Nightmares Aren't Just For Nightmare Moon

by BronyBraeburn

Chapter 3

Princess Celestia escorted Twilight into the dining hall, where Luna oversaw a quiet and subdued breakfast. The girls ate from a sense of duty, not to satisfy hunger pangs, as their stomachs were uneasy and the delicious delicacies sat like stones, but the sight of their dear friend lifted their spirits and they greeted her in unison.

"Where have you been? We were worried about you," Fluttershy asked.

The lavender unicorn hesitated to answer, unsure if she should confide exactly how close she had become with the princess, especially with Princess Luna in the room.

"She was with me," Celestia replied. "We were discussing her latest friendship reports in greater detail."

The mare nodded fervently as a servant placed a plate loaded with food before her. She busied herself with eating, not wanting to slip up and tell the girls any secrets.

Rainbow Dash fidgeted nervously. "What kind of greater details?"

"Nothing incriminating, you have nothing to fear," the sun princess assured her.

The cyan pegasus sighed in relief. She wrote too many letters for her liking, too many embarrassing moments not revealed in the letters, moments that she'd rather not have her monarch knowing.

"Alright, I'm ready," Twilight announced as soon as she emptied her plate. No use delaying the inevitable. The sooner it was done, the quicker they could put it all behind them. "Let's go, girls."

Celestia couldn't help but smile proudly as the others got behind Twilight's leadership. "We shall meet Infernius in the royal hall, and then we'll travel to Poneiul Mountain," she explained as she and Luna escorted the ponies. "Discord and the other alicorns are already there waiting for us. It's been arranged for you girls to sit patiently in a small cavern near the main room, safe from any danger."

The lavender unicorn stole a glance at her mentor but the princess's face was expressionless. Didn't she feel any sadness about what was to happen, even if only for the lost friendship of her youth? Discord couldn't be all bad if they were friends once upon a time.

"About time you got here," Infernius growled as they entered the royal hall, now wearing armor similar to the royal guards spread around the castle, with the addition of a metal sheathe with a sharp, pointed tip covering his horn. His red eyes narrowed to slits and looked away with a snort when he saw the ponies with the alicorns, offended that he had to breathe the same air with inferior beings.

"Nopony disrespects the princess," Rainbow Dash growled under her breath but remained where she was as Applejack already grabbed her tail to restrain her.

"The less we have to do with him, the better," the earth pony advised, defiantly ignoring him as the six were equipped with the Elements of Harmony, then huddled into a circle with the three alicorns on the outside. With a concentration of magic, their horns glowed, and the nine were whisked away to the entrance of the mountain.

Two armored alicorns stood to attention and bowed before Infernius, ignoring the others as if they did not exist. The cyan pegasus's sense of loyalty bristled as they were escorted along in silence. The princesses were daughters of the first alicorns who ever existed, and great leaders who ruled Equestria fairly and justly, why weren't the others on their knees, kissing their hooves?

The cave held an eerie atmosphere that bothered the ponies, feeling as if they were trespassing on some ancient, sacred ground that disapproved of their presence. They watched the shadows carefully, half-expecting some demon to suddenly pounce. Was it just their nerves, or their fears feeding off the negative energies coming from the statue and the coldness of the alicorns? All they knew for certain was how desperately they wished to flee and never return, but still they pressed on.

After what felt like forever, Infernius stopped the procession and pointed down a small corridor to the right. "This is where you shall stay," he instructed. "If your services are required, someone will come to fetch you."

The group nodded and the stallion left as they entered the cavern. Luna fidgeted with restlessness, ignoring the concerned looks from those around her. She was close to her revenge, so why wasn't she out there?

"Don't, Luna," Celestia warned, her eyes narrowed into slits. "It's not worth it."

"Yes, it is," the moon princess argued and ran from the room. She wasn't going to be held back this time, Discord would taste her wrath.

"Luna, get back here!" Celestia hissed, but her sister refused to obey. "Stay here," she hastily instructed the girls before chasing after her.

"I don't know if I feel safe here," Pinkie Pie quietly confessed, "without the princesses I mean."

"Would you prefer to be on the battleground?" Rarity asked sarcastically, surprised when no one objected. "I'm surprised at you all! Discord won't go down easily; it will be a fight to the death!"

"Exactly, but the princesses are there without armor or weapons," Twilight argued. "I can't stay here knowing my monarchs are in danger, not when we have the power to save them."

The mares saw the logic in that, though they were scared of getting involved in the fight. The six regarded the princesses as their friends, and after everything the two had done for them, they couldn't sit back and hide. Most importantly, the princesses ruled Equestria for so long; nopony could imagine their country without them.

They quietly tiptoed out of the cave, following the hoof prints in the dirt, till they arrived at the massive room and quickly darted behind a large cluster of loose boulders on the ground. The battle had not yet begun, instead the twenty-two alicorns were still concentrating their magic on the statue, creating and expanding cracks within the stone. The girls barely peered over the edges of their hiding place, shivering with fear as Discord was once again free.

