There has to be something I can do, Twilight’s voice echoed within a corner of her being. Her body was circling the outermost perimeter of Canterlot, still disobeying her mind’s commands. She had puzzled out what Amber Dawn had done, though it hadn’t yet helped her figure out what to do about it. Her conscious mind had been compartmentalized and sealed away, replaced by some artificial thought-form that was subservient to Amber’s commands.

Twilight could sense that foreign entity within her, a presence devoid of emotion or any sort of independent thought. Its only concerns were tapping into Twilight’s magic and following whatever orders it was given by its controller. As she pondered said presence, Twilight felt it respond to a summons; Amber Dawn was being threatened and required support.

Her wings flexed in a turn as she raced towards the castle at full speed. It was a little while before she could see what was going on, but soon several ponies came into view. Her friends and the other princesses were in the courtyard, fighting Amber, who was hovering in the sky building up a shield. Right behind her was none other than...

Discord! I never thought I’d be happy to see him. He can totally kick her plot... oh wait... uh oh.

She felt the entity within her begin a spell, and her horn started to build up a powerful charge. It was pulled entirely from her reserves as the foreign mind could not draw from the Element of Magic, but it was certainly enough to be a problem, even for a demigod like Discord.

In her mind she screamed helplessly. DISCORD!!! WATCH OUT!!!

---

As Discord was finishing his speech, Rainbow Dash saw something purple streaking toward him and Amber. “LOOK!” she exclaimed in joy.

Everypony else saw it too. “Twilight’s escaped!” said Rarity while Pinkie yelled, “Woo! Go get her, Twi!”

Their joy turned to dismay as Twilight's horn erupted in a blast of purple magic that streaked not at Amber Dawn, but toward Discord. Caught by surprise he looked up at the last second and muttered, "Oh, bollocks," before yelping in pain as the bolt struck home.

Amber Dawn paid no heed to Twilight or Discord other than to widen her smirk. Her shield complete, she lit her horn with an angry red glow as she prepared another attack.

“...uh oh....” Fluttershy whimpered.

“WHAT THE HAY?” Applejack shouted. “Twilight, yer aim’s off! Shoot Amber, not Discord!”

Twilight did not respond to Applejack or any of the other suggestions shouted up at her, instead charging a second blast and firing at Discord, who barely managed to dodge. Her face showing no emotion, Twilight continued her assault, forcing the draconequus to retreat.

“Forgive my crudeness, but WHAT IN TARTARUS ARE YOU DOING TWILIGHT SPARKLE!?” Discord roared. He received no reply as Twilight sent a flurry of magic bolts his way.

“Fine! I’ve always wanted to try myself against your abilities anyway!” His eyes glowed brightly as he returned fire with a flurry of gold bananas. The clash of their attacks against each other caused a series of firework-like effects, though this was of no comfort to anypony.

As Discord struggled with the eerily silent Twilight, Amber fired the beam she had been charging. This one was aimed not at the ponies below her, but at the stone walls above and around them. Wherever it struck the rock shattered, landscaping and ancient stone collapsing in a huge landslide.

Most of the mares dodged quickly away, but the three princesses were right beneath. With a cry Celestia shoved Luna and Cadance out of the way, but a heavy stone struck her side, stunning her long enough for a tumble of rocks and gravel to half bury her.

“SIS!” Luna shouted, scrambling back to where Celestia lay whimpering in pain. In her panic, she did not see Amber’s next hastily cast bolt, which while less powerful than the previous one, was enough to knock her to the ground. She slid a few feet and lay there, moaning.

“Nopony else is getting in my way,” Amber hissed, preparing a deadly spell. “Nopony will stop me.”

“WRONG!”

Fluttershy darted out to stand in front of where Celestia lay, shielding the princess while Applejack and Rainbow Dash scrambled to free her from the debris.

“I let you hurt one of my friends once!” she yelled hotly, “and I won’t let you do it again!” The tremble in her voice smoothed as she spoke, and she leveled the power of the Stare at Amber.

Disconcerted but by no means stopped, Amber glared at her. “Fluttershy, I am grateful for what you did for me,” she said with a cold fury, “but my patience is running its course at this rate. If you don’t back away right now, you will share the tyrant’s fate in full.”

Before Fluttershy could respond, a dainty white hoof was laid lightly on her shoulder. “Then that’s going to be two ponies going down with Celestia!” Rarity retorted proudly.

