A FINAL HOPE

It took her hours to reach her goal, and it was nearly midnight when she got there. The city of Canterlot was dark beneath her, but lights still burned in the castle. Twilight had no time to lose - she likely wouldn't be able to keep the spell in effect until sunrise, so she had no choice but to rouse Princess Celestia despite the late hour. Rather than landing at the city gates as was the rule, she flew straight over the walls, aiming for one of the platforms higher up on the castle. The Royal Guards all knew her by sight, and they'd hopefully forgive her intrusion into a no-fly zone, at least in an emergency. Fortunately, it seemed like security was fairly light, and she encountered no guards until she had landed and stepped inside the halls of the castle.

"Oh, hey there Princess Twilight Sparkle. Did you come here to attend the party?" The guard, who was apparently patrolling the hallways, stopped as he saw her, seemingly unconcerned with her rule-breaking arrival. "Uhh... party? What party? No, nevermind - I need to talk to Princess Celestia right away, it's an emergency!" The guard blinked slowly, seemingly confused. "Uhh... the party to celebrate that there's been no new disasters for a month... an emergency? Well, Princess Celestia is AT the party, obviously, along with Princess Luna and mostly everybody else. Heck, I'D be there if I wasn't on guard..." Twilight glared at the guard, annoyed by his easygoing attitude. "And WHERE is this party, exactly?" The guard pointed over his shoulder with his muzzle. "Oh, it's in the throne-room, of course." Twilight dashed in the appropriate direction without waiting for him to finish his sentence, leaving the guard to scratch his head, shrug, and resume his patrol.

As she approached the throne-room, Twilight began to see the telltale signs of the early stages of corruption. Several pairs of ponies were scattered throughout the hallways, necking and giggling on the windowsills. From behind the closed doors of nearby, presumably-unused rooms, she could hear moaning and thumping. However, at the same time, it was encouraging - had the corruption been any stronger, the ponies would have felt no need to seek privacy before satisfying their carnal desires. The door to the throne-room came into view as she turned a corner, wide-open, golden light spilling out of it into the starlit darkness of the hallways.

She heard quite a few murmurs of surprise and consternation as she galloped inside. The throne-room was filled with elegant upper-crust ponies, the social elite of Canterlot, sipping cups of punch and chatting about the usual gossip-subjects - must-attend parties, elegant new dresses and the like. Even there, however, the early stages of corruption were seeping in - a lot of the gorgeous dresses in appearance were somewhat more revealing than had been fashionable mere months ago, and a lot of the gossip seemed to involve sordid affairs. Of course, none of that stopped them from turning up their noses and harrumphing as she barged inside, undressed and with mane and coat sweaty and in disarray. She could only imagine what she smelled like, honestly. It wasn't as if she'd bothered with bathing after she'd returned from her visit to Fluttershy's cottage, so there was likely other scents mingling with the smell of sweat both stale and fresh.

Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne, sipping punch and chatting with Cadance, seemingly about serious matters - based on their expressions alone. However, she looked up as she heard the murmur of the crowd, and as soon as she saw the state that Twilight was in, she leaped to her hooves. "Twilight! What's happened to you? Has something happened to Ponyville? Are you okay?" The concern in her voice warmed Twilight's heart, and she smiled wanly. "It's kind of a long story, and we don't have much time... can we talk in private, please?" Celestia quickly nodded and gestured towards the door to her personal chambers, adjoining the throne-room. Cadance looked at the two with worry in her eyes as they quickly headed in there and shut the door behind them.

Twilight, talking as swiftly as she ever had, then told Princess Celestia everything - about her decision to sacrifice herself to the Stallions of the Apocalypse in a desperate bid to save Equestria, and how she'd recently realized that doing so had unleashed a terrible corruption upon the kingdom. She tried to skip lightly over the more sordid details, but considering the nature of the current issue, she couldn't leave it out entirely - fortunately, she was too tired by then to feel properly embarrassed. Celestia's expression grew progressively more horrified as the story progressed, and at the end, she shook her head. "Such dark power... so that's where those strange feelings were coming from... if you hadn't realized the existence of this corruption when you did, I fear I, too, would have succumbed to it before long. The spell you're using now... it's Starswirl the Bearded's Mental Fortress, right?" Twilight nodded quickly, and Celestia's horn and eyes began to glow, magic gathering around her.

