//------------------------------// // Innocence (part two) // Story: The Conversion Bureau: Judgement Day. // by Magenta Cat //------------------------------// -Wisdom Celestia appeared in the middle of a road. It looked like it was in a countryside but she couldn't identify where. It’s not earth and she already lost any hope of being in Equestria since there was no place like this since the Disaster but she didn't want to remember that. Instead she greeted the warm sensation of the calm scenery in front of her, the soft breeze, the kind sun, the relaxing sound of silence. She stretched her wing to take flight and see where she was but a cough interrupted her. "Excuse me?" Turning around in the direction of the sound, she found a woman walking down the road with a white stick in front of her and black shades covering her eyes. Dressed rather simply, a white top and jeans along with black leather boots. Tattoos and leather bands adorning her dark skinned arms and a ponytail holding her black hair. "Hi, my name is Zallman, Rachel Zallman. But you may call me Zally." "Greetings." Responded Celestia. "Are you here to judge me?" She wasn't sure, but she knew that this couldn't be a coincidence. "Not bad, it seems that you are smarter than I thought, Princess." The woman got closer to her, taking her glasses off to reveal two white eyes. She reached to the pony's face with her hands and started to palpate. "You have a very kind expression, a little bit frowned recently. Yes, I'm here to judge you, only in a simple manner. But first I want to know, why am I judging you anyway?" "You don't know?" Asked the alicorn. "Actually yes, but I need YOU to tell me. Play along or not, it's your decision as it's mine to mark you guilty or innocent." Celestia blinked for a moment realizing that she wasn't in position of questioning the rules. Meanwhile Zally pointed behind her with a thumb. "Why don't we come to my place? You can explain me while we walk." They started to walk, Celestia occasionally warned Zally about holes, rocks and any other obstacles in the road that could make the blind woman to fall. Minutes passed and then a full hour till Zally broke the silence. "Well, I'm waiting. Why did he think that I need to assess you?" "I." But something finally snapped into her mind. 'Why I'm being judged again?' She remembered one of them saying something about the humans but then the one in armor said that everything was her fault anyways. "I don't know. I've done all on my reach to protect as many as I could." "Why don't you tell me the full story?" Offered the blind. Celestia didn't want to remember again, it was too painful. But Zally didn't show any signs of malevolence, just simple curiosity, so she started her tale. It took her almost another hour to explain the whole thing. Zally was a good listener. Not brusque inquiring but obtaining her results, obviously understanding what she's hearing. Celestia surprised herself telling her everything, about the first years with the refugees, the jump from Equus and how the relationships went with earth's nations. The barrier, the failed attempts to stop it. The potion. The Bureaus. After all was said Celestia was about to cry, but Zally was already telling her that she doesn't judge her. She let the Princess talk and only asked her when something is not clear. Suspiciously, they arrived to a red house at the side of the road just in time as they stopped talking. It had only one story and seemed to be in a very good state despite having an old appearance. "Well, the road is over and I have what I wanted." Said the woman. "I only have one last question, have you ever made a mistake?" "What?" "A mistake, an error, a fail. After all you have been through, have you committed mistakes? Or are you flawless?" Celestia stepped back from her, memories assaulting her mind. Various scenes from thousands of years old life flashed in front of her till one was the most prominent. The sight of a black alicorn mare shouting in a thunderous voice. 'Eternal night!' "Of course I've mistaken. Nopony is perfect." When looking back at her life, the very idea of being flawless sounded impossible. "Except for a god. Aren't you supposed to be one?" Zally replied, taking her shades off again. Celestia thought again. 'I am a god, or not?' Sure she was immortal and she was abode everyone else in her world (her birth world and the one that gave her refuge) and she had the power to sustain that. 