The bottom of her jaw worked up and down as her mind raced to find something to say. She’s the leader of Equestria. Every one of her subjects turn to her for guidance and direction. But, as Princess Celestia stared blankly into Discord’s eyes, she came up with nothing. There was no angle, no circumstance to leverage. He was right. He’d won. He’d played her perfectly. He knew that there was no way she’d willingly destroy Twilight Sparkle now that she was back. He took a gamble, and that gamble paid off tremendously. She blinked shaking away her trance as the chaos lord straightened up to his full height before turning around to face the crowd.

“So, you see? I can do anything I want now. Anything. And none of you will stop me, least of all, your precious princess. If you banish me, you banish Twilight Sparkle, and we all know she’d never allow that. It’s that simple,” he stated smugly as he walked over to the unicorn scholar.

She gulped as her eyes met his. His twisted smile hung above her making her sick to her stomach. She couldn’t believe that not only did she owe this monster her life, but her continued existence depended on his. The feeling of her own powerlessness began to overwhelm her as tears streamed down her face. She was a puppet. A slave. It infuriated her that the love she knew her teacher felt for her was twisted into a weapon for this vile being’s own selfish desires. Yet, she could do nothing. The Elements of Harmony were destroyed, and everyone knew there was no way the princess would sacrifice her. She almost died to save her. She was helpless, as were the rest of them, and purple mare knew it. A shiver made its way down her spine as she felt his paw brush over her face and his finger lightly lift her chin as he’d done to the princess a moment earlier.

“You, my little pony. You are my free pass. With you, the amount of fun I can have knows no bounds. And would you like to know the best part?” he asked.

“Wh…what?” she stammered.

“Even if you manage to defeat me. Even if Princess Celestia banishes me, or destroys me, I can take solace in the fact that she’d be more than heartbroken over losing you. And all the death and destruction you caused and she caused would be for nothing. Ironic isn’t it? Even in death or prison, I’d still be creating wonderful chaos!” Discord answered with a chuckle.

That was all she could take. He was mocking and perverting the thing she held most dear, and he was gloating about it. Twilight’s face contorted in anger as her horn powered up, releasing a blast right into Discord’s face, exploding into a cloud of smoke. Everyone gasped at the action. As the mist cleared, however, his form became clearer and clearer along with the fact that he was completely unscathed. He still wore the same smug expression as he looked down at her.

“Hmm, it seems I’ve hit a nerve. Oh well, places to go, chaos to make,” he said walking back over to Princess Celestia.

“So, before I leave, a few things to go over. First, I’m going to encase the castle in a barrier spell of my own design. It may weaken over time, but let’s just say I need things to marinate a bit. Second, before I go, Tia, I suggest you lie on the ground. Or at the very least, grab a pillow or something,” Discord suggested.

“Wh…what are you talking about?!?” she shouted.

“Ah, that’s right, you weren’t awake. You see, the only reason you’re standing here is because I healed you with my magic. Once I leave, you’ll be back off to dreamland. Unfortunately for you, it’s quite uncertain as to when…or even if…you’ll ever wake up,” the chaos-bringer explained.

“WHAT?!?” Princess Celestia screamed, backing away from the Draconequus.

“He…he’s right, Tia. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what he was trying to do, and…oh, Tia, I’m so sorry!” Princess Luna interjected.

“So, you see, Tia, I’m just looking out for you. I wouldn’t want you to fall and break anything. Better a dirty coat than a broken muzzle, wouldn’t you agree?” he mocked.

The elder alicorn grit her teeth as tears of humiliation dropped from her eyes. She glared at the chaos lord, but said nothing. Even in defeat, she needed to be strong. For herself and for her kingdom. She sighed, turning towards her sister.

“Luna, please take care of things while I’m gone. I know you can do it. I have faith in you,” she said as she sat on her haunches, lowering herself to the ground.

“Wise decision,” Discord stated as he snapped his fingers causing the mare to glow.

“TIA!” Luna screamed as a light blinded the crowd.

After a few seconds the sudden illumination dimmed, and Princess Celestia’s nearly lifeless form came into view. The group let out a collective gasp as Twilight, Luna, Spike and the guards ran over to the fallen monarch. The Draconequus cleared his throat getting their attention. His demeanor changed, and now seemed deadly serious. His conceited smirk gave way to a look of utter solemnness.

