Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_mhYBjDRxsHE4b4Hfp-sds5zWl1UqFCPo4s8YNwcoOg/edit?usp=sharing

Within just one day, the mood of a whole rebellion can change. The solid hope for a better future gained some deep cracks and doubt filled the Crystal Empire. At first, many did not understand what exactly had happened and just felt an unexplainable sensation of overwhelming dread. But as soon as the situation had been explained to the public, an all too familiar sight unfolded before Celestia. Ponies cowering, hiding, unwilling to move out into the open out of sheer fear. Just one day after Malice’s revival, the streets of the empire had become empty and silent. It was time for another meeting of the circle, with Lady Truesight being invited this time.

“Apologies, my mistress. I can’t see anything but the red glowing eyes of Nightmare Moon herself. She does not want me to see this and I am not strong enough to see past her gaze,” the reaper clairvoyant stated.

Most members of the group sighed in disappointment. It seemed like many of their questions would remain unanswered for now. Moments later, Twilight lifted her head and gave her sister-in-law a worried look.

“How are you doing, Cadence?” she wanted to know.

“Much better. It barely even hurts anymore,” the pink fallen alicorn replied.

“I don’t get it. I just don’t get it at all,” Derpy started while rubbing her head. “Despair could have easily killed you there. Why this weird stab? Why purposely avoiding all organs and blood vessels? She clearly wanted to break your concentration, so why not finishing you off when there was an easy chance? This just doesn’t make sense.”

“I have no clue. Maybe she has something bigger planned out that requires of us to stay alive. That would also explain why Malice didn’t attack us. I don’t know…” Shining Armor figured.

“Everything is just getting worse and worse…” Rarity commented.

“This is the path you have chosen, keepers,” Truesight commented while sitting on the ground and hiding Amber in her cloak. “You chose to disregard my warnings and once more, an elder reaper has fallen because of you.”

“Stop this at once, Truesight!” Celestia ordered.

The red mare just lowered her glance to the little filly in her front legs and did not even bother to apologize. Celestia was about to speak again, forcing her into an apology. But Twilight just lifted her front leg, saying this would not be needed. It would be a fake apology anyway and in a sense, Truesight was right.

Once again, Fluttershy remained silent most of the time. These most recent events had hit her very hard. Seeing her kind, wise and supportive mentor become insane and giving birth to Malice before her very eyes… It was an unbelievably hard blow to her. Crystal Blossom really didn’t deserve this. Her soul being claimed by the demons… Once again, all Fluttershy could do was to retreat into herself and mourn.

“Well… any news on the Crystal Heart and the elements?” Luna wondered.

“Ah’ve just been talkin’ with the donkeys. Sorry to say, but no. None,” Applejack replied.

Once more, a moment of silence filled the room. There were just no topics at all to talk about. Nothing but bad news all over the place. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of thundering, as it began to rain outside. It seemed like the gloomy mood of the crystal ponies caused the weather to change within the empire. At last, it was Truesight ending the silence.

“While time may seem to stand still for you right now, it keeps going in Equestria. In less than two years, the demons will come. You must keep going and prepare,” she explained.

“You are dismissed, Truesight,” Celestia announced with a sad expression.

“Yes, my mistress,” the red mare replied, got up and left the room.

Truesight was known for being pretty harsh at times. The day the rebellion leaders returned without Crystal, her opinion of them became even worse. Right now, she is just looking down upon Twilight and her friends as horrible creatures that do not know what they are doing and just needlessly sacrifice lives. As a reaper who had overcome her emotions for such a long time now, she would not understand that they are all in mourning right now, already blaming themselves for not having been able to rescue their friend.

“Well… what do we do now?” Applejack wanted to know.

“I suppose we just keep going, like we always do,” Cadence suggested.

“True. We still have a war to win. Right, sister?” Luna asked, focusing Celestia.

For some reason, the white mare seemed to be sunken in thoughts now. She seemed to be taking this all a lot more personal than anypony else in the room.

“Sister? Are you alright?” Luna wondered in worry.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I need to be alone for a while,” the white mare replied and just walked straight out of the door.

