Gilda sat perched on the edge of a dusty bed, watching Twilight pace back and forth. It felt weird for her to be in the same room but unnoticed by the unicorn. Shuffling her feathers uneasily, the griffon sat in silence, listening to Twilight talk frantically to herself.

"Spike's so stupid. I mean, I shouldn't doubt the princess because of him; he's just too young to understand. When this is all over, if the princess doesn't kill him, then I'll try to explain it to him. That stupid infant can't see anypony besides Rarity. It's pathetic." Twilight stopped and abruptly sat down on the floor, holding her hooves to her temples. "Argh... I've got the worst headache. I wish I could just kill the mule and get this over with."

Gilda shifted her weight between her talons. She wasn't sure how to communicate with the unicorn, but she knew she had to find out a way. As she watched Twilight rub her temples slowly and quietly, an idea struck the griffon. She had read stories about ghosts whispering to the living; maybe it was possible for her to do it. Gilda leaned towards Twilight and let out a tiny breath, “Hello.”

"What was that? Who's there?" She jumped to her hooves, too shocked to even start some sort of defense spell. "Show yourself!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

Gilda grinned. So, she can hear me. “I’m your conscience, Twilight. You can only hear me when you’re under a lot of stress.”

Twilight slowly sat back down, but stayed extremely cautious. “Oookay… if you’re my conscience, then what do you think I should do?” She asked aloud, glancing around the room.

“Twilight, if you look deep down into your heart, you’ll realize what choice is the better. The princess can’t always be right, and right now she is in the wrong. You don’t want to admit that to yourself yet, but I know it’s true,” Gilda paced around the pony, trying hard to plant the idea deeply into Twilight’s mind.

“N-no… you’re wrong. Princess Celestia must be right. She’s always right. She’s the princess!” Twilight shook her head. “She’s trained for thousands, maybe millions, of years. There is no way she could make such a huge mistake. It doesn’t make sense.”

Gilda frowned. Why is she so stubborn? The princess has brainwashed her so much she can't even get it through her head that murder is wrong. If the princess said frogs could fly, I bet she'd believe it, too. “You’ve been taught to believe her, Twilight, but you must learn to question her. You can’t lean on the princess forever. You have to make your own choice.”

Twilight Sparkle was silent for a moment, and Gilda almost thought she was starting to believe her. But, the silence was broken as the pony stood back up. “I disagree. I’ll always have the princess. Besides, I’ve come this far…”

Gilda heard the falter in Twilight’s voice. She saw the uncertainty in her eyes. Nodding once, even though she knew Twilight couldn’t see her, Gilda began to back towards the door. “You think about this, Twilight. Decide what you think is right.” The griffon turned and passed through the door silently and down the hall. She sighed as she passed the snoozing pony at the front desk and muttered to herself, “I can’t stay like this for eternity. Please, Twilight, make the right choice.”

---

Sighing, Twilight ran her hooves over the rough wood of the bed frame as she climbed into the covers. The earlier situation confused her and left her worried for her own sanity. She wasn't sure of what to believe, but one, tiny, almost silent voice kept slipping in and out of her mind. Like the voice that claimed to be conscious early had flipped some sort of switch, causing a small part of her to defy everything she knew.

"You don't have to kill Rarity," It whispered. The princess needs to be overthrown. She's a tyrant. A murderer."

Twilight's head sank into the flat, uncomfortable pillow. Another voice, one much louder, fought to keep what she had known and believed for so many years alive.

"The princess wouldn't lie to you, what she makes you do is for the good of Equestria. Any good leader would do the same in her position. It's just one last kill, then you can take a break. Yeah, you'll miss Spike, but the princess will make you new friends. Better friends. Less annoying friends."

The unicorn rolled over onto her side. The beige wall she looked at was covered in stains and spots, looking like mocking and twisted faces in the gloom. As she lay there curled up into a ball, body shaking with confused and frustrated sobs, sunlight filtered in through the dirty window. Twilight could imagine the princess rising into the sky, her powerful magic taking the fiery ball up with her. She wondered, groggily, what the princess was thinking at the moment. Was she annoyed that Twilight hadn't finished yet, or was she proud with how far she'd come? Or was she thinking about somepony else, somepony more important...?

