A crescent Moon watched from its heights, just like Luna from atop a nearby rock, the invading pony army
as it advanced through the rocky lands of Endcliff. The Lunar Princess was wearing a solid, and quite gracious, armor for the occasion.
Despite the strong clanking of the swords, the ambiance was soaked with the Princess’s uneasiness.

“I-I… I must!” said Luna to herself, just as she tried to regain her composure.
Attempting to mute her fear, the Princess of the Night took off and landed inside the city.
Pretty soon, all the knights followed her.

With lots of efforts, the colossal catapults were rolled in by unicorn guards. Just as the weapons rumbled their way in,
Luna started to remember what Chrysalis told her right before coming to the mud village.

“…I don’t mind about what happened back there. You only did it because Cadence and Twilight forced you to,”
said the new Celestia, right before hugging her. The Lunar Princess’s sorrowful crying ceased.

“I’m so sorry.”

The white alicorn stopped hugging her and smiled. With her powerful magic,
Chrysalis appeared what it looked like a scroll map of some kind and gave it to Luna.
The blue alicorn grabbed it and started looking at it.

“I can’t recognize any of these regions, Celestia.”

“I didn’t expect that, because this map is an exact copy of the northern region of Idohn Canyon, where Endcliff is located…”

“Endcliff…?”

“YES, the capital city of Chrysalis. It’s a mud village hidden in the most distant and steep cliffs of Equestria.
No pony has ever found it. That’s why I made this map for you…”

Luna remained quiet in that moment. Her face turned serious, almost sad,
just as she stopped looking at the map her magic was holding.

“Now, if you look down from my balcony, you’ll see that I already arranged your departure.”

The blue princess exited the room, very slowly, and looked down from the terrace.
Above in the courtyard, a large horde of guards were marching with swords and torches.
At the same time, three massive catapults were being pulled by some deer and pony knights.

“Sister, do you want me to capture Chrysalis…?”

“NO. I expect you to do it.”

“I finally realized a way of stopping them from coming in the future.
If we attack first, tonight, they won’t be prepared and we’ll have all the vantage on our favor!”

“In the past few days, I already took care of getting you a fine armor and some heavy weapons to help you siege the city!”
giggled the Solar Impostor with true happiness.

“Celestia, is it really necessary for me to go tonight? Besides, how many days'll it take us to reach that place?”

“None, you’ll use a teleportation spell.”

“But we’re too many! I don’t think I’ll be able to take us all at the same time…”

“Heh, don’t worry. I learnt some new powerful spells that’ll send you all right away into that muddy village with no effort.
Leave it to me…”

“Now go and prepare yourself for the battle. I want her at all cost, do you understand? AT ALL COST!”

“But I… I-I…”

“WHAT IS IT?! Are you still questioning me and my orders?!”

“I thought you learnt your lesson, but now I sadly see I was wrong…”

“NO, SISTER! I’m not questioning you.”

“It’s just that I-I… I don’t think it's right to attack without warning them first.”

“Tell me, did Chrysalis send me a letter before she broke in into my room?!
Did she send us a letter when she kidnapped Cadence and almost married my captain?! DID SHE?!”

“No.”

“Good, there you go.”

“Alright. I’ll go if that’s what you want me to do…”

“NO. Not I, this is for everypony!”

“Oh, I almost forgot. What about the changelings? What do we do with them, Celestia?”

“…”

“…do nothing. Just bring me Chrysalis, you hear me? Just bring her to me.”

“And this time, sister, I’ll not accept failure…”

“I-I understand.”

“Very well, you’re dismissed then,” said for the last time Chrysalis, right before turning her face to avoid looking down at Luna.

Very slowly, the Princess of he Night started to react from her trance, just as the light of the Moon illuminated her precious armored face. After taking a deep breath, the blue alicorn muted her insecurity once and for all.

“I’ll not fail you ever again, Celestia. I promise,” said Luna to herself, right before rejoining with her knights in the middle of a street.

“Alright, pony, there they are,” said Baas as he, with caution, pointed at the menacing horde of knights
that now were flooding every street and alley of Endcliff. Celestia, with caution too, peeked out from the rooftop
where both changelings were.

“I don’t know how your super-secret plan is going to work, but it better do or I’ll have no other choice
than to send my troops against your pony friends.”

“I know, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to be necessary. Trust me!”

“Says you…”

“Just remember that you’re my sister now. You’re a changeling like none other. You can copy any creature you wish, just as I told you!”

“Really, any creature?!”

“OH YES. For example, I can copy dragons while you can copy that pink pony princess of the wedding!"

