//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: The Plan (Part II) 
// Story: Sunshine and Fire 
// by BornIn1142 
//------------------------------//

Celestia was among the first to arrive at the war council. She walked the length of the room, ignoring Applejack's glaring, and took a seat at the very front, right under her nose. She made a point of picking a seat opposite Twilight's.

The meeting took place in what could generously be described as a conference room. It was narrow and rectangular, with yet another cramped, low ceiling. Much of the room was taken up by four small tables pushed together to form a single large one. There were maps and scrolls lying on it, and a blackboard permanently smudged from overuse at the back wall.

The council ended up being a rather crowded affair. In addition to the main group, Applejack had – understandably enough – summoned some of her own lieutenants to the meeting as well, filling up most of the seats. Both of Celestia's escorts from earlier were there, as well as a fidgety green pony wearing glasses, and a tall, elderly pony that elected to remain standing at the far side of the room and didn't seem able to take his eyes off Celestia. As the room filled up, Applejack strolled around between them asking questions and giving follow-up orders to matters discussed previously, eventually settling into an exchange with Rainbow Dash admiring each other's accomplishments. Fluttershy and Rarity were also edging into a conversation, mostly consisting of polite, impersonal inquiries into each other's lives. By comparison, Luna and Twilight were both rather quiet, the latter obviously lost in thought.

When the time came, Applejack headed to the head of the table with a quiet sigh and called the room to order.

"Guess I'll get straight to the point," she said, "Things are not looking too good at the moment. Short of putting the word out to all our agents and contacts around Equestria to be on the lookout for this Pinkie Pie, I don't see any way for us to track her down, and that's not really a practical option."

"Not to mention," added Rarity, "We still don't know for sure whether there is a Pinkie Pie to be found."

Applejack nodded. "All things considered, the Elements of Harmony plan seems to be a bust. So I want to get this out of the way – anypony got any ideas that would convince me otherwise?"

Celestia let her eyes wander over the room. Nopony was in a rush to offer solutions to their dilemma. The only one who raised her hoof – and she did so only hesitantly – was Twilight.

"This ain't a school, Twilight," said Applejack with a lop-sided frown, "You can just speak up."

"Well, I've been mulling over this and..." Twilight turned to look at Celestia. "Couldn't you perhaps fill in for Pinkie Pie, Princess? The more I think about it, the more appropriate it feels. I'm sure the Element of Laughter would really suit you!"

Celestia smiled a particular sad smile she liked to use when she was letting ponies down. "Are we friends, Twilight?"

"Um," started Twilight.

"I wouldn't say we are. Don't get me wrong – you're very dear to me and I cherish the bond between us, but we are teacher and student, not friends. The Elements of Harmony would not react to our relationship."

Celestia didn't want to poison the well by suggesting there was too much bad blood between Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and the Queen for them to ever truly accept her, even though that was probably the case. No matter how disarming or amiable she could be, they would never look at her without preconceptions. The spectre of the Queen was just too powerful to allow for any sentimentality. Twilight, ironically enough, had just the opposite problem. Her feelings ran too deep. The sad truth was that friendship usually didn't involve worship...

And besides all that, Celestia hadn't felt much like laughter for a while now.

"Uh, isn't this a bit of a problem?" asked Spike, his head barely peeking over the side of the table, "Aside from the obvious, I mean. If finding one pony is such a problem, how are we ever going to track down Brainy Bright and get home?"

"Well, maybe we'll come across him by chance?" suggested Twilight, "No, I realize that's rather unlikely. But we'll definitely have an easier time looking for him once we've dealt with Daymare Sun."

"And on that matter," said Celestia, ever so slightly raising her voice so everypony in the room could hear her clearly, "I'm actually inclined to agree with you, Applejack."

Twilight perked up her head slightly, while Applejack looked at her in surprise. "Uhh, beg pardon?" she asked.

"Chasing after Pinkie Pie, at this point, would be a waste of time and effort. As a matter of fact, we might not need the Elements of Harmony at all."

There was a barely audible "What?" from Twilight's direction.

Celestia stood up and faced Applejack with a smile. "I have an alternative plan I'd like to put forward – with your permission of course."

"Hmh. Well, let's hear it then."

Celestia stepped to Applejack's side at the front of the room.

