Chrysalis was taking a rare opportunity to fly out over the countryside. The sun had gone down a couple of hours prior, and the cold winter air nipped at her hooves, but something about being out and away from her kingdom, regardless of weather was refreshing. Gazing down on the forested mountains and plateaus that made up the broad majority of the above-ground domain that she claimed, she found herself lost in thought. Three-thousand years. It feels like it's gone by in a month. What happened so long ago to set me on this path? Damn them. I will turn it aside, I must. Chrysalis idly looked at one of her legs and hooves, appraising every hole and scar that cut into them, a grimace showing on her face.

"This is all Celestia's fault!" She shrieked at the night sky. “If she had only listened to me in the first place we wouldn’t have to do this!”

"Chrysy, are you alright?" Broken-Wing dropped in beside the queen, breaking her train of thought. During her reflection, she had momentarily forgotten that the now fully capable and rather large changeling had been out with her getting a feel for his new wings. She rolled her eyes and glared.

"Of course I'm fine!" She forced herself to keep below a hiss. "You are part of the hive, are you not? I would let you know if I needed any assistance."

"No, you wouldn't." Broken shook his head and pointed a hoof at Chrysalis. "You’ve been increasingly neurotic as of late. What's Celestia's fault? Other than, you know, basically everything?"

"Watch your tongue, and your insolence." Chrysalis flew close enough to whack Broken on the back of his head, eliciting a groan of pain. "Celestia is many things, and has done many things to betray our trust, but the be all end all bane of our existence she is not!"

"What? I don't understand." Broken was rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. "For a moment it sounded like you were defending her."

"Don’t be an idiot, she is and always will be integral. But that does not mean I’m defending her." Rather than the rage that Broken had expected, Chrysalis looked introspective. Slowly shaking her head she looked back at her minion. "Explaining her place in all this would take far too long to explain right now. Maybe tomorrow. We'll have time then. Just understand: between Celestia's white and my black there are many, many shades of grey."

"Alright I'll take your word on it. Many shades of grey... sounds like the name of a nonsense romance novel those ponies read." Broken shook his head.

"You have no idea." Chrysalis gave a rare chuckle eliciting a raised eyebrow from her minion. "Something else I'll explain to you later. Something Discord told me about humans."

"Speaking of Discord, have you made any progress on our plans? What are we doing up here anyways?" Broken spread his fore hooves out indicating the landscape passing below them. “I mean, I need to stretch my wings, but there’s no reason I couldn’t have been up here alone. I wouldn’t have been too long. You don’t normally leave the hive like this.”

"I needed some air. I’m getting tired of spending every night cooped up in that cavern we call a home. As for my plan well, after our talk the other night I’ve come up with something I think will work quite nicely. It's going to be difficult to pull off but if it succeeds it will deal with two things at once. It's going to require a large amount of risk on our part however." Chrysalis frowned. It was the only way she could see to deal with Discord, but she didn't like it. "We have to force those six mares into using the Elements of Harmony."

"W-what? In the middle of our battle?" Broken shuddered when Chrysalis nodded. "With all due respect Queen Chrysalis, are you insane?! Think about what they could do to us!"

"Of course I have, do you think I’m planning on letting them aim those things at us?!" Chrysalis shrieked at Broken. "This is the only way! I told you it would involve risk... Celestia be damned, a pony." Off on the horizon the pair could see a rapidly approaching pegasus pony. "Shift forms." Both of the changelings shifted into pegasi themselves and dropped to the ground between a group of trees. A moment later the pony passed overhead.

"Wait, wasn't that...?" Broken waggled his hoof in the general direction of the receding pony. Chrysalis nodded.

"Indeed. I believe her name is Rainbow Dash. She's quite mouthy from what I remember. Reminds me of myself when I was younger. Pity that she's a pony, I somewhat like her." The changeling queen, still wearing the guise of a pony, smiled at her companion. Broken growled.

"There is only one of her and two of us! We should deal with her now and be done with it!" Broken flexed his legs, preparing to pursue Dash. Chrysalis swung out a hoof, striking him across the face and sprawling him out on the ground.

"Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying? We need the six of them to deal with Discord, we don’t have any weapons against him otherwise! And if we take her in, he will know, which we do not want. I swear, sometimes I think it's your head that was broken at your hatching, not your wing." Chrysalis narrows her eyes dangerously, waiting for further insubordination from Broken-Wing. The other changeling slowly got back on his hooves and spat on the ground, a bit of green blood mixed with his saliva.

"Fine, I get it. The Elements live, for now. I still think it's a mistake, but I'll abide by your command, Queen Chrysalis." Broken gave a mocking bow and snorted. Chrysalis reached out with her magic, forcibly dropping the enchantment that concealed Broken and threw him against a boulder. The satisfying *snap* of his exoskeleton cracking reached her ears and her lips turned up into a fanged grin.

"I can still kill you with but a thought, and if it suits me to do so I will. Try me again you sniveling insignificant worm. If you only knew the sort of power I can and have wielded in the past." Chrysalis was reveling in the sheer dominance she had over her minion. The changeling queen was almost begging him to speak out against her again, just so she could enjoy the feeling of snuffing out his life. To her disappointment, and shame, his next words forced her to face her demons again.

"There she is." Broken was laughing, though it came out as a wheeze due to the pressure on his chest. "The great bloodthirsty tyrant ponies tell their foals bedtime stories about to scare them into being good, lest the 'blood-sucking, life draining, death mare come and take them away'. There's the queen I've come to admire and respect."

"B-Broken-Wing, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." The changeling queen dropped her disguise and attempted to help Broken to his hooves. The male changeling tried to brush her away but she wasn't having any of it. Using what healing magic she could muster (very little), Chrysalis sealed as many of his wounds as possible.

"I do. We need to deal with him, and soon. How is he doing this to you? What aren't you telling me?" Broken raised an eyebrow, the queen's attempt on his life quickly put behind him.

“There is much in Equestria you and nearly every other creature does not understand, in fact, there are only two things I know that exist that might know everything that’s going on, and even then I am skeptical. Equestria pretends to be a gentle, kind place, but she is fickle and needy." Chrysalis looked over the other changeling one more time, verifying that he was well enough to fly.

"You speak of it as if it was alive." Broken looked in the general direction of the pony lands and waved a hoof towards them, eliciting a chuckle from Chrysalis.

"Why are you looking that way? I'm not speaking of the lands Celestia and Luna claim for their own. I mean the whole world." Seeing that she had managed to catch Broken's understanding, she carried on. "As for her being alive... that's not altogether right, or wrong. That's..."

"A story for another evening when we have more time. I get it I get it." Broken scowled

"Indeed." Chrysalis' gruff expression returned and she nodded in the direction of their home. "That's enough flying for one evening. Come. We have plans to draw up." Taking to the air she began buzzing towards her kingdom. With a groan, Broken lifted off behind her pushing his wings to catch up to his queen.

“This is going to be the death of all of us, you know that? You, me, the ponies. We are all going to burn in Tartarus for this, and Discord is leading the parade.” Broken growled up at Chrysalis. From his position behind her he could barely make out what she said.

“You’re wrong. With any luck, I’ll be the only one.” She let out a deep sigh as a tear rolled down her cheek which she quickly wiped away with her hoof before the male changeling could take notice.

The mares woke from their sleep, Rarity much worse for it, and gathered in the kitchen just as the first rays of the sun penetrated their bedroom windows. Twilight was still unconscious, however a medic from the palace that owed Shining Armor a few favors had stopped by just before dawn broke to examine the health of the mare. True to their own appraisals, the four remaining Elements and Shining were relieved to hear that the injuries to Twilight were barely worse than skin deep, and she would quickly heal.

As they made breakfast, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack chatted idly about the latest news around Canterlot It almost felt like old times again- the six of them sitting around the table in Twilight's library with few real cares in the world, a bottle of apple juice sitting in front of them. The medic had brought a newspaper with him, and graciously left it with the mares. It almost seemed like nothing was wrong with the world. News on the latest fashions, garden restorations, the unveiling of a new statue commemorating some historic event or another. Eventually, the conversation swung back to current events, especially those of the night before.

"Rarity, was that you Ah heard screamin' again in the night?" Applejack rubbed a bit of sleep out of her eye. She was nursing a large cup of coffee, her stetson hanging off the back of her chair. Rarity looked down at the table and sighed.

"Y-yes, dear it was. If I woke you I do so apologize." Rarity absent-mindedly drew lines on the table with a hoof. "I'll spare you the details."

"Ugh... again with the humans?" Pinkie looked cross. "Dashie might have been right about you..."

"N-n-no I..." Rarity was cut off abruptly.

"Pinkie Pie you apologize right now!" Fluttershy put her fore hooves on the table and towered over the pink pony. "We're supposed to be understanding, and friends, and fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to help!" Pinkie shrank away, confusion etched on her brow.

"What? Y-yesterday you said..." Pinkie couldn't find the words to express herself.