“You need to get her to an infirmary immediately. She used up almost all of her magic, including her very life force,” he said.

“HOW DARE YOU…” Princess Luna screamed before he cut her off.

“Look at her cutie mark. It’s beginning to fade,” Discord remarked.

The crowd let out another gasp as they all looked at the princess’ flank. Sure enough, the brilliant sun that once adorned her body was almost completely gone.

“She’s in a coma right now, and needs to be stabilized. Go, get her to the infirmary! I’ll have a doctor waiting for her! Now go! Quickly!” he shouted, snapping his fingers.

Luna gave Discord one last glare as she magically lifted her sister, bringing her into the castle. Before they entered, Luna turned to one of the guards who followed close behind.

“Get all of the guards, and get out of the castle immediately. Meet up with Shining Armor and inform him of the situation. It is up to you now. You’ll have to keep him busy and the rest of Equestria safe once we are trapped. Do you understand?” she whispered.

He nodded, as he took to the air flying through the castle. Once Luna and Celestia disappeared from view, the chaos lord let out a huge sigh as he stretched his limbs.

“Well, I believe that’s all she wrote for me. I’m off to do…well, whatever it is I want, really. Hmmm…Maybe I’ll turn Fillydelphia into a city of clowns, or turn Baltimare upside down. It is quite hilarious watching ponies fall out of buildings you know!” he said laughing.

“WAIT, STOP!” Pinkie Pie screamed.

“Hmm? What’s this? The plucky little earth pony has something to say?” Discord mocked.

“It’s…it’s just…I…I thought you changed!” she said.

He walked over to her, a soft smile replacing his usual haughty expression. She eyed him curiously as he lifted a paw to her cheek stroking it tenderly.

“Oh, Pinkie Pie. You really did, didn’t you?” he said as he turned to walk away.

As she watched him stroll towards the garden, the group heard a rumble come from above them. Their eyes went wide as they turned to see the barrier making its way slowly over the castle and the garden. Pinkie Pie turned back to the Draconequus. She couldn’t stay. Not with everything she did. She had to make it right, and the only way to do that was to go after Discord. Alone. She sprang forward, galloping as hard and fast as her legs would take her.

“PINKIE! WAIT!” Applejack screamed as they all watched the pink earth pony disappear into the gardens.

As the ethereal gate closed, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle were left in the courtyard. They stared at each other for a few moments, but none of them could say a word. They just hung their heads, with only one thought permeating their minds.

‘Where do we go from here?’ Twilight’s mind screamed as she sat on her haunches.

-

Twilight Sparkle often found solace in books. As exciting as attaining new information could be, she could also find them to be quite relaxing depending on the subject matter. Lately, however, the tomes she held dear seemed to be at war with her very soul. The current spell encyclopedia she was skimming through only enforced that sentiment. She slammed the book shut in a huff as she tossed it aside. Normally, any library patron, or even Spike would get a stern scolding on how such materials were supposed to be treated, but her frustration level had peaked, and she was at her wits end. Three weeks. The princess had been in a coma for three weeks, and she’d spent every waking moment looking for ways to help restore her mentor’s health. No matter what she tried, however, the result was the same; nothing. There was never any change to her unmoving, barely breathing form. She’d been told by the doctor and by Princess Luna that Celestia would have to heal on her own, but she couldn’t accept it. She needed to help.

‘There has to be something,’ she thought as she stared out the window of her old quarters.

“Tw…Twilight?” a soft voice rang out snapping the unicorn out of her daydream.

“Spike?” she asked turning her head towards the dragon.

He stood by the window, the green hue of the sun shining through the ethereal gate that Discord had erected. She frowned at the sight. Not only was the light disturbing, but Spike’s demeanor also concerned her. He’d barely said a word to her in days. It was clear that the chaos lord’s show had affected him in some way, but she wasn’t sure how, and he wasn’t opening up. She’d wanted to help him, but he refused to let her in. She sighed as she stood up, walking towards her slowly.

“Spike, what’s wrong? Please, I’m me again, it’s okay,” she said reassuringly.

“Twilight, I…I just…I don’t understand…” he stammered.

“Don’t understand what? Talk to me, Spike,” she pressed.

“Rarity…how…how could you do something so…so…” he stuttered, wringing his claws nervously.

