The search was slow.

As was the case with any excavation of a collapsed building, the utmost care and deliberation was needed to move aside rubble and extract the bodies, whether they were alive or dead.

Not only that, but the effects of the gas lingered within their bodies, even though the yellowish substance had thinned and dispersed to the winds an hour ago. Moving one’s body brought stinging pain, and muscles were still rigid and unresponsive. Only a select few were able to really help scour the area for life.

Celestia was among them.

Her horn shone a warm, orange glow as she kept a stone pillar aloft for the mare that was gently pulling the unconscious body of a castle maid out from under it.

“I’ve got her. You can let go now.”

Celestia set the rubble down and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Good work.”

Ebony glanced at her, then averted her gaze. “Y-yeah. Thanks,” She shifted the maid to a more secure position on her back, then shuffled over to where they set up the makeshift infirmary. “I’ll be back in a little bit, so… wait for me, I guess.”

Celestia nodded, her face impassive. “Mm-hm.”

It was unexpected for Nightmare Moon’s Praetorian Guard to be helping as they were, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Once everypony started to recover from the paralysis, there seemed to be some unspoken agreement that any hostility between them was second-priority to the rescue of those trapped in the ruined castle. Clearly, compassion and sympathy weren’t wholly abandoned when they chose to serve Nightmare Moon.

‘Besides…’ Celestia sighed despondently as she surveyed the ruins of her castle and the forlorn ponies milling about, completely silent save for the odd shout as they found another pony. ‘After what just happened, is there any point to keep fighting? Eclipse or not, none of us won… save for the humans.’

The painful absence of twinkling magic and lit horns drove home the point of what was lost.

“Celestia?”

Celestia turned and smiled. ‘But at least we gained something.’

Twilight’s eyes, framed with dark circles, stared up at her in the same way they did when she was but a filly. “Are you okay? You look exhausted.”

The sun was out, so Celestia’s body was full to bursting with energy and magic; there was a spring in her step, her mane was extra-wavy, and her coat was smooth like marble.

Yet, she felt like collapsing on the softest patch of dirt and sleeping for a whole week.

“I could say the same for you,” Celestia gently lay her hoof on Twilight’s head. Even though it felt like a tiny piece of crystal was poking into her, Twilight leaned into the touch with a content sigh. “How are you, honestly?”

Twilight didn’t reply for a second. “… Physically, I feel okay. Not great, but not bad. The crystals don’t hurt; they haven’t for several weeks now. I’m not even aware of them half the time until I move in a certain way and they scrape against my bones.”

Celestia crouched and nuzzled Twilight fiercely.

“Mentally, I’m also quite sound. I think. I’m feeling a little frazzled, but that’s normal all things considered, right? An-and I’m just so happy to see you all again and I…”

“It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Twilight let out a low keen and buried her face in Celestia’s coat. “I-I just need to f-figure out a way to get rid of these c-crystals, and then I’ll be fine. I just… I don’t want to look in the mirror and see them anymore.”

“We’ll use the Elements of Harmony. They’ll help you,” Celestia promised, using her wing to stroke Twilight’s back. “We just need to find them.”

“Yes. You’re right,” Twilight breathed in deeply and pulled away, wiping her face free of mucus and tears. “M-more importantly, we need to help the ponies still buried underneath the rubble. I-I shouldn’t be standing here feeling sorry for myself.”

Celestia nodded and changed the subject. “How is Rarity doing?”

“Good – all things considered. Last I checked, she was arguing with the doctors that she could still use healing magic. Don’t worry – she fell asleep once somepony put a blanket over her.”

“She was the only unicorn that could use healing magic for the past two hours, so it’s no surprise she’s exhausted. Well, aside from Dusk and Vitae.”

Twilight frowned. “Who?”

“Haze. He used to be Dusk, but… well, now he’s not. Vitae is new to the Eclipse; incredible healing powers, but she's unconscious from a piece of rubble hitting her head.”

“Oh,” Twilight shrugged. “Haze has been healing, too, but he's still going strong.”

“I can be grateful to him for doing that at least,” Celestia sighed and surveyed the area. “I’m going to go up and fly around, see if I can’t spot anything.”

“Rainbow Dash is over there,” Twilight pointed east. Celestia could see a multi-hued blur darting around and directing fellow pegasi. “I’m sure she’d like the help, but…”

Celestia waited, seeing Twilight’s hesitation.

