And Although I Must Pay
The sound of her laughing penetrated deep into Celestia's mind. Repressed memories of this pony crying and wheezing and sobbing all boiled to the surface. She knew she was broken on that day when she had tried to help this lost pony, but the situation was simply out of her control. There was nothing she could've done for her. It was painfully clear now just how she could have possibly infiltrated the barrier, yet Celestia was completely oblivious to the signs before.
The princess came to a shocking conclusion on the day that she met her, one that had finally caught up to her. She, one of her own former pupils, was one of the most powerful unicorns that had ever lived, or ever would live.
"L-lady..." Celestia whispered to herself.
The laughing died instantly at the sound of her name. The demented shell of Twilight Sparkle awkwardly staggered out of her blast crater, her one blood red eye locked fiercely on the princess. With her facade slowly dying away, a hidden power she had been keeping locked away began to mix with that which she had stolen from Twilight. In her anger and heightened state of awareness, she could clearly hear Celestia's mumbling. Her eye twitched sporadically, attempting to hold back a hurricane of suppressed emotions.
"Do not speak my name!" she hissed; her voice started to crackle under pressure.
"Why, Lady?!" Celestia yelled in breathy disbelief.
"DON'T CALLL MEEE THAAAAT!!!!!" she screamed.
Her horn realigned itself with her target.
Luna had but a second to react, for she knew her sister was in peril the moment she spoke the unicorn's name. The unicorn before them instantaneously unleashed everything she could muster, forcing the princess of the night to defend against it with equal speed. If her sister fell, then Equestria would surely follow.
"NOOO!!" Luna cried.
She phased instantly through the shadows and reformed directly in front of Celestia, taking the full force of their enemy's heavy beam into her side. The blast was hot and overpowering, but Luna did not have time to protect herself.
She screamed briefly as she was maliciously thrown onto her side and collided heavily with the grassy field. It was only thanks to her heightened power as a princess that she was not immediately consumed by the potent spell, yet her side was deeply scarred as a consequence.
"Luna!!" Celestia yelped in despair.
The princess swiftly came to her sister's side. Her attention quickly turned away from her enemy, focusing intently on Luna's injury. Rarity backed away in fear as the impostor began to approach again; the same demented look of satisfaction graced her lips. This was turning into a nightmare.
"Princess Celestia," Rarity said hurriedly, "She's coming back!"
Luna lazily cocked her head to the side to peer up at her sister, who could only grieve for her in distress. Celestia leaned her head down towards her sibling's ear and it was clear that her injury did not keep her from thinking straight.
"I-I'm so sorry, Luna, " she whispered.
"Heh," her sister chuckled once, "I'll be fine, Tia... 'tis but a scratch. If I could just have a moment, then I should be able to recover. Just try to stop her... please."
Celestia glanced back at the advancing unicorn and hesitated. "I'll try. Just don't move from this spot, Luna," she turned to Rarity next, "Rarity, please go back inside the castle and alert the guards to be prepared."
"B-but... Princess?!" the unicorn stammered.
"Please, Rarity!" Celestia pleaded once again, "You must tell them--"
"RAHHH!!" she was interrupted by the impostor's loud groaning.
The screaming mare was suddenly afflicted by a terrible pain coursing through her temples, sending her haphazardly onto one front knee. She concealed the portion of her exposed face with her free hoof in an attempt to hide her shell breaking away. Piece by piece, brittle shards of her spell cracked and dissipated. Luna's blast had done more damage than she initially realized, and she was afraid her own power would come to light for what it truly was. She had to keep the guise of Twilight Sparkle for as long as she could.
"Damn..." she muttered, "...The queen's spell... isn't holding anymore."
She chanced a peek at Celestia, removing her hoof and exposing her red eye again. Her hatred kept building and intensifying.
"You will lose, Celestia!! I was always the best!! Always! But you never saw it!!"
She stood once more after a great amount of strain and started to lumber towards them again. Her voice began to change and become more mature as more of her face broke away and revealed itself.
"And then I came back to you!! After all my years of service and my accident, you just ignored me!!! I came to you in my time of need and you cast me aside because you deemed my situation unworthy of your precious, valuable time!!! Do you remember what you told me, Princess?!!" her voice crackled like heavy breaks of lightning.
Rarity had heard enough. The sight of the two-faced mare sent painful, icy shivers down her spine. She decided, finally, to obey Celestia and warn the others, making her break for the castle. The malicious mare simply eyed her, knowing she would be the next target, yet she remained determined on finishing Celestia first.
"This is between you and me, Lady!" the princess called, "No pony else has to be involved!"
"Shut up!" she coughed at her, "I much preferred the name I received from my position! Ponies respected me then!"
Celestia held her horn at the ready should she try anything hasty. She quite honestly wanted to blast her into oblivion for hurting her sister, but her benevolence would not allow it. She would try to quell the raging monster within her former pupil first.
Just as Luna herself had said... no pony was beyond saving.
"It doesn't have to be this way, Lady!!" shouted Celestia.
"It doesn't?!" she hissed, "No, Princess! Let me tell you something! Why don't you try living in a world where your destiny is denied to you again and again, always taken away and given to somepony who is more fortunate than yourself! You knew I would become too powerful, and that is why you denied me my destiny and gave it to your precious favorites!"
Her voice began to tremble the longer she went on, as more pieces of her shell faded away. "And you know something else, Celestia? I... almost believed you... when you said I wasn't meant for it. When you said that I was meant to help others, I was so disappointed at first, and then... I learned to love it."
"L-lady..." the princess mumbled in grief.
The lavender shroud around her entire body began to fall away. More shards broke off into the empty night air, revealing her cream-colored fur that she had tried so desperately to mask. It started at her ears and slowly trailed off down the back of her head and neck, revealing more of her short, yet elegant scarlet mane. However, she no longer cared.
"But then... I got cocky," she muttered with spite, "I tried so hard to impress you, for nothing. You saw my power, you saw my diligence, and yet nothing ever got through to you, Celestia. I was getting older and you threw me out like trash when you had new students arrive. They always captured your attention more so than I, for you were so easily captivated by simple things."
"That's not true! You know I loved having you by my side!" Celestia pleaded.