“Well… that is… wow. The mistress just left in the middle of a meeting. Wasn’t she the one who insisted on such a thing not happening?” Derpy wondered.

“What do you think is wrong with her to do such a thing?” Rarity asked while looking at Luna.

“I… I’m unsure,” Luna replied.

“My guess would be that she is reliving a trauma,” Twilight started. “She had fought against Malice herself. She had seen all this devastation and brutality before. Of course, she would never admit it since she has to be the strong one and she already proved quite a lot of self-control with being able to just sit with us and trying to push these thoughts out of her mind. But it seems like she just reached her limit.”

“I guess the meeting is over then,” Shining Armor figured.

“It would seem so… Good night, everypony,” Luna agreed and got up.

One by one, the circle members left their meeting hall, each one returning to their rooms or homes to recover.

---

Twilight could not find enough sleep that night. Thoughts were constantly rotating in her mind, preventing her from falling asleep. She eventually managed to get a few short hours of rest before she was woken up by Fluttershy.

“I know it’s early, sorry. But Mistress Celestia wants to speak with you,” she explained.

Twilight was still too tried to respond and just slowly got up, brushed her mane and took her medication. After having come to her senses, she returned her focus to the yellow mare.

“Where is she?” Twilight wanted to know.

“On the balcony,” Fluttershy replied.

So the purple mare got on her way. It was still very early. Although she could not see the sun though the windows in the main hall because all the clouds covered the sky, she did realize that it was slowly getting bright. But the same sight also caused her confusion. It was still raining and Celestia was apparently waiting for her on the balcony?

It took a few more minutes, but Twilight eventually arrived with her thoughts and worries being confirmed. The fallen white alicorn was sitting on the wet crystal floor, completely drenched in rain. But also, a strange sight was presented to Twilight. Through the clouds, a single ray of light was shining down right onto Celestia. She seemed to be staring right back into this tiny gap of sunlight with a sad and worried expression. Twilight didn’t know where it came from, but she could have sworn that she was hearing a very faint, echoing voice, speaking with such a peaceful tone that it would almost seem like singing. She could not make out a single word of what she was hearing, but apparently Celestia could. She seemed to be responding to this voice.

“I know but…” she could hear the white mare speak.

Twilight just stood half hidden for a while longer and observed. She had the strange feeling that she just came across a huge secret or something that should not be interrupted. So she just watched Celestia’s expression while she stared up into the light.

“Do you really think so?” Celestia spoke again.

The response was a lot shorter this time and even more faint than before. A deep melancholia filled this otherworldly voice.

“Is there no other way?” the white mare wanted to know.

Another short sound followed. Celestia just kept looking straight into the light the whole time. Other ponies would instantly go blind if they were exposing their sensitive eyes to direct sunlight for such a long time. But not her. Even now that she had fallen and lost her power, Celestia was still the only one who could look directly into the sun without being blinded.

Slowly, the beam of light faded away and the gap between the clouds closed. It was now that Celestia realized she had been watched. Instantly, her expression switched to a smile.

“Ah. Twilight. One moment, I will come to you,” she spoke and got up.

Without saying a word, Twilight just summoned a large towel, waiting for the former princess to re-enter the building before handing it to her by magic.

“Thank you,” Celestia spoke and started drying herself.

Twilight was not sure if she should admit she had been spying on her. It felt like a wrong thing to do. But the purple mare was just too curious about what just had happened.

“Whom were you talking to?” she wanted to know.

“The light, Twilight. I have been speaking to light itself, through the sun. You are a lucky pony to have witnessed this. It is a very rare event. Only happens every few hundred years,” Celestia explained casually while drying her wings.

“Oh. That is interesting. It sounded beautiful,” Twilight commented.

“Yes… It is a very soothing sound to me. It reminds me of my mothers… Have I ever told you about my parents?” Celestia wondered.

“Your… your parents? I don’t think that is something a single pony in the whole world knows. At least I have never come across any books that would tell about them,” the purple mare replied.

“That doesn’t surprise me. I have a tendency to… just try to forget the past…” Celestia spoke with a sad tone and even stopped drying herself for a moment.