"Just focus and your magic’ll do the rest. Good luck, pony. You’re going to need it,” said the Changeling Prince for the last time,
right before taking off in silence.

Once alone, Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Feeling ready to finally confront her own sister,
the new Changeling Queen jumped to the street beneath her.

“There’s nopony in here, your majesty. All the houses are empty."

“Argh, they probably saw us coming!”

“It doesn’t matter. Keep checking every single building, captain. We must find her at all cost.”

“We will tear down the whole city if it’s necessary!”

“Yes, your majesty!”

After the guard trotted away from Luna, the blue alicorn started looking around the houses, wondering where Chrysalis would be.
Deep in the darkness of her night, a large building with palatial features caught her attention immediately.
With a big smile, the Lunar Princess remained looking at the distant giant.

“That must be the Mud Palace, Chrysalis’ hideout. Excellent!" said Luna to herself with great excitement.
By only raising her right hoof, the order was given and all her knights started to advance against it.
The war catapults now rumbled towards the old wonder.

A few yards later, without warning, the whole city in front of them was consumed by what it looked like a dense fog of some kind.
Soon, the white specter reached Luna’s and everypony’s armored hooves. The once brave knights, now were completely blind
in the middle of the foggy streets, shaking a little.

“REMAIN BRAVE EVERYPONY. THIS IS JUST A TRICK!” shout Luna with courage.
Her powerful magic tried to fade away the fog, but it was futile because the incorporeal foe didn’t retreat one single inch.

“…what is it, Samuel?”

“An evil voice’s in the air… whispering terrible things, your majesty.”

“I think we better leave. Something’s wrong...”

“NO. Queen Celestia ordered us to capture Chrysalis at all cost. We can’t return without her!"

"Continue moving those weapons, THAT’S AN ORDER!”

From among the white specter, a laugh of some kind started to be heard more and more loudly as it came closer
to the group of frightened ponies. Without being able to take any more of it, some knights retreated away, very slowly.
Right before they could break their position, Luna took off and landed in front of them.

“REMEMBER YOUR MISSION!”

“…still obeying her, I see,” said a bleak voice from among the fog.
The voice was so scary that even Luna started to shake a little in that moment.

“Show yourself, Chrysalis!”

“Chrysalis?! I don’t know any Chrysalis, BUT I DO KNOW WHO YOU ARE, LUNA.”

“Long ago, we did great and terrible things together… Have you forgotten?” giggled the scary voice.

“I don’t know what are you talking about, CREATURE.”

“Are you scared, Luna? You shouldn’t, because we are friends after all…”

“I’M NOT YOUR FRIEND and I’m not afraid of monsters like you! I let you go once,
but not anymore because this time I’m prepared to stop you!”

“Quit playing games and come out now, I DARE YOU,” shouted Luna with deep anger.
She was trying to locate the direction of the mysterious voice that was calling her.

Suddenly, in just seconds like before, the deep fog disappeared. The scared guards were shaking even more,
because now, they all were looking at something behind Luna. Very slowly, the Lunar Princess turned her head.

“Boo!” said Nightmare Moon, the Empress of the Night, with a big smile.

Luna remained completely still, feeling confused.

“Did you miss me?” giggled Nightmare. The black alicorn’s height was admirable, just as her wavy stellar mane.

“I don’t know how you are making this… but I’m not falling for it.”

“WOW, just look at you wearing that armor!”

“Tell me, did our selfish sister force you to use it?”

The Princess of the Night looked furious, yet, nervous with her presence.

“All those scared ponies, trotting away from us, is something I like to remember whenever I feel a little sad…”

“Oh Luna, I miss doing your dirty work!”

“You tricked me and forced me to do things I didn’t want to do!”

“FORCED YOU?! But we were so happy destroying all what our greedy sister built at the expense of our suffering…”

“Heh, do you remember her eyes full of tears and despair? That sure was priceless!” giggled the dark alicorn,
just as she started to laugh even more than before.

“The Moon couldn’t stop me…”

“Now I’m back, so we can put an end to her solar reign of ignorance, TOGETHER LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”

“ENOUGH!” shouted the remorseful princess, right before shooting one quite powerful spell against her old self.
The dark entity disappeared immediately in the middle of a dense dust cloud. With watery eyes, Luna tried to recover from her effort.

Very slowly, the dust started to dissipate from among the thin air.
The result of the match was revealed, in that moment, to the Lunar Princess and all her knights.
Lying almost unconscious over the street, Celestia appeared in front of Luna.

“CELESTIA?!” shout the blue alicorn with great pain, just as her tears started to flood the interior of her helmet.
Without hesitating, Luna dashed to her. Her eyes were completely lost.

“Sister, is that you…?”