Amber Dawn looked at the unicorn incredulously. “You would die with the mare that used you for sex and affection? Why?”

“Hmph! As Princess Luna said, you have a lot to learn about loyalty!” Rarity chuckled brightly. “Before Fluttershy... did what she did... she was my best friend, and I assure you that I could ask for no better. And the fact that she is here, putting her life on the line to stand up to you, proves that no matter what, she will ALWAYS be my best friend!”

“Rarity...!” Fluttershy gasped, her eyes brimming with tearful appreciation.

“You girls tell her!” Rainbow shouted as she and Applejack struggled with the rubble. Cadance, and Pinkie Pie scrambled to help as off to the side Luna pulled herself to her hooves.

Amber’s face contorted in rage. “FINE, THEN SUFFER AND DIE TOGETHER WITH THE TYRANT!” she shrieked in a thunderous voice, her horn glowing crimson more intensely than ever. The crown of Elements on her head glowed brightly and the mares below thought that they were doomed... until they saw the crown shatter into a cloud of gold particles.

“WHAT?” Amber exclaimed, feeling the sudden loss of power. The particles raced away from her, straight toward Fluttershy and Rarity. There, they reformed around their throats in their familiar shapes, the two gems glowing brightly.

“Oh my!” both mares said simultaneously. Before they could react any further, they felt a massive surge of energy. Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie gasped in unison as their Elements woke to the call of the two that had been restored. Knowing that there was no point in disagreeing with the Elements of Harmony, they surrendered themselves to the magic. The five gems all fired coruscating beams aimed straight at the crown on Twilight’s head.

The Element of Magic awoke at the touch of the other Elements, and Twilight’s eyes flashed white. The entity in her mind was taken apart by the flood of magic, and she cried out in joy as she realized that she could once again control her body.

Before she could revel in her relief, all the Elements gathered together to surge once more, and twin rainbows spiraled from her, one toward moon and the other over the horizon where the sun lay hidden. The sick red color on the moon was washed away in a flash of multichromic light that reflected back over all the lands below, stilling the riots everywhere it fell. Once the moon was cleansed it sank down to be replaced by the blazing sun.

“Oh buck,” Amber muttered as she felt the last shreds of her control over the ponies of Equestria slip away. When she looked back to the courtyard she recoiled in shock at the sight of Celestia, her strength bolstered by the influx of sunlight, shaking off the last of the rubble and staring up at her in cold rage.

Celestia crouched, her wings spread wide, then leaped into a flying charge, leaving a single bloody hoofprint on the flagstones. Her horn flared in eerie silence as she took to the air toward Amber Dawn, the light in her eyes and the set of her jaw eloquently expressing her rage. The two alicorns met in the air with clashes of lightning and the sound of falling mountains.

Luna and Cadance watched the airborne battle with worried faces, unwilling to attack when they might hit Celestia. Twilight darted away from Discord, calling out an apology, and he was so surprised that he simply let her go with a thoughtful frown. She flew down to the courtyard, stumbling with fatigue as she landed.

“Twilight!” her friends exclaimed, rushing over to hug her.

“Oh I’m glad to see you girls!” she sighed. “That royally sucked!” As the hug broke, she looked to Fluttershy and Rarity with a wide smile. “I’m also grateful the two of you made up so quickly!”

Rarity smiled grimly, thought she bumped Fluttershy playfully with her shoulder. “Well, I can’t say we’re entirely reconciled, but Fluttershy did manage a nice little apology earlier. I still expect quite a few more.”

Fluttershy smiled, saying nothing. Her expression changed to shock when she saw Celestia land heavily on her hooves in the courtyard, causing the stone beneath her to crack. The Sun Princess was panting heavily, and she grimaced at large singe on her right wing.

Right behind her, Amber Dawn landed several wingspans away, breathing hard and slightly favoring one leg but otherwise seeming unaffected by the battle. She glared at the other mares as they assembled, Twilight, Luna, and Cadance flanking Celestia supportively.

“What, do you expect an apology from me, too?” Amber snarled in a low voice. ”You have undone much of what I wrought, but I am still unbowed. You may think that many of the actions I have taken in the past month were morally reprehensible, but all that I have tried to do is rid Equestria of the cowardly tyrant before me so that everypony can be free.”

“Then you won’t mind what I’m about to do to you.” Discord hovered down behind her, his eyes glowing sulfur again.

Amber rolled her eyes and muttered, “Oh, do shut up!” as her horn flashed briefly. A box popped into existence around the draconequus, its walls covered in elaborate blue and gold patterns.

