“Good evening, Celina! I assume you’re doing well?”
“Desmond! I’ve had enough! This is our kingdom!”
“Our?”
“Yes! My brothers and sisters will have their thrones back!”
“I’m afraid the only thrones that belong to your siblings are coffins.”
“...No...”
“Do not blame me, my dear. I thought that they and I had come to an agreement, but apparently they weren’t fond of their new personalities that I, ah, insisted upon them. Their deaths were of their own accord.”
“NO! YOU BASTARD! DESMOND!”
“Oh now now, Celina. You should know I have grown tired of that name. I have decided on something more fun, more fitting... something along the lines of, Discord.”
Chapter 16
When this is over...
The weather was as stark and monochromatic as the cliff face on the outskirts of Fillydelphia overlooking the fields leading to Canterlot. Gilda the Griffon sat alone at a rocky balcony, away from anypony that would get the bright idea to talk to her. She was only in this battle for her own benefit, so that she wouldn't be hunted anymore, or get gipped out of a decent paying job. She looked at the bustling city across the open fields. The innocent ponies cramming into the trains to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Gilda spat at the ground. Oh how she wished that they would stay, so they could pay, and face their dismay when she ruined their day in revenge for how many times they ruined her day...
"Hi! Whatcha doing all the way out here? Come join the party." Spitfire had flown down from the dozens of chatting ponies onto the cliff below. Gilda snorted. Why was she the least bit interested in talking to her? She didn't do any favors for this pegasus. She just continued to stare out at the plains and hoped that this problem would disappear. Surprise, it didn't.
Spitfire swept the ground with her left hoof as she tried to find the right words to say for this griffon. She decided to just talk and let the words come to her. "So, I heard you used to be Rainbow Dash's... friend?"
Gilda pointed one of her eyes at Spitfire. "Emphasis on used to be."
"Well, she talks about you a lot. She said, 'I never would have gotten past mach 1 if it weren't for Gilda. She's rough around the edges but she's the best friend I've ever had.'"
"What the hell? That's the sappiest thing I've ever heard. Dash don't care about me."
Spitfire was wearing an innocent smile that made Gilda sick to her stomach. "You're saying that now, but you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to fight alongside her."
Gilda pointed her index talon at Spitfire. "I'm only here because I'm pissed off at Celestia and wanna kill something."
"Keep telling yourself that." This orange pegasus still hadn't left. "Can I keep talking?" she asked.
"Go ahead. Maybe I won't eat you."
She seemed to find this amusing, and for some reason she wasn't afraid of what should be a terrifying beast of a half breed. Then again, maybe mach speeds were scarier than a griffon in her mind. So, she sat quietly next to Gilda and tried to find the right words.
"If you're half as good as Rainbow Dash, you would make a great Wonderbo- I mean, Shadowbolt. Still getting used to that."
"Why not sign her on, then?"
Spitfire shuffled her hooves. "Um... well... I don't want to hold her back."
"The hell does that mean?"
"Rainbow Dash can only go so far if she flies with us." Spitfire said. "She would only fly in formation with us, she'd hardly stay in one place, she wouldn't be able to visit her friends too often, the list goes on. She's become a much better flyer on her own." She looked back, to ensure that Rainbow Dash wasn't listening. "To tell you the truth, I really envy her."
"Uh huh."
"You, however... you seem like you need somepony to point you in the right direction. Lost your way, much?"
Gilda started to shake her head in denial, but stopped midway through and nodded. "Yeah, I'm lost. Rainbow Dash pulled me down below the clouds and it's hard to go back."
"Your focus is all out of wack. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
Gilda wasn't about to refuse alcohol, but she paused for a moment. What just happened?
"You're all here for a reason, obviously. It varies from pony to pony. Maybe you sympathize with our cause and want to lend a helping hoof. You could have been hiding in the shadows, as part of this genocide of half breeds. Maybe you are a half breed. Either way, we are all united in the aftermath of a tragic occasion. Hephaestus Ironwright's death will not be in vain. Either we go down fighting for what's right, or we create a new world."
Heretic bowed to the several dozen Lunar Republic soldiers below him, and they bowed back. Heretic was too caught up in his own thoughts and calculations to revel in this moment he had dreamed of. Commanding an army! Keeper and the rest of the refugees up front and many more ponies caught in vengeful emotion after watching Hephaestus' hanging. Heretic thought he'd be more excited. He knew what was at stake, though. It wasn't a matter of being amazing and showy. It was about keeping every one of these soldiers alive.