'Power and authority. Does that make a god?' She stood in front of the house as Zally looked back at her till she finally came with an answer. "I'm not a god." A thunder roared from the distance and a flash of light covered the alicorn, leaving only a scorched trace in the floor. "Good answer." Said the heiress of Solomon. *** -Strength When Celestia opened her eyes again she had to blink various times to be sure that she wasn't hallucinating (a feeling that was getting alarmingly common). She wasn't in that countryside anymore. Instead, she was hovering on a cloud, over what looked like a village (not different from Ponyville) in the middle of a valley. "Invasion!" A desperate cry came from below. She looked down to see that the small village was inhabited by both humans and ponies as also a group of bipedal creatures that looked to be in the middle of equine and human. Curious about this and concerned for the previous cry, Celestia descended from her cloud to ground level. Once there she could see how every villager stormed into a house or hid somewhere. Nobody seemed to acknowledge her presence. One of the half equine half human creatures ran directly into Celestia's side and felt to its back. The alicorn could finally have a better look at this creature. It wasn't taller than an infant human. Its skin was covered by light coat of mint green fur, cyan human hair and a pony tail of the same color on her back, legs ending in hooves but arms with hands. It was wearing a dress and a top so Celestia assumed that it was female. Finally, a small unicorn horn between her hairs. After rubbing her head with a hand she opened a pair of golden eyes and looked at the Princess. "What seems to be the problem?" Celestia asked, wondering if this pony-human creature was supposed to be her judge. "They are coming!" She cried out loud, shaking in fear. That brought the Sun Princess some bad memories. "Who are coming?" Trying to keep a calm tone, mostly for the little girl's sake. "THEY!" Pointing a finger behind Celestia. She turned around to see a massive army marching down one of the mountains directly to the village. Humans, griffins, changelings, diamond dogs, dragons, golems, zebras, minotaurs, centaurs, goblins and so on. The only common theme was that they were all wearing the same kind of armor. Golden plates with silver borders and fluttering white capes armed with spears, swords and arrows. "Who-- What is that?" "The-they are The Horde miss. They conquer everything on their path for The Order. The Emperor from Beyond Dawn." The small pony-girl answered again. "If you can, escape for they know no mercy. Only those who submit to them and swear eternal loyalty are spared." Celestia took a moment to think about it. She was an outsider, this didn't concern her. Also, this village wasn't showing any resistance so maybe this Horde were about to spare them. And even if they won't, it wasn't her business. She was already in a lot of troubles for the last time she intervened and she didn't want to have more. But. This girl seemed really frightened for what was incoming. She thought for a moment. 'As far as I know, these villagers are innocent.' No innocent deserved to be attacked by an army like that. And as they approached she could notice, by their gestures, that they weren't going for anything less than a fight. Also, taking down an army wasn't beyond her abilities, she had made that point very clear back on earth. She was strong enough to take stand up against them. 'I can help them.' "Little one." She spoke, not in her soft motherly tone but in the regal voice of a ruler. The girl looked up to her. "Go." Pausing to look at them. "Go and tell everybody to take shelter but don't fear anymore." She was sure that at some point, in a very near future, she was going to regret her next words. "For now, this village is under the protection of the Sun." But right now her resolve was bigger than any future regret. She started to walk into the Horde's direction, small steps first but a full trot when she realized that the Horde was running too. Right before she and the fastest members of the monstrous army could meet, another thunder hit her. Only that this time it also fulminated the whole army in front of her. When the light had dissipated, a forest appeared in the place where seconds before was an ocean of weapons, a tree for every soldier. In the place where Celestia was struck by the lightning, was a glass stalagmite that refracted the sunlight with all the colors of the rainbow. During centuries, the story of how the Sun itself sent his daughter to defend the small village from the world's greatest army and the wonderful statue left to prove the veracity of that story would inspire writers and listeners for generations. The girl walked to where Celestia was hit by the thunder and smiled. "The strong ones stand up for themselves, but the stronger ones stand up for others who can't." Sentenced the last daughter of Leonidas, true son of Heracles. *** -Courage Celestia kept her race to the army, horn charged with magic, when she noticed that the army was gone. Actually, the whole place was gone. Instead, she found herself in the middle of a dessert. She tried to fly but, to her surprise, her wings felt too weak for thrust her from the ground. When she concentrated to conjure magic, the same happened to her horn, it was exhausting to even conjure the smallest spark, let alone a full spell. Without idea where she was, she did the only thing left. Walk. After various meters she started to feel tired, which wasn't natural for her either. Usually she would be able to walk an entire planet without breaking a sweat, right now she felt like her hooves were burning and even her golden plates felt too heavy to lift. The sun above her head wasn't giving her power like the one from Equus or greeting her like the one on Earth. Instead, it was tiring to even stay in its sun presence. 