“Today marks the beginning of a new era, my friends and allies. Today marks the beginning of stomping out the very threat at our doorstep. The same threat that arose three years ago, we have let them grow from their places like parasites. But now, now we have the means and tools to weed out these monsters. I dedicate this toast to the beginning of a new era. The dawn of the True Equestria.”

Celestia lifted a glass of white wine in the air and her guests did the same. All except Dragomir who simply observed from the left side of the throne. He leaned against the gold throne and thought a long while. He had been there for hours and each passing hour he could see the madness that encircles around Princess Celestia. The new world of her own insanity. He leaned against the throne with a neutral face, his eyes scanning the room filled with ponies who share the same lucid vision as their dear and sweet Celestia.

He truly had sympathy for everypony in the room. One can never trust the word of a madpony, rambling and raving of a new time that will never come.

His eyes falling on the many guests. Many were Silverblade Knights or new members of the Paladins of the Sun. Wearing suits of large plate armor with various weapons, their coats all the same golden color and same bright golden blonde mane and tail. Each and every single one of them having the same sustained look of madness and insanity. The Silverblades were much more different. They carried honor on their shoulders, believing that their cause was justice and their crusade was backed by the princess. Then there was those that shared the same look as Dragomir. The Mage Knights and the Canterlot Magi.

Dragomir had talked with the Knight-Magister and the Archmage. They still follow Celestia after Dragomir offered his word of warning. He hoped that Luna and Dracula will come soon, this madness had to end.

But he had to keep up the ruse of being an unwitting follower of the tyrant that was his princess. He heard a pony step behind him, a sharp voice called out to him, “Why are you not celebrating like the rest of us?”

Dragomir turned and saw the only pony suspicious enough to question his every move, Stalwart Goldenshield. Once the commander of the Royal Guard. Now a degenerate of Celestia’s mad world. Dragomir turned his back to Stalwart and replied, “We all have our own ways of celebrating.”

Stalwart pointed his hoof blamingly and said, “Or are you not a follower of the True Equestria? Are you still following the weak ways?”

Dragomir turned to Stalwart with a stern look, trying with every fibre of his being to put up the facade of loyalty, and he said, “Don’t be ridiculous. They are nothing compared to the power of our princess. They will know their place soon enough. Along with the Ebonmanes.”

A third voice joined their conversation and it was feminine and held a maddening tone behind every word, “Please, do not argue my subjects. Dragomir is loyal to me I assure you Stalwart. I would not have chosen him otherwise. And Stalwart is only following what I ordered him to do.”

Dragomir met Celestia’s gaze that was narrowed and zeroed in on Dragomir. At first he thought his cover was blown as he asked, “And what was that?”

A creepy smile spread across Celestia’s face as she took a pull from her wine and said, “To have fun my apprentice.”

Dragomir breathed a breath of relief in his mind and bowed low and responded, “Yes. Of course your majesty.”

Celestia walked on and returned to her throne and sat, keeping a studious gaze on the contents of the great hall of Canterlot Castle. Filled with guests and celebrants. But to Dragomir it looked like a war meeting. Knights waiting the careful arrival of their Vassal. Of which the new leader of the Brotherhood was a stallion by the name of Conradin Belmont, brother of Mathias Belmont. Dragomir did not know what happened to Mathias but he dreaded to think of such a thing. He hoped that he was not the only sane one there. He did not want to make it awkward for everypony else when the guests of honor arrive.

A servant pony came around and Dragomir grabbed a wine and brought the glass to his lips and before they met the glass he said, “I don’t know how much more I can keep the suspense.”

He downed the drink in one swallow and kept his eyes on the front doors. Waiting for Luna and Dracula.

Luna stood at the threshold of Canterlot castle. It was midnight and the night was filled with betrayal. She could tell that beyond the doors lied her allies and her loyal subjects. She felt sorry however. She allowed her sister to be consumed by her own pride, she should have felt no sympathy. ‘Bout damn time it was not only her that went dark. But she felt sorrow for having to do this to her sister. She muttered to herself, “I’m sorry Tia...I’m sorry that I was not fast enough.”

It was her shame and sorrow that her sister is now beyond the breaking point of madness. It was her fault that a new civil war would start. She looked to her son for sympathy or for reassurance. Her expression went stern and she dictated, “Do not come in with me initially. I fear she would not react well to your presence, I at least want to talk her out of this before we jump to civil war.”

