> A Debt to the Stars
>  by Sereg
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Probe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
Chapter 1: Probe

The moon rose over Equestria. Its barren surface was littered with rocks. It was a dull grey, marred with craters. In the vacuum, there was silence. Nothing stirred on its lifeless surface. Nothing, until four figures looked up to watch as the Equestrian continent came into view on the Earth above them while they waited in the safety of a crater’s shadow.
 
An emaciated unicorn stallion in blue robes which had dulled with age lay on the ground. Some stars were still visible on his outfit, though they were worn. A pointy hat lay on the ground next to him. His horn glowed with a pink aura which also surrounded the heads of his companions.
 
A set of barding floated in the vacuum, the translucent image of a white, earth pony mare barely visible between the plates.

They did not need air to breathe, but they did need it to speak. Fortunately, the unicorn’s spell prevented that from being a problem.
  
“Night falleth yonder, upon Equestria, once more!” declared the earth mare, knowing that her comrades would hear her thoughts. “Surely this is the night whereupon Luna shall free us and we shall reign alongside her as her greatest and most devoted subjects!”

A pegasus mare wrapped in loose bandages which trailed along the moon rocks as she walked up to her said, “Thou hast proclaimed this every night. It hath not been correct, despite thy name, no matter how many times thou didst spake it ere now. It is time that we accept that things hath not proceded well.”
 
The floating barding spun towards the pegasus. “Hast thou so little faith in our princess, our faithful princess, Solemn?” she growled.
 
“If all is well, why doth the Sun rise every morning, Right?” asked Solemn as she blinked her grey eyes slowly. “Thou knowest I speak the truth.”
 
“Please! Suffer not argument to arise among us!” cried a male crystal skeleton wearing a tattered lab coat with a red cross. “You argue o’er this near upon every night! We defeated Discord! And yet you act as though we are still under his spell! How would he laugh to see us now!? Are we not friends? Let us not fight, but care for one another in this trying time!”
 
The two mares lowered their heads.
 
“We are sorry, First,” said Right lifting her blue eyes. “It was wrong of us not to think o’er how this affected you and Star. How is he?”
 
The skeleton looked back down at the emaciated unicorn.
 
“He is weak, is he not?” asked Solemn as she walked forward, dragging her bandages. “Tell us! We need to know!”
 
“Yes. He’s weak. It’s amazing that he hath for this long coped whilst supporting us. Unlike us, his kind needs sustenance. I know not how long his magic will last. He needeth to feed! We need to do something! He is suffering!”
 
“Of course!” said Right, her barding glinting as she rushed to his side. “Anything! What need I to do?”
 
First shook his skeletal head. “He cannot feed off thee. Thou hast naught on which to feed.”
 
The unicorn groaned and shook his pink mane out of his face. “Cease thinking of me as though I am not present! As if a member of the Swirl-line couldst possibly run out of magic! Let alone the Bearer of Magic! I am the Grand High Court Archmage of Equestria! I will give as much magic as my friends need!”
 
“Even thou hast limits, Star,” said Solemn, shifting her wings. “We need a way to help you. Tarrying for Luna obviously takest too long.”
 
“What suggesteth thou?” asked Right, turning her helmet.
 
“What if we tarried not for Luna?” asked Solemn, lifting her wings in a shrug. “Star, can thou bring us to Equestria? Once there, we can feed thou.”
 
“Of course I can!” said Grand High Archmage Star Swirl, his purple eyes narrowing into a scowl.
 
Solemn rustled her wings and turned towards First who stood with his tattered coat covering his lavender bones.
 
“I wilt not watch mine friend starve. Do it!” said First, stomping a skeletal hoof.
 
Solemn turned her bandaged head to face Right’s translucent visage.
 
“I like not leaving our post against Luna’s orders, yet I wilt not abandon him when he is in need,” said Right, shaking her helmet. “To Equestria, we go! We can aid our princess in conquering it back afterwards!”
 
There was a flash of light and they were gone.
 
(/)

Several months earlier, in the palace throne room, Cadance  frowned. She had been certain that her aunt would be happy for her when she had approached the throne with her new fiancé. Yet an alicorn as in tune with emotion as she was could not miss the fact that Celestia seemed melancholic, despite that smile of hers.
 
“Well,” Celestia said. “That is good news. An engagement is something to be celebrated. But before we do so, I’d like to speak to the two of you.” 
 
Cadance gave a worried glance at her new fiancé. Celestia seemed so unlike her usual jovial self.
 
Shining was at attention before his employer, but his sweat suggested a similar thought process.
 
“Separately,” continued Celestia. “Right now. I’ll start with you, Cadance.”
 
There  was a flash of light and they disappeared from the throne room.
 
Cadance and Celestia appeared in Celestia’s bedroom. “I am sorry that I put off this discussion, Cadance,” said Celestia. “It is an unpleasant one and I was hoping that you would be older before we needed to have it. But I should have realised that it was time. I still dread the day that I will have to have it with Luna.”
 
“What’s the matter, Auntie Celestia?” asked Cadance, the pitch of her voice rising with concern.
 
Celestia closed her eyes and then opened them again.
 
“Traditionally, marriage between an alicorn and an ordinary pony was, while not forbidden, at least discouraged. An attitude I understand.”
 
Cadance scowled. How dare she!? “So you don’t approve because he isn’t an alicorn?! I don’t care! I love him!”
 
“I know that you love him. It is your nature to love. And it is why you are going to experience a pain that I wish I could protect you from. A pain that I am trying to reduce.”
 
Cadance’s anger was replaced with puzzlement and she tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
 
Celestia turned to Cadance. “How old are you, Cadance?”
 
Cadance frowned. “Okay. I may be young for an alicorn, but I know that I’m an adult! I am old enough to make this decision!”
 
“While you are getting close to the point, Cadance, you are still missing it. Answer the question.”
 
Cadance touched her chin with her hoof. Why was Celestia bringing this up?  “We’re not sure. We usually treat the day we met as my ninth birthday. That was almost a hundred and seventy years ago.”
 
“And yet you have barely reached adulthood.” Celestia nodded. “Shining is almost ten times younger than you.”
 
Cadance frowned. Where was Celestia going with this? “I know that I’m older than him. I’m an alicorn. Of course I age slower. Does it really matter? I love him. And I’ll keep on loving him even as he grows old.”
 
“I know, but baring tragedy, Cadance, you may live to be over a thousand years old. How long do you think Shining’s life will be, assuming it isn’t tragically cut short in the line of his sometimes dangerous duty?”
 
Cadance’s eyes widened and she stepped back. “Are you saying...?”
 
“Many mares have to experience the pain of widowhood,” said Celestia. “You will have it happen to you while you are still young and unprepared. It is something that unfortunately happens, but in our case, it is practically a guarantee. Watching a loved one grow old and die before your eyes is hard enough when they are a friend. It is harder still for a lover.”

“Have ... you ever experienced that pain?” asked Cadance. “Is it really better to give it up before starting? What do you do?”
 
“I avoid it,” replied Celestia as she lowered her head. “Perhaps there will come a time when I decide that a pony is worth that pain. I need to know if you are ready to decide that Shining is worth it.”
 
Cadance closed her eyes and then opened them again. “I love him. I can’t pretend that I don’t. I can’t deny what’s in my heart.”
 
“I understand. You are the alicorn of Venus. To deny your love would defy who you are. Though I also need you to think of possible foals. They might inherit your nature, one day having to face the very burdens you do now, and they might not, forcing you to watch them grow old and die as well. It’s a little easier for a demi-alicorn like yourself, but not by much.”
 
Cadance bit her lip and then asked, “How did previous alicorns of Venus decide?”
 
Celestia looked at her niece quizzically. “Has Eros never discussed any of this with you?”
 
Cadance blushed. “Uncle Eros mostly just gives me flirting tips.”
 
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Trust my cousin to use his duty and power to guide the next holder of his seat from beyond the grave so irresponsibly. Well, each alicorn is different. Even if they hold the same seat. But I think that you will go for the most  common route of devoting yourself to one pony at a time. It’s a hard path but it has been travelled before. Most alicorns of Venus do feel the need to have someone to love.”
 
Cadance tilted her head. Most? “There were exceptions?”
 
Celestia scowled. “There was one who loved only himself. And stole the love of others. But we should not talk about him. Especially on such a happy occasion.” She sshuddered. “The important thing is deciding how you want to manage that part of your life, bearing in mind what it will do to you in the long run and making your decision responsibly, even if that decision is simply to wait. Is that what you would rather do?”
 
Cadance lowered her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they  glistened. “I’ve been waiting for this for so long already. I’ve already had to watch everypony around me grow up and get married while I had to stay young. Then I met Shining when I was finally old enough to see him as someone I could be with like I’d always wanted. And it was perfect. We finally have a chance to make that dream come true. If Shining is going to be with me for such a short part of my life, I want to use as much of it as possible. I want him to be my husband as soon as possible.”
 
Celestia nodded. “I might be able to arrange that. But first, I need to talk to your fiancé.” They returned to the throne room in a flash of light and with another, Celestia was gone again. This time with Shining.
 
At the top of one of Canterlot’s towers, Shining Armor appeared with Celestia.
 
“Captain Shining Armor Sparkle,” said Celestia. “At ease.”
 
Shining shifted his posture, spreading his legs into a more relaxed position, yet his muscles remained tense. Why was Princess Celestia acting this way?
 
“Shining, I want you to listen to everything that I have to say, but also to speak freely. I am not speaking to you as your Princess or your employer, but as the guardian of your fiancé.”
 
“That might be more intimidating,” replied Shining.
 
Celestia smiled. “I made you the Captain of the Royal Guard. I would not have done so if I did not approve of you. You are a fine young stallion and I’m sure that you can make Cadance very happy. But it would be negligent and cruel of me to let this proceed without warning the two of you about what you are getting into. I care about your well-being too much. So, I need you to be completely honest with me.”
 
Shining nodded.
 
“Do you love Mi Amore Cadenza?”
 
“Of course,” replied Shining.
 
“Do you believe that she loves you?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“Do you believe that she will always love only you in that way?”
 
Shining frowned. “What do you mean?”
 
Celestia stepped towards Shining. “Cadance is the type of pony who will love you with all her heart. But do you really expect that there will be none after you? You will be her first husband, Shining. Not her only. You may not even be her favourite. It isn’t like her to play favourites like that. You will die while Cadance is still young. And afterwards, she will seek a new spouse. It is her nature. I need to know if this is something that you are ready to accept. Are you willing to go into this marriage knowing that you will grow old, frail and die while she barely changes at all? And that she will have many more spouses after you, all of which she will love as much as she loved you?”
 
“If Cadance was an ordinary pony, like myself,” began Shining, “and I died in the line of duty while she was still young and she found another pony who could make her happy, I would want her to use that opportunity to be happy. Is that really so different?”
 
Celestia smiled. “You are a good stallion, Shining. A fine example of your family, which is itself a glimmering jewel among the nobility. I would be honoured to have you as a nephew-in-law and to join your family to mine. Assuming that you both decide that this is what you want.”
 
“I’ve already decided,” said Shining.
 
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Already? Good news for the bride then?”
 
Shining smiled sheepishly. “I hope so.”
 
“Let’s confirm it then.” Celestia teleported them back to the throne room.
 
 “So,” asked Celestia. “Do you want to go through with this?”
 
“I do,” answered both halves of the young couple.
 
“All right. I hope that you’ll let me inform Twilight. She should be done watching the dragon migration by now.”
 
(/)
 
The flash of light faded and Grand High Archmage Star Swirl collapsed on the ground, his spells ending.
 
His companions looked around at the trees. They were thick and tangle with bushes scattered haphazardly around. The trunks were twisted and gnarled and blocked most of the sky. The parts that were visible showed clouds moving without the aid of any pegasus.
 
“Where hast thou brought us, Star?” asked First.
 
“It appeareth to be the Everfree!” cried Solemn.
 
“What manner of insanity is this!?” squealed First.
 
“Ha!” said Right. “What containeth the Everfree that shouldst frighten the wielders of Harmony and vanquishers of Discord!?”
 
“It shouldst be Canterlot,” groaned Star Swirl.
 
Right turned towards him. “No! Surely Celestia is not so far gone that she wouldst abandon Canterlot to the Everfree!? It may have been located on the plains near the Everfree’s border, but surely she shouldst have known to fight off the forest’s encroachment!?”
 
“All those ponies,” whispered First, “homeless. We need to stop her afore her tyranny reacheth that of Discord!”
 
“If it hath not already,” said Right darkly. “She hath stolen the Elements from us. When I see that pegasus, I’m going to smash her! How can one be loyal, yet turn against Princess Luna?”
 
Solemn rolled her eyes. “It hast been o’er a thousand years. Pyra is dead. As are all of them, save one. It is her that we need to punish.”
 
“Of course,” sighed Right with a nod.
 
“Star’s health cometh first,” insisted First with a stomp of his hoof.
 
“Of course!” Right nodded.
 
“We need a living pony for him to feed on,” said Solemn.
 
“I shalt carry him to the nearest settlement,” offered Right.
 
“It shan’t be good to jostle him in his weakened state,” said First. “Suffer me to try mine powers granted by Luna.”
 
Right nodded. “Yes. Star shouldst be helped as much as possible.
 
First raised a hoof. He then chanted, “Oh Luna, Princess of the night, granteth me your dark power with which to sustain thy servant!”
 
An inky, swirling mass of magic formed around the hoof and he touched Star Swirl.
 
The unicorn sighed contentedly as his body absorbed the magic. “Thou should not do that too much,” he said. “We may need it more later. We knoweth not what troubles we may face.”
 
“Thou needeth us now,” replied Right. “We shalt worry o’er that later.”
 
“And as thy doctor, I shalt not leave thee without aid,” added First.
 
Right hoisted Star Swirl onto her back. “We shalt return soon,” she promised before galloping off at high speed.
 
Because she no longer got tired, she quickly reached the edge of the forest. “There appearest to be farmland yonder.” She swept a horseshoe across to indicate that they were between a field and an orchard. A red barn was on their left and a small farmhouse topped with a carrot sculpture was on their right. “Feeleth thee like carrots or apples?” she giggled.
 
“I canst not enter a stable, Right,” said Star as he slumped still more on her back.
 
“Suffer me to take care of that,” replied Right with a smirk as she lifted her head high. She galloped up to a house with a giant carrot on the roof. She then placed Star Swirl gently on the ground and rapped her hoof on the door.
 
Eventually, a droopy-eyed, yellow mare with an orange mane opened the door. “Hello?” she asked. She then looked up at her visitor. “GHOST!” she cried as she began to rapidly back away.
 
Right’s visage shimmered and faded, reducing the image of her body to nothingness.  Her barding disassembled itself, flying apart until it seemed like an exploded diagram from a blueprint. The pieces flew into the house as the mare backed away screaming and collapsed around her, assembling over her body. They pushed her against the floor, pinning her and dragged her back outside. She lay helpless on the ground.
 
“Thank you,” whispered Star Swirl. His eyes glowed red and he opened his mouth, revealing his glistening, white fangs.
 
(/)
 
Star Swirl licked Carrot Top’s neck, closing the fang marks. He then looked into her eyes, his horn glowing. “Tell me where Celestia is.”
 
“Canterlot. The palace,” droned Carrot Top, her eyes wide and unfocused as she pointed a hoof.
 
“Canterlot!? But ...” Right began, before Star raised a silencing hoof. They looked in the direction the she was pointing and saw the city on the mountain. “Oh, so it is fine to abandon a city if thou wilt build a new one, is it? She shalt pay for this,” growled Right.
 
(/)
 
Solemn and First waited in the dark of the Everfree for their friends. The wind rustled the leaves and First fidgeted, shifting a pebble from side to side on the ground with his hoof. Solemn inspected her wings, frowning at the layer of moon dust covering the bandages. They were not alone for long. Eyes appeared in the darkness and growling filled the air.
 
“Timber wolves,” Solemn commented. “We will have to fight them.”
 
“For Luna’s sake! I am a doctor, not a warrior!” First complained.
 
“And I am an advisor,” sighed Solemn as she narrowed her eyes, trying to spot were all the wolves were hiding. “It never stopped us ‘ere now. Keepeth thine eyes open. Suffer not one to sneak up behind us.”
 
First turned around to face the opposite direction and they began to circle, watching as the growling grew louder and the number of eyes increased. “Thinketh thou that they are waiting for an inv—“ First stopped as the timber wolves charged.
 
Solemn flew into the air and dived, forehooves first, into the nearest timber wolf. The wolf smashed to pieces and the ground shook and cracked under the impact. Solemn’s eyes widened as she landed and she lifted a hoof to her eyes. “It seemeth that there art benefits to being over a thousand years old. We should have known from the alicorns.” She looked up to see that the twigs that made up the wolf were rotting away.
 
Another wolf lunged for First who kicked out with a forehoof to defend himself. The timber wolf squealed in pain and drew back as ugly growths began to swell all over its bark hide. Another wolf grabbed Solemn’s back leg and pulled, unwrapping her bandages and exposing her desiccated flesh. It let go as its teeth rotted away. She then flicked a bandage and wrapped it around the torso of another wolf which quickly rotted into compost. The remaining wolves ran away, whimpering.
 
“I feel sorry for them,” sighed First. “They art just animals. I wish that I could help them. A pity that I have not my hospital.”
 
“Thou needed not your hospital in the wars,” said Solemn. “Thou shalt be fine.”
 
“I am not as young as I used to be,” sighed First as he wrapped Solemn’s bandages back around her leg.
 
Right and Grand High Court Archmage Star Swirl ran back into the clearing. “We know where to find our old friend Celestia,” said Star.
 
“Where?” asked Solemn.
 
“She hath founded a new Canterlot,” growled Right.
 
“What!?” asked First. “How know thou this?”
 
(/)
 
“Thou art still weak, Star,” said Solemn after hearing Star’s explanation.  “Is it wise to use thy powers so much?”
 
“I can feed as we travel,” replied Star Swirl. “After a thousand years, I can withstand the hunger.”
 
“Where?” asked Right as she waved at the Everfree foliage around them. “I saw no more settlements ‘ere New Canterlot.”
 
“I shalt be fine,” said Star. “I shalt not use mine more than necessary ‘ere feeding again.”
 
“How shalt we travel to New Canterlot?” asked Solemn. “Sunlight must not touch Star. I art much slower than ‘ere I died and whilst Star art much faster, he art still starved.”
 
“We shalt commandeer a cart for Luna’s service. I shalt pull you. I can gallop at full speed and not tire. I shalt not abandon mine friends. Follow me. I shalt lead you to victory once more!”
 
(/)
 
They followed Right through the forest, beating back foliage as they went. They soon arrived back at the farms and looked out at the apple orchard and field of carrots before them. They trotted over to the nearest cart and Solemn lashed Right to it.
 
“Get in,” said Right.
 
His companions climbed into the cart and Right tore off towards the mountain. The sound roused a dog which gotup and started barking.
 
A pony opened her window and leaned out, calling, “What is it, Wynona!?” Then she turned her head towards them. “Somepony’s stealin’ one o’ our carts!”
 

> Ascending
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: Ascending
 
Right galloped towards Canterlot as fast as she could, thinking that the peacefulness was ominous. She pulled her companions along at breakneck speed across the grassy plains as trees pruned into spheres atop trunks whizzed past and the houses of Ponyville shrank behind them. She narrowed her eyes as a large, dark shape grew in front of her. She gasped as she stared at the apparition in front of her, also travelling towards the mountain, and slowed down.

“By the moon!” she whispered.
 
“What is it, Right?” asked First as he turned away from Ponyville.
 
Right raised a hoof. “That,” she whispered. “That monstrosity!” She shuddered.
 
Solemn lifted a hoof to her narrowed eyes as she peered out of the wagon. “I’ve never seen a snake that size,” she said, her eyes widening. “It is thicker than an adult alicorn is tall! And it hath wheels!”

The creature continued to chug along its tracks and whistled as steam rose from a tube on its head.
  
“I trust not monsters with wheels,” growled Star as he folded his hooves.

“What kind of horrors hath Celestia unleashed upon this land?” whispered Right as she slowly shook her head. “Not  even in the Everfree or during Discord’s reign did we see a snake like that! We should slay it!”
 
Solemn placed a hoof on Right’s back and shook her head slowly. “We know naught about this creature. Let us focus on our duties as Luna’s loyal subjects for now.”

“And suffer us not to slay every monster we happen across,” said First as he rolled his eyes.
 
Right nodded. “Of course. Let us continue!”
 
(/)
 
Soon the ground became increasingly rocky and steep and the cart shook ever more violently despite Right’s reducing speed. “Here is where we abandon the cart,” said Solemn as she flew out.

“Can we make it up in time or should we find shelter for Star?” asked First.

“We can if we use our Luna-given gifts,” said Star with a smirk.

Solemn turned towards First and said, “I shall carry thou. I am strong enough and thou hast no other way up!”
 
“What about Star and Right?” asked First.
 
Star snorted. “I have mine own way up. I am not that weak.” He jumped out of the cart and walked over to the rock face. He placed a hoof against the rock and began to walk vertically up the cliff. Right faded from view and her barding disassembled and floated up after him. Solemn slowly undid some of her bandages until they trailed into a pile on the ground and then carefully wrapped them  around First. The crystal skeleton dangled below her as she flew towards the city.
 
“It helps that not only am I stronger, thou hast lost weight,” Solemn teased.
 
As they reached the mountain peak, a looming shape in the distance began to take shape in the fog. Great towers stabbed through the darkness, becoming more distinct with with their approach. As they drew nearer, the massive spires became visible, and the true scale of the City of Canterlot was revealed. The four stopped dead in their tracks, stunned by the sheer size and majestic beauty of Equestria’s capital city.
 
“Such opulence!” gasped Right. “Is this how Celestia celebrates whilst her sister is unjustly punished!?”
 
First lowered his head. “What taxes does Celestia inflict upon the poor for this?”

They landed and slipped into the shadows, dodging a beam of light. Keeping out of sight of the pony who was shining it, they crawled through the bushes. They darted from one patch of darkness to the other, staying out of view. They approached the gates and settled into the nearest patch of foliage.
 
“Hark! A night guard!” said Right, pointing to a grey unicorn in dark barding. “Shall I call him into service as his Commander?”
 
Solemn shook her head. “They may be the night guard, but we know not if they hath allied with Celestia.”
 
Right nodded. “Of course. We should perform reconnaissance.”
 
First raised a hoof and pointed. “What ... is ... that!?”
 
They turned to look at what First was pointing at.
 
“It ... resembles a pegasus … except that if I knew no better, I would say  that thou had turned him, Star. And then he got stuck halfway through transforming into a bat,” said Right.
 
They continued to stare, open-jawed, at the fanged, bat-winged form of the pyrippus.

“By yourself tonight, Under?” the pyrippus asked the gate guard.

“Apparently Lance is sick, Sudden,” came a groaning reply.

“I’ll ask them to send you some company when I reach the barracks,” promised Sudden.

The four interlopers continued to stare as Sudden walked past and turned a corner. Seeing a pony with such odd features left them with open jaws.
 
“I did never make that!” whimpered Star Swirl.
 
“We believe thou, Star,” said Solemn. She narrowed her eyes. “Yet it seems that much hath changed while we were in space. We need to perform more reconnaissance.”
 
“And to build up thy strength,” added First with a nod.
 
“Suffer me to feed thou a guard!” said Right as she waved a hoof. “If he is with Luna, it shall be his duty and if he is with Celestia, he is the enemy.”
 
“Fine,” sighed Star Swirl, slumping. “I am hungry. I shall feed on him, yet I shall not drain him.”
 
“I expected naught less from thou.” Right smiled.
 
“And I shall feed on naught with fangs,” Star added, sticking his tongue out. “Resemble I a filthy cannibal?” He gave a grin at his joke which then faded. 

“Of course not, Star,” said Right, rolling her eyes as the corner of her mouth twitched. 

“I am serious. What manner of strange pony possesses fangs? It is far too peculiar for a living pony!” Star added.

“Worry o’er it not! He shall make a fine meal!” Right disassembled and floated over to the unicorn night guard which stood watch at the gates. She slowly pulled his spear out of his harness, her eyes narrowing in concentration, and slipped it between his strap and his body. She then jerked it down to quickly slash through the straps holding his barding together.

The stallion’s barding fell apart, slipping down and entangling his legs.  He turned to see what was going on and tripped over it, falling on his face with an, “Oof!” His coat shifted from grey to pink. The pieces of Right’s barding quickly knocked away the remnants, including his helmet. His body began to turn white as they wrapped around him and strapped themselves to it.
 
The stallion frowned and said, “Make haste, Star! He resists!”
 
Star Swirl jumped out of the bushes and clamped his fangs around the stallion’s neck. After drinking, he licked the fang marks closed and stared into the stallion’s eyes which dilated and stilled as Right left his body.
 
“Who is thy Commander?”  Star pressed his face against the guard’s and stared into his eyes.
 
“Prince Shining Armor,” came the dull reply. “He’s technically still the Commander. He’s still deciding who to appoint as his successor.”
 
“A Prince and a Commander at once?” asked Solemn as she raised an eyebrow.
 
“And what manner of name is ‘Armor’?” asked Right, cocking an eyebrow. “Art they a warthog?”
 
“Who recognises thy Commander as the reigning Princess of Equestria?” asked Star, narrowing his eyes.
 
“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rule together. Technically Princess Celestia is in charge during the day and Princess Luna is during the night,” replied the guard in monotone.
 
“What!?” cried Solemn, rearing back.
 
“That makes no sense!” said Right as she widened her eyes.
 
“Ask him o’er Nightmare Moon,” Solemn suggested with a twirl of her hoof.
 
“As you wish, but this one is fighting quite hard. I will not be able to ask too much. What happened to Nightmare Moon?” asked Star Swirl as he pressed his face harder against the guard’s.
 
“She was defeated.”
 
“What!?” cried Right, rearing back.  “How!?”
 
“How was she defeated?” asked Star Swirl as he stepped forward.
 
“The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony defeated her.”
 
Right stomped a hoof. “Traitors!”
 
Solemn sighed. “It looks like we have more dangerous enemies than we thought. We have not what it takes to defeat Bearers of Harmony.”
 
Right growled. “Not since the Elements were stolen from us.”
 
“Now, what do we do?” asked Star as he turned towards Solemn.
 
Solemn shook her head. “We may require aid. For now, there is too much we know not. Let us continue to investigate.”
 
“Where?” asked First, lifting a hoof in emphasis. “Star cannot enter the palace, for it counts as a stable and he cannot expect invitation from any who bed there. He is also too weak for us to leave him.”
 
“We shall remain in public areas for now,” said Solemn, lowering her head. “Even vampires are free to go there.”
 
“We know naught o’er this city!” First objected as he stepped forward. “How shall we find a public area?”
 
“The Statue Garden was not in Old Canterlot. It must have been moved yonder,” said Star, pointing through the gate. “Solemn should be able to see it if it is here and where to find it from the air.”
 
“Good!” cried Right. “Let us go yonder and bask in our past glories!” She lifted a hoof to the sky.
 
Solemn shrugged. “I have no better ideas.”
 
Star returned his gaze to the guard’s eyes and said, “Thou saw naught.”
 
(/)
 
They slipped back into the shadows and slowly crept towards the stone garden. Solemn led the way, followed by Right, First and finally Star.  They wound their way through the alleys as Right cursed the low quantities of dust to muffle their hoofsteps, pressed against the walls, away from prying eyes, eventually stepping into the clearing where the stone sculptures of Equestria’s history were displayed.

“Ah, Lieutenant Victory,” Right sighed as she gave a small smile and stroked the side of the statue of an earth mare bearing a flag. “Thou were my finest officer.” She cocked her head as she turned towards the adjacent statue. “I recognise not those three fillies though.”
 
“It seemeth as though Celestia hath enlarged her collection,” said First.
 
“Yet where art our statues?” asked Right as she walked up to First, raised an eyebrow and turned her head from side to side.
 
“I see them not,” said Solemn. “And the one that should be upon this pedestal is also missing.” She narrowed her eyes. “Wait. This one resembles ...” She slowly walked forward and lowered her head. She scowled as she read the plaque. “There is a more important statue than ours missing,” she growled. She then raised a shaking hoof and pointed at the plaque.
 
“What is it?” asked Right.
 
“Dost thou not recognise it?” asked Star, his voice quivering.
 
First started backing away. “No ...” he squealed. “No! No! No!”
 
