Twilight look out the window of the train, lost in in her worried mind. She was also was silently kicking herself for not taking Spike or her friends with her on the trip. Even though her friends forgave Starlight, she got a sense that they still didn’t like her that much. But still, if she had someone like Rainbow Dash or Apple Jack, they would easy this sea of worrying thoughts.

Doctor Hooves said not to worry because he had “safeguards” in place that would warn them if something from another world came. He was in the train cart in front and as much as she wanted to ask more question, she didn’t want to talk to Record Keeper or Sky Watcher. They were in the same cart, planning to transfer from Ponyville to their respected towns. Record Keeper work at a bookshop in Canterlot while Sky Watcher delivers weather report to all the towns from Cloudsdale.

Twilight was battling the idea of talking to Doctor Hooves some more when the door to her cart open and Record Keeper walk in. She pretended to look out the window, hoping that he was just going to the bagging area. Not the case.

“I must say, you surprise me. I figure you would be interrogating the Doc till the end of the world. Instead, you are sitting here, worry about me and the klutz.” He said, sitting on the aisle side seat. Twilight open and close her mouth several time but no words came out. Record Keeper wave his hoof in the air. “Don’t worry. I’m might have left a bad first impression but I’m not that bad of a guy. I tend to let my angry get the best of me sometimes. But now I know that spell is lost in the time stream, I don’t have that much to worry about.”

“But all those things you talked about,” Twilight said, sitting up in her seat. “You made out like that we might have brought the world to an end.”

Rec chuckle and pull out a piece of candy. “Those are the worst possibility out of the worst of ideas. It was a scare tactic, really. Just to discourage more events like this from happening. A onetime trip is very unlikely to cause anything bad from happening.” He look out the window and sighed. “So, you saw the world under control Queen Chrysalis. I was there when she first attack. Not like your friends, I was on the ground floor. I fought most of them off but they overwhelm me. If your sister in law didn’t pull off that spell, I’d be dead.”

“Well, let just hope nothing bad like that happen agai…” Twilight started but was interrupted when the train screech to a stop. “That’s odd.” She thought “Ponyville stop isn’t for another five minutes. Why are we stopping just outside of town?” She look out the window and gasp. She ran out the cart, with Record Keeper following right behind her. Ponyville was surrounded by guards and magic shield.

“What in Celestia’s name?” Record Keeper said under his breath. That all Twilight heard before she went at full speed toward the guards.
(An hour earlier)

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is about to perform a show in two hours and she doesn’t like to wait for her coffee.” Trixie shouted while waiting for her order at the local café of Ponyville. She need to stop coming here. Her greatest failures happen here and she didn’t like to be reminded of her failures. As she tap her hoof in inpatient, she saw a strange pony standing in the middle of the road.

She got up from the table and started to head towards the stranger when she saw the pony horn light up. “I’ve seen the color of her magic before… but where?” Trixie thought when the pony blasted magic into the air and surround the town in some kind of shield. Suddenly, a voice boom around the town.

“I will only ask one time. Where is the pony knows as Twilight Sparkle?” The voice shouted. Trixie just sighed. One of these days, she just going to skip this town.

(At Rainbow Dash’s house)

Rainbow Dash woke with a start when a loud voice booming woke her. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes to see a magic shield had encased Ponyville and her house with it. She moan in annoyance and she got up. “If this is Trixie with some kind of gem again.” She thought as she flew into town. She realized it wasn’t Trixie when she saw the strange pony in the center of town. She slow down and landed right in front of the stranger.

“Okay buddy. I can see you’re new around here. So I’m going to give you one chance to pull down this shield before I have to take it down myself.” Rainbow said, cracking her shoulders while doing it. The stranger tilled her head to the side, almost study Rainbow Dash.

“You are not Twilight.” She stated. Rainbow Dash blink at this, then started to circle the stranger.

“Twilight is my friend and she is out of town at the moment. So you have to deal with me.” Rainbow said. The stranger seem to be a bit taken by this statement.

“You ...are …friends with Twilight?” She asked. Rainbow felt the air changing and realized she needed to move, now! She dove to the side as magic bolt came at her. She dodge two more as she saw the stranger’s magic glow a deep red.

“Twilight has no friends!!!” the stranger scream, marking each word with another bolt. Rainbow was able to dodge them with ease but she was worry that she would run out of energy before the stranger. She didn’t have to wonder long when the stranger fake a left, causing her to get hit by a bolt. It felt like she got slam by a bugbear ten time over. She struggle to get back up but the stranger landed on top of her.