A moment of silence followed. Twilight did not know what to say. Obviously, something was going on with her former mentor, but she could not tell what it was. Still, she was very eager to hear about her past. This would answer a few questions she kept wondering about ever since she had first climbed up to Death Rock Mountain, years and years ago.

“Well, you know that the homeland of ponies is not actually Equestria, but one far away from here, right?” Celestia started again.

“Yes, of course,” Twilight replied.

“What most don’t know is that far not all ponies left when the leaders of the three pony tribes set out to find Equestria in ancient times. Some refused to give up their home and remained. Life was particularly hard for those few left. It was a constant battle for the last resources the land could provide. Many starved, froze to death or killed each other. But as the population reached a critical minimum, they came to realize that things couldn’t go on like this anymore. They needed guidance. They needed something that was thinking in much larger schemes than themselves to survive. The ancient ponies were not able to overcome their hatred and distrust for each other, but could agree to a peace treaty during which they performed one final act of desperation. Combining the strength and endurance of earth ponies, the agility and flight of pegasi and the patience and magic of unicorns, they transformed two voluntary twin sisters by the names of Flora and Fauna. Those two became the world’s first alicorns,” the white mare explained.

A short break followed. Celestia shut her eyes briefly and even chuckled a bit before she resumed.

“You know, I instantly grew a strong liking to Fluttershy the day I first met her. She so reminds me of Flora and Fauna. Flora was very focused on plants, crops and the earth while Fauna mostly cared about animals and ponies. They both had infinite love to share and it is thanks to them and their magic that the ancestral homeland of ponies recovered. Under their guidance, the three tribes finally learned to trust each other. It was that time in which the twin sisters decided to adopt two little unicorn orphans: Luna and myself,” the white mare kept going.

“So they weren’t your biological mothers?” Twilight asked to make sure.

“No, but they were just as dear to us,” Celestia stated. “We never got to meet our real parents. They died while we were both just a few days old. But thanks to Flora and Fauna, we found a family. We lived together in Arcania, a city that was built in honor of Starswirl The Bearded and acted as his final resting place. We enjoyed an extensive education and soon excelled in magic. For the whole population, Luna and I became beacons of hope and high morality. Eventually, we earned our own ascensions to the status of demi-gods just like our mothers by mastering the bond to our respective base element. After that, we lived in a state of peace and harmony that felt like it would last forever. Hundreds of years went by and eventually, we heard word of the new home of pony-kind, Equestria, being taken over by a corrupt creature named Discord.”

“Ah. And then you came to Equestria to defeat him,” Twilight recapped.

“Correct,” Celestia agreed. “Flora and Fauna tasked us to overthrow Discord and provide support for Equestria’s population for all eternity. It was clear right away that this would be a farewell forever. But we couldn’t take it. Just a few years after Discord’s fall, Luna and I went on a journey back home to our parents. But by the time we arrived, the ancestral homeland was no more. Within the few short years we were gone, the unstable environment Flora and Fauna provided collapsed. Every last pony had died… even the twin sisters…”

“I’m… I’m sorry you had to go through this, Celestia” Twilight spoke in condolence.

“It is alright, Twilight. Luna and I are convinced they saw this coming. They sent us to Equestria to save us and to prevent it from falling to the same corruption as before. But ever since then, things were just… different. The sorrow of our loss made Luna become very quiet and I just tried my best to distract myself. Eventually, it divided us… I sunk deeper and deeper into my role as a ruler and completely forgot of my duties as a sister...” the white mare spoke in sorrow.

“Celestia… you did your very best. Nopony is perfect, not even you,” the purple mare tried to reassure.

“I had to be, though,” Celestia continued. “As a demi-goddess, it was required of me to be perfect and flawless in every aspect. But I wasn’t.... I could not fulfill my role. I kept making the wrong choices and had to make so many terrible decisions… so many lives were lost because of me. Because I couldn’t do what I had to… If only I had paid more attention to my own sister. If only I had realized I was trapping her in complete isolation...”

At this moment, Twilight remembered the words of Fleur De Lis, the high priestess of the BloodClaw Cult she had been hunting down.

