The aged priest marched through the stone halls at a steady clip before pausing before two rows of stained glass windows depicting the great heroes of Equestria. There was Starswirl the Bearded and the Two Princesses, there was the Six Founders, a panel for each one. One panel showed Discord's first defeat, yet another was devoted to Megan's slaying of Tirek. Her blonde hair flowed in an eternal wind, the rainbow of light streaming in many colors towards the centaur. At this time of day, the holy light of the sun made the colors flash in vibrant shades of reds and yellows, greens and blues.

The Holy Father Slepnir's mane glinted as he stood next to his bride, Holy Mother Star Kicker whose elder daughter had her white coat and whose younger daughter had her blue mane. Two foals curled up, surrounded by roses. The priest stared at the images, caught up in a feeling of pure wonder at the artistry and sense of history.

The memory of the missive he was to bring shook him from his trance. A Pony was counting on him. She was not a pious Pony and her manners needed much improvement, but did not the Sun shine down on all? Besides, her life was just as precious as any other Pony's. With these thoughts to encourage himself, he wrapped the orange robes of his office tighter around himself and hurried towards the throne room. The colorful images captured in glass continued for what felt like miles in the vastness of the hall. He had heard that the Princess was moving into a new castle and a new city was to be built. Perhaps, this place could be turned into a museum so that all the Ponies like him who loved history could appreciate it. He paused at another window, this one depicting the very moment a young and untried Celestia raised the sun. A panel next to it depicted Luna raising the moon. The two panels were striking, a contrast of cool blues and silvers with fiery yellows, whites, pinks and oranges that looked as if they would burn to the touch.

Out of coltish curiosity (though it had been many decades since anypony would call him a colt!) he placed his hoof to the glass. It was cold, unlike the warm colors.

He had never met Celestia in person, never spoke to her, only seen her in passing as a very young colt and it was her beauty that had pushed him into his vocation. He fingered the silver, stylized sun dangling from the band around his neck. The symbol of his order, the Eternal Church of the Solar Light.

What was she like? Kind, merciful and good of course. Shepherd of the Sun.

What was one to say to the Shepherd of the Sun, exactly? Comment on the weather? Part of him envied her consort. He would never have that much courage. The long hallway stretched onward. Maids and other servants bustled about. A maid dusted a purple vase and he sneezed at the dust. That would make his asthma flare up. Dust motes floated in the air, each one a little spark of light.

Even dust had majesty in this place.

The doors of the throne room were guarded by two Unicorn stallions dressed in armor and holding up spears which they crossed at his approach.

His age and rank accorded him no instant access. That was as it should have been. He knelt. "Good Sirs, I have come to petition the Princess and to intercede on behalf of one of her subjects."

The guard on the right cleared his throat. "All petitions are scheduled in advance."

"It is a serious matter. A life hangs in the balance."

The guards exchanged a look before one of the guards returned his spear. "I will speak to the Princess."

He pushed open the door, the large slab of metal grating across the floor and walked inside, pulling the door closed behind him. Celestia looked up from a scroll she was perusing. The guard knelt.

Celestia nodded her head. "What's wrong, Steel Horn?"

Steel Horn stood. "A priest is here to see you. I believe he's a high priest, but I'm not up on all the Orders."

Celestia set the scroll aside. "A priest? I don't remember having a priest on the schedule. What does he need?"

"He says he is here to bring a petition and a life is at risk."

"Send him in."

Steel Horn turned and pushed the door open. "The princess says you may come in, Your Holiness."

"You may just call me Clear Brook." He waited for the guard to stand out of the way and tread onto the carpet. The stained glass in this room nearly brought him to his knees. Towers of glass fit the window frames, a sun bursting in fiery glory, a cooler moon like in the hall earlier, the Elements of Harmony banishing Discord. The globe of the world spun in serene harmony and leading up to it Her Imperial Majesty.

She was more beautiful than he remembered, her river of rainbow curls floating in its cosmic breeze. Her mane spilled down on alabaster fur. Her eyes were violet pools of wisdom and her mouth was set in the gentlest of frowns. His knees trembled and he bowed low onto the crimson carpet. "Your Highness, I have come to intercede on behalf of another."

