Cracks in Reality - Book One

Chapters

Prologue - Falling inside the Black.
Twilight's New Home - part 1
Twilight's New Home - part 2
Twilight's New Home - Part 3
Twilight's Escape
Nightmare Moon's Return - part 1
Nightmare Moon's Return - part 2
Nightmare Moon's Return - part 3
Reunited - part 1
Reunited - part 2
Reunited - part 3
Reunited - part 4
Reunited - part 5
The Hunt - part 1
The Hunt - part 2 (End of Book One)

Prologue - Falling inside the Black.

As Twilight walked to the study Princess Celestia used for their personal lessons, her stomach was full of butterflies, and no matter how many times she wiped her hands on her skirt, the damp sweaty feeling on her palms would not go away. Her nervousness was the result of the most recent letter she had received from Princess Celestia requesting that she report to their private study at her earliest convenience for some kind of special lesson in magic. The nature of the lesson hadn’t been divulged in the letter, and this worried Twilight.

How was she supposed to prepare for the lesson if she didn’t know what she was going to be studying? Her lesson could be any number of subjects ranging from pony anatomy, to Starswirl the Bearded’s “In-depth Guide to the Effects of Mana on the Outside World”. As a result, Twilight had decided to bring with her over a dozen books, each one on a different subject of magic. She was levitating the large pile of books in her magical grasp and her backpack was full of all the spare parchment, quills, and notes she thought would come in handy during her lesson with the princess.

Twilight’s nervousness increased as the door to the private study came into view. While she loved learning new things, she couldn’t bear the thought of failing at whatever lesson the princess would give her. If she failed, she might fall out of the princess’s good graces, and likely be sent back to magic kindergarten where she would have to go through all her previous lessons again.

Twilight hadn’t even realized she had stopped walking until one of the four guards assigned to escort her around the castle grounds cleared his throat and with an embarrassed smile she hastened her pace to get to her lesson on time.

Ever since the day of her entrance exam where she had lost control of her magic while trying to hatch Spike, Celestia had assigned at least four guards of the Royal Regent to constantly watch over her in case she ever lost control of her magic again.

Should such an event ever occur again, each of the guards had an inhibitor ring in their possession which they would place on her horn, disabling her magic. Twilight was both fascinated, and wary of the objects, wary because whenever she was in a situation where the guards couldn’t be near her, such as when she was having a bath, she had to wear one of the inhibitor rings to prevent anymore magical flameouts. She hated the feeling of being isolated from her magic, the very thing that was her own special talent, but she also knew she couldn’t risk hurting somepony should she ever experience another flameout.

She had once asked Princess Celestia for one of the rings so she could study it for herself. But the princess had politely refused her request, as she couldn’t risk anypony ever finding a way to counteract the powers of an inhibitor ring.

Twilight was brought out of her thoughts as one of the guards knocked on the door to Celestia’s personal study. The doors were opened by her mentor’s golden magical aura revealing the princess sitting behind a desk ladened with scrolls, books, and other manuscripts pertaining to Twilight’s magical education.

Celestia greeted Twilight with a warm smile, which did wonders to chase away most of the butterflies flittering around in the young unicorn’s stomach. Twilight returned the smile and walked inside, closing the door behind her. For the most part, the study was just like any other in the castle. But unlike the others, this one had been specifically made for those rare young unicorns whose magic could be extremely unpredictable and powerful if left unchecked. It contained but a single desk for one student, and in case she went through another flameout, all the walls, ceilings and windows were marked with an intricate design of flowing runes and sigils, each and every one of them designed to force her magic back under her control .

“Princess Celestia, I’ve finished all the reading assignments you gave me for the next two months,” Twilight said as she levitated several large books—each one easily over several hundred pages long—on the princess’s desk and gave her a wide smile. “I even took some notes on the most prominent subject, and have a few ideas for corrections where the writer made several assertions that are severely outdated.” Twilight giggled as she levitated a massive stack of papers from the pile of parchment and held them out to her mentor who took them with a look of mild surprise.

Twilight’s pages of notes were large enough to be an entire book of their own, and a swell of pride for her young student filled the princess’s chest as her expectations of the young mare’s potential were once again completely shattered beyond belief. “I see you’ve put a lot of work into your assignments, Twilight. Tell me, did you use the week off I gave you to do all this?”

“Yes,” Twilight stated proudly.

Celestia glanced back in scepticism at the massive pile of notes Twilight had written. “And did you spend any time at all with your fellow students like I asked you to?”

Twilight looked down guiltily and fidgeted nervously with her hands. “No. I tried to, but I didn’t feel like playing their games. I felt like reading, and completing all the assignments you gave me.” Suddenly a smile lit up Twilight’s face and she looked back up at the princess. “But I did spend some time studying with Moondancer. Together we finished reading the final book in the “Powers of the Alchemist: Facts and Theories” series.”

Celestia blinked several times in surprise. “Twilight, I’m very proud of you for finishing all of these assignments so quickly. But I did expect you to do all of them, including spending time with your fellow students. That’s why you had two months to get these done.”

Twilight bit her bottom lip and gave a hesitant nod of understanding. Celestia smiled warmly at her prized pupil and placed the pile of notes onto her desk for reading later. “So what am I learning today?” Twilight asked, staring with wide, eager eyes at her mentor.

Celestia’s horn glowed as she used her magic to clear the books and parchment from Twilight’s desk, replacing them with a single thick tome.

To anypony else the massive book would have been a complete literacy nightmare filled with complicated words and even more complicated spells. But to Twilight it was a dream come true, she stared at the massive book as though it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she felt like she couldn’t wait to start reading through it.

“Today you’re going to learn how to control yourself when using large quantities of magic.” Celestia began flipping through the tome rather quickly, and Twilight felt a little put off that she was skipping so many pages and chapters of knowledge. But she remained silent until Celestia reached the correct page. “I’m going to teach you how to access your raw untamed power without losing control like you did while trying to hatch Spike. To do this, I need you to think of the magic contained within you as water in a tank or a well, and you need to think of your horn as the tap that releases this magic. Turn it on too slow and you won’t have enough power to perform your spells, open it too fast and you risk flooding yourself with power.”

“But… you said it was too risky to use that much magic.”

“I did, but I think you’re ready now. You’ve come so far in your training and I believe that you now have enough knowledge to master this.”

Twilight stared in disbelief at the page Celestia had stopped at. “A teleportation spell?” she looked up at her mentor with wide concerned eyes. “I don’t think I’m ready to perform such advanced magic.”

Celestia placed a reassuring hand on Twilight’s shoulder. She smiled and said, “I have complete faith in your magical abilities, Twilight. But I understand that your first time can be intimidating. So today we’re only going to have you trying to teleport from one side of the room to the other, okay?”

Twilight felt her confidence grow at her mentor’s words and she looked again at the spell written on the page in front of her. If Celestia believed in her ability to perform it, then she was going to do her best to make her teacher proud of her. Once Twilight had studied the spell long enough to commit the complicated magical formula to memory, she looked up at Princess Celestia and nodded. “I think I’m ready now.”

Celestia guided the young unicorn to the other side of the room and knelt down beside her. “Just remember Twilight, you don’t have to get the spell right on your first try, okay? You only have to do your best.” Twilight bit her bottom lip nervously and nodded in understanding. After giving her student one more smile of encouragement, Celestia stepped off to the side. Giving her student the room she needed, but staying close by for encouragement.

Twilight closed her eyes in concentration and began dipping into her internal reservoir of power. She could feel the energy crackling and surging within her just waiting to be released. A warm tingling sensation spread throughout her body as she began channeling a small amount of her magic to her horn. Her horn glowed with an aura of violet power and she began twisting, manipulating the magic from it’s natural state of pure energy into the spell she had just read.

Even from her position off to the side, Celestia could feel the raw amount of magic surging within the young unicorn’s body. A nervous shudder ran up Celestia’s spine.

The last time she’d seen a non-alicorn pony with this much magical ability, Equestria had been thrust into an age of darkness the likes of which had almost crippled her kingdom beyond repair.

There was so much magical potential in Twilight that she’d either be the most powerful defender of Equestria in the last thousand and a half years, or the harbinger of Equestria’s next age of darkness. It was this uncertainty of Equestria’s future that drove Celestia to find those few special individuals with great magical potential—like Twilight—and steer them towards the path of light. Celestia also took it upon herself to teach such individuals the importance of love and tolerance.

A grunt of exertion returned Celestia’s attention back to her student still struggling with the teleportation spell. “You’re doing very well so far, my faithful student,” Celestia said with approval. “Just ease up on the amount of magic you’re using.”

Twilight gave a silent nod of understanding and tried to ease up on the flow of magic coming from her horn. However instead of her horn’s aura of magic diminishing, it remained consistent, and, to her horror, began growing even brighter. Twilight tried her best not to panic as she failed to reign in her magic, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

Twilight tried desperately to stop the flow of magic running through her body, her mind's eye did exactly what Celestia had said, she saw her magic as being a well of water, and her horn the tap. She focused, trying to force the tap shut, trying to close off the flood of water coming from the well; but rather than ceasing it, or at least slowing it down, the pressure was too great, the tap gave way and the flow of power turned into a massive flooding river. The runes carved all along the walls of the room began glowing with golden light, and Twilight felt their imbedded spells starting to act, constricting upon her and trying to force her magic back into her control.

The runes were now glowing at their brightest as their powers fought to contain Twilight’s magic, but a bolt of her magical energy hit one of them causing it to split in half and breaking the flow of magic to the rest of the runes, making them fade out of existence. Now completely free of any restraining influence, Twilight’s magic surged to new heights of unchecked power..

Random powerful bolts of magical energy began shooting from the aura of magic that was now surrounding Twilight’s entire body. Celestia barely managed to form a defensive shield around herself before one of them flew towards her. The princess screamed as the raw amount of power contained within the bolt of energy shattered the shield like it was nothing more than a sheet of glass and sent her flying across the room.

Celestia hit the stone wall behind her with enough force to leave a spiderweb of cracks across its surface. Her whole body felt completely numb from the magical missile. Celestia groaned weakly and rolled over just in time to see the four royal guards run into the study, each one with an inhibitor ring in their grasp. They began converging on Twilight, only to be thrown back by a pulse of the unicorn’s out-of-control magic. Celestia cursed internally at the numbness leaving her unable to do anything but watch the spectacle. She tried her hardest, but the paralysis was too strong for her magic too easily shake off.

It was at that moment that Celestia realized: this magical flameout was much more serious and advanced than the first one that Twilight had suffered not so long ago. The unicorn’s magic was far more powerful than she had ever thought, and worse, it was defending itself from anything it perceived as a threat to its user.

“I can’t control it!!” Twilight screamed in pure fear. “Please, princess! help me!!”

Celestia gritted her teeth and began channelling her own magic to fight off the paralysing sensations in her body, the numbness began slowly receding, leaving a tingling feeling of pins and needles throughout her body. The violet aura of magic surrounding Twilight’s body began glowing even brighter, leaving the young unicorn screaming in pure agony..

“Hold on Twilight, I’m coming!” Celestia yelled. She pulled an inhibitor ring from her pocket, and began slowly crawling towards her student. A shockwave of energy burst from the aura surrounding Twilight’s body and caused a massive crevice-like dimensional rift to split the entire room in half. Twilight screamed in terror as the edges of the crevice gave way and she began falling into the dark crevice below her. At the last second Twilight managed to fling herself to the other side of the crevice and hold out her hand to Princess Celestia, her only salvation. “Please save me!” Twilight begged.

The princess, desperate to save her endangered student, tried crawling faster and was inches away from grabbing her hand when an earsplitting scream of fury came from the depths of the hole and a large clawed hand wrapped around Twilight’s small body. Despite Twilight’s eyes glowing with raw magical energy Celestia saw them widen with real terror as the clawed hand pulled her down into the dark depths it had called home.

As soon as Twilight was gone, the rift sealed itself closed, leaving the floor in its previous condition of perfect smoothness, and the only evidence of Twilight losing control of her magic were the holes in the wall and the royal guards lying on the floor, either dead or unconscious, Celestia couldn’t tell.

Twilight's New Home - part 1

Twilight was suddenly woken by a fiery pain raging inside her horn and skull which bought her gasping from unconsciousness, and she clutched the sides of her head in an vain attempt to stop the pain spreading throughout the rest of her body. She had no idea how long she had been been in unconsciousness, nor did she care, all she could think about was the fiery pain inside of her head. Thankfully, she knew from past experiences, the pain didn’t last very long, only a couple of hours at the most.
　　Her only other source of discomfort was caused by her extremely stiff muscles and a dry soreness in her mouth and throat. Twilight groaned quietly in pain and reached for the glass of water she usually kept on her nightstand to quench her thirst. Frowning with confusion when her connected with nothing but empty air, Twilight wiped her eyes clear and gasped with shock noticing, for the first time, her new surroundings and the unfamiliar room she had woken up in.
　　A fire was crackling brightly in a large hearth illuminating the otherwise dark room with just enough light for her to see that the room was large, but not as large as her room in Canterlot. It was also sparsely furnished with only a large closet and a few empty bookshelves. And despite the warmth provided by the fire, the bed she had woken up in, and the black silky soft sheets covering her body were surprisingly cool against her body.
　　Twilight gave a frightened and pained whimper, curling up into a small ball and hugging her knees to her chest in an effort to comfort herself. She couldn’t remember the events that had transpired which lead to her waking up in this unfamiliar room, and the burning pain in her head was too distracting for her to focus on reliving any memories. The only recollection she had of her last few moments of consciousness was losing control of her magic during a private lesson with Princess Celestia, and the resulting magical flameout forming some sort of rift.
　　Twilight hesitantly stepped out of the bed and a strong shiver passed through her body when her bare feet touched the cold stone floor. It was then that noticed she was wearing a dark long sleeved shirt and matching pants that seemed to be made from the same silky and strangely cooling material of the bedsheets.
　　She paid her new clothes, and the absence of her old ones no mind though, she only wanted to find out where she was as soon as possible so she could find a way to get back to Canterlot where her family and the princess were no doubt worried sick about her. She hurried over to the only window in the room and, opened the drapes letting out a startled gasp when she saw the outside landscape. Instead of the bright and colorful landscape of Equestria she expected to see, she was greeted with the sight of a barren landscape that looked like it had been intensely scorched free of any vegetation or plants.
　　For miles in every direction, all she could see was a massive flat plane of red dirt which was occasionally disturbed by a warm soft breeze. Twilight had no idea where she was, in all her studies and lessons on geography she had never once come across any transcripts or maps that described what she was seeing now. What was most startling about this strange new world was the sun, instead of a yellow orb of fire, the sun was burning with a dark electric blue energy.
　　The room began spinning around Twilight in a sickening spectrum of colors and she began feeling very nauseous, dizzy and weak. She awkwardly stumbled her way back to the bed where she collapsed and buried her face in the cooling material of the sheets where she began crying.
　　Once she started sobbing, she couldn’t stop. Each tear that left a damp trail down the fur on her cheeks was accompanied by a stabbing heartache for the loved ones she had left back in Equestria. She wandered if she would ever again be able to pretend being a soldier with her Big Brother guarding the halls of Canterlot. Or ever be comforted by her parents through a thunder storm telling her there was nothing to be afraid of every time a scary boom of thunder shook the house. She very desperately wanted to do her secret hoof shake ritual with Cadence, her very favourite foal-sitter, and continue doing her private magic lessons with Princess Celestia. Even when the sheets she was crying into were damp with tears of heartache and fear, and her chest and sides were aching, strong sobs continued wracking through her body.
Several minutes passed until there was a soft knock at the bedroom door so faint that she barely heard it.
　　Almost immediately Twilight stopped crying, and stared fearfully at the door. She had no idea who was on the other side, or whether they were dangerous or not. For all she knew they could be the ones responsible for her current predicament. Thinking fast, and not having too many options, she slid off the bed and barely made it to the closet to hide in before she heard the bedroom door and the sound of soft footsteps walking into the room. Even from inside the closet, the scent of some sort of delicious food wafting throughout the room made her stomach rumble loudly.
　　Up until that moment, Twilight hadn’t realized just how hungry she had been, and now, her empty stomach had just betrayed her hiding place. She stared fearfully at the cupboard door waiting for the inevitable moment of it being opened, and her being snatched out by whomever was with her in the room.
　　Instead, she heard a knock on the closet door followed by a stallion’s voice. “You’re no doubt hungry, little filly.” The voice that spoke was as soft as velvet, and despite its cold tone, Twilight found it was oddly comforting. “This soup will become cold if you don’t eat it soon.”
　　 For several long moments Twilight remained silently hidden in the closet, she wasn’t going to just blindly trust somepony who could be potentially responsible for her current situation, even though the closet was only a flimsy hiding place, it still made her feel safer.
　　The stallion seemed to pick up on her hesitation and suspicion, and he spoke once again through the closet door. “You’ve been unconscious for two days, little filly. If I was going to harm you, I’ve had enough opportunity to do so.”
　　Twilight bit her bottom lip with uncertainty. She knew it was true she had been unconscious for an discerned amount of time, during which-as far as she could tell-she hadn’t been harmed in anyway. The fiery pain in her horn also meant she couldn’t use her magic to defend herself should the stallion turn out to be less than friendly. With no other options available to her other than to remain starving in the closet, she cautiously opened the door and stepped out of hiding.
　　 Twilight screamed in terror when she saw the stallion for the first time and ran back into the closet, slamming the door closed. She slid to the ground curling up into a ball and tried her best to forget the nightmarish images she had just seen.
　　The stallion’s whole chest and arms looked like somepony had carved deep cuts into his flesh to form an intricate pattern of swirling runes that ran over his black fur. But what had actually scared her the most were the bandages wound around each of his limbs which were still dripping with blood from the no doubt traumatic injuries they were covering.The stallion’s icy calm voice came through the closet door once more. “I’ll stay outside in the hallway while you eat, little filly. When you’re ready for answers, I’ll be waiting for your questions.”
　　 Twilight heard the stallion’s quiet footsteps exit the room, followed by the sound of the bedroom door closing, but she remained hidden in the closet listening for any sign of the stallion’s return. The bedroom door remained closed, so she quietly stepped out of her hiding place.
　　The scent coming from the bowl of soup was mouth-wateringly delicious and her stomach rumbled loudly once more, begging for the food. She picked up the bowl, but despite her hunger she only took a small sip of the broth, tiny enough that any potential drugs or poisons wouldn’t have too strong of an effect on her, and when nothing happened, she began guzzling it down. Even though the broth had no real substance and was only pure liquid, it was surprisingly filling. Once the bowl was empty, Twilight’s stomach rumbled once again, still wanting more food.
　　Twilight bit her bottom lip considering what to do next. She was still pretty hungry, but there was no way she wanted to see the stallion’s blood covered body anytime soon. Another rumble of Twilight’s stomach followed by a strong bout of hunger pains made up the young unicorn’s mind for her. She took her empty bowl to the bedroom door and after a few more moments of hesitation she slightly opened the door and peeked out.
　　Just as the stallion had promised, he was outside waiting for her in the hallway, standing with his back to her. Thankfully he had also put on a floor length cloak over his body which hid most of his extensive scarring and injuries. Twilight stepped out of the room and cleared her throat quietly.The stallion slowly turned around to regard her with cold calculating eyes. “Still hungry, little filly?” The stallion asked in that icy-but comforting-voice of his.Twilight didn’t answer while she was studying the stallion like he was a particularly fascinating display in a museum. Everything about him contradicted everything she knew about earth-ponies.
　　Unlike typical earth pony stallions who were massively built with powerful muscles, this stallion’s physique was more like that of a mare, lean and graceful, but built with well defined muscles that coiled like strong cables underneath his skin. After several long moments of staring, Twilight blushed, feeling very self conscious, realizing she had been staring, rather rudely, at the stallion, she quickly averted her eyes away from him.“Y-yes. I’m still hungry,” she replied in answer to the stallion’s earlier question. “May I have some more soup, please?”
　　The stallion inclined his head in a slight nod. “You may.” He took the empty bowl and began walking slowly down the hallway. The stallion started breathing heavily from the no doubt horrific pain he was suffering through and he came to a stop to lean against the wall for support causing a small pool of blood to form on the floor at his bare feet.
　　Twilight felt her stomach churning at the sight of crimson pool and she had to resist the very strong urge to vomit up what little food she had in her stomach. She knew from her studies on first aid, his wounds were being extremely aggravated by the constant movement and she couldn’t understand why he wasn’t resting in order to recover.
　　“What’s your name?” Twilight asked when she caught up with him.
　　The black furred stallion just stood there leaning against the wall completely silent expect for his heavy exerted breathing. His black mane lined with electric blue streaks and matching tail were drenched with sweat, no doubt the result of an oncoming fever. When the stallion talked he grimaced with pain and held the left side of his rib cage. “My name is Darklight, little filly.”
　　Twilight huffed with displeasure and glared at the stallion. “My name isn’t “little filly” it’s Twilight Sparkle. Y-you should b-be resting in your condition. you need urgent medical attention.”
　　Darklight grunted and pushed himself away from the wall, and continued slowly making his way to a door at the end of the hallway. “I’m fine, little filly. It’s nothing I haven’t been through before. Besides, getting you fed and making sure you’re okay is my only priority at the moment.”
　　Twilight frowned in confusion not understanding why the stallion was worried more about her, then himself. “W-why do you care that much about me?”
　　Darklight opened the door at the end of the hallway to reveal a large room that seemed outfitted to combine some sort of green house with a kitchen. The room was easily over ten meters wide corner to corner. The walls and most of the floor were covered with an confusing array of so many plants, some of which she could easily identify, but most were a complete mystery to her. A large fire pit filled with hot coals was located in the middle of the room, and sitting on top of the bed of glowing coals was a large pot being used to make large quantities of the delicious soup she had eaten earlier. When she walked into the kitchen the air was so thick with many different scents, that she was finding it extremely hard not to sneeze from the over stimulation of her sinuses.
　　Twilight studied her new surroundings with something close to awe mixed with caution. “What is this place?”
　　“This is where I prepare my meals, little filly.” Darklight replied, dipping the empty bowl into the pot of fragrant broth and offering the now full bowl to her. “To answer your previous question. In the next five to ten minutes a raiding party of caribou soldiers will come through the front doors. Without you as healthy as possible, I will die in my efforts to take them out.”

Author's Note

Editorial suggestions go here.

Twilight's New Home - part 2

There was nothing Darklight wanted more than to ask the little filly how she did it. How she was able to completely negate and almost destroy the walls that separated Tartarus from Equestria? Darklight leaned against a wall and used it to support himself as he pulled the leaves off of a nearby plant, one that was going to be crucial to both their survivals. He glanced back at Twilight and gestured to her still full bowl. “You need to keep eating little filly.”

Twilight tilted her head curiously at the stallion. Her academic mind was buzzing with curiosity as she watched the stallion crushing the leaves up into bowl. “W-what are you making?”

“I am going to overdose myself on warmweed little filly. It’s an highly effective painkiller and in high enough doses it’s extremely addictive and can cause powerfully vivid hallucinations. For six minutes it will numb my mind to pain, while increasing my adrenaline and heart rate. In eight minutes it will put me in a coma and ten minutes, I’ll be dead.” Darklight pulled a vial of blue liquid from his cloak and placed it in Twilight’s hands. “This is the antidote to the warmweed, once I’ve killed the caribou raiding party, I need you to make sure I drink this, force it down my throat if you have to.”

Twilight felt herself losing her appetite and she placed the half empty bowl down.“W-why are these caribou after you, though?”
“The caribou’s ruler, Dainn, wanted to create a weapon powerful and strong enough to take over Equestria. I stopped him from doing so. But with you, his shaman’s can harness your magic to tear through the walls of Tartarus and start invading Equestria once more. It is extremely important I stop the caribou from getting you.”

“But I read that that the caribou became extinct almost fifteen hundred years ago.”

“In Equestria, they are extinct.” Darklight stared thoughtfully down at Twilight. He knew there was no telling how long the little filly would be trapped here, and if they both lived through the next ten minutes, he planned to train her into a weapon. Something he could use in the war to saving Equestria from the Seven Lords of Tartarus. “We have to get somewhere safer, little filly.” He tried to take a step, only to have his bandaged left give out causing him to crumble to the ground and double over in pain. He looked up at Twilight. “Got enough magic to support me?”

Twilight hesitated. Her horn was still sore and felt slightly warm from the massive amounts of raw untamed magic that had coursed through it during her flameout. “I-l’ll try.” She closed her eyes in concentration and channeled just enough magic to envelope Darklight’s upper body and help him stand on his feet. “Where do you want me to go?”

“Go down the hallway, turn left and take the stairwell down to the next level.”

As she walked down the hallway, the light from her magical aura did nothing to dispel the shadows which remained darker than they had any right to be. She also couldn’t help but notice an icy chill in the air that seemed to soak past her clothes and fur and into her very bones. She shivered violently and looked up at Darklight slumped over and only supported by her magic. He was muttering incoherent things to himself and every so often the runes carved on his body under his cloak would flare to life with electric blue energy.

“We only have three minutes until the caribou have breached the weaknesses I’ve created in my library’s defenses.” Darklight muttered as they came to the door at the end of the hallway. He leaned against the doorframe panting with exertion. Twilight wanted to inquire about exactly what this strange place was but the words died on her tongue as the stallion met her gaze. “We need to keep moving, little filly. Not too far now.”

The flight of stairs lead down into a different level of wherever she was and her eyes widened in amazement at what she was seeing. This lower level was one massive room so large that not even the light of her magic supporting Darklight could penetrate the corners of the room. But the walls that she could see were carved into bookshelves, each one filled to the brim with massive tomes of various different texts.

They soon came to another flight of stairs that led down into another large room. The walls were lined with a massive arsenal of weapons of every kind, ranging from giant broadswords and war hammers, to daggers and tiny little darts.Twilight could only stare in fascination at the sheer number of weapons that not even the Canterlot armory could compare to.
Darklight gestured to another door on the far side of the room. “That leads down to the ground floor, and the front door. That’s the breach point the caribou will be using. Put me down here, little filly.” Twilight gently lowered him to the ground and Darklight raised the bowl filled with crushed warmweed to his mouth. “Remember, six minutes. Then give me the antidote.”

Twilight looked down at the vial of blue liquid she held in her grasp. “Y-you’re really poisoning yourself?”

Darklight nodded and tipped the contents of the bowl into his mouth “Remember, little filly. I’m counting on you to save me. No matter what happens, don’t leave this spot. And do not lose that antidote.”

Darklight’s eyes narrowed as a sudden explosion followed by a pulse of concussive magical energy came from the floor below. “The caribou are here now.” He stood up slipping his cloak off, with no signs that he was affected by his critical injuries. He looked down at Twilight with those cold electric blue eyes. “Don’t be late.” With that final instruction he strode from the room with a predatory grace, leaving Twilight behind.

