“Applejack, dear, what’s going on?” Rarity asked as she trotted downstairs along with everypony. They were following Applejack, who had already reached the foyer, with the letter in her mouth. Her sudden rush was alarming. Applejack had caught everypony off guard.

Applejack stopped and looked around. She didn’t hesitate to spit out the letter and obey to whatever the Princess told her to do. It was weird, though. Why would she hear the Princess’ voice when she wasn’t even there? And why would she ask to open that letter in the middle of the foyer? However, she couldn’t argue with her instincts.

“Applejack!” Rainbow flew and stood in front of her, attempting to snap the mare back to reality.

“I heard a voice, Princess Celestia’s voice!” Applejack ignored Rainbow and proceeded to open the letter as instructed. The other ponies exchanged stares, unsure of what Applejack could mean with a voice.

“Princess Celestia’s voice? But, wasn’t Lauren’s voice the one we heard?” Spike asked.

“No, this was another thing. It happened when y’all left to look for Rarity and Fluttershy.” Applejack looked down at the floor, trying to decide the best spot to lay the letter. Celestia wasn’t very specific. She only told her to open the letter at the middle of the foyer, and that’s what she was going to do. “When I grabbed this consarnit letter, I feel dizzy. I got a terrible headache and I heard Princess Celestia’s voice. It said that I had to open this letter at the middle of the foyer. She said that I’d save two lives!”

Everypony exchanged stares once again in confusion, looking back at Applejack with eyebrows raised. If Pinkie weren’t in the room, Applejack would be the craziest mare around.

“What in Equestria are you talking about, Applejack?” Rainbow tilted her head. Even though she didn’t show it, she was actually concerned about what her friend just claimed.

“Sorry, I bet it’s hard to believe, but it’s true! Why would I lie?” Applejack looked down at the letter one more time. She had set it right on the middle of the foyer, yet nothing happened. The letter stood there, motionless. There was no sign that something was about to happen.

“I… I believe you, Applejack,” Fluttershy said from behind. Her head bowed a little as she received the stares from everypony in the room. She hid behind her own mane in embarrassment.

“Thanks, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled at her and looked back at the letter. “But… nothing’s happening. I did as instructed, but nothing happened.” She tried to find the meaning of that. Why wasn't the letter doing anything? What could a simple scrap of paper do in the middle of the foyer? How could it possibly save two lives by being there?

“Maybe it was all just an illusion from the headache you got?” Rarity suggested. It could have been that all along, a mere illusion, a trick of the mind. “You know, maybe you imagined it.”

“No, Rarity, I’m sure I heard the Princess voice, much like I heard Lauren’s voice just a while ago. Talkin’ about that, you two heard Lauren voice sayin’ something about regrettin’ creatin’ a show or something a while ago, right?” Applejack looked at both Rarity and Fluttershy, who simply nodded. “I still wonder what the hay was that all about.”

“Well, what does that letter say in the first place?” Rainbow looked down at the letter, squinting her eyes to take a better look at the Princess’ fancy writing.

“I don’t know. I didn’t manage to read the letter. I collapsed as soon as I grabbed it.” Applejack recalled the events from before. From now on, she would not bite on somepony’s mail again.

“I think it’s about the Princess summoning both Twilight and Lauren to Canterlot,” Spike commented. After all, he was the one who received the letter. Even though he didn’t read it, he was sure it had to be something like that. “But I don’t know if there’s more to it than just that. Let’s take a look!”

Everypony nodded and gathered around in a circle, deciding to finally read the mysteries behind that letter. As soon as they closed the circle, they looked down at the letter, only to be greeted with a faint flash of light coming from it.

“What’s that?” Applejack tried to ignore the flash and read the words written on the letter, but they were too blurry to be legible anymore.

Everypony else experienced the same issue. Soon enough, the faint light burst into a bright flash of light, causing the ponies to jump back and close their eyes. Two loud thuds could be heard coming from the letter, but nopony had their eyes open to see and confirm what those noises could be.

“Eek!”

“Whoa!”

“Whee!”

Finally, the light faded. The foyer returned to its former brightness, allowing everypony to safely open their eyes. Nopony was sure of what just happened, nor aware of what they were going to find out next right in front of them.

