Detox

by Celestial Inquisitor

Rating: mature
Tags: Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Anthro
Length: 12701

A land of peace, harmony, friendship, and tolerance; that's what Equestria is. Or what everypony sees. The reality of the matter, however, is far less appealing. Then, when one awakens from the illusion, is the truth really worth the ensuing chaos?

A story of intrigue and mystery awaits. Where not everything is as it seems, and the answers to all the questions are threatened by encroaching chaos. Chaos of the sort which makes Discord's relatively innocent pranks seem almost entirely benign.

Even history as a whole has a deceptive appearance here, and even when the truth is finally revealed, holding onto it is a different matter altogether. When truth and reality alike are so unpleasant in comparison to the illusion, then, who would care to remember?

And lastly, the relationship between six ponies in particular will be called into question. While the answer was so certain before, can they rightly call each other friends now that the influence which bound them together before no longer has a bearing on their lives?

Coverart by enti0, used with permission. http://enti0.deviantart.com

Published 2015-05-28 20:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-05-28 20:20:02 UTC

Landing

Another fine day in Ponyville, that’s what this was going to be. Sure, she had some nasty bed-hair, but that was just an easy five minutes or so of brushing she’d breeze through before starting her day off right. And with the kind of dreams she’d had last night, and the kind of great week Ponyville had been having so far, there was no doubt in her mind everything was going to be swell. Twilight rolled over in bed, barely noticing her hand subconsciously reaching for the nightstand by her bed.

This was always the hardest part of getting out of bed, the actual removing of herself from the mattress. Her fingers wrapped around that familiar something. A smile slowly crept across her face, a smile she barely noticed herself making. She didn’t know what it was, the device in her hands, but it felt so natural for her to be doing this. She’d started her morning this way for as long as she could remember. Which, come to think of it, wasn’t all that far back…

No matter, though, it was probably just the lingering influence of sleep muddling her mind. Her eyes opened partially as she brought that familiar device to her mouth, wrapping her lips gently around the mouthpiece of the inhaler. She could hardly contain her anticipation for the rush she’d get in a moment, her finger resting on top of the canister for just a second before she pushed down on the device and took a slow, deep breath in.

Nothing happened… “Hrm…?” She muttered to herself, eyes opening wider as she let up and pushed down on the canister again. Nothing… no vapour. It was empty. “What?!” The Unicorn exclaimed to herself, shooting up and staring at the empty inhaler for a moment, panic surging through her body. But a nagging voice in the back of her head, which only grew stronger by the moment, asked; why? That wasn’t important, though… she’d run out! She had to find another one… maybe there was another lying around the library somewhere and she’d just forgotten to switch it with her empty inhaler.

‘But why do we have it… do we even need it?’ That voice asked, growing stronger and stronger and the fog cast over her mind by sleep and the drug lifted, the process sped up by her panic. She tried ignoring it, though. Of course she needed it! It’s how she started every morning… or, was it? No; she started every morning with a beam of sunlight hitting her in the face from a crack in her drapes. A quick glance, however, showed there to be some light, but not as strong as she remembered. Odd… but her determination drove her up, out of bed, and all over her bedroom in search of another inhaler.

She tore through her nightstand, searched every drawer of her dresser, and even glanced over her personal bookshelf twice, and a third time after her second time checking the dresser. Clothes were strewn across the room, the odd inhaler falling out of pockets or bundles of clothes every now and then, all empty. Not a care was given for the state of her mane any longer as she nearly turned her room upside down looking for what it was she wanted, and her attention came back around to her bookshelf again. She hadn’t paid much attention to it before, and didn’t know why she was starting to now, but… it looked rather dusty.

She could have sworn Spike cleaned it just yesterday… Spike! Where was Spike, now that she thought of it? his bed looked empty, and as though the young dragon hadn’t slept in it for… Celestia knew how long. “Spike!” Twilight called out, hoping for a response. None came. “Spike?!” She called out a second time, a bit louder this time, thinking maybe he just hadn’t heard her.

Driven by curiosity, and the need to get her fix, the young mare made her way downstairs. The Library looked… surprisingly bleak and dusty. Everything was neat and organized, yes, but it looked like it hadn’t been touched in weeks, maybe even months. And the dim lighting from outside shone through the curtains, betraying the fact the weather outside seemed to be running wild and unchecked by Pegasi. Which wasn’t right at all… This atmosphere was so unsettling to her, and she started to hold her arms close to her body defensively, while her ears pinned back against her head.

“S-spike…” The frightened Unicorn said once more, a bit half-heartedly this time. She walked around, looking over the thickly-dusted books and their shelves, glancing at the uncontrolled clouds outside, and still searching in vain for that one thing which might allow her to escape from this unnerving environment.That’s when she noticed something odd… a vaguely familiar tingle originating in her horn, running down her spine.

She stopped in her tracks, ears perked as she looked around the room. She felt a presence… a magical presence, there was no mistaking that. It was faint before, barely noticeable what with the whirlwind of confusion and questions surging through her mind. It grew stronger as she walked by a specific section of the shelves, one which looked to have ever-so-slightly disheveled books. She’d passed by them a couple times in her attempt to find the source; the shelf they were on, the two especially, being the strongest points she’d felt so far.

Curiosity got the better of Twilight and she reached up towards the books, pulling them out and watching as a folded paper fell from between the two. Her eyes went wide as she felt the vibrations of the enchanted paper, its physical movement having a small, but still quite noticeable effect on the flow of magical energies around her. But why was this coming as such a surprise to her…? No matter for now, though, she thought as she replaced the two books, and a bit haphazardly at that. The lavender-coated Unicorn then knelt down to pick this paper up, unfolding it.

The creases from the folding disappeared on their own as she delved into this little mystery distracting her from the many other questions and curiosities which remained unanswered. The reward didn’t seem worth it at first, though, as the page was blank. But its emitting a magical presence, which she could feel strongly now, was odd… Then it hit her; it must be one of those countermeasure spells ancient spellwriters, like Starswirl the Bearded, would use to protect some of their greatest works-in-progress. A spell which made the ink invisible unless a magical light was shone on it!

It took a minute to recall the spell, but a quick flash of magical light confirmed her suspicion, as the ink appeared and disappeared with her light. Twilight tried again, maintaining the light this time, and read the note carefully;

“Twilight;

I don’t know if you’ll find this… They could destroy it, you might not notice it, or you might not even understand it, I can’t rightly tell what outcome there’ll be. If, by some miracle, you do find this, then listen carefully. Stop taking the drug. It’s consumed everypony’s lives already, and I’m the only one I know of who’s managed to escape its influence so far. They’re after me because of this… I can hear them at my door, trying to break through the wards I put over the library. I don’t have much time, so I’ll be as concise as possible.

You have to stop taking the drug. Its a hallucinogen; the world you’re seeing, the world you know, none of it’s real. Don’t panic, though. That was my mistake, and we’re both paying for it. Be smart; don’t let this great mind of ours go to waste by falling back into it. Don’t let them know we’ve escaped wonderland again, though, or there might not be a third chance for us. I’ve taken notes of my most important discoveries before they caught on to me, and hidden them across the library, in case they locate and destroy my journal. Find them, Twilight. Find them, use them to your advantage, keep your head down, and please; find a way to end it all. It’s too late for me… I can feel the wards weakening.

Your former self,

Twilight Sparkle”

Twilight read it once. She read it again. Three times just to be sure. What was this? A note from herself, to herself, obviously enough, she recognized the handwriting and signature as her own. When did she write this, though? Why didn’t she remember it? Was she being serious?! Was this all some kind of elaborate prank that Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were pulling? One which they got Spike in on? “Ha, very funny…” She said out loud, her ears drooping when she got no response.

