//------------------------------//
// Love 
// Story: The Creation of Harmony 
// by Time Ponies are cool 
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Chapter XXXV: Love
Here is a story nopony really remembers. It was forgotten because it was twisted and bent by five hundred years of anger, hatred and deceit. Nopony truly knows all of it as it originally was. The events were altered. The times and places were changed. The characters were different. Everypony modified it, because the truth failed to tell what ponies wanted it to tell. That is why truth is the first casualty of war.
In a place called Castle Equites, in the Kingdom of Ponytopia, there lived a beautiful unicorn, Princess Bella. She was the youngest daughter of King Dux I and Queen Bella, for whom she was named. She had two older siblings. There was the middle child, Prince Sapientus the Riser, who was the Head Sorcerer of Ponytopia and was always famous for being the earliest pony in the castle to rise in the morning; he was even earlier than his father, who held the responsibility for making the Sun rise. The eldest was Crown Princess Stella, heiress to the Throne of the Night. Unlike her other two siblings, who were unicorns, Stella was a magnificent alicorn like her mother and father. When the King and Queen announced that she was chosen to be the heiress in the year 597 B.E, she was transformed from a unicorn into an alicorn. A few years later, Stella chose a suitable spouse, a noble stallion, Lord Arcus, who was to be transformed into an alicorn and given the royal name, Dux II, when it came time for Stella to ascend to the throne. The royal family ruled gently and benevolently. The ponies of their kingdom were happy and lived in near perfect harmony. 
In a place called Mount Inferno, in the Kingdom of Drakonia, there lived a charming young dragon, General Rhyddid of the Drakonian land army, the section of the military composed of wingless dragons. He was younger brother of King Cyfiawnder, who was chosen to be their father's successor when he proved to be the most suitable dragon for protecting a mysterious and very special egg. He ascended to the throne in the year 712 B.E, along with his wife, a noble dragoness and senator, Shooting Star. They hatched their first child in the year 749, Princess Diemwnt.  Rhyddid and Cyfiawnder also had a sister, eldest among the three, Grand Duchess Ffyniant, who was the wealthiest dragon in the entire kingdom, having established lucrative trade relations with the camels of the Great Northern Desert. They were the children of King Obsidian, who was elected by the Drakonian Senate into the throne after the fall of the previous dynasty. The royal family ruled justly and fairly. The dragons of their kingdom lived in lawful safety and achieved a degree of social equality.
In a place called Rhinopolis, in the Kingdom of Hoofrica, there lived a virtuous rhinoceros, Crown Prince Winter Wind. He was the elder son and heir of Empress Summer Joy and Emperor Longhorn, the second generation of monarchs of the Mshindi dynasty, which rose in 620 B.E, after the assassination of Emperor Mwindaji III, a direct descendant of Emperor Nguvu I, son of the Great Sage Moto. Winter Wind was renowned for his prowess as a warrior. He had won many matches in the arena without ever using any magic. But, most of all, he was admired for his sense of honor and righteousness. He had a younger brother who was almost a complete opposite, Prince Redhorn. Redhorn was greatly skilled in magic and focused more on his studies and spirituality than any physical pursuits. He was also extremely clever and crafty, and at times he used his wit to cause mischief. At a relatively early age, Redhorn married Wimbo Ndege, daughter of the Hoofrican Chief of Justice, while Winter Wind remained unmarried and unsettled. The royal family ruled wisely and efficiently. The rhinos, zebras, gazelle and warthogs of their kingdom prospered like no other society and their prosperity only grew greater.
The three kingdoms coexisted with each other in peace and amity. They had lived harmoniously since the end of the Drakonian Desolation five-hundred years ago. With such a near perfect state, virtually no pony, dragon or Hoofrican in the three kingdoms believed that the peace would end. They believed the worst was far behind them and only sunny fields and moonlit forests laid ahead.
