Who was she?

That was a question that had kept echoing in her mind since she had woken up over an hour ago and no matter how many times the pink mare turned it over in her mind, she could come up with no answer. Was she the hyperactive party pony known as Pinkie? Or was she the slightly sadistic and masochist mare known as Pinkamina? Or was she a combination of the two? Or maybe, just maybe, she was none of the above and was just another facet of a fractured identity bought into existence by Twilight's magic.

So who was Pinkamina Diane Pie?

She recalled people saying that the experiences makes a pony who they were. There was just one problem with that though, for almost every memory she had, she recalled two versions. Pinkie's and Pinkamina's. From Pinkie's insistence that her family partied when she threw the surprise party that summer morning to Pinkamina's memory of being forced to work the eastern field from dawn to dusk with no meal in order to pay back the money wasted on the frivolous activity otherwise known as a party. She remembered killing that pegasus guard with her contraption, but she also remembered throwing them a party and everything turning out fine. And the question came down to, which one did she believe? The truth? But the lie had made up her life for so long, and it had permeated into every crack of her being that tossing it aside and saying it was nothing felt as though she was cutting off all of her legs. And she couldn't just throw away the truth either.

Could she?

Could Pinkamina Diane Pie go back to being that hyperactive, insane mare that partied all night long? The thought was tempting, so very tempting, but considering what Twilight had said, it was certainly the wrong decision – or so a voice in her mind said. Was that yet another facet of her identity speaking? She certainly hoped not, two was a hassle to deal with and now thanks to Twilight, the premier party pony of Ponyville had yet another one in her head. Maybe. Maybe she had another one in her head. She wasn't sure what she was yet truth be told.

Or what to call herself for that matter, but now was not the time for such thoughts. While unconscious, she had heard everything that had been said and she knew there an army was due sometime soon. As the Bearer of Laughter she had to be there, she had to know what was going on and what role she was going to play. There was little doubt in her mind that Nightmare Moon would be there supervising the entire thing, but as long as all her friends were there (yes, even Trixie), she knew they'd all get through it fine. With a sad sigh, the pink mare climbed out of bed and swayed unsteadily on her feet. Her wavy hair swayed gently with each step as she made her way out the door and up the stairs.

As soon as she emerged from that narrow corridor though, she wanted to run back to that warm bed and pretend to sleep. There were ponies and gryphons everywhere! The entire chamber was a hive of activity as they ran around, setting up defenses and getting outfitted in brand new armor. There was even the occasional dragon in their midst, using their superior strength and manipulation of the elements to form barricades throughout the room. Traps were laid and the injured evacuated through the many tunnels of this ancient abode.

And at the centre of it all was Rainbow Dash. Though she sat in a cushioned chair and could barely keep her eyes open, but her Element shone brightly. The flames, the torches, even the magical lights conjured up could not match the multicolored hue that dominated the chamber. The pegasus spoke softly, all the while sounding tired and near death, but her voice cut through the ruckus and all leapt to obey their commander.

"And she has a damn fine flank," added Pinkamina. "I'd love to lick her cutie mark and d-"

"Pinkie!" yelled Applejack as she rushed over with alarming speed despite the cart of boulders she was hitched to. The party pony let out a sigh of relief at not having to listen to Pinkamina anymore. "Ya awake, Fluttershy was starting to get worried and ya are Pinkie right? It's just ya hair is all... wavy...""

"Pinks." There was a pause as the pink mare considered the name she had picked for herself. "Or Pinkster."

"So ya're not Pinkie? Or Pinkamina?" asked the farmpony.

"I... don't know-"

"Hey Pinkster! Tell AJ I said, 'Heeeeeeellooooooooooo'!" yelled Pinkie.

"-but Pinkie wants you to know she says 'Hello' in her typical over the top manner."

"That's not how I said it! Come on Pinkster, let loose a bit, go wild, throw a party even!"