"I know. I was wrong." Fluttershy suddenly realized how aggressive she was being and pulled her hooves in, tumbling forward and making a slight "eep" sound. Recovering, she retook her seat and turned to Rarity. "I-I haven't been fair to you. I was so wrapped up in... him, that I was letting you take the blame for it. Even after you stood up for me when Twilight tried to..." Fluttershy couldn't finish the sentence.

"It's alright darling, we've all made mistakes these last few months. Myself most of all." Rarity offered a weak smile. "Thank-you for being there for me, and listening." Fluttershy nodded, then when slightly green in the face.

“Of course. However, look at the four of us here. We need to be strong. For ourselves, for Princess Celestia, for Twilight. For him. This isn’t going to solve anything. We need to be willing to listen to each other and work together. Like me being able to listen and believe in Rarity, even when it pained me to do so. Who wants their sleep to be nightmare free anyways? I know mine won't be. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, please excuse me." Fluttershy ran off to the bathroom and they could hear the sound of a pony losing their breakfast.

"Eww, gross!" Pinkie scrunched up her face, shaking her head. "Something tells me I don't want to know what your dream was about. And I'm sorry. I was sort of being a meany jerk face to you. I guess we‘ve all been in sort of a bad place. Fluttershy is right."

"You have no idea, on both counts." Rarity chuckled. Pinkie was about to protest the unicorn's implication of her, but seeing Rarity laugh filled her with warmth and soon enough she was laughing along with her, Applejack joining in. Fluttershy re-entered the room and looked between the three others. They stopped laughing for a moment, took one look at Fluttershy, and started laughing even harder.

"Wh-what's going on? What's so funny?" Fluttershy frowned. Pinkie pointed a hoof at her.

"Your face!" Pinkie and the other two mares had noticed Fluttershy had failed to properly clean her face and bits of regurgitation were stuck to the sides of her mouth. Reaching up a hoof, she felt the bits of food and squealed, running as fast as she could back to the bathroom. A few moments later Shining Armor walked through the door.

"Good morning girls." Shining tipped his head cordially.

"Good morning!" The three mares echoed back in unison.

"Good to see you all seem to be in better spirits this morning. Yesterday I thought the five of you were going to kill each other." Shining shook his head.

"Oh, we've just been through a lot, and our friendship has been tested several times." Rarity waved a hoof as if it wasn't a big deal. "It'll sort itself out soon, I’m sure of it.”

"That's good to hear. Speaking of sorting things out, is Twily up yet?" Shining motioned towards the stairs.

"Naw. She's still countin' sheep as it were. Yer friend, that medic that ya told us about last night? Anyways, he came by earlier this mornin' though to check on her again. Said she'd be up soon, no permanent long term damage." Applejack gave the stallion a warm smile.

"And Fluttershy is….?”

“Oh, she’s just washing up!” Pinkie bounced over to Shining and presented him with a muffin that he graciously waved away. Pinkie frowned, a wave of doubt washing over her as she noticed a glint of… fear? cross the stallion’s eyes, but she quickly shrugged off the feeling and shrugged, eating the muffin in one bite herself. “She should be out soon.”

“Alright then. Well, if the four of you are fine, then I’m going to go and check up on Twilight myself. If she does wake up soon she’s going to need her BBBFF there to help her.” Shining chuckled, reflecting on times gone by. “If you’ll excuse me.” He gave a nod, which the mares returned politely. As he disappeared up the stairs, the three remaining ponies turned back to the table.

"He's so civil. Now if I was in the market for a stallion, I could do a lot worse than one like him.” Rarity glanced towards the stairs and gave a leering look.

“Rarity! That’s not only Twi’s brother, but Cadance’s husband! Ya can’t just say thing like that. Yer outta line.” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“Oh poppycock. I was merely suggesting that he has the qualities I would look for in a… long term partner. Rugged good looks, polite, fashion sense, the whole package. I would never make any untoward advances towards Shining. I of course see him as just a friend.” Rarity shook her head. “I’m merely making small talk. This whole business is simply dreadful.”

“Ah getcha. Ah’m sorry, that just caught me off guard. Ah guess Ah’m just concerned what would happen if two mares were interested in the same stallion, and neither told the other.” Applejack glanced over at Pinkie, who returned her thinly veiled suggestion with a glare. Luckily for her, Rarity failed to notice the exchange.

“Oh perish the thought darling. Shining Armor’s heart belongs to Princess Cadance, and so he shall remain.” Rarity smiled. “Now, let’s get down to business shall we?”

“Ah reckon we should “ Applejack nodded. “So what’s the plan? Normally we got Twi for that, but Ah reckon she ain’t gonna be doin’ nothin’ in her state. Ah’d normally say we should just wait for this whole thing to blow over but…”

“We’re all apparently wanted criminals by Princess Celestia.” Pinkie let out a sigh, before her expression brightened again. “Maybe she just needs a good party? Y’know, with balloons, and streamers and cake and punch! That always makes me feel a whole lot better!”

“Ah don’t think a party’s gonna do it Pinkie.” Applejack shook her head.

“I concur. I’m sorry Pinkie dear, but a party at this time would be most uncouth, and would likely wind up with us in that prison Shining was speaking of.” Rarity gave a small shudder before continuing. “No, I do believe our first priority should be getting help for Twilight, and then…”

"Girls! Twilight's gone!" Shining came galloping down the stairs, frantically scanning the house for his sister.

“Pardon?” Applejack went wide eyed, staring at Shining.

“Twilight is gone! I went up to check on her, and thought she was still asleep in bed. When I moved the covers aside to check on her head-wound, all I found were some rolled up sheets and a couple of pillows. Are you all sure you didn’t see her leave?” Shining ran to the front door of the house and stuck his head out, peering both ways down the street.

"Ohmygosh Twilight's gone?! We didn't see her leave, Pinkie promise!" Pinkie leapt up and started to help Shining look. A moment later she started to vibrate uncontrollably, her body jumping along the floor.

“Wh-was that just…” Rarity started, her eyes dilating.

“Uh-huh.” Pinkie frowned. “Pinkie Sense. Feels like a doozy.” Newfound fear ripped through her body and she started pushing Shining out the door. Just as the two of them were about to head down the road, they were called back by Applejack.

"Hold on there pardner. If Twi's not in bed there's only one place she would be." Applejack pointed out the window towards the palace. Shining took one look out and galloped out the door, Pinkie and Applejack right behind him. Fluttershy, hearing the shouts, finished washing up and trotted out to see what the commotion was.

“W-what's going on?" The pegasus looked around the room and then at Rarity.

"Twilight's gone! She's probably on her way to the palace as we speak! Come on!" The two mares flew out the door, one quite literally, and pushed themselves to catch up with the others.

Luna’s eyes fluttered a few times before finally opening completely. Taking a look around her chambers, she slowly rose to her hooves, shedding the bed sheets, and took a few steps towards the nearest window. Being the princess of the night, and desiring to sleep through a majority of the day, she kept heavy blinds on her windows to prevent any unwanted sunlight from penetrating her room. Pulling back the drapes, she was shocked to discover that rather than the setting sun she had expected to see, she was almost viciously assaulted by beams of the strongest light from a sun that was near it‘s zenith, burning her retinas and leaving blinding afterimages. Slamming the drapes shut again, she took a few steps backwards and began rapidly blinking her eyes to clear away her discomfort.

Giving her head a slow shake, she stood tall again and stepped back to the window, a curious glint in her eye. Using her magic, she slowly pulled the drapes open once more, more cautiously than before to avoid further pain, confirming that it was, in fact, around noon. A glance at the clock that adorned one of the walls also indicated as much. Luna walked into her ensuite bathroom and began drawing herself a bath, breathing deeply as the steam saturated the air. On a normal evening she would have called for her servants to assist her with such matters, but the princess of the night had much thinking to do, and did not wish to be disturbed.

Slowly sinking into the oversized basin, she flinched as the nearly scalding water wrapped itself around her before adjusting to the temperature and relaxing. As she slumped into the tub, she traced the moldings with her eyes, losing herself in thought. Primarily, why she was up in the middle of the day. While mentally, neither sister truly required sleep, and could theoretically function for months or years without slumbering, their physical bodies did require the rest on at least a weekly basis. In keeping with their roles as well as a nod to the ponies they cherished, they had long ago taken to a nightly slumber much like their wards. Their bodies were magically attuned to the cycle of the sun and the moon, and when one sister was lowering her chosen orb, the other was awakened to begin preparations for the raising of their own. Thus, being awake in the middle of the day was moderately concerning for her.

While she theorized a reason, she absentmindedly went through the motions of bathing herself. Telekinetically grasping a bar of soap she dipped it in the near scalding water before running it over her fore hooves and legs. A soft smile graced her face as Luna observed her immaculate fur; she submerged her limbs to rinse away the soap before levitating the bar towards her chest. As it came near, her attention snapped to the soap itself. Narrowing her eyes, she watched the water droplets on the soap remain in place, rather than run down and into the tub. Looking down, she noticed one of the small waves she’d made previously wasn’t moving. As her horn began to illuminate an inky blackness she was interrupted by an even monotone.

“You are intrigued.” Luna’s head swiveled to see a pair of unicorn foals standing near the door. The colt gave a mirthless smile before continuing. “We have said before that your life in that shell would lower your scope of expectations. Good day, Princess Luna.”