She looked down at the note again, noticing how it seemed hastily written, especially towards the end. It helped convey that sense of desperation her “former self” wanted to get through, and did a damn good job of freaking her out even more. She stopped, though… took a deep breath… let it out slowly. One more quick read of the letter and she stood there silently, alone with no sounds whatsoever as she thought things over. So many questions… and the few answers she did have so far only brought more questions. The she thought; if… if the drug’s worn off, and it’s a hallucinogen, what does reality look like?

The young Unicorn hardly noticed she’d been biting her index finger, until that one question she could answer easily came to the forefront of her mind. She took her hand away from her mouth, looking to the window and taking another deep breath. It started with one small step… It continued with another. A terrible feeling, a fear of the truth and the unknown. Her entire perception of reality had been turned upside down and bent in every which direction at this point, and it scared her to think of what was waiting for her outside now that she wasn’t under the influence anymore.

Each step brought her closer to an answer, though. An answer she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted. Twilight pushed the curtains aside and looked outside, at the town square outside. Much to her surprise… things didn’t seem all that bad.

Yes, the clouds definitely weren’t being controlled by Pegasi, at least not as much as they could or should be. Grasses and plants alike looked a bit overgrown and out of control, and the town only looked mildly neglected in spite of its liveliness. The ponies themselves seemed to be going on about their day, blissfully unaware of the little things which could have made the town look much more… neat and homely.

Her relief at this was short-lived, though, as she took note of a pony stopping to sniff a flower. A bright flash of light, followed by a dramatic change of scenery; the flowers were dead, the grass around it sick and rotting, whatever wasn’t already dead that is. The entire town looked decrepit, and the ponies horribly sick and malnourished. Twilight stared in wide-eyed horror for the moment that this lasted. A moment which ended with another, much more horrific visage.

She only caught a glimpse of its reflection, but a pony vaguely like her stood behind her. A pony which seemed… rotten and vile. Open sores and wounds of varying severity covered its body, most all of them festering, none seeming to have healed any. It looked so torn up and decayed that its existence there couldn’t be possible, which wasn’t even mentioning the fact that its faded coat and mane had the exact same colouration of Twilight’s own.

Terrified by what she saw, the young pupil of Princess Celestia spun around with speed to rival Rainbow Dash’s reflexes to face this enemy, only for another bright flash and rush of disorientation taking hold of her. The library looked normal again… Twilight stood there, shuddering fearfully for a moment, checking back outside when she’d finally gathered herself. Normal… well, the way it was before that horrible imagery, anyway. What was it all about? Was this because of the drug? Was… was that even… no, it couldn’t have been real.

It all hit her so hard, it was all so overwhelming, and without anypony but herself to talk to, it only made things that much more unbearable. Twilight backed away from the window, still breathing hard and heavy from the shock and terror of what she’d seen. She only stopped when she bumped into a bookcase, slowly sinking into a sitting position and trying very, very hard to wrap her head around it all. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes while she held her legs close to her body, muttering the same words to herself over and over again in an attempt to feel somewhat better about it all. “It’ll be okay… It’ll be okay… We’ll get to the bottom of this… it’ll be okay…”

*** *** *** *** ***

Twilight had spent the past hour or so in shock. First receiving her shock, then it only deepened, and the rest of that time had been spent putting her shattered reality back together, or at least enough so that she could function again. Thankfully it hadn’t taken much longer, and here she was now studying her own home, like it was her first time in this building altogether. It felt familiar, somewhat… but very different to her simultaneously. It wasn’t just the dust, or the gloominess, or the lack of her number one assistant either, but it was something much deeper than all that.

Hardly a word was spoken this morning, and it was no mystery to her. She was alone. Literally, all alone. No Spike… her friends might not even actually be her friends… and as the note from her “past self” said; she was the only one who knew the truth about everything. She couldn’t just ignore any of this, and growing sense of grief and helplessness wasn’t helping.

“No!” She said suddenly, stopping her pacing and taking a deep breath in. All the while, she clenched her hands into a tight fist. “Keep it together, Twilight.” She said afterwards, the sound of her own voice breaking the unbearable silence a comfort to her. “Keep… it… together…” She said again, slowly as her ears perked at a familiar sensation. A note was close by.

Where, though? She started pacing again, paying close attention to the flow of energy around her and looking for that strongest point. She found it, hidden in a book which seemed much less suspicious that the two which hid the other note. But then, her past self likely had more time and a clearer mind when she hid this one.

She unfolded the discovered paper quickly, taking some care not to tear the note. The book, meanwhile, she left laying open on a nearby table, on the pages where she found the neatly-folded paper sandwiched, in case the book had any relevance. The illumination spelled served its dual-use here once more, the ink appearing and giving her an escape from the burden which would bare down on the young pony’s mind otherwise. Reading it out loud helped to further balm her troubled mind, though her troubles still ate away at the back of her unsteady mind.

The note was… a list of alchemic ingredients and tools? Instructions below that, and a personal footnote just after:

“I think I’ve finally got it nailed down. I still have almost everything necessary, and all the changes to the formula needed to finally get it right. With all my trial and error, though… I’ve run out of samples. I’m going to need more if I’m going to reverse-engineer this thing.

Effects I’ve noticed, both from my hazy memories of being under and in others around me, are as follows:

Hallucinations. Those under the influence seem to perceive the world as something completely different than what it is, and so neglect run rampant here in Ponyville. Some experiences which seemed outlandish or absurd at the time also seem to be false, as I found out the hard way upon discovering my wings were missing. Or, to be more appropriate, that I never had any to begin with.”

Twilight stopped for a moment, turning her head as far to the side as she could and reaching a hand behind. Celestia… it was true. How did she not…? No matter, the Unicorn cleared her throat and kept reading.

“Euphoria. It isn’t clear to me whether this is because of the hallucinations, or an inherent side-effect. Ponies seem to be… unsettlingly happy when somepony sober looks at them. The fact their surroundings, in actuality, aren’t as perfect as they think factors into that as well, though.

Aphrodisiac(?). Purely speculation on my part, but I swear ponies who are under seem a bit more… frisky than I am.

That’s all I’ve seen so far. All known effects seem to last at least 24 hours maximum. Will update as needed.”

Well, that was that… Twilight sighed and let the light die, and the ink faded with it. She set the note down on top of the other, which she must have read about a dozen more times while she took time to get her stressed psyche together earlier. Again, she turned inward and to her thoughts. As terrible as had all been so far, it was still an intriguing mystery. A mystery made all that much easier by the actions she’d taken… whenever it was she first “woke up”, apparently. By now she was of much sounder mind, and the promise of an actual purpose in front of her proved very tempting.

The sober Unicorn knew what it was she had to do, a new sense of resolve overwhelming the near-crushing depression which threatened to consume her beforehand. Whoever was responsible for this, she’d find them. She’d get her answers, and she would make them pay for this. But first… first she’d check and be sure she still had everything necessary to do her work. A few pulses of magical energy caught her attention somewhat as she passed. She took note of each respective one, leaving them for later. For now, she threw open the door to her basement and marched down the steps. Her horn lit the way, and immediately her determination wavered somewhat on account of the unnerving atmosphere.

