The Life of Penumbra Heartbreak

by Unwhole Hole

Chapter 40: Conspiracy

The day had ended, and the night had grown dark. Outside, the only light came from Nightmare Moon’s beautiful sky, and from the strange and unnamed bioluminescent things that lived deep in the Everfree Forest. It was fall, and a child had begun to form in the air. Soon the leaves would change, and the season would progress as the world moved on in another one of endless revolutions about the sun.

Yet inside, there was no chill, nor was there darkness, at least not in the library. Each and every corner was lit by brilliant magical lanterns, their bases carved in gold and the crystals within them shimmering and brilliant. In the silence of night and under this artificial glow, Celestia moved about quickly, her bare hooves tapping on the cold marble floor as she scanned the shelves, removing and stacking books as she went.

She slept little. There was so much to be done. Even with her sister taking the throne during the night, there simply was not enough hours in a day. Celestia sighed as she set a pile of scrolls, tablets, and tomes on one of the tables, the stress of the weight so great that its thick oaken legs actually creaked in protest.

The situation was not grim- -yet- -but not good either. Raising the sun was one thing, but managing it in the context of ruling an eternal empire was something else entirely. There were crop failures throughout the northern regions, the result of inadequate sunlight to illuminate the crops; at the same time, excessive solar radiation was reeking havoc on the Pegasi weather-management systems. This was to say nothing about the difficulty of creating unified timezones across all of the new empire, and standardizing the calendar from there- -in addition to the administrative work required to actually run a kingdom.

A cold wind blew through the room, and the few lights powered by shrouded candles flickered. Celestia pulled the collar of her wizard robes tighter. There was still so much work to do...but she inspected the room carefully, observing every corner with the greatest care. She knew every inch of it, because it was where she spent most of her time. Studying endlessly, of course.

When she saw that no one was present, she opened a very specific book- -to reveal that the pages had been hollowed out. Inside was a slice of cake.

Knowing that nopony was around, Celestia immediately shoved her entire alicorn face into the book and began devouring its contents.

She did not notice the blue smoke that entered the room from beneath the door and from several vents, and did not see as it coalesced before the table. By the time the gas had coalesced into Nightmare Moon, it was already too late.

Celestia squeaked loudly and nearly fell off her seat. “SISTER!”

Nightmare Moon sighed. “Dear sister...cake? In the library? Really?”

“But I...I wanted it...”

“Your blood sugar, Celestia. You need to be more careful.” Nightmare Moon closed the book with her magic and lifted it away. Celestia protested, but only slightly; all that was left were a few scraps of delicious, smooth, silky royal frosting. She had already ingested the cake part.

“And you know you should not eat sweets before bed. Why are you even up so late? The night is my domain. You ought to be in bed, resting. We have a meeting with the combined generals and admire tomorrow.”

“And you don’t want me nodding off.”

“If you do, I will force you to dream about something highly unpleasant. Running up a slight incline, mayhaps.”

Celestia frowned. “I’m not fat.”

“I did not say you were. But as a sorceress, you are not meant to be firm and hard.”

“Like you.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Like me.”

Celestia sighed. “But there’s so much to do still! Crop failures in the north, an equine encephalitis outbreak in the south, drought in the west...”

“Insurgencies forming along the eastern border, and unrest with the nobles of Canterlot,” added Nightmare Moon. “And of course the Crystal Empire.” She looked down at Celestia’s magic tomes and notes. She saw little use in them; magic, she had always found, was a terribly limited practice. “I fear war is approaching.”

“And sometimes I’m afraid we stretched too far. Maybe this was all a mistake.” Celestia lay her chin on a map on the desk. “All this territory...maybe it’s too much for two ponies. Even us. If ponies are getting hurt...what if we can’t hold it together?”

“We will, dear sister. Together.”

Celestia looked up at her sister and smiled. “I know. We have to.”

“Have you made any progress with Starswirl’s spell?”