'How ironic.' Crossed her mind. ’Raising a sun for millenniums, connecting with another for years and now.' She took a moment before articulating the next thought. 'Now I'm about to suffer from isolation.' But refusing to give up, she still walked. Hours passed and the sun traveled from her right to her left when she finally saw something that was greeting instead of menacing. An oasis. Finding new strength in her hope, she galloped there. Tired, thirsty and her muscles crying pain in every possible way, she reached the edge of the oasis only to faint right there. Before letting darkness embrace her, she managed to see a silhouette approaching her. Then darkness. After the darkness, the dreams started. It was always the same; Equus falling to the Great Disaster, humanity mistrusting them, how the Barrier resisted any attempt to stop it. Her student burning her head, trying to find a cure along with the greatest minds from two worlds. The potion, the bureaus, the attempts of war. Thousands of lives ending just out of stubbornness and pride. Thousands of deaths that she couldn't stop. And finally, everything devoured by darkness, except for white dot in the endless black void. The white face of death, mocking her. She turned around and started to run away from the vision. It wasn't the first time she saw it in her dreams, but something about this occasion was making it way more frightening than the usual. The darkness around her softened and took the form of a hallway and then a mace. As she galloped, time seemed to slow down but she didn't stop for a moment and never slowed down. Not knowing how, but something told her that she wasn't alone in that nightmare maze. Something was down there with her. The time was now even slower, every step was taking her ages to move her. She didn't know if this was real or not. The only thought that counted was to escape. Escape from judgement, escape from mad gods, escape from this madness and from this nightmare. But overall, escape from whatever that was following her. Seconds passed. Minutes passed. Days, weeks. Months. Years. It wanted her. It wanted her to step outside of the bright parts, into the shadows. But she wasn't going to do it. She navigated the endless maze through the bright parts, always following the light. Where she was safe. Safe from it. After turning right. 'Or was that my left?' She came into a room completely white. There were no shadows in there. In the middle of the room, there was a fountain, with the statue of an owl in the middle as the water flowed from its beak to the main pool. She walked next to the pool and thought about drinking the water. It seemed clean and she was really thirsty but. 'What if this is a trap from it?' But the thirst was too much and she didn't even remembered how did water tasted. After all this time, there were lot of things she wasn't remembering neither. She still knew that her name was Celestia, that she was the princess of the ponies and their protector. She remembered her home, Equestria, as a land of happiness and plenitude. She remembered the fear. She stayed in the room without shadows, too afraid to go outside. But after a year. 'A second?'. The lights went off and the shadows devoured the white room. Out or reflex, she bent into the ground and shut her eyes. She could hear something coming closer. Some thing. But as suddenly, as a shooting star that appears only for a moment before disappearing, she remembered it all. The destruction, the escape, the death, the peace. She remembered the pain and the suffering. She remembered the Stranger and the gods. Finally, after all this time, she remembered why she was scared. ' And I have had it with the fear!' She opened her eyes. The thunder claimed Celestia, leaving the eternal soldier alone in the oasis. "It's not about being fearless. It's about fearing and still going." That was Achilles's creed. *** -Power This time Celestia knew where she was going. She was Celestia. She wasn't Celestia. She was Celestia because she had all her memories. The same things that made Celestia suffer were making her suffer too. She remembered Discord's threatening gaze and the madness that he caused. She knew about Luna and Cadance, about Twilight and Blueblood. Her family. She could feel their hearts. She wasn't Celestia because she knew things that Celestia didn't. She knew what was behind the Great Disaster and she knew what caused the Barrier to appear. She also knew how to bring humanity back, how to make real peace. And she knew what was going to happen in the end. Where, when and how Celestia would face the white face of death. And only she knew what was going to happen after that. She wasn't Celestia. Unlike Celestia, she knew everything she could want. She knew who was meant to sit on the twelfth throne, and everything about the owners of the other eleven. She knew the future of Shazam. She knew how Odin was going to die. She knew Darkseid's and Highfather’s secrets. She knew that Miracleman and the Doctor Manhattan were created by the same hand. She knew the answers Rama Kushna didn't. She knew about Unicron (she knew about Primus). She knew about the sons and daughters of Zeus. She knew what lied inside Doctor Fate's tower. She knew the Spectre's past. But there was one thing she