Applejack was the first to snap out of her daze, staring at where the letter had been only a few seconds ago. Instead of parchment , she found not one, but two ponies lying on where the letter was supposed to be. “T-Twilight!? Princess Luna!?” Her eyes went wide open as she tried to process what she was seeing.

Everypony else opened their eyes and had the same reaction. They looked at both mares, lying unconscious on the floor. However, nopony said a word. The shock was too big to do something about it. Just what happened? Why the letter burst into light? Why did Luna and Twilight appeared out of nowhere in the library?

“Well, don’t y’all stand there lookin’ at me doin’ nothing! Help me out here!”

“Faust! It’s over now! This is where my journey ends!” Lauren exclaimed. She slammed her hoof against the floor, almost crushing the horn that was lying relatively close to her. It was truly over now. As Celestia said before; the one losing her horn was the one fated to lose, and in the case, Faust was the loser.

Faust expression still showed nothing but disbelief. Her eyes rolled down to stare at her cut off horn, then up at Lauren. Her mouth twitched, generating a smile, and the first sign of expression from her. “No…” she whispered. “It… is not… over.” Her head bowed. She started to whimper at first, but it gradually transformed into laughter.

What do you mean it’s not over yet? Lauren took a step back. Only because Faust’s horn was cut off, it didn’t mean she could afford to drop her guard. Faust was a sneaky foe, and she could have more tricks hidden under her hoof.

“Do you think you’ve won, Celestia? Well, do you!?” Faust yelled, her legs and body shaking. Her head raised and she looked at Lauren with her eyes filled in despair. Her wicked frown was displayed all over her face. A few seconds passed, but nothing else came from Faust’s mouth other than heavy exhalations.

“This life, this world, is as real as any other,” Lauren calmly said. “I initially considered this world to be purely fantasy, since I only knew and understood my own frame of reference, my point of view. However, I have finally understood it’s not like that.” She took a step forward. “These ponies live a real life, even though they are fictional in my world. These ponies are living their fictional real lives, and thanks to you, they’re in fictional real danger.” She looked at Faust, who seemed to cringe after that last sentence. “My answer is your answer. My answer is yes. I am prepared to my life on the line for the safety of this world and it's inhabitants.”

Faust groaned, her body still shaking. However, in less than a second, she relaxed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Heh. Well done, Lauren. Well done indeed.” She let out a faint chuckle, opening her eyes and looking at her with a smirk. It was not over yet. “Congratulations, Lauren. You’ve finally answered the question.” She took a step forward. Lauren took a step back in response. “But tell me, how does that help you from being defeated by me!?” As soon as she finished that sentence, she charged at Lauren, kicking her hind legs to jump at her.

Lauren didn’t have time to react. It all happened too fast and without warning. Faust’s hoof was the last thing she felt on her face before feeling a great pain building on it. She felt as her body jumped back in response from the savage jab. She groaned as she hit the ground. Never in her life had she feel a direct punch to the face, and it wasn’t exactly a pleasant sensation.

“Uhh…”

“G-guys! Twilight’s waking up!” Immediately after hearing Rainbow’s shout, Applejack and Fluttershy ran towards her. They were upstairs, taking care of Twilight and Luna, who were both lying down on the two beds of the room; Twilight on her own bed, and Luna on Lauren’s.

Applejack and Fluttershy joined Rainbow as they stared at the injured Twilight opening her eyes. Her hearts filled with relief, knowing that their dear friend opened her eyes one more time. However, Luna didn’t show any kind of response coming from her. She was perfectly still, softly breathing in a deep sleep.

“My… head.” Twilight blinked, moving her head around, unaware of the presences standing right next to her.

“Twilight! Are you okay?” Applejack asked.

“I… what?” Realization struck Twilight as she realized where she was and who just greeted her. “Whoa!” She raised herself from the bed, being stopped by Rainbow’s hooves holding her tight to prevent her from falling off.

“Wow, easy, Twilight! Calm down!” Rainbow said. She managed to control Twilight, lying her down once again. “What happened?”

“Princess Celestia! Evil! Monster! Lauren!” Twilight hyperventilated, shaking her head wildly. The burning sensation on her chest was still lingering. It was a very rough buck she received, not to mention the uppercut.

