//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: “You are the only pony who cares about me” // Story: The Might of a Quill // by derpyland //------------------------------// Sunshine stared at the ashes on the floor of the Apple family barn in disbelief. At first she could not comprehend what had just happened. That was quickly followed by a feeling of horror and complete panic. Starswirl is dead. Applejack is dead. Rainbow Dash is dead. They're all dead – and it happened on my watch. This is very, very bad! How could this have happened? What is Twilight going to do when she finds out? How do I handle this situation? She knew she had to do something, but she was so overcome with panic and dismay that she could not even make herself move. The whole reason Twilight had created her in the first place was to bring some happiness and sunshine into Twilight's life, and this was going to devastate her. The white alicorn remembered how upset Twilight had been the first time Applejack died. Twilight had given Sunshine all of her memories, and the terrible tragedy of Applejack's first death came flooding back to her. Sunshine remembered the horrible, dark feeling that had overwhelmed Twilight's soul. She remembered the bitter pain and despair. She knew how hard it had been for Twilight – and now it had happened again. Sunshine kept staring at the floor of the barn. She saw a small pile of ashes that represented all that was left of Applejack. She saw a few blue feathers that were all that was left of Rainbow Dash. And then there was a saddlebag and another pile of ash that was the last remains of Starswirl the Bearded. I don't understand, Sunshine thought. Twilight idolized Starswirl. She thought the world of him. How could he do something like this? How could he murder Rainbow Dash in cold blood, and then turn and kill Applejack as well? This isn't like him at all. But I saw him burn the book – I saw it with my own eyes. This is not a mistake. Everything we knew about Starswirl must have been a lie. Celestia must have lied to us about him. That is the only answer. But what do I do? Can I cover this up? Can I pretend this never happened? Do I– “Excuse me,” a voice called out from behind her. “Where's my sister? I thought she was in here with you. I heard her voice in here, but now I don't see her. And why are there ashes on the floor? Was there a fire?” Sunshine turned around and saw Apple Bloom standing in the doorway to the barn. The yellow filly had a confused look on her face. Well, there's no covering this up now, Sunshine thought. The white alicorn tried her very best to act normal. “There's nothing that you need to worry about, dear. Everything is going to be fine. Um, Apple Bloom, I need to go and get Twilight. Could you make sure that nopony enters the barn while I'm gone? It's important.” “Sure, I guess. But I don't understand. What's going on? Is something wrong?” “I'll be right back. Everything will be ok – I promise.” * * * * * Sunshine did not want to tell Twilight what had happened, but she knew she couldn't get away with covering it up. It was just too risky. Sunshine could fix the problem, but she could not hide it. Twilight was already worried that Applejack was trying to kill herself; it was too late to pretend that nothing was wrong. The princess wasn't stupid. She had to tell her the awful truth – that Twilight's hero had murdered two of her best friends. Sunshine found Twilight in her library, nervously pacing around the room. Twilight immediately noticed the concerned look on Sunshine's face. “Applejack killed herself, didn't she?” Twilight said in a panic. “Applejack did not kill herself,” Sunshine replied. “But there is something you need to see. I need you to come with me to Sweet Apple Acres.” “What is it? Please, just tell me. What happened?” “Just come with me. Something happened that I did not foresee. I'll explain everything there.” By the time Sunshine and Twilight reached the barn, the whole Apple family had gathered there. Apple Bloom had kept her word, and the family was waiting outside. All of them looked confused and worried. “What's going on here?” Big Mac asked. “Yeah,” Apple Bloom said. “Where's my sister? What happened to her?” Sunshine said nothing. She stepped into the barn and motioned for Twilight to follow her. “Twilight, I'm afraid something has happened,” Sunshine said at last. “Applejack–” Twilight noticed the piles of ash on the floor. She stepped back in horror. “You lied to me! Applejack did kill herself. That's her burned book right there! Why did you lie to me?” “I did not lie,” Sunshine insisted. “When I arrived at the barn, I came in just as Starswirl took Applejack's book and set it on fire. He was the one who killed her. When I confronted him about it he burned his own