didn't know. She didn't know what had become of Equus. What happened to her (to Celestia's) home? She was Celestia, she knew how to teleport herself. She wasn't Celestia, teleportation didn't need her energy. It wasn't even teleportation. It was more like she already existed everywhere in Celestia's world. She just needed constant focus on a point and there she was, in the middle of the wasteland that once was Equestria. The air was toxic to every living being, the water was boiled and dissipated on the atmosphere, the once fertile ground was replaced for salt and brimstone and a fire storm was ravaging everything. The skies were red as if they were bleeding. The place was uninhabitable even on a metaphysical level, just because the story said so (she knew about the story/stories). "NOOOO!" The power emerged from Celestia even before she was aware (she wasn't Celestia). The power was limitless, enough to bring back life (she wasn't Celestia!). Limitless power fighting death itself on a conceptual level (SHE WASN'T CELESTIA!). Power beyond imagination, even greater than the power of The Eleven! Nothing Her head felt in defeat. The land was still a death land. But suddenly she heard it. The voices of the past ones. Like a chorus composed of hundred/thousand/millions of voices calling her (Celestia's) name. Sun gods and goddesses, spirits from the distant past and the far future. They said only one thing. "We are the sons and daughters of the first god, the sun. Take our power." Ra, Lugh. "Our power can consume a world as it never existed. Take it!" Apollo, Inti. "We've watched life from before the concept even existed. Our power is yours, Celestia. TAKE IT!" "TAKE IT!" Then... Only a single voice, full of hope and goodwill, strong and noble. The voice that ordered the light into existence. "It's your turn." The voice was calm. "It's your turn, Celestia. It's now or never." Let there be light. "My power is yours, Celestia. Take it." Let there be light! The power of the First Light flowed inside her. Through her horn, wings and hooves. The power she thought limitless before (she wasn't Celestia) was nothing compared to this. Her hooves where the earth itself, her wings had the sky within them and her horn was the stars. Her body was the universe, every galaxy that ever existed and will exist. Bringing life back to a dead world seemed so little now she could create a universe (she wasn't Celestia). But still, even if now she was above existence itself (she wasn't Celestia) she still wanted live to exist. She still cared. "Life matters." Somewhere else, Celestia awoke with the sound of thunder. *** -Resistance Now let’s go back to reality, Celestia just had a nightmare. That's the only explanation. Celestia was inside of what seemed like a cavern, illuminated by the glow of several torches on the rock walls. She was alone. "Hi?" She called, hoping for someone to respond her. "Hi there." Someone replied. "I've been waiting for you." She heard steps followed by chains behind her. Turning around, she saw an alicorn walking to her. Its coat shined like bronze and its mane was made out of bronze, like the metallic version of a crystal pony. But the splendor of the sight was heavily reduced by the dull iron cuffs around its hooves, stomach and neck, the chains were connected to the walls, floor and ceiling, drastically reducing the alicorn's movement. To Celestia it was clear as the day, the alicorn in front of her was a prisoner. "Who are you?" Asked the Princess. "Me? I'm known as Atlas. But for you, I'm just a sinner paying its debt." It replied without too much care. "You see these chains?" Waving its hoof and making the chains tinkle, Celestia nodded. "These are connected to the world, I hold its weight and it doesn't fall apart." She cheerfully explained. "Aren't you tired?" Celestia asked, not really sure of her new companion's sanity. "As tired as an immortal can get, you know." Atlas sighed. "The world is not very light, but after the first three or four thousand years you get used to it or you lose it." A sinister grin adorned the titan's face. "But not anymore, after thousands of years, the gods finally found someone who deserves this more than I." Celestia just stared at her, not really sure if following Atlas' words but immediately feeling she knew where this was going. She didn't want to ask. "It's you by the way." As soon as Atlas said that, the chains and cuffs came to life, leaving the metallic alicorn and trapping the solar one instead. The weight was overtaking. Celestia was strong enough to stay standing but the cuffs were pulling her down, stronger by the second. Her lungs, pressed by the sheer force over her back, were barely strong enough to keep her breathing. After several minutes, she managed to get a hold on the weight. Looking up again, Celestia saw Atlas speaking to her. "Of course, you could simply quit." The titan commented. "For myself, I always hoped for there being someone whose sins were bigger than mines, but you?" It smirked. "I don't think that they will find anyone worse, so you should escape while you still can." Pointing with a hoof. "The chains will become heavier with each second." Truth to Atlas' words, the chains holding