"Pinkie, do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation with AJ here." Pinks rubbed her temples before saying out loud, "I've got two other voices in my head right now and it's not pretty. I'm just hoping they don't get into a fight."

"We'd never get into a fight! Fights are just so frowny downy and unhappy like. It's just one big party in here, isn't it Pinkamina? We've got streamers and punch and- Oh! So that's where my party canon went."

"Even if we did get into a fight, it'd be an extremely short one and we both know who'd come out on top."

"-ay along nicely now?" finished Applejack.

"What? Sorry, was having a conversation up here." Pinks tapped her head. "Mind repeating that?"

"Ah said, ya're all getting along with each other up there?"

"So far it seems that way," replied Pinks with a shrug.

Her hair suddenly returned to her familiar cotton candy appearance and she pounced the startled farmpony. "AJ! We need to throw a party. A big, spectacular, super duper, awesome, radical, cool, totally awesome Congrats-Trixie-You're-Our-Friend-Now PARTY!"

Just as suddenly her hair went completely flat and before anypony could react, Pinkamina pressed her lips against AJ's giving her a quick, but very sloppy kiss before pulling back and winking. "And if Pinkie throws the party, maybe we can find a back room for private fun, though if you prefer public, I'm game for that too." There was a pause as the two stared at each other before Pinkamina yelled, "Oh come on! You were meant to switch back damn it."

"As if," muttered Pinks, "I'm not that stupid, thank you very much. If you're going to make us look stupid-"

Her hair suddenly went back to wavy and the pink earthpony merely facepalmed in reply. "Whatever. Sorry about that, Pinkamina may be slightly insane-"

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"-but she enjoys a prank as much as Pinkie." With a Nightmare-ish grin, Pinkster leaned in and whispered in the stunned earthpony's ear. "And her offer still goes you know."

"Damn mare, and here I thought you were the boring one!" laughed Pinkamina. Beside her, Pinkie was giggling like mad and calculating the probability of them hooking up with AJ. And yes, she was mathematically calculating the probability, though how she was managing that was beyond even Pinkster's knowledge.

"Um... General Applejack? We need to get these supplies over to the outer wall," said the brown colt beside the still stunned earthpony.

Standing back up, AJ placed her stetson back in place and though her face was still redder than Big Mac, she managed to speak with clarity, "Right. Sorry Pinks, we'll catch up later. There's a meeting scheduled in ten more minutes located in the Conference Chamber. Ask anypo- er... anyone and they'll show you the way. Ah suggest talking to RD in the meantime so ya can get an idea of what's been going on since ya've been out."

"Well why are you going in that direction?" Turning around, Pinks channeled the Element of Laughter and opened the door that she came through just seconds earlier. Beyond the doorframe was the clear night sky with a ramp down where earthworks were going on, and off on either side were Rarity and Trixie training unicorns in the art of archery and magical dueling respectively.

Grinning over her shoulder at the shocked expression, Pinkamina Diane gave a happy little giggle and hopped through. When the others didn't followed, her hoof extended back to her friends and literally dragged them through the portal she had created. Then with an impish grin, she returned to her bouncing path down the ramp. The Pinkie Pie within her urged her to go greet Trixie (since it was the first time they'd be greeting as friends) and Pinkamina surprising agreed. Probably because she knew it'd annoy the showmare no end. Zipping behind a cart of wooden planks, Pinkamina Diane burst forth from behind one of the practice dummies some unicorns were shooting at and using the explosion of the fireballs, she flew into the air. The Bearer of Magic only had enough time to register the fear spiking through her body before getting glomped with the mother of glomps.

"Trixie!" How the showmare managed to survive was anyone's guess. "We need to throw you a party. Or rather Pinkie needs to throw you a party, I doubt you'd enjoy a party thrown by Pinkamaina, but don't her I said that."

"What are you talking about? Some strippers, some alcohol, some whips and spank-" began Pinkamina.

"Lalalalalalaaaaa la lala! I can't hear you!" sung Pinks.

