Breaking Twilight

by OrphiusOlyandra

Rating: mature
Tags: Gore, Princess Celestia, Dark, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Nightmare Moon, Original Character, Trixie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 169699

Nightmare Moon's returned and Twilight captured. In order to survive she must sacrifice everything

Rated M for torture, swearing and violence

Thoughout history there are ponies who rise above the rest and single hoofedly manage to alter the course of history. Twilight Sparkle is one such pony. With the onset of eternal night, Equestia has turned their gaze to Celestia's personal student, but captured and at the mercy of Nightmare Moon, there is little she can do. In order to save Equestria and bring back the day they long for, Twilight will have to sacrifice everything she ever had or wanted. But with the weight of the world on her shoulders, Twilight may very well break under the pressure and with it, Equestia shall forever be lost to civil war.

Published 2012-06-16 00:04:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-24 01:38:18 UTC

Chapter 1

"For friends!" A blue pegasus with rainbow mane raised her glass into the air.

"For family!" The blond earth pony followed suit, a hint of accent coming through.

"For parties!" Everypony gathered stared at the hyperactive pink pony. "What? Laughter is important."

"For Equestria!" The white unicorn raised her own glass, tapping the rest being held up.

"For Princess Celestia!" There was an unusual strength in the shy pegasus' words.

The five friends exchanged a long look, each of them holding hope and sadness in their eyes before exclaiming as in unison, "For Twilight Sparkle!" They drowned their drinks, some of them taking it like pros, where others gagged at the horrid taste.

"So we're really doing this then?" asked Fluttershy. "We're all in this together?"

"Of course, I never leave my friends hanging." The confidence that oozed out of Rainbow Dash was somewhat soothing for once. "But if any of you want to back out, I'll understand. After all, if you're in, you're in forever. We'll be hunted down like rabid dogs and it won't be pretty living."

That last line was directed straight to Rarity, but she merely gave her haughty laugh. "Oh please darling, this is for the fate of Equestria and Twilight. I will get down and dirty right next to you."

Silence descended on the ponies in the cave as they each contemplated what joining would mean. What the future would hold.

"Ah don' know about ya'll, but we can’t do nothing." Everypony nodded. "We'll need a plan though."

"We'll need a name."

"A base."

"Spies."

"Outfits so we'll look like a group."

"Some way to communicate safely."

"Parties!"

"..."

"Parties raise morale silly."

"She's got a point there," sighed Rarity. "We'll also have to gather up our friends and family. If Nightmare Moon gets her hooves on them..."

A nervous look and gulps were exchanged.

"Can we actually do this?" asked Fluttershy. "Do we have the resources to wage a war? I mean, this has to work. We can't go throwing our lives away and we can't drag other ponies into this if there is no hope."

"This will work." The utter confidence and bravado in Dash's tone drew their attention. "This is bigger than Equestria. Bigger than ponies. This is eternal night and there are dragons, griffons, and all sorts of other things out there that are being affected. We need a base? Somewhere in the Everfree Forest. We have the only guide and the toughest pony in all the world to keep us safe – that's you Fluttershy, don't give me that look. We've seen you face down manticores. And the creatures will keep us safe from Nightmare Moon as well. We need spies? We've got Rarity and her contacts in Canterlot."

"I don't know about that..." Rarity licked her dry lips. "It's not like I have contacts to really important ponies there, though I suppose I could give it a shot."

"Ah agree with Rainbow Dash, an' Ah don't say that often. We can do this. Ah've also got contacts all over Equestria among the working ponies."

"And Spike can send messages over long distances," offered Fluttershy. "He told me himself."

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Plus, that Nightmare Moon is no doubt going around popping parties every which direction and that makes her a meanie mean grumpy frump meanie unhappy pants! We’ll make them laugh so much, they end up with stitches and then we can waltz right in and free Princess Celestia."

Fluttershy nodded, determination set in her eyes. "Alright. I know the perfect cave in the heart of the Everfree Forest. It's large enough to house the entirety of Ponyville, and it's close to water and food."

"We start this tonight then," said Dash. "It's still dark out and Nightmare Moon should be tired from fighting us. Fluttershy and I will keep a lookout above Ponyville so the rest of you can collect your family members and any important items. Then I'll collect stuff from my house and Fluttershy's before moving off to the secure location."

"We should stop by the Tw- the library as well. Pick up some spell books, books on war, maps, edible foods, herbal cures and such," added Rarity. "Once this gets under way, I doubt we'll be able to go into town often."

"Girls, we still need a name and symbol." Pinkie sighed at the blank looks she got. "A rallying name, some way for ponies to know there is a resistance, that it's serious and something that'll give hope."

"The Dawn Brigade," whispered Fluttershy. "Because we'll be bringing it back."

They looked at each other. Their Elements glowed faintly in the oppressing darkness, pushing it back.

"And we need to rescue Twilight."

An hour ago, even a minute ago, that statement weighed heavily on each of their minds and the mere thought of it would have sent them into a depression. That was the point of the alcohol after all, to drink away the pain. But now... now the alcohol seemed like an insult to the mare they had only met the day before. Twilight gave them hope when there was none. Twilight saved them when the Elements failed. Even if it meant getting captured.

The sadness was still there though, but it no longer choked them. No longer held them down like shackles and made their limbs heavy. But something else was there, something that burned all the doubts away. Was it hope? Maybe.Determination?Possibly. But it was something else entirely, something different, something magical, something more.

It was a spark.

Drip...

Drop...

Drip...

Drop...

Pain. Every joint, every muscle, every inch hurt. If somepony walked in and told me Applejack bucked me nonstop for a day, I'd believe them. Each time I breathed, it felt like a white hot stake was being shoved into my chest and twisted around. I could feel the blood making its slow way through my fur. Each pulse of my heart pushing out a tiny bit more.

Drip...

Drop...

Dri...

Chains.Cold, metallic chains. They were tight, far too tight, I could already feel the numbness setting into my hooves and they bit into my skin like dragon's jaws – I should know, I had to take care of a baby dragon. Spike... Spike, where ever you are, I hope you're safe. And my friends – tears welled up for the briefest of seconds before I forced them back down – my new found friends, I hope you're safe too. What is it they say? Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Well in this situation, I'm glad I managed to make friends before I die.

Drip...

Dr...

No! Bad Twilight. What would Celestia say if she heard you right now? But Celestia's dead... No! She's locked up, and even if she was in your situation, she'd do something about Nightmare Moon. Confidence and courage seemed to course through me and the pain vanished. But a second later, it slammed back into me, drowning out any hope I had just seconds ago.

Dr...

I reached out for the magic deep within me, a smile tugging on my lips as its familiar warmth eased the troubles in my heart. It was the one constant in my life, the one thing I could always count on apart from Celes- I choked back the sob with pure determination. I would not let Nightmare Moon see me cry.

Drawing some from the well within me, I channeled into my horn. Pain zapped back through, causing me to cry out. It felt as though someone tried to break my horn in half. There was no doubt in my mind that if I forced, it I'd either die or pass out first. A sigh escaped. So no constants in my life anymore.

A sense of dread and infinite coldness slithered over me. The door opened with the barest hint of a creak and in strolled Nightmare Moon, I didn't even need my eyes to know that. Where Celestia radiated love and affection, Nightmare Moon radiated despair.

"Twilight Sparkle," her words were hollow and had a crack at the end that reminded me of a whip. "I am dreadfully sorry for making you wait for so long, but as Queen there are many duties for me to attend to. I hope you've been fed."

"..."

"Look at me Twilight."

"..."

"Look at me!" She grabbed me with telekinesis, not caring about my injuries or if my bones turned to powder under her deathly grip. "Look at me or lose your eyes."

My eyes snapped open, staring straight into hers. I kept my expression blank and tried to bore into her soul with my gaze. It was a silly thing to do, but it made me feel better.

"The silent treatment? How mature." She stepped back, not caring if her hooves landed in some of my blood. "I am only going to ask this once, where are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Where did you send them?"

What would Dash do to piss off others? A smirk appeared on my muzzle. "Oh what's the matter?" I cooed. "Is poor wittle Moon having twoubles catching some silly fillies?"

Pain exploded behind my eyes, my head thrown to the side and slamming into the wall. Blood dripped from my mouth. "You dare insult your Queen?"

"Queen? What Queen? All I see is a silly filly throwing a temper tan-"

A scream was torn from my throat as my back arched. It was an unearthly sound that echoed through the night for the whole of Canterlot to hear. It felt like my insides were being liquefied then brought to a boil.

As abruptly as the pain came, it stopped, leaving a sharp pulse in its place, as though a nail was being hammered in. Sweat dripped through my mane, matting it down, and my breathing was ragged. It was a constant struggle between gulping down air and the pain that accompanied each breath.

Do what Dash would do.

I took a deep breath, trying to fight back the pain that accompanied it. "That was it? I've felt-"

Was I screaming? I don't know. All I know is pain. So much pain. Did I drink some Rainbow Juice? Acid? I wanted to curl up in a ball. I wanted to die. I spared a glance down and Nightmare Moon must have noticed, for she twisted the ethereal blue blade in my stomach, sending a wave of blue electricity through my body.

Everything shut down. My sight.My hearing.My voice. My life, my being, was pain. My veins were on fire as though my blood had been extracted and chemicals pumped in. Something seemed to burst in my stomach and for a brief second, a strangled cry escaped my lips. Had my stomach popped under the stress? Maybe it was my kidney.

Once more the blade vanished, except this time I was still in pain. From the way magic concentrated over my stomach, I'd say something did explode on the inside. I could also feel residual magic pulsing every second, bring fresh waves with it. It was as though there was a sword lodged in my stomach and every subtle shift tore the wound wider. Opening my eyes slowly, I was faced with the charred fur on my stomach and vomit. Looking away, bile rose at the amount of blood and urine on the floor. I read that bladder control could be lost under certain situations, but to actually have it happen was mortifying.

"Why am I healing you? Because this is torture. If I wanted an execution, I'd have one in public. I will ask once more my little pony, where are they?" Her voice was soft, almost tender, but it contained the promise of everlasting pain for refusing.

"Wh-What sp... What spell was that?" Forcing those words out was the hardest thing I had ever done.

To my surprise, my tormentor chuckled and summoned the shimmering blade. "Oh this little thing? I invented many, many, many spells during my exile, and this was one of them. Leaves no physical damage, and the amount of pain it causes depends on the amount of energy I channel into it. It overloads the body with magical energy and in an attempt to cope, the body transforms it into heat and electrical energy. In other words, I'm literally cooking you from the inside out. Best part is, it doesn't harm the exterior of the pony, only the interior, so it bypasses all that bone that protects your delicate little organs. And just so you know, that was barely a tenth of its full potential. And by full potential, I mean it overloads the body so much the pony explodes. All that fluid turning into gas... Very messy that." A second blade suddenly appeared. "And I can create more than one. But I ask again, where are they?"

I spat in her face.

"Oh this will be fun. This will be so much fun."

I tensed up, expecting the blades again, instead the air was ripped from my lungs. My eyes widened, panic rising up like a tidal wave. Just as quickly though, I shoved it back down, forcing my mouth to form a smirk. She wouldn't kill me. She wanted information, or to turn me into a pet to dash morale of any potential uprising.

She needed me.

My smirk grew wider and if there was any air around me, my laughter would have been heard in Ponyville. She could bring the pain, she could bring all the pain she wanted in the world, and I still wouldn't break. Though the edges of my vision began to blur and I could feel my body slumping, I focused entirely on keeping my grin in place.

"Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to finally meet thee. We are afraid we have not accustomed to the language shifts that has occurred."

Groaning, I stood up, eyes fluttering open. All around me was darkness and stars. High above hung a blue and green orb with splashes of white on the surface while below was just a white surface with craters everywhere. I finally turned my attention back to the voice only for my jaw to drop. It was an alicorn with dark blue fur and a star filled mane, wearing similar accessories to Celestia.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"We are Princess Luna." She gave a small bow. "And this is our prison within Nightmare Moon's mind. Or rather, within our own mind."

Multiple things clicked together at once. The first was that Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna shared the same body, but were separate entities. The second was that she still had some power, though limited. Thirdly, she was a potential friend within the castle.

"We only have enough power to enter the dreams of our subjects and we have to be careful when and how we do it. Nightmare Moon knows we are here after all, but currently she is having too much fun with thou's body to notice."

"What!?"

"Thou did not do it on purpose? Celly always knew how to pick her students. We cannot do much, but we can stop Nightmare Moon from entering your dreams and making them... well... nightmares." A wave of her hoof and the entire scene began to dissipate. "Till next we meet Twilight Sparkle. Remember the rule of four and the six fold path. May the stars guide thee."

Freezing cold water shocked me awake. There in front of me was Nightmare Moon in all her glory. Suddenly, her hooves slammed into my shoulders, forcing me against the wall, my head slammed back with an audible crack.

"What did she say?" For the first time, Nightmare Moon lost her cool. Her face was inches from mine and each word she spoke added a layer of saliva to my coat of grime. "She was talking to you, I could feel it. WHAT. DID. SHE. SAY!"

I opened an eye, blood dripped from my snout and all over my body. I could feel it trickling down my legs and my hooves felt numb. Hopefully they won't have to be amputated. With each second that passed, Nightmare Moon got more and more pissed off. The magical aura that came off her lashed out in all directions, cracking the stone beneath her hooves. It was suffocating.

"Answer me!"

Licking my lips, the metallic tang of blood was unmistakable. "I thought only wittle fillies lost control of their magic."

The blue sword appeared once more. This time though, it looked solid like crystals and sparks of magic flared up, jumping from the sword to me like lightning bolts. Each time one struck, the scent of burning fur and skin was unmistakable. Without a word, it plunged straight into my stomach until the hilt was pressed against my fur.

I thought I had no voice left to scream with. I thought I knew pain.

I was wrong.

Chapter 2

"I'm glad you could all make it." Rarity gazed up from the book she was poring over, before rubbing her eyes and stretching. "Where are the others?"

"MacIntosh has taken them out to the fields to gather up some food," said Fluttershy as she sat down on the floor. "Don't worry, they've got Angel with them so they'll be fine."

"So why are you all here anyways? I'm missing out on my nap you know," complained Rainbow Dash.

"Are we throwing a party? Oh! It's a surprise party, that's why you don't want anyone else here."

Rarity levitated the book up so everypony could see it. It was bound in frayed leather and was as thick as her forearm. "This book right here was written by Twilight herself and it contains all the spells she knew as well as alterations and the theory behind them. There's another three volumes over in the corner, as well as her journal and a couple volumes on various other subjects. She was quite the scholar."

"Ah thought you were meant to be making disguises." There was a hint of reproach in Applejack's voice.

"I was, but last night I was reading through her books to see if there were any spells I could learn that'd help. And well... it's easier to show you than to explain it." Standing up, Rarity closed her eyes, a look of deep concentration evident on her face. Then a ripple of light began to spread from her horn, turning her white fur a light blue as it went – the same shade of blue that made up the majority of her cutie mark. With a shake of her mane and swish of her tail, the purple faded, only to be replaced by a pale yellow. Finally, dark blue patterns began swirling around her flank. The lines extended out and split up multiple times until it formed an intricate web of blue lines, each one a subtly different shade of blue.

"How is that poss-"

"-ghtya'll said t-"

"-then I was like oat-"

"Girls!" Everypony fell silent at Rarity's yell. "I know what I said, but I didn't know what Twilight knew. I said I couldn't do a full body illusion well because my cutie mark is about beauty, but if I think of this as body paint then it clicks with my special talent. According to Twilight, and just proven now, we're only held back by our cutie mark if we're unimaginative. Secondly, I made my coat the same color as my cutie mark so that it's not noticeable. Furthermore, none of the extra lines I added actually go over it, so my original statement of being unable to cover cutie marks still stands."

"But what the hay is that cutie mark meant to represent?" asked Dash.

"That is something I'm still working on. But nonetheless, it's a proof of concept, as Twilight called it in her journal. There are also notes on how to enchant items, which individuals can activate at will. If I can master that then I can create a bracelet for each of us with a disguise hidden in it. That way we can move around freely."

"Okay, so we've got disguises, communications, a name, food, and a base," said Dash as she ticked off the items from the list they had created two nights ago.

"Not much of a base," sniffed Rarity as she looked at the stone walls and general lack of furniture.

"Oh did I forget to mention that?" Dash looked smug as she puffed out her chest. "I've gotten us some furniture. A couple of tables, a desk, two bookshelves, two beds, even a kitchen and bathroom if you can get the plumbing in."

There was a collective jaw drop from all those assembled. The first to recover was Applejack. "How the hay did ya manage that sugarcube?"

"I live in a cloud house, so I separated the wall from the floor in those two rooms, chucked everything I wanted onto two clouds, and then dragged the entire thing here. Why else did you think it took so long for me on the first night and where did you think I've been these past couple of days? I've been hiding the cloud in the Everfree Forest beneath dense tree cover and in caves during the day and dragging it along at night. There's no need to thank me."

"We would have helped," said Applejack.

"I know, but they're my things and it's not as if it's hard work. I could do it in my sleep. Plus, it's moving clouds so only a pegasus could help anyways."

"Okay, so what's the next step?" asked Rarity.

"Cupcakes! What? It's perfectly doable. I mean, there are thunder clouds right? And thunder clouds provide lightning which is electricity, so if we can harness that electricity, then we can bring Dashie's oven online and then we can bake cupcakes! Unless it uses magic as its supply, in which case we can just stick Rarity's horn in there and voila, cupcakes."

"... She's actually got a point..." All eyes stared at Applejack. "Not the cupcakes, though that would be welcome. Weren't ya'll paying attention? We can harness the power from lightning."

"For what?" demanded Dash. "Do you know how difficult it is to make lightning in the first place? And it's dangerous. I mean super dangerous. More dangerous than any stunt I have ever attempted in my life. One wrong move and it can kill you!" She stomped the ground. "No! I forbid it. Ther-"

"Forbid it!?" Applejack was on her feet, the two ponies staring each other down. "You have no right! That power can give us hot water, baked goods and who knows what else."

"Um... please stop fighting... jus-"

"I don't give a buck! If I see lightning clouds anywhere near the ground I will-"

"You'll what? Throw a tantrum? Find a cloud to nap on?" Applejack stepped forward as she drew to her full height. "Who in the world made you leader!"

Dash shook her head, whole body trembling with anger as she kept her head bowed and eyes clenched shut.

"Applejack please stop," whispered Fluttershy, but the echo from the yelling drowned her out.

"Don't tell me the high and might Rainbow Dash is afraid of lightning! What's poor Dashie going to do? Run home and cry to her mom-"

Smack!

Applejack was thrown to the ground from the force of the punch. She lay there for a couple seconds, trying to gather her wits and stop the world from spinning. It felt like Dash had dislocated her jaw with that punch. By the time the earth pony had recovered, Dash was nowhere to be seen and Fluttershy was glaring down at her. Fluttershy of all ponies.

Standing at the entrance to their make shift room, the yellow pegasus simply said in a whisper, "Dash's mother was killed by lightning."

"Ah- Ah-"

"From what I know, she single hoofedly stopped a dangerous storm that blew over from the Everfree Forest, even though she wasn't scheduled to work that day."

"Ah need to find her."

Fluttershy shook her head and walked out the door. "You don't want to see her right now and she won't want to see you. I'm sorry Applejack, but talk to her tomorrow in the morning."

"Tell her Ah'm sorry," shouted Applejack after her, but Fluttershy didn't bother acknowledging, whether she heard it or not.

When I came to, I was unshackled and on the floor. While I was unconscious somepony must have come in and cleaned up for the pool of blood, bile, sweat, and urine that had flooded the floor. It even smelt nice. Rolling over, there were no traces of the crippling pain that I expected, instead it was just sore muscles and some tender skin. Nonetheless, I ran my hooves over my body, poking and prodding to make sure everything was healed. Apart from some charred fur, bruises where the shackles were attached, and tender skin where Nightmare Moon and shoved those swords, I was perfectly healthy.

Taking a deep breath, I started surveying my surroundings. Stone, stone, stone, and more stone. Tapping the floor, I titled my head to the side and sighed. Granite, which meant it was nonconductive to all magics. That meant there probably wouldn't be any runes or enchantments in the stone due to the difficulty, but it also meant there was no way to send magic out through the stone either. Then again, an alicorn could probably weave spells into it, and it's not like I can cast spells anyways.

I glanced over at the door then across to the chains attached to the collar around my neck. Iron. All of it was iron. Average when it comes to magical conductivity, which means they are most certainly enchanted – probably the basic listening and strengthening spells, and maybe a magic suppression or detection spell just in case I managed to work around the suppression ring on my horn.

Reaching up tentatively, I touched my hoof to the ring and gave it a gentle nudge. Nothing. I gave it a harder tug. Still nothing. Lying on my back, I grabbed onto the ring and pulled with all my might until I was on the ground panting. Still didn't budge. I expected as much, but I still wanted to be sure. At least there wasn't any pain along with it, but I'm certain that was an oversight by Nightmare Moon that she'll end up correcting soon.

Okay Twilight, what did those books say on suppression rings?

Suppression rings prevent magic from exiting via the horn. The image of the text book floated into my mind – it was as though I was holding the physical thing in my hooves. Okay, they're durable, and any attempts to break it results in it drawing magic from the unicorn to strengthen it, and tugging on it does the same. Channeling magic while it's on resultsin magical feedback, thus the pain, and channeling too much magic while its worn results in the horn shattering, which rules out overloading it. I could drain all my magic thus weakening the ring, but the horn is weaker than the ring, which means if I try to snap it, I'll probably snap off my horn as well. Either way could earn me my freedom, but I'm the only one who comes close to matching Nightmare Moon in terms of magic. Therefore, I need to stay alive and be able to use my magic in case my friends decided to come save me.

My friends...

I looked out the tiny window in the room. It was no bigger than my muzzle, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully they're not stupid enough to come rescue me. They'd just get caught and that'd create an even bigger mess.

A rumble from my stomach cut into my thoughts. Looking around the room, I saw two bowls in the corner and walked over to them. One was filled with water, the other was filled with shredded paper. A note lay next to it, simply reading, "If you wish to have a nutritious meal, you will finish off the paper. After all, recycling is good!"

My jaw was on the ground and I didn't care. She expected me to eat paper!

A second grumble from my stomach. I was starving, there was no doubt about it that, but to actually eat paper... I shook my head and curled up in a ball. No.

My thoughts turned to what Princess Luna had said. The rule of four – check four times, ask for at least four differing opinions, have four escape routes, always have four back up plans. My eyes widened as I leapt onto my feet and immediately began pacing.

Of course! Celestia taught me that rule herself, which meant she would follow it herself, therefore she'd have four back up plans. I took a couple deep breaths to slow down my mind so I could properly analyze everything. Mistakes are born from haste and ignorance.

Celestia's main plan would have been using the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon. Backup plan one would have been war, but for that she'd need somepony to lead. Somepony who knew war, knew tactics, knew strategy. Somepony who would have been groomed from a young age by Celestia herself or a close advisor. Somepony would could also serve as a symbol of hope.

Ice filled my stomach.

There was only one pony that accompanied Celestia everywhere. One little filly who was allowed into meetings, discussed philosophy over a chess board, and was asked by Celestia for her opinions on matters ranging from national policy to what food to eat. Celestia only had one protégé.

Was I a weapon and nothing more?

No. I remember the warmth from being by her side, the way she'd laugh when alone with me and the smile she gave me and only me. When I fell sick, she shifted her desk into my room so that she could work and take care of me at the same time, and when my fever got worse, she put all meetings on hold while she tended to me personally. Maybe she did create me as a weapon in the beginning, but there was no doubt in my mind that she thought of me as more than a student by the time I left for Ponyville.

Stop getting sidetracked Twilight. Focus.

If I got captured they'd be plans in place to set said pony free. That means there'd be spies within the castle. No doubt Nightmare Moon knew that as well, which made things slightly more difficult. I glanced out the window and frowned. And to make matters worse, from what little I could see, I was no longer in Canterlot, which meant it was even more unlikely there'd be ponies here working under Celestia. For all I knew, only I was here and only Nightmare Moon knew the location of this jail.

Sighing, I grabbed the stupid note and tore it up in frustration. There was no point in trying to figure out what Celestia could have done. She was a princess, an alicorn. She functioned on a level well beyond even the smartest pony. What I need to do is figure out what I should do to help those out there. Taking a deep breath I began going over the facts.

I need to help ponies, which means I need to be in a position of influence. Something that is impossible while I’m a prisoner, which means I either had to be free, or working for Nightmare Moon. Without my magic, it is highly unlikely I'll be able to fight my way out therefore I need to be let out. That means I need to join Nightmare Moon until such a time that I can escape or rise high enough to be able to subtly influence what's going on from the inside without rousing suspicion.

I triple checked my chain of logic before nodding grimly. Okay, now how do I go about getting let out? She needs to be convinced I'm broken completely and utterly, which means being tortured and learning how to act convincingly. No doubt I'll be a pet at that stage therefore I need to prove to her I'm completely and utterly loyal. She'll also be expecting me to double cross her, so I need to play to those expectations.

I gulped at that last thought and I swear pain flared up in my stomach where she had stabbed me with those swords of hers. Sitting down, I moved to drink from the bowl only for the smell to hit me. It was urine. I immediately pushed it away despite the protests of my parched throat. Sure urine is sterile, but the mere thought of drinking it made me gag.

Okay, what else do I need to do?

I needed to get stronger. Physically stronger. If I couldn't rely on my magic I needed to be able to rely on my body in addition to my mind. And if I was going to get physically stronger, that meant getting fluids and nutrients into my body.

I eyed the two bowls and shook my head.

Tomorrow. I'll eat and drink tomorrow. That way it'll look more like I've been driven to it as a result of desperation rather than any sort of plan.

The reality of the situation crashed down on me, but I fought back the tears. I had to suffer. Suffer for my friends and for my family, for Equestria and Celestia. I had to suffer and once I have suffered, I'll have to work for a monster and force the world to hate me. I'll have to kill ponies, burn down towns, torture ponies and bathe in the blood of innocents. But most of all, I'll have to face Celestia and my friends at the end of it all.

Gaia have mercy on my soul.

Every time I screamed, I could taste more blood leaking into my throat. My lips were parched and cracked, and even speaking was painful. Not that Nightmare Moon cared. Everything was blurry and out of focus, but I could see enough. She readied another spear, slamming it through my left forehoof, shattering the bone and eliciting another scream of pure agony. A pole for each limb to restrain me. The only thing keeping me conscious and alive was Nightmare Moon's magic.

"So Twilight Sparkle, I see you haven't eaten the meal I had the chefs specially prepared for you. That hurts you know?" She trotted around me, sending the occasional bolt of magic at me. "But that's not important. I want to know where your friends are and what Luna said to you."

I simply grinned up at her from my position on the ground. "Make me," I managed to croak out.

To my surprise, Nightmare Moon threw back her head and laughed while thunder and lightning crackled outside. "Oh Twilight Sparkle, we expected nothing less from thee. We would have been disappointed if thou had said anything else." She suddenly coughed and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, adjusting to your language has been... an interesting experience to say the least."

The blue blade returned and though the sparks arched to both of us, neither reacted to the pain. It hovered towards the center of the poles, directly above my chest. Blue tendrils snaked out, wrapping themselves around the poles before being conducted along the metal. Pain immediately shot through my body, it felt like my blood was boiling.

Scream after scream was torn from my lips. I screamed until I was hoarse, then I screamed some more. Each time it coursed through me, my body arched and strained. With each movement, each muscle spam, I tugged on my limbs.

The blade vanished and I lay there, panting and whimpering in pain. It was only my third day, but I already recognized the familiar scent of urine, blood, sweat and tears mixed together. My wrists felt like they were on fire, as if someone was holding them in an open flame. I glanced over and immediately threw up.

My blood was literally boiling. Some of it still bubbled and it was hot to the touch. But what was really gruesome was the sight of my limbs. I had arched and bucked and tugged while being shocked, and as a result, I had pulled on my limbs. The same limbs being restrained by having poles shoved through them. They were mutilated beyond belief. My left forelimb hand managed to rip itself free and was dangling by a scant few muscle fibers. I turned to the side and threw up again, but barely anything came out. Barely anything came out the first time anyways.

Even with my eyes squeezed shut I could still see it, but I wasn't sure what disturbed me most. The way the blood oozed out with the beat of my heart? The flecks of bone that seasoned the unholy mix of fluids I was laying in? Or maybe it was the way my hoof dangled uselessly in the air and the way a thread of muscle snapped like string. I don't know.

But that image will stay with me forever.

To my surprise, I felt warmth envelope me, closing my wounds. The pain remained, but it was a dull pulse like a headache. Compared to what I was in, it was heaven. I cracked open an eye and licked my dry lips. When I tried to speak, all that came out was dry croak so I resulted to sticking out my tongue at her.

"Sometimes I wonder how I ever had fun without you in my life."

The poles descended once more and magic filled the air. I took a deep breath, waiting for the inevitable.

For Celestia.

I stared at the bowl of urine. I stared at it and used all the power I had in my stare to turn it to water. It didn't work. Since Nightmare Moon left a couple of hours ago, I had laid there on the floor staring at it, trying to work up the courage to drink. I didn't dare close my eyes for fear of the image returning and though there was nothing stabbing me, the tiniest movement would send phantom pain through my limbs. A gift from the torture I had endured.

The worst thing was, I knew drinking urine was safe. It had high salt content, but it was also sterile which meant the only reason I had an aversion to drinking it was due to societal norms that were conditioned into me since birth. I also knew that if I didn't drink something soon I would die. That wasn't an exaggeration or an overreaction – it was scientific fact. Three days without water was death. Sure, I couldn't tell the day night cycle thanks to the eternal night, but it felt like I hadn't drunk in three days. All the sweating and vomiting probably didn't help either.

Leaning close, the stench of ammonia made me wrinkle my nose in disgust, but it was bearable. I leaned in slightly more until my nose was almost touching the surface of the water. Taking a deep breath, I stuck out my tongue into the foul liquid and winced at the taste. It wasn't as bad as I expected, but the mere fact that I was doing it made me want to throw up. Probably would have if it wasn't for the fact I had nothing left to throw up.

Without a second thought I threw myself at that bowl, drinking all of it up without a second thought. It flowed down my throat and soothed me. As far as I was concerned, it could have been the wine that they served Celestia when diplomats were visiting. I drank down every last drop. I savored every single drop. I went so far as to lick the bowl clean in an attempt to get as much fluid as possible.

And once I was done, I curled up into a ball.

It wasn't the urine, I knew that much. It was the way I had acted – the brutish, uncouth, barbaric way I had slurped it down as though it was fine wine. The only thing that stopped me from throwing up was the knowledge that I had to live. The determination in my soul that made everything bearable. Without that, I would have given up already.

Lying back down, I licked my lips and glanced at the bowl of paper. I was starving and that paper was starting to look like a plate of Applejack's apple fritters, but I steeled myself. I would not give in that easily. I would only eat once I broke or if two weeks were up. Sure, it's three weeks without food, but considering it's paper we're talking about, I doubt there'd be enough nutritional value for it to keep me going after three weeks of nothing but urine.

A shudder passed through my body.

Urine and paper. I'll never complain about Spike's cooking again.

Chapter 3

Rainbow Dash placed the final book on the shelf before flittering back and looking around the room. She wasn't Rarity, but Dash liked to think she could at least decorate a room and place furniture around. Everypony agreed that the two beds should be used by Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Granny Smith, plus it wasn't as if the makeshift bed Fluttershy could make from grass and leaves was uncomfortable. The chairs and dining room table gave the room a semblance of normality, and the two books shelves were placed in the left back corner and opposite it in the other corner were the three red couches placed in an 'L' shape with a coffee table.

Stepping forward, Dash pressed both hooves against the solid wall between the couches and book shelves until she felt a bit of give. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the seemingly solid wall, shivering as the moisture from the cloud chilled her. It had been Applejack's idea. Stuff a cloud in the tunnel then use an illusion to make it seem like a solid wall. It certainly worked. There were such hidden paths scattered through the complex that was now their home, and the only ponies who seemed to know where they all were was Rarity and Pinkie.

Coming out the other end, Dash grabbed one of the towels draped over the nearby chair to wipe off the water droplets. She found herself in a well lit room just large enough to house a table and a couple of chairs. Hung up on the far wall was a large map Pinkie Pie had drawn based on a map found in a book. As far as any pony could tell, it was a larger version of the one in the book.

"So what's this about anyways?" asked Dash as she sat down.

"Rarity brings news from Canterlot." Applejack pushed a roll of paper.

"I still say it's a bad idea to send Rarity. If she gets caught..."

"She won't," said Fluttershy with a smile. "Her accent is perfect and so is her disguise."

Dash nodded before turning her attention to the scroll, each word made her jaw drop a bit further. Once finished, she reread it to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. "Is Rarity positive on the news? Is she sure it's not an attempt to flush us out?"

"Not only is she sure, but Pinkie sent a message as well. She's waiting at Point D with the Wonderbolts who managed to escape. Ah want ya to accompany me there, seein’ as ya know exactly who they are and what they are like," said Applejack.

"But then this base would be unprotected. It makes more sense for one of us to go in case one of the Wonderbolts is really a spy," argued Dash. "We're risking enough as is with Rarity and Pinkie, we don't need to put two more ponies in the line of fire."

"Ah need to go 'cause Ah'm the Element of Honesty, which means Ah can tell if they lie or not. Ah'm taking ya with me 'cause 'Shy here asked me to. So ya either come with or stay here." The tone in her voice made certain Dash knew there would be no more arguments over it.

"Dash... there's not much here to protect anyways. Not yet at least," said Fluttershy. "We've got the escape routes memorized anyways and we've got Big Mac."

"And don't forget me!" said Spike.

Dash looked down at Spike and smiled, patting his head in the same way she used to pet Scootaloo. "Yeah... Just be careful you hear? All of you. Come on Applejack, we should get going, it seems like we'll be getting some new recruits."

"No wings RD, and we should use our disguises. Take them out for a test run and to be on the safe side," said Applejack as she led the way out.

Activating the bracelet, Dash felt the familiar tingle and dizziness that accompanied the activation. According to Twilight's book, it drew on their innate magic to activate and sustain. Shaking her head, Dash felt the cloudiness clear up and she trotted to catch up to Applejack. Exiting the cave system that was their new home, Dash spread her wings, flexing them and shaking out her mane.

"I miss flying so much," Dash whispered to the sky before speaking in a louder voice, "So how do I look? Bet I'm still as cool as always, I mean, it practically oozes out of me."

Applejack scanned the white furred, red mane pegasus with the double rainbow colored lightning bolt cutie mark beside her. "Not bad. Definitely don' look like Rainbow Dash. It's a shame the magic doesn't change your attitude though."

"Yeah, yeah." Dash began stretching out her limbs. "We gonna run or chat?"

Without warning, Applejack jumped off the cliff ledge and Dash quickly followed. Landing on the soft ground, Dash immediately chased after her friend with an eye looking for roots. After years of being the fastest thing in Equestria and not dying, Dash's reflexes where more than a match for the low handing brushes and occasional fallen tree. She nimbly skipped over a root before leaning back and keeping a low profile as she slid down the muddy hill. Jumping at the end, she landed, rolled under a branch, and came up just in time and swerve around a tree. Her face stung from the bushes, her legs ached, and she was covered with water. Flying would have been so much easier.

After thirty minutes of constant running, the pair slowed to a stop. They began walking slowly and quietly, ears twitching every time there was the slightest sound. Fluttershy had talked to all of the animals and asked them nicely to leave them alone, but Dash was still tense and from the way Applejack's head snapped at every sound, Dash assumed she wasn't the only one.

"So what can ya tell me about the Wonderbolts?" whispered the earth pony.

"Spitfire is in charge, but if she got caught to let everyone escape, that means Fleetfoot will be the one in charge – she's the one with the white mane. However you should focus on Soarin – dark blue mane – if you want them to trust us. He may not be in charge or second in command, but he's respected. I haven't met them personally, but that's my interpretation."

"Alright. Do you want to get your fangirling out of the way first?"

Dash scowled at her longtime friend. "This isn't really the time for fangirling."

Chuckling, Applejack lead the way into the cave which was already echoing with the sound of Pinkie's constant chatting. Turning the bend, they came up on the group who immediately sprung onto their feet in a defensive stance.

"You're here!" A pink blur crashed into the orange pony. "I was talking, but none of them want to talk so I tried telling jokes, but none of them want to laugh so I got out my party cannon, but there weren't anything the streams and stuff could attach to so I-"

"Pinkie?"

"Yeah Dashie?"

"Why is Rapidfire wrapped up in streamers and balloons?"

"Oh! He was being a grumpy pants with his frowny face so I thought it'd cheer him up!"

With a sigh, Dash walked over and unpackaged the pony. "Sorry about that. Pinkie's... Pinkie." She held out a hoof and helped the Wonderbolt off the ground. "I'm Rainbow Dash and that there's Applejack. All of you alright?"

"A couple of cuts and one broken bone between the three of us," said Fleetfoot. "And we don't know where the others are."

"Well-"

Applejack cut in before Dash could say anything else. "First of all, any of ya'll working for Nightmare Moon?"

"No!" The unified cry made Applejack smile.

"And y'all willing to help take her down?"

"Yes," came the answer from Fleetfoot.

"Ah'm sorry sugarcube, but Ah need the other two to say so too." AJ fixed the other two Wonderbolts with a flat look until they gave their mumbled reply. "Alright. Come w-"

A wisp of green flame floated into the room and condensed into a scroll. Leaning down, Dash opened it and quickly read it. "AJ, we've got more intel. 'Shy wants all of us back at base with the Wonderbolts." An almost sadistic grin spread across Dash's face as she said her next words, "We're rescuing Spitfire."

"Wait!" Both ponies turned to face Fleetfoot. "How do we know we can trust you?"

Dash exchanged a look with her friend before chuckling. "If we were with Nightmare Moon you'd be captured already. Plus, why help you escape only to capture you again? Doesn't make sense does it?"

They made their way back out and started the long journey back to camp. This time though, they walked slowly so that the Wonderbolts could recover. The entire journey was made in silence, except for Pinkie who blabbered on about nothing. When she got to food though, she had Soarin's undivided attention and the next twenty minutes was spent on food, which made everyone realize just how hungry they all were.

Eventually though, the silence was broken by Fleetfoot. "Just how serious is this resistance anyways? No offense, but I'd rather not die for a useless cause."

"We wouldn't ask you to die for a useless cause anyways," snapped Dash.

"Calm down sugarcube."

"No!" Applejack recoiled from that outburst. "I'm sick and tired of every single last one of you. I'm sick of all your doubts and all your insecurities. Especially coming from you Fleetfoot. You're a Wonderbolt and you're meant to be protectors of Equestia. Our air force."

"We haven't-"

"What? You haven't functioned in that role since the last war?" Despite her anger, Dash had enough sense left to keep her words to a low whisper. "I don't bucking give a damn! Aren't you loyal to Equestria? If so, you should be willing to put everything on the line. Your life. Your dreams. Your future. If you're not willing to go the distance, buck off right now."