"I have been told. Why could this Pony not come themselves?"

He lifted up just slightly, still keeping his head lowered. "Her sins bind her to her sickbed."

Celestia blinked at that statement. She had spent a significant amount of time discouraging such ideas that immoral behavior led to illness, encouraging a spirit of rational inquiry and scientific progress. He wouldn't say that unless the absent petitioner had done something to egregiously destroy themselves. A drug addict hoping for absolution or miracles she kept insisting she couldn't perform? "What sins would these be?"

"She had consorted with a demon who struck her down when she displeased him."

Celestia refrained from rolling her eyes. Despite the amount of money spent on the "think before you cast" campaign there was still the one mage who thought they could bind a demon to their will. A stallion, it was invariably a power crazed stallion looking to bolster his sense of low self-esteem and insecurities, a tragic result of Equestria's matriarchal culture and unrealistic standard's for stallions to always be virile and strong.

"What demon did he consort with?"

"She, Your Highness."

Well. Didn't she feel like a horses's ass? "Which demon did she consort with?"

"Jormungandr."

A chill went through her, the fur on the back of her neck bristling. "Is this Pony's name..." She paused. Sunrise Shimmer was like another member of the Shimmer clan. One who was far more vulnerable than she let on. Earl Grey was the least likely choice. "Is it Earl Sunrise Shimmer?"

"The moment one enters the gates of the temple, they leave worldly titles behind. Yes, it is Sister Sunrise Shimmer."

Sister? "She's become a monk?"

"She will take vows when she is healed."

A monk. Of course. Juries loved the redemption angle, a result of Ponies' softhearted and incredibly forgiving nature. There were many who knew how to take advantage of that. She glanced over at Raven whose jaw was tightly clenched while she stared straight ahead. "Raven? Clear my schedule for the day. I will be at the Order of the Crimson Heart."

"I don't recall mentioning my order."

"I familiarize myself with the names of all the high priests of the orders,Elder Brother Clear Brook."

He blushed. "I am not your brother, but your servant."

"I will honor your title as you honor mine."

She stepped off the throne and followed Clear Brook out of the room. Steel Horn and Bright Shadow followed her, deciding by unspoken agreement to be her escort.

...
Sweat had long stained the sheets on which the former earl, now Sister, rested. The bell rang to signal the afternoon prayers. Soon, the sound of chanting filled the whole temple. It started off slow, like the sun cresting the horizon, increasing in speed and tempo until it was bursting in a joyful aria of triumph and victory.

The victorious chant gave way to slowness once more, more and more of the monks coming to join in. Each monk added their own strain to the chorus. The bells rang along, a tinkling beat to keep time, light breaking along water. This was the great Canticle of the Sun.

Every monk was now joining in the song-prayer. The song crested like the waves of the sea, rising to a feverish pitch of ecstasy before breaking off into a calmer, contemplative melody.

The sun reigns triumphant,
let all proclaim it,
Her light shines on all,
Her grace lights the way
of sinner and saint.

Shimmer lifted her own voice in an attempt to join in. As before, she was always a few beats off. The high priest told her that it didn't matter. All sang in their own way. She touched her locks. Apparently, only two or three orders still shaved their manes and only penitents. Brother Clear Brook told her she didn't need to so she hadn't.

She had still marked her forehead with the ash. It still lingered there, in the form of a circle around a cross, the wheel of the sun.

For a few seconds, her voice followed the melody of the chants and in her excitement she jumped ahead. Once more, the ocean of music swelled and drowned her own small voice. Giving up, she levitated a book over to herself. It was a book of poems. She'd never read much poetry before.

The chanting flowed onward, an endless tapestry of notes and chords reverberating through the stone halls. In the evening, they would chant hymns to the moon. Shimmer did better with those hymns as those were the only ones she still chanted every night before bed. It helped her to meditate and clear her mind before bed as Unicorns as powerful as herself needed to.

She twisted in her bed. The doctor had been called in and examined her fully. A cough ripped from her throat. The poison shouldn't have been affecting her this intensely.

