A ragged mare approached Celestia's dais, dripping with rain water that ran down her legs in rivulets and pooled at her hooves. To either side, a pair of Royal Guards and a Praetorian kept a careful watch, their weapons out and at the ready. Her off-white coat was marred by mending scar tissue and bandages that were spotted with dark red patches, a large one wrapped around her torso that supported the stub of what had been a wing. She limped as she walked, favoring her left foreleg that had been treated with a splint. One of the guards prodded her when she did not move quickly enough, and as she stood before the princess she kept her eyes cast downward.

"The prisoner, as you requested," the lead guard said, saluting and stepping aside. Celestia rose from her seat of cushions, standing up to her full height with her wings spread in a display of power and dominance. There would be no doubting who was in command here, no chance of the wounded follower of Nightmare Moon speaking defiantly or threateningly. She despised having to appear so, but one could not be too cautious when it came to the cultists.

"Kneel before your princess, worm," another guard demanded, pushing the prisoner down with his hooves. "If you try anything, anything at all, you will meet your vaunted 'Queen of the Night' in short order."

"That will be enough, milites." Celestia met his gaze with a stern look, and he bowed in apology before stepping back with the others.

The mare kept her head low, shaking from cold and fear in equal measure as Celestia considered her. She was a young one, likely no older than her early twenties, with a vibrant mane and tail of deep auburn and charcoal that intertwined in a long braid. An image of a curved bow and heart-tipped arrow adorned her off-white flanks, the one on her left side split in two by a gash of bare, mended skin.

"What is your name?" Celestia asked.

"F-Fleeting Dream..." the prisoner answered quietly.

"And from where do you hail, Fleeting Dream? Where was your home before all of this?"

"...Featherlight Falls."

The leader of the guard detail tapped his sword against the floor.

"You will address Princess Celestia with the proper respect. Now, try again."

Fleeting Dream glanced up for a brief second. "Featherlight Falls..." Her jaw trembled as she forced the words to come out, bitter on her tongue. "...Your Highness."

Celestia nodded. "Thank you for answering. Please, rise." Fleeting Dream did as she was asked, keeping her wounded foreleg against her chest. "It has been some time since I've visited that place, but I remember it being a prosperous town. It is a shame that you've chosen to turn away from it." When she received no reply, Celestia folded her wings and continued. "My guards tell me you have something you wish to share. They say you were insistent upon speaking with me."

For a moment the mare hesitated, nervously eyeing the guards that stood all around her.

"Do...do you promise not to kill me after I tell you?"

Celestia frowned. "Do you honestly believe I would do such a thing?" she asked, making it clear she was hurt by the accusation. Fleeting Dream sniffled as she struggled to maintain what remained of her composure.

"I don't know what I believe anymore."

A few steps forward brought them closer together. "I'm aware of the lies my sister spreads about me. She tells you and your compatriots that I am a monster, a merciless beast with ambitions of conquest and slaughter, yet nothing could be further from the truth. It is her words, not mine, that have brought about so much death. She is using you like a plaything and, when she is done with you, she will see you cast into the abyss." Celestia placed a hoof on Fleeting Dream's chest. "But you have been given a second chance. She cannot control you or the others if you do not allow her, and all that is required to defeat her is for others to cease listening to her falsehoods. With your help, we can stop Nightmare Moon from destroying any more lives."

She ended her words with a hopeful smile. It faded when the mare before her gave a quiet, pained laugh.

"You really don't know, do you, Princess?" Fleeting Dream asked in disbelief. "There is no Nightmare Moon! There never was!"

Celestia felt her heart sink. "...what did you say?"

"We've been played. Each and every one of us. Nightmare Moon never said a damned word!"

"That's not possible," Celestia insisted. "I banished Luna myself. How can you say it never happened when her very image now scars the moon?"

"Because the one you banished, and the one we followed, are not the same." Fleeting Dream stomped in anger, tears welling in her eyes. "It was Empress Elinwynn! It's always been her! She is Nightmare Moon!"

Elinwynn. From the very start Celestia had suspected her of working with the fallen Luna, but this...this was a step beyond anything she'd imagined! The world itself felt as if it were about to fall away from her as all of the pieces slid into place: the gemstone-studded ivory pendant that turned out to be an exact match to the communication devices used by the cultists. The constant visions of Luna that had taunted her and chipped away at her sanity and resolve. The surprised reaction 'Nightmare Moon' had given when she'd reached out through the pendant and confronted her about Elinwynn's involvement. Now the truth was out.

It was Elinwynn that had ordered the cultists to slaughter the inhabitants of River Run. It was Elinwynn that had started the war between Equestria and Whitetail. The attack on Canterlot, the assassin sent to end her life in the crystal cave, the ambush that had ended in the deaths of good Praetorians...it was all her, hiding in the shadows and pulling the strings of governments, soldiers and desperate citizens alike.