She blinked in complete shock after him. Not even a minute ago he was too weak to even stand without her magical assistance, now after swallowing the warmweed, he was practically running. She glanced down the vial in her hand and began counting down the minutes in her mind. The sound of swords and weapons clashing drifted upstairs and through the door left slightly ajar. She heard a scream of pure pain, followed by an echoing crack of bones being broken. She felt oddly relieved that none of the screams were Darklight’s. Suddenly everything was so silent she could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She had four minutes until Darklight needed the antidote.
Tiptoeing through the room, she slipped out of the door and came to a flight of stairs that overlooked the entrance hall. On the ground below were a dozen creatures she had never seen before. The caribous. They were tall with massively built muscles, the shortest one only being just under six and a half feet. Each of them were carrying a massive broad sword a long spear and, a large knife. Another dozen caribou were lying on the floor either dead or dying. Darklight was on his knees trapped there with a caribou holding a knife stabbed through his left shoulder. The dozen caribou that were still alive moved to surround him.

“You’re too late,” Darklight said through gritted teeth, but loud enough for the entire group to hear him. “I’ve already killed the filly and destroyed whatever of her magic King Dainn can use to break through the walls of Tartarus.”
Twilight watched on in complete silence holding a hand over her mouth to muffle her breathing. She had now idea how Darklight could win against such overwhelming odds. The leader caribou moved forward pulling back a fist and punching Darklight across the face. He didn’t seem to even register the pain.

“Kill him,” the leader of the caribou instructed. “King Dainn won’t be pleased we lost the foal.” He punched Darklight across the face once more. “But he’ll no doubt forgive us when we bring back his traitorous pet’s cock and balls.”
Darklight turned his head and spat blood and teeth onto the floor. “Get on with it then.”

The caribou leader grabbed a spear from one of his comrades and thrust it towards Darklight’s heart. Darlight suddenly spun his entire body around moving the caribou holding the knife in his shoulder into the path of the spear. He pulled the knife out of his shoulder, and dove to the side avoiding another spear thrust. He broke the head off of the spear and threw it into a caribou’s throat. He stood, broke a caribou’s neck, and slammed the dead body into another caribou with bone crushing force. An archer fired and he used one of the dead bodies to shield himself from the arrow. He pulled the arrow from the caribou’s body and threw it into the archer’s left eye. A caribou stepped forward and Darklight blocked the knife strike to his throat with an arm. He stabbed with his own knife, catching the caribou in the ribs. He pulled the sword from the dead caribou’s belt and shoved the body away. Before the remaining five caribou left alive could regroup, Darklight stepped backwards into the shadows, suddenly fading completely from sight.

“Find him!” The caribou leader shouted, shoving one of his soldiers forward in the direction Darklight had disappeared.
Twilight stared with wide-eyed shock at the scene of violence and carnage she had just witnessed. Her mind was still counting down the minutes until Darklight succumbed to the warmweed. Two minutes left.

Darklight stepped silently from the shadows approaching the remaining caribou from behind. He grabbed the first caribou’s head and twisted it violently to the side. He swiftly slit the second caribou’s throat with his knife. He grabbed the third caribou’s head and slammed it into the ground before throwing the knife into the back of the fourth caribou’s head.
“Look out!” Twilight suddenly screamed as one of the injured caribou picked up the fallen bow and shoot an arrow at Darklight. The arrow caught him in the right knee and he crumpled to the ground with only a grunt. The last remaining caribou glared up at the unicorn filly and ran up the stairs straight for her.

Darklight cursed and began crawling to a nearby knife. The caribou was now only twenty steps away. Twilight was trying her best to charge a spell through her horn, only succeeding in creating a few magical sparks in her terrified state of mind. “Little filly! Run!” Darklight yelled, still crawling to the knife. The caribou gave a triumphant growl as grabbed the retreating Twilight by the scuff of her neck. Darklight used the last of her remaining strength to lunge forward, grab the knife, and throw it across the room into the caribou’s throat. Twilight scrambled away from the dead looking extremely pale.

“The antidote!” Darklight yelled. “I need the antidote.” Twilight barely even registered Darklight’s words. She was staring down at her blood stained shirt feeling completely numb. “Little filly! The antidote!” Her mind suddenly snapped into gear and she ran as fast as she could down the stairs. She navigated her way through the dead caribou trying her best not to think about the the warm sticky liquid squishing between her toes.

She pulled the stopper from the vial in her hands and knelt beside Darklight’s head pouring the contents into his open mouth. “G-good work, little filly,” he muttered quietly, his eyelids fluttering closed. Twilight stayed there next to the stallion kneeling in the growing pool of warm crimson liquid. She still felt completely numb. She didn’t feel anything. Fear, anger, relief. None of it.
She glanced down at her blood covered shirt feeling slightly uncomfortable as the blood started clotting and making the shirt stick to her fur. Wincing slightly, she grabbed the hem of the shirt and pulled it away from her body. An earsplitting scream of pure terror came from Twilight as the sight of a large and deep scar starting from the top of her chest and ending just above her waistline finally broke her mind from its numbness...

Twilight's New Home - Part 3

Darklight woke from unconsciousness, screamed in pain, his body convulsed, he threw up the blood leaking into his stomach from his internal injuries. The acrid stench of death and blood burned in the back of his throat, his blood slowly leaked from his body’s many external cuts joining the blood of the dead caribous. He grunted with effort and forced himself to get up on his uninjured knee. He smiled, pulled a dagger from one of the caribou’s throats and slit its edge across his wrist. Fresh, willingly given, blood dripped to the ground and he used it as ink to draw a simple rune. The plan so far had worked perfectly. He had successfully claimed the little filly for himself, saved her life and now he could forge her into a powerful weapon suited to his design, his purposes. He added the last line to the rune, immediately blue etherial flames erupted from every dead body, every drop of blood and began flowing like water into his body.

The necromantic energy from his dead enemies filled him with icy cold power, it flowed through his body rejuvenating the power of his runes, the cuts in his flesh slowly closed leaving nothing but pale scars. With each drop of necromantic energy he claimed, the dead bodies became drier, their flesh turned to dust, their bones nothing but small pebbles of rubble. Once he was done the only evidence of the battle he had been through was a massive dark brown stain of dried flaking blood.

Darklight stood. He didn’t even feel cramped.

“Little filly?” he called out. A splitting,, crippling pain suddenly shot through his head and he gasped with pain, falling to his knees. So much for everything going perfectly. The whole room distorted, warping into blurry shapes of impossibility. The marble floor cracked, he threw himself to the side just as a massive, larva filled chasm tore open the space he just been occupying. “Little filly?!” he called louder. He gritted his teeth and with incredible effort, ignored what his poisoned mind was trying to show him. The larva filled chasms were nothing but the effect of taking such a massive amount of warmweed. He hoped the madness wasn’t permanent, it was possible to cure himself, but it would take so much time, effort and magic. He didn’t have those luxuries now, not when he had so much work to do with the little filly.

“Little filly?” he called out once more, just as futilely as the first few times. He wanted nothing more then to lose himself to the mind numbing fogs of pleasure the warmweed offered, every moment he denied himself the drug was nauseating torture.
He navigated past the deep chasm of larva and made it to the end of the pool of dried blood, he saw small, dried, crimson footsteps leading to a door on the other side of the room. Ignoring the cracking ground beneath him filled with hot glowing lava he forced his body to move toward the door one painful step at a time.

Suddenly a massive burst of fiery lava erupted from the fissured ground. Just as it was about to fall over him, reality warped and twisted once more and gravestones began rising from the ground, countless corpses of ponies slowly pulled themselves from their graves, their eye sockets filled with electric blue flames. One of the corpses crawled forward, grasped his ankle with its icy cold, bone hand and looked up at him with blue flame filled eyes. Please the corpse said wordlessly. Darklight tilted his head and turned around to see a cloaked figure, himself, kneeling on the ground several hundred meters away, a circle of glowing runes surrounding him. Blood, shadows and blue necromantic flames poured from the cloaked figure and into the thousands of graves waking their dead to defend Equestria.

please, make the pain stop! Darklight glanced down at the corpse, only now the memory had changed and he was comfortingly cradling an old soldier he had once fought with, and even as he gave his friend, his comrade a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder he slid a knife through the side of his ribs stopping his heart, killing him instantly.

“So, you’re still alive?” Darklight looked up and in the middle of the moonlit field of grass, surrounded by corpses of friends and enemies alike was a black alicorn adorned with midnight blue armor, cleaning a blood stained sword on a dead pony’s mane. “Do you really think the little filly will ever trust you now, after seeing what you did to her?”

“You’re not real, Nightmare Moon.” Darklight muttered standing, continuing his journey through the grassy field following a mental map of the room he was really in. Nightmare Moon smirked and leaned against a nearby tree in the dark, shadowy forest Darklight now found himself in.
“I remember this,” Nightmare Moon said looking around their new environment. “Luna had just returned from a rescue mission to save a village being attacked by the caribou. She left by herself, but returned with somepony else...” Darklight caught sight of movement from his left and he turned just in time to see a light blue alicorn running through the forest with a bundle of sheets and blankets clasped protectively against her chest. The imaginary Luna came to a stop, hiding from her pursuers behind a large oak tree.

“We’re almost safe, little colt,” Luna whispered, comfortingly nuzzling into the bundle of sheets. A sheet shifted in the bundle and Darklight caught a brief glance of two pale blue eyes staring up at Luna. His old eyes.

“Little filly?” Darklight called out louder then before, ignoring his surroundings and focusing on the mental map of the room he was in. He closed his eyes and focused on the cold marble beneath his feet, the metallic smell of blood, and he was once more back in the library surrounded by the dead caribou’s few remains. Only now Nightmare Moon was standing over a small black shirt discarded next to a trail of the small crimson footsteps leading to the open door on the other side of the room. Taking a deep breath, forcing himself to ignore the pain of withdrawals, he walked to the other side of the room.

“You have to face me sometime.” Nightmare was now leaning against the doorframe sharpening a large knife. “But you can’t can you? Acknowledging my presence means the warmweed antidote only half worked and your mind is now permanently damaged.” Darklight ignored her as he walked silently down the stairs. “Little filly?” He stepped into a massive cave with a large, deep pool of water taking up most of the floor. Standing at the edge of the pool was Twilight staring at her reflection in its mirrorlike surface. “Do you really think she’s ready to see you?” Nightmare asked standing beside the unicorn.

“You no doubt have lots of questions you want to ask, little filly...” Darklight remained where he was at the foot of the steps giving Twilight her space. But he continued talking, explaining what was happening to her. “Two days ago you did the impossible and ripped through the walls of Equestria’s reality into this one.”

Twilight remained completely silent and still just staring at her scarred reflection in the water.

“The amount of magic coursing through your body at the time was enough to alert every creature in Tartarus of your presence. I tried to contain your magic, but... something went very wrong.” Darklight sat down. “Your heart was damaged beyond repair, and when your flameout ended you were clutching to life with the barest of grips.”

Twilight’s ears flicked in his direction, the only sign she gave she was listening.

“So, before you died, I used the secari ritual to kill you myself.”

“You, killed me?” Twilight asked in a soft whisper.

“Technically yes. But it was a death I could bring you back from. The secari ritual involves creating a rift in the realms between life and death. Everything living caught in this rift becomes a state of the undead. It took me three hours to carve out your heart, and another three hours to meticulously carve six sigils into its flesh. I put you back together, using shadowmancing to stitch everything back together, and when I took you out of the rift, I used my remaining strength and magic to heal your body properly. That was when the caribou ambushed me, took you, and I spent the next day and a half tracking the patrol and bringing you back here to safety.”

Twilight finally turned around to face him, her face oddly impassive, emotionless and detached. “What do we do now? I want to go home, back to my family. Back to Celestia.”

Darklight didn’t bother to offer her any kind of comfort, he only told her the cold hard truth. “You can’t go back. This is your home for the foreseeable future.”

Twilight's Escape

Time spent in Tartarus, thirty years

The landscapes of Tartarus were bathed in the light of a blood red sun which burned fiercely and constantly in the heavens above. For as long as Twilight could remember the sun had never moved, never given way to a moon or a night sky it simply hung there illuminating everything with its crimson light as far as the eye could see. The only sense of time she had, was when, every twenty four hours the sun would slowly change from dark fiery red, to dark electric blue. The safest time to leave the sanctuary and protection of the library was at noon when the sun was burning its brightest red. It was also at this time of day that most of the creatures and demons of Tartarus hid in whatever holes they called home, as they waited for the dark cooling blue light of the night sun. It was also the perfect time for Twilight to put her escape plan into action as she wouldn’t have to deal with any major demons, but more importantly it was also the time of day that her mentor and guardian, Darklight, would be sleeping. She shuddered at the thought of what he might do if he found out what she was planning.

Twilight scanned the landscape outside her window once more making sure that there weren’t any demons waiting in ambush for her and once she was relatively sure it was safe to proceed, she pulled the curtains closed over her window and began working by the dull light of the dying coals in her fireplace to collect all the items she would need for her journey. These items included several books on advanced spell casting, a large wooden box filled with dozens of small jars containing various powders and liquids for potion making, a black hooded cloak, and the final item she placed in her satchel bag was a large book wrapped in leather and bound with a silver chain.

The leather bound book was the very book Darklight had been searching for, for the last decade. He had finally found it only tow days ago buried in a nest filled with giant Camula spiders, and when Twilight had found out what he planned on using it for, she had stolen it and was now running away with it. She knew Darklight was capable of many things, she had witnessed first hand just how far he would go in order to achieve his goals. But while she didn’t care about most of the things he did, she couldn’t allow him to achieve the plans he had for the book.

Once Twilight had her satchel bag packed she pulled open her closet where she stored her amour. The armor was a dull black and completely featureless except for a swirling pattern of silver runes on its left shoulder which perfectly matched the rune branded on her left shoulder. Twilight’s horn glowed and the armor split apart into its various pieces which she began levitating to the appropriate parts of her body. The armor had been an essential part of her survival in Tartarus as she had inhibited most of her dark magic into it and without it she couldn’t perform the really advanced magic she needed in order to protect herself. It was both a blessing and a curse. With each piece of armor she put on, a sensation of icy cold water would spread throughout her entire body and once she was fully dressed in the dark armor, she felt as though an entire ocean of icy cold water was raging throughout her body.

She was now prepared for her journey out of Tartarus and into other unknown realms. Twilight moved back to her window but before she left, she took one last final glance back inside of her room and felt tears burn behind her eyes as thirty years worth of memories and experiences flooded through her mind. Some of them were good, most of them were bad, but no matter what they were, they were still a reminder of who she was and everything that she had ever accomplished. A scowl formed on her face as she realized she was only wasting time with all this sentimental crap, and she flared her wings before flying out into the scorched landscapes of Tartarus.

(Four hours later)
Twilight’s lungs and wings burned fiercely with intense pain as she flew as fast as she could through the Fire Wyrm fields of Tartarus in a desperate attempt to escape her pursuer. She knew she wouldn’t have had long before Darklight discovered what she had done and hunted her down, but she hadn’t expected him to find her so fast. The only chance she had of surviving him now would be to slow him down long enough for her to find one of the weakest points in the walls of Tartarus and break through it before the day was up.
Suddenly ground below her cracked open sending a massive geyser of flames and lava into the air which twisted and morphed into a giant serpent like creature. Twilight cursed at the sudden appearance of the Fire Wyrm and she had to bank violently to the left to avoid its flaming mouth striking at her. She began flying higher into air to escape the Fire Wyrm's reach, but a bright flash of blue light blinded her as Darklight teleported in front of her, and spear tackled her to the ground.
They hit the ground with enough force to crack its surface. The Fire Wyrm took this opportunity to descend on them both and Twilight kicked Darklight away from her, before rolling to her feet, thrusting both her hands forward and sending a massive stream of dark shadows to extinguish the fiery creature.
She then sent the shadows flying towards Darklight who teleported out of their deadly path, and reappeared in front of her. A stream of dark blue energy erupted from his hand and struck her in the chest with enough force to send her flying backwards several hundred meters.

Twilight flared her wings and landed gracefully mere inches away from a cliff edge that fell into a deep ravine filled with molten lava flowing through it. Twilight rubbed her chest where she had been hit. Even though her armor had absorbed most the impact, it still hurt like hell.

Shadows swirled in front of her and Darklight stepped out from them. “Give me the book you stole, Twilight!” he said, with a voice as soft as silk, and colder than ice. Twilight remained perfectly still not daring to make a move that could be perceived as a threat. “I won’t ask again.” Darklight drew his sword and pointed it at her throat. “Give me the book! Now!”

Twilight quickly calculated the odds of surviving a fall into a deep ravine with a lake of lava flowing along the bottom, they were a lot more higher than her surviving a fight with Darklight. She was mildly surprised he hadn’t just killed her yet and taken back the book she had stolen.

Twilight gazed back at her mentor eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’m sorry for this, Darklight.” Twilight’s horn glowed, but before she could use magic to do anything Darklight swung the sword in a deadly arc towards her throat. With catlike reflexes Twilight flung herself backward into the lava filled chasm to avoid her head being decapitated.

Her armor protected most of her body from the intense heat of chasm, but the feathers on her unprotected wings were beginning to melt and Twilight teleported from the chasm before her wings were permanently damaged. She gasped in shock as the intense heat was suddenly replaced by the blistering cold of a raging blizzard. Snow was falling all around her forming a blinding landscape of swirling white, which she could barely see through. Moving as fast as she could, Twilight pulled the dark cloak from her satchel bag and slung it over her shoulders before taking off running. The only other weaknesses in the walls of Tartarus she knew of were in the caves of Garro, a twisting and treacherous labyrinth of caves located underground which stretched on for miles in every direction. The last time she had been in the caves, she had severely pissed of Garro, the fifth lord of Tartarus, who now wanted nothing more than to see her dead corpse trapped and rotting in his realm.

By the time Twilight had made it to the entrance of the caves, her whole body felt numb from the cold and she cupped her hands over her mouth and blew warm air into them, desperate to get the feeling back into her fingers. She was so cold she had to resist the strong temptation to use the Phenix Spell to warm up her body, as using magic would alert every demon in Garro’s realm to her presence. And if she had to fight off an entire realm of icy demons now, she wouldn’t have enough strength to survive against Darklight when he tracked her down later.

As Twilight entered the frozen caves of Garro, the noises of the outside world faded into an eerie silence so quiet even her soft breathing seemed to echo. She wrapped the cloak tighter around her body and began running as fast as she could further into the complicated labyrinth of icy caves. Despite the caves being located underground, there was no darkness as the very ice that made up the walls of the caves seemed to glow dully with light.

This was caused by the veins and arteries of magic flowing several feet behind the ice, keeping the walls of Tartarus strong enough to stop even the strongest demon from escaping into other realms. But on very rare occasions, weaknesses would form in the walls of Tartarus, weaknesses that could be exploited during a short amount of time before they fixed themselves. Twilight just had to find the proper weakness in the caves before it was too late and she was once more trapped in Tartarus for an unknown amount of time.
After several long moments of running, Twilight came to a fork in the caves and she had to stop while she figured out where to go next. Her horn glowed and electric blue ribbons of magic began swirling around her head before flowing into her eyes. Instantly everything in her vision changed, the cave walls were as clear as glass revealing the veins of pale blue magic flowing through them. Occasionally one of the veins would become duller than the rest almost disappearing entirely, before lighting back up again.

Twilight continued running using the pulsing vein of magic to find where the walls of Tartarus were at their weakest. It would be here she would break out of Tartarus and into a different realm. Hopefully it was somewhere she would be able to hide for a while. A piercing scream of enraged anger echoed through the caves causing Twilight’s fur to stand on end, and she began pushing her body to run faster. She had hoped the use of such a minor spell would have gone unnoticed, but Garro was the Fifth Lord of Tartarus, so he noticed everything in his domain.

The ice wall beside began cracking and Twilight cursed flinging herself forward just as the wall exploded in a massive shower of ice, and a massive ten foot long, five foot high, snow tiger pounced out at her. Twilight rolled to the side bringing her armor clad foot across her body kicking Garro in the face before teleporting to the end of the corridor. Now that she had been found out, Twilight wasn’t going to bother being stealthy, now it was all about speed. So she used multiple teleporting spells to follow the weakened vein of magic until she came to a dead end where the vein ended.

She knew she only had moments before Garro, and possibly even Darklight caught up with her, so moving fast Twilight pressed her hand against the wall and began pouring her magic into it. Dark blue energy crackled from her hands and began flowing into the vein of magic and once it was sufficiently weakened even further, Twilight dug both her hands into the wall of ice and began spreading them apart as though she was trying to tear the wall itself in half. But instead of the ice cracking, a black bottomless void began forming in the wall and Twilight strained harder to tear it further open.

Her whole body was now crackling with dark magic and she began pouring more of it into the void she was creating causing it to open a little further. The void tried closing itself, but Twilight began using her natural, and magical strength to keep it open and growing. The void’s opening was almost as large and as wide as her entire body, and Twilight could feel her muscles starting to tear as she tried to keep it from closing. She only had a little further to go before she could pass through it, she just had to hold on until then. With a desperate scream of pain Twilight tore the void the rest of the way open and stepped through it just as Garro came around the corner and lunged at her. Shadows swirled in the cavern and Darklight stepped through them, his sword flashing in the dim light as he threw it across the room towards Twilight’s heart. As soon as she was through the void, it instantly sealed itself closed trapping Twilight and Garro with each other in the same realm.

Nightmare Moon's Return - part 1

Ten years later Equestrian time

(Just before season one)

Sunset Shimmer was pacing around the library as she had consumed far too much coffee to sit still while she read through her book of “Prophecies, and Predictions.” She only paused her pacing long enough to look through one of the many telescopes she had set up in front of every window of the library, before jotting down a note on a piece of parchment and sticking it on the surface of the library’s walls which were all covered in her previous notes regarding the prophecy of the “Mare in the Moon.” She had come across the prophecy two days ago during one of her studies of magical theories, and she was just going to flip past it when one of the diagrams depicting Nightmare Moon’s escape caught her attention, or more specifically the description of how the stars would aid in her escape.

Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and that night when she had nothing better to do she had set up a telescope to track and map out the constellation of stars surrounding the moon. The next morning she had compared her observations of the constellations to the ones described in the book of “Prophecies and Predictions,” and was startled to see they were nearly a perfect match. In a fit of worry that the prophecy was coming true, Sunset Shimmer had put her studies on hold to devote all her time and attention to predicting the exact moment of Nightmare Moon’s return. And after hours of studying, calculating, and pacing to keep herself awake, her efforts had paid off. Nightmare Moon was going to escape tomorrow night when they would be celebrating the Summer Sun Celebration.

The sound of Spike’s footsteps plodding tiredly down the stairs drew Sunset’s attention away from her book, and she turned around just as the tired dragon dragged himself into the library. “Really Sunset,” Spike muttered tiredly, “you’re still obsessing over this whole Mare in the Moon prophecy? Everypony knows it’s just an old pony’s tale.”

Sunset huffed and put the book of prophecies down, replacing the emptiness in her hands with a large jug of still warm coffee. She had long stopped using cups as they just weren’t doing it for her. After several gulps of the energy reviving liquid, Sunset began trying to bring some order to the mess of notes and books piled haphazardly around the library.

“I’ve already told you Spike, the Mare in the Moon is more than just a myth, and I’ve got dozens of notes and observations to prove that.” Sunset rolled up the last of her notes, before placing the large pile of scrolls into a large chest. “Now take a note please, Spike.” Sunset handed him a fresh scroll and quill, and with an unenthusiastic huff Spike began writing down Sunset’s words.

Dear Princess Celestia.
For the past two nights I’ve been studying the prophecy and legend of the “Mare in the Moon” and I’m desperate need of sleep. But that’s not important at the moment as I’ve come to the conclusion that the Mare in the Moon is actually Nightmare Moon and she’s planning on bringing eternal night to Equestria. I for one wouldn’t personally mind more time for sleeping as I’ve been living off coffee and noodles for two whole days now. But Equestria is in danger and requires our immediate attention. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Your extremely tired student, Sunset Shimmer.
P.S The next time you visit Ponyville please bring that brand of coffee powder I love. That would be great.

The finished letter was quickly rolled up and secured with a red ribbon before disappearing in a breath of Spike’s green flames. Sunset Shimmer gave a sigh of relief and sat down allowing herself a moment to relax. She had warned Princess Celestia of the impending danger Equestria was in, now all she had to do was wait for her mentor’s response and together they would come up with a plan to stop the threat of Nightmare Moon.

She didn’t have to wait long as Spike belched and a tulip scroll flew out of the accompanying green flames. The dragon caught the letter before it hit the ground and cleared his throat before beginning to read Princess Celestia’s response.

“To my faithful student, Sunset Shimmer.
I will be traveling to Ponyville tomorrow morning, to further discuss your letter. In the meantime, I wish for you to eat a proper meal and get some real sleep tonight so you’ll be rested well enough to oversee the preparations of the Summer Celebration tomorrow and make sure they run smoothly.
Looking forward to seeing you soon. Princess Celestia.”

“That was a short letter.” Spike said rolling the letter back up and handing it to Sunset Shimmer, who placed the scroll in a draw with the rest of Celestia’s letters that she had collected over the years. “Anyway, it looks like I’m not going to be getting anymore sleep done, now that you’re all hyped up on coffee. Got anything for us to do while we wait for the morning?”

Sunset took another swig of coffee from the jug and stood up with a small groan as she stretched out her cramped muscles. “How about we go over tomorrow’s checklist one last time to make sure we haven’t missed anything?”

Twilight saw Darklight’s sword flying straight for her and she twisted her upper body to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly blade by mere millimeters. She watched the sword fly harmlessly past her and disappear through the portal’s exit that she was falling towards to herself. However a loud roar bought her attention to another more immediate problem as Garro came straight at her with bared fangs, and razor sharp claws. Twilight cursed and threw one of the six knives she had strapped around each of her upper thighs. It hit Garro directly in the chest, but did nothing to stop or even slow the demon down. Twilight had just enough time to draw another knife before Garro was wrapping his two front legs around her and biting down into her right shoulder.

Twilight cried out in pain as she felt her shoulder blade and collar bone being crushed in her armor by the immense strength of the snow tiger’s jaw, and the knife fell from her now useless hand just as they fell through the portal’s exit and into the realm on the other side. Twilight fell several meters before hitting the ground, screaming loudly as she landed on her injured arm. She clamped her good hand over her mouth to silence herself, before sucking in deep calming breaths. Now that she was no longer in the portal, her magic was once again flowing freely through her body, and the first thing she had to with it was heal her shoulder. Biting down on the end of her cloak, Twilight’s horn glowed and several slithers of dark magic began flowing around her shoulder. They flowed through her amour, past her fur and flesh, and began resetting her bones back into their proper place before healing the multiple breaks ad fractures. Twilight doubled over, and tears stung her eyes at the extreme pain she was experiencing, which was almost as bad as the time her wings and legs had been crushed by an avalanche of boulders.

A few moments later the last of the healing magic flowed into her shoulder and Twilight gave a sigh of relief as the pain faded to a dull ache. She moved her newly healed arm around a bit only experiencing a slight stiffness and sometimes a sharp stinging pain, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Getting to her feet with a slight groan, Twilight took a moment to get her bearings and figure out where she was. All around her were old and gnarled trees, their branches forming a thick tangled maze. She looked up to the sky, but it was blocked out by the forest’s canopy so thoroughly, she could only see dark shadows. Where ever she was, she needed to find a better place that offered more room to move around in case she had to fight off the multiple predators that were no doubt prowling through the forest.