Recognizing it, Twilight frantically shouted, “Discord! Whatever you do, don’t--!”

The box vanished into thin air. “...cast magic,” she finished, then turned back to Amber with an incredulous look. “How in the name of Faust did you get the Box of Palderias?”

Amber’s grin widened. “I'm impressed, if not completely surprised, that you recognized it, Twilight. The Holy Felonian Empire came into possession of the Box a century before I moved there. Their people are mostly incapable of magic, and what do they have is more akin to Earth Pony magic. Thus were they able to retain it rather than causing it teleport to yet another location. With my contacts within the Empire, I was able to retrieve and control it.”

She looked at the space where Discord had been with a satisfied smile. “I’ve known for a while now that canny old bastard could be a potential problem one day and kept the Box in my possession in case he showed up to cause trouble. I’m sure he will eventually destroy the Box by overloading it, but that will take some time.”

She turned back to the other mares, her smile fading. “I will not go quietly into the night,” she stated solemnly. “You can fight me, you can even kill me. But I will not surrender or flee. I have spent nearly ten centuries preparing for this moment, to avenge the deaths of countless innocents. Equestria shall be free from tyranny or I will die.”

Celestia snorted, her eyes more grim than anypony living but Luna had ever seen. “You have made your choice, then, and given us none at all,” she growled, spreading her hooves for balance and tucking her wings in tight as her horn shimmered gold.

Luna’s expression was a mix of horror and resignation; she alone knew the extent of Celestia’s power and truly feared what could come of it. As she stood beside her sister with Twilight and Cadance, Applejack and Rainbow Dash flanked the alicorns, eager to do battle. Pinkie Pie was sneaking through a trench, her helmet low as she sought a spot for her cannons. Rarity and Fluttershy leaned on each other as they backed away from the fight, unsure how to contribute.

Amber Dawn eyed the ponies arrayed against her with a mad gleam in her eyes. “No matter what you do I will win,” she intoned. “If you destroy me I will become a martyr, and if my blood is the price of your downfall, then so be it!”

Small flames appeared in the corners of Celestia’s eyes as her horn blazed, the normally golden glow of her magic flaring to orange-red. Luna’s eyes widened in fear, and she brushed her sister with a wing, barely managing a choked whisper of, “No, Tia, not here..."

Celestia shook Luna off, the fire in her eyes spreading to spiral up her horn. “You have shed enough blood over the last thousand years, Amber Dawn. Martyr or not, I am done with you. This ends here and now!”

“Stop,” said a voice so quiet that it should not have spread so clearly through the courtyard. It penetrated even the electric tension between Amber and Celestia, who paused in their furious exchange. Everypony turned to see Cadance raising her head to stand straight and tall. A soft white glow surrounded her as she spread her wings over the ponies around her.

“Why should I?” Amber choked out past gritted teeth. Celestia, her horn still aflame, seemed inclined to agree with the question.

“Because this isn’t what either of you or anypony here really wants,” Cadance replied, taking a step forward. “Besides, I can still see the spark within you that Celestia fell in love with, and still loves in spite of her anger.”

Celestia shook her head as conflicting emotions warred across her features, and though she shot an impatient look at Cadance she held her peace. Amber, on the other hoof, had no such compunctions; she railed at Cadance, her voice echoing off the surrounding walls.

“More word games and sanctimonious tripe! I have worked to create a better world for my entire life!” Her horn flared as she prepared a spell, her wings shaking with the power she called.

Cadance’s eyes half-closed and she smiled sadly. “Then all I can say is I’m sorry, and I hope that together we can help you find a better way.” She glanced at Celestia, then looked at the Element Bearers imploringly. “Channel your magic through me.”

Tossing her head, Celestia snorted. “What are you doing, Cadance? This isn’t the time-” Her words were cut off by Luna’s cry as Amber’s spell started to take shape and a monstrous red aura of seething flame built around her.

Alarmed, Twilight nodded to Cadance and called upon the Element of Magic, focusing all her will and intent on aiding whatever she had in mind. The other Bearers followed suit, Fluttershy and Rarity’s beams twining around each other as they joined with the rest. Luna gently drew the still fuming Celestia back as Cadance took another step forward, her horn bright as the glow around her started to spread.

“Foul creature!” screamed Amber, “Defender of tyranny! Blasphemer against the aspect you claim! How dare you!”

