Twilight felt her stomach sicken as she tried to find where Tyranny’s voice had come from. ’How did he manage to get in here without being detected?’ she thought. ’Canterlot is supposed to be protected from hostile invaders, how did he get past the wards? Princess Celestia’s throne room is supposed to be the safest place in Canterlot!’

“I could almost respect you, did I not despise you.” His voice sounded again, ghosting around them like an echo in a cavern.

Celestia’s gaze hardened as she stood, her mane billowing as if caught in a fierce wind. “Tyranny, show yourself!”

His dismissive snort caused Twilight to flinch. “You should know better than to demand anything of me, Celestia. I had thought I drove that lesson into your head over a thousand years ago.”

“How did you get past the wards?” Her demand echoed throughout the room.

A startled squeak escaped Twilight as he appeared behind her. “Your most faithful tool made it possible. I can see why you favor her so.”

Whirling around and backing away, Twilight frowned at the barely-restrained anger in his eyes. “How did I do anything for you?”

He turned his gaze at her, his lips turning in a contemptible frown. “When you foolishly confronted me in my throne room, I left part of my essence upon you before sending you away. I simply stayed hidden until you brought me right to Celestia.” A condescending smirk pulled at his face. “Your emotional outburst made for the perfect opportunity for me to quietly disable all of her wards.”

The blood drained from her face. “Y-You used me?”

He scoffed. “And this surprises you? I had thought you were used to being nothing more than a mere pawn for your master.”

“That is enough, Tyranny!” Princess Celestia commanded.

Twilight’s voice was barely above a whisper when she asked, “You… you were behind those dreams, weren’t you?”

Again, he smirked. “I needed to make sure you went directly to Celestia. All I had to do was give you some incentive. A few visions of the future was all that was needed to send you running to her side.” He looked back at Celestia, his glare hardening again. “And you performed your task even better than I had hoped.”

“Do you have any idea how horrible those dreams were?!” she screamed at him.

“I know exactly how horrible they were. The truth is often just that.” He continued speaking to Twilight as he looked at Celestia. “I do not attempt to hide the truth behind petty words or false promises.”

Celestia stepped from her throne, her hoof covers clicking loudly on the stone floor. “You and Discord both were to maintain the balance of our world, yet both of you gave into your excesses. Tyranny, you were supposed to keep this world from falling into chaos, but all you ever did was cause more of it.”

His glare hardened, and his tone was as harsh as anypony had ever heard. “Do not perceive to lecture me about my purpose, Celestia! This world was—and still is—in the grips of chaos. I was to bring true order and stability to this world, and you betrayed me. You and your sister made your choices the day you imprisoned me.”

“You suppressed our ponies and would not allow them to flourish with your warped ideal of order.” She glared at him, not backing down an inch in the face of his fury. “We couldn’t let their suffering continue, and we did what was necessary to save them from you. Everypony should be allowed to see their potential and to find their happiness. We were meant to guide them, not control them.”

“The ideal of happiness is different for every individual, Celestia. With differences come disagreements on what is considered right. Strife follows these disagreements and chaos ensues. Happiness is such a frivolous idea.” His glare hardened at her further, if that was even possible. “Happiness is one emotion you will never know again, Celestia. You will atone for your crimes.” As he stepped forward, his hoofsteps echoed loudly, as if the marble floor was crying out in agony.

“The only crime I am guilty of is not being more forthcoming to those I care about the most,” Celestia said, casting Twilight an apologetic look.

Twilight returned her look, and wanted to reply, but anything that tried to move past her mouth died before it could begin. Squinting her eyes shut, she looked away.

Tyranny growled. “You imprisoned me for over a thousand years, Celestia. You denied this world its rightful ruler, usurped my throne, and destroyed my physical form. For that and more, you will face judgment. I will be your judge, jury, and executioner. Defend yourself if you can!” His voice rang through the castle as he leveled his scepter at her.