Right’s eyes widened and then narrowed again as her face contorted into a vicious snarl. “Discord!”
 
“Discord’s escape changes all,” said Solemn. “Before him, without the Elements of Harmony, what are we but insects? We need the aid of another Cosmic.”
 
“If another Cosmic could take down Discord, They would have done so,” said Right. “He is too dangerous.”
 
“We need not go for a living Cosmic,” suggested Star.
 
“Then who!?” asked First. “Havoc, so we can use his father issues!?”
 
Solemn shook her head. “Not his father. Draconequi art too unpredictable. He may not help us. If Discord is indeed loose, which we need to check ...” She gazed at the others meaningfully.
 
“True.” Star nodded. “Assumptions can be dangerous.  And I see no sign of his chaos.”
 
“Better to be sure, I guess.” First shrugged. “The lack of screams is a good sign.”
 
“On this, I shall trust your judgement, Solemn.”
 
Solemn nodded and continued. “If he is on the loose, we need an alicorn.”
 
First took another step backwards. “Thou cannot mean ...”
 
“His teacher, yes,” said Solemn. “Yet more reason to check. Let us not fight evil with evil if the first evil need not be fought.”

“We would not want that!” Right nodded with widened eyes.

Star Swirl frowned. “Celestia and Luna said that Morning Star’s power was lower than Discord’s, but that his attitude was somehow even worse! Is this not the opposite of what we desire?”
 
“He was able to control Discord once before,” said Solemn. “Perhaps with our aid, he can do it again. And we can use him. He can be bargained with.”
 
“Hast thou lost thy mind!?” First suddenly gasped.
 
“Yes,” replied Solemn. “It was pulled out mine nostril, but I can still use it. What option do we have? Bargaining with Celestia?”
 
The others laughed bitterly.
 
“Let us take another day,” suggested First. “Thou admit that we need to check if Discord is truly loose and Star cannot risk exposure to sunlight. We should make camp. I could build  a hospital.”
 
“I shalt be fine,” said Star. He slowly sunk into the ground.
 
“We can camp in the caves,” said Solemn. “We have not time to build a hospital, nor would doing so be stealthy enough for our mission.” She shot a glare at First.
 
(/)
 
The next morning, Applejack and Big Mac inspected the site of the cart theft. Applejack narrowed her eyes as she stared at the dirt. The earth of her farm had been disturbed. There were skid-marks across her farm. She moved her head slowly, scanning the area and then pointed at a hoof-print. “They were ponies what did this. More than one.”
 
“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed. “Four.”
 
“Where we gonna get another cart?” asked Applejack as she turned to face her brother. “I hope they get those thievin’ varmints. But ‘till then, what’re we gonna do?”
 
“Could buy one.” Big Mac shrugged.
 
Appleack shook her head. “No way, no how! Not ‘till we’re sure as sugar that the last one’s gone for good.”
 
“Could borrow one,” was Big Mac’s next suggestion.
 
“An’ who can I borrow one from?” asked Applejack.
 
“Miss Harvest is close.”
 
“Carrot Top!?” asked Applejack. “She’d love for me to owe her a favour!”
 
Big Mac turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow.
 
She sighed. “All right. I’ve learned mah lesson about askin’ for help. I’ll ask her.”
 
(/)
 
Applejack turned her head from side to side, but while the fields had plenty of carrots, nopony was in sight. “Just where is that carrot farmer!?” Applejack asked herself as she walked through the surprisingly empty fields towards the building with a large carrot on top. As satisfying as it was to one-up the vegetable farmer, they still held neighbourly affection for one another and it was concerning for her to be conspicuously absent. She reached the door and knocked. She waited and the door slowly opened to reveal a bleary-eyed Carrot Top. “Landsakes!” cried Applejack as she reared backwards “What happened to yah!? Yah still in bed at this hour!? Are yah sick or somethin’?”
 
“I don’t know,” replied Carrot Top. “I just feel really tired for some reason. I don’t know why.”
 
“Well, I was gonna ask yah if I could borrow yer cart, ‘cause some thievin’ varmints went an’ stole ours, but I think yah need to see a doctor.”
 
“I think you’re right, Applejack,” said Carrot Top.
 
“You’re agreein’ with me?” asked Applejack, raising an eyebrow at the mare who claimed to be her eternal rival. “Yah must be really sick! Let me help yah git to the hospital!”
 
(/)
 
Right glanced back and forth to make sure that nopony had seen her. Satisfied that she was alone, she ducked into the cave entrance. One would never expect that a dark hole in a patch of gloomy, grey rock would lead to chambers lined with crystal. “I have the last ingredients for First’s potion,” she informed Solemn.
 
“And what of what goes on in the castle?” asked Solemn. “What hast thou discovered?”
 
Right shook her head. “It is worse than we feared. Celestia still rules. This is clear. Yet I found a sleeping pony who appears to be Luna. She roused not long ago, but ...” She shook her head again. “I understand not. Something terrible must have happened. There is a stained glass window depicting her defeat by six ponies.”
 
“The new Bearers of Harmony, perhaps?” asked Solemn.
 
“Perhaps.” Right nodded. “We have not a stained glass window. Luna is either addled, under Celestia’s mind control or an imposter. All that is clear is that she is in trouble and needs our help. We cannot abandon her to her fate! We need to rescue her!”
 
Solemn lowered her head. “We know not how to do that. We need to simply continue with Nightmare Moon’s plan and hope that Celestia’s defeat and the return of the Eternal Night will free her.”

“I saved the worst for last,” said Right. “I witnessed the true extent of Celestia’s treachery while spying on her throne room.”

(/)
 
Celestia sat on her throne, tapping her hoof.
 
Suddenly, there was a pop and a flash of light and a creature of mismatched body parts appeared in the room.
 
“You are late, Discord,” said Celestia.
 
Discord snapped his fingers and the hands of the clock spun backwards. “No, I’m not,” he said. “My parole meeting only starts when I arrive. So, whenever I get here, that must be 2:30.”
 
“I have been giving you a lot of leeway, Discord. You’ve mostly contained yourself, but being so dismissive of these meetings is not the best way to convince me that we are no longer enemies.”
 
(/)
 
“She has allied with Discord!” gasped Solemn. “No disaster can be greater!”
 
“I know,” replied Right. “We must cleanse this evil.”
 
“By any means necessary.” Solemn nodded.

“I am still uncertain about using Morning Star,” said Right. “It seems wrong to recruit one whom our Princess hates.”
 
“I am also uncertain,” replied Solemn. “Yet with Discord free and allied with Celestia, we need all the help we can get.”

“Dost thy whispering mean that Right hath returned?” asked the voice of First.
 
“Yes! I am here!” Right replied. She followed Solemn deeper into the cave where First was stirring a bubbling potion.
 
“I have the last ingredients,” said Right as she dropped some soap, almonds, apple seeds and nightshade on the floor.
 
“Good,” said First. He added the objects to the pot and continued to stir. “That should do it. Solemn, I need a crystal piece. Then it shall be ready.”
 
Solemn ripped a chunk of crystal out of the wall and dipped it into the potion before pulling it out again. Then she picked up a vial and filed it with the liquid before corking it. “Is it ready?” she asked. “Can thou do it?”
 
“Star and I will be able to do it if we work together.”
 
“Then the question is, should we?” asked Solemn. “Let us fetch Star and find out.”
 
(/)
 
They snuck back into the sculpture gardens and stomped on the section of ground into which Star Swirl had sunk.
 
He rose from the ground and said. “That was the most refreshing rest I have had in o’er a thousand years. It is good to rest in Equestrian soil once more.”
 
“That is good,” said First. “I have prepared the potion. And a crystal.”
 
“Good.” Star Swirl nodded.

“And now I have seen that Discord is not only free but an ally of Celestia,” said Right.
 
“No!” gasped First.
 
Star narrowed his eyes. “Then we cannot waste time.”
 
“Art thou certain this is a good idea?” asked Solemn. “He is ... dangerous.”
 
“We need him,” said Star “And once we have the Elements back, we shall be able to get rid of him again if necessary.”
 
“And what of Laughter?” asked Solemn.
 
Star’s eyes narrowed and he tightened his lips. “Celestia found five bearers in hours. It shouldst not be hard to find a Bearer of Laughter to make friends with in comparison.”
 
“How are we  going to get into Tartarus without being caught?” asked Solemn.
 
“We escaped Mortis before,” replied Star. “We shall do it again.”
 
“Mortis should be old,” said First. “He shall be past his prime.”
 
Right shook her head. “Yet more experienced. We cannot pretend this shall be easy.”
 
“Agreed,” said Solemn. “We need a plan if we art to battle an alicorn.”
 
“I am the military mare,” said Right. “We need to strike hard, fast and disruptively, We shall be lucky if any of us makes it out unharmed. Let him not use his scythe under any circumstances. Here art what we shall do...”

(/)
 
They dove back down the mountain, jagged rocks rushing past below them and returned to the cart. Star, Solemn and First climbed in and Right took off once again and carried them over the plains while they jostled from the high-speed bumps. In the distance, the forest slowly grew larger as they approached  Tartarus.
 
“Remember that we need to get there before the Sun rises, Right,” said First as he glanced nervously at Star.
 
“And it shall be dangerous to wait another night,” added Star.
 
“Not that far now,” replied Right. “We can make it.”
 
The ground below their creaking wheels turned barren and desolate despite bordering the greenery of the Everfree. They slowed their approach and stopped behind a particularly large boulder. They crawled out of the cart and unhitched Right before darting between shadows. They hid behind large, grey, misshapen rocks as they approached the gates, sneaking along the crack –filled plains of ash. They stared over a boulder.
 
“That is a filly!” gasped First.
 
“Better for us,” said Right.
 
“Indeed,” agreed Star. “She shall not have grown into her power. It may be unfortunate that we need to fight a filly, but remember, she is still an alicorn.”
 
“I like this not,” First grumbled.
 
“Underestimate her not,” said Solemn.
 
As they approached, the large, three-headed dog rose from its slumber and growled. The alicorn filly turned towards the dog and said, “What is it, Cer--?” Her fur stood on end. She turned to face them and cried, “Abominations!”
 
Star tossed his head and a field of ice formed around the filly and her dog, icicles pointing up and away.
 
Solemn walked around the boulder. “That was easier than I did expect.”
 
The filly’s coat shifted to a light yellow and her mane became a fluffy purple. Then her eyes began to glow.
 
Right rolled her eyes and turned her head to face Solemn. “Thou had to say it.”
 
The filly flung her wings open, tearing the ice apart. She launched into the air and bounced between shards of ice while they were still on their ascent, kicking them towards the four friends.
 
Star raised a curved, circular shield of pink magic and the ice bounced off it, but the barrier cracked under the assault. The cracks rapidly ran across the shield which shattered under the strain and an icicle sliced through his skin. “You broke mine barrier!” he cried as his skin sealed up again.
 
“You ruined my paperwork and HURT MY DOG!” A panel of rock from inside the gates slid up and a large, wickedly hooked scythe with a handle of what seemed to be rotting wood floated out. “Taste silver!”
 
Right jumped onto the handle, pinning the weapon to the floor. “No, you dost not!” she growled.
 
Star teleported Solemn directly behind the filly and the pegasus grabbed the alicorn in her bandages.  The filly squirmed and struggled as the bandages tightened and her flesh began to rot away. “Now, Star!” Solemn cried.
 
Star jumped into the air and sunk his teeth into the alicorn’s neck. Star’s eyes rolled back at the taste of alicorn blood. Was it possible to drain an alicorn dry? Even a foal? He was tempted to try. Yet that was not what he was there for. This filly was not going to become his collateral damage. Once she stopped twitching, he dropped her to the floor. Solemn removed her bandages as Star licked his lips.
 
First ran over to her and inspected her body. “She is regenerating,” he sighed in relief. “She’ll be fine. How feel thou, Star?”
 
Star paused to consider the question. “Amazing,” he answered. “The best in o’er a thousand years.”
 
“Art thou ready?” First asked.
 
“Huh!” cried Star. “As if it were possible for me to fail now!” He led them through the gates and began drawing lines in the ash. First began to add lines of his own and soon they had an intricate, angular pattern on the floor. The pattern was an elaborate series of concentric circles crossed with lines at precise angles.
 
Star Swirl levitated over the potion and poured it onto the ground where it fizzled and seeped into the cracks. He then placed the crystal in the centre of the pattern.
 
He looked over at First, who grit his teeth and nodded. They knelt and glared at the pattern as they shook with concentration. Star’s coat stood on end and sparked. Their eyes turned green as purple ether leaked out in phantom flames of effervescence. The purple flames danced wildly as they continued to shake and they grit their teeth even harder. The pink aura around Star Swirl’s horn shifted to match the new colours as darkness bubbled.
 
New cracks split the ground and heat and sulphur poured out. Their eyes and noses burned from the heat and acid. Ash rose into the air and coalesced into a cloud of blackness, rebuilding the one they once belonged to. A large, emaciated, withered alicorn stallion took shape before their eyes and regrew his flesh. There was a final flash of purple and green and the wrinkled stallion moved.
 
He turned his head to look around and then lifted his hoof to his face. Upon seeing it, his eyes widened in horror and he stepped back. “Bhoidos!” he cried. A yellow light surrounded his horn and a mirror formed in front of him. He took one look at his reflection and screamed, smashing the mirror.
 
“Art thou well?” asked First, cocking his head and darting his eyes nervously between his friends.
 
The alicorn spun his head to face First, his teeth gritted, his eyes narrowed and what there was of his lips curled in rage. Then he blinked, his expression softening as he raised an eyebrow. He nodded and the chamber was filled with yellow light once more. “There,” said the alicorn. “Now we’ll be able to understand each other. Why have you given us this putrid body? Not only is it unacceptably ugly, we feel like a mere hybrid rather than the greatness we are! Still, that can be fixed.” He threw his head to face the ceiling and the chamber was filled with yellow light once more. “Speak to me, Venus, Greatest of all Planets! Your true avatar, The Perfect Being, has come home! Let me use your power once again!”
 
The brightest dot in the night sky flashed. The light in the chamber brightened to almost blinding intensity as the alicorn bulked up and his wrinkles smoothed away. A ball of light surrounded him and spun, streaking like an intense wind as it howled. Spokes of radiance poured out and shimmered as electricity crackled. Beams of brilliance poured out of the sphere and the scent of sulphur intensified. As the heat rose, more of the floor was reduced to ash and then molten glass as smoke rose and shone with its own heat. A ball of yellow light jumped out his chest and danced around him as it pulsed and wobbled as a liquid. He rose into the air as the centre of the glow burned more intensely and the orb of yellow light split into nine pieces whipped around him in an ever-changing cascade. The glow grew even more intense and rapid before being absorbed back into his chest. He sprouted a white coat of perfect sheen and his mane billowed as a pool of liquid, golden sunlight. His cutie mark was a black, crowned heart with arrows pointing to it. He glowed and the four friends were stunned by his beauty. “KNEEL, SUBJECTS!”
 
They dropped to their knees before the order was even finished.
 
“EMPEROR MORNING STAR, THE GREATEST OF GODS, HAS RETURNED!”
 
(/)

Meanwhile, far to the north, in the Crystal Palace, another alicorn’s cutie mark faded to a dull grey.

> Event Horizon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3: Event Horizon

The four friends slowly raised their eyes from the ash-covered cave floor. The only light came from the glowing alicorn stallion glaring down at them. The stench of sulphur still poured in from the cracks on the floor.
 
“What do you desire!?” demanded Morning Star.
 
Outside the chamber, Pluto’s leg twitched twice. Then she shifted a wing and slowly uncurled before her eyes fluttered open. She saw that Cerberus was still encased in ice. She bit her lip and her muscles tensed. A glint from the corner of her eye caused her to turn towards the entrance chamber to Tartarus that was still glowing despite the ash and smoke. Her eyes widened in horror and her stomach lurched as she looked to the four kneeling figures before a pony with a face she had had to memorise as part of her duties. A brilliant white alicorn stallion with liquid sunlight for a mane glowed in front of them. Pluto gasped and her legs scrambled uselessly against the ground as her eyes threatened to pop out.  She shuffled towards the dog-containing iceberg, there was a flash and both she and Cerberus disappeared.
 
Morning Star turned towards the flash and scanned the ashen plains. “The godling escaped,”  he said in a bored voice. “She is presumably off to warn others of our escape! Is there anything you want before she does so!?”
 
“I want to confront Celestia!” said Right as she got to her hooves and held one to her chest as she lifted her head. “I want to see the look on her face when she realises that we’re back! I want her to know that she’s about to pay for her crimes!”
 
“Are you insane, Right!?” cried First as he turned to face her. “You’re going to get yourself killed! ... er ... rekilled!”
 
“I’ll be fine,” said Right. “I’ve been in stickier situations. And after all she’s done, I need to see the look on Celestia’s face as she realises that her doom is upon her! I want to tell her myself!”
 
“Is it really wise to aggravate Celestia while you’re alone?” asked Solemn as she raised an eyebrow.
 
“I need to do this,” said Right. “I’m not going to fight her. I’ll escape if she gets violent. I can take care of myself. But I need to confront her. To let her know exactly what I think and let her stew before we make our move.”

“I think it sounds a little stupid, but if you feel the need, I won’t stop you,” said Star.
 
“I suppose getting things off your chest is important.” First sighed. “It would be hypocritical of me to complain too much.”
 
“I just ask you to be careful not to compromise the mission unnecessarily,” said Solemn as she closed her eyes.
 
“So you need transport!?”

“ Yes. Can you get me there?” asked Right as she turned to face Star.
 
“Teleport you all the way to the palace in New Canterlot?” asked Star, flicking his eyes up to the ceiling. “Please! Ask for something difficult next time!”
 
“Do it!” Morning Star nodded. “The rest of us will meet there later!”
 
There was a flash as Star teleported Right out.
 
(/)
 
In the courtyard of the palace, there was a bright flash as an awkwardly flailing alicorn filly, who slowly dragged herself towards the castle with her frantic flaps as she fell, and  a large block of ice fell from the sky. The ice smashed upon impact, releasing a large, three-headed dog while the alicorn filly skidded along the floor on her face, smashing into a wall and collapsing. The dog limped over, whining, and began to lick its mistress.
 
The guards, most of which had dropped their spears and their jaws, hurried over to see to the new arrival.

 
(/)
 
Right appeared in a field near the walls in another section of the palace grounds. She quickly looked around and turned towards the palace. No witnesses. Good. I think I know where I am. Let’s just check. She scanned the windows and when she reached one, paused and nodded. Got it. If Celestia’s bedchamber is there, it shouldn’t be too hard to plot a course.

She faded from view and snuck along the walls to the nearest door. Naturally, two guards stood before it, but there was a large enough space over their heads for that not to matter.Now just to make sure that I don’t get their attention. She levitated over the heads of the guards and into the palace before galloping towards Celestia’s bedroom.

As she snuck through the passage of stained-glass windows, she slowed down and began to look at them more closely. She walked up to one of the windows and stared at the image of a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. There was a red glow at the base of her neck and Right lifted her hoof to touch it. “Loyalty,” she whispered.
 
The golden, engraved doors on the other end of the passage swung open and a sleepy Celestia walked in. She walked with a weary lope. She was wearing a fluffy, pink bathrobe, her hair had strands that were out of place and full of kinks and her eyes were swollen and bleary. Yet those eyes widened and she reared back as she returned to full alertness upon seeing her visitor. “Right!?” she cried.  She quickly darted her head around to check the rest of the passage and confirm that she was not still dreaming. “You’re here!?”
 
Right had noticed that her mane was no longer exclusively pink, but it was still unmistakably her. She quickly turned from the windows and scowled viciously as she widened her stance. “You didn’t think we would stay on the moon forever, did you?”
 
“When you didn’t return with Luna, I thought the Elements had worked differently from how I expected. I thought you’d been freed from Nightmare Moon’s curse!” She bit her lip and her eyes flickered.
 
Right’s scowl deepened. “Likely story. I notice that you didn’t mind chucking us into space.”
 
“I was doing my best!” Celestia slammed a hoof down as she returned the scowl. “Don’t you think I’ve regretted everything that happened that night ever since? You know we barely understood how to control the Elements. I needed time to plan how to free you all!”
 
Right shook her head. “And the lies still spill from your lips. What happened to the sweet, young filly we befriended? How did she grow up to become this!?” She pointed at Celestia and slowly lowered her hoof again. “Why have you renounced all we stood for, Celestia? I saw the statue garden and know that we’re completely absent from it. Not to mention that you’ve released Discord! How could you do that, Celestia!? You know what it took to trap him!” She took an aggressive step forward with each sentence.
 
Celestia closed her eyes. “Discord has reformed.”
 
Right snorted. “You really expect me to believe that? I suppose that’s why we’re not in the statue garden either?” Her voice dripped sarcasm.  She waved a hoof to indicate the decor. “Lovely stained-glass windows, by the way, Celestia. I really appreciate our conspicuous absence from them. I noticed that you at least still base the appearance of most of your Day Guards on me. I suppose I should feel honoured, but instead I just feel shame.” She turned back towards the windows. “Tell me, Celestia, my old friend, this rainbow-maned pegasus ... would she die for you, the way I did? And when she does, will she too find that all evidence of her existence was erased?”
 
Celestia scrunched her eyes shut and lowered her head. “Right, please, I don’t want to hurt you.”
 
“It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it, Celestia?” Right cocked an eyebrow. “Luna whispered the secrets of your betrayal into my mind when she brought me back. And you know that I will not tolerate betrayal.” She narrowed her eyes. “You are praised as the great hero of Equestria while we don’t even get to wallow in obscurity. Did you think that Solemn would be okay with such a filthy lie?!” She slammed her hoof down.  “First may be the forgiving type, but he knows that our need is greater than yours. Not even your own sister got the respect she deserved! Are you going to set your new friends on us again, the way you did last time we saw each other?”
 
“Right, please!” Celestia jerked herself back up to her full stature. “I  was trying to protect my friends and honour your memories! Please just surrender to the holder of the Seat of Pluto. She can return you to what you once were!”
 
The corner of Right’s mouth lifted. “I think she’ll have bigger fish to fry than us, Celestia. Seeing as this is already a reunion of old friends, we thought we’d invite a relative of yours. Star managed to subdue the three-headed dog quite easily.”
 
Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Wait ... Surely you cannot mean ... Not him? You would not ... You could not!”
 
“We can and did.” Right scowled. “You’ve forced our hooves, Celestia.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Impossible. Nopony can break out of Tartarus!”

She slowly shook her head.
 
“Nopony before now!” Right’s scowl returned as she took another step forward. “Tell me. How is the current holder of the Seat of Venus?”
 
Celestia’s eyebrows rose. “Cadance!” she gasped and with a flash, teleported out.
 
Right smirked and returned to the shadows.

(/)
 
Luna paused to enjoy the last of the cool night air before the morning rolled on. Her sister would arrive soon and it would be time to switch the positions of their respective celestial bodies once more.

While they could technically perform this duty anywhere, it was always worth it to perform the transition from their balconies and they did so on practically every occasion. It allowed them to show off a bit, have a quick check on their subjects and admire the view, both that which they created themselves, and that which existed already.

She had been walking over to her balcony when she heard a crash. She galloped the rest of the way and peered over the edge to the courtyard below. There were chunks of ice scattered around the courtyard and the guards had gathered around Cerberus. Luna jumped off and glided down in a spiral until her hooves touched the stone below her and folded her wings away.  “What’s going on here?” she asked.
 
“We were trying to find that out ourselves, Princess,” replied a guard.  “All we know right now is that Plutonia and her dog fell out the sky. And there was lots of ice.” The guards separated, revealing that Cerberus was licking Pluto.
 
Pluto groaned as she shifted.  She turned to face Luna and said, “Princess Luna, The Four are back!”
 
Luna pulled back, scrunching her face and raising an eyebrow.
 
“And they have released Morning Star!”
 
Luna’s eyes widened and she reared back, her wings flaring. “Morning Star, as in—“
 
“As in the reason that Tartarus was built in the first place, yes.”
 
Luna slowly lowered her wings as her face darted about to check the courtyard. An instinctual part of herself left over from stories she had been told as a foal also demanded that she check under the bed, but she dismissed that. “Then—“

“I need your armoury,” said Pluto. She looked up at Cerberus who was shivering, bruised, was not using his back left leg and still had bits of frost in his fur. “And a veterinarian.”
 
(/)
 
Celestia appeared in front of the Crystal Palace, gliding down to the entrance.  A pair of crystal guards bowed in greeting. “Welcome, Princess Celestia,” they said.
 
“Princess,” began the one on her right, “pardon me for asking, but is something wrong?”
 
“Yeah, shouldn’t the moon have gone down and the sun have risen?” the guard on her left tried asking.
 
The other shot a glare at him.
 
“Yes,” replied Celestia. “They should have. May I see Princess Cadance?”
 
The two guards slowly turned their heads to face each other. “I don’t think Princess Cadance is up yet,” said the left guard again.
 
Celestia closed her eyes. “Please. It is important.”
 
“I’m not sure she’ll be happy about that,” said the right hoof guard.
 
“She won’t,” replied Celestia. “But the Crystal Empire is considered a territory of Equestria now. Princess Cadance reports to me. Let me deal with that.”
 
“You’re going to see Princess Cadance as her superior, while in your bathrobe?” asked the left guard.
 
“Yes. I am,” replied Celestia, narrowing her eyes.

“All right,” sighed the right-hoof guard. “I’ll take you.”
 
(/)
 
“So,” said Morning Star. “We believe that it was YOU two who brought us back!” He levitated Star and First over to face him.
 
Star and First looked at each other before Star cleared his throat and said, “Yes, your Magnificence. We heard how you grant desires and were wondering if—YAAAAAAAAARRGH!” Star cried out in agony as Morning Star’s aura twisted his jaw but the scream was cut off as his jaw was nearly ripped off and hung loosely from his face.
 
Solemn and First’s eyes bulged and their heads reared back. First wriggled for a few seconds in his aura in an attempt to get free before stopping in resignation and Solemn bit her lip as she stepped backwhile First’s bones began to rattle as he shivered.
 
“You talk a lot for something with fangs, VAMPIRE!” said Morning Star. He dropped Star to the floor and the vampire lay, cradling his jaw as it began to regenerate. “We’d think you wouldn’t want to draw ATTENTION to yourself after ruining my perfect body with your AMATEUR spell!”
 
“Look!” cried First. “You can’t treat him like—YEEOOOOWGH!” Solemn watched in open-mouthed horror as First’s skull was torn from his spine and thrown to the ground  before the rest of his skeleton followed.
 
“We’ll treat our subjects as we DESIRE! Even if you WEREN’T at fault for the same reason, we will not tolerate ANY questioning of our authority! We are the avatar of Venus and DESTINED to rule! Now pull yourselves together!” Morning Star said. “We have work to do!  Consider this the payment for making us UGLY and for insubordination! We are merciful, so you haven’t been destroyed! Instead, we will grant your desires as you requested! What is it you summoned us for!?”
 
“We need Princess Celestia defeated,” said Solemn. “And the night to last forever. We heard that you are powerful. That you could be bargained with. And we believe that Celestia has allied with Discord. We heard that you could control him.”
 
“Discord!?” asked Morning Star as he raised an eyebrow. “As for your request ... Do you know why we were named ‘Morning Star’?!”
 
“No,” replied Solemn. She lowered her head and shook it a bit more than the rest of her body. “Most information about you is lost or classified. It is only due to our high positions that we know about you at all.”
 
Morning Star scowled. “So the world has FORGOTTEN us, has it?! Well, it will remember us soon enough! Anyway, our name is one of Venus’s many names! It refers to how she sometimes seems to usher in the Sun! Our parents saw that we were perfect and guessed that we would hold the Seat of Venus and would usher in a GLORIOUS new age! They were CORRECT! It is ironic then that you ask MORNING STAR to end the Sun’s reign altogether ... Still, Venus had another, more APPROPRIATE name: The EVENING Star, Bringer of NIGHT! YES! We can work with this! We will ensure that your wish is granted! In return you will WORSHIP and SERVE us!” He pointed a hoof at First. “Tell us, why do your bones look like that?!”
 
“He’s a crystal—“
 
Morning Star slammed his front, left hoof into the ground and a shard of rock erupted from the cave floor, trapping Solemn’s neck in a V-shaped vice grip. “Did we ask YOU?!”
 
“No,” gasped Solemn.
 
“Do you think we may have had a REASON for that?!” Morning’s eyes narrowed.
 
