Celestia was always known as the obedient one. The kind of girl who would bite her tongue and swallow down whatever she had to say, switching it out for a pretty smile instead. The kind of girl who would be of good use. Or more specifically, to be used.

And she had been used: by her own government, by Sombra, and now by the Dusks.

Even though Luna was the younger one of the two, she had always been the true leader of them. Only now, with Luna gone, did she realize how much she relied on her sister. But now, she had to be the one to save Luna.

They used Celestia as a figurehead, someone who had the illusion of power. She could still make basic decisions, and carried out the Dusks' orders. But everytime she tried to find a way around something, they found a way to make someone else pay. And more often than not, it resulted in a very unpleasant death.

Celestia made her way down the corridor, escorted by some guards. She had just come back from making yet another speech-they all blended into one another at this point. On the way, she passed by a room, and what sounded like Napoleon and Ebony's voices from inside.

She quickly slipped her hands into her pocket, so the guards wouldn't notice her finger glow, casting a spell to widen her distance of hearing, allowing ears to pick up on things farther away. Unfortunately, she also had to hear Nereza screaming at a guard for accidentally stepping on her foot, and Specter cracking all of his knuckles.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just kill her off?" It was Napoleon.

"Do you remember what happened to the Netherbane-Nightshade alliance? The principle is the same. You can only make the people so mad before they fight back. When Ivy Nightshade killed Phoenix Netherbane, it wasn't the guards or even the Netherbanes who caught her first. The citizens themselves went after her. If that doesn't convince you, there are currently terrible riots in the Crystal Empire. Besides, our resources are limited," Ebony replied.

"I still think we're giving her too much freedom," Napoleon growled.

"We already have guards watching her constantly, don't allow her to make any important decisions, and lock her in her room at night."

Celestia heard grinding noises, and she couldn't tell if it was Ebony sharpening her axe, or Specter crushing somebody else' bones. She didn't want to know.

"She's more powerful than the guards. And she could defeat them if she wanted, the only reason she wouldn't...would be because she's planning something else," Napoleon argued.

"Napoleon!" Ebony was raising her voice. "What more do you think we should do? Have one of us chaperone her at all times? We're limited in numbers! Don't forget we still have the Crystal Empire situation to take care of, and trips to the disputed territory in the Netherbane region!"

Celestia cringed internally when Napoleon used the sappiest voice she had ever heard, "Ebony, you look so beautiful when you discuss strategies-"

"NAPOLEON!"

"Your intellect is enough to bring thousands of men to their knees-"

"And women," Ebony mused, still annoyed, but seemingly calmed down. "Nereza had a thing for me a few years ago. She always got flustered when I licked my axe after chopping someone's head off. Anyways, don't think you can flirt to get your way. I caught that."

Napoleon hissed angrily at that.

"Aw, don't get too upset. You did say I was intelligent, did you not?" Ebony gave a quick laugh after that.

"I still want her dead," Napoleon muttered.

"I know. And I'm sorry I yelled at you for that," Ebony apologized. "You mean well. But we would need to discuss it with the others."

"It's really her magic that's the issue, everything else is fine," Napoleon elaborated.

"Don't think too much about it. Her guards are quite powerful. She's still outnumbered. We have this all under control...."

Celestia stopped the spell when she heard making out. Death really was hurtling towards her like a chariot traveling at full-speed, with Napoleon holding the reins. Ebony opposed the idea, and Celestia guessed that Nereza and Specter might too, but in the end, Napoleon who had the final say. Ebony was present more infrequently than the others. Because she was a spy, Elvira would send Ebony on missions a lot.

"Ow!" Celestia yelped, a finger poking her back. It jolted her out of her stressful thoughts and into the (arguably more stressful) present.

"Princess," it was the gruff voice of Anwyll, one of her guards. He had a surprisingly deep voice and intimidating demeanor, despite being a few inches shorter than her and barely out of his teens. "We've been instructed to lock you in for the night."

"This early?" She faked a dejected voice, inside she was rejoicing that she finally had time to think of a plan.

"Napoleon and Ebony's orders, not mine," he shrugged. "In. Now."