“I’m here, Celestia. I’m here.”

Right before she could touch her, the almost defeated Solar Princess moved away.

“NO, NIGHTMARE. PLEASE, DON’T HURT ME…!”

“NO, IT’S ME, LUNA!”

When the Princess of the Night looked down at her hooves, her gray metallic shoes were completely gone, just like her blue skin color.
Now, her legs were black and the armor that covered them was blue, like Nightmare’s.

“NO, NOOO!” shouted Luna with deep horror.
She started to back away from her scared sister, who still was trying to crawl away from there.

Without being able to bear the apparent truth, Luna took off and flew away from the city in the middle of a bitter cry.
The catapults were abandoned, just like the attempt of sieging the city because, soon, there was no pony left inside Endcliff
willing to continue with the mission. Everypony fled the village as fast as their hooves and wings allowed them to.

After finishing her unfortunate magic show, the frightened Celestia disappeared and revealed the new Chrysalis,
just as she bursted into green flames. With three spells, Celestia destroyed the war machines.
With the menace completely gone, she stood still in the middle of the lonely street, feeling guilty.

“Please, forgive me, sister…”

“That was AMAZING!” shout Baas with heavy excitement, right before landing nearby her.
The Changeling Prince looked really impressed.

“I’m afraid this isn’t over…”

“What do you mean?! You destroyed their precious weapons, my subjects are safe and most importantly,
your beloved sister is safe! No wonder you’re their leader!”

“As soon as Luna returns to Canterlot without me, Chrysalis will start planning a new strategy to catch me.
Next time we might not be so lucky…”

“You’re right, I guess... so what can we do?!”

“I must return to Equestria and confront your sister once and for all. I’ve been running away from this for too long…”

“I promise you that I’ll not harm her, but I need your help.”

“You’re forgetting something, pony, and that’s our real power. Your magic show was admirable, yes it was,
but we don’t stand a chance against ponies. I’d be the last changeling to admit it, but we’re not that powerful. Not even you!”

“Baas, I must return to Canterlot and end this, tonight. There’s no other choice…”

“Didn’t you hear me?! We are not rivals for your pony friends. We can't help you, I’m sorry.”

“You’re right, we can’t. But I know a dragon that might…”

“Oh, it’s only you. What do you want, now?” asked the Solar Queen, just as she continued trying her new crowns and accessories.
All the jewelry was completely black with green gemstones. Three of the castle’s maids were helping her with the task.

“It’s about Twilight, Celestia…”

“What about her? Her Element of Harmony is going to be kept under my watch in here, at Canterlot.
What’s wrong with that, Cadenza?”

“No. It’s not about that…”

“NO YOU FOAL, give me the crown of the left…!”

“MAID, chocolate!”

“So, what is it then? Don’t you see I’m busy?!”

“It’s about the way you sent her back home. She was crying…”

“Aw, and I guess you’re mad with me about that, right?”

“YES, this is the crown!”

“MAID, MORE CHOCOLATE!”

“Why do you always have to be like that? This is not about me being upset or Twilight feeling sad with your attitude.
You’re different now...”

The white alicorn stopped staring at herself in the mirror and looked down.
All her sweet drinks were moved away from her, just like the rest of the jewelry.

“Maids, LEAVE!”

“Yes, your highness.”

Once the castle ponies left the room, Chrysalis started to trot away from Cadence towards a nearby open window.
As soon as she reached it, the eternal being started to laugh alone, out of nowhere, like before.

“Just look at them, sleeping so peacefully under my brave leadership, Cadenza.
These ponies are really lucky to have me as their Queen, don’t you think?”

“QUEEN?! Since when you started calling yourself a queen, Celestia?”

“Oh, silly me. I forgot to tell you…”

“After you and Twilight decided to betray me, I finally was able to understand that everypony only needs me.”

“For more than a thousand years, I have ruled this land without you..."

"I don’t really need you, perhaps just for filling a painting or my balcony during important celebrations, but nothing more.”

“That was cruel…”

“Well, Cadenza, if you don’t stand my presence or my leadership anymore, behind you there’s a door…”

“BUT BE SURE ABOUT SOMETHING. My empire is not going to be weakened with your absence.
From this moment forth, whether you like it or not, you’ll address to me as your Queen. Understood?”

“CELESTIA, what happened to you?! You’re scaring me…” cried the Princess of Love, with deep pain. Her eyes were full of tears.

“Curious, Shining told me the same thing right before I sent him away…”

“NOOO!” shout Cadence, just as she tried to lunge against her aunt.
With a powerful magic barrier, the Solar Queen stopped her without even moving. The pink alicorn fell to the ground immediately.