With a look of understanding Dracula nodded and replied, “I understand. I will interfere only if I hear it getting heated in there.”

And with that Luna nodded and burst the oak doors open, nearly blasting them off their hinges. Her and her new soldiers of the night, their hoof steps echoing across the granite floor. The lighting was bright but not as the sun. The room was filled with loyalists of Celestia and with her pawns of manipulation. A respectful pang struck her diaphragm, these were once her subjects as well but they did not look at her as such. They looked at her like a noble pony would look at a beggar. The look a healthy stallion would give to a sickened pony. But she did not care, if they followed the maddened words of her sister then they were no longer her subjects to worry about.

Her gaze dead set on Celestia who smugly sat on her throne of gold and wore bright golden plated armor, light but looked defensible. Celestia had a smile tug at her lips. Once Luna came within range Celestia pushed herself off her throne and threw up her hooves and said, “Welcome dear sister. It has been so long since we have seen one another. You have arrived just in time to see the dawn of our new Equestria. I have made -sure- that the most prestigious of guests has yet to arrive. But please, grab a drink and rejoice.”

She flung her half drunk glass to her sister. Her words were condescending and harsh but was well hidden behind a wall of ‘benevolence’ and ‘kindness’. Luna had a look that could melt iron if given the opportunity and scorned, “So long? It has been two years since we once talked again and all you can say is ‘Welcome back’?”

With more hidden fury Celestia replied, “I assure you that I spent most of my days trying to find you.”

Luna looked at the wine glass and her scornful look fell back on her elder sister and she threw her glass to the floor and spat, “I will not celebrate with the likes of you.”

Celestia knit an eyebrow and said, “Oh? Aren’t you now? Well then, why have you interrupted our celebration?”

Luna knew that his was not her sister. She knew Celestia, this was the manipulation of Saris. It glowed off of her like a star in the night sky. She had to do this, for her sister. Luna stepped forward threateningly, “I have come here as fellow ruler of Equestria and I ask that you reject your new decree.”

Celestia’s once supposed welcoming look, faded away into an irritated look. Celestia replied as she sat back down, “And why would you care what happens to those ponies? They are not ponies anymore Luna. They are parasites waiting to be stepped on. They are monsters ready to be slain. They are unclean. Yet, you follow behind them like a shepherd to a herd.”

“Unclean? They fleetingly try to impress you. They attempted peace between us and them. They kept order where chaos brewed. Have you forgotten what happened at the Blood Peaks? They helped you stomp out the massing ogre tribes. They tried to be your ally, but instead you follow behind your own vendetta and allowed your hatred to cloud your judgement.” Luna snapped. She felt furious. She threatened the lives of once her children. She embodied a saying at that moment. Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.

Celestia gave a cruel smile and said, “And what exactly are you going to do about it? I have endured you in my throne room for long enough. You hold onto ideals that no longer exist, sister. A new Equestria has no room for monsters who feed off of chaos and strife. I am fulfilling what has been given to us. Justice, justice for all. With faithful ponies who would lay down their lives to protect us. You have abandoned that ideal Luna.”

Luna felt her anger rise to a new height as she retorted, “Abandoned?! I saved the lives of ponies YOU left behind! I kept order in a kingdom that had none. I alone saved our people. You sat on your throne and watched as the whole of Equestria burned at your hooves, it was only until you saw the fault in your ways that you decided to fix what you brought upon yourself-”

“Watch your clever mouth BITCH!” Celestia interrupted with hate and the fury of the sun itself rising in her veins, “I never lost sight of my true mission. To protect the innocent. To show mercy where there is mercy to be given. But these ponies...these ponies kill. They murder. And you let them free? How can you not repulse at the sight of them? How can you call yourself “Equestria’s Savior” when you yourself promised destruction upon it.

“You speak with traitorous words and with treason in your heart and as such, I hereby renounce you of your role as leader of Equestria. You are its protector no longer. Now slink away with your children while we celebrate a new dawn.”

Luna could not believe her ears. They had exchanged hateful words before but never did they swear at each other. Her words were filled with lies, but why did she believe them? Why did she feel so sorrowful? She narrowed her gaze on her sister...no...on her enemy. She was her sister no longer. Luna scorned, “So the truth comes out. You finally come out to say your agenda. Your vaunted justice is revealed, when in reality it is just another rambling of a madpony.”

