Silent Ponyville 3

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
True Final Fight
True Ending - Moving Forward
Prologue
Chapter 5
[REDACTED] Ending - One day, everything will change.

Chapter 1

There was music playing. The quiet melody danced through the air around her, the dulled beats seemed to drag from each chord to the next. As though the instrument hadn’t been played for years and was picked up to be played for that very moment. It sent a shiver down her to hear the haunting melody.

The lavender unicorn treaded carefully forward, unable to see any light before her. She was compelled to keep moving forward even though her destination was unclear. It had seemed like she’d been traveling for a long time by now. Her legs were sore, throbbing with everything she had gone through now. She couldn’t recall everything, just the constant pain inside of her.

It was then that she saw a light ahead of her. It was dull, only bright enough to show her the details of the world around her, but it was a light. Stepping into it she could finally make out the scenery that was around her.

She was in Canterlot Castle. She would recognize her home away from home anywhere. But the place had not fared well. The normal brightly colored tile floor was now entirely gray, rusted and grime forming over the tiles. The walls which once hosted regal paintings and decorations now hosted the decay and grime that covered the floors. The walls themselves were no longer made of rock and gypsum, but now seemed to be made of blood-stained steel. The once regal stain-glass mirrors now contained steel bars held together by a chain-link fence.

The castle was built like a cage.

The unicorn looked behind her, expecting to see the front door to Canterlot Castle. Instead she just saw a normal dead end hallway. Not even a hint that there once had been a door to the castle. However she had gotten into the palace, she was trapped there now.

She turned her attention back to the path before her. She knew the layout of the castle like the back of her hoof. Without wasting a moment longer she ran forward. The main hall was just straight ahead. It was where Princess Celestia most often greeted expected visitors, standing at the top of her stairwell before the stained glass images of night and day.

It didn’t take long at all to reach the main hall but when she reached it she found herself stopped in her tracks. The hall was the same as everything else, falling apart, rotted and stained with blood. But the biggest change was the large, imposing stained glass feature that now adorned the wall just above the stairs.

It depicted Celestia as a large, towering figure in the center, the single visible eye colored a deep red. Houses and ponies were depicted below her, burning within flames that engulfed everything. The sun and moon sat above her head, eclipsing one another. To each of her sides were two symbols, one a red magic circle depicting three inner circles and surrounded in runic writing. The other was a black magic circle, this time depicting a triangle in the center filled with strange, twisting and contorted lines. The runic lettering around the circle seemed to go around the triangle making it look similar to a clock.

The unicorn’s ears were hit with the sound of rattling chains. She craned her head upwards to the ceiling, spotting something looking like a chandelier shuddering and moving above her.

The device hanging from the ceiling suddenly let out a loud snap as it fell. The unicorn had only seconds to move, jumping out of the way of the thing falling straight for her. She dove for the floor and covered her head, expecting to hear a loud crash from it hitting the floor.

Instead she heard the entire device rattle and shake, as if it had come to a sudden stop in mid-air. The sound was followed by a pain-filled, horrifying screech that echoed through the main hall. The unicorn lifted her head and looked back at the horrific sound. What she had thought was a chandelier appeared to be a gigantic set of ornamental decorations, usually adorned for royalty. A giant crown was fused to the top; a tiara was hanging from the side, regal armor and hanging pendants hung from the crown. Underneath all of the decorations was a creature, looking as if it had been welded to the regalia. Its skin was decaying, its back arched up into the crown and it only had two back legs that look painfully malformed. Its mouth hung loose and let out a pitching wail, revealing the row of flat, broken teeth that aligned its mouth.

The regalia shifted and hung from a line from the ceiling. The creature flailed its wailing body trying to reach the lavender unicorn, wanting to sink its teeth down into her flesh.

The lavender unicorn didn’t wait around for the creature to get closer to attack. She turned and ran up the stairs, quickly making her escape. The unicorn ran straight for the hallways she was familiar with. She wasn’t sure where it was she wanted to run to. She wanted to find her mentor, the one who taught her and practically acted as a second mother to her.

She ran down the hallway, her hooves beating loudly against the bloody metal floor at her feet. She could feel the soft spatter of blood strike her hooves with every step. The hallway she ran down felt almost endless, unable to see anything too far ahead of her as it was hidden by darkness. She ran as the steel cage windows went by her. She could see no light from out of the windows, or even if there was a sky out there.

Her hooves carried her farther. As the hallway continued to move it seemed to change upon itself. The ground seemed to grow hotter, the walls seemed to turn a brighter red and the room seemed to begin to morph. The steel caged windows began to transform from the cage bars into stained-glass depictions of ponies. Each stained glass seemed to depict a different scene.

One depicted a pony being burned to death on a stake. Another showed two ponies clashing, each with a different weapon and set of armor. Another portrayed a pony being hanged from a cord held by the moon. Another depicted a mother throwing her child to hungry alligators below. Another showed a pony standing over the corpse of another, a bloody knife in its mouth. Another presented a dead angel being carried in the arms of a crestfallen pony.

The images blurred by and filled the unicorn with a sense of dread upon seeing them. But not for a moment did she stop running through the hallway that seemed to have no end, running straight for the darkness ahead of her.

Two piercing red eyes appeared in the darkness that she was running towards. She didn’t slow down for a moment as the eyes seemed to stare. The darkness that she was running towards began to spread through the hallway. It coiled and wrapped around the structures and stained glass windows, spreading faster than she was running. The darkness crept past her and engulfed the entire hallway in darkness.

The eyes faded back into the shadows as the lavender unicorn ran. She ran into the infinite darkness, never knowing where she was being led.

Twilight stirred in her bed, feeling the end of a fitful sleep. She rubbed her head as she sat up in her bed, groggily yawning. Her nightmare seemed to linger for a moment in her mind, still present, yet somehow fading. She hadn’t had such a restless sleep of night in a long time, but she didn’t put much thought into it now. She blinked several times, rubbing her eye with her hoof as she tried to get an eyeful of her room to determine the time. However, things simply remained dark.

“…It’s too early to be waking up.” She grumbled at herself for waking up from such a bad dream before sinking back into the soft covers of her bed and closing her eyes to rest. She tossed around in her bed getting comfortable once more. She would spend a few minutes in one position, before tossing into a new one trying to return to slumber.

This pattern continued until she finally grew frustrated with her own inability to go back to sleep. She sat up once more and rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear the sleep and drowsiness from them. As she blinked to try and examine her room again, she found herself blind. She raised a hoof to her face and waved it, trying to determine how dark it was. The hoof touched her forehead and yet it was still so dark that she could not see it.

“What the…” Twilight whispered confused, turning her head to the direction of where she knew her window to be. On any normal night there would be the moon and natural lights of Ponyville shining through, allowing her to at least see the faint details of her room in the darkened night. However, the window seemed just as muted as the rest of her room. This darkness that was surrounding her wasn’t natural.

“Okay, what’s going on?” She grunted to herself as she concentrated, her horn flaring up with the simple light spell that illuminated the room for her. The familiar room appeared before her groggy eyes before she turned to look at the window and letting out a short gasp.

On the outside of the window a piece of plywood had been hammered against it, blotting the sun or moon from piercing through.

“Oh, of all the no good pranks…” Twilight sighed turning her head to the lanterns that hung around her room. With a swift flick of her magic the lanterns burned brightly filling the room with light once more. She dimmed her horn as she heard her young dragon assistant groaning at the sudden intrusion of light.

“Is it morning already?” Spike groaned, sitting up with a yawn and rubbing his eyes.

“Most likely Spike.” Twilight said getting up from her bed, “It seems somepony put up plywood to block the morning sunlight. It was probably Rainbow Dash getting in one last prank before she leaves for her honeymoon.” Twilight motioned with her hoof to the window.

“Oh…” Spike said scratching his head a little confused, “Weird prank then.” He stretched from his little cot hopping out and heading for the door downstairs, “I guess I’ll go ahead and get breakfast started then.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you Spike.” Twilight smiled as she watched her assistant head off.

“What’s a number one assistant for anyway?” Spike grinned as he made his way down the stairs. Twilight smiled happily at his energy after having just woken up and walked over to her bedroom mirror. She levitated the resting comb up and began to brush her hair. It certainly wasn’t a disheveled mess, but it needed a good combing. She was quickly going over the events of yesterday in her mind, over how she worried about organizing the wedding and being glad everything came through, over how beautiful the ceremony itself had been, how Celestia had confided to her some strange secret.

“Oh… that’s right.” Twilight turned her head to look at the barricaded window, “I wonder if she was successful at what she wanted to do?” Twilight pondered this thought for a moment before simply smiling, “Oh of course she did. She’s the Princess, when she sets her mind to fixing a problem she always succeeds.” Relieved with her own revelation she gently levitated the brush back down onto the nightstand.

“…Huh, what’s this?” Twilight asked confused, looking at something that hadn’t been on her nightstand before. A small, thin brown box sat there, on top of it was a sliding puzzle consisting of fifteen pieces that formed a scrambled image, one she couldn’t decipher by simply looking at it.

Twilight levitated the strange box, so she could see it better. The box had a hinge on the side and seemed to open down the middle of it. Twilight shook the box gently, hearing something rattle inside of it. She tried to pry open the box to see what it contained, only to find it locked soundly. She stared puzzled at it for a moment, when a thought clicked through her head.

“Oh, I see, the picture must be the locking mechanism. If I solve it the box will open.” She smiled as she began to move the tiles on the box, each sliding motion giving a satisfying ‘click’ as she worked.

“TWILIGHT!” Spike suddenly shouted rushing back into the room interrupting Twilight’s puzzle solving.

“What is it Spike?” Twilight asked confused at the sudden urgency of the baby dragon, putting the box back down on the desk.

“It’s not just the bedroom window! It’s the whole house!” Spike pointed down the stairs with urgency.

“The whole house?” Twilight said dumbstruck by this. She quickly followed Spike out of her room and down into the lower floors of the library. Sure enough, as she looked around every single window she could spot was boarded up tight with the same plywood blocking any light from entering. Spike had already lit as many lanterns around the house as he could, illuminating the interior of the library for them.

“Okay, what the hay?” Twilight demanded walking to the front door. Her horn lit up and grabbed hold of the borders and pushed at it to open as she was going to get to the bottom of this elaborate prank.

Twilight ran face first straight into the door. She stepped back a few paces and shook her head, rubbing her snout. The door remained firmly locked before her. She glared at the door and lit it up with magic once more, pushing and pulling on it to force it open. The door refuse to budge an inch however, no matter how much force Twilight applied.

“Why is this door locked? Why can’t I open it?” Twilight growled with frustration, “Okay, this prank has gone far enough. How am I supposed to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy off to their honeymoon if I can’t leave my house?” She groaned walking up to the door with a hoof and trying to use the handle. It was then that she noticed something new was on the door that hadn’t been there before. A new lock had been installed into the center of the door. It seemed that the lock was holding the door in place.

“…Spike, get me the book that has the lock picking spell in it.” Twilight spoke calmly.

“Right away!” Spike saluted before dashing across the library to grab the ladder. He wheeled it over to section 2, before climbing up to shelf G. He quickly pulled a brown book from the shelf and waved it, “Here it is, A Guide to Locks and Mechanisms!” Spike grinned happily as the book was suddenly engulfed in light, “Whoa!” Spike cried out as Twilight’s magic dragged him and the book over, causing him to smash into the floor.

“Oh, sorry Spike.” Twilight said quickly helping him up and dusting him off, “I’m just a little frustrated. I don’t want this to hinder us from our plans today.”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand.” Spike sighed softly, “While you figure this out I’m going to go ahead and make breakfast.” The young purple dragon quickly headed for the kitchen to start preparing them meals.

“Alright, lock picking, lock picking…” Twilight quickly flipped through the pages looking for just the right spell. “Aha!” She spoke aloud acquiring the knowledge she sought. With a quick scan of the page she memorized the spell and closed the book, her horn igniting with more magic, “Let’s get this lock out of the way.” She pointed her horn at the door, a stream of magic firing forth and straight into the lock. She heard the tumblers moving and grinding inside of the lock before she heard a loud ‘click’ telling her the spell had worked.

“Finally, now let’s go find out what’s going on-“ The door gave a jarring ‘click’ as Twilight tried to open it, telling her the lock was still firmly secured. “Hey!” Twilight glared at the door before igniting her magic and casting the spell once more. The lock whirred and grinded once more as the spell danced inside of the lock before finishing with another loud ‘click’. Twilight pushed on the door once more, the door resisting with another click.

“ARGH!” Twilight growled in frustration and cast the spell once more. As the spell worked on the lock Twilight grabbed the handle with both hooves and frustratingly shook the door trying to pry it open. Even as the spell finished with its usual ‘click’ it refused to open. Twilight sat back on her haunches and rubbed her head frustrated. For some reason the lock-picking spell was working and yet it wasn’t.

“Maybe there’s an anti-magic enchantment on the lock.” Spike said walking into living room, with him two plates containing their breakfasts. A daisy sandwich for Twilight and a small pile of common turquoise he’d been given after the reception.

“Well, if any other unicorn enchanted it, it would be Rarity, but she isn’t the type to prank ponies. Especially not like this.” Twilight grumbled walking over to the table Spike had placed her breakfast onto. She took a bite trying to figure this out in her head.

“Maybe Celestia enchanted it?” Spike asked curiously, stuffing a gem into his own mouth.

“Don’t be silly Spike, the Princess wouldn’t go so far with something like this, not when I have something as important as seeing my friends off planned out.” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Though… perhaps we can use her to get us out of here.” Twilight smiled. “Spike, quickly, grab a quill and parchment.”

“Can do.” Spike said stuffing a few more gems into his mouth before rushing off and returning shortly with the quill and paper.

“Alright. Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began, Spike quickly writing away, “I’m writing to you because it appears that some prankster has boarded up my house and made it impossible for me to leave. The door has been sealed with a magic resistant lock and I can’t seem to open it. Since I assume you’re still in town, I was hoping you could stop by and help me out so I can continue with my day. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Done and done.” Spike said punctuating the letter with finality before rolling the scroll up. With a quick inhale he held the scroll up and exhaled the brilliant emerald flame upon the message.

The paper, alight from the green flame, quickly succumbed to the heat and fell as a pile of ashes onto the floor.

“…Spike! I told you to SEND the letter, not burn it!” Twilight sighed exasperated with her assistance’s work.

“But, but that’s how I always send the letters.” Spike said baffled. He quickly pulled out a spare sheet of scroll paper and quickly rewrote Twilight’s letter. He rolled it up once more and held it up, “Okay, this how I’ve sent every letter in the past.” He spoke quickly, remembering his lessons on how to send things properly with his green fire. He inhaled expertly before spewing out another emerald flame onto the paper.

Once more the message was burnt to ashes and joined the other pile on the floor.

“Wait… so… we CAN’T send letters to the Princess either!?” Twilight asked, shocked at this revelation.

“…I guess so.” Spike said just as confused as Twilight.

“…I’m starting to think this isn’t just some prank then.” Twilight said turning to look back at the door, “This is too elaborate to be some joke. Who could have done this?”

“I don’t know. No pony in Ponyville is capable of preventing me from sending lette-“ Spike stopped mid sentences as suddenly his eyes bulged and he closed his mouth, his cheeks bulging as he put his hands over his stomach. Twilight quickly turned to look at her dragon assistance as suddenly he let out a loud belch, smoke and fire spewing out and circling above his head before forming in a burst of magic into a scroll.

“Huh? Maybe she got our letter anyway…” Twilight said confused quickly levitating the scroll over to her and opened it.

If this was a letter from Celestia it was the weirdest letter Twilight had ever received from the Princess. The scroll was marked with random designs and scribbled all over, done mostly in black but with some sections in red. She concentrated hard on the scroll and thought she could see something written underneath the scribbled madness. It seemed the sections in red contained the actual message that had been scribbled over by the sections in black.

“What’s it say?” Spike asked, unable to see the mess of a document.

“I’m not sure. I’m going to find out though.” Twilight said pushing her sandwich aside before laying the scroll down on the table flat. As she pushed the plate aside it bumped into something, knocking it off the table. This caught Spike’s attention and walked around the table to pick it up.

Twilight concentrated her magic and quickly scanned the scroll with it, before pulling the black ink straight off of the page. Another blank scroll was levitated over to her side and she cleanly placed the black ink onto that scroll, creating two separate documents. She glanced upon the scroll that now contained the words written in the red ink and read carefully.

for whaT Has happEned there is no apologY
twisted be the revAlation undeR the guise of rElief
halloWed foAl, hurT and shoCked, tHeir sIght fiNds no liGht
no remorse no regret no apology
no return

The letter was almost incomprehensible. If this had been intended for her to read, the message had been hidden underneath scratched up nonsense, then to top it all off the letter had strange capitalization, as if the writer had no concept of where words needed to be punctuated.

“Hey Twilight, have we always had this?” Spike asked confused, causing Twilight’s attention to rise from the note. In Spike’s hands look like some kind of small box made of what looked like mahogany.

“Let me see that.” Twilight asked, Spike handing it over as Twilight quickly inspected the box. The box had a seam near the top and small hinges indicating it was meant to be open. On the side she could see a small hole that lead into the device. When Twilight tried to open it she found that it was locked, obviously needing something in the hole to open it.

It was then that Twilight looked up at Spike, thoughts beginning to form into each other.

“Spike, there’s no way this is a prank any longer.” Twilight put the box down and stood up from her spot, “I need you to quickly search around this floor of the library for anything and everything that wasn’t here before we went to sleep. I’m going to go search upstairs for the same things.”

“I understand.” Spike said quickly returning to his plate to scarf down the rest of his gems before searching. Twilight quickly made her way back to the upper floor, swiftly returning to her bedroom. On the nightstand she could see the strange puzzle device that she had been inspecting earlier. She quickly gathered it with her magic and looked around her room carefully. There were the usual strewn books, Spike’s small cluttered mess he called a bed, various decorations and reminders of her stay in Ponyville for the last year. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she made her way to the bathroom.

Lighting up the bathroom with its lantern, it seemed the same at first glance. Towels where they should be, the bathtub empty, the mirror above the sink reflected her image as always. However, on the sink, alongside the usual sundries was a newer brown bottle. The label read ‘Health Drink’ on it. Twilight levitated the drink as well and quickly headed back downstairs certain she hadn’t missed anything else obvious.

She saw Spike was still searching quickly around the library, trying to not leave any space unturned. Twilight quickly walked over to the table and placed down her two items and quickly re-examined what they had already. It only took Spike another minute before he returned to the table carrying another note.

“This was the only other thing I could find.” Spike said looking the note over, “It says, ‘When all is lost, when the darkness is its strongest, when all is cold and bleak, you’ll find the light.’ What do you think it means?” Spike asked, placing it next to the rest of the strange items.

“I’m not sure Spike… I don’t even know what these things are doing here. But I plan to find out.” Twilight said quickly scanning through the various items on the table. There were three notes, two of which were part of the one she had split in half, two boxes, one with a sliding puzzle on top and the strange Health Drink bottle. “But I’m going to figure this out.”

Twilight quickly grabbed the quill Spike had used to write his letters and brought it over to the first letter she had read. Something about the way it was written was bothering her and she couldn’t just leave it as it was. She reread the note once more, before putting the quill to the bottom of the note. She quickly wrote down each of the capitalized letters in order as they appeared.

“…They are watching?” Twilight looked up and around her house. There was no one there except for her and Spike. How would it be possible for anyone to be watching them?

“That was in the letter from the Princess?” Spike asked scratching his head, “This just doesn’t seem like a letter from Celestia.”

“That’s what worries me about all this.” Twilight said, the concern in her voice was apparent, “Hopefully opening these boxes will yield some answer. And since I don’t see a way to open this box yet,” Twilight said moving the mahogany box to the side, “I’ll try and open this one first.” She levitated the sliding puzzle box into her sight and began clicking away at the puzzle.

“What’s it a picture of?” Spike asked curiously, watching Twilight work away.

“I’m not sure. I’m trying to figure that out right now, so that I can solve this thing easier.” She concentrated on getting separate pieces to match up so that she could figure it out sooner. Spike watched carefully, adding in his input, much to Twilight’s discontent. It took several minutes before she started seeing a pattern forming in the image. As she clicked pieces together and started seeing the full image, she simply grew more confused.

“It’s some kind of circle pattern?” Spike asked confused.

“It’s not one I’ve ever seen.” Twilight said just as confused, still clicking the pieces away. She could make out the general shape of the picture now. She could see where each piece was able to go and was able to complete the puzzle much more efficiently. It took her just a moment to complete the picture.

The completed picture was a red symbol consisting of two large circle filled with strange, cryptic runic writing, while inside those two circles were three smaller circles also surrounded by the strange writing.

When Twilight completed the puzzle the box let out one final satisfying ‘click’, telling Twilight she had solved the puzzle correctly. Happy with her work she opened the box, its contents revealing nothing more than a music box key. Twilight carefully lifted it up, examining the piece. She then looked over at the second box on the table, noticing that the small hole in the side was the same size as the end of the music box key.

“Really?” Twilight groaned, “I opened up one box to get the key to another?” She sighed before lifting up the second box now and slipping the key into the hole. It fit snuggly inside the small opening and seemed to stick. She slowly turned the key, hearing the gears grind inside of the device with each turn. Spike watched her carefully, grabbing hold of the table as Twilight cranked the key. With one final turn, the small box clicked.

Twilight reached to open the box, when the lid suddenly flipped open on its own accord.

Something suddenly burst out of the box, rising into the air. Twilight nearly dropped the box surprised by the action, as whatever it was hit her ceiling and exploded into a bright burst of light. Spike and Twilight shielded their eyes from the blast, waiting for the light to dim. Once it did, they blinked and looked up into the air, seeing a small shower of sparkling lights falling to the floor.

“What’s all this about?” Spike asked, unsettled by the strange display that had erupted from the box.

“Have you finished the preparations?” A familiar regal voice said from behind them. Twilight and Spike instantly snapped their heads around, seeing a translucent figure of Princess Celestia standing there. “This is an important night after all.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak to the image of the Princess, only for her to be interrupted by a second, familiar regal voice.

“We have ensured the preparations for the festivities. Thou need not worry, thy subjects shall be safe with us.” The dumbfounded unicorn and dragon turned their heads back around, seeing a similar translucent image of the dark blue alicorn with a dark magical mane, Princess Luna, walking towards Celestia. “Now thou should go, so that thou is not late. Thou should not keep thy friends waiting.”

“Very well, thank you for everything Luna.” Celestia bowed her thanks before turning around and quickly heading out.

“Tis nothing dear sister, we shall always be willing to help thee.” Luna smiled.

The falling sparks of light faded from the world leaving the two in a state of awestruck dismay. They could not find the will to believe that had just happened.

“What the hay was that all about?” Spike finally broke the silence, throwing his hands into the air, “Images of the Princesses? I’ve never seen magic like that before! What’s going on here Twilight?”

“Spike…” Twilight spoke softly, uneasily, “I don’t know. I really wish I did know. I’m getting a very bad feeling about all of this. Right now I need to find somepony, preferably Princess Celestia, but if I can find my friends they can help us out too. After all, we can do anything as long as we’re together.” Twilight smiled reassuringly before looking inside of the box she had just opened.

“Hey, what’s this doing in here?” Twilight levitated a thin stringed pendant with a point cut crystal with a decorative silver frame.

“Hey, isn’t that the pendant used to search for books in the Canterlot archives?” Spike asked curious about the device.

“It is Spike. But what is it doing in this box?” Twilight looked at it curiously, twirling it around with her magic. She then concentrated and poured some of her magic into the device, it lighting up brightly. “Well, it seems to be functioning alright.” She commented before gently wrapping the pendant around her neck for safe keeping, “I’ll hold on to it till we can return it to Celestia.” With that said Twilight checked inside the box once more to see if anything else was left inside.

“Hey, a key!” Twilight said surprised at her discovery. She pulled the thin skeleton key out of the box and examined it.

“Do you think it’s the key to the front door?” Spike asked looking over at the locked door.

“Only one way to find out.” Twilight said turning to the door and walking over to it. She guided the long key into the door and heard the tumblers click into place. With a quick turn of the key she heard the door let out another ‘click’ telling her it should be unlocked, though after having heard that sound several times she admittedly had her doubts. She raised a hoof to the door and pressed against it to see if her actions had worked.

The door swung noisily open, as if the hinges hadn’t be used in years and were rusted over, a fact that seemed strange to Twilight. However, once she opened the door all thoughts of the creaky hinges left her mind.

A thick sheet of fog sat just outside her door frame, shrouding all of Ponyville within the confines of its embrace. Twilight couldn’t even see the houses across the street. The fog only allowed a few feet of visibility.

“Holy guacamole, I’ve never SEEN weather like this in Ponyville before!” Spike said shocked, looking at the fog himself. He stepped outside the door frame and waved his hand through it quickly, some of the fog moving to his actions, but quickly being replaced by more fog.

Twilight continued to stare in disbelief at the sight before her. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have let fog like this cover Ponyville, never in any of the weather forecasts in Ponyville had it called for the town to be shrouded in fog. Were weather ponies trying to desperately clean it away? How was it even possible to have such a freak fog covering just suddenly appear over night? This much fog would take a while to build up, not to mention there would be warnings over it being placed over the town. Everything about this was unnatural.

"I wanted you to know so that if you see anything strange, you'll be prepared."

Celestia’s words suddenly came back to Twilight, awaking her from her stupor like a splash of cold water to her face. Twilight quickly turned back around and ran back to the table.

“Twilight?” Spike asked, turning to see the strange actions of his unicorn mentor.

Twilight quickly levitated each of the remaining items on the table, accounting for the three notes and the health drink. She closed her eyes and concentrated, creating a pocket inside of her magic reservoir, the four items disappearing from the world and finding a home inside of the pocket. She then turned around, looking at Spike seriously.

“Twilight, why do you look so serious?” Spike said, unnerved more by the serious looking Twilight than anything else that had happened that morning.

“Spike, I’m heading out into Ponyville. I need you to stay here and make sure nothing hap-“ Twilight stopped suddenly as her eyes widened, her mouth dropping and her pupils dilating.

Spike lay on the ground before her, his body dismembered and the separate pieces scattered around the floor. His hot blood was splattered everywhere, including on her coat. Scratched claw marks trailing blood were along the wall where the tiny dragon had tried to escape from its attacker. The blood burned against her coat, telling her it was all her fault.

She wanted to scream, to cry, but her voice caught in her throat and choked her.

“Twilight?” Spike called out, causing Twilight’s head to snap back, her eyes looking at her dragon assistant standing by the doorway. She quickly scanned the room, trying to find traces of the horrific scene she had just witnessed. “Twilight, you’re scaring me. What is it you want me to do?”

Twilight couldn’t speak for a moment. She felt completely shaken by the vision she had suddenly seen, one which she couldn’t understand. She only knew one thing that the vision told her.

If she left Spike in the library, something horrible was going to happen to him.

“Change of plans Spike…” Twilight spoke, swallowing the fear that had lodged itself into her throat, “You’re coming with me. We’re going out to find Princess Celestia.”

“Oh… well okay.” Spike said, before looking out the door at the fog then back to Twilight. “Hold on, let me get something.” Spike said before quickly heading over to one of the shelves. Twilight watched him with a bit of curiosity, before the dragon return carrying a large rolled up paper. “We should bring a map of Ponyville since we won’t be able to see clearly in the fog.” He grinned happily.

Twilight blinked oddly at the dragon, before smiling at him. The dragon’s sentiments seemed to affect her even more at that very moment.

“Good thinking Spike, this is why you’re my number one assistant.” Twilight gave her praise to the dragon, who took it with his usual ego. Twilight didn’t leave him much time to speak however, wrapping him gently with her magic before lifting him up and placing him on her back. “Let’s go figure out what’s wrong with the town.” Twilight said confidently turning to the door.

As long as Spike was with her, she knew she could handle anything this strange fog was going to throw at her.

The two of them wandered quickly into the strangely silent Ponyville.

Chapter 2

Twilight walked carefully through the fog, taking note of the unusual surroundings. There was no longer snow on the ground. Everywhere she could see was conspicuously missing the distinct feel of winter. In fact, the very air itself seemed to have warmed as well; the wind no longer contained the biting winter chill. In its place was a warm wind that pushed the fog slowly across town, though it never cleared the unusual weather.

“Alright, first thing we should do is find Pinkie Pie. If we find her, we’ll be able to find the Princess in no time!” Spike smiled looking over the map, “And if we keep heading down this road, we’ll make it to Sugar Cube Corner before we know it!” Spike with a grin, creating a separate atmosphere from the fog around them.

“Thanks Spike, even in the face of a crisis you’re still my number one assistant.” Twilight smiled, grateful to have him with her at the moment, hearing his voice right now was comforting. She had hesitated about taking him with her, feeling that it would have been safer to leave him in the library where he could lock himself away from any danger. At least until she’d had that vision. Whatever was going on in town, she knew Spike wasn’t safe back at the library. She wondered if there was any place in town at the moment that would guarantee his safety.

Twilight’s eyes scanned the building they were walking past, as she came to a slow stop before one.

“Huh? What’s the matter Twilight?” Spike asked wondering why the pony had stopped suddenly.

“Spike, every single house we’re passing seems to have been boarded up just like the library was.” Twilight explained, taking a short detour from their route and walking up to the front door. The entrance to the building was closed but all around she could see wooden planks had boarded up the windows blocking light from entering the building. She reached her hoof up to push against the door and heard it jam. She fumbled with it for a bit, hearing the constant jarring of the door as if the locks were broken.

“Why do you think that is?” Spike asked, watching Twilight fumbling with the door.

“…I couldn’t say.” She paused shortly to contemplate the strange door, “This phenomenon seems to have affected the whole town. Which means everypony is likely trapped inside of their homes like we were.” Twilight put a hoof up to her chin in contemplation, “Which might mean we won’t be able to get Pinkie’s help in finding Celestia.”

“Well, you never know until you try right?” Spike said thinking it over himself, “Besides, if I know Pinkie Pie I’m sure she’s already figured out the puzzle and getting the store ready for some bad weather parties.”

“Always the optimist Spike.” Twilight chuckled, turning from the house and walking back down the road towards Sugar Cube Corner.

“Hey, someone has to be.” Spike grinned, before suddenly shifting on Twilight’s back and pointing ahead, “Twilight! Look! Someone got out of their house!”

Twilight quickly looked in the direction, seeing a pony shaped figure in the fog.

“You’re right Spike! Hey!” Twilight called out, quickly racing towards it, “Hey, did you escape your house too?” The figure in the fog seemed to turn its attention to Twilight, noticing her approaching. Drawing closer the two of them could discern that the figure was wearing a black cloak around its body, its face hidden beneath the hood of its cloak.

“Zecora? Is that you?” Twilight asked, finally slowing as she approached, grateful to see her friend, “Oh Zecora, thank goodness you’re here. Something’s happened to Ponyville and I don’t know what! You know more about strange stuff like this, do you know what’s happening?”

The cloaked figure just stood there, continuing to stare straight at Twilight. Twilight suddenly felt a little uneasy at the staring, having expected to hear the familiar voice of the rhyming zebra.

“Uhhh… hello?” Twilight tried to communicate once more, “Anypony there?”

“You have a kind look in your eyes that seem surprised.” A deep feminine voice escaped from the cloak, the voice seeming to send chills down Twilight’s spine as she took a step back out of instinct, “I fear soon your life will be compromised.”

“M-My life?” Twilight stammered thrown off balance mentally at the sudden sharpness of the voice before her, “H-Hey! You’re not Zecora! Who are you?” She asked trying to steady herself. She felt vibrations starting to come from her back, Twilight quickly realizing that Spike was shaking.

“Time shall weave and pass through you, and you shall be lost to the whims of the night. Shadows prowl and seek your flesh, which shall tear you apart with loud delight.” The cloaked mare began walking slowly backwards into the fog.

“Hey! Get back here! You haven’t answered any of my questions!” Twilight yelled, trying to run back to the cloaked figure. With a powerful gust of wind the figure was covered by fog before seeming to disappear into the thin air. Twilight stared dumbfounded at where the mare had been, looking around for her. There had been no sound of the pony running away, no flash of magic indicating they’d teleported. It was as if they hadn’t existed in the first place.

“I-Is she gone?” Spike asked, managing to stop shaking long enough to look over the top of Twilight’s head at where the mare had once stood.

“Yeah… she is Spike… but I have no idea where she went.” Twilight was baffled at this. It wasn’t an illusion; both of them had heard the mare talk. Something about her had scared Spike and she herself had felt a sense of unease and dread hearing the mare’s voice. “We… we should keep moving. Sugar Cube Corner isn’t much farther.” Twilight said to Spike, gulping down the anxiety building up in her throat.

“Right… We should just need to continue forward…” Spike said hesitantly, looking into the fog for the bakery. Suddenly, the strange fog seemed a lot more menacing than it had moments ago.

“Right.” Twilight nodded her head before slowly continuing with her walking. Her hoof steps seemed unusually loud now, each step seeming to echo against the cobblestone street. She hadn’t been paying attention before, but the echoing steps truly told her the town was apparently empty.

“T-Twilight… do you hear that?” Spike said, panic starting in his voice. Twilight stopped walking, as she heard a distinct sound of metal scrapping against the cobblestone. She perked her ear to hone in on the sound, hearing it several times in short succession.

Klank, klank, klank, klank.

The rhythm of the scraping metal was in tune to somepony walking. But there was more to it than that. She narrowed her eyes in the direction before her, the direction the sound was coming from. She tried to focus on what was making the sound, beginning to see another faint figure in the fog slowly heading towards them. It was then that another metal sound was heard. It was the sound of metal being dragged along the ground.

“Who’s there?” Twilight called out to the figure. The figure began to grow more definition as it slowly grew closer to her. It didn’t respond.

“T-Twilight… there’s more!” Spike said quickly turning the unicorn’s head to look elsewhere in the fog. Twilight’s eyes widened, catching sight of more figures beginning to appear in the haze of the fog. Each figure brought with it that scrapping metal of their hoof steps, as well as dragging something metal along the ground.

This unnerved Twilight. She could feel the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. There was something very wrong with what was happening around her. She slowly began to walk backwards, away from the creatures as they approached.

“Hey! Stop freaking us out! Just tell us who you are!” Twilight cried out, trying to get answers. But all of her questioning was in vain, the figures just continuing to approach. She swept her gaze back and forth rapidly between the approaching enigmas in the fog, trying to determine why they were cornering her and Spike. She counted at least five now, in a half circle around them. They were trying to stop her from continuing forward, as if they didn’t want her to go to Sugar Cube Corner.

Twilight turned her attention to the first one she’d spotted. For a moment she froze in horror, staring at the creature that had appeared from the fog. Though it looked to be in the shape of a pony, there was no way Twilight could discern it as being one.

The creature was wearing armor, though it was different from the royal guards she’d seen in Canterlot. The armor was thicker and covered much more of its body, reaching under their bellies and down their flanks. The armor was rusted away with age, covered in battle scars from what must’ve been many battles. The shape and design of the armor was unlike anything Twilight had seen before, the armor seemed like a much more ancient design.

But it wasn’t the armor that sent fear into her spine. It was a simple look at the face of the creature. It had no eyes. Its skin was barely holding onto its face, rotted and diseased, if the creature had an identity it was long ago. The rest of the skin that was exposed through the armor shared the same fate. Twilight couldn’t comprehend how the creature was standing, let along walking towards her.

In its mouth it was dragging a hefty double-edged sword along the ground. It seemed to have difficulty holding it, yet was unhindered with its advance.

“Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZOMBIE PONY.” Spike yelled, suddenly scared out of his mind.

“SPIKE! Calm down! There’s no such thing as zombie ponies!” Twilight cried back at the terrified dragon, doing everything she could to keep herself calm too. Though she was berating him now, he had snapped her back to reality. She turned her head back to the deformed creature and forced a smile onto her face, despite the sweat beginning to fall down her face, “E-Excuse me, y-you seem to be hurt, please, let me help-”

The air was punctuated with a loud metallic clang that reverberated through the air. Twilight stood like a ghost, staring before her where the blade of the creature’s sword had imbedded into the ground, just mere inches away from her. She had just narrowly escaped no longer having a head.

Twilight stood there, paralyzed by the sudden situation, as the soldier-like creature slowly pulled the blade out from the ground. Adjusting it in his mouth for a better grip, he began to lift it up for another strike at the terrified unicorn.

“TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT RUN!” Spike shouted straight into her ear. The petrified pony felt her heart skip and life return to her veins, her mind finally getting the message to her legs. Her body jumped back, instinctively moving out of the way of danger, as the sword came striking down once more, cleaving through the cobblestone with ease.

Twilight turned on her hooves to run, noticing the approach of the other creatures. Five of these things were walking towards her, some dragging swords, some dragging spears and one of them was dragging an axe. Adrenaline coursed through her and her hooves began to pound the ground with force, careening her body forward with barely any idea of where she was headed. She just ran from these abominations of nature knowing they intended to kill her and her number one assistant.

She’d never forgive herself if harm came to the baby dragon.

The sound of scrapping metal suddenly increased. She dared a glance behind her, seeing the armored creatures chasing after her. They had slowly shambled towards her, but now were in full pursuit behind her. Her mind was in full panic, turning to look in front of her once more.

She was running straight for a house, one she recognized as the house for sale near Sugar Cube Corner. The sides were boarded up just like the rest of the town, Twilight instantly realizing it must be a dead end. She looked to her sides, the creatures were preparing their weapons, to strike her down if she drew close as they chased at her. If she didn’t head straight for the house she wouldn’t be a whole unicorn for very long.

She gulped down panic that had lodged in her throat and put her efforts into one last ditch effort. She had to get through the door, no matter what. Her horn lit up, surrounding the door with magic. She instantly tried the lock, on the off chance it would open, before thinking she’d ram into it to break through and-

The door opened. By some miracle, as if knowing she was in peril, the door gave way to her magic. By Celestia she counted her thanks and slipped straight through the open door, slamming it closed behind her.

Without a moment of rest she whipped her head around, looking for something, anything to barricade the door with. When her eyes fell upon the couch inside the dark, musty room she instantly surrounded it with her magic and slammed the furniture against the door, firmly holding it in place.

Seconds passed, as Twilight braced the couch against the door, slowly backing away from it. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face like bullets, nervous and anxiety building up as she didn’t know what was going to happen. The brief time felt like agonizing minutes, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Wood splintered and broke, the shrapnel flying across the room as Twilight shrieked, a sword slashing through the thick wooden walls. The sword got caught in the fixtures of the wall for a brief moment, before sliding back out. Spike cried out in terror, gripping hard against Twilight’s neck, practically choking her. Twilight couldn’t speak up in protest, only stare in horror as the next weapon broke through the wood and foundations. It was the head of a spear.

A sword slashed through next, followed by an axe right next to it. Her heart beat in her throat as her panicked, shallow breaths echoed in her ears, struggling to get air to her lungs.

The weapons wailed on the wall, creating several holes and lacerations into the door and walls. They were desperately trying to break their way in. Twilight didn’t know if they would be able to break through, but she was terrified that they would.

The axe bore its way through the door once more, pausing as it sat stuck in the door frame. Twilight stared at it, waiting for the continued destruction of the weapons. The axe slowly withdrew from the door, and for the brief moments Twilight could hear the scrapping metal footsteps growing quiet.

The creatures were leaving them alone. For whatever reason, they’d stopped their assault.

“A-Are they gone?” Spike asked, not daring to look at the door the creatures had so anxiously been striking at. It was then that word finally got to her brain that Spike was strangling her.

“S-Spike… can’t… breath.” The words barely escaped her lips.

“Oh! Twilight! I’m so sorry!” Spike apologized and instantly let go of her neck, letting Twilight inhale a much needed breath of air. She gasped and panted for a moment, letting the musty air fill her lungs, before coughing it back out, crashing down into a laying position on her belly.

“I’ve been better Spike.” Twilight finally managed to mutter, starting to feel the rush wear off. With her body calming down her mind could finally start to process what exactly it was that had just happened to them.

“Twilight, what WERE those things?! They looked like zombies! Zombies wielding swords and spears and axes!” Spike grabbed his head, the baby dragon starting to freak out, “They tried to attack us! We almost lost our heads! I thought zombie ponies weren’t supposed to be real!” Spike was now in full panic mode.

“Spike…” Twilight gasped for air, standing up slowly, looking at the rambling, frantic dragon, “Spike, calm down.” She spoke calmly, the baby dragon looking up at her, his mind still racing.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN!? Did you SEE what almost happened to us!?” He cried desperately, waving his hands at the splintered wall and door.

“…I did Spike. But… panicking about our situation isn’t going to help it.” Twilight said taking a deep breath, “We know we’re in a bad situation. But if you panic, you’ll only make a bad situation worse.”

“…Are… you lecturing me?” Spike asked almost shocked, “Now? Of all times?”

Twilight blinked a bit confused, before smiling softly at the baby dragon, amused by his statement. It was true; she was giving him a bit of her usual lecture. But seeing the young dragon she cared for so much being frantic seemed to spark some instinct inside of her that told her she needed to keep him calm. The same instinct that hold told her to bring him with her, was now telling her she needed to make sure he was going to be alright. That his wellbeing was more important than her own. The feeling told her that she couldn’t let what just transpired get to her for Spike’s sake.

“Maybe a little. But listen, if we panic we’re going to make bad decisions, and if we make bad decisions, we’re going to run into those things again.”

“Zombies.” Spike interrupted.

“Spike, do you really believe we were chased down by zombies?” Twilight asked unsure of the answer.

“Well… they LOOKED like zombies, SOUNDED like zombies, and ATTACKED us like zombies… I’m going to go with zombies.” Spike listed the reasons off on his fingers.

“Fine, so zombies are apparently real.” Twilight did not find comfort in that statement, “The better question is, what are they doing in Ponyville and why?” She looked over at the splintered wall once more, “There has to be some reason, some explanation that’ll tell us what’s going on here.”

“This is bad Twilight! What if they’re turning the whole town into a zombie horde as we speak!” Spike shivered at the thought of being attacked by a massive army of the creatures.

“…I don’t think that’s likely Spike.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin as she thought about how the creatures looked, “Though you’re right that their skin and manner of moving was similar to the stories about zombies, they were still different from those stories. For one thing they all were wearing armor; if they were ponies from this town why would they be wearing such regal looking armor?” Twilight began to pace as she thought, “Second of all they attacked us with weapons. The zombies from any story we’ve heard about attack by biting and spread infection that way. If they were trying to amass an army, they would want us infected and in one piece.”

“Well… maybe they’re really CONFUSED zombies! You know they lose control of their thoughts when they turn.” Spike said trying to give favor to his argument.

“Let’s focus Spike.” Twilight shook her head, “The biggest problem here is that those ‘zombies’ are roaming around town! They’re likely attacking innocent ponies! We have to find Celestia and put a stop to this.”

“How’re we going to do that? We can’t go out the front door; those things are probably waiting for us!” Spike motioned once more to the broken front door. Twilight had to admit; even she was unwilling to go out that door now.

“I guess we’re just going to have to find another way out.” Twilight looked around the room, getting a good look at it now that she wasn’t distracted by fear of her life or Spike’s rambling about the zombie ponies. They were in the house’s living room, the couch that had been in the middle of it was now pressed against the splintered door. The center of the room had a broken table, split down the middle and laying in pieces. There were several doorways scattered about the living room, one leading to the kitchen, one to what looked like a closet, one to what seemed to be a basement that was boarded up and one that lead to a bathroom that was also boarded up. Then there were the stairs to the upper room, a balcony could be seen from the first floor that showed doors on the second floor.

“Alright, I have no idea whose house we’re in right now, though it doesn’t look like anyone’s lived here in quite some time.” Twilight turned towards the opening to the kitchen and walked towards it. As she entered she finally began to notice just how dark it was inside of the house. She could barely see anything within the kitchen. Her instinct was to start casting the light spell, when a thought occurred to her.

If she was using the light spell and had to switch to a different spell, the light would cut out and she’d be stuck in the dark. If there was a monster in hiding waiting to attack her, she wouldn’t be able to see where she needed to defend herself.

This was a problem. Twilight took a moment to think about it, knowing full well she still needed a light. As she lifted a hoof up to her chin to think, the material of her pendant brushed against it. Surprised, she looked down to remind herself that she still was wearing the pendant from the Canterlot Archives.

“Oh, of course.” She smiled to herself, being reminded of it. She pressed her hoof against it and the crystal came to life, illuminating the world before her. The part of the pendant that was used to read books was now serving her as a lantern. Now that she was able to see, she quickly gave the kitchen a glance over.

The kitchen hadn’t fared much better than the living room, many of the counters were a broken mess, worn away with age and rotting. Many of the doors to the cupboards were loosely hanging on the hinges that were left over with rust and age. Cracks covered the floor and there brown and red stains littered throughout the kitchen.

However, Twilight’s eyes fell upon what she was looking for, a backdoor that was neatly placed at the end of the kitchen. It must’ve been a patio door, and if they could get to the backyard they could get around those creatures out front.

Twilight’s hoof reached the door and tried the knob, hearing the distinct sound of it being locked.

“Of course it is.” Twilight sighed, looking down at the handle, seeing a keyhole similar to the one that had been inside of her house. She realized it must be similar to the situation from her own home. Somewhere within the house was the key to this door, probably hidden within some dumb box within some dumb box puzzle that she needed to figure out.

Twilight quickly returned to the living room, illuminating Spike with her pendant causing him to be blinded momentarily.

“Augh, hey, watch where you point that thing.” Spike said covering his eyes.

“Oh, sorry Spike.” Twilight chuckled softly before walking up to him keeping the light directly out of his eyes, “There’s a door in the kitchen that looks like a way out, however its locked by a similar lock that was on our front door. I’m going upstairs to see if I can’t find the key.”

“Oh, well alright, then I can search downstairs for anything.” Spike smiled ready to help.

“Actually Spike, I was hoping you’d just stay down here and not go exploring. I don’t know what could be waiting for us in this house, or if those things are going to attack again. If you stay here, I can hear you shout for me and I can come to you quickly.” Twilight explained as best she could to her assistant.

“But… but…!” Spike began to protest.

“No buts Spike. I can take care of myself, but I have to be able to take care of you too. It’s safe here for the moment, so please wait for me to look upstairs. I won’t be longer than a minute or two and if you need me, I’m a single shout away, okay?” Twilight pleaded to the baby dragon, hoping he’d understand. Spike hesitated for a moment, fiddling with his fingers, looking unsure of what he should do.

“A-Alright Twilight… but if YOU need me, call me right away, okay!” Spike said, giving her a look of determination in return.

“Thank you Spike.” Twilight said quickly nuzzling against him.

“Yeah, yeah, just, go find the key and… be safe alright?” Normally Spike would protest against the show of affection, but considering their circumstances, it seemed appropriate.

“I will Spike. I’m not about to leave you alone.” Twilight nodded, giving him one last reassuring smile before turning and proceeding up to the second floor. Each step on the stairwell gave a loud groaning creak to each of her hoof steps. She worried that with the age of the structure that one wrong step she would find herself with a leg stuck in broken, splintered wood.

However, the stairwell seemed to hold up and she was soon on the balcony of the second floor. She looked down to the living room of the second floor, seeing Spike looking back up at her. Anywhere from the balcony she’d have a good view of the first floor, so she could easily jump to Spike’s aid at any time. She turned her head to look at the doors on the second floor. She counted six in total, though two of the doors were boarded up with wooden panels.

Twilight turned to the closest unbarred door; it was the only door just to the left of the stairwell.

Twilight pushed the door open, it creaking on its hinges as it moved. Twilight swept the light slowly across the room, checking to see if anything was amiss.

The room looked to be some old library or perhaps a study room. There were bookshelves that were now deprived of books, gathering dust and cobwebs with time. A few blank papers were scattered the floor near an old rotting desk. On the other side of the room she spotted something unusual. Sitting on top of a chair was a safe that looked much too heavy for the chair to be holding, yet somehow it did. On the front of the safe was a piece of paper that appeared to have some messy writing on it.

Twilight quickly walked over to the safe, examining it carefully. It just seemed to be a normal, cast iron dial safe that was unlocked with a number combination. Her horn lit with magic as she grabbed hold of the paper on the safe and lifted it up to her face to read it.

Part of the key is locked away here. I locked it away so that it won’t hurt us again. If you want the key, you must answer the riddles three, for only the combined answers will unlock the key.

-If you find nothing then you’re not there yet, but if you find more than me then you’ve gone too far.

-At sunrise the foals came out to play. They played all day as the sun began to set and the moon rose above their heads. They continued to play despite the night, never tiring or growing weary. They did not stop till they saw the sunrise once more, and then went tired back to their homes.

-In my collection I have but four ponies. Though sadly two befell to an accident and lost a leg each. It’s unfortunate to say, but the legs will still suffice, just need to make a small change.

Twilight thought the note odd for a moment. After all, it just seemed like a random set of riddles set up just for her to answer.

She looked at the safe, then back at the note and pondered what the words meant in her head.

‘I suppose the answer is the combination to this safe. Which means the answer to all of these riddles must be numbers.’ Twilight looked back at the riddles and read them again carefully, looking for the answer to this puzzle.

She racked her brain for a few minutes, going over possible solutions in her head. However, she finally came to a set of numbers that made sense to her.

“Alright… one… twenty-four… fourteen…” She spoke aloud as she turned the dial back and forth. As the dial landed on the final number it let out a satisfying ‘click’, informing her that she had solved the puzzle. She opened the safe door and peered inside, hoping to find the key to the door downstairs.

There were two things inside of the safe, none of which were a key. She sighed, a little disappointed, though somehow not surprised, before inspecting the items there.

The first thing her eyes came upon was an iron helmet. It seemed strange to her that the item would randomly be in the safe. She picked it up with her magic and inspected it. It looked almost brand new. It shined in the light of her pendant. She pondered about just leaving it there, but something in her gut told her it’d be useful. She wasn’t sure exactly how a random iron helmet would be useful, but at the same time she remembered back to the items she had obtained after solving the puzzles in her own home.

The iron helm soon vanished, being stored safely within her magic.

The other item in the safe was a strange ancient coin with weird markings on it. She levitated it closer, inspecting it. At first she couldn’t tell what it was, but as she looked it over memories of books she’d read back in Canterlot came to mind. The strange designs on the coin were of ancient Equestrian, the circle had a metallic extension on the back for imbedding it on clothing or armor and as her magic surrounded it, she could feel a soft pulse emanating from it.

“This is… an enchanted medallion. They’re used to imbue magical properties to items without them…” Twilight was fascinated at having discovered it in the safe, “Judging by the age, it must be at least a thousand years old. But despite its age it still holds a magical charge… Equestrian magic is truly amazing.” She smiled in wonder at the device.

“TWI-ZZZZZ-…”

Twilight dropped the medallion as she nearly jumped out of her skin. Instinct made her jump away from the medallion, as it began to make distorted, garbled sounds. She stared at it in shock, not sure what to make of the noises. She thought she could hear a voice playing through the strange noise.

“ZZZZZZZ-BZZZZZZ-CA-VVVVRRRRRRSSSHHHH-ED HEL-SSHRRRRUUUUUU-LONE HER-SSSSSSSHHHHHHHH-UN AWAY-KSSSSSSSSHHH”

Twilight could do nothing but stare in horror until the medallion finally grew quiet. She had no idea what had just happened with it. She’d never known medallions to store voice or sounds before. Sure, it was the basis for some of the musical equipment that was developed recently, but it was technology beyond what ponies would’ve had a thousand years ago.

She slowly approached the medallion and tapped it with her hoof. It didn’t seem to be doing anything now. She wondered if the sound had been triggered because she had poured magic into the device, as there were many items that required a regular recharge with unicorn magic.

Twilight levitated the medallion once more and gently poured some of her magic into the device, expecting to hear the sound start up once more.

She was baffled at the silence it produced. She twirled the medallion around, inspecting it from every angle she could, but nothing came from it. It was almost as if the whole thing had just been her imagination. Her brow furrowed in frustration at the piece of metal in front of her. She resigned herself to just putting it away into her magic repository and forgetting about it for the moment. She made space in her magic reservoir for it and attempted to place it inside.

However, the coin refused to budge. Though she could lift it, for some reason it refused to go into her holding space.

“Hey, what gives?” Twilight glared at the coin, trying several times to get it to vanish from her sight and find a place inside of her magic, but it simply refused. She let out a huff in frustration at the medallion. “Maybe it’s enchanted not to work with this kind of spell. Which is stupid, why would it be enchanted against being carried inside a magic vessel?” She groaned before thinking about what to do with it.

She examined the metal extension on the back, noticing it was thin and strong, able to clamp down hard to either cloth or metal, depending on what it was going to enchant. She looked down at the string of her pendant.

The medallions metal extension slipped onto the string and snapped closed, now firmly attached to her pendant.

“There, now I’ll be able to keep hold of it.” She wasn’t sure what she was going to need it for, but the note said that these items would lead her to the key to unlocking the back door, so she needed to take them with her.

With nothing else notably interesting in the room, Twilight turned and exited the room. She looked over the railing down to see that Spike seemed to have found a candle and lit with his fire. He was staring at some pictures that were hanging on the walls around the living room.

“You okay Spike?” Twilight called down to him, causing the baby dragon to look up.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just looking at some stuff down here.” He replied.

“Alright, just be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.” She was still worried about what might happen to him if she was gone for too long.

“I know, don’t worry so much, I’ll be fine down here.” Spike nodded his head before looking back at the pictures. Twilight smiled softly at the young dragon. It wasn’t very often that he knew to take a situation seriously, but it seemed he was able to this time. She was grateful for that calm rationality was going to keep them from getting hurt.

Twilight turned her head back towards the doors, examining the next open one. The door closest to where she had just left was boarded up, leaving the next door down the hallway open. The creaking floor punctuated her every footstep as she approached the door.

Twilight’s ear twitched as she approached the door. She could hear something faint from behind the door, something that sounded like another pony.

She quickly pressed her hoof against the door and pushed it open, walking into a large open room. The walls were decorated with ornamental armors and weapons of varying shapes and sizes, all ones Twilight was able to recognize as made only to be displayed, not used. Banners decorated with the symbol of Equestria hung in the corners and the floor was covered with a red velvet carpet. At the opposite end of the room looked to be a statue of a pony standing on its hind legs made of bronze, holding in its hooves a worn down, rusted old sword with words written on the wall above it. In the center of the ceiling appeared to be a fresh blood stain that was slowly dripping blood into a pool.

The most striking thing about the room however, was that Twilight could hear the soft sobs of a mare crying. She looked around the room, but couldn’t see a single pony from where the sound would originate.

“Hello?” Twilight called out walking further into the room. She stopped for a moment when she heard the medallion on her pendant began to hiss quietly with its static sound. She stared at for a moment, wondering if it would go quiet. When it didn’t, she decided to ignore it for the moment and continue trying to contact the pony in distress.

“Hello?” She called again, though there was no response, just the continued sad sobbing. “Hello? Is anypony here?” Twilight tried desperately to call out to the pony that seemed to be in distress. She called out to her several more times, but all she got was silence in return.

“I don’t get it… I can hear them, can’t they hear me?” She wondered aloud to herself. She slowly walked over to the statue of the pony and examined it. It seemed to be a soldier, dressed and ready for battle, though he seemed to be missing his helmet. Twilight glanced up and looked at the wall with the writing.

Equestria, our Nation, shall be defended in honor. For the peace of every citizen who wishes only freedom and love, we raise our shields and swords for them. We must be ready for battle should our ideals ever come to harm.

Twilight pulled out the helm from her magic pool. She wasn’t sure how this was going to get her a key to leave the house, but she knew what the riddle was telling her to do. She levitated the helm down onto the statues head, it fitting with a snug ‘click’.

The statue suddenly moved, causing Twilight to step back in surprise. The forelegs of the statue that were tightly holding onto the rusted old sword in its hooves lifted up slowly, before separating, letting go of its grip on the blade. The blade fell to the ground and landed with a small clatter. Twilight looked at the chipped blade curiously.

The blade had a purple jewel just below the white-bandaged wrapped handle, presumably to give it a better and less-painful grip when held in the mouth. The guard looked like it was made out of a dark bone. She could clearly see the massive amount of chips in the steel blade, as if it had been through many a battle and left unrepaired for years, rusting away in this spot now.

She levitated the blade up carefully, to get a better look at it. As she did, the medallion around her neck began to cry out with a loud distorted buzz.

The room suddenly shook as the gentle sobbing turned into a loud, heart-wrenching scream. Twilight felt her skin jump as she quickly turned around. The room shook once more as a loud thud struck the room. She looked back and forth, trying to find the origin of the loud noise.

Another thud shook the room and she heard a loud crack reverberate through it. She turned her head up to the ceiling, seeing specks of debris falling down as something slammed into it. She bolted her attention to the door and tried to make a run for it, to escape the room.

Another ear-piercing scream shrieked through the room, as one last thud shook the room, the ceiling bursting from the weight of the strike and knocking Twilight back as debris and ruble hit the floor.

Twilight coughed and gagged on the dust that was billowing from the floor, turning her attention to look at what had just crashed through the ceiling.

A gigantic figure was hanging from some abyss above the ceiling. Its legs disappeared into the abyss, showing just a large torso and head below. It’s body was long and its skin was rotted, marred with scars and wrapped in tightly bound chains. It was missing one of its forelegs, the other was bound, broken and misshapen under the chains. The head of the creature brought horror to Twilight, as this creature was also missing its eyes. But more than that, the ears looked like they’d been put through a shredder and were barely hanging on, teeth were missing from its mouth and it was profusely bleeding from the skull, likely where it had repeatedly struck the ceiling to be free.

The creature let out a distinctive mare-like screech that felt like it would pop Twilight’s ears. She folded her ears down and backed away from the creature, her back hitting a wall. Adrenaline instantly began to shoot through her veins as she stared down the creature.

It writhed in agony at its bindings. It began to thrash back and forth in the room, screeching and wailing in horrific pain. Twilight could only stare, feeling her heart thundering against her chest at the sight. She didn’t know what it was, she didn’t know what happened to it and the last time she’d encountered a creature it had tried to kill her.

The creature stopped its thrashing for a moment, breathing heavily. Its head seemed to focus on Twilight, Twilight freezing in fear. It was as if the creature had noticed her thoughts and turned its attention to her.

With another screech its head lunged straight at Twilight, mouth wide open intent on biting down on her.

Twilight barely managed to jump out of the way in time, as the creature crashed into the wall Twilight had been standing next to her. Twilight’s hooves slipped for a moment, but she got to her feet, instinctually levitating the sword in front of her defensively. She’d never wielded a sword before, not even back during her days in Canterlot. The Princess had asked her if she would be interested in any weapon training, but she had always focused on studying magic.

Right now she wished she had done some training.

The shrieking creature pulled its body back and shook with pain and anguish, crying out constantly.

“Please! Stop!” Twilight yelled at the creature, watching it spasm under the chains, “I don’t want to hurt you! If you’ll just calm down I can help you!” She pleaded at the creature, trying to get it to listen to reason.

The creature refused the offer, swinging its body straight for Twilight. She jumped out of the way once more, the creature smashing into the wall.

Twilight tried to keep her balance, but the creature wasn’t wasting its time this time. It pulled back quickly and thrust itself forward once more at Twilight.

Twilight gasped in shock and tried to dodge out of the way again, holding the sword up to try and soften the blow. The creatures face grazed the side of the sword as it wailed in pain, before striking the side of Twilight’s body. She felt her body get knocked to the side as it smashed into the wall once more.

She groaned, feeling the impact on her sides. She knew, however, that she didn’t have time to wait and adjust to her new bruises. She scrambled to her feet as the creature began to pull back once more. That constant, horrific yell was piercing straight into her, the cry of pain and agony that permeated the soul.

“STOP! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU!” Twilight cried out desperately to the creature, trying to get it to stop its assault.

The creature roared out, its jaw crashing onto her body. She let out a horrified gasp in surprise as suddenly the room seemed to flip upside down. Should could feel the powerful jaw of the creature beginning to dig into her flesh. She shrieked, crying out in agony as the teeth began to dig deeper, trying to devour her alive.

The sword swung through the air, stabbing straight into the creatures throat.

The creature’s jaw opened wide in agony, Twilight tumbling out as it began to flail across the room, crashing and smashing into walls all over the room.

Twilight gasped and panted for air, a hoof rubbing her neck as she stood up. The creatures wails filled her mind as she was able to spot the sword she’d been wielding imbedded in its throat. Her horn quickly lit up and her magic grabbed the handle of it, ripping the sword quickly out of its throat.

Its head slammed into the floor, shaking the whole room. Twilight’s legs shook with it, trying to keep herself standing and stable, aiming the sword towards the creature once more.

The creature didn’t wait for another opportunity. It bellowed its wrenching cry and rushed straight for Twilight, its mouth wide open to take her down.

Twilight didn’t wait for it to get close. With a swift thrust the blade soared through the air and stabbed the creature in the mouth.

This didn’t seem to falter the creature, as it still aimed to take Twilight down.

Twilight dodged out of the way, its jaws reaching where she had been standing and snapping shut on top of her blade. Her horn lit up, pouring a huge amount of her magic into the hold of the blade and forced the blade out of its mouth, dragging blood and teeth with it as it soared out.

The creatures head rammed into the ground once more, as if trying to silence the pain as its blood began to spill and drench the room with its constant movements. Twilight held the sword up over her, every nerve in her body firing at once to react, to attack, to not let this thing take her out of this world.

The creature cried out, its jaws mashing, wanting to devour Twilight. Twilight levitated the sword up, her eyes flashing white as she grit her teeth, her nostrils flaring as a turbulent wind picked up in the room. Debris began to be picked up, the splinters of the decorative weapons and armor beginning to circle with the cyclone of air. Twilight glared at the creature, the sword being the focus of her magical rage.

The creature lunged for her, mouth open and screaming.

Twilight cried out in return, forcing all the air out of her lungs as she yelled like she had never yelled before.

The sword dove through the air, guided by the magical force. The blade struck the creature, striking the bottom of its jaw and straight through its skull, embedding itself into the floor of the room.

The creature writhed and shook, its body going into uncontrolled spasms. Twilight panted heavily as she watched, the creature’s agony spilling out before her. She waited, as the creature began to shake less and less.

Finally, the creature grew quiet and still. Her medallion became silent as well.

Twilight panted as her magic began to calm. Her eyes stopped blazing white and she could feel the effects of the adrenaline coursing through her veins beginning to fade as the situation was no longer one of life and death.

Her legs began to shake, no longer able to support her weight. She collapsed to her knees as her mind began to reel, her breath not slowing as the horror of what she just did began to crash in at full force.

“TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT ARE YOU OK-“ Spike cried out, finally able to get the door to open and came rushing into the room only to stop.

He could see everything. The dead creature impaled through the head on the floor, the blood that was splattered throughout the room, the horrible mess and destruction that had come from it crashing through the ceiling and destroying the walls and decorations.

But most of all, he could see Twilight, staring at him, shaking in place with wide eyes as she was beginning to deal with what just happened. Her body was splattered with blood, some of it being her own.

“T-Twilight…” Spike gasped, having difficulty taking the sight in for himself. He was rendered speechless.

“S… Spike…” Twilight’s voice quivered, shook as much as her body did. Her eyes began to shutter as much as her breath, “I… I… I killed… a living creature…” The fear was evident in her voice, the pain and grief of what she done was striking her. Spike could see the tears that were quickly beginning to flow down Twilight’s cheeks.

“I… I killed it…” She hiccupped and gasped, as her face contorted. She was trying to hold back her sobs, trying to hold back her pain and anguish. But there was no stopping it and Spike could see it. He rushed over to Twilight and threw his arms around her neck.

Twilight broke out into loud, painful sobs into the small dragon’s shoulder, her hooves holding him as close as she could.

Chapter 3

“Here Twilight, I found some tea bags in the kitchen.” Spike said holding up the warm cup of tea for the lavender unicorn.

“…Thanks Spike.” Twilight mumbled quietly. She levitated the cup up to her mouth and slowly sipped on the tea.

It had taken a while to get the strength back in her legs, but once they had recovered, Spike led her down to the living room. Somehow he’d managed to find a blanket and wrapped it around her. In this moment of need, he was proving to her that he really was her number one assistant.

“I’m sorry Spike.” Twilight sighed softly, looking into the murky waters of her tea, “I should be the strong one right now, not y-”

“Twilight, how’re your wounds?” Spike interrupted her, looking at her seriously.

“My…” Twilight blinked a little confused before looking down at her body. She shifted the blanket a little to get a better look at the damage that had been done.

Her chest was swelling, though she was actually surprised at how small it was. She’d expected bigger bruises from the way it had felt, but she seemed surprisingly well off there. They were also the worst of her injuries. The cuts she’d received from the creature’s mouth had already stopped bleeding.

“My wounds are fine Spike. But why is that-“

“You just got hurt Twilight. I’m fine. You rest for the moment and we’ll continue when you’re ready.” Spike interrupted her again with a soft smile. Twilight blinked in confusion at him, before returning the smile.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re really a baby dragon anymore.” Twilight chuckled softly, closing her eyes to sip her tea.

“Yeah, I’m growing up pretty fast.” Spike nodded happily. There was a comfortable silence shared between the two of them, leaving Twilight to her thoughts as she drank the warm liquid. Spike smiled as he watched Twilight relax, before softly scratching the back of his head, “Hey Twilight, I know it’s a little soon but,” Twilight looked up at her dragon assistant from the rim of her cup, “When we were in the room I saw a key on the floor next to that thing. I think that might be the key for the door. I didn’t grab it cause I was helping you, but…”

“Say no more Spike.” Twilight softly nodded her head, putting the cup of tea down and standing up, the blanket falling from her shoulders, “I’ll go grab the key.”

“Wait, are you sure? Maybe you should just-“ Spike tried to stop her from acting hastily, but Twilight just held out her hoof to silence him.

“Thanks for the concern Spike, but I’m okay now. Besides, I can handle retrieving a key from a room. I can’t let you do everything.” She took a deep breath, “I’m supposed to be taking care of you. Not the other way around.” She smiled softly at him.

“It’s okay to need help Twilight.” Spike furrowed his brow, looking worried for her.

“I know, and if I need it I’ll ask.” Twilight rubbed his head gently, “I’ll be okay, just wait for me and I’ll be right back.”

“Alright Twilight… I trust you.” Spike still looked at the lavender unicorn with worry, but did as she asked.

“Thank you Spike.” She nodded before turning to the stairs. She looked up the flight towards the walkway that lead to the room they’d escaped from, swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, and then slowly began her ascent back up.

‘Come on Twilight. If Spike can handle this, you can too. He’s just a baby dragon, you’re an adult unicorn AND Celestia’s personal student. You can face what you did.’ She mentally reassured herself several times. She could feel her face flushing with anxiety, her heart beating more heavily with each hoof step. She was trying to force herself to stay calm, taking deep breaths while repeating to herself that everything would be okay.

At the top of the steps she hesitantly looked into the half open doorway leading to the destroyed room. Even as she approached she could glimpse some of the rubble and destruction within, most prominently the spatters of blood that had come from the thrashing-

“You okay Twilight?” Spike’s voice carried from the first floor.

“Yeah. I’m fine Spike.” She quickly flashed him an assuring smile before walking to the door and stepping inside.

A hoof went straight to her mouth as she observed the remains of the room. The creature’s corpse was still there in the center, lying limp in a pool of its own blood. She couldn't look away, only barely able to discern the destroyed decorations everywhere, the wrecked walls and ceilings, the room of utter chaos laid out around her.

But something was also amiss. Something about the room didn’t seem right. As if some important detail that she had left there was no longer where it should be...

“The sword! Why isn’t it still…” Twilight stared in shock at the head of the creature. The sword that should have been impaled through it wasn’t there. Instead, looking just in front of the creature, she saw it lying on the ground, not a speck of blood on it. Right next to it on the floor she saw a small glint of light reflecting off of a small key.

Had the sword fallen out of its head? Had it not actually been dead and managed to pull the sword out before it died? Had something else come along and pulled it out? Had she or Spike pulled it out without either of them realizing? Were they still not alone?

Twilight gulped down another lump of nervousness that had formed in her throat. Not daring to take another step into the room, she felt fortunate that her desired items were already within her line of sight. She quickly lit her horn up and wrapped the sword and the key with a magical aura. The two items quickly disappeared into their waiting storage inside her pool of magic and the room grew dim once more. She hadn’t planned on bringing the sword with her, but if more things were going to go wrong then she might need to defend herself again.

Not waiting to see what surprises might pop out at her, Twilight quickly turned around and headed back down the stairs.

“Okay Spike, I grabbed the key. Let’s go ahead and get out of this place.” Twilight said trying to hide her desire to leave from Spike as she hurriedly walked past him.

“Oh, uh, sure Twilight. Once we head out we should continue looking for your friends or the Princess.” Spike suggested, making a mental note of the task at hand while following after the lavender unicorn.

Twilight wasted no time turning her pendant on and illuminating the kitchen. She summoned the key once more and approached the locked door, fitting the key into the lock. With a turn the key opened the lock. With a push of the hoof the door opened, revealing the fog laden world just beyond it.

It lead to the backyard of the house that was surrounded by a small fence cornering it off from the streets of Ponyville. It seemed a small garden used to be raised there, but the small patch of vegetables had fallen to a state of rotten disuse. The grass was dying and the air suddenly felt thick.

“Whoa, look Twilight, it’s snowing again!” Spike said eagerly running out into the backyard without a care.

“Spike wait! We don’t know if it’s safe yet!” Twilight cried out, chasing after the baby dragon.

Spike didn’t seem to care though, just looking up into the fog filled sky as specks of white floated down around him. He briefly spun in place before opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out, letting one of the flakes of snow land on his tongue.

Instantly he retched and started spitting, wiping his mouth of the vile snowflake.

“Ugh! That wasn’t snow at all!” Spike groaned as Twilight walked up next to him.

“Not snow? What do you mean it’s not snow?” Twilight wondered, looking up at the flakes. She held out a hoof as a speck landed on it. She expected it to be cold and to melt, instead it seemed to smear onto her coat. Perplexed, she drew her nose closer to it but didn’t notice any smell aside from the thick smell that seemed to hang in the air. Curious about what Spike had tasted she licked the speck that had landed on her hoof.

“…This isn’t snow…” Twilight whispered to herself, suddenly realizing what was falling from the sky, “Its ash…” Suddenly the thick smell in the air made sense and brought a horrible realization to her mind. Either something in Ponyville was burning, or these were the remains of something having been burnt and scattered through the sky.

“…Uhhh… Twilight...” Spike said suddenly scared of something. Twilight looked down at the baby dragon, before looking to where his eyes had followed. She regretted what she saw.

It must’ve been the owner of the house, or at least what was left of her. It was a mare she vaguely memorized, one of the newest ponies to move to Ponyville. She had a strikingly white coat and silver mane. Her body was covered with lacerations, as if she had been severely whipped all over staining her white coat with blood. But worst of all was that she had been mounted to a large wooden cross with giant nails piercing each of her hooves and holding her in place. The mare to which this had happened was named Winter Withers.

Winter had been crucified.

“Oh… Oh Celestia… we have to get her down!” Twilight said racing over to the crucified pony. She wrapped the mare in her magic, gripping hard against the nails before pulling them out carefully. The body went limp in Twilight’s magical embrace as she carefully lowered the pony to the ground. As the white mare lay there Twilight put a hoof to her neck, desperate for any sign of life.

“Is… is she…” Spike stuttered, walking up slowly.

Twilight was quiet for a few minutes, hoping for a conclusion that wasn’t what Spike was thinking. She checked several spots where she knew she would be able to feel a heartbeat. She put her ear next to her mouth to try and hear breathing. Finally, her horn lit up and she placed a small blanket of magic on her chest to try and detect a heartbeat.

Twilight’s face grew dim as the magic of her horn faded, closing her eyes and softly shaking her head.

“Oh no… why is this happening Twilight?” Spike asked, now truly scared. It had been one thing for Spike when he had seen a monster dead. It was another to see a pony mutilated and hung up for display.

“I… I don’t know Spike.” Twilight spoke softly, looking down at the mare’s face. Winter was a face she rarely saw in the streets of Ponyville, someone who had recently moved there to get away from her city life and enjoy a peaceful one there. They’d only talked on two occasions, and with it being a small town she was having a hard time adjusting to everypony knowing everypony else.

Twilight stood up, her horn lighting up once more. With her magic she quickly formed a shovel and began to dig up the dirt of the back yard. Spike watched silently as Twilight dug the hole. The two of them could only hear the stifled sound of the shovel digging into the dirt as she dug deeper. It took a long time for the hole to be deep enough to satisfy Twilight, yet not a word was shared between the two of them.

Twilight carefully wrapped the white mare’s body with her magic and placed it down at the bottom of the hole. Picking up the excavated dirt with her magic she gingerly placed it back in, covering the mare and filling the hole. She made sure the dirt was meticulously flat before forming a block of wood into the shape of a head stone and placing it at the front of the grave. She carefully etched onto it, ‘Here lays Winter Withers, may she find a peaceful rest.’

Twilight sat at the foot of the freshly dug grave, looking solemnly at the ground. Spike walked up and sat next to her, putting a claw against her back.

“Maybe we should say a few words?” Spike mentioned solemnly.

“You’re right… but… I barely knew anything about her. I met her briefly Spike, enough to know her name and why she moved but… she was just a passing friend.” Twilight sighed softly, not sure what to make of this. Just knowing everypony in Ponyville wasn’t enough to call them true friends. If she only had one conversation she could maybe call them a friend, but she didn’t truly know a pony in that case. It took a while to truly earn great friends like the ones she had.

“Winter…” Twilight spoke up softly, “I’m sorry I never got to know you that well. You seemed like an interesting pony and… I know you were starting to enjoy life here in Ponyville. You were starting to make friends and who knows; maybe you could’ve become a great member of the community…” Twilight paused for a moment, turning her head away from the grave feeling guilt hit her stomach, “And I’m sorry you had to die this way. You didn’t deserve this… nopony deserves this.” She took a deep breath and looked back at the grave, “And I promise… your death won’t have been in vain. We may not have been the closest of friends, but you were still one of mine. I’ll put a stop to whatever is going on here Winter, you have my word.”

Twilight stood, feeling the weight of her words in her heart. Spike looked up at the unicorn, not sure how to feel anymore. In the span of a few minutes, the two of them had been through more emotions than they ever thought they’d go through in a lifetime.

The young dragon’s body was surrounded with magic as Twilight lifted him up on to her back.

“Alright Spike, we have to find the others now. We can’t leave things like this, not if innocent ponies are going to get hurt.” Twilight spoke with near vengeance in her voice.

“But… But Twilight, what if… what if they…” Spike hesitated, looking back at the bloody crucifix that stood impaled in the ground before them. Twilight looked at the device, glaring at it. Twilight was reminded of when she had read about the horrible devices, where she had learned what being killed this way was called, in the biography of Merlin the Great.

Upon hilltops of Saint Clydesrow was where I saw the ghastly sights of our fellow blood, nailed to wood in the shape of a cross to serve two purposes; one of execution, the other of warning. Their bodies spoke of the atrocities the nation would commit. If you broke their laws, invaded their land or offended their nobles, the fate of death was brought to you. You would be seen by those you knew and loved, by your enemies and by your Goddess, that you were an example of their power. They called this execution the ‘crucifixion’.

Twilight grit her teeth as her horn flared once more. The bloody cross was gripped in her magic and let out a loud groan as the wood began to bend. With a loud and powerful snap, the cross fell over, slamming into the ground in two pieces. Twilight stared with satisfaction at her work and walked towards the edge of the small picket fence that surrounded Winter’s yard.

“Our friends are going to be okay Spike; they wouldn’t let this town get to them so easily. Now hold on.” Twilight told the baby dragon. Taking her advice he gripped tightly to her neck as she took a few steps back and galloped at full speed. She cleared the fence in a single jump, landing once more into the cobble stone streets of Ponyville.

“Spike, do you know where we are in town at the moment?” Twilight asked pulling the map out of her pool of magic and handing it to Spike. Spike fumbled with it for a moment before opening it properly. He swallowed down nervousness that had been building up and cleared his throat, examining the map.

“I’d… guess we’re on Pen Street.” Spike followed the roads, noting the buildings that they had been around before being chased into the mansion, then the location of the mansion itself. “So, Sugar Cube Corner should still be the nearest place, we just have to head to the right and down the road.” Spike explained.

Just as he finished though, the medallion on Twilight’s neck began to let out a buzz.

“What’s that!?” Spike said jumping into the air and landing on Twilight’s back. Twilight grunted at the sign and sighed softly.

“It’s something I found in that house that seemed important.” Twilight lifted the necklace of her pendant up to show Spike the medallion that was attached to it, “It was doing this back at the house too. It was acting right before-”

Twilight was interrupted by the sound of metal scrapping against the cobblestone. Spike and Twilight instantly turned their attention to the direction of the fog, seeing a silhouette of a pony once more.

“Oh no, not more of them.” Twilight growled, reaching into her magic and swiftly pulling out the ancient, rusted sword. She inspected the condition of it, noting that it was still holding together well despite her recent encounter. She feared that it was on the verge of breaking, many of the chips digging into the blade. However, it was something to defend her and the young one she had to protect. So help Celestia, if anything came to harm Spike-

“Twilight, come on, let’s get out of here!” Spike said tugging on her mane, “We shouldn’t fight it, it might draw more!”

“We’re not surrounded already?” Twilight quickly glanced around, seeing that the only silhouette around them was in fact the one slowly approaching them. Looking back at the figure in the fog she began to slowly walk backwards away from it. The figure didn’t pick up any speed, just continuing to saunter slowly towards them, dragging whatever weapon it carried along the ground.

“We’re not going to get any closer to our friends if we keep running away… but I understand, we shouldn’t fight if we don’t have to.” Twilight returned the sword to her magic, then quickly turned and ran from the creature. It didn’t chase after them and the silhouette fell out of view. As it did, the buzzing of the medallion grew silent.

“Hey, that sound went away.” Spike said taking note of the silence returning as Twilight moved into a quick jog over a full sprint.

“Hey, you’re right Spike.” She said slowing to a walk as she examined the runic symbols of the metal, “It seems to make noise whenever a creature draws close… I think its warning of us danger when it draws near.” Twilight was amazed at this deduction, that something she’d found was so useful.

“Well that’s convenient.” Spike said reaching around and poking the medallion softly, “If it makes a noise whenever danger is near, all we have to do is avoid dangerous areas.”

“I… don’t know if that’ll be as easy as it sounds Spike.” Twilight said thinking back to the mansion, “We only got the key to leave BECAUSE I… because I killed that thing. It dropped the key when it died and the medallion was buzzing before I encountered it.” Twilight sighed as she thought about it, putting the pieces together in her head, “Whatever is going on in this town it seems to be following some strange rule set. You have to follow the rules or else you won’t get out.”

“Are you sure Twilight? That makes it seem like something is trying to play a game with us.” Spike scratched his head at the words.

“Maybe Spike. But think about it, when we were locked inside the library, we couldn’t escape until we solved the puzzles on those boxes. Then when we finally got outside we we’re rounded up into that mansion. Then the only way out of the mansion safely was through that creature.” Twilight listed the events for them to analyze logically.

“So… you’re saying that the only way out of this mess… is to obey whatever rules are presented to us?” Spike felt a chill run down his back as he spoke.

“I’m afraid so Spike. And it seems the consequences of disobeying are dire.” Twilight spoke gravely.

“Do… you think that’s what happened to Winter?”

Twilight stopped walking, head instantly lowering to stare at the ground.

“I… sorry, I just…” Spike began to mumble.

“I don’t know Spike.” Twilight sighed lifting her head up, “But Winter… she was crucified. And when you crucify a pony, it isn’t just to kill them. It’s to send a message.” Twilight narrowed her eyes again, “And I think the message was intended for us. I don’t know what it meant, but I plan on finding out.”

Spike didn’t say anything after that. He just sat on Twilight’s back as she began to walk once more. The only sound the two of them heard was the loud click of her hooves hitting the cobblestone road. The read she was heading down would eventually lead to a fork, where she could either turn to head for the school house or down further into Ponyville.

Twilight came to a dead stop at the end of the road, her mouth slowly falling open as she stared at the building that had appeared before them in the fog.

“Whoa, I don’t remember THAT building being in Ponyville.” Spike said looking at it in confusion.

“That’s because it doesn’t belong to Ponyville.” Twilight explained, looking at the building once more. Where more houses should have been was instead a large brick building. A small flight of stairs stood before double doors that lead into the building. Above them was a weathered sign, seemingly battered by the elements that read ‘Stalliongrad Library.’

“Well… if it doesn’t belong in Ponyville, what’s it DOING here?” Spike asked perplexed, not accustomed to buildings suddenly shifting entire locations like this.

“I’m not sure Spike, but I’m certain we’re supposed to find out.” Twilight said stepping closer to the building.

“Are you sure this is a good idea Twilight?” Spike asked hesitantly as she began to climb the stairs.

“Good idea? Probably not. But, if this really is Stalliongrad Library there might still be other ponies inside. One of our friends might have taken refuge in here.” Twilight slowly pushed open the front door, finding a dark abyss inside waiting for her. “Or we might find out more clues as to what happened here.”

Her horn lit up and magic surrounded the pendant around her neck, causing the crystal to light up the area before her. The door opened up to a hallway, the red carpet floor looked like it had seen better days. The color was worn with age and a layer of dust seemed to cover it. The cream colored wallpaper was peeling and seemed to be covered in scratches. She could see the reception desk from the entrance.

