"Why do you hate him so much?"

Regelius voice travelled through the quiet room from his place by the window. He always placed himself by windows, no matter if it was during the day
or night. He simply found it a good way to remind himself as often as he could.

"Why do you love him so much?"

The princess angered voice spat back at him from across the room. While Regelius sounded calm and at ease, Celestia herself was at the verge of using her
royal Canterlot voice. Again. Right now, she felt like yelling straight into the stallions face until that monocle got pushed so deep into his eyesocket it came
out on the other side of his head.

None of them answered the other ones question. Ever since the argument they've had about Lunas return earlier, their friendship had been strained.
Regelius wasn't sure how to feel about this. On one hoof, he had his loyalty to both of the sisters, and on the other, his more personal bond to Celestia.
Even though he wanted Luna to be happy, he didn't want to let Celestia down, and no matter what he did in this matter, one of them would feel betrayed.

"Celestia.." He began. "Do you see my acts as treason?"

Finaly, the princess looked at him. She turned her head around to her left, staring him down with fire in her eyes. And something that Regelius could have
sworn was sadness. But she didn't say anything. Maybe she thought her look would speak louder than words. Regelius looked back at her, his purple
eyes trying to pierce into her mind, to understand her. They looked at each other for a long while, none of them wanting to be the first one to give in.

"Look at me." Regelius said without breaking eyecontact with her. "Do I look like a traitor to you? I'm probably the most loyal pony in all of your court,
princess. Do you really believe I would betray you? After what I confessed to you earlier today?"

Still no answer. Only fiery eyes.

"Then explain why you where protecting them like you did."

Celestia spoke in a cold voice, no trace of emotions, sad or otherwise. Completely indifferent.

"Explain to me why you would defend a traitor to the crown. Explain to me why you would defend death himself."

"I don't support anything Dust has said or done." Regelius replied. "But I stand behind Luna in her decision."

"So you support treason." Celestia countered back at him.

"I support love and understanding. Maybe you should try to remember what those words once meant to you."

Celestias eyes narrowed at his words. She got up from her seat next to the fireplace, and started walking towards Regelius, her head lowered in what almost
looked like an attack-stance. Her eyes narrowed even more as she approached him, and they turned into nothing more than lines across her face. Lines
with fire.

"What.. did you just say?" She hissed.

Regelius didn't move an inch. The princess sudden threatening behavior didn't seem to bother him at all, as he simply kept on staring her down with
determined eyes.

"Perhaps you should think about your past. You've always believed in love, friendship and equality. But now, you're just.."

"I'm just.. what?" Celestia whispered as she stopped just a few feet away from Regelius.

"You're.." Regelius hesitated. "You're.. Nothing. Forget I said it."

Suddenly, Celestia yelled in anger, and pressed her face hard against Regelius, their eyes mere centimeter away from each other. For a moment, Regelius
had time to think that the fire in her eyes probably reflected in his own.

"I'm just what?!" The princess yelled in his face, a few drops of saliva flying out of her mouth as she did.

Regelius wanted to answer, but he was unnable to. He wasn't afraid of her, he had no reason to defend his actions or words. Yet his tounge remained silent
behind his teeth. So much for that piece of silver. After a few seconds, Celestia withdrew her head angrily without saying another word. She turned away
from him, and Regelius could see.. her body was shaking.

"I-I'm sorry, Celes.."

Regelius words were cut short as she turned around once again, raising one of her hooves into the air as she did. Her leg shook as she stared him down.
It took the stallions brain a few seconds to register what was happening, but once he understood, he did nothing. He didn't recoil, raise his hooves to shield
himself, not even blinking his eyes.

"Go ahead." He sighed. "Strike me down. If that is my princess choice, then I must deserve it."

Celestias hoof shook harder. She raised it higher in order to gain more power behind her blow. Regelius finaly stopped staring at her, and closed his eyes.
Waiting for the impact. The pain. The pain from knowing his once beloved princess had been reduced to.. to nothing.

