You are here to be judged for your many crimes, and those crimes committed by your swarm under your command. Be advised, this is not a trial, though you will be given-“
Chrysalis turned her head to the right, making eye contact with King Aspen and gave him an enticing wink. The casual disregard in the middle of Celestia’s announcement caused the words to stall in her throat suddenly, and she coughed to regain her composure. The deer’s nostrils flared and a new tension seized his body, as if he might spring from his chair at any second. 
“You will be given a chance to speak momentarily, but your sentence has already been decided. It will be carried out immediately. You will not be harmed, but it will be quite unpleasant.”
Chrysalis blinked slowly as she spared Celestia a roll of the eyes. 
“Guards, remove her muzzle. The prisoner will be allowed to make a statement.” 
Another Pegasus swooped in from the heights and carefully unfastened the buckle on the back of Chrysalis’ head. It slid off without complication, the queen not moving a muscle during the process. 
“Well.” Celestia said curtly. “What have you to say?”
Unlike her children, there was no nervousness in Chrysalis’ facade, no darting eyes, no trembling lips. Instead she smiled.
“So good to be back in Canterlot. It’s much lovelier when it’s not on fire. Is that doughnut place still open? I’ve had a craving for their Prench crullers.” 
Luna huffed indignantly. “If thou hast nothing meaningful to say, then let us dispense justice and be on with our day.” She spat. “We tire of thy egotism.” 
Chrysalis squinted back at Luna with a mischievous smirk. “Just curious, if that Nightmare Moon thing is gone, why do you keep referring to yourself as ‘we’?”
“It is a Royal ‘we’.” The blue princess snarled. “Thou would know that if thee were actually a queen, and not a brigand who stole a crown from a true monarch.” 
A slight ripple of the upper lip freed an under-the-breath grumble as Chrysalis turned back towards Celestia. “Once again, I am at your mercy. And here I was thinking I had everything accounted for. Your little scion Twilight got lucky this time. Where is she, by the way? She said she would be here.”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle is pursuing her own interests.” Celestia said. “Despite the scratch you gave her during the visit to your cell.”
At that, there was a devious little smirk that exposed Chrysalis’ fangs. “We had a lovely conversation. It’s so nice to have a friend over for dinner.”
Only those close enough would have seen the lips of Celestia’s mouth clench, but only she felt the tension on her jaw as her teeth ground together. 
“But then again…” Chrysalis leaned her head downward and cocked it to the side. “I was disappointed that none of my other friends came to visit me.” 
A chill went down Aspen’s spine, his lip pulling back into a sneer. “Friends!” He snarled. “That any creature would be allied with an abomination like you!” Furious, he sprung from his seat and postured at the center of the dais, both the Thicket guards and the Canterlot closing in their respective charges. “If it were up to me you revolting crone, I’d have you-“ 
“King Aspen!” Came the booming voice of Celestia, firm but respectful, still in her seat with perfect poise. Her next words were much softer. “It does not do to exhibit such discomposure in front of the prisoner.”
The sense of where he was reasserted itself, and the swelling in his breast subsided. “Of course, your grace.” Aspen narrowed his gaze at Chrysalis. “She is unworthy of it.”  
As he returned to his seat, the guards backing down, Chrysalis could not resist the urge to goad him further. “Such unkind words, Aspen.” She hissed. “Our last conversation was much more… intimate.”
The king froze quite suddenly, glaring at her with shock.
“Wasn’t it, my love?” Came the voice of Queen Juniper from the changeling’s mouth. 
The black queen’s taunt caused Aspen to nearly fall out of his chair, face twitching and jaw agape with horror. 
The gall! Celestia thought. “Have you no decency?" She growled. “Are you determined to make enemies of all you come across?”
Chrysalis’ head suddenly jerked upwards to stare at Celestia with noticeable surprise. Then a realization dawned on her and a grin spread from corner to corner. But the mouth remained closed, if only to stifle a mirthful laugher. A gleam of mad delight across her twin irises. 
“Enough!” Celestia barked as she stamped a hoof to thunderous effect. “Guards, re-muzzle the prisoner.”  
The sterling white Pegasus returned with the device, but before he could fix it over Chrysalis’ mouth, she pulled away. “Little scorpions, Celestia.” 
The outburst took the princess off guard. She said nothing however, not wanting to give her counterpart any satisfaction at the end.
More forcefully this time, the Pegasus hooked the muzzle around Chrysalis' face. But as he did, she once more muttered the cryptic phrase. “Little scorpions…” 
Luna shot her sister a curious glance, but Celestia shook her head. She just enjoys getting under my skin. 
“For your many offenses against Equestria and the Kingdom of the Thicket, I do hereby give the judgement of Canterlot.” She raised her right hoof, pointing it at Chrysalis. “I sentence you to incarceration in Tartarus, until such time it is judged that you can be reformed.” 
There was something muffled uttered beneath the restraint, some sarcastic remark about being immortal no doubt was Celestia’s guess. “And just so we are clear, you will suffer this punishment alone. Your swarm will remain under our custody.” 
Chrysalis’ eyes widened in alarm, and at last Celestia sensed she had landed a counterblow. “Fear not, your children will remain unharmed.” Now it was time for an imperceptible grin to curl Celestia’s mouth. “I will take good care of them.”
The chains binding Chrysalis strained to hold her as she raged against their strength, the muzzle containing an onslaught of curses and hissing. The platform itself rocked so violently; the guards tethered to it had to pull themselves taut to prevent it from toppling over. 
Neither Luna nor Aspen made much of an effort to disguise their satisfaction. Celestia however remained visibly impassive, choosing too match Chrysalis’ fury with aloof stoicism. 
Together, the alicorns stepped forward from their thrones, horns aglow. They met in the forefront of the dais and brought them together, a sphere of their joint magic forming at the point of contact. Chrysalis saw what was coming, redoubling her tantrum, pulling with all her might such that the wood of the cart began to creak. 
A beam of their combined powers shot forth to a spot in the air above and behind Chrysalis and expanded to create a tall rectangular plane of miasmic energies. The crowd awed in wonder at the sight, a magical marvel that few had ever seen before. 
For a few seconds, there was an astonished silence that fell over the audience, even the guards could not look away. But then there came a howling sound, long and sorrowful that began to emanate from the extraplanar window. Like a wind in a blizzard, or what many imagined was the wailing of lost souls amplified by a chasm of impossible dimensions, it caused many to wither and embrace those close to them out of a primal dread. 
Chrysalis ceased her frenzy, finding a new focus of attention on the puffs of cold breath that now seeped from the air gaps in her muzzle. A chill washing over her backside, the moisture of her respiration becoming tiny ice crystals that crawled across its surface. 
She turned aside in time to see the an eldritch chain lash out from the portal and wrap it’s end around her neck like a leash. At once the unicorn guards attached to the platform used their magic to detach themselves and broke to either side. A gasp of horror went up from the gallery, the deer too recoiled from the phenomena. 
The black queen pulled against the new chain to no avail, fear gripping her mind. Then with a grinding sound the chain began to retract. The wheels of the platform squeaking as they rolled inexorably backwards, her stifled cries of protest slowly choking. Another chain coiled out from the other side, sliding around her croup like a serpentine tongue and lifting her bodily off the ground platform and all. 
Within moments Chrysalis was pulled through the gateway, disappearing with a final, drawn-out scream that died out suddenly when the borders of the portal collapsed. 
Their magic subsiding, Celestia and Luna turned towards the crowd. 
“Let all who bear witness today…” Luna spoke. “Know that the justice of Canterlot is both fair and resolute. And let all enemies of the realm be aware of what consequences their actions may incur.”
“But do not let the unpleasantness of what you have seen weigh too heavily upon you.” Celestia then began. “Bear hope that one day we might welcome the changeling race into harmony with us, that both may prosper. And go home knowing that the menace of Queen Chrysalis will never threaten Equestria again.” 
Their words were met with great applause, some quickly heading for the exits already engaged in excited conversation regarding what they had witnessed. The princesses met the acclaim with gracious bows before turning away to speak with King Aspen.
“I hope the Thicket finds peace with this judgement during its time of healing.” Celestia told him. “As we’ve discussed, you will have all the aid from us that you require.”
The king exhaled, a mixture of emotions clearly dominating his thoughts. “Aye your Grace, the Thicket is satisfied. Though it may take time, we will recover, we will be stronger for it.”
Luna grinned. “And we welcome such strong allies. Perhaps then you will not be so reclusive, the Thicket has much to offer greater-Equestria.”
“It will be a new era for our realm one way or the other.” Aspen nodded in agreement. The group of them began walking down the stairs as the gallery continued to empty, work-crews already uninstalling the gates. 
Eager to turn thoughts to something more pleasant, Celestia laid a friendly wing over Aspen’s back. “Will you be joining us for dinner? It would be our treat to host you with an impromptu soiree.”
“That would be lovely, but unfortunately, I must return at once to the forest. While we were incapacitated, the changelings proved to be very poor caretakers of the Everfree, and there are several pressing matters that require our intercession.”
Luna held a small chuckle. “Well, if there is any issue that proves particularly difficult, I must say that my bout with Chrysalis has left me quite wanting for some more vigorous pastimes. It was very gratifying to swing my pugil once more.”
“So I’ve heard.” Her sister mused. 
Glancing back, Luna took notice of Blackthorn. “And congratulations to you, noble Blackthorn, I understand the position of ArchKnight is a high honor. You’ve acquitted yourself well in the eyes of your kindred.”
“Thank you, your Grace.” He replied humbly but professionally. “It is a great privilege to serve at my king’s behest.”
“Yes, I know he will serve with surpassing dedication and faithfulness.” The king said, casting a look back. "Nothing less would befit the title.”