“I don’t want to distract you from what you’re doing, but could you maybe try and convince Rainbow to take a little break?”

“Is she okay?”

“She says she is, but I’ve known her long enough that I can tell when she’s trying to hide an injury. Especially if it’s something with her wings.”

Celestia looked east again. “I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll talk to you again when things get better.”

Twilight grumbled. “Hopefully.”

“They will. I promise.”

Twilight took a deep breath and released it, the muscles in her shoulders loosening. “Yeah. You’re right. Thanks.”

Celestia took to the air with a parting smile that swiftly flaked away as she got a birds-eye view of the destruction. Canterlot Castle… It was as if a giant monster had taken a bite out of the place like it was an apple. The innards of the castle were on display, rows upon rows of floors exposed to the sun like the grooves between a spinal column.

Ground level wasn’t any better: it was like a maze of debris half-hidden beneath a smog of dust and lingering gas.

Even so, as much as it hurt to see her home in this deplorable state, Celestia knew that it was just a building, that it could rebuilt, that it would be rebuilt over time. But what couldn’t be repaired were the lives they lost.

A lump formed in Celestia’s throat, but as she approached Rainbow Dash, and they caught sight of her, she forced the lump down and put on a calm face.

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia hovered in place, nodding to each familiar face as they fell in line before her. “Captain Spitfire, Soarin – how are you? How goes things on your end?”

“Progress is slow but steady,” Spitfire answered. “The ground’s stable, but we’ve got a lot of debris which are one rock slip away from collapsing with ponies beneath it.”

“We’re putting down coloured flags,” Soarin added. “White means that place’s safe and secure, grey means somepony needs help, and red means we need magic to get somepony out safely.”

Celestia nodded, then took notice of a black flag held in Spitfire’s hoof. “What does that mean?”

“Marks where bodies are.” Spitfire said solemnly. "We can't risk time caring for the dead when we still have living ponies to worry about."

“I understand,” Turning her attention to Rainbow Dash, Celestia remarked, “Rainbow, you’re leaning too far to one side,” Rainbow Dash tried to balance out and protest, but Celestia cut her off. “Your right wing’s injured, isn’t it?”

“I’ve had worse,” Came the stubborn reply. “It’s not affecting me badly. Right, Captain?”

Spitfire calmly looked at her. “You said you’d be fine six minutes ago and I believed you, Dash.”

“But-”

“You’ve slowed down considerably and I’m certain that all that sweat coming off your brow is from pain, not just exertion,” Spitfire paused and allowed Rainbow Dash to sullenly wipe her face. “Go get some rest, Dash.”

“But you need as many wings as you can get!”

Spitfire paused again. Celestia could see her face creasing like she tasted something sour. “… Go and ask Lightning Dust to help us out here.”

Rainbow Dash stiffened. “With all due respect, Captain, that’s fucking stupid.”

“Lightning Dust didn’t cheat her way into Wonderbolts training – she knows how we work, what our conduct and methods are for search and rescue. And, much as I hate to admit it, she’s tough and fast. Without you, she’s the next best thing.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Celestia desperately. “Come on, really?”

Celestia added a gentle tone to her voice. “Your feelings are understandable, but we must put how we feel aside to concentrate on what’s important: saving lives and tending to the wounded. From a logical point of view, Spitfire makes sense. Plus, we can’t have you collapsing in an environment like this.”

Rainbow Dash scowled darkly. “So, what? This an order?”

“I could make it one, but I'd much rather just ask you. As your friend.”

Rainbow Dash flinched, then sighed. “… Fine. I’m going.” She gave one last look at Spitfire before flying off, a few sky-blue feathers dancing in her wake as her right wing flapped in stiff, awkward strokes.

Spitfire exhaled in relief. “Thanks, princess.”

Celestia nodded. “Do you think Lightning Dust will help you?”

“Yeah. She’ll see it as a chance to show us up,” Spitfire snorted. “But saving lives is what matters, not how our pride might get hurt.”

“I trust you know what you’re doing. Speaking of which, is there any way I can help here? You said you placed red flags for rescues that required magic, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Soarin nodded. “It’d be great if you could start there, princess. There’re a lot of ponies that need help and magic will help out a huge deal.”