The basement was dusty, yes. Very dusty. Cobwebs dominated the corners, and all the equipment looked moderately unused. Still… it was all here. All her equipment, and all the ingredients she’d need to break the drug down and reconstruct it, as far as she could see while she browsed the shelves. A sickening crunch was heard underfoot when she got to the end of the row. Her ears perked and gaze shot downward, the sight waiting for her…

It was a skeleton. The bleached-white bones, skull, and spinal plates of… of… Twilight stood there, mouth opening and lip quivering as she processed all this. She wanted to scream, but choked up and it remained stuck in her throat. Then, just on the edge of her field of vision, she saw it again. Her decayed self… Twilight turned again, fear coursing through her as the malignant entity faded and all which stood before her was never-ending, all-consuming darkness. Whatever shock stopped her from screaming before now had all but gone, but just before she could…

The young student of magic felt it again, a rush of disorientation and the world around her blurring for a second. She reached out and grabbed the shelf for support, panting and sweating from the sheer terror of this encounter. Her knees went weak, her legs shaking while she looked back at the spot where the bones were. Nothing but empty space. And the room had returned to its normal, dim lighting.

“I-it’s okay. I-it… it wasn’t real… It wasn’t real…” She said to herself, hardly believing the words which came out of her mouth. “Right…?” She said after, softly, barely speaking at all; the sound more akin to a slight squeak than a proper word. To be fair, though, she was on the verge of tears again at this point.

The traumatized pony fell the her knees fully, hands feeling around where the bones were. Nothing… nothing but smooth, thickly dusted, wooden flooring. The sigh of relief which came from her was massive, and accompanied by a couple of short sobs. She took a moment, to breathe and to think. When she was finally ready, she stood up again and sighed, much more softly this time. Without further hesitation, the candles dotting the room were lit with magical fire. They’d keep burning forever, if she wanted them to, and considering what she’d seen down here… Well, needless to say it felt like the right idea keeping them lit for a while to come now.

*** *** ***

It was settled. Who else in Ponyville would have an excess of this kind of stuff? Twilight couldn’t think of anypony other than Pinkie Pie. Convenient, too, as Sugarcube Corner wasn’t that far a walk from here. She’d cleaned herself up some; got dressed, combed the worst of the tangles and frizz out of her hair, gave her teeth a quick brush, little things to make herself presentable in public. Not that she was sure anypony would notice either way, but that was a poor excuse.

The sole sober pony in town, maybe even the whole of Equestria, felt as ready as she ever would, reaching for the knob and opening the door. The outside… wasn’t as bad as she’d expected before. Yes, the clouds dimmed the sun on this otherwise beautiful day, but at least they weren’t rainclouds. Or forming a cover. Or both. that’d be unfortunate; having a permanent cloud-cover and incessant storms making life difficult for anypony who wasn’t a Pegasus. Back to reality, though…

The landscape around her didn’t look much different from before. Still slightly overgrown, still slightly neglected, with no serious damage done. Ponies pranced and skipped by, blissfully unaware of the mildly bleak reality around them. Whoever was behind this knew exactly what they wanted, and the lengths they were going to in order to get it. This was subjugation, and kept continual by the manipulated will of these unsuspecting ponies. These ponies whom Twilight had been one among until recently…

She had to admit, it all felt strange. Like she was a complete stranger walking down these roads. These familiar places felt so alien to her now that she knew the truth. Her walk, her expression, her mere presence gave off the great introversion, awkwardness, and uncertainty she felt. It drew a few confused glances from ponies who took note of all this, but as they kept right on walking, they dismissed it for the pleasures of their addiction. How could it come to this?

No time for that train of thought, though, she was already there. Twilight looked up at the sign above, standing outside for a minute before mustering the courage to go on. ‘Go in, get what you need, and get out. Don’t let her rope you into anything…’ She told herself as she approached the counter, a familiar pink pony standing there, beaming as soon as she noticed the purple Unicorn.

“Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed, the only customer currently in the store leaving just as Twilight walked in. “How’s it going?! Beautiful day, huh? You shoulda seen it earlier, it was soooo boring! Well, maybe not that boring, we were steady. But steady isn’t really busy, and busy is what keeps me occupied when I’m covering for the Cakes. Did I mention they were out of town? They’ll be back tomorrow, though, so that’s all good. What’s up with you? You look a bit down. Something wrong, Twiley?”

“Hi, Pinkie…” Twilight said meekly, listening to the eccentric, slightly younger mare, go on about her day. Twilight’s ears perked when the topic came around to her, and she tried her best to act “natural”, by the standards of an addict like Pinkie, anyway. “Huh? N-no, not at all. I just… I need a… some…”

“Hmm… I know what you need.” Pinkie Pie said, her tone calculative her eyes going narrow.

“Y-you do?” Twilight asked, not sure whether she should be relieved, afraid, or…

“You need some special muffins!” Pinkie exclaimed happily, laying Twilight’s fears to rest as she presented a tray of… inhalers?

Muffins… She saw these as muffins. What, even… No, no, she didn’t want to know. Best not to question it, especially when she had what it was she needed right here, right now. “Uhh… Yeah, that’s just what I need. Thanks, Pinkie.” She said, taking one and sticking it in her skirt’s pocket.

“What’re you doing, silly? Those don’t go in your pocket.”

“Oh… Uh… oops.” Twilight replied, chuckling nervously. “Guess I’m still a bit, uh… tired. Yeah, just a bit tired.”

Pinkie didn’t seem to be buying it, the smile dropping off her face, replaced with a worried frown. “Twilight, what’s wrong? You’re really acting weird. You seem so… tense and sad.”

Twilight’s ears perked again, going flat against her head shortly afterward. She stared at her “friend” for a moment, breaking eye contact for another, much longer moment. Maybe… maybe… No, Pinkie seemed just about as deep into it as anypony else she’d seen around town. But then, this was Pinkie Pie they were talking about. Anything went with her. Unless her randomness and odd abilities were all part of the hallucinations as well. It would explain a lot, actually.

Even so, the sober Unicorn yearned for somepony to talk to… Here, now, with this mare in front of her, she had just a good a chance as with anypony else. What’s the worst that could happen, anyway; being called crazy? She threw it around in her head a little bit more and decided it was worth a shot, at the very least. “Actually…”

“Yeeees?” Pinkie said, leaning forward. She flashed a quick, goofy grin before clearing her throat and taking on a serious expression again.

“… Have… have you ever felt like something was… off? Like it wasn’t real, or couldn’t possibly exist?” Twilight asked, prepared for any kind of response from the pink party pony in front of her.

“Huh? Are you talking about my Pinkie Senses again, Twi? I thought you were already over doubting that.”

“Wh-what? No! I mean, yes… I mean…” Twilight stopped, took a deep breath in, and collected herself while her friend gave her another awkward look. “I mean have you ever noticed anything strange happening with other ponies, or the places around you? Doesn’t the world sometimes seem a bit too perfect to be real?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her blissful ignorance and confusion with the Unicorn’s questions both genuine, from what Twilight could tell.

“But… you have to have seen something odd, Pinkie! How can you not see it?! I can’t be the only one in town who sees all this! Please, just please tell me you s-mrph!” Twilight said, slamming her heads down on the counter as she started to lose her cool a little, leaning closer to Pinkie Pie.

The freelance entertainer had reached over to the tray while Twilight was rambling on about reality and seeing things, sticking one of the “muffins” in her friend’s mouth. To Pinkie, it looked like she was stuffing her friend’s mouth with one of her extra-special, delicious recipes. To Twilight, though, it looked just as it was. The Pink Pony holding one of those damned inhalers up to her mouth, having taken advantage of the frustrated rant to stick it inside her mouth. Panicked, Twilight gasped, and her pink-coated “friend” unwittingly took advantage of this, pushing down on the canister just as the light-violet Unicorn started to breath in.

