> Celestia's Eternal Empire
>  by Distaff Pope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Stars and Spies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Equestria still stood. It had never been more infuriated. The Chaos God, the Dark King, the Changing Queen, and the Princess of Night had all failed it. Weapons it had spent millennia forging had all been undone in the span of three years by a variable it had not expected, the Elements of Harmony. The Windingos were still active, but had been driven to hiding in the coldest peaks. The only creatures that were still in its thrall were simple animals, beings of instinct, only suitable for diversions and minor feints, not at all suitable for unmaking Equestria.
It focused its attentions on the mares who had been responsible for thwarting its ploys. It had tried undoing them before, and while they had each listened to its whispers of madness for a time, they had been redeemed by the others. Together they were invulnerable, but alone they could be neutralized. The key, it thought, would be to separate them and pick off the ones that were the most vulnerable. The Chaos God had had the right idea but had been undone by a combination of over-confidence and the Princess of the Sun’s scheming. However, the plan itself was still salvageable, it just needed to make a few alterations. It pulled the metal from the stars, molded it to its designs, and sent it hurtling towards Equestria. If it had lips it would have smiled.
***
“Come on girls, if we don’t hurry we will miss the meteor shower… again,” Twilight Sparkle looked back at her friends as they hiked up the mountain, “By now Rainbow Dash has probably fallen asleep waiting for us.”
“Sorry Sugarcube, but we are climbing up a mountain at night to watch a meteor shower that is visible from anywhere in Equestria. Although, at least this time I don’t have to pull Fluttershy along,” at that she gave an appreciative nod to the pegasus fluttering beside her. “We don’t want to miss the show any more than anypony else, but we would prefer to get there without breakin’ a leg.”
“I know,” Twilight Sparkle said, “And you are all so great for coming with me, I have always wanted to see the shower from the highest point in Equestria, the view is supposed to be spectacular. Still, next year we can see it with everypony else in Ponyville.”
“I am mighty appreciative o’ that, now let’s get movin. I know how much Rainbow Dash hates havin’ to wait.”
The five ponies continued their trek up the mountain, thanking Celestia that the climb was significantly easier than the last time they had scaled the mountain. An hour later they were at the summit as the first meteor streaked across the sky.

Princess Celestia was worried. She reflected upon how hectic the last few years had been, with the return of Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, and an attack by Queen Chrysalis. After a thousand years of harmony, Equestria had faced four of its deadliest foes in the span of three years. The last time things had been that deadly was a millennium ago and before that was… two thousand years ago, with another cycle occurring a thousand years before that.. A thought entered her mind that the time span was no coincidence and that perhaps, as unlikely as it seemed, some mysterious prime mover might be behind all of Equestria’s woes. She would mention the idea to Luna as soon her sister finished her shift. For now, Celestia enjoyed being able to watch her sister’s lovely meteor shower and take in the peace and quiet.

“You know, while I didn’t particularly enjoy the trek up the mountain, I will admit that the view from up here is simply marvelous. A shame my Spikey Wikey couldn’t make it,” Rarity frowned as she spoke the last few words, missing her dragon admirer.
“You know as well as I do that Spike would probably fall asleep halfway up the mountain,” Twlight responded, “Besides, I think he is planning something.”
“Oh?” Rarity asked as another star streaked across the sky, “What makes you say that?”
“He has been busy the last few days, writing down notes and running off on errands… Is someone’s birthday coming up soon?” Twilight asked.
“Nope!” Pinkie Pie responded, the pink pony had bounced up from where she had been laying down as soon as the question was asked, her brain running through a list of everypony in town and checking whose birthday was when, “Wait! Cherrilee has a birthday in three… no two days! Oh my gosh! Do you think Spike likes Cherrilee?”
Twilight laughed at that, “I don’t think Spike has eyes for anypony besides Rarity!”
Pinkie stopped bouncing at that and turned to face Twilight, her eyes filled with fire, “You Pinkie promised Twilight! You said you wouldn’t tell anypony and now you went and told Rarity! How can Spike ever trust you again?”
Somehow Pinkie managed to go from bubbly to frightening in less than a second, and the entire mountain shook as she spoke. Twilight Sparkle made a mental note to investigate how she could make her voice reverberate like that just as soon as she placated her friend, “It’s alright Pinkie, Rarity already knows. Right Rarity?” Twilight turned to face the other unicorn, her eyes pleading with her to say something before Pinkie Pie murdered her.
“Oh absolutely darling, I have known for a while, honestly a pony would have to be deaf, blind, and dumb not to know,” Rarity preened her mane as she spoke, her eyes still glued to the stars falling above them.
“Well okey dokey lokey then! If that is the case then I guess it isn’t much of a secret anymore” the pink pony went back to bouncing around her friends as they enjoyed the shower, “Ooh! Are you two dating now? Are you going to get married! I can throw your bachelorette party! And your wedding party! And… Ohmygosh I can throw your baby shower! What do dragon unicorn babies look like anyways?”
The unicorn cut her friend off before she could go any further into one of her rants, “No Pinkie we aren’t dating, while Spike is sweet, he is still half my age, and a dragon, and of course we can’t forget that he will be in the prime of youth when I am an old decrepit mare. Still, a lady could do worse than having Spike as an admirer. After all, I would much rather spend a lifetime with him then spend thirty seconds in the company of a unicorn like Prince Blueblood.”
The second Rarity referenced the Grand Galloping Gala, everypony burst out in laughter and they were soon rolling on the ground laughing hysterically as tears ran down their eyes.
“…the look on those ponies faces…”
“…and Pinkie is on stage singing the Pony…”
“…Fluttershy caused a stampede…”
“…knocked over every statue in the…”
“…Rarity is just laying into Prince…”
“…and then it was the…”
“THE BEST NIGHT EVER!” they all said together before going back to laughing. A few minutes later their laughter subsided and they were able to catch their breath.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Fluttershy that loud, not even when she was all…” Applejack stopped speaking as she recalled the brief time Discord ruled Equestria, although it might be inaccurate to call his brand of trickery ‘ruling’.
“Uhmm… excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but that meteor over there looks really big. It is pretty,” Fluttershy seemed not to notice the pause in her friend’s speech as she drew attention to the one meteor that had caught her eye.
“You are right about that Sugarcube, in fact it seems to be flyin’ lower than the rest of ‘em too!” Applejack added.
“In fact, I think it...” Twilight stopped to do a few calculations in her head, noting the object’s apparent velocity and angle of descent, “It is heading right for us! Run!”
The six ponies quickly ran towards the nearest shelter they could find, which happened to be a cave big enough to house a dragon and took cover as the meteor hit where they had been laying down just a few seconds earlier. A short while later, Twilight cautiously approached the crater, eager to examine a space rock up close, and as she drew near she noted that no smoke or heat emanated from the crash site. When she did reach the crater she looked down and saw that the rock that fell from the sky was most definitely not a rock.
What looked to be a miniature silver cannon sat in the center of the crater with a grip that allowed it to be operated by mouth. Twilight used her levitation spell to draw the item closer to her and noted the soft green glowing lights protruding from the barrel. Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared by her side, bouncy as ever, “Ooh! Ooh! That looks like a gun from that show with the humans.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, “Pinkie I can’t believe you watch a show that is aimed at little foals… still, you have a point, it does seem to resemble the guns on that show, although this one that can be used by ponies,” as she finished speaking she idly levitated the gun to face a nearby mountain and pulled the trigger to test its abilities. A bolt of green flame shot out from the barrel. A second later the top of the mountain vanished.

Princess Celestia waited for her sister to return to her room, pacing as worries filled her head. What if there was some greater threat that used gods and kings as its proxies? What would it take to defeat such a being? How could she possibly defend Equestria from a thing so powerful? Had it been responsible for Luna’s corruption? The questions had eaten at her all night and made sleeping next impossible. She had to know, and if her fears were confirmed she would have to take steps to protect Equestria.
Finally as the moon went down and Celestia prepared to raise the sun, Luna entered her room, “Tia! What has you up so early? I would ask if you had a bad dream, but then if you did I would know,” the alicorn smiled as she looked at her sister, but the smile quickly disappeared. “No, something worse then. Something that I am guessing kept you up all night. What is it?”
Celestia sat down to rest, deciding that she had been on her hooves enough during the past few hours, “I need to know more about what prompted your transformation into Nightmare Moon. I need to know what caused your fall. I know we already talked about the generalities, but I need to know every last detail. The fate of Equestria might depend upon it.”
Luna’s frown deepened as she heard her sister’s request and her mind turned towards a subject she had hoped to never revisit again. “It… I spent years protecting the dreams of ponies, keeping their nightmares at bay, but despite all that they never loved me like they loved you. The dark scared them, the night I had so lovingly crafted fueled their nightmares. Then after a while I started to become a part of their nightmares, to them I was your dark mysterious sister who was in charge of all things spooky. They thought I was your dark enforcer who did the nasty things you couldn’t. You can see the irony in that I hope.”
Celestia nodded.
“Well, After a while it started to get to me, I just wanted to be loved like you were, and I thought that maybe if they could see the night like I saw it, they might learn not to fear me. Instead they thought I was taking over, and soon enough I guess I was.”
Celestia thought, considering her sister’s words carefully before responding, “So that was it then, no evil voice encouraging you to take up the mantle of Nightmare Moon?”
“No Tia, I am sorry to say that nopony is responsible for me becoming Nightmare Moon besides me… although now that you mention it… It is probably nothing but whenever I thought about talking to you or thought that my fears were unfounded, a thought entered my mind that confirmed my fears or convinced me that you wouldn’t listen to me. They were probably my own though,” Luna said.
“Hmm, well that might be something, but it isn’t much of a lead,” Celestia said, standing up and preparing to leave Luna’s chamber’s, “Good morning sister, and I am sorry to have bothered you.”
“Wait,” Luna said, moving to block her sister’s exit, “I thought you were just coming here to find someone else to blame for my fall, but now I think you were looking for something more particular.”
Celestia permitted herself to smile, “As always sister, you see right through me. I was thinking tonight about how strange it was that in a thousand years ago you became Nightmare Moon, Discord moved from performing harmless pranks to dragging Equestria into a new dark age, and a tyrant took over the Crystal Kingdom. Now, after a thousand years of peace, all three enemies return in the span of a couple of years. It feels like there is a pattern and I need to know what it is.”
Luna thought on this, noting Celestia’s words and considering her argument, “You might be right, maybe something else did drive my transformation into Nightmare Moon, but we can’t make any conclusions yet. We need more points of data. We need to talk to the others.”
“Talk to who?” Celestia asked, “Sombra is dead and… Oh no. You are not suggesting… oh no.”
“Oh yes, Tia,” Luna said, stepping out of the way and allowing her sister to pass, “I am not saying it is a particularly good idea and, in fact, it might even be one of the worst ideas I have ever thought of, but if you want to know more you will have to talk with Discord.”
Celestia sighed and headed towards her room, “Perhaps, I have been meaning to see about his reformation for some time, and I think the Bearers of Harmony can handle it. Could you handle the royal duties for today? I need to get some rest and see about releasing Discord.”
Luna smiled as her sister left, “I would be happy Tia, and please, get some sleep.”
“Oh,” Celestia said as she left Luna’s chambers, “I will announce to our subjects that the nights will be longer during the winter months so ponies can appreciate your lovely work. I don’t want you to ever feel unloved or unappreciated again.”
“Thank you, Tia.”