Not wasting a second to revel in his freedom, the draconequus instead dropped to all fours, carefully watching the glaring alicorns as he stretched out his claws with his lip curled into a growl. The setting told him everything: he was released only to be killed.

Celestia was the first to move, stepping away from the crowd of alicorns and into the center. For a moment, Twilight noted Discord's expression softened before his face contorted back into a scowl, "You too, Celestia?"

"What are you doing?" Infernius growled quietly. This wasn't the plan! The alicorn next to him looked at him, wanting to know if it was the time to strike, but the stallion shook his head. Celestia's stupidity would probably be a good distraction, allowing them to get a great first blow, but Universo would have them all begging for death if his daughter was harmed.

"You brought this on yourself," the sun princess said coldly.

"For following my natural urges, my direction in life, I am to be punished?" Discord scoffed. "You can't control nature, no matter how hard you try. Just because I don't fit into your neat little ideal fantasy doesn't mean I deserve to die."

"You targeted Equestria; you harmed others for nothing but vengeance against me, and repeatedly you have threatened those I love most. I'm sorry, Discord, but you give me no other choice." Her voice was laced with sadness and tears welled up in her eyes. Her purple eyes met his red ones and the two shared a moment of sorrow.

"NOW!" Infernius shouted and the twenty alicorns blasted the draconequus with a concentrated burst of magic, causing him to roar in pain and start wildly lashing out with his claws and tail.

"SCATTER!" He instructed, and the twenty assaulted their foe on all sides, using a combination of magic and horns. If one alicorn was struck, the others flew back to get out of way as they continued to pepper their foe with attacks. Discord's magic was broad and expansive, not focused on any one target but wide enough to strike as many as possible.

The ponies were deer in the headlights, unable to turn away from such a scene no matter how it disgusted them. Rainbow Dash was the first to cower behind the rocks, losing her breakfast as the spirit of chaos ripped open Infernius's lower flank, spurting blood everywhere.

Twilight quickly scanned the room, trying to find the princesses, knowing her friends would not manage to last much longer. As promised, Celestia did not join the battle, not even to send blasts of magic, only stayed out of harm's way while keeping a worried eye on Luna, still in the thick of battle. She didn't dare call out to her, not wanting Discord to focus his attention on her, but she prayed Luna would abandon her desire for revenge and run to safety.

"Remember me?" Luna growled, glaring deep into his pain-filled eyes. The draconequus growled in reply and tried to bite her, but the moon princess swiftly dodged and dove at her opponent's neck, slashing the left side with her horn. She reveled in her victory a second too long as the eagle talon collided with her, and sent her crashing to the ground.

"LULU!" Celestia shouted, galloping to her side, standing between her and the battle with her horn glowing brightly, ready to attack any who came near.

"I'm fine," Luna grunted as she forced herself to her feet, fighting though the pain, and cried out as she tried to put weight on her back left leg.

"Come on, we're getting you out of here! You've had your revenge!" The sun princess slipped beneath her sister, lifting her up on her back, and quickly galloped out of the cave, with the ponies quickly following behind. Discord showed no acknowledgement of their disappearance, focusing on the alicorns before him. His body was covered in wounds and blood, but every alicorn had at least one injury of their own, and no one could say they could easily predict how the battle would go at this point.

When everyone was safe in the side-room, Celestia allowed Luna to slide off and she inspected the injured leg, gently probing it with her magic. "It's just a sprain," she said with relief, focusing healing energy upon it. "Don't scare me like that," she chided her sister, and then turned to the ponies. "All of you, please don't ever scare me like that."

Twilight stepped forward to better explain but Applejack jumped in the way. "We couldn't let our leaders go into battle with no armor or weapons to defend you. We didn't disobey from insolence, just a concern to keep you safe."

"I appreciate that, my little ponies," the white alicorn nodded, unable to bring herself to scold them for such sentiment. "But I'm not leaving this cave unless we're ordered to, and you better do the same."

"I'm not going back there!" Rainbow quickly insisted, "I saw enough!"

Celestia lay beside her sister and nuzzled her, fearing she had more memories to disturb her sleep. "Please don't ever do that again. Losing you once was hard enough, but if I lost you forever, I don't know what I'd do."

"I had to show him I wasn't a little filly that he could push around. It was too easy for his golden tongue and deceptive magic to corrupt me last time."

"And did you succeed?" How she prayed her vengeance against Discord was complete!

"I saw the fear in his eyes, and it was a sight I shall treasure forever," Luna answered with pride.

Celestia didn't like the dark joy in her tone, but perhaps it was just a part of her nature. Being the princess of the night encompassed so much, and evil was potentially a part of it. At least it was over, Discord could not survive such an onslaught, and now she could move on.

The eight lied there in silence, savoring each other's company, and listening to the muffled sounds of battle. Rainbow Dash shuddered as she heard a screaming cry of pain. "Do you think any of the alicorns will…die?"

