Point of No Return

Chapters

First Sin - Prologue
Second Transgression
Third Hearing
Fourth Interrogation
Fifth Arrest
Sixth Forgiveness
Seventh Revelation
Eighth Deliberation
Ninth Adjournment
Tenth Judgement (Part One)
Tenth Judgement (Part Two)
Tenth Judgement (Part Three)
Epilogue: Absolution

First Sin - Prologue

The full moon shone down onto a forest, illuminating patches of a path underneath the leaves. That the trees here were not totally dead yet was a testament to their durability, though their longevity would come to an end soon, without the sunlight they desperately required. The road was one never traveled these days, and seldom so even in the days before the coup. It wasn't considered a major road, so it had no spells to light or warm it. Despite the frigid temperature, this made it perfect for the messenger that galloped at full speed down the road. At least, it was until he'd been sighted by some of the queen's rangers, a patrol he was sure would not be out in these forsaken parts of Equestria.

The unicorn's dark red coat was coated with dust kicked up from the path as he tried desperately to find a place to hide. He didn't need to escape. He just needed to find a safe place to send a message. A hissing sound sailed past his ears as an arrow barely missed the fleeing messenger, striking the ground far ahead. He lowered his head instinctively in response, trying to make himself a smaller target. He willed himself to not panic, and especially to not look back at his pursuers. The rangers were some of the most skilled soldiers the queen had, and their skill in archery was near legendary even only after 6 years of service. It never crossed Swift Word's mind how they could possibly have not hit him yet. He was too caught up in his flight from their ranks. The rust-red unicorn didn't even consider using the trees for cover, the path was all he knew of this area. Escaping from the rangers only to fall to the forest's freezing air and maze of evergreen didn't appeal to him.

Swift's eyes darted left and right as his chest heaved. He couldn't keep this pace forever, and even though they hadn't managed to catch up, he knew that would not last. Another arrow sliced through the air just over his back, and grazed through his mane, and the unicorn now didn't care whether or not he got lost amongst those trees. He leaped to the side at the first opening in the tree-line, and into the forest proper. Swift's hoof caught on a root, and he tumbled head over legs, skidding to a stop just under a fallen log propped up on a rock. Dizzy, and lungs burning, the unicorn panted as he tried to recover his bearings. He didn't have time to stop. The messenger held no illusions about the rangers' ability to find him in the forest before long. The sudden break would only buy him seconds. He prayed that would be enough.

He turned his head from left to right, looking for shelter, and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw an old logging camp, complete with a saw-mill, within a stone's throw. He could hide there, and if he could evade their attention long enough, he might actually be able to deliver his message in person. On all fours again in an instant, Swift pulled back, tensing his muscles, and launched himself for it. A shout rang out, and the unicorn found his hindquarters jerk to their right, feeling just the slightest of pinches in his left haunch. He didn't let that stop him. He ran his fastest, and Swift took pride in that at his fastest, most pegasi couldn't keep pace with him without great effort. He darted behind a pile of lumber, wincing at the loud thunks of arrows burying themselves into the wood. Now that he knew they could not see where he went, he darted again, this time for the mill.

He burst through the entrance of the dilapidated building, and pressed himself to the wooden wall to the left of the doorway. It was cool and soft with rot, and he shivered for a moment, the cold finally getting to him. It was only then that he felt the horrible, stabbing pain. Swift slowly lowered his eyes to his side, biting back a scream, and paled at what he saw. That pinching sensation was an arrow piercing his left-rear flank, and the adrenaline had kept him from fully registering it. He grit his teeth, trying his hardest to ignore the pain. He heard hooves outside, and he feared the slightest sound would give him away. His side felt so strangely warm, and it took only a few seconds to realize it was coated with blood. The arrow had probably hit a major artery. His heart fell as he realized that the wound from the arrow would likely kill him even if his pursuers did not, and he lowered his chin to his chest, a tear falling from his right eye. He slowly, gingerly reached his muzzle into a saddlebag. He would get this message through, no matter what. It was too important to lose.

His teeth gripped the letter, the unicorn not daring to use his magic yet. The glow would give him away, and it was too soon. Once the letter was free, Swift soon realized it was far too dark to read the letter, he cursed himself silently, unable to stop a low hiss at the pain shifting had caused him. I think... I think I can remember what it said, he thought to himself, taking a slow, deep breath. It shook and wavered as Swift brought it in, the bleeding already taking its toll on him. Focus. Focus, Swift, you can't fail now. A sending spell will do it. 25 words. Sum it up in 25 words. Only now did he allow his horn to glow, and he heard a shout from outside. Someone had noticed already. He hurried his thoughts and sent the spell, opening his eyes and sighing in relief. His breath cut short, however, as he saw the pony in front of him.

The ranger was another unicorn, with a tan coat and green mane. He had an arrow readied with his magic, strung on a bow made from his magic. Swift knew who it was. Fletcher, one of Queen Nyx's lieutenants, one of her most trusted servants. The leader of the Rangers. If he was here, then that meant that the letter was truly very important. Fletcher glared down at the messenger, and Swift couldn't help but smirk, even in his impending death. "Y-You're too late," he spoke through clenched teeth, giddy from blood loss. "I already sent it. Now the rebellion knows."

The second unicorn smiled, causing Swift's own expression to fall. The arrow was loosed, and buried into Swift's chest. He was dead before he hit the ground. "Good." Fletcher's horn glowed as he pulled the letter away from the fallen unicorn. Two of his rangers flanked him, and he grinned. "Thanks, stallions. You did great tonight."

One of them, a grey pegasus, gave him a lop-sided smile. "Thank you, sir. But what was the point of that, anyway?" He looked to the letter Fletcher's magic held curiously. "I'm wondering what that thing says. And why waste another arrow on him? He was going to bleed out anyway."

"What, and just let him suffer? He was in pain, gimme a break." The unicorn chuckled and shrugged, opening the envelope and holding up the letter in the beige glow. "See for yourself. It's not exactly secret anymore to us. Just don't go telling anypony outside of the rangers." He and the third ranger, another pegasus, laughed as the grey equine read the letter.

'An order from H.R.M., Queen Nyx: A battle-group 100 strong are to surround the village of Halter's Way, which has been chosen for its distance from both Ponyville and Canterlot, and take it into custody. Every Stallion, Mare, and foal are to be held for 2 weeks under martial law, then escorted back to Ponyville and be declared resistance members, then executed, unless the fugitive Applejack and all of her personnel surrender to the mercy and justice of Queen Nyx.'

Dark, damp, gloomy. They were fair words to describe the main headquarters of the rebellion against Queen Nyx. The rock was lit only by candles, and for the most part, that did very little to brighten the halls. In fact, they honestly added to the pervasive sense of doom among those ponies that lived here in this place. It was the only light they had to go off of, though, deep underground. Natural caverns were dotted all over the world, but this was no natural cavern. It wasn't even old. It had only been around a few years, and no one outside it knew of its existence. This was necessary to avoid attention, but it wasn't foolproof. Eventually, someone else would find it. Applejack was worried someone already had.

But that was in the back of her mind right now. Right now, her attention was on candles. Rather, the lack of them. They used the bare minimum they could, which was why so many felt morale was low at the moment. No, it couldn't be the stranglehold of endless night over Equestria, or the fact that, at any moment, they could be attacked by the endless armies of their 'ruler'. No, the big problem was lighting. The former co-owner of Sweet Apple Acres had to admit morale was important, but this was simply petty, she felt. After all, of all the reasons they currently could have low morale, she highly doubted that more candles would solve anything.

She welcomed the knock on her door with a sigh of relief, tossing the complaint to the side. It landed in clutter, which was impossible to avoid on her desk. "C'mon in." She smiled to the blue earth pony that came in holding a piece of paper in his teeth, but that smile faded when she saw the grim look on his face. "Whatsa matter?"

The stallion placed the paper in front of her. "I think you should read this, Commander Apple," He stated shortly, and waited. The orange pony looked down at it, frowning. It wasn't long, just a short, 25 word communique. So it did not take her long for her to bow her head, wincing. "How should we proceed, Commander?" Applejack took a few moments to respond, prompting a, "Commander?" from the male.

When she finally spoke, it was slowly and quietly. "Ah need ya to git Magister Silver in here right now. Don't you let him tell you to come back later, this is important." She rubbed her eyes, fighting off the fatigue that was settling in faster due to the shock of what she just read. The stallion immediately turned to leave, but stopped when Applejack added, "Oh, and git Trixie too. Tell her we need that spell she devised. She won't like it, but Ah think you can handle one mad mare, cain't ya River?" The blue pony paled a bit, but nodded and ran off, leaving Applejack to stew. She read the message again, and again, but it didn't change like she'd hoped. Guess they musta got Swift. And he was the best courier we had, too. She bowed her head, tapping off her hat and holding it to her chest. We won't forget ya, Swift. Ya did everythin' ya could even in the end. But this... She raised her head, looking to the letter one more time. This is goin' way too far, even after everythin' else you've done, Nightmare Moon. She spoke the next part out loud, as if in defiance, "Ah ain't gonna bow to you, ya hear me? Ah ain't gonna let you do this!"

She slammed a hoof down on the desk, and glared up at the ceiling, as though that would somehow deliver her hatred up to the "ruler" of Equestria. Applejack winced as an entire stack of papers fell to the floor, and she had begrudgingly got up to put it all back in place when the door burst open, and in came Trixie, formerly The Great And Powerful, now just Trixie. "APPLEJACK! You are NOT doing this to Trixie! You will not DARE!" The earth pony winced and slowly turned around to face the grey-blue unicorn.

"Trixie... "

She was cut off almost immediately by Trixie all but yelling, "No! Trixie will not calm down! Trixie simply cannot BELIEVE you have the gall to have this spell used! Trixie is ready! She just needs more practice! Just a little more ti-"

It was her turn to be cut off, by a fore-hoof stuffed into her muzzle. "Trixie, we ain't got more time. Read this." The farm-mare pulled the resisting unicorn over to her desk, and had to all but force her to look at the letter. Knowing she would never over-power the earth pony (and not wanting to face the indignity of trying), the show-mare glared down at the communique. After a few seconds, her expression changed from rage to horror.

"She... She wouldn't! Applejack, this must be a joke, a horrible joke in terrible taste!" Trixie's head turned to face Applejack's, her gaze pleading with the Element of Honesty's for affirmation. Applejack just slowly shook her head.

"Ah need your help, Trixie. Ah know this ain't fair to ya, and Ah'm sorry," She hugged Trixie tight with her forelegs, continuing, "but we're outta time. We need Twilight and Dash, and we need 'em now." Trixie didn't pull away, but she didn't return the hug. She turned her gaze down, but it was still angry.

"I am ready. Where is-" The sound of a throat being cleared made both of them jump, blushing. In the doorway was a light grey unicorn with a similarly colored mane.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything, Commander?"

Applejack scrunched up her face a bit, looking to the upper right corners of her eyes. "Nope, nothin' at all!" Trixie couldn't help but snicker, and the farm-mare grumbled, poking her in the side. "Nevermind that. We got a spell, and we need it cast tonight. Trixie will give you the details... "

"Ms.Trixie, this spell you are asking for-It's so very complex! So little margin for error! Are you sure about this?" Applejack sighed. She had been resting her eyes, chin laid on her desk, as Trixie had described the spell. She knew she should have been paying attention, but to the farm-mare, nothing they were saying made any sense.

"I will be assisting you with the spell. It is meant to be cast in ritual form, so our resident zebra ritualists should all be present as well."

"I'm concerned about what may happen if even a single mistake is made! The effects could be-"

"We ain't got a choice here, Silver," Applejack interrupted. "Trixie's fancy mathematics all pointed to this as the only thang that's gonna work. The only thang." Trixie's smug smirk at being backed up by their commander turned down into a concerned frown as Applejack repeated what she said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than Silver. "The only thang... " Trixie coughed to the side as Applejack's head slumped to the desk. She knew the earth pony was about to cry. The show-mare would NOT be letting that happen in front of the resistance leader's stallions or mares.

"Silver, please get together everything we will need, as my notes specify." She practically shoved a book into the other unicorn's chest with her magic, making him oof, a flat look on his muzzle.

"Yes ma'am." He left after a curt nod, and Trixie leaped to Applejack's side, rubbing at her shoulders.

The farm-mare started to sob into her desk, and Trixie could only try to hold her, biting her lip. She was never any good at cheering up anyone. "Come now, Applejack. You should have a nap. I have to prepare for this spell." She walked out, leaving the earth pony to cry. Trixie wasn't heartless. She felt guilty. She knew she should at least try to cheer up her lover, but she was still angry. Trixie still had her pride, after all, even if it wasn't as all-encompassing as it used to be.

Applejack didn't expect the show-mare to comfort her, anyway. She felt like she had authorized something horrible. This wouldn't be fair to Twilight or Dash, and she knew she had no business asking favors of mares she never met. Even if those mares were her friends in this world. She just hoped they would forgive her. She wasn't sure she could forgive herself. She decided to take Trixie's advice and nap, rather than get lost in her thoughts. Her slumber wasn't exactly restful.

Applejack watched as the ritual magic unfolded. It was mostly overseen by zebras, who were suffering just as much as any pony had under the tyranny of Nightmare Moon. Trixie had figured that, since this kind of magic was more their forte, they should be the ones to perform it. The unicorns were there mostly to provide magical backing beyond what the magical diagrams on the floor of the chamber alone could have provided. Finally, there were also a few officers of her resistance movement there to observe the ritual in it's casting, as this was a momentous event. They were, of course, to remain strictly silent and still if they wanted to be there.

Trixie watched the proceedings with some distaste, now and then sending the orange earth pony a baleful glare. It wasn't just the tastelessness of what was happening, it was also that it was rendering her largest part in this resistance moot and void. She would be useless, in her mind. Applejack avoided looking at her. Honestly, she had enough to feel guilty about, and the light blue unicorn would be dealt with later. Despite her misgivings, however, as soon as one of the unicorns supporting the ritual faltered, she jumped in to replace him immediately. Applejack smiled proudly. Trixie had grown a lot over the past 3 years. She only wished the show-mare could keep a lid on her temper better.

The result of the ritual began to take shape before their eyes, those attending holding their breath in anticipation. A shimmering in the air, similar to a heat mirage, rose up from the diagrams, and began to split apart. The effect was not unlike fabric being ripped from being tugged too hard, and the blue portal that appeared showed a purple unicorn standing in a crowd in the middle of a Ponyville street, keeping an eye out. It seemed like she sensed something was wrong, and Applejack felt a twang of guilt.

An hour earlier, and in another world, bells rung through the air, shattering a silence that many foals dreaded. It was met with a cheer, a joyous uproar as many a young one raced for the doors of their school, and into the warm afternoon sunlight. Celestia's light graced them all, but they hardly noticed. After all, all they cared about for the moment was FREEDOM. Mothers and fathers waited for their children, most with smiles, though there were always the parents of a foal who'd gotten themselves into mischief. One particular mare was truly the most important this morning, though she wouldn't know it.

At least not quite yet.

One of the fillies exiting the building was a small, black coated alicorn with a purple mane and tail. Her wings were hidden under a specially tailored vest, though at this point it was unnecessary. Everyone present knew who she was, and some were rather unhappy with her continued existence. Perhaps rightfully so. But they held their tongues, either out of fear, or respect for the judgement of the sisters that ruled Equestria.

Waiting for this particular foal, that mare called out her name. "Nyx!" It wasn't really necessary. The moment she'd stepped from the schoolhouse, Nyx had bolted towards her mother, in full gallop. She was tripped up by her own traitorous hooves right in front of Twilight, but a warm magic glow surrounded her and lifted her to the unicorn's back. "Hey now, I'm not going anywhere," Twilight laughed, nuzzling the young foal, before she turned to take her home.

"I know, momma. I was just happy to see you!" Every day, the same greeting, and every day, truly meant.

As they started off, though, Twilight spied a glint in the sunlight and looked down to it, seeing a small purple hairpin on the ground. Double-checking her foal's state, the unicorn laughed softly at the messy, fallen hair. "Wait a second, little filly. Your hairpin fell out." Twilight's horn glowed as she lifted the metal sprig from the ground. Nyx fidgeted impatiently as her adopted mother gently pulled the foal's purple mane back, and slipped the pin back in place. "I found your headband, so you won't have to wear this anymore once we get back."

"Do I have to wear it noooow?" The black alicorn pouted, not liking the feeling of her mane being pinched down like this. She brushed her hooves over her hair, but didn't touch the pin.

"Sure do. If Rarity saw your mane like that, you wouldn't get any homework done today!" Before her daughter could grumble about the homework, she added, "Instead, you'd be cooped up in her boutique while she fixed it. Sitting there. For hours."

"On second thought, momma, I like this hairpin."

On the way home, Twilight passed by a stall selling slushies, and Nyx bounced a bit on her back. Even as she winced, Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at the pleas issuing from her young charge. "Momma! Can I pleeeeease have a slushie? Pleeeease? I've been gooood!"

The lavender unicorn rolled her eyes at the obvious error in grammar, though she smiled good-naturedly. "I don't know, how good a filly could a foal be if she says can instead of may?" Nyx opened her mouth to protest such unjust logic, though she could only pout, clearly defeated before this argument had even began.

"May I have a slushie, momma?"

"Alright, alright." Nyx quickly hopped down from her momma's back, and examined the menu, scanning it quickly for any flavors she found particularly new, and therefore more interesting than the others. Though Twilight trusted the inhabitants of Ponyville to not do anything rash to the filly, her violet eyes scanned the crowds, brows furrowed. Something felt off.

"Blue raspberry sounds good. May I have some of that?" The little filly's teal eyes shone as she made her request, the colt manning the stall leaning behind the stall to prepare the treat, Nyx fidgeting impatiently, full of her normal nervous energy. When she cast a look over her shoulder, her mother's uneasiness made her frown. "What's wrong, momma?"

Twilight jumped a little at the small voice, and put on as genuine a smile as she could. After all, perhaps she was just being silly. Nothing was wrong. She couldn't see any danger. "Oh, don't worry about it. Momma was just looking around." Nyx was not so easily convinced, and she turned completely, looking up at her mother with some amount of worry. Twilight laughed at her expression. She couldn't help it -- it was so serious -- and a look like that on any filly, even Nyx, simply didn't match up. "Seriously! It's alright. Hey, look, your slushie is ready."

The foal happily spun around to receive her treat, and just as the colt reached it down to her, he started, dropping the large paper cup. A split in the air had appeared, and many ponies in the crowd gasped in horror. The filly spun around to see it, and those teal eyes widened, seeing Twilight disappear into it. She'd been sucked in as though by a whirlwind. The small, black filly stared for a moment, frozen in shock as the portal closed up, and was gone with no trace of it's former presence. Nyx's first instinct, was, of course, to panic.

"M - Momma?" Her bottom lip began to quiver, her head jerking left, then right to find her mother. The alicorn didn't want to believe her mother could not simply be found in the throngs of stunned ponies filling the street. She forgot her slushie entirely, darting into the crowd before the salespony could stop her. "Momma?!" Her eyes watered, blurring her vision. Her body trembled, as she ran to one spot, then another, weaving around and through the afternoon crowd with no real rhyme or reason. Soon, she was crying. "MOMMA?! MOOOOOMMA?!"

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Applejack was beside herself with panic and rage. The earth pony ran right up to one of the zebras, seeming all the world as though she was going to start kicking any moment. "Where's Twilight!? Where's Rainbow Dash!?" The poor, singled out pony held up his fore-hooves, shaking his head.

"I do not know, commander! The spell - It worked as we intended! The unicorn and pegasus should be in our world!" Applejack glared holes into him, her teeth gritted as she struggled with herself to remain calm enough to not resort to violence. Trixie -- to her credit -- came to the ritualist's rescue, dragging the infuriated mare away with her magic to a safe distance from the zebra.

"She's supposed to be right HERE," the statement being punctuated with a stamped hoof, the resistance leader not to be deterred from the topic, even as she was pulled back. She continued, her hooves actually digging into the solid rock floor, a testament to her strength that caused the object of her frustration to gulp nervously. "So where IS she?!"

"I-It is possible that the spell has placed them in the exact spot they were located in the other world, as we did not add a teleportation effect. The spell was already too speci-" He didn't get to finish. The earth pony broke free from Trixie's holding spell and planted a fore-hoof right into the zebra's face. The others backed away, biting their lips. They'd never seen the commander like this. It was honestly terrifying, for their usually fair and friendly leader to lose her cool and simply sock one of her underlings, who at the moment was lying on the floor, a tooth knocked loose.

"WHAT THE HAY WERE YA THINKIN', CUTTIN' CORNERS WITH THIS?! DON'T YA KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, YA FOAL?!" Trixie looked to one of the other unicorns and quickly nodded towards their leader, the unicorns all working together to grab and pin the orange pony with their magic.

"Applejack! Calm DOWN. This is NOT helping in any sense of the word! You're the one being a foal here, you imbecile!" Trixie didn't mean for her rebuke to be so biting. It just came out. However, it actually seemed to do the trick. Applejack shuddered, and stared up at the ceiling.

"Celestia help us all. She's in the worst place she could be in. She's in PONYVILLE." A hush fell over those gathered, as the implications of this began to really fall into place, the shock of what they saw wearing off. Silence ruled, the only noise the slight dripping of water in a nearby room.

"She's in the lap of the enemy."

Second Transgression

(Author's Note: LR and CR are, respectively, measures of time I've made up for all of my fics. LR, or Luna's Reign, is from 6 PM to 5:59 AM, and CR, or Celestia's Reign, is from 6 AM to 5:59 PM.)

Twilight blinked, but the scenery didn't change. One moment she'd been looking for some phantom danger she felt in the early afternoon in Ponyville, and the next she'd was looking at a lamp-post in the middle of the night. It's glow actually seemed to radiate warmth, which was welcome as it was slightly chilly. The lavender pony was suddenly hit with a wave of vertigo, the ground seeming to grow further away, even though her hooves still touched. Bringing a hoof to her moth, Twilight's eyes went wide as nausea set in far too powerfully to resist, and the unicorn doubled over, vomiting. "Wh - What was that? What time is it?" She turned her gaze upward weakly, noticing the full moon at the apex of it's climb into the sky. Midnight? But what... She suddenly came to full clarity as a thought struck her, adrenaline rushing through her body.

Nyx! Where's Nyx?! Is she okay?! Looking around frantically, she saw the stall Nyx had begged for a slushie from was gone as well. Twilight's mind was far from sensical, and it began to form all manner of horrible ideas, ranging from Nyx being kidnapped and the unicorn somehow drugged, to - No, Twilight, calm down! Calm down, you're useless to her like this. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on logic. The stall wasn't here because of how late it was. It made sense, it WAS night-time, after all, the owner had probably taken his cart home, and was asleep right now. And she had carefully discussed with Nyx what to do if they ever got separated. Go home, and wait. She turned in the direction of her library, and galloped off.

This was certainly not cool.

It was also not awesome, boss, or sweet. Staring at the ground in the general direction she'd lost her lunch, Rainbow Dash tried to come up with more ways to describe the situation of staring at a small splatter on the ground from a cloud, but honestly there wasn't much there. Her mind wasn't quite in gear right now. One moment, she'd been flying over the skies of Ponyville, trying to find a good cloud to nap on, and then she'd been hit with a wicked case of the barf and had to touch down. Now, it was dark and she had no clue what the hay WHY.

She mentally ran over the event calender she memorized, but there was nothing about a full solar eclipse, and even if there were, this clearly wasn't one. She snatched up some of the cloud, stuffing it into her mouth to let the vapor wash away the taste of bile, and considered her options. One: she could just get back to her nap. This was option number one because it was clearly the least effort, and she was tired. Two: She could go back home and make sure she didn't miss something. This was way too much effort, as she always threw away any notifications of upcoming events once she received them, and going through trash was NOT something she wanted to do right now. Not to mention, if she had missed something, she likely wouldn't notice it now. Three: Find Twilight and ask her what the hay was going on. Dash peeked over the edge of her cloud, down at Ponyville. That was also effort, but this really wasn't nearly as much, and she could always go back to her nap right after.

Option three it was. Dash spread her wings out, flexing them, then she glided a few hundred hooves before dropping into a dive.

Twilight beheld her treehouse with a blank look. It's not that the house itself was really any different, though it seemed to have a few extra branches. In fact, it was MORE immaculate than she remembered. And there was the fact that there were never two lamp-posts in front of her house, set in perfect symmetry on either side of the door. The resulting warmth was very comforting, but it revealed the state of the home that had worried her before. Not even a speck of dust, not a single smudge, the paint on the door perfect, not even showing a single sign of several crash-landings and slams it had held up against over the years.

But the biggest difference was the statue of herself standing there near the door. It had a few benches around it, and seemed as though it was specifically placed to make it impossible to get into the home without the use of magic. The position of the Statue was of her standing with a fore hoof raised, her head turned a bit to the side as her eyes looked down the lane, a gentle smile on her face. It was as if a very large stone version of herself had just walked out of her home to face the day. Her eyes turned to the plaque at the statue's base, and her eyes went wide, the unicorn freezing up.

She heard someone behind her, but she didn't react, even when it called out her name. "Twilight! So, uh ... Night. What's up with that? ... Twilight? Whoa, is that a statue of YOU?" Rainbow Dash looked it over, then gave a shrug with her wings. "Eeeeh. I'd like it better if it was doing something cool. But when did you get a statue of yourself? Didn't take you for ... The ... " Dash slowly let the sentence drift away as she raised a brow at Twilight's horrified expression, which hadn't changed since the pegasus first sighted her. She followed her friend's gaze, looking down to the plaque. It was her turn to freeze, though she wasn't quite as much in shock.

Twilight Sparkle
923-946
Never again will there be more magnificent
A friend
A scholar
A mother

"Twilight ... " Dash finally broke the silence with a surprisingly subdued voice. " ... What in the name of Celestia is this ... ?" Finally, the unicorn snapped out of it, slowly looking up to her friend, her eyes misted with worry and fear.

"I - I don't know. I just don't know."

Applejack was confined to her quarters, which were basically her office. She'd said sorry to the zebra, of course, but Trixie had sentenced her to a day of house arrest. After all, she couldn't be allowed to get away with misbehavior any more than her subordinates. Bad for morale. The former farm-pony really didn't mind that part. She didn't often leave this room anyway, and lying down on her cot had done her emotional and mental state some good. What she DIDN'T like was that the impending doom of their entire resistance and easily over 200 innocent ponies was a surety now. The fact that Trixie was sitting at HER desk, doing HER work, and only pausing now and then to glare at the orange filly over her shoulder didn't help. After the fifth such dirty look, she couldn't take anymore. "Look, Trixie, Ah'm SORRY. Is that whatcha want from me? Ah'm sorry it came ta this, Ah'm sorry Ah had ta make this 'bout Twilight. Okay? Stop GLARIN' at me like that!"

Trixie turned in the chair to deliver a stinging retort, but she choked it down, taking a moment to calm herself. Her gaze softened at Applejack's glum expression, and she turned in the chair again, getting back to work. "Oh, Applejack. It's not about that. Really. Oh sure, you may have taken my greatest opportunity of glory from me. You may have voided YEARS of training, and a once in a lifetime EPIPHANY ... " Applejack rolled her eyes at that drama. " ... But it is not why Trixie is upset."

"Ya got a reeeeal talent fer cheerin' up ponies, ya know that sugarcube?" She had to smile, though, Trixie's lapse into her old speech patterns was cheering at the least. "So why ARE ya mad at me now?" Trixie closed her eyes, and turned the chair itself. The paperwork wasn't that important right now. It was useless anyhow, in the face of this new development.

"Honestly, Applejack, it's me. You've put so much effort into this one plan, and I will admit, if it is not already painfully obvious, I am still very sore about not being the focus point of it anymore." She bit her lip, looking down to the floor. Her silver hair fell forward, though it had been cut short to not get in the way while she trained. Over the years, she grew to realize such vanities would never be as important as her drive for more power. And it was that drive, she knew, that brought her to this state. "I've been working so hard, so long. I've made so much progress. And yet, once again, I find myself playing second fiddle to that - That ... " She shuddered, Applejack sat up on the bed on her haunches, and beckoned the magician to her. Trixie -- always one for theatrics despite her growth as a pony -- rushed to the farm-filly's embrace. Her lover nuzzled her head, the soft hair a comfort to Applejack as well.

"Sugarcube, yer still more important ta me. Ya always will be, ya hear?" Applejack gave her a squeeze with her forelegs, and Trixie just nodded a little. "Ah just - Ya know what's at stake here. And yer still not ready." The earth pony looked down and to the side. "And Ah dunno if Ah could possibly risk ya like that anyhow."

Trixie winced at the second statement. That was something she didn't want to hear. "I'm not ready because we haven't gathered the others. The Elements of Harmony will only work if we have a strong bond, and I can't accomplish that with just one of them." She looked up to the element of honesty. "No matter how strong that one bond is." She wiggled out of the orange pony's grasp, went back to the desk, Applejack staring at the floor.

"Ah wish Ah could get 'em all together 'gin. But!" Her eyes brightened, a wide grin forming on her face as a thought came to her. A wonderful thought, and she wanted to kick herself for not thinking of it sooner. "Maybe this is a blessin' in disguise. " Trixie blinked at that, though she didn't turn around.

"What do you mean? You said it yourself, this is an unmitigated disaster."

"Nah, hear me out. Wit' Twilight in Ponyville, whatcha think's gonna be the first place sh' goes?" Trixie looked up to the ceiling, pondering for a moment. She didn't really know the least thing about the other unicorn, but she knew what most ponies would do.

" ... She'll go home, looking for Nyx."

"And Rainbow Dash. Les' say she's flyin' around, and all of a sudden it's night. What's the first thing sh's gonna do?" It dawned on the blue unicorn, and she smiled brightly.

"She'll go see Twilight, realize she doesn't know either, and they'll go to find their friends!"

Applejack grinned. "That's right, sugarcube. We just gotta worry 'bout gittin' to 'em before Nightmare Moon does." She frowned, that grin not having lasted past her second thought. "Or Twilight decides ta go try ta talk her down. Horseapples! Ah didn't even think 'bout that!" Trixie suddenly stood, fetching a leather jacket that'd once belonged to this world's Rainbow Dash, and slipping it on. " ... Where ya think yer goin', Trixie? Ya can't be thinkin' ... "

The light blue unicorn turned to look at her lover, with an arrogant smirk that hadn't graced her features for almost a decade. "Ah'm going to go after Twilight before she gets herself put in a dungeon again." Her horn glowed, Applejack's eyes widening as she tried to leap off the bed, her hoof catching in a sheet. Tumbling up to her hooves, she dived for the Unicorn to stop her, only for both ponies to be caught in a teleportation spell, and disappear into the night.

Dash had gone in through a window while Twilight teleported herself inside the house. The furniture was all there, and while covered with sheets, not a speck of dust showed. The place had been very well cared for in her ... Absence. The books were gone from the shelves, however, which ruined her ideas of how to figure out what was going on. The first thing she'd done was to rush upstairs to see if Nyx was there, anyway, not to study. She knew the foal wouldn't be present, but even so, her heart fell when she saw the empty beds. Not even Spike was here. Her head hung, and she felt the tears coming on, unable to stop herself from sobbing.

The pegasus watched awkwardly, not knowing what to do. She was no good at cheering anyone up, and Dash thought Twilight might need some time to herself anyway, so she checked out the basement. It was totally bare, though also perfectly clean. The floor had even been treated to prevent erosion. "Sheesh, who went through all this trouble? I know I wouldn't ... " She felt a slight pang of guilt at that, but shrugged it off. She'd remember Twilight. That'd be enough, right? Whoever was doing this kind of restoration must be practically obsessed. Satisfied with her sparse inspection, Dash rushed back upstairs to check on the unicorn, who was wiping a tear from her eye.

"D - Dash?"

"Don't worry, Twilight. We'll find her. We just gotta figure out what's going on here. I'll check my house." Twilight nodded, thinking for a moment. For her, nothing was more important than this.

"I'll ...Talk to Rarity."

"Why Rarity?" Twilight chuckled as she headed out the door.

"Because she's probably awake working on a dress, right now. I saw a light on in her house when I ran here."

"Gotcha. I'll meet you back here if something happens."

"Got it." Twilight carefully floated herself down from the open window. Teleporting outside again would be too much effort. Dash took off, speeding up into the sky...

The two wayward ponies popped into existence inside the Sweet Apple Acres orchard. Applejack finally fully connected with Trixie, sending them both tumbling into the dirt. They wound up against a tree, though thankfully they'd lost enough momentum to hurt themselves on it. Trixie stood up, using her magic to dust the jacket off, then glared incredulously at the earth pony, whose eyes were literally spinning. "What ... I put you under confinement!" As Applejack collected herself, she had to laugh. Of all the reasons that her being here was a horrible idea, even if unintended, that was probably the least urgent. Trixie harrumphed, and helped the farm-filly up. "No use complaining about it now." She looked around, curiously. "But my ... Has this place changed."

Applejack sighed as she glanced about. The trees gave off a soft glow as they absorbed the moonlight. Wild Heart's specialty. These plants not only lived under moonlight, they thrived. Sweet Apple Acres had met on a hard year the first harvest under Nightmare Moon's rule, but a massive effort by the Apple clan and, in fact, all of Ponyville, made it ready for the next year. The harvest was late that year even so, but it seemed as though it were perfectly fine now. "Yea. Brings back memories Ah don't really wanna think 'bout, though."

Trixie gave her a soft nuzzle. "We'd better get going. It's 4 LR, but there's most likely still someone awake." Like Nightmare Moon's guards. Applejack nodded and collected her hat, giving it a few shakes to remove the dust, and tossed it onto her head, the hat doing a neat flip before landing. Trixie smirked and shook her head. "I see I'm not the only one here with a taste for flair." The farm-filly sheepishly grinned, before the two of them set off towards Ponyville itself. "Perhaps you really should stay here, Applejack. It's secluded and the last thing we need is for you to get captured."

Applejack gave a shrug. "Be just as bad if you got caught, sugarcube. 'Sides, like ya said, it's late, and if we both git caught, we got a better chance o' fightin' our way back together." The blue unicorn chuckled at her friend's bravado, shaking her head.

"Believe me, the Great and Powerful Trixie is more than a match for a handful of guards by herself."

"Even so, Ah'd feel much better comin' withcha." Trixie sighed, but understood this wasn't something the earth pony would budge on, and simply nodded her assent. Reaching the edge of the orchard, they steeled themselves, and took the path in.

Rarity hummed to herself, a familiar tune that brought back memories both happy and sad. It would be the happy memories she would dwell on, however, and she could never be sad while working on a dress! Her blue eyes sparkled as she put the finishing touches on a seam, then lifted the fabric with a studious frown, checking it over for any imperfection at all. Satisfied with her work, she beamed again, giving off an excited giggle, and laid it to the side. “Now for the next portion of the skirt ... ” She genuinely had forgotten the flow of time, having no idea that it was so late. The clock on her wall hadn't even received a cursory glance since dinner, and she had only meant to adjust a few stitches. But Rarity being Rarity, she had gotten lost in her work, and was already half finished with a dress that, when she had started, had been merely two connected sheets of fabric.

A knock on the door shattered her concentration just as she was positioning the cloth, and she jumped, startled. Her eyes finally flew up to the clock, the irises widening as she realized the time. “4:28LR?!” She huffed, then gasped as she noticed her hooves were being pulled forward slowly, into the sewing machine. “Ack! Nononononono!” But it was too late, the fabric having already been stitched of the device's own volition, and thus completely unfitting to her standards. The white unicorn fumed as her horn glowed, magic switching off the machine. She stood from the chair, and trotted to the door, prepared to give the one who would possibly dare come to her door this late a proper, well-deserved tongue lashing. But when she unlocked and threw open the door, she was quite surprised to find, standing there, a ghost. Or perhaps a zombie. Either way, she screamed and fainted to the ground.

Twilight blinked rapidly, surprised at the abruptness of that 'greeting', and showed herself in to make sure Rarity was alright. A cursory glance revealed no bumps, bruises, or cuts, so she sighed in relief, lifting the other unicorn with her magic and pushing the door closed with a hindhoof. “I should have expected this. I have no idea where or when I am, but I'm supposed to be dead, apparently.” Laying Rarity onto her bed, she yawned herself, feeling a bit tired from the day's events, and cycle of panic and depression.

