The wind swept across the clearing, blowing my hair gently. I notice with a start that its length has snuck up on me again. Before I'd gotten zapped into this crazy ass world of ponies, it had been about that time when I'd have gone to get it cut, since it becomes an incredible hassle to deal with once it gets longer than my shoulders. Right now, I can tell it's now lower than my shoulders. So basically, girl length. Lovely.

Why am I thinking about about my hair right now? Probably because I'm sitting on a quilt across from the fucking Princess of the Sun. Eating a lunch that I'm not really sure that I should be eating.

I feel nuts, writing about this. It's just a damn picnic lunch...I really shouldn't be so crazy about it...but I've had less held over my head before. Not to mention, this is really high quality stuff.

In my hand, I'm holding a sandwich. It's some kind of vegetarian thing, I think. There's lettuce, spinach, tomato, and cheese in it, which is a rather odd combination in my opinion. It would be better if there was bacon...but that statement could actually be applied to anything ever.

Taking a bite of it sends assorted tastes exploding in my mouth. Holy shit, that's sourdough bread. I fucking love sourdough. One of my earliest memories is me getting scolded by my mother when I was young because I ate an entire loaf of it by myself, and got sick. My taste for it never went away.

Celestia watches me for a reaction for whatever reason. “Do you like it?” She asks softly, breaking the silence that had persisted between us since I'd sat down here in the first place.

“If I didn't, I wouldn't eat it,” I say bluntly, taking another bite of the epicness that is sourdough. Hell, I don't even need the filling. This bread I'd eat all on its own. “Why do you care, anyway? Isn't this just something you had your servants do for you?”

“On the contrary, everything here I prepared myself, and there is nothing more satisfying for a cook than hearing someone tell you they enjoy it,” Celestia corrects me, beaming. Ugh, so I essentially gave her a compliment, despite my best intentions.

“Sure, okay. So you made all of this, for me. When you knew I was going to get pissed off about it. The hell were you trying to accomplish?”

“Honestly, I wasn't thinking about that when I made it. I just felt it would be relaxing for the two of us to enjoy the view from the top of the mountain while having a nice lunch,” Celestia admits. Then she puts on a mischievous smile. “There's also the fact that Luna has been trying to get me to cut down on my sugar intake, so I had to come out here if I wanted to eat my cake.”

“You and your damn cake,” I remark, shaking my head. A thousand years old, and here she is, running from her sister so she can eat cake. I guess growing up really is optional. Though it's comforting to know she's not perfect either.

“What? It's delicious,” Celestia giggles, and then she takes a bite out of the sugary confection in question. I sigh and continue to eat my sandwich. After a few moments, Celestia asks me, “Do you remember what I asked you in my letter from before?”

“You asked a lot of questions,” I say, but the truth is, I don't really remember exactly what the letter said except for the whole “come to Canterlot” thing. Celestia raises an eyebrow. And she knows I'm bullshitting. Fucking mind reading pony princess. “But I've slept since then. Refresh my memory, would you?”

“Of course. I simply wanted to know if you had made any friends since we last spoke,” Celestia reminds me with a knowing smile. I swallow the last of my sandwich and drop my hands in exasperation. Is she really going to make me tell her this? What, does she want to hear how right she was?

“Seriously, what do you care? Honestly, you've put way to much effort into me than most of my race put together. And for no real reason,” I demand, deciding that now's a good time to try and figure her out. “Yeah, Sombra was a big deal for you, so I can see why you'd come see me initially, but to go out of your way to act all therapist? The fuck?”

“Seth, I am sovereign over millions of ponies, and I care for each one of them as if they were my own foals. I know you aren't a pony, but I consider you among this number, nevertheless. What kind of mother would I be if I stood by idly while her foals are in pain?” Celestia explains to me, though this just serves to confuse me further.

“You what?! I happened to show up in Equestria, and so you just decide to 'adopt' me or whatever?”

“Not literally, of course. But do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?” Celestia presses.

“Not really, no. You've met me once. That's not enough time for you to care about me,” I tell her flatly. Celestia sighs and tries again.

“There are many ponies in Equestria whose names I do not know, but I care about them nonetheless. I still feel pain if they are suffering. Why should it be any different for you?”

“Because I'm NOT one of your goddamn ponies!” I yell. Celestia's eyes harden at my rising voice. “I'm not important! You would be better off if you just left well enough alone! Don't even try to tell me that it doesn't bring you down interacting with me! Just...hurry up and decide that I'm too much trouble for you already.”