Rainbow Dash came flying out of the cave, with Applejack galloping a few feet behind her. “Whoa! What in Equestria was that noise?” the rainbow-colored pony asked.
Twilight floated the gun towards her friends, careful not to point it at any of them, “It was this thing, Pinkie said it looked like a gun.”
“From that filly’s show with the humans?” Applejack asked, approaching the gun hesitantly.
“Yeah…” Twilight Sparkle said, “From that filly’s show. Still, it does resemble one, although I think this one is slightly more powerful than the one in the show.”
“What makes you say that Sugarcube?”
In answer Twilight pointed towards where the top of a far off mountain used to be, “I was just trying to test it out and see what it did, I didn’t think it could blow up a mountain.”
“Wait a second! That gun can blow up mountains?” Rainbow Dash asked, “I want to try next… Ooh! Can I shoot it at the moon? It would be all like ‘Pew pew pew’ and ‘Ka-splam!’” 
The mare’s continued to re-enact what she thought blowing up the moon might sound like until Twilight cut her off, “No. I don’t think the princesses would approve of us blowing up the moon. Besides, who knows what the repercussions to blowing up the moon might be?”
“Well you didn’t know what the repercussions of blowing up a mountain would be but that didn’t stop you did it?” Rainbow Dash replied.
“That is different,” Twilight said, carefully levitating the gun into her saddlebag, “I didn’t know that the gun was capable of blowing up half a mountain, if I did I wouldn’t have pulled the trigger.”
“I guess you have a point, but how awesome is it that you found a gun that can blow up mountains? That is like… almost as cool as me.”
“I for one don’ think it’s very smart keeping a weapon that powerful around,” Applejack said, “I mean, don’t y’all think it’s just a bit odd that a super-powerful weapon fell right where we were sitting? I say we just bury the darn thing.”
“I agree that the circumstances of the gun’s arrival are suspicious, but we can’t just bury it where someone else might stumble across and misuse it, that would be irresponsible,” Twilight said.
“Shoot, I reckon you have a point there,” Applejack said, “So what do you propose we do?”
“Simple, we bring the gun back to my library so I can run some tests on its composition and nature, then maybe we can find a way to destroy it without hurting anypony,” said Twilight.
“Ooh! I know how we can destroy it!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down excitedly as she spoke, “We can take the gun to the volcano where it was forged and then drop it in the lava! Works every time.”
“No that’s not…” Twilight struggled to formulate a coherent response to her friend’s idea, “Why would we drop something into a volcano? We don’t even know if this was forged in a volcano… Have you dropped things into a volcano before?”
“Maybe!” Pinkie said, suddenly standing on top of Twilight, “We can call ourselves the Fellowship of the Gun as we trek across Equestria fighting evil!”
“Pinkie dear, let’s let Twilight do her tests first and have your idea as a back-up plan… or a back-up back-up plan,” Rarity said, and Twilight made a note to thank the other unicorn for distracting Pinkie after they got home.
“Okey Dokey Lokey!” Pinkie said, still bouncing up and down excitedly. 
Twilight thought that perhaps she should run some tests on Pinkie when they got home to determine if her legs were made out of springs, but before she could get to that she had to take care of the gun that fell from the sky, “Alright everypony, we have a long walk back to Ponyville and I want to get home as quickly as possible so I can start running tests on the gun and report my findings to Celestia.”
As Twilight started the long walk towards Ponyville her thoughts circled around the gun in her saddlebag and how it had fallen out of the sky. A new hypothesis entered her mind, that perhaps this gun was given by the stars to them to protect Equestria. It made a certain amount of sense, and she made a mental note to look up situations similar to this one in the library when she had some free time.
***
Princess Celestia had not slept well. Whenever she closed her eyes she was visited by the ghosts of long defeated enemies, rising up from their graves to strike down Equestria. And in her dreams, she was powerless to stop them. Powerless to aid her subjects as they were stricken to the ground, powerless to save her sister, powerless to help anyone. Every time the nightmares drew to a close she heard the same voice laughing, and then she woke-up screaming.
She paced in her royal chambers, her thoughts chasing each other in an endless loop. The dreams were a sign. Every one of them fueled her fears that something was corrupting her world, trying to draw it into darkness. The latest one was particularly unpleasant, in it; Twilight had turned against her and raised an army to take Canterlot. Every one of Twilight’s attacks were methodical, precise, and absolutely devastating. In the end, Twilight had cornered the goddess, her skill and cunning had bested Celestia, and with the utmost precision she cut the Princess apart. Then, as Celestia mouth filled with blood, the laughter came and she woke up safe and sound.
The latest dream broke from the previous pattern. It did not feature an old enemy returning for vengeance, but instead had her favorite student fall to madness, possibly the same madness that had claimed her sister. Something was taunting her, but it had made a mistake by revealing itself to her, because now she could work to defend Equestria against its unknown enemy.
She opened her eyes and smiled. Twilight Sparkle was doing research on the starmetal gun, and Fluttershy had recently succeeded in reforming Discord. The Bearers of Harmony had managed to neutralize two of her adversary’s tools in the span of a weak, and before long she expected Twilight to have made a breakthrough on the nature of the starmetal gun. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to give her student a small nudge in the right direction. She drew quill and parchment to her and began to write.
My Dearest Twilight Sparkle,
I am writing to applaud your research into the starmetal gun you retrieved on a recent camping expedition, and applaud your dedication. As always, you are an asset to Equestria and your drive and intellect are to be commended. I also believe that the starmetal gun might have some relation to the Alicorn Amulet, and I hope that by testing both you will gain further insight into these mysterious artifacts. And please be careful Twilight, both of these items are extremely dangerous and I don’t want you falling to their influence. If at any point you feel yourself being manipulated by them, please stop all research and return the items to me.
Your loving Princess,
Celestia
The princess was pleased with the letter, and her horn glowed as she cast the spell that would send it to Twilight. Next Celestia would have to work against the enemies that were already in Equestria. However, she had to be subtle while rooting them out. She would need to rebuild her order of spies and assassins. As it currently stood it had only one active member who, although she was incredibly competent, not capable of defending Equestria by herself. It was time to bring her back to Canterlot and start recruiting the best mares in Equestria. She had three more letters to write.

Rarity never thought that Princess Celestia would personally summon her to Canterlot for a special mission. She had of course been called forth several times to fulfill her duty as the Element of Generosity, but Celestia had never asked her to come to Canterlot as a personal favor. Her exuberance was diminished somewhat by the fact that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had received the same summons, but she was also happy for her friends. While Twilight studied the starmetal that had taken up so much of her focus lately, she and two of her best friends would be working for Celestia. Rarity couldn’t imagine anything much better than spending a few weeks in Canterlot doing whatever task the Princess had in mind.
“Do you think she will want us to help her plan a party?” the bubbly pink pony sitting next to her on the train spoke up. In truth Rarity was surprised she had managed to sit still for so long.
“I somewhat doubt that Pinkie Pie, I believe Celestia has more than enough caterers and party planners without our aid,” Rarity said while looking at Canterlot in the distance.
“Ooh! Maybe she wants our help reforming the Grand Galloping Gala, attendance was really low last year after we wrecked the last one. Besides, who is better at throwing parties than Pinkie Pie?” The pink earth pony did have a point there, while her parties weren’t always as sophisticated as Rarity would like, they always ended with everypony having fun and leaving happy.
Rarity certainly wouldn’t mind helping the princess plan a party, and of course organizing the next Grand Galloping Gala would increase her standing amongst the Canterlot elite. However, she didn’t think any letter that started with the words “Your presence is urgently required” was talking about party planning. But Rarity also knew it was usually easier to just humor Pinkie Pie, “You might be right, I mean I know if I needed to throw a party you would be the first pony I would come to. What do you think Fluttershy?”
The yellow pegasus had been quieter as usual during the trip, which was saying something. She looked away from the window and turned to face her friends upon hearing her name, “Oh, I am sorry, did you say something, I was just looking at the flowers outside. Aren’t they pretty?”
“Yes of course darling,” Rarity said, “Pinkie and I were just discussing what Celestia required of us, Pinkie believes that we are being summoned to help plan a party. What do you think?”
“Oh I don’t know girls, it would be fun if we got to design a party, but I don’t know why she would want my help with that.”
As soon as Fluttershy finished her sentence Rarity started explaining all the ways in which Fluttershy would make a great party planner, while Fluttershy nodded. She knew they weren’t being called to plan parties, the letter she had received explained everything, or at least explained more than letters to her friends did. She was being called in to fulfill her duty as the chief spy and assassin for Her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia.