He shoved her in, and she stumbled, barely catching herself. The door locked behind her.

"You ready?" He asked the other guard, named Lavina, a tall woman well into her thirties. She nodded, and an orange light shone from behind the door, before fading. It was a barrier-any attempt to break through it would result in minor to severe injuries, depending on how hard the blow was.

There were three guards outside her room. She knew Lavina's ability, but Anwyll and Dewei, the last guard's, were still a mystery to her. She predicted that one ranged on the physical side, and another on the mental side to balance things out.

The plush pillows on her bed beckoned to her, and she eagerly flopped onto the mattress. Brushing strands out of her face, she thought she felt a piece of paper something under the pillow.

Celestia slipped it out quietly, unfolding it. The note read: I'm in the closet.

In her closet? Who would be in there? Out of curiosity, she took tentative steps towards her wardrobe. With a shaking hand, she pulled open the closet, barely withholding a gasp. Inside it was a small woman of about seventy.

"Talya?" Celestia whispered. She was the nurse who would give her a quick check-up each morning. Talya simply put a finger to her lips, pointing around the room and shrugging. You never know who might be listening. Talya handed her a tiny glass bottle filled with a pale green liquid.

Celestia had never seen something like it. Talya nodded at it, making a sleeping gesture with her hands.

A sleeping draught! But all potions were different...some were drinkable, others just required a little sniff. And how long it would take was a whole other question.

Sensing her question, Talya pointed to her nose. So it was the sniffing kind, and likely very strong, considering she was only given a small quantity.

"Thank you." The initial feeling of overwhelming joy had faded, and it turned to fear and guilt. "I-I felt so lost...I just feel like everything I've been doing has been going horribly wrong."

Talya nodded, taking a seat on a stool in the large closet.

"I just feel like such a failure..."

Talya shook her head, extending her arms out. Talya wrapped her in a comforting embrace-though old, she was a lot stronger than she looked.

Celestia suddenly realized how risky this must've been for Talya. Her daughter and son-in-law worked in the palace library. Celestia couldn't forget the way they doted on each other, and how they always knew where to find the best thriller novels. And Talya had grandchildren too: two rambunctious boys of ten and twelve, who would always stop whatever playful mischief they were doing to wave at her.

If this went wrong, and the Dusks found out that Talya had aided in the plan, her family could suffer the consequences. That was what being a leader was. Not just being responsible for her own life-but for others' as well.

"I'll think of something, I promise." Celestia held onto Talya, who gave her a reassuring pat on the back.

****

Celestia flopped onto her bed, picking up the nearest book from the bookshelf. It was a book of stories-definitely one made for children, with its large writing and intricate photos.

Oftentimes, when she was stuck, she turned to this book for inspiration.

She spun through all the popular stories-the manticore, the sirens, the ursa major, until she came to the Elements of Harmony. Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Honesty, Generosity and Magic are the six Elements. Though powerful on their own, they come together to create something strong enough to trump even dark magic.

Her mind flashed to Sombra, with his crystals, his mind twisted into something so gut wrenching, something only dark magic could do. I could defeat Sombra with it.

But to defeat Sombra, she had to defeat the Dusks first.

That was it! She had to get to the Elements-then she could use them to stop the Dusks. She knew the properties of dark magic and vampire magic were very different, but they seemed similar enough, and the elements were her last idea.

But where would they be? She knew that most of the ancient spell books and artifacts were kept in the back wing of the library, with a bookshelf acting as a door.

Though powerful, if the user does not have maintain control of the elements, the consequence can be fatal.....

****

Celestia yearned to sink back into her haven of soft pillows and cool sheets-one where no harm could get to her. But for this to work, she had to get up.

Anwyll would knock on her door at seven thirty, giving her five minutes to make her preparations.

First, she climbed out of bed and went to retrieve dresses from the wardrobe. She piled them onto the mattress, covering them with her blanket. Hopefully, it would give her guards the illusion that she was in bed, buying her a few seconds.

Her hands shook as she doused her blanket in the concoction Talya gave her, holding her breath as she did so. She left a few extra drops in the bottle just in case, and dove into her closet seconds before she heard knocking.