"You are the best we could ever have, given the circumstances. We only have so much time to make our last minute preparations for this battle, because as you all heard, at the time of approximately 1:53 AM, we will have lost."
Luna had appeared to them earlier in the week to inform her subjects of the impending solar eclipse conjured up by Celestia, that would grant her enough power to wipe out every half breed in Equestria at her command. The news was necessary, as it put what was at stake into focus, but it had quickly turned a rough and tough group of ponies ready for action into an anxious team of worry worms, hoping to the divines that they didn't make a mistake on the battlefield lest Cerberus and the rest of the half breeds die inadvertently at their hooves. They would set out five hours to midnight. After that, well, anypony's life was at stake.
Judas Blackwing groaned at the melancholy tone of Heretic's speech. She shoved him aside (More gently than usual) to step things up a bit. "Okay, I don't care how religious any of you sods are. Fate has no play in this battle. Why is that important?" She answered her own question by clenching her forehooves together. "I'll tell you what it means; THERE'S. NO. REASON. FOR US. TO LOSE. By pure emotion we can tear through probability and destiny and force our way down the path we choose to make." She pointed her hoof to the cloudy sky. "Zecora is right; Equestria will bloom like a flower! We will move forward, beyond Celestia's restrictions, creating a new future for the freaky mutant children she loathes so much. We won't stop moving forward, even after we pierce the heavens themselves!"
That was more like it. The Lunar Republic soldiers stood on their hind legs and cheered for Judas. Heretic, however, was less than thrilled.
"Judith, could I talk to you in secrecy?"
Behind the dead trees bordering the edge of the cliff, Heretic led Judas away from the now optimistic soldiers. Winter Solstice was meditating nearby, though the voice of her companions bothered her little. If anything, it gave her strength.
"I'll put this as lightly as I can, Judith." said Heretic.
"It's JUDAS."
Heretic's little thread of patience snapped. "I command this army, I'll call you whatev-" he took a long breath. "Apologies, et cetera."
"Wow, Bubblemint. I didn't know you had emotions."
Heretic grumbled at the use of his real name, even though he felt he deserved it. He paced back and forth. "I'm... for the first in my life, I worry for the loss of life. Everything I do, I mentally calculate the outcome and tweak my approach to find the best chance for success, whether it be grocery shopping, bug hunting or... planning a life or death battle for Equestria. This all happened so fast. When did all this begin?"
"I remember we got into Ponyville near the end of summer, then by the time autumn was coming around, Solstice fired off that megaspell and made it winter. Now spring is coming up."
"Hmm... well, I suppose our first order of business if we survive will be the annual Winter Wrap Up."
"WHEN we survive."
"That... is actually why I pulled you aside, Judit-" Heretic shook his head. "Judas. We lie on opposite sides of the spectrum of idealism and cynicism. I occupy the latter, whereas you hold the former. My point is, no matter how much number crunching I attempt, the possibility of survival until midnight not including the actual odds of victory are less than-"
Judas did the last thing that Heretic expected of her. She hugged him and gave him a small kiss above his left eye. "You talk too much. Trust me, Bubblemint, I'm a realist too. Reality is, we may or may not win this war. That means there's a chance, and that's as good as a hundred percent. Besides, the odds never mattered to me. I'm Judas effing Blackwing!"
Judas flew back beyond the dead trees to give more pep talk to her troops. Heretic knew he was imagining it, but he swore for a moment that he could see a visible stream of fighting spirit traveling in her wake.
Another kiss was given that evening, by Rainbow Dash to her beloved Pinkie Pie, after they had engaged in utter ecstasy, out of sight and out of mind by anypony else. Rainbow Dash had been waiting for the calm before the storm to whisper intimately into Pinkie Pie's ear that they should savor the moment, in any way and every way possible. After an hour of hushed moaning and repeated uttering of each other's names, they were blissfully satisfied and somewhat sweaty, lying intertwined against the biggest tree they could find.
Rainbow Dash had her eyes closed with a smirk adorning her face. Her eye twitched when she heard Pinkie Pie munching on something, and she opened her eyes to see Pinkie munching on her multi-colored mane. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means, Rainbow Dash somewhat enjoyed the slight yanking feeling on her scalp. Just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.