The smile faded from Celestia’s face. “No,” she said. “I’ve read it and re-read it a hundred times. I understand that it requires the Elements, but I don’t know how. The spell only works in one direction, and only we can wield the elements. But we’re already alicorns.” She extended one of her enormous white wings and flapped it, causing the golden chains attached to the feathers to jingle.

“Do not feel ashamed. Even Starswirl himself could not complete the spell.”

“Maybe he could...if he was still here.” Celestia sat up and looked around this room. “Do you remember? When he helped us build this library? When he insisted that we just HAD to have a secret reference section?”

A thin smile crossed Nightmare Moon’s face. “I recall that he was young then. That his epitaph was meant to be ironic. Barely out of colthood. And you were so taken with him.”

Celestia blushed. “I- -I was never taken by- -”

“I was Luna then.”

The room fell silent. The silence of the night.

“You...you can be again,” said Celestia, softly.

Nightmare Moon sighed. “Please, sister. Let us not have this conversation again. Not now.”

“Right.” Celestia lowered his head. “It’s just that...I miss those days. When things were still new. The whole world looked so bright, didn’t it?”

“You miss him.”

Celestia nodded. “You’ve seen my dreams.”

“I do not have to. But be assured, this way is better.”

“I know.” Celestia sighed, trying not to cry, because she knew that it was a losing proposition either way. Had he and his friends not vanished, she and Nightmare Moon would be forced to watch them age and wither- -and, someday, vanish away entirely. While the Sisters lived on immortal, alone with none but one another.

“I have further poor news,” said Nightmare Moon, continuing with whatever reason she had actually had for arriving in the library so late at night.

“More?”

Nightmare Moon nodded solely. “I have returned from Canterlot, inspecting the present martial law. I received the reports on crystal production.”

“I think I have the gross product reports here...somewhere...oh! Here!” She lifted a piece of paper covered in frosting.

“Gross indeed. Regardless, they are flawed.”

“But we are receiving twelve tons- -”

“Of inferior product. The mines are depleted.”

“But- -that’s not possible. It can’t be. We need those crystals, magic research, weather machines- -”

“Will not function without an energy source. I am aware. And especially when our empire is in such a fragile state, we MUST find a new source.”

Celestia opened a notebook. “My geologists have said that there is a region nearby that can be developed- -”

“And my cave-delvers have shown those caverns to be hideously unstable. Work would be painstaking and slow, done by hoof. It cannot meet demand. Not if we are to go to war. Not if we are to maintain our benevolent control of Equestria. Sister, you know the source we require.”

Celestia had no answer, because she knew her sister was right. Yet she did not need to formulate one, because her defeated silence was quickly interrupted by the door slamming open. A unicorn in golden armor burst through, crying out as though he had expected the well-oiled door to offer more resistance. He immediately fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

“My princess! My princess!”

Nightmare Moon loomed over him. “Yes? Speak, peasant!”

The guard looked up, and immediately squeaked in terror. “Night- -Nightmare MOON!”

“Vanilla Swift!” cried Celestia, standing and immediately rushing to the guard’s side. “What’s wrong?”

“My princess, it- -” His eyes grew wide. “You- -you know my name?”

Celestia blinked. “Of course. I know all my guards’ names. Now come here.” She hugged him. The guard looked exceedingly surprised, and Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “Now,” she said. “Take a breath, and tell me what’s wrong.”

“An interloper,” gasped the guard. “In the gardens. He just- -he came out of nowhere!”

“I will summon the Nightguard immediately.” Nightmare Moon swished her cape and approached the door, but Celestia slammed it shut with her magic.

“No,” she said, her voice deathly serious as she stood. “Starswirl and I built the enchantments on this castle. If somepony came here, and they didn’t activate, it means we’re dealing with a wizard. A terribly powerful one. Vanilla Swift, what did he look like?”

“White. All white...with a little streak of purple in his mane.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Then I need to see him immediately. Please, take me to him.”