A sweet taste suddenly filled Twilight’s mouth, and an all-too familiar and wonderful rush of euphoria. Her mind went numb, clouding over as the effects of the potent drug took hold. She felt herself fading, trying desperately to fight it. It was almost like trying to stay awake while exhausted from days of hard studying, and the drug drained her willpower by the second. The last thing the young Unicorn remembered before blacking out entirely was Pinkie withdrawing the inhaler from her mouth, leaning forward with puckered lips, and then… darkness.

The world around Twilight started to feel a bit hazy… she wasn’t sleeping, but she felt like she was waking up anyway. Odd, as it looked to be midday out… wasn’t she at Sugarcube Corner, though? Must have been a quick visit, as she remembered leaving around this time. Her hand slipped down towards her pocket, still carrying that little “gift” from Pinkie…

What was she doing again? The sobering Unicorn looked around at her surroundings a little, trying to get a grip on things while her hand brought that special something up towards her mouth. She noticed her table. With a book and two blank pieces of paper sitting on it. that was it, she must have been studying… but why have blank papers with no pen or inkwell? Come to think of it, something seemed off about those papers…

She held the inhaler up to her mouth, the lingering effects of the drug making it appear like a nice, if somewhat distorted, muffin. Why did she put it in her pocket again? That question quickly took a back-seat in comparison to the other, much more intriguing oddity. That paper… why was it causing a disturbance in the flow of magical energies around her? Why was there no pen or ink nearby if she were studying? And wouldn’t she need more than two sheets if she were studying a book that size…?

For what seemed like the longest minute in the history of the world, Twilight couldn’t piece it together. Then it hit her; a ‘disappearing ink’ spell. There was no other logical explanation. She could have been testing the spell out. But then, that didn’t explain why the inkwell and pen were gone. Her stomach growled a bit, the young mare deciding to eat something before offering any more thought to it. She bit down and… Plastic?!

Her eyes opened wide as reality became clear to her once more, the inhaler sitting in her mouth, her finger poised to press down on the canister at and second seeming to have a mind of its own. “NO!” Twilight exclaimed, a sudden surge of energy and adrenaline shooting through her as she tore the device away from her mouth, throwing it across the room with such power that she feared she might have broken it.

She found herself breathing heavily, trembling in place as it all came flooding back to her. How had she…? Withdrawal didn’t cause a craving, as far as she’d known in her several hours of being sober earlier. So, then, why did she… Then the memories of yesterday came back to her, all up until the point where Pinkie… “Celestia damn her.” Twilight said bitterly, her hands clenching into a fist. She hadn’t been lying, when she said in her note not to trust anypony but herself. Given how close she came to tumbling back into this abyss…

A knock on the door brought her back to reality. The mildly embittered mare calmed herself some, arms relaxing and her stance much less aggravated than before. “Come in…” Twilight said, the knock not having been particularly aggressive, to hint that her malefactors from before knew about her sobriety again. Though, if anypony with ill intent wanted her for any reason, they most likely wouldn’t have knocked.

The door opened slowly, a familiar orange-coated Earth Pony poking her hatted head in. “Heya, Twilight.” She said with a warm smile. The glazed, half-aware look in her eyes said enough, though; that Applejack wasn’t different from anypony else.

“Hello…” Twilight responded, watching the older mare closely as she walked in, leaving the door cracked open behind her.

“Pinkie told me you were feelin’ a bit down yesterday. Reckoned ah’d stop on by an’ see how you were feelin’. Better, ah hope.”

Twilight had no idea which was more painful… Pinkie’s unintended betrayal, or Applejack’s sweet sincerity whilst being lost in the same fantastic ignorance as everypony else was. Twilight tensed for a moment, a very brief moment, suppressing her desire to see if Applejack would be any more reasonable than her… other former friend. “Did she now? Yeah, I was… yesterday, though.” She finally answered, after what seemed like forever. “I am feeling much better now, though. There’s no need to worry.”

Applejack didn’t seem quite satisfied with the forced smile, or suppressed tension she noticed from the young lavender Unicorn’s body language. “Well… if ya say so.” She said, her tone making it well known that Applejack didn’t fully believe Twilight. “But;” The blonde-maned mare interjected, catching Twilight’s attention before she could slip back into the realm of thought. “If ya ever need somepony t’ talk to… somepony a bit more prone to actually listen, ah mean; you know where to find me.”

“O-okay… Thanks…” Twilight choked out, barely keeping it together enough to wave goodbye to the other mare, who waved back while she slipped out the door and shut it gently. “Oh, Applejack…” Twilight commented to herself, unable to cope with it any longer. Tears which had been welling up in her eyes from the sweetness and sincerity of the offer began streaming down her face. She felt knots in her stomach, and couldn’t hold back the sorrowful sobs which came one after another in quick succession.

It took Twilight a good ten minutes, at the very least, to collect herself. Tears mattered the fur of her coat around her eyes, though it seemed her emotions weren’t quite finished running wild yet. Anger brewed inside like a storm; who would have the audacity to be this cruel to ponykind? Who would spend so much Celestia-forsaken time working on this instrument of suffering, if not through physical harm then through the manipulation of reality, and taking attention away from the things in life which mattered?! Whoever it was… Whoever it was would pay dearly for it.

So Twilight though, in a much less civilized manner, as she finally took her building frustration out on something. A nearby chair suffered her wrath, being picked up in her hands and thoroughly smashed against the wall while the enraged Unicorn yelled with all the might and ferocity of a timber-wolf. The outburst left her legs weak, and tears still continued to stream from her eyes. “Damn them… damn them to the deepest pits of Tartarus…” She muttered, sinking to her knees and giving her mind and body a chance to recover from it all.

When Twilight was finally of a right mind again, her attention turned to the discarded inhaler sitting not too far from the shattered chair. She stood up slowly, walking towards the device and kneeling down in front of it. A sigh of relief was breathed upon noticing it wasn't damaged in the slightest. Its precious contents hadn’t spilled from any breach as far as she could tell. And picking it up laid her fears to rest.

She knew what she had to do. This had to come to an end, and in her hands she held what might very well be Equestria’s last chance to awaken from its perpetual dream, and start living life the way it was meant to be lived again. If the notes from herself were correct, and she had little reason to doubt herself, then an effective anti-toxin could be brewed. One which would, hopefully, provide her immunity from the damnable effects of this wretched perversion of the science which was alchemy. She held the canister tightly in her hands, levitating her notes off the table and alongside her as she descended into her basement once more, determined now more than ever to put a stop to all this.

*** *** ***

Twilight stared out at the countryside rolling by. The fields of tall grass, dotted with the occasional tree, and the approach towards the rolling hills beneath Canterlot’s mountain both took her mind off the fact this train looked a bit… unsafe. Still, such was to be expected considering nopony saw or paid any heed to the little things which needed tending to. Fortunately they hadn’t wrecked yet, and despite its off-putting outward appearance, everything looked to be working well enough. Checking the engine room three times had laid her fears of the front half exploding to rest, and now here she was sitting on the back half of the train. Partially due to her still having some apprehension, and partially because there were no other ponies back here to bother her, or make her feel any more uncomfortable than she already was.

The landscape meant something to her as she looked out over it. With a great deal of effort, she could recall miles and miles of short grass. Now, however, she estimated this grass would reach up to her hips, if not higher than that. It was difficult to make a completely accurate calculation, since it all went by so fast. The wind blowing it to and fro didn’t help either, but logic dictated it had to be a good several feet tall.

