“Thank you, Wind Blossom,” Celestia said in her kindest voice, and the rather cute Ki-Lin filly blushed a brilliant red before scampering out of the tent. It had been difficult, but she had at long last brought an end to the bowing and scraping… only it had been replaced by a different kind of awe and worship.

She wanted to sigh and smack her forehead against the desk, but the last time she’d done that, all of her attendants had burst into tears at the thought of having done something wrong. These ponies had an infuriating habit to place the blame upon themselves for everything regarding her. It was a refreshing change from the blame-deflecting Canterlot nobles, but it was also maddening when she needed to vent some frustration.

So instead she just rubbed at her temple and contemplated asking that nice minotaur Rock Fist for a massage again. His moniker was apparently quite the misnomer - the bull had remarkably gentle hands for a minotaur. But no, he was probably on guard duty again, and the bull also had a remarkably powerful sense of duty to his… what had the word Whisper used been? Daimyo? She really needed to get a hoof on the language of these ponies.

The last few weeks since Luna’s departure had been… well, not unlike the weeks had been before her return. Interminable paperwork, dealing with stubborn ponies, political wheeling and dealing, and a distinct lack of somepony with a shoulder she could cry on. It was distressing, but at least it was a familiar kind of distressing, even if her new attendants were… well, perhaps sensitive was the wrong word. Very enthusiastic, yes, that was the ticket.

Fortunately, she was not completely lacking sanity amongst those who served her. “Sheesh, are all of these ponies completely nuts?” remarked the deep, snarky voice of Moon Dancer as she slipped in past the tent flaps. “By the Moon, I swear they’re worse than foals during Nightmare Night!” Moon Dancer was the sole source of familiarity that Celestia had at her disposal, and even if she couldn’t precisely cry on her shoulder, she was an invaluable anchor.

“Different culture and an isolationist attitude is the cause of that, I fear,” Celestia sighed softly, rubbing again at her temple. “I should have enlightened myself sooner, but I never had a reason. They had always been peaceful, non-interventionist, and remained firmly distanced from Equestrian affairs. I had other things to do than worry about such a nation, so I remained firmly out of their affairs as well.” She smiled wryly. “Of course, I fear that now I shall be unable to keep them out of our affairs, proving the maxim that no good deed ever goes unpunished.”

“Horesapples, Princess,” Dancer snorted softly before trotting over to the other side of the tent to snatch up a clipboard. “It just proves that stupid is the one thing all creatures have a share of. Arright, good news - that was the last of them for the day.” She flicked up the papers with her wingtip, eyeballing them dubiously. “Bad news, the Empress wants to spend dinner with ya, and I don’t think she’s going to take no for an answer.”

Celestia could not help it - she felt her heart lighten a little and turned a smile upon the snarky batpony. “That’s not bad news at all,” she piped up, doing a little hop-step in place before settling down under Dancer’s wry gaze. Celestia felt a grin tug at her lips and pranced over to her bed and did a little hop into her hoof-boots. “Oh, don’t give me that look. She’s a fascinating conversationalist and the only other pony here who doesn’t get nervous around me.” Celestia flicked her tail at Dancer and chuckled richly.

Dancer just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Guess I’ll go scare some of the colts in the mess tent who think I drink blood.” Dancer tossed the clipboard back onto the camp desk with a clatter of wood and snatched up her odd looking saddlebags… odd because they didn’t have her cutie mark on them, but a pure white crescent moon, and they were kind of curvy in their bag design. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret in the morning, Princess.” She waved with that parting comment and slipped out of the tent.

Celestia bit at her lip for a moment to keep from playing that game with Dancer - a game she well knew she had no chance of winning. Wherever the batpony had learned how to be sarcastic, she’d apparently learned from the zen master of the art. So instead, she focused on the positives of another night spent with Whisper, not the least of which was a chance to finally relax a little. Good tea, tasty noodles, and probably a conversation about magic esoterica.