“It’s been awhile.” Luna carefully stood and stepped out of the tub. Pulling the plug and wrapping a towel around herself in one smooth magical motion, she idly watched the plug float frozen motionless in mid-air where she left it and peered down the tunnel it left behind in the water. Barely regarding the pair out of the corner of her eye, she went through the motions of preparing herself for the evening, before finally donning her regalia. Finally turning to face the two not-foals properly, she tipped her head. “How long has it been? Eleven hundred? Twelve hundred years?”

“It’s been exactly the amount of time that has passed since you’ve last seen us! Oooor… A thousand one hundred and fifty seven, if we’re going by your calendar or just fifty seven if we’re going by your personal perspective.” The filly grinned and began bouncing around the reagent, her eyes clamped in near bliss. “Oh it’s been so long Luna! I miss the talks we used to have and the games we used to play. Can we do that again? Can we, can we? My favorite was when you tried to cover the Equestrian skies in the biggest, blackest blankie in the universe!”

“I… would prefer that we didn’t.” Luna raised one hoof up, fearing that the filly would run straight into it. “I would also be lying if I said I was glad to see either of you here again. Though I’m fairly confident in my own observation of the current scenario, I’ve sufficiently learned from my experiences with you that my personal observations are never enough when the two of you show up.”

“It is sufficient or, rather, it is completely sufficient. We wouldn’t be here if it were not.” The colt’s raised eyebrows were met with a flat look from Luna. “The scales are tilting again, you yourself witnessing the regression of the aspect of order.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Luna scoffed before tilting her head away. “I am not some simple pony living out my life on a farm. I can feel the shift in the air. I see the changes that are happening. Not just in my sister, but with Equestria as a whole. It has returned.”

“…” The colt watched Luna as if appraising her.

“Yes. I do not have a name or a face to apply to it, but I can feel that same influence weave its way around my sisters hooves, just as it did thrice prior. First, Chrysalis, then Discord, and finally… myself. Three of the four pillars were all corrupted in turn. It was only a matter of time before the last one would be targeted as well. This time however, it has made a mistake.” Luna’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“Continue.”

“Whatever, who or what it is has made a mistake. Before, we were clueless to its progress- we were so busy bickering amongst ourselves, or perhaps that was part of its insidious ploy that we didn’t notice until it was too late how much Chrysalis had truly changed. Discord… it was so sudden that it caught us all by surprise. Especially me.” Luna took a steadying breath. “Then there was myself. This time though, I have been paying attention. Whatever is causing this, I’ll be there to stop it. You, of course, know what has been the driving force behind all of this.”

“We do.” The colt nodded.

“As usual, though, you cannot tell me, can you? You will give me vague explanations of the fates and your role in Equestria before telling me some half-hoofed prophecy and asking me to figure it out for myself. Which is what I could have done anyways if you had just sent me a book or something with it.” Luna growled at the filly who was still bounding around her hooves, sending her skittering back next to the other unicorn, before turning her attention back to the colt.

“Incorrect.”

“Pardon? No games? No half-truths and veiled meanings? You’re just going to give me the whole story without any sort of work on my part?” Luna narrowed her eyes.

“Not entirely true. If, indeed, we were acting under such motivations as to tell you all that there is, whatever viability our truths have in whichever form we may choose to communicate it, it remains the fact that what you would actually ascertain as sincere would be so little as to be laughable.” Eyes half lidded and staring up at her, the not-colt slowly cantered up to the aspect of judgment, reminding her just how easily her hoof could fit over him yet remaining unnerved all the same. “If, theoretically speaking, we were to foolishly, in an act of ultimate ignorance, attempt to communicate to you exactly everything our current scenario presides over excluding the limitations of time, encapsulation completeness, and ten thousand thousand sets of laws and tenets of comprehension, not only would you be unable to process that information, but also the very basic schemic mode of assumptions that this clumsy, worthless, language has foolishly built into itself would unto itself render the vast majority of said information unintelligible, incomprehensible and, thus, useless to you.”

“What worthless tripe.” Luna spat out, “you know damned well that you’re capable of expressing more than you have, with the knowledge and capabilities that you haven’t not had.” Luna stomped her hoof to the ground. “Don’t condescend to me, tell me in plain Equestrian what the hay you know if you’re willing, if not just tell me what you’re willing.” The filly popped out of the bubble bath that was previously just a tub of water. The bubble bath was frozen in a spring-like eruption of bubbles and soapy water after the filly had launched herself out.

“Welllllllll…” The filly drew it out for a while, watching out of the corner of her eye to see Luna’s reaction. Seeing a twitch develop in the alicorn’s left eye made her giggle before continuing. “Like he said, the balance is shifting, which you know. You also know that Celestia going a little coo-coo for carnage puffs is part of that.”

“Yes. Get on with it.”

“Right, like I said, you know that.” The filly beamed. “Now, we go really slowly, what could poooossibly tilt the weights over?”

“There are a myriad of reasons for a shift in the balance of Equestria. Wars, famine, drought, pandemics. Peace, prosperity, ample water, medical advancements. Anything and everything has a subtle effect on life in the world.” Luna was glaring.

“Keep going, keep going!” The filly either didn’t noticed, or ignored the princess’s look. She rolled her hoof as if in beckoning. “What haven’t been happening around here? If there’s peace, prosperity and alllllll of everything else, what should be happening that would make Celestia the way Celestia was before to the Celestia that she is now?”

“It would take some massive force of evil or chaos on the order of several magnitudes of what Discord would have been capable of conjuring at the peak of his power. This force I speak of HAS to be that answer to this. It’s as if there was a connection between…” Luna’s eyes narrowed, before glancing back towards the colt. “No, that’s not possible. That’s entirely and utterly impossible. That would mean it stretches back over two-thousand years! How could it possibly go unnoticed? Alright, let‘s assume for a moment that that‘s the case. It would take some force to keep them…” Her eyes went wide, and the dark princess of the night suddenly went very white. “No.”

“Yes. Not completely, but yes.” The colt shot his filly counterpart a look, forcing her to abandon her cleaning out her water soaked ears and return to standing by his side. “You know enough by now.”

“But that would mean….”

“Yes and no, respectively.” The colt nodded. “You have hard times ahead. Celestia and Slatehide come to mind.”

“This is impossible.” Luna frantically paced the bathroom, sparing a glance occasionally for the pair of foals. “Neigh, this is not only impossible it’s downright insane. Do you have any idea the ramifications? Of course you do, I forget what I’m speaking to. Tell me, what should I do? Please, even you should be concerned at this point so give me this.”

“Yes, we are involved and, no, we cannot.” The colt frowned and closed his eyes in preparation.

“Why you…” Luna’s expression darkened, and a slender tentacle of pure night began snaking around the colt, enshrouding him.

The colt cleared his throat. “You will find Slatehide on the western edge of Canterlot. You will know what to do after.” Luna raised her eyebrow, but the colt continued uncaringly. “Secondly, Twilight Sparkle is currently making her way to the palace devoid of her friends. She is under the impression that Celestia is being misunderstood by everyone.”

“What?!” Luna’s reply came out barely a whisper. “What is she thinking?!”

“I cannot say. More honestly, I will not say. You’ll know what to intervene with when the time comes.” The colt rolled his hoof in encouragement.

“My apparently treasonous guard can wait. Twilight is walking into the lion’s den, and if nopony is there to protect her who knows what my sister will do!”

“That depends!” The filly giggled and began running a hoof along her neck. “How much blood and death did you want to see today? Personally I think it would be so much fun to see it! Red always livens up the place. Canterlot is too white. I don’t think you want to see it though, so you probably want to go check up on your little bat pony first. Oh! Bat ponies! I like it! Can we go find some more bat ponies after this? Can we?”

“No.” The colt blinked as the black shroud receded away from his vision and form. “Twilight Sparkle will not be harmed by said proceedings, proceed to deal with your guard.”

“How long do I have?” Luna bit her lip, taking a glance out of a nearby window. With the recent proclamation that declared her an enemy of the state, she was reluctant to show herself in public unless necessary.

“You should leave after now.” The colt shrugged in a non-committal fashion. “In another sorted set of assumptions, you wouldn’t have had to rush there to barely make it.”

“You miserable…” Luna turned and opened the nearest window, hurling herself into the air while bringing up a dark mist to obscure her departure. A thousand expletives rolled through her head, but her focus remained on seeking out her guard.

“You did it again!” The filly laughed and shot the colt a knowing look. “You know very well exactly what’s going to happen when she gets there. Are you getting excited? Anything really real yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“Not even the slightest, smallest smidgen of smidgens?”

“No.”

The filly giggled again. “That tentacle thing was a little cute, you were afraid weren’t you?”

“It was not… Pleasant. As I grow more attached to this exuviae, the same emotional responses start to take root. It was not entirely necessary to ask that question, nor to answer. As for Luna well… no Luna herself does not frighten me. There is nothing about Luna that frightens me. No, it’s the other one that frightens me.”

“Oh her.” The filly smiled. “That.”