"Why are you doing that?" asked Rainbow.
Pinkie stopped chewing. "It tastes like every delicious thing in the whole wide world at once and it tickles my tongue!"
Rainbow put her hoof on the back of Pinkie's head and pulled her in close. "You are so random. That's why I love you." She gave a sigh of pure happiness. "I can die now."
"Why would you want to die, Dashie?"
"Well, not literally, what I mean is-"
"For the luvva dirt!" Shouted Applejack, trotting away from Fillydelphia. "Ah can't go two weeks without seein' you lovebirds in a compromising position. There's a hotel half a kilometer away!"
"Nice to see you too, AJ." said Rainbow. She and Pinkie Pie slowly let go of each other to stand back up. "Half a kilo is half a kilo too far. Besides, I know you enjoy the show."
"Ah already told ya, my barn door don't swing that way."
"Sure it don't swing both ways?"
"Why in tarnation are we even having this conversation?"
"I'm just trying to ease the tension. We're going to war, you know."
"You've already eased the tension with Pinkie Pie!"
Rainbow Dash looked back at Pinkie, who was laying on the ground in a sultry position. Rainbow had to struggle to keep her wings down. "AJ, the army's over there." She pointed to the sound of Judas' ongoing monologue. "Whether you leave or not, Pinkie and I are gonna- WOAH!" Rainbow had to do a double take. The second time she looked back she saw two Pinkie Pies.
"What the hell?! Pinkie Pie, is this one of your stunts? And if so, why didn't you do it sooner?"
"Dashie! It's a changeling!" said both Pinkie Pies at the same time.
Rainbow Dash, along with everypony else, dreaded the reappearance of the Changeling hive. They had prepared for this with questions that only the real pony would know the answers to. "What is the full nickname that the real Pinkie gave me?"
The Pinkie Pie on the left smiled and spoke without pausing to think. "Dashiewashieloveydoveysuperchocolatelyfudgecoatedvanillafrostedwithcherryontopwithextrasprinklesandwhippedcreamdoubleshotofcaffieneultrasmexyspankmyassandcallmesusiewoosie!"
A slightly more flustered Rainbow Dash pounced on the one on the right, the false Pinkie. "Show your ugly mug! Imma pound you so hard the whole hive will feel it!"
The changeling did away with the false face and revealed its black skeletal body and neon green eyes. It protested in Applejack's voice. "Ah'm on yer side! We all are!"
"Oh please! That's exactly the thing you would say! You're just one big lie! Eat this!" Rainbow Dash found her hoof held back by Applejack (The real one, not the one with the false... you get the idea), who had been yelling at the pegasus to stop the whole time.
"He's tellin' the honest truth!"
Rainbow Dash wouldn't hear it. She stared Applejack down. "How do I know you're not a Changeling?"
"Because Ah know pretty darn well what Ah am. If that ain't good enough, well, lookit this here!" Applejack pointed to the apple shaped gem hanging from her neck. It was the Element of Honesty. "They can't imitate these."
Three more changelings, in their native insect-like form, came into view from behind the trees and stood next to Applejack. They took her form, and talked in Rainbow Dash's voice simultaneously.
"The Queen sends her regards."
Heretic was absolutely giddy. He was prancing back and forth around a rather young Changeling that had offered to speak for the 'hive.'
"This is most ingenious! I had heard of the Changelings but I thought Celestia had all but exterminated them. Then the attack on Canterlot on the day of Princess Mi Amore Cadenze's wedding occurred and I regretted not being there in person to witness it, because I must study these creatures. I must know, is their innate ability to transform magical or biological? Either way, I could manufacture a concoction that could make everypony able to do this, temporarily of course-"
Judas bopped Heretic on the forehead to stop him his near unintelligible ranting and obsessing over one of the Changelings, who had taken on his form. "Take a breath before you pass out, dude." said Judas.
Rainbow Dash was the only one out of Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Heretic, Judas and Winter Solstice who was still none too happy about anypony trusting a Changeling. "Okay, time for us to ask the questions." she said. "Why are you suddenly on our side?"
"As your friend said before-" said the Changeling, still using Rainbow Dash's voice.
"Okay, hold on, can you use your own voice? That's just creepy."
"I don't have one. I can use another."
"Please. Anypony but me."
