//------------------------------// // A Dawning Revelation // Story: Remembering to See // by IsabellaAmoreSirenix //------------------------------// Daybreak had now risen once more over the peaceful land of Equestria. Like that of one rising from a restful night’s sleep, the sun swelled over the vast horizon with newfound renewal. It was adorned in the finery of softest yellow and purest white, like a filly in a summer dress, and when she danced, the endless layers of skirts fanned out to send light rippling across the awakening earth. And she did dance, and quite merrily at that, with her youthful face smiling down upon all her little ponies, her dear friends that she would greet with the simplest gift of her life-giving radiance. In her eagerness, she soared high above the mountaintops, setting them ablaze, like lighting candles with her own fire. However, this fire was not one of destruction and mourning, but like the fire of zeal for life itself that burned brightly in the hearts of all ponies. The golden rays of sunlight rang like trumpets, as the Dawn’s laughter and jubilation heralded another day. And Rose Petal certainly wasn’t letting a single moment of that day go to waste as she hurried down the castle hallways, their sky blue paint job now overpowered by the golden sunlight that streamed through the windows. The light easily illuminated the dark circles under Rose Petal’s eyes, a result of little sleep and abundant worry. Her bleary eyes winced at the harsh sunlight as she stifled a yawn and a daydream of her soft bed that was calling her name all the way from the East Wing. Despite her weariness, her steps were firm with purpose, echoing loudly through the mostly deserted hallways. At this early hour, it was a natural emptiness. On her solitary trek, Rose Petal only encountered a few maids, many of who paused to smile and wave before returning to their various duties. Rose Petal herself tugged bashfully at her gold and white maid uniform, half out of a desire to fix the creases and wrinkles left from her hastiness in getting ready, and half out of shame. Even though she had left before the first dance of the dawn, this meeting would be cutting it close to her morning duties. Looking out at the rising sun, Rose Petal sighed. Shirking responsibilities was a fair price for putting to rest the questions that had been bouncing around her head all night, even if some of those questions might not have the most desirable of answers. Finally, Rose Petal ascended the spiral staircase to arrive outside Starswirl’s office. She primly rapped her hoof against the door; then, not even waiting for an answer, she pushed it open and strode in. Rose Petal watched as Starswirl sent a myriad of multi-colored pieces of chalk racing across s long blackboard in the back of the room. Along with chalkdust and discarded ideas, they left in their wake series of complex equations and diagrams, all overlapping and merging together into a rainbow of genius that would make most ponies’ heads spin. Occasionally he would step back and take in the whole jumbled mess before being struck by inspiration’s magic and jump into the fray with renewed vigor once again. He was in his element of invention, a mere agent of the world’s brilliance, which his mind was all too willing to lose itself in. And despite the constant string of grumbling and muttering under his breath, Rose Petal was also sure she saw the shadow of a smile. So lost was he in his work that it took the Grand Mage several seconds before he registered the intrusion, paused from his frantic scribbling on his chalkboard, and looked up at the presumptuous pony who dared violate his sanctum of knowledge. Biting retorts and reprimands sprang to his tongue before dying as he recognized the face. “Rose Petal, how delightful to see you,” he greeted in a tone that said he was not delighted in the slightest. “To what do I owe the very early pleasure?” “You may want to rethink that last part,” Rose Petal remarked grimly. “If what I’ve been worrying about all night is true, then this meeting will be anything but a pleasure.” With a sigh, Starswirl brushed the chalk off his hooves and walked over to his desk. He then motioned for Rose Petal to follow suit, gesturing to the velvet-padded chair Celestia had occupied yesterday. “Alright,” he groaned. “Let’s see this.” Rose Petal stuck her hoof into the pocket of her maid uniform and extracted a worn piece of parchment. “Princess Celestia wrote this last night,” she said, soothing the folds on the desk so Starswirl could read. Starswirl narrowed his eyes at the parchment. “This isn’t written in any language I know of,” he remarked, levitating it to examine it closer. “It’s utter gibberish, unintelligible to ponies. Unless it’s some form of code… wait… no, is it really…?” “I figured you would pick up on it earlier than I did,” Rose Petal