The ceremony quickly dissolved as everypony began heading to the ballroom. Inside streamers hung from end to end of the room, and a huge cake dominated the middle of the room. It's warm aroma filled the room, Twilight couldn't stop herself from licking her lips.
===
Rainbow Dash was busy enjoying the Wonderbolts attention while Pinkie Pie was living it up, the only way she knew how. Rarity and Fluttershy were both nowhere to be seen and Applejack was just mingling with the guests and her friends. Twilight took the opportunity to ask Celestia an important question.
"So, why are we queens, were no better then you, and your only a princess?" Twilight asked curious.
"well, when my friends betrayed us, the previous Alicorns stripped us of our queenhood, and only made us princesses," Celestia replied. Her eyes staring beyond Twilight's shoulder.
"I can understand with Princess Luna, but with you? Why would they be mad at you?" Twilight inquired further.
"I'm sure they had their reasons," Celestia said before walking away when Twilight was silent.
Slowly something in the back of Twilights mind clicked, she couldn't understand it, but for the slightest second, the smile Celestia gave as she was walking away looked almost sinister...
"Everypony please gather, it is time for our newest queens to lower the old day, and raise the new night." Celestia stated clearly, her voice reverberating slightly with magic.
Almost immediately everypony stopped what they were doing and gathered around the spacious balcony to find the queens standing together. They smiled at each other slightly, they knew this wasn't the end of their friendship as they had feared. Together they closed their eyes gently and reached out with their immense magic power.
Twilight's hair stood on end slightly as the unnatural sensation of feeling something as massive as the heavens was still new. Carefully she dipped the sun below the horizons before shifting her powers towards helping raise the moon and stars, only to find that it was already done.
She opened her eyes slowly, almost immediately her cheeks became bright red. Everypony was staring in awe at the sight of how effortlessly the entire process went by.
Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Luna and Celestia nodding slightly at each other. The crowd dissipated relatively quickly leaving Twilight time to ask some more questions. After a bit of convincing, her friends tagged along as they approached the former princesses.
"So, Princess Celestia..." Twilight said but was cut short.
"Just Celestia, and yes my queen?" Celestia interrupted.
The new title caused Twilights hair to raise on end again as she shivered slightly, but she continued. "You said that every other Alicorn of Harmony had disappeared when they passed the title to their successors right?"
"Correct my queen," Celestia confirmed politely.
"Where exactly do they go?" Twilight asked, her voice hesitant as it jumped up and down a few pitches.
"Honestly we do not know, however we promise, we'll be safe," Celestia answered with a smile as Luna nodded in silent agreement. "Now why are you not enjoying your party?" she asked playfully.
A small smile came to Twilights face as she and her friends turned around to enjoy the new night.
===
The rest of the night passed without incident and after a long night of partying they each retired to their beds. Even though sleep was unnecessary, it felt good anyways...
Twilight got up out of her bed to a smell of smoke, it was suffocating, all around her were large pieces of marble and stone. Confused and worried she released some of the bonds that she had worked so hard on to keep her magic in check. The rubble around her cleared in a small shockwave from her, the entire castle was in ruins.
How she had slept through it she couldn't figure out, it had to be a dream... but it was so real, she could think it was a dream but wasn't waking up!
Her thoughts quickly took a very different path as she realized her friends were in the castle to. Her immortal heart stopped for the tiniest instant before she saw her 5 best friends standing side by side smiling slightly. Their eyes focused on her. With a grin Rarity raised her majestic hoof and gestured for Twilight to come closer. As she neared her friends her mind screamed out that something had to be wrong...
"I'm glad you finally joined us Twilight," Applejack said kindly, yet there was a strange new undertone in her voice, one of menace. Something was very very wrong here.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked monotone.
"Oh, I'm sorry, we almost forgot we are still wearing our public appearances," Applejack said as the others laughed slightly. Their horns glowed for the slightest second before Twilight was face to face with five nightmares. Each pony had been twisted, their manes altered, and they radiated extreme power, even more then before. Applejack saw Twilight surprised and scared voice and reassured, "don't worry, we won't hurt you."
A voice in Twilights mind told her lightly, "They tell the truth, at least to a point, you can't trust them completely though. You have to find a way to avoid this future at all costs, or they will destroy Equestria..." It was an echo of a voice of reason. She soon recognized what her friends had become, they had became corrupted, and around her, not only was the castle destroyed, but everything else... The Lunacy had taken her best friends, and somehow her.
===
Twilight's head was clammy with cold sweat. She had once read about visions, that's what it must have been. She had to stop it from coming true, without expecting a reply she asked out loud, "how am I supposed to stop the lunacy?"
But the echo was still there, and it answered, "you will find a way, or billions will die..."