The wind howled around her with a fierce intensity that, for any other pony, would have been cause to shield one's eyes and get to shelter. But Princess Celestia Solaris, the Sun’s Glory, had withstood such winds before. That it had been a very long time since such winds had been unleashed upon the world… She shook the thought away. This was not the same as the Tribal War, the conflict had not been going on nearly long enough to naturally awaken the long dormant Windigo’s.

No. Somepony had woken them up on purpose and was herding them, an act that Celestia would have been prepared to swear was impossible only a few weeks ago. And yet there they were, galloping across the skies, tossing their ethereal heads and screaming into the wind. Across the ocean they went, and then back at a speed that was nothing short of supernatural. Every time they approached the coast, they were turned back by some powerful magic spell in the sky. For two weeks, she’d watched the process in morbid fascination… and also to confirm that this was not simply a coincidence.

Now she knew - somewhere in this camp there had to be a magic circle and Ki-Lin pouring power into it to control the massive spell above. There was but one authority in the camp other than she who could’ve ordered that, but none of this made sense to her. She turned on her heels, heedless of the cold and howling winds, and stalked back toward the royal tents. It was long since time she had a discussion with Whisper.

The rest of the camp was shut against the winds and snow that were falling upon the camp… and just as she thought that, the winds cut out again as the Windigo’s made another trip toward Equestria. My poor home is going to be inundated with rogue winter storms from all of that activity, Celestia thought with a touch of depression. She was no weather pegasus, but she understood the basic magic and science of it, and especially knew that any weather created over the eastern ocean was going to naturally push toward Equestrian soil.

Commander Derecho had warned her about the possibility of such an attack, but she’d long dismissed the notion as being unrealistic. Fortunately, she was also not stupid so she’d allowed him to continue making his own contingency plans to deal with such a problem, so long as it did not divert from guard funds. I’m going to have to promote him when I get home. The thought was mildly amusing amidst the storm of anger in her heart. She had to be calm, lest something bad happen.

But the camp remained dead silent, even as the wind died down to a normal blowing. The snow fell artfully around her, and Celestia felt a whimsical little thought that this would have made an excellent scene in a play. The distant ruler, her ponies endangered and her nation imperiled, going to find out if the one she thought a close ally had merely been waiting for a chance to plunge in the knife. It would not have been the first time that had happened to her… but this time, the stakes were far higher.

It took every ounce of considerable willpower to not simply banish this cold and snow from the world. The sun, hidden weakly behind the clouds above, cried out to be unleashed. It was not time for it to sleep, not time for it to hide on this side of the world. But to do so… No. She would not create another Badlands here. If it needed to be done, she would need that power for another place and another time.

So she restrained her strength, stalking down empty paths toward that tent. There were no guards outside, nor any sign of anypony else. Perhaps Whisper knew she was coming now, and perhaps that was the point. A confrontation then, between two rulers of two lands. She could respect that, to a certain degree. It was at least more courageous than most leaders she’d had to force to acknowledge her power before.

The tent flaps were no hindrance to her, and no guards waited inside. The tent remained as well lit and warm as it ever was, maintained by unseen magic and carefully tended lanterns. The tent itself was silent, save for the sound of the wind against the walls. Finding Whisper was easy, as she was in the same place she’d always been when they were meeting for tea or some other need. She was waiting there, quietly plucking away at some stringed instrument Celestia did not recognize.

For a moment, nothing was said. No denials or defenses, no grand pronouncements of plots long simmering, and especially no grandiose statements of intent. She simply sat there, her back turned to Celestia, and plucked a sad dissonant song that hung in the air. “So. Have you come for my life?” Whisper’s voice was sharp, almost accusatory, and it struck Celestia with a surprising force.

“I’ve come for answers,” she retorted, biting back the desire to snarl at this creature. She had trusted her, and she needed to know why she had been betrayed… or if Whisper did not see this as a betrayal, but something else.

