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// Interlude: The Betrayal 
// Story: Lost Magic And Betrayal 
// by Politicalunrest2400 
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	The bells sounded their mournful call, as the procession approached the palace. Six stallions carried the casket past where a team of artisan’s held their hats over their hearts, having stopped work on the half-finished statue commissioned to honor the sacrifice of the pony who had saved them all.
Shining Armor and Mr. Sparkle stood at the front, guiding the casket and setting the solemn pace of the others. Big-mac and Mr. Cake, followed by Flash Sentry and another guard in full ceremonial armor rounded out the pallbearers, lifting the light and empty casket with little difficulty. Though the burden on their hearts was almost too much for them, as the rain cascaded off the casket, and off of them as if the sky its self were weeping at their loss.
The crowed was silent, except for the occasional pony who wept softly for their youngest, and beloved princess, they believed now lost to the ages and history.
The procession made its way silently to the palace gates. There they waited patiently as two more guards swung the doors wide, revealing the princess’s throne room and a long, once red now black carpet, that they would walk over all the way to the four thrones, one now sitting empty and silent never to be claimed again.
Or so they think. Thought a pony from the shadows, hood covering their face concealing it from the crowed. She chuckled softly to herself. A large stallion patted her on the back consolingly, no doubt believing she was weeping as well.  The great double doors swung shut behind the casket and its bearers, and the cries of sadness and weeping from what had once been her subjects, intensified. 
***
The service was eloquent, with the patriarch of the holy unity church presiding; the only one in the room who was not mourning by wearing black, his natural coat of bright white shone through the blackness like a beacon of hope to those whose souls were consumed with grief. 
The patriarch’s words were inspiring, uplifting and comforting to the many pony’s gathered who silently wept, or who were still fighting the shock of the news that their beloved princess twilight sparkle had died saving them from the horrors of Lord Tierk, despite being victorious in the end.
Mr. and Miss Sparkle stood after. Mr. Sparkle could barely speak through the sobbing tears, and his wife was almost unable to stand due to her grief, knees wobbling and unsteady. Mr. Sparkle spoke of how no parent should have to bury a child, but how proud they both were of Twilight. How proud she would be proud of how every pony came together in these some of the darkest times to remember the good that she had brought into the world. His words were brief, yet perhaps the most potent that had or would be spoken in love that day. As his speech dissolved into uncontrollable weeping, the patriarch gently ushered them to their seats on the side of the dais.
Luna then stood, she spoke of how she regretted never truly knowing twilight as a close friend, but how twilight had helped her during her dark days of transition back into the modern world. How twilight had saved nightmare night from her foolishness, and how Twilight had saved her personally from the creature that had turned her bitterness and jealousy into the now infamous nightmare moon.
Next, it was Cadence’s turn at the podium. She spoke of having known twilight the most, having foal-sitted for the Sparkle family, and how she had grown to love not only her Shining Armor, but Twilight more than anything in the world. They had grown close, and Twilight had saved her from a fate probably worse than death at the hands of Queen Cristalis. Then, how her beloved friend had gifted her a kingdom and helped her save an entire pony race from under the diabolical and tyrannical rule of the evil King Sombra with no thought for herself. Cadence admitted that everything she had, everything she was as the Princess of Love and the Queen of the Crystal Empire, could not have happened without Twilight Sparkle. Crying she then returned to her throne and sat down, trying to control her sobbing as Luna consoled her.
Last of the Princesses to speak was the one who by all rights should be known as Queen of all of Equestria. Princess Celestia stood, tears streaming down her face at the loss of her pupil, knowing full well the events that had to have transpired just days before. Perhaps knowing more than any other pony in Equestra… all but one. 
Before she could bring herself to speak, an eruption occurred. Not of violence, or of any natural occurrence, or even magical in nature, but of voices. The crowds outside, the once tearful mourners, now screamed and hollered in exaltation. The words were lost, but their mirth was undeniable. Celestia grimaced, knowing what was coming, even though no other pony did, except maybe the princesses on the thrones behind her.
Before Celestia could speak, the great double doors that lead to the hall were magically forced open, the guards barely leaping out of the way as they slammed against the wall. In the place where the doors had stood moments before, was now a mare covered by a cloak that was wet, no doubt from the rain that had punished Canterlot sense the loss of its beloved Twilight. A purple light lit the face under the cloak revealing to some of the mourners who it was that had interrupted the service.
“Twilight!” Came a voice from near the back, as a mare in a fashionable and elegant black dress, face streaked with running mascara from tears, jumped from the crowed behind the cloaked mare. “Twi?” said another, stepping from the crowed. Others followed, her closest friends who were the elements of harmony incarnate. They circled her even as the crowd erupted in jubilant celebration, cheers and screams of delight overcoming every attempt to understand what any pony was saying. 
