Fallen Sun

by shademaster24601

The Cabal

Mornings in Goblin Town were signaled, as most notable happenings were, by a designated horn that rang throughout the caves. The new pony residents were still adjusting to the absence of daylight, but found the routine rather adaptable. They got up, greeted their neighbors, goblins included, and set to work on the work they'd normally do back in Appleoosa. Some tended the orchard, others either applied their old jobs or found new work between helping the goblins and Wallowmire, and others made themselves busy setting up creature comforts. The buffalo, while having a difficult time in the more enclosed environment, were surprised at the effort made to accommodate them. Uriah, being good to his work, presented plans for a new stampeding ground and, to their credit, the goblins were making incredible progress digging out a plane in one of the vast boneyards. The buffalo tribe, with some coaxing from Little Strongheart, integrated into Goblin Town society by helping the Appleoosans with the heavy lifting in their work. All in all, it was a rather peaceable kingdom, but one individual was not so keen to greet the day.

There was so much space. That was the first thing she noticed. Trixie tossed a little, fighting the urge to wake up, and pulled more blanket over herself. That's when it hit her. When did she get that much blanket? She sat up with a start and scanned her surroundings. She was seated comfortably at the head of Uriah's kingly bed. At first, she was relieved to have not woken up next to him, but her cheeks flushed at the realization that he moved her after finding her curled up at the foot of his bed like a cat after she snuck in while he slept. She rubbed a temple with her free hoof. "Oh, stars, how embarrassing."

A familiarly deep, but rather cheerful sing-song voice cut through the doorway. "Good morning, star shine!" Uriah, partially dressed in his black-iron armor with front boots, collar, and crown, trotted in with a grin. He was carrying two bowls, two spoons, two glasses a silver tray, and a pitcher of Orange juice in his magic. With a little whistle, he set the tray in Trixie's lap and gave one of the bowls. "I brought breakfast," he said as he tilted the bowl towards her, showing oatmeal, with two raspberry eyes and a banana smile. "and it's happy to see you!"

Trixie giggled a bit. "That's adorable." She smiled back at him as she took one of the spoons in her magic. "Did you make this?"

He tilted his head with a relaxed grin. "Well, technically, Mudskip made it, but I added the smile. Just thought I'd start your day right."

The blue unicorn's cheeks flushed. "Yeah, about last night..."

He cut her off and gently brushed the backed of her head with his wing. "Oh, don't worry about it. After all you've done to help me, the least I can do is make sure you have a comfortable place to sleep when you need it. Although, next time, don't feel like you need to be sneaky. Just ask and I'll budge up."

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a sly smirk. "Why, your majesty, you tease."

Uriah almost choked on a spoonful of his own oatmeal he was laughing so much. "You behave." He took a moment to give her a playful nuzzle. "Just kidding. Never change. So, how have you been holding up? Everything's been progressing so quickly, it must be a long jump from that first cart-ride out here."

Trixie swallowed another spoonful then wiped her mouth. "It's actually been a lot easier than I thought it would be. The Goblins were nice enough to build me a stage to practice new tricks for my act. They make for a great test audience."

He smiled as he poured a glass of juice. "Yes, from what I hear, you've become quite popular. Gossip up and down the caves is all abuzz with anticipation for the next show." He raised his glass in a toast. "To the Great and Powerful Trixie."

She raised he spoon in reply. "Long may she beguile with her tremendous feats of prestidigitation." She took another victorious spoonful of oatmeal.

Uriah couldn't help but smile at her confidence. He thought back to long before, when he'd gather with the old guard and tell stories about the adventures he had with his friends. "Just make sure you let me know if you need anything."

Trixie nodded. "Actually I could use a new mirror or two and a spotlight. I'm gonna have to brighten things up in the new atmosphere."

The goblin king bowed. "As you wish." He tilted his head back up and gave her a wink, drawing another giggle from the blue unicorn.

As the two settled back in to enjoy their breakfast, the steady thud of a brute's footsteps drew closer. The green behemoth lumbered in, ducking to squeeze through. "Goblin King?"

Uriah got a nice piece of banana with his next spoonful. "That's what they call me. What's up?"

"Just thought I'd check in, m'lord." The large goblin squinted, making note the king did not look at them when he answered. "If that's alright wit you?"

