Universe 99999
Prime Minister Twilight and the other council members advanced purposefully, drawing closer to the corridor's exit. They found themselves in the solemn confines of the Court of Harmony, a place reserved for the judgment of criminals and villains for their transgressions. Unlike a conventional tribunal, this court held no trials; it was a realm solely for passing judgment. Each pony brought before them had already been declared guilty, their fate sealed. Their only recourse lay in pleading for a less severe punishment, though such appeals rarely yielded success.
The Court of Harmony stood as a circular edifice, its roofless design reminiscent of a small arena or coliseum. This architectural choice allowed the public to witness the unfolding judgments bestowed upon the criminals. Twilight knew that some citizens attended these proceedings merely for entertainment, finding satisfaction in witnessing the downfall of those being judged. However, she paid no heed to such motivations. In her heart, she felt no pity for criminals and villains, and she was resolute in her stance. Moreover, she considered it essential for the onlookers to comprehend the consequences of opposing the council, underscoring the futility of standing against their authority.
“Distinguished guests, and esteemed citizens, your attention, please. Announcing the arrival of the Council of Harmony! Our honorable Prime Minister Twilight Sparkle! Minister Rarity! Minister Applejack! Minister Fluttershy! Minister Rainbow Dash, and Minister Pinkie Pie!” Someone announced as the council finally came in, welcomed by heartfelt applause.
As was customary, the stands overflowed with Equestria's citizens, all donning the exquisitely crafted uniforms designed by Rarity, their faces adorned with generous smiles. While some smiles lacked sincerity, many genuinely cheered upon the council's arrival. The pony responsible for announcing their entrance stepped back with a bow, allowing the council members to ascend the elevated judgment platforms. Each platform stood at the same height, looming over the stands in front of them.
As anticipated, Prime Minister Twilight positioned herself at the center of the stage, her gaze stern as she directed her gaze towards the criminal's stand. There stood the one they had been pursuing: Starlight Glimmer, their latest outlaw. Bound by chains and compelled to wear a magic-inhibiting ring around her horn, Starlight found herself trapped and unable to wield her powers.
“The council itself is here for little old me? I’m honored!” Starlight exclaimed sarcastically through her gritted teeth, only for a guard to hit her on the back of the head.
“You may speak only when spoken to, prisoner!” The guard ordered harshly while still smiling.
“My lawyer is a baby dragon, and I can’t even speak at my own trial?!” Starlight retorted as she pointed at her side.
On her left was Spike, who had his own little stand, and was reading a comic. He seemed nonchalant and uncaring about the whole situation as he sat on a chair with his feet resting on the stand. Before the guard could hit Starlight again for speaking out of turn, Twilight raised her hoof, motioning for him to stop.
“He isn’t your lawyer and this isn’t a trial. We are here to pass judgment on you. We may give you a lighter sentence if you are persuasive enough,” Twilight explained coldly while the other unicorn glanced at Spike, who simply turned a page of his comic book.
“And ya better be honest if ya wanna persuade us of anythin’,” Applejack, sitting on Twilight’s left, warned the unicorn.
“And what is my current sentence, exactly?” Starlight frowned while the lavender unicorn’s stone-cold expression remained unchanged.
“That is not something for you to know yet,” Twilight replied before furrowing her brows. “Tell me. Do you know why you are here?” She questioned the other unicorn.
“It would be hard not to when you came into MY town and arrested me for practices every inhabitant agreed on!” Starlight answered as she tried to raise her hoof and hit her stand, only to remember she was chained to the ground.
“Did they really agree to it? Or were they manipulated into agreeing?” Twilight arched an eyebrow, clearly not believing Starlight’s words.
“I have done no such thing!” She retorted in anger, making Twilight sigh.
“You really won’t be truthful, will you? Applejack?” Twilight glanced to her left as the orange earth pony nodded.
"Well now, ya think we just roughed ya up without doin' any proper research? We done interviewed everypony from Our Town. Seems like ya weren't exactly honest with 'em, were ya? They had to give up their cutie marks, but ya could hold on to yours, couldn’t ya?" Applejack reminded her, making the unicorn look away.
“Moreover, you stole cutie marks, which is an extremely serious crime. It is also something quite similar to Lord Tirek’s actions,” Twilight added, furrowing her brows as Starlight gasped.