Reaching the entrance to the main gallery, guards pushed the doors aside as the royalty came to a stop at the threshold. 
“I bid you safe travel, Aspen.” The senior alicorn offered. “Give my love to Juniper.”
“I will. Thank you, Celestia, Luna.” After an exchange of parting nods, the deer headed off for the palace’s entrance taking the opportunity to marvel at the décor as they went. 
“Well, that went as well as could be expected.” Luna chimed, but Celestia was already striding back towards the private chamber, unraveling her mantle along the way. She could tell her sister was out of sorts by the purposeful tempo and the lowered neck posture. “Or at least as well as I expected anyways.” 

Celestia stormed into the chamber and tossed her mantle onto the couch, loosing a snort of frustration as she began to pace back and forth, mumbling to herself. Luna broke through a few seconds later. 
“Something vexes you, sister?” She asked, removing her own drapings. 
“Chrysalis…” Celestia growled with uncharacteristic hostility still in motion. “The sheer arrogance of her!” 
“Was that something you had not anticipated? While I agree with your giving the condemned a chance to speak, you must have known she would take the opportunity to inflict her cruel tongue on us one last time. “
“I know, and that’s just it. I knew she would not go quietly.” Celestia finally ceased her pacing and flopped onto the bed. “She is the master of getting past ponies defenses, getting under their skin.” 
“It is rather a defining trait of her breed, attacking where their prey is most vulnerable.” Luna agreed. 
“I just…” Pausing to weigh a thought, Celestia faced her at last. “In all my time, I don’t think I’ve ever hated anypony. But Luna, I think I hate Chrysalis.” 
“She does not give one much of an option.” Sitting down beside her, Luna stretched her legs and shook off her uncomfortably ornate shoes. “But I fear that may have been her last gambit for victory. If she could not best us on the field, she could score at least one win over you by putting that bit of darkness in your heart.”
The notion struck Celestia. That even after emphatically defeating Chrysalis, there might have been another avenue of assault, one far more insidious and subtle that she never saw coming. It frightened her to imagine a version of herself that let hate hold sway over her, she had seen what that could lead to. “An elegant ploy.” She admitted. 
But Luna met her gloom with a smile. “And as usual, she underestimates her opponents. Chrysalis thinks she knows how to subvert your integrity, turn your emotions into a poison. But she betrays her fatal flaw, sister. It is her mind that is revealed in the nature of her machinations, not yours. She devises this plot to corrupt you because this is how she understands her mind to work. But in truth she does not comprehend ours.”
“Luna, we know that we are not beyond succumbing to the darkness.”
“I know quite well. But when I did, it was not because I was angry with you, indeed I was quite heartbroken on more than one front. It was anguish that convinced me to let the Nightmare in.”
The nocturnal princess grimaced with an unpleasant ponderance. “In this we find the true enemy. Chrysalis knows that she does not need you to hate her, that is not her goal. What really would destroy you from within, is hatred of yourself.” 
Picking her head up, Celestia narrowed her gaze. “Myself?”  
“Let your own words and thoughts be evidence. Did you not just fear that hatred had entered your heart? Tell me, what was your greater fear: that Chrysalis put it there, or that you allowed it to find purchase?”
Celestia pondered the question for several moments, taking in a long inhalation and letting her chin rest on a hoof. “If she can plot such a move that strikes at my very core, then how is it that she misunderstands me?”
A small smile finally broke through on Luna. “Because you possess one thing that she does not account for. Indeed, she could not even comprehend it.”
Again her sister’s cryptic method had her vexed. “What would that be?” Celestia asked. 
“Me.” The smile spread until it reached both corners as she flopped onto her back. “Or more essentially, a friend to help keep you on the right path. A narcissist like her does not imagine any source of strength that does not originate from within. She does not realize that when she contends to overcome you, she is in contention with a force beyond her scope. Friendship. Which is why she is always bested by Twilight.” 
Celestia could not help but stare at her, expression fixed in astonishment. Simultaneously, she could not prevent a lump of guilt from building in her throat before she swallowed it. “Luna… How did you become so wise?”
Luna shrugged. “Elysium knows. I was asleep on the moon for a thousand years.” 
With no restraint, Celestia drove her face into the soft cushion of the mattress. When, after a moment she looked up, the two sisters started to laugh. 