She wouldn't sleep yet, though. Rarity wouldn't be unconscious for long, and she needed answers.

Little did she know that even as Applejack and Trixie were converging on her position, so was a stallion, stalking the night streets for reasons of his own. Twilight and Dash's entrance into the monument hadn't gone unnoticed.

Third Hearing

Applejack reflected on her life since leaving Ponyville, while the two rebels slipped quietly from shadow to shadow, trying to remain unseen and unheard. Reflection was not really something she did well, or often, but she couldn't stop the memories and thoughts from flowing. "That's where Ah used ta put th' apple stall ... Over there's where Trixie set up her first time here ... " Her thoughts turned to Trixie in that point, almost bumping into the aforementioned unicorn during her distraction. The former show-pony cast a baleful glare at the near miss, and Applejack grinned sheepishly, but nothing was said.

Trixie was a lot like Dash, whether either of them would have ever admitted to it. Trixie was more haughty, but no more arrogant. Maybe it was that total confidence she'd liked in both of them. Or maybe it was the fact that that very confidence was a fabrication to hide the fact there WAS none. To be fair, Trixie's boasting wasn't really empty. She had no qualms in backing up her words, even if she obviously couldn't. Bravado in an attempt to seem strong when she always felt weak. Dash had the same problem too. And honestly, over the years, and thanks to her repeated humiliations, Trixie had learned some humility that had made her about as easy to get along with as her deceased pegasus ... Friend.

Applejack tried to hold back a tear, sniffing a bit louder than she meant to. The look she got this time was a reassuring smile. Trixie didn't know what the farm-filly was thinking, but she knew just being here must be getting to her. Applejack was always so strong -- and not taken to emotional weakness -- but memories of that Rainbow Dash were something that hit her harder than she'd admit. She always said she was over it, Dash's death was something she dealt with.

Now was not the time for such thought, and even as she gave that smile, Trixie's head nodded to the side. "Hurry now," that gesture conveyed. Applejack took a deep breath, steeled herself, and the two of them darted across a lamp-lit street to get to a small alley between two buildings that happened to protrude into the street enough to make it a more desirable target than another opening. Twilight's home would be on that side, and it was better than just racing across empty street right in front of Ponyville's monument to the unicorn, which was probably always under guard.

Moving around behind their target, Trixie looked it over with a discerning eye, while Applejack kept a lookout. Noticing a second floor window open, she nodded to the farm-filly, whispering, "They've been here."

"Ya think one of 'em's still here?" Applejack felt a sudden chill, and she had the feeling it wasn't related to the cold that was making her breath form small clouds in front of her muzzle.

"No, I don't. They must have already gone to one of their friends' houses. But which one?" Trixie looked to her lover, not sure of which they might go to. She felt she should, but that was neither here nor there. Applejack lifted her head towards the dark sky.

"Dash prolly would of gone right fer her house after. It's not there no more, is it?" Trixie shook her head. Another chill. Applejack looked around in the open space behind Twilight's house. "Ah think we're bein' watched, sugarcube." She could see nothing. Just empty blackness. However, a very slight movement made her gaze snap to a sudden streak of purple. "Ah, great..." She grit her teeth as she backed up, crouching low, ready for attack. "Trixie, ya need ta find th' others." The unicorn looked back to Applejack, gasping as she saw what Applejack had seen. A large black shape standing nearby, a bright purple mane flicking as a pair of hazel eyes glinted from the lamp-light. Wild Heart. Trixie nodded to Applejack without another word and teleported to a safe distance. Anywhere was better than here. The colt strode forward, a neutral frown on his muzzle.

Wild Heart had been described as a living wall of meat. As tall as Big Mac -- and built as powerfully -- the black-coated, purple maned stallion was huge. His cutie mark was that of a black lily with purple spots, a purple outline that matched his mane differentiating it from his coat. His dispassionate gaze conveyed a sense of superiority while he slowly approached. Applejack found herself trembling. Wild Heart was an idiot, and pathetically child-like in his dedication to Nightmare Moon, but he was a very dangerous creature nonetheless. Her green eyes moved over his body, trying not to think about how easily he could probably stomp her into paste. However, the hoof shaped scar over his cutie mark brought her courage, and reminded her her that she'd beat him before, and she could do it again. "Applejack. How fortuitous ... Surrender to the mercy - " He didn't finish that statement before the orange pony leaped forward, striking out with a hoof. The clumsily attempted to side-step, but as lumbering as he was the movement was too slow to fully avoid the incoming kick. He reeled a bit from the blow. The Element of Honesty sold herself short on her ability to fight, and her own disproportionate strength easily staggered him even with a glancing hit.

Applejack didn't turn. She knew that wasn't enough to hurt the monster of an earth pony, and so she kicked both legs out, aiming to connect with that scar she'd once given him, to hit where it hurt. Wild Heart let out a yelp of pain, stumbling, and his enemy grinned, preparing another buck. She'd been right to think that area was especially sensitive even after healing. Before it could connect, however, Applejack felt something wrap around her waist and throw her back towards the wall of Twilight's house. It was a solid impact, but the farm-filly had experienced worse. It was enough to stun her however, and through her blurred vision she saw a vine retracting into the earth. Wild Heart darted forward, and she winced as she tried to prepare herself for this coming assault, in the fruitless manner that one might throw up their arms to try and block an incoming train.

The impact never came, and the farm-filly opened her eyes to find herself flying, to her bewilderment. She looked at the ground far below with a confused blink, then realized she was being held aloft, not simply floating. Her eyes widened.

It was one thing to know the spell had, in some way, worked. It was entirely something else to come face to face with somepony her mind and heart told her was dead. Someone she should forget. It was entirely something else to be once again held, even if the situation wasn't at all romantic in the slightest, by someone you once loved. And Applejack was rendered completely speechless as she found herself staring up at Rainbow Dash, who was wincing at the weight in her arms, the weight of one shocked orange earth pony. "Ugh, Applejack, what've you been EATING? Celestia, you're heavy!" After losing the line of sight of the enemy far below behind a few clouds, she swept back down to Equestria, putting Applejack down, and taking a few pants for breath. She grinned weakly at her friend, gasping out "Might --huh-- wanna lose -- heh -- a few pounds." Catching her breath, the Pegasus plopped onto her haunches and glanced to the direction of the library. "Who the hay was that, anyway?"

Applejack scowled. "Ah'm not FAT. Ah'm just stronger, an' muscle's got more to it than fat!" The anger quickly turned to sadness, the farm-filly biting her lip. "Nah, Celestia, not now ... Not tha' time fer it..." She looked back up and took a deep breath. "Sugarcube. We really gotta talk."

Wild Heart didn't scowl. He honestly didn't quite care the resistance leader had slipped through his hooves. That was less important by far than what he'd just witnessed. It'd only been a flash, one quick glance, but he knew what he saw. "My goddess must hear of this immediately." As he stared along the sky, trying to trace that flight trajectory for the third time, a small flower sprouted from the ground, then slowly grew larger and larger, until it dwarfed even the stallion. Giving up on his doomed attempts to figure out where the pegasus would be landing, he turned to the blossoming plant, and stepped through a portal that seemed to replace the inside of its petals. Once he was through, the flower died, wilted, and turned to ash within seconds.

"Eternal night ... " Twilight felt a shiver down her spine. When Rarity had come to, she had to show the fashionista that she wasn't the living dead come to feast on her (obviously lovely) brains. After that...Well, it hadn't been an entirely nice talk. Rarity was very happy to see her, but Twilight wouldn't let her welcome her properly. She needed to know what was going on. She did not like what she heard in the slightest. A world where she had died at the noose, Nyx having not have had the presence of mind to save her after her scathing words. Things had gone downhill from there. Spell Nexus was the next victim of the noose for challenging his goddess one too many times. Dash had been challenged to a race and died in the middle of it in very suspicious circumstances. Pinkie was a recluse, Fluttershy refused to speak at all (except to Rarity), and to top it off, Applejack had denounced everyone and left. It was so much to take in, and Twilight wasn't sure she could quite comprehend it. Tears began to form in her eyes, and Rarity frowned, gently wiping them away with a handkerchief.

"Now now, dear, it is not at all as bad as it sounds! Sure, we may not have seen the sun in five years. Or was it six? I honestly can't recall!" Rarity gave Twilight an apologetic smile that was more polite than sincere. "Well, in either case, it's not been nearly as terrible as we thought at first." She offered Twilight the cloth, and the magician took it with her magic gratefully, staring at the floor, trying not to break down. "Ponyville is still a rather nice place to live! In fact, thanks to the presence of Queen Nyx near us, we're the most desirable place to live now, aside from Canterlot! Ponyville has grown, prospered! And my career has become something to behold!"

"Y-You still live here, though?" Rarity gave Twilight a hurt look, as if that had been a grave insult.

"Oh come now, even with many of my dearest friends gone, I could never abandon Fluttershy to her own devices. And there's not much reason for me to leave in any case ... " The white unicorn proudly brought her left foreleg to her chest, her head tossing back theatrically. "Ponyville is now the home of the truly talented! I, myself, even design for our beloved queen and her highest ranked officers." Twilight found herself slightly disgusted at that, but questioned why she should judge. Rarity found her dream, and she hadn't abandoned her friends. Perhaps it was the casual acceptance of the way things are now.

"I didn't mean to suggest you would leave us. But ... Your duty! What about protecting Equestria? We're the Elements of Harmony, Rarity, not just anypony!" Twilight leaped up, anger on her face, and tears now streaming down her cheeks. "We have to - to do ... SOMETHING! Anything!" The white unicorn leaned away from Twilight, taken aback by the outburst. She felt a pang of guilt, but quickly shrugged it off with anger of her own. She rose, her muzzle just inches from the other unicorn's.

"And what SHALL we do, Twilight Sparkle? Hmm? Shall we just go now, march up to Queen Nyx, and, dare I say it? GROUND her?" She fumed, pressing forward. Twilight, for her part, leaned back, away, surprised and intimidated by the sudden conviction. "Why, when as far as I know, everything is fine! Perhaps it is just the fact that the princesses aren't ruling? Well! Why would their command be any more legitimate than another alicorn who can control the heavens! Why should we bow to rulers not even here when there is one who seems just as kind, if not a bit more stern? Honestly, Twilight, what WOULD we even do? Banish her as we did from Luna? Where would she even go!" Rarity wasn't sure if she was trying to admonish Twilight, or convince herself of her own words, but she was far too livid to really care her once dear friend was now in tears. "Would you really do that to your own daughter even after she avenged your death? Built a monument in your name? Made Ponyville the scion, the glowing example of pony-kind?!"

Twilight's back was against a wall now. Her retreat from the element of generosity, if she was even that anymore, had put her there. She cowered under the barrage of questions, trembling and sobbing openly. "I-I don't know ... Please Rarity, I don't even know why I'm here ... "

Rarity suddenly felt more awful than before. She pressed up close to Twilight, holding her close and sighing softly. "Shhh ... It is alright, darling. I'm sorry ... I - I simply do not know what came over me to be so cruel." That was a lie. She knew all too well why. Her dreams, her career, had been threatened, and not only that, but her integrity as a lady. Perhaps she had been to quick to accept Queen Nyx as ruler, but that was for Twilight's sake as much as her own, hadn't it? "Yes. It hasn't been a reign of terror, after all. Everything's been fine. Her heralds have been very forthcoming with information, and if Ponyville's success is any indication, why would they lie?" Doubt bit at the back of her mind. Propaganda was always possible, after all. But those thoughts grew weaker and weaker as she comforted her friend. She allowed herself a smile, hoping it would help comfort Twilight. "Come now, dear, I'm sure you're very tired. After all, it's quite late. We could both do with some sleep, hmm?"

Twilight sighed, nodding her head weakly. "In the morning ... I need - I need to see her." Rarity beamed, helping her friend to her bed, and Twilight slipped up onto it, Rarity soon to follow. The lavender unicorn laid herself on the far left of the bed, not bothering to move the covers.

"Of course, dear. You have no idea how elated she will be to see you! After all, you ARE her mother, hmm?" Twilight forced back a sob as she remembered her own little Nyx. Was this really another world, another reality? Or were her happy memories a dream? Was this all some sick joke by the universe? Rarity, seeing her friend's tortured expression, gently rubbed at Twilight's shoulders. "Come now, dear. I truly am sorry for my outburst. And everything will seem much better in the morning! You'll see! Now, I'll let you have my bed to yourself, you seem like you could use the space ... " Before she could leave, though, Twilight turned and quickly shook her head.

"No! I - I mean ... " She took a deep breath. "I really want someone here with me. I can't - I can't be alone right now." Rarity blinked, then nodded, laying down herself and hugging her friend to her.

"Oh Twilight ... Everything will be fine. With you here, everything will go back to normal. I'm sure of it." The white unicorn closed her eyes, and began to doze off...

Rainbow Dash was disgusted. She wasn't sure what was going on, all this. The pegasus wasn't really in her comfort zone when it came to academic things like magic, and the idea of another world parallel to her own just gave her a headache. What she got from it, aside from that confusion, was that someone decided their mess was her problem, and dragged her into it. Away from her life, and away from her Applejack. As far as she was concerned, the one in front of her could go rot at the moment. "You know what? Nevermind. Hay if I'm gonna help you! I hope that Big Heart guy or whatever comes back and kicks your flank!" Applejack winced, slightly panicked. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. This wasn't the plan. Dash wasn't supposed to hate her!

The filly shook her head and glared Dash in the eye. "Look here, sugarcube-"

"Don't you call me that! You're not my Applejack, you're not my friend, you're a jerk who's ruining my life!"

"Ya only been here fer an hour at th' most, you ...You ... "

"Don't you DARE."

"YA traitor!" That set the cyan-coated pegasus off like nothing else. Dash pounced at the farm-filly. If looks could kill, the expression on her face might have not only polished Applejack off, but her immediate family as well. As it was, hooves hurt enough, even if RD couldn't hit nearly as hard as the earth pony. Applejack hit the dirt on her back, Dash giving her a sock right in the nose with a forehoof, before the orange filly kicked her off. Rolling to her hooves, Applejack spat some blood from her mouth to the side, now just as pissed off as the pegasus. "Fine! Ya wanna make this hard on yerself, let's do this thing! Ah'm takin' ya back with me even if Ah gotta-" She didn't get it out before she saw a hind-leg coming for her face. AJ reared up, though that only caused her to get hit in the chest. She stumbled, but didn't fall. She was done with words now. The orange pony zipped behind the pegasus before she could kick out at Applejack again, the farm-filly biting onto Dash's tail. The Pegasus kicked wildly for those offending jaws, though not a single hoof found it's mark before the earth pony yanked Dash into the air over her 'friend', and swung her down to the dirt.

Dash groaned and tried to rise up, only for two fore-hooves to slam down onto her rib cage. Not enough to break anything, but Luna's flank if it didn't hurt. "Ugh!" She winced, shuddering. Applejack had a definite advantage. She wasn't as tired as Dash was, and she was far stronger. "Shoulda gotten in the air as soon as the fight begun," She thought, as applejack reared again. "Hit and run. Well, Hindsight ... " "Stop! Okay!" She wheezed, struggling to find a way to get air in her lungs that wouldn't burn like Celestia's Sun. "I get the message."

Applejack felt a surge of triumph break through, and she reached a hoof down, offering it to Rainbow Dash as though it were a peace treaty.. "C'mon, sugarcube. Just help us out, and y'all be back on yer way before ya can say Appleloosa." Dash grunted, not just out of lingering anger, but because talking hurt now. AJ just shrugged. "Sorry, but ya kinda brought it on yerself. Yer th' Element of Loyalty. You gotta act like it, RD." The weather-pony shot her a glare, and Applejack returned it. "Lemme finish. Ya gotta act like it, because we need ya. We can't do this without ya." Dash felt a bit of pride at that, and smiled. Maybe this pony was more like the Applejack Dash knew than she thought.

"Okay, but you gotta swear we're going back home when this is over." Applejack solemnly went through the motions.

"Cross mah heart an' hope ta fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye." Dash tried not to laugh. After all, the Pinkie Pie promise was serious business. "Now, let's git goin' before tall, dark and jackmule shows up 'gin." So one earth pony and one very sore Pegasus headed for the apple orchard. That was where she and Trixie were going to meet up when they were done, and Ponyville was too dangerous right now for more than one pony working espionage. "Ah sure hope ya know what yer doin', Trixie. Don't break my heart, darlin'."

Trixie ducked behind a water collection barrel, swearing under her breath as she hid from the passing guards. They were in a rush, which could only mean they were looking for someone. Her and Applejack, of course.When they passed, she ducked behind the general store the barrel was set against, exploring her options. "I'm still not sure which friend Twilight is with, and ... " She cast her eyes down the street, the unicorn sighting more guards coming from the distance. " ... Obviously, I can't just check every one." She'd been to the Sugarcube Corner, already, but no one had answered her frantic knocking. She hadn't been surprised, though. At this hour they would be asleep and she was told that Pinkie lived on the second floor, besides. She was just about to try tapping on the window she suspected belonged to the baker, but that was when she'd heard heavy hoof-falls coming her way. She sighed with disappointment, and walked a safe distance from Ponyville, before she dared to turn and glare back at it's shape as though it itself had offended her.

"Now ... I could go back to the orchard. After all, this is getting far too dangerous, and I can't possibly move along unhindered." She lifted a hoof to begin her walk there, feeling far too tired to try teleporting again, but then she hung her head. The idea of Applejack's disappointment in her for failure was too great a motivator. "No. I can't leave without that blasted Twilight." Trixie needed a place to lay low. Out in the open was too exposed, the Everfree too wild, and Ponyville would be swarmed with guards. Already she saw lights turning on in houses as the residents of the once-small town began to awake, likely wondering what in the name of Celestia was happening. "But where can I go?" She thought long and hard of Applejack's briefings of the town and it's layout. Every important Resistance leader needed to know such things, just in case coming here was inevitable. Eventually her mind settled on a particular location: Fluttershy's house. It was far enough from Ponyville that it would be easy to hide there. If guards came looking, the pegasus would hide her. She was sympathetic to the rebellion, even if she could not act openly for it. Trixie began the long trek around Ponyville. She'd have to go through the orchard to get there, but that was fine. Plenty of cover, and hopefully she could meet Applejack and tell her the plan.

The black stallion stood at the door that led to his Queen's bedroom. He felt a bit apprehensive about waking her, to be honest. For one to wake a slumbering goddess, they must either be a foal or have something vitally important to say. He prayed this qualified as the latter, and gave a few solid knocks. There was no sound from within for a moment, so he moved a hoof to repeat the motion. Before he could, however, a single word broke the silence.

"What." Flat and annoyed, the voice nevertheless retained its smooth, proud tone. Wild Heart was oddly comforted by that. It hadn't, after all, been a shout, nor had the door flown open, or any number of things his imagination would tell him were definite signs he was about to die.

"My queen, I have ... Some very urgent news." More silence followed, then a deep groan of frustration.

"Wild Heart, do you ever sleep?" The earth pony smiled to himself. There was definitely a reason to respect his goddess, but why fear? He explained it as some deep, primal thing, perhaps. A mortal before a goddess should of course be terrified. Feeling brave enough to continue, he spoke again.

"Your majesty, my insomnia is not really a matter worth of note. I - " He was interrupted by the mare's impatience.

"It can wait until I have slept. Go take your medication and rest." It was Wild Heart's turn to be annoyed, over-riding any trepidation he'd had the moment before. He stomped a fore-hoof (though as it was on carpet, it was barely audible), and turned to leave.

"Very well. Then if the matter of seeing one Rainbow Dash alive and well is less important, I shall retire. Goodnight, godd - " The door swung open, interrupting him yet again as the latch struck the wall on the room's inside. There stood his queen, larger than he, and far more regal in bearing. Absolute grace and beauty. He allowed himself an awed glance before bowing. She didn't wear her armor to bed, and hadn't bothered to put it on before the door had opened, leaving her bare. An expression of shock was on her face, something he hadn't seen often.

"What was that, you said? I demand a full report right this moment!" Wild Heart briefly considered pointing out her earlier argument, but that would have been a waste of his time, and, most importantly, hers.

The stallion nodded, rising from his bow. "I was taking a stroll through Ponyville, trying to gather my thoughts, when I noticed the monument to Twilight had been broken into." Perhaps that was the wrong thing to start off with. Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed as her expression became a scowl. "Please, my goddess, this is more than a petty act of vandalism." She grit her teeth, and shook her head, but let him continue. "I noticed tracks leading from the upper window, but only away. Somepony must have teleported in, or flew in. I alerted the guard, then decided to observe until the interlopers returned." A brow raised on the mare's forehead as she listened, her anger still present, but curiosity was taking over. And amusement at the absurd idea that the intruders WOULD return. Wild Heart never was very bright. "I sighted a familiar pair after half an hour. Applejack And Trixie. When I confronted them, Trixie fled, and Applejack attacked. I easily subdued her, but was interrupted in my arrest by a rainbow patterned streak. I was only able to take in a brief instant of the perpetrator's identity, but it was enough."

Nyx shook her head slowly, her mouth feeling a bit dry. Why was she suddenly afraid at this? "Wild Heart, this is truly an impossibly thing you suggest. You can't SERIOUSLY be thinking a pegasus has come back from the dead, can you?" Fear had turned to logic, and from logic to concern. "Perhaps you truly should go sleep. You must be hallucinating."

This was not what the stallion had expected to hear. "Goddess, please. It has only been three moon-rises since I last slept."

"And that's enough to cause such hallucinations."

"But - ! My queen! Applejack could not simply fly off by her - "

"My word is final, Wild Heart." The statement was clear, and while it was miffed in attitude at his arguments, the dangerous tone that suggested punishment for the infraction wasn't there. It was more of a teacher rebuking a student than that of a goddess being outraged at a challenge. "Go. To. Sleep. The guard has already been alerted. Most likely those two traitors have already fled, but in case they remain, I will send someone else to capture them, and this Rainbow Dash impersonator." The stallion dropped his head, and bowed.

"Yes, my goddess ... " He strode away slowly, feeling more defeated, and perhaps a bit doubtful. Maybe he HAD been seeing things. The mare watched as he turned into his own quarters halfway down the hall, and shook her head.

"Perfect Cut. I know you've been listening in on this. I want you to find them. Take them alive, if possible ... " She didn't take long to think over the order, and quickly add, "And mostly unhurt. None of your shenanigans."

"Awwww!" A dark pink coated pony stepped out of another door, pouting both at being found out, and her fun denied. Her mane was purple with cyan highlight, and was wild and unkempt despite being brushed back. The pegaus's wings were near constantly unfurled back, though they fluttered now and then seemingly at random. "But Nyyyyxie..."

"Not now, Perfect. I am going back to bed now. You have your orders." The queen stepped back into her room and closed the door. The pegasus threw herself down in a pout, her legs curled under her. Eventually, she rose up, but only because she'd had a thought that made her perk up again.

"Well, she didn't say anything about accidents!" She grinned, and mimicked the apologetic, droning tone of a city guard. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but sometimes these things happen." Falling onto her back, Perfect's legs kicked in the air while she giggled. It was a happy sound, but happy for all the wrong reasons. "Might as well get to it, then! This could be all kinds of fun!" The black anklets on her front left and rear right legs jingled as she galloped off down the hall, thinking of all the wonderful 'accidents' her quarries would have before bringing them back. She let off another cheerful, but disturbed chortle as she planned her first stop.

Fourth Interrogation

Fluttershy had been, as expected, more than hospitable to Trixie. Even showing up in the middle of the night and endangering everything she loved simply by BEING there hadn't caused the Element of Kindness any pause. She'd accepted the unicorn in, offered her tea, and when the tea was refused on account of exhaustion, a bed. Her own bed. Trixie had refused that was well on the grounds that the couch would do just fine, and insisted the pegasus get back to her rest.

It wasn't just because the selflessness bothered Trixie, as she couldn't see herself doing the same for a guest. She found the demure pony unnerving in itself, though she couldn't quite put a hoof on the issue. The fact that the pegasus had not spoken a word the entire time did not help. None of what she'd done had required words, but it just seemed off for the pony to simply not speak. Applejack had told Trixie of her friends, and she knew Fluttershy was...Well, shy, but there was more to it than that here. It was as though she'd made a conscious decision to not say a word. Trixie couldn't imagine never talking. She'd simply DIE.

As she turned into bed, she thought about her lie. She wasn't exhausted, she was just tired. She didn't know why she'd refused the tea, there was no reason to be a rude guest. The urgency of the past few weeks had done a number on her patience, she supposed. Not that she had much to begin with, but the idea of refusing gifts was rather alien to her. She would say it was a sign of growth, that she was no longer the Great And Powerful Trixie, an arrogant blowhard with no qualms about humiliating others for her own amusement. But it wasn't that, she'd refused the tea and bed not out of selflessness, but out of principle. She didn't know why she'd been so rude, or why Fluttershy bothered her so much, and that itself bothered her even more. "Trixie," she told herself, "You're being a foal. You have work to do, so sleep and then get to it." But it wasn't that easy. Sleep wouldn't come, and her mind wouldn't stop questioning this.

Giving up, she devoted all of her thought to it. She didn't dislike Fluttershy, and her meek personality was very welcome, in all honesty. Trixie still loved being pampered, who didn't? She thought not speaking was overdoing it, though that might be for entirely different reasons. Perhaps Fluttershy didn't like HER? If she didn't, she made absolutely no sign of that. She seemed sad, distracted, but she had been the perfect host despite how late it was, and she'd even accepted Trixie's abruptness and indecency with not even a frown. The mare was very sweet about the whole thing. So no, that wasn't it. Perhaps if she could talk to Applejack, or one of Fluttershy's other friends, she could-

That was it. Right there. She didn't feel like she belonged. Trixie smiled for a moment, considering this. She just had to think of her not as a host, but as a pony. As a companion. She nodded, and turned her head to the wall, laying down and preparing for bed once more. That wasn't a problem at all. Just another obstacle to cross. It was fine. Everything was okay now.

Okay, it wasn't alright. Her frown returned slowly, as she opened her eyes, considering. Mulling it over. Why did she still feel uneasy about it? Making friends was easy. It was the easiest part of her training. She just had to get to know them, that was all. Friendships didn't happen immediately! It would take time. Perhaps Twilight would save the day again, but then she'd be gone, and she would take her place. She already knew so much about them, thanks to Applejack's coaching, but she just...Didn't...She'd had to train for it...

Trixie suddenly wanted to scream into her pillow, but settled for headbutting it. The Elements of Harmony. She was jealous of them, and not too proud to admit it anymore. Not just because of their gifts, which they bore so elegantly, so well, like it was meant for them, but because of their close friendship. Fluttershy had treated her as well as one of them, she was sure of it. She was jealous, and she didn't think she deserved such treatment. No...That wasn't it. She was afraid. She had to befriend them, to build some kind of bond. Sure, with Twilight here, that was unnecessary...But in the long run, Equestria would need the Elements, and she had to be a part of that. She WOULD be a part of that.

But it felt so artificial. So forced. It wasn't because she wanted to, it was duty. On some level she would love to be close to them as they were to each other. She wanted to be friends, to belong, but could she really? Putting thoughts of duty and necessity aside was hard enough as it was in the company of Applejack, but in the presence of one of the others, she couldn't bear it. Fluttershy was nice, but she meant nothing to Trixie. She was just another pony. Not a friend, just a host to her. She wished Fluttershy HAD gotten angry, yelled at her for being mean. Even a frown would have made it less obvious that she was just a guest, nothing more. Not a friend, not a fellow Element of Harmony. Even with all the effort she'd put into it, how she coached herself on how to talk to the others...It was all planned, all thought out, all WRONG. So WRONG, by Celestia! So FAKE, by Luna! So PATHETIC, by the sun, the moon, the stars, and all of Equestria itself!

There had been a few times in her life Trixie had felt useless, unnecessary, disgusted with herself to her very being. And this was the first time it wasn't her fault, it was completely out of her control. The first time it hadn't been a mistake she made herself. The first time her hubris was not causing her downfall.

Tears fell from her eyes into the pillow, flowing freely. She couldn't stop herself. After all those years, she'd already failed again before she even began.

Fluttershy heard the crying. She'd been worried about the unicorn, and hadn't gone to bed, preferring instead to lay outside her door. She was about to fall asleep when she'd heard Trixie smack her face into a pillow. The pegasus stopped herself from rushing over to make sure everything was alright, something told her Trixie didn't want the company. At the same time, she couldn't just do nothing. Fluttershy felt awkward, to say the least.

When there came a heavy knock at the door, her heart jumped in her chest and she squeaked. There came a harsh, angry voice from outside. "Town Guard, open this door in the name of Queen Nyx!" The knock had startled the unicorn as well, but she looked terrified on top of it now. Considering who was at the door she had a right to be. So was Fluttershy, but she had to be brave right now. With a deep breath, the pegasus steeled herself, and nudged Trixie into her room, then tossed the blankets and pillow from the couch into her kitchen: the closest place they would be out of sight. She stepped to the door and opened it just as it seemed the ponies were ready to break it down. Her head low, she tried to make herself look as sleepy as possible, and it seemed to work. The guards now felt more guilty than angry at waking the frail pegasus. "Erm...That is...We believe there is a dangerous fugitive, a member of the resistance, in Ponyville!" Fluttershy opened her eyes wide, showing a feigned fear. The animal lover was a clever pony, and while she didn't like using her vulnerability as a tool, this was much more important than her. "We...Believed that the fugitive might be somewhere in the outskirts of Ponyville. So please be careful, ma'am." She nodded, and smiled weakly, moving to close the door, when her blood ran cold.

"Hey, hold on a second there, boys! That's not how you interrogate someone! Allow me!" The flash of a dark pink coat in the moonlight made her eyes open wider, and her body tremble.

"Oh no...Oh Celestia, not her..." Fluttershy tried to calm herself, but terror was taking over. Her knees felt weak, and her heart seemed like it was in her throat now, and beating as fast as it could. As the guards stepped aside, revealing the purple-maned pony, Fluttershy let off a soft whimper. This was the last pony she wanted to see, ever, and especially tonight. Especially with her guest.

Perfect Cut. Queen Nyx's 'inquisitor'. The mare had a pleasant smile on, though the mischievious glint in her eyes could mean nothing but suffering. Even as a the taller of the two pegasi, Fluttershy backed away, closely followed by her all-to cheerful quarry. "I just came out here to ask you a few questions, Miss Shy!" Her pleasant smile slowly curled into a wicked, crazed grin. "Where. Is. Applejack."

She knew damn well that Fluttershy wouldn't respond, but she dragged it out for a moment, her grin sliding wider and wider. Impossibly wide, almost cutting her head in half from the jaw-line. The pale-yellow pegasus closed her eyes tight so she wouldn't have to see that...Thing, that abomination. Perfect let her face fall back to normal, and chuckled, taking on the voice of a hard-boiled police interrogator from some old noir movie. "Ya gonna give us da silent treatment, eh? Well, we'll getcha ta tock soon 'nuff, see?" Lifting a hoof, the pink pegasus brushed it over Fluttershy's back, before it 'accidentally' slipped, stomping down on her left wing. The Element of Kindness yelped and whimpered. The stomp hadn't damaged anything, but it'd been enough to hurt quite a bit.

But still, she kept her mouth closed, breathing through her nose quickly, almost to the point of hyperventilation. She forced herself to calm down as Perfect stepped back. The taller pegasus rose shakily and opened her eyes. She didn't let the fear leave them. If she seemed determined, Perfect Cut would know she was hiding something. If she knew she was hiding something, this would get much, much worse. She could only pray to Celestia that it wouldn't get much worse anyway...But it did.

Perfect's body deformed once more, this time one of her wings straightening out, her side shrinking inwards, bareing ribs as the frame of it extended, bearing a sharp, though still fleshy, tip. With a sudden movement, the pink pegasus knocked Fluttershy back to the ground, the latter crying out in surprise. Stepping on her head, Perfect lowered that deformed wingtip in line with Fluttershy's head...

Specifically, her right eye.

"Now, about your not talking thing...That's annoying. Stop that." The tip slowly approached. Fluttershy couldn't help but stare in horror and fear, eyes wide as her body quaked. She struggled, though another stomp to her wing paralyzed her for a moment. "And you know what I really hate? I hate those EYES of yours. I really really hate them. All lovey and kind and...Ugh...Disgusting." The tip was a mere hair's breath from her right eye now, Fluttershy forgetting to breath as the cruel monster giggled, despite her words. "Gonna talk now, Miss Shy? No? Well...You'll scream instead."

Trixie couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't wait and let this happen. Steeling herself for capture, she prepared to burst through the door, when a horrid, bloodcurdling scream stopped her. She stared at the oaken door, trembling in horror at her own cowardice. "Pack it in, boys...If she knew anything she would have said it! Maybe you'll see me again, Miss Shy~! Well..." A wicked giggle. "I guess I'll see you, anyway." She didn't quite hear the words. They seemed muffled, far away, and Trixie, in a daze, stumbled from the room. She was in shock more than anything, her eyes coming to rest on a pile of yellow and pink, laying on the floor, trembling. Snapping out of her weakness, the magician rushed to help the pegasus up. She almost threw up out of sheer disgust with herself as she saw the pegasus's right eye closed, bloody tears seeping from the corner.

"Fluttershy?! Oh by Celestia...I'm so...So sorry..." She helped her to the couch, cursing herself. Her self-inflicted abuse was interrupted by a soft voice, weak and wavering from pain.

"First aid kit...On wall...B-Bandages, please..." Trixie immediately went for the small red box, throwing it open. The contents of it spilled out from the violent tug, and Trixie forced herself to calm down, grabbing gauze with her magic, and quickly bringing them over. Despite her injury, Fluttershy quietly instructed her on how to apply them, only allowing herself to fall into unconsciousness with the deed done.

With the adrenaline worn away, Trixie stared at Ponyville's ranger, tears wetting her cheeks for the second time that night. But her stupid concerns felt so trivial now, so far away. She let herself collapse on the floor in front of the couch for a few moments, cursing herself once again for her selfishness...Her cowardice...When this one meek pony had done everything to keep her safe. Trixie fell asleep that way, still shaking with sobs.

Her dreams were not happy that night.

The morning came with the renewed rising of the moon. Twilight raised her head sleepily, though a glance out the window made her wish she hadn't. "It wasn't a dream. Is it panic time now?" While considering that, Rarity clearing her throat made the unicorn turn her head. The fashionista was already up and about, and at this juncture offering Twilight a cup of coffee. "N...No thank you, Rarity. It'll just make my nerves worse." Rarity sighed theatrically and nodded, putting the cup to the side.

"Twilight, darling, you'll get through this! I promise I'll do everything in my power to get you home! I'm sure her majesty would be thrilled to help you, of all ponies." Twilight slipped off the bed, and onto her hooves. The sleep had done her some good. She'd actually questioned whether to panic or not rather than simply panicking, so there was that. "But there's someone we really should go see. The poor dear has become a complete hermit since...The other you...Died. Barely speaks, and only goes out of her house to get food..."

Twilight felt a twinge of sadness in her heart at that. She guessed who her friend was speaking of. "Fluttershy, right?"

Rarity shook her head, the lavender unicorn blinking at her negatory response. "Oh, no, dear. Pinkie Pie. She's become utterly despondant." Twilight tried to picture that, and couldn't. The only time Pinkie had ever been really upset, she'd not been there to see it. She always assumed the world could be ending, and Pinkie would still be Pinkie. "I'm sure that seeing you will perk her right up again! Or so I hope." Twilight's stomach rumbled, and she looked apologetic as Rarity gasped, holding a hoof over her mouth. "Oh my, I completely overlooked that you may be hungry, Twilight! I assure you, I'll buy you as much as you like at Sugercube Corner."

"Thank you, Rarity..." The two of them left the house. The streets of Ponyville were slightly more crowded than the magician could remember, though it hadn't been this large in her world, either. Despite the blanket of night draped over the sky, everyone was going about their business. And most of them seemed perfectly happy. "Is...This what it would have been like?" "Rarity? Everypony seems...Perfectly fine with all this."

