Lawmare

by Jade Ring

Chapter 8

"Something's wrong."

The maid looked up from the suitcase she was packing to see her mistress staring out the window. "Miss?"

Rarity's eyes remained focused on the night-shrouded city outside. "What time is it?"

The maid looked to the clock briefly before returning to her task. "Half past seven, miss. If you'd like breakfast a little early, then perhaps..."

"Something is very wrong."

"Why d'ya say that, miss?"

Rarity turned from the window, concern etched into her lovely face. "Why hasn't the sun started rising?" Before the maid could answer, Rarity pointed a hoof towards the upstairs landing. "Check on the girls, please. If they're still sleeping, then leave them be. No sense in worrying them."

"Aye, miss."

Rarity watched the mare climb the stairs before turning and looking out the window again. She could see other ponies poking their heads out of doors, eying the sky curiously. A few emerged from their dwellings to speak to their neighbors, huddling together in the streetlamp's glow. One or two actually appeared to head down the lane, presumably to head to work like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Rarity sighed and settled back on her haunches. Something was wrong. She knew that. She could feel that. It felt like some awful dream she couldn't wake up from. The Lawmares had been decimated, the forces of the Good Mare were in the thick of Canterlot, and Twilight...

...her own beloved Twilight had threatened her.

She shivered as she recalled the cold, broken look in her lover's eyes when she'd accused her of being an agent of the Good Mare. It was so unlike the mare she'd fallen in love with. So unnatural. So alien. That moment hadn't felt real. But real it had been, and it was clear that the Lawmare who held her heart was in danger.

In danger of losing herself. Say true.

But what could Rarity do? She was a noble in only the most technical sense. Her family's place in court was so very minor now compared to what they had once been. It was only the family coffers that kept them in the comfortable place they were in now. In this shadow conflict that she was rapidly becoming a part of, what part could she possibly play? Was there more that she could do besides just being Twilight's moral support? Or would that have to be enough?

The windowpane reflected a tell-tale flash of light behind her, and she sighed with relief. Her Lawmare had returned. She turned... and froze. Indeed, there was a Lawmare standing before her, but not the one she'd been expecting. "Lyra?"

Lyra Heartstrings made sure to give her wife a quick once over before turning to her dinh's beloved. "I didn't mean to startle you. Forgiveness, I beg." She gave a quick, formal bow. Before finding her place with the Lawmares, Lyra had been a noble like Rarity. Like the Lawmares, the court had certain customs that had to be maintained. She waited until Rarity returned the bow before continuing. "Where's Twilight? Is she here?"

"She... she said she was coming to find you." Rarity looked to Bon Bon. The cream-colored mare was tinged with green. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm fine." Bon Bon swayed slightly. "Just not used to winking."

"Please, have a seat." Rarity indicated the couch. "I'll have the maid get you something to drink."

"There's no need. I can..." Bon Bon's eyes suddenly got very wide. She bolted from the room, and the two noblemares winced at the sounds of retching.

"...I'll clean that up." Lyra muttered. She snapped back to the matter at hoof. "You said Twilight was coming to find me? What for?"

Rarity opened her mouth to answer but paused. Was it her place to tell Lyra that her sisters were dead? That the Royal Guard had been compromised? That Twilight had practically ordered her to leave the city entirely?

The two mares jumped at a sudden pounding on the door. They hurried to the entryway, arriving just as a second series of knocks shook the wood. Bon Bon reappeared from the room she'd ducked into and shared a nervous look with her wife. "Who is it?" Rarity called out. "It's very rude to go knocking on doors like that so early in the..."

"Miss Rarity." A voice she recognized drawled from the other side. "It's me. Let us in, quick!"

Rarity rushed to do just that, but found her path impeded by Lyra. The Lawmare placed herself between the noblemare and the door, her horn lowered and glowing. "State your business plainly or begone." She commanded. "There's too much going on for..."

"Lyra Heartstrings, you maggot, you open this door this instant! For your mother's sake!" An all too familiar voice barked.

"Yes, sai Sunset. Say sorry." Lyra opened the door at once and would have screamed at the sight of her elder Lawmare had Rarity not been ready with a hoof to place over her lips. She backpedaled rapidly as one of her mentors limped inside, followed by an orange earth pony mare who kicked the door shut behind them. Lyra tore herself free of Rarity's grasp and stared at Sunset with wide-eyed horror. "What in Celestia's name?!"