"And you...you're absolutely sure of this?" Celestia asked with a wavering voice, the guards conversing in surprise with each other. She wanted it all to be a lie, an elaborate ruse by Fleeting Dream. "I must warn you, it would not be wise to--"

"She killed everyone I care about!" Fleeting Dream shouted. She sank to the floor and shut her eyes against the flood of grief that overtook her as the guards watched her in stunned silence. "The other followers, they weren't just strangers drawn to a purpose, they were...they were my friends. Brother Shadow Spear found me early on, and he took me in when no one else would. He said he had been visited by a messenger of the Dark Queen, a deer who knew the truth of Nightmare Moon's banishment. He said I could make something of my life. I could get away from..."

Her voice faded into the background as she continued, becoming no more than a whisper as Celestia's heartbeat drummed in her ears, her breaths echoing like a howling wind in the night. Every vision and dream, every night spent wondering what she had done to make Luna hate her so much -- it had all been a lie. There was no Nightmare Moon working against her.

"--ling alright, Princess?" She jumped at the sound of the young soldier's voice. "Do you require assistance?" he asked sympathetically. She could see the same look from the others: pity. Remorse. She composed herself as best she could.

"Please take Miss Fleeting Dream back to her quarters. I will speak with her later."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Celestia waited until they were beyond the entrance, then turned and headed for her room. Only once she was free of prying eyes did she allow her posture to sag and her head to droop. All at once the tears came in gasping sobs, and with them, a terrible exhaustion like the weight of an entire mountain upon her shoulders. Luna was in her thoughts every day, but at that moment she relived the pain of her sister's betrayal and banishment in all of its distress. Memories of their years spent together as children in the old castle, grand events and galas with their parents, interspersed with knife-edge glimpses of the corrupted thing that Luna had become, a monster that held no regard for life. If only she'd been able to save her...

The only thing worse than Luna's fall -- far worse -- was Elinwynn's eagerness to seize the turmoil for her own gains. To have formed the cults so quickly afterward, to have pushed her servants to commit terrible crimes against Whitetail and Equestria both, could only mean that she had been waiting to make her move. How long had she been in the shadows, seeking to find the one thing that would allow her to manipulate so many on a whim?

Celestia's sorrow turned to a terrible anger the more she brewed upon it. That vile doe had smiled and lied to her face! What gave her the right to toy with entire nations for her own gains? This could not and would not stand. Not for a single moment longer!

"Find me Imperator Stonewall," she ordered a guard as she threw open her door. The Praetorian stared at her in surprise, then quickly saluted. Hardly anyone had seen Celestia act so demanding, and he wasn't about to argue with her. He rushed off down the hallway, his armored hooves echoing off the marble tiles.

Celestia returned to her room and waited, pacing back and forth with Elinwynn's smug, contemptible face ever-present in her mind's eye. This was a crime of the highest order, unheard of since the very day the two nations first met. The Cervidaen rulers had always been self-assured and tiring to deal with; Elinwynn's mother and grandmother before her were ambitious in decision and callous in action, but at least they'd had the sense to not destroy everything that ten generations of negotiation and trade had built.

Stonewall wasted no time answering the princess' call. He galloped as quickly as his old legs would carry him, skidding to a stop in front of her with a quick salute and heavy breaths.

"I was told you have urgent need of me," he said. He was unarmored, though his sword belt had been hastily thrown on. Celestia was fuming as she slid a pair of saddlebags over her torso. "Is something wrong, Princess?"

"I want you to gather every Praetorian and sky wagon in Canterlot. I need them fully prepared and supplied, and I need it done immediately."

He lifted his wooden foreleg in surprise. "We can do so, but it will take some time to mobilize such a force..." Something wasn't right -- the princess was never this rash. She looked like she was preparing for war, but she was shaking so much that her twin swords were rattling against each other at her side. "If there is a call for battle then I will need to know the details." He received no answer, and grew increasingly concerned. "Celestia," he said in the same tone he used when his grandchildren were upset. "You need to stop and take a moment. Whatever is happening, acting without thought will not help matters." She faced him with a look of anger, but he did not back away. "Are you alright?"

Her stern demeanor faltered with a trembling of her jaw and a welling of tears, until she could no longer maintain herself.

"I don't know what to do, Stonewall. Everything I thought I knew has been for nothing..."

Stonewall shut the door as the princess sat on the edge of her bed, not bothering to remove her weapons as they awkwardly jutted from their scabbards. She looked miserable. The last time he'd seen her so distraught, she hadn't emerged from her quarters for a week following Luna's banishment.

"This involves Luna, doesn't it?" he asked. She nodded weakly.

