> Sunset
>  by Ciroton
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A dark and stormy night: the perfect time to tamper with the universe's laws. Or so Celestia thought to herself. She couldn't explain why, despite her long years, but something just felt... right... about the whole thing. Maybe years of loneliness had finally driven her off the deep end? No, she was still quite sane. It wasn't like she was totally alone either. Sure, she had grovelling servants at her beck and call, but they were always far too formal for her tastes.

"Dear sister," Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, Regent of the Sun spoke to a dusty old painting on the wall. "In twenty short years, you will return with well-deserved indignation. Curse Nightmare for twisting you like he did!" She slammed a hoof into the wall, knocking the picture of the smiling alicorn off balance. She frowned slightly and nudged it back into place with her muzzle.

The ancient mare closed her eyes and sighed, inhaling the scent of the oils from the painting as she breathed. "Don't you worry though; your big sister has a plan." A curt, and frankly creepy, smile spread across her face, thankful no pony was up at this time of night. Turning away from the face of her little sister, she began to trot down the hall, humming a happy tune to herself that echoed off the hallowed halls of Canterlot.

For years now, she had been reading up on a series of ancient and complicated spells. She had memorized all the steps, all the requirements, everything she would need. It would be much easier if she could get a volunteer, but she didn't like the idea of destroying a living pony for her own selfish needs. Besides, not just anypony would do. No commoner could ever hope to help her beloved little sister.

Trotting downstairs, past the darkest, most dank dungeon she possessed, she came to a dead-end. With a pink glow of her horn, the stone turned to wood and yielded to her, swinging open to reveal more stairs, leading to the lowest level of Canterlot. Torches magically came to life, illuminating the winding staircase as she descended. The air down here was musky and cool despite the summer's heat, cold enough for her to see her own breath as she came to the bottom.

She felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature as she clopped her way into the dark, dim room. Down here, she had stored the most evil of tomes and the worst of all spells she could find. Normally, she wouldn't dare step hoof down here, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Her mane and tail wafted in the omnipresent solar wind, hoofsteps echoing off the walls as she gathered the supplies.

A bucket of clay, a pail of water, a sculptor's chisel: all would be used to finish her creation. Using her magic, the princess of the sun unlocked a cupboard and levitated her masterpiece in the centre of the room. Years of hard work and patience were about to come to a head, at long last. Sure, she was no Pony d'Angelo: that much was for certain. Still, she beamed at her creation and hoped for it to beam back at her.

She was a unicorn mare made of naught but clay, with a straight and orderly mane and tail. It had taken the princess the better part of a century to get her this far, learning all about sculpting the entire way. In some ways, she would miss her little hobby, but in others she would be happy to finally finish her off once and for all. Celestia hummed to herself as she worked, giving the mare some more definition in her face, etching lines in her cheek from her smiling face.

In her mind, she imagined the little unicorn springing to life, hugging her like the mother she never had. Well, actually, she would be her mother anyway, so it all worked out nicely. A chuckle and a smile snuck past her lips at the thought, warmth spreading through her body that steeled her from the chill of the room. Bit by bit, the chunks of soft clay fell onto the floor at her hooves, the utensils moving to her magical whims.

Tonight would be the night; she could feel it. After about an hour of combing over the unicorn's details, the princess stepped back to admire her work. If it weren't for the clay, a pony could mistake her for being real; just as she hoped. "I do believe you are my greatest creation, little one." Celestia spoke to her clay mare. "Even more impressive then Canterlot itself, I would say."

The Princess beamed with more pride then when she took control of the sun from her mother those six thousand years ago. If only she could be here today to see her greatest triumph! Not only had she created a masterpiece sculpture, but soon she would create the perfect vessel for her dear Luna's spirit to be poured into. Then, she could kill Nightmare Moon with nothing to hold her back, and finally apologize for not paying enough attention to her beloved sister.

She almost felt pity for a moment, since she would basically be creating a life for the sole purpose of dying. But then she reminded herself that the mare staring at her would have no destiny and no spirit. Celestia perked up a little bit at this rationalization. Besides, she could be honest with her so that it wouldn't hurt the filly. That would make everything morally right... right? With a shake of her head, the princess shook off the moral dilemma; she had more important things to take care of right now.

"Right," the mover of the sun spoke. She closed her eyes in focus, the most difficult part still ahead. Out of another cupboard, a stick of white chalk floated out and began to draw an intricate archaic design on the cold stone floor. Meanwhile, a small dagger emerged from the same place, floating over lazily to its mistress. Celestia poured her heart into the chalk. If even one symbol was out of place, it could have potentially disastrous results.

Several minutes passed as she manipulated the chalk, working it down to nothing more but a stub by the time she finished. The circle around the two figures was composed of complex sigils, meant to focus and amplify her godly magic of the sun. Not even she could create life like her great-great-grandfather, so she needed to resort to this. The white runes began to glow as the princess radiated magic into it, growing brighter and brighter still until the darkest corners of the room became lit.

Cautiously, Princess Celestia stepped over to the clay pony, dagger drifting behind her. She smiled, still elated by her work and raised the dagger to her long forehoof. She winced slightly as she felt the cool metal blade pierce her flesh, crimson blood trickling down the tempered steel. Extracting it with a prick, she held the wound over her clay creation, and let a few drops of royal blood dribble onto her back and on her face. Satisfied, she stepped back and summoned some bandages to wrap around the voluntary wound.

"So it begins," Celestia started, raising her voice so that it reached the top of the high vaulted ceiling. She welded her eyes shut once more in concentration, uttering an incantation in a long-dead language. Her voice echoed off the walls of the empty room, nearly throwing her concentration off as she tried to recite the complicated spell purely from memory. Her majesty expected this, as she planned everything out five steps ahead and kept countless back-ups for each plan.

Celestia's eyes opened, her kind purple eyes replaced with an eerie white glow, obscuring them from behind a veil of magic. The magic circle became blindingly bright, but the princess remained transfixed on the clay pony. She dived deep into her body and felt the source of her magic, calling upon the sun itself. With the limitless energy of a billion explosions, her horn rocketed energy towards the inanimate pony.

The next thing Princess Celestia knew, she was lying on the cold, damp floor of the vault, exhausted, but still able to move. Had it worked? Did she actually do it? Straining her ears she heard raspy breathing that wasn't her own, but there were groans and moans as well. A strange musk, more prominent then the usual, hung in the air. It smelled familiar, but she couldn't recall no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes fluttered open, and the sight before her eyes nearly made her vomit.

Lying in the middle of the circle was a twitching mass of flesh and bone. It gurgled sickly as blood escaped various openings in its pink and bloodied body. The whole mass twitched with a groan that pierced the princesses' heart. Celestia pulled herself off the ground and considered the mass. It was alive, but deformed. She must have messed up the form quadrant of the circle. She took a deep breath and stepped lively around the quivering mass.

Sure enough, she found the problem and quickly erased the offending runes before going back to where she once stood, ignoring the abomination before her. "Take two," she spoke into the nothingness before summoning her strength again. The princess found the second run through of the spell wasn't as taxing on her as the first, but still passed out after she cast it.

This time, in the middle of the circle was a miniature version of the pony she crafted. She was a beautiful filly with a purple coat and navy blue mane, sleeping soundly and happily on the floor. Celestia could not suppress a grin that spread over her face at her success. Sure, she hoped for a full-grown unicorn and not a foal, but it was a far sight better than her first attempt. Ah well, she would grow.

But then the gears in her brain clicked. A new fully grown Unicorn in the castle could easily be explained, but a foal? That would raise far too many questions then she found herself comfortable with. This simply wouldn't do at all, and she wasn't sure where she went wrong this time. The princess needed to act, and fast. Already, she could feel the moon getting low in the night sky.

Thankfully for her, she knew exactly what she would do. She quickly trotted over to the sleeping foal and closed her eyes in concentration. The princess' horn came to life again and felt all over the sleeping little pony before her.  And happily, the filly contained no physical anomalies, meaning the process was a complete success despite the lack of age. Prodding into the sleeping pony, however, the princess saw something she didn't account for; the pony had overwhelming magic, where a void of spirit should have been, and would be unsuitable to hold her sister.

Her attempt to cheat the universe had failed.

It was too late to take it back though. This would simply have to do for now. The Princess had to make a last-minute change to her plan, but if it meant keeping her subjects safe, then so be it. Celestia concentrated one last time on the young filly, almost ready to pass out again as she was. A white light enveloped the golem-filly, her purple coat sparkling in the dimly lit room. Her spell was two-fold; one to keep her asleep and alive, the second... well, that needed to be seen.

Using the last bit of magic she could spare, Princess Celestia teleported in a wink of light, appearing back in her royal chambers. It was almost time to lower the moon and make way for the dawn, the storm of the previous night having finally cleared. If any pony came around, she would tell them that she simply wasn't feeling well today and couldn't perform her usual duties. "Have a good day, my darling little sister," Celestia spoke as her horn glowed once more, the rest of her strength spent on raising the sun.

Exhausted, the Princess of Equestria climbed onto her soft bed. The pillows and mattress were stuffed with solidified clouds, causing her to melt into her bed with a content sigh as the wisps of sleep quickly swept around the majestic alicorn. Glimmering in the early morning light, the frame of her gilded bed sparkled intently, meant to impress despite that few would ever see this royal sanctuary. She shut her eyes and quickly fell asleep, dreaming of the reunion with Luna, who she missed more than anything else.

~*///*///*///*~

Over the next couple of days, the Princess became aloof and detached from her subjects. Her mind raced with methods to revise her plan, since her creation was unable to hold a spirit like she intended. It was a minor set-back, given the time she still had, even if it wasn't a lot to a being like her. Eventually, she settled on a plan, granted it was a big gamble and would leave a lot to chance. Sadly, if she wanted her Luna back, it would have to do.

Celestia pondered hard about whom to give the unicorn foal in the basement to. They would need to be married and be close enough to her to trust with the truth.  Only two names sprung to mind as she pretended to pay attention to some random colt blathering on about... well, she had forgotten what exactly. She smiled to herself, the stallion taking it as a positive reaction to his idea, or whatever it was. It didn't matter, she could request the minutes later.

As soon as the petitioner turned tail and left her throne room, she motioned to one of her royal messengers to approach. The colt was of strong build, boasting a yellow coat and an aqua mane. It was refreshing to see such bright colourations on ponies these days.  He bowed low as he finished climbing the steps, like all the others. "What can I do for you, your highness?" he asked.

"Go out and find Mrs Shimmer Tail and Mr Night Wind," Princess Celestia started. "Tell them to meet me in my office as soon as possible. They are residents of Canterlot and reside at number thirty-five Oat Crescent."

The messenger quirked a brow at the odd request, since the princess rarely summoned ponies who did not already reside in the castle. Still, despite the confusion, an order was an order and with another bow, he replied, "It will be done, your majesty." With that, he too turned tail and left the throne room.

With all of her appointments finished for the day, the Princess retired to her office for the night. Along the way, an advisor trotted along-side, and slightly behind her, briefing her on the latest news from Parliament. She played nice and pretended to care what he had to say, but in reality her mind was elsewhere. It wasn't long before she and her small entourage came to her study. "If you'll excuse me, I wish to be alone for now," she spoke to the advisor. He gave a quick bow and trotted off, hoof steps echoing as he went.

She opened the wooden double doors with her magic and stepped inside her office. The room, on first entry, proved uncharacteristically dark, red velvet curtains drawn across three massive windows on the opposite wall. As she stepped beyond the threshold of door, the curtains sprung open, bathing the room in the afternoon light of the sun. In front of the windows sat the focal point of the room; a large, darkly stained desk made of a long-extinct wood. Carved into the legs on the sides were figures of all the different kinds of ponies, and anything related to the sun.

Celestia rounded the desk, one of the few things in this world older then her, and sat behind it, examining the room in a passing glance. A marble fireplace sat to her left in the middle of the room, not as intricate as the desk, but still rather impressive in the designs on the face. On top of it sat many pictures in gilded frames, some of them rather horrid in quality, but she loved them all the same.  Of every student she ever had, the princess would select the best drawing they made and mount it so that she could always see it and remember them.

Along the walls of the office sat portraits of family members; her mother and father, and all the previous Regents of the Sun. Missing from the collection was a picture of her dear sister, but having her in here would distract her from her work. Along the sides of the room sat countless drawers for paperwork and other various tools she needed for her trade. The walls themselves were a bright, yet bearable yellow and the floor carpeted in royal blue.

On top of the ancient desk, Celestia liked to keep it relatively clean. Most of the space was dedicated to papers in her "to-do" pile and others in her "finished" pile. Other then papers, the only thing she kept on her desk lay a bottle of ink and a quill. The desk was for business, the rest of the room could have personal flare to it. In front of the desk sat a small coffee table the princess kept mainly for visitors to place drinks or various other items they brought with them. Today, however, a vase with a single sunflower in it sat on the small table.

All too soon, a rapping came upon her door, she could gather a guess, but etiquette demanded she at least ask. "Yes, what is it?" Celestia spoke to the oak doors.

"Mrs Shimmer Tail and Mr Night Wind to see you, your highness," the guard replied.

"Show them in," the princess finished, straightening the piles of papers and laying down her quill hastily.  The two unicorns showed themselves inside and bowed to her. The female of the pair had a white coat, although not as bright as hers, with baby blue eyes and a two-tone mane of white and purple. Her flank bore the mark of three purple stars while her husband bore the mark of two crescent moons, the smaller inside the larger. The stallion sported amber eyes, a deep blue coat that reminded her somewhat of her sister, and a deeper blue mane.

The pair looked, quite frankly, confused by her summon and rightly so. As soon as the door shut, the princess closed the curtains, activating a spell that would trap all sound inside the room, the fireplace springing to life. The two looked a little startled by the sudden bursts of magic, but sat in front of the desk, flanking the coffee table. "I'm so glad you could both come on such short notice," Princess Celestia started. "I'm sorry if I startled you, but this is a sensitive matter. It must not leave this room and, in fact, cannot even be discussed between the two of you once you leave. Understood?"

The mare and the colt looked stunned for a second, but quickly nodded their heads in understanding. "So, why did you call us here, Princess?" The colt of the pair asked.

"I will make a long story short," the princess started. "A couple of nights ago, I tried something I shouldn't have. I created life through magical means for an important purpose. However, things didn't go quite as planned. I planned to make a grown mare, but instead I obtained a newborn foal. I know you and Shimmer here are trustworthy, so I'm hoping you'd take this foal in and raise her like your own."

The mare looked wide-eyed when the princess finished her spiel and looked at her husband, considering. Although no words passed between the two, Celestia could tell they debated in silence and she kept it for them. Before long, Shimmer Tail spoke. "We're not sure if we're ready, or able to raise a foal, Princess. I mean, we're flattered you thought of us, but we're not sure if we can do it."

"I have faith in you both. Besides, sooner or later, I expect this foal to discover and become very interested in magic. When she starts to show this potential, try to enroll her at the academy and you won't have to worry about her anymore," the Regent of the Sun replied.

"Well..." the mare spoke. "I suppose we could grow to love her." She cast a nervous glance at her husband who nodded in confirmation.

"Excellent," the princess nodded. Her eyes closed as her horn dazzled for a brief moment. "When you get home, you'll find the filly asleep in a cradle. I turned your spare room into her room, if you don't mind. Please, it's important that you take good care of her."

"We will, your majesty," the colt voiced and nodded. Together, the two backed out of her study, the curtains still drawn.

"Remember, you can't discuss this. Not even between yourselves once you leave this room. Understand?" She smiled as the two unicorns nodded in reply. Celestia's horn glowed once more as the curtains opened and the door unlocked, the new adoptive parents off to say hello to their new daughter. At last, the princess breathed a sigh of relief. She'd be free of worrying about that little mass in the darkest basement of the castle.

~*///*///*///*~

Days and weeks quickly turned into months and years for the ancient alicorn as she continued down her slow river of life. It only seemed like yesterday that she became re-united with the small unicorn she created, given the name 'Twilight Sparkle' by her adoptive parents. Now that she had her under her watchful gaze, the princess glowed when she realized how good a student she was and how hard she aimed to please her.

Celestia sat in the bathtub, enjoying a good bubble bath, and a trashy novel. Call it a guilty little pleasure, but she had grown fond of those stories, just like how she had grown fond of her gol... of her student. The warm water released the tension in her muscles, allowing her to feel more relaxed than she had in ages. She deserved a little time to herself, especially since the next day would be the eve of the one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration.

Feeling extremely relaxed, the princess closed her eyes and let herself sink further into the tub, muzzle barely above the surface of the bubbly water. Suddenly, a wisp of green smoke nosily entered her bathroom and appeared before her in the form of a letter. The princess managed to catch the scroll before it landed in the water with her magic, emerging from the pleasantly warm water with a sigh.

Twilight was a wonderful student, but sometimes she could simply be too nosey for her own good. Unfurling the letter, the princess wondered what in this world simply couldn't wait.

My dearest teacher, the letter started.

My continuing studies of pony magic have lead me to discover that... something really bad is about to happen. For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is, in fact, Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria and bring with her eternal night. Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true! I await your quick response.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia attributed the first sentence to Spike's lack of vocabulary, as something more like 'threshold' or 'precipice' suited her student more. Still, it made her beam at just how easily she managed to connect the dots about the story of the Elements of Harmony and the Mare in the Moon. Never mind how she figured out just how close her release was. Normally, she'd let something like this stew, at least until her bath finished, but this time, she summoned a new scroll, quill and ink and sent her a hasty reply to stop nosing in those dusty old books.

It was about time that Twilight joined the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony in Ponyville. She tried to relax again, but the princess found she couldn't stop her mind from buzzing. Her bath utterly ruined, Celestia jumped out of the draining tub and dried off with a sigh. How could she send her early without rousing suspicion? The cogs turned again as she entered her bedroom, she could always appoint her the overseer for the preparations... yes, that would do nicely.

~*///*///*///*~

If she was one to brag, Celestia would boast to any pony she knew about the simple elegance of her final plan. How foolish she had been when she first created that golem... when she first made Twilight. But she couldn't scold herself too much over that, as the young unicorn reminded the princess of herself when she was a few millennia younger. The princess had it all arranged so that most of the bearers would have a job to do for the celebration, and that she would have to meet them all before the day was out... except, of course for the Element of Laughter, as she would probably find Twilight on her own.

Standing in the midst of the Ponyville Mayor's Office, the princess awaited the big event. Many would think of this as raising the sun for the small congregation, but no pony really knew her real anxiety, save one. The office was a modest little room for a modest little town, dimly lit by the moonlight. The princess of the sun could see the usual filing cabinets, calendars, papers, quills and the like scattered in their various spots of the room, this mayor obviously one for protocol and tidiness.

Looking out the large window behind the desk, the princess watched helplessly as the four stars began to draw closer to the moon with increasing haste, eager to revive their felled mistress. For the first time in centuries, Celestia allowed a frown to cross her regal face, her head lowered in shame as she remembered her failure those many years ago. However, unseen by the mourning princess, the stars had finally converged, the moon flashing quickly, erasing the Mare in the Moon from existence.

Celestia didn't need to look: she could feel the new presence in the room with her. It seeped whispers of cold midnight, enveloping her. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Celestia," came a low and harsh voice echoing controlled rage. She didn't look... she couldn't look at the mare her beloved little sister had become, for she wasn't her darling Luna then. "No witty reprise? No sneak attack? I daresay the years have made you weaker then I imagined."

"I do have something to say to you, Nightmare Moon," the princess started with great control, still not turning to her to save face. If she could see the tears dripping off her muzzle, she'd never live it down. "Do not underestimate the purple unicorn."

The next thing she knew, Celestia heard a chorus of insane laughter, and a flash of bright light. What struck her first about her new surroundings was the sudden heat. A curt smile appeared on her lips, as she laughed at the irony; so much like her beloved little sister. She stood on a platform made of magic, standing above a sea of roaring energy and below a curtain of stars. The only thing stopping her from bursting into flames from the sheer heat of the sun was her divinity and immortality.

So she stood for hours and hours, not moving a single inch. Below her, the sun roared in all its mighty glory, though no pony back home could see it due to Nightmare Moon. Although she only stood there for a couple of hours, they felt like eons to the princess. She could never imagine how much worse it had been for Luna; not only the time, but how close home was. From here, the world was but a blue dot, to Luna, it would have been a massive blue sphere, taunting her mercilessly.

At long last, Celestia felt the oppressive magic finally lift, but she stood still, allowing a few minutes for her to recompose herself, wiping new tears off her muzzle. She tuned her ears to where she knew the final battle took place, looking for a good point to make a theatrical entrance. The princess let a light smile replace her frown as she heard the young foals comment each other on the new adornments thay had acquired.

"Gee, Twilight," spoke the Element of Honesty. "I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Friendship!"

That was her cue, using her magic; she sent her omnipotent voice screaming through space and towards the young fillies. "Indeed, you do." Like Nightmare Moon before her, the princess concentrated with all her might, raising the sun to peek over the horizon of Equestria and appeared before the young ponies in a ball of brilliant sunlight that briefly overshadowed the sun itself, literally beaming with pride at the student.

