And with a snap of his fingers, they were in the throne room.

Applejack rubbed her temples vigorously. “Ah’m not gettin’ used to that for a while,” she muttered.

“TWILIGHT!” several voices exclaimed simultaneously. Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all shaking Twilight in panic, but the alicorn did not move--

Rainbow Dash immediately shoved them aside forcefully, shouting, “Out of my way! I got this!”

“Rainbow unless you are a trained medic--!” Rarity protested hotly.

“I am!” the cyan pegasus retorted loudly, instantly silencing the unicorn. She quickly laid her ear on Twilight’s chest, and then after a moment sighed in relief. “She’s got a heartbeat, but she’s still out cold. So now somepony with magic,” she growled at a sheepish looking Rarity, “should cast a resuscitation spell.”

“Leave that to me,” said Luna, her horn lighting up.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?!?”

Everypony turned towards the throne to see Cadance and Shining Armor looking on at the scene in bewilderment, as well as growing horror at the sight of Twilight’s limp body.

“Oh, I can answer that!” Discord answered smugly. “These mares charged into battle with scarce a plan and were casually defeated by Palderias. It is only thanks to me,” he jerked a thumb at his chest, “that they live to tell the tale.”

In abject panic, the royal couple lept from the throne and rushed towards Twilight, only for Luna to hold up her hoof and shout, “STOP!” When they came to halt, she said a little more calmly, “Please, let me help her.” They couldn’t help but nod emphatically… anything to save their sister/sister-in-law.

Frowning in concentration, Luna dipped her head to aim her horn at Twilight. With a slight grunt she discharged her shimmering blue magic, which landed on the unconscious alicorn’s chest. Instead of dissipating, the energy began to grow and spread across her body. When her form was completely absorbed, it began to glow, brighter and brighter until the room was filled with a burst of white light.

Everypony winced at the effect and then looked down at Twilight. Nothing had changed. “Twilight?” Luna asked, nugging her with a hoof. No response. “But… how?!” She looked to the others in dismay. “That was my best dispelling magic! It must have had some sort of affect! At the very least, Palderias’ magic should try to reject mine!”

“What magic?” Discord remarked with a shrug.

“This is not the time--!” Luna began to retort hotly.

“No, he’s right!” Cadence interrupted. “I… don’t sense any foreign magic, either in her or around her.”

Luna’s eyes widened and her horn flashed to life again. Twilight was briefly surrounded by another magic hue like the one before, which faded away after a moment. “You’re… you’re absolutely right,” Luna said, consumed with a mix of outrage and dread. “He… how dare he! He couldn’t have!”

“Could and did,” said Discord sharply. “And it was naive of you and Celestia for not thinking that he would use every option before him, even when unthreatened.”

“Would somepony please enlighten the ignorant masses as to what’s going on?!” Applejack yelped, growing more and more nervous from the conversation before her. And given the expressions of the others, she was not the only one.

“Twilight… she’s in a dream world,” Luna croaked. “But not a dream world per se. She’s in an alternative version of this world that her brain has been reprogrammed to accept as absolutely real, and that brain is working every moment to make that fantasy as complete and inescapable as possible.”

Everypony but Discord recoiled at the notion. “That’s… rather dreadful,” Rarity said, “but are you not the Mistress of Dreams? Shouldn’t you be able to fix it? And why isn’t there any foreign magic to dispel? We all saw… that dreadful Being cast his magic.”

The Night Princess shook her head. “Palderias cast a spell, but it isn’t one that stays inside her. It took over Twilight’s mind long enough to reprogram it to willingly pursue this false reality on its own, as if it were this one. And I cannot affect it because it is not part of my domain. She is not actually dreaming… for her, that world is reality. This spell… it is truly beyond my power to fix.”

“And mine,” Cadence added mournfully, “not that I know what it is.”

Slowly, eight heads turned to the draconequus in the room, who rolled his eyes. “No, I can’t help either.”

“WHAT?!” Rainbow shouted. “Since when? This is your type of magic!”

“And you made us six the opposites of our true selves!” said Rarity incredulously. “Are we really supposed to believe that this is beyond your power?”

“Yes, because it is,” Discord replied exasperatedly. “If I could fix this I would have done it as soon as I brought you all back. Fact is, my mind control is not nearly as subtle as what Palderias does. Would you like me to permanently scramble your best friend’s brain?”

A heavy, dead silence filled the chamber, until--

"There may still be a way to save her," Luna finally said.

"Yes?" everypony asked.

She exhaled deeply, and looked up to the ceiling in recollection. "When my sister and I first arrived in the world to save it, we were... uneducated in many respects. We were taught the ways of this world by a race as old and powerful as the Beings... the Nagas."

"The Nagas?" Cadence repeated in surprise. "I thought they were an old mare's tale!"

"They are quite real, good Cadence, though they are a reclusive race. Yet nopony, not even the zebras, are more knowledgeable in the ways of magic."