HONALEE

As the sabre came down, I had just enough time to drop and roll to the left, allowing the tip of the blade to spark against the stone pedestal. 
“Skorn!” I called out, rolling though to my hooves but keeping a low posture. 
And there he was, his talon still extended for the strike, face tightened into a scowl. 
“That’s all there is, Sable!” He snarled, a predatory gleam in his eye. “The bloody cup! It’s all there is!” 
“What are you talking about?!” We began to circle one another, his wings flared, my horn alight. “Where’s the rest of the treasure?”
“There ain’t none!” The griffin barked. “You saw the paintings. Does it look like Kismet had time to load tons of treasure into a boat while his kingdom was being sacked?!” 
Skorn lunged forward with another savage swing but I parried with a spark flare; just enough force to deflect a blow, and a quick flash to stun the eyes. I saw him blink rapidly, and took the opportunity cast a hold spell from a safe distance. It was the type that was effective in a pinch, but required a lot more concentration than a simple levitation.
“I don’t think you checked very thoroughly, Captain.” I growled. “Besides, we agreed that the Cup was mine.” From the resistance to the spell I was feeling, I could tell he was trying to say something, so I loosened my hold over his head. 
“And that any other treasure was mine. But if there’s only the cup, then I’m afraid we’re at an impasse mate. Now you let me go and we can settle this like pirates.” 
I shook my head. “Skorn, I don’t want to hurt you”. Something was off, for as I spoke, I noticed a shift in his attention. Spinning around, there was before me rising up from the cliff the strange pale monster from before. The better lighting revealed it to be some centipede-like beast, and just as rapacious if the saliva dripping from its gnashing maw gave any clue. 
It came crashing down intent on capturing me, its sheer size preventing me from simply dodging, I switched my focus to create a shield. The body slammed against the barrier with such force it buckled my knees, my hooves digging into the ground. 
The monster recoiled, perhaps confused as to why it could not access its intended prey. But the distraction gave Skorn the opportunity he needed. Freed from my hold when I defended against the beast, he swung a side arc and caught my horn with the curve of his blade. To any who may not know what taking a hit to the horn is like for a unicorn, the experience is quite disorienting as the nerves that form the core are connected to the brain. 
My mind wheeled from the blow, a ringing sensation and double vision that sent me reeling. When Skorn came at me next, it was as a blur of color and the searing pain of his talon across my cheek.
“Though to be honest, mate…” I heard him say with an echo. “I was always gonna take the cup from you. I could just take it and leave you for bug-grub, but I got a principled stance against leaving folks marooned.” 
Staggered and unable to cast magic, it was unable to defend myself when he drew back the sword for a fatal plunge. Then I heard him yelp in pain as a white form enveloped his talon, taking him off his feet and flinging him like a toy. In the few precious moments I had to clear my head, I caught sight of the chalice, which appeared to me as nothing more defined than a glimmering shape. I stumbled towards it, hoping to drink its divine water while Skorn was embattled. 
Behind me I could hear him cursing the monster, and the sound of him fighting it off, then the clatter of metal on stone. I was not but a wobbly pace away from the chalice when he grappled me from the side and tackled me to the ground in a tangle of limbs. With my outstretched back leg I felt free air where there should have been something solid and realized how perilously close we had come to tumbling right over the edge of the cliff. 
“Bloody shame about the treasure mate!” He sneered, specks of his spittle hitting my face as a talon gripped my left cheek. “I woulda liked to leave something to bury you with!” 
A surge of anger brought with it a bit of clarity, so I bucked my hips and sent him rolling over me to where I estimated the cliff was. He let out a surprised squawk that fell away with distance and I knew my guess had been on. 
Laying on the ground to catch my breath, my vision was finally able to refocus though the ache in my horn remained. 
‘Griffin’. The word occurred to me. ‘He’s a griffin’. 
No sooner had the thought occurred to me and I rolled to my hooves, did the beating of feathered wings come soaring back over the cliff and seized me by the back. Talons dug into my shoulders and feline claws pierced my croup, my muscles clenched in reaction and a cry of agony was forced out. 
In contrast to him, my training kept me mostly quiet while in combat, a quality steeled into me by my mentors. As he lifted me off my hooves and slammed me down face first, it was that same grit that help me keep focus through the assault. When I was thrust back down again, I posted my right legs and tucked my left, causing us to roll with the momentum. His wing-span stopped us with me on top where old muscle memory from Nordschild’s lessons swiveled my hips and I was able to rip myself free from his hooks and mount his chest. 
He lunged up at me with a snap of the beak, but I batted it aside with one hoof and belted him under the chin with the other. His head snapped back and bounced against the stone with a grotesque impact, and I saw his eyes glaze over 
I had to get to the cup I realized, get to it while I have the chance. My legs stung from the cuts, but I pulled myself up with a snarl and made for the chalice. 


Æclypse lurched forward, chest heaving, eyes wincing, the Cup of Crimson Wonder not but a few paces away. But as he did, Skorn’s daze subsided, and he glanced back in time to see the prize slipping from his grip. He flipped over and struck Æclypse in the hindquarter with a talon, ripping into the flesh and causing him to crumble with a cry of pain 
“Pity about old Sable Star, I’ll tell them.” The griffin mocked. “Came all this way only to-”
Æclypse retaliated with a buck of the left hind leg that nearly smashed into Skorn’s beak. But he dodged the blow and brought his crushing beak down onto the stallion’s leg with an audible crunch. 
Instead of fighting it off, Æclypse dragged himself onward with all the strength he could muster, forcing Skorn along with him. When Skorn brought his wings to bear in the effort, Æclypse pulled back with his restrained leg and used the other to land a hoof into the side of his beak. “BRAK!” Breaking the hold at last. 
Both fell to the ground with groans of agony. When Æclypse tried to rise, the sudden pain from his injuries compelled him to pause before he could advance. Skorn too staggered back onto his legs, this time taking to the air and flying right over him and landing on the other side of the cup’s pedestal. 
They reached out and laid hold of the chalice at the same time, one talon, one hoof. Their heads collided, shoving back on each other to drive them away from the divine liquid. No words more intelligent than grunts and growls passed between them, their eyed locked. 
So it was that neither of them saw the pale monster finally fall upon them both, thinking to grasp them in its rapacious maw. But it lacked the intellect to anticipate their combined weight, and as it collided into them, all three went sailing over the edge of the cliff. The Cup of Crimson Wonder tumbling over with them. 


I hadn’t been ready for the trip over the ledge, neither of us had been. So when the beast struck us, we were both quite surprised. The difference between me and Skorn however, was that my steady mind in the heat of battle focused on my objective. With my foe distracted, I pulled the bowl of the cup close to me and plunged my snout into the drink. The sensation of the miracle as it passed down my throat was wondrous beyond my ability to articulate it. And for a few precious seconds, I would have sworn on my life that I saw the celestial faces of the gods in the darkness. 
Then we struck the bottom. I felt my back break over a rock, the second most painful experience of my life. Beside me, the thunderous impact of the pale beast as it too crashed against the stone, loosing one final chittering gasp as it expired. Though I could not move my body, I turned my head to see the very extant tips of Skorn’s blue wing feathers sticking out from underneath the monster’s body. I felt a wave of sadness come over me. Despite his betrayal, I would have spared his life if I could. 
But I did not ponder the matter long. For as I returned my gaze upwards, my breathing short, the light above seemed to dim until all went black. 


PRESENT DAY, 
PONYVILLE SCHOOLHOUSE

“Alright everypony!” Cheerilee said, loud enough for all the fillies and colts to hear as they filed into their seats. “I know we’ve all had a very rough past few days, but your parents all assure me that having you back in school is a better use of your time while they all finish putting Ponyville back together.”
“Well that just figures.” Shady Daze grumbled sidelong to Rumble. “Town gets burned down and we still have to go to school.”
“I can’t even help around the farm.” Applebloom likewise complained. “Applejack says she got plenty of help from the family and doesn’t need to worry about me getting in everypony’s way.” 
“My brother says it’ll take a whole week to get the weather factory working again.” Rumble piped. “Until then, the weather techs have to build the clouds manually.”
Scootaloo leaned her head forward. “You guys missed the best part! There was an epic battle in the forest! With monsters and explosions and everything!”
“I missed all of it.” A dejected Button Mash said, slumping in his seat. “Last thing I remember before waking up in the Thicket was playing ‘Space Masters’, I coulda sworn I was getting close to a new high score.”
Sweetie Belle turned around in her chair. “Do you think they got all the changelings? What if some got away?”
Applebloom shrugged. “Applejack says they surrendered when Chrysalis was captured. But who knows?”
Shady Daze furrowed his brow. “What if there was a changeling in Ponyville right now?”


“Oh, there you are, Humble Bug.” Cheerilee observed happily as one last student entered the classroom. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come.” 

“Oh, I love coming to school, Ms. Cheerilee.” Replied the small colt in a shaky but chipper voice. His coat was a dull green, mane and tail a mixture of light and dark shades of grey, his purple irises gleaming. “It’s like a second home.” 
The teacher smiled on warmly as he cantered to his seat, glancing about to see all the others around. For the first time in Arthon’s life, he was happy. 


