Even as his troops smashed again and again into the great doors, Purgle - King of all Minotauria - crowed triumphant, "Even now, Celestia, my troops besiege your City of Canterlot, and march upon your Palace Gates. Soon all you have will be mine! And then, after Equestria... I will have it all!"
Resting upon her golden throne, the ancient Alicorn Princess just looked at him, her expression saddened, yet full of compassion.
"Well," Purgle sneered, "have you nothing to say in your last few hours?"
Gently closing her eyes, Celestia thought for a moment... and then, opening her eyes to look calmly, gently, at the Minotaur King, the Princess told him a story.
"There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life. One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. 'How powerful that merchant must be!' thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.
To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. 'How powerful that official is!' he thought. 'I wish that I could be a high official!'
Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. 'How powerful the sun is!' he thought. 'I wish that I could be the sun!'
Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. 'How powerful that storm cloud is!' he thought. 'I wish that I could be a cloud!'
Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. 'How powerful it is!' he thought. 'I wish that I could be the wind!'
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it - a huge, towering rock. 'How powerful that rock is!' he thought. 'I wish that I could be a rock!'
Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the hard surface, and felt himself being changed. 'What could be more powerful than I, the rock?' he thought.
He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter."
Where before the Minotaur King was triumphant, now... now he just looked deflated, and sad. He realized what he had been doing, what he had done. "I... I must think on your words," he stated, quietly; then he left and shortly thererafter all sounds of fighting and violence ceased.
Then there was silence in the throne room, not a sound save for the world that continued to live around the Two Sisters. Soon, however, the silence was broken as Celestia moved to her sister, nuzzled her, and wept, her cries soft, heartfelt. Despite her best attempts to remain strong and stoic, Luna, too, went misty-eyed as her beloved sister - so gentle, so utterly compassionate - whispered through her tears, "Poor fellow. I... only I wish I could give him your beautiful moon..."