------------ Finale: Part 1 ------------

Luna's dexterous hands flicked up and down, sending each star to it's home, one by one. When the night sky was clear of them, she extended her magic out to the moon, both hands gently guiding the massive orb of light back home. She was gentle, delicate, and easy, using a firm but soft touch with each and every pinpoint of light. Celestia, on the opposite side, was a display of raw power and emotion. Her muscles bulged against her skin, showcasing this particular princess was anything but soft. Indeed, her powerful abdominal muscles clenched, her thighs tensed, and her arms shuddered with the weight of her magic. Lily hadn't seen it before, when Celestia was wearing proper clothes, but she really was toned... The elder sister was a picture of feminine beauty and health, a flat stomach with wide hips, muscular and shapely legs, and a very large bust. Her arms were slender but toned, not a single feature lost to fat or extra skin... All leading up to a very delicate (if only in appearance) neckline... Her jaw open with a raw growl of primal strength, Celestia hoisted the weight of the sun with her brilliantly-radiating hands, shockwaves of magic and force radiating outwards from her spread feet. Lily fell to her knees, felt the force of the magic push her backwards marginally.

"Come, Lily..." A gentle voice whispered in her ear. Celestia was near the zenith of her task, arms almost fully extended above her head. She looked to her side, feeling a warm hand on her back. Who she saw nearly took her breath away.

"Twilight!" The purple-haired magi smiled down at Lily, her own feet spread against the forces pushing at her.

"Stand up, Lily... Lean on me."

"I-I can't!" She whimpered. "I'm not strong enough!"

"Not alone, you aren't." Twilight grasped her arm, lifting Lily up with a gentle touch. "But together..." Both women stood, nude, against the force of Celestia's burning power. "We can withstand anything!" The last shockwave cracked the floor underneath Celestia's frame, rippled towards them, the visible distortion in the air betraying how hot, how powerful this was going to be. Lily felt a moment's hesitation. About her. About Twilight. About Maggie's, her friends, her customers, her money, her life, love, and happiness. In the breath before the shockwave hit them, though...

Lily forgot it all.

"I love you." She whispered, just as the magic broke upon them.

Her mind went blank.

She was dead. She knew it. The recent rush of memories confirmed it. People only had flashbacks when they died, right? So she was dead. A goner. There, buffetted by Celestia's magic, held by Twilight, she had burned away on the spot. Right after confessing, too... What a fuckin' bummer... Lily felt tears build up behind her eyes and begin to slide out of her forcefully-shut lids, leaving twin trails of wetness down her cheeks.

Wait... Tears? Eyes? Wetness? With a gasp, Lily opened her eyes, though for a moment she thought she was blind. The landscape around her was brilliant, pure white, and stretched on for what seemed like forever... Her feet, though, stood on a flat, white surface. It felt almost like paper. She cast a shadow in four directions, even though there was no discernable light source. She was still nude.

"H-hello?" Hesitantly, Lily called out. She looked down at her vacant right hand, and saw she was, indeed, completely alone. No one else was there. Not a single speck marred the perfect, blank, sterile surface of wherever it was Lily was standing... "Anybody there?!" She raised her voice and her arms, the latter falling back down to her bare hips with a slight smack. "Anybody at all?" She huffed a breath, spinning a slow circle so she could survey the horizon. That is, if she could tell where the horizon started... As it turned out, she couldn't... It seemed this blank, etheral place stretched on forever on a flat plane.

Twilight would scoff at the spatial implications.

Twilight...

Lily flexed her empty hand again, sighing at the lack of the quirky, purple-haired magi... Twilight probably knew what this place was. Twilight would know what to do. Twilight knew a lot... And Lily knew oh so little. Sadness gripped at her again, and she felt tears coming on once more. One of them escaped, falling down her cheek. She wiped it away and started walking. Just something to do. She picked a direction and started walking in a straight line. Her feet left no trail behind her, so she couldn't tell if she had walked a cirlce or not. But that was okay with her. She started walking in no particular direction, letting her feet do the thinking for her brain.

