Luna, Sombra, Shining, Chrysalis, Cadence, Spike, and the bearers of the Elements made their way to the palace library. Fortunately, they did not encounter any palace guards.

They made it to the library and sat down at a table close to the door. "I suppose you all wish to know the truth as to what really happened with the Empire?" Luna asked the one dragon and the five bearers.

"I know I do," Spike said.

"Yeah, same here," Rainbow said.

"Then I shall start from the beginning," Luna said. "I suppose I will start with what is obviously not true. Sombra was a ruler on par with Celestia and I on how much he cared for his subjects, if not more so, as he often walked around the less fortunate parts of the Empire, and even invited some of those he met to a feast in the palace."

Sombra chuckled. "Yes. It was one of those where I met my beautiful wife," he said, taking Cadence's hand and kissing it, causing the pink mare to blush.

"Uh, question," Spike said. "In a book that Twilight found, it said you had a queen who was just as bad as you, if not worse, so, what exactly is right."

Luna sighed. "That, I imagine, would be my fault. "I did not wish for any ponies to speak out against my sister or I, so those that remembered parts of their real history, I twisted their perceptions of it, and made them see both of you a monsters, though not what you looked like in appearance." She hung her head. "I am truly sorry for what I did, and I will accept whatever punishment you three, Sombra, Cadence, and Twilight, see fit after I am done telling this.

"As for why we decided to attack the Empire. I have a feeling Sombra and Chrysalis know more then I," she said, causing those not a part of the Crystal royal family to look at them.

"I suppose we should start with why you're family adopted me, huh, Sombra?" Chrysalis said.

"Indeed," Sombra said. "One day, my father and her's, King Arthropod, were out hunting." This got looks of shock from those who didn't live in the empire at the time. "We couldn't exactly grow food up here," he said. "Regardless, they encountered an ice bear. They killed it, but not before Arthropod was badly injured. As he was dying, he asked my father, King Onyx, to take care of the only family he had left, which was Chrysalis. He adopted her, and that's how her and I are siblings."

"At that point in time," Chrysalis said, "my hive and the Empire were close allies. Equestria had a deeply ingrained fear and, if I had to guess, hate, of changeling kind."

"Indeed," Luna said. "When we first knew of this, Celestia and I simply thought of it as a single, small group of changelings, and let it pass. When word reached, however, of it being an entire hive, we immediately assumed that the leader of the hive, Chrysalis, was controlling it's ruler. Then we learned of Onyx's death, and we thought that Sombra was in leagues with her, which is not that far off, apparently, and was corrupted.

"When our forces first met, we did not realize the truth."

"It's also the one where you erased our memories and made my husband think we were dead," Cadence said.

"WHAT?" Shining yelled. "The princesses wouldn't do that!"

"I am afraid we did, Shining Armor," Luna said. "At the time, we thought Cadence was being controlled, and Twilight was simply following because of family. During the battle, Celestia and I were able to cast a sleep spell on the two. We brought them back to Canterlot, and erased their memories, as well as their ages to where they were both newborns, but that was unintended. Cadence woke first, which is why she is still the elder of the two.

"From there, the story is much the same as how you all know it. Celestia and I defeated Sombra, and took the Empire with him."

"There is one thing I'd like to know," Twilight said.

"Only one?" Spike muttered, though it was heard and got a glare from Twilight and chuckles from the others.

Twilight looked back to Luna and, simply to emphasize what she said, slammed her hands on the table. "Why did the shield my mother use make us see my father as the tyrant Celestia made him out to be?"

"If I had to guess," Luna said, "it is because she taught Cadence the spell that made it, and hid a part that made the user and those close to them see what the shield was meant to protect from. In this case, an evil Sombra."

"But what does that have to do with why you didn't want Celestia to lick her bloodied hand," Cadnece asked.

"That is better answered by another," Luna said before she lit her horn and was encircled in an orb of shadow. When it faded, there, where Luna sat, was Nightmare Moon, wearing old style battle armor.

"What!? How are you here!!?" Rainbow asked while all the others simply jumped.

"Because Luna asked me to help her in explaining what is going on with Celestia," Nightmare said. "It is a well kept secret that alicorns, natural alicorns, have three distinct personalities," she said, holding up three fingers.

She lowered all but the first. "The first one would be their natural personality. In this case, it would be the two princesses you know, Celestia and Luna."

She raised her middle finger. "The second is the nightmare form, which is always in the back of the mind. For Luna, that is me. For Celestia, it is known as Solar Flare."