~~~~~
On the Fall Equinox in the year 543 B.E, Princess Bella stood on the shore of Purpura Lake, not far from the delta of the River Serpente. Her family often took visits in the springtime to their lakeside villa by Purpura Lake when the snails living in the lake were breeding. During breeding season, the snails released a purple secretion into the water and made the lake appear to be of the color purple. Fisherponies collected the secretion to make purple dye, a valuable commodity used only by the rich nobles and royalty.
The princess was a tall beautiful young unicorn with a violet coat and short, elegantly curled black mane. Her eyes were cobalt blue and her horn glowed magenta. Her cutie mark was a pink rose. Her talent with the care and arrangement of flowers was the envy of every florist in Ponytopia. She herself was responsible for making the Royal Gardens of Castle Equites as glorious as they were. 
Bella visited the lake on the equinox because on this day the water of the lake was completely still during the twilight hours. She waited for her father to bring the Sun below the Western horizon and once it did, all the little waves and ripples on the lake stopped and disappeared. The lake became like a mirror reflecting the spectrum of pink to dark violet that was the sky. Now was Bella's chance. She wanted to perform a spell that her brother, Sapientus the Riser, taught her, a spell that allowed her to walk on water when, and only when, the water was absolutely still. She looked to the bushes and trees behind her to see if any of her personal guards had realized that she wandered off and had come to fetch her. So far there was no sign of them.
Bella walked to the edge of the lake, her forehooves only an inch away from  still water. She closed her eyes, focused her mind and cast the spell. "Aqua, aqua. Simil estis terra."
She took a step forward and felt a strange sensation under her hoof. The lake surface was solid, yet it was not ice; it still felt like liquid water. She stepped lightly and went further into the lake. Amazingly, her steps did not even cause the slightest ripple on the glass-like surface. She walked towards the center of the lake and simply enjoyed the wonder of the spell and the beauty of everything around her, completely losing all sense of the passing time in the midst of her enjoyment. This was a mistake. By the time she walked past the center of the lake, twilight had ended and the night began.
The disturbances in the water returned. The wind blew across the surface and the waves once again ungulated all around the princess. On Bella's next step, her hoof created ripples. And on the step after that, her hoof penetrated the surface of the water.
Princess Bella was petrified. She did not know how to swim nor did she know any spells to help her underwater. A second later, she fell into the water and sank. She flailed her legs in the water and tried to keep her head above the surface, but slowly and surely she went further and further down.  She called out for help as loud as she could, but amidst her panic, she could not tell if anypony would come for her. She held her head up and pointed to the sky so as to keep breathing and keep calling out for as long as possible. Soon enough, her snout was engulfed by water and the lake flooded through her struggling nostrils and mouth. She then fell unconscious.
Bella opened her eyes and saw green light all around her. When she woke fully, she found that she was lying on a pyre lit by green fire. The fire, rather than being scorching hot, felt soothingly warm and her body was in perfectly good condition, as if she had never had an ordeal to begin with.
Standing by the pyre were her personal guard, a pair of pegasi and a pair of unicorns. With them was a yellow-scaled dragon. His long and smoothly curved spines were red and his tail ended in a club shaped like a hammer. He had magnificent wings with a white pattern like the veins of a leaf. Unlike almost all other dragons, he had no horns. He was not particularly large, being only three times Bella's size. As the princess stepped down from the pyre, the dragon looked at her intently with his green eyes. He introduced himself as General Rhyddid, brother of the Dragon King, Cyfiawnder, and he was the one who rescued her from the lake.
Bella thanked Rhyddid with all sincerity for saving her life and invited him to dinner with her family in the Royal Gardens at Castle Equites. Rhyddid graciously accepted and dined with her. He dined with her once more a week later, and a week after that, he invited her to dine in one of his family's palaces in the Glas Mountains. The unicorn and the dragon got along famously and enjoyed each other's company more than anything. Before long, the two went on strolls together through the countryside in both their kingdoms. 
