The last solstice




AUTHORS NOTE: Since I had to explain a lot of stuff here, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Just wanted to let you know, so be prepared! In order to get into the atmosphere, let me recommend you a few songs for this part of the story, which goes well with the plot.

1: Pitch Black Theme

link

2: Two Steps From Hell - Archangel

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3: The Lion King: Battle at Pride Rock/Cleansing Rain/The Ascension

link


*** ***


Chapter 43: The solstice



Nocturnal Mirage lost track of time as he was sobbing violently over the lifeless body of his beloved Princess. He still could not comprehend she was gone forever; he was expecting her to open her eyes and wake up in every minute. But she didn't. Celestia was dead. And her killer stood only a few feet away.

Mirage glared at the Changeling Queen, feeling the untold rage overwhelming his soul. He allowed the nature of his mother to take control. The dark fury was spreading rapidly, like a wildfire and soon everything was consumed by the black haze. He wanted revenge, he wanted the blood of Chrysalis. But he wasn't fast enough... or powerful enough. He could not rival the Queen's magic and his attempts to avenge only amused her. He pierced his eyes into Chrysalis', as she was laughing like a madmare. She truly was one. And her insanity doomed the entire planet as well. But Mirage knew he won't live long enough to see the apocalypse. He was trapped by the Queen's lethal spell, that slowly but assuredly will crush him and grind him to dust.

Crushed... like the world's hopes. Equestria lied smashed and defeated, so all their hopes of survival. It all died out with Celestia's spark. There was nothing to live for anymore, yet the instinct was strong in him, he decided that he won't give up the fight until his last breath escapes his chest. Mirage pressed his hooves against the walls of the emerald sphere that were closing in, but to no avail. Chrysalis' spell was stronger. He prepared his soul for the agonizing pain when the shrinking orb will break his bones.

Perhaps we'll meet again somewhere, my Princess... was his last thought and he closed his eyes.


*** ***

Is this... rain? Was her first coherent thought. Yes, Celestia could feel the cold raindrops splashing on her face and body. Everything was cold and she couldn't move or open her eyes. But somehow, her conscience was awakening slowly, like she was waking up from a long, revitalizing sleep. If somepony were to pay a little attention to her, they might have seen something extraordinary. Even though the heavy rain was slowly washing away the dark puddle of her blood, the vital liquid came to life. It coiled on the cold marble floor of the balcony like a colubrine, slowly heading towards the open wound on Celestia's chest. Like if somepony played the reel of time backwards, the source of life went back inside her. The large gap was shrinking, until it closed entirely. Chrysalis' magic blast evaporated her heart, yet a new one was forming inside her body. Capillaries, arteries, muscles and flesh out of nowhere: vital material was created from empty space. But there were some odd changes on the outside as well.

The old crinkled scars on her face and chest were decreasing as well. They became paler and paler, until their color matched the color of Celestia's skin, then soft, silky white fur grew out to cover the magically healed skin. The grim reminders of the past and the repulsive parts of her appearance were no more. Her every muscle strained and strong spasms shook her body as the ancient alicorn magic breathed new life into her. Her heart started beating again, pumping blood and strength into her veins. Celestia, the Princess of the Sun was alive again!

She stood up slowly; her legs were trembling for a few seconds, until they could hold her weight efficiently. She looked around and could not believe she was here, in her beloved kingdom of Equestria once more. The temporal weakness was snuffed out by her powerful magic, that was finally allowed to flow through her being freely again. Her soul charged up with newly found strength and confidence; her features turned beautifully tough, like an alabaster statue. She intervened in the last second to save Mirage.