“Celestia… When I was confronting Fleur De Lis… Black Widow… she claimed that you were the reason Luna grew insane and created Nightmare Moon. She said that your disregard of Luna’s needs is what set this all in motion. I never believed her wor-” Twilight started.

“It is true, Twilight. All of it. Deep down, the cult runs on a well hidden truth that even I expelled from my own mind. It took me a long time, but over the last few years, I remembered it all. My whole guilt… You see, a lot of things in Equestria used to get done by themselves. Animals would take care of themselves, the weather would change on its own… I shut all of this down with my magic so ponies were forced to do it. I had to convince them that it was a long-term aftereffect of Discord's magic, that the land could no longer sustain itself and needed the ponies so it would not become a wasteland. It was all just to make the ponies so busy that they would not have the time to look around and discover the demons and the curse of madness… It is quite pathetic actually, is it not? That I chose to forget my own guilt in all this…” Celestia revealed in a tone of deep sadness.

Twilight was shocked. She stood there with wide open eyes and mouth. The whole rebellion had thus far been running on her unshakeable belief that the cult was lying and Celestia truly was innocent. This just overthrew everything. Even her perspective of the former ruler of Equestria started to shake. But Twilight could see the deep regret inside of her. Over a thousand years of guilt, horror and bloodshed were weighing on her shoulders. She may have started it all, but Twilight could see that she never meant any of it. Eventually, the purple mare’s expression started showing sympathy again.

“You made mistakes, yes. That is true, Celestia. But we all make mistakes. You never wanted the demons to come. You never intended for all these horrible things to happen. It was an accident. Something nopony should blame you to the extent as the cult does. Frankly, I am… shocked to the core to hear this now… But it doesn’t change anything. Despite all its flaws, your reign was peaceful, prosper and full of kindness. All aspects Blueblood is very far away from. You may not be the perfect ruler you want to be, but you still are the best one for Equestria. I still wish to see you back on the throne more than anything else,” she stated.

Slowly, Celestia’s expression switched back to a smile. These words seemed to mean just as much to her as they did to the purple mare.

“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you,” Celestia spoke.

The white mare was done drying herself at this point. She walked up to Twilight and gave her a short hug, which the purple mare happily joined in. But as it ended, a moment of silence returned, immediately broken as quickly as it came.

“Twilight, the reason why I asked you to meet me is because I want to offer you to become the mistress of the reapers,” Celestia stated.

Instantly, Twilight’s eyes and mouth went wide open again.

“W-what?!” she asked in disbelief.

“You heard me right. I am stepping down from this position and I want you to become my successor,” the white mare repeated.

“But… but… Celestia… I can’t do this! You have been the mistress for such a long time now! Why the sudden change?” Twilight wanted to know.

“If you ask me, I think it is long overdue. I am not a princess anymore and you have officially become the leading force in the war against the demons. In my hooves, this power is by far not as efficient as it would be in yours. We need a leader to be in charge of the reapers,” Celestia explained.

“Still, this is short-sighted! Our goal is to put you back on the throne, remember? Who knows what might still happen to me during this war. What if I died? Something like this never happened. There is a risk you can’t become the mistress again if that is the case! I won’t take chances! The reapers must remain in command of an immortal being!” Twilight refused.

“Twilight, my faithful student. Must I remind you that I am mortal myself now? It is unclear if I will ever regain my immortality. Until the moment we can finally figure this out, the reapers are useless under my control. How well I have been leading them so far is debateable, but I am convinced you would be able to use them much better than I ever could. All of my hope rests in you, Twilight. I can’t end this war. Only you can. So please, accept my offer,” Celestia insisted.

Twilight became silent.

---

The following day, both Celestia and Twilight had been retreating for several hours, wishing to not be disturbed. Of course, this caused the rest of the leadership circle to get worried. But eventually, Twilight emerged again with a strange expression on her face. Without explaining anything to her friends, she just stated that Celestia had ordered Tripudium Messōrum, the dance of the reapers, to take place tonight beneath the palace. The whole population of the Crystal Empire had been invited to join in.