On the night of the Winter solstice, Rhyddid let Bella ride on him as he flew her up above the clouds. They spent hours high up, admiring Queen Bella's longest masterpiece of the year, with the stars glittering and the crescent Moon shining in all its glory. That night, the princess wrapped her forelegs around the general's long neck, rubbed her cheek against his neck and kissed the crown of his head.
~~~~~
Shortly after the New Year of 542 B.E, Crown Prince Winter Wind went on his first proper task as a political figure. Empress Summer Joy sent him on a visit to Castle Equites in order to have a diplomatic discussion with King Dux and Queen Bella. Bandits in the Southern areas of the Uruhu Forest had been attacking cargo ships that went up and down the Aestas River carrying valuable goods between the old wealthy trading city of Makka and Equites. The monarchs of both kingdoms hoped to devise a way to effectively handle the bandits while causing as little disruption to the local towns and villages as possible.
Winter Wind arrived in the capital of Ponytopia early in the afternoon. He received a warm reception from the citizens of Equites as he passed through the city and was graciously welcomed into the castle. Upon entering through the castle doors, smiling servants came to put away his coat, polish his hooves and lead him to the sitting room where the King and Queen awaited him. 
The prince was a tall muscular two-horned rhino. His tough leather was of the color beige and his horns were white and extremely hard, as if it was made of diamond. His large eyes were a dark orange. His cutie mark was a fiery feather. Despite his great strength and bulk, Winter Wind's greatest skill was his gallop speed, which was as impressive as a gazelle's.
He walked through opulently carved doors and entered the magnificent sitting room. King Dux and Queen Bella each laid down on a sofa with royal poise. The first thing Winter Wind did upon entering the sitting room was to bow down before the monarchs and greet them with all the grace and manners taught to him by his mother, father and mentor. Only afterwards did he take a seat. It only took two hours before the three came to the decision of sending a small group of elite pegasi and zebras into the forest to eliminate the bandits.
After the talks, King Dux insisted that Winter Wind join the family for afternoon tea. The Prince politely accepted. The three went into another room and sat to wait for the rest of the royal family. First to arrive was Prince Sapientus the Riser, followed Crown Princess Stella. They waited a few more minutes for the last of the children.
Winter Wind's eyes widened when Princess Bella entered the room wearing her elegant jewelry and afternoon dress and took her seat on a pillow next to the Rhino Prince. Winter Wind and Princess Bella spoke and got to know each other throughout tea. The two got along more than well. She was the last he said farewell to with a kiss to the hoof as he left the castle.
Prince Winter Wind and Princess Bella spent plenty of quality time together. Winter frequently invited Bella to visit Rhinopolis or Gazellandria or Makka or the jungle city of Chini-Mwavuli whenever he competed in a fighting tournament. She watched almost all of his tournaments over the next two months and each time she came admire and think fondly of him more and more.
After one such tournament in Makka, Winter escorted Bella to her ship on Lake Riziki and bid her farewell as she began her journey back home via the River Aestas. As he went out the city gates with his personal guard, he noticed a magical magenta flare arcing through the sky in the East. He knew then that the flare was cast by the Princess and that she was in danger. Without hesitation, he galloped off as fast as he could in the direction of the flare, leaving his slower guards behind in his dust. 
He arrived at the riverbank to find Bella's ship ablaze and a group of bandits carrying Bella, tied up in magic-resistant chains of yorite, into the Uruhu Forest. With all his strength and speed, Winter Wind galloped and jumped onto the burning ship, and then jumped off the ship to land on the other side of the river. 
He saw that the bandits were remnants of those that he helped King Dux devise a way to deal with, and he personally led the team sent to destroy them. There must have been far more bandits than even Bella could handle with the power of her magic, as the river bank of littered with zebras and warthogs frozen in ice as well as slain bandits  and bodyguards, and still she was captured.