said as she watched Starswirl fumble for a quill. “I couldn’t figure it out, and at first I was ready to dismiss it as a product of the princess’ deteriorating mental state. I mean, one would think it’s nonsensical, at least when written like this: “Morf gonlets ady gihnt deslish reh feca, Ubt fare eth tengist fo tath gihlt. Rof srast nowk ugnath fo cre’mys regca, Ubt siwents sa mardes rubn ni gihft.” “Yes, yes,” Starswirl brushed aside impatiently, already writing on a new piece of parchment. “But when the letters are switched, it reads: “From longest day night shields her face, But fear the setting of that light. For stars know naught of mercy’s grace, But witness as dreams burn in flight.” At the translation of the last word, Starswirl set the quill down and read the new message, over and over, his eyes growing wider each time. “You said Princess Celestia wrote this?” he asked, worry leaking into his quavering voice. “Yes,” Rose Petal answered. “Last night, when I went to see her. She said she had been hearing it repeated as a melody inside her head, both in her nightmares and waking moments.” “This isn’t a natural occurrence,” said Starswirl. “She couldn’t have thought this up, not even subconsciously. She’s being affected by what my best guess is some sort of mental telepathy magic.” “That’s what I was afraid of,” Rose Petal admitted. “I stayed up doing research on it, and from sudden lapses in attention to jarring attitude switches, she’s shown all the symptoms of some external force using telepathy on her. What’s more, Princess Celestia is already in a state of vulnerability; we can’t tolerate an enemy of the Crown corrupting her mind like this. I came to you because I don’t know of anypony with both the motive and capability to cast such a spell. It must be a very powerful unicorn—“ “Magic user,” Starswirl corrected. Rose Petal raised a questioning eyebrow. “Isn’t that the same thing?” "Not if you’re including the race that uses magic to shift the heavens each day.” Starswirl glanced out the window at the brightly shining sun before casting somber eyes down to the ground. “Or used to, at least,” he amended with a heavy sigh. “You’re not suggesting…” “The corrupted Princess Luna, yes,” said Starswirl, his eyes burning with an almost frightening intensity in his resolve. “She’s exactly who I’m suggesting.” “But how would that be possible?” Rose Petal asked. “Princess Luna is sealed on the moon; her weakened magic shouldn’t be able to reach Equestria.” “She can do it the same way she raised the moon from Equestria: she has a bond with it. The same principle holds true between her and Princess Celestia. The bond of sisters, alicorns, the sun and the moon, the Elements of Harmony; take your pick. Any one of those is strong enough to form an emotional bond that Princess Luna could use to channel magic through. Then, like a rope connecting them, magic can be conducted along it and focused directly onto Princess Celestia. At least, that’s my hypothesis. Of course, there has been no precedent, but it isn’t impossible.” “But if that is the case,” Rose Petal began, “then what does Princess Luna intend on doing? And what of the music? Why was it transmitted like this?” The Mage’s eyes narrowed in concentration as he sat deep in thought. “It wasn’t,” answered Starswirl, his voice growing steadily graver. “There must be some distortion, either a malfunction with Princess Luna’s magic, an interference with the spell as it came down, or even a block on Princess Celestia’s mind. Whatever the case, the purpose behind it still remains. It was clearly sent as a message, a warning for the princess. And apparently, it also came with the intentional or unintentional side effect of slowly driving her into madness.” “And the nightmares she’s been having,” Rose Petal added, her face blanching at the seriousness of the situation. “They weren’t normal either. They were sent at midnight, the height of her power, so she could penetrate the princess’ subconscious.” She looked up at Starswirl, her eyes etched with worry. “And it’s getting worse. Starswirl, what does this mean? What’s happening to her?” The air around them weighed heavy upon their shoulders as Starswirl sighed. “Princess Luna is taking over her mind,” he declared, “and will most likely not stop until it is completely broken. You read her message: she wants to torture her out of vengeance for the Lunar Rebellion. She intends for her dreams, her hope, her very being to be consumed in the flames of grief and madness. And I believe this is only the beginning. If Princess Celestia falls under her control, she can use her to indirectly spread her power throughout all of Equestria. One by one, we will all succumb to that same insanity.” “It makes sense,” Rose Petal breathed, horrified. “If she can’t control our waking moments, she’ll take our dreaming ones.” Starswirl