“Twilight! Twilight!” This time, it was Applejack who grabbed Twilight and snapped her out of her anxiety. “What in tarnation is wrong with you!?”

Twilight stopped. She realized where she was and who were talking to her. She was back at the library, but how? Just a few moments ago she was knocked out back at Canterlot Castle. She looked at Rainbow, then at Applejack. Fluttershy watched the whole situation from a distance, unwilling to join and cause any mess.

“Applejack! Rainbow! What happened?” Twilight asked. She was still shocked, but she tried to regain her composure, thing that seemed to be a hard task at the moment.

“That’s what we want to know!” Rainbow replied. She pointed her hoof at Princess Luna. “Why did you and Princess Luna appear out of nowhere? Why you two were fainted? What happened?”

Twilight recalled the events from before she blacked out. She was in battle, and Faust had given her a good dose of hoof, with a portion of buck. After that, she didn’t have any memory up until she awoke with Applejack’s and Rainbow’s faces in front of her. “I don’t know…”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What happened to you, girl? You seem pretty beat up.”

“Um, I- I will go tell e-everypony that Twilight woke up.” Fluttershy muttered, but nopony listened to her. She waited for an answer, but it was not going to come. Silently, she left the room, looking for Rarity, Pinkie and Spike, who were downstairs.

“I was… ugh!” Twilight pressed her hoof against her chest. The pain still drilled deep inside her. However, that wasn’t going to stop her from talking. “I was at Canterlot, and I…”

“You sure you’re okay? You seem to be badly hurt. What happened, who the hay attacked you?”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to answer. The whole deal was too big to just spit it in a few words. “Faust attacked me, and I-”

“Faust? You mean Lauren? I knew we couldn’t trust that shady mare! Next time I see her, I’m gonna punch her lights out!” Rainbow burst with anger. If there was one thing she hated, it was seeing her friends hurt.

“N-no! It wasn’t her. I mean, it was her, but… argh!” Twilight gave up. The entire matter was too complex for her to explain right now. Sure, she knew the absolute truth, and so did Luna, but that was it. Her friends were still oblivious about the events that happened moments ago back at Canterlot. They didn’t know that Celestia turned evil, or that it was all Faust’s doing, or the truth about who Lauren really was, or even the fact that they were all a product of her imagination.

“Twilight, what are you spittin’? I don’t understand anythin’ you’re sayin’!” Applejack tilted her head. Her concern about Twilight did nothing but increase.

Twilight bowed her head, looking at her bed sheet. Was it really okay to tell everypony what she knew? Well, they deserved to know the truth, right? But, would they believe her? Of course not. The whole thing would be unbelievable for anypony. However, if they really trusted her, they would believe her. Yes, she was sure they would. She finally made up her mind. “I have something to say. It’s about Lauren, and… everypony.”

“What is it?” Rainbow asked. “What about that traitor wannabe alicorn?”

“Don’t call her that!” Twilight glared at Rainbow. “Get everypony here. This is something you all need to hear…”

Lauren opened her eyes. Her face felt stiff, much like any part of the body after a long time with a bag of ice on it. She looked at Faust, who still held the same pose as when she punched her. “What the heck is wrong with you!?” she yelled. She got back on her hooves, avoiding thinking about the pain on her face.

“Maybe my horn was cut off, so what? I can still beat you up until you beg for me to stop!” Faust grinned. One of her pupils was looking at the bottom left corner, while the other one was looking straight at Lauren. “Do you know why I didn’t eliminate Celestia back when she was a filly? It was because I couldn’t. I couldn’t because she had a great love for you. Now, I can’t eliminate her, because you are here! You have revived that dreadful love she has for you!”

“So, why didn’t you take my life when you dragged me here to Equestria? Wouldn’t that be a lot easier than fooling us around and make Celestia go wild?” Lauren no longer felt the pain on her face. Her mind was only focused on finding the truth.

“That would have been too convenient, right? Sadly, it was thanks to Celestia that I couldn’t do it! I can’t take your life unless I eliminate Celestia! She is the one protecting your soul from being taken from me! I hate it!” Faust struck both her front hooves on the floor. “Because of Celestia, I felt an unbearable pain when she broke my wings. And now… she cut off my precious horn! That good for nothing excuse of a ruler! I despise her!”