She set herself to meet him, her horn glowing brightly. The throne room doors flew open, and the two guards returned.

“Princess!” one of them called, and they both charged at the dark stallion.

Tyranny never took his eyes off Celestia as he turned slightly and uttered a word before both the guards were surrounded with his magic.

In the guest wing of the castle, Tourmaline rested peacefully on the canopy bed in her room. The feather-top mattress shifted as she rolled on to her back to enjoy the warm summer’s breeze that flowed through an open window nearby. It had been a few weeks since her brother and she had first arrived at the castle. With Tormod fully recovered and frequently lost in the numerous maps and tomes he was allowed to study while they stayed in the castle, boredom was Tourmaline’s constant companion.

It’s not that I’m ungrateful for being allowed to stay at the castle—Princess Celestia is the very soul of a generous host—it’s just… I can’t take being cooped up like this for so long.’

She thought back on all the things Canterlot had for a visitor to enjoy, but Tourmaline felt she had seen it all. With no new news of Wanderer’s whereabouts, Tourmaline felt her wings growing antsy to go look for him herself. She had helped the pegasus ponies work the weather over Canterlot, but even that was not enough to keep her adventurer spirit content. Coupled with her worry for her friend, the recent days were almost unbearable.

With a bored groan, she rolled off the bed and walked towards the window. As she looked at the gardens below her room, a frustrated sigh escaped her and she tucked a stray lock of hair out of her face.

“I just want something to happen.”

As if answering her thoughts, she whirled as a puff of smoke appeared out of nowhere and coalesce into a creature of pure blackness. It wore armor made for ponies, and its round white eyes glared at her.

“What in the name of—” she swore as the creature lunged at her. Narrowly dodging, she lashed out with a kick. The shadow pony skidded to the side but came back swinging. Tourmaline was no stranger to battle—she had faced numerous monsters with her friends—and was quick enough to dodge or block the creature’s attacks. She jumped up as the creature lunged at her again. Kicking upward with her hind leg, she caught the shadow on the chin. The thing flew backwards where it hit a dresser and dissipated in a puff of smoke, its armor clanging to the floor.

“Thought you could take me, think again,” she taunted before a shout from the hallway caught her attention.

“Tormod!”

Running out of her room, she saw her brother crash through the door to his room, the door shattering to splinters as he flew through it. He skidded across the floor but got back to his hooves, his horn glowing. She saw another creature stepped from his room, its eyes on him. Before it could charge again, he shot a ray of energy that the shadow dodged. It jumped out at him, and Tourmaline wasted no time in driving her shoulder into the creature mid-lunge. It slid across the floor, and exploded as Tormod blasted it.

She kicked away the creature’s fallen helm. “You all right?”

He grunted and nodded, brushing the splinters from his coat. “It caught me by surprise. I never thought I would be attacked in Canterlot Castle of all places.”

They both looked down the hall as the sound of battle reached their ears, and shouts from guards and citizens alike were heard in the distance. Looking out a nearby window, they saw more of the creatures chasing the groundskeepers and battling the guards.

Tourmaline’s ears pinned back against her head. “What is going on? Who would be attacking Canterlot?”

Shaking his head, Tormod answered, “I don’t know, I’ve never even heard of these things. They’re not changelings.”

Both of their ears shot up and their eyes widened as a shout reached them. The voice they had both heard only once before, but would never forget.

“Wanderer!” Tourmaline rushed down the hallway towards the throne room.

“Tourmaline! Wait!” Tormod said with unmistakable fear, but he soon followed after his sister’s brave charge. “Blast it…”

Both princesses could only look on in sickened awe as the guards turned black.

“P-Princess?” one uttered before he shattered, the shards disintegrating into nothingness.

“You monster!” Celestia yelled and shot a beam of energy. Tyranny sidestepped the attack and countered with one of his own, but Celestia stopped it with a barrier.

