Much happened in the few hours since Berry Punch and Lyra left Ponyville on their quest to find the Elements of Harmony. This is the tale of Twilight Sparkle.
The unicorn sighed unhappily as she looked out into the Everfree Forest, her brother by her side. The two spies had left just seconds ago and she couldn't help feeling concerned.
The two guards who had been posted outside her library door had also gone, heading to Canterlot to assess the situation and ascertain whether Celestia had truly been taken over by the malevolent spirit of Nightmare Moon.
Pinkie Pie was out gathering their friends so they would be ready to use the Elements, once they were discovered. There was little else to do now but wait.
"Come on Twiley, let's head inside," said Shining Armour, "We need to work out a contingency plan."
She complied, following her brother and his deputy Valiant Shield into the library, with her faithful assistant Spike not far behind. The four assembled in the main room, their expressions grim.
Valiant Shield spoke first. "We have to face facts. There's every chance that Lyra and Berry won't find the Elements and, even if they do, it's possible they won't work against Celestia. She was the first one to bear them and she knows and understands their power, so she may know how to counter-act them."
"Agreed," said Shining Armour, "We need a back-up plan. According to Noteworthy, Luna is already out of action, so we can't count on her help."
"There's, there's an obvious second option," said Twilight reluctantly. She trotted over to one of the bookcases and used her magic to start rummaging through the tomes on the shelf.
"Got it!" she cried as she found what she was after. She levitated a book over to the other three ponies, flicking through the pages as she went. "This is a copy of the book that first alerted me to Nightmare Moon's return, back when I was living in Canterlot. It tells the story of Celestia's fight with her and how it ended."
Shining Armour's expression hardened as he realised what she was talking about. "Banishment."
Twilight nodded. "I'm hoping we'd only have to use it as a last resort, but if it did come to that it would give us time to work out a better solution. If we can find out how to do it, we'll be one step ahead."
"You're right, but I can't imagine it'll be easy to find. We're talking about ancient magic here, a spell that's only ever been cast by Celestia."
She smiled at her brother. "Then it's a good thing you've got me on the case. You may be stronger than me and you may be commander of the royal guard, but there's one thing that I've always been better at than you."
She tilted her neck from side to side and hunkered down in front of the book with a grin. "Studying!"
****
The two unicorns spent upwards of an hour reading through a half dozen books on Equestrian history and magical theory. The information they had found did not bode well for their chances.
Princess Celestia had never written any books under her own name, though she had adopted a number of pseudonyms. Her favourite subjects were history and nature.
Unfortunately, she had never written anything directly about her fight with Nightmare Moon – her past conflicts were not something she was proud of and she didn't have any inclination to write about how she vanquished her own sister.
However, others had speculated about what had happened and the essays they had written were likely to be the truth. After all, they had existed for centuries and surely Celestia would not have allowed them to stay in print if they were incorrect.
The spell she had used could not banish a being to the Moon in their normal, physical state. Instead, it would first break down their body into a gaseous form, a distilled essence of their being. This would make them easier to manipulate.
However, it also meant the spell could only be used against shapeshifters, such as Luna. If it was cast on a being that was unable to transform themselves in such a way, the likely result would be death.
While the two unicorns continued studying, Valiant Shield and Spike were becoming increasingly uneasy. There had been no sign of Twilight's five friends since Pinkie Pie left the library and time was marching on.
Carrot Top had also been told to come straight back after she had completed her preparations, so she could travel with Spike to the Everfree Forest and meet with Zecora. It was likely she had been delayed while helping Noteworthy with his surveillance duties, but there was no way it should have taken her this long.
"I'm not waiting any longer," said Valiant Shield, "I'm going out to find them. Find out why they're taking so long to get back."
Shining Armour looked up and suddenly realised how much time had passed. He had been so engrossed in studying with his sister that everything else had gone out of his mind.
He nodded in acknowledgement, and his deputy opened the door as he went to find the errant ponies. The pegasus guard did not have to look far.
A lone figure was walking slowly towards the library, wearing a meek expression of concern on her face.
"Fluttershy," he said, "Where are the others? Why did Pinkie Pie take so long?"