"So they can help us?" Rainbow asked.

Luna squirmed. "It is not a question of can, my little pony. It is a question of will. They are very reclusive. Also… I do not know if they will still trust me.” She grimaced as her dark past bubbled within her memories. “However, their power is such that if we make the journey and succeed, they will have wanted us to be there.”

“They’re really that amazing?” asked Fluttershy in wonder.

“Indeed,” replied Luna. “My sister and I learned much from the Nagas… the nature of the Tree of Harmony and its location, the fine art of moving the sun and the moon, and many, many other secrets….”

“How far?” Shining Armor implored desperately.

“The other end of the world,” was her reluctant reply, earning unhappy groans. “Two days journey with stops in foreign lands, and I would need a chariot to carry Princess Twilight across the sea. Therefore, I need volunteers, particularly someone with wings.”

“As opposed to your personal guard?”

Luna shook her head. “They would not be welcome. The former Elements of Harmony, on the other hand….”

Rainbow Dash popped her neck. “Pulling a chariot is not exactly my idea of fun, but whatever it takes to get Twilight some help, right?”

“Now hold on a minute,” Applejack interjected. “You and Ah are the best fighters of our group. We’re needed here, right Cadance? Shining Armor?”

Shining nodded. “We were just brought up to speed on what’s going on, and it sounds we’re going to need everyone we can to stop that army.”

“But what about Palderias himself?” Rarity exclaimed. “Nothing we did to him made a difference! We couldn’t even stand up against him!” She jerked an angry hoof at Discord. “And even though this one got us out at the last minute, he didn’t lift a claw to stop that brute from hurting Twilight!”

Discord scowled. “What about this do you not understand? I am not here for Celestia’s crusade--!”

A pink and yellow blur flew up into his face and levelled a quiet, yet intense expression of deep disappointment. After holding it for a good ten seconds, Fluttershy landed and walked over to Luna. “I’ll help pull the chariot,” she volunteered, trying to leave out as much of the anger in her voice as she could.

Everypony looked on in shock, though in the case of Discord it was as if he were on the verge of tears. “I… accept your offer, fair Fluttershy,” Luna stated slowly. She then turned to Rarity, “I hate to be so specific for volunteers, but I need a unicorn for this journey.”

“Absolutely, Princess!” Rarity answered, joining Fluttershy. “Anything to save Twilight, and of course, to protect my ShyShy,” she added with a little grin, nuzzling her marefriend.

Luna smiled warmly, then addressed Pinkie. “I would also request your assistance, but I’m afraid we cannot afford to have too many passengers on the chariot. I ask you to help your friends here in Equestria while we are away.”

“Does that mean I get to make provisions for the Royal Guard?” Pinkie asked, suspiciously calm and collected.

“If you… want--?” Shining Armor half-answered, half-inquired before….

“CUPCAKES!” the pink party pony rejoiced, running out of the chamber to, presumably, the royal kitchens. “EVERY GUARDPONY GETS CUPCAKES!”

Everypony but Discord, who had sulked over to the unoccupied throne, chuckled lightly, finding relief from Palderias’ depressing actions with Pinkie’s antics.

“So I hate to be ‘that pony,’” Rainbow Dash said, “but Rarity is right. What are we going to do about that creepy jerk and all of his freaky magic?”

Cadence and Shining Armor glanced at each other, then smiled. “Well, when Celestia and Luna defeated Palderias originally, they used the Elements of Harmony,” Cadence said, “and when the Changelings invaded, she sent you six to retrieve the Elements to defeat the Queen. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but our love was able to blast the Changelings out of Canterlot and into the Badlands. We’re thinking that Palderias will at least find it difficult to fight my love magic if he could not stand up the Elements.”

“Just like when you six set out, our mission is to delay him,” Shining added. “Once Celestia has had time to seal away the Beings in Tartarus and these ‘Nagas’ help Twily return to us, we can all regroup and strike together. I’m sure Palderias can’t defeat all of us at once.”

“Sounds good and all, but we could use a little more assurance,” said Applejack, rubbing her muzzle. She then looked pointedly at Discord with her eyebrows raised expectantly, and after a few moments everypony else did the same.

“Well, I… that is… how do I put it….” the reformed Being sputtered in futility before Fluttershy’s glare caught him. With a deep and theatrical sigh, lion paw to forehead, he finally relented. “I guess I’ll come along and do what I can to help.”

Fluttershy smiled slightly and turned away, joining Rarity and Luna as they discussed their travel arrangements in detail.

Twilight came to in darkness, her muscles feeling as if they hadn’t been used in more than a week. As she struggled to open her eyes, the rest of her senses began to kick in. She felt fabric around her and beneath her… a bed, she was in a bed. And then, something inside her front left leg… was this a needle?