the solar princess were getting heavier and heavier. Celestia was having troubles for even thinking straight, much less moving. Using all the willpower she could assemble, she asked. "W-what-- What will happen if--" Although her voice was little more than a whisper under her heavy breath, Atlas seemed to heard her just right for the titan answered immediately. "A world dies." The bronze alicorn answered. "Wha-- " "Don't waste your breath, dear, and you heard me well. You either take your punishment or condemn a whole world to die." Atlas put a hoof over its shin, rolling her eyes in thought. "But sure, it wouldn't be the first world you doom, isn't it." It smirked again. "It should be easier by now." "I-- wo-- won't--" "Oh please, don't pretend to be so high and moral about it. Obviously a world is a fair price for your survival." "What!" The surprise combined with the adrenaline of the moment gave enough strength to say a whole word. "I mean, if you truly cared, you wouldn't just jump blind into the multi-verse, wouldn't you?" The question, that question. In her most private moments, she asked herself that same question. 'Where are we going?' They were on an emergency, the most literal end of the world was happening around them when they made the jump. But she always questioned herself about diving into the darkness. "Hey!" Atlas continued. "Still there?" Getting its head closer to Celestia's. With a hoof, the titan raised the princess' chin and looked into her eyes. Celestia could only look back in pain as the chains kept pressing down. Pain, Celestia was only feeling pain. Her muscles about to rip and her bones nigh the breaking point. "Come on, miss. You can't be this weak." Instead of its usual smirk, Atlas laughed this time. "Oh, by Chronos’ sake, you ARE this weak aren't you." Celestia wasn't hearing anymore, but by its body language she could tell that Atlas was laughing again. She didn't care, the pain was too much for even think. "You know, if you can't take this anymore, you can pass this to a replacement." Seeing how Celestia wasn't reacting at all, Atlas put a hoof over the main cuff over the princess' barrel. Just doing that and the chains lost their supernatural weight. "Aaaaaaah-huff-- aah-huff aaaaah-huff." Celestia breathed frantically, for a second she thought her veins were about to explode, but her trembling was stopped by the, still present, natural weight of her chains. "Come on lass, it took me at least a year to get like that." Atlas teased her, the sinister grin never leaving its face. "Tell you what, if you still feel some kind of moral and don't want another planet on your count, just point the blame on someone else and you're clear." The titan pointed to a crystal that Celestia didn't saw when entering the cave. The mineral's surface showed a clear vision of Cadence. "It wasn't she who proposed to gather all the magic on your world?" A wave of Atlas hoof and the image changed. This time it was Luna's face. "Or better yet, the one who actually proposed the jump." Another wave, another image. "Ah, your pupil, that Twilight girl. Her involvement in the serum's creation definitively earns her some points." "So, what do you say? Just say a name and the bastard takes your place. "Celestia didn't move. "Come on Princess, your ponies need you and any of them would gladly take your place. After all, they owe you everything, but you don't owe them anything." Celestia face was featureless, her mind pondering the possibilities. A place like earth needed a ruler, they couldn't do it for themselves. Luna was still too emotional to rule by herself, Cadence and Twilight were too young. None of them had the complete idea of what means to rule a whole kingdom, much less a whole planet. The older rulers weren't a better option, they completely lost their path during the unification. All those lives, all their progress, everything they protected and built over these years, menaced by her absence. Atlas had a point too. Ever since she could remember, she devoted herself to everyone else. Every decade, every year, every month, week and day of her life was in function of what others needed. They owed her everything, she owed them nothing. Celestia took her decision. "Ah, I can see that in your face" Atlas said when seeing Celestia's stance. "You're of a single mind now, aren't you?" No answer. "Well lady, don't give me the silence, who is going to stand under these accursed chains now?" The Princess stood still, not a single sound coming from her muzzle. "Oh, so that's your decision. Well, granted." Atlas removed its hoof from the chains. The metal immediately regained its magical weight, pressing down on Celestia again. "You know, now the chains are connected to you, you can't leave. You just lost your chance." Atlas shrugged and turned itself to the cave's entrance. "I'll leave the lights off, trust me, not seeing where you are will be a blessing after the first ten years." With that, the titan stomped the floor and the torches around them were extinguished. Celestia could barely hear the metallic hooves against the rock fading in the distance. Alone, in the dark and unable to move, Celestia did the only thing she could; She resisted. If Atlas' words