"Dashie you're scaring me..."

Dash rounded onto the two earth ponies. "This is war Pinkie. It's meant to be scary." Her eyes softened. "If I had my way, you and Fluttershy would be somewhere safe, not in the middle of this fight."

"That's it!" All eyes turned to Soarin. "I thought your names sounded familiar. You're the ponies with the rewards on your heads."His head tilted to the side. "Though you look nothing like pictures. And is that food I smell?"

Fleetfoot facehoofed. "Soarin, do you only think with your stomach? But you're right, these are the ponies Nightmare Moon is looking for."

"Now I'm curious as to why she's after you at all." Rapidfire's voice was soft and soothing, like a more confident version of Fluttershy. "No offense, but you two don't seem like much."

"How about we talk about it over dinner?" asked Applejack, cutting Dash off before she could say anything. "Pinkie, why don' ya go ahead an' let 'em know we're coming?"

"Okie dokielokie." Pinkie bounced off into the distance.

"An' Ah'm sorry to do this, but ya'll need to be blindfolded." The Wonderbolts exchanged a nervous look before nodding. Still muttering under her breath, Rainbow Dash tied the blindfolds over her former idols' eyes. With slow steps, the two friends lead the others through the forest and up the side of the mountain.

"Now this is going to feel mighty weird," said Applejack. "But don' worry, it's perfectly safe."

Pushing through the cloud covered entrance, Dash trudged through it and came out the other side. Soon the two Wonderbolts she was leading popped out. Taking off their blind folds, she tossed a towel to them before turning off her bracelet. It felt like a light breeze blew over her body as the illusion was blown off into the wind like leaves in autumn.

"Whoa." Soarin stared at Dash with wide eyes. "How did you do that? That was unicorn magic. Right?"

Dash merely chuckled and began walking. "It's a secret. But like you said, we're wanted, so we have to disguise ourselves."

"You're back!" Once more, there was a pink blur and once more Applejack found herself on the floor. "Dinner is ready and let me tell you, it's scrumptious umptious. No pies though, but lots of yummy salads."

"The same thing as yesterday Pinkie?" asked Dash.

"Yeppers peppers."

Dash groaned. "We really need to get other foods. Come on, follow me." Taking a left turn, they found themselves in the dinning-living room combo Dash had set up earlier that day. "It's not much, but it's all that we've got right now in terms of a dining area. Just find somewhere on the ground to sit. Also, where's Fluttershy? There are some cuts, bruises, and a broken bone that she needs to tend to."

"She got a message from her birds. Apparently some ponies have entered the Everfree Forest in an attempt to escape from the guards Nightmare Moon sent to Ponyville. She's gone to guide them here. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell are in bed. Just tucked them in," said MacIntosh. "And howdy to y'all. Fluttershy mentioned we'd be having guests over so I've made extra."

With a helping hoof from Applejack, the two siblings soon filled the table with three bowls of salads and a plate for each pony. "Dig in every pony!" She didn't need to say that twice, everypony dived for the nearest plate and began slurping it down. It was a bit bland and slightly chewy, but it was definitely better than going hungry and a lot better than yesterday's meal.

"Oh that was gooooood," said Soarin with his tongue hanging out and petting his belly.

Pinkie appeared with a bunch of ointments and salves. "I've got meeeedicine." Before any of the Wonderbolts could react, she was pushing and prodding and tugging and tsking as she applied the medicine to each of their wounds and sores all the while juggling the bottles.

"Rainbow Dash!"

Dash looked up in time to catch the brown pegasus that flew at her. "Scotaloo? What are you doing here?" Looking past the filly, Dash's eyes widened. "Mayor Mare? Fluttershy?"

"Well... you see... some guards came from Canterlot looking for us, and apparently… um…they apparently though Scootaloo was your daughter, and well, Mayor Mare heard about it and so she, er, decided to grab Scootaloo herself and here we are," squeaked the yellow pegasus.

"Well it's good to see you again Squirt." Dash put the young filly onto the ground. "But what gave them the idea you’re my daughter?"

"Well... um..." Scootaloo pawed at the ground, looking everywhere but where Dash stood.

"Never mind kiddo." Dash turned her attention to MacIntosh who was talking to his sister. "Hey Big Mac, can you take Scoots here to Sweetie Bell and Applebloom? And show Mayor Mare the spare room please."

"Eeyup."

Once they were out of earshot, everypony settled down around the table and Fluttershy bought out a pile of paper. Taking a deep breath, she began talking in such a confident voice that Dash's jaw hit the table. "Okay, I've gotten new reports from my friends within the castle and Canterlot. Currently, we know Twilight Sparkle is not within the castle, and definitely not within the slum or merchant quarters. This suggests she's somewhere only Nightmare Moon has access to, as we also know she's still alive. Secondly, Spitfire has been captured, but only her. The others managed to escape and two are currently holed up in the merchant quarter. I have already written to Rarity and she'll be making a move soon – is there any phrase she could use to let the Wonderbolts know she's on their side?"

Fleetfoot thought it over, but it was Soarin who spoke with a smile. "Tell them Spitfire will send Echo after them if they die."

Nodding, Fluttershy jotted down the message and passed it over to Spike who sent it off. "Hopefully they'll be out by tomorrow morning using the sewers. If any of you have family members you wish to bring here, let me know sometime today and I'll let her know."

Fluttershy pushed a series of maps onto the table. "These show the layout of Canterlot Castle. Spitfire is housed here in the lowest part of the dungeons in this cell back here. Guard rotation is every four hours and execution is in five days’ time at midday. My sources also tell me they're expecting a rescue attempt on the day of the execution so guards have been doubled for that day."

Angel jumped onto the table and began drawing red crosses and green lines on random points on the map. "Oh, thank you Angel bunny, I almost forgot. Those points are where the guards are stationed. They make rounds every thirty minutes and there are additional guards who wander strict routes as well."

Fluttershy suddenly reverted to her usual disposition. She hid behind her hair and squeaked, "That's... that's um... all the information I have. I- I'm sorry if it's not a lot, but I just couldn't bear the thought of putting my dear friends into any sort of danger."

"That's- That's amazing!" Fleetfoot looked at the Bearers of Harmony with new found respect. "Where did you get the map from? And the guard rotations? I would have thought Nightmare Moon would have vetted everypony in the Castle."

"We have our methods," said Dash smugly. Standing up, she moved behind Fluttershy to get a proper look at the maps and so that she could whisper in Fluttershy's ear, "You alright 'Shy? That was really confident of you."

"It was, wasn't it?" she replied with a smile. "I was so scared and terrified, but... Twilight and Spitfire are counting on me and... well... I don't want to be useless. I want to help."

"You're not useless. You're never useless. Don't you dare think that," hissed Dash.

When Fluttershy didn't respond, Dash turned her attention to what Spike was saying. "-ore the execution date, but from the looks of things there only one entrance and exit and it's heavily guarded. Since it's underground there's no way to just fly in there and bust her out. AJ?"

"I know!" Pinkie Pie jumped onto the table. "Apples! We get some apples, disguise ourselves then walk right in as though we're there to sell apples."

"Ya know, that might just work," mused Applejack. "But not apples. That's too close to who Ah am. How 'bout oranges instead?"

"What about us?" chimed Soarin, "If you think I'm just gonna let you risk it all without our help, you've got another thing coming."

"Not many ponies recognize us without our uniforms," added Fleetfoot.

"Hmmmmm... We're going to need dye. A lot of dye," said Dash.

"Ah could build a cart with a false bottom. It'll be cramped, but Ah think Ah could fit two in," added Applejack.

"Sorry Soarin, that means you're out due to your broken leg." Rapidfire sounded a bit too happy at that prospect.

"You've got a broken leg?" Fluttershy zipped over to Saorin's side. "Oh my. This won't do at all. Who bandaged this up? It is absolutely atrocious work. Look at this splint and the state of these bandages. Pinkie, get me my case please. I'm just glad I caught it so early, otherwise your leg would have healed wrong."

"Actually, only one Wonderbolt will be going," said Applejack.

"What?" Fleetfoot gave the orange earthpony a very flat look. "I'm sorry, I could have sworn I heard you said only one of us will be going."

"That's 'cause Ah did." Applejack stood up, her larger stature and greater muscle mass making her look intimidating. "The group going will be me, Fluttershy, Pinkie and one Wonderbolt."

"What." This time everyone said it in unison.

"Now y'all hear me out. Ah'm going 'cause Ah'm the only pony here who can pass as a farmer. Pinkie is going because of her Pinkie sense. Fluttershy is going because we need constant updates from her friends. If she's going then she needs to be in the cart 'cause a pegasus farmer is weird and will stick out. Therefore we can only take on Wonderbolt with us."

Dash gave her longtime friend and rival a dark look, but muttered, "Fine. But I better not hear you screwed up somehow. I suppose I'll be here keeping down the fort and doing something on the massive list of ours that needs to be done."

"Ah know how much ya wanted to go RD."

"Yeah, yeah. Just look after Fluttershy alright?"

"Of course. Now here's what we do..."

"Welcome Twilight Sparkle, we have much to discuss."

I didn't bother looking away from the blue and green orb that hung in the blackness in front of me. "What is that?" It was less a question and more a statement.

"That's..." I gulped and tears pricked my eyes. "That's the world? But it's so tiny so small... so... so insignificant..."

"That it is. A constant reminder of our mistakes, so we shall never commit them again." The dark alicorn sat down next to me and gazed up. "It is a wondrous sight and it shows just how small our world really is. Equestria is merely one landmass on that." Her voice suddenly became sad. "But that is not the reason why we bought thou here today."

"You know Nightmare Moon knows when you're talking to me." My voice didn't waver, or break, or offer any insight into what I was feeling. "And frankly, I'm starting to wonder if this is a ploy by Nightmare Moon herself. Come to me as Princess Luna, get me to trust her, feed me false information, and so on and so forth."

I could see her gazing at me in surprise from the corner of my eye. Surprise at me catching on or surprise at what I said? Licking my lips, a sigh escaped. Even in this place I could still taste the urine I had drunk yesterday. I doubt I'll ever get the taste out of my mouth.

The silence stretched on before Luna spoke with measured words, "Right now Nightmare Moon is giving thee the worst nightmares possible. From the glimpses we caught it involved thou friend Pinkie Pie baking thee into cupcakes."

For the first time that day, I looked at Luna. She's got to be joking. But the serious expression told me that she was being... well... serious. The only response I had to that truth was to burst out laughing with my hind hooves flailing in the air and forearms wrapped around my stomach.

Luna merely watched me in silence with a raised eyebrow before looking up at the stars. "Thou would not be laughing if thou knew the contents of the nightmare. It is simply terrifying."

That merely made me laugh harder. I laughed until tears were streaming down my cheeks. I laughed until I was gasping for breath. I laughed until my whole body hurt. And then I laughed some more. Eventually I calmed down and gently explained to her, "A great friend once told me to 'Giggle at the Ghostie' and that's exactly what I'm doing. Plus, you seem to forget that I've been tortured by Nightmare Moon for the past two weeks on a daily basis."

"Truthfully, we are pleasantly surprised at how well thou hast held up." Luna shifted onto her back to stare up at the stars. "Nightmare Moon is frustrated and sad about it. Despite what thou might think, she hates torture."

A frown creased my brow. "She could have fooled me with her talk of how it's going to be fun and with the food."

"Thou hast to remember, she is still me. A corrupted version of me, but still me. Does she want to break thee? Yes. But she would prefer it if she did not have to do that."

Was this her ploy? Get me to identify with her so that I'll lose my hate for her and therefore lose the emotions I'm using to sustain me? Plausible, despite being transparent.

"Thou does not believe us."

"Nah.Really?"

I wasn't sure if it was my expression or my sarcasm, but Luna chuckled softly. "At any rate, Nightmare Moon seems to be wrapping up the little dream sequence, so I'll let you go now. Just think on what I said. That's all I ask."

Once more I was awoken to cold water dripping down my face. Blinking my eyes open, I shook my head from side to side before looking up at Nightmare Moon who stood there with a very pissed off expression.

Sighing, she rubbed her temples. "Physical torture wasn't working, so I decided to switch to mental torture. Give you some bad dreams and stuff, break you mentally, and all that jazz. So what happens? PRINCESS LUNA DECIDES TO SPLIT YOUR MIND!" She took a shaky breath, folding her wings back down. "Why must you make things so difficult?"

She gave me on last disgusted look before opening the door and walking out. With the position of her body though, I couldn't see anything outside except for what looked like a cave wall and a torch. As soon as the door slammed shut, the shackles came undone and I collapsed onto the ground, my knee slamming into the stone surface by accident. After everything I had suffered at the hooves of that insane alicorn, the pain barely registered. Before all of this I might have cried out in pain or maybe spent a few minutes clutching my knee like some filly. Now though, I merely stood up and walked over to the two bowls. Okay, maybe less walked and more crawled. After all, I hadn't eaten anything the past week and only drank urine so it's not as though I had a lot of energy to waste.

At least my throat isn't parched from screaming, and my coat's not covered with vomit and blood. That's better than nothing. Right?

My stomach grumbled and I curled up in a ball as my hunger reared its ugly head. It felt like my stomach was trying to devour itself. Shaking my head in an attempt to clear it, I tried to focus on the books I had read on pony survival and starvation, but all that came to mind was a blank page. I know that prolonged starvation means using muscles as a fuel source and that there was a potential for permanent organ damage. But how long?

I knocked my head against the stone floor. How bucking long? A shaky breath escaped as I gazed at the bowl of paper. If I couldn't think straight. then I need to eat. It was as simple as that. Even if it was paper.

Well at least it's got lots of fiber...

Wiggling a bit closer, I reached out with my magic only for pain to flare up. Right, no magic. Wiggling even closer, I lifted my head up and took a sliver of paper into my mouth and began chewing. It was dry. Ridiculously dry. I knew it would be dry – after all, it's paper – but I didn't expect it to be that dry. At least it was tasteless, that was a bonus. But with how dry it was – I'd rather blow dry my mouth for a day – I could barely swallow it. Oh Celestia it was dry.

I glanced between the two bowls. One option was to eat some paper and then sip some urine, but if I did that then I may end up with paper left over which I'd then have to eat without anything to wash it down with, and I may end up taking larger gulps at the start then be forced to drink less at the end. Or I could mix the two together so that there'd be an even distribution with each mouthful that I ate.

Looking down, I picked up the paper using my hooves and promptly faceplanted into the bowl. The pain was effortlessly pushed aside. Shifting my position so that I was resting on my elbows, I picked up the paper once more and plopped it into the other bowl. Repeating the process until all the paper had been transferred across, I looked at the mess in front of me. The thought of eating paper was unpleasant before. But now I had a bowl of wet, mushy paper and it looked absolutely terrible.

Worst.Idea.Ever.

Swirling the grey goop around with my hoof to mix it properly, I bent down and began eating. Almost immediately, I wanted to puke. Probably would have if I had anything in my stomach. Before the paper at least tasted alright. Now though, it was like mushy vegetables with absolutely no taste, as if someone had dumped a bunch of random crap in it and then served it up as a dish. Then again, that's pretty much what I did, but still! The worst part was that I had cooked stuff that's tasted even worse in the past. Key difference being I didn't have to eat it back then.

With a dejected sigh, I buried my muzzle in the disgusting filth and began gulping it down. Sure it was bad for my stomach and intestines, as the whole point of chewing was to mechanically break down the food so that there was a larger surface area to volume ratio for the enzymes to work on, but the longer it stayed in my mouth, the longer it would be in contact with my taste buds, which means the longer I'd taste it. In this scenario, I'll take digestion problems over the taste any day.

Finishing up, a small burp escaped. much to my mortification. Good thing no one was around to hear it. As much as I hated to admit it, the paper did fill me up and although I knew there wasn't any nutritional value in what I had eaten, the mere fact my stomach was no longer yelling at me made it worth it.

I stood up slowly though my legs trembled beneath me from the lack of nutrients. Walking over to the small window – if it can even be called that – I looked out at the unfamiliar landscape. I was definitely not in Canterlot. In fact, I had no clue where I was. Then again, all I could see was a mountain range, a forest and the sky. I could be anywhere in Equestria. Add in the constant darkness and I couldn't even be sure if the mountain range was actually a mountain range.

The door suddenly slammed open, causing me to whirl around in a defensive stance used in spell casting. At Nightmare Moon's chuckle, a blush crept across my cheek. Once more the door closed, softly this time, and to my surprise she cast a teleportation spell and there in the bowl was water, and a hay sandwich along with a tossed salad. It took all my willpower to not run over and gorge myself. Sadly, all my willpower could not stop me from drooling and staring at the food.

"I have a task for you my little pony."

My attention turned back to Nightmare Moon and I scowled. "And why would I help you?"

"Because you enjoy knowledge, and if you don't help every pony out there will suffer." She stood next to me, sharing the tiny view I was given. "You see, without sunlight the crops will start dying. As an alicorn I never need to sleep, so I've been researching the issue, but unfortunately I still have to hold court and deal with politics, which means I haven't been able to devote as much time to the issue as I wish. I may desire eternal night, but that does not mean I want my ponies to suffer or die."

"So you want me to figure out a way to create pseudo-sunlight while keeping eternal night?" I gave her my best you're-an-idiot look. "That's impossible."

"From everything I know about you, you excel in making the impossible possible." Nightmare Moon teleported in a stack of papers. "These are my notes on the matter. I will be back in an hour to see your progress."

"Wait." Nightmare Moon stopped at the door. "It'll be faster if I can use magic. I'll also need access to books."

Silence filled the room as she considered my request. Just as I thought she was going to refuse, I felt the ring slipping off my horn, but before I could even contemplate teleporting away, a second ring slid on.

"You can now use magic, but the flow is limited. The most you'll be able to do is minor conjurations, no more than a spark. It's enough for you to levitate items though." With those parting words, she walked out and closed the door.

Reaching into me, I touched the source of my magic and the warmth spread over my body. The first thing I did was channel it out of my horn before reversing the flow and letting it trickle to the rest of my body. I immediately felt my abused muscles relax and my mind kick into high gear. It was only a temporary solution, and once it wore off I'd be back to where I was, but it was the most alert and energized I had felt in a long time. Levitating the first piece of paper over, I couldn't stop the smile spreading over my face.

Words! There were words on the page. Words that I could read, and understand, and process, and ponder on. Happiness bubbled forth from the deepest parts of my soul and I poured myself into the task Nightmare Moon had set for me. Even though I kept telling myself it was for Equestia, I knew that the real reason for my conviction was because I missed reading way too much. It was like a piece of me had been missing and now I was complete.

I just hope this isn't a ploy on her part. Make me happy so that when it was taken away I'll crash a lot harder. Groaning, I slammed my head into the book I was reading, wondering if I could forget that thought if I hit my head enough times with enough force. After a five minutes of mindless bashing I went back to reading, but without the joy I had a few scant minutes ago.

Sometimes, I really hate my mind.

Chapter 4

"Excuse me kind sir, but I was wondering if you knew where the market was located." The red earth pony with an orange mane tied up in a bun smiled at the guard. "I'm terribly afraid this is my first time in Canterlot, and I'm just so dreadfully lost."

"Hm? Oh, if you follow the main road and take a right turn at the Whispering Willows you'll be right there. It's a ten minute walk or so," he said absentmindedly before his head suddenly snapped up. "Why is your friend gagged?"

The red pony removed the gag and a torrent of words immediately spilled out from the white pony's mouth. So fast was her mouth moving that it was impossible to tell the difference between open mouth and closed mouth. After a couple seconds, the gag was back in place and there was a look of fear in the guard's eyes.

"I travelled from Manehatten with this pony, and after a day of her incessant talking I just had to do something about it. I hope you understand." She gave the guard a bat of her eyelids and handed him an orange from the trailer. "Also, take this orange for thanks. It's the best orange you'll ever taste and nothing is juicer."

Before she could take a step though, the guardspony asked, "Do you have a place to stay?"

"I do. A friend of mine living by Quills and Coats has offered us a room to spend the night and a place to store our oranges. Thank you for your concern though."

"Very well. But please be careful. That area has seen riots since Queen Moon took her position, and I would hate to see a lady such as yourself hurt."

"Thank you for your concern, but I will be perfectly fine." A tinge of annoyance crept into the pony's voice and the guard seemed to get the hint. Without a backward look, the two ponies trotted down the road and took an immediate left. Glancing over at her companion, an apologetic smile was given. "Sorry P-Surprise, but you're hyper-activeness is far too distinct."

The rest of the journey was made in silence with the occasional sale. With the darkness, it was difficult to make out the rubble on the ground and the buildings, but they managed well enough. The precise instructions given to them ensured that they knew exactly where they were going and, to their surprise, the guards were exceptionally helpful. More than once, they came across a poster with the picture of five ponies and their cuties marks, saying how they were dangerous and there would be a fifty thousand bit reward for the capture of one of them.

Eventually though, they came to a single story, run down little house with a hole for a door. Knocking gently on the plank of wood that covered up the hole, it opened a crack, revealing a pair of blue eyes. After a moment, multiple locks and chains were undone, letting the duo and cart enter. Inside was split into four rooms – a dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. With the door back in place and locked up, the ponies visibly relaxed and exchanged hugs.

“‘Miss Moonlight,' it is simply a delight to finally meet you, the Oranges’ have spoken so highly of you." Applejack smiled at the way Rarity's jaw dropped to the ground at her posh voice. "I simply must thank you for putting up with us for the next couple of days."

"Ah'd be lying if Ah said I wasn’t surprised. Ah never expected such a... a..." Rarity gestured at Applejack before turning her attention to Pinkie Pie. "And why in tarnation is she tied up?"

It took all of Applejack's willpower to not crack up laughing. "Well 'Surprise' here has quiet the motor mouth on her, and I was afraid of offending the guards. They seemed to think it was a public service to keep her gagged."

Pinkie Pie huffed with her arms folded, giving her two friends a flat look. Chuckling, Rarity walked over and removed the gag.

"OhmygoshIneverrealizedhowhorribleitwouldbetonottalkIlovetalkingtalkingissomuchfunhowdopeoplenottalkImeandon'tyoualldieIknowIfeltlikeIwasdying-"

"P-Surprise, please breathe and let's unload our goods." Applejack moved to the back of the cart,reached down to the underside, and pulled out three wooden bars. With Rarity's help, they managed to slowly lower the bottom down, revealing two pegasi. "How was the trip?"

"I think I died and went to heaven," said Rapidfire. "Why else would I be surrounded by gorgeous mares?"

Rolling her eyes, Applejack smacked the back of his head. "RD warned me you were a massive flirt. Now focus."

"Don't be like that de-" Rarity cleared her throat. "Ah mean, he was merely complimentin' us sugarcube."

"So when do we leave? I want to party already! I've got streamers and balloons and gifts and wraps and everypony here is so down and frowny and a party will cheer them right up."

Applejack gave the unicorn a flat look. "This is why I gagged her. I'm sorry Surprise darling, I love you, but you will have to turn down the hyper-activeness and the craziness and everything else. Please?"

Pinkie Pie nodded with a smile. "Don't worry miss, I know what I'm doing and what I need to do. I still say all of you should be there for the party, but I'm certain I'll be able to make some friends. I can be responsible you know."

"We know Surprise," said Fluttershy. "That's why you get to start the party. Remember?"

"I thought I was going to start the party," said Applejack.

"Nope! I'm the party pony, so I start the party!" Pinkie nodded. "I'll head on over right now and start setting up." The planks were put back in place and the entire thing was reassembled. "And don't worry, I'll be careful and make lots of money too."

"Should we leave now?" asked Rapidfire. "The sooner we leave, the faster this gets done."

Rarity shook her head. "Ah need to see your cutie mark first."

"If you wanted to gaze at my flank that badly, you could have just asked you know," he said with a wink. For that comment, he got another slap to the back of the head, courtesy of Rarity. "You know, if you all keep this up, I'll end up with brain damage."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," commented Applejack.

"Ah ha!Got it. Please stand still, Ah'd be so very sad if I made a mistake with the spell Ah'm about ta cast." Grinning at Rapidfire's sudden nervousness, Rarity closed her eyes and focused on the image she had in her mind. A pale green fur with white mane and two white wings for a cutie mark. With that firmly in mind, she let the image flow out onto Rapidfire.

"Whoa. This feels weird... And kinda nice."

"Such uncouth behavior. I should hit you again," threatened Applejack.

Opening her eyes, Rarity beamed at the illusion. "Perfect. Ah've also made an extra one for y'all. So please hold still." Closing her eyes once more, she focused on the images she had created over the past few days. It was a simple color change and a slight alteration to the cutie marks. Applejack's became three sticks, Fluttershy's became three worms and Rarity's became three stars.

"That took more outta me than Ah expected. Give me a minute or two." Panting from the exertion, she leaned against Fluttershy for support. "Alright, I should be alright now." Rarity stood up shakily, giving the others a reassuring smile.

The group exchanged a concerned look, but when Rarity walked out with all her usual strength and vigor, they relented and quickly followed. Tracking their way back through the streets, they eventually made it to the market district where Pinkie was busy selling oranges. Even Applejack had to grudgingly admit that Pinkie was doing a fine job – although not as good as she would have done of course.

Strolling up to the castle, they walked in without the guards even batting an eye. "Night Court is in session," explained Rarity. "Queen Nightmare still holds open court to hear complaints from the general public. The current one being discussed is the lack of sunlight and plants. Rumor has it that she's bought in the smartest and most magically inclined unicorns from all over Equestria to deal with the problem."

"Well she could-" Rarity silenced Applejack with a shake of her head.

"Rumors are just that, rumors." The group stared at Fluttershy in surprise at how she had snapped at them. "Come, we're here for a reason. The longer we take the longer we'll be stuck in line."

Rapidfire gave an appreciative whistle while staring at Fluttershy's flank. "Now that's an attitude I like. Excuse me ladies."

The remaining two ponies glanced at each other nervously before racing off after the colt before he could get into any serious trouble. There was a sense of determination – no, not determination exactly, it was closer to a drive – Fluttershy was driven in her task. Her whole body language was different. She walked with her head held high, looking everypony directly in the eyes, and the way she moved conveyed a sense of authority. It reminded Rarity of how nobles would walk. That sense of supreme confidence.

"You there, which way to the royal gardens." Three jaws dropped as Fluttershy commanded the guard.

"Down the hall, second left ma'am."

"Very well. Keep up the good work." And just like that, Fluttershy dismissed the guard.

"Yes ma'am!" The guard saluted and continued on his rounds.

Once more, Applejack and Rarity exchanged a look. Just what was going on with Fluttershy? Rarity wanted to ask, she wanted to ask so very badly, but within these halls she didn't dare. Was it a side effect of her spell? That thought sent a shiver down Rarity's spine. Hopefully not.

Walking out into the cool night air, a bird immediately descended to land on Fluttershy's mane. There were a couple soft chirps as the bird said something before Fluttershy replied in a whisper. For those couple of seconds, she was back to normal, back to the Fluttershy Rarity knew so well. Then the bird flew away and Fluttershy was back to acting weirdly. After a minute of wandering the garden aimlessly, she led them out through the northern stairs. As soon as their hooves hit stone, everypony tensed up and began scanning the area while trying to look as if they belonged. The only pony that really managed to pull it off was the pink maned pegasus. She walked as if she owned the castle.

Every time they passed a guard, Rarity unconsciously held her breath, and every single time they passed without a hitch. Fluttershy had said the first floor was open to every single pony, but that didn't soothe Rarity's nerves. Not by much at any rate.

Turning the corner, the stairs came into view and there were two guards standing there. Two unicorn guards. Fluttershy though did not seem put off at all, instead she walked up to them with a smile. The group had no choice, but to follow. Before they were even half way down the corridor, the guards' horns lit up and their legs spread apart with the front slightly lowered. It was an offensive stance.

Next thing Rarity knew, both guards were faceplanted in the ground with Fluttershy standing next to them. A blink and Rarity would have missed what happened. She had seen it, but she didn't believe it. Fluttershy just took down two unicorn guards in less than a second. They didn't have time to stare though, they had to move quickly. They had ten minutes before the next pair of guards would come through and notice what had happened.

“‘Shy, you alright?" whispered Rarity as they ran down the stairs two at a time.

Fluttershy grinned an adrenaline fueled smirk. "Never felt better. Now come on, we've got some flank to kick."

Before Rarity could rebuke her friend for using such language – no doubt picked up from Rainbow Dash – they met a pair of guards. Without a second thought Fluttershy rammed into the closest one with her shoulder, before delivering a shift punch to the head that knocked him out. At the same time, Rapidfire took out the other guard with a single punch to the face. In both cases they were gently lowered to the ground by Rarity.

The entire sequence took less than ten seconds. Not once did their stride falter or change and they raced on as though nothing had happened. Making a sharp right turn, they came face to face with two unicorns and acting on pure instinct, Rarity threw up a barrier. A second slower and they would have been deep fried ponies. The blast sent Rarity stumbling, but she recovered within the second and launched two white beams designed to knock ponies unconscious. Both were deflected.

The brutality of their reply was unprecedented. Waves of flame and force slammed into the shield Rarity had up. Every time a spell slammed against it, Rarity was forced further on to her knees. They could feel the intense heat even through the barrier, beads of sweat littered their brows. Even now it was singing the tips of their tail.

Suddenly, the two guardsfaceplanted on the ground and the flames died down. Behind them stood Spitfire – dirty and bruised, but otherwise perfectly healthy.

"You're here. Good." Rapidfire grabbed Spitfire's mane in his teeth and tugged. "Now come on, we're got to run."

"Rapidfire?"

"Yes darling, I love you too, but we need to start running."

Spitfire merely rolled her eyes, but otherwise quickly followed. Retracing their steps, there was a sense of grim satisfaction at how well they had done so far. Getting out though, would be a completely different matter. Racing back up the stairs, sweat dripped through their fur, but the adrenaline pumping through their veins was more than enough to banish any fatigue.

Bursting through the archway at the end, they breezed past the surprised guards tending to those they had knocked out earlier. The effect was immediate. There was shouting, spells, and a chase. No longer were they trying to be silent, their hooves slammed against the ground as they pushed themselves harder than ever. They followed Fluttershy blindly, taking twist after twist, turn after turn. Rarity's heart pounded, her legs ached and her breathing came in short gasps. Already she could feel her pace slipping. Ahead of her though, she could see the balcony, the end of their mad dash.

Fluttershy glanced back and gave a nod to Rarity. Almost immediately the shield protecting them exploded out in a kinetic wave, followed by a large cloud of smoke. Under the cover, they jumped off the balcony and streamlined their bodies. It took all of Rarity's willpower to not scream. The ground was rushing up at them far faster than she expected and all she could see was her splattered all over the ground with blood and entrails everywhere. Already she could feel her bones shattering from impact.

Then she felt hooves grabbing her just below the shoulder joint and together they glided into a dark alley. Once her hooves touched the ground, she let the breath she was holding escape. Activating her bracelet, it overrode the illusion she had cast and she quickly turned to the two Wonderbolts. Rapidfire was easy, a quick change in mane color followed by a new cutie mark she had prepared in advance. Spitfire was a completely different matter. Her mane changed to black, her fur to white and her cutie mark ended up being a mishmash of color as if Pinkie had splattered paint over it randomly.

And then Rarity collapsed.

"I'm fine. Really.Just used a bit too much magic." Rarity managed a weak smile as she leaned against Applejack. "Come on, we're not out of the woods just yet."

"Surprise is already waiting for us outside the gates," said Fluttershy as she stroked the bird on her shoulder. "I think it'd be best for us to split up for they'll be looking for a group of five ponies."

"I'll go with Spitfire." When Applejack opened her mouth, Rarity silenced it with a hoof to her lips. "Don't worry about me. We'll be perfectly fine."

"Alright. Just be careful, y'all hear?"

"Of course darling.Since when I have been anything, but careful?" Applejack snorted and even Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "See you in ten, and remember to pick up the others!"

As the trio walked out the alley, Rarity turned to Spitfire. "Tell me, do you know any bars in the location?"

"Heh, drinking at this time?"

"More like bathing in it," grumbled Rarity. Her mane was a mess and she didn't have enough magic to clean it up one bit. "Easiest way to explain why I'm so wobbly on my feet, and my appearance. Oh and my name is Moonlight."

Spitfire nodded. "Call me Torch. Just what is my cutie mark meant to be anyways?"

With Rarity half draped over Spitfire, the two mares walked out into the busy street, the sound of the food fight echoing through the buzzing city. "It's you exploding."

"Exploding?"

"Yep."

Spitfire gave a bark of laughter, patting Rarity on the back. "I like it! Now, to the bar."

My eyes roamed over the sight below me and a smile crept its way onto my lips. I had missed this. This sight, this smell, this silence. Taking a deep breath, I let the musky smell of the library fill my senses and, against my willpower, my eyelids dropped until they were half closed. The Royal Canterlot Library.Shelf after shelf of well-loved books, touched by the hooves of numerous ponies in their quest for knowledge. A small part of me liked to think the very book I had cradled in the crock of my arm was the very same book Clover the Clever wrote in all those years ago, and that it wasn't a transcribed copy. It was a silly thought.

I ran my hoof over the spine lovingly before caressing the words on the page. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, like reading a book. With a sigh, the book snapped shut. Today, the words were blurs on the page. It might as well be written in Ancient Draconian for all I cared. The words just didn't jump out at me – they didn't capture my attention, didn't draw me in, didn't speak to me like a lover. They rang hollow like a badly concealed lie.

Closing my eyes fully, I tried to forget about the guards behind me, or the ones posted outside my room, or the ones posted outside the library. This used to be my last refuge, the one place I could hide away and let my imagination roam. Now? Now it was defiled by all these ponies watching my ever last move.

Eyes snapping open, I stood up and walked over to my small lab, trying my hardest to ignore the sound of ringing armor as the guards followed me. I missed the basement in the Ponyville Library. I had planned on turning it into a lab to run experiments in. Diagrams had already been drawn, and I was planning on ordering the equipment for it. And now this.

No. Focus.

"You." I pointed to a random unicorn guard following me around. "What's the change in temperature of the rock?"

"The... the rock?"

A growl escaped my throat. "Yes. The rock.Temperature. You do know basic measurement spells right? Or do you-"

"Hey." An earth pony guard stood forward, and shoved me back. "Watch what you're saying and who you're saying it to."

Something within me snapped. "Excuse me?" My face was inches from his. "No. You watch who you're talking to. You're just a guard employed by Nightmare Moon. A pony employed to look intimidating. You're for show. Do you really think Nightmare Moon requires guards? Are you that stupid!?"

"Watch your-"

"No!" I was too far gone to care anymore. "You watch yours. Do you know who I am? I'm Lady Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's personal protégé, strongest unicorn in all Equestria, and I'm the only one working on saving Equestria and your Celestia forsaken life from a dead Equestria where plants don't grow and winters are eternal. So you watch your mouth and DO WHAT YOU’RE BUCKING TOLD!"

The guard raised a hoof, but I stared straight into his eyes, daring him to do it. I could see the fear and uncertainty in his eyes. "That's what I thought," I snarled before turning back to the unicorn. "So what's the temperature change?"

"Ten degrees change Lady Sparkle."

"Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!" I jumped up and down on the spot before whirling and pointing at a random guard. "You! I need five angiosperms of the same species immediately. You! I need four crystals set to a magic discharge rates of ten, twenty, thirty, and forty, as well as four lead plates."

The door crashed open as a guard came stumbling in. "Sir! Spitfire has escaped."

Commander Windrift opened an eye from his location in the corner. "Go inform Queen Moon. Unfortunately we're stuck here babysitting Lady Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé of Princess Celestia, strongest unicorn in Equestria, and now savior of our world."

"Yes sir!" The guard saluted and zipped out the room and I was right on his heels.

Exiting my room, I ran down the library steps and zoomed out the door. "I need to see Nightmare Moon immediately."

Without waiting for a response, I began running, chasing the guard who burst into my room a couple seconds ago. There was no doubt in my mind that those rescuing Spitfire were my friends, and if Nightmare Moon was informed of the breakout, she'd step in personally. If she did that, Equestria would be forever lost. A quick glance over my shoulder told me both guards were following, rather than sending one to inform Commander Windrift. So far so good.

"-orry, but I bring important and grave-"

I slammed the doors open and skidded to a stop beside the guardspony. There was no bow from me, no acknowledgement of her status being above mine. More importantly, I didn't let the guard finish his words and simply spoke over him. "I believe I have found the solution to the plant problem, as well as how to keep Equestria warm without a sun."

Conversation exploded all around me, drowning out everyone and everything. For a second, I could hear an explosion going off in the distance, but with the noise from the crowd, I seemed to be the only one. Not even Nightmare Moon heard it. Instead she regarded with me cool indifference.

Her hoof came down on the floor, silencing all conversation. "Explain."

"Radiation of pure magical energy is naturally converted by objects, flora, and fauna into other forms of energy. Using crystal resonance, I have demonstrated that magical radiation targeted at rocks results in thermal radiation. As we speak I have set up a controlled experiment using angiosperm from the garden. A positive result would be the flowers blooming under treatment. Furthermore, the output is unlikely to exceed 40mpb and as demonstrated by Doctor Redheart, such levels aid in the regeneration process, therefore it is completely safe to ponies. Effects on small animals are unknown at this stage, but testing that is a matter of setting up a crystal resonance field. It was your own torture spell that gave me the inspiration to use the natural magical conversion inherent in all creatures and objects in an attempt to fix this little issue."

That last sentence was an obvious jab at Nightmare Moon herself and everypony knew it. All eyes turned to Nightmare Moon who merely gazed at me with an indescribable expression. The seconds ticked by. As the silence stretched, murmurs rose once more amongst the court. Hushed whispers of barely contained hope and joy. Every so often I'd hear the words "Lady Twilight Sparkle" or "Princess Celestia's student" filter through. Always spoken softly and with fear, but they knew. It wasn't Nightmare Moon or one of her lackeys who came up with the solution. It was me.

And that'd make the next couple of minutes even sweeter.

"You have done well pet." My jaws clenched as she called me that. "I shall personally review the experiment, but what you've said theoretically makes sense and you apparently have the physical evidence to back it up. Well done."

The court doors opened once more and in strolled Captain Windrift. "Queen Nightmare Moon, please excuse this interruption."

"What is it Captain?"

"Spitfire has managed to escape."

"You!" Nightmare Moon's face was plastered against mine, but I stood my ground and gave her a smug smile. "You did this. You knew, and that's why you came in when you did. You knew I would prevent the escape myself and so you distracted me. If it weren't for your development, you'd be dead right now. Pray to your dear Princess, for if your experiment with the plants fail, I will bring you to a whole new level of pain."

There was a flash of white and I found myself back in the stone prison, but not even that could wipe the smile from my face. I had openly defied Nightmare Moon in the heart of her court. Few things were better than that.