It would almost be like having Twilight back.

Even now, the thought thundered through her like a violent storm, and even now it took a moment of supreme willpower not to let it break her. But she would not give in to the sorrow, or to pain or fear. She had to believe that it was possible to save Twilight, that with the magic of unicorn and Ki-Lin and alicorn working together, a way could be found to cleanse the taint. Luna would buy them the time, and she needed only to ensure things went smoothly enough here that she could spend that time preparing.

Star Swirl had seemed to have a plan, and of all the unicorns in the world she would have entrusted this task, he would have topped every list she could have produced. He had never failed her before, and he would not do so now. So she cast away the dreary thoughts - they would not help her, and they would not make her army move any more swiftly. A touch of magic grasped the richly colored golden yellow cloak by the door and cast it over her shoulders before brushing past the tent flaps.

Her camp of war was one of contradictions. It was already growing to a size far beyond her original anticipations, and yet it never seemed once out of its absurdly regimented order. It was possible, at a glance, to pick out every individual unit and which warlord they served simply by observing the pattern of their camps and the color of their tents. Useful, if not a bit unnerving after a millenium of a single unified standing army. She would need to change things in these lands, when all had been said and done. These ponies were even more leashed to the old ways than the old tribes had been, and that she would not abide.

She swept through the camp, passing any number of other mess tents and campside cookpots. Not a single pony amongst them failed to bow their heads in respect, but it was a damn sight better than seeing them prostrate themselves every time she so much as glanced in their direction. They respected her as much as they now worshipped her, and that would be a good thing for the future, even if the worship still set her teeth on edge.

There was no stopping it though. Not yet. It will take centuries to break that habit, I fear. She sighed heavily but brightened a moment later as her steps took her to the Empress’ pavillion. It wasn’t so much a tent as it was a series of them connected by stiff cloth hallways and guarded by grim masked stallions. Not that there was anypony here who would contemplate harming her… not with Celestia around anyway.

The guards did not even challenge her, given that there wasn’t a single pony in camp who could apparently replace her presence. Even now, she was only just beginning to understand how these Ki-Lin could see past the flesh and into the spirit, a power that frankly baffled her until she had realized it was simply an extension of their natural magic. That she could master that skill was something she was certain of, but she was equally certain it would take quite some time to draw out the latent powers.

Within the tents, a little den of luxury awaited her. Only the Empress and her chosen attendants were allowed within, and the Empress had been very picky about who was going to be allowed near her as they marched toward Canterlot. Another month to the Equestrian border. Another week, at least, until we reach Canterlot. Early winter, if we’re lucky. And if we are not… If they were not, winter would come sooner, and they would likely be trapped on the Ki-Lin coast, waiting for the waters between them and Equestria to thaw to safety.

She could not even order the Cloudsdale Weather Seers to alter their course and ensure good weather for her. They had only once, in all of their history, altered their weather plans and patterns to suit the needs of a monarch. That had been a time of extraordinary need, of course… when Nightmare Moon’s armies had threatened to crush them all. Things were not that desperate in Equestria. Not yet. And so they would not move no matter how she entreated them. The weather would go on as it was meant to go on, and that was the end of it.

Fortunately, she had something to take her mind off the stresses of a moving army. “Ah, thank you for joining me, Princess,” Jade Whisper said with a slow smile, curled up on a bright red silk pillow and wearing none of her usual robes or symbols of office. It had taken every ounce of her considerable diplomatic ability, but Celestia thanked Faust that Whisper had finally conceded to calling her ‘Princess’ as opposed to ‘Goddess’. That it had taken a considerable amount of logic to bring her around to the idea that she ruled over the Sun, and thus was a monarch in her own right, was merely beside the point.