The unicorn sighed and closed her eyes as the room turned to a dirty honey color. She had grown up worshiping the princess, following the princess, believing the princess. And now, everypony was telling her to turn on the princess? The thought of Celestia's long, flowing hair and tall, graceful body filled Twilight's mind. "Come, student," the hazy Celestia in her mind's eyes whispered, her voice heavy with lust. "It’s time for your lessons."

Twilight shook her head. Now is no time for fantasies. I told myself long ago that my love for the princess is childish and very unlikely to ever turn into the real thing. Gosh, Twilight, focus. She rolled over onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. She had to make a choice. Right now.

But she couldn’t.

Yawning, Twilight decided to sleep on it. She pulled the covers around her tightly and closed her eyes. Sleep would help. It would give her brain time to relax.

…

Twilight couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned, she counted sheep and recited half of the Hoofington Dictionary to herself, but nothing helped. She leaped out of bed with a burst of energy and looked into the dirty cracked mirror on the wall.

Twilight truly was a mess. She briskly combed her hair down, wiped the grim off her fur, and was out the door before she could stop herself. Twilight was going to talk to Celestia.

---

Another day and several train rides later, Twilight Sparkle was finally knocking her tired hooves on the princess’s bedroom door. The guards had let her in immediately, but Twilight couldn’t tell if it was out of respect or fear.

A golden cloud shimmered around the door handle and it swung open. “Twilight Sparkle,” said the princess. “I’ve been expecting you. Come, sit with me.”

Twilight blushed deeply as she stepped into the room. Celestia was lounging on her huge bed, dressed in a delicate royal nightgown. Her long hair fell like a waterfall over the side of the bed, and her tail draped elegantly over her legs. Her eyes were half closed and a knowing smirk sat upon her lips. Her hoof beckoned Twilight towards her. Just around the corner of the bed several bottles of wine could be seen, but Twilight didn’t worry about those. All her life, she had dreamed of a scene like this. Her horn and backside tingled as she grew slightly aroused, but she pushed the feeling back down.

“Princess,” Twilight said urgently as she slowly approached Celestia. “We have to do something about Rarity and the others now. I tried to trick them into trusting me but I only lost my weapons, and I need your help to get this over with. I… I think I’m starting to go a bit batty from the stress.”
Celestia laughed long and loud, punctuated at the end by a hiccup. “Oh, Twilight, you’re always so practical. Have some fun why don’t you? C’mon… Take a break…” Celestia began to slip off the bed, moving like a wildcat hunting it’s prey. She snaked up to Twilight and circled her.

“P-princess, this is serious…” Twilight stammered, her blush deepening.

“Oh hush,” Celestia purred. “I know you’ve always wanted this. I’m d-hic-unk, don’t you want to take advantage of me?”

Yes, oh Celestia yes! “Princess! That’s absurd. I’m trying to talk to you about the last Element, Raritiiiieeehhhh… oh, Princess….” Twilight’s train of thought crashed and burned as Celestia began to nose at her student’s flank. “S-stop, you know I’m sensitive…”

Celestia giggled. “That’s exactly why I’m doing it!”

Twilight shook her head. This isn’t real. I’ve seen her do this to the guards all the time when she’s drunk. “Celestia, stop. I’m being serious.”

Celestia paused. Twilight never called her by her first name alone. She stared down at her student’s soft, purple flank and realized what she was doing. She sobered up quickly and stood up straight. “Ah… ahem, sorry, Twilight…” She said, turning away to hide her embarrassment. “That was… extremely unprofessional.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s okay, princess,” she said as she helped Celestia back to her bed, as she was still mostly drunk and had a bit of trouble walking. “Listen, though. I need help. I—“

“Sh. I already know everything that has happened. I watch you closer than her may –hic- think.” The princess said, helping her hoof out to keep Twilight from speaking. “I already know what we’re going to do.”

Twilight blinked. “What?” she asked.

“For as long as time itself, there have been set rules for war between princesses. To issue the war, one princess must call for an eclipse. If the other princess accepts, then they meet on the battlefield. Only, the princesses don’t fight. They have their own armies fight on the fields before them as they use their magic to fight for control of the sky. Each princess commands the moon or sun to raise higher and higher. Whoever can push the other’s element back into the horizon wins.” Celestia gestured toward a large painting over her fireplace. “That is a painting of the last war, 1,000 years ago. The war against Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight walked over to the painting and looked it over in awe. The painting showed a grey wasteland stained with dark reds of wounded warriors. On each end were large stone gazeboes with intricate patterns.
“Why do warriors have to fight on the battle field?” Wondered Twilight.