Shining Armor and the four mares galloped down the street as quickly as possible, their frantic search for Twilight outweighing their worry at being detained by the guards. Several passing ponies gave the group a cursory glance, a few going so far as to recognize them and begin searching for a guard, but overall their desperate charge to the palace was met with little intervention. The odd guard they saw was either busy tending to another matter (and to be honest, most of the guards were slightly wary of taking on anypony that was in league with the man demon), or saw Shining leading the group and left him to his duty. Of course, the lack of confrontation also meant that they had either missed Twilight, or had been too late. Upon reaching the gate, it quickly became clear that the latter was the case.

Before rounding the last corner that would put them within sight of the palace, they slowed their progression and clung to a nearby wall, slowly working their way around and into an alley. Shining took the lead and craned his head out into the street and took careful appraisal of the entrance. Since the day before the guards had all been changed, and now rather than the pair that the captain had been familiar with, several of the princess’ personal sun-guard were posted at the gate. Shaking his head he pulled back and turned to face the others.

“Well?” Rarity’s hooves were moving in place, a worried expression stitched onto her face. “Is Twilight out there? Are we too late? What’s going on?”

“Rarity please.” Shining shot her a quieting look, before addressing the group as a whole. “It’s not looking good. With her teleportation spell, Twilight likely beat us here long ago. With this many guards watching the gate, I surmise it’s either a way to keep her in, assuming she hasn’t been caught, or it’s a trap for us when we come looking for her. I’m not sure what the best course of action is here, girls, but if Twilight’s in there, we need to get to her before Princess Celestia does something terrible.”

“Wh-what do you mean? Princess Celestia loves Twilight like she’s her own daughter. Even if there is something wrong, she would never do anything to harm her.” Fluttershy nervously cradled her journal, while looking towards Rarity for support.

“I’m afraid Shining is right dear.” Rarity frowned. “After seeing those dreadful flyers that the princess had made up that depicts us in all manner of… uncouth ways, I’m quite certain that the princess will do anything she sees fit if it means the preservation of life in Equestria as she sees it. Whether or not we agree, Princess Celestia is… dangerous.”

“O-oh.” Fluttershy took a few steps back and looked to the side.

“Well regardless we gotta find someway of getting’ Twi back. Ah just don’t see how we can git through so many o’ them guards.” Applejack pointed a hoof towards the palace.

“Oh I know!” Pinkie bounced around the alleyway. “We could throw a… a… “This Alley is Awesome and You Should Come Too!” party. We could play games, sing songs, have cake! The guards will be so distracted that they’ll just have to leave their posts and come see what’s going on!” Pinkie vibrated in place for a moment. “Oh, that doozy must be quite the doozy. Even the time my Pinkie Sense went off when we were at Froggy Bottom Bog it didn’t go off this much!”

“Pinkie.” Shining clenched his eyes and brought a hoof to the bridge of his nose. “Not only would having a party in an alleyway be a terrible idea, but if it did bring the guards running, the first thing they would do would be to arrest all of you. Now, before my headache gets any worse, we really need to come up with something better than that.”

“Maybe we can just wait for the guards to go away? I mean, h-how long do royal guards usually stand in place? They have to move sometime.” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“One of the first things you learn in basic training is how to stay at your post for an extended period of time. My first duty as a young guard was to keep watch outside of the royal archives. You stand stark still for hours at a time, not moving or flinching a muscle.” Shining had a smirk on his face, the memory of those assignments playing in his memory.

“Not a muscle?” Pinkie tilted her head, as if she didn’t believe standing still was possible. “How…”

“At least on the surface.” Shining held out a hoof to silence the pony. “A guard is trained to make subtle movements to keep their circulation going. Stretching their hooves, flexing their wings. To the average observer they seem stationary but to the trained eye…” Shining titled his head around the corner and frowned. “…They are constantly in motion. No, they will wait there until Celestia tells them otherwise. We need to find another way in.”

“You’re one of the captains of the guard, aren’t you?” Rarity twirled a lock of hair with her hoof. “Can’t you just, order them to let us through or go elsewhere? Failing that, don’t you know of another entrance to the palace? You must know all of the entryways in the case of some form of attack, do you not?”

“These are Celestia’s personal sun guard. They’ve been trained since their enlistment to serve her in the capacity required of such a pony. I mean, in a one on one with one of my guards, they wouldn’t stand a chance, but what they lack in ability they make up for in unwavering loyalty. An order from me would at best get a chuckle out of them. At worst they would probably suspect me of treason, lumping me in with the rest of you.” The mares gave Shining a pained look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Anyways, as for other entrances, there are, but I assume for the most part they are similarly guarded. Celestia wouldn’t let her guard down at a time like this.”

“Now, hold on there partner. Ah git that yer not exactly on the best terms with th’ princess right now, but she’s still the princess. How come yer just callin’ her Celestia? That don’t seem very much like the captain of the guard.” Applejack frowned and pointed a hoof at Shining.

“Applejack.” Shining sighed and looked away. “This isn’t the time for this conversation. Twily is in danger and…”

“And nothing. Yer gonna have to give us at least something. Please.” Applejack looked to her friends. “We need to understand.”

“Understand?” Shining chuckled. “How can I put this? Alright, Applejack. There are three things in life that you truly care about- your family, your farm and your friends, not necessarily in that order. Doesn’t really matter. Now, imagine Big Macintosh came along, the pony you likely respect most in the world besides yourself, and said ‘Applejack, we need to make changes. From now on if any of the trees don’t ripen in time we’re going to cut it down. There’s no place for weak trees here. Also, Applebloom? She’s dead weight. She can’t even buck a single tree. We don’t need her. We’ll drop her off at the Ponyville orphanage in the morning. We should probably put Granny Smith in a home too. Finally, unless your friends want to come help work on the farm, they aren’t welcome at Sweet Apple Acres anymore. They’re just a complication waiting to happen.’ Imagine he did all that, and you didn’t have any choice in the matter. He’s bigger, stronger, and overall more powerful than you are, and nopony is going to stop him or tell him he can’t do that because who is there to tell him to?” Shining narrowed his eyes at Applejack and continued. “When you can imagine that… live that, you might understand a bit of what I’m feeling.”

“Sugar cube Ah didn’t mean anything by it…” Applejack stretched her hoof out towards Shining, a glimmer of sadness in her eye. “Ah just wanted to make sure we’re doin’ this fer the right reasons. Ah’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. We need to make a plan though. There is one option to get in, but it involves…” Shining was cut off as a frantic looking pegasus soldier dropped out of the sky and landed next to him, blood running down a large cut in his leg and a limp in his step.

“Captain Shining Armor sir!” The pegasus snapped a salute, though the pain of the action was evident to the ponies assembled. “Private Sleet reporting!”

“At ease.” Shining easily shifted into his captain persona, addressing the pegasus. “What seems to be the problem, Sleet? What happened to your leg?”

“I was on the outskirts of town, sir, speaking with one of Princess Luna’s personal guards.” Sleet was attempting to steady his breathing. “As we were talking her other guard appeared and the two began to have an argument of some sorts. Then, out of nowhere, two of Princess Celestia’s solar guards showed up and threatened them! As I flew away they started fighting and one of the sun guards threw a spear at my leg!”

“What?!” Shining glanced between the mares and the pegasus. “Twily forgive me… Private Sleet, can you take me to where the guards are fighting?”

“Shining Armor!” Rarity began to scold the stallion. “Twilight is in there at the hooves of Princess Celestia who is doing who knows what to her, and you’re just going to run off and leave us to save her on our own? She’s your sister!”

“And I’m the captain of the guard! I love Twily more than you can know, but everypony has something they have to do. If Luna’s making a move against Celestia or vice-versa, I will need to be there to do something about it. I’ll be back soon, in the meantime, the four of you need to go back to the house and wait for me. I won’t be long. “ Shining turned to leave.

“Maybe we should come with you? You might need help.” Pinkie said.

“No. This is guard business. Please, just go back to the house. And be careful!” With that, Shining galloped off after the pegasus.

“Well, that was rude.” Rarity lowered her head and frowned. “Now what do we do? We can’t simply just leave Twilight alone in there? If Princess Celestia is really as bad off as Shining says she could be in real danger.”

“Ah know, Rarity, but Shining has a point. We’re all wanted mares, legitimate or not, and the moment we set one hoof near the palace we’ll have a swarm o’ guards on us faster’n you can say ‘apple pie’. We should get back to the house pronto, before somepony sees us. Let’s go the other way out of this alley. Can you get us back to Twi’s parent’s house Rarity?” Applejack pointed behind her.

“Certainly, I’ve spent plenty of time up in these districts. We’ll take a roundabout route to try and avoid any of the guards.” Rarity began trotting to the end of the alleyway when she heard a squeak from behind her.

“R-R-Rarity? Applejack?” Fluttershy was backing away from the opposite end of the lane, her eyes wide with fear. A contingent of guards was standing at the end, several of them snickering. “I-I think it would be best if we started running.”

“What?” Rarity turned to see the guards and blanched visibly. “Oh pony feathers. Run girls!” As the four mares rounded the corner and exited the alleyway they were stopped by another, equally menacing looking set of guards.

