...And so, her fat shadow eclipsed the Sun itself in a terrible dawning of darkness, enveloping lands with the coldest lullaby of death. And with a flick of her forehoof, armies prostrated, mountains trembled, and the world bated breath in fear of her might. One by one heroes rose against her, only to be ensnared by the clutches of their shared fate. May be forever remembered lives of those who were lost...
an excessively morbid and banned Changeling folk tale
Thus began the longest night of my life. When the dawn eventually broke for me, I no longer remained who I was before. Nothing was ever the same.
But now? After years? I might dare to write, that maybe, just maybe, it really was worth it.
the Former Princess memoirs
<...>
"THE QUEEN OF EQUESTRIA!"
Chrysalis' voice thundered, and rich silence followed.
It was a short-lived moment of stillness in the dark. Celestia raised her head, watching how several opportunistic pegasi were fleeing for their lives through the breach in the wall. There were also some colorful birds flying away. Ah... That must've been Fluttershy's songbirds.
How thoughtful of her to bring them along.
The Queen kept cackling and enjoying the terror, but Celestia had more pressing matters to be concerned with.
She lowered herself back to Luna. Her sister slowly blinked, barely acknowledging her presence. That last surge of power left her depleted, completely exhausted, not even able to move.
"Seems the old saying is true," said Celestia. "If you have someone you don't want to lose, you should keep them at a distance..." Remaining in a haze, Celestia embraced her sister tighter, and shed a few tears on the dark coat. "I won't let you down anymore. I'm sorry. So sorry. I can't protect you from everything, I just can't..."
Luna was concerned and flabbergasted. Celestia recognized her questioning look, and smiled somberly. Even now, she is so headstrong. Her little sister...
"Please, be careful. Do not worry about me." Celestia' smile became more familiar and gentle, and she stood up. "If worst comes to pass, watch over ponies in my stead. I believe in you."
"Yes... Yes. Sister—" Luna mustered, tried to cling on her, to say something else, but Celestia carefully laid her on the floor and stepped away. Every second of prolonged farewell tore at her. It needed to be ended quickly. For their sake.
The green flames, igniting one by one all around the elongated hall, lit up the writhing darkness. Books, torn from the shelves, were flying around in it, carried by the cold ethereal wind. The tapestries of Diarchy burned away. Chrysalis, the source of this magic, nestled on top of a huge swinging gothic chandelier, pressing her back against its supporting ropes. Her sorcerous fire illuminated her silent and ominous visage.
An image that was befitting for Tartarus, in more ways than one. If not for recent complications...
Celestia pressed her hoof against her muzzle and sighed. How did it all come to this? How Chrysalis managed it? "How?" She glanced at Starswirl who was looking warily at the Queen. He shared a quick look of uncertainty with Celestia.
"This creature," he said slowly, "how did—"
"I will find out." Celestia lent some steel into her voice. "Concern yourself with the safety of others."
"Princess, it created a fulcrum event." He swallowed. "The whole paradigm had shifted. We cannot go blind into this."
"Starswirl, you asked me about the Cosmic Council, remember?" Celestia raised her head, observing the Queen who basked in ponies' fear. "They were distant with me for a very long time," she admitted coldly, "so believe me, I know what it's like. Ask advice from Antiquity if you must, but first, make your talents useful and guarantee everyone's safety."
He didn't answer, deep in thought. She doubted he could provide anything that is beyond her current understanding. Something was wrong, yes, something was messing with the order of things... Something... But obviously, it was even more than that. Not to say, they both knew she was never supposed to marry anyone, and until this day the fact of it was something that dictated her very nature. Luna seemed like an exception, a plausibility, a small opportunity to make their lives better...
Poor Starswirl looked shaken down to his core, and Celestia could relate to him. Not every day all of your life's work begin to crumble before your very eyes.
So he needed direction and purpose. She could help with that.
"Be vigilant and we will find a way through," she assured, and shared a small, warm smile. Her ancient enemy is very persistent and on the precipice of victory? Nothing new. Celestia was never one to surrender easily, either.
But still, a horrendous thought was unraveling in her mind now, and more and more she was becoming unable to get distracted from it.
"How? Just how? Why?"
After all that she suffered? After all that she lost? After all that she's done!? Is that a cruel joke? Another punishment!?
Meanwhile, darkness was lit not only by green fire but by light from ponies' horns as well. They finally apprehended the situation, and they did not take Chrysalis' announcement lightly.