Stress, the doctor had told her. Years of anxiety had taken its toll. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that horrible mouth, those fangs dripping with venom. For the first night, she'd woken up screaming. The monks had guarded her bed, convinced demons were tormenting her from the night terrors.

It had been the last straw, the doctor had told her. The noble families' power plays which she'd taken center stage in. Her daughter's disgracing of the family. Consorting with Jormungandr. All of it had worn away her immune system.

So, here she was, shivering on her bed, searching desperately for someone to blame.

For some reason, she was glad there were no mirrors in this place. The ceiling above her had a beautiful mural of the rising and setting sun emblazoned against a blue background. The orb changed from the orange of the dawn, a splash of pink behind it, all the way to the setting sun in a bright shade of orange.

Sunset...

A disgrace. That's all she was. No need to even shed tears over that one. She touched a hoof to her face, feeling wetness. Her eyes were watering? That was a new symptom, perhaps she was getting a cold.

The former earl found herself unable to look away from the golden orb of noontime. There wasn't much else to look at. The reason she didn't read much poetry was because poetry bored her and she didn't want to admit to the monks-her fellow monks, she supposed-that she actually liked "blood and guts" style adventure novels.

Maybe, she could leave this bed and go join her fellow monks. The hint of a smile crossed her face. Her fellow monks. She struggled off the bed, rolling over and planting her hooves on the hard stone ground. Vertigo washed over her and she swayed, but she did not fall.

The chanting had leveled out to a serene pace. The floating wisps of incense tickled her nostrils, a sweet scent brushing against her senses. She touched the orange robes with her magic, hesitated.

Her robes. She belonged. She belonged. They didn't care about her past. The minute one stepped through these gates, one's past no longer mattered. One could have been a murderer or a thief. These robes would erase her past.

They felt soft against her fur. She pulled up the hood, her horn going through the hole designed for it. Then she trudged towards the door to join her fellows, each step a struggle against this blasted fatigue.

Her past was on the other side of the door, glowering at her. She hurried back. "Your Highness."

Celestia crossed the threshold into her room. "I understand you are ill, Sister Shimmer."

She went down on her face so quickly that blood rushed to her head and she feared she would fall.

"Rise."

At her word, Sunrise lifted herself, but dared not gaze at that face. Celestia stretched out a hoof and Sunrise jumped. Celestisa's pressed her hoof against Shimmer's forehead and winced. "You've got a fever." She examined her now sweat covered hoof. "Were you shivering before I walked into the room?"

Shimmer wordlessly nodded.

"I'm not going to kill you. Lie down."

Shimmer obeyed.

Celestia circled the bed. "I realize I can be intimidating, but despite our...differences, I have come to heal you. Not hurt you. I realize if the situation were reversed, you would not be as merciful."

Shimmer said nothing to this. Celestia lit up her horn and frowned. "The poison's progressing slowly...and your immune system is shot. You have a heart condition."

"What?"

"So did the progenitor of your line. It's skipped quite a few generations. I can do nothing about the poison."

Shimmer closed her eyes. "What did you do for Sparkle?"

"Many things I would not even consider doing for you."

"I am to die then. Very well."

"Cut the dramatics. There are ways around this current difficulty. The poison can be stopped if never removed. Then, we will discuss your crimes."

Shimmer gulped. Celestia vanished behind the door and then she leaned back against it and sighed. There were times she regretted cultivating an image as a paradigm of forgiveness.

There was no reason not to let her suffer and yet...she motioned to a monk who stopped immediately. "Brother, bring me some gold from the offering repository."

His mouth worked up and down. "It is forbidden!"

"All those offerings belong to the Empire. I am the embodiment of the Empire. Bring them here."

He hurried off to his task, returning a few minutes later with an ingot. She took it in her magic and marched back into the room. Shimmer was still lying on her bed, eyes closed as if in sleep. She looked up at Celestia's approach. Celestia held the ingot and lit her horn. Strands of her magic melted the gold to liquid and the liquid reformed into a single loop. Effortlessly, Celestia carved a sigil of a serpent into it and wrapped it around Shimmer's neck.