*** ***

Pure, wild joy overwhelmed her soul, as Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings slowly squeezed the life out of Nocturnal Mirage with her spell. The suffering of others was like a drug to her. She first experienced such twisted ecstasy when she was a young mare and couldn't stop doing it from then on. Misery and fear proved to be a more powerful sustenance than love. Her dark soul fed on the negative energies her victims radiated when she tortured them, gaining strength and nourishment from it. Chrysalis enjoyed killing. And like many serial killers in the long past, she wanted the world to see what she was capable of. That she had the ultimate power over life and death. She wanted everypony to see her creation. It kept her ego growing larger, to the point where this wicked principal became her lifestyle. She couldn't stop, even if it meant the end of the world for her or everypony and everything else in it. She couldn't have stopped, even if she wanted to. The dark temptation was stronger.

Chrysalis focused on the poor stallion inside her green orb. She wasn't in a hurry, her magic decreased the size of the sphere very slowly. She wanted to enjoy every little moment of it. After all, this cobalt earth pony was special, he had extreme amounts of love for the recently deceased Princess. The sick cocktail of love and anguish brought unimaginable pleasures to the Queen's black soul. Admittedly, she was satisfied for a good reason. She devised the most cunning, deceitful plan and fooled everypony, even the alicorn Princesses. Yes, she wanted to claim Canterlot by force at first. But when Celestia resurfaced again from her voluntary exile, she had to adapt to the changed status quo.

Her tactics prevailed, the solar Princess took the bait. Chrysalis utilized ponykind's most powerful asset and weakest spot: hope. She gave them hope, that everything can be the way they were.

That's how winners play. Convincing the opponent she's making the right move. The Queen thought and channeled more magic through her jagged horn.

Celestia played her part perfectly and opened the gates of the Castle for the enemy herself, thinking she successfully saved her sister. Of course, the counter attack led by Nocturnal Mirage caused quite a commotion, but that was exactly what she was expecting. An unguarded moment in the chaos. It was enough for her to switch places with Luna, who was completely under her influence. Chrysalis made the moon goddess take her form, convincing everypony she was the Changeling Queen. The royal guards put a magic disruptor collar on Luna, not Chrysalis. The dark mare of deceit already changed into Luna's form, to take her place. Of course, she could not allow the enemy to capture Luna and jeopardize her infiltration, so she came prepared. She forced Luna with her magic to use the teleportation potion the changelings cooked up. It was a one of a kind cocktail; its main ingredient was a rare underground flower, called the Black Mercy and it could only be found in the Changeling Kingdom. Teleportation without magic... ingenious!

Of course, Chrysalis added an extra ingredient to the potion, so she could determine where Luna will teleport to: right in her dungeon deep within the surface, where the most loyal of changelings were already waiting for her.

The Queen took a high risk and removed the hive mind spell from her subjects to create the perfect illusion of victory, to aid her infiltration. Chrysalis marched into the Castle side by side with her arch nemesis, Celestia. She could rule Equestria from then on. But her ego wouldn't let her. The world needed to know it was her, not Luna. Her original plan was to assassinate Celestia like a rat and take control of the kingdom, after getting rid of the only main obstacle in her way. By the time the Elements of Harmony recognized something was wrong, her position would be strengthened enough to crush any rebellion against her authority.

She watched Celestia day after day, preparing for the fiendish attack. She almost slit her throat when Twilight showed up in the dark library and changed everything. Her touching little conversation with the Princess revealed the truth for her. Chrysalis' sharp mind connected the dots and did what a changeling does best: she adapted to the different circumstances.

Chrysalis still remembered the day the patrol delivered Celestia right in her hooves. She remembered their report about the giant blast that destroyed Manehatten. She saw Celestia's scars and humiliated her. But she slipped away eventually and never returned to the throne.

Her eyes and ears were everywhere and when she heard about Celestia's resignation, she felt it was time to take over Equestria. But she had to admit, that she underestimated Luna. The younger Princess wasn't as weak as expected. She successfully defended the capital for many years and the battle has become a stalemate. Until the Queen's infiltration of course.