"Princess. We're outside. Open up. Now," Lavina's joyless voice demanded, before grumbling something about hating the day shift. "Lucky Dewei. Busy doing an emergency mission for Elvira. Seems way more fun than this."

Celestia trembled as the knocks grew louder, along with Lavina's yelling and Anwyll's swearing.

"Where. Is. She?" Anwyll demanded. "Princess, I'm giving you one final warning. Come out now, or Lavina's breaking in. And she's not gentle."

"Screw it! I'm breaking in!"

Crack! Celestia heard the sound of splintering wood, and even from inside the closet, orange lights flashed from under the door. Agitated footsteps entered almost immediately.

"You check the room, I'll check the bathroom?" Anwyll asked.

The rustling of fabric made Celestia perk up, her stomach roaring with suspense. She peeped under the door, spotting Lavina leaning over the bed. Would the potion even work?

"She's not here," Lavina called out, before swearing. "Shit! What is that smell? Anwyll? Can you-"

Thud. She collapsed onto the ground next to the bed. One down.

Celestia barely had a moment to celebrate before Anwyll slammed open the bathroom door with such force parts of it broke off, raining wood chips onto the ground.

"Lavina?" His voice was part confusion, part frustration. "Lavina! Wake up!" He prodded her with his foot. "WAKE UP!"

He crouched over her, his brow furrowing, before catching a whiff of the potion. Anwyll collapsed right next to her, his hand in the process of digging for something in his pocket.

Celestia took advantage of the open door to sprint down the hallway, making two lefts.

She had to be quick-it would only be a matter of time before someone notified the Dusks. Footsteps sounded too close, along with hollers of "Why is she running?" and "I'll get Specter!"

Celestia whirled around, throwing a golden sphere of magic which broke off into little spheres, hitting six guards. They all froze in place, while the last one darted around a corner.

Celestia was about to go get him, but stopped. She didn't want to be slowed down, and he could be leading her into a trap. She shook her head, continuing on her way.

Up the staircase, across the walkway, down another...years of hide and seek games with Luna had clearly paid off.

The dark oak doors marked the entrance to the library, and she managed to knock out the two guards at the front.

She reached for the handle, before giving a scream as cuts erupted over her hand. One of Lavina's invisible barriers was in place.

Celestia lit her finger glow, the little sphere growing larger and larger. She pressed her finger against the barrier, gritting her teeth as more gashes opened, traveling up her arm.

Now! The golden blow erupted into fireworks, and she was thrown against the railing adjacent to the door from the sheer force. She curled into a ball to protect herself from flying wood shards, the deafening bang still sounding in her ears.

You have to get moving. She scrambled to her feet, barging through the doors.

The library was empty, the books still pristine and untouched-it was one of the few places in the castle that wasn't marred by her memories of the Dusks.

Surprisingly, there were no guards in here at all, likely because the palace was so big, and the Duskan military was limited in numbers .

Celestia's muscles strained to push the bookcase out, it groaning all the way. Inside, the entire left wall was covered in scrolls and ancient texts, while the right contained boxes. A musky scent wafted through the room-it smelled like old knowledge, the kind that seemed to look down upon you from where it sat on the shelves.

And in the center of it all sat a golden chest with detailed carvings, perfectly matching the illustration in the book. How convenient, the elements are right where I need them, she found that strangely coincidental, but didn't think too much of it.

She opened the chest, revealing the six Elements of Harmony in all their glory. They were caked in a thin layer of dust, but still intact, their gleam brighter than ever.

Her fingertip lit up in gold, and she could feel their magic, the gems giving her a rush of power. It was oh-so-tempting to try and activate them right there, but she knew she had to wait to get the Dusks in one place to do it.

All six elements cast a different color glow around her, crowning her in a halo of hope.

Until the Element of Loyalty shuddered, and then Kindness, then Generosity and so on until all of them were quivering. They shook violently as Celestia tried desperately to stop whatever was happening, pulling them back into her reach with her magic.

She turned her fingerglow into long, tentacle-like strands, tugging on them like a rope, pulling them tighter and tighter.