book. That is why there are two piles of ash on the floor. Starswirl murdered Applejack and then took his own life.” “No,” Twilight screamed. “No! He didn't. He couldn't have. He's not like that! I know he's not like that. He's a good pony. He would never hurt anyone.” “I'm so sorry. I know this is horrible and hard to accept, but I am telling you the truth. I will show you my memory of the event if you want to see it. Starswirl is responsible for this.” Apple Bloom spoke up. “You mean my sister is dead? But you can get her back, right? Like you did last time?” “Of course I can. I can fix this. I can bring Applejack and Rainbow Dash back. Everything is going to be fine.” “What do you mean, 'and Rainbow Dash'?” Twilight asked. Then she noticed the blue feathers on the ground. “No. Absolutely not. Rainbow Dash is not dead! I refuse to believe that.” “I know this is hard,” Sunshine said. “When Starswirl attacked Applejack, Rainbow Dash must have defended her. You know how loyal Rainbow is – she would do anything for her friends. So Starswirl killed them both. He might have gotten away with it, too, if I hadn't come here and caught him in the act.” Twilight was devastated. The first time Applejack died she did her best to put on a brave face in front of the Apple family. She wanted to give them hope that everything would be alright. This time, though, the pain was too much. Her hero – the pony she admired most – had murdered her friends. Everything she knew about him was a lie. Twilight's world had come crashing down, and all she could do was collapse onto the barn floor and cry. Sunshine walked over to her and wrapped a white wing around her. “It's ok, Twilight. I know this hurts, but I can fix everything. I will bring Applejack and Rainbow Dash back. It will be fine.” Twilight angrily pushed Sunshine away. “It will not be fine! Don't you see? The real Applejack is dead, and now the real Rainbow Dash is dead too. All we can do is create a stupid fictional copy. And you know what? The fictional Applejack hated herself because she knew she was a copy. It's not the same, Sunshine! Copies are not the same thing as the original. But what do you know? You're just a copy too. My friends are dead, and no magic can bring them back. They are gone forever.” Sunshine was taken aback and deeply hurt. She felt like someone had stabbed her. “It's going to be all right,” she repeated, as she fought to stop herself from crying. “Trust me, Twilight. I can fix this! I can make you happy again. Please, let me help you.” “I don't want your help!” Twilight screamed, as tears ran down her face. “I want the real Celestia. Magic couldn't bring back the real Applejack, and now magic has killed Rainbow Dash too. I'm going to Canterlot to talk to a real pony. You're useless.” Twilight lit up her horn and teleported out of sight. Now it was Sunshine's turn to cry. Twilight was her whole reason for existing, and Twilight had just rejected her. All she could think was I have failed her. It was a crushing blow. If Twilight no longer had any use for her then what was the point of living? Sunshine turned around and saw the Apple family. All of them were deeply upset. Apple Bloom looked up at Sunshine. “You will bring my sister back, won't you?” “Don't worry,” Sunshine said, with far more confidence than she felt. “I will fix this. I'll have Applejack and Rainbow Dash back within an hour. Everything will be fine.” But Sunshine felt that nothing would ever be fine again. * * * * * Twilight Sparkle made the trip to Canterlot in record time. She was deeply angry at Starswirl for murdering her friends and failing her. She was filled with sorrow, rage, and confusion. Her world was collapsing around her and she needed comfort. She desperately wanted somepony real to sympathize with her – somepony who understood her. Celestia had promised to be there for her. It was now time for Celestia to keep her promise. Twilight teleported directly into the castle and appeared in front of the entrance to Celestia's throne room. The doors to the throne room were closed, and two guards were stationed outside. “I am here to see Princess Celestia,” Twilight announced. Her voice was full of anger and rage. The two guards looked at each other. “Her royal highness is busy at the moment. She is currently conducting some delicate negotiations and cannot be disturbed. Could you come back this evening?” Twilight glared at them. “I want to see Celestia, and I am going to see Celestia. If you do not stand aside then I will turn both of you into frogs. Now move it. This is not a request.” The two guards looked at each other. They didn't really have the authority to deny anything to a princess of Equestria, and they certainly didn't have the power to fight an alicorn. But the fact remained