"You will never be a ruler of Equestria!" Prince Shining Armor roared with fury in his eyes. Cadance, reeling from the recent display of catastrophic magical anomaly, was grasping at his neck, looking upwards with equal defiance.
"But I already am!" hissed Chrysalis.
"You deceived our Princess, changeling!" some pony cried from the back.
"And I've won!"
"She murdered Princess Luna!" shrieked another voice. "How dare she!"
Chrysalis just laughed.
Bloodied and pale Twilight did not step up, as at the moment she was being cared for by her parents and friends. Rainbow Dash was at her side, and she booed at the top of her lungs. Several brave ponies from the crowd joined her.
"We will never bend the knee to a dishonorable creature like you!" exclaimed Commander Flash Magnus, the last and single one of the appointed and active Knights of Equestria. He brandished his sword with a grim look. Several members of the Royal Guard were at his side. "Surrender! You are outnumbered!"
Chrysalis laughed even more loudly, rocking her creaking chandelier. Someone threw a horseshoe at her but missed. Is she just having fun right now? Oh, but of course she does.
"You are a monster!"
"Go back to the hole you crawled from!"
"Ugly beast!"
Celestia's heart swelled with pride. It all was very wrong and very disastrous, but still, most of her ponies chose to remain brave in the face of overwhelming danger.
Chrysalis' horn shone with green, and the rope of the chandelier snapped. With an earsplitting crush, it fell at the exit doors, obstructing them further. Ponies barely had time to jump away. Chrysalis remained in the air, her dragonfly wings smeared in a flurry of motion. She outstretched hooves and snarled, igniting her horn, "Well!? What are you waiting for, rabble?"
Everything spinned into action. First to attack was Starswirl, a hot and branching lightning emitted from his horn without any warning.
Chrysalis chomped on it. White electricity sizzled through her toothy maw and danced on charcoal skin. She bit powerful lightning in pieces, sending surging electricity in all directions, and remained completely unscathed.
It didn't do much to dissuade the others. Shining and Cadance, as well as unicorns from Royal Guard, and a few seconds later Starswirl himself, all launched rays of magic directly into the Queen. Protected by a barrier, she crashed into a far wall, but then began to push through the assault.
Studying her, Celestia couldn't help but wonder, was it really all power of her consumed love on display, or was it simply the insane capabilities of the changeling Queen, fueled by the Dark? Still, Chrysalis looked like she struggled. Her projected shield was completely focused on defending her front, and that meant...
Yes! Flash Magnus, familiar with magic duels, leaped into action alongside Rainbow Dash. Bravery and Loyalty were swiftly approaching Chrysalis from behind, ready to make a critical breach in her defenses...
Celestia clenched her teeth. No, it couldn't be that easy. Never is...
Chrysalis, this monster, managed to be one step ahead. Her head turned to an unnatural angle, and her eyes flared with bright green. Magnus immediately stiffened mid-flight and began falling down. Rainbow Dash reacted faster, she quickly changed trajectory and made a perfect evasive maneuver. Whatever you might say about the girl, she wasn't a fool.
The Queen got her anyway. Through all the magic that was supposed to be suppressing her, a bolt of black lightning rushed directly to the pegasus. However fast she was, it was faster. It went right through the wing of the mare, biting her into her side.
Rainbow Dash let out a scream of agony, and fell in spiraling motion, spattering thin crimson droplets all around. An orange flash leaped from between the ponies and safely caught her mid-fall. Applejack.
Celestia took a step forward, pale from worry. Her mouth was opened. It was something unprecedented.
The Queen launched a wave of force around her, repelling all remaining attackers at the same time. She was none worse for wear, baring teeth with fervent malice. while observing her enemies. Her mocking voice sounded genuinely disappointed,
"Is that what Equestria's finest has to offer? Oh, do try harder than that..."
Celestia slowly shook her head, at a loss for words. Were powers of fate protecting Chrysalis now? "How? How?" Again this question rang in her mind, this weakness enveloped all of her body...
And worst of all, ponies were refusing to stand down. But most of them were just civilians, and when Cadance defiantly cried her answer, she looked like she forgot about that completely, "Chrysalis, you spineless coward! You use stolen power for your own good, you parasite! Without it you're nothing!"
Chrysalis slowly breathed in. All darkness in the room visibly crept closer to her, almost concealing her hovering figure. She breathed out, and the darkness was pushed back from her insectoid form.
