Time had stopped. The surrounding crowds’ laughter roared on, but it never reached the silently cold corner that the two stood in.
Celestia was furious, but her red hot anger was suffocating against the cold fury that she was facing. Two flames cannot burn at once, sooner or later, one will always devour the other, and as they stood now, Velvet’s was winning. The Solar Princess had found herself taking a step away from the mare that was barely half her size.
Move aside.
Those words had been an order. The Solar Guards couldn’t believe their eyes. A noblemare, a simple unicorn, had stared down their goddess, and had given her an order. Not a request with no respect behind it, which was something they had seen before, but a true order- One that promised dire consequences if disobeyed.
An order Princess Celestia had heeded.
The cold fire had won. Celestia's own anger had burned out as suddenly as if it had simply run out of fuel to burn off of; and without thinking or even realizing she had done it, she had stepped back, and out of Velvet’s way.
Time was still frozen. Even as Velvet’s shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, and she walked quietly past her princess without a word or another glance; it was as if time itself was too stunned to tick forward.
Celestia and Velvet both froze without quite knowing why- One in breathing, and the other in motion. Shining seemed to stumble, having felt it as well, but without understanding what it was, or could be. The second hand ticked forward.
Then the illusion shattered altogether, and time and magic rushed forward as if a damn had been broken, Canterlot shaking underneath it all.
Celestia’s head snapped up, her ears swivelling as she felt out with her own magic in an attempt to understand what it was that she had just felt. The party around them had broken into frightened murmurs and whispering. The other unicorns had felt that second surge too. What concerned Celestia more in that moment, however, was what the first could have been. The barrier had hummed, if only for a split second, as if someone had pulled sharply upon it, before letting it snap back into place. Someone teleporting in or out could have done it, except that there was nopony strong enough outside of herself or Luna that could have accomplished such a feat. Even then, it didn’t make sense- Transport through Canterlot wasn’t restricted, there was no reason for anypony to even try and teleport outside of the walls, the barrier wouldn’t stop ponies from simply walking in or out. There was simply no reason to, no sense for it at -
“PRINCESS!”
Sound seemed to distort, time felt as if it was laughing, She was moving too slowly as she span around to face the guard that had just burst his way through the doors, panic clear on his expression as he blurted out in a way that was barely within comprehension that the barrier was broken, gone- Just simply gone, shattered beyond existing.
Then before she could question it, or even think to ask him what was going on, his eyes lost their light as a brighter one flashed behind him, the guard behind him, who only a second ago had held panic of her own, was now smirking as her horn lost its glow, she being the one to have struck him down. Time was laughing louder as the blue of her eyes spread out beyond her iris, devouring the black, and then the white of her eyes as her fur scorched to shimmering charcoal under green flames and screams began to echo out as the laughter grew louder; and Celestia realized with a crash that it was her niece that was laughing, high, shrill and metallic as green flames spread out from the wedding table, burning all to ash as it blackened Cadence’s and her servants’ fur, turning it to shining black chitin as the laughter just roared louder because it was all so damn funny.
Shining said something, or tried to shout, but was cut off as his false bride, wife, kissed him, causing his eyes to glaze over with a sickly green shimmer as the life just seemed to drain out of him, causing him to collapse against the cold scorched wood. Celestia’s mind was choking, even as the colour drained out of Cadence’s mane, leaving it a long dull teal, and then it was an old enemy standing across the room from her, fangs shining in gleeful, knowing victory, as if the Changeling Queen before her held something precious and deadly, something that could shatter everything Celestia knew, and she couldn’t look away from those slitted eyes, as Chrysalis whispered her damnation.
You’ve lost again, Celestia.
Dark blue feathers blocked her view, and her sister’s voice forced time and sound to some resemblance of sanity, if only for a moment.
“Sister! Go! The Elements! You must gather them, quickly! I’ll hold her off, but you must hurry! Quickly now, go!”
It took all of her force of will for Celestia to turn her back on her beloved little sister, and run away from the chaos, the Bearers under her wings and flying by her side, racing together to where the Elements lay.
And time was laughing still, louder than Chrysalis, laughing that it was already too late, too late, unheard by the Bearers who charged forth blindly in trust and pride, ignored by Celestia, who’s ears were blocked as always... but heard by a grey unicorn mare, who’s breathing stopped for just a moment, before steel and an old promise settled within her eyes, and she laughed a challenge back; and then Velvet followed those fools forward, without a flicker of hesitation.