“Shut your mouth! Celestia is the most generous, fair, and kind co-ruler of Equestria! Don’t you dare trash talk her like that! You will never be half the mare Celestia is!” Lauren clenched her teeth, ready to launch more attacks at Faust.

“I had her under my unbreakable control! I should’ve been able to exterminate her! But I couldn’t. I couldn’t because of you, disgusting ex-human!” Faust pointed her hoof at Lauren, which caused the latter to groan in anger. “Celestia. That coward is always hiding! She is even hiding from us as we speak!”

“I’ve had enough with you talking trash about me and Celestia! You’re just frustrated because your plan didn’t work! Under no circumstances am I giving my life, in this world or elsewhere, to a complete monster like you!”

“C’mon, Celestia!” Faust shouted, apparently ignoring that last claim Lauren threw at her. “Come on, fat flank! Reveal yourself! Stop hiding like the sewer rat you are! What’s wrong, filly? Are you scared of your momma!?”

Lauren couldn’t stand it anymore. She wasn’t going to let Faust to insult her and Celestia any further. My horn. If I impale her chest… She waited for the moment. Faust was looking around the room, looking for the Princess. Now! Without a second thought, she ran towards Faust, bowing her head to align her horn with the psychotic mare. The distance between them wasn’t long. It was only a matter of seconds.

Faust chortled and jumped away to one side in time to avoid Lauren’s impact. “Fool! Did you forget I can read your thoughts? Pathetic human!” Faust watched as Lauren braked, turning her body to face her. “My turn!” Faust launched herself at Lauren, ready to impact her again with a solid punch to her pretty pony face.

And then, it happened.

“Okay, Twilight. Let me see if I got this straight.” Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re trying to tell us that Princess Celestia asked you and Lauren to meet her at Canterlot, correct?”

“Yes.” Twilight nodded.

“It was all for the purpose of helping Lauren find her way back home, since she’s not from this world, but from another, am I right?”

“Correct.”

“After you got there, Princess Celestia turned her back on you two and turned evil, with the sole purpose of eliminating Lauren, who turned out to be the Princesses’ real mother, and creator of this whole world. Then you two had a confrontation with her, and Princess Luna joined the battle a little while after, only to be defeated by her sister, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“And after all hope seemed to be lost, this new Celestia-sized alicorn, which is identical to Lauren, appeared out of nowhere to stop Princess Celestia. And after a while, she managed to defeat her.”

“Uh huh.”

“Then, this ‘Faust’ alicorn showed you three about how Princess Celestia was corrupted back when she was a filly and got her cutie mark. And, since Lauren arrived in Equestria from this other world of hers, Princess Celestia went crazy and wanted to exterminate all four of you.”

“Indeed.”

“Then, Lauren claimed that she is the creator of Equestria, and that the Princesses, you, me, and everypony else are merely characters in her own story. You mean to tell us that we are all just a story that was created from Lauren’s imagination, is that right?”

“Hard to believe, huh?”

“Not only that, but Faust turned out to be the real culprit behind Princess Celestia’s actions, since she was manipulating her ever since Lauren arrived to Equestria, and I should mention that it was Faust who dragged her here. After she caught you all from illusions, the real Princess Celestia appeared and broke the spell, revealing Faust as the real culprit. Is that it?”

“I was very shocked as well!”

“And this was all because Faust desires the life Lauren has back in her own world? She plotted this entire thing to take over Lauren’s life, and to achieve that goal, she must eliminate Princess Celestia? Is that what you’re trying to tell us?”

“Well, yes.”

“And in this final battle, Faust physically assaulted you and Princess Luna, causing you two to faint. Finally, the last thing you remember is waking up here. Is that your whole story?”

“That is correct. It’s the whole story.”

Rarity blinked, and then turned her body. “Oh ho ho, Twilight, my dear. What a bad dream you had!” she chuckled, looking back at Twilight with a smile on her face. “You shouldn’t eat too many daisy sandwiches before going to sleep or else you’ll end up having wacky dreams like that!”

“Huh? What? No! It was not a dream. It really happened, honest!” Twilight couldn’t believe that Rarity was actually suggesting that everything was a dream. Maybe if Luna weren’t resting on the other bed, and she didn’t have a terrible pain on her chest, she would believe it. But no way it was a dream.

Everypony stared at each other, unsure of which side to pick.