"But- but- Princess, wait!" sputtered Twilight, "I've tried really hard to make this work, and we're so close to having everypony together! Haven't you always told me to have faith in the Magic of Friendship?"

"Your quest thus far has not been in vain, Twilight Sparkle. Whether or not they ever become the holders of the Elements of Harmony, the group you've gathered is composed of extraordinary ponies."

"And me," came a quiet voice from the gallery. Celestia fixed Fluttershy with a glare, but she wasn't even looking in Celestia's direction.

"Each of you," continued Celestia, overlooking the group, "possesses skills and traits invaluable to our cause – and yes, that includes you, Fluttershy. Each of you is an asset. There is great merit in putting you all together in one room, in pooling your individual areas of expertise. With all of us combined, the Apple Underground has never been stronger. The "Magic of Friendship" need not be literal, you see. Sharing ideas, forming alliances, complementing strengths and weaknesses, cooperating – all of these things are part of that magic. The power of friendship isn't the greatest force in the universe because it manifests in a magical beam that solves problems. No, it's because what underlies that power are the social contracts without which civilization itself would not be possible."

Twilight didn't look reassured in the slightest, but neither did she inject any further. Applejack's eyebrows were doing some wondrous things. Celestia thought they might get crossed and tied into a sardonic little bow.

"So to beat Daymare Sun, we have to work together?" mused Applejack dryly, "Thanks for that particular bit of wisdom. Real enlightening." Somepony in the back coughed a half-hearted laugh.

Celestia merely kept smiling. "There are three primary problems for us to consider," she explained, "The first is the Equestrian Army. The second is its special operations division, the Secret Police, and their dragon enforcers. The third, obviously, is the Queen herself. Let me ask you this question: which of these do you think is our biggest concern?"

"The Queen," said Applejack immediately.

"I would also say the Queen," said Twilight. There were murmurs of agreement from all over the room.

"Are you sure?" asked Celestia, "Tell me, have you ever come face to face with her?" At Applejack's silence, she went on. "Has anypony in this room ever even met her?"

At this, some of the rebels turned to look at the elderly earth pony at the back of the room, who clenched his jaw and met Celestia's gaze.

"Yeah. I've met her."

Celestia had asked quite a few ponies about their experiences with the Queen. She was almost afraid to do it again, but couldn't help herself. "What was it like?" she asked softly.

The old pony had to force himself to answer, that was plain to see. "Not a whole lot to say, hmh. She was majestic and powerful and all that. She spoke slow and picked her words, but you could tell she had a thousand different thoughts going through her head all at once, and you felt like nothing you could do would ever take up all of her attention. Oh, she was quite pleasant, mind you. All smiles, as if she didn't have a care in the world. Everything she did was so damn gracious. But the thing is, no matter how nice she acted, you could always tell she was pure poison underneath."

The atmosphere in the meeting room was very awkward all of a sudden. Asking that question had been a mistake. Celestia wasn't even sure what she'd been hoping for, but she'd succeeded in trapping herself within expectations. What else could she do but keep smiling and try to segue onwards?

"Yes," she said, "The Queen's attention is always divided. Even something as troublesome as the Apple Underground is beneath her notice. She may be the biggest danger, but she is not necessarily the biggest concern. You already have your solution for dealing with her." She glanced at her sister. "Luna and I together will be able to overpower her in combat, I'm certain of it. We could fly to Everfree City and do it right now – though not without difficulty – but would that really solve your problems? Applejack, have you put any thought into what would happen if you succeeded at assassinating her?"

"'Course I have!" said Applejack. The question seemed to put her on guard – even more so. "Well, the government would be thrown into chaos, wouldn't it? Even the most high-ranking officials don't have much capacity for independent thought. They're pretty much all followers, not leaders. So, we figure the repressive policies would lighten while they try to sort things out, and we'd have more leeway to pick apart what's left. Besides, nothing frightens common ponies as much as the Queen, so they'd be much more willing to rise up against the state. If we were especially lucky, there might even be political infighting among the unicorns!"