The sun princess shook her head. "They are all trained warriors, and it is extremely difficult to kill an alicorn. I do however believe Infernius was being cocky bringing only nineteen warriors with him. He assumed sheer numbers would overwhelm Discord and enable them to quickly finish him." She stopped when she saw how uncomfortable her words were making the girls. Just because they accepted what to be done didn't mean they were comfortable with it. "I am forever sorry I subjected you all to this. You're all just innocent mares."

"We do what we have to to protect our country and those we love," Pinkie Pie said with sincerity, and the five nodded in agreement.

A rumble ceased all conversation as the floor shook and Celestia and the unicorns leapt to their feet, using their magic to encase them all in a pink bubble that filled the room and provided support to the ceiling and walls.

"They must have caused a cave-in!" Rarity shouted.

"Concentrate, Rarity!" Twilight scolded, putting all her effort into the spell.

"Don't use up all your energy, girls! I have this!" Celestia ordered.

The unicorns lessened their effort, but did not back down entirely, as the princess knew they would. None of them ever thought before protecting their friends, they only acted.

In less than a minute, it was over, but still the barrier remained erect for a minute more, removed when they could see a bloodied Infernius standing in the entranceway. His armor was torn and dented, some plates stripped away entirely, his entire horn was coated in red, and there were splotches of blood all over his body, but his eyes blazed with adrenaline and his mouth was twisted into a dark smile. Rarity covered Rainbow Dash's eyes with her foreleg before she got sick again. "We have won," he panted. "Discord is dead."

The ponies fidgeted nervously, uncomfortable with the idea of a corpse less than a hundred feet away from them. Luna smiled grimly, clearly pleased with their effort, and Celestia only solemnly nodded, unsure how to feel about the news. "Are there any casualties on your side?"

"None," he proudly announced. "All are injured, but the degrees vary, and all shall recover just fine. I told you my forces were more than adequate. You brought the Elements here for nothing."

"I always had faith in your abilities, Infernius. I insisted they come solely as a backup plan on the slight chance Discord got the upper hoof."

He scowled at her, annoyed that she refused to react to his insults. "I must see to my stallions. We have left markers for you to follow out of the cave whenever you are ready," he said before leaving with a flick of his tail.

Celestia sighed and lied next to her sister, applying a little healing magic to her swollen calf. "In an hour or so, you should be able to walk, and then we can leave."

"Are you alright, Tia?" Normally the nickname was reserved for private moments but none of them were able to discern the white alicorn's true feelings about the announcement of their foe's death, and Luna was greatly concerned. She didn't view her childhood friendship with the draconequus with fondness as her sister did, just bitterness and regret that the kindness they showed him was returned with malice and hatred.

"It's been a long day," Celestia answered curtly. "I just want to go home and put this all behind me."

Twilight wished her mentor would open up more, but the princess's tone warned her not to. The ponies huddled together for comfort and solace, letting the news of Discord's death sink in as they sat there in silence. All of Equestria and future generations were safe from his chaos and tranny; protecting them took more precedence over their aversion to execution.

It wasn't long before they all fell asleep, lulled by the darkness and the peaceful atmosphere in the cave. Twilight snapped to attention when a low, ominous moan invaded her sleep, sending her analytical mind into action. A ghost? No, they don't exist. Many animals make caves their homes, but a bat's cry is much higher in pitch. Is it some other animal looking for a meal? She tensed when the sound came again. No, it's too mournful, almost like it is suffering pain. She gasped as the answer came to her. Was Discord still alive?

The lavender unicorn carefully slipped out from between Applejack and Fluttershy, not wanting to disturb anyone and alert them to her absence. Creeping past the princesses was the worst, her heart pounding as she passed them, afraid their heightened senses would detect her, but no one stirred and she hurried down the passageway to the site of the battle. The cave-in didn't block the whole room; it was mostly concentrated toward the back of the large room, where a mountain of rubble now stood. Now or never, she thought, trying to summon the courage to speak. "Hel-hello?" She called, jumping when she heard the low moan again. "Discord?"

A repeated tapping of an eagle's claw against stone came in reply, and she knew he had somehow survived. She galloped to the base of the pile of rocks and began levitating and placing them on the edges of the room, frantic to free him without putting him in more danger. Progress was swift as it wasn't long before she saw his lone fang in the gap a few feet away from her, his mouth moving with labored breaths. She proceeded more cautiously, not wanting a sudden loose rock to fall and crush him. Apprehension gripped her more and more as she got closer to his head, sensing a presence behind her. She turned with a start, half-expecting a hungry animal drunk on bloodlust to come and finish them both off.

"Leave him be, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia ordered softly, though her tone was harsh and not one to be questioned.

The mare cowered before the power exuding from her mentor, seeing her monarch rather than her beloved friend and surrogate mother. "I can't," she quietly confessed, fighting to face the alicorn. "I can't let him die, not when I have the power to save him."