that Celestia did not want to be disturbed. “You really can't go in there,” one of the guards finally said. “I'm sorry, but–” “Oh really? Just try and stop me,” Twilight said through gritted teeth. She used her magic to fling the doors wide open, and she stormed into the room. The guards briefly considered running after the enraged alicorn, but then they decided they both wanted to live. So they closed the doors behind her and returned to their post. Inside was the heart of the castle – the most magnificently decorated room in all of Canterlot. But its beauty, furnishings, and magnificent stained glass windows was lost on Twilight. All she noticed was Celestia, who was seated on her royal throne. To her left was a flock of irritated griffons, and to her right was a delegation from Saddle Arabia. The two groups were in the midst of a heated argument, and Celestia was trying to calm them down. As soon as Twilight flung open the doors and galloped into the room, everyone stopped talking. There was complete silence. All eyes stared at her as she flew up to the throne, pushed both delegations away with her magic, and landed down right in front of Celestia. The Princess of the Sun was startled. “Twilight, what are you doing? What is going on?” “What is going on? I'll tell you what is going on. Starswirl murdered Applejack and Rainbow Dash!” Celestia immediately burst into laughter. “Starswirl killed somepony? You can't possibly be serious. Why, he's the most inoffensive pony I've ever known! I assure you that he did nothing of the kind.” “I am not joking,” Twilight said heatedly. “My friends are dead and Starswirl killed them! You didn't tell me that he was a killer!” One of the ponies from the Saddle Arabia delegation spoke up. “What is the meaning of this outrage? And how dare you push me aside like an animal. Is this some foolish attempt to silence us and give the griffons more leverage?” “Of course not,” Celestia said hurriedly. She then turned to Twilight. “I realize that you are very upset, but this is a bad time to be upset over nothing. This border dispute has been going on for years and the situation is now at a critical point. We must finish these talks. I assure you that Starswirl has harmed nopony. He is incapable of it. Whatever happened was just a misunderstanding. Nopony is hurt and everything is fine. Once these talks are done I will help you sort everything out. But not now.” “Border dispute?” Twilight shrieked. “Are you serious? The Griffon kingdom doesn't share a border with Saddle Arabia!” “This is not the time to explain,” Celestia replied. “Starswirl just murdered two Elements of Harmony. Isn't that important? Don't you care?” Celestia frowned. “I have known Starswirl far, far longer than you have. He did not murder anypony, and the fact that you would even accuse him of that shows how little you really know about him. You are getting upset over nothing – again. Twilight, I have to ask you to leave. I will talk to you about this later.” “There won't be a later,” Twilight replied angrily. She then teleported out of sight. “Well, that was rather rude,” one of the griffons commented. “Is this how you conduct affairs in Equestria? I thought your princesses had better manners than that.” “I am deeply sorry for the interruption,” Celestia said. “I will speak to her about this later to make sure that it does not happen again. Now, where were we?” * * * * * It took Twilight several hours to make it back to her castle in Ponyville. When she finally made it home, she found Sunshine waiting for her just inside the front door. The white alicorn had been standing there for more than an hour. Sunshine desperately wanted to make up with Twilight. Her whole life depended on Twilight liking her. If Twilight truly was done with her then her life was over. She had nothing left to live for. Twilight was the first one to speak. She ran up to Sunshine and hugged her. “I am so sorry for what I said! I was horrible to you. You didn't deserve any of that. You have been a wonderful friend.” Sunshine hugged Twilight. A feeling of immense relief washed over her. “But Twilight, you were right. I really am useless. I couldn't stop Starswirl from killing your friends. I failed you.” “You're not useless. In fact, you are the only pony who cares about me. Celestia just threw me out.” “She – wait, what? She threw you out?” Twilight nodded. “I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen. She said I was crazy for thinking that Starswirl killed anypony, and she was mad at me for interrupting her. Celestia wouldn't even talk to me! She just asked me to leave.” “That's horrible,” Sunshine replied, shocked. “How dare she treat you that way! How could she do such a thing?” “I was just as bad to you,” Twilight said quietly, as Sunshine