“You are going to tell me if she has anymore friends and you are going to tell me where they are.” The stranger said with her teeth clench. Rainbow Dash struggle to look up at the stranger and saw her eyes lighten up behind the helmet.

“What make you think I will tell you anything?” Rainbow Dash struggle to say. She felt magic encased her head and slam her into the ground. She felt the magic push into her skull.

“You won’t have a choice.”

(Now)

Twilight was now inside the shield that encased her town. The guards outside of it said they tried everything but could not get through. The Princesses were at least two hour out and Twilight couldn’t wait that long. The guards’ mention that a voice demanded that Twilight enter and no one else. The guards try to convince to wait for the Princesses but Twilight was sure that she could handle it.

The town was bare and not a single soul was around. She didn’t know who the voice belong to but she couldn’t leave her friends endanger any longer. As she step quietly through the town, she saw her castle was glowing with a red glow.

“If I was a betting pony…” she thought as she start to head to the castle. It didn’t take long before she was at the front door. She open it quietly as possible and sneak down the hall. Maybe if she can get the drop on the stranger, she would be able to end this battle before hurting anyone else. As she got to the map room, she heard a small moan above her. She look up and had to avoid screaming.

Everypony from town were on the ceiling, in some kind of shell. They all look semi-conscious and barely alive. They were floating and drifting from one point of the room to the other. She even saw Spike in the cloud and a couple of animal that been known to follow Fluttershy. But she didn’t see her friends and she didn’t know if that was good or bad.

“Enjoying the view?” A voice said from the dark. Twilight summon her magic and turn to the voice. Stepping out of the shadows was a strange pony cover in armor she seen before. The helmet was one half nightmare moon armor and the other was half was the rebel of the changelings world. She was wearing a body armor of several piece from all the worlds she visited and some she didn’t. All of it was crudely mended together.

“I’ll make this quick.” The pony said, jumping on top of the map in the middle of the room. “Where is this pony?” She pull out a picture and float in front of Twilight. She recognize it and try to hide that showing on her face. It was Starlight Glimmer, taken when she was angry. She didn’t recognize the background but she remember the face. It was during the battle in time.

“I don’t recognize…” she started but was hit back by a force and into the wall. She saw the pony float down to the ground from the table and towards her.

“Don’t lie to me again.” The stranger said. “If you do, I will break your spine.”

Twilight quickly look around the room for any way to get the upper hoof but as the stranger move closer, she realized that she was running out of options. If only she could create a bit more room. Twilight remember a spell that might just work but barely. She waited until the stranger was a few step away from her. Then she cast the spell before the stranger could react. It was a simple spell that was used to light up darken path. By putting a large amount of energy into it and then stopping it almost immediately, creating a flash like a camera.

It had the desire effect on her opponent. She cry out in shock and was blinded. This allowed Twilight to teleport out of the way and was on the opposite side of the room.

“My eyes!" The stranger scream and almost crash into the wall. But the stranger wasn’t blinded for long and realized that Twilight wasn’t there anymore. She turn around just in time to see a magic bolt hit her in the face. Twilight thought she end the battle at that moment but the glow of red magic prove otherwise.

“Alright, looks like we’re doing this the hard way.” The stranger mutter, charging anther spell. Twilight dive to the left as she fire her spell, opening her wings to allow her to get a better distance. She turn back and try to fire anther spell but had fly up to avoid two more spells.

“She fast and strong.” Twilight thought as she flew down the hall and turn left toward the front door. “If I can get her outside, I might be able to turn this around.” But a second before she could reach the door, the stranger teleported right in front of her, blocking her path.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The Stranger said, clearly taunting Twilight. Twilight quickly bank right and blast a hole in the window. She cast a spell on the falling shards of glass, turning it to a sand cloud. She blast it at the stranger but had little effect due to the helmet. She started to head to the sky but felt magic wrap around her entire body. She was yank down to the ground, hard. She smash into the floor of the castle, knocking the wind out of her.

“I said, you don’t get to leave just yet.” The Stranger said. Twilight felt the force tighten around her again. It lift her off the ground and threw her across the hall, pass the map room and into her bed room. She rolled on the ground and landed on her back. As she start to open her eyes, she saw some figure on the ceiling.

“But all the people were in the map room, who could be in…” The thought die when her eyes came in focus.