"A sensible strategy," said Celestia, "but futile." That was putting it mildly. She was making an effort to be diplomatic. "A headless scorpion can still sting, and the Equestrian Empire would survive the death of its Queen. That's why she's selected an heir for herself. Upon Celestia's death, what happens next would be up to Daylight Sparkle. If she turned out to have the force of personality necessary to maintain control and suppress ambitious rivals, then she would simply take over where the Queen left off, and Equestria would be transformed into a more conventional hereditary monarchy. Nothing would change, at least in the short term. If, however, Daylight Sparkle should falter, you'd probably get the infighting you want - a civil war between unicorn warlords. I couldn't begin to speculate how long this conflict might last and how many ponies might perish in it. This chaos, as you call it, is the absolute worst case scenario, and something we must never allow to happen. Do you understand?"

Applejack kept a good poker face. Celestia couldn't tell whether an all-out war within Equestria was something she'd never considered, or whether it was an outcome she was willing to accept. "So where are you going with this?" Applejack asked, "Are you saying that the Secret Police is what we should be worried about?"

"Yes and no. The Secret Police is a tactical weapon. Their agents have impressive mobility and firepower, but they would never be enough to maintain control of Equestria on their own. Ultimately, they rely on the pegasus and earth pony armies for support, particularly in the occupied lands."

"The chains keeping you in your bondage were forged by your own kind," mused Luna quietly.

"That's deep, mare," deadpanned Rainbow Dash.

"What I'm getting at," continued Celestia, "is that it's pointless to distinguish between these three aspects of the enemy. All three need to be accounted for – not necessarily defeated outright, mind you, but accounted for. Luna and I can fight the Queen for you, but we couldn't fight the Queen and her Secret Police and her armies – at least not all at once. You're right to think that we need to remove the Queen from power, but you're not taking that idea far enough. A guerilla strike is not enough. To truly win, we need to conquer Equestria."

She paused for a moment to let the thought sink in. Big ideas had a way of captivating an audience. Even Applejack was intrigued enough that she didn't interrupt with questions.

"To do that, we'll need an army," said Celestia, "In fact, we'll need two. We need to enlist the dragons and the griffons to our cause."

"How?" asked Applejack simply.

Celestia allowed herself a tiny smirk. "Why, the magic of friendship, of course. It's really quite simple. I propose sending diplomatic envoys to talk to the Griffon King and the Dragon Matriarch directly. As luck would have it, we already have ins with both groups." She swooped her hoof towards where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were seated. "Rainbow Dash has a long-standing friendship with a dragon expatriate, whom we can convince to lead us into the dragon lands and vouch for us. Fluttershy provided assistance to a griffon scout in trouble. If we found that scout, she could get us past the border guard. I also propose that we explain the whole truth to the monarchs. They need to be aware that Luna and I are there to counter the Queen herself, as long as they don't become frightened of us."

"Um, with all due respect," said Rarity, "I'm afraid you may have misread the situation a bit. The Dragon Matriarch is Daymare Sun's closest ally. She would have no reason to make common cause with us."

"Oh, but she does. She's only an unwilling ally to Queen Celestia. Dragons are a proud race, and I assure they, they do not appreciate their offspring being raised as slaves to ponies. They will take the opportunity to rebel, if we give it to them."

"Are you sure? Would they dare go against Daymare Sun with that plague of theirs hanging over their heads? It is a matter of survival for them, isn't it?"

"It doesn't have to be. We can offer them assurances of more beneficial terms for the agreement to hatch their eggs in the future, as well as the return of their lost children. They have much to gain if we win."

"Okay, but what about the griffons?" asked Rainbow Dash, cocking her eyebrow, "How do you expect them to help us out? They kind of have problems of their own, what with the hundred thousand ponies on their doorstep, waiting to invade."

"Hundred twenty-five thousand, actually. But don't you see that this will work to our advantage? Most of the Equestrian Army is occupied at the border, leaving Everfree City protected only by the the city guard and limited reserve troops. The griffon air force is the most mobile military force in the world. If they help us take the capital and topple the Queen, they'll not only divert the invasion force but foil it entirely."

"That's... a hell of a long shot," said Applejack. She'd raised a hoof to her snout, and was gazing thoughtfully at the earthen floor.

"The fact that it's a long shot is what will make it work," said Celestia smoothly, "The Griffon Kingdom knows that it's facing certain defeat. A desperate gambit is the only thing that can save them. We'll be presenting them with an invaluable opportunity."

Celestia let her gaze wander around the meeting room, and she could see that attitudes were shifting. She's expected nothing less. Twilight of all ponies being the one to remain doubtful was also expected, but Celestia was certain her student would come through for her in the end.