“Halt!” One of the guards stepped forward and stuck his hoof out towards them. “You four are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony are you not? You have all been deemed enemies of the state by Princess Celestia herself.”

“Enemies of the state? You’re nuts!” Pinkie glared at the guards. “We’re not enemies of the state! We love Equestria and all the ponies in it! We were on the way to see Princess Celestia as it was!”

“So that’s why you were skulking about in an alleyway watching us for the last ten minutes? Don’t try and play your tricks with us, they will not work. Your mistress Nightmare Moon may think that she has the upper-hoof, but it is Princess Celestia that will, as always, stand to rule Canterlot! Now, come along quietly before we are forced to take you by force!”

“We’re not in league with Nightmare Moon though!” Applejack scowled. “Nightmare Moon hasn’t been around for years. She’s Princess Luna now, remember? Princess Celestia’s sister? You can’t imprison us without just cause!”

“So you’re resisting are you? Makes it easier for us. Seize them!” The plethora of guards swarmed the mares, violently subduing them before carrying them away. The last thing Pinkie remembered before blacking out was her body vibrating violently.

“I guess that wasn’t the doozy…”

Slatehide was in his quarters pacing back and forth. He had sent a message to Princess Luna the evening before informing her that he had suddenly "taken ill" and was unable to perform his duties in the capacity befitting a royal guard. Of course, the pegasus was in perfectly fine physical condition, he had just needed time to think.

Now, nearly fifteen hours later, Slatehide found himself coming back to the same question, over and over again. What was the correct course of action? His family had served the royal sisters for generations, stretching back to a time before Canterlot existed, first in the military, then as guards once Equestria had finally achieved everlasting peace. His loyalty, first and foremost, was to the crown. This had lead him on his current path- Princess Celestia has convinced him that Luna had slipped back into the darkness that was Nightmare Moon, and needed to be helped, in any way possible. However, the longer he thought about it, and the more information he gathered, the more he realized the opposite was becoming readily apparent- Princess Celestia was the one who needed help.

At first it was subtle- her reclusiveness, her sudden, almost frantic need to seek out as much information about ancient war practices and magic. Then, when the first information about the human started trickling in, it was almost unmissable. The isolation protocols she had put in place were easily explained away to the populace, and even Celestia's personal guard would have little trouble seeing it as anything less than necessary, but to an observant guard such as himself, it was borderline overkill. Again, though, he held his tongue and did his duty. If the princess felt it was necessary to enact such decrees, who was he to argue? The countryside tended to be dangerous in the winter anyways.

However, the straw that broke the camel's back (and Stoutheart silently apologized to his cousin's husband, a rather courteous and intelligent camel), was the sudden curfew and mass imprisonments. The flyers didn't help either.

"Man demon." Slatehide spit on the ground and shook his head. "Alright, I'll admit he was a bit of a jerk, but I would hardly call him a demon. What is Celestia thinking? And now the proclamation on Twilight Sparkle?" He continued pacing. He yearned to run to Princess Luna, to admit his failings as her loyal guard and seek her forgiveness, but to a proud guard such as himself it felt like it would be to little too late. A glance out the window also confirmed that it was a little before noon, and the princess would certainly be asleep in some chamber hidden away from her sister. No, if he was going to get help he needed to find Stoutheart and come clean to him first.

Trotting out of his quarters, Slatehide made his way out into a courtyard before taking wing. He knew roughly where Stoutheart would be- he was the one that told him to go there. Flying over the city, he caught sight of Twilight Sparkle chain-teleporting towards the palace, with her friends and brother a few blocks behind. Realizing the implications, he spurred himself on. Unfortunately, in his distracted state he failed to notice the pair of shadows that were following him at a distance.

A short while later, he found himself on the outside edge of Canterlot, and, after taking a few glances around to make sure nopony was directly watching him, he gently passed trough the shield protecting the city from outside attack. Taking to the air again, it wasn't long before he found the pegasus in question, as well as a second, deep in discussion.

"Stoutheart!" Slatehide set down and trotted up to his usually more jovial counterpart. "Stoutheart, I need to speak with you."

"Can it wait?" Stoutheart glanced at the other lunar guard. "Private Sleet was giving me a report of the goings on in Canterlot. It does not sound good. How did you not hear about this? I've been waiting on you for days."

"I'm... I'm sorry I've made a terrible mistake and I fear for not only your life but Princess Luna's now." Slatehide looked at his hooves before glancing over at Sleet. "You should probably go before you're associated with us."

"Wait, what's going on?" Stoutheart narrowed his eyes at Slatehide. Sleet, for his part, was beginning to look worried. "What did you do?"

"I... I thought that Princess Luna was starting to slip back into being Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia had me convinced of such. I was just trying to help!"

"Slatehide, what did you do?!" Stoutheart was clearly agitated.

"I sold you and Princess Luna out! I've been feeding her misinformation on Princess Celesia's orders! Now Celestia is about to make her move on Luna, she's actively trying to capture and imprison the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and she's gone totally nuts!"

"You did what?! Are you insane?! Princess Luna warned us of this! That's why we've been out here! Did you not figure that out?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Stoutheart took a step towards his counterpart.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

"Of course not. You never think, always blindly following your orders. Now what? Are you going to confess to Princess Luna? That's what I would be doing."

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible." A third voice joined their conversation from above, forcing both night guards to jump back and look up. To their astonishment, two of Celestia's personal guards were approaching them, spears drawn. "As traitors to Princess Celestia, you have been sentenced to death. Immediately."

"On whose authority? The death penalty hasn't been used in centuries!" Stoutheart took a step back, glaring at the pair of newcomers.

"Princess Celestia's of course." One of the sun guards replied. "Now, are you going to come along or shall we execute you now?"

"Think about what you're doing! You're going to kill two fellow guards because the princess says so? Do you have any idea how wrong that is?"

"Still you question the might of Princess Celesita. She has decreed it, and so it shall be." The pegasus took a few steps towards the lunar guard. "Private Sleet, please assist us in detaining these two traitors. Should they resist, lethal force is authorized. Should you choose to stand against us, such force will be turned on you."

Sleet took a few nervous glances between the antipodes before taking wing. One of the solar guards threw his spear at the fleeing pegasus, striking him in the leg and leaving a long gash. The guard grunted in pain before disappearing into Canterlot. The pair of white pegasi shook their head before turning back to the black ones. Brandishing their spears menacingly, they took a few steps towards them.

"We will deal with him later. Now, are you two prepared to come along quietly? Either way you will be dead before our princess brings the sun down below the horizon, so the choice is yours. As neither of you are carrying any weaponry, this is not a difficult decision."

"Fantastic." Stoutheart muttered before turning to Slatehide. "You betray my trust, as well as that of Princess Luna, and all you're getting out of the deal is your head on a pike. Bravo. Good show. Asshole."

"I made a mistake, alright? I was fooled into thinking Princess Luna had become evil again. You saw the way she skulked about Canterlot at night, spying on her sister and sending us after that human."

"So now that you know she's not, and see what Princess Celestia is doing you come crawling back, begging for forgiveness? You sad pathetic little pegasus. If it wasn't for this pair of jokers attempting to take us in I'd have half a mind to buck you halfway to Trottingham and then drag you back to Princess Luna."

"Alright, time's up! Since you have refused to submit, your fate has been decided." The solar guard took a menacing step towards the two lunar guards before noticing Stoutheart laughing. "What is so funny?"

"Well, looks like we stalled you just long enough.." Stoutheart pointed towards Canterlot, over the shoulder of the guards. "It seems as though Private Sleet decided to get some reinforcements." Turning to look at what Stoutheart had pointed out, the guards saw the still injured private flapping towards them with Shining Armor right behind him. Focusing his magic, he conjured a sphere of protective energy, similar to the one he had erected around Canterlot during the wedding preparations, and enveloped the night guards in it. Skidding to a halt a few feet away, he growled at the assembled guards.

"Stand down, all of you, on the orders of Knight Captain Shining Armor! You will cease and desist all hostilities at once and settle this peaceably." Shining glared at the solar guards in particular.

"You have no authority over us Captain Sparkle. We are under orders from Princess Celestia herself. We are to detain this pair of traitors and take them to the princess herself. Any intervention on your part will be seen as acting against the princess and you shall share their fate, captain or not." The pegasus snorted and turned back to face the lunar guards. "Now, with that interruption dealt wi-URRK!" His words were cut off as Shining leapt over to the solar guard and delivered a buck to his side, sprawling him out across the ground.

"Orders from Celestia or not you have to know that this is wrong. I will ask you one more time to stand down, before I deal with you personally." Shining narrowed his eyes.

"Fool! You have sealed your own fate!" The guard gave a sharp whistle and out of seemingly nowhere several more solar guards appeared, descending upon the now heavily outnumbered and weaponless quartet.

"This is not going to end well..." Slatehide muttered.