The unicorn clenched her teeth in frustration as her own power consumed her mind and body. The last bit of of her illusory binding broke away sporadically in large chunks, blown clear back by her erupting storm of magic. A thick, red aura seeped out of her eyes as both irises were now completely engulfed in her natural, bloody color. The lavender coating around her horn was torn clean off and cracked down the length of her face, before everything was smashed away like an eggshell crushed under a heavy stone.
It frightened Celestia, yet she couldn't help but feel pity for her, for the right hemisphere of her face was wrapped tightly with rough, white bandages. Her mane, now unhindered by the shell of Twilight Sparkle, reached for the sky above as her dense magical power lifted the very hairs off her body. Even her tail seemed to be floating in some non-existent breeze.
The princess knew it well now.
Her former student's power far exceeded her wildest imagination.
"Liar!!" she yelled through her gritted teeth, "After the accident, you stopped talking to me, just like all the others!! I was laughed out of pony society!! They pointed at me in disgust!! Have you ever felt such hatred from your own race?! How could you ever know what it's like to be told you could be a princess, and then it's all pried from your hooves from a violence-saturated cesspool of vermin ,such as yourselves, who can't even tap into the depths of their own skills and dreams, and MAGIC!!! Try living in my pitiful world for one day, Celestia!! Where the only solace you can find is in the spirit of the blind... and the SICK!!!"
Her horn flared to life, though this time with a loosely flowing crimson stream. Celestia, still in awe, silently prepared her own horn for attack, pouring into it her near endless reservoir of magic. She knew she would need it.
"Listen to yourself, Lady!!" she called out to her, "Yes, I knew you were powerful. Yes, I knew you were brilliant, and that is why I gave you your job. You have indeed helped Equestria in ways you may not immediately see, but I see it, Lady. I am sorry you could not be a princess, truly I am... but your power is just too destructive! Can't you see that now?!"
"Excuses!!" she yelled in retaliation, "That's all you ever gave me, excuses and lies! Well, it ends here today, Celestia!! I have won!"
A slight tear formed at the corner of Celestia's eyelid. This entire situation reminded her too much of her old fights with Luna, centuries ago. She had hoped this wouldn't turn out the same, desperately so. She wanted to bring this lost pony back to her side, and it broke her soul so deeply, wondering if there would ever come a day when those she cared for most would not turn against her. However, it seemed she would always be doomed to live a cursed existence where she could never please everypony equally, and those she had fought to keep so close would only turn against her when things were not up to their liking.
The yellowish magic in her horn continued to build, preparing to fire at any moment.
"How could you have won? You have not defeated me yet!" she retorted.
"Keeping telling yourself that," the unicorn muttered.
The heat of her magic trailed down the length of her legs, yet the fire did not seem to cause her any discomfort. Twilight's own magic had simply been added to her's, and her frame was having difficulty containing the volatile concoction of combined energies. She had nearly shrouded herself in a vortex of undulating red flame. Her leg, which had almost broken on impact, began to heal itself. Her eyes remained determined... and deadly.
Suddenly, she erupted. A burst of explosive red-hot power signaled she had teleported, and she materialized instantaneously below Celestia. With only an instant to react, the princess brought down her horn, swinging it like a hammer. A heavy collision of bright reds and yellows broke across the landscape, illuminating the night sky for miles around. Their horns met with such ferocity and sheer force, the earth beneath them buckled. Cracks of lightning split the sky and shot in every which way, reaching up into the heavens and impacting the mountain side.
At the epicenter of their erupting powers, the smaller unicorn struggled with every ounce of willpower her enhanced body could muster. Through tears of anguish, Celestia continued to press down upon her unforgivingly, but she was given no choice with her former student. Her anger could not, and would not, be contained. The red flames on her side sizzled the ground under her hooves, for her power was not as neatly focused as the princess' own. Through eons of careful, meticulous practice she did not waste any excess energy upon her foe. She was simply astonished that her former student's power was able to match her own, despite her lack of focus. The sounds of their confrontation carried far off into the countryside as they stared each other down through their own tumultuously mixing and coalescing auras.
The resulting earthquake was godlike, sending tremor after heavy tremor coursing through the city's walls.
Just when it seemed the mountain could not take any more pressure... they winked out of existence with a thunderous clap.
Celestia briefly reappeared on a tall spire of the castle and scanned the area, her eyes and horn deeply saturated with thick, yellow magic. She found her target as the unicorn reformed in a garden below her. A bright, scarlet beam plumed towards her in that instant and struck the side of the tower. The princess was caught off guard and narrowly jumped from the platform as it started to collapse. The tower lumbered away slowly towards the main castle entrance as more shots rang out. Blast after hot blast barely scathed Celestia's majestic frame. She dove straight for her, tucking in her wings close to her sides, dodging her beams only by mere millimeters.
The tower finally broke onto the ground, making the earth rumble once again. Smoldering stone and ash littered the fields, only avoiding Twilight's friends and Princess Luna by a slim margin. Surely, they could have all been crushed.
Taking only a moment to reach her, Celestia's dive was successful as she plowed into her former student. They rolled haphazardly onto another small patch of grass and the unicorn struggled against the princess' hold. Red flames licked Celestia's face and she could only combat it with a similar outpouring of her own energy.
"NOO!!" screamed the unicorn.
Once again, she flashed away unharmed just several yards from the distraught alicorn. Celestia quickly up-righted herself and teleported to her hooves as well. A single cut traced a line down Celestia's right cheek and her body was slightly injured from the scuffle. Their powers continued to rise and grow, lifting the earth itself. Tears saturated the bandages around one half of the unicorn's face, while a congruent stream fell down her opposite. Her blood red eyes communicated such hatred, such anger, all directed at her former teacher.
She felt her mind slipping away under the sheer immensity of her building power. It was only by some miracle, or perhaps decades of careful study and training, that had kept her soul from being crushed by the weight of her magic. She had to let it out now, else her body would simply vaporize into ashes under her own heat.
"Lady," called Celestia, "I'm sorry for what happened to you! You know I could not have changed anything about what happened! The timing was all wrong and there was nothing I could do about it!"
"LIES!!!" she screamed again.
"It's not a lie!! You were the most intelligent and talented filly I had ever met, and NOW look at you! You're bringing Equestria to ruin!! What good will all of this bring?!!"