"Okay," said Applejack. She lifted her head to look Celestia in the eyes again. "Okay. I have to admit, you've thought this through down to the last detail. This, huh, this might actually work."

"It will work," Celestia assured her.

"Um, excuse me?" Twilight was in the process of raising her hoof, but quickly let it drop her side. "I'm sorry, Princess, but there's still one detail..." She bit her lip, hesitant to contradict Celestia. "You still haven't explained what we're meant to do about Daymare Sun. You and Princess Luna will fight her, yes, but what about afterward? Without the Elements of Harmony, there's no way for us to purify her of her corruption. Is there?"

"I'm afraid not, Twilight," she said in her calmest, most reassuring voice, "As much as I'd like to keep looking for Pinkie Pie and the Elements, with the Equestrian Army poised to strike at the Griffon Kingdom at any moment, we have to make our move as soon as possible."

"So- so you mean to kill her?" burst out Twilight, clashing against Celestia's soothing tone.

"Sometimes, drastic measures are necessary. We talked about this, remember, Twilight?"

"Yes, but..." Twilight chuckled, almost hysterically. "You were talking about evil beings then! Daymare Sun is an innocent! She can't help what she's become! I mean, I mean, I thought rescuing her was as important as anything? You of all people should-"

"It's precisely because I am who I am that I feel qualified to make this decision," explained Celestia, "I know better than anypony what my twin would want, no? If I were in her position..." It disgusted her to make that comparison. "If I were in her position, I would want to be stopped, no matter how. Death will be a mercy to her. Trust me, Twilight."

Somepony else spoke then, almost too quietly to make out. Celestia turned around sharply.

"Could you speak up, please?" she asked.

Fluttershy blushed, but raised her voice nevertheless. "I was saying... that it doesn't matter who you are, that's still such a presumptuous thing to say." She dared to look up at Celestia this time.

Celestia had to admit, she was caught a little off guard by how... forthright Fluttershy was being. She looked at the pegasus quizzically, not even bothering to say anything. Despite Fluttershy's comment, Celestia didn't expect anypony but Twilight to be seriously resistant to the idea of killing the Queen.

Twilight, however, was still not letting the matter go. "She doesn't deserve to die," she pleaded.

Ecological destruction, chaos, starvation, extinction, murder, abuse, repression, fear, torture, genocide, death, death, death, death...

"Doesn't she?" mused Celestia, without looking back at Twilight, "Don't you think at least some part of the blame falls on her shoulders?"

There was a thump. Celestia turned back to face Twilight and found Luna standing upright, having pushed over the chair she was sitting on. She was taking heaving breaths, almost snarling, and it took until an empty feeling started spreading in Celestia's chest for her to realize how thoughtless she'd been with her words. Just when it seemed like Luna was about to explode with rage, she turned around and fled.

"Luna, wait," started Celestia. "I didn't mean it like that..." But already, Luna was out through the door and slamming it shut behind herself.

The silence in the room was deafening. Celestia came close to bolting right after Luna, but managed to maintain composure. For a brief instant, all the stares directed at Celestia seemed judging, but upon closer inspection, they were mostly just confused.

"Please excuse us for a moment," she said to nopony in particular and followed Luna outside in careful, measured steps.

Celestia expected having to chase after her sister, but Luna was right there, waiting for her in the corridor. She hadn't run away to avoid a confrontation, she'd done it to make the confrontation a private one. Celestia approached with carefully, without rushing to make any apologies. She wanted to give Luna the opportunity to calm herself down by getting her issues off her chest.

"Well, go on then," said Luna through gritted teeth, "Don't hold back on my account! Tell me how I deserved to be put down all along! It's so refreshing to hear how you really feel!"

"Please, Luna." She spoke clearly and slowly to put Luna's mind at ease. Once upon a time, she'd sung her lullabies in that same voice. "That wasn't what I was suggesting at all."

"I've misunderstood, have I? Of course I have, I'm just a dumb little filly, aren't I?"

"You're not dumb, and you're not a little filly."

"Stop it! Just stop it! Do you not realize how condescending you sound?! You keep talking like we're all foals – me, Twilight Sparkle, everypony!"

"I'm-" Tired. Tired of the constant self-pity. "I'm sorry if I've given you that impression. Please, calm yourself."