“Twilight, darling. I’m sure it was all a bad dream, a sole product of your vivid and bright imagination.” Rarity waved a hoof around. “I’d suggest for you to shut your eyes and get some more rest.”

“W-wait a second! You think I'm lying? After all we've been through together? What I just told you is all true.” Twilight wasn’t going to let Rarity convince everypony that she was a liar. She looked at the confused stares she was receiving from everypony, which didn’t seem to be too supportive.

“I’m sure, I’m sure…” Rarity tapped Twilight’s forehead with a hoof. “I’m sure you’re only suffering from exhaustion. I do believe that a good nap will fix that crazy mind of yours!”

“That’s not it, Rarity! Seriously, honestly, I’m telling the truth!” Twilight exclaimed. This time, the smile on Rarity disappeared, and she received a cold glare from her.

“That’s quite enough, dear!” Rarity raised a hoof. “Tell me, is there any part of your story that is even remotely believable? Lauren, the creator of Equestria? Just what kind of nonsense is that? That’s simply unbelievable!”

“I- I know it’s hard to believe, but-“

“Seriously, don’t you all agree with me? How can anypony seriously think that crazy fairy tale is ever possible?” Rarity asked the mares and dragon in the room. Nopony answered, except for one.

“Well… it’s kinda hard to believe, Twi,” Rainbow said, tilting her head to one side. “It’s just too crazy to be true.”

“See? Everypony shares the same opinion!” Rarity nodded. However, her previous claim was going to receive an objection, from none other than the Element of Honesty herself.

“But…” Applejack interrupted.

“Huh, what is it, dear?” Rarity asked. Twilight looked at Applejack, unsure of what she could bring to the table. It already seemed that Rarity had convinced everypony that Twilight was a crazy mare who had a crazy dream.

“I mean, I don’t think Twilight is lyin’. I saw her face when she was tellin’ us what happened, and there was not a single sign on doubt on her face,” Applejack claimed.

“Huh, what are you talking about, Applejack?” Rarity asked.

“Besides,” Spike said this time. “Princess Luna is here too. She arrived along with Twilight, fainted. They apparently popped out of the letter that Applejack set on the foyer.”

“And it was Princess Celestia who told me to do it. If you link Luna and Twilight being knocked out by Faust with them appearin’ right here in the library, it makes perfect sense! Not to mention Lauren’s voice we all heard a while ago. If she is the creator of this land, it makes sense what she said, even if she said something about a show.” Applejack's words were backed by simple, solid, unbreakable logic. This made Rarity open her eyes in astonishment.

“What? Wait a minute! So is that what you think now? Are you actually saying that now you believe what Twilight is claiming?” Rarity looked at everypony who didn’t answer to her question. “Well, what’s your answer?”

“I… I believe her…” Fluttershy muttered from behind.

“Huh? What did you say? So, Fluttershy. You’re now claiming that Lauren is the creator of this land and that we are all fictional characters in her story?” Rarity couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could they possibly believe in such a far-fetched old mare’s tale? Twilight couldn’t believe what Fluttershy was saying as well.

Fluttershy shrieked, gulping to answer to her surprised friend. “I mean, sure, it’s hard to believe that Lauren is our creator, and that this... clone of her wants to take over her life. But, there’s something more important here. Yes, Twilight is more important. That’s why I believe in Twilight.”

“F-Fluttershy…” Twilight felt an itchy sensation in her eyes. She could burst in tears right now, but it was not the moment. Not yet.

“Hey, I believe her too!” Spike claimed.

“I believe you, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“Oh, Spike… Applejack.” The itchy sensation within Twilight grew stronger. She was touched that her friends actually believed in her story. It was so crazy, yet her friends believed in her.

“Me too, I believe in Twilight. She’s our friend, after all,” Rainbow said.

“Oh oh, so do I!” Pinkie bounced on her hooves. She offered one of her huge smiles to Twilight.

Rarity’s eyes went wide open. She wanted to protest, or say something, but no words could articulate in her throat. She was speechless.

“T-thanks, everypony. Thank you so much for believing me.” Twilight’s eyes couldn’t hold it anymore. She started to leak some tears from them. She was graceful with them. They believed her, even though she was sure they’d call her crazier than Pinkie Pie.