Twilight shut her eyes tight, almost whimpering. He was talking about her encounters with the unicorn he had a crush on. To see both of them is such states must have been terrifying for him. He may have matured since she was gone, but he was still very much a child. So many thoughts permeated her mind. One thought stood out, however.

“Spike, you’re right. I owe you an explanation,” she began as she sat in front of her number one assistant.

“When…when I was going through the transformation, I…my body changed, but before it did, things changed for me…internally. You see…part of the transformation was a massive increase in…sex drive. You…do you know about what happens when a mare is in heat, Spike?” she asked as clinically as possible.

He nodded as a red hue found its way to his cheeks.

“Good, good. You’re so smart, Spike. You’ve grown so much in such a short amount of time. I’m…I’m proud of you,” the scholar said with a small smile.

“Thanks, Twilight, but…please…” he answered.

“Oh, right…well…it was like that, only…only a thousand times more powerful,” she continued.

“So…you were just…” the dragon prodded.

Twilight sighed deeply. This was not a conversation she was prepared to have. She never thought that she’d have to have the sex talk with Spike so soon. Especially considering what he’d seen. Her stomach turned at the thought of Discord destroying his innocence like this, but what’s done is done, and his questions were legitimate. She stood up and walked over to him. She placed her hoof on his shoulder as he shivered at her touch. Her frown depend at the reaction.

“Spike, my brain chemistry was changing. My DNA was being…twisted…into something that was neither pony nor insect. Bottom line is…it wasn’t me, Spike. I wasn’t myself. My mind was…violated by the fly genes that were fused with mine. Do…do you understand, Spike?” she asked.

He looked away from her for a moment before nodding. She wasn’t sure if he accepted her explanation, but for now, it would have to do. She was by no means lying to him, but part of her did feel guilty. Rarity had beaten her to a pulp, and she was angry. She’d probably still be angry even without the fly essence changing her.

‘But…I deserved what she did to me,’ she thought as she closed her eyes.

“Twilight?” Spike whispered.

“Yes, Spike?” she answered.

“I…I understand you were sick. It…it was just…those things you did….to Rarity, they…they freaked me out. I…I don’t mean to make you feel bad,” he explained.

“Spike, I did horrible things while I was changing. I know that may not be an excuse, but it is a reason,” she said.

“It’s just…Twilight, how could you do that to yourself? After…after everything we’ve been through together, how could you experiment on yourself like that?!?” the dragon shouted, his agitation growing.

“I…I made a mistake, Spike. I was stupid,” she answered.

“Stupid?!? Twilight, you’re the smartest mare I know, next to Princess Celestia!” Spike countered.

“I’m not talking about intelligence, Spike. I may be your guardian, but I’m not perfect. I…I guess I was scared,” the scholar said as she sat down again, her head drooping.

“Scared? Of what?” Spike pressed.

“When…when the accident happened with Angel. Spike, the look on Fluttershy’s face. It was the most horrible thing I’d ever seen. After that moment, I became more afraid of failure than I’d ever have in my life. I…I needed to make it work. If…if I didn’t, then Angel’s death would have been for nothing, and I would have lost a friend. One of my best friends. I…I had to try. At least, I thought I did. But, you’re right, Spike. It was a mistake. I…I was foolish to toy with something that I didn’t fully understand, and…and I paid dearly for it,” Twilight said, as she stood up, bowing to her assistant.

“I’m sorry, Spike. Please, please forgive me!” she said with tears streaming down her face.

Her quiet sobs were cut off as she felt the dragon’s arms pull her into an embrace. She gasped as he held her tightly whispering into her ear.

“Twilight, we’re family, and…and I will always love you, no matter what you do. Just…just promise me you’ll never do anything like that again. Promise me,” he said softly.

“I promise, Spike. With all of my heart, I promise,” she whispered back, her hooves wrapping around her surrogate little brother.