After eavesdropping on that conversation, there was a change in plans. Chrysalis focused on Twilight from then on. The young alicorn was weak and inexperienced, not even comprehending the great power she was holding. It was an easy task for Chrysalis to get her under her influence. And Twilight told her everything: the ancient demon of fire, the Manehatten blast, Celestia's exile, the disrupted gravitational balance of the universe and more importantly; Nocturnal Mirage.

That stallion has been a thorn in her sight for long enough and to prevent him from causing any further problems, Chrysalis decided to isolate him. She took his form and leaked the story to the press. She made sure there were enough witnesses who could confirm seeing him at the editorial of the Equestrian Herald. Then, there was a legitimate cause to charge him with high treason, which was rather easy, since the Queen was impersonating Luna. Mirage should have been dead, yet Celestia set him free. But it was even better this way, because it caused much more pain to the Princess and didn't influence the outcome at all. By the time she realized what was going on, Chrysalis had every single pony in the Castle under the control of her spell, including Cadence and Twilight. There was no force left to stop her, not even the Elements of Harmony.

Chrysalis got so carried away to fulfill her master plan, that she didn't even care if this also means the end of the world. In her interpretation, it was a small price to pay. The only thing that mattered was that she killed Celestia in front of everypony. Chrysalis finally prevailed, she was the ultimate power in Equestria...

“Release him!” a stern voice commanded all of a sudden.

The Changeling Queen was focusing entirely on her thoughts and crushing Mirage slowly, that she didn't notice the strange light, shining behind her back. When she turned around her jaw dropped, her mouth forming a silent scream of shock and disbelief. Celestia was standing there, more than alive; her snow white coat radiating brightly in the rain. Her scars were gone, she was as beautiful and magnificent as ever. Her mane swirled around her, sparkling in vivid hues of orange and reddish pink.

“No!” Chrysalis gasped. “No! It's impossible, you couldn't have survived that, it's not fair, you can't even use...”

“Magic?” Celestia finished the Queen's question resolutely.

A blast of her horn evaporated the shrinking emerald sphere around Mirage and he fell down with a muffled thud.

“Are you all right?” Celestia asked concernedly, running over to the injured stallion,

“Yeah... I'll live..” Mirage replied on a weak voice, looking up to the tall figure of Celestia,. He tried his best to smile at her, but he was clearly in pain. “Finish this, Tia...”

“I will.”

“I killed you once!” Chrysalis snarled. “I can do it once more!”

“Think again!” Celestia exclaimed.

The horn of the sun goddess charged up with the yellow aura of her magic and a golden armor formed around her body from nowhere.

“Round 2, villain!”

“Arrgh!” Chrysalis growled maliciously. “This time, I'll leave nothing of you behind to torture!!!”

The queen attacked fiercely, but Celestia was faster. She grabbed her opponent, flared her wings and took off with her. Chrysalis struggled in the firm grasp of the Princess and eventually managed to break free. The battle continued in the air, while the storm clouds were pouring the heavy rain on the fighters. A hoof-to-hoof combat unfolded between the dark mare and the sun goddess, both of them fought with great skill and intensity. A powerful punch made Chrysalis spin uncontrollably, plummeting down. She was able to correct her course, before she would crash into the earth.

“How many times do I have to destroy you?!” she roared viciously. “Burn!!!”

Her horn fired the same magical beam, that was chasing Celestia around in the air, but this time, the solar alicorn repelled it with a single swing of her hoof. Her strong armor absorbed the destructive energies of the green ray in a blink of an eye.

“Not this time!” Celestia shouted. “My turn!”

A golden beam of lightness erupted from her horn, aiming at Chrysalis. The Queen immediately projected a protective forcefield around her body, but she greatly underestimated her opponent. Celestia's golden ray of magic clashed against the emerald sphere and destroyed it. The forcefield shattered to pieces with a glassy noise and the beam struck Chrysalis. She fell down and the impact made a large crater in the ground. Any common pony would have been killed by such fall, but she had an extraordinary magical aura, that protected her.

“Gah...” Chrysalis coughed and stood up with trembling hooves.