"Why should I?! Pray tell, what were you suggesting? You said it clear as day: I deserved to die!"

Celestia's mouth drew into a thin line. "I should have been more tactful and I apologize, but we have more important issues to deal with right now. This isn't about you, Luna."

Luna barked a bitter laugh. "No, it just has to be about you, doesn't it? Princess Perfect! You always know better than anypony!"

Luna raised her hoof and waved it in Celestia's face accusingly. Celestia looked at Luna's dirtied silvery horseshoe, and then back up at her face. Then she stood up straight. Whatever contrition she might have felt was fading, replaced by a burgeoning flame of anger all her own. When she spoke, she hardly recognized her voice.

"Why are you so mad?" she asked.

"Wh- Why would you even ask me that?!" demanded Luna.

"You've told me yourself that there were moments you were so desperate for release that you wished to die. You've sworn up and down that you'd have paid any price to protect the world from yourself. In fact, you've never tried to deny that the ultimate responsibility for Nightmare Moon's actions is yours – and now I'm the bad guy for agreeing with you?"

"I'm mad because- because you ever pretended otherwise! Perhaps I have said those things, but you know what? You were always there to tell me how wrong I was for thinking like that! All those reassurances that I was an innocent victim... what, were they all lies to make me feel better?"

"You were a victim, but I've never called you innocent, sister."

Luna reacted as if she'd been struck, losing her balance and taking a few steps back. A sound like half a neigh escaped her throat.

In any other situation, Celestia would have felt bad for saying something like that. Indeed, in any other situation, she'd never have said it at all. But the truth was that they did not have the time for Luna's histrionics, and even Celestia's patience wasn't limitless...

"Nightmare Moon started as a mistake – your mistake. Whatever it was that took over your mind, you invited it in!"
Luna sank back on her croup and dragged her forehooves over her face. "So you really would have killed me if you could have?" Her voice was meek and quiet now.

"No." Celestia shook her head. "No, no, no. If I hadn't had the Elements, I would have done everything in my power to find another solution. If I'd had some means so stop you without exiling you, I would have tried that as well. You only made a mistake, after all, and deserved a second chance."

Celestia thought Luna would be pleased to hear that, and so was surprised to see her sink even lower to the floor.

"Why does this other you deserve to be punished when I didn't?" she asked.

Why indeed?

Punishment wasn't really the issue – empathy was. Celestia had so many lives to save, and so little time to do it. The invasion of the Griffon Kingdom would be an unconscionable slaughter if allowed to happen, and there there ponies suffering and dying every hour that the Equestrian Empire was allowed to continue existing.

Or perhaps that wasn't it. It might as well have been a matter of simple, callous convenience. A death was the most obvious, most pragmatic solution to their problem. As disturbing as such cold-bloodedness sounded, a quick end was a good thing and would have allowed Celestia to focus on the substantial social problems that the Queen's reign would leave behind.

Perhaps that wasn't it either. Perhaps those were only excuses after all. In her heart of hearts, Celestia knew she wanted justice to prevail. More than than... she wanted to be the one to cast judgement. As much as she'd have liked to pretend this was only about Equestria and not at all about her, she couldn't deny her desire for redemption.

With a start, Celestia realized she'd left Luna hanging on her question.

"It's... complicated," she finally said, "One obvious difference is the severity of the crimes. Nightmare Moon's holocaust was averted, but the Queen has been enacting evil for centuries."

"So you would have been willing to kill me after all, if things had gone differently..."

"I don't much see the point of such speculation. Are you asking me if I would still have forgiven you if you'd succeeded in wiping out all life in Equestria? Do you really want me to answer that?"

Luna was quick to anger, but she was also quick to calm down. Unfortunately, she often calmed down by sinking into melancholy. All the fight seemed to have drained out of her.

"But the mistake we made... it was the same one, wasn't it? Everything that came after that was out of our hooves. That's... what I need to believe. If I deserved a second chance, then so does she." Luna's eyes narrowed. She found the energy for another accusation after all. "Is this the reason, sister? You can't stand the idea that you could have made a mistake, so you want to wipe out the result?"

Luna never realized how close Celestia got to striking her. There was a moment – just a moment – where Celestia would have done almost anything just to get her to shut up. Every word was like a nail driven into her chest.

