Outside the throne room, the world was in an uproar. In the hallway, Applejack's voice soon joined that of Thunder Chaser, both shouting orders to the crowd of ponies using an improvised battering ram to try and break open the door. Even Pinkie Pie's party cannon was somehow being employed for the effort. Through the stained glass windows could be seen an airship filled with mage-type ponies, including Shining Armor, Cadence, and Rarity, all of whom were firing at the windows with horn blasts. Fluttershy and several pegasus ponies carried additional unicorn ponies who also trying to break through the windows with horn blasts. Rainbow Dash tried a more direct approach, slamming her body at full speed to try and shatter the glass. All of them trying to save the ponies they cared about, and kill the intruder.
Celestia appreciated all of their efforts. It made her happy to know that everyone was trying so hard to save her, but she also knew that it was futile. She knew how powerful the protection spells were that strengthened the door and windows, as she had cast them herself, and she knew that it would all be over before anyone could do any damage.
Inside, it was very quiet. Luna and Blade stood close to her, ready to block any attack that Darklight made. Celestia knew them well enough to understand what was going on from their stances alone. Blade could easily have cut the intruder down, but he instead held a loose position that was more of a deterrent than an open challenge. Luna was in a similar position. The message was clear, this fight was really between Twilight and Darklight, and it was important that they not interfere.
Derpy was now flying outside the window as well, though she was doing nothing to try and break in. She only held her camera and looked on anxiously.
Twilight stood in a low fighting stance, ahead of both Luna and Blade, and directly in Darklight's path. Celestia also knew that although she was serious about stopping his advance, she had good reasons for not wanting to harm him.
Celestia turned her attention to Darklight. She did have the power to read minds, although she rarely used this power. Even though it would give her an advantage against dangerous characters such as Queen Chrysalis, the privacy of her subjects was more important to her. Unlike Chrysalis, Darklight made no effort to conceal his true feelings. The Erebus disguise never for a moment fooled her, and she knew Darklight was a good pony, though it was not apparent yet who he actually was. Celestia could sense the conflicts in his own mind: the desire to do the right thing and the confusion as to what that even was; the drive to complete his mission and the uncertainty of whether or not it was really based on lies; the love he felt for Twilight and the sad knowledge that he had lost her forever. Despite the peril to her own life, all she could feel for this lonely, young pony before her was compassion, and deep down she was beginning to suspect that she had seen him before.
"Step aside Twilight," said Darklight.
That voice! thought Celestia, He sounds just like Ignitus! Could it be...
"You know I can't do that, Darklight," replied Twilight.
"I don't want to fight you! You're not my enemy!"
"You are not my enemy either, but I am going to protect my princess."
He cast a levitation spell at her, which she easily blocked. Then he combined levitation spell with a kinetic spell. She blocked both and fired back with a horn blast that he swiped out of the air.
"Why are you defending her, Twilight!" he yelled. "Do you have any idea what she has done?!"
Her response was calm and collected. "She is innocent, Darklight."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" he roared. "I saw everything! I've never seen anything so horrible in my life!"
"I know what you saw, Darklight, Prometheus showed us when we found him in the cave. We saw the starved foals, the mare who was executed for stealing bread, the slave work projects, the public executions, everything! I know how it made you feel, and you have every right to feel the way you do, but it was all a lie! Prometheus has been manipulating your memories to make you believe that Princess Celestia is a Demon Queen that is oppressing her own kingdom."
Her voice was growing softer, compassionate, pleading. "But you already know that what you thought you saw wasn't true. I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you after you saved me the second time from the Golem. The truth was you almost died, and I only brought you back by casting a life spell. That dream you had, where you saw all of those ponies that you never met before, that was one of my own memories! That was the real Ponyville! It is how Equestria really is! It’s not a perfect place, we have our problems too, but under Princess Celestia’s rule we are free to be who we want to be, and we are happy."
Darklight cast several levitation and kinetic spells at once. Twilight blocked them and opened fire with a storm of pulsed horn blasts. She thought he would block them, he was more than quick enough with his shield block, but he didn’t. The shots struck his body all at once, the force of which tossed him into a backflip, and he landed hard on the stone floor.
Several ponies watching outside the window began to cheer, which infuriated Twilight. Derpy felt the same way and screamed at all of them: “Stop cheering! STOP CHEERING!”
As Darklight struggled to his feet, Twilight realized what was going on. He no longer cared what happened to him. He no longer had anything to live for, and never expected to survive at all. She was hurting him, just like she hurt her friends and her brother. Why did it have to be this way? Please, Darklight, she wanted to say, Just a little longer. You’ll understand, and everything will be alright.
“Please stop this, Darklight. I want to show you to see with your own eyes the Equestria I know.”
He glanced at the ponies outside the window who were all after his life. “There is no place here for a monster like me, Twilight, and you know that.”
“You DO have a place here!” she cried. “With me! I love you too, Darklight!”
He stopped fighting, and stared at her.
“And you’re not a monster. Prometheus disguised you so you wouldn’t find out the truth. Raven’s Wind knew all along who you were, but she couldn’t tell you because you would have found out her connection to Princess Celestia, and she needed you to trust her, and to trust me. I’m sorry, I was afraid to tell you, but I took off your amulet while you were sleeping. I know who you really are!
“I saw a piece of your childhood during the life spell as well. You used to wonder if your fire magic held a secret to your past, and you were right! You can cast fire spells because you are the son of the Fire Duke Ignitus!”
Celestia’s eyes began to widen.
“Do you remember the dream you had, where you thought you came close to remembering your mother? If you could remember, you would see that your mother is right here! Your mother is Princess Celestia!”
Darklight froze in astonishment, and Twilight had the opening she was waiting for. She aimed her horn and fired a beam attack straight at his heart.