nodded. “We will be forever trapped in our own worst nightmares.” “And she’s started with Celestia.” Atop the highest hill in Canterlot, a solitary mare stood and watched the sun crest over the horizon. Like a gentle hand, it swept over the world and brushed aside the shadows to unveil the lonely figure. First her gently falling hair of aquamarine streaked with platinum, then her rich amethyst coat, and finally the cluster of silver stars that was her cutie mark, as the sunlight splayed across her body like a spotlight. Her eyes winced at the onslaught of light. She had never liked sunrises; they always made her feel too naked, too vulnerable. You couldn’t hide from sunlight. It was too exposing, giving the paranoid, irrational feeling that one beam of light could bury deep down into her heart and illuminate her secrets for all the world to see. It was the same feeling she got whenever she looked into Celestia’s eyes. The steady thudding of hooves broke the mare out of her reverie. With the slightest turn of the head, she watched Iron Strike walk up to her and wordlessly sink into a respectful bow before taking his place at her right hoof. “You were a little emotional in Court yesterday, weren’t you, Iron?” she asked by way of introduction. The stallion’s posture stiffened, the fur on the nape of his neck bristling. “I apologize. It will not happen again, Lady Starlight,” he replied, his joints bending robotically into another bow. Fits of laughter sputtered from the noblemare at the sight. “Oh honestly, Iron, you needn’t be so tense about everything,” she reassured him. “Emotion shows you are loyal to the cause, something any valiant spearhead of justice needs. It may be a messier affair than my methods, but it gets attention. And we want Celestia’s attention, to have her watch as we cause her to fall and crash, while we laugh at it all.” “I didn’t come here to laugh, my lady,” he answered, a slight frown etched on his face. “I came to serve justice; that’s all.” “Certainly, but surely you can find some satisfaction in it too, can you not?” she teased. When he remained stoic, Lady Starlight broadly swept her hoof out to the golden horizon. “Do you see that sunrise?” she asked. “Well, enjoy it. Enjoy every last ray of it, because this day will be Princess Celestia’s last. Today we go to war.” Her turquoise eyes flashed as she felt the sun tremble with her words. “And today we start with her.” The words tasted like rusting iron and weighed just as much on Rose Petal’s tongue. The gravitas of it all threatened to suffocate her, when the worst hadn’t even come to pass. But it would come. That she was sure of. They were just mice in an ever-shrinking cage, just waiting for the walls to crush them. She thought of the friends she had waved to that morning; they had been so cheerful yet so oblivious to the mortal peril that awaited them all. Was it better that way? Even if they knew, what good would it do? Their knowledge couldn’t do anything to stop it. Even in ignorance, to smile up to the last second wouldn’t be such a loss, would it? Rose Petal looked up at Starswirl. Her bright green eyes followed the movements of his quill, but after a few jerking pauses, she could tell his attempts of a plan were half-hearted. He crumpled up the parchment and tossed it aside before taking out a new one and just staring into the void of blankness, lost for words for one of the few times in his entire life. Helplessness. That was the look she saw in his eyes, and it terrified her. The Grand Mage Starswirl was never helpless. There was always something else he knew, an extra bit of knowledge and intuition that no other pony possessed. He had all the answers to all of life’s problems, or so it had always seemed. But now, this was entirely out of everypony’s league. “Is there a way to disrupt the flow of magic?” Rose Petal asked, now clinging at straws. Maybe it was desperation, maybe hope; was there even a difference? Perhaps the princess had been on to something before. “That way, we could cut off the psychic link, right?” “Not without irreversibly damaging both of the princess’ minds in the process,” Starswirl stated bluntly, his voice strangely hollow. “And we can’t incapacitate Princess Luna, either; it would require the same amount of power to bring her back to Equestria, yet another thing I’ve failed to do.” “Then… then maybe we can…” Her eyes widened at the spark of an idea. “Wait, didn’t you say earlier that a mental block on Princess Celestia could be what caused the message’s distortion? Well, what if that block was intensified? It could block out the signal entirely, right?” “And just how would that be accomplished?” Starswirl demanded as he got up and started pacing. “She was impervious to all the Mage Council’s spells.” “But that was because you weren’t aware of the actual problem,” Rose Petal countered. “We can’t