The pace was brisk, but not a gallop. A princess could never gallop, ostensibly out of etiquette but in truth because doing so could ignite panic among her subjects. Never before had Celestia wanted to run so badly, though, because she alone knew the danger- -and knew that every second she delayed was another second her subjects were in danger.

A pony emerged from somewhere in the hall, as if out of a fine mist. Perhaps he had. Celestia jumped, as she always did, but only slightly. The knight immediately fell in step with Nightmare Moon. His body was clad entirely in gleaming moonstone armor, marked only with his insignia, a diamond of four stars. His face was covered by a skeletal mask that Celestia always found horrible, and his long, feathery gray wings were held back tightly.

“My Queen,” he said, addressing Nightmare Moon. “The Solar Guard has contained the intruder, but I have dispatched an additional row of archers to the battlements. We await your order.”

“Forgive me, general,” snapped Celestia, “but you are out of of your depth.”

“We have methods for dealing with magic,” retorted Nightmare Moon.

“Not like this you don’t.”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed. In the dim light, her pupils were wide, but Celestia saw them growing increasingly slit-like. “He’s one of yours, then.”

“No. Not one of mine. But I know who he is. And I know what to do.”

“What, then, dear sister?”

“We talk. This does not have to end in violence.”

“And if it does?”

“Then it is my responsibility to handle it.”

Celestia pulled ahead.

“My Queen?” asked the knight.

“Be prepared. I will acquiesce for now, but if she fails, do not let that filth touch her. Protect my sister at whatever cost.”

“Of course, Queen Khonshu. I shall be at your side. Together, no foe can stand in our way.”

Nightmare Moon smiled. It was a weak thing, something she did so rarely in the latter age- -but beneath that smile, she was concerned. Deeply.

The intruder was, as Vanilla had claimed, in the garden. The night was perfumed by blooming lavender and the trellises were alight with the pale shade of moonflowers, moonseed vines, and Epiphyllum. It would normally have been tranquil and silent at this hour, save perhaps for the occasional passing bat-pony maiden staring wistfully at the night’s sky. Now, though, it was crowded with unicorn soldiers, their horns lowered and casting shield spells in a wide circle. They were stoic and steadfast ponies, ready to defend their princesses at any cost- -but even from a distance, Celestia knew that they were afraid. Just as afraid as Vanilla Swift had been, if not more so.

The pony in the center could not have been more the opposite. He was just standing there, completely nonplussed by his surroundings- -but as Celestia drew closer, she understood that something was terribly wrong.

She smelled him before she saw him. It was not a normal smell of pony sweat or uncleanliness, but rather a sickening floral odor. It was not too much unlike the flowers that bloomed in the garden, yet terrible where they were beautiful. As if the flowers had been left rotting in deep, stagnant and putrid water.

His appearance was not much better, and even knowing who he was- -and of the cursed House that he was derived- -Celestia could not help but be moved to pity. He appeared as if he had not eaten in weeks, and had grown terribly thin. His entire left front limb was covered in an armored boot inscribed with an exceedingly complex arrangement of sealing spells, but he was scratching at it constantly and absently, as if he was not even aware he was doing it.

Whatever those spells were meant to contain, they were failing. Thin streaks of yellow had developed on the stallion’s neck and face, and his left eye was deeply bloodshot- -except that whereas unicorn eyes normally became more silver in that state, his had become red.

Worst of all, though, was his horn. It was not something a normal pony would have noticed, but a sorceress would- -and Celestia had. She saw the surgical scar, and the fact that the color did not quite match his own.

She stopped. He looked up at her and smiled.

“Princess,” he said, nearly bursting into laughter. “As beautiful as ever, I suppose. My apologies for waking you. But I could hardly talk to your sister alone. No...I need you both...”