"Twilight didn't tell you?" Sunset's lost eye was covered by a bandage, and her exposed unseeing eye narrowed. "Where is she?"

"We came here looking for her." Bon Bon joined the group. "Lyra, what in Equestria is happening right now? First the guards come banging on our door, saying there's a traitor in the house, and then... AH!" Bon Bon uttered a little scream when Sunset's magic seized Lyra and lifted her wholly into the air, pressing her against the wall. "Sunset, what are you doing?!"

"It was you?! You?!" Sunset spat the words. "Twilight trusted you! We all trusted you!"

Lyra's muscles screamed as Sunset telekinetically squeezed her like a toy. The pain from the attack and the confusion at who was doing said attacking made casting a countercharm practically impossible. Her horn sparked pathetically as the tightness spread across her chest and reached her throat.

"Sunset, Lyra thought I was the traitor!" Bon Bon grabbed her wife's legs and pulled as hard as she could, trying to free her from Sunset's grasp. "Please let her go!"

Sunset didn't move a muscle, but her magic stopped getting tighter. As Lyra gasped for air, Sunset took an uneasy step forward. The wooden prosthesis Applejack had whittled for her was too long and ached terribly, but it would have to do. "Lyra Heartstrings. Sayt true; do you still call yourself Lawmare?"

"A...aye." The hanging mare croaked.

"Do you still hold true to the creed?"

"Aye."

"Have you betrayed your legacy?"

"No!"

"Then make me believe it, maggot!" Sunset's magic vanished and Lyra landed nimbly on all four hooves. Sunset readied herself to be attacked, or for Lyra to fall and profess her innocence. Either action would have marked her as a traitor and earned her a killing bolt to the brain, her wife standing there or not. But Lyra did neither. She rushed forward and embraced her elder, holding her tight.

"Oh, Sunset! What happened?! Who did this to you?!" She wailed into Sunset's coat, her voice wracked with agony.

Convinced, Sunset returned the embrace. "Say sorry, sai Lyra. I... I was wrong to doubt you." She sniffled, finally allowing the possibility that there had been no traitor at all to enter her heart. "This is what the Good Mare wants, isn't it? To drive us apart. But we can't let her win. We can't."

The orange mare cleared her throat as she looked past the reunited Lawmares at Bon Bon. "Don't believe we've met, miss. Name's Applejack. I'm a friend."

"Long days and pleasant nights, sai Applejack." Bon Bon bowed her head. "I'm Bon Bon Heartstrings."

"Yes, yes. We're all very well met and all that." All eyes turned to Rarity as she waved her hoof in a manner that reminded them all of a certain missing Lawmare. "There's still the pressing question of where Twilight is."

"And why the sun hasn't risen." Applejack murmured.

"HEAR YE! HEAR YE!"

The assembled mares turned to the front door. "That's out on the street." Rarity whispered.

"A crier?" Sunset's remaining ear flicked as the call came once again. "Why would the palace send out a crier?" Royal criers were rarely used in the modern age, only rolled out once a year or so to announce the start of annual festivals. "Rarity, go outside and listen, I beg. It'll be less suspicious if they see you. We'll stay inside."

The white unicorn nodded and opened the door. She stepped out onto the veranda and looked to the street. It was a royal crier alright, all dressed in gaudy gold and purple. A crowd was beginning to gather around. More and more ponies were looking at the sky, wondering the same question and hoping the crier had the answer; where was the sun?

"HEAR YE, HEAR YE! CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT! A PROCLAMATION FROM THE THRONE!" The crier raised a scroll in his magic and began to read. "PRINCESS CELESTIA, OUR BENEVOLENT RULER AND PROTECTOR SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL... IS DEAD!"

Rarity's gasp of shock was swallowed by the sudden rush of screams and raised voices from the ponies around the crier. Celestia... dead? The idea seemed impossible. The crier may as well have told them that water was dry, or the stones soft as pillows. If Celestia, immortal and all-knowing Celestia, was dead, then...

...then it must be the very end of the world.

"PER CELESTIA'S WISHES, THE CROWN AND THRONE OF EQUESTRIA DO HEREBY PASS AT ONCE TO HER BELOVED NEPHEW, THE PRINCE BLUEBLOOD. HIS ROYAL MAJESTY PROCLAIMS A WEEK OF MOURNING FOR HIS AUNT. HIS GRACE WISHES HIS LITTLE PONIES TO KNOW THAT THEY MAY MOURN IN PEACE, KNOWING THAT AT THE VERY LEAST THE ASSASSIN OF CELESTIA, THE AUTHOR OF ALL OUR WOES, IS IN CUSTODY AND CURRENTLY WAITS FOR THE PONY'S JUSTICE IN THE PALACE DUNGEONS."