The tiredness that had been seeping into her lips felt like it was draining away. She lifted her foreleg, finding it as light as a feather. "How?"

"So long as you never take that off, the poison will not progress." She steeled her heart as she always did to pass sentence. "I hope you realize I can not ignore your crimes. When you nearly killed Twilight, you didn't just affect her. Twilight is part of a weapon that keeps not just this country, but this world safe. Her death would have had ripple effects you can not even conceive of."

Shimmer turned her head. "So, you know."

"I am not an idiot! Of course I know! Everypony knows! Were I to drag you to trial right now you would be convicted in seconds!"

Shimmer stared straight ahead. "I wanted to confess. Earl Grey wouldn't let me."

"I didn't realize House Shimmer was a vassal to House Grey! Your ancestors knelt to no one! Is not the motto of your house, 'We rise?' How sad to see the heir of such a great house fall into such lowly subservience!"

"You...you don't understand."

"What did she do?"

"She put a curse on me. If I told my bones would have broken. There's more. I think she's killed before. She keeps a hit stallion on retainer."

"You have proof of this?"

Shimmer turned to face her. "I do. I was planning on bringing her down after we got Sparkle out of the way. I recorded all of our conversations on crystal orbs. I can cast without using my aura so she didn't notice." She chuckled. "I'm not as weak as she thinks."

"Where are these crystals?"

"My mansion in a cardboard box beneath my bed. You'll have to disarm the spells guarding my bedroom."

Celestia's grin was downright predatory. "I see. You've done a great service yet that does not erase your crimes. Not entirely." She paused. "Wait. Wouldn't your part in the conspiracy also be revealed?"

"That's where editing comes in."

Damn it! "If you edited them, a defense attorney will say they're inadmissible. However, your testimony could still prove invaluable. You will have leave to come to court to testify."

Shimmer caught that caveat. "Have leave?"

"Since you come to me as a penitent, let's test this new spirit of repentance. You will serve out your fifteen year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder in this very temple. You will be confined to the grounds. Your personal property is to be seized. Since Twilight has waived her right to the blood price it will be given to charity. The only time you will be allowed to leave is at the summons of a court or to accompany the monks on charitable activities."

Shimmer did not respond as Celestia announced the sentence. "If you object to this, you may petition for the right to a trial. But I fear that would lead to a much harsher punishment. I'm not the only one who adores Twilight."

"No, Princess. I accept this sentence."

"Very well." She turned her back. "I hope this is all sincere. I hope you learn to be a better Pony."

She marched out of the room. Sunrise Shimmer stood, crossed the stone floor and walked into the hallway, her voice lifting to join the others. She blended into the other orange-robed clergy travelling through the temple.

...
Earl Grey sat on her porch, calmly sipping her tea as the contingent of guards marched down the street, obviously in the direction of her mansion. Her private security forces encircled the building, the tips of their spears, shields and silver armor flashing. Loyalty to their lady even unto death.

It was nice to see the old virtues in this degenerate age.

It was all for nought when one guard shot out a spell that reduced the chief of her forces' shield to iron splinters. They very quickly opened a way for the imperial forces.

Sol Invictus. She thought. The tea was lukewarm. An application of her magic warmed it up. That was nice. The guard leading the others knocked open the gates.

"Please gentlestallions, let me finish my tea."

Razor Wing produced two pair of legcuffs. Valiant Heart produced a magic neutralizer. Earl Grey finished her tea. The cup fell and shattered against the table when Valiant pushed the neutralizer onto her horn. She shook her head. "Is this really necessary? Let's go out the back way so nopony sees."

Razor raised an eyebrow. "The back way? Where your security forces have set up an ambush?"

Earl Grey snarled and reared up, knocking back the guard. Valiant tackled her to the ground. She rolled and bucked him in his well-defined abs, screaming when her legs struck the hard surface.

He pressed his foreleg against her neck. "I would highly advise you against this course of action. Even if you managed to get away, how far do you think you could run?"