“Whoa, what happened to this place.” Spike wondered aloud as Twilight walked over to the desk.

“I’m not sure Spike, but we should probably keep our voices to a whisper.” Twilight whispered back to the dragon on her back as she approached the rotting wooden front desk. Her eyes began to scan what lay on top of it.

“Why to a whisper?” Spike asked quietly, “If there are other ponies wouldn’t we want them to know we’re here?”

“We could also attract more of those zombie things from outside if they’re in here.” Twilight replied, “The medallion is quiet so far, but I don’t want to chance having to fight something… at least not with you in harm’s way.”

“Twilight…” Spike spoke softly, but was interrupted as Twilight’s horn lit up once more. She picked up a map from off the reception desk and quickly examined it.

“Alright, the layout of the library is pretty simple. We should be able to find any pony who is here quickly.” She rolled the map up and let it vanish into her pool of magic, “And with any luck we might find some information too.”

Twilight then levitated the note that had been lying next to the map. It was a sloppily written note, as if whoever had wrote it had been in a hurry. But it was just clear enough for her to be able to read what was there.

Oh no I lost them I can’t believe I lost them
Those things are going to guard them now I know it
I can’t hide in the backroom without them
I’m done for, I won’t survive
Oh Celestia, why did it have to be a puzzle?

“What’s it say Twilight?” Spike looked at the note curiously, not able to get a good look of it past Twilight’s head.

“I think its saying that in order to get into the backroom of the library we need to find items that are… being guarded around the library.” Twilight gulped softly, vanishing the note into her magic.

“So… you’re going to have to fight again?” Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck a little tighter, as if hugging her.

“Most likely Spike, if we want to find out what’s back there.” It wasn’t a conclusion Twilight was happy to make, nor was it one she wanted to face. But she’d already killed one creature that had been out to kill her; if she kept it to self-defense she might be able to stay sane.

Her eyes wandered to the small dragon on her back, who looked back at her with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Besides, she had to protect Spike no matter the cost. She wasn’t about to let anything happen to her young assistant.

Twilight turned from the reception desk and walked a few paces down the hallway when she saw the first door to her right. A sign next to the door labeled it as the ‘Reference’ section.

“Well, I guess this is as good a place as any to start searching.” Twilight said with a bit of hesitation in her voice. Spike gripped her neck softly as Twilight carefully opened the door.

Her light going into the room was able to pick out several bookshelves, all containing several different books lined up on them. Most of the books appeared to be worn with age, dust collecting on the shelves and bindings. She stepped quietly into the room looking back and forth with her light. At the entrance way she could see large piles of books had been dropped at the end of the bookshelves, blocking a pony’s path from going around. The only path they could take was to go forward between the openings of the shelves.

Twilight took a few steps further into the reference section, slowly closing the door behind her, when her ears perked up. Her medallion began to softly hiss.

Spike gripped Twilight’s neck a little harder and she instinctively pulled the sword out from her magic, gripping it tight within her magic. She stood in place waiting for whatever creature was causing the hissing to step forth. However, despite standing in place for what felt like an eternity, no creature walked out in front of them. They could only hear the soft hissing of the medallion.

Softly swallowing her anxiety, Twilight began to take slow, careful steps forward. The hissing remained quiet for her first few steps until she was standing at the opening between the next two shelves of books. The medallion slowly began to buzz louder, but now it was accompanied by the sound of something chewing. She looked to her left, seeing another large pile of books blocking the end of the path. She then slowly turned to look to her right.

At first she thought she was seeing a pony hunched before a small pile of books. But something was clearly wrong with that. She focused more and details began to fit into her vision.

What she thought was the pony's back seemed to be made of a rotting brown leather that was moving and bulging, as if giant worms lived under the skin. Several areas looked as if they had been sewn together, like the skin was a suit made out of rotted pony hide. Extending out of an opening in the skin on its back were two purple and red muscle-like tentacles that sharpened to a point at the end. Its head lifted up, revealing two flaps of what looked like a pony head falling to the side, revealing a skin-stripped and eyeless head that was chewing hungrily on a book.

Twilight almost gagged. She could hardly describe the horror of the creature before her. Its head shredded the book in its mouth easily, swallowing whole the cover and the pages. The tentacles on its back suddenly reached out to the bookshelf next to it and stabbed a book straight through its binding. It picked the book up and laid it down next to the small pile the monster had gathered, its head digging back down to grab hold of another book.

Twilight slowly moved, continuing across the gap in the bookshelves away from the monster. It didn’t seem to notice her as the monster disappeared from sight past the bookshelf once more. The medallion’s loud buzzing dulled to a soft buzz as she let out a soft sigh.

“Twilight. What IS that thing.” Spike hissed into her ear, gripping hard against her neck, though being careful not to choke her.

“I don’t know Spike.” Twilight hissed back, lowering her sword as she continued to slowly back away, “But I’d rather avoid it if possible.”

Twilight felt her back bump into a large pile of discarded books. She turned her head to see that the path ended because of the obstruction. She glared at it softly and lit her horn a little brighter, trying to grab hold of the books and move them out of her way.

However, the books refused to budge, as if wedged tightly into place. She glared softly and tried teleporting the obstruction out of her way. However, despite the spell casting the books didn’t move. It was as if they were just like the locked doors, immune to magic.

“What is with this place and its magic immunity.” Twilight growled softly, checking her location in the short maze of bookshelves. She could see the end of the room, counting off six book shelves within the room in total. The large piles of books seemed to be positioned in such a perfect way as to direct her straight towards that creature. She quickly pulled the map of the library back out and checked its contents.

It seemed that there were three rooms just at the other end that were used for studying. However, with her path blocked by the large piles of books, the only route that seemed like it would reach them would be to go through that creature that was devouring the books.

“Spike…” Twilight spoke softly, yet seriously, “I need you to get off of my back for a minute.”

“T-Twilight?” Spike asked hesitantly, “What’re you going to do?”

Twilight took a deep breath, closing her eyes and steeling her nerves. She pictured the scene back from the library of Spike torn to pieces. She pictured the creature from that mansion that had tried to kill her. She pictured the zombie soldiers, each carrying their weapon and attempting to cut them down with their weapons.

These creatures were cold and harsh; they didn’t care for the sanctity of life. They blinded sought to kill and harm. And though she desired to leave them alone, she knew that she couldn’t avoid this fate for long now. Though they were living creatures, she had to see them as obstacles. No more than puzzles standing between her and getting out of this miserable situation. To save her friends, to find Celestia, to let no more harm come to any pony.

“Spike… I’m going to take out that creature.” She raised the chipped and damaged sword in front of her, looking it over with her eyes, “And if you’re on my back you may get hurt. And no matter what, I can’t let you get hurt Spike.”

“Twilight no! You shouldn’t fight it unless there’s no other choice!” Spike tugged on her mane, trying to persuade her not to be foolish. “What if it hurts you Twilight!?” his voice began to rise, Twilight eyeing him carefully, “If something happens to you, what am I supposed to do!? What do I tell the others if I find them and you’re… if you’re…” Spike shut his eyes as tears burned at them, a lump forming in his throat.

Twilight eyed the hallway of the booshelves carefully. She could still hear the creature devouring away at the books. Its distraction seemed deep.

Spike felt himself being shrouded in magic and forcefully lifted up and off of Twilight.

“Twilight! No! I-“ Spike began to shout, but found himself muffled when suddenly embraced deeply into Twilight’s chest. His eyes widened as he tried to look up at the lavender unicorn that held him close to her with one hoof in a hug.

“Spike, I know all that.” Twilight spoke softly, trying to calm the young dragon. Spike wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. “I can’t promise I won’t get hurt, but I’m not about to die and leave you behind Spike. I’m also not about to let these things hurt you either. So if I can stop one before it has the chance to strike, I’m going to take the chance.” Twilight’s voice seemed different to the young dragon ears, in a way he very rarely heard Twilight speak. It was as if the voice of a mother was coming from the lavender unicorn now.

“But… but!” Spike tried to interject, but Twilight just gently shushed him, rubbing his head softly.

“Please Spike, I promise, everything will be alright.” She spoke to calm the young dragon down and it seemed to be working, “Just wait for me right here. This will only take me a moment.”

Spike was quiet for a moment, holding onto Twilight tightly. He didn’t want her to have to fight, but the more Twilight’s words sunk in and the more he thought about the situation, he began to realize it truly was an inevitable outcome.

“O-Okay… just… be careful…” Spike spoke softly shifting away from Twilight. Twilight nodded her head and took another deep breath. She could hear her footsteps echo loudly now as she rounded the corner, holding the sword out before her. The creature came into view once more under the shine of her pendant. The creature tore out a large section of paper from its recent book, chewing upon the leaflets of paper before swallowing them messily.

Twilight stepped forward towards the creature, the creature stopping to turn its head.

The buzzing of Twilight’s medallion began to grow. It grew feverish with noise, crying out to her that danger was right in front of her.

The tentacles on the creatures back flicked back and forth, the spiked ends seeming to cut the air they sailed through. The creature let out a snarl as its skin moved underneath the flesh it wore, as if more tentacles were waiting to burst out.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, keeping her sword even before her, ready for the slight shift of movement from the monster. Though it had no eyes she could feel it watching her, waiting for her to make her move. It seemed to want to ambush her, attack her when she wasn’t ready for it, but she wouldn’t give it the chance.

She could feel a small sweat forming on her brow. The creature wasn’t going to budge and if she showed her back it was going to strike. She would have to make the first move.

Her hoof took another step closer.

The creature let out a loud wail as the serpent like tentacles struck out at her. They sailed through the air intent on getting her blood.

Without a moment of hesitation her sword swung broadly, striking both of the offending appendages. They flew to the side as she drew closer once more. The creature turned now to face the unicorn challenging it, letting out another screech at its foe.

The foul odor of its breath hit Twilight’s nose. She grit her teeth and raised the sword to swing down at its head.

One of the tentacles came striking down towards her. Her sword quickly sailed through the air, striking the limb and stopping it just short of slashing her. She poured her magic into the sword and slashed it furiously against the limb.

The creature cried out as the spiked end of the tentacle flew off, carrying a trail of blood with it.

Blinded by the pain the creature charged Twilight, opening its mouth wide intent on biting down on her.

The sword moved swiftly down towards her, her magic holding it tightly. With a thrust the sword struck the creature, burying itself deep inside of its open mouth.

Twilight dodged out of the way as the creature crashed into the bookshelf, writhing in pain and smashing its head against the bookcase to remove the horrible item that had lodged itself down its throat. Her horn lit up and engulfed the sword inside of the creature, swiftly pulling out of the creature.

The creature gagged and roared as blood spilled from its mouth, lifting what it would dare to call hooves to its throat, grabbing for some relief. The single sharpened tentacle that remained thrashed around haphazardly, striking books and the shelves in an attempt to defend its own.

Twilight wasted no time and aimed the sword. With a loud cry she thrust the sword forward, impaling the creature through the side of its head. The sword imbedded into the bookshelf behind it, nailing the creature to the surface.

The creature writhed a moment longer, trying desperately to cling to what remained of its life, before finally falling limp, the tentacle crashing the hardest from its position in the air.

Twilight breathed heavily, letting the shock of the moment sink in. She had been focused, she had been calculating, she had carefully seen through the creature’s movements and had struck it down when it was its most vulnerable.

“I don’t get it Princess…” A young Twilight spoke as she walked through the training grounds with her teacher, “How come your soldiers train so hard to fight when no one fights in Equestria?” She admired the several stallions, each wielding swords in a different manner as they struck wooden mannequins. Some wielded weighted wooden practice swords as they sparred with each other, ensuring they’re in top shape.

“Well…” Celestia thought her words carefully, “It’s true that peace has reigned during my rule for a very long time now, it wasn’t always that way. There are still times when ponies or other creatures would rather settle things with hooves than with words.” She spoke solemnly, “But it’s not just for those moments. We live in a world filled with creatures that wish to do us harm, there many creatures who would enjoy feasting upon ponies as a snack.”

“W-What? R-Really?” Filly Twilight looked up at her teacher with big sorrowful eyes, scared at the idea that something in the world might come to eat her. Celestia looked down at the sight and softly chuckled.

“Never fear Twilight. I work every day to ensure peace remains in Equestria.” The Princess smiled sincerely, “ And if you’re so worried about your safety, you can always partake in practicing your swordsmanship between down time of your studies.”

“R-Really?” Twilight spoke curiously, looking back at the guards. One of the white Pegasus guards, having overheard the conversation slowly walked over to the small filly, smiling as he looked down at her.

“Hello there.” He spoke proudly, but sincerely. Twilight backed up a little, almost frightened, “I heard you’d be interested in some sword training. How’d you like to try?” He asked holding out the wooden sword he’d been practicing with.

Twilight looked at the sword hesitantly, before moving a hoof over to touch it. The Pegasus guard moved it approvingly towards her. She grabbed the sword with both hooves as he let go of it, Twilight dropping to the ground with the weight of the equipment. She got on her hooves and lifted as hard as her little legs could to lift the sword, only managing to lift it a little ways off the ground. She panted heavily as she gave up trying to lift it. This elicited a chuckle from both the guard and the Princess.

“Here, I’ll go get you a lighter training sword, the ones we use when young foals like yourself want to practice their swordsmanship.” The guard smiled, picking up the wooden sword with his teeth and turning back to the training grounds, heading for the equipment shed.

“Hmph. Why are those things so heavy?” Twilight grumbled, folding her hooves as she sat on the ground defeated.

“It’s because the material of a real sword, to make them strong and reliable, also makes them heavy. So the training swords are weighted.” Celestia smiled explaining, “Have you taken an interest in training with a sword?”

“A little.” Twilight thought it over in her head before standing up on her hooves and smiling, “I want to become a great unicorn magician! And if I practice sword fighting with magic it’ll help my studies over all!” She seemed eagerly excited, “Besides, if I learn magic how often will I need to fight with a sword?”

Twilight and Celestia shared a small laugh.

“Is… is it safe?” Spike asked cautiously, peeking his head around the corner. Twilight looked over at the baby dragon, seeing his eyes filled with fear.

“Yeah…” Twilight spoke softly, looking down at her medallion, the buzzing having come to a stop. “It’s safe now.”

Twilight vanished the sword back into her magic as the body of the creature slumped to the ground. She stared at it solemnly as the baby dragon slowly walked over to her. The scene truly was sinking in. She had killed yet another living creature and this time she’d done it on purpose.

But this was also different. As she felt the young dragon wrap its arm around her front leg, she was reminded of why she had done it. Right now, she had to protect Spike. She was the adult here; she had to be the one there to comfort him. She had to remember she wasn’t a little filly anymore. Once all of this was over, she could morn over the lives she cut short. But until then she had to focus, her only focus had to be the safety of Spike and returning Ponyville back to the way it had been.

Twilight carefully lifted Spike up onto her back and finally walked past the creature. Rounding the corner of the bookshelf her light fell upon the back of the reference section. She could see a broken down door that would’ve lead to one of the study rooms in the back. She walked over to it and pressed her hoof against the door, finding the door broken and lodged in place. There would be no getting into that room.

With a soft sigh she turned her head to the left and saw the second door from the back, though this door looked to still be intact. The third door appeared to be buried behind a pile of discarded books and desks.

Twilight approached the middle door carefully and placed her hoof against it. Her medallion wasn’t buzzing yet which put some confidence into her hooves. She pushed the door open, not certain of what she would see next.

The study room was surprisingly well lit, a lantern hanging from the center of the room. Unlike the rest of the library the room didn’t appear to be falling apart. The walls were painted with a simple cream coat with a simple wooden pattern on the bottom. A table sat in the middle of the room, set up for anypony to come in and start studying. On the table were only two items that sat right next to each other, a few sheets of paper and what looked like a large jigsaw puzzle piece.

“What is that?” Spike asked looking at the large puzzle piece that lay on the table. It had several lines on it, seeming to be part of a bigger picture. Twilight couldn’t quite decipher what was on the puzzle piece. It looked like it might’ve been a picture of a mural.

“Hmm…” Twilight hummed softly looking at the puzzle piece, before pulling out the sheet from the lobby desk and reading part of it out loud. “I lost them I can’t believe I lost them, those things are going to guard them now I know it… why did it have to be a puzzle.” She looked from the note down to the puzzle piece before making the paper disappear. “Spike, I think this is what the note was talking about. Pieces of a puzzle that when gathered together will unlock the door to the backroom.” Twilight levitated the puzzle piece up before placing it in her magic.

“I guess that makes sense. How many pieces do you think there are?” Spike asked aloud, “And are they all going to be guarded by one of those… things?” A shiver rolled down his spine.

“I don’t know. It’s a pretty big piece so I would assume there’s not that many of them.” Twilight pondered, “And they might each be guarded…” she put a hoof to her chin in thought, thinking about their current predicament. “If only there was a way to know where the other pieces would be…”

“How about a locator spell?” Spike suggested quickly.

“A locator spell…” Twilight blinked before a light bulb seemed to go off in her head, “Spike, you’re a genius!” She smiled as she pulled out the map and the puzzle piece.

“Well, you know, I try.” Spike chuckled accepting the compliment with his usual graciousness.

Twilight flattened the map out onto the table and floated the puzzle piece above it.

“Alright, this puzzle is part of a whole. I should be able to use the spell to locate the missing pieces of it and show us where they’re located.” Twilight concentrated her magic on the piece. The piece began to glow brightly as invisible strings of ether shot out into the library, connecting the separated pieces of puzzle. The piece then shot down three separate beams of light down onto the map, marking the separate locations of which the pieces were located.

Once the spell was complete she vanished the piece back into her magic and looked over the map, observing their locations.

“Alright, it seems there’s only three more pieces to the puzzle.” Twilight scanned carefully, checking each of the locations that had been marked. “Two appear to be in the main section of the library, and the third is in another study room. If we can head straight for them we’ll get into the backroom quickly.” Twilight smiled placing her hoof against the backroom section of the map.

“I don’t know Twilight; it’s likely that the main section of the library became a maze just like the reference section did.” Spike looked over the map a little worried.

“Well… perhaps, but I guess we’ll find out.” Twilight said putting the map away once more. Her eyes fell upon the papers that lay on the table next, reading a large title that read ‘The Cat Who Married a Mouse’. She blinked confused before beginning to read out of curiosity.

Once upon a time there was a cat who made acquaintance with a mouse. They knew each other so well that they grew to be friends and gained love. So they decided to wed. The married couple lived their lives in peace.

One day in the summer they realized their need to store food for the winter. Together they found a beautiful piece of meat covered in fat and sealed it in a jar. To keep it safe they hid the jar in an abandoned field so that others could not find it.

However, the cat began to long for the meat and dreamt up a lie to tell the mouse. When the mouse believed his lie he went to the meat and ate a small portion. He returned to the mouse with his appetite satisfied and a belly full.

However, the cat soon began to long for the meat once more. So he dreamt up another lie to the mouse. The mouse being trustworthy believed the cat, and the cat went back to the jar and feasted once more upon the stored meat.

Even after two feasts upon the meat, the day came when the cat was still not satisfied with his prior feasts, and once more dreamt up a lie to the mouse. The mouse grew suspicious of the cat, but let him leave once more. The cat returned to the meat and ate the rest of the spoils, leaving none in the jar.

When the cat returned the mouse questioned the cat. The cat tried to lie, but the mouse caught wise. As the mouse began to accuse the cat of eating their food, the cat grew tired of the questions. So the cat snapped the mouse up in one fell swoop and swallowed the mouse whole, filling the cat’s belly once more.

Twilight looked at the story with a confused awe. The moral seemed confusing, the message seemed unclear. Though the story had a beginning, middle and end, she could not tell for what purpose the story was written or the relevance it had to being near the puzzle piece.

Deciding not to ponder on it for much longer at the moment, she surrounded the paper and combined it with the other papers she was storing inside of her magic.

“Alright, let’s find the other puzzle pieces Spike.” Twilight said, confirming their plan of action. Spike nodded in agreement and they quickly left the study room. They wandered back through the small maze made from the reference section, Twilight eyeing the body of the creature once more as she passed it before quickly returning to the main hallway.

“Alright, according to the map the next piece is actually fairly close. There’s about twelve books shelves in the main room and it should be in the walkway between rows three and four…” Twilight spoke optimistically as she walked into the main room of the library. She could see the bookshelves coming into view now. She scanned her light across the shelves, seeing them in the same state of disrepair as the ones in the reference section. Dust was covering several of the books and she could see grime starting to climb up the sides of the bookshelf.

She moved the light to look down the center isle of all the bookshelves, hoping to spot the puzzle piece between the second and third shelves. Instead, her pendant fell upon a pile of books that was blocking her path. She let out a soft sigh, scanning her light upwards. The pile of books seemed unnaturally neat and stopped at the top of the bookshelf.

“Of course… this area is going to be a maze too.” Twilight sighed softly. She turned to the left and walked down the aisle of shelves one and two, trying to find a way around to the puzzle piece.

“How many more monsters do you think are in here?” Spike asked nervously, trying to keep an eye on the darkness around him, though it was difficult to see anything not illuminated by the pendant.

“I don’t know Spike. I’m trying not to think about it right now.” Twilight said trying to shake the thought from her mind.

At the end of the row she could see the line of study rooms that lined the walls just beyond the bookshelves. To her left she could see the public bathrooms and to the right were more shelves and study rooms. Each of the doors to the study rooms seemed to have fallen to the same disrepair as the first study room door she had seen.

“Well…” Twilight began to think, pulling the map out once more, “I assume we’ll be able to reach each piece, but the library has been turned into a maze against us. So all we have to do is figure out which sections are blocked, which ones aren’t and find our way around.” She viewed the map carefully before sighing, “I wish I had grabbed some quills and ink before we’d left.”

“Here you go.” Spike said suddenly producing a red quill and a small bottle of ink. “I figured you’d want them eventually.”

“Wow. I suppose you are my number one assistant for a reason.” Twilight smiled grabbing the items in her magic and dipping the quill into the ink. She then began to mark the map with the where she had seen the piles of books. With that in mind she began to walk towards the back of the library, following along the wall.

She marked off a pile of books that blocked her way between shelves two and three, but saw that the path through shelves three and four was open. Hoping she’d get closer to the puzzle piece she began to walk down it, though she didn’t get far before she saw that the end was also blocked by a pile of books.

She softly sighed and marked it off on the map. Then as she was turning to head back she saw a particularly noticeable red book sticking out from the shelves. Curious, she levitated the book off the shelf. The cover read ‘The Old Widow’. Twilight opened the book up and read what was inside.

In a certain large town there once lived a Poor Widow, who sat every evening thinking of everyone she had lost; her husband, her son, all her relations and friends so that she was quite alone in the world. Her heart grew sorrowful with her thoughts; but the loss of her son troubled her the most, and she wept very bitterly.

One day she sat quite still, lost in her thoughts, when she began to hear bells ringing from the town hall. She wondered how she had spent all of the night sorrowing; but lighting her lantern she went to the hall. As she entered she saw it already lit up: but not with the usual tapers, but glimmering light shone through the whole building.

It was already filled with ponies who stood, seemingly to await their deeds for the day. When the widow walked to her normal spot, she found that it was already filled. As she looked round at the ponies, she perceived that they were her deceased relations, who sat there in their old every-day dresses; but with pale countenances. They neither spoke nor sung, but a gentle whisper and hum floated through the hall.

Presently an Aunt of the Poor Widow got up and said to her, “Look towards the steps, and you will see your son.”

She looked and saw her son, hanging from the gallows.

“See,” continued the Aunt, “thus would it have happened to your son, had life been given to him, instead they were mercifully taken when they were but an innocent.”

With trembling steps the Old Widow went home, and thanks the heavens for their mercy. Then on the third day after, she laid down on her bed and died.

“What’s that Twilight?” Spike asked just as Twilight finished reading the story.

“I’m not sure Spike.” Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion, closing the little red book. “It was sticking out of the bookshelf, and unlike the rest of the books here it’s practically immaculate.”

“Imacawhat?” Spike asked confused.

“Ugh, it’s pristine, un-damaged, it hasn’t fallen to disrepair like the other books have.” Twilight sighed, vanishing the book into her magic.

“Oh, well why didn’t you say so?” Spike asked confused, causing Twilight to softly roll her eyes before exiting the aisle.

She continued along the wall slowly, marking off the blocked path between rows shelf four and five before coming to a stop between five and six.

The medallion had started to buzz once more.

Twilight glanced the light slowly down the aisle between five and six. The aisle was empty, but the medallion continued to buzz. Spike grew silent as the unicorn began to slowly step through the aisle. She quickly put the map away and pulled the sword out from her magic, holding it ready for anything that might happen.

She stopped as the sound of munching suddenly hit her ears. She quickly looked around for the source, hearing it nearby. Then she stopped as she realized where it was.

“Spike… it’s behind the bookcase…” Twilight whispered looking to the shelf to her left.

A spiked tentacle suddenly broke through the shelves, causing Twilight to jump back and raise her sword over her head. The spike wriggled just a foot away from her, having nearly impaled one of them. It seemed to be searching around for something, before coming back to settle against the books.

The spike stabbed straight through the cover of one of the nearby books before dragging it through to the creature. The sound of munching rang loud as the creature seemed to engulf another book into its mandibles.

Twilight nervously raised her hoof to her lips, turning to look at Spike and giving the quietest ‘shhh’ she possible could. Twilight then aimed the sword to face the bookshelf in case the tentacle returned and began to slowly tip-hoof across the aisle as quietly as she could.

She froze for a moment when the creature seemed to give a grunt and stop eating. She didn’t move again until she heard it going back to munching away at its find.

Twilight soon reached the end of the aisle, the buzzing of the medallion finally growing quiet. Together her and Spike let out a collective sigh of relief.

“That was too close.” Spike said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

“Yeah…” Twilight agreed putting the sword away and pulling the map back out. “But, there should be another puzzle piece right over there.” Twilight pointed just past the sixth bookshelf to the wall. Spike looked in the direction she was pointing, seeing the familiar looking puzzle piece sticking out between two books on the bookshelf. Twilight quickly covered the piece with her magic and carefully pulling it out of the shelf.

Twilight then looked to the left of the bookshelf and spotted the door that lead to the backroom. On the door was a square space that looked like it was slotted to fit four separate pieces of a puzzle.

“See? I told you that the puzzle pieces opened this door.” Twilight smiled as she summoned the second piece from her magic. She aligned the corners of the pieces to where they would fit appropriately in the slot. The pieces fit into place with a ‘click’ each, forming half of the picture.

“So we just need to get those other two pieces and the door will unlock.” Spike said smiling.

“It’d be nice if getting the pieces was easier.” Twilight sighed softly turning around. She began to walk down the center aisle of all the bookshelves when she stopped, hearing the medallion start buzzing again.

“Oh no, not another one.” Twilight softly cursed under her breath and drawing the sword once more. She looked around herself; the door was behind her and two empty aisles to her sides. She snapped her head back to the center aisle and saw the creature beginning to walk slowly into her field of vision.

The two tentacles on its back were slowly moving back and forth, as if scanning the air around it. The creatures seemingly skinned head was wobbling slowly back and forth, as if trying to taste or feel things around it. The two halves of skin that used to be a head flapped to its sides as it walked.

Twilight looked around once more in a panic. The creature was going to be upon her quickly and Spike was still on her back. She could feel the young dragon gripping onto her tightly once more. She couldn’t stand there and fight, not with Spike possibly being put in danger.

She had to find a safe spot for him if she was going to fight again.

She turned to her left and quickly ran down the aisle. At the wall she looked around, trying to find a study room with a working door. The first door was a mangled mess of splintered wood, boarded up to prevent entry. The second however, had a door that looked perfect.

Running quickly to the door she pressed her hooves against it and flung it open. The room was brightly lit like the last study room she entered, consisting of a simple table once more. She quickly moved inside and shut the door behind her, the loud buzzing of her medallion turning into a very soft hiss, but never quite going silent.

“Okay… I think we’re safe in here for the moment.” Twilight commented quietly backing away from the door, “We’ll just wait a moment or two and see if the creature passes.” It seemed like a logical idea in her mind, after all it didn’t seem to be in any hurry and if she could avoid fighting when possible, she’d prefer to. Even then she could feel the worry building inside of herself that she would become too accustomed to killing living creatures.

“Hey, Twilight, look there, on the table!” Spike said suddenly pointing to something that lay on the table, Twilight looking towards it, “Isn’t that like one of the boxes we found in the library?”

“…It is Spike.” Twilight said surprised. There was a small mahogany box lying on top of the table. Twilight covered it with her magic and levitated it over to herself. “If it’s here, then that must mean there is something inside of it.” She gripped the top half of the box with her magic, expecting the box to be locked and she’d have to go find some miniscule key hidden inside of a box half way across the library.

However, the box opened easily.

In the next instance something shot out of the box quickly, rising straight up and exploded against the ceiling. Twilight bumped into the back of the room out of surprise as the bright dust began to fall all around the room.

“Hey, this is the same as back at the library!” Spike said standing up on her back and pointing to the dust. “Right afterwards the Princesses showed up!”

Twilight was going to say something, but the room itself seemed to begin to visibly warp and deform. She could barely keep track of the configuration when everything changed, turning into what seemed to be a castle, though not the same castle as the one in Canterlot.

“Hast thou heard? That unicorn is coming to the palace. The stories of his talents have spread fast across our lands.” The regal voice of Princess Luna was heard, walking with her sister down a hallway in the castle, “He returns to us from his journey. It is said he has bested the Dragon of Apocalypse.”

“We have heard the stories and if his words be true than we have many reasons to be grateful to this powerful stallion.” The eldest regal sister, Princess Celestia, spoke in turn of her sister. “For he has done what we could not. The Dragon of Apocalypse is a mighty foe, one that would only otherwise have been bested by our combined unity under the Elements of Harmony.”

“That is exactly what we speak of sister!” Luna put her hoof down with more force, stopping in place. Celestia softly turned to look at her younger sibling, “What force can best the Elements of Harmony? Tis impossible I say! There is no such force that can outshine them! I sense treachery and deceit dear sister.”

Celestia was quiet for a moment, considering her sister’s anger and her words. She looked towards the ground, before looking back up at her sister.

“The feats of heroism are astonishing indeed, but I dare not rule out the possibility that his words are true. Perhaps it was not a force greater than the elements, but something much more deceptive. Perhaps he did not best the dragon with power, but with wit.” Celestia smiled to try and comfort her sister.

“We shall reserve our judgment. Until we see this stallion with our own two eyes, his presence shall be one of suspicion and disbelief.” Luna raised her head as she walked past her sister. Celestia could only smile and softly shake her head as she followed the younger alicorn.

They approached two large, majestic doors that with a single grace of their magic opened wide, revealing the spacious throne room. Guards stood at attention near the throne room chairs as the two sisters took their seats. Their presence was regal and imposing, befitting the rulers of the land.

“Guard, fetch for us the unicorn that has come to see us today.” Luna decreed to one of the nearby guards. The soldier saluted before spreading its wings and flying to the opposite end of the throne room. While the regal sisters had come in from their back room, the guard opened the doors to the front where any awaiting guest to speak to the royal sisters would wait.

Upon the doors opening, a pony began to make its way forward. Around its body it wore a dark blue cloak, with a hood that stretched to cover its face. Around his neck was a golden necklace, the center of which sat a blue octagon gemstone. The pony approached the throne, stopping just short and bowing before the Princesses.

“We welcome thee brave stallion.” Celestia spoke first, setting the regal tone, “Thou may stand and speak with us.”

“And let us see thy face, so that we may know thee better.” Luna added, prompting a look from her sister.

“But of course your majesty.” The stallion spoke clearly, his voice deep. He stood from his bow and raised a hoof up, pulling the hood of his cloak back to reveal himself.

The unicorn had a blonde light blue coat with a long mane of gold, a beard began to form just under his chin and his face looked just freshly turned stallion. He did not look strong, as though he had had the body of a youth. Yet his eyes pierced fiercely with an ice blue stare, as if in his short life he had seen and learned much.

“My name is Merlin, Merlin Ambrosius. I have come to the castle of the Royal Sisters so that I may speak with thee. It is an honor to meet you both.” He bowed once more.

“The feeling is returned, for a pony whose name is heard across the land we are honored to have met thee.” Celestia smiled as Merlin came back up from his bow.

“Yes, thy feats have amazed us all. Tell us, are thy tales true? Has a pony such as thee vanquished the Dragon of Apocalypse all by thyself?” Luna cut straight to the chase, not wanting to delay the question any longer.

“It is true my lady. Acnologia shall no longer be a threat to our lands.” Merlin spoke clearly, without a moment of hesitation in his voice. The quickness of his reply seemed to astonish Luna.

“Acnologia? Who, pray tell, is Acnologia?” Luna narrowed her eyes at the suspicious unicorn.

“Oh, pardon my manners.” Merlin swept some of the hair out of his face so that he could direct his conversation to her more clearly, “Acnologia was the name of the dragon, I discovered it when I came to confront the creature.”

“And how did thou take down such a creature?” Celestia asked as curious as her sister.

“Yes, this is a tale we would like to hear.” Luna added, wanting to hear more of Merlin’s words.

“It is one that I shall share, nor will it take much time. The Dragon of Apocalypse as thou know was destroying our lands, leaving destruction in his wake. No pony could stop him and all diplomacy was for not. He knew to hide and escape from you, the royal sisters, but he feared not the common pony. When he destroyed the village I had visited, I tracked him to his newest home and saw him face to face.” Merlin began his tale.

“And he did not swallow thee or burn thy flesh?” Luna puzzled at him, ever skeptical of his tale.

“He did not, for his curiosity had peaked. He asked what a foolish pony thought he could do and wanted to hear my words before I died. So I spoke to him plain and true. I was there to stop his fiendish deeds, to save our fair ponies and world alike.”

“And he did not strike thee where thy stood?” Luna winced more.

“Nay your majesty, instead he bellowed with laughter.” He raised his hoof and closed his eyes, giving the impression of an aristocrat, “He thought it hilarious that a common pony by himself could defeat one such as he.” Merlin put his hoof back down and looked back up at the princesses, “So I told him that I would offer him a challenge. Interested he asked what it was. I told him that if I could present to him an item he could not destroy that he would lose his power and be forced to live the rest of his life as but a fair earth pony. Should he break my item, I would give him all the powers and strengths of a Unicorn.”

“WHAT!?” Luna roared loudly across the chamber halls, “If the Dragon of Apocalypse acquired the power of unicorns the world would end in but an instance!”

“Dear sister, calm thyself.” Celestia spoke clearly, Luna realizing she’d acted brash, “Let our guest finish his tale.”

“Very well.” Luna calmed herself sitting back down, “Tell us the rest of the tale.”

“But of course your majesty.” Merlin adjusted the hair out of his face once more and continued to speak, “The dragon was confident, knowing his power could shatter anything within the land. He agreed to my game and I cast the pact forming spell, to ensure that whoever won our game would give up their bet. This is where I learned the name of the dragon, for one must speak thy true name for the pact to work. He then asked me to present his item and from my cloak I drew this.” Merlin reached into his cloak and pulled out a large black scale.

“What, pray tell, is that item?” Luna asked, not recognizing it.

“It is the very thing that cannot break. For Acnologia who has the magical power within him to break anything, can break not but one thing, the armor of his own hide.” Merlin held the scale a little higher to behold, “This is a scale from his back. During my travels I witnessed the dragon several times, studying his true nature. During one of those times this scale fell from his back. I know not why it fell or how it did so from the impenetrable shell of the best. But with it in my possession I challenged him to my game.” Merlin put the scale away back in his cloak. “So try as he might, with crushing fists, gnarling jaws and fire hot as magma he could not break the scale.”

“Then what became of the Dragon?” Luna asked, demanding to know more.

“True to the pact he could not best his own scale. The spell activated and his power was stripped from him and his body changed to that of an earth pony. With no way to change back I left him in his cave to wallow in his new form.” Merlin smiled, “And thus ends the terror of Acnologia, the Dragon of Apocalypse.”

“If thy words are true then there is much to celebrate.” Celestia smiled, amazed at the tale, “Once we have confirmed the end of this nightmare upon our land, we must hold a feast in your honor.”

“I would be most honored to be hosted a banquet by you, your majesty.” Merlin bowed once more, “But I am afraid there is something else of grave importance I came to speak of thee with.”

“Speak away my subject, you have earned thy words in this room.” Celestia spoke once more.

“Very well, I shall speak a message first then tell you of why I came.” Merlin cleared his throat quickly, before turning his head, as if not looking at either of the royal sisters, but at somepony that wasn’t there yet, as though they would be there for him to look at one day.

“Twilight.” Merlin spoke clearly, “Thou must find the rest. Memory is the key.”

The world suddenly twisted and shifted, molding itself back into the simple study room that it once had been. The glowing dust that had fallen from the ceiling faded, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.

Twilight and Spike stared in absolute shock at the sight they had just witnessed. At the last words that had been spoken.

“Twilight… was… was he talking to you?” Spike asked confused, not sure of what it was he just saw.

“I… I think so but… how is that possible? That wasn’t happening right now, that had to happened a long time ago, well before I was even CLOSE to being born.” Twilight’s mind was reeling, her eyes moving around frantically as she tried to gather her thoughts into one place. “Was this a magical documentation of events that had occurred? Is it possible to record events like this? And if so who had placed this specific event in this box? Why would it be made for me to find it in this crazy mess?” Twilight spoke quickly and bewildered.

“I don’t think it was any of those things… maybe it was a memory of the past? That Merlin guy did say that memory was the key.” Spike said trying to think about it.

“A memory…” Twilight thought to herself, “But then… whose memory was it Spike?”

“Uhm… I guess it’d be Celestia’s memory… or maybe Luna’s… they were both present for that event.” Spike thought scratching his head.

“Well… he said I had to find the rest. I guess that means there must be more memories hiding like this one was.” Twilight examined the box, finding the contents now quite empty. With no need for an empty box she placed it back down on the table.

“Hey, your medallion isn’t making noise anymore.” Spike noticed, trying to listen for any sound.

“Oh, you’re right Spike.” Twilight lifted the medallion with her hoof to look at it, confirming it had gone silent, “It must be okay to wander outside again, since it was still buzzing when we got in here.” Twilight walked over to the door and put her hoof against it. “Let’s hurry up and find those last two puzzle pieces Spike and get into the backroom. I have a feeling something very important is back there.”

“How can you tell?” Spike asked curiously.

“Like I said Spike, whatever is going on is following its own rules. This includes the puzzles, the monsters and things like the memory we just found. Something important is locked inside the backroom, or else it wouldn’t be locked.” Twilight nodded, taking a deep breath and opening the study door once more.

The dark library came into view once more and she realized her pendant had turned itself off in the study room. With a quick tap of her hoof light returned and she could see into the dark library. She scanned the area around the door quickly, finding no monsters waiting for them in ambush. It seemed that the creature had simply walked by and left them alone. Twilight quickly pulled the map back out and examined it.

“Okay, the last two pieces are actually nearby. They’re that way.” Twilight said looking to her left, before quietly closing the study room door behind her and following along the wall. She scanned with her light down the aisles of the book shelves she passed, stopping when she saw a light blue book sticking out of one of the nearby shelves.

Without moving from the wall she grasped the book within her magic and levitated it over to herself. The title of the book read ‘Heaven’s Food’. She did a quick glance around to make sure no monster was near and listened carefully to her medallion, before she opened the book to read what it contained.

Once there were two sisters, one of whom had no children and was rich, and the other had five and was a widow, and so poor that she no longer had food enough to satisfy herself and her children.

In her need, therefore, she went to her sister, and said, “My children and I are suffering the greatest hunger; thou art rich, give me a mouthful of bread.”

The very rich sister was as hard as a stone, and said, “I myself have nothing in the house,” and drove away the poor creature with harsh words.

After some time the husband of the rich sister came home, and was just going to cut himself a piece of bread, but when he made the first cut into the load, out flowed red blood. When the woman saw that she was terrified and told him what had occurred. He hurried away to help the widow and her children, but when he entered her room, he found her bowed.

She had her two youngest children in her hooves, and the three eldest were lying dead. He offered her food, but she answered, “For earthly food have we no longer any desire. Heaven has already satisfied the hunger of three of us, and it will hearken to our supplications likewise.”

Scarcely had she uttered these words than the two little ones drew their last breath, whereupon her heart broke, and she sank down dead.

“Can reading wait till later Twilight? I’d like to finish our business here as quickly as possible.” Spike asked, trying to get Twilight’s nose out of another book.

“Oh, right, sorry Spike.” Twilight vanished the book into her magic and continued following the wall.

Each study door she passed continued to be broken and boarded off. The map showed that the last two pieces of the puzzle was in one of the study rooms and in the middle of the maze of bookshelves. Twilight’s light scanned down the aisles looking for anything that might jump out at her. The pathway ended when she was stopped by a large pile of books, but lead down into another aisle of the bookshelves. She examined the map and looked at the study door that was next to her. The door wasn’t broken or boarded up, looking perfectly good for use. One of the puzzle pieces was contained inside that room.

Not wanting to waste any more time she placed her hoof against the door and pushed it open slightly.

Her medallion suddenly began to buzz loudly as the sound of chewing struck her ears.

She quickly closed the door shut and the buzzing silenced itself.

“Oh no…” Twilight took a deep breath, realizing she might have to fight another one of those creatures and opened the door slightly once more.

The medallion began to buzz as she looked in through the crack of the door. The room was brightly lit like the others, she could spot the creature and its tentacles easily. It was devouring a pile of books in the corner of the room, the table pushed to the opposite wall for it to have room. She saw the tentacles floating around its back, looking for some prey to stab into.

Her eyes moved over to the table, spotting the puzzle piece lying on top of it. She thought about her actions for a moment, before having a brilliant deduction. She lit her horn with magic and the puzzle piece covered the distance with her magic.

The creature feasting stopped for a moment, as if noticing her use of magic. Twilight softly gulped and vanished the piece into her magic, before closing the door.

The medallion continued to buzz for a moment or two after the door closed, causing Twilight to softly sweat at the idea of having been discovered.

However, the buzzing grew quiet and she let out a soft sigh, realizing she’d gotten away with it.

‘Thank you Merlin, your spell has worked miracles today.’ Twilight thought to herself. She turned around and walked away from the door, heading for the center of the library now. According to the map, the puzzle piece should be right under her nose.

At the end of the aisle she saw it, sitting on the floor comfortably, surrounded by three separate piles of large books that blocked off any other way to the puzzle piece. It was a dead end in the maze, but a dead end that hid the final piece.

With a smile she whisked the puzzle piece up with her magic and vanished it into her magic.

“Alright, we have all the pieces we need Spike. Let’s go open that door.” Twilight smiled confidently, ready to go into the backroom and away from all these monsters. She turned around and made her way back to the wall, planning on following it back to the locked puzzle door and putting the pieces into place.

As she began to follow along the wall, she was stopped in her tracks when her medallion suddenly began to buzz once more. She quickly looked down the aisle that was next to her, hearing the sound of groaning coming down it.

From the shadows appeared another one of those creatures, only it seemed different. Its tentacles were at attention; point straight forward, its head wasn’t wobbling back and forth but instead heading straight forward. It wasn’t searching; it knew where its prey was now.

The creature let out a screeching wail, charging forward straight at the unprepared unicorn.

Twilight leaped forward as the two tentacles came crashing down, breaking into the wall where she had just been standing. She couldn’t stand around right now; she couldn’t stop and fight the thing. With Spike on her back and nowhere safe to quickly put him, she had to just run.

She felt like she ran faster than she ever had before, but the world itself had grown in size. It was all in her mind, she knew, but it felt like the aisle would end. She could hear the creature screeching as it pulled the tentacles out of the wall; it was going to head for her once more.

Twilight made a sharp turn at the end the wall. She could hear her breath as her heart began to pound in her ears. One thing was constantly shouting out in her head.

Spike was in danger.

She could feel the baby dragon clinging to her head tightly, looking back at the creature chasing them. She could feel his panicked breath, his terrified claws, his racing heart. Everything about him wanted to be out of danger quickly and she was the one who had to protect him. She had to get him out of danger.

The door came into view, the puzzle pieces still locked into place where she had placed them before. She could hear the crashing of books and the splintering of wood behind her as the creature thrashed its tentacles out, it attempting to drive them straight into her body.

“TWILIGHT! HURRY!” Spike shouted gripping hold of her mane. Twilight winced in pain but held back her words, summoning the two pieces of the puzzle out from her magic. With speed and precision she placed the remaining pieces into the door, hearing it ‘click’ with the sound of the puzzle being completed.

Her magic gripped the door and forced it open, Twilight sprinting straight for it. The creature wailed as its tentacles missed her by inches, slicing through the air. Twilight turned in the opened hallway, seeing the creature flail for the door, its skin flapping around as its mandibles mashed around.

With her horn lighting up, she swung her head and slammed the door shut hard, the echo of the slam being heard through the library.

The medallion didn’t let up its buzzing and Twilight stepped back from the door, still hearing the creature wail behind it. The sound died down for a moment, causing an unnatural calm. Twilight gulped softly, not liking the quiet.

The door cracked visibly as something hard was struck against it. Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized the door could be damaged by the creature.

Another strike hit the door, loudly splitting the wood it was made out of.

A tentacle burst through the door, heading straight for Twilight. She jumped back and let out a startled scream as it stopped a few feet away from her.

The tentacle suddenly began to wither and writhe, a loud high-pitched screaming sound coming from it as if it was suddenly being attacked. Steam started to rise from the entire appendage as it began to wrinkle and shrink.

The creature tried to pull the tentacle back out the door, only for it to fall off mid-pull. The tentacle landed on the ground curling up, before vanishing completely in the steam of smoke that it had produced.

Twilight stared in confusion at where the tentacle had been, then up at the door, hearing the creature wail and moan behind it. It wailed and seemed to scratch at the door for a minute or two, before giving up and walking away. The buzz on the medallion began to fade as it walked away, before finally going silent.

“What just happened Twilight?” Spike asked confused, though still riding from the terror of having survived a close encounter.

“I… I don’t know Spike.” Twilight gulped softly, looking down at the ground. Her light illuminated the spot where the tentacle had been, then she lifted it up to look down the hallway to see what might have caused the tentacle to suddenly fall apart.

“Hey, what’s that?” Twilight asked walking closer to the door, spotting a strange marking on the ground. She carefully stopped right before it, illuminating the symbol with her light.

“Hey, isn’t that the same symbol as the one from the box in the library?” Spiked asked curiously looking at the design.

“It is Spike…” Twilight spoke softly looking over the strange circle design. It was indeed the circle within circles design with the cryptic runic writing. However, it was different. Instead of being a red symbol, this one was blue. “Do you think this thing being here is what hurt that monster?”

“Maybe. It’s the only thing that makes sense right?” Spike commented, tapping his chin in thought.

“Then who put it here…” Twilight pondered as well. The two of them sat there for about a minute in thought, before Twilight looked back up at the door with a hole in it leading back to the library. “We can contemplate about it more later Spike. Let’s head into the backroom and see what we can find.” Twilight spoke firmly, turning around and heading down the narrow hallway.

Twilight was a little surprised that the backroom was at the end of this long, narrow hallway. It seemed unusual for a library to have a useless hallway like this within its borders anyway. But her light fell upon the door at the end of the hallway, the words ‘Backroom’ written onto it. Quickly approaching it, she put her hoof against the door, braced for what might be behind it, and pushed it open.

The door let out a loud creak as she pushed it open. She winced at the sound, realizing it would likely attract anything that was inside of the room. Though when she looked, she found it to be surprisingly well lit. A few candles were lit around the room and there appeared to be several tables in the center of the room with a few bookshelves along the back walls.

“Oh, hello there.” A voice suddenly came out, causing Twilight to nearly jump out of her skin, “I wasn’t expecting to meet another pony here.”

Suddenly, a unicorn walked into her view from across the room, one she hadn’t seen before.

His coat was a light brown, while his mane was a striking blonde with darker blonde highlights going through it evenly. On his face was a pair of glasses that showed off his dark blue eyes, while he had a scruffy goatee growing in around his mouth and nose. On his body was a lighter brown sweater with dark brown edges to it and a white collar that popped up out from the sweater. But most striking of all was that his cutie mark appeared to be a red magic circle with a simple cross square pattern, with a large question mark in the middle of it.

He closed a book he had been reading and levitated it gently down onto one of the tables.

“I was here doing research on my latest book, when things suddenly started going weird. So I thought I might poke my nose into some other research.” The stallion smiled oddly. Twilight wasn’t sure how to read his reaction, but she was grateful to see another pony.

“O-Oh… well I wasn’t expecting to see another pony too.” Twilight spoke hesitantly, walking into the room and closing the door behind her. “Are you from Stalliongrad? This is the library there after all…”

“No, I was born in Canterlot actually.” The stallion said walking closer, “But I was in Stalliongrad doing research. Tell me; based on your question this library is no longer in Stalliongrad. So where am I?”

“You’re… in Ponyville.” Twilight mentioned, the two stopping a few feet short of each other. Spike was gripping onto Twilight’s head, eyeing the new pony with suspicion. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle, and I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on here.”

The stallions face seemed to light up upon hearing her name, before smiling his odd smile. Twilight couldn’t help but think he seemed a little off.

“Twilight Sparkle? The one and only? The student of Princess Celestia and the current wielder of the Element of Magic?” He asked simply fascinated by this information. Twilight went to open her mouth to respond, when Spike did it for her.

“She’s the one and only alright, but who are you?” Spike asked pointing a finger accusingly.

“Spike? What are you doing?” Twilight glared softly at the baby dragon’s rudeness.

“Now, now, it’s alright.” The stallion smiled, adjusting his glasses, “I’m certainly not as famous as you would be Ms. Sparkle, but I have started to gain a name for myself. You see, I’ve published a few books recently in my ever growing hunger to know more about the world. I love nothing more than finding answers to the questions that the world brings up.” He chuckled softly to himself, before making sure to look straight into her eyes. “My name is Magus. Magus Vince Darkarts. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Spike practically fell off of Twilight’s back. Twilight’s jaw felt like it could have hit the ground. There was a moment of stunned shock as Twilight took all of that information in. Magus just seemed to chuckle softly at her reaction.

“Oh my, I take it you’ve heard of me?” He asked amused.

“Heard of you!?” Twilight could barely contain her voice, “You’re the guy who… you practically caused this mess!” Her mind jumped straight to conclusions.

“Huh?” Magus asked confused, raising an eyebrow, “What do you mean? I certainly would have nothing to do with what’s been going on with this library. I’ve simply been doing research.”

“Well… no you haven’t done anything directly.” Twilight said trying to reign in her emotions, “But your spell has caused a lot of indirect problems… and it’s helped some good ponies too…” Twilight bit her lip as she began to realize what she was saying and how she was reacting.

“Start from the beginning Ms. Sparkle, what are you talking about?” Magus asked a little more confused than he likes to be.

“Okay, well, see, I have these friends who had been having nightmares. So I looked up a book on dreams and found yours. I used the spell you created called the Mind Delve on them to find out what was wrong.” Twilight quickly explained.

“Ah yes. Dreams: A Psychological Understanding. I remember writing that.” Magus mused rubbing his chin. “And the Mind Delve is one of my personal favorites. Oh a lot of work went into weaving that spell. I assume it brought your friends problems to the front and they were able to confront them?”

“Well… yes and no.” Twilight explained, causing Magus to be a little confused again. “See, I never saw what their problems were. I saw a floating picture and then the spell ended on its own. But when it was over my friends said they had come to understand their problems and were better for it.”

“…You don’t say.” Magus thought once more. “That is certainly odd. The spell was never intended to do either of those things.”

“Exactly. So if you’re here now… can you tell me, why did the spell do that? And what reason would my friends have for not telling me what they experienced while under the Mind Delve?” Twilight wanted answers.

Magus grew quiet as he thought in silence. It seemed to take a minute or two before he finally responded.

“I couldn’t tell you Ms. Sparkle.” Was his answer, “I didn’t intend for the spell to have those effects. And you should’ve seen what their problem was when you cast the spell.” He smiled, looking off into the distance. “But this intrigues me now. I’d like to find an answer to this question myself.”

“Is this guy right in the head?” Spike asked a little confused about Magus’s words.

“Spike, no need to be insulting.” Twilight huffed a little before turning back. “Sorry about asking such questions with the situation we’re in. I just… I never expected to run into you of all ponies here.”

“It’s alright Ms. Sparkle.” Magus nodded slowly, “All things must happen for a reason. With the recent phenomenon going on in this library, I’ve been busying myself with research on it.”

“How can you research something noponies ever experienced before?” Spike asked confused.

“By finding clues and hints left behind of course.” Magus chuckled softly, “Like for instance, did you know that the monsters that have appeared hate something? It brings them pain and suffering to simply even be in the vicinity of it.”

“…The blue circle.” Twilight gasped in realization.

“Oh excellent, you saw that on your way in.” Magus smiled, adjusting his glasses again, “That’s exactly right. I found that symbol adorned in red while I was here researching. Then the monsters suddenly started showing up. I knew it couldn’t have been a coincidence, so using my knowledge of runic symbols, I figured out quickly that changing the color turned the symbol from a positive effect for the creatures, to a negative one.” He chuckled softly, “Of course, the symbol has its limitations.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Twilight asked confused.

“You see, Ms. Sparkle, the symbol runs on a strange system. The monsters hate the symbol in blue, but only in small numbers. The more you create, the weaker the effect becomes. I discovered this when I tried to create a wall to stop their movements, but they were simply able to walk through it.” Magus turned to walk back over to the table where his book now lay, “But if I put a single one in a hallway, then the creature feels its maximum effect. So in short…” Magus’s horn lit up as he pulled out several different books from the shelves around him and piled them neatly into a small structure in front of him, “You can create a safe room that the monsters won’t be able to get inside.”

“I see… that’s amazing. You were able to find this all out with a short time researching?” Twilight asked astonished, amazed at his work.

“Indeed I have.” Magus smiled, walking back towards Twilight, “And I still have a lot more research to do. So I’m going to be remaining her in this safe room until I’ve finished it.”

“I see…” Twilight softly murmured to herself, thinking things through in her head. She had just found a safe room, a room that would prevent from any kind of monster attack. She couldn’t stay there for long, her friends needed her and she needed to find the Princess.

However, there was something that the safe room could do for her.

“Magus.” Twilight spoke suddenly, causing the stallion to tilt his head curiously, “I’m going back outside to look for my friends and for Princess Celestia. Are you going to be staying here and studying?”

“But of course.” Magus smiled adjusting his glasses once more, giving that strange grin of his, “I love finding answers. I’ll be here for a while at it.”

“Good. Then can I please ask you to watch my assistant Spike for me?” Twilight pointed to the baby dragon with her hoof.

“What!?” Spike said shocked at the sudden proposal, “Twilight, what are doing? You need me with you!”

“Spike, please.” She looked at her assistant before looking at Magus, “Would you be willing to do that for me?”

“But of course.” Magus smiled his creepy smile, “Anything for the wonderful Ms. Sparkle.”

“Twilight no! I want to go with you!” Spike cried out, clinging to Twilight’s leg. Twilight sighed softly and sat down on the ground, holding Spike close to her. She pressed his head up against her chest so that he could hear her heart beat. Spike looked up at her worriedly as she smiled down at him.

“Listen Spike… it’s dangerous out there. Those creatures don’t show any mercy. They’ll rip you to shreds if they get the chance.” Twilight spoke gravely, yet comfortingly.

“I know that! And if you’re going out there that means they’re going to come after you too! I have to be there to protect you!” Spike cried out, clinging harder to Twilight. Twilight lifted a hoof and wrapped it around the baby dragon’s body, closing her eyes as she hugged him.

“Spike, listen. I can protect myself. You’ve seen me do it. I can avoid the monsters and save my life much easier if I don’t have to constantly protect you.” Twilight opened her eyes and lifted her head, Spike looking up into her eyes as water started to form at the edge of his, “I won’t be putting myself into any intentional harm and I’ll stop anything that plans to hurt me. I won’t let those things get to me Spike, but I do have to go out and find the others.” Twilight put both her hooves on his shoulders and lowered her head to look him level in the eyes.

“Do you trust me to keep my word Spike?” Twilight asked solemnly.

“I… I…” Spike hesitated, not wanting to be separated from the lavender unicorn. But her words spoke true, if he continued to stay with her, he’d be a liability more than he would be an aid. “I… I do Twilight.” Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck, “I do trust you. And you better come back for me! I won’t forgive you if you die on me!”

“I won’t Spike. I promise you.” Twilight hugged the baby dragon close to her. They sat there for a while, just enjoying each other’s embrace.

“Well,” Magus spoke up finally, causing the two to slowly break out of their hug, “If you’re going back out there then maybe this will help you.” His horn lit up and from a pocket in his sweater he pulled out a strange key. Her levitated it over to Twilight who held out her hoof, the key gently falling into it. “I found that back here but have no use for it since I’ll be researching. Perhaps you’ll find a use for it out there.”

“Thank you Magus.” Twilight nodded her head, vanishing the key into her magic, “Thank you for everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” Magus flashed his creepy smile, before turning to head back for his books. Twilight stood up and headed back for the door to the library.

“You’re going to come back for me. You got that?” Spike said, giving Twilight a soft glare, out of fear and worry.

“I do.” Twilight smiled back at the baby dragon. The two looked at each other for a long period of time, before Twilight opened the door to the backroom and exited, leaving her number one assistant behind.

Chapter 4

The warm foggy air hit like a wave in comparison to the cooled interior of the library. Twilight shook her mane as the breeze blew past her.

She carefully walked down the front steps that lead to the building, looking back up to the sky as she watched the flakes of ash still falling slowly. A thin layer was beginning to form on the ground. She could see the footsteps she was leaving behind as her hooves stepped on the ground.

She turned and looked back at the building. It didn’t belong in Ponyville, its look and architecture didn’t belong standing next to the simple designs of the other buildings. Ponyville was a relatively small, though growing and rather robust village.

Twilight let out a soft sigh, turning to look at the building fully. Though she had managed to sneak her way outside, the building still held things inside of it. There were still those strange, book eating monsters inside of its walls. There were broken doors and piles of books. What seemed most strange was the simple look of its disuse despite knowing that it had to be a facility that was often used.

But the most important thing of all was that it contained a pony that was watching over a dragon. Her number one assistant who she knew had to be kept safe and protected. Though Magus didn’t give her the best of first impressions, leaving Spike with a pony seemed to lift a burden that she hadn’t realized she was carrying since she left the library. Even if she wasn’t completely sure she could trust Magus, she knew that he had written his books in order to benefit Equestria and make it a better place. If nothing else gave her confidence, it was the thought that Magus wanted what was best for everypony, even if it didn’t show on his face.

Twilight’s horn lit up as she reached into her magical pool once more, gripping the key that magus had given her and pulling it out into the world. She’d just tucked it into her magic for the moment because she was ensuring Spike was going to be safe, but now that she was alone in the quiet air of Ponyville she had a chance to examine it.

“Hey, wait a minute.” Twilight said looking at the end of the key. She wasn’t sure how she hadn’t recognized it right away at first, but now that it was in plain light she could easily identify the key now.

It was a long skeleton key with the three blue diamonds on the end of it. Shaped and placed the exact same way as Rarity’s cutie mark.

“Rarity!” Twilight said suddenly feeling a sense of urgency for finding her unicorn friend. She quickly swapped the key for her map and checked her location in Ponyville. From the buildings around her and the direction she had run from Sugar Cube Corner, she had to be on the intersection of Pen Street and Kat Street. If she wanted to make it to Carousel Boutique, she’d have to go down the street and cut across the town square.

“Town Square…” Twilight murmured to herself scanning the area with her hoof. “It’s wide open and going to be covered in fog. I could easily get surrounded or ambushed…” Twilight gulped at the idea of being surrounded and chased down by those creatures again. She didn’t have Spike with her this time, she could fight one off if she had to but she knew she couldn’t handle more than that.

Twilight considered her options. She knew heading back towards Sugar Cube Corner lead to more of those creatures, the only other directions she had was to head back home or to head through the plaza. As much as she didn’t like the idea she was quickly beginning to realize that heading through the plaza was going to be her only route.

She put the map away and stared down the fog filled road. With a soft gulp, knowing she was all alone and that she couldn’t rely on being backed up by anypony, she began to walk down the street.

Each of her hoof steps that had once echoed loudly now only created dull echoes. The ash was muffling each of her steps and she was beginning to grow thankful for it. She didn’t like the idea of being covered in the ash, but it was something she’d have to deal with until she could be inside once more.

The eerily looming buildings of the town seemed to tower over her, as if glaring at her for even being outside. The thick smell of the air seemed to clog her senses, unable to smell anything but the ash that hung in the air. The warm muggy air was beginning to give her a soft sweat allowing the ash to stick even more easily to her coat. She could hear every step of her hooves, every groan of the town as the houses shift, of the wind blowing through holes and openings in the buildings.

A shiver ran down her back. She didn’t like being alone like this. She hadn’t realized how comforting having that weight on her back was, knowing that even during the silence she could at any time turn to someone and just talk. She could distract herself from the situation she was in just long enough to not be afraid anymore.

Though he was safe she no longer had that buffer of comfort to help her. She was on her own now. She would have to be the one that was strong.

But it was hard. She’d come to Ponyville and she’d learned what it meant to have true friends. Before them she would’ve preferred to be alone, enjoyed not being held back by the thought of others or being inconvenienced that she had to go and save ponies who should be able to help themselves.

That was exactly why she was going to Carousel Boutique now. The key was to Rarity’s house, or at least she assumed it was, and to have gotten a key to her house only meant one thing to Twilight. Rarity must be in danger.

If Rarity was in danger she would go to help her friend. The only wish she had was for Rarity to be okay. She hoped her gut instinct was wrong and that when Twilight opened the door she’d find her friend obsessively cleaning the mess that had become of her house because of this fog.

She could picture it now.

Rarity would be moving about quickly as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Rarity would be carrying her duster and cleaning every dusty spot that had emerged into her store.

“Oh this filthy grime! Where did it come from? I’m always so clean, so meticulous! This is unbecoming of a fine ladies shop!” Rarity would grumble and moan before turning her head to see Twilight standing there, covered in sweat and ash, her mane and tail a mess.

“Oh my stars DARLING!” Rarity would drop everything and rush over to her messy friend, “Twilight what happened!? Oh you poor dear! Oh this simply cannot do! You come with me right now and we’ll get you cleaned up!” And although Twilight would struggle against her friend, telling her there were more important things to take care of, she’d be effortlessly whisked away to Rarity’s bathroom where the prim and proper unicorn would take care to groom all the dirty grime off of her body.

“A wandering mind will make one blind.” A deep female voice suddenly said.

Twilight instantly jumped back and whipped the sword out from her magic pool, pointing it in the direction the voice had come from. She could feel her heart beating fast, having been lost in her thoughts and not realizing she had wandered distracted.

Only about a foot away, the figure of a pony in a black cloak that covered her face stood there once more.

“The end is meant to be a surprise; but some foolish ponies will seek their demise. Do you seek the end Twilight, or do you seek the new dawn’s light?” The strange pony asked Twilight.

“I… I don’t know!” Twilight replied in her hasty confusion. “Who are you?! How do you know who I am?”

“From beginning to end I shall watch all depart, all journeys find me at their start.” A cold breeze suddenly blew through the town and Twilight shivered at the stark contrast in temperature. “Time seems long and vast in this open world, yet its brevity is shown to all unfurled. You have the chance to make all things right, but fate is not kind and it will fight.”

A second breeze blew through the town, shifting the fog to once more cover the cloaked pony.

“No! Wait! Come back!” Twilight cried, rushing forward to where the pony had been standing. Just a few feet away and the figure had disappeared, devoured once more by the fog of the world.

Twilight looked around and swung the blade trying to clear the fog, but no matter how harder she swung the blade, the fog refused to clear. Twilight softly huffed, annoyed, before putting her sword away.

“I don’t know what’s going on… she couldn’t have been a hallucination, Spike saw her too.” Twilight shook her head. That mare wasn’t Zecora, they didn’t even sound similar, but she spoke just like the zebra. Figuring out who she was came to her mind, but was pushed aside when she paid attention to her surroundings. Ahead of her was town square, a wide open area where ponies would normally be gathered to check out several of the market carts or to meet up with friends or even to head for town hall.

This was where Twilight had feared to be. She couldn’t see the nearest buildings, but she knew that if she could get across the open field that she would make it to Carousel Boutique. She had to go help Rarity.

Twilight drew her sword, swallowed her fear and began to walk forward.

She knew how long the town square was. She walked it quite frequently, be it to see her friends or hang out with the mayor. But with it so devoid of life, Twilight knew that the only thing that was waiting for her in the fog were monsters.

Each hoof step felt like they inched her along. She was traveling miles in what should only be yards.

The sight of the buildings behind her faded into the fog, she kept moving forward determined to see the other end of the square. A breeze blew through that brushed her mane, coating it with another layer of ash. She snorted softly, getting the ash out of her nose. She tried to control her breathing; she had to make it across before anything found her, before anything bad could happen to her. She had a promise to keep to Spike.

Her medallion began to buzz and Twilight stopped in place. She knew it had been coming, but the sound of the buzz instantly struck her heart with fear.

She spun her head around in the fog. She instantly caught sight of the shadow in the fog that was beginning to approach her. As soon as she recognized the figure she could hear the clacking of the metal shoes and the dragging of the metal along the ground. It was still away from her, she could run from it.

She turned back to the direction she was headed and began to run. She wanted to get away from that creature with the weapon.

Her hooves skidded to a halt however; several figures appeared in the fog before her now. The sound of clicking metal against cobblestone was intensifying. Twilight’s heart leapt into her throat as she instantly recognized this pattern. She turned to her right and started to run, when she saw the figures in the fog there too.

Her head darted back and forth, spotting figures all around her. It was exactly what she had feared.

She was surrounded.

She backed up a few feet, her sword shaking as her magic became unstable. She couldn’t believe she’d fallen straight into this trap. She knew it had been coming and yet she had foolishly walked straight into it.

The creatures soon made their way through the fog. She could discern them again, several pony-like creatures, all wearing that same ancient armor. Each carried a different weapon that they dragged along the ground. Swords, axes, spears, all seemed to be sharp as they cut into the ground as they dragged.

Twilight twirled herself, feeling sweat drip down her forehead as she began to panic. She couldn’t take them all on. She counted; there were at least twenty of them surrounding her. They seemed to form a perfect circle around her, slowing to a stop as they made their formation.

She was backed into a corner. They were all hunters and she was their prey.

‘Spike… forgive me.’ Twilight silently pleaded to herself, already realizing the reality of her situation. She couldn’t escape now. The only way she could was possibly making a break through the line, but that would never work. She would be skewered and chopped before she would manage an escape.

The creatures were drawing closer, her medallion was buzzing louder. Her sword shook more as her body joined it. She couldn’t handle this. She was going to die. She was going to die and she knew it.

All she could do was try and brace herself. Their weapons would start swinging and if she was lucky it would only hurt for a little while. She glanced around, trying to discern how much closer they would get.

It was that moment that she blinked, a hint of confusion crossed her mind. They weren’t advancing anymore. Instead they all had craned their heads up, as if looking at something she couldn’t see.

She slowly turned herself around, looking at each of them, but they seemed to have stopped advancing towards her. Instead, they all were looking up into the sky. They weren’t paying attention to her movements anymore. A though struck her mind.

‘Perhaps this is my chance to escape!’ Twilight looked around quickly, trying to discern which of the soldiers were far enough apart to attempt a break through the line. ‘If I put everything I have into breaking through the biggest opening between them, I might have a chance of getting out of here ali-’

A huge rush of wind suddenly blew through the town, tossing her mane across her face. She coughed at the sudden ash that had been flung into her face, but froze as her ears perked up. The wind had come from a creature. A creature with gigantic wings that was flying right above them. Her heart sank at the realization of what was going on.

They were distracted because something much worse was right above them.

A loud roar punctuated the air and Twilight clasped her hooves against her ears. The very ground she stood on shook, tossing her to the ground as she tried to stop the deafening sound from destroying her ears. She winced at the impact before opening her eyes to try and figure out what was going on.

The creatures that had once surrounded her were no longer in their formation. They were now running for their lives. Twilight lifted her head up as the creatures ran past her, dragging their weapons along with them. She watched them in awe, the creatures that very easily had the chance of slaying her, the chance of drawing her blood like they wanted, were running in fear. They feared for their lives more than taking hers.

Another deafening roar broke through the air causing the earth beneath the unicorn to shake with tremors once more. Her hooves instinctively clasped back to her ears from the pain. She knew she was defenseless lying on the ground protecting her ears, she couldn’t continue to lay there. Letting go of her head she scrambled to a standing position, just as another earthquake struck the ground attempting to knock her over once more. This time the quake had been caused by something large landing.

Twilight’s eyes slowly lifted up, the gigantic creature coming into her view. She had to crane her neck to get all of the creature within her vision. She wished she hadn’t.

Its skin was black and rotting. At several locations on its body it had worms digging into its flesh and wrapping around to cover holes in its muscles. Its two wings were leathery and riddled with holes, as if they wouldn’t hold it in flight. It had several razor sharp spines running down the length of its back. Its head was large, falling apart in several places. She could see rows of razor sharp teeth jutting from its mouth. Its eyes were pure black, bleeding from the sockets. It let out a growl and smoke billowed from its nose.

Though it looked like it shouldn’t be alive, the shape of the creature meant it could only be one creature. It was a dragon. It was unlike any dragon the unicorn had ever seen before.

Twilight shakily tried to stand up. Her senses felt dulled. She’d come face to face with a full grown dragon before. Every day she dealt with a baby dragon as her assistant. But the presence this creature gave off sent fear straight down her spine. She was only barely able to make it to her hooves, her legs shaking fiercely as they tried to support her weight.

The dragon moved its head, its entire neck letting out audibly snaps as it jerked with its movements, as though its spine was misaligned. Twilight froze hearing the sound, chills running through her as the dragon lowered its head to ground level with the lavender unicorn.

Twilight stared into its black, oozing eyes as the dragon stared at her. The sword she had been wielding that whole time fell, her magic no longer stable enough to grab hold of it. It clattered loudly onto the ground.

She could feel her entire self trembling, the monstrosity before her was staring her down. Its hot, disgusting breath washed over her as it breathed through its nose. Her mouth quivered to yell, to scream, to shout, to do anything, but nothing could form within her throat. The hot breath rolled over her body once more as she could hear a low growl come from the back of the dragon’s throat. Her eyes darted to the edges of its mouth, certain she’d spot them moving into a devil’s grin.

The rotted, gaping mouth of the dragon opened. Twilight stared straight into the gaping jaw, the near-searing breath instantly choking her. The foul odor only punctuated the site. The rows of jagged, uneven fangs were hanging on by oozing and rotted gums. The mandibles were held together by the wriggling, writhing of maggots that formed at the back of its throat, acting as though they were muscles for the jowls. Seething red fire grew in the back of its throat, as if being summoned from the pits of hell itself.

Twilight couldn’t move. Her mind no longer understood what it meant to move. She had to move, she had to run, she had to get away from its mouth or else she would die. The hell fire in the dragon’s throat began to grow. The blaze roared loudly shooting straight up from the throat. Twilight stared straight into the flames as they flew straight towards her. They felt slow, as though the world itself had slowed down just for her to behold the flames that were heading straight for her. There was almost a serene grace to the sight. She couldn’t feel the heat or the panic anymore, she could only stare into the flames heading for her, as if a moment given to her by fate so that she might relive her life a last time.

“We’ll name her Twilight.” The sound of a loving parent.

“She’s so smart, always reading.” The praise of a loving parent.

“Twilight, we’ve enrolled you into Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns!” the encouragement of a loving parent.

“Twilight Sparkle, I’d like to make you my own personal protege here at the school.” The moment that changed everything.

“You’re improving with incredible speed. Here, lets try a harder spell.” The encouragement of a mentor.

“You know that I trust you completely, my faithful student.” The trust of a mentor.

“And I have an even more essential task for you to complete. Make some friends.” The first words that lead her to her friends.

“She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings, from her new home in Ponyville.” The life altering words of her mentor.

“I’ve been having nightmares Twilight. Awful, horrible, relentless nightmares.” A friend that spoke out in need.

“Fluttershy's been having some nasty nightmares that've been keeping her up. She's unable to sleep and she dreads having to go to bed.” The second time a plight was presented to her.

“Thank you for seeing me in any case miss Sparkle. Your rather...unpleasant blue friend out there tells me you might have a spell to treat my problem?” The third time she had encountered the same problem.

“I didn’t intend for the spell to have those effects. And you should’ve seen what their problem was when you cast the spell.” The words of the only unicorn who might have known what the horrors meant.

“I do trust you. And you better come back for me! I won’t forgive you if you die on me!”

Twilight felt something in the back of her mind smack her back to reality. The roaring flame was bearing down on her with increasing speed.

The inferno flooded the town square, flames spreading quickly across the ash-laden ground. The cobblestone itself appeared to melt under the heat. The fires of hell had been unleashed upon Ponyville with a single breath.

The lavender unicorn rolled against the hard stone ground. As she came to a stop she could feel the weight of her breath with every breath. She stood back up on her trembling hooves, having narrowly escaped her brush with death. Her blurred vision slowly cleared as she made out the view of what looked like lava burning in Ponyville. The cobblestone was heating up rapidly, glowing red like coal stones. The dark red flames ate away at everything they touched.

The dragon’s head twisted, the distinct sound of bone bopping echoed above the roar of the flames. Its neck and head turned quickly, coming to face in her direction once more. The black, soulless eyes stared directly at her. The blood oozed thickly from its sockets as it stared. Twilight could feel it staring at her, as if somehow its very gaze was a weapon it had.

She broke her gaze away from its eyes not wanting to stare into the empty voids any longer. She eyes shot down to where she had been standing moments ago before the dragon. Just outside the edge of the blazing fire she could spot the rusted and jagged blade of her sword. It hadn’t been caught in the fire.

Twilight looked back up at the dragon’s head. The creature stepped towards her, smoke billowing from its nose as she heard the low, piercing growl echo from it. She didn’t have much time to stop and think. She had to act and she had to act now.

Fire began to spill from the edges of the dragon’s mouth. It was ready to unleash hell once more upon the lavender unicorn. Twilight’s horn quickly burned with magic as the dragon reared its head back. The sword was instantly surrounded with a lavender aura as the creature thrust its head forward.

In that instant the sword seamed to gleam as it sailed through the air. It struck its mark true, slicing straight through the dragon’s jaw.

The effect was immediate as the dragon’s head went skyward, its mouth opening and spewing its stream of hell fire straight into the air. The dragon roared in pain, shaking the ground once more with its deafening cry. Twilight’s ears flattened against her head as she pulled the sword out of its jaw.

The blade dripped with blood as she quickly pulled it back to her side. The dragon’s neck popped and cracked as its head wobbled from the pain of its new gaping wound. The dragon shifted its head to once more look at the lavender unicorn that had dared to strike it. Twilight posed the sword before her. She felt a confidence rising inside of her now. She had struck the creature and hurt it, she could do it again, she could kill the dragon.

The dragon saw her stance, realizing it as a challenge. His mouth opened once more, the ear shattering howl erupting from the dragon once more. Twilight stabilized herself, lowering her stance as the ground quaked below her. She huffed loudly, glaring at the dragon. Sweat poured down her forehead from the blaze surrounding her and the dragon, but she could not be swayed from her stance.

Fire brewed within the dragon’s mouth once more. Twilight knew it was going to unleash its hell fire once more. She scraped a hoof against the ground and grit her teeth. She had to make her blows count, she had to bring the creature down before it could do the same to her. The sword shifted in her magical grip, ready for her to deliver her strike.

Twilight’s hooves struck forward, running straight for the dragon. The dragon thrust its head forward, the inferno in its mouth being unleashed once more upon the world.

The fire struck the cobblestone, wrapping the square in the blazing heat. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as she saw the flames heading straight for her. There was no way she could move in time to avoid the flames. The flames rushed upon her and instantly overwhelmed her. She was engulfed in the flames, burning alive. Searing heat lapping at her skin and flesh. The fire washed over her, covering her in the fires of hell. Within the flames she turned to ash.

The world came rushing back, Twilight gasping for air as though she had been submerged underwater. She was disorientated, certain she’d just been roasted alive by the dragon.

The dragon pulled its head back, the fires licking at the edges of its mouth as it prepared to spew forth its destructive blaze.

Twilight’s eyes widened watching the dragon’s movements. She had no time to think anymore, whatever just happened she didn’t have the luxury to worry about it now.

The fire raged forth, the heat being felt immediately. Twilight no longer wasted a moment, raising her body and forcing herself to move. The confidence she had to strike the dragon vanished from her body just as quickly as it had come as her hooves struck the cobblestone. The intense heat struck behind her as she felt the end of her tail singe. She cried out in pain, the intense heat lapping at her skin, slowly beginning to burn her flesh.

Her hooves struck hard and carried her body. She began to make her escape from the heat as she felt cooler air wrapping her body.

She looked over her shoulder the silhouette of the dragon and the burning flames in Ponyville disappearing into the fog. She watched the dragon’s figure raise its head into the air of Ponyville and unleash one of its earth-shaking roars.

The unicorn didn’t stop running for a moment. She ran as fast as her hooves could carry her. As far away from the dragon as she could go.

The blaze of the fire died into the distance, the dragon’s roars seeming to grow fainter, the buzz of her medallion began growing quiet. Soon she could hear the strikes of her hooves against the cobblestones, her heavy panting as air rushed to fill the need in her lungs, feeling the air return to its cooler, muggy self.

She skidded to a stop, as the cobblestone gave way to dirt. Before her was the small river that flowed straight through Ponyville. The medallion had grown to a very faint buzz and she could no longer see the flames of the town square. The only thing she could hear was the distance roars of the dragon, as if it had lost its prey.

She knew she had to keep moving. To stand still outside only meant death. Be it from those strange soldier creatures or the dragon catching up to where she had run off.

Looking into the river’s stream reminded her that she was still on a mission. She had to get to Rarity’s house and make sure she was okay. If she was near the river, that meant that she would be near the home as well. It could also mean that it might provide shelter, a place to hide from the dragon out to roast her alive.

Without hesitation she summoned her map once more and reviewed it quickly. The river at the edge of town square would lead her straight to Carousel Boutique. She didn’t need to be told twice. Putting the map and her sword back into her magic she began to run once more alongside the river.

As she ran further from the town square her medallion became silent. Just as she was thankful for the silence the familiar bridge to cross the river to Rarity’s boutique could be seen. Twilight wasted no time crossing it, the wood creaking with every quick step she took.

The familiar round building appeared through the fog. Twilight stopped for a moment to stare in shock at the state that had become of the building. If not for knowing the building so well she might have not recognized it.

Several of the decorations had fallen from the store and lay scattered in the yard. The familiar plywood was nailed to cover the windows, though several sections of the wall were busted open, as if something had been striking against it. Mold and grime climbed the sides of the building and made it look unused for years.

She didn’t waste a moment longer and quickly ran up to the door, knowing full well the silent peace could be disturbed at any moment. She pressed her hoof against the handle and tried to push the door open. The door jammed with a ‘click’, telling her it was locked from the inside. She scanned the handle and saw an opening to place a key inside to unlock the door.

Without even hesitating she pulled out the key that had Rarity’s cutie mark on it and placed it inside of the lock. With a quick turn the door let out a ‘click’ and began to creak open. Twilight pushed the door open and slammed it closed behind her.

Finally, inside of the familiar building, not being attacked by monsters or dragons, her medallion silent, Twilight let herself collapse. She closed her eyes and rested on the cold floor of Rarity’s boutique, just panting.

The realization of what she saw began to slowly sink in.

“I… was going to die…” Twilight whispered softly to herself. She had seen it. If she had attacked the dragon like she had planned, if she had rushed it and sent the sword into its body once more, the dragon would’ve hit her with its fire. The fire would’ve taken her life in a matter of seconds.

But she had avoided death. She had avoided it by the no more than the skin of her teeth. That vision…

“That vision…” Twilight’s eyes opened slowly as she began to realize it. “That vision was just like… just like the vision I had with Spike…”

Her body shifted, sitting up slowly from the laying position on the ground.

“No… no they were different…” Twilight spoke aloud to herself, wanting to hear the comfort of a voice right now, even if it was her own voice. “The vision of my death happened seconds before it was going to happen… with the vision about Spike… it wasn’t an imminent threat… but if she had left him there it would’ve been the last chance she had to save him.”

Twilight closed her eyes and she gripped her head in her hooves. “What’s happening... None of this… none of this makes any sense.” She shook her head as shivers ran up her body. She could feel tears trying to form at the edges of her eyes.

In the span of a day she had brushed with death more times than she ever had in her life. She had never felt so terrified for her own safety as she did right then, the gravity of her situation fully sinking in for the first time. Before now she’d had Spike with her, before she had to protect him, before she wasn’t alone.

But she had left Spike behind. She had left him behind where it was… where it was safe.

“I… I have to find my friends…” Twilight rubbed her face, shuddering as she tried to hold back her sobs. “I… have to find Celestia… it’s my… my responsibility.” She forced herself to believe it. “I wield the Element of Magic… I bring harmony together.” She took a deep breath, calming her heart.

“…Rarity?” Twilight called out quietly, lifting her head to look into the boutique. It was only then that she realized that she couldn’t see, the building was too dark to see anything.