“I always enjoy taking my meals with you, Whisper,” Celestia returned smoothly. It had been Whisper’s demand that if she was to call Celestia ‘Princess’, then Celestia would treat her with no overbearing respect. Celestia was the superior here, and the Empress had wanted that painfully clear to anypony who dared to listen to them, which was why she was always unadorned during their meetings. “Even though I am certain Moon Dancer will miss my company. She is something of a fish out of water here.” Celestia winced a little at the thought of the brash batpony doing everything in her power to cause a ruckus in camp. A fun ruckus, usually, but a ruckus nonetheless.

Whispered tilted her head and gave off a low and rolling chuckle. “She is Tsukiyomi’s child, Princess. We do not begrudge her nature as a trickster and an upsetter of order. She can be no other way, just as her spiritual mother cannot be any other way.” Celestia couldn’t help it. She had to laugh at that rather succinct description of Luna’s basic personality. It was so very perfect, she wondered how the Ki-Lin had come to the conclusion of it.

In fact, she often wondered how they seemed to know so much about her and Luna but knew so very little about Equestria. Every time she’d tried to nail down the subject, the Empress had simply said it was not yet time to discuss it. Celestia, unwilling to risk her budding friendship with the pony, had conceded the point and moved on. But still she wondered and wished she could see as easily within Whisper’s spirit as her counterpart could see within hers.

Just like now. “Your heart is still so very troubled, Princess,” Whisper said in her gentlest voice, uncoiling from her pillow and walking with a liquid grace across the short distance between them to take up her hoof. “Come, lay down. Tea, a soothing meal, and company are the best cures for that which we can do little else about.” Celestia allowed herself to be tugged across the room, where Whisper fussed at her until she had taken a seat upon a soft pillow and discarded her hoof boots to one side.

Whisper clapped her forehooves together firmly, and in a brief swarm of activity she found herself facing a dainty, but steaming cup of a fragrant green tea and a plate of delicately prepared cucumber slices and broccoli florets, with a sharp smelling sauce in an equally dainty ramekin. Within moments, the rush of incredibly efficient servants was both in and out before Celestia could identify a single one amongst them. In a moment of rare humor, Celestia truly wished to get as many of these servants in the company of her own staff at Canterlot Castle. She had a feeling the competition between them would be both fierce and incredibly amusing to watch, especially on the subject of tea.

She could just imagine Mistress Tea Garden frowning mightily at the mild teas the Ki-Lin favored and harrumphing about all this fussing about with lemon wheels and sweetened ginger root. A good stout mug of Equestrian black breakfast tea, that was the ticket for all of the world’s ills. Maybe a sugar cube, if one was feeling a little childish that day, as Tea Garden herself often did. None of these delicate, subtle green teas gussying up her tea service, no ma’am. Not much more to them than colored water!

The very thought made Celestia smile, even as she lifted the cup and enjoyed a sip of the stuff. Subtle or not, it was still very delicious, if in a vastly different way than the tea she was used to. Alas, it was not nearly as stimulating as the stuff back home, but she supposed she could do with a break from it. “Ah… there, see?” Whisper said in a subtly amused voice, even as Celestia lifted and bit through a crisp bit of broccoli, the bitterness of the vegetable contrasting nicely with the tea. “Much better. You really do over-stress yourself, Princess.”

Celestia felt her smile twist a bit wryly, as she honestly couldn’t disagree with Whisper’s assessment. “Now stay still,” Whisper commanded gently, and she felt gentle hooves pressing into her back and working the tense muscles there. “I swear, I would not have thought a goddess to have so many issues remaining relaxed,” Whisper gently muttered under her breath, her words clearly not meant to be heard as she began a remarkably excellent massage.

But she just couldn’t keep the leash on her tongue, even though she probably should have. “It is difficult to remain relaxed when there is somepony you care for in dire danger,” Celestia whispered softly, her head bowing a little as she set down the teacup. For only a moment, Whisper’s hooves stopped… then continued, working their way up to Celestia’s shoulder blades and slowly pushing the tension out of them.