“Seth, I know that pain!” Celestia snaps, cutting across my tirade. The change in her voice is enough to get me to shut up and look at her, surprised. “I know how it feels to be completely alone in the middle of a crowd; to know that no matter how they try, they'll never understand.”

“Yeah, and what's your sob story, huh? You lost your favorite toy?” I realize a second after those words leave my mouth that that had been over the line. That was a particularly asshole thing to say, even for me. To her credit though, she doesn't explode at me.

“I lost my sister, Seth,” Celestia reveals, her expression turning sad. Shit, I really fucked up, didn't I? She does know what it's like to lose a sib...wait a moment. Luna's her sister. “I lost her for a thousand years.”

“Hold up, what? I thought Luna was your sister.”

“She is. Perhaps it would be better if I told you the full story,” Celestia suggests. She opens the basket of food and passes me more food. “Another sandwich?”

I accept the food wordlessly, inwardly rejoicing both at the fact that I'm still alive after saying something so callous, and that I get to eat more sourdough. “You'd best, I suppose.”

“Very well then. If you recall, I am the Princess of the Sun, and my sister is the Princess of the Moon. Together, we...” Celestia begins. I'm going to summarize most of this, because it is a rather long story, but it's fucking shocking as all hell.

So according to Celestia, their titles as Solar and Lunar Princesses aren't just symbolic. She says that every morning, she raises the sun to create morning, and Luna raises the moon every night. This is total bullshit, since the laws of nature can't be that fucked up. In fact, I had to stop her there.

“Stop right the fuck there. You don't raise the sun, and Luna doesn't raise the moon,” I correct her. Celestia stops talking, nonplussed.

“But of course I do. If I didn't, the world would freeze over in the course of a week,” she contests, confused. I shake my head vigorously.

“No, no no. I don't know what you're trying to pull, saying that you raise the sun, but that's not how it works!” I snap. “Let me explain it to you this way. The planet rotates, and because of that, the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west, when it doesn't actually move at all.”

“Oh? What an interesting hypothesis. Is this how your kind explained the night and day cycles? I heard that at one time, they were able to rise and set on their own,” Celestia actually looked genuinely interested in what I was saying, rather than guilty because I'd caught her in a lie.

“Of course they rise and set on their own! There's no way anything can move the sun! It's a giant fucking ball of burning gas located hundreds of millions of miles away! Are you assuming that...” suddenly I stop talking, realizing something. I swear, if this is the case, I'm going to find that fucker and put him under a birds nest. See how he likes getting shit upon. “Are you telling me that the natural order of things just sort of stopped at one point?”

“That is indeed the case. I was born in a time when the world was a chaotic mess, all because of the misdeeds of a certain...”

“Discord,” the two of us say at the same time, though mine is more of a deadpan. So let me just try and get this straight in my head. Sombra shows up, zaps me with a temporal stasis spell, and then summons an army of human/pony zombies to wipe out the human race, tough it takes about 80 years or so. Then at some point, this Discord fucker shows up, and turns the world into his own personal playground, fucking things up so bad, nature just stops working. The earth stops rotating, and magic appears out of nowhere because a magical noodle said so. What? He's a fucking noodle, and everypony knows it!

“Okay, your story fits what I've discovered so far, but until I see it, I'm not going to believe it,” I tell her honestly.

With that out of the way, Celestia continues with her story by describing their respective roles. Over time, apparently Luna started to get jealous because all the ponies were up and about during the day, but not during the night. You know, because organisms still need vitamin D to stay healthy. But I suppose I somewhat understand. If I assume that I believe that Luna brings the night (which I don't) , then it would probably be a bitch to go through all that effort to make something, only for nopony to be around to look at it.

Then Celestia said that ponies started forgetting that Luna even existed, so she started getting bitter and angry. Celestia looked really sad when she described how Luna would come to her with these problems, but she would never take them all that seriously, giving her sister two bit advice and sending her away.

Now this is a fucking story. Next, Luna lost her shit and apparently delved into some serious dark magic...which then promptly took her over and turned her into some kind of demonic entity called Nightmare Moon, who then proceeded to trash the place and cause a solar eclipse.

Oh, you think that's ridiculous? Get a load of this. Celestia and Nightmare Moon fought over Canterlot and nearly blew the place up, and then because she couldn't kill her sister, she used that magic friendship super weapon of ridiculousness to...and get this...banish her to the moon for a thousand years. This story is so fucking fantastic I don't even know where to start. Sounds like something out of an old Greek fable.