"You want to know why I'm not going to forgive 'Daymare Sun'?" asked Celestia, "Because I'm not convinced she is."

"What are you saying?" asked Luna with a suspicious scowl.

Celestia sighed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm saying I don't believe I'm possessed like you were." She spoke quietly, heeding a half-conscious fear that the ponies in the meeting room could hear.

Luna stared at her, barely comprehending her words. Gradually, her expression drew into perplexed outrage. "But-" she started.

"The Queen herself doesn't call herself Daymare Sun, do you realize?" Celestia spoke over her sister. "Using that name is banned in Everfree City. The only ones that call her that are outlaws, and even they don't know what it's supposed to mean. Why do you think this is?"

"I don't know, but-"

"I've been suspecting it for a while now. In Everfree City, the Queen is everywhere. There are so many little things I found out about her behavior, her personality, her tastes. She's not just an avatar of dark impulses, she's too fully formed. She's keeps the world in this hellish state rather than trying to destroy it, and rejoices in being called a tyrant. I don't understand it. And the name... Nightmare Moon coined her own moniker, but whoever it is that sits on that throne, she wants to be known as Celestia."

"But why?!" Luna leapt back to her hooves and stood closer to Celestia, "Why would you- why would she do this?"

"I don't know." Celestia regretted revealing her theory to Luna. She thought she should be honest with her sister, that she would feel better with the truth out in the open. She didn't. Instead, she only felt as if she was drowning in shame.

"This doesn't make sense. It doesn't add up. I refuse to believe it! You are the best pony in the entire world; you could never be evil! You really are perfect!"

Celestia stared at Luna and reflected on why hearing that somehow made her feel like she'd done something wrong.

There were many, many ponies who felt the same as Luna. Princess Celestia was perfect. Princess Celestia was everything a pony should be. Princess Celestia could do anything except wrong. Celestia did her best to live up to expectations, and she certainly never resented others for thinking well of her, but... she'd have liked to think her own sister knew her better than that.

"Thank you for... believing in me," said Celestia with a mild smile, "I suppose we'll find out the truth soon enough. But let's head back now, all right?

Luna nodded and scrambled up to her hooves, then rubbed her eyes to make sure there weren't any tears in them. Together, they cantered back into the conference room.

Celestia had the vague feeling everypony there had been sitting in uncomfortable silence the whole time they'd been away. Nopony even seemed to have moved. Luna quietly took her seat, and Celestia made her way back to the front of the room.

Rarity was the one to take an initiative in breaking through the awkwardness. "I have a question, ahem, Princess?" She'd steepled her hooves on the table and was looking up at Celestia quizzically.

"Go ahead, Lady Rarity," said Celestia, sitting down on her haunches and facing her.

"I do foresee something of a long-term problem in this plan of yours. Inviting in foreign powers to counter Queen Celestia's power-base is certainly clever in itself, but it's something that could have far-reaching consequences. Once they've won this war for us, why would the Griffon King and the Dragon Matriarch just leave? You didn't really answer the question you posed to Applejack earlier – what's going to become of Equestria once the Queen is gone? Will we be left under occupation by our own allies?"

"That's a valid concern to raise," said Celestia, "The Queen's fall will indeed leave behind a power vacuum – one that Equestria's neighbors will no doubt try to take advantage of. There's no need to worry, however. I've taken that into account and fully intend to leave ponies with their own sovereign nation."

"Mmm, but what steps, exactly, will we take to ensure that?" asked Rarity.

Celestia was going to have to handle this... delicately. Since she seriously doubted that the group would appreciate her dancing around the issue though, she laid out her idea straight and upfront.

"Once the Queen is dead, I will have to take over as interim ruler."

All at once, the room exploded with a flurry of questions and protests and general disbelief. There were gaping mouths, furrowed brows and wide eyes. Of course, nopony present was as outraged as Applejack.

"No way. No way! We're not going to exchange one tyrant for the exact same tyrant!"

"Please don't be melodramatic, Applejack. If you'll just think about it, you'll find that there's a lot of merit to the idea. I have the power to stand up to potential retaliatory aggression on part of the dragons and griffons, and – even more importantly – only I can use the Queen's own authority to overturn her orders and begin deconstructing the system she's created. I doubt many of her followers would dare stand up to me once I've taken control."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of!" said Applejack. She stomped closer and got up in Celestia's face. "Read my lips, missy: unacceptable! Our next ruler's gonna be democratically elected!"