Whisper didn’t speak for a time, but it wasn’t difficult to tell she was thinking about what to say. “She is like a daughter to you, isn’t she?” Whisper asked softly, even as she positioned herself much closer to Celestia’s body. Celestia winced a little away from that, trying not to think too hard about exactly how she did feel about Twilight, but….. “Tsk, no then. Something more. Something…” Another pause of the hooves, and Celestia felt her head being turned toward Whisper, a look of quiet amazement on her face. “Oh, Amaterasu,” she said hesitantly, her voice instantly softening into a gentle declaration. “You love her.”

Jade Whisper’s almost scintillating green eyes gazed into hers, and a look of gentle care and pity crossed her face. “I… No! She is my student, and I am deeply concerned with all of the terrible things that have happened to her and what she may have… done...” Her words trailed away, replaced with an elemental horror that she could not shake off. “I… No. She is dear to me, I do not deny that, but…” She kept stammering out, grasping for something, anything to shake off that twisting in her gut that just kept getting worse. “I… Whisper, she is-” Finally, a hoof cut off her words and a gentle hoof squeezed her shoulder. Whisper shook her head slowly, her eyes far too wise for Celestia’s taste in that moment.

But what could she say? Every day that had passed she’d spent a thousand moments trying to find something she could do. Three millennia of knowledge, of carefully collated research and the finest minds ponykind could offer and… Nothing. In truth, there was only one spell that came to mind, and only one method she could be certain would work. There was just one… small problem. She couldn’t do it. She simply could not go through… that again. Nevermind what it would do to poor Twilight. That was even worse.

She hadn’t even noticed the tears until a soft silken cloth blotted them away. “The world is a thing of balance,” Whisper said softly, gently blotting away the tears with the silk and speaking in an almost too-distant voice. “We are given nothing without paying some price for it. That is a lesson every Empress has had to learn, yet for a Goddess it is even more true.” Whisper gently tilted Celestia’s head toward her, and she wore a sad but gentle smile. “I know your heart aches for her, Princess. I do not even need to wield my skill as a Ki-Lin to see it.”

Whisper's hoof came up, and surprisingly, they lifted the slim golden crown from Celestia’s head. “You need to take this off, I think.” Whisper spoke in a firm tone, setting the jeweled circlet to one side. “I think it has been far, far too long since you were simply yourself, and not the Goddess of the Sun. Come.” She turned and gracefully sat down upon her cushions, gently patting next to her. “For one night, we shall dispense with the titles. Lay down your load, Celestia. It will keep for a night.”

Celestia stared at Whisper for a moment in shock, wondering what it must have taken for the Empress to take such a step with her… but she had to admit, the offer was more than a little enticing. She slipped out of the gold hoof boots and discarded the golden torque from around her neck. “Yes. I suppose it will," she found herself saying… almost casually. “Ruler to ruler, then?” she said softly, and Whisper nodded in an almost comically solemn manner. Celestia cracked a strained smile as she settled down on the cushion next to Whisper. “Yes, I suppose I do love her.” The words came out in a rush, and almost too softly….

Whisper bopped her shoulder. “T’ch. Suppose nothing.” Her tone was severe, almost scolding as she poked Celestia’s shoulder. “I may be young, Celestia. But I have seen my share of ponies pining over an impossible love or two.” She snorted in a very unladylike manner, the first time Celestia had seen her drop the dignified reserve. “Our culture is sometimes quite maddening, I tell you. We have a fetish, you see, for tragic tales.” She waved her hoof airily, the look on her face quite astonishingly cynical. “The stoic soldier, or maiden, or even Gods and Goddesses. All of them facing some terrible loss or fate, and all of them standing proud and carrying out their duties no matter the cost to themselves. Pfeh.”