Cadance lowered her head, her eyes closed as the white light of her magic solidified into an aura that encompassed her and the rest of her allies. Their faces all relaxed slightly as it closed around them, a measure of their anger and fear easing even as they fed it.

“Wise counselor,” Cadance said in a whisper that reached every ear as her aura flowed toward Amber Dawn. “Learned mage. Compassionate healer.”

Amber sneered at the declarations as her aura of burning hunger crawled across the courtyard, now only a wingspan from Cadance’s. “Meaningless titles you have conferred upon yourself!”

Opening her eyes, Cadance responded softly, “No. They are yours, Amber Dawn: Lover of ponies. Teacher of pleasure.” Her aura reached the red roil of Amber’s and pressed against it gently, seeming to exert no pressure, though it also gave no ground.

Howling with primal rage, Amber stalked forward, feeding even more energy into the beast of fury she had summoned. Her horn glowed incandescently as she unleashed the power she had been hoarding for decades, and the flame around her reared and struck.

Cadance faltered, crying out as the brutal malevolence of Amber’s spell sent tendrils of pain and fear through her aura in bloody streaks. Her thoughts flashed to Shining Armor, so far away; if only she could touch him! At that thought Cadance felt him in her heart, his calm presence tangible and steadying.

Far away in the Crystal Castle, Shining Armor looked suddenly to the south as he felt Cadance’s need. He had just enough time to command his guards to watch over him before he fell into a deep trance. The glow of his horn filled the room, and the shielding magic at which he was so adept appeared not around him, but within Cadance’s heart and mind.

The connection took long seconds, and all the while Amber’s dark magic spread through Cadance’s aura leaving cracks and tears like fresh wounds. It seeped through one the openings to leave a bloody burn on one of her forelegs, and she recoiled in pain as the malignant radiance made her legs weak. Tears sprang up in Cadance’s eyes as she groaned in distress, and the tranquility she had been summoning began to dissolve.

Just as her legs started to buckle, Shining Armor’s presence blossomed within her, and with fierce cry of joy she stood straight and spread her wings wide, her aura brightening. The tainted streaks faded from it as Shining’s love suffused her, and though her spell’s shape slipped and danced as it was struck, it was only in ways that shunted away the force of the attacks.

Taking a deep breath, Cadance continued her litany. “Decorated scholar,” she called clearly, now walking toward Amber with slow, sure steps. “Respected researcher. Elevated princess, who earned her title.”

Amber was shaking on her hooves, though whether from Cadance’s words or the effort she was putting forth nopony could tell. The swirl of fire and wind around her hid both the tears in her eyes and the set of her jaw as she poured more of herself into the manifestation of her wrath.

“Gifted and rightly praised. Adored and appreciated.” Cadance was a few steps away from Amber, her aura now bright and unbroken even as Amber’s fought it. “And ultimately, loved.”

“LIAR!” shouted Amber, her eyes streaming.

Luna bowed her head, feeling her bond with her sister stronger than she had since before her banishment. Celestia’s eyes were filled with tears, her anger fading as hope and remembered love surged through her.

With a final step Cadance looked into Amber’s eyes. “You are loved,” she breathed, the words flowing out to where the two auras warred.

Amber cried out as her aura shuddered and began collapsing, consuming itself as it contracted around her, the rising pressure forcing her to her knees. She raised her head and tried to scream out a final challenge, and at that moment a tendril of Cadance’s aura slipped through hers to gently touch her brow. Her eyes widened in sudden understanding, and she looked sharply at Celestia: The regal head bowed, a look of compassion and sorrow on her face.

The tenuous hold Amber had on the beast she had created snapped, and she closed her eyes as the blood red aura wrapped itself around her. Her frightened cry was cut off as it crushed the air from her lungs, then exploded in a maelstrom of destruction.

Cadance’s field shook and tore as the firestorm roared through the courtyard. Celestia and Luna fought with their magic to contain it, the flare of their horns bright and constant.

With a final crack of thunder the storm abated. As the smoke and dust cleared the ponies could see Amber Dawn lying in the middle of a blackened and smoking crater, still and bleeding from burns and cuts all over her body.

As they approached the edge of the crater Amber lifted her head weakly. Seeing them, she tried to use her magic, but nothing came to her. She dropped her head back to the scorched earth beneath her and let out a long, ragged breath.

“Is... is she alive?” Fluttershy said from behind Celestia, her eyes shut tight.