“Everypony called my sister a monster after that. Nopony bothered to learn why or how I felt about having to banish my own sister,” Celestia confides to me. She starts to look sad. I guess even though you have your sister back now, that pain never went away. I suppose I can understand that as well. If you handed Amaryllis to me right now, I'd still never forget how I felt when I found out I lost her.

“And you never lost your temper with them?” I ask, mulling her words over. I know if ponies started talking shit about Amaryllis after I lost her...I'd probably have murdered some of them.

“What good would it have done? I couldn't fault them for thinking that way. If Nightmare Moon had won, they would have been condemned to a slow death from the lack of warmth,” Celestia points out. Shit...she's right.

“You're right. None of them would ever understand,” I have to admit. I can't even imagine how she must have felt, mourning her sister for thousands of years, while everypony else was just like, “Good fucking riddance.” Then I remember something. “Wait, so how did you get your sister back?”

“The spell would only last for a thousand years. At the end of that, she would come back, exactly as she was when she was sealed,” Celestia continues her story. You know, whether this is all true or not, this is definitely a good tale. If I was a producer, I'd make an anime out of this in an instant. Then again, it looks true to her. I can hear genuine sadness in her voice. “I had to use other, more desperate measures to deal with her the second time, as the Elements of Harmony would not work for me alone.”

“So you brought in Twilight and her friends,” I conjecture, putting two and two together. “But that doesn't explain why the Elements turned her to normal this time, as opposed to banishing her to the moon as before.”

“I cannot begin to fathom how the Elements work. They are mysterious to me as they are to everypony,” Celestia admits. “All I know is that they get stronger when in the presence of a true bond of friendship. We were able to defeat Discord only because my sister and I were together, our will as one.”

“So when your sister was gone, they wouldn't work for you,” I realize. “Holy hell, if they were strong enough to defeat a god with just two of you, how strong are they with Twilight and her five other friends?”

“Strong enough to cleanse the darkness itself and return my sister to me,” Celestia replies, a smile finally returning to her face. “Now that I have her back, I'll never take her for granted again.”

“A lesson I wish I'd learned,” I mutter, looking at the ground. Celestia hears me though, and she gazes at me sympathetically. It's odd, knowing that somepony knows how I feel. She didn't lose her entire race, but that doesn't matter, because I never gave a fuck about most of my race anyway. She lost her sister, just as I lost my brother. She hasn't mentioned losing a loved one, but she's immortal. We've all heard the story that immortals tend to shy away from relationships, because their partners die and it hurts like a bitch. Out of appreciation for this, I decide to cave a little. “To answer your earlier question, I do have some friends.”

Celestia looks at me in surprise, ad then her expression turns happy, a warm smile crossing her face. “Oh?” And she wants to know more. Of course. Well, I started this. Might as well finish it.

“Two, to be exact. Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom.”

“I don't believe I've met the latter more than a few times, but Rainbow Dash is a wonderful pony. You'll find an amazing friend in her,” Celestia expresses.

“So I've been told. It's too early for me to tell, though. She's kinda fun, but I won't know if she's real or not until much later,” I reply critically. Celestia nods understandingly. “Took me forever to give her a chance though.”

“What made you do it?”

“Heh, her near death. I'm rather stubborn, in case you hadn't noticed,” I answer bluntly. Celestia nods solemnly. She's not surprised though. No doubt incident reports went to her directly. She probably knows all about that...which means she knows about my magic.

“I see. I'm glad you decided to give her that chance. However, this brings me to the next subject I wanted to talk to you about.” Celestia starts to look serious, making me slightly anxious. “I sensed a great deal of magic coming from the forest that day. Eyewitness reports claim it was you that showed this magic.”

“Yeah, I figured you would ask about this. Though before I answer that, how the fuck could you sense something from so far away?” I demand.

“Equestria is blanketed in magic, Seth. Any pony attuned to magic, like unicorns or alicorns, can sense any disturbance in the fabric of magic with the proper training,” Celestia explains. I guess that makes sense...not. I don't know shit about magical theory. Though it's good to know that the princesses are called alicorns. Sounds less dumb than pegacorn or unisus.

“Okay, we'll go with that. Anyway, yeah, that was my magic. The magic I didn't even know I had, mind you. I don't know where it came from, I don't know anything about it. It just happened and then the monster died,” I confirm.

“I see. I believe I have sensed magic like this before, but I can't be sure without seeing for myself,” Celestia muses. That gets me to look at her in alarm.

“What? You know something? Tell me!” I demand, standing up.

“As I said, I can't be sure. I wouldn't want to tell you without knowing all the details,” Celestia repeats, though she does stand up as well. “Would you mind showing me this magic?”