“Yield!!” Celestia demanded firmly and landed in front of her enemy. “Or suffer my unending wrath!”

“Never!” Chrysalis protested vehemently and fired yet another magic beam.

The solar Princess did the same and the rays clashed. The confrontation reminded both parties of the wedding of Cadence and Shining Armor, but this time the outcome was the opposite. The golden beam slowly overpowered the green one.

“I told you.” Celestia snarled as she channeled more power through her horn. “Not this time!”

The furious grimace melted away from Chrysalis' face, making way to fear and doubt. She realized that the Princess wasn't weak anymore, in fact, she was stronger than ever. And her basic cowardly nature took control eventually. The Queen fled the battle, flapping her transparent, bug-like wings rapidly, in effort to put some distance between her and Celestia. But the Princess was pursuing her relentlessly. Chrysalis had to evade the several solar rays her nemesis fired at her. She wasn't fast enough. Celestia's magic struck her in the back and she plummeted into the earth once again in the middle of a square. Her fragile wings were broken and she could barely stand after such an impact. Several bystanders came closer to see what happened. Soon the square was full of ponies of all races.

“You're done!” Celestia declared, hovering above the Queen.

“Not quite yet!” Chrysalis hissed.

She suddenly threw dust in Celestia's face, blinding her for a glimpse. But it was enough for her to make a move. The Queen jumped on her, going for her swan-like neck, like a lion. The sharp fangs pierced the armor and the flesh beneath. Celestia cried in pain and struggled to get rid of Chrysalis, who wrapped her hooves around her neck, holding her tightly like a passionate lover. It was a lethal hug nevertheless, because she wanted to slit the Princess' throat. She could not succeed, a powerful blow of Celestia's elbow hit her in the muzzle and she fell down.

“It's over, Chrysalis!” Celestia said coldly, towering over the changeling. “This is my kingdom and you are not welcome here!”

“Oh, by all means...” the Queen mumbled, rubbing her injured nose. “But there's a little problem.”

“And what might that be?”

“See them?” Chrysalis grinned, pointing at the large group of bystanders all around them. “According to them, I reign!”

Celestia blinked in confusion and surprise, but very soon she understood. Green flames flashed on random spots among the crowd and the true provocateurs revealed themselves.

“Of course!” Celestia whispered. “This is how you managed to get the public on your side so easily!”

“Power through deceit, Celestia!”

“Indeed. But your reign ends now! It lasted far too long already.”

The changelings tried to approach her, but the passive bystanders sprung into action as soon as they realized they have been double-crossed. Ordinary citizens bravely stood in the way of the dark beasts, holding them off. It meant a lot for Celestia to witness the heroic actions of her subjects who were clearly on her side, once they have discovered the truth, that they were manipulated by the changelings. Chrysalis on the other hoof, took advantage of this lapse of concentration and charged at the Princess once again. She quickly delivered a series of blows in Celestia's face. The sun goddess wavered and fell back a little, then returned the punch.

“I have to admit, you fight with great passion, changeling!” she growled, repelling the Queen's attacks. “But you lack the necessary knowledge!”

Her tough hooves were encased in golden horse slippers, which made her strikes even harder. She rapidly hit Chrysalis on three different parts of her body. The Queen collapsed onto the moist ground and couldn't get up again.

“Muzzle, cardia, groin!” she said like a teacher lecturing her student. “Always know your weak spots.”

“I'll keep that in mind in the future...” Chrysalis panted heavily.

“There's no future for you.” Celestia declared on a frosty voice and grabbed the Queen's neck, pulling her up from the mud.

“Ha ha ha ha! What are you going to do?” Chrysalis rattled. “Go on, do it! Use your magic, Princess! Incinerate me along with the rest of Canterlot, like you did in Manehatten! Use that power! I know you want to!”

The golden aura of her magic surrounded Celestia's horn and a mask of anger distorted her features.