wrapped her in her wings. “I feel so terrible about it. You really do love me, don't you? Celestia doesn't love me, but you do. And you would never throw me out. I don't know why I said all those things earlier.” “You were just upset, that's all,” Sunshine said. “I know you didn't really mean them. But I promise I am not like Celestia. I will always be here for you and I will always have time for you. You can count on me.” Twilight nodded. She rested quietly and let Sunshine hold her. Over time she gradually calmed down. Sunshine was in no hurry. In fact, the longer she was with Twilight the better she felt. It was a tremendous relief to know that Twilight did love her. Now I truly have replaced Celestia, she thought with delight. Twilight will never go to her for anything again. Twilight has accepted me – which means I can make everything in her life much, much better. “I have some news!” Sunshine announced. “While you were gone I recreated Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I even gave Applejack wings again! The two ponies are out at the Apple family farm.” “That's good,” Twilight said. “What about the wicked Starswirl? Did you bring him back? I want to put him in Equestria's deepest dungeon. He needs to pay for killing my friends.” Sunshine shook her head sadly. “I'm afraid there was no way to bring him back. Celestia did not place a copy of his mind into a memory stone, and the accident in the lab destroyed his preserved brain. We don't even have a mane sample for him. I am afraid Starswirl is gone – but that's a good thing, if you ask me. He is clearly a deranged murderer.” “He probably destroyed that brain on purpose,” Twilight said bitterly. “I bet he didn't want us poking around in his mind and uncovering all his horrible secrets. Celestia must have covered up who he really was – and then when he started killing ponies, Celestia pretended that it was all my fault and I was the crazy one.” “Celestia is so mean to you! You really shouldn't let her get away with that. It's not right. She would never let you treat her that way.” “I know,” Twilight replied. A thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait a minute. You used the memory stones to bring back Applejack and Rainbow Dash, right? But weren't those backups a few days old? That means they wouldn't contain anything that happened during the past few days. Did you bring my friends up to speed?” “I did,” Sunshine said. She hesitated. “I also made a small change to both of them – and I'm telling you this so that if you don't like it you can change it back. When I created the comics for them I added a line that makes them comfortable with being copies. They know that they're fictional and they are fine with that. I know you don't like tampering with them but I just wanted them to be happy.” Twilight sighed. “I know what you mean. The first Applejack clone was never happy with who she was. Maybe that's something we'll just have to do with all the clones we make. Bringing someone back from the dead isn't going to work very well if they just want to be dead again. I hate having to do that, but I did the same thing when I made you and you turned out pretty well. I think you made the right choice.” Sunshine was tremendously relieved. She did not want to tell Twilight what she had done, but she knew that Twilight would realize pretty quickly the new Applejack clone had a very different attitude from the first one. Sunshine knew how much it had hurt Twilight to know that Applejack wasn't happy with who she was. Now that would no longer be an issue – and Twilight would be happier. When I make a clone that Twilight knows about and change something that is obvious and overt, I'll have to be honest with what I did, Sunshine thought. But when I make a clone that Twilight doesn't know about – well, that's a different story. Twilight is much happier not knowing. Just look how much she has enjoyed the new Rarity! The truth was Sunshine had made another change as well. The new Applejack and Rainbow Dash would be much more supportive of Twilight. They would agree to anything that Twilight wanted and they would always be there for her. Sunshine was hoping that Twilight would just think they were being friendly. I may have overdone it with Rarity, so I've scaled it back a bit this time. The new clones should be more loyal, but not to the point where Twilight becomes suspicious. Sunshine spoke up. “Would you mind if I went and had a little chat with Celestia? I know you tried to speak with her and she refused to listen, but perhaps if I spoke with her I could make her realize how much she hurt you. I think I could change her attitude.” “Why bother? I don't care about her anymore,” Twilight said, as she snuggled up to Sunshine. “I have you now. You'll always be