-

Applejack walked down the hallway, the echo of her hooves her only company. She sighed as she thought of her brother. Luckily, after the first two weeks of their imprisonment, a small portion of Discord’s shield began to wane just enough to send messages through. Princess Luna obviously received the bulk of the communications, but the princess of the night didn’t forget about her lover’s sister. She’d received the report a few days ago, and she was still breathing sighs of relief every time she thought about it. He’d been doing fine, and was awake, resting at Canterlot’s finest hospital. She’d been so worried, she almost lost her mind. The guards and staff had evacuated during the battle with Twilight’s mutated form and the chaos lord’s appearance. The only ones who remained in the palace were the princesses, Spike, the former elements of harmony, and one of the staff doctors attending to Princess Celestia. She breathed in again as she stopped in front of Rarity’s posh door. Someone had to talk to her. Ever since Discord’s sick show, she’d practically barricaded herself in her quarters and wasn’t talking to anyone. Granted, not many ponies were coming by to see her either. They’d all had to deal with so much and all at once. The element bearers were still dealing with the trauma caused by Twilight Sparkle’s second transformation, and then Discord exacerbated everything exponentially.

‘How much more do we gotta endure?’ Applejack mused as she knocked on the door to the unicorn’s quarters.

For the first few minutes, she heard nothing. No rustling, no movement. Huffing, she knocked again. This time, the sound of groaning filled her ears. Rarity was in there, and Applejack knew she needed to press her in order to get in.

“Rarity, it’s me, Applejack. Can Ah come in?” she shouted through the thick wood.

The earth mare continued to hear movement coming from inside the room, but Rarity had yet to acknowledge her presence. The farmer was beginning to lose her patience.

“Rarity, for goodness sake, will ya open up?!?” she yelled.

“Go away, Applejack,” Rarity cried through the door.

“You’ve shut yerself away fer long enough! And Ah ain’t leavin’ till ya let me in so we can talk!” Applejack shouted.

It only took a few more seconds for Applejack to hear the door unlock before creeping open. The orange mare wasted no time in entering. She quickly found the unicorn on her bed facing the window, a faint light dissipating. She hadn’t even actually gotten up. Walking towards the bed, Applejack quickly took in Rarity’s condition, frowning. Her form was becoming quickly emaciated no doubt due to her lack of appetite. Her puffy, red eyes were almost swollen shut. She’d obviously been crying.

“Sugarcube,” was all Applejack could whisper as she felt her heart sink.

“What do you want, Applejack?” Rarity asked, her voice scratchy.

“Look, Ah…Ah can’t even begin to imagine what yer goin’ through, but…Ah just wanted to see if you were...ok,” the farm mare stammered.

Rarity simply sighed in response and buried her face in her pillow. Normally she’d be angry at Applejack for having the audacity to ask such a stupid statement. After all, she’d seen what the unicorn went though. How could she possibly be alright as her worst nightmares were put on display for the whole world to see? How could she be okay when she was forced to relive all of the terrible things that she’d done and that had been done to her? She was tired, however. Much too tired and weak in her current state to mount any sort of angry tirade. Finally, she turned over looking into Applejack’s eyes, tears running down her cheeks.

“Rarity, please, Ah’m worried about ya. Ah mean, after….after everything ya went through…when was the last time you ate something’? Ya gotta eat, right?” the earth pony said.

“Food…with everything that’s happened…food…right,” Rarity mumbled as she turned over.

“Look, Ah’m sorry, alright. Ah just…Ah don’t know what to say. Ah…Ah hope you feel better soon,” the farm mare said.

“I’M NOT SICK, APPLEJACK!” Rarity screamed as she sat up in bed snarling.

“Ah…Ah know that, sugarcube! Ah…Ah didn’t mean…” she stammered as the unicorn leapt out of bed with new found strength.

Rarity’s expression changed as she saw the fear in the mare’s eyes. She took a deep breath as she thought about the situation. While they may no longer be friends, she knew the farmer better than most. She may not have been as tactful as she could have been, but the fashion expert was certain that Applejack truly meant what she said. She wasn’t here to mock her. She was here to offer what she could, even if she had no clue what would help, and Rarity couldn’t blame her for that. Sighing, a much calmer look replaced her scowl.

“I know what you meant, Applejack. I know you’re just trying to help, but…but there isn’t anything you can do. Twilight, while under the influence of that…that insect…did what she did. There’s…there’s no turning back the clock. I…I’ll just have to live with it,” she explained.

“Rarity, ya don’t have to face this alone!” Applejack exclaimed.

“I hate her, Applejack. I hate Twilight Sparkle so much. She…I beat her to within an inch of her life, and…and after what she did to me, I…” she stuttered as she hopped back on the bed.

“I just want this to be over, Applejack. No more arguing, no more fighting, just…I just want this to be over,” Rarity whispered as she pulled the covers over herself.