But they only fought back like she did when she was younger-an unruly child who refused to tame her mane of hair- until the ropes snapped completely.

Celestia was thrown to the floor from the sheer force. She barely had time to get up before she saw the elements doing something peculiar: they expanded and contracted, expanded and contracted, cracks growing in them with each movement.

Then the Element of Magic burst completely, raining shards down on Celestia, the sharp points cutting her skin, some embedding themselves deep in her skin. And all it took was one for the rest of them to fade to a dull gray, before falling limply onto the ground around her. So she stood, with what remained of the elements scattered around her; a kaleidoscope of chaos and defeat.

"And here I thought you were just another pretty face," Napoleon Dusk sneered, his eyes glowing-he must've made the Element of Magic explode. "You proved me wrong. Isn't that right, dear sister?"

"It sure does take guts, doing something like this." Nereza appeared from another corner, her blue bangs matted with blood.

Celestia wasn't sure if it was the way she emphasized guts, or the cruel smirk she wore that gave her a horrible queasy feeling.

"Well, someone else' to be precise," Specter chimed in.

The three shared a laugh, before out of a corner emerged Ebony, her axe covered in something pink and slimy looking.

Celestia knew she had no chance of fighting off all four of them, but Nereza froze her in time anyways, eyes flashing blue.

"You look confused. Well, here's a hint. Sleeping draught," Ebony hissed.

Sleeping draught...guts....Talya. No. Not her....not Talya who had risked so much, only for this whole thing to fail. And how would she ever look at Talya's family ever again...

"H-how did you find out?" Celestia choked through the tears, loathing the tremor in her voice.

"We have eyes and tears everywhere," Napoleon said, jutting his chin out proudly. One of the guards behind him whooped, another patted him on the back.

"It's eyes and ears everywhere," Specter pointed out.

"Shut up," one of the guards groaned.

"Boo!" Another yelled, and they all voiced their displeasure. Nereza even stuck her tongue out a little bit at him.

"He's right," Ebony backed him up. "It's eyes and ears."

The room fell silent, before the guards bursted into cheers.

"SILENCE!" Napoleon roared, and they hushed immediately, the guard closest to him darting to hide behind Ebony. "Where were we...ah, right. Eyes and tears everywhere."

"A few of our lovely friends have very useful abilities," Nereza explained, her arm wrapped around a petite silver-haired girl. "My darling Aiko here can listen to the thoughts of others. We had our suspicions...so we sent her in."

Celestia was still in shock, she couldn't tear her gaze away from the guts on Ebony's axe. "W-what did you do to Talya..."

"You really do care about every little thing, don't you?" Specter said in dismay.

"So easy to manipulate..." Ebony trailed off.

"You would think that she'd know by now. But no...still weak," Napoleon finished.

"Why are you like this?" Celestia screamed, shocking all of them.

"Why am I like this?" Nereza seethed, her eyes glowing a brighter blue. "What kind of question is that?!"

"Do you like living like this, huh?! Killing, maiming, working like drones and for what? Someone who probably doesn't actually care about you?"

"You know nothing about our family, how dare you make such assumptions. All the sacrifices that went into turning us into who we are today," Specter's voice was so quiet, it was on the verge of a whisper.

"It takes a monster to create something like you!" She strained against Nereza's powers, which seemed to shake with her ragged breaths.

Specter punched Celestia, and her head snapped back, stars flashing from the sheer impact. She tasted metal and spat, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

"Specter, get off." Ebony chided. "She has a public appear-"

"I don't give a shit what she has!"

"Stupid," Nereza smirked. "So stupid. Look what you've done, Celestia. You've gotten your servant friend killed, yourself hurt, and pissed off my baby brother all in one day." She said it in mock sympathy, like she was talking to a disobedient child.

"If only she knew when to shut that pretty mouth of hers," Napoleon muttered to Nereza, almost bored by the situation.

"So this is what happens when her little sister isn't around to babysit her," Nereza continued.

"Nereza...you don't have to do this..." Celestia begged weakly, still recovering from the punch.