there for me, won't you?” “Of course I will. But you can't let Celestia get away with the way she treated you. Her behavior today has been intolerable! She must pay for what she's done.” “Well, I've been thinking about that. It turns out that in the near future Celestia is going to stop mattering to anypony. You and I are going to change the whole world, and the new world won't have a place for her. For years Celestia has been too busy to spend time with me. Well, in a few months she'll have all the time in the world, because she is going to be out of a job.” “What do you mean?” Sunshine asked. “I guess I need to back up a little bit. First of all, I don't think we should give ponies the ability to take things out of the comics and bring them into Equestria. Look at what happened with Starswirl: he turned out to be a murderer! What if badponies used our comics to create bad things? I don't want to see Equestria flooded with monsters. All it would take is one psycho with an imagination to make really, really terrible things happen.” “That's true,” Sunshine agreed. “That is certainly a risk. So what are you proposing?” “I think we should put a limit on the comics. Now, I do believe that ponies should still be able to create them however they want. They can live in them, spend their lives in them, be whoever they want, and live out their every fantasy. However, what they can't do is bring anything out of the comic. I know that goes against everything we've been working on, but I think it's for the best. That way Equestria isn't put in danger but ponies can still have all their dreams come true. After all, if you think about it, what's the point of bringing things into this world at all? Why not just move into your new, perfect world instead, where you are in complete control and where you get everything that you want, all of the time? That's better for you and better for everypony. There's none of the risk and all of the reward.” “I see,” Sunshine said slowly. “So you want ponies to leave Equestria and move into their own, private worlds. You want Equestria to be emptied.” “I want Celestia to be alone,” Twilight said angrily. “Until you came along I'd been alone my whole life. Oh, sure, I had friends, but do you know what my two biggest interests are? Books and magic. Do you know how many of my friends are interested in either of those things? Zero. Well, there's Moondancer, I guess, but she lives in Canterlot. The point is, the only pony I can talk to about these things has been Celestia, and Celestia just doesn't have time for me. Ha! We'll see how she likes being alone.” Twilight paused. “Is that – am I being too hard on her? I'm not being bad, am I? Is it wrong to feel that way?” Now, if Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie or one of Twilight's other friends had been there, they could have calmed her down. They could have showed her a different path and reminded Twilight that revenge and hate were things to be avoided. But her friends weren't there. Sunshine had replaced all of them – and Sunshine desperately wanted to hurt the pony that she viewed as her arch-rival. “O course it's not wrong,” Sunshine said aloud. “Celestia deserves the worst treatment you can give her. That wicked mare abandoned you when you needed her most. If anything, you are letting her off much too lightly. There is no reason to go easy on her.” At that moment the castle door opened and Spike hurried in, clutching a handful of comics. “I came as soon as I heard what happened,” he panted. He looked at Sunshine and Twilight. “So, um, how are things?” Twilight let go of Sunshine and walked over to Spike. She hugged him. “I'm feeling a lot better now, thanks! But where have you been? I haven't seen you all day.” “Oh, I've been over at the comic book store. Frosted Arrow is having a big sale today. Apparently nopony is buying comics anymore because they've all heard what you and Sunshine are up to. That's why the comics are on sale – and let me tell you, he's got some good ones.” Twilight grinned. “Poor Arrow! I guess we are about to devastate the comic book market. I'll make it up to him, though: I'll make sure he gets the very first copy that we give out. Then he can make a new world for himself, where he is the hero and all his dreams come true.” “Is there anything I can do?” Spike asked. “I heard that Applejack and Rainbow Dash are alive again, so I guess that's good. Do you need any assistance?” “No, Spike, I'm fine,” Twilight replied. “All right then! I'll be in my room doing a little heavy reading if you need anything.” Spike hurried off, leaving Sunshine and Twilight alone. “So I believe I understand your plan,” Sunshine said. “In order to keep Equestria safe, ponies will be allowed to enter and leave the comics but they cannot