“I most certainly would. You have no idea what it did to me the last time I used it,” I protest, frustrated. Who cares if you have the details or not? I hate having this presence in my body that I don't know a thing about. Celestia tilts her head to one side, confused. “It hurt me, Celestia! If it hadn't been for Rainbow, I'd have probably died!”

“Really? Can you tell me how it hurt you?” Celestia asks, concerned.

“Only that the last thing I remember is hurting like a bitch and spitting up blood, while Rainbow stood over me,” I recall.

“I see. If that's the case, then it shouldn't be a problem. I happen to be a competent healer,” Celestia assures me. That's right...the stronger magic users can use healing spells. Celestia is supposed to be one of the stronger ones, supposedly. Especially if that aura she carries around with her is anything to go by. But that's not the only worry I have.

“Healer or not, I'll still feel it, and it will suck. But that's not all. I can hardly remember a thing about that time. What if I do something crazy? Like attack you?” I demand.

“Why would you attack me?” Celestia inquires, though she doesn't look at all concerned about that.

“Because I do remember one thing, and that's that I wanted to kill everypony and everything around me. I don't even want to think about what might have happened if Rainbow hadn't been there,” I admit. Celestia watches me for a moments, and then nods in understanding.

“Okay. I understand how you feel. But I need you to do this. Can you be strong for me?” Celestia says softly. The words she chooses makes me feel uncomfortable. It's like she's treating me like a kid...which I am compared to her.

“What if I attack you, though?” I repeat. “I have no idea if I'll be able to stay in control.”

“It's all right. I can assure you that I won't be hurt,” Celestia replies smiling at what she thinks is a show of concern for her. It's not.

“That's not what I meant. Can you guarantee me immunity from the law if I attack you?” That's what I really meant. I have no doubt I'd be locked up forever if I laid a hand on her. Or worse, Luna would murder me.

“If that's what you're worried about, then do not fear. The council likes to believe otherwise, but I am the law. It is ultimately my decision on how ponies are punished. And, if you remember, you're not a pony, so you're exempt from our law,” Celestia points out.

“Yeah, but that won't stop your...ugh, fuck it, fine. Arguing with you is pointless,” I say, giving in with bad grace. If I'm going to do this, I might as well do it sooner rather than later. “Just give me a moment to finish my lunch.”

A few moments later, the picnic has been cleaned up and moved out of the way. Celestia and I are standing on opposite sides of the grassy clearing, the wind blowing through. The area is dead silent. Celestia is watching me closely, as I once again try to find and release that magical power I used to defeat the Scorpios.

Until I realize I'm just standing here straining. This isn't working. I've read all these books about searching yourself mentally, but I have no idea how to do that. I can feel the pressure in my chest that I now know is my magical core or whatever, but I can't get it to produce magic. “So...I can't figure out how to use it,” I admit, relaxing my posture.

“Do you recall how you called upon it the first time?” Celestia asks curiously.

I shake my head. “Not really. I just remember seeing Rainbow about to die, and then my memory blurs.”

“Can you recreate how you felt at that time? It might help.” I try to do as she suggests, but that doesn't work either. I can picture that scene in my mind, and I start to feel a little something, but then I remember that Rainbow is still alive and with me in Canterlot, so it goes away. I shake my head again. “In that case, I apologize in advance, but can you draw upon more painful memories?”

“What, like how my entire race is dead?” I respond bitterly. Celestia shakes her head.

“No, I'm referring to the friend you lost.” Her words cause me to freeze. I look up, glaring intensely at her. Who the fuck gave you the right to bring her up? I can hardly notice it, but the pressure is getting stronger again. “Do you remember who killed her?”

“How could I forget...” I growl softly, images of King Sombra flashing through my mind. I remember that evil grin of his, that massive power he possessed, the sight of my niece dying horribly by his twisted creations, and then dying again at my own hands. I would love nothing more than to tear him limb from limb, and roast what's left of him on a spit. But I can't do that. “When you robbed me of my revenge!”

The pressure breaks loose without me realizing it, and from there, my memory gets a little fuzzy again. I can remember it a bit better than last time, and whatever I don't remember, Celestia helps me to remember afterward. So I'll just write what I can.

My vision turns lime green again, and every single vein in my eyes stand out to me as red jagged lines. The edges of my vision flare purple, and the air around me shimmers and distorts, dark magical power erupting from the ground around my feet. The ground itself ruptures, cracks spidering away from me.

Heh, I can already feel it. Power is flowing through my veins. I can take on everything. Nothing can stop me now. Green lightning sparks away from my body at random intervals, scorching the ground and the cliffside with every strike.