Thanking a colt that had stepped to the side, out of her way, Rarity barely caught that statement. "All this? What do you mean?" Twilight, who'd been lagging behind a bit, stuck closer to the white unicorn, trying to ignore some odd looks she was getting.

"The whole...Eternal night thing. It's been like this for...Six years, right? But nopony seems particularly hungry, angry, or scared..."

"Well, it is quite amazing what a pony can get used to, but as I explained last night, Queen Nyx's reign has brought a lot of prosperity to Ponyville. It really isn't a trouble! The streets are kept warm by these," She swept a hoof to indicate one of the street lamps, continuing, "And food is plentiful. There were two hard years, but after that, the plants that grow under moonlight were fully integrated, and we've had higher output even due to so many ponies moving here."

Twilight had to say she was impressed. She felt a bit of pride building in her heart, but fought it down. As much as she loved Nyx, she'd seen both sides of the coin. And she was sure there was another side to it here. She kept it to herself though, politely nodding as she listened to Rarity tell her about life in Ponyville these days, until they reached the bakery. It hadn't changed at all, honestly, and through a window she spied Mr. and Mrs. Cake hard at work. But there was something missing from it all. "Is it Pinkie's day off?"

"I suppose so, dear." Rarity smiled to Twilight encouragingly. "That means she'll be in her room. But breakfast first!" Twilight felt a little less hungry at the prospect of keeping Pinkie waiting...But her stomach growled, and she reminded herself the earth pony didn't even know they were here right now. Mrs. Cake came to the counter, looking a bit hurried.

"Good morning, and welcome to the Sugarcube Co-" She spied Twilight and her blue face became a much paler shade, dropping the platter she'd had balanced on her back. She stared in shock while her husband rushed out to see what was wrong. He too fell victim to the sight. The customers all looked up at the noise as well. To a few of them, the sight of the lavender unicorn meant nothing. But to many of them present, it meant everything. One of them, a light green pony with a greyish blue mane and white highlights, stepped up to the Element of Magic with a few tears in her eyes.

"T-Twilight? Twilight Sparkle? Is...That really you? Are you r-really alive?" Twilight looked around the shop, in awe of how...Well, in awe everyone was of her. Was she really this important to Ponyville? She smiled softly as she looked back to the pony. Lyra, that was her name. She remembered her.

"Yes, Lyra...I'm really here." She erked as the musician suddenly hugged her tight, crying openly. She always was a little over-emotional, and this was something to actually be emotional about, Twilight supposed. She let the other unicorn cry, hugging her back a bit, though when Lyra calmed down, she scooted back a bit.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me, I was just...Just so happy to see you!" She practically gushed. Twilight blushed, giving her a lopsided grin. "I mean, we all are, right everypony?" Those in the bakery that knew her once nodded, and cheered. Those that didn't were uncomfortable at the display of affection that was lost on them for a few moments, but the celebration was infectious. Soon, there was a round of free pastries, as if the place had suddenly become a bar, and Twilight was sat at a table, surrounded by familiar faces, old friends and acquaintances. There were so many questions, too, but Twilight decided to just tell everyone she didn't remember what had happened. It was easier that way, and didn't run the risk of causing some kind of weird paradox. Well...Less of one.

The improvised party was halted by the sound of a slamming door upstairs, and a few of those gathered left quickly. Twilight's eyes went to the staircase, as a pair of bright pink legs appeared, then a head. Her heart sank a bit when she saw the look on her old friend's face. Pinkie's expression had none of it's characteristic mirth, only a look of pure sadness. Apathy. No will to live, yet she did anyhow. Rarity shuddered a bit beside her friend, and Twilight understood why. Seeing someone that had been a symbol of joy in their life, reduced to this...It was as though there could be no joy left in the world. Pinkie spoke, quietly, and with deep regret in her voice. "Everyone...I'm...Glad you're happy, but I'm trying to sleep...Please keep it down..." Her eyes scanned the crowd, full of tears, and they all nodded. Some with gentle encouragement, others with nervous gulps. The element of laughter started back up the stairs again when she stopped mid-stride, and she slowly turned her head to the crowd again, her expression now one of shock.

"Hi Pinkie. I'm sorry you're sad, but please feel better soon..." Twilight smiled as the earth pony's eyes met hers. Pinkie just stared for a moment, then her legs started to tremble. "Pinkie? Are you ok-" She was able to say nothing else before her friend pounced, glomping the unicorn, knocking her out of her chair. Thankfully, nothing was hurt, but she had the wind knocked out of her. As Twilight came out of her daze, she found it hard to breath in the bearhug the pink pony had her in.

"OHMYGOSHTWILIGHTIMISSEDYOUSOMUCHYOUWEREDEADBUTNOWYOURENOTUNLESSYOUREAGHOSTORAZOMBIEBUTIDONTCAREIMISSEDYOUSOOOOOOMUCH" Her ears were ringing now too, but she couldn't help but hug back, as the pink furred and maned pony sobbed into her chest. Lyra's tears had been happiness mixed with sadness, but these were pure joy. Pure, unadulterated joy. Twilight felt a bit awkward at first, but as always, Pinkie's happiness was infectious. She smiled widely and gave the Element of Laughter a squeeze. The earth pony immediately after sat bolt upright and looked around at the crowd gathered who were all just staring, though with smiles. Infectious indeed.

"I'm glad to see you too, Pinkie. We really, really have to talk about something, though," Twilight spoke as she rose herself...Well, as much as Pinkie sitting on her stomach let her sit up. She didn't have the heart to outright say that she wouldn't be here long. After all, images of that depressed, joyless Pinkie came to mind immediately, and Twilight didn't think she or anyone else present could bear to see that again.

"Yes! Yes we do!" Pinkie hopped up, off of her unicorn friend, bouncing a few times. Her hair had remained it's droopy, straight fashion, though the earth pony seemed just fine again. Twilight was considering that when she realized fully what Pinkie had said.

"Wait, what?" The lavender unicorn blinked. She should have expected something like that from Pinkie, and she shook it off, the look of unsurity leaving her face as she watched the happy mare hop around. "Well, okay then! That makes things easier. Pinkie, I..."

A hoof came up against her lips, and Pinkie shook her head quickly. "Not here, silly! I think we really need to talk but not in front of everyone. Just you and me okay?" It dawned on the unicorn that a lot of the earlier crowd was still present, and that she'd told them a lie. A little white lie, but a lie nonetheless. They'd be very upset to learn that, and that Twilight would be leaving as soon as she could.

"Heh...Right!" Twilight gulped a bit nervously at her slip-up. "Of course! Excuse me everypony, I'll be right back." With a nod, they still watched as Pinkie bounced up the stairs in her usual 'walking' manner, Twilight ascending after her. The unicorn gave a glance to Rarity, a sad glance that told the white pony she didn't revel in what she was about to tell. Rarity nodded to her, smiling reassuringly. "It's for the best," that smile said. Taking a deep breath, Twilight continued up after Pinkie Pie.

Of all things Twilight ever expected from Pinkie, this was not one of them. Admittedly, the earth pony had always managed to surprise her in just about everything, so that wasn't too much of a big deal. But the problem being that this was totally something else. She had no idea what to think.

Pinkie, for her part, was waiting very patiently, waiting. In her eyes were hope, but her expression carried something else with her. Acceptance, maybe? Was that even an emotion conveyable by a mere look?

Either way, the unicorn understood everything now. Why Pinkie Pie been so depressed, why she was so happy to see her over anything else...And why everything would be fine if she told her she wouldn't be staying. But that itself seemed so...unimportant now. She thought back to her studies, wishing she had a guide or any book at all that had taught her what to say to this. She had been staring at the sheets on the bed they were both sitting on this entire time, only once or twice glancing up to Pinkie, who had that same look on her face. Just waiting. Twilight took a deep breath, deciding that saying anything would be better than the silence.

"I...I really don't know what to say, Pinkie...I'm really sorry." Her friend just nodded, smiling a bit wider.

"It's okay, silly, you really don't have to say anything! Or even say yes or no! I just wanted to tell you, all this time, and I never got the chance because you died, but now that I told you I feel all better even though I know you can't stay!" Twilight started. She had just figured she and Pinkie were speaking of two different topics when the earth pony posed her own.

"You...Know?"

"Of course I do, Twilight! It's not like you're back from the dead because that's pretty impossible, duuuh!" The snark on the end of it made Twilight giggle softly, though she still felt terrible about all this mess. "Hey, don't be down! I'm fine! I really mean it! All I ever wanted was just to say it and now that I have, I'll be all peachy keen from here on out! Or maybe...PINKIE Keen!" The earth pony let out a wild giggle at her own joke. Twilight groaned at the joke...

"Are you really s-" Twilight was once again silenced by a pink hoof rising to her mouth.

"Yes. Twilight." Pinkie looked...A bit stern there. As she had reminded herself before, with Pinkie, anything was possible. Even a look like that on Pinkie's face. "I really, really am sure. So why don't we go back downstairs and have one last big party before you go home? I bet everypony in aaaall of Ponyville would love to come to that! Ooo! Even Nyxie might come!" Twilight winced. Yes. That. She didn't know if she could face this 'queen nyx'. She had learned from Rarity enough to know where this timeline split. She knew her final words and actions towards the alicorn, and she was not eager to know the results on her daughter's attitude.

"Can...We please not, Pinkie? I'd love a party, but maybe only for the few of us? Our old friends?" Pinkie wilted a bit, but ultimately nodded.

"Well, I guess that would be okay sure! I mean, we can't really invite Applejack or Rainbow Dash but maybe since you showed up they will too!" Pinkie bounced with excitement at the thought. Twilight eyed her hair, and cleared her throat.

"Before we go...What's up with your mane? it's still all...Sad...Mode." Twilight waved a hoof at it tentatively. Pinkie stared at a mirror like she hadn't noticed, blinking, then shrugged helplessly.

"I guess I've been running on the sad juice so long it needs time to start on the happy juice! I don't really mind I mean I think it looks kinda pretty this way but I hope the happy kicks in soon because I bet it'll get in the way of all the baking I have to do for the party!" Twilight...Just nodded. That explanation was just fine, and she was NOT going to push it.

"Okay. Let's go then." The two ponies headed back downstairs, to begin this one, last party.

Meanwhile, back at the ranc-err, Farm...Rainbow Dash was still kinda miffed at her friend's double. But even with all her stubborness, it was hard to retain true anger. Sure, the farmfilly had dragged her here without even asking, and sure she was missing her own Applejack, but thinking about it...Wouldn't she also have done the same?

Okay, no. She wouldn't. But that was more the fact that Rainbow Dash couldn't see her coming up with anything like this. If she DID have the idea, though, it would have been what she did too. She looked up at the moon, glaring. It had gone down, but that just left everything completely dark. After a nap, it was rising again. That pissed her off for a whole mess of reasons, but it was still secondary. She let her eyes wander to her friend's double, grimacing. She seemed so much...Older? Tired, downtrodden, but not yet beaten. Just like her, Applejack never knew when to give up. But instead of making her grin, she couldn't stand the thought. "Uh...AJ?"

"Yeh, sugarcube?" She hadn't slept at all last night, but she seemed like she was used to it. Nothing like that one time she'd spent the entire day drunk from sleep-deprivation. That pissed her off too, but she fought it down.

"How long have you been doing this? I mean, fighting. Alone."

"Ah ain't alone, darlin'. Ah got Trixie an' a lotta good ponies who jus' wanna be free 'gin. An' we're ahll readeh fer whatever comes our way." She gave Dash an smile, though it was apologetic. "An' willin' ta do anythin', I think. Even if we shoul'n't have."

"Nah, really, it's...It's okay. ...You're STILL not my Applejack," She stated bluntly, though a smirk turned at the corners of her mouth. "But you're close enough, and you need my help. Good enough for me." Applejack looked to the ground, closing her eyes for a moment. She turned her head so Dash couldn't see tears of relief falling to the grass.

"Thank ya, sugarcube. Tha' means a lot ta meh. Ya realleh dunno how much." Despite what Applejack thought, Rainbow Dash really did know. That's why she said it, after all. But not one to remain on any sappy topic for too long, not even that of friendship, Dash unceremoniously prodded her friend's double in the side.

"Look, I know we're supposed to just sit here, but...Didn't you say you were with that Trixie punk?" Applejack rolled her eyes, though she easily bit back the rebuke she would have immediately given 6 years ago. "And what about Twilight?"

"Yeh. Yeh, yer right." The farmfilly...No, Farmmare, rose, and nodded to Dash. This was a stupid idea. It could risk everything. But right now, it was time for action. "A'ight, here's th' plan. Ya go after Twilight. Ah betcha sh's still in Ponyville, an' tha's sure ta cause a fuss. Ah'll go fer Trixie. Sh's prolly holed up wit' Fluttershy, tha' seems th' most logical choice." Dash grinned for a moment, then her face fell.

"Guess I gotta go incognito?" Applejack grinned widely, her eyes losing their tiredness suddenly, as she stretched herself out, a few joints popping. Dash knew that look all too well and grinned back.

"Hay no, girl! Ya gitcher flanks over ta Ponyville on th' double. Ah want Queen Nyx knowin' her time is finally up!"

"You got it!" Dash saluted and took off, blazing across the sky, as Applejack raced to Fluttershy's house, not suspecting at all what she would find there...

Fifth Arrest

Atop one of the palace's spires, a yellow pegasus woke up, her 'day' just beginning. With a hearty yawn, her eyes opened groggily, cast down on the palace grounds and Ponyville in the distance. "Okay...Do list for today. No messages withstanding, no reconaisance duty necessary, no shows today...” She let off a wistful sigh, rising up. Joints popped, and that felt pretty good, but her body was more stiff than she'd like. “I guess I better check anyway.” Her wings stretched a few times, the appendages feeling hard to move, as though they themselves were just waking up. She sighed, and flicked them out a few times, finally forcing them to spread fully. “Gets harder every day...I'm getting too old for these horseapples.” She grimaced at the thought, her mind throwing all sorts of doubts and fears at her. She stretched out her body fully, and shook herself, the sleep fading from her mind. No, she was fine now. She wasn't a nag just yet. Smoothing out her flame-colored mane, Spitfire was ready for anything to happen. She spread her wings, and prepared to fly.

Unfortunately, what she saw next, before she launched from the tower's roof and into the darkened sky, was NOT something she was ready for. It was something absolutely amazing, that was for sure, but something she thought was impossible. Happiness and dread both filled her as she saw a rainbow contrail shooting from the orchard to Ponyville. Then a loud BANG, concentric circles of rainbow colors spreading out over Ponyville, lighting it up immensely.

At first, the pegasus blinked, not trusting her aging eyes. It was still there. She flew just a bit closer. Not all the way to Ponyville, but to a safer distance. It was still there. And it was real. She almost forgot to flap her wings, and set down on a cloud before they could lock up entirely. Her mouth was wide open as the train began to slowly fade...Not with the trick of the eyes that a slowly leaving dream did, but just the way such a contrail would dissipate. This was no illusion or trick of her mind. Spitfire's body trembled, and she fell with legs under her. The words came out, to no one in particular, “It can't be...It just...It's not possible.” With a shake of the head, she slowly stood up. It wasn't possible. But it HAD been there, all the same. The pegasus quickly turned back to the palace and shot towards it, her own contrails, the color of a raging inferno, following quickly behind the blindingly fast flight.

She had no idea how many shouts she heard as she charged into the palace. So many things were running through her mind: Panic, joy, anger...Fear. She could not have possibly done much else but continue on her way. Most of the guards recognized the pegasus and just got out of the way, but a few unlucky souls were all but sent flying themselves as she burst into the throne room. Queen Nyx was already alert, eyes narrowed and horn glowing, expecting an assault at any moment because of the explosion she'd heard outside. When she saw who the intruder was, she let off a sigh of relief, but rolled her eyes. “Yes. Good evening, Spitfire.” She immediately looked down to her scrolls again, but soon found a wild-eyed pegasus right in her face. The alicorn leaned back as her lieutenant burst into a Pinkie Pie-esque jabbering.

"ISAWRAINBOWDASHISWEARIMNOTMAKINGTHISUPORSEEINGTHINGSISAWHERORATLEASTHERTRAILBUTHATSPROOFENOUGHREALLY!" “How could she not have SEEN that?!” The monarch winced at the normally cool-headed pegasus's outburst, her ears ringing. Through gritted teeth, she caused a dark blue shroud to wrap around Spitfire's muzzle to stiffle the sheer volume. An angry glare gave the Wonderbolt a chance to gulp and take a deep breath through her nose.

"Let's try this again. Slowly now." Spitfire nodded, taking another deep breath, and letting it out, as Nyx removed that shroud, waiting for her head of intelligence to recover from the horrible shock of whatever the hay she'd just said. When Spitfire finally calmed down, her usual relaxed smile wasn't present. Instead, one of concern, and...Was that apprehension? This caused her queen's frown to deepen itself.

“I saw Rainbow Dash. I know this sounds crazy, but I saw her flying towards Ponyville. She was leaving behind that rainbow contrail she has when she's flying real fast. She's the only one who can do that. The only one.” She emphasized that point again, and quite strongly. Queen Nyx had brushed off the same idea from Wild Heart the night cycle before, but now she was hearing it again, and it was starting to sound more likely coming from two of her most trusted officers. Perhaps it was just the early hour, however? Spitfire WAS known to sleep in on nights off.

“Spitfire, I think, perhaps, you may have been seeing thi-” She was cut off by an exasperated sigh.

“Your majesty, please. I'm sure of this. I'm very sure of this.” There was a silence in the throne room as the Alicorn closed her eyes for a moment. She thought on it for a short while, and suddenly felt a wrenching sensation in her heart as a thought came to her. She winced visibly, starting, which caused the pegasus to jump back. “Hey! N-Nyx, are you okay?!”

“I am fine.” A lie, well told. But Spitfire wasn't born yesterday. The expression on her face turned to skepticism, and the goddess clenched her teeth. “I'm FINE, Spitfire. Don't test me.” When the pegasus backed away, head lowered in respect, she took her own deep breath. “Spitfire. I need you to investigate this for me. Do not just send your underlings, I need you to go as well. Find and apprehend Rainbow Dash. And...” Spitfire could swear she saw a tear, but it was quickly covered and wiped away by her queen's wispy mane. “...And if you see but a single trace of Twilight Sparkle, apprehend her IMMEDIATELY, and above all else. Now go.” The pegasus bowed, and quickly flew from the throne room...Though not quite as recklessly this time.

Nyx was left to think to herself, wondering if she should dare even hope. After all, no magic could bring back the dead. And she had tried. By the night, she had tried. And even if she was alive...Did she still hate her so much? The last time she had spoken with her 'mother', it had involved the unicorn attempting to kill her. Still. She straightened herself up, and returned to reading the reports she had to look over. Even if she was here, and alive, it wouldn't matter. She had her world, she had her subjects, and she had her way. She'd made up her mind about what she was long ago, and she had no reason to doubt herself anymore.

Except, of course, for her flank, which was still just as blank as it had always been.

Rainbow Dash had made it to Sugarcube Corner just as her three friends...Well, friend and two friend doubles...Were leaving the establishment. Dash didn't want to deal with explaining. It was too slow. And her display HAD to be attracting attention. It certainly got Ponyville's! Captivated ponies were staring up at the expanding rings, including the three she was looking for. With a grin, she enacted her plan. The cyan pegasus swooped down, and snatched Twilight up, shooting out of Ponyville. As expected, the unicorn shrieked in surprise, and Dash slowed down just enough to avoid leaving a contrail...And to let Rarity and Pinkie chase her. Well, Pinkie would never have a problem. Rarity might, and she needed BOTH of them to come along with her as soon as possible.

The two ponies gave chase, but so did a few others. Guards by the look of it. Dash cursed under her breath. How could she NOT have seen that coming? Twilight had been squirming under the pegasus, but stopped when she realized who had her. “Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?!”

“Can't really explain right now, Twi! Just hang on!” Before the unicorn could get out another complaint or protest, the Element of Loyalty dropped from the skies, making Twilight scream out in surprise in fear, clinging to her friend with all she had. Dash leveled out about ten feet over the ground, flying low now to lose the pursuers. “Just great. How am I going to get Rarity or Pinkie NOW? If those guards see me going to the orchard, that'll be trouble...” Nevermind the fact that she made it obvious she had come FROM the orchard, Dash hadn't really thought that part through. Nonetheless, Dash figured at this point it would be worth it. They could always take out the guards afterwards, anyway.

Somehow, in the confusion, Rarity had lost sight of Pinkie. That was probably for the best, as she felt oh so very confused right now. A pony that was supposed to be dead swept from the sky and carried off another pony that was supposed to be dead. The only thought she could hold at the moment that was at all coherent was to follow the pegasus to her destination. She wasn't exactly built for exertion, of course, and the two guards that'd also started after Rainbow Dash outpaced her by far. But Rarity was nothing if not determined to get answers for this, and perhaps the guards would be able to get her old friend to be still long enough to GET those answers. After all, this wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be.

Rainbow Dash was headed for the orchard; of that she was sure. She had come from it too, that was readily obvious from a glance at the sky before Twilight had been snatched up. But why? Applejack no longer lived at the farm, and if Dash had already been there, she must have known this. Rarity found it harder to think as her air dwindled away, having to stop for a moment, and catch her breath. As the white unicorn panted, her eyes remained locked on Sweet Apple Acres. It wasn't too far away now, just a little more...

Rainbow Dash set down inside the orchard, the trees blocking the approaching guards' lines of sight. That bought her enough time to tell Twilight that there was no time (for explanations), and that she should really think about helping take the guards down. Twilight still had her sleep spell, if nothing else. The unicorn didn't agree. As far as she was concerned, they should be talking to this Queen Nyx, not knocking out her guards. “...Which is why all this was unnecessary! I'm sure she'd help us get home!”

“Twilight, are you stupid or something? This is a universe where you're dead. She made a STATUE of you! If anything she'll lock you up so you'll never leave!” The pegasus thought this was blatantly obvious. She'd even face-hooved when the unicorn suggested this. “Twi, look, she's the BAD GUY here, okay? I talked to Applejack about it. And does Applejack lie? No, she doesn't!”

“Just because she doesn't lie very much doesn't mean she knows everything! Show me a little bit of proof of her being the 'bad guy', and then maybe I'll help you attack two ponies who are just doing their job!” Twilight Sparkle was trying to control her temper now. The very idea of her Nyx doing this was all too plausible at one point, sure, but maybe there were extenuating circumstances. Things might have been different elsewhere, too.

“Uh, hello? Never stopped the whole eternal night thing? Besides, those guards are chasing us while yelling 'criminal scum' at me! I'm pretty sure they're trying to hurt us!”

“And I'm SURE you performing a Sonic Rainboom right over the town had NOTHING to do with that!”

“But Twi, you gotta help! I can't go to prison! I'd get bent over in ten seconds flat! I mean, look how hot I am!” Twilight wasn't sure whether she was supposed to take that seriously or not, so she settled for avoiding it entirely.

“Dash, look. I trust you, you're one of my best friends. But right now, I really, REALLY just want to see Nyx and get out of this bizarro-land. Okay?” The unicorn sniffed a bit, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

“Oh man, not that...That's not FAIR...” Dash could only watch, however, as the lavender pony began to cry softly.

“I just want to go home and see my Nyx. My daughter, Dash!” The pegasus awkwardly embraced her friend, sighing.

“I know, Twilight, I know. But look...Just please listen! Applejack said-” Before she could finish, Twilight had jerked herself away with a fierce scowl, still crying.

“No! I'm going with these guards, and you can't stop me!” Before Rainbow Dash could, indeed, stop her, the magician teleported away. With a swear, the cyan pegasus looked around for her frantically.

“No. Nononono! Dammit, Twilight!” She zoomed into the sky, looking for signs of the unicorn, and she found it...With her being escorted away by those said guards. And...Rarity! Yes! The pegasus dove for the white unicorn, praying to Celestia SHE would listen to her...

Applejack had a very bad feeling about the cottage the moment she approached it. It simply felt like something was wrong. The farm-mare was cautious in her venture forward, keeping to the shadows of trees and small hills to avoid detection as she crept around the perimeter, scouting. Her suspicious were verified when she saw a unicorn slip into the trees of the Everfree as quietly as a mouse. “Nyx's rangers are keepin' an eye on th' place...How'm Ah gonna git in now?” The rangers wouldn't be patrolling in any pattern. They would be essentially random. And there was no telling if her tracks were already discovered. Casting a look over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being snuck up on, the earth pony saw nothing. A gaze around the home showed no current watchers...But she knew they were there. “Hay wit' it. We're not gonna be stayin' here long anyhow.”

With that thought, Applejack shot to the front door, grasped the handle in her teeth, and...Locked. She seethed for just a moment before she felt a magic gripping her. Before she had the chance to react, she'd been teleported inside by Trixie. “Wha' in tarnati-” She was cut off as she saw the blue unicorn, and understood. “Where's Fluttershy, darlin'?” The pale-yellow pegasus was nowhere to be seen in the main portion of the treehome. Trixie turned her eyes down, fighting down fresh tears, and Applejack widened her eyes, running straight to the Element of Kindness's bedroom. Even as she threw it open, her mind was already expecting the worse. A bed empty, or worse, a corpse. She thanked the sun, the moon, and everything in between that neither was the case, as the pegasus started with a squeak at the sudden entrance.

Before Applejack could fully process her relief, however, Fluttershy leaped from the bed and pressed herself close to her old friend, face burying in her tied-back blonde mane. “Oh Applejack...I-I'm so very glad to see you...” The farmfilly took a deep breath, and gave the pegasus a squeeze. She was younger than her by a few years, but Applejack had always seen her as a little sister. She sure acted like one.

“Ah'm glad ta see ya too, sugarcube, but wha's Trixie's problem? Sh' looks like sh's guilty 'bout somethin'.” Fluttershy hesitated, but gently pulled back. When the orange mare saw her friend's right eye, she couldn't help but pull back in horror. The bandages were obviously sunken in over the socket, and that could only mean...”Oh mah Celestia...! Fluttershy, who did this ta ya?!” The pegasus closed her one good eye and shuddered, lowering her head.

“P-Perfect Cut...I was protecting Trixie...And she...She...” Another shudder and a soft sob cut off her answer. The farmfilly grit her teeth, feeling her blood boil. That monster being allowed to live and be free was a big enough crime in itself to justify any rebellion against Nyx. “She...Hurt me...It still hurts a lot...But I'm ready. If it's time, I mean...” Applejack was still infuriated by the very idea of the psychopath going this far, though she knew many more horrid things had been done by Perfect's hooves. If only she could get her own hooves around that thing's neck and squeeze it until it popped, she'd be happy even if her rebellion failed. But what was that Fluttershy said?

The pegasus was meekly waiting for Applejack's response. The intense look of rage on the earth pony's face scared her, but she knew she had nothing to fear from her old friend. Applejack looked a bit ashamed of herself for getting lost in her anger and took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto her face. “Wha' was tha' ya said, Fluttershy?”

“I-I said...I'm ready...”

“Readeh? Readeh fer wha'?” Fluttershy got a determined look in her eye and a serious frown on her face, wanting to show Applejack that she was, indeed, prepared for this.

“Confronting Queen Nyx. That's...Why you're here, right? With Trixie?” She lowered her head again, an apologetic look on her face as she realized she may have spoken too soon. “I-If not...I'm sorry for assuming...” Applejack chuckled a bit, though it was more humorless sounding than she intended.

“Nah, sugarcube. Ah dun realleh think...” And then she thought about it. Why wait? With the guard having been raised, it would be assumed they would flee. Dash had put on a show, but she wasn't a known member of the rebellion. They wouldn't expect an attack at the palace from the Elements of Harmony, and even if they did the guard was lighter just from having so many of them charging around Ponyville. Maybe...Just maybe...They could get to Queen Nyx with little resistance. They could end this now. They could put a stop to Perfect's murders, at the very least. “...Actually, Fluttershy, Ah think yer right. Ah think we should do this now. Are ya sure yer ready fer this, though?” Fluttershy nodded slowly, again regaining her determined glare.

“I-It hurts...But I don't mind...I can do this...” She knew she could, with the help of her friends...

In a world where the sunlight still reached Equestria, a library stood, still full of furniture and books, a worried dragon, and an equally worried unicorn who had decided she was responsible for the filly that had been left beind. She was worried for Twilight, who had vanished, and she was worried for little Nyx, who had only gotten a few hours of sleep last night. The young alicorn showed it, too. She was sluggish, grumpy, and overly emotional...Well, two out of three were abnormal.

Rarity had attempted to pull her away from her mother's books and papers, but the alicorn had proved very stubborn. She did her best to make sure the foal was fed and cared for, but she felt...Well, she felt ignored. Nyx went about this with a passion similar to Twilight, but she was far more grim about it. After all, she felt as though it was her responsibility to care for this.

Given the circumstances, she supposed Nyx was doing...Well. She spent the entirety of yesterday being inconsolable, but now the foal had been working non-stop. As far as the fashionista could gather, she was trying to figure out what had happened, why, and how to replicate it. That was an admirable goal, to say the least, and that Nyx had gone about it with absolute attention and determination. Unfortunately, she was failing, as it seemed from her growing frustration. Rarity found herself once again opening her mouth to try to plead with the young one to at least take a break, before she was interrupted by a growl from the young alicorn. "I can't do it! I don't have momma's education and I don't have her smarts!" She plopped down, a despairing look on her face. She refused to let the tears come this time, though. She wouldn't cry, she would be a brave girl for her momma. But her eyes watered all the same.

"And that, dear, is why I've sent a letter to the Princesses. I'm sure they will be able to..." She was going to say 'save Twilight', but something in Rarity told her she should preserve the poor filly's ego. "...Help you in your research." Nyx looked up, taking her glasses off to wipe her eyes dry with a hoof. Her striking draconic eyes appeared from behind those frames, and returned to normal when she let them fall back over haphazardly. Rarity's horn glowed as she gently pushed the glasses back into place.

"Thank you, Ms. Rarity..." She looked down, ashamed that she'd been so focused on doing it herself, she had never even thought of asking Celestia or Luna for help. She looked around at the massive mess of books she'd made, and started putting them away. Thanks to her particularly strong magic, she was able to put many books up on their shelves at once. Though, to Spike's dismay, in the wrong orders. However, the dragon was too worried about Twilight to either care too much about that, OR fawn over Rarity, which both relieved and concerned the unicorn.

"Think nothing of it, dear. They'll arrive soon, I'm sure. In the meantime, why don't you make sure Spike is alright?" Rarity had learned over time that the best way to keep Nyx happy in times of trouble was to give the young one someone else to make happy. It worked this time as well, though not with the same level of gusto or enthusiasm. The white unicorn bit her lip, looking to the two very glum little ones trying to console each other, and hoped the princesses would arrive soon...They hadn't even sent a return letter, yet.

In a world where the stars eternally look down on Equestria, Rainbow Dash hid as the guards went by, taking Twilight with them. Rarity walked with them, still seeming flustered, but she was quickly putting on a mask of indifference. Dash, on the other hand, was equal parts confused, stunned, and horrified. Rarity had not responded how she thought. The unicorn, at the notion of taking down Queen Nyx, had reacted almost violently. In fact, she threatened the pegasus with her horn, chasing her off. “What the hay is her problem?! Horseapples, has she gone INSANE?!” Dash waited for the guards to be out of eyeshot, then shook her head. Not her problem, now. They were going to the palace, and that was pretty much it. She could take on those guards single-hooved if she needed to, but with Rarity and Twilight with them, she felt a lot less confidant about her chances. She rose up, and spread her wings. “Gotta get to Applejack. Hope she's got a plan for this...”

Before she could take off, she heard a poofing sound behind and below the tree she'd chosen to hide in. Looking down, the pegasus saw the very pony she'd hoped to see, along with Fluttershy and...”Ugh. Well, least I won't have to put up with her by myself...” “Hey, down there.” Dash glided down as the others looked to her. “I got bad news, AJ, real b-OH MY BUCKIN' CELESTIA! Fluttershy what happened to you?!” The demure pegasus looked down, and Applejack held up a hoof.

“Not important now. Bad news?” Dash only reluctantly looked away from the pegasus she considered her best friend of the other five, and back to the farm-mare.

“Twilight and Rarity are both crazy! Twilight thinks she can reason with her, and went WITH the guards! Rarity almost attacked me when I told her we needed to save Twilight! I swear, I don't know what's wrong with her!” The earth pony looked dumbstruck herself. Why would Rarity do that? This changed everything. They couldn't go in there without Rarity being ready to do her part. And where was-

“Hi, Applejack!” Everyone jumped as Pinkie popped out of a newly dug hole in the ground, beaming widely. She shook herself, somehow completely clearing the dirt from her mane, tail, and coat...By getting it all over the others. “What's going on, huh? I thought you were in that rebellion thingy, whatcha doin' in Ponyville?”

“How...Ah dun even...” Applejack sighed. Why even bother. Then she got an idea, and grinned. “Nevermind. Hey, Pinkie?”

“Yeeeeees?”

“Ah heard th' guards at th' palace realleh wanna play tag 'gin...”

Sixth Forgiveness

Queen Nyx's palace had changed quite a bit. Twilight remember being here before...It was burned into her memory by the trauma of that time. That was how she knew it had been expanded, and many renovations made. But the same teal, draconic eyes glared down upon her from every pony's face, a constant reminder of who their queen was. One of the differences, however, was comforting, in that there were servants and guards without those eyes. The unicorn could only wonder what that could possibly mean, but she convinced herself it could only be good. She needed that reassurance right now.

Rarity wasn't providing that, which was surprising. When the unicorn had met up with Twilight and the guards, she had seemed rather outraged. Given what had happened, she though it was completely understandable that the fashionista was annoyed. But the white unicorn was carrying that anger still, which just wasn't like her at all. Twilight had tried to strike up a conversation, but the guards did not seem as though they liked the idea of either unicorn talking, so she'd just hung her head and tried to gather her thoughts.

Her thoughts weren't a very good distraction, given how unpleasant they were. "Why, Nyx? Was it really me dying that did all this?" Twilight knew she was very important to the filly, but this was somewhat of a shock. She was her mother, though...Well, something close. "No," Twilight firmly reminded herself. "Her mother, no matter what." That self-assurance helped a little. She had been less sure she could reason with the Queen when she'd come inside the foreboding palace. No matter how grand the halls were, or perhaps because of that, the darkness that clung to every corner could not be fully dispelled by any chandelier or candelabra. The feeling that this darkness was closing in, the sensation of claustrophobia, was very stifling to her confidence. Rarity's anger was not helping.

Why did that keep coming up in her mind? Was it because the fashionista was always so calm? That seemed likely, but there was more to it than that. There didn't seem to be a reason to be angry. Who was the anger AT? Her? Dash? ...Maybe Rarity herself? This idea caused Twilight to remember the white unicorn's outburst...Was it last night? "Why would their command be any more legitimate than another alicorn who can control the heavens! Why should we bow to rulers not even here when there is one who seems just as kind, if not a bit more stern?" Twilight winced at the memory, closing her eyes as another came. "Would you really do that to your own daughter even after she avenged your death? Built a monument in your name? Made Ponyville the scion, the glowing example of ponykind?!"

Forcing back tears, Twilight reasoned with herself, "Of course I wouldn't...But this Nyx...This Nyx isn't my daughter. Her mother is dead and gone. If I have to..." She bit her lip, shuddering a bit. "If I have to...I will. Anything to go home."

Anything.

"A'ight. Now th' plan is simple. Pinkie's gonna distract ahll th' guards outside, an' we'll make our way in. Fluttershy, Ah might need yer animals to make more o' a ruckus on th' inside, but try ta keep it light. We dun need ta attract En Em Em's attention 'fore we get Twilight an' Rarity," Fluttershy nodded slowly, and Applejack continued. "Now, Ah dunno wha' possessed them two ta go with them guards willin'ly, But tha' might end up bein' a problem. Trixie, ya up fer this?"