Twilight’s eyes widened, her jaw hanging slack. “H-How?! How can you use magic like that?”

When he turned his glare her way. “Ask your master.”

Twilight turned her frantic gaze to Celestia but the Sun Princess only glared at Tyranny. “Do not do this, Tyranny. You have already stepped too far into that realm and took too much of its power. If you do not turn back, you will never be able to be rid of it.”

“Celestia,” he said, a his tone firm, like one disciplining a foal. “I will take the power of every realm in existence if it means doing what I must to bring order to this chaotic world. You had your chance to be part of it, to fix this world, but you threw it all away because your heart is not hardened enough to do what must be done!”

Celestia’s glare took a softer, if not sadder turn. “You speak of control, but you have no control over yourself or your ambitions. If you would turn your powers to good, it would end the conflict. Nopony else needs to suffer.”

Growling, his answer was a much more powerful blast that had her straining to keep it at bay. Once the attack stopped, she could only look at the stallion with wide, shocked eyes.

“Why so smug, Celestia?”

She glared at him, surrounding herself with a magical aura, Tyranny did likewise, his aura utter darkness compared to hers.

’I need to lead him away from Canterlot. Our fight will not include innocent bystanders.’

With a flap of her wings, Celestia shot out the bay window, making for the skies outside the city. Before she could get far however, Tyranny appeared before her.

“I think not.” He shot another energy blast at her, but she dodged and flew upwards. Tyranny pursued her until she turned and dived back at him. As they collided, their auras sparked and cracked.

“The body you possess will not be able to hold the strain of this magic for long,” she said past gritted teeth. “Surrender now before you kill him.”

The two broke apart and flew around a brief moment before colliding again and again, each collision echoing like thunder across the city. “Then you had best stop me while you have the chance,” he growled before grabbing her horn and hurling her away.

Righting herself, the two spiraled around spires of the castle. As they traded volleys of energy blasts, Celestia could only cringe as the beams exploded upon the castle and town below.

”Please don’t let anypony be hurt.’

Try as she might, she could not find an opening in his offensive, and he was too quick for her own. Rounding a corner she stopped and lit her horn with a blinding flash of light. Thinking to catch him off guard, her eyes darted around as he was nowhere to be seen. A gasp escaped as she looked above to see him in the final moments of a back hoof swing of his scepter.

The cobblestone street cracked and gravel flew everywhere as she smashed into it, startling a number of ponies who were watching the battle.

“Princess!” one of them shouted as she and a few others ran to her aid.

Celestia waved them away as she rose to her hooves. “Please, get away from here! I don’t want to see any of you harmed! Go!”

“But, Princess—”

“Go! Now!” she shouted.

The gathering looked at each other before fleeing. Celestia sighed—she hadn’t wanted to shout at them, but she would never forgive herself if they came to harm during the battle.

Before the ponies could take more than a few steps, a number of Tyranny’s minions stepped from puffs of smoke and surrounded them. Terrified screams erupted from the ponies as the creatures began glowing a dark light. Those unfortunate enough to be struck by their magic suffered the same fate as her guards.

“No!” Celestia’s horn glowed and she blasted away the hostile creatures. Tears ran down her eyes as she destroyed the creatures, allowing the remaining citizens to flee to safety.

An evil chuckle had her whirling to find Tyranny approaching her. “Again you show your weakness, Celestia. Concerning yourself over the well-being of those under you and paying little mind to that which—” she teleported behind him and bucked him full in the back, the force of the blow sending him crashing through the storefront of Donut Joe’s shop.

“My donuts!” the shop owner cried out, holding his head in absolute dismay.

As all manner of pastries settled, Tyranny picked himself up from the mess to glare out the store front. Matching his glare with a smirk, Celestia said, “Donut Joe, I will pay for the damages, and for my usual order tomorrow morning.”