"Think of Twilight." He said in a calm voice. "She adores you, worships you. Think of her as you bring your hoof down on me."

A couple of seconds passed. A few more. Half a minute. Nothing happened. A minute of silence.

Regelius opened his eyes again.

He expected to see Celestia still standing in front of him, but she was no longer there. Then he saw her, on the other side of the room. With her back
against him, she looked as if she was peering into the big mirror in front of her. Regelius could see his own, tiny reflection in the glass. Slowly, he took a
few steps towards her. As he came closer, the stallion could see her face in the mirror. And what he saw.. did not look like the Celestia he knew.
Her eyes turned slightly to the left to look at Regelius through the mirror.

"Tell me, Reg.." Her voice quivered as she spoke. "What do you see?"

"You know what I see in you." Regelius answered carefully. "Like I told you earlier.."

"No, not what you see in ME. What do you see in the mirror?"

Regelius scanned the glass, almost expecting to see something odd, something out of the ordinary. But all he could see was himself and the princess.

"I see a couple of ponies." He said in response. "One of them is in pain right now. Remorse and pain over lost feelings."

Celestia frowned at his words. In that small movement, her face looked much older, frail as frost on fallen leaves.

"Am I really that easy to see through?" Celestia said quietly. "Yes, you're right."

"I wasn't talking about you, princess." Regelius replied, drawing a small smile across his lips as he did so.

The stallion didn't evolve his words any deeper, and the alicorn didn't ask him about it. For a while, they both sat down in silence, observing their reflection.
Celestia seemed to have calmed down, and her body had stopped it's shaking, but she still did not look well.

"Regelius?" Her voice broke the complete silence as she uttered his name.

The stallion looked at her, the real her, not the reflection. His eyebrows raised in question.

"I'm dying."

Regelius monocle hit the floor with a clank.

A few days had passed since Dust awoke in Lunas bedchambers, and still neither he nor Luna had been able to leave the room. Guards where posted outside
the doors, and for the last two days, inside the room as well. They kept strict watch over everything the did, said, even what food they recieved twice
a day. Despite the lingering pain in the humans body, and the everwatching eyes of the armored stallions, Dust didn't complain. He got to spend all his
time with his wonderful mare, and just beeing in her presence made him feel better. She took care of him the best she could, obeying his every wish.

Helping him eat and drink, getting dressed, even using the bathroom alone was impossible without her support when he tried to walk. Even thoug Dust
at first felt both quitly and pathetic over beeing nursed like this, he eventually found himself quite at ease with it. He no longer felt like some stupid
little kid needing his mothers help al the time, or an old man waiting to die while shitting himself. Oftentimes, Luna would lay down in bed next to him
and just hold him close.

The guards objected if she got too close, but otherwise seemed not to mind. Although, they had actually left the room once, for about an hour.
It had been the day before, as Dust and Luna where making time pass by playing games. Childish really, but they still had fun trying to figure out
what the other one spied with his or hers little eye. They'd been interupted late in the evening as a brown stallion with purple eyes flung the chamberdoors
open.

Imediately, he greeted them both by name, then ordered the guards to leave the room. They refused at first, but after a short argument, they agreed to leave.
With a few extra bits as payment when they left. The purple-eyed stallion took a bow before he left, saying he wished them a good night. And a good night
it had been. Seeing as they where finaly left alone, they took the oportunity to do what most couples do, and they wasted no time or effort in making it last.
After all, they had no idea when or if they would get this chance again.

Once they where done, they'd spend the rest of their time entangled closely, talking and fantasising about how their lifes together would be once everything
was back to normal. How the Lunar Republic would rule Equestria. But as the guards returned one hour later, they both quickly went silent about their
plans, and moved apart once again, sharing one last secretive kiss as they did.