When all eyes turned to her, the magician gulped softly, and hunched down a bit. Could she? She remembered the last time they'd tried. "We...Still need to find the elements to use them," She cautiously pointed out. While Rainbow Dash wondered who replaced Trixie with this filly, Applejack frowned, and turned to face the magician more fully.

"Sugarcube, Ah di'n't ask tha'. Ah asked if ya were readeh." Her tone was more firm now, the voice of a commander, not a friend or lover. Trixie stood up straighter and nodded.

"If Twilight cannot, or will not do her duty, I am ready." She looked around to the other four ponies, trying to smile. "I know some of you may still hold a grudge against me. I know I have been an arrogant nag. I only ask that you give me a chance." Her eyes settled on the rainbow pegasus. "Even if I can't use the Element of Magic fully yet, I would still very much like to be friends with you." It had been practiced and rehearsed. That reminder tugged at her gut again, reminding her of that inadequacy. Dash glared at Trixie for a moment, making the blue unicorn's smile falter a bit. "Please, Rainbow Dash. I am sorry."

"I dunno...You don't seem that sorry. Maybe if you...Beg a little?" The pegasus smirked, and then yelped in surprise when she got a headbutt from the side. Fluttershy squeaked and froze, Trixie staring in a little bit of horror at the rather angry looking Applejack who'd performed that act.

"Applejack, what are you-"

The earth pony cut her off, And Pinkie sidled up to Trixie and smiled reassuringly. "Now look here, sugarcube. Ah ain't gonna pretend Ah di'n't have some animosity towards this mare when we met after tha' time. But tha's goin' way too far! Here sh' is, tryin' ta apologize ta ya, and yer jus' gonna spit in her face like tha'?!" The pegasus scrambled up, and butted heads with her old rival, pressing back against her.

"So what?! She admitted herself! She gets that I got a grudge, and I should!"

"An' why's tha'? Cuz ya got humiliated in a fight YOU started, misseh?" Dash opened her mouth to retort, but she couldn't think of anything. "Ah know sh' was as prideful as ahll git out, darlin'," The farm-mare said more softly, "But ain't that normal for her trade? Okay, maybeh not tha' prideful, but ya know wha' Ah mean. Sh'm was jus' doin' wha' sh' loves. You, me, an' Rarity were the ones who challenged her."

"Yea, but-!"

"No buts, sugarcube. Ya know ya did wrong, jus' as much as her. So whatcha gonna do 'bout it?" Dash kept glaring for a moment, but there was something in Applejack's eyes she couldn't ignore or deny. She let her head fall, and her haunches as well, the pegasus falling into a pouting crouch.

"Yea, I forgive you, Trixie. But you better act right this time!" The unicorn sighed in relief and nodded, her smile returning. This time it was more genuine.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash. I'll do my absolute best." Fluttershy smiled shyly, and bowed her head.

"I-I wasn't even there...S-So I can't dislike you..."

"Me either! And you seem like a pretty nice pony now!" Pinkie grinned and bumped her flank against Trixie's a little more roughly than the unicorn was ready for, making her stumble. "I hope you like parties, cuz we're gonna have one when this is all done!"

The next voice to ring out made them all whip to attention as it floated down from above. "Heh, you know I do." The ponies' gazes jerked up, to see a cloud lazily floating just overhead, a pair of orange eyes on a yellow, smirking face meeting their own stares. One of her forelegs dangled over the edge of the cloud, the other laid over the first.

"...Spitfire? Guys! That's SPITFIRE!" Dash stated the obvious excitedly, not noticing that both Applejack and Trixie's expressions had turned very dark.

"Sure am, kid. And you look pretty healthy for a dead mare." She chuckled and winked down at Dash, the pegasus blushing like a schoolfilly at the recognition from her idol. "How ya doing now?"

"Oh my gosh I'm great how are you wait you remember me oh my gosh that's awesome do you remember when I sav-" Once again the pegasus is cut off, this time by a bolt of magic launched towards the cloud. Spitfire simply rolled from the white fluff, spreading her wings and letting the wind catch them. "TRIXIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Whoa, there. We can't talk about this? No?" Spitfire grinned as she flipped down her flight goggles. "Guess we gotta do this the hard way." Dash saw the outfit she was wearing now, and understood. Instead of the blue and yellow uniform of the Wolderbolts, the spandex was purple and black, with yellow lightning designs around the chest and legs.

"Horseapples. This is bad, isn't it."

"Kid, it sure ain't good for you girls."

Queen Nyx was very nervous. The guards had confirmed Twilight Sparkle had been captured, and now she could only wonder how the unicorn was alive. A torrent of questions ran through her head, and almost all of them hurt more than she could imagine. Or at least, the possible answers to them did. The alicorn forced those feelings down. They had no place in her mind. A good ruler was unbiased, impartial, and certainly not filled with self doubt. This made her far superior to either of the previous rulers.

Yes, she would approach this with professionalism. The dark queen smirked to herself. She would not show weakness, nor would she falter to her emotions or this imposter. An imposter. Nothing more. When the doors to her throne room opened, she was holding herself high, a proud stature, and wore the arrogant smirk that had graced her muzzle many times in the past...One that this imposter would not recognize. Of course she wouldn't, the last time she'd smirked like this, it was in the real Twilight's presence. She'd been saving the expression for Applejack when she was finally captured, but now seemed a good a time as any.

That completely fell apart when the purple unicorn entered, flanked by two guards. Nyx had expected an obvious fake, or at least some detail she could nitpick at, convince herself that this 'Twilight Sparkle' was simply a fool that had delivered herself onto her final judgement. But if this was a disguise...It was good enough to fool even her. She stared at the unicorn, her smirk gone, replaced by a blank stare. The alicorn...Didn't know what to think now.

Twilight Sparkle was very nervous. She trusted Nyx would at least give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, she HAD still tried to save her from death, hadn't she? A torrent of questions ran through her head, and each one was more hopeful than the last. Or, at least, the answers to them were. The unicorn forced those feelings down. They had every place in her mind. However, a good parent was gentle and kind, but firm, and certainly not prone to interrogating their charge for information she could get more gently. This would get her what she wanted...What she needed.

Yes, she would approach this as a parent. She would not show fear, nor would she falter to the thought of this other Nyx being hers. She was someone else's daughter. Nothing more. When the doors to the throne room opened, Twilight held herself high, a proud stature, and wore the confident, determined look that had been hers so many times in the past...One that Nyx would recognize. Of course she would, the last time she'd given Nyx this look, the filly had known she meant business. This seemed a good a time as any to show that.

That completely fell apart when she saw the alicorn upon her throne, sans her armor. Twilight had expected the dark queen to be trying to intimidate her as much as possible, or at least pretend to be complete uncaring, convince herself that this Nyx was simply an enemy she had to use to get home. But this arrogant smirk wasn't fooling her. She stared at the alicorn, her determination gone, replaced by a blank stare. The unicorn...Didn't know what to believe now.

The silence made one of the guards nervous. He had been a 'normal' recruit. Nightmare Moon had stopped giving the 'blessing' out, and a rumor had circulated, before being brutally stamped out, that she didn't know how to anymore. The official word was that Queen Nyx didn't bestow this blessing onto anypony, save the ones that had originally chosen to serve her. He wished she had, as having the stoic and detached view on this scene as his partner did would make this far less nerve-wracking. Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken by their queen's words, "Leave us. Seal the chambers." Even that relief, however, was worrying, as it had been said in a quavering, emotional voice that he had never imagined coming from the alicorn. He immediately obeyed, however. Spell Nexus had been an excellent example that no one was safe from the penalty for questioning or disobeying their queen. The two guards bowed, and left. Queen Nyx, who normally would have frowned for a moment at how out of sync the two were compared to her 'blessed' staff, didn't even notice this time.

As soon as the doors closed, Twilight rushed up to the throne. Nyx was at first frightened that her foolishness would lead to her being attacked again, but she couldn't help herself, leaping from her throne and meeting the unicorn half-way. She crouched down and laid her neck over Twilight's, burying her muzzle into the purple unicorn's mane. Twilight just rubbed her cheek to the alicorn's, both crying quietly, tears running down their cheeks. "T-Twilight...You don't hate me? Please don't hate me anymore..."

"I never did, Nyx...Never," the magician reassured, wrapping her hooves around the base of the dark queen's neck. "Trust me...What I did was against my will. I would never, ever want to hurt you." A pang of guilt came to her mind at that lie, knowing full well she came here ready to manipulate and use the alicorn.

In response, Nyx only buried her face further into that purple and pink mane, feeling now happier than she had in years, just to hear that. "But...But why?"

"It was...That bastard Nexus. He did something to me...Did something to make me say and do what he wanted," Twilight softly explained, marveling now at how easy it was for her to talk through the tears, just to comfort the other Nyx...No, comfort her other daughter.

Queen Nyx grit her teeth, and pulled back angrily, startling Twilight. "That ungrateful...No. He received his just reward." She forced the rage down, and smiled again, this smile being genuine, a far cry from the empty smirk she'd prepared for this moment. "It matters not. You are here again, and here to stay," the alicorn stated as she returned to her throne, but offering space between her forelegs for her mother. Twilight hesitated, wincing at those words.

"I should tell her...No, wait for a bit. Just...Let her have this for now. Maybe I can solve this, make her less of a tyrant, maybe even get her to free the princesses...Set things right." She climbed up slowly, pressing her back against the much larger pony's underside, letting out a sigh, one conflicted between contentment and sadness. "I'll stay as long as I can, but...I can't guarantee I'll be here forever..."

Nyx closed her eyes tightly. "No, that isn't fair, I won't let her leave, I wo-" "I...I understand. But forgive me, mother, if I do try my best to find a way for you to stay."

"I wouldn't hold that against you, daughter," replied the unicorn, wondering how she could have so readily abandoned her plan. It just...Felt so wrong. And yet...She couldn't bring herself to hurt Nyx.

She couldn't hurt her daughter.

"How th' hay can sh' be so FAST?!" Spitfire was flying rings around the ponies. Fluttershy tried to keep up with her in the air, cut off her maneuvering, but found herself left behind time and time again by the pure speed and aerobatic skill that the shadowbolt had. Dash wasn't even trying. Just staring in awe. And, as Applejack grimly noted, fear. "Dash, ya gotta snap outta it! Ya gotta help us on this!" The rainbow pegasus shook her head desperately, shaking. She couldn't match up. There's no way she could help. Spitfite was just BETTER, in every way...

"Darling, I think we should let her be!" Trixie yelled as she dodged from a flame-contrail, the heat along singing her as it went past. She winced, but refused to be brought low by something so little. She let loose a flurry of magic missiles, Spitfires evading all but one of them, and she shrugged off that one. Pinkie, for her part, wasn't much help, but her unpredictability had confounded Spitfire more than once.

"Dash, c'mon! Yer stronger than this! Ya can beat this girl!" The pegasus had gotten completely unresponsive, and Fluttershy was getting exhausted. She wasn't strong enough for this kind of prolonged exertion, and Spitfire knew every trick in the book for saving energy. Applejack grunted and left the Element of Loyalty be. Trixie was right, they'd have to take down Spitfire themselves...And she was coming in for another pass. She dodged and rolled, then noticed the shadowbolt hesitating a moment when she approached, pulling up at the last moment. "Wha' in tarnati-Wait a minute!" She'd pulled up just before she'd hit Dash straight on. Why would she...? "Th' nag has a guilty conscience! Perfect!" "FLUTTERSHY! TRIXIE! PINKIE! Keep 'er off meh!" The farm mare rushed to her friend's side, grabbing her shoulders with both forehooves. "Dash, look, Ah know ya dun think ya can do much, but Ah need you ta do somethin' fer us, or we're gonna be done." Rainbow Dash refused to look up, so Applejack raised her chin. She looked away.

"Dagnabbit, we ain't got th' time fer this..." She did the only thing she could think of to get the weather-pony to pay attention, to snap out of it. As their companions tried desperately to fend off the unbelievably skilled aerobatics of the flame-themed pegasus, Applejack swooped her muzzle in and gave Dash the most fierce, passionate kiss she possibly could muster in this situation.

THAT did the trick. Dash's eyes went wide, jerking away from the kiss. "APPLEJACK WHAT THE BUCK!"

"Ya listenin' now?! Good! Now look, Ah dun rightly know why, but..." She shoved them both to the side as Spitfire attempted a low-altitude manuver to get out of the way of a fireball. The heat from the contrail was probably worse than that spell. "...Spitfire won't touch ya. Ah know yer scared," The farm-filly grinned at the sudden indignation from her old friend. "Gotcha now, darlin'." "But ahll Ah need ya ta do is get in front of her, and stay in front of her. Jus' fer a few seconds, tha's it. Can ya do it, or are ya too chicken?!"

Dash didn't even let her finish. She launched herself into the sky, and forced herself in front of the shadowbolt. Spitfire couldn't stop, and was forced to turn herself vertically, using her wings frantically to stop. It forced her right up in front of Dash...And then then both got mowed down by a Fluttershy who was a little bit more lacking in depth perception than she used to be. Taken to the ground, Spitfire shook off the ranger, though before she could take off again, Pinkie Pie threw her two cents...And her entire body, on top. She clung to the shadowbolt even as Spitfire tried every trick she knew to throw off the straight-maned pony, starting to lose oxygen quickly.

See, Pinkie didn't MEAN to hurt anyone, but this was making her a little bit spooked, being so far from the ground while also doing loop-de-loops, corkscrews, barrel-rolls...She was having the time of her life, but it was still a bit scary, so her forelegs had tightened around Spitfire's neck a lot more tightly than they needed to be. The flame-pegasus's contrail's heat increased in an act of desperation from the same, which made Pinkie gasp out in pain and fall...But it was too late. Even as Dash caught the party pony from the air, Spitfire was forced to stop to take in a deep breath, and she had no chance to avoid the incoming bolt of lightning. The heat she could take. The body spasms from the sheer amount of electricity she couldn't. The fall would have killed her, if Fluttershy hadn't caught her. The pale yellow pegasus gasped as some of the lightning arced into her, and she thumped into the ground with a loud groan. But she was conscious.

Spitfire was most certainly not.

"YEH! Good job, everypony! We got her down!" Applejack grinned around at all her friends, then frowned at how...Shaken and tired everyone looked. This was their last chance. They couldn't waste it. But could she really force them to keep going? "C'mon, girls...Ya'll can do this, a'ight?" Trixie shakily rose to her full height, and nodded. Dash and Pinkie weren't that bad off, but the magician and the ranger were completely out of breath. She hoped the Elements would make that better. They would have to.

"I...I can carry on. I will carry on," Trixie demanded of herself. She hobbled to Applejack, leaning onto the sturdy earth pony for support. "Just...Just give me a moment to catch my breath."

"We cain't stop, sugarcube. Ah'm sorreh, but there's gotta be more behind her." She cast a nervous glance around them. "We cain't take another one 'a them lieutenants in this state." She took a deep breath, and waited for a few seconds, despite her words, before nudging Trixie up fully. "Le's git goin'. We ain't gonna git 'nother chance at this..."

Her companions steeled themselves, and headed towards the palace once more. Dash let herself keep pace with Applejack, instead of being at the front as before, and cleared her throat. "Sorry, AJ. I don't know what happened there..."

"We woul'n't be in this shape if SOMEPONY had jus'...Nah. Nah, Applejack. Ya ain't gotta right ta expect that of Rainbow so soon. Sh's still tryin' ta adjus'..." "Ya did fine, sugarcube. Ya did fine. Thanks ta ya, we got outta that mess." She forced a smile, and that seemed to be enough to the pegasus, who grinned proudly and leapt to the front again, leaving Applejack wondering if she really should have approached that problem the way she did.

At least Trixie hadn't seen it. That woulda been a problem.

Rarity felt truly terrible for fuming the entire time. But what right had that blasted pegasus to try to take everything from her? Her successful career, her friend? She would be very lucky if she wasn't investigated for being a part of the rebellion after that fiasco! That would severely damage her sales.

The unicorn sighed, forcing herself to calm down. "Shouldn't I be happy that Rainbow Dash is here as well? She IS an imbecile at times, but she is a good friend, and my behavior must have been a weight Twilight didn't need." She felt ashamed...No! What reason did she have for shame?! This was her DREAM, even if it hadn't come the way she wanted, or expected. DASH should have been ashamed for...

"I-I don't know...Please Rarity, I don't even know why I'm here..." Rarity bit her lip. She'd treated Twilight that way too. How could she do that to her?

"I should be ashamed. They are my friends...I've only really been loyal to Fluttershy this entire time...! I refused to help Applejack. I didn't really try to cheer up Pinkie, I ranted at Twilight, and all but attacked Rainbow Dash!" She shuddered, swallowing hard. She didn't want to treat her friends so badly. She didn't WANT to put her career first. It was just so...So..."So frightening to have what I truly wanted, and be expected to throw it all away."

Rarity realized she had never felt so torn in her life. Shaking her head, she told herself she didn't have to make a decision between them. She just...She just had to convince Applejack and Rainbow Dash to give up this crusade. That would work. She smiled, sitting on a cushion in the palace foyer. The smile was more to fool herself than anything else. But the smile grew a little more when she heard soft laughter from the huge closed doors. If they could see eye to eye again, there must be hope for them yet.

In another world, where the sun still shone, it had set for the day. Another Rarity pored over the letter Spike had finally coughed up, perusing it carefully. It was vague, but simple. The princesses claimed they were already aware of this incident, that they were trying their best. Little Nyx had demanded to go to Canterlot, but the white unicorn had managed to convince the poor thing that it was best she stay, in case her mother returned.

She didn't think Twilight would on her own, but it had been enough for the foal. Said filly was asleep, curled up in Twilight's bed. Fluttershy had come by, wanting to take Rarity's place, give her some rest. The fashionista had refused, but now she wished she hadn't. She was exhausted as well, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the filly, nor to sleep and miss the little one possibly needing her. She sipped at some coffee, fighting to keep her eyes open while she read a text she could barely focus on through fatigued vision.

Even if the princesses were doing their best, she wanted to help the filly out as much as possible, and had made notes. But she was fading now, and she knew it. "Just a little more time, Rarity. Please, you must do this for the poor dear..." But her body wasn't listening.

A soft thump awakened the lightly dozing alicorn, and she sat upright. She peered down to the lower floor, and saw the fashionista slumped over the table, asleep. With a frown, the young Nyx stripped the other bed of a blanket with her magic, and floated it over Rarity's exhausted form. She was about to go back to sleep herself when she spied the book and notes. Her eyes widened and she rushed downstairs to look at them. She wasn't too sure what they meant, too much magic stuff she hadn't learned yet. She gently slid the book out from under the white unicorn's head, replacing it with a pillow, and took both it and the notes upstairs.

She was GOING to learn, though. She gave up earlier, but that didn't matter now. Rarity had done this much...She was sure she could finish it.

Seventh Revelation

Having decided that Twilight would most likely be staying with Her Majesty, Rarity took her leave. She'd briefly considered telling Queen Nyx about the return of Rainbow Dash, and the presence of Applejack, but she kicked herself over it. Even after all that had happened, and how disappointed she was in the farm-mare for being so close-minded, she would NEVER betray her friends like that. And she still counted Applejack as a friend despite her...Indiscretions.

As she walked along the inner halls to the exit, flanked by two guards, she considered those faults. The most obvious one was the rebellion, but that was not the foremost on her mind. No, that was involving...A misunderstanding. One that changed their lives forever. The catalyst that had ended their friendships, five years ago.

"Dashie is going to get hurt if this keeps up!" Pinkie whimpered softly, her eyes wide as she watched the race unfolding high above Ponyville. Rarity gave a worried look to the Earth Pony. She hadn't been the same since Twilight died. But she had been holding up with the help of her friends. She was recovering, albeit slowly.

"Sh'll be a'ight, sugarcube. Dash can take a little jostlin'. It'll be good fer her ta git this aggression outta her system." Applejack gave a peaceful smile up to the sky. If she was worried about her harvest this year, she didn't show it. Rarity supposed she was just letting what would come, come. Watching her marefriend race likely helped.

The white unicorn turned her eyes skyward, to the streaks of light running through the sky. One rainbow...One flame. Rainbow Dash had, in her normal way of thinking, had called Spitfire a traitor for signing up with Queen Nyx, and obviously, in her normal way of thinking, the only way to settle this was a race. Rarity could see why the Wonderbolts' leader had done so. She must have been worried her friends would go off half-cocked and join a rebellion. Or worse. So she joined with Nyx, and told them to follow. They had listened to their long-time wing-mate. For their quick decision to swear fealty, they'd been allowed to keep their status and rank in the Equestrian military, and not much had changed, aside from getting into Her Majesty's good graces.

That had been fine for a while. Her pegasus friend had assumed it was some sort of undercover assassination mission, or some such rot. When nothing of the sort occurred, Dash had confronted Spitfire, who told her plainly that she wasn't planning on betraying her new sovereign any time soon. That she honestly wasn't that bad.

Then had come the challenge, and here they were. The Wonderbolts were here too. Well, the Shadowbolts, as they now called themselves. Everypony was enjoying this show. Not a one was taking it seriously. After all, Dash was known for being a hotheaded foal, surely she would calm down after this. They would race, perhaps get into a tussle, and come back friends again.

"You sure about that?" The Shadowbolt named Sharp Wing said, grinning. "Dash doesn't seem like the type to like losing. Might make her even more mad." Applejack scoffed at that, and rolled her eyes, though she was grinning herself.

"Meh Dash ain't gonna be th' one losin' this here race. Ah jus' hope Spitfire can take it gracefully."

As the two of them continued this banter, Pinkie simply stared upwards. She seemed...Terrified. Rarity frowned, and sat next to her friend. She laid a leg around her back, but the earth pony didn't respond. "Pinkie...? Pinkie, dear, everything is going to be alright. It's just a race." Only then did the formerly party loving pony look over to her friend. The fashionista recoiled a bit in shock at how haunted Pinkie looked. She had that look of somepony who knew something terrible was about to happen, but was hoping against hope that it wouldn't. "Pinkie? Please, don't tell me your Pinkie sense..." Pinkamena simply burst into tears, an act that made everyone look over with confusion to the pair of ponies. Rarity looked to them, wide eyed, and barely mumbled, "Stop the race."

"What? Rarity, what'd ya say?"

Her friends startled as Rarity suddenly jumped up, and screamed, "STOP THE RACE! Oh by the sun, moon, and stars she can't hear, can she?!" The unicorn was now panicked, and she cast her gaze to Fluttershy, who scooted back a bit. "Fluttershy! You have to stop Dash!"

"B-But...She said we sh-shouldn't interfere..." Applejack rolled her eyes at what she believed to be just more of Rarity's over-reactions, and turned her head back to the race in progress. Rarity shook her head violently, and continued.

"That doesn't matter! You simply mu-"

A gasp from Applejack made her whip around. Pinkie watched in absolute horror as Rainbow Dash went spiraling down into the trees below. The Farm-Mare sprinted off towards where she landed. Her friends, and the Shadowbolts, weren't far behind.

The unicorn thanked the guards, smiling, and walked across the courtyard of the palace. This was open to the public, but heavily guarded. The guard postings looked a bit thin, today. She supposed they were out searching for the two most dangerous ponies in Equestria. Rarity climbed onto a bench, and examined a flower closely. She wasn't truly interested in the blossom to any degree, but it was better than thinking of what she had been thinking of. She didn't want to think of such sad things anymore. Pinkie was alright again, and Rarity was so sure that she could convince Applejack to give up this foal crusade...She understood Applejack's loss, but this was going too far. What had happened was surely not Her Majesty's fault, after all.

"Dash! DASH! C'mon, girl, speak ta meh! Don'tcha leave meh like this..." Applejack's plaintive sobbing was the first thing they heard. Pinkie stopped short, falling behind the others as they leapt to Applejack's side. The orange earth pony was cradling the cyan pegasus in one of her forelegs, the other holding up Rainbow Dash's head. Fluttershy trembled as she stepped forward, and examined her best friend. Applejack watched the pale-yellow pegasus, her eyes filled with the same terrified hopefulness that Pinkie earlier had. Spitfire looked like she was about to throw up, her own comrades surrounding her, asking what happened.

Fluttershy bent her neck down, over her oldest friend, and started to cry. Applejack's chin fell, her face hid behind her father's hat. A few tears dripped down, over her muzzle, and falling onto the dead form of Rainbow Dash, before she gently laid the mare down. "You...Ya killed her..."

Spitfire shuddered at those words, and shook her head quickly. "I-It...It was an accident. I just-I just hit her a little too hard! I didn't mean...I didn't mean to kill her!" Applejack stood up, her body trembling with rage. She didn't bother stopping the tears, either. So much emotion was running through her that she couldn't think straight. Or keep herself from jumping at Spitfire. Her friends were waiting for that, though, as the farm-mare was practically oozing violent intent.

"LEMME GO! SH' KILLED HER! THAT NAG KILLED MAH DARLIN'!" Fluttershy and Rarity stared, stunned by the sudden outburst and utter fury the earth pony displayed. Pinkie slowly slunk away, her head low to the ground. No one noticed her leave.

"HEY! Help me out here!" The Shadowbolt named Honey Dew struggled to keep Applejack from getting to Spitfire, who could only stare, like she had been frozen in place. The other four present Wonderbolts grabbed the Farm-Mare and dragged her, kicking and screaming, to the ground. Rarity shook off her shock and rushed to their side, and did the only thing she could think of to help: She slapped Applejack as hard as she could.

Rarity was never much for combat, but she was one of the Elements of Harmony, and she knew how to handle herself in a fight if she really needed to. She just didn't have much stamina. So when she slapped Applejack with as much force as she could muster for the moment, the only reason there wasn't the crunch of a crushed cheekbone was the fact that the one she was slapping could take much more abuse than that. And said slap did it's job. Applejack suddenly stopped kicking and screaming, and went still.

The ponies holding her down continued to do so for a few minutes, making sure she wouldn't try anything. It was only after Rarity nodded to them that they let go, quickly stepping into a defensive formation around Spitfire. The aforementioned couldn't tear her eyes off of Rainbow Dash's fallen body. They hadn't been friends for long, but it'd been long enough to make this easily the most traumatic thing she'd ever experienced. She'd never lost a friend by causing their death before, after all.

Applejack sat up, cast one more glare to Spitfire, then she walked, very slowly, to her fallen lover's side, and slid under Dash, propping the pegasus up onto her back. Without another word, or another look to any of the others. The Shadowbolts quickly escorted their leader off, the flame-maned pegasus looking back to Rarity and Fluttershy, speaking one last time. "I'm so, so sorry! Please forgive me!" Then she was gone.

The funeral had been rather gloomy. They'd already lost one dear friend, and this deepened those wounds that had barely had time to heal. For some of them, they hadn't yet in the first place. Pinkie didn't attend the funeral. That was when she started cooping herself up entirely. Applejack got over her anger; realizing Spitfire couldn't possibly have wanted to kill Dash. It WAS an accident. She had no motive anyway. Rainbow Dash was the Shadowbolt's friend too, after all. But that anger was just replaced with more grief. Spitfire was there to see off the rainbow-maned pegasus, and she and Applejack had talked at great length. Forgiveness was given, but the farm-mare wasn't sure Spitfire was ready to forgive herself.

It was after she left that Spike came running up with some very disturbing news. News that revived that fury inside Applejack. That day, Applejack demanded Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy join her. She was going to join a rebellion against Queen Nyx. Rarity and Fluttershy of course tried to talk her down, though they had their doubts as well. They tried to convince their friend that she should calm down, think about this before she acted, but she would have none of it. She denounced them all, calling them traitors and cowards, and she left. She took nothing with her but her hat.

Rarity still remembered quite freshly what Spike had said to cause that. It was horrifying in itself, definitive evidence of foul-play. Spitfire had looked so devastated, so sorrowful, that Rarity still didn't quite buy it, but it was still rather condemning.

Spitfire had been, directly after Dash's funeral, promoted from being a mere leader of a stunt flying team that was only technically military. She had been promoted to a personal lieutenant to Queen Nyx herself.

These days, Spitfire was as busy as she always had been. She always took the time to visit Rainbow Dash's grave, however, at least once a week. Rarity wasn't sure Applejack would like that. How would the farm-mare react to the current state of things in Ponyville, if the white unicorn were to convince her to give up? Surely she could see things were just fine. The fashionista wasn't stupid, though, she knew there was more to it than just a personal vendetta against Queen Nyx or her underlings. Applejack wasn't such a foolish pony as to cause as much trouble for Her Majesty's reign as she had over that.

And that itself was another problem. One Rarity had not yet considered, and it shook her: Could Her Majesty simply forgive Applejack for all she'd done? In Ponyville, the myriad rebellions had all been demonized, both by the heralds and by the townsfolk themselves. Even ponies that moved to the once-small town told stories of the rebellion making life difficult abroad. Queen Nyx must be absolutely livid at all of them, but the one Applejack led was the largest, the most organized, and the most active. Even if she could find it in her heart to forgive the rebel, Her Majesty would be facing throngs of citizens demanding Applejack's head.

This, in Rarity's mind, led to only two possible conclusions: Forget Applejack, go home, and wait, or find Applejack, hear her out, find out why she led this foal crusade, and possibly join her. She bit her lip. No, there was only one option. Only one possible outcome. She could never simply let a friend face the gallows. Not again. Not while she still drew breath. "But how to find Applejack, and convince her of my sincerity?"

"TAG! You're it!" What. Rarity lifted her head, and watched in utter confusion as a pink blur shot past her. The guard who had been tagged seemed equally confused, wondering what the protocol was for being challenged to a game of tag. A 'blessed' guard nearby widened his eyes, and froze, seeming as though he was in the throes of a PTSD-driven episode. When the pink pony burst into the palace, the former guard reacted immediately.

"HALT!" He rushed after Pinkie, followed by all the guards not currently whimpering to themselves. Rarity was utterly dumbstruck and slowly stepped from her bench, only to be bowled over by an orange blur rushing to the entrance herself. The white unicorn hesitated a moment, then smirked and followed her friend. To hell with second-guessing. It was time to do something brash and immediate.

"APPLEJACK!" The fashionista called out. The wake of confusion and chaos had done it's job in pulling the guard after her, but there was no time to stop or waste. That didn't exclude the possibility of shooting the white unicorn a dirty look.

"What, ya came ta try an' talk sense inta meh?" Rarity snorted as she matched her old friend's pace as much as she could. She had to duck a bit as Rainbow Dash flew over her to tackle a lingering soldier to the ground. The guard was dazed, but still conscious, though that didn't last for long when Dash used his chin as a springboard to launch herself into the air again. These massive hallways left a lot of room for her to maneuver in, and she was going to use that to her advantage as much as possible.

"While I have been quite a foal in the past few years, I did some thinking..." She paused to leap over a guard who was on the ground, groaning. He looked very dizzy, for some reason. Rarity's mind just assumed Pinkie was involved. "...And I really am sorry about my behavior. I am ready for this!" They finally halted at the massive doors to the throne room, which was surrounded by guards completely unimpressed by the party pony's playful efforts. The aforementioned was giving apologetic, nervous smiles to a few unicorns who had spears pointed at her. The rest of the gathered, who numbered in the range of somewhere over twenty, cast baleful glares to the two new arrivals. "Is this a bad time to mention I was hoping for a more peaceable solution?" The guards were as unwilling to play along with the diplomacy as they were with the crazy antics, and advanced menacingly on the two grounded ponies.

Rainbow Dash swooped at them, but had to pull back up as spears were pointed upwards, almost impaling the pegasus with her own momentum. She landed beside her friends, and grit her teeth. "So, AJ. What now?"

"We surrender," she calmly stated, sitting onto her haunches slowly. Rainbow Dash and Rarity both gave her a completely incredulous look. The orange earth pony turned her head to them, and winked her right eye. Her two friends nodded, and sat. Dash had an idea of what was about to happen, but Rarity had simply had enough of doubting her friends and decided to trust Applejack. That was when the rumbling started. The unicorn guards, not sure what to make of that, faltered a bit. When they saw what was coming up behind their supposed prisoners, a few visibly paled.

A small army of critters was surging down the hallway, a fuzzy horde of doom, vengeance, and, quite possibly, more doom. Leading them was a Pegasus clinging for dear life onto the back of a roughly house-sized wolf-like creature. The guards tried to hold their ground, but as Dash grabbed her two friends and zipped up to the ceiling, they found themselves simply run over by the tide of not-so-small woodland creatures. Rarity gaped in absolute disbelief. "Is-Is that a Lupus Major?! How is she-"

"It's Fluttershy!" Came both the voices of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, the pegasus straining to keep aloft with the two. The rush of animals somehow battered down the doors to the throne room, a surprised shriek and a curse coming out from the interior.

"What in the name of my night is all this?!"

Queen Nyx was angry and confused. Mostly confused. It wasn't, after all, every day when a stampede of animals came charging into one's throne room. There had been an attack on the palace, and her Lieutenants were already on their way, no doubt. Perfect Cut, Spitfire, and Wild Heart wouldn't get here in time, but Fletcher and Spike were in the palace, ready to go. Adagia was not an option in the first place. In fact, why weren't they here yet? No matter. She could handle these intruders herself. She lifted her mother with her mane and stepped from the throne, scowling. Twilight was deposited on the throne, where it was relatively safe, and the alicorn stood in front of it, protectively. When the animals cleared out, she smirked at the group. "Ah, good of you to come, Applejack. You've spared me the trouble of continuing to hunt you down. Surrender." She noted the bandages over the pale yellow pegasus's eyes, frowning. She would have to have a talk with Perfect Cut, later.

"Not in yer life, 'yer majesty'," Applejack mocked, her green eyes narrowed. Rarity and Rainbow Dash stood to either side of her, and Fluttershy hurried up to them, slightly out of breath. "Ah'm here fer ya now. We're gonna finish th' job we started six years ago. Ah ain't gonna letcha kill ahll them innocent ponehs." Rarity gave a shocked look to Applejack, then back at the dark queen.

"What...What is she talking about, Your Majesty?" Nyx scoffed, shrugging her wings. Her eyes never left Applejack's, the two locked in a contest of will already. She would not be the one who backed down.

"I do not know what lies she has filled your head with," The alicorn spoke sternly, letting just a hint of threat carry into her voice. "But if the three of you," she directed to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, "would leave this rebel to her fate, I will forgive you for your intrusion, and spare your lives." Rarity hesitated. It was not her life she feared for, but Fluttershy's, Dash's, and Pinkie's (Where was she, anyway?). Her hesitation vanished, however, as the question still came to mind about what Applejack had said. She MUST know.

"Nyx!" The white unicorn stomped a hoof. "I asked a question!" The queen seemed taken aback, surprised more by the audacity of the demand than the outburst itself. She broke eye-contact with the farm-mare, and shot Rarity a withering glare, before it became a smile.

"Now, Diamond Rarity, do you really think that I would murder my own subjects for any reason? If they were suspected of treason, they would of course be tried fairly. Whatever accusation Applejack has leveled at me is false. It is only the deranged rantings of a known terror-" She was cut off by the loud Bamf of a teleportation spell. There was a blue mare with a silver mane. She looked familiar, but Nyx couldn't quite place it.

"Here, everyone!" She had the elements with her! The dark queen started and prepared to leap forward.

"STOP!" Another Bamf came to the attention of those gathered, and all of them stared at the lavender coated pony who had suddenly interjected herself in between the alicorn and the other elements. Pinkie was at her side, giving her a very, very unsure look. "What are all of you doing?!" Twilight angrily shouted, glaring at her...No, the other Twilight's friends, and Rainbow Dash. "What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?!" She stomped a hoof, her eyes a burning red. "I won't let ANYPONY do anything stupid! Let's all just calm down and talk about th-"

"I'm really, really sorry, Twilight..."

"Pinkie, wh-" Nyx gasped as a hoof fell onto the purple unicorn's head, knocking her silly and to the ground. The distraction had been enough for the elements to power up. Queen Nyx recoiled in fear, and Pinkie rushed to the side of the other five bearers to add herself to the union. The dark queen could sense the roiling energy, but it was not like the last time. There didn't seem to be a weak link to it. Even that...Trixie, that was her name, was experiencing the full power of the Elements of Harmony. With a dry mouth, she could only watch in terror. She tried to move, and found she could not. Some force was holding her there, keeping her in place for the magic to do it's work. Twilight groaned and looked up groggily. When she saw what was happening, she simply bowed her head. She'd tried, but she couldn't stop this now.

