Twilight's rapid hoofsteps thundered throughout the lower halls of Canterlot castle, not that she could hear them over the tremendous beating of her heart echoing in her ears. Several bewildered guards had already noticed her but had failed to stop her as she bolted past. She was, after all, a close friend of both the princesses, and none of them wanted to cause her any trouble in her current state, for fear of being reprimanded by said princesses later.

Twilight rounded another corner, her hooves furiously pounding away at the marble floor beneath as she drew ever-closer to the throne room. All the while an incessant chant was rising in her head, the only thing she could hear above her thumping heartbeat, "Celestia... Celestia... Celestia!" Each mention of the name only spurred on her rage further as she powered down the last few halls, oblivious to the yelps of two startled guards as she caught sight of her destination. A colossal set of double doors stood at the end of the corridor, flanked on either side by guards. A long line of ponies stretched halfway up to her before trailing through a set of doors to the right. She shot towards the huge doors, paying no heed to the livid shouts of the dozens of ponies behind her as she galloped past them.

As she neared the front of the line two guards who had noticed the sudden commotion stepped in front of the doors, their wings outstretched so as to block her entry. One boomed at her, "Halt immediately! You'll wait in line like everypony else!" As she closed the distance it became apparent to them that she had no such intention.

"Hey, isn't that Twilight Sparkle?" the other asked, a look of confusion plastered across his face.

The first guard simply shrugged, "Regardless, she hasn't been summoned so we don't let her in. If it's important we might have to reconsider though. Depends. She's certainly creating enough commotion..." he sighed.

"Something's wrong..."

"Come again?"

"Something's wrong! Look at her!"

Celestia listened attentively, thoroughly captivated by the proposal the young stallion was putting forth. Recycling rainbows, it was a simple idea, but a genius one nonetheless. It would be so much more efficient, never mind cost-effective and paperwork-free. As he began to describe the intricacies of the device that would re-collect the excess spectra, the Princess couldn't help but smile, 'It's ponies like him that make this really worth it. He must be younger than Twilight, yet he's already hard at work trying to better Equestria. Truly one of the best generations in centuries...'

She snapped herself from her musings to listen to what he had to say, "W-With the appropriate facilities I-I'm sure that they can b-be produced v-very cheaply compared to how C-Cloudsdale Weather Corp. currently operates, Y-Your Majesty."

She couldn't help but grin at his nervousness, "Don't be so shy, I don't bite." her smile turned from playful to reassuring, "Besides, I think it is an excellent idea, Mister Gears. As for the funding, I am willing to give you a grant for both the new facility and any equipment you require."

The stallion's face lit up and he bowed deeply, "Oh, thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you so much!" Celestia giggled lightly before scowling at the shouts coming from outside, which were gradually growing louder.

Gears noticed her expression and fell silent immediately. The Princess registered this and sighed, "Don't worry, Mister Gears, I am just concerned about what is happening outside. Rest assured, you've done nothing but impress me. You may leave now."

Gears bowed respectfully and gave a, "Thank you, Your Majesty." before making his way out of a door to the side. When the din failed to cease, Celestia began to worry, especially when she heard one of the guards outside bellow something over the racket. The guards lining either side of the chamber shared apprehensive glances as she rose to her hooves.

The two guards stepped forwards, blocking her path, but Twilight, in her unbridled rage, didn't see two guards, not even two ponies. No, to her adrenaline-fuelled brain they were simply obstacles, and they were in the way. As she closed the last dozen meters she realised that they had no intention of stepping aside, instead bracing themselves against the impending impact, "MOVE!" she cried out. When they didn't, she released a bestial roar as her horn glowed deep purple and her eyes briefly flashed crimson.

One moment the guards were stood defensively, the next they were ricocheting violently off the doors behind them with a sickening crunch. For a brief second there was silence, followed by horrified screams from the ponies behind her; Twilight barely took any notice as she slowed and trotted forwards, stepping over one of the now unconscious guards.

Two mighty thuds reverberated through the large chamber in quick succession as the cacophony outside suddenly ceased. An eerie silence fell, the seconds dragging by agonisingly. Only when the first screams of terror punctuated the air did anypony move. Celestia flared her wings as she galloped down the steps of her throne, the guards around the room drawing their weapons immediately. She bellowed to them, "Get those doors open, now!"