“It symbolizes the warrior’s need to protect their princess. Without them, anypony could come up and assassinate a princess while she was distracted.”

“Oh,” said Twilight. “But why are you telling me this? You don’t mean to say that you are planning to start one of these wars, do you?”

“Yes, I do. It is the simplest way. You can kill Rarity on the battlefield and I can defeat Luna, and hopefully that will keep her quiet for a while.” Celestia glanced up at the afternoon sun in her skylight. “I can’t kill her myself. I need help of all the Elements, and the last ones were too weak.”

“What about me, Princess? Am I weak?” Twilight asked.

“Of course you’re not!” Celestia said, a shocked look on her face. “Twilight, do you really think you’d be my student if I thought you were weak?”

The purple unicorn looked back at the painting. “I suppose you’re right.” She stifled a sigh. Something about what the princess had just said made Twilight feel a bit… sad. Alone. Like the princess only saw her for her power. “So, are you going to summon an eclipse?”

“Not until nighttime. Unless Luna sends out an eclipse first, that is.” Celestia glanced at Twilight and saw the unhappiness in her eyes. “Twilight, why don’t you come down to the chambers with me? I have a pony starving down there, and I think that I’ll let you use up the last bits of her time here. I’ll let you pick the torture device this time!”

A month or two earlier, that would have sounded fun to Twilight. But, now, it only disgusted her. “Not now, Princess. I think I’m going to go to my room.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll call for you when It’s time to summon the eclipse.” Celestia held open the door for her student. “And, uh, sorry again. About earlier.”

Twilight smiled at her. She sort of liked Celestia when she was a bit drunk, she was softer, nicer. “That’s okay, Princess. It’s in the past.”

---

Twilight Sparkle’s sleep was shattered when suddenly there came a tapping upon her chamber door. Or more like a sharp BANG, BANG, BANG!
Yawning, Twilight stumbled to the door and opened it. A tall royal guard stood there, a serious look set on his face. “Twilight Sparkle, the Princess requests your presence at her bedchamber immediately. He said in s gruff voice.

“Thank you, sir.” Twilight said, bowing her head slightly in respect. The guard nodded and marched off to wherever royal guards march off too, and Twilight drifted down the hall to Celestia’s room.

The door swung open before Twilight even had a chance to knock, and Celestia pulled her in, locking the door behind her. “Princess, why--”

“Hush!” Celestia cut Twilight off. “We need to prepare. My warriors are already gathering. Push all the furniture to the edges of the room.

“But, why did—”

“It’s part of the tradition for the princess to be secluded with the one she trusts the most. Get to work!” Celestia bolted from the room and into her large closet.

Twilight frowned and pushed all the furniture to the walls in neat rows using her magic. As she squeezed the last cushion into a row, Celestia emerged from her closet in an intricate outfit. Her hooves her covered by her usual horseshoes, only long golden vines curled out of them and up around her legs. Glimmering yellow armor adorned her torso and neck, and on her head a thick headdress. Her horn emitted from it in stark white contrast, and the whole sight left Twilight dazzled. “Princess, I…”

“Hush, we have to start.” Celestia trotted to the center of the room, and forced the skylight open with her magic. A cold nighttime breeze rolled in and caused Twilight to shiver, but the solar princess stayed completely still. She closed her eyes and her horn turned gold. She was stone still, but Twilight could see the struggle in the sweat forming on her brow. Slowly, the moon peaking through the skylight turned an orange color. As the color faded, Celestia let out a burst of air and toppled over, Twilight rushing to her side. “Water,” the princess croaked.

“How do you know if Luna as excepted it?” Twilight asked as she brought a cup of water to Celestia.

Celestia gulped down the whole glass quickly. “She sets the moon and stars. They’re cannot be a source of light in the sky during a war between princesses.” She explained. “It will be very dark for a while.”

Twilight wondered how other ponies would react to sudden perpetual darkness. Maybe most of them are asleep, though.

“Twilight, look!”

Twilight looked up at the skylight. The moon was sinking down lower into the horizon, and the stars fell too. Like a million teardrops, falling back to ground.