stop the nightmares once they come, but maybe we can shut down the trigger.” “Trigger?” “I… I believe that there’s a reason why she's starting to hear the music during the daytime,” Rose Petal began hesitantly. “I’ve noticed that whenever anypony mentions Princess Luna’s name, she flinches and closes her eyes for a second. Perhaps it indicates the music starting up again.” “The connection widening through memory… yes, memory would leave her mind more open to Princess Luna’s influence,” Starswirl said. “Although, I don’t see how that helps us much. It’s not as though we can simply have her not remember the events of the Lunar Rebellion.” “Or can we?” asked Rose Petal, her eyes glinting with something a bit too dark for Starswirl’s liking. “What do you say,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “to a little filly unable to handle the true burden of loss? ‘Mommy and Daddy are going on a long trip now, but you’ll see them again, don’t worry.’ Isn’t that right?” Her breathy whispers drawled with hushed scheming. Starswirl’s eyes widened into saucers as his pacing screeched to a halt. He turned to face the mare, only to be met with deadly seriousness in her eyes. “You’re not saying—“ “Yes, I am,” Rose Petal announced darkly. “I want you to erase all of Princess Celestia’s memories of the Lunar Rebellion.” Silence. “That’s impossible, and you know it is, Rose Petal.” “There is a spell though, is there not?” she demanded, getting up to join Starswirl by the window. “And I doubt there is a single spell the almighty Grand Mage of Canterlot cannot perform.” “If I don’t mind spending the rest of my life in the dungeons for preforming an illegal spell, that is!” he snapped. “Besides, there is much more that would go into this type of magic than a mere incantation. I would have to specify exactly which memories to obliterate and alter, and then bridge the gaps with outright illusions.” “But you can do it,” Rose Petal insisted. “Even if I could, it wouldn’t last more than five minutes. Think of what would happen if she walked into Day Court, filled with petitions regarding Princess Luna, and have no idea who what anypony was talking about.” “After her outburst from yesterday? I highly doubt anypony will dare ignite the princess’ wrath like that again. And even then, the Mage Council will be present. You can cast an alteration spell on the princess’ mind and make her say whatever she needs to, and with that ridiculous hat concealing your magic, nopony will be any the wiser. Now, will you please let me say my piece?” Reluctantly, Starswirl fell silent. “Let’s hear this.” “I say that we alter her memories to make her believe Princess Luna is on a diplomatic mission to the Griffon Kingdom, but due to unrest on the border, is unable to immediately return. That can probably buy us a month, if we’re lucky.” “Then you know the farce can’t be kept going forever,” Starswirl said. “Which is why we’ll reveal the truth,” Rose Petal answered assuredly, raising her head in confidence. “Little by little, the spell will be decreased, making it as gradual as possible until it’s like she never forgot the Lunar Rebellion, except for one detail: her involvement. No matter what, she can never be allowed to learn that she herself banished her own sister to the moon. The guilt would kill her, just like it is now. At least, that is what I have to say on the matter.” “Oh really?” asked Starswirl, raising his eyebrow at the mare. “And what does Princess Celestia have to say on the matter? Or is that unimportant? Do you truly intend to erase her memories against her will?” Rose Petal didn’t flinch at the remark; rather, her luminescent eyes remained steady in resolve. “It’s like you said, Starswirl. Equestria is collapsing because Princess Celestia is collapsing, and for the sake of Harmony, we can’t allow that to happen. We need to preserve her power and strength at any cost, even if her weakness lies in herself.” “I know, which is why I am going to agree with you. But what of yourself? Because I know those are not your true motivations. No, it’s something more personal, isn’t it?” “And so what if it is?” Rose Petal snapped defensively. “Is it so wrong of me to want to spare her this kind of suffering? Her memories are only hurting her; they’re only holding her back. I just wish for her to be happy, and if that means living her life in oblivion, then so be it.” “Is that so?” The Mage’s voice was the soft questioning of a parent berating a child. “Or is that just how you believe you can be happy? Is that just how you intend to cope with loss?” Loss. With angry conviction, Rose Petal squashed down the painful memories that accompanied that little word. “Why does it matter to you?” “Because,” Starswirl replied simply, maintaining his composure, “in the end, these are the questions you will be asking yourself. I can have a memory alteration