Twilight snarled as she glanced up at the towering doorway, another obstacle in her path. 'Celestia... Celestia is inside!' She reared back and pointed her horn at the doors, more dark energy gathering around it and crackling in the air. With a blinding flash the dark aura impacted heavily against them, shunting them open with terrible force.

The doors flew open at lethal speed. The left swung and embedded itself into the wall behind it with an almighty crash that shook the entire chamber. The right, torn from its hinges completely, shot halfway across the room before being halted by the magic of the few more alert unicorns. The guards that had moved to open the doors stood frozen with shock, having avoided being pulverised by a few inches.

Twilight advanced into the veritable smokescreen of dust created by the impact of the left door. She emerged from the other side with her jaw set with grim determination. As she set her eyes upon the object of her rage, her anger intensified even further. Taking a huge gasp of air she roared across the chamber.

"CELESTIA!" The Princess nearly choked upon hearing the voice, realising who it belonged to. As the silhouette emerged from the dust there could be no doubt about it, and her heart lurched in her chest. The mare was obviously furious, shaking with rage and wearing an expression of pure hatred.

The guards around the room moved immediately to apprehend her, "Stand down!" Celestia barked across the chamber. They did so and stepped back to their posts, though they were clearly hesitant to do so and remained apprehensive. The Princess relaxed her wings, though she was clearly concerned as she spoke, "Twilight! What's wrong!? What happened out there!? Are you al-"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!" Celestia took a step back, shocked by her sudden outburst, and all the guards looked at her expectantly.

"Twilight, you need to calm d-"

Twilight charged forwards several meters before skidding to a halt, "I SAID SHUT UP!" The guards were visibly restraining themselves at this point, barely managing to stay put despite their orders. She marched, slowly now, towards her mentor, stopping halfway across the chamber, "I'M GOING TO ASK THE QUESTIONS, AND YOU'RE GOING TO ANSWER THEM! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

Red flashed in the unicorn's eyes for a brief moment, but Celestia noticed it, 'I cannot risk her releasing those magics in Canterlot, especially with Discord's statue on the premises...' The Princess slowly nodded, and Twilight took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself before she spoke.

After a few moments she exhaled and glared daggers at her mentor, "On that day, Calamity was never supposed to have appeared in Ponyville, he should have appeared here if he was after Discord! But Canterlot and the surrounding area were obviously protected! So why the hell was Ponyville left alone!? Were we not worth your time, Your Majesty!?" Her voice, although lowered in volume, still carried the same blood-chilling malice that it had done before.

Celestia desperately fought to control herself, 'One false move and half the castle could be destroyed.' she thought as she prepared her response. "Twilight, that was beyond our control! The shield won't reach that far, the energies from the Everfree Forest interfere with the spell!"

The unicorn didn't seem pleased with her answer, "So you knew there was a problem, and you did nothing!?"

"There was nothing we could do! No high-level spells can be maintained that close to Everfree from this distance, it's impossible!"

"So you did what first occurred to you then? You protected yourselves and left us in danger!"

"Twilight that's n-"

"SHUT UP!" Another red flash shot across her eyes.

Celestia stopped herself and waited for her student to calm down again. Desperation began welling up within her as the seconds ticked by, 'Where are you, Luna?'

Twilight took a few more steps forwards, keeping her eyes locked with those of the Princess, "How can I trust anything you say!? You're a liar, Princess! You lied to us! You lied to me!" Celestia remained silent, for this much was true, and she hung her head in shame. "Tell me why, Princess. You knew what that spell would do to Spike, you knew it would kill him!"

Celestia's eyes widened now, 'Did she actually sneak into the restricted archives?'

"So why!? Tell me why you KILLED MY BROTHER, CELESTIA!" A constant red haze hung in her eyes now as she stared down the Princess before her.

"I-I had no choice, there was nothing else I could do, Twilight! That monster would have killed thousands if he wasn't stopped! I did what I had to do as the ruler of a nation! I had to make a decision, so I saved as many lives as I could!"

"AND SACRIFICED SPIKE'S!" her eyes glowed even brighter now.