“I'm intending to.” she said quietly, but it was more sinister than a shout, yet she was still hesitating.

“Can't do it, can you? Admit it! You need me! Wherever there's light, there has to be darkness, one is meaningless without the other! And you just love being a Princess, don't you? All the adoring subjects, all that power... Face it: over the years you've become my most reliable accomplice!”

“I see through you now. No wordplay will save you this time!”

“But if you kill me, you'll never find your sister!” Chrysalis yelled and fear started to overwhelm her.

“Don't bother.” the sun goddess replied. “I already know where she is.”

Chrysalis' eyes grew large as she realized Celestia was not joking; she was deadly serious.

“All right, all right!” she finally gave in. “I surrender!”

“Not good enough!” Celestia hissed.

“What are you talking about? Can't you hear me, I surrender!!!”

“I have to make sure you won't hurt anypony else ever again.”

“No, don't kill me!” Chrysalis squirmed, trying to break free from Celestia's solid grasp around her neck.

“I won't. I'm nothing like you.” Celestia said with untold despise peppering her tone, then she dropped the Queen on the ground.

“Oh my, there was a moment when I actually thought you're gonna do it...” Chrysalis remarked, rubbing her neck. “You're crazy!”

“No.” Celestia shook her head and looked deep within the Queen's eyes. “But you will be.”

“What?”

“You should be thanking me, Chrysalis!” Celestia said on the same tone the Queen used when she killed her. “I'm giving you oblivion.”

Then Chrysalis saw it. Her reptile-like eyes went large as Celestia's intense glare hypnotized her. She couldn't look away, even though she felt something was terribly wrong. Those purple eyes grew and grew in her vision, until she couldn't see anything else. Reality faded away and firm hooves emerged from the mud, grabbing her legs. Horrifying faces surfaced from the living mass that was consuming her. Everything spiraled out of control; her stomach turned upside down and she felt sick. She realized with shock, that these faces were her victims; every single one she encountered over the years. All the lives she took away were there to get revenge.

“It is time you face your inner demons!” she heard Celestia's muffled, disembodied voice from somewhere in the distance.

“No... no... nooooo!!!” Chrysalis cried in panic, but it was too late, she was pulled down to the dark depths of the abyss that was her own soul.

The mighty Queen of the Changelings was finally defeated. She laid in the mud, rolled up in a ball, staring into nothingness with glassy, wide eyes; mumbling some indistinguishable words every once in a while.

“There's your Queen!” Celestia exclaimed loudly, so every changeling could hear.

But they did not comprehend her words. Chrysalis' hive mind spell vanished with her consciousness and the feral creatures reverted to their vegetative state. Seeing Celestia's victory, the crowd cheered and praised her name, but the Princess silenced everypony.

“Ponies of Equestria! You are now free from the dark influence of the changelings!” she stated in a formal fashion. “The beasts of deceit are no longer a danger to us! Without their Queen, they are harmless! The Royal Guards will take care of then! Return to your homes! There's still one unfinished business left.”

“What are you going to do, your Majesty?” a young mare asked.

“What I should have done a very long time ago.” Celestia replied, narrowing her eyes.

The Princess flared her wings and took off, flying back to Canterlot Castle, taking the helpless Chrysalis with her.

*** ***

It was like waking up from a nightmare. Twilight Sparkle looked around with an obtuse expression. Her eyes met with Cadence's who had the same perplexity all over her face. They were still standing on the balcony, the place of Celestia's death and resurrection. The royal guards were confused as well, nopony knew what to do.

“Medic!” Cadence cried all of sudden, running over to an unconscious stallion lying on the frosty marble floor. “This pony needs help!”

After a brief moment of hesitation, the guards sprung into action and picked the shattered body of Nocturnal Mirage up from the icy floor.

“What happened here?” Twilight asked; her voice was still dim and weak.

“I'm not sure...” Cadence replied. “Everything seems so blurry...”

“The changeling Queen took control over you.” a resolute voice called out.