No use, it turned out... Walking was pointless, as it took her nowhere, and after what felt like half a mile, she started thinking again. Her thoughts darted everywhere from Twilight to Maggie's, to Cheerilee and even to Chrysalis. The last of those came with a shudder. She forced her former queen from her head and went back to more pleasant thoughts... Twilight. All the times she and Lily had made love, laughed, talked late at night on the phone... The week living with Twilight in Ponyville, both of them laughing and working together.

What's more, Lily began thinking about the REASONS she felt like she loved Twilight. The purple-haired magi had a lot of reasons for anyone to like her... She was incredibly smart, though sometimes she took her intelligence too far... Powerful, of course... Lily had never seen Twilight use the full force of her magic. She was kind of afraid to see it... The other wielders of harmony had spoken of some of the things Twilight had done... She had lulled an Ursa Minor to sleep and floated it halfway through the Everfree forest to it's home... Ursa were biologically resistant to magic... For Twilight to accomplish such a task was nothing less of... Well, quite frankly, frightening.

She had a laugh that could light up a room. Her natural beauty was envious. Her smile was radiant. Yet, she was modest as anyone... At least, not when she wasn't behind the bedroom door. Or that one time in public... Lily shivered in rememberance of the delightful session, the thrill of being discovered... Another testament to Twilight's power, she had teleported both of them six miles away to Maggie's right after an orgasm, in the face of the man who had spotted them, with a strapon still buried inside of her. And they hadn't even left any body parts behind.

Lily felt her lips spread in a smile as she remembered all that Twilight and her had done together. The three-day ordeal, the one bit where Twilight had given herself a penis, their joined punishment at the hands of Celestia... Lily absently rubbed the spot she remembered being whipped. Had she really taken the beating for Twilight? What did it mean? More importanly, why had she ran when Celestia called her out on it? In retrospect, Lily should have stayed there. Talked it out.

That was another thing... Shortly after that, Maggie had passed. The memory brought both a smile and more tears to Lily's face, and she fought back a sob as she tried to remember Twilight through the ordeal... In fact, she could remember the last time she had seen Twilight before that morning very clearly...

---------------

The last, glimmering pinpricks of light vanished in the sky, Twilight and Lily the only two left at the spot where Maggie's ceremony had taken place. Slowly, both women lowered their gaze to the setting sun, a warm breeze lifting their hair from their shoulders. They hands were still held gently, and Lily fought the approaching sob. In the end, she lost. She gave a hiccuping sob just as Twilight pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Shh... Shh... Get it out, Lily." Twilight whispered into her ear. Lily let herself break down, sobbing and crying into the magi's shoulder at the loss of her friend. Despite Celestia's words, and indeed, her own, Lily couldn't help but feel sad. Maggie was her first friend. Her first TRUE friend. The two had shared so many experiences, so much laughter and joy... Maggie was her rock in hard times, her mentor in others, and her manager all other times. She held ALL the girls together... She was the namesake for the building Lily had devoted, quite literally, all of her life to... Without her, it felt like everything was going to come crashing down.

"I m-miss her s-s-*hic* SO MUCH!" Lily wailed into Twilight's shoulder, clutching her friend close. Her fingernails shamelessly dug into Twilight's shoulders, her tears staining the bright blouse she had worn that day.

"I know, Lily... We do too..." Twilight was speaking for all of her friends at that moment... The five who shared a link with her. Lily could hardly her words, though... She whimpered and sobbed until her puffy eyes would yield no more tears. Even then, she felt like utter shit, like she couldn't stop crying inside. "Look, Lily..." Twilight said softly. "I've got some questions, about you, about me, about us... But you're going through a lot. Hell, all of us are... Take some time, okay? Get your head back on straight. Your beautiful, pretty head." Her teasing words made Lily chuckle and break a hysterical smile. Twilight leaned in and gave her a soft kiss, penetrating right through the sadness and into Lily's heart. She stopped crying, wiping her eyes pathetically.

"Ugh... I look like a mess..."