She turned her attention away eventually, looking to the things she’d brought beside her. Books, books pertaining to basic offensive and defensive spells. Her notes, which had encouraged her to bring such tomes along for the ride. A small satchel containing food, potions, and the one and only dose of the anti-toxin she’d been able to make. Logically, it would have been better to test this anti-toxin before jumping straight into action, as she was right now, but given how well her acquisition of a sample had gone over last time… And with the pieces of this puzzle set in place by the other notes she’d found and read…

Twilight reached over, picking up few papers she had which gave her any and all indication of where, what, when, who, why, and how. They were her direction… and she didn’t quite like where they were leading her;

“I can’t believe what it is I’ve seen… Thestrals. Thestrals in Ponyville, supplying specific merchant-vendors with the drug late at night. Princess Luna’s night guard, no less; there was no mistaking the kind of armour they wore. Given… there were a few changes I noticed during my brief inspection of them. The biggest, and most concerning, being the fact the sun on the Equestrian “Sun-and-Moon” crest was completely eclipsed by the moon.

How does Princess Luna play into this? Moreover; how do her guards play into it? I suppose now I know who’s been supplying Ponyville, and how. It was pure luck on my part, discovering them off-loading crates filled with the drug to specific merchants late at night. I wasn’t lucky enough to go unseen, however…

What confuses me is that most of them looked little different from any other typical addict. All except one, that I noticed anyway; their sergeant, to be specific. Celestia… the look he gave me. If this goes as deep as I suspect it does, I’ll need to cover my tracks as best I can.”

Well, this answered Twilight’s question about whom it was who came for her, forcing her back into this self-destructive habit… the first time. Of the papers in her hands, she took this one and slid it back behind the others. Then the next note… and the next one. Both were just observations, a couple rehashed, all of which felt as though she wrote them simply to give herself something to do. Something which would help her keep her sanity. There was one more matter of great importance… one question with one note which held the answers. A note she’d found, conveniently, only a few short minuted before she’d left for the train station some hours ago.

“There’s something I’ve noticed for some time now. A creature resembling me; grotesquely injured, each open wound festering and rotting as though this entity were decaying rather than healing. Its striking resemblance to myself underneath all the decay, however, is what makes it truly disturbing. Its intent isn’t clear to me yet, as it just seems to… stand there, watching me. It slips in and out of my field of vision, just within my ability to see. It always disappears when I turn to get a good look at it, and is sometimes accompanied with horrific imagery, which thankfully turns out to be a hallucination.

What causes this, though? That’s the question I’ve asked myself since my first sighting of this “decayed” me, some time after I’d first stopped taking the drug. That being so, and since no other logical explanation exists, I’ve come to conclude it’s an entity which only appears as a side-effect of the withdrawal process. A mere hallucination, as is the terrifying visage of the world which usually accompanies its infrequent presence.

At least… that’s what I’ve told myself in order to feel better about seeing it more often than I’d care to. It’s entirely speculation on my part, and may be a very much unfounded fear, but I feel as though there’s something more to this entity, something much more… ominous, maybe even malicious. Still, though, I don’t have time to be worrying about this. Not when there’s work to do, and questions remaining unanswered.

I will make one more comment on the subject; I find it interesting hallucinations linger as an effect of withdrawal, despite the hallucinogen not having been taken. This warrants further investigation into the effects of this strange alchemy. I can only hope my answers will come quickly, and in full. And, moreover, that I’ll find some satisfaction once I have them”

Something felt wrong as Twilight was finishing the note. A breeze blew by, a breeze slightly colder than was appropriate for summer. She looked up, ears perking, while the fur on the back of her neck stood on end. All around her, the train seemed to have transformed. The windows were cracked, several broken. The drapes around them torn, moth-eaten, and little more than scraps of cloth wherever they still hung. The scenery around her was of barren stretches of dirt, where no plant-life seemed to grow at all, and the occasional dead tree offering some variety to the still quite lifeless badlands. This wasn’t the most chilling aspect, though.

It stood right there. Clearly seen, right in front of her. The “decayed” Twilight stood there in front of the real Twilight, and far too close for comfort at that. Slowly, it reached a hand out for the Unicorn, who sat frozen in terror from the entirely unexpected and very much unwelcome sight. It grabbed her shoulder, its grip firm and cold. Its nails would have dug into her flesh, for sure… if it had any left. Of the two which were, they popped out of place, smearing a thick, sticky, dark-red substance all over the shoulder of Twilight’s shirt.

It leaned forward gradually, the dirty, unkempt mane covering its face nothing short of a blessing, at least so Twilight suspected. It smelled foul, and from its mouth, Twilight could see trails of a chillingly familiar reddish vapour which dissipated quickly in the air around it. It seemed to be leaning in to… “Oh, Celestia, no…” Twilight muttered to herself, blinking naturally after what seemed like an eternity of staring in abject horror.

It was still there! Still there and leaning closer. The sudden realization of what it was this creature meant to do caused a surge of adrenaline, allowing Twilight to escape the fearful deadlock she’d been in and fight back. *“Never!”* She exclaimed, shoving the creature back with a forceful blast of magic. Its fingers, slick with its own oozing vitae, slipped off her easily, despite what was an otherwise strong grip.

A sickening, squishy crack was heard when the creature hit the adjacent train car table, the decayed beast literally folding backwards against the table, splayed out and limp on top of it. Twilight shook unsteadily, not having meant to put *that* much force into her push. Another silent moment of staring at the corpse, while the train rolled on and ever closer to the mountain where all the answers lay. Then, afraid to do so, but unable to help herself; she blinked again.

Everything was normal once Twilight opened her eyes. The train, the fields and rolling hills around them, and no indication that the creature had ever been here. None except for the dark red, almost black, stains one the shoulder of her shirt.

Her fingers reached up to touch it shakily, recoiling a little as the thick, sticky texture she felt confirmed that it was in fact real. Real enough to her, anyway. And that stench… that horrible smell of death and decay. Coupled with the stress and fear from moments before, and Twilight suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

The young Unicorn held it in as long as she could, long enough to open the window next to her that she might dispose of her breakfast in a manner which wouldn’t make a mess, inside the train anyway. Once she was done heaving, and her throat burned while her stomach finally settled, she took note of their rapid ascent. The tunnels leading inside the mountain were coming up fast, and she reluctantly pulled her head back inside. The fresh air helped, helped to remove that awful smell and helped calm her frayed nerve.

Darkness engulfed them within minutes, darkness she quickly broke with an illumination spell. With the memories so fresh in her mind, she expected that malignant thing to make a return here, now, when it would make the most sense for it to. Nothing changed, however. No matter how often she blinked, it all stayed the same, and showed no signs of that evil… Then they left the first tunnel, riding the rails up the mountainside and towards the city above.

Twilight relaxed some, her heart still beating quicker than normal, but at least it wasn’t pounding as it had been only minutes ago. It was only after the second tunnel that she felt somewhat comfortable breathing a sigh of relief, and letting her guard down for the most part. She had to; she had to relax, to gather herself. Canterlot would be upon them soon, and if she wasn’t ready for what awaited her up there… But that wouldn’t be for some time now.

“Get it together, Twilight…” She said softly, taking a deep breath in, and exhaling slowly. She did this for another twenty minutes or so, until the train started to brake as it approached the station. She opened her eyes at last, only for the sight of the city to strike hard and deep with her. “Oh, Celestia…” The Unicorn muttered, ears pinned flat against her head.

*** *** ***

Canterlot… it looked so… decrepit. Buildings which looked as though they suffered battle damage, or were merely worn from centuries of neglect. The haphazard “repairs”, which were the norm, didn’t do a thing to help improve the city’s visage. Nor did the ponies walking around, for that matter. All addicts, as they had been in ponyville, all walking around in aged, rotting, or tattered clothing. So many styling themselves as the Equestrian Aristocracy, while in reality they were little more than squatters huddled in a ruin, which may have once been this country’s glorious capital. What happened?