"The pain will go awayyy!!" she loudly moaned.
Her eyes clenched shut and she concentrated, focusing her overflowing well of energy onto one spot, and suddenly she instantaneously flashed away. Celestia was prepared for this, and with a crackle of blazing electricity stormed off after her.
They took turns exchanging volleys of densely compacted magic, winking in and out of existence all throughout the castle grounds. Claps of thunder echoed across the sky, sending a flying bolt of red here, and another yellow bolt over there, chaotically surging across fields and ripping the landscape in two.
Celestia had never exerted herself so harshly in all her life, but she knew she could handle it. Although, she was surprised that a mere unicorn could nearly match her in strength, and she had wondered if the reason was solely because she had stolen it from Twilight, or if she had truly held this limitless potential within her the entire time.
It did not matter now, however, for every second she wasted in this fight was one less she could use to help save her people. She had to end this soon.
Celestia rematerialized high in the night sky and spread her wings. The unicorn could not follow her up here, although she was left vulnerable. Her pupil flashed out into an open field, realizing this would be her best chance to strike. The flames around her body converged around her horn and formed a neat miniature star. The small sun she had created began to expand as the princess approached, yet Celestia was busy forming her own.
"Luna was right," she whispered to herself, "I have to stop her now."
"Prepare yourself, Celestia!!!" the unicorn blatantly threatened.
"I am always prepared, Lady!!"
Celestia performed another graceful dive, tucking her body into a tight torpedo shape, leading with the growing yellow star at the tip of her horn. She narrowed her gaze on her target, preparing to unleash at the opportune moment. Her opponent reciprocated with an icy glare of her own. Her shimmering rubies for eyes would not look away, intent fully on destroying the pony who had denied her what she rightfully deserved. She had desired to be a princess ever since Celestia had planted the seed of hope within her as a filly. She knew it was her birthright. She knew that her destiny had been stolen and could never be returned.
With only several seconds until impact, the memory of her face, the one she had loved so much all those years ago, the one she saw limitless potential in, and now the one that only expressed undying hatred, would be forever etched into her mind.
"HAVE AT YOU!!!" she cried.
Then...
the two suns met...
and detonated.
Rainbow's ear twitched when she heard a high pitched noise.
"Did you guys hear that?" she asked.
Twilight, Spike, and Shining Armor all stopped for a moment and took a questioning glance back at her. The town was dead silent as they listened intently for several seconds, but the sound never made itself known.
"I don't hear anything," said Shining dismissively.
His sister forcefully nudged his side causing him to wince in pain. She did not appreciate his tone one bit.
"Oof," he yapped, "What did I say?"
You don't have to be so blunt with Rainbow, you know? I wouldn't be here without her.
The scowl he received from his sister made him want to take it back. Perhaps his ego had been inflated slightly since he was the only one who could help them down off the roof. This time, Twilight signaled him to hush so she could listen.
A dull thud lightly broke through the silent remains of Ponyville, followed by what sounded like a crackle of electricity. It sounded almost as if a lightning storm was imminently approaching their direction.
"Woah," he commented, "I definitely heard it that time. Sorry, Rainbow Dash."
"We're good," she responded.
She smiled with satisfaction at Twilight, communicating a silent 'thank you' to her.
"What was that, though?" the small dragon asked.
"Well, it can't be a storm," said Rainbow, "The weather factory in Cloudsdale doesn't usually run this late at night."
"What if it was an emergency?" he countered, "Just look around us. If what happened here could happen someplace else, then why wouldn't every pegasus pony be helping out?"
Rainbow pondered over it, tapping the bottom of her chin with a free hoof. "I don't know. It's possible I suppose, but still a little bit of a stretch."
Twilight wanted to add her own input, but seeing as she was left silent in all of this, she decided to just continue on ahead and hoped they would all get the hint.
Whatever it is, it's being caused by the impostor. I'm sure of it. We have to get back to the library so I can show my brother the spells I need. I've never heard of any relating to the voice, but maybe I can find one. I'm just... really worried about Rainbow, though.
"Hey, Twilight," Rainbow called, "Wait up!"
The pegasus led the stallion and dragon into following her, and she could see the uncertainty in her features as she approached. Her friend was anxious for something, and she could easily guess what it was. Twilight peered over at her and their eyes met for a moment. It was all so strange for Rainbow, as she felt as though she could read Twilight's very soul.
We have to go to Canterlot, Rainbow. We have to let them know what's really going on. Princess Celestia is the only one who can help us at this point.
"I know that, Twilight. But... we have to take this seriously. What if she attacks us again?"
The unicorn abruptly stopped, simply unable to believe what her friend had just spoken. Rainbow halted as well, almost equally as surprised as she was. The two behind them synchronously followed their lead, looking in a puzzled manner upon the pegasus.
"Wait a minute," said Spike, "Did Twilight just say something to you? Because, I didn't hear anything."
"No," Rainbow nervously glanced between the three of them, "She didn't say anything, but... I could hear her voice in my head."
A silence fell over them as they all contemplated the truth in her words.
"I don't know, maybe I just heard what I wanted to hear... or something like that."
"No," said Shining Armor, "I think you did hear her."
Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her brother, for this was one of the rare occasions he knew something she didn't.
"W-what do you mean?" Rainbow asked.
"It was something..." his eyes searched the ground beneath him for an answer, "... I-I think one of my professors at the school told me a long time ago."
"What? Hearing voices in your head?" she skeptically responded.
"As crazy as it sounds, yeah. I'm pretty sure - and bear with me on this - but I think this is a fairly common thing in mute ponies."
I don't remember anything like that at the school. Which professor knew about this?
"You mean... mute ponies can talk with their mind?"
"Oh no, it's not nearly that simple," he replied, "There's a few things that have to happen first, and usually only one other pony can hear them."
"Only one other pony? Why is that?" she asked.
"That's the thing... I'm not too sure. I don't remember the part after that," he glumly admitted.
Twilight briefly nudged Rainbow's side and caught her attention again. Spike and Shining Armor watched them exchange glances, staring into each other's eyes for a second, when suddenly the pegasus quietly nodded and turned back to them.
"I think Twilight wants to know which Professor taught that lecture... but I could be wrong. It's not totally clear every time," she divulged.