potion ready for you by tonight, but my involvement stops there. Then, it will be up to you whether or not to actually use it. I will not pass judgment either way. Remember, we can always find another solution.” Despite his assurance, Rose Petal still eyed him warily. “Why would you give me free rein on using such powerful magic?” As he sighed, the youthful sunlight shined in stark contrast to his gaunt, grim features. He may have been only a few years older than Rose Petal, but the weary look in his eyes was one of a stallion decades older, far too old for a newly ascended Grand Mage. Perhaps it was stress or work that aged him, but Rose Petal knew better. It was loneliness. “I won’t lie to you, Rose Petal,” he began. “I won’t pretend to know all the answers, especially when it comes to the affairs of other ponies. You obviously know Princess Celestia better than I, so perhaps you do know how to best handle the situation. However, while I trust your judgment, I can’t help but question your motivation. Do you wish to erase Princess Celestia’s memory solely for her benefit, or do you intend to gain something for yourself as well? Neither answer is necessarily right, but while they might seem the same, they are in fact entirely different. I leave you with that thought, Miss Petal.” Taking that as her cue to depart, Rose Petal inclined her head respectfully before turning for the door. “May the heavens protect you this day,” she said in the traditional farewell before adding, “and Fate look kindly upon us in our endeavor.” “I never believed in fate or chance,” Starswirl replied. “Both are far too arbitrary. If this ploy is to succeed, it will because of its own doing, nothing more. Instead, I choose to believe in you, for your decision has the power to spare all of Equestria from the wrath of Princess Luna.” “No,” Rose Petal said firmly before checking herself. “Well, not the last part at any rate. If this plan has a hope of working, all mention of Princess Luna must be eradicated, must disappear to be replaced by another name.” “Oh?” Starswirl asked with a raised eyebrow. “And what would that name be?” Rose Petal paused to contemplate the matter before pronouncing the words that would ring across the pages of Equestria’s darkest legends for a thousand years. “Princess Luna is dead. Today is born the Mare in the Moon. Nightmare Moon.” Kindness. Laughter. Generosity. Honesty. Loyalty. Magic. A kaleidoscope of fractured light bathed Celestia in shards of its dimmed radiance. Warm amber, shining sapphire, and brilliant amethyst melded together to form vibrant and lively patterns, ever-shifting with the subtle steps of the mother sun, now muted beneath grey clouds by its mistress. From the vault’s opening, Celestia’s dull eyes listlessly traced the shimmering colors, as if searching for a secret answer sleeping in the depths. The princess raised her bowed head to look up at the hallowed magical gems seated upon their plinths, their thrones of gold. She had always looked to the Elements of Harmony for answers in the past though, hadn’t she? They were the guiding principles upon which her kingdom had been founded on. Their power had defeated the god of chaos, restored harmony to the world, and upheld the Celestial Diarchy. So why did they have to fail her now? Celestia shut her eyes and jerked her face away as the light of the Elements converged on her small, lithe form and robed her in a gown of rainbows and harmony. A shudder ran through her spine, as if to shake off the heavy mantle. She hadn’t wanted this, or rather, if she had at one point, she didn’t want it now. She was an agent of harmony, but that was just it. She was its servant, forced to comply without any say in the matter. She herself held none of its power. She may have been Princess of Equestria, but for Harmony’s sake, she always subjected herself to the will of the people. Maybe she wouldn’t have minded if it didn’t hurt so much. After having everypony else take from her, would it really be so wrong to be selfish? Would it be wrong to reject Harmony and follow her heart just one time? The hard facets stared the princess down unfeelingly, as aloof and unsympathetic as frozen in oceans of ice. Ironic, how emotionless kindness and laughter could feel. Emotionless, but not distant. No, never distant. Even now, Celestia could feel the bonds that firmly tied her to her Elements of Kindness, Generosity, and Magic, and lesser but still present, the bonds to Luna’s Elements of Honesty, Laughter, and Loyalty. How sad and lost those last three felt, so violently ripped from their Bearer and left with no option but to cling to the closest harmonious equivalent, Celestia. It would almost be pitiful, that is, if Celestia could feel anything but contempt towards them. They didn’t deserve to mourn Luna’s banishment. They were the ones that turned on her, knowing