The Changeling cleared his throat, and his voice became a deep and strong one. Hephaestus Ironwright's voice. "The hive was initially much larger, spread out across Equestria as a dormant race. Some of us worked as servants for the Princesses. Others lead normal, peaceful lives, treated as regular ponies. At least, that was until the fall of Discord. Princess Celestia... changed. She had us 'exterminated' by the hundreds, until only a few dozen remained. We fled to the outlands and formed a monarchy of our own, until such time that we could strike back."
"And I sat back and watched, laughing the whole time." said Princess Luna, who had quietly entered the vicinity. "It's a shame Queen Chrysalis' methods were so... devious, otherwise I would have struck a deal with her. She may have been victorious."
"You saw how well that went." said the Changeling as he grimaced. "Thanks, by the way. You punched me in the nose."
Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs. "I'm not sorry. If I'm right, you were one of the ones ganging up on Fluttershy, yeah?"
"The yellow one? Yes, I was one of the ones copying you. You're just... fun to be." The changeling chuckled, his voice shifting slightly back into Rainbow's. "When I was you, I just felt great. Like I could take on the Princess by myself."
Heretic had a broad smile on his face. "So... Changeling, if I may call you that..."
"My kind have no names. Refer to me as you wish."
"Okay, I shall call you Alpha for future reference, as you are our first contact into Changeling kind. What do you have to offer the Lunar Republic in the last moments before the struggle?"
The Changeling Alpha barred his fangs in a grin. "Would the the entire hive be of any assistance?"
Everypony looked upward. While most were utterly stunned by what they saw, Luna and Winter Solstice were stoic as ever, and Heretic looked like he would explode from pure ecstasy.
Hundreds and hundreds of Changelings filled the sky and joined the soldiers of the Lunar Republic. In mere moments, Luna's forces had grown from a mere several dozen, to...
"Five hundred and twenty six!" yelled Heretic as he jumped in place alongside Pinkie Pie. "Hahahaha! I can't believe it! I must calculate this! It changes everything!"
While at first, the soldiers were reluctant to trust the Changelings, but as they saw that the hive was being friendly rather than threatening, a bond was quickly made.
"We may not have enough armor to fit them, but their skeletal structures will be a fine substitute. Even without that, this increases our odds of survival by a fantastic margin." Heretic kept muttering to himself as he crunched numbers in his head.
Applejack, Pinkie Pie and a more trusting Rainbow Dash were just as excited. Their inner dread had been erased in a matter of minutes and they weren't afraid to show it. They might just make it out alive, they thought.
Alpha approached the three of them and used Twilight Sparkle's voice to get their attention. "There's something else. Clearly the only way to defeat Celestia is to use... these."
Five other Changelings flew down from the trees, presenting the Elements of Harmony hanging from their necks. Rainbow Dash had almost forgotten that Applejack was wearing hers in the heat of the moment.
"How did you get those?!" she shouted in awe.
"Well, it's obvious, silly!" said Pinkie Pie as she equipped her necklace. "They waltzed into the castle, one of them changed into Celestia, unlocked the vault, and they all carried the Elements out of the castle disguised as royal guards!"
Rainbow's eye twitched. "That's so stupid, it sounds plausible."
"That's more or less what happened." said Applejack. "Ah just happened to meet them halfway. Ah knew Ah could trust 'em because the first thing they did was give me the Element of Honesty."
Rainbow Dash felt good with the Element of Loyalty back where it belonged, around her neck. "These little buggers thought of everything. Hey, we oughta get the other three Elements to Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight. Where are they, anyway?"
Meanwhile, Princess Luna spoke quietly to Judas. "Major Blackwing."
"Is that what you're calling me now?"
"Of course. You are more or less leading this battle."
"Heh... I am, aren't I?"
"Yes indeed. Would you come with me for a moment? There is something you should see. It's about your brother."
At a gap in the trees, the east side of the cliff face looked out onto the empty field where the moon was beginning to rise above the horizon. There stood Cerberus, wearing a new jet black cloak adorned with exotic lunar patterns that Rarity had prepared for him. Fluttershy stood beside him in the most gorgeous white dress, lined with small sapphires, the half dragon's favorite kind of gem. They held their right hooves together, determined to hold on as long as they could.
Luna approached them cautiously to avoid upsetting the moment. "Shall we begin?"