She lifted her hoof up to her pendant and pressed against it. The familiar white light lit up and for the first time she was able to see the insides of Carousel Boutique.

Everything looked like it had been destroyed. Many of the mirrors were cracked and shattered, mannequins were torn to shreds, dresses and curtains lay ragged across the floor. The once beautiful boutique now sat in utter ruins.

“Rarity!” Twilight called out louder this time, looking back and forth across the large show room. The building creaked softly as it settled into place. It didn’t even look like the white unicorn had seen the state her home and business had become. No doubt one look at the mess and Rarity would’ve been frantic to clean it.

Twilight got up from her sitting position back onto her hooves. Just as quickly as she did she found herself falling to the ground. She grunted in pain as her chest struck the ground before the rest of her body followed.

She hesitantly raised her front hooves and lifted her body, turning her head to look at her back legs. She could see the hint of red running down the length of them. Though she hadn’t felt it at first, she was able to realize it now.

The heat of the fire had burned her legs.

It wasn’t a severe burn. She could move her hind legs and if she was careful she could walk on them.

She stood up once more, being cautious about the amount of weight she placed on her back legs. She winced as the pain shot through her legs, but they held her weight. She gingerly walked further into the boutique, trying to adjust to the pain.

The debris crunched under her hooves as she walked. She didn’t know what she might be looking for, but she wanted any clues that might tell her what happened to the boutique.

When she had awoken at her home, everything was perfectly fine except for being boarded up and locked inside of the building. However, it seemed that something serious had happened at the boutique. Twilight didn’t see any cuts or scratches that would indicate weapons like the creatures outside used. She wondered if something else had come into the store and attacked Rarity.

“Please be okay Rarity…” Twilight spoke quietly to herself.

She swept her light back and forth, trying to get a better look at everything in the room. Her light hit the three mirrors used to show off the dresses that the ponies in her shop would try on. Surprisingly, of all the mirrors in the shop, those three seemed to have suffered the least damage, only have a few minor cracks running through them.

“Oh, hey, there’s something there.” Twilight spoke, continuing to keep her voice hushed, as she walked over to the mirrors. As she reached the platform, she spotted what looked like a piece of paper attached to the mirror with some tape. She grabbed the paper with her magic and floated it in front of her to read.

It was still the eve of that cold winter’s night. It was now just the two of us alone in the cabin, trapped in the woods while the blizzard raged outside. I kept thinking back to the events that had lead up to this moment, only to still be baffled as to how it had come to this.

“Here, drink this, it’ll warm you.” Daniel’s sultry voice washed over me once more sending a chill down my spine. I looked up to see the warm cup of cocoa he had brewed for me floating from his magic. I raised my hooves to grasp the cup and he let it go.

“Thank you.” I cooed, though not meaning to. A soft blush formed on my face as I tried to sip my cocoa. It was as though I was once more a young school filly with a crush.

“It was no problem at all.” That voice sent me into chills. The hunk of a stallion then sat next to me and I felt my face flush harder. His flanks were so close I could feel them rubbing against mine. I wanted to resist him, but the fires in my body yearned for his embrace.

With just the two of us alone in that cabin I didn’t know what to think. The only thoughts that ran through my head was about the ways he could make me his on that night, each scenario steamier than the last. My face felt like it could glow in that darkly lit cabin.

“You look like you’re cold, here let me warm you.” Daniel spoke softly as his magic touched a blanket and brought it towards us. I soon found myself wrapped tightly within the bundle, right next to the stallion that sent my heart beating. “I couldn’t live with myself if I let a young mare go cold.”

Oh Princess, his words were electric.

This had to be a page from one of Rarity’s romance novels. She always enjoyed the rather ridiculous storylines, the corny dialogue and hammed-in plot that worked around the fact of two ponies that barely had anything in common falling in love; always with some strange plot twist towards the middle and, more often than Rarity liked, one of the main characters dying at the end.

Twilight wondered what the page was doing taped to Rarity’s mirror. Whatever the reason may be Twilight vanished the page into her magic. She turned to look back at the mirror.

The medallion began to blare its buzzing as Twilight screamed, scrambling away from the mirror. A large shadowy figure of a pony had appeared in the mirror, a red eye gleaming from it.

Her back legs struck a fallen table causing her to trip. She fell backwards and struck her head hard against the ground. She yelped in pain, quickly reaching up and grabbing hold of the sore spot that had struck. However, the blaring of the medallion snapped her back to her senses and she scrambled to her legs to look back at the mirror.

The figure was gone just as quickly as it came. Twilight panted as she felt her heart beating in her chest. Whatever that figure was it had been bigger than a normal pony. It was almost as if the pony had been as tall as the Princess.

Twilight’s ears perked as she still heard the buzzing of her medallion. She looked around quickly, not seeing a creature of any sort that would trigger the buzzing of the medallion.

Wood snapped loudly behind Twilight, causing her to jump once more. She twirled around and faced the front door, spotting an axe head that had just struck its ways through the door.

“Oh no! One of those things knows I’m here!” She cursed loudly to herself, backing away from the door. Her horn lit up as her sword was pulled forth from her magic.

The axe head pulled itself from the door, causing a large gash to appear from the force. The axe struck through the door once more, splintering wood struck the ground and scattered. The axe was forced through the door once more, the hole growing larger.

Twilight grit her teeth hard, preparing herself for the creature to break through.

A shattering crunch of wood echoed through the boutique as the axe destroyed the door. Twilight covered her face as dust and wood flew past her. She coughed as she stepped back further, turning to look at where the front door used to be.

The metal clicking of armored hoof steps walked into the boutique. Twilight could view the creature now, illuminated by the light of her pendant. The chunks of rotting flesh with bone showing through, the thick and ancient armor over its body, the hefty double-headed axe it dragged with its mouth. It was definitely one of the creatures that seemed to litter the town now.

Every step drew the creature closer to Twilight. There was no way around the creature and it was clearly on a mission. It was out for her blood.

The creature lifted the large axe with its mouth, raising it to strike down on Twilight. Twilight jumped to the side swiftly, getting out of range of the creature. The axe came striking down right where she had been standing. She skidded to a fast stop at the creature’s side and concentrated her magic. She commanded the sword to swing with a mighty blow down at the creature. The sword flew swiftly through the air, straight at the creature.

A sound of metal clashing echoed through the boutique. Twilight cursed at herself, she’d struck the armor of the creature. The armor didn’t even have a dent from her strike.

The creature pulled the axe out of the ground and began to turn towards Twilight, readying to strike once more.

Twilight looked the creature over quickly, trying to find openings in the armor. The armor was packed tightly around the creature. The biggest openings seemed to be around the face. The helmet covered the entire head and the bridge of the nose, but the eyes and the mouth were wide open. Twilight cursed her luck at having such a small opening and one directly within the line of fire.

The axe came swinging down and Twilight jumped back. She felt the force of air blow past her quickly from the force of the swing, the axe embedding itself into the ground. Twilight raised her sword and put a hoof down on the handle of the axe. As the creature tried to force the axe out of the ground Twilight pushed against it, keeping it there.

The creature let go of the blade and lifted its head. It opened its mouth wide, a growl piercing from its throat. It lunged forward, the jaws looking to sink into her flesh.

The sword was plunged straight into the creature’s mouth. Twilight didn’t let up on the force for a moment, the sword driving straight through bone and muscle as it became buried handle deep inside the creature.

A piercing wail of pain cried out as Twilight jumped back. The creature tried to thrash about, digging the sword around its insides deeper. Blood began to ooze from its mouth and through the openings in its armor. Twilight grimaced at the awful sight occurring before her, putting a hoof up to her mouth. The piercing wail felt like it struck at her soul, realizing she had purposely brought this upon the creature.

With a final shriek the creature collapsed onto its side. Blood pooled quickly under the creature as it oozed from every open spot it could.

“Forgive me…” Twilight closed her eyes and whispered her apology. She swallowed her nausea and carefully walked up to the creature. She still needed that sword, but now it was lodged inside of yet another creature that she had killed.

Twilight’s ear perked up. Something was happening. She could hear something, but it wasn’t her medallion buzzing. No, this was something coming from the town itself. A sound she recognized.

It was the siren.

The siren was going off in Ponyville. Twilight looked out the broken front door, the world was being devoured by darkness. The darkness spread through the open door and began to devour the inside of the boutique as the siren seemed to blare even louder.

“W-What!?” Twilight cried out, stepping back from the darkness that was encroaching upon the home. Twilight’s pendant began to flicker, growing dim.

“No! NO NO NO NO NOT NOW!” Twilight tapped against the pendant. The light of the pendant went out and suddenly she was in pitch darkness. She wanted to scream, but the sound couldn’t escape her throat.

The world was shifting all around her, she could feel it, she could hear it. Fear ran straight down her spine as she heard the crawl of something all around her.

She was all alone in the darkness. Even the sound of civilization had left, the siren’s blaring growing dimmer before growing silent.

Her world was deathly quiet.

Chapter 6

“And all through the night the three ponies kept the fire of friendship alive by telling stories to one another and by singing songs, which of course, became the winter carols that we all still sing today.” The narrator spoke in turn as the action on the stage began to play out to his words. Each of the ponies were dressed in a different attire, each representing the different style of clothing that was worn so long ago. A younger Twilight watched the stage curiously.

It wasn’t her first time watching the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant, far from it. It was traditional for many ponies to come and watch the pageant every year. Her parents had taken her in years past and now that she was the personal protégé of Princess Celestia she felt as if there was almost an obligation to go see the play. The filly was sure some parts of the play were exaggerated or kept short for the sake of being produced as a stage play, but still she’d always had a fascination with history and this was one of the few plays that spoke of it.

“Eventually,” the narrator continued his tale, “the warmth of the fire and singing and laughing reached the leaders and their bodies began to thaw. And, it even began to melt their hearts.” The actors on the stage came together hugging one another in their display of friendship. The ice on the stage melted away and the six ponies walked forth, viewing the land before them. “The three leaders agreed to share the beautiful land and live in harmony forever afterwards. And together, they named their new land…”

“Equestria!” The six ponies on stage called out together. Though it was unheard, Twilight had muttered the same thing under her breath in unison with the ponies. The memorized play rolled through her head as she spoke the final words. The crowd around her began to cheer loudly as the curtains quickly came to a close. The crowd continued its loud cheering as the curtains then made their way open once more, the six ponies taking a quick bow.

The loud orchestra behind the stage began to stir, music filling the hall quickly with the familiar notes. Confetti and streamers fired from above the stage, raining the crowd with the party decorations. Bells chimed across the stage and the hall, the six ponies then began to sing alongside the music. The crowd didn’t skip a beat and joined along in the song, the air was a wash of joy and friendship. Everypony here was a brother or a sister, it was a time of celebration and union. Every word floated through the air as if caressing the very world around it before being replaced with the next.

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts,
As long as it burns we cannot drift apart,
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through, will see us through,
We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end

Though Twilight sang along, she didn’t put her heart into the words. It was Hearth’s Warming Eve; all the ponies around her were joyous, cheering their hearts out for the wondrous holiday that they were all on. But for some reason the filly that sang along with them wasn’t feeling the normal spirit of the holiday. Something about this Hearth’s Warming just didn’t feel the same as the earlier years.

The caroling came to an end as the curtains closed one last time on the stage. The crowd broke out into another round of cheers and applause for the incredible play they all had just witnessed.

It took a few minutes of murmuring and chattering amongst the crowd but the ponies slowly began to file out of the hall, going back out into the cold winter air. The sun was getting close to the horizon preparing to set and soon the night sky would bring the familiar frozen nights of the mountain city.

The lavender filly walked out of the hall alongside the crowd, her hooves touching the chilled road of Canterlot’s streets. She took a deep breath that cooled her lungs before expelling her hot breath into the air, creating a small cloud of warm air in front of her face. She turned her head to look around her for a moment.

Everywhere around her ponies were in a rush, looking for that perfect last minute gift to give to a loved one, trying to get that last bit of decoration they needed so their display would be perfect, finding friends or family so that they could spend the rest of the night together. Everypony was in a hurry, fluttering from store to store, pony to pony.

Twilight continued to walk through the streets, passing the decorative lights that made the town glow, wreaths hung with care along walls and windows, ribbons tied to every pole and hanging across the streets, several pine trees had been planted throughout the town and decorated completely, and snow covered the streets and ledges of the entire town. It was just like every other Hearth’s Warming Eve she had seen before.

The sounds of the bustling streets began to grow quiet as Twilight walked further away from the crowded main streets of downtown Canterlot. She was heading straight home that evening, not wanting to deal with any other pony if she could help it. She wasn’t even sure what had compelled her to go see the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant that day. Perhaps it was a feeling of obligation, a feeling of tradition, or even a feeling that she belonged there. Whatever it was, she had wasted her time enough and wanted to get home.

The fresh snow crunched under her hooves as she walked through the frozen town, quickly reached the quiet street to her home, the female dormitories at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The sun had begun setting during her walk and was slowly disappearing beyond the horizon, half of it already engulfed by the shadow of the world. As it set a few clouds over the city began to release fresh snow over the city, no doubt a Pegasus performing their duties unseen above the clouds. The flakes fell softly to the ground below, slowly adding to the collected snow that had already gathered. She’d be home in just a few minutes and she could curl up in her bed with a good book.

“Twilight!” The lavender filly was stopped from her advances by the call of another filly. She recognized the voice, one of her classmates and one of the more popular fillies in her class. She turned and saw the white coated unicorn walking towards her with her wavy crimson hair that graced her head ever immaculately brushed. The blue eyes of hers stood out in comparison to her body, as if flaring out to accentuate how cold the air was.

“Oh, hey Moondancer.” Twilight spoke naturally, not having expected her new visitor.

“I’m glad I caught you!” Moondancer came just a few feet from Twilight before stopping, that smile she was always sporting was stuck to her face, the one that seemed to get every colt to swoon to her. “There’s a Hearth’s Warming Eve party over by the male dorms and everyone was invited. You should come! There’ll be lots of stallions there.” Moondancer looked at Twilight from the sides of her eyes with that last remark, putting a heavy emphasis on the fact that there’d be stallions. As though that was what Twilight needed right now, a bunch of immature colts swooning over Moondancer and her attractive friends and not even paying attention to the bookish lavender unicorn at the back of the room. Not that Twilight would have ever wanted that kind of attention anyway; if she wanted any stallion in her life it’d have to be a like-minded intellectual.

“Uh… thanks Moondancer, but I’ve got… things I wanted to do tonight.” Twilight skirted around the issue, starting to turn away from Moondancer. “I’m just going to head back to my dorm now.”

“Are stallions not your thing?” Moondancer asked quizzically once Twilight had her back turned. This caused the unicorn to visibly flinch, freezing her on the spot. “Is that it? Well there’ll be a lot of mares there too if you want. I’m sure there’s plenty who are open to that kind of thing.” Moondancer put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“This has nothing to do with that!” Twilight quickly turned to face Moondancer again, huffing loudly, a cloud of mist floating past her face from her heated breath. The moment the mist flew past her eyes she realized something was wrong. “I have more important things that I can be doing than going to some silly party.” She closed her eyes trying to control the emotions she felt welling inside of her. That wasn’t like her; she normally had a studied control over her emotions.

Moondancer just frowned at her response, either from not having expected it or disappointed in what it meant. She had a habit of pushing issues if she really felt they were necessary, but it seemed that this wasn’t one of the times to push it.

“Fine.” Moondancer finally spoke, starting to turn away from the frustrated unicorn before her. Twilight opened her eyes and looked with surprise at Moondancer. “You can come by later if you want, the party is supposed to end by ten but I’m sure there’ll be a lot of ponies still partying long into the night.” With that the white coated unicorn turned away and flicked her tail of the snow gathering on it, beginning to head towards the male dormitories.

Twilight hesitated, watching Moondancer walk away. She felt another compulsion rising in her gut, yet another action she would normally have under control and wouldn’t have acted upon. Yet she found her mouth opening and calling out to the white unicorn that was quickly retreating.

“Moondancer!” The white unicorn stopped, turning in surprise to look at Twilight from over her shoulder. “I just wanted to say… thank you for the invitation.” A smile came to Moondancer’s face.

“Anytime Twilight.” Moondancer waved quickly, her bright smile returning. With those parting words Moondancer quickly walked down the rest of the path, disappearing from sight before too long. The lavender unicorn just stood on the bridge, having watched Moondancer walk out of sight. Once she was gone she tried to go over the conversation they’d just had in her head and why she had acted the way she had. The whole day had been one big, confusing mess of mixed feelings and right now wasn’t any better.

“Stupid Hearth’s Warming…” Twilight spoke softly to herself, watching her hot breath mist in the cold air. “It’s messing with my head.” It was the only logical conclusion the book-orientated unicorn could come up with. With this logic firmly put in place in her mind she was finally able to get hooves moving again.

The unicorn shivered as she suddenly realized that snow had been accumulating on her mane and back as she had just stood there. She shook herself free of the specks that had started to melt and wet her fur. Now she really was cold, a breeze blowing by to accentuate the point that she needed to get inside. She picked up the pace and began to run, no longer feeling like walking through the frozen night air.

She hadn’t noticed it, but the sun had set during their conversation and the starry sky was shining overhead once again. The stars brought the chilled night air with them, as though they blew the cold air across the lands. The wisps of her breath flew past the unicorns face as she ran, her body slowly losing its heat.

Her building came into view quickly, the decorated and snow covered dorm that she called home now. The spiral staircase that wound around the building lead her to her door, just as the wind and snow began to pick up. She pushed against her doors and they quickly swung open, letting the cold air into the darkened room. She shut the door behind her, cutting off the tundra outside from entering her sanctuary anymore and the world fell quiet once more.

Twilight shook her mane, trying to get as much snow and water off of her body as she could. While she got a lot, she needed a proper towel. Perhaps even some blankets and a cup of hot cocoa. That would certainly warm her up and get her feeling more like her old self.

“Spike!” Twilight called out to the dark room. “Could you start up the fire?”

Her calls were met with her own, an echo bouncing through the large empty room before returning to silence. Twilight blinked in confusion at the sudden lack of sound, not used to being so alone in the room before.

“Spike?” She called out once more, again only being returned by her echo followed by silence. “Spike, where are… oh.” Twilight stopped herself, having remembered the conversation she’d had with Spike yesterday. He’d be staying with Princess Celestia for Hearth’s Warming. The Princess was his guardian after all. Though Spike had started living with Twilight recently he still looked up to Celestia like a mother. That meant that Twilight was by herself. It wasn’t even that she had forgotten that she was going to be alone that night; she had just pushed it to the edge of her mind and hadn’t wanted to think about it.

But there she now stood, cold, in a dark room all by herself with no one around. There were many nights where she wished to be alone, just curl up with a book and read the night away. However, something stirred in her chest and she suddenly didn’t feel like being alone. She wanted Spike to be there with her but she couldn’t pull him away from time spent with the Princess, she wasn’t cruel. She’d also already turned down the invitation to the party; she couldn’t bring herself to go there now.

The lavender unicorn shook her head and focused magic into her horn. The lights around the room brightened and banished the shadows to the recesses of the corners once more. Her magic then connected to the heater in her room and lit the kindling inside of it. Soon a fire was roaring within the red machine and began to send out waves of heat into the chilled room. Twilight moved across her living room, glancing out the large window that separated her from the frozen snow outside, before making her way up the stairs to her second floor.

Several shelves of tall books scoured this room, several ladders placed against them to make access to the books easier. This was her favorite part about her dorm and one of the benefits she had to being the Princess’s personal protégé. She didn’t want to take too long in deciding her reading material for the night so her horn lit up and grabbed several books from the historical section without looking. She then proceeded back downstairs where the room was starting to warm up considerably now.

The unicorn quickly approached her bed, pulling the covers back and nestling into the sheets. They were cool for the moment but they would heat up soon enough. She propped up her pillows and rested her back and head against them, finding herself now neatly bundled in her bed. She grabbed the first book she had pulled from the shelf and read the cover.

“The Basic History of the Pre-Classical Era.” Twilight opened the book and began to read to herself. “Cobblestone Moor was the first stallion to discover that by mixing broken stones with certain types of sand and water it was possible to create a material that would weld rocks together. This discovery allowed for the faster creation of ancient buildings as well as more stable homes for ponies to live in. The inventor decided to name his creation ‘Mortar’ after himself.”

The normally book-loving unicorn blinked in confusion as she felt herself stiffen. It wasn’t from the fact that the history was boring; in fact she found the creation of such material quite fascinating. However something just didn’t feel right. She couldn’t find herself wanting to read much more. She tried to force her eyes down the rest of the page, but her mind just blocked out the rest of the words.

She growled in frustration and closed the book, moving to the next one. She opened the book and began to read again. Her eyes scanned across the first few sentences before the same feeling hit her. She just wasn’t interested in reading what it had to say just yet. She pushed that book aside and grabbed the next one.

For every book she had grabbed from upstairs she found herself hitting the same wall. She just did not care to read tonight. In her frustrated fit she grabbed the books and tossed them to the floor, letting them fall scattered. She glared at each of the different colored tomes that lay on her floor, shifting all the blame of her inability to read onto them. The books must have been doing something wrong after all; she loved reading and couldn’t get enough of it.

The unicorn grabbed her covers and wrapped herself tighter in her sheets trying to figure out what was going on in her mind. This wasn’t like her at all. She just wanted to read and pass the time before going to bed. It would be Hearth’s Warming tomorrow, she’d get to see the Princess, Spike, her parents… they’d all have gifts for her and she had a few gifts wrapped up waiting to be given to them as well. This was a day to celebrate, to enjoy and be happy.

Yet she found herself cold, alone and miserable.

Her eyes drifted to her window as she saw the snowflakes falling from the sky, dancing to the wind in the moonlit night. They scurried back and forth, never alone, always together in their collective dance. It was as if they were all synchronized to each other’s disorganized chaos. Her mind drifted away as she watched the snow falling.

“I… just had a bad day…” Twilight murmured to herself, her horn lighting up as the magic reached out for the various lanterns around her house and turned them off, then it cranked the heat up a little more to help warm the room faster. “That’s all it was. Tomorrow I’ll see my family… I’ll see Spike and the Princess… and everything will be better.” She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to get some sleep.

“Everything will be better tomorrow.”

Water. That was the first sensation she felt as her mind slowly came back to her. It was cold and refreshing. She could tell her body was craving it, wanting more as it was gently poured into her mouth. It flowed quickly down her throat and just as she wanted more it stopped. It felt as though she was being teased out of getting something she needed.

She tried to move her body but she didn’t feel anything to move. It was as if she was surrounded by a dark abyss in her own mind in which she couldn’t even contact her own body. She wanted to raise a leg, open her eyes, listen to the world around her, ask for more water but nothing came of it.

However, she was finally able to pick up a faint sound. It was a dull beating sound from inside of her head. Was it inside of her head? Wherever it was coming from it was slow, rhythmically beating. It took her a few moments to realize what the beating was.

It was her heart.

If she could hear her heart she knew she was still alive. When she realized she was alive the last moments before she found herself in this abyss came back to her mind.

A white blaze of rage, that broken alicorn-like creature, Rarity being put into danger, that strange world she had found herself trapped in. It all came back like a torrential flood, overwhelming her with the memories. She didn’t know where she was anymore or how long she had been knocked out for. She needed to wake up; she needed to make sure that Rarity was okay. Twilight had seen the sword going through her body, but she didn’t know how serious the damage was. It had to have been serious, a wound like that could very easily take a pony’s life.

Her body was coming back to her. She could feel the dull senses returning to the tips of her nerves. She opened her mouth and she consciously took in a breath of air, feeling the excess air fill her lungs. She tried to open her eyes, but closed them as soon as the piercing light attacked her, burning her vision. Her ears turned back on next, first hearing a dull buzz that might have passed for noise before what sounded like something moving around. She tried to concentrate harder, making out that it was shifting things around in the world.

She tried to open her eyes again. The searing light returned, forcing her to close them once more. This time she forced herself to keep her eyes open to adjust to the light. Through squinted eyes the burning pain of the light slowly began to fade, her eyes still sensitive to the sensation of being in a lighted room. As her blindness faded she could slowly make out a ceiling, a brownish gray ceiling, looking as if it belonged to an old building long since abandoned. Imagery she’d long since began to expect from this world.

She gently turned her head to where she could hear the sounds of things being shifted. She could see the backside of a pony, particularly the striking dark red hair of its tail and what seemed to be an amber coat. Her eyes were still adjusting to seeing once more; unaware of just how long she’d had them closed. With a pained breath she finally managed to get words to escape her throat.

“Hello?” It was barely anything more than a raspy whisper, but it seemed that it caught the pony’s attention. The pony turned around, so his face was within her view. She tried to discern if she knew the pony as it walked closer, giving her a better view. As the pony grew closer she was able to discern its identity.

“Lance?”

“You’re awake…” Lance’s voice was deadpan, though it had that hint of snarky surprise his voice always seemed to carry. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. This world has that effect on ponies.”

“Lance…” The lavender unicorn groaned, trying to move, only to have her efforts stopped by pain shooting through her shoulder. She was bed-bound for the moment, but more importantly she just wanted answers. With her whispered, raspy voice she tried to talk. “What… w-what hahhh…” her voice cut out as she tried to speak. Her mouth and throat were dry, she felt so dehydrated. “Whah… ter…” she managed to gasp.

“Of course.” The amber Pegasus nodded his head, knowing exactly what the unicorn wanted. He quickly walked over to a bucket near the ground and picked it up, carrying it out of her sight. She wasn’t sure where she was, but with him leaving her vision it gave her a chance to look around. Her vision was finally coming back to her and she could see that she was in what looked to be a hotel room of some kind. She was on the bed, she could spot a bed-side table with a lamp turned on, a dresser for keeping clothes or items. There must’ve been a bathroom within the room, typical of a hotel, as she heard a tap turn on, Lance filling his bucket with water.

It wasn’t long before Lanced returned and placed the bucket down next to the bed. He then took a smaller bowl and scooped up water from it before pressing it gently against the unicorns lips.

“I need you to drink slowly. I know you’re thirsty, but just take a little bit at a time.” He tipped the bowl as the unicorn understood. She opened her mouth and felt the cool water flow into her mouth. She slowly gulped, feeling the refreshing water coat her throat once again. Lance must’ve been giving her water to drink while she was asleep, likely to try and keep her hydrated.

The two of them stayed quiet for a while, Lance dipping his bowl into the bucket several times and returning it to her lips so that she could gulp the water down. She wished she could just take the whole bucket and pour it into her stomach, but she could already tell the water she was drinking was churning in her stomach. If she drank too much she’d be sick.

Lance placed the bowl against her lips once more, though this time the unicorn tilted her head away a little, signaling she’d had enough. Lance understood and moved the bowl away, placing it on the nightstand.

“Think you can talk now?” He asked curiously, examining her face for a reaction.

“I… think so…” The unicorn wheezed lightly, finally feeling moisture returning to her mouth and throat, even if it was temporary. “What happened Lance?” Was the first question that sprung from her mind.

“I was hoping you could tell me.” Lance furrowed his brow in slight frustration. “I found you in the hotel lobby, face down and bleeding to death. You’d already lost a huge amount of blood by the time I found you. I honestly figured you were dead from how much I saw. But a quick check saw you still had a heart beat so I patched you up and brought you here.” He looked down at her body. “It has to be this place. Your wounds weren’t mortal, but your blood loss was. And it’s likely you’ll never have use of your right foreleg again.”

The lavender unicorn’s eyes widened as she tried to lift herself up, feeling a backlash of pain strike her body. She grit her teeth through the pain and tried to sit up. Lance saw what she was trying to do and raised his own hooves to help her. He carefully got her to a sitting position and she finally got a look at her body.

Around her shoulder and down most of her right foreleg was covered in bloodied bandages. The sight made her queasy, thinking that this had actually happened to her body. She tried to move the leg and felt nothing but searing pain assault her body. She whimpered and grimaced from the pain, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. She never thought something like this would ever happen to her. She tried to take her attention away from her leg, survey the rest of her. She had other bandages wrapped around her legs and flank, but those cuts were shallow, they’d heal. Her leg might never.

“I… I see…” Twilight managed to choke out, her words catching on a lump in her throat. The tears began to spill from the edges of her eyes, a mixture of pain and sorrow overwhelming her. “How’s… how’s Rarity?” She had to ask, she had to know how her friend was doing.

“…Rarity?” Lance asked with a strange tone to his voice. “What do you mean?”

“Rarity!” The unicorn shook her head, looking at him with a glare. “She was right there with me! In fact she was likely hurt worse than me! You should’ve helped her first before helping me!” She was ready to bite his head off for not being direct with her, for not having helped one of her friends in their time of need.

Lance just sat there quietly, looking at the fuming mare before him with a look that mixed confusion and understanding. His face slowly shifted into a very firm, yet harsh look. His mind had been listening to every word and had already come to a realization that the unicorn before him was desperately trying to avoid. She didn’t want to hear the truth, but the words escaped from Lance’s mouth before she could stop him.

“Twilight, you were the only one I found. If your friend was actually as injured as you claim, I would have found a second blood stain if she had wandered off or been dragged away.” Lance shook his head. “I found you and you alone, with only enough blood to have come from you.” He looked into the mare’s face as it fell, knowing the weight of the words he just told her. “I’m sorry, but your friend’s fate is now in the grip of this world.”

“No…” Twilight felt herself losing strength in her body. Her body slid back down onto a laying position as she stared at nothing. Her mind didn’t want the reality to be true, if only one of them was saved why did it have to be her? Why couldn’t Rarity have been the one to be saved instead? Was this some kind of cruel joke being played on her?

She buried her face in her pillow and with her good leg held it to her face. She just let out as much as she could into her pillow. The stress of the world she found herself in, the disbelief that she couldn’t save one of her dearest friends, the fact that she may never be able to walk the same again, she let it all out into the pillow. She didn’t know how long she did it for, time seemed frozen to her in that instant.

She’d killed living creatures that day, things she had called monsters that had wanted to hurt her, but they were still alive. She’d left Spike in the hands of a pony she barely knew who now seemed to have a connection to this world, even if it was a conclusion jump. She’d lost her leg and she’d lost one of her dear friends. All for what? What had been gained from all of this? Who benefitted from this horror story that had made itself real?

She let it all out until there seemed to be nothing left to let out. Her throat was dry again and she seemed to be out of tears. Her pillow wasn’t all that wet, she couldn’t be surprised though, she was dehydrated. She raised her head and rubbed her face, trying to dry it of the tears. She looked at Lance, who was holding out another bowl of water for her. She bowed her head softly in thanks, turning to accept the water.

With another bowl downed she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She didn’t want to be the one to start the conversation back up; she didn’t know where to take it. Reality was stinging deeply right now and she wanted some shred of comfort, some reason to give her hope for their situation.

“It’s possible she’s still alive you know.” Lance broke the ice first. Twilight looked up at him in shock. “After all I found you. I’m not sure how you got separated from her, but it’s possible she was found by somepony and was patched up as well.”

“But… but you said…” Twilight sniffed, rubbing her face once more.

“I know what I said.” Lance almost barked, his abrasive nature still showing through during his bedside manners. “But your friend is only dead if you let that be the inevitability. There’s always a chance she could still be alive and if she is then she needs you to believe in her and find her.” Lance closed his eyes. “Once you’ve given up on somepony then there is no chance of saving them.”

The mare was stunned into silence for a moment. She couldn’t help but think his words over as she lay there, injured beyond what she ever thought she would be. But he did speak the truth, if she gave up on Rarity then there was no chance she could be alive somewhere. She had to have faith that her friend was still alive; it was the only thing she could rely on in this cruel world.

“…Thanks Lance.” Twilight smiled, trying once more to sit up, only to be rocked with the pain of her shoulder wound. Lance reached out and helped her to sit up once more. “I… I have to go look for her… but… but I don’t know how I’ll be able to do anything with my leg like this…” she bit the bottom of her lip, looking down at her arm. Somehow she expected it to be in constant pain, but it appeared to only hurt when she tried to move it. Otherwise she could just feel a dull throb coming from it.

Lance thought about this for a moment before walking towards the drawers in the room. Twilight watched him curiously, not quite sure what he was doing. He opened the drawer and rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a brown bottle that Twilight recognized. He carefully brought it over to the bed.

“Now, I normally would never offer this stuff as a type of medicine.” Lance grunted, as though the very idea of what he was about to offer offended him. “As far as I know there is no medical backing to this stuff, and might as well be snake oil somepony slapped a label on and managed to call it a miracle drug. I’m convinced that in the normal world all this does is give patients false hope. However…” Lance glanced around the room wearily. “In this world, it seems to actually be a great medical boon. And I found it near your body, so I think you should drink it.”

Lance gripped the bottle with his hooves and brought his mouth down to the cap. With a quick twist the bottle was opened and he held it up to her lips. Twilight was hesitant to drink the strange medicine, but Lance was a doctor and Fluttershy’s dad, he wouldn’t do anything to purposely hurt her. Even if he came off a little harsh she knew he was a good stallion. She opened her mouth and let the strange liquid enter her mouth.

It was certainly bitter as she expected the medicine to be. It tried to mask the flavor behind some artificial strawberry flavoring, though it didn’t seem to help the bitter mess sliding down her throat. She didn’t think she’d be able to stomach the whole bottle, but before she knew it she had swallowed every last drop. She wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to be feeling after drinking it though.

Then it hit her. It felt as though her energy had returned to her, the pain in her shoulder began to numb, and she was suddenly alert. She could even feel her magic reservoir getting a kick into high gear. She suddenly got the feeling as though Lance had just drugged her.

“It’s weird, I know.” Lance said placing the empty bottle on the nightstand. “As I said, I’m certain this is nothing more than snake oil with a fancy label. But for some reason in this world it’s more than that.” He looked her over, noticing Twilight lift herself up a little more with her renewed energy. “Your wound is still severe, it might open if you strain it, but I think you should try standing.” Twilight gave him a look of utter shock. “I know, I’m right here so if anything happens I’ll take care of you right away, just please try this for me.” He asked as best he could, though his gruff voice made it seem like a demand.

Twilight hesitated for a moment, but Lance held out his hooves to help. With her good hoof she took his and scooted towards the edge of the bed, with very slow, careful movements. Her back hooves touched the floor first before Lance helped hoist her up, getting her to stand on her three good legs, the bandaged hoof hanging loosely in the air.

The unicorn expected to have no energy, to fall over and find herself in pain, unable to escape the floors grip until Lance put her back on the bed. Yet there she was, standing on her three good legs. Even her bad leg, as beyond repair as it should be, was only giving her a dull ache. It just refused to move when she gave it orders, but she could walk again.

“It’s just as I thought.” Lance grunted in a strange mixture of annoyance and relief. “Years of medical knowledge flushed down the drain by some world that thinks it can make up the rules as it goes.” Lance placed a hoof against the injured mare’s good shoulder, testing her reaction to the touch. “How do you feel? The pain should be debilitating, but I suspect it’s not.”

“Y-Yeah…” Twilight murmured. His hoof on her shoulder felt just like any other time a pony had touched her. “It’s a dull throb at best…” she tried to move the arm and winced, pain rocketing through her shoulder. “It only really hurts when I try to move it.”

“Makes sense.” Lance put his hoof back to the floor. “There’s not much I can do to help that as we are, just don’t move it much.” He nodded his head before turning to his bag, organizing the things in it once more. Twilight noticed it was the same purple bag with strange stitching he had brought to the wedding. He then pulled out a long cloth with a large pad attached to it. He brought it over to her body and before she could protest he was already slinging it around her neck.

“I’m going to put your leg up in a sling, which means I need to move your bad leg for a moment.” Lance grunted, knowing he was about to hurt her. “So try and deal with the pain for now, alright?” The unicorn gulped, realizing his words before nodding. Lance then took a deep breath and gently grabbed hold of her bad leg and began to position it in the sling. Pain soared through Twilight’s mind as the torn nerves in her shoulder refused the idea of moving. She grit her teeth and clenched her eyes just trying to push her way through the pain.

Then as soon as it began it was over. Twilight let out a breath she had been holding in as her shoulder shot several throbs of pain to her mind, before slowly fading back into a dull throb. It had been an agonizing procedure, but she could now feel her leg resting comfortably against her body. She’d be able to walk more comfortably now, though maneuvering on three legs would still be difficult. Once he’d finished with the sling and made sure it was comfortable on her body he turned back to his bag and made sure everything in it was organized.

Twilight watched him quietly, before he closed the bag and placed it on his back. “Alright, when I found you I also found a few things laying around your body. I left them in that drawer.” He said pointing to where he had pulled the Health Drink from.

The unicorn looked to where Lance was pointing, slowly making her way over to it. She lit the drawer up with her magic, pulling it open and scanning the contents inside.

The first thing her eyes fell upon was the handle of her broken, rusty sword. She levitated it up, looking at it. Much of the sharpened, pointed end of it had broken off, not surprising considering the battle it had just survived. The edges were as dulled as ever, the weapon was slowly becoming more and more an edged bludgeoning device rather than a sword, or even a dagger. The steel was stained with dried blood, no doubt a result of the battle as well. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, feeling around in her magic reservoir and opening up a space with in it. The sword disappeared into the hole, holding on to it for her till she needed it again.

The next thing she noticed were the several notes and papers she’d been gathering since she’d left the library. She levitated each of them up and inspected them, seeing if anything had changed. Many now bore smeared blood marks, a clear indication they’d landed on the ground after she’d passed out. She was still able to read the text on most of them and even found the note that had the distorted scribbles on it, the one she’d used to wipe the blood from her face. Only one note stood out from them, the one that Spike had found within the library. She read the words again to herself, a chill running down her spine.

When all is lost, when the darkness is its strongest, when all is cold and bleak, you'll find the light.

The note unsettled her. She’d already seen the darkness, things seemed cold and bleak. Could they really get worse than this? She’d lost her friends, her mentor, Rarity was severely injured somewhere and she almost lost her leg completely. How could she find the light in a world like this?

She shook her head, trying to get the negative thoughts out of her mind. She had to stay focused. If things were going to get worse, she just had to remain strong, look out for herself and keep her head held high.

She placed these within her reservoir as well, compelled to hold on to them. They didn’t take up as much space as most of the other items did, so she could comfortably hold on to them for the time being. Though she was going to be more careful about how much magic she expended from now on.

Next she saw the Canterlot Archives pendant, the rune she had found still clipped on to the string. The purple aura surrounded the pendant and she checked the crystal at the end of it, the light turning on in the drawer. She still had a way to illuminate dark areas without having to cast her light spell. She silently thanked Celestia she still had that as well before placing it around her neck.

The last thing at the bottom of the drawer was the last thing she expected to see. There were three books, two with covers that she recognized and one that was now blank. She levitated the three books up, reading the covers of the two she recognized, ‘The Old Widow’ and ‘Heaven’s food’. That meant the blank book had to have once been ‘The Cat Who Married a Mouse’.

“How did these get here?” The unicorn murmured quietly to herself, examining the tomes. “I left these behind…” She opened the blank book, flipping through several of the pages. It was completely empty now, not even a trace that it had once contained text. She closed the book and just stared at it. She knew it had text originally, she still remembered the basis of the story. She placed the empty book back down in the drawer. If it was empty she didn’t need to bring it with her. However, she made a hole in her magic for the other two books and soon they found themselves in her reservoir as well.

“Are you ready?” Lance asked in that usual gruff manner. Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of it, but for the time being shrugged it off.

“Yeah…” She answered quietly, turning around to face the stallion. “Do we know where we’re going though? I mean… I’d like to go back to where you found me, see if I can’t find any trace of Rarity…”

“Well, I found you in the lobby and we’ll pass through there on our way out.” Lance explained quickly, “As for where… I’m not sure. As far as I can tell wandering leads to answers and staying in one place for too long is a bad idea.” Another wave of various emotions seemed to run across Lance’s face, as though he was considering something very seriously. Twilight blinked in confusion, before a look of determination hit Lance and he stepped closer to her. “Twilight, I need you to understand something.”

“W-What is it?” She asked hesitantly. There was something about the edge of his voice that was unsettling her.

“Before we head out, I need you to be absolutely sure. If I wasn’t here, could you continue on by yourself?” He seemed to glare, though the glare seemed unnecessary for the context of his words.

“I-I’d have no choice right?” Twilight hesitated for a moment with her answer. “I can walk just fine… I admit it’s a little awkward on three hooves, but you’ve helped me a lot…”

“Good.” He closed his eyes with a grunt, “Because it’s more than likely we’re going to be separated. I’m not going to be able to take care of you when we are and I need you to be able to take care of yourself.”

“Huh? Why would we be separated?” Twilight’s ears flattened at his words. “We’ve found each other, let’s stick together, we’ll be able to survive better-“

“It’s not that simple!” Lance barked, glaring at Twilight causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. “This ‘world’ around us, this place that isn’t Ponyville, or even Equestria, this world that is its own being, it has a mind of its own. And it doesn’t like ponies being together.” He drew closer to Twilight, the unicorn finding herself backing up into the drawers. “It separates us, divides us and makes us fools for its own amusement. You can’t trust anyone here Twilight. I brought you in from the lobby, healed your wounds and waited for you to recover. But it’s very possible you’re not really Twilight, but rather this worlds sick imagining of her.”

Twilight was afraid. She fell to her haunches, just staring at the Pegasus before her who was bearing down on her, unable to move or disobey him.

“The same goes for you. You can’t believe I’m Lance, or that I helped you with good intentions. This world is cut throat and won’t hesitate to mess with your heart and spit in your face! Just when you think you’ve figured it out, it’ll smack you and make you start all over again. Do you understand? That’s the kind of world we’ve found ourselves in. And does it have any RIGHT to be messing with our heads?” Lance growled and grit his teeth, his nose pressing against Twilight’s as his eyes bore into her. “What right does this world have to do that to ponies? Who thinks they can mess with the dead and make a mockery of them!? Who thinks they can disrespect my Posey!” He yelled, finally closing his eyes as he grit his teeth.

The spell Twilight had been under broke at that moment and she could finally breathe, perspiration rolling down her neck as she gulped down a lump that had formed in her throat.

“L-Lance…” Twilight tried to speak, to get the stallion to stop yelling at her for things she couldn’t control.

Lance’s eyes shot open in sudden realization at what he’d just done. He took a few steps away from Twilight, cursing at himself under his breath several times. Twilight put her good hoof to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. She couldn’t explain what just happened to her. Lance had just simply looked her in the eye and suddenly she had found herself deadlocked in fear, unable to do anything.

“Forgive me Twilight.” Lance continued to curse himself, “This world is playing with my mind…” He cut himself off as if refusing to say anymore. He took a deep breath and turned to face her, his eyes much calmer now, his face still rough around the edges but proving a calming look. “I’ll stay with you as long as I can, as long as this world permits me. My words still hold true though, you can’t trust me and I can’t trust you.” He let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes, “…but I can’t just leave my patient once I’ve started treating them.”

It took several more second for Twilight to try and stand. She mentally willed her legs to stop shaking and once they did she was able to stand properly again. She swallowed once more, trying to calm herself. It wasn’t that Lance was mad at her, she understood that. She could see past his anger. It wasn’t directed at her, but at the world, she’d just been unfortunate to be in the way when it had come to a head.

“It’s… it’s okay Lance.” She spoke more trying to convince herself than the stallion before her. “You’re mad at the world… not me… we need to look out for each other… e-even if what you say is true.” The unicorn gulped, really hoping it wasn’t true.

Lance simply nodded, not wanting to risk opening another can of worms on the unicorn. He simply walked over to the door and placed his hoof on it to open, before stopping a moment. He turned to look at the injured mare.

“You ready?” He had to make sure before he opened the door.

“Yeah… yeah I’m ready.” Twilight nodded her head slowly, falling into line behind the stallion. Lance nodded his head in confirmation and swung the door open. He stepped out into the hallway beyond the room and the unicorn followed carefully behind him. Stale air hit her nose first, just as she began to examine the hallway.

The hallway was decaying, just as Twilight figured it would be. The walls were stained with what appeared to be water and mold, parts of the ceiling were hanging loose, as if torn apart by something, and the carpet beneath her hooves was dry, hardened to almost a bristled state. Each step let out a quiet crunch on the ruined carpet.

“This… isn’t where the room was before.” Lance glared at the hallway, “I brought you into a room near the lobby. This is a new hallway.”

“Its… playing tricks on our minds?” Twilight gulped down her words.

“I’m certain of it. Let’s try and find out way back to the lobby, stay close to me.” Lance said looking around before heading down the hallway, in a direction that looked like it might lead somewhere. Twilight followed after him, taking a look at the doors that lined the hallway. Most were either boarded up with wood, broken, or paved over with cement. Twilight couldn’t understand the meaning behind it, what purpose did boarding up the doors serve?

There was silence between them as they walked; a silent understanding between them that they needed to keep their wits about them. The world wasn’t going to spare them any mercy, something they both seemed to have learned from experience. They just listened to the crunching of the carpet under their hooves.

As they were getting closer to the bend at the end of the hallway, a noise began to play that caught both of their ears. Twilight looked down at her rune, hearing the familiar buzzing emanating from the device. Then a loud ‘thud’ could be heard overhead which caught their attention next.

“GET BACK!” Lance shouted, turning around as fast as his body could manage. A loud crash echoing through the hallway as the ceiling in front of them caved in. Dust and debris flew around them as the wind rushed and pushed them down the hall. The two ponies found themselves pushed back, coughing as the dust attacked their mouths. The both of them looked in the direction of the fallen ceiling, seeing what had caused the collapse.

There was an orb, as though it was made of shadows pulsing in the middle of the debris. The air around it was distorted, warping the very world around it. From the middle a head began to form, pulling away from the shadows, a black-skinned pony head with a long snout. It opened its eyes, containing nothing but the whites of its eyes. It tried to open its mouth, but the lips were sewn shut, just letting out a guttural growl of pain and anger. Two hooves appeared from the oozing darkness, shackled by chains to the darkness itself.

The creature let out a growl that echoed through the hallway, almost as if it was shifting the air with its voice alone. Lance was instantly on his heels, pushing against Twilight who had fallen into a stunned daze staring at the creature.

“MOVE!” He yelled, snapping her back to her senses. She turned on her hooves and began to run, tripping at her awkward coordination and finding herself planted against the ground. The creature let out a loud wail once more, Lance putting his hooves on Twilight to try and get her back to her legs.

Wood loudly cracked and began to splinter; the ponies looking back at the creature as a large black ribbon suddenly appeared from the center of the black mass, breaking straight through the walls in the hallway. Twilight scrambled to her hooves, Lance trying to push against her as they moved.

Lance cried out in sharp pain, slamming to the ground as the ribbon came crashing down onto his back. Twilight gasped in shock, her brain trying to process everything being thrown at her. The black ribbon quickly began to wrap around Lance, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

“LANCE!” Twilight cried out, grabbing hold of his hooves as the ribbon suddenly became taught, pulling back straight towards the creature. Lance let out a horrified cry of pain, coughing as he felt his body being yanked in two directions. Twilight’s hooves scraped across the floor as she tugged, trying to free the Pegasus from the monsters grip. Its cry echoed through the hallway once again, overbearing the buzzing of her medallion.

The unicorn was being dragged, the carpet not giving her much room for grip. With only one hoof grabbing Lance she didn’t have much strength to bear. She had to go with what she had. Her horn lit up, the purple aura now surrounding Lance. She pulled with everything she could muster, both physical and magical, trying to free Lance from the grip.

A loud growl came from the monster, unhappy with this development. From the darkness that made up its body, a second ribbon burst out, racing across the hallway. Twilight’s eyes opened in horror as she saw it coming, unable to move out of the way in time. The ribbon crashed into her body, her hoof letting go of Lance.

Her whole body was carried, sailing clean through the air. The ribbon pressed down on her, sending her hurtling straight for the side of the hallway. Another loud crack issued through the hall as she was slammed straight into a door. Twilight struck the room’s floor and tumbled, coughing loudly as her body screamed out in pain. She grimacing, opening her eyes to look at the door she’d been thrown against.

“TWILIGHT!” The horrified loud yell of the Pegasus came. She tried to get to her hooves, only to have the black ribbon entering the room coming for her. She grit her teeth, quickly summoning the blunt dagger from her reservoir. She didn’t have any time for aim and just sent the dagger sailing through the air as hard as she could throw it. The metal struck the ribbon, piercing straight through it and lodging itself in the ribbon. Blood splattered against the wall from where the dagger had impaled the cloth.

The ribbon seemed to shriek as if in pain at the intrusion of the metal into it. It flailed across the room in rapid movements, as if no longer sure of what it should do. It came rushing back, slamming against the door it had slammed Twilight into. It gripped against the edges of the wooden door before pulling back into the hallway, slamming the door shut with it.

The medallion instantly grew quiet and the world was silent. Twilight was breathing heavily, staring at the door, unable to believe that had just happened. She struggled to stand, her shoulder crying out in agony at the abuse she was sustaining, but she forced herself to push it aside. She managed to stand, her legs shaking underneath her body. She lit her horn with magic and grabbed the handle of the door, trying to force it open. She had to go back out and help Lance.

The door didn’t budge, refusing to open as though it were jammed. Twilight grunted in displeasure, hopping over to the door and pressing her hoof against the handle. She tried to force the door to open, but the only thing she got for her efforts was an incessant ‘clicking’ noise telling her it was jammed.

“LANCE!” Twilight yelled as loudly as she could, resting her chest against the door before banging loudly against it with her good hoof. Silence only returned her knocks. She couldn’t hear anything out there anymore. No breaking of wood, no stallion screaming in pain, not even the echoing growl of the creature. She smashed her head against the door, letting out a pained cry.

She was JUST with Lance! She could’ve done more to save him! But the moment that creature showed up she had frozen in place. She couldn’t believe she’d done that. Lance didn’t stand a chance against that monster on his own and it was her fault for having frozen up.

Was it because she was injured? Was she scared that she wasn’t going to be able to protect herself? Not that she could anymore; she’d just lost her weapon AGAIN.

“I’m sorry Lance…” The mare muttered under her breath, hoping that the stallion would be alright. She had no way of guaranteeing his wellbeing, but it was just as he had told her. If she assumed he was dead then there’d be no way she could help him at all. Though she was kicking herself she just had to figure out what to do next. She had to keep her mind calm and realize that if she did nothing but panic; she’d get nowhere and fast.

Twilight took several deep breaths with her forehead pressed against the door, trying to calm her racing heart. Once she felt sufficiently calmed, she stood on her three hooves and turned around to examine the room she now found herself locked in.

The mare gasped, clasping her good hoof over her mouth as her eyes fell upon the body of a white unicorn with fiery red hair that had been nailed to the wall, her forelegs spread wide and her back legs pinned below her. She was in the same pose as Winter had been, her blood now seeping down the wall and onto a desk right below the body that had a picture frame sitting on top of it.

“M-M-M-M-MOONDANCER!” Twilight cried in shock. She sprung to her hooves and ran to the body of her old friend, staring in horror at the wounds all over her body. She was covered in lacerations, just as Winter had been, her blood was still fresh and wet, dripping down the wall. “Moondancer! Please! Tell me you’re okay!” Twilight cried out. Her magic lit up and tried to grab the nails that were imbedded into Moondancer’s legs. Her magic refused to catch onto the nails, as if something was repelling the magic.

“T-Twilight…” The lavender unicorn froze as she heard the voice, snapping her head to look straight into Moondancer’s face. The white unicorn was looking back down at her, the fire-red hair covering one of her eyes, the other staring soullessly back at the mare before her. “The… picture…” Moondancer spoke in a quiet, harsh voice that Twilight was only barely able to catch.

“The… the picture?” Twilight looked down at the desk Moondancer was hung above. Just on the edge of the desk, about to touch the blood, the small square picture frame stood there, showing a half burnt picture of Twilight as a filly. Twilight blinked in confusion, raising her hoof to touch the strange picture. Suddenly light burst forth from the picture, causing the lavender unicorn to yelp and cover her eyes with her hoof.

The sound of reels rolling hit her ears and she could suddenly hear the shuffling of hooves. She moved her hoof away from her eyes to see that the picture was now projecting light, a film was being played on the wall opposite of Moondancer. The rest of the room had grown dark, only illuminated by the light of the projection. The unicorn stared in disbelief as the gray and torn static images rolled across the screen. Displayed inside the images was a younger Twilight staring out a large window in Canterlot. The hoofsteps of her mentor approached from behind.

“What’s the matter Twilight?” The tall white alicorn asked, stepping up to the filly, her voice coming out as a distorted part of the movie.

“Oh… it’s nothing Princ-, I’m so-ry if I tro-ed you.” Filly Twilight said, her voice cutting in and out as she got up to return to her work.

“Are you sure? I haven’t seen you look this down before.” Celestia looked concerned, walking over to her pupil. “You can tell me anything Twilight, I promise.” The little filly hesitated, turning the page in her book before looking up at the Princess, unsure if she’d get in trouble.

“I… I g-ss… I’d k- of like a… a s-y -ner…” Filly Twilight spoke up quietly, the film distorting her voice, shaking the scene being shown.

“Well why don’t you ask one of your classmates? I’m sure they’d love to study with you.” Celestia smiled comfortingly at her.

“Oh… no I co-n’t, -ey all ne- to study ha- just li- I do. I’m sure I’d just get in their way.” Twilight fumbled with her words, looking up pleadingly at the Princess. Celestia thought about her words for a moment, before realizing something.

“I know just the perfect partner for you.” Celestia smiled happily, turning her head and calling out. “Spiiiiike! Spike, could you come here real quick?”

The filly opened her mouth to speak, but before any sound could come out the film began to skip, before tearing apart, breaking apart the movie playing. The light faded and the light of the room returned with it.

“Moondancer… what did that…” Twilight turned to look back at the mare hanging from the wall, before letting out another gasp. The mare hanging from the wall was no longer Moondancer. This new mare had a violet mane with a magenta coat, lacerated the same way Moondancer had just been. It took Twilight a moment to realize who the mare was, before she covered her mouth in horror.

“Sparkler…” She murmured quietly. She didn’t know what happened to Moondancer, but Lance’s words came to mind. The town was just playing tricks on her mind again. Moondancer never had been there… but now Sparkler was.

“Please… please be another illusion.” Twilight begged to the silent air around her. Her horn lit up as she cast her magic, hoping the magic would once again be repelled by the nails and she could prove that Sparkler wasn’t actually dead.

Her magic caught the nails and pulled them out. She gently levitated Sparkler’s body to the ground in front of her, trying to hold back the tears at the edges of her eyes as she placed her ear to Sparkler’s chest. She sat there, trying to listen for the faintest trace of a heartbeat, something to tell her she could possibly save Sparkler. One never came.

Twilight grit her teeth, not wanting to believe this was true. But this was exactly the same thing that had happened to Winter. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that she’d been thrust into this room, it couldn’t have been a coincidence that she’d found Sparkler like this. The world was trying to give her a message.

The message a crucifixion carried, warning that if you stepped out of line, if you offended the wrong pony, that if you did something objectionable… it was punishable by death. The world and its twisted ways, with its mind games, monsters, and rules, was telling her she had to obey… or be killed.

“Sparkler… Derpy… I’m sorry…” She whispered to herself, feeling the heat of her tears rolling down her face once more. She knew about Sparkler. Derpy had adopted her almost a year ago. They’d had a tough time adjusting to the life, Twilight had watched them have fights, reconcile over family time, enjoying each other’s company, laughing and playing…

Everypony knew they weren’t having the easiest of times, Derpy was a single mother with a job that paid moderately and was paying for two kids. But she was that type of mare, the type who would do anything for her foals. Who couldn’t wake up in the morning without seeing the bright smiling faces of her two beautiful daughters.

And there laying before Twilight was one of them. No longer able to smile, no longer able to laugh or play with her mother or sister. All so that she could be displayed as a message to Twilight.

“You were right Lance…” Twilight quietly wiped her face as she managed to calm herself. “This place messes with your mind… disrespects the ponies that live here…” She looked down at Sparkler. She knew she had to do something for Sparkler. Some memorial, some grave for her to be remembered.

But to do it right, she’d have to make her way out of the hotel. She still had to make sure Lance was okay as well. She had to go back out into Ponyville and find her friends, and Princess Celestia. Twilight steeled her nerves once more, standing up looking down at Sparkler’s body.

“Sparkler… I promise I’ll be right back for you… I’ll give you the burial you deserve… I’ll let your mom know what happened to you.” Twilight ran her hoof across her face one last time, sniffing as she managed to stand up. She approached the door and raised her hoof to it and pressed against the handle. This time it clicked open, creaking slightly as it opened to the world outside of the door.

Beyond the door appeared to be a hotel lobby. The lavender mare would’ve been surprised if she hadn’t expected the change in location by now. The lobby was just as decrepit as the rest of the hotel, the carpet a dulled brown, the reception desk rotted, broken, and long since disused. There were several doors lining the lobby and she could clearly see two hallways that extended further into more rooms, but couldn’t see down them just yet. In the middle of the floor Twilight could spot a rather sizeable dried bloodstain, likely the spot where Lance had found her.

The unicorn quickly walked over to the bloodstain in the middle of the carpet, inspecting it carefully. Just as Lance had said, there was only one spot of noticeable blood, meaning it was likely she had been the only one there. Rarity’s body, or even her blood, was nowhere to be found.

“I’m going to have to take that as a good sign…” Twilight muttered to herself looking around the lobby again. “She was right there with me when I passed out. If her blood’s not here… then maybe she’s somewhere else and safe. She has to be.” She said it to herself not to convince herself, but to reinforce her will.

She quickly looked around for any other sign she could find. A clue as to where Rarity went, any sign of what had become of that strange alicorn she had fought, of any indication that this had been the same place she had passed out in. Her search turned out empty though. She let out a reluctant sigh but moved on quickly to one of the hallways. She figured Lance had to be down one of those corridors, it only made sense.

Coming around the bend of the hallway she was stopped at the sight of a massive pile of debris that blocked off the hallway. No doubt the same hallway that the strange creature had crashed in and attacked them at. Her medallion wasn’t buzzing and she couldn’t hear a single sound coming from the otherside.

“Lance!” Twilight called out, trying to find an open spot in the debris to get a look at what became of the scene. “Lance are you there?! Answer me if you can hear me!” She yelled loudly, not caring if she attracted the monster back out of hiding, she needed to know if the Pegasus was alright or not. She waited a moment or two, waiting to hear back from him. Silence only returned. She called out for him one last time, but when the silence continued she realized she wasn’t going to get a response.

“Lance, I really hope you’re okay.” Twilight murmured to the air, turning away from the hallway. If the path was blocked there wasn’t any way she was going to be able to get to him. Her magic didn’t obey her in this world and she just had to face the reality that she needed to move on. If helping Lance was out of the question then her next objective was to give Sparkler the proper burial she deserved.

Returning to the lobby she was able to spot the double doors that looked like an exit. She quickly walked over to it, expecting the door to be locked and her being sent on some round about puzzle all over the rest of the hotel just to get a key to open the door. However, the door simply creaked open, revealing the fog filled world outside. Ash was still falling from the sky, creating a thin layer on the ground everywhere. It seemed that night had fallen at some point during the town.

“Night…” Twilight murmured looking up at the darkened foggy sky. “It’s nighttime… does that mean Luna raised the moon? Is she aware of what’s going on here in Ponyville?” She wondered aloud, not sure what to think of that. “I wonder if she knows what happened to Princess Celestia…” Various thoughts ran through her mind at that moment, none of which seemed to fully pan out in her mind. At some point she figured Luna would notice what’s going on, or that her sister was missing.

The unicorn shook her head and took a deep breath calming herself again. She had to go through this one challenge at a time. She quickly walked back through the lobby and opened the door to the room she had found herself in. Sparkler’s body still laid there serenely, waiting to be given the proper send off. The aura of purple magic soon found itself wrapped around that mares body, lifting it ever so gently into the air.

With the grace she deserved, Sparkler was carried out of the hotel and into the dark night of Ponyville. The purple aura gently placed the magenta mare down on the ash covered grass. Twilight concentrated her magic and once more made a shovel appear from thin air. She quickly struck it down into the earth and began to dig a hole. Each scoop brought more dirt up from the ground, creating a bigger and bigger hole.

Suddenly the shovel struck something hard, the magic holding the item together growing unstable and shattering it into nothing once more. Twilight cursed under her breath and looked into the hole, spying the rock that the shovel had hit on its way down. She levitated the rock out of the hole before carefully reforming the shovel from magic.

It wasn’t long before Twilight was satisfied with the hole she had dug. She gently lifted Sparkler’s body with her magic and laid it to rest at the bottom of the hole. Then she lifted the pile of dirt she’d dug up and placed it in the hole, making sure it was flat and even before being satisfied. Then she created the final piece, forming a block of wood into the shape of a tombstone. Upon its surface she wrote the words ‘Here lies Sparkler, a wonderful daughter, a loving sister and a beautiful mare.’ She fixed the gravestone at the edge of the grave, marking it as Sparkler’s resting place.

Once the grave was finished she sat at the foot of it, watching it quietly. A breeze blew through the silent town, sending a short shiver down her back. The temperature had dropped it seemed, though it wasn’t as cold as the snow that had littered the ground when she had gone to sleep for the night it was still a stark contrast to the muggy air that had resided before. She tried to pay it no mind though, closing her eyes to give Sparkler a moment of peace.

“I should probably say something huh?” The lavender mare asked quietly to the grave. The wind blew the bangs in front of her eyes as she pondered over her words. “I’m sorry you had to die this way Sparkler…” her words were soft, almost lost to the gentle breeze around her. “I wish I could’ve been there to save you… don’t know how I would have, but I wish…” she grit her teeth remembering Winter’s body, remembering Lance being dragged away, remembering Rarity being impaled by that alicorn’s sword, “I wish I could’ve prevented all of this from happening. I wish I could protect every pony…”

“I still… I still remember when your mom decides she was going to adopt you, you know that?” Twilight chuckled softly to the grave, moving a hoof to her face to wipe it gently. “It was kind of a shock to everypony who knew your mom. She already seemed to be having a hard time raising her daughter as it was… and then she suddenly adopted you. She didn’t tell anypony why… and I can’t say that I was able to understand the thinking. But…” The smile on her face showed the fragile nature of the memories she could remember and why they were so precious. “…I could see on her face, when she was with you… she was happy. She loved you Sparkler and… I know that if she could do anything to have you back that she would do it. That’s the kind of mother she was.” The mare lifted a hoof and gently placed it on top of the flat soil before her. “Please rest in peace… I’m going to put an end to this nightmare and I’ll make sure that… your death wasn’t in vain.”

The pony stood, the wind tossing her mane, the flakes of ash falling on her body. She turned to the road the hotel was connected to. She looked around, spying the particular set of trees and plant life that was slowly turning white around it. The bumps of the road, the familiar placing of the geography…

She knew where she was. She’d been down that path many times before, it was forever etched into her mind now.

This was the road to Fluttershy’s house.

“Fluttershy… Rainbow Dash…” Twilight murmured, looking down the path into the darkness. She couldn’t see their house from here, on a normally clear day she likely could have. She had been at their wedding just yesterday. She could still remember watching the ceremony unfold, organizing the event, how beautiful Fluttershy had been in her dress, the love she felt between them when they spoke their vows…

…How they said they were going to leave for their honeymoon the next day, to rest from the excitement of the celebration and to have all their friends see them off.

They had to be stuck in this world as well, being tormented by these monsters, their heads being toyed with like this was all some game, watching as the ponies they cared about got hurt or killed…

In the distance Twilight could hear something echoing through the town. It reverberated low across the air and over her coat. She knew the roar of the creature that had come from. It was the dragon that had attacked her in the middle of town.

The mare grit her teeth in frustration. She gazed at the darkness, resolve hardening inside of her and a glare directed at the misery that was the town. She was going to protect her friends, she was going to find the Princess, she was going to bring an end to this misery.

Striking the ground, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the cottage where two of her friends now lived.

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Story Written by Mindblower, Supervised and Directed by Jake Heritagu
Google Doc Here

Twilight hadn’t realized she was at nearly a full gallop toward Fluttershy’s house until her injured shoulder began to ache. She slowed her pace, knowing for certain that she was out of the dragon’s reach, for now. Well... she thought after a moment or two of consideration, I think it’s a given at this point that nothing is really certain. She swiveled her ears around, checking for noise behind herself as she walked. ...Well, I don’t hear its roar anymore. I should be okay, at least for now.

The fog seemed to grow thicker as she approached the edge of Ponyville. She was heading toward the bridge that crossed the stream on the way to her friends’ new home, but the mist was so impermeable that she couldn’t see it until she had literally almost fallen into it. She took a sharp inhale and backed a few steps away from the edge of the chasm. But where’s the bridge? she wondered, glancing at the path beneath her hooves. It should be right on the trail.

“Oh, my dear Twilight!” a voice sounded to her left. She snapped her attention to the cloaked pony that had somehow snuck up on her without her realizing. “What a surprise!” she exclaimed jovially.

“What do you want?” Twilight growled, her eyes blazing with a mixture of suspicion and hostility.

The mysterious mare seemed hurt. “Nothing but to say that the fact you’re alive is very pleasing to mine eyes. This world has claimed so many a soul; I’m grateful to see that you’re still in control.”

Twilight realized what she had just said, and she hung her head slightly, letting her nerves settle. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. This place has me on edge. I’m... not supposed to trust anypony anymore; not while I’m in here, at least.”

She nodded. “Trust is a danger you’d do well to erase. The truth only harms in this dastardly place. Do take care, though, not to dismiss it outright; lies won’t help you in your final fight.”

Twilight threw up her head in exasperation. “Kill things. Don’t kill things. Stay in one place and get killed. Explore and get killed. Listen to the truth. Hide from the truth. This is all so--so--!” She tried, but couldn’t seem to find the words for her frustration.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘aggravating,’” the mare suggested.

Twilight nodded sadly. “Not to mention completely and utterly horrifying.”

“Fear is an emotion most irritating. It’s designed to keep us from trouble, but in some situations it causes danger to double. Here it is a poor, poor way of keeping danger at bay. Monsters will find you, regardless of what little you feel--and what little you suppress,” the mare stated ominously. “Yes, everything in here is based on fear.”

“Well... I guess,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Are you actually going to tell me anything? Or are you just going to follow me around?” At this point, I’d probably be fine with either, she added to herself miserably.

The mare laughed. “I see, you want help as your journey worsens. I’m sorry to say, there’s no way for me to share your burden. Though I do wish to see you through this alive... I’m afraid that no assistance can I contrive.”

Twilight rolled her eyes despite the fact that she had expected this sort of answer. “Whatever, then. See you later.”

She was about to walk off when the mare spoke again. “I have one thing to say, one last thing that is true: Nothing is real if it doesn’t hurt you.”

Twilight turned to face her, but she had vanished into the fog. She listened for hoofsteps, wondering why she would have run away so quickly, but no sound met her ears. It was as silent as a graveyard, and Twilight felt utterly lonesome once again.

Twilight continued on her way, this time seeing that the broken bridge that had once impeded her progress was now patched up haphazardly, with large, recently uprooted trees linking the two edges of the river and making it possible to cross. Assuming that her talk with the mare that may or may not have been a mirage had something to do with it, she carefully crossed the slippery wood and continued on her way.

The trek to Fluttershy’s cottage after that thankfully didn’t last much longer. However, when she reached the small cottage where her two friends stayed, she found it in the same amount of disrepair as the rest of Ponyville. Part of the roof had caved in, the windows were boarded, and there was a large padlock and chain on the front--and only--door. Twilight covered her nose as she inhaled a waft of decay. I am definitely not looking forward to whatever’s in there. The more she thought about it, though, the more she noticed that the horrible conditions and terrifying aberrations were becoming almost... commonplace. It was a thought that unsettled her, so she put it aside.

Not even bothering to try the door, she searched the perimeter of the house and found three statues off to the side behind the pile of rubble that used to be the roof. They were all made of a dull, gray stone, and there was a wooden podium in the middle of the three. Twilight examined each statue in turn.

The first depicted a unicorn mare with spears sent clean through her eyes, piercing through the back of her head. She looked as if she were screaming in surprise and agony, that the attack was sudden, unexpected, almost as if she had been betrayed. The base of the statue was labeled ‘Truth.’

The second statue was of a pegasus, though it was more of a bust, only showing the torso and the forelegs with its hind legs presumably in the pedestal that supported it. This one had a pole that had pierced through one ear and protruded from the other. This one seemed as if it were executed, and its face was limp, expressionless, as was the rest of its body, hanging from the pole it had been stabbed with. The base of the statue was labeled ‘Lies.’

The third statue was of an earth pony stallion, though this one was lying face-down, hunched over a sword that had stabbed through his mouth and up through his skull. His now-limp hooves seemed like they once had clutched the sword--lending to the assumption that the stallion’s death was at his own hooves, his own responsibility. The base of the statue was labeled ‘Secrets.’

“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” Twilight muttered, addressing each of the statues in turn. Sparing them only a grimace, she carefully approached the podium. On it was a single poem, written on a piece of ancient parchment:

Blighted are the ones that stay
Lighted are the paths away
I can’t tell you what to say
No one keeps you in this fray
Doom is quickly on its way
Eager to come out and play
Death’s favorite color is gray

Twilight studied it for a moment, trying to pull some sort of meaning. Well, I guess I shouldn’t have really expected it to make all that much sense on its own, she thought. She bent over, looking at every side of the podium, before tapping it lightly. There was an echo. That means it’s hollow, she realized.

After gently taking the piece of paper and placing it into her magic, she turned and slammed her hind hooves into the wooden stand, mimicking what her friend Applejack had once taught her. The podium splintered, revealing a heavy sledgehammer that was hidden inside. She examined the sledgehammer, contemplating whether or not she could wield something so hefty, or even carry it with her. Every little thing you keep puts more strain on your magic, she internally recited, remembering the spell’s instructions. Eventually she did decided to place it into her magical pocket, knowing that it would likely prove more useful in the future.

She immediately noticed the weight, though, that the hammer placed upon her, almost as if she had gained twenty pounds in an instant. “Urf,” she mumbled, shaking her head. Guess I’m reaching my limit. I hope I find a lighter weapon soon, otherwise just lugging this thing around could drain me completely.

After she had steadied herself, she took the poem out of her magic and set it on the ground, studying it. After only a few moments of thought, though, the dragon’s distant roar reverberated across the foggy landscape. The deathly noise made her jump nearly ten meters into the air.

Deep breaths, Twilight, she told herself, trying to calm her nerves. She considered trying the sledgehammer on the door, but she decided against it, at least for the time being. If I do solve this puzzle, I don’t want anything coming in after me.

She studied the parchment again. Okay, so if that last word puzzle had to do with letters, then this one probably does, too. She studied the poem for a moment more before realizing that each of the capitalized letters, when put together, spelled ‘blinded.’

It’s just a simple acrostic, she thought. She glanced back toward the statues. I guess it’s pretty obvious what I have to do next.

She went over to the statue of the mare who was having her eyes gouged out, and removed the sledgehammer from her magic before gently tapping the blunt metal head of her multi-purpose tool on the stone. A crack formed that quickly spread down between the eyes of the mare, and in a few moments the statue had silently crumbled to dust.

Twilight sifted through the rubble, searching for anything relevant, before finding a note: The door’s unlocked. She blinked in disbelief before galloping to Fluttershy’s front door. It was still in chains, as she suspected, with the giant padlock in the center hanging as a solemn gatekeeper. Just as a test, though, she nudged the door with her hoof, though only faintly.

The rusty chain crumbled, with the padlock falling and shattering on the ground.

Twilight nearly lost it. “OH COME O-” She clapped a hoof over her mouth, but not before her aggravated outburst echoed not once, not twice, but three times across the silent Ponyville.

The dragon roared again, though this time Twilight knew it couldn’t have been more than a kilometer away. She nearly saw its silhouette reflected in the fog.

Bursting into full-fledged panic, Twilight grabbed the hammer, shoved it into her portable hole, ran into the cottage, and shut the door as silently as she possibly could behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was shaking as she slowly sank to the ground, pressing herself into the wall next to the door. She didn’t dare to move.

The dragon’s footsteps sent shockwaves through the ground, causing the floor to tremble nearly as much as Twilight was. She heard it hiss and smell the air for her, slowly pacing around the house as if it were the very place it had lost her scent. Twilight steeled herself and froze in place, not wanting to give it any more opportunities to find her than it already had. She was hoping against hope that it wouldn’t destroy the cottage looking for her.

Eventually, though, in defiance of all rhyme and reason, she heard the slow flap of its heavy wings as it sailed away. To it, it must have been as if the cottage didn’t even exist. That was the only explanation she could think of. Dragons, as she knew from raising Spike, had excellent senses. There was no reason for her to have gotten as lucky as she had more than once.

Nopony escapes dragons, she breathed. At least I’m not the only one getting tricked by this place. Standing up, she felt a burst of rage as she remembered the completely pointless puzzle, knowing that this place was only toying with her now. Messing with her head. But... she thought after a few moments, I guess it wasn’t all for nothing. I did get a hammer.

She pondered what the mare had said to her earlier, ‘nothing is real if it doesn’t hurt you.’ Did that mean that the dragon was only an illusion, since it hadn’t injured her? She realized that she didn’t actually see a dragon at any point in the past few hours, that she had only heard one and seen a shape in the fog roughly resembling that of a dragon, but she had seen one in crisp detail near the beginning of her journey. Swallowing, she decided it best not to test that theory.

After she had fully gathered her nerves, she began to examine her surroundings, using the pendant around her neck to provide a faint, flickering light. Fluttershy’s cottage was a wreck, but that was to be expected. Broken, moldy furniture littered the floor, the wallpaper was peeling, and the stench of mildew permeated the small home. Twilight didn’t want to push her luck by calling out for her two friends. If this place is anything like the rest of Ponyville, then they’ve both vanished. No use alerting the dragon by yelling for them. If they’re here, I’ll find them soon ehough anyway.

That in mind, she began to explore the kitchen. It was filled with various tubes and scientific equipment, all of which was completely corrupted and contaminated with all sorts of gunk that looked as if it had once been food. The counters were filled with vials and jars of the stuff. Tubes wound their way through the air, connecting various different putrid vessels. Twilight’s stomach did a flip at the smell, compelling her to quickly duck under the tubes and remove herself from the horrible lab.

The living room was much more bearable, showing only the ordinary signs of decrepity. As she poked through the furniture, though, Twilight noticed an odd cylindrical hole in the ground, just wide enough that a single pony’s hoof could fit through. She carefully peered down into it.

At the very bottom of the small pocket there appeared to be a button, with a steady drip of water coming from the rim of the tiny pit. Twilight was about to reach in and press it, but she hesitated at the last moment. Instead, just to be safe, she dragged a limb from one of the broken chairs and poked it down into the hole, aiming for the button.

As she suspected, the stick hit flesh instead of the device, and she watched in slight intrigue as the chair leg slowly disappeared down into the small crevice as she heard something gorging itself on the wood. She glanced down into it again and saw a small, many-toothed wormlike animal just finishing its meal before crawling back up to the base of its lair. The slow drip started again, though this time Twilight knew it was saliva, not water.

I guess I just have to kill it, Twilight told herself, sighing. She ambled back into the kitchen and held her breath as she looked for anything possibly toxic. Eventually something did jump out to her, a beaker filled with a substance that looked far to ordinary to be in the twisted laboratory. She levitated a covered beaker of a clear liquid out of the kitchen and set it down on a three-legged coffee table. Removing the cap, she took a small whiff of what it contained.

An intense burning flared up in her nostrils for a moment, but she did manage to recognize the incredibly strong chlorine smell that was hydrochloric acid, likely in high concentration. She cautiously glanced back at the hole in the living room. This isn’t what I want to do, she reminded herself, I just don’t have any options.

Exercising extreme patience in the presence of such strong acids, Twilight levitated the beaker into the hole and slowly lowered it until she felt the worm’s mouth wrap around the edges. There was a crunch of glass, a hissing of flesh, and finally silence as the small monster liquified.

“I’m sorry, little guy,” Twilight found herself saying, and she genuinely felt it. Something in the air had motivated her to press that button, and she had to get to it no matter what. Her life could be on the line. To her, it seemed like it always was.

After she was sure it was dead, she retrieved another limb from a broken armchair and levitated it down into the small hole. She heard a small ‘click’ as it pressed the button. For a few moments, nothing happened.

Then, Twilight heard the creaking of floorboards and the splintering of wood. The house had begun to shake in ever-increasing violence, and Twilight struggled to stay on her hooves. Broken picture frames fell from the walls and shattered, tables turned on their sides, and cabinets crashed to the ground. As quickly as it had started, though, the tremors vanished. Twilight paused, the silence so absolute that she was unsure whether or not she was still alive.

A terrible, rending siren snapped her to her senses. It was a low wail that seemed to emanate from just above Fluttershy’s cottage. It was the same one she had heard before, and it was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a good sign.

Twilight braced herself, but nothing happened. She paused, looking around. Despite the increased amount of rubble lying around the house, nothing seemed to have changed. She took a cautious step toward the kitchen.

The wooden planks snapped under her weight, and she fell into an infinite abyss.

She woke up in what looked like the strange world she had been to a couple times before, the Otherworld where she had fought the broken alicorn. Wiping liquid from her eyes, she examined her surroundings and tried to hold her breath.

The room she was in looked something like that of a newborn’s, though as with everything else in this hellish dimension, it was crooked and disgusting. What remained of the shattered crib was lying in a smoldering pile on the ground. Smoke softly rose to the top of the blackened bedchamber, and as Twilight glanced upward to follow the gray trail, she saw various dolls hanging from the ceiling. Some were made of rags, others of porcelain, but they all shared one defining characteristic: They were hanging by their necks.

Twilight whiffed the metallic tang of blood once more, and she glanced at her hoof to see in horror that it was stained red. She blinked as more of her own blood gushed onto her forehead and down her eyes, and she gasped in horror as she saw her own horn lying in front of her, snapped off at its base.

She must have landed on it when she fell.

Instinctively she tried to pick it up using telekinesis, but a splitting pain carved through her skull, as if it was being split open by a cleaver. Her broken horn didn’t move an inch.

She felt herself tearing up, but not from the pain. This was it. It was over. Without her magic, she couldn’t fend for herself; she didn’t even have a weapon that wasn’t trapped inside her portable hole. She realized in a panic that perhaps the hole had collapsed, leaving its contents to dissolve within the netherworld in which it was created, but was reassured when she felt its burden pressing down on her. She inhaled sharply again as she remembered that, since she couldn’t open it anymore, that everything inside was now only dead weight.

Twilight shook her head violently, spraying a few drops of the clotting blood to the left and right. No. Now’s not the time to panic, she told herself. She absently noted that the wound didn’t hurt on its own--it only pained her when she tried to use her magic. Does this mean that it’s not real, if it doesn’t hurt? There are other ways to disable magic, and I don’t know if this world is real or not, either. Then again, I don’t know if what the mare said is true or not...

She sighed in exasperation. “I... I’m not dead yet,” she reminded herself softly, staring at her horn. “I need to keep going. It can’t get any worse, at least,” she mumbled glumly. She knew that resigning herself to death would be pointless. The only option was forward.

She glanced back up at the hanging dolls, searching for anything that might clue her in as to the nature of this other world. An eerie wail seemed to emanate from the ceiling, that of a foal begging for help, but other than that, nothing. Twilight’s ears pricked, and she quickly turned around, but nopony was there. There was only a long, dimly lit corridor ahead.

Twilight felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Something was watching her, and she knew it. As soon as she thought about it, though, she realized the irony: Since when wasn’t she being watched in this awful, Celestia-forsaken place? She wasn’t in a location as much as she was inside an entity in its own right.

After one more quick mental sweep of the room, she picked up her horn between her teeth and limped down the ominous corridor.

The corridor’s walls were made of a thick glass, and the lighting was so poor that Twilight could barely see her own hooves. Her journey down the hallway, though, was short; it ended in a thick glass wall, same as the rest of the thin chamber. Assuming she missed something, she turned around and tried to head back to the room with the hung dolls, but discovered that way was barred by a wall of glass, as well.

Twilight set her horn down in the corner of the room, where she was unlikely to forget about it. “Okay, so you want to show me something,” she said, praying she wouldn’t have to do combat in such close quarters. “What is it?”

As if on queue, Twilight heard spotlights switched on behind her, and she pivoted to see what looked like the inside of Fluttershy’s living room again--this time, though, Fluttershy was inside. She looked confused and frustrated, though the source of her ire didn’t seem to come from the tarnished state of her house itself. Rather, she looked as if she were looking for something important, or if she were trying to remember something just out of reach, something right on the tip of her tongue.

I wonder if she knows about the dragon? Twilight thought absently.

Just then, Rainbow Dash entered through the front door, her expression dull. Lifeless. Fluttershy turned and gasped, rushing toward her lover and gripping her tightly.

“I don’t know how we got here,” Fluttershy whispered. Twilight was momentarily shocked by how clear she could hear her; it was as if they were side by side. “How did we get here, Dash? How are we here again?”

“I dunno,” Dash said, and her voice was flat, her tone hushed, “but it’s going to be okay.” She didn’t sound like she meant it.

Twilight considered banging on the window, trying to get their attention, but she knew it was pointless; Fluttershy’s cottage didn’t have a huge, gaping piece of glass that split it in half. What was being shown to her was prerecorded. Either it had already happened, or it was going to happen.

“How do you know it’s going to be okay?” Fluttershy asked, pressing her head into her marefriend’s chest.