Winter Wind charged at the bandits as they fled into the desert with all his might and quickly caught up. With a loud battle cry, he sent three of them flying with the force of his strike. The other five bandits dropped Bella and attacked Winter. He bucked and punched and swung his head about, beating the bandits into submission. He tied them up in vines to ensure they could not escape. Afterwards, he went to Bella. He put his longer horn through one of the links of her chains and, with one pull upwards, broke them to free the Princess. 
Bella stood, almost in tears after the trauma of the incident, and embraced her rescuer. Winter, caught up in the emotional moment, drew his face towards Bella's as she left the embrace and his lips met hers. It was at that moment that he realized that he was shorter than the Princess. He then realized what he was doing and quickly drew away. He turned his blushing face away from hers, completely embarrassed at his rashness, and apologized.
Bella, instead of being offended, touched Winter's chin with her hoof and turned his face towards hers. Then, she returned the kiss.
~~~~~
Princess Bella was torn. She loved General Rhyddid and  she loved Prince Winter Wind equally. She could not decide on who to choose, nor could she bear to think of the pain behind ending her relationship with either of them. She spent many nights lying restlessly in her chambers, struggling to come to a decision as to how to handle her situation. Bella sought guidance from her brother, Sapientus. He advised that she end her romances with both Rhyddid and Winter Wind, for her sake and for theirs, and return to having purely diplomatic relationships with them, but she refused to take such a course of action. Finally, she chose not to choose. She kept her affairs with Rhyddid and Winter Wind secret. She knew not how or if she would succeed at all, but she could not go with any of her other options.
With Sapientus' help, Bella put herself under the guise of an unofficial diplomat to Drakonia and Hoofrica, so that she may be able to visit her lovers without being questioned. She set aside one day of the week to visit Rhyddid and one day for an actual diplomatic visit to Drakonia. She did the same for Winter Wind and diplomacy with Hoofrica. At the ends of her intimate visits, she would cast an amnesia spell on her guards and her lovers' guards to ensure they knew nothing of her affairs. She knew that her two lovers were not very competent in foreign languages, so on the days she had to herself, she wrote letters to Rhyddid in Drakish and letters to Winter in Zwahiri so as to reduce the risk that one could intercept and read her letters for the other. Whenever Winter Wind and Rhyddid happened to visit Castle Equites at the same time, Bella retreated to her chambers and had Sapientus cast a spell to make her terribly ill so that neither of her lovers could see her. Sapientus would then frantically go about the Castle to ensure that Rhyddid and Winter Wind never crossed paths. For a while, Princess Bella's scheme worked perfectly. 
A week before the Summer Solstice of the year 542 B.E, General Rhyddid led a dragon patrol along the border of the Great Northern Desert to protect the camel caravans of the Sugar Road, a vital source of Drakonia's wealth. At the same time, Crown Prince Winter Wind was assigned to lead a patrol along the Hoofrican border of the Great Northern Desert to protect the caravans that fed Hoofrica's wealth. Rhyddid led his patrol West, while Winter led his patrol East. In the meantime, Princess Bella tended to the Royal Gardens in Castle Equites, oblivious to the coming disaster. 
A day into the patrol, Rhyddid marched with his soldiers past the Western reaches of the Gwyrdd Mountains, and Winter Wind marched with his soldiers past the Eastern reaches of the Nyekundu Mountains. Both patrols continued their march until they saw each other where the border between Hoofrica and Drakonia met the edge of the Great Northern Desert. After announcing their non-hostility towards each other by releasing pairs of doves with their respective flags attached to the doves' feet, Rhyddid and Winter allowed their patrols to meet together and intermingle. The two leaders shook hoof and claw, and spoke to each other in the one language they shared with fluency: Equinese. The dragon was first to offer his hospitality, so they met together in the dragon's tent to dine and drink cider. Rhyddid and Winter found that they both shared the same goal and were happy to work with each other. They shared what information they had regarding the safety of the camel caravans. Upon finding that any possible threats are insignificant if not non-existent, they proceeded on to casual talk as their patrols camped for the night. It was a merry evening with calming Drakonian music, good food, better cider and talk of work, home, friends and lovers. 