“YOU FOALISH TRAITOR! My power is beyond you and you still dare to attack me?! Pathetic,”
said Chrysalis, right before trotting in front of her.

By pulling a cord, the Solar Queen called a small garrison of knights into the room.
Moments later, they entered through the door. All of them looked very different to the regular guards Cadence used to know.

“Take her to the dungeon. Tomorrow I’ll decide her fate,” said the white alicorn with a smile,
just as she returned to look through the window. The knights took Cadence away from her, in silence.

“Come one, come all! Watch in awe as The Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic
ever witnessed by pony eyes!” shout Trixie, the unicorn magician, right before pointing at her audience from atop the stage.

“To start with this special show, I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, am going to cut a mare in half in front of all of you!”

“As you all can see with this small test, the saw’s real!”

“Remember everypony, this trick can only be performed by the most talented hooves of Equestria, like Trixie’s!”

“Now watch… and presto, the mare has been cut!”

“AAAAHHHH! EVERYPONY TROT!” shout a viewer from among the audience with horror.
Soon, Trixie’s fans started to flee the show as fast as they could.

“NO, WAIT! She’s alright, SEE?! IT’S JUST A TRICK!”

“Oh schnitzels! There goes our money, Fleur.”

"..."

“What is it...?”

“ARGH, DRAGON!”

“Do you want to see me, Princess?”

“…your Element of Harmony, where is it?”

“It’s in Ponyville, at my home.”

“Good. Tomorrow I’ll send some guards to retrieve it for me.
Yours and the ones of your little friends, so you better prepare them for me.”

“But Princess, what about if we need them?”

“That’s not your problem anymore.”

“By the way, since you decided to stay in my palace without even asking for my permission,
I’ve decided that it’s time for you to go home.”

“In fact, I think I’ll not be requiring your presence around here anymore…”

“What do you mean?”

“That you’re not welcome in Canterlot. You’re dismissed, permanently.”

“Now leave. I’m busy and you’re just distracting me…”

“What did I do wrong?” asked Twilight to herself, just as she remembered Celestia’s harsh words.
The gifted unicorn was heading back to Ponyville on a train. The lights of the mountain city were completely visible from her window.

Without warning, the train stopped abruptly in the middle of a deafening screeching. Part of the luggage felt from the top,
but no pony was hurt. With lots of caution, Twilight and some other passengers, opened the doors and jumped out.
Trotting as fast as she could, the talented pony approached at the motionless engine in the front.

“Are you ok?!” asked Twilight to the conductor, but he didn’t answer. The engineer just pointed.

“WOW!”

Illuminated by the powerful front light of the train, colossal boulders were blocking the rails ahead of them.
The rocks were so big, that even the surrounding pine trees looked small next to them.
The hissing of the engine muted their amazement.

“We’ll have to return and ask for help.”

“WATCH OUT!” shouted the conductor, just as he jumped over Twilight to protect her.
Flying at full speed over their heads, an infernal black dragon dashed over the tree tops.
The roaring of the beast caused another minor rock fall, but the engine protected them from the menace.

“Aren’t dragons supposed to be our friends now?!”

“Yes, they’re. But this one doesn’t feel the same way…”

”And he seemed to be heading towards… CANTERLOT!”

“Perhaps you don’t need me anymore, Princess, but there are other ponies that might…” said Twilight to herself,
right before following the tracks back to the city.

“Huh…?”

In the ceiling above Chrysalis, the chandeliers started to shake out of nowhere, apparently.
With indignation, and yet curiosity, the irked alicorn left her milkshake and trotted outside to the terrace.
The nighttime of Luna was completely gone, because gray storm clouds now covered the entire sky of the region.

“Is that… A DRAGON?!”

“YOUR SUPREME HIGHNESS!” said a castle knight all of a sudden, just as he entered the room.

“A dragon has invaded the city limits. What are your orders?”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?! We will fight against the beast!”

“Set the alarm. We’ll need everypony for this…”

“Yes, your supreme highness!”

“Lyra, are you ok?!”

“Yes, I’m fine, but that dragon is just flying around the mountain while looking down at us. I’ve never seen something like that before…”

“Flee, Twilight, flee while you can!” shouted Lyra for the last time, just as she continued escaping.
Other ponies followed her through the dark forest with lanterns and candles.

After trotting for some minutes more, Twilight finally entered the capital city through the train station.
The streets were completely abandoned, like a ghost town. All those exclusive stores and elite residences, now housed loneliness.
The only thing that could be heard in that moment, was the powerful roaring of the beast, rumbling every district of the Capital City.