Twilight felt even more distant and withdrawn here than she did in Ponyville, casting passing glances of pity at each and every “noble” who passed with their noses turned upwards, and upwind of the horrible smell which came from Twilight’s blood stained clothing. She had to get that taken care of, and fortune smiled upon her as she’d brought some pocket money with which she could pay for a cleaning service, if not a new shirt altogether.

Her first step into the launderers shop confirmed it would be the latter she’d pay for. The water used here looked to be relatively dirty, and unsuited for cleaning. She wouldn’t be surprised if it only made her clothing smell worse. Though, that was likely a good reason why Canterlot ponies were so fond of perfume.

It was a matter of finding clothes which weren’t torn rags, stitched together at a moments notice, and that looked as though it wouldn’t be easy. She visited several clothing shops on her way to the palace, each little different from the last. At least on one visit in particular, she had a good laugh watching Hoity Toity give a critique on Canterlot’s “finest” dresses. The irony dripped from every word he said was just too rich, and easily overshadowed how sad it was that everypony in Canterlot dressed little better than a Las Pegasus vagrant.

After a while, with a little patience and careful observation, she finally found something mildly presentable. It looked like it was patched together with cloth pouches, the browns, blacks, and reds making the faded blue shirt look like a patchwork, but at least it looked like a real shirt. It was settled, then, and Twilight brought it up to the counter.

“Ah, going for a bit of a tomcolt look, are we?” The cashier said judgmentally, looking Twilight over and scrunching her muzzle at the smell which continued to emanate from Twilight’s clothes. “Well, to each their own, I suppose. Twenty bits.”

A stallion’s shirt? It was a bit bigger than she normally wore, but Twilight failed to see how this could be associated with a specific gender. Good to see the economy was still doing well, though, even if the price was, in reality, hardly worthy of the product. And lo and behold, she had just barely enough to afford it. A great coincidence indeed, though it left her incapable of purchasing a ticket back to Ponyville.

Her departure from the clothing store, old shirt purposefully left behind in the “changing rooms”, and the sight of the palace nearby only reminded her that this was meant to be a one-way trip regardless. That said, she took a deep breath in and gathered the courage to move forward. There, within this citadel of the Princess’, she’d get the answers she’d been longing for. There, if her theories were correct, she’d stand face to face with the one responsible for this. She reached into her bag as she drew ever-closer to the palace, pulling out the anti-toxin and staring at it. “Well… Whatever happens, I’m dead either way.” She told herself, stopping just outside the mangled iron gates to drink the potion.

*** *** ***

The potion hadn’t killed her. That was good. The world seemed a lot less bleak and gloomy than before, also a good sign, though seeing the reality of things was still bleak and gloomy in its own right. And the Palace didn’t look to be too heavily guarded. In fact, she’d hardly seen a guard at all. Those few she did all seemed to be just as deep as anypony else, with a few rare exceptions. All Thestrals, of course. Most of them had to be busy transporting the “goods” which came flowing from here to the rest of Equestria. No matter, though, that made this a very straightforward challenge.

She made her way to the Throne Room, a ghastly sight awaiting her in there. No, it wasn’t the banners all changed to an eclipsed sun. Nor was it the numerous visages of Celestia which were broken, burnt, and defaced. It was the alchemy lab, the massive operation set up in the dead hedge maze outside. Her attention turned fully to this impressive, and worrisome sight. Some strange perversion of Equestrian Alchemy, and methods she’d never seen before, working together to poison the whole of Equestria by plunging its ponies into a fantasy they could never escape from.

She wondered how it was she herself could have escaped from it all, when a hand on her shoulder suddenly sent shivers down her spine. The grip was firm, but lacked forcefulness. The pony behind her waited patiently for Twilight herself to turn, the offender being one of the Night Guard. One of the few who wasn’t addicted, from what Twilight could tell, and a mare, now that she looked her over again.

“Twilight Sparkle…?” The Thestral mare asked in a hushed tone, looking the Unicorn over thoroughly.

“Uh… y-yes.” Twilight replied, confused and only slightly concerned. “How do you…?”

“Your Zebra friend told me about you.” The Guardspony said, her ear flicking at the sound of footsteps. "I think it's best we go somewhere private." She said, expecting the other mare to follow.

“Z-zecora…?” Twilight asked, confused. She shook it off when the Thestral mare started to walk away, following her through the palace to one of the side rooms. A meeting room which hadn’t been used in years, by the looks of things. The termite-eaten table enough of an indication this was so.

The Thestral mare shut the door after confirming they hadn’t been followed and were alone. She turned to face the lavender Unicorn, arms crossed over her chest and expression calculative… though she didn’t seem too impressed by what she saw. "I'm sure you have plenty of questions. Penumbra is my name." She said, extending a hand for Twilight to shake.

Twilight did so, a bit hesitantly, but still. “Yes… I have questions.” Twilight said, casting a quick and uncomfortable glance around the room.

"Ask and I shall answer. Don't take too long, waiting is not a luxury we can enjoy." Penumbra replied, waiting expectantly.

She took a deep breath, taking a moment to think before starting with the most relevant question first. “how is Zecora involved in all this?”

The, presumably rogue, Night Guard nodded in confirmation. “She’s the one who facilitated your escape. Both times. You were part of her plan before, when there were more of us involved in this little plot to overthrow our mad Princess.”

“More of you?”

“Yes. We have seen the insanity of our Lady coming, centuries ago. Even our ancestors, who were with her since day one of our history. Nopony knew enough to act against her. But then the Shaman came along and changed that."

“And when was this?”

“Several years ago, I think… Nopony keeps the calendars up to date anymore.”

There was a brief silence between the two as Twilight stopped for a moment to take this all in. She cleared her throat and moved right along when she noticed the growing impatience in Penumbra’s expression, choosing her next few questions carefully.

“What plan? What plan could you have possibly had? And why didn’t Zecora talk to me directly about any of this? Celestia, how did any of this happen in the first place?! I…”

Twilight’s tangent was stopped when the Thestral raised a hand, making a gesture which demanded silence. “Calm down, Sparkle. We had a plan before. It doesn’t matter now, we were discovered and… Regardless, you and I are the only ones left in this palace capable of taking action. And your shaman friend, she’s been hunted relentlessly since she first took action against our Lady. Given how incessant you are in your questioning, I’d wager it would only put the both of you at risk needlessly.”

Their attention turned to the door simultaneously as they heard something shatter from the Throne Room, followed by the sound of cackling and muffled rambling. Penumbra’s expression went from one of agitation to a fearful one, and the doubtful Thestral turned back to Twilight.

“Pay close attention, Twilight Sparkle. We don’t have a solid plan. After the first one fell through, we’ve had neither the time, nor the manpower for it. The Shaman places faith in your abilities, however, and so you need to serve as a distraction.” Penumbra explained hastily, in a hushed tone.

“… What?” The lavender mare asked, not too sure how to feel about being this… Being asked to serve as bait. Against an Alicorn Princess, no less.

Penumbra’s frustration was made evident once more, though she kept her patience with the confused Unicorn. “Keep her distracted, Twilight. Whatever it takes. Understood?”

Twilight choked up for a minute, everything hitting her so fast and so hard… She’d have thought she’d be used to it by now, and to some degree she was. But standing face to face against… ‘What choice do we have?’ She told herself, her hands clenching into fists and teeth gritting at the thought of returning to the illusion. The young mare took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let it out slowly. “And what will you do?” She asked, opening her eyes again once she was calm.

The Night Guard produced a vial filled with some kind of liquid. Poison, perhaps? “The Zebra said this will only cripple, not kill. I’ll go straight to the armoury. You need to keep *her* distracted just long enough.”

