Chapter 72- The Setting of the Sun
Me: I don't really know what to say about this chapter, so should we just jump into it?
Rarity: Yes, we should.
Me: Alright. I don't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
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Rarity walked the long and lonely road that led straight into Canterlot, the luxurious city growing larger and larger as she approached. As she approached she became alarmed to the sight of guards standing at the entrance to the city. She stopped and hid herself behind a tree so as to avoid detection. She swore under her breath. She had to find a way to get past the guards undetected. She peered out from behind the tree and caught a glimpse of Canterlot Castle in the distance. Then it hit her. She activated the Mangekyou Rinnegan and moved from behind the tree, staring at Canterlot Castle with unhindered focus. She used Tid's teleportation powers to teleport her to Canterlot Castle. However, this plan had one flaw: She was teleported to wherever it was that lay at her focus point, which happened to be three stories in the air. She began to fall toward the ground and had to use her repulsion powers to slow her fall. As she set her hooves on the ground a small cloud of dirt jumped into the air and quickly dissipated around her. She heaved a sigh of relief, looking about her to see if anyone had seen her. Luckily, she was alone. She began walking toward the entrance of the castle when she heard someone's voice behind her. "Hold it!"
It seems I had spoken too soon. She thought cursing herself.
She glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened when she saw an entire team of guards coming for her. She turned to face them with a smile. She had prepared for this. She jumped high into the air and summoned Ryujin below her, the guards stopping in their tracks at the sight of the dragon lord. Ryujin's eyes were different: Instead of their usual color, they reflected Tid's Mangekyou Rinnegan, as he was completely under her control. She willed him to attack the guards. He raised his right hand and made a sweeping motion that knocked aside the entire platoon. Rarity laughed and forced Ryujin to turn his attention to the castle. The time for stealth had gone; she would have to fight her way to Princess Celestia. Ryujin opened his mouth and charged up his attack, a swirling sphere of scarlet Chakra that emitted beams of light forming. Then he fired.
Twilight was asleep when the house was shaken. It woke her up abruptly and she sat bolt upright in bed.
Is Rarity attacking? She thought in panic.
She jumped out of bed and ran past the still-sleeping Spike and down the stairs, heading immediately outside. She looked around but found no sign of Rarity. She breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to head back inside but when she did her heart sank. She was looking directly toward Canterlot, seeing a giant cloud of smoke and fire rise into the air.
"No, that's not possible..." She said aloud, her face breaking into a cold sweat.
She ran into the house and woke Spike, lifting him onto her back. Then she ran out of the house and toward Canterlot.
"Twilight? What's going on?" He asked drowsily rubbing his eyes.
She couldn't speak; her emotions wouldn't let her. She galloped as fast as she possibly could, hoping she would making it in time.
"Twilight, seriously, what's going on?" By this point Spike had noticed the plume of smoke and fire that was rising out of Canterlot.
"W-what happened?" He asked.
"Rarity," She replied and continued to gallop as fast as she could.
"R-Rarity did that?" He asked. She nodded.
Hold on Celestia, I'm coming. She thought.
When the blast collided with the wall of the castle it exploded, blasting the wall to smithereens. She laughed but stopped when Ryujin was struck with several spears, bouncing harmlessly off of his thick skin. Ryujin turned his attention to them.
"Go ahead and take care of them. Cause as much destruction as you possibly can." She said to him and jumped off, landing on the interior of the now destroyed castle wall.
She watched for a few seconds as Ryujin began to obey her orders, charging up yet another blast, this time a plasma-blue in color. She walked calmly through the large lobby of the castle as the resulting explosion roared and sent a gale of wind around her. She made her way toward the throne room, opening the large door that led to the hallway that in turn led to the room where Princess Celestia was sure to be. Countless guards ran past her, not stopping for the immediate threat that clearly deserved more attention than the other. She chuckled at their ignorance.
She opened the large double-doors that gave way to the throne room, Princess Celestia standing ready before her throne.
"It's been a while, hasn't it Princess?" Rarity asked.