Celestia landed on the balcony and folded her large, dainty wings. She dropped Chrysalis on the floor pretty harshly, but the Queen didn't care; she was like a zombie.

“My visions were dark...” Twilight said, her voice trailing off. “She did all this?”

“Yes. Chrysalis deceived us all and almost tossed Equestria into a pit of despair and madness.”

“What happened to her?” Cadence asked.

“I sent her down to the dark depths of her soul, so that she may finally learn a valuable lesson. She'll recover in time.” Celestia explained coldly and turned to the guards. “Take her to the infirmary!”

“Right away, your Highness!” an armored pegasus saluted. “We're taking this stallion there as well!”

“No! Let me carry him!”

The guards handed over the rug doll that was Nocturnal Mirage to the Princess. He sustained severe injuries, almost every bone in his body was broken by the deadly spell of Chrysalis. When she held him in her arms, she sensed the spark of life inside him. It was nothing more than a faint glimmer, but it was still there.

“Tia...” Mirage said on a weak voice; it was barely audible. He even opened his eyes a little.

“Don't worry, my love!” Celestia smiled warmly at him. “Everything's going to be all right!”

“The Sun... you must...”

“I'll take care of it. I promise. No excuses this time.”

Then Mirage lost consciousness once more. Celestia carried him to the infirmary and gently put him down on a soft bed.

“Make sure he receives the best treatment!” she shortly ordered the guards. “I still have one more duty left!”


*** ***


She hasn't been here, for quite some time now. But before that, she has spent more than ten years in this place. Celestia was once again standing in her room up in the Ivory Tower, the highest tower of Canterlot Castle. The ancient walls were reverberating some terrible memories... and some pleasant ones as well. If they could speak...

She idled there for a couple of minutes, reminiscing about the past and thinking about Luna. She knew her sister was still alive, but she'll have to endure a little more suffering, if Equestria and the entire world were to be saved. Celestia shook her head, shooing away the unsettling images and walked forward. There was no time to lose. The solstice was at hoof, and only she, the Princess of the Sun could make sure that it wasn't the last event in ponykind's history.

The solar goddess opened the glass doors which led to the spacious balcony. The premise was perfect for her to preform her royal duties, something she hadn't done for over a decade. Yet she had no doubts. Her soul was cleansed. She passed on to another level of existence, only to rediscover herself and came back to help those in need. It was her task, her destiny. She had to learn that once more. Not even death could stop her from doing what was right. What was needed to be done. Even if she was delaying the decision for far too long.
She walked over to the edge of the balcony with slow, confident steps. It was still raining heavily. Her mane and tail was soaked as a mop, such as her bright, snow white coat, but she didn't care.


*** ***


Twilight and Cadence were in one of the lower towers of the Castle. Driven by an inner instinct, they walked over to their windows and looked up to the Ivory Tower. They saw Celestia on the balcony. It was a beautiful, reassuring sight to behold. Even though they were in their individual rooms, both young Princesses smiled at the same time.
“She has returned!” they whispered in anticipation.


*** ***


Nocturnal Mirage regained consciousness only for a glimpse. But it was more than enough for him to see Celestia on the balcony. The infirmary was located at the middle section of the Castle, but the Ivory Tower was visible from almost every window of the majestic structure. Mirage was in pain, but he didn't care. The mere sight of the Princess was soothing and he had no doubts anymore: his mission was over, the primary objective has been achieved.


*** ***


Magic disruptors were crude devices. Created in harsh times, in the era of villainy. Yes, their rule wasn't such a utopia all the time, like the chronicles so often preferred to describe it. The reign of chaos has tainted the hearts of many ponies, who eventually became the members of the very first and last organized crime group of Equestria. They posed a serious threat to peace and harmony and they had to be dealt with properly. Magic disruptors were a part of the solution. They used them with heavy hearts, but there was no other way. Although the device may have worked well on unicorns; successfully isolating their magic from their soul, thus preventing them to use their powers, the dreaded collars weren't as effective on alicorns, because they possessed significantly more magic than any other common pony. Of course, some research and development would have fixed the minor glitches in the magic disruptors, but after the criminals were punished, there was no need for them.