"Who has done this?!" A stallion cried out.

"What monster could kill Celestia?!" A mare wailed.

The crier continued, answering their questions. "THE PRINCESS' ASSASSIN WAS SOMEPONY SHE TRUSTED ABOVE ALL OTHERS. THIS WRETCHED CREATURE USED OUR BELOVED MONARCH'S LOVE AGAINST HER, USED HER TRUST TO ENTER THE PALACE LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT AND SLAY HER UTTERLY. HER ACTIONS HAVE NOW THREATENED THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF PEACE, AND HIS MAJESTY WISHES HIS LITTLE PONIES TO KNOW THAT SHE, AND HER CO-CONSPIRATORS, WILL FACE JUSTICE."

Rarity knew, then, what his next words would be. She didn't want to hear them. She wanted to run back inside and hide. She wanted to wake up from this dream, this nightmare, before he said his next words. Before her world had the chance to break entirely.

"PRINCESS CELESTIA WAS SLAIN BY TWILIGHT SPARKLE, THE LAWMARE." The crowd roared in angry shock at the words. "WHAT'S MORE, EVIDENCE HAS BEEN UNCOVERED THAT SUGGESTS THE LAWMARES AS A WHOLE ARE IN LEAGUE WITH THE GOOD MARE HERSELF. THEY, AND THEIR ALLIES, WILL BE BROUGHT IN FOR QUEST..."

Rarity felt herself seized in a magical field and yanked back inside. She closed the door herself, turned, and nearly collapsed against it. She saw Bon Bon and Applejack in much the same state of disbelief she herself was in. As to Lyra and Sunset Shimmer? Their heads were lowered, their eyes were closed, and they were quietly speaking in unison with a language Rarity didn't understand. Tears streamed down their faces, but their voices were steady and strong. "Wha... what are they...?"

"My granny told me about something like this." Applejack reached up, removed her hat, and held it over her heart. "Said the Lawmares have all kind of secret ceremonies for every possible outcome. I think... I think this might be the funeral rite for the princess."

As one, Sunset and Lyra lifted their heads, stomped their left hoof three times, and completed the incantation with a simultaneous exhale. The ceremony done, Lyra rushed into Bon Bon's embrace and cried into her shoulder. Sunset stared stoically ahead, her face soaked through.

"It... it has to be a mistake." Rarity started. "Twilight would never..."

"No. No she wouldn't." Sunset wiped her cheeks. "There's more to this atrocity than Blueblood wants Canterlot to know. We'll ask her ourselves shortly."

"But..."

"We know where she is." She walked to the door, her gait steadier now. "So let's go get her."

"Right." Lyra reluctantly pulled away from her wife and followed her elder Lawmare. "Bonnie, you stay here. We'll be back soon."

And what would Rarity do? Her lover was imprisoned for a crime of unfathomable evil. She herself would soon be collected for questioning as a known ally of the Lawmares. She was a part of this now, whether she liked it or not. In this conflict that was now fully out in the open, in the shadows no longer, what part would she play? Was there more that she could be than just another rich noble, watching from the sidelines while others stood true?

Could she be what Twilight needed her to be?

"Wait."

Lyra and Sunset paused. They looked back.

And Rarity made her choice.

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Twilight Sparkle stared at the damp floor of her cell, deep in the palace dungeons. Her cell was dark, the only source of light the torch in the sconce just outside the bars. It was quiet this deep under the ground. There was a steady drip of water somewhere nearby, but beyond that? Silence. She reached up a hoof and touched the ring of silver that now encircled her horn; a magic nullifier. Standard issue for prisoners.

She vaguely wondered if she was the first Lawmare in history to be wearing one down in these cells.

The old heavy door at the dungeon's entrance swung forward on old, creaky hinges. Hoofsteps echoed on the walls, then stopped just outside her cell. Twilight looked up, expecting to see another guard or investigator.

Moon Dancer weakly smiled at her. "You look awful, my dinh."

Twilight returned the smile as best as she was able. "It's been a long night."

Moon Dancer's face fell. "It's not over. The night I mean. That's how..." She swallowed. "That's how I knew it was true."