The power manifested. The rainbow that leaped from the now levitating ponies was far larger than last time, but there was something...Wrong about it. It roiled and shook, turbulent energy causing tremors in the castle. Plaster dust fell from the ceiling, and just as the mightiest of spells was about to strike at Queen Nyx, it exploded violently. Six ponies were flung to different corners of the room, severely weakened and dazed from whatever wretched catalyst had wrought their defeat. Twilight was sent flying away as well, but she was quickly caught by the dark queen's magic. She herself was forced back onto her haunches, the wind knocked out of her. For a moment, the room seemed as though it would shake itself apart, but it held, and thus, Nightmare Moon had triumphed over the Elements again.

Applejack regained her senses for but a moment, trying to struggle to her hooves, but a wracking pain surged through her, the backlash of a corrupted spell. As she fell into the grip of unconsciousness, she heard the laughing of the dark queen, and knew they had lost.

A loud clattering of metal on metal woke the six. They laid on cold stone which was covered with dirt and grime. Haystacks had been set in the room, meant as temporary bedding, but they had simply been dragged into the cells with no care for their own comfort. To keep them from making an organized effort at escape, each had their own cell, save for Applejack and Trixie, who had been put into the same one. Each could see into the cell opposite them only. Applejack and Trixie could see into a cell only containing the skeleton of a prisoner long since dead. Rarity could only behold a terrified, shaking Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash found herself looking towards Pinkie, who hadn't lost any ounce of her determination, for some reason. Once they shook off enough of the cobwebs in their heads to be fully aware of their surroundings, they looked towards the source of the sharp noise. There stood Perfect Cut, who was grinning widely. A tray laid on the ground, probably what'd caused the noise. "Wakey Wakey! Look what we have here! Fresh prisoners. Lucky you, I'm not allowed to play with you~!" She pouted at that, ignoring the dirty look shot her by the orange earth pony she had been facing. She began to pace back and forth slowly, menacingly, in the walkway between the cells. "Unlucky for you, you're ALL scheduled for execution, so I'll be killing you anyway. Just not the fun way." She licked her lips at Fluttershy, who curled up tighter.

"Perfect, you're a nag. Don't lie." There came a familiar voice, as a purple dragon stepped into view of Rarity's cell. Spike. Spike had disappeared in the years after Twilight's death, and when he'd come back, he was larger...Much larger. He had aged beyond what six years should have allowed, and while he wasn't an adult yet, his size allowed him to stand at the same height of Queen Nyx. "The only ones of you that are slated for death are Applejack and Trixie. Sorry, girls." His tone showed that he really meant it, but he wasn't going to intervene. He walked down, in front of Applejack's cell, on the way to Dash's.

"Yer jus' gonna let old friends die, Spike? Some friend you are, huh?" The farm-mare practically spat at him through the bars, and the dragon shrugged.

"I've got more important things to worry about." He stopped in front of the cyan pegasus, and folded his arms. Dash couldn't believe her eyes. Armor, sword, shield...He really did look like a regular knight now. "You, specifically. And Twilight. You both have to go home. We'll be sending you off before the execution."

"Uh...Sure. That'd be cool."

"Sugarcube! Yer jus' gonna leave us like this?!" Applejack wrapped her forelegs around the bars of her cell and shook them as much as she could. She was still far too weak to do much of anything to them, though, and settled for pressing her head against them and glaring to her right, as if that would send her death-glare straight to Dash.

"I've already told you! I want to go home! I don't have anything to do with this world, anything to do with you! I was only helping you 'cuz you promised me I'd go home afterwards! Well, too bad, someone else is gonna do that without making demands!" Rainbow Dash did much the same as Applejack, aside from glaring to the left.

"Please, Rainbow Dash," Trixie pleaded. "We need your help! Our very society is dying!"

"Not. My. Problem."

Spike cleared his throat. "Yea, kinda a jerk move there, AJ. Pulling other ponies into your problems? Not cool." He motioned for Perfect Cut to leave. "C'mon, you. I don't want you down here alone with them."

The pink pegasus pouted, and stuck out her bottom lip. "Whaaat? You don't truuuust me?"

"No," The dragon bluntly stated. "I don't. Now get out." The pegasus scowled and stormed out, likely to cause trouble elsewhere. As soon as she was gone, Spike spoke without so much as looking at the mare he was talking to. "AJ...I'm sorry, but you got yourself into this mess. You've got no one to blame but yourself. Your execution is tomorrow, at the same time as Trixie. I'm not sorry about seeing her go." He started walking, towards the dungeon's exit. "The rest of you are going to be put on trial for High Treason. Twilight is going to plead your cases, so you better be thankful she's nice enough to bother." The door opened, then slammed shut. Six ponies were left to each other's company.

None of them had anything to say.

Eighth Deliberation

(Author's Note: In reference to complaints I've had from editors, I'm going to start toning down Applejack's accent a great deal. I'll go back and fix the other chapters soon.)

In a world where Celestia's sun still shone, morning had come. Rarity woke with a start, her eyes focusing on the table where she'd fallen asleep. The unicorn shook her head to clear it, but instantly regretted the action when it brought her a headache. "Ugh...Where..Where was I?" She looked down to her notes, which she found to no longer be there. She blinked, and got up, heading upstairs to check on Nyx. The bed was empty, and her eyes widened. "Nyx? NYX! Where are you?!" She rushed downstairs, checking side-rooms in a panic.

Spike groaned at the sudden noise, wishing it would just go away. When his mind registered what Rarity was doing, however, he also jumped out of bed, disturbing a note that fluttered to the ground. He snatched it up and read it, his eyes getting wider and wider as they pored over it. The dragon rushed downstairs, holding it in the air. "R-Rarity! I found a note! You should see this!" He wasn't holding it for long, as a blue glow enveloped the scrap of paper and lifted it into the air, and in front of the white unicorn's gaze.

Dear Ms. Rarity,
I'm really, really sorry, but I can't stay. I found out how to get to where momma is. I'm not very good at magic yet, but I can follow instructions, and I think I can do this by myself. I bet you'll want to come too, but I couldn't wait ... The notes and stuff are in the basement, but I think you'll need friends to help you.
Nyx

The fashionista tore away from where she stood before, rushing to the basement. The lab equipment inside had been shoved to the walls, and a ritual circle had been drawn upon the floor with black paint. It seemed crude, and had likely been drawn over several times. Rarity could not really comprehend this actually working. She cast her eyes around the room, searching for the filly. "Nyx! Nyx, dear, this really isn't a good idea. Please come out," the unicorn called as she began to seek the small alicorn actively. There were many spots one could hide in down here, thanks to all the machinery. She spied a few scraps of paper on a table, but her gaze never found the filly it sought. "Please, dear, you're not in trouble. I'm only worried about you."

Now and then, her eyes shot back to the designs painted on the floor, feeling a tinge of her compulsion towards neatness. Eventually, it grew too great to ignore, and Rarity sighed. A brush lifted as her horn glowed, and it's tuft was dipped into the paint bucket. "Spike, darling, Nyx must be around here, somewhere. This ritual is completely unworkable in this sta-" She hadn't even finished before she heard Spike rushing out, the door slamming behind him. She smiled at his concern for his 'little sister', but the unicorn's smile drooped into a frown of concentration as she went back to work.

It took nearly an hour, but when she was finished, the designer had used her great attention to detail to somehow forge a perfect circle from the mess it had been before. "That should prove useful once I find those notes. Now, where are they?" Remembering the scraps of paper from before, she trotted over to review them. Rarity smiled at the effort the young filly had put into this. Though she herself had done most of the research, Twilight had taught the foal well when it came to organization skills. Nyx had compiled it all and put it to actual work. Thankfully, the alicorn's handwriting was far better than her drawing skills. Rarity attributed that to some of her older memories seeping through. When she finished the last note, the unicorn furrowed her brow as she read it aloud. "Hmm? 'Thank you, for finishing it, Miss Rari-'" Her eyes went wide as she realized she'd been tricked, and she whipped around just in time to feel a magical surge that was large enough to make her dizzy.

At the center of the circle now was the little alicorn, and she looked very apologetic. "I'm sorry, Miss Rarity!" Before the designer could recover enough to stop her, the filly had disappeared.

In a world where night rules eternal, a lavender coated unicorn descended a flight of stone stairs, her destination a dungeon. She would normally have stayed far from such a place, but this dungeon contained the friends of a pony that was her. Or, at least, something close. She wouldn't be happy to see them, however. To say Twilight Sparkle was angry would be an understatement, but her rage was abated by fatigue. Queen Nyx had been brought into a good mood by her victory, and Twilight wanted to use that as much as she could in her attempts to talk Nyx out of the executions. She had been talking to her daughter all night, and the unicorn's anger was partly due to her lack of sleep. The other parts were from the assault on the alicorn itself, and what she'd learned from the monarch.

Applejack's rebellion seemed rather terrible indeed, though Twilight had learned long ago that every story has two sides, and now she wanted the Element of Honesty's side of things. The guard that accompanied her turned his head to acknowledge Twilight as they reached the door to the cell block. "Miss Sparkle, as a precaution against prisoners escaping," he spoke quietly, "you will be locked into the block. The prisoners will not be able to harm you if you stay away from the bars." Twilight had not, and would not consider the idea that these ponies might hurt her. The very idea was absurd to her. "When you want to come out, knock on the door and announce yourself." The unicorn just nodded, and the soldier opened the door for her. Other guards had already searched the saddlebags she was wearing for contraband, and found nothing but a quill, inkwell, and small journal.

She wrinkled her nose at the horrid smell. "Was the door blocking this stench?" She stepped forward, breathing through her mouth to avoid picking up that scent. The slam of the door behind her made her jump a bit, her heart racing. Twilight put a hoof to her chest, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Once she felt as though she could continue, the unicorn stepped forward. "Girls..." The librarian didn't like what she saw. They seemed so hopeless. So downtrodden. Save for Pinkie, each of them looked like they'd really given up. Applejack lifted her head to Twilight's voice. The mare looked exhausted, but not the kind one gets from sleepiness. It was the weariness that came from facing disaster; in this case, her mortality. The azure pony beside her was thankfully asleep, though from her expression, she was likely having nightmares. Twilight couldn't blame her. She remembered facing her own death on the gallows, after all.

"Hey, sugarcube," Applejack greeted without even a hint of energy. "Ya come ta say goodbye?" Twilight shook her head quickly, trying to put on a smile for the orange pony. "Then what?"

"I'm trying to get you girls out of here alive. Nopony is going to die today, I promise." The unicorn sounded more confident than she looked, but every little bit helped. The earth pony laid her neck gently over Trixie's, which helped to soothe the dreams, but didn't expel them entirely.

"Thank ya, Twi. But Ah think ya shouldn't be makin' promises ya cain't keep." The farm-mare smiled despite her words. "Ah'm ready ta die. Ah jus' don't want Trixie ta have to go too." The lavender unicorn drooped her neck, closing her eyes tight for a moment as she tried to find the strength to continue. She reminded herself again that this wasn't the Applejack she knew. It didn't help in the slightest.

"No. I will get you out of this. All of you. But I need to know something for sure. Applejack, is it true your rebellion keeps the ponies of Equestria from receiving aid?"

Applejack's head jerked up, a fire in her eyes. The movement woke Trixie with a start, the blue unicorn narrowing her eyes at Twilight, but saying nothing. "That's a lie! A damn lie! We ain't never done nothin' ta keep nopony from gettin' food or shelter. We've been fightin' Nightmare Moon this whole time, but Ah never let any of my stallions and mares disrupt supply lines."

Rarity's voice came out from another cell. "Why would they need them? The rest of Equestria is doing as well as Ponyville, is it not? That is what we've always been told."

"And that's why ya'll in Ponyville hate the rebellion, ain't it? Nah, Rarity, Ah've seen it with my own eyes. Equestria is dyin' out there. Slowly, but surely." She gave a heart-breakingly sad, but sincere look to the direction of the white unicorn's voice. "Ya gotta believe me, Rarity. Ah'll admit," she said, swallowing before she continued, "that Her Royal Nagjesty does try ta get food and warmth ta everyone, but it's always too little, too late. And ponies are gettin' sick of it. Most of 'em won't even take the aid, sayin' that they'd rather starve and freeze than accept her as their queen."

"That's...That's horrible!" Twilight was in shock as she spoke that, her eyes wide. She looked around at the various cells, as if seeking confirmation from the rest of them. "I love the princesses, and I would be very upset to see them get replaced too, but isn't that going too far?" She couldn't help but give Applejack an accusing look. "Didn't you ever tell them to take the supplies?!"

The farm-mare snorted and rolled her eyes at Twilight's indignance. "Sugarcube, c'mon. What am Ah gonna do? Shove the food down their throats? Ah cain't control what the populace does. Ah can only inspire 'em, tell 'em what they should do. Ya can lead a colt ta water, but ya cain't make him drink." There was a silence before she added, "and there ain't enough ta drink no how."

Another silence filled the air. Twilight looked down to the floor again, not knowing what to say to this. Rarity broke the still herself. "I...I had no idea, Applejack. I truly am very sorry for my reluctance to help. I simply cannot believe I took every lie I was told like a foal!" The clop of a hoof being stomped onto hard stone rang out, Applejack grinning. It was still too late, but at least she would go to her grave knowing her friends no longer thought her a foal. That grin faded at the next words. "And yet...She is still trying. Perhaps there's not enough, but Her Majesty is attempting to make things better for all of us. Really, is she so bad? Applejack, what is this really about?" She didn't name Spitfire, but it was implied enough.

"Darlin', Ah'm gonna ignore that you jus' suggested this is all some kinda personal vendetta on my part. That's how it started, Ah cain't lie, but Ah didn't stay out of Ponyville jus' because of that. Ah stayed out there because the rest of Equestria needed a leader. They needed somepony ta support them, to help them along. Nightmare Moon cain't do it. She don't have enough, and the populace won't accept her offers of replacing crops with this new stuff." Trixie stood suddenly, trying to reach behind her with her jaws.

"I can explain far better. This letter contained an ultimatum that our spies were apparently meant to intercept... If I could... Only get at it..." She strained, trying to bite onto the hairband that kept her hair up and out of the way. Applejack reached forward and pulled the hairband up with her jaws. A piece of paper that had been folded up many times fell to the ground. "Thank you, love. Now, please read this." Trixie was not about to get her mouth anywhere near that floor if she could help it, so the azure unicorn pushed the letter over towards Twilight. She lifted it with her magic, and began to read. Her expression quickly turned to horror. Skimming the letter at first, the magician re-read it again, and again, and again, not able to believe what she was seeing. She dropped the paper as if it were on fire after the third time. Twilight felt as though she were going to throw up.

"Oh Celestia! I don't-I can't-No, I don't believe it!" She shook her head violently, tears quickly forming in her eyes. "This isn't real! She wouldn't!" Trixie kept her expression as calm as she could, though she really just wanted to slap the unicorn silly.

"It is real. That is her hand-writing. I assume you are capable of recognizing it?" She wasn't able to keep some of the scorn out of her voice. Twilight either did not notice, or did not care. She lifted her head to the other unicorn.

"It's not going to happen, though. She has both of you. That's what she wanted, isn't it?"

"And how long until another rebellion is formed? How long until she decides to do something like this again?"

Twilight regained enough of herself at that rebuke to stamp a hoof angrily, glaring at the former show-mare, who returned her glare full force. "What if it's a bluff?!"

"What if it ISN'T? That she is threatening it in the first place shows she would go through with it if she really had to," Trixie shot back. "After all, if she didn't go through with it, it would send the message that she was too weak to!" From another cell, Rainbow Dash snickered.

"Speaking of too weak...I bet you were the reason the elements bucked up in the first place!"

That completely took the wind out of Trixie's sails, and the unicorn shrank back from the cell bars, trying to make herself as small as possible. Applejack came to her defense. "Oh yea?! Ah remember a certain pegasus not bein' too loyal last night! How do we know it wasn't YOU who ruined everything?!"

"Yea, 'cuz after all, it was TOTALLY me who ruined it last time we tried to make Nightmare Moon taste the rainbow."

"G-Girls..."

Not to be deterred, Applejack retorted, "besides, Rarity had some problems too, didn't she?"

"Now, that was simply unnecessary! I did nothing different from any other occasion we have used the elements!"

"Girls...!"

"Don't drag Rarity into this! She's actually one of the elements, which is more than we can say for the loudmouth bi-" Rainbow Dash was cut off by a scream which sent all the occupants of the cell block reeling.

"YOU'RE ALL GOING TO SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Everypony shut up. "Thank you." All heads turned to Fluttershy's cell, and the door to the cell block opened.

"What's going on in here!" The guard looked suspiciously at the lavender unicorn, who coughed to the side.

"It's nothing. Just an argument. I'm not finished here yet." When the soldier hesitated in leaving, Twilight waved a hoof. "Look, I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." Only when the door shut did Twilight look back to a very sheepish Fluttershy, who was drawing a circle on the floor with a forehoof.

"S-Sorry, but...But..." She closed her eyes for a moment, before the pegasus took on a determined glare. "No. No, I'm not sorry! What I am is disappointed! I'm disappointed in all of you!" Everypony in the room stayed quiet and perfectly still under the force of the ranger's scolding. "We were all supposed to work together for a common goal! To save the ponies of Equestria! But none of you can put aside your differences! So we're going to talk that out. All of you! Every single one of you here is at fault for what happened, and you're all going to fess up and make up!" She took a deep breath.

"Diamond Rarity! You know that if there was a peaceable solution then it would have been done already! You're just making excuses so you don't have to face the fact that your career is based on the back of a tyrant's rule! Would you really have the success you do now if you had any real competition? Is that what you want? To take the easy street to your dreams? You know better! It doesn't really mean anything if you haven't worked for it, that's how you've always thought about your career."

"Pinkie Pie, I know it still hurts a little, but keeping it bottled up inside will just make things worse! A happy face only makes others happy if YOU'RE happy! I can tell you're just trying not to think about it, and that's very brave of you, but it's doing more harm than good!"

"Rainbow Dash...I am most of all disappointed in YOU. Maybe this isn't your world, maybe these aren't your friends, and maybe you don't have a responsibility to make sure everything is okay here. But did you have to make sure I was okay when we first met? When you defended me in Flight School? You're scared, and angry, and it's okay to be those things! But I know deep down, you still want to help us, so stop being so petty!"

"As for YOU, Applejack, you're being just as selfish as Rarity! You have to stop moping over your Dash! It's been five years, Applejack, and you're only hurting yourself, Trixie, and now us! Appreciate what you have before you lose it!"

"Twilight, what this Nyx is doing is wrong. I know you care for her. I know you don't want to admit your daughter is capable of this. But you can't neglect your duty as one of the Elements of Harmony! Remember, there's a different set of circumstances that shaped her as she is in this world. She's not the same Nyx you know. Maybe you can reach her, maybe you can save her, but right now, we can't work with maybes! Even if you won't act for us, act for her, before she does something truly horrible!"

"Finally, Trixie." Fluttershy's tone became much more soft and comforting. "Trixie, you're a far cry from what you were before. You shouldn't have to worry about whether or not we'll accept you as our friend. You're willing to do what you need to do to protect this world, even if it's throwing yourself into what you hate most: Critique of yourself. That by itself proves you can do this! You've never doubted yourself before. Don't start now, when we most need you to be proud and strong!"

Fluttershy lowered her head, panting softly, seeming drained from her string of outbursts. "B-But I guess it doesn't matter...Since we're...In prison now..."

The mares gathered could only stand in stunned silence, the guilt creeping into their thoughts slowly. Pinkie was the first to speak. The pink pony's voice was tinged with grief. "I-I'm really sorry, girls ... I tried, I really did. But after I hit Twilight, all I could think about was how I hurt her. Please forgive me Twilight! I wasn't thinking!"

The unicorn took a deep breath. Her head still hurt from that blow, but she couldn't bring herself to anger. Not after Fluttershy's rant. "It's okay, Pinkie. I forgive you. I know how you can get, sometimes, and I couldn't hold that against you."

Applejack had, during the speech, laid a hoof on the front brim of her hat and pushed it down, over her eyes. "Ah've been a damn foal myself. Trixie, Ah-" The blue unicorn held up a hoof to cut her off, shaking her head.

"Not another word, Applejack. We have more important things to worry about." The farm-mare rose and pushed her hat back up, her green eyes locking firmly to Trixie's own. The disapproving frown on Applejack's muzzle brought the former stage magician pause.

"No. Now ya listen here, darlin', not talkin' about this is what's gotten us into this situation, and Ah ain't about ta make that same mistake again. Pinkie's got the right idea. Trixie, Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't want to admit it, 'cuz of how sensitive ya can be sometimes, but I guess I ain't quite over Dash." She didn't move her gaze the entire time, not willing to break her stare. It did soften, however, as she continued. "Ah loved her deeply. Losin' her was like losin' a part of myself.

Trixie grit her teeth and shut her eyes, a tear sliding down her left cheek as Applejack spoke. "So...So do I mean nothing, then? Is Trixie just a replacement, there to tide you over until you join her? Or replace Trixie with someone you can't have?!"

"Not even in the darkest of my days would Ah ever, Trixie," Applejack smiled as she lifted a hoof to the unicorn's chin. "Ah lost a part of myself when Dash died, but you helped me get it back. You, sugarcube. You kept me goin' all that time. Ah had my moment of weakness, but Ah don't want us goin' to the grave unsure of each other. Ah love ya, darlin'."

Trixie pulled away, her head turning down, and to the side. "Applejack, please..." She was forced to look back towards the farm-mare when the very same kissed her. Trixie's magenta eyes went wide, for a moment, then she relented, kissing her lover back with blush tinged cheeks. After a few moments, she broke the kiss. Her smiling cheeks were wet with more tears, and Applejack wiped them clean as best she could with a hoof. "I love you too, Applejack. We don't have much more time, but I don't want to die resenting you, either."

"Hey, stop being sappy, over there," Rainbow Dash teased, letting off a nervous chuckle. "You're making me jealous."

Applejack and Trixie blinked at the unexpected commentary, and realized that they were still in the company of friends, not alone. Both mares had a red glow in their cheeks, Applejack rubbing the back of her head, while the magician turned her head and coughed imperiously. Neither were able to stop a smile, however, nor a laugh. "Sorry, sugarcube. Ah kinda forgot ya'll were there."

"Yea, well, I'm still here. And I'm sorry. I'm a mule, I know." Dash pouted at the very idea of actually saying sorry, but she went through with it anyway. "Fluttershy was right. I am mad. I'm not scared, though! I'm not scared of NOTHING!"

"So, you're scared of everything?" Trixie smirked, and the earth pony next to her gave her a light whap with a blonde tail.

"Trixie, let the mare apologize."

Thankfully, the comment went completely over the rainbow pegasus's head. "No, I'm not scared of nothing. Geez, pay attention!" Twilight was trying very hard not to laugh at the clueless correction. Rarity couldn't help but let out a snerk, while Trixie just grinned. "Anyway, yea, I'm mad. Who wouldn't be? But hey, I gotta get my priorities straight. I'm the Element of Loyalty, and I haven't been acting like it. Don't give up yet, you two! We'll get outta this. I just gotta break these bars."

"...Darlin', ya cain't break those bars." Dash wasn't listening, she was straining at the bars with her hooves. "...Nevermind. So, uh, Rarity. Ah know Ah went outta Ponyville half-cocked, but-"

"Think nothing of it, my old friend." Rarity rubbed at the anti-magic collar on her neck, considering it. "Applejack, I doubted you, and I am sorry as well. If there's one thing I learned as your friend, it was that you are nothing if not trustworthy." Her hoof found a keyhole, and she smiled. "Aha!"

"'Aha' what?" Applejack strained, trying to look into Rarity's cell, but it was a doomed effort from the beginning.

"I found the lock on this collar. Does anyone have a hairpin, or a needle?"

"'Fraid not, sugarcube."

"No, Miss Rarity, I do not."

"S-Sorry..."

"Do I seem like the kinda mare who has something like that?"

"Nope!" Pinkie jumped up. "But I got something better! I got my laugh back!" She giggled to prove the point, and Twilight smiled, making up her mind at long last.

"I have something just as good. Okay, girls, listen," Twilight took a deep breath, hoping nopony would interrupt. When they stayed quiet, aside from Dash, who was still groaning and grunting as she attempted to break out of her cell, she continued. "I still think we can work this out peacefully. But I won't stop you if it really comes to using the elements. Not this time." She quickly added, "I won't help you, either. I'm sorry, I just...I just can't even think of harming my daughter. No mother could ever want that. What I will do, though," Twilight paced slowly between the cells, looking at all of them in turn as she passed. "What I will do, though, is stall her. You girls need to get out of here. I'm not going to let anypony hurt my friends. But you can't get out of here with her breathing down your necks. I'll keep her busy." ]

"That's great and all, but we still gotta get out of here, sugarcube."

"I've got a quill right here." Twilight lifted it with her magic. "Is this going to work?"

Rarity's eyes lit up, and she clopped her hooves together. "Yes! Listen, dear, you must do something for me. Exactly what I say. This will be hard, and it may take a while, but you're a quick learner..."

"Um...Okay? What is it?" Twilight stepped over to the white unicorn's cell, holding the quill up. "Wait, I get it. You want me to pick the lock on this. Rarity, I said I wouldn't hel-"

"Twilight, how can we get out of here if you don't help us to some degree? Please, don't doom us to failure from the very beginning of our plan," Rarity pleaded. Her eyes watered and sparkled in a way that was very hard for Twilight to say no to.

"Alright, tell me what to do." Twilight held the quill's tip close to the collar's keyhole.

"YES!" Rarity hopped into the air in excitement, but as soon as she was on the ground again, she cleared her throat and pretended as though nothing happened. "Now, slip the quill's point in. Use the glow of your horn to light the mechanism inside. What you're looking for are tiny pegs on the top. Those are the tumblers," Rarity explained as Twilight looked for what she was speaking of.

"Wow, those are really small. I see them, though."

"Good. Now, what you must do is depress the tumblers in just the right way. You'll hear a very soft click, so we'll need complete silence. Do that to all the tumblers, and you'll unlock the collar. Just be sure not to-" Snap. " ... "

" ... Sorry, Rarity. I messed up."

The white unicorn groaned, and buried her face in her fore-hooves. "Search the other cells for something thin enough to fit into the lock. A pin, a bone, something!"

Twilight went about this chore, hurrying. She looked into each cell, though each one, aside from those occupied by her friends, were empty. The skeleton across from Applejack and Trixie's cell was incomplete, and any bones that were small enough had long since been carried away by pests. Dejected, she walked back to Rarity's cell, her head hung low and her eyes to the floor. "I can go get something, but I doubt they'll let me come back in."

Rarity sighed. "We'll figure something else out, dear. Go on, and stall for us."

Just as the lavender pony was turning to leave, there was a loud popping sound from outside the cell block, followed by a grunt and a loud clattering. "Oh no! I'm sorry, Mr. Guard! ... Mr. Guard? Are you okay?" There came a sniffling, then crying. "Nuuuu! I killed him! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Twilight rushed to the door, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Nyx?! Nyx, is that you?!"

"Momma! Please don't punish me for killing Mr. Guard!"

The unicorn couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure you didn't kill him, Nyx. He's probably just - Just unconscious ... " She swallowed back a sob, choking on it a bit. She couldn't stop herself from crying, though.

"Oh, phew ... Momma? Why are you crying?"

Twilight quickly wiped her eyes. "I'm just so happy to know you're alright, Nyx. Now, you need to help me. There should be a keyring on that guard. Unlock this door, and bring the keys in with you, okay?" Thinking of the skeleton, she changed her mind. "Actually, just pass the keys through the window, I'll..." She had to duck as a keyring shot through the door's view-slot and zoomed down the cell block, hitting the far wall, bouncing off, and sliding a fair distance. "Whoa! Be careful!"

"Sorry, momma. I got a little too excited," the little alicorn sheepishly apoligized.

"It's okay. Now stay right there, don't move!"

"Sugarcube, what the hay is goin' on?! Is that-"

"I really want an explanation too, Applejack, but now is not the time. I said I'd get you girls out of here, and I will." Twilight tried each of the keys in the keyhole for Rarity's cell. As each one failed, Twilight got more and more apprehensive. She let off a relieved sigh, however, when the last one she tried managed to get the lock undone, and the cell opened. "Okay, hold on a second. I'll get-Argh! None of these keys match these collars!" The lavender unicorn drooped. "It must have been an extra precaution to keep the keys for them somewhere else."

Rarity smiled despite the setback. "I am out of that filthy cell, at least. We'll just need to find something to undo this lock later." Twilight's eyes widened as she remembered something. The unicorn rushed to the door, unlocked it, and threw it open. The filly on the other side squeaked and jumped back in surprise, but she squeed happily as her mother hugged her tight for a few moments, then checked her mane. Nyx's hair was a mess, but a certain part of it was still in place. "Oh, thank Celestia!" She pulled out the hairpin, and the foal blinked as her mane was now flopped over her head.

"Momma?"

"I need this right now, Nyx. I'll be right back." Taking the hairpin back to Rarity, it took Twilight only a few minutes before she figured out the lock, and the collar fell to the floor. The white unicorn flexed her neck with a sigh of relief.

"That was so very uncomfortable. Thank you, dear. Now let me see that hairpin..." Taking the metal sprig from Twilight's magical grasp, Rarity set upon Trixie's collar. While Twilight had taken a few minutes, Rarity had the rebel's collar off in mere seconds. Twilight gaped at the sight.

"Where did you learn to do this, Rarity?"

"Ahahaha let's not bring up the past, dear." Rarity beamed with a smile that spoke volumes about exactly how quickly Twilight should drop this topic. The magician took the hint.

Applejack grinned as she straightened her hat. "Well, that's that, then. Let's go give Nightmare Moon a little surprise."

Trixie shook her head and put a hoof on the earth pony's shoulder. "No. We need reinforcements. We can't bet on her lieutenants being far from her. They'll expect a rescue attempt, after all." She turned to Twilight. "I'll take our friends back to our head-quarters, gather up our forces. You keep trying to stall Nightmare Moon from this crime."

Twilight nodded, and scooped up her daughter, placing the small filly on her back. "Okay. This is going to get confusing, though."

"I'm already confused, momma!" The foal laid down on her mother's back, frowning.

"I'll explain on the way up. You're going to be a big help to us, Nyx!" The foal beamed at the idea of being useful, and as the others were teleported away, Twilight started up the stairs quickly. "Now, how am I going to get this world's Nyx to believe I had nothing to do with their escape?"

Queen Nyx laid in her bed, her legs under her. She hadn't planned on sleeping yet, the monarch was waiting for Twilight to return from visiting her friends. The alicorn had given a lot of thought to what Twilight had said, but she couldn't back down now. She wouldn't back down. As Queen Nyx had explained to the unicorn, if the rebellion was gone, it would crush the hope of a proper opposition to her rule. The ponies of Equestria would be more likely to give in to her rule. And if they did give in, that would mean they would accept her aid. Thousands, no, millions of lives would be saved. If she had to execute two ponies for that, then so be it. She didn't want her subjects to suffer, after all. She was no monster.

Her head turned as she heard a knock at the door. "What is it?" From the other side came a gruff, but cheerful voice.

"Your Majesty, it's Fletcher. I wanted to check on you. You okay in there?"

The alicorn smiled, and rose from her bed. "I am well. Everything is going perfectly according to plan, after all." She opened the door, to reveal Fletcher. Beside him was a small foal, a white unicorn with a vividly blue mane, and a crescendo mark on her own flanks. "Adagia? What are you doing up this late?"

The filly shuffled her hooves shyly, a blush on her cheeks as she tried to find the words to explain. Fletcher chuckled. "She said she had nightmares, and she wants to sleep with you." The little unicorn nodded slowly, eyes still on the floor. "I'm going to go back to patrol. I don't like how quiet things are."

"Very well, Fletcher. Come, Adagia, let's get you tucked in." As the chief-ranger left, Adagia followed the tall alicorn into her room, though she turned to shut the door with her magic. "You poor thing. What did you dream about?"

At that, the youngest of her lieutenants jumped into the bed and squeezed herself close to the alicorn's flank, shuddering. Queen Nyx finished Adagia's ascent for her, with her tail gently wrapped around the foal. "I-I dreamed that y-you were defeated, and you left forever... !" The filly buried her face to the dark queen's side. The monarch just smiled as Adagia cried.

"It was just a silly dream, Adagia. I am not going anywhere. My rule is as eternal as my night, and I will never leave you. Never." Queen Nyx lowered her muzzle to gently nudge the filly over onto a pillow. Her dark magic suspended a blanket over the small unicorn, covering her up and tucking it snugly around her. "I will make sure your dreams won't turn so unpleasant again tonight. Sleep well."

The filly yawned, closing her eyes. A happy smile graced her muzzle as she nestled into the blanket and pillow. "Goodnight..."

"Goodnight, my beloved daughter."

Ninth Adjournment

The resistance had believed all was lost. Their leaders were gone, their spell had technically failed, and the elements were most likely gone. There had been a debate among them, and the majority had decided to turn themselves in, so that the populace might be spared Queen Nyx's wrath. A few had left already, though for different reasons: they were not ready to make such a sacrifice. These deserters were spared resentment, for to march to one's own certain death required more than the usual amount of resolve one could expect of a pony.

It could be said that a coward's own actions always leads to their own downfall, besides. And that was proven when Applejack and Trixie teleported into the ritual chamber, and with them were the rest of the Elements of Harmony. Silver stood with mouth agape, as the ritual he was leading was completely ruined by the arrival of ponies they all thought to be dead. The designs on the stone floor let off a surge of magic that ruffled manes, as a wind blew from the room and down the hall. "What - I don't - Commander?!" Thankfully, the others present were quicker to regain their presence of mind, and a cheer rang out among them. Rainbow Dash puffed her chest out, and fluttered above the rest of the group, enjoying the looks of wonder she got from just being there.

"Yea, I know, I'm awesome. Don't all crowd me at once, th-AAGH!" She yelped out as Applejack tugged her back down by her tail. The farmpony gave her a disapproving glare, and Dash shuffled her hooves and coughed. "Uh, well. I do autographs too."

The farm-pony rolled her eyes, then called attention to herself by clearing her throat. "Silver, we ain't got much time ta explain. We're gonna march on the palace. We might be outmatched and outgunned, but we got all of us together now, and we're not gonna lose this chance."

Trixie looked about the chamber while her lover spoke, raising a brow. "This was a sending ritual. What were you doing?"

The stallion bowed his head. "I am sorry, but we were about to surrender ourselves to Queen Nyx. We did not want any innocent lives to be lost on our account. You disrupted the ritual at it's apex, and it seems... It seems it went off despite being unfinished. Nightmare Moon will receive it shortly, no doubt, and be on her way here."

Rarity started with a look of horror on her face, and Fluttershy bowed her head, sniffling. Rainbow Dash jumped in front of Silver, butting heads with the stallion as she growled out, "Well, that's just-"

"PERFECT!" Both the pegasus and unicorn jumped at the outburst, their eyes turning to a grinning Pinkie. Beside her, Applejack had an equally wide smile. "That's just what we need, Mr. Unicorn!"

The resistance commander's underling only reacted with confusion. "E-Excuse me?"

Applejack turned to her friends, looking as triumphant as a pony could. "Nightmare Moon ain't gonna underestimate us, after all the trouble we caused. She'll send a lotta soldiers out here to come fetch us all."

"Applejack, dear, I really do think that is a bad thing," Rarity carefully offered, just as bewildered at the farm-pony's declaration. Fluttershy, however, smiled as she realized what Applejack was getting at.

"Nope! Not in the slightest! See, when she sends that army out for us, we won't be here. And that's one less thing to worry about when we storm her castle! Get ready, everypony. We're gonna need to get a new ritual together. We're gonna get all of us to Ponyville as soon as we can!"

Silver was less enthusiastic about this plan. "Commander, teleporting an army? That simply isn't possible without an enormous amount of power."