CANTERLOT
MORNING

It was a lovely dawn in Canterlot. The newly risen sun shining down on the mountainside city, a warm breeze in the air, the spirit of joy once again returned to its occupants now that one of its greatest enemies had been vanquished. 
Celestia strolled through one of the higher halls of the castle, one with open windows along its length so that any traveler might enjoy the fresh air of the altitude. It was one of her favorite little spots to go and have a few moments to herself. Maybe it was the way the winds got under her wings, maybe it was the closeness to the sun itself, but there was something about this unpretentious passageway that brought a sense of serenity to her. It featured no busts of notable figures to stare after you, no ancient suits of armor in silent vigil, no heavy draperies to give the service staff yet more tasks in their routine. 
She came to a stop midway along the path to face outwards over the western horizon, the crisp, clean air filling her lungs as she took in a long breath. 
“Certainly a busier week than I imagined I’d have.” She said to herself as she often did in this place. She glanced down to her right side to smile at her fiery companion perched on the ledge. “I’m not sure which pained me more; having Twilight learn about my old regrets or fearing what Chrysalis might do to her.”  
Philomena cocked her head and squawked, as if to signal a gesture of comfort. Celestia took a good long moment to stare over the landscape, contemplating the changes in her life that had all come so suddenly. “Perhaps there were conversations I should have had with myself a long time ago, before they had the chance to sting me so deeply. I thought I could hide Thule away and let it be forgotten, another thing I just put off dealing with until it was staring me in the face."
"I could have had the room cleared out, the relics put in storage or donated to museums. But instead I just closed the doors and shoved a bookcase in front of it. I suppose it might have stayed that way if Twilight hadn’t stumbled onto it.”
Philomena fluffed her wings and picked at her plumage for a second before gawking back up at the princess. 
“To that end… maybe I’m doing the same thing with Chrysalis. Locking her away behind a door and thinking that will be the solution to my problem. Perhaps I’ll regret that too, perhaps Luna is right, and I should simply destroy her once and for all.”
Celestia put her hooves together on the sill of one of the windows and lowered her chin to rest on them. “But I just… I can’t bear the thought of bringing an end to something that has so many possibilities. Maybe it’s the perspective of an immortal, and I can’t see the trees for the forest. I might just live to regret it one day. But if I prevent any of those possibilities from becoming, I’ll never know, will I?"
"Can Chrysalis be redeemed one day?” Letting a long breath out through her nostrils, she turned and came nose-to-beak with her pet. “Maybe she can, maybe she can’t, I don’t know. But if I destroy her, I’ll have ensured the only answer is ‘no’.”
She took a hoof and began stroking Philomena from the back of her head and down her back. In response, the phoenix emitted soft chirps. 
“Maybe I’m just a hopeful fool.”

Celestia remained there for a few minutes, pondering in quiet before the sound of approaching hooves roused her to see one of her faithful guards standing several paces away.
“Your Highness.” Flash Sentry said. “I’ve been sent by the head librarian to inform you that she requests your presence at the library. She says she has made important discoveries regarding the break-in of the Starswirl wing.”
This served to pique her interest. “Must be important indeed if she cannot relate the information through a guard or report.” 
“That was my impression as well, Princess. For what it’s worth.”
The remark was enough to get a genuine smile of humor out of the alicorn. “Then I’ll trust your instincts, Flash. Thank you, you may carry on.”
He started to turn, but instead he bit his lip and again turned towards her. “Your Majesty, I just… wanted to apologize for the other night. I failed to keep watch on Princess Twilight like you asked.”
She shook her head and waved his confession away with a wing. “Luna told me all about it. No apology is necessary. In hindsight, I was mistaken not to trust her. Though, from what I hear, at least you got to spend a nice afternoon with her.” 
The last words were spoken with a wry tone that caused a flush of color in the orange pegasus’ cheeks. “Yeah, it was pretty nice.” He chuckled nervously. 
“Well, hopefully I can give you another excuse to see her sooner rather than later.” Celestia winked as she began to lift herself up with a few graceful wing beats and exited through the window. 

The Canterlot Library was joined to the castle by a relatively small section of hall, as both buildings were among the first raised when the city was created. Celestia at the time wanted it to be a part of the castle proper as a show of its prominence, but also wanted a public access for all those who didn’t want to subject themselves to castle guards in order to get in. As it was, it was simply easier for her to fly down from the castle heights and use the pegasai access landings on the third floor than taking the time to traverse the inside. 
Located on the second floor, locked behind a gate and available for research only under controlled arrangements, the Starswirl wing was legendary for any number of secrets it might still conceal to modern magical researchers. Gaining access to it typically required written permission from the head librarian or Celestia herself, and an escort to ensure against theft for souvenirs. So when Celestia had been informed of a break-in, there was some uncertainty as to how serious it should be taken. Especially given that at cursory glance, nothing seemed to be stolen or damaged beyond the lock itself. It could be something as simple as a pony wanting to put on his floppy hat for a bit of fun. 
Celestia arrived at the gate and was greeted by a pair of pegasai guards that snapped to attention and saluted as she passed them by. 
“Mistress File is awaiting you inside, your Grace.” The one on her left informed her. 
“Thank you, Glider.” Despite the many hundreds of guards that had taken a post in the castle during her long tenure, Celestia always took pride in remembering the names of those who served. “How’s your little filly doing?” 
The Guard beamed to brag about his child. “She’s at the stage where she tries to fly, but just ends up tumbling head over hooves.”
“I remember when you were that young.” She said. And it was true. 
Inside the wing was a remarkable sight. Left largely intact since the time he disappeared, the wing was really his former study and laboratory. All manner of dusty tomes and strange relics occupied the room, even his old slate chalkboard still displayed half-finished magical formulas left behind. 
The most prominent object in the room was the table, hexagonal and made of sturdy oak, it still bore the scares of failed chemistry experiments, and the groove where he had spent long hours posting his foreleg as he studied. 
“Biblio File, you have something?” 
Sitting at the table in Starswirl’s old chair no less, Mistress Biblio File was the undisputed authority over all manners under the library’s purview, second only to Celestia or Luna. That she herself would personally handle the investigation into the vandalism of the wing was of no surprise. But that she would summon Celestia privately to discuss the results was cause for concern indeed. 
The older earth-pony mare was sitting patiently as the princess approached, her beige fur faded with time, her stately grey mane pinned in the back of her head. Though her age and disposition gave her a severe countenance, she had been a notably beautiful girl in her youth, the traces of which could still be seen in her finer features. 
“I do, your Highness.” She greeted with a methodical tone. “It took longer than I expected. None of the items I would have thought of interest were taken, not even those of great value. Indeed, it was not until I thought to inspect for more particular items that I discovered something.” 
On the table before her was a scroll, still rolled, a wax seal at the seam broken. “You will observe the modern quality of this parchment. Indicating that it is not a part of the collection.”
Celestia glanced down at it. Having dealt with paper of various quality over the course of a thousand-plus years, this was indeed of newer make than any to be expected in this chamber. “I see.” 
Biblio File then gestured off to her right. “You will also observe the cabinet that Starswirl gave specific instructions that it not be tampered with, has been tampered with. The details are subtle, at first glance appearing discreet, but the cabinet’s lock has been picked.”
“And something from there was taken?” Celestia asked. “Even I don’t know what he had locked in there.” 
“Neither do I.” The librarian said. “Which makes my discovery all the more mysterious. You see, in that cabinet is a black iron box, this box’s lock was also picked. I don’t know what was in that box originally, but the scroll before us was left inside. Left inside, deliberately to be found. Judging by its content.”
Mystery upon mystery caused the alicorn to furrow her brow. “Why go though all the trouble of stealing something in secret only to leave something behind, if not to send a message.”
“My thought’s exactly.” Biblio agreed. “However, that is as much of the mystery as I am capable of solving. This message was not a ransom note towards the return of what was taken, nor anything I can discern that will mean anything important to anypony.” 
It was then that Mistress File gave the scroll a light push that sent it rolling in Celestia’s direction. “Anypony… except you.”
Though the scroll itself seemed as harmless as any other, there was something foreboding about the librarian’s suggestion. Celestia held her gaze on it for a moment before taking it up in her magic. She glanced over to Biblio File who merely leaned back in the chair and steepled her hooves, waiting to appraise her princess’ reaction. 
Slowly, Celestia unraveled the parchment. It wasn’t long, only of sufficient length to bear a short message. There were no noteworthy symbols or exotic styling to the text, indeed, there were only four words. 
It took only a moment to scan the message, but in an instant Celestia gasped in terror, dropping the scroll in the moment of shock. Her face recoiled, eyes wide and mouth agape, body overcome by a sudden trembling. 
“No!” She cried out as the letter hit the floor, stepping away as if from a venomous snake. Her wings attempted to flare in an involuntarily reaction of fear. 
“Your Majesty!” Biblio called out, lurching forward in the chair. 
Whatever words Celestia tried to speak could not find the strength to escape her throat, fearful gaze still locked on the scroll. 
Those words! She screamed in her head. How could they know those words?! The phrase repeated itself in her head, and was completed by the memory of a maniacal laughter that she had hope to never hear again. 
Her senses returning to her, Celestia turned and hurried out of the chamber, leaving a very astonished earth-pony mare behind. 
Carefully, Biblio File stepped around the table, using a hoof to pin down the bottom corner of the scroll. Her assessment had been correct, the message was intended for Celestia. If only she knew what it meant. 