I looked around the room sadly. Less than a minute and I was already missing the warmth, the soft beds, the sounds of other ponies, the books and... and... I blinked back the tears and steeled myself. So this was her game. Of course it was, how could I have been so stupid!? Constant torture results in ponies retreating into themselves, creating a mental barrier to everything around them. They become numb to it all. So what better way to draw them out than to give them joy – a fleeting glimpse of what they had and what they could have if they just gave in.Psychological warfare.

Closing my eyes, the image of the blue blade through my gut came to mind and my eyes immediately snapped back open. Great. I sat there, staring out the small window for who knows how long. Eventually though, I started stretching out my limbs and walking around the room to warm them up. Physical exercise was never my strong suit, but without my magic I only had my mind and my body left. I had to be strong enough to enact any plans I may think up.

Lowering myself towards the ground, I began doing press ups, and as I struggled to push myself back up, I could hear the phantom laughter from my memory bubbling to the surface. I kept my eyes focused on the ground even as the laughter grew due to my struggles. Limbs shaking, I finally finished the first one and I immediately went back down for another, almost collapsing as I tried to get back up. The laughter grew, but that merely caused my eyes to narrow.

I will not be beaten.

Closing my eyes, I could see that cursed blue blade Nightmare Moon uses. I could feel its magic crackling over my body, seeping into my body. Already I could smell singed fur. Fixing that image in my mind, I went back down for my third push up. Then a fourth.Then a fifth. With that image, that pain constantly looming over me, I pushed myself as far as I could do. I pushed until I collapsed on the ground into my own perspiration. My body burned, but for once it was a pleasurable burn and not the I-want-to-die-please-kill-me-now type of burn.

Crawling over to the two bowls, I mixed their contents together and downed it without a second thought. After three days of living in the castle and eating their food, I had forgotten how rancid the ‘food’ here was. Just another facet of Nightmare Moon's psychological warfare. She couldn't infiltrate my dreams so she'd break me this way instead. Oh how I hate her.

A sigh escaped and I shook my head. Fluttershy would berate me for thinking that, I just know she would have. Sure, I didn't know her well, but there wasn't a single mean bone in her body. Just imagining her saying the word 'hate' felt as though I was defiling something pure and innocent.

I really, really, really, really, really dislike Nightmare Moon then.

...

...

...

It's just not the same.

Chapter 5

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh," squealed Dash as she tried desperately to come up with something to say. "It's Spitfire!"

The yellow pegasus merely laughed at Dash's antics. "Hello to you too. I take it you're a fan then?"

"Your biggest!" Rarity glanced up from her work at the sudden exclamation. "I mean, you're Spitfire. THE Spitfire. Youngest Wonderbolt, youngest Captain, holder of the fastest air speed record and the coolest pegasus ever."

"Why didn't she gush over me?" muttered Rapidfire.

"Calm down sugarcube, Miss Spitfire needs to rest." Applejack strolled in with a bowl of salad. "And sorry ma'am, but we don't have anything to cook with."

"Actually I wanted to talk to you about that." Dash was no longer flying around in excitement. "I've managed to find a backroom where we can store thunderclouds for energy, and according to Soarin it is possible to get energy from them. But we need material to insulate everything with, otherwise everyone will be getting shocked."

Applejack blinked in the surprise. "Dash... are ya sure about this? Ah mean, after what happened t-"

"I'm sure AJ. Winter's coming up and we'll need a way to keep everypony warm without resorting to magic." Dash shrugged away her friend's concern, but it was obvious she was hesitant about it. "I've also been scouting at night. With ponies trickling in every day, we should set up another village somewhere."

"You have been careful right? Taken all the precautions we set up?" asked Rarity without even looking up from the fabric she was working on.

"Yes." An eye roll accompanied Dash's response. "Set up illusion, walk to Takeoff Point C then I fly off. I'll need you to accompany me next time I go though, to see if the background magic radiation is enough to cover up any magic usage."

That caught Rarity's attention. "Where is it located? And I assume you have scouted out the area properly. And I see somepony finally learned to wipe her hooves before coming in."

Applejack's indigent look was ignored.

"Of course." A nervous look was cast in Spitfire's direction. "But should we talk about this in the open?"

"Don't be such a filly Rainbow Dash," sighed Rarity. "Captain Spitfire will be in charge of training pegasi and acting as our air force commander. If she takes the job that is."

"Me?" The Wonderbolts Captain looked up in surprise. "Are you certain? I had figured Rainbow Dash here was functioning in that regard."

"Are ya joking? RD may be loyal and she may be one heck of a flier, but she ain't cut out to be leader," the orange earth pony nudged her rival playfully. "Plus, can y'all imagine how large her ego would be then?"

"Hey!" Dash put on her best annoyed expression, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face for more than five seconds. "I'm the best flier ever, er... excluding Spitfire that is and I've got plenty of leadership experience. Just not in combat is all."

"Ah hem." All ponies turned their attention to Rarity. "Might I suggest moving this to our conference room?"

"Conference room? I don't remember stumbling across that last night when we came in." Chuckling, Rainbow led the confused Wonderbolt to the wall before suddenly shoving her through.

"Rainbow Dash, that wasn't a very nice thing to do to our guest," reprimanded Rarity before setting through followed by Applejack.

"The expression on her face was worth it though." Making sure there weren't any ponies in the room, Dash walked through and shivered at the condensation forming on her body. Once through, she shook off the water before moving to the table and sitting down. "Any news 'Shy?"

"Um... yes... but it's... um... pretty bad..." she squeaked.

Dash frowned and shared a nervous look with Applejack. "You can tell us."

"It's Twilight, she was, um..." The rest came out as a soft squeak.

"Please speak up dear, none of us will think badly of you for having to deliver bad news."

The meek pegasus gave Rarity an appreciative smile. "Twilight was there when we rescued Spitfire."

"What!?"

"Um... there's more... if my little friend are right, then she distracted Nightmare Moon long enough for us to escape by figuring out how to turn the moon into a sun."

Everypony stared at Fluttershy in silence.

"You've got to be bucking me!" Dash kicked the stone wall. "Celestia damn it! She was there. She was bucking there!" Hot tears flowed freely down her cheek, but for once she didn't care.

A pair of arms wrapped around her and Dash turned out, hugging back tight. "Ah'm sorry sugarcube. We should have-"

Rainbow Dash shook her head, pressing her cheek against Applejack's damp one. "No." It hurt her to say it. It felt like she was being torn apart. "We couldn't lose all of you at the same time. And- and... we can rescue Twilight some other time. Losing a friend hurts, but losing you all would mean losing Equestria."

"Dash..."

"No. I'm fine." Dash pulled back and put on the most confident grin she could muster. "We need to focus on what to do next."

"This Twilight," said Spitfire into the silence, "she wouldn't be Lady Twilight Sparkle, protégé to Princess Celestia would she?"

"Lady?" Rarity's head snapped over. "Twilight is a Lady? I had no idea. Oh my, that explains so much about her. I knew her name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it at the time. To think I'm actually friends with Princess Celestia's personal student."

"Rarity, we've got more important things to discuss," said Rainbow Dash with a glare at Rarity. "Like what we'll be doing next."

"Any suggestions Captain Spitfire?" asked Rarity.

"Hm... I agree with what was said outside. You need to get heating set up, as winter will be here soon, and you'll also need a storage facility and you need to start stock piling immediately. What's the rate of immigrants?"

Fluttershy had activated her disguise and pulled out a piece of paper. "According to Mayor Mare's report, it's about two or three ponies every week. She also says that we can expect this number to rise as we set up more bases within the cities and towns. She’s also done a quick calculation on how many ponies we can comfortably feed using current resources and it's about three hundred."

"Fluttershy darling, why are you in your disguise?"

"Why not?" she countered before turning it off and flushing. "Sorry..."

Spitfire ignored the exchange. "I'm assuming you're using the same system as when you met Soarin and them? How are you vetting out spies?"

Applejack smirked. "Ah can tell a lie from truth as easily as Ah can buck an apple tree."

"No pony's that good."

"Well Ah am. Ya can try, but ya won't sneak a lie past me."

Spitfire opened her muzzle, but Rarity cut in, "Trust me. What she says is true."

Doubt lingered, but Spitfire nodded. "That may be enough for now, but we'll need something better once refugees pick up. It doesn't need to be perfect, but it has to be done. Also, we need to set up supply runs. Paper, quills, clothing, and so on."

Rarity smiled. "I'm already in the process of setting that up. What we lack are ponies to make the supply run, as well as a safe way to transport the materials."

"What about bits?"

"I'm a seamstress – the best in Ponyville and a rising star. I have already lined up a store in Manehatten that I can buy where I can sell fashion to the upper class. Furthermore, there's a fashion show there in three weeks’ time. If I can catch the eye of Hoity Toity, then it will mean being sold out in five seconds of opening store. It will also allow me to build up support in the upper ranks of society."

"And foreign alliances?"

This time Rainbow Dash replied, "I've already sent a letter to the gryphon's telling them I'll be coming in an official capacity to discuss the issue of Nightmare Moon and to seek aid. I have no doubt they'll agree to a meeting."

Four ponies stared at the smug pegasus slack jawed.

The first to recover was Spitfire who chuckled at the piece of news. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible. We have never been on good relations with the gryphon's and they have a very strict non-interference policy when it comes to other nations."

"Bah, I'm the coolest pony ever and I'll have to remember to say 'I told you so' when the letter comes back saying the meeting is set up."

"And... um..." interrupted Fluttershy, "I'll also be making contact with the... the..." She gulped. "The dragons... But their isle is too far away for a pegasus to fly."

Spitfire just stared at the shy pegasus as if she was crazy. "Okay, you know what? You're all insane. Apparently you can tell when some pony's lying, you can get a meeting with the gryphons, and now you're telling me you can talk to a dragon without being eaten. This is all so insane!" She grinned at everypony gathered and rubbed her hooves together. "I like it! What next?"

"The last thing is spreading the word of the resistance. We were thinking of using Princess Celestia's cutie mark and painting it on walls all over Equestria," said Rarity.

"An' then there's all those other resistances that'll no doubt sprout," added Applejack. "We need a focused effort."

"So how will we split ourselves up?" asked Spitfire.

"Mayor Mare will take care of things within the village," began Fluttershy, once more in her disguise, "and I'll stay here gathering information. Rainbow Dash will go to the gryphon territories while Rarity goes to Manehatten like she said. I was thinking Pinkie could do the spraying of symbols and Applejack could go talk to the dragons if we figure out a way of getting there. Captain Spitfire and the Wonderbolts will first gather the necessary supplies from Cloudsdale for us to heat the caverns. After that, they will assist with setting up supply trains, scouting, and the like. What we're currently missing is a unicorn who can detect background magic and set up a second base like this one. If... if that's alright that is." At Rarity's frown, Fluttershy smiled sheepishly and deactivated her disguise yet again.

"Fluttershy, you never cease to amaze me," chuckled Rainbow Dash. "I think that's perfect."

There was a chorus of agreement.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," whispered Spitfire in awe. "I never thought... Never expected... You ponies... you're not normal ponies are you?"

The group exchanged a nervous look then as one, the Elements of Harmony appeared around their necks, shining brightly in the darkness. Sitting there, Spitfire seemed to soak it up as her eyes closed. It was a similar warmth to the one she got in Princess Celestia's presence. It spread through her body like hot soup on a winter's night. But at the same time, it felt like something was missing.

"What... what are those?"

"These are the Elements of Harmony. The only thing capable of defeating Nightmare Moon. Pinkie has the Element of Laughter and Twilight has the Element of Magic," said Rainbow Dash. "I- We are showing you this because you're the Captain of the Wonderbolts and you deserve – no, you need to know. Tell no one else you hear?"

Spitfire nodded before getting down onto her knees in front of them, touching her forehead to the ground. "I, Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts, hereby swear eternal loyalty to the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony until such a time Princess Celestia is restored to her throne."

Dash chuckled softly and looked over at Rarity who was subtly nudging Dash on. "As the Element of Loyalty, I accept your fealty on behalf of the others, but ask you to place Equestria above all else." She glanced over her shoulder at Rarity who nodded with a smile. "You may rise Captain Spitfire. Now can we drop all this formality and get to work?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" grinned Spitfire. "The worst part of being Captain of the Wonderbolts are all those stuffy parties I have to go to. Not to mention the formal language. Bleah."

"Oh and Spitfire?" The flame-maned pegasus looked back at Dash. "As your leader, I order you to race me sometime."

"Rainbow Dash! How dare you abuse your position so? You should be ashamed of yourself."

Laughing, Dash watched as Rarity, Applejack and Spitfire made their way out the room. "Come on Rarity, take that stick out of your plot and have fun for once! Frowning all the time is bad for the complexion you know."

Once they were out of sight, Dash turned to her fillyhood friend. "Hey 'Shy, I heard about what happened at the rescue and then there's what happened then and I was wondering if... you know... if you wanted to talk about it..."

Fluttershy gave Dash a knowing smile. "It's fine. I know you're not good with these sorts of talks and how it makes you uncomfortable."

Sitting down next to her, Dash shook her head. "I may be bad, but you're still my friend. So talk to me 'Shy. Please."

"I- I..." The yellow pegasus took a deep breath. "Ever since I was a filly I've wanted to be like you. Did you know that? You're strong, confident-"

"Well I am pretty cool- I mean, I'm also... er... arrogant, stubborn," added Dash with a smile.

"Well yes... no offense... it's just, I suppose, I may have created this image of a perfect me inside my head."

"You're already perfect."

Fluttershy meeped softly and hid behind her mane. "Not really. I'm weak and helpless you know. And...well... when I was in that illusion I felt so free. It was as if I was some other pony. It was liberating. I could do anything, say anything I wanted to and no one would know it was me under there. I mean... they would know since it was me, but... Um... I don't think I explained that very well... sorry..."

"So you're saying you get to pretend to be some other pony? The pony you'd like to be."

A bright red blush spread across Fluttershy's cheeks. "M-Maybe not that forward, but yes...? Is something wrong with me for wanting that?"

"Of course not! But you don't need to hide behind a mask to do that."

Fluttershy looked down and to the side, pawing the ground uncomfortably.

"Fluttershy, listen to me." Dash grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're not a dead weight and you'll never be one alright? I should know, I am the coolest pony ever. You just need to believe in yourself." She then muttered under her breath, "That was the corniest and most uncool thing ever."

"Thanks Dash." Fluttershy gave her longtime friend a hug.

"It's the least I can do in return, considering how often you deal with my messes." Rainbow hugged back with an arm. "You can always talk to me 'Shy."

The two ponies sat in silence, neither moving, and neither feeling a need to fill the silence with idle chatter. Eventually though, Fluttershy broke the silence with a whisper, "You're going to see her aren't you? The letter was just a lie."

Dash nodded. "Yeah... Sending a letter would be too dangerous. I know you two never got along, but I have to."

"Just be careful alright?"

"Heh, I'm Rainbow Dash, as if I'd let a lousy gryphon get the best of me."

Warmth.

Canterlot was bathed in a twilight glow and ponies stood in the streets in wonder. In amazement. High above them a glowing orb hung in the sky. It wasn't the sun, nowhere close to the sun, but it was better than the eternal moon that had occupied the sky for the past week.

It was warm.

High above them, locked in the observatory, I watched them gawk at the miracle that was above them. A miracle I had created. I rubbed my eyes and suppressed the yawn I felt sneaking up on me. When was the last time I slept? Who cares, I don't need sleep – I've never needed sleep. Standing there with the wind swirling around me, I let the warmth wrap her arms around me.

Princess Celestia...

An image of her floated into my mind's eye. The way her hair flowed even without a breeze and how the colors shifted and flowed like sunshine. I could still see her radiant smile – brighter than the sun and producing so much more warmth too. And then there was that luxuriously soft fur and those silky feathers of hers which made her so perfect to snuggle against.

Oh Celestia, help me. I don't know what I'm doing or where I'm going. Guide me. A sign, a message, something, anything... please...

I could throw myself off the roof right this instant and kill myself. As tempting as that prospect is, it would be a choice in and of itself, and I'm certain if you were here you'd tell me that was a stupid decision, but a decision I had to make for myself. You always gave me advice, even when I didn't ask for it and it was always that – advice. In the end though, it was always my choice to follow it or ignore it, or come up with a third option. I sure could use your advice right now Princess.

Or maybe I'll stay here, turning thought after thought in my mind until Nightmare Moon comes up and takes me inside. That too is a choice. The choice to do nothing and to just go with the flow. But then she'd ask me if I had made up my mind and I don't know what my answer would be. To accept feels like giving in and betraying everypony out there. While rejecting the offer feels like it's the stupid thing to do.

Kindness.

Laughter.

Generosity.

Honesty.

Loyalty.

Magic.

I had to be able to function independently. To work without Nightmare Moon double checking my every move. Accepting would make her suspicious, I had no doubt about that. After all, accepting was to admit defeat – to admit she had broken me and ripped any shred of willpower from my body. Furthermore, she'd be expecting me to try some sort of trickery, and it's unlikely that she'd stop believing that until she saw evidence of it.

Deep breaths Twilight.Deep breaths. And remember, don't close your eyes. So that's it then? I looked up at the sky, but saw no signs amongst the stars. When did I start believing in such superstitious things anyways?

Since-

I slammed down on that thought with all my might, suppressing it and shoving it into some dark corner of my mind. A quick review of my thoughts told me everything was in line, and try as hard as I could, no flaws presented themselves. Then again, I am rather biased in this respect.

"Nightmare Moon," I said into the empty space, "I have made up my mind."

The seconds ticked by then a midnight blue alicorn came into view, landing gracefully onto the roof. She stood there, regarding Canterlot and her makeshift sun before turning to face me. "And your answer?"

"You've got yourself a deal, but only on a couple of conditions."

Her laughter echoed back to us. "You're in no position to argue."

"You will find I am in the perfect position to do exactly that. The simple fact that you came to me tells me you need me." I kept my face neutral and let my sight linger on Canterlot before sweeping back to Nightmare Moon to study her expression.

"I could send you back to your cell. Torture you for a couple more days." She said that in the same way a pony asks a friend if they wanted to grab something to eat. "Break you down some more."

"You could." She regarded me with a cold indifference and I stared back with a similar expression. "But like I said already, you would not be asking me for help if you didn’t need to."

The alicorn sighed and gazed out at the city sprawling beneath us. "I want eternal night, not pain and suffering. As long as you stay as you are, you will be seen as a symbol for detractors to rally around. Even as we speak, my Shadowbolts are in Manehatten quelling a riot that broke out thanks to a group wanting Celly back, and that only happened because of your open defiance in court. That is not what I want. I want my little ponies to be happy with their lives. I want to be loved like Celly was."

"You took away their sun and their mother."

"Sacrifices must be made." She lay down on the stone floor, resting her head on her hooves. "If you do not wish the violence to escalate, then you will accept my offer."

There was a brief moment of hesitation. "At least hear out my conditions."

"Very well. But I do not have long, I have a meeting with Prince Blueblood," she spat out his name as if it was poison. "Why hasn't Celly stripped him of his title?"

"Before I make my decision permanently, I'd like to sit in on some meetings. Secondly, I will need to be able to use my magic so that I can read documents and write, and eat and function at a respectable level. Thirdly, I'd like records of previous decisions you've made to make sure you're not putting on a show, and free access to the library and a decent level of free roaming around the castle. Fourthly, no torturing me when I disagree with you."

"All four are granted, but on the matter of you using magic, you will only have enough to levitate basic objects, and I reserve the right to place a listening spell on your collar to make sure you're not plotting against me."

"Collar?"

"I could have guards following you around if you prefer."

"No, I meant I'm to wear a collar?"

"Yes. It will be a low power listening spell so that only those speaking in close proximity will be detected. If it was a bracelet I'd catch too much background noise for it to be effective."

"So I'll look like your pet."

"Yes."

"You realize that may add incentive to the various rebellions."

"It may also demoralize them to see Celly's personal student broken."

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Broken? I'll be arguing with you more often than not."

"You never know." She looked up at the new sun and stood up. "So we've come to an agreement?"

Please Celestia, let me be doing the right thing. "That we have."

"Very well. If you wish, we can begin today. I'll even throw in an illusion spell so ponies don't realize it is you until you make a proper decision in three days’ time."

"As if I'd trust you enough to let you cast a spell on me." A yawn escaped. "And I think sleep is the best option right now."

"Agreed. Why haven't you been sleeping anyways?" She must have noticed how I was looking at her as though she was an idiot. "Oh... Right... Sorry..."

There was a flash of light and the next thing I knew, I was in my old room. The same room I had been staying in when doing my experiment a couple days back. It was nice to see there were no guards and that everything had been cleaned up. A quick sweep of the room told me the door had a lock on the inside and that there weren't any items made from high magic conductive materials lying around.

Walking to my old desk, I pulled out a sheet of paper and quill with my mouth, and quickly wrote a list of books I needed to read – all of them revolved around pony psychology and sleep. There was no doubt in my mind the torture I had been put through had left some psychological scars, so the faster I could get them diagnosed and resolved, the sooner I could function properly.

Stepping back, a sense of satisfaction overcame me at the neatness of my writing. Most unicorn's couldn't function without their magic, but having my magic locked as filly by Celestia until I could control it meant I had more than enough practice with writing with my mouth. Even now, my magic was half sealed, though the seal was fraying around the edges – after all, it was never meant to be permanent. For the briefest moment I had tasted my true power when I activated the Elements of Harmony and truth be told, I was afraid of it. No pony should ever hold that much power.

So I told a small lie, acted against honesty, but it was worth it. A bit of magic, no matter how small, was invaluable. I opened and closed my jaw a couple of times, working the muscles. And then there was the way Nightmare Moon had acted. Was it her real self coming through or merely a charade?

My money was on charade.

Another yawn and this time I could feel my eyelids drooping, but I forced myself awake. Grabbing a book from my own personal bookshelf, I laid down on the bed and began reading. I knew from experience that the only way I was going to get a good night's sleep was if my brain knocked myself unconscious.

If you could call it sleeping that is.

There was a polite knock on the door. "Come in," I called.

The door swung open on well-oiled hinges to reveal a red furred unicorn with an orange mane. "Lady Sparkle, I have documents here from Queen Nightmare and I have been appointed your temporary guard in the meantime."

"Bring in the documents and please leave me alone." I dismissed him with a tired wave of my hoof before grabbing the top file and opening it. "Okay, let me see... riot in Manehatten, originally thought to be contained. Second riot breaks out on east side of the city followed by a third in the southern side, containment by their police providing too difficult due to the dispersed nature of the protests. Unicorns are no longer able to keep up with protesters, use of force has been approved by Nightmare Moon, and Shadowbolts sent in for reinforcements, acting in a scouting capacity. Those arrested will appear before court. Judge to be announced."

Rubbing my eyes, I thought over what I just read. Everything was in accord with the laws set out in Public Order Act, Section 10 (2), Part III of Schedule 3 and it even followed the same process Celestia took in the Fillydelphia Riots six hundred and fifty-seven years ago. From the look of things, there was no avoiding the use of force and they all wore riot gear to soften their bucks as per procedure.

Okay, let's try another decision Nightmare Moon has made.

"This is a good one," I said to myself. It was set the day after the Summer Sun Celebration. Flicking it open, I quickly scanned the pages before rereading it to make sure my sleep deprived mind was reading it right. If the document could be believed – and I was having serious doubts – she had increased funding for orphanages and schools as one of her first acts. It was a piece of legislation Celestia had introduced and had slaved over to get it to where it was thanks to Prince Blueblood stalling it at every opportunity. But Nightmare Moon simply stomped the competition underhoof and forced it through.

A smile tugged at my lips as I found and read the transcription of the scene. Celestia would not have done that, and I had asked her why not once a couple years back. After all, so much more would be done so much faster if she did, but she simply replied with a single word, "Fear."

Her little ponies would fear her. And she feared for herself, what she would become if she started using her power in such a manner. Fear kept her in check. But Nightmare Moon, didn't care. From the transcript, it sounded like she knew what was best for Equestria and would obliterate anypony that stood in her way. It was a point of difference between the two rulers, but the mere fact that both considered it such an important decision merely served to strengthen the parallel between the two.

Flicking through a couple more files, I noticed the same pattern everywhere. Some policies – often the same ones Celestia championed, though not always – were forced through while others were completely wiped out. The majority though, were debated with Nightmare Moon not saying a single word as she allowed it to take its natural course. She also had a habit of turning everything into a binary opposition – it was either one or the other and there were no other options or compromise.

Groaning, I rubbed my eyes before grabbing another folder and opening it up. This is going to be a long night.

Chapter 6

Spitfire activated her very own bracelet and shivered at the feeling of the magic crawling over her skin. It was the second time she had used it, and just like before, she could feel the beginnings of a headache forming. Nopony knew why she reacted in such a way, even Twilight's journal failed to shed any light on the issue. Nonetheless, it was just the beginnings of one so it didn't interfere with her ability to lead, and it was a minor price to pay for not getting killed.

"Soarin, no flying you got that? You need to rest that wing of yours. And follow General Fluttershy's orders." Spitfire looked back at her longtime friend. "If I hear you haven't, I'll sick the Cutie Mark Crusaders on you."

Soarin nodded so vigorously Spitfire half expected his head to fly off. "Got it Spitz. Just come back in one piece."

"Please, she'd got me looking after her." Rapidfire threw his trademark cocky grin. "As if I'd let such a heavenly creature come to any harm."

Fleetfoot rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, just keep your mind on the job and don't go chasing after any fillies you hear?"

"You're just jealous I don't chase after you."

"Oh Celestia kill me now. If you ever, and I mean ever, chase after me, I'll buck you so hard it'll make General Applejack jealous."

"Oh sweetie, don't be like that. You kno-"

"Enough!" Spitfire was rubbing her temples. "I swear, I was drunk when I agreed to be captain. We're leaving now. Fleetfoot, do you have the map and list of equipment we need to get?"

"Yes Captain."

"Alright.Wonderbolts, move out." Before Spitfire walked out the entrance, she said over her shoulder at Soarin "And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me 'Spitz'?"

"Not often enough!"

Groaning, Spitfire made a shooing motion with her hooves. "Go away Soarin, I've got a mission to complete. Go teach Rainbow Dash or something."

"Sure thing Spitz." There was a pause before he added, "I mean, Captain Spitz."

Chuckling to herself, Spitfire pushed herself through the cloud covering the door and stepped out into the moonlight. Nodding to the rest of her group, they jumped off from the ledge and began their walk into the forest. Moving east through the dense forest, they travelled non-stop until they reached Ghastly Gorge, at which time, the moon was high in the sky above them. With the yellow-maned pegasus in the lead, they leapt off the ledge as one. Wings spread, they easily caught the wind and with a barest twitch of the wings, they gently banked to the left and rose up into the sky.

With the Everfree Forest sprawled beneath them and Cloudsdale before them in the distance, Spitfire couldn't help, but smile at the scenery. It was truly something magnificent. Closing her eyes, she raised her right hoof, making a series of gestures as she focused on the innate pegasus magic within her. It took training and dedication to access it on command, and outside of the Wonderbolts, few knew it could be accessed at will in such a manner. It wasn't a secret per say, just something that wasn't common knowledge.

Raising her left hoof, she counted to three before dropping it. At the same time, she channeled the innate magic to her wings and as one unit, the three Wonderbolts shot through the sky. It was a careful balancing act – enough magic to travel at impossible speeds, but not so fast that they'd smash up against the sound barrier and get flung back. As hard as they tried, breaking that barrier had so far proved impossible.

The forest soon gave way to rolling hills, and soon that too melted away into an open grass plane dotted with the occasional plantation. Raising her hoof once more, the group started bleeding off speed until they were gliding along at a leisurely pace. It would still be an hour or so before they reached Cloudsdale, but there was no point in announcing their arrival.

The group flew in silence, each contemplating what had happened and what it meant. But more than that, they went through the plan in their head, turning it over again and again in their minds.

"This is it, fillies and clots," announced Spitfire once they were ten minutes away. "We’ve got a job to do and we all know our parts. No chasing fillies-"

"Hey!"

"And looking for food..." Spitfire frowned at the lack of complaint before realizing Soarin was back at base. "Keep your eyes open and ears sharp. Remember your cover story and let's go. May Celestia guide us."

Descending through the clouds above Cloudsdale, Spitfire landed with a deliberate stumble to make her seem like a worse flier than she actually was. Glancing over her shoulder she asked, "Anypony know a good place to stay? Somewhere cheap, but decent?"

"The Feather Hotel is always good," suggested Rapidfire. "Dirt cheap, but the rooms are super clean."

"Food's disgusting though," added Fleetfoot.

"Saving money is more important right now anyways," chuckled their captain. "Now come on, we've got stuff to do, places to be, things to see!"

"She's absolutely crazy," whispered Rapidfire as they walked down the empty street. "Grade A crazy. I thought I was meant to be the crazy one."

"Nah, you're just the one everypony likes to smack," said Spitfire over her shoulder. "Now hurry it up you two, we're wasting precious moonlight."

"Oh darling, I didn't know you were into span-" A slap to the back of the head from Fleetfoot shut him up before he could say anything else. "Ow. Geez. I swear you'll end up giving me brain damage one of these days."

"The sooner the better."

"This is the last time I'm agreeing to travelling with two females by myself," he huffed.

"But I thought you'd enjoy having two fillies all to yourself." Spitfire barely contained the laughter as she said those words, but at Rapidfire's fish impersonation, both females burst out laughing and both clutched their sides. Spitfire had that infectious laughter while Fleetfoot's was softer, more subdued.

Grumbling, the lithe male strolled past the two in the most dignified manner he could muster. "Come on you two, I thought you said we were wasting moonlight." But that pronouncement only made them laugh harder than ever and soon even he joined in.

Giggling behind hooves, the three friends continued their way down the street, easily navigating their way through back alley short cuts and through a bar or three to throw off any potential ponies following them. All the while they chatted and joked, trying to seem as normal as possible despite the tense atmosphere around them. Every couple of steps, Spitfire would look back at her saddle packs just to make sure they were still there.

"We're here," whispered Fleetfoot.

Spitfire's eyes flickered up to the large warehouse. "Everypony knows what they're doing?"

Rapidfire grinned. "Leave it to me ladies." Removing the lock picks from Spitfire's packs, Rapidfire sauntered up to the door. How he managed to use them was a mystery, apparently it was all in the tongue – yeah right – however he did it though, there was no denying his skills. With a deft twist of his head, the lock popped open and the door was slowly pushed open.

Stepping inside, the door was quickly shut, leaving them in complete darkness with next to no light. Craning her neck back, Spitfire opened a flap on her packs and green light flooded the room giving the entire room a Nightmare Night vibe. With the map memorized, Fleetfoot took the lead as they began their journey through the maze of shelves and boxes. Though they walked silently and would have heard the tiniest sound, the entire group was still tense. After all, they were wanted criminals and they were breaking and entering.

"Alright, here it is." Flying up to the top, Fleetfoot opened up the crate and smiled. "Toss up a vial."

"Are you insane?" hissed Spitfire as she floated up as well. "I am not tossing these anywhere. Now be careful you hear? We've only got five vials."

"Yeah, yeah." Gently lifting a vial of dragon fire from the bag, she smashed it against the side of the crate and watched as it went up in flames. "I hope Spike is alright coughing that up."

"Over here!" The two fillies glided over to Rapidfire who stood on the next row over. "Pass two vials." Once more the green flames consumed the crates

"Okay, all we need n-"

"I'm telling you I saw something!"

The flaps were closed and the three pegasi split up, each hiding in a different shadow.

"You say that every night. I swear, you need to lay off those ghost stories."

"But it's true. It's all true. I even checked the records and everything. This place is haunted."

Haunted? A grin spread across Spitfire's muzzle as she reached back undoing the flap then quickly closing it allowing the green light to peak out for just a second.

"See?" the guard squealed. "Did you see that? Haunted I tell you, haunted!"

"We better check this out."

Another flash of green, longer this time, and with movement.

"Are you insane? Answer me this, what in the word gives off green light? Ghosts! That's what!"

"Unicorns."

"Unicorns up here? This is Cloudsdale, we are floating in the middle of the Celestia damned sky! How in Equestria would a unicorn get up here?"

"..."

"Exactly! I'm telling you it's a ghost. You can go in if you want, but I'm staying out here."

"Alright, alright. Come on, let's continue our rounds. We must be seeing things since it's so late. Plus, it's not as if there's anything important in there."

Once the hoofsteps faded, the Wonderbolts let out a sigh of relief. Within seconds they had found the final two crates and both had been sent back to Spike. Retracing their footsteps, they made it out and relocked the door. Only to be met with the face of the two guards.

"Well, well, what have we here?" smirked the blue one.

"Seems like a group of thieves." The green one leered at them. "You have two choices, come with us or get hur-"

Spitfire dashed forward, punching him in the face before shifting her weight back and spinning around with a swift kick to the blue one's face. Both fell down with a plop onto the soft cloud as she brushed imaginary dust off her coat. "I hate these hired guards. Always thinking they're so tough."

"Either that or you’re just that good."

"I don't know, I think she looks hotter when she fights." Both fillies stared at Rapidfire. "Oh crap, I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Fleetfoot?"

"My pleasure."

"Come now, it was just a joke. You know, 'Hahaha' and stuff. Er..." He kept backing up, glancing around nervously as Fleetfoot approached with a murderous glint in her eyes. With a small meep, he suddenly dived off the edge of the cloud and sped away with Fleetfoot hot on his heels.

Chuckling softly, Spitfire followed them at a more leisurely pace, making sure to glance behind her every so often to make sure they weren't being followed. "Well now, that went surprisingly smoothly."

The poor colt stood in the middle of the room on shaking legs, speaking in a quivering voice, a couple octaves above what most would consider masculine. Not that any of the previous speakers had done any better, and it was unlikely any of the speakers coming up would do much better either. A part of me was disgusted at the way they all acted. How they trembled and groveled before Nightmare Moon as though she was going to smite them on the spot for speaking or something.

"So what do you think my pet?" Her voice was smooth and velvety, with the barest hint of mirth behind them. "We would like your opinion on the matter."

My gaze flickered over for a split second before looking down at the yellow earth pony before me. "Braeburn was it? I believe it would be sheer folly to make a decision regarding land ownership based solely on the evidence provided by only one party. For all I know, you could have fabricated the entire tale or fudged tiny details here and there to make your group seem like you're in the right."

"What if you had to make a decision right this instant?" prodded Nightmare Moon.

"Since the buffalos are fighting so hard over this, I would say the land is important to them, either culturally or spiritually, so my suggestion would be the either split the land in half or some sort of other division that would allow the buffalos to use the land." This time I stared at her dead in the eyes, daring the new self-crowned queen to challenge me.

"We agree with our pet's-" I winced at that title. "-advice. You have two choices, either return to Appleloosa with this solution or bring a representative of the buffalos to Canterlot and we will review your case."

"T-T-Thank you your majesty."Braeburn bowed low and shuffled out of the room.

I let my gaze wander across the throne room at the multitude of ponies present, and the look in their eyes made my heart hurt. Everywhere my gaze went I saw either fear or hate, more often than not it was a mixture of both. But that wasn't what hurt. What hurt was that it was directed at Nightmare Moon just as often as it was directed at me. I heard their whispers as I walked the halls during the day.

"Traitor."

"Filth."

"Slut."

"Whore."

Everywhere I went, their voices would follow. They hated me with every fiber of their being. As far as they were concerned I, betrayed them, Equestria, and Princess Celestia. The only thing that stopped me from being killed was Nightwish who guarded me every time I stepped outside my bedroom door. The worst part was that those who hated me the most were the same ones who knew me from my time as a filly living within the castle walls.

But I was doing all this for Equestria. For them.

It hurt, oh it hurt so much. Every glare was like another hour of torture from Nightmare Moon, and part of me – a small part of me – wanted to just break down and cry. But I couldn't and I wouldn't. I had to be strong.

For Celestia...

"-ay a fine of two hundred bits in addition to another fifty bits each." At the two pegasus' gasp, Nightmare Moon added, "We have appropriate channels set up in the justice system to deal with issues such as these. This court is not meant for solving minor squabbles such as this and you have wasted both our time and the time of the others. Leave."

The two gulped and practically ran out the room. Before the guards to announce the next petition, Nightmare Moon spoke up, "We are sorry, but we will be retiring for the night. We have important matters to deal with in private."

At the knowing looks the audience gave one another, I flushed bright red and glanced away. When I peeked up again, the number of said looks only increased, as did the number of blushes. That caused me to blush even more, causing them to think that thought even more, causing me to become even more embarrassed, and so and so forth in a constant cycle. A vicious cycle.

Standing up from my spot on the ground, I followed Nightmare Moon out the door, ignoring the glares I got from the guards and ponies as I walked past. I was afraid, far more terrified than that night facing Nightmare Moon by myself before my friends arrived. More terrified than when Celestia told me I had an impromptu exam. More terrified than when my out of control magic decimated half the eastern tower. These ponies were Equestria and were no doubt a reflection of public opinion. Without Nightwish and Nightmare Moon, I'd be dead right now. Torn limb from limb in a mad frenzy of bloodlust.

Even with my eyes open, I could see them descending on me with that crazed glint in their eyes. I could feel their teeth sinking into my thigh, my shoulder, my stomach, my neck. I could also hear the sound of ripping flesh as they tore and see the way my hoof dangled, held on by a thin thread of muscle fiber.

"Lady Twilight?" I looked up into the pair of heterochromic eyes that belonged to Nightwish. "You alright?"

A quick shake of my head cleared up the vision I was having. "I'm perfectly fine. Just a bit tired." Stepping through the door he held open for me, I smiled politely. "Thank you."

"You're always tired," he muttered under his breath before stating in a louder voice, "So where to?"

"My room, unless Nightmare Moon has some other meeting she needs me to go to." When Nightmare Moon didn't bother responding, I simply shrugged. "To my room then."

"Very well, shall I grab something from the kitchen along the way? It is almost dinner after all."

"It if wouldn't be too much trouble, could you grab a hay sandwich and bring it up to my room? I'm rather busy with research so..."

"You sure? Travelling alone in these corridors by yourself isn't safe you know."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the servants whispering and glaring at me, desperately trying to avoid my gaze when I turned my head towards them. "I'll be fine. There are guards around after all."

He hesitated, but when I matched his stare with one of my own he nodded. "Very well, but please go immediately to your room and lock the door. Nightmare Moon hasn't finished vetting all the guards yet and there is no doubt some of them aren't charitable towards you or the Queen."

"I'll be fine." With a shove, Nightwish began walking down the corridor, tossing the occasional glance back at me to make sure I was fine. I swear he's worse than a mother.

Shaking my head, I made my slow way down the corridor remembering days of happiness and love long since lost. Snuggling close to mom, reading a book with dad, star gazing late at night... they were all lost now. Hopefully with a bit of luck and lots of planning, I could eventually get them back. Hopefully.

"My, my, if it isn't the bitch."

I snapped back to reality and saw three earth ponies standing in front of me. The one who spoke – and probably the leader of the trio – had a green coat and knives for his cutie mark while his two companions had cooking utensils for their cutie mark and both had red coats.