"Do you honestly think he will return the favor? That he will spare you from harm because you saved his life? What is stopping him from impaling you from behind when you turn your back to him?"

"Nothing," she admitted honestly. "I can't say for certain if he would honor what I did for him, but I can't live with myself if I just walk away from someone who needs my help."

I taught you too well, Celestia thought, torn between admiring her student for standing by her principles and being angry for defying a direct order. "He separated you from your friends to make you give up and abandon your quest to save Ponyville, and then you relive the experience in the nightmare, only it's made worse as you lose everyone you ever loved. You retaliate against him, and he attempts to kill you. He wants you dead, Twilight, don't you understand that? If he's not afraid to threaten it in nightmares, then he's prepared to do it in real life. How will your friends feel if you died doing something so stupid, or Spike, or your parents, or even me?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she contemplated the grim reality of the possible outcome of her actions, but her mind was made up. "I've always tried to make you proud, worked myself to the bone mastering some complex spell just to see you smile, but this is one thing I have to do for myself. If I do die, at least I died doing what I thought was right, what you taught me to do. I know my friends and family will understand and respect that, but if you can't, well it's a burden I will have to endure in the afterlife."

"You asked me to stay out of this, to not bloody my hooves. If you die, I'll have no choice but to kill him myself, because I will go mad with rage and I shall make him suffer as much as possible, to make him feel the great anguish in my heart. I ask you again, leave him be."

Tears fell silently down her face as she looked directly into the angry eyes of the mare she loved more than anything. "Please understand how much this pains me; how every fiber of my being wishes to obey your command, but I cannot do it. His blood would be on my hooves if I left him. I can't accept that; I can't compromise my morals. I am aware of everything he could do to me, and what would happen if I am wrong, and that you—" a sob took over, distorting her words, "you would hate me, but this is something I have to do; I have no choice. I'm so sorry, Celestia, but no matter what your decision, I won't hate you. I could never feel anything but love and adoration for you."

The sun princess didn't know how to respond, feeling as if her heart would burst with such conflicting emotions inside her. After giving her student a hateful glare, she turned and regally walked out of the cave, never once looking back nor slowing her pace.

With her head held low, and her heart no longer into her task, Twilight continued to levitate the boulders to the side of the room, giving the draconequus the same hateful glare the alicorn gave her when Discord's head was free of the rubble.

"I heard everything," he said, showing no reaction to the unicorn's anger, "very brave of you to stand up to your precious princess."

Rage filled her like never before and for a moment she felt as if she had the capacity to kill him herself, but instead she levitated a small pile of dirt and pebbles and threw it as hard as she could at his face. "Don't ever speak ill of the princess," she growled menacingly as she got right in his face, her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "She's everything to me, and I just gave it all up, to save you, a worthless soul who spat on her friendship and is always scheming to find ways to hurt her. In return, you'll kill me and then present my mangled corpse to her, gloating how her most faithful student was a joke, such a stupid, trusting, little foal, just so you can savor the pain in her eyes! So just SHUT UP!"

"For a mere unicorn, you were certainly born with the heart of an alicorn," Discord replied, trying to use humor to diffuse the situation and hide his fear of her. "If you're so convinced I'll kill you, why bother saving me? A good twenty-four hours beneath these rocks, I would have died from any number of causes."

"I hate you. It goes against everything I was taught: from my parents, from my princess, from my friends, but I still hate you, hate you with everything I am, but even so, I can't sit back and watch any living being die, not when I had a chance to save you. I didn't feel joy when Infernius announced you were dead, only sadness that you couldn't change, that you didn't want to change. Rather than celebrate your freedom and protect yourself from being transformed back into stone by running away, you immediately targeted Celestia; you did everything in your power to hurt those close to her to get to her."

She was taught never to provoke an animal, to run if she ever found herself in danger, but she stayed where she was, less than an inch from the draconequus, continuing to levitate the heavy boulders off of him as she spoke. He could easily kill her in any number of ways, but she didn't move and never stopped staring him down. Part of her was convinced that Celestia was right; this was all folly that would get her killed, and for what? For principles that couldn't be followed in every hypothetical situation? For her refusal to believe that a soul could not be redeemed? If death was to be her fate, so be it. She had no fear.

With more than three-quarters of his body free, Discord managed to slip out from the remainder of the rubble. He was covered in a patchwork of cuts and bruises, from his head down to the top of his tail, and a mix of alicorn blood and his own were splashed at random across his body. When he stood up, he couldn't put his full weight on his hoof, and his left arm hung limply at his side. Twilight jumped back, putting several feet between them, her horn glowing bright red as she stored power, ready to strike him at the slightest sign of danger. The two stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING HER, DISCORD!" A voice suddenly cried out from above.

The pony didn't look behind her, kept her eyes focused on her foe though a determined smile crossed her face as the other Elements and the alicorns stood by her side.

"Just say the word, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "We'll put this jerk right back where he belongs."

"Six feet under?" Discord retorted.