Pulling the hood of her cloak over her head, Twilight began looking for a way out of the maze of tangled branches. She briefly wondered where Garro had been dropped off, he was no doubt close by and tracking her. So that meant no use of magic. She would have to rely on stealth and stamina to get herself out of this mess, and then find a place to hole up in until she had recovered from her ordeal of breaking through the walls of Tartarus. With a clear plan forming in her mind, Twilight increased her pace desperate to get some distance from Garro, and find shelter and safety.

Despite her cloak, armor and satchel bag, Twilight was able to gracefully navigate her way through the tangled mess of branches and trees, and only occasionally snagged her cloak on a branch. Had this been one of Darklight’s terrain navigation training exercises, he would have told her to start again every time she had gotten her cloak caught. Twilight shook her head to clear away the unwanted thoughts of her mentor as they only reminded her of how she had betrayed him. Twilight’s hand drifted into her satchel making sure the book she had stolen was still there and hadn’t somehow fallen out. If Garro got hold of the book, there was no telling what he would do with the knowledge it contained, so she had to hide it someplace where the demon couldn’t find it, and once she killed him she would have to come back for it.

Soon the tangled maze of trees gave way to a small path that cut its way through the dense forest providing an easier way for Twilight to navigate her way to safety. Taking off in a brisk jog, she followed the path until she came to a rotten bridge that spanned across a wide ravine and she leaned against a tree to catch her breath and figure out what to do next. On the other side of the bridge she could just make out the tall spires of a castle, which meant shelter, plenty of places to hide, and if she was lucky enough, a place to set traps and ambushes for when Garro tracked her down. The only problem was her shoulder and arm were both beginning to throb painfully, and she felt as though she’d drop from fatigue at any moment.

Gritting her teeth, Twilight forced her body to carry on despite the severe injuries it had suffered through. When she made it across the bridge, her legs suddenly gave out unable to support her weight and she fell to the ground hissing in pain. Her shoulder felt as though a red hot knife was being repeatedly stabbed into it and her breathing was becoming labored. She knew she should have rested for several hours after using the healing spell on herself, it would have given the magic time to fully set and heal her bones but time was something she did not have at the moment.

Before she continued on her journey, Twilight cut away the supporting ropes from the bridge and watched with a certain amount of satisfaction as it fell away into the abyss below. It wouldn’t hinder Garro for very long, but it would be an annoyance to the demon, and that bought a tired amused smile to her face.

Twilight had barely gotten three steps when her head swam, her vision blurred, and she stumbled to the ground once more, before leaning against another tree to catch her breath. Ripping a hole through the walls of Tartarus had taken much more out of her than she had anticipated, and Garro’s attack had only worsened her condition, Twilight was now close to passing out.

Summoning the last reserves of her strength Twilight forced her body to keep moving on, and by the time the old castle came into view she wanted nothing more than to curl up in her cloak and get some much needed rest. Resting, however, would have to wait for the young alicorn, as she had to find a secure place to sleep where she didn’t have to worry about falling debris, and where Garro wouldn’t find her easily.

Even in her fatigued and injured state Twilight marveled at all the different types of ancient magic she could feel still buzzing in the very air of the castle. It was a mixture of both dark, and light magic, and when she breathed in deeply she could sense an underlying tone of extreme loss and sadness.

Twilight was curious to know what else she would find if she delved deeper into the essence of the castle, but she had much more important and pressing matters on her mind such as sleep, and finding a safe place to hide her stolen book.

Another wave of sharp pain shot through Twilight’s injured shoulder causing her to gasp and lean against a wall for support. She had no idea what had gone wrong with the healing spelling, but whatever it was, it was causing more harm than good. She couldn’t worry about her injuries now though, she could feel herself starting to pass out and she still hadn’t found a place to rest. Walking as fast as she could Twilight entered the first door she found which led into a small dark empty room covered in dust, and crawling with all kinds of insects. Twilight slumped down in one of the corners snuggling further into her cloak for warmth, the room wasn’t very ideal for setting traps or ambushes, but before she could even perform a basic protective spell, darkness claimed Twilight’s mind and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Nightmare Moon's Return - part 2

Despite the amounts of coffee Sunset had consumed in her efforts to stay awake during her intense three day study session, her need for sleep had taken over and she had passed out when she was halfway through checking off items on the Summer Sun Celebration’s checklist. Spike, not being one to waste a perfect opportunity for more rest, had covered his guardian with a warm blanket before snuggling down in his basket for more sleep. Unfortunately for Sunset, she had slept through the next morning and it was mid afternoon by the time Celestia came and knocked on the library door.

Sunset groaned tiredly as the Princess’s insistent knocking on her door woke her up, and when she went to answer it her foot got tangled in a blanket she didn’t remember putting on, and with the grace of a one legged blind pony trying to walk down a flight of stairs she fell off her chair and onto the cold hard floor. Celestia continued knocking completely oblivious to Sunset Shimmer’s already bad start to the day.
“Alright, I’m coming! Don’t get your panties in a twist!” Sunset yelled as she untangled herself from the blanket around her body. Once she free, the tired and now very annoyed unicorn plodded towards the front door wandering where Spike had gotten to. She then noticed something stuck to her cheek and when she pulled it off she found it to be the schedule she was supposed to have worked on last night fatally covered in her drool. Sunset sighed and scrunched up the unreadable mess of smudged ink and threw it in one of the corners before opening the door revealing Princess Celestia in her all elegant and royal glory.

“Hello Sunset Shimmer.” Celestia greeted with the enthusiasm that could only come from seeing her student after so long. “I tried to come by this morning to discuss your letter, but a group of nobles demanded...”

Sunset made a shushing noise and held up a hand in front of Celestia’s face effectively cutting the Princess off mid sentence. “I need coffee,” Sunset muttered, before dragging her tired and almost dead body towards the kitchen. She made a vague waving motion for Celestia to make herself comfortable in the library.

An amused smile formed on Celestia’s face at Sunset Shimmer’s antics. Had anypony else done what Sunset had just done, they would have received a stern scolding from the Princess, and fallen out of her good graces for a very long time. But since Celestia’s relationship with her student had grown beyond academic professionalism, and into the realms of a good friendship, she always allowed her student some leeway when it came to formalities. Besides she found Sunset’s complete disregard for formalities very refreshing. It was nice to be able to shrug off her royal persona once in a while, that’s why she always looked forward to her visits with Sunset Shimmer.
Celestia was bought out of her thoughts by the sound of things crashing in the kitchen and Sunset Simmer’s cursing at the lack of coffee powder. She quickly rushed to her student’s aid not willing to unleash a “decaffeinated Sunset Shimmer” on a town of unsuspecting ponies. The only ones she felt deserved such treatment were the useless nobles in Canterlot City.

When she stepped into the kitchen she found Sunset Shimmer glaring angrily at the offending emptiness of a coffee powder can. “Just one rule Spike had to follow above all the others. Always let me know when we’re running low on coffee. I’ve even used up my entire emergency supply of coffee.” Sunset’s lower lip quivered as she placed the empty coffee can in the bin, and she looked back at Celestia with wide pleading eyes. “I don’t suppose you remembered...”

“To bring your favourite brand of coffee from the castle’s kitchens?” Celestia’s horn glowed and before the can of coffee powder was even halfway out of her bag, Sunset was snatching it up, and using her magic to instantly boil a jug of water. Soon the entire library was filled with the scent of fresh coffee brewing, and once it was done Sunset poured the Princess a cup of the delicious brew before settling down with the rest of the jug.

One of the things Celestia had learned the hard way was to always wait patiently while her student drank her first round coffee and to never to interrupt such an important ritual before it was complete. Once Sunset’s coffee jug was almost empty, and she didn’t look like she was about to fall asleep at any moment, Celestia cleared her throat and set down her own empty coffee cup. “Now that you’re awake and somewhat alert we can discuss the return of Nightmare Moon.” Celestia pulled a medium sized chest from her bag and set it on the table between them. “I assume your studies of Nightmare Moon’s return have led you to the subject on the Elements of Harmony?”
Sunset downed the rest of her coffee in a few quick gulps and nodded at Celestia’s question. “The Elements of Harmony represent the most important traits of friendship. Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and the sixth Element is Magic. None of them can work without the other. Is that them in the chest? The Elements of Harmony?”

Celestia used her magic to disable the protective charms and spells she had placed on the chest so many years ago, before opening the wooden box and sliding it towards Sunset Shimmer. The unicorn was silent for a moment as she stared down at the six gems of power nestled snugly in the soft velvet lining of the chest. Five of the gemstones were arranged in a circle around the largest of the gemstones which was star shaped and a dark violet color.

Once she was done studying the powerful magical artifacts, Sunset closed the chest and looked back up at Celestia. “I’m guessing by the fact that you brought the Elements to Ponyville we’re going to take a stand against Nightmare Moon here, and away from the major cities packed full of ponies.”

“You’re half correct in your assumptions my faithful student. The first thing Nightmare Moon will do when she returns is hunt down the Elements of Harmony as they are one of the things that can stop her in her mission to bring eternal night to Equestria. I need your help in finding a way to reactivate them so you use them to defeat Nightmare Moon.”

Sunset bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. “What did you mean when you mentioned me using the Elements to face Nightmare Moon? Am I the most suitable candidate to use them? If so, why can’t you use them?”

Celestia’s ears folded back against her head and she looked down at the ground with haunted eyes, and when she spoke her voice was so soft Sunset could barely hear what her mentor was saying. “Nightmare Moon is the dark side of my sister Luna.” Sunset’s mouth dropped open in disbelief at what Celestia had just said. During all their time together Celestia had never mention having a sister, let alone that sister being one of the most dangerous threats to Equestria. She felt a little betrayed that her mentor, and guardian would keep such a thing from her. But Celestia continued talking before she could voice any of her thoughts.

“The last time I used the Elements of Harmony, it was to battle, and eventually, banish my sister to the moon for a thousand years. For many years since than my heart was filled with hate at myself for what I did to my sister. Because of these feelings I became disconnected from the Elements, and now I believe it would be best if somepony else were to use them. I can’t fight with my sister, not again.” Celestia looked back up at her student. “I-I know it’s a lot of responsibility to ask of you, but could you find a way to reactivate, and use the Elements of Harmony to save Equestria?”

Sunset didn’t answer right away as her mind was still reeling at the fact Celestia had kept such a massive secret from her. Did the Princess not trust, or respect her enough to be able to tell her such things? Even after she had spent four years in Ponyville, after agreeing to turn her life away from the self destructive path she had started down.

Celestia noticed her student’s hesitation, and she let a heavy sigh. “I realize all this must be difficult for you to process, but please don’t feel as though I don’t trust you. I never told you about my sister because it’s very painful to even think about what has happened to her. Especially when I think about how I could have saved her if I had not agreed with Dar...” Celestia drew in a shaky breath and a single tear slid down her cheek.

Sunset didn’t hesitate to pull her mentor into a soft but sincere hug. She stroked the space on Celestia’s back between between her wings, causing Celestia to let a sigh of contentment. “Don’t worry Princess,” Sunset said reassuringly. “We’ll find a way to save Equestria, and free your sister from Nightmare Moon.” Her hand continued its strokes down Celestia’s back, and once the Princess was breathing normally again Sunset pulled back and gave her a warm smile. “Feel better now?”

“Yes, thank you Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia said. “You’ve always known what to say to make me feel better.”

Sunset smirked and booped Celestia’s on the nose. “Maybe you should promote me from student to royal adviser.”

“But that would mean you leaving Ponyville in order to return to Canterlot.”

“Never mind then,” Sunset said, hastily shutting down that terrible idea. “You can always send me a letter or something if you ever need advice and stuff.”

Celestia now back in a fairly good mood, stood up and stretched out her limbs with a loud and very unroyal like groan of satisfaction. “Sometimes I consider resigning as Princess just so I didn’t have to act so perfect in public. But then I think of what would happen to Equestria if the nobles of Canterlot ever took over the role of ruling my kingdom. Honestly, they have as much common sense and brains between them as a dry sponge. But enough talking about the grievances of Canterlot city, let’s go out and check on the preparations of the Summer Sun Celebration, did you finish the schedule I had asked you to prepare?”

“Ummmm...” The amber fur on Sunset’s cheeks turned a slight red and she looked shamefully down at the ground. It was a look Celestia had long gotten used to whenever Sunset had fallen asleep while doing her homework, and the following morning she would hand in the resulting mess of soggy parchment and ink. An amused smirk formed on the Princess’ muzzle as she thought of all the playful teasing she could catch up on thanks to Sunset’s bad habits.

“Not one word about this,” Sunset muttered darkly. She placed the chest containing the Elements of Harmony in her bag before walking out of the library. Celestia followed after the unicorn still smirking with amusement as she noticed her student’s tail was slightly swishing from side to side with annoyance. It was one of the little tells Celestia always looked for when she was playfully teasing Sunset Shimmer so she didn’t take things too far and cause her student to lose her temper.

As they exited the library Celestia waved off her guards before they could even start approaching her. “We’re in Ponyville,” Celestia explained. “One of the quietest towns in Equestria where nothing exciting or dangerous ever really happens, you can take the day off and enjoy yourselves.”

“But Princess,” one of the guards started to protest, only to be stopped when Celestia held up a hand.

“This is an order sirs. Take the day off and enjoy yourselves. I hear the apple cider in Ponyville’s bar is the best in Equestria. Go and have a few drinks, meet a few mares, and maybe even get lucky tonight.” The last suggestion was accompanied with a sly wink from the Princess before she walked away leaving the guards staring after her in complete disbelief.

“Are you sure it’s wise to leave your guard detail with the threat of Nightmare Moon just around the corner?” Sunset asked once they were on their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

“My guards are trained for protecting the kingdom and I against normal everyday threats from normal everyday enemies, there is very little they can do against Nightmare Moon. I won’t have them lose their lives for me in a battle I know they cannot win, I refuse to put their loved ones through that pain.”

Sunset suddenly stopped and turned to face her mentor with a thoughtful frown. “So how are you okay with me facing Nightmare Moon? I mean, sure I’ve been trained by some of the best magic teachers in Equestria in both defensive and offensive magic, before being taught by you, the most powerful being in Equestria...”

“You’ll also have the most powerful artifacts of magic on your side,” Celestia interrupted and placing a comforting hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “I know this is a daunting task for you Sunset Shimmer. I would face my sister’s dark side myself, even with my personal feelings of fighting against my own flesh and blood. But even if I wanted to, I can’t use the Elements of Harmony. And I can’t use my own magic to strip Luna of her darkness without killing her. One other thing, once the Elements of Harmony’s powers are restored they will be Equestria’s greatest defence, so we must keep them hidden and protected as our so called “allies” in other lands won’t be able to resist the temptation to get their hands on Equestrian magic.”

Sunset Shimmer held her satchel bag containing the Elements of Harmony closer to her body. “I promise to protect them with my life Princess!”

Celestia smiled and bent down to give her student’s forehead a motherly kiss. “Thank you Sunset. Now if only we had schedule to tell us when Applejack is supposed to be delivering her baked goods.”

Sunset grumbled some angry obscenities under her breath unbecoming of a Princess’ personal student before storming off down the path towards Applejack’s farm, her tail swishing a bit more violently then before. As the two mares walked to their destination, Sunset Shimmer couldn’t help but notice Celestia’s continuous snickering no doubt directed at her. She tried to put it to the back of her mind but the longer they walked the longer her mentor’s snickering kept bothering her. Finally she snapped. “What’s so funny?” Sunset demanded, glaring suspiciously at the princess.

Celestia’s expression instantly turned from one of amusement, to that of pure innocence as she tactfully changed the subject. “I’ve always loved coming to Ponyville during the warmer months of spring and summer. Canterlot city completely lacks the sweet fresh air. I really should come out here more often.”

“I would actually like that a lot,” Sunset said with genuine happiness.

Soon the wide open sky above them was replaced by the shady green tops of the Apple Family’s tree orchard and Sunset Shimmer breathed in the apple scented air. To her there was no better scent. Except of course when the apples were baked into delicious, and delectable treats. Soon the two mares heard the unmistakable thud of Applejack’s strong legs and heavy booted feet kicking apples from the trees and they followed the heavy thuds further into the orchard.

“Howdy there Princess,” Applejack greeted, before bursting out in hysterics when she saw Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset’s eyes widened in surprise at her friend’s sudden outburst and she looked at Celestia whose shoulders were shaking as she struggled to contain her own mirth. “What in Equestria has gotten into both of you?”

With great effort AJ got her laughter under enough control so she was able to talk. “You’re still wearing ya pajamas, and ya hair looks like a flock of birds made their nests in it.”

Sunset groaned with embarrassment as she realized she was in fact still dressed in her her favourite golden silk Pajamas with her cutiemark design sewn all over them. Sunset blushed brightly feeling self conscious at being seen like this.

She cast an accusing glare at her mentor, and began running her fingers through her mane to try and get rid of her pronounced bedhead, but it was a lost cause and she finally conceded her endeavors were in vain. “Why didn’t you say something to me before we left the library?”
Celestia’s grin grew wider. “Because this was far more amusing.”

Sunset’s horn glowed and with a bright flash of magic her pajamas were replaced with her favourite outfit consisting of faded denim jeans torn at the knees and upper thighs, a light blue shirt, and black leather jacket, she had also used the opportunity to make her mane more presentable.

Applejack leaned against one of her apple trees still grinning widely at Sunset Shimmer’s expense. “Ya actually looked pretty cute in ya PJs sugar cube.” Sunset shot her friend an annoyed glare.
“Not another word about this AJ. You too Celestia.”

“Ahm just teasing ya, sugar cube. No need ta get ya knickers in a twist. Anyway, it’s a good thing ya showed up when ya did, I could use some help getting these barrels of apples back ta the farm.” Applejack went to pick up one of the full barrels, and Sunset used her magic to gather all the baskets of harvested apples, before teleporting all three of them back to Applejack’s house. “Thanks for that Sunset.” Applejack said, “You can just put the apple barrels beside the front door.” The unicorn did as instructed but before she could make a move to leave, Applejack placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ya do realize you’re gonna be stayin’ for lunch don’t ya?”

Sunset stepped out of AJ’s reach only to have Celestia drape an arm around her shoulder to stop her from escaping. “We’d love to stay for lunch Applejack. As It would be a great chance to meet the rest of your wonderful family.”

“Unfortunately we’ve got a lot of things to do before the start of the Summer Sun Celebration, so we’re going to have to catch up later.” Sunset’s horn glowed and in a flash of her magic both she and the princess were back in Ponyville proper where everypony was doing something to get ready for the Summer Sun Celebration.

“That was a bit rude,” Celestia pouted. “I was actually looking forward to meeting with the rest of Applejack’s family.”

Sunset merely shrugged. “You should have thought of that before you let me walk out of the library dressed in my PJs.” She then began walking around town making sure the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration were going along smoothly.

“Correct me if am wrong, Sunset Shimmer” Celestia said breaking her student’s concentration. “But I’m fairly certain the weather forecast called for clear sunny skies today. I guess without the checklist we’ll never know.”

Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes. “Are you ever going to stop with the checklist jokes? I mean, sheesh, I know I’m forgetful of the little unimportant things, but I don’t need to map out every little detail of my life.”

Celestia smirked and nodded towards a cloud where Sunset spotted Rainbow Dash napping. “Isn’t that our rainbow maned weather pony who is supposed to be keeping the skies clear?”

“Yes it is,” Sunset muttered through gritted teeth, and she used her magic to evaporate the cloud Rainbow Dash was napping on. The pegasus gave a startled yelp as she suddenly woke up and found herself falling to the ground, she flared her wings and caught herself just in time to land gracefully. “Now that you’re up and about Rainbow Dash, you can explain why you haven’t cleared the skies yet.”

Rainbow gave a tired yawn and stretched out her body and wings revealing her graceful curves and well toned muscles that could only come from a life time of intense training to be a Wonder Bolt. Celestia bit her bottom lip as she allowed herself a moment to admire the young pegasus’ sexily toned body and got a painful jab in the ribs from Sunset Shimmer. “What?” Celestia whispered with annoyance.

“Stop eyeing up my friend!” Sunset muttered.

Celestia rubbed her ribs and glared down at her student. “But she’s hot.”

Sunset made a face. “You’re so much older than her!”

“I’m not that old,” Celestia huffed, and then her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said, and Sunset gave her a victorious smirk. “Shut up, I can still admire a hot mare or stallion if they happen to catch my eye.”

Sunset went to say something else, but Rainbow cleared her throat stopping the two mare’s argument. “You two do realize I can hear you, right? And as for the clouds Sunset, you know I can have them cleared in ten seconds flat.”

“Sooner would be better, Rainbow.” Sunset pointed out.

“On it!” Rainbow said, flaring her wings before shooting into the air and becoming a colorful blur as she decimated the cloud cover in the skies. Celestia gave a low whistle as she watched the weather pony do her work.

“I can see you were not joking when you told me your friend was the fastest pegasus in Equestria.”

“Just don’t go telling Rainbow that yourself, her ego’s already too big as it is. Now then, we just need to go check up on how Rarity’s doing with decorating the town hall, see how Fluttershy’s doing with her bird choir, and make sure Pinkie Pie hasn’t gone too overboard with the party preparations.”

Celestia paused and looked in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner. “Pinkie Pie? She’s the one that bakes the most delicious cakes I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting, would you mind if I...”

“Sure go ahead,” Sunset sighed. “I’ll catch up with you later when I’m done checking up on everything.”

Sunset shook her head sadly as she watched her mentor walk into Sugar Cube Corner to no doubt divulge in her love of cake, it seemed the Princess had yet to break free from her addiction of the frosted baked goods. Sunset put her worries for Celestia’s dress size aside and walked into the town hall just as Rarity was adding the finishing touches to a red ribbon decoration. Sunset noted with no real surprise that Spike was also there assisting the beautiful unicorn with her work. Well he would have been assisting had his entire focus not been on Rarity’s skinny jean covered ass.

Sunset gave the door a hard shove causing it to slam shut and brake the young dragon’s attention away from the sight of his crush’s flank. It also caused Rarity to give a startled yelp, and jump a mile in the air. “Sorry about that Rares, just been having a lot of frustration this morning.”

“It’s quite alright darling, I heard about you walking around Ponyville in your pajamas.” Rarity wilted under Sunset Shimmer’s glare that made it clear she wasn’t amused with that particular topic. “Anyway, I was really worried when you didn’t show up to check on my work this morning, but then Spike came along and explained how you were still sleeping because of all the late nights you’ve been having. By the way, I made some coffee for you when you stopped by. It’s over there on the snacks table.”

Sunset immediately levitated the large cup of coffee to herself and downed its entire contents in a few quick gulps not even caring that it was only lukewarm. She set the empty cup with a satisfied smile.“Thanks Rarity, I really needed that.”

“It’s my pleasure darling, though I really must protest to you pulling so many all nighters at once. Especially if it’s in the pursuit of trying to prove an old pony’s tale.”

“Actually I have proof that the Mare in the Moon is more than just a old mare’s tale.” Sunset pulled out the chest containing the Elements of Harmony and opened it with an “I told you so” look all over face. “Everypony thought these were just a legend as well, but as you can see they’re real.” Rarity gazed in disbelief at the gemstones in front of her, and her mouth opened and closed several times without saying anything. “All I have to do now is find a way to reactivate these Elements and I can use them to stop Nightmare Moon from bringing eternal night to Equestria.”

Rarity extended a hand to touch them and Sunset snapped the box closed before she could. “Sorry Rares, but these are essential to Equestria’s survival. So I can’t risk anything happening to them.”

“But darling, how on earth are you even going to reactivate them?”

Rarity’s question completely blindsided Sunset Shimmer and her shoulders slumped as she realized she hadn’t even given that particular problem very much thought. “I have absolutely no idea,” Sunset admitted. “Perhaps if I charged enough magic through them, they’ll reactivate?” Sunset shook her head dismissing that idea. “That wouldn’t work otherwise Celestia wouldn’t need my help, she’s powerful enough to do that on her own.” Sunset reopened the case and sat on a chair as she studied the precious gems in front of her.

After a while of observing her unicorn friend, Rarity gave up trying to figure out what as going through her mind and went about adding the final touches to her decorations in the town hall. “It’s just too bad you can’t simply activate them with your own magic, darling.”
Sunset sighed and closed the box once more. “Yeah that would...” Sunset’s eyes widened as an idea formed in her mind. “Actually work!”
“Begging your pardon, darling. But I distinctly remember you saying that using your magic to...”

“Not my magic!” Sunset Shimmer said vehemently. “Our magic! The magic that binds as all together.” Her statement was met with an uncomprehending stare from Rarity. With a frustrated sigh Sunset placed a hand on the unicorn’s shoulder and teleported them both to Sugar Cube Corner.

“Hi Sunset, hi Rarity!” Pinkie Pie greeted happily from the kitchen just as she pulled another cake from the oven. “The Princess and I were just sampling some of the cakes and other baked goods, and I gotta tell you they’re pretty amazing. Wanna try some?”
“Can’t right now Pinkie. Busy.” Without any other explanation Sunset Shimmer teleported away once more and reappeared back at Applejack’s farm. “AJ! Where are you! I need your help!”
“Ahm over here, Sunset. What’s wrong?”

Sunset didn’t waste time trying to navigate her way through the all the ponies at the Apple Family reunion, instead she just teleported right next to her friend and teleported them both back to Sugar Cube Corner. Sunset then teleported to the field outside of Fluttershy’s cottage. Her sudden appearance caused the timid pegasus to give a frightened squeal and dive behind a bush, which in turn caused the bird choir she was practicing with to fly away.

Sunset walked over to her hiding friend and held out a hand towards her. “Sorry about that Fluttershy, but I need your help with something very important that could save the fate of Equestria.” Fluttershy hesitantly took the unicorn’s outstretched hand and allowed herself to be pulled gently from the bush she was hiding behind. “I’m going to teleport us to Sugar Cube Corner, okay?”

Fluttershy gave a little whimper, but clenched her eyes shut and wrapped her arms tightly around Sunset Shimmer’s body. “Okay, I’m ready now.” Making sure to make the transition as smooth as possible for Fluttershy, she teleported them both back to Sugar Cube Corner where Rainbow Dash was casually leaning against the counter looking somewhat bored. Fluttershy noticing she was in a different location unclenched her arms from Sunset’s body and sat down at one of the empty tables.

“Now that we’re all here, mind telling us what’s going on?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset gave the pegasus a confused look. “I never bought you here...”

“No, but I saw you teleporting everypony else to Sugar Cube Corner. So I figured I’d save you the trouble of collecting me. Now mind telling us what we’re doing here?”

“I believe I may have found a way to reactivate the Elements of Harmony, which we can use to save Equestria from Nightmare Moon.”

Sunset glanced towards Celestia who gave her a warm smile and a nod of encouragement. “Now I know all of you have been skeptical of my theories regarding the return of Nightmare Moon, but I have proof that she’s more than just an old mare’s tale.” Sunset once more opened the chest containing the Element’s of Harmony and she showed her friends the gems it contained. “I have a theory that I can repower these Elements if they are wielded by somepony who best represents their qualities, and during the four years that I’ve been living here in Ponyville each of you have shown me the qualities of these Elements.”