As if in response Amber stirred, then slowly stood on shaky hooves, her head down. She dragged herself to the edge of the crater and stumbled her way out of it, the ponies surrounding her watching warily. Amber raised her head to look from one pony to the next, her brow creased yet her eyes watery. “Once again I say, if you think that I’m going to suddenly ‘repent’ and surrender my cause... well, you’re wrong!”

She stepped towards Celestia on trembling hooves, trying to look intimidating but not even succeeding at meeting her gaze. “You stopped equal rights in its womb! You pardoned the houses of bigots! You... you....” Her voice fell away as she finally managed to bring her eyes up to Celestia’s, and the compassion she saw there, even after all she had done, unlocked the tears she had been holding back.

Amber Dawn fell to the ground at Celestia’s hooves, her face contorted with pain and sorrow. “Oh Tia!” she sobbed. “I can’t! I want to hate you, I should hate you! But I... I just can’t! I love you, even after all this time! And I’m just so tired of fighting.... Lock me away in chains, or just banish me again, I don’t care. I can’t do this any more.” She laid her head on her hooves, her tears falling freely.

Celestia raised her head, her eyes grave. “Amber Dawn,” she said formally, “You are hereby ordered into the custody of the Crowns. Your magic shall be bound, and you shall be confined under maximum guard until such time as you stand trial before the Two Thrones.

“You have fomented rebellion, incited to riot, committed magical coercion and mental rape, and have threatened the lives of the Diarchs and their Champions. You have broken the compact and betrayed the very reason you were made an alicorn. You have even tortured our beloved student, in dire and extended fashion.” Twilight ducked her head and blushed brightly, her wings fluttering as she struggled to control her reaction. “So what are we to do with you?”

Luna stepped close to her sister and leaned against her in support. Celestia sighed wearily and closed her eyes. “Many ponies would say there are no extenuating circumstances for your crimes, and we would generally agree. And yet... we know that you have not been in your right mind, and this has been so for a very long time. In this we admit our own guilt and complicity, for not seeing, and for not acting on this in an effective and timely manner.”

Amber shivered where she lay as exhaustion and frustration warred within her, but she said nothing as Celestia continued. “If our sister agrees, we will delay your trial pending completion of a comprehensive regimen of counseling, mentoring, and therapy, overseen by either or both of us or our agents as we see fit.” Celestia turned to Luna and raised an eyebrow.

Stepping forward, Luna spread her wings as she spoke, her voice ringing in everypony’s ears. “We see the wisdom in this course of action and agree with it in full.”

She lowered her gaze to the still cowering Amber, and her eyes softened slightly. “We have done despicable things ourselves, and even so have been offered forgiveness. Yours may be a long time coming, Amber Dawn, but we will not this day rule out that it could.”

Cadance stepped forward, looking a bit haggard from channeling so much energy. “I request your leave to speak, though this is not my kingdom nor my court.” When Celestia and Luna nodded in unison she smiled softly.

“I saw you, Amber Dawn, in the last moments before your spell collapsed. You felt it, didn’t you? And perhaps even understood?”

Amber nodded weakly, then laid her head back down on her hooves. “I did. It was... beautiful.”

“Then remember that moment above all else that has happened since you returned,” Cadance said softly. “Let it be a spark of hope within you. And if you need my counsel, I will make myself available as and when I can.”

“Thank you, Cadance,” sighed Amber. With an effort she got back to her hooves and looked up at the three rulers arrayed around her. “I don’t know if I deserve the chance you’re giving me, but I’m ready to face... whatever comes of this.”

“Let us take you to where you will be held,” said Celestia softly. As the four alicorns headed toward the castle, she turned back to face the other ponies.

“Thank you for your aid, my... my friends. I hope to have a chance to speak further with all of you soon.” She started to walk again, then looked back once more.

“And Twilight?” she smiled, watching her former student trying to fold her wings. “You’d better hold onto that until I have taken care of this little task.”

Twilight’s already agitated wings nearly popped fully open before she could regain control, and the red on her face threatened to ignite the air around her as her friends turned their questioning gazes on her.

“Aheh! Um... princess business,” she lied lamely.

“Hmf! Whatever,” Applejack sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Ah got the feeling Ah don’t really want to know anyway. Ah’m just glad that’s all over and done with! That is one crazy mare.”

“Oh, you have no idea....” Twilight muttered as her wings twitched anew. She shot a glare at Rainbow, who was still snickering knowingly at her little ‘inconvenience’ as they left the courtyard.