The pale alicorn paused, just for a second, but kept his smile as he swallowed that bit of food. "No problem. Talk to me. How are things looking out there?"

The brute lumbered about the room, as if looking for something. "The ponies are tending their trees,no problems, but the buffalo seem cagey. Don't think they like it too much down here. Some whispers that they might try something." Unbeknownst to the goblin, Trixie was eyeing it curiously.

"You don't say?" Uriah took a moment to chug his drink. He gave a satisfied smack of his lips. "Ah, that's good OJ." He immediately shot the half-full pitcher across the room and it smashed against the brute's face as soon as it turned around. It stumbled back, tripping on it's stumpy legs and falling against the wall. Uriah quickly lunged across the room, bounced off the brute's torso and then slammed it against the wall, pinning it to the wall by the throat with his right hoof. "You know, you must be terrible at this infiltration thing," The alicorn growled. "Even if you've only been down here five minutes, you'd notice that the brutes only speak in two word utterances." His horn glowed along with his eyes. "I am Uriah, Goblin King. Show yourself. Now."

The brute gritted it's teeth and it's red eyes flashed an unnatural green. It's form became enveloped in a flash of green flame and a twisted figured appeared in it's place. The wispy mane, the black chitinous shell, the jagged horn, and the holes up and down her legs drew a scowl from Uriah. The creature glared daggers at him. "Curse you!"

Trixie leaned back and her eyes widened. "A changeling?!"

Uriah kept pressure on the insects throat. "A queen changeling," he corrected flatly. His captive gave a wicked hiss and bared her fangs. "You must be the "Chrysalis" Pinkie Pie mentioned. I was stunned that there was an invasion of Canterlot, but now I feel I have to ponder, this is what invaded Canterlot?"

Chrysalis hissed in reply. "I'll show you." In a split second, she opened her mouth and spat a wad of viscous green slime in his eyes. She delighted in how he tried to shake off the cocooning gunk.

The alicorn was not deterred, nor amused. He growled and flipped her over his shoulder, slamming the changeling into the ground. "You come into my house! You spit in my eyes! I'm gonna get you!" He charged forward, swinging wildly with his horn, counting on his spatial awareness to steer clear of Trixie and the bed.

It was like watching two cobras fighting, both Uriah and Chrysalis striking hard and avoiding each other in kind. Chrysalis had underestimated his reflexes, but compensated with ferocity. She slipped around from behind to try and bite him, but he quickly bucked her clear. She scuttled back and up the side of the wall. She let out another feral hiss before launching herself at him. He couldn't dodge, but managed to lock horns with her when she got close. The two struggled, but Uriah had the advantage in brute strength. He pushed Chrysalis back and she reared back for a blast. "Enough of this! I am a queen you miserable clod! I've defeated Celestia in combat and I will not be defeated by the likes of y..."

*Clang*

There was a pause where Chrysalis went completely deadpan, and then slowly lost her balance and collapsed on the floor. Behind the unconscious changeling queen, stand over her on the bed, was Trixie breathing heavily and gripping the silver breakfast tray for dear life. Uriah focused a small beam from his horn that removed the sludge from his face. He shook off the debris and looked over with a hint of panic. "What happened?" He looked down at the limp changeling and back at the traumatized blue mare with glee. "Trixie, you beautiful madmare, you did it!"

The show pony, still shaking from the adrenaline rush, stood still and let the tray fall from her hooves. "Guh?"

There was a clamor coming from the door way, followed by three grunts, two brutes, and and a fixer falling over each other trying to get through the door. The frontmost grunt caught his breath and saluted. "You majesty! We heard blasts, is everything okay?!"

Uriah, still beaming from the victory, brushed himself off. "It's alright, boys. We seem to have a bug problem, but nothing we can't handle." He nodded to Chrysalis. "Do me a favor and put her in the restraints you first brought me in with. Then take her to the treasure room for questioning." He took a moment to stand up next to Trixie and put a wing around her. "On a related note, Trixie just defeated a changeling queen."

Trixie collected herself. "Well I..."

She didn't get to finish. Uriah scooped her up and showed her off to the impressed goblins. "Let's hear it for the Great and Powerful Trixie!" He raised her up and down as he started to chant. "Trixie! Trixie! Trixie!"

He lifted the befuddled blue unicorn with his magic and gently placed her on the shoulder of a brute, who carried her with care and admiration as the goblins cheered with their king. "Trixie! Trixie! Trixie!"

