Luster's eyes slowly flickered open as the morning sun's rays hit her in the eyes, and she groaned instinctively, forcing her head beneath her thin blankets in a feeble attempt to shut out the world and return to her dreams. Thrashing around as she wrestled with the covers, she came to an abrupt stop and let out a yelp of pain as her head connected to a hard, metallic object lying next to her cot.
With a jolt of sudden realization, she scrambled to her hooves and choked as she laid eyes on one of the most powerful magical artefacts in Equestria lying nonchalantly by the side of her bed. Without thinking, she seized her blankets and threw them over the Bewitching Bell before somecreature decided to investigate the thrashing coming from her tent, wrapping the relic up tightly before stuffing it into her saddlebags and fastening the latch. Collapsing back on her bed, her chest rose and fell rapidly as she gasped for air, head spinning.
It had been one thing to entertain the prospect of owning the bell, quite another to have it physically within her grasp. All of her bravado and bluster faded away into a screaming static of background noise as the enormity of what she had come into possession of hit her. Even safely wrapped up and stowed away, the bell emanated an aura of pure evil that left her in no doubt of its true nature. The idea of using the magic imbued within, even benevolently, repulsed her. How had Cozy even been able to look at the thing, let alone use it?
As the thought struck her, she glanced around at the tent, heartrate pounding as she realized Cozy hadn't returned after their argument last night. The bell was forgotten in an instant; leaping to her hooves once more, Luster tore through the entrance to their tent and burst into the waking camp, eyes scanning every corner in search of her foal.
"Cozy? Cozy?!"
A few eyes turned to meet her, but none of them were those she sought. Her mouth ran dry as a thousand awful possibilities ran through her mind.
"COZY!?!"
She began to trample through the camp, peering into every communal tent she could find, earning nothing but the curses of awoken soldiers and the odd stares of her colleagues. She ignored them all until she had exhausted the entire camp with nothing to show for it. By the time she had finished, she had broken out into a cold sweat, barely able to speak for the lump in her throat and the tremor in her stomach.
"Golden Sun! What in the Emperor do you think you're doing?"
In her state, it took Luster a few seconds to realize the words were directed towards her. Spinning around on the spot, her eyes boggled as she stared at the wild-eyed at the Griffon commander before her.
"I... I'm looking for my filly. Have you seen her?"
The commander looked thoroughly displeased at being asked, as if the question was somehow beneath him. "Is that what all this ruckus is after? You know, I'm not running a nursery here." A disgruntled look crossed his face. "But... yes. I saw her only a few minutes ago."
Luster let out a relieved sigh at the words, and it was all she could do to prevent herself from collapsing on the spot. "Oh, thank Celestia - I... I mean, thank the Emperor. Do you... where... when... where did you see her?"
"She was gathering some water - and bothering my soldiers while she was at it. Tell her to keep her snout out of official army business if she wants to keep it." The commander barked gruffly, his thunderous look letting Luster know there was no higher nuisance in his opinion than an overly inquisitive filly. "I hope those rune translations are finished. I've had a bad night, and the last thing I need is for my work to be held up by a stuck-up magician who can't keep her foal on a tight leash!"
"Yes sir. I'll deliver them to your tent by midday." Luster bowed deeply, earning an approving cluck.
"Good. Dismissed."
As soon as the commander was back out of eyesight, Luster set off at a gallop towards the camp's well, heart almost stopping as she arrived and saw it deserted - until a trio of voices caught her attention, carried by the gentle morning wind.
"You mean you were there?" Cozy's voice was unmistakable.
"Yeah. I... I didn't see much, but I saw enough." An unfamiliar, somewhat shaky masculine voice. A third male voice chipped in.
"And you're sure they were Equestrian soldiers?"
"A hundred percent. They must be settling the score on towns that surrendered without a fight. General Morning Star's personal orders."
"It just... it's hard to believe."