Whisper did not answer at first, instead laying down her instrument and clasping her hooves together in front of her. “When I was chosen to be the next Jade Empress, my predecessor told me that this day might come.” Her voice was soft, musing. “When I must put my own feelings aside and do what is best not for the Empire, but the world.” She did not turn, and so Celestia could only see her ears droop in emotion. “Every night I have spent with you, Celestia, I have seen the pain in your heart. The terrible, horrible pain at what your mind knows you must do, yet your heart cannot accept.”

Celestia took a step forward, feeling her anger grow. This little child dared to think she could understand what was going through her heart? “You know what you must do, Goddess. Yet I fear you lack the will to go through with it.” Celestia stalked forward another step, as Whisper’s voice pounded into her ears. She was wrong. She knew what had to be done, and she was going to do it no matter what it might cost the world.

Whisper turned around in a flash, her emerald green eyes boring into her own. “And that is where your mind fails, Amaterasu. So great is the pain in your heart, that you are now prepared to sacrifice the world to save it that pain. You would destroy all, for the sake of one.” Her words cut through Celestia’s heart, but the rage boiled away there regardless. She felt the tears come to her eyes, wishing she could silence the foolish pony and her damnable eyes.

But Whisper did not stop, and at last Celestia saw the Empress beneath the pony. Her eyes were narrow and stern, her voice as unshakable as the mountains. She exuded strength and power in waves that rolled off of her body. “And while I cannot stop you if that is what you intend, Amaterasu, it is my duty as Speaker to the Goddesses to remind you of your duty to the world!”

Whisper did not move, but her hoof gestured imperiously. “I will not willingly allow you to sacrifice my ponies so that you might have a chance to shake her from her madness. You must think of more than yourself, no matter what pain it might cause you!” The elegant hoof slammed into the ground with an audible thump. “You must think first of those who have been imperiled, for if you will not, who will?!”

Celestia stalked another step forward, all thoughts of reason driven from her mind. As though she didn’t know these things, as though she was not aware of what her precious Equestria was being put through. So focused was she now, that she did not smell the burning fabric beneath her hooves, nor did she notice the sudden uptick in the temperature of the tent. Whisper did not move, made no sign of fear or concern, nor did she look away from Celestia’s eyes. Those hateful, stupid, damnable green eyes staring into hers…

“Amaterasu… I know your pain.” Whisper’s voice dipped low, her hard gaze softening just a touch. “I know what it feels like to know you must sacrifice one you love with all of your soul for the greater good. To choose between your duty and your heart. But if a mere mortal such as I can make that choice correctly, then you, a goddess, must be equally able to do so. More,” she paused and drew herself up at her most proud and arrogant. “You do not truly have that choice. For if you fail to do what you must, you will doom us all.”

That was too much. Far too much. Celestia could feel her voice ripped from her throat, slamming her hooves into the ground and sending a rumble with the force of a minor earthquake through it. “You know NOTHING of what I am, insolent child!” she snarled, the pure force of her voice driving Whisper back a step. The Ki-Lin mare’s eyes went wide in sudden fear, but Celestia could not stop the tide of emotion that poured out of her. “You know nothing of the prices I have already paid! Of the sacrifices I have already made!”

Celestia’s inner mind was distantly aware of what was happening now, and powerless to stop it. The sun’s power was clawing its way free of her iron control, and the golden boots she wore began to glow and sparkle with heat. Every step she took seared a hoofprint into the canvas floor of the tent, and flames licked around the edge of her wings… never burning her, but instead giving her the appearance of a phoenix on the wing.

She spoke with a depth of power that dwarfed that of the Empress, one that thundered through the tents and beyond. “I, who have watched every lover and pony I have allowed close to my heart wither and die! I, who imprisoned my own sister for a thousand years, banishing myself to a kingdom of loneliness and despair, forced to rule on a throne I was never meant to hold alone!”

She hardly noticed the tears now, for they evaporated long before they could strike the ground. Her advance drove the Empress back step by step, her own mouth working in silence. “I, who have been forced to watch untold numbers of my precious ponies go forth and die, in the vain hope that I might save a few more! You think I do not understand the price that is being paid? You think I do not know the cost of my actions and my inaction?” Celestia wanted to scream, her logical mind trying to reign in her power.