Applejack looked on, sighing. Her head hung low in defeat as she turned walking slowly out the door. There was nothing she could do. There wasn’t anything she could say, at least on this subject, so she decided to change it. Stopping just before the doorway, she turned her neck back, facing the unicorn again.

“Mah brother is alright, by the way. He…he woke up a few days ago, all alert and such. He’s just restin’ now in one of them fancy city hospitals. Sorry, just felt like sharin’,” she said as she made her way out into the hallway, the door creaking shut behind her.

-

Fluttershy gulped the last of the water from her glass, washing down yet another pill. Looking at the clock on her mantle, she took up a quill turning towards the piece of parchment that lie on the posh desk in her chambers. She sighed as she looked at all the entries. Luckily, all of the medicine that the pegasus needed was still in the palace pharmacy, so Discord’s wall had not affected her treatment. The doctors had already gone over how and when to take her new medications, which left the few that remained to help Princess Celestia. Her anger rose as she continued to stare at the dates, times and dosages scribbled onto the paper. This was her life now. An endless series of medicines and documentation for the very real threat that loomed over her every second of every day. The worst part about it was she felt fine. All of this work was simply precautionary in case the nightmare scenario ever occurred. She wanted nothing more than to smash the pill bottle with her hoof and leave the palace behind forever. She wanted to go back to her animals, back to the life she knew, but it seemed so far away. There was nothing she could do about it.

‘I just want to go home!’ she thought as she stomped her front hooves.

A knock on her door brought her back to reality. Startled she huffed as she approached the door slowly. Opening it, she gasped as her eyes met Rainbow Dash’s form.

“Um, hey. How’re you doing, Fluttershy?” she said nervously as she used her right hoof to scratch behind her head.

“What do you want?!?” the animal lover spat as she turned walking back into her room.

“I, uh, think I just made that clear, Flutters,” Rainbow Dash answered.

“I’d thank you not to call me that, please!” she shouted as she jumped back on her bed, away from her fellow pegasus.

“Will ya just turn around for a second?!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she made her way to the other side of the bed.

“What for?!?” Fluttershy retorted.

“So I can apologize!” the Cloudsdale resident fired back.

“You…wait…what?” the yellow mare asked, turning towards her.

“Look, I…I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said when Discord came back, okay? And…well…I think you were right. About me, at least,” she began.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy pressed.

“Well, you said that you were lonely and that no one came to help you. It…it got me thinking. I mean, I was hurt, and I was dealing with my own stuff, sure, but…when I look back on it, I did kinda monopolize Princess Luna’s time. It was hard for me to look past my own needs, I guess. I…I wanted to get back in the air so bad, that…that I guess I just couldn’t see what was really in front of me,” she explained.

Fluttershy’s expression softened as she took in her former friend’s words. She fully expected to have another fight. Some part of her even wanted a conflict. She had anger and nowhere to put it, no way to use it. It just sat there in her soul festering. She hadn’t expected an apology from Rainbow Dash, however. She stiffened as she felt the flyer’s hoof on her shoulder as she continued.

“Look, Fluttershy, you’re my oldest friend, and I…I’m ashamed at myself for not thinking of you. I shoulda been there for you, and I wasn’t. I…I’m sorry,” she said.

“Well…I was upset. I still am. But, I’m just frustrated at my situation. I mean, look at all this medicine I have to take, and I have to chart it…it’s becoming my life, and I don’t want a life like this, but…I was angry, and I think I took it out on everyone around me. I…I didn’t mean to,” Fluttershy responded.

“Nah, Don’t worry about it Fluttershy. You had every right to be mad. We all did, really,” Rainbow Dash answered.

“So, how is your wing doing?” the timid pegasus inquired, hoping to change the subject.

“Well, I’ve got most of my motion back. A few more days and I’ll be able to practice for real. If we can get some more open space, that is,” she said as her gaze shifted to the green hue through the window.

Fluttershy’s head turned as she mirrored her fellow flyer. The sickly green hue bled through the windows, distorting the room. The realization of their imprisonment wasn’t easy to bear. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash spoke up again, causing the animal lover to turn back.

“Twilight…Rarity…” she muttered as she stared at the floor.