"Oh! I know this song! Laaaaalala, lalalaalaaaaaaaaaa!Buhdumtss!" finished Pinkie.

"-lease get off Trixie?" growled blue unicorn.

"Hehe, sorry." Climbing off the mare, Pinks waited patiently for Trixie to retrieve her hat and dust herself off. "So whatcha up to? When's your birthday? Favorite color? Oh! Favorite food! Hm... What else was there?"

"Trixie knows she should be glad that you're back to normal... er... normal for you, but Trixie needs her personal space." Picking the hyperactive mare up, Pinks found herself sitting off to one side. "And Trixie never told all you ignorant foals to stop practicing! Or does somepony fancy a duel with the Great and Powerful Trixie?"

A series of explosions rang out as every unicorn quickly returned to their spell casting.

"That's what Trixie thought." With a toss of her mane, Trixie turned her attention back to Pinks. "And right now is not time for a party forwe have a battle coming up and we must win it.Maybe afterwards once things settle down."

"Pinkie Promise?"

Scrambling back, Trixie back away from the all too close and all too happy face and all too curly mane. "Yes, yes. Trixie Pinkie Promises."

"Do the actions."

"The..." Cough. "The actions?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," recited Pinkie dutifully with accompanying actions before Pinks took control back.

"Alright, alright. Cross Trixie's heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in Trixie's eye." A the massive grin that spread across Pinkie's face and the sudden cotton candy nature of her pink mane, Trixie stepped back hesitantly. "Are... are you alright?"

"LIE!"

Thoughts of exploding in a mass of streamers and balloons vanished from Pinkamina Diane's head as she heard the distinctive voice of Applejack. The two friends exchanged a startled look before racing up the stairs two at a time in an attempt to reach AJ before she did something truly stupid or insane. She said she was separate from Truth though! What the buck was going on?

Making a sharp right turn, Pinks leapt over the cart and pony in the way. Hitting the ground, she tucked herself into a roll, then keeping her body low, she skidded under a large wooden plank and dropped off the edge of the platform before finally coming to a stop. There before her was Rarity physically and magically restraining the farmpony who was straining with her might while staring at a sobbing colt. Even from where she was standing, Pinks could feel the raw magic radiating off her friend and though she couldn't hear anything thanks to Rarity's spell, Pinks could clearly see AJ's mouth moving faster than Pinkie's as the farmpony ranted silently at the pony before her.

And then AJ blinked the frenzied look disappeared from her eyes. Entire body going slack, she gazed at Rarity with a confused expression on her face. Tentatively, Rarity dropped her spells and stepped back from the farmpony, but considering the way her horn glowed, she was no doubt prepared to grab a hold of AJ as soon as something went wrong. Considering the look on Trixie's face, Rarity wasn't the only one.

"Wha... What happened?" groaned AJ as she swayed dangerously on her feet.

Before anypony could reply, there was a brilliant flash of light blue magic above them. "Applejack, come with me. Now." Cadence glanced down at Pinks and tilted her head questioningly. "And you as well Pinkamaina Diane Pie. Rarity, Trixie – please find the others and meet in me the Conference Room."

A second flash later, Pinkie and AJ found themselves in a spacious room that could easily house twenty ponies, and in the centre was a table made out of crates. There were no chairs, no drawers, no cupboards or anything. All there was, was a simple hoofdrawn map of the immediate area and the base of operations.

"Applejack, I knew you had issues, but you assured me Twilight had managed to fix them, but considering what had just happened, that is obviously not the case. With your permission, I'd like examine you so that we can figure out exactly what's going on." The pink alicorn turned to face Pinks. "As for you, Pinkamaina, I want to examine you as well since we have no clue what happened and what potential negative effects it might have on you."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Bouncing over, she sat down next to AJ.

"Are ya sure ya ain't Pinkie?" asked AJ. "Ya sure act like her."