This small malfunction of the collar however was the only reason Luna was still alive. Although the disruptor indeed blocked most of her magic, a tiny figment of it still managed to bypass the device. That's why she was able to sense the approaching solstice, even in her underground prison. Luna's soul was surging, like the magical flow itself. In her helpless fury she struggled so violently, that she didn't even care if she hurt her own self in the process. But her efforts were in vain and she knew only Celestia can save the world. She tried to crane her neck as far as her chains let her, which wasn't much. She was very weak, Chrysalis drained her magical aura, until there was almost nothing left. Her fate was interlocked with the fate of the world.

“Sister... please!” Luna cried desperately.


*** ***


There were no excuses. There was no fear. There was no inner corruption. Celestia has made peace with her past and her future. After a dark decade, she was finally ready to take up the mantle of her parents once again.

The heavy rain was cold, but she didn't care. Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep inhale. Then she looked up to the gray sky. A small gap opened in the thick layer of storm clouds above Canterlot and a tiny ray of weak sunlight came through to illuminate her tall, dainty figure. She spread her wings and gazed into the Sun. It was an extraordinary sight to behold. The solar Princess, standing in the narrow path of light, in the middle of a powerful storm. As the sunlight shone through the curtain of rain, it created a sparkling rainbow above Celestia, like a halo above her head. She was ready.

The golden aura of her magic surrounded her horn as she reached out for the fiery orb, that was almost got consumed by the black moon. The Sun's radiation was weak and faint; Celestia felt the astral screams of the forever shining disk, that was the source of life in Equestria. She didn't hesitate anymore. A wide, powerful yellow beam erupted from her horn, heading toward the Sun and struck the dark sphere that was blocking it out. Golden shockwaves rampaged through it's surface and it was starting to move away from the Sun. Celestia intensified the strength of the beam, channeling more magic through her horn. Her eyes were glowing white as she was struggling against the mighty forces of gravity. Her snow white coat was radiating with a bright light in the rain and the sunlight itself became more and more powerful as well.

The black moon was moving away from the Sun, letting it pour its light to Equestria. The fiery disk grew bigger and bigger, almost half of it was restored. But it wasn't enough. Celestia sensed the forces of the gravitational unbalance slowly overpowering her magic.

“No!” she cried, grinding her teeth in the struggle.

The solar beam grew wider and wider, performing a beautiful, yet sinister play of light over the landscape. Doubt approached her soul, but she didn't let it broke her will again. She knew there was only one way. Something she was still afraid of utilizing. In order to restore the balance of the cosmos, she needed to remove all the filters; her magic must have been allowed to flow absolutely free through her.

“The final barrier...” Celestia whispered, closing her eyes.

She once again opened the sluices of her soul, letting the untamed power of the Sun out. Several golden tendrils emerged from different parts of her body, coiling in the air like a snake. The straight beam of her horn lost its shape as well and became an abstract yellow serpentine. Celestia realized with surprise that although this method required an unimaginable amount of inner strength and magic, it felt much more easier, than fighting the forces of the universe directly. Like if she was punching a thick wall of solid stones, instead of finding a way around it.
The tendrils of her magic were now everywhere and so was she. Celestia has become one with the magic flow itself; after all, she was the manifestation of the Light. The Sun shone brightly on the top of the sky and the dark storm clouds were slowly dissolving. The rain let up and the black Moon wasn't blocking the Sun anymore. As instead, it was returning to its original orbit around the biggest known planet: the Chronos.

But her work was not complete yet. Celestia destroyed every single barricade in her soul, setting the full potential of her magic free. Every pony who looked up to the sky saw something that nopony has ever seen before. And probably will never see again. Their jaw dropped in shock as the golden aura of Celestia's magic was slowly expanding around the planets and moons themselves. Soon they were encased by her magic and obeyed her will.