~~~~~
Prince Sapientus the Riser barged into his younger sister Bella's chambers and shook her awake. He bore troubling news for her: General Rhyddid and Crown Prince Winter Wind demanded her audience in the courtyard. Princess Bella suddenly felt the weight of a mountain pull down on her chest. The day she had feared the most had come. She quickly got out of bed, but struggled to stand. Sapientus helped her stay upright and led her through the halls and out into the courtyard to meet the furious faces of her two beloveds.
The night was coming to an end and dawn was approaching to bring light into the sky. Rhyddid and Winter had flown from their camp to the castle. They stood by the fountain at the center of the torch-lit courtyard. The Rhino Prince was the first to demand answers. He demanded to know whether it was true that Bella and Rhyddid were lovers. After hearing Bella's answer, he asked if she even loved him at all. The question pained Bella greatly and she simply broke down, completely unable to answer. Then Rhyddid also bombarded her with his questions, also doubting if she ever truly loved him.
The Princess could not take the pressure of both questioning her, so she cried out in despair and cast an invisibility spell on herself, so she could hide. This bewildered Rhyddid and Winter Wind and they both realized that they were being much too harsh on the unicorn they loved. With Sapientus' help, they found Bella and undid her invisibility spell. They spoke calmly to her and apologized. Hearing the soothing voices of her two beloveds, Bella finally came to find the strength to tell them the whole truth. 
The truth was not something Rhyddid and Winter were pleased to hear. It put them in a dilemma. They could not possibly go on with Bella having two lovers. It would be a source of scandal and ruin for her. And yet, neither were willing to back down and leave Bella so that she may have only one of them. So they came to a fateful decision. The conflict could only be settled in a duel, and for the settlement to be total - for Bella to truly be left with only one lover - it had to be a duel to the death.
The match was set to be at noon on the Summer Solstice. Rhyddid and Winter Wind spent much time squabbling over the location, but they came to the only choice that satisfied both, despite how impious it was. They were to fight where the borders of the three kingdoms all meet: the Field of Pink Roses. 
~~~~~
General Rhyddid and Crown Prince Winter Wind stood facing each other on the Field of Pink Roses. Behind Rhyddid, on the Drakonian side of the Field, was his brother, King Cyfiawnder, the extended Royal Family and a hundred dragon senators and nobles. Behind Winter, on the Hoofrican side of the Field, was his family, close friends and hundreds of the wealthiest Hoofricans and high ranking government officials. They had all gathered to watch the Dragon General and the Rhino Prince duel to the death for reasons the contestants refused to disclose. As a neutral party, King Dux was there with his Guard to announce when the Sun was at its noon position and to supervise the match. It pained the Pony King to be there, as it felt like he was watching the undoing of a treaty his ancestor King Solus II supervised. Princess Bella stayed in Castle Equites, unable to bear the sight of her two lovers fighting each other. She kept herself in her chambers and completely sealed the room off from the rest of the world with a spell only her siblings and parents were powerful enough to break.
The wait was agonizing for everyone gathered. In hopes that Rhyddid and Winter Wind may call off their duel, Dux delayed noon as much as he could without disrupting the cycle of the day, giving them only a few minutes. Finally, it was time. The Sun was at its highest point in the sky on the longest day of the year. At Dux's command, the two duelists bowed to each other and awaiting the signal to fight. Dux released the signal from his horn: a golden firework that burst high in the sky.