The pegasus huffed as she used her left hoof to hug herself. Rainbow Dash was right. What could they say about what they’d seen? It didn’t seem real, yet, they both confirmed what really happened. It made them both sick to their stomachs to even think about it. How could two ponies they’d known so intimately, their best friends, behave like that? Finally, Fluttershy cleared her throat and offered the only sentiment she could.

“I…I don’t know, Rainbow Dash…I just don’t know,” she said.

-

“There is nothing more we can do, Princess. I’m sorry,” the doctor said bowing.

“You’ve done a great deal. More than you know. Thank you,” Princess Luna answered staring at her sister’s lifeless form.

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, your highness, I still wish I could do more. It’s just…we never anticipated a situation like this. To think that Princess Celestia herself could lose her magic this way…before the reality of it, it was truly unthinkable,” he countered as he turned to check the connections on the equipment now attached to the alicorn.

Luna sighed as the doctor fiddled with her oxygen mask and examined all the beeping equipment. For the last three weeks, she’d barely left her sister’s side. Once part of Discord’s shield began to wane, the younger royal was able to send and receive nothing larger than a parchment. It wasn’t much but it was something. However, once she began receiving messages, she almost wished the portal had remained closed. After the first week of crying over her kin’s bedside, she began to think about why Discord summoned a physician in the first place. While the chaos lord did say that he wasn’t a murderer, Princess Celestia was his enemy, and he simply could have let her die. It wasn’t until she began receiving messages that his plan truly revealed itself. The ponies that no one recognized who were summoned to the courtyard the day Discord showed up were reporters from all over Equestria. They’d spread the word about everything they’d seen. The populace now knew everything, and they were quite disturbed at their leader’s actions. The princess of the night grit her teeth as she thought about it. Ponies were calling for all sorts of actions to be taken, but none would act on such rhetoric with Discord roaming free. From the reports she received from Shining Armor, the Draconequus hadn’t even been doing much. He’d simply caused some mischief in a few towns and then disappeared after a hearty laugh. His plan was simple. Watch her sister get taken to task by her own subjects while he has a little fun on the side. It sickened her, but with the barrier up, there was nothing she could do about it.

“Nevertheless, I appreciate all you’ve done,” she whispered.

“Well, right now, everything is in your sister’s hooves. I’ve managed to stabilize her, but she’ll need to heal on her own,” he said.

Princess Luna nodded as the unicorn stallion bowed, quickly exiting to give the younger alicorn some time alone with her sibling. Once to door was closed, Luna took Celestia’s hoof in hers as she felt the tears stream down her face. This was exactly what she was worried about with Twilight. There was so many things she wanted to say to her, and now, she may never get the chance. Seeing her sister suffer was almost too much for her to take. She wanted to scream and stomp with rage. She wanted to blast every ounce of magic she had at the shield and find Discord to make him answer for his crime, but she knew she couldn’t. Her sister needed her, now more than ever.

“I…I’ll never leave your side, do you hear me? You are my sister, and…and I love you more than anything! Will…will you just wake up, please Tia, please just wake up!” she sobbed as she rested her head on the bed sheets which encased her sibling.

The sudden jolt of the hoof she was holding caused Luna to gasp as she sat straight up, staring wide eyed at her sister. As the faintest hint of a groan escaped the elder alicorn’s throat, the princess of the night sprang to her hooves in excitement.

“Tia! Tia, wake up! You…you’re alright!” she whispered feverishly as she caressed her kin’s cheek gently.

“Lu…Lu..na…” she answered.

“DOCTOR!” Princess Luna shouted.

-

“Goodness, my wings are stiff,” Princess Celestia huffed to herself as Luna levitated a cup of tea to her sister’s lips.

“Well, that is to be expected. You were unconscious for three weeks, princess,” the doctor said.

“So, other than that, how am I doing?” she asked.

“You seem to have recovered physically, your highness, but we will still need to run tests on your magic. It seems your alicorn physiology was able to recharge your life force, as it were, but we still aren’t sure about your magical capabilities. For now, I’d recommend Princess Luna do the heavy lifting until we can get a clearer picture of your status,” he explained.

“Thank you, doctor. I don’t think I’d be alive if it wasn’t for you. I am in your debt,” she answered, bowing slightly.

“Just doing my job, princess. I’ll be back with your test results shorty,” he said before giving a slight bow and exiting.

“So, please, tell me what has…” she began before her younger sibling cut her off.

“Celestia, we need to talk,” she said.