But for far too long, she had held this back. Not spoken of it to anypony, for who could understand? But finally, finally someone had driven past those walls. Finally, somepony would hear the truth. “Knowing that I could obliterate my enemies and those that would threaten me,” she half whispered, but even in whisper her voice was like the distant thunder. “Knowing that with but a thought, the Sun itself would open all of its power to me, and I could sear every possible threat to the ones I loved from the earth. That I could conquer this pitiful ball of dirt, and force every possible foe to bend knee to my might or be obliterated by my wrath.”

She sucked in a deep breath, inhaling the smoke and the heat, the sweltering scent of sun drenched wheat fields and baked earth that always accompanied the Sun’s power flowing through her limbs. “I could do all of these things, little pony. And yet, I do not.” Her rage was as the fires of the sun itself, but she was the master of that power. It was not the master of her. “Because I know what price I would pay for unleashing such strength. That world would be one ruled through fear, and not through Harmony. It would be a world utterly destroyed, for the Sun does not discriminate except at my personal command.”

Slowly, achingly slowly, she forced the sun’s power back into the core at her center. The heat slowly ebbed away, and a simple thought of magic snuffed the incipient fires beneath her hooves. “I know what I will have to do, Whisper. Far better than you could possibly imagine. I know that the moment might come where I will have to once again sacrifice all of my hopes for love and companionship again to save the world.” She would not turn her head away. She would look this mare in the eyes, those fearful green eyes, and force her to understand. “My power is not infinite. I cannot force my ponies to think what I would wish them to think without destroying their minds. I cannot force other creatures to leave my nation in peace without destroying their lands.”

Now, though… she could not look away. Even if she had to dip her head to speak. “You do not understand me, Whisper. I am not bringing your army to sacrifice so that I might save her. I am bringing your army because I may not have the strength to stop her if she cannot be saved. I have lost… I have given up that which I loved so many times I do not know if it is within me to do it again.”

The memories came flooding back, of so very many mistakes. So many lost, so many wonderful ponies driven to greed or fear or hatred, because she had not been strong enough to guide them. At long last, she had been so sure Twilight would finally be the one to succeed, to survive the tasks she’d set her and join Celestia forever… and now… and now…

Now she could feel the tears, streaming down her cheeks. They burned, like boiling water, but she did not lift a hoof to stop them. Her boots slowly cooled from the heat and power that had been pouring through them just moments ago, and her breathing slowly steadied. Then she lifted her head, the calm and serenity slowly seeping back into her. Whisper did not look as frightened, but she did look far more cautious. “You will stop hounding the Windigos, Whisper. Or I will obliterate them in the sky.” Her voice was calm, quiet. “Make them return to wherever they rested. We will be leaving your shores as soon as it is safe to cross the sea.”

She turned around on the spot, not waiting for an answer and walked slowly back towards the exit. Then she stopped, pausing to speak once more. “And if you dare to oppose me again, I will not hesitate to do what I must. No matter how much it may hurt me.” Then she pushed past the tent flaps, leaving the royal tents behind. She needed to be alone now, so that she might once again build high the walls of control over the Sun’s might….

And prepare her plans for the final campaign to come.

Cadence wished - devoutly - that she could have commissioned the royal portrait artist to take a sketch of this scene. What a contrast they made! How an artist would weep over the scene, so often mimicked in paint and oils, made flesh and blood to be seen and sketched! Light and Dark, Good and Evil, the Princess who brought Love, and the beast that consumed it. Such a dichotomy was so utterly perfect, its like would probably never be seen again.

And yet, she dared not admit to any beyond the Royal Guard and those whom she had entrusted with the task of caring for them that the Changelings had built a makeshift hive into the caverns beneath the city. There was no telling how the Canterlot nobility would react, nor any telling if they would forcibly unseat her for such an action. There were undoubtedly some in the Canterlot Senate who would see it as an act of treason. Fortunately, Luna had disbanded the Senate this morning with her declaration of emergency powers due to the incoming winter storms. That was a bold faced lie, but she was prepared to suffer a few lies to get things moving.