As she emerged from the sphere of magic, she flared her wings, the other ponies bowing to her as Twilight ran over to her and embraced her. Although she couldn't say so, Celestia had never felt such pride before in her life. It took all her strength to stop tears of joy from leaving her eyes yet; she would save those for her sweet sister. Twilight had worked so hard that she decided to answer her question truthfully, telling her how she saw Nightmare Moon's return and how she had to make some friends and allow true friendship into her heart to stop her.

"... now if only another will, as well," Celestia spoke sadly, drifting from her spiel. "Princess Luna." Over on the other side of the room, the familiar blue alicorn opened her eyes with a gasp at the voice of her older sister. Her eyes narrowed in sick anticipation of what her sister would do to her for being such a fool... for letting such darkness take hold over her heart and twist her so.

"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. It's time to put our differences behind us." The princess of the sun got down and laid in front of Luna, to show her how sorry she was without making her crane her head up to see the tears forming in her purple eyes. "We were meant to rule together, little sister." The ponies behind them exclaimed softly at this revelation. It only served to remind them of exactly how much time had passed; that their relationship had been smudged by time's hoof.

"Will you accept my friendship?" Celestia begged, standing to her full height once more, ignoring the others. Right here, right now, only the two alicorns existed, everything else in another universe entirely.

After what felt like another millennium, Luna finally looked her in the eyes, tears slipping down her midnight cheeks. "I'm so sorry!" The princess of the moon exclaimed, jumping up to meet her, embracing her lovingly. "I missed you so much, big sister!" It was the straw that broke the pony's back; a cascade of tears slipped down Celestia's alabaster face, the happiest she had been in over one thousand years.

"I've missed you too." More sincere words were never spoken before, or since.

At last, they were together. At last, she could finally be happy. At last, they were a family again, and she could look to the future in all its glory.

Or so she thought.
> Twilight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

         Twisted laughter and scared ponies filled her sight and sound. The laughter wasn't her own, yet it echoed forth from her muzzle. Her wings flapped lazily as she was kept aloft, drinking in the fear of the crowd like a pony who hadn't had any water in a week. Inside, she begged them to run, but her face defiantly twisted into a wicked grin as an unearthly white pony flew up to her. It was happening again.

When I was a little filly and the sun was going down...

Everything changed before her teal eyes, the cowering mass and enraged white mare blurred and spun, turning around before coming to a stop. In front of her rested the body of a large alicorn, slumped on the bed, eyes closed as a final breath passed her yellowed lips. She could not help but let a tide of tears slip as she realised that the pony was gone... that her suffering was over.

The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown...

It shifted again, the dead pony stretching out and turning everything a sickening shade of grey. Before her stood massive pillars of grey rock, under a veil of stars. She was so lonely here, a fact made worse by the sickening blue marble dangling in front of her. Oh how it teased her so, reminding her how much of how no pony needed her. In their insolent eyes, she was less then worthless to them.

I'd hide under my pillow, at what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all...

The blue marble suddenly became impossibly bright, the colour deluding and spreading across her field of vision. A familiar shape rested in the middle of the oppressive glare, wings flared in triumph before it slipped from the sky. She was awed beyond all compare, and overjoyed that, one day she too would be able to pull of such a feat, if only in her own unique way.

She said "Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall; learn to face your fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh to make them disappear..."

A final scene danced across her vision. Two young foals, one white with a pink mane and the other, blue with a lighter blue mane frolicked in the grass and flowers of an ancient, yet homely castle, their adoring parents watching over them as they took a break from the routine. The smaller pony tried to jump onto the older foal's back, but missed and face planted into the dirt. Emerging from the bed of flowers, the little pony smiled and laughed at how silly she looked.

So, giggle at the ghostie, guffaw at the grossly, crack up at the creepy, woof it up with the weepy, chortle at the kooky, snortle at the spooky...

The rest of the ethereal music faded into the blackness as she found herself coming to from a long, restful night's sleep. Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna of Equestria, Regent of the Moon yawned as she stretched out her forehooves , the light of her sister's sun dancing across her new chambers. She frowned a little to herself, having obviously been too tired to wake up and lower the moon with her.

It had been nearly a year since her return to Equestria, and still visions of her time as Nightmare Moon haunted her dreams. Thankfully, the pink pony's song would come to her mind at the right moment and spare her from the nightmare. Getting out of bed, Luna walked into the bathroom to begin her new daily ritual. So much had changed in such a brief time that the younger princess found it all almost completely overwhelming.

A new capital, the creation of Parliament, and indoor plumbing topped up her list of the most radical changes to the country during her interrment in the moon. Since the days of the creator, the capital for all the nation had been a modest little town and castle named Equira, now only known as 'The Ancient Castle of the Pony Sisters'. Canterlot, however, was much larger and far more grand than their ancient home.

Luna emerged from her room feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a new day. Celestia had insisted that she change her sleeping habits to better integrate herself into modern society. In some ways, the younger princess missed her night, but became relieved when she saw the ponies no longer lived by the old 'sunrise to sunset' standard. Now, ponies stayed up until all manners of time in the night, and this made her feel a little more appreciated.

"Good morning, your highness," chirped a friendly voice as the princess of the moon made her way down to a late breakfast. It was a small, wine-red unicorn mare with a darker red mane and rosy red eyes, wearing a maid's uniform, like many others in the castle.

"Ah, good morning, Sable," Luna nodded to her bow. Sable was one of the few ponies who actively tried to socialize with her. Sometimes she thought her sister had put her up to it, at first anyway. Over time, the princess had to admit they had grown as close as a servant and royalty could, and in some ways, more. The unicorn was one of her only friends.

"I trust you slept well, princess?" She smiled when Luna nodded in a reply. "Excellent, I'm glad to hear that. Princess Celestia sent me to get you, since she received a new letter from her student. If you feel like reading it with her, of course." A good morning suddenly became great to the midnight princess as she trotted down the halls, changing course to her sister's chambers. Any time to spend with Celestia was golden time to her, even if she found Twilight's letters a little on the boring side.

As they walked, the princess glanced through a doorway, felled columns and worker ponies inside, attempting repairs. Luna chuckled as she continued on her way at the memories of her sister recalling the night to her just last week. Her small smile spread into a full grin, remembering how she told her sister that a boring event like that needed some way to liven it up. Just as the memory finished playing out, the princess of the moon found herself at her sister's chamber door.

~*///*///*///*~

It was a glorious and sunny spring afternoon in Ponyville. Birds chirped happily in the trees, and critters ran across the ground, searching for shelter from the lingering cold nights. Unfortunately for the resident tailor, this also meant a tide of vermin swarming into her boutique, threatening her schedules as well as her dresses... and her sanity to boot. Rarity was at the end of her rope as she walked the cobbled streets of town towards the library. She needed help and who better than the town's librarian?

Twilight had to have some sort of book on getting rid of the vermin who recently decided to take up residence in her business. She didn't care so much as to the how, so much as the results. Of course, she couldn't tell Fluttershy if the only course would be to... exterminate them. Walking into the library, the white unicorn saw what could only be defined as simply ghastly!

Books were strewn about the floor, not exactly unusual considering the librarian, but what did shock her was the thick coat of dust on some of the piles. Obviously, the purple unicorn never heard the words 'spring cleaning' in her life. In fact, Rarity wouldn't have been surprised if she found out Twilight had a vermin problem as well, under all that mess.

"Twilight!" the unicorn exclaimed. "You simply must do some cleaning around here! This is a library, not a book depository!" A trapdoor down to the basement opened suddenly in front of her, the back end of the purple unicorn emerging from the blackness, coated in an equally thick layer of dust.

"Sorry, Rarity," the mare replied, another stack of books floating lazily behind her. "I woke up this morning and noted the change of pitch when my hoof hit this spot. I was reading a book about musical tones, you see, so I didn't notice it before. Anyway, I found this trapdoor and the hundreds of books under it! Some of these are ancient, see?" Twilight trotted over to a dusty pile and withdrew a black and tattered tome after placing the new pile safely on the floor.

"This is the diary of Ponyville's first mayor! It tells so much about the early history of the town before it was incorporated and how the settler ponies came from across the forest! I've only had time to skim it so far, but I'm sure it will be utterly fastening! Oh, and, before I forg-"

"Twilight, I'm here on business!" Rarity spoke with some annoyance. Sometimes her fellow unicorn could blather on for ages and ages without seemingly taking a pause to breathe when something excited her. So, she asked her friends to simply nudge her when she began to talk too much. "I'm having a vermin problem at my shop and need a spell to get rid of the pests. I already have Rainbow and Pinkie helping me clean up."

"Oh!" Twilight replied happily. "I know plenty of spells to remove household pests. Thankfully, most of them do it without injuring them! I'd be happy to come over and help. I'm in a cleaning mood today." She smiled at her friend, elated by a hard night's study followed by a peaceful night's rest and good breakfast. As much as Rarity protested, saying she only needed the spell, the purple unicorn insisted on helping her, partially as payback for her beautiful Gala dress.

The two unicorns walked back in silence... well, as silent as you could get when Twilight Sparkle was on a roll with something, at any rate. Rarity did her best to try and stop it, but in the end, she figured it would be better to grin and bear it, allowing her newest obsession to fade away on its own. Soon enough the two unicorns met with their friends at the boutique, the cleaning effort already well underway as they cleared out piles of old boxes and tossed away unusable tools.

"Ha!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed when her friend Rarity returned. "I bet you five bits I can get this entire shop cleared out i-"

"Ten seconds flat," Twilight finished. "We know, Rainbow." The sky blue Pegasus landed on the ground in a huff, pouting at being denied using her favourite phrase. Rarity shot her a dark glance as well.

"Honestly, Rainbow, these aren't clouds. It's delicate equipment," the white unicorn started. "I don't want you to whip them out quite that fast, darling. You could break something important." Rainbow scowled again as she was led inside, following a bouncing Pinkie Pie who decided to make a game of it.

The rules were simple, different items of importance were worth different points. Finding a needle was only one point, while finding a critter and taking it outside was worth one thousand points. The pony with the most points at the end would have a small party thrown in their honour. Naturally, none of the other ponies really wanted to play, but they decided to at least feign interest.

To put it simply, the boutique had two faces to it. On one side of the bit, you had the clean and proper store front that was kept in impeccable condition year-round. On the other side of the bit, however, the backrooms and storage were an utter nightmare, even to a pony like Twilight who was at least open about her messes. "... And you called the library dirty." The purple unicorn spoke sarcastically as she cast an acidic glance at the white mare.

"Well, it's no wonder you've got pests," Rainbow added, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, quite," Rarity observed, trying to move on from the subject. "Come on, between the four of us, we should be finished by supper time. Let's get going everypony!

True to her word, with the help of the others, the work to clear out the back rooms of Carousel Boutique took relatively little time for the quartet. During the titanic effort, they managed to find some of the vermin and shoo them outside into their natural habitat. It wasn't until late into the afternoon that they opened the door to the final closet in the store.

Like the others, it was dark and caked in a thin veil of dust, untouched behind a stack of boxes for years.  Together, the friends slowly cleared out all the used needles and rotten thread, showing old issues of the Canterlot Courier and the Ponyville Express. Looking over the issues, Twilight noted how old even the latest issue was, some ten years older than her. Using her magic, she levitated the papers out of the closet.

"Rarity," Twilight spoke. "Do you mind if I keep these old newspapers? There might be some historical tidbit in them somewhere." The fussy unicorn rolled her eyes and nodded her head, knowing she would simply take the tattered old papers anyway. After Rarity fixed them all dinner, upon her insistence, Twilight took her new-found papers home with her, levitating them lazily behind her.

She would get to them first thing in the morning, as her muscles screamed at her for all the work she did that day to assist her friend. It was both mentally and physically taxing on the unicorn, but nothing worse than anything she experienced before. After a quick bath to shed off the layers of dirt, Twilight Sparkle returned to her quarters and settled into her bed, reaching to her side to continue reading the Mayor's Journal. It wouldn't be until the moon hung high in the night sky that she decided to go to sleep, bidding her pet owl, her junior assistant, a good night as she turned out the lamp on her bedside.

The next morning found the purple unicorn finishing off the journal over a bowl of cereal, discovering facts about the town she had never dreamed before, such as her library being the first building and the original town hall. Closing the book with a content sigh, Twilight decided to read through the newspapers she collected yesterday. Placing her old tome on top of a pile, the unicorn brought over the stack of news reports and began to skim though them one by one.

At first, the curious student figured the papers were arranged by date, but as she dug into the pile, she found they were in as chaotic a state as the closet she found them in. In the pages of one paper, she would find the pages of another, and sometimes even the front page of one. She let out an aggravated sigh, when it dawned upon her how much work it would take to straighten them out.

Frustrated, the purple pony sent some of the papers flying. At least, this way they would be more organized then they used to be! Now, call it fate, or call it chance, but a particular paper decided to float down right in front of her. It was the front page of a Canterlot Courier from about eight years before she was born. On the front was a picture of the princess, nothing unusual. However, just as she was about to brush it aside, Twilight noticed something in the background.

Her eyes widened and her heart raced in disbelief at what the paper told her. It had to be a misprint, it just had to be! Utterly dumbfounded by this turn of event, the filly found she spoke aloud instead of thinking. "What... are my parents doing... beside the Princess!?" Flanking Princess Celestia, on either side, stood two unicorns in black suits, a mare and a stallion. Although the photo was in black and white, Twilight could almost see their colours on the page.

Twilight's parents had never told her they worked for the princess before, never mind as bodyguards! In fact, they had always told her that they worked in a magic shop! What else had they lied to her about!? She had to know, for sure.

~*///*///*///*~

One thing was for certain; if Twilight Sparkle wanted to find something, you could bet your house that she would. Over the last couple of days, the unicorn had sunk her teeth into every facet of her life that she could find, eager to find more holes in her life story, just waiting to be found. Recently, she sent a request to the register's office in Canterlot, to inquire about some of the details on her records.

Spike, naturally, watched over the unicorn with some concern as she threatened to pace herself literally though the floor of the library. "Twilight," he spoke, rolling his eyes. "It'll get here when it gets here. Didn't you learn your lesson from the whole 'family tree' thing?" He tapped his claws impatiently on the wooden shelf beside the seat.

"This is important, Spike!"The unicorn retorted with indignation, the stress beginning to become visible.

The baby dragon sighed, knowing a stressed Twilight could be a real pain in the scales. "Whatever," he stood, heading to the door. "When you flip your lid and start thinking the walls are talking to you, I'll be at the Shake's." Years of being her 'assistant' had steeled the young dragon from Twilight's brand of insanity. For the unicorn, she would start hearing things and formulate elaborate and impossible plans in order to relieve the source of the stress.

He'd long since learned to not pay it any mind and just go with the flow. Sure, hearing voices concerned him a little bit, but so far they'd never tried to give her advice. Still, he urged her to talk to him about it if they came back. The most recent case being during the whole Parasprite Incident when she insisted every pony create an exact replica of the town in under a minute.

Twilight resumed her incessant pacing until the door knocked to a familiar tune. Elated, she jumped to the door and hastily took the mail from Derpy, leaving the blonde pegasus stupefied and wall-eyed at the door. She simply didn't have time for her friend today, as much as that might have hurt her. The information continued in this yellow envelope was just too important to the unicorn to be ignored.

Using her magic, she hastily opened the large parcel and produced a number of papers. Wasting no time, Twilight dug into the contents, ignoring a small note for the Head Register. The Register's Office in Canterlot was charged with processing all certificates in the land of Equestria. Be it death, birth, marriage, divorce, or any papers involving the courts, the Register's Office processed and stored them all for a maximum of one hundred and fifty years.

After seeing all the copies of her various papers, Twilight simply could not find any more holes to prod in. Her ears drooped in disappointment, frustrated that she made a big deal over, literally, nothing. Her parents probably didn't tell her so that she didn't think that the princess owed her anything. The unicorn sighed as she tucked the papers away, only spying the small note then.

"What's this about?" Twilight spoke in surprise. Hungry for information, she tore through the note in no time at all. It was about an oddity on her birth certificate. The listed doctor present, quite simply, never existed. Yet somehow it got pushed through regardless and put into storage. Any attempt at an investigation was quelled by the previous Head Register. The unicorn's eyes narrowed upon the name, speaking aloud, "Dr Whooves!?"

~*///*///*///*~

If there was ever an unassuming pony in town, it would have to be the brown stallion with the hourglass mark on his flank. His very appearance screamed 'uninteresting' and his mark was one of the most common in pony history. The fact of the matter was that he didn't want to generate any interest. With interest came too many questions, specifically what he was a doctor of. Only Celestia herself knew, and she wanted it kept between the two of them.

Going about his usual day, the good doctor picked up his groceries and was on his way home, saddle bag filled with produce when a familiar, purple unicorn stopped him in his way. "Oh, uh... good morning, miss...?" He'd never talked to the filly before, but the colt knew her as the princess's prized student.

"Twilight Sparkle," the filly replied. "I need to talk to you, Dr Hooves... or should I call you... 'Head Register' Hooves?" His eyes narrowed in shock. He had no idea how she knew, but he had a suspicion as to the why. It was a day the princess told him to plan for, should it ever occur. He just wished it didn't happen so soon, or that he was in such a position to not refuse.

"Follow me," the doctor voiced, leading her back home. He began to sweat visibly, trying to recall the story that the princess told him to repeat to her in this event. The weight of his bags began to dig into his back, granted he didn't know the entire story, but he knew enough to possibly be on the receiving end of a magical temper tantrum. The idea made him shiver, especially as he recalled the Ursa Incident with stunning clarity.

Eventually the duo arrived at his unassuming house, the mare wasting no time. "Spill it," she spoke indignantly. "Why are you obscuring the existence of this doctor!?" Using her telekinetic magic, she shoved the copy of the certificate in front of his face, irritated.

The doctor sighed, unable to remember the story the princess told him. He needed to answer her, and to answer her now, before she became violent. "This goes much deeper then you think. I'm not sure how exactly, but here's how it was explained to me," the good doctor started. "As far as you or the courts are to know, you were born to your parents. However..." he took a deep breath before continuing. "All the princess told me is that your parents... adopted you. I tried to get her to go into more detail, but all she told me was that it was my duty to prevent any investigations into it. I'm sorry for my part in this deception."

Adopted? Did she just hear him right? She was adopted and the princess knew about it!? The unicorn desperately asked him... no, demanded he tell her where she came from, but the colt either had formidable acting skill, or he simply didn't know. Either way, the mare stormed out of the room, leaving the colt shaking in a corner whilst she muttered darkly under her breath.

~*///*///*///*~

"I know this is upsetting you, Twi," Spike spoke as the unicorn fumed with a book levitating in front of her. "But does it really matter? From what you've told me, it sounds like your parents both loved you very much."

"Normally, I'd agree with you, Spike," Twilight started, not looking over the lip of the book. "But I wrote Princess Celestia a week ago and I haven't heard a thing since!" It was true that the princess never took this long to write back, but Spikes urges fell on deaf ears. He kept insisting that the only reason for the lack of reply could only be that she was simply too busy at the moment.

Spike knew better then to bring the idea up again, but a tickle in his throat and a narrowing of his eyes told him he didn't have to worry anymore. A belch of green smoke filled that air in front of the dragon, a scroll bearing the royal seal appearing in front of him. Twilight looked up at him, giddy with excitement. He sure hoped it was good news.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle," Spike started.

"If you haven't guessed by the hoofwriting, this is not Princess Celestia writing to you, but Princess Luna."

"Princess Luna?" Twilight repeated, somewhat dumbfounded. Why hadn't Celestia written to her? Not that the lunar princess wasn't good enough for her, but still. Spike nodded his head and continued to recite the letter.

"I just wanted to let you know that we both received your last letter, and we're both rather concerned at the tone of it. I tried to ask my sister what exactly is going on, but she either doesn't have the time, or the will to tell me. You see, we are in Northern Equestria right now, presiding over a border dispute with our neighbour. Frankly, Celestia has been too busy and she said she wanted to write to you herself. I know for a fact that she has, at least, started the letter.

"While it is a startling revelation, Twilight, I urge you not to take it to heart. I'm sure your parents, adopted or not, love you as though you were their own, or else they would not have taken you in. However, I can confirm for you that they did indeed serve my sister as personal bodyguards during an assassination scare.

"On an unrelated note, I never really got the chance to express my gratitude to you, or your friends for freeing me from my inner darkness. If any of you ever need a favour, I will do all in my power to aid you.

"Sincerely,

"HRH, Princess Luna of Equestria."

Although it answered a question; about what her parents were doing in the picture with the princess, it still left many open to her. Princess Celestia had never been too busy to write to her before, even if she was swamped with work, she would never take longer than a couple of days to reply, never mind an entire week. Twilight appreciated the letter from Princess Luna, but it wasn't enough for her.

"I'm going out for a walk, Spike." The purple unicorn muttered as she stood up. Her hooves carried her to the door of the library, her mind overwhelmed, shutting the door behind her in an angry slam, quite inadvertently. What had she done to be distrusted so much? Surely, she could have penned out a letter while taking notes on the dispute, or before going to bed. Why hadn't the princess written herself?