"I saw it. They just... they didn't show any mercy. Even foals... even mares with foal - "
"All right, knock it off. You'll traumatize the poor kid."
"No he won't!"
"Well, I say he will. Go back to your mom, foal. You shouldn't be alone like this."
"No, she shouldn't." Luster pushed past the tree branches that encircled the clearing, glaring daggers at the three figures in front of her - Cozy and two armoured Griffons, unmistakably soldiers. "What's going on here?"
"Luster?" Cozy immediately clapped a hoof to her mouth as she accidentally let Luster's real name slip, but if the other Griffons recognized the name, they showed no recognition of it. Indeed, the questioner seemed more outraged at the way he was being spoken to.
"Nothing, pony. I was just talking to my friend, and your foal insisted on butting in."
"Leave it, Garth." The other Griffon bristled at his friend's tone. "Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to upset your filly."
"Upset her how?" Luster repeated indignantly as she approached. "What are you talking about?"
The pair of Griffons glanced at each other before the one who had been talking continued. "The Equestrians have started attacking settlements that surrendered. Not so much attacking as... butchering. I was... there."
Garth nodded in agreement. "They've been getting desperate ever since they were defeated outside Canterlot, but I don't think anycreature expected them to use tactics like this. This whole damned country is in uproar. I wish I'd never been sent here in the first place."
Luster's stomach flipped at the words, but she fought to keep her composition and not let her feeling show. "Cozy, come with me. We can get some breakfast before I get to work."
"But - "
"Don't argue! I'm sure we'll find out more later." Stomping her hoof on the ground, she snorted in anger. "Come on!"
Cozy hesitated, then dutifully slunk over to her side. Luster cast one last glare at the soldiers before turning tail and escorting Cozy back to the camp.
Morning Star gave the spear an extra twist as he wrenched it free from the ribs of the dying Griffon, a satisfied grin twisting his handsome features as a flicker of something close to pleasure coursed through him.
Plumes of smoke rose from the scarred battlefield that had seen his army decisively crush the main encampment of Griffons outside Canterlot, whose force had been slowly but surely sapped of strength by the overwhelming demand for reinforcements well behind the front. Incrementally, by attrition, their numbers had worn down until they were ripe for destruction. None had been spared.
Though he was certain this would be a fatal blow to the Emperor's ambitions in Equestria, he was keenly aware that he had much more land to recover. The fatalities of the last battle had been horrendous - which was to be expected, given that the bulk of his force was now composed of fresh recruits with only a few days of training at best. Now that the imminent threat had been dealt with, he would have time to consolidate the fresh meat, honing it into a sharp scythe with which he would fell the last of the Griffons who had dared come to his country to die.
All that remained was for Equestria to see the fall of the last Alicorn, and for Gallus to be... disposed of. He had never aspired to the throne, but fate left little choice in the matter. To even entertain the prospect of serving under the Regent for a second longer than necessary was intolerable. If Providence demanded he be the one to bring unity to Equestria, so be it.
The struggling Griffon gasped one final time, then expired beneath him. Driving the tip of the spear back into its head, Morning Star continued his march across the battlefield.
Cozy was the first back inside the tent, and it only took a few seconds before she exploded.
"Were you following me?!"
"No! I mean, I was looking for you! You just vanished without telling me where you'd gone, what was I supposed to think?!"
Cozy scoffed and turned her back on Luster, staring at the empty walls of the tent. "I can look after myself, Luster." In seconds, her eyes landed on the wrapped bundle sitting conspicuously beside Luster's bed. "What's that?"
"Nothing." Luster said the word far too quickly, and she knew it. "It's... uh...."
"It's not... it?"
Luster sighed, irritated. "You're too quick for me, Cozy. Yes, it's.... it's what you think it is."
Cozy flinched involuntarily, as if she had been confronted with some hideous beast, or a repulsive insect. "When... when are you gonna... y'know... do it?"