She raised the third finger. "Then there is there bloodlust personality, which they use only in war. For Luna and I, as the third always blocks out the others, it is known as Eclipse. Celestia, as you know, is Radiance. This one is awakened only when the alicorn tastes fresh blood, whether it is theirs or another ponies matters not, and, physically speaking, is not that different from the natural personality. Mentally, they are much more murderous. They often leak through, and exert small control over the other two, and that is why Luna and I wished to make eternal night, and why Celestia wished to kill all of us. Radiance was in control, or at least manipulating her thoughts."

"So you aren't evil," Fluttershy asked Nightmare.

"Not to the degree I was upon our return. If anything, I am simply willing to kill if it is for the right reasons. Bloodlust alicorns, though, kill simply for killing."

"I can understand that," Twilight said, getting concerned looks from those not a par of her pony family and it's extended. "What? With my memories back, so are my old ethics, and every pony in the Empire thought that killing wasn't right, but would if it was for the right reasons."

"Which reminds me," Sombra said. "When are you going to restore the memories of our subjects?"

"I will, as soon as Twilight and Cadence answer my one question: How they were able to revive you?"

"I suppose you should know that," Cadence said, "seeing as how you explained what's going on."

"In that case, they," Twilight said, pointing to the others, "except Pinkie and Spike should leave, and Pinkie an dSpike because I consider them family. Plus, Pinkie was already there."

"But Twilight," Rarity said. "We're your friends."

"How many times must I say it, you stupid bitch? None of you are my friends, and you won't be!"

"But-"

"Out. Now!" Twilight said in an angry growl, her horn lighting.

"Ah think it best if we leave now, y'all," Applejack as she left, dragging Rainbow, who was fighting.

"C'mon, I want to hear this," the pegasus said.

"No, RD," Applejack said. "Come on, y'all."

With that, Rarity and Fluttershy followed, leaving just the royals, Spike, and Pinkie in the library. "Would you let Luna come back," Twilight asked Nightmare.

"Of course," Nightmare said as she turned back to Luna.

"Did she help you at all," Luna asked. "And I am also curious as to how you revived Sombra."

Cadence shrugged. "Really, he had a spell in that room in case something like his death was to happen with a revival spell ready, as well as what was needed. All that was needed was our magic."

"I did not know revival spells existed."

"I came up with it before the battle," Twilight said, shrugging. "Not a big deal, seeing as how spells were still being made in a large degree back then."

"True," Luna said. She sighed. "So, what is the punishment you three wish to inflict upon me?"

"We're, uh, gonna leave now," Spike said as he and Pinkie left.

The three other royals looked at each other, and huddled. They spoke in hushed whispers. When they broke and faced Luna, who had a somber expression on her face and she looked down at the table. "So, what have you decided?"

"We have decided," Sombra said, pausing for effect, "that you will be the personal servant to Cadence and I until we feel you have repais us for what you, and you alone, caused us a thousand years ago."

"Not something worse," Luna said, looking at them in surprise. "Like my wings being cut off, or my horn amputated. If anything, I owe that to Twilight because of what I did when Nightmare and I returned."

"As well as therapy sessions to get over your depression," Twilight said. "Luna, everypony's forgiven you for that. Except you. The fact you still want harm to come to you says so."

"I do not need therapy, I need to pay for what I did."

"And you have," Cadence said. "We'll drag you to a therapist if we have to. You don't have authority over us, but we do over you, Luna, and we order you to get some bucking therapy. If you want to pay for what you did with us, then you'll get some therapy, and stop complaining."

"Fine," Luna said.

"In that case," Sombra said. "Your first act as a personal servant is to restore the real memories of the crystal ponies."

With that, the four of them, with Luna trailing, made their way to the balcony that looked over a large part of the Empire. Cadence cast a spell that she had come up with shortly after the Empire's return, and when they arrived, just about the entire population was there. Intelligently, Sombra hid out of view.

"Citizens of the Crystal Empire!" Cadence started. "It has come to my attention that there have been grave crimes against us from Equestria, without Your prince and I knowing until now!"

At this, Luna cast the restoration spell, and it worked quickly. She nodded to Cadence when it was complete.

"Celestia took my husband from me, and erased my memories of my time here! She made me, unwittingly, kill my husband, your king, and passed it off as a victory for good and love, when it was a crime against basic instincts! She did it out of fear and hate, the very same emotions she lied to me about being removed!"

Sombra and Twilight walked out here, causing happy cheers from the crowd to ring out. "Now, we pay her back for the heartache she has caused us these thousand years!" Cadence yelled.

"TODAY!" Sombra yelled, causing the cheers to simply get louder, "WE STRIKE AGAINST THE FALSE HARMONY AND THE LIES CELESTIA HAS SPREAD, AND WE ENSURE NONE HAVE TO LIVE WITH THEM AGAIN!!"

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