Light fills Rainbow Dash's eyes.

  Her first thought, an oddly tranquil, even calming thought, is that it must be the light a pony supposedly sees when they die. But that thought is dashed aside in only a moment. One would expect a light like that to be serene, calming, calling you to a peaceful afterlife.

  This light is no such thing. It rages, with an incandescent force hotter than an erupting volcano. It burns with an intensity which tells Rainbow Dash that she is, indeed, alive. Its magic bleeds into the air, filling all of Rainbow Dash's senses with its nature; An oddly familiar sense of gentle affection, buried underneath a mountain of crimson rage. All Rainbow Dash can do is cower in pce, the agony of her cracked ribs all but forgotten, taking in the sight as her eyes steadily strain to make out the scene before her.

  What had moments ago been a cloaked pony bearing down on her, knife in hoof, is now... Nothing, not even a wet spot on the ground. In fact, even the ground they had been standing on was missing, repced by a smoldering crater still glowing a dull red from the heat of impact. And within that crater...

  Rainbow Dash's heart catches in her throat as her eyes are drawn hypnotically to the source of the blinding light, unable to shut them despite how it stings, like staring into the sun. Standing there is a... Thing, which could only be described as equine in the vaguest of terms. White coat bzing with light, mane and tail alight like the fiercest of fmes, and white wings spread wide. Indeed, it resembles less a pony, and more a living star in the vague shape of a pony, the magic within unable to be constrained within the boundaries of its form. As though its body was merely a vessel, a container, for a being far more than mere flesh residing within.

  Even to a pegasus rgely unschooled in the ways of magic, its easy to feel the weight of the entities spirit sweeping through her. It feels like light itself, like the sun in a desert sky, like pain and sorrow and anger and fear all congealed into one, great and terrible in equal measure. She feels it with her whole being, in every fiber and cell of her body, enveloping her very soul, holding the whole of her consciousness captive, inspiring equal parts dread and reverence. Yet for all the force she feels the presence, she finds to her immense relief that the entities attention is not on her, but rather, on the assassins remaining within the pza.

  The first attacker, in a desperate st ditch attempt at assaulting Rainbow dash before the entire team of assassins can be dispatched, leaps with her full body towards Rainbow Dash, knife outstretched, face every bit as dispassionate as when the encounter had begun. Moving with preternatural speed, the wings of the entity above Rainbow Dash swing down in a great arc, and like a white-hot bde slicing through butter, the attacker is bisected entirely right down the middle, a fre of sor magic splitting the sky, smiting the ashen remains of their body into the ground with an earth-shattering sound like thunder, or the rumble of cannonfire.

  Rainbow Dash's jaw hangs open in a cavalcade of wonder, awe, terror, and shock. Is that... Celestia? It is almost impossible to recognize them as they are now, but the white coat, broad feathered wings, and long spiraling horn that adorns the living embodiment of the suns fury before her makes it clear.

  Each of the other pony attackers have different reactions; The one nearest the alley bolts for it, while another bites down on something, falling down to the ground almost instantly. The former does not make it far; A searing ray of golden sor fme sweeps across the pza, cutting a deep rift in the cobblestone and up the side of the wall with altogether unnecessary force, scourging the cloth and flesh of the unfortunate pony from the bone.

  That left only one remaining, the pegasus who had attempted to cut Rainbow dash down the middle. It seems that, with the ability to fly, it had taken him a fraction of a second to decide whether to chomp down on his pill, or attempt an escape. That fraction of a second was too long; As he tries to bite down on the pill to end his life, Celestia's gaze falls upon him, the alicorn's horn lighting up with a deep amber light. Even as his jaw struggles to close, the overwhelming telekinetic might of an alicorn's raw magic envelops it and yanks it open, far wider than it was ever meant to, snapping the jawbone like a twig. A moan of agony erupts from the pegasus, as the telekinetic aura envelops their entire frame, dragging them to the ground and pinning them in pce as blood drips from his mouth.

  "YOU COME TO MY HOME AND ATTACK MY PRIZED PUPILS, BLAMELESS AND INNOCENT FILLIES BOTH, AND EXPECT TO ESCAPE THAT EASILY? YOU MAY DIE WHEN I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO DIE."

  The words resound with a force far more than physical, sweeping through the rock and thundering through the trees with enough strength to blow a subtle shockwave across the environs. Every sylble steeped in divine might, the very fabric of reality shuddering as the alicorns innate magic echoes within their words, something even Rainbow Dash can feel with the magical sensitivity innate to all ponykind. And yet, for all the power and force within it, the voice is still undeniably that of Celestia, elegant and regal even in this moment of twisted fury.