were true, a whole world was now depending on her to resist. Not her old days of fighting evil or guiding other, but still a chance to do the right thing. If her past mistakes were that big too, then this was a good chance to atone for that. Celestia smiled in the darkness, peacefully accepting her new fate. It didn't last too much. Cutting the darkness, the thunder claimed her once again. *** -Speed Celestia didn't want to open her eyes. The last time she did so, she had to carry an entire world on her back. Without sight, her other senses told her where she was. The air smelled like grass, clean and recently cut. A soft breeze told her about template weather, and the warm light on her back said 'midday'. Everything around her was calm enough to ease her feelings, so she decided to open her eyes. Slowly, and one eyelid at a time. 'ZOOM!' A rush of wind hit softly her side. A man dressed with a red shirt and blue pants, wearing a metallic helmet with wings, was standing in front of her. "Hello miss, my name is-- whoa!" He raised his hands defensively as the alicorn was standing still in front of him. Wings extended and her horn pointing menacingly at his head. "No! I had it with this mockery at me!" Celestia said in the tone that only enemies who dared to menace her ponies knew. "I've been tossed around like some kind of cosmic plaything. That's what the gods do? Find someone broken enough to play with? Someone who have a past that gives them an excuse to treat her like trash?" Her voice rising with each word. "Shazam told me he was a friend, but he lied to me!" The man could see how tears started to flow from Celestia's eyes. "I may commit a mistake, I know that! But this-- This is sadistic!" Celestia's voice broke on that last syllable. "Calm down miss. I'm sorry to tell you, but I have no idea of what are you talking about." The man slowly walked closer to Celestia. "I just saw this impossibly big lightning and decided to investigate. Welcome to Keystone by the way, I'm Jay, Jay Garrick." He raised his helmet with a hand to show better his face while offering his other hand to her. Celestia didn't know what to do. She promised herself to not fall in another trap like Atlas' one. But something on this man's voice, maybe his stance, showed her something than Atlas didn't; Kindness. Doubtfully, she raised her right hoof to him. Jay took it in his own hand and slowly shook it. "My name is Celestia." She started. "Princess Celestia of Equestria. It's a--" "A kingdom from another dimension where horses, like you, rule." Jay finished the phrase for her. "Yeah, I've seen some of those in my time. Ever been in Skartaris?" Celestia didn't know what to say, or how to react for what it mattered. Jay not only seemed unimpressed by her, but he also stated seeing it before. What did that mean? Before any questions could be asked, a loud roar in the distance interrupted them from any further dialogue. Jay turned around to the city behind him, which Celestia just now noticed, and both saw how dark storm clouds hanging over it started to swirl. Slowly at first, but the cloud descended in spiral formation, taking speed with each second. Thunder and lightning accompanied the tornado that it took place in what seemed like the center of the city. "SorryPrincessbutgottago!" Was all Celestia could hear as Jay left her in a scarlet blur racing towards the city. She could only gaze in amazement at how the human was moving at Sonic Rainboom speeds, first to the city and them from it with a woman in his arms. Before anyone could react, Jay did the same, this time bringing two children. Then a man, another man, a dog and so on. So, Celestia was surrounded by all kinds of people being evacuated from the city by the scarlet speedster. "Huff." Jay finally stopped himself next to the Princess. "I'm getting old for this." He panted for a moment before putting a finger in his ear. "Flash here, emergency calling to the Justice Society of America." He stood waiting. "Flash calling, this is an emergency, innocent people in danger." Nothing but static. "That can't be good." There wasn't time for more commentaries, the tornado didn't seem to get any smaller and it already hit the ground. Taking a deep breath, Jay disappeared again in a flash. Meanwhile, Celestia was debating herself on what to do. On one hoof, she wanted to help. On the other hoof, the last time she actively tried to help, she got herself transported to that nightmarish maze. "I need to do something." Said her instinct. "Let it be, it must be another trap.” Said her reason. The internal battle stayed till she heard something. It's a well-known fact that alicorns have supernatural senses, proportionally enhanced by age. In Celestia's case, she could easily see from her old castle the whole extension of her kingdom or, right now, hear without any problem the voices of distress coming from a city under a tornado strike. "To Tartarus, I'm pretty sure that I'll be punished no matter what I do from now on. Extending her wing, taking the attention of the people around her, she went to the sky as fast as she could and heading to the city to help with the evacuation. But the winds around her made it hard to maneuver, getting