“It was completely different from what that centaur tried to do! Besides, these ponies volunteered to have their cutie marks removed! They agreed to it!” Starlight argued in anger.
“Oh? So because they agreed to it, this makes it right? It makes it legal? Tell me something, Starlight… If a pony asks you to help them kill themselves, will that not be illegal? If a pony asks you to burn their house down even if it’s in the middle of the city, is this not illegal?” Twilight questioned as the other unicorn immediately shrunk, unsure of what to answer.
“The answer should be obvious, but I don’t think she understands yet, Twi,” Rainbow Dash, who was standing on Twilight’s right, commented while holding back a chuckle.
“No! You… You got it all wrong! This was harmless!” The cutie mark remover shouted as she pulled on her chains, prompting the guard to approach her and hit her on the back of her head again. Surprisingly, she acted like the hit never even happened and continued to yell at the council. “Don’t you see I was doing this to make everypony equal? Ponies having special talents, some more than others, only leads to disharmony! I only wanted to fix it!” Starlight defended herself as Twilight, for the first time since she came here, heavily frowned and glared at her.
Having seemingly noticed this, Rarity, who was right by Applejack’s side, stomped the ground and brought Starlight’s attention to her.
“I would suggest you do not speak lightly of harmony, dear. Not everypony has the fabulous skills to deal with issues such as disharmony. Do you perhaps think you are better fitted than us to do it?” The white unicorn inquired with a distasteful glare.
Rainbow Dash was just about to shout that there was no one better than them, and most of all, better than her. However, right before she could do anything, Twilight’s face softened as she spoke up.
“Minister Rarity is correct. We, the council, are the ones who have to deal with matters of that subject. Civilians like you are simply unaware of what the best course is and the consequences of a potential failure. Simply put, removing a pony’s cutie mark is neither a solution nor a step toward harmony or equality. All you are doing is removing one’s identity,” Twilight inserted with a tone of superiority.
“You’re one to talk! You literally force everypony to wear a uniform and constantly smile in public! How is that any different?! You’re trying to make everypony identical, you hypocrites!!” Starlight hollered in rage.
“Huh? What did you say?” Rainbow Dash slammed one of her hooves on her platform.
“Please,” Twilight simply said as she raised a hoof, which seemed to be enough to calm the blue pegasus. “It appears you are confused. Individuality breeds chaos, which is the antithesis of the harmony we strive for, true. Our uniforms serve to remind the Equestrians of our unity and affiliation with our peaceful and great nation. They are reminded every day that they are not alone, but also that they should not feel above others. No matter their status, if they are out in public or outside of their working hours, they must wear it. This is equality,” She explained before gazing at her pink-maned friend.
“And smiles make everything so much better!” Pinkie Pie shouted happily as she threw her hooves in the air. “When you’re happy, you smile! Right? Then, it only makes sense that if you smile, you will be happy! We want our citizens to be super duper happy! So if you’re always smiling, then there won’t be any reason to be sad!” She said enthusiastically before turning to Twilight, notifying her that she was finished. The lavender unicorn nodded in approval.
“Moreover, we cannot fully rid of a pony’s individuality. Ponies with different talents are important for our society to function, and cutie marks are one of the most efficient ways to show a pony’s calling. We can organize Equestrians better so that our society’s inner workings will be even more operational. If we had an issue with animals, do you think any pony would do? My dear friend Fluttershy would obviously be the best choice,” Rarity interjected as she pointed at the yellow pegasus, who blushed and smiled gratefully. “Ponies are not born equal,”
“Did that clear up any confusion?” The lavender unicorn inquired as Starlight opened her mouth in protest, ready to scream about it not making any sense. She was quickly cut off by Twilight’s venomous tone. “I suppose not. Do you want to know why I am sure of that? It’s because you’ve been lying this whole time. You are a liar, a cheat, and a thief. You’re a pony that was hungry for power because you’ve tasted a drop of it. Your little town was nothing but a way for you to gain that power over others and manipulate them to do your bidding, to adore you. Eventually, you got drunk on it, and I assume your plan was to expand your influence over all of Equestria. You developed a false sense of justice and wrongly thought that you were doing this for some greater good; however, that was nothing but a way to alleviate your guilty conscience,” Twilight analyzed her as Our Town’s leader’s face crumpled. She was about to voice her obvious disagreement but was interrupted again. “Do not try to lie or deny this! If you actually cared about harmony or your principles, then you wouldn’t have kept your cutie mark in the first place!” she accused her.