The yellow pegasus cowered slightly at the authoritarian growl in his voice. "Well, um, she tried to find Rainbow Dash first but she was sleeping on a cloud. She spent ages trying to wake her up – shouting, throwing stones, even bouncing on a trampoline to try to reach her – until she realised it'd be easier to get me to do it. The two of them are going to get Applejack and Rarity now. They shouldn't take long."
"Typical," he said with a sigh, standing aside to let Fluttershy into the library. "Never trust a joker to do a soldier's job. That still leaves Carrot Top. She should be here by now."
"Carrot Top?" said Fluttershy, momentarily confused. "Oh! You mean Golden Harvest? I saw her a while ago, passing by my house. She was headed for the Everfree Forest."
"What?" he cried, causing the other pony to shrink back nervously.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry," she said hastily, "Should I have stopped her? I didn't know."
"She left without me?" asked Spike, "Why would she do that? She knew the plan."
Valiant Shield sighed impatiently. He was already rattled by the idea that Celestia, who he had served loyally for his entire career, had been corrupted by evil. The last thing he needed was for other ponies to be failing to carry out the tasks they had been set.
"There's nothing else for it. I'll have to escort you myself. Come on Spike," he said.
The young dragon followed him towards the door, then turned round just before he left. "Stay safe, Twilight. We'll get through this."
"Of course we will," she replied, forcing herself to smile. "It always turns out for the better. We'll save the princess."
Her expression drooped as he shut the door behind him, and she looked over to her brother. "Though if Lyra and Berry Punch don't find the Elements of Harmony, I'm not sure how we're going to do it. Nopony's ever been able to find out what manner of creature Nightmare Moon is, not even Luna. How else are we going to beat her?"
"Oh my," said Fluttershy, looking worried. "You mean we don't have a plan? We're going up against Nightmare Moon without any kind of plan? Are you ponies crazy? We won't stand a chance unless we have a…"
She trailed off, suddenly aware that Shining Armour was staring at her angrily. Twilight was fearful enough already and her outburst wasn't helping matters.
Fluttershy fidgeted uneasily, unable to fully look him in the eyes. "I shouldn't have said that, should I? I've made you all nervous now, haven't I? I'll, I'll get something to calm you down. Um, I'll – I'll make you some hot cocoa. Ponies love cocoa."
She flittered off into the kitchen, eager to be out of the room. Shining Armour smiled sympathetically at his sister.
"I know things look a little bleak, but Spike's right. We'll get through this. Equestria always prevails," he said, "I mean, just think about what you've overcome in the short time you've been in Ponyville. You've restored Luna to her rightful mind, defeated a creature who had the power to alter reality itself."
"I know, but this is Celestia," she said, "The pony I've looked up to my entire life. The pony who's cared for Equestria her entire life. I'm going to fight just as hard as I would against any other foe, but it feels so wrong. And if she can be corrupted, if someone as pure and good as her can fall into darkness, then anypony can. Nopony is safe from becoming… evil."
He didn't have any comforting words for that. A few minutes later, Fluttershy emerged from the kitchen with a tray carrying three mugs full of hot chocolate.
"Cocoa for everypony," she said happily. "Nothing better. This'll make everything alright again."
Shining Armour looked down at the tray by his hooves, then relented. "Oh, go on then. Thank you, Fluttershy," he said, raising up a mug with his magic and taking a sip.
Twilight lifted up her mug but wasn't really in the mood for it. Taking time out to drink hot chocolate while Canterlot was in danger didn't seem appropriate.
"We need to work out a plan of attack," said Shining Armour, "We can't defeat Celestia in a straight fight, so we'll need to out-think her. Is there any flaw in her psyche, any weakness we can exploit?"
"Um, what about cake?" asked Fluttershy, "Celestia loves cake."
He rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink. "We need something practical. We can't just go up to her and say 'wait, time out. Fancy a slice of this?'"
Twilight looked up, speaking her thoughts as they came into her head. "I suppose one weakness she has is that she's kind to a fault. She cares about everypony. If we could use that somehow, appeal to her better nature…"
"Twiley, are you seriously suggesting that we try to defeat her using the power of love?" said Shining Armour.
"Well, kinda," she said, "After all, we defeated Nightmare Moon using the magic of friendship. And I have a theory about that, as well. All of the challenges that Nightmare Moon sent our way when we first defeated her, everything we had to overcome – each one highlighted our individual strengths. It was as if, underneath it all, Luna was subconsciously directing Nightmare Moon to plant the seeds of her own downfall. That should mean that Celestia will retain some form of control, even if it's locked somewhere deep in her own mind."