take anything out. You will give each pony a comic that has their own personal world in it, and we will release a manual that will show them how to modify their world to their exact specifications. The ponies will then live in their worlds for the rest of their days.” “Exactly! That way everypony can have everything they ever wanted, and nopony can put others in danger. It will be perfect.” “That sounds like a clever plan. But wasn't your original plan to use the comics to make life better here, in Equestria? What made you change your mind? Was it just the risk of danger, or is there more to it than that?” “Isn't it obvious? Life here is horrible. In this world ponies die – but in the comics nopony ever has to die. In this world there are limitations, but in the comics you can be anypony you want to be and you can have any powers you want to have. In the comic world nopony would ever be mean to you. Nopony would ever kill your friends or throw you out of their home. Instead you can have everything you want it, all of the time. It is much, much better than life could ever be in Equestria.” “Then that's what we will do,” Sunshine announced. “I'll have the Moondancers get started on the changes immediately. So what kind of world do you want them to make for you?” “I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. The truth is, all I ever wanted was a friend like you. Right now my focus is on changing the world. I'll think about my place in that new world later. We have work to do.” Sunshine could not be happier. I really have pleased Twilight! I am the living fulfillment of her dreams. That is something I will not take lightly – which means there is something else I need to do. Twilight wants revenge. I need to make sure that she gets it. “Would you mind if I went to see Celestia later?” Sunshine asked. “I just can't accept the way she treated you. Somepony has to tell her that she was wrong.” “Sure, whatever,” Twilight said dismissively. “I don't really care what you do. Do whatever you want. I don't care if I ever see her again. The two ponies I respected most in this world – Starswirl and Celestia – both betrayed me in the same day. They're dead to me. You are the pony I care about now. I mean, it's not that I don't care about the rest of the Elements of Harmony, because I do care about them. I know they're all good ponies. But none of them can measure up to you. Just, um, don't tell them I said that.” Sunshine felt utterly delighted. She loved Twilight's new attitude. “Very well. Since you do not object, I will pay Celestia a visit tonight – but enough about that. Let's talk about how these new comics are going to work.” * * * * * That evening, while Twilight was having dinner, Sunshine made her way to the basement. In the lowest level of the castle Twilight had created a secure vault, which housed all of the magical comics that had been created. The princess had planned ahead and made sure it was large enough to hold hundreds of thousands of comics. At the moment it only held a few volumes – along with the memory stones and mane samples of the Elements of Harmony. Sunshine quickly found the comic that held her own definition. After taking it from the shelf she looked around the room to make sure that no one was watching her. The alicorn breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the vault was empty. She didn't think that Twilight would object to the change that she was about to make to herself, but she didn't want anypony to know – not just yet. It would be best if this particular secret wasn't revealed until later. Sunshine took the comic and laid it open. It was a weird feeling, modifying who she was. The words on those pages defined everything about her, and she was about to alter her very nature. She was a bit nervous about it, but it had to be done – for Twilight. Sunshine would do anything for her. Even this. After all, Twilight looks to me now. I have to be the pony that Celestia failed to be. The white mare took a dark green mane sample and laid it on top of the comic. That particular sample had been very difficult to come by. Changelings were scarce in Equestria these days, and their remains were even rarer. It had taken Sunshine a great deal of effort to find that bit of mane, but she had succeeded. Sunshine was going to merge the changeling genetic information into her comic. She had to do it carefully. She wanted their ability to change into different forms, but she did not want to take on the nature of a changeling. Then she was going to pay Celestia a visit. * * * * * That night Sunshine put Twilight Sparkle to bed. “Are you feeling any better?” the white alicorn asked. “I know you've had a terrible day.” “It really has been horrible, hasn't it?” Twilight asked, as Sunshine tucked her in. “But