“Twilight Luciferian.” Celestia was hesitant to speak his name aloud, because she saw the fear that ran through her guard. They did not know Luciferian personally, but there was no unicorn that did not know of the Cursed House and the trail of blight and destruction that countless Twilight’s had carved throughout history.

The smile vanished from Luciferian’s face. “You know who I am. Of course you know who I am.”

“You’ve been drinking it. Twilight, it isn’t meant for mortals- -”

Luciferian bore his fangs. “Forgive me if I don’t take the advice of a HYPOCRITE. It makes her QUIET. It...” He took a deep breath. “That is not what I came here to discuss.”

“How did you get here?” demanded Nightmare Moon. “Speak. NOW.”

Luciferian smiled. “Of course. Who could deny the One True Goddess? Isn’t that what they’re calling you now? The Queen of Equestria?”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed and she bore her own fangs. She took a step forward- -but Celestia stopped her.

“Portal magic,” said Celestia. “It’s the only way you could have got past my spells and the guard. But that magic is supposed to be lost- -”

“To everypony but YOU? I’ve made advances. Slowly piecing back together the spells you wiped from all but your own private records. Heh.” For just a moment, Celestia saw absolute panic in his eyes. “Some...some should have stayed hidden...”

“What do you want, unicorn?” Nightmare Moon pushed her sister’s hoof away. “Why do you violate our sanctum?”

“Your ivory tower, you mean. Built in a swamp, of course. How fitting. No. NO. I’m getting off track!” He poked himself in the head with his unclad hoof. Then he laughed slightly to himself. “No.” He took a breath and regained his composure, and then looked Celestia in the eye. “I came here to offer you a deal.”

“How generous,” said Celestia. “Forgive me if I’m skeptical.”

“Because what can a Twilight possibly offer the White Queen?” Luciferian smiled as he saw the look of shame cross Celestia’s face at that particular epithet.

“What indeed,” muttered Nightmare Moon.

Luciferian smiled. “I want you to help me overthrow Sombra.”

The crowd of unicorns gasped. Celestia even detected the slightest change in shadows from the battlements where the Nightguard were watching.

“Disloyalty, then,” sighed Nightmare Moon. “Of course.”

“Call it what you want. But in case you didn’t notice, I don’t work for him anymore. Not after his precious daughter did THIS.” He pointed at his horn.

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Cadence did THAT?”

Luciferian grinned. “She’s taken my place now. As One of Thirteen. And she’s good at it. The spitting image of her father.”

“No, you’re lying!”

“Sister?”

“Not that it matters. I don’t intend to overthrow HER. At least not in that sense. Your country is running out of crystal reserves and fertile land. They’re harrowing your borders and already took out YakYakistan. War is on the horizon.”

“YakYakistan?” Celestia was greatly confused by this. “But that makes no sense...”

“We have considered this,” agreed Nightmare Moon. “But in all honesty, having one anemic wizard- -no matter how dark his lineage- -will hardly turn the tide. The peace must not be broken.”

“Peace? It isn’t peace, he’s waiting, you idiots!” Luciferian winced and grabbed his contained hoof. The smell of flowers grew stronger.

“Twilight- -”

“Time is of the essence,” he said, ignoring what was clearly intense pain. “I have information you don’t. Sombra is gravely ill. Dying. For now. The Crystal Empire is weak, now is the time to attack!”

“What do you mean ‘for now’?”

Luciferian looked up. One of his eyes was now mostly red, while the other was pale violet and reflective. “Gxurab Al’Hrabnaz. He’s found a way to graft Sombra’s soul into a new body. An immortal one.”

“A new body?” Celestia took a step forward. “WHICH body?”

“I have no idea, why should I care? Because if you hurry, you can make sure he never gets the chance! I helped build the Citadel, I know how it works- -and I know that for the freak to activate the spell, he needs a tremendous amount of power. But I assure you, he has it. Everything is in place, and everything is ready.”

“Which would leave the Empire without its main defense.”