That was the day before, and it had been a wonderful day, but now they where back in their same, heavily guarded routines. But despite all of this security,
they had not removed the Jormundgand from Dust. Perhaps Celestia had no idea what it was, and thinking it was just a worthless trinket, she let him keep
it. And that would be their way out of here and into power, Dust hoped. As soon as his wounds had healed and he could walk without help, he would bring
down Celestia together with her sister, and finaly, they would no longer have to fear. Go on with their lifes, as rulers of the land. And everypony would love
them.

Or die.

Darkness had fallen over Canterlot, and the stars watched over the town from above. The moon lit up the path of an unkown pony in a cloak as it quickly
trotted down the empty alleys and streets. More then a few times, the pony had to stop and hide in the shadows from the prying eyes of the guards working
the graveyard shift.

After a while, the pony came to a stop at a small door, covered in shadows. There was a sign hanging above it, but it was old and wheatered, impossible
to read. The door creeked sligthly as the cloaked pony pushed it open. It stepped inside, and it's heavy hooves brought forth banging sounds as they
touched the wooden floorboards. One of the downsides of being a stallion; much heavier then a mare, making it harder to move without a sound.

He closed the door behind him and locked it as well. As he spun around, he was greeted by the sight of an old pub. Dark oak table dotted the room, along
with chairs in the same material. On the far end of the room there was an old bar, completely covered in dust. Behind it, several shelves where the alcohol
and glasses would have been back in the day, but cobwebs and even more dust had now taken their place. Nopony had been in here for quite some time,
that's for sure.

The stallion narrowed his eyes to see better in the dark, and after a while, he saw what he came for. A black figure, almost invisible in the dark, was sitting
at a table on the other side of the room. From here, he couldn't see who it was, but he still knew. He walked over to the pony by the table, and as he came
close he could see the black cloak it wore, same as his, and the black horn pointing out from underneath the hood.

He sat himself down on the other side of the table.

"What news do you bring?" The voice of a mare asked, a dark voice with an odd accent.

"The board is set." The stallion answered. "The pawns are allready moving."

"Good, I knew I could count on you."

"I'm always loyal."

"Of course you are. Now, I presume that the Black King and Queen will soon.. spring into action?"

"Just a few more days, and they will. Hopefully, they can bring down the White Queen."

"And if they fail?"

"Then.. then I'll have to finish it instead."

"I am still counting on you to do your part in protecting the Carrier. He must not be harmed, remember that. If something does happen to him.."

"I know, I know. Listen, you can count on me, allright? When have I ever let you down?"

"Need I remind you what will happen to us both should we fail?"

"Charming as always.."

"This is no time for jokes."

"Forgive me. But I should probably go back now, before anypony notices that I'm gone. Can't have them suspecting me, now."

"Indeed. Walk with the Void, brother."

"Walk with the Void, sister. And a good night to you, Aurora."

No-Hope never left Twilight's side, despite the fact that she never wanted to talk or even look at him. The only words they exchanged where to say good
morning or good night or other simple trivial matters. The more she ignored him, the more determined he became to show her his support, and nothing
could make him leave her side. He would stand by her, stand by this broken husk of a once amazing mare. Perhaps he could blow back some life into her.

And as he was sitting next to her bed as he'd been doing for the last few days, a thought came to him.

"Twilight?" He asked carefully. "Would you mind.. answering a question?"

She didn't answer, but he saw she shook her head slowly. Right, this was his chance.

"Do you remember.. what he looked like?"

He tried to walk around his own question, so as to not really mention the man that had done this to her.

"Blonde hair, some sort of black cloak and an odd necklace." Twilight answered in an almost singing voice. As if she had rehersed those words just for this
question.

It wasn't much to go on, but No-Hope thought he could make do with it. He would find the man that did this to Twilight, and make him pay.
All his life, he'd screwed everything up, always making a fool of himself and failing in whatever he did. But not this time. He would succed, show Twilight
what he really felt, earn her love. All he had to do was find this man.

He'd never hurt a single living creature for as long as he'd lived.

But this man; No-Hope would look into his eyes as he took his life away from him.