Celestia didn't know whether to admire her idealism or pity her naivete. "I don't believe democracy would be the right solution for Equestria's problems," she said, treading carefully.

"Figures an autocrat would say that," growled Applejack.

"I understand the necessity for external security," interrupted Rarity thoughtfully, "I do! But if we're taking control of the state itself, we'll have the largest army in the world protecting us. Surely they will keep outside threats at bay?"

"But who will guard you from the guardians?" asked Celestia.

"And who's going to guard us from you?" Applejack shot back.

"Applejack, let me remind you..."

"What is it?!"

"...Let me remind you that this world will still need somepony to take control of the sun and attempt to fix the ecological damage your world has suffered."

"I don't give a rat's ass about the sun! We've managed to survive in the heat for hundreds of years and we'll manage it in the future too!"

"Don't let your pride stand in the way of your better judgement," said Celestia, never one to miss an opportunity for a lesson, "You need to keep the well-being of the people above all else."

Applejack looked particularly offended by the implication that she didn't, but before she could voice her displeasure, Twilight brought up an issue of her own.

"But Princess... What's going to become of our Equestria? How will it keep functioning while you're taking care of things here? Assuming we do find Brainy Bright, of course."

"Keep in mind – all of you – that this is only a temporary solution."

"But then, what do you see as the permanent solution?" asked Rarity, "If you're only the interim ruler..."

Celestia smiled, and looked at her sister.

Luna came just shy of turning around and checking whether there was somepony standing behind her. Her face froze in a curious expression of breathless shock.

"Luna can do everything I can do," Celestia said, glancing over to Applejack, "but should prove to be much more agreeable to the populace. I think you would do well, Luna, if you decide to accept this role. After all, who would be better for ending the Eternal Day than you?"

There were only a few instances in her long, long life that Celestia could think of when she had ever been so profoundly unfair. She was offering her sister an impossible responsibility – an arduous, lifelong task in a sad distortion of their true home – and she did it with the knowledge that Luna would feel compelled to accept due to her sense of duty and caring. It was unfair – but it was also the best possible outcome Celestia could envision. Luna could make this Equestria beautiful again, and in doing so, she could finally escape Celestia's shadow.

Celestia knew she was right, but once again found herself wondering what had led her to making this call. Was she looking out for the ponies and other peoples of the otherworld, or was she simply taking the most logical steps? (Two Princesses, two worlds. It made sense.) Or was she perhaps acting out of a selfish desire to see her sister succeed? In their own Equestria, Luna would never escape the anguish of being second place, both in the hearts of the people and in the rulership of the realm. This was the chance she'd been looking for her entire life. Celestia was confident in the gesture she was making.

Of course, however right this course of action may have been was not going to make their farewell any easier...

Luna's face was scrunched up from fervent thinking. Celestia could guess the question that was on her mind. Was this vote of confidence a lie? Did Celestia only propose the idea out of guilt, to make up for their spat? These doubts were in themselves proof that Luna needed this. She needed a space of her own to come into her own.

When she finally opened her mouth, she managed to press out a single, pained syllable...

"I..."

...before Applejack interrupted her.

"What's the difference, really? Either way, we'll have some unknowable overlord controlling us. Ponies need to stand on their own four hooves!"

"Exactly!" added Rainbow Dash, "Well, sort of. We'll never achieve a classless social order with a monarch being more equal than everypony else."

"Now hold on just a moment," said Rarity, "We shouldn't reject the idea out of hoof. Surely there is some merit to the idea of an enlightened monarchy..."

"'Enlightened?'" repeated Applejack, "Are you messing with me, Rarity?"

"You know what she meant," murmured Fluttershy.

"As fruitful and interesting this debate promises to be," declared Celestia, "this is no time for it. We've yet to win the war, after all."

It was difficult, not being in charge. Celestia had plenty of experience being deferential from the times she'd spent among common ponies in various guises, but in a situation like this, her first instinct was to be the Princess. She tried to find a balance between being mindful of Applejack's authority and keeping control of the dialogue.

"Nor is it the time for second-guessing and belly-aching," she continued, "The invasion of the Griffon Kingdom is imminent. We need to act now. I have put forward my plan. You have asked your questions. Now let me ask you something – do you have any alternatives to propose?"