Dash pulled out of her grip, shaking her head. “Somehow. Just... somehow,” she said, her voice flat.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, her expression brimming with worry.

“I don’t know that, either,” Dash said, her voice shaky. “When that thing attacked us... I just froze. I couldn’t do anything to help you. You almost died, Fluttershy. It would have ripped you apart.”

“But it didn’t. I’m still here,” Fluttershy said, stepping in front of Dash’s view. “You can’t blame yourself for every little thing, Dash. I can take care of myself.”

Dash pulled away again, as if she couldn’t bear Fluttershy’s gaze. “I could have done more. I could have done more to help you.”

“You did all you could,” Fluttershy soothed. “Dash, don’t you trust me?”

Dash paused, her gaze distant, staring off into space. Fluttershy slowly moved closer to her, as if to kiss her on the cheek, but Dash took a step away before she could.

“‘Shy...” she began slowly, “I want to know if you love me. I want to know that you know... that I’d do anything to keep you safe.”

Fluttershy looked up at her. “Of course.”

“Then I want you to close your eyes,” Dash stated.

“Why?” Fluttershy asked.

Dash stepped closer to Fluttershy, leaning in and planting a quick kiss on her partner’s lips. The kiss, though, like Dash’s expression, was dull, lifeless. “Because I love you, ‘Shy,” Dash whispered into her ear, “and I need to prove that to you.”

Fluttershy looked skeptical. “Dash, I know you-”

She interrupted her. “Shh,” she hushed, staring into her partner’s eyes. “Please.”

Though slightly uneasy, Fluttershy did as she was told, obediently closing her eyes. Dash took a few careful steps away, her eyes glinting when she saw a specific piece of metal in the debris around the living room. She picked it up in her jaw. It was a knife, a rusty, curved blade about eight inches in length.

“Dash?” Fluttershy asked upon hearing the grating sound of metal on metal. “Dash, what are you doing?”

“I won’t let the monsters get you, ‘Shy,” Dash vowed, speaking through the knife with surprising clarity. “I won’t let them tear you to shreds. You deserve better than that.”

Fluttershy noticed Dash’s change in tone, but despite her fear, she steeled herself and kept her eyes shut tight. “Dash, you’re scaring me,” she whimpered.

“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy,” Dash said, and before Fluttershy could whip around to defend herself, Dash stuck the knife in-between her shoulder blades, driving the blade deep and cutting through her throat. Fluttershy made an awful, choking noise before falling to the ground, writhing for a moment and rasing her hooves to her neck in a feeble effort to try and dig the blade out, before eventually falling still. Crimson blood gushed from the wound in frantic pulses that gradually slowed, then stopped, as Fluttershy’s blood pooled on the hardwood floor.

Dash stared at her marefriend’s body for what seemed like hours. Then, she screamed, a heartbroken wail so powerful that it caused even the thick glass Twilight was standing behind to vibrate. And when she was finished, she collapsed next to Fluttershy’s body, sobbing into her pelt and hugging her as if she was still alive, as if she was in disbelief at what she had just done. As if she would do anything to take it back.

The spotlights shut off.

Twilight collapsed to the floor, not realizing she had been crying until sobs started to rack her body. She curled up into a tight ball, knowing that the scene shown to her likely hadn’t happened yet scared and petrified by it all the same.

That... that didn’t happen... I’m only wasting water, she thought, clinging to anything that might help her break out of her stupor. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to drink again.

It was only an illusion. It didn’t happen.

This isn’t any reason to give up. You don’t even know if Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash even stepped hoof in this world.

You’re letting this place get to you. If you let it get inside your head then it’s all over. You have to snap out of it.

Dash wouldn’t do that to Fluttershy.

She just wouldn’t.

But nothing helped. It doesn’t matter how much she tried to comfort herself, how much she tried to grasp the truth, to hold it close to her and wrap it around her like a warm blanket. She wanted facts, cold and stable; she wanted reason and rhyme to rely on, an explanation sturdy and steadfast.

Nothing was enough. Information couldn’t override emotion.

She had just witnessed a murder.

And so she cried. She cried until she started to shake, trembling with pent-up fear and emotion that she had tried to keep under wraps. And she was terrified, not just by the Otherworld that presented her with such horrors, not just by the fact that she was more powerless and fragile than ever before, but because she knew she might not be able to fulfill her promise to Spike after all. To stay safe. To stay strong. And to come back okay.

And he would never forgive her for not keeping that promise.

She took that idea and latched onto it, gripping it so tightly that she was afraid she would strangle it. And she held onto it, letting it pull her up off of the stone ground, waiting patiently as it wiped the tears from her chin and cheeks, letting it steady her hooves and clear her eyes. And she took that idea and tucked it away, safe and sound, somewhere she would never let it go. She was doing all of this for him, her little number one assistant, and nothing would stop her from keeping him safe.

And the world beckoned her onward. At the far end of the corridor, there was a booming noise as spotlights turned on once again. And Twilight, cautious now more than ever, trotted up to the window, and watched.

The scene looked to be in a divided bedroom. One side had an enormously pink and red color scheme, with butterflies and wildlife painted all along the walls. The other side had a more blue and green color scheme, with pictures of the ocean and the sky. Toys and clothes were scattered everywhere in and out of the two cribs in the room, and inside both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stood, having a conversation.

“I don’t know, Dash,” Fluttershy mumbled, staring at her hooves. “I don’t know if I’m ready to do this with you.”

“Well, what’s wrong?” Dash asked, concerned, though she likely knew what was bothering her significant other.

“It seems too good to be true,” Fluttershy said. “I just know something bad will happen. I just don’t think I deserve it, Dash. It’s just all too wonderful. I think... I think we should wait.”

“Wait for what? ‘Till we’re older? How old? Do you wanna wait a year, or two, or five? Then where will we be?” Dash demanded. She saw the look in Fluttershy’s eyes as she bombarded her with the fierce questions, and sighed. “Look, ‘Shy. I’m not going to force this on you. But it’s all here, and just last week you were saying this is all you ever wanted. And you’re saying you don’t deserve it? After what you’ve been through-”

“That’s exactly it, though,” Fluttershy interrupted, startling Twilight. Fluttershy was never one to argue, but she seemed upset, conflicted. “I-I’m afraid that I’ll do the exact same thing!”

“You would never,” Dash said sincerely. She tucked her hoof under Fluttershy’s chin, gently nudging it upward so that they were looking each other in the eye. “I know you, Fluttershy. Don’t you trust me?”

“I do! I do,” Fluttershy said, shying away from her marefriend’s hoof. “I just don’t trust myself. You’re just so amazing at everything you do, and I... I’m just not.”

Dash stepped up to Fluttershy, pulling her into a light hug. “Are you worried that you’re going to mess something up and that I’m going to hate you forever?”

She nodded miserably, and Twilight could see the self-loathing reflect off the tears forming in her eyes. “I always am.”

“Y’know, sometimes I worry about that, too,” Dash said nonchalantly, stepping away from Fluttershy and turning back toward the blue side of the room.

Fluttershy’s ears pricked, and she turned around as well, clearly surprised. “You do?”

“Totally,” Dash affirmed, gazing thoughtfully at the clouds painted on the ceiling. “I’ve told you before. About how, back when I was little, I only cared about how fast I could fly, and the stunts I could pull, and just how awesome I thought I was.”

“You’ve always been awesome,” Fluttershy said.

Dash giggled. “Sounds weird when you say it, ‘Shy. Yeah, I was pretty cool. But the thing is, I only cared about being cool. And if you weren’t as cool as I was, then you’d better make way for number one. I thought I was cool. I thought I had friends. But... no matter how many ponies looked up to me, I never really had anypony who could really understand. And then when I met you, and you told me how you felt... I never thought it would work, honestly. But it did. And it’s awesome, isn’t it?”

Fluttershy nodded. “More than I could ever hope for. I’ve told you that before, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, just last night. Twice,” Dash added. “So yeah. But the thing I’m the most afraid of is you thinking that I’m too good for you. I’m not. I’m afraid that you’re going to leave me for some stupid reason like that, and when I try to get you back, I hurt you even more. Fluttershy, of everypony in the entire world, even our closest friends, I think you’re the only one I can really trust.”

Fluttershy looked almost overwhelmed. She glanced at Dash, then her hooves, then hesitantly at Dash again. “Y-... You really mean that?”

Dash nodded, taking Fluttershy’s hoof in hers and gripping it tightly. She seemed like she was struggling to contain herself. “Fluttershy, I need you to make me a promise,” she said, her voice choked.

“Anything,” Fluttershy said.

“Promise me you’ll love me,” Dash said, “and I’ll promise that I’ll love you.”

Fluttershy didn’t hesitate. “I do.”

Dash grinned despite herself, exhaling sharply and wiping away her tears, as if she had been worried about the answer. “Then I do, too,” she cried, pulling Fluttershy into a crushing, loving embrace.

The spotlights shut off.

Twilight stepped back, pondering what the scene meant. Assuming this is like the others and it didn’t happen, at least not yet... maybe this is something that should happen? Or maybe this is what has to happen if that other scene is going to be prevented. She nodded, liking the way that last thought sounded. I’ll be sure to let them know, the next time I see them. If there’s anything I can do... then I should try it. They’ll think I’m insane, but I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I let them alone and what I just saw ended up happening. Maybe they will think I’m crazy. But at least the two of them will still be alive.

She heard more spotlights turn on to her left, illuminating a large, hollow cloud room that was probably hollowed out of a thunderstorm. It looked dank and slimy, well, as dank and slimy as clouds could get, anyway. Dash was inside, poking around the rubble and trash inside. She seemed like she was looking for something, probably for clues.

Then Fluttershy entered, and the dour, bitter expression on her face made Twilight immediately know where this was all going. Dash, however, either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because as soon as she saw her marefriend she cantered up to her and gave her a bear hug.

“Fluttershy! Where have you been? ” Dash said, nuzzling her before Fluttershy pulled away. “I’ve been looking all over Cloudsdale for you. Well, what’s left of it, anyway. Guess I shouldn’t have worried, huh? You look great,” she said with a relieved smile.

Fluttershy’s expression softened. “I’m glad to see you, too, Dash. I thought I would never see you again.”

“You know I would always come back for you, ‘Shy,” Dash assured softly.

“But... why did you leave in the first place?” Fluttershy asked, her tone tinged with just the slightest bit of accusation.

Dash winced, knowing she didn’t have an answer to that question. “Look, I-... The dragon--I can’t do it all, okay! I’m just glad you made it out of that okay.”

“You didn’t come back for me,” Fluttershy said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I could have died if I didn’t find you here, Dash. Why did you just leave me out there?”

“Because I was told to come here,” Dash said, not willing to meet Fluttershy’s gaze. “I checked back where the dragon attacked but nopony was there. I just thought that, well, maybe you’d made it out okay.”

“Or the dragon ate me,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“There was no blood!” Dash protested.

Fluttershy held her gaze.

Dash exhaled. “I’m so, so sorry, Fluttershy. Nothing like that will ever happen again. But you’re here, and I’m here, and we’re going to make it out of this, and that’s what matters. Period. Okay?” she added, looking up at Fluttershy with her best pleading expression.

Fluttershy sighed, turning around. “Dash... I want to know if you love me,” she said.

“Of course I do,” Dash said. “I couldn’t imagine life without you, ‘Shy. I was so scared when that thing attacked, I... I just tried so hard not to lose it and go hunting after you. I knew that you had made it out alive.”

“How?” Fluttershy asked.

“I just did,” Dash stated. “I’m the Element of Loyalty, Fluttershy. I would never leave you behind. Don’t you trust me?”

“Dash, I need to know if you’re going to stay with me no matter how tough things get. I need to know that, no matter what happens, I can count on you to be by my side. I need to know that you won’t betray me like you did when we saw the dragon!”

Dash looked hurt. “I didn’t betray you.”

“Yes you did! You abandoned me!” Fluttershy yelled, with a startling amount of intensity. She added, quieter, “I thought I was going to die.”

Dash drew up closer to her marefriend. “I would never let that happen.”

“I don’t know if I believe that, though,” Fluttershy said, staring at the floor. “I don’t know if you’re going to keep your promises. You can’t build a relationship on lies.”

“Fluttershy, I know that,” Dash said. “Give me some credit.”

“Dash, I want to know if you had the choice, would you let me out of this Celestia-forsaken world, or would you save yourself?” Fluttershy asked suddenly, staring intensely at the dark cloud floor.

“I would save you. Always,” Dash said softly. Not waiting for a response, she reached a hoof around Fluttershy and pulled her into a firm kiss on the lips, absorbing her and not letting go until she was sure she had made her point. And Fluttershy accepted it, her passion even more intense than her partner’s. The kiss seemed to last an eternity.

Fluttershy abruptly broke away, though, and seized the back of Dash’s head with one hoof and the side of Dash’s chin with the other. “Liar,” she hissed.

There was an awful pause, with Fluttershy, since she had Dash in a death grip, drawing out the moment as long as she could, letting Dash soak in the terror of knowing that a single twitch could cause paralysis.

“I still love you,” Fluttershy murmured.

Before Dash could respond, Fluttershy screamed, twisted, and snapped her neck. She fell to the floor limply, not even uttering a sound.

Utter silence. Fluttershy said nothing, she just stared at her hooves in shock, as all the world seemed to stop for a minute, utterly frozen in time.

Then she slowly turned, looking up at Twilight through the glass.

At first she was confused, but suddenly she realized that the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, and that her senses were going on overdrive. She backed up, only to hear glass shatter behind her, with a bloody blue hoof reaching into her thin chamber. More smashes. Dash, now lacerated, was now approaching her just as Fluttershy was breaking out of her own illusion.

Twilight managed to break out of her petrified stupor and back up as the Element of Loyalty slowly ambled toward her, the same dull, dazed look in her eyes as when she had killed Fluttershy. Soon Fluttershy caught up with her, as well, slowing her pace when she and Dash were side by side. Fluttershy stared right at Twilight with a bitter, vindictive glare that was accented by the bleeding cuts all around her body.

The two lovers spoke in an eerie unison. “All I wanted was for somepony to tell me the truth,” they echoed, their voices raw with betrayal, their breath reeking of death. “All I wanted was for somepony to love me. ”

Twilight’s lips formed words, but no noise escaped other than a faint squeak. Her back was to the wall, now, and her two friends were now bearing down on her, their murderous intentions clear. There was nothing she could do.

She felt a crushing blow land on her head, right where her horn used to be. She saw blinding light. Then, bottomless darkness.

Red.

The color of passion, the color of rage, the color of love and war, of bloody wounds and eternal conflict. The color of dying gasps, of the moments just before the final rest. And Twilight found half of her face covered in it.

Gasping, she staggered to her hooves, wiping the thin, rusty pigment off her snout and out of her eyes. Her nose was stuffed up with whatever she had passed out in, something she honestly was thankful for, though the air around her was so thick and humid she was afraid she would pass out again. Her head was pounding, the blow to her forehead still smarting, and her legs were shaky and numb. Her body trembled with the effort of remaining conscious, but she knew that if she let herself give up, then it was all over, and she would never see the light of day again. She would never see Spike again. So she steeled her nerves, closed her eyes, and waited for the pain to dull, for the shock to recede, and, eventually, for her ability to think clearly return.

Moments passed, hours passed. She either recovered immediately or after a stalwart, stubborn stand against the weakness that so sickened her, she couldn’t tell. Minutes or months, days or decades. Wherever she was, she knew that if she opened her eyes to take the horror in, that she might finally lose what little bits of sanity she had come to rely on, and that was too big a risk to take.

But when her limbs ceased vibrating, when the pain in and on her head faded to a dull, warning ache, and when she was confident that she could at least walk a few steps forward before resting again, she slowly wiped the dried substance off her eyelids and opened them once more.

She found herself in a suffocatingly warm chamber that was drenched, from top to bottom, in blood. There was so much of it, in fact, that it seemed to be dripping from the ceiling and had pooled on the floor. However, Twilight noticed when she took a step that the blood on the ground didn’t feel quite like the thick fluid she was used to seeing gush from her enemies. It had a rough, soggy feel, and she soon realized why; on closer inspection, the blood was separating into water and plasma. It was likely days old, but the environment was too wet and humid to keep it from clotting properly.

Twilight gagged, and she knew that if she could smell, she would have passed out. Fresh blood, though horrifying to her as well, was different, a result of a battle. This blood, however, reeked of death, so utterly, in fact, that when she inhaled she could taste the iron on her tongue. When she backed away, her legs sunk into the ground, and she felt the texture of flesh beneath her hooves.

She shuddered, feeling her courage crumble. It was more horrible than she ever could have imagined.

She hastily searched for an exit, but there was none. The only feature in the room besides the dying blood was a sword stuck in the middle of the floor. It was pure black, and incredibly thin, only a few centimeters wide, with its point stuck in the soft ground. Its hilt was suspended in the air, and it had a thick mouth guard, its position telling Twilight that the blade itself was, when held in the mouth, meant to be oriented to the right of the wielder, and used for charging and slicing attacks. The grip itself was padded, with custom tooth marks likely used by its original owner.

It was the exact same sword that the Broken Alicorn had wielded, and it was the same sword that had impaled Rarity and struck her in the shoulder.

Twilight got the sinking feeling she was going to have to fight.

As if to answer, her pendant began to crackle and hiss slightly. The walls began to undulate, each individual pulse sending a ripple of humidity crashing through the room, and Twilight realized after a moment that the noise seemed to mimic the frequency of her heartbeat. Ripples spread across the surface of the putrid blood, and the back wall of the corridor slowly began to move, spreading apart as slow hoofsteps could be heard approaching.

Hastily, Twilight pulled the sword out of the floor, though it sounded as if it was being pulled out of its most recent victim. Her left cheek and most of her snout was covered by the hilt’s guard, with the black blade pointing in the other direction. She noted that the blade itself had a peculiar pattern on it and didn’t seem to be made of steel. She also noticed that the sword was balanced beautifully, and somehow her teeth fit perfectly into the grip even though the indents had clearly been designed for a stallion, perhaps a guard. She could only attribute that to this dimension, this Otherworld, bending the rules, and levelling the playing field for her sake and the sake of whatever this fight was supposed to test.

Her adversary entered. Its head, very large in proportion to the rest of its body, was down, hanging limply from its neck, so limply, in fact, that it appeared to be broken. It didn’t look like it had any skin or hair to speak of, it seemed to be held together only by muscle, bone, and scab. It was a little taller than she was, but not by much. Its wings were plastered to its sides by the clotting blood, and its body was a primarily a reddish brown, same as the old, dead liquid that had flooded the room. Twilight saw a bud of a horn, the smallest horn she had ever saw, protrude from its eyeless, noseless, hairless head.

Twilight had no magic. She had no tricks. Her head was pounding with the pain of her severed horn, her heart was beating out of her chest as adrenaline tore up and through her system, and she could barely breathe, her left nostril only barely beginning to clear. She walked with a limp, she was disoriented, and she felt like she was about to throw up a lung.

But she had a weapon. She could fight.

The monster, which could only really be described as Malformed, roared. It wasn’t as much a roar, though, as a strangled, gurgling sound as blood spurted from seams all across the mass that was, supposedly, its body. Malformed charged Twilight, its legs showing surprising amounts of speed considering it looked and sounded as if it wasn’t alive, and that it never should have been animated.

Twilight backed up before leaping to the side, raising an eyebrow as Malformed simply crashed into the wall behind her, spraying blood and sending a splatter of the thick liquid up the fleshy, breathing walls of the chamber. Twilight, breathing through her nose, suddenly recognized the sharp tang of bleach. No, not bleach.

Hydrochloric acid.

Malformed slowly turned to her again. The core of its body lurched, and it regurgitated gallons blood in Twilight’s general direction. She narrowly dodged the spray, wincing as parts of it caught her pelt, causing stinging burns. Wait a minute, she thought as she dodged another charge from the deformed monster, if I don’t end this quickly, the acid from Malformed will accumulate on the floor! I’ll be disintegrated from the hooves up!

At that realization, she went on a sudden offensive, waiting for Malformed to charge and then leaping up behind it to its left and slashing at it. For a moment she thought she hit only air, but was rewarded for her efforts when Malformed uttered its horrifying, gurgling roar again and she saw a long seam running down its shoulder that wasn’t there before.

It retaliated, though, with insurmountable, panicked speed, tackling Twilight to the ground, submerging her face in blood. Instinctively Twilight reared her back legs under her adversary and bucked, sticking her limbs deep into what must have been her attacker’s heart. Malformed was thrown backward, and Twilight struggled to her hooves, gasping for the putrid air that was now her savior. She could barely see through the blood and death that surrounded her, and as her teeth began to chatter with anxiety as she saw Malformed recover, she realized something critical: her weapon had fallen into the increasingly acidic pool of separating blood.

She barely had time to let out a panicked yelp upon noticing this before Malformed was on her again, pursuing her with a primal lust, an ancient hatred. It reared, then vomited the contents of its chest cavity toward Twilight.

This time, however, she wasn’t so lucky; her muscles, which were already screaming for oxygen, failed her, and acidic fire licked up her flank just over her cutie mark. She screamed as the chemical set her skin alight with terrible flares of pain. It was a feeling not unlike burning to death.

And the only thought that was going through her mind was, So this is how I die.

Malformed shrieked as Twilight staggered backward, her already wounded hind leg now completely numb. Her vision was blurry, one eye sealed shut, her only weapon submerged in death. But she wasn’t done yet. Even if she was going to die, she was taking this thing with her. A last act of spite to the world that didn’t even give her a fighting chance.

I’m so sorry, Spike.

As Malformed broke into a gallop, aiming to stab Twilight through the heart with its tiny horn, she twisted violently to the side, then, as a last-ditch effort, wrapped her front hooves around her adversary’s neck, and squeezed. A dull crunching found her ears as she smashed its trachea and snapped its spinal cord, and she felt the vibrations that rang through its neck as Malformed gurgled its final death throes. Twilight’s front limbs were on fire from the monster’s acidic skin, and she could feel her pelt beginning to rub off as she struggled to hang on, but she didn’t care.

Malformed collapsed, and Twilight fell alongside it, propping herself up on its body so that she could at least breathe, at least offer herself one last chance at survival, one last, fleeting opportunity to see Spike and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Celestia and all her other friends again. She leaned against blood so that she wouldn’t have to succumb to the death that crept up to her chest, soaking her half-burnt-off pelt in brown.

She couldn’t feel three of her legs. Her breath was a slow wheeze. Any little movement she made caused her pain threefold anything she had felt before, and she knew that the acid around her legs and torso was slowly digesting her, as well. Nopony won that fight. Not Twilight, and certainly not Malformed.

And as Twilight felt the darkness approach her, as she saw spots perform ballet on all that she saw, she whispered to nopony in particular, I tried so hard. Please, just... please...

But even as she began her journey into the ultimate darkness, she didn’t quite know what she was asking for.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8
Written by Jake-Heritagu

“Hrrrrr-RAAAAAAA!” The explosive cry bellowed forth from the little filly’s lungs; the piece of wood wrapped in magic swung through the air like a scythebeing wielded by a maniac. The guard raised his own sword in time to parry her swing, the powerful blows letting out strong cracking sounds as they struck. His footsteps faltered slightly, the stallion stepping back as he tried to counter with his guard, only to be pushed back by her repeated, furious strikes.

Something was different that day; her mind was intensely focused. The only thing she could see now was the flurry of her blade, the wood swinging faster than she’d ever swung it before. The clash of magical energies burst with each clash, creating small shockwaves that sailed outward from each contact. The guard was having difficulty keeping up, but managed to block each of the blows aimed his way.

His hoof dug an inch into the ground, bracing himself for the next attack. The little filly roared once more, expelling all the air from her lungs as she concentrated her power into attempting a single, decisive blow. Her blade met another, the aura of magical energy distorting the view of the world for a moment as the powerful entities met. Then the loud snapping of wood echoed across the field as a shockwave burst forth from the point of contact.

Part of a wooden blade flew through the air, before crashing back down onto the grassy field. The little filly panted heavily; sweat matted her mane against her forehead as she dropped the broken blade from her magical grip. Her instructor looked at her curiously, having never seen this behavior in his student before.

“Something is on your mind,” he spoke simply.

“It’s nothing,” Twilight spat, before turning and walking towards the shed. Her horn lit up with magic and wrapped it around the handle of a fresh training sword waiting in the barrel next to the shed, slashing it through the air twice to make sure her magic was still alright.

“I’ve never seen you so hostile before. Normally you can summon the steeled and studied eyes of a swordspony in training, but today…” He looked down at the broken handle that she had just dropped before him and tapped it with his hoof, “Today there is a fire burning inside you.”

“So what if there is?” The filly groaned, turning to face her instructor and pointing the wooden sword at him, “You’re the one who told me harnessing my emotions would benefit my training. Well guess what? I’m DOING what you told me to do!” Her breath was ragged and filled with venom, her hair losing its orderly touch.

“Emotions powerful enough to destroy our reinforced training blades aren’t something to just be looked over… Tell me, what is on your mind ,child?” he asked in an almost fatherly voice.

“I don’t want to. Just fight me again!” Twilight grit her teeth in frustration, swinging the blade again for emphasis.

“I’ll make you a deal then.” He shifted his body to face her fully, slashing his own blade for emphasis. “Land your first strike on me and I’ll drop the subject. If you fail again, you must tell me.” Twilight’s eye twitched at his proposition, her teeth grinding harder at the thought of having to tell him what was going through her mind.

“FINE! Then I’m going to channel everything I’m feeling and use everything you’ve taught me to finally beat you! I hope you know what you’ve asked for!” She huffed loudly, her nostrils flaring as she dug her hoof into the crash, ready to charge the larger stallion.

“If you truly no longer need my assistance, then I welcome it,” he said, raising his blade, ready to face her.

The filly let out yet another roar, rushing forward and pushing everything she had into her legs. Her limbs felt stiff, her lungs were starting to burn, her body was covered in sweat, and she could feel her magic being strained to her limits. But none of that mattered to her right then. She could see nothing but the stallion before her and her desire for victory.

Sparks from their magic flew as the blades crossed, grinding against each other, before returning to the flurry once more. She didn’t care about form, she didn’t care about technique. Her body and magic guided itself. She jumped out of the way of a blow that might’ve hit her and into a position that better let her strike her foe. Each move was accompanied by the intense cracking strike of the blades hitting one another. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she moved to keep the sweat out of her eyes. Her seemingly invincible opponent was stepping in turn, matching her blow for blow once more.

Her anger began to boil; she could feel it in her blood. She wanted to hit him, she wanted to beat him, she wanted to win. She wanted nothing more than to win, to be right, to be victorious. She had to do better, she had to be amazing, she had to be the best he’d ever encountered. She couldn’t be anything less; if she was she would be nothing more than disappointment. She’d let down everyone she’d ever known, she’d let down the ponies she cared about.

She’d let down her parents, she’d let down her brother, she’d let down Princess Celestia. She couldn’t. She had to win, she had to.

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” The filly’s cry echoed through the courtyard as her magic surged powerfully once more and lashed out. The initial strike was blocked once more, but she wasn’t going to let it go his way, not this time. She poured her magic into the blade, pushing back against him as powerfully as she could. He stepped back, pushing back with his own magic to stop her onslaught.

It was then that she made her move.

The filly let her magic burst. The power of the exploding magic sent her blade skyward, pushing her instructor back in the process. He was caught by surprise, not having been prepared for her to explode her magic in his face. His eyes went skyward to see the wooden blade falling towards him from the sky. The sword was then wrapped in a purple glow, as it was thrust straight down at him with intent to kill.

With aged expertise the stallion’s own sword was raised and slashed in perfect timing, deflecting the blade to his side. It was exactly what she wanted, as the blade twirled towards her and she opened her mouth, catching it by the handle. The guard’s eyes shot downward, as the filly swung her neck to strike. Her eyes were focused on him, he was open, her blade was flying, her target was there, she could do it. She could hit him!

A shockwave of magic exploded through the field once more, the sound of wood striking and cracking loudly echoed against the stone walls. A wooden blade flew through the air once more, before hitting the ground hard.

The little filly’s body struck the ground next, collapsing in a fit of exhaustion and sweat. The experienced stallion looked down at her, his sword lifted, his maneuver gracefully executed as had all his other moves. At the very last second he had managed to dodge the blow, a blow that, if this had been a real battle, very well could have finished him for good.

“Nnnngh…. Ngggh…” Twilight groaned, her body shaking as she lay on the ground. She lifted her hoof gently, before slamming it with what little energy she had left back into the grass, “DAMMIT,” She panted as she tried to get her breath back next, the older stallion watching her as her body seemed to crash from the physical exertion and the toll her emotions had played on her. He turned away for just a moment, floating his wooden blade to the barrel where they were kept and slid it inside.

“I must admit my surprise,” the stallion spoke softly, stepping closer to the little filly before sitting down by her side, watching her as she shook. “You’re the first trainee to come that close to hitting me in a long while. You brought back some old memories of battles I’d long since thought had gathered dust.” He chuckled softly, making light conversation while her mind was trying to catch up to itself.

“…But… but I still wasn’t good enough…” She said, her breath trying to hold back the sobs that were threatening to break through. The old guard blinked in a little confusion, looking at the filly who hadn’t even yet hit the prime of her life.

“You’re faced against an opponent who has only rarely known defeat my pupil.” He furrowed his brow. “Your training was meant to improve your simple swordsman skills, never to obtain victory or skills beyond your level. You took this up as a hobby, not with your mind set on besting me one day.” He raised his hoof and placed it gently against her shoulder, “What is bugging you, my child?”

Twilight sniffed, wiping her face with her hoof before finally managing to gather enough strength to get herself to sit up. She didn’t look her teacher in the face, but took a little encouragement from the hoof that graced her shoulder. She stared at the ground, trying to focus her thoughts from the relentless emotions that were swirling in her mind. She took several deep breaths, letting herself think of what she wanted to say, before finally picking the words she wanted.

“Just a few days ago… My brother, Shining Armor, got officially accepted into the Royal Guard as a trainee. He left to begin his training…” She spoke softly, only just loud enough for his aging ears to pick up on what she was saying. “You should know what that means…”

“Better than anyone. He’s off to the prestigious Canterlot Military Academy. Rigorous study, physical training, and as a unicorn he’ll be under heavy magical study too. I’ve taught there enough to know how grueling it can be.” He nodded his head slowly.

“Exactly. He’s off. He’s there, at that academy.” She felt her teeth clench as the memories of the following days came to mind once more, “He’s training. He’s started on the road to what he’s going to do with the rest of his life. He’s going to be a guard; he’s going to be an amazing pony, someone who defends Equestria, who defends Princess Celestia, who defends ponies like me. He’s going to be great; he’s going to do something amazing with his life! Something important!” Her hooves had risen to match the inflections of her voice. The aged stallion didn’t say a word in response, knowing nothing he could say would add or make the situation better. The filly eventually lowered her hooves, calming down again as her story continued.

“So… What am I doing with my life?” She closed her eyes tightly, “What am I doing? Studying magic? Everypony uses magic in their own way! How will studying make me special!?” She pressed her hooves against her head. “What am I going to add to this? What do I plan to accomplish? I’m Princess Celestia’s personal protégé for heaven’s sake! I can’t just be any normal unicorn! I have to be amazing as well! I have to at least match my brother! I have to at least live up to what she sees in me! And how can I do that with no dream!?” The last of her words were added by another loud roar as she slammed her hooves into the ground, hanging her head in frustration.

“What good am I if I can’t even succeed in the things I set out to do!?”

“I see, so that’s what has been troubling your mind.” The aged stallion brushed a hoof against his chin, his eyes closed in thought. “Those are strong words you’ve set against yourself. And they are very true, how do you plan to succeed if you don’t even believe you can?”

Twilight was silent to his question, glaring down at the grass as if doing so would solve her problems. Her cheeks were slowly becoming more stained with tears, drops hitting the ground as she stared, finally just starting to feel some of the weight being lifted after having vented her troubles.

“I can understand some of the pressure you’re going through. Being taken in as the Princess’s personal protégé is an incredible opportunity. I’m certain there are thousands of unicorns who would give their life to be where you are right now.” These words brought little comfort to the young filly. “But let me tell you a story, about a young hot-headed colt who thought he knew what he wanted in life.” The little filly turned her head slowly to look at the aged stallion.

“Growing up, he got into all sorts of trouble. His parents found him to be a bit of a nightmare; he climbed over everything in the house, terrorized the neighborhood kids, and was a bit of a truant in school. But there was always one thing that was true about him…” The stallion cracked a weary smile, “He always stood up for what he believed was right. Whether it was against a bully or a thief, a vandal or an escaped convict, he would stand up and chase down the person who had done wrong to the ponies around him.

“He never knew what he wanted to do growing up; all he knew was that he had to help ponies. School was boring, people disliked him for being a hoodlum, and nopony seemed to care what became of him. It appeared that he was doomed to the life of a street rat. Not enough money for food, homeless with no friends, and no one to even care if he lived or died.

“He lived his life completely unsure of what he was to do with it, when a rather amazing moment happened. Princess Celestia was giving his town a visit and he wanted nothing more than to see her for himself. However, during her visit it he found out that some angry hoodlums wanted to do her harm. They tried to attack the Princess. Before her guards could react, that little colt tackled the hoodlums and tried to fight them alone. As you can imagine, it didn’t go well.

“When the colt awoke in the hospital, he found out that the guards had taken care of the hoodlums and they were carted off to jail for questioning. He was just happy that the Princess was safe, when who else but the Princess herself walked into his hospital room.” He let out a soft chuckle at that, “What a surprise, huh? She spoke to him personally, saying that she was eternally grateful that he had stepped in to help her. However, she was worried about why, when he could have been terribly injured. The colt said that he didn’t have any reasons to live, so the least he could do was to help her.

“Naturally, the Princess didn’t like this answer very much. On the spot, she decided that she was going to enlist him into the military academy. At first he was confused, but she explained that if he felt his life had no purpose, then he could find one working hard to become one of her Royal Guards.

“So naturally, feeling he had nothing left in life, he accepted and joined the Academy. It was only natural that his hoodlum life caught up to him at the academy as well. He questioned orders, he didn’t take studying seriously, and he was a truant to drills; the instructors hated him. On three separate occasions he came close to being kicked out of the school, but for whatever reason they kept him there.

“He was questioning the point of staying at the school, to drop out and go back to his life on the streets, when he was visited once more by the Princess. She asked him directly how things had been going, and the colt decided to be honest with her. He figured she would want him to do what he was happy with in his life and it didn’t appear to be what the school offered. But after hearing his story the Princess seemed… sad. I’d dare to say she looked disappointed.

“The colt was confused, thinking he’d done what she had wanted. The Princess said that he was free to make whatever choices in life he wanted, but that if he truly wanted to accomplish anything, he couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. She wanted him to become something, to accomplish whatever dream it was he was hiding in his heart. Before the Princess left she told him that he should give the Academy another chance, and that this time he should try following its rules and seeing what happened.

“Confused, he returned to his room to sleep on her words. When the next morning came around, he decided to give what she said a shot. He started obeying the drill instructors during the routines, he studied for the classes that demanded his attention, and he even started trying to get along with his fellow classmates. The colt didn’t think he’d want to be a part of any of it… But the more he followed the teachers, and the more he listened to his instructors, the more he found himself absorbed into the teachings. Before he knew it, he was at the top of his class, getting the best marks and performing better than anypony else had even seen previously.

“When he graduated, he was immediately accepted into the most prestigious group of guards in Canterlot, the personal bodyguards of Princess Celestia herself. When he met her again, she seemed pleased to see him and simply asked how he felt.

“The colt was speechless for a moment, not even sure how to react to the question. But he looked up at the Princess and it was then that everything hit him. Where he was standing, who he was talking to, what he’d done and what he’d accomplished to get there. He had once thought there was nothing to his life, that as a hoodlum he had no future. But there he was, standing where few ponies ever believed they could stand, talking with the ruler of the land… And it was all his doing.

“Nopony had held his hoof, no one had given him the benefit of the doubt, and no one had taken it easy on him. He had worked hard, he had toiled through grueling work, and he had accomplished everything on his own. It was through that that he realized that he had accomplished something amazing. He had made something of himself; he had done something with his life.

“So when the Princess asked her simple question of how he felt… He returned it with a smile saying, ‘I’ve never felt better in my life.’”

Twilight stared at the old man, wonder and fascination filling her face as she absorbed every detail of the aged stallion’s story. He looked down at her smiling, giving a pause as she wiped her face from her tears and gave another sniff.

“You’re still young kiddo, way too young to be thinking that you’re not going to do anything with your life. The Princess wouldn’t have chosen you if she thought you would amount to nothing.” He rested his hoof on the top of her head and gently shook her mane, “It’s okay to not know exactly where life is going to take you right now. But I know you’re going to do amazing things, Twilight. You’re a brilliant kid. You have a magical talent I’ve never seen in any other unicorn during my life. To me, that already makes you somepony of worth.”

The smile on the little filly’s face slowly brightened. The smile stretched from cheek to cheek as she heard those words, looking up at the aged stallion with hope renewing her body.

“Now I don’t want to hear anymore nonsense about you thinking yourself worthless, you hear?” This was met with a very quick and happy nod from the little filly. “Good! I think we’ve had enough training for one day. I’d say you should go take a relaxing bath and then do something you consider fun to relax and unwind. You can put everything you have into studying tomorrow.”

“Yes!” Twilight beamed once more, nodding her head and getting up from the grass. “From this day forth I’m going to study hard and become the greatest unicorn who ever lived!” She said happily, setting off at a brisk trot into the castle.

“That kid is going to grow up to do amazing things,” the aged stallion murmured softly. He turned to face the wooden sword that still lay on the ground, his magic lighting up to gently lift it up and place it neatly back into the barrel.

A loud gasp erupted as air filled Twilight’s lungs once more. She coughed and sputtered as she quickly regained consciousness, gasping and sputtering as she struggled to fill her lungs with air. She sat up, placing a hoof against her mouth as she tried to control her violent coughing fit. It felt as though fire was burning in her lungs and her coughing was the only thing that could put out the flames.

It took several minutes before her coughing died down and turned into heavy, panting breaths as the world finally took a moment to stop spinning around her. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she took in several deep breaths of air, feeling as though she had just been to the point of drowning and was returning to the world anew.

Her eyes slowly flickered open from her coughing fit, moisture blurring her vision. The world came in as dimly lit, murky colors that melded together in her vision. She quickly rubbed her face with her hoof, trying to bring the world back. She blinked a few times, clearing the last of the blur from her eyes and looked around again.

The familiar site of Fluttershy’s living room came into her vision. The deathly quiet house was in the exact same condition as when she had left it: dusty, broken, and in a shambled mess.

“I… I’m alive…” Twilight spoke aloud, placing her hoof against her cheek as if trying to confirm what had just happened. Her hoof moved to feel her body. None of the burns she suffered from Malformed were there, it was as if the acid had never even touched her body. She even pressed her hoof against the shoulder the broken alicorn had ran her sword through and found that it felt somehow okay. A thought instantly burst into her mind and her hoof raced up to see if her horn had somehow returned to her.

It was there, sticking out of her forehead the same as it always had. Her hoof brushed against the length of it, looking for any signs of damage or blood or surgery… But it was as if nothing had happened at all.

The shock washed over Twilight for a moment as her hoof gently lowered. She just stared at her horn, thinking about what she had just gone through, when something surprised happened…

A chuckle escaped her lips.

It started off slow, but it quickly began to become more. She felt her pent up emotions, her frustrations, her anger, her confusion, her despair, it all came out just now. It came out in a twisted, hallowed, demented laugh that seemed to echo through the house.

She couldn’t believe it. The world was screwing with her. It was literally screwing with her mind and changing everything she’d ever known about the world around her because it could. It made her laugh. It made that haunting, bellowing chortle escape her lips as she thought about the insanity she had lived through… At least three times that day she had already brushed with death, and each time she had somehow come back alive, come back just to brush with death again.

“Hah… Haaaaah… Oh… Oh, I get it…” Twilight rubbed the hoof against her face as she felt her body shake from her laughter, “You’re trying to break me… Trying to get me to accept death…” Finally her laughter began to calm. She raised her hoof to rest against her eye as she stared at nothing, just blankly into space. It was as if she was trying to stare at the world around her itself.

“You haven’t broken me yet, World…” She closed her eyes, lowering her head and resting her hooves against the ground. “You’ve crossed a line, I hope you realize,” she growled, “You’re messing with my friends.” The images of Rainbow Dash and Flutteshy’s bodies crawling out of the mirrors flashed in her mind, the image of them calling out for love. “You can screw with me all you want. You can hurt me, torture me, twist the world to play by your rules…” Her head rose, staring straight into the empty space before her.

“But you do not mess with my friends.”

With the venom dripping from her mouth, she finally pushed herself up onto all of her hooves. She immediately felt her body shift a little unusually, realizing that she could feel the weight of the items still stored within her magic inventory. She had access to its contents once more, a fact she was relieved to know.

Before she stepped forward, her eyes wandered to the ground before her, where she noticed two odd items she hadn’t seen before. She recognized them; they were the two books she had been carrying around with her, the ones she had taken from Stalliongrad Library. Looking at the covers, she noticed something odd…

One of the covers had vanished, just like on the first book.

Of the two books, the one with a remaining cover was ‘Heaven’s Food’. That meant that ‘The Old Widow’ no longer had words to it.

Twilight flipped open the cover of the blank book just to double check. She flipped through a few of the pages, seeing nothing written on each one. She then looked at ‘Heaven’s Food’ and opened it once more, seeing the story neatly written inside with the illustrations included. She quickly shut the book, wrapped it in her magic and made it rejoin her bulky storage.

“I don’t know what this means…” She grunted softly, pushing the now blank book to the side with her hoof, “If it’s a clue or something, it’s lost on me. “ She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She opened her eyes once more and looked around the destroyed living room of Fluttershy’s house. She was fairly certain at this point that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were no longer in the house. In fact, they might not have been at the house at all…

She kicked herself mentally for that. If they were half the ponies’ she knew them to be, they would’ve left in search of her and the others a long time ago. They weren’t the type of ponies to stand around and do nothing while their friends might be in potential danger, especially not Rainbow Dash. It was likely that they hadn’t been here for a while now.

“Calm down Twilight… Just take a moment and think things through…” She calmed herself by speaking out loud, something to break the deathly silence that was around her. “Your friends would likely be out either searching for you and the others, or to help other ponies… Or are out getting lost in the warping fog-riddled mazes that you’ve been falling into.” Her eyes flicked back and forth, staring at absolutely nothing in particular as she thought of her plan. “You don’t know which way they would’ve started heading, you don’t even have a starting clue as to how you’d get in contact with them… This world seems to decide when I can and can’t meet ponies…”

Her thoughts went quiet at those words, as a realization slowly dawned on her.

“It decides when I can meet ponies… except for one…”

It wasn’t a plan; it wasn’t even really a lead But there was one pony that she had met that hadn’t been dictated by the world saying if she could or couldn’t, one pony that seemed to even defy the world she was in currently, one pony that was currently taking care of one of her dearest friends right at that moment…

“I have to get back to Stalliongrad Library.” Twilight said, letting the confidence back into her voice. She stepped over the fallen debris of Fluttershy’s living room, quickly head over to the door. She grabbed hold of it with her magic and opened it, staring out at the fog filled world once more. She perked her ears and listened carefully, listening for any possible sound of the dragon that seemed to be guarding the town.

Silence was all that greeted her, and a small smile formed on her face. She didn’t feel like wasting any more time just standing around. With determination, she broke out into a quick trot, heading straight for Stalliongrad Library.

Twilight watched carefully from the edge of a building, spotting the slowly lurching figure in the fog making its way across the street. She couldn’t make out the details of what it looked like, but she had no doubt in her mind it was the outline of the soldiers she’d encountered before. Every time she had encountered them in the streets of Ponyville so far, she had found herself swarmed, surrounded by them and only able to escape by the skin of her teeth. She wanted to get to Stalliongrad library without incident; even if she had the sledgehammer to defend herself with, it wasn’t going to do much good against a whole pack of those soldiers.

The shadow was dragging its heavy weapon along the ground as usual; she could hear the scraping of the metal on stone even from that distance. She kept her ears open, her eyes fixated on the shadow moving through the fog. It didn’t take very long for the shadow to finally disappear into the depths of the shadows. The scraping of the metal was slow to follow, but eventually the town returned to the quiet it had before, nothing more than the sound of a gentle breeze and the creaking of old buildings.

Finally releasing the breath that she had been holding, Twilight stepped out from behind the building. The normal scrape of her hooves was muffled as she walked, each step sinking into the thickened layer of ash that now covered the ground. It continued to fall from the sky, a slow and never-ending pour of soot.

Twilight stuck close to the edges of the building, quickly breaking into a trot as she continued towards her destination. It wasn't far now, she knew exactly where it would be. Her ears were perked at all times, trying to listen to the sounds of any creatures that wanted her hide. The dragon had been nowhere to be heard so far, a fact that surprised her considering how close it had come to Fluttershy's cottage. So far she'd only encountered the occasional soldier shambling through town, all of which she'd carefully managed to maneuver around.

For her efforts, she was finally rewarded with the sight of the building that she had been looking for. With heavy breaths her eyes fell upon the large words, "Stalliongrad Library." For once something in this crazy world had stayed consistent, she gave all of her blessings to the fact that the building hadn't somehow magically managed to vanish in the short time that she had been gone. But it wasn't just the feeling of something familiar in a world that was constantly changing and screwing with her mind. No, another emotion was welling up inside of her.

She wanted to see Spike. She'd left him in the hooves of the only pony in town that seemed even remotely qualified to be able to take care of him right now, a fellow researcher and a published one at that. He may have seemed a little off putting, and there still was the possibility that he had somehow started all of this, but he still had the only safe haven in the entire town.

She climbed the steps of Stalliongrad library, wanting to head straight for the back and meet a familiar face, someone who could she rest and lean on for at least a moment. But her hooves stopped at a door as a piece of paper came into view.

"To Miss Twilight Sparkle,

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears that my initial research wasn't as accurate as I believed. The symbol that I placed to create a barrier against the monsters has a time limit on how long it will work. I will need to do more research into how long it lasts for, but needless to say Stalliongrad Library is no longer a safe haven for me and your companion.

I will continue to ensure his safety as we move to our next location however; you need not worry about that. His well-being is my top-priority. So that you may find our new safe haven, I am leaving a trail of notes for you. So far the monsters have appeared to be unable to read, so we should be safe leaving them for you.

This town will do crazy things to the mind if you let it Miss Sparkle, keep yourself strong.

Magus V. Darkarts"

At the bottom of the page, a large arrow was pointing to the east.

Twilight's heart sunk a little upon reading the note, but was relieved to hear that when the safe haven had failed that the two of them had managed to escape the library unscathed, at least enough to be able to write such an elaborate note. She quickly picked the note up and placed it within her storage, not wanting to lose it at such an important time.

Though this did mean that she had to spend more time wandering through this ash-covered town, and the air was thick with the burnt remains and was starting to make breathing more and more difficult. She was also ever fearful of that dragon making reappearance, as she still had no proper means to defend herself from it. If it were to show up, she'd have to rely on just running away like she had twice before now, a tactic she feared would not be enough to save her again.

With a shake of her head to clear her thoughts she stepped down from the entrance of Stalliongrad Library and looked in the direction the note had been pointing. It didn't take long for her eyes to spot a similarly placed piece of paper on a wall of one of the buildings near the library, almost hidden by the fog but just visible enough for her to see it. It was pointing straight ahead, most likely to another note hidden within the town.

Twilight brought herself to a quick trot once more, heading down the ashen streets of Ponyville. Her eyes wandered for any lumbering soldiers that might attempt to attack her, while also keeping a lookout for new notes.

One by one they began to appear on the sides of the buildings, pointing her further and further towards the outskirts of town.

'They traveled such a long distance...' She thought to herself, realizing how far this actually was from the library, 'That's a long time for Spike to be in danger... what was he thinking? Where were they headed?' She didn't like the idea that the baby dragon had to be exposed to anymore of this town than was necessary. It was already taking its heavy toll on her mind as it was. She couldn't even imagine Spike having to go through some of the things she'd seen already...

She didn't want him to have to see the things she'd seen. She wanted Spike to be safe, she wanted nothing more than to lift this fog and return Ponyville to the thriving small town it once was, back to a home she could be proud of.

Not the blood coated streets she now walked.

Her trotting slowed to a walk, before becoming almost a slow crawl and stopping entirely. She blinked in realization of where the notes had led her, completely unobstructed by locked doors and any sign of a monsters, she found herself standing before the entrance of familiar grove of trees.

She was right in front of Sweet Apple Acres.

'Did they really escape to Sweet Apple Acres?' Her mind asked, looking around at the various trees that she could see. All of the leaves had shriveled up and died, yet were still somehow miraculously attached the limbs of each of them. She couldn't spot any apples, though that was to be expected as the harvesting seasons had well ended before the start of winter. Twilight had been certain that the Apple Family had removed all the dead leaves from the trees right before winter hit, yet there they were, blackened, shriveled leaves atop each of them.

'I suppose that would make sense if Spike was with Magus... He was probably the one who had the idea of going here. If Applejack was anywhere, she'd be here trying to protect her family first. She wouldn't just abandon them if she knew they were in danger.' The thought gave Twilight some comfort and a bit of hope, the idea that maybe Spike and Magus had met up with Applejack and her family, that he'd used his magic to give them a safe haven and they would be waiting for her safe and sound within that familiar red barn.

She wanted to grasp onto that hope, and Lance's words came to mind once more. So long as she believed that this town was winning, it was going to win. Her mind was faltering, she was aware of that, it was straining from how illogical, cruel, and vile this town had become... but she needed something to grasp onto now, something to give her the strength to move forward. So she clung to the hope that she'd see them again, and stepped into the forest.

A shadow flashed out of the corner of her eye and she immediately swiveled her head in its direction. She stared into the foggy, dense forest of trees, scanning slowly with her eyes trying to spot what the movement had been. For a moment she thought that her mind was playing tricks on her, but she knew she couldn't let herself fall into a false sense of security, not now.

She lifted her front legs slowly, continuing to walk deeper into the woods of Sweet Apple Acres as she slowly removed the sledgehammer from her magic. She hovered it slowly by her side and strained her ears carefully. The rune that hung from her neck wasn't emitting the strange static it normally did when a creature was close, so that was a sign that told her she was safe, but that didn't mean she'd stay that way.

She heard the sound of leaves crunching under hooves and snapped her head in that direction, ready for the sound this time. Her eyes stared intently into the fog, the nothing that was there staring back at her almost tauntingly. Was something following her through the woods? She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. It was exactly the kind of thing she would expect this town to do right now.

She gently swung the sledgehammer in the air, and immediately felt the difference the weight distribution was from the swords she was experienced with wielding. There was no way she would be able to adequately fight with such a strangely bulky weapon to her. It would give anything that attacked her a good concussion if she could get in a clear shot, but it lacked any finesse that a true weapon should.

However, she was not going to give whatever was following her the idea that she was unable to defend herself at the moment, and she continued slowly through the dead trees. If she remembered correctly, and she was certain she did, it wouldn't take her too long to reach the barn from this end of the woods. The positioning of the trees looked familiar; she'd been through them enough times with Applejack to start calling them a second home from Ponyville. If she followed the trees she was straight, she'd make it to the barn before she...

The rune began to buzz, letting out that familiar warning she dreaded. Her head frantically snapped back and forth, trying to find the location of the source, before swiveling in time to see a large object coming from behind her. The object struck her body hard, air escaping her lungs as she was hurled into the air. Her back hit the ground first, the shock forcing her to roll through the thick ash before sliding to a stop.

A pained groan escaped Twilight's lips as she managed to stand up, grateful that she had avoided being hurled into any of the trees. She spotted the sledgehammer having landed next to her and quickly wrapped her magic around it, raising it to face whatever creature it was that had launched its attack.

Her heart sank as she saw, just a few yards away from her, the pulsing black orb that seemed to bend reality around itself. From its center, the black-skinned pony head began to pull free from the twisting mess of shadows that surrounded it. It let loose the horrific, low-pitched howl from its sewn mouth. The pale, pupil-less eyes popped open as two hooves extended and slammed into the ground, held by shackles and chains that stretched into the darkness.

It was the same creature that separated her from Lance back at the hotel. But Lance was nowhere in sight now, it's pure white eyes seeming to pierce straight through her. Terror shot through her spine, her body instinctively backing away slowly as her pendant roared its cacophony of static. It growled its low-pitched howl, as if pulling itself out of the murky, shadowy orb was painful. The shackles rattled and it cracked its head looking at her, as from its sides the black ribbons began to ooze out once more.

Twilight glanced at the sledgehammer she had floating in front of her then back at the creature, watching as the ribbons grew longer. Her realization of what she was faced with and what she was fighting with hit her like a sack of bricks.

'I can't fight this thing with a sledgehammer.'

The orbed creature let out a loud, piercing roar through its sewn mouth and the ribbons shot forward. Reality snapping back to her, Twilight jumped. The ribbons swerved, trying to reach at the escaping unicorn, crashing into the various dead trees that surrounded her in the process. She found herself tumbling through the ashes once more, broken twigs and splintered wood flying over her head. The ribbons began to retract as Twilight stood up, the shackled legs of the warped thudding loudly against the ground as it began to turn it's body to face her.

She didn't let it have the time it needed to refocus its efforts on her, turning and pushing against the ground to escape. She broke out into a frantic run, racing through the dead woods that made up the apple orchard, her mind screaming at her to get to the barn. The sound of snapping wood and collapsing trees echoed right behind her as those large blackened ribbons flew inches away from her head.

The mass of skin-like cloth struck a pair of particularly large trees in front of her, causing the trees in front of her to crack loudly and begin their downward crashing arc. Twilight's eyes widened as she saw the large trees about to crash down in front of her, directly in her path. She grit her teeth and concentrated her magic, shooting it forth at the trees coming down. They immediately froze in place, suspended by the purple magic as Twilight escaped underneath them. Once past them, her magic broke free and they crashed loudly to the forest floor.

The loud roar of the black-orbed monstrosity echoed through the trees, as Twilight's panting grew louder. The buzzing of her medallion began to gradually slow into a dulled hum, before becoming silent itself. Twilight dared a peek over her shoulder as she continued to run, not seeing the ribbons or the creature itself chasing after her.

She didn't dare breathe a sigh of relief though, not until she knew for sure she was in the clear. She was close to reaching the barn now though; she just had to clear the orchard.

The familiar red barn quickly came into view, looking worse for wear much the same as everything else did, but Twilight was elated to see it none-the-less. The forest line cleared around her and she finally in the familiar opening to her friend's home. She wasted no time bolting straight for the door, only slowing down to a walk once she was right at the front steps.

She slipped the sledgehammer she'd been carrying the whole time back into her inventory and stared at the door. Plastered on the front of it was that blue runic symbol that Magus had told her about, the one that drove monsters away. Her heart rose to her throat in hope, praying that what was behind that door was exactly what she wanted, the exact reason she had come here for.

Her hoof twitched hesitantly as it reached for the door. She was nervous now, thinking that she had come this far, gone through this much, and that right behind the door was exactly what she had been searching for. She thought of all the horrible things that could be behind the door as well. Some new monstrosity that she'd never seen before could have managed to break through the symbol, or perhaps it was as Lance said and it'd fake versions of the people she cared about...

Her hoof pressed against the door and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat that was making it hard to breathe. She turned the knob, finding that it was indeed unlocked and gently swung the door open, taking a step inside to see what was waiting.

The first thing she spotted was a lit fireplace in the living room and in front of the flicking flames were two figures. One scruffy looking unicorn stallion that turned to look at her, and the other-

"TWILIGHT!" A small purple blur got up from where it had been sitting and rushed over, wrapping his arms around the soot covered unicorn that had walked in through the door. Twilight stared down in shock at the baby dragon that was hugging her, nestling in with affection, "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried!" His body shook as he hugged her.

The lump in Twilight's throat didn't fade, but instead seemed to grow bigger. She began to tremble as she felt her body collapse into a sitting position. Her hooves snapped up and wrapped around the baby dragon tightly, squeezing him to her chest as tears began to streak down her cheeks.

"Spike... it's... it's really you... oh thank Celestia, it's you..." She said shakily, a bright smile forming on her face as she pressed her face into his head. The two of them just stood in their embrace at that doorway, not caring for a moment that the world outside held some distant abominations and horrors, that she had seen things that she wished she never had to relive. All that mattered was that she was holding Spike again, closely holding someone she loved so dearly.

"I told you I'd take care of him, Miss Sparkle," Magus said, looking at the scene of affection with a chuckle. "I am a stallion of my word."

"Thank you, Magus," was all Twilight could manage to get out between the tears streaking down her dirty face. She was just happier than she could believe, happier than she thought she'd be to just hold Spike again.

"Twilight, you're covered in ash..." Spike said, lifting his arm to see that it was now covered simply from hugging the unicorn, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. We found some clean water that we can use." He broke the hug first to lead Twilight to where she could clean up.

Twilight couldn't help but watch in awe as the little dragon still cared more about her well-being than of the horrors that seemed to surround them. It was almost surreal, escaping a white world of death and coming into one that had a loving embrace to it. Her smile returned to her face. She turned and closed the door behind her, just letting the moment soak in.

"Yeah... let's get me cleaned up..."

Chapter 9

Chapter 9
Written by: Jake Heritagu
Edited by: Cool Story Brony

Twilight stood under the shower's current, letting the water soak into her mane and coat. The gray ash covering her body was slowly melting off, swirling down into the trough below. Twilight stared down at the flowing gray and blue colors as they twirled into the drain. It seemed surreal, the idea that not only was she doing something so mundane, but that the shower was still working. In this twisted world where everything was broken, locked, or in need of some new part, just finding something that worked the way it was intended to...

Twilight pooled some of the drizzling water into her hooves and splashed it in her face. She rubbed her face, feeling the burn of dry eyes sinking in. Her mind was racing with thoughts about what was happening, and yet... she felt calm. She moved her hooves and stared at the racing water once more, imagining each of them were her thoughts. Some clear, some murky, all spiraling into an unrecognizable pattern.

"This doesn't feel real..." She muttered to herself, "Have I really become that accustomed to this place? That it's starting to feel more like the real world than where I've lived for years?" She groaned, covering her face with her hooves. She just let the water flow against her, wanting to feel the constant pulse from the pressure. "How long have I even been here? It doesn't even feel like it's been a day but..." Her mind recalled how many times she'd passed out, how often she had found herself in a new location or her mind disorientated, "How long have I been outside? Has it been days? A week? Or has it just been a couple of hours?"

She shook her head, feeling her saturated mane smack against her neck, a reminder that she was quite awake at the moment. "I should ask Spike and Magus, they might have a better grasp of how much time has passed than I do." She did a quick check over her body, making sure the ash had been completely washed away before turning off the water. She sat for a moment, feeling the water drip off of her before she stood up and gave herself a good shake. Her horn lit up and grabbed a towel hanging on a rack. She pressed it against her mane, trying to dry off the remaining water it had soaked up.

Twilight stepped out of the bathroom with the towel draped around her neck, finding herself still on the first floor of Applejack's house. She took a moment to look around the quiet hallway, feeling the emptiness of the house without any of the Apple Family living in it. She could hear the occasional whispering of Spike or Magus from the living room down the hall, but it certainly lacked the feeling of life Applejack's house always seemed to exude.

Just like everypony else in town, Applejack and her family were also missing. She tried not to worry about what had become of her friend, but images of Rarity being impaled and the corpse-like appearances of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were still fresh in her mind. With a shake of her head to try and reassure herself, she wandered back into the living room.

"Ah, Twilight!" Spike said, getting up from his sitting position by the fireplace. He picked up a small tray he had kept near him and quickly ran over to Twilight, "I wasn't sure how hungry you might be, since I wasn't sure if you'd eaten or not, so I went ahead and made you a sandwich and tea!" He held up the tray that had a small triangular sandwich filled with various bits of hay, next to a still steaming cup of brown liquid.

Her stomach suddenly let out a loud growl and her cheeks flushed, realizing just how little she had eaten since she'd left the library.

"Thank you Spike." She said softly, picking the tray up with her magic and walking in front of the fireplace. She felt the heat from the fire within spreading through the room, the crackling of the flames giving a simple ambiance to the room. She sat down and placed the tray before her, Spike quickly taking a seat next to her bearing a large smile. Magus sat in a large reclining chair next to the fireplace, his magic wrapped around a tea cup he was previously holding to his lips as his eyes continued to scan the pages of a book.

Twilight grabbed the small sandwich between her hooves delicately. She looked at it curiously, tilting it slightly before putting it to her mouth and biting down on it. It wasn't a particularly tasty sandwich, simple bread with simple hay, it had a bland taste to it. Yet somehow it was one of the most delicious things she'd ever eaten. She savoured her first bite, counting each chew she took of the sandwich before finally swallowing the first bite down.

"You okay Twilight?" Spike asked, looking up at her worriedly. Twilight broke out of her stupor, suddenly feeling new dampness on her face. She put her hoof to her cheek and found fresh tears staining her cheek. She quickly rubbed her face, chuckling softly.

"Sorry Spike... I'm okay, just being silly and emotional." She laughed softly, feeling a gentle warmth growing in her chest as she spoke. She pushed the sandwich to her mouth and took another bite, closing her eyes to savour every chew of the meal. "It's delicious Spike."

"Aww... it's nothing really." Spike fiddled with his fingers, blushing softly. "Just some bread with a bit of hay in the middle. I would've made you more... but Magus said we should conserve the food we found, since we don't know when we'll find fresh food next."

Twilight's eyes wandered to the scruffy looking unicorn that sat on the chair. He shrugged his shoulders casually, flipping a page in his book before placing the tea cup down.

"It only made sense. We don't know how long we're going to be trapped in this strange town and food is obviously scarce." Magus spoke in that strange way once more, Twilight's ears flicked at the oddity of hearing it. "After all I don't even know how I got here. I was in Stalliongrad when you met me. Next thing I know, I wind up in some fog covered town called Ponyville. It really is quite baffling." He chuckled, shaking his head at the notion.

"I suppose that's true... I don't even know how long we've been here..." Twilight said picking up her tea cup with her magic, "When I woke up it was in the morning... at least I think it was. Apparently enough time passed for night to fall and the sun to rise again. Which would mean at least a whole day has passed, and it doesn't feel like it's been that long..." She took a sip of her tea to try and keep her thoughts calm.

"I agree, the passage of time does feel odd." Magus shrugged, flipping another page in his book before stopping in thought. "But I think it's more a trick being played than it is an actual day having passed."

"I think so too." Twilight said after swallowing another bite of her sandwich, "This place has a way of messing with your mind. It warps reality around you and makes ponies do terrible things..." She placed the half eaten sandwich back on the plate, suddenly unable to finish it. "I wouldn't be surprised if how much time has passed is just another way that it gets in your head."

Magus paused for a moment, contemplating his thoughts before placing a bookmark to hold his place and closing his book.

"I have something I should show you Miss Sparkle." He levitated the book over to a nearby shelf and stood up, nodding his way towards the front door. "It might give you some... Enlightenment on this strange world."

"Well I could certainly use some after today." Twilight let out a soft sigh before standing up and following Magus to the door. Spike was quick to follow as well, before Magus stopped at the door, turning to look at Spike.

"Spike, I think it'd be best if you waited for us here in the barn."

"What?" Spike asked confused, "But I don't want to leave Twilight's side again! We just got back together!" He said worriedly, not wanting Twilight out of his sight again.

"Magus, are we going far?" Twilight asked, her brow furrowing in displeasure at the idea that she might end up separated from Spike like she had been before.

"Not far," Magus waved his hoof casually, "Just around the side of the house to where the animals are kept. We'll be within shouting distance of the door."

"See Spike? I'm not going very far." Twilight wrapped a hoof around the baby dragon, bringing him into a deep hug, "I'm not about to let myself get separated that easily from you again."

"...Okay Twilight, I trust you." The young dragon wrapped his arms around her in reply. "But if I hear anything I'm coming straight over!"

"Alright, deal." Twilight chuckled, before giving her assistant a gentle squeeze and letting go. Magus opened the door to the dimmed world outside and the two quickly headed out.

Twilight kept her eyes on the expansive forest of dead trees before her, trying to spot anything that might be lurking within their depths. The thick fog made it hard to see past the first rows of trees, but Twilight was going to be vigilant. Magus stuck close to the edge of the house, walking straight for his destination. His eyes didn't seem to needlessly wander, as if he wasn't worried about the monsters that lurked beyond the fog.

He came to a stop at the side of Applejack's house. He raised his hoof and opened the doors that normally led to where the cows were kept. Now it seemed devoid of life, empty as the rest of the town had been.

"It's right in here." Magus spoke up, magic channeling through his horn, the tip now giving off a bright glow. He stepped into the darkened barn, his head moving back and forth as if looking for something. Twilight followed him into the rotted barn, feeling the thick air hitting her lungs. She put a hoof up to her muzzle, almost retching at the foul stench that assaulted her nostrils. "Good, he's still here." Magus almost cooed as he stepped into the shadows, fading from Twilight's view.

"Who's here?" Twilight asked, trying to look into the darkness. Magus didn't respond, only the sounds of heavy cloth being moved could be heard. Not wanting to be blinded anymore she raised her hoof and tapped on the pendant around her neck, instantly illuminating the aging barn.

A loud wail screamed through the barn piercing her ears as pounds of metal and flesh smashed themselves into solid steel bars. Twilight yelped, jumping back in fear as her eyes fell upon the rotted out skull of a decaying soldier, pressing up against it's container. It gnashed its teeth, trying to attack the source of the light.

"Oh-ho, he didn't like that very much." Magus chuckled as he watched the soldier thrashing in the confines of his cage. The creature seemed completely uninterested in him, simply gnashing out in anger at the bright light.

"Magus!?" Twilight cried bewildered, her eyes darting back and forth from the caged monster and the pony that was standing next to it, almost admiring it. "What are you doing?! Get away from that monster!"

That seemed to catch Magus's attention. He turned his head, looking at her with a queer smile plastered across his face. "Monster? They still look like monsters to you?"

"W-What?" Twilight stuttered, unable to even comprehend the words Magus had just uttered, "Of course! Of course they're monsters! Just look at them!" She pointed her hoof at the gnashing abomination that continued to try and snuff out the light, "It's a walking corpse! How is it anything but a monster!?"

Magus stared at Twilight for a moment, unblinking in his fixed gaze. Twilight felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise as her skin crawled, before she heard his voice. An ominous cackle that started low, but began to grow. Magus shook his head, as if what she had said was the funniest thing in the world. Twilight felt herself begin to tremble, her hooves unable to keep themselves still. Her mind began to race, wanting to piece together just what he had said but unwilling to make the final leap, because if what he said was true, then she... she had...

"Allow me to... rectify that thinking, Miss Twilight." Magus spoke turning to face the creature that had yet to cease its assaults. His horn began to glow with a dull, almost sickly yellow. Twilight felt her breath catch, unable to take her eyes off of what was transpiring before her. Something in her told her to cry out, to stop what was going on, that she shouldn't witness what was about to happen. But she was frozen on the spot, unable to move, unable to avert her gaze, unable to breath. Just stare.

Light began to emit from beneath the soldier, it finally distracted from it's assault by the appearance of this new threat. It turned its head down, as if staring at the floor despite the caved in holes where its eyes should have been. In the sickly yellow light she could make out patterns being made, shapes being etched into the bottom of the steel cage. They slowly came to life and it was then that Twilight recognized what he was inscribing beneath the creature. It was that symbol, the symbol he used to create the safe areas, the one that killed any creature that was in it's presence...

Magus was going to kill the soldier.

Before her senses could return, to open her mouth to speak the light of the circle vanished leaving the blue insignia branded at the bottom of the cage. Which a loud, howling cry the soldier began to thrash about the cage. His whines echoed through the hollowed barn and his armor rattled and shake as the body inside of it began to suffer. Steam began to pour through the edges of the rusted metal that covered it's body and it's mouth opened wide in it's sorrowful cry.

Then before her eyes it began to change. The rotten, decayed skin of the creature began to shift, as if it's skin was a living entity and was crawling along it's host. It stretched and wobbled, covering over wounds that marred it's body, though it never lost that aged look. The skin stretched into the holes in the soldier's face, into the mouth, and around it's hooves.

Twilight stared in horror. For just a moment, the soldier no longer looked like a monster, but like a pony. Missing it's eyes, but a pony, held by fear, pain, and death.

Just as quickly as it came, the moment passed and the skin began to shrivel up once more, squeezing down on the soldier and making it look malnourished and sickly. The skin tightened and began to gray, no longer did it cry out in wails of pain, but a stunned, shocked silence was what followed. Then the creature began to fall apart, it's flesh and bones turned to dust and crumbling to the bottom of it's cage. The metal fell with a loud bang to the bottom of the steel floor, and the soldier was no more.

No longer able to carry her weight, Twilight fell into a sitting position. Just staring in shocked disbelief at what had just happened before her.

"You... you killed him..." Her words were fragile, tumbling out of her mouth and hitting the ground with what felt like a shattering crash in her mind.

"An unfortunate victim of research, but one that said so much before he passed." Magus chuckled, staring at the metal and dust of his handiwork before turning to face Twilight again. He looked her in the eyes, though they didn't seem to look him back, just out into the empty space before her. "But I'd like to hear from you Miss Twilight, what did you make of this display?"

Twilight's mouth slowly opened agape, unable to catch any words to speak. Her mind was blank, unwilling to register the thoughts that were going through it. She could feel herself shutting down, not wanting to accept the reality of the conclusions that were awaiting her. But somewhere in her mind she knew she had to face them yet. She'd been stabbed, cut, bitten, slammed into walls, thrown about, waded through blood till her legs were soaked red. Her mind gave one last defense, to try and retain a modicum of sanity.

"...No..."

"No?" Magus raised an eyebrow, curious to her choice of words.

"Magus... no... you can't... you can't TELL me this..." Twilight's voice shook, her eyes beginning to burn with tears. "You can't tell me... the monsters I've been... b-been..." her eyes squeezed shut as hot tears began to stream down her cheek, "that those monsters have been ponies! Flesh and blood ponies! You can't! You CAN'T" She looked at him, tears pouring down her face, her voice cracking and afraid, "I've been KILLING those monsters Magus! All through out this town, my hooves are stained with their blood!" She stared down at her hooves, the imagery of her sword flying through the air and taking the life of creatures left and right flashed before her. "B-But if they're ponies, Magus... if they're ponies... then... then... I... I..." Her body began to tremble, her words caught in her throat, her hooves covered her face as she began to curl up, trying to escape from the reality that was now bearing down upon her.

"Then you'll be a murderer." Twilight froze as Magus spoke the words. She slowly lifted her head, looking through the bangs that hung before her eyes at the stallion that stood next to the cage. His strange way of speaking ever present, his eyes never seeming to show what was truly going through his mind. "And that's true, you would be. All those lives cut short because you swung your blade. The weight of so many lives resting upon your shoulders."

"I..." Twilight put her hooves on the ground, staring at it as her mind reeled, "I had no choice Magus... they left me no choice. They attacked me... they... they intended to kill me. If... if I hadn't killed them... I would be dead..."

"Good, good, rationalize the killing. That'll make it easier for your conscious to bear, right?"His words dug into her, bore straight into her core. She put a hoof against her snout, trying to keep her stomach from escaping her now. "Taking the life of another pony is a heavy burden to bear. I'm sure you know that better than anyone."

Twilight just broke out into a fit of sobs, curling up on the floor, wanting the truth to go away. She wasn't a killer, she didn't kill ponies. She defended herself, defended herself against monsters. Mindless monsters that wanted to kill her, to kill Spike, to kill her friends. If she didn't fight, she would die, they would die, because mindless monsters can't be reasoned with. But if they were ponies...

"Of course, that only matters if the life you're taking is indeed a pony." Magus spoke up, placing a hoof against the steel cage. Twilight froze once more, confused by these new words, her mind still in a state of shock. "These 'monsters' you slay, from my own research I can conclude, that they were ONCE ponies. I don't see them as monsters, but simply as new specimens to study." Twilight very shakily managed to right herself from the floor, still sitting but not shaking in trembling tears like she had been. "These are just the remains, twisted and malformed by a world that now has a new use for them. I don't know quite what it means just yet, but you should have no qualms over their deaths. If anything, they're just puppets." His odd way of speaking never broke tone once. He was as calm talking about the gravity of murder as he would be about the flavors of his tea.

"...What... What in Celestia's name is wrong with you?" Was all Twilight could mutter. She still gently shook, a muddy mess of emotions coursing through her mind as she tried to even make sense of everything that was going on right now.

"Let's just say that... I always have the bigger picture in mind." Magus smiled that desolate smile, before he began to slowly walk back to the entrance of the decayed barn. His loud, echoing footsteps became muffled by the layer of thick ash outside, before the air returned to its silence.

She placed one hoof over the over, closing her eyes and breathing heavily as the tears dripped down her cheeks. She needed to calm herself. She could feel her mind still shaking, wanting her to pay for all the horrible things she might have done. But she hadn't done anything wrong, she had defended herself, she wasn't dead. As far as she knew, her friends weren't dead either.

A searing hot pain flashed in her mind as the image of a white unicorn became stained with blood, a long black sword piercing her chest.

Twilight grabbed her head in her hooves and gave a wailing cry as her head hit the ground. Another hot vision flashed in her mind, the cadavers of two winged ponies slowly crawling towards her, begging, asking for love, clawed at her mind.

She raised her head and slammed it against the floor, a loud thud echoing and her mind becoming numb. Her body fell limp and she lay on her side, panting and breathing in the heavy dust of the floor. She let out a loud cough, wanting to be rid of the intruder. She placed her shaky hoof against her face and took in a few more shuddering breaths, before finally starting to feel a semblance of calm come about her.

She was breaking down... She was a crying, sobbing, mess of a pony on the floor, in the middle of a world that seemed to feed off of her misery. She wanted to be home, curled up in front of a fire, reading a good book. She couldn't think of how many times she had just wished to wake up from this nightmare, to see everything return back to normal and have her old home back.

But every time she thought she was getting closer to an answer, it would just be whisked away again.

Yet there was that voice in the back of her head, the one that always seemed to show up just as she was willing to give up. It was a low, painful voice, that barely could utter a word let alone a sentence. But it was there, she could hear it, and it pushed against her.

"Get up."

Achingly, her body began to right itself. She pushed herself up onto her haunches and put a hoof to her face. She took a few deep breaths, some shuddering as she calmed herself, rubbing the dirt and the tears off of her face. She could stand on her hooves, she could walk if she gave herself another moment longer. She wasn't dead, she didn't know for sure that her friends were dead, and the words of Lance were in her head.

"This place... is only what I make of it." Twilight spoke a loud, lowering her head and covering both her eyes, "If I let it kill me, then I will die. If I let it kill my friends, then they will die too." She lifted her head, her eyes starting to show the wear of her tears and lack of rest, "And I will save them. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do everything I could to save my friends."

With a calmer hoof, she pushed herself back upright. She was standing again, looking at the dark, abandoned barn once more. She figured it must not have any more answers for her right now, or else Magus would have shown her more.

She grit her teeth. Right now that name sent a flash of anger into her mind. It felt more than deserved; he'd messed with her head and made her fall into that breakdown. Her resolve was shattered and broken all because he had to open his mouth and say things that weren't true. If she needed to use that anger as a fuel to push on, then she would let him feel the full fury of Celestia's protégé.

She didn't want to go back into the farmhouse just yet, not unless there was a reason to be in his presence again. But she didn't want to stay in the musty barn either, not with what she'd just seen. She slowly looked around, her light landing on a second door at the opposite end of where she had come in. That made sense to her, a barn would have doors on both ends. With a short walk she had reached the door and pushed her hoof against it, opening the barn once more to the quiet and dust filled air.

The white world returned to her vision and the aisles of dead trees laid before her. She was at the back of the house, a path she remembered from when she visited before. Just ahead of her she could see a path, and following it she could easily locate the Crusader's club house. Though she wasn't willing to search the forests at the moment, not with the thought that she might be attacked once more by that pony from the vortex once more.

Her mind wandered slowly from her, just wanting to relax for the moment while it recuperated, when the loud sound of wood cracking came to her ears. Her body instantly froze and her head turned to the direction she had heard it. A second loud crack echoed over the woods and she honed her vision in on the spot. A third loud crack and she found the source.

In the distance, amongst the forest, creating a fourth loud crack by assaulting one of the trees, an orange blur was moving about.

Her heart felt like it had stopped. She focused harder on that orange blur than she'd ever focused in her life. It moved, it sauntered slowly from one tree to the next before raising its legs and striking hard at the base, followed by a loud 'crack' that echoed through the trees. No monsters were around it, no fog was playing tricks on her eyes, that sound was unmistakable...

Her legs started moving before her mind even gave the order, her body was moving in full sprint, not even for a moment doubting the destination. This wasn't that Otherworld where the world played tricks on walking from one room to the next, this wasn't some delusion, or dream, or weird mirror world... the blur was real, she was drawing closer to it... a shape she knew, a shape she was familiar with...

"APPLEJACK!" Twilight yelled out, not even realizing she had taken a moment to draw a huge breath. Her eyes darted forward and saw that the orange blur had stopped; it became clearer as she drew closer. The tears in her eyes were slowly coming back. There was an orange pony looking back at her, one looking bewildered and confused, before realization dawned on the pony's face.

"TWILI-UMMF" Was all Applejack managed to say before she was unceremoniously tackled by the purple unicorn. The two of them landed in the ashen forest, forelegs wrapped tightly around the other. The two of them stayed like that, just hugging tight for a moment that felt like it lasted forever.

"Twilight! It's really you isn't it? You're alive! Oh thank Celestia you're alive!" Applejack squeezed a little tighter in her hug, "Ah've been looking everywhere for you and the others! Ah don't know what's going on in this crazy place!"

"I've been looking for you too Applejack." Twilight smiled finally pulling back from the hug, visible tears at the edge of her eyes once more. She took Applejack's hoof and helped her to sit up, "though I'm really just as confused as you are about what's going on here. I woke up in the library and Ponyville was just... like this."

"That's what happened to me too." Applejack said adjusting her hat, her face growing serious. "Granny Smith was the one who woke me, saying she was gathering the family downstairs. At first Ah thought it was the middle of the night, but it didn't take long to realize the windows were bordered shut. Applebloom was gettin' scared, but Big Mac was able to calm her down. We couldn't seem to escape no matter how hard we pounded on the wood covering the windows or the walls. We eventually found a key that let us out, but then Ah saw... this!" Applejack waved her hoof towards the fog and dead trees, "and Ah knew something wasn't right. So I told them to stay put while I went and found you and the others." Applejack flicked her hat in annoyance, "a fat load of good it did though..."

"Ponyville was no better off and Ah was just running in circles trying to find somepony. Eventually though... Ah did find this..." Applejack pulled off her hat and reached inside before pulling out an aged piece of paper and handed it to Twilight. Taking it carefully, Twilight unrolled seeing that there was messy black writing on it in the form of a riddle.

One buck

Two buck

Three buck

Four

Dead leaves and hollow trees

Three are gone for you to find

A key we've hid to be so kind

"It left a bad taste in mah mouth too." Applejack said seeing the look that had appeared on Twilight's face. She replaced the hat on her head and continued, "Ah immediately rushed back to the barn but... everyone was missing. If they had left to search they would've left a note, if they'd seen something only Big Mac woulda left. Something happened to mah family Twi. And the only clue Ah have is that note, saying stuff about a key and hollow trees... the only thing Ah could do is see if there's a hollow tree in the orchard that is holding a key..." Applejack turned her head to the veritable forest that would normally be seen covering the hills if not for the fog. "But there's just so many... Ah don't know if Ah can even find it..."

"I... I see..." Twilight said, swallowing a knot that had formed in her throat. "It's been the same story everywhere I've been... Missing ponies, strange riddles and puzzles, monsters hiding in the shadows..."

"Monsters?" Applejack asked interrupting Twilight's train of thought. "Ah haven't seen any monsters... Are you telling me there's monsters here too?"

"What..." Twilight asked, confusion drawing on her face, "They've been all over Ponyville Applejack. These... zombie-like ponies wearing ancient royal armor carrying weapons! Or the decaying dragon that is watching the skies! Or ones that eat books, ones that have sickles for legs, giant leeches that eat the remains of other ponies! To get here I ran from a dragon and some orb-like monstrosity! You've seen NONE of that?!" Bewilderment, confusion, anger, hesitation, jealousy... Twilight couldn't put a hoof on what kind of emotion she was feeling, but it was welling up inside of her.

"Twilight... there aren't any monsters in Ponyville... I've been there for hours, the town is empty... are you feeling alright?"

It was as if the color had drained from Twilight's face. There was no way that Applejack had traveled through Ponyville for hours without having run into a single monster. Spike had seen them as well! Rarity had seen them! Magus had-

"They still look like monsters to you?"

Her mind began to play back every memory of her sword tearing into each of the monsters that she had slain. Remembering the feel of their hot blood on her flesh and hooves. The terror of them coming to kill her, only for her to have come out on top. She could still see that blade tearing through their flesh...

"The only thing Ah saw in Ponyville was a hooded pony that talked like Zecora." Applejack muttered.

"Y-You did!?" Twilight was able to snap out of her thoughts, looking at Applejack for something to cling to. "Did she say anything?"