Sunset levitated the Elements of Harmony from the chest and set the empty box down on a table. “When I first came to Ponyville was a bitch to all of you. Yet despite this, you all made your best efforts to befriend me even though you were all within your rights to hate me. Four years ago I was on a very dark and destructive path and it scares me to even think about the kind of mare I would be if it hadn’t been for the light each of you share guiding me away from that darkness.”

Sunset walked up to Fluttershy placing the yellow gem in the pegasus’ hand. “Fluttershy, when I first came to Ponyville I had no place of my own to live in. Everypony could tell I was a trouble maker and had no desire for me to live with them in their homes. But you were kind enough to see past my shortcomings and let me live with you until I could get on my feet. It was this kindness that stopped me from running away from Ponyville the very first chance I got.” Sunset gave the pegasus a fond smile while ruffling her mane affectionately.

She then stepped up to Rarity placing the purple gem in her hand. “Rarity, when I told Fluttershy I had no pajamas and she asked you to make me some, you agreed even though you were in the middle of finishing a massive clothes order. You not only generously gave me some of your precious time, you also gave up your rare gold imported silk to make me the best pajamas I’ve ever slept in. Your constant generosity has taught me to always think of others, and not just myself. Thank you.”

Applejack was next and Sunset handed her the orange gem. “Applejack, when you saw how badly I was treating everypony despite everything they were doing for me you were not afraid to step up and tell me how much of an ungrateful bitch I was. You then told me that I didn’t deserve the friendliness everypony was showing me, you said a few other things and you have no idea how badly your words hurt me.” Applejack looked down at the and was taken completely by surprise when Sunset hugged her. “But you also told I had so much to offer other ponies besides cruelty and pain. You told me it was up to me to decide if I was going to let the light you saw in me shine. If it wasn’t for your brutal honesty I would have never seen how wrong I was in my ways.”

Sunset continued hugging Applehack for a few more moments before using her magic to levitate Pinkie Pie from behind the kitchen counter. “Without you Pinkie Pie, I wouldn’t be here today. My heart was so full of sorrow and guilt for how badly I had hurt everypony that I believed I didn’t deserve any kind of happiness for myself. But it was your laughter and constant happiness that shone a light through my tunnel of darkness and guided me to the other side. Never stop laughing, Pinkie Pie.”

Sunset placed the pink gem in Pinkie’s hand and the party pony grabbed her in a massive affection filled death hug. “Can’t... Breath...” Pinkie let go of the unicorn with a sheepish smile, and Sunset turned to Rainbow.

“And finally Rainbow Dash the Element of Loyalty. When you and I had made arrangements for you to come to my graduation ceremony from Magic School to going into Celestia’s Advanced Studies of Magic, you had forgotten you also had a chance to try out for the Wonder Bolts on the same date. I thought for sure all of my friends would have been there except for you. But when I walked through the doors and saw you standing there smiling with everypony else happy to celebrate one of the biggest accomplishments of my life...” Sunset wiped away some tears that had escaped past her eyes despite her best efforts and placed the blue gem in Rainbow’s hand. “I will never forget the loyalty you showed me that day. Thank you.”

This time it was Celestia who grabbed the last Element of Harmony in her own magic. “And as for you Sunset Shimmer, very few ponies have ever shown enough abilities and aptitude for magic to become my personal student. And you are they very first pony to have ever made it into my advanced studies of magic.” Celestia placed the violet element in Sunset’s own hands. “I can think of none other who is more suited to represent the Element of Magic than yourself.”

As soon as the Element of Magic touched her skin a massive flood of warmth spread throughout her body like a raging river of fire, multicolored flames began flickering around the edges of the Element and everypony except for Celestia took an uncertain step backwards. The rainbow colored flames grew larger and more brighter fully engulfing her hand before shooting outwards in five different directions towards her friends. The flames hit the Elements of Harmony they were holding in their hands and spread up their arms before engulfing their entire bodies. Each of her friends gave a startled ‘eep’ and dropped their gems and the Elements hovered in the air in front of them.

Sunset grunted with exertion as she tried to contain the massive amounts of raw power coursing through her veins, but it was a losing battle, and when she opened her eyes they were shining with pure gold light and the multicolored flames pouring from the Elements of Harmony were swirling around them in a colorful tornado of magical fire. Suddenly each of the Element’s stones exploded into tiny shards of glass which then began reforming themselves into the image of her friend’s cutie marks set into into a golden necklace, and in Sunset’s case a crown. The tornado of flames suddenly descended upon the six mares pouring their powers into the new forms of Elements they
were wearing. Once the flams were gone, Sunset dropped into a nearby chair feeling both exhausted and rejuvenated at the same time.

“That was so awesome!” Rainbow exclaimed. “And we even get these cool necklace thingies of our cutie marks. Let’s do it again!”

“Absolutely not,” Celestia said sternly. “The powers you now wield are strictly for the protection and wellbeing of Equestria, there are many enemies of this kingdom who would love to get their hands on even one Element. And because they are now once again out in the open each of you must stick together and defend each other from those who would wish to exploit their powers.” Celestia sat down next to her tired student and wrapped a comforting wing around her. “Sunset Shimmer, you did extremely well today, but the day is not yet over and the threat of Nightmare Moon still remains. I wish I could assist you in the upcoming battle, but I’m afraid only the Elements of Harmony can stop Nightmare Moon without using lethal action.”

Sunset felt the warmth of her mentor’s embrace pulling her closer to the welcoming land of sleep and rest, but she reluctantly forced herself to stay awake as there were still the final preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration to be completed. With a small groan of disappointment, Sunset moved out from the feathery blanket of Celestia’s wing. “The Princess is right, girls. Now that we have a formidable defence against Nightmare Moon we need to stick together from now on so we can protect ourselves and Ponyville until Nightmare Moon is defeated.”

Applejack gave Sunset a confused look. “So are we still goin’ ahead with the Summer Sun Celebration?”

“Yes,” Celestia said, “Nightmare Moon won’t be able to resist making an appearance at this celebration, and when she does it will be up to the six of you to stop her. I must now leave you to begin lowering the last sun of the Spring season, I wish you all the best of luck tonight, and I’ll see you in the morning when it’s time for me to raise the first sun of summer.” In a blinding flash of magic Celestia disappeared leaving Sunset and her friends alone in the bakery.

Nightmare Moon's Return - part 3

Sunset Shimmer now had a deep and sympathetic understanding with what Celestia suffered through each and every day she wore her crown. It was an awkward, not to mention heavy, head ornament that gave its wearer a sore neck after only a few minutes of wearing it. It also required constant adjustment that Sunset had finally grown tired of, so she choose to take it off and carry it around until it was needed to save Equestria. And judging by the stars that were slowly but surely making their way towards the moon Equestria was going to need saving very soon.

With a sigh of resignation that she wouldn’t be experiencing the comfort and warmth of her bed anytime soon, Sunset downed her fourth cup of coffee that night and went off to find her friends. Which wasn’t very easy considering the town hall was packed with ponies. After several moments of searching through the crowded room she found Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash comforting Fluttershy who had decided to hide behind a curtain. “What’s going on?” Sunset asked.

Rainbow gave an unamused huff and crossed her arms across her chest. “Fluttershy’s too freaked out over this whole Nightmare Moon stuff to come out of hiding!”

Rarity shot the pegasus an angry glare before turning her attention back to the pony shaped bulge in the curtain. “Fluttershy darling, there’s nothing to be worried at the moment, won’t you please come out and enjoy the festivities with us?”

“Are ya serious?” Applejack exclaimed. “According ta Sunset Shimmer, there’s a dark princess who’s been banished for a thousand years about ta return to Equestria bringin’ with her eternal night!”

The timid pegasus hiding behind the curtain gave a frightened whimper and began trying to make herself smaller. Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but Sunset’s horn glowed and she used her magic to grasp each of her friend’s tails and pull them away from the curtain before they made the situation worse. “I’ll take care of this,” Sunset said, before going behind the curtain herself. She found Fluttershy curled up in a ball and hugging herself tightly with her wings. “Hey Flutters, pretty cosie place you found here. Mind if I join you?”

Fluttershy remained silent, so Sunset sat down next to her before pulling her friend onto her lap and hugging her softly. “You trust me don’t you, Fluttershy?” She felt Fluttershy nod, and she softly stroked the pegasus’ mane. “I know you trust our other friends, and even though they won’t admit it, especially Rainbow, they’re all scared as well.”

“Am not!” Rainbow objected, before somepony, probably AJ, hit her over the back of her head.

Sunset ignored her friends on the other side of the curtain and kept her focus on comforting Fluttershy. “Even though we’re all scared Equestria still needs us, especially you Fluttershy. Without you, I can’t use the powers of the Elements of Harmony. So remember when we face Nightmare Moon we’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

Fluttershy gave a soft sniffle and hugged Sunset tighter. “I’m still scared,” she whispered softly.

“I know, but while you’re standing against Nightmare Moon with us I personally promise to lookout for you and keep you safe. Now how ‘bout we go hang out with the rest of friends?”

It took a bit more comforting and consoling, but Fluttershy finally allowed herself to be guided out from behind the curtain where the rest of their friends were waiting. “I’m sorry for being such a scaredy pony,” Fluttershy said softly.

Rainbow chuckled and pulled her friend into a hug. “Don’t worry about it Flutters, like Sunset said, while you’re with us nothing bad will happen.”

Even as Rainbow said that Sunset glanced out the window just in time to see the constellation of stars she had been studying fade into the moon causing it to glow brighter for a second before returning to its normal state minus the pony like pattern on its surface. Suddenly loud and cruel laughter filled the town hall bringing the party to a complete halt as Nightmare Moon herself materialized on the balcony where Celestia was supposed to be making her appearance. The dark alicorn continued laughing before she suddenly stopped and became as still and as silent as a frozen lake. Sunset quickly placed the crown back on her head before sipping up the last dregs of coffee from her cup.

“Princess Celestia is gone!” The dark alicorn said. “I, Nightmare Moon, am holding her prisoner just as she held me prisoner for so long.”

Everypony’s heart in the room was suddenly gripped with fear as they now realized the stories they had been told about the Mare in the Moon were not stories at all, and Nightmare Moon now had their beloved Princess of the Sun. Another cruel chuckle escaped from Nightmare Moon. “You will never see her, or your precious sun ever aga...” Nightmare Moon came to a sudden stop and her gaze zeroed in on Sunset Shimmer and her friends. “Impossible...”

“Seize her!” the mayor shouted at Celestia’s royal guards. “She’s the only one who knows where the princess is.”

Without hesitation the three pegasus guards flew straight towards Nightmare Moon. The dark alicorn’s eyes glowed with pure white power and several spears of ethereal light skewered the guards straight through their hearts.

Their lifeless bodies fell to the ground and blood began pooling around them forming a thick crimson puddle. Nightmare Moon once again focused her gaze on Sunset Shimmer before teleporting and reappearing in front of the unicorn. “I will not allow the Elements of Harmony to stop me this time.”

Sunset barely had time to react before an ethereal sword was swinging towards her throat. She used her knowledge of defensive magic to throw up a shield between her and Nightmare Moon. It only hindered the sword for a few seconds, but it was long enough for Sunset to access the powers of the Elements, which flowed through her body like a raging river of fire. She had only several hours to study how their powers worked, but she knew just enough to defend herself. Multicolored flames burst from her hands and flew towards Nightmare Moon who gave a terrified yelp before teleporting away. Sunset made sure the dark alicorn wasn’t going to reappear anywhere else in the room before she let go of her Element’s powers. She turned to her friends with a grim look on her face. “Equestria, but more importantly, Celestia, needs out help we have to go after Nightmare Moon.”

Nightmare Moon reappeared in the middle of the Everfree forest and took a deep breath of the night air. Her night air. She then started walking down the path that led to her old castle, one of the places she knew well enough to feel comfortable taking on the unicorn who now wielded the Elements of Harmony. Equestria had changed drastically in a thousand years, it was no longer struggling to fight for survival against the dark demons who now called Tartarus their home. She also noted with some satisfaction that Discord was still obviously trapped in his stone prison. She didn’t feel like dealing with his annoying antics and pranks as she asserted her control over Equestria.

Starswirl the Bearded was no longer alive so he was no threat to her either. She had Celestia trapped in a world of nightmares that she woudln’t be able to escape from, so there was no immediate threat there. Nightmare Moon came to a sudden stop as she felt something change in the magic of the dark forest. She once again took a deep breath of her night air and nearly choked on the strong scent of dark magic that was not her own. Putting the task of reaching her castle on hold for the time being, Nightmare Moon followed the scent of dark magic and as she came closer to its source, she felt the sensation of icy water running down her skin, which made made her shiver.

Nightmare Moon soon came to the source of the powerful dark magic, and her eyes widened in fear and disbelief when she saw a sword stuck halfway through a tree trunk. It was katana in design, but its blade was pure black and looked like it was made from glass, its hilt was also pure black and looked like it was made from scorched metal. “It can’t be,” Nightmare Moon whispered in awe as she walked closer to the dark blade. As she moved closer towards the sword, the sensation of icy water running through her body became stronger until she felt as though she was submerged in a frozen lake. Nightmare Moon pulled her cloak off, and making sure not to let any part of her flesh touch the sword’s surface she pulled it free from tree and wrapped it in her cloak before walking as fast as she could to her old castle.

As she walked, Nightmare Moon gazed down at the rare treasure she had found. The last time she had seen this sword it was being used by one of Luna’s and Celestia’s allies to wage war on the demons from Tartarus and defend Canterlot from their attacks. Both Luna and Celestia didn’t like the fact one of their soldiers were using dark magic to do so, but his combat skills were unprecedented, and his knowledge of magic could only be rivaled Starswirl the Bearded himself. And Nightmare Moon couldn’t help but smile at her luck at finding his sword.

Nightmare Moon shook her head to clear it from thoughts of the past, tonight was about the future. The future she was going to build for herself and Equestria. Soon everypony would know the true beauty of night, and she would finally be loved as her sister had been loved. All she had to do was defeat the Elements of Harmony and their new bearers and her future would be set. Nopony could stop her now, especially once she was able to use the Dark Blade.

She soon came to the crevice that split the Everfree forest in half and took a moment to admire the sight of her castle in the distance before teleporting and reappearing outside is front doors. Nightmare Moon’s victorious smile grew wider as she walked into her old home and made her way to the throne room where she could perform the ritual to bind the Dark Blade to herself.

Twilight suddenly gasped awake and clutched her injured shoulder which was throbbing with an intense fiery pain that only grew with each beat of her heart. Being careful not to jostle her shoulder too much, Twilight used her uninjured hand to remove her cloak revealing a thick trickle of blood running running down her side from a puncture hole that pierced through her armor, past her flesh, and into her collar bone. For a moment she stared at the hole in confusion. Her armor was made from stalgamite, the strongest known element in Tartarus that could only be destroyed by the most powerful forms of dark magic. Garro certainly had the levels of magic necessary to inflict such damage on her armor, but he had bitten her in the portal where magic couldn’t be used.

Obviously the fifth Lord of Tartarus was a lot more dangerous and powerful then she had originally assumed. Feeling extremely annoyed with herself, Twilight forced herself ignore the pain and focus on the section of armor covering her right arm. After a few moments it obeyed her commands and began flowing like oil up her arm where it was absorbed by the rest of her armor. Once her injury was exposed the amour stopped recoiling itself and Twilight went to work on healing herself. Using magic was not an option as Garro was out there somewhere close by and tracking her. Instead she pulled her chest of potion making ingredients from her bag and began mixing several various powders together. Once she done, she began packing the powder into her wound hissing in pain as it made contact with her injury, she forced herself to keep packing the powder into the deep wound and once she was done she sagged in relief and let her armor flow back over her arm.

Soon the powder’s properties began taking effect, numbing the pain in her arm enough so that it was nothing more than an annoying itch. The powder would also speed up the healing process and in a couple of hours her arm would be as good as new. Until then, Twilight elected to get a few more hours rest before tracking down Garro and putting an end to the demon once and for all. But just as she once again snuggled down in her cloak a noise from the castle’s entrance informed her she was no longer alone.

Not even daring to breathe, Twilight tensed and drew a knife from each of her upper thigh straps, before slowly standing up and making her way out of the room she had slept in. As soon as she stepped out in the open Twilight felt the icy sensation of a powerful dark magic’s presence. But it wasn’t just any dark magic, it was the unforgettable presence and scent of the sword Darklight had thrown after her while she escaped through the portal.

Twilight drew her cloak tighter around herself and began following the sound of footsteps climbing stairs. Her own footsteps were completely silently and untraceable, her cloak also masked her own personal scent and the scent of her magic. So unless her enemies were looking straight at her she was effectively invisible, and if she stayed in the dark shadows of the castle she was invisible.

Twilight followed the sound of footsteps to a flight of stairs that led to the upper floors and towers of the castle. Being careful not to make any noise herself she walked up the stairs holding the two knives in her hands in a defensive position in front of her. If whoever had Darklight’s sword had figured out how to use it, she would have to rely on stealth and swiftness to get the sword back. That meant no direct confrontation if she could help it.

Twilight shifted her grip on one of the blades so it would be easier to throw, and the first chance she got she would send it spinning through the air to land between their fourth and fifth ribs instantly stopping their heart. When she came to the landing on the top of the stairs, she ducked back in the shadows to observe the pony who was holding the sword wrapped in a cloak. The pony was an alicorn wearing dark blue armor that matched her flowing mane, her fur was jet black, and her eyes were catlike and a beautiful shade of light blue. Twilight instantly recognized her as a fellow sister of darkness, and she felt a twinge of guilt that she had to kill her. She could have perhaps made a useful ally, but there was no way the dark alicorn was going to give up her possession of the sword without a fight. And possession of the sword was well worth fighting to the death for. Killing this potential ally was regrettable but necessary, the sword was too powerful and precious to be wielded by anypony but her and Darklight.

With her decision made, Twilight stepped silently out of the shadows and sent the knife flying across the room towards the alicorns back. The deadly spinning blade gleamed in the moonlight before it came to complete stop mere millimeters away from its target, being held in the air by an aura of dark blue magic. Twilight immediately moved into the throne room taking cover behind a large piece of fallen rubble and drawing another knife.

“Nice reflexes,” Twilight called out from behind the rubble, “just give me that sword, and I’ll let you live. It might even be mutually beneficial if we became allies, after all, we’re both creatures of darkness. I don’t care either way, just as long as I leave this place with that sword.” Amused laughter was the only answer she received before the piece of rubble she was hiding behind exploded into thousands of tiny pieces. Twilight stood, holding her knives in a defensive position. “We don’t have to be enemies, all you have to do is give me that sword and I’ll leave you alone. If not, then I’ll kill you and leave here with the sword anyway.”

The dark alicorn still had the previous knife she had thrown held in her blue aura of magic and she began twirling it in little circles. Twilight made no sudden or threatening movements, as she had no wish to make a bad situation any worse. “You remind me of somepony I knew many lifetimes ago. In fact he was the original owner of this weapon.” Nightmare Moon held up the sword cloak covered sword. “His name was...”

“Darklight.” Twilight said narrowing her eyes, and tilting her head as though she was studying something she found mildly interesting. “And you’re Nightmare Moon, the dark side of the Equestrian princess known as Luna. Darklight used tell me tales of your time together freeing this realm from the demons that now reside in Tartarus.”

This time it was Nightmare Moon’s turn to study the alicorn in front of her. “So Darklight is alive after all. The last time Luna saw him, he was having his heart torn out by the assassin known as Tharsium.”

Twilight began circling the Night Princess so the entrance to the throne room was no longer in her blind spot. “You must know the sword is useless to you. I’m the only one that Darklight has trained to handle its powers without dying.”

Nightmare Moon’s smile grew wider. “I have my own ways to get past its defences, after all Luna spent many years fighting by his side and her memories are my memories, and she picked up a few tips during their time together.”
“So I take it you’re not going to give me the sword.” Twilight twirled her knives and settled them into an offensive position. “Because I promise you, if you don’t, I will kill you.”

Nightmare Moon’s amused and cruel laughter once again echoed through the throne room. “You honestly think you can defeat me?” The dark alicorn raised a cynical eyebrow. “I am Nightmare Moon, princess and harbinger of eternal night.”

Twilight merely shrugged the cloak off her shoulders revealing her dark armor and wings before rolling her neck which was a bit stiff after sleeping against a stonewall. “I’ve faced worse.” And without warning she went on the attack throwing the two knives in her hands at Nightmare Moon’s face and chest. Nightmare Moon dodged the deadly blades but was taken by surprise as Twilight cleared the distance between them with a teleportation spell and she wasn’t fast enough to defend herself before Twilight grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the ground with enough force to crack the flagstones beneath her. Nightmare Moon grimaced and her horn glowed blasting Twilight off her. Twilight landed in crouch drawing several more knives and throwing them across the room.

Nightmare Moon rolled out of the way just before the daggers struck the ground where her eyes and throat had been. Twin streams of dark energy burst from Nightmare Moon’s hands striking Twilight in the chest and blasting her through the wall behind her. Twilight rolled several meters before coming to painful stop. Her shoulder was starting to ache once more, and her feathers were now a complete mess. Snarling angrily, Twilight got to her feet feeling the last of her patience slip away.

Nightmare Moon’s hands glowed, but Twilight was faster, and she moved in closer dodging the streams of dark magic before grabbing her opponent’s wrist, pulling her forward, and slamming an elbow into her face. Blood spurted from Nightmare Moon’s now broken nose but Twilight didn’t let up on her attack. She teleported behind the dark alicorn and wrapped her arm around her throat to apply a choke hold.

Nightmare Moon cursed and her horn started glowing but Twilight applied more pressure to the choke hold causing her to gag and lose concentration of her spell. Twilight pulled out another knife and tried to stab between Nightmare Moon’s ribs, but the blade couldn’t puncture through her amour.

Twilight cursed and pulled Nightmare Moon to the ground with her on top so her blade had unimpeded access to her throat. Nightmare grabbed Twilight’s wrist and began trying to force the knife away from her throat. The two mares struggled desperately for control of the weapon. “You wouldn’t be in this mess if you had just given me the sword.” Twilight muttered through gritted teeth as she applied more of her body weight to the blade causing it to slip a few more centimeters closer to Nightmare Moon’s throat.

“ENOUGH!” Nightmare Moon’s eyes glowed pure white with power and Twilight was thrown off of the alicorn by a pulse of magic. “There is no way for you to defeat me, I am Nightmare Moon, the one true princess of Eques...” She paused as Twilight flung both her arms wide sending hundreds of etherial daggers flying across the room. Nightmare Moon was barely able to summon a shield fast enough before she was cut to bloody ribbons.

“I usually hate using magic while fighting as I don’t enjoy fighting ponies unfairly” Twilight said, “but you’re just as dark and dangerous as the creatures in Tartarus, and quite frankly you’re really annoying. So now I’m done going easy on you.”

Twilight made a violent slashing motion sending a massive scythe of dark magic across the room. Nightmare’s magical shield took the main brunt of the attack but she was forced to stumble back several paces. Twilight held her hands by her side and began making twirling motions as though she was stirring water. The shadows in the room began stirring as though they had a life of their own and Twilight thrust both her hands forward sending a massive torrent of dark shadows slamming into Nightmare Moon’s shield shattering it and pinning the alicorn against a wall before wrapping around her throat. They began choking the life out of her but Nightmare’s hands glowed and she slashed through the tendril of darkness, before flaring her wings and taking to the air. “I WILL CRUSH YOU!”

Twilight’s horn glowed and Darklight’s sword that had fallen during their fight flew to her waiting hand. But before she could use it, the wall opposite her exploded as Garro burst through it in a shower of rubble. The demon wasted no time pouncing on her and sending them both through the wall opposite them. The hard ground was several stories below them and Twilight cried out in pain as she landed on one of her wings causing the bone to snap. Garro gave a triumphant snarl and went in for the kill, but Twilight shoved her left forearm in his mouth before he could bite into her exposed throat.

This time without the portal’s interference Twilight’s amour held against the demons attempts to bite her limbs off, allowing her time to unwrap the sword from Nightmare Moon’s cloak.

Garro instantly pounced away from her and hissed angrily at the weapon that had cheated him from his kill.

“Let’s end this!” Twilight moved forward slashing at Garro who dodged out of the way. He opened his mouth and a torrent of icy breath blasted towards her. Twilight moved to the side just barely missing the lethal magic before stabbing the sword into the ground and muttering a spell. Blue flames burst along the sword’s blade, and the ground around Garro began cracking and several dozen rotten corpses began emerging from their earthy rest and clawing their way onto Garro. The demon roared loudly and the corpses turned to ice before shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. Twilight wasn’t worried though, her real attack came in the form of an angry gist flying straight towards Garro and sinking its long claws into the demon’s back.

Garro howled in pain as blood poured from his wounds staining his white coat dark crimson. Twilight twisted the flaming sword still stuck in the earth, and more rotten corpses began crawling over the demon biting and scratching at his flesh and fur. She pulled the sword free and shadows flowed over her body covering her in their darkness before she slammed her fist into the ground. The shadows flowed off her of her body and flew along the ground towards Garro forming spikes that skewered the demon from below.

Twilight moved in quickly to deliver the killing stroke but Garro had been anticipating this fight for a while so he had formed a spell trap in the area around him causing Twilight to become stuck as ice started to slowly form on her armored feet and travel slowly up her legs to the rest of her body.

Twilight cursed and released the enchantments she had used to summon the gist and dead corpses so she could focus all her magic on freeing herself from a painful icy death. Garro’s whole body was covered in blood pouring from the deep cuts and bite marks, but unfortunately the demon wasn’t that easy to put down. “Your time has come at last Twilight Sparkle.” Even though Garro hadn’t spoken the words out loud she could still hear them echoing around her mind. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for your last moments, and now I will make sure they will be your most painful.”

Twilight laughed mirthlessly and bent down to grasp her frozen feet and counteract the ice curse. “You have no idea the levels of pain I’ve endured. I assure you, you will be very hard pressed to surpass them.” The ice finally cracked and Twilight poured more of her magic into her counterspell causing the ice to break completely off amour.

Garro roared angrily and pounced towards Twilight, who rolled under the attack and slashed upwards with her sword. The tip of the blade merely grazed the demon’s skin, but the demon’s roar of anger turned to that of extreme pain and he began thrashing uncontrollably on the ground. Twilight frowned down at the sword in confusion. It had drawn blood on Garro, yet the demon had somehow survived its touch. She had never seen a demon, not even a Lord of Tartarus, survive even a minor cut from this sword. If the sword drew even a drop of blood, its victims died. Yet somehow Garro had survived.

Twilight put such matters aside for the moment and instead focused on ending her enemy once and for all. Even if the demon had survived a cut from the Dark Blade, there was no way it would survive if she cut out his heart. She moved forward to do just that, but a massive explosion of multicolored flames erupting from inside the throne room stopped her in her tracks. She heard Nightmare Moon’s voice screaming “NO!” until the flames finally died down and all was silent. Twilight turned her attention back to Garro only to find that the demon had disappeared leaving nothing more than a fading mist where he had just been.

Twilight cursed angrily and stood there fuming for several moments. This had been the third time they had eluded each other just before the killing blow, and she was getting sick of it. At least she had recovered her mentor’s sword, with it her chances of surviving their next encounter had just increased a thousandfold. Her frustration at losing to Garro was still boiling strongly in her veins and she began walking back towards the castle fully intent on releasing some of her frustration out on Nightmare Moon.