"Hey, I think you're onto something there," said Shining Armour, pointing his hoof at her.
He staggered slightly and quickly placed his hoof down, seemingly unable to keep his balance on only three legs. A look of confusion crossed his face.
"Hey, are you okay?" asked Twilight.
He opened his mouth to reply but found he couldn't speak. A grogginess overcame him, deadening his mind and senses. He briefly tried to fight against it but it was no use. He lapsed into unconsciousness and fell heavily onto the floor.
"Shining Armour!" cried Twilight, dropping her mug and running to his side. She shook him but he remained asleep. "Come on, wake up! What's gotten into you?"
She looked up at Fluttershy, who was remaining silent. "I don't know what happened! He just keeled over! What are we going to do?"
The yellow pegasus was unable to look her in the eye. "Twilight," she said, self-consciously crossing one foreleg over the other. "Twilight, it really would be best if you just drank your cocoa."
A deathly chill passed through the purple unicorn. She froze, unable to fully comprehend what her friend had said.
"Fluttershy," she said, slowly turning her head, her eyes wide in shock. "You… you did this?"
The pegasus shook her head, a look of true guilt now evident in her face. "I'm not Fluttershy."
Twilight backed away instinctively, her sense of disbelief now giving way to fear. She stared back at the creature that had taken her friend's form, her voice shaking. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The not-Fluttershy didn't respond at first. After a moment's pause, it sighed heavily. "This would have been so much easier if I'd never met you. If I could have continued thinking of you as just being Celestia's student. Pretended you were aware of her crimes. But I know you now, I know you're innocent and… I'm sorry, Twilight. Truly, I am. But you and your friends were too dangerous to be left running around."
Twilight gritted her teeth, anger rising up inside her. "What have you done? If you've hurt my friends, then I swear…"
"Don't worry, they're still alive. In a manner of speaking." The other pony looked at the floor. "I think you deserve an explanation. After what I've done to you, I owe you that much."
A white light shimmered over the pegasus's body, gradually consuming it. Its form began to shift, folding in on itself then taking on the shape of an earth pony. The light faded and Twilight found herself face to face with somepony she had met before. Somepony she could never have expected.
"Dr Whooves." She spoke in a whisper, barely able to believe her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Twilight," he said, his expression contrite. "I know it won't mean much now, but I'm sorry it's had to come to this."
"You're no normal earth pony. What are you? Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice shaking.
The doctor stepped forward. "I have gone by many names and many different forms over the years. This is only my latest guise. But I have only ever had one goal in mind – to do what is best for Equestria."
His words knocked Twilight out of her stunned state and reignited her rage. "What? What?!" she cried, "You've knocked out my brother. You've attacked my friends. And now you're after me… and you say you're doing this for the good of Equestria?"
"Twilight, please try to understand," he said, "Think back to when we first met. When I asked you to consider the forgotten chapters of history, beyond that condescending story Celestia put out about how Equestria was founded. She's been lying to you, Twilight. She's been lying to everypony. She has blood on her hooves."
"How dare you," she growled, "How dare you! You think I'm going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the princess? You think I'm helpless? Well, I'm not!"
Her horn sparked and her eyes glowed white as her anger took over. The immediate area around her seemed to lose its gravity – books began to rise from the shelves and she herself began to levitate as she stored up power for a devastating attack.
Dr Whooves took an inadvertent step back as the temperature in the room began to rise.
Spittle dripped from Twilight's clenched teeth as she summoned up all of her energy, focused on the doctor and struck out with all her might.
Nothing happened. There was no magic blast. Whooves remained unharmed. Gravity kicked back in and Twilight dropped to the floor, books falling all around her.
"What?" she murmured bewilderedly, lifting herself back up. "I… I don't understand. What did you…"
Whooves simply flicked his eyes upwards, looking to his forehead. Twilight did the same.
She gasped. Her horn – it was gone. Not broken, or damaged. Just gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. She had met only one being that was capable of such a feat.
"You?" she whispered, backing up against a bookcase. "But that's not possible. We defeated you. You're nothing but a statue in Celestia's courtyard. I saw you!"
