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Finally, the plot's getting back on track. No, not that kind of plot, it's a clopless chapter!

CHAPTER 23

“Well, tha’ was a thing.” Applejack sighed, holding an ice-pack to Rarity’s chin as Ponyville crawled with Royal Guards, inspecting every sentient being in town for traces of the Succuponi’s magic, several concentric rings of Guards bearing gleaming pikes bristling like a giant, angry hedgehog around their Princesses, and by dint of proximity, the bearers of the Elements that were still in the town.

“Yeah … just wow, you know.” Rainbow replied, her eyes fixed on where a cluster of Royal Guards stood around a cage of solid gold, spears thrust through the bars, the heavily-enchanted spear-heads pressed firmly against the neck of the goop-imprisoned Succuponi inside, who had remained catatonic ever since being rejected by Twilight. “Kinda scary, you know? Twilight almost got turned into a Demon because of some creepy Mare she tried to help once? That’s … creepy. And scary. And weird.”

“I’m sure she had her reasons …” Fluttershy whispered as she changing the bandages on Celestia’s horn, the Solar Princess murmuring her thanks as the herbal water the bandages had been soaked in stole away the aches from the abused horn.

“Be that as it may, did I really require an Apple-Family Haymaker?” Rarity grunted, giving Applejack, and then Twilight, a steel-melting glare.

“Rares, you’ll sit on your plot in-front of your mirror and preen till the world ends if you think your mane’s not good enough to be seen in public. An’ with all that magic goin’ on, an’ all that screamin’ from the basement, you were jus’ gonna sit there an’ argue with Twi?” Applejack shot back, scowling back at the Unicorn.

“Rarity.” Celestia said, firmly, drawing the white Unicorn’s attention to her. “I have done far worse to a Pony much closer to me. If trapping you all in the stasis field would have spared Equestria another Lust War, I would have done so. My responsibilities to the Ponies, and other races, that dwell within Equestria’s borders demand no less.”

Rarity blinked, her mouth opening to protest, before her eyes wandered over to where Luna was talking to a balding, middle-aged Unicorn in a General’s uniform, and her mouth snapped shut.

“That was what I was worried about, Rarity, if Sunset had gotten to us she could have corrupted us into more Succuponies. And then we’d have to be sent to Tartarus to prevent us turning more Ponies in turn. Assuming that, given our connection to the Elements of Harmony, we even could be sent to Tartarus, or that we wouldn’t immediately corrupt the Elements and become unstoppable.” Twilight explained, bowing her head in guilt as Rarity closed her eyes and compressed her mouth into an angry frown. “I just … I tried to help her find friends. I never gave Sunset any hint, any indication I felt a romantic attraction to her, so why did she … it doesn’t make any sense!”

“If I may offer a theory on Sunset's actions?” Celestia sighed, pushing herself up to a sitting position as the Ponies around her turned their attention back to her, concern written all over their faces. “I suspect that Sunset Shimmer, being as ambitious and cold as she was towards Ponies, never made any friends in either this world, or the other one, and thus could not truly understand the difference between friendship and romantic feelings. As time passed in the other world and her personality isolated her from the beings around her, she probably became obsessed with you, a kind stranger who was not only stronger than her but was able to develop emotional rapports with others, something Sunset could never do.”

“If her life on ‘Earth’ became miserable, she probably fell into delusions about a relationship with yourself to retreat from the pain, and as time went by, she would find it harder and harder to leave the delusion and face the reality where she would have to deal with the repercussions of her actions. It would offer a reason why she went after the Spell-Scroll and met Trixie, rather than directly coming after you when she returned to Equestria. If Sunset could make herself indispensable to you, she could stay by your side and make her delusion a reality if she could solve your ‘failure’ for you.”

“Tha’s … kinda sad, Princess. Y’mean to say that all Sunset wanted was a friend, an’ now that she’s this Suck-yuh-thingy, she’s … gotta got to Tartarus?” Applejack murmured as her friends all turned to look at the cage where Sunset was confined. Twilight shuddered, having seen glimpses of that infernal prison-realm when she had returned Cerberus to his post at the gates.

Despite all she did, and what she almost did to me, sending Sunset to that place seems like the cruellest thing we could do. She’s just … lonely, and confused about how to deal with other Ponies, just like I used to be ... right?

“Maybe we could use the Elements of Harmony to try and purify her?” Fluttershy asked, earning a shrug from Twilight.

“Perhaps. But it was the Element of Magic that corrupted her in the first place when Sunset tried to force it to accept her as its new host. A full dose of Harmony could cure her … or it could turn her to stone. Or banish her to Tartarus. Or … it could kill her.” The purple Princess sighed and rubbed at her temples in frustration. “It might save her, it might destroy her, and even then we have no guarantee that it will even affect her given that the Element of Magic was a component in her transformation in the first place. Faust help us all, it might even empower her further, I mean, she was able to shrug off a Binding Spell from Celestia and almost melted her way through restraints made of pure gold, which are supposed to be proof against the powers of Tartarus. I don’t think we can handle a Succuponi wielding a corrupted Rainbow of Harmony …”

“That, my friends, is a topic for another day.” Luna pointed out, walking through the ring of Guards to rejoin them. “For now, we must put Sunset Shimmer in the Cell of Ultimate Holding, where she won’t be able to escape or use her magic against other Ponies. And the only way we’re going to be able to do that is on a train, since trying to carry the cage back to Canterlot via flying carriage would be too much for the Pegasi. Especially if she came-to on the way back with no Unicorns or Alicorns around to cast a binding spell upon her.”