TOMORROW


DAWNS IN


DARKNESS




HONALEE
 
I awoke with a sudden gasp of air, heart racing like I had been sprinting for hours. It was humid, my fur was disgustingly damp with sweat, and an ache in my spine like nothing I’ve ever felt before or since. 
With a long groan I rolled off to my right side, down the small incline I had impacted on. Beside me on the ground lay the shattered fragments of the Cup of Crimson Wonder, still sparkling. A lump of guilt formed in the back of my throat and tears welled in the corners of my eyes to feel responsible for the destruction of something so beyond precious. 
I glanced aside once more to where the cave prowler’s broken body had been, now gone. Only a few scattered feathers remained behind to confirm that my memories of them falling with me had not been delusions. It was then that my present circumstances began to dawn on me, as did the repulsive taste in my mouth. 
After spending several seconds trying to expel the layer of film that had accumulated across every surface, I lit my horn for illumination. Thankfully the pain had subsided enough for me to use it, but not without some initial wooziness. The cliff face was too sheer for me to attempt climbing it, certainly not in my condition. Leaving me with the only option of finding some other means of escaping this tomb.
I picked what larger pieces of the chalice I could find off the ground to serve two purposes: to salvage something of the item, and also to use the crystal to refract the light of my horn for a greater projection without having to strain myself. As the pieces absorbed and reflected my magic, they created a brilliant star of my very own to guide the way. 
With my glorious harbinger, I found where one of the paths from above curved down. The section that connected it to the floor was long broken away however, two support pillars remaining at their post with no bridge above them. It took me some time, and no small amount of grit to shimmy my way up the shorter column. From there I was able to leap to the next taller one, and from there the very edge of the path. I nearly missed that last leap, only landing my forelegs on it and having to scrape for all my worth to get the rest of me over. 
I kept wary of running into the pale beast or Captain Skorn, for all I knew either one of them could be lurking in a shadow to pounce on me. But either they were occupied elsewhere or were more wary of encountering me, and I found no sight or sound. I had however found Skorn’s saber on the ground where he had lost it in the fight. The implications of returning to the others with his weapon but not him struck me as bad taste. So under Kismet’s lamps, I took the sword and laid it across the pedestal where the chalice had been. 
Taking a few steps back, I said a prayer to the gods under my breath. My mother had told me after the passing of her mother, that the gods were saddened by the demise of any of their creations, regardless of their deeds in life. For each life was a precious gift they had bestowed upon the world, a spark of their own divinity in each of us. And for any of their children to be lost and forgotten was a further grief. Of course, I could be presumptuous and Skorn already back at the ship. Thereupon I would have all new concerns.     
When I had finished, I began the journey of retracing my steps back to the entrance. My passage went without incident until I came once again to the broken bridge. I estimate that it was possible that I could make a running leap with the assistance of my magic and reach the other side. It would be close though. 
So I went back several paces, measuring roughly how much momentum I would need. Steeling my nerve with a few quick huffs, I charged, galloping as hard as my legs would push, my horn glowing in preparation. I still had a rather inferior grasp of levitation spells, which required more sophisticated concentration than a simple object telekinesis. Though I understood it became easier with experience. 
Muscle memory of my training came to the fore as I leapt from the edge, my rear legs extending forward to where they crossed my fore. The second I felt my arc begin to dip, I loosed my spell. It was not a force that lifted me, but rather one that propelled me from behind, like the ignition in the back of a cannon. Whatever effects drinking from the cup may have bestowed, its first manifestation was the added potency in my magic. 
I landed on the other side of the bridge with all four hooves, the unexpected boost however sent me tumbling head-over-hooves into the dust. The crystal shards scattered to either side as my yelp of surprise was cut short in the tumble. It was a few minutes before I elected to climb back to my hooves. 


It took me by no small shock to find the morning sun ready to greet me when I walked through the entrance and back out into the open air. Quite unlike when I had been here before, the morning was perceptibly cooler. Not a crisp morning air like one might find in northern lands, but not as oppressive as it had been. 
“Hmmmmm….” The heavy voice of the dragon caused me to turn, finding the guardian laid out upon a rock. “The fog has cleared.” He said. “It has been a long time since I have been able to watch the dawn rise.”
He was right, I realized, peering out to where he faced the horizon the shroud that had hidden the island was dissipated. 
“I was wondering what might happen if the treasure was ever claimed.” 
As I approached he turned to me, a gentle smile on his lips. “Ah, I see you have returned.” 
In the moment there was much I wanted to say, to ask, but somehow I could not summon the will to speak. There was a… guilt that hung over me.
The dragon raised an eyebrow, looking past me. “Your companion however I have not seen return. Should I expect him to?”
I glanced back at the opening, thinking Skorn might some shambling through at any moment, cursing and feathers ruffled. “I don’t think so.” I said regretfully. 
“I expected as much.” 
Holding out what crystal fragments I had recovered, I proffered them to the drake. “I’m afraid the cup was broken… I’m sorry.”
He reached over and plucked one piece from my magic, inspected it, then tossed it into his mouth and chewed it with a quick crunch. “No need, It’s quite exquisite. Besides, the boon has been bestowed, its magic was transferred.” 
The dragon now turned to lock his gaze on mine, a small nimbus of sparkling sky-blue energy enveloping his eyes. “But you are aware of that, are you not?”
I swallowed a lump, unable to break away. “Yes. I drank from the cup, but I do not know what it has done to me.”
“It has given you the means to fulfill your destiny. But that relies on the path you choose to take.”
“I don’t understand, what has the Cup of Crimson Wonder bestowed upon me? I’ve not sprouted wings, or grown a second horn, nor become a giant.”
At this the dragon laughed, deep and genuine. “The cup’s boon is precisely what is required for you, Æclypse, as it would be for any other.”
I recalled then our previous conversation and did not remember giving it my name. “How is my name familiar to you?” I asked, off-put by the use of my given name. 
“I am a magic dragon, I know many things, I have great insights.” Once more the blazing eyes flared as a casual show of power. “But since I have your name, you shall have mine as well. Puff, at your service.” He said as he bowed his head. “I could also tell you what gift the gods have sent you here to collect. Or perhaps you prefer to discover it for yourself?”
While I very much desired a clear answer, the thought weighed on me that knowing might unduly influence my decisions, leaving me more reckless or timid than I might otherwise be if acting on good sense. So I decided to be more indirect. 
“Tell me, Puff, if you can, that even though I now possess the means, will I have the time to achieve what I set out to do?”
Again, Puff regarded me with that amused smile. “You will have all the time you require.” Was all he said, in such a way that gave me the impression of knowing far more. His expression then shifted to something more somber. “But be warned: when you have fulfilled the destiny for which you have been given this gift, it will fade from you.”
“How will I know when it has passed?”
 “When the time comes, you will know.”
Puff’s attention returned to the eastern horizon, his forelegs crossing in a contemplative posture. “But your time here has reached its end. Your journey continues elsewhere.”
“What will you do now?” I asked him, coming beside to see the ocean, and there down in the water, the Red Talon still anchored. “If your task here is finished, will you too not leave this place?”
“As a matter of fact… I’m waiting for a friend.”
So it was that I left Puff, there waiting for as long as he would for the arrival of his friend. Whether or not that friend ever did, nopony may ever know.