"Yeah, she muttering something awful cryptic, not that Ah knew a thing she was talking about. Ah had a hard time understanding that fancy riddle talk." Applejack shook her head frustrated.

"But you saw her right? She spoke to you. And then just as quickly as she appeared she disappeared right?" Twilight was grasping for a foundation.

"Yeah... how'd you know?" Applejack said surprised.

"I've seen her too AJ. I don't know what she is but she seems to be following us around Ponyville. I don't know if she's one of the monsters or not, but she's proof that I'm not just seeing things! There are monsters out there! Spike and Magus have seen them too, I know I'm not hallucinating." Twilight said, reassuring herself more than anyone. The foundation on which she kept her sanity was shaking, constantly being knocked over and rebuilt, but she was going to keep holding it together, even if it ended up killing her.

"Ah believe ya Twi, Ah just haven't seen any myself. It's been quieter than a silent movie out there." Applejack adjusted her hat again, before looking over her shoulder at the dead trees around the farm once more. "And Ah still need to find that key in one of them trees here. If it helps me find out what happened to my family, then Ah reckon I'll tear each of them down if I have to."

"I understand Applejack, but when I came to Sweet Apple Acres, I was chased by a huge monster, one I just barely got away from. It's not safe out here in the trees. We should regroup with Spike and Magus in the house, together we can think of a better plan than just kicking at every tree here."

"...Ah reckon that does make a bit of sense." Applejack sighed softly, flicking her hat once more. "Just one question... whose Magus?"

"He's... a pony I managed to find while searching for you guys. He's looking after Spike while I search, he's actually managed to find a way to make safe spots around town. Places where the monsters can't get in. We'll be safe in the house as long as he's there."

"That's a heck of a convenient pony to run into while the town is like this... giving the fact that I haven't run into anypony else for hours, and you you just happened to find him with these 'safe spots' he can make? That don't strike ya as suspicious?" Applejack raised an eyebrow curiously, obviously already thinking about their safety.

Twilight bit her lip in thought. Even she couldn't deny the strange feeling Magus gave her whenever he talked, all of his words seemed to come out in a strange way. Not quite flat but not quite emotive either, he put emphasis on words that didn't really need them and he said things that might seem normal in an unusual manner. She couldn't get out of her head what he had said and done in the barn, how he had shown her that monster and just...

"I... I asked him to watch over Spike... and he did. He kept Spike safe, out of harm's way. Even if I don't fully trust him... he's at least kept his word. Spike is safe with him, I'm sure of that at least." Twilight didn't sound completely assured, as if she was convincing herself just as much as Applejack.

"Well... alright then, let's go meet him and see what we can think up." Applejack said walking over to Twilight's side before giving her a gentle nudge and a smile, "And it's mighty good to see you again Twi. Let's not get split up."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Twilight smiled, glad to have the company again. She'd been traveling alone for so long now she almost forgot what it felt like to have a friend by her side. It was still too dangerous to have Spike traveling with her, but Applejack was a strong pony, probably the strongest she knew besides Big Macintosh. If a monster showed up she could handle herself in a fight.

The white ash covered their hooves as they walked, each step sinking at least half an inch into the covered ground. The barn was still in sight and wouldn't take longer than a minute to reach. Twilight scanned around her, looking for any sign of a creature that might be following them but saw nothing. It seemed things were finally starting to look up for her, to start going in her favor. Perhaps she could finally get out of this hell, no more sirens, no more strange twisted worlds with rules of their own, no more being covered in blood or slicing down monsters... she would find her friends, fix Ponyville, then curl up in front of her fireplace and have a warm cup of cocoa.

"Hey Twi... do you hear that?" Applejack asked, stopping in place to lift her head up a little. Twilight blinked in confusion, lifting her head up as well, trying to hear what Applejack was talking about. At first she didn't hear anything, just the usual wind of the silent town, perhaps a tree creaking in the wind. But the sound in the distance started off low, just rumble in the distance. Then it began to grow, louder and louder, reaching over the tops of the trees. A sound Twilight recognized, one that made her heart drop in dread.

"Did somepony turn on the town siren? Maybe there are other ponies out there! This could be a sign Twilight, we should get to-"

"Applejack, run to the barn. Now." Twilight interrupted Applejack with her demand.

"What? What's the sudden rush?" Applejack raised an eyebrow looking at Twilight in confusion.

"There's no time to question it!" Twilight almost yelled, "Just run! Run NOW!" Twilight slammed her hoof against the ground. As she did, the siren reached its peak and the world around them began to change. The barks of the trees began to chip away, bits and pieces floating up into the sky. The ground and ash began to float up into the air in chunks. The air was filling with the floating debris.

"...Okay, ya'll don't have to tell me twice!" Applejack said finally realizing the situation. Her leg sprung back and she bolted forward, rushing straight for the barn. Twilight quickly followed after her, only just barely able to keep up with Applejack. The world was changing fast, the flying chips of the world growing denser with each passing second. The barn rushed closer to them, just seconds away.

Applejack reached the back door first, grabbing it with her hoof and flinging it open. She sprung on her back legs straight through the door. Twilight was right behind Applejack, ready to leap into the house for safety, but the moment Applejack's body hit the inside of the house she cracked. Her entire body rippled with gray cracks as the color faded from her coat and hair, and as her hooves touched the ground she burst, scattered bits of gray ash flying and falling where her body had once been.

Twilight skidded to a halt as she stared in horror at what had just happened to her friend, now just ash floating in the air, same as the changing world around her. The siren blared loudly in her ears and the door to the barn slammed shut before right. Her back legs gave way and she sat down on the changing world, watching as the last bits of the old world vanished.

The siren in the distance faded away slowly, fog riddled world now replaced. The sky was dark, spreading a dark haze that obscured vision from a distance. She no longer sat on earth and ash but rather a solid steel platform, rusted red and stained with what looked like blood. The house that was once Applejack's home was now a twisted shack of metal and wires, looking more like a scrapyard of metal than a livable home. The trees around her looked to be covered in rotted skin, pulsing slowly in certain spots as if blood pumped through them.

"...You've... you've called me back here..." Twilight whispered to no one, pressing her hooves hard against the ground and staring at it. "You called me here again... why?" She asked no one. "I just want... I just want to go home..." she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead against the metal door.

Far away in the distance, a loud roar echoed quietly across the farm.

Chapter 10

Edited by: Cool Story Brony

The repeated sound of a hoof slamming against metal echoed through the empty void. Twilight’s hoof fell sharply against the metal barricaded door of the farm house. She was desperately begging for it to open up. She didn’t care if some horrific abomination in the distance heard, all she wanted was to know that Applejack was okay, that she had made it safely into the barn before the world had shifted around her.

Somewhere in her mind she had already known that trying to find Applejack here would be futile, and yet there she was, slamming her hoof against a metal door, praying for some kind of response from inside.

Clang

With that final strike of her hoof, the metallic door gave way. The empty air echoed loudly with a groaning creak, followed by the hollowed crash of steel hitting steel. Twilight panted as she turned to look at her work, the farm house now open for her to investigate. Her hooves throbbed with pain, most likely now bruised from just how hard she had been striking the metal door. A part of her didn't care how damaged her body became anymore; it didn't really matter in this strange world anyway. But the other half of her mind, the part still desperately clinging to logic and hope, told her she shouldn't hurt herself too much.

With a deep breath, she turned and slowly walked into the darkened farm house. No light slipped through the covered windows or from the door, just the desolate remains of the house that once belonged to the Apple family. Twilight tapped the pendant around her neck and it lit once more up with light, revealing just how much damage had actually been done to the house.

No longer were the walls made of wood and wallpaper, delicately hanging pictures of the beloved Apple family and friends. The house was no longer filled with the simple wooden furnishings that lined the hallways and rooms that gave it a warm, lived in feeling. No rustic charm, no simple decorations, absolutely nothing left that belonged to the Apple family that once lived there. There was nothing but cold, harsh, rusted, metallic walls lining the hallway. Thick sheets of steel lined the floor, layered with ash, rust, and what looked like spatters of blood. The house was now deadly silent, any remnants of ponies having been there even moments ago long gone.

Her hooves echoed dully against the thick slab of metal beneath her as she headed for the living room. The comfortable furnishings of the house were also gone, now replaced with either absolutely destroyed remnants of tables and chairs, or horrifically designed structures meant to cause great harm to a pony. Grim chains hung from the ceiling, blood splattered various parts of the floor, and the walls were lined with sharpened objects.

Applejack's living room had turned into a torture chamber.

The only thing that eased Twilight’s mind was the simple fact that no pony actually appeared within any of the devices. They were empty and unused. Her dim light swept across the room, looking for even a partial trace of the ponies who might have been there before that horrific siren had blared, but all she found was ash and blood.

Leaving the awful room behind, she headed for the dining room next, hoping that what she would find wouldn't churn her stomach any more than this world already did.

The dining room was as empty and silent as the rest of the house, but it was free of the horrific imagery that stained the rest of the world. The table that spanned its length only had empty plates scattered across it, signs of a meal having been prepared but long since forgotten.

"Why doesn't this make any sense!?" Twilight let out a growling, frustrated cry. She raised her hoof up and swung at the long-since grayed dish on the table, sending it flying straight into the wall. It crashed violently into the wall, splitting into several tiny pieces that scattered across the ground. "Why!? Why do you keep separating me from my friends? Why do you keep showing me these horrific scenes followed by these calming scenes!?"

Her horn lit up and the table before her became enveloped in the glow of her magic before being tossed across the room. Plates went flying as the wooden table splintered and cracked, crashing with immense force into the wall. Twilight panted heavily, her body shaking as her mind tried to find a single thought to concentrate on. She fell, sitting on the cold steel as her back hooves ached and throbbed. Her mind ran circles in her head, and the cold air cooled her heated skin.

"I just... I don't get it..." Twilight closed her eyes, trying hard to think about what was happening. "Is there something I'm missing? Something that ties everything together? The monsters, the scenery, this whole world itself... am I just MISSING something!?" She hated herself for not knowing the answer, but she hated the world even more for not giving it. She'd lost count of how many times she'd nearly been killed this day, how many times she'd just been hurt or lost, how many times she thought she was reaching the end of this insanity only for her to be dragged deeper into it.

"Someone... anyone... please... I just... I need a clue..." Twilight's tail curled around her legs as she sat there, eyes shut just trying to keep back the tears once more. Every time she'd given in to believing, in to hoping that things would be better, they were just as quickly tossed away. She'd just lost count of how many times the world had made her break down, to question everything that she was doing.

Anger still boiled down inside of her gut, pushing at the depression that was trying to take her over. The memory of what Magus had showed her in the barn surfaced in her mind once more, and she felt a new wave of anger reach her. Her resolve was settling back in. It was just a small reminder that she couldn't give up now, she had to continue.

The sound of something striking the metal floor made Twilight nearly jump out of her skin. She was instantly on her hooves and looking behind her, expecting yet another one of this world's abominations to emerge from the shadows. But the air was as silent as ever. Only the shadows were looking back at her. Twilight stood there, frozen, unsure if it was a distraction or something coming to attack.

Her medallion was still silent, so whatever the sound had been it didn’t seem like it was an enemy. Her eyes shifted to the floor, noticing there was something new behind her that hadn't been there a moment ago; a small golden key placed on top of a folded piece of paper. Twilight examined the key, not noticing anything of importance, before opening the piece of paper.

I know things are hard right now, but I believe in you. You only have a little further to go and you'll save everypony. I found this key; follow this map to the door it most likely unlocks. Don't wait too long, this world doesn't like waiting for long. Your friend-

"Pinkie..." Twilight mouthed aloud at the end of the note. Right below the note was a crudely drawn layout of the town, with a line going through it leading to a circled X. "Pinkie left me this note?" Twilight pushed thoughts of what the note said aside for the moment and looked down the hallway where the broken back door still lay in pieces. She quickly ran outside and looked around; however, the darkness that covered the town now only gave her a limited view. If Pinkie was somewhere out there in the dark, there'd be no guaranteed way of going after her.

"What does this mean? Why did she give me this but not even stop to say hi?" Twilight asked aloud, more just airing the question than seeking an answer. She hovered the paper in front of her once more, reading it to herself once more.

"...This world doesn't like waiting for long." Those words felt ominous to her; they said a lot with so little. Somehow Pinkie knew the laws of this world, something that had managed to elude her all this time. Everything made no sense, and yet Pinkie had made some sense of it.

Somehow the idea didn't seem all that ludicrous.

What baffled her the most, or perhaps scared her the most, was the idea that Pinkie Pie had found a way to save everypony here, perhaps even bring an end to this horrid world. But if such a place existed in this world, then why hadn't Pinkie already saved everypony? Why hadn't she gone there herself and brought everypony to safety? Was it because she needed Magic in order to save everypony? Was it something only Twilight could do?

Twilight hadn't focused on it too much, but the thought and idea that everypony else that was trapped here, going through the horrific mazes and monsters that she was had crossed her mind. Which if that was the case, then she wasn't very special at all. There were plenty of unicorns in town that could provide magic, there were plenty of ponies who had the strength or knowledge to fight and save everypony. If they all fought together, even this world would seem small in comparison to the veritable army.

It was an idea that was quickly dashed away as it had come, just from the realization that everypony she had met today had been alone. Alone, separated from the others, and traveling through this horrific world on their own. Despite how many ponies were in Ponyville, every single one of them was alone right now. And anytime she had met anypony, in a matter of minutes she had been separated from them. That seemed to be the one constant in this world...

You had to be alone.

Perhaps that was why Pinkie Pie hadn't said anything. She just came, dropped the key for Twilight, and then left as quickly as she had come. If that was truly the case, Twilight wished she had at least written a little more on the note. Perhaps an explanation as to 'why' Pinkie couldn't save anyone, or 'how' she'd managed to find Twilight so easily, or even just a simple 'I'm okay, just keep going'. All she knew was that Pinkie somehow gave her the note, written in that usual jumbled mess that Pinkie called writing, and that she was now gone.

Twilight let out a soft, frustrated sigh as she looked at the map that Pinkie Pie had scribbled onto the note. It took her back into Ponyville. This time it had her heading for the center of town. The area circled with an X on it had to be City Hall.

"That's half way across town from here..." Twilight murmured to herself, remembering the route back to town from Sweet Apple Acres. However, getting across town was bad enough just trying to avoid the soldiers that seemed to surround anypony anytime one spotted them in town before the transformation. Not to mention there was the looming possibility that the dragon flying around town could come down and start attacking her as well. But now the world's look matched the hell it created. There was no way of knowing how safe it would be to get to the center of town.

"Pinkie's note said that if I go there... I can save everypony... I can only trust that she knows what she's doing." Twilight said, taking a deep breath to help reassure herself. She then began to walk away from the abandoned farm that was once Applejack's home and headed for town.

The cold steel beneath her hooves let out a dull thud with each step. No matter how far she walked, the ground was the consistent rusting metal that seemed to stretch out into the darkness around her. Her only light came from the pendant glowing around her neck, extending her view to a short distance in front of her.

She passed by what used to be the apple trees Sweet Apple Acres was famous for, which were now they were twisted poles of metal covered in what looked like slowly pulsing skin. It was stretched almost unnaturally taught around the tree with what appeared to be a bit of muscle underneath that would occasionally break through the skin. At the top of every tree, the jagged metal pole seemed to turn into a cross.

Twilight stopped and stared at one of the trees, examining the oddity of it. The way the trees were placed seemed odd, even for an apple orchard. They were all uniformly placed around, the same distance between each of them. The cross at the top of each tree was very similar to the ones she had seen Winter Withers attached to, only these felt difference. As though they were placed there in remembrance instead of as a warning.

A cold shiver ran down Twilight's back and she turned away from the tree she was studying. She continued her trek back towards the town, trying to push the thoughts to the back of her mind for now. She needed to focus on getting back to town alive, and from there getting to city hall alive. Her gut shifted uneasily, knowing the new key inside her magic reservoir would only lead her to more trouble and she no longer had any of those magical 'Health Drinks' to help her. The only thing she had for self-defense was the last remaining book in her reservoir, and she wasn't about to rely on it for bashing away monsters.

She stopped as she noticed the path in front of her suddenly coming to an abrupt end. She blinked as she looked down what she could only see as a bottomless chasm where the floor had once been. The direction she had been walking in was the most direct way back into town, but it looked like the ground just gave out halfway on her trip back.

Had the town been swallowed up by the infinite abyss? Was there no way to get back to Ponyville? The note had said she needed to get to town... but there was no path that was going to let her head that way. For all she knew, she could very well be on the only piece of land left, floating above a sea of nothingness.

Furrowing her brow she looked to her left and right. Either direction could possibly lead to an answer or just lead to her being more confused and lost. Something in her gut was telling her that the town was still there, but the world was going to make it difficult for her to get back there. Letting out an annoyed sigh and turning to the left, she started walking that way on a guess.

She followed the edge of the bottomless pit, occasionally looking back at it, wondering how far down it went. It was a distraction from the fleshy metal trees that surrounded her on the other side. Her mind kept wondering about the bottomless chasm, about things like what could have caused it, or how it had affected the town, or why it was there in the first place. Beneath the surface should be more earth and rock, but she couldn’t even see anything way down below.

She stopped for a moment to ease her curious mind. Lighting her horn up she grabbed hold of the end of a nearby metal branch. She tugged on it for a moment before the rusty metal snapped away from the flesh tree. Holding it over the empty chasm, she let it dropped and opened her ear to listen.

A moment passed, another moment passed, followed by another, and yet another. No sound what-so-ever came back letting her know that the metallic twig had hit some kind of bottom. It was either too far down or the sound wasn't loud enough to echo back up out of the emptiness. If she was back home, back in the normal world, she figured she might've wanted to study this phenomenon more. But the only thing she wanted to do now was get the world back to normal.

Continuing to follow the edge of the chasm, she noted that her medallion hadn't buzzed in quite some time. She wondered if somehow, just maybe, in the transition from the fog world to this Otherworld, that she had entered one that had no monsters in it. The town was far too quiet for its own good, and it was starting to grate on her mind. There was no wind, there were no bugs, even the trees that looked like they had a pulsing beat going through them didn't make a sound. The only sound she could hear was the clopping of her own hooves against the metal ground.

She was alone. She felt desperately alone. Like there wasn't even a single soul anywhere nearby.

She picked up the pace of her walking, wanting to find a new path. A path to the town. She wanted the comfort of seeing Ponyville again, even if it was the lonely, boarded up remains of Ponyville. She wanted to feel wind; she wanted to know that the world still felt like it existed. She was alone.

All that returned her was the silent loneliness of the trees. She stared at them as she passed them, the perfectly aligned trees passing by without a word. Each one marked with that cross at the top, each one just pulsing in time. If she turned her gaze away, all she would see was the bottomless empty pit, where absolutely nothing could be.

She was alone.

Her hooves struck against the metal loudly, but the sound barely echoed.

She was alone.

She picked up into a run, trying to escape, trying to find something.

She was alone.

She had to escape, she had to get somewhere, she had to escape, she had to get somewhere.

She was alone.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Twilight's terrified cry rang out as her hoof hit a metallic root that had sprung up through the rusted metal floor. Her body hit the ground hard and she tumbled forward a bit before landing hard on her side. She let out a stifled groan, feeling the twinge running up the side of her body. She groaned as she tried to sit up, her mind wondering just how many times she'd just been crippled over in pain since she'd been here.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. The soundless air around her was playing tricks on her mind and she just needed to keep focused. Get to city hall, that's all she needed to do.

Her eyes opened back up and instantly she noticed something that hadn't been there before. Right next to her was a metal bridge that crossed the bottomless ravine that had appeared between the farm and the town.

"A way across?" Twilight asked, speaking into the void. She got up to her hooves and began to examine the bridge. It didn't appear to be held up by anything from the ravine, extending forth from the metal floor she was already on. It certainly hadn't been there when she fell over, but there it was clear as day. She looked at it suspiciously before carefully placing a hoof down on it. The metal gave a small creak but seemed to hold steady.

She put one hoof at a time down the bridge, going slowly and carefully across the creaking metal. It wasn't very wide, only wide enough to fit maybe two ponies, and there were no side-rails. She took several deep breaths to keep herself calm, maintaining the rhythmic one-two-three-four of her hooves across the bridge. One wrong step and she could easily plummet into the abyss, and who knows what might happen to her then...

Twilight felt pressure brewing in her throat and swallowed it down, just concentrating at the task at hand. She looked forward and continued her slow trek across the bridge, hearing the creaks and groans of it bearing her weight as she walked. She only blinked once she saw the sight of the end of the bridge, land that connected the bridge from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville. Relief slowly washed over her, but she maintained the slow walk.

Her hooves landed on the other side and she let out a deep sigh, tension leaving her muscles. She was closer to getting to city hall now; all she'd need to do was head into town. That's what she kept telling herself, just focus on getting to city hall. With her composure regained, she stepped forward again, only for her light to illuminate a pool of blood right before her.

Frozen at the site of the crimson liquid, she quickly looked up to find the source. Another large wooden cross was impaled into the metallic floor of the world, oozing blood from the owner nailed to it. A unicorn with a snow white coat and fiery red hair. It was once more her childhood schoolmate.

"Moondancer!?" Twilight yelped, running forward. "No! No not again! Moondancer!" She cried out, looking towards the nails that were driven through the unicorn's hooves, looking for a spot to grip with her magic and bring her down.

"...Twilight..." A quiet murmur spoke, and Twilight nearly froze. Her head turned to look up at Moondancer's face, seeing the girl with eyes barely able to stay open but a gentle smile on her face. "Twilight... you've made it..."

"Hold on Moondancer! I'm going to get you down from there! It'll be alright! I promise!" Twilight's horn lit up as she grabbed hold of the spike's holding Moondancer to the cross. She pulled hard, slowly removing them one by one. Moondancer didn't seem to flinch at the pain of the item's being removed. She just let her hooves fall limp as they were removed, before collapsing off the cross and into Twilight's hooves.

"I've got you! I've got you..." Twilight said, laying Moondancer on the ground so she could rest. Twilight ran her hoof across Moondancer's face, moving the hair out of her eyes and wiping away some of the blood that stained it.

"Twilight..." Moondancer spoke quietly, "I'm glad you made it here... I didn't doubt you would, you always managed to achieve what you set out to..." Moondancer coughed violently, her whole body shaking.

"Don't talk! I-I'll get you medical help!" Twilight lifted her head and looked around, seeing nothing but the rusted metal and darkness as far as her eyes could see, "I-I-I... somewhere! I know there's help somewhere! You just have to hold on!"

"Twilight..." Moondancer wheezed. Twilight could only stare at her childhood friend who was gently smiling back at her, despite how much pain she must be in. "It's alright... sometimes ponies die..."

"No!" Twilight yelled, feeling the tears forming at the edge of her eyes, "No, they don't HAVE to die! Not like this..." Twilight's shoulders shook as the hot tears began to stream down her cheeks, "Not like this... not... not as a WARNING for me... you didn't have to die like this..."

"Heh... look at you..." Moondancer chuckled softly, "Crying over little old me. And here I thought you didn't like me."

"What!?" Twilight stared shocked at the unicorn that was withering away in her hooves, "Why would you think that!? I never hated you! You were my friend!"

"Because... you were always by yourself Twilight." Moondancer gently shook her head, closing her eyes and keeping them closed, "I would invite you to parties, try to spend time with you, try and introduce you to more friends... and all you did was stay in that dorm of yours. You always studied, you never spoke to anyone unless it was a question... you never seemed to have time for 'fun'..."

Twilight's mouth hung open for a moment. She closed it and tried to speak again, but no words came out. She gritted her teeth, feeling her tears continue to stain her cheeks. She shook her head, lowering it closer to Moondancer's.

"I didn't hate you though... I... I just..." Twilight sniffed, trying to hold back her sobs, "I just thought it was more important... I... I had responsibilities... I had things I HAD to do... and if I didn't, I'd disappoint everypony..." Twilight looked at Moondancer's face, as Moondancer slowly opened her eyes once more. Twilight could see the dulling blue color in her eyes, she was fading and fast. "I NEVER hated you! At school you were one of the only ponies I thought of as a friend, no pony else even came close... but... but I kept myself alone... because I thought I had to..."

"You were never alone Twilight," Moondancer whispered. Twilight stared at Moondancer, watching as Moondancer smiled a little wider. "And you never will be alone. Even if you don't see anyone around right now, even if it feels like no one cares..." One of Moondancer's hooves slowly began to rise, though it shook as though it took great effort. She raised it and gently placed it against Twilight's chest, "They'll always be here... your friends..."

Twilight stared at Moondancer as her eyes closed once more and her hoof went limp. Her eye's widened as she watched her friend give her last breath, before finally turning still.

"No... No! Moondancer!" Twilight shook her shoulders a little, trying to get her to move. "Moondancer! Moondancer!" Her friend was as silent as the air around her. Twilight grit her teeth and closed her eyes, pulling her friend closer to her. Her tears fell faster down her cheeks, just letting herself mourn the loss of her old friend. This vile world had taken away not just her closest friends now, but even the ones from her childhood.

It wasn't fair. She'd never done anything to deserve any of this. Sure she had been a lonely child, but she’d found friendship later in life. All she'd done since then was be happy and try to make her friends happy as well. She’d never hurt anyone, she’d never committed any severe crime, she'd done everything anyone had ever asked her to do. So why did this happen to her?

Twilight let out a few more quiet sobs, her breathing slowly starting to normalize. She remembered the note and the key that still lay tucked away inside of her and realized she still had a mission to accomplish. She still had to go save everypony. She rubbed her face and opened her eyes, being greeted to a pale orange mane.

Twilight's eyes shot open as she stared down at the mare in her hooves. Her mane was a curled pale orange with a paler orange streak going through it and a yellow-green coat. She was stained with blood the same way Moondancer had been and the evidence of her having been nailed to the cross was still present. This wasn't Moondancer.

"J-Junebug?" Twilight murmured, shock still settling in that the mare she was holding wasn't Moondancer. "Does... does that mean Moondancer wasn't real? An illusion?" Her mind felt turbulent once more, the world was messing with her mind once more. But that time felt so different from the others. The world had screwed with her by changing the land, horrific monsters, or just strange visions. But this?

This had felt real. It felt like Moondancer had actually been right there with her.

Twilight gently placed Junebug's body onto the floor, taking a step back from it. Though Moondancer had felt real, it didn't change the fact that now Junebug was there before her, dead. Killed the same way Winter Withers had been killed, the same way that Sparkler had been.

Twilight remembered Junebug well. While she didn't sell flowers, she maintained them all around town. She made sure the insects weren't ruining them, made sure they had proper water and soil, replaced them when the old ones started to wither, and was more than willing to help ponies as well as plants.

She was also a mother.

Her little girl Peachy Pie would be turning 9 in the fall. The two of them would often be seen during the weekends walking around town together as her mother did her rounds. Then the two of them would settle down for lunch, and Peachy would tell her mom all about how school was during the week, and the plans she had with her friends, and how much she was couldn't wait to grow up to be just like her mother.

Twilight gritted her teeth, lowering her head as the memories of the wonderful mare filled her head once more.

"I'm sorry Junebug..." She whispered sorrowfully, "I'm sorry you were used this way. Used to get to me. Used just to hurt me..." Twilight stared at the harsh, rusted metallic ground before her. Her eyes stared at the rotting brown and red color that saturated the surface. "But I'm going... I'm going to save everypony else. I'll save your little girl, don't worry. Just..." Twilight swallowed a little, "Just rest in peace..."

With those words Twilight turned to face the cross. The wooden structure stared back at her, almost mocking her. The words of Merlin she had read sprang to her mind once more.

If you broke their laws, invaded their land or offended their nobles, the fate of death was brought to you. You would be seen by those you knew and loved, by your enemies and by your Goddess, that you were an example of their power.

The loud crack of the wooden cross echoed loudly through the darkness. In the emptiness that surrounded her, she figured that something so significant would be the loudest in this world. Her magic brought the heavy wooden structure crashing down hard into the metal floor below, the splintered wood scattering from the forced break.

Twilight panted as her magic faded once more. It exerted a lot of magic to break such a thick structure, and she needed to be careful of how much she used. In this world being without magic was as good as a death sentence for her.

She stepped over the fallen cross and continued ahead. The warning the execution gave didn't cross her mind. She knew she was walking into danger, possibly death itself. But too many ponies had already died; too many had been made to suffer at the hands of this world. If Pinkie's message really meant she could save everypony, then she was going to do it.

As her mind found its determination, she noticed that the outskirts of town had finally come into view. She slowed her pace a little as the metallic structures rose from the ground, barbaric reconstructions of what the town looked like in the normal world. No building had signs or billboards, no windows or cardboard, no signs of life having lived in them. Just giant buildings made of rusting metal, stained with spots of blood. All of them felt more like cages than houses.

Twilight felt a shiver run up her spine. The town just felt wrong. Ponyville was never meant to look like this, never meant to BE like this. She had to make her way to city hall, and fast.

Walking down the street, she wasn't entirely sure which one she was on just yet. Normally she knew Ponyville like the back of her hoof, but in this twisted world she could be anywhere. She tried to remember the way the town had been arranged, the pattern the buildings were in. She tried to remember, but it felt like her home was so far away from her now. This world filled with harsh brown and red metals that barely echoed just wasn't her home.

The empty streets carried the clunking of her hooves against metal as she continued on, looking for something recognizable. She turned the corner on a nearby street, hoping that this one would have more signs she could follow. Pinkie's map would've worked just fine if she had been able to head straight from the farm to the town, but the world had to be difficult for her.

"Huh?" Twilight murmured as a breeze of hot air passed over her coat, which caused Twilight to stop for a moment, "There hasn't been a breeze in this world..." Her head turned to the direction that the breeze had come from, trying to find its source. The light of her pendant fell upon a large, black mass of rotting and disconnected flesh that appeared to be slowly rising and falling.

Her whole body froze and her heart seemed to stop as her eyes traced the outline of the creature's body. The jagged edges of its jaw and neck, the sharp teeth that glowed in the light, the large wings that extended from its back. She felt her body begin to shake as she stared, not being able to see it's pitch black eyes, nor was it moving just yet. Perhaps the dragon hadn't seen her yet, it appeared to be sleeping.

She stared at it, feeling her heart pounding against her chest. She could swear the sound of it was echoing through the world around her. Her mind was telling her she had to run, to get to city hall, but her body wasn't moving. She already knew just how terrifying this creature could be, she didn't need a reminder.

Suddenly, the dragon shifted in its sleep. Twilight felt her eyes widen as the large head began to make its way up off the ground. Her eyes followed its head as it opened its mouth and let out a low, rumbling growl as it seemed to yawn awake. It lowered its head and she watched as its eyes opened, revealing the glossy black orbs underneath its eyelids. Its head tilted a little, and then the dragon was staring right at her.

There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other. Twilight couldn't so much as breath, while the dragon seemed curious as to her presence. That was when she heard it. The low rumbling from the dragon’s throat, the simple vibrations that only meant one thing. The dragon opened its mouth and she could already see the flames licking at the back of its throat, rushing forward to burn her asunder.

Her body finally unfroze, adrenaline coursing through her veins now. She'd come too far to just let herself die now. Her legs kicked in and she leaped, just barely avoiding the blazing flames that spewed out where she had just been standing. She could feel the roaring heat singing the hair on her tail and heating the back of her legs. She winced in pain, knowing full well if she stopped she was dead.

The loud, ground shaking roar erupted through the silent town nearly knocking her off balance. She stared ahead, running as faster as her legs could carry her as she heard the loud flapping of wings. The dragon was taking off, and there was no doubt in her mind it was going to be chasing her.

"Where is city hall!? Where is it!?" Twilight cried out, her breathing growing ragged as she continued to run. She turned down another street, hoping to confuse the dragon about her whereabouts, but the sounds of heavy beating wings continued to be right behind her.

Her head desperately looked left and right, looking for some kind of sign that she was going the right way. The rushing of building going by her didn't help, she didn't have any time to stop and observe. Another ground shaking roar bellowed out right behind her and she felt her skin crawl with thoughts of being burned alive. She made another sharp turn down another street, the wings unleashing a large gust as they passed by behind her. She knew she wasn't going to get away for long.

"Where is it, where is it!?" She berated herself for having gotten so lost. This was her home; she should know it better than this. A stream of fire suddenly rained down from the sky in front of her, forcing her to skid to a halt. The inferno just a few feet in front of her was melting the metal that made up the floor, causing it to drip and ooze down into an infinite abyss below it.

Twilight instantly turned on her hooves and ran down a street next to her, panting and heaving as her legs worked as hard as they could to get her away. The powerful beating wings seemed to be coming from every direction now, that roar reverberating through the town with every passing moment.

Another stream of fire appeared before her, and her hooves instantly made another turn. She didn't know where she was going, her head frantically still searching for some kind of clue. Was she going to just be lost forever? There was no way she was going to be able to run away from the dragon forever! It was too fast, it was able to keep up with her and its senses meant it should be able to find her easily. Was this really as far as she could go?

From the corner of her eye something appeared. She turned her head to try and look at it, but it was gone as soon as she had noticed it. Whatever it was, it had turned down the next road ahead of her. It wasn't the dragon, that's all she knew. She mashed her hooves against the metal floor and turned down the road she had seen it run and followed it down the street.

At the end of the street she saw the movement again, making yet another turn. Was it leading her? What could still be there to lead her? She already knew the other monsters were just as afraid of the dragon as she was; it killed everything in its path. If whatever was running away too knew how to get away safely, all she could do was follow it.

Another bellowing roar told her that she didn't have time to think any more on the matter. A stream of fire spewed forth and melted the road in front of her, forcing her to turn down the path that other creature had as well. The large flap of wings told her the dragon was still close, wind whipping her mane everywhere. She ran down the street, a particularly long one. Her chest began to burn, her limbs straining from the stress of the sudden exercise.

Her eyes caught glimpse of the object again, though this time a little clearer. She could've sworn that she saw a blur of pink turn the corner.

Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin as the dragon landed hard on the metal before her, roaring loudly as it stood directly in her path. It swiveled its mouth down, fully intending to devour its meal instantly.

Her hooves jumped and the mouth came inches away from making her the dragon’s next meal. Her body tumbled, rolling from the sudden jump to escape from the dragon. She quickly got to her hooves and ran down the road the pink blur had traveled. The dragon's roar shook the earth once more before the heavy wings set it off into the sky once more.

The fast rhythmic thudding of her heart played in her ears as her breath threatened to drown her. Her lungs were bursting, demanding to have a chance to calm down. But the moment she stopped, she would be dead.

Her eyes caught glimpse of the pink blur once more, discerning it was a tail. It had to be the tail of a pony. Was a pony leading her through this? Leading her away from the dragon? If so, she couldn't have been more grateful.

She turned the corner once more and almost came to a stop.

"That... that's impossible..." Twilight gawked. Right in front of her, imposing down on her, with the large walls that she was so familiar with, was Canterlot Castle. "This can't be here!" She almost shouted. However, her words were drowned out with the loud roar of the dragon that was still right behind her. Without taking another moment to think about it, she ran straight for the front door of the castle.

She slammed body first into the doors, hoping they would just burst open for her, only to find herself bouncing backwards to the town. She stared at the doors, before rushing up and pulling on the handle, trying to force them open. The loud thud of the dragon landing came from right behind her, the doors refusing to budge open. The dragon roared loudly, shaking the ground beneath her hooves and causing her to slip and land on her stomach. She shook her head and stared at the door, suddenly noticing that there was a keyhole there for her.

Without thinking she pulled out the key that Pinkie had given her from her note and jammed it into the lock. With a twist the door gave a loud 'click' and the key disappeared into ash. She jumped to her hooves and swung the door open, just as heat began to prick at the back of her neck. She jumped inside and turned, summoning her magic to grip the doors. Just as the dragon's blazing flames began to spew, she slammed the doors shut on him.

She heard the mighty impact of the flames hitting the door, the light from the blaze creeping through the cracks around the door. She took several steps backwards, watching as the fires blazed right behind the door for several moments before finally dying down. She held her breath for several moments as she heard the thudding of his footsteps through them, the loud huff of the dragon smelling the door for any sign of her. Twilight swallowed hard, just standing as still as she possibly could.

Then, almost as though it was a miracle, she heard the sound of the dragon's large wings beating as it took off into the sky once more. She stood frozen to her spot for several minutes, waiting till the wing beat was long gone. Once she was sure, she let out the heavy sigh that she had been holding inside of her body out and felt herself collapse. Her heavy panting and beating heart was all she could hear now. She was just thankful to be alive.

She laid there for a minute or two, just letting her breath catch up with her. The throbbing of her heart moved from her head to her hooves, aching pangs telling her she'd run too hard for too long. She groaned as she tried to sit up, not knowing what to expect. After all, Canterlot Castle had just magically shown up in the middle of Ponyville. On top of that, the key Pinkie had given her had opened its doors and saved her from being burned alive.

"Wait... Pinkie!" Twilight said, suddenly remembering the blurry pink tail she had followed to get here. She twisted her head around, looking for any sign of the pink mare. But all she could see around her was blood-stained steel walls that surrounded her, decaying portrays hung askew along the walls. Where the windows had been were now steel bars held together by a chain-link fence. Twilight blinked in confusion, rubbing her head.

"I feel like... I've been here before..." She murmured quietly to herself, looking down at the floor. They were the normal gray tiles of Canterlot, only gray and rusted, with grime forming along the cracks. "Did Pinkie make it inside?" She asked, turning around to look at the door she'd come in through. However, the door was now gone. In its place was a large steel wall, the same that made up the sides of the castle. The missing doors told her one thing.

There was no turning back now.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a sound began to echo through the castle. Her ears perked up and she tried to listen closely to it. It was a strange harmonic sound just winding its way through the castle. It was music.

The melody was quiet, but she was able to hear it well enough. It was almost as though the melody danced through the air, dulled beats dragging from chord to chord. The instrument sounded like it hadn't been played in years, and was picked up just to be played at that very moment.

It sent a chill down her spine, though she wasn't certain why.

"If there's music, there's got to be a source. If there's a source, maybe I'll find a pony..." She thought for a moment, before her ears flattened against her skull, "Or I could find another monster... which is more likely..." She swallowed hard, "But... I have to move forward. Pinkie said if I got here I could save everypony... just... how do I do that?"

Twilight shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and focus on what was important. The haunting melody was slowly crawling through the castle and she had nowhere else to go but forward. She was thankful that she was in Canterlot Castle though, rather than the malformed streets of Ponyville. Even if Canterlot was twisted, transformed, and designed like a cage, it was still Canterlot. She knew this castle like the back of her hoof. All she had to do was figure out where she needed to go.

Stepping down the hallway, she knew exactly where the entrance led. The main hall opened before her eyes, transformed and shaped the same way the rest of the castle had been changed. Its open space that would normally be filled with ponies going by to their various appointments or jobs was as barren as everything else. Though the entire castle was built like a cage now, it didn't seem to contain a single soul inside it aside from her.

Twilight's eyes wandered up the stairs, where Princess Celestia would normally stand upon greeting guests or royal visitors, to gaze at the mural that adorned the wall. The normal depictions of Celestia raising the sun and bringing grace to the land had been replaced. In its stead was a picture of Celestia, large and towering in the center of the picture. Only one of her eyes were visible in the picture, colored a deep red as it stared down at the carnage taking place. Below her houses and ponies were being engulfed with flames, some burning alive, some running away and losing everything they'd ever held dear. Above her head the moon was eclipsing the sun, creating a dark halo above her mentor's head. To the left of her mentor was a black circle, depicting a triangle within with strange, twisting lines, and runic lettering around the circle. And to the other side of her mentor, was a symbol she'd seen a few times now throughout the town, a symbol that she'd seen Magus drawing to create safe havens in town. A red circle had 3 smaller circles within it, surrounded by runic writing.

"I've seen that one before... but what does that one mean?" Twilight wondered curiously to herself. She stepped closer to the mural, trying to get a better look at it. As she reached the center of the room, she heard the sound of metal hitting metal as her medallion began to buzz. She froze in her spot and heard the metal clash together again, this time the sound came from directly above her. Her head snapped to look up and saw what looked like a giant chandelier moving on the ceiling. A loud 'snap' echoed through the main room and the large decoration came rushing down to greet her.

Twilight jumped out of the way, covering her head, expecting the device to come crashing down. However, the sound of something heavy being yanked with chains announced something had stopped it from hitting the ground mid-air, and a shrill screaming whine came from behind her. She turned her head to look at what had just happened.

What she had thought was a chandelier was actually a giant set of royal ornaments that seemed to have been welded onto a fleshy creature. A giant circular crown consisted of its back, with the fleshy back of the creature arching into the empty space the crown left. A tiara hung from one side, while a pendant hung from the other. The creature appeared to have regal armor welded to random parts of its body, while the rest of its skin was decaying. Its front arms hung loosely to the sides, as if wanting something to grab hold of and latch onto. Its back legs were broken and malformed, curled painfully into the crown. Its head looked like a pony, but with the eyes missing, and its mouth was full of what had once been flat teeth that were now jagged and broken.

The grotesque creature swung its head, letting out that whining screech of pain, trying to twist and contort to find something to grab hold of. Twilight's ears flickered at the sound, as it really didn't sound like the creature was only in pain. It sounded like the creature... was crying.

The creature snapped its mouth close and then let out another pained cry. It knew someone had been there, but it couldn't see them, it couldn't sense them. It was almost as if the creature was alone, looking for a companion, but didn't know how to treat them right. It'd hurt anything it got into its grips.

Twilight just stared at the creature for what felt like minutes, before the rattling of its chains pulled the creature back up towards the ceiling. It calmed down; ceasing it's wailing and curled up into the regalia that covered its body. When it reached the ceiling it 'clicked' back into position and remained silent once more, her medallion ceasing its buzzing. She swallowed her nerves down once more and got back on her hooves, starting up the stairs to the mural.

She stared at the depiction of Celestia for a moment, then at the ponies burning to death at her hooves. It didn't seem like anything Celestia would ever have in her castle, nor did it seem like something that praised her. No, it reflected something more like she'd see for one of the many villains that destroyed Equestria's lands, hurt its citizens, and wanted the downfall of the Kingdom. But instead of any of them, it depicted Celestia.

"But... Celestia would never hurt her citizens... would she?" Twilight wondered aloud. She had seen many times as a foal Celestia doing everything in her power to help her people, to do what was best for everypony, even sacrificing her free time and duty just to help somepony less fortunate. The depiction here didn't seem like something she'd ever see Celestia doing.

"It must be this world," Twilight surmised, "It's playing tricks on my mind. Showing me things that aren't real again." She took a deep breath and looked to the stairs that branched off to her right and left. She knew that the throne room was to the right. Something in her gut told her that it was the right way to go, that if there was a chance of saving everypony from this town that it was in that direction.

With a deep breath for resolve, she stepped up the metal stairs that would lead to the throne room. At the top of the stairs, she was greeted with a new, long hallway that seemed to stretch out farther than she could see. The hallway looked the same as the one she was familiar with, only metallic and rusted over with blood and grime, but she couldn't be sure if it led to where she wanted to go.

"Only one way to find out..." She muttered softly to herself and began walking. Her hooves echoed loudly around her as she walked. The steel bar windows only showed the pitch black darkness that lurked outside. The further she walked though, the more the windows began to change. Soon they changed from the steel bars and chain link fences, to stained-glass depictions of ponies. There were several different ones and she stopped just long enough to view what was being depicted.

"I swear, I've seen these before..." Twilight murmured, furrowing her brow at the images, "But where?" Her mind thought it over as her hooves carried her forward. Her thoughts mulled over until the hallway suddenly came to an end. Her hooves stopped as she stared at the large open room she had just found herself wandering into.

It was Canterlot's large ballroom.

"The ballroom is here? But... it shouldn't be..." She murmured quietly. She walked deeper into the malformed ballroom. The stage where bands once gathered was now just a giant cage, metal bars forming a circle around where the bands would play. Along the edges of the room were a few long since discarded tables that showed their age. The windows around the room were filled with stain glass depictions of ponies being burned alive, suffering at the hands of their almighty ruler.

"...Is there supposed to be something here?" Just as those words left her mouth she heard the rattling of metal echoed around the room from behind her. She swung her head around to stare at the hallway she had just exited from, as a metal door slammed shut across the hallway entrance. She was now trapped inside the ballroom.

Her head turned back to look in front of her, as sparks of electricity suddenly emanated from the air before her. Twilight stepped backwards, as the electricity intensified and the air seemed to grow dense. Suddenly the electricity stopped and the small portion of the world appeared to twist and turn, almost as if it was being sucked into a single point. A black dot formed in the air and began to grow in size, distorting the world around it.

"Oh no..." Twilight gasped, her heart dropping as the orb grew into a size she was familiar with. The shadows of the black orb seemed to pulse in and out of the center of it, eminently a dull throbbing through the air. From the middle a head emerged, pulling away from the shadows and distortions. A black-skinned pony, with a long snout and white eyes emerged before her. It cracked open its sewn shut mouth and let out a guttural growl as two chained hooves slammed down into the floor behind her.

It was the very same monster that had taken Lance from her and chased her through Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight turned on her hooves and ran. The cries of the black orb creature seemed to shake the very air around her, the sound of its hooves slammed against the metal once more. Twilight skidded to a stop as she remembered that her exit was now blocked off. She turned to face the creature, only to have the absurdly large ribbon sudden in her face and hitting her hard.

She felt her body get flung, slamming down hard against the metal floor as it rolled to a stop. Groans escaped her lips as she shakily got herself back to standing. She looked up at the creature; the two black ribbons that extended from the shadowy darkness that composed its body snaked around in the air before her. It took slow, calculated steps as it dragged its body closer. Its growls seemed to shake the air right before its face.

Twilight frantically looked around; she needed something to defend herself with. Of all the times, she wished she still had her sword. Her eyes fell to the abandoned table to the side of the room and she ran for it. The creature let out a bellowing roar and one of the ribbons lashed forward, slamming down right where she had been.

When she reached the table she slammed her body up against it and knocked it over, revealing the wooden legs underneath it. She raised her hoof and slammed it down on the leg in the air, the leg splitting off with a loud 'crack' from the table. She levitated the broken leg with her magic and turned to face the creature, just as a ribbon came slamming down on the table. Wood and splinters flew everywhere and Twilight covered her face as the table exploded.

She stared at the abomination inside the black orb slowly drawing closer to her, the ribbons withdrawing for the moment. A thought kicked around in her head and she looked at the broken table leg she was holding on to. It wasn't very sharp, most likely she wasn't going to be able to do a whole lot of damage with it and if she hit a ribbon she'd just lose the weapon. No, she had to aim for the head, it was her only chance.

She held the table leg in front of her, steeling her determination. The creature let loose another roar and the large ribbons shot out to attack her. This time, Twilight was prepared. She ran forward, the first ribbon smashing down hard where she had just been standing. The second ribbon was right in front of her, about to snake out and strike her directly. With precision she jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding being struck by the leathery material.

Her goal was in sight, she could take the shot. Her hooves hammered down on the ground and she closed the gap between her and the head of the blackened creature. She raised the table leg up over her head, and with a loud cry she slammed it down into the creature's forehead.

It raised its head back as the damage soaked in, letting out a loud roar of pain. Twilight grinned, realizing she'd dealt a successful blow as she stood just a foot away from the creature. She stared up at it as it wailed in pain, wondering if she'd hit the brain. The fight would be over then and there.

Then the creature's head came back down, the sewn parts of its mouth broken and the mouth open. A large fanged mouth came crashing down and bite down. Razor sharp fangs bore down into Twilight's sides, pain rocketing through her mind. Blood instantly burst from her mouth, air no longer reaching her. Her hooves left the ground as the creature picked her up in its mouth. Its teeth bore its way into her body; she could feel every inch of them piercing straight through her organs.

Blood oozed from her mouth and body, pain rocked her every thought. The creature let out a triumphant growl as it then began to sink back into the darkness, dragging her along with it. Her body became consumed, swallowed by the pulsing darkness as it seemed to be crushed by the very essence of its being. She was drawn into the darkness.

She felt free suddenly, like she was floating. The world felt like it was spinning, and she saw something in her vision.

It was her body.

Her body was drifting away from her, being chewed on by the darkness. But she was moving away from it. She was just a head. The world spun and her body disappeared, and then she saw something else. A long, black sword just sitting there in the darkness. For a moment, something in her mind told her that she had to get it. That she had no choice but to get it.

And then the world came rushing back. Images of the darkness rushing away, the ballroom and the creature in the black orb returned to her vision. She took in a powerful gasp of air, as though just moments ago she had been drowning and she'd surfaced for air. Her body shook and her breathing was heavy and ragged. The broken wooden table leg still floated in front of her, ready to be smashed into the creature's head.

She stumbled as she took a few steps backwards, her mind still reeling from what she had just felt. The black ribbon came rushing forward, striking her and slamming her directly against the wall. The back of her head struck the metal wall before she fell, collapsing on the ground as she whimpered in pain. The black creature let out a growl as if in triumph.

"Why... why did I..." Twilight shook on the ground, her bruised hoof reaching up to touch her head. Her head had been detached from her body; there was no two ways to look at it. She'd been decapitated, punctured several times by sharp teeth; by all means she should be dead. And yet there she was lying on the ground, battered and bruised from the beating she was receiving.

The black ribbon swung down again and she found herself flying through the air. Her body came crashing against the steel bars that lined the stage, air escaping her body once more before hitting the ground hard. Everything hurt, everything was bruised. She coughed and felt blood escape from her mouth, the bitter iron taste filling her mouth and senses.

That feeling of coming back, of needing air, of seeing something that happened but then didn't... she'd felt it before. It was just like when she had about to be roasted, or when she saw Spike torn to pieces in her library. The same feeling of she had experienced it first, and then something changed. She had seen what happened. She'd glimpsed into the future.

The roar of the creature snapped her out of her thoughts once more, the air reverberating around her. Her whole body ache but she had to shove that to the side for the moment, she couldn't just lay there. She turned her head and rolled onto her stomach, staring at the creature as it slowly raised each of its legs up and slammed it down, drawing itself closer to her. The two ribbons flicked back and forth in the air, ready for their next strike.

She had seen it. She had seen the black sword inside of that creature's body. The one the broken alicorn had used to stab Rarity, the one she'd used to kill the bloody abomination in the pool of blood, it was inside that thing. She had to get it. Her life depended on it now. If she could get it, she could win.

One of the black ribbons whipped itself around and came swinging down for her once more. This time she jumped out of the way, landing on her aching legs as it struck hard down where she had just been laying. The creature let out another bellow as it began to turn, chasing her with its ribbons. Twilight ran, beginning to run a circle around him.

The ribbons pulled back and whipped forth, always just missing her. Its body couldn't move as fast her running, the turning allowing her to get around the creature. As far as she knew, she only had one chance at this and she had to make it count. It might not even work, but she had to try.

The creature roared as it lost sight of her, Twilight running around to its back. She skidded to a stop and ran straight for the creature, knowing full well she was running straight into that orb of darkness. The creature tried to turn, to let its head see her, but she was already on him. With a jump, she pressed her hooves into the dark body of the orb and clung.

The creature roared, shaking the very air around them as her hooves began to sink into the darkness that surrounded its body. She screamed in pain as it felt like the darkness was sucking her limbs away from her body, crushing them into a single point at the creature's center. But she couldn't stop now; she had to get that sword. She grit her teeth and pushed her body closer to the black abyss before her and shoved her hoof inside of its body.

The darkness felt like it was eating away at her flesh as her hoof reached around desperately for its target. She shut her eyes tight, trying to focus all thoughts she could away from pain. She was slowly sinking deeper into the darkness, more of her body being consumed the longer she took to find the item. The creature was flailing about, trying to shake her off of its back, and letting the world know this was just as painful for him.

Her hoof struck something hard and thin, her eyes opening wide. Without hesitation she grabbed hold on it and pulled like she had never pulled on something before. Her back legs sunk into the darkness further, but her body and forelegs were escaping. She withdrew her hooves and along with them came the regal black sword, shooting out of the darkness. Bending her legs and jumping off with as much force as she could muster, she broke free from the creature's darkness and tumbled backwards, landing on her side once more.

The sword came to a clattering stop next to her as she weakly stood. The creature shook and shuddered before slamming it's hooves down and finally facing Twilight once more. She gently put a hoof down and stopped her body from shaking, just for the moment and stared the creature in the eyes. The white featureless orbs stared back at her, the ribbons whipping back and forth in anticipation of their next attack. She had hurt the creature by pulling the sword out and it wanted to hurt her back.

Her magic grabbed the sword, pulsing with energy as it held it right in front of her. The creature's sewn mouth roared, the air distorting more than it had before and crossing the room. The stench of its breath passed over her body as it shook her mane, but she stood firm in her spot. The creature then lashed out, the ribbons heading straight to take her out.

The sword flew almost like it was cutting the air itself, blurring through the very realms of reality with its slice. Blood flew through the air, as a thick portion of the leathery ribbon crashed to the ground. The creature howled in pain before withdrawing the severed ribbon, it finally disappearing back into its body. Twilight began to walk towards the creature, the creature's eyes widening in realization. It threw its head back and launched the remaining ribbon towards Twilight.

Black flew the air, just a haze of darkness bursting forth, and another ribbon was sliced in half. The creature howled desperately as the ribbon withdrew, sinking into the black orb of its body once more. The head turned and stared at Twilight, it's method of attacking exhausted.

Then, with a burst of speed, Twilight ran forward, straight at the creature. The creature raised its head and bellowed a roar, only for it to be swiftly silenced. The black steel of the sword pierced through its chin and through its skull, the world seeming to freeze around them at that very moment. Twilight stared as the sword remained glued to its position, the creature not moving either, not even drips of blood coming from the wound.

Deciding that was enough, she pulled the sword free from the creature's head. The beast fell forward, slamming hard against the ground as blood began to pour freely from its wound. It didn't shutter, it didn't shake, it didn't cry, it didn't move. It was dead.

She had killed it.

Her breathing was heavy, her mind in an almost trancelike state now that she had her hooves on her sword. It had taken everything out of her to take the creature down, but she had done it. She had saved her life; she had saved anyone else's life from this abomination.

Just as she was about to walk away, the creature shuddered and she raised her sword up ready to defend herself quickly. However, it began to be pulled back inside of its dark body, as if the orb was sucking in the leftovers of the fight. Bit by bit the leathery pony-like figure was pulled inside of the darkness before it once more had vanished. All that was left was the pulsing darkness of the orb.

She stared with confusion as the orb began to shrink down in size, wondering if perhaps it was going to disappear once more. But as those thoughts crossed her mind, the orb began to grow again. She took another step back, wondering if that thing was just going to come back once more and she'd be stuck in an endless fight... but the orb grew past the size it had before. It kept growing, starting to fill up the room.

Twilight swung her sword, hoping to cut the dark orb from consuming her, but her sword just sailed right through it. Her eyes widened as she realized she couldn't stop it, and shut her eyes tight as the darkness washed over her body and filled the room.

But unlike before when it felt like the darkness was consuming her flesh with every second she was in it, she just felt like she was swimming through thin water. Her eyes opened slowly and all she could see was darkness, but she could breath and it didn't hurt. She could even feel her magic still having a tight grip on her sword.

With a flick of her magic, the sword vanished into her reservoir for safe keeping. She wasn't about to lose her best weapon so easily this time. But now she didn't understand what was going on. Why had the orb expanded that way? Why was she standing in darkness?

In that instance a blinding light appeared and Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. The bright light burned harshly, her eyes having been in the dark and gloomy world for so long she had almost forgotten what light that bright was like.

"My, my, my... so it actually works..." An elderly voice spoke up.

Her eyes instantly shot open and she turned her head forward at the source of the voice. Before her was a pony, glowing brightly despite the darkness. His coat was a dulled light blue, with a graying mane that looked like it had once been blonde, with a scruffy beard to match. Around his shoulder and back was a worn in blue cloak that looked like it had seen many years of use.

"Hello there, I know this might be a surprise, but I'm-"

"Merlin?" Twilight asked confused, her body collapsing into a sitting position as she stared at the apparition before her. As she stared she noticed that she could see through him slightly. This wasn't Merlin in the physical flesh, but some kind of manifestation of him.

"Ah, so you have heard of me. I wasn't too sure you would have, considering how long from now it must be." He scratched the facial hair on his chin, "Though I suppose for you it is 'now'. Spells involving time can be such fickle things."

"Wait, wait, wait... you mean... you're the real Merlin?" Twilight gawked for a moment. She went to raise her hoof to her head, but realized a very sharp, stabbing pain sensation coursing through her body. The shock of seeing one of the greatest magical unicorns of all time had distracted her from the fact that her entire body was now covered in deep, darkening bruises and likely fractured bones. Her body was a torn up mess and her head was growing light.

"Whoa, I can't have you passing out now." He spoke, his horn lighting up in magic. She felt her body suddenly being wrapped with a warm glow and consciousness was returning to her slowly, though her body still felt achy. "By no means am I going to be able to heal you with the limited magic this spell has, but I should be able to transfer enough magic into you to keep you conscious for the duration of our chat."

"Merlin... but how? How is this possible?" Twilight stuttered, confusion coursing through her mind.

"Well, you should know better than anyone that magic is all about studying beyond what we know. You are Celestia's personal protégé correct?" Merlin smirked softly. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Merlin cut her off, "Though I can explain in a bit more depth. You see... what you're seeing now is nothing more than a recording. I set this up specifically to speak with you Twilight Sparkle. I know of you because I have seen you in my studies. Studying time travel, studying how to foresee the future, and studying the Elements of Harmony."

Twilight blinked in confusion before lowering her head a little, remembering what she had read about Merlin and his works. She had read he had studied in all those fields, but by no means did she remember any of them being truly successful, not like this anyway.

"You seem confused. Well, normally these kinds of spells don't work as well as most unicorns would like. I'm sure at your point in the future you know this. But they take on another meaning when amplified by the Elements of Harmony. I've been studying with them, specifically the use of the Element of Magic." Twilight's ears perked up at his words, realizing what he was saying. "And I've discovered something with the Element of Magic. It truly is just that, Magic. It flows through its user and encompasses them full of energy that would normally never be attainable through normal means."

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait..." Twilight murmured, trying to slow Merlin down, "You're saying way too much way too suddenly.... why are you here? ...Well, this recording of you... why?"

"Because I have to give you something." Merlin spoke seriously, the small smile he had escaping his face, "When I studied the Element of Magic I saw into the future. I saw you, being trained by Celestia, and that the world was going to meet a terrible fate one day. And I knew the last thing I had to do in my life was give you the means of saving everypony."

"You..." Twilight's mouth fell open a little, "You mean... you're going to help me save everypony?"

"Yes, but only by giving you this." Merlin raised his head and closed his eyes as his horn glowed once more and another light appeared in front of Twilight. His magic formed into a circle, a triangle being placed into the middle of it and runic symbols circling its outline.

"T-This is..." Twilight stammered, remembering the symbol from the mural of Celestia.

"This symbol is a spell I've been working on all my life, but I've made sure to destroy any copy of the notes or research on it, as it's far too dangerous to be in just anypony's hands." He spoke clearly. He raised his hoof and gently placed it against it, before pushing it towards Twilight. Twilight watched as it floated towards her, before pressing up against her chest and fusing into her body.

She let out a gasp as the knowledge of the spell filled her mind.

"This spell is so powerful that it contains a seal just in order to use it. The seal requires the user to be under great emotional duress in order for the spell to be accessed. Then, you just channel your magic into the spell and call forth its name." Merlin smiled, "This is my last gift to the world. Handing my greatest spell over to you."

"B-But wait..." Twilight panted, rubbing her head lightly, "How did this recording get here? What did you see of the future? How do I save everypony!?"

Merlin just smiled at her.

"I left this recording inside of Celestia, as I knew it would reach you one day. She was unaware of its presence, just lurking inside of her these last thousand years. It could only activate at this very moment, with you accessing Celestia's memories."

"What? Her memories? But I've only seen a few of those..." Twilight murmured, remembering the few boxes she had found along the way that showed scenes of Celestia's life.

"Then you will find the rest very soon, of that I am sure. With this, I'm certain you will save everypony. But it'll be up to you for that to happen." Merlin smiled as his appearance flicked, "And that's all the magical energy this memory can muster. I'm sorry I couldn't answer more questions."

"W-wait! You can't go just yet!" Twilight stretched her hooves out, trying to stop him from disappearing.

"Go forth and be brilliant Twilight. I believe in you." Merlin smiled as his figure then vanished. Twilight felt the darkness surrounded her rush forward along with him, the darkness soon receding and returning the world back the rusted, metallic hell that had become of it. The orb was once more in her sight as it shrunk more and more before disappearing into nothingness.

In its place a bottle appeared, falling to the ground and landing with a soft 'click' before rolling onto its side. Twilight stared dumbfounded at the bottle, before picking it up with her magic and turning to read the label. It was a Health Drink bottle.

The world around her thought it was funny, and this was its idea of a joke.

Author's Note

The penultimate chapter. Chapter 11 will be the final 'full' chapter. After that, it'll be a branching path followed by the endings.

Chapter 11

Edited by: Cool Story Brony and Brony17

The taste of bitter strawberries flowed down her throat once more. The bruises on her skin slowly shrank, though they didn't disappear completely. She felt a small rush of rejuvenation through her body, returning some of the energy she'd lost during her fight. It was only a small amount, but she had to take what she could get. She still felt winded, her body still ached, and she probably had a cracked bone or two still left in her body, but if she could recover from a stab wound through the shoulder, she could brush off a few bruises.

With the bottle emptied she tossed it aside, a shiver running through her body as the medicinal drink finished taking effect. She stood on her hooves and gave a small stretch, feeling her bones popping in place and her muscles ache. She panted softly as her lungs demanded more air and she sat back down. She knew she couldn't stay in one place for too long, but she just needed a moment.

Merlin's spell was doing circles in her head, trying to process the new information she'd just received. Though she knew how it worked, she couldn't completely decipher it. The spell called for her to focus her magic onto a single spot and channel as much of it as she could into a single cast of the spell. It was a very 'all or nothing' kind of spell and that worried Twilight. He had said that the spell had the power to save everyone, but if she only got one chance to cast it...

Even if she was willing to risk possibly passing out, or being without her magic for a short while in this hell of a world, there was still the fact she had to break through the seal restraining the spell. The spell was designed in such a complex way that it would not work unless the seal was broken, and no matter which way Twilight looked at it she couldn't think of how the spell could be made without the seal.

'Merlin certainly knew how to craft a spell...' She thought to herself, letting out a slow sigh as she stopped thinking about the spell for a moment. Merlin had said that the seal required her to be under great emotional duress in order to break it. Not for a moment did she think the seal would be a problem to break. She'd been hurt, nearly killed, broken down crying several times, watched her friends be mutilated before her, and just let the world break her several times. Emotional duress she had plenty of.

So she had a spell, a spell that could save everyone, but she couldn't use it right now. She had no idea what it did, why it did it, or what the end result would be. She needed to be someplace safe, someplace where she could rest for a bit and just let her magic recuperate after casting the spell.

Finding Magus came to mind, but that would require her to escape the hell she now found herself in. She knew that was possible at least, every time she'd come to face some big monster this ghastly world at least returned to some semblance of Ponyville, and when the town was like that she would be able to find Magus. However, she had just finished off a big monster that had nearly succeeded in killing her.

The memory of her head floating away from her body in a black abyss came back to her mind and she put her hoof up to her neck. She had come very close to being killed.

And yet there she was, still in this awful Otherworld.

"Am I trapped here now? Am I not allowed to leave?" Twilight shuttered, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. Her mind was starting to escape her again and she had to keep it under control. She had made it this far alive. She could make it out of here alive.

The sound of hooves striking the metal floor from behind her made her nearly jump out of her skin. As quickly as she could muster she summoned the black sword and swung her body around, holding it ready to strike at the pony approaching from behind. Her vicious gaze fell upon a cloaked figure, strolling towards her before coming to a stop.

Twilight recognized the pony, though she had completely forgotten about her every time she'd shown up. But she had followed her through this whole incident, cryptically saying things that either didn't make sense or just left her with more questions. Never once had she offered an explanation, given any assistance, or even shown her face.

Twilight was sick of it now, she'd had enough of this nonsense to last her a lifetime.

"Stay right there. Don't you DARE take another step." Twilight growled, her teeth clenching as she glared at the pony. "Are you a monster or aren't you?! Show your face! I'm sick of this! Of everything! Are you here to help me or kill me like the REST of this town!?"

Twilight could hear herself panting heavily. The only thing on her mind was the pony before her and what she was going to do to them if they were an enemy.

The air was still between them, the cloaked pony not moving an inch, not saying a word. Twilight held the sword tightly, adjusting it a little just to ensure she could get a clean swing in should an attack head her way. She was watching carefully, making sure she didn't miss a detail. The cloaked figure remained quiet for what Twilight counted as a minute, before it finally spoke up.

"Twilight Sparkle, I am not your foe. I simply know of your woe." The pony reached up to the hood covering her face, grabbing hold of it and pulling it back to reveal herself. Twilight's eyes widened as she stared at the pony before her, if she could even call it a pony. She wasn't sure there was enough there to be called a pony.

The pony in the robe was nothing more than a skeleton, missing all flesh and muscles to bind to its bones. The black eyes of its empty skull stared back at her. Its bony mouthed opened as it began to speak more.

"I've watched over ponies since time long gone, seen countless generations and their spawn. I see time flow and eras pass, with all trying see time through a looking glass. I see what can be and what will occur, everything that life offers and that it will incur. I am there when life begins, to view all of pony sins. You all say my name with your last breath." The cloaked figure tilted its head, a chill running up Twilight's back,

"Everypony knows me as Death."

"Y-You... you can't be!" Twilight cried out, slashing her sword through the air. The edge of the blade struck the ground, carving a small groove into it. "You're death!? Death isn't a pony! It's a concept! There is no harbinger of 'death'! You're lying!" Twilight pointed the sword at the robed skeleton before her, the sword lightly shaking as she tried to calm herself down.

"You still have your doubt after all, proof that your mind has not made the final fall." The mare’s voice seemed to be joined by a quiet tacking sound now, the sound of her bones clicking together as she talked, "But this is where we will part way, can you truly say that my words betray?"

The shaking sword faltered for a moment as Twilight tried to absorb her words. Of all the possibilities in this world, she never would've thought she'd meet someone, or something, that claimed to be the harbinger of death. Something like that was only true in fairy tales, stories passed down of a ghostly image you see before you die. Even with all the monsters she'd seen in her life, she never would've thought something would manifest the concept of death itself.

"...Okay, so what if you are death? Why are you here? Why are you following me? An omen? Watching me as I slowly die in this world!? Well sorry to disappoint, but I have no plans of dying today. I'm going to save my friends, I'm going to save Ponyville, and I'm going to bring an end to this nightmare once and for all!" Her sword stopped shaking, determination flowing through her body once more. If death wanted her life, she wasn't about to hand it over. She had come too far to just let it end here.

"I come not for thee, Twilight Sparkle. This world is as seen, merciless and feral. The lives of many are tied to this world, gathered together in a place that is all but unfurled." The skeletal mare turned away from Twilight, stepping towards one of the walls. Twilight stared confused, unsure of what Death's next move would be.

Death raised her hoof to the wall and pressed against it gently. She stood there for a moment, before removing her hoof from the surface. The sound of stone grinding against steel began to echo through the empty ballroom, as the wall split and began to open. A path appeared from behind the opening, appearing to be a lightless hallway leading somewhere.

"My hooves were not made to dwell in the land of mortals, but I exist here only due to maddened angels. I wish to see this realm that mocks my land cease to be, so that ponies may once return to their lives carefree. You are the only one with power now, to defeat the darkness by heaven's vow." Death stood next to the opening, staring at Twilight. She shifted on her hooves uncertain. She had no other way out of the room but for the way that Death had opened for her, but that thought sent chills down her back. She had to follow Death's path, not a thought she liked in the least.

She considered her options for a moment, realizing she really didn't have much other choice. This world had shown her repeatedly that she had to follow the paths before her and that any other path would be blocked off or locked unless she had a key or solved some kind of puzzle. There really was no other option...

Hesitantly she put a hoof forward and began to walk, heading for the imposing doorway that stood before her. She came to a stop just a foot away from it, Death standing next to her. Death stared at her with that featureless face, as if the empty sockets could see straight into her soul. Another shiver ran down her back, and she turned to look Death in the face.

"Answer me just one thing before I go..." Twilight almost whispered, knowing once she stepped forward there was absolutely no turning back, "Are my friends okay?"

"Those whose fates are tied to you will be made clear soon, a fate similar to the eyes of the pale moon." The words didn't comfort Twilight a bit as she gripped her magic around the black blade. "I am certain that their fate will be one you find to be in your favor, for not every thread will leave you a quiver."

"Right..." Twilight murmured, looking back at the dark hallway before her. She raised her hoof and turned on the light from her pendant, illuminating some of the hallway before her. "I guess this is goodbye then."

"You are correct that we will not meet this way again. The next time we meet will be under the gaze of madmen." With those words, Death turned from Twilight and walked towards the center of the empty ballroom. Twilight's eyes followed her for a moment or two, before returning to the hallway before her.

"Comforting..." Twilight murmured to herself, before taking the first step into the darkened abyss. Once she'd made several strides, the sound of grinding stone on metal returned and the hallway sealed off behind her, trapping her in the eternal dark of the hallway. The only light that came was from her pendant and she kept a grip on her sword tight. There wasn't much room there, only maybe a foot or two on each side of her, but she had to move forward.

The light only reached a few feet ahead of her before greeting the thick darkness that encompassed the hallway. There were no sounds there, just the constant beat of her hooves against the ground. The walls seemed a dull red, covered in stains and cracks, the only things that crossed her vision as she walked.

Step by step she continued further down the hallway, her black sword hovering by her side, ready to strike at anything that might cross her path. She had no idea how far the path might stretch, but she knew that as long as it continued to stretch forward, she had to follow it. There was no turning back; her way back had been sealed. Her only goal now was to reach the end; the end of this nightmare.

"I suppose there is no forgiveness for me this time..."

Twilight stopped in her tracks as a familiar voice echoed through the hallway.

"Hello!?" She called out, desperate to hear that pony’s voice again.

"I've gone too far, there's no turning back..."

The voice echoed through the hall, as if coming from the dark abyss before her. Realizing they might be ahead, she began to pick up the pace, heading towards the end of the hall faster now.

"I suppose, in the end, I have earned everything I have now..."

The voice sounded familiar, one she'd heard all her life. It'd been so long since she last heard it, but she knew that voice.

"But what I have is not something I ever desired..."

It was Celestia's voice. She could hear her mentor's voice echoing through the hallway. Her quickened walk turned into a full-on gallop, racing to try and reach the end of the hallway, to see her face once more, to be able to hold her in an embrace, to know she's okay.

"There's no undoing my sins, I can only look towards tomorrow..."

Where was she? Her voice was so clear, but she seemed so far away. Twilight had to reach her, wanted to reach her. The echoes of her hooves sand loudly her desire to see her mentor once more.

"Perhaps one day, I can atone for these sins."

Just as Celestia's voice vanished, the seemingly endless hallway opened up. Twilight skidded to a halt as a large room appeared before her; twisted metal chandeliers circled the ceiling and cast a dim light down on the circular room. On each side of the circular room were two doors made of stone and covered in intricate carvings. In the center of the room though, was a massive door, covered in a large depiction of Celestia pressed against one of the crosses she had seen in town. Beneath her, flames flickered ready to burn the princess's flesh, while behind her were the shadows of ponies long since gone. At the bottom of the door were four squares, looking similar to the indents she'd seen around town that indicated something went into their slots.

"Celestia... she must be behind that door!" Twilight said, hoping that her mentor was just within reach. She walked up to the large doors and inspected the holes, seeing writing underneath them.

Only once the memories have gathered will the hollowed chamber open.

With a press of her hoof, she confirmed that the doors weren't going to budge. Just another obstacle on her path.

Twilight let out a reluctant sigh and took a step back, staring at the depiction of Celestia on the cross. She'd already seen three ponies die in her hooves because of that accursed symbol, she wasn't about to let her mentor fall to the same fate. Her eyes wandered to the four doors around the room and quickly stepped over to the one on the far right.

The carvings on the door depicted a soldier, a weapon in its mouth as it faced down a dragon. A few thoughts ran through Twilight's mind, but something told her the key to opening the big door was in the smaller doors around the room. She raised her hooves and pressed against it, the stone door slowly opening, grinding against the floor.

Stepping through the thick doors, they quickly closed behind her once she was in the room. It was pitch black inside, save for the light coming from her pendant. She couldn't see very far, but she thought she could see the edges of the room. It seemed to be a small, cramped, square room, with just barely enough room for a pony to be able to live in it.

A quiet, whining groan struck her ears and she pointed her light forward. Before her appeared one of the many soldiers she had seen throughout town, the clanking of metal hitting each other as its head moved slowly. A small bit of flesh fell from its face as it turned towards the light, a pained whine coming from the creature. Twilight stared at it, the soldier slowly moving as it seemed to adjust to being on its feet once more. It lowered its head slowly and grabbed a spear that was lying at its hooves, picking it up slowly.

The soldier seemed different from the others. It didn't move with tactical precision, it seemed slow and shambling, almost as if it didn't want to fight. But it started lurching forward, shifting the spear and lunging at Twilight.

"Sorry, you're in my way." Twilight spoke quietly, the black sword moving swiftly from her side.

The blade swung without hesitation, splitting the spear into pieces. With another swift swing, the soldier stopped moving.

The pained whining stopped as the two of them stood there for a moment, before the armored pony crumpled into a pile on the floor. Blood began to spill from the soldier's neck, though not a drop appeared on her blade. She'd made the cut quick and swift, ending the fight before it'd really begun.

Twilight stared at the body, almost unable to register that she'd struck down yet another living being. The first time she'd done it; she had broken down and cried. Even though it had tried to eat her, she never wanted to kill it. But she'd killed so many now, so many had tried to kill her in return, what was another monster dead? They weren't ponies, no matter what Magus said. She couldn't hold back against them, or else she'd find herself dead.

And she had to live. She had to. She was the only one who could stop all of this.

Twilight nearly jumped as a light appeared from the body of the soldier. It floated up from the body heading for the center of the room. Twilight stared as the light centered itself, and then began to expand. Her eyes widened as she realized that this was just like the other times her vision had been shrouded in light.

It was the light that always accompanied memories...

"CAPTAIN!" The loud cries of the soldiers rang out as the blast of intense fire engulfed his being. In a matter of moments the charred corpse of a pony fell to the ground. A dragon's roar pierced through the following silence, which caused the soldiers to erupt in a frenzy of panicking yells.

The large body of soldiers began to scramble, some fleeing from the battlefield while others looked for places to hide. Any semblance of an organized fight had now been lost, fear and panic swelling through the soldiers. Towering before the soldiers was the large black dragon, one that filled the hearts of ponies with dread.

Acnologia, the Dragon of Apocalypse.

"No! Stop! You mustn’t run away now! We have to fight!" The grand ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, stood before her soldiers, looking at them in shock. "If we lose now, we lose Equestria forever!"

"Princess, we must escape!" A panicked soldier near the princess cried, "We've lost seventy percent of our soldiers! The captain was just obliterated, and we've barely even made a dent on the beast! We can't win! We have to escape!" The soldier then turned and ran; the battlefield that was once filled with soldiers was emptying, leaving only the charred and bloody remains of their fellow ponies behind.

"STOP! I ORDER YOU TO FIGHT!" Celestia bellowed out. But no soldier listened to the command of their leader. The field was emptying of soldiers, leaving the alicorn alone on the field.

"You... you cowards..." The monarch bitterly spat. The loud thud of mass and muscle stepping behind her broke her from her thoughts, and her heart sunk. The hot air of the dragon's breath rushed over her neck as chills ran down her spine. Her head slowly turned, the black dragon appearing within the corner of her vision. Another billow of hot air crossed her back as a deep chuckle ran through the dragon's neck.

"So, the mighty ruler of Equestria, stranded by her soldiers." The dragon laughed, staring at the princess who was unable to move. "Oh how the mighty do fall. It's laughable to think you even stood a chance against me."

"Acnologia..." Celestia hissed, her body slowly turning to face the dragon. Her eyes glared daggers, but failed to hide the fear that surrounded her, "You will not destroy my lands or my subjects. We will stop you-"

Her words were interrupted when air escaped her body. The large, sharp talons of Acnologia wrapped around her body and squeezed, lifting her up into the air suddenly. Acnologia brought her to face level with him, his row of teeth gleaming through his grin.

"Your land? Your subjects?" Acnologia lifted his head and a laugh echoed across the land. Celestia's eyes twitched as she struggled to breathe, her whole body shuddering from the sound of the mighty dragon laughing. Her body shifted as his hand moved, turning her to face the lands they had been fighting on. "View your 'land', your 'subjects'. I do not see anything that belongs to you anymore."

The fields surrounding the battle were scorched black, fires burning in various spots. Charred and maimed corpses littered the ground, the remnants of the large army she had acquired to fight the dragon. The lush world that they had stepped into had been reduced to nothing but a burning wasteland of death. A sharp pain filled her chest as she stared at the destruction of the things she held dear.

"You no longer rule these lands Princess. These lands are mine." Celestia was turned to meet his gaze once more, her eyes staring back into the red depths of his vision. She grit her teeth, unable to say anything, barely even able to breath. There was nothing she could do anymore. She was powerless.

"Damn you..." She bitterly spat again, struggling against his hand.

"There's no point in struggling anymore. Just accept it, you all belong to me. I decide whether you live or die, whether you have a home today or not. I get to enjoy every moment of playing with your lives." The dragon chuckled, seeing the look of fury on Celestia's face, knowing just how powerless she actually was. "But, for you 'dear Princess', I'm willing to let live. Under the condition that you serve me the rest of your days."

Celestia's eyes widened in horror at his words.

"You... you can't be serious..." Her lip trembled as the horror of the situation began to settle in.

"It's either that or die here." The dragon chuckled, his grinning growing wider as he stared her down.

Celestia's mouth hung agape as her mind tried to even process what he was saying. She was the ruler of Equestria; she was no one's subject. She had helped the age of ponies out of its darkest times, out of being ruled by madmen and corrupt royalty. She had made the world a better place... only for this dragon, this monster, to seize everything she'd ever worked for?

"Very well." The dragon growled before she even had a chance to respond. His large mouth opened, bearing several rows of razor sharp teeth for her to see. Some were clearly stained with blood, blood that had once belonged to her former soldiers. The slimy tongue rolled out and her head was being placed into his mouth, his hot breath washing over her face and mane.

'This... this can't be the end...' Celestia's mind panicked, flashes of the teeth crunching down on her neck appearing in her mind. 'I... I can't die here... I've lived for so long already... What were the last thousand years for if I die now? What was the point of everything I've done?' The world seemed to move slowly as she felt the heat grow hotter and the mouth open wider. He was seconds away from devouring her.

'No... No I can't... I can't die here... I can't... I CAN'T DIE.'

"WAAAAAIIIT!"

Acnologia stopped his movements, hearing the shrill cry of the Princess in his mouth. He slowly pulled her out, raising an eyebrow curious as he looked at the trembling Princess in his hand.

"I..." Her voice cracked, hot tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, "I'll... I'll do it..."

Ancologia's grin reflected his devilish joy upon hearing those words.

"That's what I thought." His draconic voice chuckled. "I'm glad we could come to this agreement."

"What... do you want me to do?" She nearly bit her tongue as the words fell from her mouth with vile bite. Every inch of her mind was telling her what she was doing was wrong. But she couldn't stop herself. She had to live, she had to.

"Well, you see, I can't possibly be everywhere in Equestria at once, as much as I'd love to ravage more lands and partake in more delicacies. So what I want from you, 'dear Princess', is to periodically send me your subjects." His laughter echoed once more, "You will send them to me for me to feast on. So that I may partake in ponies from two parts of the country at once."

Celestia's mind reeled. He was ordering her to send her subjects to their death. Not just their death, but to be eaten. To be devoured by this dragon. The subjects that looked up to her, that trusted her, that saw her as the leader that carried them through the dark ages of pony kind. He was asking her to betray them, betray all of them. Just so that she could live... to send them to die in her place.

"Well?" Acnologia did not care to wait for an answer, "Answer now or I will just devour you."

Celestia's head lowered, her tears striking his scales as she grit her teeth.

"Fine... Fine, I'll send you my subjects..."

The draconic laughter echoed across the fields as Acnologia let out a long, billowing laugh. His laughter echoed through her ears and into her heart, as she could feel it shattering to pieces.

"The memory of Celestia..." Twilight murmured to herself. The light died down and she stood once more in the dark room, barely illuminated by her pendant. The bloody body of the dead soldier still lay before her. Her body shuddered slightly, taking a deep breath as she calmed her aching nerves.

"I can't even pretend to know how she must have felt..." Twilight closed her eyes, the images of Celestia's face still fresh in her mind. "To be forced to sacrifice her own people, just so that others might live..."

The black sword gripped within her magic floated upwards and she looked into the blade, the reflection of herself just barely within view from the shined edge.

"So that she could live..."

It was a bitter pill to swallow. Her teacher, her mentor, had agreed that others should die so that she could live. It wasn't the kind of image Twilight would have pictured of her teacher. Celestia, the ruler of Equestria, cared deeply for her subjects. Twilight could only picture Celestia ever giving herself up so that her people might live... but the memory laid here told her the opposite.

Celestia would sacrifice her people so that she might live.