“How have the media taken the news? That a Fiend started running amok and attacked Twilight during your training mission?” Celestia asked as the Element-Bearers started to discuss how they were going to try and put today behind them.

“Quite well, actually. Everypony loves a hero, after all.” The Lunar Princess gave her sister a tired grin. “The fact that Sunset Shimmer was unpopular with many of the Ponies in Canterlot, and was also a known Unicorn supremacist before she was exiled, will garner more attention than anything else, I think.”

“Good. At least something is going right today.” Celestia sighed and forced herself to her hooves, suddenly feeling the weight of five thousand years on her shoulders. “Twilight, Luna, although I know this will cause problems, I need you both to remain in Ponyville, where I can ensure you will be protected. We were lucky this time, but I will sleep easier if you are someplace with a strong Guard-presence.”

“Uh, but the Press will …” Twilight pointed out, before swallowing her protest as she looked at her friends, then the small army of Guards Ponies occupying the town, and then the cage containing the Succuponi. “Oh-kay, yeah, Paparazzi are not the biggest threat here.”

“I will leave only a token force of Guards here, but I will put the Agents here on full alert. Which means you’re going to be making some new ‘friends’, Twilight.” Smiling softly, the Solar Princess walked over and nuzzled her former student’s head, then her sister. “And Luna, I have to ask, how is the … training … going? Pinkie has told me some … interesting news.”

“Ah. Yes, well, Twilight and I believe we may have found a way to get around our magic inter-twining against our wishes, but the more … embarrassing half of the problem still exists.” Luna replied quietly, blushing furiously, as did Twilight. “That is all I will say in public.”

“Well, so long as you two don’t cause another incident like what happened in Canterlot, it should be fine.” The Solar Princess stopped, then chuckled. “At least there’s no suits of armor here for you two to animate and send chasing my maids through the hallways.”

“So … wait … we’re going to completely ignore the media and have Luna and Twilight out in public, and have Ponyville invaded by the paparazzi and who-knows-what? Does nobody else think this is going to end poorly?” Rainbow Dash asked suddenly, shooting a hoof into the air. “Like, it’s bad enough with the usual snoops showing up to spy on us, now you’re adding Luna to the mix? If their magic is causing issues, why not just separate them?”

“Because someday, Twilight will have to leave Ponyville and take up her full duties as a Princess.” Celestia replied calmly, her eyes trailing over Rainbow with a sad look. “If Twilight and Luna cannot overcome their entanglement, then they may never be able to defend Equestria together, and that would be a weakness our enemies would exploit.”

“I’m not … not leaving for a while. A long while.” Twilight blurted after almost a minute of awkward silence. “A-a-and I’ll always come to visit, Pinkie Promise!”

“Y-yeah, not for a while. Hey, we might even move to Canterlot? Applejack needs an office there to keep up with the demand for her apples, Pinkie’s always wanted to open her own bakery, Rarity has always wanted to move there, and Fluttershy … maybe she can take over the Royal Animal Nursery?” Rainbow added, a big, false smile on her face.

“Yes, well, that’s a conversation for another time.” Luna murmured as a Royal Guard bearing two blue stripes on his uniform approached. “Lieutenant? Something to report?”

“Ma’am! The medics say that the wounded Guards are fit for duty, and that the Succuponi is completely non-responsive.” The Guard saluted smartly, eyes fixed on Celestia’s hooves. “Just in case she does start to come out of her catatonic state, the Magi have enacted a triple-layer barrier around her cage, and studded it with lightning runes. If she cracks out of the melted rubber Princess Twilight trapped her in, she’ll be shocked back into the stone-age.”

“Well done, but I will be overseeing her transfer to Canterlot personally. Tell the Magi in charge of preparing the carriage I will be there shortly, and to prepare a Starswirl-class grounding circle for my use, as well as protective rune-circle for two Guards to act as my escorts.” Celestia replied after a few moments of thought. “I wish I could stay and console the Ponies here, but we need to get Sunset Shimmer into the Cell of Ultimate Confinement before she comes to.”

“Sister, take care. She’s a high-caste Succuponi if she could still use magic when there was that much gold on her person, possibly a Queen-caste.” Luna whispered, hugging her sister tightly before stepping back so that Twilight could do the same, and the other Ponies could bow, or in Applejack’s case, shake Celestia’s hoof and wish her well.

“So … how are you two going to handle living in Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash asked, nervously glancing from Twilight to Luna. “I mean … AJ here was telling me you two were … glowing? Is that gonna be a thing?”

“It shouldn’t … be a problem. Right?” Twilight said, blushing as she looked to Luna for confirmation. “We’ll just have to … to not do any testing in town.”