Twilight Sparkle had hit a wall. For the first few days her studies on the Starmetal Gun and the Alicorn Amulet were fruitful, but after about a week the information she was able to safely obtain had dried up. However, she did learn that the Starmetal Gun had seemingly infinite ammo but took approximately thirty seconds to recharge after each shot. While recharging, the green lights on the side of the gun would go out. She also learned that the Alicorn Amulet and Starmetal Gun were made of the same unidentifiable alloy, and were also very difficult to destroy. She had placed both items in pocket dimensions and did everything she could to destroy them, and neither extreme heat, cold, force, nor prolonged exposure to acid managed to damage them. Her last revelation was that the Alicorn Amulet had no effect on pegasi or earth ponies, but it did gradually drive any unicorn wearing it insane while giving them immense power. The last bit was rather difficult to find out safely, but with controlled conditions, Twilight was able to make head way.
She sighed as she looked through her books, trying to find more information on artifacts that had fallen from the stars. Spike had suggested that if she could find items similar to the gun and the amulet she might be able to learn more. It was a reasonable avenue of research, but Twilight was beginning to get tired of the constant studying. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy leaving for an extended amount of time had been hard enough, but then Rainbow Dash was summoned to Cloudsdale for flight training, and the letter had implied that she would be gone for quite some time. That just left Applejack, and she was so busy working on the apple harvest that she couldn’t spare much time in Ponyville. For the first time in years it was just Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and her books. She let out a sigh and went back to reading her book. Maybe she would find something in this one and then she would take a break.

The food in Canterlot Castle was simply divine, Rarity thought. The portions were perfectly sized and each course complimented the previous one. As she ate, she was serenaded by the best musicians in Equestria and spoke with the Princess herself. After dinner, Celestia invited the girls back to her private chamber to talk about her request. She wondered again what the Princess wanted with them.
As the three girls entered Celestia’s chamber, the Princess spoke, “I appreciate you all coming out here on such short notice. In the past three years, three of Equestria’s oldest enemies have returned. You all played key roles in their defeat, but we cannot idly wait for our enemies to make the first move. We must be proactive in finding and dealing with them, and to that end I want you three to serve as my spies, and, if the need arises, my assassins. To that end you will spend the next several weeks being trained in the art of infiltration, information gathering, hoof-to-hoof combat, and how to properly use a blade. The training will be rigorous, but I have the utmost confidence in you girls.”
The princess spoke of killing in the same tone of voice she used to commend the girls for ruining the Gala. Rarity and Pinkie Pie gasped, followed a split second later by Fluttershy. “But Princess,” the demure pegasus said, “We aren’t spies, and I don’t know why you would ever need an assassin in Equestria.”
Celestia smiled benevolently, “Fluttershy, I will be training your friends how to be spies, there is no point in keeping your status a secret from them.”
“What is she talking about Fluttershy?” Rarity asked, giving her friend a look of confusion.
“Well… you see girls, I have been a spy for Celestia for the past…” the pegasus paused to do a few calculations in her head, “Seven years. The Princess thought my ability to communicate with animals would be very useful, and so I was chosen to be the first spy in Equestria in two hundred years. Well… the first pony-spy.” 
“But Fluttershy, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you are, well, a bit of a scaredy-pony,” Rarity said, her look of confusion growing, “You were terrified of that dragon a few years ago.”
“Oh, that is because I was a scaredy-pony seven years ago, and I guess I still am a little bit, but anyways, once Celestia started my training she told me that I should stick to the scaredy-pony persona to keep other ponies from becoming suspicious. And as for the dragon, well you all expected me to be a scaredy-pony, so I played the part. I also am really afraid of dragons, they are much too big to subdue in a chokehold.”
“But when we were all in danger, you got all loud and stared the dragon down, and made it apologize,” Pinkie Pie said, looking between Fluttershy and Celestia.
“Also uhmm yes, the Princess taught me that just because something scares me I shouldn’t let it control my actions, especially when other ponies might get hurt because of that fear,” the yellow pegasus said, fluttering over to her friend’s side, “now I think Princess Celestia want to start our training.”
“Right you are Fluttershy, now Rarity, I want to observe your combat skills. Please try to hit Fluttershy and don’t hold back. Fluttershy, fight defensively and try not to harm Rarity.”
“But Princess Celestia, fighting one of my friends would be terribly uncouth and of course I might hurt my dear friend,” Rarity said.
“I assure you, you won’t,” the princess said, “Now hit Fluttershy.”
“If you insist,” Rarity said, pulling her forehoof back preparing to strike, “I am sorry about this Flutter-”
Before she knew what was happening the unicorn was on the ground with her forehoofs twisted behind her back. “You couldn’t telegraph your strike more if you tried, you look away from your opponent while throwing a punch, your stance leaves you wide open to attack, and you underestimated your opponent’s abilities,” Fluttershy said as she pinned the unicorn to the ground, “Oh and, uhmm, don’t worry. I tried not to mess up your mane too terribly,” she said as she moved to help Rarity to her feet.
Celestia appraised the two ponies, while Rarity was still untrained, with a bit of practice she would be perfect for infiltrating and observing the enemies ranks. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie’s agility and skills with gadgetry would be perfect for more direct forms of espionage. Under her and Fluttershy’s guidance they could become the best spies and assassins in Equestria’s history… she hoped.

Every muscle in Rarity’s body ached, “You know Fluttershy, the Princess told you to go easy on me, not beat me into a pulp.”
The pegasus frowned, moving towards the unicorn, “But I did go easy on you, I didn’t break any bones and I am sure you will be feeling much better in the morning. Here, let me give you a massage to work out some of the stiffness, I would hate it if you weren’t feeling okay tomorrow.”
It had been several hours since Celestia had dismissed Rarity and Fluttershy for the evening, and as far as Rarity knew, Pinkie was off working on designs for a hoof mounted party cannon, although she doubted Celestia intended to use it for party related activities.
“I can’t believe you never told me you were a spy, all the time we spent in the spa and you never once brought it up.”
“Oh, believe me Rarity, I wanted to tell you all, but I was under strict orders not to. If my cover in Ponyville was blown I would be forced to relocate, and I couldn’t bear the thought of being away from you all.”
“Well, I suppose that makes some sense,” Rarity said as Fluttershy slowly worked the tension out of her muscles, “but, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, I don’t see you as much of a secret agent.”
“Oh, I didn’t either, but my special talent dealing with animals left me uniquely situated according to Celestia,” Fluttershy said.
“Really? Then do go on,” said Rarity.
“Well, my ability to speak with animals allowed me to gather information far more effectively with the average agent, and my dealing with dangerous creatures led to me developing quite a bit of strength. In fact, I learned the basics of hoof-to-hoof combat giving Henry the Bear deep tissue massages. You would be amazed how sensitive a pony’s nervous system can be.”
The massage Rarity was receiving suddenly became a lot less relaxing.
“You don’t say Fluttershy, can I ask a somewhat more personal question?”
“Of course you can Rarity, we are friends after all.”
“Well, have you ever had to kill a pony in your line of work?”
“Of course I haven’t, why would an animal caretaker need to kill ponies,” Fluttershy responded.
“You know that wasn’t the work I was talking about.”
Fluttershy stopped the massage, “I never intended to kill any pony, but sometimes I… sometimes they left me no choice.”
Tears were running down her face now, “It wasn’t often, but some of them refused to play nicely. They were so mean and nasty and just wanted to help themselves at the cost of Equestria. They would have killed thousands of ponies in a heartbeat, they were so evil, but I still hated having to hurt them.”
Fluttershy was sobbing now, “There, there,” Rarity said, “I am sure that if you couldn’t make them see reason then nopony could. Remember how you got Discord to reform when the rest of us had written him off as a lost cause?”
Fluttershy nodded. 
“You give ponies a chance when nopony else will, and I am sure you gave them a chance as well.”
“I know that, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. Equestria seems so safe and friendly on the surface, but then you find out there are all these nasty ponies just waiting for a chance to make war. Sometimes I wish life could be more like a filly’s show.”
Rarity laughed, “I think we all wish that from time-to-time, now let’s get some rest; we apparently have a lot of training to do tomorrow.”
As she drifted to sleep Rarity made a mental note to speak with Celestia about what she was doing to Fluttershy.