"There must have been a grander purpose..." Twilight's words were so quiet that they didn't even have a chance to echo back to her. "A reason that that she had to live. After all... Acnologia still lived... if she died then, who could stand to face him? Though she had lost... she still had to face him. To stop him from ruling the land..."

They were the only words that convinced Twilight to accept what she had seen. That her teacher was not a selfish monster willing to sacrifice her people, but a benevolent ruler who knew what had to be done.

The sound of stone hitting the floor struck her ears and she quickly looked away from her sword. On the ground next to the dead soldier was a tile. Etched onto its surface was the same carving she had seen on the door, a dragon facing down a soldier.

"I see... I need to gather four of those to open the door."

The tile began to float and quickly disappeared, joining Twilight's magical reservoir. She turned around and opened the grinding stone door once more, entering the circular room that contained five doors. She had completed the first, and one required four tiles in order to open. Her mind quickly told her that the other three doors also held memories, much the same as this one had.

She quickly swallowed any bubbling fear that had appeared in her throat and walked up to the door next to the one she had just entered. On its surface a picture of a pony reading a book with Celestia looming overhead was carved into the door. A few possible thoughts ran through Twilight's head, but there was only one way to know if they were correct.

Raising her hoof, she pressed against the door and it opened slowly, grinding against the floor once more.

The first thing that hit her ears was the familiar sound of paper being crumpled, as though it was being eaten. The light of her pendant followed next, falling upon the back of the creature she had seen in Stalliongrad Library. Her sword rose before her as the creature seemed to stop, noticing her presence. She wouldn't give it the time to attack.

It's blank, round head turned to face her as the swift black blade soared through the air. In an instance, the sword was imbedded deep within the creature's neck. The devourer of books let out a sickening howl of pain, before it was silenced by Twilight splitting its neck in half.

The bulbous body fell to the ground, blood oozing from the large wound in its neck, life slipping away.

She had gotten quite good at killing. The actions were coming by instinct now. There was a monster before her; it wanted to take her life. She couldn't afford to get hurt any more than she already had, so she had to end it quickly. Aim for the vital points, the head, the neck, the heart, the brain. A decisive blow to any part of them would end the battle quickly and in her favor.

For a moment, she wondered if that perhaps, this is what it felt like to be a soldier.

Just as her thoughts came to a head, the familiar light appeared from the body before her. Floating up to the center of the room, it quickly filled the room once more, her vision becoming trapped to that of her mentor's memory.

The young mare was thrust to the ground. A hoof slammed down on her back, causing her to yelp out in pain as she struggled to breath. She struggled against the hoof until it dug into her back, causing her to wince. She looked up slowly, seeing the looming figure of Princess Celestia sitting on her throne. The cold, cruel eyes of a vicious leader looked down upon her.

"Golden Seal," the commanding voice of the Princess boomed forth, "Thou are henceforth charged with the illegal acquisition of information and treason to the throne. How doest thou plea?"

"Not guilty!" The yellow mare cried out quickly, only to have her breath stolen by the hoof on her back. "I-I'm loyal to the crown m-my Princess... I... I would never betr-" Another stomp of the hoof silenced her.

Princess Celestia glared down at the mare, her horn lighting up as several books were drawn forth before her.

"Thou were caught not only in possession of these tomes, but red-hoofed in the middle of reading them. These tomes contain vital secrets of the Equestrian Kingdom, and thou were just appraising them as if thou owned them." Celestia's hoof slammed down on her chair as she glared at the mare, "And thou has the nerve to say that thou is not guilty!?"

"Y-Your Highness..." The mare coughed, a small trickle of blood forming at the edge of her mouth, "I-It is true what you say... I began to read one... b-but I am no traitor... Equestria is my home... I bear no ill will towards the kingdom or the throne... I... I just wanted to know more, so that I might help the kingdom further."

"We know that thou speakeths lies!" Celestia boomed, causing the whole court to wince in fright. "Thou comeths from the land of Lord Gemstone, a contemptible stallion who has been charged with attempting to overthrow our Kingdom. Thou ar't in league with such a villainous royal."

"NO!" Golden cried out, her eyes widened in fear, "I would never betray your majesty! I swear it on my life!"

"Then thy life is what we shall have." Celestia slammed her foot down on the ground once more. "Take this peasant away. She shal't know what it means to betray the crown."

Golden's body trembled with fear, her eyes watering as the guards picked her, dragging her away thrashing. "NO! NO PRINCESS, PLEASE! I WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU! I NEVER MEANT FOR THIS TO HAPPEN! PLEASE! PLEASE LISTEN-"

The doors to Celestia's throne room slammed shut as the mare disappeared behind them. There was a lingering silence left in the room once her departure left. A feeling in the air that would not dissipate, yet no one would dare speak a word of it.

"I will return to my chambers now." Celestia spoke standing up from her throne, "Do not disturb me unless it is of grave importance." The guards of her throne quickly saluted her as she walked out of the throne room, headed for her chambers.

"Thou hast grown colder since thy battle." A voice cut through the thick air, causing Celestia to stop. There was only one pony who would dare speak to her in such a manner. "We cannot dare to imagine what it is that thy witnessed, but thou returned changed."

"Our battles do not concern that of thou, little sister." Celestia almost growled, not wanting to turn to face her sister. Luna stepped out from the shadows, standing behind Celestia, her gaze unchanging.

"Our kingdom is changing, not with the ideals of hope in mind. Little though there is that we can do to stop it, for thou arrest the one who controls the royals. Our crown has little power these days."

"Thou need not lecture us. We've seen our kingdom with our own eyes. We will save it."

"Then let us do it together sister, for no reason should our powers be divided!" Luna stepped closer to Celestia, Celestia's own aggravation growing with Luna's words. "We recognize that the crown has more power in thy hooves, but thou should know that such a matter won't last if thou doest not want it too. Tell our court, tell our people, tell them that we shalt work together! Under the name of the crown we-"

"THY CROWN IS NOTHING BUT A LIE!" Celestia bellowed, turning her head to glare at her sister.

Luna stepped back in horror, unable to believe her ears. Celestia glared at her sister, malice coursing through her veins.

"What has thou done to help thy kingdom!? All thou hast done is stand by and let others do thy work, thoughts of weakness and doubt fill thy mind! If our kingdom was left to you, there would no longer BE a kingdom to rule!"

Luna was appalled, taking another step back as her head lowered upon hearing her sister's backlash. Celestia grit her teeth, glaring at the younger alicorn for a moment longer before realization struck her. She turned her head away and tried to calm down, knowing she was speaking out in anger instead of logic.

"Thy words cut deep like a dagger." Luna growled in return, "We will do our best to save our kingdom. Thou knowest nothing."

Luna turned and fled the hallway, leaving Celestia standing there alone. Left to contemplate her thoughts.

The alicorn stood, alone, unmoving for several moments, letting the stress and weight of her position and power sink in further. Then she stepped forward, heading back to her room.

Twilight took a step back, recovering from the effects the memory had on her. The light of the vision faded and left her in the room once more with the bleeding body of the creature that ate books. She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around what she had just witnessed.

"Celestia sent that poor mare to... to her death..." Twilight shook her head again, the thoughts jumbling together to try and form a picture she didn't want them to form. "All she did was read a book... she even said she was loyal to the crown..." Twilight rubbed her head, trying to stop a headache from forming.

"Celestia must've had a good reason... right? She even said so... but..." She bit her bottom lip, remembering how the Princess had yelled at her younger sister, how she had declared that Luna's crown was basically worthless...

The clacking sound of a tile hitting the floor distracted her for a moment, her eyes quickly noticing one having landed just before her. It bore the same inscription as the door, a pony reading a book with Celestia bearing down on them.

"I... I shouldn't think too hard about this for now." Twilight swallowed, quickly grabbing the tile and having it vanish into her reservoir. "I'm so close to seeing Celestia, I just know it... I can ask her anything I want once I'm out of here... I just have to get out of here first."

Twilight didn't waste any time getting out of the room, just wanting to distance herself from the memory.

Princess Celestia was like a second mother to her, a source of wisdom and guidance, a beacon of light in a world that might not always be at its brightest. To break her down into something akin to a despot... it wasn't something Twilight was willing to accept. Celestia had never been the type to destroy the lives of other ponies just because it favored her, or to wrongly accuse a pony of a misdeed. Nor had she sent anyone to their deaths within the last four hundred years, she just wasn't that type of ruler.

"...But maybe she was once..." Twilight stopped before the next door, just left of the large double-door. Etched into the stone were the two Princesses, facing away from each other. Luna's eyes were drawn down into a glare, while Celestia's were closed, hinting at a despair that refused to show on her face. Over their heads was the silhouette of a small alicorn, whose figure appeared to be ascending into the heavens.

"I suppose... the only way to find out is to see more of her memories..." Twilight gulped again, pressing her hoof to the stone door. The monsters she had faced were one thing, losing her friends one by one was another... But to be forced to believe that her mentor was not always the wise, loving, gracious ruler that she had always been was the most bitter pill of all to swallow.

The stone pushed open, grinding against the floor to revel the small square contents of the room. In the center stood yet another familiar monster. A shabby cloak covered its body, with its blade like legs. Its back was turned to her, it only seeming to notice her entrance once the light had hit it. It quickly turned, revealing the theatre mask that covered its face.

It let out a screech, quickly turning its body to face the intruding mare. The last time Twilight had fought this creature, she had barely a dagger and some books to defend herself. But she was ready now, the black sword gleamed in the light of her pendant and her instincts had been honed. The creature would not last this time.

It raised its sharp forelegs and swung them down, intent on ending this in a single blow. But his aim was imprecise, her eyes naturally saw through the movement. Her body jumped to the side, the sharpened edges digging into the stone floor of where she had been standing.

Without letting the creature retaliate, her sword swung upwards in a flash, slicing straight through the connected joints of its limbs. The creature let out a horrifying wail as its body crashed into the stone floor under its own weight. It writhed; trying to get it's upright on its missing front legs. Twilight's hoof came down hard on where its shoulder should be, pinning it to the floor. The theatre mask looked up, just as the point of her blade was slammed down into the center of the creature's forehead.

The blade buried itself halfway into the monster's skull before it finally stopped thrashing. Twilight panted softly, waiting a few seconds to ensure that it had stopped moving, before withdrawing the blade from its forehead. She turned her head to stare at the blade, seeing the blood slowly sliding down the length of the blade.

She flicked the sword carefully, freeing it of as much blood as she could, as she stared at the body in the room. It only took a few seconds before the familiar orb of light popped up once more. Twilight swallowed a little, bracing herself for whatever she might see next. She didn't know if she was ready to see more of her beloved teacher in this way, but she had a feeling that she wasn't going to have a choice in the matter.

The bedroom doors slammed open, light infiltrating the dark chamber. The figure of a darkened alicorn stood there, anger visible through the darkness.

"Thou shalt explain thyself NOW, dear sister!" Luna's voice bellowed through the room, causing the laying figure to stir. Celestia's weary head turned, facing her sister who had so rudely barged into her room. Even within the dark room, it was possible to see the darkened streaks under her eyes, signs she had been crying for some time.

"We ordered thou to leave us for the day." Celestia growled, not wanting to deal with her sister for now. "Thou hast got what thy wanted, power of the court. Thy crown shines there, why hast thou intruded on us despite our order?"

"Thy mouth is full of tarnished bile; thou knows the court thinks us a jester!" Luna slammed her hoof down on the ground, growling right back at her sister. "The royal court has become a mockery of its one irrefutable reputation, merely begging and grasping for when their mighty ruler Celestia might grace their presence once more. They care not for our interventions or ideas! Thou hast brainwashed them into your ideals and your ideals alone. They shall not take my crown with the authority it should unless thou art there to ensure its power! And thou knows this!" Luna shook her head, gritting her teeth trying to control her anger before glaring at her sister. "So why hast thou set up this mockery!?"

"There hast been no mockery towards thee sister." Celestia bit back, bringing a hoof up to rub her face for a moment and try to regain some of her composure. "We needed this day off. We thought that thou wouldst be happy controlling court for a day."

"A shallow thought indeed. What has thou so pent up in thy room that thou cannot come to the Royal Court? If thou truly didst care for us, you'd be there to ensure we were not made into a jester!"

Celestia was silent for a moment, her eyes gleaming over before looking away from her sister. She didn't say a word for several moments, not helping Luna's growing anger.

"Well!? Answer us!" Luna slammed her hoof against the ground again, this time causing the bed chamber to shake ever so slightly. Celestia could feel it through her layers of quilted pillows and knew how serious her sister was. There was no escaping this unscathed, the only thing she could think to do was tell the truth.

"Luna..." Celestia's voice finally wavered, closing her eyes to take a deep breath before finally turning to face her sister. "We... were with child."

Luna's head kicked back in disbelief, unable to process her sister's words.

"With... child? What does thou mean? Thou hast not shown the signs, nor hast thou had the time! How could thou be with child!?"

"Sister, thou hast not heard me." Celestia shook her head slowly, closing her eyes solemnly. "We were with child until the sun rose over the mountainside..."

"But... thou hast no child... what thou says makes little sense!" Luna shook her head, trying to piece together what her sister was saying, "Where is this child thou speaks of if thou no longer has him!?"

Celestia turned away from her sister, anger starting to swell inside of her.

"Must thou make us relive our pain already!? We were with child; our mood was changed as such. But our child no longer lives. A first breath of life was he denied a chance to see our world under its magnificent light, to know of pleasures and pains, to know of love and deceit. Thus was our child robbed of these joys, before he even began to see life within me."

Luna stood unspeaking, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her sister had been carrying a new life inside of her, but had told no one. And then as quickly as it had arrived had it vanished from this world. But as the shock began to wear off, several questions began to enter her mind.

"But sister, thou hast never before mentioned a stallion that thou liked. A suitor of sorts that you chose has not been shown. Nor hast thou been making any arrangements for a wedding, or to make a family!" Luna shook her head and slammed her foot, "Sister! When didst thou have time to bear a child!?"

Celestia did not respond. She turned to face Luna, quietly staring at the younger sister. She did not speak a word, her tired eyes were all that needed to be seen. The pieces connected in Luna's mind and realization slowly began to dawn on her. The hair on the back of her neck began to stand on end, her muscles tensing as her body reacted to the thoughts that her mind was fighting.

"No..." The younger sister's word came out quiet, but the hesitation and fear was apparent within it.

"Luna..." Celestia began, but was cut off before she could say more.

"No... No! No, thou did not! Thou would not stoop to such... such a heinous act!" Luna's hoof slammed against the ground again, her body beginning to shake as her teeth grit. Her brow began to furrow in anger, glaring daggers at the elder alicorn. "Thou did not do what our mind has conceived! Thou would not betray us like that!"

"Luna... please..."

Luna's eye twitched, her hooves stomped on the floor again, her head lowered and her teeth were grinding in her mouth. Her hair twitched violently, surging with her magical energy as the betrayal hit her hard.

"Thou KNEW! Thou KNEW that we had taken a liking to that stallion!" Her hoof slammed hard, rocking the bedroom once more, this time leaving cracks upon the floor. "But thou did this anyway!? Thou took not only our crown and our power, but our love as well!?" He voice began to boom, echoing through the halls.

"Sister, please listen!" Celestia begged, trying to stand, "It's not what thou thinks-"

"Oh we can see it CLEARLY sister!" Luna's head rose sharply, her eyes glaring death at Celestia. The normal cool eyes of Luna were glossed over, shining a radiant blue that overtook her sight. "BETRAYAL! Thou has done nothing but betray us! But no more! No more will we stand for this!" Luna's mane began to rage upward, magic filling the ceilings of the castle, Celestia's eyes widening as realization began to strike her. "If thou will be a tyrant, then we shall be the ones to stop you! To bring you down! No more will your sun plague the lands or our lives. You have seen the last of your days, 'dearest sister'. The next time we meet, it shall be your end."

Turning around, Luna walked away, disgusted at the mere sight of her sister.

"Luna, WAIT! Please!" Celestia cried out, standing and trying to follow after her sister. But the doors of her bed chamber lit up with a darkened magical aura and slammed shut before her face. Celestia stared in shock at them, realization slowly dawning of what just happened.

She had turned her sister into her enemy.

The only family she had left in the world was now someone she had to oppose, to fight.

Her body shook, tears flowing down her cheeks once more. Her head rose up, and a wailing cry echoed through her room.

A cold chill ran down Twilight's back as the memory faded away. She stepped back, as if trying to flee from the memory, only for her backside to run into the stone door that kept her inside the room. Her sword fell to the ground, her magic losing focus for the moment as her mind reeled from the information.

Her mentor was going to be a mother once, but she never went full term. The father... was Merlin. A stallion that Luna had desired... but Celestia had betrayed her sister, knowing full well that Luna had feelings for him, and was bearing his child anyway.

"Celestia... what were you thinking?" Twilight's voice quivered as she spoke out-loud, trying to keep herself together. She knew Celestia could make mistakes, she knew she wasn't perfect. She always came out right in the end though; she made the right decisions... right?

"This... this happened over a thousand years ago." She shook her head, trying to calm her thoughts. "She's... she's learned a lot since then! She's become a benevolent ruler... She doesn't lie, or cheat, or betray... and she never meant to back then either! It just... it just happened that way..." Twilight swallowed hard, mustering her courage to steady her feet once more. "I... I have to have faith in her... faith that she truly is the wonderful teacher I always knew her to be...."

She turned her eyes to the center of the room as the tile fell into place once more, a gentle clacking letting her know it existed. Her eyes quickly looked over the cover, seeing the dual alicorns with the smaller one in the sky. She hadn't known what it meant at first, and now she couldn't help but wish she hadn't.

The tile was quickly placed with the others and her sword once again was within the grip of her magic. There was one last door she needed to check out, and likely one more memory she needed to witness. The large doors with Celestia on them had enough space for four of the tiles, and she knew it would not open without all four.

It did not take her long to get to the final door, less than ten paces even. She stared at the carvings in stone.

Several unicorns were depicted, several wearing crowns to show their royalty.

A few thoughts ran through her head about what the carvings could mean. So far each door had been directly related to a memory of Celestia's, and this one was no doubt the same way. But nothing she could think of felt like it fit the picture the door portrayed. It seemed there was only one way she was going to figure it out. She raised her hoof and pushed against the door, hearing the familiar grinding stone as it opened.

She readied her sword as soon as the door was open, knowing another foe was waiting for her inside the room. Her light fell upon the sickly flesh of the creature inside, the squirming beast coming into view. It was the largest one she'd seen, long and slimy, much the same as a leech. It let out a gurgling groan as it turned towards her, no eyes visible on its head, only the gaping mouth filled with rows of teeth. The last time she'd seen this creature it had been devouring the leftover remains of ponies, but now she was the only pony there for it to devour.

Its mouth opened, letting out another gurgled cry, its hefty body slithering towards Twilight with the intent to kill. This time there was no obvious head or neck for her to slash, nowhere for her to know for certain what it needed to breath or to think. She would just have to cut into it, make it bleed to death.

As the creature lumbered towards her, Twilight quickly moved to her left, letting the brunt of the creature land right where she had been standing. She raised her sword and swung it down, slicing into a good chunk of its flesh. It retaliated with a gurgled cry, whipping its fleshy tail back and forth. Its body lumbered to turn towards the unicorn once more, ready to lash out.

Twilight grit her teeth and concentrated her magic, ramming the blade straight into the body of the leech. It let out a cry and slammed its head down in her direction, Twilight just barely managing to jump out of the way in time. She flicked her head back, sending the sword carving across the leech's body. It let out another gurgled cry, blood quickly spilling from the large gash being opened down the side of its body. Its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth tried to reach forth and grab hold of the purple pony before it.

The black sword pulled out from the leech's body and pierced through the side of the leech's mouth. It was mere inches from Twilight, writhing in pain, narrowly having caught the pony within its massive maw. It raised its head up, gurgling to the air in pain. With a snap of her magic, the sword cut through the leech's mouth, splitting it in half.

With a final, pained gurgle, it smashed into the ground and the writhing stopped. Blood poured freely from its open wounds, life escaping the leech. Twilight panted, knowing she narrowly dodged having a limb removed. She flicked the blade in the air, removing the blood that stained its black edges so that it was clean once more. The strength of the blade surpassed any blade she had ever seen in her life. Despite the multiple uses and the constant staining, it remained sharp, slick, and ready to slice into its foe at a moment's notice.

For a moment she had to wonder, what could this blade possibly have been made out of?

She shook her head and looked back towards the center of the room, the ball of light containing Celestia's memory appearing once more. She swallowed hard, unsure of what she was going to see this time, but she tried to brace for whatever it was.

"So, it's true then..." Celestia asked, pacing the confines of her bedchamber.

"I am afraid so your Highness, half of thy royal court just seems to have decided this was for the best." A rather portly white unicorn spoke, his dark blue mane tied back. He pulled the monocle off of his face and cleaned it with a cloth from his suits pocket before placing it back on his face, "I must say that they must've been waiting for this opportunity. The royal court has always been a bit... shall we say, contemptible, while you weren't around."

Celestia paused her pacing to think over his words. She shook her head lightly, before returning to her pacing. Bags had started to form under her eyes, a clear sign of stress and exhaustion. She had barely been able to sleep since Luna stormed out of her bedroom that night, and since then she'd been amassing a following. Convincing the people that she was the rightful ruler, and even convincing some of the royal court to follow under her command.

For someone who cried about having no power under the crown, she was certainly demonstrating that she had a lot of it.

"In fact, I wouldn't doubt if there were still supporters of Luna still within the royal court. Playing spy for thy very enemy." The royal chuckled to himself, as if the idea was somehow amusing. Celestia stopped her pacing once again, glaring at the empty space before her.

"Thou says such brash words with nary a hint of dismay. Tell us, does thou believe thy words to be true?"

"Oh, I'd hardly think them to be false at all! I've seen the way they shift their eyes, waiting for thou to be at your weakest. I'd dare say if they weren't after the power of thy crown for themselves." The royal unicorn snorted as he suppressed a chuckle, "I would not deal with them if I were in thy shoes."

"Pray tell sir noble, what wouldst thou do if thou had our power." Celestia closed her eyes, concentrating on his words and them alone.

"Well, I'd certainly try to find the villainous scoundrels and put them to death!" He chuckled at the thought of it, brushing a hoof against his chin. "Such underhanded methods of trying to attain the crown's power is straight forward treason. I can think of no better punishment than a swift and justified end."

"So, thou thinks we should kill the members of our court that would have our head." Celestia's voice held no emotion, a flat resonance of sound that was unlike the monarch.

"But of course! Let us find those who would stray from the crown and show thy people that thy crown truly is the strongest. No other shall come to claim it." The royal let out another laugh, almost as if enjoying the very thought that the criminals would get their dues.

Celestia was silent, thinking over the words of the royal member sitting in her chambers. Her mind thought over everything that was happening and about his words. Slow realization dawned on her and she turned to face him.

"Thou speakeths the truth. People of our court wish for the power of our crown. Though we have survived treasonous plots, attempts on our life, and changes to the land, what we face now requires a more drastic action." She spoke calmly, no longer pacing, but slowly walking towards the noble.

"I am glad that thou has seen to reason! Shall we call the guards and undertake the search for the treasono-GACK" The portly ponies words were cut off suddenly, yellow magic gripping tightly around his neck and lifting him into the air.

"We shall put to death the ponies that wish to control the power of our crown... starting with thou." Celestia glared death at the struggling unicorn before her. He squirmed and fought the grip of her magic, gasping for air as the grip seemed to tighten.

"Y-You’re... H-Highness." The portly pony wheezed, his face growing bluer as he struggled, "I... would never..."

"Thou hast been trying to play us for a fool for some time now. Using thy people, lying to our face, living in luxury while thy belly grows. Thy bid for the crown did not go unnoticed, and so thou shalt be the first to taste our fury."

A loud snap echoed through Celestia's room, as the once royal pony's head was now twisted the wrong direction. With a loud thud, the body hit the floor, released from Celestia's magic. Her cold eyes stared at the body, unwavering in the fact that for the first time she had killed a pony with her own two hooves. It was always others that carried out her orders of death, but now she had blood on her hooves, the same as her soldiers.

She turned towards her chamber doors and walked towards them, her magic flinging them open.

"Luna is building an army, looking for weaknesses in our kingdom... but if it is a war she is after, than a war she shall get."

The bedroom chamber doors slammed shut behind her, leaving the body of her first victim within.

Twilight shuddered as the world returned to her once more, thankful that the memory was finally over.

Her mentor, her second mother, the one pony she looked up to more than anyone else in the world... she had done such a horrible thing. Twilight understood the reason why she had done it, the memories made that clear. But the thought she had actually gone through with it... her stomach didn't agree with the answer.

Her legs felt week, even though she knew she needed to be strong. She hadn't escaped from this world yet, only learned its truth. Whatever it was, it was tied to Celestia. And it was tied directly to what had happened to Celestia all those years ago.

Twilight needed answers. This darkness that was clouding her head, clouding her entire life now, she needed to clear it. But she couldn't do that unless Celestia was there to answer her. She needed to know the truth, to know why Celestia had done all this. What it had meant and why it was necessary.

Celestia wasn't a tyrant. She was beautiful and kind, she was loving and serene. She was the picture of perfection in Twilight's mind. Never in her life would she ever have thought of Celestia as a monster, as something other than a benevolent and loving ruler. It just wasn't Celestia to do these horrible, horrible things.

Her only consolation was the sound of a tile hitting the ground, one of its edges splashing lightly in the leech's blood. Twilight let out another shudder to try and clear her mind, but walking slowly towards the tile on the ground. It was carved to resemble the door, the same as the others, and it too joined the tiles in her reservoir.

She had all four pieces now. She could finally open the large doors that halted her progress. Something deep inside of her, something primal, told her that waiting behind that door was Celestia herself. The thought brought both comfort and fear to the unicorn.

Was she ready to face Celestia now? Could she do it after everything she had seen? But then again, she didn't have much choice, she was in a dead end with only one way to go. Through those giant doors. And she was going to meet Celestia, whether she was ready or not.

Such was the way of this world she wasin. Pushing her to move when she didn't want to, forcing her to realize and see the things she didn’t want to, and to live with those facts.

Twilight took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before walking back over to the stone door. The grinding stone echoed once more as she pushed it open and stepped back into the large circular room, the door closing behind her.

Only a few small steps and she found herself before the two large stone doors once again. They towered above her and she stared at them almost in awe. The divine picture of Celestia nailed to that cross was horrifying. And yet, in Twilight's mind, it now seemed to make perfect sense. If any pony was going to be splayed to such a cross, then Celestia seemed to be that pony.

Her eyes wandered to the four holes on the doors waiting for Twilight to place her finds into them. It would only take a moment, and she would hear the doors open. Just the way the others had before her. She was moments away from the truth.
Twilight froze in place, hearing the sound of hoof steps against stone. She quickly turned around, sword at the ready. She hadn't been expecting anything to be out here, after all she had come down from that hallway to get here. There hadn’t been any monsters in there, and the only monsters here were in the doors...

No, that was wrong. This world changed around her as it pleased. It could very well put a monster down the hallway whenever it felt like it.

But this time she was ready.

She wasn't about to let herself be killed here, not after everything she'd been through. She was going to see this to the end.

The hoof steps grew louder, drawing closer. She tightened her grip on the sword and took a calming breath, focusing on the sound. Step by step, louder and louder. If the monster was coming for her it had done a terrible job of sneaking up on her. She only had to be patient; she could practically hear it in front of her now. She could count the steps before it'd be visible to her.

Five steps... four steps... three steps... two steps... one....

The creature stepped into the light of her pendant, stepping fully into view, and for a moment, Twilight was stunned into silence.

"I'm glad I made it here before you went through! I was worried I'd be too late," the familiar cheerful pony spoke up, a serene smile on her face. Her hair had fallen straight, framing the side of her face, but there was no mistaking her.

"P-Pinkie Pie!" Twilight gasped, the shock still hitting her. "H-How did you get here!?"

"I'm... familiar with how this world works." Pinkie sighed, a hoof rising up to her hair. It ran through the lengths, gently running against the red ribbon that was tied to the end of her hair. "I've had to experience it twice before and... now for a third time. I've come to realize what this world wants... and it doesn't want us to go through it together."

Pinkie's eyes opened in surprise as she was suddenly hugged tight. She hadn't been expecting the hug so suddenly, but the comfort of having her friend right there in front of her soothed her worrying mind. The two ponies quickly wrapped each other in their hooves and held tight, not wanting to let the other go.

"I don't get it Pinkie, I don't, but I'm so glad you're okay!" Twilight squeezed a little harder, tears forming in the corner of her eyes, "I-I met up with the others b-but... I don't know if they're okay or not! They were hurt, or possibly even killed right in front of me! And I couldn't do anything to stop it!" The tears that had been threatening to burst finally began to fall, landing onto Pinkie's back. "I couldn't save them Pinkie! And I don't know if they're gone or not now!"

"Twilight..." Pinkie spoke softly, rubbing the unicorn's back in comfort. "I wish I could tell you if they were or not... but there's only one way to really know for sure."

"Huh, how?" Twilight pulled back a little, looking into Pinkie's eyes. Pinkie smiled in return, nodding her head slowly.

"You have to finish this Twilight. Through that door... you can end all of this. Return the world back to normal... you are the one who can save everyone."

"But how!?" Twilight cried out, pressing her head against Pinkie's shoulder. "I keep hearing those words, that 'I'm the one who can save you all', but how!? I couldn't save anyone! What am I supposed to do!?"

"Twilight..." Pinkie spoke softly, comforting her friend with a gentle hug. "All you have to do... is what you've already been doing. Face the truth this world has to show you... and accept that it's real." Twilight didn't say a word for a moment after that, just holding on to her pink friend.

"I'm scared to..." Twilight quivered, not wanting to see anymore of her dearest mentor as that horrible tyrant.

"I know Twilight, but I assure you... the truth will set not only you free, but everyone here. And I know only you can do it." Pinkie stroked Twilight's mane as she began to calm down. Twilight sniffed loudly as she pulled back a few steps, looking at Pinkie confused.

"Why do I have to do it alone though? Why can't we do this together?"

"Twilight... oh how I wish we could... but you've seen it for yourself haven't you?" Pinkie shook her head slowly, "You've seen what happens when you try to be together here?"

Twilight bit the bottom of her lip as she did remember. She remembered what happened to each of her friends in turn, the horrific fates that had befallen them. When she had tried to be together with them, this world ripped them apart. And it left Twilight twisted and broken inside each time.

"That's why I came to see you now Twilight." Pinkie smiled, "Right before you went through those doors and ended this. I've seen you around a few times, as well as a few of the other ponies, but I knew I couldn't go see you. It'd be too painful to have us split apart... so I sent you my wishes and waited for when I could see you. I just got lucky that now was that time."

Twilight stared at Pinkie, grateful but still confused. She swallowed lightly and turned around, facing the large twin doors that depicted Celestia one last time. She wiped her face of the tears and calmed her nerves.

"So... I have to go now, don't I?" Twilight's lip quivered, but her determination to see this through to the end was returning.

"I'm afraid so Twilight..." Pinkie shook her head slowly, "As much as I would love to spend more time with you... you have to end this now. But once this is over... I'll throw all of us the biggest party you've ever seen."

Twilight swallowed again, nodding her head before walking up to the door.

"Four slots... four tiles..." She whispered to herself. There was no markings on the door that told her which tile needed to go where, so she hoped that just putting them anywhere would do the trick. The four tiles appeared around her, hovering within the grip of her magic. She put them up to the door and tried to fit them in.

The third tile slot entered with a 'click' while the others didn't. She couldn't remove the third tile, and realized that when she put them in the right place that they would click into place. So it was more just guessing now.

Quickly trying each of the slots, each of the tiles fit into the door with a satisfying 'click', and the door let out a low grinding sound. The room shook a little, dust falling from the edges of the door, before the split down the middle began to slowly open, the grinding noise filling the room as the large doors opened slowly.

Twilight stared into the empty abyss that was behind the doors, unable to see anything taking shape in there. She grit her teeth and her muscles tensed. She prayed that there wasn't a monster just lurking around the corner. The doors opened fully and came to a stop, silence hanging in the air. Her medallion wasn’t making a sound, and she took that to mean that for the moment, she would be alright.

"Alright..." She finally spoke up, turning around to face Pinkie one last time. "I guess this is it then..."

"Good luck Twilight." Pinkie's words were quiet, but could clearly be heard, "I know you can do it."

Twilight just gave a slow, simple nod in return, before turning back to face the door. Letting out one last sigh, she began to walk forward, entering the dark room as the sound of grinding stone was heard behind her. She turned her head and saw Pinkie Pie for one last moment, as she disappeared behind the giant stone doors. She was once again in a pitch black abyss, lit only by the light of her pendant.

Twilight walked forward, not knowing where the room was leading her, but having no choice but to keep going.

True Final Fight

Edited by Brony17

The black abyss wrapped tightly around Twilight. She found it a wonder she could move her legs at all. Walking forward, unendingly, was all that she could do. The world was crushing her with its presence, weighing down her muscles and thoughts, but all she could do was continue.

The air began to part and return to her lungs with ease. With each step the drowning abyss seemed to fade and the world slowly returned her. Heavy hoof steps struck against solid ground as light began to focus on something before her. In the distance before her was a pair of twin metal doors that seemed to be connected to the surrounding darkness. The concrete ground she walked on now seemed to spread outwards from those doors.

She approached them with uncertainty of what laid beyond, but she knew she had to go through them all the same. She raised her hoof and pushed them open. She stepped inside and the doors closed shut behind her.

The room she entered looked just like a dungeon. Old stones stacked together, covered in various amounts of moss, grime, and blood. Chains hung from various locations, connected to bones of former ponies, sinners of crimes long gone. Burning torches were scattered around, illuminating the stone prison.

In the center of it all, a large white pony bound by chains lay on a stone slab, her once ethereal hair laid flat against the ground.

“CELESTIA!” Twilight rushed over to her mentor. The alicorn seemed to twitch in her spot, her chains rustling as she moved her head to look up at her student. Twilight stood just a foot from her, staring down in shock at the chains that kept her teacher bound to the stone slab before her.

“Twilight…” Celestia spoke, horror slowly seeping into her voice, “What… are you doing here?”

“Nevermind that now, we have to get you out of those chains!” Twilight spoke quickly, eyeing where the chains connected. It looked as though they dug deep down into the floor. The chains went far too deep to be able to cut them out of the cement, which meant she’d just have to cut the chains.

She summoned the black sword before her, aiming it at the ends of the chains and away from Celestia’s body. She swung down hard, the blade hitting the chains dead on. A loud metallic strike rang out with the impact, but the chain did not yield. As she pulled the sword back, she couldn’t see if she had even made a scratch.

“…That sword…” Celestia spoke quietly, staring at the sharp black blade Twilight wielding. “Where did you get that?”

“It’s… hard to explain. The simple answer is I found it.” Twilight grunted as she pulled the sword up and slammed it down against the chain again. “It’s sort of been following me through this damned world, but now that it’s mine it’s proved useful.” She landed another slam down against the chain, her teeth beginning to grind in frustration.

“…That sword… it belonged to Merlin a long time ago.” Celestia spoke quietly between each of Twilight’s strikes. “He always had a fascination with swords… it was his hobby. If he wasn’t studying spells, he was usually indulging in crafting swords.” Another loud ‘clang’ punctuated her words as Twilight’s breath came heavier, “The sword you’re wielding now… that was his masterpiece.”

Twilight let out a loud groan of exasperation, “This stupid chain won’t break!” She was panting from her exertion, staring at the chain that had still had yet to be scratched.

“I didn’t think it would. Not even a sword made from a scale of Acnologia could break these chains…” Celestia shifted under the chains to better look at Twilight, “I doubt even Merlin himself could have broken these. He could shape the unbreakable to his will… but the binding of sin weighs us down forever.”

Twilight stepped back from the chains binding her mentor, panting as she stared at them. Her eyes then wandered back to Celestia, searching for some kind of way.

“Princess… I’ve traveled through the pits of hell and back just to find you… to save you.” Twilight shook her head, not wanting to believe it, “And you’re telling me that I made it all the way here… only for me to not be able to save you!?”

The princess was quiet, unsure of what to say or how to respond. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything, leaving Twilight to stare. Twilight’s mind searched for a solution, for some way for the chains to break or to get her mentor out from under them.

‘The spell!’ her mind cried out. If no weapon could break the chains, then perhaps Merlin’s most powerful spell could. ‘This must be what it was meant to be used for!’ she concluded with confidence. She steadied her stance and lowered her head, closed her eyes, and concentrated. All she had to do was focus on the spell, cast her magic into a single spot, call forth its name, and she could free Celestia.

The world around her seemed to pause for a moment. She was trying to focus, to channel her all into the spell. The seconds passed as she concentrated, but nothing was happening. She couldn’t focus her magic into the spell, the seal that kept the spell from activating wouldn’t allow it.

‘What… But why!?’ She mentally screamed as she tried again and again to trigger the spell. ‘To break the seal I need to have been under duress, what more does it want from me!?’ She let out a cry that echoed around the dungeon, slamming her hoof into the ground. Celestia looked with sorrow at her student, unable to move or help in any way.

“The monarch of the land trapped by her sins? For what it’s worth, I’m not surprised.” Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of a second voice. She swung around and spotted a familiar stallion she hadn’t expected to see there.

“I suppose in the end we all succumb to our sins, but this is a little more literal than I imagined.” Magus chuckled softly as he walked next to Twilight, before stopping to look at the tied monarch.

“M-Magus!?” Twilight’s voice conveyed her shock, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be looking after Spike!”

“You should know better than anyone that things do not go as planned here.” Magus shook his head slowly, causing Twilight to wince a little.

“…Okay fine. Then where is Spike? Is he okay!?” Twilight demanded, slamming her hoof to the ground once more.

“The little dragon was fine last I saw him. He was in a sanctuary I set up, so unless he moved, he should be okay.” Magus nodded his head, causing Twilight to relax a little.

“A-As long as he’s safe…” Twilight then turned her sight back to her mentor, “We need to free her of these bonds.” Magus tapped a hoof against his chin in thought.

“If the chains are a construct of this world, then I imagine my spell should free her just fine.” Magus smirked, “Shall I give it a try?”

“The sooner the better,” Twilight said looking at her mentor. “I’m tired of this world. If Celestia is freed, I’m sure we can end the nightmare with her help.”

“Then one runic circle, coming up.” Magus’s horn lit up as he flicked his head, light appearing around Celestia. Her head moved a little, rattling the chains as she looked down at the light that surrounded her. Slowly through the light she saw red markings begin to appear, starting with two circles inside of each other. Once the circles had formed, the runic markings began to form within them. As Celestia saw the markings, her eyes widened.

“W-What are you doing!?” Celestia demanded, raising her head sharply only for it to be tugged at by the chains. “You fool! Do you know what powers you are messing with!? You must stop this at once!”

“H-Huh!?” Twilight asked in confusion at her mentor's sudden shift in behavior. “But I’ve seen him do this before, it’s what we need right now. Why should he stop?”

“No… no you can’t!” Celestia struggled against the chains as the spell neared completion. “You have to stop! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

Celestia’s eyes widened further and her breath caught her throat. The light of Magus’s spell vanished as the runic symbol appeared beneath her. Her body began to shake, the chains rattling violently. She strained against the chains, the loud clacking of the metal links striking each other filling the room as she struggled.

“W-What’s going on!? Aren’t the chains supposed to disappear!?” Twilight cried, quickly turning to Magus for an answer.

“Hmmmm. This is certainly an interesting reaction.” Magus spoke in his usual weird way, a smirk still on his face with his hoof to his chin. “I certainly can say I didn’t expect this.”

“What do you mean you didn’t expect this!?” Twilight shouted looking at Celestia again. The monarch’s eyes were as wide as saucers, her body thrashing against the chains. Her pupils appeared to fade away, leaving her eyes a white void of their former selves. “YOU’VE GOT TO STOP THIS NOW!” Twilight shrieked at Magus.

Staring at the thrashing Celestia, Magus rubbed his chin as his grin grew wider. “I don’t think I can stop this. At this point, I can only study.”

Twilight’s eyes grew at his words and she instantly snapped her gaze back to her mentor. The flesh on Celestia’s back had grown, sprouting out like an oversized tumor. The sickly brown colored flesh pulsed and pulled against the chains as it swelled even larger.

Twilight couldn’t move, she could only stare in horror as her teacher transformed in front of her.

Celestia’s neck elongated off of the slab, her head hitting the ground. The chains rattled loudly as they were pulled further out of the ground by the growing flesh on Celestia’s back. Her wings began to droop, growing longer through the restraints and changing into a deathly gray color. The monarch’s head began to split, blood dribbling between the line as her skull cracked open.

A new head appeared from inside of Celestia’s, a bulbous brown head similar in shape to that of a hairless chimera, red eyes in the center of white pupils staring forward. The head rose up as the body grew, the elongated wings starting to rise into the air and wiggling with life. The legs of the monarch stepped off of the slab and slammed into the concrete floor with a deafening impact, no longer the slim and slender legs of a pony, but the thick clawed leg of a monster.

The once beautiful ruler of the land was no longer recognizable. Before Twilight loomed a large monster of flesh and power, something that looked down upon others with doubt and disgust. This wasn’t her loving mentor and ruler anymore.

This was a Tyrant.

“Amazing,” Magus whispered, his eyes wide and a grin plastered on his face, stepping closer to the heavy large mass that made up the Tyrant. “She grew at least fifteen times her size! She towers over me now!” Magus laughed standing before the once beautiful monarch, “This is absolutely incredible! I have to study every moment of this!”

“MAGUS!” Twilight cried out. “GET AWAY FROM HER!”

Magus turned to look at Twilight in surprise. “I can’t. I have to study this. Can’t you see how much we can learn from th-“

Magus was silenced by a giant writhing tentacle smacking the side of his body full force with a loud thud. His body went sailing through the air, smashing straight into the side of the dungeon wall.

Twilight’s heart dropped and her sword snapped to attention in front of her. A pair of tentacles slammed into the ground before her, shaking the small world around her. The Tyrant roared into the dark ceiling as it brought its attention to Twilight.

Twilight’s eyes darted to the tentacles that writhed against the ground next to her. Following their source, she could see they had once been Celestia’s feathers, mutated into a hideous new form. Following another of the Tyrant's roars, they rose into the air and swung down in another attempt to crush her.

Twilight tumbled, rolling out of the way of the tentacle at the last moment. She was back on her hooves and staring at what was once her mentor, unsure of what to do. Her sword stood ready, but her heart wavered. Twilight couldn't stop seeing her loving mentor in front of her, even if she had turned into a monstrous Tyrant.

“Princess! Please stop this! I don’t want to hurt you!” Twilight cried out, hoping that somewhere deep inside the princess could retain her senses. The Tyrant only bellowed another roar, its large appendages rising into the air for another strike.

Twilight grit her teeth and jumped out of the oncoming attack, hearing the tendril slam down behind her and cracking the concrete underneath. Her heart was racing as she ran, staring at the large, deformed body of her teacher. The Tyrant slowly turned to try and keep up with her, intent on lashing out against the lone pony in the room.

‘How?!’ Twilight’s mind screamed at her, ‘How can I stop her without hurting her!?’

Twilight shrieked as she skidded to a halt, a large tendril smashing down right in her path. She quickly looked behind her to see the Tyrant’s head coming straight for her, mouth open and teeth bared.

With only seconds to spare, she crouched on her hooves and jumped, the Tyrant’s head stopping just inches from where she had been. A large spike shot forth from its mouth, impaling the spot where Twilight had just been standing. Twilight landed and skidded to a stop as the monster wrenched the spike free and retracted it.

‘I… I don’t think I can avoid hurting her…’ Twilight gulped, raising her sword again as the tendrils pulled back to the press the attack. ‘But… I… I can’t kill the Princess. I just can’t!’ Twilight shook her head, ‘Maybe I can stop her by just… hurting her?’ She ground her teeth at the thought. ‘It’s either that or run around until she manages to kill me… Forgive me Princess.’ Twilight steeled her resolve, determined not to die there.

The Tyrant’s piercing roar echoed through the chamber as a tendril descended quickly. Twilight was ready this time, a plan of action in mind. She dodged to the side, letting the appendage slam into where she had been standing. The cracking cement from the impact blew small shards around her, but her focus was steadfast and strong. With a thrust, the black blade embedded itself into the flesh of the tendril.

The Tyrant let out a loud shrill as the tendril reflexively lashed out. Twilight was caught off guard and tossed across the room, hitting the floor with a painful thud. She groaned as her sword clattered down next to her.

She rubbed her head, quickly getting back to her hooves. The Tyrant wasn’t happy with her, its injured tendril flailing about haphazardly trying strike her again. Her sword scraped against the ground as her magic readied it once more.

The Tyrant’s eyes refocused sharply in on Twilight. Twilight braced herself, the tendrils crashing towards her in full force. She dodged as best she could, her sword slashing through the air as the appendages attempted to smash her. Her sword sliced through what flesh she could manage to hit, the blade unable to cut through completely but still leaving deep gashes in its wake. The roaring Tyrant bore down on her, attacking her with a relentless assault. It was all Twilight could do to keep herself from being hit.

A loud thud echoed through her mind as the air escaped her body. She felt her hooves leave the ground, head spinning out of focus until pain assaulted her, sailing through her back. A tendril was pressed hard against her body, pressing her against the stone wall that made up the dungeon.

Her gasp of pain came out as a single, strangled breath as blood escaped her mouth. It trickled down her chin as she struggled, just trying to breathe as she stared at the pulsing, sickeningly brown tendril that was pressed up against her body. Her vision wavered, the tendril blurring in and out of focus as pain rocked her being.

‘Is this it?’ She thought, her mind unable to comprehend what was going on. ‘Am… I going to die here? At the hooves of my mentor?’ Twilight’s head slowly lifted, looking at the once beautiful head of her beloved teacher, now twisted into the shape of that skinned chimera. ‘Damn you Merlin... Your spell saved no one… Not even myself…’ Twilight’s head lowered, her vision beginning to fade out as pain assaulted her senses and it became harder to breathe.

‘I’m sorry everyone…’ Twilight begged for her friend’s forgiveness as her eyes began to close. ‘I tried… I came this far, but I couldn’t save you. Please… don’t hate me…’

Her mind was growing dark, fading away into nothing. The pain began to fade and her mind began to drift away. Her eyes closed as she drifted into a final sleep.

“TWIIIIIIIIIIIILIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!”

Twilight’s eyes snapped open, all the pain returning as a large gasp of air suddenly filled her lungs. The tendril crushing her had relaxed its grip, letting the unicorn breathe for a moment. That had distracted the Tyrant.

“Twilight! I’m here! Just hold on!”

‘That voice… No, it couldn’t be. Not here, not now!’ Twilight’s mind cried, turned her head slowly. She didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want it to be true, not here, not now, not with that Tyrant looking for blood.

“I’ll get you down from there!” the small waddling purple dragon cried out, heading straight for her. She could see the fear in his eyes. He ran without a plan, no idea what he was doing, compelled only by the need to help Twilight.

“SPIKE! RUN!” It was all Twilight could scream. This was not a place she had ever wanted to see the young dragon, not in this hell, not facing the abomination that was once Celestia.

“Twili-GAH.” The young dragon’s words were cut off by the force of the Tyrant’s tendril. The appendage quickly wrapped itself around the young dragon’s body and lifted him into the air.

“SPIKE NO!” Twilight cried out, ignoring the pain wracking through her chest. The small dragon was held right in the glaring gaze of the Tyrant. Spike’s eyes were wide with fear, his small body trembling as he came face to face with his captor.

The two stared at each other for a short moment, Spike only managing a gulp of dread. His fear began to slowly fade as he looked into its eyes, something gradually dawning on him.

“P-Princess? I-Is that you?” He croaked out, having difficulty breathing through the tightness that squeezed him. The Tyrant maintained its glare and replied only with a low growl.“Celestia! It’s me, Spike! I-I know that’s you in there! I can sense it… D-Don’t you recognize me?”

The Tyrant’s head tilted a little, slowly drawing the small dragon closer. Spike wriggled a little, managing to get his arm free from the tendril’s grip. He held it out, showing his openness to the creature.

“Celestia… You’re like a mother to me… Come on, let’s put a stop to this… okay?” Spike pleaded to the once mighty ruler of Equestria. The Tyrant tilted its head again, drawing closer to Spike. A smile slowly formed on his face as he reached out to hold onto his other mother.

A succinct sound cut the air, followed by a crushing silence, Twilight’s eyes widening in shock. The Tyant’s mouth was open, the lance kept inside it extended. On the other side of the dragon’s body could be seen the sharp point, the weapong having sailed clean through.

The Tyrant’s head tilted the other way slowly this time, as if taking a moment to admire its work. Then the lance was withdrawn and Spike was let go. His small body fell quietly before hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Twilight could only stare, her mind unable to process anything that had just happened. She saw it, but she couldn’t believe it. Spike was lying on the floor, a large hole ripped through his chest. His blood was quickly pooling around the small frame of his body. He wasn’t moving, not even twitching. His color visibly faded with each second, no longer the bright purple and green dragon she knew.

“Spike…” Twilight weakly called out from trembling lips. “Spike… Get up…” She begged him. The little dragon didn’t make any move to respond. Twilight could see it in her mind though. She could see him getting up, dusting himself off, and then looking at her with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head as remarked on how close that one had been.

Her young assistant had always been with her. When she was alone in her dorm, Spike had been there to help her with her studies. He had taken care of organization to ensure everything was where it needed to be. He gave her a second opinion, and was never afraid to let his mind be known.

To her he had been just like a little brother… Or maybe, even like a son.

“You… You killed him…” Twilight struggled to get the words out, staring at the small body of the baby dragon. “He… he called you mother… and you killed him…”

Twilight could feel the pressure from the tendril picking up again, pressing her harder against the wall. Her mind refused to register it, only focusing on what had just happened.

"You...you killed him," she muttered again. Her teeth started to grind. Her mind began to smolder. Her body started shaking as it fought back against the tendril crushing her. That single thought repeated again and again inside of her head, stoking her building rage to burn ever hotter.

Her magic began to pulse through her horn, concentrating into a single point. Her body pulsed, her eyes beginning to shine.

“YOU KILLED HIM!” Twilight’s cry shook the room, her magic sweeping the ground. The black sword was quickly picked up, sailing through the air and stabbing the tendril holding her down.

The Tyrant cried out, pulling back and letting Twilight go, roaring as the pain assaulted its appendage. Twilight landed on her hooves, her mind focused as her magic channeled to the end of her horn, all doubt having burned away in her fury.

The seal on Merlin’s spell unraveled in her mind. She could see it now, she could focus on it. The spell's power began to mix with her own, concentrating in a single spot right above her head. A flash of memory from Merlin followed behind it, bringing the spell into sharp clarity.

“Crafting spells is my special talent, but making swords is my hobby. So I decided that my life’s work, the spell I built my life around, would encompass both. A spell that channeled the raw, perfect power of magic, into the shape of the most elegant sword I could craft. A sword made of magic, only wieldable by those who can access the power of the Element of Harmony’s symbol of Magic.”

“This sword would be my most powerful creation, so it cannot be entrusted to just anyone. This sword is a beacon, a symbol of power and magic. I can only entrust it to some pony who I know would use it for good. Who would not abuse its power for greed, or lust, or power. No, this weapon will have one name, attached to the person who uses it. And only when the sword shall be called for, will its name be known.”

The spell took shape in front of her, a golden aura of light hanging just inches away. The spell was drawing forth all of Twilight’s magic, shining bright gold as it formed a sword made of pure magic.

The Tyrant let out a roar, staring down at the glowing aura of light before it. It was unable to comprehend what was happening, opting to simply let its tendrils wander, trying to gauge the right moment to strike. They drew in, readying to attack, unsure what the light was going to do.

Twilight wasn’t going to let it though. Her magic was channeled, the spell was ready. Her eyes looked up, boring a hole into the Tyrant before her.

“Channel your magic into the spell and call forth its name,” Merlin’s words echoed in her mind. She pulled the sword back, the magic solidifying for just a moment, forming a solid steel blade with gold carvings. With an echoing cry, she screamed forth at the top of her lungs.

“EXCALIBUR!”

The blade of light swung forth, light bursting forth from the blade as it came crashing down. The Tyrant let out a horrifying screech as its body was assaulted, surrounded in the light from Twilight’s sword. The world began to shake and rumble, being torn apart by the very power of the spell itself.

Swirling winds tormented Twilight's ears as the spell rocked the very foundations of existence. The Tyrant’s cry of pain barely pierced through the howling winds. Twilight could feel her legs slipping away from stable ground, but she could see nothing through the blindingly pure light.

The world was consumed in the spell’s vibrant light, overpowering the darkness, the creatures, and even Twilight herself.

Her magic had been consumed, she had put everything into that single spell. Her eyes closed as she felt the air rushing up around her, her legs no longer on solid ground. The sensation of falling was the last thing she remembered as her consciousness faded.

Twilight let out a groan, the sound of a pulsing beat in her ears. A hoof came to her head as she rubbed it, feeling it throb in pain. She had just consumed all of her magic in one go, and the whiplash to her system was biting her back with a vengeance. She was surprised she was even conscious, she could still feel her magic was completely empty at the moment.

Something warm brushed against her, causing her eyes to shoot open. She almost immediately regretted it.

The walls of the room she was in… were moving.

If she had to guess, they looked like muscles. Thick and red, pulsing in and out, a constant thumping beat sounding in combination with their movements. The floor beneath her was made of the same material. The whole room reminded her of a beating heart.

She stared in shock, unsure of where she was, or why it hadn’t all ended already.

“He… lp…”

A voice weakly called out. Twilight lifted her head from the ground, looking in front of her. A black orb pulsed in the center of whatever room she was in, pulsing in time with the walls around her.

Staring at it filled her with a sense of pure dread, it was an orb of unnatural origin. It didn’t belong there, it shouldn’t exist, and yet there it was, defying her very senses of reality.

“Why…”

“So cold…”

Voices came again, this time from around her. Twilight looked for their sources but couldn’t see them. They were different from the first, but she didn't know what that meant yet.

“Betrayed.”

“I loved you.”

“For the night.”

“We wanted to be free.”

“She deserved to die.”

Twilight shook her head, the voices were practically clawing into her brain. She didn’t know what it meant, or what she was hearing them. She couldn't understand any of it. Merlin said his spell would’ve ended this, that it would stop the nightmare.

Why was she still there!?

“I’m sorry.”

“You should have died.”

“We were right.”

“You took our homes.”

“We believed in you.”

“Annie.”

“This is all that’s left.”

“SHUT UP!” Twilight cried out, holding her head with her hooves. She couldn’t take it; the pain was pounding into her head. She wanted them to go away; she wanted it to end already. Why was it still happening!?

“You… Should see.”

This voice was different. Twilight’s eyes popped open as she stared at the source, coming from the dark orb. The voice was deep, unnatural. It was unlike anything she’d ever heard before. She stared at the orb, unable to comprehend what was going on.

She swore her mind deceived her. The faces of ponies were swirling inside the orb, as if that thing was made out of them.

And then she was somewhere else, in the middle of a large barren field. She could see Celestia standing on top of a cliff all alone, as if she was waiting for someone.

And then they came. From the other side of the field an army appeared, marching straight for Celestia. She stood her ground, unflinching as the army came to a stop several yards from her position. They easily numbered in the thousands, each soldier clad in the same armor Twilight had seen all over Ponyville.

A single pony stepped forth, a scar on his face and a flag attached to his side. It bore the emblem of a moon on top of a shadow, a symbol Twilight instantly recognized as Luna’s cutie mark.

“Tyrant of Equestria!” the commanding pony bellowed, “You have trapped our glorious leader, Nightmare Moon, into an eternal prison on the moon. We are her army, all that remains to oppose you and your eternal rule. You stand alone, facing against a legion of five thousand ponies.” The commanding pony stomped his hoof down. “Surrender now and we may yet be merciful. Not even a pony considered a god could stand up to the might of an army.”

Celestia stood still, her gaze unchanging. Her glare never once faded, her anger never once wavering.

“Tyrant of Equestria, speak now! Do you surrender, or shall we end your life here?” the commanding pony demanded, slamming his hoof into the ground once more.

“Thou will return to thy homes. Thou will pledge thy allegiance once more to our crown,” Celestia bellowed in return, her eyes narrowing, “Or else thou will die here. All of thee.”

“We cower not to your threats!” the commanding pony bellowed back. “You have chosen your fate! STALLIONS! At arms!” At that moment, the ponies behind the commanding pony raised their weapons. They carried a large variety, ranging from swords to axes to spears. They aimed them all directly at the lone Princess that stood before them.

“READY!” The commanding pony raised his hoof, the entire army taking a step forward.

“CHARGE!”

The large crowd of ponies let out a roaring cheer as they then rushed forward, ready to destroy the tyrant that stood in their way.

When they were barely a yard away from impaling her, Celestia's wings spread wide and her eyes glowed brightly. In an instant, a large orb of magic surrounded her and exploded outward.

Ponies cried out in horrific pain, their flesh melting away as they were blown off their hooves by the explosion of magic. Fire blazed intensely around Celestia, the ground charring just from her presence.

The charging army didn’t falter, rushing straight for Celestia with their weapons drawn. The Princess lowered herself for a moment, then surged forward and broke through their ranks.

The battle was exactly as the commanding pony had predicted: a one sided fight… But not in the army's favor. Celestia took no prisoners. Fur, skin, flesh, and bones burned and melted all around her. Weapons came to life, floating into the air before turning on their former wielders. Magic attacks struck arcane barriers and ricocheted back into the doomed mass of soldiers.

It wasn’t a fight; it was a slaughter.

It took effortless minutes for her to completely destroy the army that had once stood before her. Nothing but a pile of smoking armored bodies remained, the triumphant monarch perched atop it. Twilight could smell the burnt, cooked flesh. Blood was spilled everywhere on the land. Crimson stains now covered Celestia’s body, proof of the ponies she had killed. Her mane never stopped flowing, unaltered in her fury.

Only one pony was left alive, to be dragged through the corpses of his fallen allies. Her magic lifted him up, hanging him by his back hoof in humiliation. The commanding pony refused to groan in pain, most of his flesh cooked and lacerations covering what had yet to be charred a deathly black.

“Thy army was for naught. Thou had a chance, but thou chose death.” Celestia glared at the commanding pony, her words biting deep. “When thou defies the crown, thou gets death. Dost thou understand now?”

Instead of lamenting, or cowering, the commanding pony began to laugh. The unamused monarch grit her teeth.

“But don’t you see?” the commanding pony coughed. “You didn’t win… we did.”

Celestia glared at the armor clad pony, not understanding what he meant. A grin formed on his face, reveling in his victory.

“So what if we lost the fight. You’ve now lost more. Your people will no longer trust you.” His voice grew louder, “The ponies of our army were the ponies of your land. They have family, they have loved ones, they had friends. All of them. And you slaughtered them all. You have proven you are a Tyrant.” He was overtaken by another fit of uproarious laughter. “A Tyrant will never last in Equestria. An enemy will rise that can kill you. Just like Sombra before you, just like Discord before him.” He paused for another bittersweet chuckle. “You will die. And your Tyranny will end.”

His mocking laughter cut Celestia deep. She had him hanging by a hoof at death's fiery, unforgiving door, yet he laughed instead of confess his guilt and accept his fate. It was a mockery of everything she had lost. Her temper flared, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

With a loud scream the commanding pony was set ablaze, his flesh cracking, sizzling, and burning to ash before the wind carried it away. She let his blackened skeletal remains drop to rest atop the mound of cooked ponies that had once been his army, panting as her body shook.

The burning battlefield was replaced once more with the red pulsing flesh of the room in which she had been standing. Her legs wobbled as she tried to recover from it all, staring at the black pulsing orb in the center. The faces of ponies pressed up against its skin, circling around it again and again.

“I… I see…” Twilight gulped, closing her eyes as she steadied herself. “So that’s how it is…” She opened them again still looking intently at the rob. It was not something she could hurt by conventional means. She would need a grand spell to take care of it.

“I see… That was your game Merlin…” Twilight softly chuckled to herself as she began to concentrate again. Merlin's spell started to form again, concentrating into a single point before her.

The spell required all of her magic to cast. She had already used it once, and there was none left. She would have to rest,most likely for days, to restore her magic to full once more. It would be impossible to have enough magic to cast the spell once more.

Not unless a price was paid.

The spell could channel something else to use as a catalyst. A pony's life energy, converted into raw magic, would be able to give shape to the sword a second time.

‘I’ll end this once and for all. I’m the only one who can do that now,’ Twilight told herself, finally understanding the words of the ponies who had come before her. The gleaming golden blade began taking shape before her, steadily sapping the energy from her very being.

‘No one else has to suffer anymore. No one has to be in pain. This will end it.’ Twilight opened her eyes, the sword nearly finished as she stared at the orb. It pulsed more wildly as though it knew well enough to fear the impending completion of her spell. 'Now I can put this all to rest. I might die in the process, but if it means that everypony else can live… it is more than a fair trade.'

The sword shined brightly in the walled room, the orb pulsing rapidly. The cries of ponies long since past echoed around her, but she paid them no mind. This was how it was meant to be. This was how it all ended.

With the utterance of a single word.

“Excalibur.”

The sword swung down with a mighty force and the world was once again consumed with raging light. The screams of tortured souls tore through the air and were silenced, blown away with the rest of the remaining remnants of the dark twisted world around her.

Twilight closed her eyes one final time, at last feeling a sense of harmony filling her heart.

This time, she knew she could rest peacefully.

True Ending - Moving Forward

The thing that probably surprised her the most was that when she realized she could feel anything, she was standing on her hooves. Her mind hadn't fully come back to her, but she already had enough awareness and strength to be standing. Though the world was dark around her, she could sense that something was there.

So she opened her eyes.

Though the world was still fairly dark, she found herself in a grassy field, a light breeze blowing through as it swept along her mane. Tilting her head up, the night sky was clearly visible, the bright moon illuminating the world around her and the stars twinkling as they always had. This place had a sense of serenity and calm, a peace that Twilight hadn’t felt in some time. The last few days of her life had been spent drenched in so much fear and stress that she had almost forgotten what a peaceful night felt like.

“It's a truly breathtaking sight, isn't it?” A voice that was familiar but foreign spoke up from behind her. Twilight tilted her head back just enough to look out the corner of her eye at an approaching figure. His familiar golden hair practically glowed in the moon's light against his light blue coat, and those ice-cold eyes showed wisdom with age.

“Hello Merlin.” Twilight practically whispered as her eyes turned back to the night sky.

“You seem to have done well for yourself, all things considered.” Merlin let out a chuckle, walking to stand next to her and turning his gaze up to the night sky as well. “I certainly hope my hints were helpful. Being clear to those in the future, while not knowing the full story yourself, is pretty difficult.”

“It's hard to say if they were or weren't,” Twilight murmured. “They were cryptic for sure, and I still don't know if I fully understood everything you said, but you were trying to help. In some way, I'm sure I wouldn't have made it through without you.”

“Then I'm satisfied with the result.” He nodded his head with satisfaction before looking towards the mare. “I do admit though, from the few visions of you I saw, I was expecting you to have a barrage of questions for me by now.” Twilight wasn’t certain of how to respond to that, instead choosing to continue staring up at the night sky. The wind brushed past her hair again, the feeling of a cool night slowly dulling her senses. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, before letting it out slowly and lowering her head and staring at the grass beneath her hooves.

“You're not a memory or an illusion this time, even I can sense that. I remember the last thing I did before I fell unconscious and found myself here. There's really only one conclusion that can be had about it all, isn't there?” Twilight shook her head, before turning to face Merlin, a tired pained smile on her face. “I'm dead, aren't I?”

“To use the sword of light while drained of your magic means only one thing, to use your very life as a source of energy for the weapon. Life, when used in such a way, can create a vortex of energy that can surpass even alicorns in terms of destructive capabilities.” Merlin smiled, sitting on the lush grass and bringing up a hoof to the scruff of hair on his face he called a beard. He stroked it several times, a bit of a whimsical look on his face as he spoke again. “However, the amount you drew forth would only be enough to shave off a few years of your life at most. I'd wager you spent about twenty of them casting the spell in that state. Without using any age-altering spells, you'll probably still live to be at least eighty years old.”

Twilight had to blink at that, her pained smile falling into a small frown.

“But... If I'm not dead, then how am I talking to you now?”

“A natural question.” Merlin nodded his head, closing his eyes. “You're on the verge of death, enough to slip into this realm for a time being, but your time has not yet come Twilight Sparkle. The trained hooves of medical professionals will save your life and you will awake in Equestria once more soon.”

“Oh...” Was all she seemed to be able to say. She looked away from Merlin to scan the field once more, as if looking for something but unable to locate what she wanted. Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed as she tried to understand what exactly she was feeling at that moment.

“I was expecting a more joyous reaction.” Merlin's eyebrow raised curiously, “Are you not elated to still be alive?”

“You'd think I would be...” Twilight shook her head again, raising a hoof to rub her head. “Just... After everything that's happened in such a short period of time, it's hard to even know what's real and what isn't anymore.”

“The memories of that place will live with you for the rest of your days, Twilight Sparkle. Only you can use them in some way for the future.” Merlin nodded sagely, continuing his train of wisdom.

“In those visions, you always said 'Memory is the Key'... Is this what you meant? Using my memories to ensure a better future?”

“Hm... Did I say that now?” Merlin smirked as he thought back to his spells, “It's been centuries since I cast those spells, so forgive me if my memory is not as clear as it used to be. However, if I spoke those words, it most likely meant that the key to escaping the cataclysm you faced was in using the memories presented before you to not only discern the truth, but to use them as a literal key to break through the barriers before you.”

“The truth of the memories...” Twilight shook her head again, closing her eyes and growling at remembering what she had seen. “The only thing they showed me was that Celestia was not always the kind and benevolent ruler that I know her to be. She killed thousands of ponies with her own hooves, betrayed her sister's trust, and caused so much suffering and bloodshed. There was a time in her life where she was a monster, where she willingly sacrificed the lives of her own people just to save her own.” Twilight felt her blood boiling.

Merlin's voice never changed from the near calm and soothing tones that he had spoke in since he had arrived. “Tell me Twilight, do you think Celestia a God?”

Twilight blinked at the question. “A... God?” She asked for confirmation.

“Yes, a God. An all knowing, all seeing force that can bend the very fabric of reality to its whim if need be.” Merlin seemed amused at his own question.

“Celestia...” Twilight began to calm down as she thought the question over. “She is an alicorn, and has been for a long time. She has ruled her kingdom for thousands of years, she's always guided me on the right path, she's showed kindness and strength in all of her actions. She's never faltered to the threats of war, or political strife, or anything that would bring harm to her or the kingdom. She-”

“Is just a pony.” Merlin interrupted her, following his statement with a chuckle. “Princess Celestia was not born into this world with the grace of a figure that could be deified by it's citizens. There was a time when she didn't know the answer to everything, when she was capable of making mistakes, and when those mistakes would cause serious problems.”

Twilight stared at Merlin, her words lost to her. Her mouth reflexively opened to speak, before closing again as nothing escaped. She turned to look away from him, uncertain of what she really wanted to say.

“She is not absolved of her past sins, in fact I'm certain they weigh heavily on her heart to this day. But that is exactly why she has become who she is today. Without that pain she caused, she never would have risen to become the ruler you know today, the one who has brought centuries of peace and love to her Kingdom. You shouldn't think ill of her.”

“That's easy for her lover to say.” Twilight grumbled as she continued to look away from the wiser unicorn.

“And it should obviously come naturally to her protege.” Merlin sassed back. Twilight didn't have a response for that.

The two of them sat in that quiet field together for some time, the wind blowing once more as Twilight's mind try to justify her anger. However, no amount of justification would let her anger simmer anymore than it already had and slowly any trace of it seeped out of her body, merely replaced with a feeling of apathy.

“Why did you entrust that spell to me Merlin?” It was the first question that popped into Twilight's mind, so she spoke it before she could even fully process it.

“Did my memory not tell you?” Merlin tilted his head in a bit of confusion at that. “It is the greatest spell I ever crafted and I entrust it to you. While I could not see all of the future, I saw that you were the savior of Equestria time and time again. Whether you would rule it or simply continue to follow in Celestia's footsteps I could never be certain, but the world would end several times over if not for you.”

“Can one pony mean so much?” Twilight found it hard to believe.

“One pony can change the entire world.” Merlin smirked at that. “My greatest enemy taught me that. If it makes you feel better, in all likelihood you can blame me for everything.”

It was Twilight's turn to raise an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Time is more delicate than you might realize. Something I learned both from reading Starswirl's work on the subject and from my own experimentation with it. It is easy to go into the past, in fact it's even easier to meet yourself in the past. It is entirely possible to change the past, to rewrite everything by changing a single event, to cause a ripple of time to go out of place.” Merlin raised a hoof and lightly twirled it in place, the very air above his hoof seeming to bend and ripple.

“But therein lies the very problem Twilight Sparkle. If I went back into the past, then returned to the present and saw nothing was changed from what I expected, would I know if I had changed anything or not?”

Twilight thought that issue over, falling to her own haunches as she considered it. Her own experience with time travel had been short, but it had taught her that messing with it was not something to be used for a casual reason. A misused time travel spell could cause a pony to go crazy.

“A pebble in a pond would have it's ripples go unnoticed at first, but over time they could cascade into a torrent of waves could they not? And what if the reason you went back in time was because you saw that ripple and ended up creating it in the first? You would never know if the past was intended to have a different outcome than the one you interfered with. Time is clever, it changes and bends all around us all the time, being capable of creating several realities all at once, but at the same time keeping us fixated on the one we’ve made for ourselves.

“I cannot say for certain if I am responsible for everything that has happened within the dark veil that covers this town, but if you wish to cast blame on me for possibly changing the future, I would not hold that against you.”

Twilight let out another sigh. “No, that wouldn't be fair. You did everything in your power to protect Equestria. If the future changed from it's intended one, then all we can do from here on out is make sure it continues to be a happy one for everyone.”

“The words I would expect to hear from a savior.” Merlin grinned, enjoying what he heard.

“I guess I should study time travel a bit more than I had before now.” Twilight shook her head, “Perhaps not to travel through it, but to at least deal with the repercussions that may be caused by it.”

“I'm certain your element will help with that as well.” Merlin pointed before Twilight as the image of a six pointed star appeared before her. “The element of Magic is tied to the very essence of Magic itself. As such, it has close ties to bending the very fabric of reality itself if need be. It has close ties to time travel. If you want to start to understand how to minimize its casualties, I would start there.”

Twilight scrunched her face at the explanation before turning to Merlin. “Are you telling me the Element of Magic has natural time-travel properties to it?”

“In a sense.” Merlin shrugged his shoulders, “Have you never felt any sensation as if you were viewing events out of order?”

Twilight thought hard about the subject, trying to remember anytime that she had felt something along those lines. Just as she was about to deny the experiences, her eyes widened as a few certain events came back to her.

Right before she had left the library with Spike, when she had first fought with the black dragon in the courtyard, and when she had realized the black sword was in the creature from the black orb. Each time she had pictured a horrific event happening, and she prevented it by taking a course of action other than the one she saw.

“I don't need words to see you have.” Merlin stroked the scruff on his chin once more. “Yes, if you have already felt the effects then I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to do what you seek to achieve.”

Twilight hesitated as the image of the six sided star faded away from in front of her. “Merlin...” Twilight struggled to find the words, “Where exactly am I supposed to go from here?”

“That I do not have an answer for Twilight.” Merlin shook his head, planting both hooves on the soft grass beneath him. “From here on out, I have not seen any of the future. In all likelihood it has changed far beyond anything I could have seen either. The future will be shaped by your actions after this, so it is on your shoulders now.”

“You're asking me to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders...” Twilight murmured, a shiver running up her spine realizing what was going on.

“You already accepted that responsibility a long time ago, you just didn't realize it at the time.” Merlin smiled warmly, before a shudder seemed to ripple through the world. “Though it seems our time together has reached it's end, for real this time.”

“I'm waking up?” Twilight asked, looking around as the world began to crumble away slowly, starting from the edges of her vision and slowly moving towards them.

“You are. Equestria needs you and you will be with her again soon.” Merlin nodded, standing on his hooves. “But before you go, I have one final request of you Twilight.” Twilight turned to look at him as the darkness of the crumbling world quickly approached. Merlin gave one last smile. “Be kind to Celestia. You will want to hate her upon waking, but she is only pony. She needs you as much as you need her.”

With those last words, the dark world crumbled away and Twilight felt herself fall. A bottomless pit met her as the once comforting wind rushed up and past her body, numbing her senses until she couldn't do anything once more. Her consciousness faded as it rapidly moved back to where it was supposed to be.

*****

A soft groan escaped her lips first, her head shifting against a soft surface. Her head was throbbing and her body was weighed down like she'd ran several marathons in a row without stopping. The memory of her talk with Merlin was pushed to the back of her mind for a moment as she recalled her last waking thoughts, of the hellish landscape and her last moments with Celestia. She needed to open her eyes and see where she was.

Her heavy eyelids slowly creaked open, revealing a gentle white light above her head. She expected it to sting her vision, but it was apparently just dimmed enough that opening her eyes the rest of the way wasn't painful. A pristine white ceiling came into view, a fluorescent light charged by crystal magic was imbedded into the ceiling providing the room's light. She tilted her head to one side and saw several IVs hooked to her neck and arm, a medical machine quietly whirring with activity as it monitored her vitals.

She twisted her head to the other side of the room, and although her vision was still blurry, she could see another pony laying in the bed next to her. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to adjust her vision to see, though it seems the other pony noticed her first.

“Well, that's a surprise.” A feminine voice chuckled lightly, though Twilight could tell her voice was hoarse and dry, “We weren't expecting you to wake up for another week at least.”

The voice was familiar, though foreign at the same time. It sounded like someone she had met just recently, but wasn't fully acquainted with yet. She blinked her eyes a few more times before lifting a heavy hoof up to her face to rub them clear. When she lowered her hoof, her vision slowly cleared and the visage of a white mare with a golden blonde hair came into view. One of her forelegs was wrapped in a heavy cast, several bandages covered her chest before the rest of her body was hidden by the sheets of her bed. Her eyes looked heavy, bags underneath them, and she looked exhausted.

“Heh, sorry I can't get up to greet you at the moment, I'm still sort of recovering myself.” The blonde haired mare gently nodded towards the rest of her. “If I wasn't stuck in bed, I'd probably be the one taking care of your nursing at the moment.”

“...We've met before, right?” Twilight tried to think back, though her memories were a hazy fog at the moment. She tried to put a name to the face, but she was only drawing a blank. The only blur that she could discern anything from was a formal greeting at the wedding that felt so long ago now. “Weren't you at Fluttershy's wedding?”

The mare grimaced the mention of the name, but ultimately nodded her head. “I don't blame you for not remembering my name after everything that happened. So, let me introduce myself again. My name's Soft Cure, I'm a nurse at Cloudsdale Hospital under Doctor Strongshy.”

“Oh, that's right. You were his date, if I remember correctly.” Twilight thought over meeting Fluttershy's father again at the wedding. It had been a fairly brief meet up, as she had been busy helping with preparations, but she had seen the pegasus with Fluttershy's father.

“Heh, yeah, I'm glad you remember at least that much.” Soft Cure said before leaning back a bit against her bed. “How are you feeling though?”

“Like I went out for a run and then didn't stop for a week straight.” Twilight muttered, slightly rolling her shoulders as she pushed her head against the pillow. “Every part of me feels so heavy I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“That's to be expected.” Soft Cure tilted her head a little, her eyes wandering over to the machines next to Twilight's bed. “I can't get an accurate read of your pulse from here, but the machines would alert us if your heart rate was abnormal at all. It's a little hard to tell, but your pupils appear to be dilating at the expected rate they should with the light in the room... Your breathing looks fine, but I also can't be sure unless I take a closer look.”

Twilight couldn't help but blink as she watched the mare try to analyze her from the position in her own bed. “Are you in any condition to be trying to practice medicine?” She remarked.

“Heh, probably not.” Soft Cure lightly shook her head. “But I can't help it. I'm not used to being the patient. When things get stressful in my life, I sort of put my mind on my job until I can manage it, you know? I love what I do... And it's hard to do that just laying here.”

“I can understand that, I'm kind of the same way.” Twilight murmured as she turned to look up at the ceiling. “Whenever I end up faced with a problem, I usually turn to my books to try and find a solution for them. Though, lately I've learned that there are many problems you can't solve by looking into one.”

“How are you feeling mentally?” The bed-ridden nurse asked next. “When you were brought in you had several lacerations and bruises, but what worried the doctors the most was you had a nearly fatal case of magical exhaustion, the worst most of them had ever seen. They said it was a miracle your magical reservoirs weren't permanently damaged from how much stress you put on them, and that you'd likely be unconscious for at least two weeks. They managed to stabilize your magic, but you should still be feeling the repercussions of having your magic drained that much.”

Twilight couldn't deny that her mind was a heavy blanket trying to press down on her thoughts at the moment. She'd felt this way once or twice before in her youth, when she was still learning basic magic and trying to push her reservoirs to their limit. She'd only passed out from pushing them too far once, and she'd woken up with a similar fuzzy feeling in her head. She still felt twinges of it if she pushed her magic too far, but this was the first time it felt like the fuzzy feeling wanted to suffocate her.

“I can't deny that that's how it feels.” Twilight mumbled as she closed her eyes. “I pushed my magic far beyond the breaking point, and now it's affecting my everything...” Her mind was slow to process everything going on at the moment, even dulling her emotions to the situation. Soft Cure's words hadn't landed on deaf ears though, and within a moment something clicked in her mind and she turned to the mare again. “Wait... How long have I been asleep exactly?”

“If my mind's not going too, it's been six days.” Soft Cure said, quickly double checking in her own mind how many days had passed.

Twilight blinked, before trying to lift her head up off the pillow in shock, only to feel the exhaustion pull her back down and hitting it with a soft thwump. “Six days!? What happened to Ponyville!?”

Soft Cure thought it over a moment before speaking up. “Probably best to start from the beginning then. They haven't told me everything yet, though with you being the Princess's protege I'm sure they'll tell you the whole story soon.” The nurse shifted a little uncomfortably as she tried to figure out the proper place to start. “It seems that whatever happened was a town-wide event and we were all caught up in it. At some point Princess Luna noticed that the sun hadn't risen yet and decided to raise it herself before looking for Princess Celestia. The first place she went to look was Ponyville, and found the town covered in a thick fog.

“The pegasi were unable to clear it so they sent in a small search party to try and figure out what was going on. When they failed to return, the town was quarantined until the scholars from Canterlot could arrive to try and dispel it. They were studying it for hours when the fog finally began to clear up on it's own. With the fog clear, they went into town and found it's citizens. Most were shaken but unharmed, though several were severely injured...” Soft Cure's eyes wandered down to the heavy bandages on her own body.

“You and I were rushed to Canterlot General for a greater chance of survival and well... Here we are.” The nurse tilted her head up to look at the ceiling. “I've been pretty out of it myself, so it hasn't felt like much time has passed for me, but even I can tell days have passed without any horrific visions returning. Seems we made it out of there alive...”

Twilight wasn't comforted by the story, though knowing what happened on the outside did help put things into perspective. It hadn't been a single instance, everyone in town got caught up in whatever had happened. That most likely meant the bodies of the citizens she'd run into were the real deal.

That thought only made her tighten the grip on her sheets.

Before Twilight could ask the burning question that had risen to the top of her mind, two heavy knocks rang out from the door before the latch was turned and it swung open. Turning her head, walking into the room was someone Twilight recognized right away. She'd be hard pressed to find another pegasi that bore that striking red hair mixed with an amber coat, not to mention the worn down look of constant bags under his eyes.

He took a few steps in before raising an eyebrow in surprise, noticing that the patient he hadn't expected to be woken yet was staring at him.

“Miss Sparkle, I'm surprised to see you awake.” Lance didn't hide his genuine surprise from his voice, though it came out dulled with his usual tone. “I suppose there's no end to the miracles you can perform.” He closed the door behind him and walked up to examine his patient.

“Doctor Strongshy?” Twilight responded with her own surprise, the Doctor's hooves quickly pressing against her neck to check her heartbeat. “I thought you worked in Cloudsdale, what are you doing in Canterlot?”

“Special circumstances, all things considered.” He muttered simply, seemingly satisfied with her pulse. “A lot of Doctors have been diverted to the hospitals in Ponyville so Canterlot is a little short-staffed at the moment. Plus, you two are the most important cases for me at the moment, so I offered to handle your care and they agreed.”

“I see...” Twilight murmured, having a hard time coming up with a response to that. Lance quickly went through a few series of tests, checking her pupil dilation, her breathing rate, and other minor physicals to get a read on Twilight's condition.

“All things considered, you're very fortunate Miss Sparkle.” Lance explained, pulling out a clipboard and flipping the top page over. “You'll likely need bed rest for exhaustion for the next few days or so, but you're on track to making a full recovery.”

“What about the others?” Lance raised an eyebrow at Twilight's question. “My friend's, from Ponyville. Where are they, what happened to them?”

“Ah, the other element bearers.” Lance acknowledged once they came to mind, “Worry not Miss Sparkle, they are perfectly healthy and have been staying at a nearby hotel. They visited you an hour ago in fact, they'll be elated to hear you've awoken.”