On my way back down to the beach, I took the time to find a pair of large flat leaves, and using a length of old twisted vine, create a package to contain the crystal fragments. 
Before long I had reached the shore, a warm but gentle breeze welcoming me with its salty kiss. I found our boat where it lay undisturbed among the brush, stashed my parcel under a seat, and began dragging it back to the water. 
The short trip back to the ship was smooth, the tide quite agreeable to my paddling. Nearing, I could see the interested faces of my comrades along the rail, cheering my return. Ruffles and Grey Skies took to the air immediately and came out to greet me, throwing hooves around me in an embrace so tight I had to ward them off else they reinjure my back. 
“Skies above, Sable!” Ruffles exclaimed once I had pried him off. “We thought you a goner!”  
Grey Skies nodded vigorously. “Yeah! Or Captain Skorn put that sword through your shoulders!” 
“Glad to see you too, my friends.” I told them, patting them both on the forelegs. “Skorn has not returned?”
They exchanged grim looks before Ruffles shook his head. “He’s not. Most of us wagered that only one of you would return anyway.” 
“Well…” I was again dismayed by my knowledge of the truth. “It wasn’t for lack of trying of his part.”
“Surely not, surely not!” Grey Skies exclaimed as he flew around to the rear of the boat and started pushing. “But let’s get you back on deck and tell us everything!” 
 
The three of us worked in tandem to ferry me back to the ship and fix the boat to be raised back on deck. Once I stepped hoof over the rail the others surrounded me with happy greetings and a cacophony of questions. Salty Veins broke through the crowd and stood before me without celebration. He waited several seconds, appraising me grimly before he spoke.  
“Captain Skorn is not to be joining us then?”
I swallowed. “No.” Was all I said.
Salty pressed his lips together, glancing downwards and nodded. “I see. And the treasure?”
I set down my leaf-bundle and unwrapped it to show the shards. “All that remains.”
Admittedly, I feared some or most of the crew would become hostile, having come so far and risking so much to walk away with so little. But my new scars must have attested to my own pains suffered, for none made show of being incensed by the paltry prize. 
“It’s less than I would have liked.” I told them. “But it’s more than I deserve to leave with.” 
Salty nudge one of the leaves so that it covered the fragments. “Well… If that’s all. I suppose we best be getting underway then.”
“At your discretion, Captain.” I said, and he looked at me quite suddenly with surprise. But when nopony offered any sign of disagreement, in fact, several nodded approvingly, he merely pursed his lips. 
“But we should take the time to take on fresh water and forage for food.” I suggested. 
“We have already.” Ruffles informed me, seemingly surprised that I would ask. “When the fog cleared, a few of us went ashore and spent a day gathering.”
“A day?” I replied a bit incredulously. “I was not gone more than day, day and a half at most.”
At this, all who I could see became wary and confused, muttering to one another secretly. 
“Sable Star.” Salty stepped before me very close and looked me directly in the eyes. “You were gone for three days. The fog cleared two days ago.” 
 I stood there speechless. 	



AQUILEIA
	ITS LAST DAY


So the music is meant to coincide with the length of the scene, from start to finish, depending on how fast you read.




A once beautiful city, shining on the coast, was now shrouded in smoke and fire as the evening faded to twilight. Buildings that were white and gold were now scarred by char and elsewhere toppled to rubble. Throughout the city the screams of the citizens could be heard, some out of fear, others for anguish. The combination of the setting sun and bonfires created an infernal atmosphere filled with embers and black fumes that hung over everything with a dreadful shadow. 
Unperturbed by all this however, a single dark figure stood on the roof of a stone hall, foreleg posted on the apex of the angular façade which displayed the heroic figures of Aquileia’s past. The changeling, General Brutalico Crassus, impassive and silent as he overlooked the devastation his kind had wrought. Once mother had disposed of the local monarch, it had been quick work for the swarm to overtake the city and crush any resistance. 

Below and some distance away, a pile of cinder and lumber shifted, exposing the soot-covered hide of a stallion rising from where the rubble had collapsed atop him. Æclypse coughed harshly, smoke inhalation preventing him from taking all but the most shallow breaths. His face bruised, he stared out through half-shut eyes at the desolation. He saw before him the street he had walked down for the past few years, around him, the ruins of what had been his home. 
A new realization occurring to him, and he began to call out. “Where are you?” He would shout, intermixed with the names of those he sought. He pulled himself upward from the hollow his body had created, flipping over bits of timber and clay, his motion becoming more frantic with each passing second. When he tried to push aside a door, he felt the pastern of his left foreleg snap, and he collapsed to the floor. 
But he knew there was no time to mind his own injuries. He rose and used his magic to remove the obstacle. Channeling through the horn caused an immediate throb of pain, winching, he limped on. He had been certain that they had been near to him when the ceiling caved in, certain that her wings was draped over him and their son. Then where could they be? He wondered. 
Stumbling face-first through the front gate of his home, it was then that he saw another pony, an earth-pony mare, dashing from one place of cover to another, glancing fearfully up at the sky every other second. He didn’t understand at first, but when he followed her gaze upwards, he saw them. Streaming through the sky like a living river, the changelings seemed to course from all directions to a convergence point in the center of the city. 
Gods above… He gasped, the terrible possibility dawning on him. The mare across the way made one more frantic dash, but before his eyes, she was snatched up like an owl catches a mouse and carried off, her captor buzzing up to join the nearest tributary above. 
If there all going to once place… He realized, formulating a plan. There was no time to try and sneak his way through the city with his broken limb, the only way to reach the collection before it was too late would be the most direct route possible. 
So he strode forward, hobbling on three usable legs, slowly at first, but gaining momentum with each step. A hearty grunt through clenched teeth accompanied every labored effort, his body demanding respite, his will refusing to stop. The closer he got to the city center the louder the buzzing of the wings got, an incessant droning that could turn a pony mad after long enough. 
A pair of unremarkable changeling soldiers popped their heads up from behind the remains of a merchant’s stand, bits of fruit skins still clinging to their faces. They saw the lone stallion dragging himself down the street, seemingly without a hint of fear. Trading confused glances, they shrugged and sprang forth with a giddy laughter. 
Æclypse caught their attack at the last second, ducking as the first one sailed over him. The second he met head-on with a magic shield, the changeling crumpling against it while Æclypse was staggered from the force of the impact. Unable to keep his balance, he fell to his side, the other drone throwing himself on top. It tried to bite down on him, but again he was faster, catching the upper jaw of the changeling in his mouth and tossing the lighter opponent to the ground. 
They both rose to stand at the same time. Æclypse fired a blast of white magic that took the drone in the side and propelled it into a wall where it crashed with such force it left an impression in the stucco.  
Catching ragged breaths, Æclypse looked up to the changeling clouds. His heart leapt in his chest when he saw the unconscious form of a white Pegasus in the grip of a drone, the one beside it carrying a white unicorn colt. 
With renewed purpose, he surged forward in the same direction as the drones, bearing the agony of putting weight on the damaged leg if only to make him that much faster. 
But his brawl had not gone unnoticed, and more drones now tuned their attention to where they had heard the commotion. One by one they descended from the sky, each thinking to make short work of this bold but pathetic pony. 
Æclypse spied a loose wooden board, and seizing it with his magic, brought it sweeping in just as the first soldier was almost upon him. The swing knocked the drone clear aside into a broken cart. A return swing leveled another to the right. All the while Æclypse never broke gaze from his family, advancing with quickened pace. 
Chitinous legs wrapped around his barrel, and throwing his head back, Æclypse sent a magical torrent point-blank into its face. Another came charging in head-on, so he bore his shoulder forward and met the collision like a rock against the waves, loosing a furious roar. He shoved the drone off and used the board once more to intercept an incoming foe with an upward thwock.”
The furious unicorn screamed as another was laid low with a downward strike, its horn stabbing through the plank as it was crushed against the ground. Æclypse marched over the drone’s body. 
Two more descended, fangs and hooves first. One struck him across the cheek, the other in the ribs, both biting down on his back. He reached around and bit the one on his left, getting a hold of a leg, feeling his teeth break though chitin. When it let go to shriek, he tossed it to the ground in front of him and drove both hooves onto its abdomen. Meanwhile, the other drone had vainly been gnawing at his haunch. Æclypse elected to ignore him for the moment in order to strike down with his horn like a magical hammer on another soldier, sending it to the ground. 
There was now a number of changelings circling ‘round, through their passing he saw Bjørg and Theodan moving farther and farther away. That was when he realized there would be no fighting his way to them. 
More drones fell upon him and he ceased resisting, allowing them to pile on and douse his horn with their mucus. He felt the sensation of his magic being stifeled by the goo, ensuring an end to its use. 
As his wife and son were carried out of his view and four drones took hold of him, he knew his only hope to see them again was in the hive. 
Though he did not wail in grief, Æclypse wept. 