"It's a little more complicated than that," he said, looking down on her sadly.
"The being you defeated was but one aspect of the original Discord. I am his… other self."
He cleared his throat, readying himself for a long explanation. "When Celestia and Luna fought Discord all those centuries ago, his victory seemed almost assured. Even with their combined strength, they were weaker than him. It took one desperate gambit for them to snatch triumph from the jaws of defeat – they put all of their power into a spell that almost instantaneously turned him to stone.
"But even as the curse was taking hold, he had enough presence of mind to make one final counter attack. In one supreme effort, he split his consciousness in two – the ego and the id.
"I came into being far from the battlefield. When Discord created me, he gave me his memories and as much of his power as he could accord me. But he also gave me free will, a mind of my own. With this, I could plot the sisters' downfall."
"So this is what it's all about," said Twilight, scowling. "Revenge, huh? Plain and simple."
He hesitated before answering. "At first, yes," he said pensively, "I wanted payback for what they had done to our planet. The world needed Discord as its ruler again but, sadly, that proved an impossible task.
"I had only a fraction of his power – his final spell was cast in haste and, as such, it was incomplete. I could change my form and perform rudimentary magic, but I would have been nothing against the princesses. I had to face reality. I could not free Discord, so instead I put my mind to making the world a better place in whatever way I could.
"I like to think I did a good job. I helped bring in some of our greatest technological advances, became adept at healing the sick – I even worked directly for the princesses at one point, becoming Luna's greatest confidante.
"But it soon became apparent that my time was limited. Discord had given me great longevity – I have been alive for many centuries – but I was not immortal. The result of an improperly cast spell."
He looked back at his cutiemark – the hourglass whose sands had been slowly running out throughout his existence, indicating how much time he had left.
"My current form was going to be my last incarnation," he said, "I have very little time left – mere decades. I had long given up on achieving justice for Celestia's crimes and had been looking to settle down. Perhaps see if I was capable of raising a family. But then... he broke loose."
Twilight stood up, sensing the regret in his voice. There was a faint hope that she might be able to reason with him. "Then, why did you help Discord? You'd become your own pony, you're nothing like him. Why did you do all this?"
"I had no choice," he said, "Your dreams, Twilight, the nightmares you've been having about being turned into stone. They're nothing compared to what Discord went through.
"For all of those centuries he was frozen as a statue, all that time that went past, he was fully conscious for the duration. Unable to see, hear or touch, trapped within his own thoughts.
"I went to him whenever I could, spoke to him on a telepathic level, but with every visit I could sense him slipping further and further away. A few centuries ago, his mind had degraded to the point where I was no longer able to communicate with him.
"When he gained his freedom, he came straight to me and thank heaven that he did. There's no telling what carnage he could have wrought if he had attacked Equestria first."
His expression darkened. "He was completely out of his mind. Not the light-hearted spirit of chaos that you witnessed, but a seething mass of fear, resentment and near-murderous rage. It was only his terror of being defeated and trapped as a statue again that prevented him from destroying Equestria. He wanted my help so he wouldn't be sentenced again to that state of living death.
"The first thing I did was tell him to split his consciousness in two. His mental torment was too much for one being to bear – sharing his agony with another allowed him to regain some semblance of sanity.
"The next thing was to devise a plan where Discord could take his rightful place as ruler of this planet again. Our course of action was obvious. We had to disable the biggest threat to our safety – the Elements of Harmony."
Twilight frowned, trying to take on board all she had heard so far, while fighting the sinking feeling her gut. Their victory over Discord had seemed a little too easy. The god of chaos had been defeated by the Elements before and, even for someone with an ego as large as his, he had been acting too blasé when he was confronted by the six united friends.
"The rigmarole he put you through was Plan A, of course, but we didn't truly expect it to work," said Whooves, "While the Elements were missing, the new being he had created – Screwball – was using her magic to drastically alter them. They had first been used by Celestia and they retained a strong link with her, despite the fact they had been handed down to new bearers.
"We used that link to establish a power siphon. We knew you would use the Elements against Discord, and when you did, you sealed our victory.
"From that point on, the Elements became a conduit to drain Celestia's power. Discord slowly absorbed it and shared it out between myself and Screwball through our metaphysical link – he couldn't store it himself, or one of the princesses could have noticed the increase in his power.