Flecks of spittle ran down her lips. "I am an earl!" She choked out when Valiant decreased the pressure. "I will be treated as such! You shall not dishonor me!"

"Shut up."

They dragged her up and the guards flanked her. A raw scream broke from her throat. "I am a noble! I am a noble! I am a noble! I will not be treated as such!"

She was still screaming when they processed her at the jail.

...
Twilight settled into the couch cushions, deeply engrossed over the book she was reading. With a flick of her magic, she turned the page and gasped, unable to believe what she was reading, even rereading it before moving on. Her ear twitched at the sound of a knock on the door. She looked up and pranced off the couch.

Celestia crossed the threshold when Twilight opened the door and Twilight greeted her with a tight embrace which Celestia returned.

Twilight broke away from the hug. "This is a pleasant surprise!"

"Yes, I have good news. I hope you weren't busy? I wanted to stay a while."

Twilight grinned. "You know you can stay as long as you like." She wrapped her forelegs around Celestia's neck and Celestia leaned into the touch.

Celestia glanced over at the couch. "Is that the newest book in the Heart and Soul series?"

Twilight nodded against her chest. "It sure is!" She led her fiance over to the couch and they spent a few moments trying to adjust themselves on the piece of furniture until Twilight was laying back against Celestia's stomach. Celestia levitated up the book. "I haven't read it yet! Is it good?"

"As good as any of the others!" Twilight found herself enveloped by the soft sensations of Celestia's feathers blanketing her chest. "Seriously, you wouldn't believe what Prism did!"

"Well, now I just have to read it." Celestia opened the book which was being held in her magic, scanning the first page.

Twilight snuggled into her. "We can read it together. I don't mind re-reading the first part."

The amorous monarch suckled the fur of Twilight's neck, pleased by the moans emanating from her lips. Twilight only mumbled satisfied murmurs while Celestia started to read out loud. Twilight relaxed, listening to the familiar, sweet tones of her lover who read the novel out like it was some epic poem of yore, somehow even putting a certain music into the words.

She forced herself out of her love-induced haze. "Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?"

Celestia paused in reading the book. "Oh right. Earl Shimmer confessed to her crimes and is to serve out her sentence in Crimson Heart Monastery. She implicated Earl Grey who was arrested."

"Wait, what? She became a monk?"

"I won't question the motives of her heart. The word coward, however, comes to mind. We'll see how long her new vocation lasts."

Twilight released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and went back to laying her head against Celestia's heartbeat. "I'm glad. So, that's it then. This really is all over. For real this time."

"Sure is." She planted a kiss on Twilight's horn. "I now have you all to myself."

Twilight jerked and giggled while Celestia ran her hooves down her sensitive sides. "Ticklish, are you? We'll have to explore that later."

Twilight turned over onto her stomach. "Can we finish the book first?"

The wings over her tightened into a comfortable hug. "Of course, my dear."

Twilight reached up and kissed her lips. Celestia positioned the book back up so they could both look at it when Twilight turned over on her side.

...
Darkness suited the Queen of the Changelings. She sat upon her obsidian throne, overlooking her kingdom deep beneath the mountain. The only illumination here came from glowing gems.

That was enough. More than enough.

The letter had no sender. Somehow, it had just appeared, wreathed in green flames. She stared at it, wondering how it had gotten there. There was a mechanism designed for sending letters to the throne room yet this was not from another Hive nor from her own Changelings.

If her enemies had somehow discovered how to send messages to the hive...she lifted it up in her magic and rolled open the scroll.

"A wedding invitation. You are cordially invited to the wedding of...Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle? My, my. Of course I'll be there."

Her laughter echoed throughout the hive.

Author's Notes:

Poll. Would anyone be interested in a separate story where Sunset is reunited with her mom?

Omake
"I object to this sentence, Princess! I demand a trial!"

Six Hours Later,

"We the Court of the Kingdom of Canterlot hereby sentence Earl Sunrise Shimmer and Earl Aloysia Grey to be shot out of a canon directly into the sun."

I AM DONE WITH THESE OC'S THEY WILL NOT BE MENTIONED AGAIN IN THIS STORY.