"And I'm deeply sorry for that, believe me. But his was one life, and by having Luna use that spell, his life saved thousands!"

Twilight fell quiet, "It was exactly that..." A lone tear streaked across her face and her voice cracked slightly, "I-It was j-just one life... B-But it was..." Her voice grew into a roar of draconic proportions, and her eyes positively blazed blood red, "HIS LIFE! MY BROTHER'S LIFE! NOT YOURS! NOT YOURS TO PLAY WITH! NOT YOURS TO SACRIFICE! YOU'RE THE MONSTER HERE, CELESTIA!"

The guards around the room were astonished, the sheer volume of the shout causing the floor to rumble beneath them. Suddenly they didn't seem too keen on trying to detain the unicorn with the red eyes.

Luna dived towards the ruined doorway. Guards were scurrying about everywhere, with the exception of the throne chamber, others securing separate parts of the castle. As she landed she noticed a pair receiving emergency treatment, they looked as if they'd been crushed beneath something. Luna approached the captain and enquired about the situation, "I'm not exactly sure, Your Majesty. Twilight Sparkle did that," he gestured at the two injured guards, "Destroyed the doors and began demanding answers from Princess Celestia."

Luna seemed worried, "Why aren't your guards inside, Captain?"

"Princess Celestia's been communicating with us the whole time," the guard reached up and tapped his hoof to his forehead, "Keeps tellin' us to stay out, Your Majesty."

Luna seemed satisfied and nodded, "Thank you, Captain." She turned behind her to the doorway and concentrated. The chaos energies were definitely there, and growing. She hastily summoned what appeared to be a small bracelet to her side before entering.

Twilight was veritably growling at the Solar Princess now as she grew taller, her eyes now a deep, abyssal crimson. Sections of armour were now beginning to materialise on her form, and the air around her crackled violently, "I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU BITCH!"

Celestia was in shock, her jaw hanging agape, but was snapped from her fear for her student when she noticed movement by the now ruined doorway, 'Luna!' Twilight bent low now, aiming her horn directly at Celestia, the dark energies collecting around it. Luna hurtled forwards as she realised what was about to happen.

Celestia prepared a defensive spell, but the impact would probably destroy half the room, and those in it.

Luna closed the distance and effectively shot the bracelet she had levitated beside her at Twilight. Just as the final few plates of armour materialised, the object connected with Twillight's horn, sliding onto it and tightening, fixing itself into place.

The armour quickly faded, she began to shrink and her eyes slowly returned to normal; the dark magic sucked back into her horn. She cried out in pain throughout the process, turning to the new arrival and snarling at her, desperately trying to regain her lost powers.

Luna spoke up, "It's no use, that foul magic won't work as long as that ring remains in place." Lost in her own fury, Twilight immediately began trying to smash it with her own hooves, to no avail.

After several seconds she turned and levelled her gaze at Celestia once again, "DID SHE KNOW, CELESTIA!? DID YOU TELL YOUR OWN SISTER WHAT IT WOULD DO!?" Luna looked on confusedly, she was sure that the chaos magic was the source of the danger and that removing it would resolve the problem. Twilight's appearance was more or less back to normal, but she wore the same hateful expression as she had done before, and killing intent seeped from her in waves.

Luna took a hesitant step towards the mare, fearing that the magical cuff may have hurt her or even malfunctioned somehow, "Are you alright, Twilight?" Twilight didn't move an inch, instead simply focusing her stare even more intensely on her mentor. Luna called out again, worried now as she considered the magical backlash Twilight had just endured, "Whatever happened Twilight, we'll figure something out. You just need to relax and tell us what happened... Twilight?" No response. The unicorn continued to bore her gaze into Celestia, still awaiting the response to her question, oblivious to all else.

When Celestia failed to reply - instead turning towards her accuser to avoid glancing at her sister - Twilight stomped a hoof angrily, channelling more energy into her horn, a familiar purple glow surrounding it. Coming to the realisation that her normal magic still worked, she stepped towards Celestia again, slowly charging her horn with excess energy, "It doesn't matter anyway! You killed my brother, I'm going to MAKE YOU PAY!"