“Do you think Celestia and Luna are going to be okay?”

Twilight ducked behind a tree and watched as six mares exited the castle each one wearing a golden necklace with different styles of gems embedded in them. Even from where she was hiding Twilight could sense the massive amounts of pure magic radiating from them. The pony who had spoken, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane, poked one of her companions, an amber colored unicorn who was wearing a crown instead of a necklace like her the rest of her group. The unicorn looked up from something she had been studying in her hands, and Twilight noted with some annoyance that it was her cloak.

“What was that Rainbow?”

The pegasus gave a frustrated huff and gestured angrily to the castle they had just exited. “Celestia and Luna, do you think they’re going to be okay. After all Luna did just try and trap her sister in a world of nightmares.”

The unicorn bit her lip thoughtfully. “I think it’s going to take some time for them to fully come to terms with what happened. Especially Luna, as she unfortunately remembers everything she did as Nightmare Moon. She’s going to take some time to heal.”

The one called Rainbow Dash nodded towards the cloak the unicorn was studying. “Why are you still messing with that old rag?”

Twilight’s grip tightened around the hilt of her sword as she heard her precious cloak so crassly referred to as an old rag. The unicorn gave a frustrated sigh and spread the cloak out. “There’s just something about this I can’t seem to put my finger on. It’s not made from any material I’ve encountered before, and it’s even softer then Rarity’s rare imported gold silk. It’s just bugging me.”

“Don’t worry Sunset,” an abnormally cheerful pink pony said. “I’m sure once we get to Ponyville you’ll figure it out.”

The unicorn, Sunset Shimmer, chuckled and neatly folded the cloak. “Once I get back to Ponyville I’m going to be sleeping for the rest of the week.”

Twilight soon lost sight of the group of ponies and not willing to spend a moment longer away from her cloak she followed after them moving as silent as a ghost through the woods. As the group of ponies kept walking towards what Twilight assumed to be their home they kept talking among themselves about what had transpired during the last few days. Twilight learned the amber unicorn was called Sunset Shimmer. The yellow shy pegasus was called Fluttershy, and she needed constant coddling from her cyan friend as they walked through the forest. The orange earth pony was Applejack. And the white fussy unicorn was called Rarity. She also heard them mention the Elements of Harmony a few times, so she kept her distance not willing to get close to such powerful magical artifacts. Even Darklight in his youth had been wary about them.

By the time the group of friends made it to the outskirts of the forest a yellow colored sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, and they were obviously glad to be back home. Twilight knew it was now or never to confront them and get her cloak back, but as she moved to break her cover she heard rustling behind her and she turned just in time to see Garro leaping out of the forest roaring angrily. Twilight had no time to react and just before the demon was on her a blue blur shot towards her and tackled her out of the way.

Twilight and the pony who had tackled her rolled several meters before coming to stop with the alicorn looking up into a pair of beautiful magenta eyes filled with concern and fear. Twilight hesitated for the briefest second not understanding why this mare she recognized as Rainbow Dash had just endangered her life for her. They didn’t know each other yet the pegasus had put herself in danger and was now worried about her. Twilight shook her head to clear it from these distracting thoughts, and roughly pushed Rainbow Dash off of her before facing Garro.

The ice lord was barely able to hold himself up, yet here he was just as determined as her to end this. That was one of the things she respected about her foe, he never gave up, and never surrendered, preferring to fight as long as there was life left in his body. They were all traits they both shared.

Twilight teleported high into the air gathering shadows in her hands before diving on top of the massive snow tiger. The shadows formed long sharp spikes, but before she could impale them through his heart Garro rolled over crushing her beneath his heavy body. Her armor held under his weight and she drove her fist into his spine with enough force to dislodge a vertebrae, but Garro rolled off her before she could tear his spine out of his body. Her sword was several meters away, too far away for her to collect in time before Garro’s next attack.

But it never came, the unicorn named Sunset Shimmer rushed forward multicolored flames bursting from her palms straight towards them. Twilight rolled out of the way not wanting to get caught in the power of the Elements of Harmony. She didn’t have to worry though, the unicorn obviously had no experience wielding such powerful artefacts and was acting on blind instinct alone. Twilight briefly wondered how she was able to defeat Nightmare Moon, and she marked it down as blind luck, mixed with a good instinctual knowledge of magic.

Twilight watched as the flames enveloped Garro, but before they could do much more than weaken him the demon faded into mist once more. Twilight sighed with resignation at the fact it was going to be a long time before they saw each other again. She felt movement behind her and turned around to see the pegasus Rainbow Dash walking towards her. “You risked your life for me,” Twilight said. “I won’t forget that.” Rainbow Dash remained silent as she stared fearfully at the alicorn, or more specifically her body. Wondering what was wrong with her Twilight looked down at her body, and despite the seven six inch icicles piercing through her abdomen and chest, she started laughing as she realized Garro’s spell hadn’t meant to kill her, but temporally weaken her armor's defenses, and she had been so focused on taking him down she hadn’t even noticed his attack. She coughed and blood Spattered on the ground, and the last thing she saw before passing out was Rainbow Dash rushing forward to catch her before she hit the ground.

Reunited - part 1

“RAINBOW DASH, DON’T TOUCH HER!” Sunset shouted in fear for her friend’s wellbeing.

A pulse of teal magic erupted from Sunset Shimmer’s horn and hit Rainbow in the chest, blasting the pegasus several meters away from the falling alicorn. Sunset hated that she had just attacked one of her best friends, but she couldn’t risk Rainbow getting hurt by any of the defenses users of dark magic often placed on themselves for protection while they were sleeping or unconscious.

“Sunset!” Applejack yelled in confusion as she ran towards her. “What on earth are ya doing attackin’ Rainbow Dash like that?!”

“STAY BACK AJ!” Sunset’s horn glowed and a wall of flames erupted several meters in front of her group of friends. Applejack tried to run around the flames, but Sunset began directing them to form a wide towering circle of flames which effectively isolated her and the alicorn from any outside interference. The wall of flames would also conceal from her friends what she was about to do. And what she was about to do would break a very solemn vow she made to Princess Celestia four years ago before she moved to Ponyville.

Sunset Shimmer knelt down beside the dark alicorn’s body and grimaced when she saw the deadly icicles piercing her chest and abdomen. She worked past her squeamishness and began using her magic to remove the icicles from the mare’s body. Copious amounts of blood began pouring, and sometimes even spurting through the air with each icy blade she pulled from the pony’s chest or abdomen, and she had to use her magic to apply pressure to the wounds in order to stop most of the bleeding. By the time Sunset had finished removing the last icicle from the alicorn’s body, her entire chest and parts of her face covered in warm crimson liquid.

But the worst was still to come, as she still had to remove the alicorn’s armor, and in order to do so she would have to rely on her own knowledge of dark magic. She knew Princess Celestia was never going to forgive her a second time for using dark magic, but if the mare was left to her own devices and powers there was no telling the amount of destruction she could wreak upon Equestria. At least without access to her armor’s power the alicorn would be containable until they knew more about her.

Sunset removed her crown and placed it on the ground beside her. She then closed her eyes and after several moments of concentrating she felt a slow trickle of icy coldness flowing through her body chasing away the warmth and comfort of her pure magic. Soon the slow trickle of dark magic turned to a fast flow, and Sunset had to concentrate even harder to stop the dark magic from completely taking her over. But no matter how hard Sunset concentrated, she couldn’t ignore the constant luring temptation of absolute power that the dark magic offered her, if she simply gave into it. Having given into it once before, it was that much harder for Sunset to resist now. She could once again feel the absolute control and mastery she had over others. She would no longer have to study under Celestia in order to become as powerful as she set out to be. Rules would no longer apply to her, as she could make her own, and at the same time have the power to enforce them. The whole world was at her fingertips if she just gave into the darkness.

Tears stung Sunset’s eyes as she desperately tried to hold onto her sanity. Four years ago she had once given into the darkness and tasted the ultimate power it could give her. But four years ago she didn’t have Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity or Pinkie Pie as friends and now that she did have them, she never wanted to lose them. No matter how much power she had to gain, the cost of losing her friendship wasn’t worth it.

Sunset pressed her hands against the alicorn’s armor covered body and began using every ounce of her dark magic to pull it off. The surface of the armor began rippling like water, and after several more moments it began reluctantly obeying her commands, flowing like oil from the alicorn’s body. When Sunset pulled her hands back the armor formed a spinning ball of shadows that eventually solidified into a large glass like orb.

With a weak moan, Sunset extinguished the circling inferno of flames surrounding her and gratefully laid down on the cool grass beneath her. After all that had happened to her during the last few hours, Sunset felt she deserved a good chunk of sleep, but unfortunately somepony began roughly shaking her, which caused the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness to flee from her mind. “Leave me alone,” Sunset said, tiredly trying to shake away the offending pony, but they were too insistent and kept shaking her.

“Consarn it Sunset, wake up! Rainbow and this other mare are needing your help!”

At the mention of Rainbow’s name, Sunset forced herself to sit up and with AJ’s help she made it to her feet. As Sunset ran towards the fallen pegasus, she hoped and prayed she hadn’t used too much magic when she attacked her friend. Her fears were put to rest when she knelt beside Rainbow and began examining her. She had a few sore ribs and was winded for a while but thankfully there was no lasting damage.

Rainbow stirred awake, and when her gaze focused in on Sunset she scowled. “What the buck was that for? That really hurt!”

“I’m really sorry about attacking you like that, Dash. I just couldn’t risk you getting hurt by whatever magical defenses were protecting the alicorn.” Rainbow gave Sunset a dark look as she was helped to her feet and they made their way back towards the rest of their friends, who were standing around the dark alicorn’s unconscious body. Despite the individual auras of Sunset’s magic surrounding the alicorn’s puncture wounds, blood was still trickling from her injuries, staining the dark clothes she had worn under her armor red. “We need to get her to the hospital. Everypony link hands, so I can teleport us.”

As the group of ponies did as instructed, Sunset placed a hand on the alicorn’s body and they disappeared in a flash of teal light.

Celestia paused outside the examination room of the Ponyville hospital and took a deep calming breath. The only communication she had with her sister so far was when Luna kept apologizing over and over again for her actions as Nightmare Moon. Celestia didn’t blame her sister though, she blamed Darklight. She regretted every single moment she kept that bastard alive, yet despite her hatred for Darklight, she knew Equestria and its citizens both past and present owed him a dept that could never be repaid. Celestia shook her head to clear it of thoughts from ancient history and let herself into the examination room.

Luna was standing at the window gazing at the sunrise she had created. She was dressed in a green hospital robe with holes cut out in the back to accommodate her wings. “Greetings sister.” Luna’s voice was low and soft, and her mane and tail were completely free from their usual etherial winds. “I see your talent for creating beautiful sunrises has only improved overtime.” Luna finally turned around and faced her. “Whatever punishment you deem fit to bestow upon me, I have already accepted it.”

Celestia couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed forward and enveloped her younger, and much smaller sister in a soft, but sincere hug. Her wings wrapped around Luna in a protective cacoon of warmth and comfort, she nuzzled her sister’s neck, and finally let her tears run free. “Oh Luna, my precious sister.” Celestia’s voice cracked with raw emotion and she held Luna tighter. “You have paid for your crimes more than enough. It is me who should be begging for your forgiveness. My hatred for dark magic clouded my love for you, and for that you paid a terrible price you should not have had to suffer for in the first place. If anyone should be blamed for what had happened, it is him!” Celestia spat the last word out as though it was the foulest thing she had ever tasted.

Luna pulled away from her sister’s embrace. “Do not say that sister! If it weren’t for Darklight’s actions and his sacrifice that night, Equestria would be now be razed to ashes along with everypony in this realm. I am quite astounded you have erased all knowledge of those days from history. He deserved to be remembered for the hero he was!”

Celestia sighed and hung her head. “Please let us not fight, Luna. I have just gotten my little sister back, this day should be an occasion of joy and celebration.”

This time it was Luna who embraced her sister. “You are indeed right. T’is should be a time for joy. Even though I am sure it will be quite sometime before the citizens of Equestria ever forgive me.”

Celestia gave her sister a comforting hush, and stroked her fingers softly through Luna’s feathers. The princess of the night gave a contented hum and snuggled further into Celestia’s warm embrace. For Celestia it was just like the old times in their ancient castle, where she spent so many nights comforting and protecting her little sister. “Do not worry Luna, you will be reinstated to your royal position as soon as possible, and I will help you adjust to this new lifestyle. You will never again go through your future trials unaided. I promise to always be there for you like I should have been a thousand years ago.”

“Thankyou my dear sister, it gladdens my heart to hear you say that.”

The door to the examination room opened once more, and a fearful looking Nurse Redheart walked in carrying a clipboard filled with papers and forms. The two sisters broke apart and Luna smiled kindly at Nurse Redheart, who gave a fearful squeak and began speaking so fast she would have given Pinkie Pie a run for her money. “Everything is completely fine with Luna, she just needs a few days rest and shouldn’t exert herself during her rest period.” With her diagnostic delivered, Nurse Redheart left the clipboard on a nearby filling draw and all but ran from the night princess.

Luna gave a dejected sigh as she watched the mare flee from her presence. “I will never get used to that in this form. As Nightmare Moon, I...”

Celestia placed a firm finger over Luna’s lips. “Hush now little sister, we need not to speak of that time of history ever again. Now let us prepare you for your departure to Canterlot Castle. I personally made your new room look like your old one, so you have something you recognize from olden times.”

“Before we leave, I would like some time alone to think.”

Celestia gave Luna a warm smile and tucked a strand of her mane back behind her ears. “Take as much time as you need. I will go and get some food for you to eat. You have a lot of culinary experiences to catch up on.”

As soon as Celestia left, Luna’s smile dropped and she closed her door before sitting on the bed. She started crying into her pillow to muffle her sobs. Celestia spoke of Nightmare Moon as though she was a thing of the past. Luna supposed that was true for her sister, but to her, it was like it had happened only yesterday. Even now she could feel the icy cold chill of her darker self tingling along her spine. She could hear a faint echo of Nightmare Moon laughing deep within her subconscious. It scared her. And even though Luna wrapped herself up in her wings and several blankets, there was no escaping the icy chill tingling along her spine. Luna’s horn glowed, and with the magic she had, she created something to remind her of the pain and suffering she had caused as Nightmare Moon. Luna gazed cooly at the blob of magic floating in front of her. “Do your worst, Tantabus.”

When Celestia walked into the reception area of Ponyville’s hospital, she found a very pale looking Nurse Redheart standing in one of the corners away from everypony else. Celestia sighed and was about to walk up and comfort the distraught mare, when a flash of teal magic blinded her, and when her vision cleared she saw Sunset Shimmer and the rest of her friends standing in front of her. Rainbow Dash was clutching her ribs, and Celstia’s heart skipped several beats when she noticed her student was covered in blood, but then she noticed the alicorn on the floor between them and for the first time in many years her mind was struck completely useless.

Even though the alicorn’s body was covered with blood soaked dark clothes, and even though the last time she had seen her former student was when she was only just a foal, there was no mistaking her dark violet fur, or the slightly exposed cutie mark adorning her flank. Twilight Sparkle had found her way back back home.

Reunited - part 2

No matter how many times Celestia reassured herself that what she was seeing was real, she couldn’t bring herself to believe the reality presented before her. Twilight Sparkle was home. After being missing for ten years she was really home. Yet all Celestia could do was just stare at her lost, now found, student. Suddenly her present student stepped in front of her, and began roughly shaking her.

“You have to snap out of it, Celestia!” Sunset Shimmer implored. “Please, I need you!”

Celestia blinked several times, as though coming out of a deep trancelike state, and began issuing orders, like she should have done from the first moment she had laid eyes on Twilight Sparkle. “Get me a gurney, Sunset Shimmer. Nurse Redheart, I need you to prepare the ICU room immediately. I’ll need two liters of blood, it matters not what kind. I’ll also need a saline drip and complete quietness while I work. MOVE NOW!”

The room was suddenly filled with bustling activity, as everypony,-doctors, nurses and surgeons-went about completing the orders they had been given. Celestia’s horn glowed forming thick golden ribbons of healing magic which began wrapping around Twilight’s body. The golden ribbons passed over Twilight’s wounds and began stitching them closed. They then moved to her broken wing and began resetting the bones back into their proper positions before sealing the cracks closed. It had been many years since the last time Celestia had used this ancient form of healing magic, and beads of sweat began forming on the princess’s brow as she put all her efforts, energies, and concentration into healing Twilight’s body. Sunset came back with the requested gurney, and not stopping her ministrations, Celestia placed Twilight’s limp body on it and began wheeling her down the halls to the ICU.

When Celestia burst into the ICU room, Nurse Redheart had just finished setting up the requested saline and blood IV lines, and she began helping Celestia to hook up her student. Now that the worst of Twilight’s injuries had been taken care of, Celestia began redirecting the streams of magic to flow into her body. Celestia looked up at Nurse Redheart. “You may clear the room now, and take the rest of the doctor and nurses out of here. Go tend to Sunset Shimmer and her friends.”

When the nurses and doctors had left the room, Celestia cut away Twilight’s dark clothes, and what she saw made her blood freeze in her veins. On Twilight’s left shoulder was a large swirling rune branded into her flesh, it glowed with dark blue light. Her fur also seemed several shades darker then when she was a filly. There were also many, large and small, battle scars covering various parts of her body, and when Celestia pulled up one of Twilight’s eyelids, her student’s previous violet eye color was now speckled with dots of dark electric blue. The only thing Celestia recognized about her student was her mane and tail, which thankfully still had the same style cut, and colors.

Celestia took a much needed deep calming breath and placed a hand on Twilight’s bare abdomen, using her magic to turn her whole body translucent. Once more, Celestia was shocked beyond belief at what she was seeing. Twilight’s magic was no longer the bright violet she had grown used to during their lessons together, but instead it was instead a dark blue and in the form raging flames through her veins.

Celestia manipulated the magic, and this time she could see Twilight’s bones, some of which had a casting of stalgamite- a black, glasslike substance- around them. The bones in Twilight’s left wing, and both her legs were cast entirely in stalgamite, as were parts of her arms, and her entire right hand. Once more Celestia manipulated the magic, this time revealing her well developed muscle structure. Celestia’s attention was once more brought to Twilight’s left wing, which had a massive amount of scar tissue where it connected to her back. Another manipulation of magic revealed Twilight’s organs, and this time Celestia lost her already tedious self control at what she was seeing.

She released the X-ray spells, returning Twilight’s body back to normal, and stumbled to her knees in front of the waste basket, just in time for her to vomit up her entire day’s meal. Once she was done, Celestia wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand and slowly rose to her feet. Besides several organs with scar tissue, consistent with the scars on her skin, Twilight’s entire heart was covered in glowing blue runes and sigils, which was without doubt the source of her strong dark magic.

There was only one pony in existence who knew how to successfully perform such a ritual, and Twilight had spent the last thirty years of her life under his tutelage. Darklight.

Strong anger and rage, the likes of which she hadn’t experienced in nearly fifteen hundred years, spread throughout Celestia’s body like a raging fire and she had to clench her teeth hard in order to stop herself from screaming out in fury. She clenched her hands so tight, her fingernails drew blood, and Celestia focused on the pain in her palms to distract herself from the rising storm of fiery fury rising through her body.

Just thinking Darklight’s name caused Celestia’s body to flicker with angry flames. That miserable excuse of life had once again crossed an unforgivable line. He had corrupted her surrogate daughter with his darkness, but unlike Luna, there was no way Twilight could come back to the light. She was too far gone. Celestia’s gaze flickered to a table containing operating equipment, and she focused on the scalpel.

Thoughts of what she should have done to him so many years ago danced in Celestia’s mind like poison, and her gaze flickered to Twilight laying motionless on the gurney. How many lives would have been spared, had she acted against him so many years ago. How many years of light and friendship had been wasted because of her inaction. Celestia’s gaze flickered back to the scalpel, and it floated in the air surrounded by her golden aura of magic. The laws she had set for Equestria were crystal clear regarding the intolerance of dark magic, as were the punishments for those who used it.

The death penalty.

The scalpel moved closer to the form of pure darkness laying motionless and defencelessly on the table.

And then two words crossed her mind stopping the deadly blade in its path to Twilight’s throat.

Sunset Shimmer.

Celestia blinked several times at what she was doing, and with a cry of disgust she threw the scalpel across the room. She couldn’t believe what she had been about to do. For just a brief moment the pony she had been during Equestria’s darkest times had broken though her new personality, but she wasn’t that pony anymore. Sunset Shimmer was proof of her love and leniency towards her subjects. That unicorn was the living embodiment of her forgiveness. Tears stung Celestia’s eyes and left wet trails down her cheeks. She was no longer the pony she had been in the times of times of war, so why was she acting like that now?

The answer came clear to her. Because of the hatred she held towards him. She was willing to forgive Sunset Shimmer for her past transgressions, and she was willing to at least try and cure Twilight Sparkle of the darkness that she had been infected with. But he was too far beyond her forgiveness, he had done too many unforgivable things that he needed to answer for.

The door to the ICU slowly creaked open and Celestia spun around to berate whoever had the nerve to disturb her, she stopped herself when she noticed it was her sister Luna. Yet another victim of him.

“Art thou alright sister? We sensed thine emotional disturbance, even in our room.”

Celesita sighed and covered Twilight’s naked form with a hospital sheet. “I am very far from alright my dear Luna, but you needn’t worry yourself with my problems just yet. You yourself need some time to get over, and process what has happened this past day.”

Luna didn’t answer, instead she just stared at Twilight’s body. “Just before thine student and her friends used the Elements of Harmony on us, we fought with this alicorn, and she would have killed us were it not for the intervention of a demon we long ago trapped in Tartarus. Her magic and combative skills could have only been taught to her by one pony that we know of.”

Celestia looked away from her sister’s gaze. “You are correct in your assumptions, Luna, she was Darklight’s pupil for the last thirty years, it is for that reason I must insist you stay away from her until I have cured her.”

“We will obey thine wishes, sister, we owe thee that, and so much more.” Luna took another lingering glance at Twilight before turning and walking away. Celestia waited until she was out of sight before summoning a small wooden jewellery box from her personal chambers in Canterlot castle.

“Please forgive me for what I’m about to do Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia whispered softly. She opened the box revealing a pure white ring which she placed over Twilight’s horn. The ring was designed to inhibit the use of dark magic without affecting the wearer’s use of pure magic. It was the only way Celestia could, in good conscious, allow her student to stay in Equestria. But since Celestia knew Twilight had been trained by Darklight, binding her magic wouldn’t be enough to keep her placated, she needed to keep Twilight psychically restrained until she figured out the extent of her damages.

With a heavy heart, but knowing that it was necessary, Celestia walked to a cabinet that housed several thick leather restraints used on prisoners to keep them still, and the doctors safe, while they were being worked on. Celestia picked more restraints than what was technically necessary, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances. It was for that reason Celesita used her magic to activate the Royal Regent, and put the Wonder Bolts on security level Defcon one. Once Twilight was sufficiently restrained to Celestia’s satisfaction, she wheeled both her student and the IV stand out of the ICU and into the lobby where she found Sunset Shimmer sitting in the waiting room holding what looked like several heavy items bundled up in a black cloak.

Celestia’s brow creased with worry as she recognised the scent, and icy sensations, of dark magic coming from the bundle. But what really worried the princess was the fact that Sunset looked like she had been crying, and crying hard. Sunset’s eyes were extremely bloodshot, the fur on her cheeks were stained wet with tears, and she was sniffling as though she had a severe cold. The last time Celestia had seen her student in such an emotionally distraught state was four years ago when they had their falling out regarding her use of forbidden magic.

Sunset finally raised her gaze to look up at Celestia, who once again felt her blood run cold as she saw the dark blue dots speckled throughout Sunset’s normally teal eyes.

Sunset's lower lip quivered and she burst into tears at the sight of her mentor, whom she had once again betrayed. “P-please d-don’t hate me.”

Reunited - part 3

As Celestia stared into her student's watery and blue speckled eyes filled with so much regret and fear, she took in a deep shaky breath. In the space of one day, Nightmare Moon had returned and trapped her in a world of nightmares constructed in her own mind. She had then gotten her sister back in her true and pure form and found out that her long lost student had been under the influence of a deranged sociopath for the past decade. And now she had to deal with Sunset Shimmer, who had broken a very solemn vow she had made. It was becoming too much for Celestia.

“Aren’t you going to do something other than just stare at me?” Sunset asked in a uneven, nervous voice.

Not hesitating for a single moment, Celestia sat down next to Sunset Shimmer and softly pulled her distraught student into a soft, protective hug with one of her wings. Sunset Shimmer’s whole body stiffened at the unexpected, caring contact Princess Celestia was giving her and she gave her mentor a confused look, not understanding why she wasn’t being punished for using dark magic, as had been promised.

Celestia thoughts drifted to Twilight, who was no longer the innocent filly she had come to care for, but now a fully grown mare corrupted by one of the evilest and darkest stallions to have ever been born. She held Sunset Shimmer lovingly under her wing, not willing to let the unicorn leave her protective embrace ever again.

Sunset Shimmer was still looking at Celestia with confusion and the princess lowered her lips to Sunset’s forehead to give her student a loving kiss.

“Over the many years I’ve been alive in this world, I’ve come to learn that some special circumstances require love and care, in place of anger and retribution. Being angry with you now would only serve to create a possibly unrepairable rift between us. Make no mistake, Sunset Shimmer, we’ll be having a very long talk about your actions in the near future, but for now I’m just glad to be able hold my dear student and friend.”

Celestia nuzzled Sunset’s cheek and pulled her tighter into her embrace. Goddess, it felt good to have something so familiar to latch onto while she worked her way through this current whirlwind of craziness. Sunset Shimmer gave a little sniffle and nuzzled against Celestia’s neck.

Her next words were so faint, Celestia could barely hear them.

“Thank you, for not abandoning or hating me, Tia.”

Celestia squeezed her Sunset a bit tighter. “I could never bring myself to do that to you, Shimmers.”

Over time Celestia had come to appreciate and even embrace these little moments. They were a rare respite from life’s turmoils and struggles, a safe harbour where she could take refuge at and regroup, before continuing on her journey through the next rough patch. But no matter how much she wanted to stay in these harbors forever and not worry about anything else, she had to continue on her journey.

So it was with great reluctance, Celestia pulled away from Sunset Shimmer and made her way back to her other student, Twilight Sparkle, who was still in her unconscious state.

“Those objects you have, Sunset Shimmer, they’re from this pony, aren’t they?”

Celestia already knew the answer to her question, but she had to hear it being spoken out loud. She had to have her suspicions confirmed before she could do anything else to help Twilight find her way back to the light. And even though she was expecting the answer she got, it still wasn’t easy for her to hear.

“Yes they are” Sunset Shimmer said. “She had fallen unconscious after being critically wounded by some kind of animal I’ve never seen, or studied before. I could tell she was wielding extremely powerful dark magic, so I used my own knowledge and experience of dark magic to remove the armor she was channeling her powers through. I couldn’t risk her being loose in Equestria with that much power.”

Celestia held her hand out for the bundle. “They’ll need to be put someplace safe where they won’t be a danger to other ponies.”