Spitfire hummed in agreement. “Should’ve asked Dash to send those bastards Haze and Ebony here, too. Seriously, of all the unicorns the humans didn’t take…”

The muscles in Celestia’s jaw tensed. “The humans want live unicorns; they assumed Ebony was dead. Haze was blown back beneath some rubble – were he normal, he’d be dead.”

“Lucky them.” Spitfire muttered bitterly.

“Captain, we should get back to work.”

“Yeah, I know, Soarin,” Spitfire dipped her head. “Princess.”

Celestia returned the gesture. “Thank you for everything. We couldn’t have saved Twilight without you.”

“Just doing our jobs, ma’am.”

The two Wonderbolts gave one final salute and flew off at brisk paces. Celestia, alone and with no pegasus close enough to see, took a second to rub her hooves into her eyes roughly; it felt like there were lead balls weighing her eyelids down.

“Get it together,” She murmured to herself, lightly slapping her cheeks. “There’s a time and place for that and it’s not right now.”

Shaking herself off, Celestia inhaled and searched the ground. There were a scarce few red flags among a sea of black and white and grey. The black flags dominated the area, followed closely by grey and white, then red. She could see dozens of ponies moving about, doing what they could to help with the rescue.

A second before Celestia flew down to the nearest red flag, something in her peripheral vision was notable enough to make her turn her head.

Far from where the destruction was centred, a lone black flag waved in the wind next to what was unmistakeably the prone body of a pony; she couldn't make out many details aside from their coat being white, though maybe it was closer to beige.

Aside from the initial sadness, Celestia thought in the back of her head, ‘Why is that pony so far away? Did the blast throw them clear? I don’t see any other flags so far out.’

But the dead could wait for answers, the living could not. Celestia pulled her gaze away and descended into a group of three crowded around a pile of rubble blocking off a gap in the castle’s stonework.

“Perhaps I can be of assistance?”

Two of the three were adorned in Eclipse armor; one avoided her gaze, and the other judged her with a cold glare. The third pony she recognized.

“Somepony’s in there, but they ain’t sayin’ nothin’.” Big Mac answered.

Celestia was ashamed that to say she couldn’t place Big Mac’s face during the battle; it was so chaotic that even somepony as big as him blurred into the background. She could see he was carrying a large wooden hammer on his back, which would explain why the other two were occasionally glancing at him in trepidation.

“I’m pleased to see that you’re safe.” She said with a small smile.

“Oh, look – now she’s concerned.”

The Eclipse guard on the left elbowed his friend. “Shut up!”

“Probably could have beaten the humans if you hadn’t shown up,” The other remarked, raising his voice. “Yeah, nice working saving Canterlot! Look how well you saved us!”

He was clearly looking for a fight. Celestia had dealt with louder and more venomous voices than his – more than she could count. Such a grossly direct accusation wouldn’t affect her.

Or, so she thought.

Celestia felt her face twist into something ugly, felt acid churn inside her throat as her lips twitched into a bestial snarl. The loudmouth flinched and stepped back.

It was just for an instant, a momentary slip of the mask, but the damage was done; no one’s nerves were put at ease when Celestia choked back the anger and erased the expression on her face.

“I’m going to move the rubble aside,” She said icily. “Please move back.”

They did.

Celestia lit her horn and started to clear the way. Her blood simmered beneath her skin and she focused on keeping her muscles rigid in case the loudmouth spoke again and she lashed out on reflex.

As the last bit of rubble – a Big Mac-sized chunk of masonry – was moved aside, Celestia peered into the gap and noticed a darker form in the shadows. Concern ruled over most of her ire and she trotted closer.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” Celestia licked her lips anxiously as the figure remained motionless. “My name is Celestia.”

No verbal response, but the figure slowly shifted and their features became clearer as they emerged from their curled-up position and faced the light and-

Big Mac inhaled sharply and fumbled for his hammer.

Celestia’s voice seemed to catch in her throat as she used her wings to propel her body to a safer distance. Anger and even a little fear put her hairs on end – she had been so worried about saving lives that she didn’t even think what she’d do if she found…

“Don’t move.” She ordered, finding her resolve.

What should she do? A flare? A shout? Send Big Mac to warn the others? At the very least, he’d be out of danger. What about the Eclipse guards? Celestia would have to deal with them immediately; she couldn’t risk Nightmare Moon getting a single advantage over-

“Where’s Vinyl?”