Before she even knew it, Twilight found herself at the edge of town, her friend Fluttershy's cottage right in front of her. The unicorn never planned to see any of her friends today, but she decided she needed some pony to talk to. She quietly approached the door and knocked lightly, knowing how timid the yellow Pegasus was. "Come in," came a light voice from inside.

"Oh, howdy, Twi," came the voice of her good friend Applejack. The two ponies looked at her, briefly with joy, but it quickly turned into worry. "You okay, sugarcube? Seems ta me, like you've got somethin' on yer mind."

"Oh!" The purple mare spoke in surprise, not expecting Fluttershy to already have company. "I can come back another time if you've already got visitors."

"No, no, come on in, Twilight," the yellow pony replied softly. "You're no bother to any of us. In fact, we were just talking about you. We're all concerned about you." She'd already told her friends what Dr Whooves told her, and they all supported her and gave her advice much like Spike did. Still, it simply wasn't enough for her. The unicorn needed to know why Celestia knew and never told her.

Twilight dived into the details of her day, upon her friends' insistence. When she would slip into a rant on how she felt the princess didn't trust her, the two of them would gently bring her down and back to her senses. After a cup of tea, and getting those feelings off her back, the unicorn already felt much better about the circumstances. Until, however, after hearing a funny joke from the farmer she paused in mid-laugh and suddenly went wide-eyed, a look of shock on her face.

"W...where am I?" Twilight spoke with some fear in her voice. "Last thing I remember... Spike was reading a letter to me from Princess Luna."

Fluttershy and Applejack looked at each other with concern etched upon their faces. "Well, lucky ya told us all about it, Twi.' The orange pony started.

"Yeah," the pink maned pony continued. "You told us how Spike read you the letter from the princess, and then you wondered off for a walk and came here. You then told us about how you felt that the princess doesn't trust you and we comforted you about it."

"Oh, right," the unicorn responded. "Well, look at the time. I'd better get going home." Seeing the look on her earth pony friend's face, she added in, "No, don't worry. I'll be just fine, Applejack."  Without another word to either pony, Twilight turned tail and left, slowly walking back to the library, the sun just beginning to set beyond the horizon. How could she suddenly forget almost four hours like that?

This wasn't a new occurrence to her, as she had lost some time before. It happened especially when studying for important tests, or when she found a very interesting book... but never had she lost more then a couple of minutes before. It disturbed her a little bit, but she felt like there was no pony she could talk to about it, not if the princess didn't trust her. Not if she didn't have the time to even write to her.

Sure, she knew she sounded selfish, but she never asked much of her teacher. In fact, this was probably the biggest thing she ever asked of her. Before she even knew it, the purple unicorn had arrived back home to find the library dark. Opening the door quietly, the young mare slowly worked her way upstairs and into her bedroom. Inside, nestled in his bed on the opposite side of the room, lay Spike, fast asleep already. Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed, following suit. The whole day had left her emotionally drained.

~*///*///*///*~

Over the next few days, Twilight became progressively worse in terms of mood. Spike warned her friends about how she would get this way. Symptoms of 'Test Stress', as Spike called it, often included short-term memory loss and irritability. However, the events of the previous day had pushed her over the edge, prompting great worry from her five friends when she went ballistic at them over petty little things.

Twilight Sparkle started the day as usual, dragging herself out of bed a little before ten in the morning and into the bathroom to take care of her usual chores. Afterwards, she dragged herself down to breakfast, the cheerful morning light a stark contrast to her mood. Spike had woken up uncharacteristically early for some unknown reason. Nothing short of Rarity could get him up at this time of day, which had the surly unicorn pondering his chipper mood.

"Morning, Twilight," he spoke as he passed her some wheat pancakes and syrup. "I was wondering if you'd come with me to Sugarcube Corner this afternoon. Pinkie said she had something she wanted to show everyone! She sounded pretty excited too, which really has me wondering."

"Uh-huh," the purple unicorn replied, absent minded. It was still too early for her to process just exactly what he said, but she heard 'afternoon' and 'Sugarcube Corner'. It could only be some sort of party with some weird new game she wanted to show them all. She decided to humour her pink friend, at the very least, as she needed a distraction from the anxiety of awaiting the princess' letter.

In the meantime, the student took to doing what she did best: study and research. Today, she would browse through some of the books she brought out of the cellar a few days ago. There had to be a book in there with interesting, unknown spells in it somewhere. Perhaps the next time they met, she could show them off to the princess? She always loved to hear and see her progress on pony magic and the magic of friendship.

Spike decided to stick around, just to make sure she had everything she needed, but that was only part of the reason. As much as he hated being around Twilight when she was like this, her friends asked him to keep her in sight at all times so that she didn't miss the appointment that afternoon. They wouldn't tell him what it was; just the time and place she needed to be.

"Come on, Twi! I wanna see what it is!" Spike whined a few hours later as the duo slowly walked to the shop, the baby dragon riding on the unicorn's back. The mare rolled her eyes, unsurprised at the little dragon's enthusiasm, but not really in the mood to humour him today. She groaned to herself as she approached the bakery, having wanted to stay in her library all day, but her assistant wouldn't have any of it.

"Surprise!" Came a cry from all of her friends the very instant she walked inside. Twilight was a little taken aback by the streamers and balloons. It quickly became apparent to her just what exactly they planned to do.

"Let me guess," the purple mare spoke sarcastically. "You're all throwing me a surprise party to help cheer me up." She had to admit that Pinkie Pie really went all-out this time. The entire shop was caked in a thin layer of confetti, streamers dripping from the ceiling like broken spider webs. On a long table sat a bowl of purple punch, a three-layer cake and an assortment of party snacks. Looking on one of the walls, she could even see a game of 'pin the tail on the pony.'

"Yep!" Pinkie chirped as she bounced out from behind the cake, many more ponies emerging from the woodwork. "We've all been so worried about you, especially after what happened yesterday when you yelled at every pony, and I know you're not exactly a party pony, but how could you not enjoy yourself here with your friends and a whole bunch of other ponies who only care for your well-being? I mean, come on, every pony in town has been talking and I figured if you were surrounded by friends, you'd feel better!"

In one corner of the room stood a familiar grey Pegasus who nodded her head when pinkie finished her spiel. "Crabs chirp at dawn, Twilight!" Derpy spoke, somewhat surprised she managed to say her friends name on command. She smiled at her in a broad grin, telling the purple mare that even a pony as brainy as the mailmare could enjoy a good party every now and then.

"Fine," Twilight replied, defeated in logic by the pink party pony and her other friends.

Overall, once she got over the initial awkwardness, the purple unicorn really began to enjoy herself at the party. She drank some punch, ate some cake, and even watched a weird game called 'spin the bottle' where a pony would spin a bottle lying on the ground. Then, the pony would have to kiss whatever pony it pointed to who sat in the circle. Twilight couldn't help but laugh when Pinkie spun it and it landed on Rarity, whom she swept off her hooves and planted a quick one on the mare.

Celestia's day quickly turned into Luna's night, and before long, ponies began to leave the festivities for a night of rest. Derpy was one of the first to go, since she had to wake up at dawn to collect mail, which caused Twilight to tense up a little more without her intellectual superior. Before long though, she found Spike passed out on the table, just inches from the large cake. She smiled to herself, feeling a lot better as the din of the party died down.

"I'm going to have to go now, Pinkie," Twilight smiled to her friend. "Poor Spike's fast asleep, and it's not fair to keep him from his bed."

"Aww," Pinkie whined. "Well... as long as you had fun, I guess that's okay!"

"I did, Pinkie.... Thank you," the purple mare spoke sincerely. "I feel a lot better already!" With a smile, she picked up the unconscious dragon and put him on her back before leaving the shop. The stars in the sky twinkled beautifully as a streak whipped across the sky. Ever since the Nightmare Moon Incident, Twilight always tried to show appreciation for the night sky whenever she could. Princess Luna deserved every bit of respect that her sister got.

Before long, the two returned to the library, the pony shutting the door behind her before carrying her friend up the stairs and into their bedroom. Tucking the sleeping dragon into his bed, the unicorn let a smile slip across her face as he slept peacefully. However, that image was quickly shattered as he belched loudly, a wisp of green smoke coming from his mouth, forming into a letter. "The Princess?!" Twilight asked softly as she levitated the letter over to her desk to read it by candle light.

"My Faithful Student," the letter opened.

"I beg you to please forgive the lateness of my reply. I trust my dear sister Luna told you I've simply been too busy to respond until now, but I wish that wasn't the case. I know how much you worry when things don't happen like they should, it is a trait I am humble enough to say that we share. That said; the tone of your missive surprised me and my sister greatly. I understand you must feel betrayed; that I don't trust you enough with the truth. This is not the case.

"Yes, it is true that your parents adopted you and that they served me some years ago as my personal bodyguards. However, when it comes to your story, here is all I know. One night, some pony abandoned you at the gates of the castle. Alas, Canterlot Castle simply doesn't have the resources to deal with a newborn foal, so I was forced to give you away. Naturally, I chose your parents because I knew that they would take you in and raise you like their own.

"As for falsifying your birth certificate, I am afraid the whole thing was my idea. I didn't want you to face such a truth at such an early age. I planned on telling you one day, especially when you came under my tutelage, but I am afraid I became complacent with the lie. I should have told you a long time ago, instead of letting you find out like this. Please, Twilight, forgive this old mare for not being honest with you.

"Yours truthfully,

"Princess Celestia."

Twilight smiled at the letter her dear teacher had written. She didn't think the princess would be so open with her, or admit how wrong she was and how sorry it made her to lie like that. The unicorn suddenly felt as if the weight of the world had suddenly lifted off her haunches. Taking a deep breath, the student sighed and climbed into her bed, quickly dozing off to sleep. Once more, all was right with the world... for now.
> Moonrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Life quickly returned to normal in the small town of Ponyville... well, as normal as things could get. Over the course of the past four weeks, the town had experienced a fire and another baking mishap that somehow made the Baked Bads Incident seem like a mild case of the flu in comparison. In fact, the town still held the lingering smell from the... unpleasantness. It made the orange pony breathe a sigh of relief that she didn't live in the town proper, or that her stubborn pride hadn't caused the worst case of food poisoning in town history anymore.

Applejack trotted down the cobbled streets of town alone that day, still a little early to be selling apples to the townsfolk. It wouldn't be long until the first batch of ripe apples would be ready for delivery though. With that thought in mind, the orange earth pony picked up her pace, imagining all her precious apple trees dead. The sombre idea motivated the farmer to press forward and swallow her stubborn pride once more.

Nearing the library, she still wondered if going to her was the best option. Sure, ever since receiving that letter, Twilight had been her normal self again, but sometimes Applejack had flashbacks to her last little episode. She shuddered at the memory of the agitated unicorn, but steeled herself against it. The farmer needed the pony power, as well as knowledge about what, exactly, she was dealing with.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the library, stepping inside the old building. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn no pony was around. There were no books piled upon the floor, no papers lying around like a tornado had blown through the place. The unicorn librarian had obviously gotten around to her own spring cleaning, and the difference was startling. "Twilight?" Applejack called into the hollowed-out tree.

"I'm in my room!" sounded a voice from upstairs. "I'll be right down!"

In the meantime, the farmer pony looked around at the wares, thinking she could find what she needed on her own. Several older books lined the shelves, obviously a part of the heap the librarian pulled out of the small crawlspace under her very hooves. Some of the books, quite frankly, scared the superstitious farmer, as some of them claimed to tell the future, or how to do things that were simply not natural, although they were the minority.

Before she knew it, the purple unicorn descended the stairs with a smile for her friend. "Hey, Applejack," she chirped happily, "What can I do for you today?"

"Oh, uh..." the farmer started, "Well, I woke up today, to inspect the crops, you see? An' as I was goin' about, I noticed this weird fungus on one of the trees, an' I was just wonderin' if you could tell me what it is, is all." Reaching into her saddlebag, the farmer produced a sample of tree bark, a purple splotch embedded into the wood.

"I know just the book," the scholar nodded as her copy of Super Naturals flew down before her. Ever since the whole fiasco with Zecora and the Poison Joke, the unicorn had opened herself up to looking in unconventional places for knowledge. Eventually, she found the entry, staring her in the face, a sudden grim look in her eyes.

"Well, good news, bad news, AJ," Twilight started. "It's a fungus called Bilious Bulges, and it has a cure... but that's where the good news ends."

"Then what, might I ask, is the bad news?" the farmer asked with great concern.

"Well, according to the book, it's fatal for the tree and highly contagious. It can wipe out a sizable chunk of forest in a matter of weeks. The only way to cure it is to chop down the infected tree before the bulbs burst and spread the pathogen. In the meantime, it cannot come into contact with another tree, or it will spread that way."

Applejack's eyes widened in terror; it was her worst-case scenario... but if it meant a tree or her livelihood, the poor thing would have to come down. She looked at the floor soberly, fighting back some tears at the idea of chopping down one of her beloved tress. "Will you..." she said quietly, "Will you help me... cure it? I don't think I could do it on my own."

"Of course, Applejack," her friend comforted.

~*///*///*///*~

Although the purple pony wanted to wait to do the deed until next morning, her orange friend insisted that they get it over and done with as soon as possible. After having a small lunch, the two walked out to the farm and collected a cart and a couple of axes before walking down the winding path to the tree. Applejack remained quiet through the whole ordeal: as though she were told she had to shoot her dog dead because it was rabid and dangerous.

Twilight kept the silence for her, knowing her friend could not be consoled right then. Instead, she distracted herself from her friend's melancholy by looking at the apple trees, some of them bearing big and slightly red fruit, ready for picking within the week. The birds chirped happily in the trees above as summer was but a few weeks away. The distinct smell of rain still hung in the air from the shower that took place just last night, every smell coming in clearer than ever through the moist air.

Eventually, the winding path went down a steep hill and through a small intersection in the grove of apple trees, a babbling brook echoing through the dense canopy. Twilight knew she and Applejack were now on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, the side furthest from town and closest to the forest beyond. She tensed up a little bit as a result, since the Everfree Forest was not something to be messed with. Her last venture into the cursed wood had left her petrified by a Cockatrice. If it weren't for Fluttershy and her Stare, she would have been stuck like that for months while they waited on the cure.

Before she could elaborate on such thoughts, they came to the tree in question, a chunk of bark missing off of it. It was a sickly old thing, all the leaves brown and decaying with the trunk covered in the splotches of sick purple disease. The tree's roots went right over the edge of the small fifty foot high cliff and down to the ravine, the ground sloping at a shallow angle into the gap. "This is it," Applejack spoke, breaking the silence. "It was one o' the first trees I ever planted."

"It looks so sad, Applejack," Twilight tried to comfort. "Think of it as putting the poor thing out of its misery."

The farmer nodded sadly. "Let's get this over with." True to her word, the Element of Honesty walked back to the cart she hauled from the barn, pulling out the pair of axes with her teeth. A purple glow surrounded one of them as it flew out of her mouth and over to the unicorn. "You just follow my lead, Twi."

With the unicorn's magic, and the earth pony's knowledge of trees, the diseased plant was quickly felled by the two axes. They angled the cut so the tree fell towards the path, for the wood had to be burned in a stove to prevent the infection from spreading to the neighbouring trees, so they couldn't just dump it into the ravine. Together, they chopped the tree into smaller parts and loaded them into the cart.

"Aw, hayseed!" Applejack exclaimed as she saw the full cart and the pile of logs still on the ground. "Looks like we'll have ta make a second trip." A look of worry came over her face, looking at her friend before continuing. "My little sister an' her friends are over yonder in their base. I'd hate for them to find the logs and try an' burn 'em or sumthin' with the disease an' all. Do you mind staying behind an' watchin' them while I mosey on back to the barn?"

Twilight smiled and nodded at her good friend. "Sure, I'll keep watch."

Sitting on the side of the dirt road, the scholar watched the workhorse pull the cart full of wood up the steep slope. She could have pulled a cart as well, but Applejack refused to let her, since she worried that the weight would be too much, and she'd end up dead in the ravine. Using her magic, the unicorn neatly stacked the wood beside the path and away from the other trees. Turning around, she looked at the sad little stump in the forest floor, a grim reminder of the plant that once stood there.

Out of the corner of her eye, the unicorn though she saw a purple splotch that they had missed and levitated one of the axes over with her, just in case. Standing close to the edge of the ravine, Twilight inspected the stump intently for any signs of infection from the disease. Thankfully, there was none to be had; it must have been a figment of her overactive imagination.

Sadly, the sinking sensation she felt wasn't a part of the deal. Looking under hoof, she saw the soil begin to slip away from beneath her, over-saturated from last night's rain. Shock set in, not allowing the unicorn the obvious action of jumping away. Her heart raced as she felt gravity kick in, cruelly pulling her and the dirt down into the ravine. The only thing she could do was yelp in vain as she slipped on the wet earth.

"Applejack!" she screamed, losing all concentration on her magic.

Her body screamed down the rocky side of the ravine, smacking into every possible rock on the way down. Twilight couldn't think: the rush of adrenaline overpowered her judgement. She could only cry out as she bounced from side to side, her face occasionally puckering up to the side of the cliff. Finally, an eternity later, she landed on the soft bed of the stream, on her side and in a great deal of pain.

The unicorn moaned slightly, trying to push herself up, only to find two of her legs broken in the fall. Realizing how much trouble she was in, she called forward for aid, hoping her friend would return soon to help her out. However, before she could even get one word out, a glint of steel flashed before her eyes and a new wave of pain swept over her. Twilight screamed louder than she ever had before at the sight before her eyes.

No longer held by her magic, the axe she had carried with her fell on its own accord, landing blade first onto one of her broken limbs. She pulled the wrecked leg away to see the damage done to her by the fallen steel. The lower half of her leg dangled sickly in front of her face, eyes wide in horror and pain. Not more than two tendons kept it attached to the rest of her body, bone clearly visible through the blood leaking onto the muddy riverbed.

The last thing she could remember, her face rushed up towards the soft earth in a sick mixture of the sight of her injury, and the intense pain that came with it.

~*///*///*///*~

Pleasant warmth swept over the battered unicorn as she regained consciousness. A soft moan escaped her lips, wondering how she could still be alive after experiencing such pain. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed out from somewhere nearby, her eyes fluttering open. "Sis, come quick! She's wakin' up!" Loud hoofsteps on wood met the unicorn's ears as her eyes finally opened; everything was a mess of colour.

"Twilight!" sounded the familiar voice of her friend, Applejack.

Another soft moan escaped from the unicorn, more from the pain then the volume of her voice. "Where am I?" she asked. "Did you take me to the hospital?"

"No, Twi. You're in my house. We didn't want to move you far, if you had a broken back or somethin'. Thankfully, you don't, though."

"What do you mean?" Twilight voiced indignantly. "What about my leg! It was nearly chopped clean off!" Applejack and the smaller pony she identified as her little sister Applebloom looked at each other for a brief moment before the younger replied.

"Yer leg's just fine, Twilight. You're lucky ya didn't break anythin'. That axe missed you by a mile!"

Pushing down the warm blankets, the unicorn could see all sorts of bandages on her body, but looking at the leg in question; it was as if nothing had ever happened. "But I..." she stammered before shaking her head. She hadn't imagined it, she knew as much, but she didn't want to worry her friends about how this could have possibly happened. Frankly speaking, the whole thing spooked her.

"... But you what, Twi?" Applejack asked.

"No, it's nothing," the purple pony replied, shaking her head, "Can I get something to eat? How long have I been out?"

"'Course you can, sugar cube," the farmer chirped. "You've been out for about a day now. We were gettin' mighty worried 'bout you. We thought you mighta hit your head sumthin' fierce." After helping her out of bed, the orange earth pony walked her battered friend downstairs to get her some apple pie that had been cooling on the window.

"Did you tell the others yet?" Twilight asked as she blew on her slice of pie.

"I hadn't run into any o' them yet, but if you didn't wake up in another hour or so, I reckon I would have. I'm just happy you weren't hurt so bad! You mighta been killed if you didn't have such luck on your side!"

After some pressing, Twilight learned the details about her time unconscious. Apparently, Applebloom and her other friends heard her screams and came to investigate. After seeing her at the bottom of the ravine, they rushed off to find Applejack who fetched some rope from the barn. With great haste, they returned to where they found her and lowered a rope. Applejack then jumped down, tied her friend in a makeshift harness and pulled her up once she climbed back to the road.

Eventually, the sun began its long descent below the horizon of Equestria. Although her friend urged her to stay, Twilight used her dragon assistant's youth as an excuse to leave. The air of the twilight hour surrounded her, the coming chill of the night air washing over her, numbing the pain that still screamed in her body. After another night's rest, she should be back to one hundred percent... or close enough. The image of her dangling limb teased her waking mind, like a carrot in front of her muzzle, begging to be nibbled.

"Hey, Twilight, welcome ho... w-what happened to you!?" Spike asked as his boss came through the door, bandaged from head to hoof.  He rushed over to make sure she was okay, worried about her.