"So instead," Trixie stepped forward to speak. "A portal ritual. We'll go through."

The stallion liked this idea even less, and grit his teeth. "Miss Trixie, such a ritual would require all of those casting it to stay put. We would be captured."

"I-It's alright..." The resistance members in the room curiously looked about for the source of that soft voice. Fluttershy, however, was hiding behind Rarity as she continued, "They want you alive... I-If you just surrender, you won't be hurt before we use the Elements. W-We promise." When Silver hesitated, she slipped out into view, and unsurely strode forward. "Please. We have to save Equestria, and this is the only way!"

Silver couldn't take those pleading eyes. He felt as though ignoring the pegasus's request would be breaking some inviolable rule of the universe. With a defeated sigh, he nodded. "We were expecting to be captured either way. At least now it will serve a purpose beyond martyrdom." He turned to the others. "All who are willing and able to perform this ritual, join me in preparing it. Everypony else, go with the Commander through the portal once we say it is safe. As for all of you," he said to the gathered Elements, "You don't seem to have what you need."

"Yeeeea..." Applejack rubbed the back of her head, with a sheepish look. "About that..."

"Oh, don't let that worry you, darling!" Rarity beamed as she put in, "I can get those back. I'll simply need a distraction, and an army at the palace gates is a very good distraction indeed!" Dash glanced over to the unicorn, one brow raised.

"Yea, about that. How did you get to be so good at picking-"

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, let's not waste the gentlecolt's time when he has a ritual to perform! Now, is there a place I could possibly straighten out my mane while I wait?" Rarity beamed, her smile unconvincingly nervous. Trixie cleared her throat before Rainbow could press the subject, and nodded to the door. As she began leading the way, Rarity quickly followed suit, very grateful for the assistance.

"Just you wait, Rarity! I'm gonna find out eventually," the weather-pony called after her, even as the door slammed shut.

"I want you on your best behavior, Nyx," Twilight stated to the filly hitching a ride on her back. "This is going to be hairy enough as it is, so I can't afford any problems." She'd considered hiding her daughter elsewhere, but eventually had to dismiss the idea. Twilight didn't want to think about what might happen if one of the guards or servants in the palace found the young pony and caused a ruckus. Nyx would be best off with her.

"Yes, momma." The young alicorn was still very confused about what was going on here, but her mother had assured her it would make sense soon. For her part, the mare was very glad Nyx had been so quiet. As it was, she had problems getting past the checkpoint at the top of the stairs leading to the jail. She had, quite simply, forgotten it was there due to the stress of her conversation with her friends. That was solved with an easy illusion, an invisibility spell, but she hadn't had time to explain that to Nyx before casting it. Twilight had talked her way out of that by assuring the guards that the surprised squeak had come from a mouse that scurried by just then. There'd been a small hole just above one of the steps, so they'd bought it. The filly was visible again now, but her mother moved quickly enough that no one could get a good look at the black shape on her back.

When Twilight came to the door she was searching for, her heart was pounding. She hoped the shock of Queen Nyx seeing... Well, herself would help her dodge awkward questions when the unconscious guard came too. With all luck, he might have a concussion, the unicorn thought. She almost instantly berated herself for that, since she wouldn't want to wish that on anyone. After all, what if Celestia had a concussion? That would have been just awful.

She raised her hoof and knocked. The response was a quiet, "Shhh", and Twilight tilted her head, but slowly opened the door. Queen Nyx had been smiling at a small lump under the blankets of her bed, she herself laying behind it with her legs under her. Twilight was about to inquire about the shape when a loud gasp came from her back. That sudden noise, no doubt from the filly Nyx seeing her adult counterpart, drew the monarch's attention, and she widened her eyes, staring. "What on Equestria?" The two regarded each other with absolute shock, and some degree of fear. The young Nyx saw what she most feared in herself once, and the elder was forced to face, once more, a past she would rather just forget.

Twilight felt very awkward being stuck in the middle of this. She sighed, lifted the foal from her back, and whisked her to the bed to sit next to her older counterpart. "Nyx, meet yourself, I guess. I found her on the way back here. She must have found a way to come after me." Queen Nyx was too taken aback by this meeting to respond, and her younger self broke the silence.

"Does this make you happy?" The accusation in that voice was sharp, and Twilight facepalmed.

"Nyx, I said to be on your best behavior-"

"But I'm not," the foal retorted, looking to her mother before glaring up at the tall alicorn, who was now sitting up on her haunches, pushing herself back as if to escape the harsh look. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Didn't you learn anything when momma-"

"M-Mother?" The foal looked to the source of the quiet voice, and both she and Twilight gaped at the white unicorn who rose from the blankets, wiping her left eye with a hoof. "What's going on...?"

It was now Twilight's turn to be stunned into silence, as Queen Nyx tried to give Adagia a reassuring smile that only managed to look nervous. "Nothing, Adagia. Go back to sleep."

"I'm not tired anymore, mother," she replied as she looked to the two guests in the room. The young alicorn smiled as their eyes met, forgetting the lecture she was about to deliver.

"Hi! I'm Nyx, what's your name?"

If Adagia was shocked by the resemblance of form or name to her mother, she didn't show it. She shyly smiled and answered, "A-Adagia... It's nice to meet you, Nyx."

The older alicorn saw her chance, and took it. "Why don't you take your new friend to your room? You may play until you're tired again, but I don't want you staying up too long."

Adagia smiled and nodded, hopping off of her mother's bed before waving a hoof to the filly still upon it. "Want to play with me...?"

"Sure!" Nyx leaped from the bed too, and the two foals trotted off together. With a sigh of relief, the monarch let herself drop to her bed, flat on her stomach with legs spread out. Twilight watched the two fillies leave with a worried expression, but turned back to her other "daughter". She stood on her hind-legs, bracing herself with her fore-legs on the edge of the mattress, and laid her own chin atop the blankets.

"So, yea. My daughter."

"I'm your daughter." Queen Nyx's eyes were closed, but the lids trembled, and Twilight could see tears forming in the corners. Whether that was from her other self's rebuke, or Twilight's statement, the unicorn couldn't venture to say.

"Yes, Nyx, you are. But you don't need me as much as she does. I still don't agree with what you've done," said Twilight, shaking her head slowly, "But I'm proud of how strong you've become in my absence. You don't need me anymore."

"I don't want you to leave." She opened her eyes, and moved her head to face the unicorn.

Twilight sighed, and pressed her snout gently to the alicorn's much larger muzzle in an attempt to comfort her. As Queen Nyx didn't flinch away, she counted that as a success. "It's not just her. My friends need me. I'm the Element of Magic, I have responsibilities to them and to Equestria." She lifted her head a bit, and looked as stern as she could. "Just like you have responsibilities to your kingdom."

The monarch scoffed, and raised her head again. "I am fulfilling them. Those rebels shall die."

"Is that for your kingdom, or your pride?" Twilight didn't mean to sound so accusing, yet it hit home in her daughter.

"My kingdom!" The alicorn rose to her full height, spreading her wings out threateningly. "Do you think I wish my subjects to starve? To languish? To stagnate so?"

"You're the one who made this mess in the first place!" Twilight couldn't help her anger at this point. She jumped to her four hooves, and all but pressed her face into that of the dark queen's. "Your eternal night made their crops fail! It made them cold and scared! Not the rebellion!"

"The rebellion keeps them from accepting my rule," she retorted coldly, turning her nose up a bit, "Their dissolution will show my subjects that accepting my help is the only option. I will protect them, and cause them to prosper. What has this foalish resistance done to help them at all?!"

Twilight smirked, though there was no joy in it. Only spite. She jerked one of her saddlebags open, and lifted out a note. "You're right. They haven't done anything but call your 'righteous wrath' down on them." Almost at once, Nyx's wings folded back against her sides, and she stared with wide, fearful eyes at that scrap of paper. It could only be one thing, according to Twilight's reaction to it. The alicorn's mouth dried up, as she struggled to find the words to deny everything as Twilight began reading, "An order from H.R.M., Queen Nyx: A battle-group 100 strong are to surround the village of Halter's Way, which has been chosen for its distance from both Ponyville and Canterlot, and take it into custody." Twilight's voice cracked, her anger slowly bringing tears to her eyes. "Every Stallion, Mare, and foal are to be held for 2 weeks under martial law, then escorted back to Ponyville and be declared resistance members, then executed, unless the fugitive Applejack and all of her personnel surrender to the mercy and justice of Queen Nyx."

The unicorn threw the paper to the floor, and glared up at her daughter. Her purple cheeks were stained a darker shade by tears, and she grit her teeth, speaking through them with a growl, "How could you? That's going too far, Nyx. I can't believe you would do that!"

The larger alicorn shrank back, and lowered herself. Watching such a large pony curl up like a frightened foal under the rage of somepony so small in comparison would have been comical, were it not for the circumstances. Nyx trembled, stammering out her explanation. "I-I would rather h-have a few die if it saves the m-many. If they listened to me in the first place...!"

"YOU CAN'T BLAME THIS ON THEM!" Twilight stamped a hoof, it thudding onto the sheets. "You made this decision, not them! Those ponies are innocent, and you know it!" She panted a bit, chest heaving as she glared down at the quivering ball of black fur. Nyx had no reply, and Twilight seethed in silence for a few moments, before pressing the matter. "You aren't going to say anything? You won't even change your mind?"

"Mother... I-" She was cut off by a sharp rapping at the door. The alicorn forced herself up, trying to look perfectly natural. She barely bit back a sob as she called out, "What is it?"

Spitfire's voice came from the other side of the door. "Your Majesty, we just received a message from a sending ritual. The resistance has surrendered, and we know their location. What are your orders?"

Twilight stared, dumbfounded, as Nyx's expression brightened. "Wonderful! I want a battalion of troops to move to that location and capture them immediately."

The pegasus hesitated a bit at that, before continuing. "An entire battalion? Are you sure? I mean, these guys are trouble, but..."

"Spitfire. It may be a trick. They'll expect us to underestimate them, and I've already made that mistake far too many times. Yes, an entire Battalion. However," She added with a smile. "I want you and my other lieutenants to remain on the palace grounds, just in case. I hope that allows you more confidence in my safety?"

"Yes, your Majesty! I'll get right on it." As the pegasus trotted away from the door, Nyx beamed at her mother.

"See, now? It didn't come to that. We won. It won't happen."

Her smile instantly faded at her mother's next words. "You still ordered it in the first place." An awkward silence prevailed as Queen Nyx bowed her head. As time passed, and Twilight let her anger cool, she tried to break that silence. "So. You have a daughter."

Nyx lifted her head just slightly, regarding the lavender mare. "Adagia? She was adopted. I wanted to..." Provide for a foal, be a mother myself. Not abandon her. "... I wanted to know what motherhood was like."

"That's not a good reason to become a mother."

Do you just want more stones to sling at me? Despite her inner monologue, Nyx couldn't work up the will to be truly angry with the unicorn. After all, as Nyx spoke aloud, "You're right. It isn't. I realize that. But I've been a good mother. At least... I've tried to be. I've provided for her, but I didn't spoil her. I give her affection."

"Do you love her?" Twilight looked up to the alicorn with a suspicious expression. Queen Nyx wilted from it, wondering why she couldn't at least stand up to the mare.

"I... I suppose? Mother, please... Please stop trying to hurt me like this. I am sorry for what I've done, I really am, but I couldn't go back on it..."

"Those orders," Twilight began, making Nyx wince once more, expecting more venom, "Were very interesting in how they were phrased, weren't they?"

"I don't understand."

"It says specifically for for resistance to surrender themselves to the mercy of Queen Nyx," Twilight reminded as she walked to the bedroom's door, "I hope you remember what that word means."

The alicorn shuddered, but as the door opened, something inside of her started a fire. Something in her mind growled at her to grow a spine. It told her she was a goddess, not some foal to be scolded and punished. She pulled herself up, and scowled. "I do. And I hope they remember it well when I offer each of them a quick death, instead of the slow, torturous demise they had to offer my subjects at the hand of starvation and freezing. And I hope you remember it when I remind you of how you attacked me, Twilight Sparkle, when I was at my most vulnerable."

Twilight only offered the monarch a cold glare over her shoulder. "You really are a monster now." She slammed the door on her way out. Nyx, Queen Nyx, mistress of the night, Mare in the Moon, goddess and ruler of Equestria, collapsed onto her bed, and wept.

Tenth Judgement (Part One)

The Elements and Trixie took some time for themselves before the coming assault. This had two purposes: The first was that they would need to give the approaching troops time to mobilize, leave, and move far enough from the palace so that they couldn't simply converge back onto it as soon as the word of an attack came. The second was because they needed to formulate an actual plan of attack, and take some time to rest. The threat of impending execution is, after all, not exactly easy on the psyche. None of them were eager to go back just yet. Rarity used this time to help Applejack go over the plans, and to use what little supplies there was to make the others in their awkward circle of friends more presentable.

Trixie had surprised all but Applejack when she'd insisted there was no time for her to pretty herself up. Rarity pointed out that she had the time. "Darling, you don't have to prove to us you're no longer the vain braggart that came to our humble little town and all but destroyed it." Rarity ignored the mumbled response from Trixie that it was entirely not her fault and continued, "By all means, take this time to relax!"

"I'll only become dirty again," Trixie rebutted. "We are, after all, headed into battle." Feeling a bit put out, Rarity pouted, seating herself next to Fluttershy and pretending to be busy fussing over the pegasus's mane.

When Applejack finally thought the plan was up to snuff (Thanks to Rarity's attention to detail, which Applejack had learned to value so many years ago), she cleared her throat to call for her friends' attention. "Okay, ya'll listen up. Let's git this show on the road." She pointed with her hoof as best she could, but that was woefully inadequate. Pinkie offered a toothbrush, and the former accepted it with a nod of thanks. "Horseapples, Ah wish Ah had one of those pointy things right now." That brought up a few giggles, making Applejack smile a bit, but soon returned to business.

"Goin' through the front gate again would be suicide." The earth pony pointed to it and the marks representing soldiers with the toothbrush. "From what we saw from our first attempt, there's at least one platoon of soldiers guarding that gate, and a section of pegasi patrolling the area. Yea, Dash?"

Rainbow Dash put her hoof down and asked, "How many?"

"At least ten of 'em."

"I could take 'em on!" Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest with a fierce look in her eyes. "ALL of them."

Applejack chuckled. "Course ya could, sugarcube, but we need to stay away from 'em. After all, we cain't afford ta draw too much attention to ourselves goin' in, or we'll have all of 'em on us. 'Sides, there's gotta be more than one of 'em after our little mistake."

Rainbow Dash deflated a bit, and glared at the ground, mumbling, "But I could totally take them if I did." Trixie smirked, then had an idea. Leaning into Applejack, she whispered something, causing the orange mare to pause, and frown.

"Ah don't like it, but yer right about that. Fine, Dash, Ah want you to take those Pegasi out of the sky." Dash brightened up immensely, but Applejack cut her off before she could let out a whoop. "It needs ta be a surprise attack. Those are trained soldiers, not drunks ya scrap with in a pub. And besides that, yer gonna have ta fight 'em at a high altitude, 'cause there's gotta be rangers watching their backs, and trust me, ya don't wanna tango with them or their arrows."

Dash did a salute, and then settled down again, but Fluttershy didn't quite like the idea. "B-But that's dangerous...! She could be badly hurt! Why would you want her to do this?"

Rarity gave Fluttershy a comforting nuzzle, and explained, "I think I know why, but let's allow Applejack to continue. I am quite sure she'll explain herself."

"Thank ya, Rares. Last time we had the element of surprise, and Ah'm sure the guard has its act together by now," Applejack explained to the others. "But there's another way in." The map she had spread out in front of her showed Ponyville and its surrounding area, including the gem mines nearby. And it was that gem mine the farm-pony was now focusing on. With that damnable toothbrush. "Trixie, ya'll explain this one. Ah ain't too clear on the details."

Trixie nodded, and took said brush with her magic, moving it along a path. "These gem mines are very open and exposed. However, that said, though there's no places for us to hide, that is the same for the rangers. They cannot ambush us there, and this path is too far from the tree-line for them to accurately fire on us. So the only real worry are the ground troop patrols and the pegasi. We can and have predicted the patrol patterns of the ground troops, so we can avoid them." The unicorn looked up to Rainbow Dash. "But Spitfire is a great deal more intelligent than Wild Heart, who is in command of said ground troops. She's ordered her pegasi sections to take a complicated, erratic patrol scheme. We won't be able to avoid their notice at all. Taking out even one section will increase our chances of sneaking in three-fold."

The pegasus grinned, and thumped her chest with a forehoof. "You can count on me. I guess this means I gotta go in first?"

"Yes. How far can you see?"

"Pretty darn!" Trixie couldn't help but smile at the familiar bravado.

"Well, in that case, please scout a bit. Then pick a target based on how many times it covers the air space above the mine, and take it out. Rejoin us afterwards."

"Soooooo... Why are are we even going through those mines? I mean I don't really care about the dirt or anything but how's it gonna work?" Pinkie leaned in towards the map very closely, obscuring Fluttershy and Rarity's view of it, but their protests went ignored. Trixie smacked her forehead lightly with a hoof, and groaned.

"Oh, of course. Yes, it slipped my mind. There's a side entrance to the palace from the gem mine. The palace was constructed underground, then raised via Nightmare Moon's magic. It still has a few connections from the underground, however, like this shaft here." The pale-blue unicorn tapped the spot with the brush. "It connects to the boiler room, and a store-house. It's a weakness, and the door is normally locked tight, but there's usually only two soldiers guarding the door at any one time. We can take them out quietly, and-"

"W-We aren't going to kill anypony, are we?!" Fluttershy suddenly leaped up, her expression horrified at the very idea of it.

Trixie wilted a bit, and took a deep breath. "If we have no choice. Just assume, unless it's absolutely impossible to avoid, that we intend to incapacitate, not kill." The former ranger didn't seem satisfied by that, but she settled down again, looking troubled. "Now then, Applejack?"

"Yea. Now, this won't be the only thing we'll be doin'. To increase our chances of gettin' in, we'll have a second group. This one is a battalion of volunteers from surroundin' villages and some of our own ponies here." As Applejack spoke, Trixie adjusted the brush to point towards the rear of the palace. "They'll be hitting the rear gate. They'll have to pass through the Everfree forest to do this, and, well, there's prolly a buck-ton of rangers in that area. It's gonna be rough fer 'em, but it's all we got. Ah-"

Fluttershy already had trepidations about possibly killing some of their opponents, but to willingly send what could only be a suicide mission? "NO!" The other ponies jumped, staring at Fluttershy. "You can't do this, Applejack! Those ponies will die! M-Maybe all of them!"

"Ah'm sorry, sugarcube, but they already agreed to it, and they did so knowin' what they were gettin' into. Are ya gonna tell them that they cain't fight fer their homes? They'll do it anyway if we cancel this part of the plan."

"Then... Then..." Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut. Her body shuddered momentarily in fear, but she took a deep breath. In a voice that was barely more than a whisper yet filled with determination, the pegasus demanded, "Then let me go with them. I'll save as many as I can."

All five of the other ponies present protested all at once, in a cacophony of voices, all of them saying the same thing. "Fluttershy, ya cain't be serious! We cain't lose ya! Even if you weren't our friend, the elements need ya to work right!"

Fluttershy was not going to budge on the matter. "I may be an element, but... But remember what element that is! I won't leave them to die, and if you're really my friends, you'll help me."

Applejack stayed silent while the rest of them continued to try and talk the normally demure pegasus out of this. She turned it over in her mind, this way and that, considering. She couldn't force Fluttershy to stop, she could only help her. And so she did. "Everypony shut yer traps!" With the silence that provided, she continued. "Rarity, you and me are gonna go with Fluttershy."

"WHAT?! Are you INSANE?!"

"Ah'm thinkin' pretty darn straight, thank ya very much," Applejack snapped, glaring fiercely at Rarity while she continued. "Ah'm pretty good at handling the rough terrain, and that group will prolly have a better chance of survival with me leadin' it. And you need to come, 'cause rangers are pretty bad in hoof-to-hoof combat. Get close enough so they cain't use their bows, and ya got 'em already. That's why they ambush ya. And Ah bet ya could see an ambush comin' a mile away."

"But the forest! It's so... So... dank, so dirty, so... wild!," Rarity whined. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Rarity, don't do this now. Not now. Please."

The white unicorn gave a long, longing look at her own mane, and sighed. "Fine. For Fluttershy's sake, I will assist you."

"Ya sacrifice soooo much fer our sakes, Rares." Applejack wasn't used to using sarcasm, but at this point, it was completely merited in her eyes. "So, that leaves RD, Trixie, and Pinkie to go in the side entrance. Me, Rarity, and Fluttershy are gonna get our battalion to do a hit and run attack on the rear gate, drawin' attention there, and away from ya'll. That's when ya slip in."

Trixie had one qualm about this plan. "Then, Applejack, how are you and your team to enter the palace? You'll be fighting a losing battle, and even if you do manage to win, you'll have half an army at your backs as you enter."

"Won't be all that bad, Trixie. Once we get in, we can get our ponies to use the gate as a choke point, and then we'll join up with ya."

"And what about the FRONT gate? What's to stop them from entering and attacking you from behind?"

"Ah... Ah didn't think 'bout that." Applejack removed her hat and rubbed the back of her head with a fore-hoof. "Ah guess we could double around the castle and attack the front. They cain't send all their guys in, they'd have ta guard the front with somethin'."

"Waste of resources and energy," Trixie scoffed. "You wouldn't make it, especially not when you'd have casualties from taking the rear gate."

"It's all we got, Trixie! All we can do at that point is hope. Okay? We'll hold the rear gate and use it as a choke point. If we close the gate, they won't be able ta come from behind us, and then we can focus on reinforcements comin' from the front. That's the best we got here. Maybe we can figure somethin' better out when we get there, bein' that we don't know the palace too well."

Pinkie beamed, and pulled the five other ponies into a sudden, big hug. "Don't worry! It'll aaaall turn out fine! I gotta great feeling about all of it! So when do we leave?"

Pinkie's eternal optimism was cheering, and loosened some of the tension in the room. At least, it stopped the argument there. "Me, Rarity, and Fluttershy are gonna leave in three hours. Dash, yer gonna leave thirty minutes after, and you've got ten minutes ta scout 'fore we send Trixie and Pinkie through. Gotta have enough time to destroy evidence of the portal rituals." Applejack couldn't help but return the hug, and her friends followed suit soon after. "So we got until then. All of ya, do what ya want. This is our final stand, and..." She looked a bit solemn, slipping out of Pinkie's grasp. The latter earth pony let go of everyone else, with her own serious expression. "... Some of us might not survive this. Ah won't lie. So... Well, live it up, Ah guess."

"Party time then," Pinkie cried out, her serious expression gone entirely, and replaced by a wide grin. "The biggest, bestest party I've ever thrown! And everypony's invited! Well except for Queen Meanie and her groupies but really who would want that anyway?" Pinkie hopped off to get ready.

"Erm... Yea. Well, Ah'm gonna get ready. Got lots of preparin' ta do, an-ERK!" Applejack was cut off as a light blue aura enveloped her, and its owner, Trixie, started dragging her out of the room. Dash whistled after them, making Fluttershy blush and Rarity bring a hoof to her muzzle, covering it.

"Oh my! Well, I suppose we'd better go after Pinkie." And so, the party began.

The skies above the palace were tense. Aside from checking in with command via the enchanted bracers they wore, the pegasi section was completely quiet. The recent attack on the palace had everyone on edge, and the escape by the prisoners had only made it worse. They expected another attack any time now, and most of the soldiers were especially on edge after Her Majesty had ordered a battalion sent away. The palace had never been more vulnerable. The air force watched the ground thoroughly, but they made one crucial mistake.

They didn't check the skies above them. That was their undoing.

When the cyan pegasus dropped from the clouds over them, they reacted with admirable speed. A lesser, slower adversary would have been quickly taken out by the cooperative efforts of the highly trained pegasus squad. Rainbow Dash was neither lesser, nor slower. On her first fly-by, she planted her forehooves into the side of one of the soldiers trying to move out of her way, and the rush of air following behind the element of loyalty knocked five more off kilter and sent them tumbling. One down, five helpless, four left to chase her.

They caught up with Rainbow Dash fairly quickly, but that's just what the pegasus wanted. She turned her body upwards and spread her wings out wide before giving them a powerful flap, and the four passed by her harmlessly. Grabbing the tail of the lead pegasus, she forced him into a rough stop, and then swung him in a wide circle before letting go, sending him into the group of five she'd sent tumbling just seconds before, knocking them aside like bowling pins. Seven down. Three to go.

These three prudently decided to make a break for it, and to call in. Dash was having none of that. She zoomed after them, demonstrating her legendary speed, and a quick kick of a hind-leg in passing smashed the caller's bracer. She slowed herself, and then spun horizontally, giving that same pegasus a buck with both legs. Dash knocked the mare out cold and then turned on the other two. Completely terrified of the polychromatic demon, they wisely surrendered. Unfortunately for them, the aspiring Wonderbolt was not looking to take prisoners, and both of them got a fore-hoof to the face. Ten down.

The whole thing took only 30 seconds, giving Dash plenty of time to catch the soldiers, prop them up inside a cloud above, and get to scouting. Feeling very proud of herself (as usual), the rainbow pegasus mentally checked her internal clock. Five more minutes, 3 more sections of pegasi. Plenty of time. Completely throwing caution, and her orders to only take one group out to the wind, Dash broke through the cloud barrier and started looking for her next target. She had no idea she was being followed now.

At the other end of the palace, and on the ground, three hundred and three ponies were trekking through the Everfree, warily watching out for the myriad dangers under its leaves. They had to remain as quiet as possible, which was very hard for such a large group. That was why they had to split up, into groups of one hundred with one of the elements each there to guide them. It was still quite unwieldy, but with most of the ponies being a simple militia gathered from several villages, they simply couldn't split the battalion up any further. Not without proper leadership. Of those three groups, Rarity's was most likely the safest. They'd encountered several beasts, and the white unicorn had either avoided them entirely or defeated them with no deaths or even casualties. Though prissy and adverse to such dirty conditions, Rarity had shown remarkable ferocity in attacking hostile wild-life, and as much as her soldiers had to marvel at the bravery (or foolhardiness) of their commander for charging a wild gryphon and bucking him right in the face, they could only gape at her casual admittance that she'd once done it to a manticore as well.

Their good fortune couldn't possibly have lasted, however. Rarity stopped her group just in time to avoid facing a hail of arrows, but they were facing a steep ravine on one side, and a line of rangers wielding bows on the other. There was no other recourse. "Charge! Get in close, and they're helpless!" 100 ponies charged, and the rangers responded in turn, loosing another flurry. A few ponies fell, but Rarity tried to ignore them, shut them out for the sake of her own sanity.

Rarity's horn glowed as she knocked arrows off course with her magic, assisting as best she could in this situation. A few rangers had been knocked flat by the charge, but most of them had taken a tactical retreat. This is a trap. They'll just string us along, whittling our numbers until we're all dead. But if we move on, they'll hound us the entire way! Oh, what to do... While she considered, she missed an arrow. A whizzing sound to her right ended in a wet thunk, and a pony faltered. He was yellow, and he has a violet mane. She'd been watching him. He was young, and sweet. He'd helped several of his fellows over obstacles, patched up a few cuts and scraps from their escapades to this point, and in general had been nothing if not helpful and considerate. He reminded her of Fluttershy in more ways than one.

Now he stumbled, his eyes wide in pain and fear, and his fore-legs buckled as he fell forward. His chest was awash with blood, and it was very clear something vital had been run through. Rarity stared in shock, not moving at all. It had been so easy to ignore the others dying, but he had been right next to her. She'd seen his face, and couldn't help but stare down at him as he shook on the ground, gasping for air. Each gasp took in less and less, and she couldn't stop watching. The ground under her hooves shifted, weakened by the thunderous charge, and that shook her out of it. She had no idea what to to, but she lifted the colt to her back. She had to get away from the edge of the ravine. She had to save this stallion.

But it was too late. The ground gave out, and she spilled over the edge with a scream, the colt on her back falling with her.

Applejack was not happy. Several times she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, and as soon as she turned her head, there was nothing there. She grumbled to herself, growing paranoid. "Listen up! You boys keep moving. You got maps and compasses, you can find yer own way. Ah need to take care of somethin'."

One of the mares looked at her incredulously. "Commander? We can't just leave you here! Is there some kind of threat? We'll assist you, but please, don't make us leave you here!"

Applejack knew who was following them. And that mare was right. She'd be better off sticking to them, helping her fight. Even he couldn't beat them all. Some head-strong part of her yelled, Buck that! He's YER fight. They ain't in this! The farm-mare, however, fought that part of her down, and shook her head. "Yea, yea. Sorry 'bout that. Ah dunno what came over me. Keep yer eyes peeled! Ah think we got somepony followin' us. The trees ain't safe, keep an eye on them especially!"

While the mares and stallions in her group had to wonder if she was going crazy, they knew better than to question their leader at this point. The more faithful ones reasoned, however, that if Applejack thought something weird was going on, there was something weird going on. So they watched the trees, and very suspiciously at that. Unfortunately, the attack didn't come from them. It came from the vines.

They lashed out by the hundred, striking and gripping onto the ponies of the group, forcing them down or throwing them about. Applejack had the wind knocked out of her as she was slammed onto the ground, then jerked back into the air. She wasn't about to have a repeat of that, and wrapped her fore-hooves around a sturdy rock, and she rammed her hind-legs against it, cutting the vine that held her. Casting her eyes about wildly, she looked for the source.

All around her, ponies were being battered. Flashes of so many colors, but mostly green, blocked her vision of what she had to see. Against her better judgement, she took a running leap onto a thick tree branch. It started to shift under her. "Horseapples! LISTEN UP! ALL OF YA! IF YA CAN GIT SOMEPONY ELSE FREE, DO IT! HELP EACH OTHER, THEN HELP ME LOOK FER-" The branch bent down, then snapped up suddenly, throwing her into the air. Even then, her eyes scanned. Orange, green, light brown, green, red, green, purple... THere! She twisted herself in the air, noting with relief that some of her group had listened and were getting free. Landing on her hooves, she charged at the shock of purple among the dark forest. "Let's settle this, tall, dark, and ugly!"

Trixie and Pinkie came through the portal that was on the edge of the gem mine. Pinkie looked all around, including under Trixie, causing the unicorn to give her companion a dirty look. "Exactly what are you doing?"

"Looking for Dashie," the strange pony replied. "She's supposed to be here, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is." Trixie cast a worried look over the sky. Pinkie followed her gaze, and then pointed with a hoof, pulling Trixie close suddenly with the other fore-leg. "There she is!" She was gesturing to a quick moving shape descending into a group of unknowing pegasi. Trixie cursed.

"She's only supposed to take one of them down! This is far too risky!"

"Oh c'moooon. It's Dashie! She can do it! Why don't we just head on in? She'll catch up."

Trixie wanted to argue, but she had the feeling she'd get nowhere with this earth pony, and she didn't really want to stay in the open either. "Fine, let's go. But we're not moving any further into the palace until she meets up with us!" Pinkie nodded her assent at that, distracted by watching Rainbow Dash tussle with her newest victims as they walked along. So when Trixie stopped dead as they came up to the door they were to use, Pinkie bowled her over, and they rolled in front of an armored firgure. "Oh, buck."

"Heya." Spike was using a toothpick to get gem shards out from between his fangs as he guarded the door. "We figured you girls would be coming this way."

"Heheheh..." Pinkie gave a nervous chuckle as she stared up at Spike. Trixie was trying to wiggle out from under the pink earth pony, to no real success. "Can't ya let us through, Spikey? I promise we'll be good?"

"Uh... No." He draw a sword from a sheath on his armor's belt, and a shield out from behind him. "Yea, let's go with no. Why don't we do this the easy way, Pinks?" Pointing the sword down at her, the tall dragon grinned. "Just walk away, I'll take Trixie with me, and I'll forget I ever saw you. Deal?"

Pinkie jumped off of Trixie (Finally, thought the unicorn.) and grimaced, holding herself in a position similar to an angry cat. "Nokie dokie, lokie. I'm not gonna let you hurt her, even if she is kinda a jerk!"

"Thank you. I think." Trixie groaned as she rose to her hooves, and made herself ready. "But I insist that you go, Pinkie. The elements don't need me. They need Twilight. And it's the least I can do to help you get to her."

"Hey, I'm right here. I'm not letting you through this door. Gimme some credit," Spike complained. He quickly stabbed downwards, but Trixie wasn't there. The sword passed through an illusion, and the real Trixie, who was standing just behind Spike, blasted the door off its hinges with a burst of magic. "HEY!" His tail grabbed her and threw her back away from the door, but that gave Pinkie the opening she needed. The pony darted through, but paused beyond the thresh-hold giving Trixie a worried look. The light blue unicorn was struggling to her feet, unhurt but a bit dizzy.

"I'm fine," Trixie exclaimed, shaking her head clear just in time to duck under a wide cut. "Get going! I swear I'll meet you inside!"