"Yes, but...not in the way you think. I don't know where to begin."

He sat down beside her, not as a soldier, but as a friend of many years, and urged her to tell him everything that had happened.

"What about the cistern gates? They are often unguarded, it could be a potential place of attack if an enemy has the determination."

"Possible, but unlikely. Those bars are thick, and the current flows much too fast to give acceptable grip on the wet spillway. Perhaps we can rig some sort of intruder alarm? A simple rope system attached to a bell further down the path?"

For the past hour Tercio had gone back and forth with the stallion at his side, the two of them hunched over a large map table that displayed Canterlot Castle in detail. Coming up with every conceivable way to gain access to the interior had proven to be a challenge, for the castle had far more entrances than Tercio had been aware of. Fortunately, a veteran of the 4th Royal Guard and one of Tercio's old comrades, Centurion Tenebris, had been assigned to assist him, and the middle-aged pegasus knew what he was doing.

"I'm more concerned with the wall separating the main grounds from the city," Tenebris said. "Anyone with sufficient knowledge and power can levitate themselves over it, and we've both seen what those deer are capable of."

"To say nothing of pegasi or griffons," Tercio added.

"Indeed. I suppose we could always just stick you next to the wall if we need, I'm sure you'd scare away anyone stupid enough to dare to get a closer look."

"And here I thought I was working with a soldier, instead of the court entertainer. At last I understand why you can't fight worth a damn."

"Ha! Brave words for a hairless ape."

The heavy door at the side of the room swung open, and a stern-faced Stonewall approached the pair, who shot an askew glance at each other. Tenebris snapped to attention and saluted, while Tercio had the luxury of remaining as he was.

"You'll forgive me for interrupting," Stonewall said as he dropped a satchel at his hooves, "but we're going to have to review security measures another time. Something's come up, and I need your assistance, Centurion Tenebris." He lifted the flap to reveal dozens of scrolls bound with twine and sealed with the royal stamp. "Each of these is marked with the name of a superior officer in or around Canterlot. I need you to deliver these as quickly and efficiently as possible. Can you do that?"

"Absolutely, sir. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Nothing for now. You'll receive additional orders from your CO soon enough." He tapped a hoof against a small earthenware container nestled into the bottom of the bag. "There's a portion of Prometheum powder here. I doubt you'll need it, but just in case someone tries to wrest the contents of this satchel from you, you're to break the pot and burn the contents immediately. Understood? These orders cannot be allowed to fall into enemy hooves."

Tenebris saluted once more. "I will carry out your will as ordered, sir!"

Stonewall nodded. "Good lad. Now get moving." He waited until the stallion had left, then kicked the door shut and slumped into a chair with an exhausted exhale.

"Why do I get the feeling there's more to this than you told him?" Tercio asked, taking a seat across from him. Stonewall shrugged in response.

"He wouldn't understand. Hell, I'm not sure I understand at this point. Before I continue, I want you to promise me that whatever I tell you doesn't leave this room."

"Of course. I give my word as a Praetorian."

"Very well." Stonewall scratched at his chin as he considered his words. "I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm just gonna come out with it: there is no Nightmare Moon fighting against us or leading the cultists. I bring this news directly from the princess herself."

Tercio jerked his head back in surprise. "You'll forgive me for being skeptical. Are you telling me my own memories are false?"

"No, that's not what I mean. Luna really did turn into Nightmare Moon, and you did witness her being banished, but the misguided fools who follow her teachings have been lied to from the start. Apparently -- according to a former cultist, anyway -- the entire thing has been a ruse by Empress Elinwynn."

"The Cervidaen leader?" He could still recall her image from the meeting of nations, her infuriating demeanor and attractive style an odd pairing. She'd proven herself to be stubborn and aloof, but outright manipulative and murderous? That was something else entirely.

"The very same. Looks like she caught wind of Luna's unfortunate departure soon after it happened, and used it to start this war between us and the whitetail. We've been playing into her hooves since the first blade was sunk into its victim. It's possible the scum was lying, but Celestia is convinced she was telling the truth."

"Wait, wait," Tercio put up his hand. "Let me get this straight: Elinwynn has been pretending to be Nightmare Moon somehow, and has done so convincingly enough to sway thousands of souls to follow her, yet we never noticed?"

"How could we?" Stonewall asked. "Celestia has been under immense stress since the outbreak of the war, made worse by what she claims were near-constant visions of Luna. You know her; too proud to admit she needs help. She thought she was losing her mind, or suffering from illusions brought on by guilt, but it was Elinwynn toying with her from afar. Something about a pendant or medallion that acted as a sort of...long-range conduit, or something. I don't know how that magic shit works. Point is, Elinwynn had information about the inner workings of the castle for some time, up until about a month ago. She knew our plans, our tactics...she probably knew about you and the princess, too."