The tension that had been building up in Twilight's chest loosened and her body sank into the bed in relaxation.

“They're okay...” Twilight murmured out loud, a faint smile coming to her lips as she let out a relaxed sigh. The town hadn't taken them from her, she still had her friends. She wanted to go out and see them right now, but she knew her body wouldn't make it on it's own. “How soon can I see them?”

“I'll send someone to get them as soon as I'm done checking up on you both.” Lance nodded with a smile. Twilight had to admit, from the few times she'd met the stallion she had found him to be somewhat cold and almost standoffish, even when he was trying to be open and polite to her. Seeing him at a patient's bedside painted a different picture of the stallion though, his bedside manners were incredible, it was almost as if he was an entirely different person.

The next person to speak was Twilight's stomach, a loud growl making it's way through the sheets. Twilight blinked and her face flushed a little at that.

“Heh, a perfectly normal reaction after having just woken up from days of sleep.” Lance nodded and wrote something down on the clipboard. “I'll send up for some dinner at the same time.”

“Thank you.” Twilight nodded as she leaned back into the comforts of her hospital bed. She was rather surprised with how comfortable it actually was now that she had a moment to relax and feel the sensations of her bed.

“Let me just check up on my other patient and I'll send for them.” Lance nodded as he made his way around Twilight's bed to Soft Cure's. Twilight simply nodded her head as she closed her eyes and let the warmth and comfort of her bed take hold of her.

“How you holding up Soft Cure?” Lance's voice asked almost soothingly.

“I'm recovering fine, though you look like you haven't been sleeping again.” Soft Cure scolded the doctor. “You won't do us any good if you're passing out.”

“You're probably the only patient I've ever had that would reprimand me for the state of my health.” Lance couldn't help but chuckle at that.

Their words were comforting for Twilight. It was almost like she could put everything that had happened behind her for the moment. Things had return to relative normality, she could afford to rest for a while longer.

*****

“TWILY!” The loud boisterous voice of Twilight's older brother filled the small hospital room after he had dramatically burst through the door. Twilight stopped mid chew of her hospital salad to look up in surprise.

Twilight quickly swallowed the bit of food in her mouth and let her mouth hang agape at the sight of the familiar face she hadn't seen in so long. Her eyes instantly began to sting with the feeling of tears welling up as the older stallion rushed over and wrapped his hooves around his little sister.

“Shining...” Twilight murmured, a big smile spreading on her face as she buried herself into her brother's barrel. The older, stronger stallion was already beginning to bawl like a big baby and it filled Twilight with so much warmth. Her own tears streamed down her cheeks and she wrapped her heavy legs around him in return. “How'd you get here so fast? I thought you'd still be on duty in the Castle.”

It took Shining several deep breathes to hold back his sobs to let go of Twilight from the hug long enough to look her in the eyes, a big smile on his face. “Once I got word that you were being sent here, I requested permission to be stationed here as a guard. I've been making my rounds in the hospital to ensure it's safety since you've been out. So the moment I heard you were awake I had to come and see you.” He shook his head and wrapped her in a tight hug once more, “Thank Celestia you're okay.”

Twilight flinched at the word Celestia, but eased back into the embrace of her brother. She could push thoughts of the Princess out of her mind for the moment and just focus on the here and now.

“Hey, any room for me?” Another familiar voice called out. Twilight blinked and pulled away from her brother for just a moment to look at a tall, pink mare with long purple, violet, and yellow hair that curled up around her side. Twilight blinked a few times, before noticing her wearing a set of familiar golden regalia as well as sporting a pair of wings at her side. “It's been a long time Twilight, I'm happy to see you again.”

The gears clicked in Twilight's mind just long enough for her name to appear in her mind and Twilight brightened up for the second time. “Cadance!” Twilight reached a free hoof out to the older mare and soon the three of them were embraced in a long deserved hug. “I haven't seen you in forever! I was so busy with my studies I haven't kept up with what you've been up to.”

“You always did have your head buried in the books.” Cadance lightly chuckled as she pulled back just enough to look Twilight in the eyes, though Shining seemed a little reluctant to stop hugging his baby sister. “I haven't been doing anything all that exciting anyway, mostly just a lot of formal Princess training and meeting with politicians. Nothing too extraordinary.” Cadance then let a smirk show through, “Oh, and dating your brother of course. Can't forget that one.”

Twilight's jaw went slack again as she looked between the two older ponies, blinking as if expecting one of them to speak up that it was a joke.

“Heh, surprise!” Shining tried to chuckle his embarrassment away over the news dropping.

“You're dating my Babysitter and a Princess of Equestria and you didn't tell me!?” Twilight let out an annoyed huff for a moment, before her lips trembled and she broke out into a big smile unable to keep up the facade of an angry little sister. “Oh my gosh, that's so wonderful! You two deserve each other so much!” She cheered, clapping her hooves together in excitement.

It was the best news she had heard in a long time.

“I thought you could use some good news after everything that had happened.” Cadance smiled as she leaned in and nuzzled against Twilight comfortingly. “They wouldn't tell us everything, but it seems you went through something pretty traumatic, and we just wanted you to know that we're here to support you. We've got your back no matter what.”

“I know you can take care of yourself, but if you ever need one of the strongest members of the royal guard to back you up, all you have to do is call.” Shining boasted proudly, before leaning in to nuzzle Twilight as well.

“Thank you... Both of you... Thank you so much...” Twilight murmured as she felt the tears starting to well up in her eyes again.

“Uh-oh, looks like this rooms about to get really crowded.” Soft Cure's voice chuckled from her viewpoint of the events. Twilight blinked and looked over at her hospital room partner, and noticed her eyes were looking out at the open door. Twilight turned to follow her gaze, and noticed a distinct assortment of colors racing down the hallway towards the room.

Shining and Cadance turned to look at the group of ponies racing towards the room, before grinning and stepping out of the way. Twilight braced herself for impact as the assortment of colors burst forth through the small opening.

“TWILIGHT!” The collective cheer of her five best friends cried out as she was swarmed with hugs in the next moment. Each of their voices scrambled together as they tried to say essentially the same thing, about how they were worried about her and that they had been visiting every day and they were so glad to see her awake now.

“Girls, I'm so glad you're all okay too.” Twilight laughed joyously, doing her best to return each of the hugs as more tears spilled down her cheeks. They were okay, all of them were genuinely okay. She sneaked peeks at Rarity's torso and saw no signs of scarring or bandages that would indicate having been pierced by a black sword, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were perfectly healthy, even Applejack seemed no worse for wear.

Each of the ponies with boundless energy found it within themselves to calm down just long enough to give Twilight some breathing room, soaking in the happiness that she was surrounded by those who cared about her most. She looked around at all of their faces, elated and overjoyed that they all cared so much about her, and that she cared so much about them. She didn't know what she would do if she lost any of them.

Though maybe it was the hazy fog still clouding her mind, she couldn't help but get the feeling that something was missing. A small niggling feeling in the back of her mind that she was forgetting about something.

“Is there anything we can get ya Twi? Food, drink, extra blankets, you name it.” Applejack spoke up, distracting Twilight from her thoughts.

“I'm okay for the moment, thank you. The staff have been very kind.” Twilight explained with a smile.

“You're not too hurt anywhere are you?” Fluttershy spoke up next, “No pain or anything we need to call a doctor for?”

“I've been very well looked after, and if I felt anything I'd tell them.” Twilight chuckled with a nod. They were doting over her, but she could forgive it for the moment, she'd probably be doing the same thing if she was in their place.

“How about things to pass the time? Books, comics, games, you name it I'm the mare for the job!” Pinkie bounded up, saluting Twilight ready to retrieve whatever was asked of her.

“Ah that's-... Well, maybe.” Twilight thought about that for a moment, “They mentioned I'd likely be resting her for a while, and I am pretty exhausted still. So getting some books later would help with that a lot.”

“When we see you next, I'll have a whole cart full!” Pinkie explained with a broad grin.

“It's good to have ya back Twi.” Rainbow grinned, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and gently rocking her in camaraderie.

“I'll be bringing you some simple resting and walking attires to wear around the hospital, I know what they provide can be both drafty and unpleasant.” Rarity waved a hoof having seen several of the gowns around during her visits.

“Hey, those are standardized by the MAOE! They're optimized for both doctor and patient use as well as being economical.” Soft Cure defended the hospital's choice of dressing gowns.

“I'm sorry, the what darling?” Rarity asked glancing over at the other bed ridden mare.

“The Medical Association of Equestria.” Soft Cure pouted.

“Ho, hum, yes, and I'm sure they do a wonderful job with what's needed of them darling. But I'll be giving Twilight the clothes she needs, not what's mandated by standards.” Rarity tutted as she explained, a smile on her face. Soft Cure could only roll her eyes, though it was hard to keep a smile off her face.

“Thank you everyone, it means so much to me for you all to be here.” Twilight let out a relieved sigh as she leaned back against her upright pillow, feeling exhaustion starting to crash over her again. “I don't really need anything right now, just having you here is plenty.” She tried to suppress a yawn for a moment, but her bodily urges won and she left out a long tired yawn.

“Sounds like someone needs more sleep.” Fluttershy chimed in happily.

“That's all she's done for six days though.” Rainbow rebuked.

“Well hey, at least she'll wake up in a few hours this time.” Applejack chuckled.

“Sorry girls, exhaustion is sort of my biggest symptom right now. That and having a foggy head.” Twilight raised a heavy hoof to her head and rubbed it. “I want to spend more time with you, but I can feel myself fading.”

“Don't you worry about it for even a single second darling.” Rarity smiled placing a hoof against Twilight's, “You get your beauty rest and we'll be back before you even realize we're gone.”

“I'll make sure to let Mom and Dad know you've woken up so they can visit too.” Shining spoke up next.

“Thank you.” Was all Twilight could manage before letting out another tired yawn. She sunk into her warm pillow and felt her heavy eyelids close, sleep slowly coming to her. Though she was so happy to be surrounded by her friends and family, there was still that lingering feeling in the back of her mind that wouldn't go away even as she drifted off.

You're forgetting someone.

*****

“You're making excellent progress.” The nurse commented as Twilight walked slowly down the hallway. She'd been resting for two days in the hospital by now and her legs were finally starting to get some of their old strength back. She'd even been able to cast a few simple levitation spells here and there, though it was going to take quite a while before her magic had recovered enough to go back to daily use.

Walking was a simple enough exercise that was a standard measurement of a patient's progress, as Soft Cure had explained to Twilight, and it was better than laying in bed all day waiting for someone to visit. Pinkie had kept her promise and gave her an entire cart full of books to read, but she was already halfway finished with them at this point. Between sleeping, reading, eating, and visits, her days were trudging along at a slow pace.

With each step Twilight felt the lead returning to her limbs, making them heavier with each step and causing her breathing to become labored. She went as far as she could go, but with one last step she felt her legs ready to give out underneath her and she stood in place as they wobbled. The nurse placed the wheelchair she had brought along with them behind Twilight and she eased herself down into a sitting position on the device, letting out a sigh of comfort as the pressure was taken off her hooves.

“Very good! That was almost twice the length you walked yesterday. At this rate you'll be back on your feet before you know it!” The nurse smiled happily as she turned the wheelchair and they slowly made their way back to Twilight's room. Twilight lit her horn up and levitated a bottle of water in the cup holder on the chair to her mouth, taking careful, planned sips from the bottle and let it cool her down.

It was such an odd feeling to her to get that tired that easily now, especially with recurring memories of running through a fog filled Ponyville for what must have been hours on end. There were so many questions raised by that fog filled town that Twilight didn't even know where to begin processing them, let alone if she even wanted to. She just felt thankful that Celestia hadn't come to visit her yet. The girls had informed her that the Princess was going to wait till she had fully recovered, but Twilight had a sinking feeling that there was more to it than that.

“Well this is a pleasant surprise. Hello Miss Sparkle.” The hair on the back of Twilight's neck stood up as a shiver ran down her spine at the sound of that voice. Twilight lowered the bottle of water and looked in front of her, her eyes widening in surprise. Sitting in a wheelchair accompanied by his own nurse was a familiar stallion with blonde hair and a brown coat, with cold eyes. The stubble on his face had grown more pronounced since she’d last seen him and it still framed that creepy, wiry smile on his face.

“A friend of yours?” Twilight's nurse asked, looking down at her.

“...I guess you could call him that.” Twilight spoke under her breath, uncertain of how to feel finding Magus before her. She looked him over and realized that he had several bandages wrapped around his barrel and upper legs, most likely from where he'd been hit the last time she saw him. She had thought he had died in the otherworld, but it seems that not only had he made it out, he had been brought to Canterlot General as well.

“I'm glad to see you well Twilight. I admit though, I don't have any memories of what happened after I last saw you.” Magus brought a hoof to his head, rubbing it gently. He still spoke in that creepy way, as if his words were like snakes slithering out of his mouth rather than something meant to be listened to by pony ears.

“I guess I should be surprised you aren't dead after what happened.” Twilight said back, with a bit more bite to her words than she intended. She remembered she wasn't happy with him the last time they had met. He was a pony who was more trouble than he was worth.

“You did have a better view of the events than me.” Magus smiled his leering smile. “So tell me, how was your overall experience in that world? I have to admit, I learned quite a bit from my own trip into that land, I almost wish I could go again. I've already got my next book brewing in my head, I just need to get my hooves behind a typewriter and it'll be off to the publishers before I know it.”

“Listen, Magus? If I had the option to never remember what happened in that place, I would take the option in a heartbeat. I have no desire to return or to even understand how it works, so long as it's gone and everyone I know is safe.” Twilight's eyes began to glare daggers at the stallion. “Something you obviously don't care about at all. You were willing to put everyone's lives at risk for the sake of research. I know I've been fanatical, but I'd never go so far. I especially can't forgive you for letting-” Twilight's words stopped where they were as a sudden wave of realization hit her all at once.

Spike. Her mind screamed at her. You haven't seen Spike at all the past two days. You completely forgot about him.

“Well that's a shame Miss Sparkle, if you were willing I would have loved to have shared in the discoveries with you, but it seems I shall be alone.” Magus tutted a bit, before returning to his smile. “Well, I suppose that will have to suffice for now. If you ever feel like chatting about what we experienced, I'm sure you can find me. Let us go nurse.” Magus nodded to the nurse pushing his wheelchair, and the two of them moved away.

Twilight didn't even register his parting words, or the fact he was leaving. Her mind was reeling from the fact that she could remember now. The memories had been pushed into the far back of her hazy mind but they sprung up front and center as if they had only happened moments ago.

Spike, wrapped in the tendrils that had come out of Celestia's disfigured form, was talking to her, calling out to the pony he saw as a mother. And just when things were at their calmest...

...A spear had pierced his chest...

...And his lifeless body fell to ground...

Twilight's body began to tremble. Her last memory of Spike was his body hitting the floor, in the same place where her and Magus had sustained very real injuries from that fight. Didn't that mean Spike had as well? If Spike was around they would have mentioned him, said he was taking care of things in Ponyville or that he'd be around. That she would see him soon and she would hug him and everything would be alright.

They hadn't said a word. Spike wasn't coming to see her. That meant Spike couldn't come to see her. And the only reason he couldn't see her was because he was gone.

“Miss Sparkle? Are you alright?” The attending nurse asked, crouching beside Twilight to try and understand what was going on. Twilight had been reduced into a quivering mess, tears streaking down her cheeks as she tried to lift her head enough to look the nurse in the face.

“Where...” She hiccuped through her sobs, “Where is he!?” He voice was faint and muffled, but just clear enough for the attendant to hear them. She buried her face into her hooves as her emotions continued to overwhelm her, feeling as if her heart was shattering.

“Oh dear... Let's get you back to your room quickly.” The nurse offered what comfort she could, before quickly pushing the chair down the hall. It didn't take long to get back to the room, but Twilight couldn't keep herself together. She felt awful, after all that time spent in the otherworld ensuring he was safe, the moment she had left it she had forgotten about him. How could she have forgotten about someone so close to her, someone she saw as basically a son to her?

“Come on, let's get you up onto the bed.” The nurse spoke comfortingly rubbing Twilight's back. Twilight could only quietly nod through her labored breathing and hiccups. She stepped out of the wheelchair as best she could and the nurse guided her through the few steps to get back into bed. Twilight managed to get back in, resting her head on the pillow and squeezing her eyes shut as she sobbed. “Is there anything I can get you Miss Sparkle? Something to calm you down, like a glass of water?”

Twilight took a shuddering breath as she pressed her head down into the pillow. Her chest was tight and she wasn't sure if she could even speak. Her mind was still reeling from realization and it was hard to calm herself down to think rationally. There were only three people who had seen Spike, and if she had been found in Ponyville, Spike should have been as well. If her friends hadn't said anything yet, then it was likely because they had been told not to say anything just yet.

And there was only one person that would have given such a command.

“Actually... There is...” Twilight's voice hitched as she shook her head to try and clear the tears. She squeezed down on her sheets and tucked them into her chest. “I need you... To send a letter to Princess Celestia... I need to talk to her...”

“I-I see...” The nurse said, a bit of hesitation to her voice. “Yes, very well, I can get your brother to deliver it I'm certain. I'll send her a letter saying you're ready to see her.” She nodded her head and turned from the bed, heading out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Left with her thoughts once more, Twilight felt a twisting sense of dread rising in her chest. She had been putting off getting in contact with Celestia the last two days, wanting to just have time to clear her head and understand where she wanted to stand with the Princess.

But now she was the only one who was going to give her an answer to what happened with Spike. And she needed to know. She couldn't go on until she knew.

*****

Twilight wasn't sure how many hours it had been since she'd at least stopped crying. She was sitting up in her bed, back against the pillow as she tried to keep herself calm. Her mind was going through all the possible ways the situation could go down once Celestia walked through the door, but Twilight knew all too well from previous experiences that it likely wouldn't matter in the end. Her only rational was that thinking of the scenarios in her head at least calmed some of her nerves, though the nervous tension in her chest wouldn't go away until she had gotten her answers.

“You know, I've never actually met Celestia in person.” Soft Cure gave a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Twilight almost kept forgetting she was there with how much she kept to herself. “I've only ever seen her from a distance. I'll never forget her showing up at Lance's graduation, it was such an important moment for everyone back then.”

“She went to his graduation?” Twilight asked, genuinely curious. “She doesn't usually go to graduations, what was so special about that one?”

“Tell me Twilight... Do you think it's weird that Lance and I are pegasi in the medical field?”

“...Not really, no. Should I?” Twilight tilted her head as she tried to think over those words.

“Well, you'd have Lance to thank for that.” Soft Cure showed a genuine smile. “Lance was the first pegasi to ever graduate from Manehatten University in the decades it had been established for. Without even realizing it, he broke a social barrier preventing pegasi from having medical jobs by being one of the best doctors to ever come out of there. He was an inspiration for a lot of us, and it's why I'll always owe him a debt for being able to do the work I do.”

“I see... Yeah, I suppose that would be a good reason for her to go...” Twilight looked away from Soft Cure, her brow furrowing. She had to admit, Soft Cure talking to her had indeed helped calm her nerves for a moment, but with the conversation having reached it's end Celestia was back on her mind.

The images of the horrific deeds Celestia had committed came to mind once more. The face of a fearsome, cold-blooded tyrant that razed thousands of her own subjects without blinking. A face that truly lacked mercy when faced with a foe.

But that wasn't the Celestia Twilight knew, the one she had grown up with, the one that Soft Cure spoke of in her story. Celestia was a kind, wise, and noble leader, who always seemed to know what to do or say in almost any situation. At the same time though, there was always a guarded look to her, as if she wore a mask to hide her true face, to hide her heart from the world.

Twilight had seen the mask before, but she had always pushed the thought aside, thinking that it was just her imagination getting out of hand. Looking back now, there were more obvious signs that Celestia wasn't always open and honest with her, being cryptic and hidden at seemingly the most random of times. What scared her was the thought that the benevolent ruler of the kingdom, the one she had looked up to and loved for so many years, wasn't wearing a mask to hide sadness or despair, but rather to hide the face of the tyrant. To hide a madman waiting for an excuse to break out and terrorize the land once again.

The thought of seeing Celestia in that state again filled her stomach with a cold dread.

Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heavy hoof knocking on the door three times. Her eyes widened with realization as she turned her head to look at the door as it creaked open, revealing the regal white alicorn that stood behind it.

Princess Celestia stepped into the hospital room, her heavy hooves echoing loudly in Twilight's ears. She forced herself to look Celestia in the eyes, seeing the monarch's ever present humble smile plastered on her face. Though from years of knowing her, Twilight could tell that the smile was a front, one she used when she knew the next conversation she was going to have was going to be a hard one.

The look only tightened the knot she felt in her throat.

“Twilight, my faithful student, I am relieved to see you awake and well.” Were the first words out of the monarchs mouth. Celestia seemed to hesitate on her hooves at that moment. If Twilight had to guess, the monarch wanted to lean in and nuzzle her affectionately like she used to, but the action didn't feel right for this situation and Twilight would have to agree.

“I'm... Glad to see you're safe too Princess...” Twilight managed to force out. On some level the statement was true, but it wasn't the pressing matter at hand. Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her bed, uncertain of what to say next or how to start broaching the conversation. Fortunately, Celestia began for them.

“Are you well enough for us to go somewhere private?” Celestia spoke up, lifting her head to look at the bandaged Soft Cure in the bed over.

“Sorry your highness. I'd leave but... Well, hard for me to move on my own.” Soft Cure gave a sheepish smile as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Please, think nothing of it my little pony. The last thing I would want is to inconvenience your recovery with my presence.” Celestia explained in that calming authoritative way she always used.

“I have enough strength to walk for a little while, but... I-I'd bring a wheelchair. I'll probably collapse before too long.” Twilgiht explained awkwardly, still shifting uncomfortably.

“Very well, I will bring one with us though we won't be doing much walking.” Celestia explained, raising a hoof up and gently placing it on Twilight's shoulder. Celestia's horn then lit up in it's usual golden regal glow and before she even noticed, the two of them traversed through a rend in space, emerging within the comfortable confines of Celestia's private chambers.

Twilight recognized where she was instantly, though found her mind focused on her balance at the moment. Her legs were still wobbly and weak, and she knew she wouldn't have the strength to stay on them for long. Celestia had planned for this though, and within moments of arriving the usual coffee table was being set up with two luxury silk pillows placed on either side and a tray of hot tea and fresh cakes were laid out atop it. Recognizing the invitation, Twilight took a few shaky steps over to the table before resting her haunches down onto the thick pillow. Celestia soon took her usual spot opposite of her and already began preparing the tea the way the two of them liked.

With the treats passed between them, Twilight carefully grabbed hold of the cup of tea and brought it up to her lips. The familiar and warm taste of herbal liquid made it's way down her throat, sweetened to just the right consistency that she liked, a preference memorized from years of having small meetings with Celestia that went just like this. Twilight quickly licked her lips as she looked down into the reflection of herself in the tea's murky water.

The very sensation of drinking the warm drink readied to her exact specifications without having to say a word reminded Twilight just how much Celestia had cared for her over the years of them knowing each other. Though Twilight had hoped the thought would bring comfort, it only reminded her of how hard their conversation was about to be.

“I suppose there is no easy way for us to broach this,” Celestia was once again the first to speak up, “So I suppose we should just face it head on.” Twilight's ears flattened on her head as Celestia took a deep breath to steady herself before looking at her student. “I can't begin to know what you faced in that world you found yourself trapped in... But I can only assume one thing. You saw my past, didn't you?”

Twilight wanted to shrink in her spot, to maybe vanish or disappear. Perhaps there was a spell that would allow her to do so, but she knew there was no escaping this. She had faced adversity and horror the likes she thought she would never see in her entire lifetime, facing the Princess should've been easy in comparison. So why was it so hard?

“...Yes Princess...” Was all she could say in reply, a quiet utterance of a response than a proper admission.

“I see...” The Princess spoke quietly, placing her teacup down onto its saucer. “It was never my intention to hide what I have done from you. I planned to tell you one day, but only once I felt you were ready to hear the true history of Equestria, not the one passed down in altered history books.” Celestia quietly shook her head, closing her eyes. “I have not always been the benevolent ruler you grew up with. During the darkest days of my rule over Equestria, I allowed my anger and rage to boil to the surface and cloud my judgment. Back then... I was no better than Nightmare Moon...”

Twilight could feel the weight of Celestia's sorrow in her voice. This wasn't easy for her either, no matter how practiced the monarch was in her centuries of ruling.

“If it was not for Merlin, I likely would not have come back to my senses.” Celestia's eyes opened, though they stared down at her tea for comfort. “At my worst moment, when I was buried under the sin of having killed thousands of my own subjects... Merlin sacrificed himself for me. He chose to take the blame for what I had done. He had convinced everyone that it was him without me knowing, and no matter what I said I could not dissuade the people of his story. He was sentenced to death... and my name was cleared of their deaths.

“However, that doesn't mean I was absolved of my sins, far from it. When I spoke to Merlin before his sacrifice, his very words were “You are the one Equestria needs. Another scholar with magic will come around, but you will rule for centuries to come. So become the ruler they need once more.” Those words changed my entire life...” Celestia paused a moment to reflect on her own words, bringing her tea cup up to sip on it once more before returning to her story.

“With his passing, I realized how cruel I had become. How even looking into the mirror terrified me, and it was then that I realized why my sister had turned out the way she had. I was becoming a monster myself, and if I did not wish to share her fate, I had to change. Not just for myself, but for all of my citizens, to do better by them. I forged a pact with myself that day, to never forget what I had done, to continue to live on and to rule them, so that in the future they could truly know peace. And for the last millennium, everything I have done has been for that goal...”

Celestia's horn lit up and from somewhere in the room an item was lifted up and brought to the table. It was placed down just in front of the tea and cake before Twilight, and she blinked in realization of what it was. She'd never mistake the sheer black color of that blade embedded into a golden handle.

“This sword was Merlin's greatest accomplishment. Forging an unbreakable object into the shape of a sword. I can't imagine there is a more powerful blade in all of Equestria. And if I know Merlin as well as I do, the reason you had it in that world was because he always intended for you to have it one day. So, this blade is now yours Twilight, to do with as you see fit.”

Twilight stared at the blade in quiet contemplation. It had essentially followed her throughout that other world, sometimes hurting her, sometimes helping her, before ultimately being her main weapon. On one hoof she felt revolted by the blade, but on the other it felt like it already belonged to her. She wasn't entirely certain what to make of it.

She thought back to how essential the sword had been to everything that had happened to her back then. The images of her trying to free Celestia from her chains came to mind, before Celestia had mutated into that wretched abomination. And before Spike had...

“Princess...” Twilight's voice hitched, as she remembered why she had called for the Princess in the first place. “...Where's Spike?”

Celestia didn't reply right away, closing her eyes somberly at the question. Twilight bit her lip, waiting for a response, not ready for what she knew was coming. Celestia stood up from her spot and walked over to Twilight, placing her hoof on her shoulder once more.

“There is one more place we must go Twilight.” The Princess explained, and Twilight could only quietly nod her head. Celestia's horn glowed with a regal glow before space twisted around them once more.

In that instance the two of them went from the warm comforts of Celestia's chambers to the bright outdoors. A gentle breeze was flowing over the area, slightly chilling the air. Twilight looked around at her new surroundings for a moment, realizing where she was. She had only been there once or twice before as a filly, but it was a place she chose to stay away from most of the time.

Canterlot cemetery, where the dead were put to rest. In front of them was a small statue, about as tall as Twilight, carved out into the form of a baby dragon and smiling an all too familiar smile. At the bottom of the statue was a small plague that read “Here Lies Spike 'The Dragon' Sparkle.”

Twilight's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the fresh grave. She felt the sting return to her eyes as the reality of the situation hit her. She raised a quivering hoof up to the statue and placed it against the cold surface, feeling the reality of the gravestone.

Spike really was gone. He hadn't made it out of that fog filled town with the rest of them.

“When Merlin died...” Celestia's spoke, a mournful tone to her voice, “I vowed to myself that I would do better by my subjects. That I would become a ruler that they could look up to and love, not cower or fear. That I would bear my sins and that I would never again commit such a heinous act...” For the first time in Twilight's life, she heard the Princess's voice hitch, as if she was the one suppressing the desire to cry.

“But I failed you all that day...” Celestia closed her eyes. “In that world, when I was... Consumed... By the power of that world flooding my body because of that stallion's symbol... The weight of my sins broke my mind. Everything I felt those thousand years ago came flooding back, and in my state, I could not control myself.”

Twilight turned to look at Celestia, her teacher looking away ashamed, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. “For a brief moment I realized that I held Spike... That I looked into his eyes and I heard his voice. In that moment, I heard him call me mother... And I...” Celestia shook her head, lowering her head. “I saw my own mother... My own mother caring for a dragon of her own. A dragon that said he loved her... Only to grow up to slaughter so many... Who vowed to take everything away. And when I saw him in Spike...”

“Princess...” Twilight fought her breath from breaking into a sob, the tears already streaking down her face.

“I can never take back what I've done Twilight. In my rage I took Spike from you... From us... And there is nothing that can bring him back now.” Celestia took a slow, shuddered breath as she forced herself to not break down at that moment. “I do not ask your forgiveness Twilight... What I have done is unforgivable...”

Twilight couldn't find words to speak, only letting her body give in to the weight of her words. She turned to face Spike's statue once more. She moved in a little closer to the block of stone, wrapping her legs around it and burying her face into Spike's stone shoulder. She let her sobs out onto the stone statue, just letting her pain and sorrow out.

Even if in the end Spike hadn't seen her the same way, she had considered him a son. She didn't know why it had taken her so long to realize that. That she loved Spike that way, but now that he was gone there was nothing she could do or say for him.

She'd never see his smiling face again, she'd never see him carrying some reference book for her to look over, he'd never hover with romantic intentions toward Rarity again, he'd never bake his famous seven layer nachos, and she'd never have one of her closest friends from her childhood.

Every sob poured those lost emotions into the rock’s shoulder, her sobs echoing out into the quiet graves around them. She let everything out in that one, long sob, hoping even a fraction of her love could reach Spike wherever he was now.

It was several moments before Twilight's sobbing began to quiet, broken down into hiccuping heavy breaths. Once she seemed to have finally calmed down, she slowly and shakily removed her arms from around the stone monument. She sniffed once more and saw a small towel raised before her, held within Celestia's magic. She gently took it with her hoofs and wiped at her face, just holding it against her fur as she continued to calm down.

“Nothing I can do can ever make up for what I've done Twilight.” Celestia repeated. “But if there is anything I can ever do for you, do not hesitate to ask. More than anyone, you deserve that much from me.”

“Anything, huh?” Twilight sucked in a breath, lowering the towel as bitter resentment filled her mind. “So if I said I wanted to kill you in kind, you'd give me the pleasure?”

“...If that would satisfy your anger, I would.” Celestia quietly nodded. “Though I would ask in return that I get all of my affairs in order, so that the kingdom will be taken care of in my absence.”

Twilight clicked her teeth at that. “I believe you... Though as you said, there’s nothing that will bring Spike back...” She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she lowered her head. “You told my friends not to tell me about Spike, didn't you?”

“I had to be the one to tell you Twilight. Please do not be angry at them for what I have done.”

Twilight wasn't comforted by the words, but she could already feel her anger starting to slip away. Maybe she really had spent too much time in that otherworld, killing too many beings that were horrific abominations. To even suggest killing Celestia meant she could consider her teacher a monster in some way.

“Princess...” Twilight began, before shaking her head and looking up at the alicorn with tired eyes. “Celestia... Can you take me back now? I just... I need time to myself... To think about... Everything...”

“Of course my student.” Celestia nodded her head understandingly. She placed a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder once more, and in a blink they were gone, leaving the cemetery in the quiet state it had once been before they arrived.

*****

The front door of Golden Oak Library creaked open as Twilight took her first steps back into her home. Her horn lit up and several lanterns placed around lit up with a familiar warm light that flooded the makeshift house and library.

“I'm home.” Twilight spoke up to the empty house, knowing there'd be no response in return. She stepped into the familiar confines and closed the door behind, hearing the quiet echo bounce off the walls. It had been a week since she saw the Princess and her recovery was finally at a point where they felt confident letting her head home. Her friends had been with her the entire time, but when it finally came time to enter her house, she asked for a moment alone and they had agreed.

She walked over to the center of the room, the familiar table and horse head statue sitting there waiting like it always had. A few scattered books lay on the table, though one familiar one caught her.

Dreams: A Psychological Understanding.

Twilight grit her teeth at the book. Her first instinct was to set the book afire, to burn it and try to wipe it from her memory. She levitated it up with her magic, her next instinct to throw it and see how much damage it would take. However, she did neither of those things. She walked over to one of the nearby bookshelves, opened a hidden compartment behind it and shoved it away, hiding it from view unless it was absolutely needed again.

With the damnable book locked away, Twilight scanned the house once more. The rest of it was left exactly how it had been left when she went to bed the night after the wedding. A small layer of dust had started to gather, but nothing a light dusting wouldn't handle. A light dusting Spike would usually take care.

A knot formed in her chest as she moved on, making her way up the stairs and towards her bedroom. At the top of the stairs was a spacious area that accounted for not only the second floor of the library, but also her bedroom. To one side was a small closet like space where she kept her belongings. Reaching into her magic, she pulled out the possession Celestia had given her, the regal black sword that once belonged to Merlin.

She levitated it into the space and hung it against the wall, a location she could remember and summon it from in a moment’s notice if need be, but otherwise hidden from the world. She didn’t know if she was ever even going to need the sword again, but Merlin’s words came back to counter those thoughts. He had seen her as the savior of Equestria several times over, in the back of her mind she knew she was going to need it again some day.

With a sigh she turned from the closet and took one more flight of circular stairs that led up to a small balcony area on the same floor where Spike and her had spent so much of their time together. On the floor near her carpet was the small basket he had slept in, left as messy as it had been when they woke up in that awful world.

“Oh Spike...” Twilight murmured quietly as she ran a hoof against his pillow. She didn't realize just how much she took having him around for granted now. The place felt so empty, so quiet without him. She was going to sleep there and not have the rhythmic sounds of Spike's snoring to help her fall asleep, or know that if anything happens that he could wake her up or she could protect him. She was alone now.

Twilight felt her breathing hitch and she moved from the basket to lay on her bed. Maybe if she fell asleep this might all go away, maybe she'd wake up and life would go back to the way it was before everything had happened. She just wanted one of her best friends back.

“Oof!” Twilight grunted as something slightly heavy landed on her body. She let out a grunt as she lifted her head and looked down at what had landed on her, finding a somewhat unfamiliar book having made it’s way there. She raised an eyebrow curiously before looking up and seeing Owlowiscious sitting above her with that ever blinking stare of his.

“Whoo.” The owl spoke up, as if speaking about the book.

“...What is this?” Twilight asked curiously, knowing her pet owl couldn't give her a proper response. She grabbed the book and opened the front page and read it.

The private diary of Spike the Dragon. Do not read unless you are the coolest dragon around!

There was a quirky little doodle of a grinning dragon near the bottom of the page.

“Oh... Oh Owlowiscious... I... I can't...” Twilight held back the urge to break into fresh sobs, her hoof on the page.

“Whoo.” He responded, as if encouraging her. Twilight chewed on her bottom lip, fresh tears already starting to form at the edge of her eyes. Twilight rubbed her eyes and swallowed the knot that had formed, and hesitatingly turned to the next page.

Dear Diary

Hi, I'm Spike! I'm a dragon! Pretty impressive I know. I decided that with how hectic my life can get helping Twilight around her study that it'd be a good idea to start keeping a diary! You never know when you'll want to look back on awesome memories right?

Anyways, since this is my first entry let me tell you about something hilarious that happened today! Twilight was studying for one of her tests and her spell misfired and her hair turned bright red! She looked just like Moondancer, it was hilarious! Of course I couldn't let her live it down easily and cracked a lot of my awesome jokes.

It was all in good fun though and I made it up to her by making her that daisy salad she likes so much. I can't wait to see what awesome fun we have tomorrow!

The Great Dragon, Spike

Twilight let out a soft chuckle, followed by another. Her lips trembled as she laughed, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. She remembered that day, she remember Spike's jokes, she remembered his laugh, she remembered how much she loved him and how much he loved her.

“Oh Spike...” Twilight choked out between her laughter and her sobbing. “I'll never forget you...” She took a deep sniff and reached a hoof over and turned to the next page.

She spent the rest of the day slowly reading every page, and remembering her lost son.

Author's Note

So... For the last two years, I was never satisfied with Silent Ponyville 3, and I tried to rationalize why that was.

The first idea was that it just simply lacked the punch of the first two. Celestia as the target was just too easy. The long rule of a monarch, of course she had some bad times, who wouldn't? And I had no ideas for Twilight to have any traumatic past memories, so I wanted it to be like Silent Hill 1 where you're trying to find someone important to you. And I didn't feel like I had hit that mark.

The second was that I must've just told the story wrong. I felt like because it was such an easy target to hit, that I must've just been lazy or terrible with writing it. The ideas must've been dumb and that I had was terrible for trying to pass the hackneyed idea as a great horror related to the Silent Ponyville name.

The third was thinking that Magus and Merlin were just not as interesting OCs as the previous ones I had created for this series, and I still think there is some merit to that. But I don't think it ultimately answers the crux of why I was feeling like I hated Silent Ponyville 3.

So, recently, on a whim, I went back and I re-read Silent Ponyville 3.

And I found that I still liked it.

I still really liked it.

Sure there was a lot more fat that could have been cut and a lot of the story could've been retained, and because of my breaks between chapters it jumped around a little bit, but the ideas and the narrative were all ones I still really loved. I was enraptured by my own story and I was drawn in and I loved it.

And it was then that I realized what I hated about Silent Ponyville 3.

The ending.

The ending was rushed and god awful and a reflection of my own mental landscape of not only how people had reacted to the revelations and the story, but also to how I was feeling about it not living up to all the expectations I had hoped and dreamed it would have. And that I was a failure for letting it end up this way with no way to improve.

So I decided to fix this. And thus we have the actual, true ending. Still following the basic ideas I had from the original ending, but told in a way that's actually satisfying, ties up all the loose ends I left dangling in the story, and leaves the emotional impact I intended from the very beginning. A somber ending, but one that also firmly places Silent Ponyville in the category of Aleternate Universe.

Though canon already did that with the Pie family, it was nice to have that confirmation.

Silent Ponyville 1 and 2 may have been written with the intention of allowing them to be dubious canon, in a "you can insert them and have them be canon" sort of way, but I knew that was never going to last. I knew that the show would never have such a dark and tragic past for it's characters, especially considering the nature of this being an actual horror.

Silent Ponyville was supposed to be a serious spoof of the horror stories at the time of it's writing, to deconstruct everything that was wrong with the horror fanfics at the time and how they could actually be done right. That's why there are so many references to other things in them. Cupcakes, Slender Mane, Silent Hill in general, it was all intentional.

With all that said, I'm not convinced yet if I want to go ahead and write a Silent Ponyville 4 one day. At the moment of writing this Author's Comments, I have no solid idea for one, especially not involving anymore of the Mane 6. I cannot think of any appropriately traumatic pasts for Rarity, Applejack, or Rainbow Dash that wouldn't either be immediately predictable or completely expected. I'm sure if you tossed an idea at me, I've probably already had it and that would just show how predictable a story like that really would be.

But that's not to say there's no hope for one, just that at this moment in time I don't have the idea of one. If people could accept a non-Mane 6 character as a main character, I could maybe write one. But we'll have to wait and see if that is the case.

I may also write another sequel to Silent Ponyville 3, an in-between story like Too Shy for a Rainbow or The Rainbow's Surprise. Because while I'm not yet convinced of Silent Ponyville 4, I do love the little world and character interactions that has been created by these series of fics.

So, for all of you out there that still care, I hope this was satisfying to read. I'm sure a lot of you have completely forgotten most of the story to Silent Ponyville 3 by now, but that's okay. I hope in some small part, this new ending can fix a lot of what was wrong with it for you.

Thank you, all of you, for reading this and being fans of the series. I hope to see you all again someday.

Prologue

A soft chill blew through the brisk winter’s day. A blanket of snow covered the ground far below, as Celestia’s chariot soared through the sky.

‘What a beautiful day for a wedding.’ Celestia thought with a smile sprawled across her face. It had been far too long since she had last been able to attend a wedding, her royal duties always coming first However, with Luna back she could afford to take time off on such short notice. Plus no one would blame her for going to a wedding where the two being wed each wielded one of the Elements of Harmony.

As Celestia’s chariot grew closer to the quaint town of Ponyville, her regal eyes scanned the snow banked town, easily catching sight of the pacing lavender unicorn that stood out from the white backdrop around her. Celestia let out a soft chuckle to herself, knowing exactly how her student fussed and worried over every little detail, and no doubt a wedding between her friends was going to have her nerves on end even more than usual.

The unicorn quickly looked into the sky as a smile formed on her face, the chariot quickly came to a landing and the unicorn was upon the chariot in an instant.

“Princess! Oh thank goodness you’re here! And only ten minutes and forty-two seconds late, BUT THAT’S OKAY!” Twilight laughed a hair seeming to split out of place, “We can make up for lost time! If we just move the flower girl ceremony to here-“ the unicorn hastily made scribbles on a clipboard, “And move the buffet preparations to here and-“

“Twilight.” Celestia spoke clearly, interrupting her star pupil who looked up quickly, “You must calm down. If you’re too high strung the whole affair will be ruined.” Celestia laughed at the look of horror that appeared on Twilight’s face, “Besides, ten minutes won’t harm the wedding. In fact, it might make it better. Just think about it, the anticipation in the air, everypony waiting eagerly for the event to take place, the slow reveal for the audience of everything happening.” Celestia winked at her student.

“…With the music and the atmosphere the tension will be high,” Twilight spoke as the spark went off in her mind, her hair returning to normal as she smiled, “with bated breath they’ll wait on the edges of their seat, anticipating the arrival of the bride. Every moment longer they must wait drives them further to the edge until those regal doors open revealing the heavenly body behind them.”

“Now you’re thinking like a writer.” Celestia grinned happily, as Twilight chuckled herself, the joke shared silently between the two of them. “Well, I promise I won’t keep the ceremony waiting any long-” The moment Celestia’s hoof touched the ground she instantly pulled it back, stopping her thoughts and staring at the ground with her mouth agape.

“…What’s the matter Princess?” Twilight asked, confused at the Princess’s sudden behavior.

“…Twilight… you don’t…” Celestia blinked confused looking at her student standing as if nothing was wrong. Twilight just seemed to return the confused glance, before Celestia looked back the earth she had just touched. Carefully, the princess lowered her hoof back to the ground. Then almost as immediately she pulled it back, as if the ground was trying to bite her hoof.

“…Celestia, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, confused, not sure if she should be worried or not now.

Celestia didn’t speak a word now, but simply narrowed her eyes. Through her years of hardship as ruler of the land she steeled her nerves tightly and planted her hoof down upon the earth of Ponyville. A bolt of electricity ran down her spine as she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. This wasn’t a natural sensation, it was unlike anything she’d felt before.

The ground had a pulse. A slow, gradual pulse that felt like something was trying to break free of the ground. The ground didn’t move, it didn’t show any sign that something was wrong with it. To the normal observer Ponyville was the same as it was every day. But the pulsations of the earth sent shivers down her spine; they felt menacing and vile, like they wanted her as far away from the town as possible.

“You don’t feel that Twilight?” Celestia asked curiously, looking over at her student.

“Am I supposed to be feeling something?” Twilight looked down at her hooves, picking it up to look at the bottom of it, before a wind blew through sending a chill down her spine, “Well I feel a little cold if that’s what you mean.”

Celestia just looked at her star pupil for a few moments, before turning her attention back to the ground. The pulse was steady and even, she could count about four seconds between each wave of the feeling. But if her student wasn’t feel anything, perhaps whatever was causing it could wait till after the wedding.

“Well… don’t worry about it for now Twilight. Let’s focus on the wedding.” Celestia nodded.

“Oh… well alright Princess, if you say so.” Twilight said quickly looking back to her clipboard with her checklist on it, “Alright, let’s get things rolling before we delay things even more!” Twilight then quickly turned back to town hall and raced over to it, wanting to keep things on track.

“I’ll have a chat with her after the wedding.” Celestia spoke softly, following after her student.

The wedding ceremony had went off without a hitch, much to Twilight’s relief. Celestia had watched each moment and guest carefully, smiling the whole time. It really did seem that all of Ponyville could not feel the strange pulsations like Celestia could. That was not a sign that boded well inside the regal princess’s heart. If she was the only one that could feel it, that must mean it was something involving powerful magic and that gave her cause for concern.

At the reception she watched the ponies dance and eat to their hearts content, happy over the celebration of the newest happy couple in their town. She was happy for the ponies of the town as well, even with the strange sensation constantly pulsing at her hooves, giving her an uneasy feeling. Next to her stood her faithful student, the only one who had seen her even flinch at the sensation of the town.

Celestia looked at her student from the corner of her eyes, watching her looking around amazed at everything happening. This was likely the first wedding Twilight had ever attended, Celestia could see the curious look in her eye, taking notes of the whole affair.

“They truly do make a lovely couple." Celestia spoke up to her student before chuckling softly, "Though I must admit my surprise. I had no idea two of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would take their lives together a step further like this."

“Yeah, I didn't see it coming either." Twilight smiled, watching them. "Honestly… I don't know much about love, but even I can see that they truly love each other."

“Have you learned anything from all this?" Celestia asked, curious and amused at her student’s involvement with the wedding. It was likely Twilight had learned an important lesson through it all and she was curious to hear about it.

“…I think I have Princess." Twilight smiled, Celestia listened carefully, "I've learned that love is truly a beautiful thing. It brings out the most joyful times in a pony's life and can let them have some truly amazing journeys in their future. Both of them are going to help each other to achieve their dreams because of their love."

Celestia couldn’t help but smile at her student’s words. It warmed her heart to know her student was learning so much since her stay in Ponyville. A curious thought crossed her mind that she just had to ask.

“Does this mean I'm going to see my student with a new colt or marefriend?" Celestia laughed softly, causing Twilight to break out in a blush.

“Ugh… I-If you need me to for my advanced studies C-Celestia… b-but that's awfully embarrassing." Twilight looked around unsettled, suddenly very nervous at the idea that she'd be forced to go on dates. Celestia couldn’t help but find this behavior both cute and hilarious. She always found it curious how serious Twilight took her studies. It was a constant delight and a slight frustration on her part, but today she found it amusing.

“No worries my student, I would never force you to find love." Twilight let out a sigh of relief, "Love is something you should find on your own to make you happy. Never forget that."

“I won't princess." Twilight smiled happily now, going back to watching her friends dance. "It's a shame Princess Luna couldn't come."

“Well, she had to remain behind to continue royal duties in my absence." Celestia nodded slowly. It was true that Luna had to stay behind, and for the moment she wished she had come along. A second opinion on the pulsations would be very helpful right now.

Celestia’s face grew serious as she felt the pulsing waves continue to strike at her feet. They hadn’t stopped for even a moment during the entire wedding. Something was wrong with the town, and now seemed as good a time as any to let Twilight know about it.

"Twilight, there is a serious matter that I need to discuss with you." Celestia spoke slowly.

“What is it princess?" Twilight looked up at her teacher, blinking a little confused at the shift of tone.

“Well, the truth is… is that since my arrival, something has felt off. Like something is wrong with Ponyville." Celestia spoke quietly and gravely. She could see a small shiver go down her student’s back.

“What is it?" Twilight asked cautiously.

“I'm not sure… and honestly, that is what scares me right now." Celestia's words were heavy. “However, whatever is wrong with Ponyville it seems that only I can feel it.”

“What… what are you feeling princess?” Twilight asked confused. Celestia thought it over, wondering just how much she should tell Twilight. She looked down at her hooves, feeling another wave pulse through, the constant sensation of the town having a heartbeat.

An idea sparked in Celestia’s head.

“It’s too hard to explain at the moment Twilight. But I need you to trust me that something is wrong with Ponyville and tonight I’m going to try and fix it.” Celestia turned to look at the dancing ponies, “I wanted you to know so that if you see anything strange, you’ll be prepared.”

“But, what should I prepare for Princess?” Twilight asked still worried.

“I’m… not sure.” Celestia spoke truthfully, “But I have a feeling that when I do fix this, it’ll be noticeable. Right now I don’t want to panic the citizens of Ponyville, but if something does happen I want you to be ready to keep them calm, alright?”

“Well… alright Princess, I’ll do my best.” Twilight nodded with enthusiasm.

“I knew I could count on you.” Celestia smiled to her faithful student, “Now why don’t you have some cake? I’m not going to do anything till nightfall anyway.”

“Alright, I think I will.” Twilight smiled, though Celestia could still see the worry etched onto her face. She quickly trotted over to the refreshments table to get some cake.

“I think I know what’s going on…” Celestia murmured to herself quietly, “I should be able to fix this.” She looked down at the floor as it pulsed once more.

Celestia’s warm breath washed past her face as she walked through Ponyville. Night had fallen and the moon was glowing brilliantly overhead. Most of the town was sleeping peacefully in their homes now, many were hung over, a few just tired from the partying, the rest just eager to get to work in the morning. To their knowledge the regal Princess had left after the wedding to return to Canterlot.

However, she currently found herself walking to the center of Ponyville, just a few yards away from Ponyville town square. Each stepped seemed to echo loudly in her mind, though she knew very well she wasn’t walking as loudly as it sounded. A cold breeze blew through the town, sending a small shiver down her spine.

The pulsing hadn’t stopped, not for a moment. In fact, now that night had fallen it felt like the pulsing had intensified. It was as if the sleeping ponies gave the strange sensation strength, a fact that disturbed her. She came to a stop at what she knew to be the center of Ponyville and looked at the ground, her wings spreading regally into the night air. Her body was surrounded by the moon’s glow as she straightened her stance.

“Alright, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m going to put an end to it.” Celestia spoke to no one in particular. Her horn began to glow a vibrant yellow as she began to weave her magic, picturing the images of the spells in her head and readying their execution. Waves of magic began to gently flow from her body and into the ground of Ponyville. The spell wove into the ground, reaching for the source of the pulsations, trying to discern its identity.

Suddenly, it was if the town silently roared up at the intrusion of magic, pushing the magic out of the ground and sending a new, terrifying wave of energy into the streets of Ponyville.

Celestia gagged at the overwhelming sensation of this invisible fog that seemed to be choking her senses. Her horn quickly lit up once more and a bubble of energy quickly surrounded her, pushing out the seemingly toxic energy away from her body. Celestia took several deep breaths, looking at the strange air surrounding her. The air itself seemed to be deforming, changing and shifting the look of the town as the pulsation no longer felt like a pulse, but a constant wave of unreal feelings.

“I don’t know what you are, but you’re not welcome in Ponyville. Leave immediately.” Celestia’s eyes began to glow white as her horn began to glow brighter, more vividly. The crushing air seemed to hesitate and back up as the Princess began to weave her magic.

Celestia unleashed a wave of magic out from her body, bathing the strange energy in her raw unhindered magic. The air seemed to scream and wail as it was assaulted by her power, unable to stand up to it.

As Celestia’s attack ended she looked around her surroundings, it seemed that the air had returned to normal and the ground had stopped its assault.

“No, that was too easy.” She murmured to herself, her horn glowing once more. She reached her magic back into the ground, weaving through the dirt. It had to still be there, trying to hide from her reach. But she would drag it out and force it to stop.

Celestia gasped as something seemed to grab hold of her magic and yank on it, breaking the connection to her horn. The remaining magic dissipated into the air as she grit her teeth, a new wave of powerful energy bursting up from the ground around her. Her shield struggled against the massive onslaught of energy attacking her. She lit her horn to strengthen it, but it seemed to be too late. Large cracks formed in the shield, stretching over the entire surface before it finally broke.

Unrestrained by the shield, the energy hit Celestia like a bag of bricks, knocking her away from the center of Ponyville and sending her several meters back. She grunted and groaned as she quickly got to her feet, ready to strike back and take down this strange force. However, once she stood, she found herself unable to move.

She forced commands down to her legs but they wouldn’t lift. She instinctually lit her horn to surround herself in magic to yank her free from the spot, but to no avail. Baffled she forced as much magical energy she could to surround her head. With all of her force concentrated she was able to move her head to look down at what was trapping her in place.

Celestia’s eyes dilated, as she stared in horror.

A blood red seal had appeared below her. It was made of up of two large circles filled with cryptic and ancient runic lettering. Inside these two large circles were three smaller circles, also surrounded by ancient runic lettering. Celestia tried to cry out, to scream, to retaliate with her magic against the force binding her, but the force did not budge.

The energy of the symbol began to wrap itself around her, surrounding her very being. Her magic sparked and flared from her horn, but no form came to it. Her mind screamed and rebelled against the force attacking her, but she could not fight back or resist. The strange energy was reaching into her mind, grating at her sanity. Her eyes began to flash in and out of their magical state, as the probing energy distorted her perceptions and reality.

With her very last ounce of ability, she concentrated the last of her magic into a single point to save her sanity. With a soft grunt the last of her magic burst, erupting into an explosion in the middle of Ponyville. For a moment fire billowed up into the sky, but was silenced just as quickly as it came.

The town was quiet once more. The struggle between Celestia and the invisible force was over. It seemed the town hadn’t wakened from the sound of a struggle, deaf to what had just occurred.

Ponyville fell deathly silent that night, the residents unaware of the battle for their lives that had occurred. For after the fight, there was only one clue left over from what occurred.

A thick fog had rolled through the town of Ponyville.

Chapter 5

Only the sound of Twilight’s breathing permeated through the thick darkness that enveloped her. This heavy breathing was Twilight’s only comfort, as at the moment it was really the only way she could tell she was alive. While she felt some degree of safety since her pendant was remaining quiet just like everything else in this place, the silence was disconcerting enough that in combination with the pitch dark room she found herself in, she feared for her life just as much as if there was a monster getting ready to slice her in half. At this point, the one thing the unicorn wanted most was to see again, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the room to light up, even though she knew she had the energy and was performing the light spell perfectly. She could even feel the light coming off of her horn. Yet the darkness around her remained.

She concentrated harder, giving more energy to the spell. She knew the spell should have grown brighter and yet no light penetrated the sea of black surrounding her. With an exasperated breath she let the spell dissipate into the air then tried to absorb as much remaining unused magic back into her reservoir as possible.

The strain from her chronic use of magic over the past few hours was starting to get to her, a testament to how dire her situation was considering her natural magical power was much higher than the average unicorn’s. The exhaustion was worse on her mind, as it was also causing her thoughts to become clouded and problem solving more difficult. The thought of losing her wits as well as dealing with diminished magical abilities terrified her. Losing free use of any spell she might need was bad enough, as that ability was what had kept her alive so far, but to be deprived of both magic and intellect was all but a death sentence. Rather than fill herself with any more dread by pondering how her situation could deteriorate any further, she decided it was better to instead take stock of how her situation was right then.

She still had a tally of the items she had stored inside of her spell crafted holding space right then, mostly notes and books that she was hoarding. She wasn’t sure what was compelling her to hold onto them, but she felt these items were somehow necessary. She also had the health drink bottle from the library, though she was unsure of what use it would be would be at the moment. Maintaining the storage spell was only a little taxing, the thing that had been using up the bulk of her magic was using her sword.

She had been wielding the sword with fear, gripping it harder than was necessary. She knew that was a rookie mistake, an easy way to get you exhausted when you found yourself in prolonged danger. She could still remember practicing with her sword as a little filly...

“HYAAAAA!” Twilight cried out as she swung the wooden sword at the guard as hard as she could . Her weapon struck dirt as the guard simply stood to the side and levitated his own sword towards the filly before it came striking down against her head.

“OOOOOWW!” The young student rubbed her head as the sword she had been gripping fell to the ground. “That hurt!”

“It hurt because you not only let your guard down but you attacked at an inopportune time.” The unicorn explained as he returned the floating sword to his side. “You’re also gripping your sword too hard. You only need to grip it that hard when unleashing a devastating strike.”

“I know that!” The lavender filly huffed as she stood up, planting her hooves against the ground and forcing magic to her horn once more. The grip of her spell surrounded the small wooden sword they had provided her and she again lifted it up to her side.

“That’s too much magic. You’re gripping it as though you’re trying to break it into splinters.” The unicorn guard shook his head in disapproval.

The little filly unicorn just huffed in annoyance once more and tried to reduce the grip of her spell. It seemed so much easier to just study magic as the Princess’s prized pupil. Though she’d been curious about practicing with swords the guards she occasionally sparred with always complained about how she was doing it wrong. It was starting to annoy her.

“Too little.” The guard said, striking Twilight’s sword with his own and knocking the wooden weapon from her grip. “You need to have just enough strength so that if struck you won’t lose grip of the sword, but not enough to so quickly exhaust your magic.”

“UGH! When am I ever going to use this!?” The filly stomped her hooves against the ground. Now she really regretted giving up precious study time for this silly hobby.

“You’re always going to use this.” The unicorn guard explained, causing Twilight to glare at him with disbelief. “As the Princess’s student you’re tasked with learning as much about magic as you can. So you should already be aware of the fact that how much magic you put into your spell effects how much the spell changes. Don’t put enough magic into your spell and it doesn’t work. Put too much and the reactions cause your spell to become something entirely different.” The guard pointed his wooden sword at Twilight. “Combat forces you to be aware of this at all times, to instinctively channel your magic to just the right amount. Never too little, never too much. You may never have to raise a sword to a foe, and I pray to Celestia that a day where you have to never comes, but the fundamentals of what you are learning here will stay with you forever.”

The little filly huffed angrily yet again. She was being lectured and she knew it. Begrudgingly, she lit her horn up and grabbed her wooden sword once more.

“Fine.” She said while raising the sword. “But I only want to spar for a few more minutes, then I want to return to my studies.”

“I have no objections.” The unicorn nodded, preparing himself once more.

Something loudly crashed in the darkness. Caught off guard in her own thoughts, Twilight screamed, fumbling over her own hooves to get away from whatever had made that racket. Her leg struck something hard and she tumbled forward. Her chin struck the ground, and she felt something wet splash against her face. She groaned as her chin ached.

Her pendant began to flicker, light slowly filling the darkness that had surrounded her. She sat up, rubbing her jaw, careful of how she sat with the burns still aching on the back of her legs and flank. She could feel the liquid that had splashed onto her face. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light that was now filtering into the room.

Twilight wasn’t even sure she was in the same place anymore. The interior decor she was beginning to see didn’t look like anything she’d find in Rarity’s boutique. She was even beginning to wish she wasn’t seeing it at all, wanting the room to revert to the ruin it had been before.

Rusted sheets of steel had taken the place of the normal boutique walls, each spattered with blood as though some gruesome occurrence had taken place next to them. The destroyed curtains were no longer made of any kind of cloth but instead seemed to be made out of skin, stretched and torn in several places. The normal decorations of the boutique were replaced with rusted chains and grime.

Twilight looked down at her legs to try and avert her gaze from the horrific scenery and to also see what she had tripped over. It was the body of that creature in the armor she’d killed before the world had changed around her. The liquid she had landed in was its blood.

She grimaced, feeling her stomach flip. She carefully stepped away from the body, not wanting to step in any more of the blood that had pooled around it. She glanced around the boutique once more, looking for a rag or a cloth with which she could wipe off the blood. But the only things that were anything remotely like cloth were the skins hanging from the curtains, and wiping the blood off with them seemed just as nauseating as having the blood on her in the first place.

She reached into her magic reservoir and pulled out one of the scrolls she had been keeping, the one with the nonsensical scribbles plastered all over it. She still couldn’t discern if any of the scribbles held anything important; for all she knew it was only there to block the original cryptic riddle. She gambled with the importance of the paper and closed her eyes.

The scroll wasn’t very absorbent and therefore wasn’t able to pick up the blood that was spattered on her face very well. But she wiped as hard as she was able to get as much of the blood as possible off of her face. She knew she wasn’t getting it all, she was certain there were still some smudges left, but she felt better knowing most of it was off of her face.

Twilight returned the now bloodied scroll to her magic reservoir while looking at the body she had tripped over. She adjusted the light to look towards its head, spotting the handle of her sword that was still buried deep within the monster. She grimaced, quickly realizing that she was going to have to pull the sword out.

She hesitated for a moment, but her horn lit with magic all the same. The handle was wrapped, giving her a good grip of the sword. She tugged on it, hoping it would slide out without much effort, but the sword barely moved, simply nudging to the side for her. Twilight grunted and pulled a little harder. The body was dragged along the ground by the handle of the sword. A realization struck her that once again flipped her stomach: The sword was stuck fast in the creature’s body and forcing it out would most likely mutilate it beyond recognition.

She closed her eyes and clasped a hoof over her mouth. Her stomach was rebelling and it wanted to expel its contents. Her resolve was shaking. She tried to remind herself why she needed that sword, the very same reason that it was embedded in the creature in the first place. She needed it so she could defend her life from the creatures that wished to snuff it out. She couldn’t help her friends, the citizens of Ponyville, the Princess, or Spike if she was dead.

She gulped down the contents of her stomach and opened her eyes, wrapping a separate section of magic around the armored creature’s head and neck. With a soft grunt she pulled the two sections in opposite directions, feeling the objects catch on each other and refuse to budge. She grit her teeth and steadied her stance before lowering her horn and channeling more magic into it. The force made the sword begin to wobble, as though it was about to come out. The body oozed more blood from its mouth as she persisted in trying to retrieve her only weapon.

A loud snap echoed through the dilapidated building as Twilight felt something give way. Her eyes widened as she lifted up her sword to view what had come free from the creature. Most of the blade had stayed embedded within the creature; due to the age, wear and rust of the sword she had picked up, all that remained now was a small, jagged stub of metal that used to be a sword.

“Oh no…” Twilight felt her heart sink. Her sword had been the difference between life and death. Without it, she was certain she would…

A shiver ran down her back, sticking her hair on end at the thought. She looked the broken sword over carefully, noting how sharp and jagged the broken end was now. The blade only extended out about three inches now, the sides still sharp though admittedly a bit chipped. Twilight had a feeling that the jagged ends of the sword would likely snap off if too much pressure was applied to them, but that still left it as a means to defend herself. She would just have to use it as a dagger instead. As long as she didn’t run into anymore of those soldier-like weapon brandishing creatures she could imagine she’d be able to defend herself.

“I won’t be able to kill anything swiftly though…” She spoke aloud to herself, slashing the impromptu dagger through the air. The length of the blade had been what allowed her to kill quickly so far, minimizing the chances of being hurt by any retaliatory attack. But now she’d have to stab until the creature she was fighting bled to death, not an option she liked.

She vanished the dagger into her magic and took a deep breath, calming her senses. She opened her eyes back to the horrible world she now found herself in, able to smell blood wafting through the air. She turned her head to where the front door had been, expecting to see the splintered remains of where the creature had come in. Instead, she saw the same blood splattered steel blocking the door.

An idea sparked in her head as she examined where the door had been and remembered how her attacker had chopped the door to bits. She quickly looked around the floor, trying to find the double headed axe that the soldier had been wielding. To her ever growing luck, it seemed to have vanished. The body of the soldier was still there, but the weapon it had been using was gone. Twilight sighed in defeat; it seemed she wasn’t going to be getting a replacement weapon that easily.

The lavender unicorn then focused on her pendant and turned it to look around the room, trying to locate a possible exit. Her light fell upon a rather large wooden door located exactly where the three viewing mirrors had been placed when she saw that shadowed creature.

She gulped, fear gripping her throat. She had a feeling that going through that door meant she was going to see that shadowed figure again. The thought terrified her, but it was the only door that now remained within Carousel Boutique, even if she hesitated to call it that anymore. Twilight hesitantly began to walk toward it.

She stopped as heat tore through her haunches once more, biting her lip as the reminder of her burns struck her mind. During the tense moments when adrenaline and endorphins had been coursing through her blood, she had forgotten about the pain that assaulted the back of her legs.

Not only was her offensive capabilities reduced, but her ability to walk was hindered. She tried to push it to the side of her mind, stepping carefully so as not to agitate her hind legs as she walked up to the door that was now conspicuously in the middle of the building. She raised her hoof to the door, expecting it to be locked just as every other door she’d encountered and pushed against.

The door let out a rusted squeal as it slowly swung open. Twilight was surprised at how heavy the door actually turned out to be as it opened to reveal a stairwell that lead down into a dark abyss. The unicorn was confused, not having expected there to be a basement of any sorts below Rarity’s workshop. Especially not one located in the middle of her showroom.

The lavender unicorn pushed the thoughts aside, trying to remind herself that wherever she was, she wasn’t at Rarity’s place of business anymore. Rarity would gag and faint at the sight that had become her workshop.

Aiming the light of her pendant down the stairs, she began to make her way down the stone steps. The walls lining the stairwell looked to be made of a strange cobblestone which she thought she recognized but just wasn’t quite able to place a hoof on it. Each wall was covered with a dark green mold that seemed to be sliding downward with blood spattered all over just like in the room above.

The bottom of the stairs came upon her quickly; her hooves clopped agaisnt the dark stone floor below. She turned her eyes up to the wall in front of her and gasped, almost jumping back in surprise.

There was a large mural depicting Nightmare Moon in a threatening pose facing the pony viewing it. The visage of the mare of darkness loomed over, her eyes glaring white and the armor covering her body as it had the night Twilight had confronted her. It took her a moment to realize the mural wasn’t moving, that the mare of darkness wasn’t actually standing before her at that very moment.

Her eyes scanned the mural more carefully, noticing a strange outline digging into the picture. She traced the shape with her eyes and realized that it was a door the mural had been directly painted over. Twilight placed her hoof against the door and pushed. Nothing. The door didn’t even so much as budge. She ran her hoof along it and felt it slip inward a little. She blinked and looked closer. Part of the mural was missing, specifically the chest piece of Nightmare Moon. The moon adorned mantle she wore wasn’t there and in its place was an indentation in the wall in the same shape.

“This day just keeps getting weirder…” She murmured softly, putting her hoof backon the ground. She turned her head to look around the hallway. The walls were still made up of the same stone material that the stairs had been made of, though there was less grime on these particular rocks and more spatters of dried blood. The stench finally reached her nose and she gagged softly, realizing she was already starting to get used to the smell of blood in the air everywhere.

The hallway was narrow, not what she expected to find in a basement. The building materials didn’t even seem similar to that of the Boutique, as if this had been built first before the Boutique had been put on top of it. The door before her was locked for now and the hallway went down to her left and right, seeming the same in either direction. Taking a wild guess, Twilight began to walk down the right path.

Her hooves struck the stone ground as she walked, the echoes bouncing off the walls loudly. The creeping darkness still sent an unsettling chill up her spine. Anything could be lurking in the shadows, just waiting to attack her. The echo of her hoof steps offered no comfort against the knowledge that her medallion could still go off at any moment.

The hallway made a sharp turn to the left suddenly, causing Twilight to hesitate. She carefully peeked around the corner, illuminating the path before her with her pendant. She saw the hallway come to a dead end at another wooden door placed in the wall. She crept around the corner and walked up to the door. She placed her hoof against it and summoned the dagger-length sword to her side. She would be ready for anything that lay in wait on the other side... at least, she hoped she would.

The door creaked open. Her rune remained silent as her light hit the room, but her eyesight instantly caught something wrong. Hanging from the ceiling were several blood red vines with plant-like weeds matching the vines snaking all along the ceiling. It was as if the ceiling itself was a plant. From the ends of a few of the vines she could see a dark red liquid dripping to the ground, she could only guess what it was exactly. The stone walls were covered in rusted chain links that seemed to be keeping the stones in place. The stone floor had several cracks that the liquid dripping from the ceiling seeped into.

Twilight cautiously walked into the room and shut the door behind her. She couldn’t see anything of particular interest towards the front of the room, but she couldn’t just leave it unexplored. She carefully walked towards the center of the room, not knowing what to expect. A drop of liquid hit the top of her head and she shivered, feeling it on her body.

She heard something shift in the room and her medallion began to buzz. She instantly turned towards the source of the sound. There was an opening in the wall to her left that seemed to go into a separate section of the room, however, two things appeared to be in the way. The first was a stone altar that appeared to be missing three square indents on the top. Behind it was a gigantic creature that seemed to be stretched taught across the opening.

It was bound by two large circles, one on the ceiling and one on the floor, each circle covered in large protruding spikes aimed for the creature. Its body was attached to the wall by large hooks, stretching its ragged skin taught. Twilight could see several muscles through rips in the skin, the creature dripping blood from the wounds. Its head appeared to be small, though Twilight could only assume it was a head. It seemed to have a mouth that opened slightly only for it to take in breath. Its lower half appeared to have been forcefully ripped off, though no entrails hung from below it. She couldn’t discern what kind of a creature it had been, it was unlike anything Twilight had ever seen before.

She held her former sword out before her, waiting for the creature to attack. Her medallion was buzzing, telling her it was a threat. She wasn’t about to be caught off guard by an attack from it.

The creature only seemed to slightly move within its confines, the hooks digging into its flesh as it breathed and the hanging flesh on the lower half of its body brushing against the ground as it moved. It didn’t even seem to make a sound, content to just stand in its designated spot blocking her path. She looked the creature over trying to discern its purpose, but it only persisted in remaining still. Very cautiously Twilight looked around the room. There was nothing else in there, only the monster and the altar before her. She looked back at the altar before the monster, making note of the three empty indents that it presented.

‘So I need to find the armor piece of that mural and I need to find three squares for this creature…’ She mentally noted, stepping away from the creature and back towards the door. The further she grew, the quieter her medallion became. Grabbing the door with her magic she opened it and backed out slowly, closing it behind her. The medallion grew silent, prompting her to let out a sigh of relief.

“They just can’t make this easy on me…” The lavender unicorn whispered to herself. She put the sword back into her reservoir and looked at the dead end of the hallway. “I guess that means the answer is the other way.” She softly cursed herself for picking the wrong way.

She passed the mural again and reached a sharp turn to her right, just as she had going down the other hallway. The hallway also led to a dead end and a wooden door, same as the other hallway. She placed her hoof against the door and opened it, peering inside with the light of her pendant.

This room was just as different from the hallway as the last room had been. Instead of the grime ridden stone, this room was adorned with brown stone tiles, as though the room belonged in one of Equestria’s many discarded ruins. This room also had the tell-tale spatters of blood along the wall, but what stuck out the most was the wall directly across from the door. Twilight carefully walked up to it, not understanding what she was seeing.

There were three separate sheets of glass allowing her to look inside of three boxes within the wall. Each box contained an environment, each one different from the other. The left most box contained a beautiful jungle, kept pristine within the glass. She could see luscious greens and beautiful flowers inside. A single tree seemed to dominate the back of the box and fill the ceiling with the bountiful branches.

The middle box contained what seemed like a murky field. Grass covered the floor but was dampened with water. Above the ground was a darkened black cloud that covered the entire ceiling, threatening to rain at any moment.

The third window seemed to contain a bookshelf and a ladder. Each of the books seemed indistinguishable from one another yet brimming with knowledge all the same. None of them had any dust, indicating they were well kept, but no one was there to read them.

Twilight viewed the scenes curiously, not quite sure what they meant. Each one contained a theme, but what did the theme mean? She shook her head slowly, trying to take a mental note of the scenes before turning to look at the rest of the room. It contained nothing more than the scenes and another door. With nothing left to do in the room, the unicorn inspected the second door before opening it.

“Huh?” Twilight wondered aloud while walking in. There was a strange contraption taking up the entirety of the room. It appeared to be a cage of some sort, though the cieling and floor was made out of the same cobblestone from the hallway and the bars on the sides only went down about three fourths of the way before meeting a wall, as though it were a guard rail. The front of it had an open door and inside the door she spotted a lever.

The unicorn spared a moment before stepping into the cage, expecting the door to have shut closed behind her. She turned to look at the lever, not sure what its placement within the cage accomplished. If it locked the cage, that meant she could flip the lever and escape once more. Taking a gamble she raised her hoof and pulled the lever down.

As she expected, the door to the cage closed in front of her.

“What a silly contraption.” Twilight muttered softly to herself, raising her hoof to flip the lever the other way when the entire cage suddenly lurched. Twilight stumbled away from the door, trying to keep her balance as the entire cage began to move. The cage grew pitch black save for the shining of her pendant. Twilight turned her attention to the walls that were moving upwards just beyond the steel bars. The entire thing was moving down, as though it was automated to.

The unicorn was rendered speechless. Of all the things she expected to happen, the cage taking her somewhere was not one she had even considered. With nothing to do but to wait for it to stop moving, her mind quickly went over the layout of the boutique in her mind. She couldn’t conceive such an intricate basement was resting underneath Ponyville, let alone the boutique of all places. She’d been feeling as though she was in some kind of otherworldly place ever since she heard the droning of the siren.

The cage lurched once more, almost knocking Twilight off her hooves. The entire contraption stopped moving and dim light began to filter into the cage once more. The door opened up, revealing the room before her. She carefully stepped out of the cage and viewed the rather large set of wooden double doors just before her. They looked as though they belonged in a castle. After walking up to the doors she pressed her hooves against them and pushed. With a heavy creaking the doors gave way, allowing her access to the room that lay beyond them.

The hallway she entered was gigantic in comparison to the ones she had just been through, easily large enough to be one of the hallways in Canterlot Castle. A moth-eaten red carpet stretched from the door across the entire hall. The grime and blood-soaked stones lined the walls and floor. She couldn’t see the ceiling unless she aimed her pendant straight at it and the large windows which normally contained stained glass pictures were instead covered with the rusted, blood splattered steel she’d seen on the first floor of the boutique.

Twilight’s eyes were drawn to the center of the hallway, where a square marble pillar stood, holding a glass case on top of it. She spotted something inside of it that was glinting off of the light of her pendant.

Twilight approached the marble pillar to see what was inside. The buzzing of her medallion froze her in place however. She was instantly looking around for the source of the sound. Her ears perked, hearing the sound of stone being scraped by metal. She whirled around, looking for the soldier she was expecting to see.

The scraping of metal continued, the buzzing of her medallion grew louder, and no matter where she looked she couldn’t spot the creature. Her heart began to race, her breathing going short as she felt herself slipping into panic. She was right on top of a monster and couldn’t even see it. She could feel sweat forming on her forehead as she stepped back, bumping into the marble pillar.

A loud crack came from above and Twilight snapped her gaze upward, spotting movement. She quickly aimed her pendant and saw what was crawling on the ceiling.

A mask was looking down at her, a theater mask that covered the entire pony’s face, one half red, the other half white. It had no eye or mouth holes to speak of; the creature was staring down at her with no way of seeing her. Its body was covered in a tattered brown cloak that only covered its body. The feet that dug into the ceiling… no, they weren’t feet, they looked like skin colored sickles. Each sharpened appendage moved forward and dug into the stone before it, causing the metallic scraping she’d heard.

The creature’s mask was pointed in her direction, as though the head of the creature was upside down. Twilight couldn’t breathe as she stared at the creature slowly making its way across the ceiling. The head of the creature snapped, twisting its head back around to view the ceiling. Twilight winced and the creature’s movements suddenly sped up. The scraping of metal as it moved its sickles across the ceiling echoed. Twilight followed it with her pendant, watching it escape into a hole in the ceiling. The medallion grew quiet as the creature moved out of sight.

“That… can’t be good…” Twilight gulped, thankful for the return of the silence. However, a new dread swept over her as she realized that these creatures really could come from anywhere. That creature could have easily jumped down onto her and then what would she do? She needed to find a new weapon; her dagger of a sword wasn’t going to cut it against creatures like that.

Twilight turned back to the marble pillar, giving it her attention for a moment. Inside of the glass casing she could see what was without a doubt one half of a piece of chestplate. It was colored dark blue with half of a circle in light blue in the center.

“This must be the missing piece from the mural…” Twilight muttered to herself looking it over. It looked exactly like it had come from the mural in the wall. Twilight raised a hoof to the glass and pressed on it, trying to move it. It seemed to be firmly in place. Twilight thought for a moment, trying to figure out what she could do to get the mural piece. She lit her horn and wrapped the glass in magic, trying to lift it off of the marble pillar. The glass remained in place.

The unicorn focused on just the front section of the glass, calling upon one of the many spells she’d worked so hard to memorize upon the glass. She raised a hoof and pressed it to where she had cast her spell, expecting her hoof to phase through the glass. Instead she was met once more by the solid glass. At this point she knew it wasn’t the spell that had failed, but rather the world around her was messing with her magic.

“Guess I’ll just try busting it open.” Twilight sighed in exasperation, pulling out her dwarfed sword. She aimed the handle towards the glass and took a few steps back. She raised the handle well above her head and brought it swinging down hard against the glass. The resulting strike let out a loud ‘thud’ that briefly echoed before going quiet, but the glass didn’t even have a scratch on it.

“I guess I’m not getting it this way…” Twilight put the sword away, glaring wearily at the piece behind the glass. It was bad enough that her flank stung from burns, that she could be attacked at any moment without a proper means to defend herself, and that she had no idea why any of this was happening, but now the world was seeing fit to mock her by defying everything she’d ever come to know about the way glass worked.

“I’ll be back for you.” Twilight pointed at the glass with a hoof as though it were able to hear her. She then stepped around it and looked towards the opposite end of the hallway, seeing another pair of large doors that led further into the decaying stone basement.

She spared a glance up at the ceiling, aiming her light at the hole that the creature with the sickle legs had gone into. It didn’t appear to be coming out of its hole, a fortunate sign for her, though she could already guess with her luck that she hadn’t seen the last of it.

The door at the end of the hallway let out the moaning wail that Twilight had expected as she opened it. She was instantly struck by a wave of stale air that almost made her gag. She put a hoof to her mouth trying to stifle the air, feeling as though it was trying to strangle her. She backed away from the door, trying to breathe. By no means had the air around her up until then been fresh, but the air beyond that door was on a completely different level.

Twilight aimed her pendant towards the door once more, gulping down the fear welling in her throat and pushing it open further.

The room was even more open than the hallway she was in; if she had to guess it was at least the size of the banquet hall in Canterlot. She could see a fountain in the center of the room, showing a rusted pony standing triumphantly, wielding a tattered, broken flag. Twilight could see blood dripping from the statue. She followed the drip of the statue towards the ground, suddenly realizing where the stench in the room was coming from.

The ground was littered with body parts. She could identify several legs, chewed up torsos, various flattened organs, pools of blood and at least one disembodied head, though she was certain if she looked hard she could find another.

She retreated immediately, falling into a sitting position and putting her back to the wall. Her flanks cried out in pain as soon as she did and she grit her teeth trying to ignore it. She’d rather be focusing on the pain than the horror show in the room behind her. It was all she could do to keep her stomach contents from rushing up out of her.

“Oh Celestia…” Twilight grimaced, shaking her head trying to fight the tears forming at the edges of her eyes. “Why is this happening? What would have caused this?” She pictured her friends in her mind. Each body part in that room came from a pony. Each of those ponies must have had friends, a family, other ponies they loved and cared for. The thought didn’t quell her stomach any.

“I have to go in there…” Twilight spoke to herself, putting a hoof to her mouth. Carousel Boutique upstairs was a dead end, there had been no way out and no way into any of the other rooms. The only place she hadn’t been able to check was behind the mural door. One of the mural pieces was trapped in unbreakable glass before her. If Stalliongrad library had been any indication of anything, it was that the pieces to unlock a door were obtainable. One just had to figure out where they were. And Twilight could feel it in her gut, the way to get the other mural piece had to be through that room.

Her legs shook as she stood up again. She tried to steel her nerves and took in a deep breath of the air unpolluted by the wretchedness of rotting flesh. She then very carefully made her way to the open door, the wafting stench of death and decay still spilling out from behind the doors. The moment the air hit her nostrils again, she gagged.

She put one hoof in front of the other, walking deeper into the suffocating room. She aimed her light towards the ground, spotting the open spaces between the discarded body parts and organs that lay scattered about. Her horn lit up and she grabbed several of the body parts and organs in front of her then slowly moved them to the side, creating a path for her to walk without stepping on anything. The stained stone floor was cold despite the repulsion of the air; it sent shivers up her back as she made her way through.

Twilight lifted her head towards the fountain, once more looking at the statue of the pony. She glanced slowly to the left, trying to discern where she needed to go. Her light fell upon a small wooden door on the left most wall. She could reach it if she maneuvered through the death that lay around her.

Twilight carefully lifted her hoof and took a blind step, something squishing underneath. She instantly grimaced, not wanting to see what it was she had just stepped in but she could already feel the compulsion to look rising. She lifted her hoof and looked. It appeared to be the squished remains of an eyeball-

Yup. There went the small bit of breakfast she’d had that morning.

The unicorn coughed against the bile that had escaped her mouth, still feeling the burning in the back of her throat. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the vile thoughts that had caused her to lose her stomach in the first place. She wanted to break down and cry, to just collapse from the horrible mess she found herself in.

Her medallion sprang to life, telling her there wouldn’t be time for it. A dull thud combined with a squelching sound came to her ears. She turned around, directing her light towards the source.

Something struck against the ground, picking up a discarded leg with it. The leg was lifted into the air and a loud smacking echoed as the limb slowly disappeared between the folds of a round mouth. The mouth appeared to be at the top of the creature’s head, following a long neck to a large, engorged body that seemed to slither against the ground. Twilight thought it had a pony-like shape, but it was missing any semblance of legs or a pony head. It was like a leech slithering across the ground, twice the size of her and devouring the meat that was littered on the ground.