“I’m sorry. I should have realised that you did, your Magnificence,” Solemn rasped.
 
Morning Star tapped his hoof again and the rock split apart, releasing her. “Do not FORGET that!” He turned back towards First.
 
First had paused with his hooves on his skull, in the midst of trying to make sure that he had properly reattached it, in order to watch his friend. After she got back to her hooves, he turned to face the alicorn.

“ANSWER US!” said Morning Star.
 
“I am a crystal pony,” said First. “A tribe which split off from the earth ponies after your time. And know this: I have defied my Queen before. She was an alicorn. You will not intimidate me into obedience if you harm my friends. I’ll leave like I left her!”
 
“But you don’t WANT to leave, DO you!?” Morning asked with a smile as he widened his eyes slightly and looked deeply into First’s.
 
First looked into those beautiful, sparkling eyes and his jaw opened slightly. If he still had salivary glands, he would have begun to drool. “... No,” he replied.
 
“We didn’t think so! Yet it seems as we need to learn more about this time!”  He closed his eyes to commune with the previous holder of the Seat of Venus. “So, tell me ... Eros, is it? What has become of my domain? ... You want me to go there? Oh, I’m already there, as you should be able to tell. I like all the fire, brimstone and darkness. Reminds me of home. ... Oh? You prefer the current holder of the Seat of Venus? Perhaps I should meet her. What is she like? ... Oh, I won’t have to do that myself. I’m sure that I can convince others to do that with me. My body is perfect, after all. ... Oh, that’s some sort of modern insult? How silly. Why would you suggest that someone you wish to insult partake in such a pleasurable activity? ... You are being remarkably unhelpful for a guiding, ancestral spirit. Then again, my last one disapproved of me as well. And I suppose that I would technically be ancestral to you.” He shook his head and opened his eyes.
 
“Well, we have other ways of learning. Next on the agenda is weapons!” He walked up to the scythe which Pluto had dropped and lifted it in his aura. “This is Expiration!” he said. “This is the weapon that Tartarus used to kill us and trap our soul in this prison he built! At what was once the HEART of our empire! Our empire which will rise AGAIN! This weapon has been modified many times since it killed us and now it falls into our hooves as PLUNDER!”
 
He walked over to the panel that Pluto had slid open. “And THIS is the cache of weapons confiscated from all the inmates!” It was a hollow with hooks hanging from the ceiling, shelves on the sides and furrows along the floor, all loaded with various weapons. The piles were neat and each weapon was labelled with names, dates and cross-references. On the side was a thick ledger.

“There is a type of weapon WE invented and named after ourselves!” He lifted a large morningstar in his aura. Its head was particularly, gigantic. It was black and metallic, but with thick, green spikes and a handle with gold and silver spirals trailing down to the heart-shaped pommel. “THIS  ONE is our own! Grond!”

He lifted the morningstar and it levitated out of the chamber. He swung Grond into the ground. The ground cracked as the earth split apart in racing zigzags that spat dust and roared angrily until they had sundered the landscape like a badly butchered pie, torn apart by the starving. Five bolts of lightning screamed as they fanned out in a rotating set of beams which charred the ground and caused boulders to explode. A wave of acid splashed from the impact and sizzled where it hit the dirt and a torrent of lava flew into the air. The lava fell back to the ground and smoke billowed into the air. “YES! Now that you have eliminated most of the weaknesses of having a body ...”  He lifted the crystal First had prepared earlier and brought it to his face. “ ... this will do nicely!”
 
(/)
 
“What kind of lame armoury is this!?” cried Pluto.
 
“Don’t use that tone with me!” said Luna. “I should wash your mouth out for that language!”
 
“Seriously!” said Pluto as she levitated over a weapon. “What is this!?”
 
“It’s a spear,” replied Luna.
 
“It is made of steel!” Pluto stuck her tongue out and gagged. “What am I supposed to do with that!?”
 
“Be glad that we don’t really use bronze anymore,” said Luna.
 
Pluto’s eyes widened in horror at the image.
 
“Against most foes, steel works rather well. Better than some of what you use. And we can’t afford to outfit the entire guard in the magical materials. I could lend you my moonsilver ingot—“
 
“Yes! Do that!” cried Pluto, perking up.
 
“... but if there’s going to be a fight, I’d prefer to keep Nadir on me and use it myself.”
 
Pluto’s eyes narrowed. “Listen here! This is my job!”
 
Luna raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously trying to claim that you would be capable of impeding Morning Star in any way whatsoever without aid?”
 
Pluto opened and closed her mouth three times before saying, “I’ll figure something out!”
 
“And until you do, I’ll be helping you defend my country from him, whether you like it or not.”
 
“... That is acceptable.”
 
There was a flash of light, a squeak and Discord was floating in front of them, reclining in thin air. He was also eating popcorn. “Ah! There you are, Luna!” he said. “I see that you’re being naughty again! I thought you’d stopped the whole “Eternal Night” thing! What an amusing way to be wrong! I came to watch the fun!” He snapped his talon and he was suddenly in a red, padded, folding chair of the type commonly found in movie theatres and he was wearing a pair of glasses which had a red lens and a green lens. He flung some popcorn into his mouth and chomped.
 
Luna raised an eyebrow. “What are you ...? No! Celestia and I aren’t fighting again! We simply have more pressing concerns than arranging to switch the positions of the Sun and Moon! Such as the fact that Morning Star has escaped from Tartarus!”
 
The next pawful of popcorn froze on its way to Discord’s mouth.
 
(/)

Four hundred thousand years earlier:
 
An egg lay on the barren ground. It had non-parallel stripes, multi-coloured spots and splotches of various sizes and the pointed end was plaid. The egg wriggled, cracked and split into pieces and a creature sprawled out into the dirt. It had a serpentine body, a hoof, a paw, a claw and a talon. One of its wings was feathered and the other was bat-like. The creature stared in open-mouthed wonder as its gaze drifted over the surroundings. Its ears perked at the sound of crashing waves. It crawled, attempting wriggle through the beach sand in order to experience as much of it as he could. He picked up a piece of his eggshell and smiled at having his first toy. It lifted the piece with a paw to take a closer look. The piece of shell then exploded and he squealed in pain and wide-eyed shock as he fell on his rump.
 
A slightly larger serpentine creature with a gorilla arm, an octopus tentacle, a single, white wing, a pair of mismatching hooves and a monkey tail rolled on the ground, laughing. The first creature glared at it.
 
(/)
 
Within the starlit void, at a desk labelled, “Havoc of Demos”, sat a far larger serpentine creature with multiple, assorted limbs. “Entropy and I would like to present our youngest son, Prince Discord,” announced Havoc as he lifted a paw. The draconequus hatchling lay within, glancing around to take in as much of the view as possible. “Show the council what you can do,” said Havoc. “Don’t disappoint me.”
 
Discord narrowed his eyes in determination and snapped his talon. He was lifted into the air by a pink cloud and was carried forward into the centre of the ring of desks while wearing a smug grin.
 
There was a snap of gorilla fingers and the pink cloud faded away. Discord fell to the floor and glared at his laughing tormenter who sat at a desk inscribed with, “Destruction of Styx”. Another large serpentine creature at a desk labelled, “Entropy of Fenrir” rolled her eyes while a white alicorn at a desk labelled, “Morning Star of Venus” raised an eyebrow.
 
(/)
 
“While Destruction’s lack of restraint is disappointing and pathetic,” Havoc said to Discord, “he is still your older brother and when your mother and I are gone, he will be your king, the ruler of Serpentia. You were born to be below him.”
 
“I’m just supposed to be below him? Why should I do what I’m supposed to do? It’s more fun and chaotic to go against the flow. Besides, what about Emperor Morning Star?” asked Discord.
 
“The self-appointed ‘Emperor’ is unfortunately above us all and has been since winning the last Cosmic War, but I intend to outlive him by a significant margin. He may have climbed higher than the rest of us, but that doesn’t mean that you can as well.”
 
“But he’s only an alicorn!” said Discord. “If you wanted to climb higher than him, couldn’t you just snap your fingers and destroy him? Or turn him into a flower or something? I’ve got lots of ideas if you want suggestions.”
 
“If I was able to snap my fingers with the intention of doing that while I was in his presence, then yes, I could,” replied Havoc. “But you will learn, Discord, that there is more than one type of power. I suggest that you ask Emperor Morning Star about that.”
 
“I think I will!” said Discord. “I’m sure it’ll be more fun than this.”
 
(/)

Upon the plains of red dust, surrounded by the wind-blasted rocks, Discord knelt before the white alicorn.
 
Morning Star smirked. “You want me to teach you?”
 
“Yes, please, your Magnificence,” replied Discord.
 
Morning Star’s smile spread. “All right. I’m interested. I sense potential in you. Just remember that you will take every lesson I give you. You will be mine. Now, for the first lesson:” His horn began to glow. Discord was lifted into the air and flung backwards, smashing into a cliff. The cliff split apart into large boulders that flew into the air. “Power belongs to those who take it! Lesson two: Those with power can do whatever they want to those below them,” Discord’s body swung round and smashed through a boulder, breaking it up and launching the shrapnel into the distance. “They are mere toys! Lesson three:” Discord’s body was smashed into the ground, cracking it below him as he bowed till his face was buried in the dirt. “Break their spirits and their bodies will be yours. Now, thank me for these lessons and beg me for more.”

Oh, I’ll learn your lessons, Morning! Discord thought as he gritted his teeth. And after I deal with my family, I’ll be a greater ruler than you ever could be! I suggest that you hope not to live to see that day!
 
(/)
 
Discord snapped his talon and he, his chair, his glasses and the popcorn disappeared. In his place was a letter which narrated itself in Discord’s voice. It said, “Dearest fellow members of the Cosmic Council,
 
You can take your plans to deal with the current crisis and throw them into the Sun. I know that I’m acting out of bounds again and I don’t care.
 
Your Slayer of Boredom and soon a certain alicorn,
 
Discord”
 
Pluto turned towards Luna. “This is not going to go well, is it?”
 
“Considering how the morning has gone so far, I believe you’re correct.”
 


> Accretion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4: Accretion
 
 
Discord popped into existence with a “Fwoom!” in front of Tartarus’s gates. My brother and parents are gone. But you! You who made my early centuries a living Tartarus were supposed to have toodled off the mortal-coil ages ago! You were the one who pointed me down the path that got me stuck in stone for one and a half thousand years! And now you dare come back into my life!? When I finally have things to care about?! No! I don’t think so! I will have my fun doing what I wanted to do to you for so long and then, hopefully, I can return to the new life Fluttershy gave me.
 
“It’s Discord!” Solemn shouted over her shoulder at her friends. “Hide!” She waved a wing in a firm gesture as she ran towards the gates.
 
“I won’t leave you!” protested First as he ran towards her.
 
Star slowly backed away, wide-eyed and open-jawed.
 
Morning Star smiled and slowly walked forward. “Discord! There you are! You’ve grown up. I see that you’re not much of a godling any more.”
 
“Of course,” said Discord as he magically dressed himself in a golf shirt and hat.“I haven’t seen you in FOUR!” Discord pulled out an enormous golf club and swung it. It knocked Morning Star’s head off and over the horizon. Discord lifted his paw to shield his eyes as he watched it soar. “... hundred thousand years,” Discord finished. “I’m sorry, Morning Star. It seems that you are no longer up to par.”
 
Behind him, the stump of Morning Star’s neck glowed green and purple as it sprouted another head.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” Morning Star asked.
 
Discord slowly turned back towards Morning Star as he pulled out a corkscrew, a mallet and a circular saw, each larger than he was.  “I should’ve expected that, but being difficult will make it more fun!” He looked back at Morning Star and swung the saw under his torso, cutting off his legs. He then rammed the corkscrew through his body and into the ground, turning it twice to be sure.
 
Morning Star winced and looked up in time to see that his entire body was about to be crushed by a giant mallet. His eyes widened and he raised a shield as he teleported his crystal into Star Swirl’s hat. The shield shattered as the mallet smashed him, the landscape shuddering both then and upon the next two impacts.

Discord lifted the mallet and peered down into the large crater at the crushed alicorn. He glowed purple and green as he re-inflated and reattached his legs. Had Discord been looking at it, he would have seen that Star Swirl’s hat was glowing the same colours. “Oof! You seem different somehow, Discord,” groaned Morning Star.
 
“Yes,” said Discord. “Now I can get through your shields.” He made a chopping motion with his paw and talon and a beam of electricity fell from the sky, melting the bottom of the crater and scorching its sides.
 
“Ooh, kinky!” said the charred, pony-shaped mass of flesh at the bottom of the crater. His skin and coat grew back with the green and purple glow and he flew into the air. “That’s another advantage being dead has given me. I just have to worry about the sting. But I meant something inside you.”
 
“I suppose what’s inside is what counts, rather than the wrapping,” said Discord as he snapped his fingers. Brightly-coloured chains appeared in midair and wrapped around Morning, dropping him to the ground. They grew large spikes, impaling him. He was covered in wrapping paper and a large ribbon tied in a big bow. A card that said,  “Dear Pluto, Happy Random Events Day. From, Discord”  attached itself.

Morning Star opened his wings, tearing the chains and package apart as the holes in his flesh repaired themselves. “Bondage, Discord? Interesting. But yes, if only I could work out what that change was.” He narrowed his eyes and stared at Discord’s chest.
 
Discord clapped and the ground folded up, transformed into metal, grew teeth and slammed together, crushing Morning.
 
Morning’s hoof punched through the metal and he tore it apart as he climbed out. “Thank you,” he said as his horn began to glow and the metal twisted. “Some excellent material for my next sculpture.” The metal reshaped into a likeness of Morning Star. “But there is something new inside of you.” His eyes began to glow.
 
“I’ve had a few hundred millennia to practice my creativity,” said Discord who had sprouted a moustache, was wearing a beret and carried an easel. He snapped his fingers and a giant sea urchin erupted from the ground, impaling Morning. Discord grew a pair of giant, red crab pincers and said, “Ah! Under the sea! It really is better!” He snapped Morning’s body in half and the urchin spread its spines, tearing him apart.
 
Once again, the pieces flew back together and reattached. “Ow. Or is it someone? As fun as this S and M play is, Discord, not that I thought you’d be the type, I do want to figure this out.”
 
A giant ball of blue fire appeared above Discord’s paw while another appeared above his talon. “You really are the best type of toy, Morning. Every time I break you, you come back for more. Maybe I’ll even get to try out the really fun stuff.” He slammed them into Morning from either side. When the smoke cleared, the ash reassembled itself in purple and green magic once more.
 
“Fire, Discord? Against the avatar of the hottest, in more ways than one, planet? Though congratulations on making the temperature too high even for me,” Morning grinned. “There it is.”
 
Discord rotated his body to give himself more room to swing.
  
“Please don’t hurt me, Discord!” squealed Fluttershy.
 
Discord froze and the giant shark with teeth made of chainsaws that he was about to drop on her disappeared. “What are you doing here, Fluttershy?” he asked, lowering his arms as a voice in his mind screaming, “Fluttershy’s not here! He’s tricking you!” softened.
 
“Oh, well, I was hoping that a big, strong draconequus like yourself could help me, Discord.”
 
Discord puffed up, swelling his chest. “Of course, I could help you! I’m Discord! But remember that I’m a free spirit.” He waved a claw in emphasis. Then he winced, grabbed his head and scrunched his eyes shut. “No! I’m not going to--!”
 
“What’s the matter, Discord” asked Fluttershy. “Didn’t you realise that I would be here, with you? That I’d come to you when I needed you? You wanted us to spend more time together, didn’t you?”
 
“Right!” said Discord as he straightened up again. “But ... I’ve ... got things to do, fun to have, pranks to play, Princesses to annoy just enough to be satisfying while still not crossing the line into making them think I’m a threat. What do you want? I’ll decide if it’s worth my time.”
 
“Oh, but it is worth it, Discord.” Fluttershy smiled. “What could be more worth it than becoming my willing slave. You know you want to. If we are going to spend time together, it makes sense that a powerful draconequus like yourself would do things for me, right?”
 
“Oh, of course.” Discord nodded. “That makes sense.” He frowned. “But what doesn’t make sense is—“
 
“Since when have our emotions made sense, Discord?” asked Fluttershy. “You are one who would appreciate that. So, stop worrying about how we got together and simply do your duty. After all, you know that you don't actually deserve to be loved. So, why try to make sense of the fact that you love me and that I am willing to accept your love? Just do some errands for me. It's the very least you can do to show your devotion to me. If you don't cater to my whims, well, how could I possibly continue to be your friend? You understand that, right?”
 
First, Star and Solemn turned towards each other and each raised an eyebrow.
 
“Why is Discord talking to Morning Star as if he’s somepony else?” First whispered.
 
Star shrugged and they went back to watching. 

 “I suppose that I should do some stuff for you if we’re friends, Fluttershy,” Discord said to Morning Star, “but I don’t want to feel like I’m just your serv—“
 
“How could you be happier being anything else?” asked Morning Star. “You would get to serve me, the greatest thing that has ever happened to you. And you know that I deserve the best and the greatest honour you could achieve is to simply serve me. You know that this is true. After all, this is the only way you could ever have anything close to a meaningful relationship. So just do everything I ask and enjoy my attention.”
 
Discord’s stare became progressively more blank and he began to nod. “Of course, Fluttershy. How could I possibly suggest that you were anything less than the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. Tell me what it is you want. Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you!”

“Thank you, Discord. I’ve decided that I want to live in the palace. Please kick the alicorns out for me.”
 
“Of course,” said Discord, bowing. “Naturally, it should belong to you, Fluttershy. I’ll do it right away.” He disappeared in a flash of light.
 
“Ah, Discord,” said Morning Star. “You still haven’t learned that real power isn’t the ability to turn someone into a chicken, but the ability to make someone else do that for you. And growing a heart has just made it easier to make you mine. Its inexperience just makes it more vulnerable. A pleasant surprise to actually find someone in your heart. Still, we should learn more about this ‘Fluttershy’ character. At least what they look like if we are to maintain the illusion. Let’s see, Fluttershy!”
 
His mind was suddenly filled with voices. “Let’s hear it for Fluttershy!” “Fluttershy can really fly!” “Well played, Fluttershy ... Well Played.” “Cutie Mark Crusaders! Sleepover at Fluttershy’s! Yay!”
 
Morning shoved his hooves into his ears. “Ouch. That wasn’t pleasant. I don’t think I’ll try that with her again, but at least I know she can apparently fly.” He scowled. “In any event, it’s always nice to have a pet draconequus. COME! Let’s not keep him waiting! Our palace awaits!” Solemn, Star and First lifted into the air and the four ponies flew off at high speed.
 
(/)
 
Discord reappeared in the armoury with a pop.  “This palace belongs to Fluttershy now,” he said as he glared at the other occupants.
 
Pluto and Luna looked at each other with wide-eyed expressions and back at Discord, tilting their heads and raising their eyebrows before saying, “Wait, what?”
 
Discord curled his fingers into fists as his scowl deepened and the two alicorns lifted into the air and wriggled, trying to free themselves from Discord’s magic while their eyes bulged. “Leave!” Discord ordered as he pointed viciously.
 
The ponies flew backwards through the walls as if they were made of air. They spread their wings and began to hover. Pluto flew forward and touched her hoof against a barrier. “Great!’ she said as her face fell. “What is going to go wrong next?!”
 
(/)
 
The royal couple was sleeping when the crystal guard knocked on the door of the royal bedchamber.
 
“I’m awake!” Shining Armor called out as he slowly got up.
 
Cadance wriggled among the sheets with her eyes closed and groaned. 

Shining placed a hoof on her back. “Come on, Cadance. We’re needed.”
 
Cadance pushed her head further into her pillow and folded it over her ears.
 
“You can’t stay there forever,” Shining said.
 
“Why not?” mumbled Cadance as she squirmed some more to get deeper under her duvet. “I’m still really sleepy.”
 
There was another knock on the door.
 
“Just a minute!” Shining called to the door before turning back towards Cadance. “I didn’t think I tired you out that much last night. Come on. They’re waiting for you.”

“Mmmf ... Do we have to get up, Shiny? The Sun isn’t up yet and I feel so ti-yaaah!” She jumped up from the bed and sat straight up, muscles tensed and jaw hanging open as she stared down at her body with bulging eyes. The comforting presence that had embraced her for almost two centuries was gone. The link to the source of her power had been severed. It had been replaced by a sudden feeling of distance and isolation. Where once there was power and potential, there was now a sense of helplessness. She was back to being the lost orphan, abandoned and alone in the woods. Gone was her ability to exert influence over an entire concept. She had returned to the impotent and fragile state she had been born into.
 
“Cadance! What is it!?” Shining asked as he crawled over to her.
 
“I can’t feel Venus!” She jerked her head from side to side, trying to get a better view of her body. “I feel ... weaker. Weaker than I’ve felt in dec-“
 
 
Shining threw his arms around her and whispered into her ear, “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. I’m here for you. You don’t have to face this alone.”
 
Cadance relaxed slightly and slowly nodded as she scrunched up her eyes. She hugged him back and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. “Thank you, Shiny.”
 
Shining Armor frowned as he looked down at her flank. “Cadance, I don’t want you to worry any more, but there’s something wrong with your cutie mark,” he said.
 
Cadance sprang away from him and twisted to look at her flank. “My cutie mark!”  She leaned back in horror as she saw the grey image on her flank. “What happened to it!?”
 
“Cadance! It’s Celestia! Let me in! I need to speak to you!”
 

The door glowed blue and opened with an “Umph!” from Cadance. “Auntie Celestia! What’s happening to me!?” she cried. Her eyes were wide and reddened. Celestia was forcibly reminded of her niece’s first few days as a confused alicorn filly. She had been just a foal who had suddenly had a whole heap of power an responsibility that she did not understand thrust upon her. She had been drastically transformed on a physical level and even more so on the metaphysical level. She had had to struggle to control powers beyond what she had ever imagined and wrestle with concepts most adult ponies had never considered. A pegasus foal who had barely any experience with her own tribe’s magic was now expected to exert dominion over one of the most powerful forces known to ponies. Having one’s life change so drastically and without preparation was devastating. Yet here it was happening again and in reverse. Celestia closed her eyes and winced.
 
“I’m afraid that your position on the Cosmic Council has been usurped, Cadance,” she said. “I will make sure that you get it back.”
 
“Usurped?” asked Cadance. “Is that even possible?”
 
“Not normally,” replied Celestia. “A seat is normally only passed on after death. But it seems that a former holder of your seat has decided to reassert his ownership of it, despite being dead. Cadance, listen to me. The world is in danger. It needs you. I need you to understand. Leave the Crystal Heart barrier up. Do not take it down for any reason. Anypony who can’t cross the barrier must be left outside. Shining, I need you to explain this to your guards as well.”
 
Shining bit his lip and nodded. “I understand, your Highness. But please! Tell me! Will Cadance be all right?!” His eyes darted to Cadance and back.
 
Celestia faced Cadance again. “You won’t be pulling off the feats of magic you are used to and you won’t be able to talk to Eros, but other than that, you will be fine. Just be careful.”
 
“Who is this usurper?” asked Cadance.
 
“His name is Morning Star,”said Celestia. “Remember that I mentioned an alicorn of Venus that didn’t love others? That was him. He was the alicorn of hedonism, temptation and self-worship. He lived long before my time, but Luna and I were told stories about his horrors.”

“Could I take back my link to Venus?” asked Cadance as she gazed up into Celestia’s eyes and bit her lip.
 
Celestia closed her eyes. “I do not think so. Not by yourself. Morning Star is far beyond your power. It is how he could usurp you in the first place, but I promise that I will get it back to you.”
 
A pair of letters appeared in midair and began dictating in Discord’s voice. After finishing, they fell to the floor.
 
“That’s good news, right?” asked Shining. “If Discord’s fighting him, he’ll beat him easily, right?”
 
Celestia bit her lip. “I hope so. Morning Star beat Havoc and Entropy though. I do not think that just being stronger than him will be enough. I suppose that we will find out shortly.”

“Havoc and Entropy?” asked Shining, raising his eyebrows. “Who are they?”
 
“They were Discord’s parents,” said Celestia. “They were powerful even by his standards. And of course they were a couple rather than a single individual. Havoc was the draconequus of mass hysteria and Entropy was the draconequus of endings. Each of them had far more magical power than they would need to beat Morning Star in a fight.”
 
“Then how did they lose?” asked Shining as he tilted his head. “Raw power isn’t everything, but it does help. Did he use better strategy or did he have some other advantage?”
 
Celestia sighed and closed her eyes as she lowered her head. “Morning Star is powerful by alicorn standards, but that is not what truly made him so effective at getting what he wanted. It was mainly using his looks and the magic that he was particularly talented with to manipulate others. He was able to make everyone around him believe that they did not want to harm or disobey him as long as he was in their presence.”
 
“And when they left?” asked Shining.
 
“Then they would typically realise what had happened, but returning to his presence would mean that he could just start the spells all over again. It was a long time before Tartarus, the draconequus of punishment and reward, was able to get around the problem and that required a lot of preparation.”
 
“So, do you think that Discord can do it?” asked Shining.
 
“I think that Discord is unpredictable,” said Celestia. “He has the power and who knows what he will do next, but he is also rushing in against an enemy that requires careful planning to defeat. We will have to wait and see. If Discord fails, I will ask Twilight and her friends to use the Elements of Harmony. Morning Star died before the Elements were created. He should have no concept of such powerful objects. They provide enough protective magic that Morning Star’s normal strategies should be far less effective than normal. Similarly, I want the Crystal Heart activated and shielding the Empire. I don’t want him getting in here and controlling Equestria even more easily. Shining, could you please start the Crystal Fair while I continue planning with Cadance?”
 
Shining saluted. “On it, Princess!” He charged out of the room.
 
Celestia turned back towards Cadance. “I do not yet know what I will write, but may I use some of your ink and parchment to write a letter to Twilight once we know the results of Discord’s attempt?”
 
“Of course you could!” Cadance nodded and levitated the ink and parchment out of her drawers and onto a desk.
 
They waited, Cadance awkwardly shifting hooves and occasionally touching her chin. A dark cloud rolled in through the window and shifted until it formed the image of Luna. “I assume that you know some of the bad news, Sister,” she said.
 
Celestia nodded. “The Four have returned and released Morning Star.”
 
Luna’s eyebrow rose. “Yes. Plutonia told me about Morning Star and that ‘The Four’ were with him.”
 
“We also received a letter from Discord,” Celestia added.
 
Luna nodded. “He was with us when he wrote it. He came back very quickly, claimed the palace on behalf of Fluttershy and kicked me and Plutonia out. I have my doubts that he’s acting on Fluttershy’s orders.”
 
“So Morning Star got to him.” Celestia sighed. “I think we should take this opportunity to move the Sun and Moon and then meet at Ponyville to ask for help from Twilight and her friends.”
 
“Agreed.” Luna bowed her head and her image dissipated.
 
Celestia raised the Sun to the position it should have occupied at that ttime, turned towards her previously prepared desk and wrote a letter.
 
“My Dearest Twilight,
 
I am afraid that the world needs the Elements of Harmony once again. Please collect your friends and meet me, Luna and Plutonia in Golden Oaks Library. There is much to explain.
 
Your teacher,
 
Princess Celestia”
 
Celestia paused and then added, “PS. Bring Star Swirl. She should hear this.”
 
(/)
 
Morning Star, Solemn, First and Star landed at the entrance of the palace. The guards bowed their heads. “Good morning, Princess,” said the one on their left. Morning cocked an eyebrow at that, but smirked and walked through the door as Solemn and First followed. Star hesitated.
 
“Ah, yes! Your kind can’t barge in uninvited! Pity that more ponies aren’t like that!” said Morning with a grin. “You have permission to enter!” With that, Star crossed the threshold. The sky began to lighten and the clouds in the distance started to glow pink. The Sun peaked over the horizon and rapidly ascended.
 
“Star! Get out of here!” cried First.
 
Star’s face contorted in terror and he transformed into a swarm of bats which flew towards the stairs. Three were caught by the Sun’s rays and caught flame, screaming as they disintegrated. The rest flew down the stairs into the shadowy depths of the palace.
 
“Well,” said Morning. “That’s inconvenient. Looks like we may have to grant your desire for eternal darkness a bit sooner than we thought! But no matter.”
 
“Go look after Star,” Solemn told First. “I’ll find Right.”
 
(/)
 
Celestia teleported to just outside the library. Another two flashes of light heralded the arrival of Luna and Pluto.
 