The Guard was already on the move all over Equestria, even if most of them were providing harvest aid and helping the major cities keep the streets cleared long enough for them to batten down the hatches. At the same time though, weapons and armor were being clandestinely distributed. Regiments were quietly being provided orders, and battle plans drawn up. General Clausewitz was in the field with a detachment of Royal Guardsponies and EIS agents to root out whatever feelers the Shadow had already sent out.

But that was another thought, for another time. Right now, she had only one concern. Everything else was out of her hooves. So she stared into those demonic eyes, the eyes that had haunted her dreams… and she knew for a fact, had haunted Shiny’s dreams too. Which is why he wasn’t here. “So, did you?” She kept her voice calm. She could not change the past, and neither could Chrysalis, but there were things she needed to know.

Chrysalis tilted her head and rested it on her hoof. “Yes. It was a necessary thing to maintain the illusion to outsiders.” Her voice trilled faintly, almost sibilant. “It is also something Queens do from time to time to improve the next generation. We find the most powerful, the most capable, those with the oddest talents to absorb into the hive breeding cycle. Anything to make us stronger.” Her lips curved in a faint smile, but it was not mocking. “Not to mention that it’s rather fun.”

Cadence forced herself not to kill her. After all, she simply did not know better. This was the way she was, the way she had been born, raised, and bred to live. Cadence had seen her, when the continuance of her species had been threatened by the destruction of her children, and knew that somewhere beneath that chitin, there was a heart she could work with. “But…” Chrysalis sighed, closing her eyes. “It is never easy to let go of a creature we have come to stay with for a long time. Some of my children absorb so much power and emotion that they…” She licked her chops for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Go native, so to speak. They gain a degree of self-will and break from the hive. Our disguises must be perfect, lest we are discovered, and when one lives a lie long enough, the lie begins to look like the truth.”

Cadence stared at her for a moment, wondering if she’d heard her right. Chrysalis just snorted softly, shaking her head. “You are a fortunate mare, Princess, to have such an attentive and devoted mate such as he. There are perilous few beings in history who have willfully broken from our control.” Her eyes snapped wide, and her lips curled in another smile. “Ah… I see. You are worried I have damaged him. Fear not. He is far, far too strong for that. Something my newest children will one day thank him for.”

“Your what?” Cadence snapped, and Chrysalis chuckled richly under her shock. Then, with a supreme effort of willpower, Cadence huffed instead of screamed. “You’re…” She shook her head, unable to find the words at first. “Lucky that I am not like you.” Her voice came out in a growl, far more threatening than she had intended.

Chrysalis bobbed her head in agreement, though. “Indeed. Were you like me, I and all of my children would be dead. Perhaps there is something I could learn from somepony like you and your compassion.” She shook her head, laying it down on the cushion upon the floor and staring broodingly at her. “We are survivors, Princess. We have lived without aid or assistance in the depths of the desert for countless generations. No nation welcomes our kind into their lands, and no king suffers our presence when we are discovered. Do not judge us for doing what any creature would do in our position.”

Cadence opened her mouth, then shut it with a snap before speaking irritably. “Damn you and your logic.” She flounced herself down on the pillow, wishing Shining Armor was here to soothe her. “I’m not going to judge you, Chrysalis. There are already too many who need to be judged, and you are far down the list.”

“Will you kill her, then?” Chrysalis asked softly, and Cadence focused instantly upon her. “The student, that infernal little Sparkle. She is as dangerous a predator as any I have encountered over the years. She will not treat with you, Princess. Not so long as she believes she can win.” Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed a moment later. “And if she believes she will lose, she may be capable of just about anything.”

Cadence went still, feeling the spike of pain near the center of her brain. That had been her concern, her fear, that Twilight was too far gone. “I do not know,” she quietly admitted, and closed her eyes. “I have to hope she can be saved, but I must admit that the chance might not exist.”

There was silence in the darkness, followed by a firm voice. “Then if you cannot, I will do it for you.” Chrysalis’ voice was hard, but…. there was something beneath that hardness. Some emotion Cadence could not immediately understand. “That is the duty of a Queen. When there is one who imperils the Hive, or some force that threatens all we have built, to deal with said threat. Quickly. Permanently.”