"Back into stone," she corrected.

The lavender unicorn hesitated for a moment. Could she trust Discord to walk away and never bother Equestria again? She opened her mouth but the words never came out, distracted by a loud, banging near the north end of the cave. Something was trying to break through the blocked passageway, something huge and very determined. Her fear came rushing back to her as the pounding grew louder until the rocks were broken through. A hovering ball of light appeared first, and then a set of very large and very sharp teeth attached to an enormous scaled body that hovered several feet above ground with flapping fins propelling it forward.

"A cavangler fish!" Fluttershy shouted.

"The hay are you all waiting for! Forget him and RUN!" Rainbow Dash shouted, leading the pack as they ran as quickly as they could.

The fish continued to smash its body against the rock barriers, driven mad by the scent of blood and the desire for an easy meal, not caring that it was making the already unstable cavern worse. The alicorns put themselves at the bottom of the group, separating the ponies from the slow and limping Discord and the speedy cavangler fish.

Fall back, fall back and sacrifice yourself, Celestia mentally tried to force her will onto Discord as she ran to evade the hungry predator and the falling rocks above. If the fish caught and ate him, it would be best for all. Equestria would be safe and no one would feel guilty over his death. She often stole glances backward, growling as the draconequus was managing to stay far ahead of the open jaws of death. No one else split their attention between their own safety and Discord's hopeful demise, sparing them from the fair size rocks that often struck the sun princess, putting her body under more strain then was necessary. You won't survive, Discord. You're too injured, give up already! For once in your life, do something selfless and noble! She looked behind her once again, prepared to order him to throw himself to the fish when a large rock that could have been avoided fell right on top of her head.

Twilight heard her mentor cry out in pain and turned to look, feeling her heart stop a moment as she saw the princess sprawled out on the ground, not moving, and with Discord and the fish close behind. "CELESTIA!" She screamed and immediately ran to her side, fearing the worst. "Get up," she urged as she nudged the alicorn's head, tears welling up in her eyes as she didn't move. "Please get up!"

Luna's heart went out to Celestia but her royal duty was to protect her subjects first and foremost, and she herded the other ponies out of the cavern and into a more stable section.

The sun princess grunted before attempting to stand, quickly falling back down from the sharp pain searing through her head. "I'll be fine, just go, save yourself!"

"I won't leave you!" Protectively, she stood behind her friend, using her magic to encase them both in a protective bubble, ready and willing to defend her at any cost.

Discord was baffled by what he was witnessing. Celestia all but disowned Twilight when she refused to leave him to his fate, yet the unicorn was ready to risk her life trying to protect her. What madness of love was this? Did Twilight think that this would put her back on the alicorn's good side? No matter what the reason, he owed the fool his life, and the only way any of them would escape this is if the cavangler fish disappeared.

When he caught up with the ponies, he stopped and turned to face his foe. With a snap of his fingers, a bustier appeared on his upper torso with metal cone frames placed above the cups, and he began to dance, temporarily distracting the fish as it approached, but it quickly ignored the spectacle and focused on its intended meal. He pulled a string that hung loosely down the side and fireworks shot out of the bra, exploding right in the beast's face. With a cry of pain, it ran away, leaving the way it came. Without its floundering antics, stability returned to the cave.

Celestia leaned on her student as she stood on her wobbly feet, her head still swimming in pain. "You…you saved us," she managed, trying to focus her blurry vision on her savior. "Why?"

"I believe the correct response is 'Oh thank you, Discord! I am forever in your debt! Please allow me to kiss your feet and tend to your injuries,'" he said in his best falsetto imitation of her, before frowning in great disappointment. "You insult me, Celestia; I thought you prided yourself on being 'better' then your alicorn brethren?"

"I am. Infernius would have killed you on the spot. I'm simply being cautious."

"Cautiousness that I could interpret as being rude and ungrateful, which would drive me to return the favor you did for me earlier," he reminded her, and the two angrily stared each other down while the unicorn growled menacingly at him. "Consider yourself lucky, I can't. Twilight's mercy prevents me. Think about that, Celestia, the mouse saved the lion."

"Stop speaking in riddles and talk sense!"

"Twilight saved me from an excruciating death where you would rather see me die. Not only that, she openly defied you in order to save me, someone she loathes, knowing you whom she loves so dearly, would abandon her. How can I turn my back on that?"

"Honor doesn't become you, Discord; this is all just a trick, isn't it?"

"It's called protecting my life!" He snapped, appalled at her lack of trust. "I went after you twice, and that resulted in swift imprisonment and then my possible death. It's been suggested I find some wasteland devoid of life and turn that into my own little home of chaos."

Celestia glanced down at her student, who shrank and looked away, before looking back at him. "Very well, the alicorns think you are dead, and they cannot be bothered to explore the world around them."

Discord smiled. His freedom was guaranteed if the stuffy alicorns didn't demand to see his corpse.