Luciferian nodded. “The spell will take time. If you can attack then, get to Sombra before he transfers bodies...”

“We can take the kingdom,” said Nightmare Moon.

Luciferian smiled. “You can. But not without my help. I can get back inside. Direct things. Make the battle go in your favor.”

“Sabotage, you mean,” said Celestia.

“Yes, essentially.”

“A trick, surely,” said Nightmare Moon, her pupils narrowing. “Seeing as you left out the part about their doomsday weapon.”

Celestia lifted her head suddenly, again confused. “Doomsday weapon? What doomsday weapon?”

“The one they ‘tested’ over Mount Aris during last week’s ‘negotiations’.”

“Last week? Nopony told me about this!”

Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “And you did not ask why the hippogriffs left our alliance, along with the donkeys? Or why YakYakistan’s government was suddenly overthrown?”

“My diplomats said the negotiations went splendidly! That we were closing in on getting a peace treaty with the Crystal Empire...” Celestia gasped, her eyes growing wide. “Sister…did they...”

“They have apparently been lying to you, dear sister. Giving you a far more prosaic view than the truth. My Dagger, however, has not.” She turned to Luciferian. “We cannot risk Sombra utilizing this weapon. Not in our kingdom’s current state.”

A sickly smile crossed Luciferian’s face. “You mean the asymmetric material conversion bomb?”

Celestia clasped her hooves over her mouth. “Clover’s asymmetric material conversion spell? You- -you solved the compression paradox? But if that were used in a weapon- -the power would be unimaginable! You have no idea the cost!”

“Of course I know the cost. Who do you think built it? And how stupid are you that you didn’t understand that it was a BLUFF?”

“The effect was quite real- -”

“Yes. From ONE bomb. The ONLY one. Do you have any idea how rare an ultraregal-magesty crystal even is? We only had one, and only I knew how to carve it. That was the only one they had, it was meant to slow you down until Sombra can gather enough forces to storm YOUR borders instead of the other way around!” He gasped in pain, but laughed as well. “And he will! As soon as he gets his new body, you won’t be able to stop him! This is your only chance to strike.”

“And what do you expect in return?” Celestia took another step forward, towering over him- -yet feeling oh so small in comparison. But not to him. To something beside him, or within him. He was sick- -but what was inside him was growing stronger by the second.

“It’s simple, really. Equestria has reached its maximum. You two alone cannot provide the administrative support for something so vast. Even if you take the Crystal Empire, you can’t control it. Not without risking your own empire falling apart.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning your best solution is vassal states. There is really no other option. I want the Crystal Empire. I want to be its king. Governor, magistrate, whatever you prefer, I don’t care. I want POWER, even if that means I have to swear fealty to you...”

“Ah. Of course. It comes back to power. Not forgiveness, not understanding of your crimes...you simply want to replace Sombra with a king just as evil.”

“You can NEVER understand!” screamed Luciferian, suddenly lashing out and terrifying the guards as the closed their shields even tighter. “Is it WRONG?! To do something for MYSELF?! To do something no Twilight ever COULD?! I could have been something!” His eyes began to glisten with tears- -or at least one did. “I could have fixed it! I could have walked up to you and CHANGED EVERYTHING! But now...” He sighed. “This is all I have left. My only chance. My last chance. Sombra is a fool, obsessed with foolish, abstract goals. The kingdom is just a means to an end, but to me, it’s everything. My last hope.”

“You are a Twilight,” said Nightmare Moon.

Luciferian glared at her. “I know that better than anypony. I was born to be evil, so I suppose I have to be, don’t I? I am the last Twilight. Why break the trend now?”

“I don’t trust you,” said Celestia.

“You don’t trust that I’m trying to use you to get myself into a position of ultimate political power? Why? Clearly I’m no friend of Sombra’s. And I’m not lying. You will not get a chance like this again. Think on it, and think carefully. Or Equestria will be a very short-lived country indeed.”