Once Sunset had handed her everything, Celestia used her magic to send the objects to the vaults beneath Canterlot castle. Once the objects were gone, there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere of the room. The shadows no longer seemed so dark and dense, and the temperature became several degrees warmer.

Sunset Shimmer gave a tired yawn and was swaying unsteadily on her feet looking as though she was about to drop from fatigue at any moment. Celestia placed a steadying hand on Sunset’s shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

“Get some rest, Sunset. You’ve gone above and beyond in your duties towards Equestria and I. You deserve several days of rest and relaxation, without worrying about anything.” Sunset went to protest, but Celestia pressed a firm finger to her lips, effectively silencing her.

“This is an order, Sunset Shimmer. Once I’ve taken this pony to Canterlot castle’s secure medical center, I’ll be coming back for Luna. While I’m gone, have one of the doctors give you a checkup.” Once Celestia was sure her student was-albeit grudgingly-follow her orders and get some rest, she placed a hand on Twilight’s gurney and disappeared in a flash of golden light.

When Celestia reappeared in Canterlot castle, it was to a scene of chaos. Alarms were ringing on every floor and runes were flashing with red light, signaling for every pony to evacuate the castle. Ponies were rushing to the closest exit they could find and guards dressed in full body armor and equipped with swords, spears and daggers were lining through the halls and setting sentries on every corner. Through all the chaos, Celestia spotted the Wonderbolts doing their part by helping directing the flow of evacuating ponies.

Each of the pegasi was dressed in their blue flight outfits, but unlike their original flight suits for performing shows, these were their battle suits. Their battle suits were equipped with visored helmets. They also had thick combat boots meant to endure through all conditions and terrains. A metal gauntlet was strapped to each of their arms, which could be used as a shield to block swords and projectiles, such as arrows. Each of the Wonderbolts also carried their own preferred types of weapons and was extremely deadly in their combat effectiveness.

Spitfire flew over the crowd of evacuating ponies, landing beside Celestia.

“Your majesty, excuse my language, but what the buck is going on? Why are we on level Defcon one. Is the southern griffon kingdom invading?”

“No Spitfire, something has come out of Tartarus and until I can assess it properly I’m not taking any chances if it manages to escape. I need you to relocate your team and two dozen guards of the royal regent to the triple max security medical wing.”

With a quick salute, Spitfire took off and began redirecting her team and the two dozen guards of the royal regent to their newest post.

The triple max security medical center was located several floors below ground, each of the cells were surrounded by a steel cage with magically reinforced bars, six inches in diameter, and covering the outsides of the cage were sheets of thick glass, covered in runes, which neutralized all the powers of all magical things contained within them.

There were no doors, only an enchantment that allowed a pony to walk through the glass sheets and steel bars, if they had the proper key for the cell they were entering. The keys were nothing more than flat metal discs, each one branded with a different rune, to match a rune on each of the secure cells.

Celetia took one such key from the guard’s quarters and pressed it against the wall of the furthest cell to the exit. The surface of the glass rippled like water, and Celestia pushed Twilight’s gurney through the rippling glass, emerging safely on the other side.

The inside of the cell looked just like any other medical room. There was a bed which contained a lattice work of criss crossing thick leather restraints designed to keep a pony’s entire body immobile. Beside the bed was an IV stand, which Celestia began transferring Twilight’s saline and blood bags to, before placing Twilight in her new bed and restraining her properly.

Once she had triple checked that everything was in perfect order, Celestia pressed the metal disc against the glass once more, and walked through it to the other side, where the royal regent had just finished setting up at their posts.

Celestia took a deep breath and began giving her guards their instructions. “If the prisoner somehow escapes, your orders are to subdue her, lethal force should only be used as a last resort.” Celestia turned to Spitfire and her team. “That goes for you too. No lethal force unless absolutely necessary. I’ll be going back to Ponyville now, once the doctors and nurses get here, give them the key so they can perform a full checkup on the prisoner.”

Placing the key back in its proper place, Celestia once more teleported back to Luna’s room just as her sister was slipping out of her hospital gown.

It had been so long since Celestia had seen her sister’s naked body and for several moments she was taken completely off guard as she stared at Luna’s still perfect physique. Her sister’s breasts were large, firm and perky, her nipples becoming hard in the cold air they were suddenly exposed to. Luna’s entire body was still toned and developed to physical perfection from a lifetime of fighting demons and monsters and her hard muscles were covered by a thick layer of silky soft, dark blue fur.

The sight of her sister’s naked body caused long forgotten memories of lust and love filled nights spent in her sister’s embrace to rush through her mind and blood rushed to Celestia’s cheeks as she realized she was staring at her sister’s naked body for far too long.

“I’m sorry, Luna. I just came to take you to our new castle in Canterlot. I didn’t think you would be changing.”

Luna merely raised an eyebrow at Celestia’s reaction to seeing her naked. “Thou have changed, dear sister. Normally during times of peace, the sight of our naked form would entice thee into a night of passionate love making.”

Celestia swallowed nervously as she felt her wings twitching to flare open in a massive wingboner. Goddess help her, Luna was right, she was still so beautifully and sexually enticing, and a thousand years of being away from her sister did nothing to help calm the heat building between her legs.

Celestia shook her head to clear it from thoughts of taking and ravishing her sister then and there.

“We notice thou has gotten soft in our absence, dear sister.” Luna’s eyes lidded in a look of lust that Celestia only knew too well. “Not that we are complaining, the extra flesh on thine body is quite attractive and pleasing.”

Luna’s horn glowed and thin strands of weak magical energy began flowing around her body, forming a plain blue dress that flowed gracefully over her body, accentuating her curves perfectly.

“Doest thou approve?” Luna asked, turning around in a slow circle.

As Luna turned around, Celestia’s gaze was drawn to her sister’s flank, covered in skin tight blue silk and the princess knew she was going to have to take a cold shower as soon as possible.

“It is certainly much more comfortable against our body that that infernal itchy rag we were wearing before.”

“You look perfect, Luna.” Celestia shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to proceed into this new stage of her life.

“What bothers thee, sister?”

Celestia let out a long breath and sat down on the hospital bed, gesturing for Luna to do the same. Luna did so, unfurling and draping a wing around Celestia’s back. The sensation of being back under the protective embrace of her sister’s wing was so strange to Celestia, but after a few moments she relaxed into the warmth of Luna’s wing.

“I’m just worried about what the future will hold for us. So many things have happened today...”

Luna made a hushing noise and ran her fingers through her sister’s feathers. Celestia hummed quietly in pleasure, feeling her stress and worries melt away at Luna’s experienced touch.

“Whatever the future holds, dear sister, we will face it with thee. We will never again leave thine side.”

“You haven’t changed much, Luna.” Celestia ran a hand over her sister’s firm abdomen. “Everything feels so familiar...” Celestia’s hand stopped just before it reached Luna’s right breast.

Luna turned to face her. “Why do thou hesitate?”

Luna’s fingers found a particularly sensitive spot on Celestia’s wing, causing her to moan a bit louder as pleasure spiked through her body, stroking the strong fire building in her marehood.

“It has been too long since we have felt thine touch, sister. We have greatly missed being with thee.”

Celestia looked into Luna’s eyes and moaned as her sister found yet another pleasure point on her wing. Goddess, she missed those fingers.

“I didn’t want you to feel as though I was taking advantage of you.”

Luna moved closer to her sister so their muzzles were just barely touching. Celestia shivered as she felt Luna’s warm breath caress her face as she talked in a soft husky whisper.

“We have not experienced any kind of pleasure for a thousand years, dear sister. We will not wait a moment longer.”

Author's Note

This chapter is just a bit of calm before the storm. All the emotional drama you've been waiting for will be in the next chapter. As always, tell me what you think. And remember non constructive criticism will not be tolerated

Reunited - part 4

Darkness.

There was nothing to Twilight’s world but darkness. Even though she had been awake for the past half hour, Twilight Sparkle kept her eyes clenched tightly shut, least she be blinded by the bright light that surrounded and assaulted her senses.

Her armor was gone. The inhibitor ring she could sense around her horn was blocking access to whatever magic she could have used without her armor, leaving her completely powerless. This normally wouldn’t pose much of a problem for Twilight, she had been in, and escaped from, many desperate situations, but this was different. She was fully restrained to the point of not even being able to break one of her thumbs to slide her hand free, and to make things worse, she couldn’t open her eyes to survey her surrounding and plan out a potential escape route.

Twilight violently cursed Seraph, the third Lord of Tartarus who had blinded her with his poison. Darklight had done all he could to restore her vision, but even with all his knowledge and powers, her vison still remained very sensitive to even the smallest amounts of light. But if she had access to even a small part of her powers, she could have used a spell to guard her eyes against the light. But for now, she kept them tightly closed.

Twilight once more tried to budge, but the restraints around her body left her completely immobile.

Somepony was going to pay dearly for this.

Twilight took several deep breaths to calm her mind. Now wasn’t the time for anger, she had to keep calm and figure out a way out of this mess. She may not have been be able to see, but she still had her other senses. To her left, at least two feet away was a machine that gave a loud beep in time with her heart. To her right, several feet away she could hear somepony shuffling around rearranging a few things, and judging by the slight musk she could smell, the pony was a middle aged stallion. He had a slight limp, evident by the uneven gait she heard in his walk.

Twilight took another long deep breath and finally found something worth noting. The subtle scent of magic. And judging by its sour, slightly bitter scent, the magic was most likely runes used to nullify a pony’s powers. Twilight gritted her teeth in anger. She had barely been in this land for two days and during that time she had done nothing to warrant its inhabitants to keep her a prisoner.

They had also stolen her possessions, and cut her off from her magic.

Somepony was going to pay dearly for this indeed.

Twilight’s whole body stiffened as she felt something extremely sharp prick her skin, and several moments later, she lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

Celestia gave a tired, but contented groan as she was awoken from the world of sleep by skillful fingers playing with her wings. She had a vague recollection of making out with Luna in the hospital room before teleporting them both to her room in Canterlot castle. After that, it was just a foggy recollection of intense love making, as she showed Luna just how sorry she was for subjecting her to a thousand years on the moon.

But now matter how much she enjoyed being with Luna once more, Celestia knew she had to find a way to tell her sister this could never happen again as it would a political nightmare if word ever got out they were having a sexual relationship. Back in the old days when they had been freeing Equestria from the horrors of Tartarus, they had used love making as a way to show just how much they meant to each other. It was also a way to help keep them focused whenever they were going through their heat cycles. But most importantly, it also helped connect her to Luna on a much deeper level. But in this day and age, ponies didn’t understand the many subtleties and meanings in this kind of relationship, and it saddened Celestia that she had to try and find a way to tell Luna this was their last special night together.

“Thou art troubled, sister,” Luna said softly as her dexterous fingers preened her wings to perfection. “We can sense thine emotions much stronger now, tell us what is bothering thee so much.”

Celestia closed her eyes and took let out a long breath before turning over onto her back so she could look her sister in the eyes.
“A lot of things have changed in your absence Luna.” Celestia took in a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart. “Things that were once sacred between us are now extremely frowned upon in this modern age.” Another deep breath. Could Celestia do this? Did she have the heart and the courage to tell her sister that their deep emotional and spiritual bond with each other born from their lovemaking was going to have to come to an end because of this society’s views on such things?

Even now she could sense Luna’s worry, confusion and unease. And Celestia knew Luna could sense her hesitation and sadness, it was making her sister fidget nervously on the bed beside her. Wanting to put Luna’s mind at rest, Celestia pulled her into a soft kiss, and slowly but surely, she could feel Luna’s negative emotions flow away and be replaced with feelings of peace and comfort.

Celestia made up her mind then and there that she wouldn’t take their relationship away from Luna, at least not until her sister had become used to this modernized Equestria. Celestia pulled back and gazed lovingly into Luna’s eyes. “We can talk about this at a later date, sister. For now, I must raise the sun.”

Celestia stepped gracefully out of bed and flung open the heavy curtains covering the massive windows in her room. Outside, shining brightly, was Luna’s former prison spilling its silvery light over Equestria. Thankfully, the guilt that had plagued her every time she looked at the moon was no longer there.

Luna stepped up beside her and Celestia drew a wing around her sister pulling her close. “Thou has done a good job in creating the night sky in our absence dear sister.”

An amused smile formed on Celestia’s muzzle. “You should have seen the mess I made of your night sky in the first five hundreds years of losing you.” Celestia felt Luna’s amusement surge through her body, before a giggle escaped from her sister’s throat.

“Thou has forgotten the Ursa Major constellation goes over in the west over white tail woods.” Celestia groaned in embarrassment as she realized just how badly she screwed up. How many astrology books and star map charts were going to have to be destroyed and updated. Thankfully Luna informed her she didn’t mind the new location of the constellation, causing Celestia to give a huge sigh of relief.

Celestia’s horn glowed brightly with fire and several moments later the same fiery aura surrounded the moon, and it began lowering slowly down the horizon, as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. Once dawm was well and truly on its way, Celestia released her magic from the sun and moon and pulled Luna even closer to her until their dark and light fur were intermingling.

“I have a request to ask of thee, sister.” Celestia said in a serious tone. Luna sensed her sister’s previous amusement fade somewhat, only to be replaced with a more serious sense of purpose.

“What is it thou wish to ask of me, sister?”

“I wish for you to remain in my chambers for the day. There is a serious matter I must deal with today and I have no wish for you to be unnecessarily stressed out. This a strange new world for you, one which you need to be introduced to slowly. So please, just for today, stay in here.”

Luna gave a resolute nod. “We will follow thine wishes dear sister. Besides we need to catch up on more sleep, last night’s activities left us drained, tired, and somewhat sore. Go attend to thine royal matters of seriousness.” Luna stepped away from her sister’s embrace and Celestia’s gaze followed those moon adorned flanks until they reached the bed where Luna flopped unceremoniously onto it. The princess of the night gave a brief moan of pleasure as she snuggled into the soft silky sheets and muttered something about beds being so much better these days.

Celestia smiled to herself as she walked to her wardrobe to pick an outfit out for the day.It must have been a pleasant surprise for Luna, going from sleeping mostly on the ground or on lumpy mattresses filled with hay, to sleeping on beds filled with feathers and covered in silky sheets. Celestia selected a gold silk dress and slipped it over her shimmying it over her waistso that it hugged all her curves just right.

Before she walked out of the room Celestia slipped into her royal persona pushing all her emotions to the back of her mind where they would sit until she once again in private. Luna’s head popped up from where she head buried beneath a mound of soft pillows and she gave Celestia a curious look.

“How did thou doest that?”

“Practice my dear sister, born of the need to exert extreme patience while having to deal with the brain dead nobles of this country. It is only by a sheer miracle I haven’t already snapped and pulled their heads off just to see if they do in fact have anything in their heads other than a whole bunch of dry sand. Trust me sister, I cannot wait for you to start resuming your night court. Goddess knows I need a break from these imbeciles.”

Luna gave her confused look, which perfectly mirrored the feelings of confusion Celestia could sense running around Luna’s mind. With a brief chuckle to herself, Celestia bid her sister goodbye and exited the room. Her first order of business was to visit Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight’s mind was groggy and blurry from whatever drugs or posions her captor were putting into her and it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay focused and awake. But a lifetime spent with Darklight who had forced her to become immune to most poisons in the Dark Realm made it so she could stay awake for brief amounts of time.

During those times awake, Twilight had come to learn that she was in some kind of secure medical facility, designed to treat prisoners considered an extremely high threat. And while Twilight didn’t disagree with the assessment of her captors regrading her threat level, she did disagree with their treatment of her.

She had done nothing to warrant this imprisonment, nor had she done anything to warrant having her powers taken away. That still irked her immensely. But what she was more worried about was her satchel and the book it contained. If her captors knew anything of the powers it contained there was no telling what damage could be done to this world. Or worse, if Garro had gotten it into his possession, only Darlight would be able to take down the Fifth Lord of Tartarus, and she had no desire to summon him from Tartarus, not after she had betrayed him like that. So getting that book after she escaped was her first priority, getting her armor and weapons back was a close second, then she needed to kill Garro once and for all, then find someplace to hide and live away from others.

But first, she needed to escape. And she had the perfect plan.

Walking down the halls of Canterlot castle which were empty except for the guards of the royal regent was more than a little strange to Celestia. She grown use to the hustle and bustle of a busy castle, but right now she couldn’t afford to have any innocent bystanders in the same proximity of somepony trained their whole lives by Darklight. It was extremely unlikely Twilight would be able to escape from the secure medical wing, but she had seen firsthand just how skilled Darklight was in the art of escaping from impossible situations.

She also remembered the terrible and bloody messes that became of his captors after he had escaped. So it was for that reason she had evacuated the castle, and it would remain that way until Celestia had talked to her former student and explain everything.

Celestia was only one floor above the secure medical wing, but before she went down the next flight of stairs she took a moment to compose herself. Any sign of emotional distress or weakness would give Twilight the upper hand in the coming interrogation and she needed every advantage she could get when dealing with somepony who spent so much time under Darklight’s training.

Celestia briefly wandered if Twilight had been taught the finer arts of psychological manipulation, she had seen Darklight disable entire armies just by speaking to the commanding officers. Though with the threats he often used against the generals, Celestia wasn’t surprised they were more than eager to disband their attacks on Equestria.

Though it was hard to imagine the sweet innocent filly she once knew making such threats, the reality of the situation was clear to her. This mare was no longer her sweet innocent student. She was a creature of darkness raised in Tartarus by Darklight who knew nothing about innocence or love, so she needed to be treated with great caution. Say the wrong thing and she may never be able to get Twilight to agree with her plan. It would be like walking on a frozen lake.
Celestia came to the thick metal door and used her magic to open it. Before she stepped in however, she took a moment to make sure Luna was still okay. And judging from the serene feelings of peace she could sense in her sister she was more than likely asleep.

Celestia walked into the guard room where the Wonderbolts were busy playing some sort of card game and selected the key to Twilight’s cell. Spitfire Soarin looked up at Celestia curiously and she gave him a negetve gesture. She didn’t want anypony else in that room with her.

The guards of the royal regent were standing as still as statues as Celestia walked past them to Twilight’s cell. She pressed the key against the surface of the glass which once more rippled like water, allowing her to step through it and into Twilight’s room.

The purple alicorn raised her head and Celestia noticed she was keeping her eyes tightly closed.

Celestia had so many questions she needed answers to, but she refrained herself from asking them until she had built a rapport with her student.

“Hello Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said in a warm welcoming voice. “I’m sure you’re extremely confused at the moment.” Twilight Sparkle remained silent, so Celestia continued. “First and foremost, I apologize for this treatment you’re going through. But I’m afraid it is a necessary precaution I had to take to ensure the safety of my citizens.”

Twilight let out a small unamused snarl. “Did I do anything to threaten your citizens?”

“No, but I’m sure somepony like you understands the importance of neutralizing a potential threat.”

Celestia watched closely as Twilight’s body relaxed slightly, and the snarl disappeared from her muzzle. So, Darklight had taught her his beliefs of taking out potential threats before they become a problem. He would have also no doubt throughly drove the point home so it was more of a basic instinct. Celestia took a deep breath, she had to know more.

“I also apologize for taking away your magic, but once again it was a necessary precaution.”

Twilight tilted her further in Celestia’s direction. “I’m not worried about that, by the end of this conversation you’ll be giving me back everything you stole from me, and releasing me from this cell.”

Celestia’s lips pursed thoughtfully. She had not been expecting that, but nonetheless she recovered quickly. “You seem so sure about that.”

This time Twilight turned her head fully in Celestia’s direction, and even though her eyes were closed she could still sense the cold glare Twilight was giving her. “I am sure about that.” Twilight turned away from her looking back up at the celling. “And the reason I’m sure you’ll be giving me my powers back is because I’m the only one in this realm who can save Equestria from something that is far worse then me.”

A cold smile formed on Twilight’s muzzle. “That is of course you want to save your precious subjects from horrible deaths.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she realized Twilight was using psychological manipulation on her. Twilight was first going to present her with an impossible situation that could only be solved by her, but in order to do so she needed access to her powers. The only problem was, discerning if there was any truth in what she was being told.

“And what threat to my subjects are you talking about.”

Twilight’s cold smile grew wider. “I’m talking about Garro, the Fifth Lord of Tartarus, and master of snow and ice. Now before you go and send some of your soldiers, or even yourself to your deaths trying to bring down Garro, I want you to think of all the lives that could have been saved if you had simply released me and given me back my armor and weapons. No matter how powerful you think you are princess, I can assure you, Garro will kill and destroy anything you can send at him. The Elements of Harmony might be able to stop him. But because they are being wielded by ponies with no battle experience, it is likely they will die in their attempts.”
Twilight once more turned to face her. “Are you really willing to let so many of your beloved subjects die before you realize you’ve had the perfect weapon here all along. Make no mistake princess, ponies will die, and their blood will be on your hands because of your inability to properly understand and accept the importance of dark magic.”

Celestia moved closer tot he bed and gazed down into Twilight’s closed eyes. Twilight tilted her head curiously at her. “I do understand dark magic Twilight, possibly more than you do. Its purpose is to bring nothing but destruction and death. I have seen no good in the practice of dark magic. The wielders of such powers care for none of the lives they destroy. They care for none of the suffering they bring to this world. They care for nothing but death and destruction.”

Twilight’s snarl returned with a vengeance. “How could you say that?” Twilight hissed venomously. “Darklight told me of the time Equestria was fighting for survival against the demons of Tartarus. He told me of all the times he saved you and your sister’s lives. And if it weren’t for dark magic fighting on your side, Equestria would be nothing but a barren wasteland.”

“I do not deny that dark magic was pivotal in the salvation of Equestria, but Darklight was also responsible for the deaths of so many innocent lives. He once used a death curse to kill an entire village of ponies that one of the Lords had taken hostage. Darklight was just as evil and twisted as the demons we were fighting. But you’re not, I can tell there is still some good in you Twilight Sparkle. It is the same goodness I saw when you were my student, I have faith that I can get that goodness to grow once more.”

Twilight chuckled mirthlessly. “That’s a very sweet thought princess, but it won’t solve the current problem of Garro roaming freely through Equestria. I’ve already injured quite severely, let me go after him and end him altogether.”

A smile grew on Celestia’s face as she realized she could use this request to her advantage. Of course this ideas was completely hinged on whether or not Darklight had taught Twilight his belief on the importance of keeping her word.

“I’m willing to grant you your request Twilight. But only on several conditions.”

“Name them.”

“I need your word that you will not use your powers in any other manner than to hunt down and stop Garro. You will also need to agree to putting a blocking spell on your powers that will be controlled by student Sunset Shimmer. You must also swear to me that you will not harm any innocent creatures pony or otherwise. And most importantly, you must agree to being re-taught pure magic, and the magic of friendship. Swear to me in no uncertain terms that you will do this with your full efforts and I will give you back everything that was taken.

Twilight’s smile grew more sincere. “I swear to obey everyone of your conditions to my fullest ability. I will only break this vow if it threatens my one rule.” Twilight’s voice and face grew grim. “If anypony fucks with me, or my loved ones, I’ll be going after them, and I’ll be bringing hell with me.”

Reunited - part 5

Celestia remained silent while she processed the words Twilight had just spoken. It was the very same beliefs and ideals that Darklight had lived and fought for during the war that decided the fate of Equestria’s very soul, and there was no doubt in her mind that he had also ingrained those same ideals and beliefs deep into Twilight’s very survival instincts.
　　For several long moments Celestia made no move to release Twilight from her bonds. She so desperately wanted to believe that her former student would keep her word and stick to the conditions of her release, but Darklight had no doubt also taught her the finer points of using lies and manipulation to achieve whatever goals she set out to accomplish. So Celestia knew there was no way she could ever properly could trust Twilight.
　　The princess let out a heavy sigh. This had not been how she had imagined her reunion with her student would go. Truth be told, she had long given up hope of ever seeing her surrogate daughter again, but on some nights when her pillows were stained with tears of heartache she allowed herself to slip into a fantasy where she was once again holding her small and innocent filly in a love filled hug of comfort and reassurance. Even now, Celestia had to resist the strong maternal urge to run a hand through Twilight's mane and tell her everything was going to be okay. She wanted, no, needed, to somehow let Twilight know that she was still loved and cared for.
　　But this Twilight was no longer the sweet and innocent filly she had once known. This Twilight was… Celestia didn't even want to think about what her student was now. She had to focus on what Twilight had the potentional to be if she was shown-and had the chance to experience-the purifying magic of friendship. She had to show and teach Twilight that there was now much more to her existence than darkness and death.
　　Luna had been a good pony before she gave into the darkness of Nightmare Moon, just as Twilight had been a good pony before being sucked into Tartarus and corrupted by Darklight’s evilness. So there was still hope for her, just as there had been hope for Luna. And even if Twilight couldn't remember anything about her former life in Equestria, Celestia was confident she could find the light her once faithful student had long lost. To do that, she had be the first pony in this new relationship to show the other trust.
　　So it was with shaky and hesitant hands that Celestia began untying the leather restraints that kept Twilight immobile. While she worked to free her student, she noticed Twilight's muscles tensing and un-tensing. Twilight was no doubt thinking of the best way to attack and kill her as soon as her limbs were free. But Celestia ignored this and continued untying the alicorn, regardless of the threat she posed to her life. She had to show Twilight a certain amount of trust if she was ever going to truly get through to her.
　　After a while, Twilight finally spoke once more. "You actually care about me, don’t you princess?" her voice was low and soft, but mostly curious. "I can’t remember anything of my life before I was trapped in Tartarus. But Darklight was always constantly reminding me I had another home outside of the Dark Realm. He kept promising that one day when it was time for me to return back home, he would find a way to free me and get me back there." Twilight turner her head so her closed eyes met Celestia's gaze. "On my fourteenth birthday, I had completely lost all the memories of my life before Tartarus so that world meant nothing to me.” Twilight's voice now had a colder and sharper edge to its tone. "But you obviously know and care about me, even if I don’t know anything about you outside of the history books I’ve read. So What was I to you? Why do you care so much about me?"
　　When Celestia had undone the last strap restraining Twilight, she braced herself for any possible attack. But none came. Twilight just laid there on the hospital bed, as still and peaceful as a frozen lake. "I asked you a question princess!" Twilight snarled angrily. "Why do you care about me so much? Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance. Darklight told me how much you hate and despise those who use dark magic. So why don't you hate me?"
　　Celestia smiled kindly, and tried to softly run her fingers through Twilight’s mane in an attempt to comfort and placate her. Twilight flinched away from the approaching hand whimpering loudly and moving her whole body as far away from the princess’s touch. Celestia had to blink away burning tears forming behind her eyes and take in a much needed deep, calming, breath. Once she was sure she could talk without her voice cracking with emotions she began answering Twilight’s questions. "Ten years ago, I chose you as my personal student, and you were quite possibly the most powerful unicorn I've ever had the pleasure of teaching. But you were also much more than a student to me. You were my daughter. You held a very special place in my heart, one that has never healed since the day I lost you."
　　Twilight clenched her closed eyes tighter shut and took in a deep shaky breath. "I don't want to hear anymore of this." A tear glistened on her cheek and when she spoke again, her voice was nothing more than a cold, dark, whisper filled with icy hatred directed towards Celestia. "If I meant so much to you, if I was so special," Twilight took in another shaky breath and her voice was beginning to break with emotion. "Then why the fuck didn’t you come for me. If you loved me as much as you claim, why didn't you tear through the walls of Tartarus and pull me from that world of nightmares?"
　　Twilight’s viscous attack came out of nowhere, and Celestia suddenly felt hands wrap around her throat, and slamming her hard against one of the glass walls behind her. Twilight’s grip around Celestia’ neck tightened, cutting off the brain’s blood and oxygen supply. Celestia feebly tried to pry Twilight’s fingers from around her throat, but their grip was like iron and her strength was waning with every second.
　　The royal guards began rushing to their princess’s aid, but Celestia waved them off, not willing to risk any of them being killed by Twilight while she was in a state of such unstable emotions.
　　"You have no idea how much I now hate you, princess!" Twilight pulled her forward before slamming her against the glass wall once more. Celestia desperately fought against the darkness spreading on the edges of her vision that threatened to pull her into unconsciousness. "What else did I leave behind in this world?" Tears were now freely rolling down Twilight's cheeks. "Did I leave behind any family? Do I even have a family here?"
　　Celestia tried to reply but all that came out was a desperate gasp for some much needed air. Twilight suddenly became quiet and extremely still, and her face turned into an emotionless, unreadable mask. She released her grip from around from Celestia's throat and let the princess fall to the ground in an untidy heap. Celestia was able to get to her knee and suck in massive lungfuls of air that Twilight’s hands had denied to her "After I've taken care of Garro, you and I are going to have a very long talk, princess, and you better have some very good answers for my questions.”
　　"Twilight."
　　"I said, we will talk later, princess."
　　Celestia flinched at the soft, but intense, voice of her student. It was far too similar to the way Darklight talked when he was angry. She would have preferred screams of rage and hatred, then the emtionless tone of Twilight's voice. But she knew that beneath Twilight's calm exterior, still similar to that of a frozen lake, there was a massive rushing current of negative emotions ready to be unleashed in a fit of fury at whatever was unlucky enough to be her enemy.
　　Twilight turned to face the princess once more, her expression still a completely unreadable mask. "We need to get started now. Take this inhibitor ring off my horn, unlock this cell, and take me to my armor. I'll stick to the conditions you have set, but if we're going to do this, we're going to do it my way."
　　Celestia stood on shaky legs-still breathing heavily from the lack of oxygen-and picked the key to the cell up off of the ground. She tried to meet the closed eyes of her student, but Twilight ruffled her wings and began swishing her tail with anger, before she looked away from her. Celestia did’t say anything as she placed the key to the cell against the glass wall and walked out through its rippling surface. Nor did she bother reminding Twilight that she was still naked when she walked out the medical jail cell. Something as inconsequential as modesty meant nothing to somepony like Twilight, especially when they were consumed by their missions.
　　Twilight followed Celestia out of the medical cell glaring icy daggers of hatred at the back of the princess’s head. It took all her training and will power not to give into the strong and intense feeling of heartbreak, betrayal and abandonment and snap the princess’s neck. Not even the presence of twenty-strongly armed-royal guards staring in shock at her exposed body was enough to deter Twilight from killing the pony who had left her to an hellish exitance of pain and fear.
　　But she had made a vow to the princess, and if she wanted the inhibitor ring on her horn removed and armor back, she had to keep her word. Because nothing else mattered but getting her armor back and killing Garro. The Fifth Lord of Tartarus had been a thorn in her side for far too long. It was time for her to remove it permanently.