“Enjoying your new ornaments. I figure that you want four best friends to hang around.” The Stranger said, float into the room with easy. Inside her bed room, float like the others, was Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. But unlike the other, they were wide awake and struggling to break out.

“So much for her element of harmony.” The stranger said with a chuckle. “She gave up all four of them without much of a struggle. I hardly had to use my magic. But not all of us can be born a genius.” Rainbow twitch at this but also had a hidden smirk that only Twilight saw. “So are you going to tell me where the pony is or which one of them will suffer a fate worse than death?” The stranger said. The stranger started to notice Twilight shaking with fear as she got closer. That when she notice that Twilight wasn’t shaking with fear but trying not to laugh.

“What is so funny?” The stranger demanded as she got closer. Suddenly, a shadow was right behind.

“Because I was making faces behind you for, like, two minutes, and you have yet to notice, helmet head.” A voice said behind the stranger and she turn around to get a pie right in her face. She stumble around, blinded by the cream, trying to get her vision back. As she wipe the rest the muck off with her front hoof and turn back to Twilight to instead see a cannon point at her face.

“Party time!” Twilight shout as she hit the trigger causing to fire confetti at the stranger. It rocket her into the sky and out the window with a thundering crash. This cause the spell that hold her friends to be release, dropping them to the ground. They all got up shakily and shook their heads in an attempt to clear them.

“What the hey is going on?” Applejack said, brushing her hat off before she put it back on. Pinkie Pie jump in front of the group.

“Weeelll, I was trying to get supplies for a party to celebrate Trixie show when a shield was cast over the town. Then it became a big game of hide and seek as Bucket Head was capturing everyone. I hid until I saw Twilight come back and hear her miscount how many friends you have, so I decided to surprise her with cream pie.” Pinkie rattle off quickly as she bounce around the room.

“I, for one, have to ask how she didn’t know about Pinkie at all but found us so quickly.” Rarity asked, brushing off the dust her mane. The group all turn to Rainbow Dash, who was still a bit dizzy from the experience. She realized that the rest of the group was staring at her.

“Hey, I’m the element of loyalty, not honesty. She cast some spell on me that made it hard to lie buut I was able to get away with a few. She didn’t know about Pinkie pie or Spike. I said he was a pet in order to keep him safe.” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight was surprise Rainbow Dash was able to think on her hoofs that quickly but she had no time to thank her.

“Girls, we need to get ready to fight her. I doubt the cannon was going to do much but it knock her off guard. We need to get out of here before she comes back.” Twilight said, gear up for the battle.

“Umm, Twilight.” Applejack said, pointing towards to window the stranger had recently flew out of. Twilight turn to see that the stranger was floating in the hole she created. The red glow surround her and was very bright. Twilight could feel the power flowing off of her... and the angry.

“I AM SO DONE WITH THIS!” the stranger roar and with a blast of magic, she pinned all of them onto the wall. “YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME WHERE THIS PONY IS OR I SWEAR TO LUNA, I WILL PEAL THE FUR OFF YOUR HIDES AND TEAR YOU IN TO PIECES!” She went towards the group, red lighting flicking off her body in an agitated state. Twilight look at her friends then back at the stranger.

“Okay, I’ll tell you. Just let my friends go.” Twilight beg. The stranger laugh at this and press her hoof on Twilight chest. She kept on pressing until Twilight ribs started to crack. Twilight howl in pain and try to move but the spell kept her place.

“Oh, your friends are going nowhere. I need to make sure you are telling the truth, unlike your other friend.” She said, motioning to Rainbow Dash. She flick her hoof and a loud snap was made as lightning struck Rainbow in the thigh, causing her to yelp in pain. “And if you even think about tricking me or trying anything funny. I will rip your friends’ limbs off one at a time. Do you understand me?”

“Yes. Just answer me this. Why are you doing this?” Twilight ask as she felt the magic loosen around her. The stranger chuckle and raised her hoofs to her helmet. There was a hiss as she pull it off. She drop it to the ground and Twilight got to see the stranger face. Her mane was cut military and her face bore a scar above her right eye and across her left. She had a deep purple fur but was clearly not clean in a while.

But what scare Twilight was she had seen this pony before. Every day in the town or when she went to Canterlot. Every night before she went to bed and look in the mirror.

“Shock, aren’t you? To avoid the little confusion that this might cause, you made call me Pure Twilight.” She said “and I’m doing this to take out the pony who cursed my world to be destroy.”

Author's Note

Next chapter: What happen in the past should stay in the past.