The dragon simply gawked in amazement, as did the stallion next to him. Twilight no longer even had to speak to communicate with her.
"Well?" Rainbow asked impatiently.
"Oh, s-sorry... I think it was Professor C.," he stammered, "Do you remember her, Twilight?"
He received only a blank stare from his sister. She didn't exactly spend as much time with the other professors as her brother had, for she was in the company of Princess Celestia the majority of her stay in Canterlot. She also figured her brother wouldn't take the time to learn all the professors by name, instead opting to only use an initial in their place.
Typical Shining Armor...
Twilight let out a disappointed sigh and began trotting off again for the library. They all stayed relatively close to her, still mulling over the sound they heard earlier, when suddenly it hit them again. There came a slight roll of thunder from the distance, followed by another heavy crackle.
The lavender unicorn spooked at the sound and began to run at a full gallop. Everyone behind her quickly picked up the pace as well. She had to know for sure what was causing the sound. She sensed it had to be just the weather, but fear of the impostor slowly edged its way back into her mind the longer she ran.
It was only when she came to the clearing in front of the library that she saw the actual, horrifying cause. It captivated her in that instant, unceasingly taking her attention away from everything else around her. Miles and miles away, there was indeed a storm brewing, but it was not the kind that brought rain.
Rainbow caught up to her and looked off into the distance as well. Shining Armor and Spike got another vantage point slightly behind them.
There was fantastic light show high upon the mountain in which Canterlot resided. Twilight knew from this distance it had to be happening directly in front of the castle, but it was still hard to make out what was going on. Like fireflies in the night sky, two lights would flash and then disappear, one red and one yellow. Every few seconds the two flickering stars would meet on the castle grounds, followed several moments later by a low and heavy roll of thunder, just like from before.
From their collisions, almost like fireworks, long strands of electricity would reach up and lick the side of the mountain or reach for the heavens themselves. It was odd watching the display, for even at the speed of sound, from this distance the timing of the flashes and booms did not coincide.
"W-what's going on?" asked Rainbow.
Spike let out a deep breath before answering, "I'd say... that's where your impostor went."
"No," muttered Shining, "I have to do something. The princesses could be in grave danger!"
His sister briefly ignored the lights and turned to him.
No! Please don't go yet! I need you here! You're the only one who can help us!
"Woah, Twily. What's the matter?" he asked in surprise.
"Isn't it obvious?" Spike asked him, "She needs you to help us, man. You're the only one out of us who can properly use magic right now."
Thump!
The two stars of Canterlot collided with each other yet again, sending a slight tremor slowly churning through the surrounding landscape.
The four of them all at once turned back to witness what had caused the quake. The two twinkling lights flared for a moment, looking as though at any moment they could both be extinguished.
Then, much to their surprise, the yellow star winked out, leaving only the ruby colored star in Canterlot shining brightly and triumphantly.
"That does not look good to me, " Rainbow commented.
They waited for about a minute, painfully so. It was the slowest minute any of them had to endure, especially for Twilight, who was the first one to look away. She galloped the rest of the way to the library and burst the door open. The other three were to quick to join her, as a powerful gust of wind emanating from the far off point of contact swept throughout the hollow shell of Ponyville.
Rainbow ensured that everyone got in safely before she hastily shut the door behind her. There came a low howling noise as the brief burst of wind passed by.
"Wow," said Spike, "I guess this is bigger than we originally thought."
Twilight dashed back over to the book she was reading earlier and skimmed the pages, looking for the one spell that had caught her eye. She didn't want to seem pushy, but the circumstances really called for it. Her eyelids jumped for a quick moment when she finally came upon the page.
"What is it, Twily?" her brother asked.
She held the book with one open hoof and enticed him into looking at it. He obeyed, nonchalantly strolling over to her and reading the heading of the page.
"But... this isn't a spell to help get your voice back," he noted, "It's just a spell to be used on pegasus ponies."
His sister shoved a hoof against her eye and ran it down her face, showing her impatience with him. In turn, she quickly pointed back to Rainbow Dash.
"So, you want me to help her instead?"
He received a silent, yet pleading nod from her.
"Why?" Rainbow spoke up, "What spell is it?"
Shining Armor glanced back at the pegasus. "Twilight wants me to perform this spell on you. It should return full control of your wings again."
"What?!" she yelped.
She had asked Twilight earlier to search for this exact spell, but Rainbow didn't think she would go through the trouble to actually find it. To her, getting Twilight's voice back seemed infinitely more important than getting her wings to return. She angrily tromped over to her friend, causing Twilight to unconsciously drop the book. Luckily, it was quickly caught by her waiting brother so he would not lose the page.
"Twilight, getting your voice back is priority number one. I'm not worried about my wings right now. I was just joking about that."
They locked eyes for a moment and the pegasus scanned her distraught features, trying to piece something together. Twilight remained firm, never once saying anything.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she scoffed at the unicorn.
Twilight scowled at her in return.
"More important?! How is that more important?!" Rainbow countered.
The unicorn shook her head, throwing off the comment.
"But, Twilight... I can't do that without you there with me. What would everypony else say? You have to give your side of the story too."
Twilight lowered her shoulders in defeat and let out a long sigh, still maintaining a light eye contact with her mare.
"I know I'm right. I'm always right... and I really need you on this. I can't go it alone."
Rainbow placed a hoof on her shoulder, but Twilight simply rolled her eyes and brought her gaze to the floor. The pegasus could no longer hear what she was saying, but she had said plenty.
Spike placed himself next to Shining Armor, folding his arms in deep thought. "I swear, it's like they're married or something."
"I'd have to agree with you on that one," the stallion concurred, "This is the most one-sided conversation I've ever seen."
Rainbow slowly turned away from Twilight. "She says... the spell isn't here, so I just want to go through with the one that's in the book."
"WHAT?!" the stallion and dragon yelped synchronously.
"Twilight says it's important," she replied, "And I believe her too. So, let's just get it over with."
Shining Armor met his sister's just as surprised stare, almost as if he was waiting for an approval from her. Rainbow looked between the two, but she could feel he did not hear the same things that she did. After taking a moment to think, Twilight finally nodded to him.
"Alright then, let's see how out of practice I really am," he said jokingly.
"AHHH!!" Celestia wailed.