A purple bolt of pure energy rocketed towards Celestia, who deflected it with a hastily constructed shield of light. Twilight screamed in frustration and released a pulse of energy, sending multiple slicing blades of raw magic whizzing into several of the pillars surrounding her and sailing towards the guards before Celestia could even cry out to them.

"Defend yourselves!"

The guards dodged around the room as the razor-sharp arcs shot across the chamber in all directions. Most jumped for cover behind the pillars, the few that were in direct peril aided by the unicorns amongst their ranks, immediately erecting shields around those in danger. As the last of the magical discharge ceased, the more seasoned guards darted to put themselves between the Princesses and their assailant, only to be halted by Celestia's commanding tone, "Stand back! Do not harm her!" she barked, her expression ensured none of them dared to protest, even if she was preventing them from doing their job.

Twilight sprang into action as Celestia turned to her guards momentarily, a small smile etching itself into her features as her horn lit up once again. The door that had been blasted across the room - now laying on the floor just in front of her - erupted into a mass of wooden stakes and splinters as Twilight's magic ripped it apart; emitting a terrible chorus of groaning and snapping, causing Celestia to wheel back around in surprise. Without a moment's hesitation she sent the make-shift missiles barrelling towards Celestia, her smile growing further as the Solar Princess's eyes widened at the veritable hail of spikes roaring towards her. The irony wasn't lost on Twilight, even in her rage state, her grin now widening to grotesque proportions, 'She'll die to a spike, for what she did to Spike.'

Celestia whirred around to face what was effectively a wall of wooden stakes rushing towards her, now barely a few meters away. Her eyes widened in shock and her horn shone almost subconsciously in response. In a fraction of a second, a towering, cone-shaped inferno flashed into existence, enveloping and disintegrating every last splinter it touched in the blink of an eye. The heat was beyond belief. Whilst Celestia seemed unaffected, the guards had once again taken cover to prevent themselves from being literally cooked in their own armour, and Twilight recoiled greatly from the intense light and heat produced as it momentarily blinded her. Even Luna, who was farthest from the spell, held her hoof up in front of her muzzle to protect her eyes from the heat.

As Twilight looked back up her smile vanished immediately as she came to two conclusions; her attack had failed, and the spell was still roaring towards her. She desperately tried to remove herself from its path, to no avail. As the flames closed in, Twilight could do nothing but scrunch her eyes shut at the intense heat, promptly causing her to stumble and fall. It was burning her now, not physically, but a sharp prickling pain could be felt along her side that faced the flames. As she lay there, preparing to be consumed by the flames, Twilight's racing thoughts ceased, true clarity making itself known to her, 'I've failed you, Spike... I'm so sorry...'

The conflagration continued to speed down the middle of the chamber directly towards the fallen unicorn.

Celestia's lightning-fast reflexes had once again saved her life. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as she realised that no more attacks were being launched. 'Wait... Oh no!' Celestia panicked. In her haste to defend herself she had conjured the first spell that came to mind, not taking into account the fact that both her student and her sister where the ones in its path. She immediately raced forwards, her horn glowed pure white and her wings flared.

The blaze disappeared instantaneously, wisps of smoke and dark smudges on the floor beneath the only indication that there had ever been a fire. Celestia halted and cried out as she saw the still form of her Faithful Student through the clearing smoke, "TWILIGHT!?" Tears welled in her eyes as she slowly came to realise what she had done, "No..." Seconds ticked by in silence as all spectators looked on in shock.

Whilst Celestia simply stood, mouth agape, her brain refusing to accept what her eyes were registering, Luna began to notice several out-of-place details. Namely, the scorch marks left by the blaze stopped a few meters from where Twilight now lay, and although she couldn't see properly from this side, she was sure that the unicorn didn't have any severe burns. Despite her shock at the situation, the gears in her mind were turning quickly, 'What am I thinking? That spell would've vaporised her, never mind burned her. There's no way it connected!' As if in response, a small yet audible groan emanated from the unicorn in question, who twitched slightly before slowly drawing herself together, attempting to stand.

Luna smiled slightly and nodded her head, whilst Celestia actually laughed despite herself, shaking her tears away and dashing towards the unicorn, "Twilight! You're alive! Thank heavens!" Twilight shakily raised herself to her hooves, blinking the bleariness from her eyes as she turned to the owner of the voice. But when she realised that it belonged to Celestia she immediately began channelling what little magic she could muster into her horn, only to collapse from exhaustion; having not recovered the energy that the intense heat had sapped from her.