“No! You’re wrong! I really did want everypony to be equal…” Starlight lamented silently as Twilight paused with curiosity. “I had a friend who meant the world to me when we were just foals. We did everything together, and he was the only one I could trust. Then, one day, he got his cutie mark. He left me and never gave me any sign of life. He abandoned me… And it would have never happened if it wasn’t for his cutie mark,” She clenched her teeth in anger, holding back her tears as someone suddenly gasped in the crowd.
The council paid it no mind, but Starlight couldn’t help but slightly widen her eyes. It sounded somewhat… familiar. Her curiosity piqued, she covertly scanned the public stands while Twilight mulled over her words. There, amidst the sea of smiling faces, she spotted an orange unicorn with a goatee. The lone pony in the audience not wearing a smile, his expression transformed into one of shock as he likely realized his partial responsibility for Starlight's predicament.
To her astonishment, it was Sunburst! Despite the passing years, Starlight could still easily recognize him. But what brought him here? Oh, right... her "trial" had been publicly announced. Starlight could only imagine that he had seen her name in the papers and immediately recognized her, leading him to attend the proceedings. A spark of hope ignited within her—perhaps he had come to save her, to speak up and halt this judgment. He would, wouldn’t he? He was her first friend, after all! Unfortunately, the orange unicorn was swiftly obligated to smile again once a guard passed nearby.
“This…” Twilight began, pulling Starlight out of her thoughts. “Is even worse than I imagined. You were willing to put some ponies, no, all of Equestria in peril because you lost a foalhood friend?” she reiterated in astonishment.
“Y-Yes! And don’t pretend you wouldn’t have done the same if one of your friends left you!” Starlight pulled on her chains again while Twilight’s eyes narrowed in silent anger.
“My friends wouldn’t have left me at all. That’s the difference between the two of us,” Twilight uttered through her gritted teeth.
“Who in tarnation do ya think we are?” Applejack arched an eyebrow as the other council members soon voiced their disagreements with Starlight’s statement.
“Friends don’t abandon each other! That’s the whole point!” Rainbow Dash added with her wings flared up.
“As Minister Rainbow Dash has so well said… If he abandoned you, then he was not your friend in the first place. And if he ever cared, he would be here to defend you. But he isn’t, is he? Your misguided sense of friendship has clearly rendered you delusional or maybe you have always been that way. No matter, I have no pity for scum,” Twilight shook her head with her eyes closed, before opening them again and staring down at the other unicorn. “You are insane and no better than the likes of Sombra, Discord, or Tirek. Simply put, you do not belong in our world,” Twilight declared as Starlight opened her mouth in shock, then quickly looked at the crowd of spectators, hoping for Sunburst to say something or intervene in any way! Their eyes met… And the unicorn looked away with quivering lips, shattering Starlight’s heart. “Do not hope to find any pity in the crowd either. Those are the consequences of your actions, Starlight”
“Please! Help!” Starlight shouted toward the crowd, only to be ignored by Sunburst again. Whether he was afraid to intervene or actually didn’t care like Twilight said, she had no idea of knowing. It also seemed that the council hadn’t noticed that she was talking to someone in particular, and only treated as a desperate attempt at receiving mercy.
“I see no way for a pony as devious as yourself to be rehabilitated into society, especially since not a single soul can vouch for you. You are also too dangerous to remain free or even be imprisoned in the dungeons. Thus, I propose capital punishment. Death by the elements,” Twilight sentenced her, making Starlight’s ears drop as her eyes widened in shock. The lavender unicorn turned to look at the other council members. “All in favor?” She asked before raising her hoof.
“Course Ah am! Ah don’t trust liars, never have,” Applejack raised her hoof while looking harshly at Starlight. The guilty unicorn felt like she was stabbed in the heart as she slowly realized there was little chance for her to escape her fate.
“She wanted to take over our Equestria. You can’t do worse than that!” Rainbow Dash added as she raised a hoof too. Slowly, Fluttershy raised hers without saying a word.