fully well what the outcome would be. There was no doubt in Celestia’s mind. The Elements of Harmony had created Nightmare Moon. ~~~ Darkness had engulfed Equestria. Like a roaring wave, it cascaded over the horizon, as if overflowing from the universe’s filled teacup to spill over the land, leaving nothing but a shadowy mist in its wake. It seeped into towns, sucking energy from the light of lone candles and replacing it with a fear that wrapped its cold fingers around the ponies’ hearts, snuffing them out. The complacent moon watched from her place just above the horizon as panicked ponies ran terrified into the streets and screamed tidings of the apocalypse. How tragic that she was in no position to see their petrified little faces for herself. So she settled instead for casting an indifferent eye upon them as she wavered in her place in the sky. She kept dipping in and out of sight, like nothing more than a bobbing cork in the sea of space as the celestial tug-of-war took place. And all the while, her milky-eyed gaze shone down on Castle Everfree, where there abided the two mares that were fighting for her fate. Celestia felt the moonlight drip like tears upon her tightly closed eyes while the energy of sunlight shifted around her in a swirling mass of golden brilliance. Despite the dire situation, her hooves were firm upon the cobblestone, her teeth gritted in resolve. Through a tired haze, she strained to conjure up more magical energy, letting it well up from deep within her core. She pushed it up to the very surface before letting it seep through to dance on her white coat, now alive with a million stars. It was excruciating. She may as well have been tearing one of her legs from its joint for all the pain it caused. Yet still she persisted, even as it felt as though she were burning her insides raw. Ignoring the stinging agony, Celestia focused her magic, packing it tighter and tighter, funneling it to the very tip of her horn until with a gut-wrenching cry, she let it all explode. A beam of white-hot magic shot up into the sky with an earth-trembling quake that sent Celestia flying backwards into the wall. The fallen princess weakly raised her head and let her eyes flutter open to see her sister lying prone by the base of the dais on the opposite end of the throne room. Looking up through the newest hole in the ceiling, she watched as Luna’s navy blue magic spiraled up into the sky, only to be intercepted by Celestia’s stronger spell on its rocket course to the heavens. She let out a relieved sigh as the gentle pink and orange hues of day washed over her before letting her head fall back down to the floor with a clunk. Five times. Five times she had managed to raise the sun in the past hour. That was all she could do for now. The exhausted alicorn writhed on the ground and whimpered in pain, only to be matched by louder, more frustrated cries from her sister. “Give up, Luna!” Celestia shouted as she panted for breath. “Stop… fighting. Neither of us… can go on… anymore, so… just surrender. End… this madness, sister.” Her only answer was an enraged howl from Luna. “How dare you?!” she screeched, stumbling to her hooves. “I am the Princess of the Night! I won’t be subjected to you anymore!” Celestia watched as her sister practically dragged herself across the hall with her forelegs. Her chest was heaving, rattling breaths clawing their way out of her throat, now bloody raw from screaming. Sweat poured down her pale face, and her clouded eyes threatened to roll back in her head. Every so often she would direct what was most likely supposed to be a feral growl at Celestia, but through the ears of a loving sister, they were nothing more than pitiful whimpers. She can’t fight me, Celestia thought. She raised the moon four times, and she’s even more drained than I am. She can’t expect to win. A sudden rumbling brought Celestia out of her reverie. She looked up to see the Elements of Harmony rise from the stone ground and present themselves to the princess of night. Her eyes passed greedily, hungrily over the powerful artifacts as she gripped them in her navy blue aura. Her very darkness seemed to such the light and color from the gems, leaving them devoid of all life, their stony glares reviling her. Laughter, Honesty, and Loyalty surrounded their Bearer, now a completely different mare. Her eyes glinted with a spark of cruelty, her billowing mane covered her in a deceptive shadow, and her voice rang with betrayal as she commanded, “Bestow upon me your power, O Harmony, so that I may reclaim my rightful throne and usurp the sun in favor of eternal night!” Celestia’s heart dropped in her chest. A scream, an awful, desperate scream rang out, slipping from her blanched lips as she watched her sister reach out to touch the jewels, all the while deaf to her cries. The moment Luna’s hoof touched the three