"I had a little slip," the purple unicorn answered. "I fell down a hill and scuffed myself up a little. Applejack thought I hit my head, so she insisted I stay the night and well into today. I'm sorry if I worried you, Spike."

"I wasn't worried," the baby dragon lied, earning him a look from his dear friend. "Well... maybe a little."

Once the initial awkwardness passed, the mare had to show great restraint to not dive into her books immediately and try to explain the mystery right then and there. Upon the dragon's insistence, she made them a sizable dinner and calmed herself down a little with one of her favourite books, on loan from Derpy as the library didn't have it yet. After losing herself in a tale of deep-earth exploration for some hours, the unicorn placed the book beside her and fell into a peaceful sleep.

~*///*///*///*~

True to her word, the unicorn began digging though every book she could find in the library to try and explain just what happened to her that day on Applejack's farm. She didn't recall using any magic to try and reattach the limb, never mind mending all the broken bones she felt in her after the descent. It just wasn't natural to do uncommanded magic like that... if she even did it at all.

From sunrise to sunset, Twilight kept her vigil going as she scanned every text in her possession, skipping the works of fiction entirely. She only paused to eat and sleep a few hours every night, avoiding her friends by telling them she still felt sore from her little mishap the other day. The mare didn't like brushing her friends off like that again, considering the events a few weeks ago, but her mind kept buzzing at the memory: how was this possible!?

The cycle carried on for over four days: every morning, afternoon, and evening, a friend would come over to check on her and make sure the unicorn didn't dive off the deep end again. She appreciated the support, but the seemingly constant interruptions taxed her patience. Hundreds of books lay scattered around the library floor, none of the usual volumes continuing any information. Eventually, the mare worked her way into the vault of books stored just under the floor.

Spike cautiously approached the unicorn on the morning of the fifth day, knowing just how irritable she had become at not finding what she needed yet. "Twilight," he voiced cautiously. "It's time for breakfast."

"Argh!" the unicorn shouted in frustration, tossing the latest book into the air. "Spike! I'm a little busy right now! Can't breakfast wait until I finish skimming this book!?" Her coat and mane lay askew on her body, eyes bloodshot with bags under them from little sleep. Twilight was fully into 'Test Stress' territory again and the baby dragon knew it. He jumped at her outburst and backed into the wall, startled.

"Okay, but please have something to eat?" he begged, knowing the unicorn would sometimes neglect herself. She nodded her head at him, honestly planning to eat just as soon as she finished with the book in question. "Alright, I'm taking that as a promise," the dragon continued. "I'm going out to buy our groceries. I should be back in an hour or two. I'll see you later, Twi." With some bits and one of Twilight's bags slung over his shoulder, the baby dragon went out on his errands, finally leaving the scholar to work in peace.

After ditching the previous book, and hastily digesting her breakfast, the purple unicorn sat down on the floor of the library once more, and pulled up another tome to skim. It wasn't a particularly heavy book, but just looking at the title, Magical Automations, told the unicorn that this book wouldn't hold any answers. Still, she ploughed into the book all the same, just in case. Inside, she found the most weird creatures and ideas she had eve set eyes on. There were spells to make cleaning supplies move on their own, and various depictions of improbable machines.

Just as she was about to cast the book aside, a passage caught her eye. It said something about automatic healing of serious wounds. It could be the very passage she was looking for this whole time! Finally, days of searching could be coming to an end at long last! Twilight flipped back to the beginning of the article.

~Golem~

The Golem is, by far, the most complicated artificially created creature in all history. It can come in any shape, size, or appearance and is nigh indestructible with careful construction. At the same time, they can perfectly mimic equine emotions, language and expressions simply by exposure to them. If it weren't for their distinct appearance, a pony could easily mistake a Golem for a living, perfectly natural creature.

In order to engineer this marvel of pony magic, the creator must simply possess the spell in order to animate it, which is contained in this volume. However, in addition to this, a pony must possess the necessary crafting skills to create a realistic sculpture. If created haphazardly, the Golem will suffer in terms of mobility and dexterity which will greatly affect its usefulness in a variety of applications.

If all this effort is required, then why use Golems? Why not hire an extra hoof to help around the domain? To put it simply, Golems do not require food, water, sleep, payment, air, or any other factors that define life. Even if injured, the spell that animates a Golem allows it to heal automatically in order to carry on its duties. Major wounds and broken limbs will heal seamlessly, but nicks, scratches and other minor damages will need to be repaired manually.

As with everything, there is a downside to Golems. For one, they cannot function under great stress, often becoming emotionally unstable and experiencing auditory or visual hallucinations. This effect is magnified if the creator is the source of the stress, even if inadvertently. If stressed for too long, or become suddenly overwhelmed by stress, Golems can become violent and irrational, often turning on and killing their creators in the process.

~Advanced Golems~

First and foremost, advanced Golems are considered illegal in every state in this world. This book will not give you directions on how to manufacture them, as their creation has been deemed a crime punishable by death or exile, depending on the severity. So, what makes this sub-category of Golem so illegal and carry such harsh punishments? This is because a pony that makes an advanced Golem is, essentially, creating life.

"How does an advanced Golem differ from a normal one?" you may ask. Unlike a normal Golem, the advanced breed is not easily distinguishable from any other creature, as they are designed to be as life-like as possible. As such, they do not carry a hardened clay appearance typical of the normal variety. Furthermore, and arguably the determining factor, the advanced breed can feel pain. In addition, they can form and feel their own emotions, opinions, and execute them. Essentially, an advanced Golem is completely autonomous and does not mimic their creator.

Advanced Golems can be detected based on their emotional response to their creator. Often, they will have a familiar bond to them and feel dedication and even love for them. However, they carry the same drawbacks as a normal Golem, just manifested in different ways. As with Golems, if they experience too much stress, their cognitive functions shut down and they begin to hallucinate. In addition, they also possess the rapid healing abilities of the normal variety.

The tome fell unceremoniously to the floor as the magic keeping it aloft vanished from existence. She couldn't bear to read another word of the book... or any other book. Her mind reeled with the implications those simple paragraphs held. On one hoof, it explained a lot about what happened over her entire life, not just the fall at the farm. Yet, on the other hoof it was just too impossible to believe. How could she possibly think that she was a product of magic and not a natural pony?

"No... no, it just can't be true," she tried in vain to reason. The unicorn stood up and paced around the library, her mind buzzing too horribly to stop herself from walking on the books. It all had to be some drastic error on her part; a fluke that she would find something similar, but utterly impossible.

Or is it? A sudden creak filled her ears, as if the tree around her began to breathe. Twilight felt the hairs on her body stand on-edge. She was beginning to hear voices again; reminding herself that it was one of the symptoms listed in the book.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! It's impossible!" she shouted into the rafters of the building.

"How do you figure that?" breathed the tree. "If you think about it, everything makes sense. When you're stressed, you become irritable and irrational... and you start to hear voices... like you are now. How can you possibly refuse to accept that you, Twilight Sparkle, are a Golem?"

"I'm a pony!" Twilight called out to the disembodied voice. "I bleed, I cry, I feel pain and emotions! Golems don't; Golems-"

"Oh?" the tree interrupted. "Do you not recall the passage on the advanced type? If you think about it; really think, you'll see what I am about to say makes perfect sense. Who is the one pony on this earth you trust unconditionally? I'll answer for you: Princess Celestia. Who has the power and skill required to make a Golem like that? Princess Celestia. Don't forget her letter either. Dr. Whooves said that she wouldn't tell him your origin, yet in the letter she said she found you at the castle gates. Why not tell him... if that was the truth?"

"P-princess Celestia made me?" the unicorn replied, her eyes wide in a sick mixture of pain and horror. "B-but why?"

"Again, if you think about it, it makes sense. You bear the Element of Magic; you helped free Nightmare Moon from her prison and save Equestria from eternal night. She made you to save her sister... why else has she stopped really talking with you? Twilight, you already fulfilled your purpose in life."

"H-how do you know all of this?" she asked, backing into a corner as the words it spoke made sense to her.

"I only know what you know, Twilight. After all, I am but a figment of your imagination, and am limited by your knowledge and ability to process information."

The unicorn swallowed hard, knowing now the voice in her head was her own, rationally putting the pieces together and forming a picture. Only now did she realize how stuffy the air in the library was. She needed to get out, to feel the grass on her hooves, to talk to her friends. Once she calmed down, she would write to the Princess. But she would just lie again if this is the truth, the voice sounded.

The walk to Sweet Apple Acres seemed to take an eternity longer to the purple unicorn today. Her mind still reeled from what the tree had said to her... or rather what she thought. She had to admit, it was right; putting it all together like that seemed to explain everything nicely. Perhaps this also explained her adeptness to magic, as the book also said that a Golem shares some of its magical power with its creator.

Celestia, being a goddess in charge of the sun, could easily explain how she could banish an Ursa Minor with relative ease, or even give a unicorn wings. Sure, normal ponies could do them too, but usually only with years of hard practice or study where she could do them with little difficulty at all. Sure, banishing Nightmare Moon could serve as a reason... but why make a pony instead of finding another to bear the Element of Magic? Why her?

Everything she ever thought she knew spun in front of Twilight as she passed through the gate into the farm. Eventually, her mind came up with one single sentence that sent shivers down her spine again. My entire life is a lie.

~*///*///*///*~

Finally, the first apples of the season could be harvested and taken to market. An early start could mean the difference between a profitable year and a year in debt to the farmer. The bright red apple glistened on the trees as the late morning sun shined on them, shaking slightly from her bucking. The orange filly went from tree to tree, gathering the apples for market.

All of a sudden, the familiar sight of a purple unicorn came over the crest of the next hill. "Howdy, Twi!" she chirped, happy to see her friend out and about.

"Hi, Applejack," Twilight responded, coming closer to the tree. She didn't quite know how to voice her unease, or even where to start with her discovery. Instead, she opted to start off conversation, and let it flow there. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking at the apples on the tree.

"Buckin' apples, o' course," the farmed replied diligently. The unicorn looked in the baskets resting beside the tree and jumped with a start. Inside, the apples were green and polka-dotted with holes in them, occasionally a worm or two emerging from one and slinking into the other. She looked at the earth pony with mild confusion on her face. "First ripe crop of the season," she added. "I'm gonna take 'em over to market tomorrow!"

"These apples, AJ?" she gestured to the bushels in surprise. Her mouth fell open as the earth pony nodded vigorously. A look of disgust came over the purple pony's face; surely her friend was better than this? She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. It had to be a hallucination... but she had never had a visual one before.

"You okay, Twi?" Applejack asked in concern.

"Yeah, I just need to clear my head a bit," Twilight responded, a hint of panic in her voice. "I'll see you later!" With that, she turned tail and trotted off, leaving her friend to consider the exchange for a brief moment before returning to her bucking.

"You're just imagining things, Twilight," the unicorn spoke to herself. "Those apples were ripe and red and you were just hallucinating because of the stress. Th-there's nothing wrong with being stressed when... when your entire life is a lie... right?"

The mare continued to mutter comforting thoughts to herself as her hooves mindlessly carried her on to her next destination. Surely, if any pony knew how to cheer her up, it would be her dear friend Fluttershy, right? She took a deep breath as she soon found herself on her doorstep, slowly raising a hoof to knock on it.

"Oh, Twilight!" sounded a voice from behind her, belonging to the yellow Pegasus. "What are you doing here? I thought you were studying and recovering from your fall?" She had an unreadable expression on her face, somewhere between concern and boredom. At least, that was how it appeared to the impaired unicorn.

"I... decided that I needed some fresh air, is all," the unicorn replied. Before she could react, the yellow mare grabbed her raised hoof and dragged her along into her garden where a waiting tea set lay.

"I was about to come over to your place and ask if you wanted some tea," she explained. "I'm so glad you came on your own." Twilight simply couldn't say no to her good friend and quietly took a seat opposite from her at the stump of a table. All around, the cute little animals frolicked and played in the meadow surrounding them. The sweet scent of the honey-laced tea wafted to her muzzle, relaxing her a little.

She took a deep breath to inhale it deeply, lifting the cup to her lips with her magic. Her friend smiled and followed in kind, using her teeth instead, gently sipping her own down. The two mares quickly began to talk, the unicorn trying to direct the conversation to discuss her discovery, but the Pegasus had no interest in it. Twilight tried to persevere, but sooner rather than later, the tea began to wear off, tension coming back ten-fold.

A squirrel mounted on the fence beside her quickly drew the purple mare's attention from her friend as they chatted. There was a rather large bird beside him, grooming himself before taking flight once more. However, before it could do anything, the squirrel suddenly leaped on the bird, swallowing it in a single, horrifying bite. Noticing the lack of privacy, the demonic critter looked Twilight in the eye, its own burning a bright, blood red.

Frightened, the unicorn snapped her head back to her friend, critters behind her all staring with those same blood red eyes. "What's the matter, Twilight?" Fluttershy spoke with a measure of malice in her voice. "It looks like you've seen a ghost." Twilight felt her body begin to quake in fear, stumbling off the stump, her eyes wide in terror. She needed to get out of here... to leave these demonic creatures and their mistress behind.

All she could do was squeak before letting out a full scream, turning her back on the little monsters and making flight to the nearest safe haven she knew. Meanwhile, she left her friend behind, dumbfounded at her sudden outburst, her teapot tipped over by the purple mare's explosive exit. Something was wrong with Twilight, and she needed to find out what. Spreading her wings, she went to find her nearest friend, Applejack.

The purple mare ran into town at a full gallop, panic having gripped her heart, only now beginning to release her from its bind. All her friends were acting weird today, for some reason... "No!" she shouted to nopony, "It was probably just another hallucination... it just had to be!" She took a deep breath to still her pounding heart as she approached a familiar building; Carousel Boutique.

Twilight entered the building boldly; she needed to get this off her back, and who better than her fellow unicorn? Inside, however, she found a sight that made the demon critters in the meadow seem tame in comparison. Hanging on all the walls and forms on the shop was material as black as the night itself. All the dresses in the shop looked like they belonged more at an undertaker's then a place as fashionable as the tailor's shop. "R-rarity?" she voiced quietly as she entered.

"Just a minute," sounded the familiar voice of the white unicorn from the depths of the shop. "Oh, hello, Twilight! What can I do for you today?" The purple pony simply stared at her, and then back to the sombre black dresses all around the shop.

"Rarity... what is all of this?" she asked, forgetting her desire to talk about her revelation.

"Oh, why it's wedding season, darling," Rarity replied. "Ever since our... er... splash at the gala, I've simply been swamped by requests! I may have to hire an extra hoof just to keep up!"

"Weddings?" the purple mare asked, aghast. "You made these... these things for weddings!? What is wrong with you, Rarity!? I though you, of all ponies had some sense around here! They'd look more at home in a graveyard then a chapel!"

The white mare hadn't been so dumbfounded since Fluttershy had described, in intricate detail, why she hadn't liked her Gala dress. Her alabaster wedding gowns positively glistened in the noon-time sun... how could she say they looked fit for funerals instead? Rarity shut her eyes behind her glasses and shook her head. "Oh, Twilight, darling," she started. "I know you don't know much about fashion, but I assure you, these are, indeed, for weddings."

Twilight found herself speechless at the unicorn's retort. How could rarity defend these onyx horrors? Who placed the orders, an entire village of Goth ponies? No, it had to be another hallucination... it just had to be. She walked over to one of the dresses and put her hoof to it, the fabric tickling her as it touched. It simply couldn't be an illusion; her mind racing about what was going on. Had the revelation that her life was a lie broken some sort of spell on her?

Rarity looked on in confusion as Twilight moved her hoof through the air, as if inspecting something of great interest. She blinked quickly as she figured all the studying had finally gotten to her head. "Twilight, do you need to lie down?" she asked in concern. Apparently, she asked the wrong thing as the unicorn jumped, looking at her as if she'd suggested something lewd.

"No... no... I'm not that kind of pony... g-get away from me!" the student replied, slowly backing out of the shop. It finally happened; the purple mare had finally studied herself into some sort of mental breakdown. The white unicorn approached her to try and get her to calm down, but the purple mare cried out and ran out of her shop in a panic. She could feel her jaw drop to the floor; she needed to get the others and help them with their friend.

Twilight ran from the store at a full gallop; how could her friend suggest something in such a way? When Rarity asked her to lie down, there was blatant lust in her eyes and a sultry tone to her voice. She could even see a shadow of a wink, as if beckoning her to follow. All thoughts of it being simply a hallucination had fled her mind, now no longer in any rational state and deteriorating quickly.

The panicked unicorn galloped at full tilt, making her way through the outskirts of town blindly. She didn't care where she went, so long as she put as much distance between herself and the other unicorn as possible. She really couldn't afford another encounter like that, especially after all that happened earlier and the revelation that her entire life was a lie.

"Wow, that was amazing," chirped an orange Pegasus filly. "Thank you so much for teaching me how to fly, Rainbow Dash!" Her eyes were positively sparkling as she walked beside her idol. Although she just started to train under her, Scootaloo could not contain her excitement.

"Don't worry about it," Rainbow replied, poking the small filly with a hoof lightly. "Besides, it's never too soon to start learning how to be as awesome as I am. Oh, hey there, Twilight. What's up?"

The purple unicorn had a look about her that the blue Pegasus had never seen before. It was like a mixture of betrayal, disgust, confusion and fear that she had never seen before. Her mane was unkempt and sticking out at weird angles, bags under her eyes robbing her of any attractiveness she had ...not that the blue mare liked fillies, of course. "Are... are you okay?" the rainbow Pegasus asked.

Twilights eyes widened in absolute horror at the pair, causing them to exchange a glance between the two of them before looking back at her quizzically. The unicorn's eyes narrowed dangerously as a look of indignation swept over her. It was almost as if that tale Pinkie told of her suddenly bursting into flame over the Hydra episode could actually be true!

Her mouth began to move, lips twitching in absolute rage. "Y-you... you... PERVERT!" the student shouted at the athletic Pegasus. Before she could react, a purple hoof came into contact with her jaw, punched with more force than she ever dared dream of from the filly. "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM SCOOTALOO!!!"

"What the hay is your problem, Twilight!" Rainbow spoke defensively, holding her pounding jaw with a hoof. Before she even knew what happened, her world became a lavender blur as the unicorn tackled her, pinning her to the ground without using her magic. The Pegasus had no time to react to the flurry of hooves that came upon her face, taken aback by Twilight's sudden burst of violence.

"HOW COULD YOU, RAINBOW!?" the unicorn screamed in between punches. "SHE'S ONLY SEVEN YEARS OLD, YOU SICK, DISGUSTING BEAST!!!" Meanwhile, the orange filly sat, stunned by her idol's friend assaulting her like that.

"S-she was just teaching me how to fly, Twilight!" Scootaloo tried to explain. "There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Don't. Make. Excuses. For. Her!" the purple pony yelled, each word accented by another punch to the stunned Pegasus. Rainbow's face quickly became black and blue, missing a couple of teeth and adorned with two of the blackest eyes that Equestria ever saw. The rosy eyes narrowed before the Pegasus used all her strength, bucking the unicorn off of her and launching her some distance.

"WHAT THE SORREL HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT, TWILIGHT!?" Rainbow shouted in fury. "That wasn't cool in any way at all! What gives you the right to randomly attack a pony like that, huh!? You're lucky you're my friend or I would kick the s*** out of you instead of going to the police!"

Before she could get up for round two, the Pegasus took to the air, sweeping up the smaller orange one as she zoomed past, leaving the purple unicorn dazed on the ground. All of her friends... every one of them was insane. It was no wonder Celestia had to engineer friends for her. Just how bad could her last friend really be? She got to her hooves with sick anticipation as she moved into town, on her way to Sugarcube Corner to see how far off the deep end Pinkie could be.

Her answer came soon enough as she approached the building. The sweet shop always looked a little like a gingerbread house, but now she could almost smell the substance seeping off the walls. Ponies watched her walk through the square, possibly gossiping about how she heroically called out Rainbow on her sick game. But she couldn't help but notice their frowns turning into wicked smiles as she drew closer to the local landmark.

A tiny bell rung above the door as the unicorn entered the shop for the first time in a week. Thankfully, now that her eyes were open to the 'real' world, she became relieved to see that everything was more-or-less the same... save for the large grate over a pit of fire where the couch used to be. She paid it no mind as she walked up to the pink party pony who hopped over to meet her.

"Hi there, Twilight," the pink pony chirped before her attitude suddenly changed. "You don't look well. Is something the matter?" She tilted her head to the side, showing genuine concern for her purple friend. "Oh well," she continued before the unicorn could respond. "I know what will make everything better! Have a cupcake!"

A wide, disturbing grin spread across the pink mare's face, chilling her to the bone with no explanation why. She reached a hoof out to grab the tantalizing blue cupcake, not one to refuse a generous offer like that. Until, that is, realization hit. Gingerbread house... er... store, a grill over a working fire pit and cupcakes? CUPCAKES!? It was all out of the story she read as a filly; the one about the two young foals who happened upon a wicked witch's house in the woods and were eaten!