“It seems I was right,” Celestia observes grimly. A twisted chuckle escapes my throat, causing her to look at me worriedly. “Seth, can you hear me?”

Oh yes I can. I see you staring at me with those eyes. Those eyes that know everything. They piss me off.

The second time around, it's much easier to feel the currents of magic flowing through the air. I latch onto one that's pointed towards Celestia, and my vision blurs slightly as my body is transported at a speed I can scarcely follow myself.

Celestia blinks when I disappear from her vision, and then her eyes widen when I appear directly in front of her and slam my right fist directly into her snout before she can prepare herself. “Take it!” I shout, and then laugh insanely as she's sent tumbling end over end in an undignified manner from my punch. Her crown falls off in the process, landing on the grass near the cliff side. “Get up! You've got a lot to answer for, you bitch!”

Celestia rises to her feet, a slight bruise forming on her face where I'd struck her. Some dirt is smeared across her flawless white coat, but other than that she doesn't look all that hurt. Time to fix that. If I can't have my revenge on Sombra, I'll take it out on you.

“Didn't you say I wouldn't be able to hurt you?” I snarl, zooming towards her once again through a magical currently. I swing my left fist towards her, but this time, it collides with Celestia's left leg, just above the fetlock. The collision sends a black shockwave out in every direction, tearing out the grass on the ground beneath us by the roots and digging into the dirt beneath. The sound the ensues is like that of thunder. “Not bad...”

Then, my right leg soars up and catches her in the side. Using the magical power soaring through my body, I increase the force of the hit and once again knock her completely over, this time sending her clear off the edge of the cliff.

Celestia's wings flare out, slowing her flight. Still, even as she flies back towards the clearing, she doesn't attack me. This serves to anger me. “Fight back! I want to crush you at your best! Show me this power that killed Sombra!” I yell at her, and then I'm in her face once more, sending a flurry of punches at her face.

In midair we clash. My dark aura keeps me in the air, while her powerful wings do the same for her. She's blocking everything I send at her, but I don't care. The feeling of being able to use all this power on somepony who's wronged me...it's glorious. I can't stop laughing, even as she blocks another one of my punches and dodges another.

I put more power into my right fist and swing at her, but she flies out of the way. Using a current, I fly at her again with my left fist, but she allows herself to fall under it. “Eargh...stop it! Fight me! Or do you keep your kingdom merely by the threat of force you don't even have!?” I challenge her. Celestia's expression hasn't changed since the beginning. She's still watching me with a grim, concerned expression.

I chase after her again, this time infusing my leg with power, causing it to flare up with darkness and electricity. With a grunt of exertion, I bring my leg around in a roundhouse kick, hoping to knock her back down to the clearing. She ducks under it, but this time I adapt and catch her in the side of the neck with my left fist.

“Come on, you're not even using magic!” I shout at her in frustration as she soars down and slams into the clearing, cracking the ground on impact. Still, she rises to her feet, seeming no worse for wear. Good, I'd be dissatisfied if she died so quickly. Oh yes, I'm going to kill her. I'm going to tear each one of those limbs from her body, and do to her what I was going to do to Sombra. Maybe I'll parade her body around Canterlot? I grin evilly at the thought of all those ponies crying over their “esteemed” leader.

Propelling myself even faster than before, I clench both hands together and swing them both down onto Celestia's head, taking care to avoid the horn in the process. The impact sends dust and darkness exploding everywhere, and the noise is so loud I'm sure the ponies down in Canterlot can hear it.

Something's wrong. My eyes narrow when I feel that my hands had hit something that did not feel like her head. When the dust clears, my suspicions are confirmed. My hands are resting upon a single leg. Heh, so she blocked my two handed hit with just one of her legs. Now this would be more fun if she'd only fight back!

I leap back, gathering my power again. I notice Celestia's crown on the ground next to me. On a whim, I pick it up and turn it around. “You know, for a princess, I thought you'd be stronger than this.” I taunt her. Celestia doesn't reply. “Say, what if I killed you, and took Equestria for myself?”

I set the crown atop my head. “Yes...I wonder how Equestria would handle a new prince. A strong prince, not a weakling like you,” I continue, hoping that I can get a reaction out of her this time. Still nothing. Celestia just stares at me with that same look she's been wearing the whole time. I frown. “Say something! Don't you care that I'm going to tear your country apart?”

Still nothing. This is no fun. I want to see the fear in your eyes before I crush you. “Guess I'll make you talk then!” With that, I rush at her again, shooting my right fist forward. She blocks that with her right hoof, so I attack with my left. She stops that with her left hoof.