“It is not a country. It is a way of life. You would not understand.”

“Do I really need to?”

“No,” replied Nightmare Moon. “Regardless, your words to have some meaning to us. And will be discussed thoroughly between myself and my sister- -while you wait out result, imprisoned.”

Luciferian scowled. “I can hardly take control of the Crystal Empire from a prison cell, can I?”

“Indeed,” said Nightmare Moon’s knight, stepping forward and drawing a quicksilver sword. “And why should you be chosen? Your crimes and the crimes of your bloodline are too numerous to name. Your very presence here is an affront to the sanctity of the dwelling of the One True Goddess. You are not even worthy to speak in her presence.”

“I don’t have time to deal with lesser races, Pegasus. And I’m not going to prison. I already told you. You need me to infiltrate the Empire- -”

Celestia took a step forward. “You don’t need to do that. If you were here, on our side- -”

“So you could betray me too?” Luciferian took a step back. “No. I need to keep my leverage. And you won’t take me. In fact, you are going to help me leave. Your castle’s defense spells were pedestrian, but my portal magic can’t get me past Sombra’s shield.” A grin crossed his face. “But legend has it you’re the second to last pony who knows how to teleport.”

“That’s madness. No. I refuse. Please, Twilight. Come quietly. We don’t want to hurt you.”

“I do want to hurt you,” said Nightmare Moon. “Simply out of habit, I suppose.”

Celestia took another step forward. Luciferian cried out and grasped his front leg. The runes burned red-hot, reacting to the presence of three of the six Elements of Harmony. Not because the entity within Luciferian was rejecting them- -but because they were weakening his resistance to her endless laughter.

“Get back- -GET BACK!”

Luciferian’s horn ignited, and before the guards surrounding him could even begin to react Luciferian had generated and summoned a complex set of spells that rained down on them. The magic struck their shield spells, instantly reconfiguring their structure and altering the fundamental nature of the spell. Pink magic flashed, and the unicorn guards dropped away, their pony bodies having been transfigured to that of a cluster of white and gray mice.

“Get BACK!” Luciferian’s magic swept up the mice, trapping them in a spherical magical shield. “You WILL help me! You HAVE TO!”

“Open fire,” ordered Nightmare Moon.

“Sister, no!”

The Nightguard opened fire. Crossbow bolts hissed through the air, their gleaming dimeritium tips and rune-inscribed shafts glimmering in the light of the moon. Arrows built to pierce any magical spell and to cleave through any enchanted armor- -and Celestia watched in horror at the use of such a terrible weapon.

Luciferian smiled and raised his head. Several crystals beneath his cloak glittered, and the arrows froze in their place. Both Celestia and Nightmare Moon gasped in surprise- -but for different reasons. For Nightmare Moon, she could not comprehend how any unicorn could stop her guard’s arrows- -but Celestia knew that he had not taken hold of them at all. Her surprise came from the fact that she recognized the spell, and knew that the arrows were not being held; rather, time itself had been frozen around them.

“Chronoplexy.”

Luciferian giggled. “I can’t believe that actually worked! So that’s how she does it...yes. YES! That solves it. Factoring in the distortion...yes. It will work. It will WORK!” He laughed, and then cleared his throat. “As you can see,” he said, calmly, “I have been learning. You are not the only chronoplexer, Celestia. Now there are four of us.” His grin grew ridiculously wide, and to Celestia’s dismay she saw his sharp, horrible teeth- -a perfect match to her own, save for the several rows of blackened dentition on his left side. “But as you well know, time and space are one and the same. A simple matter of curvatures. So what happens if I change the vectors on that same spell? Oh wait, I’m not an idiot. This happens.”

He released the arrows and allowed them to continue on their path- -but around him, space itself distorted, bending and curving at his will. The arrows traveled in perfect and straight lines- -and yet as they did, instead of striking him they were redirected. Celestia raised a shield spell that even dimeritium could not break, but she had miscalculated- -badly. The arrows were not directed at her. They were directed at her sister.