The massive creature was sliding closer, through the blood and organs, crushing anything that didn’t slide out of the way when it moved. Its mouth came down to blindly clamp down on another piece of bloody meat so that it might choke it down its long gullet.

Twilight turned back to face the wooden door she was heading for and lit her horn. With a wave of her magic all of the various pony parts slid out of her way and she ran. Her hooves hammered against the floor and almost slipped on the fresh blood, but she stayed on her legs and made it to the door.

She flung the door open and threw herself inside before slamming the door shut behind her. Her medallion grew silent and she panted heavily. The stench of death wasn’t suffocating her in this room, though the smell of blood still wafted through. She took a moment to examine her surroundings.

The room was small, a closed in room of four walls probably no bigger than an average bedroom. What stood out was that the entire wall opposite the door had been painted with a large picture depicting an army of ponies being led by Princess Celestia. All of the ponies, even Celestia, were clad in a thick looking armor that covered most of their bodies. She could see all kinds of ponies standing behind her, though they seemed to be sorted by groups. She could see a section of earth ponies, a section of unicorns next to them, and in the air a group of pegasi. Underneath the picture was a plaque with elegant writing on it.

Twilight drew closer to the picture, inspecting the details of the strange mural. It wasn’t one she’d seen in Canterlot art museum or any book on historical art. As far as she knew this wasn’t a depiction of any of Equestria’s major battles. Her eyes were drawn downward to the plaque.

Though our combined power can defeat any threat that may come to harm our lands and loved ones, we will always stand out from the ones around us.

Twilight thought the words on the plaque sounded weird. She thought back to the pictures in Canterlot. If this had been a picture there, the plaque would have said something like ‘Through our combined power we can defeat any threat that may come to harm our lands or loved ones.’ However, this one made a point to indicate that the different ponies meant something specific. Her instincts told her that something was off about the picture, something that she needed to figure out now if she was going to get out of this crazy otherworld.

Her eyes scanned across the picture once more, viewing Celestia in all her glory. She then examined the massive army that was behind her. She looked through the group of Earth ponies first. They all seemed to be about the same color, here and there was a small variation in color, but nothing that seemed to stand out. She raised a hoof and took a closer look, examining each soldier. Their armor, their color, their weapon of choice, their wings.

“Wait, wings?” Twilight said, looking at where her hoof was. In the group of Earth ponies, almost invisibly, were a pair of wings attached to the side of the pony. It was a pegasus in the middle of earth ponies. Her hoof touched the strange misfit of the group when it suddenly moved. The pegasus sunk into the picture about half an inch.

Twilight moved her hoof away and stared. She hadn’t even seen an outline for her to push something into the wall. She looked at the Pegasus amongst the Earth ponies and thought about it for a moment.

“If there was one pony that was mismatched… then…” Twilight swept her eyes over to the group of unicorns in the picture. She scanned across the rows of ponies, checking each of them for a horn until she found the exact pony she was looking for. Amongst the unicorns was a single Earth pony. She raised her hoof and pushed against the outcast, the part of the wall pushing into place like the first one did.

Scanning upwards she looked over the flying pegasi that seemed to blot out the sky over the army below. She carefully examined each one until she found the unusual one, a unicorn amongst pegasi. She lit her horn and used her magic to push against the pony and he too sunk into the wall.

With all three sections pressed in Twilight took a step back, not sure what to expect. The picture was fine for just a moment before it suddenly let off a small glow. Twilight was confused by the sight as the glow grew brighter. She covered her eyes as light filled the entire room.

As the light began to fade she lowered her foreleg from her face and viewed what had happened. She found that she was no longer in the room staring at the picture, but instead was in a regal hallway staring once more at the figures of Princess Celestia and Merlin.

“Thou shalt find that our accommodations are quite relaxing.” The regal Princess spoke with an air of kindness behind her voice. “We’ve already had the guards prepare your room, close to the royal archives so that you may conduct thy research.”

“I cannot express my gratitude in a finite number of words.” Merlin spoke appreciatively. “The kindness thou hast showed me far exceeds any that I would expect.”

“It is simply part of our nature. That which gives us our true power comes from but one of those elements, the element of kindness.” Celestia smiled at the azure unicorn. “And if not for that we would extend this kindness to thee anyway. We have received word from our guards that they will be bringing in the Acnologia soon. Just as thou said, he is but an Earth pony now.”

“I am but a pony that has put it upon himself to tell no lie.” Merlin nodded his head slowly. “Nor did I lie about why I needed thy resources for study. I shall be able to save many a pony if my research proves fruitful.”

“And we have no doubt in your ability.” Celestia spoke warmly. “Come, we wish to give thee a tour of our castle before thou retire to thy room for the night.”

“A tour from thy Princess herself? I could think of no higher honor.” Merlin smiled, accepting the gift.

“Your majesty!” A loud voice suddenly cried out above the both of them. The two turned around to see a rather portly looking unicorn with a white coat and dark blue mane walking towards them. He was adorned in a rather expensive suit, made of rare silks and threads, adorned with jewels and emblems showing his status in the castle. The coat he wore over the suit had its ends carried by two humbled and thin servant ponies dressed in uniform.

“Your majesty I simply must have an audience with thee.” The plump unicorn stopped short of the royal Princess. He did not bother with bows or formal greetings; he just began to speak of his needs first. “The land thou hast given me is no longer enough to carry my needs. The discovery of a gem mine has expanded my need of ponies for work and I simply must have more land so that I may accommodate them.” He snorted with an uncaring attitude, as if he didn’t really care about the ponies living on his lands, but rather about the gems those lands contained.

“Is thy work force not adequate? Thy land is rich with ponies who will work with sweat on their brows and food in their bellies. We have no doubt about the strength and the will of our citizens, why would thou ask for more?” The Princess raised an eyebrow, unconvinced by his argument.

The fattened pony looked shocked and appalled, as though the very idea of having his request disputed in the slightest was unheard of. Even while addressing the ruler of the land, he appeared to only want what he seemed to believe was his.

“Your majesty Princess Celestia, I do not think that thou truly knowest of thy citizens.” The plump pony adjusted his suit and cleared his throat. “They are often lazy and think only of their own selfish desires. They wish to bleed me dry of my wealth which I rightfully acquired and know not their place. Many refuse to work the generous hours that I gave them and more mines are found each week. With such lazy ponies I do not have an ample work force to make Equestria as a whole richer.” He stated matter-of-factly, lifting his head into the air and closing his eyes.

Celestia eyed him for a moment, almost unable to believe that he was being serious with her. She let out a discontented sigh and turned to face Merlin.

“Our apologies, dear Merlin. It appears that once again our duties must supersede the business which we would like to conduct.” She gave a soft nod. “We hope that thou are not disappointed.”

“Do not think upon it for a minute longer.” Merlin waved his hoof gently. “I cannot begin to fathom what thy life must be like and understand that thy country comes first.” He gave her a comforting smile. “See to thy people and we shalt meet again later.” With that Merlin turned and began to walk off down the hallway.

“As I was saying your majesty, you simply MUST give me the land I request!” The plump noble pony began to speak again, however his words began to drown out as the images started to fade.

The hallway was no more as it faded back to the room with the mural, leaving Twilight once more in a state of confusion. The lavender unicorn gave her head a soft shake before rubbing it gently, trying to think about the events that she had just seen.

“…There’s no doubt in my mind now.” Twilight spoke softly, staring at the mural, at the depiction of Princess Celestia leading the army behind her. “These are the memories of Princess Celestia.” Twilight pondered that for a moment. She was seeing memories of her mentor, of the ruler of all of Equestria. She was viewing them the same way that she had viewed her own memories when Celestia had cast the mind delve spell upon her.

“I wonder…” Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Pinkie and Fluttershy each say they experienced memories of their past when I put them under the Mind Delve spell; and I confirmed that’s what I saw with the Princess. However, what I experienced and what they experienced were vastly different… am I viewing the memories of the Princess and experiencing this town because of the Mind Delve spell?” she tried to rack her brain for an explanation. “That wouldn’t make sense. I’m the only pony in town that has cast the spell or even knows about it. There are no other copies of Dreams: A Psychological Understanding in Ponyville. The only other possible pony who could have cast the spell was…”

Her heart instantly sank. The creator of the very spell was in the town. She’d left her number one assistant in his care.

“No… no that’s stupid, Twilight.” She shook her head. “He said he had nothing to do with this. You’re jumping to conclusions. Other ponies borrowed that book right? It was a book in a library after all.” She rubbed her head trying to remember if any pony had borrowed the book at any point. “I can’t possibly keep track of all the books rented out in the library can I? Maybe someone borrowed it while I wasn’t looking or... or when I wasn’t studying it. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” She suppressed the feelings, trying to swallow them in her stomach.

“I know… I’ll talk with Magus again when I get out of here. He’ll explain everything and I’ll prove that he had nothing to do with this and that it wasn’t wrong of me to leave Spike in his care.” Twilight nodded her head, doing her best to convince herself. “I just need to get out of here first…” She then murmured, looking down at the floor before the mural.

A brown tile seemed to have appeared just below the mural. She lit her horn and grabbed it, bringing it up to her eyes. She swiveled it around quickly and got a good look at it. It wasn’t very big, a small square tile. On the front of it was the depiction of an Earth pony.

“I guess this is one of those tiles for that monster up above.” Twilight spoke aloud, placing the tile into her magic pool. She turned to face the door to the room once more, gulping at the realization that she was going to have to go back outside into the massive room of decay where the body parts were being devoured by that leech-like creature. She took a deep breath and opened the door once more.

The overwhelming air assaulted her senses with a vengeance as she stepped out into the room. Her medallion instantly began to buzz as she searched for the source. Her light hit the leech just a little ways out, closer to the middle of the room. It was gorging itself upon more limbs of the discarded ponies and didn’t seem to have noticed she was there. She turned to her left and decided that she’d follow along the wall, figuring she could find the next area she needed to go quickly and avoid that horrible abomination.

Her horn lit up as she quickly began to walk while pushing the pieces out of her path. The room was only about the size of the grand hall back in Canterlot. Twilight knew she could circle the room in just a few minutes if she kept focused on her goal.

The medallion suddenly began to buzz louder as the sound of metal scraping against stone came from just above her. She stopped and turned to look up, the light of her pendant landing upon the masked creature once more. Its head was aimed at her; each leg striking into the cold stone wall underneath it. It was climbing along the side of the wall straight in her direction.

The lavender unicorn didn’t wait until it got closer or for what it might end up doing. She turned on her hooves and began to run. She turned for the wall she had been walking towards, pushing the discarded organs out of her way in her bid to flee.

She heard the metal scraping sound hit the floor and a loud snap echo from behind her. The scraping began to click rapidly against the ground, as though the creature was now scurrying towards her. It was chasing her.

She swept her light back and forth rapidly in a panic, trying to find a door that would lead to another room and hopefully her escape. Each scraping click of the metal was punctuated with an echo behind her, the creature beginning to gain on her.

Her eyes fell upon another wooden door, similar to the one she had entered with the mural. She ran straight for it, the metal scraping growing louder as the creature slammed its blade-like legs into the ground with each step. Her horn lit up and she seized the door with her magic.

A burning pain suddenly seared into her flank and she let out a cry of agony. One of the sharp blades of the creature’s legs had reached out to try and get her, ultimately missing but managed to slice along her furred skin as it went.

Twilight flung the door open and jumped inside, sliding across the floor as she whirled her head and slammed the door shut.

Her medallion grew silent and the sound of scraping metal against stone stopped. The unicorn panted heavily watching the door, expecting to see a sharpened leg stab straight through the wood or for the door to just burst off its hinges.

She sat in the new room for several minutes, just observing the door and waiting. For whatever reason the creatures didn’t seem to be following her. The medallion was silent meaning they weren’t nearby or trying to get inside. It seemed that as soon as she had entered the room they had simply forgotten about her presence.

With her heart still beating and the room having gone deathly silent, she turned her head to look at the burning gash that had appeared on her flank. It was a long cut, though it didn’t seem to be very deep. She examined it carefully, noticing it was very slowly dribbling blood. She would’ve thought a creature with blades for legs would’ve been able to do more damage, but it seemed it had only nicked her with the end of its legs as she had ran away.

She hoped the bleeding would stop on its own soon, and for once she was grateful that it was her own blood on her body and not some pony else’s. She just had to account for it like the rest of her injuries that she’d sustained. The simple burns on her flanks didn’t seem so important anymore by comparison, not with everything out to kill her.

She turned herself around, putting her back to the door so that she could examine the room she now found herself in. The first thing her eyes fell upon were the two regal seats that sat in the middle of the room. They were large and made of gold, though they showed their age in how unkempt they had become. The backs and seats were made with a red material, most likely a silk of some kind that had been torn apart by the passage of time and eaten by moths. Their edges of were adorned in gems that no longer carried their luster. A long red carpet led from the door to the thrones, covered in dirt and grime. Sitting between the thrones was a small marble pillar with a plaque on it.

“This is… a throne room?” Twilight asked, confused, scanning her light over the two chairs. She made a note to check the rest of the room for anything out of the ordinary. Her light swept along the left-most wall and saw an unusual lever jutting out from it. She turned her head and saw that the right-most wall also had a lever jutting out.

Curious as to the levers and the layout of the room, she walked closer to the two thrones and the pillar that was between them. There was nothing on top of the pillar and it only came up to about the height of her chest, but the plaque on it bore words, another puzzle she assumed.

One by one we would help the citizens of our country and though we could help most, there were times where just one of us was not enough. Only with our powers combined could we accomplish our goals.

“With our powers combined…” Twilight rubbed a hoof against her chin in thought. She turned once more to look at the levers that stood out from opposite ends of the walls. “…No… no it couldn’t be that easy could it?” She murmured in disbelief.

She trotted over to the lever in the wall and placed her hoof against it. She then turned and shined her light on the lever on the opposite end of the room. With it in her sight, she lit her horn and wrapped the lever within her magic. She then began a short count down in her head.

‘Three… two… one…’ She pulled down her hoof and her magic at the same time, flipping both of the switches in the room simultaneously. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Twilight was about ready to draw the conclusion that she had indeed been right about it being too easy, however, just as those thoughts crossed her mind, light suddenly began to glow in the middle of the room, steadily growing brighter . She raised her hoof to cover her eyes from the glow, until it began to die down. When she moved her hoof back down, she wasn’t in the throne room anymore, but rather a well adorned bedroom.

“It has been over a month now dear sister; you cannot tell us that you have not found peace with the stallion.” Celestia spoke as she stared into the mirror, carefully using a brush to sweep up and down her delicate coat. Normally a servant would be tasked with this chore to keep her coat looking lustrous, but the Princess found comfort in having a rare moment of peace to herself to just do as she wished.

“And what would be wrong with us still reserving our judgment?” Luna huffed from across the room, raising her head and closing her eyes. “It’s not as though he has truly earned his place within our castle.”

“Thou knows that is not true.” Celestia chuckled, turning to face her sister and placing the brush down upon the desk. “The stallion has aided our country and served our magic court. He has brought new riches where they were thought to be dried up. Why can thou not appreciate him?”

Luna was silent as she seemed to think over her sisters words, turning to look at the mirror before her.

“H-He just hasn’t that’s all! We have no reason to believe he is anything more than a braggart, Merlin the Braggart.” Luna huffed again, refusing to turn around to face her sister.

“We do not think that thou are telling us the whole truth.” Celestia looked at her sister knowingly, a soft grin on her face. “We think our dear sister is hiding something.”

“We would not hide anything!” Luna almost slammed a hoof down against the desk she sat at. “That stallion may rot in his studies for all we care.”

Celestia couldn’t help but grin and walk over to her sister, looking over the dark mare’s shoulder and seeing her cheeks brighter than normal.

“Thou fancies the stallion!” Celestia couldn’t help but laugh seeing her face. Luna turned to her sister with a look of utter shock and disbelief. Her face contorted, unable to believe those words had come from her sisters lips. She muttered and grasped at words but they refused to escape her lips, only coming out as garbled nonsense.

“We cannot believe it! Our dear sister! In love!” Celestia laughed, turning to walk away from her sister, unable to keep a serious face upon this revelation.

“What does THOU know about love!?” Luna almost raged, standing up, her whole face turning a bright red. “We think it is THOU who has a crush on the stallion! Thou are projecting thy thoughts onto us!” Celestia let out a roar of laughter as she fell to the floor, unable to stand on her hind legs anymore. “SISTER! Such disgraceful behavior!” Luna gasped in shock at the display.

“Oh… oh forgive us dear sister.” Celestia still laughed, wiping a tear that had formed at the edge of her eye. “Our dear sister always has an air of such seriousness about her. To think she would find a stallion desirable, let alone be embarrassed to admit to such is a thought that had not crossed our minds.” Celestia lay on her hooves, still stifling laughter. Luna huffed loudly, turning her head away from her sister, still red in the face.

“So we are not allowed to enjoy love? We are not allowed to express marehood fancies?” Luna almost growled as she closed her eyes. “We are but a Princess after all. Our royal duty will always hold weight over any life we choose to have in private.”

Celestia’s laughter finally quieted down to a couple of chuckles as she stood up on her hooves, smiling at her sister who had sat back down, looking at herself in the mirror.

“Now dear sister, thou know we said no such words.” Celestia smiled brightly, walking over to her sister.

“Thy laughter spoke enough, carrying with them words of our true place upon the throne.” Luna glared at herself in the mirror as her face began to calm down. Celestia walked up behind the dark mare and wrapped her head around her shoulder, gently nuzzling her. “S-Sister!” Luna spoke in shock.

“If thou are truly in love then thou have our blessing.” Celestia smiled. “We would be overjoyed to see our dearest sister happy. Thou are always so serious and take matters into thy own hooves as personal. We know thou have laughter inside, thou aids us with the Elements. We just wish we could see that side more.”

The words spoke true and Luna knew it. Her sister wasn’t actually making fun of her, just the way she presented herself. The Princess of the night let out a disgruntled sigh as she had to let go of the frustration she was feeling towards the elder sister.

“Thou should not expect anything to come of this. We are a Princess and the stallion is but a court mage; an exceptional court mage who has aided our lives, but a court mage none the less. It is expected, nay, demanded that if we should have ourselves a suitor that it be a noble that garners for our attention.” Luna closed her eyes resigning herself to such a fate.

“Dear sister, we are the monarchs of our land. If it is expected of us to garner the attention of a noble then we simply must make the one we desire into a noble.” Celestia devilishly grinned, Luna looking up at her older sister in surprise. “If we must play by the rules of our land then we too must play with the rules given to us.”

“…Thy words are bold dear sister. Thou hast thought of this before.” Luna softly glared at her sister suspiciously.

“We must always be on the edge of our hooves if we are to rule our countries with integrity.” The Princess of the sun smiled before beginning to walk away from her sister. “The night shall be upon us soon and we would like to adjourn for the evening. Sleep well dear sister and always keep our words close to thy heart.” Celestia said as she exited the room. Luna looked as though she were about to say something else, but if there were more words to the conversation they were not meant to be heard. The bedroom began to fade away, returning to the room it had been once before.

Reality came back to the darkened, destroyed throne room. Twilight blinked for a moment, standing on her hooves in thought once more.

‘Princess Luna had a crush on Merlin?’ The idea even amused her a little. The bookworm she’d met in the Canterlot archives certainly seemed confident, but picturing her with an actual love interest seemed weird. She could only imagine the gravity of the situation, after all even today if one of the Princesses had found love, it would be big news all over Equestria. In all her time under the Princess as her personal protege, she hadn’t heard or seen a single thing about the Princess falling in love.

“…Not a single thing…” Twilight spoke out loud for herself to hear. It was beginning to dawn upon her that she had never seen the Princess take a romantic interest in anypony. Not to say she was any better, she certainly hadn’t taken any time out of her studies for romantic interests, but she did still hold the romantic idea in her heart that she would find just the right stallion one day, one that shared in her love of books and studying, one she could spend long nights just reading together with, sharing thoughts, opinions, and theories.

She’d never once heard any such ideals from the Princess. The Princess was always attending to her royal duties, always having so much to take care of throughout the entire land. Certainly she had advisers, she had several councils, and she was well versed in the laws she had put into place, but Twilight almost never saw her put in personal time for herself and what little time she did take out was almost always interrupted by some other important royal duty.

“…I guess I never realized how tough the Princess had it…” Twilight murmured to herself. She had known the Princess had it tough, but she’d never put the pieces together till just then. Now she was starting to feel guilty at finding the idea of Princess Luna in love funny. Both of the Princesses deserved to be happy and she knew that, they just never had the time for it.

Twilight looked around, the room escaping from her thoughts for a moment. Her eyes came to look at the marble pillar once more, noticing that something had appeared on it. She lit up her horn and grabbed hold of the item, levitating it over to herself. It was another brown square tile, though this one had the depiction of a Pegasus on it.

“I guess this is my reward for solving the riddle.” Twiliht said as she put it in her magic alongside the other tile she had grabbed. “Though this was a really easy puzzle…” She looked once more at the downward turned levers. She had automatically assumed she needed to pull them both at the same time. After all, the riddle made it sound like both had to work together in order for anything to be accomplished. She put a hoof to her chin and thought about it.

“No… this puzzle was only easy because I was a unicorn.” She quickly realized. “If I was an Earth pony or a Pegasus, how would I have gotten to the opposite side of the room in time to pull them down at the same time? I can use magic; any other pony would’ve had to find some other way.”

She realized now the advantages she had for being a unicorn; and not just any unicorn, one that spent her life studying magic. None of her friends had that luxury right now. She was again reminded of what she was working towards, why she was going through this demented world in which she now found herself.

She walked over to the door and put her side to the wall next to it, lifting her ear up to try and hear anything that might be lurking behind the door. She couldn’t hear a thing from within the throne room and her medallion remained as silent as the air was. The medallion was no longer comforting for this situation though, the masked creature had been right behind her when she entered the room and yet it had grown silent the moment she had closed the door. For all she knew it was right outside the just waiting for her to stick her head out. Then it would bring its leg down in a swift motion and…

Twilight put a hoof to her neck as she cringed. The burns on her legs, the bruises on her body, the cut on her flank, she could work through all of that, she could still do what she needed to get done. But if she lost her head it would obviously be over.

She lit her horn and grabbed the door, swinging it open. She grunted, a short wave of exhaustion hitting her. The magic inside of her was dwindling, she could feel it. It had been a long time since she’d used so much magic in such a short period of time and she was starting to feel the effects of it hitting her body. If she used too much more she was going to pass out.

With the door now open her medallion began to buzz so softly that she was only barely able to pick up the fact it was making a sound at all. If the monster had been hanging just above the door like she had thought she was sure it would be ringing louder. She wasn’t sure where it had gone, but it seemed that as soon as she had entered the room it had run off somewhere.

Twilight quickly looked out the door, sweeping the light back and forth. She could see the leech again in the distance; it was still preoccupied with its meal. The masked creature was nowhere in sight, most likely crawling along the wall or ceiling somewhere. She quickly formed a plan in her head and tapped her hoof against the ground.

Lowering herself and lighting up her horn, she then began to run. Bolting straight out the door she pushed aside everything in her way, blood splashing up and around with her rushed magic use. The leech let out a growl as it lifted its head in the direction of the commotion, spotting the unicorn running straight for the one wall that had yet to be investigated.

A door came in to her vision and she grabbed it with her magic. She wasted no time sprinting inside and slamming the door shut. Her medallion went silent. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, finding herself once again safe from that vile room. She knew she’d have to cross it at least once more, but she would prepare herself for that when it came.

Twilight now took the opportunity she was given to examine the new room she had entered. Along the side walls she saw several pictures, each one showing off various ponies through history. On the back wall however, were three large pictures that seemed odd. Only the middle picture showed the depiction of a pony, of the Princess of the sun with her wings spread in front of the sun, radiating her glory for all to see. The other two pictures appeared to be made up of misshapen lines, each with a glowing red gem at the top most right or left.

In the middle of the room was a strange square device angled at the top with three valves in front and a plaque towards the top. Twilight carefully walked up towards the device and examined the plaque.

We must share our power with the one who holds the fate of the land; only by connecting through her will Equestria know salvation.

Twilight was slightly confused. The glowing red gems seemed to be angled up perfectly to touch one line on their respective images, and the line touching the gems were also glowing red with them.

Taking a guess that turning the valves would accomplish something she pressed her hooves against the left-most and began to turn it to the right. As she did she could hear the sound of stone moving and looked up towards the pictures. Several of the lines in the picture had turned with the valve. Now a new line had connected with the already glowing red line and lit up with the red light from the gem.

“I see…” The unicorn spoke aloud as she set her hooves against the middle valve now and began to turn it. A different set of the lines in both pictures began to move now, twirling them in place. She took a mental note of which ones turned before moving to the third valve and turning it as well. More lines moved and she had a mental image of where each line turned from which valve.

“Alright… so I just have to line them up, that way the red light from the stone touches the picture of Celestia… I can do this.” Twilight boosted her confidence and began to turn the valves in quick succession. She would normally have used her magic for such a task, but she didn’t want to waste any more precious magical energy. Instead she took to manually turning each valve, spinning the various lines several times in order.

It took a moment of calculating and repositioning, but Twilight figured out the exact order she needed. After several minutes of turning the machine, she grabbed the middle valve and turned it one final time.

A successful red line of glowing energy stretched across the two pictures next to Celestia, from the gem stone all the way to the regal Princess. The lines connected directly to the picture and it took a moment for anything to happen. Then, the picture began to glow brightly with the familiar glow. Twilight closed her eyes waiting for the light to die down and see the next memory this world was going to present to her.

“Grah!” Came the loud cry of a stallion as he was shoved to the ground. He had a dirty green coat with disheveled purple hair. He was being pinned down by two royal guards, a dropped knife laying before him. Celestia looked down upon the pony the guards had restrained, glaring at him.

“Does thou know what thou has done?” The Princess demanded, the guards giving the pony just enough oxygen to speak. The green stallion coughed as air returned, then let out a short laugh.

“It was all I could do and yet it was for naught… yes, I do know the weight of my decisions.” The pony boldly grinned up at the Princess, who narrowed her eyes at him even more severely.

“Thou doth realize that thy actions shall result in thy death?” The Princess demanded to know.

“It is a better place I go than the land that thou have made for us to live.” The green pony spat. “I respect not the monarch who would let their people wither and die whilst feasting upon the luxury of thy land.”

“That’s enough out of you.” One of the guards struck the green pony hard in the ribs, the green pony coughing hard from the blow.

“Your majesty.” A familiar deep voice spoke from behind her. The regal Princess turned her head to see Merlin approaching quickly from behind. “Your majesty, I would like to request a chance to speak with this prisoner in the dungeon before thou send him off for execution.”

“Court Mage Merlin.” Celestia spoke regally, looking him over curiously. “What would thou hope to gain from such an endeavor?”

“If thy prisoner cares not for his life, then I might be able to garner some use out of him in favor of my research.” Merlin closed his eyes as he spoke calmly. The green pony glared at the mage, gritting his teeth hard.

“Unicorn swine. Thou know not the hardships we endure or our suffering, seeing us only as pawns in thy games. In thy lounge of food and wine, suckling on the life of thy citizens, thou are blind and cruel.” He spat again, closing his eyes in anger. “I wish thee to rot in the bowels of hell.”

“Enough.” The guard delivered another swift kick to the prisoner’s gut before both guards hoisted him onto their hooves. They proceeded to drag him away, heading for the dungeons. Merlin and Celestia stood in the hallway watching the pony be dragged away, and when he was gone they stood in silence for several more minutes.

“Court Mage Merlin, we ask of thee…” The Princess spoke softly, keeping hold of her emotions. “What does thou think of the way we run our country?”

“A subject I am not yet ready to speak of.” Merlin answered calmly. “However, there is more to a country than just its nobles. Thy ponies make the heart and blood of this very land, but they live if for nothing more than to serve thy majesty. I wish to speak more with that pony about this subject, to see what I can learn of his life.”

“We see…” Was the only reply that the Princess of the sun could utter. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts before turning to Merlin. “Forgive us, thou does not approach us unless thou needs something. What is on thy mind Merlin?”

“Yes, but of course.” Merlin cleared his throat and turned to the Princess. “It is about the research I am conducting. I have heard much about them and have become quite fascinated with the study of them. I wish to ask thy permission to study the Elements of Harmony your majesty.”

Celestia looked a little shocked, not having expected such a request. Though ponies knew of the Elements, it was understood that only the Princesses had control over them.

“Thou makest a bold request. Let us ask, does thou think that thou could control but even one of the Elements in order to research it?” The Princess eyed him curiously.

“I do not pretend to know what forces I will be looking into. Thy power with the Elements are grand indeed, able to take down forces more powerful than thyself or thy armies could do combined. I can only believe that research would go well with help from thy Majesty.” Merlin spoke clearly.

“Thou wish for our help with thy research?” The Princess raised an eyebrow curiously. “Thou must realize that our time is precious, seeing to our citizens and caring for our nobles. We have little free time and what little we have is often spent preparing for more important matters.”

“I assure thee now as I have assured thee in the past that the time of this research is of utmost importance. In my studies I have come across things that I cannot discover simply with the tools at my disposal, that I need more in order to be able to save thy country from further peril, much the same as I stopped Acnologia. I request thee take time from thy delegations to aid me in my research.” Merlin spoke his request.

The Princess thought his words over, wondering what she could do or say to make a difference. Seeing to her citizens was important, but if Merlin spoke true about saving her country she would have no choice but to make time for his research.

“Very well.” The Princess spoke finally. “We shall make an exception for thy research, we are certain our Dear Sister can handle a bit of extra responsibility.”

“I thank thee, your majesty.” Merlin bowed respectfully. “Thou shall not regret thy time spent.”

“See to it that I don’t.” Celestia nodded her head before turning and walking down the hall.

The memory grew quiet as it began to fade away, the world returning to the way it was once more.

Twilight blinked as her vision returned, readjusting to the gallery she had found herself in. She shook her head softly, not having enjoyed what that last memory had spoken of. She had always thought of Celestia as an all-knowing ruler, who knew what was best for everypony and did everything she could to help them. She’d never once heard of Celestia sending any pony to death, to an execution.

And yet there it was, in front of her eyes, the Princess had told a pony that he would be killed for his actions. What had he done? She remembered the knife laying on the floor, but what did that mean? Had that pony tried to attack Celestia? He had spoken viciously about the Princess and her country. He had hated how she ruled it…

Twilight turned to look at the large picture of the Princess once more, only to gasp in shock. It wasn’t there anymore. Instead, the picture that had taken its place was a picture of the blue stallion unicorn with blond hair and a soft growing beard. Merlin was framed perfectly where Celestia had once been. The two sections that had once contained the lines and the gems were now replaced each with a picture of the two Princesses. Celestia was to the left and Luna was to the right. Both were facing towards Merlin with a forlorn look in their eyes.

“What does all of this mean?” Twilight whispered to herself trying to understand everything that was going on around her. She looked down at the valve she had turned and saw something new sitting on top of the device. It was another small brown tile, this one depicting the shape of a unicorn.

She grabbed it with her magic and added it to the other two. She now had three small tiles, each with a different picture on them. The altar that had stood in front of the monster up above had three slots. That meant she had all the pieces to his puzzle. She just needed to make it back upstairs in one piece.

She turned from the room and walked to the door, raising a hoof to push it open. The medallion instantly began its quiet buzz as the light of her pendant filtered into the central room reeking of death. She quickly spotted the leech, still gorging itself on pieces of pony meat. It was near the front door now, exactly where she was headed next. She waited for a moment to see if it would move, but it just grabbed another nearby limb and began to devour it.

Twilight waited, twitching her ears to see if she could hear the sound of metal scraping against stone, but it was silent save for the leech. She stomped her hoof against the ground and prepared herself. She was going to make a run for the large doors out of there.

She backed up a little and braced herself against the valve device, before pushing herself off of it and running straight forward. She picked up to her top speed and her lit her horn, the scattered organs squelching under her magical grip as they dispersed out of her way. The medallion grew louder as the leech turned its head, facing towards the racing unicorn.

Twilight grit her teeth as she galloped, her magic grabbing the doors she was aiming for. The leech let out a guttural sound as its head reared back, preparing to slam it down onto her body. The doors swung open with her magic and the leech’s head came crashing down. It scraped the end of her tail just as she jumped, flying past the room of death and landing ungracefully in the hallway beyond it. Her horn slammed the doors shut behind her and let go as she panted heavily.

She’d done it. She had solved the puzzles and made it out of the room alive. She couldn’t believe her fortune. Her body ached and she was low on magic, but she had made it out without dying. Twilight took in a deep breath and let out a soft sigh of relief, finally feeling a small smile on her face. She turned to look at the pillar in the middle of the hallway she was in. It still contained the mural piece surrounded by the invincible glass from earlier.

“I was hoping it would’ve opened by now…” Twilight sighed in frustration, walking closer to it. She was going to give it one last check before moving on to the creature above.

Her medallion suddenly began to buzz and she stopped halfway to the pillar. A loud pop echoed through the room as something then fell from the ceiling. It landed on top of the glass case, the case shattering loudly as the creature hit the ground. The unicorn backed up a few feet, staring in shock.

The masked creature was right in front of her now. Its long razor legs bore into the stone ground beneath it as its head sickeningly snapped once more, twisting all the way around to look directly at her. It had broken the case but now it was guarding her path forward.

“Oh Celestia…” Twilight gasped in horror.

The creature didn’t waste any time. Instantly its legs began to move, rushing straight for the petrified lavender unicorn. Each leg struck the ground with the scrape of metal as it approached her swiftly.

Twilight snapped out of her stupor and summoned her dagger of a sword before her. The creature was right upon her, raising its leg and striking it down straight for her. Twilight cried out and swung her dagger straight at the limb heading for her. The limb struck the thin blade and clashed hard. The leg was powerful and refused to be stopped by such a wimpy blade. It pushed against it and the leg struck Twilight’s foreleg.

She let out a cry as the razor sharp limb cut into her leg, stopped from cutting too deep by the edge of her sword. Blood began to flow from her leg as she poured more magic into the blade and pushed away.

The masked creature rose up on its hind legs, planning to bring down its front legs and skewer the lavender unicorn upon them. Twilight jumped, the two legs coming straight down. She felt one of the legs scrape against hers as she barely managed to jump out of the way and avoid a fatal injury. She cried out in pain as her left front leg began to bleed from several sections. Her legs collapsed from under her, causing her to tumble against the cold stone floor.

The creature turned to face the unicorn on the ground, approaching her quickly. Twilight grunted in pain but looked up at the creature from where she lay on the floor. Her eyes widened as it reached a razor sharp leg up to stab down into her.

Her magic went into overdrive and her dagger flew swiftly. The striking leg was knocked back by her small appendage of a sword. The creature wasn’t deterred, raising its other leg to strike down at Twilight. The dagger struck the other offending leg as well, knocking it out of striking distance.

The creature wouldn’t relent. Repeatedly it raised each leg and brought it down trying to skewer the unicorn before it, and the unicorn managed to deflect each blow. Twilight was panicking; she couldn’t seem to launch a counterattack. She was completely on the defense and if she didn’t keep it up she was going to be skewered.

The creature twisted its head with a cracking snap, before finally taking a step back in realization that its efforts weren’t working. Twilight managed to get to her hooves, gingerly standing up. There were precious seconds ticking by as the creature prepared its next attack. She didn’t have time to think anymore; she just had to act.

From within her reservoir she pulled out the books she had been carrying with her. The creature didn’t even seem to be phased by the new additions to Twilight’s arsenal. It reared up onto its hind legs once more, preparing to strike down the unicorn.

Twilight hurled the books as hard as she could, aiming each of them straight for the creatures head. On its unstable hind legs the creature batted the books away with its forelegs, getting them each out of his vision. A loud crack was heard as the last item the unicorn had thrown made it past the legs, embedding itself through the creature’s mask. The handle of Twilight’s blade could be seen sitting just outside of the cracks in the mask.

The creature finally lost its balance, falling onto its back, each of the four razor sharp legs flailing in the air. The tattered robes that covered its body began to be ripped to shreds, revealing the rotting corpse that was barely being held together underneath it. Its body had several open gashes, revealing the rotting organs inside of its body. Twilight was revolted, grabbing hold of her sword from its head and pulling it out.

The creature flailed in pain, as if refusing to die now. The lavender unicorn raised the dagger up and swiftly stabbed it into the chest of the creature. It let out a dull, sickening thud as it tore into its muscles. The flailing began to slow down but had yet to stop. Twilight raised the dagger and slammed it down once more. When the flailing still refused to stop she stabbed it again.

Each strike hit the body with the sickening thud. Black, tainted blood gushed with each strike as Twilight refused to let the creature live a moment longer. Her dagger was coated in the thick, gooey mess that had become the creature’s blood.

The masked creature no longer flailed, but lay with its limbs heavy on the floor. Twilight panted in exhaustion, quickly putting the sword away into her magic. Getting rid of the books had given her some extra magic to spare, enough to keep her conscious and to still have use of her horn. She had killed yet another creature; it was another body to add to her growing tally.

She limped past the dead creature, trying to put some distance between her and it. Her front left leg was bleeding profusely now; the clotting was having a hard time with a wound that size. She knew she wasn’t going to make it far if she didn’t cover the wound quickly.

Her horn lit up and grabbed hold of part of the ancient red carpet that lined the floor. Her horn managed to rip off part of the carpet and she stretched it with her magic. She ran a quick spell over it, grabbing hold of the dirt and grime of the carpet and tore it off, tossing it to the side. With the fresh cloth she carefully held out her leg and began to wrap it tightly around her wounds. She winced and grit her teeth hard as her nerves fired at the cloth. She had to at least stop the bleeding and this would have to do till she could find some proper bandages.

She finished tying the makeshift bandages onto her leg and let out a relieved sigh as the pain began to subside. She turned her head to look at the fallen creature once more. It still wasn’t moving, a sign she truly had managed to finish it off.

She looked over at the shattered glass of the pole, seeing the mural piece still all together and laying on the floor. She levitated it up and put inside of her reservoir. If there was one good thing to have come from that encounter, it was that she didn’t have to find some other way to break open the glass.

With bandages on her leg, she began to make her way over to the other end of the hallway. She would just have to take that lift back up to wherever it was she had come from and solve that monster’s puzzle.

Each step with the limp was slowing her pace, but she was able to make it over to the lift once more. She pulled the lever from inside and the device once more whirred into life. It quickly shifted into gear and began to rise, the darkness returning momentarily before coming to a stop at the top.

The unicorn limped into the room with the three weird chambers once more. She examined them once more, seeing the forest, the damp and rained on field, and the library that was ready for someone to check out the books. Twilight still wasn’t sure what it meant exactly, but figured it must have some purpose.

She turned from that room and walked out into the hallway where the mural of Nightmare Moon waited. The air around seemed fresher in that hallway; even if the lingering smell of blood was around her she didn’t feel the air was as stale, as if the world was giving her a moment to breathe.

She made her way past the mural and to the door at the other end of the hallway. She carefully opened the door and made her way into the room that was covered in the red plants once more. Her medallion instantly began its low buzz as she expected. She walked further into the room and turned her light to face the creature. It hadn’t moved, it hadn’t done anything, it was still just hanging there, impaled to the walls and awaiting for someone to draw close to it.

“…I kind of feel sorry for it…” Twilight murmured to herself. Unlike the rest of the monsters it didn’t seem to want to attack her. Her medallion told her it was a threat, something to worry about, but it seemed harmless without any way to move.

Twilight carefully walked up to the altar that stood before the monster, examining it over once more. Three square slots, all about the size of the tiles she had grabbed from downstairs. She carefully pulled each of the tiles out, wincing as they did. Her magic was dangerously low now and she could feel it. It was starting to nip at the back of her mind that she was using too much. She needed a place to rest, to get her energy back, but she was still nowhere safe.

She reviewed the three tile pieces she had quickly, one with an Earth pony, one with a Pegasus and one with a Unicorn. She thought it over in her head, wondering in which order the three went in. Then, as if triggering a light in her mind, she thought back to the three strange environments she’d seen in the ancient room.

“Earth ponies have domain over the land…” Twilight spoke aloud as she placed the Earth pony tile into the first slot. “Pegasi have domain over the air…” She placed the second tile into the second slot. “And Unicorns have domain over knowledge.” She placed the third tile into the third slot.

A loud, horrifying cry suddenly echoed through the room causing Twilight to jump back in shock. She stared up at the creature, who was now flailing and thrashing in what looked like agonizing pain. Her eyes widened upon realization, the spikes that had just been holding it in place were growing. They were now going through and stabbing the creature, piercing the flesh it had left.

She put a hoof to her mouth as she watched in horror. Whatever it had for a mouth was raising up and flailing, screeching out in pain as the spikes tore through its flesh. Twilight watched as spikes drove through the front, piercing all the way through its body. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, the spikes began to twist.

The circles holding the spikes began to turn in opposite directions, forcing the body of the creature to be torn apart and shredded. In just a short period of time the body of the creature was no longer discernible, all of the pieces that had been hanging from the walls fell to the ground, a large pile of skin, organs, and bones. Her medallion went silent.

For the second time that day, Twilight lost her stomach.

Twilight wiped her mouth as she panted, unable to believe she had just witnessed that with her own eyes. It was a gruesome, horrific act of not just torture, but of death. The creature couldn’t move, it couldn’t defend itself, it was just as much a victim of this world as she was.

There was no way she could have known that solving the puzzle was going to do that to the creature, she hadn’t even thought twice about it. She had just solved the puzzle like she had solved all the others before it, just going one through the line. But now her actions had taken the life of what seemed like an innocent creature.

Twilight carefully looked back at the scene of the carnage. Something glinted off of the light of her pendant right behind where the creature had been. Not daring to get closer she lit her horn up, bearing with the biting at the back of her mind, and brought the item over. It was the other half of the armor for the mural. She now had the whole piece to fit into the mural over the door. Shakily she managed to get to her hooves, facing the messy pile that had become of the creature.

“Please… forgive me…” She spoke with a shaky voice, bowing her head in respect, before turning to the door and running out of the room.

Twilight took deep, sharp breaths outside of the door to the plant room. Her throat burned once more and now she felt sicker. Her stomach was rebelling against everything she could see and hear now, just wanting to escape and return to life in Ponyville as it was before.

This felt beyond her now.

Twilight slowly managed to get back to walking, almost unsure of how she still had the strength to be moving. The stone hallway seemed longer than before, but she knew it was just in her imagination. She stopped just before the mural, the visage of the mare of darkness before her, Nightmare Moon.

From within her magic she pulled out the two halves of the missing mantle and carefully aligned them just right so that they would fit within the holes in the mural. Each piece fit with a satisfying ‘click’ in the door. Twilight let out an exasperated breath of air, grateful that it finally felt like she was starting to make some progress in this hell hole of a basement. She pressed against the doors and found them opening slowly.

“HNNNGG.” A feminine voice called out, almost knocking Twilight off of her hooves. The voice sounded like it was struggling with something and Twilight looked in front of her.

“You stupid, HHNNNNGGG, dirty, messy, HHNNNNGGGG, hard to use piece of junk, HHNNNNGGGG, why won’t you come out of there!?” A white unicorn gasped in frustration as she backed away from something stuck in the middle of the floor. Twilight stared in wide eyed shock at the unicorn.

The white coat, the indigo mane, the azure eyes, the three blue cut diamonds for a cutie mark and that way of speaking; Twilight thought her mind was playing tricks on her.

“Fine! See if I care if you rot in this disaster of a world.” Rarity huffed as she lifted her head away from the item and closed her eyes.

“RARITY!” Twilight said running across the room instantly.

“What?” Rarity opened her eyes just as shocked, before being tackled by the lavender unicorn into a tight, embracing hug.

“I found you! Oh Rarity I found you! I found you I found you I found you!” Twilight cheered excitedly, almost swinging the white unicorn around.

“T-Twilight!?” Rarity asked in shock. She pushed her hooves against Twilight to get a better look at the mare before her. She could see Twilight’s shining face, so happy to see one of her friends after everything that she had been through. “Twilight! It IS you!” Rarity gasped putting a hoof to her mouth.

“It is! Oh you don’t know how happy I am to see you!” Twilight let out a sigh of relief, feeling her body relax for the first time in hours.

“Twilight… you… you look dreadful!” Rarity spoke with instant concern. Twilight was covered in small cuts, smeared with blood almost all over her body, her leg was wrapped up in dark red bandages and looked exhausted. “What happened to you, darling!?”

“It’s… a long story.” Twilight sighed, looking Rarity over. Rarity looked perfectly fine, as though nothing had attacked her. The only thing wrong seemed to be the smears of blood she had accidentally just rubbed onto Rarity’s coat. “But listen, now that I’ve found you we need to get out of this place!”

“I’ve been trying to escape too, darling.” Rarity put a hoof to her chest. “This place is simply dreadful. No, it’s beyond dreadful.” Rarity shivered. “What kind of a world like this exists? Its… its…”

“Like a nightmare?” Twilight asked interrupting her.

“It’s exactly like that.” Rarity shook her head. “I found this just now and I was trying to get it out of the ground.” Twilight turned her head to where Rarity had pointed. In the ground was what looked like a fresh, black sword. There were no nicks or scratches, nothing that showed that it had been used in battles or worn with age. Twilight’s eyes widened.

It was exactly what she had wanted; a new weapon to replace the one she’d broken.

“But no matter how hard I pulled with my hooves or with my magic, the thing just won’t budge.” Rarity rubbed her forehead. “What if one of those monsters came to attack me again? I have no way of defending myself.”

“Don’t worry, Rarity.” Twilight raised a hoof and put it on her shoulder, smiling comfortingly. “I’m here now. Together we can get out of this and help the rest of our friends.”

“It really is good to have you here, Twilight.” Rarity let out a soft sigh, smiling at her dear friend. The two of them were drawing strength from each other. In that instance they felt like they could take on anything together.

The door Twilight had come in through suddenly banged shut loudly. The two girls jumped as the sound echoed through the room, both of them instantly turning to look at the door.

“That’s… not normal.” Twilight gulped. She quickly spun her head around to look at the room. She hadn’t been paying attention, but she now saw that the room was made up of the steel walls that had appeared in the boutique above. There was a steel cage door at the room opposite of where the door she had walked in had been. She looked up towards the ceiling, but even with her light shining she couldn’t see it, her light just went off into a dark abyss.

“Twilight… how did you get here?” Rarity spoke with a quiver in her voice. Twilight blinked, not realizing she didn’t know how Rarity had gotten there either.

“I… I opened a door that brought me here. I… I had to go through a lot of monsters to get here.” Twilight winced at the memories.

“I had to solve a deranged puzzle…” Rarity murmured as if not wanting to speak of the puzzle once more.

The sound of grinding chains and squealing metal suddenly filled the room as both the mares quickly turned their heads to look at the metal cage door that was sliding open slowly. The door opened completely, silence suddenly filling the room. Twilight’s medallion began to buzz, drawing Rarity’s attention as Twilight stared in shock at the dark space that had just opened from the metal door. Rarity was about to ask why there was sound coming from Twilight’s pendant, when she saw the look on Twilight’s face and turned to look as well.

Hoofsteps were heard first coming from the dark pathway that had been revealed. Following that was a tall, gray body that walked through the doorway. As it came into the room, the grinding metal door closed behind it, sealing the creature in the room with the two mares.

Twilight’s mouth hung open in shock. Rarity pressed herself harder into Twilight, wanting to get away from it.

It stood as tall as the Princess, its gray body beaten, bruised and bloody. It had four long slender legs that seemed to barely hold the weight of its body. It had a large, destroyed wing hanging from one side of its body, the other was missing completely. Its forehead held a large, broken unicorn horn and its eyes were closed shut, blood flowing down its face from the sockets. It had thick, gray cobweb hair that clung to it down half of its leg. It opened its mouth and let out a wail that seemed to echo and bounce through the room.

“T-Twilight… w-what is that?” Rarity stuttered, staring at the creature in fear.

“I… I don’t know.” Twilight whimpered unsure of the answer. The buzzing of the medallion grew louder as Twilight suddenly heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. Her head looked upwards. Crawling down from the abyss of the ceiling was one of the masked creatures, its razor sharp legs digging into the metal as it climbed.

The creature’s head let out a sickening snap as it turned to face the alicorn-like creature that had walked into the room. Without another word it jumped from the ceiling and aimed its four sharp legs straight at the alicorn creature, planning to impale it instantly.

The alicorn turned its head slightly, spotting the creature as it flung straight at it. The masked creature was about to strike when something shook loudly. Twilight and Rarity turned their heads, seeing the black sword in the ground shaking. It suddenly flew up and out of the ground and straight for the alicorn. With a wide swipe, the sword cut straight through the masked creature as though it wasn’t there.

The two halves of the creatures struck the ground around the alicorn. With another flick, the blade that had latched onto it flew off and the sword came to face the two mares.

The blood of the mares ran cold as they instantly realized what was going on.

“Rarity! Stay back!” Twilight jumped forward, whipping her dagger out instantly and gritting her teeth at the creature that stood before them.

“Twilight!” Rarity called out in shock as the alicorn began to casually walk towards them. Twilight grit her teeth and glared at the monster.

“You will NOT HURT MY FRIEND!” Twilight cried out and ran straight at the alicorn-like creature. She could hear Rarity calling out after her, but the words were drowned out in her own adrenaline. She raised her dagger, intending to strike straight at the creature. The creature seemed to notice her presence and tilted its head curiously. It raised its own black sword and swung it decisively, aiming straight for the lavender mare.

Twilight’s dagger rushed forward and took the strike. Instantly she felt the difference in presence as a rush of wind erupted around the room. The magic binding the black sword struck the dwindling magic of the dagger and sent it flying. Twilight was instantly knocked off of her hooves and tumbled away, rolling several times at the force of the strike.

A loud scream echoed out in the room as Twilight opened her eyes in shock. Getting to her hooves she turned and saw the creature was already near Rarity. Rarity was being held up by some force of magic, though Twilight couldn’t see a magical aura coming from the alicorn’s head or one around Rarity’s body.

“LEAVE HER ALONE.” Twilight screamed loudly, racing towards the alicorn without a plan. She jumped into the air, landing straight onto the alicorn’s back. Without thinking she opened her mouth and bit down hard on its neck. The alicorn bucked its hind legs into the air, trying to get the unicorn off of it. Rarity was still attached to the magic, being tossed around like a rag-doll in the air.

The alicorn finally tossed Rarity straight at the wall, the white unicorn hitting with a sickening ‘thud’. Its magic then reached Twilight, who felt herself instantly being lifted up off of the alicorn. She bit down harder, refusing to let go of the patch of skin she had in her mouth. The magic pulled harsh and fast, pulling Twilight straight off of its body. A chunk of flesh came with her.

Twilight was slammed against the metal ground, air escaping her body instantly. She gasped for air as her body and mind reeled from the damage. Her eyes fell out of focus and she tried to readjust them, looking for the alicorn that was attacking her. The alicorn was raising the sword above its head, intending to strike straight down onto her, cutting her in half just as it had that masked creature.

The black sword began its strike, swift and fast, intending to come straight down on the lavender unicorn’s body. But just as it was about to strike, the dagger that was Twilight’s sword flew through the air, embedding itself into the alicorn’s neck.

The alicorn wailed the haunting, echoing wail as it stumbled back away from Twilight. Twilight tried to get to her hooves, shaky as they were. She could see Rarity panting; having just thrown the sword with everything she could muster into her throw. The alicorn pulled the sword out of its neck with its magic and tossed it across the room. Its legs picked up and it ran swiftly.

Rarity wailed as she tried to get out of reach, only to find herself once more within the alicorn’s grip. Her body was flung into the air and pressed against the cold steel wall once more.

“RARITY!” Twilight yelled out, barely managing to get to her hooves. She had to do something, she had to react.

The black sword moved swiftly through the air, whistling with the intensity it sailed. A sickening thud was heard, followed by the intense wailing howls of Rarity. Twilight’s eyes widened as she watched her friend be impaled by the black sword. Rarity flailed and cried as the sword sunk straight through her flesh.

Twilight cried out in anger, feeling her hooves move on their own. She ran straight for the alicorn, who just stared at her apathetically. The sword was drawn from Rarity’s body, the white unicorn hitting the ground hard, just as Twilight reached the alicorn. Without thinking Twilight rammed her speeding head straight into the torso of the alicorn.

Another wail let out as the horn pierced straight through the broken flesh of the alicorn, right before Twilight felt herself get shoved to the ground again by its powerful magic. Twilight struggled against it, trying to force herself up to save her friend.

She was flung into the air like a rag-doll, feeling her body flip before heading for the ground. She struck it hard. The sound of breaking bones hit her ears but she had no idea what had snapped. Her head was pounding and her body broken. She was disorientated beyond comprehension and could no longer discern where she was.

The lavender unicorn was then being dragged across the metal floor of the room, dragged quickly back over to the alicorn that was toying with her. Her body was lifted into the air and slammed against the wall, the same way it had done to Rarity. Twilight couldn’t see her friend, her eyes were blurring and the only thing she could make out was the barely visible alicorn.

Suddenly a piercing hot pain ripped straight through her shoulder and straight into the metal wall behind her.

Twilight’s screams echoed through the room as the pain assaulted her mind. It was unlike any pain she’d felt before, the steel tore away at her body and filled it with an unrelenting anguish. She could barely think straight.

The alicorn’s magic began to pull the sword back out, satisfied with the amount it had stabbed into the lavender unicorn. However the lavender unicorn’s hooves lifted and suddenly gripped the handle. Instead of the sword being pulled out, Twilight was now being lifted by the blade. The alicorn, confused, held the unicorn up by the sharpened metal. The weight of the unicorn’s body was forcing the blade to dig further into her flesh, cut even more muscles and bone, slowly ripping the very leg off of her body.

The damaged mare opened her eyes, hate and pain seething through her body, her eyes flaring with a white energy that was flowing through her body. A purple aura extended from her body and she let out yet another cry as her magic blasted through the room, sending the very air churning, blasting away from her body. The alicorn stepped back in shock and surprise, unable to comprehend what was happening.

The damaged unicorn summoned her magic around the handle of the intruding metal and pulled the sword out of her shoulder. In her rage she could only cry out in the agony of her wounds, instantly bleeding and the leg falling limp and useless to her side. The power of her magic levitated her in the air and white hissing magic escaped from her mouth as she could no longer control her actions.

The alicorn faced the roaring nexus of magic that had appeared before it, the black sword now in possession of the purple mare. With her hatred and energy flowing free, unable to do anything but act upon her instinct, the enraged mare flew forward with the black sword. The world spiraled into a black abyss as her vision began to fade.

The sword flung through the air and the alicorn let out a ferocious cry. The wind rushed faster through the area before dying down.

Twilight’s body struck the cold steel and the black sword clattered down before her. All around her the items she had been storing within her magic sprung free from their imprisonment. Several sheets of paper floated through the air, still riding the wind that had whipped through the room just moments ago. The health drink rolled around her face, stopping when it came into contact with the mare.

Lying there, bleeding profusely and out of magic, she could no longer keep herself conscious. Everything went black as the world around her vanished.

[REDACTED] Ending - One day, everything will change.

Author's Note

THIS IS NO LONGER THE TRUE ENDING!

This ending is being left here for preservation's sake, for those who would ever want to read what the old 'true' ending was before I decided it was no longer what I wanted the true ending to be.

You're free to read, but know that it is unedited and no longer reflects my wishes for how I want this story to end. Consider it a slight alternate ending if you will.

[REDACTED] Ending - One day, everything will change.

I wonder when I last felt so calm. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been focused on everything, stressing over something. My mind rests when I sleep, but when I wake up I worry about every little detail.

Did I study enough for my lesson?

Do I have the right materials?

Did I miss any important details?

Do I have the time to do everything in a day?

Is everything where it needs to be?

Am I going to disappoint anyone?

If I didn’t focus on something, the thought would scramble through my brain constantly. If I’m not studying, if I’m not researching, if I’m not doing something to make another proud… I felt as though I’d failed them.

Like I let them down.

But I don’t feel any of that here…

This strange void… It’s almost like a dream.

I’m floating in it, like it’s cradling me. I can’t remember when I felt so at peace, like nothing in the world matters at all anymore.

And I guess in some way it doesn’t.

The world will continue on without me, won’t it? If I just floated here forever, time would keep moving. Ponies would come and go, live and die, change the world around them and pass away all the same.

In the end I’m just a blip on this endless clock. What have I contributed to the world? Was I trying to get to the point where I would change the world? All the constant studying, trying to learn all about magic and knowledge, about history and psychology…

What was it all for?

Once I die, that knowledge goes with me. All they’ll have left are the words I wrote. But they won’t be the same as having me there.

Others may learn from what I made, what I learned, what I wrote… But it won’t be the same as having me there.

A legacy is only as good as those who remember it. And if I were to die before I could write down mine… Then I achieved nothing.

I wonder if other ponies feel this way. If it ever crosses their mind how pointless life can be.

Maybe you can make a dress.

Maybe you can raise some animals.

Maybe you can create spectacles.

Maybe you can grow crops for everyone.

Maybe you can entertain them.

But in the end it amounts to nothing. Short, fleeting moments of seeing everyone happy, and then they vanish into the blip known as time.

I wonder if I’ve just stopped caring, or if this void dulls my emotions. I’m sure thoughts like these would’ve had me crying for hours before. Afraid of my future, afraid of my own death, afraid that what I dedicated my life to will mean nothing and that I’ll die forgotten and useless.

Maybe it’s because I can’t even tell if I’m alive or dead anymore. I can’t feel anything but the slow pull of something dragging me along as I float here.

I wonder if my friends made it out alive. I fought to the bitter end for them… And I can’t even tell if they made it out alive or not.

Maybe that’s why I’m so apathetic. Because even if I did worry, there’s nothing I could do about it now.

There’s no point to anything anymore. I’m sure soon enough I’ll fade away.

I think for now I’ll just close my eyes and get some sleep. I’m not going anywhere, and it’ll help pass the time.

I wonder what dreams are like in a void.

A dull throbbing pain began to beat in her mind. A small groan escaped her lips as consciousness was returning to her. Her eyes opened slowly, wincing at the light that began to shine through them. A blurry white ceiling greeted her as her eyes adjusted. A slow, constant beep came to her ears next, a familiar sound that she immediately recognized as a heart monitor.

Her eyes opened fully and her room came into view. She was lying in a single white bed, angled just ever so slightly for more comfortable sleep. To her right was a window through which she could see the upper buildings she recognized from Canterlot. The sky was cloudy, blotting most of the sun, so the day had a dim shade of gray cast upon it. To her left was a chair, a bedside table, several counters, and some pictures for decoration. Behind her was several pieces of equipment, one being the meter that was displayed a spiking green line with each passing beep.

“I’m… I’m in Canterlot General?” Twilight groaned, slowly shifting to sit up. Her body ached and her head was throbbing, but she wasn’t in any severe pain. A shiver ran down her spine as her senses came back, feeling how cold and numb her neck felt in comparison to the rest of her body.

She reached a hoof up to her neck and felt the tube that were connected, giving her fluids that were most likely keeping her alive. With a swift tug the tube came loose, though she couldn’t feel anything from the numbness.

“It’s quiet…” She murmured to herself, shaking her head as she pulled herself out from under the covers. Her hooves touched the cold ground and her knees almost buckled. She took a deep breath and straightened her stance, shaking her head to clear it.

She closed her eyes and channeled her magic, feeling the reservoir having been replenished. She searched deeper and tried to find the things she had been carrying when she was last awake, finding them to be missing.

‘I suppose that makes enough sense,’ she thought to herself. ‘When I used up all my magic using Merlin’s spell, they would’ve been expelled from my magic.’

She opened her eyes and took another look at her surroundings, looking for a single sign that something was out of place. The floors were clean, the walls didn’t have a single sign of rust or splatter of blood, and she could even see out the window. There was no fog, no siren, no sounds that were out of place.

“Am… Am I out?” Her voice quivered a little, slowly walking up to the window. Looking out of it she could see the ponies of Canterlot walking around as usual, going about their daily lives peacefully. “T-This isn’t a dream? A flashback? I’m… I’m really free?”

A click echoed through the room, Twilight’s head snapping to look in the direction it came from. The door to the room was moving, the handle turning before opening with a creak. Twilight’s body froze, staring at the door in fear. Her breath was caught in her throat and her heart stopped as the door opened fully.

Stepping through the door was a white pony adorned with a small hat with a red cross on it. She was looking down at a clipboard before looking up to stare at me, her eyes widening at the site.

“Miss Sparkle! You’re awake!” The nurse gasped, quickly rushing across the room, “But you shouldn’t be out of bed yet!”

“STAY BACK!” Twilight cried, pushing her back to the wall. The nurse stopped short of Twilight, blinking in surprise. “Who are you!? How did I get here!?” Twilight was visibly shaking with panic, her mind not willing to believe that everything was alright yet.

“You… You’re in Canterlot General.” The nurse spoke calmly, trying to reassure her patient. “We found you critically injured in Ponyville when the fog lifted. You were immediately rushed here for treatment.”

“You found me in Ponyville?” Twilight asked, the nurse slowly nodding her head. “I… I was in Ponyville… But the fog… You said the fog lifted?”

“About three days ago Ponyville suddenly became shrouded in a thick fog. Ponies that tried to enter it never came back out, so it was quarantined until we could figure out what was going on. Then the fog just suddenly lifted and…” The nurse hesitated for a moment before speaking, “We found so many ponies… We found you in Town Hall and brought here as quickly as we could.”

“So… So I’m back?” Twilight’s voiced quivered as she tried to take in all the information, “I’m actually… home?”

“Yes, you’re home. You’ve been through a lot and you need to rest for now.” The nurse spoke comfortingly, drawing closer to Twilight. The nurse raised her hoof to press against Twilight cheek, Twilight flinching at the touch. But as she felt the warmth of the nurse’s hoof, she could feel the tension in her body draining away, and suddenly she felt how tired she was.

“Here, let’s get you back in bed.” The nurse smiled, gently wrapping a hoof around Twilight and helping her back on to her hooves. She guided her back to the bed and helped tuck her back in, Twilight taking a shuddering breath as she felt tears forming at the edge of her eyes. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”

Twilight’s stomach let out a small growl at the mention of food, and she couldn’t help but nod.

“I’ll bring something in real soon, I just need to let the others know you’re awake first.” The nurse smiled before turning to leave the room. She closed the door behind her and left Twilight to herself.

Twilight turned her back to the door, staring out the window with which she could see the light of a cloudy day. She turned her head into her pillow and let herself sob, letting the fear and tension of everything she’d seen and done escape into her pillow.

The hospital good was plain, though she knew it was in her mouth she couldn’t taste anything. Perhaps it was her mind filtering everything out, numb to the world around her, but she barely registered herself eating. The only solace she had was that doing so quelled her stomach for the time being.

She was left alone in the quiet room with her thoughts, and the slow tapping of her spoon against the tray. Her mind was having difficulty accepting that she was back home now, that sitting here wasn’t going to trigger some horrific vision or that the world was going to start shifting around her. But the longer she sat, the quieter the room became.

As her plate was nearly empty she placed her spoon down and stared at the empty tray, unsure of what to do next. Her head leaned back against the pillow on her bed and stared at the ceiling, watching the florescent lights that quietly buzzed. She wondered what had become of everyone else, of her friends since she last saw them.

She wondered if they were okay, if they were alive. Lance had told her that they were only dead if she truly believed them to be dead, but that only applied for that fog-filled world. She had seen Rarity be impaled by Merlin’s sword, she had seen Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy as rotting forms of their former selves, and she had seen Applejack burst into ash right in front of her.

What became of them once the fog had lifted?

The door to Twilight’s room clicked loudly again and she turned her head to see who was entering. Her whole body froze as the large pony walked into her room. The long flowing regal hair, the golden decorations on her body, the solid white coat, and those light magenta eyes, it could only be her mentor.

“Twilight, I’m glad to see you’ve finally awoken.” The Princess smiled at her pupil, happy to see that she was okay.

Twilight stared at her mentor, the figure she had grown up with, the one who had taught her everything she knew. Visions of Celestia flashed before Twilight’s eyes, seeing the Princess bound to a table by chains in that hellish world. Watching as her body warped and transformed into that creature, watching as she slammed her into a wall, watching as she slowly picked Spike up and-

“Twilight, are you alright? Your hoof is shaking.” Celestia’s voice broke Twilight from her visions. Twilight looked down at the hoof on her tray, seeing it visibly shaking in place. She placed her other hoof on top of it, slowly calming the quaking as she tried to take a deep breath to calm herself.

“I-I’m alright.” Twilight sheepishly smiled, trying to convince herself more than her teacher. “I’m… Just happy to see you’re okay.”

Celestia was quiet for a moment, looking down at her student with worry. Twilight stared back, her smile slowly fading as the seconds passed. She turned her head to look away from her mentor, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to try and calm herself.

“I would understand if you’re not okay, Twilight.” Celestia spoke calmly. Twilight blinked in surprise, turning to look at her mentor again. “You’ve just been through a great ordeal, and managed to come out of it alive. You saw things no pony should ever have to see in their entire life… And you saw things, even from me, that I wish nopony else had to see.” Her voice was solemn and sincere; closing her eyes as she gently lowered her head in a bow.

Twilight didn’t know how to react to this, biting her lips at Celestia’s words. It was true that not everything was alright, but what could she possibly do about that? She needed some clarity, some peace of mind to stop thinking about that awful world.

“My friends…” Twilight spoke, her voice hoarse suddenly, “I… I want to see my friends.” Her lips trembled, looking at her mentor with a small fraction of hope.

“Of course.” Celestia smiled once more. “Here, I’ll escort you myself. This is something you need to see for yourself.”

Twilight couldn’t help but get a sense of foreboding from Celestia’s words. She swallowed her worries quietly, then stepped off of the bed to follow her teacher.

A soft chill blew through the brisk winter’s day. A blanket of snow covered the ground far below as Celestia’s chariot soared through the sky.

Twilight couldn’t help but stare at the ground, thinking that if this had been a normal day, she would’ve thought it was fairly lovely weather. But now a gloom seemed to hang through the air as she rode alongside Celestia. The silence between them was thick, only broken by the rushing air and sounds of guards flapping their wings.

Twilight could see the town of Ponyville as they quickly approached it. The town wasn’t covered in a layer of fog anymore, and the houses looked just like they did before the fog had covered everything. She could only see a few ponies walking the streets of Ponyville, something that was unusual for the quaint little town.

The chariot came down for a landing in the town square, Twilight and Celestia arriving in Ponyville. Twilight stepped out first, looking around her familiar home town. Things were quiet, but she could see some ponies staring back at her. Though there were ponies, a shiver ran down her back. She couldn’t help but feel like it was somehow a ghost town still.

“When the fog lifted, a lot of ponies were scared and confused.” Celestia spoke as she stepped down from her chariot. “They first tried to find friends and loved ones. And once they found whatever they could, many packed their bags and left. If Ponyville seems quiet, it’s because most of the population has already left.”

“I guess I can’t blame them…” Twilight murmured, watching the ponies who had been staring turn and slowly trot away, as if life had left them.

“I sent your friends a message saying we’d be arriving soon. I’m sure they’ll be here any minute now-“ Celestia was interrupted by a rush of wind, followed by a soft thud and Twilight letting out a grunt of surprise.

“Twilight! I was so worried about you!” The familiar pink pony squeezed her friend tight. “You were in a coma and nothing we could do could wake you! I was so worried something terrible had happened to you in that world! I’m so sorry I couldn’t have done more for you!”

“Pinkie.” Twilight coughed trying to breathe again, before pushing against the pink pony. She looked into Pinkie’s face and could see fresh tears starting to roll down her face. Pinkie’s hair was still flat and she wiped her tears away as she smiled at Twilight.

“I’m so glad you’re safe Twilight! I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you!” Pinkie wrapped her legs around Twilight again, burying her head into her friend’s shoulder.

“I’m… I’m really glad you’re safe too Pinkie.” Twilight closed her eyes and hugged her friend back, just happy to have her friend okay. “What about the others? Are they okay too?”

“See for yourself.” Pinkie pulled back with a smile before turning her head. Twilight looked in the direction Pinkie was looking and saw four familiar ponies rushing in quick success.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash cried out first, jumping at the mare to join Pinkie in a tight embracing hug.

“Oh thank goodness you’re okay!” Fluttershy said next, squeezing in next to Dash.

“Darling, I thought we’d lost you.” Rarity said, putting a hoof to her chest as a smile crossed her face.

“Twilight, ah can’t believe you’re really awake.” Applejack took her hat off, pressing it against her chest. “Land sakes girl, you gave us quite the fright.”

Twilight couldn’t believe it. All of her friends were right here, standing before her plain as day.

“You guys… You guys are okay…” Twilight’s lips quivered, her arms squeezing against the ponies already embracing her. “I thought… I thought something horrible had happened to you all.” Tears began to shine at the edge of her eyes, her emotions quickly engulfing her.

“You’re telling me darling!” Rarity said, quickly walking up to Twilight. “I saw you get impaled by a ghastly black sword! I was so worried that… That that was going to be the last time I saw you.” Rarity bit her lip, remembering the awful memory.

“Y-You saw ME get stabbed with that sword?” Twilight blinked confused, “I saw YOU get stabbed with it! I woke up in a new place surrounded in blood! I thought I’d seen you…” Twilight wanted to say ‘killed’, but the words caught in her throat.

“What? Ah saw her disappear into a pile of ashes!” Applejack said in shock, “Right in front of me too. Ah thought ah’d lost her when the world went a shifting…”

“That’s what I thought happened to you too!” Twilight said pointing to Applejack. “A-And Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, I saw you two… Twisted and mutated.” Twilight grimaced.

“That’s how we saw you too.” Fluttershy blinked in surprise.

“So this whole time, that place was just messing with your heads!?” Rainbow Dash clicked her teeth in annoyance, “Somehow I knew it would, I just didn’t know what was true or not…”

Twilight’s lip quivered with a smile, her arms squeezing tight against her friends as she rested her head against them. Relief was washing over her, the stress and pain of what had happened not too long ago finally starting to leave her. She’d seen some horrible things, had to do some things she never thought she would have to do, but everything turned out alright.

“I’m just… I’m just so happy you’re all alright.” Twilight couldn’t help but squeeze her friends in a tight hug. They returned the hug in kind, smiling as they embraced each other. All the fear of having lost those important to her was finally disappearing.

“Just one question though, where’s Spike?” Twilight asked curiously, lifting her head to look around. There was no sign of the baby dragon waddling his way towards them, and he hadn’t been at the hospital either. “If he was anywhere, I was sure he’d be here.”

Her friends suddenly grew quiet, their hug slowly loosening as they turned to look up at her. Twilight blinked in surprise as she looked at everyone, not entirely sure what their silence meant.

“I think it’s best for me to show you Twilight.” Celestia spoke up, standing behind the mare.

“Show me?” Twilight asked confused, “Show me what? Where Spike is?” Celestia could only close her eyes with a small nod as she turned and began to walk towards the center of Ponyville. Unsure of what was going on, Twilight let go of her friends and followed her behind her mentor.

In the center of town there was a new stone structure that Twilight didn’t recognize. The top was slanted and the front of it had a large plate that looked to have several engravings on it. Surrounding the structure were dozens upon dozens of flowers, left there by several of the citizens of Ponyville. Twilight watched as another placed a fresh bouquet in front of the statue, before walking off to another part of town.

“What… Is this?” Twilight hesitated to ask, something telling her she didn’t want to know the answer.

“This is a monument that was erected just yesterday. When the fog lifted, the town was in panic. Many ponies were left hurt, injured, scared. Once the chaos had cleared, it was clear that some ponies… Hadn’t made it through that dreadful fog.” Celestia spoke solemnly, closing her eyes and bowing her head with respect to the monument.

“…N-No…” Twilight’s eyes widened as the realization of why they were there dawned on her. She rushed to the statue and pressed her hooves against it, quickly reading through the names that were plastered on it. There were a few names she easily recognized, and some she had even met while in that fog world.

She read the name of Winter Withers, of Sparkler, and even the name of Junebug. As she read more names down the list, her mind screamed for her to stop reading, to not find his name there. It couldn’t be there, it wouldn’t be there, the rest of her friends had made it out safe so he had too.

“Spike ‘The Dragon’ Sparkle…” The word slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. There was his name, clear as day, for the world to see.

“No… No NO!” Twilight slammed her hooves against the statue, “NO! I-I saw them! I saw them all die in that world! They were stabbed, burnt, even rotted! Why!? Why would he have been different!?” Twilight screamed, unable to accept the idea that Spike was dead.

“There’s a reason that Spike didn’t make it out.” Celestia spoke, her words heavy. Twilight turned her head to look at her mentor. Celestia’s eyes were closed, and it was only then that Twilight noticed the bags under her eyes, a sign that the Princess hadn’t been sleeping, wrought with stress. She opened her eyes, those eyes looking back at Twilight with a heavy burden upon them.

“It’s because I was the one who killed him.”

Twilight stared at her mentor, unable to process what she had just heard. Her hooves began to shake, her mouth hanging agape as she stared in horror at the Princess.

“I remember it clearly.” Celestia spoke grimly, “I held him in a tight grip. I stared him in the face. He called me mother. And then I killed him.” Twilight stared in abject horror at her mentor. Celestia could see the fear and shock that was plastered on her student’s face.

“I have no excuse for what I’ve done. Even in that twisted world, even while consumed by the anger, sorrow, and bitterness of my past… Even when my body had changed, my mind was consumed with the rage of everything I had done… And I snapped.” Celestia closed her eyes, “Even when my body wasn’t my own, I can still see his eyes pleading with me for mercy… And I chose not to head it.”

Celestia’s horn lit up with magic, summoning forth an object before her. The familiar shape of the black sword appeared once again before it was laid flat before Twilight. Twilight looked at it, her mind still reeling from shock.

“This is the sword that Merlin crafted. Taking an unbreakable object, and rather than breaking it, her warped it into the shape of a sword. You seemed to be fond of it in that world… So it’s only right that I give this to you now. I cannot make up for what I’ve done. But if there’s any punishment you feel is fitting for me… I’ll gladly accept it.”

Twilight stared at the sword, reaching a hoof over to the handle to pick it up once more. The grip somehow felt right, like it was made for a hoof even though its shape wasn’t right. She could see her reflection in the sleek black blade, the bags under her eyes and the tears forming at the edge of her eyes.

Twilight gripped the blade with her magic and let go of it with her hoof, letting it float into the air. She then turned her attention to her mentor, still not willing to believe her words, and floated the blade next to her neck. The sharp metal lightly pressed against her neck, though Celestia didn’t even flinch at it.

“So… If I decided your punishment was death… You’d accept that.” Twilight murmured without hesitation, her voice lacking any empathy or care.

“If that is what you thought was best, I would accept it with dignity.” Was all Celestia had to say, closing her eyes and waiting for Twilight to make the next move.

Twilight could only stare at her mentor’s response. This was the pony that had killed Spike. Killed him in cold blood right in front of her. It didn’t matter that she had turned into a monster when she did it, she admitted that she had done it either way. The pony she trusted more than anyone else in the land, the pony she thought she could turn to no matter what… Had not only betrayed her, but taken away someone she thought of as a son.

How easy would it be to just swing the sword and kill her where she stands? She wouldn’t move, Twilight doubted she’d even flinch. That was how Princess Celestia was. Once she had committed to her word, she kept to it till the bitter end.

Twilight pulled the sword back, arcing it behind her. She could do it, she could swing the sword right now. Celestia’s bones wouldn’t stop her, it would sail clean through her neck, and Celestia would be missing her head. She’d be killing one of Equestria’s greatest monsters now and then.

Without even thinking, Twilight erupted in a roar of anguish. He scream practically echoed through the town as the sword began to slash through the air, aiming straight for Celestia’s neck. In an instance, her head would be gone.

“TWILIGHT!”

The shout of her friends stopped her blade, inches from having gouged into Celestia’s neck. Her hoof trembled as she stared at the blade hovering there. She really had been about to do it. If that voice hadn’t stopped her, she would have killed the Princess right there.

Her thoughts were jarred by the feeling of being tackled and hugged by one of her friends, the black sword falling as her telekinesis was broken.

“What the hay were you thinking girl!? You nearly killed the Princess!” It was Applejack who had stopped her, gently shaking Twilight back to reality.

“Yeah, what was that? We were giving you two some alone time, and you respond by trying to kill her?” Rainbow Dash spoke up next, having missed the whole conversation. The others had approached Twilight now, worried for their friend.

“Darling… I… I know what you’re going through is hard right…” Rarity spoke next, stepping up to Twilight and placing a hoof on her shoulder, “Believe me… I… I still have a hard time believing he’s… He’s gone…” Rarity bit her lip, trying to suppress tears that were threatening to return. “I couldn’t stop crying for two days… I know… But killing the Princess won’t help anything.”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Twilight yelled out, her friends reeling back from shock. “You don’t… Understand anything…” Twilight’s shoulders began to shake, the tears that had been threatening to fall finally beginning to spill.

“Long ago, after Nightmare Moon had been banished to the moon, she had left an army of followers behind in Equestria.” Celestia spoke up, opening her eyes to look at Twilight. Twilight kept her head hung as everyone else looked up at Celestia. “That army planned to continue where Nightmare Moon had left off, and bring anarchy and chaos to the land. They wouldn’t stop unless they had either succeeded… Or died trying.”

“It was my job as ruler of Equestria to bring an end to the revolt. As such, I thought I had no choice but to do what had to be done. And so… I killed them all.” Her words were heavy, shocking several of the ponies who were now listening in. They had never thought of Celestia as someone who would, or even could, kill another pony.

“At the time I was clouded with anger, and sorrow. My sister had been consumed, and banished for a thousand years. I could see no other way, and so I did the dead. But this ended up being part of the army’s plan. Many of them had friends and loved ones in the land of Equestria, and if they couldn’t bring direct rule under their command, they would ensure that I could never be trusted again, by killing so many of my own citizens.” Celestia’s eyes wandered towards the black sword that lay silent on the ground before them.

“That was when the only person left in my life that was close to me hatched a plan. He vowed that Equestria needed me, that in this time of uncertainty and turmoil, that I was the only one who could fix what had happened… So he decided he would take the fall in my place. That it wasn’t the benevolent Princess who had killed all her citizens, but a high-ranking mage in her court.”

“I begged and pleaded for him to not do this, but he would not change his mind. Before I could do anything to stop him, he had already convinced all of Canterlot that he was guilty, and from there, word traveled across Equestria.”

“By the end of the week, he had been sentenced to death for treason… And right before he was hung, he looked at me with a smile… And then he was gone.” Celestia closed her eyes in remorse once more, remembering those days so long ago. “After Merlin’s death, I vowed that I would do everything I could to fix the wrongs that blighted Equestria. It wasn’t easy, and it took several years, but Equestria finally began to thrive once more…” Her eyes opened slowly, wearily.

“But I’ve grown tired in my years now, and though I can still run the country for now… I’ve been raising you, Twilight Sparkle, as my pupil to not only help you with your learning… But to one day replace me, as ruler of Equestria.”

Twilight’s head snapped up in surprise, staring at her mentor through tear filled eyes.

“I never intended for you to learn my past this way… Or for you to have to suffer these kinds of hardships. I wanted to teach you of my mistakes in due time, so you could avoid making them in return, and become a ruler that I never could be. But I can’t change the past, bring the dead back to life, or change what’s happened to you…” Celestia turned her head away, unable to look Twilight in the face any longer. “I would understand if you choose not to accept this path anymore, but that is what I desire.” Celestia looked back, meeting Twilight’s eyes.

“I want to raise you to replace me.”

The center of Ponyville had grown silent. A cold winter’s breeze blew through the town, sending shivers down the spines of ponies who were watching. Twilight lowered her head in thought, surrounded by her friends and being confronted by her mentor about possibly ruling Equestria. Everything was too much to take in.

“Sugarcube, I-“ Applejack started, but Twilight raised a hoof to silence her. All Twilight needed was a moment to recuperate her thoughts, to settle for a moment and let them roll through her mind. She put a hoof to her face and wiped her tears, looking up at Celestia with a glare.

“Fine.” She spoke bitterly, “I will take your place one day. I will make sure that I was a better ruler than you could possibly even imagine being. I won’t let there be any wars, I won’t let ponies needlessly die when I’m ruling. It was you who taught me the magic of friendship, and it is I who will spread that lesson throughout Equestria.” Twilight lowered her head once more, her bangs covering her face. “I’ll do it so that something like this never has to happen again.”

Celestia could only close her eyes at that, nodding in acknowledgement.

“Then I will return to Canterlot for now. There is still much I have to do, but I will return soon.” Celestia said, turning and walking away from the group of six ponies huddled before the statue.

Twilight turned her back to Celestia, looking back at the statue once more. She raised a hoof and pressed it against the cold rocky surface. Her hoof traced over Spike’s name, still processing the fact that he truly was gone.

“I’m sorry Spike…” Twilight murmured to herself, her friends watching her, not knowing what to say. “I promise… I’ll never forget you…”

It was a cold day in Ponyville, the winter weather wrapping the town like a silent blanket. Up above pegasi from Cloudsdale were putting snow clouds into place, aware of what happened but still needing to keep things on schedule.

The first drops of snow gently descended to the quiet little town. No longer did it need to fear the nightmares of a dreaded past, or the horrors that might await those who dared to go looking for them. The land beneath their hooves was dormant, never again to beat with the lost souls of the damned. The small town would be quiet for the days to come.

The small, silent town of Ponyville.