" 'Soups?" A frown creased my brow. "It's been a long time."

"Ah, so Miss High and Mighty remembers me," the green colt chuckled before gesturing to the red one on the right. "Don't remember Butterscotch I take it?"

"And I'm Pumpkin," bowed the last one. "We're terribly sorry to do this, but... well..."

"Do what?" I licked my dry lips as my eyes darted between the three of them.

"Now, now pet, there's no need to act so confused." A snarl escaped my lips at what 'Soups called me, but he merely grinned, and at the sound of footsteps coming from behind, I saw a unicorn and pegasus approach.

Trapped.

For a moment, the image of school and younger bullies were superimposed onto the scene, but a quick shake of my head cleared that away. These weren't bullies. These were ponies out for blood. I gathered my magic within me and growled in annoyance – I had enough magic to shove them, but nothing more than that. Still, it was better than nothing. My muscles tensed, my heart rate increased and though I couldn't see it, I knew my pupils had dilated.

Fight or flight.

Fight.

Lunging forward I rammed 'Soups with my shoulder while shoving the unicorn with my magic. Butterscotch drew back for punch, but in that split second I had already ducked down, and gave her a solid left hook. Once more, my horn flared up, shoving the unicorn from another direction. Pivoting on my right hoof, I had enough time to see a hoof flying towards my face.

Block, counter.

Pumpkin stumbled back, but before I could press my advantage, a pair of hooves slammed into my side. A sickening crack echoed through the hall. Tumbling along the ground, I eventually came to a stop when I hit the wall. Without a thought I struggled onto my hooves – well, there goes some ribs. A month ago I'd still be on the ground, blinded by pain, but now it barely registered.

"That the best you can do?" Chains immediately snaked around my wrists and suspended me in midair. The group surrounded me. "Better. But still an F grade if you as-"

The first blow was aimed at my stomach. Then a second and third, but the fourth smashed into my muzzle like a ton of bricks. Blood filled my mouth. Again and again the blows came and pain flared with each hit, but I didn't cry out once, nor did my grin drop. Another ghastly crack as my femur snapped. A blow to the back of my head – hard enough to give me a concussion?Unlikely. Electricity shot through my body, causing my muscles to spam uncontrollably. The scent of burnt fur filled the air. Out of the corner of my eye non-swollen eye I saw a guard walk past.

This was nothing.

The group stepped back, panting heavily, sweat dripping from their brow as they stared at me and then each other. At least Pumpkin had the decency to look disgusted at what he had done. The way he looked down at his bloodied hooves in silent shock, unable to look at any pony in the eye. The unicorn let go of me and I dropped onto the ground. Instead of collapsing in a heap though, I stood there proud and strong on all four hooves.

"Is that it? Please, that barely tickled." They stared at me in shock, which only caused my grin to broaden. Taking a step forward, I prepared to punch 'Soups with all my might, but a voice stopped me.

"What's going on here?"

What would Fluttershy do in this situation?

"Oh Nightwish, I was wondering how much longer it'd take you." The fear in their eyes warmed my heart. "These kind ponies just managed to chase off a trio who were attacking me. No doubt I would be dead right now if not for their timely intervention."

At their confused looks and surprised blinks, I gave them the warmest smile I could muster. Kindness... She'd act with kindness. She'd smile and tell us not to hurt the poor deluded ponies and ask us to forgive them.

"I forgive you," I whispered as I turned around and began limping over to my personal guard before speaking in a louder voice, "And perhaps... perhaps you should throw them a party..."

"A party?"

The insane look he gave me made me chuckle. "Yes. A party. Parties are the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Well technically it'd be laughter, you have to be accurate with these things."

The look my pegasus guard gave me was one of complete confusion. "You are so random. At any rate, we need to get you to a doctor."

I rolled my eyes. "I do not need a doctor."

"You've got a couple broken bones, and broken ribs, which means you shouldn't be moving at all."

Facehoofing, I let my magic run over my body, closing off wounds and soothing bruises, before letting it wrap around my broken bones and shifting them into position before using a magical cast to hold them in place. "There. Done. Happy?" Though I hated to admit it, I was feeling faint from the amount of magic I had used.

"You- But- I... How?"

"Bullies are nothing new to me," I remarked casually. "And when you're Princess Celestia's protégé, you quickly learn how to heal yourself so she doesn't send the offenders to the moon."

"But most ponies-"

"I'm not most ponies."

"Obviously not." He sighed under his breath. "And next time you do that, warn me. You were standing still for almost three hours."

"Three hours?" I knew it'd take a long time, but I didn't expect it to take that long. "And you didn't do anything during that time?"

"I could see the wounds closing up so I figured you were healing yourself. I've never seen any pony do that before though." Pushing open the library doors, he added under his breath, "Most don't live in the library either."

"Their loss." Without looking up from the floor, I grabbed three books and began making my way up the stairs. "I think I'll do some light reading tonight." My stomach growled. "I don't suppose you grabbed that hay sandwich?"

"Yep. I've got it right here."

"Alright." Unlocking the door with my magic, I stepped through and gestured to my right while I made my way to my desk. "Just put it down on the table. I'll get around to it later."

"Can I ask you a question?"

I flipped open the book and began reading the contents page. "Uh-huh."

"So I was wondering-"

"Uh-huh."

"-why you let-"

"Uh-huh."

"-those ponies off when it-"

"Uh-huh."

"-was obvious they were the ones responsible?"

"Uh-huh."

"... You haven't been listening have you?"

"Nope." I turned the page and kept reading, before blinking and looking up. "Wait, what?"

Nightwish facehoofed and sighed. "Why did you let the ponies go?"

"Oh that? Kindness." I went back to my book.

"Kindness."

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Six fold path." Rereading the last sentence, I floated my Encyclopedia of Technical Magical Terms over and began flipping through it.

"That old Equestrian belief?"

I merely shrugged at his outburst and went back to the book I was reading. "You've asked your question and I've answered it. Please leave, I've got a lot of research to do before sleeping." The sandwich floated over and I bit into it, but didn't really taste it.

The door clicked shut and I relaxed, slumping into the desk as I rested my head on the open book. I was numb. My soul was so very, very numb. Words and looks of ill intent were one thing, but actual physical violence was a whole another level. Some part of me, a tiny whisper in my mind, had always told me that those looks were my imagination – a psychological scar from the torture. Now that whisper had been cleaved in two, leaving only the dark talks to echo through my mind.

And then there was Nightwish.

Three possibilities existed before me. The first was that it was all an act in an attempt to get me to trust him so that I would tell him any secrets or thoughts I had, giving Nightmare Moon a direct channel to me. The second was that it wasn't an act and that Nightmare Moon specifically picked Nightwish so that he would become my friend, so that she could then use him as leverage when dealing with me. Finally, he was just that nice and there was no ulterior motive.

Considering I'm an important pony, that knocks out the third option, as Nightwish would have to be someone who'd stay loyal to Nightmare Moon no matter what. Unless of course she knew I'd figure out her game, therefore deliberately gave me someone nice so that when I acted harsh I'd alienate myself from the staff more... As if that was possible. But I also don't want to alienate him, after all he's meant to be keeping me safe.

Then again, that wasn't particular difficult for good old antisocial me. Just keep my nose buried in a book and ignore everything else. I've had plenty of practice over the years and it's not as though I'm not used to it, so why does that thought make me sad?

Shrugging, I went back to my reading, pulling out a textbook on the effects celestial bodies had on magic. Worrying over such things wouldn't solve anything, emotions are irrational to begin with and if I let myself be consumed in them, I'd be curled up in a ball crying my eyes out which was neither productive nor helpful. I needed to figure out a way of subduing Nightmare Moon long enough for the Elements of Harmony to work without her dodging out of the way like last time.

"And so far this book is useless!" I yelled, slamming it against the opposite wall in frustration. Taking a deep calming breath, I floated the book back and caressed the spine. "I'm sorry... I'm so very, very sorry..."

Just don't cry.

Never cry.

Chapter 7

"No offense sugarcube, but Ah think this is a bad idea."

"A bad idea because its gryphons or a bad idea because it's me visiting them?" The cyan pegasus glared at her rival from across the table. " 'cause if it's the first you can stuff it and if it's the second you can stuff it as well."

"Y'all can't blame me," she protested, glancing at the others for support, but Fluttershy outright glared at Applejack and Spitfire was avoiding her gaze. "Ah mean, ya ain't the best choice for a... diplomatic mission ya realize."

"Applej-"

"No Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash drew up to her full height and placed both front hooves onto the table with a deliberate slowness. "Here's the deal Applejack, I'm arrogant, loudmouthed and impulsive. But-" Dash glared the orange earth pony. "-I am also completely and utterly loyal to the Equestria and I only want the best for it and its inhabitants. I have never and will never do anything to endanger it. Furthermore, we equals and we're both in this together. You need to trust me and not try to do everything yourself."

Silence descended as Applejack thought over what was said before slowly nodding. "Ah trust you RD, ya know Ah do." She sighed and looked off to the side. "Ah suppose Ah'm just tense is all. Ya ain't the most diplomatic pony ever and..."

"And it's the fate of Equestria. I know AJ, but trust me, I know what I'm doing and I can be serious. Not to brag or anything, but I was the district weather manager for Ponyville."

"Wait, ya were the what now?" The earth pony looked up in surprise. "How come ya never told us?"

Dash merely brushed it off with a shrug. "I've got a reputation to maintain. Anyways, if we're done discussing whether I'm the right pony for the job, can I leave now?"

"Who else are you taking with you?" piped Spitfire.

"No one. I have to do this alone."

"I enjoy insane plans as much as the next pony, but going into Gryphon territory by yourself is not insane, it's stupidity and it will get you killed. We cannot risk that happening."

"It'll be fine." Fluttershy spoke softly, but her voice easily carried in the small room. "We can't tell you why, but Rainbow Dash will be perfectly safe."

"Oh come on!"

"Spitfire, let it go. Ah trust RD and Fluttershy, an' neither would lie to us." The earth pony looked as though she had just aged twenty years. "Go RD, but if Ah hear ya started a war or died Ah'll hunt you down myself. Got that?"

"Yep!" Making her way out the door, she took a left then right turn to get to the room she shared with Pinkie and Fluttershy. Grabbing the pack from her corner of the room, she slung it over her body and made sure to clip it in place so it wouldn't fall off while flying.

"Er... Rainbow Dash...?"

Dash glanced over her shoulder. "Oh hey squirt, how was your lesson with Echo?"

"Boring. He was going on about some pony that did something a couple hundred thousand million gazillion years ago." They shared a laugh. "Where are you going?"

"Oh you know, out. I'll be gone for a while."

"Oh..." Scootaloo looked down, wings slumping slightly.

Walking over, Dash nudged the filly into the room and sat down next to her. "Come on kiddo, you can talk to me."

"It's just... Well... I was- That is-"

"She wants you to teach her how to fly!" screamed Sweetie Belle from the door frame before running away.

"Hey!"

" 'cause ya're the coolest, most epic, super duper, awesomest flier evar!" added Applebloom before chasing after the unicorn.

"Girls!" This time Scootaloo was blushing as she yelled.

Dash blinked in surprise. "Is that true?"

Scoots nodded and looked down – anywhere but where her idol stood. Dash though felt her ego inflate to ten times its normal size. Here they were, living with the Wonderbolts, but Scoots still wanted to train under Rainbow Dash. A pegasus who had never taught anyone else in her life, just a weather pony – albeit the best weather pony in Ponyville and awesomest pony ever.

"Follow me kid." Walking together they made their way back to the lounge and Dash made her way to the bookshelf. After a quick scan she pulled out two books and laid them down on the floor in front of orange filly. "I'll be gone for the next week or so. If you're serious about wanting to learn under me, you will read these two books and when I get back I will be testing you."

"Oh man," she groaned.

Laughing, Dash ruffled Scoots' mane. "Listen kiddo, getting out there and flying is fine if you want to be average. If you want to be the best you need to know the theory. You need to know how the air acts around you as you fly. How to angle your wings to get maximum lift or reduce drag. How to stop so you don't crash and burn."

"But-"

"This is how I was taught. I know all the theory off by heart and if you want to keep up with me, you'll learn it to." The corners of Dash's lips lifted. "You'll hate it. I won't lie to you, you will hate it completely and utterly and you'll be cursing my name before the day is through. But, it will save your life and it will make you a better flier. Also, the second book is on exercises to build up wing muscles and so forth. Don't overdo the second book alright?"

Dash took a deep breath before settling down next to the filly that looked up to her so much. "Most importantly, I will push you. Got that? We'll have fun and we'll laugh, but expect to be pushed beyond your wildest imaginations. You can drop out whenever you want and you can ask any of the other pegasuses to teach you instead."

Scootaloo gulped before staring up at Dash with determination. "I'll do it. I won't let you down."

"I thought you'd say that." Ruffling her mane once last time, Dash ran towards the door, her disguise flowing over her body as she did so.

The orange filly stayed sitting on the ground, gazing at the book sadly. "This is stupid," she muttered under her breath. "I want to learn how to fly, not stupid useless theory."

"If I had a pie every time I heard that one I'd be in love." Scootaloo looked up at Soarin in surprise with wide eyes. "You can ask any Wonderbolt here and they'll all tell theory is just as important as actual flying practice even if it is booooooring. Be glad it's not Crimson teaching you." He winced at the memory.

"Oh..." The filly looked down at the book and with a sigh opened it up. "More homework."

"I hate homework too. Unless it's for cooking class!"

There was something so depressing about seeing so many ponies in one place, but not partying. More ponies than Pinkie had ever known were crowded on the Manehatten street, but most chose to ignore each other. And then there was Pinkie Pie herself, not her usual bubbly self, rather a more subdued – though no less insane – version of herself. White coat, yellow mane, three semi-quaver cutie mark carrying a cello on her back as she trudged through the city. It was an... interesting skill she had picked up from a family member. Was it her sister? No, maybe cousin? Does it matter?

What's what? Oh! Apparently it was learnt from Lyra. Music and baking go hoof in hoof as they say. Or at least they do for Pinkie Pie.

Anyways, on this particular day – sorry, on this particular night (thank you for reminding me Pinkie) – Pinkie was walking down the street, her eyes constantly darting as she whispered her very own actions beneath her breath. It was to set the atmosphere apparently. Today she went with a slightly more light hearted narrative rather than the usual thriller she so loved. Furthermore, she has kindly asked for her such ramblings to not be recorded as to reduce the amount of reading that has to be done (and the amount of writing for that matter).

"Surprise!"

Oh yes, her alias is 'Surprise'.

"No, no silly, I was saying surprise to the audience. I mean, it's not every day I get to talk to third dimensional beings! If Twilight knew, she'd totally freak and be all-"

Ah hem. Pinkie? We do have a narrative to get through and as amusing some may find fourth wall breakages to be, others find it silly and stupid. Please refrain in the future.

Sorry about that.

It should be noted that Pinkie did not get a single weird look from passing ponies and she should have gotten plenty. After all, here was an earth pony carrying a cello and there was only one earth pony who dared to play a string instrument: Octavia. At any rate, even if she did, Fillydelphia ponies knew to never question another pony's business. Especially at night considering the amount of bars that were open late. Every fiber of Pinkie's being was screaming at her to find such a bar, slip in and turn it into the biggest party of Equestria. An even bigger part of her – she assures me this is possible – wanted to bring all those party ponies out into the street and turn Fillydelphia into the party central.

But Pinkie was on a mission. A mission of upmost importance. A mission that should have and would have been impossible for anypony other than Pinkie. Slipping between ponies and redirecting their attention like a pro, she moved through the densest crowds with ease (she assures me it's a lot simpler than getting a party cannon into Canterlot Castle). Walking into the empty market district (there weren't any bars nearby), she slipped the cello case off her shoulder and rested it on the ground. Reaching into her saddle pack, she pulled out a tube of yellow and red paintballs. A couple seconds of practiced hoof movement later, both tubes were slotted into the case at the top and screwed in tight. With a hoof braced under the neck of the case and the other wrapped around the handle, she pressed the first button. Pure ecstasy spread over her face as yellow ball after yellow ball fired out in rapid succession, the infernal party device powered by a small storm cloud Spitfire had gotten from the warehouse yesterday.

Easing off the trigger, she pressed the second button and this time red paintballs shot out. They mixed with the yellow paint to form a nice orange. Within the minute, an almost perfect replica of Princess Celestia's cutie mark was stained on the wall. Giggling to herself, Pinkie took the contraption apart and made her way out. Even now she could see dawn quickly approaching which meant ponies would be arriving to set up shop any minute now.

"I still don't see why you bother helping all these useless ponies," whispered a voice in her minute. "You'll just end up getting yourself killed. And then what?"

"They're my friends," hissed Pinkie under her breath.

"Your friends put you here all by yourself without any sort of backup. What happens if you get into a fight? You gonna assault them with cake?" replied Pinkamina sadistically. "You'll fight, that's what you'll do. You'll fight and you'll hurt them and then you'll be ju-"

"Shut up!"

The laughter faded from her mind, but she could still hear that taunting voice whispering in her ear. It always whispered in her ear. Squeezing her eyes shut, Pinkie thought of all the happy times, all the parties and joy she had bought to those around her. The effect was immediate, hair poofed back up and she bounced down the street despite being on two hooves.

She had to be strong, she had to pull her weight. She wasn't just a party pony. She was responsible and diligent. Pinkie Pie would not let the others down.

The laughter continued echoing in her mind.

Deep breaths Twilight, deep breaths. Remember Nightmare Moon needs you. I hope. If not I'm dead. With a sigh, I chewed on whatever it was I was eating and swallowed before taking a sip of wine. Considering what I was about to do and the consequences of my actions, the drunker I was the better. Glancing up from my bowl on the ground, I noticed Nightmare Moon watching me out the corner of my eye even as she spoke to Ambassador Dusk from Leatus and Gryphon Ambassador Adriana. It warmed the bottom of my heart to see Nightmare Moon keeping such a close eye on me.

Or maybe she suspected something was up?

"Did you hear about the symbol they found at Fillydelphia yesterday?"

My ears perked up, trying to locate the speaker, but with the amount of idle chatter going on, hearing anything was impossible.

"-et yourself killed? Queen Nightmare Moon does not tolerate such gossip!" came the hushed whisper, but the closest I could get was that they were somewhere on the left hand side of the room.

Sighing, I waited patiently for the main course to be served. Whatever Nightmare Moon was discussing I couldn't hear it despite being right next to her. She definitely did not trust me. No doubt expecting me to betray her and until I did she'd probably continue to be suspicious.

This had better be worth it.

I waited patiently for the servants to enter the room, making sure to get as many as possible into the large dinning room. Taking one final deep breath, I telekinetically as many knives as possible and flung them at Nightmare Moon with all my might. Each one froze in midair, a good feet or so from Nightmare Moon's face. The room was silent, no doubt staring at us in silence with a slack jawed expression and hopefully something directed at me that told me they forgave me for the crap I had gone through.

I hope.

If I wasn't so busy staring down Nightmare Moon, I would have given them a smile and a slight inclination of the head to let them know I forgave them. But I was far too busy giving Nightmare Moon a smug grin. It was the smugest smug grin ever, I had been practicing it late at night when super sleep deprived. Oh no, I'm starting to sound like Pinkie Pie. I resisted the urge to head desk.

"Oh Twilight, I was so hoping you wouldn't try something so foalish."

My smile only grew. "And ponies call me naive."

She merely waved a hoof and the knives slammed into the table, quivering from the force of the impact. "Why do you continue to fight me?" she spoke in a whisper, sounding tired and so very lonely. "Together we could do so much good for Equestria. Even as a rival it would greatly help my rule as all of these ponies are far too scared to speak out." At her glare all of the nobles shrunk back.

"Will you bring back the sun?"

"No."

"Celestia's out of the question then?"

"Correct."

"No deal."

"Why?"

"Did you just really ask that question?

There was a pause before Nightmare Moon burst out laughing. A genuine laughter filled with mirth that I could easily envision coming from Pinkie Pie. Giggling softly, she wiped a tear from her eye and said, "I suppose that was a stupid question wasn't it?"

Her eyes suddenly hardened. "But I'm afraid to say what you just did constituted an attempted assault on monarchy and that is a serious crime." She sighed sadly. "I have no doubt you know what's install for you. Nightwish, please keep a close eye on Lady Sparkle and escort her back to her room. She can at least sleep in comfort for one more night. Oh, and please make sure she gets some food."

I glared at Nightmare Moon and the smug look she gave me. There was no way she knew what I had planned and she had somehow managed to turn it on its head and get ahead as a result. My eyes narrowed and the look she gave me became even more smug if that were possible.

I hate my life.

Three days. It had been three days since my stunt at the dinner. Three days since I had seen Nightmare Moon. She wanted me to stew, to let my own mind to come up with some unholy torture and truth be told, it did. Even when I collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep, I still managed to come up with nightmares and when I woke in the morning, I was never quite sure if it had truly been a dream or not.

But now I found myself in the familiar torture chamber with the familiar cuffs cutting into my blood supply and the familiar sounds of my screams and whimpers still bouncing off the stone walls around me. My lungs burnt and I sweat streaked down my body. Each desperate gasp with air was met with an intense burning that coiled its way down my neck.

Then the blade descended.

I gritted my teeth, managing to fight back the pain enough to stop myself from screaming. But it still burned. I could feel the magic surging through my body, it felt like multiple spikes were being shoved through my arm. A pulse of power ripped a scream from my body. Every muscle tensed, my back arched off the floor, and then there was nothing.

"I really had hoped we wouldn't have to return to this." Her voiced floated to me in the void I found myself in.

Absolute darkness. I couldn't feel the cuffs binding me or the warm pool of liquid I lay in, but I knew they were still there. Sudden intense pain appeared in my stomach causing me to double over. Was I curled up in a ball? I knew that's what my body was trying to do, but without sensory feedback telling me so, it was impossible to tell.

Nothing.

I lay there, gathering my breath – was I even breathing? – and waited.

Still nothing.

So this was her game then, sensory deprivation. How origi-

Another scream ripped from my throat as pain suddenly flared in my right forehoof followed by my stomach then chest. Then it was gone just as suddenly. Before I could recover though I felt a sharp blow to my leg, breaking my femur. Once more the silence dragged on. Every so often I'd tense up, expecting a blow to come, but every single time there was nothing. The after a while Nightmare Moon would strike. Sometimes with fire, sometimes with her blades, sometimes with telekinetic blows or ice or other contraptions she could think of. And sometimes they'd come in quick succession, not giving me any respite.

"Why do you keep resisting?"

Every inch of my body hurt. It felt like I had been thrown through a mixer set on high. Unlike previous times, she did not keep up the constant healing so I could feel every single ache and pain. I could feel them throb and burn. I could feel the bone sticking out of my right arm. The only blessing was that I couldn't see the bone sticking out.

"What has Celestia ever done for you? You're a tool, a weapon to her – nothing more. A tool carefully crafted and honed with the sole purpose of bringing me down."

There was a sharp crack followed by my back exploding with pain. Blood trickled their way down through the fur. A second crack then a third. Each time it came it tore a new line down my back, ripping through flesh and muscle as though it was paper. Another crack and though I couldn't hear myself, I would bet all my bits I screamed.

"Why do you do this to me Twilight? We could have ruled together and bought about a new era of harmony. Instead we're stuck here in this silly dance you've created for us. Ah well, plans always change." The silence dragged on. "Do you want to know the real reason why Luna invited the Nightmare into her?"

So they were two separate beings. Or was this an elaborate trick to make me think that so I may start trusting the Luna that visited me? A groan escaped and I would have given anything for the ability to rub my temples. All this constant second guessing was giving me a headache.

"Then again, if I told you, it wouldn't be much of a torture session would it? Hm... Ah, I know!" She sounded happy. Oh Celestia, she sounded happy. Gaia have mercy on my soul.

Something wrapped around my body, biting into my skin and cutting off my circulation. They started at my muzzle, clamping it shut tight before making its way down my neck and winding around my body and limbs forcing me to hold my legs flush against my underside before ending at the base of my tail. All I could manage was a shallow wheeze when I tried to breathe, they prevented my chest from expanding. Not to mention it dug into my throat, suffocating me.

"On second thought, I think I'll tell you. I want to see your face crumble away when you hear the truth. You see, Celly held the Element of Laughter." My eyes widened and shuddered at the thought of Pinkie ruling a nation. Nightmare Moon must have noticed for she chuckled softly. "I see you have an idea of what it was like then. She pulled pranks, threw parties, left all the running to me. There was a reason I called her Trollestia. If not for me, Equestria would have fallen into ruin a long time ago. She got all the recognition for all of my work. What caused me to snap though, was when she pranked the Gryphon Ambassador in the middle of the banquet. You would not believe the amount of ass kissing I had to do to smooth that one over."

And then the burning started.

"And that was why I let the Nightmare in. Celestia was not fit to rule. Why are my rulings to similar to hers? Because she copied me. The five years after my banishment where chaos reigned supreme? It wasn't because Celestia was distraught or sick. It was because she had no bucking clue what she was doing."

The smell of burnt fur filled the air and I gritted my against the pain. I was used to being burnt, it was unavoidable when taking care of a sick baby dragon, but those were small patches. This was my entire body from muzzle to tail was being seared to the bone. I'd like to think I held out for an hour or two being I started screaming and beginning. The truth though, was probably closer to a couple of seconds. Maybe a minute if I really wanted to push it.

But her words burned more.

The pain was like a piece of music, slowly building towards a climax. Each second the pain intensified, the smell thickened and the coils became tighter. This... this was vastly different level of pain compared to what I experienced in the past. It was making me poetic. Was this insanity then? Thinking relatively clearer when I should have nothing, but pain filling me mind?

Celestia, what is wrong with me?

"I think this is a fitting punishment, don't you think?" She sounded as though she was talking about dinner. "I'll be back eventually. Why don't you hang around till then?"

A whimper escaped... at least I'm fairly certain I whimpered – it was impossible to tell with my senses cut off. Slow, steady breaths Twilight, don't give in to the pain. Never give into the pain. Again and again I repeated it to myself, willing it to be true, but no matter how many times I said it, they were just words.

Steam coated my body as my sweat evaporated from the burning chains. I knew, just knew I was begging and whimpering and groveling despite her not being there, but I couldn't help it. The pain, I wanted it to end.

At least there were no tears.

Chapter 8

"Stitch by stitch, stitching it together," Rarity sang under her breath as cloth and needles spun around her, but soon the words faded as she stepped back and looked at the gown critically. "No, no, no, this just will not do. Emerald? Whatever was I thinking?"

The jewels were quickly removed and sapphires where held up in their place. "Better, but not quite... Ah ha! Baby blue sapphires, of course! Rar- Moonlight my dear you are a genius." Once the gems were in place, she stood back once more and gazed at her work.

"It is... presentable..." A frown creased her brow. "But presentable is not good enough!" Her hoof stomp echoed around the room. "I strive for perfection, anything short of that is not worthy to passing through the front doors of this fine establishment. Anything short of that is not worthy to be sold. Anything short of that is a monstrosity in my eyes!"

Taking a shaky breath, the light blue unicorn glanced over at the clock and sighed. Five hours. Five hours she had been working on this dress and while it was a fabulous dress, it wasn't enough. The worst part was she was barely breaking even. Being a new comer with little money, her store was located closer to the mid class district than the upper class would traverse and without a name it was difficult attracting customers. She needed to start bringing in money and she needed to do it soon.

"Perhaps a break will help..." Rubbing her poor abused eyes, Rarity made her way towards the back where the crammed kitchen-slash-dining room-slash-lounge was located. Magically heating up some water, she was just about to start brewing some tea when the front door opened.

Taking a deep breath, Rarity fixed her most welcoming smile on her face before calling out in her most welcoming sing-song voice, "Coooooming!"

"Is this Lady Moonlight's store?" The mare in the doorway had a dark grey mane that was kept to the upmost perfection – silky smooth and shimmered lightly even in the artificial light. Her fur was a lighter shade of grey and much like her mane, it was obviously kept in perfect condition. Most striking was the pink bowtie she wore and the cello case on her back. Both had seen better days and were obviously well loved.

"It is indeed Lady Octavia, how may I be of service today?" Rarity added a small bow for good measure. It took all her willpower to not squeal in delight at the prospect of having the Octavia in her store and potentially wearing one of her dresses to a concert.

"Octavia please." The grey mare let her eyes wander over the dress that Rarity had just been working on. "I desire a plain dress to wear to a charity concert I will be playing at in three days time. My friend told me are you are rather ingenious with your designs and that your work is equal to that of the more expensive shops."

"You flatter me. I am a merely seamstress wishing to make a name for herself. Nothing more." A flush appeared, but Rarity hid it well behind a hoof before gesturing at the elevated platform in the middle of the room. "If you could be so kind I will get some measurements and sketch up a concept for you to look at."

Leaving her cello leaning against the wall, Octavia stood as directed and within the minute all the measurements were done. "Please stand up as you do when playing." Once more measurements were taken with a precision and speed that would have left most jealous. "Thank you Octavia, now would you mind answering some questions? They relate to the event so I can better tailor your clothes to fit the occasion."

"Of course Lady Moonlight."

"Please, Moonlight will do. Is the event a formal, formal-informal, informal-formal or informal?"

"The actual playing will be outside so on the informal side, though I suspect I will be expected to mingle with the upper class at the after party where potential donators will be conversing."

"Hm... I see... I assume you will desire something low key as to not distract away from the actual charity and so that it does not seem as though you are rich. At the same time you will want it to be practical, but still fit in the higher tiers of society. Will you be travelling on two or four legs for the majority of the event?"

"Two legs when playing otherwise four. It is unlikely I will have the privacy or time to change outfits in between."

Rarity smiled grimly as she mauled over her thoughts. "You have provided me quite the conundrum Octavia." Picking up a pencil, she began drawing with bold strokes. "We will want to keep your feminine curves and your bowtie is practically as much a part of you as your cutie mark when it comes to your public image. Long skirts are very much in this season, but to have one covering the front when standing up provides a couple of challenges."

The unicorn suddenly gasped. "Ideeeeaaaa!" The concept art was scrunched up and tossed off to the side and she started again, drawing with such a mad frenzy that Octavia glanced at the door nervously.

Finishing off the first draft, Rarity critically evaluated the drawing. The top was a simple vest with zip (purely for aesthetic reasons rather than actual use) and was adorned with three small gems on the bottom right hand side. The bottom was a tad more complex. While on all fours the skirt would drape down and over much like any other dress, but while standing up it would flow down just off the ground and underneath it would be a pair of shorts. A tad on the uncouth side she had admit, but with the way the dress would flow behind her in the wind, it would still look gorgeous.

Passing the drawing over to Octavia, Rarity watched her expression from the corner of her eye as she set about cleaning up the table. First came surprise then curiosity before finally settling down on intrigue. But Rarity already knew Octavia would commission the dress from her, it was in the way her mouth curled up slightly in the corner and the way she scrutinized it far longer than necessary if it was to be rejected.

"The design is most interesting. I do not believe I have seen anything like it before." Octavia smiled and nodded her head. "I will pay two hundred bits now and another two hundred at completion."

The unicorn's jaw dropped. That was more money than she had ever been paid. More than what she had earned in a week even back when she was in Ponyville. And that wasn't even considering the amount of fame and talk it would bring to her humble little shop.

"Very well Octavia. Please come back tomorrow in the afternoon and the garment shall be ready for you to try on."

Rarity barely heard the door close as fabrics began swirling around her in a mass of color and sharp needles. It was an organized frenzy, she knew exactly where each piece of fabric went, their exact color, their exact material. She could see it in superimposed on the mannequin she was using. It felt like some invisible hoof was guiding her movements and whispering tender words of encouragement in her ear. Nothing else existed.

"Halt!"

That single yell snapped Rarity out of the zone and her anger flared. Walking over to the door, she flung it open with all her magical might and stepped out mouth half open in a yell, but the words died on the lips. It was night. When did that happen?

Rubbing her eyes, she took in the scene in front of her. There was a pony facing the wall, spray can held magically in mid air with a picture of Celestia's cutie mark on the wall and behind the unicorn was a guard pony. They were located in an alley off to the side, with rubbish bins littered on the street, no other ponies were about and the only source of artificial light was from her house. Stepping back inside, Rarity closed the door and peaked through the gap in the window blinds. Without a second thought, she grabbed the lid off a nearby trash can and flung it at the guardspony causing him to stumble forward slightly. But that was enough for the unicorn to buck with enough force to send the poor guard onto the ground in a heap.

Once the vandal was out of sight, Rarity rushed forward and knelt down by the guard, shaking him urgently. "Sir! Sir! Are you alright? What happened?" Rarity put on her most worried expression. "To think how far Equestia has fallen for such a noble guard such as yourself to be assaulted in the middle of the street."

Helping the pony onto his feet, Rarity guided him into her home, but the guard quickly shook her off and stood up wobbly. "Thank you for your help ma'am, but did you see which way the criminal went or who helped him?"

Rarity shook her head and channeled her inner Fluttershy to give the armored pegasus a shy smile while hiding half her face behind her mane. "No sir... I'm... I'm terribly sorry."

The pony hesitated, but at the sight of the cute, shy unicorn in front of him, he simply nodded his head in understanding. "I understand ma'am and thank you for your help. If you ever need anything or run into trouble ask for Icebreaker and I shall come to your aid." With an elaborate (but not unsightly or mocking) bow, the pegasus walked over to the half finished graffiti and sighed before trotting off.

Rarity suppressed the urge to run into her house and instead walked in a slow and graceful manner and gently shut the door behind her before letting a face splitting grin appear. Not only had she managed to make a large sum of money and almost finished Octavia's dress, she had also managed to get on the good side of a guard. And then there was the matter of that hooded unicorn. A bit of probing, some eyelash fluttering and she was sure she could find out everything the guard ponies knew about the group and potentially set up a meeting with the faction as well. Or at least get a note to them somehow.

And most importantly, she was out of that horrid cave in the Everfree.

"Luna!" My voice floated into the endless void and was swallowed up whole.

"Welcome Twilight Sparkle." The midnight blue alicorn strolled up beside me and laid down. "We have been expecting you. Would it be wrong of us to assume you wish to know about the Nightmare?"

"Well... er..." I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yes actually. And, er, sorry for yelling so loudly before."

She waved my apology away with a hoof. "It matters not. You want to know if what the Nightmare said was true." Luna tossed me an enigmatic smile. "Even though you distrust everything I say."

My hoof slammed into the ground. "Just tell me if what she said was true or not!"

"Why do you need my verification? Do you not know Celestia well enough to trust your own judgments?"

A growl escaped and I lowered myself down into an offensive casting stance. "Tell. Me."

"We can see why the Nightmare enjoys riling you up so much. You get the cutest facial expressions when annoyed or angry. Now sit, sit. Please, the tale is a long one, going back to the birth of the alicorns. Has Celly told you story to you? No? We are not surprised. It is an old tale and one that begs more questions than it answers."

"Shouldn't it be in books though?" Tapping the side of my muzzle with my hoof, my head tilted ever so slightly to the side as I thought about it. "I didn't notice it before, but it is weird that I've never read it in any books. Celestia always commented that we don't remember our own birth, so why should she remember hers..."

"That excuse is still working?" Laughter filled the air. "Oh dear, we never expected it to last so long. Well Twilight Sparkle, do you wish to know the truth?" At my flat look she grinned. "We shall take that as a 'yes' then."

Settling down, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Let us ask you this Twilight Sparkle, have you ever wondered why ponies say, "Gaia have mercy"?"

"Tradition?"

"Another question then, do you wonder why the number three is considered lucky? Or why there are three types of ponies? Do you know why ever pony is taught the translation of Solar, Luna and Terra despite it being old Equestrian? Even the land, sea and sky are a triplet. Everywhere you look, the number three is present. It permeates through the very fabric of Equestrian society on every single level."

My mouth was suddenly dry and as much as I wanted to bolt from the dreamscape, my hooves were rooted in place as my curiosity reared its ugly head. There she sat, totally calm while implying there was a third alicorn. A third princess. The mere thought sent a shudder through my body. The mere thought lit a fire in my mind as it raced through all the books I had read, trying to see if there was something I had overlooked that hinted at such a thing.

When Luna next spoke, her voice was tingled with sadness. "She was the first alicorn, our oldest sister. Created on the first day, she bought life into a desolate land and cared for them as a mother cares for her babe. We three sisters were given the task to rule over the land fairly and wisely. Gaia was to nurture the body and guide their souls to rest. Celestia was to guide them and be the shield that would protect all. And I was to nurture their soul and act as the sword. For the first one thousand years we were not rulers for we lacked the experience. It was a an age filled with mistakes and disharmony as we struggled with our duties.

"For the next three hundred and sixty four years we watched over our ponies in secret. You see Twilight Sparkle, we are not born as you ponies are, we came into this world fully formed and adult. As a result, we needed to learn the finer points of emotions and being a pony. And then disaster struck. It was the first time we experienced a tsunami on such a magnitude. So many of our little ponies died and afterwards we had to deal with famine and disease as waterways became contaminated. We asked and pleaded with Gaia, we wanted to know why such a disaster occurred when she controlled the weather, sea and land. Do you know what she told us? She said, "Nature must take its course. The same way a pony must die, so these disasters must take place. It is the natural order of all things.""

Luna threw back her head and gave a bark of laughter that was too similar to Nightmare Moon's for my liking. "We didn't question her. The earth was her domain. And then a hundred years later a drought came. A ten year drought that killed more than half our pony population. We pleaded with our sister to give our ponies some rain. A bit. A cup. Anything. She told us it wasn't right – that the natural order had to be preserved. Again and again it happened. Each and every single time thousands would die when she held the power to prevent it. That lead too many fights and more than once things came close to blows.

"It was only natural for Celly and I to being talking behind her back. Our ponies were suffering and we wanted to help so much. And then things exploded. I remember the exact day, the exact weather, the exact moment it happened too. When I close my eyes, I can see it with absolute clarity. Celly and I were in the throne room, talking about the latest cyclone and venting when Gaia walked in. She accused us of being traitors, of wanting power for ourselves, of wanting to kill her. No matter what we said it would not dissuade her from her attacks. In the past we never used lethal spells against each other, but that night war spells were being flung around without a second thought. She even pulled Discord into the world, but that is another story. She meant to kill us and we responded in kind."

"You killed her?" I suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"No. We subdued her. There was an insanity in her eyes that we had not seen before. It was a parasite feeding off her disharmony and twisting her thoughts... or rather, that is what we thought. We figured that if we could cut away that aspect then things we return to normal. What we did not realize though, was that the disharmony was a part of her. She let it into her heart and let it twist her. Every pony is capable of evil it seems, even an alicorn."

She took a shaky breath and to my surprise there were tears rolling down her cheeks. "So we cut away the disharmony and in doing so we split up into three aspects – disharmony, harmony and the mortal vessel."

"The Nightmare, the Elements of Harmony and a mortal pony," I whispered, eyes wide with shock.