"PINKIE PIE PRO-" Pinkie was cut off as the door, surrounded by a blue aura, reset itself on its hinges and locked. The element of laughter was stuck inside the palace.

~~~

(Author's notes: I'd planned to make this all one chapter, but it would have been unreasonably huge, so I'm cutting it up into two. Next chapter? Showdowns! Woo!)

Tenth Judgement (Part Two)

Fluttershy had, unlike her friends, had no problem in leading her group through the forest. It was in part luck, but the greater part was the ranger's knowledge of nature, both mundane and monstrous. Only a few of the soldiers had been injured, and those were but minor wounds, annoyances at worst. This hadn't stopped the pegasus from fussing over each and every hurt pony, and a few times those under her command had to cajole her into continuing on.

Even Fluttershy wasn't normally so fussy, but every instance of harm reminded her that these ponies were willing to throw their lives away in the name of liberation. It weighed heavily on her mind, and even she had to admit to herself that she was only trying to delay the inevitable. That realization, together with the worry of not being in position when the others arrived, saw to it that the newest "casualty" didn't even receive anything more than a look over and a soft nod. "It doesn't look like you twisted your ankle, but please be more careful." The brown earth pony looked honestly surprised she hadn't immediately called for triage, and was thankful they weren't suffering a delay simply because he tripped over a root.

Her hesitance, however, caused the unfortunate effect of those under the pegasus's command to grow impatient to continue on. So when they reached the edge of the forest, and the other two groups weren't there, they immediately grew restless. Fluttershy stared at the ground, trying to think of a way to hold this under control. I'm not really a leader... I don't think I can keep them here until the others get here, she thought to herself, frowning. Oh, Applejack, Rarity... Where are you? An idea hit her, and she cleared her throat. "Um... Excuse me. Is there anypony here that could... Maybe... Scout the rear gate while we wait for the others...?"

"I can, Ms. Shy," a nearby brass-colored pegasus spoke as he stepped forward. Fluttershy recognized him as one of the resistance members she'd been introduced to by Applejack before the mission had started. The resistance was better trained, if only by a margin, and would help her keep the militia on a leash. "What information do you require?"

Fluttershy fidgeted. She hadn't expected to have to specify this, but an answer came to her quickly nonetheless. "I just want to know how many there are at the rear gate... A-And if you can find Rainbow Dash, that would be nice too... But only if you want to, it's not really a requirement..." The rebel resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Ms. Shy, we can clearly see the gate from here. The only reason we're not being seen by them is that we have the advantage of the trees. As for Ms. Dash, if I flew out and tried to find her, it would put us both at risk of being seen." He waved a hoof over to the right, along the treeline, trying to keep his frustration from showing. "I could move out of the gate's line of sight, but that would take too long and be too much trouble, not to mention that I could STILL be seen as I went up for the cloud cover." That hoof got stomped down in front of him. "Your delays will cost us our chance, Ms. Shy. There are 50 ponies at that gate. We outnumber them two-to-one. We could easily take them."

Something about that sounded off to Fluttershy. She didn't know much about tactics, but she wasn't stupid. "But there's most likely more inside... I mean, there's gotta be a small barracks. We don't know exactly how many are in there." The brass pegasus hadn't expected that retort, and was caught off guard. His temporary commander couldn't feel relief at this small victory, however. "But... W-Well... If we charge through, we could catch them off guard and lock them out, right...?"

Feeling a little humbled by her surprising show of logic, the rebel nodded meekly. "Yes, Ms. Shy. They don't know we're here, and it's a relatively short distance."

The former ranger closed her eyes, weighing her options. If the others are in trouble, charging in will just get us all... She shuddered as she dodged around the word "killed". She opened her eyes, and asked, "A-Alright. Who's our best tactician...?"

"That would be me," came the gruff voice of a grey unicorn who looked rather tired. Fluttershy didn't like that expression. It reminded her of how beaten down Applejack looked most of the time. "What ya need, ma'am?"

Fluttershy pawed at the ground with a hoof, digging it in slightly. So many ponies are hanging on my words... I really don't like this... Fluttershy pushed that thought away and steeled herself. No. I can do this. I protected Trixie, I got all of us back in shape, I can do this, too.

"Ma'am...?" He sounded concerned, not impatient like the scout had. That helped Fluttershy convince herself, and when she spoke, it was with a firm tone that belied her gentle voice, and surprised the ponies that heard it.

"I want you to tell me our options. What's the best course of action, waiting for the others, or charging now?"

The unicorn rubbed a grizzled chin with a forehoof. Fluttershy tried not to smile at the thought of him seeming more like a goat than a pony. "Whelp, like Glass Bellows there said, we outnumber 'em pretty bad. Ya make a good point, sayin' that there might be more inside, but there's probly not many more. The only real problem is propping the gate up when it inevitably gets closed, but I think we can get ourselves inside with all the Earth Ponies we got. Better'n a battering ram."

"So you think we should charge." Fluttershy looked thoughtful. "But won't propping the gate up mean we'd have to... H-Hurt the ponies guarding it?"

"I'm 'fraid so, ma'am." He levitated a stick over and started tracing in the dirt, making a rough diagram of the gate area. "Don't worry, though. If we overwhelm them, they'll scatter and/or surrender. And then we kin just shove the prisoner's out the gate when we go in, lock 'em out."

Fluttershy looked relieved at that, then perked up as a thought struck her. "We should soften them up first, to make the charge easier."

The old unicorn grinned, and gave Fluttershy a light smack on the back, making her squeak, and smile awkwardly. "Gotta say, for such a gentle soul, ya really got your head in the right place. I think that'sa pretty good idea, how 'bout you, Bellows?" The pegasus simply nodded. The development of a strategy was interesting enough, but at this point he was starved for some action. After all, this was to be their crowning moment. Their grand finale. "Right, well, here's the plan..."

As the unicorn spoke, Fluttershy only half-listened. Looking out to the gate, she could only hope no one she knew would be guarding it.

"Ya know what, Spearmint? Life is awesome." The light green unicorn rolled his eyes, but smiled good-naturedly.

"Okay, Scoots, I'll bite. Why is life so great for you?" Mint was very nervous about the current situation. Guarding the rear gate was usually a punishment detail. The ground was uneven, often muddy, and was facing the Everfree Forest. Which, in a word, was terrifying. It was worse tonight, however, since their commanding officer had made it very clear this had become a very important thing to guard, and it wasn't hard to guess why. Knowledge of the prison break had been impossible to suppress inside the palace, and Spearmint just knew any attack would come at this gate. Yet, there were only one hundred ponies stationed here. Fifty on the outside, fifty in reserve.

Scootaloo, on the other hand, seemed psyched. That annoyed Spearmint to some degree, but he didn't want to be the pony who killed buzzes. She was grinning like a loon, and he figured maybe her happiness would be contagious if he gave it a chance. "So, look," The pegasus began. "I applied for the Skyshatter Squadron earlier, and Captain Lighthoof said he can't think of a reason why I shouldn't be in with them. Soon as I'm done with this stupid gate, I'm one of the best, baby!"

That IS good news, Spearmint thought. "You deserve it, Scoots. You're always working yourself to the bone for Her Majesty. And hey, no more standing in one spot for an entire night, right?" He adjusted the seating of the spear he had wrapped in his horn's magic, before leaning on it a bit.

"Yea. Instead I get to fly in circles all night," Scootaloo said, holding back a laugh. "But at least I'm flying, not standing. Second thing is that we're finally going to see some action."

"That's... Not a good thing," the unicorn retorted, shaking his head. "I'm scared, and you should be too. Besides," He jabbed a hoof at her side. "I heard Rainbow Dash was with them."

He regretted his teasing as Scootaloo shot him a withering glare, her teeth gritted. "That's not Rainbow Dash. It's some kind of actor. If I get my hooves on the mare..." The soldier couldn't believe anyone would do something so heinous as to dishonor the dead. Especially not someone as awesome as Dash was.

"Whoa, whoa, Scoots!" Spearmint leaned away from her, raising a hoof. "Calm down, filly. I forgot you had a thing for h-"

"I DIDN'T HAVE A THING FOR HER!"

Spearmint winced, closing one eye, as the commander's head snapped in their direction. "You two there! Keep it down!" Their entire formation turned to glare at them, it seemed.

"Yea, uh... Sorry, Commander. Won't happen again," Spearmint apologized, giving his superior officer a nervous grin until he turned away.

Scootaloo hissed at her fellow soldier in a low voice, "She was my idol. I idolized her. I didn't love her. Didn't even have a crush."

Spearmint slowly nodded, turning his head away. "Sorry." There was a long, awkward silence, during which time Scootaloo leaned to one side, trying to give her left side a much needed break in the weight it was carrying. The uneven ground was getting to her. After a few moments of this quiet, the unicorn cleared his throat and asked, "So, yea, that's why you're all psyched? It's... Pretty cool."

She grinned again, and Spearmint breathed a sigh of relief as she answered, "Nah, there's something else, and it's the best out of the three. But you can't tell anypony, or I swear I'll buck you into next week."

"My lips are sealed. Lay it on me."

Scootaloo looked around conspiratorially for a moment, before continuing with, "With the imminent danger pay I'm getting from this, I'll have enough to buy that ring I've been wanting."

Spearmint couldn't help himself. "Wow, Scoots, I had no idea you felt that way." He fought back a smirk, instead putting on an overblown look of sorrow. "I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment, baby!" He couldn't stop his smirk when the pegasus blushed fiercely and stammered, though.

"No, I do-It's not-"

"I'm teasing, calm down. Sheesh. It's for that filly you've been dating, right? What's her name?"

"You're a jerk, Mint." She took a deep breath, fighting down the embarrassment. "Her name's Sweetie Belle. I told you all about her."

Spearmint rolled his eyes, and shrugged. "Look, I know this'll sound shocking, but coming from a friend... No one is ever interested in someone else's crush. Doesn't matter how many dates or how often you-"

"Hey, you hear that?" Scootaloo looked up to the air, her ears perked and set straight forward.

"Hear wha-" Spearmint was cut off by a loud hissing noise and a chorus of screams following the distinctive noise of arrows striking flesh and armor. The unicorn fell over with an arrow through an eye, instantly killed. Scootaloo stared, shocked into uselessness as the enemy pegasi swooped down, scattering the already panicking ranks. The soldier stumbled, still a bit shocked, as she shakily set herself into a stance, holding her a blade-bearing hoof out in front of her. A charge was coming from the forest, but an arrow biting into her back made sure she wouldn't be able to face it.

Fluttershy tried not to stare at all the fallen bodies as her group charged the gate, but she couldn't help but look as they had to stop to force the gate open. Her teal eyes watered as they traveled over the carnage. It would have been horrifying for anypony, but for her, it was as if she'd taken her first steps into hell. She couldn't look away. Blood was everywhere, staining the ground, turning any earth into rust-colored mud. The Element of Kindness couldn't help but to lean forward and retch. Thankfully, she hadn't eaten anything at the party, because she knew something like this would happen. She had hoped it wouldn't.

A nearby groan snapped Fluttershy's attention to a group of bodies nearby, and she noticed an earth pony soldier, one of Nightmare Moon's, stirred a bit. She made to rush to his side, just as behind her a loud groaning, and the clanking of chains rang out as the gate was finally forced. Just before the former ranger reached the side of the wounded, she felt her tail tug, and she yelped, looking behind her. Bellows held her tail in his mouth, and shook his head.

"I have to help! I can save him! Please!" She begged piteously, and Bellows shook his head again. It was all he could do to keep himself from letting her.

Spitting out her tail, he argued, "No, we have to get in. We don't have time to help the enemy!" Bellows bit his bottom lip as he realized how cold that sounded. "... Yet. We don't have time to help their wounded yet."

"But they'll die! Look at him, he's... He's barely hanging on...!" Fluttershy trembled as she started to cry, looking back to the fallen soldier. He'd stopped breathing, as if on cue. The pegasus hung her head, and sobbed quietly, while the brass pegasus laid a wing over her back, trying to comfort her.

"Listen... We'll go on ahead, secure the gate. You're not really expected to fight anyway. See if you can patch up any of the wounded around here, and we'll clear a path. I won't tell anypony what you're doing if you don't." Fluttershy nodded, though she now didn't know how useful she'd be after seeing the soldier die.

So much noise, the small filly thought as she trotted along the palace's hallway. Adagia had heard they were under attack by a guard who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. The news had frightened her, but she was taken with the curiosity of a foal, and the young unicorn wanted to see for herself. And it was for this reason she approached the rear gate. The sounds of battle echoed through the halls around her, and to anypony else, the din would have been terrifying. Adagia loved it. So much noise to play with! That put a bounce in her step, and a smile on her face. Deep inside, she knew she shouldn't be so excited. After all, ponies were getting hurt. The filly couldn't help it, however. The cacophony of battle just sounded so appealing.

CLANG! The sound of blade on blade!

CRASH! Someone being tackled, maybe? It's just like the opera! So exciting!

When she peeked around a corner to the source of the chaos, she expected a grand, romantic scene. Of the heroic knights thoroughly thrashing the evil rebels. Or perhaps they were struggling, but a final valiant effort ensured victory, and safety of the Queen?

What she saw, however, wasn't the sight a foal expects of war, but the horrid truth. The guards were losing, and badly. They'd mounted a brave defense and had a choke point, but their front had been struck with magic and arrow, and the rebels had broken in on even ground. Adagia trembled, stunned at the horrors of battle. A sword sliced through flesh, and caught on bone, the victim of the attack screaming as her assailant yanked the blade away. A spear ran through a chest and stuck from a unicorn's back, covered in crimson. A spell burned an earth pony, flesh seared and bubbling in an instant.

Adagia couldn't feel anything but disgust now, and outrage. It was a terrifying sight, to be sure, but anger rose up instead of fear. They had tainted such beautiful sounds. Her horn glowed. She would use those sounds, then, and show them what they were doing was wrong.

Fluttershy rushed towards the rear gate. She had done all she could for three ponies before she realized how selfish she had been. The resistance needed her, and she needed to be with them. As much as it pained her, saving Equestria was more important than saving a few soldiers. It was a horrible thing, but she'd had to face a lot of horrible things lately. This was just another nightmare to overcome.

The battle seemed like it was on the side of the resistance. In fact, as soon as she reached the rear lines, the guards had surrendered, making the pegasus seem silly for panicking so much. There were still clashes of steel, however. Please don't fight to the death, there's no point...! Before Fluttershy could vocalize her thought, however, the sound began to waver. To her it was as though the volume were abruptly increasing and decreasing, completely at random. Then, it happened. Fluttershy was glad to be outside, for if she was in the hall, the sudden, deafening boom would have been enough to burst her eardrums. The echoes might have even had the force to batter her physically. Every single other soldier, however, was not so lucky. The reverberating surge knocked most of them flat, and even then the assault only repeated itself.

Ponies, being bashed down again and again by what felt like a solid wave of sound, grew dizzy, and those that remained standing collapsed. All movement ceased, and with it, all sound. Fluttershy had huddled down, forelegs over her head, to try and block out the horrible racket, and when all was quiet, she slowly rose up, her eyes traveling over the fallen. She trotted over silently, but quickly, and breathed out a soft sigh of relief when she saw that all of the fallen were still drawing air... At least, those who were not already struck down by the battle. The pegasus's smile faded when her wandering eyes fell over a small white filly, who was staring straight at her. Oh, no! The poor thing, Fluttershy thought to herself as she slowly approached. Did she see all of this?

Adagia had smiled when she saw that she'd done a good job. There had been so much noise to play with, using it had been easy. Too easy, in fact. She felt like a giant, and puffed her chest out in pride. Momma will be proud of me! I made them stop! However, her bravado instantly melted when she saw movement. A pale yellow pegasus had gotten up, and was now walking around. Fear overtook Adagia, finally, and she stared with eyes wide with terror. She wasn't... She wasn't affected? Oh. Oh no. No no no no no Momma help me! She tried to force herself to move, but her legs wouldn't work. The pegasus glanced up, and her eyes met the foal's. Adagia finally made herself take a slow step back, and then the mare started towards her. She's going to kill me! That thought broke her out of her petrified state, and she darted off, down the hall.

She could hear the pegasus, right behind her, and blind terror drove the filly into making random turns. She knew the palace like the back of her hoof, normally, but her panic kept her from thinking straight, and she soon ran into a dead end... Literally. Adagia smacked into a wall, and fell, dizzy from the strike to her forehead, and she looked up groggily. The sight of the still approaching pegasus brought clarity (or something close to it) to her mind, and she pressed herself tightly against the wall she'd just run into. Why isn't she making any sound I'm so scared where are you momma momma help me The thoughts all jumbled in her mind, and she shrieked finally when she felt a hoof touch her side. She jerked, but a pair of legs wrapped around her, and held her tightly. Kicking out randomly, Adagia flailed in panic, trying to drive off the mare, but she only succeeded in wearing herself out.

The poor thing was obviously panicked beyond reason, and Fluttershy knew that the only remedy would be to let her tire herself out. She winced at every kick, but didn't let go of the filly. It paid off when the unicorn eventually just started crying, shaking in fear. Poor thing... She must think I want to hurt her... Fluttershy instead gave her a soft nuzzle on the forehead, and rubbed over her back with one of the hooves she held the foal in. "Shhh... It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you..." The mare smiled and hummed soothingly, even as all the foal had just seen plus the panic of being chased, hit her, and she began to sob. Fluttershy knew how the little pony felt. She wanted to cry too. But comforting the foal was comforting in itself to the pegasus, and she didn't want to let go. Especially when Adagia clung to her, burying her face into Fluttershy's chest. "Everything will be alright... I promise." The promise was just as much to herself as to the foal.

Rarity groaned as she lifted herself up from the dirt in the ravine. Her right side hurt, but a glance over it revealed no wounds, and the lack of excruciating pain told the unicorn nothing was broken. Thank my lucky stars for small favors, Rarity inwardly complained, standing shakily on all four hooves. The thought of how dirty she was became quickly buried deep into the back of her mind, as she knew she had much bigger problems. Namely, the stallion that had fallen with her.

The fashionista knew very little about first aid, but she knew that all the blood that he'd lost wasn't good. Quite a bit of it was on her, too, but that was far away in her mind. "Please, please, PLEASE be alive!" Putting an ear to his chest, Rarity cursed the loud beating of her own heart as her panic rose, drowning out the sound of his. If there even was any there. "Come now, please... Get up..." That his sides weren't moving meant he wasn't drawing in breath, and though she did know at least how to give mouth to mouth, the thought of causing more damage with the chest depressions was certainly out of the question.

Rarity had never felt more helpless in her life.

A shadow fell over her, and her magic jerked a bow and quiver up from the colt's frame, the unicorn ready to use the weapon. The source of the shadow was a tan unicorn standing on a large root system that cut through the ravine in front of her. "He's dead. You can't do anything to save him," he stated coldly, drawing an arrow back on his own bow, aimed straight at her. She barely noticed. A cold rage overtook Rarity, as she notched an arrow to her bowstring. As soon as Fletcher loosed his arrow, she knocked it out of the sky with her own.

"I'll not give you the satisfaction of capturing me alive, good sir," Rarity hissed. Fletcher merely inclined his head.

"So be it." Fletcher hopped back, falling behind the massive roots. A few moments later, an arrow barely missed Rarity, thudding into the ground near her rear left leg. The white unicorn barely even flinched, trying to follow where the arrow had come from. Failing that, she darted for a rock to hide behind, and tried to calm herself. Oh Rarity, why did you do that? You are not a ruffian, fighting to the death, she admonished herself, notching a new arrow while checking her quiver. 25 more arrows. I should think that will be enough.

When she had the free time, Rarity had taken up archery as a hobby. Her natural attention to detail had made her easily capable of taking all the aspects of a shot into account when loosing an arrow, making her much more than decent at the sport. However, what the unicorn had never done was anticipate actually using it to hurt or kill someone, and now that her anger was fading, it left behind panic. A panic that only became worse when an arrow whizzed in from behind her, Rarity jerking her head on instinct. The reflex was just in time to avoid being pinned to the rock by her head, and as it was, it sliced into her hair and broke upon the stone. She let fly her own missile, but due to being startled by the previous attack, she was lucky enough for it to sail over Fletcher's head, and make him duck down.

Her opponent was now standing down-range of her (which hardly mattered, as the ravine was mostly wind free); he'd snuck up behind her. While that itself was cause for alarm, it meant that there was an easy way out of the crevice. She simply had to take care of this first. Taking advantage of the ranger's prone position, she quickly notched her third arrow. No wind to speak of, the range is too short to require an angle. You could make this shot in your sleep, Rarity, so STOP TREMBLING! Indeed, her body's shaking was making it hard to aim. By the time she loosed the shaft, Fletcher had struggled to his hooves, and had barely enough time to turn the arrow aside with his magic. Rarity let off a very unladylike curse, and hopped to the other side of her rock. And in the nick of time, too. As she was moving over it, an arrow flew over her close enough to cut into her back, though she hardly noticed thanks to the adrenaline. She lined up a shot in the ranger's general direction, forcing him to dive behind a fallen log.

With that, Rarity took silent note of how many arrows she had left, and carefully angled her next shot. This arrow will fly out of the ravine. The wind is negligible even up there, but don't you dare forget to factor that in, young lady! While she wasn't sure whether her internal monologue was more to keep herself calm or to actually remind herself of the process, she was sure that her next arrow would find its mark. Letting it fly into the air, she took a deep breath and held it in anticipation, and when she heard a wet thunk, she didn't know whether to celebrate or feel sick. Instead, she slumped down on the rock with her back to it, only to almost immediately yelp and jerk away. There was a lot of red on that boulder, and it was from her back. Oh dear. That's... That is a lot of blood, Rarity numbly thought to herself, not quite taking in the full severity of the situation. That shock almost cost her the battle.

A torrent of loud hisses in the air made her turn her head upwards weakly, Rarity still not all there after the shock of seeing her blood in such large amounts. But the sight she saw snapped her out of it. Easily, 30 or more arrows were raining down towards her. How did he?! No time for that, you stupid filly! Rarity's only idea was a crazy one, and she immediately put it into action. She'd deflected arrows with her magic before. For a unicorn with such focus as her, this was easy. But she'd never tried firing them back, let alone more than a score of them.

Then again, Rarity had never tried fighting to the death before. The oncoming arrows sank towards the ground as if time itself had slowed, their target's adrenaline kicking into full swing. She picked out the arrows she needed to turn. Only the ones she needed. Her head hurt, she'd never had to deal with this much information coming to her at once. Is this what it is like for Twilight? How she studies so intensely? The thought passed through her mind liesurely, it seemed. A strange calm had fallen over the Element of Generosity as she picked arrows, holding them back in her magic. She almost seemed to be watching herself, detached, as she stopped one arrow. Five. Eight. Fifteen! If she had the presence of mind to really comprehend what she was doing, her jaw would have dropped. As it was, only arrows she discarded as harmless dropped around her. She would graciously return the rest. Fletcher slowly rose his head from his cover, to check and see if the flurry had made its mark.

It hadn't. Rarity was untouched by them. And as half of the arrows he'd fired sailed back to him, he could only watch in utter disbelief. He closed his eyes, and accepted death gracefully.

The white unicorn's coat was stained red. If it wasn't for the fact that it was blood, the startling contrast might have been striking, perhaps even beautiful. The blood flow hadn't stopped, but Rarity didn't feel dizzy or numb as she'd always been told about bleeding out, so she supposed she was alright. Now to get out of here... No. She shook her head, with a grimace. I have to check. It would be foolish not to. Glancing to one of the many arrows buried into the ground around her, the unicorn attempted to uproot it with her magic, but nothing came to her. She gave that no thought for now, for if she had she might have panicked. So instead, the mare gripped the shaft in her teeth and jerked it up, cool earth striking the side of her face.

She shuddered, and as she slowly walked over to the hiding spot of the felled lieutenant, she had to laugh at her first thought: I sorely need a bath. And then I need to revise my priorities. Rarity stepped around the log, careful not to trip on an outcropping root. I've abused my friends, become a national traitor, been sent trekking through a forest, and fought wild beasts. She paused, staring at the ground, not wanting to look. The fact that she wasn't dead yet meant the ranger almost certainly was. She didn't want to see that just yet. I've been shot at, watched a colt die in front of me, fought to the death, and now... And now I've killed a stallion. She finally looked up. This is the worst night I have ever had. The spot was, of course, riddled with arrows, and Fletcher was no exception to that. He was gone. There was absolutely no two ways about it. Am I supposed to give a eulogy? Do you do that for an enemy? Oh, buck it. Rarity closed her eyes, and spoke. "I... I really don't know what I am supposed to say. I suppose I am sorry it came to this." A sob was rising in her, but she kept it down. Now was not the time for a breakdown.

"I did not know you too well, and I think that is to my loss. Of course, I hope you'll forgive me when I say I'm rather glad I wasn't close to you now, that would be simply dreadful!" The unicorn grit her teeth at such a foolish statement, mumbling to herself, "By Celestia, you're bad at this, Rarity." With a shake of her head, however, she forced herself up again. "You were always helpful to the citizens of Ponyville. I certainly saw you assisting ponies around our fair town quite often. Of course," She trailed off as she looked around, to the body of the colt she'd fallen in with. "I have to wonder what horrible things you've done, but I... I don't truly think that matters anymore." Rarity could feel the pressure rising up. Her voice was breaking, and tears were beginning to sting her eyes, forcing her to blink. And that only made her vision blurry. "Rest... R-Rest in peace, Fletcher. I'm sorry." The mare's front legs buckled, and she fell, clenching her eyes shut tightly. "I'm sorry..." Rarity could hear shouting for her from above. They had won, and now they were coming to help her. That didn't mean a damned thing to her right now. "Oh Celestia, I'm sorry!" She'd killed a pony, and that was all that meant anything to her.

Rainbow Dash never knew what hit her. One moment she was reveling in yet another victory over the last section of pegasi, and the next she had been tackled out of the air. Dazed from the blow, the pegasus spun head over heels towards a tower. She barely had the time to right herself before she crash-landed into a window, hooves first. The window shattered into a thousand shards, and she curled into a ball to avoid taking too many cuts. This also let her hit the ground tumbling, which helped to break her fall.

All in all, the aspiring Wonderbolt had taken much worse falls. It was a good thing, too, since her ability to recover almost immediately made her ready to roll away from a swooping attack from none other than Spitfire. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she stared up at her idol, the latter giving her a confident smirk. "Heya, kid. Let's make this simple, okay? I really, really don't want to have to hurt you." Despite her arrogance, the lieutenant's heart was pounding. Stupid stupid STUPID! You could have killed her, just like last time! STUPID NAG! Keep it together, Spitfire. Keep it together. Her expression never changed through that, until Dash let off a snort.

"Yea yea, blow it out yours! I'm not scared of you!" The cyan pegasus dug a hoof over the floor, her wings flared out and head low in an aggressive stance. "I'm not interested in talking, so let's just get this over with." Spitfire took a deep breath, and steeled herself for what she was about to do.

Then she dove for Rainbow Dash.

Tenth Judgement (Part Three)

(Author's Note: Okay, people. Look here. I've had a few fans tell me that they hated it when I released a chapter of Dumb Luck that was only there to let them know some things, and some of them suggested I use the blog function on FiMFiction for that kind of thing instead. So I did. And I have been. Except NO ONE READS IT. Not even the bronies that suggested using it in the first place. Or, if they did, they're not giving the feedback I request in said blog posts.

I understand that not everyone wants to read dumb blogs, I certainly don't. But I promise, only stuff related to my writing will be put there. No personal feelings, no "boohoo waaah i cut myself" bullshit, and no attention-mongering. I just want feedback on my ideas and my fics. If no one wants to read it, cool, but I'll have to go back to shoving info into my chapters, and I hate doing that. Like this here. So please, for the love of Meatloaf, please read the bloody blog and comment. That is all, enjoy (finally) the final chapter of Point of No Return.)

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Trixie had plenty of combat training. After all, even if she was never expected to face actual battle, she needed to learn just in case she might find herself in a bad situation. No training could prepare for the actual thing, however, and she'd never actually been drilled to the point of said training being second nature. So, with a dragon trying his best to skewer her on his short sword, she'd fallen back on pure instinct. It wasn't working very well. The unicorn couldn't get a single spell off, caught constantly on the defensive. She had no time to concentrate, instead only able to attempt dodging every strike. Trixie had no weapon of her own, and Spike seemed quite capable of using both sword and shield in tandem. It was a wonder she wasn't dead yet, and she already had several lacerations on her fore-legs and sides.

A slice came at her from the left, and she ducked under it, only for it to flick down. Trixie jerked back, and the tip of the blade cut into her snout, barely leaving a flesh would, but it was yet another reminder of how terrible she was in such close quarters. Spike pressed forward with his shield up, guarding against any possible counter attack as he moved back into blade range. Trixie barely had time to recover, let alone think, before he jabbed for her. Luckily, when she rolled, it was to her right, putting her to Spike's shield-bearing side. And she happened to be just out of range when the dragon's swung said shield in her direction. She finally had enough time to gather her thoughts, and she spent those precious seconds well.

Her horn glowed, and the smell of ozone filled the air, Spike's scales starting to tingle. Before he could react, a bolt of lightning surged out from Trixie's horn to his shield, blasting it back. The blow had enough force to rip the leather straps from its back, forcing it up and into the air. She grinned in triumph and leaped forward, to press her own attack, only for her face to receive a retaliation in the form of Spike's fist. Tumbling mid-air from the blow, Trixie landed on her back and let off a deep groan. Her vision swam and her nose felt stopped up and numb. She felt something warm trickling down her face, and rolled over before it got into to her eyes almost instinctively, leaving Spike to shake his wrist out. "Jeez, and that's why you never punch a face." Aside from some singeing on his former shield-arm, he looked perfectly fine.

A stunned Trixie tried to process this as he came closer, the unicorn's mind screaming at her. But that voice felt so far away, and her head was still spinning even as Spike picked her up by her neck, and drew his fist back again. The last conscious thought she had before it came down onto her was, Oh right. Dragons are resistant to destructive magic.

Spike grimaced down at the rebel as he dropped her into an unceremonious heap. He never liked Trixie, and had even less reason to like her these days. But I don't want to kill her. That's not on me, he thought to himself, mostly just to justify his nervousness. He'd never actually killed anypony, and he didn't want to start now. That's Perfect's job. The dragon looked back to the door, ignoring a groan from the passed-out pony. Probably not gonna get back in there easy. He was right. The door was jammed in tight. Oh well. Knowing Pinkie, she'd probably just get lost and wander around harmlessly before she was caught. No need to worry about her. Trixie was slowly beginning to come back to, and the dragon had no idea what to do with her at this point. With an apathetic shrug, he jerked her up again by her tail, and started dragging her towards the front gate. That was when he heard the sound of battle coming from the rear gate. Oh, for the love of... Well, she's just gonna slow me down. He dropped the unicorn, and charged towards the source of the racket, leaving his prisoner behind.

Pinkie wasn't lost. She knew exactly where she was, and that was right here. It wasn't her fault that right here didn't know where it was. But as long as she knew where she was, Pinkie figured she would be just fine. She was getting a little worried about right here, however, and was considering asking it where its parents were (or maybe throwing it an "I'm Lost Party") when she bumped into a thick iron door. "Ow!" She glared at the offending portal, rubbing her nose with a fore-hoof, then pushed it open.

Past the door, it was quite dark. Pinkie peered in, barely able to see at all. Pulling her head back, the earth pony tried to grab a torch from the wall, only to jerk back with a gasp. The torch's handle itself was very hot, and trying to take it out of its fixture would probably only result in her dropping it. Giving up on that, Pinkie stepped into the room, reasoning that she would either find a way out, or at least a way to not be lost. She tested the ground in front of her with her fore-hooves before she actually moved. The unusual caution was brought about by an odd feeling of unease this place gave her, and she couldn't quite place the source.

She knew that something about the smell bothered her, and the darkness wasn't helping, making her bump into something very cold, and made of metal. With a gasp, Pinkie leaped back from it, and began trembling. I-It's okay, Pinkie. Nothing to be scared of, right? R-Right. I'll just... I'll just sing, like usual. She drew in a deep breath, and began. Her singing was quiet, as if she didn't want to attract the attention of whatever might lurk in the choking darkness.

"When I was a little filly, and the sun was going doooown..." Her nose bumped into something wet, and she jerked back with a cough, a metallic scent filling her nostrils. She didn't like that at all, but she hurried into the next verse. "The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me froooown..." She wiped away that fluid. It was thick, gooey, and cold. "I'd hide under my pillow, from what I thought I saw..." She stepped around that... Whatever it was, and as she continued, her hoof bumped a metal rod on the ground and sent it clattering. Shrieking in surprise, Pinkie actually cowered for a moment, hunched down to the ground. "B-But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all..." She stood up again, taking a deep breath and steeling herself against her quaking. The song was making her feel better, or so she tried to convince herself.

"She said, 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fea-'" Pinkie was cut off as she tripped over something on the ground, something that rolled with her. It felt like a pony. "H-Hello...?" Getting no response, she continued to lay there for a moment, her breath heavy and quick. "Th-This isn't funny... Please, say something!" The earth pony gulped, and slowly rose up after another few moments of silence. Must be a dummy, or something. Isn't a real pony. That's right, Pinkie. It's not real. It was hard to convince herself. After all, that cold, thick fluid was now all over her under-belly from whatever she'd tripped on. "You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh and make them disappear!" Her heart almost stopped when light flared up in the room. All around her were horrible machines, all built specifically to hurt ponies in unspeakable ways. Hoof-screws, racks, hooks and claws, knives... The rod she had tripped over was some kind of rotisserie, which had something attached to it. Something red, slimy, and long, like some kind of worm. Oh Celestia, that's... That's...

Pinkie couldn't help herself. She leaned forward and retched, vomit splattering on the floor. Half-digested apple chunks joined all-but whole cupcakes in a puddle of yellow bile on the stone in front of her, swirling into the cracks between the tiles. Panting a bit, Pinkie closed her eyes tightly, giving off a soft whimper as tears started to stream down her cheeks. She didn't want to look back at the "dummy" she had tripped over, but she found herself doing so anyway. It was as if her mind was rebelling against her, and what she saw made her nausea much, much worse. The "dummy" was of course a real pony. A blue stallion with a like-colored mane. His rib-cage had been pulled open, each rib snapped off, and each and every organ carved from his chest and stomach. The empty cavity had been stuffed with candy, all stained by blood and worse. Two dead eyes met Pinkie's, and she found even her breath ceasing as a fly crawled over one of them, the expression of the stallion frozen into a look of absolute horror and agony. Thread lay to the side, as well as a needle. Her hooves almost gave out from under her, and it was a miracle she managed to keep standing. After a few more dry heaves, she looked back up, and froze when she was staring into the face of another pony, one with a very wild, wicked grin. Pinkie leaned back as the dark pink pegasus drew closer, and mockingly finished her song for her. "Ha. Ha. HA." The earth pony screamed, and darted for the door, but it slammed shut before she reached it with a loud note of finality.

The pegasus approached, grinning still, that smile much wider than a pony possibly could smile. In fact, it literally reached from ear to ear, two rows of razor-pointed teeth gleaming in the light of a chandelier which had a skeleton hanging from it, swinging slowly. "Hi there! You must be Pinkie Pie! I heard you like partying, and that you were here earlier, so I started making a party for you. But Spike wouldn't let me take you to it." She huffed, and took on a pout. "What a meanie. So, I thought to myself, 'Pinkie has to come back, right? So when she does, I'll have an even better party ready! With a pinata!'" Perfect giggled madly as she advanced. "Do you like it? You got here early, so I didn't finish sewing it up. Oh well! Guess we gotta play without one!" Pinkie pressed up against the door, hyper-ventilating and eyes darting around, looking for a way out. "Oh! Better idea! I'll use you as the pinata!" The depraved pegasus suddenly pounced, and Pinkie jumped to the side. It was a better decision than even suspected, as two spiked bones had jutted out of Perfect's hooves, puncturing through the door. "Hey! Stay still!" She jerked them out with some effort as Pinkie ran away, bobbing and weaving from torture device to torture device, eventually managing to hide herself.

Perfect let out a frustrated sigh, and Pinkie could hear her hooves on the stone floor, echoing through the chamber. The echoes made it impossible to tell where they were coming from, and the earth pony could only try to quiet her sobbing, with very little success. Not really registering what she was doing, Pinkie grabbed a cleaver from a nearby table. She couldn't see herself using it, but it felt comforting to have something to cling to. And cling she did; she held the knife to her chest as if it were a teddy-ursa and bit her lips so hard they bled to keep the noise of her sobs from getting out. A slight shift of the table she hid behind made her dart forward just as another spike came down, this one jutting from Perfect's wing. "Found ya! Oh, c'mooon, stop running! You're ruining the party!" The pegasus gave chase, and Pinkie was so very glad that all the devices strewn about and the relatively low ceiling kept Perfect from flying. Pinkie took a running leap over an alicorn-sized upright coffin, landing on the other side of it with a roll. With a glance behind her, she took in the most disturbing thing she'd ever seen. Perfect's body deformed into a flatter shape, squeezing itself between that coffin and a furnace with a loud slurping sound.

"N-No! Get away from me!" She brandished the knife with her teeth, the earth pony's legs shaking from adrenaline. Perfect just laughed, a wing striking out and bone smacking the blade, jarring it against Pinkie's teeth. Surprised by the sudden pain, she dropped it to the floor, and could barely react before Perfect Cut pounced and pinned her to a table with basins on either side, seemingly meant for dissection. And it had been used recently, blood filling said basins. The pounce knocked the wind out of Pinkie, making her groan and go limp. She closed her eyes tight, expecting to be skewered at any moment.