A smile and a familiar sense of pride quickly washed over Trixie as she soaked in the attention. "Yes, Yes, I am amazing! Take me to the stage boys, so I might regale my public with the tale of how the Great and Powerful Trixie vanquished the horrible changeling queen."

Uriah smiled warmly, watching his dear friend bask in her beloved limelight. He then turned his attention to the unconscious changeling queen, dragging her along the floor with his magic as he casually followed the group. "And you and I are going to have a nice productive chat." He allowed himself a wicked chuckle as he and his foe disappeared into the dark beyond the door.

---

It was a particularly sunny day in Ponyville, only a few clouds in the sky to provide shade, and a refreshing breeze coming in from the north. There was birdsong, animal chatter, and a gentle splashing of fish in the nearby brook. It was the special kind of cozy you could only find at Fluttershy's cottage. It was that time of the week again and the kind-hearted pegasus was happily preparing a tea-party for visiting friends. Discord, of course, was the first to arrive. His presence was really starting to grow on the pegasus, his chaotic nature adding a controlled spice to her routine that she was starting to enjoy. A little touch to help her expect the unexpected and not worry so much. His tendency to test boundaries, however, did take some getting used to. Rarity, who arrived a little while after and was surprised to find him joining them, was trying to be as patient with him as she could, for Fluttershy's sake.

The fashionista kept an annoyed grimace as she floated upside down, as the chaos spirit gabbed and poured her another cup of green tea, which immediately fell toward the floor, only to spiral around in a sort of gravitational water-feature before splashing back up into her cup. "Then he says "what do you think I am? Crazy? You'd just turn it off when I was half way across!""

Rarity rolled her eyes. "That's the fifth time you've told that joke since we set you free and I still don't get it."

"Neither do I," Discord protested. "But apparently it got a laugh from the most stone-faced guy ever. I guess you just had to be there."

There was a knock at the door and a familiar lavender alicorn peaked in. "Hello? Am I on time?"

Discord beamed. "Oh, good, its everyone's favorite princess." He snapped his fingers and they were all repositioned in a circle, sitting under salon hair dryers. Fluttershy had just entered with a plate of biscuits so he whipped up a fourth and letter get herself in. "We're still waiting on Applejack, but I don't think she'd mind if we started chatting without her. So, tell tell. How are things at the library love-nest? Congrats by the way. I absolutely insist on giving you away at the wedding. I will kick-box your father if I have to."

Twilight could have commented on so much of what was happening, but she decided to roll with it to preserve her good mood. "Why does every pony keep jumping to a wedding? We've only been a couple for a week. Settle yourselves."

Rarity, while admirably more comfortable in this change in scenario, took a scolding tone with the draconequus. "Indeed. A lady does not kiss and tell, you nosey beast."

He rolled his eyes at the unicorn. "Oh, like you're not dying to know."

The white unicorn just held up her nose. "Of course not. Twilight and Luna are my dear friends and I respect their privacy. Even if it is starting to become the next big story in the papers," Her composure started to fall. "And all the new society magazines. Not to mention all my celebrity clients going on and on about their TwiLuna gossip." A bead of sweat rolled off Rarity's snow-white brow. "Me sitting here with a front row seat. Twilight, I beg you, please give me something saucy I can taunt them with! Anything I can bait those thirsty chatter boxes with would shoot my business straight to the moon!" Discord had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing at her melt down.

Twilight suppressed a giggle, then got an uncharacteristically naughty look in her eye. "You mean like how she blew on the back of my ear while giving me a shoulder massage?

This drew a synchronized "Oooooh!" From the unicorn and the draconequus.

Fluttershy's face went beet red. "Oh my."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh. "I never imagined I'd be so open about it, much less bragging, but she makes me fell so...up. She left this morning to go back to Canterlot and I'm already counting the seconds." A ticking clock materialized next to her head. Her eyes quickly darted to Discord. "I'll smack you."

There was a shared laugh among the group that muffled the sound of the front door opening again. In stepped Applejack, her hat tilted forward and her head hanging low. Discord was the first to notice her. "Well, look who decided to show up. I hope you don't expect another dryer, because I don't like repeating myself." He noticed she didn't react to his mock-offense and went a bit crestfallen.