The Princess of the Night nodded her head sadly. "Exactly. The darkness faded during the split so we thought it was destroyed. The Elements endured. The pony died and we hoped that ponies were reincarnated at death so we could see her again, but if she was, we never found her. Every one hundred years we would search, but nothing ever turned up. Then on that night one thousand years ago, I heard a voice speak to me. It was Gaia. She spoke to me and whispered in my ear. What the Nightmare told you was true. Celestia was not a great ruler, but she wasn't that bad. The parties, the pranks, the jokes – she knew when to throw them and how to throw them. Though occasionally it would get in the way of her royal duties or make a volatile situation worse, but those occasions were few and far in between.

"The Nightmare twisted the jealousy we felt towards Celly and convinced us she was gathering public support so that she could overthrow us. An outright battle between the two of us though would have destroyed Canterlot so the Nightmare convinced us to let her in. With the power of two alicorns we would win quickly and efficiently. Of course, letting her in turned me into Nightmare Moon and here we are."

I sat there, eyes wide with a stunned expression plastered over my face. That story was insane. Completely and utterly insane. That... that... that alicorn wanted me to believe there was a third princess that Celestia had split into three fragments one of which was the Nightmare and the other which were the Elements. Nothing in any of the books I had read alluded to such a fact. Not a single paragraph or line or word or even a subtle hint. There was absolutely nothing backing up her claims.

Worst of all, I believed it.

That one single simple fact meant one thing and one thing only. I was officially insane. After all, I was believing an impossible story told to me by an alicorn that may have been created by my enemy. Okay, I wasn't insane, I was downright stupid. Twilight Sparkle, protégé of Princess Celestia, is now officially the dumbest pony to have ever lived.

"So is it even possible to destroy the Nightmare?" I probed.

She opened her mouth to speak only to pause for a second and close her muzzle. Licking her lips, she eventually replied, "We do not know. The Elements will definitely have an effect if it hits, but whether that's the two parts destroying each other or not is another matter. If the Vessel still existed then maybe we could try drawing all three parts together, but we do not know if ponies are reincarnated or not upon death. But from our knowledge of the Elements, they should purge the Nightmare from our body."

"If we can get her to stand still for long enough and if we can get enough power," I muttered under my breath.

"There will always be complications," said Luna. "But does our answer satisfy your curiosity?"

Looking up at the sun, a small sigh escaped. "If I manage to save you and get us out of this mess, I want to hear the full story sometime. It answers my questions, but even more have cropped up as a result, but that's nothing new."

To my surprise, Luna's laugh was oddly youthful as though she poured her entire body into it. It was the same type of laugh Pinkie gave. A type of mirth I had never heard from Celestia in all my years as her student. Soon I was joining in and in those brief seconds where joy ruled my entire being, I forgot about Nightmare Moon. I forgot about the torture, the eternal night and even the fact that Celestia was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe... just maybe once this was all over, we could be friends?"

The laughter suddenly stopped and the Princess gazed over at me with an inscrutable expression. She spoke in a voice so soft, I thought it was the wind.

"That would be... nice."

Chapter 9

Landing with a stumble in the forest just outside the town boundaries, Rainbow Dash shoved a lock of wet mane out of her eyes. A deep breath later, her disguise was dropped and although that unscratchable itch was gone, she was no less irritated. On any other day she'd be ecstatic at the prospect of flying in the rain and darting between lightning bolts, but she was in gryphon territory which meant wild weather and that meant one wrong move in the air and she'd be a deep fried pegasus. Not to mention she was tired, hungry, wet, cold and her muscles were burning.

Double checking her Element of Loyalty was secured around her neck, Dash shook out the raindrops from her coat, lifted her goggles from her eyes and smoothed down her messy hair. Seven days of straight flying would do a number to anypony's hair. Good thing Rarity isn't around – Dash shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if she was. Checking her reflection in the puddle, a snort escaped at how ridiculous she was acting. Being nervous was one thing, but that was no excuse to start worrying about appearances.

With one last deep breath, Rainbow Dash began walking forward through the dense forest. According to her memory, the town should just be ahead. Of course, for the past day everything below her had been the exact same mass of green with absolutely no distinguishing features so for all she knew, the town could be in some other forest and she wouldn't even know.

Lightning and thunder rumbled above and for that split second, she was blind to the world. She didn't stop though, she continued trudging through the thick mud even as it clung to her hooves and tried to suck her down. Every so often, her tail would flick to the side, swatting away the annoying mosquitoes that would no doubt love to feast on her flesh.

The thought of feasts caused her stomach to rumble. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she muttered at her stomach. "Stupid storm making me lose the stupid saddlebacks that had the stupid apples in them. And where the buck is that stupid village!" she yelled, only for her words to be covered by the boom of thunder.

"You were always a cranky when hungry," remarked a familiar feminine voice.

Dash didn't even bother turning to face Gilda, instead she remarked casually over a shoulder, "The hospitality hasn't improved I see."

"So we don't see each for over a year and that's your hello? Too cool for to greet an old friend?"

"Hey, I learnt from the best didn't I?" The smirk was evident in my voice.

"So you admit I'm better than you." She chuckled and moved until she was standing next to me. "About damn time."

"Nah, you're only the best when it comes to being a jerk." Grinning like a mad pony, Dash threw an arm around Gilda's neck. "So what does a pony have to do to get some grub around here?"

"Admit I'm the coolest, most awesomest creature ever." She removed my hoof from around her neck.

"I'll give you coolest, most awesomest gryphon." We started walking through the forest."How's that?"

Gilda's head tilted to the side, pretending to think it over and waving it away. "Nah, not good enough. You can do better than that." Raising her head, she let out a series of shrill whistles and clicks. A couple seconds later there came a reply.

"Huh, new code," commented Dash. "Had to change due to the whole eternal night fiasco?"

"Something like that." There was nothing to signal the change from wilderness to village and looking up, the houses were perfectly camouflaged to the canopy. "And here we are, you were a tad to the west. Good thing our scouts saw you drop into the forest. I take it you want to see the Matriarch?"

Dash merely nodded, not even bothering to question how Gilda knew that. "Also a second pony has been following me these past couple of days. I'm uncertain if the pony is a friendly or not."

Gilda smirk. "Already being taken care of. Don't worry, we're using sedatives rather than the usual poisons since I figured you wouldn't want your friend to die. You can see the pony after the meeting."

Despite it being night and stormy, Dash could feel probing eyes following her every movement as she walked through the town. Sure, she had visited in the past, but each and every time she would be treated with passive aggressive hostility at best, though the younger gryphons didn't have such reservations. Still, this place was like her home away from home.

"Come on, follow me." Opening her wings, Gilda kicked off the ground and Dash followed a second later. In the darkness, she had no choice, but to follow her fillyhood friend since her night vision was vastly superior. Angling slightly to the left, they came to a rest on a tiny balcony and quickly went inside. Once the door was firmly shut, Gilda tapped the side of the lantern causing Dash to shrink back as light suddenly flooded the room.

Once her vision returned, Dash couldn't help, but grin at the sight of Gilda in full armor. Breastplate, gauntlet, wing coverings – the entire deal. "Look at you, step outside in the light you could act like a disco ball. In fact..." Dash leaned in close, her grin only widening. "I think I can see my reflection. So what happened to the whole 'Military is so lame' thing?"

With a hiss, Gilda shoved Dash into the wall and stomped away down the corridor. "We were forced to join alright?"

Laughing, Dash ran to catch up before rubbing her shoulder. "Still..." She cast an appraising eye over Gilda's armor. "I don't know if you look lame in armor or cooler. Though it makes you look... bulky."

"You saying I'm fat?" Though her body tensed, humor was still evident in Gilda's voice. Luckily though, the pegasus was saved from having to answer the question as they reached the end of the corridor. Pushing open the door, the duo stepped in.

"Welcome Bearer of Loyalty," spoke the regal black gryphon. Her feathers were perfectly in line, gleaming in the lantern light and when she shifted her gaze to Dash, muscles rippled showing a strength few could match.

Crossing her right foreleg behind her the left, Dash gave a low bow. "I am honored Matriarch."

To everyones surprise, the Matriarch returned the bow with equal formality and reverence. "No, the honor is all mine. As a protector of the world, your station outranks mine."

Dash froze. Protector? Licking her dry lips, she turned her thoughts to Rarity, wondering what she would say in such a situation. "I am, but a foal new to the world," Dash said slowly, "I lack the experience and wisdom that you hold with such grace. In that respect I am lesser than you and if I could achieve even a fraction of your ability, it would be an honor."

Silver peals of laughter echoed through the empty room. "My, my, such a young age and already such a speaker." Her eyes narrowed. "But you need not flatter me Loyalty for I can tell such words sit uncomfortably on your tongue. You wish to speak plainly do you not?"

Although Dash tried her best to conceal the grin, it was obvious to those in the room. "Yes please."

"Good. First of all, introductions." The Matriarch gestured to the green and brown gryphon on the right who had more muscle than Applejack. "This is Catarena, the Master of Arms and on my left is Eva, Master of Knowledge." The cream gryphon on the left who was less muscle and more curves, and covered in black swirling paint waved. "Behind me stands Grand Seer Nadia."

At the sound of her name, the blindfolded gryphon wearing a simple blue robe that concealed everything, inclined her head ever so slightly. "Welcome Bearer of Loyalty, I foretold your coming, though you are a couple minutes late and your friend was most unexpected."

"Tell me about it." Dash's eyes widened when she realized what she had said and clamped her hooves over her mouth, but to her surprise the Matriarch laughed.

"I must say, it is nice to have such a meeting and not be playing political chess with each other." The Matriarch stood up and Dash felt like shrinking back. All that muscle. "I will speak plainly, we cannot aid you. My loyalty lies with my subjects first and foremost and to lend you help is to invite war – that is a fact Nadia has seen. You know what they say – a single alicorn can lay waste to an entire army. Furthermore we have no proof that your Dawn Brigade is strong enough that you'd be able to win even with our help."

The only thing stopped Dash from yelling and screaming was the knowledge that doing so would gain them even more enemies.

"However," Dash's ears perked up as the Matriarch continued, "if some gryphons were to be disgruntled with our decision and if they just so happened to leave our service and help you then we cannot be held responsible. Once again, I'm terribly sorry we cannot actively help. Gilda, please take the Bearer of Loyalty to see her friend and offer her a place to rest for the night."

Bowing once more, the two friends turned around and walked out. Neither spoke to the other until the door was firmly close behind them and there were at least twenty steps down the hall.

"Well that was certainly fast," commented Dash. "And anticlimactic."

"What can I say? We gryphons are just that much faster than you lame-o ponies."

"Well this lame-o pony kicks your feathery ass in every single race to date. So the question is, what does that make you?"

"It doesn't make me anything. It makes you an honorary gryphon." They exchanged a brohoof and a grin. Taking a side corridor, they ended back outside in the freezing cold and rain. Quickly darting across the divide between buildings, they scrambled into the house before they could get any wetter. "Anyways, this is where you and your friend will be staying. Guards have been posted outside and will be keeping an eye on your friend."

Simply nodding, Dash turned towards the kitchen, but before she could take a single step, she felt a claw on her shoulder. "Listen Dash, it's good to see you again."

A chuckle escape and Dash punched on the shoulder playfully. "Anything else? 'Cause I'm absolutely starving here."

"If it's not sleeping then it's eating. I see something's never change."

"Yeah, yeah." Making her way into the kitchen, Dash raided the fridge and threw a pan and pot onto the stove and filling it with water. "You staying for some grub or do you have to go off and polish your armor?"

"Har har, real funny. As if I'd turn out a free meal, let alone one cooked by you."

Throwing a glare over her shoulder, Dash quickly and deftly sliced some tomatoes and mushroom before moving onto washing the spinach. "Well if you're eating here there won't be any meat and I hope you remember our deal. No speaking of this to any pony."

"That you just luuuuuurve cooking like a stereotypical girl? Or that you look absolutely adorable in an apron?"

A gagging noise could be heard, but before Dash could get into her usual routine of pretending to puke, the water came to a boil. "Hey, unlike a certain lazy gryphon I lived alone for most of my life and my mother could cook the most delicious dishes ever. All of these are her recipes and well..." The two friends exchanged a sad smile. Drizzling some olive oil onto the pan, Dash tossed in the spinach followed by the mushroom. "Hey Gilda, stir the pasta for me will you? Wait, no eggs in those right?"

"Of course. I learnt from last time."

Working together, the dish was quickly assembled onto three plates. By this stage both Dash's and Gilda's stomach had grumbled up such a storm that it managed to wake up the pony in the next room. Both friends tensed up and slipped into an aggressive fighting stance and readied an ambush, but when the pegasus in Wonderbolt uniform stumbled into the room with a yawn, both visibly relaxed.

"Man, something smells delicious," mumbled Echo.

"You sound like Soarin."

"Please." He slumped grabbed a plate off Gilda and slumped onto his seat. "He eats every minute of every day and when he isn't, he's talking about food. None of us complain though since he's the best cook out of all of us."

"You mean only cook," quipped Gilda.

A curious look was directed at her from Echo for that comment. "I didn't realize gryphon's cared so much about the Wonderbolts."

"You try rooming with this fangirl for a year." Gilda smacked Dash upside the head with her wing. "If you don't pick something up then your an idiot."

"I am not a fangirl!"

"That's not how Spitfire tells it."

"Wait, isn't Spitfire the mare tha-"

"Gilda! Always a pleasure, please stop by again sometime. Good seeing you, have fun with guard duty, goodbye." Dash slammed the front door shut and promptly locked it before the gryphon could figure out what just happened. "Anyways, I'm assuming Spitfire told you to come after me and make sure I don't screw up?"

"Er... it wasn't exactly Spitfire..." He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably while looking away. "I mean, she gave me the order, but it didn't come from her I don't think."

"Applejack." Face meet table. Table meet face.

"Er... yes..." Noisy chewing filled the room. "And man, this is really good. Who made this?"

"It was already made when we got here," mumbled Dash through a mouthful of food. "I don't know about you, but I could use another helping of food."

"So I take it we'll be meeting them tomorrow morning?"

Shaking her head, Dash trotted back with a plate full of food. "Nah, already had the meeting. They're afraid of the Nightmare Moon blowing up their city and killing off the entire army so we're on our own for now."

"What! But-"

"No buts. Their decision has been made." For the first time since shoving her muzzle into the pasta, Dash looked up with a smirk. "Trust me, everything will work out in the end."

"... Alright... I was told to trust you after all. I'm just glad you didn't end up as gryphon food." Letting out a satisfied burp, Echo leaned back in his chair. "When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. There's no point hanging around any longer, though I get the feeling we'll have some guests on our return journey."

"Guests?"

"What can I say? I'm so awesome that even gryphons can't resist me."

"This is insane."

"If it wasn't, it wouldn't be fun." The rain pelted Dash's face as she struggled to walk against the wind. "Plus, it provides the best possible cover imaginable. I mean, come on, only super insane pegasuses would think to fly in this weather. Hm... maybe I have been hanging around Pinkie too much lately..."

"We can barely walk and you want us to fly home? Just give the storm another day or two to calm down," yelled Echo above the wind.

"Pfffft, as if." Echo rolled his eyes at Dash's trademark cocky grin. "Don't tell me the high and mighty Wonderbolt Echo is afraid of flying in a little storm."

"I know what you're trying to do and it won't work. But as a side note, flying through this storm is simplicity itself."

"Well then why worry?" Closing her eyes, Dash tapped her inner pegasus magic to part the incoming air in front of her.

"Because I'm worried tha..." The rest of his sentence was lost as Echo stared in amazement. "You know how to tap pegasus magic?"

The cocky grin was back. "Bet I can out fly you too." Launching herself into the air with a mighty flap of her wings, Dash cut through the incoming air and quickly rose above the storm clouds. A couple seconds later, the familiar magenta blur erupted from below as Echo made it through the clouds.

"Where did you learn to tap pegasus magic." It wasn't a question this time, it was an order.

Dash ignored him and instead looked across to her right. "Hey Gilda, you gonna lounge there all day or will you get your feathery butt into a gear and get up here?"

Blinking in surprise, Echo glanced down and sure enough, there was that gryphon from yesterday night except next to her was a second who was black in coloration with light blue swirls over her entire body.

"Geez Dash, it's way too early." Gilda yawned and stretched. "What happened to sleeping in till midday? And you'll have to come down here, Miss Stupid here decided to chop off one of her wings."

Groaning, Dash dropped down and landed on the white cloud, completely missing the look of utter horror on Echo's face. "Seriously? I hope we won't have to carry you the entire way."

"Of course not." Her voice was soft and silky, holding a seductive quality to it as though she was caressing the words being spoken. "If you let me view an image from your mind, I can teleport all of us there without a hitch."

"You're telling me a gryphon can perform a long range mass teleport without an anchor?" To say Echo was skeptical would have been an understatement.

"Yes." A dangerous glint appeared in her blue eyes. "If you don't believe me we can take a bet."

"We're risking our lives here. I doubt we can bet anything more than that."

"Oh please, there are worse things than death."

"I never said there weren't worse things, merely commenting that there's nothing we can bet within the realms of relative probability that'd trump putting our lives on the line."

"Oh I don't know, how about your wings?"

"My wings? Lady, you're insane."

"Fine, a wing then. Don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kinda missing one." A huge grin spread over Silvia's face. "Ah ha! Something worse than your life. I win."

"Silvia, stop pissing off our companions," interrupted Gilda.

"And Echo, stop being such an egghead," added Dash. "Oh and ready the spell, but if you think I'm letting you into my mind you're an idiot. Take the location from Gilda."

"But-" Echo was silenced with a glare.

Dash continued, "Gilda, set us down at Ghastly Gorge at the startling line would you?"

"Look at you, high and mighty Rainbow Dash commanding the armies of the rebellion. Heh, who would have thought they'd let a dweeb like you in charge."

"Says the gryphon in armor shiny enough that I can see my reflection in it and can't beat me in a race," countered Dash. "I mean, what kind of lame gryphon can't even beat a pony in a race."

"Well you are the fastest pegasus."

"So you admit it!"

"No! I- That is... I mean... Gah! You're an honorary gryphon remember?"

"Gilda, Bearer of Loyalty, might I suggest we get a move on?" suggested Silvia.

"Pfffft, we're teleporting! That means we can waste some time. How about a race once you've teleported?" suggested Dash.

"Ghastly Gorge circuit?"

"You got it." Spitting on her hoof, Dash held it out and Gilda followed suit. "Be ready to taste my dust featherbutt."

Picking up my knight, I moved it to D5 with a bored expression on my face. Under said bored expression though, I was carefully watching Nightmare Moon's face as I spoke, "You know, telling me that half truth about Celestia was an idiotic thing to do. Did you really expect me to fall for such a blatant lie?"

"A mare can hope can't she?" Levitating the bishop, she took my rook. "And you need to stop being so suspicious of me, not everything I do has an ulterior motive you know."

"Can you blame me?" I was barely paying attention to the chess game. "After all, you've spent roughly a month torturing me on an almost daily basis." Tilting my head to the side, I showed off the welts from the white hot chains she had coiled around me last time she visited five days ago. Five days with those infernal chains around me – I could still feel the ghostly remnants.

"Truthfully, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet." It was said so casually as though she was referring to some sort of surprise between friends. "Unless..." Her grin returned – how I hated that grin, but it was less frightening than the familiarity from before. "Unless Celly hasn't told you the truth about the sculpture garden."

Okay, scratch that, I prefer familiarity to the predatory grin. Predatory grin equals bad. Like, really bad – no, not just bad, world ending catastrophe bad. The previous secret was just a test to see if I could communicate with Luna at will for if I couldn't, I'd be torn over what she said without any way to verify the truth. Now though, now that she knew I could, she could tell me the truth and know Luna would back her up in what she said. Last time was just a set up for the crushing blow she would deliver this time. Either way I'd be royally screwed.

"If you're going to say it you might as well say it," I replied with a wave of my hoof. "It's not as though it makes a difference either way."

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight," she tsked while moving her queen. "Where's the fun if you're so open to the idea? I was hoping for some verbal sparring."

"The fun comes from watching my adorable little face crumple up as you tears of utter despair leak down my cheek."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you."

"But chess does? That's very stereotypical of you, you know" I took her rook with my queen without even looking at the board. "You might as well tell me. Plus, I think sarcasm suits me just fine. It's got the whole 'I'm so bitter at being tortured' vibe going for me." That bought a smile to my lips – surprising Nightmare Moon always makes me smile.

"Truthfully, I'm curious as to if you never asked Luna why she was so scared of Celestia removing her form power."

"Because the same thing happened to Princess Gaia when she went insane." Tilting my head to the side, I contemplated my next move as the alicorn moved a bishop to a seemingly random location.

"Gaia only went insane as a result of Celestia's actions." My head snapped up and my mouth was suddenly dry. "Celestia broke the natural order that had ruled the land when she stole Gaia's power to control the weather and gave it to the pegasi. And so she attacked Celestia and Luna out of insanity as well as a need to regain her power."

"But that-"

"That doesn't make sense?" She gave me that sadistic smile of hers as she leaned forward. "You know the story do you not? Of how Gaia controlled the winds, the sea and the land? Did you never once question how it was the pegasi and earth ponies now control the winds and land respectively? Or did you merely believe that once Gaia died her powers transferred itself onto the ponies without mediation? Truly Twilight Sparkle, I expected better from Celly's prized pupil."

Though my heart was racing, I met her gaze with a cold, unflinching stare of my own. "I find it remarkably amusing that no other pony is capable of telling that story. Gaia is dead, Celestia is locked away somewhere and Luna was not present. I expected something that would truly give me pause. After all, you are the Nightmare and I – somewhat foalishly perhaps – believed that you could actually live up to that name."

"Such a barbed tongue!" Nightmare Moon chuckled as she leaned back. "Well then how about another tale that you can verify with Luna? You have no doubt been in the sculpture garden and no doubt Celly has failed to tell you the truth about that just like how she's failed to tell you the truth about everything else."

"Get on with it," I growled.

"Every single one of those statues was a living, breathing being. The draconequus for example is Discord, previous ruler of Equestria and even I shudder at the thought of him. Cupid is a pegasus who invented a particularly aggressive mind spell that could force two ponies to fall in love. He really did not realize what spell he had created until it was too late and though he was willing to do everything in his power to right the wrong, Celestia did not grant him mercy – after all, I wielded Generosity back then, not her. Each and every single one of those statues has a story. They range from the deranged to the bittersweet. Some were crimes against Equestria, while others were mere minor details.

"Do not think for a moment being sealed in stone is a blessing. Every moment feels as though your suffocating, trying desperately to breathe in, but always chocking. And all you can do is watch as life continues around you while you wish, dream and earn for it yourself. To feel a hug, the warmth on your skin, to cry. I tortured your body Twilight Sparkle. Celestia tortures your soul. What I am trying to say, is that Celly is not the great ruler you think her to be. She is an extremist – well intentioned, but still an extremist. I remember when she turned her own ambassador to stone when it was revealed he was planning a coup. No trial, no jury, no explanation, no lesser punishment. She couldn't 'risk it' apparently."

With each word she spoke, my heart beat just a little bit faster and bile rose a tad further in my throat. That wasn't the Celestia I knew, that wasn't the kind, caring ruler that I spent long nights talking with. She had always forgiven ponies, always been lenient, always been understanding. But... to seal them in stone, to break their minds in such a manner... nothing was worth that. Surely nothing could be so evil as to deserve that punishment.

Even Nightmare Moon didn't deserve that.

But... the mental torture wasn't on purpose was it? It couldn't have been, Celestia wouldn't have done that, she would never have done that – it must have been a side effect of the spell she was casting. A small voice argued though, that she was a princess and an alicorn, so surely she could resolve any such side effects, even a simple sleep spell beforehand may have sufficed. Then again, it's not as though she could have known that they were conscious while in stone, after all she's never been turned into stone before.

And now the voice came back stronger than ever. It was as though I was in an empty room facing a mirror as my reflection spoke back to me, lecturing me as Celestia had when I was a little filly no taller than her knee. That part of me spoke with absolute clarity pointing out the one glaring flaw that I could never answer. The logic went like this:

From what Nightmare Moon has said, Celestia turns creatures to stone as a punishment for actions she deems particularly evil. The mere fact that Celestia petrified them instead of locking them up for life or exiling them testified to this. Furthermore, if it was a form of punishment then it must cause some form of distress and if was used instead of exiling or life time imprisonment then the distress of being petrified must be worse than living forever alone or away from family and friends. While it is possible to argue they were turned to stone as a warning to others, such a fact never made it into the public sphere of knowledge and Celestia was not the type to turn ponies to stone as a reminder of past mistakes. Also, by not letting the public know the truth speaks ill of Celestia in and of itself. Therefore, Celestia knew turning creatures to stone placed a very heavy mental distress on said creatures and did so purposefully. The fact that they would live forever as a statue with a constant reminder of what they had would break any pony.

That's it!

"If what you said is true and the mental distress is as you state," I began slowly, trying to keep my voice from betraying my thoughts, "then by all accounts you should have gone insane after one thousand years."

For the first time since meeting her, Nightmare Moon actually seemed embarrassed. She looked off to the side, coughed into her hooves and said in an almost meek voice, "Luna and I came to truce after the first decade or two. We created a neutral dreamscape within our mind where we could interact. I wanted to stay sane to rule Equestria and she wanted to stay sane so she could return to her sister. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. "

Crap.

Not only did that disprove my argument, but now I also had to worry over what the truce entailed. With a groan, my head slammed onto the table causing all the pieces to jump. Why can't things ever be simple and straight forward?

Faith.

Celestia is wise, experienced, kind, generous, loyal, honest and kind. I had to have faith in Celestia – that she had a reason for what she had done, that her actions were for the best of Equestria. I've trusted her so far haven't I? Everypony trusts her and looks at where they got Equestia! The most prosperous nation and the most harmonious. Plus, even if it was morally wrong for her to do so, I should forgive her or at least hear her side of the story. I should trust her. I should have faith in her.

Broken.

That's what Nightmare Moon would expect to see. A broken mare as her faith was shattered into a million pieces. Though... maybe not yet, I still have to confer with Luna after all. Troubled then. I'll put on the facade of being troubled. She must not know the truth. How long has it been since I was first bought here? A month? Two? Maybe I should hold out a bit longer to so it doesn't seem as though I'm faking.

No. Bad Twilight, stop second guessing yourself.

Lifting my head off the table, I opened my eyes slowly and stared at Nightmare Moon's snout. After a deep calming breath, I spoke in a level, but almost monotone voice as I tried to keep all emotion under wraps, "I trust Celestia. I have faith in her. Whatever her reasoning might have been, I trust they were morally correct."

The alicorn hid her surprise well. No change in posture, no change in expression, not even a twitch of a feather. But for a split second, her magic intensified by just a tiny fraction. Inconsequential when it comes to a unicorn, but for an alicorn who's had decades of practice and control, it was an obvious slip up. In all my years with Celestia, she had only slipped up like that once and that was when Blueblood had charged into during the middle of court to express his outrage that a mere commoner had been selected to be her personal protégé instead of some noblepony's son.

I trained my eyes on the chessboard in front of me. Part of me was afraid that if I stared at her in the eyes she'd see through the lie in an instant, but the truth was that to look her in the eyes could be viewed as an act of defiance and if she took it that way, then my plan was up in smokes. Or at least, that's what I told myself. It was a lie, a simple lie, but a lie nonetheless. Somewhere in my mind, there was an echo of the truth – too distorted and soft for me to pick up, but it was there and I was afraid of facing it.

Honesty...

I had to be honest with myself. Right? It was a part of harmony and I had to have harmony within myself. Didn't I? Everything's so confusing now with so much at stake, but... I don't need harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon. And yet... if I didn't have harmony, would I end up any better than her? Could I face Celestia at the end with my head held high?

So... To be honest with myself, I... I was afraid. To look into her eyes was to see a reflection of myself and I wasn't sure I could handle that. If I saw myself with my burn marks and my dulls eyes and my thin body, I was afraid I'd actually break. I was afraid I'd see the truth in those eyes – that I've been lying to myself, thinking a single unicorn could go up against an alicorn and win.

For the first time since the match began, I actually looked at the chessboard and blinked in surprise. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her follow my gaze and the exact same look of shock appeared on her face. I recognized the piece positions. I knew every single step required to get to those positions. She had used my preferred opening on me and I had countered with Celestia's own movements. Picking up the queen in my mouth, I moved it before sitting back and watching intently.

"A queen sacrifice I see." Her words were oddly hollow. "Celly played that very same move on me once you know."

It was like watching a memory. Her next move was one I made a long time ago when I faced that same scenario for a second time and almost instinctively, I moved my knight to counter the same way Celestia had. I knew each move before she made it and I had no doubt it was the same for her. I wasn't facing Nightmare Moon. I wasn't even facing Princess Luna.

I was facing myself.

Chapter 10

Fluttershy burst out of the command room as though a dragon was on her heels. Leaping over the table without a second thought, she glided to the ground and faced the stunned ponies around her. At the sight of the yellow pegasus in her disguise, every pony snapped to attention. There was a general consensus that there needed to be a second name for Fluttershy when she was in disguise, but no one had thought of one yet. The best suggestion had been 'Shy and Flutter though considering that was suggested by Pinkie, there were doubts.

"Ponies are in the Everfree getting attacked by a manticore. AJ and Fleetfoot with me, Spitfire you're in charge," ordered Flutter. A bird landed on her shoulder and chirped a few lines while she gathered her medicine kit. "Come, we need to hurry."

The bird took off and Flutter was immediately in hot pursuit with the other ponies close behind. She felt so confident, so sure of herself, almost as though nothing could stand in her way. When they entered the dense forest, Fluttershy wasn't paralysed with fear, the ominous shadows didn't seem quite as scary as before and with each rustling of the leaves her eyes was snap over and carefully analyze what she saw to compare with what she knew about the creatures of the Everfree Forest. Most importantly, she kept an eye on her surroundings.

Without fear inhibiting her, Fluttershy ran with a sense of balance that matched Pinkie's, letting her keep up with the others as they stumbled over rocks, slipped in mud and tripped over roots. Then again, she was used to travelling through the forest unlike the others. The distinct sound of snapping wood filtered through the leaves and Fluttershy's eyes snapped across while her ears twitched. Every tiny detail was taken in and referenced with her extensive knowledge of the flora and fauna that existed within the Everfree. After a couple seconds, her attention went back to the bird she was following.

How many ponies could still be saved though?

According to the birdie, the group was near the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters which was a good thirty minutes away. Thirty minutes. And it takes seven ponies working together to take down a single manticore. In thirty minutes they could all be dead and eaten.

Determination descended on Fluttershy. She will not lose any ponies and she will not lose the manticore. She will get there in time and she will save every single last creature. Eyes narrowed and her mane was tossed to one side with a shake of her head, then to every ponies surprise, she picked up speed as she half ran, half flew through the forest. Without her sense of balance, the others soon found it difficult to keep the driven pegasus in sight.

They heard it before they saw it. There was nothing in the world that sounded quite like a manticore's territory roar – it sounded like a full on lion roar if it was played through a trumpet and the pitched sharpened slightly. There was no time for second guesses, no time for thinking or doubting. Fluttershy hurled herself through the branches as she let her disguise drop. Skidding to a stop in front of manticore, placing herself between him and the ponies while drawing herself to her full height.

"You! This is the third time in as many months." The manticore tried to say something, but the normally shy pegasus took a step forward and he wisely closed his muzzle. "How many times do I have to tell you to let ponies through your territory? They are not going to steal your kills, they don't even eat meat. Now sit down and apologise to the poor ponies."

The manticore whimpered something.

"What was that? I can't hear you."

The manticore repeated his whimper is a slightly louder voice. At Fluttershy's unamused look though, he made a series of whines with the occasional growl and snarl interspaced within it.

"Cut the attitude and this time actually mean it."

Ears drooping, the manticore repeated its whines one last time, but this time the extra snarls and growls were missing. At this point, the others crashed through the trees and the beast was immediately on its feet, muscles tense, but one look at Fluttershy, and it made a low whimpering sound before sitting back down and giving what could only be the manticore equivalent of a smile.

"Now that wasn't so difficult was it?" Fluttershy walked over to the manticore and rubbing him behind the ear. "Now go home and think about what you've done. If this happens again, I'll have to tell your mother, you hear?"

With an almost pitiful nod and whine, the manticore vanished into the forest with only a barely visible limp to testify to the fight that had occurred. Letting out the breath she was unconsciously holding, she turned to face the ponies and instinctively let out a small 'meep' before suddenly vanishing from view as she hid behind the imposing frame of Applejack. Peeking out from behind her friend, she gave a small gasp at the sight of all the ghastly wounds the ponies had sustained. There were broken bones, torn muscles, slashed faces and one pony was already dead on the grass.

Despite the ponies being in full guard armour, despite their obvious weariness and caution, Fluttershy scooped up her dropped box and raced over. "If you've got a minor injury such as bruises or cuts I want you on the left. Middle for broken bones or serious head wounds. Life threatening injuries on the right unless they can't be moved. Dash, I want you to-" Fluttershy's head snapped up from the broken bone she was tending to. "What are you doing here? Wait, Gilda?" She went back to work and before her question had been answered, and before either could speak, she had already moved onto the next patient.

"Heh, I was wondering when you'd notice." Dash quickly picked up a vial of antiseptic. "You'd always get caught up when looking after your animals. See Gilda? I told you, never mess with Fluttershy or she will kick your feathery butt into next week."

"I thought you were just messing with me, but... Dude, I've never seen anyone stare down a manticore before. That was seriously hardcore." At the other gryphon's chuckle, Gilda shot her a death glare. "Oh shut up."

The one winged gryphon ignored her. "My name is Silvia and I have some knowledge in healing magics. If you wish I can assist Element of Kindness."

"Um... could you please help ease that solder's pain? If... if that's alright with you that is."

"But he'll d-"

"I know." One look at those large blue eyes though, and any complaint Silvia might have had died. "Just... please..."

"Alrig-"

" 'Shy, watch out!" yelled Applejack.

The pink maned pegasus looked up even as Applejack raced toward her, but it was too late. The guard was too close, too fast, his hind hooves were already snapping out. A lethal buck to the head. Dash and Gilda had their backs to Fluttershy as they worked on a pony and none of the other guards would be able to reach them in time. And the pegasus herself was far too scared, frozen in place as she watched those hooves close the distance.

Black magic surrounded the earth pony and a blink later, he was slammed into a tree. Before anypony could react, a beam hit the pony and he immediately slumped to the ground. Silence descended over the small group only for it to be broken by a male pony with a dark red coat.

"I apologize most profusely for the actions of my subordinate." He lifted off his helm revealing yellow mane with a single bright red stripe through it. "My name is Corporal Foxtrot and I'd like to personally thank you for taking care of the wounded and chasing away the manticore. Without your help the situation would have been far worse."

"I'm more interested in why you have a sword on your back," interrupted Dash. "It looks so wicked. Hey Gilda, I bet that sword could cleave your puny spear in two."

"Sword? Why the hay do you have a sword?" asked Applejack. "Ponies can't hold 'em and unicorns like ya can use magic. They're for creatures with those whatcha-ma-call-its... fancy, smancy hand-claw thingies."

"No offense, but if I could possibly interrupt," said Fluttershy in her usual whisper, "but there are ponies who need help. Not that the current discussion isn't invigorating and interesting, it's just, that... um... would it be possible to talk and work at the same time? Not to imply you're unable to do it normally, but-"

"Well most ponies think unicorns are useless at close range combat," began Corporal Foxtrot, completely failing to hear Fluttershy as per usual, "so they're taught to get in close and fast. With this though, they're in for a nasty surprise."

There were a couple of snickers from the other guards as he said this, but Fluttershy simply tuned them all out and went back to work. There were more important things than fawning over a piece of metal. Especially one designed to injure ponies. Just the thought of such tools of war existing made her blood boil. If she had her way, all such objects would be melted down and recycled. The pony she was stitching up winced and tensed up as Fluttershy jabbed the needle into his side with just a bit too much force. Tying it off, the yellow pegasus flitted over to her next patient and bandaged up the leg wound in no time while the next patient required some manticore poison antidote and the one after that had a concussion. Within five minutes after first arriving at the scene, Fluttershy reached her last patient.

He was not going to live.

Too much blood had already been lost and that wasn't even factoring the broken ribs or the blood he had coughed up or the blueness around his lips. No matter how you looked at it, he had a punctured lung. Maybe if Fluttershy had a thin knife he might have a chance of survive, but even then, without a proper medical facility his chances of survival was exceptionally low.

"This..." He turned his head to the side, coughing up blood. "Is it isn't it?"

The pink maned pegasus knelt down by the pony as tears leaked down her cheeks, nodding all the while. "I'm... I'm sorry."

The navy blue pegasus below her looked up with dull eyes full of fear. They gazed at each other silently, neither knowing what to say. "I'm scared..." he finally wheezed out.

"Oh no... you shouldn't be scared." Gently, she shifted his head onto her thigh and stroked his pale green mane lovingly. "Death isn't something we should fear. Especially not you." At his inquiring glance, she explained is a soft, yet strong voice, "How many ponies have you saved? How many have you protected? How much good have you done? When you pass over, you'll be able to face Gaia with your head held high. When you see your friends and family again you'll be able to tell them so many tales of your deeds and I just know they'll be so proud of you. And from the great beyond you'll have able to watch your friends and family, to guide them and protect them from harm just like how you do now."

"Yeah... I suppose..." he whispered, "I'm so tired..."

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy choked out between sobs before managing to recover a couple seconds later. Taking a deep breath, she began singing in her softest voice, lulling him off to his final sleep.

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed...

"So let me get this straight, you teleported us from my dungeon to another dungeon?" I gave an experimental tug on the magical leash she had me on.

When I got no reply, I decided to change tactics and channeled my inner Rarity. "You know, this place is absolutely dreadful. It's grey, grey and more grey – absolutely no style at all darling. Why, just imagine what a splash of color could do to liven up this place. Then again, considering the barbarian atmosphere you've cultivated, you'll no doubt ask for something like 'blood red' which has absolutely no-"

At my grating voice she wrapped a chain around my muzzle to stop me from talking. Okay, that was definitely out of character. No yelling, no screaming, no sarcastic reply, no pain. Something was definitely off here and that single thought scared me more than anything else she could have done except smile. I hate that smile. Without words to fill the void, all I could hear were our hoof beats against the cold stone floor, the occasional splash as we stepped in puddles of blood, whimpering, begging, cries of pain and pleads for death.

Wimps.

I had endured torture from Nightmare Moon herself. Did you hear me pleading for death? No. Here was I, standing proud, following my torturer without a second thought, strolling straight into the jaws of certain excruciating pain. My only hope is that none of them were working for my friends and if they were, that they hadn't spilled anything about their location. They better not spill.

Eventually we reached a heavy metal door. Without even breaking stride, she unlocked it and stepped through. It took a couple of minutes for my eyes to adjust to the sudden bright light, but when I did, I gazed upon the scene as dispassionately as I could manage. Before me where six ponies shackled to the wall spread eagled like I was. Two were females, three were pegasi, there was one unicorn and the rest earth ponies. From the looks of things they had been starved, beaten repeatedly and burnt.