“Well, seems like we all agree!” Applejack said. “We believe in Twilight! That’s what true friends do, am I right?”

“Whoa, now hold on, Applejack,” Rainbow interrupted. “We’re not all in agreement, are we?” She looked at Rarity, causing everypony to stare at her as well. “We’re all good with the story, but I suspect that Rarity isn’t convinced.”

“Huh, is that all? Heh, y’all don’t need to worry about Rarity. I mean, she is convinced, right, sugarcube?” Applejack smiled at Rarity, who recurred to shut her mouth and try to hide her expressions from everypony. “Because Rarity believed in Twilight’s story all along, am I correct?”

Everypony stared at Rarity with surprise. What Applejack just claimed was true? Did Rarity believe in Twilight’s story from the beginning? Then why would she act like she did before? Everypony was waiting from Rarity’s answer, looking as how she bit her lower lip while drop of sweat began descending through her cheeks.

“Wah hah hah, well, Applejack, there’s no fooling you. I admit it. Yes. I believed in Twilight right from the beginning.” Rarity raised a hoof and slid it through her mane, tilting her head up in fashion.

“Huh?” Everypony said in unison.

“But if I would have said that I believed her right away, everypony would have just gone along with what I said!” Rarity claimed. This caused everypony to look at each other with smiles on their faces.

“Likely story,” Rainbow said.

“That’s why I was so contrary! I wanted to put your friendship to the test! To see if you really trust our dear friend Twilight, and I must say I’m quite proud of you, darlings.” Rarity let out a nervous chuckle. “I knew everypony would surely believe in Twilight!” She laughed again.

Everypony laughed, covering the nervous laugh of Rarity with chortles of fun.

“So anyway,” Applejack said. “What are we all gonna do now, Twilight?” The laughs stopped and all the stares were fixed at Twilight.

“Well, I guess we should wait until Princess Luna wakes up. She might know more about what’s going on than me. And also… we should wait for Lauren and Princess Celestia. We can only hope that they're okay.”

“And who are you calling a fat flank, Faust?” Celestia stood in between Lauren and Faust. There was a hoof on her face, but she didn’t show any signs of being bothered by it. Her mane and tail were back to their usual four colors.

Faust growled and jumped back, keeping her distance from Celestia. The two mares looked at each other. “You! How dare you block my attack!?”

“Give it a rest, Faust. It’s over now,” Celestia said.

Lauren looked from behind Celestia. She was relieved she had appeared now. A second punch to her face wouldn’t have been so pleasant, after all. “Princess Celestia!”

“Lauren. It’s time now. We are going to finish Faust right here, right now,” Celestia said, looking directly at Faust.

“Please, Celestia! You’ve been saying that over and over. It’s getting old! Less blah, blah, blah, and more action! Show me what your fat flank can do!” Faust grinned and laughed, her squinted and bloodshot eyes wide open. “I am the creator of Equestria! You can’t defeat me! Not in this life, not in the other one!”

“Lauren. I’ll use a spell to stun Faust, but it will only work for a few seconds. My magic power has run out thanks to that beam struggle I had with her.” Celestia took a step forward. “When my stun spell hits her, you only have one chance to pierce her chest with your horn, understood?”

“Y-yes.” Lauren gulped. It was really going to be over now. It all depend in the success of their strategy. Succeed, and she could return back home. Fail... and she would have her life and husband stolen away from her. “I’m ready.”

“Fools! You will never defeat me! You will succumb against me! Perish, you parasites!” Faust launched herself at Celestia, ready to strike her with a punch right on the face. However, Celestia, along with Lauren disappeared from sight. “Huh!?” Faust quickly looked behind her, but there was nopony to be found. She looked above, but no traces of Celestia or Lauren were there. Finally, she returned her stare at the point where Celestia and Lauren were standing, only to find out that they were back there. “N-no!”

“Yes.” Celestia shot a weak bolt of magic from her horn, which impacted Faust right away. Celestia jumped back, looking as the bolt enveloped Faust in what it seemed like magical chains. Much like the ones that trapped Luna back when she was fighting Celestia. “Now, Lauren!”

“No! Wait! Don’t do it, please!” Faust begged, but the time to beg was over. She squirmed, trying to struggle her way out of the chains, but it was all futile. Her body was dead and unwilling to cooperate. “If you destroy me, you’ll disappear with me!”