Whisper almost spat, and sighed, rubbing her head. “Many of my ponies already see you in such a light. The seemingly untouchable Goddess, her heart rent asunder by the loss of one she obviously cares so deeply for. The pain digging deep into her soul and unearthing the unstoppable force of nature within to-” Whisper stopped mid word as Celestia felt the pain continue to roil in her stomach, and smacked her forehead. “Oh, I am such an idiot…”

Celestia paused for a moment, contemplating agreeing with that sentiment before… “No. I cannot hold you accountable for the perceptions of others.” Celestia felt a small, brave smile cross her face. It had hardly been the first time mortal ponies had looked upon her like that. Even her own Equestrians still occasionally saw her in such a light. She gazed up for a moment into the warmly colored silk of the tent ceiling. “They are not wrong, though. I am so very torn, Whisper. Between my duty to Equestria, and my love for my student. That this is the second time such a plight has been forced upon me…”

Celestia lowered her head and took deep, slow breaths. She could not break. She would not break. Whisper, bless her, simply nodded and levitated a platter of their snack over to where they lay. She did not speak, and Celestia was glad for it. “Now I face the same grim task I once faced with Nightmare Moon. A beloved pony, a dark shadow, it is almost-”

Celestia froze, and felt her vision narrow and her blood go cold. No. It could not be.

Whisper spoke the words she was thinking. “Too coincidental.” Her voice was all too soft, all too understanding. “Yes. The wheels of Fate often seem that way when one has not thought to look upon them. So tell me, Celestia… what Fate did you defy?” Whisper’s words were gentle, and she touched Celestia’s shoulder.

Celestia could not feel emotions, nor physical sensation beyond the dull recognition of a touch. “It was the last night I saw Star Swirl before he vanished.” Her voice was hollow, dead inside as she recalled that dark night. Canterlot invested by a terrible downpour, made necessary by an accident with the weather plan. “He came to me in the night, with Clover by his side. He was wrapped in a grim silence, like I had never seen him in before.”

Celestia felt her body begin to shiver without control, but it was all so much noise to her. “He told me that one day soon, I would have to make a choice… between taking the life of somepony I loved beyond all measure, or letting the world fall into darkness.” She swallowed heavily, feeling a grip around her heart like the icy wastes created by the Windigos. “He told me I would need to be strong when that day came, and then he left. I would not see him again until…” She sucked in a deep breath, trying to remember the world around her.

Then the tears came, unbidden. “I forgot about his prophecy. I forgot about him entirely beyond only the vaguest details and sorrow for his passing… His spell.” The rationale came to her instantly. “Memento Mortus. Death of memories. Of course I forgot… and then… Nightmare Moon came, and I recalled his dark words.” Celestia could feel Whisper holding her shoulders, shaking her and speaking in a tone that seemed all too far away.

Her words whispered into the air in desperation as hot tears seared her coat. “I did everything I could think of. I used every weapon at my disposal, save for one, hoping that I could save her. I gathered those ponies closest to me… and I took up the Elements of Harmony for the first time in a thousand years.” She clutched her hooves around her chest, feeling the sobs wrack her chest. “I was desperate. I begged the power of the Elements to aid me. I called upon every ounce of my strength. I cornered her army and forced her to confront me… and I banished her.”

Celestia squeezed her eyes shut, wondering why she was recounting the tale.Because you cannot admit what all of these damn coincidences mean… “In exchange for all of the pain and suffering I had brought upon myself, I had bought myself time. But I knew that I alone wielding the elements could never purify the darkness in her soul. The elements would need individual bearers. So I formed the perfect plan - to bring six perfect ponies to a single place, to show them where I had hidden the Elements, and lure Nightmare Moon into confrontation with them.”

Celestia felt all of the tension drain out of her, voice pitched low. “I spent centuries cultivating specific bloodlines. I had an entire town founded on the edge of the forest to ensure they would be in the right place. But I could not have imagined the results.” Even now, she could still see the little purple filly, wreathed in boundless magic striking out all around her. Even now, she could feel the awe that sight had brought upon her as centuries of waiting had been made flesh.

