Twenty-Eight dead: Twelve Nobles, Ten Guards, Six Knights. The casualties of the thwarted attack upon Griffonstone castle in an attempt to assassinate King Godric and Prince Doran, along with their supporters.

The plot had failed, but its mastermind, Gar, now going by the name of Scar, had escaped, along with his magically enslaved co-conspirators as well as several guards who'd betrayed their king, and now they were out there after their master had declared war upon Godric along with anyone who sided with and supported him.

Instead of pursuing his kin-turned-mortal enemy, Godric had chosen to see to the wounded and get a damage report of the castle after Scar had used some kind of magical explosives to escape. The dead had been moved to another chamber and covered with sheets. The wounded had been moved to the castle infirmary. The remaining guards had been detained to determine which were traitors and which were loyal. The remaining Sky Knights had been assigned tasks by their king to focus on while he made the regretful announcement to his subjects that their kingdom was now in civil war.

Midnight and Twilight, with Godric's permission, used their magic to repair the castle, but then he'd bade them farewell, saying it was time for them to go home. Although alarmed and afraid they'd done something wrong, Midnight and Twilight were assured by Godric that they'd done more than he'd asked of them and that he was grateful. But the situation had changed and he could no longer involve them further. They'd considered trying to convince Godric otherwise, but given all that had happened and the way the griffon king had spoken to them, they honored his wishes and prepared to depart.

It was afternoon by the time Midnight and Twilight were ready to return to Equestria. Before boarding The Break of Dawn, they spoke with Doran.

"We can't thank you enough for all you've done," Doran said kindly though there was sadness and doubt written all over his face and lacing his words. "You are true friends, and all the Griffon Kingdom is lucky to have you as our friends and allies."

"We're sorry it turned out this way, Doran," Twilight said in deepest sympathy.
"We wish we could have prevented all of this," Midnight hanged his head in apology.

"As do I... if I had gone with my brother, if I had done more, perhaps he would still be alive, perhaps the nobles would have truly come together," Doran said in defeated woe, "and the kingdom and the people I love would not be facing civil war."

"There may yet be hope, my friend," Midnight said in assurance, "Gar- er... Scar. Those he leads are not truly loyal. He enslaved those nobles via magical contract, and drew those guards into more than they bargained for. Twilight and I can look into the magic involved and perhaps find a way to undo the contracts, freeing those nobles from Scar's control. Doing so may sway them to surrender to your father and turn against Scar. As for the guards he bribed, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them ditched him or even turned against him."

"Midnight's right, Doran. I wouldn't want Scar's karma," agreed Twilight before adding, "There is most likely a way to undo the magical contracts Scar tricked his followers into signing. Any magic that can be done can be undone. It's a fundamental law of magic."

"That might be the best way to end this conflict peacefully," Doran sounded a tad more hopeful, but still in doubt. "But in any case, your parts in this is over, my friends. I will remain in contact with you, but the Griffon Kingdom must settle this conflict without direct involvement from a foreign nation. Midnight, I'm afraid i won't be able to participate in any further training or shows with the Silverbolts."

"We'll just consider you on indefinite leave," Midnight said kindly but unable to hide his own sadness, "Once a Silverbolt, always a Silverbolt."

Doran smiled at those words and then made an inviting gesture, Midnight and Twilight giving him a hug that he deeply appreciated. When they parted, Doran wiped a tear away before saying, "May the winds guide you well, wherever they may take you."

Twilight teared up a little while Midnight nodded with solemn respect before they gave the griffon prince one more hug. When they parted and the two alicorns boarded their ship, Twilight said to Doran, "Take care of yourself, and your father. I know you can save your kingdom, no matter what may come!"

Doran nodded as he waved his wing, "Safe journey, my friends!"

As The Break of Dawn rose into the sky, Midnight and Twilight gazed upon Griffonstone. In spite of all that had happened, it continued to shine like a pristine jewel, even as the dreaded future in store for it loomed like a coming storm cloud.

Twilight wiped the tear on her cheek away, feeling crushed, that they had failed in what they had come here to do.