“What’s going on out there…?” asked Cadence to herself, just as she tried to look through the tiny window of her cell.
The knights of the dungeon were preparing their swords and armors. They all looked really nervous.

“GUARD, what’s going on? Where are you going?!”

“A dragon has invaded the city… and Queen Celestia needs us for the battle.”

“Majesty, I’m sorry, but I can’t talk with you anymore…”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Once they left, Cadence remained completely alone in her cell.
After trying numerous times, her precious eyes finally stared at the mysterious guest of the city.

“ATROCIOUS?! What’s he doing here?!”

“He should be dead by now.”

“Unless…”

“NO, that’s crazy!”

“Either way, I must get out of here. All the citizens are in great danger, just like my dear Shining.”

“If I only could get those keys…”

“…my city has never fallen before and tonight, Loyal Soldiers of the Empire, it won’t be any different!”
shout Queen Celestia, just as she trotted in front of her troops.

“NO MERCY FOR THE ENEMIES OF THE SUN!”

“LONG LIFE THE QUEEN!” shout all the knights with one voice. After swearing allegiance to the Dark Ruler,
all the ponies started to march against the infernal feast. They were hitting their swords with their shields, like clockwork.
The Solar Queen looked really pleased with them.

From the stormy heights of Canterlot, the dragon stopped flying in circles and looked down at the looming horde of guards.
With one last powerful roaring that echoed in the entire mountain, the fire-breathing beast dashed towards the knights.

Landing with immense power, Atrocious, the Infernal Beast of the North, met his welcome committee
in the middle of the town square. The dragon’s sulfur smell, tiny red evil eyes, thundering wings, sharp teeth and large claws,
among other frightening details, were part of his charm.

The Solar Army reacted in many different ways. Some were smiling, others fainted and even some others,
started to back away from the plaza, very slowly. The mighty beast looked down at them and started to laugh with their presence.

“THAT’S IT, I’M OUT OF HERE!” shout a pegasi guard, right before taking off in complete panic.

“QUEEN CELESTIA CAN HANDLE HIM WITHOUT ME!” shout another knight, just as he dropped his helmet
and trotted away as fast as he could.

Pretty soon, all the remaining ponies started to flee the town square in all the directions they could find,
just as the beast continued with his funereal laughing. Trotting at full speed from among them,
the Solar Queen approached at the front of his broken line. The Dark Ruler looked really furious.

“COWARDS!”

“I DON’T NEED YOU. I’LL DEAL WITH HIM ALONE!”

“SAYS YOU,” bellowed Atrocious. The white alicorn turned her head immediately.

“BAAS, what are you doing here?!”

“I’M HERE TO STOP YOU FROM MAKING ANOTHER MISTAKE, SISTER.”

“Mistake?! I haven’t made any mistake!”

“Please, don’t tell me you believed that creature’s lies, Baas.”

“I’M LOOKING RIGHT NOW AT THOSE LIES…”

“JUST LOOK AT YOU, WEARING THAT CROWN. YOU’RE NOT A PONY PRINCESS!”

Queen Celestia started to look more angered than ever.

“THE PONY WAS RIGHT, YOU’VE CHANGED…”

“…BUT IF THAT’S HOW YOU WANT IT, SO BE IT!” bellowed the dragon, just as he prepared to shoot his infernal fire.
The Dark Ruler remained completely still.

In one quick motion, the beast shot all his scorching fire, roasting everything in its way.
All of a sudden, Twilight jumped out immediately from one of the nearby alleys, in panic.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA!”

Right before the gifted unicorn could save her with a spell, the fire covered Celestia,
forcing her to trot back into a safe spot from the heat. Baas continued shooting his fire without any effort.
Suddenly, from among the melting inferno, Chrysalis’ voice was heard.

“…is that the best you can do?”

“Come on, I know you can do better than that!”

Baas stopped immediately. He felt just as surprised as Twilight.

“Nice try, you almost got me…” giggled the Solar Queen, just as she stopped using her magic shield.

“…but now, is my turn.”

From her long horn, Chrysalis shot a single spell against her brother.
Baas roared in agony, right before bursting back into green flames. Twilight couldn’t believe what she was looking at.

“YOU PATHETIC CREATURE! Thinking you could rival with me, Celestia, the Solar Queen!”

“All those who dare to deny me, will pay the price for their treason!” shout the Dark Ruler, while taking off from the plaza, very slowly.
Up in the sky, a powerful thunderstorm started illuminating the entire region.

“STOP!” shout the new Changeling Queen, right before landing in the square.
Her green eyes looked angry, perhaps even more than the ones from the Queen.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here!”

“I suppose my useless younger sister didn’t capture you, right?”