She cooed in a sing-song voice, "Shi-i-iney~, darling, your mare wants to get captured again! Should I oblige? Do you want to get rid of her? Maybe I should start collecting the Princesses..." She jerked her head towards Celestia, laughing, "Say, isn't that a grand idea, wife?"
That word felt like a whiplash, but Celestia didn't show it. Instead, she quickly glanced at terrified ponies, and smiled back to Chrysalis mirthlessly. "But my niece is right," she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "If it's anyone's power you using, it is mine and not your own."
If the Changeling Queen had any weakness right now, it was her inflated ego. She scowled, "As if it ever stopped me! What you relinquished is mine by right to take! Or what, do I need to slay you all, just to teach you a lesson? Fine, then! Let it be known: you have forced my hoof!" Chrysalis cackled madly, and raised her foreleg. "Minions! Go! Feed!"
The plan worked in a roundabout way, but it did. Numerous concealed changelings began to reveal themselves. Green fire flared all around, a whole band of them leaped from the upper tier where musicians were supposed to be—maybe they even were musicians from before. Everything around Celestia and Starswirl immediately became a battlefield.
The old mage huffed, adjusted his wizard hat, and leaped into the fray.
Celestia sighed in relief, seeing that Twilight remained untouched in between of all this, already busy with treating wounded Rainbow Dash under the protection of other friends. Then, Celestia turned and saw Chrysalis right in front of herself.
It almost startled her.
With effort, Celestia took a step, shielding the fallen Luna. It was as if the changeling hadn't noticed at all. Her gaze was glued to the Solar Princess, as she steadily crept closer and placed both forelegs on Celestia's shoulders. She leaned to her ear and hissed a whisper, "My sworn enemy, my powerful Sun... I'll be honest. I just wanted a moment for both of us. Tell me now, isn't it all beautiful?"
What did she say? Beautiful? Despite everything, despite all the recent revelations, the question caught Celestia unaware. Almost as if hypnotized, she moved her head and looked at the ongoing battle. "There's nothing beautiful about that."
"But the struggle~..." Chrysalis replied with a breathy moan, the suddenness of which made Celestia shudder. "...You will see, Celestia. Soon, I will make you see."
The Queen lifted the veil on Celestia's muzzle, wanting to share a kiss, but the Princess evaded lips in disgust. "We need to talk, Chrysalis. Immediately."
In the green shimmering eyes, there was a hint of dissatisfied understanding. Yes, the Queen certainly knew what she meant and the importance of it. "Here?" she cluttered her teeth.
"Not here."
"Outside?"
"Outside."
"Oh, fine."
Chrysalis turned and swaggered to the exit. A fervent battle with changelings already wrapped up at this point, and it was hard to evaluate the damage caused by Chrysalis. One thing was clear, though: her monstrous spawn didn't pose that much of a threat in direct combat. At least, not in this case.
Scared and pressed into the corner, with foals to protect, ponies just crushed their would-be attackers. Following the Queen, Celestia was darkly amused when she saw Prince Blueblood, so caught up in the zeal of combat, that he just charged Chrysalis on sight.
"For EQUESTRIA!" the stallion roared, wildly swinging a blade stained with blood.
Chrysalis zapped him without breaking her stride, and he collapsed into the heap of bodies, where he remained in an unsavory and not-too-decent pose. Celestia lingered for a second, worrying, but Chrysalis clearly measured her power. Still, some protector she is...
A satisfied grin remained on the Queen's muzzle, as she walked in dancing shadows, cast by trembling green fire. Ponies were gawking. They were confused and scared, backing away and letting them pass. Celestia felt how dread was washing over her, but this time it was appropriate. She kept her head high, appearing almost as magnificent as she was before all this tragedy.
She already could predict the trajectory of the next events to occur. Only one question remained unresolved for her, and so she walked with the purpose to find the answer, remaining silent to little ponies' pleas.
Oh yes, they were calling out to her... It was heartwrenching, and Celestia needed all force of will to not react... to not let the conflict derail unpredictably.
"Princess Celestia? What is happening?"
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"What is your explanation for all of this?"
"She bewitched her! The Princess is under the spell of that heathen!"
"Princess, talk to us!"
"Princess!"
The exit was almost at hoof's reach when Twilight, Cadance, and Shining all broke to them through the dispersed crowd. Celestia stole a quick look back, noting that Starswirl was leaning over Luna. At least she is in good care...