The soft grass did little too alleviate the pain of hitting the ground once more. Her resilience would only carry her body so far, and the last blow was absolutely merciless. She tumbled off in some unknown direction, closing her eyes to keep herself from getting dizzy, desperately trying to recover from her new burns.
And then she stopped.
At last, after falling away from the blast crater for a rather lengthy distance, she gave a final roll onto her back. Her breathing was heavy, yet frantic. She had no idea how she could have possibly been bested by one of her students. To her, it seemed impossible a unicorn could possibly exceed her expectations this far. Maybe she was right. Maybe she was destined to be a princess, but Celestia was not about to quit now, as much as her body wanted her to.
She cocked one, smoothly pink eye open, just barely able to see over the grass. She was immediately stunned to see princess Luna struggling to pull herself over to her. Though tired as she was, the princess of the night had seemed to have healed slightly from her encounter, merely keeping her body low to go unnoticed. She had a plan hatching, and Twilight's impostor could not find out her intentions, should they all be doomed.
"Celestia!!" the triumphant unicorn called out.
A familiar tromping of hoof-steps approached, sending another icy shiver down the princess' spine. Her former pupil came to her side, standing imposingly tall over her. Celestia had only felt this threatened and defeated one other time in her life, centuries ago.
The once neatly flowing, scarlet mane of her enemy now fell in long, shaggy locks past her cheeks. The bandaged half of her face was starting to unravel, yet she remained concealed under it. An open wound on her scalp, caused by one of her fiery clashes with Celestia, now let loose stream of blood down upon her forehead. She gasped for air exasperatedly, for she did not make off as well as the princess first thought. While Celestia's body had not taken as much of a beating as hers did, her energy was simply sapped.
Those familiar, blood red eyes glared upon her. "I-I... told you I was the best. But, now I must be off, Celestia."
"L-lady," Celestia muttered, "D-don't do this..."
A loud crackling sound broke their brief conversation, and her pupil glanced up at something. Celestia could not move her head far enough to see what it was, but she could make a fair guess.
A drop of blood fell from the unicorn's face and fell on a blade of grass just adjacent to Celestia's muzzle.
"Leader," said the voice of Twilight Sparkle, "You look hurt. Do you need assistance?"
"No, I think I'll manage," she seemed in to be in obvious discomfort, "Let's just get the artifact and leave. The mountain only has but a few hours."
Celestia fought through the biting pain and lightly dabbed her hoof. "No Lady, p-please tell me you didn't..."
"I did, Celestia... but do not worry. Equestria will still be here in the morning, if there is a morning."
She shrugged off the princess' hoof and turned back towards the main castle entrance, although there were now the remains of the smoldering tower she had demolished earlier to contend with. Paying it no heed, she silently signaled something to the others and made their way towards the castle. Celestia could hear several sets of hoofsteps now, four by her count, and they all followed her.
She laid in the grass, fighting and pulling against her muscles to move. If she could just make it to Luna, then they might have a chance to still succeed. Her legs and wings all ached however, and simply moving now proved extremely taxing on her spirit, but she had faced worse than this before and persevered all the same.
"Luna!" she called.
There came no response. From her limited view, she could see the space where her sister had been only a few minutes ago, and it was now empty.
"N-no, where'd she--?"
"I'm right here, Tia," came a soft voice from behind her.
Celestia nearly yelped in surprise, but in actuality this wasn't the first time her sister had done something like this. She had managed to phase through the shadows while their enemy was distracted; a slight oversight on her part. Celestia couldn't have seen her either, else her cover would have been blown. She remained low next to her sister and lightly panted from overexertion, for she was still not fully recovered.
"They're going to take the stone, Luna," Celestia mumbled.
"No!" she cried, "Why would they take it? That stone only has one true purpose, Celestia!"
"I know, I know," she asserted, "Which is why we need to ambush them when they come back this way. We might still have a chance to--"
BOOM!
Another loud and heavy explosion suddenly rocked the land, signaling that the intruders had made their grand entrance. Shrill yelling and screams corresponded with the sound of magical shots being fired and debris clouds pluming into the sky. Celestia's eyes widened in absolute horror as she tried to cover up the sound of her failure with her hooves upon ears. None of this could possibly be real, yet unfortunately it was.
With the bodies of AppleJack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy littering the fields around them, the echoes of thunderous explosions ripping over the mountainside, and the torrents of screams saturating the night air, Celestia's hope dwindled to near non-existence.
But instead...
her anger grew,
and gave her the strength to get up off her knees.
Her sister followed her example, and stood with her.
Their tired bodies pulled what magic they still had within themselves and brought it to the surface, hazing their eyes in their respective energies and enveloping their horns. The sounds of the screaming started to die down, but they knew this wasn't over yet.
"Are you ready, Luna?" Celestia's words barely escaped through her tired lips.
"I'm never leaving your side again, Tia," her sister assured.
As the last few wisps of Shining's magenta-colored magic left her body, Rainbow gave a few tugs at her wings. Her look of discomfort was off put by her joy when they finally budged, free of the curse Twilight's impostor had imposed upon them. Although, after two days of doing little of anything, they were fairly stiff, and sore. She winced in pain when she fully extended them and then promptly tucked them back against her frame.
"Well, I don't like to brag," said Shining, "But, that was my first attempt ever at a spell like that."
Rainbow turned back to him. "Yeah, they still kinda' hurt to move, but it should go away in a few hours."
Unconsciously, the pegasus reached out to the stallion and gave him a light hug. Twilight wasn't quite sure why, but it caused her face to flush red with jealousy. She tried to tell herself it was all innocent, and it was just her way of saying thanks, yet it still bothered her. She looked off to a corner of the room, trying to push the image out of her head. Spike took notice however, raising an eyebrow up at her. He rarely saw this kind of emotion out of her, but he was nearly as skilled at reading her expressions as Rainbow.
The pegasus didn't hold the hug long, for she honestly didn't like it all that much. It didn't feel the same to her as hugging Twilight did. She found herself holding her breath the whole time, but she never did with her mare. Secretly, she hoped Twilight wouldn't think anything of it, but when she turned to the unicorn she truly cared about she was disheartened to see that wasn't the case.
"We should probably get going now," Shining remarked.
