The now-living Queen Twilight Sparkle had been obsessing over Shariel since she discovered the Valkyr of Death had very likely manipulated events to damn the Queen to her undeath, as well as helping create her daughter, In Hoc Signo Vinces. When the Valkyr sisters had returned from Pandemaneium, the Queen's daughter, Winny, had seemed to have undergone a radical shift in her personality, proudly standing before strangers without any armor or coverings to mask her appearance.

Winny had merely been exuberant about discovering her destiny, but to the Queen it was the last straw. Seeing her bashful daughter parading herself before the masses confirmed to the Queen that her instincts were right - something was very wrong, and it had to be stopped! If Shariel was willing to do what she did to the Queen, she had to be stopped before she did something horrid to Winny as well, the Queen decided.

As the rest of the ponies prepared for the coming journey to Pandemaneium, the Queen sought out the one pony that would have the power to sway the public opinion against Shariel and stop whatever it was she had planned - Princess Celestia.

Celestia stood in front of a full length mirror as she used her magic to strap on a suit of ornate golden armor. It had been many, many years since last she had worn her battle armor, and the magically enchanted metal altered it's form to accommodate the couple extra pounds Celestia had put on since. She saw a burst of purple magic materialize behind her in the reflection and she narrowed her eyes. "Twilight Sparkle, you know better!"

The elder Twilight Sparkle, the former Unliving Queen, crossed her forelegs in front of her and leaned against Celestia's bed. "I can't let you go through with this, Princess. There is something very, very wrong, I know it."

Celestia sighed and walked over to a cushion on the floor. She set her golden helm on the ground and conjured up a rag to polish it. "What do you think is wrong? They brought back Winny, safe and sound. Winny told us how she brought back the Valkyr sisters from the dead, just as Shariel promised us she could do. Isn't that just marvelous?"

The Queen furiously shook her head. "No! Did you see my daughter? When last I saw her she was still hanging her head, ashamed of what she was! She leaves with Shariel, who created Winny to fulfill her own agenda, mind you, and she's smiling and laughing like Rarity at the Canterlot Garden Party?!"

Celestia started to snicker and caught herself. She had remembered something Twilight had done at the last Canterlot Garden Party - 'dancing' and disturbing everypony that caught sight of her. "Can't you just be happy for her? I honestly can not see what ulterior motives Shariel would have, she has her sisters back already. She just wants to make ponies happy. What's your problem now, Twilight?"

The Queen began to pace the room, her tail twitching. "Everything! I don't understand why you and everypony else doesn't see what I see! Shariel is evil! She tells you to go and kill living beings, what they slander as 'demons,' and you all just go along with it?!"

Celestia used her magic to grab onto the Queen's tail and stop her pacing. She had dealt with enough 'Twilight Tantrums' over the years to know she had to be a little direct with her or she'd be at it for hours. "Twilight, how old are you now? In your fifties?"

The Queen nodded.

"I am over a thousand years old, Twilight. Do you have any idea how many friends I've lost? How many ponies I've loved, only to see them wither away? How there are days when I think of the evil ponies in Tartarus and how unjust it is that they still breathe while so many good ponies have perished, and I can barely contain my sorrow? Even though I do believe paradise awaits us in the afterlife, those thoughts merely lessen the sorrow, not remove it."

The Queen's ears lowered in shame. "I... I never thought of that. I'm sorry, but that still doesn't mean-"

Celestia yanked on the Queen's tail and sent her sprawling to the ground, then stood, towering before the Queen in all her alicorn glory. "This may be our one and only chance to reclaim our lost loved ones, Twilight. I am not going to let you meddle when the happiness of millions lies at stake. If you don't want to help, so be it, but I will not let you lecture me on morals. I know what you did to my school. Baphomeena made me watch. Maybe it was all the demon sisters' fault that you were even in that situation, but it was by your hooves that those innocent students and teachers were murdered."

The Queen stood and stared defiantly at Celestia. "I know you don't really believe that... Shariel is likely responsible for that as well!"

Celestia picked up her helm and pulled it on. "Enough. I have a battle to prepare my citizens for. I know you feel betrayed, Twilight, but I will not let your rage spoil this opportunity for us all. Until this is over, I am placing you under guard."

Celestia cast a conjuring spell and an ebon ring appeared, which she slipped onto the Queen's horn. "This will dampen your magic. I'm sorry, Twilight, but it's for your own good."

The Queen said nothing, merely simmered with fury as Celestia led her through the castle towards the throne room. She suppressed the urge to smirk as Celestia pulled Star Swirl aside and explained the situation. At least the Queen would have a familiar, and friendly, face as her gendarme. The old wizard watched Celestia leave then gave a sympathetic smile to the Queen.

The Queen ignored Star Swirl and moved to a window and watched the action unfold in the courtyard. Unicorns had spent the last hours conjuring up magical arms and armor and the dawn's sun glinted off the sea of metal covering everypony in sight. Thousands of ponies were lining up in ranks as they waited to be transported to Pandemanium; the same scene could be beheld in cities all across the world.

The Queen's heart fluttered as she heard familiar voices approaching. She tried to cast her teleportation spell, failed, and glared up at the ebon ring. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were walking through the adjoining hallway towards the courtyard. Each pony was clad in ornate suits of gold and silver armor. As the Queen galloped up to her friends and Twilight, Applejack waved her hoof dismissively. "Princess Celestia already told us you're up to no good, Queenie."

"I know you come from a big family, which means lots of dearly departed relatives, Applejack, but surely you have your doubts about all this," the Queen said. The Queen began to list off her reasons why she thought Shariel and her plan were evil.