She had been beautiful, even as a little one and had only grown moreso as she grew into her knowledge and power. Little by little, she had grown to mean more than a mere piece in her game to save Luna. She had become as close as family to Celestia… and indeed, in a sense she had become sort of like family when her brother had married Cadence. Yet every time the thought crossed Celestia’s mind to make them more, she had crushed it ruthlessly, believing such a love to be….

Impossible.

Whisper spoke then, her voice soft and cutting through the darkness that threatened to envelop her soul. “But even then, it worked. You thought you had conquered fate and saved your sister. Your power had been too great, even for prophecy.” Her hoof reached out and squeezed Celestia’s. “But Fate is not so easily cheated of its price. And now, the Darkness threatens the world again.” Her words were not a condemnation… they were soft with understanding, even pity.

And were the words true, it meant she had to choose between destroying her most faithful student and casting the world into the fangs of the Shadow. For just a moment, she teetered on the edge of despair and madness… until she felt a warmth envelop her shoulders and slowly begin to seep into her body. “I… Whisper?” she spoke in confusion, turning her head to find the soulful green eyes of the Jade Empress so very close to hers.

“I cannot be your student, Celestia,” Whisper said in a soft, sad voice. “But I can at least drive off the chill in your heart.” Celestia could hear the pain in that voice… see the hopelessness in her eyes. She was not naive. Putting such obvious pieces together was easy, even for her.

“But...” Celestia began softly, as she felt the warmth of Whisper’s body seep into hers. “I suppose I am not the only one living a tragic tale right now, am I?” Perhaps it was the pain. Or perhaps it was the shock of those old memories, so sharp and so grievous. Perhaps she was simply lonely. Or perhaps there was no logical explanation.

Celestia leaned in and pressed her lips to Whisper's own, silencing any denials or disclaimers. She lit the magic into her horn and snuffed all but a single candle that glimmered on the table next to them. The Empress at first tried to pull away, and when Celestia grew more insistent, she threw herself into the act. Heat and warmth passed between them, each bringing a little more solace to the other.

Celestia’s hooves brushed across the Ki-Lin’s shoulders and pulled her in closer to her, gently twining their tongues together in a soft, heated silence, punctuated only by the occasional soft gasp for air. It had been so very long since Celestia had dared share intimacy with another… and yet here she was, gently urging the young empress to greater daring with a soft nibble of her lip. She felt a tingle down between her nethers, her cheeks flushing to a near cherry red.

Whisper smiled around the kiss, and her horn lit with a silvery-white glow, pulling away from the kiss to stroke her hooves down Celestia’s cheeks. “Do not tease me so, Amaterasu," she half whispered, the burning heat of simple desire coming off of her like waves so obvious even Celestia could see them. “It was but a filly’s dream, after all.” She moved to turn away, raising her horn up and brightening the light.

Celestia wasn’t going to let her get away that easily, though. She gently pressed her hooves into Whisper’s shoulders and spun her about, the empress’ eyes going wide with surprise. “Dreams may be my sister’s realm, but I see no good reason why I cannot make at least one dream come true.” After all. The long night stretched before her again… and before she could face the darkness within, she needed something to stoke her fire.

So she kissed Whisper again, and pulled her in close. It was going to be a long night.

Winterlight didn’t bother to show emotion beyond passive detachment in the face of two mares who were probably deciding how to kill her. Instead, she took pleasure and comfort in her slow pulls of tobacco smoke, exhaling the smoke without show or drama. After everything that had happened, she was reasonably certain she’d have enough time to run if need demanded that she do so. But facts were facts, and neither of them had taken her report of the battle's aftermath too well up to this point.