"Hardly," Twilight reassured her with a soft, sensuous hug. "You just need some sleep. I won't bother you for a while, alright? Just... Take your time. You've got other things to worry about right now. Go make sure Maggie's will be alright..." They broke apart, Twilight's face streaked with tears herself. Unlike Lily, Twilight bore hers in silence. "I don't want to confuse you any more. When you're ready to talk, I'll be there to listen. Okay?" The next words she said almost broke Lily's heart again. "I'll wait for you..."

---------------

More tears fell unbidden from Lily's eyes as she stood on the stark white plain that stretched forever in every direction. "Twilight," She whimpered softly, hugging herself. "oh TWILIGHT!" Her wail came with another flood of tears, the landscape not even bearing the evidence of her sorrow. Nevertheless, she spilled her agony onto the ground, sobbing and wailing out loud. She spoke her heart to no one in particular, blubbering and sobbing every word.

"Twilight, I love you so much, it almost hurts... It's such a GOOD hurt, though! I miss your smile, your laugh... I miss the way you kiss my cheek. I miss your warm hug, your knowing smile... OH TWILIGHT I MISS YOU!" Her voice lifted in a miserable wail of agony, falling on no one's ears. She fell onto her face, her fingers curled into the hard, unyielding ground, her entire abdomen shaking as she sobbed and cried.

"Hmm..." The soft noise was enough to cause Lily to choke off the most recent sob. Her eyes flashed open, now devoid of tears. She sat upright, looking around the bleak landscape for the source. Nothing. She was surrounded on all sides by absolutely nothing. Just as she almost resumed her crying, though, it came again... "Hmmmmmm..."

"Who's there?!" She stood up, whirling around and around to try and find the source of the voice.

"Oh, no one..." The voice wafted very faintly past her ears, as if carried on a weak breeze. She almost got dizzy trying to find who it was... "Just, you know..." She spun around again, finally spotting who had spoken. They had appeared in the last second, blinking into existence in a flat area Lily had just checked. "Your worst nightmare." Lily's heart stopped in her chest, her eyes stricken wide with fear.

"Chrysalis."

"Oh yessss," Chrysalis' voice was thin as a razor and twice as sharp. It cut to Lily's core, rending her open on a paper-thin line... "So good to see you again, Liliana... You know, after your BETRAYAL!" Chrysalis' hair flared out and her eyes flashed a dangerous green. The queen of the changelings was in her changeling form, her insectoid winds kicking up enough of a gust to make Lily's hair float around her. She was as fearsome as ever. Two full heads taller than Lily, her sleek, glistening black body pockmarked with holes. Her voice rose as she flapped harder, hovering an inch off the ground.

"HOW DARE YOU LEAVE US?! HOW DARE YOU BETRAY US?! YOUR FAMILY! YOUR LIFE!" Chrysalis' anger flickered in a sickening green aura of magic around her frame as she slowly advanced upon Lily.

"What-"

"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!" Chyrsalis roared, her fingers curling until she clenched twin fists. "I WON'T HEAR THE COMPLAINTS OF A WHORE!" Lily stepped backwards, her legs faltering slighlty underneath her. "YOU LEFT US! IN OUR GREATEST HOUR OF TRIUMPH, LILIANA, YOU LEFT!"

"N-no, I-"

"I SAID SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Lily flinched at the reprimand, her chest tightening with fear. Her eyes were wide as they could be. So wide the wind stung them as Chrysalis flew closer. "YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN A HERO! YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR MY RISE! I WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU THE WORLD!" The last word sent a ripple of dangerous green energy flickering towards Lily. But it also steeled the defected changeling. Lily planted her feet and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"NO!" The magic split around her, scorching the white landscape with it's intensity. The dark marks radiated outward from where Lily stood, painting her platform of defiance. Nerves and muscles steeeled, Lily turned her gaze upon the blinking queen. "You lie! You wouldn't give me the world! You were reluctant to give me my LIFE! I remember the day I handed you the essences, Chrysalis. I remember it well!" She started advancing on the queen, her gaze locked and dangerous as she strode forward.