“What she did was simply dreadful, and I hope everypony realizes how serious of a crime it is to steal a cutie mark,” Rarity raised her hoof as all eyes turned to the last council member, Pinkie Pie.
Twilight almost wanted to add that Starlight was also a grave danger because of her magic. Somepony that could steal cutie marks would always have to be under surveillance, after all.
Meanwhile, the cutie mark-stealing unicorn gazed at Pinkie Pie with eyes filled with hope, silently begging for mercy. If they didn't all agree on capital punishment, there might be a chance of avoiding it. However, from what she knew, they rarely ever disagreed on such matters. Pinkie stared back at her, smiling warmly as usual, then… raised her hoof.
“No hard feelings, okay?” Pinkie snickered as Starlight’s face fell.
“It is decided then,” Twilight raised her head high. “Let us not waste any more time. We shall proceed with the judgment, do you have any last words, Starlight Glimmer?” Twilight inquired while Spike closed his comic book and began walking away from the unicorn on the stand.
“Screw you,” Starlight muttered through her clenched teeth as small tear drops rolled down her cheeks.
“Very well, if you wish those to be your last words,” Twilight closed her eyes as did the other council members.
In an instant, a brilliant white light enshrouded them, gradually lifting them into the air, embraced by an overwhelming surge of magic. Even from her vantage point, Starlight sensed the potency of their formidable aura, causing every hair on her coat to stand on end. She… She didn’t want to go out this way! She didn’t want to die like this! Hate suddenly filled her heart as she realized she didn’t want those to be her last words!
“Y-You think you’re so much better than me, don’t you?! But look at you! This is literally your solution to everything, you bucking dictators! You pretend you’re the greatest friends in the world and you feed that crap to everypony in Equestria! You make them believe that you’re just like them and that you can understand their hardships! And they all believe you because they don’t see shit beyond the fact that you aren’t princesses like their previous rulers!” Starlight stomped the ground, screaming and spitting as the council remained suspended in the air and let her rant all she wanted. Thankfully, the guard had moved out of the way and couldn’t hit her anymore. “And you just proved that you can’t… You’re stuck in your own little worlds, thinking that nothing’s good without you! And you, Sunburst! I… I trusted you! I thought we’d always be together! Everything… Everything is your fault!” She screamed one last time as tears spilled from her eyes.
Without delay, the council opened their eyes, revealing completely white pupils. The orange unicorn Starlight had mentioned earlier averted his gaze in shame as a rainbow of magic erupted from the six rulers of Equestria. Starlight's anguished scream pierced the air as the powerful beam struck her head-on, surrounding her in a blinding brilliance. It was as if she was torn apart from the insides by a raging fire! It only lasted about a couple of seconds while small white cracks appeared all over her body, then completely vaporized her, leaving nothing but a scorch mark on the floor once the light faded.
The Council of Harmony slowly descended back to the ground as one of the guards lifted his horn and magic escaped from it. Swiftly, huge words that glowed the same color as his horn appeared above him, spelling “APPLAUSE”, which the crowd quickly did.
“I feel no sympathy for her,” Twilight coldly stated as she turned back and walked out of the Court, slowly followed by her friends.
“Now THAT was some entertainment!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed while polishing her element of harmony.
“Ah still don’t know how come you like it so much,” Applejack rolled her eyes as Twilight stopped walking, prompting them to do the same and surround her.
“What? You girls don’t?” Rainbow Dash cocked her eyebrow. Most of them simply shrugged, not particularly liking or disliking it except for Fluttershy, who sighed.
“I don’t, but I understand that it’s necessary for us to do this,” The yellow pegasus replied in a soft tone.
Rainbow Dash gave no other retort beyond “You’re all just boring” before Twilight lit her horn and teleported them all into the throne room, where two guards stood by the door.
“And as long as we all agree that this punishment is a necessity, we don’t have to like it,” Twilight said before giving Rainbow Dash a smile. “But I’m glad you’re having fun with it, at least! I don’t want any of you to feel like you’re forced to do something because of me,” The lavender unicorn explained as her eyes scanned every one of her friends. “I may be the Prime Minister, but we’re all equal here, never forget it, girls,” She added with a heartwarming smile. Just as they told Starlight earlier, there needed to be different roles for different ponies.
“Aww! We already know that, silly!” Pinkie Pie replied while holding a hoof over her heart.