Joe’s gaze shifted between the two before he nervously replied, “Yes, Princess Celestia. Extra frost—”

“Do not mock me!” Tyranny raged before charging from the storefront.

Lowering her head, Celestia raced out to meet him. She shot another ray just as Tyranny did the same. As the two beams collided, there was a blinding flash of light followed by an explosion. Celestia covered her eyes and ducked quickly, she felt the swish of the scepter rip through her mane and she bucked out again with her hind legs. Tyranny dodged to the side and placed his free hoof on her face, an arc of electrical energy sending her skidding down the road. Before she could right herself, she felt her skin crawl as felt the sickening feeling of his borrowed magic wrap around her. She looked at her torso to find bands of shadow magic bind her front hooves and wings to her side. Even as she lit her horn to clear the magic, she gasped as she was hurled into the walls of a nearby building.

“Do you yet realize how futile this is?” Tyranny asked as he levitated her into the air with him. “Once I am done with you, I will move on to your sister, and I will enjoy watching her drown in anguish over your obliteration before I send her to join you.”

Celestia’s eyes widened and her jaw ached from clenching as a white hot rage rushed through her. With a scream the bands holding her burst apart as her aura surrounded her. Looking back, he took a well-aimed kick to the midsection. He grunted as the air was blasted out of him.

Snapping her wings open as her magic gathered around her horn, she yelled, “You. Will. Not. Hurt. My sister!” She blasted him again with a massive beam of energy that sent him careening across the sky.

Escaping her blast, she appeared above him and kicked him to the streets below. Tyranny only had time to hit the ground before she stomped him fully into the cobblestone pavement.

“Enough of this, Tyranny! Surrender!” Her eyes and horn blazed brightly as she glared down at the supine Tyranny.

“Fool!” He kicked her into the air. “You are not capable of stopping me!” He fired out a second set of shadow bands that were much larger than earlier. She shot a beam at them, but they slithered out of the way and wrapped around everything below her neck. Trying to kick free, she gasped as he yanked her closer and she found herself face to face with the stallion.

“I have dealt with your defiance long enough, Celestia.” When she tried to bring her magic to bear, the shadows closed about her tighter, cutting off her focus. He levitated back into the air, dragging her with him. “Do you have any idea what it is like to be imprisoned for over a thousand years, with your very essence divided and your soul screaming to be whole again? Do you know how much the ache hurts? Do you?!” The shadows tightened even more, and forcing a scream from her as she felt her ribs threaten to give.

With a growl, he flung her back towards the castle. Screaming, she crashed through the windows of the throne room and bounced across the floor, skidding to a stop near a shocked Twilight Sparkle who had watched the whole battle in the skies from the bay window in stunned disbelief.

“Princess Celestia!” she yelled before looking up as Tyranny appeared before the throne. The stallion held his side, his face turned in a grimace of pain from where Celestia had blasted him.

“You have crimes you must atone for, Celestia, and your judgment is at hoof,” he said in a perfectly calm, unsettling voice. He stood straighter and lifted his hoof towards her as it collected energy. Celestia tried to stand, but her battered body would not heed her command.

As the energy reached a boiling point, he shouted a parting before a massive beam of energy raced out towards her. Celestia could only close her eyes as she saw doom before her.

“NOOOOOOO!” Twilight’s frantic scream filled the air, and a violet beam shot out and deflected Tyranny’s attack through a wall, the resulting explosion lit the city below as if the sun had risen again.

Tyranny watched it with an annoyed look before turning to find her standing defensively before Princess Celestia.

“You would defend her after all she has done to you?” he demanded of her.

Twilight looked at Celestia with apologetic eyes and turned back to look at him, her glare easily matching his. “She may not have told me everything and had me go through many rigorous trials in the past. But if she hadn’t, I would never have met my friends and have grown into the pony I am today. She is kind and loving, and a better ruler than you can ever hope to be. I won’t let you hurt her anymore!”

“Twilight,” Celestia said, emotion thick in her voice.