“Why do we have to go to them for help?” asked Pluto. “Can I not simply get some decent weapons and do my job in peace?”
 
“Plutonia, Morning Star defeated Discord,” said Celestia. “Do you really believe that you will stand a better chance?”
 
“I have an advantage,” said Pluto as she raised a hoof to her chest. “I know that colts have cooties!”
 
Luna raised an eyebrow. “You deal with the dead all day.”
 
“But cooties are icky.”
 
“Morning Star is not limited to using that kind of relationship anyway,” said Celestia. “Morning Star needs to be stopped and we are not going to let pride get in the way.” She lifted a hoof and knocked on the door. A red glow enveloped the door, which opened to reveal the presence of Star Swirl the Truthseeker and Twilight Sparkle.
 
“Princess Celestia!” said Twilight. “Please, come in. Star Swirl’s already here.”
 
“Thank you, Twilight,” said Celestia. She led Luna and Pluto through the door.
 
Star Swirl bowed, letting her muzzle touch the floor. “Good morning, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Plutonia. It’s such an honour to work with you and the Bearers of Harmony.”
 
“Thank you, Star Swirl,” said Celestia. She turned to face Twilight. “I take it that this means you got my letter?”
 
“Yes, Princess,” said Twilight. “Star Swirl and Rainbow Dash were already here because they wanted to know why the Sun wasn’t up yet. Rainbow left to fetch the others right away. They’ll be here soon.”
 
“Good,” said Celestia. “We cannot delay.”

“Rainbow is fast,” said Twilight. “And Ponyville is small. I told her to get them here as fast as possible. They should—“ There was a knock on the door. “And that must be them!” said Twilght. The door opened under Twilight’s telekinetic power and the other Bearers of Harmony walked, or flew in one case, in.
 
“What is it you need us for, Princess?” asked Rainbow. “We’re ready to kick rump!”
 
“Yes. We’ll be happy to extend our services again, Princess,” added Rarity.
 
“Oooh! Plutonia’s never been here before!” said Pinkie. “Can we throw her a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party?”
 
“Thank you for the offer, Pinkie. Perhaps when we are less busy, she could take you up on that offer,” said Celestia with a nod. “But  I think that we should get straight to business. Once again, Equestria is in danger. However, Plutonia and Luna know a bit more than I do about the nature of this threat, so they will be able to give you more detail about what those involved are like now. Pluto wanted to deal with the problem herself, but I believe that we need the Elements of Harmony for this kind of threat.”
 
“Of course I want to deal with it myself!” said Pluto as she placed a hoof against her chest and scowled. “These are abominations against nature, and more importantly, my reputation! What will happen when it gets out that not only did The Four beat me in a fight, I let them break out the first being to escape from Tartarus and it was Morning Star himself!?”
 
Luna shook her head. “You keep speaking about ‘The Four’. Who are they?”
 
Celestia and Pluto froze and slowly turned to face Luna.
 
“Do you not remember your time as Nightmare Moon?” asked Pluto.
 
Luna’s expression darkened. “Not well. I lost control once I agreed to let the Nightmare share my body. It had agreed to make me powerful enough to defy my sister and to begin a reign of Eternal Night, but I couldn’t comprehend much after that. I can remember more with effort. I felt the need when learning to speak Modern Equestrian like I could when I first arrived back in Equestria.” She winced. “Naturally, I don’t put in much effort to remember more.”
 
Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “All right. Come to think of it, we only started calling them that after your time anyway. I will tell all of you all about them, though it should become obvious to Luna very quickly who I am talking about.”
 
She turned to face Star Swirl. “Star Swirl the Truthseeker, you have spent a large portion of your life learning about your ancestors. Am I correct?”
 
“Yes, Princess Celestia.” Star Swirl nodded slowly.
 
“What can you tell me about Star Swirl the Twenty Fifth?”
 
Star Swirl’s eyes widened and she bit her lip. “Um ... The Twenty Fifth? ... er ... He was the father of Star Swirl the Twenty Sixth and the son of Star Swirl the Twenty Fourth.”
 
“Yes,” said Celestia. “That part was naturally difficult to cover up.”
 
“Cover up?” asked Luna.
 
“Yes,” said Celestia. “She turned to face Twilight. “As you know, Luna and I used to bear Elements of Harmony ourselves. However, how many Elements of Harmony are there?”
 
“Six,” said Twilight. “So ... There were another four Bearers of Harmony?”
 
“In the original set of Bearers, yes,” replied Celestia.
 
“Having friends like them allowed us to believe that we could survive Discord’s reign for a bit longer. Right Hoof was originally assigned to us as a bodyguard, but we soon saw each other as more than guard and charges.
 
“Doctor First Aid left the Crystal Empire against Queen Diamante’s orders as he could not bear to see Equestria’s suffering through the barrier without doing anything about it. He crossed Equestria, tending to those who needed it most, but when he met us he decided to stay. He said that he felt that he did more good when we were together.
 
“Solemn Counsel and Star Swirl the Twenty Fifth were two of our tutors. We became very close to them, and they all became very close to each other as well.
 
“Then Solemn found a note in the old records suggesting that Star Swirl the Bearded and his associates had tried to recreate the Fire of Friendship and store it in artifacts of rock. They split it in six to try and maintain stability. But one of the artifacts was lost before they had finished and Discord took the tower before another attempt could be made.
 
“Luna and I had been too young to understand what they had been trying, but Solemn confirmed with our parents that the event had occurred and with Star that the artifacts might have still been of use.
 
“We went together because we refused to let one of us remain without protection from the others. We arrived at the ruins and found five stone orbs which did not react to the chaos all around us. They were marked with the symbols for Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity and Honesty.
 
“Star described what happened next as a spark. The sixth orb appeared in the air, the orbs shifted to become jewellery shaped like our cutie marks and they bonded to us. We suddenly knew that we had the power to defeat Discord. But when we returned, our parents still needed convincing.”
 
(/)

The stone halls of the castle were bare of adornments. Through the windows and past the barriers, pieces of land floated across the orange sky while frogs rained up. An alicorn couple stared down at the group. The mare was white with a quill and ink bottle cutie mark. Her mane was a flowing pool of red ink. The stallion was blue with a mane of stormy waves. His cutie mark was a flat-bottomed flask filled with black liquid and marked with an X. A bubble emerged from the flask and a buttercup and a pink blossom grew from it.
 
The group before them included a Celestia who had the stretched, gangly look of adolescence and had a pink mane adorned with a crown embedded with a blue sun. Luna, whose legs were still short and stubby, was similarly crowned with a deep purple crescent moon. A white earth mare with an athletic build and a well-cropped, blue mane had a red spear crossed over a shield embedded in her barding. A blue unicorn stallion with a pink mane, skinny legs and a long horn was wearing a lighter purple five-pointed star in his hat. A stallion of purple crystal, deep blue eyes and a fiery red mane wore a lab coat and a saddlebag with a pink cross for a clasp. A dark grey pegasus with mane and tired eyes of a lighter grey wearing a golden bracelet adorned with an orange magnifying glass stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Princess Felt. Prince Cracken. Your daughters are special, your Highnesses. In a way unrelated to the fact that they are alicorns. Together, we can face Discord.”
 
“Solemn,” said Felt, “you have always given us good reason to trust you, but you are asking us to risk our own foals. Discord has reigned for centuries. Nothing anyone has tried has worked. Why do you think this time will be different?”
 
“This time we have the Elements of Harmony,” said Solemn. “We know that we can win.”
 
Cracken closed his eyes and shook his head. “The Elements of Harmony were a failure. Everything went wrong. We could not stabilise them. We tried everything. Not even the aid of Star Swirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever could help. And let me tell you, Star Swirl. Your ancestors were even more brilliant than you are. Any plan based on the Elements of Harmony is doomed to failure. There’s a reason that we didn’t want you to go to the tower in the first place.”
 
“No!” said Star Swirl. “You succeeded beyond your wildest dreams! I can feel the Elements’ power. It dwarfs even Discord’s! They just needed bearers, and here we are.”
 
Cracken shook his head. “Even if that’s true, you’re still asking us to sacrifice our daughters. No matter how powerful the weapon, all previous attempts to stop Discord have been folly.”
 
“Your Highness,” the earth mare said with a bow, “you know that I’d gladly give my life to protect your daughters.”
 
“We do,” replied Felt, frowning.
 
“But that will just mean the loss of three—“
 
“Six!” Felt insisted.
 
Cracken bowed his head in acknowledgement. “Six ponies instead of two.”
 
“Your Highnesses,” said Right, “if one of your daughters needed me, not even death would keep me from her side!”
 
“You have the enthusiasm, discipline and skill, Right,” said Felt, “but more powerful ponies than yourself have found themselves useless before Discord’s power.”
 
“We’ll make it work,” growled Right, her eyes narrowing.
 
“What about you, First,” asked Felt as she turned to face the crystal stallion. “Are you also determined to go through with this?”
 
First narrowed his eyes. “The world has suffered under Discord’s reign for too long. If I have to break the hippocratic oath to relieve its pain, then so be it. I’ve broken my oaths for what I believe is right before.”
 
(/)
 
“So they were the four other Bearers of Harmony that fought Discord with you?” asked Twilight.
 
“Yes,” replied Celestia. “They were honoured as heroes. We made Star Swirl the Grand High Court Archmage, a position which no longer exists. Right Hoof became the Captain of the Royal Guard and Equestria’s Commander. Solemn Counsel was our chief advisor. And we gave First Aid his own hospital. But despite all that, we lost all our friends to death. Then, a thousand years ago, I saw them again.”
 
Luna’s eyes widened in horror. “I remember!”
 
“Good,” said Pluto. “If you remember, you can tell us exactly what you did.”
 
Celestia shot a glare at her.
 
“What?” Pluto shrugged. “It will be useful information!”
 
“She’s right,” said Luna, “I’ll tell you what happened.”
 

 “Ooooooh!” said Pinkie. “This sounds like it’ll be goooood! Spike! Could you pop some more popcorn for me?” She held up a bag of unpopped kernels.

> Dark Side
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5: Dark Side
 
I was busy with my latest attempt to discover someone who appreciated my night. I had tried many things before, most of which I am no longer proud of. I did a lot of crazy, rebellious things in my later teen hundreds, from monitoring sleep schedules to trying to get access to the secret documents of other countries. This time, I was reading our parents’ book collection.
 
(/)

Light shone from the windows of only one room of the Royal Castle. Luna sat in the library with the desks pulled together and around her. She was surrounded by piles of books which would intermittently slip to the floor, crumpling their pages. She snarled and the tome she was reading was slammed shut and thrown onto one of the haphazard piles. Another failure! There had to be information somewhere on someone who appreciated her night and her moon properly! Another book opened. Luna rapidly skimmed through the pages before slowing down as her eyes widened.

“The Nightmare Forces,” she whispered. Why were they named after the bad dreams she had to prevent? They lived on the moon. That was promising. Surprising that they were there, but she just moved the Moon around and had not bothered to check for life on such a barren celestial body. They did not like daylight. That was also promising. Too many, that is, all, ponies preferred her older sister. Perfect Celestia who could not do anything wrong. Older. Stronger. And Mother and Father’s favourite. Why could she not have subjects which loved her?

She continued to read. “Beware, blah blah, warning, blah blah, danger, blah blah.” Typical disparaging of anything associated with her night. “Oh! A spell to contact a nightmare!? Finally! A chance for appreciation! It looks like dark magic. That’s odd. Still, Celestia can use this magic. Why not I?”

She frowned as she studied the spell. It could not be too hard for one like her. She lifted the book with her aura and carried it to her bedchambers. She placed the open book on her dressing table and her crest creased in concentration. She reread to make sure she understood the instructions.
 
At her will, chalk danced across the floor, etching diagrams. It was simple. She was an artist, after all. She knew geometry like the back of her hoof. Speaking of which, she lifted her hoof to her face and an ingot of a silver metal floated over. It moulded itself into a dagger and slashed the end of her foreleg. Blood dripped onto the floor. The wound was nothing to worry about even for an ordinary pony, never mind one with her regenerative abilities.

She only had one more step. Purple and green magic bubbled from her horn as spheres of darkness emerged. Her eyes glowed green, and purple flames grew from them. “Hear my call and speak to me!” she commanded.
 
The blood fizzled away and grew into an indistinctive pony of smoke and shadow. “Greetings, Princess Luna, worthiest of all alicorns,” came a rumbling voice as the pony bowed its head.“I am honoured to speak with you.”

Luna smiled and clopped her hooves. “It’s true! There are those who appreciate me!”
 
“Too few, I’m afraid.” It shook its head slowly.
 
Luna lowered her head and frowned. “Yes! Why doesn’t anypony appreciate me!?”
 
“They’ve been blinded,” said the shadow, waving its hoof. “Celestia uses her influence to cloud the minds of your subjects. They need to see how great the night truly is!”
 
“Yes!” Luna nodded. “But how do I do that?”
 
“Simply take away the Sun,” came the reply. “Then you would rule as you truly should! As the highest monarch in Equestria! There will be no princess but you!” The shadow slammed a hoof onto the floor.
 
“Yes!” said Luna. Then her smile dropped. “But wait! What about Celestia? She’s the older, stronger one. And Mom and Dad’s favourite. Wouldn’t it make sense for her to be next to rule?”
 
“And why should she rule just because she’s older and stronger?” asked the shadow with a shrug. “If that reasoning were valid, it would have been better to leave Discord in charge, and you don’t really believe that, do you? As for your parents, why should you care what they think? They’re as wrong as everypony else! They’ve lost their edge and become as blinded by Celestia as everypony else! Their time as the rightful rulers of Equestria is over. You are the true, worthy Princess of Equestria.” It pointed at her.
 
Luna nodded. “Yes. Yes! But they won’t just let me become the ruling princess.”
 
“With my power, I can make you stronger,” said the shadowy creature, lifting a hoof to its face. “More powerful than Celestia. Powerful enough to defeat her and begin a reign of night. Then all will be forced to see how wonderful your night is. You can continue the night until they see how great it is, and you are. They will see how stupid they’ve been to admire the harsh glare of the Sun rather than the soothing, comforting light of the Moon. They will gaze upon the beauty of the stars rather than the dull mix of blue and cloudy. They will be comforted by the cool night air rather than be crushed under the harsh, oppressive rays of sunlight.”
 
“Yes!” said Luna, her eyes lighting up. “A reign of night! It’ll be perfect!”
 
“And not even your parents will be able to stop you.” It stepped closer to the edge of the magic circle.

 Luna frowned. “They’ll be all right though, right?”
 
“Of course! You just need to show them what you can do, then you can finally earn their respect!”

“What do I have to do?” Luna asked eagerly.
 
“I will help you trap your parents’ bedchamber. They need to be stuck so that they can’t help Celestia. Don’t worry. With them trapped, nopony will get hurt.” It took another step forward. “Then, when your sister raises the Sun, raise the Moon back up, blocking the light of the Sun and shrouding the world in darkness. Then accept me into your body and I will give you the power to keep it there and fight Celestia.”
 
Luna frowned and shook her head. “I’m not sure. This seems like too much. I may deserve to rule more than they do, but to do that?”
 
“Of course you deserve it!” the shadow growled as it lowered its stance. “And they deserve to be punished for not seeing that! Along with the rest of Equestria!”
 
Luna bit her lip. “They do, don’t they? But I don’t want to hurt my parents. Just show them what I can do!”
 
“And you will!” It slammed its hoof again. “This will show them that you mean business! Otherwise they’d stop you right away!  Do this, and all will see how great you and your night are!”
 
Luna smiled.
 
(/)
 
Luna smiled and was careful to refrain from giggling as she slowly applied the black paint to the floor in the delicate swirls that the nightmare described. She sweated as she considered the time until Celestia was due to raise the Sun. Her breathing deepened and she nearly jumped into the air, wriggling her legs as dawn approached. After finishing off the last of the arcane markings in front of the door to her parents’ bedchamber, Luna rushed back to watch Celestia raise the Sun, lowering the Moon as she went. There was no time to waste. She needed to see her sister’s face when she showed off her new power. She watched from behind her mother’s throne as Celestia arrived.

Celestia lifted her horn and the glow of her aura enveloped it as Luna waited in the shadows, her muscles tense. The eight minutes it would take for the Sun to respond ticked by as Luna grit her teeth. At least the moon was close enough to have a decent response time, and its light was far more soothing than the harsh, blinding rays of that oversized candle. How much of a show-off did one have to be to lift something which dwarfed the rest of the Solar System combined in both size and radiance? Eventually the horizon began to pale and the Sun lifted into the sky.
 
Celestia looked around. “Mother? Father?” she called out as she began walking towards the thrones, slowly scanning the room. “Where are you?” She continued walking.
 
“Not another step!” said Luna as she walked out from behind the throne and glared at her sister. “Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light!?” She walked over to the balcony between the thrones, her eyes narrowed. “There will only be one princess in Equestria! And that princess ... will be me!”

She smashed her hooves down, crushing the balcony. The wall behind her cracked and the stained glass window of a tree shattered before the wall around it crumbled. Luna lifted her hooves and the moon rose again, blocking the light of the Sun.

She offered her body as a vessel for the Nightmare, and it flooded into her. She felt it coursing through her body. The strength, the power and the magic filled her. There was so much magic that she could not believe it. She nearly gasped at the ecstasy of invincibility. Nothing could stop her. Nothing! Still more power continued to flow into her and she drank it, but her face contorted in panic as she felt like she was choking on the stream of power.  
 
Wait! What are you doing!? Slow down! Stop!
 
The flow only sped up and her eyes widened in horror at the viciousness with which it suddenly began to force its way in.
 
This isn’t what we agreed to! I can’t see! No! This isn’t what we agreed to! Stop! This is my body and I won’t let you take it! Leave me alone! I won’t let you have it! Go away! Keep your filthy--! Stay out of my mind!  Her consciousness was crushed and smothered beneath the overwhelming presence of the nightmare. Luna’s essence retreated into the back of her mind and curled into a ball as the nightmare bashed its way into her mind, tendrils creeping into every crevice and overwhelming her.

An orb of darkness clawed its way around her and her body was reshaped. Her coat darkened as her limbs stretched. Her curves were accentuated as her teeth lengthened into fangs. Her pupils were drawn into slits as her mane became fuller. Her barding grew over her body. Nightmare Moon began to laugh.
 
Celestia soared into the air in a streak of colour and Nightmare Moon fired a beam of light from her horn towards the alicorn of day. Take that, you glow-worm! It’s time for the thorn in our side to burn! Celestia dodged the blast, in a graceful swoop while Nightmare Moon glared at her, as the beam tore an opening in the roof, displaying the darkness outside. Celestia landed again and the two walked towards each other as they narrowed their eyes. Celestia rose again, wings spread like a majestic eagle, glaring down like a bird of prey in condescension.
 
Got you now! thought Nightmare Moon, and she fired another beam which Celestia narrowly dodged once again. It tore another hole, closer to Celestia, revealing the moon. Celestia landed again and stared at her sister. After a moment she folded her wings and shook her head sadly. “Luna! I will not fight you! You must lower the Moon! It is your duty!”
 
“Luna? I am ... Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now. To destroy you!” She flicked her head and fired another beam, hitting the spot where Celestia used to be. Celestia flew out through a hole in the roof.
 
“And where do you think you’re going?” Nightmare Moon took off after her as she grinned hungrily.
 
Celestia continued to dodge as pieces of the castle were blasted away.
 
“Where are Mom and Dad?” asked Celestia. “All this noise has surely woken them up! They will be here soon and if you do not stop, you will have to face all three of us at once!”
 
“Oh, I’m sure they got up to check,” said Nightmare Moon as she fired another blast. “but they’re a little busy with giving me power!”
 
“What?!” cried Celestia. She dove back towards the castle and smashed her way through a window, landing in the passage to her parents’ bedchambers. Her expression twisted in horror as she looked at the door. The door was open and her parents lay on the threshold in a web of magic. They groaned as they withered before her eyes. Celestia’s lip quivered and her eyes welled up. She ran towards them. “Mom!? Dad!?” Her stomach twisted and her heart was being crushed as she stared down at her parents’ limp forms which twitched on the floor while their skin slowly shrivelled. Their blank eyes had red lines scribbled across them and their manes lay dead on the floor as their coats dulled.
 
Then the floor beneath her exploded. She was thrown into the air, smashing through the roof. She unfurled her wings and evaded the remaining debris, only to be struck by a beam of light. Pain like Celestia had not felt in five centuries lanced through her body. She collapsed, falling through the roof and onto the floor. Her mane collapsed and shifted to pink. Celestia lay on the floor momentarily and then struggled to her hooves. She did not have time to fully regenerate.

“Oh, dear Sister,” said Celestia. She closed her eyes. “I am sorry.” She turned her head to face a point on the floor. “But you have given me no choice, but to use these!”

Her horn glowed and a trapdoor within the floor opened. A large stand rose from the floor, spinning as it ascended. The stand was topped with a large round boulder. It had five arms, each holding a round stone, etched with a different symbol.

Celestia quickly scanned the sky for Nightmare Moon as the stand rose and gingerly tested her joints for more serious injuries. She bit her lip as the stand continued to rise, her muscles tensed and her wings spread in expectation of a sudden need to escape. She breathed a sigh of relief once the stand had fully risen. Celestia lifted the smaller orbs with her horn.

At the touch of her magic, one of the orbs crumbled and the core glimmered, as it shifted into a blue jewel of the brilliant cut. It transformed again, only the second time, it was  into the shape of a sun, and grew a golden tiara around itself, and flung itself onto Celestia’s head. The other orbs floated towards her as the glow around the central boulder intensified. Celestia’s eyes widened. “I cannot get the last one!”
 
Nightmare Moon crashed her way in after Celestia, the floor cracking under her hooves. “You dare try to use those against me!?” she snarled, quivering with rage. Her lip curled to display her fangs. She lifted Celestia in her aura and flung her through the wall next to the door. She then blasted Celestia once more, sending her flying into the statue garden next to the castle. Nightmare Moon soared after her and landed in the very centre of the garden, next to the biggest statue. 

As Nightmare Moon strode towards her, Celestia’s horn flashed with searing brilliance, rendering the grass transparent and frying Nightmare Moon’s retinas. She screamed as she shoved her hooves against her eyes. She smashed them down again, causing the statues to rock from the impact. Her eyes fluttered rapidly as she blinked away the pain until she could see again, but Celestia was gone. 

“I can still feel that you’re close by!”  She walked closer to the statue. It was a square podium. At each corner was a pony staring outward. She approached the corner topped with an earth mare in barding who held a spear.

“But your attempt to take the Elements has given me an idea! Watch! If you dare try to use them against me, well, you’ll soon see how that feels! Captain and Commander Right Hoof! You promised to return to my side when I needed you, defying even death!” A panel opened and pieces of barding floated out of the statue. “Show me that you spoke the truth!” Her horn glowed green and purple and her eyes soon reflected those colours while they enveloped the barding. “Celestia has betrayed us! Serve me once more! The true, unwavering princess!”

At the gates of Tartarus, a large alicorn stallion sat at his desk. He would have been pitch black were it not for the many grey and silver hairs covering his coat. Even his mane was losing its wave of inky void as streaks of white grew into it. He blinked his dull, lined eyes and the creases in his face deepened as he blinked at the presence of powerful magic. He looked up to see a key of shadows forming in the air. “No!” he said as he got up. “Not on my watch!” He spread his wings and scowled as a black aura surrounded his horn.
 
The key turned and the sky parted to reveal the green plains of Elysium while the key returned to the form of an amorphous shadow which rushed in through the portal as the alicorn began to flap. When it found the mare it was looking for, it whispered into her ear of duty and betrayal, pouring itself into her mind as her spiritual eyes began to glow before grabbing her and yanking her out of paradise. 

The alicorn scowled. “Okay! You may have got one, but I’ll soon have it back and you will pay!” He walked towards the weapons cache which slid open at the touch of his magic. “We’ll see how you do against me.” Another streak of dark magic pulled a soul from Elysium. The alicorn spun his head as his eyes widened. “Another one!? What is going on!?”

At the castle, the barding shone with ectoplasm as it sparked with power. The form of a translucent white mare filled the outfit as the pieces positioned themselves. The mare’s spirit stepped forward. Her eyes were unfocused and swirling with purple and green light. She called out to the night, “I  have come to serve you again, my princess! To be betrayed by your own family! I can barely believe such dishonour! You sicken me, Celestia!”
 
From her hiding place within the bushes, Celesta’s jaw hung open and she stepped back. “Right!” she whispered. “Please! Believe me! I never betrayed Luna!” Her horn glowed dimly with the spell which made her voice fill the garden as if she were everywhere at once. “What has she done to you!?” she sobbed.
 
“Don’t believe her lies! Join me again, Minister Solemn Council!”” yelled Nightmare Moon as a sarcophagus, shimmering with black, green and purple magic rose from the ground below the corner watched over by a pegasus holding a scroll. The sarcophagus door swung open in a flare of purple and green, and a desiccated corpse, covered in trailing bandages stepped forward, shaking her head, her own eyes glowing with the same purple and green magic.
 
“How could you do this, Celestia? To hog all the power and glory to yourself while treating your own sister as a common criminal? I expected better of you. I will stand with your sister on the side of justice,” said the pegasus mummy.
 
“Solemn! I looked up to you so much! Fight it! She’s using you! I never stopped being your friend! I never treated Luna badly!” Celestia scrunched her eyes shut as tears dripped from her face. “I would have thought that I would love to see you again! But not like this!” Her voice cracked with high pitched squeaks.
 
“I am the victim!” yelled Nightmare Moon as she stomped a hoof. “I am the one who needs the support now! Come and serve me again and overthrow another tyrant! Doctor First Aid,  serve me again! It is once again time to absolve your broken vows!”
 
A coffin, lifted by tendrils of darkness, rose  to the surface below the point guarded by a stallion in a lab coat and stethoscope. It tore itself apart as bony hooves ripped gashes torn through the wood from  within and it collapsed to reveal a lavender skeleton in a tattered lab coat whose eye-sockets glowed green and purple. “I will not stand for the kind of suffering you are inflicting, Celestia! I did not accept it from Discord and I won’t accept it from you! Once more, I must help the oppressed like your sister.”
 
“First! We are friends! You know me! I am not oppressing Luna!” Celestia sobbed. “Why does our reunion have to be tainted this way!?”
 
“Trust and serve me! Your true princess! Your friend who always remained faithful and never wavered!” cried Nightmare Moon. “The friend who always gave of herself! Come back to me High Court Archmage Star Swirl!” She lifted her leg and bit it, her new fangs drawing blood which she splattered on the ground in front of the statue of a unicorn in a pointy hat and cloak who carried a book. 

Back at the Gates of Tartarus, the black alicorn hung his head and glared at his bone key cutie mark. “I failed!” he growled. “How could I fail!? I cannot allow this!” He strode over to the window on the side of the chamber. He lifted a scythe from the weapons cache and shadesteel barding strapped itself to his body. Saddlebags lifted in his aura and landed on his back before being packed with three books, a quill and a bottle of ink.

He flapped his wings and flew out of the chamber, the dark aura around his horn growing and the gates of Tartarus sealing behind him. He spun to face the portal and pointed his scythe at it. “No more! Sealing the area!” A wall of darkness sprung up. “I am not letting this happen!” A bolt of magic flew through the wall, shattering it, before pulling out yet another soul. “What!? What is the matter with me today! Okay. Calm down. I clearly have to do this properly.”

The alicorn’s scowl deepened, he grit his teeth and curled his lip. Pieces of the wall lifted and fitted back together as they slowly thickened and the portal was slowly squeezed shut, wavering as resistance increased. A dark streak, slipped into the small hole that remained and pulled a fourth soul away from paradise as he shut the portal once again. His eyes widened and he flew towards the portal, his scythe following him in his dark aura. He swung his scythe towards the streak, but it was already long gone and the portal was beginning to crack again.

“I can’t believe this!” he cried. He landed and smashed his hoof into the ground, causing a fissure to form and the ground to shake. As a small rock lifted into the air, the scythe spun and sliced it cleanly in two. A book floated out of his saddlebags, along with the quill and ink. “Let’s get the parchmentwork done. That’s part of my duty as well. Reporting ...” His horn sparked once more. “Four!? I’ve already got four rogue souls on my hooves!? This is the worst disaster I’ve been involved in since the last Cosmic War!” “I can’t let any more be stolen! I have to reinforce it before I hunt down the rogue souls.” He grunted as his aura thickened and the cracks began to seal. “This  would be so much easier if I had a dog.”
 