PONYVILLE, 
Outskirts



Press play and keep reading, this song is meant to accentuate the mood. 




The forest was quiet that night, barely even the chirps and howls of the fauna to be heard. The moon was full and cast all underneath in a soft pale glow, creating a dreamlike setting as a lone unicorn walked along with his head lowered. Wanderlust, saddlebags beating at his sides, strode wearily through the green with his focus on some introverted thought. His eyes were open but set to the ground, navigating absent-mindedly. 
Curious onlookers from the shadows followed Wanderlust as he ambled along, but he paid them no mind. The only care he took was to avoid walking into trees and other obstacles so long as it allowed him to keep on going. From one particular bush, a timberwolf poked its head out, and after inspecting the pony for several seconds, retreated into the backdrop. 
Wanderlust walked until the forest thinned out, eventually coming into a clearing where an angular rock formation jutted out over a cliff like the beak of an eagle. He sighed and continued toward the precipice, the full moon looming large ahead of him as if it were a gateway through which he might depart this world. A twinge of pain caused him to clench his eyes shut for a few moments, mouth scowling from a phantom sour taste. When they opened again it was with a gasp of desperation, eyelids swelling in the way they might when suffering an irritant. 
He shrugged off his saddlebags as he came unto the rock, which overlooked a vast horizon of trees and hills, with the lights of a city far off in the distance. Settling down on his stomach, Wanderlust crossed his forelegs and settled his cheek on where they overlapped, exhaling forlornly as he stared out into the night. The reflection of the moonlight shining in the steadily growing tears pooling under his eyes. 
“I had her.” He mumbled to himself in disbelief. “After all this time… I finally had her.” While it was true that Chrysalis had not gotten away, it nonetheless gutted him to know that it had not been him that laid her low. If not for the split second that it took Princess Twilight to teleport them, the menace of the black queen would be ended forever, and he could rest the grudge once and for all. 
“Am I doomed to chase this phantom justice until the end of my days?” The thought resonated in his mind. “If destroying her isn’t my destiny, have I wasted all this time on a distraction? How can it be taken away from me in the blink of an eye?”
Wanderlust lifted his head to the stars, wet streaks down his cheeks. “I don’t understand what you want from me…” He pleaded to the sky, jaw set forward in desperate frustration. “If I can’t avenge them, what am I supposed to do?” 