With a bit of a jump, Twilight sat upright and cast a light spell. She was in a cell in the royal dungeons, in a medical bed with an IV stuck in her arm. “What in the name of Faust?” she swore, quietly due to her dry throat. Swallowing she shifted her magic and slowly eased the needle out, gasping sharply when it was yanked free. Casting the object aside, she slid on the bed and, cautiously, hopped to the floor. Despite the slight atrophy in her muscles it was a clean landing.

She walked up to the cell door and pushed. It was locked. Twilight was not one to revel in the privilege of royalty, but she beginning to expect some degree of respect about her position. Gritting her teeth, she lit her horn and cast a spell. The lock undid itself and the door swung open harshly.

In the next few minutes she left the dungeons and proceeded into the palace until she found the closest living chamber, where she washed her face and quenched her thirst. She soon realized that she was also hungry, but that would have to wait. It then occurred to her that there was nopony in the room, and she had not seen anypony around, not even a guard! It appeared to be nighttime, but that was no excuse: There was always a patrol in the palace.

Luna holds the Night Court at dusk, Twilight remembered. It’s a good place to start as any, and if she isn’t there… I suppose it wouldn’t be too imposing to check her quarters.

She went to the palace entrance room and proceeded down the main chamber to the throne room. She found the doors shut there as well, but no guards still. “I’ve had just about enough of this,” she muttered, casting another spell. The doors blasted open to reveal--

“Ah, good morning Princess Twilight Sparkle,” drawled Nightmare Moon, sitting on the throne.

Twilight felt like her blood had turned to ice. Her heart had all but stopped, she was having difficulty with her lungs, and suddenly the stability of her knees was all but gone. “No….” she gasped, almost as quiet as Fluttershy in her most timid moments.

She was heard. “Yes. Nightmare Moon, the Queen of the Everlasting Darkness, and not Luna, Princess of the Night. The antipode of sunlight and joy, in the flesh once more. Are you not filled with horror? Do your nerves not command you to flee?”

Swallowing hard, Twilight mustered every bit of courage she could find inside her quivering heart. “Those that run away at the first sight of evil are not fit to be a princess,” she retorted. “What happened to Luna? Where is everypony?”

The dark alicorn chuckled scornfully. “Oh you poor, ignorant mare,” she said. “You do not know… this is all your fault!”

“My fault?!”

“Yes, your fault. Well, Palderias’ as well to be fair. He put you in a coma for a month. Everypony was devastated, of course, and without you the Heretical Inventor took back all of his land. And you know who took the blame?” She stood as she spoke, her voice rising in volume until it was thundering against the walls. “Luna… me! I took the fall for your reckless heroics!” she shrieked, Twilight’s ears falling back as she cringed in mind and body.

“And it wasn’t just her, it was all of them. This time, instead of being neglected, I was treated with contempt. I would not stand for it, Twilight Sparkle. I had divorced myself of my intimate bonds once before and I did it again,” she finished, a wicked smile creeping up her lips.

Now Twilight’s gut squirmed. “What have you done with my friends, Nightmare Moon?” she demanded coolly.

The smile widened, her razor teeth glimmering in the moonlight like diamonds. “Look up,” the alicorn hissed. Twilight raised her head to face the ceiling… and then her heart truly stopped.

Rows of severed pony heads, treated by a taxidermist, mounted to the walls with plaques. Nobles, Canterlot elites, and many more were there, their faces each frozen in a horrified state. And there Twilight found what remained of everypony she had ever deeply cared for.

Her father Night Light; her mother Twilight Velvet; Shining Armor; Cadence; Spike; Applebloom; Sweetie Belle; Scootaloo; Zecora; Applejack; Rarity; Fluttershy; Pinkie Pie; Rainbow Dash….

Celestia.

A sound escaped her mouth, a terrified moan that was the beginning of a scream that simply wouldn’t come out because of the very agonizing panic that created it. She did not know whether to run or faint.

“Welcome, Twilight Sparkle,” Nightmare Moon proclaimed cruelly, “to your worst nightmare.”

The scream in her throat came out as a long shriek as she turned to her right and galloped at the closest window. Her body on autopilot, she hurled herself through the stained glass into the night sky and flew as far away as she could from the palace, the city itself, and most importantly her own heart. She flapped her wings as fast as she could, far more than was needed to stay in the air, whatever it took to not think. No, she could allow herself not think, not about whatever she saw in that room, not about the fact that she would never again try out Rarity’s latest dress, be part of another one of Pinkie’s random birthday parties, fly over Ponyville with Rainbow Dash, help Applejack on the farm on a sunny day, share afternoon tea with Fluttershy, embrace her brother and sister-in-law….

...or kiss Celestia, and tell her how much she loved her.

She couldn't take it anymore, she had to find somewhere to stop. Twilight glided down to a grassy hill and landed, or rather collapsed. A choked sob escaped her, and then another, and finally all she could do was cry herself back to sleep.

Author's Note

So... happy Hearth's Warming Eve?

I'm not sure why I am working on such a dark fanfic during the Holidays, maybe it is because I have the time and free energy to do so. In any event, more chapters to come!