He remained completely oblivious to the emotional trauma he had just inadvertently caused, only wanting to keep them focused on the task at hand. Twilight finally relented when Rainbow pleadingly tugged on her hoof, spurring her into remembering the bigger issue they were facing.
"C'mon, Twilight. It's Equestria-saving time again," she said jokingly.
The unicorn pulled her hoof away and made only succinct eye contact with her. However, in that fraction of a second, she had spoken volumes to Rainbow.
"You know it's not like that, Twilight," she assured, "Besides, we have bigger things to worry about right now. I just want to stop whoever is doing this and return everything back to the way it was. That's my only concern. I want you to get your voice back and clear your name, and for obvious reasons I can only do it if you're right there with me. I just want to save everpony, like we always do."
She received a gentle smirk from the unicorn.
You're always the voice of reason, aren't you?
"That's why I'm here, isn't it?" she agreed.
Twilight tried to laugh, but no sound escaped her lips. Spike, who had been waiting patiently, finally tapped her side to get her attention.
"Question," he stated, "What exactly should I do? I mean... I can't really help in this situation, if I'm being honest with myself."
"That's not necessarily true," said Rainbow.
She's right. There's got to be some way he can help.
The dragon, somewhat defeated, walked to the other end of the room and took a seat on a small un-hollowed out section of the tree. Twilight was starting to get worried and calmly walked over to him as well. He didn't appear to be in a talking mood, thinking long and hard about the consequences should he go, but he had no idea what would happen. Usually in these situations, Twilight and her friends solved everything on their own. Very rarely was he actually involved in saving anyone... and the truth hurt.
He glanced up at the unicorn he had known his whole life and shook his head, letting out another long sigh. "... We both know I should just stay here, Twilight. I'd only be slowing you down."
Come on, Spike. Don't talk like that. You can't be so hard on yourself all the time.
"Don't give me that look, Twilight," he defended, "While we're putting everything on the table here, I just think it's best for me to admit I'm kinda' useless in this situation. I was the first one to even see who caused all this, and just look what happened to me. I got zapped instantly! If I went with you... then it would just be more of the same thing."
Oh... Spike...
Shining suddenly stepped forward. "I know it's probably not what you want to hear, Twilight. But I think he's got a point."
His sister turned and glared at him.
How could you say something like that? He just wants to help!
"Hey, all I'm saying is maybe there is a way he can help out here," he noted.
"He might run into some ponies going by this way," Rainbow suggested.
"Exactly," Shining agreed, "There's bound to be some guards, or possibly even a citizen that could come back through town. If he stays here, then he could help spread the word about what's really going on."
That's ridiculous! He could get hurt if he just stays here!
"He won't, Twilight," asserted Rainbow.
A silence fell over the room as they all thought over it for a moment. Spike nearly blushed, yet held it back behind his stoic expression. Just from Rainbow's response, he could tell what Twilight had just said to her.
"I'll be safer here," he unknowingly concurred.
The unicorn turned, frowning with doubt and anxiety. It was true, however. They were all right. Twilight didn't even know if she was thinking straight, herself, anymore, and now she was obviously showing it. Not wanting to fall under further embarrassment, she relented, and quietly reached over to the dragon to embrace him in another soft hug.
They held this position for nearly half a minute, wondering if they would ever see each other again. The costs were high, and the price for failure would be too great. The air was thick with tension and heavy emotion, but they found solace in each other. It was only at the sound of yet another crackle of lightning that Spike reluctantly let go.
Yet, he remained unusually calm.
"You can do this, Twilight," he said with a smile, nodding to the other two ponies next, "With them helping you, there's no way you can fail."
When she let go of him, her uncertainty was slowly starting to be replaced with a cautious optimism. Perhaps seeing Equestria faced with such a terrifying threat gave him a new sense of maturity. Maybe his once carefree attitude towards life was gone, but Twilight was happy to have yet another voice of reason spurring her on.
You might not be able to hear me, Spike, but I'll tell you one day just how much that means to me.
He stood up. "Alright, enough blabbering on my part. You guys gotta' go, for Equestria's sake."
Twilight uneasily nodded and started to head for the door, followed soon after by her brother and Rainbow Dash. She wanted to tell him so badly that she loved him with all of her heart, but for some reason, she figured he already knew that. Sure, she would worry about him, yet she would never truly know how much he worried about her sometimes. But this wasn't a time for worrying. She could not doubt herself now, and he would not give her a reason to do so. She really could succeed, and he felt it within himself.
Although the three ponies filed out of the library, still tired and somewhat hungry, their morale seemed to be improving. They no longer had any time to prepare, but Twilight's new confidence was a driving force as they came out to the main road. The sounds of clashing, miles away, began to die, yet the lights over Canterlot cut clearly through the night sky as though they never stopped. An eerie silence fell over the town once more.
Hesitantly, Twilight stopped and motioned back towards Spike, who remained standing by the front door. They traded a glance and a slight wave to each other when he suddenly turned to Rainbow. The pegasus was about to wave to him as well, but he gave her only a silent nod of assurance in return, as if wordlessly saying 'bring her back to me'. Shining acknowledged this also, just as Rainbow did, though in a more subtle fashion typical of a brother.
As the three headed off to face unknown danger, Spike was finding it difficult not to break down on the spot which he stood. In the face of these overwhelming odds, he did what came naturally in a situation such as this one and pondered over how he could really help.
"Well, there's one thing I can do," he muttered.
He eased the door shut and went inside. Rummaging through the shelves wouldn't be necessary, for he knew exactly what he needed. He found one of the reading stands, essentially a stump in the floor, and quickly took up a blank piece of parchment within his clawed hands. Next, he took up a quill set beside him, placed it in the nearby inkwell, and began composing.
"It might be too late, but I've got to try anyway, for Twilight," he noted, "Princess Celestia recognizes my handwriting too, so she'll know it's really me."
After he was finished, he held the end product in his hand and looked over it twice to ensure it would get the message across. Anything could help Twilight at this point, including the most elegant letter he had ever composed. With the fate of Equestria hanging so delicately in the balance, it had to be flawless.
"Please... let this work."
Celestia and Luna's power began to reach further depths the more they stumbled towards the sound of crackling fire. The entrance to the castle had been shrouded under the smoke and debris, and all they could do at this point was wait for their opponents. Another explosion deep within the grand foyer signaled they would soon be making their return.