At the castle, a blue hoof burst from the ground and pulled a unicorn with green and purple eyes who was wearing a pointed hat out.
 
“Down with Celestia!” he said. “Long live Princess Luna! Long live Nightmare Moon!”
 
“Long live Nightmare Moon!” the other three echoed.
 
“Let everything you see and hear show further evidence of her treachery and tyranny!” Nightmare Moon commanded her new  underlings as their eyes flashed once more.
 
“I’ve got to stop this!” Celestia lifted into the air and flew off.
 
Nightmare Moon saw her and she fired another blast which Celestia dodged as she soared off into the distance.
 
“Should we go after her, your Highness?” asked Right.
 
“She’ll be back,” said Solemn. “It is her best chance to defeat us. She already has the Element of Laughter.”
 
“Then we’ll be ready,” said Nightmare Moon. “Begin preparations for her arrival and stand guard.”
 
(/)
 
Several hours later, Celestia watched from the bushes. “We don’t see them,” she said.
 
“They’ll be waiting,” said an earth stallion in steel barding. “The Elements will be defended.”
 
“Then let me go,” said a lithe, yellow pegasus. She was also wearing barding, but it was padded and dyed shades of brown to blend in with the trees. “I can sneak in and grab the Elements before they even notice!” She swooped her hoof around to illustrate.
 
“We do not doubt your impressive abilities, Pyra,” said Celestia, “but we would rather not have you risk their wrath by yourself.”
 
Pyra shrugged. “I dodge monsters in the Everfree all the time. Is it really so different?”
 
Celestia closed her eyes as a tear ran down her muzzle “Yes. Yes, it is different.” She opened her eyes again. “In any event, we were not able to remove the Element of Magic from its storage chamber. We need all six.”
 
“What if we just smash the storage chamber?” asked the earth stallion.
 
“That might work,” replied Celestia as she inclined her head. “We still want all of us there in case something goes wrong. Solid, would you please search the area?”
 
“Of course,” said the earth stallion. He stomped his hoof and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes again and raised his eyebrows. “This might be harder than I first thought!”
 
Celestia closed her eyes. “Remember that First is a skeleton and Right is a ghost. Most of her barding will be levitating.”
 
Solid frowned and stomped the ground again. “Got them,” he said. He began marking the dirt with his hoof. “Alicorn, unicorn, pegasus, skeleton and a set of horseshoes.”
 
Pyra looked at the sketch that Solid had drawn. “I’ll get past them.”
 
“Not if they have wards up,” replied Solid.
 
Celestia turned towards a grey unicorn stallion. “Star, we will need your help with this. You may have to face your ancestor, but remember that he is not the same pony he was in life and as much as it hurts us to say, he is dangerous and needs to be stopped.”
 
Star closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand.”
 
Celestia turned towards the last two of her companions, a yellow unicorn mare and a brown earth pony mare wearing a mane net. “And what about you two? Are you ready to do this?”
 
The unicorn got up from her shivering crouch and steeled herself. “We trust you.”
 
The earth mare nodded. “We’ll give you the help you need.”
 
“All right,” said Celestia as she gave a nod. “Solid, Pyra, lead us to the Elements of Harmony, please. Use the safest route.”
 
They advanced, led by Pyra and Solid. They crawled low to the ground, eyes darting.
 
“Stop!” Star whispered.
 
“What is it?!” asked Pyra.
 
“There is a powerful ward in front of us,” said Star. “We can’t go around it. It surrounds the entire perimeter. Get back! I don’t want any of you to get hurt if it goes off.” He stepped forward and Pyra moved to block him.
 
“I’m the scout,” she said. “If anypony is going to get hurt, it’s me!”
 
“Please, Pyra,” Star sighed. “I’m less likely to make mistakes if I’m near the ward. And there’s no reason for more than one of us to risk injury.”
 
Pyra flattened her ears and half-lidded her eyes. “Fine.”
 
Star stepped forward and his horn shone with silver light. The air shimmered before him as a sheet of static. He winced and the wall pulsed. “That’s one trap bypassed,” he said through gritted teeth. He winced as a secondary aura grew around his primary one. There were another two flashes. “I can do this,” he moaned. He scrunched his eyes shut and lowered his head. There was another flash. He began shuddering and a tertiary aura developed around his horn.
 
Meadow gasped. “Careful, Star! Don’t hurt yourself!”
 
“I’ll be fine, Meadow,” Star said through gritted teeth. There were another three flashes of light. Star scrunched his eyes shut more tightly. Another flash of light, then, “Horse apples,” whispered Star. A yellow, shining ripple of air raced across the sky.
 
“What is it?” asked Meadow as she walked up to him.
 
“I disabled the wards and dangerous traps, but anypony near the ward would see that glow.”
 
Solid frowned and slammed a hoof into the ground. His eyes widened. “The unicorn was near the ward, further East, but he’s ... disappearing? ... No. Spreading out somehow!” He turned to the left. “By the Sun!” he gasped. The others turned to face the same direction. Meadow stepped back as her jaw dropped in horror.
 
A carpet of spiders scuttled towards them. As the swarm approached, the spiders clamoured over each other, forming a mound. The mound quickly grew into the size and shape of a unicorn and flesh grew over the collection. Star Swirl the Twenty Fifth stood before them.
 
“Traitor!” he cried, lowering his horn.
 
Pyra moved with blinding speed, the ground tearing with the sonic boom as she knocked Celestia out of the spell’s path. She screamed as the lightning bolt grazed her rump and set her tail on fire.
 
Meadow stepped backwards as she shook in terror, but Solid roared in fury. He charged forward and smashed his right forehoof into Star’s face, his horn breaking from the impact as his skull was crushed.  The older Star Swirl collapsed.  Meadow rushed over to Pyra to treat her.
 
Pyra awkwardly flapped the wing she was not lying on and the fire went out. Meadow bit her lip and flattened her ears in concern at the sight of Pyra’s rump. The burn was large, deep and marred the edges of her trail cutie mark. Meadow closed her eyes and her horn shone while Pyra’s burn shrank.
 
Meanwhile, the vampiric Star Swirl lay twitching on the ground.
 
Celestia threw herself at his hooves and begged, “No! Do not leave me again, Star! Not like this!”
 
Soup walked over to Celestia and said, “You really miss him, don’t you?”
 
“Yes,” said Celestia before sniffing,  “It’s so hard seeing him again like this! And I cannot bear to watch him suffer.”
 
“Maybe I can help,” offered Soup. She placed her head in her saddlebag and drew a knife. She slashed the knife across her foreleg, just above the hoof. She raised the hoof above Star Swirl’s mouth and dripped blood onto his tongue. His eyes widened and he lunged forward, sinking his fangs into her leg.
 
Pyra, Solid and Celestia stepped forward, but Soup raised her other forehoof in a signal to stop them.
 
Star’s skull reinflated like a balloon, the bloody mush recovering the bone as his horn grew back, drilling its way out of his crest.  He narrowed his eyes and sublimated into a green mist which floated back towards the castle.
 
“Let me look at that for you,” said Meadow as she stepped forward.
 
“I’ll be fine,” said Soup as she lowered her hoof.
 
“You’ll need your strength for the coming fight,” said Solid. “Let Meadow heal you.”
 
The corner of Soup’s mouth lifted and she raised her hoof back into Meadow’s view.  Meadow’s horn shone as the cut sealed.
 
“They’ll know we’re coming now,” said Solid. “Let’s get there before they organise a welcome party.”
 
Celestia and Pyra flew off, the air screaming as it tore apart from the velocity. The others charged after them and they raced through the hole in the wall.
 
Nightmare Moon stood waiting for them. Celestia and Pyra landed on the floor as the others rushed in. Meadow shook in terror as she gazed upon Nightmare Moon’s visage.
 
“Back so soon, Celestia?” asked Nightmare Moon. “You haven’t even had a chance to regenerate! Are you in such a hurry to die?”
 
“You’ll have to get through us first!” said Pyra as she stepped in front of Celestia.
 
“And I’m certain that you’ll hinder us in a significant way, Pyra,” droned Nightmare Moon.  

Pyra shot a wide-eyed glance at Celestia and back.

“Yes, I know all your friends, Celestia, even though they never had time for me! Kill them. Celestia’s brainwashing has made them unsalvageable.”
 
Pyra drew a short sword and flew towards their foes. She turned into a whirling blur as she covered Star in gashes. She sped off and nicked Nightmare Moon twice in flybys before Nightmare Moon swatted her out of the sky with a bored expression.
 
Pyra slid along the floor and into the Elements’ stand.
 
“Pyra!” yelled the others as they rushed towards her. Star Swirl slowed down and paused. He looked up at the Elements. A spark flashed in his eyes.
 
“Of course,” he muttered. “It’s a failsafe!”

He actually grinned at the realisation. “The Element of Magic can’t be reached while the other Elements aren’t claimed! Princess Celestia, you already claimed Laughter.” He pointed towards her.

“But Pyra, it is you who shows Loyalty.” As he looked at her, he pumped a hoof into the air. “Meadow, you get Kindness.” As he turned towards her, he lowered his head and placed a hoof on his heart. “Generosity is yours, Soup.” He pointed enthusiastically at the next in his list. “And Honesty belongs to you, Solid!” He slammed a hoof down, frowning as he looked upon his final comrade.

He used his telekinesis to grab and present the orbs to their respective bearers. Upon contact, the orbs began to glow, shifted in shape to match their bearers’ cutie marks and embedded themselves in their bearers’ barding and saddlebags.

Star Swirl turned to face his vampiric namesake. “And who would be better, Revered Ancestor, than your descendant, who has used his magic to help bring his friends to this point,  to wield the Element of Magic?” The final orb flew out of the large sphere atop the stand and transformed into a star-shaped clasp for his robe. “Now!” he yelled. He shone with violet light. One-by-one, the other bearers began to shine as well.
 
“Stop them!” yelled Right and she jumped off the balcony and onto the floor. Star transformed into a bat and flew down before transforming back while Solemn followed and First ran down the stairs. The vampiric Star Swirl lowered his head and fired a pink blast at Meadow, but it dissipated upon contact. Right swung her horseshoe into Star’s face, but it did not make contact.
 
The living Star Swirl frowned. “Why haven’t we ... ?” He spun around to face Celestia. She was the only bearer who was not glowing. “Celestia! We’ve got to stop them!”
 
“I do not want to lose them!” yelled Celestia. “They are my friends and my sister! I do not want to turn them to stone!”
 
“They’re dangerous!” roared Solid as Solemn tried to whip him, her bandage collapsing  upon contact.
 
“You discovered something new about the Elements during this very battle, Star!” said Celestia. “Maybe there is another way? We need more time!” She began to glow blue and her eyes shone with white brilliance.
 
“More time?” asked Star. His eyes began to glow and his violet aura intensified. “Yes!” The other bearers’ auras followed suit and their eyes shone as well. The light twisted into a rainbow which swept Nightmare Moon and her undead henchponies into the sky.
 
The vampiric Star Swirl’s horn glowed with a telepathy spell and he projected, We’re not giving up!
 
We’ll come for you! added Right.
 
The rainbow split into five beams and the centre one slammed into the Moon, carving Nightmare Moon’s face into its surface as four shooting stars careened off into deep space.
 
The newer bearers stopped glowing and Celestia lowered her head. Then she lifted it again and opened her glistening eyes. “One thousand years,” she said. “Longer than sisters should be separated for. I was hoping for something shorter. But at least it is not an eternity and by then, I will have found a solution.”
 
A black speck quickly approached, enlarging to the form of a black alicorn which landed next to Celestia. “Celestia!? What happened!? I’ve been tracking some stolen souls!”
 
Celestia inhaled as she lifted her head and another tear fell. “I have already dealt with the undead, Uncle Mortis. We used the Elements of Harmony to throw them into space.”
 
Mortis’s eyes widened. “Wow! They’re a bit more versatile than we thought!”
 
“Yes. I will unlock their secrets.” Celestia gave a sob. “I will find a way to save them!”
 
Mortis winced. “I’m sorry, Celestia. You shouldn’t have had to do this. I’m getting too old for my job. These babies certainly aren’t up for leaving the atmosphere anymore!” He spread his wings with an awkward smile and dropped it as he folded them again. “Perhaps I should accept that it’s almost time for me to leave things for the next generation. I hear that Pensilis and Fortuna are trying for a foal. If the foal is anything like their parents, he or she will be a good replacement.”
 
“I d-don’t want to lose you too!”
 
He gave a smile. “It’s time.” Then it fell. “What do you mean ‘too’? Where are your parents?”
 
“I-in-side!” Celestia buried her face into his shoulder. “Please help them!”
 
Mortis’s eyes widened again. “Show me!”
 
Celestia lifted her head and soared back towards the ruined corridor with Mortis right behind her. They landed back in front of the magic circle. Her parents lay twitching on the ground. Their limbs had withered and their faces were gaunt. White streaked their manes. Cracken’s coat was turning grey and Felt’s was yellowing like old paper. Lines creased their faces as though they had been weathered for  millennia.
 
Mortis narrowed his eyes, spread his forehooves and lowered his head as the black aura returned to his horn. “Felt! Cracken! Don’t worry! I’ll get you out! I’ve dealt with these before!”
 
The circle quickly faded away and the alicorn couple slowly got back to their hooves.
 
Celestia rushed over and nuzzled her parents. “I thought I’d lost my whole family at once!”
 
“No. You haven’t,”  rasped Felt, before wrapping a wing around Celestia. “We’ll still be here for a bit longer.”

 
> Gravity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6: Gravity

The crowd of ponies and one dragon waited as Luna and Celestia finished off the tragic tale. Their voices were the only sound in the library.

The stars in Luna’s mane went out one-by-one as it collapsed into ordinary blue.  “What have I done!?” she asked.
 
Celestia turned towards her. “You can’t take the blame for everything the Nightmare did.”
 
Luna lifted a hoof to her chest and scowled. “I let it in! I wanted eternal night and power and to defeat you while never considering the consequences! I should have seen this coming!” She lowered her head and closed her eyes. “I was so foalish.”
 
“Right,” said Pluto as she waved a hoof. “You messed up and now you have to deal with the consequences.” She tapped her chin. “Hmm ... I wonder what that is like?” She shot a glare at Celestia. “Now, let us get on with it and solve the problem. They are an infringement on life and worse still, on my record!”
 
“If they are friends with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia,” began Fluttershy, “and they are trying to follow Princess Luna’s orders, couldn’t Princess Luna and Celestia explain that they’re not enemies to them?”
 
“As I said, I was hoping to come to a diplomatic solution a thousand years ago,” said Celestia. “It was only the fact that I already had newer friends capable of wielding the Elements that prevented greater disaster. Of course, I would prefer diplomacy if it was an option now.”

Pluto shook her head. “That will not work. Undead do not reject their original programming. If Nightmare Moon told them that Celestia is their enemy, then they are not going to stop believing that. Even if Luna ordered them, if it in any way hindered their original objectives, they would somehow rationalise that it did not ‘count’. Luna is a changeling. She is an illusion conjured by Celestia. Celestia has threatened to blow her head up if she refuses to make the order. She bumped her head and is now too confused to give orders. She is sleep-ordering. She is being puppeted by Celestia’s magic. She is twenty seven squirrels in disguise. Trying diplomacy on undead is like trying to argue with a wall. Except the wall can argue back, kill you and turn you into another wall.”

“So, how do we beat them?” Rainbow asked. She hovered closer and swung her hooves wildly.
 
“I am glad you asked,” said Pluto. “Solemn Counsel is a mummy. However, she is older than a lot of politically correct garbage that forces me to redo all my parchmentwork on forms that are fifty percent longer than the originals. So we can call her a mummare.”

Twilight bit her lip and glanced at Rarity before mouthing, “Politically correct garbage?”
 
Rarity shrugged.

“How do you deal with a mummare? Kill it with fire! Do you know what is worse than a mummare that is on fire? A mummare that is busy bashing your skull in. That is what. Mummares have enhanced strength and any living thing they touch is infected with rotting sickness. Not a pleasant way to die. Trust me.” She shivered and closed her eyes.  “I am the expert. On the plus side, they are slow. They are also dry and covered in flammable cloth and resin. Easy to torch.
  
“Torch!?” Fluttershy squealed. She winced and crouched to the floor.
 
Pinkie slid over to her and grabbed her in a one-hooved hug.

Pluto raised an eyebrow at Fluttershy’s reaction, then went on. “Right Hoof is a ghost. They are incorporeal, which makes them hard to fight. Fortunately, they are anchored to the world of the living by two things and those things are required to maintain their existence. A place or object and an emotion or goal. The one appears to be her barding, so that is a point of vulnerability. As for the other thing, Luna, would you be so kind as to illuminate us?”
 
“Her anger towards Celestia,” said Luna as she hung her head.
 
“And of course, that just makes it even more problematic as her very existence is dependent on being angry with Celestia. Great.” Pluto sighed. “As for First Aid, he is a hueceva, or hoofceva as they are sometimes called. One of the more obscure types of undead. Former healers, defenders of goodness and servants of righteous Cosmics who broke their oaths. Particularly vulnerable to the influence of unscrupulous Cosmics. And they are obsessed with building twisted, grotesque mockeries of their former places of work. They can rejoin their bones, so you will need to smash the bones themselves.
 
Rarity lifted a hoof and shuddered. “Ew!”

“And finally, Star Swirl is a vampire or vampony. They have such a ridiculous list of powers and weaknesses that it looks like they were designed by an Oubliettes and Ogres munchkin min/maxer with no concept of elegance.”

“Ooooh!” squealed Pinkie as she leaned forward. “You play that game!? We should get together for a campaign sometime! Do you wanna be Oubliette Master?”
 
“Pinkie! Not the time!” said Twilight.
 
Pluto blinked. “Right. Well, that sums up why Star Swirl being a vampire can be a problem.”
 
Luna sighed. “And he was a powerful mage even when he was alive.”
 
“But even still,” said Pluto as she narrowed her eyes, “these are small timers compared to what else we have to deal with!”
 
“There’s more!?” asked Twilight as her eyebrows jumped.
 
“Yes,” sighed Pluto. “Apparently, they decided that four undead were not enough. So they broke into Tartarus and raised prisoner number one: Morning Star.”
 
“And who is he, Plutonia?” asked the living Star Swirl.
 
Pluto closed her eyes. “Before Tartarus was built, a full alicorn was born and chosen by the Seat of Venus. It was believed that he would be the alicorn of beauty and perfection. He was considered extremely attractive.”
 
Rarity smiled and her eyes lifted to gaze into the distance.

“Instead, he was the alicorn of temptation, hedonism and self-worship.”
 
Rarity’s smile dropped.
 
“His need to feel better and more important than all else and to be served by all the world drove him to commit multiple atrocities. He effectively subjugated the whole planet. The way he used his magic made it effectively impossible for anyone to want to stop him while in his presence. Even the greatest protection only granted temporary respite. The draconequus of Pluto at the time had to build a new prison, forge a new weapon and pre-emptively brainwash himself to eventually manage it. In the ensuing land grab, ponies were restricted to Albita and it was thousands of generations before they properly recovered from his damage.”
 
“What type of undead is he?” Celestia asked.
 
“I do not know,” replied Pluto as she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I did not see him raised and my short glimpse of him did not reveal many clues. The undead are diverse.”
 
“And one cannot trust one’s senses or even one’s mind around Morning Star,” added Luna.
 
“So, how do we beat him?” asked Rainbow.
 
“We are hoping that the Elements’ protective magic will give you the ability to get close enough to him to use them on him without being affected too badly,” said Luna.
 
“But there is a problem,” said Pluto. “Morning Star has already taken control of Discord—“
 
“Oh my stars!” gasped Rarity.
 
“Oh dear, poor Discord,” said Fluttershy as she raised a hoof to her muzzle.
  
Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Great,” groaned Twilight as she placed a hoof on her face.
 
Applejack shook her head and closed her eyes.
 
“And Discord has raised a barrier around the castle,” Pluto continued. “We cannot get to Morning Star. While he is busy decorating—“
 
“Decoratin’?” asked Applejack as she raised an eyebrow. “Why does he need to decorate?”
 
“Well, if I managed to acquire a palace,” began Rarity as she closed her eyes and placed a hoof on her chest, “I would want to spruce it up a bit.”
 
Pluto rolled her eyes. “Mortis drilled Morning’s records into me until I knew them like the back of my hoof. Trust me. He is decorating.”
 
“So, you say that you can’t get to him?” asked Rainbow as she narrowed her eyes and hovered closer.
 
“No,” said Pluto, scowling. “In the mean time, we can prepare. It is still annoying though. And Cerberus is still there and he needs treatment.”
 
Fluttershy gasped and lifted her forehooves to her mouth, holding her balance with her wings. “Poor Cerberus!”
 
Pluto smirked. “Well, I am glad that you are showing concern. Because there is one pony that we know will be able to get through the barrier.”
 
(/)

Canterlot Castle gleamed in the sunlight. Solemn glided through the brightly-lit hallways, keeping close to the ceiling to avoid the palace staff.  Now I just have to hope nopony looks up, she thought as she turned down a corridor. She winced, covering her ears as a scream filled the air. She looked down to see a shrieking, blue earth pony maid who was looking up at her.

Solemn’s eyes widened and she bit her lip. She gritted her teeth as she flapped her wings vigorously. However, the nearest pair of guards easily caught up to her without even bothering to take flight.

Well, it’s not like I haven’t fought off faster opponents before, she thought. She dived and slammed her hooves into the nearest guard’s helmet. It buckled under the impact. She bounced off and onto the floor, spinning to face her challengers.
 
The guard with the now crushed helmet collapsed and the other one glared at her as he raised his spear. “That was my partner, monster!” he growled through gritted teeth. He thrust his spear into her torso.
 
“I didn’t see Celestia fire either of you,” said Solemn, “so he should still be.” She walked forward, impaling herself further on his spear. “I don’t unjustly separate partners.” She twisted the spear from his grip. She then reversed direction and smashed the handle into his helmet. He collapsed. “I also no longer have vital organs,” she added as the spear’s shaft rotted away and the head fell to the floor.
 
Pieces of barding came flying around the corner and rapidly assembled into the shape of a pony. Right’s face appeared in front of her. “Make that kind of racket again and you’ll have more than me after you,” she said. She frowned at the look on Solemn’s face. “What’s wrong?”
 
Solemn closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I need to talk to you away from Morning. As you are well aware, I am wrong sometimes. I dread what we may have caused.”
 
Right’s eyes narrowed and her mouth became a thin line. “What happened?”
 
“Answer this question first: What was your reaction to first seeing Morning after he had taken back his power?”
 
Right’s eyes widened and she looked away. “Well ... I—“
 
“The truth, Right. This is important.”
 
Right clenched her eyes and teeth before looking back at Solemn. “My first thought was that he was more attractive than my husband.”

Solemn closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Somewhat worrying, coming from the Bearer of Loyalty. Even with the ‘death do us part’ caveat, it is not something I’d expect from you.”
 
“Agreed.” Right nodded slowly.
 
“I think that Morning has done something to us. We can’t think clearly around him. Thankfully, it seems to wear off quickly once we’re out of his sight, but I think that having him as an ally is not truly worth it after all. He has already harmed Star and First and threatened me.”
 
“What!?” snarled Right. Her eyes narrowed as she slammed a hoof forward. “Let me smite him!”
 
Solemn lifted a wing. “Our haste got us into this, Right. We have to lay low for now. We need to continue being his servants until we have what we need to rebel. Thankfully, I won’t need to act when I’m around him.”
 
Right nodded slowly. “Of course. We need the Elements.”
 
“Have you found them?” Solemn raised an eyebrow.
 
“No, but I’m pretty sure who has them.”
 
(/)
 
First galloped down the palace stairs, his bones rattling from the impact, as he charged from ground floor to the lowest level. “Where are you, Star?” he called out.
 
A whimpering moan filled the air. “Soil.”
 
First turned the corner to see Star curled on the floor, scrunching up the red carpet. Large patches of coat were singed away to expose burned flesh. First galloped over to him. “I’ll get you soil,” he said. “Blood too. But first, let’s try this.” He lifted a hoof. “Oh, Emperor Morning Star, Lord of Desire! Grant your power and heal your servant!” He touched Star’s back and waves of darkness covered him.
 
Star screamed as his flesh reformed and his coat grew back.
 
First winced and drew back.
 
“Wow, that stung!” cried Star. He glared at First. “Stick to invoking Luna in the future!”
 
“I’m sorry.” First shook his head. “I don’t know what came over me. Morning makes me feel so strange. Though, I am worried about invoking Luna too much if she’s in trouble. I don’t want to make it worse. Still, why is it so hard to defy somepony who scrapes my friends off the bottom of his hoof with more brutality than actual mud?”
 
Star collapsed on his stomach. “I know what you mean. A stallion shouldn’t look that beautiful. How would my wife and son look at me if they knew what the mighty Grand High Court Archmage had been reduced to?”
 
First grabbed Star’s face and pulled it towards his own. “Don’t give me that. We’re in this together and we’ll support each other. No matter how hard it gets, we’re giving up on neither each other, nor ourselves. Do you hear me?”
 
Star slowly nodded. “I hear you.” He slowly got to his hooves, set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “I’m  ready to return to my former glory,” he growled.
 
First let go. “Good. I’ll get you soil to rest in from outside. This would make an excellent place for my hospital.”
 
(/)
 
“So, these are the current Bearers of Harmony?” asked Solemn as she stared at the image of the six mares blasting Nightmare Moon with beams from their necks in the stained-glass window.
 
“Looks like it,” said Right from her side.
 
“So now, we just need to find out where these mares are. Bit strange to have a unigendered team.” She tilted her head.
 
Right shrugged. “I guess. What are the odds?”
 
“One in thirty two.”
 
Right raised an eyebrow. “I was being rhetorical, but okay.”
 
Solemn shook her head. “This city is huge. I’m estimating a population of around two million.”
 
Right’s eyebrows almost jumped off her head. “Two million!? I didn’t even think that was possible!”
 
“Neither did I.” Solemn shrugged. “Another thing I was wrong about. But if Equestria has cities this big, how are we even going to find these mares?”
 
“Star knows the spells needed to track them. He should be able to find them.”
 
Solemn tilted her head. “True. We’ll wait until he’s up to it, though. Let’s find First and discuss this with him.”
 
(/)
 
Morning Star strode through the palace corridors, taking in the aesthetic. His eyes would twitch when the palace staff bowed less than instantly. As he entered the corridor of stained glass windows, his eyebrows rose slightly. “Ah! There you are! No need to skulk about! We have been inserting your images into the minds of the servants! They know that you belong to Us and should be treated as such!”
 
Solemn’s muscles tensed.
 
Right turned towards Morning Star and said, “We were simply admiring the craftsponyship of these windows, your Magnificence. We were thinking that First and Star would like to see them.”
 
Morning narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as he examined the windows. “Yes! They’re beautiful! They’ll have to go, of course! But if you want the others to see them before We replace them, We suppose that We can do the rest first! Follow Us!”
 
Solemn and Right’s eyes widened and they followed Morning Star to the next room. Staff lined the walls and bowed at Morning’s entrance.
 
“Are any of you Fluttershy!?” he asked.
 
The staff looked at each other, several raising their eyebrows. They turned back and shook their heads. “No, your Highness.”
 
Morning twitched. “Are they a member of staff!?”
 
“No, your Highness.”
 
Morning frowned. “Inconvenient that We don’t have ready access to them! We will have to discover their identity later. Now, why do We have wimpy unicorns in Our guard!?”
 
“Excuse me, your Highness?” asked one of the unicorn guards as he raised an eyebrow.
 
Morning’s coat rose slightly as his muscles tensed and he bit down. “How are you supposed to strongwing any rebels to Our order!? We need warriors for that! Not magicians! Wings of steel, not firework-producing horns! All right, you are all being transferred to the library! You’ll be better off there and will like it more!”
“We will?” asked one of the guards as he raised an eyebrow.
 
Morning Star narrowed his eyes which began to glow. His horn did the same. “Yes! You WILL!”
 
The unicorn guard’s eyes widened and lost their focus. “Right. Of course we would.”
 
“YOU!” Morning Star pointed at a dark green earth mare maid. “You will feed Our vampire!”
 
The mare’s eye widened suddenly and she stepped back. “Wait! No! Who are you?!”
 
“We HATE it when that happens,” Morning muttered as he rolled his eyes. His horn flared once again. “You will not be turned by him! You will not be drained! You will be FINE!”
 