Twilight's hoof fell to the floor, horrified that her friend Pinkie, who used to be the most benign of the group, turned out to be the most insane and disturbing of the lot. She was actually planning to eat her, now of all times! Her jaw dropped, the pink pony looking at her with a hint of disappointment behind that wicked, murderous smile. "What's the matter?" she asked as she saw her expression. "Don't you like my cupcakes? Everypony likes my cupcakes."

"No," Twilight squeaked in horror. "No... I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR CUPCAKES!" With all the speed she could muster, the unicorn took flight in panic from the shop. Her hooves slipped a little on the freshly mopped floor, not allowing her the acceleration she wanted. The pink mare tried to reach out to stop her flight and ensure her doom, but she got just enough traction to slip away by an inch.

The door to the bakery flew open as a flurry of purple erupted forward, screaming the entire way. Everything around her twisted and warped, becoming more horrible to her then it actually was. She welded her eyes shut and ran blind, hot tears slipping out from her eyelids. All she wanted to do was to run, to hide, and to get as far away from this asylum of a town as possible.

Suddenly, the unicorn felt winded as she naturally ran into someone. Below her, flat on his back, was the familiar shape of her dragon assistant. "Ow," he moaned. "Anyone get the number of that cart?" The unicorn pushed herself back up, standing over him with a wild look in her eyes. "Oh, it's you, Twilight," he continued as he stood up as well. "I guess you finally decided to get out and get some fresh air, h-"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO!" she yelled in his ear, spying the vegetables scattered around them. "You're going to join Pinkie and make some Twilight Stew, huh? Well, I got some news for you, Buster!" She suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the baby dragon's arm, staring daggers at the startled young creature. His arm was in an awkward position, being held by both hooves of his boss. "I'M NOT GOING WITHOUT A FIGHT!"

A sickening crack filled the air, followed by the sudden scream from the pained dragon. His arm was bent at a weird angle, broken by the sudden motion from his friend. He fell back onto the ground, crying his heart out and yelling with a pain he had never experienced before. Why had Twilight done this to him?

Before he could cry out for help, the addled unicorn continued her blind flight away from the crazy town known as Ponyville. She didn't noticed the cart pull out suddenly in front of her, leaving her no time to stop, slamming into the side, flipping end over end and into the cargo it carried. A shrill shriek filled the square as more eyes came to rest upon the scene. The purple unicorn screamed and babbled incoherently; she had rammed into a cart carrying live snakes, or so she thought.

"HELP! HELP!" she cried to no pony in particular. She squirmed on the cobblestone street, trying to get away from the legless horrors. "THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME! HELP!!!" Sobs quickly replaced the screams as she realized her situation was hopeless; no pony here cared about her, and if they did, they would be killed too by her insane friends.

"Hold on, sugar cube," sounded a familiar voice. "I got you!" It was Applejack, flanked by Rarity and Fluttershy. The purple pony promptly returned to screaming at the sight of them, forgetting about the snakes that wiggled around her body. They looked at each other in an unreadable look before the farmer started again. "You do know you're in a pile o' hay, right?"

The unicorn sobbed and screamed, lost somewhere between terror and sorrow over her situation. When the trio approached, she lashed out violently, fighting for her very life. The white unicorn and the yellow Pegasus flanked her, trying to distract her. "No!" Twilight screamed. "They're going to eat me! Somepony, please... save me!"

"Nothing's going to eat you, Twilight," Fluttershy spoke with great care and nurturing. Sadly, her purple friend would have none of it, screaming even louder. The pair looked to Applejack and nodded, putting their backup plan into motion. Reaching into her saddle bag, she withdrew a lasso and tossed it at the purple mare.

Twilight suddenly felt her limbs pulled together snugly by something oddly smooth. When she looked, she saw that they had bound her legs using a long, vicious-looking snake, causing her to scream even louder. How could they do something like this to her? Weren't they her friends!? She wriggled and screamed in vain, the farmer pony approaching her menacingly before shoving one of those horrid, green, worm-ridden apples deep into her muzzle, stifling her.

Grabbing her tail in her teeth, the orange farmer soberly pulled her squirming purple friend through the streets of town, getting weird looks from the different ponies as the rumour mills worked overtime. In the course of an hour and a half, the unicorn had managed to hospitalize two of her friends and traumatize a filly into silence. It hurt her to bind her friend up like this, but right now she was a danger to herself and every pony around her. She just thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't used magic in any of the attacks yet.

The white unicorn and the yellow Pegasus followed behind the pair, making sure the addled unicorn didn't break free of her binds and go on a rampage. Fluttershy had to fight to suppress her tears at the sight of her friend acting like this, pleading fear etched on the unicorn's face. Rarity felt much the same way, worried more that her fellow unicorn would suddenly have the presence of mind to wield her powerful magic against them. If she could subdue an Ursa... she shuddered at the idea of an enraged and dangerous Twilight. They would need to write to the princess immediately.

First, however, they needed to get her out of the public eye. As they neared Sugarcube Corner, Applejack could feel the struggles of the unicorn increase exponentially the closer they got. If only Rainbow could help them out too... it was just lucky they found her before she ran off to the police and told her that Twilight wasn't herself today. Pinkie Pie opened the door for them, a rare frown flashing across her muzzle as she watched the sobbing unicorn being dragged inside.

A fresh wave of fear rolled over the unicorn as the farmer dragged her towards the grill. If they were going to eat her, at least they would have the decency to knock her out before putting her on that, right? She sobbed again as the orange earth pony and the white unicorn lifted her up and tossed her roughly onto the grill. A wave of pain rolled over her as she felt the flames lick at her back, the smell of singed hair reaching her nostrils.

Off in the distance, she could occasionally hear words waft over in between her stifled screams of pain. They were discussing something, but she couldn't tell what.  She wanted to roll onto her side to hear them better, but it would offer more skin for the flame to cook. "...she has to know," Fluttershy started. "If any pony knows what is going on, or how to help, it will be the Princess. We can't leave her lying on the couch forever."

"I agree with her, Applejack," Rarity concurred. "Hopefully she'll also have some way for us to suppress her magic. I'd hate to see the damage caused by an enraged Twilight."

Her magic... how could she have forgotten something so obvious!? With her magic, she could easily save herself and punish those dastardly ponies for trying something this evil in the first place. She dove deep into herself, horn alight in a purple aura as the snake binding her, dead from the heat, vanished in a flash.

"Rairty!" Applejack shouted. "Why'd you have to open yer big mouth!?"

Twilight reached a hoof to her mouth and withdrew the apple that stifled her, firing it magically with great force at the orange pony, smacking her in the head. She fell to the ground and twitched slightly, the other three gasping in horror that their plan had been foiled. "YOU'RE ALL GOING TO REGRET THE DAY YOU MESSED WITH ME!!!" the enraged unicorn shouted, feeling her magic flood through her.

They all screamed, and rightly so as sparks of magical energy lept forward from her body. She stared at them in anger, causing them to panic; even the annoying pink one. Her body began to glow as she gathered as much magic as she could. The unicorn would leave this sinful little town behind, and destroy those who dared to end her in one fell swoop.

A massive explosion rocked the town to its core, half of Sugarcube Corner vaporizing in a blast of magical energy, the other half erupting in cleansing fire. A brilliant streak of purple shot across the sky from the heart of the blast and rocketed into the Everfree Forest beyond. Three scared ponies ran out of the wreckage while the fourth had to be dragged, cut up and bleeding from shrapnel of the many splinters of flaming wood.

What could have driven such a reserved and kind pony to do such a horrible thing?
> Eclipse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

       Deep in the heart of the Everfree Forest, maybe less than half a mile from the rotting castle at its heart, sat a large pond that sparkled in the noon-time sun. Creatures of all sizes and shapes idled by the cool water that day, the oppressive heat at its height.

A low roar sounded from above the pond, compelling the creatures to look towards the sky at the incoming threat. Birds took flight as the animals on the ground ran away, almost as if they could sense the torrent of distress coming their way. The roar became steadily louder, a purple point on the horizon growing in size and ferocity. Any creature that had not fled by then sealed its fate.

In an instant, the once placid pond erupted with a bang, a huge jet of water piercing into the sky as the lavender streak struck into the heart of the body. Large waves crested out from the source as if the edges of the trapped liquid were the mighty ocean itself. Those animals that did not flee were swept away by the inland tidal wave, back out into the forest and away from the epicentre of the blast.

Soon, the mighty column of water fell back into the basin of the pond, the shattered remains of a once grand fountain strewn about as debris from the blast. The once sapphire blue water turned a sickly brown as it lapped at its new banks, about half the size it originally was before the unexpected entry. Any animals that were swept up by the tsunami quickly took flight deeper into the woods, sensing the presence that caused the disturbance.

A purple shape slowly emerged from the brown water, walking up to the banks of the pond before collapsing onto it. She didn't know where she was, or how she got there. In fact, she couldn't remember anything since she read that book... the book! The passage must have stressed her to the point of memory loss, which begged the question of what exactly happened. Twilight Sparkle stood on shaky legs, unsure why she felt this way, or why she smelled of singed wood and hay.

"Ugh," the unicorn moaned in pain. "My head feels like a train ran over it." She winced as she held a hoof to her head, trying to numb the pounding pain she felt to no avail. Images flashed across her mind's eye, replaying the scenes her purple ones once beheld. A black and blue Rainbow, a crying and pained Spike... and her four other friends, terror frozen on their faces: it all drifted in front of her.

She shuddered and held her head again, refusing to believe that she had done all of that. Yet, as much as the purple mare wished to deny it, she simply could not turn a blind eye to it, causing shivers to run down her spine. The mountainous pile of evidence in front of her simply could not be ignored, or explained away. It just fit all too well. Her lungs filled as she took a deep breath and sighed; she needed answers, and only one pony in this world could give them.

Looking behind her, the unicorn could see smoke rising from beyond the forest wall, tickling the azure sky. If she really did all of that, hurt them like the flashes told, then her friends would want nothing more to do with her, maybe even have her killed, and rightly so. Dry sobs slipped past her muzzle as she realized she had just lost the first friends she ever had. Not even Spike would want anything more to do with her: not after she attacked him like that without any provocation.

If only the princess were here right now, she would know just what to say to cheer her up. "Wait a minute," Twilight spoke into the pond, ceasing her sobs. "The princess... maybe if I told her just what happened, and get my answers, then she could try and explain it to them!" Her mind raced as she imagined her own worst-case scenario: the princess becoming infuriated with her over what she did in town, and that she stumbled upon a secret that she never wanted her to know.

"She's going to banish me," she continued, imagination racing. "Or throw me in prison... or banish me and then throw me in prison in the place she banished me to!" Then she quickly remembered a very important detail she had somehow forgotten. "But how can I get to Canterlot without a chariot!?"

A feeling of warmth suddenly came from her back as the coolness from the impromptu bath washed away. Turning to see the source of it, the unicorn's jaw dropped at the pair of lavender wings on her sides. They looked like Pegasus wings, but they simply couldn't be. Unlike the ones she gave Rarity, she could easily see through them... as if they were made of pure magic.

The unicorn tried to explain this, at first, but she quickly decided that she simply didn't have the time, or the curiosity right then. All that came to mind was talking to the princess, demanding answers, and doing so as quickly as possible. She flared her wings, and in a single, powerful stroke, darted into the air. The wind rushed past her mane and into her ears, tickling the insides, but not in an unpleasant way. As she flew to the castle in the distance, Twilight could not help but notice she had no feelings about being able to fly without a carriage... it must have been the more pressing matters numbing her urge to wax poetic.

~*///*///*///*~

Now she understood why Pegasus ponies loved to fly about as often as they could; from their lofty and ever changing perch, they could see the world in a way that unicorns or earth ponies could not. Granted, the fastest route to the castle was via Pegasus-driven chariot, but it just was not the same. She had enough time to realize this, but nothing more as she touched down outside the drawbridge, the magical pair of wings conveniently vanishing from existence.

The castle of Canterlot was a near perfect palace perched high upon the slope of Mount Notia; named after Her Royal Highness Queen Notia of Equestria... she was Celestia and Luna's mother, according to the history books. The city proper rested on the gently sloping hills on the other side of the mountain. A picturesque road filled with tunnels and cliff-hanging corners linked the two together like the thread on a necklace.

Twilight cautiously trotted across the drawbridge: the natural runoff from the mountain created a dangerous moat around the castle. The massive double doors that lay beyond, leading into the entrance hall, stood open before her to welcome royal visitors. She took a deep breath as she passed under them, hoping the guards wouldn't ask too many questions about how she arrived, or even if she were expected.

As usual, the entrance hall sparkled as ponies washed the floors and polished the solid oak banisters leading up the sweeping front stairs. Some heads turned as they took in the sight of the familiar purple unicorn, but thankfully no more than usual. She slowly made her way up the front stairs, recalling the night of the Gala with some embarrassment. Her mind did not dwell on it long, however, as the obviously more pressing business needed addressing.

Sitting at the top of the stairs, another pair of large double doors sat open, leading into the waiting room for ponies who wished an audience with the princess. Twilight walked up to the familiar desk, noting that today the princess had a light load of only maybe ten ponies waiting for her. A guard stood at attention behind the desk, his brown coat and white mane neatly groomed to be presentable in front of her highness when he announced the next petitioner.

"Twilight Sparkle?" he asked as she approached the bench. "I didn't know you were visiting Canterlot today. I must have missed the memo." What was the colt's name again? The purple mare considered this for a brief moment, before deciding that she would figure it out later. She pressed forward, ignoring him and the protesting ponies who sat as she neared the door. The other guards didn't make a move against her, as this sort of aloof behaviour was typical of the princess's protégé. Besides, Celestia told them explicitly that she could enter any time she wished, so despite not liking it, they couldn't stop her.

Meanwhile, Princess Celestia sat upon her throne, listening to the ramblings of the pony before her. His request was a simple one: a new bridge across the Altros River to Hoofington in order to reduce travel time for merchants. However, he droned on for the last half hour, explaining every single little detail in painstaking accuracy. Sometimes she wished she could have a break from ruling the kingdom, even if only for a little while.

So she instantly perked up when the familiar purple unicorn mare silently opened the door to the throne room and stepped off to the side. The Regent of the Sun confessed herself a little surprised to see Twilight drop in unannounced like that, which caused worry to flash across her mind. Her student's purple eyes spoke volumes of urgency with subtle hints of fear and sorrow. Whatever happened, she needed her right that instant.

"Excuse me," the princess spoke, holding out her hoof to silence the petitioner, "I believe your proposed project is more then satisfactorily detailed. Please, speak to the royal engineers and I will put it into action as soon as possible."

"T-thank you, your highness," the peppermint colt replied, taking a deep bow before gathering up his materials.

"Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student," the princess addressed the purple mare behind him. "What has brought you to Canterlot unannounced like this?"

The student cast her gaze down to the ground, unable to meet her eyes as she recounted what little she could remember. "I... I need some help," she said. "I'm not... totally together anymore? I... think I did some things. BAD things. But I'm sorry!" She lowered herself to the floor, visibly shaking before her. Out of the corner of the princess's eye, she could see some of the guards exchanging worried looks.

"Twilight, what are y-"

"So yes, yes, we're all sorry, and... that is the TRUTH." The purple mare's strange combination of rambling and mumbling made the mover of the sun strain her ears to listen. "Truth is so important, yes? Honesty... you're... you're being honest with me, yes?"

Celestia sat upon her throne, dumbfounded by this strange turn her student had taken. Something had obviously disturbed the poor foal, resulting in her incoherent babbling. She blinked in surprise once her inane outburst stopped. "Are you alright, Twilight?" she asked.

"Yes... no! No... I might not be. I... I did BAD THINGS... but I'm so sorry! So, so sorry," the filly began to break down and sob openly before the court. The princess found herself slightly disturbed by her student's sudden lack of confidence. Deep inside, she could feel her heart ache that her precious student was hurt so, privately wishing the creator have mercy on the pony who did this to her.

"Guards," Celestia addressed the court. "Please leave us. I will call should I need you." They obeyed, silently passing the sobbing unicorn to retreat outside and lend them some privacy. Twilight kept her face to the ground, tears staining the marble floors. "Please, Twilight, tell me what is on your mind," she begged.

"Honesty... honesty is an Element of Harmony," the purple mare continued. She lifted her head, her purple and bloodshot eyes gazing into Celestia's. "You used them all once. You... you have all of them in you, don't you?" The Regent of the Sun found herself slowly becoming more worried with each passing second.

"Not all of them, I must confess," she admitted. "I lack the Element of Laughter these days, although I was quite the prankster in my youth. Hence why I could not purify Luna as you and your friends did, my faithful student." The princess had no idea where this was going, but a nagging thought in the back of her mind had her on guard, just in case.

"You wouldn't... lie to m-ME, would you?" Twilight replied with a hint of desperation, her voice and eyes, still dripping crystal tears down her muzzle and onto the ivory marble. She stood to her full height once more, desperate.

The princess took a deep breath before continuing. "As you are aware, sometimes it might be in the best interests of a pony to not tell the whole truth. In your case, I am completely honest with you." Something told her that she had said the wrong thing almost immediately. The unicorn in front of her tensed up visibly, a look of rage slowly beginning to form on her muzzle.

Twilight looked at her with a piercing gaze, as if x-raying the deity before her with great scrutiny. She could feel her body beginning to twitch as the blatant lie continued to ripple over her. The mare had no clue how, but she could tell that her teacher just lied to her... again. Her heart raced as the hurt embedded itself deep inside. "You... YOU LIAR!"

Celestia winced slightly, hearing such rage come from her precious student. "Twilight, talk to me," she pleaded. "Did something happen between you and your friends? Did you... read something troubling in a history book? I will admit; I wasn't always as benevolent as I am now." A sad look swept over her face as she remembered a darker time in her life... a time filled with hurt and sadness... before she sent her dear sister to the moon.

Sudden electricity began to fill the air as Twilight approached the throne, stopping just short of the steps. Her eyes never broke contact with the princess, locked in a disturbing stare. The mare's outline became blurred and distorted as her expression became maniacal. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" she shouted out.

Quite suddenly, the ever-present smile on the face of Equestria's princess vanished from existence. "Oh no," she spoke in little more than a whisper. "... Please tell me you didn't..."

Silence met her ears, the unicorn's expression unreadable. However, all too soon a curt smile spread upon her lips before it vanished from existence. Laughter, like a dozen perversely beautiful bells rung forward into the depth of the room, vibrating off the walls and columns,echoing the unicorn's terrible laughter. It was weak and unsure at first, but quickly built into a crescendo. Fresh tears began to stream down her face and into her cheeks.

Celestia sighed, and shook a little as she nodded her head. It was a day she hoped to never see, but one she planned for nonetheless. "If you will calm down, Twilight," she explained. "I will answer any question you have. I swear upon my name, the ponies of Equestria, and the sun itself that I will only answer with the truth."

The filly blinked, her eyes glazing over in magical energy, hiding their wonderful amethyst colour from view. There was no emotion visible on her face, which scared the alicorn more than the previous flash of anger. Her tears evaporated into nothing from the pure magic covering her eyes. "WHAT. AM. I?"

"You are an advanced breed of Golem," she answered.

"WHY DID YOU LIE?" She wasn't angry and there wasn't any hint of it... she just needed her answers.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Twilight," the princess of the sun spoke, choosing her words very carefully. "I feared you would take it the wrong way...the way you are now."

The magic faded from the lavender pony's eyes and her muscles relaxed a little. She stood here, calm and dead silent for minutes until the most important question she would ever ask passed her lips. "Why was I created?"

Celestia shut her eyes and bowed her head in silence, a hoof rising to rest her head in. To any pony watching, she suddenly looked much older than they ever would have dreamed. It was the one question she hoped she would never have to answer, since she was genuinely afraid what would happen after she gave it. "I made you to house my sister's soul... at least, according to the original plan. Things didn't go the way I wanted, so I, FORTUNATELY, had to change it around until it came to the events of the last Summer Sun Celebration"

Her reaction to the news was exactly what the princess feared; a look of great betrayal and hurt dawning on the filly's face before more tears slipped from her watery eyes. "I'm... I'm a mistake?"

"You are a beautiful, smart and wonderful one, yes, like how that one pony invented penicillin. When I made you, I wanted a fully-grown mare who could handle her fate. Instead, I got you as a newborn. I wanted to keep you around, but we just don't have the facilities to handle foals here, so I sent you to live with your parents."

"You... you've never cared about me," Twilight replied in shock. "YOU'VE NEVER GIVEN A SINGLE HORSEAPPLE ABOUT ME!!!"

"No, Twilight. I do care about you," the princess of the sun tried to sooth. "I care about you more than any pony could know. When you came to me, I slowly realized how wrong I had been to try and create a pony without a spirit... a pony whose sole purpose was to die so her body could become Luna's." Her eyes suddenly went wide in terror, swiftly inserting a hoof into her mouth, tasting the gold of her shoes. She never meant to say that last part... ever.