"Princess Celestia!?" Twilight, all bloodied, looked with urgency, with those innocent yet demanding eyes of hers. It was like a cold knife to Celestia's heart, but she did not waver.
Poor Twilight. Because of her direct and intricate connection to the both worlds of magic and logic, she was hurt the most by what had occurred...
"My subjects." Celestia raised her voice, trying to convey all needed emotion with a few simple words. "Remain strong for Equestria. It might be dark times, but let it all be a test for our character. No matter what happens, Canterlot will stand unfettered! I promise you that!"
"Ah Celestia, my Celestia," Chrysalis spoke immediately, thoroughly amused by it all. "So quick to inspire fool's hope, isn't she?"
Cadance stepped forth, barring the path to the exit. She was full of zealous indignation. Celestia doubted that the Princess of Love even heard all that was spoken, as passion and hate were guiding her judgment now.
"Chrysalis!" challenged Cadance, demanding justice, "You insolent wretched creature! You are the parasite! You are a blight on the land of Equestria! You will never win, no matter how hard you try! This is our home, and we will never let you bring it to ru—"
Chrysalis spat juicily in her muzzle.
Shining Armor, to his credit, reacted immediately. A magenta-colored ray beamed into the Queen, but she just repelled it with a stroke of a foreleg, redirecting awfully close to the heads of cowering ponies around.
"Do tread carefully, little Prince!" she hissed, mocking.
"Enough, Shining! Thank you," Cadance, smearing with a foreleg thick saliva, was seething with disgust. Her gaze was truly unsettling. "Mark my words, Chrysalis: I'll rip open your throat and tear out your heart through it myself, if I have to. You disgraced us all, and even more so, you disgraced the sanctity of marriage!"
"You all bark and promises, Princess." Smirked the Queen, and then looked at other ponies. "You all are. Pathetic cowards. If you want to really challenge me, you know where I'll be: in my new castle, ruling your Kingdom. Come, wife. We have so much to do..."
The Queen stepped forward, her horn flared, and finally, Cadance had some common sense to stumble aside. A powerful blast broke through the barred door and fallen chandelier. Fresh air rushed inside the room.
The Queen nickered, walked outside, and Celestia followed suit, trying to not look at ponies and especially at Twilight. The Darkness around began to recede, giving way to the usual dark of the night. Celestia heard how former student cried in her back, "Princess, don't give up! We will find a way to save you!"
That made Chrysalis suddenly stop and turn around.
"Almost forgot. My little Twilight!~..." she called in a gentle sing-song voice, raising and pointing her horn.
Celestia felt dread.
A green beam launched through the library, and reduced the arch above the wedding altar to smithereens.
"From now on, know that your new Queen hates black calla lilies, and don't be obtuse. Only purple ones! Or red roses!" the Queen snarled passionately, sweeping her cold glare over all the other ponies. "And all of you, subjects, rejoice and be happy for my benevolence. Show disrespect again, and you will die."
Her aura slammed shut what was left of broken doors.
Finally, Celestia had a chance to exhale, to assess the situation. She realized that she was trembling with all of her coat. Strange, but being a witness to all this danger was enticing...
After all, she was a thrill-seeker.
But this was too much, just too much and too close to the brink... And still far from over.
The rain was going strong, since constantly gathering clouds remained too long without a proper pegasi care. It obstructed the view of the stars and the Moon, drowning out most of the natural light.
Celestia looked around. The street, only recently littered with life, looked barren. Banners were left lying on the pavements. Few carriages were standing unattended. The green slime, that was apparently obstructing the entrance to the library, sprayed and covered all around, leaving a sticky wet mess.
Celestia frowned, glancing at the white flower petal, pressed into the dirt.
The Queen walked down the stairs with a spring in her step. She twirled under the upcoming rain, trying to catch the droplets with her indecently long tongue. "Isn't it beautiful?" she chirped to Celestia yet again, flashing a toothy grin. "My perfect maelstrom..."
Celestia looked at the darkened sky, noting seldom green lightning against it, which aimed somewhere in the Canterlot. The Chrysalis' soldiers kept descending on the city with the rain... Somewhere right now, the battle was raging on, and Celestia was doing nothing...
How much spawn did the Queen birth for this? Did she brought her whole Hive? It could've made sense...
"Aren't you supposed to be protecting Equestria now?" the Princess mused in a cold tone. That part was unclear, as vows before the altar were never spoken in full. Alas, it was such a good idea to entrap the Queen like that...