"I TOOK my life from you! I MADE my own path! I vowed my independence, and I made good on that promise! Look at what I've done!" She threw her arms out, addressing the barren landscape. Chrysalis landed and walked backwards, away from Lily. "I've made friends! Dozens of them! I've got memories now! I've got a business to run! I've professional obligations and a FAMILY! PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME!" She stopped, her fists curled at her sides as she fought back the tears again.

"I've got someone who loves ME for who I am. Who loves Lily." She raised her gaze once more, tears of anger and rage spilling down her cheeks from clear eyes. "Something you could never do." Ajax stood there, looking smug and happy. Chrysalis was gone, even the burn marks on the ground having left.

"Aw, come on, babe. I loved you."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No, Ajax. You didn't." He advanced in a flash, grabbing Lily's wrist and wrenching it upwards.

"YES I DID!" His fist whipped around and caught Lily firmly across the cheek. She was sent flying backwards, tumbling across the ground. "I LOVED YOU MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER KNOW!" He stomped after her, gripping her hair in his hand. Lily gasped as he wrenched her head up, half her body angled up off the ground. She saw blood. Lots of it. "I loved you, Liliana. Which is more than anyone can ever say. Look at you! You're ugly! Just as fucked up in the head as I am! I remember what you did in Trottingham! I was there! I watched you with my own eyes!" His sickening green eyes flickered in rememberance. Lily swallowed bile.

"You're a sick puppy, girl! Where else did you get your taste for anal? Who made you squirt the first time? When did you get so good at sucking cock? You have ME to thank for making you such a good whore! So get to thanking!" Ajax thrust his human hips forward, quickly spearing Lily's mouth with his thick, pulsating cock. Her senses dulled over as he started thrusting, saliva pouring from her lips as he roughly abused her mouth. The head of his shaft pressed against her throat, which wasn't helping her fight against the vomit... "Ooh, that's the stuff! Fuckin' A, I love you!"

"Hhmnann!"

"Sorry, what was that, Liliana?" Ajax pulled away, a grin on his face as he leaned in to Lily.

"I said." She gasped. "My name is Lily." Ajax gasped as a shock of magic pulsed through his system. His hand released Lily's hair, and offered her the chance to stand as he stumbled backwards. "And you," Lily wiped her chin free of saliva, her breathing ragged past the tamed upheval. "Do NOT love me." She straightened her back. "You HATE me, Ajax."

"NO!" Ajax roared, taking a step back.

"YES!" Lily countered, following him. "You hate me! Why else would you treat me like this?! You don't know what love is, Ajax! You haven't the slightest clue!"

"Yes I do! I love you! I do!"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Lily roared, whipping her hand around to smack him. It was Ajax's turn to fall now. "You don't love me! Never have! I KILLED YOU!" Ajax froze in place, his hand raising to his cheek. "I know what love is, Ajax." She said in a low, ragged tone. "And I've found it. Unlike you, I've experienced love... With Twilight." As soon as she said the name, Ajax vanished. She was left alone, her blood on the ground, dripping from her chin. "And stay dead." She muttered to no one in particular.

"Lily!" Twilight's voice filled her with both shock and joy. She spun around, spotting Twilight standing behind her. They were twenty feet apart. But not for long. Lily's legs were a blur as she ran and threw herself at the magi, quickly wrapping her arms around the one woman she loved.

"Twilight! Oh my Celestia, are you okay?!" The magi's hair was rumpled and frazzled, and she sported a cut on her shoulder. It oozed a little blood down her back, but aside from that, she appeared undamaged. Maybe a little shaky.

"F-fine! Fine!" Twilight hugged her back with a smile, both women on the verge of happy tears. "Speaking of okay, are you?" Lily pulled away, wiping at the cut on her cheekbone.

"This? I'm fine... Just... Dealing with some things..."

"Chrysalis?" Twilight asked.

"And Ajax..."

"Who's that?" Lily shuddered.

"Don't make me tell you that story. Please, Twilight. I promise you. Some other time. After we get out of here."