As Celestia drew closer Twilight desperately tried to retreat, scrambling backwards frantically but with little success, simply slipping on the marble floor. She stopped as a shadow descended upon her. Celestia was staring at her with a look of pure concern, "Are you alright, Twilight? Please, say something!" Twilight scowled at her mentor and once again tried to send a surge of energy into her horn, despite having none left to use, resulting in a few harmless sparks falling from the end and eliciting a shriek of pain from the unicorn.

Celestia's expression became one of anguish, "Twilight stop! You're hurting yourself! Twilight, please!" In response Twilight bit down on her lip and focused again on her horn, sickened and enraged by the caring words spoken by the Princess she had adored and idolised for so long. A steady stream of sparks now jutted from her horn, causing her to release a muffled whimper, her horn felt as if it were on fire, and her vision was blurring.

Celestia stomped her hoof against the ground with a crash, anger flashing briefly across her features, "That's enough!" the Princess's horn glowed white, a similar glow encasing Twilight's momentarily. The sparks ceased immediately as Twilight found herself incapable of using any magic whatsoever. "That's enough..." Celestia repeated softly, laying down in front of her pupil, "Tell me what happened, Twilight. Tell me how you really feel. Tell me why you want to..." she paused and gulped, trying to subdue the lump that had appeared in her throat, "... kill me."

A tear of frustration slid across Twilight's face as she glared at her teacher, who once again looked back at her with worry and concern. As the Princess extended a comforting hoof Twilight shrieked and jumped back before falling awkwardly barely a meter behind. She stood again almost immediately and trotted backwards quickly until she was well out of the Princess's reach.

Celestia stood, only to be halted by a distraught yell from her student, "S-Stay back! Don't c-come any c-closer!" There was genuine fear in her voice, and it wounded Celestia greatly to hear it, knowing that she - for whatever reason - was the cause.

Nonetheless, she complied and stopped her advance before speaking, "Twilight, my Faithful Student. You're hurting, I can see it clearly; I just want to help you. Please, tell me..."

Twilight snarled at the Princess once again. Even without her magic, and indeed, enough energy to even retreat properly, her fury was re-ignited by the Princess's comforting words. How could she claim to care after all she had done to hurt her? Or was this just another poisonous lie? More frustrated tears fell as she shrieked in response, "YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHY, I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU! YOU NOT ONLY RISKED SPIKE'S LIFE, YOU CONDEMNED HIM TO CERTAIN DEATH, REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME!" Her voice cracked as she continued, her anger partially giving way to despair, "And you never told me. You hid it from me as if it didn't matter! Do you even care about what you did? Do you even care how I feel!?"

Luna watched in disbelief, 'W-What? There's no way Celestia could've done that!' Celestia simply looked on, close to tears as her student broke down completely, her fresh sobs the only sound daring to permeate the absolute silence.

When Twilight spoke again her words weren't full of malice, or hate, or resentment as the rest had been, "How, Princess? How can you live with yourself?"

No, this was far worse than any of those terrible emotions. It was a genuine question, and Celestia felt her heart break upon the realisation that Twilight had meant what she said, she really did think of her as a monster. The Princess couldn't suppress her own tears any longer, lowering her head, gritting her teeth, and weeping quietly along with her student.

When she eventually looked up again she was met with Twilight's pained, yet unmistakably expectant expression. She was awaiting the answer.

Unable to form a response to the horrible question, Celestia instead answered the ones Twilight had asked beforehand, "T-Twilight... I'm so, so sorry. Spike never deserved such an awful fate, and I shouldn't have kept the truth from you. Believe me when I tell you that if there had been any other alternative I would have chosen it immediately."

She shook her head, "Nevertheless, I've truly wronged you both, and I promise you I will do whatever I can to put things right between us, no matter how long, or how much work it takes. As for your feelings, Twilight, I care more than you could ever imagine. It's hurting me that we're even having this conversation. I only hid the truth from you because I thought it would only cause you more pain! You've been through so much over these past few weeks, so much has changed so suddenly for you, and I understand how you feel." Celestia's eyes glazed over slightly as she recalled the untimely deaths of her closest friends during the Chaos Wars, "I just don't want you to suffer any more than you already are, Twilight! You mean so much to me..."