"We did all that we could, Twily." Twilight looked to her husband and saw how solemn he seemed, how he furrowed his brows, and sighed before giving her an emotional look of his own, "We came here to help, and we did. The results are not what we had hoped, but had we not been here, Scar and his cohorts would likely have succeeded in killing Godric and Doran and all their other opposition. Scar would have taken the throne, and Goddess knows what he would have done next with that power..."

"Then why do I feel like a failure...?" Twilight barely managed not to cry. "Horus is dead, along with so many others, and Griffon Kingdom now faces a civil war! We- We need to-"

"We can do no more," Midnight stepped over to gently pull Twilight close and nuzzled the top of her head. "This is now an internal matter for the Griffon Kingdom that they have to resolve for themselves. We can lend aid, give advice, but we cannot become outright involved now that it has come to this..."

"Sunset got involved, and look at what's happened," Twilight shook with emotion and a subdued anger. "Horus is dead because of her, and Scar has the forces he needs because of her! ...Why didn't we tell Godric and Doran Sunset's name when we reported her actions to them? We only confirmed 'a unicorn' had aided and abetted Scar in his schemes."

"Because Sunset is our spilled oats, we'll clean it up," Midnight stepped away from his wife as he looked over the railing, a dark look on his face. "Something she said... we're going to have a word with Celestia when we reach Canterlot."

Twilight's depression quickly turned to anxiety by her husband's words as she realized he was correct. The things Sunset had said to them, it brought back similar emotions Twilight had felt before. Suddenly, she began to dread seeing Celestia again, and what more she would learn about her old teacher.

Unbeknownst to the two alicorns, Sunset Shimmer watched them soar away in their airship, her velvet red cloak billowing around her as she stood upon the summit of a distant mountain peak. Her horn lit up as she pulled out a mirror from her cloak and cast a spell. The looking glass rippled before the image of Catrina reflected back at Sunset, the cat's green eyes narrowing with a gleam of anticipation.

"Ah, Sunset, dear. I was expecting your call. So, tell me, how did things unfold in the Griffon Kingdom?"

"Not quite as we'd hoped, Catrina," Sunset sighed in an 'oh well' manner. "King Godric and his son, Doran, still live though Horus is dead. That arrgoant griffon, Gar, failed to assassinate his brother and nephew, but he did manage to... 'recruit' a sizable force of griffon nobles and now has command of their lands, wealth, and hired talons, and he's declared civil war upon his brother after renaming himself 'Scar'. Huh! So creative..."

"Hmm, this is less than the ideal outcome, but an acceptable one nonetheless," Catrina shrugged before raising a tome and leafing through its pages, "No matter. The objective has been reached all the same. The Griffon Kingdom is now unable to stand as an ally with Equestria. As for... 'Scar', let him play war with his big brother, as long as he keeps the Griffon Kingdom occupied with their petty conflict. We'll continue to lend him our support, in order to keep said conflict going for as long as possible. It simply would not do for it to end too quickly and not on our terms."

"Does that mean we'll still help him become the new griffon king?" asked Sunset.

"...no. Gar, Scar, whatever he chooses to call himself, he had his chance and he failed," Catrina narrowed her eyes as he kept going through the tome, "If he loses and is killed by King Godric's forces, or he stands on the precipice of victory, he will die all the same. He promised to succeed in his goal and he broke that promise. As far as I'm concerned, he will never so much as touch the throne with his furred and feathered behind. He doesn't deserve it..."

"So then... what becomes of the Griffon Kingdom? We can't exactly allow for Godric to win and get it back in order," Sunset pointed out.

"True, that potential outcome would be detrimental to my plans," Catrina's eyes lit up when she apparently found what she was looking for in the tome, "But it matters not. All we'll have to do... is find the right weapon. After all, the friend of our enemy is our enemy..."

Catrina held the tome up to the mirror for Sunset to see, and the unicorn was disturbed, as Catrina declared, "and all our enemies will tremble before this powerful force, once we find it!"