Twilight's face fell. "You know what I've done, but you still came. Why?"

"Because you're my dinh, Twilight." Moon Dancer pressed herself against the bars. "I know you. So I don't understand how this happened."

"I've been trying to figure that out myself." Twilight stood and started pacing the small cell. "When I attacked, it wasn't Celestia I saw. It was the Good Mare. The vision only lifted once the killing blow was struck." She paused and stared hard at the wall. "It must have been Trixie."

"Trixie? What's she got to do with this?"

"She came to Rarity's house and told me her story. I let my guard down... and she must have done something to me I didn't notice. Hypnotized me somehow." She reared back and punched the wall with a grunt. "She wound me up like a clockwork toy and used me."

"Do you think they'll believe that?" Moon Dancer settled back on her haunches. “That an agent of the Good Mare used you like a gun?”

Twilight chuckled humorlessly. "Moon Dancer, I wouldn't believe me." She looked over. "How are things out there? Has the news spread?"

"Across the city. Blueblood dispatched the criers." Moon Dancer shook her head. "There's a mob gathering outside the gates. Most of them are calling for your immediate execution."

"Naturally."

"They're keeping the guards busy. Made it easier for me to sneak in to see you."

Twilight cocked her head. "Why would you have to sneak in?"

Moon Dancer sighed. "Because Blueblood has declared that all Lawmares are to be brought in for questioning. Says that he has evidence we're all in league with the Good Mare."

"So we're all traitors?" Twilight sat, shaking her head. "Sunset's going to love hearing that."

Moon Dancer's ears perked up. "Sunset? She survived?" She regretted the words the moment she said them, and she bit her tongue so hard she drew blood. "That... I meant to say… she… she returned?" But the damage had already been done, and she knew it.

It took Twilight a moment to process what her tet-mate had just said, and even then she didn't want to believe it. "No." She whispered. "No." She must have misheard her. Perhaps she really had just mis-spoke. "Not you. It can't be you." After such a long night of betrayals and shattered worlds, she hadn't believed anything could phase her anymore. But as she watched Moon Dancer wither under her gaze, one more sliver of glass worked its way into the shattered remains of her heart. "Why, Moon Dancer?"

"Why...?"

"Trixie told me that everypony who follows the Good Mare does so for a reason. For her, it's revenge. For my brother, it's love. What's yours?"

Moon Dancer took off her glasses, polishing them on her coat. The action was a reflex, a calming ritual. For a moment, she considered the idea of continuing the lie. But no. No, the lies had gone on long enough. She returned the glasses to her eyes and sat straight. "My mother."

Twilight nodded slowly, understanding. "Your mother."

"She got sick so quickly, Twilight. The doctors... they told me there was nothing they could do. All I could do was keep her comfortable. And then Trixie came to me. Told me how the crystals in the north mountains had kept her alive." Moon Dancer talked faster, like she was afraid that if Twilight interrupted her, she would lose her nerve. "She had a small chunk, and she showed me how it could heal. She... she cut her foreleg and used the crystal to heal the cut. She told me that I could save my mother with them, and all I had to do was..."

"All you had to do was send your sisters to their deaths! You swine! You cur! You… you bitch!" Twilight lunged at the bars, pressing herself against them. "You forged a false ka-tet knowing full well that...!"

"There's nothing false about our ka-tet, Twilight!" Moon Dancer jumped to her hooves and protested. "Yes, Trixie told me that the others would have to die, but I did everything in my power to make sure that at least you and Lyra would survive!"

"How can you stand there and say such things and not kill yourself out of shame?!" Twilight screamed. "Your sisters died like dogs in the dirt, and you carried on like it was nothing!"

"Because they were already dead to me!" Moon Dancer screamed back. "They were dead the moment Cadance willed it so! I had already mourned them and let them go by the time any blood was spilled! I spent every moment ensuring you, Lyra, and the apprentices would be safe! And... and..." She faltered. "And it was all for nothing anyway." Her voice cracked. "My... my mother's dead, Twilight. She died before Cadance could get here with the crystals. I betrayed everything I’ve ever known, everything I’ve ever loved... and for what? Nothing. Nothing at all..." She let out a heavy sob and fell to the cold wet stones.

Twilight looked down on her impassively. "Yes. It was for nothing. In fact, it was for less than you realize."

Moon Dancer looked up, wiping her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that the traitors have been betrayed. I mean that when the Good Mare gets here, all she's going to find is a dead ruin." Twilight spat. "Trixie is planning on destroying Canterlot."