"I... I don't know. When I'm ready. When the time's right."
"When the time's right?!" Cozy flared up again, spinning around to face Luster. "Didn't you hear what that Griffon soldier said? They're killing ponies right now! Innocent ponies, little foals!" Luster looked away. "If you don't... If you don't use that bell right now, you're just as guilty as they are!"
"Cozy, I can't just rush into this."
"Yes you can! Why are you such as coward!" Cozy stamped her forehooves, furious. "You're okay with letting innocent ponies die, just because you don't feel ready to use that bell?"
Luster opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn't find anything to say. In the midst of her silence, Cozy continued her rant.
"Luster!? Are you even listening to me?!" Quick as a flash, Cozy ran over to the saddlebag and began to pull at it. The latch to the bag fell apart with little effort, and in seconds Cozy had dragged out the bundled package, which she threw aside with great force. The blanket wrapping unravelled and the bell tumbled out, striking the floor with a dull thud.
As soon as the bell left its protective covering, Cozy froze, staring at the bell with widening eyes, seemingly frozen in shock at the sight of the artefact. Her mouth opened and slowly closed as a slight tremor filled her legs.
"Cozy?" Luster took a tentative step forwards. Cozy's head quickly whipped around.
"It's... it's..." She let out a slow, deep exhale. "It's nothing."
"It's okay if you're not used to - "
"I said it's fine!" Cozy took a step back, almost tripping over a rock that jutted out of the ground and into the floor of the tent. "It's fine. I'm fine, I just... I've not seen that thing for a while." Coughing loudly to clear her throat, she turned her head away. "You're using it. Today. If you don't, I'll... I'll... I will."
Luster's gaze hardened. "Cozy..."
"I mean it. You'll have to kill me if you want to stop me."
"Don't tempt me." Luster tried to force a laugh, but faltered at the stony look on Cozy's face. "Listen, I'll think about it. But I'm not going to take any risks, understand?"
Cozy nodded slowly. "I mean it. One day."
"Your Regency."
Once more, Morning Star found himself forced to bow before the foul beast who sat atop the Equestrian throne and dared pretend to its authority. In response, Gallus merely stared back at him, dishevelled, wild-eyed and feathers ruffled.
"The Griffons have been routed and destroyed outside Canterlot. In a few weeks, my soldiers will march upon the nearest occupied settlement, and we can begin to retake back our country. It is a joyous occasion."
Silence hung across the room. There couldn't have been less enthusiasm between the pair of them.
"Regent Gallus, I have had the opportunity to speak to the Canterlot's chief interrogator before I was granted an audience with you. His efforts with Flurry Heart have proved fruitless, and we are in mutual agreement that it would be prudent to proceed with her execution as soon as possible."
Gallus's neck twitched slightly. "A good idea."
"I will arrange for her execution to be scheduled tomorrow afternoon." He rose slowly, allowing himself a fleeting second of a sneer before his face settled back into its usual dispassionate stare.
The night dawned slowly on the Griffon war camp, the burning glory of the sun slowly replaced with the sombre glistening light of the moon, hovering like a silent leviathan amidst the star-studded sky that blanketed the earth from horizon to horizon.
The first signs of their approach came from the gentle tremors of their hooves upon the ground, shaking the very earth as they crushed it beneath their step.
As the approached the threshold of the camp, they charged, the more eager amongst them letting out roars of terror as those unlucky enough to lie directly in their path of destruction were caught up in the initial rush of carnage and torn limb from limb by an enemy they never had time to lay eyes on, let alone defend themselves against. Across the camp, a peaceful slumber gave way to confusion; confusion that gave way to panic, terror and screams.
Luster was shocked awake by the noise and scrambled out of her bed immediately, horn igniting as she stared through bleary eyes as the tent's entrance, waiting for the first assailant to stumble through. When none materialized, she turned to Cozy and shook her frantically.
"Cozy! Cozy!"