Sunset had read of this force Catrina was showing her in the tome. She'd read of a point in history when this force was unleashed out of nowhere upon the world, how it had literally cast darkness across the land, leaving chaos, destruction, and loss in its wake. Princess Celestia had risked her life to fight this force back to protect her subjects, but even she had been unable to truly destroy it. All she had been able to do was seal it away and hoped that it would never be set loose to threaten the world once more.

"Catrina... is this notion wise? How would we even be able to control this monstrosity?"

"We won't have to. Once it does its job, we'll get rid of it. Simple as that," Catrina purred with a dark delight in her scheming, "I'll see you when you return, Sunset Shimmer."

The mirror rippled again, and Catrina's image faded, leaving Sunset to see her own reflection and how troubled the look on her face was. Was Catrina really willing to go so far as to use that? A force of evil so powerful and dangerous that even Celestia had not truly been able to defeat it? For years, Sunset had followed Catrina, drank up her notions, agreed with her schemes. Once or twice, Catrina's plans had not sat well with Sunset, but she'd stuck by her mistress and things had worked out in their favor all the same.

But now? No. She had to stay the course. She'd come too far, she'd lost too much, she'd get what was owed to her and she would revel in it!

Even so, as she pulled up her hood, she couldn't help but feel an uneasy feeling deep inside as she thought of the abomination Catrina had showed her in the tome, a mindless plague, born of negativity. No one knew where it came from, but the devastation it inflicted upon the world all those centuries ago, how it spread like a relentless fire, consuming life and light, and leaving nothing but ash and stone.

In all the years Sunset had followed and come to know Catrina, she wasn't fooling herself. She knew the Cat Witch had a couple screws loose, but her cunning and guile were undeniable.

But, was Catrina really so certain? Or was she arrogant? Or perhaps she was well and truly just plain crazy. Sunset wasn't sure, and that uncertainty was what bothered her most, as she thought of the evil Catrina was planning to unleash before taking her leave.

The Erebus.

"...and so, the Griffon Kingdom now faces civil war." The finishing of their report struck a sense of finality into the Canterlot castle throne room, as Midnight and Twilight stood before Celestia.

They'd returned to Canterlot and sent word to Celestia they needed to speak with her immediately, to inform her of the tragic situation of the Griffon Kingdom. She'd called them to her throne room upon their arrival, but they found it was only Celestia there. She'd explained that Sombra was busy forming his own personal guard while Luna was dreamwalking to give Twinken further training in the dream plane.

It was only the three of them, which suited Midnight and Twilight just fine. This was not going to be a pleasant chat, after all.

Having taken a moment to absorb all that she had learned from her two old students, Celestia sighed deeply, "Oh, poor King Godric, and Prince Doran... the loss of Horus is a terrible tragedy. My heart aches for them, and for Godric, unable to mend the bond with his brother... and now they stand on opposite sides as true enemies."

At first, Celestia didn't notice the expressions on Midnight's and Twilight's faces. Midnight gave Celestia hard and piercing stony gaze while Twilight gave her one that was hesitant and afraid to engage. When the silence registered in Celestia's mind, she finally saw the ways they looked at her, and felt a chill on her withers, and so asked, "Is... there something more?"

"There is," confirmed Midnight, "The unicorn who aided and abetted Scar... we confirmed her identity."

"Who is she?" Celestia asked, genuinely curious, and her world shook when Midnight answered.

"Sunset Shimmer."

"...no!" Celestia was shocked as she placed her hoof over her heart, "It- it can't be! She... she's been gone... for so many years!"

"Missing, not gone," corrected Midnight as he spoke with a steely edge, "She lowered her hood, she confirmed her identity. She was unmistakable. Sunset Shimmer... is working with Catrina. Against us."

"This... this cannot..." Celestia began to pace in front of her throne, before she just barely managed to compose herself and took a deep breath. "...we must double our efforts. Starlight must find a way to cure the destruction of cutie-marks. We must find a way to get ahead of Catrina and Sunset's schemes!"

"Princess Celestia, there's... there's more," Twilight brought up, sounding anxious and afraid. "Sunset... she said things. Things about you."

"What about me?" Celestia asked, sounding perplexed.