"What? This?" Nereza grabbed Celestia's wrist and twisted it, sending a torrent of pain through her arm. She couldn't help but shriek from the pain, making everyone in the room erupt in laughter-everyone except Specter and Ebony. But they swiftly followed once Napoleon shot them a glare.

Nereza tried to put on her usual smirk, but her exterior was quickly wavering.

"Is this what you want?" Celestia wheezed through the pain.

"Yes," Nereza hissed, gearing up for another shot.

"Is this what you want?"

And Nereza froze, tears welling up in her eyes. "It doesn't matter what we want, ok?! It never has! You're so naive, goddammit! When will you wake up and realize that this world doesn't cater to you? You love to believe your fantasy of playing hero to the oh-so poor, tormented, misguided souls you have to save from the evil villain! It's so much more complicated than that! You just think everything is about you! WAKE UP!"

Nereza's eyes shone with contempt, and Celestia's lungs stopped moving.

"Specter, get Nereza out of here," Napoleon ordered.

"Nereza, let's go," Specter said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"No." She gritted her teeth.

"Nereza!"

"Specter, no!"

He grabbed her by the arm, dragging her out.

"Specter, I said NO!" Nereza screamed, striking him and sending him catapulting to the ground, before realizing what she'd done. "Specter...."

"Nereza. Out. NOW." Napoleon gave her such a stern older-brother look that she gave a meek nod so out of character and flew out, crying all the way.

"In fact, that goes for EVERYONE."

Voices murmured and weapons clanged on the floor as the guards followed.

Specter looked dazed, but fascinated by the whole spectacle. Napoleon seemed bored by the situation, like he had better things to do. And Ebony was always watching in deep concentration, muttering to herself as she did.

"Specter, Ebony, leave us."

Specter uttered a sad little whine, followed by a "this is the most interesting thing I've seen in months", but still did as he was told. Ebony didn't budge, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Ebony, I told you to leave. That's an order," Napoleon tried again, toeing the line between firm and aggressive.

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like we're done here."

"Ebony...just leave. Don't make me force you."

"Oh...shit!" Specter popped back into the room right on cue, munching on a piece of meat. A few brave soldiers followed, peeping into the room.

"Force me? Are you serious?" Ebony kept her voice at a steady level, but her fists clenched tightly.

"Technically mother made me in charge-" Napoleon reasoned.

"This goes way beyond who's in charge. Do you not want me to succeed? You just want to take care of this issue so you can then steal all the credit-"

"Steal all the credit? I would think you are, considering you're trying to take control of the situation all the time! Is not wanting to be looked upon as a failure so bad? You would know, with your parents basically selling you off to our family-"

The room fell quiet. Ebony stared at him in stunned silence, her body tensing up. She bit down on her lip hard, and she scowled at him with a look of such disgust Napoleon had to break eye contact. "How. Dare. You." Was all she said.

Celestia could see Ebony using every ounce of self control to refrain from striking Napoleon-as attacking your fellow soldier, especially one as highly-ranked as Napoleon was heavily frowned upon.

"Napoleon! What's wrong with you!" Specter yelled at his brother, pushing him against the wall. "You cannot talk to Ebony like that!"

"I-"

"Stop trying to make excuses! You know how much she hates talking about her past, but rubbing it in her face in the middle of an argument, REALLY?! That was petty. I'm ashamed to be your brother! " Specter stormed out, leaving the room empty.

"You're on your own, since that's what you want," she muttered, her footsteps steady.

"YEAH NAPOLEON, SCREW YOU!" A guard shouted from outside.

Napoleon watched all of them, sighing deeply. His mouth was folded into a grim line, but apart from that, he showed no signs of remorse.

"Look what you've started," he said to Celestia, giving a dejected laugh. "Turning all of us against each other, whether intentional or not. Emotions are dangerous, they always got in the way of things. I would know."

"Well, you seem to have none," she replied. "It scares me, honestly."

"Details, Celestia, details. I said...they got."  

Hey guys!! I'M BACK! I know this chapter was really, really long but I hope you enjoyed it. So what do you think Napoleon means? Share your predictions and any other thoughts! Remember to vote if you enjoyed it ! :D