Twilight found her stare weakening despite herself. It had been her sole intention to gain an answer to her last question, if for no other reason than to hear Celestia hurt herself further. But now she found her resolve crumbling. The words the Princess had spoken seemed so sincere, so genuine. 'Even after everything she did... I can't help it... What if she's telling the truth? Is she really to blame?'

Celestia noticed the slight change in Twilight's expression and attempted a small smile as she continued, "I've watched with pride all these years as you've grown. It only seems like yesterday when you were that little filly, conjuring magic far beyond the normal limits of even the most gifted young unicorns. Yet you stand before me today, renowned for dozens of even greater feats! You acquired the sixth element after learning the magic of friendship. You released my sister from her terrible Nightmare."

Off behind Twilight, Luna shifted uncomfortably at the memory.

Meanwhile Twilight was slowly stemming her flow of tears, wondering what her mentor of many years was getting at, "You discovered Queen Chrysalis and saved Canterlot. You put your own needs aside to save the Crystal Empire and defeat King Sombra. You triumphed over Discord and his corrupting influence, twice, in fact. You even succeeded in overpowering the greatest threat to Equestria in history. Alone. You've truly grown into a mare worthy of becoming a princess. You've proven yourself time and time again, and I don't want us to fight like this any more."

She smiled again at Twilight, even though her tears still flowed freely, and answered Twilight's final question as the answer finally clicked, "I can live with what I've done because I know that there are ponies in the world that are so much better than I, and it is my duty to find them to better Equestria, despite how heavy my conscience may be. Because there are ponies that are truly capable of greatness. Ponies who seek to spread love, peace, and unity. Ponies who bring hope and light into our lives, even in our darkest hour." Celestia glanced past Twilight and momentarily locked eyes with her sister, who smiled back and nodded. She turned back to Twilight, "Ponies like you, Twilight."

Twilight was torn. Everything that Celestia had said was the truth, she knew it, and it filled her heart with joy to receive such sincere praise. Her anger was all but gone now, replaced by a strange combination of regret - stemming from her actions towards the Princess - and contentment that the alicorn in question was sorry for what she had done. They had both suffered enough already, there was no need to drag things out any further. They were both sorry and ready to move on, that was all that mattered.

And yet, Twilight couldn't shake away a third emotion, nagging away at her incessantly. As she focused on it - looking the Princess of the Sun in the eyes as she did so - she realised it was almost a feeling of apprehension. Out of nowhere a not-too-distant memory echoed in her mind, 'Sometimes a lie is easier to take.' Twilight had to fight to stop herself from visibly flinching, 'No! No way! I could tell she was telling the truth! Why would she lie to me now!?' But she couldn't shake the feeling, and it was building rapidly.

She had to be sure, "P-Princess?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes, Twilight?"

"I-I know this might sound a bit strange... and off-topic. It's about when I defeated Discord again..."

Celestia remained silent for several seconds until her brain caught up with the sudden turn of the conversation, "Oh?"

"Y-Yeah, it's just..." she came up with an excuse, "I had th-this dream last night, and it felt strange, almost real..."

"Side effects of the spell, perhaps?" Celestia enquired, still unable to ascertain exactly why the conversation had shifted so dramatically, "What does this have to do with Discord anyway?"

"Well I was j-just wondering... I know it's not really something I should ask, b-but I'm really worried about the dream. What actually happened when you and the Griffon Lord were interrupted by him?"

Celestia looked inquisitively at her for a moment, then sighed, wiping away a few stray tears as she spoke, though her voice still held the calming and reassuring tone from before, "Discord tried to attack him, disguised as one of my guards, trying to make the Lord believe it was an 'assassination attempt', I had to subdue Discord's magic with my own and teleported him to where you saw him when you arrived."