When she wasn't run through after a few seconds, the earth pony opened her eyes, to see a contemplative Perfect. The pegasus noticed Pinkie's confused look, and giggled. "Oh sorry! Just wondering what to do to you! I mean, I have you on a surgery table, but I wanted to make you a pinata! But then when I was squeezing past that furnace, I was thinking, why don't I stab you with a red hot pole a few times first? But that's not very creative, so..." She kept jabbering, the earth pony feeling more and more sick by the second. Fear gave way to anger, anger over how casually her assailant could be about these horrible things. While Perfect was distracted, Pinkie yelled out, raising her hind legs, and giving the pegasus a solid buck.

Pinkie wanted to hurt her, to be sure, but mainly she wanted the psychotic pony away from her. Pinkie let her anger overwhelmed her kindness, and, with another cry, tackled Perfect Cut as hard as she could. The pegasus grunted as she was forced back onto her hind-hooves from the impact, and began to trip backwards. A hind-hoof struck a pressure plate, and the coffin behind her swung open, revealing a small chamber filled with jagged spikes. Pinkie cried out in alarm and reached a hoof out, but it was too late. The iron-mare slammed shut upon Perfect, and as her almost-victim watched in shock, blood seeped out from some holes in it a few seconds later. Pinkie took a step back, horrified by what had just happened. Oh no oh no oh CELESTIA I didn't mean to kill her! Before she could get too deep into her self-loathing, however, a chuckle started up from the coffin, making her freeze in her tracks. Is she... Is she still alive?! Pinkie rushed to it, and tried to pry the device open. The laughter was getting louder, more insane, more maniacal, even as the pink mare exerted herself. Soon, the laughter grew too loud, the utter madness of it forced Pinkie to turn and run. Reaching the iron door, she ripped it open, and darted out. Only when the door slammed shut behind her did the cackling end.

Applejack leaped over a fallen tree trunk, vines snaking after her. She'd had to divert her path from its original beeline towards Wild Heart, as the earth pony had been surrounding himself with these vines, and getting caught by them was not a prospect she savored. Her group was still frantically trying to fend off the plants assaulting them, kept firmly on the defensive. Applejack's hooves hit the ground again, and she jerked to the right, ducking under a swinging tree branch. Wild Heart ain't the brightest candle in the bunch, she thought as she kept pace with those vines. S'long as Ah don't look like Ah'm comin' right fer 'im, he prolly won't notice. Jus' gotta make sure Ah don't tire myself out in the process. She didn't try to outrun the vines. Keeping them at tail's length was enough.

Just as she had thought, Wild Heart barely noticed her for now, more concentrated on attempting to wipe out her battle-group, which was proving annoyingly hard. The rebel troops had been able to clear a small area of trees and under-growth via magic, and had formed a circle inside it to see his assaults from all directions. A mere second of respite allowed an archer to notch and loose an arrow in the giant's direction, and he quickly jerked up his front left hoof, the arrow burying itself in the earth where it had been. When the hoof was lifted away, all of the plants suddenly stopped. Giving off a growl of frustration, Wild Heart stomped down on the arrow, snapping its shaft, and the flora pressed the attack once more.

That hadn't escaped Applejack, as she doubled around to the earth pony's backside. Why'd it all stop? Checking behind herself, she confirmed that the vines pursuing her had flopped to the ground, and were just now back on her trail. Getting an idea, she grinned and surged forward, putting all her might behind her pounding hooves. Wild Heart jerked his head back towards her, but it was too late. The much smaller earth pony tackled Wild Heart with everything she had, headbutting his side. With a wheezing grunt, Wild Heart rolled under her, and Applejack's momentum carried her over him and to the other side. As soon as even one of his hooves left the dirt, his plants all ceased movement. "Ah gotcha now!" She skidded, her hindquarters sliding in a half-circle when she landed, which left her facing him again. Queen Nyx's lieutenant had barely enough time to scramble back to his hooves before Applejack was on him again. This time, she didn't have nearly the same force behind her attack, and he leaned towards it, bracing himself. He skidded a few feet, but ultimately didn't fall over again. "... Horseapples."

Applejack had no time to react before vines wrapped around her torso, forcing her legs to her body. "No, I believe I have you at my mercy." He smirked, and those vines began to squeeze as the stallion stepped over her, a hoof pinning her torso to the ground. It was the mare's turn to wheeze as the pressure forced the air out of her lungs. She struggled, giving it her all, but Applejack had no leverage with which to break free, and the creaking of her ribs made her ears lay flat, her mouth desperately trying to suck in air which couldn't reach her lungs. "I see no reason to take you alive. Perfect will simply have to deal with not being able to have her fun with you." Applejack's lungs were burning, and dull, throbbing pains in her chest told her that her ribs wouldn't be lasting much longer.

Wild Heart was taking a sick joy out of having his old rival in his grasp... To the exclusion of everypony else. His ear twitched as it picked up a thunderous din, and he lifted his head with a brow raised to see a charge of ponies almost a hundred strong coming straight for him. His eyes went wide, and the momentary distraction loosened his vines' grip on Applejack. A deep gasp filled her burning lungs again, and through her coughing, she took the opportunity to wiggle her hind-legs free. Meanwhile, Wild Heart used every bit of the talent Queen Nyx had enhanced with her dark magics, and raised a wall of woven trees in the path of the advance, stopping them dead in their tracks. He smirked at the multiple thuds onto the wood, the wall groaning, but holding. Despite that victory, he was panting in exertion. Took jus' about ev'rythin' he had, but he don't need that much to finish me off. She grinned as she pulled her hind-legs as far back as she could. But he ain't gettin' the chance. "HEY! Wild Heart!" He looked down, his vines squeezing down again.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten you, rebel. Were were we? Oh yes, the crushing."

Applejack smirked, wheezing out, "Somethin's... Gettin' crushed... Hnnnh... Alright..." And she lashed out with her hindhooves.

In Ponyville, the clock-tower rung the 2nd hour of the afternoon. The population, unsuspecting of the battle at the palace and around their small town, were set about their business. The clock chimed a second time, just as a unicorn cracked open some walnuts. For some reason, every stallion in the town winced as a pain struck them between their legs, wondering where that feeling could have come from. But ultimately, they dis-regarded the occurrence, and went about their business.

Wild Heart froze for a moment. His vines loosened up completely, and Applejack slid out from them just in time to see the giant fall. With a loud thud, the earth pony hit the ground, sending some dirt up into the air, and he curled up a bit quivering and with a pathetic whimper. The mare stood up, grabbed her hat in her teeth, and flipped it up on her head. "Showed you, varmint. ALRIGHT, MARES AN' GENTLECOLTS! Le's move it on out!" Every stallion under her command complied immediately, and they rode out, leaving the lieutenant to suffer in peace.

"All we want to do is send you home!" A streak of flame drew closer to a rainbow, and the two clashed in a flash of multi-colored light, predominately red. Spitfire's goggles fell away from the impact, and Dash spun mid-air, recovering quickly enough to slip away from her fallen idol's deadly contrail. Dash's speed against Spitfire's pure agility made the two evenly matched. "But you have to be difficult about it!"

"If my best sis couldn't get me to abandon my friends, you think you could?!" They flew away from each other, coming back for another pass. Rainbow Dash's coat was a bit singed, but she could tell Spitfire felt that impact more than she did. This time the older pegasus split away at the last second, causing Dash to have to dive to get away from the intense flames trailing behind Spitfire. That fiery contrail of hers had set most of the tower ablaze, and a loud groan signaled that it's structure was weakening. I've gotta finish this quick, before I either roast or get crushed then roast.

"I was hoping you'd have a brain in your head!" Spitfire gave off a growl as she passed by a beam, giving it a good kick to loosen it. Dash hit the floor and pushed off to launch herself forward and restart her momentum. However, the former Wonderbolt dove in front of her, forcing her to stop dead as the sound of a loud crack rang out, that beam falling downwards. Dash grunted as it struck her, and slammed her to the tower's floor, cracking the paneling. Spitfire landed in front of her, panting just enough to be noticeable. "Ya know, Dash, lemme tell you a little secret."

The younger pegasus struggled to get out from under the beam, and was making progress before a hoof was brought down onto her back. Roughly enough to knock the air out of her, but not enough to break anything. "Dash, I had a lot of respect for you, ya know that? You were a good kid. A fast flier. Even better, a good leader, which I honestly didn't think you had in ya." Dash glowered up at Spitfire, trying to suck in more air to her lungs. "But you wanna know the honest truth? The real reason why you were never accepted into the Wonderbolts, kid?"

Rainbow fluttered her wings as they got free, a bit uselessly, though. Dash had been completely focused on Spitfire this entire battle of theirs', and she couldn't help but notice her main weakness. She's got experience on you, Dash. Sure. But she's old. She's an old mare, and all you need to do is keep fighting, and you can't lose. She'll run out of juice long before you will! So get up and fight! Try as hard as she could, though, Spitfire had the leverage of that beam and her entire body to keep Dash on the floor, and no matter how hard she tried, the pinned pony couldn't wiggle free. "I'll bite. Tell me why I wasn't good enough for a lousy traitor!"

Spitfire grit her teeth together, ignoring the crash behind her as burning chunks of the ceiling rained down to he floor. The impact smashed a crater into it and kicked up a cloud of dust. "That's why, kid. That's why. You can't think five minutes ahead! For you, it's all now, now, now." Spitfire didn't know why she was getting so angry. After all, why would she let this punk kid's words get to her? Nonetheless, she yelled out her next words. "You don't have a brain, or at least you never use it! I didn't run off to Nightmare Moon as soon as I could because I was some kinda opportunistic coward!" She stomped again, bringing up a gasp from her opponent, but that gave Dash an idea as the beam shifted and slid a little lower. She started shifting her weight, gradually, as much as the beam's own heft would allow, towards the part of it that was slanted upwards.

Maybe this using my head thing's got something to it after all. She fought down a grin. She needed to keep Spitfire angry, so she didn't notice this. "Oh, sure, I bet you did because you thought she'd give you a free Celestia-damned puppy, right?" She sneered, praying to whatever deity was listening that her next taunt would have the impact she wanted. "Or were you jumping at the chance to kill some upstart that was lookin' good to replace a run-down, rickety old nag?!"

Oh, have the effect she wanted it did. Spitfire roared out, and reared up, kicking her fore-legs and readying herself to slam them both down. Now she wanted to hurt Dash. But the younger pegasus was having none of that. Swinging both her powerful wings up, Rainbow Dash smashed them up against Spitfire's cheeks from either side. It wasn't quite as hard as she wanted, and a lesser pony would have been clocked out just from that. But Spitfire received a glancing blow from the wings when one of her fore-legs caught on them, and was merely knocked aside. That was all Dash needed, and she scooted out from under the beam and swung her body around on it's side before kicking with both hind-legs. Unfortunately, Spitfire didn't stay off-balance for long. The older mare ducked to the side from the kick, and seized Dash's tail in her mouth. Swinging her 180 degrees before letting her loose, Spitfire watched as the cyan pegasus hit a wall that almost matched her colors, were it not for the flame's angry glow reflecting from it. The fire had become a raging inferno, but Spitfire didn't care at all. She stalked towards the groaning pegasus, and raised a hoof to bring down on her head. But she hesitated when Dash said one word, one simple word, that made the anger fly away as easily as it'd come.

"Why?" The question was sincere, not a trick. Dash stared up at Spitfire, her red eyes sad, almost begging. The older mare shuddered, losing her scowl, now struggling just not to cry. That look was the look of a failed fan, desperate to know how their idol had fallen so far.

"The other Wonderbolts were talking about joining a rebellion. I couldn't just let them do that, they would have gotten killed!" She couldn't stop the tears now. "For Luna's buckin' sakes, Rainbow Dash! Do you know how long I've flown with some of them?! How long we were friends?!" That hoof stomped down finally, but in front of Dash, not on her. "I joined because they were scared of my indecisiveness. Because they needed something firm to believe in. So I gave them that. I made my choice." She stared down at Dash, her eyes filled with a lack of surety that betrayed her tone. "The right choice." The older mare flapped her wings a bit, stepping back. She was ready to charge again, if her opponent moved. Dash didn't. "What happened to you was an accident. I lost my temper. I just wanted to teach you a lesson for being so high and mighty. I didn't want to kill you. I'd never want to kill anypony! But I swear... If I have to, I'll kill you again. Right here, right now, so my friends will be safe and secure." She stared right into Dash's eyes, a glare of grim certainty meeting a sad, but equally determined expression. "Can you even possibly understand that?"

Dash took a deep breath, trying not to choke on the heavy scent of charred wood and metal. "Yea. I can." She closed her eyes, and without any warning, dove for Spitfire. Even with her experience, the old pegasus wasn't expecting a lunge from a prone position, especially not one so fast and vicious. Before she knew it, the Element of Loyalty had pinned her to the ground, and struck out a hoof which caught her right in the cheek. "YES, I CAN!" Dash growled out, and struck again. "I'm the buckin' Element of Loyalty, and I'm not about to let you," Another smack punctuated the statement. "Nightmare moon," SMACK! "Or anypony EVER," Crack! "Kill!" Spitfire groaned as she raised up her fore-legs to try to block the blows. "My!" It wasn't enough. "FRIENDS!" The crack that sounded out that time was a little too loud, and Dash jerked her head up and froze as she saw rubble coming down towards them. Time seemed to freeze as both mares looked up. There would be no time to disengage. No chance mere scrambling would get them away from it. Only one of them could possibly survive, and that was Dash. She didn't want to see her ex-fan die again.

Spitfire made the call.

"You've got what it takes, kid." Then she bucked as hard as she could with her hind-legs. Dash was thrown clear, and hit the floor sliding, as a thunderous crash rang out from where she'd been pinning the older mare previously. The once-aspiring Wonderbolt stared at the pile of burning wreckage for a moment, then hung her head. After a moment, she straightened up. She didn't have time to let her emotions get the better of her again. She needed to be calm, collected. Her friends needed her to be like Spitfire. She turned to leave, when a glint nearby caught her eye. The pegasus hesitated and scooped them up. The goggles that had belonged to the Wonderbolt's leader were amazingly undamaged, aside from the wear and tear they'd been through with so many years of use.

"Yea." Rainbow Dash put them on slowly. It felt right, somehow. "I guess I do." And with that, she spread her wings, and flew out of the tower. She didn't look back when it collapsed a few moments later.

The sounds of battle only intensified outside. As Applejack and Rarity led their battle groups to the back of an unsuspecting army attempting to get into the rear gate, Twilight dashed down a hallway, panting as a filly clung to her back. She was searching for the Queen, and so far all the safe places she checked were empty. How could I have been so cruel?! A little voice inside her told her Nyx had deserved it. That she was being a monster. Twilight had to admit that was true. But a mother shouldn't act like that. ... Even if it is true. She had one place left to check, and she prayed it wasn't where...

Twilight Sparkle burst into the throne room, and regarded the Queen with a falling heart. Her Majesty was holding herself high, in her full armor, staring at the barred doors that were between her and the rebels. The last bastion she had. She was alone, having sent her last guards away to fight for her. Waiting for what she knew was the end of her. "Nyx! Don't do this!"

The alicorn turned her head slowly towards Twilight. The unicorn had expected a vitriolic greeting, or at least a hateful grimace. Instead, she only saw the haughty, proud expression of Nightmare Moon. "Twilight Sparkle." She had to wince at that. The acknowledgement of her as Twilight, and not mother, spoke more about how Queen Nyx felt than any rebuke. "You should not be here. Leave me to my end." Her head simply turned back to the door, her unblinking gaze upon it.

Twilight slipped in front of the throne, putting the younger Nyx on the floor. The filly stared sadly up at the larger alicorn, who refused to even glance her way. "Nyx, please, listen to me. You don't have to do this. It doesn't have to be this way. Just... Just surrender."

"No." There wasn't any arrogance behind that. She knew she had no chance at this point. No creature, no matter how mighty, could stand against the Elements of Harmony. But her pride would not let her surrender.

"Nyx, please! I'm sorry for what I said, I just was upset, and..."

She stopped dead as the Queen affixed a dreadful stare upon her, a shiver going down the unicorn's spine. "You meant every word. And it was true. I fully admit it. But I will not admit to wrong doing." She spread her wings out, and looked up to the ceiling, and the mural of her victory over the sun and moon painted upon it. "Everything I have done since I began my reign, I have done for the ponies of Equestria." She closed her eyes, forcing down a shiver. She refused to show her fear. "You claim I have gone too far in that." She lowered her head and folded her wings back to her side. "Perhaps. But..." She opened her eyes, once more locked on the throne room's entrance. "Was it necessary? I believe so. And I always will." A silence filled the hall as Twilight struggled to find some way to put the news she meant to deliver. She was so sure a few moments ago that if only Queen Nyx knew the truth about Nightmare Moon, it would be alright. Now?

She didn't think it mattered.

The dark ruler of Equestria finally turned her eyes to her filly counterpart, who shifted a bit in fear, stepping back. "Do you fear me, foal?" She smirked, and held her head high. "Good. Take a look at me. See my might? My pride? This is what you might have been, child! This is what you gave up for the sake of foalish loneliness! I have crushed mountains! I rule the night mercilessly, yet justly! I have brought a world under my hooves!" Her wings spread out again, her mane and tail flaring up. "I am the one this very war is fought over!" She stamped a hoof, and the throne cracked where she struck, the alicorn letting out a proud, yet empty laugh. "I, and I alone, had the power to do this! To be this! I ALONE DARED!" The air around her swirled into her mane, as the room darkened, all light being muffled by the power of the dark alicorn. "LOOK UPON ME, AND DESPAIR AT MY GLORY! You, who may have held the world in her hooves, see how I became CONQUEROR! RULER!" Her voice softened, and her mane and tail retracted, as she settled down in her throne once more. "... A mother." Her glance returned, as it had so many times before, to the gate. "Remember it well, for these are my last words, before I go into the battle that shall end me. My defeat shall be as glorious as my victory."

Once more, quiet reigned, heavy and oppressive. Twilight lowered her head, closing her eyes. This Queen was no longer anything resembling her daughter. Just the creature of hatred and spite that Nightmare Moon had been. She could only wait for her friends to arrive, to put an end to this. But, sometimes, a foal knows more wisdom.

"You talk big, but you're scared, just too proud to admit it!" The sudden voice snapped both Twilight and Nightmare Moon's shocked faces to the source. The alicorn filly glared up at the adult version of herself, shaking her head. The larger alicorn growled out, and stamped a hoof once more.

"Be silent, foal!"

"NO! YOU be quiet!" Twilight had to face-hoof at how childish that sounded, but Queen Nyx seemed too shocked by the audacity to respond. The little Nyx took that as her cue to continue. "Nopony's gonna remember this! They're coming to beat up a tyrant, and that's what they're gonna do! That's what they're gonna remember! A tyrant! Some ponies might like you, sure, but that's a pretty small number!" Nyx jabbed a hoof at the Queen on her broken throne. "All that talk about being concerned is just a heap of horseapples!" Twilight would definitely have a talk about the use of that word later. But right now, she didn't want to break the roll Nyx was on. It was giving her hope. "I should know! Like you said, I'm what you could have been! But I'm NOT! And you wanna know why?"

Nightmare Moon tried to sputter out a response, but she felt so on the defensive. Being faced with oneself is always the hardest foe to conquer. "Because you... You were too weak to..."

"WRONG! I'm stronger than you'll ever be, and I'm just a foal! I knew that I could break the mold! I didn't HAVE to be this way if I didn't want! So I didn't! It was hard, sure, but it was the right thing to do! It wasn't the easy way out that you took!" The filly huffed, and turned her nose to the air, a little trick she'd learned from Diamond Tiara's disdain of practically everypony. "And all that dumb talk about glory? PLEASE. What glory?! You're sitting on a big chair you just broke because you threw a tantrum! You're not glorious, you're all alone, scared, and trying to convince yourself and two other ponies that you're all big and scary! You never ruled anything but Ponyville! Isn't that why you were gonna be so mean? You never had any control over anything! The only things you crushed were sandcastles and houses of ponies too small to stand up to you!"

She growled, and hopped up on the throne. Twilight reached out in alarm to stop her, but rather than lashing out at the bold little filly, Nightmare Moon pressed against the back of her throne, eyes wide. "And this war isn't being fought over you! It's about the ponies of Equestria and how scared and defenseless they are because of YOU! YOU are just a big BULLY who wanted everypony to do what YOU wanted! That's it! Just a bigger version of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!" And Nyx then delivered the coup de grace.

"But you know what? You're right! You're a momma now. Adagia seems really happy, and nice. She really loves her momma, just like I love mine." The little Nyx looked back to Twilight, then up at Nightmare Moon, her judging glare the worst criticism the alicorn had ever received. "But if you're such a good mother, why are you here all ready to throw your life away without even a single thought for how scared she is of losing her momma?!"

"You poor thing. What did you dream about?"

The filly yawned, closing her eyes. A happy smile graced her muzzle as she nestled into the blanket and pillow. "Goodnight..."

"Goodnight, my beloved daughter."

That was the final strike necessary. Nightmare Moon hung her head, tears forming in her eyes, pouring down her cheeks. For a moment, all she could do was cry in shame, and that released more sobs of the fear of death she had been holding back. The filly looked up at her with pity in her eyes, and Twilight moved forward to hug the alicorn, to offer her comfort. However, the older alicorn jerked herself up, causing Twilight to jump back, seize Nyx in her magic, and pull her back. It was for naught, however, for a moment later, Nightmare Moon's helmet hit the floor with a loud clatter, and rolled in a circle for a moment, before stopping on it's side on the ground. It was cracked on the side from the force of the impact. Soon, her chest piece was released by her mane and fell as well, followed by the rest of her torso's armor, flung to the side by her wings. "Oh, mother... For all that time I mourned your loss, I was ready to abandon my own daughter... And willingly at that." Twilight approached the now bare Alicorn once more, and wrapped her fore-legs around what she could of the much larger pony, Nyx following suit. "But I can't be a mother to her. I'll hurt her eventually, as well. I am Nightmare Moon, and I cannot help my nature."

Twilight shook her head. "I was trying to tell you." She pulled back and smiled, beaming even as the doors to the throne room crashed open. "You don't have to be, just like Nyx said. You're not Nightmare Moon, you're just corrupted by her power! All you have to do is reject it! All you have to do is try!"

Behind her, voices rang out:

"Where're th' Elements?!"

"I have them here!"

"Hey, where's Trixie?"

"Ugh. I'm here. With a terrible headache."

"O-Oh, I have some medicine for that..."

"Not now! There she is!"

Twilight gulped, her smile now strained. "We don't have any time! Please, just try." Nightmare Moon, Queen Nyx... No, just Nyx, closed her eyes, and tried.

Epilogue: Absolution

The portal closed behind Twilight and Dash, leaving them in the bright sunlight of home. "Hey... Uh... Was that right? Are we back?"

Twilight cast a glance around, absently grabbing her daughter out of mid-air with her magic as she answered Dash. "I... I think so. Let's find out!" She glanced back to the young alicorn. "As for you, you're not leaving my sight until I'm sure we're in the right place." The filly groaned, but remained on her mother's back, pouting, as the two mares trotted for Ponyville. It only took a glance to show that the town was as they left it, and with no castle of doom looming over it. Rainbow Dash let out a whoop, and flitted into the sky, doing a loop as she headed for her cloud-home. Twilight, however, kept the celebration to a minimum until she had the chance to re-enter her library, and was promptly pounced by Spike.

"TWILIGHT! There you are! We've been so worried!" The unicorn erked at how tightly the baby dragon's arms wrapped around her neck.

"Spike... Can't... Breath..."

"Oh, sorry!" He let go, and then hugged her chest. Twilight smiled and wrapped a fore-leg around him in return, laying her neck over his head.

"I'm very glad to see you too, Spike." After a moment, little Nyx spoke up from her back.

"Can I get down now, momma?"

Twilight hesitated a moment, considering. "Well, it could be another world that we vanished from... I might have to run a few tests, first."

As the filly protested, Spike grinned, not able to resist. "Hey, who's the girl?" Twilight gasped and her eyes went wide.

"Oh no! We have the wrong place! We need to get Dash now, an-" She stopped, looking confused when Spike fell over, laughing. "What's so-" Her expression fell as she got it. "Very funny, Spike. Okay, I need to go out for a little while. I'll be back soon. Nyx, you're staying with me."

"But moooomma...!" The filly whined, lowering her ears, but brightened up as Twilight set her down on the ground.

The mare lowered herself to Nyx's level, and smiled. "I just want to make sure you're alright. You can walk along with me if you want, but you are coming with me." Nyx returned the smile, then saluted.

"Okay, momma!"

Twilight gave a nod to Spike. "I'm really glad to see you again, Spike, but this is very important. Can you keep track of things without me for just a little longer?"

The baby dragon nodded quickly. "Sure! You can count on me!" But his grin left him as he thought of a question. "But... Uh... Where are you going?"

Twilight smiled, her cheeks a bit red, as she turned her gaze back to Spike. She answered just as her hooves brought her outside the library. "To see Pinkie. There's something we need to talk about." As she left towards Sugarcube Corner, however, her thoughts turned from her friend to the other Nyx. I wonder if she's going to be okay out there...

From the desk of the unicorn Daydream Glare, traveling Historian and sometimes resident of Ponyville, written for the benefit of Their Royal Highnesses (May Their reign last forever), the Elements of Harmony (May Their judgement never falter), and the Equestrian nation as a whole (May its Ponies prosper): A Brief Description Of The Lives and Events Leading After the Dark Queen's Reign.

The end of the Dark Queen's Reign, as the period was referred to in a the decades following, was not a happy, peaceful affair. No sane, rational pony could have possibly expected it to be. Even with the return of the Princesses, the economy suffered horribly, and many ponies lost their lives from sickness or malnutrition before proper supply lines could be established. A few villages and towns refused the supplies outright until Princess Celestia herself distributed them, believing the raising of the sun to be another of Nightmare Moon's tricks. The event also damaged the reputation of Princess Luna, as some ponies believed that she was once again responsible for the threat of eternal night, having never met the actual threat, a mare by the name of Nyx. I hope to clear the cobwebs of ignorance away and confront this misconception with truth.

However, I am getting ahead of myself, and I beg your forgiveness, dear readers, for my rambling ways once more. First, I shall deal with piecing together the fragments of history left behind in the wake of that period, in which the population of Equestria were more concerned with survival than penning the events for posterity. While I could not blame them, I yet still grumble on the difficulty of assembling even these meager notes. I thank, of course, the Elements of Harmony for their contributions, for without them I would surely have despaired in my efforts.

We shall begin with the history of Ponyville. As it was all but the only location in Equestria, aside from Canterlot, not utterly devastated by the Dark Queen's Reign, Ponyville took upon itself the duty of assisting other cities and towns that were not so lucky. Despite their many selfless sacrifices to their own prosperity, Ponyville quickly grew into the bustling metropolis we know it to be today. This was mainly not because of its growth in that desperate time, but because in the years following, it became the absolute center of the Equestrian economy. As for Sweet Apple Acres? Well! The very fact that it has now become the largest orchard in all our wondrous kingdom and its fare considered a national treasure should show more than I could ever write!

Next, the Elements of Harmony. As the summoned Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash had been sent back to their own world, there was need of both a new Element of Magic, and a new Element of Loyalty. A pony named Trixie Lulamoon, who was, in fact, a key member of the rebellion against Nightmare Moon, went on to be the new Element of Magic, and though not quite as powerful as her predecessor, she managed the job quite aptly, at least in the humble opinion of the very pony writing these words. As for the Element of Loyalty, a replacement was found in the most odd of places.

One of the soldiers on the field the night of the resistance's victory, named the Siege of Night's End, was in critical condition and near death when she was found by the Element of Kindness. Recognizing the young mare, she prioritized care for her, and it was not in the least bit a wasted effort. When questioned on how she possibly survived such a mortal wound (an arrow which punctured through a lung and just barely missed her heart
, the arrow only not finding that mark because of the uneven ground), her only comment was that she "Couldn't let Sweetie down by dying". It should come as no surprise that a pony whose primary motivation for survival was love and loyalty to her fiance would become the new Element of Loyalty. Scootaloo, as you all no doubt already know, eventually went on to lead a new team of Wonderbolts in her elder years, and is happily married to Sweetie Belle, sister of the Element of Generosity.

The Element of Magic and Honesty must be spoken of in the same breath, as they are inseparable. Few know of their marriage publicly, as the ceremony was a brief, simple event that only their closest friends and family were invited to, and afterwards they retired to Sweet Apple Acres for the rest of their lives, except in the few scattered events of crisis in which the Elements were required. When interviewed, Applejack stated that she had finally fully recovered from Rainbow Dash's death, finding closure in the safety of Equestria. Trixie only had to say that she had no doubt in her mind that the simple farm-mare who became her wife and savior of the world would focus on her more strongly. Trixie's arrogance has been noted before, and has not waned, as she claims to be, in her own words: "The most powerful unicorn alive". Which may indeed now be true, after Twilight Sparkle's untimely death.

Diamond Rarity expressed a great deal of grief in her part of supporting the Dark Queen's Reign, and nobly abandoned her dream of becoming Equestria's greatest fashion designer and member of the noble elite. She traveled from town to town, shelter to shelter, making clothes, blankets, and many other necessary items for the needy ponies whose lives were destroyed by Nightmare Moon's cruelty. However, do not feel saddened by her sacrifice, for in those selfless acts, she became famous and is forever immortalized as perhaps the sole reason why hundreds-Nay, thousands of ponies survived to receive proper aid. Appropriately for what she was, she is seen today as an icon, a symbol of the very virtue of Generosity.

The Element of Kindness herself, Fluttershy, also retired to Ponyville for a few years, but eventually couldn't bear the growth of the town into a city. Leaving with her friend, a zebra named Zecora that I am quite familiar with (and yet history has left untouched), Fluttershy found a new place in the world, and began a settlement there. While no pony has ever been able to find this village, it is known that from this nearly mythical place called Kindness's Respite, many gifted healers have hailed and all found great success as doctors and nurses in hospitals all over the world. To have lived in this well-hidden village is a sign itself of greatly envied skill, and though many have tried to falsely claim relation to gain temporary fame, the skills of true denizens of Kindness's Respite speak for themselves.

Pinkamena Diane Pie, the Element of Laughter, felt that Equestria simply could not hold her down, and, receiving an airship from Their Royal Highnesses, set off for parts unknown with a full crew (which had seemingly been drawn from nowhere). She always returned in times of crisis, claiming that she "already knew what was coming". Aside from that, she was never seen in our fair kingdom again. However, news constantly returned of her exploits, along with trinkets and trophies to prove them, and it should be noted that she found love again and remarried, though the name of her husband is lost to history entirely. No doubt he was completely overshadowed by the legend of his rather chaotic-natured wife.

For a final note: Those who worked willingly with Nightmare Moon were shown mercy for their acts, though were watched closely for suspicion of sedition amongst them. A few rebellions were swiftly put down by the military that was restored from the ranks of Applejack's resistance and defected members of the Dark Queen's armies, nonetheless.

Fletcher was known as a stallion of honor, despite his allegiance with Nightmare Moon, and he was given a full honorable burial by the newly established military of Equestria. His Rangers were spared and formed the Border Patrol that now watches the edges of our nation tirelessly. They are fearless in battle, and truly a terror to have as an enemy. None of Equestria's foes have ever successfully penetrated into our lands since their appointment to this duty, save for one failure when one got out.

The pony known only as Perfect Cut was never found, despite repeated combings of Midnight Castle's grounds. Blood that must have belonged to her led from her hideous torture chamber to the mines outside the palace, but there the trail was lost. While the authorities were very tense about this disappearance, Perfect Cut has not been seen since and no murders featuring her utter depravity have ever been reported. There is an ever growing bounty on her head, Dead or Alive, and the last that this humble historian heard, it had grown to 500,000 bits for bringing her to justice still alive.

Wild Heart was captured soon after the siege, and was sentenced to public service, being made to assist farmers in growing surpluses of food for the recovering Equestria. Though his abnormal powers left him along with Nightmare Moon's defeat, the stallion had quite the "green hoof", as it were. And, as it turned out, his coat and mane's colors were due to dyeing. His natural colors were a plain brown coat matching the bark of the average oak tree, but a rather vibrant shade of green for his mane. Despite his criminal reputation, many suitors, both stallion and mare, courted him, and all were turned away, as though Wild Heart had not much interest in romantic or even scandalous relationships. I cannot hazard a guess as to why.

Adagia was adopted, officially, by Fluttershy before she left to found her famous village. However, Adagia left Kindness's Respite as she grew into a mare, and became a Composer for the Royal Symphony, achieving great fame as a writer of musical scores. Her past was kept a closely guarded secret her entire life, and was not released until after her death. Though her relation to Nightmare Moon brought some small shame to her image among the nobility, it should be said that her music is still quite popular and valued throughout Equestria. Sadly, however, her music has never caught on in other nations.

The dragon Spike, who had served Nightmare Moon as her greatest knight, was taken back into the Royal Family with very little fanfare. However, one day, he took his leave of Canterlot after receiving a letter from Pinkamena, taking with him a great deal of ponies still showing signs of loyalty to Nightmare Moon, including the original Wonderbolts. This was marked as especially odd, as the Wonderbolts were tried in court for treason and found innocent on account of coercion into service. The borders were watched closely for this army, and yet despite the group's size it was never seen to cross any of Equestria's edges, instead simply vanishing as if into thin air. The Rangers were reprimanded for this failure, and their commander could only offer an emphatic shrug as to how such a force could have escaped. After inspection, it was shown that not even a single Ranger was missing, and so they were cleared of suspicion.

As for Nightmare Moon herself, the Elements of Harmony claimed that she had escaped them and fled to parts unknown. Strangely, Applejack was conspicuously absent from this debriefing because of "feather flu". When questioned on how an Earth Pony might have contracted a disease that only effects pegasi, Rarity was quoted as saying, "Don't worry about the details, dear. Would we lie to you, Princess?" When pressed, she mumbled under her breath something about one of Applejack's parents possibly being a pegasus.

Records show that the Element of Honesty's parents were, indeed, both Earth Ponies. So, unfortunately, the fate of Nightmare Moon will perhaps go forever unknown.

Now, for the explanation of the mare Nyx, and how she relates to Nightmare Moon...

*The document ends here, as Daydream Glare simply lost interest in the volume and moved on to his next work: A history of their Royal Highnesses, which was considered quite scandalous, and yet both Princesses have a copy in their personal collections.*

Spike tossed a fruit through the air, and it was caught in a haze of dark blue magic. "Hey, thought you might want something to eat before going out there." Nyx looked down at the fruit and frowned, raising a brow, and her head, to glare at the dragon.

"I detest bananas, Spike. You know this very well." Spike only snickered in return, and peeked out a window, whistling lowly. He ducked as the fruit sailed past him without even looking behind. "What? What is it?"

"You've got a big crowd out there, sis. And I mean, a big crowd. Sure you're up for this? It's like, broad daylight out there." He shot a worried look behind him to the alicorn, as she slowly rose from the dais she'd been laying on in a shrine dedicated to her. It was opulence she found distasteful, all things considered, but her followers had insisted on at least this.

"Well, of course, I am." She hefted a tiara onto her brow, sighing as she adjusted it with the help of a mirror. "This is ridiculous. All I did was start a town, faaaar from Equestria, where we could exist peacefully. And they've turned it into a blasted nation." She faltered, and quickly whipped around to the dragon, who was now the same size as her. "I can't do this, Spike. There's so many of them. Counting on me. What should I even say?!" She trotted to the window, carefully peeking out herself. "What if they want me to do... Queen things? I'm not a queen. I'm just... I just sit there! On that thing!" She pointed to the dais with a shaking hoof, then turned from the window, and plopped down onto the cushions lining the top of it. "You are right, Spike. It is far too bright. I shall stay here. And pout."

Spike rolled his eyes, and groaned. "I was KIDDING, Nyx. Get UP, they're waiting for you out there. Geez, you're such a crybaby..." The dragon stepped over to her makeshift bed, and began trying to pry the alicorn up from it, while she clung for dear life. "Seriously... You never would have... Been this worried about it... 10 years ago... AGH!" He stumbled back as a wing flicked out and knocked him off balance, making him crash into a bowl filled with water, which flipped over and of course landed on his head. "Ugh... Do we have to do this every single time?" He tossed the bowl aside, still dripping, and walked in front of her. He put his claws on her cheeks and lifted her head up. "Look. Those ponies out there? They love you. Okay? They don't love Queen Nyx, or Nightmare Moon. They're here because you're here for them, no matter what." He grinned as Nyx finally stood, taking a deep breath.

"Right. Yes." She stepped towards the balcony door, but hesitated a moment, looking back to Spike. "Are you sure they don't want me to conquer anything? You said that last time, and..."

"Well, Flicker is crazy. You know that. He probably even forgot he suggested conquering Prance in the first place. Get out there, I'm right behind you!"

Nyx took a deep breath, and opened the door, wincing a bit as the sunlight struck her face, her black coat shining in the light. As she walked out onto the balcony proper, there rose a cheer from the crowd below, and as Spike had said, it's throngs were almost countless. That cry of jubilation cheered her, as she reminded herself: These are not my subjects. I'm not their Queen, I'm their protector, as the other me said. She let out that breath, and smiled, another cheer coming up at that, and she stepped out fully, letting the sunlight strike the dark-blue shield that was her cutie mark. Nyx raised a hoof to silence the cheer, and looked down at all the ponies. She'd made it clear the balcony was higher than they only because she needed to be able for them all to see here on this annual gathering. When they all quieted down, she greeted them to begin her address.

"My faithful friends. Thank you all for coming..."

~~~

~Fin~