"Why have you come here?" Celestia asked in response, a scowl on her face.
Rarity feigned shock.
"You haven't heard? I heard there was a beauty contest in Canterlot and I simply had to attend." Rarity mocked.
"Don't play games with me Rarity." Celestia said.
"Oh come now, have a sense of humor. Anyway, I'm surprised your boyfriend hasn't already told you. After all, he's the one that's been following me around for the past few days, isn't he?" Rarity asked.
Celestia's eyes widened with shock and Rarity knew she had been right.
"Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy to detect him, and he did a very good job in tailing me. I'm surprised he hasn't told you anything of my plans." She said.
"No, he did tell me you're after the Crystal Heart." Celestia said looking in a different direction.
Rarity tilted her head.
"But not that I was here to kill you?" She asked in amusement.
Princess Celestia remained silent.
"No matter, you seemed to have figured it out right away anyway. Besides, I'm a very busy mare, as you may know; so let's not waste any time in starting this fight." Rarity said.
Princess Celestia looked back at Rarity, getting into a fighting stance and taking on a serious expression. Her eyes stared at Rarity with a fierce glare.
"I won't let you harm this nation, or any other for that matter." She said. Rarity chuckled.
"Remember, you can't do anything to stop me if you're dead." She said. With that, the battle initiated.
Princess Celestia made the first move. Had Rarity not already had the Mangekyou Rinnegan activated, she would've been blown backward from a devastating punch that came faster than the blink of an eye. Rarity dodged to the right and released a length of Tid's chains behind her, surrounding the Princess with them. Princess Celestia noticed just in time and teleported away a split-second before Rarity could snap the chains around her body. Rarity swore as she looked back to see that she had missed. Then she noticed her body become enveloped in a shadow and looked up just in time to receive a devastating kick from Princess Celestia that drove her face-first into the floor. The floor cracked and shattered from the force of the impact, Rarity's head becoming submerged in the earth. She winced as she pulled herself out of the floor, her head feeling as if it were on fire. She felt a warm liquid drip down her head from the open wound and knew her face was covered in blood. She looked around and found Princess Celestia standing near the throne again. It seemed she was going to be more difficult to deal with than Rarity had anticipated.
Rarity opened the first three Gates. She would have to do everything she could to beat Princess Celestia. She launched herself at Princess Celestia and brought her arm back; thrusting it forward to punch Princess Celestia in the face, but the space where she had been a moment ago was now vacant. Rarity used the Almighty Push around her and sent Celestia flying across the throne room to land on the floor.
"I'm impressed to see you can still evade my movements in the Third Gate." Rarity said turning around to face her. Celestia sat up and scowled at Rarity. Rarity opened the Fifth Gate.
"Let's see just how fast you really are." She said.
Celestia stood up and launched herself at Rarity but was intercepted by Rarity spearing (the wrestling move) her to the floor. Rarity stood and launched herself into the air, turning and pushing off of the ceiling before coming down on the empty floor with enough force to shatter it. Rarity stood there in the rubble that she had created and looked around for the Princess. She glanced to her right and felt a powerful punch to the side of her face that sent her flying into the opposite wall. She was lodged a little ways into the wall that had so easily cracked and given way to her body. She winced, the pain forcing her left eye closed. Rarity painfully moved her right arm and used it to push herself out of the wall, falling to the ground and standing painfully.
Not only does she have speed, but she has power too. Rarity thought.
She released more of Tid's chains.
"Hmpf, now I get serious." She said.
Rarity sent chains discretely through the floor toward Celestia and bound her hooves to the floor. Celestia looked down in surprise, trying in vain to release herself from the chains' grasp.
"That should slow you down." Rarity said with a smirk.
She ran over to Celestia and released the chains a split-second before kicking her mid-section from below and sending her into the air. Celestia winced with pain from the kick and opened her eyes in time to receive another, and another, forcing her higher and higher into the air. Rarity wrapped Celestia's body in chains and bound her limbs, grabbing hold of the Princess before spinning the both of them and plummeting head-first toward the ground.