“Don’t ya worry about us, Sugarcube! Ah think we can all agree that none of us feel forced for anythin’,” Applejack assured her with confidence.
“We wouldn’t have started this if we didn’t want to,” Fluttershy confirmed as Twilight beamed, then lit up her horn and brought them all into a group hug.
“I know I can always count on you,” She stated affectionately as the council members nuzzled each other.
“You’re lucky we’re not in public, egghead. Ponies can’t see the Great Rainbow Dash nuzzling somepony,” The element of loyalty grinned while nuzzling her friends. The guards stationed on the door simply sweat nervously, afraid that she would be capable of silencing them if she wished to.
“Do you have anything else planned for today? I was thinking of finishing up one small thing, then we could spend some time with each other. It’s been so long since we had anything close to a day off,” Twilight inquired as they all separated.
“I told Sweetie Belle I would do something with her today, but I suppose I can postpone it to tomorrow,” Rarity responded as Twilight nodded in approval, then turned to face the others.
“Fortunately, the Wonderbolts have a day off today, and I guess the air forces can train without my supervision for one day,” Rainbow Dash assured as Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack also confirmed they had nothing else to do. Although, Twilight wasn’t sure if they actually had nothing to do, or if they flat-out canceled their original plans.
“Perfect! Then…” The Prime Minister began, only to be interrupted by someone knocking on the door. The unicorn sighed and motioned for the two guards to let the surprise guest in. It was another guard. A pegasus who flew in, breathing heavily but still desperately holding on to his smile.
“I have… Urgent news, my Ladies,” The pegasus notified them as he caught his breath. “Minister Fluttershy was seen in Baltimare several hours ago and without her element,” He finally said as the council members arched their eyebrows, then glanced at the shy pegasus.
“Um… I was in Canterlot the entire day,” She said nervously as she placed her wings on her element. “And I would never go anywhere without this,”
“And we believe ya, Sugarcube. Ya sure it was Fluttershy? Who told you that?” Applejack questioned the pegasus guard, whose eyes darted from side to side. He was likely not used to talking to them in person, Twilight deduced.
“Several witnesses as well as a few Baltimare guards confirmed that they saw a yellow pegasus with a pink mane, looking exactly like Minister Fluttershy,” He answered while sweating as Twilight put a hoof on her chin, pondering what he just said. “She also possessed the same cutie mark,”
“This… is troubling…” The lavender mare muttered while still thinking about the pieces of information.
“You don’t think… It’s a changeling, do you?” Rarity spoke up uneasily while looking at their leader.
“No way! We wiped all these stupid bugs out, didn’t we?” Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs while hovering.
“What if it’s Chrysalis?” Fluttershy suggested as Applejack shook her head.
“Nah. Nopony could come back from what we did ta her,” The earth pony answered as Twilight groaned.
“Nonetheless, we cannot simply ignore this. It could be something else entirely, but if we missed one changeling, then we missed a thousand,” The lavender unicorn said as the others nodded in agreement. “We have no other choice… I propose we execute order 21,”
“Oh, so it’s serious, then,” Rarity commented as Rainbow Dash scratched her head in confusion.
“What’s this one again?” The blue pegasus asked.
“We’re closing the borders. Nopony leaves Equestria and nopony enters. Guards should be patrolling every city at all times now, and are allowed to check or arrest anypony,” Twilight explained as someone gasped behind her, prompting her to turn around. It was the pegasus guard, who also stopped smiling and brought Pinkie’s silent wrath upon him. “Is there an issue, guard?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow.
“My Lady… Order 21 is to be executed only in case of a coup or a potential invasion aided by infiltrated forces!” He argued, making Twilight frown.
“Oh? And who decided that? Have you forgotten who decides the law here?”
“N-No, but it’s just… Princess Celestia was very strict about each order. This one could cause a mass panic and a lot of confusion among the civilians, it would be…” The guard replied as Twilight’s glare darkened.
“Princess Celestia? You’re arguing with me because of Princess Celestia’s words?” The lavender unicorn inquired, doing her best to keep her anger in check as she clenched her teeth.
“Of course! I understand you have different policies, but that order has remained unchanged for centuries. The princess was adamant that it should only be… used in…” The guard stammered as he finally took notice of Twilight’s state of mind.