“Nightmare!”

In a flash of white, Nightmare Moon’s knight leapt between his queen and the arrows- -and as he did, Celestia saw Nightmare Moon’s eyes widen with surprise. She moved faster than him, grasping him with her own dark magic and throwing him behind her. Instead of striking him, her body absorbed the blows.

“Sister!” Celestia ran to her sitser’s side. “Don’t move! I know restoration magic- -”

Nightmare Moon just looked up at her and sighed, with arrows still sticking out of her body. “Do not fear, dear sister. Unlike you, this is not the first time I have been poked.” Her body partially dissipated, becoming gaseous, and the arrows fell to the ground.

Celestia stared wide-eyed. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

Nightmare Moon shrugged. “Neither did I.”

“Impressive indeed, but your own fault,” added Luciferian. “Now. If you would? I have a lot of work to do. Teleport me. Teleport me NOW!”

Celestia turned back to him, and saw that he was shaking from pain. The yellow growth across his neck and face had increased, and was increasing slowly.

She walked toward him.

“Sister, stay back!”

Celestia ignored her sister. “Twilight,” she said. “You’re not well.”

“Not all of us are born all-powerful gods,” snapped Luciferian, taking a step back, the mice still held in his magic. “Some of us have to make sacrifices to gain what little power we can. I regret nothing, hypocrite.”

“Twilight, I can help you! Please! That infection, if it progresses any farther- -”

Luciferian laughed, even though tears were running from his eyes. “Do you think I don’t know that? But it will be okay. It has to be okay. I know a cure. I have a plan. She can’t...she can’t get that far in my mind. Not yet. I’m still me. But it hurts. It hurts so much. Please, princess. Don’t make me beg. I have a plan.”

“There must be something we can do...”

All humor left Luciferian’s face, and he looked Celestia in the eyes, almost pleading. “I tried cutting her off. I tried. But it just grows back. The Elements of Harmony might work...but I can’t risk it. I can’t risk you taking away everything that makes me ME. Send me on my way. NOW.”

“I can’t! The risk- -at that range, through a spell I don’t know the phase calculations for? Without guidance parameters- -Twilight, it would peel you apart!”

Luciferian laughed humorlessly. “She won’t let it. She wouldn’t make it that easy. I’ll come out in one piece, beautiful and unpeeled. Don’t worry.” His eyes grew distant. “Don’t worry about...me. How strange...”

“Please, Twilight.”

Luciferian looked up, and his eyes were empty. “I am not going to ask again.”

The air was filled with the sound of frantic squeaking Luciferian’s sphere shrank, compressing the mice within.

“NO! My guards!”

“They knew what they signed up for,” said Nightmare Moon. “We refuse to negotiate with terrorists.”

Celestia turned suddenly to her sister and pointed at the knight behind her. “And if it were Specter instead? Would you say that THEN? Those are my adorable Royal Guard. I will NOT be the one to write letters to their wives, children and mothers that they met their end like THIS!” She turned back to Luciferian. “Fine. You win. I will send you back. Just get out of my sight.”

“I’m glad we can agree. Pleasant doing business with you.” His sphere decreased in diameter drastically, and the squeaking within grew labored. “Although you should probably hurry.”

Celestia glared at him and raised her horn. The forms of spells opened around her as she assembled a spell that left even Luciferian impressed- -not that he had long to view it. She brought the magic down on him, and hard. In an instant he vanished, and Celestia was nearly thrown back by the feedback. Whatever was inside him, it was massive and terrible; Celestia could feel an unspeakable horror sliding against her spell, a thing so incredibly vast that even she could scarcely comprehend it. For a moment, she tried to reverse the spell, hoping to bring him back- -to try to save him, now that she knew what horror he had subjected himself to, even if he himself was still ignorant of its true form. But by then it was already too late.