"Frontal Lotus!" Rarity shouted as she drove Celestia into the floor.
The floor shattered and a medium-sized crater was formed, clouds of dust and debris flying into the air. When the attack had finished Rarity let go of Princess Celestia and released the chains that bound her. She stood, panting and staring at Celestia's body as the dust settled.
"Your defense," She said, pausing to try and catch her breath.
"Is weak," She finished. As she stood there, Princess Celestia's body began to stir amongst the rubble; much to Rarity's shock. In the blink of an eye Celestia was sitting up and face-to-face with Rarity, staring viciously into the latter's eyes. "No, it's the exact opposite." Celestia said.
Before Rarity could react Celestia swept her hooves from under her and Rarity fell to the ground. Celestia stood and summoned a double-edged golden sword. Rarity used the Almighty Push to push Celestia away from her, allowing her time to recover. She stood and saw Princess Celestia standing once more near the throne. Rarity's eyes widened with astonishment, not because of her quick recovery from Rarity's Almighty Push, but because it appeared to Rarity that Princess Celestia was completely unharmed in any way. Rarity stood there in disbelief. No one had ever emerged from the receiving end of the Frontal Lotus unscathed, so how the hell was this possible?
"You seem to be confused by something, Rarity." She said. Rarity scowled. She opened the Sixth Gate.
"Fine, I'll use that then." She said.
"'That'?" Celestia asked.
Rarity didn't waste time in responding, but rather used the confusion that was sure to slow Princess Celestia down to attack. She launched herself at Celestia and drove her into the wall with enough force to send her at least a foot through the reinforced stone. Rarity took a step back and Celestia teleported behind her and kicked her flank, sending her flying into the hole that had been made. Rarity landed-back first into the hole and winced with pain. She opened her eyes and saw Celestia now farther away, her horn glowing brightly. Rarity attempted to move from the spot, but found herself unable to move even her arms or legs. It was as if a curse were cast upon her that made her unable to move. She could only watch as Celestia continued to charge up her spell. Then, Celestia tilted her head back and cast the spell with a powerful thrust of her horn, the golden beam racing toward the helpless Rarity. The beam struck her and Rarity screamed with pain as the magic continued to collide with her body. What was she to do?
Finally the beam ceased, and Rarity fell to the floor. Both of the mares were panting, one from pain, the other from effort. Rarity swore under her breath and tried to stand, pain coursing throughout her entire body. When she had finally risen to her hooves, she stood with a fierce glare directed at Celestia.
"I will not lose here!" She shouted in fury.
She ignited her body. Princess Celestia stared with wide eyes at Rarity. Rarity charged Celestia and before the latter could react she was underneath her, kicking her mid-section to send her into the air. Rarity launched off of the ground, shattering it beneath the force of her launch and in a split-second she was above Celestia. She put as much force as she could into a punch that sent Celestia plummeting toward the ground. She wrapped Celestia in Tid's chains and painfully pulled on the chains, her muscles feeling like they would tear themselves apart at any time. Sweat was beading down Rarity's face from the amount of effort she was putting into this attack, her body seemingly unable to handle it for much longer. Regardless she pulled on the chain with incredible force, forcing Celestia to fly toward her and, using that momentum to strengthen her attack, simultaneously kicked her in the stomach and punched her in the face. Celestia was sent flying into the ground, a large cloud of dust and debris flying into the air. Rarity landed and nearly collapsed from exhaustion. The flames that had covered Rarity now dissipated; her face beading with sweat. She sat down on the ground, panting and trying to catch her breath. She stared at the spot where Princess Celestia was through the cloud of dust, her Mangekyou Rinnegan not blinking even once. She would have to proceed with caution if she were to survive.
Celestia painfully sat up amidst the rubble, every inch of her body aching with nearly unbearable pain. When the dust around her settled she saw that Rarity was sitting down, watching her and trying to claim her breath. Celestia painfully stood up and teleported over to the throne.
"Congratulations, Rarity. You managed to push me to my limits." She said.
Rarity stood up, anticipating a more powerful threat.