The first week of training had gone surprisingly well, Celestia thought, as she got into her bed. Pinkie had already invented several new gadgets that could be utilized for a variety of purposes and Rarity was beginning to grasp the basics of hoof-to-hoof combat and infiltration. In a few months they might even be ready for their first mission, although that would mean an extended amount of time away from Ponyville. Still, while she knew Twilight was missing her friends terribly, she couldn’t afford to put the well-being of her favorite student above the well-being of Equestria. Perhaps she would have Twilight come up for a visit some time to reward her new students, or she could send Twilight to study the magic of the Crystal Empire, Twilight would probably enjoy that. However, these were thoughts for later. Right now Celestia just wanted to get some sleep in before dawn.
Then Celestia wasn’t in her room anymore. She looked around trying to find something she could identify, but she couldn’t see anything in the darkness that surrounded her. It couldn’t be a dream, she thought, her mind was far too clear, and her usual nightmares were far more… visual than this one.
“Princess Celestia, we speak.”
The mysterious voice surrounded her, with no discernible point of origin.
“How many millennia has it been since you fashioned yourself as the protector of Equestria? Two thousand, three thousand? You who kept the windingos at bay, drove the monsters into the wilderness, turned the chaos god to stone, and banished your own sister. It is time it spoke to you.”
“Oh,” Celestia said, trying to sound braver than she felt, “And who exactly am I speaking with?”
“Your adversary.”
“But you haven’t given me a name,” she said.
“Names are things for beings of flesh and blood, beings seeking to separate themselves from the natural order. It needs them not. It is a part of that order. It corrupted the draconequus, fueled the fears of the Night Princess, led a starving queen to Equestria, brought a mad king to power. It is your adversary.”
“So you are going to go with Adversary then? That hardly sounds impressive.”
“If you wish to apply that title to it, you may. It cares not. Now be silent.”
As it spoke Celestia found herself unable to speak or move.
“It has watched you for some time, so high and mighty as Equestria’s protector. But what are you really? A minor deity, seeking refuge in an inconsequential world. It can understand that. It sees this baseness in all beings and through that, it becomes stronger. But you… you rule benevolently, banish all evil and impurity, and in doing so strive to deny it entry into this world you claim for yourself.
“But despite your efforts, you fail, it still finds its way into the hearts of ponies and monsters, fueling their darker impulses and turning them into its disciples. Five times they threatened to bring Equestria to its knees and five times you repelled them. Yet all your fighting has done is buy time. As we speak, it whispers to your citizens, placing them on darker paths. It called you here to inform you that in spite of all of your efforts, it will succeed and it will enjoy making you watch as Equestria is covered in darkness and your legacy is unmade. It will destroy everything you love because you had the audacity to reject a part of the natural order. You will die alone, unloved, and unmourned, Princess of the Sun.”
As it spoke its last words, the voice laughed, the darkness cracked around her, and she found herself in her bed once again. Her suspicions, it seemed were correct, and there was some… thing driving the citizens of Equestria to villainy. It was time to prepare for war.

> Opening Moves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Princess Celestia planned out her next moves. Rarity and Pinkie Pie could continue their training without Fluttershy. If Twilight Sparkle’s reports were correct, Rarity had already made quite a bit of progress on that front. With Fluttershy no longer helping Rarity and Pinkie in their training, she could be used to activate General Blast. The fact that the two ponies had worked together before to stop a coup amongst the pegasi virtually assured the general’s cooperation.
Once General Blast had mobilized, Fluttershy could activate her own critter surveillance network, using the woodland creatures to keep an eye on Equestrian citizens without raising their alarm. With the populace pacified, Celestia was free to focus her efforts on corralling the Canterlot nobility. Ordering Rarity to infiltrate and observe the Canterlot nobility would be a good test for the unicorn, and the Princess knew of a few ponies of questionable loyalties, like Prince Blueblood she could start interrogating right away. He was weak and would likely resist her authority, but to properly reform him she would need to retrieve her copy of the Neighcronomicon. While a part of her recoiled at the idea of using forbidden magic, she had to remind herself that if using its magic was what was best for Equestria, then she would gladly risk its corrupting influence. 
All of this left one variable unsecured, Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn had hit a dead end when it came to researching the Alicorn Amulet and the Starmetal Gun, and Twilight was beginning to grow impatient. Celestia could grant Twilight access to the Crystal Library’s forbidden archives, allowing the unicorn further avenues of research and ensuring she would stumble across the other copy of the Neighcronomicon. As much as the Princess hated to do it, the knowledge inside the Neighcronomicon could turn the tide of battle and Twilight was one of the few unicorns who could properly utilize it. She started to write Twilight’s letter and called her personal attendant in, “What is it you Your Highness?”
“Tell my sister and the three Element Bearers to meet with me in the war room after breakfast,” Celestia said.
“The… the war room?” Her attendant asked, “I don’t mean to question your orders Your Majesty, but the war room hasn’t been used in decades.”
“I know,” Celestia said, she had hoped to never have to use Equestria’s war room again, but it seemed that current events necessitated it, “The order stands, and have someone clean the room before the meeting. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time in there over the next few weeks.”

Three hours later, the other ponies had assembled before Celestia. “Greetings, my little ponies, I am glad you are all here because I have some rather… unfortunate news to share with you all.”
“What is it sister? And why must you tell us about it in the war room?” Luna asked, hoping the answer wasn’t what she suspected.
“Because Luna dear, Equestria is at war, and its adversary is unlike any previously thought. The opponent we are facing can infect the hearts and minds of my citizens and turn them against me. Meanwhile, I have no way to strike at it directly and can only neutralize its agents. To that end I have work for you all. Now Rari-“
“Wait a second please,” Luna interrupted, “How do you know this adversary actually exists, it seems like you are taking a rather large leap of faith without having any evidence to back it up.”
“I am glad you brought that up Luna, I was recently visited by the adversary in a dream, during which he made his plans for our kingdom very clear.”
“So sister, you are going to declare war against an unknown opponent based on a dream you had?” Luna asked, trying to see if her sister had gone completely mad.
“Yes.”
“Ahh, are you sure that is wise? Perhaps your dreams just created something for you to fear, and perhaps it was all just a dream.”
Rarity listened to the two sister’s argument, not sure which thought was more frightening, that Equestria was going to war or that Celestia was going to declare war because of a bad dream. On reflection, she thought, it was probably the latter of the two.
“Because sister, I can’t afford to not act on the off chance that this threat isn’t real. Equestria’s well-being rests in my hooves, and I can’t afford to ignore any threat no matter how unlikely it is. If I do, then ponies will die. Now are there any more… objections?”
Celestia looked at the ponies in the room and Rarity felt as if the room’s temperature had dropped by twenty degrees when the princess stared at her. The room was silent. “Good, I am glad you all recognize the possible danger of this threat and are willing to help out. Fluttershy, I need you to find General Blast and tell him that I command him to take to fly with me. He will understand what it means. Rarity, I want you to use your contacts within the nobility to weed out traitors, Pinkie Pie, keep designing more party tools,” Celestia thought of the ponies skill with gadgetry and decided it would be best if Pinkie didn’t know how her designs would be repurposed, “And Luna, I need you to start reforming the Grand Equestrian Army. We have more than enough pegasi, but the unicorns and earth ponies have grown soft. I leave it to you to remedy that problem. Now then, I expect you all to carry out your missions and make me proud, Equestria depends on your actions,” the princess gave the group one of her benevolent smiles and Rarity shivered as she saw it.

Luna and Rarity walked next to each other as they left the old Equestrian war room. “What do you think?” Luna asked, “Has my sister lost her mind?”
“Of course not,” Rarity said, trying to mask her own concern, “She is just under some stress and I am sure she doesn’t want to let any threat sneak up on her. I don’t really see any downside to increasing security, and perhaps we will discover some threat that justifies such… a radical escalation.”
“You really are quite the diplomat,” Luna said, “Who knows, maybe you can convince Celestia’s mysterious adversary to surrender.”
Rarity laughed at Luna’s last remark as they approached the central ballroom, “Oh, I don’t think so, if anyone has a chance of reforming it, it would be Fluttershy. I still can’t believe she got Discord to turn over a new leaf.”
“Yes, I heard, a thousand years imprisoned in stone and it turns out that all he needed was a bit of kindness,” Luna rolled her eyes, “Or maybe he is just biding his time so he can put some new plan into action.”
“I thought that at first,” Rarity said, “But he and Fluttershy have been spending a lot of time together since his reformation, and she even asked him to take care of the critters while she was off in Canterlot,” Luna tried to picture the draconequus running an animal sanctuary for any length of time.
The two ponies had reached the door to Rarity’s chambers, “Oh won’t you please come in Princess, I feel we have so much to talk about, and I really don’t have to start rubbing elbows with the nobility until this evening. Besides, I am sure the Grand Equestrian Army can wait a few more hours.”
“You know what Rarity?” Luna said, “I believe I will take you up on that offer, I believe you could benefit from learning how Celestia first formed her little spy network.”
“That sounds simply delightful,” Rarity said as she opened the door, “Would you like me to fix you some tea?”

Prince Blueblood had never been invited into the war room before. In fact, he didn’t think anyone living had been invited into the war room before today. Still, if Celestia called then he would answer. “Hello Auntie, how are you doing?” He asked.
“Quite well, but I am afraid we have little time for pleasantries, you see, the future of Equestria is at stake.”
“Oh? And what makes you say that?” Blueblood tried to think of what his aunt might be getting at. This was far too serious to be one of her usual jests, and her eyes burned when he looked at them. He decided that something was wrong with his aunt. Everything about her was brighter and sharper, and the contrasts in her mane were more severe. Her formerly soothing presence now put him on edge.
“I have intelligence that indicates a creature from outside our world is looking to turn my citizens against me. Fortunately he revealed himself to me in a moment of arrogance, and I now seek to use that information against him. That is why I called for you; I need you to unify the nobility in preparation for the coming war. Your connection to me makes you a very important pony, and because of that they will follow your lead.”
Blueblood knickered, “While they might look to me for fashion advice and trend spotting, I don’t believe they will take me seriously if I tell them we have to go to war against an enemy we can’t see because Celestia wants it.”
“No, I don’t want them to do anything. I demand it. Was that not clear?” Celestia said, regarding him as he might regard an ant or a common pony.
“And if I say that there is no way the nobility will agree to make war?” Blueblood asked.
“Leave the more recalcitrant nobles to me, I will make sure they see reason,” Celestia said.
“I don’t think I can do this Princess, you haven’t presented any compelling rationale for why Equestria should go to war, and the nobility would fight you every step of the way. Besides,” Blueblood said, mentally berating himself for what he was about to say, “I don’t think what you are doing is right.”
“As I said earlier nephew, this is not a thing you have a choice in. You will do as I command because I am your Princess and I desire it. Your will is irrelevant.”
Bluebood took a step backwards, trying to make it to the door as quickly as possible without provoking Celestia. He found himself unable to move as a sheathe of magical energy enveloped the Princess’s horn.
Celestia gestured to a book on her table, “Tell me Prince Blueblood, have you ever heard of the Neighcronomicon? I wouldn’t bet on it of course, there are only two copies known to existence, the one on the table and another in the Crystal Empire, and both are well kept secrets.”
The pressure around Blueblood tightened as the Princess kept speaking, “Of course the reason for that is that the books have incredibly dangerous spells that can be performed by any unicorn. If a normal unicorn ever read the book they would be more than capable of taking on either myself or Luna. Then there are the other spells, the spells that can rip Equestria apart over an afternoon. I will not be using such a spell on a pony as small as you.”
Blueblood could feel something heavy forming in his head, his thoughts were slow and sluggish and he struggled to keep up with the Princess, “No, for you I believe a modified will spell will be more than sufficient. It is similar to a reform spell, but instead of restoring a pony to their original state, it bends their will to that of the caster,” the princess smiled, “I think it will be quite useful when I am dealing with the nobility, don’t you agree?”
Blueblood felt himself nodding, he didn’t want to nod, he wanted to run away screaming. He wanted to warn every pony that Celestia had gone insane. He wanted so many things, but he didn’t remember why. It was so much easier, he thought, to just sit here and bask in the radiant glow of the princess. It seemed far more pleasant than attempting to oppose her, and as he thought on it, the idea of opposing Her Royal Majesty seemed ludicrous. She was his benevolent goddess, and if she called upon him to serve then he would. Prince Blueblood bowed before his monarch.
“As you wish, Your Majesty. The nobility will comply with your demands, and if anypony resists I will let you speak with them.”
His Princess smiled at him, blessing him with her favor.. “I am very glad to hear that Prince Blueblood, you may take your leave now.”
The prince smiled and turned around, the Goddess called upon him and he would not disappoint her.

Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle awoke, she could have sworn she heard somepony calling her name, but she couldn’t rule out the possibility that she had simply dreamt it up.
Twilight.
Nope, it definitely hadn’t been a dream. Or, she thought, she was still dreaming. Twilight considered the possibility that this whole thing was just a dream, but quickly dismissed it. Most of her dreams involved her talking with Starswirl the Bearded or Celestia. Her ears perked up, perhaps this was a dream and Starswirl the Bearded was calling to her from the ground floor. She quickly trotted down the stairs. “Yes?” she asked.
Twilight.
Now this was just getting annoying she thought, and the voice didn’t sound like Starswirl’s or Celestia’s. “Is somepony there or am I hearing voices now?”
I think it is time you and I had a talk Ms. Sparkle.
The voice was vaguely feminine, and Twilight thought it sounded familiar, “Who is it?”
I am Alli, or if you want to be formal you can call me the Alicorn’s Voice.
“Wait, am I talking with the Alicorn Amulet?” She flicked the lights on as she spoke, she needed to take a letter to Celestia.
Yes and no. It would be more accurate to say that you are speaking to a PART of the Alicorn Amulet or perhaps the inhabitant of the Alicorn Amulet.
“And what exactly do you want to talk about? You sure waited awhile before trying to strike up a conversation.” 
The voice laughed, and Twilight thought that she sounded like a quieter version of Trixie.
That is true, and I am sorry, but it takes me some time for me to develop a sufficiently advanced mental connection with my host. Believe me, if I could have shared my knowledge with you sooner I would have, it was painful watching you run all those tests without getting anywhere.
“Knowledge?” Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued, “What type of knowledge exactly?”
Oh, how Equestria formed, the origins of the Princesses, how to maximize your spell’s strength, and ancient magics from before the dawn of Equestrian civilization. Little things like that.
“Do you know how to destroy the Starmetal Gun?” Twilight asked.
Of course I do, I also know that you could use that information to destroy the Amulet and myself, and while I am feeling helpful, I don’t feel like dying any time soon.
Twilight frowned, she was hoping that would work, “Alright then, if you won’t tell me that, will you tell me more about the Amulet?”
I would be happy to Ms. Sparkle, I just have one small request.
There it was, Twilight thought, the hidden cost, Alli would ask her to put the Amulet on and Twilight would decline and send the Amulet back to Celestia. Still, she thought, there was no harm in asking “What is it?”
Nothing major of course, but when Celestia asks you to go to the Crystal Empire tomorrow, I would enjoy going with you. I have fond memories of my time there and would like to see it again. You can store me in your saddlebag.
“Wait, what makes you think Celestia will ask me to go to the Crystal Empire tomorrow?”
Just call it a hunch. If no request is forthcoming then you may consider the information free of charge.
“Alright Alli, you have a deal, but if you even think of suggesting I do something dangerous like putting the Amulet on then I am sending you back to Celestia.”
But of course, now listen closely Ms. Sparkle. The Amulet was forged millennia ago in a star far from here…
Twilight brought her pen and quill to her and took notes late into the night.

“Well done Rainbow Dash, you managed to kill everyone on your team in less than five minutes, I think that is a new academy record,” Rainbow Dash glared at the other pony speaking. He resembled her in many ways, both ponies were blue with rainbow colored manes, but the other ponies coat was slightly darker, and streaks of grey peppered his mane.
“That’s not fair Dad, you tricked me!” Rainbow Dash said, “You knew I would go after your Commander for a quick victory, so you left him exposed to ambush me.”
The older pony sighed impatiently, “You are exactly right, I knew your strategies so I laid a trap for you, I sacrificed one of my men to beat you, and you took the bait. It isn’t fair, but then, whoever said that war was.”
“But it’s not right! You can’t just sacrifice ponies on your team when it suits you, that’s not very-”
Her father interrupted her, “Not very what, Rainbow Dash? Not very loyal? Well I have some news for you, that is the responsibility of command, your ponies are loyal to you, and you, in turn, are loyal to your superior officer. You are not loyal to the men in your command. They are tools for you to use, and if you have to sacrifice every last one of them to complete your mission, then you do it,” his expression softened at that, “But, having said that, you should still try to preserve as many of your troops as possible, no commanders ever got to the top by throwing lives away needlessly.”
“No!” Rainbow Dash said, “You can’t just throw a pony’s life away when it suits you, they put their lives in your hoof because they trust you, and you can’t abuse that responsibility. I would rather die fighting for the ponies under my command than send them off on a suicide mission to fulfill my objectives.
Her father smiled at that, “I forget sometimes that you are the Bearer of Loyalty, but as soon as I do you are quick to remind me,” he flew over to Dash’s side as he spoke, “But sometimes in war, you will be called to make tough decisions, and when that day comes you have to put aside your own emotions for the good of Equestria. I know it isn’t easy, but when your loyalty to your troops and your loyalty to Equestria are called into conflict then I hope you make the right choice,” his hoof tussled Rainbow Dash’s hair, “Either way, I know you will do your best to make me proud.”
“Thanks Dad, hopefully I won’t have to make that decision, after all, it has been years since there was a war in Equestria.”
As she finished that sentence, a familiar yellow pegasus landed on General Blast’s balcony, “Uhmm… General Rainbow Blast, I have a message from Princess Celestia for you if that’s okay.”
“Ahh Fluttershy,” General Blast said, “What a pleasant surprise. Please, go on with this message, if the Princess sent you as her messenger then I am sure it is important.”
“Oh, of course, hi Rainbow Dash, anyways, she commanded you to come fly with her. Oh! Rainbow Dash!” The yellow pegasus quickly moved to hide behind a cloud column.
“Wait Dad, what is Fluttershy doing here and how the hay do you two know each other?” Rainbow Dash said.
“That is quite the story daughter of mine, and while I would love to get into the particulars of it, it seems I have to leave urgently, so I will just surmise and say that Fluttershy and I were called upon by Celestia to stop an insane pegasus from starting the next Great Equestrian War. We succeeded and I was promoted. In many ways I owe your friend a great debt, now if you will excuse me, I am urgently needed elsewhere,” as he spoke, the pegasus moved to the balcony and took off, leaving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy behind.
“Okay Fluttershy, can you please explain what is going on? For some reason my dad decided to make up a crazy story as opposed to explaining how you two know each other, so what is really going on?”
Fluttershy moved her lips, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear her say anything as she peeked out from the column.
“Could you repeat that?”
This time Rainbow Dash could make out a few squeaks coming from the other pegasus.
“One more time Fluttershy, and this time make it distinguishable.”
“I said, your dad was telling the truth, and I might technically be a spy for Celestia.”
Rainbow Dash stared at Fluttershy, “You… you are serious aren’t you?”
The other pegasus nodded, “Yes, but you can’t tell anypony, especially not Twilight, Celestia told me that Twilight could never know about our covert operations.”
“You don’t have to worry about that Fluttershy. If I told anypony you were a spy they would think I had gone crazy, and honestly, they might be right.”
Fluttershy smiled, relieved, “I am so glad to hear that, I was worried you would be mad at me or that you would tell everypony and ruin my cover, and that would have just been awful. Anyways Rainbow Dash, I have to get back to Canterlot. Celestia has been very busy the last few days, and I think something big will be happening soon, but uhmm… you didn’t hear that from me. Okay?” 
Before Rainbow Dash could respond Fluttershy had lifted off and started flying back to Canterlot. It would have been simple for Rainbow Dash to catch her, but her head was pounding, and she decided to get a drink instead. Celestia knew she needed one now.