Darkness and electricity flares away from us as we contest with one another in a battle of strength. I manage to push her hooves back a bit, but then it's like a hit a damn wall. Celestia's eyes narrow, and finally I see her eyes glowing gold with a hint of magic. “Yes...that's it. Show me that magic!” I exclaim exultantly, and then I headbutt her hard on her muzzle, pushing her back and allowing me to get a second hit in with my right fist.

I zoom to her once more, and while she's recovering, I shoulder rush her, lifting her completely off the ground with my magical strength and tossing her off the cliff once more. “Maybe I need to give you some more incentive. Do you know what I'm going to do after I kill you and take over your county?” Celestia's reaction is still the same. Nothing. Well, let's see if this will phase her. “I think I'll pay your sister a visit. You care for her, don't you?”

Aha, her eyes widened slightly. Now then, let's take this a step further. I plant my foot on the ground and grasp a magical current to send me flying at her once more, collecting magic power in my right fist. “Would it bother you if I tore her apart? Ripped her to pieces and make you watch?” I say almost casually as I soar towards her. “Or better yet, you're also fond of your 'personal protege', Twilight Sparkle. She's wronged me ever so much...I think I'll take great pleasure in...”

Suddenly, pain explodes in my cheek and my momentum completely reverses. A split second later, my back slams in the ground, forming a crater beneath me. Dust from the impact obscures my vision, and it isn't until seconds later that the dust is cleared by the wind...except it's not wind.

My lime eyes widen in shock when I see the spectacle before me. Celestia hovers in the air where I'd sent her before, only she's shrouded in a bright light. It's almost as if...sunlight itself is swirling up from around her hooves and encircling her body in its radiance. Here eyes are glowing intensely, and she's wearing one of the most intense fucking glares I've ever seen in my life. Did...she hit me? Is that how I ended up in this crater?

“That's quite enough,” Celestia says calmly, though her voice sounds a great deal more commanding than before. “My suspicions have been confirmed. It's time to bring this to an end.”

I get to my feet, stretching my arms and shaking off the pain in my back and face. A wicked grin crosses my face. “Oh? Are you going to kill me? Good, good! Do it! Fight me! Hurt me! Let's have some fun, Celestia!” I shout back at her, ecstatic. Maybe now I'll have the fight I've been craving.

I recollect my power, dark energy swirling up around my body to match her aura. Then, as if it had been planned, the two of us soar towards one another. Celestia is finally taking the offensive. Now things get fun.

Fist meets hoof in a colossal explosion of darkness and light. My excited green eyes stare into her narrowed, gold tinged violet eyes for a split second, and I can see the determination stamped into her eyes. Yes, I know the intent to kill when I see it. Unfortunately for her, I have that same intent!

I swing my other fist, but her other hoof meets that too, causing another shockwave. I reach to headbutt her again, but she backs off. I'm about to chase her, but suddenly she zooms past me almost faster than I can see, striking me in the side with a light covered hoof. That one hit knocks all of the wind out of my lungs, causing me to cough violently. This is...fuck, I've been hit again! Where did it come from?

I wheel around, noticing Celestia in the air to my right. I turn to face her, but then she's gone, and pain once more wracks my body. This is...how is she so fast? I was kicking her ass a second ago...ow, fuck!

Streaks of light cross across my vision as Celestia swoops around me at incredible speeds, striking me every time she passes me. The pain is starting to build up, and I can't help but clutch my body with both arms.

Celestia makes another pass. Come on...concentrate. I can do this. I am powerful, I am right. I can follow her if I just watch. I take an offensive posture one again, watching her carefully. Sure enough, I can see her coming in to hit me once more, light swirling around her body and making her look like an astral comet. The power I feel emanating from her manifests as a pressure on my body, making it difficult to move. But I can do this.

When she streaks through the air towards me again, I lift both arms and cross them in a block. I take her hit head on, and I let out a choked gasp. The force behind the attack was so great, it completely disregards my block and knocks me backwards.

I try to correct myself in midair, and I turn my head to see where I'm going to land. My eyes bug out when I spot Celestia hovering behind me. When did she get there? She turns around and bucks me hard in the chest with her two back legs, and I'm flying back in the way I came.

Come on, there has to be something I can do. My chest hurts badly...I'm sure some ribs are broken. Once more I try to stabilize myself, but once more, Celestia appears behind me.