It was a remarkable feet indeed. Celestia alone had the power to manipulate the universe and move planets! Yes, the royal sisters were in control of the day and night cycle for more than a thousand years, but this was something entirely different. Nopony was ever able to project his or her will on the very universe they were living in, like Celestia did that day.

Many chronicles can confirm that the sky turned pure gold that day. Golden planets, golden moons and golden clouds, golden grass, trees and buildings. Even the raindrops were solid gold, as Celestia's magic has reached a new level and became omnipresent. She has become a true goddess and pushed the limits of alicorn magic to an utterly new level. For a brief moment, she was everything. Every being in the world could feel her soothing and reassuring presence. She gained strength from the collective life force of the planet.

Celestia's face distorted into a grimace of struggle, as she focused her will on the planets, forcing them to regain their places in the galaxy. The different sized orbs were growing smaller with every passing minute, as they returned to their original orbits around the Sun.
She completely lost track of time, but sensed her work was nearly finished. It was time to close the gateway. As she feared, this was a far more difficult task than opening it. The pure, untamed power of the Sun was flowing freely, she was nothing more than an instrument of the fiery disk and this power was not easy to contain once it was set free. Celestia began to decrease the amount of the omnipotent magic she was releasing. She knew if she continues, the planets will be pushed away too far from the Sun and will spiral out of control into the dark depths of space. This was something only the embodiment of the Sun could possibly comprehend, because they were one: the alicorn and the blazing star. Celestia knew the exact moment when she has to stop; timing was crucial in order to restore the balance of the universe. And that moment was near, very near, but she couldn't get the magic under her control. The first waves of panic reached her soul.

What if can't stop? What if the results will be the same? What if I incinerate everything, like in the past? What if I will cause the destruction of the universe in my efforts to save it? What if...

Then she heard a strong, yet familiar voice in her head. In fact, two voices. They spoke at the same time and said only one word, but it was enough for Celestia to conquer her fears.

Remember!

And like before, when she had to choose to intervene and save Canterlot from the changelings, a switch clicked in her brain. Celestia's roar was long and mighty, it echoed all over the landscape. The moment has arrived, she was certain.

“Stop!” she shouted in a fashion she always gave her commands in the last thousand years. “Immediately... DIMINISH!!!”

Then everything turned quiet. Deadly quiet. Celestia stood sternly, shutting her eyes fiercely, not daring to open them to see what happened. Canterlot itself was frozen in this moment, every pony stood exactly like the Princess, gazing at the sky, with gaping mouths. The golden tendrils of Celestia's magic became more and more transparent, until the gauzy material vanished into thin air. The world slowly regained its natural colors and the storm clouds have disappeared.

Celestia finally opened her eyes and her jaw dropped in shock. She looked around slowly, feasting her eyes on the landscape and the capital. The Sun was shining brightly and was about to reach its zenith. There was no black moon threatening it anymore, the sky was cyan blue, there were no out of control planets. It would have been a typical day in the early winter, except everything was deadly quiet. Celestia blinked in utter confusion, still refusing to believe this was the reality. Then she heard the first noises, that assured her this was no dream. A faint sound, traveling softly with the cool breeze: the chirping of some birds.
The sun goddess stared at her trembling hooves. Her body was shining with a golden radiance. Then it faded away. The gateway was closed, the pure solar magic was safely contained inside her being once more.

Celestia then looked up to the Sun. As an expert of astrology, she could tell from the angle that the winter solstice has occurred. After a couple of seconds, she winced. The silence was shattered to pieces by a loud rumble: the cheering of her subjects, who were praising her name. She almost collapsed onto the marble floor of the balcony she was standing on, but managed to find her footing. She felt her magic snuffing out the weakness. She was stronger than ever. She was finally able to accept the truth: she saved the entire universe and her beloved kingdom!