"For that, I'll reward you. I'll show you something few others have ever seen before." She said.
Rarity watched with wide eyes as a bright light began to surround Princess Celestia. It broke off into wisps that entangled themselves around her body, covering her from head to hoof. When she emerged from the light her injuries had been completely removed, or at least, they appeared that way. Her mane and tail were now longer, and they hung down toward the ground, as if they had just now been affected by gravity. Other than that, she didn't look any different.
"That's it?" Rarity asked incredulously. Was she mocking her?
"It's not complete yet," Celestia replied.
Then she began to recite something that sounded like an incantation.
"Disciple of the cross and champion in suffering;
Immerse yourself into the Kingdom of Redemption.
Harden your mind to the chains of the divine;
Make way the Shepherd of Fire." As she recited this her appearance began to change and her voice began to grow in volume as if she were invoking the power of a goddess.
Her horn grew in length until it was even longer than Rarity's. Her wings also grew, developing into two giant wings that were almost three-quarters the size of her body. The amulet that surrounded her neck glowed brightly and changed to a golden gem that seemed to radiate energy from its core. Celestia's eyes changed from bright-lilac to a radiating gold, similar to Rarity's when the other Chakra flowed through her. Her skin darkened from white to a near-gray. She had markings on her face that seemed to start from the line where her mane grew from her head and traveled downward toward her chin, stopping next to the corners of her mouth. Her mane and tail continued to have their gravity-affected look. Without taking her eyes from Rarity she summoned a long golden staff that had two prong-like sections that broke off from the main staff at the end with a glowing magenta gem that floated between them.
"This," She said. "Is my final form,"
Rarity stared in shock and awe at Princess Celestia's new transformation. This wasn't looking good. Then, Rarity chuckled. She remembered she had brought a trump card of her own. She activated the Seventh Gate and summoned a scroll she had prepared. The glowing green aura intensified with the opening of the Seventh Gate. She set the scroll on the floor and unraveled it, revealing the seal within.
"What's that?" Princess Celestia asked eyeing it suspiciously.
"You see, I have a trump card of my own." Rarity replied.
She stepped on the seal and released Chakra to force the seal to open. She then began to feel the power of the other Chakra course through her veins. She felt her appearance change and her power rise, her eyes glowing golden once more. When the transformation was complete she licked her lips.
"Prepare to face Omega Nightmare Rarity!" She said with a grin.
"Omega Nightmare Rarity? Why do you call yourself that?" Princess Celestia asked somewhat confused.
"Because I'm your final nightmare." Rarity replied.
Princess Celestia and Rarity stood there for a while, staring each other down.
I don't have much time in this form, so I'll have to make this quick. Rarity thought.
Rarity made the first move. She launched herself at Princess Celestia, destroying the ground beneath her as she did so. Princess Celestia blocked Rarity's attack and spun her staff, slamming it into Rarity's side and sending her flying. Rarity landed on her hooves and slid a little ways, staring at Celestia.
"You're strength is impressive, if you can block my attacks in the Seventh Gate." Rarity said. Celestia said nothing.
This time she launched herself at Rarity and Rarity released some of Tid's chains, trying to envelop Celestia in them. Celestia anticipated this and teleported behind her, moving her staff to strike Rarity once more with it. Rarity turned around in half the time it takes to blink and punched Celestia in the face, sending her flying toward the wall. Before she hit it however she teleported behind Rarity once more and this time landed a hit. Rarity was sent flying toward the very same wall that she had sent Celestia toward and managed to turn her body so that when she hit the wall she pushed off with her legs and launched herself at Celestia, using the momentum to her advantage. Celestia's eyes widened as this happened and she tried to dodge Rarity's punch, but was struck by an unseen force. She was sent flying and crashed into the wall that held all of the stained glass, shattering each of the panes with the shockwave that resulted from her impact.