  Beside Rainbow Dash, Twilight falls down to her haunches, eyes wide, tears beginning to fill the fillies eyes. Even Rainbow Dash, for all her bravado, cannot help but cower beneath the overwhelming strength on dispy, whimpering from both pain and fear with both her forehooves reaching up to cover her face.

  The sound of the filly's terror reaches Celestia through the haze of retributive bloodlust, and as the vibrant form of the alicorn turns their head back to their two students, badly bruised and beaten both by their ordeal, Celestia's rationality begins to return. The anger that fills the surrounding air begins to subside, giving way to sorrow and remorse, as the light shining unbound from within the alicorn princess retreats back inside the flesh that serves as its vessel. Their mane glows like cinders dwindling, as it fades slowly back to the soft pastel colors of the rainbow, until at st the sight before the two fillies returns to the Celestia they knew as their teacher, and the alicorn ys down on their stomach.

  "I am sorry you had to see me like that, my dear students." There is a certain sorrowful huskiness in Celestia's voice that even the well-practice political poker face they had learned over the centuries cannot restrain. "But do not fear, no harm will come to you. I promise. Just close your eyes."

  Despite Celestia's request, Rainbow Dash can't help but keep her eyes wide open, the scene before her engraving into her memories where it would surely never leave her. The corpse of a tourist lies on the ground with a slit throat, not far from the dead guardspony, while another much younger filly wails over the corpse, begging it to wake. Deep scorch marks run through the cobblestone, and the remains of would-be assassins are scorched unrecognizably into the very stones where they had been standing, while the sole survivor of the assassination attempt struggles against the telekinetic bonds pinning them to the cobblestone. And Celestia, ying there low before her, almost unimaginably gentle seeming for a being which had mere moments ago been practically exploding with uncontained strength.

  Rainbow Dash tries to speak, but all that comes out is a gasp of pain through her shattered ribs, and she rolls over onto her side, squeezing her eyes shut as tears begin leaking from them. Even then, she can't block out the truth of her surroundings, the residual heat still in the air, the ashen smell of charred death soaking into her fur.

  The ctter of hooves on cobble announces the arrival of Celestia's entourage, panting heavily as they catch back up with the sor monarch, surveying the scene with equal parts fascination and horror. "I am sorry, my little ponies, but I am afraid I must attend to my troops and catch those responsible for this travesty." Celestia states, sadly. "I shall be with you soon." Rising up to their hooves, Celestia turns to address the guards.

  "Mooncrescent, Starbze, I want you to perform a full sweep around the pace grounds. Pearl Glow, I want General Apple Corps informed of what happened here and the pace guard on high alert. Lion's Pride, take this prisoner to a cell and make sure he isn't able to kill himself. Everypony else, get every guardspony—on duty, off duty, in training, I don't care—in Canterlot out here, I want the entire pace district on lockdown, stat. And bring me cadets Glyndwr and Shining Armor!" Celestia rattles off the series of orders swiftly, the disciplined guards behind them saluting and scurrying off to fulfill each one in turn.

  At the same time, one final guardspony rushes into the pza, together with a hooffull of carriages drawn by pegasi. Saluting, the guardspony turns to Celestia. "As ordered, I brought a medevac! I..." The guardspony's gaze drifts around the pza, taking in the scene of carnage before him. "..What happened here?"

  Celestia takes a deep breathe, clenching their jaw. "A tragedy, and its appropriate retribution." Celestia's regal form takes on a subtle, almost predatory aggression with that statement, before sighing. "Bring the injured to the pace infirmary, stat." Celestia instructs the medical team. The guardspony and tourist lying on the ground appear dead, but Celestia would not give up hope until a medical team looked them over.

  What now, then? Celestia ponders, gaze drifting up to the sky as their subjects around them rush to fulfill their orders. The guard could likely use the princesses aid in ensuring a complete lock-down of the pace district; Celestia's centuries of military expertise would, of course, come in handy.

  But in Celestia's heart of hearts, they know where they belong. Fpping their wings and drifting off the ground, Celestia watches the first responders loading the injured into carriages where they can perform first aid while the skilled pegasi fliers pull them skywards. Flying ahead, Celestia makes their way to the pace.

  When their students arrive, Celestia would be there. Ready to apologize, for having put them in the line of fire, for not discerning the threat sooner. And for letting them see, the true nature of an Alicorn.