She stopped shaking and her eyes lost their focus. “Of course.”
 
“And next time you disobey Us, that fear will come BACK,” added Morning as the glow around his horn intensified.
 
The mare nodded slowly.
 
Morning turned towards Solemn. “Follow her! Make sure she does her job, even if she snaps out again! And NO turning! Vampires will be more useful AFTER We have begun the reign of endless night!”
 
Solemn nodded. “Yes, your Magnificence.”
 
The two mares headed for the nearest staircase.
 
“COME!” Morning said to Right as he flicked his head. “We need to get back to Discord!”
 
They walked further down the passage. “We see that YOU don’t have wings EITHER! We suppose that being a ghost makes up for that a bit, but when you were alive, your lack of aerial mobility must have made you rather USELESS! How must it have felt to have been such a COMPLETE failure as a pony!? Almost a pity that We’ll never know!” His horn flashed.
 
“Your tolerance of my existence is an unmatched generosity, your Magnificence,” Right intoned.
 
“So true! What is WRONG with these modern times!? As We’d previously established in our bounteous wisdom, every tribe has its place! Don’t worry! We’ll find a place for these ‘crystal ponies’ once We know more about them! However, We have more URGENT business! We need to get back to Discord right before he finishes reinforcing the wards! While reinforcement is not really among the natural talents of the draconequii, just one of the MANY ways in which We are superior to them, Discord has increased his magical ability by more than We expected! It might even be worth it to show him something other than disappointment and scorn!”
 
They walked through the next archway into another room. Discord floated in the centre, his talon curled into a fist and glowing. He snapped the talon and the glow vanished. He popped his eyeballs out and polished them before clicking them back into his sockets and rapidly shaking his head. He turned to face them and his eyes narrowed and caught fire as his lip curled.
 
Morning’s horn flashed.
 
Discord broke into a smile as the flames died. “Welcome back, Fluttershy!”
 
“Discord, while feeding me grapes—“
 
One of Discord’s eyebrows rose. “Feeding you grapes?”
 
Morning’s horn glowed. “Feeding me grapes! Don’t you want to serve me? To touch my mouth? To watch me eat succulent, juicy fruit?”
 
Discord blinked. “Well, when you put it that way—“
 
“While feeding me grapes, I want you to tell me more about how good looking I am.”
 
Discord snapped his talon and Morning found himself draped over the throne, sinking into multiple red cushions as palm fronds slowly fanned him. His horn began to glow and one of the statues of Celestia reshaped into one of Morning Star. A large bowl of red grapes had appeared in Discord’s paw. Discord was wearing a black wig and a white sheet.
 
“Your smile is filled with radiance and lights up every room—“
 
“That is incredibly cliché and generic, Discord,” said Morning. “Don’t you want me to feel special!? Describe me in a way that shows how I look different from others.”
 
Discord paused and then began again as he passed a grape. “Your coat is the colour of bright daffodils in Spring!”
 
Okay. Yellow coat. thought Morning. “Go on.” 
 


> Occlusion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7: Occlusion
 
“All right, Spike, remember that this is a secret mission!” said Twilight. “Don’t let anypony know where we’ve gone!” A large checklist and quill floated in front of her, ticking off items as they flew into her saddlebags.  The display case for the Elements opened and the Elements lifted in her aura. The Element of Magic tucked itself into her saddlebag.
 
Pluto winced.
 
“What’s the matter?” asked Twilight.
 
“It might not be a good idea to bring the Elements that we won’t be using,” replied Luna.
 
“Why not?” asked Twilight. “Shouldn’t we have them with us in case we need them?”
 
“Unless you are wearing them, there is a chance that they will be stolen or confiscated,” replied Pluto.
 
“Is that likely?” asked Rarity.
 
“That depends on what Morning Star has done to the populace by the time we get to Canterlot,” Pluto responded. “And if you do wear them, he may realise that there is something strange about them. We do not want to give him extra advantages.”
 
“I would also prefer to avoid the panic that seeing the Elements in public may cause,” added Celestia.
 
“Wouldn’t all that apply to Kindness?” asked Twilight.
 
“One Element should be easier to smuggle,” said Luna. “We’re not planning to confront Morning Star yet. We are just gathering intelligence and supplies. And rescuing Plutonia’s dog. We will simply run if something goes wrong. The Element of Kindness is just a safety precaution for Fluttershy in case Morning discovers her.”
 
“All right.” Twilight nodded. “Then we all know what we need to do before leaving.”
 
“I’ll just go and finish off my preparations,” said Rarity  as she headed for the door.
 
“Excuse me!” called Pluto as she raised a hoof. “Er ... Rarity?”
 
Rarity froze and turned around. “Yes, Pluto?”
 
Pluto bit her lip and slowly lowered her hoof. “I have ... some experience with transformation and illusion magic.” Her coat turned grey and her wings and horn were absorbed by her body. “But ... disguising cutie marks is ...a bit ... beyond me ... and mine is rather distinctive.” She pointed at the cage of bone surrounding a pair of red eyes in the darkness on her flank.
 
“She’s asking for a dress,” said Luna.
 
Pluto scowled. “Even though I am not a princess anymore ...” She shot a glare at Celestia. “My fund is fairly large. Even with the fact that I am not allowed to access most of it for another one thousand one hundred years.” 
 
“Oh, I have the perfect dress for you, Pluto!” said Rarity. “You don’t need to pay me for it! This is for a secret mission, after all! Think nothing of it!”
 
“And Spike,” said Twilight as she packed the Element of Kindness, “remember to guard the other Elements.”
 
“Got it,” said Spike as he gave a salute.
 
(/)
 
Three unicorns, three pegasi and three earth ponies headed for the Ponyville train station. The smallest earth pony was wearing a pink, frilly dress which obscured her cutie mark. She waddled awkwardly as they traversed the town. “Before we decide on covers, let us make one thing clear,” said the filly, “I am NOT going to be her daughter!” She flicked her head towards the white pegasus with the pink mane and three suns for a cutie mark.
 
“Very well,” said the pegasus with a small smile. “You can be Crescent Moon’s.”
 
The filly half-lidded her eyes as she turned towards the black unicorn with the grey mane and silver crescent cutie mark. “’Crescent Moon’? Really?”
 
“It is more effective on the commoners than you might guess,” said the unicorn.
 
“I call this one ‘Sunny Skies’,” said the pegasus as she quickly inclined her head.
 
“Well, I guess that I am ‘Waning Moon’ then.” The filly sighed and rolled her eyes as she wiggled her shoulders.
 
“You can be nobles on your way home from vacation and I can be your hoofmaiden,” said Sunny. “Would you like that?”
 
Waning grinned. “Oh, I would like that very—“ Then she stepped on her dress and fell face first into a patch of mud.
 
“Oh my goodness! Are you all right?” asked Fluttershy as she flew over.
 
“I have been better,” said Waning as she got back to her hooves. “Let us keep moving. I will be able to breathe easier once we are on the train and in the privacy of our car.”
 
“Is something wrong with the dress?” asked Rarity as she walked over.
 
“I am sorry,” sighed Waning. “I do not wear clothes very often. Not since I was forbidden from wearing royal regalia. And I would be more used to barding. It is closer and I have had to practice with it anyway.”
 
“I ... see,” said Rarity as she lifted a hoof to her mouth. “So, how exactly ...?”
 
“Not outside,” said Waning. “Too many witnesses. We will talk more on the train.”
 
“Well, there’s the ticket office,” said Twilight as she pointed at a small building.
 
“Got it,” said Rainbow as she rose higher into the air. She darted off in a blur towards the window. “A car for nine to Canterlot, please?”
 
(/)
 
“Finally!” sighed Waning as she settled into her seat and Twilight closed the compartment. “So, ‘Operation: Get on the Train to Get us into Canterlot without Using any Obvious Magic’ worked. We can relax for now.”
 
“Yes. And also get Fluttershy ready. I  brought your dangerous mission outfit!” announced Rarity as she held a hoof to her chest.
 
“You have a dangerous mission outfit?” asked Waning as she lifted an eyebrow and turned towards Fluttershy.
 
“Um ... I don’t wear it very often.”
 
“What is it made out of, mithril? Shadesteel? Adamantine? Darkwood?”
 
“It isn’t barding,” replied Rarity.
 
“Pity,” sighed Waning. “That is what I get for getting my hopes up.”
 
“Why aren’t you allowed to wear regalia anyway?” asked Rarity.
 
“It is part of my punishment,” said Waning.

“Why did yah get punished?” asked Pinkie as she leaned forward and pressed her face against Waning’s.
 
Waning leaned back. “It is not exactly the highlight of my life, even if recent events are reminding me of it.”
 
“How are they doing that?” asked Pinkie.
 
“It is reminding me of how I got into trouble in the first place and resolved to be a much better Cosmic.”
 
“What happened?” asked Pinkie.

“Do you really have to know?”
 
“If they’re really related, it could help us with our mission,” said Twilight.
 
Waning sighed. “Fine. If you must know, I will tell you. It  started seven hundred years ago.”
 
(/)
 
Welcome to the world, Little One, said the voice. You can call me “Uncle Mortis”. I will be your guide. Until it’s your turn to join me and pass on the scythe to your own successor. I liked your parents back when I was alive. I was actually worried that they wouldn’t be able to give me a successor, but they pulled through in the end and here you are. With them as your parents, I’m sure that you will be very special.
 
“Goo gah!” squealed the tiny, yellow alicorn filly with the purple mane.
 
(/)
 
“How do you know about  that?” asked Pinkie. “Did you look into the past with your mighty alicorn magic?!” She flailed her hooves about in the air.
 
“Mortis told me.”
 
“Oh.”
 
(/)
 
But most of the story takes place four hundred years after that:
 
The small alicorn glided down to the palace doors.
 
“Good afternoon, Princess,” said the guards as they bowed.
 
“Yeah. Hopefully tomorrow’s will be better,” she replied. Her aura shoved the shaft of her scythe into one of the guards’ mouth. “Take this. We don’t feel like carting it around today.”
 
She walked down the passage, magically unstrapping her shadesteel barding. “I can’t believe that I had to fly to Oxtralia and back the day before my birthday!” she growled. She swung open the doors of her room, inclining her head in acknowledgement of the bowing guards. She flung her barding to the floor and climbed onto the bed. “I should be relaxing, having fun and planning my party! Not flying around the world for work!”
 
It’s part of the job, Pluto. It’ll get easier as your magic grows. said Mortis.
 
Pluto rolled her eyes. “Always the job! Don’t I deserve some time off!? Just a few months ago, I had to off-offish-officiate at Dad’s funeral!”
 
And you’ve been complaining about it ever since, said Mortis. Your father was very old for a demi-alicorn. He wasn’t going to be around forever. And one of the perks of our job is that you can still talk to him.
 
“And what am I supposed to say. ‘Hi, Dad! How’s death?’, ‘Oh, same old. Same old.’”
 
Hey! The dead can be interesting to talk to!
 
“I suppose,” sighed Pluto as she wriggled, making a deeper indentation in the bed. “No offence. But seriously, you don’t turn four hundred every day! I should celebrate! I should have a party! I could have a decade-long party for a milestone this big!”
 
Except for the fact that you can’t because you have important work to do.
 
“Ugh!” Pluto gagged and stuck out her tongue. “You keep saying that, but no one believes it. No one cares about my work. They’d only care if I stopped doing it! And yet, I’m still expected to learn magic, flight, farming ... Why farming!? Why would I need that!? And everything I grow ends up looking like a Nightmare Night decoration!”
 
You’re an alicorn. It’s your duty to understand all the tribes of pony.
 
“Yeah. At least Aunt Celestia didn’t saddle you with an extra one.” She lowered her eyelids.
 
It may have been dangerous, but you have to admit that the creation of the pyrippi was impressive.
 
“Hey!” She lifted her head from the bed. “I could make a bunch of bat-winged, fanged ponies anytime I wanted to!” She held a hoof to her chest. “Of course, if I did it, I’d be smote!”
 
Several were considering smiting her. You voted against it. If I recall, you said that they were “really cool” and that you were impressed that you aunt could be so “edgy”.
 
“I remember. I was in a better mood. Not that they care what I vote anyway. I don’t know why I bother going to meetings. What’s the point in learning all this politics if I can’t use it!?”
 
You’re still young and inexperienced. They will recognise your ability in time.
 
Pluto threw her hooves into the air. “So, I get all the drawbacks of being an adult, with none of the perks? You know what? I’m tired of this! I’m going to have some fun! It’s my birthday! If anyone complains, well, at least it’ll mean they’ve finally recognised my importance!”
 
Pluto, I’ve seen things like this before. Trust me! It doesn’t ever end well! You will regret this!
 
“Yeah. I’m not listening to you anymore. I’m my own mare now!” She jumped off the bed, smiling, and rushed to the balcony. Then she bellowed, “We declare a month-long holiday of non-stop partying to celebrate Our birthday! There will be singing, dancing, games, feasting, and plenty of other fun! Let this week be dedicated to Our glory!”
 
(/)
 
Day by day, more entities crawled out of the cemeteries and more recent corpses spontaneously reanimated themselves. The nuisance was easily dealt with at first, but their numbers swelled daily. As they were scattered around the planet, it was difficult for any single cosmic to get rid of them without neglecting their other duties. I refused to listen to requests for aid. The other cosmics were pulled out of their normal duties to try quell the ever rising tide of undeath. But with the weak being easily eliminated, the stronger ones amassed and developed smarter tactics. They had no need for rest and learned quickly. A fortnight later, they amassed in large armies to attack the civilians. 

“Wee!” squealed Pluto as she spun in the centre of the dance floor, her tiara glittering.
 
Celestia stood next to her, frowning. “I know that you’ve been avoiding me, Pluto.”
 
“That is what ponies generally do to their bosses while on holiday,” said Pluto as she continued to spin. “I’d hoped you’d take the hint.”
 
“You can’t ignore me forever.”
 
“It’s just a vacation,” said Pluto. “But if it feels like I’ve been gone forever, at least it’s working.”
 
Celestia shook her head. “It may just be a vacation for you, Pluto, but it’s more serious for the rest of the world.”
 
“Good. About time my importance was realised.”
 
Celestia’s scowl deepened. “You’re truly willing to risk this? You have a duty to protect the citizens of the world from threats like this!”
 
“They’re just some undead!”
 
“The average citizen is a lot less capable of protecting themselves than you are, Pluto.”
 
“I am awesome, aren’t I? About time that was recognised.”
 
“And what about the dangers to the civilians?” Celestia scowled. “We’re already worried about what’s going to happen to them!”
 
“If the others are worried, let them pick up the slack. Let them feel what my job is like.”
 
“We are given our assigned duties for a reason, Pluto.”  She hung her head and sighed. “The other cosmics will not be pleased with you.”
 
“At last they’ll finally pay attention to me.” Pluto scowled quickly before returning to her dance.
 
Celestia gave another shake of her head. “They are not happy with our family at the moment, Pluto. They don’t trust it. You are playing with fire.”  She stomped her hoof against the floor. “They  won’t let you off easily.”
 
“They’ve never acknowledged my importance before now.”
 
“We’re all important.”  She lifted a hoof to her chest. “Which is why we all need to do our duties. This is serious, Pluto.” She slammed the hoof back down again.
 
“Seriously awesome!” replied Pluto. “I need to hire this band again!”

A guard charged through the doors, almost tearing them off their hinges as he skidded across the dance floor and pressed his face against the stone. “Princess! The undead are rising from another cemetery! Please, your Highness! Help us! Ponies are hiding, terrified, in their homes!”
 
THIS HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH, PLUTO! This needs to be fixed now! LET ME OUT!
 
“Really?” asked Pluto.
 
YES!
 
“That’s ridiculous!”
 
NOT AS RIDICULOUS AS YOUR ATTITUDE! LET ME OUT SO THAT I CAN FIX THIS!
 
“I can’t just...”
 
YOU CAN AND MUST! YOU’VE LEFT THIS TOO LONG ALREADY

“Um, I’m not normally supposed to—“
 
LET! ME! OUT!
 
“Okay!” Pluto’s horn wrapped itself in darkness and a large key appeared in the air. The key twisted and the air parted, allowing a mass of alicorn-shaped shadow to stride in. Pluto’s scythe flew into the room and hovered before him.
 
“It ends now.” Tiles tore out the ground and the windows shattered as the streak tore through the doors in the scream of the sonic boom.
 
The scythe spun like a circular saw as it passed through undead as if they were made of air. With every slice, bodies crumpled to dust and spirits were released. Buildings quaked in the gale force that followed him as he sped from city to city. A black, fuzzy mark  spread across Equestria in minutes, purging the undead in whirling slaughter.
 
He dove into the ocean and trawled it, flying through the water as easily as the air. The water churned in the unending reaping of the scythe. The wave from when he flew out of the ocean did not fall until he had made significant progress in tearing through the undead of Zebrica. The black stain swept across the planet in a wave of judgement, hunting down the undead from the smallest microorganisms to the great whales. From the luvcats to the mighty dragons, all were torn apart by the scythe. By the end of the day, the planet had been purged.
 
Mortis swept back into the hall where Pluto sat, open-jawed, while the Sun set. He pointed the scythe at her. “NEVER make me do that again, Plutonia! EARN this scythe!” He placed it at her hooves and walked back into paradise.
 
(/)
 
Within the starlit void the desks of the Cosmic Council were focused on one point. Pluto sat shivering under the glares.
 
“Plutonia of Pluto,” began Noa, evergreen deer of Earth, “you have been convicted of dereliction of duty to the point of criminal negligence of a degree that threatened every life on the planet. You knew that your job was to guide souls to the afterlife and to prevent them from festering on Earth and becoming undead, yet you did nothing.”  She slowly paced in front of Pluto’s desk, wearing a smile. “Even your own family has agreed. We have heard your defence already, but would you like to add anything for us to consider before the sentencing?”
 
“Please!” Pluto begged as she placed her hooves on her desk and leaned forward. “Have mercy! I’ve learned my lesson! I’ll always listen to Mortis from now on! I was upset! And it was my birthday! Can’t you be lenient towards a foalhood mistake!?”
 
“You were born a Cosmic,” replied Noa, turning towards Pluto and looking down at her through narrowed eyes. “Those who were born Cosmics have no foalhood! We didn’t and neither do you. We are always dealing with some crisis or another. You should feel lucky. If you had been born a couple of millennia ago, instead of ruling your people, you would have had to have been put into hiding, like all the other alicorns from that time. I have heard enough. It is time for sentencing! What are the suggestions?”
 
Limbs slowly rose, but one hoof shot into the air.
 
“Aunt Celestia!?” asked Pluto as she leaned forward. Why would she be so eager to suggest punishing ME when we’re family!? How could she!?
 
“Very well,” sighed Noa as she rolled her eyes. “If you’re so eager, what is your suggestion?”
 
“I cannot condone another member of my family defying the Council, even in so small a way,” said Celestia. “As such, I suggest that we make an example of her and give her punishment six, variation two.”
 
“Punishment six, variation two!?” cried Pluto as she leaned forward and slammed her hooves on her desk.
 
“Silence!” cried Noa. “You are currently at our mercy! I suggest that you don’t encourage harshness!” She exhaled and closed her eyes. “Opinions on the suggestion?”
 
A white, cloven hoof rose into the air.
 
“Yes, Jokel?” Noa cocked an eyebrow.
 
“It’s worrying for an alicorn so young to already be defying the Council,” the white elk said.
 
“What!?” cried Pluto.
 
“It suggests that we should keep an eye on her in case she decides to be inspired by Luna,” Jokel continued.
 
“I’d appreciate it if you avoided using my sister as the go-to example for defying the Council, Jokel,” said Celestia. “Or would you rather we discuss your past mistakes as well? It was fairly recent that your ‘pre-emptive measures’ nearly caused a new ice age.”
 
“Fine,” sighed Jokel. “But I still suggest the addition of five centuries probation.”
 
“What!?” Pluto cried again. “I’m not even five centuries old!”
 
“Responses?” asked Noa, raising an eyebrow and sweeping her gaze across the assembled.
 
More limbs rose.
 
“Yes, Gazenju?”
 
A large, red ram lowered his hoof. “I would like to say that contrary to popular belief, I think that undead are bad. Therefore, I second the suggestion.”
 
Noa rolled her eyes. “All in favour?”
 
“Hold on! I’m not ready to vote on this!” said a large, multicoloured zebra as he stomped a hoof.
 
Noa raised an eyebrow. “The motion’s been seconded, Zaida. What else do you want to discuss?”
 
“Just because you and Jokel have issues with Equestria, doesn’t mean that all of us want to be particularly harsh to one of their foals,” replied Zaida.
 
“She was endangering the world by neglecting her duties,” said Noa.
 
“The problem wasn’t unsolvable,” said a large springbok doe with a gleaming streak on her side. “We could have dealt with it if necessary.”

“And is this really appropriate for a foal seeking attention?” asked another, older caribou who wore red, had a long beard and a red nose. “I normally find that a year of coal gets the message through to foals.”

“I have better things to do than to clean up foals’ messes,” said a black donkey dressed in a dark gi. “When I clean up messes, it’s because I’m being being compensated.”

An older alicorn mare slammed her hooves down. “So you’re punishing my daughter for the sake of your own convenience!?”
 
“We have other duties,” said Noa. “We shouldn’t be spending time fixing problems caused by another. If we have to be harsh to ensure that the message sinks in, so be it.”
 
“I’d have welcomed the chance for some decent exercise,” said a caribou doe as she swung an axe.
 
Noa rolled her eyes. “This isn’t the Last Use of Antlers, Prancer. We can’t risk the balance because you felt like dismembering something. We all know what was at stake. It’s time to vote. Are all in favour of the suggested punishment?”

Once again, limbs rose.
 
“That’s a majority. Plutonia of Pluto, under the order of the Cosmic Council, you have been sentenced to punishment six, variation two with an amendment of five centuries’ probation! This will be detailed for all present. Felt? Do you mind?”
 
The old, yellowing alicorn with the red and white mane sitting behind the desk marked “Felt of Saturn” stopped writing and passed Noa a scroll with her aura.
 
Noa unfurled the scroll with her own, deep green aura and said, “You have been stripped of your title and will now be treated as a commoner for all purposes. You may no longer respond to or otherwise acknowledge the title ‘Princess’, even as a pet name. You may no longer wear the attire of royal office. You may no longer have guards or any other form of military. You may not write, modify or veto laws. You may not involve yourself in the administration of a territory. You may not live in a palace or other royal abode, or even stay as a guest there for a single night. You may not receive any form of honour or privilege for your standing at all. You may no longer collect taxes and half of your portion of the treasury shall be confiscated as fines. This revoking of privileges shall remain in effect until you prove that you have earned back your title.”
 
“You CAN’T do this!” Pluto slammed her hooves down.
 
“We just did,” replied Noa. “Dismissed.”
 
Pluto shoved her desk aside as she got up.
 
You do realise that Celestia did that to help you, right?
 
“If that’s how she does it, I don’t want her help,” Pluto growled softly.
 
She was making herself sound harsh to convince them to give you a lighter sentence. You do realise that the worst sentence they’ve given for similar charges is death—
 
“And one hundred and twenty six years in Tartarus. Yes. I’m the warden now. I’m aware.”
 
Celestia walked over. “I am sorry, Pluto. I—“
 
“No! You do NOT get to call me that! You no longer have the RIGHT!” Pluto tossed her head and walked away.
 
(/)
 
“And from that moment, I have strived to be the best, most professional warden that Tartarus has ever seen and then this happens!” She threw her hooves into the air and shot a glare at Sunny.
 
“I don’t get it,” said Rainbow with a shrug. “If Princess Celestia got you a smaller sentence, what’s the problem?”
 
Waning closed her eyes and lowered her head. “It is true that I could have received a far worse sentence. Possibly. However, are you aware that the most lenient sentence for a similar crime was being told, ‘Please don’t do that again, if that’s okay with you’?”
 
Crescent frowned. “That was to Discord. And that was because most of the Council, including Noa, was afraid of him and did not believe that they could enforce a harsher punishment.”
 
“That is true.” Waning nodded slowly.
 
“So, they would have never treated you that way, because you are not anywhere near as scary as Discord,” Crescent finished.
 
“Perhaps,” Waning said with a nod. “In any event, I am not proving myself worthy of the scythe by letting it get stolen by prisoner number one! Expiration has been magically enhanced by every holder of the seat of Pluto since Tartarus himself. It is not something that should be in enemy hooves. I have not made my addition yet, because I am ‘too immature to modify a major artefact’ and also because the other members of the Council do not realise how awesome the ability to shoot flaming skulls which explode on impact will be.”
 
(/)
 
Morning Star smirked as the final statue of Celestia morphed into his own form. “As promised, We will leave the windows for now! However, it is time that We began fulfilling Our other promise! Let Us fetch the hueceva!”
 
Right and Discord followed him down to the lower levels.
 
The passage was covered in beds which were separated from each other by hanging sheets and curtains. Rusty, metallic tables had been pressed against the sides of the corridor and covered in dirty medical equipment and dead flowers. The wall had “Get Well Soon!” carved into it. The central bed was covered in a mound of soil. Two statues of Morning Star had been moved into the passage and dressed in scrubs and First stood gazing at the mound of dirt.
 
Morning Star raised his eyebrow at the decor. “How is the patient?!” he asked.
 
“He will be fine, your Magnificence,” said First as he bowed.
 
“Good! It is time to focus on fulfilling Our promise to you!” He flew into the air and placed a hoof under Discord’s chin, lifting it to face him as he hovered. “Discord, I need you to take us to the top of the Canterhorn Mountain. We have business there.”
 
“I live to serve you, Sweet Fluttershy.” Discord bowed and snapped his talon. With a flash of light and a squeak, they were at the top of the mountain.
 
Morning’s horn flashed and an oval barrier surrounded them. With a second flash, a parabolic barrier was added. Grond twirled three times in his aura and he said, “We promised you a reign of eternal night! An ending of daylight! This is step one in achieving that!” He raised Grond and lifted his hooves into the air. He then smashed Grond and his hooves into the mountain.
 
Cracks ran down the mountain and First’s bones nearly fell apart in the quake. The lightning bolts lit the sky in splendour. However, the acid which flowed from Grond sank into the resulting hole to be mixed with the lava that shot out of the newly-formed shaft in a spray of the Earth’s lifeblood. Morning beat his wings, lifting the pyroclastic cloud into the air and spreading it across the sky in a dark grey blot of choking smog.  He tapped his hooves, forming ridges and funnels of stone which helped channel the lava along the barrier and around Canterlot.
 
He lit his horn and several lumps of pyroclastic cloud moulded into giant sculptures of his face. When he spoke, they spoke with him. “Citizens of Equestria! We bring you good news! You have been ruled by lesser goddesses for too long! It is time for you to know the rule of a god greater than any other! We shall unite the planet under Our hoof and all shall know the pleasure of serving Emperor Morning Star!”


> Redshift
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8: Redshift
 
Waning’s head was sticking out of the compartment window as the train chugged towards Canterlot.  She looked up at the darkening sky as the roaring cloud formations spread and blanketed the surrounding area in an oppressive covering while the clouds finished Morning’s announcement. “Well, this is not good!” She sighed, slipped back into the compartment, sat back on the bunk and pressed her face into her hooves. “It is all falling apart, is it not?” she moaned. Her ears folded tight against her head, her usually impeccable mane had become damp with sweat, and strands were falling out of place.
 
“Do not fear!” said Crescent as she lifted a hoof. “We will overcome!” She gazed down at the foal, letting her see that her face was set with determination.

Waning lifted her head. “Forgive me if I do not share your enthusiasm. Things have been one disaster after another today with no sign of improvement. This is a catastrophe of mythic proportions. If my last major failure was a fiasco, then this blows it out of the water! The last time Morning was around, he conquered the planet— and he is building up steam for round two!”
 
“Everypony makes mistakes,” said Crescent. “We have weathered worse and will do so in the future. We are more prepared for Morning than our ancestors were.”
 
“I only hope that you are right,” replied Waning.
 
(/)

The train pulled into Canterlot station and the passengers disembarked. “Do not run any faster than a trot,” said Sunny. “We do not want to be any more noticeable than usual. There’s a reason that we are not walking around as alicorns.”
 
“I would hope that your education plan is not so poor that they do not get this by now,” said Waning as she rolled her eyes.
 
Sunny smiled. “Well, let it never be said that I do not hope to continue to improve in that area.”
 