“Oh well, I guess I’ll have to do it myself…”

“I’ll not let you continue any further with this.”

“BAAS WAS YOUR OWN BROTHER!”

“He should’ve thought of that before betraying me...”

“Heh, by the way, let me remind you that I control everything you see while you, changeling freak, only have your very limited powers!”

“You underestimate me. I’ll show you what changelings are capable of…” said the new Changeling Queen for the last time,
right before bursting into green flames. From the mystic fire, Nightmare Moon appeared again, laughing.

“Ha-ha-ha! Hmm, I wonder… if you can beat me now, Celestia,” giggled Nightmare, just as she lunged against her sunny foe.
The sky battle began in that moment.

Back in the ground, behind a stone bench, Twilight was trying to understand what was going on.
The gifted unicorn looked really confused and scared.

“Oh, carrots. I finally cracked.”

“…CADENCE, over here!”

“Twilight, what’s going on?! Where’s that dragon?!”

“…IS THAT NIGHTMARE MOON?! What’s going on here?!”

“I’m not sure, but it seems that Chrysalis has returned and now she’s fighting Celestia as Nightmare…”

“Say, where were you? You look kind of dirty.”

“Celestia imprison me after… SHINING! Twilight, I must find Shining!” shout Cadence, right before trotting away.

Meanwhile, the deadly fight started to move away towards the palace. The gifted unicorn decided to follow it on the ground.
As a result of the match, many missed spells were impacting everything down in the city.
Houses, buildings, trees and even some stores were completely under attack. With lots of caution, Twilight tried to dodge them.

One of those spells, suddenly, destroyed a small tower in front of the purple unicorn, causing it to come down against her.
Twilight, immediately, tried to escape, but the old structure felt too quickly over her.

The destroyed tower created a huge dust cloud after falling on the street.

From among the bricks, the talented unicorn was laying on the floor, shaking in fear while covering her head with her hooves.
She was safe, somehow. Twilight, very slowly, opened her eyes and stared at the pony that saved her.
Nightmare Moon was in there, using a green protecting spell over them. Once the risk was completely gone,
the powerful barrier disappeared.

“Twilight, flee the city with Cadence and Shining. You’ll be safe with them. GO, NOW!” shouted the dark alicorn,
right before restarting her battle against the evil Solar Ruler.

“Chrysalis… saved me?” asked the gifted unicorn to herself, confused.
Twilight remained staring at the duel from her spot among the bricks, in silence.

“SHINING, WHERE ARE YOU, HONEY?!” shout Cadence, with great despair, just as she kept looking for her husband
through the empty streets of Canterlot.

All of a sudden, in a corner not very far from her, somepony was trotting very slowly, giving the impression to be injured.
The Princess of Love trotted into his aid immediately. After finally reaching him, a nearby lamppost revealed his true identity.

“A changeling…!”

“You… y-you’re that pink pony princess my sister decided to copy…”

“YOUR SISTER?! Chrysalis is your sister?!”

“Yes. I’m Baas, Prince of the Changeling Empire….”

“Now leave me alone. I-I need… to save Chrysalis,” mumbled the changeling monarch,
right before trying to continue with his slow harmful trotting.

Cadence remained still. After hesitating a little, the Princess of Love decided to talk with him again, this time, at a closer distance.

“Listen, pony, if you’re planning to attack me just do it.
I lost most of my magic with that spell… I can’t defense myself anymore.”

“…when you were that dragon, why didn’t you attack us?”

“You could’ve destroyed the entire city, but you didn’t.”

“Despite my feelings, your pony ruler taught me that there are always other ways…”

“Celestia, really? But she didn’t leave Canterlot the whole week.”

“Are you sure about that…?”

"..."

“Oh.”

“B-BUT… BUT HOW?! No pony can perform such magic!”

“True. That’s why my sister used the Imager, Meadowbrook’s poor attempt of stopping Atrocious once and for all…”

“So, let me get this straight. The Chrysalis my dear Shining and Luna pursued that night… was really Celestia all this time?!”

“Baas, you have to come with me. We might still have time to save them,” said Cadence for the last time,
right before helping her new friend to trot back inside the castle.

“You’re… stronger than I expected,” mumbled the Solar Queen. The tired alicorn was trying to catch her breath again,
just like her rival from the other side of a garden. The thunderstorm continued covering the sky around them.

“Even… with all the new spells I learnt, you’re… still here!”

“I’ll not… give up.”

“I-I… must protect… everypony from you!”

The changeling Mare in the Moon looked different now. Two of her legs lost their black color, just like her wings.
Celestia’s magic appeared to be running out for all the effort she had made by trying to fight as Nightmare.

“You seem… to be running out of magic… and still, you want to fight me?!”