“Yes, I’m sure we’ll have no problems.” Luna nodded, laying a wing on Twilight’s back and beaming. “Besides, we still haven’t gotten that mouthwash yet. Oh! That reminds me, before I forget, Celestia!”

“Yes, Luna?” Celestia called back, looking over her shoulder to the clustered Ponies.

“I’m going to need ‘the box’. The one at the back of my wardrobe.”

“I don’t know which …”

“The one you gave me when I first came back? The one with all the … teaching aids in it. Like what Twilight used in her fight against the Lyndwyrm?”

Celestia’s wings quivered, and the assembled Ponies had the high honor of watching Princess Celestia, High Overlord of the Equestrian Armies, Princess of the Realm, Goddess of the Sun, bolt for the train-station with her wings shooting straight up into the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Chrysalis. Of course. Because a rampaging Succuponi, two-dozen Royal Guards scarred for life by mystic flames and a dozen Paparazzi trying to sue the Royal Guard for being ‘assaulted’ when they wouldn’t leave the area under the effect of the Crisis Act wasn’t enough to make today a bad day.” Celestia sighed, rubbing her temples with both fore-hooves as she watched the Guards load Sunset’s Cage into the heavily-armored carriage. My detractors are going to have a field-day with this debacle.

“I’m … not sure how to respond, your Majesty.” The poor Guard who had brought her the news replied cautiously.

“I’m just venting, nothing more, my little pony. Thank you for the report, but tell Rhinestone I want him to keep handling ‘Queen’ Chrysalis’s … escort … to Canterlot, and keep her under the tightest security we can manage right now. I don’t need some ambitious gung-ho Pony trying to claim the bounty on her head, not with the drubbing the papers are going to give me tomorrow.” Celestia took pity on the poor Stallion and gave him a warm smile, hoping that the Guard would look less petrified of his Princess. “I would give the orders myself, but I must keep an eye on the Succuponi. She’s already fought her way out of one Binding Spell, I don’t want her doing it again, now or when we’re halfway back to Canterlot and unprepared. And please send a message to Princess Cadence and Royal-Consort Shining Armor about Chrysalis’s surrender. I’d rather they know about this sooner rather than later, given their … history … with Chrysalis.”

“Ma’am!” The Guard saluted and trotted back to the knot of Guards that were clustered around the ‘Command’ tent, where General Breach was directing Pegasi, Unicorn and Earth Pony Guards in securing Ponyville and tending to the injured Ponies.

We won this time, but only because Sunset couldn’t take being rejected by Twilight. I cannot keep relying upon the Power to twist the odds in my favour forever. Sooner or later I’ll encounter a situation where my ability to alter probability won’t be able to secure a victory for my cause. Celestia sighed heavily, feeling the weight of her many, many centuries pressing down on her like the literal weight of the world. I had truly hoped to only have to wear my crown, collar and shoes, but … I will need to start wearing the full Regalia, regardless of how militant it looks. I cannot risk having to try and funnel my power by will alone in the middle of combat, and risk having another disaster befall my Ponies.

Boarding the armored carriage was a simple matter, albeit time-consuming given that it took the Magi several tries to get a working Starswirl-class grounding circle embedded in the confines of the carriage, but in short order, Celestia and a pair of Royal Guards were seated in their respective circles of runes and magical protections, the soft rattle of the train’s wheels on the tracks a soothing noise to Celestia’s ears.

“Oh Sunset.” Celestia sighed out loud, feeling a twinge of pity as she took in the tear-stained face of her former student, her once proud visage slack and lifeless as her head rested on the pile of melted rubber Twilight had trapped the Succuponi in. “How could you have fallen so far? Why did it have to come to this? You had such potential, the capacity to do good in the world.”

Sunset’s face remained slack and unresponsive, the only sign she was alive the two trails of tears that slowly trickled down her face and her soft breathing.

“Was it me, Sunset? Did I fail you? I tried so hard to make you understand that being the leader often means you never get your own way, but you never listened, never accepted it.” Celestia lifted her head to stare at the ceiling of the carriage, feeling the sun radiating its life-giving warmth down onto the world through her connection to it, and dimly she felt the world flourishing with life because of its light, because of her warmth. Mother to everything and nothing … the Unspoken One was right about that part of my destiny, at least. I cannot save everyone … but that doesn’t mean I will just stop trying. “When you are secured, Sunset, and my Ponies are no longer at risk from your hunger, we will try to reverse the corruption, we will try to return you to being a Pony once more, so you can try again ...”

“Majesty?” One of the Guards ventured, sounding … terrified, of all things. “Princess Celestia, you’re crying.”

“It is … a hard thing, my friend, to watch somepony you cared for deeply fall to such a fate.” Celestia replied sadly, lifting a hoof to rub at her cheeks and finding them damp with moisture. “Sunset was, at one time, like a beloved niece to me.”

“And if I must, I will seal her away for a thousand years to protect Equestria. It would not be the first time I have been called upon to do so to one I held close to my heart.” Celestia remarked quietly but bitterly, as the train rattled onwards to Canterlot.