Waning rolled her eyes.

As they walked through the streets of Canterlot, they darted their eyes around to take in the sites. The sky was black with smog and the streets were bathed in shadow. Most of the populace was hiding in their houses, some staring at the passerbies through cracks in their windows. Those outside were mostly divided into those darting between buildings, those gawking at the sky with open mouths and those snapping the latter out of it. Even the guards stood staring helplessly at the sky. Sunny flicked her head to redirect them through the less travelled alleyways thrice to avoid any less than dedicated tails during the trip,  but other than that, they walked steadily towards the palace.
 
The group eventually slowed as they approached the palace. “So, where is this forcefie—ow!?” asked Twilight as she bumped her muzzle on an invisible wall.
 
“That would be it,” said Waning.

They looked up at the castle which now clearly dominated their view as they had moved away from the residential and business areas which still held visible ponies.

“Well then, Fluttershy!” said Rarity as she lifted her muzzle. “It’s time to dress in the proper attire!” She levitated a black outfit with fluffy, blue rabbit ears and paws out of her saddlebag.
 
“Shadowsilk? Nice!” said Waning. “Though I must question the rabbit-based accessories.”
 
Rarity lifted a hoof to her chest. “Having a practical purpose is no reason for an outfit to ignore aesthetics, darling.”
 
Fluttershy changed into the outfit, placing her Element around her neck, and slowly lifted a hoof before gently pressing it through the barrier. Considering the fact that there was no resistance, she stepped through the barrier. After walking through, she turned around. “Don’t worry ... Waning. I’ll find Cerberus for you. She faced forward once more and walked into the distance.
 
(/)

A flash of light and a crack announced new arrivals at the palace. Discord, Morning Star, Right, First and Solemn all appeared within the throne room. Morning Star turned towards the other undead and said, “We suggest that you continue looking after the vampire! We have OTHER business to attend to!”
 
Right, First and Solemn bowed and headed for the stairs while Discord continued to float above Morning.
 
“Discord,” said Morning. “What do you think of the current holder of the seat of Venus?”
 
“Why are you worried about her, Fluttershy?” asked Discord.
 
“I’m not worried. I’m just interested. I want to know more about her.”
 
Discord raised an eyebrow and snapped his talons. He was instantly dressed in a graduation cap and cape while a blackboard with a labelled drawing of Cadance appeared. He pointed at it with a white stick. “What do you want to know?”
 
Morning grinned. “Everything!”

“Well, she’s very pink. Would  it kill her to add a bit more variety to her palate? Sure, she has the purpler feathers and her mane isn’t completely monotone, but still. Speaking of variety, as amusing as her dance she shares with Twilight is,” The image on the board began to dance. “It gets a bit boring without an expanded repertoire. Now, it seems that she’s a lot less stuck-up than Twilight is or that Celestia’s become in more recent centuries, which is a plus, probably as she’s the princess of kinkiness, or whatever that is, but she’s still a little too quiet. Then again, that works for some ponies, case in point.” He waved his talon. A tiara appeared on his head. “Now, her obsession with tiaras is admittedly amusing, but ...”

 
(/)
 
As they approached the staircase, Right and Solemn closed their eyes and shook their heads repeatedly. Solemn sighed while Right shuddered. “Realising what he’s doing to us gets more revolting as we learn more. I look forward to hurting him. I am not getting used to this,” said Right.
 
“Hopefully we won’t have to get used to it,” said Solemn. They  turned to look at First who was still staring dreamily into space. Solemn rolled her eyes, grabbed his skull and shook it. “Wake up!” she said. “Morning Star is using us!”
 
The points of light in First’s eye sockets brightened. “Of course! But how do we defy him?”
 
“We’ve been working on a plan,” said Solemn.
 
“It’s not going to get either of you killed, is it?” asked First.
 
Right cocked an eyebrow. “You’re one to talk! Or did you forget how we became friends in the first place?”
 
“My memory’s fine,” replied First, lifting his muzzle into the air, “and you were the one that got herself killed first.”
 
“Things were different then.” Right sighed. “Protecting Equestria’s borders from our enemies during the war was simpler.”
 
“Only because that’s what you’d trained for,” replied Solemn.
  
“It doesn’t matter,” said Right as she shook her head. “What is important is that we need Star and to get away, under the cover of darkness, while Morning’s distracted.”
 
“What’s the plan?” asked First. He tilted his skull.
 
“We’re finding the Elements of Harmony, and then Morning’s getting added to our list of things we need to blast,” replied Right. “Our victory will be glorious! It was a mistake to bring in Morning. We’ll solve this ourselves.”
 
“With the help of a new Laughter Bearer and possibly a new Generosity Bearer,” added Solemn.
 
Right bowed her head. “Of course.”
 
They trotted down the stairs and onto the lowest floor once again.
 
“Oh, I’ve missed you,” said First as he rubbed his skull against the nearest surgical table. The orbs of light in his eye sockets narrowed and he lifted his skull.  “This place could use some more blood splatters. And rust.”
 
Solemn half-lidded her eyes. “Let’s worry about that later,” she said. “For now, we need Star.”
 
She walked over to the mound of earth sitting on top of the centre bed. “How do we wake him up?”

“Watch,” said First. He walked up to the mound and pressed a hoof against it. “Oh, Luna, Binger of the Comforting Darkness, please energise your servant!” First intoned.
 
Tendrils of darkness spread from his hoof and slithered into the soil.  The dirt crumbled away as Star got up, lifted his forehooves to the air, stretching them, and yawned. “Is it nightfall already?” he asked.
 
“Just about,” relied Solemn. “We need to speak to you before we head up though.”
 
“We need you to get the Elements of Harmony back,” said Right. “Then we can vanquish Morning Star and reclaim our position as glorious heroes!”
 
“As much as I’m eager for that,” replied Star as he crawled out of bed, “It won’t be easy. Even my magic can’t just solve all our problems by itself. I could probably track the Element of Magic’s signature to wherever it spends a lot of time, but if it’s hidden or being carried by somepony, I’m not going to find it unless it’s actually shown to me and I don’t know who to convince. I don’t even know what these new bearers look like.”
 
“We’ve discovered a stained glass window which shows what they look like,” said Solemn.
 
Star’s eyebrows rose. “Now, that would be helpful!”
 
Star gazed upon the decorations to take in all he had missed as they climbed the stairs and made their way through to the passage of stained glass. Star narrowed his eyes and placed his hoof on the purple unicorn’s flank. “The symbol of magic,” he whispered. “No wonder she ended up with my Element. What must a pony be like for that to be their cutie mark?”
 
“We had no records of a pony with a cutie mark like that,” Solemn replied. “It’s possible that the cutie mark is symbolic of something less obvious.” She shrugged.
 
“Possible,” admitted Star as he lowered his head in acknowledgement.“In any event, it’s time to to discover exactly what these mares look like.I have a plan to get the Elements after that.” His horn glowed and a beam of pink light spread over the window. Images of light, matching the pictures of the ponies within the window were pulled out of the glass and floated before them. Star’s eyes widened and shone with white light. The images bulked up until they were three-dimensional. A secondary aura enveloped his first and ground his teeth as tears collected in his eyes. The image smoothed until they were realistic holograms of the Mane Six. He panted three times before straightening up. “That’s step one. We now know exactly what they look like. We’ll need to know that later. Now to find where they’ve been keeping my Element.” He shut his eyes again and the light intensity built back up. A transparent image of an Equestrian, photorealistic map formed below the floating ponies. A third layer grew around his horn and a red beam of light connected his heart to a spot on the map. The light disappeared and Star Swirl dropped to his rump, exhaling. “Okay. Got it. I’ve pinpointed where they’ve been keeping my Element. It’s in the same village where we commandeered the cart. They keep the Elements there.”
 
“Excellent!” Right exclaimed as she raised a hoof. “Now we can charge into that village and pillage them of what’s rightfully ours!”
 
“We need to be careful,” Solemn insisted. “Charging in isn’t likely to help.”
 
“I could disguise myself,” suggested Star.
 
“You can do that?” asked First. The lights in his eye sockets widened.
 
“I’m not a changeling,” said Star. “It has limitations. So, it would have to be another unicorn, but yes. That’s another trick that Luna’s gift has given me.”
 
“You can turn into another unicorn, a bat, a swarm of bats, a swarm of spiders and a cloud of gas, but an earth pony’s too hard for you?” asked First.
 
“Each of those is a different ability,” replied Star. “They each have their own limitations.”
 
Right scowled. “I don’t like this trickery.”
 
“We have to stop Discord, Celestia and Morning Star,” said Solemn. “If we have to be a little sneaky to do it, then that’s what we have to do!”
 
“Fine,” said Right. “We’ll do it your way now, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll do it my way.”
 
“Agreed,” said Solemn.
 
“I will need some help,” said Star. “This is not something that I have a lot of experience with.” His bones began to shift and crack into more feminine curves. His legs and horn shortened and his coat lightened. His mane darkened and a white mare with a purple mane and a pained expression stood before the other three. “This is not pleasant,” Star Swirl announced.
 
“Your mane’s not curly enough,” said First.
 
“And your voice still sounds too masculine,” added Solemn.
 
Star’s mane curled. “How’s this?” Right’s voice spilled from his lips.
 
First snorted. “No offence, but a mare that looks like that doesn’t sound like Right.”
 
Right rolled her eyes.

“I’d suggest faking being sick,” said Solemn. “After all, we don’t know what she sounds like.”
 
“Fine,” Star rasped before coughing twice. He then resumed curling his mane.
 
Morning strode in, looked at Star and raised an eyebrow. “We applaud your efforts to make yourself less of an eyesore to Us! Keep trying! You might make time we spend together less of an act of pity!”
 
Star pressed his face to the ground. “I’m sorry that my efforts have been so inadequate, your Magnificence!”
 
“Well, now that you know the problem, you can work on rectifying it!” said Morning. He raised his eyes to the stained glass windows. “Attempting to copy that mare’s appearance!? So, that is why you needed these windows! We suppose that you COULD have chosen a worse subject!” He narrowed his eyes and placed a hoof on the image of a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and his frown deepened. He placed his hoof back on the floor. “In any case, you have seen it! We have fulfilled Our end of that bargain! Now, by Our generosity, you may see a greater beauty that’s worthy of being admired!” His horn lit and the windows reshaped to detail images of Morning Star. The images showed him standing regally, soaring through the sky, sitting on a throne, performing magic, standing on the backs of slaves, being fawned over by nondescript ponies, lifting the planet with his hoof and gazing at it with contempt and other such poses. “A MUCH better view, wouldn’t you say!?”
 
“Of course, your Magnificence,” replied Solemn. “To gaze on your image is the truest form of happiness.”
 
“The honour of viewing it is like being given a reason to exist,” added First.
 
“What greater glory can there be?” asked Right.
 
“All else pales in comparison,” murmured Star.
 
“That it does!” said Morning. “That said, We wish to meet our newest aspect. As a side benefit, We can see how We’ll deign to let the crystal ponies serve Us!  We’ll be off now! We’ll return to continue progress after satisfying Our curiosity for a while! For now, feel free to occupy yourselves with further devotion as you see fit!” He turned and walked off as they gazed wistfully at him.
 
One-by-one, they shook their heads to clear their minds until only First was left grinning. Right leaned over to approximately where his ear would be and yelled, “Wake up!”
 
First shook his skull and turned towards Right. “Sorry.”
 
“It’s not your fault,” said Solemn. “It’s Morning’s. But if he’s not going to be here, we need to get the Elements tonight.”
 
“Tonight, we will earn our glory back.” Right nodded.
 
Star narrowed his eyes. “Let’s begin.” There was a flash of light, and they were gone.
 
(/)
 
Fluttershy clenched her teeth as she crept across the grass and towards the palace, one step at a time. She squealed and jumped into the bushes as a pyrrippus guard approached. She shivered and the guard twitched his ear towards the rustling leaves. Fluttershy squealed again as he dug his muzzle into the bush. He lifted her out of the bush by her mane with his teeth before letting go. “Oy! What you doin’ so near the palace?” He frowned as Fluttershy crouched to the ground and covered her head with her hooves. “Do I know you? You seem familiar.” He scratched his chin with his hoof for a bit and smiled. “Yeah! Weren’t you a model?”
 
“Um ... Yes?” squeaked Fluttershy.
 
“I knew it!” The guard grinned, showing off his fangs. Then he frowned again. “But why’re you here?”
 
“Princess ... Celestia and Luna sent me.”
 
The guard raised an eyebrow. “Why you?”
 
“I ... am here to help Cerberus,” said Fluttershy as she got to her hooves.
 
The Element of Kindness glimmered.
 
The guard’s eyes widened. “Wait! You’re in the windows! You’re one of them Element Bearers!”
 
“Um ... Yes,” said Fluttershy as she looked away.
 
“Thank the Moon that you’re here!” He pointed towards the castle. “The dude that’s taken over has done something funny. He looks like Princess Luna! You gotta help!”
 
“We’re still preparing,” said Fluttershy. “Can you take me to Cerberus?”
 
“Of course.” He bowed his head, grinned and flicked his wings. A mist of deeper darkness surrounded them. “Follow me,” he said as he turned around.
 
(/)
 
A flash of light and a buzz heralded the arrival of Discord and Morning Star on the snowy plains outside the Crystal Empire. Morning wore saddlebags and he raised an eyebrow at the barrier. “Localised climate control? And they don’t even have pegasi? Interesting. Discord, break the barrier.”
 
“I can’t, Fluttershy,” replied Discord.
 
Morning spun his head rapidly to face Discord as he narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, you ‘can’t’? Are you questioning the orders of your dear Fluttershy?” His horn began to glow.
 
“I’ve never been able to get through the Crystal Empire’s barrier,” Discord replied.
 
Morning’s eyes widened. “You aren’t exactly proving your worth to me, Discord. You are being very disappointing. But fine. Close your eyes.”
 
Discord complied and Morning’s horn glowed again. A candle formed from the ether and lit itself. It hovered in front of his face. He flapped his wings and the candle’s flame grew into a jet of fire which licked the barrier, yet left it unscorched. Morning cocked an eyebrow and a ball of snow lifted in his aura before slamming against the barrier. The snowball stopped at the barrier and melted through it, like a gentle, localised drizzle.
 
(/)
 
The flash heralding new arrivals did not go unnoticed in the Crystal Palace. Cadance walked over to the window of the royal bedroom.  “He’s here. That’s him.”
 
Shining walked over to her and brushed against her side. “He won’t get through the barrier,” he assured her. “The Crystal Fair is going on right now.”
 
Cadance turned her head to face him. “Maybe that isn’t enough for me.”
 
“What do you mean?” asked Shining.
 
“Being locked away where it’s safe is exactly what I don’t want,” replied Cadance as she walked away from the window. “I didn’t agree to become the crystal princess to be kept away from danger, pampered and safe. I did it to explore a new city and its culture, to build it up from the ruins left by its former king and to protect its citizens. Being stuck away from the action is, at times, boring, at other times, frustrating and at times like this, worrying. I am an alicorn! It is my job to protect my citizens and the world balance!” She thrust a hoof towards the window. “He doesn’t just threaten this kingdom, but the whole world! I won’t be satisfied staying safe in a cocoon while I leave the rest of the world to fall. I’m not going to sit and let it happen. If I can make a difference, I need to be out there doing something.”
 
“This is not a good time to be taking risks, Cadance,” replied Shining. “You aren’t in good shape.”
 
“I’m never in good shape when stuff like this happens!” said Cadance. “I was exhausted when I helped stop Sombra, I had been abandoned to the empty mine when I helped you fight off Chrysalis and I was an ordinary pegasus filly when I faced Prismia. I succeeded those times and I won’t give up now. Auntie Celestia didn’t raise me that way.”
 
Shining lifted her chin with his hoof. “At our wedding, I might have lost you. I had already been kept apart from you for far too long. Realising that was scary. And I thought I lost you again during Sombra’s invasion. Do you know what that’s like?”
 
Cadance thought back to her conversation about life-spans with Celestia on the day they announced their engagement. “Yes. I think I do. But I have to protect Equestria. That’s what led me down the path to becoming a princess. Just like your need to protect it led to you becoming Captain and Commander. I suppose that when you love the type of pony who feels the need to do things that are brave ... and maybe also a little bit stupid, then that is a feeling that you have to get used to.” She gave a small smile.
 
“I can’t just stay here while you confront a danger like him by yourself,” Shining protested.
 
“Then you understand how I feel,” said Cadance. “If that’s the case, then why don’t you come with me? I’ll be glad to have you by my side.
 
(/)
 
A white unicorn with a purple, curly mane appeared on the edge of Ponyville. Accompanying the unicorn was a lavender skeleton, a pegasus mummy and a haunted set of barding.
 
“Stay out of sight,” said the unicorn. “I’ll lead the way.” The unicorn trotted ahead, sniffing, while sporting a horn which glowed pink. The unicorn’s face brightened as Golden Oaks Library came into view.


> BONUS CHAPTER: Big Bang
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8.5: Big Bang
 

A millennium and a half earlier, the defeat of Discord led to arguments among the Cosmic Council over the exact position of the true borders which had not existed for centuries. While the Cosmic Council eventually ruled in favour of the non-expansionist states, the interim was filled with the vicious conflict of a Cosmic War and was another reminder of why they had to be avoided. The Diamond Dogs of Canida and Caribou of Ontareindeer to the north wished to take the opportunity to expand their territories, the draconequus Quetzalcoatl used her army of serpents to carve out an empire to the south, quickly conquering the Ahuizotls before heading for Panllama, incursions of Chimerae pressed their luck and the dragons and buffalo pushed for better access to their migration routes. The alicorns were forced to spread along the borders to aid the guard in defence of the borders and the Bearers were split up to protect both Celestia and Luna simultaneously.
 

The sky was dark with the many combatants that filled it. Warcries, bellowed orders, magical blasts and the clash of steel reverberated through the rocky plain.

Right smashed her forehooves into the ground, flinging a boulder into the air. She spun and bucked it, launching it into another caribou. The caribou dropped out of the sky and joined her fallen comrades.
 
Standing beside her, Celestia, resplendent in her orichalchum barding that barely exposed her coat or her pink mane, lifted her halberd and raised a barrier, blocking the spells which the caribou fired as they galloped across the sky.
 
“Another volley!” Celestia ordered over the sounds of the explosions as she lifted a hoof forward and opened a hole in her barrier.
 
Arrows launched into the air. However, while some struck their targets, others were intercepted in a booming display of colourful spells. Circular shields and walls of force filled the sky and many arrows simply bounced off the barrier spells. Others were burned in fiery explosions, torrents of flame and walls of fire. Still more were disintegrated by vicious beams of destruction. In other cases, they were simply grabbed out of the sky by telekinetic force. A few of the soldiers transformed the rain of death into simple feathers. Finally, some just teleported the incoming ammunition away.
 
“We need more air support!” yelled Right. “Send in another five flights of pegasi to engage in close combat!”
 
“Done!” said Celestia. “Flights seventeen through twenty three, go!”
 
Pegasi launched into the air and soared into the fray in a furious charge.  As they reached their targets, they attacked. Some kicked with their hooves, crushing the frail bodies of their enemies. Others sliced through flesh and barding with their wings in a whirling display of sudden death too fast for their foes to react to as they were showered in blood and gore. The rest stabbed their opponents with their spears and more more of the caribou air force was brought down in a rain of corpses.
 
In response, the remaining caribou blasted them with their spells, lighting the sky with searing colours and deafening explosions or telekinetically tore them apart.
 
“Right! Celestia!” called Solemn. “As I said, I don’t really think that we should be fighting this battle. The rest of us aren’t here, and we don’t have our best weapons available.”
 
“The fact that we do not have much of a choice has not changed. Luna’s still guarding the Canidian front,” said Celestia. “Empress Quetzalcaotl has already annexed the ahuizotls and is still pushing forward, so we can’t ask Dad to come north to help us. We cannot afford to leave any of our fronts undefended. Especially not now.”
 
“You have a point, Celestia,” replied Solemn as she inclined her head. “But you aren’t ready to face the likes of Dasher or Blitzen.”
 
“We know,” said Right. “They are both on other parts of the front. The Empire of Ontareindeer is fighting on as many fronts as we are. They have no grudge against us. They are simply revelling in the opportunity to prove themselves. They have a proud and stubborn culture. We don’t have to worry about the two strongest members of their royal family as they will be busy elsewhere.”
 
“As far as we know,” argued Solemn. “Our intelligence could be wrong and they could have moved.”
 
“That is possible,” admitted Celestia. “However, we need to make do with the best intelligence that we have available.”
 
“Understood, Princess,” said Solemn. “But I’m not eager to face the likes of ... say ... Vixen or Donner ... or even Prancer either.”
 
“We will deal with them when it becomes necessary,” said Right. “Even if they do send another strong Cosmic, we’ll just prove that we too are strong!”
 
“I’m surprised that one of them hasn’t come to aid with this battle,” said Solemn. “One of them would surely have received reports of what’s going on by now.”
 
Celestia squinted. “You’re quite right. Donner is on his way.”
 
Right turned to Solemn. “You had to say it! Still, this is an opportunity for even greater glory!”
 
The streak zoomed closer and slammed into the ground before them. Then the sonic boom hit, shaking them and tearing up the ground like a badly tilled field.
 
The caribou had large, red antlers peeping through his skullcap helmet. He was unusually large and muscular and was decked in full barding and a red cape. He wore the skulls of two other caribou as pauldrons and his barding and cape were covered in runes, either carved, or in the case of his cape, stitched in with golden thread.
 
“At last, I face you in the glorious competition that is lethal combat, Celestia,” he said. “While it is a pity to fight you in your youth, long before your prime, one that is almost insulting to me, how can I waste the opportunity to fight Equestria’s elite Bearer’s of Harmony, the vanquishers of Discord himself?”
 
“Back off, Donner!” Celestia growled. She lowered her head and her horn shone with searing brilliance. “This is Equestrian soil and it will stay that way!”
 
A pitch black war-hammer rose within Donner’s blood red aura and began to spin as it gave off small sparks of electricity. “We’ll see about that.” He lifted his head and the tips of his antlers shone with many colours.
 
Right shoved Celestia to the side as Donner lowered his head again.
 
The beams of light from his antlers shattered Celestia’s barrier like glass. They converged on the spot previously occupied by Celestia and struck Right in the neck. A wave of dark grey swept over her body as it crumbled to ash. Her barding collapsed into the pile of soot, still glowing red hot and giving off white sparks of electricity.
 
Donner cocked his eyebrow and flicked his head again. A chilly gust blew past, scattering the ash and covering the barding in a layer of frost.
 
Solemn froze and her eyes stretched open. “Right?” she whimpered.
 
Celestia gaped at the pile of barding, her neck stiff as she held her gaze at what remained of her friend. She then turned her head back towards Donner, clenching her teeth and spinning her golden halberd, which had covered itself in flames while the tip glowed white, and pointing it at Donner as she reared her forelegs. Her eyes glowed white as she smashed her hooves into the ground. A mound of rock grew over Donner, leaving only his head exposed.
 
Donner’s antlers glowed and cracks ran down new prison, tearing chunks of it away in roars that shook the landscape. The molten chunks smashed into the desolate plain, forming large craters as Donner climbed out of the remnants. However, Celestia’s horn glowed brighter still and her mane began to flow. New colours raced along her previously pink mane and tail as a yellow ball of blinding intensity grew from her horn until it was larger than she was. She stomped a hoof, cracking the bedrock beneath her hooves and lava burst from the remains of the rocky cage as she fired the beam directly at them. Most of the matter did not bother to melt and simply sublimed into gas. The surrounding air ionized into plasma and lightning bolts danced in the air. Through the haze, Donner held the energy back with the simplest of shield spells, slowly adding new layers. Celestia spread her wings and streaked off, leaving a trail of vacuum behind her as she soared into her inferno.
 
The ground had not had time to tear itself apart at her passing when she began spinning, slicing her wings and halberd through the remaining mass of lava. Donner barely shifted his shield in time to meet her onslaught and it cracked under the relentless pummelling which worked far faster than he could reinforce. Instead, he added further, more complicated shields while she quickly wore away at his first attempt. As the original shield shattered, he smashed his warhammer against her, knocking her into the ground in a clash of thunder and lightning. The impact shook the landscape and lifted a blanket of dust into the sky.
 
Celestia rapidly rolled over in the hole and launched herself through the soil, below Donner’s shields and into his legs, knocking him prone. Donner’s eyes widened as he hit the ground and his antlers charged with magical energy, but Celestia simply shoved her halberd through his torso and blasted him with the energy stored in her halberd as she twisted it through his flesh.
 
She then rose into the air, stripping electrons from their atoms as a rainbow blast burst forth. She rapidly sliced her way through the attacking force in an elegant dance of brutality. The blood did not have time to drip from the corpses before Celestia had cleared the sky of living opponents.
 
The ground shook and cracked as she landed. She lost her snarl and the fires in her eyes as her mane collapsed to pink. Then she crouched to the ground and sobbed as wild lightning danced around her.
 


> Stargazing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9: Stargazing
 
Their approach towards the castle meant that it had grown to the point that it overwhelmed the surrounding scenery and it loomed over them ominously. Even from within the ball of darkness, its presence was crushing. 

Within the courtyard, a large three-headed dog lay whimpering and curled in a ball. Patches of red speckled its black fur. Within the ball of shadows provided by her pyrrippus escort, Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she let her jaw drop as she took in the scene. Fluttershy gasped and froze momentarily. 

“Cerberus!” she cried in anguish. She galloped towards him and gently stroked his side with her hoof. At her touch he perked up, lifting a head. He twisted to give her mane a few sniffs and a lick. His fur was dishevelled and matted with the blood from his wounds, but his shivers died down as Fluttershy tended to him despite the cold. Fluttershy’s heart, which had steadily began to beat faster as she looked at his wounds, finally began to slow again and she gave a small smile.
 
The pyrrippus darted after her. “You might wanna be more careful!” he hissed. “We dunno who’s watchin’!”
 
Fluttershy lowered her head, causing her mane to cover her eyes. “I’m sorry ... But I just had to get to Cerberus when I saw how hurt he was!”
 
The pyrrippus darted his eyes from side to side, looking at the other guards, who stared at the scene before them with wide eyes, blinking slowly. “Well, it seems that you didn’t do too much damage. Emprir Whatsisface isn’t coming out and using his freaky mind-control magic on us, so I guess he didn’t hear anythin’. What are you gonna do after taking care of the giant, three-headed dog?”
 
“I need to get into the castle ... if you don’t mind, that is ...”
 
The pyrrippus smiled. “That can be arranged.”
 
(/)

There was a knock on the library door.
 
“Coming!” called Spike. He rushed to the door and swung it open, revealing a familiar vision of loveliness. Her alabaster coat shone and her purple mane was expertly coiffed.
 
She smiled, lifted a hoof and stopped, frowning at the threshold. She dropped the frown and raised her head again. “Greetings, small Tartarus-abomination!” she rasped before coughing twice.
 
“Rarity?” asked Spike as he raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
 
“I’m actually feeling a bit sick,” said Rarity. “That’s why I was still outside when the Sun went down. And now I’m scared, like the Sun heathen I am.”
 
“What are you talking about, Rarity?” asked Spike. “Didn’t you go to Canterlot?”
 
“I had to change my plans because I was sick,” said Rarity. “May I come inside? It’s not good for us Sun heathens to be out at night. Especially when we’re sick.”
 
“Wha ... Of course you can come in, Rarity,” said Spike. “But why are you talking so weird?”
 
Rarity stepped into the library. “Finally. What kind of library has a threshold which requires permission to cross?”

“Um ...I don’t know what you’re talking about, but do you want some soup, Rarity?” asked Spike. “I can make some.”
 
“I’ll be fine now that I’m out of the cold,” said Rarity. She sniffed. “There’s nopony else here?”
 
“Well, I think Owlowiscious is out hunting, but he might be back already. I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”
 
Rarity’s eyes widened. “Hunting?” she asked in a strained voice.
 
“Yeah. He eats mice … and  … stuff…” he trailed off. “Kind of like Opal. But … he does it outside. I thought you knew that already.”
 
Rarity’s eyes bulged. “Okay,” she squeaked.
 
“Well, I suppose it’s normal for him.” Spike shrugged.
 
“Moving away from such topics,” said Rarity. “I wanted to check upon the Elements, seeing as though I’m here. I just want to make sure they’re safe.”
 