Moon Dancer blinked rapidly. "But... No, that's ridiculous. Why would she...?" She trailed off, knowing from the look in Twilight's eyes that it was the truth. "Then... then we have to stop her." Her horn lit. "I'll get you out of there, and we'll..."

"If you open this door, I'll kill you with my bare hooves." Twilight's voice was flat, broken. "If you remove this ring from my horn, I'll pull you inside out. Slowly. The last thing you'll taste in this world will be your own blood and shit."

Moon Dancer shrank, her horn's light dying. "T-Twilight... My dinh..."

"I am not your dinh!" Twilight cried, slamming her body against the bars. "I disavow you! I cast you from my heart and declare you accursed!" She drew in a great breath and spat a wad of saliva and phlegm on Moon Dancer's hoof. "You have forgotten the face of your mother."

Moon Dancer's lip quivered. Without another word, she turned and ran. The heavy door slammed closed behind her.

Twilight was left in the darkness once again. Cold. And dark.

And utterly alone.

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Blueblood hefted the contraption in his hoof carefully, feeling its weight. "And you're certain this will work?"

"For the dozenth time, yes." Trixie's irritation with the stallion was rapidly approaching critical levels. She'd barely had a chance to celebrate the news of Celestia's murder before he'd found her demanding the device she'd acquired from the Good Mare. "It's been analyzed numerous times by the Empire's top mathmagicians. They've even made a few upgrades so it's even easier to use." Her magic lifted the copper coated tube into the air and rotated it slowly, once again bringing the twin switches into the kingdom's new head's point of view. "The one with the image of the sun will raise the sun, while the other..."

"Yes, yes. I understand." Blueblood's own magic roughly snatched the device away. He tucked it under his ceremonial cape, pointedly ignoring Trixie's look of rising rage. "What I don't understand is why I can't raise the sun at my coronation ceremony."

"Because the Good Mare does not want you to raise the sun. Not yet." Trixie tossed back her hood and looked into the starry darkness above. She was ever so fond of the night. A rather long one didn't seem like such a terrible idea. "As previously planned, you will assure the citizens of Canterlot that you are delving into Celestia's archives for some way of restoring the natural balance of sun and moon. In due course, you will 'discover' evidence of Celestia's lies about the Good Mare and announce that you have sent envoys hoping for peaceful reconciliation. Only when you receive word that her banners are in sight are you to use the device and raise the sun."

"So the fools in these walls will see it as a sign. Or ka. Or some other such nonsense." Blueblood nodded. "I will welcome the Good Mare and cede her rightful throne to her..." The pale stallion cut his eyes at the mare in black. "And the rest of the plan hasn't changed, then? I will still be seated as the crown prince of Canterlot, second only to her?"

Trixie had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back her retort. Ka willing this would be the last time she and the obnoxious royal shared the same breathing space. "I can promise you, sai; you will get all that is coming to you." She reached back and pulled her hood back over her mane. "All that and more. Say true." She turned and started away.

"You aren't coming to the coronation?" Blueblood called after her.

She ignored him. Another moment within earshot of his voice and she knew she would likely vomit. She wanted a moment to herself. A moment of silence and solitude to reflect on her success. She headed away from the palace and wandered into the royal gardens. Nopony would be here now. She cast a look back at the palace's glowing windows, the closest thing to a sun in this new dark day. How she wished she'd had time to sneak inside, to see the bloated white corpse before it was spirited away to prepare for burial. She wondered if the frozen look of pained betrayal matched the one her mind had conjured for her. It was done. The bitch was dead. And now...

Now, it was almost over.

She breathed in the good, cool night air and wallowed in the garden's night song. The crickets sang a hymn for Celestia's passing, and the wind provided an accompaniment as it swept past the hedges and marble statues that surrounded her. Trixie looked up at the winking Mare in the Moon and thought of Princess Luna. Did she know her sister was dead? Did she celebrate as Trixie did? Did she mourn?

Did it, did any of it, really matter?

Trixe finally settled onto the soft grass and leaned against the chill marble of some decoration. This was as good a place as any to wait for the finale. Her work was done. All her months of scheming, planning, and coordinating... it was finally done. Now she could rest. Just lay here and wait for the last domino to fall. She wondered; if she fell asleep now, would she even wake when the time came? It might take Cadance another week to march her army to the city. She certainly felt like she could sleep for a week right now.