The unicorn’s pupils were gone, replaced by a flashing light as a magical aura completely enveloped her. The council members around her stepped back nervously as the heat around the unicorn suddenly went up and her horn glowed more than ever. However, right before anyone could act, Rainbow Dash suddenly zipped past her and punched the guard in the face, sending him skidding across the floor.
Rainbow groaned before jumping on him and dealing a flurry of blows. It seemed she held no mercy for the poor pegasus as she punched and punched until multiple teeth were blown out of his mouth. Soon enough, blood gushed out after each one of Rainbow’s punches connected with his jaw.
The light around Twilight slowly died down as her eyes went back into their normal state, showing her to be much calmer now.
“How many times do we have to say this until you idiots understand? Don’t speak her name!” Rainbow Dash shouted in anger as she lifted the pegasus by his wings. The poor man was unconscious and could barely breathe, likely because of all the blood pouring out of his swollen face. The guards guarding the door were still smiling as if they were statues, but if you looked closely, you would see they were sweating as if they were close to a fire. “What should we do with him, Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked as the unicorn sighed.
“I’m in a merciful mood, so I’ll forgive his insolence. Two weeks in the dungeons should suffice,” She replied as Rainbow nodded, then threw the pegasus at the other guards’ hooves.
“You heard her! Get him a doctor and throw him in the dungeons,” Rainbow Dash ordered as the guards bowed and took the pegasus away.
“First the outlaws, then the rebels, and now a clone of Fluttershy. We can’t take a break, can we?” Twilight grumbled in frustration.
Rarity felt a little bad for the pegasus, but frankly, he had it coming. Moreover, he should be thanking them. He didn’t realize it, but Rainbow Dash actually saved his life. Granted, this was probably not what she wanted to do. If she hadn’t intervened, Twilight would have pulverized him on the spot. Not even ashes would have been left.
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight thanked the rainbow-maned pegasus, who nodded with a grin. “As I said, execute order 21, and we’ll talk about our next course of action later. There is something I must do first,” Twilight ordered as she teleported out of the room.
The lavender unicorn walked through the castle’s halls in the direction of Princess Celestia’s personal study. The chamber remained closed and off-limits, forbidden to all, even the guards. Thus, the halls leading to it were completely empty. Once Twilight reached the room, she observed the door separating her from it. Bathed in a faint purple glow, the door was fortified by a spell that barred unauthorized entry. Since Twilight was the one that set it up, dispelling was quite easy.
Once it was done, she slowly entered the room and closed the doors behind her. The unicorn raised her head to admire her work. The room was as spacious as the throne room thanks to the small renovations she did. Positioned at the back was an enormous sphere comprised of flat yellow rings, each adorned with spikes pointing toward the center, giving rise to a mesmerizing ethereal sphere. Inside of it was a known and famous pony… Princess Celestia. The former ruler of Equestria.
She lied inside, leaning against the bubble while trying to stand up with pained grunts. She was disheveled and skinny, her coat was darker and dirtier as if she hadn’t taken a bath in years.
“Twilight… Please... Stop… It hurts…” She begged as the rings of the machine suddenly began spinning. Celestia screamed in agony as electricity escaped from the spikes and coursed through her body. “AAAARRHGG!” She screamed for several seconds before the electricity faded and let her collapse against the bubble.
“My apologies, Celestia. However, the sun must move, and we cannot make it move and let you roam free at the same time. At least, you make a magnificent battery,” Twilight answered as she stared at her creation.
This machine seemed simple as a concept but was so much harder to accomplish in execution. It forced a pony to use their magic by drawing it out of their body. Although, it was more like it ripped it out of them… Nonetheless, Twilight configured it specifically so it would move the sun and the moon. That way, they didn’t need to take unnecessary risks with Celestia by allowing her to use her magic temporarily since she could use it to escape if they used simple magic-inhibiting rings.
“Don’t do this… Anymore… Please…” The princess pleaded tiredly while Twilight stared in silence.
“See… I really hate it when you do that every time I visit you. Trying to guilt trip me. To play the victim…” Twilight began while pacing in front of Celestia’s prison. “You have only yourself to blame for this. You brought this on yourself! Because you thought that you could use me. Because you thought you could manipulate me and stab me in the back. At the end of the day, that’s all you are. A liar, a manipulator, and a selfish monster,” She listed without a shred of empathy.