There was dead silence in the meeting room. Twilight Sparkle was holding her head, desperate to come up with something to put forward, but no new ideas came.

"Then... shall we proceed, Applejack?" asked Celestia.

The decision was difficult for Applejack, but she didn't hesitate in making it. Quick glances at the faces of her troops was all she needed.

"We'll go ahead with the griffon and dragon alliances," she said, "Everything after that? Well, we'll see about that."

Celestia smiled and nodded. "Very good." She turned back towards the rest of the group. "I also have some ideas about deployment. I would propose that Luna take Rainbow Dash and Rarity to pick up the water serpent and then onward into the dragon lands. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike should head back to the griffon border – I'll have to give you a crash course in long-range teleportation so you can get there fast enough, Twilight.

Twilight Sparkle frowned at the idea of her newly formed group of friends being split up, but refrained from saying anything. It was admittedly a rather counter-intuitive move after Celestia's speech about complementing each other, but they had little choice at this point.

Spike stood up in his stool to have a better chance of being heard. "Uh, couldn't I go to the dragon lands too, Princess? I wouldn't mind seeing the place at least once, you know."

"Ahem, yes," said Rarity, "I'd actually take issue with these placements as well. There doesn't seem to be much of a point in me going there, and I'm... not exactly cut out for field work."

"You'll be part of a diplomatic envoy, Lady Rarity," answered Celestia, "It'll be an excellent opportunity to make use of your particular talents. Don't forget dragons' love of precious gems either. Both your treasure-finding magic and personal fortune could prove to be valuable negotiating tools. As for you, Spike..." She stepped over to the table and reached forward to pat Spike on the head. "I'll need you right where I put you. The dragons can get into contact with us by their own dragonflame, but you'll have to mark the Griffon King so we can keep in communication with him through you. You'll be crucial for coordinating our attack."

The change in Spike was subtle but immediate. He pulled in his stomach and stood a little straighter, almost seeming to have a slight gleam in his eyes now. Making others feel appreciated was one of Celestia's favorite hobbies.

Luna was still too bewildered to question Celestia's suggestions, but her placement had been no accident either. When dealing with beings as old as the elders of dragonkind, somepony of Luna's age had much better odds of gaining their respect and regard than just anypony.

"And just what are you gonna be doing all this time?" asked Applejack.

"Oh, me?" Celestia pointed a hoof in her own face. "I don't think either the dragons or the griffons would react well to my being there. In fact, I may well seriously jeopardize the talks, so I'll keep myself busy elsewhere. There's still a lead I have to follow up on..."

"Is this still about that prophecy?" asked Twilight Sparkle, "I thought you said you didn't find anything at the library?"

"I didn't find a prophecy. I did, however, find a reference to a prophet – the same Oracle that predicted Nightmare Moon's release from the moon in our world. I want to visit the island where she's said to have lived and look for any remaining prophecies that might pertain to us."

Finding such a prophecy could turn out to be an important strategic asset, that much was undoubtedly true... but there was something else as well. Celestia needed to know what had caused her counterpart to fall, and the hidden knowledge of an ancient pony oracle might well have been her best bet. Aside from asking the pony in question herself, of course.

"Well, I guess that settles it," said Applejack, "Twi, you can take care of the Griffon King on your own. I won't be going along."

"Oh?" said Celestia.

"I'll be coming with you. Whatever you're up to, I'll be there to keep an eye on you. Got that?"

Celestia considered it, and acknowledged her decision with a bow of her head. "I think that's a wonderful idea. We have a lot to discuss."

"Whatever you say." Applejack sighed and spoke up. "All right, folks, we've got a lot to do so let's move it. We'll need supplies packed, for one, and somepony better find these folks some books or something about dragons and griffons..."

One by one, the ponies at the table stood apart and left, rushing off to follow Applejack's orders or to get everything in order before they left. Some of them were excited for the path they were on, and some of them weren't. Twilight picked up Spike and headed off, her head bent low. Luna was the only one who remained sitting.

Celestia stepped up to her sister. Even though Luna was almost a head taller, she still seemed so little as she looked at Celestia. Celestia leaned closer to tell her something.

"Just think about it. I know you'll make the right decision."



Next Chapter: Shades of Grey Clouds.