Chrysalis glared with hate. Her mercurial temperament could become dangerously collected at a moment's notice, as if she was listening to an internal melody of her own, sounding in dissonance with everyone else's. "My Kingdom, you meant? Canterlot isn't Equestria, Princess," she hissed and turned away, lashing her tail. "Besides, I did promise my subjects some fun."
They proceeded to make their way toward the Royal Palace. Chrysalis was stepping proudly amidst the carnage, her wings fluttering with a buzz. Celestia remained deep in thought.
Was Chrysalis an agent of free will?... No, such thing did not exist. She had to belong to the forces of the world that were struggling for dominance. So it is the Darkness, then? What trickery did she use to place them both into this position? Who taught her? She never was a competent planner with long goals, didn't she? But her? How? A creature like her?
All that Celestia wanted was peace.
One thousand years of pain and torment, and waiting, and longing, and planning, suddenly rushed down on her. She felt apathy. Helplessness. And then, at last, she felt fire of anger, buried deep within.
Engaged in some pondering of her own, Chrysalis gave her a lopsided grin. "So. Tia. I see that my venom, my love juice, no longer has any effect on you?"
That was right, Celestia noticed that her alicorn body already picked up some resistance to changeling poison. The haze from before cleared much faster, not to say that the recent revelation felt like the extra kick to the senses. Maybe Chrysalis wasn't even supposed to use it in such dosage, or for such prolonged time.
She didn't bother to try to explain it, of course, but Chrysalis didn't needed her explanation.
"What a pity," the Queen murmured. "Though I like it better. I shouldn't rely on controlling you so easily."
A clatter of hooves was heard from up ahead. The soldiers of the Royal Guard were hurrying to them. A sight for sour eyes, in any other circumstances.
"Your Highness!" the sergeant exclaimed. "We are at your service!"
His breath hitched when Chrysalis stepped from behind the Princess and snidely grinned.
Celestia sighed. "At ease. Make your way to the Royal Library and report to the Commander. If he is unavailable, the honorary Captain will bring you up to speed. Remember that your first directive is to serve the Crown and the denizens. Go."
Poor ponies gave them a wide arc, hurrying with their orders. Chrysalis hummed thoughtfully, "It would seem I still would need a public acknowledgment of my rule, aren't I?"
They kept walking side by side. Celestia glanced around in the pervasive bleakness, aching to find something to destroy. Again she needed to remind herself about Antiquity, grand roles, and the wisdom of the universe at large. It all had some meaning, and—
The Queen pushed against her flank playfully. "I had a thought. What about our wedding night?" she asked seductively.
Celestia heard a muffled scream from an alleyway. She looked closely, noticing two changelings hunched over a stallion, who rolled between them in the mud. Her horn shone with brilliant gold, and the little insectoid bodies pressed into one another with a sickening crunch. Celestia crushed them in the span of a few seconds, and tossed them further down the darkened alley, just in time for her and Chrysalis to pass by.
"Not bad~" cooed Chrysalis. "What shape I should take for our wedding night?"
Celestia snapped her head back to the Queen.
"I think I know what you would like, my Celestia... How about Twilight?" Chrysalis' voice suddenly completely changed tonality, and darkly bemused, Celestia heard a cheerful and soft-spoken imitation of Twilight. "Oh my Princess, my precious Princess! I've never read about that in the books! I am learning so much, it is incredible! I'll definitely will go tell all the girls, and Spike too, and I'll make it very, very detailed!"
Despite it all, Celestia couldn't help it and chuckled—a sound that she never expected to make around the damnable insect. She groaned, not hiding her frustration.
Chrysalis pressed on, her eyes sparkling with happy mischief, "Ah, but I think I know the type that you'll really like, don't you? So how about Luna? No, no scratch that—how about Nightmare Moon herself? Admit it, you must've had some fantasies about how she utterly dominates you in a bed, doesn't it? This strong, powerful, assertive form of your little sister..." the Queen leaned to Celestia's ear, and shivers went down her spine. "Admit it, mare: secretly, you'd love for someone to take control from you."
"Chrysalis!" Celestia barked. "Enough."
"Yes! That fearless look... That is what I adore about you. That's why I didn't completely subjugate your will, like with countless other fools. It would be so boring... Oh, how I enjoy when you are looking at me like that, my powerful Sun..."