"I knew Celestia's personality would begin to change due to Discord's influence, so I set up a number of distractions to ensure the ponies around her wouldn't notice until it was too late.
"Screwball used her abilities to create a voice inside the princess's head, subconsciously guiding her actions. There were four spies who had close links to Canterlot, so we pitted them against each other on a wild goose chase. We tried to send Luna and Shining Armour on an unnecessary diplomatic mission to the Griffin Kingdom. And we…"
He stopped, overcome by guilt. Twilight looked at him with angry tears in her eyes, guessing ahead of time what he was about to confess.
"Screwball was the voice inside your head, exacerbating your fears and playing on your nightmares. She was the one who drove you to discover the secret about the statues in the castle courtyard, she was the one who made you suspect Lyra wasn't telling you the truth. And it was all part of my plan. Just another distraction to guide attention away from what was happening to Celestia."
Twilight dashed over to her brother's side, shaking him with renewed determination.
"Wake up, damn it. Wake up!" she cried, her breath coming in bursts.
"It won't work," said Whooves, "The drugs I gave him will have knocked him out for at least a few hours. Twilight, I am sorry. Once I saw what was happening, how distressed you were, I tried to stop it. Tried to calm you down. I didn't want to hurt you any more. But you were too far gone."
She leapt up and rushed past him, heading for the front door of the library.
On a whim, he created a forcefield and she smacked against it at full tilt, the impact knocking her off her hooves.
Still unwilling to give up, she began screaming for help but was quickly muffled by another spell that prevented her from opening her mouth.
With the last of her strength, she ran up to Whooves and launched a violent assault, hitting him as hard as she could, over and over.
He stood there and took it. His ability to shapeshift, added to the power he had absorbed from Celestia, meant no mortal pony could harm him.
Twilight's blows began to lessen in ferocity and regularity, until she eventually collapsed, exhausted, at his hooves.
"Why?" she gasped, her voice heavy with defeat. "Why do all this? You said you always tried to do what was best for Equestria. Why would you help Discord? You must know how dangerous and cruel he is – why not work out a trap to double cross him?"
"Twilight, I'm a part of him…"
"Forget that!" she cried, "You survived for centuries without him. You'd created your own life. Celestia told me what life was like under Discord's rule. It was horrible, everyone lived in misery. If you had good intentions, you wouldn't allow him to regain control!"
"I'm afraid Celestia has lied to you," he said, "Discord has his quirks, yes, but for the most part the planet enjoyed peace and prosperity. He gave me his memories. I know the truth."
Twilight looked up at him, then slowly began to shake her head. "No. No, you've got it wrong. He's deceived you. Implanted false memories. Think about it, he needed you to set him free. He couldn't risk you growing a conscience, now, could he?"
"I've already considered that as a possibility but I don't see any reason why it would be true. If Discord had been a tyrant, my personality would reflect that," said Whooves, "The truth is, it doesn't matter anyway. At sunset today, Discord will be free and we will be reunited. He, myself and Screwball will become whole again.
"Even if he has lied to me, my personality will become a part of his. Whatever remains of me will act as his conscience and guide him to treat ponykind and all other creatures with the respect they deserve."
"You can't honestly believe that."
"I have to," he said, with some regret. "I told you before, I had no choice. I saw how insane Discord had become once he was free – think how much more dangerous he would be if he got trapped for another eon. I only had a few decades of life left, so I wouldn't be there for him a second time. This is the one shot I have at saving Equestria."
"You're not saving it, you're conquering it," said Twilight, "Think about all the innocent lives you're ruining. All of ponykind – myself, my friends, Celestia…"
Whooves scowled at her, stopping her mid-speech. The room fell silent as he prepared to tell her the truth of what happened after Discord's defeat.
His voice was quiet, restrained. "Discord ruled over a kind of organised chaos. Everything was always changing, the seasons shifted with far more regularity than they do now, but it was all kept in a perfect balance. The eco system had adapted itself around what he had created and it needed him to keep it running.
"When the two sisters defeated him, everything changed. Without Discord there to guide it, the ecosystem ground to a halt and the planet stopped turning. The weather systems broke down. Half of the world was locked in permanent daylight, while the other suffered eternal night."