"Well duh. She is in my head you know," replied Pinks. "Think of me as being balanced between Pinkamina and Pinkie if it helps at all. Oh, and a lot less sadistic or masochistic or fetish-tic or-"

There was a polite cough and they both turned their attention back to Cadence. "Applejack, if you please."

"Um... What do ya need me to do Princess?"

"Just to relax and try not to fight me. This will feel weird, but it's perfectly safe," replied Cadence.

Horn glowing, a single thin thread of blue flowed out and split in half to touch AJ's temples. A soft hum filled the room and the Pinkie part of her began humming a slow tune and to her surprise, Pinkamina decided to join in by playing some beats on the table. With a shrug, Pinks joined in some head bobbing and hoof tapping. If there was one thing all three of them shared, it was a love for parties and considering music could either make or break a party so it wasn't really a surprise when the three worked together to provide some truly awesome music while their entire entity moved with the music.Or it would have been awesome if they weren't fighting so much. Pinkie kept trying to drag it in a more DJ Pon-3 style direction, while Pinkamina wanted some death metal and Pinks wanted something a bit more classical. It was crazy insane, but considering it was Pinkamina Diane Pie, all three personalities just ran with it. After all, it was better than sitting around being bored out of their collective minds. They were so into what they were doing, that they failed to even realize Cadence had began examining them.

“Oh Twilight, what have you done?” moaned Cadence.

“What is?” Tilting her head to the side, AJ regarded the alicorn curiously. “What’s wrong with me.”

“Not just you, Pinkamina as well,” remarked Cadence with a sweep of wing. “Though you have a bit more… issues than your friend.”

“Such as…?” asked AJ.

“Well not to sound overly dramatic, but Twilight seriously did a number on your soul. Yes, I just said soul and don’t give me that look, I know exactly what I’m talking about. You were too tightly bound up with Truth so she decided to cut you free – which is impossible to do without consequences even when done carefully and trust me, Twilight was not careful. From the looks of things, she took an axe to your soul and hammered it repeated before stuffing it back into your body without a second thought and what that means is that your soul was permanently damaged. Basically, a part of your soul was lost.” Sighing, the Princess rubbed her temples. “Now, they aren’t fragile things and they can repair themselves, they just need materials to copy from. In this case, it looks as though your soul got information form Honesty, Truth and Twilight to repair itself hence all the memories of Shining and I. But more than that though, because Truth and Honesty are within you and are now part of your soul, they’re fighting each other for dominance. If you don’t resolve the issue and pick one of them, your soul will rip itself apart and you’ll die with no afterlife to look forward to.”

“Oh… Well Ah pick Honesty?” There was a pause as AJ looked around. “Ah don’t feel different.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. To pick one you have to work towards it and understand it and embody it much like Rainbow Dash embodies Loyalty. I’m afraid it’ll take a couple of years to fix it up and until then you’ll continue to have these… explosions if you will.” Cadence turned her attention to Pinkamina and for once, the pink mare shrunk back slightly in fear. “You, however, are nowhere near as bad. From the looks of things, Twilight attempted to force your two halves together, but in doing so she instead created a third entity. It’ll be harder returning all three parts back into one entity, but it’s also more balanced and stable than before.”

The three Pinkamina’s regarded each other silently before speaking as one. “No offense Princess, but we don’t want to be one again. We’re each our own pony and yes, it may get a bit heated and insane in our head, but we’re Pinkamina Diane Pie and… well… what’s Laughter without a bit of insanity?”

Cadence regarded Pinkamina Diane with a look of surprise before giving a smile that warmed the two earthponies in the room. Opening her mouth to speak, she was suddenly cut off as the door slammed open and their friends came rushing in. There was Dashie with a tired, but energized smile on her face followed by Rarity and Trixie. Fluttershy on the other hoof came zooming in and immediately began poking and prodding at Pinks sending the hyperactive mare to the floor in giggles as the Pegasus unintentionally tickled her.