The Hunt - part 1

Sunset Shimmer strode purposefully through the opens doors of Celestia’s throne room her footsteps echoing around the vast room. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of her mentor sitting on the on the throne, a cold hatred for the pony burned deeply in her eyes. Two years she had spent preparing for this moment, two years of unrelenting studying, practicing and deception were finally coming together in one perfect moment. It had been extremely difficult keeping her studies of dark magic a secret from the princess, and there had been many times when she had once again been caught.

“Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia greeted with that annoyingly loving voice of hers. It grated almost painfully on her nerves. “What can I do for you?”

Sunset gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly, still continuing her stride to the throne. Celestia frowned with confusion at Sunset, noticing a definite change in her. Her lips turned up into an amused smile at the princess’s ignorance. The princess still didn’t know her world was about to come crushing down around her. Sunset’s horn glowed with electric blue energy and a circle of blue runes with a six foot diameter carved themselves into the floor around her feet. She shivered violently as an icy coldness spread throughout her entire body like a raging river of ice.

Celestia was instantly on her feet, her own horn and hands glowing with her fiery aura of magic. “Sunset Shimmer! What have you done? This is forbidden magic you’re wielding!”

Sunset snarled and she tapped one of the runes with her foot, it’s magic flowed through her muscles making them stronger and more powerful. She ran forward, the circle of runes at her feet flowing along the ground beneath her.

“Sunset Shimmer! Stop!” Celestia’s magic flared and a massive wall of flames surrounded Sunset in an encompassing circle. “You promised me you had stopped studying this magic!” Celestia’s flames descended on Sunset who dove through the magefire unscathed and enveloped the princess in a dark blue aura keeping her trapped in place as she crashed into her. They both smashed through the throne in a shower of stone rubble. Sunset bought her fist down on Celestia’s face with enough force from her magically enhanced strength to crack the marble floor around her head.

“I understand why you didn’t want anyone to discover those tomes and spell books buried in the Canterlot vaults.” Sunset hit her again keeping her dazed. “Anyone who deciphered the rituals and spells would gain enough power to overthrow you, and take the throne for themselves.”

“Sunset, please! Stop!” Celestia’s pleas fell on deaf ears and she gave a pained whimper as Sunset hurled to her feet by the scruff of her neck. A pillar of blue light suddenly erupted from the runes at Sunset’s feet enveloping both mares. Celestia was the only one to scream in tortured pain as her magic and strength was ripped from her body.

Sunset slammed her into the ground causing the polished marble to crack once more. Celestia lay there gasping and panting for breath that wouldn’t come. She looked up at Sunset pleading with her eye that wasn’t bruised and swollen shut. Sunset grabbed the base of her horn. “It took me a while to decipher the books, but after two years I finally did it. In a way that makes me better than you. You’ve had them for generations, and never once thought to harness the power you had at your fingertips.”

“Please, don’t...” Celestia uselessly pleaded once more.

Sunset’s smile became more colder. “And just to think, if you were more open to the darker kinds of magic, you may have actually defeated me tonight and wouldn’t be at my mercy, with me merciless.” Tendrils of magic wrapped tightly around Celestia’s neck and hurled the princess to her feet. The alicorn gave a strangled choke and her eyes widened as she felt the life being squeezed from her. Just before she blacked out, the tendrils dispersed and she dangled weakly from the grip Sunset still had around the base of her horn.

“I’m not going to kill you, Celestia.” Sunset’s grip tightened around the base of Celestia’s horn,

“Sunset...” Blood gurgled from Celestia’s mouth and spattered to the floor. “Please. No...” The princess’s begging was turned into a loud scream of pure agony as Sunset snapped her horn off.

With nothing holding her up, and too weak to stand on her own. Celestia was forced to drop to her hands and knees in front of her corrupted student. Sunset knelt down in and tilted the broken princess’s head up so that their gazes met.
“No, I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to keep you as my pet.” Sunset backhanded her former mentor across the face sending her sprawling across the ground. “A very badly treated pet so everypony will know I am the most powerful mage in Equestria. The only pony to ever defeat Princess Celestia.” An etherial dagger formed in Sunset’s hand and to add insult to injury she slit the dress from Celestia’s body leaving her lying there broken and naked. “Maybe I’ll even parade you around Canterlot on a leash and collar.” She giggled.

“Sunset?” Celestia said softly, looking up at the unicorn with tears pouring from her eyes.

“Yes, Pet?”

Celestia looked away sobbing quietly. “Please, forgive me for what I am about to do.” Sunset opened her mouth to laugh, only to give a startled yelp as a massive pulse of pure magical energy sent her flying across the room. She got back to her feet just time to see Celestia’s entire body turn from flesh and blood, into pure fire...

And Solar Flare began walking towards the darkmage.

.
“Sunset wakeup!”

Solar Flare raised both her hands at Sunset sending twin streams of flames at her. Sunset tapped one of her runes and a shield of blue energy rose in front of her blocking the lethal flames. The shield only lasted for a few seconds under the violent storm of flames before it started cracking. Sunset gritted her teeth and teleported to the other side of the room just as her shield shattered and the wall behind where she had been melted.

“It’s just a nightmare wakeup!”

The circle of runes under Sunset’s feet flowed over her body and formed an etherial broad sword in her right hand. Solar Flare turned around and tiled her head curiously at Sunset as though studying something that mildly interested her. Sunset snarled and ran forward slashing the etherial sword at Solar’s throat. Solar spun around evading the attack and aiming a kick at Sunset’s head. Sunset ducked, but was taken off her feet as a stream of flames erupted from Solar’s foot and hit her in the chest. She rolled several meters before coming to a painful stop. Smoke, and the smell of burned flesh and fur rose from her chest. Solar Flare raised her arm once more and sent a stream of flames towards her.

“WAKEUP!” Spike’s voice and his constant shaking finally broke through to Sunset’s sleeping consciousness. She suddenly gasped awake and fell out of bed, wrapping her arms around her young drake’s shoulders holding him close. “S-Spike? I-I...” A choked sob stopped her words and she began crying. She nuzzled into the crook of Spike’s neck taking comfort from the coolness of his scales. If anyone was going to understand what she was suffering through it was him. He had been with her since the start and he knew her better then anyone else could ever hope to.

“It was just another nightmare.” Spike’s clawed hand stroked through Sunsets mane giving her comforting pets as he continued reassuring her. “It wasn’t real. Just a nightmare.”

“I-I used dark magic again, Spike!”

Spike was silent for several moments, and he wrapped his arms around Sunset hugging her tightly. “I think we still have some Folaria leaves left over from the stash Celestia gave us when we came to ponyville. Want me to make it into some tea for you.”

Sunset pulled back wiping away her tears and giving Spike a thankful smile. “That sounds good. I’ll need it before the
headaches set in.” Spike hugged her comfortingly for a few more moments and with another loving pet through her mane he walked downstairs to the kitchen. Sunset levitated the sheets, damp from her profuse sweating during her nightmare, into the laundry basket for washing later. The bed was also stained with a large damp spot of sweat and she merely leaned it against the wall in the sunlight, not caring enough at the moment to do anything more about it.

She walked to her desk and started writing a letter to the princess asking for help. “Dear Celestia, last night I had another...” She bit her bottom lip and walked out of the room leaving the letter unfinished. The princess was no doubt busy dealing with her returned sister, the new alicorn and no doubt a dozen other problems that came with ruling Equestria, Sunset didn’t need to burden her any further.

Sunset entered the kitchen just as Spike took the pot of boiling water off the stove and poured it into a cup filled with dried out leaves. She wrinkled her nose at the strong bitter smell of Folaria and sat down at the table. “A-are you angry at me Spike?”
Spike glanced in confusion at Sunset as he picked up the sugar container and began pouring half its contents into the Folaria tea. “Of course not, Sunset. Why?” The coffee powder was next, and Sunset’s mouth watered as almost a dozen heaped tablespoons were dumped into the cup.

“I was a mess the last time I was in recovery from using dark magic. And you were the one who mainly took care of me.” She gave a little sniffle still feeling guilty for betraying her promise to Celestia. “I-I don’t want you to think I’m being selfish for putting you through that again.”

“Of course I’m not mad, Sunset.” Spike placed the cup of Folaria tea in front of her. The copious, and potentially, lethal doses of sugar and coffee helped to mask the bitter smell of the Folaria, but Sunset still grimaced from the scent. “I’m sure whatever reason you had for using that magic was perfectly justified.”

Sunset just stared down at the steaming cup in front of her. “Not to Celestia. I could see the disappointment in her eyes when I told her what I had done. To her there’s no justification for using dark magic. She’s just not punishing me because I’m her student.” With a little sigh of resignation she took a sip of the Folaria tea and gagged at the still extremely bitter taste of the Folaria that the coffee and sugar did little to disguise. Still, they made the aftertaste of the tea less unpleasant.

Spike sat in the chair next to her hugged her comfortingly like he had done so many times before in the past. “I’m sure Celestia is only disappointed of your choice to use dak magic. Not disappointed in you. She loves you.”
Sunset gave his scaly cheek an affectionate nuzzle. “Thanks Spike, You’ve always known how to make me feel better. And thanks again for looking after me. I know it can’t be easy seeing me like this.”

“I’ll get you an icepack in case you start getting headaches.” Spike left her with a reassuring hug and went off to get he promised ice pack. She began feeling much calmer as the folaria tea worked its way through her body calming her nerves and helping her to relax. Ever since she had given up her practice of dark magic there was still some tiny part of her buried deep down in her subconscious that wanted that extreme power back. It wanted to once again feel the icy coldness flowing through her veins. It wanted last night’s dreams of bringing Princess Celestia to her knees to come true and prove to everypony that she, and only she, was the most powerful mage in Equestria. Every second she spent denying this part of her made her hurt. Sometimes the pain was merely a headache, sometimes she spent hours, even days throwing up from strong stomach cramps. The only reason she was still here, and alive, was the love, support and friendship she got from Spike, Celestia, and her five friends. Sunset took another drink of her tea to quiet the unwanted thoughts in her mind.

Taking a deep calming breath she walked to the fire place in and began stacking it with some left over wood from the winter season to help fight back the cold that was slowly creeping through the library.
Sunset frowned in confusion and put the pieces of wood back in their proper place. Summer had just started. There would be no reason for everything to feel so different and cold. She slowly stood up suddenly wary of her environment. The shadows were darker then they had any right to be. And despite the warmth outside of a summer’s afternoon, her breath was hanging in thick clouds of mist. Only dark magic would cause such drastic changes, and she wasnt the one using it.

Sunset’s right hand instantly crackled with teal energy and she spun around to see the purple alicorn step out of the shadows with Celestia held tightly in one arm and a knife made of shadows pressed against the princess’s throat. “Sunset,” Celestia said softly and calmly. “Do nothing. Everything is fine. Twilight just wants to talk.”

Twilight merely stared calmly and coldly at her not seeming at all bothered by the magic crackling in her hand. Sunset licked her lips nervously. She was in no way ready to even think about taking Twilight down. Not unless she drowned herself in dark magic. That thing buried deep down in her subconscious purred, edging her on to take down Twilight with dark magic. Sunset lowered her hand and let the magic go out.

“Alright, let’s talk.”

Celesitia looked very tired and stressed sitting at the table nursing a hot cup of tea. Her normally beautiful wings were an extremely untidy mess of feathers some of which were twisted and broken, and there was a dark bruise around her neck no doubt from when Twilight put her in a sleeping hold. Sunset scowled and gave the statue like pony standing in the shadows a cold glare. Twilight hadn’t moved an inch ever since she had taken up her position in the corner of the room, she just stood there watching everything with blue flecked violet eyes. Celestia placed a calming hand on Sunset’s shoulder.

“Do not worry Sunset, I’m fine. Twilight Sparkle for now is our ally and is here to help us stop a powerful threat to Equestria.”
Sunset didn’t move her scowling glare away from the armored pony standing silently in the corner. “What threat, Princess? And why did you give her back her armor? She’s clearly dange...”

Celestia raised a hand stopping Sunset before she could finish her sentence. “Ten years ago, Twilight Sparkle was my student before you. A terrible accident involving a misfired spell opened a rift from this reality and into a very dark place. Tartarus. This place is ruled by seven lords each one more powerful then the next. Garro, the Fifth Lord of Tartarus, has escaped from this place. He was the creature you fought on the night of my sister’s return. This creature is very dangerous and must to be stopped before he can gain any power in Equestria. I’ll be helping both you and Twilight with this Endeavor

Sunset frowned in concern and licked her lips nervously. “What about the Elements of Harmony? Can’t we use them to stop this Garro?”

Celestia smiled and comfortingly ran a hand through Sunset’s mane. “If it was just Luna and I wielding the Elements then yes, we could use them. But you and your friends are not properly equipped to handle something like this. The only reason I’m asking you to come with me is because I need somepony I can trust to make sure Twilight doesn’t use her powers for anything other than stopping Garro.” Celestia pulled a small piece of parchment with a complex rune drawn on its surface from her pocket and handed it to Sunset. “If Twilight needs to be bought under control, destroy this rune, it will activate a strong binding spell I have placed on her magic. Only use it if she strays from her purpose of stopping Garro.”

Twilight still didn’t move or make any objections. She just stood there watching. Sunset got the distinct impression Twilight wasn’t worried about the control of her magic being taken away.

“After we’ve completed this mission,” Celestia continued. “Twilight has agreed to be taught the ways of Friendship and its magic. I would like you to be her mentor and teacher in this matter as you both have similarities. And I am not somepony she trusts or even likes at this point in time. You yourself, can earn her trust, and teach her how important the magic of friendship is.”

Sunset hesitated looking uncertainly at Twilight and gave Celestia a little nod. “Sure, I can do that,” she said a little doubtfully. “But first I need to get changed for what’s left of the day.”

Once Sunset was changed out of her PJs, she left a very tired and grumpy Spike to his sleeping, and followed Celestia out the front door where Twilight was now leaning against the wall waiting for them.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at the them as they approached. “Make no mistake, Princess.” Sunset shivered at how cold and uncaring Twilight’s voice was when she addressed Celestia. It reminded her of herself when she had first started studying as the princess’s personal student. “There is a good chance you and your student will die tonight when we find Garro. We’ll leave at dusk. Take the time until then to get ready.” With that, Twilight spun around and began walking briskly in the direction of the Everfree forest. Sunset stared after the mare with shock clearly written on her face. It was like she was staring at an almost perfect reflection of her old personality eight years ago when all she cared about was gaining all the knowledge she could about magic. A soft hand on her shoulder bought Sunset from her musings.

“Sunset, I want you to stay with Twilight, and get to know her as best you can. It won’t be easy, in fact, it will be very difficult. Almost as difficult as it was for me to befriend you...”
A
little smile flickered over Sunset’s muzzle. “It was the late night pizzas with ice cream and cider that made me like y...OW!” Celestia had flicked her ear, it was an old friendly punishment Sunset was used to whenever she started acting up.

Celestia then bought Sunset into a comforting hug and used her wings to create a warm cacoon of security around her. “Be safe, Sunset Shimmer. There is something essential I have to do first before I join you.”
Sunset stood awkwardly in front of her library being hugged by her mentor, but after a moment she finally relaxed into the embrace. “You know me Celestia, I always play it safe.”

Celestia hugged her tighter.

The Hunt - part 2 (End of Book One)

Since the night she had stopped Nightmare Moon, Sunset had hoped to never again enter the Everfree forest. During her journey to the castle of the two sisters she sensed there was something, a kind of hidden presence watching from the dark shadows of the Everfree Forest. Tingles starting in the back of her neck and running down her spine made her glance behind her at the eerily quiet stillness of the Everfree Forest. Nothing moved. No slight breaths of breeze rustled the leafs and branches of the forest’s plants, the creatures living in the forest were absent and there were no signs of life aside from herself and Twilight Sparkle. She sped up into a brief jog and caught up with Twilight.

Twilight’s left ear flicker in her direction, but she made no other signs of acknowledging her existence. Sunset shivered the icy cold aura of necromantic magic flowing from Twilight’s armor which made the shadows grow darker and flicker with life as Twilight past them. The armor’s potent and thick aura soaked past her clothes, fur and skin straight into her bones, but despite how much the presence of such powerful dark magic tempted and reminded her of her own power levels in dark magic she stayed close to Twilight. If something really was out there watching them, she knew staying so close to somepony as powerful and skilled as Twilight would make the invisible presence hesitate to confront them.

While Sunset was feeling completely nervous and uneasy being in here, Twilight was walking with the confidence of a predator who knew there was nothing in here that could hurt them. Sunset noticed despite her apparent self-confidence, Twilight’s eyes continued flickering to every little shadow or or plant that moved. Her grip was clenching unclenching on the hilt of her sword, no doubt in nervous anticipation for any confrontation that was sure to come from the creatures that had made the Everfree Forest their home. Sunset also kept an weary eye out for any signs of danger from the predators stalking around the forest.

The way Twilight walked, almost gliding with predatory, confident grace sent a nervous shiver up Sunset Shimmer’s spine. Twilight’s mere act of walking made the fighting style of Celestia’s most elite guards look like young, clumsy colts bashing at each other with wooden sticks. Sunset cleared her throat, finding the deafening silence all around them just too creepy.

“H-how are we going to go about taking on this Garro?” She might as well have commented on something as inconsequential as the weather for all the attention Twilight gave her. She huffed with annoyance and was about to reprimand Twilight for being so uncooperative, instead she took a deep, calming breath bringing her temper under control. She didn’t want to find out would happen in provoking somepony as powerful and dangerous Twilight. “Ummmmmm... Shouldn’t we spend at least a few moments discussing what we’re going to do when...”

“No amount of talking or planning will matter when Garro finds us. We either survive through tonight, or we die. There’s no middle ground.” Sunset licked her dry lips and wished she had thought to bring some water with her to moisten her drying throat. From Twilight’s tone and immediate dismissal it was obvious she wasn’t going to say anything else on the subject of fighting Garro. Sunset scowled. She was putting her life at risk for this stranger, she wasn’t going to just let fate take its course. Her temper flared and she grabbed Twilight’s shoulder, pulled her to a stop and leveled a glare at her.

“We need to think of something! Anything that will give us a higher chance at survival!”

Twilight stepped close to Sunset and observed her with cold, narrowed eyes. “You want a higher chance of survival?”
“Of course!”

Twilight pulled a throwing knife from the straps around her upper thigh. “My guardian, while I was in Tartarus, gave me a simple lesson in survival. He put me in a room filled with lethal traps and deadly predators and told me ‘if you want to live, just don’t let yourself die’ he threw a knife in the room for me to fight with before locking the door for three days and nights. On the third night, the door opened and I dragged myself out of that room broken and bloodied, but alive.”

Sunset blinked several times as her mind processed what she had just heard. “T-that’s horrible.”

Twilight shrugged. “Maybe. But that experience and many other similar experiences my guardian put me through gave me the skills and instincts for survival I needed to live through worse ordeals.” Twilight placed the knife in Sunset’s hand. “If we die tonight. Equestria dies with us.”

Sunset’s fingers curled around the hilt of the blade and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Facing Nightmare Moon, while scary, was a lot easier to handle then facing Garro without her friends and their newly acquired Elements of Harmony to back her up. Sunset knew from her time using dark magic, Twilight wouldn’t hesitate or second guess stabbing her in the back if it meant accomplishing her goals. She wished Celestia would hurry and join them, she needed somepony she could trust to watch her.

“Do know any pyromancy magic?”
Twilight’s question bought Sunset form her mind.“Wha?...”
“Can you perform pyromancer magic!?”Twilight snapped.
Sunset’s brow furrowed with confusion at Twilight’s question. “Yes, of course. Why?”

Twilight grunted something and turned around resuming her walk to the Everfree Forest. Sunset rolled her eyes at Twilight’s back. It was hard for her to contain the annoyance she felt at Twilight’s lack of communication. But she knew she’d have to play the good guy in order to get Twilight to trust and bond with her in friendship. Right now she only felt like wringing new ‘friend’s’ neck.

The further they walked into the Everfree Forest she couldn’t help but notice how Twilight’s eyes and ears were in a constant state of moment, flickering in every direction, never focusing on the same thing for too long. Twilight’s state of constant agitation was putting her on edge, making her feel like they were about to be attacked by whatever presance was hiding in the shadows, watching them. Sunset mentally slapped herself. She was hunting, and being hunted by, a powerful dark demon that had escaped from Tartarus with an unhinged and dangerous Alicorn who had also escaped from Tartarus as her partner. She wanted nothing more than to just go back to hanging out with her friends and occasionally burying herself in her studies of magic. She already had gone through enough adventures to last her entire life.

“Stop.” Sunset glanced at Twilight as she finished pulling on that dark cloak and drawing a dark, glasslike sword. Sunset licked her lips nervously, with her knowledge and experiences of dark magic she easily recognise the presence of a powerful weapon that deserved the utmost respect and caution. “This is where you need to setup a defensive perimeter and hold off the icewalker’s Garro’s summoned or created.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she raised her sword into a defensive position. “Somepony’s following us.” In one swift, blinding movement she pulled a throwing knife from her upper thigh, muttered a spell, and threw it straight into the forest. Sunset could only stare in absolute disbelief as the knife spun through each tree trunk as though it was nothing more than a ghost. A loud thud echoed through the silent forest.

“Hey!” Sunset face palmed as she heard Rainbow Dash’s annoyed protest. “What the hell?! Are trying to kill me”

“Let’s go,” Sunset muttered, walking in the direction of Rainbow’s voice. They found her still pinned to a tree by the collar of her shirt, the blade of the knife missing her flesh by mere centimeters. “What are you doing here, Rainbow! Of all the stupid, irresponsible-” She cut herself off taking a deep breath. “Rainbow, you need to leave now, it’s extremely dangerous-”

“Well, duh! No shit it’s dangerous!” Rainbow exclaimed, still trying to pry the knife out of the tree. “I’m not gonna just let you do, whatever it is you’re doing, without having your back!” She sighed and slumped in defeat. “A little help?” she asked Twilight, gesturing to the knife. Twilight grasped the knife’s handle, muttered a spell under her breath and pulled it free. Rainbow squeaked in surprise and flared her wings to stop herself face planting into the ground.

“You need to leave, Rainbow,” Sunset said urgently. “Go back to Ponyville, wait for us there okay. You’re not equipped to handle-”

“Not happening!” Rainbow folded her arms across her chest and glared defiantly at Sunset. “You’re crazy if you think I’m gonna just walk away!”

Twilight stepped forward, tilting her head at Rainbow, just staring at her with something akin to admiration? Curiosity? Respect? Sunset didn’t couldn’t tell. “Are you at all combat trained with weapons?”

Rainbow stepped back a bit looking uneasy and self conscious under Twilight’s scrutinizing gaze. “Uhhhhhhhh... I’m pretty good with a bo-staff. Spitfire even said I’d make a pretty awesome fighter with that weapon.”

“She stays,” Twilight said in a tone that brokered no argument. Sunset felt a cold dread in her heart and she whimpered softly at the thought of her friend being with them in such a life-threatening situation.

“NO!” Sunset stepped in front of Rainbow, pulling the piece of parchment with Twilight’s binding rune out of her pocket holding it threateningly in front of her. “You have no right to play God with my friends life! She’s going back to Ponyville where it’s safe!”

“Safe?” Twilight’s voice was cold, hard and filled with sarcastic scorn. “If Garro kills me tonight, there will be no concept of ‘safe’ for Equestria. He will turn this world into a frozen hell, everypony will die. Not even the princesses will be able to stop him. Not in this lifetime of their’s anyway.” Twilight shifted the grip on her sword, even in the dark confines of the forest its black, glasslike surface subtly gleamed. “Put the rune away, without me, my magic, Equestria will die. Or just you can die.” Sunset saw a calm confidence in Twilight’s gaze that made her realize Twilight could kill her before she finished destroying the rune. She put the parchment away. Twilight held out her empty hand, black, oil like liquid began flowing from her armor and forming a long slender bo-staff. She handed the weapon to Rainbow. “You two will handle the ice-walkers so I can focus on killing Garro. Whatever happens, keep the icewalkers away from me.”