As the spell was released, Celestia quickly shook her head, eyes narrowing. "Truly insidious. The signs were all there... but under its influence, I could not see them. Or rather, I could not feel concern for them. We need to act fast. Twilight... I understand why you wanted to tell me all of this in private, but I know you understand, I can't keep it here. We will need the help of my sister, and Princess Cadance too, if we are to have any chance of stopping this thing. But please, do not feel shame. You acted the only way you could, to protect the entire kingdom - and everything you did after that was the work of the corruption, NOT you." Twilight nodded tiredly, sinking down on the floor. Her head was pounding. The exertion of the flight to Canterlot, combined with maintaining the very difficult spell for so long, was draining her rapidly.

Celestia looked down at her with deep concern in her eyes, then quickly turned around and opened the door back out into the throne-room. Princess Luna and Cadance were standing right in front of it, not QUITE close enough that anyone could accuse them of eavesdropping, and there was a definite note of worry in the chatter of the still-ongoing party. Celestia invited the two other princesses inside with a quick gesture of her head. "All of Equestria is in danger. In need you two to trust me, and follow my lead. There may not be enough time to bring you all up to speed. Cadance... Twilight Sparkle is exhausted, and maintaining a difficult spell. Use your magic to supplement hers. Do not allow her spell to collapse. Luna... we need to head down below the castle."

An hour later, Twilight was barely clinging to consciousness. Cadance, looking worried to the point of panic, was resting her horn against Twilight's, channeling magic between them, sustaining the spell - but pure, physical exhaustion was another matter. Yet, she lifted her eyes hopefully when she heard the approach of galloping hooves. Celestia, breathing heavily, appeared in the door, Luna by her side. Between them, held in a magical field that seemed to come from them both, hung a gemstone in the shape of a heart. It extruded a familiar feeling, a surging sense of magic... just like the Elements of Harmony once had. "What... is that?" she asked, voice heavy with fatigue.

Celestia glanced at the hovering gemstone and sighed. "It is one of the Elements of Harmony. The seventh element, if you will." Confusion surged within Twilight. It was an obvious answer, and yet, impossible. "But... I saw you take the Elements from the Tree of Harmony in a vision. There were only the six." Celestia nodded, eyes haunted. "That is true. However... that is not the only tree of its kind. According to legend, there are four such trees, scattered across the world. I know of only two, however. The one you have seen for yourself, and the one that bloomed in mine and Luna's homeland, eons ago. That one bore but one fruit... and this is it: The Element of Love. Its power was too great for anyone, even an Alicorn, to control - and so, we sealed it away."

Twilight's scholarly brain raced to assimilate this new information, actually pushing sleep and exhaustion back as the mental stimulation surged through her. "But... isn't love a GOOD thing?" It was an obvious question to ask, but no less necessary. She'd seen what love was capable of, not so long ago, when Cadance had used the power of her love-reinforcing spell to revive her brother, Shining Armor, giving him the strength to reactivate the shield protecting Canterlot. Celestia grimaced in reply, looking away. "It certainly can be. But love is many things. You've seen the kind of love that Princess Cadance's spell can foster - but not all love is like that. It can also be love of self, which leads to selfishness and egomania. It can be unrequited love, which leads to heartbreak and obsession. It can even be love of violence or love of war. Nopony - not even I - can direct or change it. THAT is why we sealed it away. It was safer to abandon it, than to let its enormous power exist without direction."