"No, I understand... I had to deal with some things myself... Discord, Nightmare Moon... It sounds like we both have a lot to talk about."

"But, I hope..." Lily intervened, gently taking Twilight's hand... "We'll have a lot more time together to talk about them?" Twilight's wide eyes looked down at their joined hands, then back into Lily's own. There was a moment's pause before Twilight swallowed hard and threw her arms around Lily's shoulders.

"YES! OH, YES PLEASE!" She cried, gripping Lily tight. The changeling just smiled and kissed Twilight's neck, taking her turn as the supportive one. Twilight cried for a few moments, though Lily was perfectly content to hold her new lover as she wept. Twilight pulled away after a minute or so, wiping tears of joy from her eyes. "I love you, Lily."

"And I love you, Twilight." She replied, leaning forward and giving the magi a soft kiss. It was returned eagerly, Twilight wrapping her arms around the other smoothly. Lily drew her close, their bare bodies curving together perfectly. The kiss stretched on for what felt like forever, and ever... Lily groaned when Twilight finally broke it.

"Lily." She said softly. "We have company..." Lily blinked a few times, and turned her head to follow Twilight's gaze.

"Princess Celestia!" Lily gasped, turning to face her. The princess was nude still, smiling serenely. Twilight pulled away from the embrace, but settled for holding Lily's hand. The two women shared a reassuring squeeze.

"Twilight Sparkle." Celestia said softly, slowly advancing towards them. "And Lily." Her gaze settled on the changeling now. "I'm so happy for the two of you. Especially you, Twilight."

"M-me?!" Twilight stammered. "Wh-what for?"

"Allow me to explain, girls." Celestia said softly. "You two have unlocked an ancient and nearly-forgotten magic... A magic that I, admittedly, am a stranger to in all but text. Lily, humor me for a moment. What did Chrysalis task you to do that fateful day before you came to Ponyville?" Lily swallowed hard at the memory. It wasn't painful anymore, just... Uncomfortable.

"She... Wanted me to see if changelings could feed off of... Uuh... Desire. Physical love. Like, submission and lust..."

"Right. And Twilight. What did I send you to Ponyville to study long, long ago?" Twilight blinked before answering.

"Uuh, friendship, I guess..."

"Correct. Now, what are those two things?" The contrast clicked, and Lily spoke in a soft whisper. Maggie's words came back to her from beyond her grave...

"Different kinds of love..." Celestia's smile widened as she nodded, pointing a finger at both of them in turn.

"Correct. Lily, Twilight, you two, through means unkown even to myself, have unlocked a type of love I've only ever read about..." She stepped closer, laying a hand on their stomachs. "True love." Her hands glowed as she pulled them away, and with them came both women's essences. Lily gasped as hers left her body, Twilight gave a shudder... Celestia held in her hands two fist-sized orbs of shifting, ephemeral wisp-like material. It floated and shifted as if in a gentle breeze. Lily's was a pale sort of turquoise, while Twilight's was a brilliant, almost radiant purple. Smiling, Celestia's hands glowed more intensely as she brought them together.

"Huuuhh!" Lily gasped as the white plane of wherever they were slipped away into nothingness. She was slammed back into reality, her consciousness putting her right back on the balcony they had left what felt like ages ago. "Woah!" She gasped, swaying slightly. Twilight's hand steadied her and she blinked a few times. Luna smiled softly in the mid-day sun, her arms crossed underneath her breasts.

"Welcome back." She said softly. "Oh? Did they do it, then, sister?" Celestia held in her hands, now, two perfectly white orbs of shifting essence. She smiled at Luna over her shoulder, hefting them with her serene grin.

"Indeed they did. Just like the book said."

"Well I'll be... That's fantastic." Luna smiled at the three women before her, though Lily's eyes were completely affixed on the matching orbs of power before her.

"Wh... What are those?" Lily asked, pointing.

"Hmm? Oh, they're your essences." Celestia's hands stopped glowing, and the twin orbs smoothly floated forward to both women's breasts. The feeling of her essence entering her body was like slipping back under the sheets on a warm spring morning... It was warm. Comforting. Safe. She sighed audibly as Twilight mirrored her.