A sickly silence fell over the room once more before the fantasy finally crashed down, the mare's voice suddenly becoming sharp and harsh, like the breeze on a cold winter morning. "MONSTER," she shouted into the stone rafters. The entirety of Canterlot began to quake as a rush of magic filled her, tears evaporating once more as laughter began to overtake her. "I'M A MONSTER... MADE BY A MONSTER," she called out, not quite yelling. Her laughter quickly became dark and wicked, chilling the alicorn to her divine bones.

"Twilight," the ancient mare spoke in an authoritative tone. It took great control to not let her deeper pain come through her words. Hearing her own creation call herself... and her maker, a monster stung more than anything she ever felt before in her long life."Calm down and we will discuss this matter further in my chambers. Please."

"SILENCE!" Twilight screamed in rage. The entire castle shook, causing the pillars in the throne room to quake visibly, ancient dust and cobwebs dangling down from the high ceiling. The glass windows and massive skylight quivered in fear at the enraged unicorn. Her body twitched and glowed as raw magic seeped from her pores, her anger unlocking something deep within herself that lay hidden for her entire life. She could feel a power unlike anything she ever felt before; as if the very sun itself lay at her beck and call. Was this how Celestia felt all the time?

Celestia narrowed her eyes dangerously at the unicorn in front of her, seeing that the mare was now enraged and stressed beyond the point of all rational thought. The doors behind the purple pony flew open as guards poured in at hearing the outburst, yet unnoticed by the filly. "You do not order ME around, Twilight Sparkle," she said with great control to hide her own anger. "Now, either calm down, or I will MAKE you calm down."

Magical lightning arced off the mare into the floor of the room, causing it to crack under the sheer power she exuded. The princess knew in that moment that Twilight possessed magical power equal to, or perhaps greater than her own. She stared at the princess, her eyes glazed over by a veil of pure magic, much like they had been when they were reunited those many years ago. "NO," she said, "YOU TRIED TO STOP THIS BEFORE, BUT I AM STRONGER NOW!"

"You leave me no choice. Now, SLEEP!" The princess didn't like to use this technique unless she had to, but it was a skill much akin to Fluttershy's Stare. However, unlike the Pegasus, the alicorn's eyes glowed with magic as it tried to influence the filly's mind into feeling waves of sleep.

However, after many seconds of trying the spell on her student, she felt no change in the purple mare. She began to cackle, the guards surrounding her looking to their monarch for orders. A shield of purple energy came to life, surrounding the unicorn, sparing her from the spell. "I CAN SEE THE MAGIC NOW," she cackled at her teacher's shocked expression, "I SEE IT IN YOUR MIND!"

It pained her to do what she was about to do, but Twilight's rage and impossible magic left her with no other choice. "Then, it would seem I must subdue you by FORCE!" She stood to her full, impressive height, ready for a fight with her beloved student. Taking that as their cue, the guards circling the purple filly sprung into action, little realizing the princess was about to tell them to evacuate the castle instead.

~*///*///*///*~

Princess Luna sat in her chambers that day, reading a book on modern Equestrian history, surrounded by piles of other tomes on the same subject. In just a few short days, she felt she would finally know enough about the country to fully resume her responsibilities over the night. Although she would never admit it, despite all the new technology and social upheavals, she found the starkest contrast in her older sister.

When she turned to Nightmare, Celestia had ruled the day with an iron hoof hidden behind an insincere smile and shallow flattery. She loved power back then and reveled in it, partly why she refused to pay attention to the midnight princess and mandated a strict sunset curfew. If any pony dared cross her, or fail her on multiple occasions, they soon faced the hangmare's noose, or even the pike. Luna shuddered in fear as she remembered the sight of impaled ponies lining the front of their castle.

Thankfully, the years had been far kinder to the elder than the younger. She had to deal with her own sense of isolation and loneliness, turning her from a bloodthirsty tyrant back into the kind yet quirky mare she grew up with. The Regent of the Moon sighed and put her books away. She simply couldn't get over how much her sister had changed, and how much she herself stayed the same. Sure, she was sorry about the whole saga with Nightmare Moon, but she wasn't about to beg for forgiveness and feel sorry for herself over something that was beyond her control.

Suddenly, the room around her began to quake as a soft "Silence!" filled the air of her room. Of course, she knew better than to think this came from any pony other than her dear sister. Whatever happened, it was enough to make her shout louder then Luna dared remember. She quickly got to her hooves and opened her door, galloping past her guards and down the halls. Celestia had not lost her temper yet in the year she had been back, and she pitied the poor pony on the receiving end of it.

Shouts and the sound of breaking glass met her ears as she ran at full speed down the winding and labyrinth-like halls of Canterlot. Eventually, her hooves found themselves before the throne room, a terrible sight meeting her eyes. All the ponies waiting for an appointment with her sister had fled, and rightly so. The inner doors were blown off their hinges, lying on the marble floor like felled trees.

Guards lay in all directions: some slumped against pillars while others hung limply from the frames of shattered stained glass windows or chandeliers on the ceiling. Most of them were either unconscious, or wishing so; all of them bled heavily onto the cold floor. The large throne itself lay on the ground, shattered into a million pieces while scorch marks shadowed the outline it once had against the wall. However, the sight that caught her most off-guard was that of her sister and her student, who stood on opposite sides of the room, enveloped by auras of magic while staring each other down.

"T-twilight! Sister! W-what is going on here!?" Luna asked in shock and awe, jaw dropping at the sight.

"Stay back!" warned Celestia, "Twilight's having a temper tantrum right now and I don't want to see you hurt." A spell hit her shield as she explained this to Luna, the purple mare far more aggressive than the lunar princess remembered.

"She's a MONSTER!" the smaller screeched. "She engineered me as a Golem and manipulated the ponies who WERE my friends JUST TO SAVE YOU! SHE MADE ME TO DIE!" She skilfully dodged a brilliant streak of gold erupting from the solar sister's horn as she spoke, firing off a few of her own blasts in the meantime.

Luna sat on the sidelines, dumbfounded about how this could have happened. Surely Celestia knew better then to create a magical creature like that... and for such a reason. "Sister... is this true!?" she begged. The large oak doors leading to the entrance hall shut to isolate the throne room for the rest of the castle. In the back of her mind, Luna already signalled the alarm for the ponies to flee the castle, or else suffer the guards' fate.

"Sadly, it's true, Luna," the elder sister replied with lament etched upon her face. A ring of pink flame surrounded the purple unicorn, slowly drawing in as if burning invisible oils. However, the lavender unicorn was no slouch as she teleported outside the ring of flame and behind her teacher. The alicorn wheeled around, expecting this and fired a blast at her student, sending her careening into a wall.

Her raw anger and power dulled the pain as she slammed into the stone wall. It cracked and formed a shallow imprint, but she swiftly got to her hooves and fired another volley at the snow-white monster standing before her. Predictably, the evil alicorn protected herself with a shield charm, but it was enough of a diversion to gain a better position against her.

The midnight pony found herself on the edge of a battle she couldn't escape. On one hoof, she had her sister, whom she loved more than anything else in this world. Yet, on the other, she had the unicorn that helped free her from her foolish inner darkness... to which she owed everything. However, they both committed very serious crimes: Celestia having created artificial life, and that artificial life trying to kill royalty.

Twilight charged, but the ancient mare stood ready for her protégé. Her horn dazzled, ancient roots from trees felled during the construction of the castle burst through the stone floor, ensnaring the charging pony. It slowed her down, but the white pony knew it would not subdue her enough. She quickly conjured a mist around her student, hoping the gas would put her to sleep, or at least impair her enough so she could have the edge.

The purple filly could feel the roots slowly sucking the magic out of her very body and into the earth. She needed to act, and to act fast, or else lose and be killed by the tyrant. Internalizing all the magic she could, she let loose a massive blast of magic, managing to catch the cocky princess off-guard. Her advisory cried out in surprise as the pressure wave hit her head-on, flinging her across her chambers and into one of the pillars a couple of her guards lay under.

Not a sound escaped their muzzles as their ruler landed on their bodies, her full weight suddenly placed on the pair of unconscious Pegasus ponies. The sudden attack caused her to lose concentration in the spell, the roots bursting into flame around her purple student. She quickly got to her hooves and focused; a pillar of rock rose from the floor, causing her former pupil to smack into it head-on.

Luna winced slightly as Twilight ran right into the stone slab, her battle with her dear sister as Nightmare Moon springing instantly to mind. She, or rather the twisted mare, had fallen for that exact same trap and nearly snapped her horn off. Things were quickly becoming violent, and if she did not step in soon, she feared that one of the ponies would not survive to see another sunrise.

Meanwhile, the unicorn charged her horn with magic and rammed it through the solid slab of granite as if it were naught but paper. The solid mass shattered into a million pieces; however, the princess was quick on the uptake, turning those chunks of granite into bubbles that surrounded her target. Each bubble merged with another, and then another until the purple pony lay encapsulated in a single giant bubble.

She rolled her eyes at this pathetic attempt to ensnare her, and promptly put her horn to the bubble's surface. Electricity ran into her body and down her spine, causing her to cry out in pain. Switching tactics, she tried to force her way out with her magic, but that too proved to be a dead end. "It's useless, Twilight," Celestia panted as she spoke. "There is no way out of that bubble from the inside; it exists in a shifted dimension, so you cannot interact with the outside world."

A smile spread across the unicorn's face. All at once, she vanished from the bubble. Worried, the princess dispelled it and called out for her student. Where had she gone? The princess never wanted to hurt her; that was why she was holding back... what was Twilight planning? Suddenly, a massive explosion ripped through the entire room, her world becoming a black torrent of pain and agony. It felt like thousands of knives stabbing and twisting over every square inch of her body all at the same time.

The next thing she knew, she lay on her side on the remaining steps leading up to the shattered throne. A massive hole marked the place she once stood, the purple mare at the epicentre of the blast. Any remaining windows were shattered, the pillar erased from existence and the glass skylight missing completely. Celestia looked herself over and calmly noted glass embedded into her coat, sparkling in her sun like jewels. She was dirty and covered in thin trails of blood.

Luna's mouth dropped at the spectacle of magic before her. The little pony was a very fast study, as she almost immediately found the work-around and utilized it to terrible effect. Dust still hung in the air from the torrent of marble and stone. Only then did the midnight princess notice that all of the guards' bodies were gone, evaporated or blown away from the force of the blast.

They had both crossed a very serious line.

Focusing as much energy into her horn as she could, the Regent of the Moon fired a volley of magic, hitting the unsuspecting Twilight Sparkle in the back. Another small cloud of dust exploded in the hall as the magic connected, dissipating to reveal a dusty and visibly enraged unicorn shooting death glares at her as she lay on the floor. "Sister!" Celestia exclaimed. "I thought I told you to stay out of this!"

"I don't care," she replied. "You've both taken innocent lives today due to your carelessness. I will do all I can... to stop you both." Another blast of unicorn power blasted out of her horn, missing her sister only because of her quick wits and motor skills. "I will show neither of you any quarter."

A purple energy began to form in front of the midnight alicorn. It hurt her to have to do this to her dear sister and one of her saviours, but she had to do so for the common good. The swirling energy quickly took shape, glistening in the afternoon sun before shifting into a large sword. Its blade sparkled black with the power of the stars, the fuchsia grip shimmering softly. Luna clenched her teeth around the weapon's grip, taking stance against the charging Twilight.

Suddenly, mid-charge the purple unicorn became ensnared by a thin beam of golden magic, quickly snapping back around her body and launching her in the opposite direction. The mare twisted herself in the air as she felt the rope of magic disappear and vanished in a wink of light, teleporting immediately behind the newcomer to the battle. However, the dark alicorn expected this, jumping in the air to avoid the attack and smacked her with a hoof.

She careened out of control from the smack as it had thrown her dive off-balance. Unable to stop herself, the mare rammed head-first into one of the remaining pillars. Before Celestia could even comprehend what had just happened, an indigo blur obscured her vision as her sister teleported in front of her, swinging her Midnight Blade. A dazzle of light flashed in front of the feuding alicorns as the Regent of the Sun summoned her own sword to block the incoming attack with naught but a second to spare.

The two exchanged a quick flurry of swipes, neither landing a blow on the other as the smallest combatant saw her opportunity. Luna was an aid in her attempt to end the reign of the monstrous tyrant, but she had also attacked her, and such a deed could not go unpunished. Her own horn dazzled as it built up energy, trying to channel the awesome power she felt into her next attack. Twilight hoped the deadly dance between the two sisters would distract them long enough, as she let loose her righteous fury in the form of a massive blast of golden fire.

Caught in the middle of a lock, the sisters sensed the build up and release of massive energy just in time to avoid a direct hit. The ball of fire impacted the spot where they had stood seconds before, shrapnel from the explosion flying in all directions, causing them to shut their eyes to prevent chunks from blinding them. Naturally, the princess of the sun took advantage of the chaos, charging a shot of magic in her sword.

She took to the air and swung it in a wide arc, gathering as much sunlight as possible. In short order, the gold and silver blade sparkled in the power of the sun. Celestia wasted no time in using it, pointing the tip of the blade directly at her sister before letting loose a torrent of light. The magic mimicked the sound of cannon fire as it screamed across the room, large disks of multi-coloured magic forming from dust caught in its path.

Pain crackled through her body as the Light Cannon attack struck her body. An explosion at the point of contact threw the midnight mare into the air. She flew helplessly, slamming into the wall just beside one of the felled oak doors. Her neck snapped back, the wind knocked out of her as the wall shattered under the force of her hit, seeing stars. Luna's body fell to the ground in a soft thud, the gentle rattle of her sword skidding to a stop just a few precious feet from her muzzle.

Using this distraction, the small unicorn teleported under her former teacher, hoping to gore her exposed belly with her horn and secure victory against the two goddesses. However, she flew just beyond her physical reach, taunting her inadvertently with her skill and experience. A smile crept across the disturbed mare's face as her horn shimmered beyond the aura of magic that shrouded her. Large cracks began to develop on the ceiling directly overhead.

The princess had no time to react to the sudden attack, chunks of heavy ceiling landing on her back, driving the dagger-like shards of glass deeper into her body. She cried out in pain as she felt one of the chunks bend her wing the wrong way, causing her to crash-land onto the ruined steps leading up to the throne. With a stamp of the princess's hoof, Twilight observed a cage of rock jetting out of the floor around her, a weak attempt to try and stop her from finishing off the monster.

Unbeknownst to the purple filly, the dome of rock was not meant for the sole purpose of containing her. A bright light immediately filled the entirety of the prison, causing her to weld her eyes shut or be blinded by the intense glare. Even then, light managed to shine through her eyelids, the world going from black to a shade of brilliant red. But annoying light wasn't the only part of the package; the temperature had suddenly skyrocketed to levels she never dare dream of before.

Luna couldn't believe what she was seeing; that her sister would use such an attack on her prized student, of all ponies! No longer winded from the surprise attack just moments earlier, she slowly got to her hooves and primed an attack of her own. Her sister tried to stop her, but before she could, the rocket of indigo magic shot forward and into the stone dome. Another explosion shook the hall, obliterating the rocky prison that held the purple filly. In addition to freeing her, the attack launched her into the wall, face to the floor with her stomach pressed against the solid slab of stone, winding her. "How dare you!" Luna shouted. "She might be angry right now, but she's still your student! How dare you try to kill her like that!"

Celestia tried to explain that she reduced the heat to about one thousandth of the sun's usual strength. Sadly, before she could get the words out of her mouth, the midnight princess grabbed her sword and shot another volley of magic at her. Things were getting desperate: Celestia could feel her strength slowly leave her with each spell she cast. One way or the other, this battle could not last much longer.

~*///*///*///*~

A dark cloud hung over the village of Ponyville that afternoon, metaphorically and literally speaking. When Sugarcube Corner exploded, fire quickly spread to several of the neighbouring buildings. On the mayor's orders, the weather squad rushed into action, pulling every cloud they could to form a large thunderhead over the town. It was their hope that by dampening it, they could slow the spread of the flames while the fire ponies tackled them.

Meanwhile, Nurse Headheart had quite the busy spell in her clinic. Along with her fellow nurse, the two mares tended to those wounded: a baby dragon with a broken arm, a black and blue Pegasus, a traumatized filly, a slightly concussed farmer and three shaking mares. None of them would talk when the two medical ponies walked into the ward, but as soon as they left, they all began chatting. It was a most curious phenomenon.

Pinkie Pie, usually the one pony who, no matter what, always put on a smile couldn't find one that day. In one moment, she lost her home, her job, and all of that candy! Meanwhile, Applejack massaged her head for the fortieth time since waking up, each time a little more of the massive migraine leaving her. Spike, however, laid quietly in his bed, arm in a thick plaster cast, staring into the ceiling blankly.

As soon as the two nurses left the room, Rarity decided it was time they finally break the ice. "So..." she started for the tenth time that day. However, she simply couldn't bring herself to say anymore, looking to the floor sadly again. No, this needed to be said! "So what do you think happened to drive Twilight utterly insane like that?"

No pony responded to her question, looking at each other blankly. The uncomfortable silence carried on for minutes, until finally the silence was broken by the most unlikely creature there. "I bet you something she read made her flip out like that," Spike spoke against the painkillers. "She was hitting those books harder then I remember."

"That's still no excuse," sounded the indignant voice of Rainbow Dash. One of her front teeth was knocked out in the assault, resulting in a small whistle with every utterance of the letter s. "I'd never flip my lid like that over something I read in some dusty old book!"

"Maybe one of 'em had a spell on it," reasoned Applejack. "Maybe readin' it drove her mad... like in that one colt's books... what was his name again?"

"That would be Horrid Craft, darling," the ivory unicorn replied. "But I sincerely doubt it. What about that... what did you call it, Spike... 'Test Stress'? I'm sure that might explain it."

"Well..." the baby dragon drifted as he sat up. "It might, but it would have to be something like... well... I'm not sure... uh... Like Dash hearing that the Wonderbolts disbanded."

"WHAT!?" the rainbow-maned Pegasus exclaimed, not really listening to the conversation. "How could they do that!? No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" She then proceeded over to the wall and began banging her head against the wall, crying and screaming in a mixture of pain and anger. After about a dozen hits, the Pegasus was tackled by an orange blur.

"Dang  it, Rainbow!" she spoke, muzzled barely an inch from hers. "Stop it! Spike didn't mean nothin' by it; he was just usin' it as an example!"

"Exactly!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "It was for the benefit of the reader: to show something suitable to illustrate what Spike meant." Everyone in the room gave her that typical blank stare when she started on a topic they could never understand. "So maybe we should go to the Library and find out what happened?"

"I agree with Pinkie," voiced the quiet murmurings of Fluttershy who, until that moment, lived up to her name, "At least... the looking in the library part, I mean." She immediately squeaked and moved back into the corner of the room to avoid the limelight, still shaken up over what happened just an hour ago. As much as they didn't like the idea of going out into the rain, they had to admit that going to the library would be the best idea.

Eventually, the two nurses came back to check up on the seven patients. This time, they were surprised to hear that most of them wanted to be released. Poor Scootaloo, however, continued to sit in one of the corners soundlessly. Nurse Redheart silently mused that they would send for a psychologist from Canterlot for her first thing in the morning. Despite their objections, the two medical mares let them go as their injuries were minor, at worst.

The rain hammered the cobblestone streets of town as the six walked over to the Library. An occasional shout would ring through the streets as ponies continued to fight the fires caused by the addled unicorn. It was a sobering reminder of how much raw power Twilight had at her disposal, causing them to wonder where she had gone. Did she go into the forest to bide her time and destroy the town in the middle of the night?

"Wow," Spike voiced when they passed through the threshold of the door. The normally neat piles of books had collapsed all over the place, leaving only a small circle in the center where the purple pony once sat. "I've never seen this place so messy.  I don't remember it being this way this morning." Wasting no time, they spread out to dig through the books; however, it took no time at all to find it.

"I think I found it," Rainbow spoke with some measure of pride. Suddenly, the tome took flight across the room and over to Rarity who flipped a page back. The mare read the passage aloud to her friends, pausing in some places where she found something that connected rather well to their friend. When all was said and done, they stood in the messy library in awe. Everything the book said fit her to a tee; it wasn't hard to imagine her being stressed at learning she wasn't even a pony.

Their minds reeled as they pondered how their friend could have possibly felt when she learned this terrible truth. All of a sudden, it wasn't that much of a stretch to see her turning paranoid, violent, and losing all touch with reality. Every pony stood around quietly, shuffling their hooves awkwardly as some of them tried to figure out where she might have possibly gone. Until, that is, one of them remembered a part of the passage... a disturbing part.

"Oh wow," Pinkie spoke. "So, is it just me, or is anypony else suddenly worried about Princess Celestia?"

"Spike?" the farmer asked, looking to the baby dragon.

"Way ahead of you," he replied, quill already in his good hand as he scribbled out a quick note, leaning on a table to write.

~*///*///*///*~

Princess Celestia of Equestria flew through the air with great speed and control. Every so often, she and her sister would fly close and exchange a quick blow or two with their swords, hoping to knock the other off balance and end the dogfight. In the meantime, Twilight Sparkle had managed to conjure a massive tornado of purple energy in the centre of the room, hoping to swallow both of the celestial sisters whole.