I like knowing that you're here. You brought Applejack and Rainbow Dash back, and they are just like their old selves. In some ways the clones are better that non-clones! If Applejack wasn't a clone then she wouldn't have wings. I think she likes being able to fly.” “I'm sure she does. Is there anything I can get you?” “No, I'm fine.” Twilight yawned. “Hey, weren't you going to go visit Celestia?” “That's the next item on my agenda,” Sunshine replied, smiling. “I'll take care of everything while you're asleep.” “Wait, you're going now? Won't Celestia be asleep too?” “I think she stays up pretty late. Besides, I'm not worried about it. After all, if she's in bed then that means she's not busy talking to foreign delegations!” Twilight giggled. “Well, that's true. Goodnight, Sunshine.” Sunshine kissed her forehead. “Goodnight, my dear Twilight.” Sunshine turned off the light and walked out of the door. She then closed the door behind her – and teleported out of sight. When Sunshine reappeared on the streets of Ponyville, she no longer looked like Celestia. Instead she looked exactly like Twilight. Sunshine had tested the new changeling magic earlier and was very pleased with the results. I could have used any disguise, but this one is the most satisfying, she thought. Celestia will never see this coming. * * * * * In Canterlot, Celestia had just said goodbye to the two delegations. “Well, that was a rough day,” she muttered to herself. “I am so tired. Why do these things have to be so difficult?” As soon as the guards escorted the last delegate out of the throne room, Luna hurried in. “Sister, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be in Ponyville?” “What do you mean?” Celestia asked, puzzled. Then she remembered. “Oh, that's right – I had forgotten about Twilight. She was truly beside herself today. I hadn't seen her that bad in a long time. What do you think has gotten into her?” “Grief, of course,” Luna replied. “After all, Starswirl killed Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and then took his own life! Why wouldn't Twilight be upset? What I don't understand is why you threw her out when she came to tell you. What's gotten into you?” “Starswirl did not kill anypony,” Celestia said, irritated. “That's impossible.” “But it's true! Applejack and Rainbow Dash are dead, and Starswirl is dead as well. He really did kill them – there are witnesses. Did Twilight not tell you? Did your guards not bring you the news? It is all over Equestria.” A dreadful feeling came over Celestia. “But that's impossible! Starswirl wouldn't kill anypony. There must be a mistake!” “There is no mistake, sister. All three of them are dead. Something must have gone wrong in the process that you used to bring him back to life. Perhaps there was some brain damage that you didn't detect, or maybe the memory transfer spell failed somehow. The point is, Ponyville was the scene of a terrible tragedy today, and you did nothing. In fact, when Twilight came to tell you about it you threw her out! I understand that the border negotiations are delicate, but surely there is something you could have done. Could you not have taken a short recess, or perhaps postponed the rest of the talks until the next day?” The blood in Celestia's veins turned to ice. Her heart failed her, and she felt numb. “That can't be true,” she said at last. “I – I never even considered the possibility that Starswirl's nature might have been corrupted. He looked so much like himself that I assumed it really was him. But that brain was so old. If Starswirl truly did murder Twilight's friends then perhaps I failed to recreate our old mentor. It seems I may have created a monster. Oh, Luna, what have I done? I truly thought Twilight was mistaken. I would never have thrown her out if I had known she was telling the truth.” “Then go to her,” Luna said. “Tell her your mistake! Twilight needs you.” A guard walked into the room. “Excuse me, your highness, but there is a princess here who wishes to speak with you.” “Of course,” Celestia exclaimed. “I told Twilight to come back later, and this must be her now. Oh, sister, what am I going to tell her? I have been horrible.” “Just apologize to her,” Luna replied. “I'm sure she will understand. She is Twilight Sparkle, after all. There is not a pony in Equestria who loves you more than she does. Well, except for myself, of course. I'll leave to give the two of you some privacy.” Luna then teleported out of sight. Celestia looked at the guard, who was waiting on her reply. She was embarrassed and deeply ashamed. She knew she had failed Twilight, and that knowledge hurt her deeply. “All right,” Celestia said. “Show Twilight in.” The guard left. A moment later he returned, escorting a pony that looked exactly like Twilight. Sunshine