Pinkie Pie laughed in response. "See, girls? The Princess was right, she is going cuckoo!"

Twilight put her hoof over Pinkie's mouth to stifle her laughter, then addressed the Queen. "I may not know you, but I do know me. I know if I was going to do something like this, like we did to Cadence when we thought she was evil, then it is something I truly believe in. I'm sorry that none of us feel the same way as you, but none of us have lived through what you did."

Star Swirl put his leg around the Queen's shoulders. "She's right, you know. You may be years older than her, but your younger self does speak wisdom. For the most part it would seem that you alone have been 'victim' of Shariel's plan. To everypony else, this is merely a miraculous opportunity, which is why none of us feel as you do."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Exactly! I mean, Twilight, we know you're upset, but come on! You know how much this is gonna mean to Applejack, me, and, well, everypony in the world!"

"Upset? I didn't get to attend the wedding of my BBBFF and one of my oldest friends. I didn't get to raise my own daughter. I was turned into an unholy monster, and hurt ponies I love. All of which may have only happened to further Shariel's personal agenda. I am more than upset, I am livid," the Queen angrily said.

Rarity began to retort when the sound of trumpets cut her off. "That's our cue! We need to go, sorry!"

"Please don't go! Shariel is evil!" the Queen cried. She watched as her friends left, her gaze lingering on their retreating forms. Rainbow looked back at her and waved her wing, but she departed as well.

The Queen sat down heavily and looked at Star Swirl. "I really thought they would listen to me. Star Swirl, you can see the future, right? I know something does not feel right, and I'm scared. Am I... am I just being crazy here?"

Star Swirl let out a deep breath and sat next to the Queen. "I am scared too, Twilight. It is likely due to the death of Nostrildamus, but when I try to see the future, I see nothing."

"Doesn't that prove my point?"

"It could," Star Swirl said. He used his magic to pull off his hat, then ran his hooves through his mane. "Whatever is to happen here is something extraordinary. Something that has been destined. I can feel it in my bones. I wish I could comfort you, Twilight. Tell you to trust your feelings and help you on some grand adventure as I did before, but I can not."

A bright light began to shine from the courtyard, drawing Star Swirl and the Queen to the windows. They watched as the ponies trotted into a glowing portal. Star Swirl watched them go and stroked at his beard. "It would appear there is no stopping this now, Twilight. I sure do hope there is nothing to worry about."

The two sat in silence as they watched the last of the ponies enter the portal, which blinked shut behind them. Nearly alone in Canterlot, they could hear hoofbeats echoing through the almost vacant city as Daring Do and the ponies of Tristram arrived. The Queen raised her eyebrow. "Someponies got here too late?"

The hoofbeats began to sound closer as Daring and her compatriots made their way into Canterlot Castle. The Queen's eyes lit up as she saw Daring, the star and author of the popular book series Twilight and Rainbow Dash were fans of.  An entourage of cows, sheep, and ponies followed in the adventurer's wake and poured into the throne room.

The cow king breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, some ponies! We were getting even more worried upon finding the capitol of Equestria was a ghost town!"

Daring furrowed her brow as she glanced between the Queen and Star Swirl. "Where the hay is Princess Celestia or Princess Luna? Or everypony for that matter?"

"They left with the Valkyr to go to Pandemanium," Star Swirl replied, matter-of-factly.

Since they had been traveling, Daring and the Tristram citizens had not seen the Valkyr's speeches and thus had no idea what Star Swirl meant.

"The who-kyr? Look, never mind. The world is in jeopardy here," Daring said. "Something big - and bad - is going down soon, and I can only hope we have the power to stop it or it'll be the end of the world as we know it."

The Queen grabbed Star Swirl hugged him. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I KNEW IT! Something is wrong, and Daring Do is the harbinger, so we know it's true! Hah!"

Star Swirl pushed the over-enthusiastic Queen back. "My morbidly joyful friend here is Twilight Sparkle, I am Star Swirl the Bearded. What is happening and how can we be of assistance?"

Daring swept off her helmet and pulled out the heaven stone, then tossed it to the Queen. Star Swirl and the Queen both stared wide-eyed as the series of images flashed across it. "This thing fell from the sky on the city of Tristram. It appears to show the life of a pegasus, and as you can see, it abruptly stops and there is just nothing."

Wrinkles of concern drew across Star Swirl's face. "Yes... I have been known to dabble in foreseeing the future. My divinations of late likewise show the same nothingness after a certain point."

Daring presented the Eye of Horsiris and gave a quick explanation of what it was and how she came upon it, then held it out for Star Swirl to gaze into. As he did, the blood drained from his face as he began to translate the ancient languages. "At the end of all things, the first sign shall appear in the heavens..."

Star Swirl glanced towards the heaven stone and Daring gave him a wink. "Yep, I'm pretty sure that right there is our 'first sign.' Just so happened to fall upon the city where the last piece of the Eye was."

"Do you have the full translation?" Star Swirl asked. "I can only understand a hoofful of these languages."

Daring shook her head. "No, but from what I was able to translate before making a beeline to Canterlot, I knew it wasn't good."

Star Swirl stepped back and held out his front hooves. "Verily. We need to get to my library. We'll be able to decipher the rest of it with the tomes I have there. Everypony hold hooves, please!"

As Star Swirl prepared to teleport them all to his tower's library, the Queen felt an immense sense of satisfaction, which quickly faded to grief as she realized that she had held the opportunity to stop this in her very hoof, if only somepony had believed her. You'd better hope the world ends before I get my hooves on you, Shariel!