“Foolish child,” he spat. “You would deny this world its rightful ruler and all for her lies?! It is best then that you be obliterated along with her!” He lifted his hoof and fired another ray. Twilight surrounded herself and Celestia with a violet globe of light. His ray exploded upon her barrier, showering them with multi-colored sparks.

“Twilight! Princess!” They heard a chorus of shouts from the doors of the throne room. The other Elements of Harmony and Princess Luna ran into their aid. Twilight’s friends ran to her side in defense of Princess Celestia, while Luna helped her sister to her hooves.

“You’re here,” Twilight said with relief, sweat running down her face as she let her globe vanish.

“Tyranny brought along his friends,” Applejack explained, glowering at the annoyed-looking stallion. “They kept us from getting’ ta ya any faster than we did.”

“They weren’t going to keep me away from finally kicking this guy’s flank.” Rainbow Dash punched at the air a few times.

Tyranny scoffed. “Fools.”

Celestia leaned on her sister for support. “It is over, Tyranny. The Elements of Harmony are here, and they will seal you away again! Girls, use the Elements.”

“You heard the princess, girls. Form up!” Twilight said, and her friends gathered around. Their eyes closing, the Elements began to glow and the six of them levitated into the air.

“The Elements take time to charge, and time is something you do not have!” Tyranny lashed out with another attack, aimed at the exposed Twilight. Just before his hit struck, a golden barrier appeared and the attack dissipated.

“We must give them time, sister,” Celestia said as her barrier faded.

Luna nodded and shot a ray of her own at Tyranny, who simply back hoofed the attack away. He gave the sisters a disgusted look and dozens of his minions appeared in the throne room. The sisters defeated many, but were pulled down by the rest. Celestia kicked and even bit at the creatures as they held her down. She felt her blood run cold as more of them charged after Twilight and her friends.

“No!” she screamed, trying to kick her way free to their aid.

A trio of energy rays flew out, striking down the charging minions. The princesses looked up to see Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Queen Chrysalis blasting at the shadow ponies that had them pinned.

“Cadence, Shining…” Her gaze locked on Chrysalis before continuing. “Chrysalis. Your timing is impeccable.”

“We’re here to help,” Cadence said as more shadows appeared and charged them. “We can’t let Tyranny win.”

“Indeed not!” Luna shouted, ducking a swing from a shadow and landing one of her own, sending the creature flying across the room. “You will not have your victory here, Tyranny!”

A part of Celestia felt the scowl on Tyranny’s face to be cathartic, but now wasn’t the time for such thoughts as she and the others kept the never-ending waves of Tyranny’s minions from reaching Twilight and her friends.

As the Elements about reached their charge, Tyranny twirled his scepter before striking the ground. “I think not,” he said. Erupting from underneath Twilight and her friends were six shadow bands. Each one found its mark and disrupted their concentration as they were scattered about.

Tourmaline and Tormod thundered down the hallway as they heard the battle ahead of them. They knew without a doubt who was behind this attack on the castle—the voice they had heard long ago in the jungle ruin seemed to echo throughout the castle. While it filled Tormod with dread, Tourmaline lowered her head and charged.

’Wanderer, I know you’re here. I won’t stop until I save you. Don’t get yourself hurt, please.’

So focused on getting to the throne room, she didn’t noticed she outpaced her brother, who lagged behind, breathing hard from the run through the castle.

“Tourmaline, slow down. I can’t keep up with you,” he called ahead to her.

“Come on, Tormod! We have to help,” she called back.

“What do you think we can do when we get there? We’re just two ponies, we don’t have Princess Celestia’s power, and you saw just as well as I did what happened when she fought him. What do you intend to do?”

“I’m doing whatever it takes to help out,” she said, her voice unwavering. “Even if I have to pound Wanderer into the ground to get him to come to his senses.”