Cerberus didn't look away from Fluttershy for a second. "Are you ready, love?" he asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be, darling." she whispered.
Luna looked to her son, more proud of him than she had ever felt before.
Once upon a time there was a scared, emotionally starved half dragon who fought for survival, to live another horrid day. Only a few stood by his side, to help him find his true calling, until a time came when he met a select few ponies from whom he learned how to trust. Despite circumstances threatening to take all that away from him, he had come farther than any half breed preceding him. He had found friends, a home... and a bride.
Luna cleared her throat and spoke to a group of three, the only guests permitted to see Cerberus and Fluttershy's private wedding. "We are gathered here on this late winter evening for a momentous occasion. Though the fear of death still looms in our minds, there are ways to overcome it, through feelings of happiness, pleasure, and love. As such, as a reminder of what we are all fighting for, we celebrate the first marriage of a young mare and a half breed in Equestrian history... of course, we will have to make this official when this is over." The three guests, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Judas, chuckled at Luna's little joke. "Now, the bride and groom shall recite their vows."
Cerberus took a deep breath. "Well, um... I'm just making this up as I go... well, Fluttershy... there's nothing I can say that hasn't been said before. It's been a lot of fun, getting to know you, learning how to love. I suppose I had a lot of love to give but I never had the opportunity. I owe you my life for giving me the opportunity, so I'm giving my love to you today."
Fluttershy had that old look in her eyes. Wide, sparkling and soft, like before her rage broke. She was back to her old self again, just for a moment. In many ways, Cerberus was grateful that she had become much stronger, but it was the old Fluttershy he fell in love with.
"Cerberus..." she whispered. "You've brought so many things into my life, most of them tragic, but I still have what's important, and I'd be willing to go through it all again just to be with you." She rested her head against his neck, hearing his fast, strong breaths, beating ever faster in the heat of the moment. "Dasforah."
Rarity was so close to bursting into tears, her lip was quivering. She could hardly stomach it, her best friend was getting married right before her eyes. She had to hold on to Judas, who was also choking up at the sight of her little brother tying the knot. It was near unbearable to think that the little half dragon that tried to bite her on the streets of Canterlot had now become a full grown colt, and was now leaning in to kiss his wife to be. Soon, Cerberus would no longer need her guidance. "Do it, you big lug." she said under her breath, sniffling. "Kiss her. Do it before I stop you."
So he did. In a warm and caring embrace amongst the cold and dreadful weather, the half dragon and the pegasus' lips locked.
Luna's smile grew wider. "By my power, and by my word, I pronounce Cerberus and Flutttershy husband and wife."
That was it. Nothing amazing happened. No fireworks, no magical light show. Everything was ordinary, and it was perfect.
When Rarity finally had control of her eyes, she looked to her left to speak to Twilight, only to see that she was absent.
Seeing the wedding, seeing how far, how driven to the edge everypony had become really put matters into perspective for Twilight Sparkle. She wanted to be alone. She kept walking, with the view of Canterlot becoming more obscure, followed by Fillydelphia. Eventually, dead gray trees and billowing gray clouds from above were all that could be seen,
Twilight sighed. Reality was finally catching up to her. She was long past accepting that Celestia was evil, but only now did another truth reveal itself to her. Many times, she and her friends had erased corruption and disharmony from Equestria, subjecting those who spread it to a terrible fate. Discord and all of his skin and bones were turned into stone, never to so much as twitch ever again. Would Celestia suffer the same fate? Or worse? What would the Elements of Harmony do to her? Would they even work? If Twilight survived long enough to do so, it was inevitable...
"I have to kill her." she said out loud. Just the thought of it made her want to scream.
"You are just now realizing this?" said a hushed yet somewhat edgy disembodied voice that Twilight knew too well.
A soft flickering light grew forth from the trees. Twilight backed away. She knew what this was. She turned to run away but the light cut her off. She was aware that she could just run through it but she felt too threatened to do so. The light shifted into a faint image of Celestia, who had gathered enough power to return to her tall and brilliant regular self, though her hair was still just a bright pink.
"Just go away!" shouted Twilight. "What else could you possibly do to me?! You've already broken my heart!"
Celestia's face of intimidation faltered. What was this, she looked somewhat panicked?
"You must listen to me, Twilight Sparkle." she said.