Princess Luna spoke up for the first time. "Indeed... and while I DO trust you, dear sister, I must admit that I remain uncertain about the wisdom of unsealing it now. Is there truly no other way?" Celestia just shook her head. "I do not believe so. Certainly no other way that we will be able to reach in time. For that matter, I am far from certain that the Power of Love will be capable of cleansing this corruption - considering its nature, it might even make it worse. But it MIGHT work... and it's the best option we've got, unless we want to simply surrender and let all of civilization crumble to dust around us." Luna winced. "There truly is that much at stake?"

Celestia nodded, and redirected her gaze to Twilight. "Now... my dear student AND peer, Twilight Sparkle. You have already sacrificed much for Equestria - more than anyone but me will ever know, with any luck. But we need to know if the Element of Love will work, and..." Twilight smiled wanly, cutting her off. "I know. You need to test it, and I'm the only possible test-subject. I understand - go ahead. I won't be able to stay awake much longer no matter what, and once I fall asleep, the spell will collapse. No matter the risks... it's better than nothing."

Nodding, Celestia and Luna shared a glance. "Okay... Cadance, you're going to have to move back once we release the spell. If you get caught in it... we don't know what might happen." Cadance looked up at them, her head still lowered to keep her horn in contact with Twilight's. "Her magic is all but spent. If I break contact, the spell she's maintaining will collapse within seconds." Celestia sighed, horn already glowing as she prepared the spell, Luna mirroring the gesture beside her. "It won't matter at that point. Either the spell will work and she will be saved,

Luna and Celestia's eyes began to glow in unison with their horns, their magical energy channeling into the gemstone held between them. As the glow intensified into a searing light, Cadance jumped back, and Twilight felt the magical fortress of her mind begin to wobble instantly, collapsing under the surge of barely-suppressed lust. Desire began to rise in her, but as the powerful, white light washed over her, something held it back. All of the sex she'd had over the past month suddenly seemed empty and pointless. It had all just been mindless, animalistic rutting. Pleasures of the flesh, with no other dimension. Even when she'd done it with her friends, it had been an entirely separate thing from their abiding friendship - she'd more or less used them for her own gain. It all seemed so... wrong, now. Without emotions, it all seemed empty and stale.

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't realize that she was hovering above the floor now, legs dangling beneath her as a rainbow-colored nimbus of energy surrounded her. Inside her chest, a pulsing blob of darkness became visible, surging with dark red, purple and black colors. It moved like a living spot of ink, shrinking away from the surrounding light, compressed more and more. It got smaller and smaller until finally, with a barely-audible shriek, it popped like a soap-bubble and vanished. Seconds later, the nimbus of magical energy disappeared as well, and Twilight dropped back down to her hooves. "Wow... I feel much better..." was all she had time to say before collapsing on the ground, her vision rapidly fading to black.

When she woke up, she was lying in a large, majestic bed. Blinking a few times, she looked out the large, crystal-glass windows and saw that the moon and the sun were sharing the sky, leaving the land covered in the lavender darkness of pre-dawn. "Oh, you're awake! How do you feel? Are you all right?" Glancing in the direction of the voice, she saw that Cadance was sitting by her bedside, and gave her a bright smile. "Yeah, I feel great! Very well-rested, considering that I've apparently only gotten a few hours of sleep..." she pointed out at the dawn, and Cadance made a grimace. "Aaaaactually... you've slept half the night and all of the day. It's twilight. Well, it's been twilight for a bit - Celestia and Luna decided to keep it like that until you woke up on your own."

Twilight blinked more rapidly, clearing the sand out of her eyes. "Ooookay... well, I still feel great. And also... clean?" she shuffled her hooves under the covers. Her sweaty, grimy coat felt freshly-washed. Cadance giggled down at her. "Well, I kind of gave you a bath last night, after you'd passed out. You were kind of a mess and, well, it's not like it's the first time I've bathed you. Though you WERE a tad easier to lift around back then." They shared a warm smile at the memory of those days of yore where Cadance had been her foal-sitter. The smile quickly faded, however, as Twilight realized something. "Wait... Cadance, you haven't been waiting here at my bedside all this time, have you?" The pink-coated pony quickly shook her head. "Oh, no... I took a long nap shortly after tucking you in to bed. Princess Celestia insisted - she said I'd need to be well-rested for what comes next. I don't think that she or Luna have slept a wink, though. Well, those two are 'original' Alicorns - they're on a whole other level compared to latecomers like you and I."