“Sure, Rarity.” He moved over to the display case. “As I promised, I’ve been guarding them really well. Look! They’re right here where they should be!” He waved a claw at the case.
 
Rarity’s eyes quickly darted around the case. “There are only five here!” she squealed. “Where’s the other one?!”
 
“Fluttershy took the Element of Kindness on the train.” He narrowed his eyes. “But you know—“
 
“Sleep!” said Rarity as she gazed into his eyes.
 
Spike swayed and fell to the floor.
 
Rarity’s shape and colour shifted as Star Swirl resumed his real form.
 
Star allowed himself a moment to relax before he rushed over to the door, cracked it open and whispered, “Get inside! I’ve got bad news!”
 
The bushes rustled and Right, Solemn and First crept out and into the library. Solemn closed the door behind them.

“We have a lot more work to do,” said Star.
 
(/)

Cadance fastened crystal barding around her body as she walked down the halls of the Crystal Palace beside Shining Armour. It had an intricate design of many pieces and seemed more delicate than the solid orichalchum plate she was used to. The pieces were shades of light blue, purple and pink and contained floral imagery, with a particularly large bloom at the front and pauldrons with an upward curve that tapered to a point.
 
“It suits you,” he said.
 
“I’m just glad that the former Crystal Queen’s old barding was still around. My orichulchum set would be a bit heavy for me to use well, now that I’m down to standard earth pony strength.”
 
“It just takes training. But maybe it’s only right that the Crystal Princess wears the Crystal Queen’s old barding,” said Shining.
 
“Maybe,” said Cadance as the palace doors swung open.
 
As they marched down the street, Cadance watched as her subjects turned their heads to watch her in the middle of their scramble to get ready. Several were carrying baskets of crystal corn, crystal berries and straw for hats. She was pleased to see that some a few of the civilians had become brave enough to pick up lances to join the guards in jousting, but less pleased that the flugelhorn players had lowered their instruments for a better look. She said, “Keep celebrating!”

A pink mare and a sky blue stallion stopped whispering and gesturing wildly to each other and quickly cantered up to Cadance. “Princess Cadance! What’s going to happen to us!?”asked the stallion.

“Don’t worry,” said Cadance. “We will deal with the threat! Keep up the celebrations.”

They bowed in response and hurried off back to the stalls.
 
Through the barrier, they could see Discord floating next to an alicorn stallion, juggling playing cards which were spontaneously building themselves into a house. When they reached the barrier, they paused. Cadance looked at Shining. “All right. Let’s do this.” Shining gave her a nod as his jaw set as they stepped through the barrier. As they did, the alicorn’s image seemed to change before their eyes.

Cadance blinked at the image of Shining before her. Wasn’t he … ? She turned to her right and saw that he was still next to her as well. He couldn’t be in two places at once. So, what was happening? She turned back and the illusion shattered into pieces like silent glass, falling to the floor and disappearing to reveal the alicorn underneath. It was not Shining. Her eyebrows rose and then she frowned. What a cheap trick! She turned back to her real husband and saw that he was still staring at Morning. She would not let him be stolen from her again. “Look at me,” she whispered.
 
Shining blinked and turned to face her. He blinked again and faced forward once more as the illusion of Cadance was shattered in his own mind.
 
They scowled at Morning. “If you’re here to conquer, Morning, you’ll find that we’re well defended,” Cadance said.
 
Morning raised an eyebrow and Discord blinked as his cards went up in flames. “Morning?” he said. “You--?”
 
Morning’s horn shone brightly and his aura surrounded Discord’s head. Discord stiffened and his eyes enlarged before swirling with pink spirals. He returned to his docile expression as pineapples danced the hula in front of him.
 
“We have some important business to discuss, Discord,” said Morning. “Remove your ears for the duration of the discussion! Do not listen to our conversation!”
 
“If you insist, Fluttershy,” said Discord. He plucked his ears from his head and they joined in on the pineapples’ dance.

Cadance and Shining blinked and shared a quick look.
 
“So,” said Morning, “You’ve seen through my illusion. I suppose that’s because of your company!” He grinned and his eyes glowed. “Maybe I should search deeper for a disguise. Perhaps his sister?” The glow shut off. “Then again, perhaps this is best. I wished to speak with you.”
 
“What do you want to say?” Cadance scowled. “That the world isn’t big enough for the two of us?”
 
Morning’s eyebrows rose. “Why would I want to say that? The world is my treasure chest. The fuller it is, the better. No. I just wanted to learn more about you.”
 
Cadance raised her eyebrow. “Why?” Her voice rose an octave with the question.
 
“I wished to see my successor, godling,” replied Morning. “We are one. I would naturally wish to see my latest incarnation.”
 
“We are nothing alike!” growled Cadance.
 
Morning cocked an eyebrow. “We are two of Venus’s faces. We are of one essence. I may be the superior part of her body, but the other parts are still attached. Still, I need to make sure that you are living up to my glory! Who’s the eye-candy?” He pointed at Shining.
 
“He is my husband!” Cadance growled.
 
“And Commander of these defences!” added Shining. He stomped his hoof in emphasis.
 
“That would explain why you were seeing each other when you looked at me. So, this one’s your favourite. Where are the rest?”
 
Shining frowned. “The rest of what?”
 
“The spouses.”
 
“Spouses?” asked Shining as he raised an eyebrow.
 
“The rest of the harem.” Morning rolled his eyes. “Where is it?”
 
“Harem?” asked Cadance as she raised an eyebrow. Then she lowered it again. “I don’t have a harem!” She stomped a hoof in emphasis.

Shining cocked his head. “Why would Cadance have a harem?”

Morning tilted his head, opened his mouth and raised an eyebrow. “You ... You don’t ... You don’t have a harem!? How incompetent are you!? What kind of alicorn of Venus are you trying to be!?”
 
“A good one,” replied Shining. He gave a satisfied smirk at being on top of the conversation again.
 
Morning snorted. “Cute. Such naïveté. One shouldn’t advise the divine when one is a mere mortal with a mere mortal’s experience!” He turned back towards Cadance. “How are you supposed to attend to your needs without a harem? Your body should be adequate enough to acquire one. This behaviour is disgraceful in my successor!”
 
“I don’t need a harem! Shining is all I need,” said Cadance, lifting her snout and shutting her eyes.

Shining’s smile became more gentle.
 
“Ridiculous!” snorted Morning. “You are a GODDESS! The goddess of Venus, no less! No mortal could survive properly satisfying you by themselves!”
 
Shining blinked and his eyes widened. His mouth opened and he rapidly turned his head between Cadance and Morning.
 
“You’re being ridiculous!” said Cadance as her face reddened dramatically and her cheeks puffed out.
 
“Am I?” asked Morning. “You apparently support ‘monogamy’.” He spat the word as if it tasted like rancid manure. “And yet you married so young. You are a whelp of a godling! Your mane does not even flow with divine power yet!
 
“What’s your point?” asked Shining.
 
“We’re getting there!” said Morning. “When I was an adolescent, the hormones were torture! They always are for those of us chosen by Venus. The idea of spending decades in such a state was repulsive to me. I aged myself with my magic, so that my adolescence lasted mere years. You did the same, didn’t you?”
 
Cadance frowned. “And what if I did?”
 
“Do you remember what it was like to have to wait for a chance to take a lover? You couldn’t bear it, could you? You grabbed the first stallion you could in order to fulfil your needs!”
 
“That’s not true at all!” cried Cadance as she leaned forward. “There were other stallions who tried to woo me! I chose Shining instead!”
 
“And she hasn’t shown any regret,” added Shining with a nod.

Morning raised an eyebrow. “Oh? They really must’ve been of poor quality. I’ve had to learn to deal with the fact that mortals are so disappointingly inferior and have had to make up for quality with quantity. You neglect the rich bounty available in this time period that’s there for your enjoyment. What sort of ruler does not enjoy the riches of her domain?”
 
“Shining is all I need,” said Cadance as her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared.
 
Shining shuffled over until their sides were touching.

“Who settles for what they need?” asked Morning. “One who doesn’t strive for ever greater heights is an inept leader. And you are deluding yourself. You’re still young. As you grow, your power and your need to truly represent Venus will grow with you. You will grow bored with your current consort quickly.”
 
Cadance stamped her hoof. “I’ll never grow bored with Shining! If you couldn’t find somepony like that, I guess that you’re not qualified to choose a good partner, because you put too much effort into chasing any tails that came into your line of sight. That’s pretty unimpressive for a representative of Venus.”

“Hah! She’s got you there!” Shining grinned.

Morning didn’t bother turning towards Shining. “You say that now because you’re uneducated. Something that requires correction. Besides, what about when your current piece of stallion candy dies?”

Shining frowned. “Stop calling me ‘candy’!”

“Or are you so naive that you didn’t think about that?” Morning continued. “What will you do as a lonely widow, further in Venus’s power, with no one to see to your needs? Do you really think you’ll be able to endure it? You who were not born with Venus’s blessing, but had it gifted upon you? No. You delude yourself.”
 
“I’ve coped before.” Cadance swished her mane dismissively.
 
Morning snorted. “Coped well enough that you brute-forced your way to adulthood before you’d even tasted the fruit of flesh that Venus gifted us with. The mortals of this world exist solely for us to enjoy. That is their purpose and the full extent of their meaning. We are their god and ruler, and it is the nature of those below us to serve our whims. The bounty of the pony race, and any other we wish to conquer, is ours to take. You deny who you really are and what your needs are. You’re only going to end up hurting yourself. This flirtation with ... monogamy -” he winced. “- is just that. Something without any real commitment or basis in reality. You use it to tease yourself with fantasies that will only lead to frustration as you realise that you can’t act it out. Gods and mortals are not equal, and to treat them as such is foalishness. We are the gods. We shouldn’t worry if our toys are jealous of the time we spend with other toys, if they feel upset when we outgrow them or if we have to throw them away when we break them.”
 
“You disgust me,” spat Cadance.

The corner of Morning’s mouth lifted. “Then you disgust yourself. I am you. Not just any you, but the you you are meant to grow up into. To one day become. Any deviation is fighting against your true nature. You are Venus’s avatar. Act like it!”
 
“I’ll act like the kind of alicorn I think I should be,” Cadance responded. She slammed a hoof into the ground. She then exhaled, raised her head and closed her eyes.
 
Morning smiled slowly. “Well, now that the catching up is done, let’s discuss business. The Crystal Empire and all within it belong to me by right of conquest. I want it back.”
 
“I’ll never hoof the Empire over to you!” said Cadance as she lowered her head, arched her back and scowled. She stomped a hoof in emphasis.
 
“You say that now,” said Morning, “because you think that it’s what you want. But I don’t believe that to be true, considering the fact that the alternative is that I’ll simply take it. The former option has significant advantages over the latter.”
 
“You’ll never conquer this empire!” Shining insisted. He shook his head. “We’ll defend it! You can’t even get through the barrier!”
 
“I’ll confess that it is interesting that you have a barrier that not even the most powerful draconequus I have ever owned can get through,” said Morning as he lowered his head and slowly blinked. “But I am not Discord. I can be persistent. I have many ideas that I will try in order to get through. And I will be doing something else in the meantime, which will make the eventual breaking of the barrier more unpleasant for you.”
 
“And what is that!?” spat Shining.
 
“In my boundless generosity, I grant wishes for my subjects. I actually find that my abilities are heightened when doing this. I believe that this phenomenon is based on my connection to Venus. And if I can take advantage of this to get more of what I want, so much the better! In exchange, I demand some small token, such as their eternal servitude. As they are practically worthless, I can’t demand too much from them. Another benefit is the amusement I feel when they realise that they worded their wish badly. I’m currently in the process of granting a wish: To make the night last forever.”
 
Shining’s eyes widened. “You’re going to prevent the Sun from rising or block it’s light with the Moon?”
 
“NO!” replied Morning. “I’ve thought of a better way. Let me tell you a bit about Venus. She is sometimes called Earth’s sister or twin, due to their similar sizes. However, Venus is a bed of volcanic activity. It has created a cloud which blocks out the Sun, creating an eternal night. That said, the heat still gets through and can’t escape, creating an environment hot enough to melt lead. In addition, the pressure can crush metal and it rains acid. It also has that wonderful brimstone scent. Therefore, I will grant this request for eternal night by tearing open the landscape and pumping the atmosphere full of volcanic material.”

Shining and Cadance’s mouths slowly opened and their eyes widened as they listened.

“I will create Venus on Earth and then we will truly be sister planets. During this time, I will continue with my project to break through this barrier, assuming that it hasn’t collapsed from dealing with the stresses of an environment it wasn’t designed for. And the further along I will have gotten with Venusforming the planet, the more unsuitable for life the environment that your subjects will suddenly be exposed to will be. Assuming that I have made significant progress, the entire populace of your ‘empire’, as you call this little city, will die messily. Join me early, and I can spare you, your populous and even your little colt-toy there of that fate.” He waved a hoof at Shining.
 
Cadance held a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to fight the nausea.

Shining scowled. “If you’re going to change the environment anyway, surely everypony would be killed anyway.”
 
“We never said that their LIVES would be spared! Just that they’d be spared the fate of dying THAT way! Instead, they’ll be subject to far cleaner ritual sacrifice to the glory of my eternal reign.” Morning smiled.
 
Candance stopped shuddering and scowled. “Who are you going to rule over if everypony is dead?”
 
“There was a time where that would have been something I’d see as a flaw in this plan,” Morning acknowledged as he inclined his head. “But I’ve since discovered that being dead has advantages. I am even hardier than I was last time I walked the Earth. The undead have a lot of stamina. I believe that you’ll find your little trophy-husband more satisfying after I am done with him.”
 
Shining flushed. “I do just fine! I don’t need any help! Especially not in such a disgusting way!”  He stomped his hoof and snorted.

Cadance shuffled closer to Shining. “I am very satisfied with him and don’t want him ‘augmented’. I love him the way he is.”
 
Morning shrugged. “You won’t even have to worry about him getting old and decrepit, before dying of old age, leaving you alone, because he’ll be dead already. This is really a wonderful present I’m offering you. And I myself see no problem with ruling a planet of the dead for all eternity. I can even make one such as you a favoured servant. I can grant you the gift of pleasant, meaningful deaths and convenient transformations. Alternatively, should you resist, I could make a mess and neglect to leave him with his fleshy bits.” He pointed at Shining.
 
“Are you done?” growled Shining as he spread his forelegs, lowered his head and lit his horn.
 
“Just about. Are you ready to accept my generous offer yet?”
 
“No,” replied Cadance.
 
“And we’ll ensure that you never get through this barrier!” added Shining. 

“Oh, this is precious,” laughed Morning. “Your godling has practically none of her divine power left and you believe that the two of you will hinder me? It is true that the occasional mortal prodigy acquires power rivalling that of the gods, and some of them have even slain gods before, though We sincerely doubt that YOU are one of them! Even if you are, We are the perfect being! One of the most powerful alicorns of history and We control one of the most powerful draconequii to have ever lived! We subjugated the pantheon when We were comparatively weak and inexperienced, and now We are better and have disposed of our former, relative, fragility! Against Us, you can—“
 
Shining fired a beam at Morning’s face, which fizzled as it hit the barrier that Morning had just erected.
 
Discord scowled and a fireball formed in his talon, but Morning raised a wing and he calmed down again.
 
Morning frowned. “Attacking while We’re speaking!? Nice try, but it’s not going to make a difference! We’ll refrain from torturing you to death for that for now, as We are a kind ruler and are still interested in having you as a subject! But while I’m willing to give you time to consider my generosity before accepting, but don’t think the fact that you are my successor will stop me from killing both of you for defying me. My parents made that mistake when they believed that I wouldn’t kill them for the throne. Defy me and you will achieve nothing but failure and the demise of yourself and many of your subjects.”
 
“Even if we can’t stop you, Princess Celestia will!” Cadance insisted.
 
Morning smiled. “Princess Celestia, you say? It’s funny that you should mention her. The wish included a desire for me to defeat her. Even assuming that she is superior in combat to myself, Venus will grant my further power to make it easier for me to grant the wish of defeating her. I doubt that she will be a problem. That reminds me though, I have other things I need to do. So long. We’ll be seeing each other again soon.” He turned towards Discord and nodded.
 
Discord’s ears stopped flying around his head like birds and reattached themselves.
 
“It’s time to go back, Discord.”
 
Discord snapped his talon and they were gone in a flash of light.
 

(/)
 
The Four crowded around the display case containing a mere five elements. “Where is it!?” cried First as he pressed his skull against the glass.
 
“Kindness has been taken,” said Star. “We’ll have to grab the others while we have the opportunity and get Kindness later.” His horn glowed and his eyes widened. “These security spells are amazing! Was it an alicorn youth that did this?! Perhaps the one we fought?”
 
“Can you get through them safely?” asked Solemn.
 
Star frowned. “With some help. I’ve disabled enough of the spells that you should be able to rot away the platform.”
 
“Understood,” said Solemn. She crawled under the desk and pressed a bandaged hoof against the wood. It disintegrated at her touch and Star’s aura pulled the Elements out through the hole.

He lifted them into the air and the group stared at them. They allowed their mouths to open as they basked in the Elements’ glory.

Right gulped. “So, it’s finally happening,” she said. “We’re going to be reunited with the Elements again. It almost feels like their should be a ceremony with a speech.”

“While I understand how you feel,” said Solemn, “Luna’s been waiting for us long enough. We need to go ahead and do this.”

Yet even she closed her eyes in anticipation of the rush of returning power as Star placed the necklaces around the necks of their respective bearers and the tiara on his head. They trembled in excitement as their Elements once again returned to their rightful owners. Right was lost in nostalgia and could already imagine the rush of returning power that came from the connection that linked an Element to its Bearer. Once again they would be linked to the mightiest weapons known to ponydom and would be able to retake their places as Equestria’s loyal and greatest defenders.

However, the connection never came. They suddenly opened their eyes and rapidly glanced at each other and their own bodies. The power had never come.
 
Solemn frowned as she looked down at the Element of Honesty. “Something’s wrong.”
 
“I can see that,” said Star. “We never fully understood the Elements. We must be overlooking something. Perhaps the problem is that we’re dead?”
 
“Possibly,” said Solemn as she inclined her head. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions though. There is so much about them we don’t know.”
 
“Well, what else could it be? We know that we’re the rightful bearers of the Elements,” said Star. “We need to recruit living ponies to act in our stead.” He shifted and began to sniff. “Two of my descendants were here earlier. I can smell the same blood that runs through my veins. One of them must be the current Bearer of Magic.”

Solemn stepped forward. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. It seems like a rather large coincidence and you’ve jumped to conclusions before,” added Right.

“I’m positive. I’m a vampire. I know blood. Besides, it’s probably less of a coincidence than you think. I probably have many descendents by now and it makes sense for the Element of Magic to want to stick to descendants of its creators. Plus, the scent of one of them is quite strong. This is probably her home and it would make sense for the Elements to be kept by the Bearer of Magic.”

“While you have a point, we can’t rule other explanations out,” said First.

Star nodded. “Understood, but this is the explanation that makes the most sense and is the most likely. And it gives me an idea for what to try next.”

“I don’t want us to waste time on a wild goose chase when we can’t be sure of what’s going on,” Solemn protested.

“Well, what are our other options?” asked Right. “We can’t wait around forever. Now;’s the time for action!” She thrust a hoof into the air. “If Star has an idea, let’s give it a try! Maybe we’ll be lucky.”

First shrugged. “Let’s at least give it a try. What’s your idea, Star?”

Star smiled. “We will have to find my other descendant. She will be my replacement.”
 
(/)
 
Back in Canterlot, the wave of darkness, which disguised Fluttershy’s approach, reached the doors of the palace.
 
“Who’s there?” demanded a unicorn night guard.

Within the darkness, Fluttershy suddenly crouched to the ground and stepped back while her ears pressed against the sides of her head.
 
“It’s Safe House,” replied the pyrippus who had been guarding Fluttershy.
 
“What’s with the special effects?” asked another pyrrippus who was guarding the door alongside the unicorn.
 
“I’m sneaking somepony in,” replied Safe.
 
“And are you sure it’s who you think it is?” asked the unicorn with a scowl.
 
“See for yourself,” replied Safe. He flicked a wing and the darkness dispelled. “Do you see a yellow pegasus?”

Fluttershy slowly lifted her head and looked up towards the unicorn’s face.
 
The unicorn leaned forward and frowned. “Yes.”
 
“That makes sense,” said Safe. “’Cause that’s what I see too! And I don’t know ‘er, so I don’t know why the pretty stallion would disguise hisself as somepony I don’t know, e’en if I’d seen that pony a’fore.”
 
“Then why’re you bringing her here?” asked the unicorn.
 
“She’s from the windows,” replied Safe as he lifted his head and pointed upwards. “One of them Element Bearers.”
 
“Right,” said the other pyrrippus as he glanced in the same direction. “Thought she looked familiar.”
 
“Seems like she’d be the one to save our rumps,” said Safe.
 
“Is that why you’re here?” asked the unicorn.
 
“I’m on ... a mission from the Princesses,” said Fluttershy, before crouching back down and curling her ears.
 
“Then come on in!” said the second pyrrippus with a wave of his hoof.
 
Fluttershy glanced from guard to guard. “Aren’t ... you coming with me?”
 
“We can’t,” replied the second pyrrippus. “We might betray each other the second we see our new emperor. Stay away from everypony and you might stand a chance.”
 
“You’ll betray each other?” Fluttershy squeaked.

“His Highness does funny stuff to our heads,” said Safe as he twirled his hoof around his ear. “You’ll be safer without us.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I understand.” She walked through the door, shaking as she went.
 
(/)

Star led his friends though the darkened streets of Ponyville by his nostrils and the light of his horn. He paused in front of a door to an apartment block. “This is strange,” he said as he lifted an eyebrow.
 
“What is it?” asked Solemn.
 
“This stable seems rather public,” replied Star.
 
“You can cross the threshold?” asked Solemn, the bandages above her eyes lifting.
 
“Let’s find out,” said Star. The door opened under Star’s telekinetic power and he stepped over the threshold.
 
“Wha-!?” came a grunt. “Who’s there!?”
 
Star Swirl turned to face the sleepy earth stallion in a security uniform yawning as he lifted his head from his desk. Star looked into his eyes. “You don’t see anything.”
 
The guard’s eyes went blank and he nodded slowly.
 
“Come in!” Star flicked his head to beckon his companions.
 
The guard stared blankly as a procession of undead walked through the atrium. They climbed the stairs while Star continued to sniff. They walked along the passageway on the second floor until Star froze and held up a hoof.
 
“This is it,” he said, pointing at the door. His horn glowed as a hemisphere of pink light surrounded them, blocking them off from everything but the door and the section of floor they were standing upon. First knocked on the door.
 
The Four tensed up in anticipation and they gritted their teeth as they waited. A jingle soon approached the door which then opened. Star Swirl the Truthseeker glanced through the door, her eyes wide under her hat.
 
Right’s barding dropped down and grabbed her, yanking into the midst of the group while the barrier sealed around her. Star telekinetically took her from Right who reassembled herself.

Star exhaled in relief.
 
Star Swirl squealed and flailed her legs. “Heeeeelp!” she called out.
 
“Hold her more firmly,” First hissed as he examined her. “Don’t let her hurt herself.”
 
The wriggling stopped, yet her limbs remained under strain. “Let me go!” she growled.
 
“No,” replied Right. “You have been conscripted for an important service to Equestria.” She tilted her head and stared at the younger Star Swirl. “You can tell that she’s your descendant, Star, even without a horn. Somepony skips leg day.”
 
“I’ll scream!” Star Swirl warned.
 
“Try,” replied Star.
 
“Aaaaaaaaah! …” She stopped, closed her eyes and sighed. “The barrier is soundproof, isn’t it?”
 
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t have prepared for that, did you?” Star Swirl raised an eyebrow.
 
“It’s very impressive,” Star Swirl admitted. “Please put me down.” She stopped struggling.
 
“Sorry,” said Solemn. “We can’t risk that.” She lowered her head and closed her eyes.

“Why not?”

“We don’t want to have to recapture you,” replied Solemn.

“Isn’t the fact that you need me captured an indication that there’s something wrong with this arrangement?” asked Star Swirl.
 
“Only because you have yet to be educated on the importance of this mission.” Right lifted a hoof and pointed it back down the corridor. “Onward! There is more we need to achieve!”
 
They walked while Star Swirl hung limply in her ancestor’s aura. She waved her hooves rapidly and cried. “This is very undignified!”
 
(/)
 

Star Swirl struggled in her ancestor’s aura as they passed the security guard’s oblivious gaze. “Unhoof me!” she cried. “Ponies shouldn’t be treated this way!”
 
The door opened under Star’s aura and as they walked through, he said, “I am your ancestor. You should listen to me. It is appropriate.”
 
“This isn’t an appropriate way to treat your descendant!” She waved her forelegs as she spoke.
 
Right looked up at her. “This is a matter of national security. You have been conscripted to Princess Luna’s guard. It is your duty to Equestria and a service you need to perform.”
 
“I saw Princess Luna this morning! She doesn’t need me to join her guard! She. Is. Fine!” She folded her hooves and puffed out her cheeks.
 
Star shook his head. “The ponies of this time are so naïve. Even my own descendant believes Celestia’s deceptions.”
 
Star Swirl scowled and puffed her cheeks in a pout. “Princess Celestia isn’t doing anything like that! Besides, I’m not a guard.”
 
“I noticed,” said Right as she pointed at Star Swirl’s legs. She turned to the older Star Swirl. “She has those in common with you.”
 
Star rolled his eyes. “We can’t all be jocks.”

“We need you to fill a very specific void,” said Solemn.
 
“Equestria is in danger and we need your help to save it,” added Right. “You’re filling in for Star and wielding the Element of Magic!”
 
Star Swirl’s eyes widened. “No! It wouldn’t be my place to replace Bearer Twilight Sparkle! Besides, I wouldn’t make a good Bearer of Magic.”
 
“Don’t be ridiculous!” scoffed Star. “You’re my descendant! How could you not make a great Bearer of Magic!?”
 
Star Swirl went limp to the point that her head flopped from lack of neck support while her eyes lowered and her lips drooped.
 
Star cocked an eyebrow. “This isn’t about the fact that you’re not a unicorn, is it? Because the idea that only unicorns can wield the Element of Magic is completely ridiculous! All life has magic! I’ve seen what Right can do!”
 
“What!?” asked Star Swirl as she lifted her head and frowned. “Of course not! I meant that it didn’t suit me specifically! There are better earth pony candidates out there.”
 
“Oh? Well, then you’re simply wrong,” said Star.
 
Star Swirl drooped again and she let out an exaggerated sigh. Star slowly lowered her to the ground and placed the Element of Magic on her head.

The Four leaned forward with widened eyes and bit their lips. Then they slumped.
 
Star tilted his head. “No reaction.”
 
Star Swirl looked up. “That’s what I’ve been trying to say!”
 
“Could we have overlooked something?” asked Solemn.
 
Star lowered his head. “Of course! ‘When the five are gathered, a spark will cause the sixth element to appear’! The bearer after me cracked that part. We need to gather the other bearers first.”
 
“That isn’t going to help,” said Star Swirl as she closed her eyes and shook her head.
 
“We’ll see,” said Star.
 
“This still leaves the matter of finding five other bearers for her to make friends with,” said Solemn.
 
“True,” said Star, frowning. “We’ll need to look for some clues to who else will be compatible.”
 
Right snorted. “A mere scavenger hunt! We’ve overcome far worse!”
 
“Follow me,” First said. He flicked his skull and walked around the building.
 
The others raised their eyebrows and looked at each other before they followed, Star Swirl floating behind them.
 
“Here it is!” said First before he lifted the lid off a bin.
 
“What are you doing!?” asked Right.
 
“You can learn a lot from what ponies think is junk,” replied First as he began to rummage. “Aha!” He pulled out a newspaper. “What’s this?” He looked at Star Swirl and tilted his skull.
 
“It’s a newspaper,” she sighed. “The Foal Free Press.”
 
“And what’s a newspaper?” asked Solemn as she turned to face Star Swirl.
 
“It reports events that have occurred to the public,” replied Star Swirl with a shrug. “You read it to find out what’s going on. Maybe you should read it to find out how insane you are.”
 
“Like a street crier. I see. And who is in charge of this ‘newspaper’?” asked First.
 
“I suppose that would be the editor,” replied Star Swirl.
 
First returned his gaze to the newspaper and leaned in close. “I see. They sound like exactly the sort of pony we need to meet.”