So she blew out another lungful of smoke and decided she might as well bring her report to an end. “We did a casualty check, and hunkered down on the south end of th’ bridge, which brings us to now.” She pulled the pipestem out from between her lips and jabbed it toward the stoic looking Umbra. “In my private opinion? I pulled off a fuckin’ miracle. I got ambushed by three top-flight forces, the most powerful unicorn mage my Bolts have ever seen, and a moon-damned Caesar; and I still kept the majority of my forces intact.” She chomped down on the stem of the pipe and puffed furiously at it.

Umbra in all of her intimidating physique and frightening intelligence, lifted a hoof seemingly without thinking and placed it on Twilight’s shoulder just as the purple filly began to speak. “You are correct, Captain. There were far greater forces at work here than we had realized, and you did well given the limited knowledge at your disposal.” She tilted her head toward Twilight, and her eyes narrowed in a creepy sort of way. “We shall speak with our daughter about our future plans and come speak to you of the same when they have been formed..”

Winterlight blinked a little at that one, and a moment later both Twilight and Umbra were gone, and she exhaled heavily. “Fuck me,” she muttered, leaning back against the padded crate she’d ad-hoc’d into a chair. “This is getting dangerous.” It was a statement of obvious fact, but even Winterlight knew that there came a time when the risks involved with a particular course of action began to outweigh the benefits.

The problem was she’d only have the barest warning of when things had indeed crossed that line, and the barest amount of time to move to keep herself alive in spite of it. She needed a way out, a backup plan just in case things went hooves up. Fortunately, she knew just the pegasus for that kind of plan. She even owed Winterlight a favor after doing something particularly stupid today.

Twilight wondered for a moment why Mother had pulled her away, but she was not left wondering for long. “My child… my beloved. We must accelerate your original plan immediately.” Umbra’s voice was thick with concern and anger, a tone Twilight had not once heard out of her before. “By the Creator, we have been fortunate that they have elected not to confront us directly yet.” Umbra collapsed to the ground next to where they’d set up their travelling tent and subconciously rubbed at her temples. “That damnable wizard and that stupid deer… Two thousand years in hiding, and they haunt me still!” She slammed her hoof into the ground and growled in an almost animalistic fashion.

Twilight herself was still having a hard time mentally accepting the story Winterlight had told them, but nothing in the Shadow that still burned brightly in Winterlight’s soul spoke of falsehoods or lies. There really had been a unicorn wizard here capable of casting the Ice Wave spell. There really had been an entire corps of elite griffon soldiers right in the heart of Equestria, and worst of all there really was some kind of ‘resistance’ to her work that had taken refuge in White Tail Woods… and all of them, or nearly so, were once residents of Ponyville who had escaped her first wave.

Rainbow Dash had been nearly beside herself when discussing how she’d seen Scootaloo slashing through their troops with a grim purpose. Of the words she had said, and more importantly the things she had not said. Somepony - Twilight was not certain who, but she had her suspicions - was turning the world against them with any number of bald-faced lies. And worst of all, Pinkie Pie had gone missing.

Given who was missing in Ponyville, there wasn’t much question as to why she’d gone. Even now, Twilight could feel the little ball of desire and energy bouncing away from her at a fair speed, the emotions roiling out of her having nothing to do with laughter or joy. “Why, mother?” she asked quietly, turning her attention back to the things she could deal with right now. If Pinkie needed time alone, Twilight wasn’t going to begrudge her that.

Umbra sighed softly, lifting her head and regarding Twilight with a level gaze. “There are few beings indeed that can be said to have successfully opposed me over the years, daughter. But only two have ever struck fear into my heart.” She stood slowly and gestured Twilight to follow her, walking away from the tent and into the dim light of predawn. “The first was the daughter of the creature who first imprisoned me. Most in this age know her as the White Doe, though she has had many, many other names down through the millenia.”