"She said you're still keeping secrets. From us," Midnight answered, narrowing his eyes at Celestia, "and she displayed powerful magic. Including a magic I've never encountered. She was able to hurt me with a magical light. While I was hidden in Shadow Space."

Magical light... shadow space? How is...!!! Celestia's mind froze by a terrible realization and a cold dread filled her bones.

"Celestia?" The white princess turned to Twilight, looking upon her with a mix of concern but also a sense of suspicion. "What's wrong?"

"I-I... that is... we must... determine our next course of strategy," Celestia stammered while shifting her gaze away, "let us consult with my husband and sister-"

"No." The tone was subtle yet strong, inarguable, and Celestia looked hesitantly back upon the pupil she had guided and loved throughout her fillyhood, as Twilight gave her old mentor hard look, and demanded, "The truth, Celestia."

Midnight regarded his wife with a sense of pride but also worry, before returning his own gaze to Celestia. The white alicorn closed her eyes, clearly in emotional pain, before she took another deep breath and spoke.

"...Sunset Shimmer was- is special. Unique. Powerful! Dangerous... and it has everything to do, with her lineage."

"What lineage?" asked Midnight. "I recall that she's a daughter of House Hyperion, but-"

"No, her nobility has nothing to do with it..." Celestia shook her head, which she began to hang shamefully, "Sunset is perhaps the last of a legacy I created centuries ago. If there are others, they've never tapped into the power inherent to their bloodline, like she did as a filly..."

Midnight's eyes widened, "When she as accosted by those bullies... and nearly killed them!"

Twilight gasped in horror, "She... nearly killed other ponies when she was only a filly?!"

"It wasn't her fault... she was scared, terrified," Celestia began to tear up, "and in the moment, she instinctively reached inward and tapped into a power that had long been dormant. A power she couldn't control. And she lashed out.

"The public vilified her in spite of my attempts to placate them. She was traumatized, and her parents... they didn't know what to do. I convinced them to let me take Sunset on as my pupil, but I didn't realize until later on that she was damaged long before that terrible incident."

"What do you mean, damaged?" asked Twilight.

"Sunset's parents... they were once unicorn supremacists," Celestia lit up her horn and projected images of two unicorns, dressed in fine garments, speaking to a young filly who was unmistakably a younger Sunset.
"They filled her head with their ideas of unicorn pride and supremacy, how unicorns are superior, and non-ponies were even further below them than earth ponies and pegasi."

"She did express some rather disgusting bigotry against the griffons," Midnight concurred. "But this doesn't explain her powers! She was able to hurt me while I was in shadow space! I didn't even know that was possible!"

"...Her power worked against you, because you are a Lunar Pony, Midnight," Celestia had finally come to it as she revealed the truth, "and Sunset... is a Solar Pony."

Midnight and Twilight shared a perplexed look, as they shared it, the both of them unfamiliar with the term as Twilight echoed, "Solar Pony?"

"Your sister created the lunar ponies..." Midnight gathered, "So then... you did something similar!"

"I did... and it was my greatest mistake," Celestia spoke in deepest shame as her memories displayed her meaning, "It was meeting the lunar ponies so long ago, and learning that they came to be by Luna's magic, that intrigued me so. She had created a new kind of pony and given them all they needed to form their own society, their own cultural identity. It was truly an achievement, a grand legacy. So back then, I wondered...

"What if I could do something similar?"

"So you created the Solar Ponies," Midnight was still confused, "but then why have we never heard of them until now?"

Celestia gave both her old pupils a look of shame, pain, and regret, and Twilight realized, "Something went wrong."

"...not at first," Celestia continued to project her memories, and they saw her standing in a circle of twenty adult ponies of all three tribes, stallions and mares. "I hoofpicked twenty of my most stalwart and dedicated servants. Soldiers, scholars, even those of humbler positions, like a schoolteacher, a blacksmith, an alchemist, a farmer, a courier.

"In the times before I formed what would eventually become the Brotherhood of the Evening Hoods, Equestria was suffering from rampant crime, corruption, violence... I hesitated to impose martial law, hoping that I could bring my kingdom back to peace and prosperity by my own efforts and merits. I was wrong. In spite of my power, in spite of my guardsponies, we were hopelessly outnumbered by the criminal element.