Twilight stepped closer. "You can't blame that on Celestia. That must have been Discord's doing. I saw an example of what he put the planet through in the short time he was free, the damage he caused that Celestia had to fix…"
"Oh yes. Celestia did a great job of repairing her mess," he growled sarcastically, "She got the planet turning again but she couldn't restore the 12 seasons that Discord had set up. She whittled them down to four, and left ponykind with the job of controlling the weather. For a time, your race became little more than slaves to the other nations, forced to fix the mess she had created. Even now, our lives are dominated by the need to physically do things that used to happen naturally. It's ridiculous."
"But, but it's part of everyday life now," she said, "Things change, folk adapt. Even if we have to do these extra jobs now, they're the price we paid for freedom. Discord's defeat was the best thing that ever happened to us."
Whooves snarled angrily and she backed away, a prickling of fear passing through her.
"You need to understand," he said, slowly advancing on her. "Celestia's victory was nothing less than a total disaster. You know the story that's told every Hearth's Warming Eve? About ponykind being at war and the land freezing solid? That… that was Celestia's legacy. It took her the longest time to restore some semblance of an ecosystem and, in that time, the plants began to wither and animals began to die.
"Even once she got everything going again, she disposed of eight seasons. Can you imagine the harm that caused? Entire species depended on the more bizarre weather systems Discord created.
"Just as an example, there was a genus of plant that could only survive on chocolate milk. Once they died, the insects and herbivores that fed on them followed suit. The carnivores that fed on them had to find new species to eat or die. The entire food chain was disrupted and that's only one instance – this was happening worldwide, everything was affected.
"Some species suddenly found they had no natural predators and began to breed in large numbers, becoming a dangerous pest – such as the Parasprites. Some of the most dangerous beasts in the Everfree Forest resulted from the upheaval to the natural order. Discord's defeat was an extinction-level event.
"That's why Celestia deserves what's coming to her. It's why Discord deserves to rule. Because regardless of what you believe about him, that he was cruel and selfish, Celestia is guilty of genocide on a massive scale."
Twilight was breathing heavily, unable to accept the horror he had outlined.
"I don't believe you," she said, "Celestia's not capable of anything like that. Not purposely. How could she have known? How could she have expected… it's Discord's fault. He's the one who built the world that way, he's the one who broke everything. Not Celestia."
Whooves closed his eyes and sighed heavily, resting a hoof against his forehead. "I was hoping you'd understand. Explain to everypony why I did what I did."
The pair stood in silence, with Twilight watching the doctor nervously, unsure of what he would do next. She raised a hoof, considering another attempt at escaping.
"Stop," he said, "I've told you already, I can't let you go. As much as I would like to."
She swallowed hard, aware that her time of reckoning was upon her. "What are you going to do to me?"
"The same thing I did to your friends. Don't worry, you'll live. And when I become one with Discord, he will have my memories. He won't allow you to stay trapped. Especially given the fact that he has firsthand experience of what you'll be going through."
Twilight's heart dropped as she realised what punishment he had in mind for her. Her skin grew clammy as a primordial fear took hold of her.
The nightmares she had been having. She had been right all along. They were a premonition.
Soon she would be nothing more than a statue, and her friends… her friends already were.
Whooves indicated towards the one remaining mug of hot chocolate, laced with sleeping drugs.
"Take it," he said, a tremor evident in his voice. "You're not going to want to be awake for this."
Her body trembling, she hesitantly walked towards the mug – her only way out of avoiding the pain that was coming.
She lifted it up with her magic, looking at the brown liquid inside. She held it up for a long moment, considering everything she had been told. The doctor seemed unwilling to meet her eye, absorbed in his own sense of guilt.
Then she came to a decision.
Slowly, deliberately, she turned the mug upside down and emptied its contents on the library floor.
"Twilight…" Whooves began.
"No," she said, "You only want me to drink it so you won't have to look me in the eye. You don't want to face the fact that you're condemning an innocent pony for your own twisted sense of justice.
"I don't believe for a minute that you'll be able to convince Discord to set me free. This is the end for me. My life…" She choked back a sob. "My life ends here."
Whooves shook his head, a lump rising in his throat. "Twilight, you will be free again. Once you're no longer a threat…"
"For somepony who's lived as long as you have, you're awfully naïve," she said contemptuously. "If you truly believe what you're doing is right, you'll look me in the eye while you're doing this.