“Fluttershy, you can stop that now, I’ve already checked them for injuries,” whispered Cadence.

With a meep, the one winged pegasus shrunk back behind her mane. “Oh… um… sorry… it’s not that I don’t trust your healing skills because they are really, really good, it’s just that… um…”

“She’s your friend and you’re worried. I understand. Why if anything were to happen to Shining-“

“That you didn’t cause yourself?” snickered Dashie. “I’ve seen the glares you give him, I’m surprised he’s still alive.”

“Well can you blame a lady? Some of things that stallion says is truly uncouth.” A shudder passed through Rarity’s body. “You would expect the Captain of the Royal Guard to have more manners than that.”

“Before we get sidetracked any further, Trixie believes you ordered a meeting? Personally, Trixie wishes to know what happened back there with Applejack.”

“That is not important and has been resolved,” replied Cadence. “The real reason I called the meeting is because Twilight just appeared out in the forest with an army so we have to make preparations.”

“Damn it!” AJ bucked the wall behind her. “Ah was hoping for a bit more time to fortify the outer walls further. Ah could use mah magic, but that’d leave me too weak to help out against Twilight.”

“Trixie agrees. The unicorns are… passable with spell casting, but if they came across any guard who’s remotely experienced, they will fold like wet paper.”

“The archers are slightly better, but not by much and Foxtrot has been drilling the recruits in sword fighting into the ground with similar results,” added Rarity. “As is, we are simply not prepared for an actual battle.”

“And we’re still evacuating the injured. The gryphons have been teleporting in and out all day and we’ve barely cleared half the hospital. If more are hurt, we won’t be able to handle it and our brews are running low.” Fluttershy’s wing flapped in barely contained anxiety. “We need more time.”

“And we’re seriously out numbered.” Shining Armor walked in and gave Cadence a gentle nuzzle before turning to face the group. “Fleetfoot is currently doing recon, but preliminary estimates give us at least a three to one disadvantage. Add that to Spitfire being in critical condition, Soarin not talking to anyone and being under suicide watch, Gilda still in hospital and Silvia being dead, we don’t have enough officers with experience either since you six are needed in the field to combat Twilight and Nightmare Moon if she shows up.”

“What about the dragon’s and gryphons?” asked Dashie.

“Lei is the only one with any real experience. The other two are hatchlings looking for some action and nothing more. The gryphons are currently dealing with the harpies so they can’t offer any more assistance. As is, I’m surprised they haven’t recalled all the gryphons,” reported Shining. “As is, I’d recommend a mass evacuation.”

“To where?” growled Trixie. “We’re already at the edge of Equestria’s domain! We’ve got nowhere else to run. Trixie says we stand and we fight.”

“This isn’t just some random battle! If we lose this, Dawn will be broken and it’ll take years for us to recover. Better to hide now and recover our strength so that we can fight another day.” Hooves on the table, Shining stared down at Trixie, who simply returned it with her one good eye.

“I think you’re all forgetting something,” whispered Pinks. “We’re the Bearers of Harmony and a single one of us is a match for an army. Sure, we’re not at full power, but between the six of us, we must have enough to make up at least one. Right? And Twilight… yes she’s powerful, but we have each other. We don’t need an army, we don’t even need the others to fight. All we need is the six of us, working together towards a brighter future, and we can accomplish anything.”

“Oh Celestia, I think I threw up in my mouth a little,” gagged Pinkamina. “Could you get any more sappy or clichéd?”

Pinks ignored the mental comment and kept speaking, “We are the Bearers of Laughter. We represent hope and joy and that warm fuzzy feeling you get in your stomach when something good happens. We… I… will not let us give in so easily.”

“Hey now, I never said we would be giving in, just merely saying that your speech is waaaaay too sappy. Come on, it should have been some super badass thing rather that super gag-worthy, boring, long pile of crap. Plus, if we gave up, how would I have fun with all those enemy ponies? I’m bored out of my mind being in here.”