"Ooh, I wonder who will be the bearer?" Luna said softly.

"Wait, bearer?" Twilight said after a moment's pause. Celestia grinned and nodded.

"It is written that the two who unlock true love's full potential will bear the children of a new age." Celestia said. "It's in my private library, the one that not even you have access to, Twilight." Celestia reached out to flick her nose.

"B-bearer?" She stammered. Lily blinked.

"Mmhmm. Of children. Two of them, if the text is correct."

"You mean..."

"We can find out." Luna said, advancing slowly. Her hands took on that dark, midnight-black aura she was known for, the density of her magic blocking all light... She moved inbetween Celestia and Lily, placed her hands on Lily's abdomen. The soft tingle of magic penetrated her from front to back. Soon as it came, it was gone, and Luna shook her head. "Afraid not. Twilight?" Still somewhat in disbelief, Twilight could only blink as Luna pressed her hands to the magi's middle, her brow drawing downwards in thought.

"What?" Twilight asked, noting her face.

"Well. Good news and... Good news?" She said the last quizically. Lily's heart skipped a beat.

"Wh-what... What's the good news?" Her mind reeled with the implications. Luna straightened up and gnawed her lip in thought for a few moments.

"Well... Twilight is most definitely pregnant." Yup. There it went. Lily's heart stopped.

"PREGNANT?!" Twilight gasped, her eyes opening wide as they could go. "Did... Did you say I was PREGNANT?!"

"Shush." Luna rubbed her ear as if she was in pain. "Yes. Pregnant. With child. Knocked up. How else do you want me to say it?"

"H-how?!" It was Lily's turn to stammer now. Celestia held a hand out to head off her sister, who was clearly getting impatient.

"Magic is a complex and completely intricate thing... There are many facets of it even I myself don't fully understand... The text is old, and the spell is older still, but it's sound. I don't know the why or the how, but Twilight is pregnant with twins." Lily's head wheeled with the implications of her unplanned children, assuming they were hers. She thought they were. Were they?

"Are they mine?" Lily asked fearfully.

"Afraid so. Product of your very own magic. Your essence." Celestia said with a wide smile. "Why are you two so shocked?! This is a joyous occasion! One that should be celebrated! Your children will go on to accomplish great, new things for the world. It's written. Twilight knows the undeniability of prohpesy. Many of them are vague and hard to decipher, but this one is very cut-and-dry. That's why I had Twilight begin studying the magic of friendship. In hopes the most talented magical mind in ages would discover the meaning of this particular prophesy. I never would have guessed she'd discover it with a changeling..." Lily swallowed and forced a grin. It came easily enough, once Twilight took her hand. The princess was right. They should be happy.

"But... What's the other news?" Twilight asked. Luna flipped her magnificent hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms.

"That's the confusing part. They will not be normal children. Not in ANY sense of the word." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I fear, that since Lily is a changeling, they may be... Different."

"You know what?" Lily silenced them all as she spoke. Her back straightened, and her lips curled as she grinned at all three of the other women. "I don't care. I love Twilight. I really do. And I'm sure I'm going to love our children just the same." She turned her grin to Twilight, squeezing her hand softly. "I love you. I really do. We'll get through this Twilight. Together." The magi smiled her brilliant smile, drawing Lily into a gentle hug. They stayed that way for a while, and were only interrupted when Celestia spoke.

"Pardon me, Luna..." She said softly. She had her back turned towards the group, and was standing at the edge of the balcony. "But, what is that?" The other three joined her, and what Lily saw almost took her breath away.

"Oh. That. I forgot to mention," Luna sighed as they turned their heads side-to-side. The dark mass blotting the wide plains east of Canterlot pulsated and moved, shifting as it undulated far and wide. Lily thought she could hear it from where they stood.

The drone.

The incessant, hellish drone of millions of changeling wings.

"The changelings march on Canterlot. Chrysalis is attacking."