looked at Celestia with anger and rage. “So do you have time for me now, princess? Or should I come back next year?” “I am so sorry,” Celestia said, in a voice filled with regret. “Twilight–” Sunshine cut her off. “Is there some place private where we can talk?” “I suppose,” Celestia said, taken aback. “I have some chambers this way. Why?” “Why do I want to have a private conversation with you?” Sunshine asked. “Really? Two of my friends died today, murdered by my hero, and you are asking me why I want to talk to you in private? Do I really have to spell it out?” “Of course not,” Celestia said. “I'm sorry. Here, right this way.” Celestia waved the guard off, then led Sunshine down a short passageway and into a side chamber. The small room was luxuriously decorated. There was a marble fireplace against one wall, and two bookshelves filled with rare books. Pictures of royal ponies from a previous era hung on the walls. There were two red couches in the room, and an elegant end table. Sunshine walked into the room first, and Celestia followed behind her. The princess then turned her back to Sunshine and closed the door to the room. That was when Sunshine fired a powerful bolt of magic at her. Celestia never even saw it coming. The bolt of green magic struck the princess in the back of the neck. The Princess of the Sun instantly fell to the ground, unconscious. Sunshine then removed two comics from her saddlebag. There we go, she thought to herself. Now it's time to replace you with a clone that will be much, much nicer to my Twilight. Sunshine worked quickly. She took a mane sample from the unconscious Celestia and merged it with the new comic. She then copied all of Celestia's memories into the comic, in order to make a perfect clone. Sunshine finished by making a few key changes to the new pony. Let's see. You are going to support Twilight and go along with anything she wants. Oh – but you won't be too nice. You're not going to replace me. You are going to be ashamed of yourself and keep your distance from her. Twilight is never going to run to you for help or comfort again. You won't be that kind of pony. Twilight wants her revenge, and she is going to get it. You are going to support her plan to release her comics into the world. When all the ponies are gone and Equestria is empty, you are not going to follow them into comics. Instead you are going to remain here. You will be all alone in this world as it decays into dust. You are going to be the last pony left, and you will be so crushingly lonely. You will live on for centuries, alone and sad. And my Twilight will enjoy every minute of your pain. After Sunshine finished making the changes, she activated the comic. An exact copy of Celestia appeared on the floor, unconscious. Sunshine was pleased. She then levitated the clone onto the couch, and arranged her so that it looked like she had fallen asleep. Now it's time to get rid of the old one. The second comic was a special book that Sunshine had prepared earlier that night. It was a prison Sunshine created to house the real Celestia. As long as you are in this book, time will not pass. I did not kill Rarity and I will not kill you either. But you will never be allowed to enter the real world again. You will be trapped in here until the stars burn out and the universe ends. Sunshine then cast a spell on the original Celestia, and she disappeared into the prison book. After taking one last look around to make sure that everything was in place, Sunshine put the two comics into her saddlebag and exited the room. She then said goodbye to the guards, told them that Celestia was asleep, and returned to Ponyville. Sunshine was pleased with herself – but she would not have been pleased if she had known about her mistake. She never told Twilight about the prison books because she knew that Twilight would never approve of them. Nopony else ever saw them – and that meant nopony ever pointed out the small mistake she had made. Sunshine would have been dismayed to know that time was not stopped inside her prisons. It continued to pass at an extremely slow rate. Rarity did not know anything about comic magic, so she truly was trapped there forever. However, Twilight had taught Celestia all she knew about the comics – which meant that Celestia knew how to escape. Sunshine thought that time was stopped, but instead time would slowly pass. It would take years in the real world before a single second passed in the book – but that second would pass. Celestia would recognize where she was and would cast the spell to get out. It might take her several seconds to figure out what happened, and several more seconds to cast the spell. But at some point in the distant future a very angry Celestia would be back. It was only a matter of time.