As Wanderlust gazed up into the heavens for answers, a set of lavender hooves touched-down some distance behind him. Wings fluttering to a gentle halt, Twilight Sparkle made sure to land with as little noise as possible, watching intently to make sure he hadn’t noticed her arrival. At her side were her own saddlebags. The last time they met, he was about to unload a blast of magic that was comparable to her own power levels. Then in his outburst of anger, he had turned and fired on her and she felt the depth of his magical well behind the effort. It was either pure coincidence that a vagabond was possessed of enough power to battle Chrysalis, trade blows with her, and cast fire spells, or there was some other factor at work. 
“An old family that comes from the north.” He had told Rarity. “Left home and traveled the world.” He had testified before everypony, right before displaying some very insightful observations about the Element Bearers, that he had personally journeyed to meet. 
“My Wife… They were taken from me…” He had told her privately when asked about his wife, a wife he still sung in remembrance of. ‘They’, she now understood, meant more than just the mare he lost, his son as well. 
Then there was his reaction to the book, the Thulian tome on clothing, the surprise in a face that only came with seeing something thought long forgotten. Wanderlust had even finished her sentence, the recognition allowing for a mistake to slip past his defenses. But then would that mean the life story he gave her was a lie. 
“What does the name ‘Aquileia’ mean to you?” Chrysalis had asked her, fully intending to lead her to some conclusion. After their conversation, Twilight had gone to the Canterlot Library to research what she could about the ancient coastal city. Ruled by the able King Cobalt, it had fallen in a sweep when Chrysalis’ swarm raided it and sacked the populace 
The conclusion that seemed obvious was impossible however, how could he have lost his family in an event almost a thousand years ago? Was Chrysalis just trying to play one last game with her? If so, to what end? What was clear to her was that Wanderlust, if that was his real name, had not been honest with them. But for good reasons or not, she would have the truth from him now. 
Twilight stalked forward carefully, not wanting to alarm him or put him on the defensive before she could get close enough. She did however pause when she came to his saddlebags, fixing them with a curious glance. Very subtly, she cast her magic over them, a spell meant to identify magical objects. She was quite surprised to feel the very potent presence of an enchantment on the bags, like opening a chest of old spices the magical aroma left her somewhat stunned. 
“It’s old.” She realized immediately, having grown up in Canterlot. “Definitely of foreign composition, but what is it?” Then the answer stuck her as all too simple, if not extraordinary. “It’s a Bag of Holding!” She gasped inwardly, having heard of them when she was in magic history class. Creating such items was a lost art, requiring the arcane mastery to create a pocket dimension bonded to a mundane item. Starswirl had come close to cracking the formula, but he was working from scratch. 
Twilight looked up again to see Wanderlust unmoved from his position and closed the distance. 
“I’m sorry about before.” He called out, lifting and swiveling an ear in her direction. “You caught me in quite an emotional state.”
She stopped a few paces away as he stood and turned towards her. Wanderlust gave her a sorry expression and bowed his head. “Princess Twilight, I beg your forgiveness.”
“I appreciate the apology.” She granted. “But there are a few things we need to talk about.”
He raised his head, preparing himself for the confrontation. 
“Your wife was taken by the changelings, I’ve gathered that much. Your son as well?” Her tone was inquisitive but empathetic, stepping forward simultaneously. 
Wanderlust cocked his head. “Yes, how did you know?”
“I had a conversation with Chrysalis while she was imprisoned, she shared some of what you said to her during your fight. Though I had my doubts as to how true she was being, it appears she was the only one not hiding things from me.”
He turned away from her, facing back out over the cliff. “I wouldn’t trust that creature to tell me if it was night or day.”
“She was also very surprised when you mentioned Aquileia.” Watching him closely, she saw his ears go straight at mention of the city, an involuntary reaction. “A very curious thing to mention in the same breath as your family, especially since Aquileia was ransacked by her almost a thousand years ago.”
Wanderlust shook his head. “It was in the heat of the moment, ponies can say the craziest things when they’re all worked up. I don’t even really remember what I said.”
“I think you meant every word you said.” Twilight’s tone was more confrontational, taking a few more steps. “I think you knew exactly what you were going to say if you ever got the chance to get revenge on Chrysalis.”
“So what is it your saying, Princess?” Facing her once more, her gave her an incredulous expression. “That I lost my family in an event that happened a thousand years ago? That assumes that I was alive a thousand years ago, which would be-”
“Unbelievable.” She cut him off. “But not impossible, don’t forget I’ve met a few immortals before. The only explanation that fits all the clues, that gives you the motive, is that you were in Aquileia when it was destroyed. But I still lack the means.”
“The opportunity as well.” Wanderlust reminded her. “Since I seem to be under investigation. It would take an incomprehensible confluence of events for me to be an immortal pony, who just so happened to show-up in Ponyville in time to catch the latest Changeling attack.”
“Almost as incomprehensible as the events that introduced me to my friends the night of Nightmare Moon’s Return. Implausible things seem to happen a lot around here, and especially lately.”
“I’ll grant you that.” He was forced to admit. “But that’s what makes you and the others so special. I’m a nobody.”
“Nobodies don’t have enough power to take down an immortal evil queen and nearly blast her to smithereens.” If her own past experience had taught her anything, it was that nothing happened in this world without meaning. “Do you believe in destiny, Wanderlust?”
He shrugged. “I suppose I used to. Seems a cruel notion now. If I do have one, I can’t fathom what it is.” A swift kick from a foreleg sent a cloud of dust and pebbles skittering out over the edge. 
“Well I do, in a way.” She took another step, and was now about two paces from him, leaving no route for escape between her and the precipice. “Not in the way that all our decisions are predetermined, but that each of us is meant to play a part in the course of events, and that everything that happens to us, is meant to put us in those positions.”
He was silent for a moment, then remained so for several more.
Twilight continued. “Just like I was meant to be here for the return of Nightmare Moon, Discord, and…” She paused, mulling a thought. “ßombra’”.
The accentuation of the ‘S’ sound was deliberate, as she recalled from her research of archaic letters, pronouncing the name with a sharp hiss. 
Where the perking of the ears had been a subtle tell, Wanderlust’s reaction this time was downright treachery. He flattened his ears and shivered. But he must have caught himself, for he took a sharp breath and shook off the distress. 
Twilight nodded. “And I think you were meant to be here, meant to help save Ponyville. If you hadn’t freed my friends, they wouldn’t have been able to free me from Chrysalis’ control.”
Wanderlust glared sidelong at her. “I didn’t do it for Ponyville, intentional or not. Nor did I do it for you, or to be a hero. You and your friends have saved Equestria plenty of times without my help and likely would have again. I did it for my family that she took!”
He turned on her fully, pounding a hoof to his chest. “I did it for revenge! I did it for me!”
But Twilight was not put-off by his anger. “And just who are you? Because I don’t think your real name is Wanderlust.”
His mouth twitched and his demeanor remained grim, but he said nothing. 
“I don’t think you're from Vanhoover, and I don’t think you have a sister.” She pressed. “Since we’re on the topic of improbable coincidences, what are the odds that the night you showed up in Ponyville, was the same night I stumbled onto a trove of ancient artifacts from a lost kingdom?”
His eye twitched. 
“And just what are the odds that I show you a book from that trove, and you can read it? It’s either the most contrived set of circumstances imaginable, or you and I were meant to be right here, right now.”
“I think you are drawing some fantastical conclusions, Princess.” He grumbled. “You will think yourself quite foolish in the morning.”
Twilight returned his glare, a tension between them that neither dare provoke. Finally, she exhaled and used her magic to reach into her saddlebag. “I asked you before if you would help me with the books from Thule. I have a book here that I would like you to look at.”
Wanderlust help up a hoof. “With due respect, Princess, this is neither the time or place to-”
His words faltered when he saw the book she produced, the runic lettering across the cover.
“Can you read this?” She asked in a way that was clear she knew the answer. 
His eyes narrowed, the anger now replaced by fear, swallowing a lump. 
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Twilight flipped the book open to near the end. “I’ll read you some of it, see if it jogs any memories of family legends.” 
She cleared her throat and began. “Gathered around, the others were silent, staring at him in reverence as if Vertanus himself were before us.
"Hail one of them said, kneeling before him; “Hail Prince Æclypse, Guardian of Thule.”
“Hail.” Came another as he bowed, “Hail Prince Æclypse, Shield of the Aubergine.”
Wanderlust spun away from her, a pained expression on his face.
“Hail” knelt another, “Hail Prince Æclypse, The Dragon Rider.”
“Hail” a fourth called, “Hail Prince Æclypse, The Storm-Crier.”
“Hail” A fifth christened in genuflection, “Hail Prince Æclypse, The Draken-Bane.”
Twilight looked up briefly to see him facing out to the sky, his body heaving from hyperventilation. She licked her lips and continued. “It was his brother, the younger Prince ßombra who suggested something much more modest. And so it was in front of our entire kingdom, that the First Son of Thule, and Heir to the Throne, was dubbed: “Prince Æclypse, the Valiant.”
“How about Prince Æclypse the Failure!” He turned, barking with a furious sneer. “Hmm? How about Prince Æclypse the Coward! Are those titles in your book?” He stepped forward and rapped a hoof against the pages. 
“So you know about Æclypse?” She asked firmly. 
“I know about him.” He snarled. “His crisis, his shame, they’re legendary.”
Twilight flipped to the last page. “Then perhaps you can tell me about this: ‘To the Princess of my Dreams.’” 
His face fell, jaw clamping shut as he recoiled from her as if she had just laid a terrible curse on him. 
“Of all the improbable, impossible things…” Twilight whispered in genuine amazement, shutting the book with a rising excitement. “Of course you know about him. Of course you can read Thule-runes, because YOU'RE FROM THULE!". Caught up in the exhilaration of her conclusion, she proclaimed the last few words with accusation. "And there's only one stallion, only one in all of history that those words would have such meaning.”
“You have no idea who I am.” He growled, face trembling.
“Oh, I think I’m getting a pretty good idea.” Twilight returned.   
Wanderlust lowered his face, a thousand thoughts moving through his brain, rotating in place in a haze. 
“But you don’t have to tell me.” Restoring the book in her saddlebag, Twilight made it sound as if she was letting the matter drop. “I can always speak with Princess Luna, I’m sure she’ll find this conversation very interesting.” 
“NO!” Wanderlust yelled, reaching out a hoof to halt her. His voice however was much deeper, grittier, older. 
Twilight was thunderstruck, gaping at him. 
Slowly, Wanderlust lowered his hoof and gaze. “I’m not him... Princess Twilight. I’m not Prince Æclypse. I’m not the guardian of Thule, or the dragon-rider, or any of those ridiculous titles, and I’m certainly not valiant. That stallion has been gone for a very long time.”
“Then who are you?” She asked, enthralled. 


Wanderlust paused, staring down to the ground. “I… I am Æclypse…”
His horn ignited, casting a blinding light over his body. A green flame erupted from the base of his hooves, consuming his form until it reached the tip of his horn. Standing where Wanderlust had been, was now a powerfully-built blue-grey unicorn, his presence both raw and majestic to behold. A long, wild black mane with a blue streak down the middle, from his chin a beard to match. Under a curved horn, sparkling blue eyes stared down to Twilight. On his flank, the black Sonnenrad she had seen in the library. Her eyes grew and her jaw hung. 
“…The Unforgiven.”



End Credit Music!





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