"I came to the conclusion that we needed heroes, champions! Dedicated protectors who could do more, be more, and shine with an example of uplifting inspiration!"

"You made those twenty ponies the first Solar Ponies," gathered Twilight.

"And they were... magnificent!" Celestia looked upon the memory with tears as they watched those ponies evolve in Celestia's sun-empowered magic.

Their manes and tails becoming fiery mana, their hooves wreathed in mystical flame, their coats radiating with passionate light.

Then they were shown to be clad in majestic armor, appearing as mighty paladins, standing for their princess as they fought bad guys, monsters, saved those in trouble, protected the innocent, restored peace and enforced law. Then they were shown to be walking down a street, praised and cheered by ponies on each side, as they gathered before their princess and bowed while she looked upon them with pride and joy.

"They were everything I'd hoped they would be! And what should have been the promise of a new dawn... turned into the darkest of all my failures..." Celestia spoke in anguish as the memory continued.

Midnight and Twilight watched as the Solar Ponies continued their work... until things took an unexpectedly sudden one-eighty.

In the memory, in a happy little town that reminded them so much of Ponyville, Midnight and Twilight watched as two of the solar ponies began to build what appeared to be an idol, made in the likeness of Princess Celestia's cutie-mark. When it was done, they called out to the locals.

"Come, dear subjects of our venerated Princess Celestia!"
"Come and pay homage to Her Shining Immortal Majesty!"

The locals all paused in confusion of the solar ponies' words, but approached anyway.

"Come and bask in the Light of She who brings the Day!"
"Pray for Her blessings and give thanks to Her divine protection and guidance!"

Midnight and Twilight shared a look, troubled and confused. Celestia only watched in shameful dismay.

"Um..." All eyes turned to a timid voice in the crowd and they saw it was a young pony, no longer a filly but not yet a mare. "Bright Protectors, I'm confused. Since when was it required of us to... worship Princess Celestia?"

Almost at once, the two solar ponies' gazes took a dark turn while their flaming manes and tales burned a darker shade of light.

"Required? Why, my little pony, of course it is required to worship Her Royal Divinity!"
"We are all blessed to bask in Her light! To enjoy the blessings of Her favor!"

"But... Princess Celestia is not a goddess," the young pony said in confusion. "She's always told us she leads us and protects us, and al that she asks is for us to be the best of ourselves that we can be and to live together in harmony."

"You dare to presume the thoughts and words of Our Goddess?!"
"It would seem you and this town require... correction."

And then, to Midnight and Twilight's horror, the rest of the Solar Ponies appeared in burning flashes of light, standing in unison, like a militia ready for battle. The locals of the town immediately saw something was wrong, but it was too late... and each of the Solar Ponies appeared to go supernova!

And the memory blinked out, alarming Midnight and Twilight.
"Wha- What happened?!" Twilight fretted.

Midnight turned towards Celestia, and spoke in soft admonishment, "What did you do...?!"

Celestia hung her head in shame before she projected a new memory, and Midngiht and Twilight were horrified at what they saw.

The town set ablaze. Bodies lying upon the streets. The Solar Ponies burning with unforgiving fury.

"I sensed the tragedy too late to prevent it..." Celestia spoke with deepest regret. "I summoned the Solar Ponies, demanding why had they done this? Why had they betrayed their vows? Betrayed the ponies they were supposed to protect? Betrayed me?!

"To my horror, to my disgust... they declared they had removed 'heathen traitors' from my kingdom, to prevent their 'treacherous lies' from spreading, to prevent their blasphemy from corrupting the rest of my little ponies... My champions... had become murderous zealots."

"...why?!" Twilight was horrified, "How could they do such horrible things?! How could they possibly justify this- this... Oh!!"

Twilight began to cry into her hooves, Midnight comforting her while glaring at Celestia to continue.

Celestia's heart hurt to see Twilight so dejected, but she had to finish.