“Don’t you get it, Chrysalis? Pretty soon you’ll fall by my hooves…!”

“I-I… I don’t care if I lose this battle against you. Everypony… is counting with me.”

All of a sudden, in the middle of the garden, Luna landed with great power.
The Princess of the Night was still wearing the gray armor she used at Endcliff some hours ago.
Her face looked serious, but among all, enraged with Nightmare Moon’s presence.

“…Luna!”

“LUNA. Welcome home, my dear sister,” said Chrysalis with a big smile.
The blue alicorn trotted to her and hugged her.

“Don’t worry. I’m finally here to help you, Celestia…”

“YOU DISGUSTING SHAPE-SHIFTING MONSTER!”

“How dare you show your face again in our home?!”

“Sister, it’s time to end this…” said the Solar Queen for the last time, right before trotting away from her.
The Princess of the Night removed her helmet and started to advance against Nightmare.

“WAIT, you’ve to listen to me--“

“NOT ANOTHER STEP!”

“You could’ve fooled me before, but I’ll not fall again with your tricks!”

“Your evil seed ends tonight, CHRYSALIS!” shout the Lunar Princess, just as she fired one final major spell with her horn.
All of a sudden, a purple magic barrier appeared in front of the dark entity, saving her.

“NOOO!” shout Twilight, right before entering the garden.
Moments later, Cadence, Baas and other two pony guards, followed her.

“Are you ok?”

“…yes.”

The purple unicorn, very gently, hugged the fake Mare in the Moon. With her love, Nightmare recovered her spectral look and magic.
Once it was over, Celestia looked down and smiled to her little worried friend. Twilight smiled back.

“TWILIGHT, what do you think you’re doing?!”

“Luna, stop. You’re making a big mistake!”

“The only mistake here was letting her go that night…”

“…A MISTAKE THAT I’LL CORRECT THIS INSTANT!” shout the Lunar Princess again with mighty rage,
just as she shot another powerful spell. This time, Cadence’s magic stopped the attack.

“CADENCE, YOU TOO?!”

“I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. YOU WERE PLANNING THIS SINCE THE BEGINNING!”

“HOW DARE YOU BETRAY CELESTIA LIKE THAT?!”

“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALL WHAT SHE HAS DONE FOR US?!”

“LUNA, that Celestia is Chrysalis!”

“WHAT?!”

“Chrysalis changed bodies with her on that rainy night. That’s why she wasn’t affected by Twilight’s magic when we confronted her.”

“This Nightmare Moon IS CELESTIA, the real one!”

The Lunar Princess stood still, petrified. Her sight was lost, like trying to understand what was going on.
Meanwhile, the Solar Queen, now fully recovered, approached at Luna. Once she was in front of her, Chrysalis started to laugh.

“Cadenza’s right. I’m not your sister, sweetie.”

“But hey, I really enjoyed meeting you. Too bad you have to go now…”

Luna started to back away, scared.

With her powerful magic, the Dark Ruler raised Luna and imprisoned her inside an energy cube.
The Princess of the Night tried to break free, but it was futile. By only looking at the emptiness of the air,
Chrysalis opened a portal to another dimension.

“You once told me the Moon was a cruel place to be… but I know far worse places to rot than that.”

“Aw, don’t be sad, because this time you won’t go alone,” said the Queen, just as she picked Cadence with her magic too.

“And now, to make sure you can’t return here, voilà!”

Without warning, a loud explosion consumed a specific section of the castle.
Purple flames and smoke came out from the ruins of the destroyed wing.

“OH, NO. That was the library!” shout Twilight with horror.

Before the gifted unicorn could even try to attack her, Chrysalis used another forbidden spell with her.
Twilight, in the middle of her trotting, turned into metal.

“…with a new life, comes a whole new perspective.”

Celestia looked horrified, but among all, surprised by Chrysalis’ new powers.
That was just the beginning because the sun, out of nowhere, started to peak in the distant horizon.
Seconds later, a whole new day arrived with its heat, fading the nocturnal sky forever.

“If I’m the Solar Queen, I should rule in complete lightness…”

“IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE. Please make sure to send me some letters!”

Once Luna and Cadence commenced to lean dangerously inside the portal, Baas and the palace guards,
attempted to attack the Dark Ruler. Surprisingly, Celestia put her leg and stopped them.
Very slowly, the Mare in the Moon started trotting at her old evil self.

“Oh, you want to go too?! Don’t worry. You’ll join them pretty soon!”

“You are not alone…”

“WHAT?!”

“Just look around you. What can you see?”

“You dare mock me?! My skills are what are defeating you, MONSTER!”