The filly slowly shook her off before climbing out of her bed, shaking her head in confusion.
"What? What's going on?"
"I don't know. There's trouble outside. Grab whatever you need and let's go!"
Luster turned and grabbed her saddlebags, packing into them the last possession of any real value she had left - the Bewitching Bell. Fastening the latch as quickly as she could, she pushed her head as far out of the tent flap as she dared to catch a glimpse of a world on fire.
All as far as they eye could see was consumed with flaming tents and soldiers locked in brutal combat amidst the dead and dying bodies of friend and foe alike. Those who were foolish enough to attempt to surrender met an even swifter end at the hooves of the merciless invaders. Her mouth ran dry as she took in the slaughter around her. How had it come to this?
"Luster?"
Luster turned around and sealed the tent flap closed, hoisting her saddlebags onto her back. "Be quiet. I'm going to teleport us out of here. Grab my hoof - "
Before Cozy could respond, or even take another step, the tent around them was torn open and down, the thin fabric walls collapsing around them as a triumphant cry went up.
"There's two over here! A unicorn and - "
That was as far as he got; before he could finish, his throat was crushed in Luster's magical grip and he dropped to the ground, but the damage had been done. A dozen figures converged on them, spears in grip, cursing and shouting.
Two of them crumpled immediately as Luster drew a magical whip across their chests, sending them skidding to the ground where they laid immobile. Another fell to a bolt of magical energy before Luster was forced to leap forwards, barely avoiding the thrust of a spear which she melted in the mouth of its user, causing her to reel backwards and let out an unearthly scream as the liquid metal burned into her mouth. The damage had been done, and her heart began to race in her chest as she realized Cozy had been separated from her by the movement.
"COZY! Run!"
Her horn glowed once again as every figure within reach fell before her, those fortunate enough to avoid her wrath backing away as they realized the calibre of the unicorn they were facing. As the last of her assailants fell, she spun around, scanning the area around her for the faintest flash of pink and blue. Finally, she spotted Cozy's trembling form cowering before an armour-clad soldier, just in time to see him strike the fatal blow.
The world flared red and all seemed to scream in agony as Luster saw a twisted steel spear pierce Cozy's chest in a grotesque eruption of crimson, causing her eyes to flare wide open and her whole body to spasm uncontrollably. Staggering backwards, she violently coughed up splatters of blood and fell to her kneels, shivering like a drowned rat.
The stallion was thrown into the air and smashed to pieces against the ground before he even had time to retrieve his weapon. Luster threw foe and friend alike aside as she charged over to her foal's side, gripping her in blood-soaked hooves as she felt her heart race like it had never done so before.
"Cozy! No, no no no no NO! Can you hear me? Cozy? COZY!!"
The battle around them seemed to fade into little more than background noise as Cozy locked eyes with Luster, eyes filled with nothing but terror and fear. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but was only able to let out a weak mew before her gaze became glassy and unfocused.
Luster began to let out a cry - before a sudden, wild, impossible hope struck her. Physically tearing her saddlebags off her back and ripping them open, she pulled out the Bewitching Bell, feeling a chill run down her spine as she felt the cold metal bite into her hooves. After a second's hesitation, she swung the bell through the air and felt a chill run down her spine as the chime echoed across the camp and through her body, forcing every hair on her body to stand on end.
A power surged through her, a power unlike any she had ever known. It took every ounce of her self-control to focus and channel it properly, to prevent it from physically tearing her to pieces. Her eyes glowed until they were nothing but furious molten orbs of the purest white light, and from her lips escaped a guttural roar that threatened to split the corner of her mouth. Rising to her hooves, she felt a new strength within her - not just power, but the power. She had never once felt anything like it; the rules and paradigms of magic as she knew them melted away before her, and at once she knew she could twist them however she liked.