"Tia," Luna coughed, still panting heavily, "I just want to be honest with you... and tell you that I'm afraid."
Celestia sounded equally exhausted. "It's okay, Luna. I'm afraid too. I'm afraid for everypony we couldn't help today. I'm afraid for Twilight, afraid for Rainbow Dash, and afraid for every citizen in Equestria whom I have failed. This is all my fault."
"Don't say such things," her sister bluntly stated.
"It's true though," Celestia defended, "I let her leave in tears, and I was too caught up with what was going on in Canterlot to help her. She is one of my greatest students... and I let her go."
"I remember your nightmares, Tia."
Celestia briefly glanced at her sister, "You do?"
"Yes," Luna admitted, "Even though I was imprisoned within the moon, I still minded the dreams of our people... especially yours."
"Why did you never tell me about this?" she inquired.
"Because, Tia," she paused, "After seeing dreams in numbers reaching nigh millions, over the course of eons, I can honestly say that your nightmares are by far the worst I've had to endure... and I remember each and every one of them."
Celestia felt a lump take form in her throat. "I-I'm... so sorry about that, Luna."
"Do not regret it," she hastily replied, "It helped me feel closer to you, and for that, I am deeply grateful."
The sisters returned to their former stances, horns at the ready and prepared to fire. Their power was kept concealed under a false guise of calm and weakness, for this would be their one and only chance to stop her. A single, cream-colored hoof, tattered from an earlier scuffle, emerged underneath the wall of red and violet flames. Their foe once again made herself known, passing through smoke and fire as if her body itself was comprised of it. Much to the royal sisters' chagrin, four clones of Twilight Sparkle brought up her rear, easily walking through the flames as simply as she had. Celestia took note of a brown satchel hanging around the leader's neck; she knew very well of its contents.
"I'm surprised you can still stand, Celestia!" she cried.
"I'm full of surprises," the princess muttered under her breath.
"Unfortunately, this is the end for both of you," she continued, "I'm quite sorry, Princess Luna, but I really do like you much more than your sister. It's a shame I was not taught by you when I was in my prime, yet as I recall, Celestia here doomed you to a terrible fate as well, centuries ago. Why do you stand by her now?"
"I learned from my mistakes!" Luna shouted, "It's a shame you did not learn the same."
She cocked an eyebrow at the princess. "Weakling," she said.
"Bitch," Luna replied.
The four copies of Twilight spaced themselves equidistantly from their leader and took aim upon the princesses. Their horns began to spark and crackle to life with violet energy. Celestia and Luna stood closer together, tightly focusing their own building power composed of light gold and indigo auras. Undulating flames of magic reached off their bodies and licked the surrounding air, for they had not melded their powers like this for as long as they could remember. There was simply never a need to.
At the center of the quintet, the leader's eyes began tearing up with the familiar red flames surrounding the castle behind them. Her subordinates congregated around her, pumping their magic into another small sun concentrated at the tip of her horn. This one was considerably larger than the last; a testament to her overwhelming strength.
The sisters pressed their shoulders together, leaned their heads inward, cheek to cheek, and their horns abruptly contacted. Their sheer power reversed the effects of gravity, causing the ground beneath them to lift and surge, but they would have to hold it back until the last moment, or else it would fail. This was a different kind of magic, not one that any element of harmony could muster. This kind of magic was a force of destruction, not of creation.
The mountainside began to seize.
"On the count of three!" yelled Celestia, pouring every drop she had into the spell.
"Equestria is doomed, Celestia!!" shouted the leader.
"ONE!!" the sisters yelped.
The twisting platform of stone beneath them began to rise even further. A white sun began to materialize where their horns met.
"TWOOO!!!" they yelled in unison.
The growing star upon the red-eyed unicorn's horn had nearly doubled in size since they began counting. The grass at their hooves disintegrated in an instant.
"I CAN NOT BE DEFEATED!!!" she screamed.
"THHRRREEEEEEE!!!!!"
Their voices seemed to carry forever, sweeping through the streets of Canterlot and projecting for miles around.
Then came the true fire.
"Twilight, wait up!" Rainbow called.
The unicorn was oddly keeping pace much better than her two companions, driven almost by anger now. Shining was admittedly embarrassed to lag behind so far, but he had good reasoning. If there really was more than one of these Twilight impostors running around, then letting his sister out of his sight was not an option. Although, he still kept up with the two of them.
The soft, red glow still hung over Canterlot like a dim lighthouse in the sea of the night sky. The quakes had stopped almost entirely now, but Shining couldn't help but glance back and forth between the royal city and his sister. He was almost beginning to feel alienated from her, yet he couldn't quite understand why.
It wasn't her brother's fault, however. Twilight felt almost as if they were being watched the entire time and was becoming anxious. Her heart rate started to rise, and at one point felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, when she suddenly stopped.
Twilight! Listen to me!
The unicorn looked around hurriedly, but only saw Rainbow at her side. She recognized that voice from not long ago.
"Are you alright, Twilight?" Rainbow asked with concern.
I heard a voice, Rainbow!
"A voice?" she asked.
She received a nod from the unicorn, who suddenly winced as the voice spoke to her again.
There isn't much time, Twilight! You need to hurry!
Lily?! Is that you?! Where are you?!
Yes, Twilight! But please, listen to me for I can't speak long! She's reached Canterlot and has infiltrated the castle! The princesses are in grave danger! Do not go to the city!
"What's the matter, Twilight? You're scaring me," said Rainbow.
Then, just like that, the voice was gone. The unicorn stopped to take a moment and breathe, running through everything Lily had just said over and over again. She desperately attempted to contact her.
Lily?... Lily?!... LILY?! Where are you?! Come back?!
Nothing.
She was just gone.
Twilight felt a familiar nudge on her shoulder and once again made eye contact with her mare. She suddenly realized just how odd she must be acting and calmed down.
"So," started Rainbow, "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"
I heard Lily, Rainbow.
"Lily?" she asked, "Who's that?"
When Twilight didn't immediately respond, her brother calmly advanced up to her and cocked his head to the side. He had heard that name before. His sister noticed and turned his way.
"This... Lily," he said, "Does she have red eyes, Twily?"