Rarity once again found herself in the land of dreams, but she was surprised to find that rather than be sharing the experiences of a human, she was in her own body, trotting down a long, dark hallway. Every few feet there would be a door, though no two bore the same construction. Tall, short, narrow, wide, round, rectangular, blue, red, green, orange, wooden, steel, aluminum, handles of various shapes and sizes. As she passed every door, she attempted to turn the handles, finding them all to be locked. Coming to the end of the hall she found herself at a final door. Compared to the variety of doors she had already seen, this one seemed plain by comparison- a basic wooden door, with a round brass handle. Grasping it with her magic she gave it a twist, finding it unlocked to her delight, and walked through into the room beyond.

Glancing around, it looked for all intents and purposes like she was back at the Carousel Boutique back in Ponyville. Everything was exactly where it should be- furniture, artwork, ponyquins, everything. Turning around, she could see that the door on this side looked identical to the one in the Boutique. Ascending the staircase, she found the upstairs also matched up with her memory of her home. Returning to the ground floor, she took one last look around before a look of deep thought stretched across her visage.

As there is no hallway leading to the front door of the Carousel Boutique, I am very obviously not in the Boutique, and that’s besides the point that the last place I remember being was an alleyway just outside of the palace in Canterlot, so I can’t be anywhere near Ponyville either. So, the question is, where am I, and why? Well, obviously this is another vision, but strangely I’m in control of my own facilities this time. It seems different… A knock at the door startled her, breaking her out of her train of though. Shaking her head, she gave an inquisitive look at the door before finally shrugging and opening it. To her surprise, Mango walked in.

“Hello Rarity, it’s been a while.” Mango gave the unicorn a nod before taking a seat on one of her sofas. A bewildered Rarity gently shut the door before slowly walking over and standing in front of him.

“Mango? Wh-what are you doing here? How are you here? Well that’s a silly question, I’m sure. I mean I’m dreaming aren’t I? Of course you’re here.” She chuckled in an attempt to shed her anxiety. “I’m sorry let me try this again. I haven’t had a pleasant dream in nearly a week and it would do me well to have a decent conversation, even if it’s just with myself, so to speak. So, welcome to the Carousel Boutique. How may I assist you?”

“Oh Rarity, please. Drop the routine. We both know this is no dream. At least, by this point I should hope you would realize that none of your dreams were truly dreams. I believe visions would be a more apt word. Or, if you would prefer, ‘a window into the heart of humanity’. That one’s a little more dramatic, but I do have a flare for the dramatic, wouldn’t you agree?” Mango chuckled.

“I… I don’t understand.” Rarity’s anxiety had returned full-blown. “How are you doing this? You’re an earth pony, with little active magic to speak of. In fact, none of the girls seemed to think you even existed. What is going on?”

“I told you haven’t I? I’m not from Equestria. I don’t play by your Equestrian pony rules. I’m from the human world. Things work differently there. I mean, how else do you explain a world where a scorned lover would willingly stalk and kill his obsession, a child would kill his sister, or a loving father would willingly destroy his entire family? Does anything of the humans or their world surprise you anymore dear?” Mango retrieved a pillow and sprawled out on the couch.

“Why me though? What is it about me that you wanted to show me these things? At first I was terrified of him, that much is true, but the more I learned of Nathan the more I realized he wasn’t that terrible. Twilight would have been a much more willing accomplice. I understand that your fears are largely founded- If what you have apparently shown me is accurate then many of the humans are indeed dangerous. However, this one is different. He has done so much for us, for Fluttershy. He saved my life, at the cost of his own. What do you hope to gain by continuing these interventions?” Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you really?”

“Oh you’ve caught me red-hoofed.” Mango clapped his fore hooves together, a smile breaking across his face. “There is a reason I chose you. You were always my favorite out of all of them, because you never matched up with your Element the way the others did.”

“What do you mean?!”

“Well think about it. Twilight is the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria to date, Pinkie Pie is a laugh a minute, Fluttershy is kind to a fault, Applejack is nothing if not honest, and Rainbow Dash is for the most part loyal.” Mango twirled a hoof idly in the air.

“I’m not so sure on the last part after what happened…”

“With the cultists, yes I know. Would you believe that she has the best intentions at heart?”

“How could you…” Rarity took a few steps back, raising one fore hoof in the air. “No, never mind. Don’t bother explaining. I don’t think my heart could take it. Just please, get on with it.”

“Oh right, your element. Generosity.” Mango laughed.

“I am too generous! I am always making outfits for others without expecting payment for them! I’m always willing to help somepony out when they need it!” Rarity’s voice came out barely below a shriek.

“So generous that you wanted the extra ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala just so you could meet Prince Blueblood? So generous that when Fluttershy became a model you were jealous of her success? So generous that when Discord attacked you abandoned your friends for a diamond the size of Big Macintosh? So generous that when all your sister wanted to do was spend time with you you told her to leave you alone so you could work on your own projects? For Celestia’s sake, at the wedding not only did you ignore Twilight’s warnings about Cadance, but you so very ungenerously snatched the bouquet out of the air.”

“E-everypony makes mistakes…” Rarity could feel the shame welling up inside of her.

“Of course they do.”

“But what does that have to do with showing me these visions?” Rarity took a seat on the floor, her eyes solidly planted on her rug. “Why would you choose me? If you wanted to protect Equestria, shouldn’t you have found another, better pony?”

“Oh but Rarity, you are absolutely perfect for what I have in mind. It is for the fact that you’re not so restricted to your element that I chose you. For it is you, and only you, that could possibly be able to go against your own generosity long enough in order to prevent the human from doing more damage.”

“How could he possibly do any damage? He died saving me!”

“Oh, you don’t understand. The human, or Nathan as I do believe he prefers to be called, isn’t so much a danger himself. Sure, he’s not stupid, and he could have frightened some ponies given the incentive, though now that he is gone that hardly seems possible. No, the issue is what he represents. The influence he has had on others, and how they continue to change because of that influence. If allowed to spread, the results could be disastrous.”

“I’m still having issues wrapping my head around how you of all ponies could be possibly capable of not only knowing all of that, but also being able to show me such things in such vivid detail. It’s as if… do I know you?” Rarity squinted her eyes.

“Why of course, we’ve done business together several times in Ponyville. We talked right before you left for Canterlot.” Mango chuckled.

“No, it’s more than that, I feel that I know you better than that. Like I’ve known you for longer then when you first moved to Ponyville.”

“Vice versa, my dear Rarity.” Mango shook his head and stood. “Alas, my time here is drawing to a close. I must return to my business and I do believe you’re about to wake up. Don’t worry though, you are doing exactly what I expected you to do. If you continue on your path, nothing will go amiss, I promise you.”

“I’ve stopped hating him though. If you’re trying to protect Equestria, doesn’t that go against what you want?” Rarity took a few steps towards the stallion as he made his way to the door.

“No, this is exactly what I expected to happen. Your actions in the coming days will play a large part in preventing his influence from spreading, and you have my thanks for that.” Mango trotted out the door before glancing over his shoulder. “I’m not sure if there’s going to be a next time, but if there is, ta-ta for now. Oh, and do say hello to Thomas for me if you happen to see him. It really has been too long.” The earth pony gave a last chuckle before trotting out the door.

“T-tom...?”Rarity’s eyes went wide with realization. “You!”

Rarity awoke sweating buckets. She felt the urge to scream, shriek, or just altogether lose her mind, but as suddenly as the sensation washed across her it faded, and she was left confused as to why she had panicked in the first place. She felt like she had been dreaming again, but unlike before she could recall any details. With a shrug she slowly sat up and glanced at her surroundings. To her chagrin she was in the place she both fully expected to, and yet hoped to Celestia she wouldn’t, be- a prison cell in some dark moldy portion of the palace. The walls were covered in all manner of plant life and sludge, and the entire environment was saturated with soft lighting from a series of torches. The cell she was contained within also held the forms of three slumbering ponies- Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy- and one very lucid one- Twilight Sparkle. The latter was currently sitting on her own looking out of the bars, staring at the wall.

“Twilight, darling, are you alright?” Rarity rose from the makeshift cot she had been laid upon, no easy feat considering how much her head hurt from where the guards had struck her, and slowly walked over to the other unicorn. “We were so dreadfully worried when you left the house this morning and we had to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m sure.” Twilight turned and looked at Rarity, the overwhelming pain clear in her eyes. “Just like Pinkie was so concerned when she tried to bash my brains out with a cast-iron pan?” She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

“I can’t speak for Pinkie, dear. I do believe she overreacted though. We were all concerned when she hit you, more so when you left. Please believe me.” Rarity put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We need to wake the girls up and find a way out of here as soon as possible though.”

“No, I don’t think that’s happening.” Twilight pulled away from the other unicorn’s touch. “I have no idea why the guards imprisoned me down here, but as soon as I see Princess Celestia I’ll be absolutely certain to sort it out.”

“Twilight, how can you even suggest that?! You’ve seen the flyers up around town by now, I’m sure. You heard what your brother said. Princess Celestia is obviously not in her right mind right now. She is quite possibly very dangerous, and could do who knows what to you, and the rest of us.” Concern was written all over the alabaster pony’s face.