Her muscles surged with newfound strength, yet she felt lighter than a feather. From her sides, she felt two new wings erupt painlessly and flourish, wings that responded perfectly to her command. Beating her newfound appendages with great force, she rose several feet into the air, before allowing her horn to burn with bright white light. Every combatant cried out in pain and dropped their weapons before curling into a ball, struck simultaneously blind and deaf.
Landing silently beside Cozy, Luster knelt over the dying filly and effortlessly withdrew the spear from her chest, healing her wounds with the slightest flick of her horn. Yet still, Cozy did not stir. A boiling, furious rage filled her as she realized why.
She was too late.
Another roar escaped her lips, this one of anger and loss, of hatred and fury. She was going to kill every one of those who had dared take her foal from her - every fool who had dared raise arms in this foul, endless war that had taken from her everything she'd ever loved. There could be no punishment foul enough, no lake of blood deep enough that could ever satisfy her rage.
Seizing the closest body she could find, she dragged them into the air and began to boil their brain, restoring their senses and amplifying them so that they might feel even a fraction of the loss and pain she felt, that they might join her in her suffering -
"...luster..."
Sensing movement, Luster immediately dropped her victim and returned to Cozy's side, her mask of bitter rage replaced by a look of deepest concern. Grasping Cozy's hoof in hers, she glanced down at the fading soul beneath her. Cozy was alive - but only just. As weak as she was, it was only a matter of time.
"...luster... I..." Cozy coughed pathetically, using the last of her strength to wipe dried blood from her lips. "...love..." She gasped. "I love you."
Luster's heart burned in her chest as she saw the filly grow weaker by the second. In the back of her mind, she realized she had only one option. It might cost everything she and Discord had sacrificed. It might kill Cozy immediately. It might even kill her. But she didn't care.
Grasping the husk of the Bewitching Bell in her magic, she placed it into Cozy's feeble grip, focused her magic on it, and struck a chime.
Her new power was sucked from her as quickly as it had arrived, draining her of her newfound strength in seconds and leaving her weak and exhausted. Before she even realized what had happened, she had collapsed onto the ground, blood rushing to her head and threatening to make her faint. Her wings vanished and her stature reduced until she was back in her own body. Desperately scrambling to her hooves, she turned her attention to Cozy.
Before her stood a slender Alicorn who had grown at least a foot, shaking violently and spasming uncontrollably as she desperately tried to focus the new raw energy that threatened to tear her apart. Her horn, which had sprouted from her forehead, crackled with electrical magic, and her eyes glowed with the same white-hot light Luster's had worn a few minutes ago. A deep, hollow pit filled her stomach as she took a step back, eyes wide.
Slowly but surely, the struggle slowed, then stopped. Cozy laid her hooves on the ground, and slowly opened her eyes, taking in the scene around her. When she spoke, her voice shook with fear.
"Luster?"
"Cozy!" Luster charged forwards and threw her arms around the Alicorn, who was already considerably taller than her. "Oh, Celestia. You're okay." She clung tighter to the Alicorn, repeating the two words to herself like a mantra. Cozy returned the fierce hug, her new strength crushing Luster in a vice-like grip.
"I... I thought... I thought I was gonna..." Cozy couldn't finish. Luster let go of her and laughed shakily, tears still rolling down her eyes.
"You did. I... I can't believe that worked."
"You mean you didn't know it would?" Cozy voice sounded hollow, scandalized. "What if I'd... I'd blown up, or something?" She glanced down at her new height and wobbled slightly, unused to the vertigo. "Woah! Looks like I did anyway. Do I have a horn again?" She raised a hoof gingerly to her forehead, pulling it back slightly when she felt her horn as if burnt. "Oh, wow. It's been a long time since I last had this." She let out a shaky, hoarse laugh.
Luster laughed again, wiping her eyes clean and beaming at Cozy as she turned around in a circle, trying to examine every inch of her new body.
"Ohhhh boy. This is gonna take some getting used to."