After several close calls, and breaking her Sword of Light, the mover of the sun summoned a bolt of light that blasted the ground underneath in holy lightning. It pained her to have to hurt her student so, but her magic was incredible and her rage boundless. She needed to end the confrontation soon, or else the filly's body would be destroyed by the overwhelming power. This lead to the present moment: the three mares stared each other down in a triangle of destruction.

Twilight made the first move as, much like the two alicorns before her; she summoned a sword crafted out of magic. If the alabaster princess was not busy fighting for her life, she would be proud of her filly for being so quick to learn new spells. The purple pony charged, head low and purple blade out as she charged her monster of a mentor. Princess Luna soon followed suit, taking aim at the charging pony.

Casting out two more lines of magical rope, Celestia ensnared her sister and student, flinging their bodies together in a dull thud before casting them to opposite sides of the destroyed throne room, entangling the purple student in a thick system of roots. So much destruction for such a meaningless cause, she mused. She stepped forward, advancing on her student, wings flared in a primeval display to make herself as intimidating as possible. Magic crackled off her body as the glow faded from her sockets, revealing her purple, slightly bloodshot eyes to the filly.

"You can't win against me, Twilight," she said. "No mortal pony could ever hope to conquer a goddess like me or Luna. Please, give up now and let us discus this like gr-" Before she could finish her sentence, a wisp of green smoke floated before her eyes, opening to show a hastily written note. Normally, she wouldn't bother with such a thing in the middle of a battle, but with her opponent finally subdued and her sister's wish granted, she had little to fear.

Princess Celestia,

Twilight has gone crazy after reading something about Golems in a book, and we fear she might come to Canterlot in order to attack you. She has already set fire to half of Ponyville and hospitalized a good number of her friends. Please, don't be too hard on her if she comes... she'll suffer enough when she snaps out of...

A sudden flash of steel sparkled in front of the princess, allowing her to move her head just before she was decapitated. However, she soon wished she hadn't moved as she saw Luna before her, sword gripped tightly in her teeth... half of her large, ivory horn at her hooves. "LUNA!" Celestia spoke indignantly. Taking a unicorn's horn was a very, very serious offence; she counted herself lucky that her divinity would have it grow back. "HOW DARE YOU!" With a sudden flash of magic, a series of golden ropes erupted from her stump of a horn, tying her sister up tight and launching her into a stump of a pillar, the gilded strands securing it to the chunk of marble. "This whole thing was going to be finally over before you did that! Now you may have doomed all of Equestria!"

It was true that she could still cast magic, but with only half her horn it meant she could only wield half the power. Thankfully, the healing process had already begun on her damaged appendage. Celestia walked over to her sister, anger now fully on display, obvious. A look of pure horror suddenly came upon Luna's face, causing her expression to soften. "Sister!" Luna cried. "Behind you!"

The white alicorn let out a cry of pain as something sharp impacted against her side, cutting through her wing. Now flightless, she turned her head to find Twilight Sparkle, free of the binding spell, in her side. She fell to the floor as her student stood tall, royal blood seeping down her horn and over her face, a menacing grin over her face. "Now who's sitting in the saddle, Celestia?" she smirked.

Celestia yelped in surprise as she felt her student's magic pick her up and bash her into the walls of the room, twirling her around like a puppet on a string. She tried to use her magic to fight back, but the excruciating pain in her side, coupled with the near constant impacts made it nigh impossible for her to concentrate. With a final flourish, Twilight spun her teacher like Applejack would swing a lasso before letting her go careening into the last remaining pillar in the room.

Everything began to shake as the final support in the room crumbled. Luna lay tied against the pillar, wide eyed and stunned into silence. Only now did she realize she made a big mistake by chopping off her horn then, and feared that the rest of Equestria would have to pay for her misdeed... again. She cried out in terror as pieces of the ceiling began to fall around them, noticing how calmly the purple mare walked to her target... like a Griffon about to kill its prey.

The princess moaned as her world collapsed around her. Sure, she had done some wicked things in the past, but could this all be the universe getting her back for it? Celestia could barely move from the waves of pain washing over her, or the gathering coldness from the deep wound in her side. Twilight approached, that same wicked grin in her eyes, chilling the monarch further. For the first time in over three thousand years, she let a genuine look of terror show on her face, tears beginning to well up as she saw her student, her little filly, walk down the path to self-destruction.

"Please, Twilight," she pleaded, tears streaming from her face. "You're better than this... please don't."

Mad laughter escaped from her mouth, making the princess wince as she stepped onto her battered body. The sadistic mare jammed her hoof into her wound, causing her to cry out in pain as her tormentor smiled on. "You're so cute... when you're begging for your LIFE, YOU MONSTER!" Without pause, the unicorn laid a flurry of hooves down on her face, having completely forgotten about her dropped sword. She cackled in delight as the once regal alicorn lay under hoof, bloodied and beaten almost beyond recognition.

"Now, Celestia," she grinned. "It's time to wipe away your MONSTROUS REIGN OF TERROR and let a new age of peace and prosperity sweep over Equestria."

Her eyes went wide as they streamed crystal tears down her bloodied face. With every passing second, she could feel her heart breaking a little more as she realized just what her student was going to do to her. It was now or never to tell her, or else be doomed to her fate. "Twilight, please," she started. "I lo-"

"SILENCE!" the purple mare shouted in her face. Her horn began to glow an eerie white to match the veil of magic over her eyes. A sickening look of delight spread across her beautiful lavender face as a beam of energy passed from the tip of her horn into the stump of the other. From their horns, the mass of light spread over their entire beings, warming them where the light touched.

Luna watched with horror from her vantage point. She had no idea where Twilight had picked up that particular spell, but it did not bode well for her, or for the rest of Equestria. Eventually, the light surrounded both the ponies, shimmering as the illuminated silhouette of the one on top grew while the other shrank. If their country were to survive, she'd have to use her special, private spell that she'd never had the need to use on another pony. The light faded, revealing a sight she had not seen in over six thousand years.

On the ground lay a white alicorn pony, her mane a vivid pink with a more simple design of the sun resting on her flank. She panted while lying in a pool of her own blood, the wound in her side still leaking her royal blood onto the cold marble floor. Luna noticed a fear in her purple eyes, the likes of which she hadn't seen since she accidentally broke their father's crown one day so very long ago.

She felt a power unlike anything she ever experienced coursing through her veins. Her purple coat sparkled in the light of the sun. Her mane shaded from darkest starry night through the colours of sunset to the azure blue that now hung above her. A golden crown rested on her head while a golden necklace sat around her neck, each sparkling with many lavender jewels. The new wings that flanked her body flared open in triumph over what she accomplished as the pink-maned mare squirmed under her gilded hooves. How pathetic, the new Regent of the Sun mused as she grinned at her now mortal predecessor.

"Twilight," the former princess spoke in barely more than a whisper. Her voice was much higher then she remembered. "No, don't do this. I.."

"My name," she replied, her voice booming and commanding to all who should hear it. "Is Eos now. 'Her Royal Highness, Princess Eos of Equestria, Regent of the Sun.' Do not forget that, CELESTIA."

"Don't kill me, Twi- I mean, Eos. I know I did some horrible things, but PLEASE, don't destroy the pony that I've grown to respect so much!"

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you," Eos replied. "I'm simply going to banish you to what you have misused for so long. Enjoy an ETERNITY on the sun!" Her royal horn dazzled in light as she finished her sentence, quickly wrapping the bleeding mare under her in a blanket of light.

"No! Twilight! Don't! I love..." However, before Celestia could utter that last word, she vanished from the face of Equestria. Eos cackled in triumph as she kicked at the pooled blood under her hoof; at last, the world was free of that dastardly and evil pony who dared defy the universe. Now, all that remained was that pesky Regent of the Moon.

Luna shivered as the now immortal Twilight walked slowly up to her, eyes steeled in murderous determination. It was then that she noticed her stare. She looked back into those purple pools, working her magic. "Please! Twilight! Come back to your senses! You're better than this! Remember who you were... remember who you've hurt today. Yes, you're a Golem, but that's no excuse to hurt, traumatize and kill others! Please!"

Those green eyes... they quickly put her under their spell. Waves of serene calm crashed over her weary body, taking with them the anger, the hurt, and the hate. Suddenly, the events of the day flooded back to her, but not the way she remembered. Bright apples, cute critters, alabaster dresses, a filly learning how to fly, a concerned friend, and a started baby dragon. Finally, the straw that broke her back: a crying and hurt princess resting under her hooves, heartbroken and scared.

Twilight looked around the tattered room, her eyes beginning to shimmer and glisten. Not with magic this time, but with tears as startling realization crept upon her waking mind. Sure, Celestia did a horrible thing, but the real monster that day wasn't named after the princess... but Twilight Sparkle instead. Her mouth dropped in horror as she slumped onto her haunches, the water flowing freely from her eyes as her voice broke.

"Oh, my god! W-what have I DONE!?"
> Redemption
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Someday, in the distant future, the events of that day would have two different names, depending on who you asked, or what book you read. To most of Equestria, it would be known as 'The Battle at Canterlot', while in the small town of Ponyville, it would be known as 'The Reckoning.' Neither of the names chosen for the whole fiasco were wrong, but neither did they get across how seriously it impacted history. For the first time, a commoner was put into a position of absolute authority over the country.

A couple of days after that pivotal event found the new princess cooped up in her old dorm room, hidden as best as she could under the covers. The sudden increase in size, and lack of new blankets left the goddess exposed to the bitterly warm glow of the sun... her sun. She fought the temptation to just turn it off and stop that tantalizingly warm orb from haunting her with the memories of that day: a day she would never forget.

Why had she done that? Was this punishment for rising against her and hurting her so? Maybe she just wanted to see her squirm under the pressure and come crying back to her? If she didn't think she would kill her on-sight, Eos would have been more than happy to grovel before her and beg for forgiveness. Alas, she simply did not have the nerve to face Celestia... or Sol, now.

Shortly after she regained her senses, Eos became relieved to hear that her mentor could still be saved. Lingering remnants of divinity in Celestia's body gave her a window of time, not more then a minute, before the heat of the sun would roast her, and the vacuum of space steal her breath. She wasted no time in returning her from the sun: if she hesitated for a moment longer, she would have simply retrieved a corpse. Celestia's body was burned to a crisp, her once ivory coat charcoaled into onyx. The doctor was summoned and he whisked her away before the new goddess could apologize, never mind give back her power.

From there, guards escorted her back to her old dorm and locked her inside. She did not object and spent the better part of the afternoon and well into the night sobbing into her pillow over what she did. To her surprise, Princess Luna knocked on her door very late that night and told her something that shook her to the core. Celestia wanted her to rule in her stead while she recovered.  The next day was spent with the Regent of the Moon in a magical room at the heart of Canterlot. In there, Luna taught her how to raise the sun, and some other spells she might need.

A knock sounded on her door, snapping her out of her daydreams. There could be only one pony in all the land standing on the other end. "Twilight," said Princess Luna. "It's time for the public address. I'll do all the talking, but you need to at least be there. It's your duty. Dry your eyes and come out."  Twilight moaned and rolled onto her other side, tears still dripping off her muzzle. She stayed like that for several minutes until she heard the door open with a quiet click, soft hoofsteps telling her Luna entered the room.

"Now, Eos," she added with a gentle, yet commanding tone uncommon for the indigo alicorn.

"Fine," she responded, her voice cracking from lack of use and all the crying she had done. She slowly got to her hooves, standing tall over the princess of the moon, but walked behind her like the submissive traitor she was. Eos could feel the burning eyes of everypony upon her as they walked to the entrance hall. Luna and Sol jointly wrote off the whole event as Nightmare possessing Twilight in order to destroy the solar princess. In fact, the purpose of this press conference was to publicly state so, and that Eos would look after things while the rightful Regent of the Sun recovered.

Eos could tell that no pony who worked in the castle bought the story. She kept her head lowered in shame, doing her best not to start crying again as they somberly walked down the halls and into the room. Members of the press took a myriad of photos of the temporary princess as she followed silently behind Luna, each burning her like a bolt of lightning. Time seemed to slow as their judging eyes bore into her soulless body like a dentist's drill into a tooth.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts of the press," Luna spoke into the microphone. Twilight shuffled awkwardly behind her, trying to remain hidden and failing. "Two days ago, Canterlot was attacked by the evil spirit known to us as 'Nightmare.' In order to do so, he possessed the body of my sister's personal student, Twilight Sparkle. However, at the last minute, the evil spirit was conquered... but not before severely wounding sixteen valiant guards, and sending three others into critical condition by his hooves."

Eos felt her attention slip as Luna rambled on, still playing the events of the day over in her mind. She couldn't help herself, or her newfound self-hating attitude. Why did the princess not order her execution? It would be a far more kind punishment then letting her live with the unbearable guilt that haunted her so. Just have her killed and make everypony happy... it was not like she had any friends.

"...And so," Luna continued as Eos regained her attention. "Princess Celestia has mandated that her student, Twilight Sparkle, take over her duties of Regent of the Sun until she is fully healed from the encounter. Until my sister has recovered, Twilight shall assume the royal title of 'Princess Eos.' Please, show her the same respect and consideration as you would my sister. Thank you."

A choirs of voices surrounded them as the inquisitive ponies shouted questions, each screaming for recognition. However, the two princesses quickly turned away from them, leaving a representative to try and satisfy their hunger for answers. The two quickly trotted back to Twilight's old room, now flanked by guards. Luna shut the door swiftly behind her. "All right," she sighed. "I know you're melancholy, but you've got to talk about it, or else you'll destroy yourself by keeping it bottled up."

"Oh, Luna!" she cried, wrapping the princess in her hooves, sobbing into her neck. "I'm so sorry! Why did I do all those terrible things? Why did I have to hurt my friends and you and... and your sister like that!?" The midnight alicorn brought herself closer to the sobbing Twilight, gently stroking her back in comfort. "She must hate me! She's probably going to have me executed when she's feeling better!"

"Shh," Luna whispered. "It's all right. My sister would never do such a thing to you. Not in a million years."

"Well, she should!" Eos replied hysterically, breaking off the hug. "I attacked her and nearly killed her! I... I'm... my life is worthless. I'm a monster who shouldn't be alive right now. I deserve to die. The world would be a better place without me in it! I WISH I WAS DEAD!!!"

Slap! Her face stung and her mind reeled from the sudden force of the strike, twisting her head around to face her window. Ponyville lay beyond it, bathed in the afternoon light. She brought a hoof to her cheek to try and soothe the stinging sensation where Luna back-hoofed her.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE! DON'T YOU EVER DARE SAY THAT AGAIN!" Luna shouted, not caring if anypony heard. In her normally warm and cheerful eyes, Eos saw flashes of Nightmare Moon as they burned in indignation. "If you were supposed to be dead, you would have died already! What would your friends say if they could see you now? What about Spike? Or Celestia? What about your MOTHER, Twilight, or your SISTER?"

"T-Trixie?" Twilight murmured, stymied. "How did you...?"

"That's not important right now, Twilight," Luna pressed. "What is important is that you let this go. Sure, you did a terrible thing, but that's just something else you and my sister now have in common. She's done FAR worse than you ever will, but does she wish herself dead? NO! She heeds the lessons of the past and uses them to make a better future!"

Eos felt like an utter foal before the princess of the moon. Just as she was about to let loose another cascade of tears, she felt a gentle nuzzle against her face. Those soft, minty eyes gazed back into her lavender ones, calming her down once more. The two ponies embraced each other again, a silent pact forming between them to keep what was just said between them forevermore.

~*///*///*///*~

Although she did not see Celestia all week, Twilight (or rather Eos) slowly got herself into the rhythm of a ruling princess of Equestria. Mornings were early, as she needed to be up, literally, for the sunrise. For the most part, Luna helped her by lending her own experience and power to aid in waking and putting the stubborn sun to bed. That morning, however, Eos would be completely alone. She pulled her blankets aside and walked over to a window facing the morning horizon.

The temporary Regent of the Sun stepped out onto the balcony, opening the door with her teeth. One thing she was not expecting when she turned into this new form was to lose the ability to perform more delicate tasks with her magic. At the moment, if she tried to open the window, she would probably rip it off its hinges and shatter all the glass. Luna said that it was normal for this to happen, and with practice she would be able to do those magics again. In the meantime, she focused her energies on the horizon before her.

Her horn dazzled as she shut her eyes, picturing the immortal sun cresting the horizon in her mind's eye. She reached out with an ethereal force to the sleeping giant, warmth cascading as the bottom of her ghostly hoof made contact. Eos screwed up her face, having not concentrated so hard since the Ursa Incident. Sweat ran down her face as she grunted in effort, feeling the fiery titan slowly begin to lose its grip. After what seemed like an eternity, the sun finally peeked over the horizon of Equestria, bathing its new mistress in the red glow of dawn.

Eos opened her eyes and beheld her own work: she had raised the sun, and all by herself! She panted heavily and let the first smile in over a week break across her muzzle. Reaching up with a hoof, she swiped the sweat off her brow and slowly made her way down to breakfast, stomach grumbling angrily at the great exertion she put herself through. Raising the sun felt like she just lifted over one hundred Ursa Minors, all at the same time.

Despite her earlier protests, Princess Celestia, through her sister, maintained that Twilight eat her meals in the Royal Dining Room. It was an honour reserved only for the two sisters, and their guests. Even with her status as Celestia's personal protégé, she would have never been allowed inside in all her life. At first, she tried to argue about it, but it soon became apparent that neither of them would take 'no' as an acceptable answer from her.

The purple alicorn approached the gilded ash doors, a pair of unicorn guards opening them for her using their magic. Inside, she still could not believe the sight that met her eyes. The floors of the room sparkled in high-polish that tinted the marble a fascinating green. Elaborate designs done in tiny rivers of gold were embedded into the strange marble. Oak panels on the wall reflected scenes from time immortal, telling stories through pictures, recalling a time when most ponies didn't know how to read.

A large fireplace of pink granite sat against the longest wall of the rectangular room, the opposite leading into the dedicated kitchen beyond a pair of swinging doors. In the hearth roared a fire, illuminating the room in a warm glow as it offered no windows to the outside world. A long table sat in the middle, countless floral decorations resting on the white-clothed, rectangular, mahogany table. At either end sat two elaborate high-backed chairs with an emblem of either sun or moon on top. Each had luxurious purple velvet padding filled with solidified clouds.

Twilight simply could not bring herself to sit in Celestia's chair, opting for one of the less luxurious guest chairs that sat on the sides. As soon as her flank made contact, a vividly red servant unicorn appeared at her side. Luna had once addressed her as 'Sable,' so she would do the same. After politely placing her order for breakfast, the midnight alicorn herself walked into the room and greeted her with a smile. "Good Morning, Eos. You did an excellent job of raising the sun this morning. Celestia told me to tell you that she is proud of you."

"Mmm," the lavender mare replied, looking into her bowl of cereal. As if her teacher could ever be proud of anything she ever did ever again.

"We've got a big day ahead of us," Luna continued. "They finished fixing the throne room last night, so you can start to hold court." Eos suddenly looked at her with great fear in her eyes. "I'll be with you the entire time for support and advice, if you need it." The sight of the smiling princess wiped a little of the fear from the lavender pony's mind as she finished her breakfast.

Holding court proved to be everything she had ever expected: it was dull and ultimately pointless. Granted, there were few ponies coming to see her, so they got some of the servants to come in with requests or problems of their own. With the princess of the moon at her side, Eos felt a confidence boost she desperately needed. It did not hurt that Luna refused to hold her hoof through the whole ordeal either. But, there was a theme to those two weeks: everypony was gearing up for the thousand and first Summer Sun Celebration.

~*///*///*///*~

Eos paced nervously in the tent that morning, weary from having slept so little. Nerves, combined with an early start, conspired to keep her from the gentle wisps of dreamland. Not that she felt she deserved a peaceful night's sleep anyway. For the first time in nearly three weeks, she would have to face a crowd of ponies. A sigh escaped her lips, quite alone in the tent to prepare herself for the Summer Sun Celebration.

"How are you holding up, Eos?" Luna said as she slowly pushed the flap of the tent aside.

"Don't call me that, please," she replied. "I don't deserve any other name or title. I'm Twilight Sparkle: a mare who hurt those closest to her." Unseen by the moping pony, the princess of the moon rolled her eyes and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. Everypony makes mistakes. I am no different, nor is Celestia."

"I get it, I get it!" Twilight shouted. "You keep saying the same thing over and over! Stop treating me like a little foal! I don't need you going on like a broken record!"

"All right, I'm sorry," the princess apologized. "Remember those breathing exercises and calm down. I know you're feeling a little stressed right now."

"A LITTLE!?" she huffed. Twilight closed her eyes and started taking deep breaths, feeling the stress lift off her back a little with each breath. "I'm sorry. I know you're only trying to help me, and I appreciate it."