Twilight's eyes widened a fraction as she came to conclusion, 'One of them is lying. Discord or Celestia...' Now all she had to do was ask one of them, and gauge their reactions. She momentarily considered returning to Discord before changing her mind. Regardless of Celestia hiding the truth from her, Discord was still a much better liar, so getting the truth out of him may have proven difficult, promises or no, "A-Are you sure, Princess? B-Because I'm pretty sure that D-Discord was in a lot of pain and couldn't move, and that you had to wipe the Lord's memory?" Twilight prepared to study her reaction.

"You must be mistaken, Twilight, that certainly didn't happen... Are you sure it wasn't just an average dream?" Whilst Celestia's tone of voice remained serenely calm and soothing, she averted her gaze for a moment and just barely shifted in apparent discomfort as her expression briefly flashed to one of surprise.

Twilight felt her world come crashing down around her ears for what seemed like the thousandth time. The Princess had blatantly lied to her in the same tone as she had used to praise and apologise to her only moments ago.

She withdrew immediately, having regained some of her energy over the course of the conversation, and took several dozen rapid hoofsteps away from her mentor, until she was closer to Luna than Celestia. 'Discord told the truth all along...' she found herself thinking subconsciously as she buried her head in her hooves.

Celestia cautiously stepped towards her, "Twilight? Twilight what's-"

As the unicorn raised her head in response, their eyes met once more, and Celestia stopped dead in her tracks. Whilst Twilight's expression was one of absolute outrage, her eyes seemed to be staring into her soul, rather than at her. They were empty.

"HOW COULD YOU!?" Twilight's voice shook with rage and despair, "YOU LIED! EVERYTHING YOU JUST TOLD ME WAS A LIE, WASN'T IT!?" Celestia was given no time to respond, "IF YOU CAN LIE TO MY FACE SO EASILY, HOW CAN I TELL ANYTHING YOU'VE EVER TOLD ME WASN'T JUST ANOTHER LIE!?"

Memories of all the praise Twilight had ever received from the Princess flashed by for the both of them. They were the most precious memories that the two shared, spanning from the day they had first met to the present, 'Did I ever lie when praising her?'

'Was every approval just a lie?' More flashes.

'No. Never. Not even once. She earned all of it.'

'Yes, of course they were...' Twilight shook with rage now, and for a moment a faint red glow appeared deep within her empty eyes before being sucked into the ring once again. She scanned her mentor once more, then spoke, "This is it, isn't it?"

Celestia was almost speechless at the implications of those words, "W-What do you mean?"

Twilight suppressed her rising anger as best she could and spoke clearly, turning away from the Princess as she did so, only to be met with Luna's equally shocked expression as she began to trot away, "I'm leaving. Don't you ever even DARE to come looking for me." Her words carried such an edge of malice that everypony in the chamber - bar none - felt some measure of intimidation, "I'm done with your lies, and your sick games, Celestia."

Celestia couldn't stop herself, she had to say something, anything. Her most beloved student was leaving her behind, regarding her as a monster and thoroughly despising her, all because she couldn't tell her the truth. She blurted out the first thing she could think of, desperate to keep her there until she found the right words to put things right, "I wanted to tell you the truth so badly, Twilight! But I didn't want to hurt you! And everything I said, I wasn't lying! Plea-"

Twilight wheeled around just before she passed Luna, once again shaking with uncontrollable rage, "YOU'RE EVEN DOING IT NOW! YOU FILTHY, DISGUSTING, LYING BITCH!" She had tried to leave before she lost herself completely, but she was beyond that point now. With a roar that echoed throughout the entire castle, despite no magic being used whatsoever, Twilight charged at the Princess she had once so dearly adored, "DROP DEAD!"

Tears streaked across Celestia's face as she stood still, watching her Faithful Student hurtle towards her with pure murder in her eyes. She wouldn't move, and she couldn't even if she wanted to. She was vaguely aware of various shouts throughout the room, but they didn't matter. All that mattered now was Twilight. As she drew closer, Celestia cast her mind back over the years, the hateful expression Twilight wore now replaced by the one that she had grown to know and love. That caring, gentle smile that she wore when reassuring her friends, and when she laughed, and when telling her mentor of her most recent accomplishment, 'I'm so sorry, Twilight. I'm ready to pay for what I've done...'