Celestia blinked and stared into those draconic eyes.

Nightmare Moon got to her hooves. She slinked out. She didn’t walk out. She didn’t march out. She didn’t charge out. She slinked out.

Black fluid stained her teeth and specked her eyes. Her coat was unkempt and matted with clumps of dried blood. Her mane hung lifelessly around her head like a faded curtain. Pus oozed out of the open sores on her legs and neck. A half-visible black mist writhed around her like the heat waves on a scorching day.

Celestia recoiled, her stomach turning. ‘Faust…’

The Eclipse guards were pale as chalk. Big Mac’s hoof left his hammer and he stood there like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Nightmare Moon didn’t seem to notice them; she was focused on Celestia.

Again, she asked, “Where’s Vinyl?”

“Vinyl?” Celestia hesitated. “She’s not with you?”

“She left me,” Nightmare Moon’s voice went so soft and fragile; it was somehow more unsettling this way. “To pull the humans away. To protect me,” Her lip curled in disgust. “As if I needed it. Damn fool… she’ll pay as soon as I find her.”

She turned to the side and stumbled forward. The Eclipse scurried out of her path with gasps of terror.

Celestia easily caught up to her. “Wait.”

Nightmare Moon did so. “I’m going to find that fool,” Her snarl was a pathetic thing – not even a ghost of what it usually was. “Get out of my way if you know nothing.”

Celestia felt a gnawing sense of unease in her gut. Her anger at Nightmare Moon was but a simmering ember compared to what it had felt like before the humans’ attack. She just couldn’t identify ‘Nightmare Moon the Empress’ with the weak and confused creature in front of her.

Celestia’s thoughts went to all the flags she saw when she was flying. "Do you have anything more than that?"

"She went this way, I think." Nightmare Moon stared straight ahead, swaying like she was on a boat.

That didn't do much to narrow it down; there were dozens of flags in the direction Nightmare Moon was facing. "It might take some time to find her," Celestia said. "There's so much destruction that-"

She trailed off suddenly when she recalled, with a terrible chill spreading across her body, that Vinyl's coat was white.

‘But no, wouldn't she have been paralysed by the gas? How could she make it so far? It couldn’t be…’

Struck motionless for a few moments, Celestia forced her body to move by lightly touching her adversary’s shoulder and saying, “I think she might be this way,” A pause. “Are you sure you want to see her?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Celestia swallowed, her mouth dry, and turned to the others. “Would you go fetch my sister? Send her over here?”

Big Mac nodded stiffly. “Eeyup.”

“Thank you.”

Nightmare Moon shook her hoof off, but allowed Celestia to walk in front of her, gaze piercing through her body like she wasn’t even there.

‘This isn’t right,’ Celestia’s eyes didn’t stray from the ground in front of her, even as the hairs on her body stood on end from feeling that unnatural presence lurking so close. ‘If she was just her usual self, I’d have no problem taking her down. When she’s like this, it’s too much like a normal pony that’s shell-shocked from a horrible event.’

Celestia began to regret being the one to discover her. In some twisted way that gave her feelings of self-loathing, she wished that it had been somepony else that found her, somepony who wouldn’t be as tempered by sympathy.

'I just want everything to make sense again.'

The walk was silent and uneventful for a minute or two, then Celestia heard the flapping of wings, a heavy thmp behind her, and another set of footsteps. She guessed it to be her sister, Luna, but couldn’t bear to turn around and confirm it in case Luna had an expression of betrayal and/or disappointment – that’d destroy her.

Though, it was curious that she seemed to be holding off on attacking.

Nightmare Moon made no sign that she even noticed the newcomer, much less care there was one.

When they reached the spot with the lone black flag and the pony, Celestia got close enough to confirm what she dreaded to be true:

It was Vinyl.

And she was dead.

She looked different, like the ponies in the Praetorian Guard, but her face was the same, as was her wild two-toned mane. Her belly was drenched in red.

“Nightmare Moon…” Guilt shredded through Celestia’s insides as she turned around. “I’m…” She paused as Nightmare Moon walked past her.

It was difficult to comprehend that the relationship between Nightmare Moon and Vinyl was genuine. Celestia couldn't believe that somepony could show kindness and empathy to only one individual while causing such strife and misery to so many others. How could friendship be so selective?