“Come on Applejack, the train to the Crystal Empire will be leaving soon and I don’t want to miss it,” Twilight Sparkle said as she galloped towards the train station.
“Well ya know, we would be there by now if somepony hadn’t had to run back to her library because she forgot to pack a book,” Applejack responded, easily keeping pace with Twilight.
“I know, but I had to bring it to translate some of the more obscure texts,” Twilight hated having to lie to Applejack, but she doubted her friend would approve of her bringing the Alicorn Amulet with her.
Oh I am so glad we are going to the Crystal Empire, have you seen their library? It makes the Canterlot Library look like the Ponyville Library. No offense intended of course.
“Of course I have seen the Crystal Library, what pony would go to the Crystal Empire and not visit it, and the Ponyville Library is surprisingly well stocked I will have you know,” Twilight said.
“Whatever you say sugarcube, you feelin’ alright or are ya havin another one of those flashbacks where you start talkin to yerself?”
“Oh uhmm… I am fine,” Twilight said, “Was just… thinking out loud because I am so excited to be going to the Crystal Library.”
“O’ course Twilight, only you would get so excited about goin’ to a Library that you would start talking to yourself.”
The two ponies galloped up to the train station as the conductor gave the final call before departure.
You do realize that only YOU can hear me right, I thought that would be obvious to a unicorn of your intellect, but perhaps I overrated you.
“Shut up,” Twilight said.
“What was that sugarcube?”
“Oh… nothing!” Twilight said, laughing nervously as they boarded their train. She made a mental note to see if Alli could teach her how to converse telepathically.
I can and I feel I should say that I have been reading your thoughts for the past few days. Not intentionally of course, but to me thoughts of my host are like the spoken word. Also, you shouldn’t think of Princess Celestia that way unless you want to be sent to the moon.
Twilight Sparkle blushed and the train doors closed. Perhaps honoring her agreement with Alli wasn’t her best idea ever. 

> Escape from Canterlot Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ooh, what do you think of this book Twilight? It looks interesting.
Twilight Sparkle sighed, for the past three days Alli had been critiquing every book she had come across. While the companionship hadn’t bothered Twilight at first, her growing camaraderie with a voice in an amulet was beginning to worry her.
Oh, you shouldn’t be worried; I am here to help you, nothing more. And if you are worried about your sanity well, actually you have to figure that out on your own. I don’t think the voice in your head telling you are sane is all that reassuring. But for what it’s worth, I think you are as sane as you ever were.
Twilight flipped through the book she had found on the Elements of Harmony, she hadn’t read it before, but she knew most of the information in it from other sources and personal experience. Still, she thought, there is no harm in being thorough. “What do you mean by ‘I am as sane as I ever was’?” she asked.
Well, you aren’t exactly known for your predictable rational behavior, the last time you were afraid of being tardy you almost wiped out Ponyville. Then there was that time you murdered a whole slew of Pinkie Pies. All hilarious of course, but not exactly the hallmark of a rational mind.
“That,” blood was rushing to Twilight’s cheeks, “I was under a lot of stress, and besides, they weren’t the real Pinkie Pie… probably.”
No of course not, they were just copies of a sentient being with the same ability to learn and develop as any other pony. But then, they had the same personality as Pinkie Pie, and I can understand why having to deal with thirty copies of her would drive somepony to murder.
“I am not going to be lectured by an amulet that exists to corrupt ponies, and if you keep it up I will send you back to whatever prison the Princess keeps you in.”
But of course, Ms. Sparkle, forgive me for overstepping my bounds, now if you will allow me to aid you, I believe the third paragraph of page 237 has some information that is… unknown to you.
Twilight flipped back to the page Alli pointed out and began to read:

"Many historians have debated the nature of the Elements; however I believe that we can find their analogues in the 	Mantles of Sun and Moon. However, while those mantles were fused with their illustrious bearers Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the binding of the elements to a physical foci allows them to be used by normal ponies. Indeed, what are commonly thought of as the Elements, are just the foci the mantles are bound to. The power of the Elements comes from the mantles inside of the foci resonating with the virtues of the Bearers, and through that connection, the Bearers are temporarily able to wield the powers of a god. This has led to some speculation that by breaking the foci one could merge the Element and the Bearer, granting them some measure of godhood. Of course, such a procedure would be incredibly dangerous and risk the safety of the Bearers and Equestria and should not be attempted."

Twilight furrowed her brow, trying to wrap her head around the ideas found in the passage, “So, if I am reading this correctly, then what I think of as the Elements of Harmony are only half of the Elements of Harmony?”
That would be correct; the Elements of Harmony are like a lock and key. The foci serve as the locks, and the bearers are the key. That was why your Discorded selves couldn’t use them, the metaphorical key no longer fit in the lock. Also, Spike makes for a poor Rainbow Dash. But that isn’t the really interesting thing. The interesting thing is the correlation between the mantles of Sun and Moon and… never mind all that, what is this?
Twilight could feel Alli directing her attention to a black book near her. If not for her pointing it out, Twilight would have overlooked it.
Looks like someone put a chameleon spell on it. It doesn’t make the object it is cast upon invisible, but it does direct most ponies to not look at it. This is old subtle magic.
She approached the book. Looking at it strained her eyes, but she couldn’t suppress her excitement at the prospect of reading a rare book. As she got closer, she noticed that the book was bound in actual leather as opposed to the faux-leather that most books used. Her excitement diminished.
Where do you hide the most dangerous book in the world? In a library! Brilliant, simply brilliant. But then, would you expect any less from Princess Celestia?
“What! Are you saying that Princess Celestia put this book here?”
I am sorry, was that not obvious? No, of course it wasn’t, Celestia is so good at obscuring the truth and twisting facts. She turns Luna’s corruption into a children’s holiday, hides her deadliest enemy in a sculpture garden, and then she wipes out all records of King Sombra AND the Crystal Empire, sealing away a dangerous rival and the only other copy of the Neighcronomicon in one fell swoop.
She levitated the book towards her, she could see that the book was actually titled the Necronomicon, but it seemed it was a part of pony nature to turn everything into a horse pun. “I know I am going to regret asking this, but where is the other copy of the Necronomicon?” she said.
Where else would the most powerful spellbook known to ponydom be? With Princess Celestia. I suppose it is fitting that her favorite student be the one to read through the other copy.
Twilight opened the book and the book assaulted her mind. No, that wasn’t right she thought, the book wasn’t attacking her exactly, it was… she blinked trying to clear her head, the spells were trying to force themselves into her head. The rituals written on the pages moved, trying to go from the book to Twilight’s head. Through the Neighcronomicon, Twilight could see the arcane energy that held all of Equestria together. Everything was interwoven, and with this book she could pluck the strings holding the universe together. She could feel the spells talking to her, they wanted her to read them, they wanted her to use them.  It was only fitting that she read the book, her special talent was magic, and this book contained the most powerful magic she had ever seen. A match made in heaven.
Twilight Sparkle! Close that book!
Twilight slammed the book shut and let it fall to the floor. The knowledge it had impressed upon her was quickly fading away. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her eyes were swimming and she felt bile rising up her throat. She had spent years training under Celestia, learning how to resist outside magical influences, but the Neighcronomicon tore through those defenses in less than a second. If not for Alli… well, she didn’t want to think about it right now, “Let’s get out of here Alli. I… I think I have done enough reading for today”
Of course Twilight, if I had known you lacked sufficient defenses to read the book I would not have directed your attention towards it.
The young mare’s legs wobbled as she walked away, “It… You didn’t know, and when you did realize what was happening you helped me regain control of myself. Thank you, I am glad I brought you with me.”
You are most welcome Twilight, now I believe we have had enough reading for today, perhaps you should get some rest.

Crowds of ponies were gathering in Canterlot’s central square to hear Celestia’s speech. The city had filled with rumors concerning the princess’s erratic behavior over the past few days, and everypony looked forward to hearing Celestia’s explanation. As far as most ponies were concerned, she was their leader and they would follow her into Tartarus. Luna worried that that was exactly what Celestia had planned.
“Pardon me sister, but what precisely do you have planned for today’s address?” Luna asked as she entered her sister’s chamber.
Celestia smiled, its usual warmth replaced with contempt, “I would tell you, but I am afraid I can’t trust anypony in the castle. If someone were to overhear it the whole address might be ruined.”
As she spoke, Luna noticed Celestia positioning herself to conceal a black book bound in leather, she knew exactly what it was.
“You have been reading the Neighcronomicon,” Luna said, “You know the book is evil and you know it manipulates who ever reads it. What possible justification could you have for bringing it out of the vault?”
“Because, dearest sister, Equestria is under attack,” Celestia said, rising up to her full height, her once prismatic mane now dominated by shades of red and orange, “and I am the only one who can see the threat. If I have to use dark magic to save my kingdom, then I will.”
Luna stopped, shocked. Celestia had spent millennia destroying every book that mentioned the Neighcronomicon for fear of its evil infecting her citizens, and now she was willing to read it herself to fight a threat that might only exist in her mind, “you don’t have to do this Tia, give me the book and we can come up with a solution that doesn’t involve you using forbidden magic. You are better than this sister.”
Celestia frowned, “I would love to sister, I truly would, but I…” For a few seconds the princess Luna loved returned, and she saw a mare trying to do her best to make everyone happy. “I can’t, falling prey to such sentimentality is exactly what the Adversary expects me to do, and while we work on a solution that makes everypony happy, HE will destroy Equestria. I won’t let that happen. And… and because of that, I will have to contain you for the duration of the crisis. You still have a soft spot in my heart, and you are far too powerful to be left un-“
Before Celestia could finish her sentence, Luna had fled the chambers. The younger princess’s mind worked to process recent developments. The first and most obvious development was that Celestia had been corrupted, possibly by the very enemy Celestia intended to fight. No matter the cause, the only way to save her was by using the Elements of Harmony, and that would mean assembling the Bearers who Celestia had so thoroughly scattered across Equestria. Luna could try to battle Celestia, but the older mare had far more experience than she, and for Luna to win that fight she would have to destroy her sister. She deemed that solution unacceptable. Likewise, any attempts to stop Celestia’s speech would lead to Celestia trying to stop her, but in this scenario, the royal guard would be arrayed against Luna as well. Her only option then was to get the Bearer’s out of Canterlot before Celestia could stop them. The task would normally be impossible, but thankfully, Celestia would be distracted by her upcoming speech. Luna galloped towards the wing of the castle the Bearers were staying in.