"I... I had no choice!" Celestia's voice wavered with emotion, as the memory showed the Solar Ponies stripped of their armor and put in chains, as they protested, pleaded, yet continued to praise their 'goddess' even a they were dragged away.

Into the gates of Tartarus.

"I endeavored to determine, what went wrong?" Celestia went on as the memory showed her looking through magical research and notes, "I'd had to tweak the magic involved to work for my solar magic instead of the lunar magic that had created the first generation of the solar ponies. But other than that, I couldn't figure out what i had done that was so different... until finally, it came to me.

"After looking through my notes, I recalled a particular detail that I realized was the key difference between Luna's creation of her lunar ponies and my creation of my solar ponies."

Midnight wracked his brains, puzzling on what Celestia was getting at, and then remembering his prior life's time-traveling journey. How he'd witnessed the creation of the lunar ponies, how he himself had been changed, not at first but gradually.

It was then, recalling that sacred, beautiful experience, he understood.

"The first lunar ponies were foals!"

"And my solar ponies were all adults," Celestia confirmed, "The change I had worked upon them had altered their fundamental beings! Unlike the first lunar ponies, who'd had the luxury of growing up into these changes, the solar ponies had been changed too much too quickly, without having the chance to understand and figure out these changes and the powers that came with them...

"The Solar Ponies gained many powers, but the one they all shared in common was the power to draw strength from the sun. Some unicorns and even pegasi and earth ponies can do this as well, but not on the same level as the solar ponies."

"So they get a boost of power from the sun, lunar ponies do the same with the moon," Midnight was confused. "What was the difference?"

"The difference, Midnight," Celestia went on, "is that the Lunar Ponies learned how to handle their power along with the power they gained from the moon. The Solar Ponies did not... they constantly absorbed energy from exposure to sunlight. I had no idea of the burden they shouldered as they carried out their duties...

"My solar ponies... they couldn't handle the power, and it- It affected their state of mind! Their emotions, trains of thought! And their oaths... became twisted and corrupt with a passionate zealotry that turned into something monstrous..."

Celestia lit up another memory, and they watched as she returned to the gates of Tartarus and opened them, her horn alit with mana, as she waited. What they saw emerge broke their hearts, as the solar ponies came out, looking pale, wizened, decrepit, like flowers withered from being cut off from the life-giving sun.

"My solar ponies... once proud and noble champions," Celestia sobbed softly, "crippled with grief into withered shells of their former selves. By imprisoning them in Tartarus, I'd cut them off from the sun, and in doing so they'd lost their connection to it. And it came with a cost...

"Without all that solar energy clouding their minds and riling up their emotions, they had returned to their senses. And were overcome with remorse and guilt..."

The memory showed a sad Celestia, leading her fallen heroes back into the daylight, which seemed to have mixed results, as some of them regained some color and stood up straighter while others collapsed into emotional wrecks.

"The full scope of their crimes fell upon them... and they were never the same again. Some managed to find peace and move on with their lives. Others went into seclusion and were never heard from again. A few of them took their own lives, unable to live with the guilt of what they'd done..."

Twilight felt her heart ache at the agonies these poor ponies had felt, in spite of what they'd done.

"I could not bring myself to punish them any more than they'd already been," Celestia sobbed quietly. "To my relief, it seemed none of them ever regained their solar magic. How or why, I cannot say, but my project to create a force of defenders for Equestria had failed so spectacularly would be putting it mildly..."

"But... if the solar ponies lost their solar magic," Midnight pointed out, "then how could Sunset have solar magic?"

"I wondered that same question after I met Sunset," Celestia nodded, "and I took a deep look into her family background... discovering that Sunset was descended from one of my original solar ponies!

"It seemed this solar pony had unknowingly conceived a foal with his mare, and that foal continued the bloodline... all the way down to Sunset Shimmer. It was the traumatic incident she'd faced that ignited her bloodline, awakening her inheritance, and thus she became the first solar pony in centuries."

"But..." Twilight sniffled as she managed to regain some composure as she looked at the memories of all that the had just learned about her mentor, "...why have I never heard of any of this? The solar ponies, the town they razed, the lives they destroyed! All of that should have been made known to Equestria!"