“I’ve seen the flyers and I’ve heard what Shiny said. Did you hear him talk about her though? Not once did he say ‘Princess’ Celestia. Obviously something is amiss here. Princess Celestia wouldn’t just put out notices on us and call us traitors, just like Shining Armor, one of the most loyal captains of the Equestrian Guard wouldn’t just stop revering his princess. Don’t you see Rarity? Don’t you understand? Something or somepony is responsible for this. After the attempted invasion of Ponyville, I think the changelings are involved.” Twilight thought about it for a moment before gasping. “I bet Princess Celestia has been replaced by Chrysalis!”

“Now Twilight, that doesn’t make any sense and you know it. Magical detection of changelings has been increased nearly twenty-fold after the wedding and would be nearly impossible for even Chrysalis to hide their true form. Also, the sun is still rising and setting on its proper schedule, something that would also be nearly impossible if something were to happen to Princess Celestia. I’m sorry Twilight, but there are only a hoof-full of reasons that this could be happening, and all of the in some way or another involve the princess not being quite right.” Rarity could see the sting in Twilight’s eyes but she continued. “We do need to get answers, and I would be surprised if there wasn’t something else going on here but we need to stick together and figure it out as a team- as friends. Please.”

Twilight turned from Rarity and returned her view to the staircase that lead down into the prison where they were caged. A million gears were spinning through her head, and every one of the scenarios, ideas, calculations, and estimates that she generated ended up with the same result- error. Why couldn’t she understand what was going on? Nothing added up. Her eyes turned back to Rarity.

“There is one other possibility, that would explain a lot…”

“And that would be?”

“Nightmare Moon has indeed returned. When’s the last time you saw Princess Luna?” Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof. “I do believe the last time I saw her was the wedding, and she was strangely absent that day. That’s it! Princess Luna has become Nightmare Moon again and is doing something to Princess Celestia!”

“Twilight…” Rarity placed a hoof on her face and clenched her eyes. “I do not think that Nightmare Moon would be responsible for Princess Celestia suddenly becoming vindictive and callous. On top of that I’m fairly certain that Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon. We can continue this discussion later, please. Let us just escape with the others for now and…”

“Ahem!” The pair of unicorns both turned to the stairs as several solar guards descended them stood in a line before the cell. The owner of the voice, a heavily decorated unicorn, stood at the forefront, glaring at the ponies within. “I see at least two of you are awake. Let’s see if we can’t elicit the same state from the others.” He bent his head down and cast a spell that blanketed the cell. A moment later the still slumbering ponies were roused from their sleep and shakily made their way onto their hooves.

“Anyone get the number of that wagon?” Applejack rubbed her head before retrieving her Stetson that had been unceremoniously dumped into a corner of the cell. “Ah don’t think Ah’m quite up to goin’ through that again.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy shrank into a small ball on the floor, half in pain, half in fear of the various ponies glaring at her.

“Well I’m feeling a bit better.” Pinkie gave a half-smile. “At least my Pinkie-Sense has…” Before she could finish the sentence, her entire body vibrated violently for a few moments. Her face scrunched around a scowl. “Never mind…”

“If you are all quite finished!” The unicorn guard snapped, brining the mares attention back to him. “Princess Celestia has requested your presence immediately.”

“Finally!” Twilight wore a wide smile on her face. “You see girls? Princess Celestia will be able to sort this all out. Then all we have to do is…”

“When you appear before you she shall determine all of your fates. You have all been charged with treason and you shall be sentenced as such . Now, all of you come along.” The unicorn opened the cell and bid the five contained ponies forward. Rarity and Twilight had collars reminiscent of the ones that had been forced onto them in the cultist’s lair placed on their necks, and the group of guards led them through the palace up to the throne room. Standing before the great doors to the hall, the group came to a halt and the unicorn faced them as a whole.

“Now, traitors or not you are still to behave yourselves in front of the princess. You shall not speak out of turn, and shall bow to her will, lest I cut out your tongues and feed them back to you. Do I make myself clear?” The unicorn smirked at the mares while the other guards laughed. The Elements, for their part, had looks of horror. Twilight in particular seemed like she was going to be sick. Turning back to the doors, the unicorn pushed them open with his fore hooves, shuffling his prisoners in before forcing them to bow with his magic.

“Princess Celestia! We, your loyal and humble guards, have imprisoned and brought before you five of the traitors formerly known as the Elements of Harmony! Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle have come to receive their sentences. As our benevolent and kind ruler, may your judgment be fair.” The unicorn shot the mares a dirty look before turning back towards Princess Celestia. The princess was sitting at the head of the hall, a stern expression on her face. She slowly rose from her throne and approached the mares.

“Welcome back to Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle. Or should we say, traitor to the throne?” She glanced between the five prisoners. “Oh, it may come as some surprise to thee we art sure. Thou art likely wondering thyself ‘how didst Princess Celestia discover that we were conspiring against her?’ No?”

“No!” Twilight looked around the throne room frantically. “We would never conspire against you Princess Celestia! We… I love you!”

“Then thou denies being in league with Ypsilon? The man demon?!” Celestia’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“In league? He had of course been staying in Ponyville, and we did travel with him but…”

“Then thou does not deny thy crimes! It hath been decreed that any mare, stallion, colt, or filly associating in any way with Ypsilon shall be henceforth considered a traitor to the crown, in league with Nightmare Moon and be sentenced as we see fit.” Celestia stood up straight and smiled.

“Wh-when was this law passed?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

“We enacted the law two sunrises ago.”

“But then we couldn’t have willingly broken the law! Equestrian law has never been applied retroactively, nor has anypony been tried in absentee in over two hundred years!”

“Silence!” Celestia was glaring at Twilight again, a scowl firmly planted on her lips. “Dost thou believe thou art capable of knowing what is best for Equestria? Still more proof of thy treachery!”

“Now you just wait a gosh darn minute there, Princess Celestia.” Applejack stood and returned the princess’ scowl with one of her own. “Will all due respect yer majesty, Ah don’t think that’s right fair of you at all. Ah mean, sure, Ah can understand you’d be right worried about Nathan and what he could do, but we’ve seen enough outta him that Ah can say without any sort of doubt that he’s a good apple, and you know how honest Ah am.” Before she could continue, the unicorn guard struck her across the back of the head, splaying her out across the throne room floor.

“Did I not warn you about speaking out of turn?” The unicorn turned to look up at Celestia. “Shall I cut her tongue out Princess Celestia?”

“No. These five are special to us… We shall deal with them ourself.” Celestia turned back to Twilight. “First, Twilight Sparkle. We hath decreed that thy magic shall be henceforth stri…”

“Enough sister!” Celestia was interrupted by Princess Luna bursting into the throne room. Several of the guards attempted to waylay the moon princess, but were cast aside easily. “Your reign of tyranny, as short lived as it has been, is at an end. Please, for the sake of Equestria, step down. Do you realize you are on the verge of passing judgment over Twilight Sparkle? The pony who you are most fond of and loves you more than any other pony in Equestria?”

“We are aware… Nightmare Moon!” Celestia fanned out her wings and glared at her sister. “Thou art a foal, having shown thy face in our presence! Your influence over my student and her friends will finally come to an end!”

“If you will not step down, we shall force you down!” Luna took another step into the throne room, staring daggers at Celestia. The guards wisely spread to the sides of the room, out of the path of the two alicorn sisters, while the mares attempted to back away into one of the corners.

“So, thou wishes to fight us? It hath been many years since we engaged in open combat. Dost thou truly believe thou art capable of facing us? Then thou art truly a foal.” Celestia began channeling a spell through her horn before releasing a bolt of pure sunshine towards Luna. Luna rolled to the side, watching as the ray of magic slammed into the ground and scorching a hole in the throne room floor.

“Are you truly so far gone you would use destructive magic dear sister?” Luna shook her head and frowned. “If that had hit anypony…”

“They wouldt be vaporized just as surely as our sun rises in the morning.” Celestia nodded. “We are willing to go to any length to protect Equestria from thy influence. Any length.”

“Then I fear I have no choice.” Luna focused her magical energies for a moment before a protective shield the colour of night on a full-moon surrounded her. Taking to the air she looked down on Celestia. Charging her own bolt of energy, a dark crackling ray violently erupted from her horn, streaking across the throne room towards the solar princess. Celestia erected her own shield, grimacing as the bolt stuck home. The shield held strong, but she could feel a bit of its energy drained from the attack.

“Your power hath grown since our last encounter Nightmare Moon. We art impressed. It will still not be enough to defeat me.” Celestia took to the air herself, squinting her eyes. “Behold, our own power!” Her horn glowed again, projecting an orb in the middle of the room. It slowly began to drift towards Luna who gazed at it through her own squinted eyes. A few moments before touching her shield, it burst into several strands of light which wrapped around the dark alicorn, holding her in place. Capitalizing on the suddenly immobilized Luna, Celestia fired several more beams of light, each one striking her. As several impacts rocked her own protective shield Luna grunted, feeling the shield buckle.

“Don’t push me, dear sister. You remember what happened at the ball…” Luna glared at Celestia, watching her float across the room. “I’m giving you one last chance to step down peaceably.”