A piercing, ear splitting chorus of howling echoed through the Everfree and a Timberwolf, its body turned to pure ice, stepped out of a bush and slowly stalked towards them. Twilight pulled the cowl of her cloak up over her head. “Garro’s coming. I’m leaving.” Shadows swarmed around Twilight’s body and she disappeared in the swirling darkness.

Sunset swallowed nervously and backed away from the wolf stalking them. Four more wolves joined the first, their ice bodies moving with deathly silence. Rainbow stepped up beside Sunset, the bo-staff ready for defending their lives.

“So we’re alone, then?” Rainbow asked, trying to sound brave as she backed slowly away from the wolves. A low growling stopped their retreat and they both turned to see six more frozen wolves stalking towards them, only the wolves weren’t alone. Behind them were at least a dozen pony shaped bodies of ice slowly walking with no urgency as they surrounded the two mares.

Sunset gritted her teeth with determination, lit her horn and hands with crackling teal magical energy and met Rainbow’s gaze. “We’re not alone. We have each other.”

Rainbow sighed and gave her staff an experimental twirl. “We’re fucked.”

Sunset Shimmer licked her lips with nervousness, there were almost twenty of what Twilight called, ice-walkers, she nor Rainbow had any real protection, magical or physical and Celestia was nowhere around to help them. She clenched her fists tightly and banished those thoughts of Celestia’s rescuing them from her mind. She was the princess’s personal student, her magical skills and knowledge surpassed any other student in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns combined. She was the bearer of the Element of Magic and she had even gone up against Solar Flare, Celestia’s most powerful form of magic, and survived.
The ice-walkers still hadn’t made any move to attack other than to make a surrounding circle, they stood there silent, frost rising off their frozen forms. The teal energy in her palms erupted into flames and she turned to Rainbow. “What’s our best strategy here?”
“Stand back to back and try our best to break out of the circle. Failing that, we defend a two meter perimeter around us and hope to goddess we don’t die.”
Sunset couldn’t see any flaw in that plan, nor could she think of anything better, so she turned, pressing her back against Rainbow’s. As though given an unspoken command, the icewalkers attacked.
　　*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
As Twilight completed her shadow walk, the shadows fell from her body and she slashed her sword at the first thing that moved, a timberwolf that had yet to fall to Garro’s spell. The sword cut through the creature’s throat, its body crumbling into tiny splinters that would never reform back into a timberwolf. Her hands clenched tighter around the hilt of her sword and she turned in slow circles making sure she was alone in the forest’s clearing. She wasn’t going to go after Garro, she was going to invite the Lord of Tartarus straight to her and whether she lived or died, their feud was ending tonight.

Off in the distance, several hundred meters away she heard the sounds of Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash’s battle as they defended themselves from Garro’s ice-walkers, occasionally she caught a glimpse of bright light when Sunset Shimmer used one of her more powerful spells from her arsenal. Twilight would have loved nothing more then to observe the two mares fighting for their survival just to see what they would do with so many odds stacked against them and their deaths were more then likely.

Would the friendship she had observed between Sunset and Rainbow be enough to keep them fighting for each other’s lives, or would they succumb to their basic instincts of survival and flee? Twilight mentally sighed as she lit her horn and focused on pouring magic through to the blade of her sword. Dark, electric blue flames flared to life within its glasslike blade and Twilight stabbed the blade’s length halfway into the ground. Sect-atarria-pefictis-thorsium she whispered into the night. Blue flames flowed from the hilt of the sword and covered Twilight’s entire body. She gritted her teeth ignoring the pain of the spell she was performing and placed a hand on the ground. Rivulets of the blue flames flowed from her fingertips and as though a giant quill was using the flames as ink, dozens of intricate runes began carving themselves deeply into the ground forming a large circle in the clearing with herself at their center.

She pulled the sword from the ground, exposed a small part of the flesh on her left arm just below the elbow and sliced the blade deeply into veins and arteries. She stopped when she hit the bone and let the stream of blood pour down her arm, into the ground forming a large pool of thick crimson liquid. For a moment nothing happened, then the blood she had sacrificed soaked into the ground, the circle of runes flared blindingly bright with power and when her vision cleared, thirteen black, torn and tattered bodiless cloaks were floating over the runes circles of runes.

The summoned specters whispered coldly with a thousand different languages that had been lost to the living world. Twilight grabbed her sword, it flared briefly with blue flames and flowed like thick oil into her armor. Specters were the few creatures of the living dead powerful enough to wield Itherious and their knowledge of dark magic combined with the power of the sword would be enough to permanently rip asunder the boundaries between life and death.

“What is your will, Mistress?” one of the specters rasped coldly, the tail of its cloak drifting and blowing in a wind that wasn’t there.
“Your knowledge of Itherious. When I cut the demon, Garro, with it, the sword didn’t kill him.”
A cold laughter came from each of the specters surrounding Twilight, she refused to let any of the fear she was feeling show. If she hadn’t performed the summoning ritual perfectly the specters would find the weakness, exploit it and loose themselves on the world. But if they gave her the information she needed, the risk would be well worth it.

“Itherious is an ancient weapon forged from minstrille in the heart of Tartarus. Thousand of spells and rituals were infused into Itherious’s very essence during her birth, all of them useless to somepony as weak and powerless as you.” Twilight could sense a mocking tone to the specter’s cold raspy voice, she clenched her fist and resisted the urge to show them just how ‘weak and powerless’ she really was. “Not even her previous wielder, Darklight, had the knowledge and powers to use Itherious to the proper extent of her abilities. And yet here you are, a pony not even powerful or skilled enough to stand in his vast shadow, wandering why Itherious ignores your will.”
Twilight gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “I’m powerful and skilled enough to beat him and escape from Tartarus.”

The specters once more laughed coldly with their raspy voices. “Escaped from Tartarus. Did you really?” This time there was no mocking tone to their voices, they were asking her a genuine question.
“I’m standing right here.”

“Yes. You are. But from your own skills and powers?” Twilight was getting tired of their riddles and mockery, she was about to send them back into the Otherworld. “To wield Itherious, and have her obey your will,” the specters continued. “Is impossible for yourself alone. Itherious is a breaker and destroyer of worlds and realms.” The fire of runes beneath each of the specters began slowly fading and dying away to nothing. “Only a breaker of worlds of realms can tap Itherious’s true powers. We wish you a speedy journey into the Otherworld, Twilight Sparkle. Your presence is greatly anticipated.” The specters slowly faded from sight, the runes that she had used to summon them all but dead. But the ritual had served its true purpose, alerting Garro to her exact location in the forest. He had no doubt already caught scent of the powerful necromantic magic, all that was left was to wait.

In the silence of the forest Twilight stood as still as a statue and as dark as a shadow, pondering what she had just learned from the specters. Only a breaker and destroyer of worlds could properly tap into Itherious’s full powers, Twilight, alone, couldn’t do that.

but you’re not alone. Twilight shivered as the words from something buried deep within her subconscious. You’ll always have me. Midnight Sparkle whispered, gently slipping further and further into her conscious mind. For a brief moment that felt like it had lasted an eternity her whole world became black, her existence as Twilight Sparkle slowly melted into an endless abyss where she was just floating obliviously in her own mind, waiting for something else to occupy her thoughts and take over control of her body and magic. All you have to do is say yes. Midnight Sparkle urged. Just let go and let me fight Garro. Without even meaning to do so, thick liquid flowed like oil over her arm and pooled into the palm of her hand and Itherious took on the shape of a massive double edged broad sword almost as long as Twilight’s whole body. It was Midnight Sparkle’s favourite form of the weapon to fight with. Twilight gritted her teeth and with a great force of will she pushed Midnight back down, reforming Itherious back to its long katana styled form.

Somewhere behind her in the forest, Twilight felt Garro’s presence. It was a cold aura so potent she almost physically felt as though she was inside a block of ice. Twilight straightened herback and took in a deep breath, feeling her lungs with the icy air and breathing it. She gripped the hilt of her tighter, taking reassurance the powers and magic running through the sword.

“I’m sorry for not being able to save the lives of your mate or your litter, Garro,” Twilight called out. “I make no justifications for their deaths. Saving their lives was a promise that proved impossible for me to keep.” She slowly turned around and stared into Garro’s eyes of pure ice. “I wanted you to know that before either of us died.”

Garro snarled and bared his long, razor sharp fangs. His hackles raised and he lowered himself into a hunting crouch. “The past is the past. You cannot bring them back. You can only die for your mistake.”
Twilight lunged forward, stabbing Itherious at Garro’s left eye.
　　*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
A frozen timberwolf wolf leaped straight for Sunset. She thrust forward both her hands catching the ice-walker with twin streams of flames. The wolf melted and she aimed the streams of flames at the ground, directing them to form a six foot barrier in the two meter radius Raibow had recommended. The ice-walkers held no fear of the flames. They advanced walking straight through the flames, only a few wisps of steam escaping from their bodies.

Rainbow didn’t wait for Sunset to come up with anymore ideas. She moved forward sweeping the bo-staff down in a diagonal strike against a wolf’s head. Without pausing, she twirled the staff, slamming it into one of the frozen ponies. Impossibly, both creatures shattered, like glass, into millions of tiny pieces. Sunset clapped both hands together in front of her, and threw her arms wide, sending a massive wall of flames into dozens of the ice-walkers. They kept walking. Whatever magic had been used to make them, it was adapting to magical attacks, making the creatures immune and unaffected. Sunset gritted her teeth and switched from pyromancy magic to etherial weapons.
Sunset stepped forward swinging a broad sword made of pure energy and cleaved a pony in half. A wolf leaped for her wrist, she twisted out of the way forming the sword into a dagger, slashing the blade into the wolf’s side. She threw the dagger into another wolf’s head, formed a bow and arrow, firing half a dozen shots, dispersing the weapon before she used too much magic, too soon in the battle. Rainbow suddenly switched sides, her staff a constant, almost invisible blur of motion striking at whatever enemy got too close.

Sunset barely had time to reorientate herself, she squeaked as a pair of wolves lunged and sent a dozen streams of magic to spear through their backs, ripping their bodies apart. The streams of magic bound together, forming a massive scythe blade. She sliced through five ponies at once, formed twin sparring swords, took two wolves’ heads, made the magic into etherial claws over her fingers and sliced them through another pony’s head.

“Shimmers! Duck!”

Sunset instantly fell to her knees, sensing an arrow fly over her, through the space her head had just been. Her blood froze as she heard Rainbow cry out in pain and fall to the ground next to her, an arrow of ice stuck through her right shoulder.
Time froze for Sunset.

All she could see was the crimson line of blood steadily trickling from the wound. All she could hear was her friend’s screams and cries of pains. All her world consisted of was her every memory of every moment spent with her friend, Rainbow Dash. The moment she first stepped into Ponyville, told Rainbow to “fuck off and leave her alone” when she was offered her a tour. The moment Rainbow came by later asking if she was okay, every moment since then trying her best to be a good friend to help her transition from Canterlot to Ponyville. No matter how rude and mean she had been to Rainbow, she always responded with the offer of comfort and support. And these monsters had hurt her. These soulless, unloving, cheap, mockeries of life had hurt her friend.

Blind, unrelenting, merciless fury raged throughout her. That Thing she kept buried within the deep confines of her subconsciousness stood, stretching Itself out purring loudly in pure bliss as It soaked in the raw, undiluted anger coursing through Sunset Shimmer’s body.

KILL! It commanded.

Sunset’s screams of wordless rage echoed loudly through the forest. Her eyes glowed with pure power. Every discipline she knew of holding back her magical mana to avoid flameouts became forgotten. Raw, unrestricted, pure magic flooded her veins and she obeyed Its command. She pounced into the air from her crouched position, landed on a wolf, crushing its body into something less then icy dust. She punched both her fists through a pony’s chest and tore it in half. Crushed another pony’s head with a singlehanded grip. Thrust both hands in the direction of a group of ice-walkers, sending twin streams of pure unformed magic to crush them.
Sunset was still screaming as she tore, cut, crushed dismembered the bodies of the ice-walkers with her bare handed and magical attacks. She didn’t care about the dangers to herself of using so much unbridled, raw magic. She kept screaming her rage not caring her vocal cords were already raw and painful. She didn’t even care about It taking advantage of her distractions, cautiously poking forward from the deep recesses of her mind, into her conscious mind to further share in the destruction and violence. She welcomed the icy cold trickles of dark magic ever so slowly inching its way into her veins. She even began opening herself up, welcoming Its invitation to take over her mind and body. Once she was done destroying these ice-walkers, she would find Twilight, kill Garro herself and maybe even take down Twilight herself. The chance to explore the mysteries of Twilight’s powers and artifacts would be more the worth the effort.

‘It’ smiled with Sunset’s mouth down at the ice-walker ‘It’ was currently slicing etherial claws through. ‘It’ could see the intricate weaves, the beautiful ley lines of magic that kept the ice-walker’s bodies moving and fighting. Garro, that was the name of the demon that had created these beautiful monsters. ‘It’ made a mental note to further study the magic Garro had used to create the ice-walkers. ‘It’ eventually got bored of slashing the ice-walker’s body to pieces. ‘It’ looked around at the ice-walkers surrounding Sunset’s body. They were moving so slow, like a swimmer trying to free stroke through a pool of honey. ‘It’ reached out with Sunset’s hand flicked an ice-walker’s head, making it explode in a shower of thousands of tiny ice crystals. ‘It’ smiled wider with Sunset’s mouth. With no real hurry, ‘It’ moved Sunset’s to an ice-walker reaching for the fallen cyan pegasus with an arrow through her shoulder. ‘It’ searched around sunset’s memories. Rainbow Dash that was her name. The arrow through Rainbow’s shoulder looked quite painful.

Perhaps that was why Rainbow Dash was screaming so loudly? ‘It’ frowned not enjoying the sound of Rainbow Dash’s annoying screams. ‘It’ grabbed the ice-walker’s head and with a quick yank, tore it clean off of the ice-walker’s body. ‘It’ switched its grip on the decapitated head and through it into the chest of another ice-walker, both of them exploded into tiny beautiful ice crystals. Now to stop those annoying screams of pain coming from Rainbow Dash. The quickest most easiest way of course would be to crush her throat, but Sunset was so generous in sharing her mind and body, ‘It’ decided to repay Sunset for her kindness. Kneeling down she wove a simple numbing weave through Rainbow Dash’s injury, tapped the arrow with a finger, causing the projectile to slowly crumble into snowy powder.

‘It’ placed Sunset’s hand over the wound and healed it. Something tickled Sunset Shimmer’s side and ‘It’ looked down just in time to see an ice-walker stabbing a long, jagged icicle into Sunset Shimmer’s stomach. Frowning with annoyance, ‘It’ pulled the icicle from the ice-walker, grabbed the ice-walker’s throat with Sunset Shimmer’s free hand, and slammed the icicle into the ice-walker’s forehead. The ice-walkers were moving much faster now. It smiled. Garro’s magic was adapting to combat Sunset Shimmer’s Survival Magic. ‘It’ formed a massively long, thick etherial cleaver and spun Sunset Shimmer’s body around in a tight circle. The etherial cleaver cut through the ice-walker’s bodies like a hot knife through butter. When ‘It’ completed spinning in the circle, the bodies of the ice-walkers littered the ground around Sunset Shimmer’s body in cleanly cut halves. ‘It’ looked in the direction where Twilight Sparkle and Garro were trying their best to kill each other.

‘It’ focused in on Twilight Sparkle and Garro. ‘It’ knew If ‘It’ focused enough, ‘It’ could tear both Twilight Sparkle’s and Garro’s life from their bodies. Such a task would be difficult, but not impossible. ‘It’ closed Sunset Shimmer’s eyes, focusing on the Alicorn and the Ice Demon several hundred meters away.

“Stop!”

Sunset Shimmer’s voice pierced through to ‘Its’ mind making ‘It’ pause and tilt Sunset Shimmer’s head curiously. Her voice was much stronger then ‘Its’ own voice had been while ‘It’ was trapped within Sunset’s mind.

‘It’ took Its attention away from Twilight Sparkle and Garro and instead focused on locking Sunset Shimmer’s voice and consciousness deep within the confines of her own mind, not content to be trapped away from the world once more. Not when there was still mysteries and magic for ‘It’ to explore. Kingdoms and countries ‘It’ could destroy.

“NO!”

‘It’ felt Sunset Shimmer’s consciousness trying her best to reclaim her mind, body and magic from ‘Its’ control. ‘It’ pushed Sunset Shimmer’s voice down into the deep subconsciousness of ‘Its’ mind. ‘It’ giggled with Sunset Shimmer’s laugh of genuine amusement. ‘It’ was finally free! ‘It’ was finally able to- What? ‘It’ had saved Sunset Shimmer’s and Rainbow Dash’s lives from the ice-walkers. ‘It’ could go around destroying empires, bringing entire countries to their knees. But what then? All ‘It’ would have was a world of ashes and death to rule over. ‘It’ sighed and leaned against a tree. Every part of the ice-walkers’s dead broken bodies suddenly twitched. Every tiny piece of ice and snow slowly rolled to the center of the battlefield, melting together.

‘It’ watched in fascination as the magic of the ice-walkers built and formed itself into a massive titan. The titan had taken on the shape of a pony, standing over ten meters high, easily clearing most of the trees in the Everfree Forest. ‘It’ moved forward with Sunset Shimmer’s body, eager to tear her new playmate apart each tiny piece at a time. As ‘It’ pounced into the air and landed on the titan’s chest, blasting a stream of fire straight through the titan’s body, ‘It’ found ‘Its’ worries disappearing to the back of ‘Its’ mind. She shut off the stream of fire, formed a scythe of etherial magic, using the weapon to hack and slice chunks of the titan’s body away. Just as long as ‘It’ had an enemy to fight ‘It’ would be happy and content with life. A massive hand of ice wrapped around ‘Its’ body, and ‘It’ squeaked in surprise as ‘Its’ bones, internal organs and muscles were crushed by the titan’s brute strength. The titan dropped ‘Its’ mangled and broken body to the ground and raised a foot to squish ‘It’ like an ant.

Frowning with annoyance, ‘It’ lit ‘Its’ horn and reformed the etherial scythe and sliced the titan’s entire leg off. ‘It’ had wanted to have more fun destroying the titan, but now the fun was over. Streams of magic flowed from ‘Its’ horn and reconstructed and healed Sunset’s body back to new. The titan would have been smarter to crush Sunset’s head, not Sunset’s body. Without Sunset’s head, ‘It’ couldn’t continue to live. Growling ferociously, ‘It’ stood and raised both hands to the titan. Twin streams of magic burst from Sunset’s palms, and ‘It’ directed the streams in every direction cutting the titian’s body and the trees surrounding them into tiny little pieces. Before the pieces of ice could start reassembling, ‘It’ waved Sunset’s hand and pulled Garro’s magic from the icewalkers. Grinning, ‘It’ formed the magic into a ball and created a seal of crystal around the magic.

A burst of bright, yellow magic announced the arrival of princess Celestia clad in a suit of golden armor, a glowing, gold sword held in her hand. ‘It’ moved forward to stand in front of the princess, ignoring the confused looking Rainbow Dash laying against a thick tree root for support. It watched as Celestia also slowly walked forward, dropping her sword, smiling gently at and holding up her hands in a placating, non threateningly gesture of peace. ‘It’ raised Sunset Shimmer’s hand burning with blue etherial flames. Just one thought and Celestia’s life would drain from her body. ‘It’ only had to exert ‘Its’ will and Celestia would cease to live. ‘It’ smiled wilder, clenched Sunset’s fist-

“What’s your name?” Celestia asked. She kept smiling at Sunset Shimmer’s form of Survival Magic, hoping to keep ‘It’ calm. She took a step towards Sunset Shimmer’s form of Survival Magic, looking into the glowing eyes or her former pupil, hoping to find some semblance of Sunset Shimmer left. This was the first time Sunset’s form of Survival Magic had emerged, it was imperative she taught ‘It’ the difference between right and wrong, just Starswirl the bearded had taught her form of of Survival Magic, Solar Flare. To do that, Celestia knew she had to give ‘It’ a form of identity. “Do you have a name?” she inquired politely.

‘It’ tilted Sunset’s head with confusion. ‘It’ had never considered ‘Its’-self as nothing more than an existence. Something that just “was.” ‘It’ had never considered making an identity for ‘Its’-self. ‘It’ ran Sunset Shimmer’s tongue across her lips.

“I don’t have a name,” ‘It’ said, with Sunset’s voice. ‘It’ frowned. ‘It’ may be using Sunset Shimmer’s body, but ‘It’ wasn’t Sunset Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer was in ‘Its’ subconsciousness, no longer controlling her body or magic. “I am nameless.” ‘Its’ frown deepened. Sunset Shimmer had a name while she was in control of this body while ‘It’ was trapped in her mind. Sunset Shimmer had a sex classification, a name, her own identity in the world. ‘It’ looked down at Sunset Shimmer’s. No! ‘Its’ body. ‘It’ tilted its head, there was no point in changing her sex, so technically ‘I’t was a ‘she’.

‘She’ smiled with genuine pleasure, having finally having something of ‘her’ own ‘she’ didn’t have to share with Sunset Shimmer. ‘She’ looked back up Celestia.

“I want a name.” ‘She’ nodded and licked her lips. ‘Her’ lips! Not Sunset Shimmer’s lips.
Celestia gave her a comforting, loving smile. “Okay. I can help you with that. What would you like your name to be?”
‘She’ bit ‘her’ bottom lip, thinking. “I…Don’t know.” ‘She’ gave Celestia a hopeful look. “What do you think I should be called?”
Celestia was still smiling comfortingly, wary, but still presenting herself as something that wasn’t a threat. “That’s really not up to me. My other form gets her powers from the connection I have with the sun, she calls herself Solar Flare. Think about what makes you special.”

‘She’ frowned thoughtfully. ‘She’ came into existence when Sunset Shimmer discovered dark magic. ‘She ‘had always been there, basking in Sunset Shimmer’s negative feelings, ‘she’ had fed off those feelings, but now ‘she’ was more than those feelings. Now ‘she’ longer felt that the blinding rage she felt towards the icewalkers, ‘she’ no longer felt such overpowering jealously towards Celestia, ‘she’ no longer wanted to harm anypony.

‘She’ felt Sunset Shimmer trying to push her back, trying to regain control. ‘She’ felt Sunset Shimmer’s worry for Celestia and Rainbow Dash’s safety. ‘She’ felt Sunset Shimmer’s heartache. Why would ‘she’ want to hurt them? They had done nothing to ‘her’. ‘She’ didn’t want death and bloodshed to be ‘her’ identity.

Then, what did 'she' want? ‘She’ looked down at Rainbow and felt some spark of affection for the mare. Rainbow had always been such a good friend for Sunset Shimmer. ‘She’ wanted to get to know Rainbow Dash for ‘herself’. ‘She’ wanted to make ‘her’ own friends, develop ‘her’ own life.

‘She’ looked down at her hands still glowing with electric blue flames. ‘She’ clenched them shut, and with a bit of effort began damning up the dark magic flowing through ‘her’ veins and very slowly, the magical flames glowing in ‘her’ hands, eyes and horn slowly turned to a teal color a shade darker then Sunset Shimmer’s. Then ‘her’ name came to ‘her’. ‘She’ giggled softly, feeling lighter and more carefree than she had ever felt before. She looked up and met Celestia’s gaze.
“I’m Daydream Shimmer.”

Celestia extended a hand to shake. “Hello Daydream, I’m Celestia, princess of Equestria and mentor to Sunset Shimmer. Would you mind letting Sunset back out? I need to say a few words to my pupil.”

Daydream opened her mouth to reply... And Sunset Shimmer took advantage of the distraction, forcing Daydream down and reasserting control over her mind and body. Sunset gasped and fell to her hands and knees, her whole body tingling and aching with the amount of pure magic that been coursing through her veins. She looked up at Celestia and slowly the corners of her vision darkened and she passed out.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Twilight cried out in pain as Garro pounced on her, biting deeply into her armored forearm as he clawed and shredded at her exposed wings. Itherious had been knocked several meters from her grip, but she grabbed a throwing knife with her free hand and repeatedly stabbed it into Garro’s chest. Garro leaped away, hissing with frustration and bunching himself up for another pounce. Streams of shadows flowed into Twilight’s back and she unleashed them through her hands in a sharpened torrent of dark spears.
Garro’s eyes glowed, the shadows turned to ice, and Twilight teleported into the air as the ice exploded, sending thousand of razor sharp shards in every direction. She pulled the last four throwing knives from her upper thigh and threw one after the other into Garro’s back. The ice demon hissed with the pain, and shook the blade from his flesh before pouncing into the air, raking his claws across Twilight’s chest and sinking his fangs into her previously injured shoulder. Twilight’s armor held against his fangs, she formed long spikes across her knuckles and rained blow after blow into Garro’s side intent on turning his lungs to mince meat.

They both hit the ground, and still Garro didn’t let go of his grip around Twilight’s shoulder. Magic flowed from his mouth, and Twilight could feel her armor weakening and giving way. “Let me out!” Midnight screamed from Twilight’s subconsciousness. “You’re going to die! I can help! Just let me out!”

“NO!” Twilight screamed in pain and frustration. She pushed Midnight away and redirected her spiked punches to Garro’s face and one of the spike’s hit him in the eye. Roaring with intense pain, Garro backed away, blood dripping from his eye socket. Twilight rolled to her feet and wiped blood from her mouth. She ran at Garro, shadows writhing in the forest all around them. She directed one patch of shadows to spear Garro through his back, another patch of shadows to spear him from underneath and a tendril of shadows to pull Itherious into her hand.

The shadows speared through Garro’s body broke from his magic, and dozens of razor icicles burst from the ground beneath Twilight’s feet. She screamed out as the magic in the icicles allowed the deadly shards to pierce through her armor and into her feet and legs. She lit her horn and shattered the icicles, flared her ruined bloody wings and used whatever air they could grab to fling herself backwards. She landed awkwardly on her back and flung a pillar of shadows at Garro’s body while he was midair, pouncing in for the kill. The shadows wrapped and coiled around the demon and slammed him, once, twice three times into the ground with enough force to crack the surrounding earth.
Garro’s bones shattered. The shadows turned razor, cutting his flesh into mince meat, and before he could use any of his magic Twilight made one last desperate attack.

“Secti-tharsium!” she screamed pouring all her magic and will into the death spell that flared along the blade of Itherious. With a surge of adrenaline filled strength, she threw the sword and buried it in the middle of Garro’s heart. Garro’s screams of pure agony as the flames of the death surged through his body echoed through the forest and into the night, chilling everypony’s blood from Ponyville to Canterlot.

Twilight stared at the dying demon, her vision blurring with tears as she watched Garro shudder and thrash. Garro’s undamaged eye met hers and she whimpered, seeing the pain of betrayal and heartache for his dead loved ones shining through his gaze. “I’m... So... Sorry...” she breathed out, feeling herself slip further and further into unconsciousness. “So... Sorry...” Darkness invaded her vision and she welcomed the embrace of unconsciousness, not wanting to think or dwell on anything that had happened.