“By Celestia your alive!”, “Where have you been Twi?”, “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!”, “Twilight? Is it really you?”, “TWILIGHT! Now we can have a REAL party! Funerals are so boring no one ever wants to dance.” 
“I AM ALIVE… MY FRIENDS. NOW, BE SILENT.” Her voice echoed throughout the hall and quickly suppressed the noise from the attendants, who all bowed low to the ground, some whispering her name in reverence and near worship. Her friends backed away, withdrawing from her as waves of magic tried to force them to their knees.
Twilight, once Princess of Equestria moved toward her throne and the other princesses who stood there. She ascended the stairs leading to the dais, but Celestia and the other two princesses barred her way.
“Return the magic that you have so horribly misused, or leave this place, lost one.” Celestia chocked on the last word, emotion getting the best of her.
“Return our magic Twilight Sparkle, so that you can regain your rightful place among us.” Luna’s voice was sturn, but had a hint of pleading that no pony could miss.
“Twilight please, return our magic so things can go back to how they were. We can be family again.” Cadince fought back tears as she watched the once precious little filly she had fole-sat for hours on end, pull back her hood, laughing as she did.
The three princesses gasped. “Twilight! What has happened to you?!” Cadences voice was a near shriek, filled with fear and horror. 
“Oh… Oh my precious twilight, what have you done?” Celestia said leaving any pretense of fighting the tears far behind; they fell unceasingly from her eyes.
“Twilight, thy horn… it has…changed.” Luna nearly whispered, horror evident in her expression.
Twilight's laugh pierced them all to their core, filling their hearts with horror, fear, and revulsion. “You were once considered gods among our kind” Twilight's voice was a whisper compared to what it had just been, but could clearly be heard by all in the throne room. “But what you have been is nothing compared to the power I have tasted. You have all spoken to me of the heavy burden that your power has brought you, but I say you know NOTHING OF GODHOOD! NOTHING OF BURDEN, OR POWER!” Twilight’s horn grew purple underneath the dark magic crystal that encased it.
“I WILL TEACH YOU OF POWER! I WILL TEACH YOU OF RESPONSIBILITY AND FEAR! Those who you have cast aside however, have tasted some of what I have felt. The DESPERATION OF HUNGER! The FEAR OF LOSS! The POWER OF PURE MAGIC! The…the BLOOD OF THE DEAD!” A portal appeared next to the princesses, crafted out of black and purple magic intermixing and crackling with lightning dangerously bleeding off excess energy. “YOU WILL LEARN!” 
“No!” Celestia screamed, as she reached toward the medallion she wore around her neck. A small amount of pure white energy leaped from it and struck twilight’s tainted horn. “It is YOU who shall learn! One...” Celestia stalked closer to Twilight, fighting through the waves of every that the younger Allicorn emanated. “Final…” the beam of white light grew thicker, and some who witnessed it say that Celestia’s visage was nearly angelic. “Lessen!”
Celestia’s and Twilights horns touched just briefly, but it was all the elder Alicorn needed. Three streams of energy escaped from the now cracked crystal that encased twilight’s horn. The streams of light smashed into the three magic-less princesses forcing them through the powerful gateway which snapped shut with a hiss and crackle behind them.
“NO!” Twilight screamed in anger, but in truth the emotion never really touched her. She had foreseen this, she had known of Celestia’s Betrayal long before she had arrived. One lesson that she had learned from all of her history books that were filled with war and destruction, tyrants and heroic leaders was this, ‘one pony could not rule through their will alone, no matter how powerful.’ Not for long anyway.
The inevitable Betrayal was exactly why Twilight had gone to the four most powerful magical creatures that she knew of, and had taken from them some of their magic. She knew however, that even without the newly christened ‘chaos lords’ as they called themselves and the magic they had given her, that she was far more powerful now then Celestia, or Luna, or even Cadence had or would ever be on their own. Simply holding the magic of the other three Alicorns had enhanced her capacity to wield it tenfold. 
But she also knew another lesson from history ’never let a perfectly good excuse for grabbing political power, go unused.’ She realized very early on that if she was going to establish an empire of order out of the Chaos that was Equestria; she would need her people to be subject to her in more ways than simply through fear. She would have to form laws, courts, and a civic structure to truly establish an eternal order.
Though having them fear her was the first thing she needed done on her check list. So that was why she pretended to be enraged at what she knew was inevitable. That was why she turned on the crowed of would be mourners, and started to kill them. It was easy for her, perhaps the easiest thing she had ever done.
One by one, empty black cloths started to litter the chamber as she disintegrated a few of them, those she deemed unimportant; while she let the rest run in abject terror, to spread the word of their new God.