“And I’m sorry… I hurt you, Twilight…” Celestia apologized as Twilight paused and clenched her teeth.
“Do you think I’m an idiot? You… You’re not actually sorry you hurt me! You’re just sorry because you ended up in this situation, so don’t patronize me!” She shouted, stomping the floor in anger before slowly calming herself. “Let’s not argue now. I came here with good news,” She said a little more cheerfully.
“What?” Celestia struggled to ask.
“You will be relieved of your duties soon,” Twilight declared happily as Celestia arched a doubtful eyebrow.
“How? And why?”
“Well, before I tell you that… I feel like I should inform you of what the girls and I planned next. Let’s just say we will make Equestria greater than it has ever been while under your reign,” The lavender unicorn answered as Celestia looked even more confused. “Since the elements chose us, it was our obvious destiny and duty to strive for harmony. We’ve improved Equestria so much that it is nigh perfect, except for a few… weeds that need to be taken care of. We even killed the Lord of Chaos himself!” She said happily.
“And I told you… That Discord is a force of nature… Killing him will only damage the balance of the world… And put us all in danger,” Celestia muttered. And even if she didn’t say it, the alicorn seriously doubted that society was as good as Twilight made it sound.
“You are only saying this because of your clear lack of success in taking care of creatures like him. Simply put; you and your sister have always been too weak or not good enough to stop these kinds of monsters permanently,” Twilight retorted, making Celestia glare at her at the mention of her sister. “However, while Equestria is grand… The world is still chaotic, and sad, and dangerous. It’s full of savages seeking to destroy and nothing more. We have decided that we will share Equestria’s grandeur and peaceful ways with the world. Make the rest of Equus just as beautiful as our land,”
“You… You’re saying you will…” Celestia widened her eyes, having a hard time imagining her student would have come up with something like this of all things.
“Invade other countries? Take over the world? Not quite. We will try a peaceful approach at first. They shall offer their lands with no resistance and there will be absolutely no bloodshed. With our superior skills, we would make their nations so much better than they were. Everypony would be happier,”
“And if they resist?”
“Then they will have to suffer the consequences. Don’t look at me like that. It will entirely depend on their choice. Besides, I will not let you pretend you have the moral high ground in this, manipulator,” Twilight retorted coldly. “This is where you come into play, and where you are relieved of your duties. Are you familiar with Grogar’s bell?” She asked.
“Don’t tell me… You have it…” Celestia widened her eyes in shock as Twilight shook her head and chuckled.
“I wish, but no. I figured looking for it would be a waste of time and resources. Instead, I have something similar to it,” She replied before lighting her horn and summoning a necklace with a black gem. “This is of my own creation. Unlike Grogar’s bell, it cannot absorb or give any magic. However, it can store nearly as much magic as his bell can, which is an infinite amount,”
“What are you… Planning?” Celestia inquired through her gritted teeth.
“Simply put, I will steal your magic and store it in the gem once I am ready. This should allow the wearer to use your magic to move the sun and the moon. Thus, we wouldn’t need you anymore. However, as you might expect, this is far from being my final goal…” Twilight explained as her expression grew somber. “I will do what you did to me, and use you. Use you to further my goals. Simply put, when I find a way to harvest the magic stored inside the gem, I will take it for myself… and my friends. Do you understand, now?” Twilight said as Celestia’s eyes nearly burst out of her head in realization.
“No…”
“My friends and I will use your magic to become alicorns. Mortality was our main issue because we are the only ones who know how to fix and operate this world efficiently. We are needed to create an age of harmony, but it would only last a century at most because of our fragile mortal bodies. Once we become alicorns, we shall rule over Equus for all eternity, and make it shine brighter than any star in the universe,” Twilight spoke dreamily while looking at the ceiling. “It’s a shame that you won’t be here to see the perfect world my friends and I will make. But, simply put, you do not belong in it,” She added as she teleported the necklace back to where she took it from. “Think carefully of your past sins for the little time you have left, Celestia,”
“Wait…” The princess of the sun called out to her former student, who ignored her and left the room. She may just have created the worst villains in history…
Because as much as she wanted to deny her student’s words… She was starting to believe that there really was nothing in this world that could stop them.