But Nightmare Moon's expression, the way she approached Vinyl's body with the hesitance of a foal checking for monsters beneath their bed - it was familiar to Celestia, it was something she had seen many times before.

Nightmare Moon stopped before Vinyl’s body and stared down.

Luna walked forward. “Sister.”

“I know what you must be thinking…” Celestia said quickly, almost rushing through her words. “But what was on her face just now was real. I’ve dealt with loss so many times throughout the centuries you’ve been gone – I know when it’s being faked. It wasn’t. She can't be faking it.”

Luna’s lips tightened in a tense line. “I have dealt with loss, too.”

Celestia nodded. “I don’t deny that, but you didn’t see her face.”

“And what did her face tell you?”

“Disbelief, mostly,” Celestia replied. “Denial – something you won’t believe because the reality is just too cruel to accept. You so desperately want it to be an illusion that it… takes some time to settle in. Sometimes it doesn’t for a long time.”

Nightmare Moon reached out.

Vinyl rocked slightly as she was prodded.

Nightmare Moon put her head down near her mouth, then rose after a full minute.

Luna shifted anxiously. “Is she refusing reality?”

“I don’t think so. She’s not so delusional that she believes death is biased or selective. She-”

Suddenly, Nightmare Moon snorted.

“Well, you see what happens when you ignore my orders, hm?” Nightmare Moon turned around, her eyes bearing some semblance of her characteristic cunning and malicious wit. “And don’t think I don’t hear you fools talking about me like I’m not here. ‘Is she refusing reality?’ ‘Oh, she’s not delusional at all.’ What, am I some mentally stunted cripple that needs to be coddled?”

The sheer malice and bitterness in her tone was like a physical slap to the face. Celestia opened her mouth but nothing came out. Luna’s brow furrowed to form a glare that she cast back in silence.

“Vinyl constantly played the role of fool. It’s only fitting that she died like one,” A contemptuous scoff, followed by a convulsion like she was holding back a sneeze. “But she was my fool. I don’t like it when others break my things. So, having said that…”

Her eyes gleamed balefully and her horn began to spark.

“Why, oh why, did the humans leave you alone?”

Silence.

“I’ll tell you ‘why:’ it’s because you made a deal with them, hm?” Nightmare Moon chuckled darkly and stalked towards them, mist pouring from her maw with every breath. “Oh, their attack was a surprise for everyone, but you thought quick on your feet and told them where I was in exchange for your own guaranteed safety, didn’t you? Well done. No, really. I’m impressed.”

Celestia grimaced. “Nightmare Moon, I-”

“That sort of pragmatic thinking is exactly what Equestria needs. None of this ‘friendship is magic’ narrative that you try to push. What you call ‘friendship’ is nothing but accumulated power shared between several being working towards the same goal to fulfil their own selfish desires. Because if friendship really was all that powerful…”

She whipped her hoof in Vinyl’s direction.

“THEN SHE’D BE ALIVE RIGHT NOW!!”

Celestia flinched. “Listen to me...”

Nightmare Moon continued to rant, her stare growing intense like a raging fire and her voice rising and cracking. “So, congratulations for proving my point! I’m happy that this happened! I’m happy that before I die, I got to see you sink to my level and cooperate with the humans – never mind the fact that I was searching for an innocent pony, never mind the fact that you would have put her at risk!

“Never mind the fact that it was your ambush that resulted in all this chaos! Never mind the fact that you used a changeling to get past my guard by imitating the form of my only friend!”

Nightmare Moon went rigid, her gaze becoming unfocused as she reflected on her words.

“And that’s what she was, wasn’t she?! That fool, that useless fool that had the gall to try and protect me, was my only friend! I have six ponies in my Praetorian Guard that are worth ten of her, yet I would have killed them all, killed anypony, to save her!”

Celestia realized that being meek and calm wasn't going to lead anywhere pleasant. Neither was the alternative, but it was better. Briefly clenching her teeth, Celestia opened her mouth and yelled the words she'd been trying to say just as Nightmare Moon was starting up another rant.

"I could have...!" Nightmare Moon blinked, her eyes going wide. “… Wh-what did you say?”

Celestia swallowed. “I said, ‘I didn’t tell the humans where you were.’”

“You didn’t…?” Nightmare Moon looked to Luna. “You didn’t tell them?”