Umbra sighed deeply, bowing her head as Twilight moved quickly up to her side, hoping her physical presence and a soft nuzzle of her cheek would improve Mother’s mood. Blessedly, Umbra smiled a moment later, gently nuzzling her cheek against Twilight’s. “Thank you, dear one. She has been the thorn in my side since time immemorial, and every time I have returned to bring the world to peace, she has stood in my way.” Umbra sighed dramatically, now walking slower so that Twilight could keep up with her unusually long stride.

Then Umbra’s face grew more distant. “But she was always a known quantity. The Deerfolk have always opposed my reign, and I have always formed my plans in preparation for them. But then… then he appeared.” She shook her head, her shadowy-mane whipping in a nonexistant wind, and Twilight focused her attentions on Mother's words. Surely, she would need to be at her finest to deal with the problems to come.

But Mother's gaze turned dark, and her eyes narrowed. “Never before had I met one such as he. He wasn’t merely academically brilliant, he was as canny as any creature I had ever encountered. He had no desire to touch my power, nor to use it, no matter what offers I tendered to him. He was utterly uninterested.” And judging by the tone of voice Mother had taken, she had been extremely annoyed at that. Actually, probably more than annoyed. There was almost an admiration there.

Mother shook her head slowly. “I knew of the pony tribes, of course, yet he seemed to think they could yet be convinced to set aside their ancient grudges and unite with one another. I thought him naive, foolish… and I was wrong.” She stopped mid step and exhaled a breath. “I confess, my daughter, he outplayed me in a game I had long believed I had no peer in. I let my desire to be free overwhelm my good sense, and in return he cornered me in that dratted forest.”

Twilight shook her head slowly, opening her mouth to speak… and shutting it at the raised hoof of her mother for silence. “No names. Though I will have to prepare you for him, I will not having your remarkable mind diving through the historical records for information about him.” Umbra bent a stern eye upon her, but there was a little twinkle of good humor there… mother knew her all too well. “Regardless, if he has somehow survived the centuries then he undoubtedly has been waiting for my return.”

Twilight only needed to nod once. “Which means our time-schedule has become compromised.” Twilight sighed deeply at the thought of that, shaking her head slowly. “We’ll have to use our alternate plan then.” A cold feeling of purpose slowly settled over her soul, and Twilight drew in a deep breath. “How soon can we leave?” she quietly asked, turning her gaze to Umbra and uncertain of how she felt about this next action. On the one hoof, it would mean finally dealing with a problem that sorely deserved her wrath. On the other, what she was about to do to them…

Umbra’s warmth flooded through her veins, and she could feel the gentle pressure of Mother’s body pressing against hers warmly. “You are doing the right thing, my beloved,” Umbra whispered softly, a deft tendril of shadow energy stroking her cheek. “They must be brought to heel, and their numbers will give us the strength we need to crush all of our other foes.”

The soft stroking became something more intimate, and Twilight turned her head to accept the soft kiss from Mother, the gentle feel of the Shadow settling upon her sending a surge of sexual pleasure through her veins. Within the blackness of Umbra, Twilight felt the fears of her heart ease and the pain ebb away. Mother was right. The time had come to bring an end to that threat, once and for all. Umbra’s voice was gentle as the darkness overtook them both, shrouding them from sight.

“We leave tomorrow for the Hive…. My Beloved.”

Author's Notes:

Okay, since my editor is unavailable and I'm tired of making you guys wait, here's the next chapter. Just forgive its roughness, given that my editor hasn't gotten to fix it up yet. (If you want to see its fixed version, I'll make a note in the next chapter when it is.)

As a teaser notice, on New Years Eve, I will be posting The Twilight Diaries which will feature sexual or more lighthearted scenes which do not otherwise add to the plot of this story, but are still narratively / sexually interesting. The first scenes to be featured will be the ones we're "fading to black" in in this chapter, and will be sporadically updated with new ones whenever the hell I feel like making them, but will include Life in Ponyville under the Shadow, goings on in the Crusader's Camp, And some other fun stuff, too. So keep your eyes open.