She took another long breath and smiled sadly. She really did feel bad for Twilight. The Lawmare had seemed genuinely moved by her story. Trixie had been able see that even as her deck did its wicked work, planting the subliminal spell that would compel Twilight to visit Celestia... and make her see somepony else in her teacher's place. Trixie wondered if Blueblood would execute the Lawmare before Cadance arrived. If so, she hoped it would be sooner rather than later. Despite everything, she didn't want Twilight to suffer more than she already had. The unicorn knew the fate that awaited Canterlot. Better to kill her quickly instead of letting her drive herself mad waiting for the inevitable.

But, again, did any of it really matter anymore?

No, she decided at last. It didn't. Her work was done. Now there was but to wait. She put her hoof to her heart and sighed, long and hard. "It's done, my love. You and Little Star can rest now. I'll be there with you soon enough."

Ah... but will you?

Trixie's ears swiveled towards the sound of the voice. "Who's there?" She demanded.

No one of importance... After all, nothing matters anymore...

Trixie's eyes scanned the moonlit gardens, eyeing each dancing shadow for movement. Try as she might, she couldn't zero in on where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be dancing around her one word, then coming from right next to her ear the next. "I warn you, cully, whoever you may be. You'd best carry on your way. I’m not one to trifle with."

Ah, but this is right where I want to be. I was hoping we'd get to meet... Trixie Lulamoon.

Trixie's horn lit, ready to attack at the first sign of movement, but she froze when she saw a brighter glow shining dimly from a hedge nearby. It pulsed in the darkness, a lovely and low shade of pink. Keeping her magic at the ready, the mare in black stood and moved slowly towards the light. "I see you. Your light is giving you away."

A light you can only see because I wish you to see it. I wasn't sure you were the one I was waiting for. I didn't want to give myself away too early.

"So what changed your mind?" Trixie had reached the bush now and leaned close to inspect the glow. It was coming from a break in the hedge, a hole that looked freshly made. Like something had been thrown and been buried in the green to be forgotten. "Why reveal yourself to me?"

Because I think you're just the mare I need, Trixie Lulamoon. You're a mare of great talents, a mare that can get the job done. And, as I understand, your service to the Good Mare is done. You're quite unemployed at the moment.

"I'm not looking for new work." Trixie narrowed her eyes. Try as she might, she couldn't make out just what was making that pulsing glow. "My work is finished. Leave me be so I can rest until the end. My family waits for me."

Do they? Are you sure? What if all that's waiting for you is simple oblivion?

"Then to oblivion I go. Anything is better than this world."

I understand. But you should know something, Trixie Lulamoon.

"And what's that? What should I know?"

There are other worlds than these. Worlds brand new, and worlds moved on. With my help, you could traverse these worlds and find one where your husband and son still live.

Trixie smiled at the thought, but it died quickly. "That might take a long time."

You're right, of course. Which is why I've got a much simpler solution.

"Which is?"

A clean slate. Wipe the board clean. Return all the worlds to the endless nothing they were before and create a new one. A perfect world.

Trixie swallowed hard. "You... you could do that?"

Not alone, no. I will need help. Help from ponies like you. Serve me as you've served the Good Mare, and I will let you help me shape this new world. You can have the life you always wanted, the family you always wanted... Doesn't that sound nice?

“That… that does sound nice.” Trixie's magic faded as she reached into the hole in the hedge, pushed her hoof into the pulsing pink. "What... what are you?"

Let me show you. I'll let you know... as Celestia knew.

Trixie's hoof touched glass... and her world became as fire. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream as her muscles locked in place. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as an endless multitude of images flooded her mind. She went insane, returned to sanity, died, and was born again in the space between a clock's tick and tock. She saw everything. She knew everything. She saw worlds upon worlds, universes upon universes. And rising high above, in the center of all things, she saw...

She saw...

She pulled the object free from the hedge and the flood of images was gone. She fell to the grass, gasping for breath and chilled by a frothy sweat on her coat. She cradled the object in her foreleg and stared at it with wonder. She knew. She understood. "You... you'll help me bring them back?"

Yes. But there is great work to be done first. Will you serve me, Trixie Lulamoon, Lawmare that was? Will you be my right hoof, o mare in black?

A dry sob wracked Trixie's throat as she leaned down and began planting kisses all over the glowing glass orb that still pulsed against her fur. "Yes, I will serve. I will. I swear. My life for you." She pressed her face against the glass. In the cool night, it's touch warmed her to the core. "O Discordia..." She moaned.