"However, if I ever see or hear of you in or around Equestria, I will kill you myself, make no mistake about that." Her eyes glowed with intensity, making him feel as if she would kill him where he stood, and only the unicorn's presence protected him.

"Understood," he confirmed with a nod, cautiously watching her for any sudden, betraying moves.

Twilight's eyes darted between the two, hoping to see something besides negativity. If Celestia could spare his life, then maybe it was possible that the two could put aside their differences and be friends again. Sadly it was not meant to be as the princess refused to stop scowling at him and the draconequus's expression was unreadable.

Without a word, the alicorn turned to leave, keeping her head held high and her expression stern. Twilight lingered just long enough to give Discord a warm smile of thanks before joining her mentor, but her happiness was fleeting and Celestia still retained her grim expression, her violet eyes staring straight ahead, barely acknowledging the pony at her side.

Twilight's head dropped as her heart sank down to her hooves as the two walked in silence. The princess's magic levitated and moved rocks in their way without a sound, not even pausing when her student's magic grabbed rocks before the alicorn knew it was there. Celestia hates me, I know it, she thought with sorrow. Their discussions on morality and ethics never allowed for exception: holding a grudge, hating someone, wishing death on another, or even a justified death was never allowed in any hypothetical situation, yet the princess was displeased with her for wishing to protect Discord despite everything he had done. If it was wrong to continually hope and pray that he could be redeemed, then why couldn't the princess entrusted her with knowledge of him and her feelings on the subject before the draconequus escaped the first time?

After what felt like forever, the two reached the entrance of the cave where Luna and the others waited impatiently for them.

"Twilight!" The five ponies shouted as they rushed at her, taking her into a tight group hug. The lavender unicorn shed a few tears of happiness, feeling some of the weight lifted off of her heart.

Luna nuzzled her elder sister, trying and failing to hide her tears. "I'm so glad you escaped, I was beginning to fear the worst."

"Twilight and—" it physically pained her to say it, but she couldn't hide the truth from her sister. It wasn't worth risking a rift in their relationship if the draconequus went back on his word and pursued them again, uncovering her deception. "Twilight and Discord saved me, and in return, I allowed him to live, on the condition that he is never seen in or around Equestria again."

"You let him go?" She demanded angrily, appalled at what she was hearing. "How could you? How could you trust him? He's a monster!"

"Was it stupid of me? Perhaps, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. He has been warned that I shall kill him personally if he ever came to Equestria. I won't endanger the lives of my subjects, nor those I love most. He seemed eager to keep his freedom and preserve his life, acknowledging that coming after me results in nothing but imprisonment and worse. Please, let's all go home and put this ugly business behind us."

---

A month had passed, and nopony spoke of what happened. On the surface, it didn't appear that anything had changed between the mentor and student, but Twilight felt she lost the close bond. They only spoke through the latest friendship reports, but the tone of Celestia's replies was a neutral one, discussing the merits of the lesson and nothing else. She was too afraid to send a personal letter, not wanting to give voice to the fear that hung heavy in her heart. It wasn't something she dared confide in her friends, afraid that openly acknowledging it would make it true.

"Aren't you coming to bed, Twilight?" Spike asked, clutching a pillow and blanket, distracting the mare from her thoughts.

"No, I think I'll stay up a little longer and do some reading," she replied, mindlessly staring at the bookshelf.

"You've been reading all day!" He snapped with impatience.

"For studying, not for fun," she corrected as she levitated a Daring Do book off the shelf, blushing as Spike gave her a look. "I promised Rainbow we could discuss it over lunch sometime soon. I'll stay down here so I won't disturb you."

"Okay," the dragon relented, dragging his tired feet upstairs. "Good night, Twilight."

"Good night, Spike." She didn't want to go to bed until she was physically and mentally wiped, anything to keep herself from reliving that nightmare of the princess humiliating and disowning her while the draconequus laughed in her ear, which ruined many a night's sleep.

She sat on the bottom step and was barely finished with the first chapter when heavy knocking on the door distracted her. Who could that be at this hour? She memorized the page number before placing the book beside her as she trotted to the door, swinging it open with her magic. Her heart began to pound as two of the royal winged guards stood before her. "May I help you, sirs?"

"The princess has asked to see you immediately," one spoke gruffly.

Twilight saw that the two were harnessed together and assumed that a chariot was behind them. "Is something wrong? Has she called upon the Elements of Harmony? Am I in trouble?"

"She only requested to speak with you, Miss Sparkle. She wouldn't tell us the reason. Now please come along, she is anxious to see you," the two backed up, giving her space.

With her head held high and her heart sunk low, she climbed into the chariot, feeling as if she was a condemned prisoner. Despite the urgency of the letter, she and the others took a train to Canterlot when Discord returned, and now an escort was sent to bring her expediently to the princess's side, but why? Had Discord come back and she was going to be presented with his corpse? Was she going to be mocked for thinking he could be redeemed? She sighed in despair, staring down at the floor, preparing herself to accept her fate. At least she would now know the truth of how the princess felt about her. Though a chariot ride was the closest thing she had to experience flight as a pegasus, she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it tonight, and continued to stare at the floor of the vehicle for the entire trip.

