Lucian, let me tell you a secret. I came back from the future.
Before Lucian could even react, Celestia's lips curled into a sly smile, her innocent demeanor faltering for just a moment. Her voice echoed in the silent room, her words laced with mischief.
"The truth ..." she began, her tone almost playful but carrying an eerie edge.
Then, her eyes glimmered melancholy and malevolence intertwined. An unsettling laugh escaped her lips, soft at first, then growing louder, more unrestrained, as though she had been holding it back for an eternity.
Suddenly, the world shifted.
Time stopped.
Everything around them froze, the vibrant colors of the world draining away until everything was left in dull, lifeless gray. The air itself seemed to halt, leaving an unnatural silence behind.