"Oh, it's my pleasure. You helped me be rid of my inner darkness, so helping you control yours is the LEAST I could do," the midnight mare smiled. The two ponies stood in there for the longest time, listening to the clamour of others approaching the stage behind them. Morning birds chirped into the pre-dawn sky, the smell of dew building on the grass reaching their nostrils.

"So, what did you want, Princess Luna?" Twilight asked politely.

"Oh!" Luna realized. "I just wanted to tell you that my sister is feeling well enough to watch in the audience! She should be up to having her power restored tomorrow, after you get a good night's sleep!" The colour from Eos's face drained as the news washed over her. The princess was in the audience? Did she come to watch her fail, or to make sure her stress did not make her snap again? A part of her mind told her to put herself together: Celestia wasn't like that.

The warning horn sounded, startling the purple alicorn from her thoughts. "Oh," she said. "I guess it's time, right? Um... do I have to do that silly 'fly-up-and-flare-yourself' thing she usually does?" Twilight sighted when she saw the midnight mare nod her head.

"It's a little silly, I know," she soothed. "But it would be boring for everypony if you just stood there and lit your horn up, you know?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," the purple mare smiled, recalling the first time she saw the princess raise the sun.

Luna stepped graciously off to the side as they approached the rear steps to the platform. The entire routine had been embedded into Twilight's head by both her own memories and through explanation via papers from Celestia. Although she was still new to raising the sun, the princess could fell it bend to her will a little more easily with every time she made it crest Equestria's horizon.

She only had a quick moment to scan the crowd in front of her as she stepped onto the large stage, a dozen guards blowing that familiar tune into their Trumpets. However, near the front, she spotted a pony with a coat as white as the snow, and a mane of dazzling, yet simple pink. Twilight bit her lower lip slightly in trepidation, her own mane wafting gently in the solar breeze.

The powerful pair of wings flanking her side spread to their full flare, her long horn dazzling in soft purple light as she took to the air in a powerful stroke. Already, she could feel the warmth and power of the sun cascade into her as her ethereal will made contact with the giant. She could feel her teacher's stare bore into her, wondering in the back of her mind what she was feeling at the sight.

Sure enough, the whole event went off without a hitch. Although, Eos looked far more tired then Celestia ever did. She wiped the sweat off her brow and grabbed a quick nap in the tent behind the stage before facing the music and going out to mingle with the ponies. Most of the common ponies did not really mind the temporary shift in power as many of them were too thrilled with the fact that she was a commoner to care. Noble ponies, on the other hoof... well, it was not like Twilight ever really cared what they thought anyway. Sadly, she did not see her teacher again for the whole day.

~*///*///*///*~

Upon the day after the Celebration, Twilight walked up to Celestia's chambers. Only on one occasion had she been this terrified to approach these doors. She was but a little filly, new to the castle and its ways that day so many years ago. Eos tensed up as she stopped dead before those white pieces of wood, guards in golden armour flanking it as usual. She swallowed hard and approached the dual portals, knocking softly in case the mare beyond could not handle loud noises. "Enter," spoke a soft voice from beyond.

She gently placed a hoof on the long, golden handle and pushed down, opening the doors with a click. Light flooded into the room from the doors, curtains drawn over the windows to cast it into darkness. As soon as she passed across the threshold, the doors shut automatically. A large fireplace sat before her in the circular room, a white form resting upon a pile of pillows in front of it. Eos bowed her head low as she approached.

"So, do you want to take care of business first, or would you rather chat for a while before?" Sol asked, her purple eyes gazing into the lavender alicorn. Her face was unreadable in the silhouette of the fireplace.

"If you mean giving back what's rightfully yours, then I'd like to do that first, Princess," Eos responded, head still in a deep bow. The flower scent she remembered from the princess's chambers ignited memories of happier days in her mind... days where her only friend was her dragon assistant.

"All right," she replied. A beam of white light shot forward from her stump of a horn, connecting with her student's. A wave of warmth swept over the two mares as the light embraced their entire beings. Unlike last time, the warmth carried something else, something elusive to the purple pony, but quite present. After a few moments, the warmth faded. The student opened her eyes to see the world once more from her familiar vantage point, the goddess before her flaring her wings.

Twilight shut her eyes, allowing warm tears to pass as she pressed herself into the floor, awaiting any punishment the divine teacher felt worthy of her treachery. Her body rocked with spasms and shook in fear as light overtook the room, unable to see the princess had merely opened the curtains. "Twilight Sparkle," she addressed. "Please, do not be afraid of me. I'm not angry at you for what you did, but I will confess myself... disappointed."

She began to openly sob in front of her mentor, somehow that idea being far worse to her than outright anger. Celestia let out a sigh as she approached the filly, her horn already rebuilding itself. "I understand why you did what you did, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry that I deceived you for so long. I wanted to tell you for a long time, but I grew uneasy about the possible outcomes, and became complacent in the lie. This is entirely my fault."

"N-no, Princess Celestia," the student replied. "This is my fault; I failed to listen to reason and let my emotions and stress get the best of me, instead of stepping back and evaluating the situation dispassionately."

"Twilight, I appreciate the sentiment, but that would have been too much to expect from you in light of the circumstances." A frown flashed across her royal face as she laid down beside her student, much like for her sister a little more than a year previous. "All I ask is that you walk away from this having learned two important lessons... and a few smaller ones as well."

The purple pony blinked in surprise, no longer sobbing, yet tears still streamed down her eyes, looking into the lavender pools of her teachers. "The first lesson: Learn from the mistakes of the past, be it your own or your ancestors. It is as simple as it sounds, my faithful student, and I know you've shown me your understanding of it well. But the next might be a little harder to grasp. A part of growing up is learning that the idols you've gilded with gold are nothing but granite underneath. Can you tell me what that means?"

She racked her brain for a few seconds, pondering the teacher's words carefully. "It means..." she trailed. "That a part of growing up is learning that... that your mentors... your parents, teachers, and elders... aren't perfect. That they're flawed and are able to make the same mistakes and possess the same prejudices that a young pony can?"

Celestia beamed back at her precious student... her little filly. "That's exactly right, Twilight. So you see, we're both in the wrong here, and I'm deeply sorry for it. I'm sure we can agree that getting beaten and nearly killed by my student is punishment enough for me. As for you, I'd say living with these memories will suffice nicely for one with a gentle heart like yours. However, I must warn you, Twilight... if you ever go berserk again, I have entrusted the mayor of Ponyville with a device that will block your magic. At least until you've calmed down."

"That... that's less then I deserve, princess," the filly sighed. "I don't think I should be your student anymore. I don't deserve to be in the same kingdom as you, never mind the same room! Why are you always so nice to me, no matter what I do? I'm a spiritless monster: an abomination to the universe!"

The mover of the sun shook her head, a dead serious look the likes of which the student had never seen before on her face. "Twilight, right now, I am speaking to you mare-to-mare, not goddess-to-subject or teacher-to-student. Until we leave this room, consider me an equal in your eyes." With that, the princess stood to her full height, an explosion of golden flames erupting around her.

The student cried out in shock and horror, quickly getting to her hooves and backing into the wall. It was rather difficult to see the mighty goddess as anypony's equal at that moment. As the flames quickly died, a sight she never expected manifested. That same pure-white pony with the pink mane stood before her, lacking wings: a unicorn like herself, right down to their height. "You might find this amusing, but you do have a spirit, Twilight."

"How can I?" she asked, almost shouting, "I'm not a pony! I wasn't even born! Give me a single good explanation!"

"I can give you three," Sol calmly replied. "First, with some encouragement from my dear sister, you snapped back to reality and instantly regretted what you did. A soulless monster would never care enough to experience regret and they would be immune to her spell."

"Well, um..."

"Second reason: you have a cutie mark. As everypony knows, a cutie mark only appears when a pony has learned their special talent. What nopony else knows, however, is that a cutie mark can only form when that pony has a complete, if not fully developed, spirit. You see, I was ignorant of something critical all those years ago. Ponies are not born with spirits, but rather they are forged from the fires of our lives. As we live and grow, they develop and change over time."

"I guess that sort of makes sen-"

"Final reason," she interrupted. "If you didn't have a spirit, you never would have been able to steal my divinity. Every pony with a spirit has a god or goddess inside them, lacking only the spark to awaken them. It's a contingency plan the creators put in place in case the royal bloodline should ever die. Eos is as much a part of you as your magic or your hoof, and is not something to be feared. I'm not sure what will happen now that she has been awakened, but I will make time to investigate this matter."

Twilight did not notice the unicorn burst into gilded flames again as she pondered her words. They made a lot of sense to her, now that she thought about it. Maybe she was not quite the soulless monster she thought she was, but she still felt like it. A new sense of shame overwhelmed her as she lowered her head to the floor again. She had flown off the handle for no reason, now that she thought about it. The revelation didn't change anything, except maybe caution her to watch her stress levels... but that was something she knew already.

"How could I be so foalish? I... this makes complete sense to me, pr- I mean, Celestia. But... why are you so nice to me? I'm sure anypony else that I almost... murdered... would want me executed for my crimes. Why are you letting me off so easy?"

"Come here, Twilight," Celestia motioned with a hoof. She smiled as her student obeyed her request, and climbed onto the pile of pillows in front of her. The princess's horn continued to shimmer, almost restored to its full length. Once on the pile, the Regent of the Sun joined her, resting alongside her. "I'm not exactly sure how to say this, and I'm not sure how you'll react, but I've wanted to tell you this for years."

"Tell me what, princess?"

"Remember our fight? How I kept trying to say something to you at the end of it?"

"Yes," she nodded, looking sadly into a pillow.

"Well... I was... um... trying to tell you that I... well... wow, this is harder to do when your life isn't on the line, isn't it?" she laughed at the situation, sounding like dozens of beautiful church bells. "I'm sorry. I was trying to tell you... I love you, Twilight. At first, I wasn't sure of it, but as time passed on, and I watched you grow, I became certain. I love you, like how a mother loves her filly. I always have, and... and with every accomplishment you achieve, I find myself more proud of you then I could ever say."

The purple mare lay there in silence for what felt like an eternity. Did... did the most powerful being in all of Equestria just say that she loved HER, Twilight Sparkle, even after all she did to her? Yet... as impossible as it sounded, the filly knew, deep down, that she had always seen the princess as a motherly figure. Those cold nights where she tucked her in, tea with her in the private gardens, stopping everything in her busy schedule to calm her when she was upset: everything fit.

"But..." she voiced uneasily, "The book said that... well, Golems have a familiar relationship with their makers. I feel like I love you too... but that could just be the spell that animates me."

"Not a chance," Celestia smiled warmly, "When I made you, I cast two spells on you. The first was to ensure you stayed alive and asleep while I figured out what to do with you. The second spell, however, broke that clause you spoke of. I didn't want you to feel anything for me that was against your free will."

New tears welled up in the filly's eyes then. Unlike any other time during this whole episode, they were not tears of pain, anger, or sorrow, but of unbridled joy. Quite suddenly, the princess felt something warm pressing against her. Looking to her side, she saw the tearful filly nuzzling tightly into her. "I... I love you too... Mom." It was a simple sentence, but one that the princess longed to hear for over twenty years. She draped a wing over the filly... her filly... and wrapped her neck around her, eyes glistening with tears.

The pair stayed like that for well over an hour, neither moving or speaking, simply embracing each other as mother and foal for the first time, neither wanting to spoil the moment. However, the princess noticed the sun beginning to arch towards the horizon and broke the silence. "Now, remember, Twilight... Shimmer Tail is as much your mom as I am, and Trixie is still your sister. Do not forget about them simply on my account."

Twilight looked into her eyes, wide in shock once more. "H-how did you know she's my..."

"Oh, my precious pony," the princess smiled, "Your mother's been my good friend for years! How could she not tell me? It... it hurt me when I heard that they didn't accept her into the academy with you. I tried to pull some strings, but they all broke. So, I gave your mom the idea to make those dolls for you two so that, in some small way, you would always be together."

"Th-thank you," the purple pony sniffed.

"Not at all, dear. Now, unless I am mistaken, your chariot should be ready to take you home to Ponyville by now."

"Oh. Right." Twilight crawled out from under her wing and over to the door, somewhat hesitant to return home. By then, news had spread about the fire that swept over twenty percent of the town, injuring several ponies in the process. Just as she was about to open the door with her magic, she heard a soft, deliberate cough behind her. Turning around, she saw the princess standing at full height.

"One last thing, Twilight," she said. "Please, keep what was just said to yourself. There are ponies out there who might try to hurt you to get at me. I would rather die than have that happen to you. Oh, and I left a note for you in the chariot. Open it when you get into the air. I'm afraid I can't see you off."

The purple mare started to the door once more, just about to open it with her magic, since she could feel her power was back to its normal levels. However, a through crossed her mind: one that had been bugging her for the past fortnight. "Um, Princess Celestia?" she paused, turning to her mentor.

"Yes, Twilight?" she replied, curious as to what her student wished to add.

"Um... why did you let me rule Equestria these past three weeks? I know Luna can raise the sun as well as the moon... I mean, you did both for a thousand years. So, why have me do it?"

"There are two reasons, Twilight. Firstly, I wanted you to better experience what life is like for me, and what better way then by walking a mile in my hoofsteps? Secondly, I figured you might appreciate the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, since I know how much you love to study pony magic. Even if you didn't like most of my duties, I could tell from your face yesterday that you liked bringing the dawn, as it utilizes ancient magic once used by the creators themselves."

"Well, I suppose it did feel kind of nice," she replied with a blush on her cheeks.

The princess smiled back at her little filly. "Yes, I know. Although you can't touch the sun anymore, I allow you the right to use any other spells you might have learned from Luna. You have earned them and I doubt you will misuse them."

"All right, see you later, Princess," the filly chirped as the door opened behind her. "And... thank you. For everything." The door shut in front of her face with a gentle click, mother and foal looking into each other's eyes until the very end.

Later, on the chariot, she found the letter in an envelope addressed to her in the princess' hoofwriting bearing her name on it. It was tucked into a small slot for visitors to keep their papers during the longer flights, like when foreign dignitaries arrived at Port Noble from lands across the sea. Carefully opening it with her magic, the mare read the contents to herself.

My Dear Twilight,

I apologize for not talking to you about the incident until right before you left, but I felt the need for you to have some time to yourself to cool down and reflect on the situation. If I have told you of this note's existence, then our little chat went very well indeed. However, on the off chance you are snooping around in a bored stupor, I urge you, but don't expect you, to stop reading here and have a safe flight.

With every day and every letter, you remind me more and more of myself at your (relatively speaking) tender young age. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you, even when we were fighting I felt that same pride swell in my heart. Even if you had killed me outright, I feel you would have made an excellent ruler of Equestria. You see, when I took power, I strove to be the best, most powerful princess in all history. That urge and lust for power only worsened when my mother, Queen Notia, fell ill with a terrible disease that robbed her of her mental faculties. At the time, I thought she forgot me and my sister intentionally.

For the longest time I was angry at her, and the world. This led me to do unspeakable horrors and kill many innocent ponies. In fact, the bitterness that overtook Luna and turned her into Nightmare Moon was entirely my own fault, and I didn't realize it until about two hundred years after the fact. I still haven't forgiven myself for doing all those horrible things, but the trick is learning how to live with it.

I apologize again as I seem to be rambling: another trait we have in common, my beloved daughter. Do not worry about your friends. I am sure if they are really all you say in your letters, they will welcome you home in earnest. That said, please continue to send me your reports on the magic of friendship. Luna and I don't get to spend a lot of time together, and your letters are one of those few occasions we can share.

I would also ask that if you tell any ponies about our relationship, please ensure it is kept to your inner circle: namely Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Also, please have no worries about blowing up at them again: just remember Aunt Luna's breathing exercises and you will be fine. You have grown into a smart and beautiful mare, Twilight. I have no doubts that everything will work out in the end.

Looking forward to your next report,

Celestia.

~*///*///*///*~

A couple of minutes passed, but it felt more like a couple of seconds to the unicorn as the chariot began to fly low overhead the town of Ponyville. Several buildings were blackened, and more tents then she remembered occupied the town square. The magnitude of her little... episode did not really sink in until she saw those buildings lying in ruins. She shrunk into the chariot as she thought she saw a streak of rainbow out of the corner of her eye.

"Ms. Sparkle? We're here," spoke one of the Pegasus ponies pulling the golden chariot. They had been on the ground for a minute or two before he spoke, as the purple mare thought that by hiding, they would think she disembarked and take her back to Canterlot.

Alas, they were not easily fooled as they refused to budge. "Okay, thank you, sirs," she replied in barely more than a whisper. Reluctantly, she stepped off the transport, cringing as she heard it roll away almost instantly. In a second, she felt dozens of eyes fall on her, gazing into her as if willing her to die right then and there. She bit her lower lip, the sweat already beginning to run down her face.

With all the courage she could find, the lavender mare began walking through the streets of the town. Not once did Twilight lift her head, too ashamed to face any of the innocent ponies she may have hurt during her rampage. She could hear nasty whispers between ponies behind her, spreading rumours though the town's celebrated network of gossips.

Along the way back to the library, the mare saw the fruits of her destructive labours. Sugarcube Corner had been reduced to a pile of black rubble... what little had not been blasted away, at any rate. Countless other businesses and homes sat around, burned to cinders or otherwise uninhabitable. Ponies still rummaged through the ruins, trying to salvage any valuables that may have survived the wave of fire.

The former princess shuddered as she walked past a window, thinking that she saw Eos reflect in it for a brief second. Did her counterpart feel as sorry as she did for the destruction that they... she caused? Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself and continued along her way, the buildings becoming less burned the closer she got to her home. All she had to do was make it into the library without incident and she could duck in there for as long as she needed.

Thankfully, no pony vandalized or burnt her library down in revenge against her atrocities. She took a deep breath and sighed as she approached the door, all the windows as black as night. Did Spike refuse to come back, or did he simply run away, much like when he thought she replaced him with her owl? Using her magic, the lavender pony quietly opened the door and slipped into the comforting blackness inside.

"SURPRISE!!!"

Twilight jumped and gave a loud shout at the sudden noise and light shining in her eyes. A quick shake of her head dislodged the ringing from her ears, opening her eyes to drink in the sight before her. Six figures, five pony mares and a baby dragon, all stood in front of her under a purple, star-struck banner which said, 'Welcome home, Twilight!' Before she could even get a word out, they all ponypiled on her in a massive group hug, telling them how much they all missed her.

"You... you all... forgive me?" she stuttered after they all climbed off her.

"Well, of course we do, darling," Rarity chirped, "We read that book that set you off, and we came to realize that snapping like that simply wasn't your idea."

"Yeah," interjected Rainbow Dash, "And I probably would have done worse if I thought any of you were... you know... touching foals."

"Or how you though I was getting stuff for Pinkie to make you into a stew with," added Spike with a nod.

"Wait," the purple pony silenced. "How did you know...?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Pinkie Pie cheered, jumping up suddenly in front of her, "The princess wrote us all letters about how you were sorry and that you never would have done any of that in your right mind and also how you saw us in horrible, horrible ways, like Rarity running a funeral parlour or Fluttershy with demonic bunnies and all that! How could you think I would want to make you into cupcakes, Twilight? I mean, HELLO, ponies would taste awful! Not to mention how hard it would be for me to disguise the meat since we're all herbivores, and I doubt hot sauce would do the trick, unless you had a WHOLE TUB for each cupcake but that would be a hot sauce tub with frosting recipe..."

"So... yeah," Applejack spoke over the rambling pink party pony, "The princess sent us all letters, an' explained everythin' to us, includin' what you though you saw. Princess Luna told her all about what you two spoke of, an' all that. So, we know you didn't mean anythin' by any of that, sugarcube."

"Um..." the yellow Pegasus mumbled, "We really, really missed you, Twilight. So... um... can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Fluttershy, of course you can," the lavender mare replied.

"Um... what was it like... you know... to raise the sun and sit in Princess Celestia's spot while she... you know... recovered. Not! Not that you have to answer... if you don't want to...never mind. Just... forget I said anything."

"I don't mind. It was weird and awkward, not to mention the overwhelming guilt I felt for all the things I did that day. Make no mistake," Twilight started to address every pony present, "I'm happy beyond my wildest dreams that you've all found the heart to forgive me. Yet, I don't think I could ever forgive myself for what I did, and I wouldn't blame everypony else if they never forgave me either."

"Come on, Twilight!" Spike suddenly shouted, "Give them time, and they'll forgive you too! Now, this wouldn't be much of a party if we didn't have some fun!" He gave her a big hug with his newly healed arm. It stung a little bit, but it did not matter to him one bit. Twilight was back, so his family was whole again.

And so, after some persuasion, the party kicked off in earnest. For a few precious hours, the purple unicorn forgot about all the hurt and suffering she caused. Over the following days and weeks, the Element of Magic would learn to live with what she had done, and learn from her mistakes. In time, things would return to normal for the town of Ponyville, and all who inhabited it.

Yet, life would never be the same for its librarian. For one who had tasted the poison of murderous fury, the ambrosia of divine power, and the pure joie de vivre of knowing she had a soul that was loved intimately by its creator, life could never be normal again. Then again, being normal was never an option Twilight considered.

--- The End ---