A wave of disgust rippled through Tercio's stomach. He could imagine the redtail doe listening, perhaps even watching from afar, that self-assured smirk ever present as their relationship grew and strengthened, blissfully unaware of the manipulation going on behind the curtain. It made him want to put his fist through the wall, thinking about Celestia being toyed with like a foal. He had to take a moment to calm himself down, and thanked the heavens that the vile thing within him was no longer around to see him driven into a state of madness.

"Needless to say," Stonewall continued, "the princess is less than pleased with this revelation. She was ready to fly down to Cervidae herself and confront Elinwynn, and she was going to take all of us with her to do it! I managed to talk her out of it, but still...I've never seen her so angry. Can't say I blame her. Everyone we've seen die, from the attack on the city to the ambush that nearly claimed you, is because of her. It's abhorrent, is what it is." He motioned to the door. "Those orders I gave Tenebris will result in more than half of our reserves being sent north to reinforce the Equestria/Whitetail border. I don't know if that deer bitch will try to push south to assault us, or move east to crush what remains of Whitetail, but I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to consult with the other senior officers tomorrow and see if we can figure out a way to cover our asses on all fronts."

"You sound so calm about all of this," Tercio said, standing up again in a fit of restlessness. "Thousands of good stallions have died in this awful conflict! I don't blame the princess for being cross, not for a moment. Perhaps we should land in Cervidae's capital and show the good empress exactly what we think of her lies. Who would stop us?" He rapped his knuckles on the table for emphasis.

"A couple thousand capital guards, for one," Stonewall answered flatly. "Don't get me wrong, Krosus: I hope that lying comfort whore gets what's coming to her. Her and her crony brother! Murderers and liars, the both of them. But someone has to keep their head around here, and it might as well be me."

"So what do we do now? Do we have any immediate orders?"

"Nothing for the time being. I imagine we'll be called upon soon, but for now I think you might want to stop by Celestia's quarters. She's feeling particularly upset, as you can imagine. I'm sure she'd appreciate having someone there who cares about her."

Tercio didn't question Stonewall's sudden acceptance of their relationship, immediately heading for the door. Stonewall called out to him as he reached for the swaying handle.

"Krosus, I don't normally say things like this, but...spend as much time with her as you can. Things are going to get hectic around here in a hurry."

Tercio paused, then said, "I try to, but with everyone else here it's difficult. If the others found out--"

"If the others don't like it then they can take a long walk off a short cliff for all I care. Celestia cares about you, son. Right now, you may be the only thing keeping her together."

"And what happens if they hold it against me?"

Stonewall leaned back in his chair, his hind legs resting on the table. "Let me give you a bit of advice, Imperator-in-Training. It doesn't matter if your stallions like you; so long as they respect you as a leader and a soldier, they'll do as you order. You're someone they can depend on with their lives, and they know it. Don't forget that."

The sounds of wild beasts mixed and faded with the howling of winter winds as they swept through thick clumps of desiccated trees, their tall, bare branches reaching skyward and clattering against one another like skeletal fingers in the night. Overhead, the sky hung low with a grey blanket of snow-heavy clouds.

Caethil Andyyris, former Brother-Commander of Whitetail's esteemed Capital Guard, pressed onward for what felt like the hundredth hour of his solo journey. He wished he had brought more winter wear. He wished he had a torch at his side. But most of all, he wished he simply had someone to talk to. Leaving Senator Praxilus behind had been a trying experience, especially after the terrible slaughter of his soldiers. Letting the young politician surrender himself to Equestrian captivity felt like he was letting go of the last thing keeping him connected to all he had lost, as if all of his memories would dissolve into ephemeral strands to be carried adrift by the forest itself. Yet still he carried on, one hoof at a time, trudging through snow drifts and clambering over jutting stones until a tiny beacon of hope appeared in the distance -- the orange glow of a fire pit.

A lone zebra awaited him, bundled in thick clothing under a simple lean-to. He had his head bowed, a small figurine clasped between his hooves as he spoke quietly to himself. He looked up as he heard Caethil approach, and a thin smile gave hint to the relief he surely felt. With a warm welcome Baer'barisater took his whitetail friend to the camp fire and offered a thick, hot stew. Caethil downed it as if he hadn't eaten for weeks, and after a short conversation he fell into a deep sleep, tucked into his bed roll, utterly exhausted.

He dreamed of his bucks, standing watch over him with a loyalty that transcended death itself, and it comforted him on the cold winter's night. The road to Zevran would be long and arduous, but he would make it even if he had to drag himself there. He owed it to the fallen, to his friends. Spirits willing, he would live to see Corvalix pay for his murderous ways.