//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14- Achieving the Impossible 
// Story: The Ever-Shifting Tides Of Life 
// by DougtheLoremaster 
//------------------------------//

Scootaloo’s stance had changed, she seemed different; she looked stronger. Turning her head, she smiled at her partner. Sweetie Belle stared at Scootaloo and she felt stronger as well. Her shaking stopped. Her heart felt like it had received a supercharge; pounding in her chest at a rapidly increasing rate. She no longer felt any fear and now she stared at her, the one who had been with her throughout her life, her sword; her lover.
Sweetie Belle had found her resolve again. It had only been for a minute but, as the fear had washed over her, she had forgotten. Forgotten the bond she had forged, the intimacy between her and Scootaloo no other could ever comprehend. Now as she stared at Scootaloo; standing there with absolute conviction, she remembered. 
Mom was such a bucking liar  Sweetie Belle thought as a smile graced her muzzle. She told me I would understand what it was that made me so attracted to that Pegasus. Thirty years together and I still don’t understand it. I don’t understand how she can chase my fears away with a single glance or how I feel safe by her side. But I don’t care. We can do this; we can do anything...Together. She spoke in the commanding voice that sent a tingle down Scootaloo’s spine every time. “You tell her, Hunter.”
This seemed to infuriate Celestia to the breaking point as letting out a roar, her horn glowed with light. A massive fireball issued forth straight at Sweetie Belle, as the mare stood there; a deer-in-the-headlights stare on her face. “Nooooooooo!”
Without a second thought, Scootaloo leapt in front of Sweetie Belle, knocking her to the ground and placing her one good wing over her mate; shielding her from the blast. Closing her eyes, Scootaloo took the full brunt of the blast as Sweetie Belle felt the intense heat singe her fur. After the resulting flash of light from the blast, Sweetie Belle opened her eyes to reveal a horrifying scene.
Scootaloo still stood rooted to the spot; her alchemical wing prosthetic, dripping. The magically infused metal had been struck full force by the inferno and been melted leaving a jagged edge as it dripped down onto the floor. That wasn’t the worse part, though. As scootaloo turned to smile painfully at her, Sweetie Belle gasped.
Scootaloo’s face was burned with 3rd degree burns; the fur was gone. Her muscles were exposed on the half of her face that been struck. The cauterized blood was a dark, sickly black. It was clear however, that there was only one thing on her mind: “Are you alright, love?”
Her voice was strained, her pain immeasurable, yet she didn’t care. She didn’t care if she died, she was now past her breaking point. As Scootaloo let out a scream of rage, she turned to face Celestia. “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?”
Stamping her hoof, Celestia snarled back. “I’m Princess Celestia you-”
“No you aren’t!”
Staring into her single eye as her face pulsed with a stinging agony, Scootaloo stumbled but braced her now burned forelegs. “You aren’t Celestia! I have no idea who you are but, my mom told me about Celestia, and you aren’t her!”
“How dare-”
“Shut up! Celestia was kind, Celestia would give anything to ensure her ponies safety! The Celestia I was told about would never act this way! YOU AREN”T HER!”
Celestia froze as she just stared at Scootaloo as she unsheathed her sword; Her pain echoing in her words. “ I grew up in darkness, where was the sun princess to raise the sun? Where was the warmth and love that I heard so much about?”
Taking a moment to stare at the blade, she narrowed the only eye she had left. A tremor in her voice as she ignored the pain from her wounds. “No, there was no sun princess was there? All our life, we fought just to live against your Arisen. Fine, you know what I’ve had enough.”
Raising her blade into position, she rushed towards the Arisen form of Celestia. “You want to lead the dead, princess? Fine. I”LL SEND YOU BOTH TO TARTARUS SO YOU CAN, YOU ABOMINATION!”

 ***

...As Amore stood there amidst the remains of her two sisters, she turned to Scootaloo and a tear slowly fell down her face. As the tendrils of the tree slowly wrapped around the pieces she spoke in a warm voice tinged with sorrow. “The throne can never be empty. My sisters fell but now you have a chance to rebuild. Their magic must be preserved, please step forward, both you.”

 ***

Sitting in the chair before the fillies and colts in the library, the Alicorn princess read from the book on her lap. She looked up to survey the crowd as she closed her book. “...And that’s how the sun and moon returned to Equestria, centuries ago.”
Giving a warm, sunny smile, the Princess spoke in the gentle voice she had used for centuries amidst the cheering and applause from the nearby parents. “Any questions?”
A young pony; a colt asked with stars in his eyes as he stared at the Princess’s artificial wing. “Did that really happen, Princess Scootaloo?”
With a cheerful laugh, the Alicorn replied with a wink to her nearby wife; who was nursing a small foal in her lap. “Who can say? Though love has a way of making the impossible things a reality. I hope you all enjoyed storytime. Thank you for having me.”
Standing up, the Princess walked over to the white unicorn who was her wife. “Did you have a good day, Sweetie?”
“The nurse’s office was incredibly busy today. So many patients! Little Stormy Diamond here was so fussy...Oh and wait until I tell you what Carol said to me…”
Sweetie Belle was still dressed in her nurse uniform, the hat on her head slightly askew as she breast fed her child. Scootaloo smiled and shot a glance at her son in Sweetie Belle’s lap. He had the white fur of his mom and the magenta mane of herself; A pegasus. She was so happy; never had she thought she would be where she was now. 
Outside, the sun shone brightly over Canterlot’s vast expanse as they walked past the Rainbow Memorial Library; chatting and laughing. The shadows were growing longer as they headed home. It’s almost time, I better get going. One last thing to do before we can go home. Turning to face Sweetie Belle once more, Scootaloo gave her a gentle kiss. “I’ll meet you at home love; it’s time to lower the sun.”

 ***

Standing alone on the archway of her castle, Scootaloo’s horn glowed a bright yellow as the sun slowly sank below the horizon of the nearby forest. The glow of the alicorn’s magic changed to a soft blue as, with a grin on her muzzle, the moon slowly made it’s way into the night sky. The glow faded as she just stared into the star-filled sky and as she had for centuries since becoming the Ruler of Equestria, began talking to the heavens. “Hey mom! Hey Rarity, today was amazing. Wait until I tell you both how the reading at the Library went…”
For hours she sat there chatting to them. “And that’s when….I know right?...Can’t wait to teach him to hunt. Well, look at the time. I got to go. I can’t keep Sweetie Belle waiting, You know, I finally get it: beneath every mare’s wings is the stallion who gives her the lift. Right mom?”
As she turned and trotted away, two clouds took shape in the otherwise clear night sky; oddly resembling the form of a Pegasus and a Unicorn, smiling down upon the Alicorn, as they hugged each other.