“The problem is, there’s no conceivable way for us to win this battle. If any of you die, then it may take years before we can finding another pony who is suitable,” sighed Shining. “If we had more ponies we could try flanking, but even then it’s usually better to wait out a siege.”

The door suddenly flew open and Fleetfoot came skidding into the room. Dripping blood from an open wound in her shoulder she began her report even as Fluttershy and Cadence worked on the wound, “I’ve got news. We are indeed outmatched three to one, but I found Wave Chill, Fleur, Fancy and Ditzy about a mile to the east of the enemy camp. Together, they have nearly six hundred ponies as well as Rapidfire with them.”

“Mirage and Bulwark?” asked Rarity.

“With them also,” replied the white maned Wonderbolt. “They are definitely close enough to flank the enemy.”

All eyes turned to Shining Armor who looked at the map critically. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. AJ, I want you to use your magic to fortify the outer walls then immediately rest up. RD, gather up a group of pegasi to clear the skies so they can ambush us from above. If possible, set up a perimeter of storm clouds as an aerial defensebut you are not to participate you got that? You need to rest up as well. Fluttershy, try to evac as many ponies as possible and send out your animals to scout and harass the enemy. Trixie and Rarity, you two rest up. You two are our most powerful offensive force so we need you to be top form to deal with Twilight. Pinkie… do whatever it is you do. I’ll take over the training from here and set up a defensive barrier when the time comes. The plan is this, we will slow down their advance as much as possible and hold our defenses for as long as possible until such a time that Fancy and the rest of them manage to arrive and flank them thus catching them in a pincer movement. If Nightmare Moon shows up, I want you six to use the Elements to take her out immediately. Don’t worry, I’ll personally protect you from any sort of assaults she might throw your way.”

“So this is it? This is the plan we’re going with?” From Rarity’s expression, it was obvious she wasn’t surprised or amused. “Alright then, I suppose it’s better than nothing.”

"It's better than running." Trixie wore a bloodthirsty grin that would have fit on Pinkamina's face any day. "It's time for a rematch, Twilight Sparkle and this time, you're going down."

“Just what are you planning?” asked Nightwish from his spot against the wall. “And don’t try denying it, something is going on. I just know it is. I mean, eighty percent of this army is comprised of Dawn members or sympathizers and the other twenty are high ranking officials or important people. If I didn’t know better, I’d be saying you’re planning a coup.” His eyes suddenly widened. “You are, aren’t you?”

With a grim smile, I returned to my writing. “You’re only partially right. If I can help it, no ponies will be injured tonight, let alone die. In fact, if I had things my way, there won’t even be a fight tonight. Instead, when the signal is given, you and General Sunset Horizon will subdue that twenty percent and then turn yourselves over to the Dawn Brigade.”

“So that’s it? You’re just giving up?” He looked at me suspiciously. “And you’re rather sane today.”

Chuckling softly, I shook my head from side to side, the action threatening to dislodge the few tears in the corner of my eyes. Beside me, Celestia nuzzled me tenderly and I returned the gesture with a small whimper. I was scared. So very scared of what I was planning to do tonight, but I knew I had no choice. I was a monster.

“Will you ever be able to forgive me Celly?” I whispered.

“Only if you stop this foolish behavior at once,” she replied. Though it was spoken like a reprimand, the tears leaking down her cheeks revealed far more.

“I’m sorry, you know I can’t do that.” Sealing up the letter I had written, I floated it over to Nightwish along with a book. “When you’re handing yourselves over, I want you to give these to Cadence or Celestia or Luna. No, don’t try to open it for you can’t. Only an alicorn will ever be able to open it.”

For once in his life, Nightwish actually looked concerned. “You sound as though you’re about to die.”

Laughing, I easily pushed past him and out of the tent. “Please, Celestia isn’t back yet and until she is, I can’t die. I will do anything to bring her back, you know that.” Even to my ears, my words sounded hollow.“Casualties?”