“I know, that’s what I’m…” the elder alicorn started before her sister once again interrupted.

“No, we’ll get to that. Right now, we…we need to talk about…us,” Luna stated.

“Us? What do you mean?” Celestia inquired.

“Tia, we…when Twilight Sparkle was sick, and there didn’t seem to be any hope, I…I encouraged the rest of her friends to reach out to her. I wanted to…to say the things that they didn’t have a chance before, because…because soon it was going to be too late, she explained.

“Luna, I’m alright. I know that I came close to…I’m better now, and that’s all that matters,” the monarch answered.

“No, it’s not. Celestia, I know you loved having me back at your side, and…and I cannot tell you how…how grateful I am that you accepted me back without so much as a curt look or expression. But, we never talked about it, Tia. We…we never addressed it, what happened so long ago. Before….before anything happens again, I have things I need to say, and you need to hear them,” she said.

“Go on,” Celestia nodded.

“Tia, as ashamed as I was at what I did back then, at the time, I…I hated you. I did so much for this kingdom. I gave them a beautiful night sky to sleep under, a gorgeous moon to admire, but…but they all feared me. And…and they loved you. It hurt so much, Tia,” she explained.

“I…I know, sister. And…and believe it or not, I…I don’t really blame you for hating me,” the princess of the sun admitted.

“Wh…what?” Luna gasped.

“You were right, Luna. They praised me, and they feared you. It wasn’t their fault, they were still growing out their superstitions, but…I should have done something, and…and I didn’t. Maybe because…because I was afraid,” Celestia said.

“Afraid? Of…of what?” Luna pressed.

“Of…of losing what I had. Luna I raise the sun, which is enough to illuminate our land. But you? Sister, you paint an entire tapestry in the sky with nothing more than your raising of the moon. The precision, the technique, the beauty. You’re skys were the most magnificent thing I’d ever seen. I guess I thought that if our subjects appreciated your true skill, then…then I’d be the one they’d…I thought they wouldn’t want me or need me anymore,” she explained, as her gaze met the ground.

“Wait, so, because you thought I was better than you, you just let me wallow in my anger?” Luna questioned.

“The reason I didn’t want to talk about it when you came back was because I felt ashamed as well. I never wanted you to know what I felt back then, and…and I cursed myself day after day, and night after night for not talking this out with you. I’m so sorry sister, please forgive me,” she said bowing towards her sibling.

“The past is in the past, Tia. We were both immature then, and…and we didn’t know what we had. I love you, and that’s all that matters,” the younger alicorn said as she moved closer to her sister.

“I…I love you as well, Luna. I missed you, and I never want anything like that to ever come between us again,” she said as she put her hooves around her younger sibling pulling her into a tight embrace.

They hugged each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, after so long, everything was out in the open. For the both of them, it was a relief. Now that they knew where each other stood, they could both truly move on. As Luna felt her sister hug her tighter, she opened her eyes as she felt a soft glow emanate from her sibling, piercing her eyelids. The princess of the night pulled away from her kin, surprised at the development.

“Tia, what…what’s happening? Is…is your magic returning?” she asked.

“What? No, I’m not…I’m glowing…and so are you!” Celestia answered.

Within seconds the room was filled with a bright light as an earth shattering boom pierced their ears. As the light finally began to die down, they both gasped at the sight before them. Hovering in front of the bed were six crystals. Princess Celestia’s heart stopped as she drank in their soft glow. Ever since Twilight Sparkle’s death, her heart was in shambles. Her soul quickly broke again after her pupil’s transformation was confirmed and begun again. She’s sacrificed so much of herself, and now she’d finally made peace with her sister. The love they had for each other was stronger than ever, and now they could finally use it to take back what was theirs and to protect their subjects.

“The…the elements of harmony,” the princess of the night whispered.

“Yes, Luna. They have returned. And with them, hope. We must gather the others, sister. We need a plan,” the alicorn of the sun stated.

-

Hi Folks! Sorry I’ve been away for a while. I’m still recovering from surgery and things have been a bit hectic between work and physical therapy. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter, and I will try to make sure that the next one doesn’t take quite as long to get out. I can’t make any promises, though, as this is turning out to be a pretty busy summer for me.

Also, went to Big Apple Ponycon. It was enjoyable, but I found it to be very much a mixed bag. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good summer!