Luciferian vanished, as did his magic. The mice fell to the ground, immediately popping back into their normal bodies and forming a small and moaning pile.

“You must think I’m a fool.”

“You are my little sister. I do think that from time to time.” Nightmare Moon set a glass of greenish colored juice on the table.

“Good to know.”

“But in this case? No. I think you were kind. Perhaps too kind in my opinion, but that is the point, is it not? Kindness is something you do so well, but that I fail to understand too often. It is why we rule together, at each other’s side. Twelve of your Royal Guards will go home in the morning to their families because of you.”

“Cherry Ice was so happy, he cried. He has a daughter. I’ve met her. I just couldn’t...I couldn’t...” Celestia looked up. “But you...”

“I wish I did not have to make those decisions. But if it saves you from them, then my efforts are worth the pain.”

Celestia nodded and lifted the juice. “And this is?”

“From cabbages. Low in sugar.”

“But I wanted lemonade...”

“No. You wanted a milkshake. Made with ice cream. The birthday-cake flavored kind.”

“How did you know that?”

“Because I’m your sister.” Nightmare Moon sat down at the gilded table, not across from her sister but beside her. “And sugar will keep you from sleeping. You ought to go to bed.”

“After all that...I don’t think I can.”

“Then might you stay and discuss a bit longer?”

Celestia stared into her drink. “You think he’s right.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “His statement corroborates what I have already been told by Eternity Gaze. They both agree, though in different ways, that now is the time to act.”

“We cannot afford a war. Not against him...”

“It will not grow less costly in the future. Only more so. I have the army. You have your mages.”

“They aren’t weapons, I trained them to make the world a better place...”

“Which they can do, by defeating Sombra. Celestia, the kingdom is in pain. Every night, I hear it. From their endless nightmares. A world of endless pain, ruled by an unforgiving tyrant who long ago forgot what int means to be a pony. We can liberate them. Together.”

“And put Twilight on the throne? Even if we win, then what? He’s right. We’re stretched too thin. We can’t add an entire Empire. We just can’t.”

“He is irrelevant. He was most likely atomized on the shield.”

Celestia shook her head. “No. No, he wasn’t. I felt it.”

“It?”

“The thing inside him. He’s like…like a feather floating on the ocean in a hurricane, trying to stay afloat but not realizing that he has no chance. I wish I could have helped him.” She put her head in her hoof. “But I couldn’t. I think it might be too late. If only I had known earlier...”

“You could not have helped him then either. He made his choice. And it will be his downfall. We have no obligation to place him on the throne.”

“Do we have another candidate?”

“Have you completed Starswirl’s spell?”

Celestia sighed and looked down at the table. “No. I haven’t. I just don’t understand what he meant. I’m sorry. I can’t make another alicorn. I don’t think it’s possible.”

“Then we always have the option of our littlest sister.”

Celestia lifted her head suddenly. “You mean Cadenza? You want to give HER the Crystal Empire?”

“She is technically the rightful heir. But that is just one option. If she is too corrupt, she will fall with her father. That is something you must be prepared for. To end her, should it be required.”

Celestia stared at her sister, and knew that Nightmare Moon was serious- -and right. Even if she did not want to admit it, this was their only chance. Any longer, and Sombra would become unstoppable. With Equestria as weak as it was, there was little chance that it could stand against him. The war would be protracted, endless, and it would corrupt everything that both sisters had worked so hard to accomplish.

“A quick conflict might be the only way,” sighed Celestia. “If it protects our subjects in the future...”

Nightmare Moon nodded solemnly. “Then you are prepared to stand beside me?”

Celestia was still for a moment, and then nodded in agreement. “Contact Phoenix. It’s time.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?

[ponepony]

The yellow growth across his neck and face had increased, and was increasing slowly.

Due to this, and his name being Twilight, I guess you can say he's going Twilynanas. 🍌

[alamais]

Nerd Celestia and her adorable guards.