“Did you ever think that maybe Wanderer is—?” he started to say, but skidded to a stop as she whirled on him.

“Don’t you dare say it! Wanderer is still in there, and I won’t believe he isn’t!” She yelled as her gaze bore figurative daggers into him.

Tormod raised his hooves. “I just don’t want you to be hurt should the worst happen, Tourmaline. I don’t want it to be true no more than you do.”

A sharp huff escaped her. “The worst won’t happen if get there to help out. Now move it, Tormod!” With that, she turned away and galloped down the hallway.

Tormod blew a sigh past his nose and ran after his headstrong sister. Good or bad, he was not about to abandon her or their friend, even if it meant he would have to face his fear again.

The bearers of the Elements of Harmony groaned as they shook their heads. The dissipated magic and the blows from the shadow magic had them all seeing stars.

“Twilight, are you all right?” Celestia asked as she stood protectively in front of them.

“Yeah, I’m all right,” she said, getting back to her hooves.

Tyranny chuckled as he levitated above the throne, his arrogant smirk setting Celestia’s hackles to rise. “None of you stand a chance. Kneel before me, and I will show leniency,” he said as even more of his minions manifested from clouds of smoke.

“Again, girls, we can’t stop.” Twilight helped her friends to their hooves. With a chorus of affirmatives, they closed their eyes and once again their Elements began to glow.

A disgusted snort blew past Tyranny's nose. “Ignorant fools.” Without a word, his minions charged.

“We must protect them,” Celestia said, her horn glowing.

“Shining, your spell,” Cadence said to him even as she turned her magic against the creatures.

“Right!” He nodded, and as the girls began to hover in the air, his protection spell enveloped them.

“This is my victory! You will not stop me!” Tyranny yelled. He leveled his scepter and a blast of energy soared for Twilight.

A golden beam intercepted his and Celestia felt the destroyed magics set her mane to swaying. “The only thing you will find today is defeat, Tyranny. You’ve never learned that there is more than one way to harmony and you're still woefully blind to see it!”

He growled and threw up his own barrier as Celestia’s beam was joined by one from Luna. The gold and azure beams sparking from the magic of his scepter. “There is only one way to peac—!”

His eyes widened as a green beam sailed towards him and he dropped to the ground, the beams sailing overhead harmlessly. Landing on his hooves, his gaze snapped to the side to see a smugly-grinning Chrysalis glare right back at him.

“You won’t dodge the next one,” she promised as her twisted horn started to glow once more.

“Deal with her!”

In response well over a dozen dark ponies surrounded and tackled the changeling queen to the ground. She kicked and swore as she batted aside the creatures.

“Where did you find her?” Celestia asked as she and Luna kicked aside another monster.

“It is a long tale, sister,” Luna lowered her horn and skewered a shadow pony, its body dissipating and armor falling to the floor. “One we will share once we put him away again.”

Celestia nodded and intercepted another beam from Tyranny as he once again aimed at Twilight.

She turned as she felt the magic of harmony surge behind her and she smiled as the Elements had finished their charge.

Turning back at Tyranny’s hiss of surprise, she saw him level another blast, but did nothing to stop it this time. With a bright flash, the distinctive rainbow-hued beam lurched out in its arc. Tyranny’s magic meant nothing to it, as his beam was simply overwhelmed by the power of the Elements of Harmony.

As the Elements’ power descended towards the spirit, he could only look onto the approaching beam. Celestia looked at his expression, expecting chagrin or outright denial, but what she saw made her furrow her brow.

A wide, victorious smile had spread across his face.

Her blood froze as realization struck.

Celestia’s cry took a frantic edge as she yelled, “Twilight! Stop!”

With a wide smile, Tyranny lobed his prized scepter into the path of the oncoming beam. As the magic washed over it, the scepter began to shake and crack violently. The amethyst shattered, and there was a blinding flash of light that had all but Tyranny looking away as the scepter exploded into a million, ruined pieces.