"We've arrived." The pegasi announced as they landed. Twilight jumped out, expecting to feel the stone pathway leading to the castle beneath her hooves, but instead felt grass. The shock knocked her out of her funk momentarily as she looked around, realizing she was standing on a grassy cliff side on the outer edges of the castle.

"Are you sure we're—hey! You can't just—" she galloped after the departing chariot, stopping short when she reached the cliff edge. "You did," she grunted, watching the two fly off. "Now what?"

"Now this," said a voice from behind and Twilight was suddenly shoved off of the cliff.

The mare's screams were soon silenced as she plunged into a pool of water and she hastily swam to the surface. "What—" a hacking cough stole her voice as she spat up water. "What was—oh no!" She quickly swam away, trying to avoid a falling body, but she was caught up in the wake and momentarily went under again. "What is your problem—" her voice gave out as she stared dumbfounded at a soaking wet white alicorn, her mane hanging still and loose, and her face alight with a mischievous grin, "Princess?"

"Celestia," she corrected, giggling like a schoolfilly.

"Celestia, why—" her eyes widened as she got a good look at her mentor: no tiara, no necklace, it was safe to assume her boots were somewhere on shore as well. Though the coverings never covered anything explicit, the unicorn felt uncomfortable as she never saw her mentor without her attire. "Why are you naked?"

"Why, you like what you see?" She teased with a grin.

Twilight's whole face turned red and she shyly hid beneath the water until only her horn was above the surface.

"I was only teasing, my most faithful student," she apologized, and the mare's head promptly shot back up.

"It's been a long time since you called me that," the pony shyly pointed out, her eyes locked with those of her mentor's.

"Yes, far too long, and I sincerely apologize for it. Please, forgive me; I haven't been myself for quite some time." Her violet eyes were full of sorrow as they begged forgiveness from the one she loved most.

"It's my fault, isn't it? I forced your hoof; I made you save Discord's life even though he can't be redeemed."

"What makes you say that?" The princess asked in a gentle tone.

"That's why you summoned me isn't it; to show me his corpse because he came back and you killed him?"

Celestia chuckled softly and levitated a scroll from the shore in response, unfurling it before her companion. "This is what I wanted you to see."

Twilight gasped in surprise. The scroll contained a photo of a smiling Discord standing before land that was multi-colored checkerboard and distorted with hills of varying sizes and random structures and clumps of land hovering above, and chocolate rain and upside down apple pies fell from cotton candy clouds. "'Having a wonderful time, wish you were here,'" she read aloud. "He found a compromise! He's able to live his life as he pleases without encouraging his demise!"

"After everything he did to you, you didn't give in to the darkness in your heart. I'm very proud of you, my faithful student."

The unicorn's face was engulfed in a beaming smile and the princess mirrored it as her magic pushed at the surface of the water behind the unsuspecting mare, and a tidal wave crashed over her much to the alicorn's delight.

"Why you," the mare playfully teased and used her hooves and magic to splash back. The air was filled with her mentor's ringing laughter and her student's jovial tones as they engaged in a splash battle, chasing each other around the lake as hooves and magic pummeled them both with water. Twilight's heart was light as a filly as she playfully romped with her friend, feeling all worry and anxiety vanish. Nothing had changed between them, all that worry was for naught.

The moon had shifted in the sky by the time their energy waned and the two swam to shore. Celestia climbed out first, gracefully stepping onto shore and with a brief shake, her body was free of water, and her ethereal mane and tail flowed freely once again. She stood still a moment, savoring the beautiful night sky above them. Luna should be proud of the artistry she created tonight, she thought. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Absolutely," the unicorn replied, staring up at her mentor's regal face. Even in the moonlight, the sun goddess beamed with radiance, the very embodiment of grace and perfection.

"I wasn't myself for quite some time," the princess repeated, her tone suggesting she didn't want to continue, but Twilight pushed anyway.

"You hated me for protecting Discord, didn't you?" She asked cautiously, fear and trepidation in her voice. She felt Celestia's body stiffen in response and noticed her eyes dart to the side. Twilight flinched as if she had been struck and slipped out from the embrace.

"You've always taught me love and tolerance, to respect life; that nopony deserved death as punishment, no matter how dangerous. You never allowed for any exceptions in our discussions, no matter what the situation. You always taught me to think for myself, to never blindly obey another if I knew in my heart it was wrong, yet you can't forgive me for doing as you wanted? You honestly expected me to just go against morals I hold so dearly? Was everything a sham then? Am I not supposed to act as you expect me? What other lies do you want me to believe, alicorn?"