A hesitant knock on the door interrupted their chat, and Cadance lifted her voice "Yes? Come in." The door creaked open, and Shining Armor entered, concern for his younger sister written across his face. "The princesses sent me to check and see if... oh! Twily, you're awake!" He quickly dashed to her bedside, and she smiled up at him wordlessly. Then he quickly shook his head. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright... but I'm afraid the catching-up is going to have to wait. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are waiting at the top of the tower, and they need all of us there as soon as possible."

A few minutes later, the three ponies arrived at the top of the highest tower in Canterlot, where they found the two ancient Alicorns awaiting them. Above a pedestal in the center of the chamber's floor floated a heart-shaped lump of clear-blue crystal that Twilight immediately recognized as the Crystal Heart - smuggled out of the Crystal Empire by Cadance and Shining Armor just before it fell to the griffons. A closed jewelry-box in front of the pedestal was pulsing with magic, surrounded by an almost living aura of power - the fact that the pulse resembled that of a beating heart was all the hint she needed in order to guess that the box - barely - contained the Element of Love.

"Twilight Sparkle! I am glad to see that you have recovered. I fear we will need the full strength of every Alicorn in the kingdom, and more besides, if we are to pull this off." Celestia said without preamble, and Twilight quickly nodded. "You've found a way, then?" Her voice was filled with eagerness, and Celestia nodded. "A way to protect Canterlot, yes... buying us time to hopefully find a way to cleanse the rest of the kingdom. For now, this is the best we can do." She nodded at the two powerful, magical artifacts resting before them. "Please, pay attention - this will take a great deal of coordination..."

As soon as Celestia's explanation was finished, the five ponies set to work. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor stood on either side of the Crystal Heart, and the first part of the spell was theirs. The strength of their love for one another was pumped into the Heart by way of their magic, and it rapidly began to glow, sending out pulses of energy. Then, they both charged it with their signature spell. Shining Armor's spell made the power of the Crystal Heart manifest in the form of a great shield, surrounding all of Canterlot, and Princess Cadance's spell inspired the shield with the power of love - granting it the strength to resist the constant tide of the corruption.

As soon as the shield was up, Celestia, Luna and Twilight sprung into action. Standing flank-to-flank, with Twilight in the middle, at the one time of day where each could draw power from their celestial counterparts, they were at the peak of their strength. Working in unison, they lifted the Element of Love from the sealed box, charging it with power. When Celestia and Luna had used it to cleanse Twilight, the power had been tightly focused - this time, they were aiming for the exact opposite. As the energy in the Element grew beyond containing, the pale-red gemstone exploded in an omnidirectional burst of pure love, flooding everyone in the room - and beyond.

The wave spread out from the tower, washing across the castle and the city, before hitting the shield - filled, as it was, with Cadance's love-magic. The wave bounced off of it, its intensity increased by the sympathetic fusion, and quickly washed back towards the Element of Love. The initial wave had not been anywhere near strong enough to destroy the fragments of corruption that existed within the hearts of every stallion, mare and foal in Canterlot, but as it rebounded into its source, it was released again - ten times stronger. Three Alicorns struggled to control and focus the energy, but they managed - barely.

The rainbow-shaded wave of energy that thus emerged from the Element of Love, bathing the entire city before dissipating, wiped every trace of corruption from its path - and went down in history as one of the greatest feats of magic ever wrought. Thanks to this, Canterlot could continue to exist as an island of normalcy in a world gone mad, its shield maintained indefinitely by the power of the Crystal Heart. This gave them the time they needed to investigate the nature of the corruption in detail, and find a countermeasure. And no-one had any doubt that it would be the research-team led by Princess Twilight Sparkle that would, eventually, discover such a method...

HAPPY END