To my surprise, Nightmare Moon gave the six ponies a look full of hate and disgust. In fact, her whole body trembled from barely contained emotions. "Twilight Sparkle, you will kill one of these ponies."

I looked up at the knife she hovered in front of me then looked at her as though she was insane. "No."

"If you don't I'll kill them myself." A sadistic grin suddenly spread across her face. "And I will enjoy it more than you can possibly imagine."

My eyes hardened. "No."

Her grin widened and she was almost bouncing on the ground from barely contained glee. "We were hoping you'd say that!"

Before I could blink, four ethereal blades appeared and buried themselves into the nearest pony. One through the throat, a second at his heart, another found his stomach and the last one was lodged between his hind legs. That looked painful and if his echoing screams were anything go by, it was extremely painful. The sound sent shudders down my spine and made my blood turn to ice.

Why are you doing this? Stop it!

I... I had spoken right? I mean, I felt my jaw move, but I didn't hear any of my words. All I could hear was the screams, the begging, the pleading as the pegasus was tortured. I could smell his fur burning, I could see it area around the sword slowly turning black and charring. Why was she doing this? This... this was mindless cruelty.

"You know, you could have prevented this suffering." Somehow, her words managed to slice through the dense wall of sound. I stared at her. That sadistic smile on her face as she twisted the blade creating what was the single most sickening thing I had ever experienced.

"You made a choice and now you will watch the consequences." At her words, I squeezed my eyes shut. If I could foil her plan, even in the most insignificant way possible, I would do it.

"You will open your eyes, or I will remove them." To my chagrin, I immediately opened them again. "Now watch. Watch him or I swear I will remove your eyes and make you eat them."

Unwillingly, I looked back at the pegasus and realized he was no longer screaming. Instead he was lying there completely still except for the occasional spasm, all the while whimpering and begging in a hoarse voice. Had he finally gone into shock? Suddenly, the sword between his legs crystallized and a ragged scream was torn from his throat.

There was torture, and then there was this.

A flicker of light from the ground caught my attention. Glancing down, my eyes widened at the realization that it was the dagger Nightmare Moon had earlier. Yet another feral scream drew my attention back to the poor pony.

I didn't pause to consider what I was doing. I didn't pause to think at all. I scooped up the knife in my jaws, took three steps, jumped and slashed. Blood sprayed over my face, turning my purple fur a deep red. The only sounds were the dripping blood and the knife clattering on the floor. With the sudden silence, the soft sounds were abnormally loud and it echoed in my mind. Stumbling back, I collapsed into the pool of blood.

I... I did the right thing...

Right?

Of course I did! He was going to die either way and now he would no longer have to suffer under Nightmare Moon. By killing him, I saved him from dying a particularly horrifying and pain filled manner. Therefore, my actions are perfectly ethical and are justified.

But...

Looking up at those lifeless eyes really made me question that. No matter how I spun it, no matter how justified I was, I still killed a pony. That was a fact. I, Twilight Sparkle, killed another pony. Did he have children? A wife? Maybe he was a professor on the edge of a miraculous breakthrough destined to change Equestria forever.

No.

I found that part of me that questioned and anguished, and I boxed it up before burying it in the deepest, darkest corner of my mind. My goal was to bring Celestia back and save Equestria. Nothing else matters.

A thought suddenly occurred and I had to fight to keep the smile off my face. It was a losing battle. What started off as smile grew to grin grew to a chuckle to laughter to giggling – mad, insane giggling as I rolled around in the pony's blood. The look of utter surprise and fear on Nightmare Moon's face just made it all the sweeter.

She wanted to break my spirit? Break my morals? Let her. I'll revel in it. After all, what better way to show I'm broken than to act the sociopath? I had to be careful though and balance everything. If everything she's shown me is true, then she doesn't want a psychopath under her rule, she wants somepony to keep her true.

Nonetheless, thank you Nightmare Moon for giving me a way out. If not for you, I'd be stuck in the dungeon for a couple more months probably.

The giggling suddenly stopped and I stood up as though nothing had happened. Turning around slowly, I faced Nightmare Moon with a slight smile on my face –I just couldn't help myself. We gazed at each other for a long time, assessing the situation and reactions.

"Red is not my color."

Chapter 11

With a heavy sigh, Rarity slumped into the chair only to immediately correct her sitting position so that she looked as regal and perfect as possible. Who would have thought a fashion show would be so tiring? Oh she loved it, she loved every single last stress filled minute of it, but the small talk afterwards left a hole in her heart. For once, she found herself missing Pinkie's upbeat insane parties – though she'd never admit that out loud. Still, these were the higher echelons of society and so she was forced to keep a polite smile on her lips as she took hollow compliments. Couldn't these ponies see the numerous flaws in her dresses?

"Miss Moonlight!"

At the cry of her face name, Rarity turned around and for the first time that night a real smile appeared at the sight of the grey earth pony. "Octavia, a pleasure to see you again. And please, call me Moonlight."

The cellist wore the same dress she had commissioned all those days ago and though there were still imperfections that Rarity was sure she could fix given enough time, it did look stunning on her. Walking on all fours as she was, there was no hint of the informal shorts underneath and – if the unicorn was willing to stroke her own ego a bit – it did not look out of place in this mass of high society. Beside her strolled a mint green mare with pale cyan mane that had white highlights. Her eyes were bright orange and while her dress was simple in comparison to the others, the embroidery along the edges were exquisitely done though and the hem line was perfect.

"And who is your darling friend?" Rarity tried her best to keep her shock at seeing Lyra at a formal party without Bon-Bon out of her voice.

"Oh! Please excuse my manners, this is Lyra Heartstrings. Lyra, this is Moonlight the designer of that perfect dress you so adored on the runway."

We shook hooves.

"A pleasure. But the dress is hardly perfect. Why, I must admit to being jealous of the designer who made your particular dress Miss Heartstrings. Why, the embroidery is absolutely marvelous and that trimming! Not to mention how it accentuates your figure perfectly. May I enquire as to who designed it?"

"Oh... um... I..." Lyra looked around nervously before saying softly, "I didn't actually buy it. Bon-Bon did and all I know is that she bought it in Ponyville."

Rarity's eyes widened in shock. There was only one fashion designer in Ponyville and now that she thought about it, a week before Nightmare Moon's return Bon-Bon did come around to have a dress designed. But... surely not. There was no way this dress could have been made by her.

"And please Moonlight, there is no need to be modest." Octavia nervously filled in the silence that had been left. "Your fashion line was absolutely stunning. Why, there are already rumors of Hoity Toity personally loving the line."

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, my mind was elsewhere." Rarity gave a fake laugh and smile. At their questioning look, she expanded, "Just thinking I should visit one of my old friends who lives in Ponyville. It's been an age since I have been there."

"You've been to Ponyville?" exclaimed Lyra rather shocked.

"Of course. It has such a rustic charm to it and the peacefulness coupled with nature fills me with ideas."

"I don't remember seeing you there before." The musically inclined unicorn's eyes narrowed. "In fact, I don't remember seeing you at any of Pinkie's parties."

"Well... er..." Rarity's eyes darted from side to side before resting on the white unicorn in purple tinted glasses scoffing down food by the plateful. "I hired Vinyl Scratch didn't I?"

"So that's her name." A twitch of the ear was all the signal Rarity gave of hearing Octavia's whisper, but she stored the knowledge away for future reference.

"Yes, but she's one of the most well known DJ's in Equestria, everypony has h-"

"That is enough you two." A pair of hooves forcibly separated the two mares. "Continue this argument and we will draw attention to ourselves. I am personally more interested in why you decided to hire this... DJ of yours. Such uncouth behavior is not particularly suited for such a high class venue and that's not even mentioning the music she played. I swear my head is still ringing from the noise that she calls music. You took a real gamble bringing that one along."

"Well, I felt h-"

"Hey! Lyra, whatcha doing here?" The white unicorn stumbled over and slung an arm around Rarity's shoulder in an attempt to stay on her hooves. "And who's your hot friend?" She looked over her glasses at Octavia. "Make that hot friends. Think you can set me up?"

With a brushing motion, Rarity pushed Vinyl off her shoulder resulting in the poor, slightly drunk mare to crash onto the ground. "I'm sincere apologies Miss Octavia, it seems I was mistaken in my choice of musician."

"Oh come on," pouted Vinyl from the floor, "it was a compliment!"

"I don't know..." Lyra peered down at her friend. "What do you think Octavia?"

"Hm..." The earth pony tilted her head to the side.

"I can get you VIP passes to my next gig."

"Why would w-"

"Deal!" Faster than we could blink, Lyra had hauled the flirt onto her feet. "This is Octavia and Moonlight who you've already met since she hired you."

"B-"

"Lyra..." Octavia's tone was low and menacing as she cut Vinyl off.

"Hey, come on Octavia." The unicorn backed up slowly, eyes darting from side to side. "Do you know how famous Vinyl is? She's like you in the DJ scene rather than classical."

"Oh, is that so?" Something akin to a predatory grin appeared on the grey mare's muzzle.

"Yep, sure is Octy!" Octavia's ear twitched at the use of the nickname. "You're looking at the hottest piece of flank on the market right now."

" 'Octy'?" If anything, her grin became even more predatory and when she spoke it was a smooth as silk. "Well then Miss Scratch do you partake in fine wines? There is rather fantastic selection today and I'm sure you wouldd enjoy them immensely." Before the DJ could say anything, she was being dragged off.

"Oh dear," whispered Rarity. "This is not going to end well for her."

"I can have a cab here within a minute," said Lyra.

"I doubt it'll be that bad."

"You obviously don't know Vinyl then. Trust me."

The two unicorns watched in silence as Vinyl was dragged across the room by her ear followed by her drinking something that caused her face to turn completely red before racing over to the punch and dunking her entire head under in an attempt to stop the burning. All the while Octavia was smirking her head off.

"You sure about that?"

"I forgot why I never take Vinyl to these functions. She either gets slapped, drunk or insults everypony within hearing range. I'll go grab us a ride. Just make sure the children don't destroy anything." Rarity sighed before realizing she had just asked Lyra of all ponies to keep others out of trouble. Lyra. She resisted the urge to slam her head against the nearest available surface.

The sound of shattering glass filled the air. "Too late. I say we just run," said Lyra before adding with a giggle, "Well at least she makes things interesting. If you hadn't invited her long I would have."

"Don't let Bon-Bon hear you say that. You know how she is about these high society functions and quite frankly, I'm surprised the dear hasn't rubbed off on you more."

"And how do you know so much about us?" Her face was suddenly in Rarity's personal space. "Just who are you?"

Rearing back in surprise, Rarity tried to back away only to find herself trapped against the wall and a very pissed off Lyra. "Well... er... you see..." Out of the corner of her eye, the disguised unicorn caught a glimpse of the clock and she gasped. "Oh dear me, it seems like I have an engagement right now. Very sorry, but I'm afraid I must leave."

She managed to take one step to the right before Lyra slammed her hoof against the wall. "You're not going anywhere."

Bang!

Lyra's head snapped over to Octavia and Vinyl who had just managed to knock over a table spilling food everywhere. In that split second of distraction, Rarity managed to slip under the outstretched arm and was already out the door. The chilly winter air hit her like a ton of bricks, but gritting her teeth, she ran through it and the scheduled rain. Under the twilight of the day she was soon hidden amongst the shadows cast by the looming buildings.

Taking a couple deep breaths, Rarity calmed her thundering heart before uncoiling her hair, letting it fall limply to the side. Shaking it out, she reformed it into an upper class bun favored by those in Manehatten before creating a second illusionary disguise to slip over the already active on. Though it strained her to maintain both at once, it was no more difficult than pulling an all nighter then sitting an exam the next morning. With a darker hued coat, a brand new cutie mark and a pink mane plus tail, Rarity trotted out from under the shadow and licked her dry lips.

"This darn rain will give meh a cold." Tilting her head to one side, she contemplated her accent before nodding in satisfaction. It would have to do.

Looking around to make sure Lyra wasn't near, Rarity began making her way to the park in the south western side of the city. When she told Lyra she had somewhere to be, Rarity was being completely honest, she did have somewhere to be. Glancing up at the pseudo-sun, she broke out into a gallop – no doubt ruining her manicure in the process. She was late, so very late and for once she couldn't afford to be late.

Taking more turns than probably necessary, Rarity finally stumbled into the park. How much of the liquid clinging to her body was rain and how much was perspiration was something Rarity did not wish to dwell on. All she wanted right now was a nice warm bath, a decent romance novel and some classical music to wish away this dreary weather, but nooooo here she was in the middle of a storm, stomping through mud, drenched in sweat and alone. The things she did for Equestria.

Moving off to the edge of the park, near where the reserve was, Rarity settled down under a particularly large oak tree and waited patiently. Here she could see the main entrance and here it was impossible for anypony to sneak up on her without crashing through the bush. It was also a relief to see other ponies out and about despite the torrential rain. There was even a couple by the fountain, kissing under an umbrella as they snuggled close for warmth.

A sigh escaped.

Would she ever find love like that? A stallion that would sweep her off her hooves. But who was she kidding, here she was stuck in the middle of a semi-secret war. Love would be selfish of her – no matter how much she longed for it, Equestria would always come first. She would give her life for it.

A muted flash of light drew her out of her thoughts. There in front of her was a note. Scanning it quickly, she set the note alight and stayed exactly where she was. As if she was stupid enough to go wandering off to the factory district where she could be ambushed with ease and killed with no ponies around. They were going to play by her rules or not play at all.

A couple seconds later, another letter appeared in front of her. Like the first note, it soon ended up as ash being blown away in the wind. Did they truly believe she was an idiot? Sure she enjoyed fashion, gossiped on occasion, and actually bothered to take care of her mane and coat, but that did not make her an airhead. The mere fact that they had waited for thirty minutes after the meeting time and was even out here communicating with a single unicorn told the fashionetta that they needed to communicate with her. That they needed her. This whole dance was to see how much she needed them and if they could push her around – the usual high society tactics so often employed.

Clenching her teeth to stop them from chattering, Rarity drew her dress around her body in a vain attempt to keep some warmth for herself. After another minute in the cold though she was reduced to shivering. It took another second for her to remember the modified shield spell developed by Twilight herself that blocked out the rain and wind. Sighing happily, Rarity settled back down and dredged up the warmth spell all unicorns learnt at school from her memory. Almost immediately, her chilled limbs stopped shaking as she pumped magic into the spell.

At the sound of approaching hoofsteps, she readied three different spells designed to incapacitate in addition to four shield spells and a telekinetic wave. She may not be Twilight Sparkle, but after years of working in fashion where the ability to manipulate a dozen complex items simultaneously was practically a requirement, holding eight different spells was child's play. Though she wasn't a betting mare, Rarity had no doubt she could match Twilight in the focus department of spell casting.

"You are one stubborn mare." Rarity's ear twitched at the unmistakable hint of French accent. "Now you will come with me."

"Bonjour monsieur, but y'all must think Ah'm an idiot to follow a complete stranger on a day such as this one." She looked past the unicorn straight at the couple by the fountain. "Especially since ya bought reinforcements. Now Ah organized a meeting right here, right now over a week ago and if y'all not ready that is not mah fault."

His hazel eyes narrowed. "You need us."

"Au contraire mon petit poney, it is obvious that your little resistance is the main one in this fabulous city and yet you are who has come to the place of my choosing." A fake smile appeared on Rarity's face, but her eyes was as hard as steel. "No doubt you've verified mah claims of being part of the group that was involved freeing Captain Spitfire by now so there's no need for all this political maneuvering."

"What you told us was common knowledge."

With a toss of her mane, Rarity stared down the stallion before her. "The facts are thus, we will be setting up a base in Manehatten and there is nothing you can do about it. We are extending a hoof in partnership to you so we don't end up tripping each other up. Furthermore, we have no intention of disbanding your group, rather if you accept you will be acting as our base in the city."

"Hang on a minute, we will be acting as your base? Don't be ridic-"

"Dewy, I'll take it from here," said the light blue unicorn with a crescent moon cutie mark suddenly appeared. "I apologize for my subordinate's behavior madam, but we merely wished to take this conversation to somewhere private."

"But sir-"

"You're Midnight Sparkle, Twilight's father and astronomer," recited Rarity from memory. "I have a location set up, the others are free to come as well and if there are any other invisible unicorn's I'd appreciate it if they appeared."

"You've heard of me then."

"We tried to locate you after Nightmare Moon came to power in an attempt to move you our base, but you weren't in Canterlot and we had no idea where you vanished too."

There was a pulse of magic and Rarity tensed up, easing a bit of magic into her horn to make casting her spells faster. At Midnight's own tense expression though, it was obvious it wasn't one of their ponies. A spy then.

"Hey! Let go of me!" A mint green unicorn was unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the muddy ground. "Er... hi?"

"Lyra," groaned the disguised unicorn as she facehoofed.

"You know her?" asked Twilight's father.

"Yes. She must have followed me here."

"Excuse me sir," said the French pony. "But might I suggest we get out of the open? You are far too exposed."

"For somepony whose daughter is Twilight, you are not very smart are you? Coming out here without a disguise was pure stupidity." I glanced down at the Lyra's sheepish smile and rolled my eyes. "And that's not even commenting on you my dear."

"Lead the way then." Midnight gave an exaggerated bow for good measure.

Nodding, Rarity dispelled the dome that was holding out the water and wind resulting in a sudden torrent that left them all chilled to the bone. The group walked on in silence for the howling gale and the downpour made it impossible for their voices to be heard. Although it took much longer than usual to reach the abandoned house, they still made it there within the half hour and despite initial troubles closing the door, it was eventually firmly shut and multiple warmth spells cast.

"Okay, you know who I am and you obviously know my daughter," began Midnight as he wrung water out of his mane. "So the question is, who are you and how do we know we can trust you?"

Giving them an enigmatic smile, Rarity dropped both illusionary layers simultaneously and watched with smug satisfaction as their jaws hit the ground. "How do you know you can trust me? Because darling, I'm being hunted by Nightmare Moon herself."

"Rarity?" Lyra just stared at the white unicorn with wide eyes. "Dear Celestia... That... That's..." Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Just who are you? I doubt Nightmare Moon would offer such a reward to a fashion designer in Ponyville."

"Ponyville? My daughter was sent there just before Nightmare Moon appeared." Suddenly all eyes were trained on Rarity. "I think we deserve some answers."

An appraising glance was cast over all those present. "I believe I shall tell you in good faith. We six fought Nightmare Moon on the day of her return and failed hence your daughter's captivity. I suppose you can consider us Princess Celestia's specialized taskforce, formed to take down the usurper and return the throne back to the Princess." There was a pause as she considered her own words. "Yes, that is simplest terms of thinking about it."

"You're bucking me," growled that rude French unicorn from earlier. "Do you truly expect us to believe six fillies attacked Nightmare Moon, lost, survived and that they're some special secret unit? Buck. That."

"I expected better from you Encore," whispered Midnight. "Did you not see the spell she cast out in the rain? A modified shield spell. Tell me, does that sound like something any filly could come up with? Modifying spells are dangerous and one wrong move can blow up in the caster's face. Personally, I'd like to see you modify a spell and see how well you come out at the end of it all."

"Well I di-" Clearing her throat, Rarity squashed what she was going to say. "It wasn't that difficult. But that's unimportant – do we have a deal or not?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation. "How do we contact you?"

"Lyra knows how to find me." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lyra's lips curl up in the tiniest of smiles just as she expected. "But first things first, let us see your hideout and we can plan from there. I will need to know your supply situation, your income, number of members, how you vet those who wish to join for a start. Also if you're in contact with any other resistance groups that would be most helpful..." Rarity's voice trailed off into the twilight as she rattled off item after item.

Sometimes sunshine is all that's needed to bring a bit of brightness into somepony's life. Of course, in a world without that wondrous light, contemplating the countless ways it contributes to society was a tad depressing. Also, according to Pinkie – and this is one of several secrets of her superb baking, (though with her you can never be sure) its sudden loss had a severe impact on the quality of her cooking. Apparently, a pinch of sunlight sweetens the batch without adding any extra calories. Some part of Pinkie Pie hoped that her paintings of Princess Celestia's cutie mark could bring such a pinch of that pleasure to the ponies who saw it.

With a soft hiss, the party pony pulled out the empty paint canister and placed it back within her saddlepack. Carefully bringing out a canister of red paint, it slipped from her hooves and hit the ground with a crack. Scrambling over, the baker carefully examined the glassy surface and to her eternal relief not a line could be seen. Quickly slotting it in place, she finished off the symbol before dismantling the entire thing and slinging the cello case onto her back.

"I'm sorry miss, but you'll have to come with me," said a stallion from behind her with absolute authority in his voice.

Fear cascaded through Pinkie's body as though she had just seen a banshee. Licking her dry lips, blue eyes darted from side to side, taking in every last detail of the alley she was currently in. Estimating the distance between to the dumpster and ladder above it, Pinkie's eyes darted over to the half crushed mirror sticking out of the rubbish bin and made a rough guess as to the distance between herself the and cream guard behind her. Smiling in satisfaction, she dashed to the right and before the guard could even blink, Pinkie had leapt, kicked off the dumpster, wrapped her forearm around the ladder and swung herself up onto the fire escape stairs. Still on her hind legs and still carrying her Pinkie Patented Portable Paint Canon, she raced off taking two steps at a time.

A shrill whistle echoed through the city and by the time she was three stories up, a pegasus could clearly be seen a block away. Four stories up and the earth pony finally made it onto the stairs. Five stories up and Pinkie could make out the pink mane of the pegasus and her dusky orange coat. Bursting out onto the roof, Pinkie ran across it as fast as her hooves could carry her.

Blue. The pegasus' eyes were blue.

There was no pause, no hesitation. The party pony fully flung herself off the edge without a second thought. She hung in midair, wind billowing through her mane and the ground miles away. Then with a thud, she landed on the neighboring roof. No speed was lost.

"Why do you insist on running?" The sudden intrusion made Pinkie misstep. "Running doesn't solve any problems, you know that."

Swerving around a ventilation shaft, Pinkie managed to dodge a swipe from the pegasus. Once more she leapt and once more she made the jump. Sliding down the slopped roof, Pinkie grabbed hold of the guttering and expertly slide down the side of the roof. Above her, the pegasus dive bombed straight down.

"Then again, I can't say I'm particularly surprised. Running is all your good for." The sadistic laugh echoed through the hollow of her mind. "Running from the farm. From your responsibilities. From your past. Maybe your cutie mark should have been a pair of shoes."

Halfway down the wall, Pinkie bunched up her hind legs underneath her. With a solid kick, she sailed backwards, back flipping effortlessly to crash through the window. Ignoring the pain, she flattened herself against the wall and closed her eyes. A second later, her left hind leg began to cramp – imminent tackle. Slinging the contraption off her back, Pinkie swung with all her might. The crack shattered the silence like a sledgehammer slamming into stained glass and the impact from the blow left her arms numb.

Pinkie Pie stared down at the crumpled pegasus in shock.

"Well, well, well... it seems like I was wrong about you. We really aren't so different are we?"

"No..." The earth pony stumbled out of the room and down the stairs.

"Yes," hissed back Pinkamina.

"No!"

With trembling hooves, Pinkie clutched her head. With shaky breaths she closed her eyes once more and found the memory. The one starting with the guard finding her in the alley and ended just a couple seconds ago. Then with a precision that came from years of experience, she cut it away and sealed it within some deep dark recess of her mind. Immediately a second memory began constructing itself. One where she had pulled out a party canon and cake. One where the two of them and the pegasus partied into the night. One where they all became friends and everypony stumbled away with drunken smiles on their face.

"Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me for I'm Pinkie 'Party' Pie."

But Pinkie was happy, she bounced along the road. New friends. She had made two new friends that night. Weirdly enough, she couldn't remember their names, but one was a pegasus with pink mane and dusty orange coat while the other was an earth pony with a cream coat and pale red mane. Maybe she'd see them some day. Wouldn't that be super?

And that, was how Equestria was made.

My goal is to free Celestia. Anything that gets me closer to that goal is morally justified.

"What are you waiting for Twilight Sparkle?" Her voice was a seductive whisper in my ear.

I need to get close to Nightmare Moon so I can find out where Celestia's imprisoned.

Looking up, I couldn't help, but sneer at the quivering wreck in front of me. If the mere concept of death terrified him so, he shouldn't be have been painting slogans that denounced Nightmare Moon. Or rather, he shouldn't have been caught doing it. Hopefully, the ponies Applejack and the rest of them recruited were tougher than this one. If not, Nightmare Moon will get all the information she wants within the minute.

By breaking my morals I will appear to be broken thus closer to my goal. Evidence: She has given back limited use of magic after my first kill.

Levitating the knife in front of me, I examined it in the dim light, watching it catch my reflection. I didn't bother looking at the colt's cutie mark. I didn't bother looking at his mane color or his coat color. I didn't even bother remember his name. There was no point in pretending that by remembering him I would somehow make my act more moral – that by remembering the faces and names of all these ponies, it would somehow make me a better than one who was numb to it all. Thoughts like those belonged in novels.

Therefore, killing this pony was morally allowable.

I didn't give myself time to double check my own logic or to argue against myself as I had trained myself to do. The dagger sliced through the pony's throat without a bit of hesitation. Some part of me was horrified that the blade didn't even shake in my grasp, but the majority was pleased at the control I had over my emotions. I watched with a bored expression on my face as blood poured forth from the wound, coating the pony's chest in a slick layer of red.

"Well done Twilight Sparkle." She said that in same manner she'd order somepony to be decapitated. "Now you will kill the mare." Before I could make the cut, her magic restrained me. "Slowly. You will make it as slow and painful as possible."

Stopping myself from screaming during one of Nightmare Moon's torture sessions was easier than keeping the look of disgust off my face. The question now was, if I did what she asked, would it tip her off? My dagger rose higher, quivering slightly as my emotions interfered with my concentration. Shoving my emotions down, I let cold unyielding logic take over. And yet still I hesitated.

But really, what difference will one more death make?

"I'm going to need proper tools then." Although I knew I had said those words, it was as though I was watching everything from the outside. As though it was all a dream.

"You will work with what you have." Her yellow eyes watched me with a closely guarded expression. "Get creative."

My first cut was next to her right eye. Close enough to make her edgy over loosing an eye, but not so close that it'd actually cause any real damage. Stabbing my dagger into his stomach, I cast my eye over the dungeon looking for anything I could use. Walking over to the door of the cell, I examined a particularly rusted section. With three shift bucks, I had four sections of rusted iron bars at my disposal.

"Isn't it a shame Celestia left the dungeon to degrade to such a condition?" Each spike was levitated as I took careful aim. "I mean, sure, she didn't need the Canterlot dungeons, but still. If she had maintained it I wouldn't be able to do this."

Each spike slammed into her outstretched limbs. The scream she gave turned my fur white and I was glad that Nightmare Moon couldn't see my face. Pulling out the dagger, I ran it over her feathers, cutting them off. Clipping her. Taking the sky from her. Not that it mattered considering she was going to be dead soon. Turning away, I felt the cut slice across her stomach. Entrails spilt onto the floor making walking difficult. But the problem was, I didn't need to see the end results of my torture to know exactly what it looked like. I knew it would haunt my dreams, but by this stage another nightmare made no difference.

In the opposite cell, I could see the unicorn's look of utter disgust, shock and hate. Already I could see what I was going to do to him. How I'd kill him with a thousand cuts. How I'd let his magic heal him up after each slice only to inflict more. How I'd keep it up until his magic ran out, until his coat had turned red from the blood, until he was nothing but cuts. And then I'd walk out the cell and let him bleed slowly to death. I could see every single pain I'd willingly inflict all for the sake of one pony. All for the sake of Equestria.

It was just another sin after all.

Chapter 12

The blows came fast and furious, forcing Rainbow Dash to skip back with a flap of her wings. Before she had even landed though, Spitfire was on the cyan pegasus. Two quick blows to the head followed by a knee sent Dash stumbling back. Quick as ever though, she had recovered from the blows. Lunging forward, she rammed the Wonderbolt's captain and followed up with a left hook.

The two separated, sweat dripping down their brows as they breathed heavily. Dash could still feel the sting from her opponent's blows despite the cloth wrapped around their hooves. Both dropped onto all fours and began circling slowly. As always, Dash was the first to move. Feinting to the right, she reared up and gave three quick jabs. Every single one was blocked. Acting on reflex alone, she managed to block the counter attack to the head before stepping to the side and avoiding a particularly ferocious blow.

Now inside Spitfire's guard, Dash delivered a hook punch before swinging her elbow up and around into Spitfire's sternum. The grunt of pain was music to her ears. With a flap of her wings, the Element of Loyalty disengaged once more. She could feel her prismatic mane part as the yellow pegasus just missed.

As soon as Dash felt her hooves touch the ground, she kicked off. Spitfire didn't hesitate for one second. She stepped forward, pivoted on her front hoof, grabbed Dash's outstretched one and threw her into the nearest wall. The thud that reverberated through the room made all the other combatants wince. With a groan, Dashs struggled onto her feet, swayed dangerously, then collapsed back onto the ground in a heap.

"Okay, I'm out," she said in a dazed voice. "Who wants to train with Spitfire?"

Silence.

"What are you all looking at! Back to training!" The flurry of movement accompanying Fleetfoot's yell was deafening.

"I'll give the pony a go." All eyes turned to Gilda as she walked down the slope. "It's not every day I see Dash getting her butt kicked."

"Be my guest Gilda. It's been a long time since I've sparred with a gryphon. Though no whining if I manage to kick your butt." Spitfire smirked as she stretched out her limbs.

"As if lame-o."

"As much as I want to stand around and watch Spitfire kick your feathery butt, I'm going to go see Fluttershy." Dash braced herself against the wall. "I think you gave me a concussion or something. Geez Spitfire, we were meant to be pulling our punches."

"Dude, I thought you were meant to be loyal," commented Gilda.

"Yeah, that's why I want Spitfire to kick your ass. Gotta keep that ego in check somehow."

Spitfire snorted. "That's rich coming from you."

There was a flash of light as Silvia appeared in the middle of the room, her tattoo swirls glowing brightly for a second before slowly fading. "Captain Gilda, Captain Spitfire, General Dash – you're all required in the conference room." The swirls glowed brightly once more and by the time everypony could see again, she was gone.

"I hate it when she does that," muttered Gilda. "Tomorrow Spitfire. Tomorrow we find out who's better."

With those parting words, she quickly walked out. Spitfire on the other hoof walked over to Dash to help her along. "I've been meaning to ask, why is Silvia missing a wing anyways? I'd ask her myself, but..."

"She's a seer in training. When a gryphon becomes a journeywomen or journeyman in divination they have to give up something of important. Some give up their tongues, others their eyes. She decided to give up her wings. When she becomes a master, she'll lose the other wing."

"Why would any gryphon do that?" demanded Spitfire with a shocked look on her face.

"Give her their wings or give up something important or be a seer at all?"

"All of those."

Dash shrugged. "Being a seer is the greatest honor a gryphon can have. It's like being in the Wonderbolt's for a racing pegasus. As for giving up a body part, well... it's got to do with their myth and history and stuff. Giving up the wings though, is considered one of the greatest sacrifices a seer can make and the greater the sacrifice the more honor they get."

"Hey slowpokes, hurry it up will you?" yelled Gilda from up ahead. "I thought you two were meant to fast."

The two ponies exchanged a glance before jogging up to Gilda who was already walking through the false wall. Pushing through themselves, they found themselves in the revamped conference room with new circular table, enough space for every creature, new more accurate map and other such delicious features. Good thing Rarity wasn't around or it'd be another week before the place was useable as she fiddled around with every single piece of furniture. The mere thought made Dash shudder.

"So what's up?" asked Dash as she plopped down into the nearest available seat. Gilda and Spitfire took the seats next to her and opposite was Silvia, Fluttershy in her disguise and Applejack.

"Silvia if you please." Fluttershy straightened up her notes while casting a look at the gryphon next to her.

"Last week after we met Corporal Foxtrot I had a dream of the Everfree on fire. I immediately sought out General Fluttershy who alerted the wild life in the area in case it was the most probable future."

"Ah suppose that explains all those fire drills y'all been having," commented Applejack.

Flutter nodded. "Exactly. We didn't know how probable that future was so we took precautions." She pushed a letter over to Dash's side of the table. "It's from Corporal Foxtrot. They're planning something though we don't know what, but it's definitely designed to flush us out. We're afraid that they plan on burning down the Everfree Forest, but the more concerning this is that they know we're here at all. It should have taken longer for them to find out."

"A traitor?" growled Dash.

"Ah don't know," said the orange earth pony slowly, "Ah personally vetted each and every single one of them and Ah can tell a truth from lie."

"Then who!?" Everypony shrunk back from Dash's frenzied gaze.

"Calm down RD," began Applejack slowly. "Ponies have been coming in every day. Ah'm guessing a guard or somepony caught a sniff of it an' decided to investigate."

"That's unlikely," commented Gilda. "If that were to occur, we would have heard about them shutting down one of our outposts. News like that is what they'd want to spread quickly and widely to demoralize our movement. Even if they wanted to keep it hush, hush to surprise us, Flutter- I mean, General Fluttershy would have heard of it through her minions."

"I agree," said Spitfire much to everybody's surprise. "While I doubt there is a spy amongst us, there must be a reasonable explanation. Maybe pure luck? After all, there are only so many places where the background magic can conceal spells... at least according to Echo."

"Does it matter?" Flutter spoke in a whisper, but with so much authority behind it that everybody shifted their attention back to her. "We know it's not someone here. The ponies at the other village don't even know we exist for all intents and purposes except the few that were here at the very start like Mayor Mare and Big MacIntosh. We also know that none of our outposts have been captured yet, though we can't discount them being trailed all the way here. What matters is that they're here and that they're planning something."

"The dweeb is right." Leaning forward and grabbing the map, Gilda studied it intently as she spoke. "We need to figure out what they're planning and how they knew we're here. If it is a spy, it needs to be taken care of immediately, but the current threat is their plan."

Dash gave an impressive whistle. "Look at you, all fancy in your armor and in full egghead-commander mode. Never thought I'd see the day."

"You try being drilled by Master of Arms herself." Gilda shuddered at the memory. "I'd rather go through that day back in Junior Speedsters."

"That bad?"

"Worse."

"Ah hem," interrupted Applejack. "Mind if y'all get back on topic?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your lasso in a knot." Gilda peered over the map for a couple more seconds with Spitfire by her side. "We can't stop their plan either. I mean, Everfree Forest is a waste of space and if we acted then they'd know for certain we're in here somewhere."

"Actually, I've got the most insane plan ever and trust me, it's insane," said Spitfire. "We're a good 720 kilometers from Ponyville if we travel in a straight line and the average large scale forest fire burns through 400 square kilimeters of forest before dying out – or at least that's my experience with forest fires. That means we are potentially safe from a forest fire if we stay where we are, but we'll need to tell ponies not to come in otherwise they could be caught."

The room exploded in words and gestures as everybody tried to voice their opinion at the same time. Some were agreeing, some were disagreeing while others were uncertain. From the looks of things though, the split seemed to be straight down the middle with no side having more votes.

"Enough!" Slamming his claws onto the table, Spike managed to bring silence back. "One at a time. Fluttershy, if you can start?"

"There's no reason why they couldn't restart the fire," said Fluttershy, "and that's even considering the number of poor critters that'd be caught in the flames."

"But they also have no way of controlling the fire." For once Dash looked thoughtful. "The weather is the Everfree is wild in every single sense of that word – there is absolutely no way for pegasus to control it. And with Ponyville is so close to the Everfree-"

"That they can't let the fire become uncontrolled," finished Applejack.

"Exactly," smirked the cyan pegasus.

"It won't work." Silvia's smooth voice bought Dash up short. "They can just set fire to the inner parts of the forest that's a safe distance from the village."

A bird suddenly flew in, and silence descended as it chirped to Fluttershy. From the widening eyes and paling skin, it was obviously bad news, but how bad was another question entirely. After it had delivered its message and flown off, she sat there, staring off into the space for a couple of seconds, mouth moving soundlessly as she tried to form words.

Closing her eyes, the pegasus took a deep breath before speaking in the calmest voice she could muster, "The plan will happen in three hours." Even as she spoke, her voice wavered. "And Nightmare Moon will be personally supervising."

"What about Twilight?"

"I'm sorry Spike, but still no word."

My eyes roamed over the reflection in the mirror. Tilting my head to the side, I could clearly see the scar that ran from the front along the left side and down across my back. It had faded over the past two months, but it was still obvious – from the slightly discolored fur to how thin it was in areas, only a blind person could miss it. The only thing that prevented me needing surgery was my enormous pool of magic I had at my disposal and even then there were originally doubts.

The sound of hoofbeats made my ear twitch, but when there was no knock on the door I went back to my reflection. Though Nightmare Moon tended to heal me after each session, my body still remembered the abused it had taken. The fur around my ankles were worn and stained red from the shackles. If I looked closely enough I could still see the imprints they had left behind. Even the spikes she had shoved through my limbs had left marks. Slightly thinner fur and the white flesh beneath it were the obvious signs, but it had left deeper scars than that. Even now I couldn't feel the cold marble underhoof and yesterday when I stuck a hoof in a stream of boiling water, it barely registered above warm. The nerves had been cut to threads, though it wasn't that much of a loss truth be told.

My gaze drifted over to my mane and I pushed it out of my eyes. It had grown past my shoulders to the point of almost touching the floor and it was a ruffled mess. The ends were uneven, the ends were split, bits stuck out at random angles – all in all it looked as though I had run a marathon in a storm then climbed the highest mountain I could find. I'm sure Rarity would throw a fit if she saw it.

Rarity...

With a sigh and shake my head I squashed that thought. Now was not the time. But look at me! Standing here in front of a full length mirror, looking over my body as though I actually cared what I looked like. Ha! If Spike could see me now he'd think I was sick or something. After all, who needs to look nice? Somepony should like me for what I am on the inside and not the outside and that's not even mentioning the amount of reading I'd be missing out on if I bothered with how I looked. Nonetheless, this was the first time I could properly see myself since this whole nightmare started and while I was afraid of what I'd see, I needed to know.

Taking a deep breath, I fixed my eyes on my face. It looked sharper, leaner, but also older. I had lost weight and I have seen so much... done so much. Unlike the rest of my body, it was relatively unmarked except a scar along my cheek, but that had already faded to the point of not existing. My eyes though... I couldn't look at myself in the eyes. I was too terrified of what I'd see there.

Once more my mane drifted back to cover my eyes. With an irritated snarl I picked up the knife – the same knife I had used in my first kill four months ago – and irritably hacked away at my mane until it was just below my shoulder. Sure, it was messy and looked horrible, but I'll live.

There was a polite knock on the door. Slotting the knife back into the sheath on my left leg, I grabbed the black cloak from off the floor and slipped it on. Buttoning it up at the front, I shot one last look over my shoulder as I walked out. It draped over my entire body with ease to end slightly above my ankle and on the left side my cutie mark was printed on for the world to see.