"There'll be time for that later." Luster gestured at the scene around them. "Come on. You got your wish. We've got a war to end."
The pair of them appeared in the throne room in a blinding flash of light - literally. The small platoon of guards surrounding the Regent immediately fell screeching to their knees, all vision gone in an instant. Cozy Glow swept them effortlessly aside in one single motion, a swift master of her new powers.
Gallus' beak dropped at the scene before him. Before he could recover and flee, or even cry for help, his beak was sealed and his body immobilized, dragged into the air before Cozy. Luster stepped forwards with a grim look on her face, but it was Cozy who spoke first, her voice deep and booming, full of force.
"It's over, Gallus. You've ruined enough lives. We're putting an end to this war, and an end to your Equestria."
Gallus forced his beak open only to gawk at Cozy's appearance. "What - what is this?! How - I - this is impossible!"
"Tell me about it." Luster turned to Cozy. "Here we are. They're your powers - but I think we should lock him up in the dungeon. Put him on trial,"
"Are you sure?" Cozy eyed Gallus with intense hatred. "It would be easier to just wring his neck now."
"You're not that kind of pony, Cozy. I know that."
Cozy sighed. "I wasn't. But I've seen enough to know not every problem has a nice, peaceful solution. If we don't kill him now, we don't finish this properly."
"Cozy..." Luster spoke softly. "I know you. You're not a killer."
"Guess you don't know me as well as you thought, then."
With a twist of the Alicorn's neck and a sickening snap, the Regent's reign finally ended - permanently. Letting the corpse drop to the floor with a thud, Cozy threw it one last look of disgust and turned to Luster, a dazed look accompanying a small smile on her face.
"I... I can't believe I just did that." She blinked slowly, looking confused, before letting out a shaky laugh, giving Gallus' body a kick. "Rot in Tartarus. Come on, Luster. We've got a royal family tree to prune."
"You - you..." Luster glanced down at Gallus' body, a lump in her throat. Granted, it was nothing less than he deserved - but like that? "You can't just - "
"Spare me the lecture, Luster. I can do whatever I want. He would have been put to death anyway. We're just cutting out the middlemare. Are you coming or not?"
"I... Cozy, if you just use violence to solve your problems, you're no better than - "
"Don't tell me I'm no better than Gallus!" Cozy roared, causing Luster to take a step back. "You told me you wanted to build a better world. Well, now the world's a whole lot better, I'd say. The same way it'll be better without Morning Star, the Griffon Royal family - and plenty more."
Luster swallowed the lump in her throat. Having her own words used against her cut deeper than she'd thought.
"Cozy..."
"Last chance, Luster. Are you in, or out?!"
Luster's breath left her as she stared up at the scared, lost little filly she'd once known, whose life she'd saved.
"Don't do this, Cozy."
Cozy snarled, then stamped her hoof on the ground and vanished in a flash of light.
The dungeon was only lightly defended, and the few guards posted outside made the fatal mistake of dropping their spears in shock as one of the most wanted ponies in Equestria wandered in. Within seconds, they were sent flying through their air and struck the bars of the nearest cell, collapsing into an unconscious heap on the ground.
Flurry Heart blinked lazily through bloodied eyelids as she watched her saviour approach, a dazed look on her face. She looked terrible, covered in burns, bruises and cuts, her head shaved and her horn wrapped in a tight metal coil that extended around her neck, threatening to burn her if she should attempt to cast a spell.
"What..." She shook her head. "Is it... over?"
Luster sighed, using her magic to melt the steel lock effortlessly. "Yeah. It's over."
"You're... you're going to kill me." The words were a hoarse whisper, filled with genuine fear. In response, Luster shook her head.
"No. I'm here to rescue you."
"You're..." Flurry Heart squinted at Luster. "You're not... one of my subjects?"
"You know, it's nice not be recognized for once. I'm Luster Dawn." For some reason, her own voice felt hollow and defeated. "I'm the pony who killed Twilight Sparkle."