In Discordia I wait for you, my mare in black. But you have work yet to finish in Canterlot. Finish it, and come for me. Serve me well, and there will be a place of honor waiting for you here...

...waiting for you in the court of the Crimson Queen.

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Twilight didn't look up at first when the door opened and hoof-steps approached. She supposed it was her next meal being delivered, but she had no appetite. None of that mattered anymore. "Just leave it and go." She whispered. All she wanted was to be left alone in this cell. Left to wallow in her failure, her blindness.

Left alone to die.

But there was no clatter of a tray. No clop of departing hooves. No creaking of the heavy door closing.

Twilight looked up. Four ponies were lined up outside of her cell door. Each wore identical hooded robes of black to conceal their identities. Two were unicorns, their exposed horns already lit. The other two were pegasi, sharpened throwing knives held primed and ready in rigidly extended wings. She couldn't see their eyes, but she could feel their gaze upon her. Despite everything, she managed a small chuckle. "Not even going to bother making it look like a suicide, huh?"

"No chances." One of the mares hissed. "The Good Mare thanks you for your service, Twilight Sparkle. As a reward, she offers you a quick death. It's better than whatever public spectacle Blueblood will use to placate the masses."

Twilight fixed the mare with a withering glare, gathered what little moisture was left in her mouth, and spit in her direction defiantly. "Just kill me and be done with it, maggot."

The mare smirked. "By your command, sai."

Twilight stared hard at her assassins. She would meet Death with open eyes. She wanted to be ready the moment the old bastard appeared. He had a lot to answer for.

There was a tremendous bang, a flash of light so vibrantly purple it made her wince, and all four assassins were blown against the cell's bars with enough force that several of them bent inward. The ponies slid to the ground in a broken, moaning heap.

"Damn, mare. You're telling me that's the first time you've ever cast an offensive spell?"

"Oh, dear. I overdid it, didn't I?"

"You were supposed to wait for my signal, cully."

"Sorry, sorry. I saw them about to attack and I panicked."

Twilight stared as three mares stepped through the doorway. She saw Lyra's goofy smile, Sunset's scarred but still caring visage...

...but her attention was solely on the mare in the middle. The alabaster unicorn wrapped in a leather trench-coat, her purple mane tied up in a perfect bun, flashing purple smoke still drifting from the tip of her horn...

...She was the most beautiful mare she'd ever seen.

Rarity smiled at Twilight as she approached, pointedly stepping on top of one assassin's leg and pressing down until she heard a small snap and groan of agony. "Well come along, darling." Her magic flashed and the cell's lock fell away, reduced to molten slag. She pushed open the door, stepped into the cell, and held out a hoof. "The night's not over yet."

Twilight Sparkle ran into the embrace of the mare she loved and held her like she would never let go again. She almost cried at the depth of the love she felt in this moment, but there was more to it. She felt something else now. Something she had been worried was gone forever.

For the first time all night, Twilight Sparkle felt hope.

Comments

[TCC56]

Good to see this (and you) back. Say true.

[DMDash71]

Marelyn’s Rainbow strikes again.

[Octoskan]

It's back! I love this story.

[ponepony]

" Because they were already dead to me !" Moon Dancer screamed back. "They were dead the moment Cadance willed it so! I had already mourned them and let them go by the time any blood was spilled! I spent every moment ensuring you, Lyra, and the apprentices would be safe! And... and..." She faltered. "And it was all for nothing anyway." Her voice cracked. "My... my mother's dead, Twilight. She died before Cadance could get here with the crystals. I betrayed everything I’ve ever known, everything I’ve ever loved... and for what? Nothing. Nothing at all..." She let out a heavy sob and fell to the cold wet stones.

Why are fics of Cadance being the puppet mistress so rare? She's an alicorn that can manipulate emotions. How is that not utilized more often in fics?

Also hey. Welcome back!

[Hobbestc]

Freaking Discord. Argghhh.

[Jade Ring]

11573263
Not to crush any hopes, but no Discord. In the Tower Cycle, "Discordia" is the state of the universe should the Dark Tower fall. In this universe, Discordia is another level of the Tower, perhaps another version of Equestria itself...

[Hobbestc]

11573798
Ah, that works. I don't have any previous knowledge of the base works so i'm going in blind. Really enjoying the story so far though.