“Not this time!” I roar, using my power to spin me around and swing both of my fists at her, clenched together. Celestia easily blocks it with her leg, and then she brings her head forward and butts mine hard. The impact causes me to see stars, even as I hurtle away from her and slam into the mountainside.

Celestia is in front of me before I can recover. She holds me in place with a hoof, staring at me intensely. “You are not all powerful. This magic of yours isn't that convenient,” Celestia tells me firmly.

“Fuck you!” I roar, struggling to get free. How the hell is she so strong?

“I know this magic. It gives you great power, but endangers your sanity. I have known several ponies that have fallen prey to it, and I have no desire to see you become one of them,” Celestia expresses to me.

“Haha...you're a fool. I am completely sane! You're crazy for dismissing the sheer power of this magic!” I snap back at her, and I blast her front with a concentrated blast of darkness. Taken off guard, Celestia soars backwards before righting herself with her wings. It's not far, but it allows me to get free and create some distance between us.

Something trickles from my nose, so I raise my hand to wipe it away. To my horror, it's blood. Heh, I guess I'm fighting on limited time. I need to crush her soon, and then find a place to recuperate before I assault her sister. Once her sister falls, the kingdom is mine.

“You need to come to your senses, Seth. You were correct about one thing. This power will kill you unless you break free from this insanity,” Celestia warns me, but I'm not paying attention. My hand reaches out slowly, and then my rifle, which I had left on the ground earlier before I started eating, materializes in that hand.

Celestia watches as the darkness shoots down my arm and encircles the rifle. Unlike before, green lines run up the gun, and the actual structure of the thing starts to change. The edges become sharper and more angled. The colors change, turning a glossy black, and the faces turn gem-like, until it seems like I'm holding a gun made of pure gemstone, colored black like obsidian.

“Wrong, Celestia. This power will kill you!” I snarl, and then I orient the muzzle on the gun on her and pull the trigger.

The blast of pure darkness ringed by electricity slams into Celestia's form, exploding violently and kicking up dust and debris from the wrecked clearing. Of course, I doubt that'll kill her. I'd better make sure. “Hahaha, you can take your 'holier-than-thou' attitude and shove it up your ass!” I shriek. I pull the trigger again and again, like I had done before with the Scorpios. The conflagration of darkness gets so massive, it starts casting shadows on the landscape around us.

Just as I stop firing to view the damage, a blinding light cuts through the darkness, completely dispelling it. It's so bright, I can barely look at it, but what I do see sends a bolt of fear through me.

Celestia's form is wreathed in light so intense it's almost like fire...no, fire is too weak of a term to describe the inferno of light whirling around her. It's more like...a solar flare. Light streams from her eyes in ribbons, but I don't need to see her eyes to know that I'll need to fight hard if I want to beat her.

“You're the strongest...if I beat you, everything is...” I declare, but I can't complete my thought before Celestia fires a beam of intense concentrated light at me. It moves so fast, that all I can do is fire my rifle at it in an attempt to block, but it overpowers the darkness in half a second and catches me in the middle.

My screams of agony are so loud, it feels like my throat is tearing. The blast carries me through the air, scalding my skin, exacerbating my broken ribs, and burning my clothes.

I hit the ground hard, coughing up blood from both my injuries and this magic's effect on my body. I am also able to think a bit clearer to the point where I start wondering what's going on, while the other half of me wants to rip this bitch to shreds.

Celestia slams into the ground just in front of me. With a sound like an explosion, her magic intensifies and soars up into the air, evaporating the clouds in the sky above. She takes a few steps closer to me, the ground cracking with every step, the debris completely incinerating from her power.

“I...I can't win...” I groan, even as I attempt to rise. The sheer power erupting from her body is almost crushing me, to the point where I can't rise higher than my knees.

I sense another presence in the clearing as well. Lots of presences. Looking up, I see Princess Luna and an entire fucking platoon of the Royal Pegasus Corps flying into the air above the clearing, forming behind me such that I'm between Luna and Celestia.

“Sister! Art thou injured?” Luna cries out in worry, starry darkness swirling up from her body. She looks at me furiously, and then I feel her aura start to increase as well. “We hath awoken the moment we felt thy magic. We knew he was dangerous!”

“I am not injured, sister,” Celestia answers calmly, never taking her eyes off of me. “I appreciate your worry and your offer of aid, but this is something I need to take care of myself.”

“But sister, he...” Luna protests.

“I know.”

“That magic, it's...”

“I know. Relax, Luna. If you would like, you may remain nearby. I can take care of this,” Celestia assures her.

I can't help but laugh. “Can you? You'd have to kill me, you know,” I warn her, calling upon every last inch of my power to get to my feet.