"If this is the end for me, then I want to feel it. I refuse to take the easy way out. I will not cower, I will not cry out and I will not allow you to look away."
Her eyes were streaming but she stood tall, defiant and proud. Whooves looked back at her, cowed by her strength of will.
"Well?" she said after a long silence, her voice choked with tears. "What are you waiting for?"
Whooves cast the spell.
Twilight felt it in her hooves first, her flesh stiffening as it turned to stone. The sensation rose up her body quickly, consuming her legs and then her body.
Still she maintained eye contact with the doctor, gritting her teeth against the fear and pain as her internal organs solidified and her blood vessels became blocked. Whooves turned his head away, no longer able to face her.
"Look at me," she said, the curse working its way up her neck. "Look at me!"
That was the last thing she said. Her mouth became locked in an eternal snarl, then her eyes began to crystallise as the effect overtook her completely, finally shutting down her brain and rendering her as nothing more than a lifeless statue.
Whooves found it heartbreaking to behold. Not for the first time, he was forced to question whether he truly was acting for the greater good.
But there really was no other way. After Discord's imprisonment, the draconequus had become highly unstable. He needed Whooves' influence to give him some form of sanity. They had to become one again.
The doctor walked over to Twilight's frozen form and rested his head against her shoulder. If only Discord had stayed imprisoned. What Whooves had said earlier was true – he had been looking for somepony to settle down with. If he had been allowed to live the rest of his life out naturally, Twilight could have been the one.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. With that, he cast a teleportation spell that sent her to a secret compartment in his home, under the floor next to his fireplace. He had already sent her other friends there – they would be found eventually, but by then it would be too late.
It had been surprisingly easy to take down the five ponies. He had found Pinkie Pie trying to wake up Rainbow Dash, who had been sleeping on a cloud.
The pink pony was easily overpowered and Dash never woke up again. He then disguised himself as the pegasus and went to the Carousel Boutique.
Rarity had been alone and didn't notice anything was up until he cast the spell on her. Then it was just a case of keeping a hoof over her mouth while the curse took hold.
Applejack had been more difficult. He found her bucking apples on the farm and approached her while disguised as Rarity. He hadn't managed to get her voice or character completely right and that roused the earth pony's suspicions.
There had been a brief struggle, during which she had managed to get out several cries for help, but she soon fell victim to his magic.
Fluttershy had been a surprise. The pony herself had proven to be no challenge at all, but her pet rabbit was a ferocious little beast. It had fought him with all its might.
Its bravery earned itself a place as another one of Whooves' statues.
The doctor looked over at Twilight's sleeping brother and considered whether he should be turned to stone as well.
The purple unicorn's speech played on his mind. Would Discord release the six friends once Whooves had joined with him? He was no longer certain.
The drugs in Shining Armour's system would render him unconscious for several hours and, once he had woken, he would have no idea what had happened to his sister.
Whooves decided to leave him be. If there was anypony else who could free the six friends once victory had been won, it was Shining Armour. Better to leave him there as a fail-safe. He just hoped he wouldn't regret it.
He transformed himself back into the guise of Fluttershy and prepared for his flight to Canterlot. Everything was ready. Everything had gone to plan.
The one concern he had had in all of this was Screwball. Discord had eased his mental torment by creating her but the powerful filly had appeared less able to handle her share of his memories.
Whooves had never felt fully able to trust her and his concern had been confirmed when she launched that attack on Noteworthy. The doctor had spoken to her severely after that. He had made it very clear – no bloodshed. She had accepted his judgement.
Her last task had been to watch over the four spies, in a strictly observational capacity.
It had been difficult enough turning Twilight and her friends into stone. He couldn't bear to see anything happen to Lyra. She had become his closest friend and the guilt he had borne over this past week had almost been too much for him.
She was out there somewhere, in the Everfree Forest, searching for the Elements of Harmony.
They were useless, of course. All they were capable of doing now was draining Celestia's power, thanks to Screwball. They would stop once the alicorn had been reduced to the level of a mortal pony. It would be dangerous if they were allowed to continue beyond that.
Whooves gave one last look at the library before heading outside. Lyra would be heartbroken when she realised what he had done. He hoped that, given time, she could forgive him.
Ponykind would soon adjust to Discord's rulership.