Twilight's eyes widened as she clamped a hoof over her mouth, appalled and disgusted with herself for showing such disrespect to the pony she saw as a second mother. With a sob, she ran away, her sorrow and tears blinding her to where she was headed, and stumbled into the lake, landing face first in the muddy bottom. How fitting for such an idiot, she thought grimly, convinced Equestria itself was laughing at her naiveté. She didn't fight the magic that surrounded her, levitating her back to shore, lying like a rag doll on the ground. She didn't bother to move when she felt a strange weight on her head, nor reacted when magic gently wiped her face clean of mud, feeling like a stupid, helpless filly that needed a mother to take care of her.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle," Celestia began, snapping the mare from her depressed state. She turned to face her mentor, a thousand questions on the tip of her tongue, all silenced with a bare hoof to her lips and a soft, teary-eyed smile from the princess. "No one is perfect, not even a mighty alicorn, and even a teacher can learn from a student. I let the darkness in my heart consume me, going against everything I had believed and taught for centuries. I came so close to hating a pony I love more than anything, causing me great physical and mental pain, when I should have applauded her efforts to stick to her beliefs no matter how hard it was. I trusted her, which is why I allowed Discord to live, but it started a war inside of me. Was she right, or was I? How long would it be before Discord came after Equestria again? I wanted him dead; I would not feel at ease until I saw his corpse. Not even imprisonment would put my fears to rest, and here he was running free with only his word to keep us all safe. I should have had more faith in her judgment. She would never lead others astray just to prove a point. I taught her far too well; perhaps I have unconsciously trained my successor. Your faithful mentor, Princess Celestia."

Twilight stared dumbfounded at the princess, her head reeling with the alicorn's words. She had lofty expectations of what she could accomplish with her magical ability, but never had she allowed herself to believe she had the ability to rule over Equestria. She thought a shelf named after her in the Canterlot Library was the highest honor she could ever receive in her life. "You're not serious, are you?" She asked hesitantly, afraid of what she might hear.

Silently, Celestia motioned to the lake behind Twilight, and the mare looked into the still water. Her breath was caught in her throat and she staggered backward, disbelieving her eyes. She crept forward once more, surprised to see that it had not been an illusion. "I…I…" a hesitant hoof reached up and she gasped at the feel of cold metal. "I'm wearing the royal tiara."

"The only pony to ever do so besides me," the princess informed her with pride. "The tiaras Luna and I wear were designed and forged solely for us, gifts from the great council to show how sincere they were in their request that we become the new monarchs."

"Celestia, you're not—you're not considering abdicating the throne, are you? Or Princess Luna?" Her mind immediately conjured images of the nobility rising up against her, claiming their right to rule by blood alone, and the common ponies rioting against a sudden change in leadership. She wasn't ready to rule an entire country!

The alicorn chuckled warmly as she shook her head. "No, Equestria is our home and our subjects are our family. We could never possibly consider leaving, but all the same, I have complete faith that you would be a wonderful monarch, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"I prefer being your most faithful student," the lavender unicorn modestly replied, tears of joy filling her eyes.

"As do I," Celestia said as her own tears fell, kissing her student's forehead. "I want nothing more than just that."

Twilight lunged at her mentor, wrapping her forelegs around the mare's neck as the tears fell freely. She had hoped tonight would reestablish their friendship, but it instead grew to levels that the young mare never thought possible.

The alicorn eased them both to the ground, wrapping a foreleg around the unicorn's body and holding her close. "Let it out, don't hold back," she advised.

"I love you so much, Celestia," Twilight sniffled, looking up into her mentor's eyes. "Please don't ever leave me again."

"I'll always be there for you, my most faithful student. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she said as she mimed the motions.

"You remembered," the mare said softly, touched that her mentor would care enough.

"Of course I did. I could never forget something so important to you and your friends. Applejack told me what happens when you break a Pinkie Promise and I do not wish to be at the receiving end of such backlash."

"No, you don't," Twilight agreed with a smile, wiping her face dry with her hoof. Her head bobbed as she felt sleep creep over her body but she quickly shook it off. The whirlwind of emotions she went through tonight drained what energy remained but she refused to give into sleep's embrace. Maximizing her time with the princess was much more important, but her head grew heavy and her eyelids dropped and she curled up against her mentor, smiling as she heard the heartbeat of the great alicorn. "Love you, Celestia," she mumbled as sleep suddenly claimed her, granting her peace with no dreams, only a deep feeling of satisfaction and contentment.

"I love you more then you will ever know," the princess softly replied, her voice breaking with emotion. "Despite everything you know, everything you've seen, you're still an innocent filly at heart. Stay that way, Twilight Sparkle. Don't ever let yourself be hardened. Don't ever end up like me."

Comments

[Grey the Mighty]

All I can say is that is was shorter than I expected it to be, but it was perfect.
Great job.

[Reader Wolf]

Excellent writing combined with a brilliant portrayal of the philosophy of morals and an ending that is so warming, it's causing heartburn.

I'm serious, this is just a perfect story.

[ChaosInfinity]

Discord did not die! I am soooo happy! the story did scare me a bit though I thought it was nice in general.