Unlocking the door, I stepped right into the grinning face of Nightwish. "You know, when most fillies spend almost thirty minutes in the bathroom, they tend to come out looking prettier than when they went in."

Tossing my mane to the side, I shoved past him. "I'm not most fillies and time spent prettying up is time that could have been spent studying."

"You look like you've been living on the street your entire life." He fell into step next to me. "We're heading to the main court yard."

Nodding once, I took the left turn out into the garden. "In my opinion, it fits me." A new look for a new Twilight.

"Well I've been tasked with protecting you and that measly little dagger is not enough in my professional opinion." He jerked his head to the side to point at the short sword strapped to his back. "That's for you to use when we're going into dangerous territory."

Unbuckling it, I slipped it under my cloak and positioned it so that the sword rested on my right side with the hilt just behind my shoulder. Grabbing it with my magic, I unsheathed it and held it up to the moonlight, marveling at how it reflected the light just so. "Not afraid I'll kill you with it?"

"There's not much difference between a dagger and a short sword. Shove it in somepony's back and they're dead either way."

Chuckling, I gave it a couple of telekinetic swings before putting the blade away. "That's certainly true." Turning out of the gardens, we made our way down the main steps into the courtyard. "Where are we going anyways?"

"Ponyville. Nightmare Moon wishes to oversee the operation that's going to take place down there and from my understanding, you'll be leading a squad of your own while we're down there."

"A squad is eight to thirteen ponies right?" He nodded in response. "Who's in charge of the squad, what's the composition and what will we be doing?"

"You're in charge and I'll be acting as second in command. There will be another three unicorns, two pegasi and three earth ponies not counting us. We'll be positioned between Ghastly Gorge and the Everfree, and our job is to make sure no ponies slip through the net by any means necessary though Nightmare Moon wishes them to be taken alive if possible."

Nodding, I adjusted the collar around my neck. "Very well, let's get this over and done with then."

It was only now that I realized all the gathered ponies were looking at me. Every single last pony. This time though, there wasn't anger and hate like a couple months ago, instead there was something akin to curiosity and cautiousness in their eyes. Considering last time they were convinced I had turned on them ended up with me shooting cutlery at Nightmare Moon, I didn't blame them.

"Nightmare Moon."

"Twilight Sparkle."

And then I yawned, breaking the staring contest.

"General Sunset Horizon, ready the mass teleport." Seven crystals the size of a pony's head levitated into the air as magic surged through the teleportation anchor matrix. The amount of energy being channeled raised everypony's mane and those standing too close even got zapped. "On my mark."

"Three..."

The alicorn's horn flared to life and the magical energy doubled. The crystal's dimmed and the humming sound became a small whisper as all that energy became focused into the mass teleport. Already I could feel the familiar lightness in my body and out of the corner of my eye, the background was blurring as though a second view was superimposed onto it.

"Two..."

The blurring became more pronounced and I was starting to see double of everything. The fresh scent of the Everyfree Forest filled my nostrils and I could hear the sound of birds chirping despite the magical hum in the background.

"One."

Everything suddenly snapped into focus. A couple ponies looked sick and one even threw up, but for the most part everything was perfectly fine. There were probably two thousand ponies in total and every single one was teleported without incident. If it wasn't done by Nightmare Moon, I would have been gushing and demanding the technical knowledge behind it, but as is I was content to watch everything behind guarded eyes. If I had a bit more magic available I could have cast a true sight spell to figure out how the matrix worked within the day. I mean, seven crystals. Seven! And channeling that amount of energy with shattering a single one was unheard of. The mere prospect made me giddy. Well it would have if I wasn't about the go into battle, possibly meet my old friends, kill some ponies and take them in alive for a fate worse than death at the hooves of a tyrannical ruler and part time torturer known as Nightmare Moon.

Stepping down, I made my way to Nightwish. "And where is the rest of our squad?"

He gestured to the pale orange unicorn beside him. "This here is Thunderfall and he'll be teleporting us to them. Apparently they got deployed early by accident or something."

I inclined my head in greeting, but otherwise did not bother acknowledging him. "Very well then, take us there immediately."

Once more a second world was imposed on the first followed by a very jarring snap that left me seeing double and making me lose feeling in my legs. That was probably the worst teleport I've ever been through. If it were any worse – which is pretty much impossible – we'd be dead. Or missing a limb. Or an organ.

A shadow fell over me and I was immediately on my hooves with my dagger and sword in front of me. A second later I realized they were pointed at an earth pony who had a hoof extended downwards – no doubt he was just trying to give me a helping hoof. Without a change in expression I put the dagger away, but kept the sword out and aimed at the pony's throat. I was alone in a forest surrounded by unfamiliar ponies with no ponies around to hear my screams if I ended up being attacked. I would be an idiot to put away my weapon.

"These the ponies in our squad?" My eyes didn't move an inch.

"Yes."

"Very well." My blade lowered and I surveyed my surroundings. I wasn't sure why I bothered, after all we were in a forest so there'd just be trees, trees and more trees, and I've been in the Everfree before. "Nightwish, gather the squad and take look out up top."

The look he gave me told me he knew exactly what I was doing, but he complied nonetheless like a good soldier. Taking a deep breath, I regarded the ponies around me as I mentally went through my faded knowledge on tactics and warfare.

"What's the topography like?"

"Flat all around though one hundred paves behind us it starts entering a gentle slope," replied a stormy grey maned pegasus. "Going further back results in us ending up at Ghastly Gorge and there's no way down from where we are, not to mention there's nothing there anyways."

"Alright, I want the three earth ponies up front in a V formation. Unicorns will be at the back in a straight line spread. I want another pegasus up in the air with Nightwish while the remaining two will join the earth ponies in the V spread at the end. I'll take central position and if I am unable to lead, Nightwish takes command. Understood?"

All the ponies nodded and spread out into formation. If they had any questions or doubts they did not show it at all. For an hour we waited in silence before the first flames erupted off to the west, lighting up the night sky and reminding me of just what sunrise used to look like. Within a span of a minute, more than three dozen different locations were set ablaze and overhead pegasi were waiting on standby with rainclouds in case things got out of hoof.

A roar from within the Everfree Forest snatched everyponies attention as they scrambled to gather their wits. At first we watched in complete silence, ears straining to hear something other than the muted roar of the flames while eyes flickered at the smallest hint of movement. After a minute though, the ponies before me began to relax and that's when we felt it –a dull vibration that shook the very ground we stood upon.

Once more the roar came and something in the back of my mind began calling out to me. It was so familiar as though I've heard it before, but that was impossible, I lived in the city all my life and I've never been camping before. The tremors intensified. Whatever it was, it was coming our way.

"Manticore!"

Nightwish's warning came too late. The creature burst through the dense branches and before anypony could react, the lead earth pony was thrown into a tree with a sickening crack. A blink later and a second earth pony had her entrails spread across the ground. Its tail came around for the last one, but a quick telekinetic shove from one of the unicorns pushed her out of harms way. All the remaining ponies kept to a safe distance.

Two seconds, two dead.

Dark green chains wrapped around the beast and one of the pegasi dashed in. Five steps away though the chains burst apart and down came the claw. A last second barrel roll saved his life, but he too went down in a heap.

"I need a flare and a long duration sound at twenty-five hertz," I ordered as I moved forward. "Pegasi harass, but stay out of reach. Earth ponies fall back. No direct magic, manticores are resilient."

Blinding white light flooded the forest and the manticore roared out in pain. Diving under its flailing claws, both my weapons found their mark. They tore through the tendons and flesh as I sliced through both biceps. Dodge rolling to the left, I came out just in time to see the tail swinging my way. A white shield surrounded me and I was thrown into the nearest tree. Bruised and battered, but alive.

"I need that sound!"

"Working on it."

"Work faster damn it!" I dived to the side yet again, the tail piercing the ground right next to my head. "Flare!"

Light flooded the area once more. This time the manticore remained calm and when I approached, its tail swung around. Thrown violently to the side, my head slammed into the ground with a dull thud. Going with the roll, I bled off the momentum until I could dig my hooves in and climb back onto my feet. Both blades laid at the manticore's feet, out of range for my weak telekinesis to pick up. Blood trickled down my forehead.

The manticore suddenly roared out in pain.

"Sounds up!"

"Disengage! Flare double intensity, three second intervals." Even before my order had faded I was running straight ahead.

The bursts came fast and hard, leaving spots in my vision. Once I was close enough, I picked up my sword. Closer. I needed to get closer. If I didn't, there was no way I'd have enough power behind my swing to cut through. Swerving to the side, a random tail thrust parted my mane, but missed. A second thrust left a shallow cut along my side. The beast lunged forward, mouth wide. Diving forward and down, the wild attack missed and left its neck wide open. Picking up my sword, I plunged it up and in, straining against the tough hide with everything I had – magical and physical. My reward was fresh, hot blood spilling over my face and chest. Despite my heavy breathing and protesting muscles, I ripped the blade free and quickly rolled to the right. The dead manticore fell over with such a massive thud I was thrown onto the ground.

Silence.

Standing on shaking legs, I picked up my sword and retrieved my dagger before finally collapsing in a heap on the ground. My entire left side was numb thanks to the manticore poison and I could barely see out of my right eye thanks to all the blood. How much of it was the manticore's and how much was mine was an entirely different question.

"And that's how you kill a manticore," I managed to say between pants. "And check the wounded. If it's bad teleport them out of here. Also give me a count on how many ponies are left."

"You are one crazy mare, you know that?"

I looked up at Nightwish with a faint smile. "I learnt from the best. A particular weather pony who could clear the sky in ten seconds flat. Or so I'm told." Glancing around, I watched as the rest of my squad dealt with the injured and dead. "Think you can take care of things while I rest?"

"I am second in command." He sat down next to me. "How'd you know how to deal with manticores anyways?"

"When I was a filly I had to write a report on mythical creatures. Of course I couldn't just select one randomly, I had to make an informed choice. So I found the largest bestiary I could find, read all three thousand pages before settling on studying dragons. Of the entries that caught my attention though was manticores due to their natural magical resilience and I decided to study up on that in my spare time. I knew they're nocturnal, had night vision and hard acute hearing. Taking those into consideration I figured blinding and high frequency sound would render it blind and free to attack." There was a brief pause. "And remind me to get every unicorn in my squad a sword or arrows. Without one winning that would have been a major hassle."

One of the unicorn's trotted up to us. "Status report ma'am." I wiped the blood away from my eye as he began speaking, "Two dead, one seriously injured, one concussion, one broken leg and two fully drained unicorns. Including yourself and Nightwish, we're left with two functioning pegasi and two unicorns. Permission to teleport wounded to base."

Nodding once more, I added, "See if you can bring back some reserves and tell Nightmare Moon about the manticore. If I'm right, the fire woke it up and a manticore is probably the tamest creature in these woods." There was a loud roar that shook the very ground we stood on. "That was a dragon." A second, louder roar filled the woods, causing everypony to cover their ears. "And that was an Ursa Minor. Let's just hope an Ursa Major doesn't decide to appear."

The unicorn I was speaking to was shaking in fright. Running over to the wounded, he teleported away using so much magic that the excess was discharged as a flash of light so bright it left me dazed for the next minute. Blinking rapidly, the pegasus above gave a sharp whistle to signal an approaching pony and I was immediately on my hooves with both blades at the ready. Though my legs protested at being used again so soon, my magic was strong enough to keep the blades from showing any sign of the fatigue my body felt.

We waited in a tense silence. After a couple of second though, the sound of a pony crashing through the forest was evident and after a minute, we could see a faint outline making their way towards us. But that outline was enough. I could see they were muscular, an earth pony and most importantly, she was wearing a hat. A stetson to be precise.

"Do not interfere." My voice was completely emotionless as I stood up, stumbling slightly as my left side responded sluggishly. "This is a private fight."

The orange earth pony finally broke through the dense vegetation and stared at me with those green eyes of hers.

"Twi?"

Her familiar southern accent reminded me of a simpler time. A time when good and evil were so clearly defined, where the sun was bright and the stars so enticing. A happier time when everything made sense and laughter came so much easier.

"Tha' you?"

"Hello Applejack." Please forgive me. "It's been a while. Six months to be precise."

I lunged for her throat.

Chapter 13

I lunged for her throat.

Applejack stayed where she stood, rooted from shock no doubt. At the very last second she dived to left, but my sword followed up with a slice even as I breezed past. Glancing over my shoulder, I timed my buck to hit just as she ducked under my blade. It was like hitting a brick building – even through the dead nerves in my hooves, I winced in pain. As she stumbled back, I lashed out with my knife. With a jerk of her head, I ended up taking off half her left ear.

Appearances were everything.

We regarded each other silently. Her from shock. Me from necessity as I regained my breath. Then slowly, ever so slowly, both my weapons were raised once more as I pushed my weariness to one side. Wiping the blood from my eye once more, I stepped forward and feinted to the left before coming in on the right with my dagger. She skipped back out of reach.

"Sug-"

I flung my dagger with all the feeble might I could draw up. Applejack jerked out of pure instinctual reaction and that's when I struck. Shuffling in with a quick thrust, I left a shallow gash along her shoulder. Following up with a punch to her jaw, she blocked and I was forced to duck under her counter. Before I could regain my composure, she reared up onto her hind legs and delivered two punches to my chest followed by another to the face. Each block wavered under the raw power of the blows, forcing me back.

Some friend she was – didn't even pull her punches.

When the next blow came, I pivoted on my right foreleg, bleeding off the power from her blow before ramming her side. With enough room to use my sword, I moved in for a slash.

Metal clashed with metal.

Eyes widened in surprise. My blow was stopped by the bracelet on her hoof. A flimsy bracelet! With a grunt, she shoved me back with all my might. Stumbling, my hoof landed awkwardly and I went down in a heap. Immediately rolling to the side, I expected a pair of hooves to slam down where my head was, but nothing came.

"Come on Twi, snap outta it! It's me, Applejack!"

Pausing in mid-roll, I looked at the mare as though she was crazy. Then everything clicked into place and I burst out laughing.

"You think- You think I'm brainwashed?" I was giggling like a mad pony and I didn't care. "Somepony's been reading one too many novels late at night. You going to tell me aliens came from outer space and created a clone of me or something?"

"Wha-"

"Shut up you dumb southern hick." My hooves slammed into the ground as all mirth drained away in an instant. "I knew you were stupid, but this stupid? Seems I overestimated your intelligence. Very well, let me spell it out for you in simple words so you'll be able to comprehend. I am not brainwashed. I am doing this of my own free will. I am doing this because it is the best thing for Equestria."

Though I hated saying it, I had to. I still wore Nightmare Moon's collar which meant she was no doubt listening to every single word I spoke. And then there was Nightwish. Although I couldn't see him, I could feel his gaze boring into my back. Hopefully she could tell I was mostly lying.

Dashing forward, my sword began its downward arc. Applejack scrambled to move back only to slip in the mud. I had her.

Suddenly, I was thrown to the side and slammed into a tree with a sickening crack. Two blows to the stomach doubled me over. The following elbow to the chin snapped my head back and blood filled my mouth. Next thing I knew, I was flying through the air. Slamming into the ground, the wind was knocked out of me. Struggling against the pain, I crawled onto my feet. Through the blood, I could make out the blurry form of a Wonderbolt's uniform.

Nightwish stepped up beside me. "Captain."

"I am not your captain," snarled Spitfire. "You betrayed us and everything the Wonderbolts stand for."

Well that certainly explains a lot.

"Nightwish, you can take care of Spitfire." I wiped the blood from my face and spat to the side. "I haven't finished stomping Applejack into the mud yet."

Ripping the dagger free from the tree it was embedded in, I raised both my weapons. Nightwish blasted past with startling speed and Spitfire moved to intercept. Together the two pegasi fought with hits so fast their limbs were blurs. They transitioned between being on all four and standing on their hind legs easily. All of a sudden the darker pegasus was thrown back. Twisting in mid air, he gave a mighty flap of his wings and rose into the sky. Spitfire took off with enough power to force me to shield my eyes from the dust and leaves she stirred up.

"Now, where were we?" I asked pleasantly.

"Why Twi? Why are ya doin' this?" We circled each other slowly. "Ah'm ya friend!"

"Please." Rolling my eyes, I let the cloak fall from my body revealing the scars. She needed to confrot the truths, no matter how horrible they were. "Tell me, would friends leave each to suffer through torture? Don't I just look absolutely fabulous Applejack darling? The scars really suit my personality if I do say so myself."

"Twi... Ah-" Her eyes trailed along each scar.

"Save the pity."

I lunged.

"You left me to rot."

Two quick slices followed by a buck.

"I waited for you."

Dodging past her swing, I smashed her jaw with the hilt of my blade.

"I waited for my friends to save me."

Charging after her stumbling form, my dagger left a trail of blood along her flank.

"But noooooo, Spitfire was more important."

Sidestepping, I pivoted on one leg while blocking her attacks with my sword before countering with a reckless thrust. The sounds of metal meeting metal echoed through the forest. Off in the distance, the roaring fire drowned out all sounds and lit up the darkened sky.

"Some random bucking Wonderbolt was more important than your friend."

My dagger slashed through flesh and muscle. With a pained cry the earth pony crumpled to the ground.

"More important than the most powerful unicorn in existence."

Off in the distance, I could make out the sounds of fighting.

"More important than the Element of Magic."

Light glinted off the sword as I stood above her, blade raised high. She looked up not with fear in her eyes, but sadness. Face covered in blood, a dozen cuts along her body and a hamstringed leg. Both of us were breathing heavily, lungs burning as I gasped in the air I desperately needed.

"You're pathetic," I spoke slowly, trying to say everything I needed to without alerting Nightmare Moon to my plans. "You're weak. I see now why we failed. I am a single pony, a unicorn with my magic limited whilst you bear the Element of Honesty. Do you know how much power lies around your neck right now Applejack? A single element can match an army and yet you can't take down a single pony. The closer one is to their element to more power they unlock and currently, you don't even deserve to be called honest. You're a fraud and a fake. No wonder we lost."

I took a deep breath and looked directly into her eyes. Slowly I lowered my blade until it bit into her neck, drawing the barest trickle of blood. This was it then. I'm sorry Applejack.

And then I hesitated. I stood there, above her, poised to take her life and I hesitated. She simply stared up at me with those sad, scared green eyes of her and I felt the facade begin to crack. How had it come to this? Her coat soaked in blood, cuts littered over her body and a limp leg. My friend. She was my friend and I had done this to her.

No.

I was too far in. Too deep. I had to see this through or everything I had done so far would have been worthless. Every sacrifice for nothing. Could I take her in alive? Of course not. She was my friend and an Element bearer. To take her in alive was to subject her to Nightmare Moon's sadistic whims and even I would never subject anypony to that. Not even Nightmare Moon herself.

Please, Celestia... Luna... Gaia... anypony, if you're listening, please rescue my friend.

"Goodbye Applejack, may Gaia guide your soul."

A grey and yellow blur slammed into me. Landing in a heap, I threw my dagger at the intruder, but that found empty air. Glancing over at where Applejack was, I swore under my breath, but secretly a smile touched my lips. Whoever that pegasus was, they had saved her. Sounds of a crashing pegasus was all the warning I got before a navy blue pegasus slammed into me.

"Heh... Oops?" I glared at Nightwish, but let him pull me onto my hooves. "Applejack got away too I see."

Another glare, but this time directed at the unconscious pony behind us. So much for our lookout, couldn't even stop a pegasus from sneaking up on him. With the adrenaline gone, pain made itself known to me and I was forced to limp over. A couple of kicks later, the pony looked up at me with bleary eyes. Bucking useless.

"Go find Nightmare Moon. Tell her the Elements are here." He continued to stare at me. "Now!"

The poor stallion scrambled onto his feet and ran off, galloping into the darkness. So very bucking useless. Can't even teleport. With a groan, my legs gave out on me and I collapsed in a heap on the ground. Gritting my teeth, I forced the tears back as I stared at my bloody hooves.

For Celestia...

Tucking her wings, Rainbow Dash dropped like a stone. Hooves outstretched, she pushed the air around her away as the mass of pegasi below swarmed below. Already she could see the cone forming around her, forcing her to ease back on her speed. If she got flung back now it'd spell disaster for the battle. Pursing her lips, she gave a shrill whistle and immediately the Dawn Brigade disengaged.

Slamming into the mass of ponies, Dash flared her wings, sending gale force winds out in all directions. The enemy was thrown about, flapping uselessly in an attempt to regain some semblance of control. But they were never given that chance. The chromatic maned pegasus was already on the move, bucking them straight out of the sky as if they were clouds. Working right alongside her were the Wonderbolt's clad in their distinctive uniform.

A rallying point.

As one, the pegasus division came bursting out with renewed vigor. Darting into and out of the sky, the enemy was slowly pushed back. From the forest below, a roar ran out and a massive dragon leapt into the sky. Even the most loyal and best trained guards scattered at the sight. Even Rainbow Dash flinched back at the surprise. Hopefully it was on their side. Flames erupted, engulfing the pegasi. Their screams pierced the dull roar of the forest fire and the cries of the injured. The remaining ones retreated back above their unicorn regiment where they would be protected.

As the dragon banked around for a second pass, a midnight blue hue enveloped it, stopping it dead in its tracks. Struggling and roaring, it managed to break free for a split second before the magic came back stronger than ever. The flames underneath suddenly surged as Nightmare Moon lost her grip on it, but before it could spread uncontrollably, she managed to rein it in. Glancing up at the alicorn silhouetted against the moon, Dash ground her teeth in frustration. She was right there, but with others nowhere nearby, they couldn't blast her with the elements.

And that's when Dash saw it. Nightmare Moon wasn't holding back the flames at all, she was channeling them. Way off on the left flank, the flames were creeping along at an alarming rate. Within ten minutes and their escape route would be cut off.

"Fleetfoot!" The white mane pegasus was immediately by her side. "Take half the Wonderbolts along with Platoons One to Six down and order an immediate retreat. Cover their rear like we practiced."

"That'll leave your flank open. There is no way you'll be able to hold them off!"

"I'm giving you an order," snapped Dash. "We need to cover their retreat and they need to get out now."

"Yes ma'am." With a salute the blue clad pony gathered up the troops and dropped down into the forest below.

Before the leaves had finished rustling, the enemy was already moving in. Glancing to the side, Dash could see the determination in everypony's eyes, but that wouldn't be enough. They were outmatched, outclassed and outnumbered. Even the Wonderbolts were beating with sluggish wings.

"Soarin, you're in charge. Hold everypony back for as long as possible you hear?" A manic grin found its way onto her face. "Time to show them what Rainbow Dash can do."

With a strong flap of her wings, she shot straight up into the air. Six ponies peeled off from the attacking force on an interception path. Eyes narrowing, she ignored the pain, the soreness and the looming black clouds above me. Speeding up with each flap, she hit the clouds full force.

Pain. Excruciating pain. Being skewered by white hot pokers would feel like this. Dropping into a vat of unrefined liquid rainbow would feel like this. Being burned alive would feel like this. This was her world now.

Then she broke through. Panting and still smoking, she looped around and flopped onto the cloud. Electricity coursed through her body causing Dash to bite down on her bottom lip to prevent the scream of pain from getting through. Standing up on shaking hooves, the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Rising onto her hind hooves, she gathered all the remaining magic she had around her and concentrated it into a single pinpoint. Then slamming both hooves onto the cloud, she forced all of it out into the cloud, supercharging the thunder that came out.

It was only then that she remembered these were feral clouds with over a hundred times more power than the ones produced by Cloudsdale. More than enough to kill a pony ten times over.

The resulting explosion of sound and light left her completely blind to the world. Some part of her was away of being tossed back. Another part was aware of screams – her own screams? The world was blurred together, like that time she flew at sonic rainboom speeds where all the color just merged together into a seamless brown glop.

This... this wasn't how things were meant to be. She wasn't meant to die. She needed to stay loyal. Loyal to her friends. She needed to live. She had to live.

Pain. Focus on the pain. Pain means you're alive no matter how much it hurts.

Her wings ached. Her hooves felt like they had been held in a fire. Breathing... breathing was difficult – painful as though all her ribs had been broken. And her body... her body was... was...

It was so hard to think. All that pain as though she had been bucked by Applejack. And beyond that was numbness. A sort of sweet oblivion that came once in a lifetime. But she didn't want that, she didn't need that, she needed to live – to stay loyal to her friends.

Slowly though, everything came back into focus and soon she could make out the unmistakable form of Soarin above her. Wait, she had said something right? She was positive she had, after all her mouth moved, but why couldn't she hear anything? Looking down at her, Soarin's mouth moved in reply, but all Dash could hear was static.

Everything snapped together. Sound came rushing back. The screams, the whimpers, the roaring flames, the clashing pegasi. It was too loud, far too loud. She wanted to get away, hide, but to do so would be to abandon everypony. She was Rainbow Dash! Most awesome, radical, cool pony ever. Being carried – even if it was a Wonderbolt – was most definitely not cool or radical or awesome. It was downright lame.

Pressing both forehooves against his muscular chest, Dash hissed in pain as she shoved herself out of his arms. Flaring her wings open, they immediately caught the air, but instead of hovering like she expected, she plummeted straight down like a rock. Before she could drop a meter, she was back in the arms of a certain blue pegasus.

"What happened?" said Dash in a hoarse voice.

"You used up all your pegasus magic that's what. Without your magic you can't stay aloft in the air – our wings just aren't large enough to hold us up by itself." Despite speaking at a normal volume, it made the burnt pegasus wince. "But that was totally an awesome way to go out."

"What can I say? Awesomest pony around," she chuckled softly, but that soon turned into a hacking cough.

"And most foolish," added Soarin. "Don't do that again. Spitfire would kill me if you died, though she'd have to race Fluttershy for that honor."

"Yeah, yeah, how's the battle going?" Dash asked in a weak voice.

"We're falling back. The anchor has finally been set up – they ran into trouble getting through to Ghastly Gorge and Silvia is preparing to teleport us through. You're little lightshow has made them hesitant of following for now an-"

"Soarin!" At the familiar voice, both heads snapped to the left and sure enough, there was Spitfire. "I thought I told you to keep Rainbow Dash out of trouble."

"Sorry Captain."

"Geez RD, wha' in tarnation did ya do to yaself?"

Dash eyed the cut on Applejack's cheek and bruised jaw before her gaze trailed down to her blood soaked coat and limp leg. "I could ask the same thing to you."

"Just a flesh wound." The expression on Applejack's face though was a completely different story entirely. Dash had only seen her friend have that expression once and that was the day her parents had died. Whatever it was, it was bad, but the pegasus wasn't going to pry – she hated prying.

"How'd you manage to get through that?" asked Soarin with a jerk of his head to the enemy line.

"That lightshow certainly helped, but the biggest help was Ditzy here." At the mention of her name, the walleyed pegasus flushed. "It's like she knew where they'd be before they were even there."

"Tha-" A green flare shot into the sky. "Okay everypony, that's the signal. Soarin transfer me to Ditzy and make sure every squad knows what to do. Spitfire, take Applejack down so she can be looked at and then help with Soarin if you think you can manage it. Also, I need some pegasus to che-"

"Er... RD, what do ya think ya're doing?" Applejack pushed her stetson up. "The enemy is backing off."

"They're what?"

"I don't blame them," commented Soarin. "After all, every time we've given a signal they've been taken by surprise."

"Fine." Dash's wings drooped as a yawn escaped. "Order full out retreat, but make sure they're covered."

"You know, you remind me a lot of our old captain," mused Soarin as we came down for the landing. "You see it too. Right Spitfire?"

"Now that you mention i-"

"Okay, we're here!" Dash jumped off and pain immediately shot through her body causing her to cry out in pain. A second later she was on Soarin's back as her hooves throbbed.

"Geez, what in the name of Celestia did you do?" Spitfire inspected Dash's hooves. "They've been really badly burnt. The last time I saw injuries this bad was that Manehatten factory fire."

"Everyone here?" Gilda's voice ran out clear over the battle field. "Good. Silvia!"

Even from their position at the edge of the mass of moving ponies they could clearly see the shape of a gryphon rising into the air with her one wing spread. As she rose the tattoos' glow grew in intensity, shedding a deep blue on everything. The air crackled and sparks could be seen flashing through the air. An oppressive hum began, vibrating Dash to her very bones as her hackles rose. Color drained from the world around them leaving behind a dull grey. The light intensified, casting an eerie hue on the group before the world suddenly dropped away. On all sides was darkness, the only source of light lay before us, shining like a star. The hum was just a dull pulse in the background. Then just as all the ponies began whispering, the glow doubled, forcing Dash to cover her eyes. Peaking over her hooves, Dash was greeted with a solid stone wall. A quick look around confirmed that they were indeed at their base in Ghastly Gorge.

"Okay, all life threatening wounds stay put. Broken bones and other severe injuries out the right door. Head trauma's out the left door. Scrapes and bruises out the front door. Come on you dweebs, move it!" At Gilda's roar the entire place erupted into a flurry of activity as ponies rushed about in the cramped space.

Through the rolling mass of bodies, Dash could make out the faint forms of Gilda as she knelt down next to Silvia with a claw on the seer's shoulder. Dash frowned at the sight, but before she could put any more thought into it, a medic had already descended onto her and the next thing she knew she was being bundled in so many layers of fabric it was as though they thought she was some super expensive vase or something. Glancing over at Applejack, a huge grin appeared.

"Don' ya dare say a thing RD."

The grin only got bigger.

"What happened to you anyways?" asked Spitfire. "You look as though you got into a fight with a manticore."

The orange pony couldn't meet any of their eyes. "Ah don' want ta talk about it."

"AJ-"

"Not here RD. Not in public." Green eyes met rose. "It's about..."

Dash nodded. The name need not be said. "We better wait for Fluttershy then." There was a pregnant pause. "Where is she anyways? She should be here already."

"She's probably helping out with the injured." A hiss escaped as antiseptic was applied to her to her cheek wound while another worked on her hamstringed leg.

"Well we'll leave you two alone." Spitfire winced as Dash cursed under her breath when they began bandaging her hooves. "I'll go talk to Gilda and see what needs to be done while you two get fixed up."

"Alright. See if you can find out what happened to Fluttershy will y- Ow! Hey, watch it," yelped Dash.

"Stop bein' such a baby," teased Applejack.

"Baby? You wish, I could take more punishment than you any day of the week."

"Yeah right! Ah got my legs chopped, bucked and cut up. Ya..." She made a vague gesture with her good foreleg. "Ya flew around all purty like with that colorful tail that ya leave behind."

"Hey! I flew through a feral cloud and single hoofedly stopped an attack. I'm lucky to be alive."

"I'll say!" snapped one of the nurses before Applejack could retort. "I've never seen burns this bad in my life. Now both of you will shut up and let us do our jobs. There are other ponies we need to treat. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am," both mumbled under their breath.

She was meant to be at Ghastly Gorge where she'd be safe and sound. Where they could wrap her up like some porcelain doll and be protected from the mean nasty world. Flutter lowered her head and plowed on through the forest, calling out to all her furry animals with her song – warning them of the danger and telling them about the enemy. She refused to be useless, to be safe and sound while all her friends were out there risking their life.

A manticore appeared, asking – no pleading – for the chance to attack all those ponies in his territory. To attack, rend them limb from limb, chase them away from his territory. A territory that took years to carve out. With a smile and nod of her head, Flutter made sure he would attack the ponies working under Nightmare Moon before agreeing. Every tiny bit helps after all.

High in the sky above her, she could see the shadowy forms of pegasi as they fought in the air. Against the crimson sky and oppressive heat, it was how she had always imagined tartarus in her darkest nightmares – flickering shadows, screams of ponies, cries or mercy and pain. But Fluttershy didn't hide behind her mane, nor did she even consider going back the way she came.

Licking her lips, Flutter let out a shrill whistle. From the shadows, timber wolves flowed out to stand beneath the winter moonlight. Looking the alpha dead in the eye, she gave a sharp whistle and almost immediately they melted back into the darkness. Seconds later, new screams filled the air as they found their targets, but Flutter kept on walking as though she was merely strolling through a garden. Considering every creature in the Everfree Forest knew not to mess with Fluttershy, a stroll through a garden was probably accurate.

Stopping in front of a cave, Flutter dropped her disguise before taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. It took every ounce of Shy's willpower to not bolt and even then her wings locked up while her knees shook with fear. Very slowly and very cautiously, she eased her way into the cave. Taking shallow breaths, she tried her best to ignore the stench of blood that permeated the entire room. At the sight of a half eaten carcass in the corner, she nearly gagged and ran for it, but the thought of her friends kept her firmly on track.

A single, brilliant eye opened and gazed at her. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds before the second eye opened. With a snort, ash was blown in Fluttershy's face, but she stood tall and strong.

"It has been a while young Fluttershy," whispered the dragon, which amounted to a low rumble. "Did I ever thank you for finding me this cave? It is very nice and very cozy. Just the right size."

"Um... well... no, but I don't mind, really!" She winced at her shout. "I'm actually here about something else, and well, I was wondering if-"

"Dear Fluttershy, I've told you in the past, there is no need to be so scared of me."

"I know it's just your so... so... huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown up dragon!" Eyes widening, a meep escaped. "Not that that's a bad thing! Of course not, I mean you can't help it if you look the way you do- not that there's anything wrong with the way you look. In fact-"

"Fluttershy, please." A smile appeared, but at the sight of all those sharp teeth, Fluttershy visibly shrunk back. "I believe you had something important to tell me?"

"Right!" Straightening up, Fluttershy began speaking, "Nightmare Moon's forces are outside causing trouble for the Dawn Brigade and I was wondering if you could go out and help out? I don't know how much trouble you'll be in though..."

"Nightmare Moon..." Eyes closing, he let out a deep sigh. "She has returned then."

It was like watching a mountain move – each shift in his limbs was slow and subtle. Standing tall and proud, he spread his wings to stretch out his body and for once, the fear was washed out Fluttershy's body as she gazed upon the majestic dragon. Strolling over to his horde, a single blue sapphire floated into the air, pulsing brightly all the while. Then with a thin jet of green fire, the gem was set alight and floated out the cave on a wisp of green smoke.

"I have sent word to my brethren at Serpent's Isle. They shall contact this 'Dawn Brigade' of yours and see if they can help out in some way." Each step he took sent a tremor through the ground. "Wish me luck Fluttershy. May your flame burn bright."

Opening his wings, they blotted out the midday moonlight. With a mighty kick and flap, Fluttershy was flung back and tree limbs snapped as he took to the sky with a roar. Flames spewed forth, fading into the crimson sky as ponies turned to ash only to be scattered in the wind. It almost looked like snow.

Fluttershy could only gaze at the sky in sorrow as the first flakes landed on her cheek. How many ponies will die tonight as a result of her actions? How many of her animals have been injured or killed? Some Element of Compassion she was.

But... better her than someone else right? If more blood was on her hooves though, that meant less on others. Less suffering and self-doubt for her friends to go through. Sending her furry friends in – that was wrong of her. She should have done the fighting herself. That was the compassionate thing to do.

Right?

A loud roar shattered her reverie. High above her, the dragon struggled against the midnight blue aura. Breaking free for just a second, he managed to spread his wings and get some air before the spell came back, stronger than ever. Wings locked to his sides, he plummeted straight down as the yellow pegasus watched in shock. Then her eyes widened even further when she realized she was standing right beneath him. The dragon crashed with an earth shattering thud, cracking the very ground beneath Fluttershy's hooves as she was tossed aside like a rag doll.

Hitting the ground, a jagged rock pierced her side and cracked a rib causing her to gasp in pain. As she lay there stunned and wheezing, a creaking sound could be heard in the background. It took a couple of seconds for that particular sound to make it through all the appropriate channels, but once it did her eyes snapped open and she struggled onto her hooves. But it was already too late. The tree fell over with a crash, pinning her wing to the ground.

Trapped.

With a frightened whimper, Shy gave an experimental tug only to have pain lace through her entire body. Glancing around, she desperately searched for ponies who might be able to help only to find nothing. She opened her mouth to call out, only for the words to die on her lips. If she called out then it was likely the enemy would find her. And then what? But staying here, wasn't a ch-

A brilliant flash of light from above caused the world to fade to white. A dead body slammed into the ground next to her and she could only stare in shock. She could make out every detail, every feather, every cut and bruise on the dead pony's body. He would never speak or talk or smile or laugh or hold some special pony. Fluttershy was no stranger to death, but the death of a pony was something profoundly different.

A single ember drifted by. Then another and another. Looking up, Shy's eyes widened as she felt all coherent thought flee only to be replaced by fear. The tree was on fire. Looking down at her pinned wing, her eyes flashed back up to the flames as fear completely took over. Her wings were locked, limbs were shaking, and a constant stream of whimpers escaped her lips. What was she thinking coming out alone like this? She could die – she was going to die.

The tree fell over, sending embers all over the forest floor. Seconds later, new flames emerged, dancing under the moonlight mere meters from where Fluttershy lay. She shrunk back and whimpers ceased, almost as though by making less noise it wouldn't notice her. Blue magic seized the stray flames, but it was erratic and constantly flickered. After a couple seconds, the aura vanished entirely.

A stone bounced off her head. Looking to the left, her eyes widened at the sight of Angel bunny who was tapping his foot with a disapproving frown.

"Angel! What are you doing here? It's far too dangerous for you to be here," exclaimed Fluttershy in a whisper.

He crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh no, no, no, just look around. There are flames everywhere. Why, something could fall on you! It's far too dangerous for a bunny like you."

A flat look followed by an eye roll and sad shake of his head. Stepping to the side, a branch fell on where he stood a second earlier.

"See! Just like that! Come on Angel, please listen to me for once."

The little white bunny only facepalmed in reply. Disappearing back into the bush, he reappeared a couple seconds later with a cloaked pony following. No, wait – Shy's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was off with the way the pony was walking. With the shifting flames, it was impossible to pick out any details though.

"Oh dear, what have we here?" Shy tensed and backed up at the voice, trying to hide in the shadows even though it was useless. "A pegasus pony trapped under a tree, what a poor sight to see."

"Z- Zecora..." whimpered Shy as she looked up at the hooded zebra.

"Ah, so you know my name, the fact that didn't meet under better circumstances is quite a shame." Pressing her shoulder against the tree, she pushed with all her might, but it didn't even twitch. After a couple seconds she stepped back. "Perhaps a lever will help with this endeavour."

Gazing at the fallen tree thoughtfully, she walked up to the particular stout branch and gave it a hard buck. Picking up the splintered piece of wood, she nudged a stone into position before wedging the branch into position. Muscles bulging, she forced all her weight and power onto it. To both their delight, the tree began shifting slightly.

Crack! The branch snapped in half sending Zecora to the damp floor and the tree rolling back onto Shy's wing. Crying out in pain, Shy was forced to bite on her own leg to muffle her screams of pain.

"I am sorry, but the tree is simply too heavy." Pulling back her hood, she stood up shakily.