Rarity looked through the selection of outfits she had brought with her to Canterlot. Tonight she was going to the opera with Fancypants, and she wanted to look her best. Unfortunately, her current job required her to spy on her company, but she was confident that no ponies in Equestria were plotting treason behind Celestia’s back, and her reports to the Princess indicated as such. Still, she didn’t feel right betraying the trust of her new friends, and she missed her Ponyville friends as well. As she deliberated on which dress to wear, her skin tingled and she heard a small but distinct ‘pop’ coming from behind her. Someone had teleported into her room.
“Greetings Rarity, I am afraid I have to call on you for an… emergency mission.”
Rarity turned around to find Princess Celestia addressing her, “Oh… of course Princess, what do you need?” she asked, hoping to mask the discomfort that came from being around the Princess lately.
Celestia smiled, “In a few moments my treacherous sister will come in here to convince you to flee the city with her. Knowing her, she will try to gather the Elements of Harmony and use them against me. This plan will ultimately fail, but it will provide an opportunity for you to infiltrate the ranks of her little rebellion.”
As the princess spoke, Rarity felt magical energies wrapping around her and constricting, she tried to move a leg, but it was unresponsive. The princess continued, “My sister means well, but she is uninformed, and her actions born of ignorance could undermine the safety of Equestria. I know betraying your friends goes against your nature, but your actions will pave the way for Equestria’s glorious new future, and I won’t be giving you a choice in the matter.”
Black tendrils sprouted from Celestia’s horn, and enveloped Rarity, wrapping around her body before sinking under her skin, “The compulsion I am using on you is a wonderfully subtle spell really; it forces its victim to obey the caster’s commands. Failure to comply, results in the victim’s will being eaten away at. Make no mistake Rarity, the only thing you will gain by resisting the compulsion is pain. But, I understand you are rather strong willed, and you might attempt to betray me anyways, so allow me to add another incentive. As we speak, guards are flying to Ponvyille with the purpose of bringing Sweetie Belle back to the castle. Don’t worry though, as long as you serve me faithfully, she will be fine.” Celestia smiled, as Rarity quickly found the unstated threat.
The tendrils had disappeared from normal view, but Rarity could still feel them wrapping their way around her mind. Her muscles constricted as she bowed before her… the compulsion wanted her to say queen, Rarity wanted to scream. 
“Good, now in a few minutes, Luna will come here, and you will join with her resistance. You will behave normally and do nothing to reveal your connection to me or the nature of the compulsion, if you do I will find out and Sweetie Belle will suffer for it. Your primary objectives are to retrieve the Starmetal Gun and lead Luna and your friends to me. Once you do that, I will remove the compulsion and Sweetie Belle will be returned to you. I know that what I am doing is wrong, and I won’t ask your forgiveness, but I do hope you understand that what I do, I do for all of Equestria.”
A second later, Celestia flickered out of the room. Rarity ran for the door, she could flee to the castle and get to Sweetie Belle before the Princess’s guards reached her. It would be difficult, but she could fight the compulsion. She tried to open the door, if she could get out of here then maybe… maybe the compulsion would fade and she could… get Sweetie Belle, that was her goal, she reminded herself, she had to get Sweetie Belle before the princess could.  Her muscles failed and she fell to the floor. The very thought of disobedience caused the compulsion to eat away at her psyche, and her body resisted any actions that weren’t approved by Celestia. Still, she wouldn’t let her friends or Sweetie Belle down, even if it destroyed her. Rarity stood up as every fiber in her body screamed at her for resisting, and took two more steps towards the door before she fell into unconsciousness.

Rarity didn’t know how long she slept for, but she awoke to someone prodding at her. Opening her eyes, she saw Luna standing before her, “Fair Rarity, we need to get out of here, the city is no longer safe.”
“Uhmm… Rarity, are you alright? We came in and found you collapsed on the floor,” Rarity heard Fluttershy as the pegasus fluttered over her, trying to determine what had happened to her friend. She also saw a blur of pink bouncing in and out of her field of view. So, Rarity was the last one Luna came for.
“Ooh! Maybe she stayed out too late partying with ponies; I bet she has a really low punch tolerance. Ooh! Did you drink Berry Punch’s Special Blend? It is yummerific, and it really gets a party going.”
Rarity groaned, Pinkie was already giving her a headache; still she had to warn them about Celestia, “No girls, I am-”
Her head exploded and the world filled with static. She closed her eyes, there was something she needed to say, but she couldn’t think of it. But she knew what the compulsion wanted her to say, and if she did then it might let her think a bit better, “No girls, I am fine. Pinkie is right, I just stayed out a bit too late last night.”
Lies, she thought, she wasn’t fine, Celestia was evil, and something very bad was about to happen. She wanted to warn them, to tell them, but even thinking about disobeying Celestia’s orders made her head hurt. Luna looked her over again, “Are you sure Rarity?”
Rarity nodded, she wanted to cry.
“Very well,” Luna said, “Then we need to get out of Canterlot as quickly as possible, I don’t know what she is planning, but I know it will happen during her speech… probably. Anyways, the sooner we get out of Canterlot to find your friends, the better we will be.”
“I don’t understand,” Fluttershy said, “If Celestia is such a danger to Canterlot, then why aren’t we trying to stop her before she does it.”
“Because, while we are certainly well equipped to deal with any normal threats, Celestia is a goddess whose power is augmented by the Neighcronomicon. Our only chance to stop her is to unite the Bearers of Harmony and use the power of the Elements. Hopefully, my sister is so wrapped up in her righteous cause, she doesn’t consider the idea that something has corrupted her,” Luna said, gesturing the girls to the door.
Rarity opened her mouth, if ever there was a time to warn her friends it was now, “I… Uh…” She felt like her tongue had turned to stone and her eyes unfocused as the compulsion tightened its grip on her, “I… yes, the sooner we can bring the Elements to bear against Celestia, the safer Equestria will be.”
Luna looked at Rarity, “Are you sure you are alright? I don’t think I have ever seen you so… unkempt.”
Rarity swallowed nervously, she felt her sweat coating her body, “Oh… that is just because I haven’t had time to make myself up this morning, and it doesn’t seem like I will be given the chance today, so let’s get moving.”
Rarity trotted out the door, if she stayed still, her cover would be compromised, and if that happened… she didn’t want to think about what Celestia would do to her or Sweetie Belle. 
“Of course, hopefully the guards still recognize my authority,” Luna said, walking out of the room.
Rarity followed the princess out, with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie following beside her. She glanced over at the pink pony bouncing beside her and finally noticed the pink armor she was wearing, “Uhmm… Pinkie Pie dear, what exactly are you wearing?”
“Oh, this?” Pinkie Pie said, gesturing towards her armor, “this is my Super Secret Surprise Party Armor. It is great for throwing surprise parties and infiltrating top secret military installations. Not that Equestria has many top secret military installations, or maybe we do, but we don’t know about them because of how secret they are.”
“Pinkie,” Rarity said, “perhaps you can tell me about the suit when we aren’t trying to sneak out of Canterlot Castle.”
“Okey Dokey Lokey,” Pinkie said.
Luna poked her head out to scan the Royal Throne Room, “All the guards have gone to oversee the assembly; hopefully, we can get to the service entrance without alerting them,” the four ponies galloped across the Throne Room, following Luna as she headed to a side alcove. Just when Rarity thought they might be in the clear, two sentries entered from the main entrance. “Princess Luna,” one of them said, “Queen Celestia has… uhmm… requested, that you and the Bearers stay in your chambers until after the assembly today. It… we are very sorry about this, but Her Royal Majesty’s orders were very precise.”
“The queen?” Luna asked, making sure that she had heard the guards correctly.
“Ahh… yes, the Princes- the Queen, decided that, for the duration of the crisis, she will rule as queen. She didn’t think it wise to share her rule with one who had proven so… malleable in the past.”
“She what?!” Luna yelled, magical energy flaring from her horn, “Listen to me, Princess Celestia is the threat to Equestria, and I am going to stop her; you can either join me or stay out of our way.”
“I… We understand Princess, and even agree with you, but unfortunately, we cannot disobey an order given by the Queen,” the guards looked as if they were struggling to speak and move, or, Rarity suspected, struggling not to speak and move. “The Queen commanded us to use de-”
Before the guard could finish his sentence he and his companion were flung back by a wave of telekinetic force, “You made your choice I see, or perhaps Celestia made it for you,” Luna said, “Now girls, let us leave before they alert the others. Follow me.”
Rarity sprinted after the princess as they ran through the long corridors that made up the basement of the castle, as she ran she heard more hoofsteps chasing after them in pursuit. “Princess, I think the guards found some reinforcements,” she said.
“I know Rarity, but what would you have me do? To stay and fight would risk us becoming trapped and captured, and even if we could win such a confrontation, we would undoubtedly be forced to kill ponies under my sister’s control, an eventuality I would prefer to avoid.
“Of course Princess,” Rarity said, “So what do you recommend?”
“Ooh! Ooh! Let me! Let me!” Before Rarity or Luna could react, Pinkie had bounced into the air and swiveled to face their pursuers. Rarity saw a black cylinder fire from a contraption mounted on Pinkie’s forehoof and a second later, the hallway behind them had filled with a black acrylic smoke. “Nothing beats my trusty emergency party grenade,” Pinkie Pie said, gesturing to the device on her forehoof, “Perfect for starting a party or ending a riot, and sometimes both at the same time.” So that is what Pinkie had been doing for Celestia, Rarity thought.
With their pursuers incapacitated by Pinkie’s party grenade, the friends were able to make it to the service entrance of Canterlot castle without drawing any further attention. “From here, we should be a short distance from the exit to Canterlot proper,” Luna said, “However, I think it would be best for all of us if I was slightly less conspicuous when we ventured outside.” A soft blue light emanated from Luna’s horn, and her body began to consume itself. Her wings and armor disintegrated, and her whole body shrank as the excess matter seemed to boil away. The newly transformed Luna smiled, “Don’t worry, it isn’t as painful as it looks, and now I can go out in public without making a scene.”
The princess opened the door and revealed a herd of ponies packing the streets of Canterlot. “Thousands of ponies, all coming out to hear my sister’s address,” Luna said, “I wish we could warn them.”
“Then why don’t we Princess?” Fluttershy asked as she followed Luna out onto the streets of Canterlot.
“Because that would increase our risk of capture, and if you are lost then there is no hope left for Equestria. As much as it pains me Fluttershy, some sacrifices must be made. Once Celestia is restored, we can focus on helping the citizens who were harmed by her madness.”
After that, the girls were silent as Luna led them out of Canterlot and away from its damned citizens.