Flurry Heart looked more confused than ever, but in the end, her exhaustion got the better of her and she just nodded.
"I... I don't think I can stand up. Can you help me?"
"I can teleport us. Where can we go that's safe?"
"Safe?" The Alicorn muttered the word as if it was something strange or alien. "I don't know. I... I just don't know."
Luster knelt down and slowly shifted the Princesses' weight onto her shoulders, surprised at how light she was. "Come on. I know a place."
Morning Star was awoken in his chambers by an unbearable force that crushed him against his bed like a vice. His eyes shot wide open as he took in the features of his assailant, pupils narrowing in shock at the impossible sight before him. Struggling helplessly like a fish on dry land, his lashing hooves were just able to connect with the Alicorn's front hooves, but she persevered without flinching. As the futility of the situation became apparent and terror gripped him, he fixed gazes with his murderer-to-be and did his best to beg with his eyes.
Whether by curiosity or by mercy, the ploy worked, and the relentless crushing force relaxed. Morning Star allowed himself a moment's wait before he said a word, wheezing desperately as his blood pressure slowly returned to normal.
"You're..." He coughed, throat burning. "You can't be who I think you are."
"I am." The words burned her lips as she spat them. "Any last words before I send you back where you came from?"
"I..." He paused. "Gallus?"
"Dead."
"Then surely, you will need help rebuilding Equestria." A self-satisfied smirk slipped onto his face. "You must understand, I had no loyalty to that despot. I merely did as I was told, biding my time until - "
The crushing force returned once more, this time doubled in intensity as Cozy's featured twisted into a snarl.
"I don't care why you did it! You will pay for your crimes along with the rest, murderer!" With a final glow of her horn, Morning Star's vision finally faded to black - permanently.
Luster Dawn slowly helped Flurry Heart into the bed and drew the covers over her. Her knowledge of medical magic was limited in contrast to the rest of her studies, but most of the Princesses' wounds were superficial rather than life-threatening. She would almost certainly live.
The home was in the middle of nowhere, and had been predictably abandoned and, save for the windows being smashed in, untouched. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she recalled how ecstatic she had been when her parents had told her as a young foal they would be buying a holiday retreat. She hadn't returned since she'd been accepted as Twilight's personal protégé, but she had often recalled fond memories of her foalhood here. To return under such circumstances was... surreal.
She was at a loss for what to do next. She could only wait for the Princess to recover, and return to the world - or whatever Cozy saw fit to leave of it.
The Griffon Emperor snarled as he was forced to his knees before the Alicorn, dozens of dead and dying guards being crushed beneath him.
"Alicorn filth! I'll have your head to decorate my personal chambers after I throw your body to my wolves!"
Cozy Glow stared down at him with disgust, as if contemplating a rabid dog.
"Die."
With a swift swing of her horn, Cozy severed the head of the Emperor and threw his body aside, watching with a dispassionate expression as his blood spurted from his neck and began to pour down the marble steps to the throne.
"Brother! There is - "
Princess Gideon came to a sudden halt as she burst into the throne hall and saw the carnage before her. Roaring with fury, she surged forwards, only to the thrown effortlessly aside and crash head-first against the black marble wall in an explosion of blood and feathers.
Cozy sighed and stepped forwards. The sins of the Griffons rested heavy in these halls. There were plenty of others to be disposed of.
The sunrise slowly climbed over the treeline, the morning sun painting the house in a new light. It's appearance startled Luster with the realization she had been awake the entire night.
The realization hit her like a truck, and her eyelids suddenly felt unbearably heavy. Stumbling indoors, she collapsed on a nearby couch and felt every muscle in her body give up. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she heard the furious buzzing of her family's old radio in the background.
"... have been murdered by an unidentified assailant of varying description, but all reports agree appears to be an Alicorn..."
The oblivion of sleep had never seemed so sweet.