She had just enough time to open her eyes before Rarity made her next attack. Before she could land it, however, Celestia teleported some distance away and the glowing gem inside of her staff began to glow even brighter. "With the force of the gods I use this spell to cast out all evil and darkness from this plane of existence!" She said. She slammed the end of her staff on the ground and a translucent golden globe of magical energy rapidly expanded from the epicenter. The spell was about to touch Rarity when a certain blackness stopped it, pushing against it with rivaling force.
"What's this?" Rarity asked in astonishment.
She looked upon it with her Mangekyou Rinnegan and saw that the blackness appeared to be coming from an ethereal warrior that surrounded her body. It held out its left hand that cast a spell of rivaling force that held back Celestia's spell. It appeared to be only the skeleton of the warrior, unable to manifest any further for some reason.
"What is this?!" She asked in increasing fear.
The two spells canceled each other out and dissipated as quickly as they had come. Rarity and Celestia looked at each other in mutual surprise and shock. What had just happened? Rarity was the first to recover from this confusion and immediately sprang into action. She launched herself at the still-paralyzed Celestia and hooked the latter's neck with her right arm, thrusting her arm forward afterward and sending Celestia flying into the wall. Rarity looked down at her hooves.
If only I had hands, then I'd be able to perform Hirudora. She thought. Then an idea came to her. She didn't know if it would work, but it was something.
Celestia pried herself off of the wall, shaken out of her daze. She stared at Rarity and charged her, confident in her ability to bypass the mare's defenses. She teleported behind Rarity and struck her with the staff, teleporting next to Rarity as she was sent flying and striking her once more with the staff. She repeated this for a while, each time striking Rarity with more and more force. Finally she stopped and Rarity was sent flying across the room, landing on her side and skidding along the floor. She looked at the gem in her staff. Its glow was much dimmer now.
Just a little more time. She pleaded.
She shouldn't have used that spell, as it severely diminished the time she had for this form. Rarity painfully stood, every inch of her body screaming with pain. She had to try it. She concentrated and tried to summon back the ethereal warrior that had protected her from Celestia's spell. After about a minute or so of concentration, she felt a strong wind around her. She opened her eyes to see the skeleton of the ethereal warrior surrounding her body. She grinned. Then it would be finished with this attack. She thrust her hooves forward, and in turn the ethereal warrior did the same (much to Rarity's surprise) and she used the Almighty Push, its power boosted by the ethereal warrior. Celestia was sent flying into the opposite wall from the power of the Almighty Push. Celestia tried to move but found she couldn't. Rarity then willed the ethereal warrior to position its hands in the formation needed to use Hirudora.
"Let's see if you can survive this one." Rarity said with a smirk.
She then thrust her hoof forward and the ethereal warrior did the same.
"Hirudora!" She shouted and the gigantic tiger comprised of pressurized air manifested before her, flying toward Celestia with incredible speed and power.
Celestia could only watch as the tiger flew closer and closer, capturing her in its jaws and exploding, releasing all of the air that had been so eager to escape. The resulting explosion completely blew apart the throne room of the castle.
Rarity shielded her face from the blasting gale of wind that resulted from the detonation of the Hirudora. The ethereal warrior protected her from the debris and the brunt of the attack but then dissipated. Rarity began to pant from the effort of concentration as well as the massive amount of Chakra consumption that the ethereal warrior had caused. She wondered if the ethereal warrior had been yet another gift from Tid, though she had never seen him use it. Still panting, she looked to the spot where she had last seen Princess Celestia before the Hirudora exploded. Had she been obliterated? That question was quickly answered as the dust and debris settled to reveal Princess Celestia on the other side of the now-decimated throne room. Rarity's eyes widened to see her still standing!
"That's not possible!" She shouted.
Princess Celestia was also panting heavily, her staff gone and her appearance had changed back to normal.
"How are you still alive?!" Rarity demanded. Celestia stood there, still panting too much to speak.
I was lucky that my ultimate form kept me alive. Princess Celestia thought.
Rarity stood staring furiously at Celestia. She had had enough. With the Seventh Gate still active, she launched herself at Celestia, what little remained of the floor shattering beneath her hooves. She wrapped the Princess in Tid's chains and threw her into the air. She jumped and brought both of her hooves down on her mid-section, sending Celestia flying toward the ground. Just before impact Rarity pulled on the chains and Celestia was sent flying with wide eyes toward her once more.