Fluttershy took one look at Applejack and her eyes widened. There was just this aura radiating off of her and the pegasus immediately rushed to her side. "Applejack? What's wrong?"

The earth pony didn't say anything at first. She solemnly took off her hat, tears welling up in her eyes, as Rarity came to her as well. "I got a letter from my Aunt and Uncle Orange. They were gonna spend some time in Appleoosa, reconnect with their farming roots with my cousin Braeburn. They tried writing him, but he never answered, which is weird because Braeburn loves writing to the family. So they figured they'd just go surprise him, but when the train arrived..." Her words started getting caught in her throat and she started to cry.

Twilight sat up and shot Discord a look, and he quickly did away with the salon setting. She waited for the earth pony to catch her breath as Rarity and Fluttershy consoled her, then gently placed a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "What happened?"

Applejack sniffled. "It's...It's all gone! All the town's ponies, the entire orchard, all of it. It's a ghost town!"

There was a shared gasp from the group, except for Discord, who manicured his claws as he waited for the attention to be back on him. However, the chaos spirit couldn't ignore when Applejack broke into tears. He scratched the back of his head, materialized a box of tissues, stepped over to them and gave Fluttershy an unsure look. "I'm...I'm not used to this. Do I let her carry on or...?"

Fluttershy gave him a quick smile and a nod before taking one of the tissues and gently wiping AJ's face when she started to compose herself again. "You poor thing, I can't imagine how awful it must feel. Is there any clue what happened?"

The earth pony blew her nose and shook her head. "It was some kind of attack. Ponies' homes and businesses torn apart, holes all over the place, and everything's buried in dust from some kind of storm. Something took the whole town and left without so much as a foot print." She let out a sigh and it was like the air was sucked out of her body. She shakily inhaled and steadied herself on Rarity. "Could y'all just...hold me for a bit? Feels like I'm gonna collapse."

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy didn't hesitate. They huddled around her a snuggled in as tightly as they could while Applejack got her hooves around them. Discord awkwardly tapped his fingers together, then nervously reached out and patted AJ on the head. She was a little surprised at it, but accepted the effort. She could use all the friends she had.

---

Chrysalis could still hear a ringing in her ears and felt a throbbing in her head. She wasn't sure what hit her, but she certainly hoped it didn't crack her exoskeleton. She went to rub the back of her head to check, but, to her shock, found she couldn't move. She was in some sort of full body restraint, at least that was what she was able to gather without being able to move her head. At most she was able to nudge herself, rocking back and forth as she tried to force her way out. Ultimately, all she accomplish was falling over sideways onto a pile of bits. She let out a frustrated grunt, which echoed through the vast chamber. There was a moment of silence, followed by hoof steps.

His pace was calm, his wings neatly folded to his sides, and his hooked staff resting on his shoulder as he walked. Uriah didn't look at the bound changeling at first, just walked by, picked up a chair from the corner, and set it facing in front of her. He didn't speak, just kind of hummed a tune as he took a seat and used his magic to sit her back up. When she was at attention, his eyes locked on hers and he smirked. "Hi."

Chrysalis glared at his smug grin and hissed. "Release me!"

"No," came the soft, teasing reply. "See how that works? You can bark and hiss and snap all you want, but whatever power or authority you came in here pretending to have has effectively vanished." He gently reached out a wing and brushed it against her chest, making her grit her teeth. ""Pretending" being the key word. Parasite, insect, complete disappointment, I really can't decide on the most fitting." He ran his hoof along one of her forelegs, examining it. "I've been there, you know. I've seen where you come from, that horrid tree in that vile pit. A rotten thing that was never meant to be, but is all the same." He moved his hoof up and cupped her chin. "There's a macabre beauty to it, honestly."

The changeling queen narrowed her eyes at him and, in an instant, bit his hoof. She clamped down hard, her fangs drawing blood. With contempt, her eyes looked into his, but, at the sight of Uriah's unflinching expression, they widened, if only for a fraction of a second, in fear. They stayed like that for a few seconds and, after it became clear that her outburst was going to get her nowhere, Chrysalis released him. He examined his wound, she licked his blood from her lips and scowled. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Uriah didn't react. He simply focused on the still bleeding bite, his horn lit up, and the wound mended instantly. "You didn't start out with those holes. It's what happens without a steady supply of love. Your bodies eat away at themselves. It's kind of ironic. You've developed this notion that you need to feed on love to survive, yet the act of taking it makes you unloved, thus making it harder to get enough of it. It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic." He licked a trail of blood off his hoof. "Ah, what the hay, I'll laugh anyway. Hehehehahahaha!"