The Unicorn nodded, turning her attention to the door once more and took another deep breath. “Alright…” She said, standing up and turning to the door. She jumped slightly as Penumbra grabbed her shoulder, turning her attention back to the other Mare one last time.

“Good luck…” The bat-like pony said, her expression showing some concern.

Twilight smiled and nodded, thanking her before she turned back, and the two of them walked out the door and to whatever fate had in store for the both of them.

*** *** ***

Twilight walked down the hall to the throne room, her steps slow and steady. Her only friend and ally in this entire kingdom each, respectively, seemed so far away at this point. Penumbra had gone the opposite direction, towards the armoury… Wherever that was. Zecora, on the other hand… Celestia knew where she was, and now more than ever Twilight wished she could speak with the enigmatic Zebra. So many questions, even after all which Penumbra had answered. Of course, she could always have a few answered by another knowledgeable source. The one making a great racket and talking to herself in the room just beyond.

She stopped at the unguarded corner, a thought just crossing her mind. Why hadn’t she seen it before?! She felt so stupid for it, the Unicorn’s confidence wavering some as she pieced a bit of the puzzle together by herself. If Princess Luna lay waiting beyond that threshold, and Celestia was nowhere to be found…

The young mare snuck a preemptive peek around the corner, whipping back around when she noticed that all too familiar figure, thankfully too distracted defacing another image of her more benevolent sister to notice the spying Unicorn. ‘Nightmare Moon… Celestia, why?’ Twilight thought to herself. It was bad enough she’d been asked to tackle a mad Alicorn; but a mad Alicorn consumed and empowered by dark magic? This was suicidal!

“Ahh… It’s been fun, sister. But we really must be lowering that ugly sun of yours now. We hope you burn there for the rest of eternity.” The madmare beyond commented to nopony in particular.

‘Shit…’ Twilight thought to herself, taking a moment to contemplate how she’d never had a vulgar thought like that before… It seemed a bit uncharacteristic, all things considered. But no matter, she had to act and quickly.

A deep breath, a forced smile, and a great deal of trust placed in the Thestral elsewhere in the castle prepared Twilight as well as she could be for what she was about to do. “Good evening, Princess Luna!” She said as happily as she could, stepping into sight casually, in plain sight, as though this were a typical visit.

Nightmare Moon’s attention turned to the unexpected Lavender Unicorn, her brow raising inquisitively. Thankfully, it seemed the corrupted Princess assumed Twilight to still be under the influence. She put on a friendly smile, which came off more menacing than anything. “Ah, Twilight! To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”

She held her composure, though it was… difficult. She realized then that she had no reasonable excuse, and so took a panicked moment to think. “Uhh… Princess Celestia sent me a note the other day, saying she’d found a book in the archives I might be interested in.” Was her excuse, a hint of nervousness in her smile while she gave it.

“Did she, now…?” Luna asked, eyes narrowing and face contorting into a calculative expression while she looked Twilight over.

“Mhmm!” Twilight replied, as nonchalantly as she could bring herself to.

“You seem tense.” The tainted Princess stated plainly, her suspicions evident.

“I… Have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her wavering body language, expression, and tone all suggested otherwise.

“Oh, but I think you do, Twilight Sparkle. We know not what drove that damned annoying Zebra to pry you away from your stupor again, only to send you straight to us. But since you’re here, have you anything to say before we put you under again? Any requests? Messages? Threats, mayhap?” Luna’s face contorted into a rather sadistic smile at that last assumption.

The ruse was over… Twilight shivered in place, an overwhelming sense of dread making it nearly impossible for her to move. She swallowed, bit the inside of her lip, and suppressed that fear to some small degree. Enough to realize this was a perfect opportunity to stall for time. “Q-questions, actually…” She answered eventually, wincing when Luna laughed at this.

“Oh, why not?! You won’t remember any of my answers anyway.”

That reassuring thought in mind, Twilight relaxed some and began to assess the room around her under the guise of contemplative tics, simultaneously thinking of where to start. “Where’s Princess Celestia?”

Nightmare Moon broke out into another hysterical fit of laughter, leaning against a nearby pillar for support. “We knew you’d start with that! We just knew the ‘star pupil’ of our long-exiled sister would want to know that.” When she’d gotten over herself, the former Princess of the Night’s expression became much more loathsome and sinister, with an ominous tone to top it off. “Look back on all the history books you’ve read, little Unicorn. Where do you think she is?”

It dawned on Twilight in full; this in conjunction with what she’d overheard earlier…

“Next question! Come on, we don’t have all day! Or, well, so long as you’re keeping us here we do. But we grow tired of this wretched sunlight! Out with it now!” The corrupted Princess’ agitation was motivation enough for the mortal mare to save her grief for later.

“H-how…? How did you manage to subdue everypony with this drug?”

“We don’t know what you’re talking about. You stupid mortals seem eager enough to keep yourself dosed and content. As much so now as back then. We must be honest, we never expected such marvelous success through this medium… Well, until that meddling Zebra decided to interfere.”

“And how does Zecora fit in to all this?”

“Your striped friend is the latest in a line of Shamans sent to watch over my progress by the Zebras. Ever since I went through their lands studying their alchemy to its fullest, and returned to Equestria with that knowledge in mind, they’ve had several peppered all over the country. Merely observing and reporting; I have no interest in their primitive lands, and they’ve never taken action against me before. No, it wasn’t until *that* one broke our lovely little cycle when they’ve become an issue.”

This revelation was intriguing… And made sense according to what she’d found. The strange alchemy used in the drug being Zebra in nature tickled her scientific curiosity. A shame that the process’ used here were so malicious and malignant…

“A shame, too. You’ve all been oh-so-adorable. Especially you and your ‘friends’ in ponyville. Like that time at the ‘Grand Galloping Gala’. Though, to be fair, that one’s always hysterical. Ooh, then there was that time you thought you’d defeated us. Not so much funny as it was interesting, acting out a little defeat scenario like that. Mmm, then the fiasco with ‘Discord’. That batch I brewed then certainly had some interesting effects.” The mad Princess continued, reminiscing over past “events” with an amused expression.

Twilight had guessed so before, but having it confirmed to her; that all her life up until this point had been, if not entirely then for the most part, a lie. She clenched her fists tightly as she was reminded of this, tears starting to well up as the painful reality behind it all was brought back to her. Simply knowing that was easy to deal with, but hearing Luna go so far as to speak of it tauntingly; adding insult to injury? That was too far…

“Oh, don’t look so crestfallen. You’re going back under anyway, what does it matter to you?”

“No…”

“Excuse us?”

Twilight looked Luna in the eye, fear falling away as it was replaces with anger. A righteous fury which made her bold enough to draw this line and openly defy the crazed Alicorn, to hell with her exponentially greater power. “I’m not letting you do this. To me, or anypony else, anymore!”

That declaration sent Luna into another fit of hysterics, enough so that it looked like she was close to falling over. “And how are you going to stop us, pray tell? You’re weak, silly filly. We outclass you in every way imaginable. It would spare you a world of pain and trouble if you were to accept your fate.”

The notion of going back to it all, letting this lie play out, leaving ponies to suffer unwittingly as they were right now? She couldn’t rightly bear it, to do herself or Equestria such a horrible disservice. “I’ll die before I go back.” Her words came out as more of a growl, and her hands began to glow with arcane energy.

Luna seemed… genuinely shocked by this? It was for the briefest of moments, and Twilight didn’t pay it much heed as she let her rage take precedence, but there was a hint of surprise and apprehension in the Princess’ expression when she comprehended the sincerity behind that declaration. “Very well. If you wish to die so badly. Just be sure to give us a good show before the end.”