“We shalt never submit, Nightmare Moon.” Celestia fired several more rays of sunlight at Luna, grinning as they impacted the younger sister’s shield. Luna dropped to one knee, beads of sweat crossing her face. Pinkie began to vibrate violently again, a look of pure fear having washed over everypony in the room’s face.

“P-Pinkie, is this the doozy?!” Applejack called out to her.

“I-I-I-I-I d-d-d-o-o-o-n-n-n’-t-t-t k-k-k-n-n-n-o-o-o-w-w-w.” Pinkie vibrated a few feet across the floor, her teeth chattering as she spoke.

“Enough!” Luna shrieked, standing up tall and spreading her wings out. Her shield, as well as the restrictive web of lights, shattered, leaving her unprotected for just a moment. Focusing all of her magical energy, a familiar field of the blackest night began emanating from the princess of the night, inky tendrils snaking their way from the mass that was slowly enveloping her. A few of the braver guards attempted to intervene, seeing the danger the angered princess posed to their ruler. Each one in turn was wrapped in one of the tendrils, covered from head to hoof. The bundles of darkness would undulate for a few moments before slowly unwrapping, leaving nothing behind.

“Wh-what hath thou done? You wouldst murder the royal guard?!” Celestia shrieked.

“They are unharmed.” Luna’s eyes became shrouded in a dark light, staring up at her sister. “They can be returned at any time I see fit. As for you, however… I do know you can survive this!” The tendrils shot up towards Celestia, easily cutting through her shield and entangling her. She struggled as the tentacle around her neck began tightening. A blast of magic from her horn was ineffective, being swallowed up by the ever increasing field of darkness. As it grew, it began to take on a gravity of its own, drawing light objects towards itself. Several pieces of rubble disappeared with a pop.

“Thou… wouldst be so… foolish as to… kill everypony just to… defeat us?” Celestia gasped out between forced breaths. “Look at what… thy magic is doing…” Luna cocked her head in confusion before turning to look at the mares. The field of darkness was a few feet from them, and every one of them was drained of colour. Applejack had her Stetson clenched between her teeth, trying to keep it from being sucked into the eternal darkness that was attempting to swallow them up.

“P-P-Princess L-L-Luna help!” Rarity was trying to yell out, despite her fear. “Y-y-your magic is going to…” Luna’s eyes went wide, realizing what she had nearly done. Snapped back into the moment, she dropped her spell and watched as it evaporated, saving the mares from an untimely death. Unfortunately, the tendrils also dissipated, leaving Celestia free to attack the distracted Luna. Using her telekinesis, she levitated an orb from behind her throne and held it in front of her.

“Nightmare Moon! Gaze upon your doom!” Celestia channeled her magic through the orb and watched as it began to glow. Luna’s attention snapped back towards her sister just as a massive wave of energy surrounded her and began to squeeze her essence. She groaned in pain, dropping to her knees while attempting to regain control. A bolt of energy fired from her horn, impacting uselessly against the interior of the field before shimmering out of existence.

“Wh-what is this? What is this power?!”

“Does it pain you, Nightmare Moon? Do you feel your very spirit being stripped from thy body?!” Celestia screeched at her, before cackling. “We hath been alive for many generations and have created or discovered hundreds of magical devices! Behold, this orb, this simple little ball of glass, shall be the last thing you ever lay thy eyes upon!”

Twilight watched on shocked, as her mentor channeled more and more magical energy into the glass orb. To her horror, the field increased in size and power and it actually began to tear at Luna’s being. Wisps of dark black and blue essence began to shed off of Luna, traveling along the path the wave had created, before being drawn into the orb, changing it from clear to a swirling inky ball of darkness. Luna buckled, collapsing to the ground, her head lolling about as if it had no muscles supporting it. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she gazed up at her sister.

“So… far… you’ve fallen…” Luna’s eyes began to go pale, the colour having been leached out of her irises.

“Neigh, it is thou who art fallen Nightmare Moon! And now, we shall finish what we started one-thousand years prior!” Celestia glared at Luna, before focusing once more on the orb. Before she could finish the deed, however, there was a shout from the doorway to the throne room.

“NO!” The mares turned, recognizing the voice. Distracted from her casting, Celestia also paused, looking up to see Shining Armor, several injuries covering his body, galloping into the throne room. Lowering his head, he slammed shoulder first into Celestia. Shocked by the brazen attack, she lost her control over the orb, and the spell ended prematurely sparing the lunar princess. Gasping for air, Luna watched as both Celestia as well as Shining collided with the throne, smashing it into pieces and sprawling their own bodies across the floor. Celestia was the first to recover, glaring daggers at the captain.

“We had not expected you to show your true colours so soon Captain Sparkle! Since thou art so willing to intervene in royal business, we shall show you what happens to traitors!” Celestia closed her eyes for a moment as a shimmering golden light enveloped her horn. Shining struggled to his feet a moment before her spell struck him. The entire room was blanketed in a blinding light, forcing everypony to clamp their eyes shut. Their was a groan of pain before the room returned to it’s former luminosity. The silence was broken suddenly.

“NO!!!!!!!” Twilight shrieked, tears rolling down her cheeks as she look on in renewed horror at the sight before her eyes. In the place her brother had been standing a few moments before was now a crystalline statue of his likeness, his face permanently skewed into a look of shock. A moment later, the lunar guards flew into the throne room, also covered in injuries, and assisted Luna to her hooves. The trio began backing away towards the door.

“Nightmare Moon, you would be so quick to flee?” Celestia took a few deep breaths, clearly winded by the experience. “We believe your accomplice needs a few more companions!”

“Celestia… sister… I don’t know what has come over you… but I will fix this. I don’t know how but I will.” A single tear dropped to the ground from her eye. She took one final look at the clearly pained Twilight before casting a spell enveloping her and her guards in a cloud of darkness. Celestia fired a ray into the cloud, grimacing as it passed through and impacted on the rear wall of the throne room. A moment later the cloud dispersed, revealing nothing. The trio had vanished completely.

“Tsk…” Celestia shook her head. “We shall deal with her eventually. As for the rest of you…we hath decided to pardon you.” She cast her eyes over the five sobbing mares.

“Wh-what?” Twilight looked up, her eyes burning from the tears.

“Nightmare Moon and the man demon were conspiring against us. We hath readily dealt with both problems. They can no longer influence thy actions and…” Celestia gazed over at Shining Armor. “…Thou art well aware what happens to traitors. You art free to go. Leave us. We hath much to do.”

“Y-yes, Princess Celestia.” Twilight bowed her head. The other mares followed suit, not a dry eye amongst them. They stood and began walking towards the door.

“Oh, yes, about that.” Celestia called them, forcing them to look back over their shoulders. With a flash of magic she repaired her throne, taking a seat. “We no longer wish to be referred to as Princess Celestia. Thou art henceforth to refer to us as…” Celestia took a deep breath before continuing in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “QUEEN CELESTIA, RULER OF EQUESTRIA!”

“Y-yes, your majesty.” Twilight intoned again, before the mares finally exited the room. Slowly they wandered out into the streets of Canterlot, unwilling or unable to carry a conversation before they were nearing the Sparkle residence. Finally, Applejack broke the silence as they stepped across the threshold.

“Alright girls, Ah know… Ah know this isn’t a good scene but we can’t just shut down like this.” She looked over at Twilight and frowned. “Ah… Ah’m so sorry sugar cube. For everything that just happened. Ah know Princess Celestia means a lot to you, and you and yer brother were close… Ah’m… Ah’m just sorry.”

“Thanks, Applejack.” Twilight have a sad nod and sniffed back a few tears. “I’m also sorry.”

“What are you sorry about darling?” Rarity put a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder.

“For… the way I’ve acted the last few days. If this is the way Prin… sorry, I mean, if this is the way Queen Celestia is acting, I can only imagine what I was like. I’m sorry girls.”

“D-don’t worry about it Twilight.” Fluttershy gave a weak smile. “We’ve all done things we regret. What’s important is that we’re together and… and… and maybe someday we’ll be able to get Shining back too. We all know petrification spells are temporary and reversible. Look on the bright side…” A few more tears rolled down her face. “At least Pinkie’s not vibrating all over the place anymore.” As if on queue, Pinkie’s vibrations returned, bouncing the pink mare around the living room.

“How is that not the doozy?!” Applejack glared at Pinkie. “Ah know you don’t have any control over it, but how in Celestia’s name was the two sisters nearly killing each other and Celestia turning Shining Armor into crystal not the gall-darned doozy?!”

“I don’t know!” Pinkie came to a stop and frowned. The mares walked into the kitchen, unprepared for the sight that greeted them.

“You know, for a bunch of colourful ponies that live in happy magic land, you sure can be a bunch of downers. I march all over Equestria to get to Canterlot and what do I find? Even here the pegasi are god damned assholes!”

“P-P-Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy’s eyes had gone wide as saucers.

“Y-yes Fluttershy?”

“What am I seeing?”

“I think… I think this is the doozy.” Pinkie glanced at the other mares to confirm their jaws had all dropped. Sitting at the table, with ripped clothes, bruises cuts and scrapes over nearly every inch of his body, a black eye, and a shotgun slung over his shoulder was the last being in Equestria they expected to see alive.

“NATHAN?!”