Chrysalis felt a sudden impulse to jump back, but still found herself paralyzed by the bonds. That cackle dug into her ears. "If you're trying to scare me, it won't work. I know where this goes, it's why you call our nature a "notion." Why do you think we use you ponies as our prime source of love? Because you're soft! It's in your nature to be all sweet and kind. That's why I know, at the end of this, you'll just try to convince me to change my evil ways, sing songs, and enjoy the "magic of friendship."" Just saying it left a sour taste in her mouth.

Uriah shrugged. "Well, you got us there. We do corner the market on cute and cuddly. We got the furry coats, big ole eyes, colorful marks that tell us why we're special. I'm partial to being all snuggly and affectionate myself. However..." Without skipping a beat, he rolled back and decked her right in the face, sending the changeling queen rolling. "I'm not feeling so cute right this second." It came out in a low growl and he swooped across the floor like a ghost to grabbed her in his magic. Her nose was broken, as evident by the green blood that oozed down her cheek. Uriah held Chrysalis upside down and glared hard enough to bore two new holes in her head. "First and foremost, you are alive right now because of that pony that knocked you out."

"What?" was all she could croak out before the alicorn shook her violently.

He held her still again to scold her. "Do not interrupt. My first instinct when I found you out was to incinerate you on the spot, but I knew that would upset Trixie. I don't have that luxury anymore, but ponies are good people! If you had bothered to ever go to them for help, begged them, even after everything you've done, they wouldn't hesitate. That earlier mercy also bought you time to suggest you might be useful to me." He set her down, and held up her chin again. "You said you beat Celestia. I believe you. I'm wondering if you could do it again."

Her eyes widened and she puzzled for a moment. "What...are you?" He simply smirked. Chrysalis tried to ignore the pain and the sensation of her own blood on her face and tried to remain stoic. "You have a grudge against Celestia?"

"Darling, you have no idea." Uriah sat back down in front of her.

Chrysalis chose to ignore the "darling."" "Then we have a common enemy. I'd question why you didn't just lead with that, but I think I'm starting to get an understanding on you. I never in a million years would have expected a pony to tell me they'd kill me, much less believe they can do it, but whatever Celestia did to you clearly made you something more."

He mended her nose and materialized a hanky to clean up the blood. "Just as I believe you and yours can be something more. Aligned with my vision and brain, you could do so much more than sneaking into a colony with eight changelings to leech off whatever neighborly love is brewing in our growing community."

She went deadpan for a moment. "Should I ask why you said eight?"

He motioned with his wing and a squad of goblins lead in a line of eight changelings. One by one, they all sat down next to the two, looking sorry for themselves. "Yeah, see if it was easy to pick you out, I knew it would be zero trouble for the goblins to flush them out of their ranks. Took us all of five minuets, but, to their credit, none of them broke character. Except for the last one."

One of the drones drooped and rubbed the back of her head. "I panicked and threw a rock at him."

Uriah leaned over and patted the drone on the head. "The important thing is you tried." He turned his attention back to Chrysalis. "You'll notice none of them are restrained in any way, yet none of them have tried to escape to get reinforcements nor did they come to help you after I hit you. So I think we've solved the question of who they fear more."

The changeling queen shot a glare to her drones, who cringed, but she actually ended up smiling. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to hear you out then."

"Smart call." The goblins gave a little chuckle at their king's wit, but he quickly shushed them. "It's really simple. We join forces, take down Celestia, seat me on the throne of Equestria, and I'll make sure you never go hungry again."

Chrysalis gave a coy smile. "Really simple? Please. How am I supposed to trust you not to double cross me once you're in control? How are you going to be able to trust me to not double you and take the throne for myself?"

Uriah smiled right back. "Because I know I'm a stallion of my word and I know I can take you out if need be. It doesn't matter though. The way I see it, we'll be too smart to ever turn our backs on each other or the journey will make us best friends foreverest." He almost got a chuckle out of her with that one. "I'm a planner, not a gambler. I wouldn't be making this offer if it wasn't a sure thing. Interested?"