“Eighty-nine ponies have been taken out of combat so far by various creatures,” he replied dutifully, but that concerned look never left his eyes. From beside me, I could see Celestia sharing the expression, but I purposefully didn’t look at her. I couldn’t bear to.

“Very well. Tell all of them to stay back, this fight is between me and the Bearers of Harmony. When I start charging up, give the signal and take as many into custody as possible. Alive, mind you. And…” I hesitated for a brief moment before reaching out and touching his shoulder gently. “Thank you. I know you’re scared of me, but thank you for staying by my side despite that. Thank you for at least tolerating the presence of a monster.”

Unable to bear being near him any longer, I teleported out into the middle of the battlefield. Before me was a steep mountain range and there, a couple hundred feet off the ground was a fortified cave entrance. There were ramps and earthen walls, pits full of spikes no doubt and probably some traps as well. Though they only had two days, I was facing a castle. I had no doubt that the only way to win the battle was to starve them out – a messy and cruel way to do things.

“You can still turn back my faithful student. This need not be how things end.”

“You’re wrong Princess, this is how things must be.”

“You don’t even know if it will work!”

“That doesn’t matter, you know that. Now leave me be.”

Reaching out with my magic, I tore the phantasm to shreds and all alone, I waited.

A flash of magic drew my attention back to the space opposite me and there they were. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow dash, Rarity and Trixie. Each of them wore their respective elements and each of them looked at me with guarded eyes and tensed muscles.

“I’m sorry you know.” Though I spoke in a whisper, the wind easily carried my voice as tears leaked down my cheek. There was no sobbing involved, just steely determination. “You know what I’m sorry for, I need not go into my sins for if I did, we’d still be here in a year’s time. Nonetheless, I’m sorry. But more than that, I want to thank you all. Thanks to you I got a taste of friendship and saw how much it could accomplish and in the end, I suppose you were right, Princess. Friendship is Magic. So goodbye my former friends and may you see the new dawn.”

Closing my eyes, I felt my hooves lift off from the ground as my eyes glowed pure white. Reaching out with my magic, I touched the Element of Magic with a flash of light, it appeared before me with my cutie mark back in place. Though I could feel Trixie fighting against my control, I cradled it against my heart as tears stained that priceless gem. I could feel it enhancing my magic, making it stronger and easier to manipulate. With a shield in place, I threw out my amplified magic. I felt it pass the clouds, pass the stratosphere, past the magnetosphere. I felt the moon breeze me by quickly followed by the other planets as I searched for the sun.

Already I could feel my magic depleting. I was barely past the third planet and I was almost out of juice. But I would not give up. If there was one mare, one unicorn who had the slimmest of chances of touching the sun and freeing Princess Celestia, it would be me. I had sacrificed hundreds of ponies in my attempts to get closer to Nightmare Moon and now... now, it was time to put my life on the line.

Though I was only one planet away, I could already feel her. I could feel the sun, I could feel Princess Celestia just beyond my reach. But I was out of magic, I was out of juice. The shield I had used to protect myself had long since vanished and already I could feel my magic trailing off into nothingness. Even with the Element of Magic, I was too weak to even touch the sun.

No.

Reaching deep within me, I found the ultimate source of energy. The ultimate source of magic. I could feel it pulsating with my heartbeat, thumping away with raw power. It was the very thing that kept us alive.Plunging both hooves into my very life force, I drew it out and forced it through my horn causing my magic to flare back into life and those last few billion miles were closed in a blink of an eye. Wrapping my magic around it, I could feel her pressing against her cage from the otherside.

“Twilight? But how?”

“I don't have time to explain. Just give me a couple of seconds and I’ll have you out and back in Equestria.”

A smirk danced across my muzzle as I examined the containment spell. Nightmare Moon had been arrogant, she thought she was the only one strong enough alive to touch the sun so there were no protective spells preventing an outside force from messing with her spell. There was nothing to stop a unicorn from tearing her prison to shreds. With a maniac grin and giggle, I did exactly that.