Rhyddid let out a stream of white fire that turned everything before it into ashes. Winter Wind quickly dodged to the side and charged forward. He was stopped when the dragon grasped his longer horn with his claws. The two pushed against each other with all their might, causing burrows in the ground where they struggled to stay standing. Rhyddid then let go and swiftly swung his body around to strike Winter's side with his hammer-head tail. Winter fell on his side and Rhyddid held him down with his claw. The dragon readied to burn him in white fire, but he lifted himself up and pushed the dragon off of him. Winter swung his head to strike with his horn, but Rhyddid grabbed his snout sideways in his fang-filled jaws. The rhino's horn just barely missed stabbing through the dragon's head. Winter quickly pulled himself away from Rhyddid's jaws and rose up on his rear legs to punch Rhyddid across the face. He then turned and bucked his lower jaw. Rhyddid swung his claw and scratched Winter face, almost taking his left eye out. He then jumped back and quickly readied a burst of white fire. Winter charged forward, hoping to strike before his opponent can use his fire. Winter came closer and closer and Rhyddid's fire was ready. The dragon let out a burst of searing hot white fire and the rhino swing his head up, horn aimed at the dragon's chest.
The Dragon General stood still on the Field of Pink Roses with the tip of a horn sticking out from his back. The Rhino Prince stood in front of him, his tail hair alight with white fire. Winter Wind stepped back and pulled his horn out of Rhyddid's chest. Rhyddid fell forward, his soul now belonging to King Thiessen. Winter gave Rhyddid the one last courtesy of closing his eyelids. He turned and walked towards his family. Empress Summer Joy and Emperor Longhorn galloped over and nuzzled him in relief.
King Cyfiawnder and Grand Duchess Ffyniant ran over to the slain Rhyddid and mourned. Cyfiawnder was the first to break into tears. His younger brother was the only one he loved nearly as much as his wife and daughter. He blew green fire over the puncture wound on Rhyddid's back and sealed with flesh, skin and scales. The Dragon King held his brother close and his tears dripped onto his brother's back, creating patches of ice. But, after a while, the tears began burning through Rhyddid's scales; Cyfiawnder's tears of grief turned into tears of anger.
King Cyfiawnder stood and turned towards his brother's killer. Smoke billowed out of his nostrils as his rage fueled white fire. He opened his mouth and let out a huge stream of white fire. Empress Summer Joy and Emperor Longhorn quickly reacted by forming a magic shield to protect themselves and their son from the fire. The attempt on their lives was an act of war. There was no need to exchange words. Both sides knew what had now come. Drakonia had declared war on Hoofrica. The monarchs walked away from each other. The dragons took Rhyddid's body and flew home to prepare for the funeral. The Hoofricans returned to their homes to prepare for the coming storm.
King Dux was left standing alone there with his Guard, still trying to cope with the reality of what had happened. He looked forward and saw the Field of Pink Roses flattened, bloodied, singed and burning. He quietly cast a spell to restore the Field to its pristine state but he sensed that it would take something as momentous as an apocalypse to wash away the blood spilled there.
~~~~~
The first battle took place by the Hoofrican town of Udugu. Crown Prince Winter Wind and Prince Redhorn were in the Hoofrican army under General Jiwe Ukuta. The Drakonian army was led personally by King Cyfiawnder. Both armies were massive but virtually all the soldiers were inexperienced in a true battle, as this was the first war anypony had seen in centuries.
The clash of the two armies was earth-shaking and the casualties were beyond counting. The sky was darkened with smoke and ash, and the once green fields of tall grass turned into barren fields of bare soot-covered dirt. The Battle of Udugu lasted through five days of carnage. On the fourth day, Winter Wind and Redhorn were separated from their regiment and took shelter in a half-burnt barn. They had spent hours traversing the battlefield staying out of sight from the dragons. The barn was a relieving stroke of good fortune.
Winter Wind bore many burn scars, his left eye was gone, his tail was bitten off and the his longer horn was cracked. Redhorn was in a much better state, thanks to his brother's protection and his skills with magic. He was badly bruised and had claw marks across his back. Winter collapsed from exhaustion and laid on his back. He regretted ever challenging Rhyddid. He had seen far more death and faced far more suffering than Bella's undivided love was worth, but what's done was done, and now all he had to worry about was surviving so that he may see his beloved's face again. Redhorn sat down beside his brother and took a sip of what little water they had left. He worried that soon he may need to resort to drinking the blood of the slain to survive.