"This is the end," Rarity said.
As Celestia got closer, she performed the Hidden Lotus and Celestia was sent flying into the ground. A cloud of dust and debris flew into the air. This was the end of the battle. Rarity had won.
Rarity landed and stared at the spot where Celestia had disappeared behind the cloud of dust with her Mangekyou Rinnegan, panting. She closed all of the Gates she had opened and walked up to her, seeing her Chakra still present, but very weak. She stood over the Princess, watching her as she struggled for air and coughed up blood. She favored her mid-section, Rarity presuming because of the broken ribs and internal bleeding that was sure to have resulted from this battle. Rarity placed her hooves on the Princess's chest and began to absorb her Chakra. Celestia turned her head to look at Rarity.
"Rarity..." She said.
Rarity paid her little attention as she continued to absorb her Chakra, the pools of power nearly untouched from their battle as the Princess relied on her magical energy for combat.
"Please... Do me... A favor..." Celestia pleaded.
Rarity stared down at the Princess's face, Celestia's eyes tearing up.
"What is it?" Rarity asked.
"Please... Don't... Kill him..." She pleaded.
Tears began running down her face. Rarity closed her eyes and turned her head back to where she had been looking and she opened her eyes again a second later as she looked down at her own hooves that were absorbing the Chakra.
"As you wish," She said. Celestia closed her eyes and turned her head away.
"Thank you." She said. Rarity didn't say anything and they remained in silence until the last of Princess Celestia's Chakra had been stripped from her body.
Twilight had almost reached Canterlot when she saw Ryujin demolishing the city. She almost stopped, but didn't. She had to keep running. She had to save Celestia. She ran into Canterlot and through weaved through the buildings, avoiding detection from the giant dragon lord. She was about to enter the castle when a large explosion rocked the land. Twilight looked up and saw that the explosion was one of a powerful air pressure, a fierce gale of wind blowing against her from the epicenter. When the wind subsided her heart sank. Spike was still atop her back, and his fear had too been growing the entire trip. Suddenly she was approached by a team of guards.
"Miss Twilight!" The leader cried.
She looked toward them. She recognized them instantly, as they were an advanced group in the Elite Defenders. Their captain, Rick Yan approached her while the others kept a respectful distance.
"I'm so glad you're here!" He said.
"What's the status?" She asked, fearing the answer.
"78 casualties, 216 wounded." He replied. She swore.
"Then it's just the six of you left?" She asked. They nodded.
"Listen to me, do not engage him. Do you hear me? You can't win against him. I'll be back to stop him, but until then, get as many as you can as far from here as possible. I'll contact you later with further instructions." Twilight said.
They nodded and began to run back to the encampment where the wounded were currently being held. Twilight turned back to the castle and opened the door, running as fast as she could through the lobby and toward the throne room.
Please be alive. She pleaded as she pushed the double-doors open.
Twilight pushed the double-doors open and gasped at what she saw. Rarity was standing over Princess Celestia, her hooves placed to her chest and Celestia's eyes closed. Rarity looked over her shoulder and saw Twilight standing there. She took her hooves from the Princess's chest and turned around to face her.
"I'm so glad you could join us." Rarity said.
Twilight's eyes teared up and tears ran down her face, her anger boiling past its limit.
"You bitch!" She shouted. Rarity flinched from the insult.
"Twilight..." Spike said.
"Shut up, Spike! That's not Rarity anymore!" Twilight snapped.
Spike recoiled and tears began to well up in his eyes.
"Well, I'd never have thought you would result to name-calling." Rarity said placing her hoof on her chest and turning her nose up at Twilight.
"Why?! Why did you do it?!" Twilight asked furiously.
Rarity placed her hoof back on the ground, keeping her eyes closed and her head turned away from Twilight.
"You see, she was a threat to my plan, so she had to be eliminated." Rarity replied.