At some point, Princess Celestia must have realized how I had gotten there and yelled, “Twilight! Stop this at once, you’ll end up killing yourself!”

I ignored her.

“Please! Twilight… please… don’t do this. I’m begging you. Please stop.”

Though it broke my heart to hear the tears in her voice, I continued my frenzied task. By the time I was done, I felt the darkness beckoning me. My heartbeat had slowed down drastically even with the adrenaline pumping through my body and my breathing was almost nonexistent. Despite that, a small, happy smile danced upon my lips as I felt Princess Celestia – the real Princess Celestia –beside me. Maybe not in person, but just her presence next to mine was like drinking ambrosia.

“Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student, what have you done? Why?”

“Because… I love you Princess… and… and… I’d do anything for you.”

“Hold on my most faithful, I’ll be in a minute. Just… just hold on, try to conserve your strength.”

“It’s… It’s already too late… We both know that.”

“No… please no. Twilight, don’t leave me. Please, I need you.”

“Princess… I know I don’t deserve it, but… can I make one last request?”

“Anything. Anything for you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Somehow, I managed to feel tears dripping onto my face from above. They were hot like liquid rainbows and it felt as though it was searing through all my pain and weariness.

“Can you raise the sun? One last time, just for me.”

“I can do better than that and you deserve better than that my most faithful. Oh, Twilight, my dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful.”

That’s when I felt it. Her magic wrapped around my faltering aura and it was ecstasy. It felt as though everything would be alright, that everything would be perfect and it reminded me of lazy summer days when we used to find a desolate beach somewhere and just swim in the waters and snack on ice cream. With her magic wrapped around mine, it almost felt as though I was alive again. Then, she gently wrapped my aura around sun and though what little life I had left was quickly fading, she raised the sun.

No.

We raised the sun. Together, the two of us raised the sun. Like a mother tenderly guiding a foal as it attempted to walk for the first time, she guided me through the motions. Princess Celestia provided the power, but I did the raising. Though she was not with me in person, I could feel her luxurious coat against my back and those soft feathers against my body as her wings wrapped around me. I could feel her hoof next to mine just like that time she we went star gazing for the first time and she had to gently moved my hoof to point to Scorpio.

“Thank…

… y… y… you...

…

P-P-Pr… Prin…

…

…

…cess…

…

…

…

…Ce… Ce… Ce…

…

…

…

…les…”

“Twilight?”

Thank you, Princess, for showing me the world. For teaching me and loving me as only a mother could. Thank you for being my mentor and more importantly, for being my friend.Thank you Princess for teaching me the true value of friendship even if it took me this long to learn it. And thank you, for letting me raise the sun, for giving a monster such as I one final chance to see the sun.

“Twilight!”

But…

“No! Please Twilight, I’m almost there!”

I can’t open my eyes. I won’t open my eyes. A pony steeped so far in sin does not deserve to see the sun. A pony such as I does not deserve to see the new dawn. Though I could feel the warmth on my fur – real warmth, not that artificial stuff Nightmare Moon uses to warm the word – I will not let myself open my eyes.

“Just a second, all I need is a single second! Just one. More. Second!"

Oh Princess, there is so much I want to thank you for. My entire life, my entire upbringing, everything is thanks to you. I would do anything for you. No, please don’t cry. Please don’t cry over a monster such as I. I don’t deserve your tears. I don’t deserve anypony’s tears. And you deserved a far more faithful student than I. So many died by my hooves and I did it all in your name. I'm sorry, so very sorry.

“Damn it! I’m Princess Solarus de Celest and I command you to stop!”

Celestia, there’s so much I want to thank you for, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t find the right words nor do we have enough time. Thank you, Celestia, for being here in my final moments.

Thank you...

For everything.

“I will not let you die! I will not fail again! Twilight!... Please… Twilight… Don’t leave me... I-I... I need you… Ple-”