“We do not want to help the humans anymore than you do," Luna replied. "Even if it presented us a chance to be rid of you. Yes, we intended to destroy you with this ambush, but the prospect of you being used as nothing more than fuel for the humans is too appaling a fate for anypony. If they found you, then it’s because they were going to search through the castle anyway.”

“We’re not lying to you,” Celestia added. “What have we to gain by lying about that? To stop you from attacking? You’re… Look at you.”

Nightmare Moon blinked again, then suddenly fell back on her rump, jaw agape as she stared at the ground. “But it’s because of your attack that Vinyl died.”

“Vinyl died because of the humans,” Luna interjected firmly. “We had no intention of killing her. Our goal was to stop you.”

Luna looked at Celestia, seemingly wishing for her to join in and agree. But Celestia couldn’t look away from the look of utter dismay on Nightmare Moon’s face. Instead, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Nightmare Moon shuddered violently, then stood. She started forward, faltered, paced to the side a bit, then started tapping the ground with her right hindleg; her face was like two theatre masks glued together, reflecting some ugly emotion of unbridled hate and senseless sorrow.

"This... this was its plan all along, wasn't it?" The mask seemed to come undone as Nightmare Moon grabbed the sides of her head and started hyperventilating. "This was why the Elements of Harmony didn't expunge me entirely."

Celestia grimaced, felt her hairs stand on end as her foe ground her teeth and began to growl; the sound was like a dog warning an intruder from within a cavernous space. She lit her horn just in case.

"They... infected me!" Nightmare Moon forced out the word with a burst of spittle, her mask leaning further and further to rage. "With this filth. With this weakness. I should never have had these emotions, th-this vulnerability, but the Elements did this because somehow... somehow they knew this would happen. It makes sense now."

Suddenly, Nightmare Moon slammed the ground with her hooves. Despite how frail she looked, Celestia felt the tremors from the blow go up her legs.

"No! I don't need her! I don't need anyone! I've always been on my own and I've survived just perfectly fine! I can achieve my goals because I have the will to do what is necessary to earn them!" She thrust her hoof out, sneering in disgust. "You... all of the weak-willed fools in this land that rely on others to hold them up when they can't do so themselves... I'm not like you! My ambition is unmatched! My will is unbendable! And with it, I will fulfil my desires! And what I want is Vinyl ba-"

Nightmare Moon went still as her mask leaned in the opposite direction.

"No, that's not what I want! I want Vin-"

Celestia grimaced, unable to look away from the sad sight of her foe, so terrifying and driven just a few hours ago, deflate and crumple to the earth.

Despair.

"It's right here..." Nightmare Moon murmured. "The castle. The power. The land. It's everything I sought for since I was born, so why can't I say that I want it? I... want... V..."

She never finished the sentence.

Nightmare Moon curled up into a ball, resting her head on her forelegs; her eyes didn’t close, but the light behind them, previously bright and lively, went dim and washed-out. There was something haunting about that, something that had Celestia's skin clammy and cold all over, more than the whisper that just barely carried on a dry breeze.

“I’m… I’m tired.”

Luna blinked, turned her head. “What happened?”

“Anger was the only thing that was keeping her going,” Celestia responded softly. “She couldn't maintain it, so there’s nothing to hold back her grief. It’s much harder to go on something like that.”

“Grief? So…” Luna looked at the body behind Nightmare Moon. “What she felt was real?”

Celestia didn’t answer. On some whim, she trotted forward; past Nightmare Moon, who didn’t so much as twitch to her presence, and over to Vinyl.

Her wounds were grisly and horrible, but there was something resembling a smile on the unicorn’s face, untainted by blood and dirt.

Celestia knew it could have been a post-mortem twitch of the nerves, but she chose to believe it was because Vinyl died with her heart at peace.

She blinked away tears. “Luna… let’s get everyone together. It’s over now.”

Author's Notes:

Note 1: "I'll give her this... As much as I cannot stand that electronic noise, I can't deny that she deserves credit for almost single-hoofedly popularizing a genre of music that sees such distaste in Canterlot. She's brought a lot of ponies together through her work and that deserves recognition, no matter how unruly and laden with hairgel those ponies may be..." - Quote from Prince Blueblood found in Ear on Canterlot: A Study of Musical Genres, a book written by Sonnet Peak.