“You continue calling me a monster and say you’re alone, but that’s not true.”

“I think the real monster is here and it’s inside you.”

“HOW DARE YOU?! I’m Celestia, the Supreme Solar Queen!”

“NO, YOU’RE NOT. You’re just a scared changeling who is hiding behind some black jewelry.
You try to look evil, fearless and dominant, but that only shows me how scared you really are.”

"You don’t know me! Perhaps you convinced my brother to betray me,
but your empty lessons of kindness and moral means nothing to me. I’m Celestia and I will rule this land by my law only!”

“After I escaped, what did you do? Did you enjoy having my life and friends? Did you like being loved and admired for everypony?
Did you receive what you expected? Tell me, DID YOU?!”

The Dark Ruler remained quiet. She looked furious.

“I-I don’t need your pathetic subjects to get what I wish. My word is law.”

“You also like to say that, but at the same time, you want somepony to admire you.”

“Come on, Chrysalis! What do you want, seriously?”

Queen Celestia remained quiet.

“You can send my family away into that portal, defeat me afterwards and rule this land
under an Eternal Day as you wish, but what’ll you have in the end?”

“In what way, this new life of yours, is better than the one you used to have back at Endcliff?
You had loyal subjects, a good brother that really loved you and most importantly, you belonged somewhere.”

“You might have my body, my life, my friends and even my power, but you continue being
the same sad and frightened creature of before. Your black crown might scare somepony,
but for me, it only reflects how empty you’re inside…”

“Remember the wedding? You were willing to spend the rest of your life with a pony you don’t even stand.”

“Just look at my side of the garden, for pony sakes! I’ve your friends, and even your brother, on my side.”

“If you feel alone, you’re probably not the only pony. I had to exile my own sister and live with that guilt
every day for a thousand years. When I thought that I had nopony at my side,
I learnt that I had so many in so little, like you in your land.”

“I’ll ask you again. How many friends do you have, CELESTIA?”

After saying such words, Nightmare Moon bursted into green flames and revealed Chrysalis in all her beautiful glory.
The Changeling Ruler approached more at her.

“Look at me and tell me, am I really a monster…?”

“Do whatever you wish, but be sure about something, CELESTIA. If you are alone from this day forth,
it’ll be for yours and your actions alone, not mine or anypony else’s. That’s all I’m going to say…”
said for the last time the new Changeling Queen, just as she returned to her spot.

The speeding wind was the only thing that could be heard in that moment, whistling among the grass and the trees of the garden.
Some birds were flying between the rooftops and trees of the palace.

In the moment when Celestia was about to rejoin with Baas at the other side of the garden, Luna, Cadence and Twilight
appeared in front of her. The new Changeling Queen turned her head immediately, surprised.

Trotting very slowly towards her, the Solar Queen was wearing the Imager.
The alicorn’s face looked doleful, full of regret, but happy. Celestia smiled and thanked her with a gesture.

After everything was put back in order, the vast garden was illuminated by a powerful source of light.
Seconds later, Queen Celestia and Princess Chrysalis appeared laying in the soft grass.
Luna and Cadence helped Celestia to stand up again, while Baas, Twilight and the guards, helped Chrysalis.

“I think we’re no longer going to need it, so you better keep it or destroy it. It’s your call,”
said Chrysalis, the real one, right before giving her necklace to Celestia.

“Ready to go home, sister?”

“I’m ready to return where we belong…”

“CHRYSALIS, WAIT!”

“Where’s Shining?! Where did you send him…?”

“Don’t worry, Cadenza, he’s fine. I ordered him to buy me more bottles in Trottingham.
He should be back here in a couple of hours.”

“So long,” said the Queen of the Changelings for the last time, right before taking off into the blue sky of Canterlot.
In that moment, the pony knights bursted into green flames too. They were Aina and Samsei,
the same changelings that helped Celestia escape during that stormy night.

Both changelings nodded and took off with Chrysalis. Baas remained in there for a brief moment, smiling.
The Solar Princess smiled back. Now ready to go, the young Changeling Prince took off with them.
Moments later, they couldn’t be seen any more in the green horizon.

Luna hugged Celestia. Cadence and Twilight followed her.

“We missed you so much.”

“I-I missed you too.”

“Listen, I hope you can forgive me. I’ll work really hard to regain your trust again, I promise,”
said Celestia, ashamed, while looking down at the ground.

“OH, SIS. I became Nightmare Moon, remember?”

“Aw, come on! You all thought that angry singing bride was me...!”

“I think what we’re trying to say, Princess, is that you can always count with us.”

“We’ll never stop loving you, even if you are a dark rose…”

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading!
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