She nodded and glanced back at Rainbow.
She passed away not too long ago. I met her and her daughter when I charged into that spell. She's a unicorn, Rainbow. She allowed me some of her magic so I could fight off the spell.
"Twilight says she passed away... and helped save us by giving Twilight her magic," the pegasus relayed to her brother.
"Oh... I see," he mumbled, "But she spoke to you?"
His sister confirmed his assumption yet again.
"That's strange," he noted, "I remember a Miss Lily who had red eyes... but I think she was mute. I don't remember her ever speaking to anypony."
Thump!
They felt it under their hooves first, then came the true sound...
the godlike sound of a volcanic eruption.
An immense fireball filled the horizon, nearly as bright as the sun, and pitted a deep gash into the side of Canterlot's mountainside. Hellfire tore the city asunder, tearing a canyon through its stone roads, buildings, and spires. Brief flashes of bright yellow and blue lights fluttered within its wake, fruitlessly attempting to hold back the eruption of awesome power.
The detonation made the three of them cover their ears immediately, yet they could feel the sound even in their chest, making it almost difficult to breathe in that instant. Then came the searing heat. To them, it felt as if they were standing mere feet from a campfire, even from this immense distance.
The ball of red flame exited through Canterlot's walls, taking with it enough debris and stone to fill another small city. Like a hot, pyroclastic flow of a volcano, a thick cloud, which was heavier than the air surrounding it, began to fall off the edge of the mountain face and plummet slowly to the earth below. The sound that followed came to close to that of a hurricane's wailing, as a swift and forceful wind blew their manes clear behind their heads.
Twilight fell onto her back and hit her head against the dirt road. She almost passed out from the collision, but managed to maintain a faint consciousness. She did not know how Rainbow or her brother had fared, but she hoped more well off than she had.
She waited until the storm passed before she opened her eyes. Her ears were constantly ringing, and she shook her head from side to side, trying desperately to regain her hearing, when Rainbow suddenly stood over her.
The pegasus' lips moved, but she could not hear any words.
So that's what it feels like.
Next, her brother came over and tried speaking to her, but she still could not hear anything. They helped her slowly back to her feet, where she promptly shook her head even more. She looked back upon the epicenter of the destruction and gasped. The smoke and debris had not fully lifted, yet a distinct outline of the city showed that its layout had changed remarkably.
Although she could only hear herself breathing in her head, her own internal screaming took over.
Canterlot, the place where she had lived for most of her life with her family, including her brother, was now nearly wiped clean from existence, leaving none of the former buildings and spires which made it so recognizable from before.
Scorched earth...
That was all that lay before them.
The princesses had fought valiantly, but their struggle was in vain. They knew, the moment they took up arms against her, they were destined to fail, but they would never give up Equestria so easily.
The beige unicorn dropped to one knee, propping herself up on only one front hoof. She gasped in sharp pain, for the price of victory was high. A small stream of blood escaped past her lips and trickled down the side of her muzzle and chin. She would've given anything to have the body of an alicorn right now, but she might have suffered an even worse fate if she did.
The earth splayed out was barren, dried, and cracked. The only two figures that stood before them were melded together, frozen in time, encased in a hardened, glass shell of energy that could not be broken by any physical force.
The leader got up from the ground, sweating profusely and in terrible agony. She brushed the side of her face to remove any excess blood and tromped onto the glassed ground. The scent of so many different things burning saturated the air, yet she paid it no mind as she walked up to the two sisters. They were completely oblivious to the devastation around them and she waved a hoof in front of their faces to make sure of it. She held the satchel close to her side.
"You couldn't keep me from this, Celestia," she spoke calmly, "This became my destiny the moment you destroyed my original one. You had to deny me everything. You just HAD to let me go! Well, no matter... I'll leave you here with your sister. You too look so beautiful together, I must admit. It's a shame the beauty on your outsides does not match your insides. We could've even lived together, possibly... in another life maybe. I never thought I'd actually be glad to say this, but this might be the last time I see you, Celestia. You too, Luna. And for all the grief that you have caused me, the heartache, the lies, the deception... maybe I can at least pretend I had my wedding here in Canterlot. I can pretend I lived happily ever after, but not until I see those who have followed you so blindly suffer for not speaking up. It is truly tragic."
And with that statement, she walked past them, not paying them anymore mind than she thought they deserved. Her clones followed behind, save for one.
One single clone of Twilight Sparkle stayed for a moment and came to stand before the princesses just as her leader had.
She was filled with conflicting emotions, just as she had been the entirety of that day. She knew that wasn't what her flower would've truly wanted. She would not have wanted revenge this great and destructive, and yet she could not help but wonder why her leader was so terribly, emotionally scarred. Her memories came and went, but she still had the same feelings.
"I think I am the side of my leader... who wishes to thank you, Princess Celestia. If we had not met you, then we might not have met... her."
As her comrades lingered off in the distance, a flash of green flame warped over the princess' head and a scroll of parchment materialized from it. The letter fell freely to the ground, as the princess had no way of receiving it.
The clone raised it and read it slowly. Her eyes skimmed through it, taking only the necessary bits of information.
"Twilight Sparkle is on her way here?!" she yelped, "But how? One of us was sent to dispose of her... how did she make it by all this time?"
Unconsciously, she lowered the letter back to the ground, for she could feel her leader approaching. With a quick burst of her violet flame, the letter was extinguished.
"What was that paper you just burnt?" asked the red-eyed unicorn.
"Oh..." her clone muttered, she had to think fast, "This piece of trash floated on by and stuck itself over Celestia's face, and well, I could not just leave it there. Her expression is just too priceless, wouldn't you agree?"
Her leader raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I suppose... but come along, please. We do not have time to dawdle any longer. The mountain is still unstable."
Her clone nervously picked up her feet and nodded in agreement. "Of course, leader. I apologize."
"No need," she replied, "Let us be off now."
The copy of Twilight Sparkle said nothing more as they walked, keeping the other secrets that had been contained within the letter solely to herself. She was honestly not quite sure what to do with this new information, but she was sure her flower would have approved of her lie.
"With the artifact," her leader remarked, "We can finally begin dismantling this tyrannical regime."
"And replace it?" her clone asked.
"Precisely."