Luna was snapped from her daze immediately as the shout rang through the chamber. Twilight was charging at her sister full-speed, her head tilted forwards slightly, her horn aimed directly for Celestia's face. Realising what was about to happen, she boomed a single command to the horrified guards around the chamber, her apprehension causing her to call upon her old way of speaking without realising it, "SEIZE HER!" All guards in the chamber immediately shot towards the unicorn, but it was futile. Even the closest wouldn't make it in time. All the while Celestia simply stood with her despairing gaze focused on Twilight, now only a few meters away. Luna teleported immediately, placing herself beside her sister.

Twilight grinned with savage satisfaction as she saw Luna materialise beside her sister, 'Too late!' Her horn was now mere inches from her target, Celestia's eye.

An ear-splitting shriek pierced the air as the attack connected.

Only after several long moments did Luna dare breathe again. The scream had been her own, convinced she wouldn't stop Twilight before she killed her sister. The unicorn lay at their hooves, thrashing and writhing against Luna's indestructible magical chains that now pinned her down. Luna turned to Celestia, only to find that she had joined her student on the floor. She was about to speak, but Celestia cut her off prematurely, "Twilight. I'm truly, genuinely sorry for everything." she choked out, "Can you ever forgive me?"

In response, Twilight stopped struggling and, looking her mentor in the eye as she did so, quite literally spat in her face. Celestia simply stared at her student and wept openly whilst Twilight regarded her with absolute contempt.

Luna barely resisted the urge to kick some sense into the mare beneath her before turning to the two she recognised as Celestia's most trusted guards, "Take her home. Make sure she stays there. She is not to leave until I say so. And make sure her parents are informed of exactly what has happened." They complied, and as the chains faded, only to be replaced with the vice grip of the elite guards, Luna's horn lit up momentarily, followed by Twilight's, "Your magic is beyond you until I see fit. Think about what you've done today, Twilight." She looked back to the guards, who were preparing to drag her off, her expression softening slightly, "Be gentle with her. Regardless of what she's done, she means a lot to the both of us, even if she doesn't realise it."

They nodded and began to tug at Twilight, who still had her eyes fixed on Celestia. Realising she wasn't going to move, the two peeled her away, causing her to start thrashing around once again, though she still screamed at Celestia, "YOU LIED TO ME! YOU LIED TO US! TO FLUTTERSHY! EVEN YOUR OWN SISTER! YOU HAD HER KILL MY BROTHER! I KNOW WHAT YOU DID CELESTIA! I HOPE YOU ROT IN A FESTERING POOL OF YOUR OWN BLOOD FOR THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE LIFE! I SWEAR, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES, I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SUFFER THE WAY YOU'VE MADE ME SUFFER! I'LL KILL YOU SLOWLY YOU FUCKING VILE LITTLE CONNIVING BITCH! I'LL-"

The string of threats and mindless insults continued even after she had been dragged from the chamber, and indeed, long after she had been removed from hearing range, the guards eventually placing a silencing spell on her to prevent her from disturbing the peace as they left the castle.

Luna turned to the remaining guards, "Leave us." They obeyed, leaving the two regal sisters alone. Luna dropped down beside her sister and placed a comforting wing over her. Celestia turned and cried onto her shoulder in response, her heavy, choked breaths between sobs the only sound in the room. Luna knew they would have to talk about what had just occurred - sooner rather than later, if some of what Twilight had just spoken was indeed true, but now was not the time. Right now her big sister needed her to be there for her. Celestia had just lost the Twilight Sparkle she had known and loved for so many years. Whether things could ever be resolved, she had no idea. Only that things would never truly be the same between the two of them again. Tears fell from her own eyes now, and the two simply cried into each other's manes, though neither said a word; both were lost in their own troubled thoughts.

They stayed like that for several hours, - their privacy defended by the guards, despite no such order ever being officially issued - before realising that it was their time to move the heavens as they always had.

The sun set on the horizon, disappearing steadily from view. In that short moment when both the sun and moon were absent from the sky, Celestia cast her eyes across the beautiful cosmos above, then the tranquil land below. This was always her favourite part of the day by far, but now it only brought suffering and pain as she quietly whispered the name of the dazzling phenomenon that had brought so much joy into her life up until this point.

"Twilight..."

More tears...