The changeling queen was, first and foremost, a survivor. She looked at his waiting eyes, then over to her anxious drones, and realized that there was no other way out. Uriah had orchestrated a scenario in which she was completely powerless and she would be lying if she said she didn't respect that. "Alright, Goblin King, consider us on board." In a quick flash of his magic, her bonds were undone. Chrysalis stretched out and cracked her neck from the stiffness that punch left. "So, what is the master plan? After this delicious display, I'm sure its positively wicked."

He stepped to her side and draped a wing over her shoulder. "All in due time, my pet, but first we'll have loop you and yours into the next phase. Give me a day or two to sketch things out. Meanwhile, I want you to send word back to the rest of your hive, get them moved into Goblin Town. If we're going to secure a place for the changelings in my new reign over Equestria, you'll have to get acclimated to sharing a society with pony kind." He gave a nod to the witnesses and, goblin and changeling alike, they followed the monarchs.

Chrysalis raised an eye brow. "Did you just call me "my pet?""

Uriah smirked. "We've already established who's in charge. So I think I'll call you whatever I want, love bug." She was about to protest, but something about his smile advised her not to argue. "Also, in regards to what I said earlier. You will be thanking Trixie for saving you. Not directly, of course, I want to keep my darker tendencies away from what little good I'm able to salvage in my life. So, next time you have an opportunity, maybe she compliments you, holds a door, or even if she invites you to her show, you're going to thank her and remember what it's for. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." She eyed him up and down. In all her scheming, Chrysalis never viewed a pony as any sort of threat. At the most, they were obstacles, some harder to overcome than others. Uriah was very much a threat and, of course, she would try to take him down and claim his kingdom for her own. He was right about one thing. She'd have to work on her long game.

---

The desolation was heart-wrenching, to say the least. A town that was once teaming with life, reduced to a husk of its former self. Appaloosa had certainly seen better days, days where a visit from Princess Celestia would incite a celebration. As the solar princess walked down the empty streets, only silence met her at any corner.

She approached the remains of the town saloon, stricken with a haunting familiarity. The building had been torn apart, huge chunks of the walls pulled out into the street. Celestia ran the tip of her wing along the edge of one of the openings and examined it. "What is this dust all over everything?"

Her attending captain stood at the ready. "Just that, your majesty, dust. The whole town is covered in it. Any tracks are completely buried."

She stepped inside, peering into every corner and reacting to every shadow in the corner of her eye, hoping to find at least one of her little ponies that had been left behind. "Is there any trace of what could have done this?"

The guard nodded. "Holes and claw marks, your majesty." This drew a jolt from the sun princess. "Darnedest thing. The claw marks seem deliberate. There's no sign anypony got hurt, at least not with the dust. It was like whatever came through left the damage as more of show of what they're capable of. The holes, however, are a different story. They've all been partially filled in, they go as far as the edge of town and just stop." He saluted as he punctuated his report. "Our best guess is diamond dogs, but, as far as geology is concerned, there's no gem deposit anywhere near here and the nearest pack is over two hundred miles from here. They wouldn't go this far out of territory with no reward to show for it."

Celestia scanned the room and noticed that it was surprising bare for a business. "They didn't just wreck up the place, they took everything. Glasses, stools, inventory, this place has been picked clean. What about the homes? Are they like this too?"

He nodded. "We're still looking, but in houses I've checked, yes. It's like any trace of the ponies living there had vanished with them, furniture, knick-knacks, all of it."

She was lost. Though she dared not show it, she had no idea what to do. "Keep looking. Tell the guards I want them to comb in a wide area, check any cave or crevice you come across. Find out who's in charge of the weather out here, perhaps they'll know about any storms that could have kicked up all this dust." There as one idea, which stopped her heart the moment she thought of it, but she shook it out of her head. "An entire town doesn't just vanish, there has to be some trail to follow to find my little ponies safe." Celestia dismissed the guard and he left her to observe the rest of the wreckage. It scratched at the back of her head. "He couldn't. He wouldn't. Not even to get to me, he'd never hurt ponies...I hope." She promised Luna and Twilight she'd try. For their sake, she didn't jump to that conclusion. All Celestia could do was pray they were right.

Author's Note:

Are we having fun? It's getting harder to keep track after coming back from that hiatus, but everyone still seems to be into it. I know I shouldn't "stand by for validation," it's just nice to be writing again, get the creative juices flowing.