The battle raged on in the distance as they rested, but they were not free from its influence. The battle's reach went farther than where the violence occurs. From above, and very close by, came the agonized cry of a dying dragon. Winter Wind wanted to check what it was but he lacked the energy to stand. Suddenly, a dragon grazed the roof of the barn, its limp tail smashing against the wooden beams several times. The near-crash compromised what little stability the structure had. The barn collapsed down on the two Rhino Princes. Redhorn was able to teleport himself out of danger, but Winter was caught under the scorched beams. His body was buried under the debris, but he managed to get his head out into open air. 
Winter called out to Redhorn and asked for his help. Redhorn answered his brother's call, but he hesitate to aid him. He stood there, looking at his suffering brother, and saw an opportunity. A wicked smile crept into Redhorn's face and Winter saw it with dread.
Redhorn cast the spell, "Mwanga moto," setting the collapsed barn on fire. He then turned and walked away as his older brother burned to death.
The Battle of Udugu ended in a bloody stalemate and Redhorn survived through the five days. He returned home, pretending to know nothing of Winter Wind's fate. When the report came in that the Crown Prince was found dead, the Empress was infuriated and her determination to fight the war was solidified. Redhorn was then declared the new heir to the throne of Hoofrica.
~~~~~
Princess Bella sat by the window in her chambers. She had not left the room since the day Rhyddid was slain and since then she had worn the same black mourning dress. She received a letter a week ago that Winter Wind was going into battle with the Hoofrican army. The only reason she had to wake now was for news of his safety and the hope that she would someday see his face again, for it was only face left that she loved more than anything.
Everyday, her servants brought in her meals and she awaited for the day her meal came with an envelope bearing the seal of the Hoofrican royal family. That day was a dark day. 
The letter she waited for came in a cotton paper envelope and the message was written on the finest parchment. In the middle of reading the content, Bella dropped the letter. Her tears dripped on the parchment for a few seconds as Bella simply stared off. Her wailing was heard all throughout Castle Equites and everypony cringed at the saddening sound.
The Princess sealed herself into her room once again, this time with a spell stronger than before, as it was being fueled by her despair. It would have taken the combined power of the King and Queen to break the spell, but Dux and Bella chose to leave their daughter be so that she may mourn in peace. The Princess' weeping could be heard through the entire day and the entire night.  The following morning was silent.
Prince Sapientus the Riser knocked on his younger sister's door and asked to see her, but there was no response. Then he realized that the room was no longer sealed. He slowly opened the doors and looked inside. He found Princess Bella lying on her bed, limp and pale. Startled by the sight, he galloped over to her bed. He scanned her with his magic and found no life left in her. Beside Bella's body was a book, a book of dark magic. It was opened to a page containing a spell to stop the heart. Sapientus wept bitterly. Then he took the book of dark magic, cursed it such that the next living being to use it would be eternally imprisoned and locked it away deep in the vaults in the heart of the Sunrise Mountains.
Princess Bella's death was reported to King Dux and Queen Bella. The King met it with deep despair. The death of his youngest daughter was the breaking point after he watched the once peaceful world descend into war and chaos. Dux retreated into isolation as he coped with his great sadness. For days, he would not appear in public and at times, he even forgot to move the Sun, allowing it to stay still for a few hours at a time. The Queen met the news of her daughter's death with sadness at first, but it was quickly replaced by anger. She took on her husband's responsibilities as he fell into a pit of despair and her first course of action was to place the blame for the Princess' death on somepony. The blame was placed on Drakonia and Hoofrica. Driven by her fury, Queen Bella declared war on both kingdoms in a quest to avenge her daughter. 
Thus began the Five-Hundred Year War.
This fate could have been avoided if they all had a sassy gay friend.