Silence.

Cold, tense, gut-roiling silence.

Twilight turned to Celestia, as did Midnight. And they saw how she hung her head, her mane's forelock shadowing her eyes, but not the tear that trailed down her cheek.

And Midnight understood.

"You covered it up."

Celestia began to shake, emotions writhing inside like a cluster of snakes.

"...you... you created these ponies and brought death and destruction upon an entire town of innocents!" Midnight's eyes began to burn with blazing blue mana. "And then you had the gall to cover it up?!?!"

"I... made... a choice!" Celestia was in tears, looking scared, ashamed, cornered. "I was in... an impossible situation, where there was no choice between right and wrong! ...only bad or worse."

"There was the truth or a lie..." Twilight uttered, so emotionally distraught that she was sobbing into her hooves.
"...and you chose to lie," Midnight said with a look of condemnation.

"I chose what was best for the good of Equestria!!!" Celestia exclaimed, her eyes angry but continue to shed tears. "In a time of unrest and uncertainty! In a time where the good of the many had to come first, where division could not be afforded! A time when my little ponies needed a leader!"

Midnight was aghast, Twilight continued to sob into her hooves, and Celestia continued her rant.

"Did my actions result in loss and destruction? Yes. But they gave me the wisdom I needed to do better in creating the Brotherhood of the Evening Hoods! I've faced evil over and over again and I've triumphed every time because I'm willing to make the choices necessary for the good of ponykind!"

"OH, SHUT UP!!!" Midnight shouted back, his eyes livid, his wings raised in a fighting posture as he began to circle Celestia, their gazes boring into the other's, "You don't know the first thing about wisdom! You don't learn from your mistakes. You don't solve your problems! You send others to clean up your messes for you, putting them in harm's way instead of yourself!"

Celestia looked as though she'd been bucked in the face, and then Midnight pointed a his hoof at her, "You may be powerful... but I've never known someone so weak as you."

Those words cut deep, but Celestia's horn flared with rage as she screamed, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, LECTURING ME?! Standing there, judging like a petulant little colt!"

"Yes, I judge you," Midnight responded as tears welled up in his own eyes, "...and I judge you unworthy."

"...what?!" Celestia reeled back as Midnight's turquoise magic threw her crown off her head.

"You are unworthy of this kingdom."

Then his magic tore off her regalia.

"You are unworthy of your titles!"

He stood before her, glaring into her eyes as his blazed with turquoise fire and flowed with tears.

"YOU ARE UNWORTHY... of the loved ones you've deceived."

Celestia gasped, but Midnight was not done as he stepped back and conjured what appeared to be a parchment and she saw it was one for royal proclamations.

"I now claim Ponyville and all of her surrounding lands, from the Whitetail Woods to the Galloping Gorge! I claim these lands as domain for myself and my wife! In the name of my forefathers, in the name of your Mother! I, Midnight Blaze, cast you out!"

Then a quill was conjured as Midnight signed the proclamation, and then levitated them over to Twilight. To Celestia's dismay, Twilight accepted the quill in her own magic and signed her name as well. The deed was done, and as Midnight helped Twilight to her hooves, he turned to give Celestia one last glare, when Twilight spoke up even though her eyes remain downcast.

"We will always remain faithful servants and protectors to the ponies of Equestria," Twilight stated with a voice calm yet edged with pain, filling Celestia with greater shame, "But you will never be welcome in our domain again... unless we both grant you permission to set hoof there."

Midnight nodded in agreement of his wife's words, though he could not deny their mutual sadness as he sighed deeply.
"Come on, Twily... let's go home."

And as Midnight turned to leave the throne room, carrying the proclamation in his magic, Twilight began to follow.

"Twilight...?" Celestia uttered to her former pupil, her voice heavy with shame and desperation.

Thought Twilight hesitated, she didn't look back, refusing to acknowledge her again, and the purple princess followed her husband out, leaving Celestia alone as the doors slammed shut with an echo of finality.

Next Chapter: 426. Old Burns - Epilogue Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 9 Minutes