Appalled, Celestia glared with contemptuous disdain.
"Yes, just like that!" Chrysalis' muzzle broke into a wide grin. "This mesmerizing fire..."
"Oh? So fire is what you like, you scornful witless thing? Maybe that is why you wanted to wed me so bad?" Celestia leaned, looking deep into the insectoid's shimmering eyes. "Just so you could, right afterward, become cindered by the biggest fire of all?"
Chrysalis' toothy, predatory smile, was widening with every step. It was apparent: she relished being threatened or in peril. If only for a moment, but Celestia forgot about everything and was genuinely fascinated by the sheer... voracity of it all. Her ruthlessness, her desire to push forward...
What a dark creature...
Then, in the corner of Chrysalis' mouth, saliva appeared; her gaze reeked with hunger. Celestia turned away. Her heart was racing.
The Queen licked her lips. "Maybe I wanted it just because you're the biggest pony, of the finest pedigree. I'll topple you over, and others sure will follow."
"I see it now," Celestia sighed with resignation. "Yes, it's all simple. You had no plan. You just threw yourself at me, and somehow it all worked out for you." Celestia looked at Chrysalis with complete and utter frustration. "You truly are just a scornful beast... How I could fall so low?"
"Maybe your ruling just isn't that good as you'd like to imagine, while you parade yourself as you do..." hissed the changeling Queen with a disdain to match. "Some readjustments are in order."
"I will never allow your tyranny into my court. My ponies will never acknowledge you, I will make sure of that. None of your atrocities would ever be forgotten, nor forgiven."
"You still want to be an obstacle, then? Fine by me. Whatever makes you think that I care about any of this, anyway? Winners are never judged."
"Oh, this is what you have to say? After all your talk about power?" Celestia shook her head in disgust. "This is the weakest statement I've ever heard. Winners or losers, no one is above judgment."
"You want to preach to me some of that pony logic of yours? Make me atone for my sins?... Make me regret?..." her new wife hummed, amused by a thought.
"Spare me. I wouldn't waste my breath on you, Chrysalis."
"But I'd bet you know a thing or two about winning or losing, don't you?" Chrysalis cruelly chuckled. "You're just salty that I've finally won."
"You haven't won." Finally, Celestia stopped and turned. "No one is winning here. Don't you understand?"
With a serious, stern scowl, she looked into Chrysalis' eyes directly. The Queen stopped too, her nervous hooves danced a bit as she did so. Her cocky smile hadn't gone, but her eyelid twitched, further showing distress.
"What?" she quacked in a raspy voice.
"Haven't you heard the voice?" Celestia took a step closer. "I know that you did. Do not play pretend with me any longer."
Celestia finally saw the response that she was waiting for. A genuine emotion appeared on the Queen's expression, breaking through the cracks of her misleading guise of self-appointed self-assuredness.
It was a familiar fear of losing control, of not understanding what is going on and how to react. It stayed but for a few seconds, but it was evident and resounding in her voice. "Yes," she finally spilled, looking disturbed. "I never expected to become soulbound to any of you creatures. Not to you, Celestia."
"So that truly wasn't your intent?" Celestia was boiling with rage; her scolding tone was not unlike the one reserved for the most disappointing of her students. "This isn't some kind of elaborate scheme of yours? You tried to marry me, as you tried Shining Armor before, just because you wanted to feed?"
Chrysalis let her mask slip back on. She stepped forward with a defiant grin, and her eyes flared with malice. "Yes-s-s, a perfect ultimate insult... I wanted to beat you and rub it in your pretty face. And it was easy, you hear me!? Besides, how else one would become a ruler of all ponies?" Chrysalis scoffed and laughed, showing all signs that she was completely oblivious to any other answers.
It was hard to tell now, but did she even expected to win?
Celestia just couldn't take it any longer right now. Blinded by anger, by the banality of it all, she groaned, spun back in the previous direction, and continued her stubborn march towards the Royal Palace. Again there was only one thought, but it was like no other. It was a searing thought, one that was inhibiting with gestating pain her entire being.
"How? Why? Why like this?"
An ethereal voice still echoed in her mind. It was making her go faster, almost galloping, as she kept thinking over and over those lines, torturing herself with their grim truth, as if it could be of any help.
When they both were suspended above the altar, that voice spoke to them clearly:
"Your souls are bound,
Your destinies are one."
Judgment of the fates was cast...
In her entire life, she never felt more miserable.