*** *** ***

The magically-inclined Unicorn had enough of the condescending attitude. Of the blatant disrespect and disregard for the ethics which made everything she’d done wrong in every sense. Anger amplified the power behind her spell, and Twilight shouted for greater effect as she “threw” the massive bolt of magical energy directly at the Alicorn.

Luna re-directed it with her own magic just moments before it could hit her, blasting a sizable hole in the wall of the Throne Room. The gaping wound in the building overlooked the alchemy lab standing in the long-dead hedge maze, coincidentally. Almost directly afterwards, the Princess of the Night spread her wings and kicked off the ground, charging directly towards Twilight.

The Lavender Unicorn panicked when her opening attack failed. Nor was she of a very agile mind, to think about dodging out of the way. She stuck with what she knew, and created a magical barrier between her and her rapidly-approaching enemy. This made little difference, as Luna’s magic far surpassed her own, and the princess quite literally punched a hole through the barrier, dispelling the rest of it.

Twilight stumbled backwards, thrown off for a moment. Just long enough for Nightmare Moon to grab her by the head, lifting her off the ground. Twilight’s pained screams were muffled as she was slammed back against a support column headfirst, twice, then thrown to the other side of the room. Her nose was bleeding, her head throbbed and ached where it struck carved stone. Her vision was blurry, and her focus was thrown off until she’d finally managed to cast a weak healing spell, if only to prevent the concussion she’d have endured otherwise.

“Come on now, Twilight Sparkle! For being the ‘Element of Magic’ we assumed you’d be more of a challenge!” Luna taunted, her mocking laughter inspiration enough to try again.

There was a small, but much-desired assortment of ancient weapons lying around. Decorative, mostly, though some were given as gifts in archaic times, assuming those parts of history weren’t fabricated either. All could easily double for a more practical purpose, however, and their powerful enchantments made them more than fit for an Alicorn to wield. What better to fight one with, then?

Luna seemed to notice where her wayward pony’s eyes were focusing, and she spread her wings to charge again. Twilight’s aura enveloped her horn, and she managed to pry a shield from the wall just in time to bring it over and enter a defensive stance. The protection it offered spared her the worst of the blow, but still threw her off balance and caused her to stumble backwards. Several more strong physical and magical blows were delivered in rapid succession, Twilight backing up until she hit the wall.

Luna clearly took amusement in this, and tore the shield from the unicorn in her exhaustion, grabbing her by the neck once that bothersome barrier was out of the way. “Mmm, we’re sorry to say there’s nothing up here to properly subdue you. So why don’t we show you the source of it all, you curious little whelp, you.”

Twilight found herself choked, struggling in vain against the powerful hand against her throat. It wasn’t for very long, but was intimidating nevertheless. Given that her neck could be snapped like a twig at the whim of this ancient, and quite clearly insane, goddess. In desperation, she called on one of the more destructive spells she knew… Flames burst from the Unicorn’s horn, scorching the Alicorn’s face in its entirety and causing her to both release Twilight and scream in agony from the burns suffered. Twilight gasped for air, crawling between Luna’s legs and retreating to the center of the room, desperate for distance between herself and the Princess.

“You bitch…” Nightmare Moon hissed menacingly, Twilight turning to face her just in time to see the conjured warhammer swinging right at her. There was a sickening crack from her ribs, followed by intense pain and the sensation of falling. The impact shot Twilight right out of the hole which had been made in the wall, her only saving grace being the shock-absorption spell she’d cast semi-consciously prior to hitting the ground.

The young mare bounced a ways, finding herself facing the alchemy lab, from which the collective fantasies of Equestria’s ponies for over a millennia were born. She groaned, gasping at the sudden spike of pain from her fractured ribcage when she tried getting up.

She made it to her hands and kneed by the time Nightmare Moon had arrived on the scene, delivering a swift and brutal kick to agitate the Unicorn’s wounds and knock her closer to the massive, churning vats of alchemic horrors. “She wants me to spare you… She’s soft that way.” Nightmare Moon said, grabbing Twilight by the collar of her patchwork shirt. “Maybe… There’s no point in making an example when nopony else would understand the context behind it. But I’ll ensure you feel all sorts of pain before and after I put you back under.”

There was a whoosh, and a “thnk”; another scream from the nefarious Alicorn when an arrow found its way into her back, just shy of her spine. She dropped her defeated adversary, focused on pulling the poisoned projectile out of her back and healing herself. She then turned her attention to see a Thestral mare kneeling at the mouth of the gaping hole in the palace with a bow in her hand. “Traitorous cur!”

Twilight noticed her gathering magical energies together; not without great effort, greater than what an Alicorn should rightly expend. This didn’t change the fact that she was preparing to kill Penumbra, and even as the rebellious Night Guard fled back into the palace, the force of an arcane bolt from Luna could easily demolish that whole part of the building.

She thought fast, it being all she could do in her drained state, while crumpled on the ground under one of the vats. Her ear flicked as it dawned on her… The alchemy lab had more than enough explosive material in it, and both of them were close enough to be consumed by the ensuing fire, if not the initial blast. Twilight couldn’t rightly say she felt comfortable, casting a spell which would most likely result in her own death. Looking back on it all, though, what did she have to live for otherwise? She’d save Equestria, defeat a tyrant, and all while dying poetically. Just like in one of those tragedies she’d read from time to time.

The young mare chuckled at that thought, never rightly imagining she’d find herself in any situation which called for such desperate measures. And now that she was, well… It was hard to take. She knew damn well she didn’t have to do this, but then what? Luna destroys half her own palace, kills a good pony, and forces subjugation on her yet again after near-crippling torture? Better to die in a blaze of glory, she thought… Chuckling again at how cliché that sounded. Maybe her hallucinated mentor was right, maybe she did read a little too much. Tears began to well up in her eyes while she accepted the inevitable.

Luna wasn’t deaf to the going-ons behind her, though. Her ear flicked at the first chuckle, and attention turned from the renegade Thestral to Twilight at the second. She noticed the flames starting to lick at the chemicals gathered, and the tears which rolled down Twilight’s cheeks while the young Unicorn came to terms with her impending death. The Princess, meanwhile, barely had time to comprehend before the explosion.

*** *** ***

The blast had been visible all across Canterlot. It wouldn’t be surprising if half of Equestria had seen it. Who knew what they would have perceived it as, though. A fireworks mishap? A magical experiment at the academy gone, benignly, wrong? Whatever they saw it as now, it wouldn’t matter soon enough. With the source of the drug destroyed, it wouldn’t be long before the supply lingering throughout Equestria would dry up. And after that? Only one had any understanding of the hardships which lay ahead.

She walked through the devastated courtyard in the direct aftermath of the explosion. The Guard would be here to investigate soon enough. Those few left sober after the Princess’ paranoid “purge” would find their one purpose in life gone entirely. Destroyed completely, along with the only mare who knew the secrets behind this heresy. And the scorched, injured, brutalized young mare thrown against the fountain by the blast… The Shaman felt a strong sense of relief wash over her when she inspected the Unicorn, and found she was still living, and semi-conscious.

“Twilight Sparkle, do not fret. There is purpose for you yet. Now, in peace, you should rest. Equestria needs you at your best.”

Twilight never had a chance to speak. To question how she’d survived, or if she were even still alive… The Zebra coaxed her into drinking several strange, bitter concoctions. One of which worked in tandem with the exhaustion of her encounter to put the half-dead Unicorn into a deep, relaxing sleep. The last thing she saw was the fruits of her labour, and a faint smile crossed her face before consciousness slipped away, and she was carried from the destruction.