stronger and quicker as she approached the tornado. With difficulty , she landed and tried to control the weather around her, but the savage winds didn't react to her golden magic. Before she could think anything else, a clear scream sounded near to her. "HELP!" It was a little girl, no older than twelve and holding for dear life on a lamppost. No time to think, only to act. Galloping as fast as she could, she took the girl in her magic and raced out of there back to outside the city. Next to Celestia, Jay appeared again. "Whoa!" He exclaimed in total surprise. "Nothing bad Princess, think you could help me here?" He didn't wait for her to answer, going back to where he came from as Celestia followed him. Over two hundred thousand inhabitants, all threatened by the natural disaster were saved that day by a familiar scarlet blur and a new white one. When everyone on Keystone City was at a safe distance, the tornado started to dissipate. Jay Garrick finally slowed down to rest as behind him, Celestia was carrying the last ones in her golden magic. Jay turned around to thank her for the help but, before he could do it, a thunder roared and the alicorn princess was hit by the lightning, completely disappearing. Reaching for his communicator, The Flash tried once again. This time the signal was clear. "Lantern? It's me, Jay. Hey, quick question, have you ever heard about a place called Equestria?" *** -The Rock Celestia couldn't see at first, everything around her was black. She looked at her own hooves but nothing appeared, her skin felt like being covered by coldness as if she was in the deep of a water body. Trying to move, she flapped her wing but nothing seemed to happen. All around her was nothingness. Not even air and she was alone. "Princess Celestia." A voice called for her. "Awake." She didn't want to move, no more, she was tired, exhausted. "SHAZAM!" The voice called again with the sound of thunder. Suddenly, every muscle in her body tensed at the same time and before she could register what was happening, her eyes opened and she found herself right back to where she left Shazam; The Rock of Eternity. "Congratulation." He put a hand in her shoulder. "I must admit, I wasn't sure if-- Whoa!" Only the speed of Mercury allowed Shazam to avoid being hit in the head by a shot of super-heated sunlight the melted part of the wall behind him. "I TRUSTED YOU!" Celestia roared, ready to unleash the heavenly lights and the hellish flames that were part of her power. The sun's might. "I TRUSTED YOU AND YOU DECEIVED ME!" Another burst of light and fire, this time hitting Shazam's throne as he only observed how the flames were powerful enough to consume magical stone. "That... can't be good." He muttered to himself as Celestia turned her head, looking at him in the eye. Slowly advancing, leaving a trace of molten rock and fire behind her, she stopped merely centimeters from him. Her whole body language screamed aggression, anger. Hate. In his time as Champion of Magic, Shazam fought a lot of evils, some of those aimed directly at him. Still, he never faced that amount of hate directed at him, and by the powers above, he hoped to never face it again. "Okay, I can see you're angry, but let's not take this out of proportion--" "OUT OF PROPORTION?!" Celestia made the Rock of Eternity to shake with her voice. "I have been trashed and forced around the stars know where!" Although she stopped using the Canterlot voice, she was still screaming. "You have any idea. ANY! IDEA! of what I've been put through?!" Shazam put an arm behind his head, rolling his eyes to advert the princess' glare. "Well, actually--" "I had to expose myself to a complete stranger!" Celestia interrupted him. "I had to watch how an unstoppable army was about to slaughter an innocent village! To wander in an eternal maze of nightmares, then trapped under the weight of an entire world!" Her face was slowly phasing from anger to pain, from pain to sorrow and finally, from sorrow to sadness. "I know I've mistaken." Celestia continued, this time in a more calmed voice. The heated air around her was suddenly cooling. "Over my mother's grave, I know that I got a lot to atone for." The solar princess was using all her willpower to prevent the tears from coming. "But that was sadistic." Two drops of water hit the floor. "I trusted you, I really did. Why did you do this to me?" Shazam looked at her again, this time, all the hate, all the wrath, all the anger was completely gone. In their place, he could only see the face of someone who knew herself betrayed. "Look, Princess, I think you're not looking at it as you should." His voice came as calming as a soft summer's breeze. "Tell me again, what happened to you?" Celestia only stared at him in disbelief. Was this another way to make her suffer? To force her to repeat her torments, only to use the still fresh memories to bring more pain at her? Well, she wasn't going to admit defeat, so Celestia started to speak. "First, a stranger threatened me into tell her my story, only to have my mistakes being brought to me, again." "From that, you accepted your flaws as a part of you." Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Go on." "Then I was transported to a small village about to be slaughtered by an army." She continued, not sure of where was this going. "And against any logic, you stepped forward to defend them, didn't you?" Shazam has his arm crossed over his chest, slightly smiling at her. "For what it was worth. I was forced out of there before doing any good." Celestia looked down. "They are safe." He assured her. "Only thanks to your decision of helping them." "I see, so you sent me on those places only to teach me a lesson." Her sadness was slowly vanishing, but she still felt betrayed. "You said those were trials." "And they were." Shazam replied before she could continue. "Is through trial how our souls can really learn any lesson. With Zally, you accepted yourself, good and bad. In the village, your impulse to help others was bigger than any doubt." "It was trapped in the maze, void of any hope, that you rediscovered your courage. A courage that helped you to resist the weight of the world and guided you into saving innocents, even if doubt was still present." Shazam opened his arms. "Don't you see? You proved yourself worthy!" Celestia could only look in confusion. "Worthy of what?" "Let me explain you something." He leaned back in his throne, which was now without fire and reconstructed. "By taking the task of protecting your world, you took the ultimate responsibility. Powers beyond any control would be with and against you since then, but there was something else." "You see, all magic has a price. For becoming your world's guardian, you gave up any chance of having a normal life in exchange. Every single moment would be a constant test, forcing you to overcome loss and sacrifice for your world's well-being, till a day when you couldn't keep it anymore, or you made the ultimate sacrifice." Celestia could only listen in silence, listening for the first time the real weight of her life choices. "When the final test came upon you, you failed. There were consequences, actions and reactions." Shazam stopped himself for a moment, knowing how delicate it was for her. "Ultimately, not only your world perished, but another one had to bear with its fall's consequences." By this point, Princess Celestia, immortal ruler of Equestria, founder of New Canterlot and savior of millions was now brought down to a very mundane act. Staring in silence at how her own mistakes destroyed everything she built. Celestia was looking at her life's debris. "But!" Shazam took her out of her own thoughts. "You still continued, you never admitted defeat. Even if your mistakes have overcome you, you are still trying. I sent you to prove that your resolution was stronger and I was right." In his face was an expression of total triumph that made Celestia to believe in him again. "If I were to declare you guilty, you would be punished in a way that would negate any chance of redemption from you." Shazam rose from his throne. "But you proved that your will to do the right thing, you showed me that your heart is in the right place. After witnessing something like that I can only conclude that your intentions are good, hence I, Shazam, Guardian of the Rock of Eternity and protector of the magical plane, declare you, Princess Celestia Solaris of Equestria, INNOCENT!" A thunder roared and a green lightning impacted Celestia, surrounding her in an emerald aura. She didn't feel anything, but she knew that she just accomplished her first victory. The first one in thirteen years. The hope of that first victory was enough to lift her defeated spirit. With a resolution she hadn't feel in ages, she dared to look at Shazam right in the eye. He walked closer to her and put an arm on her shoulder. "What will happen now?" Celestia asked Shazam. "Now, you will face your next judge, and it'll be better to not let him waiting." He directed her towards the Rock's exit. "But hear me, Princess, I'll give you a warning." As they got closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. "The others will not treat you in the same way as I did. Some of them only see you as an inferior being, others even hate you." They finally got outside the Rock of Eternity. "Be careful Princess, being a god doesn't make someone good." "Do you know who will judge me now?" She asked as he stared at the endless blue space around them. "Yes." He said in a more grim tone. "Is Odin, the father and ruler of Asgard, he, over all, feels that you deserve punishment for what happened." He looked down, but only for a moment before giving her an assuring smile. "Treat him with respect and he will have to do the same, but beware, even if the Spectre forbidden him from harming you, you're going to his world. And in the tiger's cage only counts the tiger's rule." With that last commentary, Shazam wished her the best and signaled her where to fly. With the force of her wings she followed the indicated direction, leaving behind the Rock of Eternity behind her till it disappeared from sight. In front of her, Celestia saw how the empty blue turned into gray as massive clouds took form around he. Under her hooves there was a trail made of light, illuminated with the seven colors of the rainbow. The weather was getting more violent as she advanced. There was a storm in the horizon.