Celestia thought everything was going swimmingly. Her sister’s weakness had gotten the better of her, Luna and the three Element Bearers had escaped, and they would proceed to raise a rebellion against Equestria’s rightful queen, exactly as she had planned it. The rebellion would serve to test the loyalties of her subjects, those who passed would be rewarded, and her weaker willed citizens would be sent to Neighvarro for re-education. But that would wait until later, now she had to address her adoring subjects. She walked out onto the balcony overlooking Canterlot’s central square and to her great delight, everypony in Canterlot had come out to see their queen. Their devotion would be rewarded and they would form the core of her new army.
“My loyal citizens,” she began her address, “I know rumors about my… odd behavior have been circulating for the past few days, and I hope to lay them to rest.” She gave the crowd her best smile, “You may also note my appearance has changed somewhat, that too has a reasonable explanation. I was recently informed that Equestria’s enemies were infiltrating our own ranks, and while many of you didn’t know that Equestria had enemies until today, I assure you that they are very real and seek the downfall of our way of life,” her horn glowed, and she could feel the wards she had placed around the city slowly awaken.
“So I come to you all today to announce that Equestria is at war, and we will not rest until every dissident in our land has been purged, and you, my most loyal citizens, will lead the charge. Through your work, Equestria will be saved. Through your work, the world will be cleansed of evil. Through your work, we will make a better world,” some of the unicorns in the audience could feel the magic swirling around them. Other ponies were doing their best to back away, but the crowd of bodies kept them from straying. 
“You all have lived your whole lives in peace. Unicorns and earth ponies have forgotten the ways of war entirely, and the pegasi in the audience have abandoned Cloudsdayle’s proud military tradition. But have no fear my little ponies; I will make you strong again. I will purge the weakness from your bodies and make you ready for battle. When Equestria’s enemies see you approach, they will know their doom is at hand. Through me, you will be given a new, grander destiny, and through you, Equestria will be saved.”
The pegasi attempted to fly away, only to find themselves rebuffed by the magical barrier that the queen had formed around Canterlot. Celestia felt her power peak as the sun hit its zenith. Magical energy flowed out from her horn and enveloped her citizens, their bodies flowed into each other, unicorn and pegasus and earth pony melding together. The queen’s body was covered in sweat from the strain of the spell crafting. A lesser pony would have been destroyed by the forces Celestia was channeling, but she was not a lesser pony. She was a queen, she was an alicorn, and the world would bend to her will.
As the spell’s magic dissipated, she gazed upon her new army. Her subjects had been used to form thousands of alicorns who would follow Celestia’s orders without question. The queen smiled at them as her army stood in silence, awaiting her command.

“Uhmm… Cadance, have you ever heard of a book called the Neighcronomicon?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she, her brother, Applejack, and the Princess gathered for dinner.
“Tell me, where did you hear that term Twilight?”
“I-”
Don’t tell her the truth Twilight. Not yet at least, it is far too dangerous to reveal the location of the Neighcronomicon to anyone lest they use its immense powers for evil.
Twilight didn’t like the idea of lying to anypony, especially her sister-in-law, but there were other ponies present, and as much as she hated to admit it, Alli had a point. The book was dangerous and it wouldn’t do to inform others of its existence. “I read about it in the library today, it was described as a magical spellbook that could grant great power to whoever read it. There were stories that the last pony who had read it used the knowledge granted to him to forge his own empire.”
Cadance sighed, “Yes, I have heard stories of it. According to the legends, it is a dark book with terrible powers capable of destroying all of Equestria. Some stories say the book has a mind of its own, that it waits to find a user capable of wielding it to its fullest potential. In some stories, it is malevolent, in others its power can be used for good. The stories I heard from Celestia varied, and she never referred to it as anything more than a myth,” she shrugged, “if I had to guess, I would say it isn’t real.”
“You mean,” Twilight said, “you haven’t actually seen it?”
“As far as I know, no pony living has seen it. Perhaps the book existed in antiquity, but it was destroyed thousands of years ago, long before Celestia and Luna descended to rule over pony kind.”
Twilight’s head pounded, she felt like she was going to be sick again. Nopony but her knew about the book in the library, nopony but her had glanced inside it. The room tilted around her, she had to get back to her study and clear her head. “Excuse me Princess, I am feeling a little under the weather. I think I will retire early tonight,” Twilight said as she galloped off to the stairs, not waiting for her sister-in-law to reply.
“Applejack,” Shining Armor said, finally speaking up, “Does Twiley seem alright to you? She seems a bit… off.”
“Ya know, I’ve been thinkin’ about that myself. When I bring it up, she swears she is fine, but sometimes I wake up at night and hear a whole bunch of pacin’ and muttering coming from her room.”
“Hmm,” Cadance said in between bites of her daffodil sandwich, “Perhaps we should get Twilight out of the library for a day or so and give her a chance to rest. I have heard stories from Celestia about what happens when Twilight gets too wrapped up in her work.”
Applejack nodded, thinking back to when Twilight had almost destroyed the town because she was afraid of being tardy, “She does occasionally overreact a mite bit when she gets nervous, that’s true. But we’re her friends, and when she goes off on one of her episodes we make sure to get ‘er back to normal.”
“Well then it’s settled,” Cadance said, finishing her dinner, “tomorrow we will talk to Twilight and see what has been bothering her.”
Applejack found the rest of the dinner to be uneventful, but as she got up to check on Twilight, the doors of the Crystal Palace were blown open and four alicorns walked in.

Twilight’s head was spinning when she got back to her room, and she felt like she was about to collapse.
You must be careful my friend, you are still suffering from the residual effects of reading the Neighcronomicon. I would advise against any mentally strenuous tasks for the next few days.
“What do you mean? How am I supposed to avoid mentally strenuous tasks? The Princess brought me up here to do research, and instead of finding answers I find a cursed book that can apparently drive ponies insane. Oh! And I am talking to myself.”
Don’t be so dramatic, you aren’t talking to yourself. You are talking to me.
“Yes, I am talking to a voice in my head that nopony but me can hear, we already discussed this,” Twilight closed her eyes as she spoke, trying to make the spinning subside, “I need you to tell me everything you know about the Neighcronomicon.”
Of course, Alli said, and you are in luck for the story of the Neighcronomicon begins with the story of Star Swirl the Bearded.
Twilight’s ears picked up at the mention of one of her favorite ponies, and, for a moment, the pain in her head receded.
	You already know that Star Swirl the Bearded was one of the greatest wizards to ever live. By the time he was nineteen he had created the first amniomorphic spell, at twenty-six, he had accomplished more than most ponies ever dreamt of and he had completely revolutionized magical theory in Equestria. What has been forgotten by history is the rest of the story.
It is important to remember that Star Swirl was born shortly after Celestia’s ordering of Equestria. Your world was a paradise, free of evil, and Celestia served as its benevolent ruler. Star Swirl spent his entire life in this world, serving as Celestia’s prized pupil. He was a legend in his own time, but he always wanted something more. His magical knowledge was great, and he firmly believed that with study he could unlock the secrets of the Princesses and become the equal of the Princess who he loved so dearly.
Alone in his tower, he spent years studying magic, trying to find the secret of the goddesses, hoping he could change his destiny. For thirty years he studied, for thirty years he wrote volume after volume on the secrets of magic, making sure never to reveal the reason for his studies. However, as the years passed, his desperation grew, and his mind became open to outside influences.
From beyond the stars, Ylashgraehl, in your tongue ‘the Great Dreamer,’ saw Star Swirl’s great desire, and when next the pony slept, the Great Dreamer touched his mind. Star Swirl next awoke to find that he had slept for several weeks, and in his dreaming he had written two books. While Star Swirl’s conscious mind slumbered, the Great Dreamer moved his physical body to write two copies of the Neighcronomicon, and in doing so, he had brought evil into Celestia’s domain. The first copy was given to the Princesses, who, unaware of its dark powers, kept it for themselves. In time, its dark whisperings would corrupt the land of the Everfree Forest and play a part in Princess Luna’s fall, but that day was far away. 
The second copy, Star Swirl kept for himself, and in time he began to unlock the books many secrets. He found the spell that would allow him to ascend to godhood, but it carried with it a terrible price. You see, for such a power to be gained, it had to be taken from elsewhere, and Star Swirl, not knowing the price, brought great destruction to the South Lands as he read the spell, and when it was complete, he found the book had deceived him. Instead of becoming a god, he became a monster. His mind and body were a nightmarish mishmash of different creatures, and he found himself exiled by Celestia for his crimes. His copy of the Neighcronomicon was lost to time, resurfacing only when one capable of wielding its power emerged.
As for Star Swirl, he took on- Alli paused as a loud bang echoed through the Palace, I am sorry my host, but I believe the story must continue at a later time, for now the Crystal Empire is under attack.