Elements, Celestia’s screams were replaced by her own. Bolts of lightning erupted from the artifacts and sent jolts of pain coursing through Luna’s body. Her back arched as she cried out, tears springing to her eyes. “Luna!” Celestia shouted, running straight into the storm. She winced as the negative energy of the lightning flailed her skin like a whip, but her steps didn’t slow. Her pastel colored mane flowed behind her like a valiant flag, but it only served to remind her of just how dire the situation was that it required her to be at full power. The only times she had to tap into the sun’s magic was during the wars with Sombra and Discord, and now… no, she couldn’t even think it. Even as her long legs rushed forward at full speed, every step felt like she was hurtling backwards, forever losing ground. Losing, losing, losing. How much more would she have to lose? First a friend, then a lover, and now her only sister. And still she fought to win, even though she had lost long before this point. Maybe she had lost from the very beginning. Maybe she never had anything to lose at all. Suddenly, Celestia was thrown back by a particularly violent lightning bolt from the Elements. With a scream, she crumpled to the ground as white-hot agony stabbed her like a javelin, leaving her twitching uncontrollably. Celestia could only look on, weak and helpless, as Luna was lifted up into the air by tendrils of smoke and shadow. Her terrified eyes cried out to Celestia before they were enveloped by darkness. The darkness intensified, swirling faster and faster until it melded into a ball of molten lava, only to dissipate and reveal a far greater darkness. No, Celestia moaned. No, no, no. She refused to raise her eyes, even as peals of maleficent laughter echoed through the throne room. It was just a dream; it had to be. Just a horribly bad dream. Nevertheless, the fallen sun princess ever so slowly lifted her head, inch by inch, with her magenta eyes widening ever more as they were engulfed by a vision far more terrible than a bad dream could ever hope to be. It was the birth of a Nightmare. ~~~ “Princess?” Celestia swiveled her head around to see Starwirl walking down the hallway to meet her. It seemed to take an eternity, though perhaps it was the sheer length of the corridor. The princess sighed. She had often felt like that lately. Grief and loneliness had shrunk her, leaving everything too huge, too empty, with her left to rattle around inside. She would have scaled her entire castle down a one-room hole in the ground if it would close the distance between herself and the rest of the world. “Yes? What is it?” she asked monotonously, too emotionally tired to put any feeling in the words. Celestia watched as Starswirl inclined his head before stopping about three-fourths of the way to maintain a respectful distance. It may have just been a meter or so, but entire continents might as well have separated them. “The protesters are attempting to storm the castle gates,” Starswirl relayed. “The Guard has been dispatched to keep the peace, but there are hundreds of ponies, all demanding to speak to you.” “Send them away,” Celestia ordered, all emotion drained from her voice, leaving it hard and indifferent. “Princess, they want answers,” Starswirl replied, this time with a bit more softness. With tired eyes, Celestia looked up once more at the Element of Magic. “I don’t have them,” she said, her voice breaking like brittle porcelain. “Send them away.” The Grand Mage’s eyes darted warily back and forth between the alicorn and the Elements of Harmony. “Princess Celestia, we discussed the Elements before. It’s too much of a risk to use them to bring Princess Luna back.” “I know,” Celestia replied, her eyes cast to the ground. “I’m not so arrogant as to believe I can wield all six alone. Or at least, I’m not that arrogant now. I witnessed firsthoof the consequences of such actions; I won’t make that same mistake again, no matter how much I wish there was another way.” Celestia sighed in resignation. “How many ponies are out there?” she asked as wearily as if the question itself was sapping her energy. “Well over four hundred.” “Then tell Apple Harvest to announce that I will be holding a press conference tomorrow,” the princess ordered, standing up in a position of regality. “I don’t know how much good it will do, since I don’t have the answers myself, but if it will qualm their concerns, then I suppose it must be done. After all, I wouldn’t want them to worry.” Starswirl widened his eyes, half in approval and half out of pity. She was too good at ruling, even as it threatened to take everything good and joyful from her. “You do love Equestria, don’t you, princess?” asked Starswirl, his voice soft with wonder. Celestia took one last look at the Elements of Harmony before slamming the vault door shut. “Maybe a little too much.”