“Huh!?” Lauren stared at Faust. She was about to sprint and finish the whole deal, however, Faust’s words stopped her. “What do you mean?”

“You are me, or did you forget that?” Faust shouted, never losing her trademark smirk, ignoring the dire situation caused by her alter ego and her very own daughter. “If you destroy your other half, what will happen? You will destroy yourself! Is that really what you want?”

“Lauren! Don’t listen to her! She is lying!” Celestia exclaimed from behind.

“Do you truly think that I still harbor a smidgen of trust for you, alter ego or no?” Lauren exclaimed “Unlike you, I accept responsibility for my actions and my creations! I am prepared to give my life to save Equestria from a monster such as you!” She was quite surprised at the volume and power behind her own voice, however this wasn't the time to investigate her new species' quirks.

Faust smirk disappeared. She tried to struggle again, but it was useless. Celestia's binding spell was far too complex to be broken by brute force. “Idiot! You’re so stubborn!” She clenched her teeth. There was no stopping Lauren now.

Lauren stared at her nemesis, the one who believed that her ends justified any means, the one who was prepared to sacrifice the sanctity of a whole society if not a whole world to achieve her selfish goals. She could not believe that her self-declared alter ego would act like so, but she remember her own indirect actions against Luna and the Elements of Harmony; she had unwittingly trapped her own daughter inside her mind for a thousand years, and unleashed Discord's comical horror, yet here was an opportunity to repent for her own sins and resolve those of another with the same blow, to kill two birds with one stone.

“This is for all the damage you have caused me and everyone here in Equestria!” Lauren drew in a deep breath and shouted “For your heinous crimes against Equestria's royalty, my daughters and myself, I bring your well-deserved penance to you!” Her declaration did not echo from the walls at all, which seemed unusual for such a loud magically-empowered shout. Lauren charged at her own darker half as Twilight had charged at Luna's, and thrust her horn directly into Faust’s chest.

“Y-you! Nooo!” Faust squeaked. Her head and body twitched as red, bloody foam poured out of her mouth. Her pupils were nowhere to be found, leaving only white eyes on display. Her last words left everyone guessing, searching for a trick or feint, a Thanatos gambit befitting the fallen mare; “I… can’t… believe… this!”

As Faust's screams of despair slowly died away, Lauren yanked her head upwards, cleaving her nemesis in half. As the adrenaline rush of the immortal game's gruesome conclusion died away, Lauren remembered Craig. Would my husband think of me as a bloodthirsty monster if he observed this scene, on television or otherwise?

The magical bindings around Faust fade away, allowing an unparalleled view of the hairline cracks slowly spreading all over her body. Within less than a minute, the cracks glow with something akin to a magical aura — the same pearly-white color that Lauren and Faust shared.

What will my new friends think of me now? Twilight and the Princesses would understand, for they witnessed most of the events, they understood my desperation and determination, for they experienced it themselves. Twilight’s friends, however… Fluttershy would probably be too meek to say anything, she would keep her concerns pent up inside. Pinkie Pie could take anything in stride, she was nothing to worry about, other than the inevitable “Thanks-For-Saving-The-World” party. Applejack will probably believe me, and Rainbow Dash will probably look forward to continuing our flight lessons. Rarity is more-or-less a wildcard… but she trusts her friends’ judgment…

Lauren and Celestia looked as Faust’s body lost its natural color. Her coat, mane, tail and every single part of her body became of a golden color. In a matter of seconds, her glittery body started to leak beams of light from inside. The cracks grew bigger, causing the beams of light to do as well. Finally, a bubble of light surrounded Faust, causing her body to vanish like dust. And with that, Faust, the evil mastermind behind Celestia’s actions, the one who attacked Luna, the one who deceived everypony, the one who wanted Lauren’s life was defeated.

Lauren smiled. She was satisfied with what she had seen. It was over now, truly over. She felt reinvigorated, and yet tired at the same time, as if a stream of energy was constantly entering her body only to be used up at a breakneck speed. “I’m so tired...” She walked towards one of the nearest more-or-less intact couch, and fell directly into a deep sleep.

“Rest, my little pony, for there is one last place we should visit before it all ends.”