“Seth, stop. I know the lure of this magic is powerful, but you must resist it,” Celestia commands me. I start to laugh again, but she's not done. “Think of your friend. If she were here right now, would she approve of you using this power to harm others?”

I freeze, and my mind becomes conflicted. I start to gain an awareness of my surroundings, but at the same time, hate and pain wrack my mind, making it hard to concentrate. “What...is the point of power...if not to...hurt?”

“You already know the answer to that question. Rainbow Dash is alive today because you used this power to save another,” Celestia answers. I don't want to hear this...I'm going to...crush you like a fly. Magical power swirls around my right hand. “If you strike me, Seth, how will you be any different than Janna, who used her own power to cause you pain?”

That strikes a chord within me, and with a yell, I manage to break through, awareness rushing back to me. I also feel the strain that the magic usually exerts on my body lessen slightly.

Holy shit...what happened to the picnic...the clearing...what even. I look up, and I see Celestia's magical power rushing into the air. I scramble backwards, realizing only subconsciously that the dark magic is still licking up my form. “What the...Celestia? What did...did I...?”

Upon hearing my voice, Celestia powers down, the light dissipating into the air. At last I can see her form again, covered in dust, yet still managing to appear majestic. Her eyes return to their usual violet, and a smile returns to her face. “You did it, Seth. I knew you could,” she praises me, but I won't have it.

“Fucking...I fucking knew it! Ow, fuck...did I get hit with a sledgehammer?!” I shout, and then regret it, “Ow...hurts to ow...”

“Remain still, I'll help you,” Celestia assures me, and her horn lights up again. Ribbons of her golden magic swirl around me, repairing the massive burn...wait what the fuck...where did that even come from? Where the hell is my shirt!?

The burn on my chest slowly repairs itself, and I wince as I feel bones readjust themselves inside my body. My ribs are broken again...dammit, this always happens. “Dammit Celestia, I warned you that I might attack you...and look what happened?! Why did you make me do this?”

“Sister, shall we arrest him now?” Luna asks, glaring at me balefully. Wait, Luna? When did she get here? And HOLY FUCK THERE'S AN ARMY! I glare at Celestia. Did she break her promise?

Celestia shakes her head, looking at her sister reassuringly. “Sister, I'll explain to you later, in greater detail. You may withdraw now. I believe your army is making Seth nervous,” she explains.

“Art thou serious? We fought magic of the like before, didst thou forget?” Luna demands. I remember Celestia saying she'd encountered this magic before. She and Luna fought magic like this? Who was it that did so?

“I did not. Please, let me handle this. He did not attack me of his own will, as I instructed him to do so,” Celestia beseeches her sister. Luna glances between her and me, uncertainly.

“Very well, we trust thee. But we will require a full explanation upon thy return!” Luna asserts, before taking off in the direction of Canterlot. “Attend to us, soldiers!”

Celestia waits until all of the soldiers are gone before she turns back to me. Soon, her healing is finished, and I'm able to stand well. “Seth, can you see if you can consciously control the flow of your magic?” she asks me, pointing a hoof at me. I look down, and then yelp when I realize I'm still on fire. With darkness or whatever. Oh yeah, and my vision is still fucked up. It's weird that I can think straight like this.

Like before, I stop the flow of magic in my body. Unlike before, I don't pass out in exhaustion. I wonder if that has something to do with the healing magic she used. Since I don't hurt at all anymore. I am filthy as hell though. “You said you know what this was,” I remind her. “Since I nearly got myself killed by you and your damn sister, I think you owe me that explanation.”

“You're right, I believe I do. Before that, would you object to coming back to the castle and getting cleaned up?” Celestia offers. Ugh, I don't want to wait any longer. I open my mouth to protest, but I'm cut off. “You see, your mane is thoroughly saturated with dirt.”

“Are you fucking...” I groan, reaching up to my beloved hair. Sure enough, dirt and bits of rock are tangled within. “Dammit, that's going to be a pain to get out!”

Author's Notes:

Mehehe, I doubt any of you saw this coming. The second real fight scene in the fic, and I think I pulled it off pretty well. Those of you that know Celestia knew that was never going to end well for Crazed Seth. You don't pick a fight with the Royal Princess of the Sun.

For those of you who wondered why Seth attacked her, it's because he still subconsciously blames her taking away his revenge, and reason to live in the process. The magic just drew it forth.

As for the song I used when Celestia fought back, I took a look at lyrics and decided it fit her. So I decided to use that for her battle theme. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

Please leave a comment, and tell me what you think!