Cadence opened her eyes, to see Chrysalis had crossed the room in silence, and now laid a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “There is much I can learn, much my children can learn, from that which made you stronger than I. From your compassion, and even your Love.” Her voice was soft, firm. “But there is just as much you must learn from me, if you hope to be strong enough to save your Hive. If we are not all strong, together, she shall surely wipe us all from the earth.”

Cadence opened her mouth, then nodded in silence. “But if she can be saved, she is still one of ours. And then it is still my duty to do whatever it takes to save her.” Her eyes narrowed. “She is not the threat, Chrysalis. Our enemy is named Umbra, and she is but under its dark control.”

Chrysalis tilted her head and nodded. “Agreed. It is also the duty of the queen to care for all of her children, even the wayward ones.” Her mouth split into a fierce and frightening grin, but whatever kind of monster Chrysalis was… in that moment, she was Cadence’s monster too. “So. We shall put aside that which makes us different, and focus on that which will make us strong. Tell us all you know of this Umbra, that we might plan her demise.”

That, at least, was a sentiment Cadence could agree with. The rest, of course, she’d have to talk to Shiny about later.

Star Swirl the Bearded clomped past the tightly sealed tent flaps with a careless shove of his shoulder and a whip-crack of magic to tie the flaps back together. He shook the snow off of his hat and grumbled under his breath about hating the cold. Fortunately, the tent was quite warm. Thanks to a few magic tricks he knew and had taught to the camp’s other unicorns. It was amazing the spells and abilities that had been lost over the centuries… something he would have to discuss with Celestia later.

Within the command tent, though, there was not the usual hustle and bustle of ponies and griffons coming to and fro. There was no sign of the rest of the command staff…. only Scipio, Scootaloo, and Crescent Blade. They sat quietly around a small table, nursing mugs of steaming cocoa and coffee, chatting in low voices. Only Scootaloo looked up at his approach and gestured for him to join them.

It was incredible to think of this little filly as a Knight Commander, but everything he’d seen screamed at him that this was what fate had determined for her. Trained by Royal Guards, Praetorian Guards, Lunar Guards, and Griffon Legionnaires. Granted gear from all over the world. Tested in battle, blooded, and confirmed as a warrior. Blessed by the Doe. Were she under the tutelage of a Crusader, she would already be in training for The Solar Knights. He shook his head slowly, reseating his hat and tromping over to the table. No one in this age had even heard of the Crusading Knights. They were extinct, it seemed. But not for long, if this filly has anything to say about it.

“Thanks for coming, Star Swirl,” Scootaloo said quietly, and Scipio poured him a thick, rough mug of coffee. “We’ve got things settled down for the winter, and I just wanted to thank you for that little warming tent trick of yours. It’s going to make our training regimen much less likely to cause casualties.” She finished off her own mug of cocoa, and Star Swirl wished sadly that young foals like this were not needed for this kind of war. Yet he’d already heard others of Scootaloo’s age were already throwing themselves into the combat training. “We’ve got some questions we need to ask you,” she continued, and Star Swirl started.

“What sort of questions?” he asked cautiously, eyeballing Crescent Blade who was giving him a blank look. Had she told them of his true origins? If so, why? What reason might the young Crusader have?

But Scootaloo shook her head. “I don’t care where you came from, Star. I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, or if you’re working for Princess Luna or whatever. All I care about...” she gestured to the rest of those seated at the table, all of whom were now looking at him. “All we care about is what you can do for us when the campaign season rolls around. We need to know what you can do offensively, defensively. We need to know if you can turn our unicorns from musicians and stage magicians into something we can use in a straight-up fight. We need more assets, and Trixie tells me she’s never seen a unicorn like you before in her entire life. We don’t need mystical mysteries. We need answers.”

Star Swirl mulled that question over for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. I will tell you what I can do… but I have much that I need to discuss with you about what we must do if we hope to defeat the Shadow.” He folded his hooves on the table, and the other three sitting there leaned in, all of them looking sharp and determined. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Now... now I gamble all on these three creatures. “Our plan began a very long time ago. And when I say our, I mean myself and the Doe…”

Author's Notes:

I am so very sorry this took so long. I really am. Trying to get back into the swing of things, but class and stuff is interrupting me. *Sigh*