Celestia snarled and responded in a cold tone, “If you know what is good for you. You. Will. Leave.”

Everypony in the room reached for their weapons but stopped short when the door burst open once more. Entering was the stallion of the hour. Dracula ushered a thick layer of silence that could be cut with a knife. All of the hateful eyes were on him. The stillness and sustained hatred in their eyes as they stared long at the most hated pony amongst the loyalists of Celestia. Luna watched as he stood by Luna, staring stoically at Luna’s tyrannical sister.

The silence that overtook the throne room was almost too much. Luna set her gaze back on Celestia. Celestia’s gaze tightened on Dracula as she cursed, “So the pariah finally shows his face. Tell me, Dracula, how does it feel? Having all the powers of darkness at your hooves? Knowing that you could turn on everypony in this room and possibly kill them single hoofedly?”

Dracula remained unflinched as he replied, “You make your opinion of me off of possibilities and ones that I would never allow to happen. You brand me a tyrant. You claim me an agent of chaos. When in reality the only one in fault is you. You are attempting to start a war that you will not win.”

Celestia laughed maniacally and evilly. She took a short breath after her laugh and began to step down the steps of the throne and responded, “So I would be the one to lose a war with you? I would find myself at your hooves? Such arrogance. You forget that you are standing on my land. You are in my country.”

Celestia stepped close to Dracula, who kept his tight gaze and readied for the possibility of a fight. She crossed her hooves behind her back and growled, “You are out of your depth, vampire. You face a god. The mindless spawn of a senseless mare.”

Luna was set off. She ripped from her throat a loud and blood curdling cry as she slammed into her former sister. She gathered forth the powers of the night and the moon, filling her veins with immortal powers. She propelled her wings forward as she tightly grasped her sister. They sailed through the air and they bashed through the stone wall. Breaking into a wide open room filled with columns and pitched black darkness. As they fell to the ground Celestia fell out of Luna’s arms and they lied battered on the floor.

Luna coughed up dust as she looked at herself, no visible injuries. She leaned on her hoof to ease the pain from her sides. She released a pulse from her horn that moved over her injured form. She wiped a corner of her mouth and spat a collection of mucus in her throat. She began to stand up and so did her former sister. Celestia had her back to Luna and Luna said, “Oh you have no idea how long I have wanted to do that.”

Celestia was stronger than Luna had anticipated. She stood up with barely any resistance and wiped her face clean from blood that dripped down from a cut along her forehead just below her horn. Celestia growled her form nearly hidden from sight in the darkness, “You have no idea what you have just started sister. You have started a war that will engulf the entirety of Equestria. Leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake. Salted earth and burnt bodies, all because you decided to defend ponies that aren’t worth SAVING!”

Celestia turned and jumped through the air. Her hoof glowing bright gold and slammed against Luna’s face. Luna felt the full immortal strength of her sister, Luna flew back a few feet and skidded across the floor slamming into a column. Causing the room to shake under the force. A normally pony would have died from such force but Luna was no mortal. She stood back up and as she did Celestia said, “You have brought shame upon our house Luna. And I am going to be the one to fix your mistakes again!”

Celestia charged Luna and went to slam her hooves into Luna but she caught them in mid air. they stood straining against each other. Who would falter first. Luna pushed against her sister and said in a harsh breath, “I can’t let you kill innocents Celestia.”

Celestia looked enraged as she screamed, “Innocents! They are hardly innocents Luna, each one has killed more than a few ponies. How is that innocent? They are parasites-”

“They are trying to survive!” Luna cried back pulling the odds in her favor for the stalemate they were caught in, “They simply want to live to exist! You are denying them their will to live! And for that I have to stop you!”

“You can try.” Determination pushed over Celestia’s face. Celestia lowered her horn and a concentrated beam of solar energy shot forth and struck hard against Luna. Sending her against another stone column. Luna gathered herself before she hit the column and hovered, flying off the ground. Luna unsheathed her sword and rocketed forward, lifting her sword to connect to Celestia. Light gathered at Celestia’s hoof and materializing from the light was Ashbringer.

Celestia readied her sword and counter charged her sister. Luna pointed Chillrend. With a resounding clash their blades collided, willing forth and starting the greatest civil war to be seen in Equestria.