Twilight stood there in anger, nearly ready to run over and slap Rarity.
"And also to send a message," Rarity said turning her head back toward Twilight and opening her eyes.
"A message?" Twilight asked. Rarity nodded.
"You see, Princess Celestia is a very powerful mare. If I can recall, she's only been bested a couple of times over the few millennia that she's been alive. If that's so, then I'm now unstoppable. No one in Equestria would dare challenge me now." Rarity said.
"You're insane! How could you do this?! Tid didn't want-"
"Don't you dare preach to me about what Tid wanted!" Rarity shouted furiously.
Her anger was enough to cause her body to ignite.
"You know nothing about him! You betrayed him! You were against him from the start! He trusted you, and you killed him! You sent him to die on the battlefield! You're even worse than the rest of them! I thought you would've shown some compassion for me, but it seems I was gravely mistaken. I would kill you now, but my plan still needs to be set into action, so I'll be leaving. You can find me at the Crystal Empire. Don't keep me waiting." Rarity said.
She extinguished the flames from around her body, her mind still seething with anger. She surrounded herself in a black wind and disappeared, teleporting to just outside of the Crystal Empire's borders. Twilight stood watching the spot where Rarity had been a moment previously.
"Twilight, what did she mean when she said she thought you would've shown some compassion?" Spike asked. Twilight shook her head. She knew exactly what Rarity meant and she didn't want to answer him.
She walked over to Celestia and looked down at her cold, lifeless face. She sat beside the Princess, stroking her mane in sorrow. Spike climbed off of Twilight's back and stood staring away from them. His mind was filled with the horrible truth. The anger that had filled Twilight's mind had given way to sadness. Tears flowed down her cheeks, coming to rest on the Princess's lifeless face.
This wasn't supposed to happen. She thought dreadfully.
She leaned in and nuzzled Celestia's face with her nose. She didn't care if it looked weird. Then something strange happened. Twilight felt something move, and opened her eyes to see the Princess begin to stir. She sat back and in disbelief as Celestia opened her eyes.
"Celestia!" She cried. Celestia looked at Twilight.
"Twilight? Where did you come from?" She asked. Twilight threw her arms around Celestia, giving her a big hug.
"I thought you had died!" Twilight said.
"I did; at least, for a little while. I can die, but not for long." Celestia said. Twilight held her at arm's length.
"Huh?" She asked. Celestia nodded.
"The same goes for my sister." She said.
"Then that means-"
"Yes, Luna is still alive. She's hidden in a cave to the north of here. However, since her battle with Tid, she has grown too weak to do anything just yet. It may take months before her full power is restored." Celestia said.
"She's Luna, right? Not Nightmare Moon?" Twilight asked. Celestia nodded. She sighed.
"I'm sorry Twilight, but it appears I will be of no further use to you in this crusade. When a Princess dies, her powers are stripped from her until she is revived, and even then she does not get her full power back; at least, not all at once. It comes back gradually, and may take months or even a year to fully replenish." Celestia said.
"Will that happen to me, too?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know. You didn't recieve the Queen's blessing like my sister and I did. I'm not even sure it would happen with Cadence." Celestia replied.
"I see," Twilight said. Over head thunder clouds had rolled in and let off a threatening thunder.
"Now go, you have to stop her. If you don't, even if you could defeat her, you won't have the will." Celestia said.
Twilight nodded and stood. She lifted Spike onto her back using her magic and teleported as close as she could to the Crystal Empire. The wind raged about her. She seemed to have teleported to the middle of a blizzard. She looked around but couldn't tell which way was north. She sighed and decided to head off in the direction she was currently facing, praying it was north.
I have to stop her. Twilight thought.
If I don't, it's over for Equestria.
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Me: Whew! That was a lot to fit in!
Rarity: My goal is close, I can almost taste it.
Me: Just be a little more patient. The next chapter will be ready soon.
Rarity: Excellent. Thank you.
Me: You're very welcome. Anyway, let me know how I've been doing in this Arc. I'd love to hear your feedback. Don't miss the next few chapters! See ya!