"No! I can't believe anything you say! Everything you've ever told me was a lie!"
"Then allow me to say one true thing. You must tell my sister to call off this attack."
"Why should I?"
"Because I don't want you to die."
Twilight backed away. "Since when did you care?"
"Ever since the day we met. I never undervalued you as my student, or my friend, and I still don't."
"You're not my friend."
"Search your feelings. Find some part of you that feels regret for defying me."
I have to kill her. The thought still caused pain. I have to kill her. Why did it still hurt? Why couldn't she accept it? I have to kill her.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!" The trees rattled and birds flew off in flocks. Twilight fell on her chest and pounded the ground with her hooves. Hard. "WHY?! What happened to you?! Why did you do it?! What possessed you to kill them?!"
Celestia's expression now showed sadness. She was in pain too, seeing her student suffer like this. "You're naive, Twilight. Not every terrible thing that happens in this world is because of possession. Sometimes, there are ponies who think vastly differently from each other, and there is nothing the other can do to change their mind. Not exactly the happiest friendship report, is it?"
Celestia paced around the cowering Twilight, who was clutching her head and sobbing.
"I chose this path, because I know that if impure beings such as the half breeds are allowed to walk the soil, my kingdom will be plunged into chaos. Earthwalkers, pegasi, unicorns, and royal alicorns. That is all that is needed. Everything else is expendable. You are not expendable."
Twilight wiped her eyes and nose. "I am?" She found herself looking right at Celestia, who looked like she used to, before she showed her true colors. Calm, comforting, with a smile that made everypony feel like nothing could go wrong.
"I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt. Please, tell Luna to stop this nonsense. Save yourself. Save me."
That almost sounded reasonable. If everything could go back to the way it was before, if Celestia was truly sorry, then why wouldn't Twilight take this opportunity? Then, there was the one deal breaker, something Celestia wouldn't let go so easy.
"What about the half breeds?" sniffled Twilight.
Celestia wasn't smiling now. She wasn't angry by any means, just uptight and stoic. "I suppose there are alternatives to taking their lives, so perhaps my eclipse can be done away with. I could stop labeling them as monsters, and the hunting will end."
"You could do that?"
"Yes. There was an idea Luna had before she... mingled. She wanted to peacefully gather what half breeds had been born and seal them off, out of sight, out of mind. They would be provided ample sustenance and have plenty of area to roam, though still far away from ponykind. And, of course, in order to prevent overpopulation, there would be a... suppression field. They would have no desire or ability to mate, keeping the gene pool clean and eventually eliminating them from the living world. Two birds with one stone."
Twilight's brief moment of optimism hit rock bottom. She should have seen this coming a mile away. "You'd put them in your own personal zoo?" she asked, as she tried to contain herself.
"Not a zoo. A safe haven. It is a humane way for them to die. In fact, I'm rather disappointed that it couldn't be done. I'd require Luna's assistance. That is why we must make a peace treaty. I need her. I need you."
This was the push that Twilight needed. It was clear to her that Celestia saw no alternative. She wouldn't believe for a second that the half breeds should be free. She would gladly drop Cerberus into a saccharine cover up of a prison and let Fluttershy suffer, watching their individual worlds pass by without ever seeing each other ever again.
"No."
"What?"
"No. You're such a hypocrite."
"Twilight Sparkle..."
"I love you, Celestia. But I cannot tolerate hypocrites."
Celestia was beginning to show panic again. She was losing Twilight, who was starting to enjoy watching her former teacher sweat. I have to kill her. The thought no longer hurt. Instead, it gave Twilight hope as she shouted at somepony she held no sentiment for anymore.
"How is this for a friendship report? Dear former Princess Celestia, sometimes there are ponies who refuse to accept your point of view and the best you can do is ignore them. However, you can take solace in knowing that there are those who share your feelings, and who will gladly stand by your side as you face your inner demons." She stretched out her neck to look Celestia dead in the eye. "Need that in writing?"
Celestia sighed and backed away, her image fading fast. "Very well, I can see you have made your final decision. I hope you know what you're doing."
"You know something, I think this might be the smartest thing I've ever done."
"Then I will see you in my throne room. I'll be waiting."
Twilight was slightly offset by that. "You're actually hoping I make it there?"
The image of Celestia disappeared, though it didn't leave without a final word. "I know you'll make it. You are my student, after all."