Finally, it got dark. Never before did this exclusive event have so many visitors. To the very most, it was new and exciting. But for the leadership circle, it was a worrying and confusing thing, since both Twilight and Celestia completely refused to say why this was happening. After they both got in position near the Crystal Heart and the reapers formed a ring around them, Celestia’s announcement could begin.

“My dear reapers. Under my rule, many things had changed, with the last few years being filled with the most changes. But after contemplating the situation we find ourselves in now, I have come to the conclusion to make the most extreme change in the entirety of our mutual history. I have decided to step down as your mistress,” she spoke.

Immediately, a wave of unimaginable disbelief rushed through the reapers. While the elder ones still could keep themselves together and just mumbled to each other, the younger ones were completely shocked. It required of Celestia to lift a front hoof into the air to get them to calm down again.

“Though this does not mean that you have become obsolete now. I may no longer be your mistress, but you will gain a new one. My student Twilight Sparkle has agreed to take over the burden of leading you from this night on,” the white mare continued.

Twilight could hear her friends shout in bewilderment. She tried not to listen to what they were saying. Nothing had to change her decision now. It was already too late.

Celestia closed her eyes and her horn began to glow. Moments later, a large black book with golden corners appeared. Celestia’s book of death. The original after which all copies the reapers are carrying are created. Twilight had a mixed expression on her face as she turned to the fallen alicorn. She mostly seemed assertive and strong, but there also was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“Twilight Sparkle. I ask you, in front of all my reapers. Will you be my successor and make this book your own, so that I may forget how it is used?” Celestia spoke.

“I will lead the reapers from now on until the time I see another mistress fit to replace me. I accept all the powers and burdens that come with this responsibility and am aware which consequences using them will have,” Twilight declared.

After saying that, Celestia opened the book on the first page. It was completely blank aside of a single name being written on it. Her own.

Using her magic, she made a quill and ink float in front of her. The tip of the feather dipped into the black liquid and then touched the page. All she needed to do was draw one line through it. The hardest line she would ever draw in her entire life.

Having ruled over the reapers for so long, she could not help herself but to hesitate. Many memories she made with them rushed through her head. Most of them were bad, but near the end, they became better and better, eventually reassuring her that she was doing the right thing.

The quill slid across Celestia’s name. Immediately after, it disappeared from the book. To complete this ritual, Twilight would have to write her own name in it now. So Celestia offered the ink and blank page to her student.

The purple mare did not hesitate. She immediately wrote her name on it, even though it was clearly difficult for her. Just as she did that, Twilight suddenly gained a strong headache and Celestia collapsed unconscious.

Several reapers left their position to check on their now former mistress. But it took mere moments for her to regain her consciousness and for Twilight’s pain to cease. Everyone seemed to naturally understand what had just happened. All knowledge surrounding the book of death and the reaper curse just violently ripped away from Celestia’s mind and entered Twilight’s.

Mentor and student looked at each other, both unsure how they should feel now that their roles were pretty much reversed. But eventually, Celestia gave an approving nod, then Twilight turned around.

“Reapers, do you accept me as your mistress and acknowledge my rule?” she asked.

While most reapers were still too shocked over what just had happened, Fluttershy reacted pretty much instantaneously and kneeled down.

“Yes, my mistress,” she replied.

At last, the reapers were understanding that this was serious. One by one, they kneeled down and repeated after Fluttershy. In the end, there was only one reaper left standing upright. Lady Truesight.

She gazed at Twilight with an empty expression, getting the purple mare very worried. If she wouldn’t be acknowledged by all reapers, they are bond to split eventually. But suddenly, Truesight’s eyes slowly went wider and wider. Her gaze still remained on Twilight, but she did not seem to be fully there. She must be experiencing a vision, the purple mare figured. After several seconds, the clairvoyant as well kneeled down.

“Yes, my mistress,” she spoke.

For a short moment, Twilight smiled. At last, it seemed like she finally regained the trust and support of Lady Truesight. But immediately, an expression of worry resurfaced on her face. Twilight’s focus wandered to her friends. They too were not sure what to think of all this.