"No!" The pegasus glanced nervously to the sky.

"There may be another way, but it is a steep price to pay."

"What is it?"

"Your wing."

There was no rhyme, no extra comment, no explanation. Nothing. But Fluttershy understood. Remove the wing that was trapped. A simple solution to a simple problem. But... The yellow pegasus looked at her wing even as tears leaked down her cheek.

No. There was no 'but'. She was an Element of Harmony – she was the Element of Kindness. Equestia needed her. What Dash had said that first night six impossibly long months ago, "This was bigger than Equestria." The world was at stake here. She needed to live so she could help bring down Nightmare Moon. What was one pony – no, what was one wing compared to the fate of the world? Sure, she'd miss flying with her cute little birdies and she'd miss flittering around her home while cleaning, but that was inconsequential compared to the world.

It was only when Angel rubbed his cheek against her damp one, that she realized she had been sobbing. Smiling down at her baby, Fluttershy kissed him gently on the forehead before nudging him away. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Zecora with eyes as hard as steel.

"Do it." The zebra opened her mouth, but Fluttershy shook her head. "I am thinking straight, I am not in shock, I comprehend and I am giving you my informed consent in removing my trapped wing."

Still the zebra hesitated, but under Fluttershy's unyielding stare she relented. Reaching into the saddlepack under her cloak, she drew out a vial of purple liquid. Putting it down in front of Fluttershy, she uncorked it. Though it was not intentional, Fluttershy visibly relaxed at the aroma of the fluid and took a deep sip without a second thought to Zecora's shock.

"I use the same thing when taking care of my animals," explained Fluttershy. "Though I tend to add some cinnamon to mask the taste." Taking a second sip, she felt her eyes begin to droop as numbness spread through her limbs. "And it's usually less potent." A third sip later she was barely conscious and wouldn't have been able to move even if a dragon snuck up on her.

The last thing she saw before falling completely unconscious was the flames glinting off the knife blade.

Chapter 14

Groaning, Fluttershy snuggled into the soft bed while throwing the blanket over her head. It was early – waaaaaay too early even for her. The birds hadn't even began the dawn chorus for Celestia's sake! Tugging the fabric tighter around her shoulders, a happy sigh escaped as she enjoyed the soft mattress . It was so much comfier than her own bed at home and it beat sleeping on the bed of leaves and grass she had constructed for ev-

The fire!

Leaping out of the bed, she flared open her wings to glide only to be thrown off balance and slam into the ground. Rubbing her head with a hoof, a whine escaped. With bleary eyes, she looked around the room, wondering what in the world happened and where in the world she was. At the unfamiliar sights and sounds, her wings snapped shut as though chained to her body. Through the hyperventilating and fear, she groped for her disguise with the single mindedness of a prey being hunted.

As the familiar tingling spread through her body, so did a calmness she rarely experienced. It was as though she was being slowly lowered into water – just the way the calmness came in waves, washing away the nerves until all that was left was a stillness reminiscent of a frozen world. Through that all encompassing silence, Flutter cast her gaze over the room, examining each potential exit and item. With the grace of a tiger, she moved towards the corner before settling down. It was this single spot that allowed her to view three out of the four windows and the door simultaneously while being half sheltered by the bed.

Taking a deep breath, Flutter began looking over her body. A couple cuts and a particularly nasty bruise on her hind leg, but not-

Her wing. What happened to her wing? It was completely missing. Normally blind panic would have overrun her, but submerged as she was, she could only gaze on in alarm as tears spilled over. The sky was taken from her. She'd never fly with her birdies, never soar with Rainbow Dash, never play amongst the clouds. If it were possible to splinter her soul, she imagined it'd feel something like this.

Why had she agreed to removing a wing?

In the back of her mind, she knew why did it, but for once she didn't want to be understanding. She didn't want to be meek and nice and be all, 'Oh, I understand, it's perfectly fine, don't mind me.' She wanted to blame somepony, anypony for what had happened. But there was no other pony to blame. There was just her and her own stupidity...

Before she could follow that particular train of thought, the hoofsteps approached. Jumping onto her hooves, she crouched low, wing slightly open. Creaking open, Flutter relaxed slightly at the sight of Zecora. It was only when Angel hopped into the room did she truly relax completely, but even then she kept a close eye on the zebra and her wing unfurled incase she needed to move back quickly.

"Fluttershy? Or have I been deceived by these old eyes?"

Reaching down, Angel stroked the top of Angel's head absentmindedly. "Any other pegasi you know with a missing wing?"

At the bitter undercurrent in her words, Angel looked up with a concerned frown, but Flutter merely gave him a sad little smile and whispered, "Mommy's fine dear, don't worry, she's perfectly fine."

She turned her attention back to the zebra before her. "Last night my coat was yellow, this is just a mere precaution for when I leave. I have no doubt my friends are anxious to find me, but I didn't want to leave without saying thanks so... thanks... I guess."

"Now that your thoughts are no longer clouded you are uncertain of your decision. But where do you plan on going in your mission?"

Chuckling, Flutter stretched out her limbs properly before making her way towards the door. "As if I'll tell you that. I thank you for saving me, but that does not mean I'm going to tell you everything, after all, you may be working for Nightmare Moon."

"When I learnt these herbal remedies, I took an oath to help all those in need. Please, allow me to follow so I may help you in your good deeds."

"Well your herbal cures would be useful and if there were two of us collecting the necessary ingredients we could make a lot more medicine a lot faster..." Flutter looked down at Angel. "What do you think Angel?"

The white bunny merely shrugged in response before going back to nuzzling her cheek lightly.

"I suppose it's fine. How long before you're ready to leave?"

"As long as it takes for you to take a sip of this." Zecora pulled out a vial of green liquid. "You lost a lot of blood and this will help replace what your body misses."

Taking a massive gulp, Flutter had to resist the urge to throw up. "Dear Celestia that was horrible! Zecora, I know medicine is meant to taste bad, but next time you brew something up, I'm going to give you pointers on how to make it taste nice without losing the healing properties." She gagged once more at the taste it left in her mouth. "Though that's new. You'll have to teach it to me sometime."

Chuckling softly, Zecora opened the door and stepped outside. A couple seconds later, Flutter followed and together, without even a backward glance at the half burnt house, the two made their way through the dangerous Everfree Forest. But not before Flutter decided to give a timber wolf a belly rub much to the dismay and shock of Zecora. That's one facial expression Fluttershy would treasure forever.

"I need to talk to you." It wasn't a question, it wasn't a request, it was an order from Captain Spitfire. "Alone," she added with a pointed look at the filly by Rainbow Dash's side.

"Sorry Scoot's, but seems like this is important." Leaning down, the Element of Loyalty gave Scootaloo a gentle nuzzle. "And next time please try to learn the formulas and their application as well as the physics behind flight."

"But it's so boooooring!" The book slammed shut causing the adults to wince. "I thought you'd teach me how to fly, not all this useless egghead stuff."

"I'm going to tell you something my mother told me." Dash lowered herself to look Scoot's in the eye. " 'If you don't do the maths you'll get yourself killed.' Have you ever wondered why I've never been seriously injured despite all the crashes I've been in? It's because I made sure to calculate everything beforehand to make sure I could do it and that if I did crash I wouldn't be going so fast or whatnot that I'd kill myself. Do you want to know why I can clear the sky in ten seconds flat? It's because I know how the wind behaves. I work with it, not against it. Trust me Scoots. Please?"

With a dejected sigh, she nodded. "Alright..." Then to Dash's surprise, the filly through her arms around her idol and hugged her tight. Without another word, she trotted out the door leaving Dash with a bewildered look on her face.

"Anyways... you wanted to talk to me Spitfire?"

"Yeah, I did." The hostile yet sad tone took Dash by surprise. "When did you meet her?"

"Her?"

"Crimson Skies, our old Wonderbolt's captain." Dash opened her mouth, but Spitfire cut in, "And don't try to deny it. It was Soarin's comment yesterday that got me thinking about it. You remind me of her far too much for it to be pure coincidence. You've trained under her at sometime because the way your training Scootaloo is exactly how she used to drill us."

Silence.

"I don't kn-"

Dash was violently slammed against with Spitfire above her. "Don't you bucking lie to me. How do you know Crimson Skies?"

"I'm telling yo-"

The backhoof snapped her head to the side. "You will tell me Rainbow Dash." Her voice was like ice. "She was like a mother to me and then one day she just upped and vanished. Retired without warning and disappeared."

A sad sigh escaped as Dash closed her eyes and slumped against the wall. Then she spoke in a voice so soft, it was barely a whisper, but in the stillness of the room, it might as well be an explosion. "She was my mother."

"What."

"She had a one night stand with some pony while drunk and got pregnant. That's why she quit. You know how the media are, she'd been torn apart in a second and then once I was born they'd tear me apart. She didn't want me to live in that cut throat world." Opening her eyes, Dash stared at Spitfire straight in the eyes. "She hid out in Ponyville then when I was seven, she decided to get herself killed by tackling a feral storm by herself... Loyal to the end," she added with a bitter laugh. "What kind of loyalty is that!? Leaving her kid alone to fend for herself while she goes off and dies a hero. I love her, but fuck her and fuck her brand of loyalty."

"Dash..."

"No!" Spitfire was suddenly slammed against the wall with an arm across her throat. "Don't you dare pity me! And you better not tell anyone else about this. Got that?"

The arm was suddenly gone and Spitfire collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath as Dash looked on. A part of her was horrified that she had physically assaulted her idol, but with the anger and frustration running through her, Dash simply didn't care. This was the one thing nopony was meant to know about her.

Licking her dry lips, Spitfire spoke in a hoarse voice, "Why?"

"Why?" All that negative emotion suddenly drained out of Dash's body and all the dull pain of standing on her hooves slammed into her full force. Slumping onto the ground, the blue pegasus stared up at the roof that was far too close for comfort. "Have you ever been pitied? Have ponies treat your different just because of something that happened in your past? I don't want to be defined by it, I don't want it to influence me for the rest of my life. How would you like it if you got into the Wonderbolt's over some other pony because your mother was some famous captain?"

"It's no-"

"You sure? The only reason I stayed the captain of the weather division for so long is because of who my mother is and what she has done. They brush off my faults because I didn't have a proper upbringing or some crap like that. So buck off Spitfire and leave me alone." Despite the pain in her hooves, Dash stomped out the room with the barest hint of a limp. First she almost gets killed, now this. What in the bucking world could g-

"Fluttershy? Where ha-" Her fillyhood friend turned around and Dash's jaw dropped. Her wing was gone. Just gone. A shudder ran through her body and the cyan pegasus' wings wrapped tighter around her body as a pained whimper escaped. "Are you... are you okay?" Those words were horribly weak even to her own ears.

Flutter simply nodded with a small smile. "I'm perfectly fine. Never was much for flying anyways."

Sigh. "Can you at least drop the disguise? Please?"

"The disguise?" She looked down at herself and blinked. "Oh, sorry." Closing her eyes, the pink coat faded to yellow.

"What happened?" Try as she might, Dash couldn't tear her eyes away from her friends back.

"I... um..." Shy looked over the ponies staring at her. "Maybe we should talk about this privately? I mean, it's just... The others probably want to know as well, you know?"

Nodding slowly, Dash walked over to Shy and draped her wing over. Sure, it looked like it they were dating or something, but it would at least hide her missing wing from prying eyes. Hushed whispers reached her ears and General Rainbow Dash gave gossipers the most withering glare she could manage. The chill that permeated the room would have made a manticore pause.

Then, in total silence, the two pegasi walked out the door towards the makeshift meeting room they had set up. It wasn't nearly as fancy as the one they had lost since Rarity wasn't around – which was a good thing. Slipping inside, Shy's face turned red at the 'subtle' smirks and knowing looks from Spitfire and Applejack. The wing clenched around Shy as Dash tried to ignore the anger that was shimmering just beneath the surface. If it wasn't her mother, it was her sexual orientation.

Screw it.

Her mouth opened. A hoof pressed itself gently against her lips. Looking over, Shy shook her head slowly before stepping out from under the blue wing. It was so warm there, so safe, but she had to do this. She couldn't be afraid. Not anymore. There was only shocked silence as her body came into view.

"Sugarcube... what in tarnation happened to ya?"

Shy gave a small chuckle and took her seat by Spike. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Will you be alright? Maybe Twilight has something in one of her books. I mean, she's studied some pretty advanced healing magic in the past." That wide eyed innocence from Spike sent pangs of sadness through Dash as she took her own seat. Why didn't she ever get to have that? Have a mother figure she could trust completely?

"Well that's part of why we're all here right?" said Dash. "Come on Applejack, spill already."

"Well..."

"Wait!" All eyes turned to Spike. "Gilda and Silvia aren't here yet, plus I need to contact the others."

Applejack shook her head. "Silvia's still in the media ward and Gilda hasn't left her side, apparently she won't get out for another five days. She really overdid it with that mass teleport."

"And what others?" asked Spitfire. "Also, you're meant to stay off your hooves Dash."

The same glare that was used outside was directly solely at Spitfire, but it was no Stare. The Wonderbolts captain merely stared back in defiance. That was until a burst of blue flames light up the entire room making everypony jump back.

"Whoa! Dear Celestia, give us warning before ya do tha' next time," grumbled the only earth pony in the room.

"As cool as it is, I have to agree." Leaning forward, Dash watched as the flames began to spilt in two before rippling as though it was a liquid. "And since when could you do blue flames?"

Collapsing back into his chair, Spike gave a trembling smile. "Since now."

"Applejack! I am gone for less than a month and just look at your mane and coat. It's utterly ruined – do you realize how much work I'll-"

"Oh hay no..." A look of utter horror and despair was plastered all over Applejack's face.

"- have to put in it to make it even slightly presentable? And Fluttershy darling, you look as radiant as ever, I so do miss our weekly spa me- Whatever happened to your wing?"

"Well... I kinda, that is..." She gulped and ducked behind her mane. "It sorta got trapped under a tree so it had to be cut off." At the look of shock on everypony's face she quickly added, "Don't worry, it was done by a friend and I didn't feel a thing."

"You know what would cheer you up?" Dash opened her mouth to reply the obvious reply, but could only stare at the sight of a soot smeared Pinkie Pie who had a pair of welding goggles around her neck. "A party!"

"Wait Pinkie, don't touch the... por...tal...?" Spike just sat there, eye twitching as Pinkie put her hoof through the portal to had everyone a slice of cake. "That's impossible! That's scientifically impossible! You should be burnt, your hoof should be burnt. Your hoof should have touched the fire and then gone out the other side."

"She's Pinkie Pie," said Dash sagely before adding, "And stop being such an egghead."

"Awwww, Dashie always the says the nicest things. And what did you do Applejack? You look like you wrestled an alligator, I should know I've done it before. He was all "Rawr," and Gummy was all "Meep," and I was all like "You shall not pass!" And then- Oh... wait... no, that was the other time with the oatmeal. Nevermind!"

"Can we just get on with this?" Sweat trickled down Spike's brow. "I can't keep this up forever you know."

"I'm terribly sorry dear. Please, start." Everypony nodded at Rarity's pronouncement.

"Okay, first of all, Applejack had some news on Twilight," said Spike as he leafed through his notes.

"Gosh, I don' know Spike. Maybe we sh-"

"Oh man up Applejack!" snarled Dash. "Just bucking tell us already." Sigh. "Sorry, bad day."

"No, mah fault." Closing her eyes, AJ let out a slow breath before saying in a whisper, "Twi did this."

" 'Did this?' I'm sorry dear, but you'll have to be more specific than that. Unless you mean- But surely-!"

"Ah'm sorry, but Ah'm not." Applejack finally looked up and met everypony's eyes. "Twilight was the one who gave meh all these injuries."

There was a beat of silence.

"What." All eyes turned to Dash. "This is some sick twisted joke right? You're talking about Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. You know, purple mare, pink stripe in hair, personal student to Celestia? The one who risked her life to save us all?" With each word she spoke, her volume increased until it was a shout. "Is this some sick joke!?"

"Cal-"

"NO! I will not calm down!" All that anger and frustration suddenly boiled over. "This is a trick. A trick by Nightmare Moon to make us think Twilight abandoned us. Well I'm not an idiot and I'm not going to fall for it. I'm the bloody Element of Loyalty and I. Will. Not! Abandon my friends. Something that all of you seem have no troubl-"

"Rainbow... please..."

Though it was spoken as a whisper, it managed to cut through the haze that had filled Dash's mind. With trembling hooves, she sat back down, staring at Spike in surprise who was being nuzzled and hugged by Fluttershy.

"I'm fine Fluttershy." Giving her a reassuring smile, he broke away from her embrace.

"Are... are you sure?"

"Yeah... Twilight always told me to gather all the facts before making any judgments so that's what I'm going to do. And getting emotional... well... that's not going to help is it?" Shuffling his papers, he pulled the quill out from behind his ears and gave it a twirl. "Now I'm going to ask you exactly what happened. Did she say anything to you? What exactly did she say?"

"Some phewy 'bout doing what's best for Equestria."

"And she wasn't lying?" At Applejack's nod, Spike pressed his questioning. "What exactly did she say?"

She hesitated before letting her hat fall forward to shield her eyes. "She said that... that..." Her voices trembled and the first tears hit the table. "That she waited for us and we failed us. She... she blamed us and she..." At that point she lost it completely, sobbing uncontrollably on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Her- Her wounds... Th- Th- They were everywhere, all over her body, it was... "

Moving slowly, Dash wrapped her arms around the sobbing mare and soon everypony joined in. Even Pinkie reached a hoof through to brush Applejack's mane. There was no mention of parties and no talking. For those brief seconds, only Applejack mattered. Not Equestria, not Twilight, not Nightmare Moon. Just Applejack.

"Ah'm fine... Ah'll... Ah'll be alright..."

They heard, but they didn't care. It was as much for them as it was for her by that point.

"If you don't want to continue you don't have to," said Spike softly, not quite looking her in the eye.

"No. It's fine. Y'all deserve to know." Taking a deep shaky breath, she returned Fluttershy's tender nuzzle. "She said that we were weak. That a single Element Bearer could match an army and that the closer a person is to their element, the stronger they become."

"That's it!" Spike's sudden yell made everypony jump. "Oh Twilight you smart mare, if you weren't like family to me I could kiss you!"

"Spike! Such an uncouth thing to say."

"Heh, sorry Rarity, but you'd want to kiss her as well if you knew what I knew." The grin on the little guy's face was infectious. "Everything Twilight told you was the truth right?"

"Yeah..."

"Think about it, you hold the Element of Honesty, everything she told you was the truth. The entire truth. A truth that hurt and then made you accept it. When we first arrived in Ponyville, she went straight to the library to research the Elements of Harmony while I did her duties and when I got back, she never had the chance to tell she found because she stayed up all night researching and didn't want to be distracted. But she just gave us a wealth of information and told us she's on our side.

"She hit you with a truth you would fight and forced you to accept it. She wanted you to realize that a truth, no matter harmful, is still a truth and should be accepted as such. She was trying to make you stronger. After all, the closer you are to your elements the more you'll be able to tap their power and the stronger you'll be."

"So I have to throw more parties?"

For the second time that day, a look of horror appeared on Applejack's face except this time it was shared by everypony except Spitfire and Spike.

"No!" Four voices cried at once.

"It means you have to bring joy to those around you," said Rarity.

"Yes! And parties aren't the only way of doing that right?" asked Dash desperately.

"I suppose so..." Pinkie tapped her chin thoughtfully. There was a sudden explosion in the background, throwing her to the ground and when Pinkie popped back into the field of vision, she was coughing smoke and had somehow managed to get welding goggles over her eyes in time. Taking them off, the part of her face that wasn't completely black were the two perfectly round circles around her eyes. "Oopsies, that wasn't meant to happen. I really hope that wasn't the cupcakes. I'll be right back."

"Cup... cakes...?" Spitfire could only stare at the blue flames. "I hope she's feeding those to the enemy."

"Does this mean I have to give away money? I can't exactly do that you know, I am financing this whole operation," asked Rarity.

"Well you can be generous with more than money. Like time or whatnot," supplied Spike. "I remember Twilight getting into a massive debate over it once with Celestia."

"Hm... that's certainly true." With sigh, Rarity suddenly stood up. "I'm sorry dears, but there's a particularly large order I have to work on. Please send me a transcript of whatever you'll be talking about for the rest of the session."

"I don't really think there's anything else we need to talk about anyways?" Applejack cast a curious glance to Spike.

"There are a couple of items, but nothing we can't take care of ourselves," replied Spike while looking at his notes. "Oh! Before you go, I think it'd be a good idea to send dad over, I haven't seen him in ages and it'd be safer."

"Next time I see him I'll definitely bring it up. Also, keep an eye out for Lyra. She should be arriving within the week."

"Lyra? Ya certain sugarcube?"

"Positive. Take care dears and Applejack darling, next time we meet I will be taking care of that mane of yours." Somehow, that last sentence sounded more like a threat and less like simply spending time with somepony.

The two portals closed down and as the topic began turning to minor details, Dash slipped into the background with a frown. What did it mean to be more loyal? Hay, she was already totally loyal. She was loyalty. When they heard Applejack's news, they immediately began to believe. Who spoke out in Twilight's defense? That's right, she did.

Loyalty...

Did that mean she should have gone to save Twilight when they found out she was staying at Canterlot? But doing so would mean putting herself at risk and if she died or got captured they'd be one element down. If that were to happen, Equestria would be lost forever. No – she made the right choice. She had to be loyal to Equestria first. Plus, dying would not have been loyalty to her friends anyways.

Of course. She was loyalty, she represented loyalty. It was the others who were too weak. It was so simple, so straight forward. Biting her lip to prevent the chuckle from escaping, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She was Rainbow Dash, coolest pony ever. Obviously the others were at fault...

Obviously...

Why did I feel so normal?

I had fought one of my friends, cut her up so badly it could be considered tortured, gave her a lecture that could have potentially broken her spirit, and the only thing that stopped me from killing her was the fact that some pegasus managed to save her at the last second. I even justified why killing her would have been the moral thing to do. What kind of monster was I?

Stepping out of the shower, I let the red liquid drain away. Grabbing a towel, I dried off my body making sure to get the space between my collar and neck. More than once, I winced when I reached a particularly tender area. Sure magic could heal, but it only went so far – "It's magic, not a miracle," as one professor used to say.

With a sad sigh, I finished drying off and stepped out of the bathroom. I didn't want to be back here in this library, it reminded me of the last time I spoke with Princess Celestia and how we fought. I thought Canterlot was bad, but here in the Ponyville Library, everything that used to be came crashing down on top of me. At least Canterlot had memories of Celestia, memories I could draw on to give me strength and reassure myself I was doing the right thing. But here...

”P- P- Princess! What are you going here?"

"Why to check on you my most faithful student..."

I watched in silence as the phantom princess approached me. The way her hoofsteps were louder than usual and how she moved with tense muscles rather than her usual grace – she was angry, but being the stupid mare I was, I didn't see that at the time. Instead, I was busy coming up with insane ways she could punish me.

"I- I... I can explain!"

"Explain? All I see is a filly studying. Tell me Twilight Sparkle, does that need an explanation?"

"Well you told me to check on the Summer Sun Celebration and..."

Turning away, I threw myself onto my old bed and wrapped the pillow around my head. I didn't want to see it or hear it anymore. I knew where it was going and what was going to happen, I could already hear the yells echoing in my ears. But worse than that, I could see that look of disappointment in her eyes.

"I am disappointed in you Twilight Sparkle. Now, go out there and make some friends. Making Spike do your job for you isn't very nice of you."

"... No."

"Pardon?"

" No. I'm... I'm sorry Princess, but I believe Nightmare Moon is a serious threat and I will treat her as such. From everything I've managed to piece together, her first course of action will be to attack you and then bring about eternal night. Both are serious threats. If... If nothing happens then you can send me back to magic kindergarten or whatever punishment you feel is adequate. But please, I have to do this. I have to prepare for the worst."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to block out the memory. I conjured up the tortures I suffered under Nightmare Moon, the hollowness after my first kill, the nightmares that kept me up all night. Despite my best efforts, the words still floated through the fog of my suffering.

"Order me? You order me to make friends!? I- You- Gah! You're not my bucking mother, I don't have to listen to a word you say!"

"Twilight Sparkle, language! And you will go out and make some friends even if I have to personally force you to."

"Get out! Out, out, out!"

"No! I-"

SMACK!

"P- Princess, I'm sorry. So sorry, please I did-"

"No my faithful student... it was my fault. I'll... I'll leave you alone now."

"Wait! Prin...cess... But... But... I'm sorry... Please don't leave me..."

Tears flowed freely. I had hit her. Hit the Princess. Why? Why did the last meeting we had have to be us fighting? I didn't mean to. Do you forgive me Princess Celestia? Please say yes...

Lifting my head from the tear stained pillowed, I gazed out at the moon. I'd willing be beaten half way to death and back again just to find out where Celestia was then I'd give the remaining pieces of my broken life to free her. With a sigh, I flopped back down and rolled onto my back. As I did so, a black book caught my eye. It rested on top of my desk as though it was meant to be there, but I knew for a fact that I did not own such a book, and considering it didn't have a title or author, it couldn't have been from the library.

Grabbing it roughly with my magic, I gave it a hard jerk and caught it in my mouth as it flew over to the bed. Putting it down, I cracked it open to the front page where three simple words jumped out at me, "I forgive you." Though it was not signed and though it was written in my writing, I knew exactly who had written it. The question was, how? How did she know?

Several things clicked at once and my jaw dropped. Surely not. She sent me to Ponyville where the other element bearers miraculously lived together and miraculously knew each other and let me live in a library where the book pointing towards the resting location of the Elements of Harmony miraculously could be found. I knew she was a master of planning, but even she wasn't that good.

Was she?

A simple look down told me that yes, she was indeed that good. Drying my tears, I quickly skimmed through the book. She had written it in the form of a diary and most entries were useless fluff that could probably be found in any filly's diary, but every so often there'd be references to a book or two that she had apparently read. Every single book mentioned could be found in the Royal Canterlot Library, my bedroom or Celestia's personal study. Pulling out a sheet of paper and a quill, the books were quickly jotted down.

Frowning at the list before me, the books seemed to be completely random with no real theme in place, they ranged from Daring Doo novels to scientific inquires into the ecology of dragons to magical research papers. There had to be a clue in there somewhere. Going back through the journal, I quickly wrote down the entry dates next to each title in the margins and peered at the list.

Maybe the day and month related to a word and letter? With a new sheet of paper, I quickly went through with my theory only to end up with a string of unintelligible letters. No matter how I tried to break them up though, it always ended up being nonsense. Then again, that was obvious and if Nightmare Moon found the diary and suspected then she'd find that out in no time flat as well. That been said, Celestia always loved hiding things out in the open.

Groaning in frustration, I pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and looked at the book titles and dates. Maybe I was completely off track, maybe it had nothing to do with tho- Wait, not every entry had a book associated with it and some had two, perhaps there was significance in that? And since she'd probably want it to be specifically deciphered by me, there was probably something in my memory associated with it...

No. Bucking. Way.

Scrambling out of bed, I reached under my bed and pulled out my actual diary. A quick flick through the pages revealed what I had expected. Certain dates were the same in both and not just in a potentially random manner either. No, those dates were important ones. Like when I got my first lesson, the time we went out together for ice cream, when she took time off to look after me when I was sick – it was all there.

Going back to my original sheet of working, I crossed off all the irrelevant dates and tried again. This time it wasn't a jumble of letters. This time I came out of it all with the name of a book. This was what she wanted me to find and knowing her, this fake journal I found would be useful in the future once I found said book. Looking down at the pages of paper that I had gone through in my frantic workings, I knew hiding them all would be too difficult and considering how hot it was today, a fire would draw too much attention. That left me no choice. Shredding the paper up, I tossed the first batch into my mouth and began chewing.

At least I won't have to cook dinner tonight.

There was a polite knock on the door and in a frenzy, I stuffed the rest of the paper into my mouth while simultaneously putting the books into my saddlebag. Running down the steps two at a time, I threw open the door all the while chewing away and gulping down the paper as fast as I could manage.

"Twilight Sparkle." The look in Nightmare Moon's eyes sent fear through my body. Did I say something to Applejack that tipped her off?

Stepping into my home, she looked around the room before her gaze slide back to me. "I heard of your fight with the manticore and Applejack. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the report I received from Nightwish, though I would have preferred it if you did a bit less taunting next time."

"Yeah well, sue me."

Rolling her eyes, she began browsing through the theoretical magic section, picking out various books to flip through. "Despite your rudeness, I came here to reward your actions."

Putting down the book, she leaned forward, pointing her horn directly at mine. A bolt of blue magic jumped from hers to mine and I felt heat flow through my body. A second later there was a soft clink as the suppression ring around my horn dropped off. Blinking in surprise, I reached out for my magic and found that well deep inside me. A massive grin split my face and I had to resist the urge to jump up and down in joy.

"Do not make me regret my decision Twilight Sparkle." With those parting words, she walked out the door. "Oh, I'm also borrowing this book on the magical advancements over the past one thousand years. This is a library right?"

Nodding mutely, I could only watch in confusion as the mare skipped down the road with her nose buried in the book. With a shrug, I closed the door and went back to my bedroom. Settling down at my desk, I reached for my personal spell book only to find it missing. For the second time that minute, I grinned in pure joy. Spike had taken it with him when he escaped with the others then – smart little dragon.

Maybe, just maybe this entire situation wasn't as hopeless as it seemed.

Chapter 15

"Be confident my little pony."

The azure unicorn idly flipped through the thick folder before her, eyes scanning through the various reports she had received that day on the state of Reinsville. The fortifications were finally done after three months and according to Misty, the pegasi were coming along swimmingly in their training as were the earth ponies. The unicorns though were a mixed bag, while most excelled at basic offensive and defensive magics, archery and anything more powerful than a fireball was so far out of reach.

"For you have a great future before you."

Pushing her cornflower blue mane out of her eyes, she closed the folder and opened the one beside it. This one was easily as thick as her foreleg and took up half the desk. Flipping it through the pages, she began reading about the resources and sighed – seems like the they were running low yet again. The guards outside must be intercepting the supply train yet again, which meant she'd have to organize another outing. From the looks of things though, there'd be enough to last them another week without any difficulties. Her eyes flicked up to the clock on the wall and sighed. Misty was late. How dare she be kept waiting?

"You are powerful, more powerful than you or anypony could possibly know."

Rubbing her eyes, the unicorn glanced up at the clock yet again. Three hours? She had spent three hours reading reports!? Resisting the urge to slam her head against the desk, she stood up and with her light blue magic, grabbed her star covered coat and hat. Making her way to the window, she looked out and couldn't stop the smile that graced her lips. She had done this. She had created a resistance, a fortress – her! A random showmare who had lived on the street all her life had done all this while those useless Canterlot guards did nothing. Then again, she was both great and powerful.

"You will do great things my little Trixie."

There was a polite knock on the door and without even turning around, Trixie opened it and in strolled a yellow pegasus with light blue mane clad in a Wonderbolts uniform, almost four hours late and sporting a particularly nice bruise on her shoulder.

"Wonderbolt Misty reporting for duty ma'am." She gave a crisp salute.

"Trixie was wondering when you'd be turning up." At the various tears and splotches of blood on the uniform, Trixie cocked an eyebrow. "Trouble on the road? I thought Wonderbolt's were meant to be an elite unit."

"They bought in some pegasi and unicorns which took us by surprise. It won't happen again."

"Very well, give Trixie your report on what happened in the Everfree Forest last week." Walking back to her desk, she pulled out a quill and paper.

"Well..." The hesitation was very odd coming from the usually composed mare. "A lot of things were said, but I am uncertain on the validity of the statements."

"Trixie still wishes to know and she'll decide what's important and what isn't."

"Yes ma'am. Reports indicate it was an attempt to flush out Dawn from the Everfree Forest. While their base was discovered, it was completely empty and everything of importance was either removed or destroyed suggesting they had warning. Furthermore, out of the two thousand ponies taken there by Nightmare Moon, approximately two hundred were severely injured or killed. Another three hundred were injured. Al-"

"Wait. You're telling Trixie a band a rabbles managed to take out two hundred ponies? Even with warning, that is impossible."

The pegasus hesitated before speaking in an almost meek voice, "Well reports claim the very beasts rose up to protect them and defy the tyrant, and that the very sky turned upon the army raining thunder and lightning on them."

"What."

"With all due respect ma'am, but I did warn you about the validity of the comments I gathered." Rubbing her temple, Trixie gestured for Misty to continue. "Though I don't know the casualties sustained by Dawn and it's probably more speculation than anything on the parts of those I asked, but I'd be surprised if more than fifty ponies were either seriously injured or killed."

"What." Trixie's ear twitched dangerously. "Let Trixie get this straight, somehow this... this... group of foals managed to take out a two hundred ponies while barely losing any of their own in the process. You expect the Great and Powerful Trixie to believe that!?"

"That was the information I gathered ma'am."

Sighing, the blue pony slammed her head into the desk. "Leave. Just... just get out of Trixie's sight." A smart salute later, the pegasus was out the door.

"Change the world my little pony, I know you have what it takes within you."

A deep breath later, Trixie managed to compose herself and shelf all the various folders. Sweeping out the room, she walked out onto the balcony outside her office and down below ponies saluted or let out a cheer. A random showmare with no real formal education had achieved this – all of this. Walls built, weapons manufactured, armors found, tactics and warfare. She had done all this. She found this town, she inspired them, she was their commander, their hope.

She was the Great and Powerful Trixie after all.

"Your name shall be remembered forever, I just know it will."

"I'll make you proud mother. I promise. And Trixie always keeps her promises."

Lies.

Everywhere Applejack looked, all she could see were lies. Masks worn to hide their true self, constantly changing costumes as they danced from pony to pony. Not once did they show their true selves. There was Gilda pretending not to care about those close to her and beside her on the bed was Silvia, trying her hardest to not show the pain she was in. Up came the nurse, fake smile in place as she reassured the nearby unicorn he'd be perfectly fine and would make a full recovery. And here came Spike, worry and fear hidden behind a mask of professionalism. On the other side of the makeshift hospital stood Fluttershy, pain hidden behind a disguise – literally and figuratively.

How had she missed it all before?

All day she had watched. They weren't ponies, they weren't even living – it was a state of being half dead. It was no way to live, no way to go about life – what if they fell in love? What sort of pony would be content with loving a lie? This was wrong, completely and utterly wrong. Just seeing it made bile rise in her throat.

"We need to talk."

Applejack glanced over at Spitfire and made a polite smile. "Of course sugarcube, it's not like Ah'll be going anywhere." She waved her hamstringed leg for emphasis. "Never thanked ya for finding meh though, so thanks!"

"Thank General Fluttershy, she sent me back from Ghastly Gorge to double check everypony had made it through safely and we just happened to find you. Of course, after I got you I couldn't exactly lead the enemy back to the new base."

"In either case, thanks." Tilting her hat up, Applejack regarded Spitfire silently. "So what was it ya wanted to talk about?"

"It's about Dash." Without even asking, she sat down on the bed. "I'm worried about her. The other night I heard her bragging to the new recruits over how many ponies she's taken out as if it's some kind of achievement." Her body shook with barely constrained anger.

"Why don't ya tell her yourself?"

"I'm just really swamped with training the new recruits so I don't have time."

"Lie." It was a mere statement with no malice behind it, but the accompanying stare was one that bore straight into the pegasus. "Try again sugarcube."

With a sigh, she flopped back onto the bed. "Fine, we had an argument."

"Better, but the whole truth." If there was one thing that annoyed the apple farmer more than an outright lie, it was half-truth where the pony was hiding something. Subtle wording and deliberately missing out information was worse because it was near impossible for her to detect.

"It's none of your concern."

"Tell me." She was the Element of Honesty, if they wanted to defeat Nightmare Moon they'd need get closer to their elements. It was her duty to Equestria to seek the truth and bring it into the light. No matter what the truth was, she'd find it and she'd reveal it. That was her duty.

The stare intensified. It was like reaching towards something with her mind, as though it was a ghostly limb that she could control. Somewhere, Applejack was dimly aware of a voice, or something pushing back against her, but she didn't care, she kept her gazed locked on Spitfire's. There was something behind those eyes, something further down that she was afraid of – no, not afraid... ashamed, that was it. Whatever had occurred, she was ashamed of it.

"Tell. Me."

"I asked about her mother." The words were oddly hollow yet strangled.

There was a second of silence as Applejack examined the pegasus before her. "See sugarcube? Was that so hard?" And just like that the spell was broken. Half collapsing, half stumbling back, Spitfire began panting heavily and sweat trickled its way through her coat.

"Could you also check up on Fluttershy? She's acting far too calm for a pegasus who just lost her wings and I don't think she's been out of that disguise since the meeting." Not once did the Wonderbolt's captain meet Applejack's eye. "Anyways, got to do some stuff, you know how it is. Later!"

Before the earth pony could point out just how bad a lie that was, Spitfire was already out the door. With a confused look on her face, Applejack sighed and leaned back in the hospital bed. Well Fluttershy was helping out with the rounds tonight so it was a mere matter of waiting, but... Glancing down at her bandaged leg, another sigh escaped. After her little (and totally friendly) scuffle with RD after the meeting, she was confined to a bed under the expert and tyrannical rule of Nurse Fluttershy. Something about aggravating the wound or whatnot.

"Hello Applejack." Speak of the devil. "How are you feeling today?"

Sometimes the earth pony wondered just how many masks Fluttershy had.

"A bit stir crazy, but perfectly fine."

Nodding absentmindedly, she began checking over Applejack's leg and doing whatever it was doctors do. Tipping her stetson back she peered at the pegasus examining her with a confused expression – try as she might, Fluttershy didn't give off the same innate unease all the other ponies radiated. In fact, it was almost as though she was being true to herself. But that was impossible.

Right?

After all, she was in her disguise as well and when she was all pink, you don't mess with her unless you have a death wish. There was no way she wasn't lying or hiding behind a mask when she was in her disguise. Absolutely no way. And yet... everything her element was telling Applejack was saying that Fluttershy was being entirely truthful. How the hay did that work?

"What about you 'Shy?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she said with that smile of hers.

"Ya sure? Ah know how much wings mean to pegasi."

"I'm fine." Though it was said in her usual soft voice, there was a hint of steel behind it and Applejack immediately backed off. "Never much of a flier to begin with so it's not as though it was a loss."

"Ya know ya can talk to me about anything right?"

A thankful smile, but that was it – she was already moving towards the intensive care ward. With a dejected sigh, Applejack slumped into her bed, watching the spot Flutter had just vacated. Everything about her pegasus friend was just so confusing.

It was an infection.

Flutter stared down at the unicorn before her with nothing, but sadness in her eyes as perspiration flowed freely down his entire body, drenching the sheets below him. He tossed and turned, his deep purple mane a mattered mess as it was thrown about. Brow creased in a frown, a scared whimper escaped filling the space between the moans and cries.

When the scouts had found him, it was already inflamed. By the time they got him back to base, it could have gone either way. Flutter spent all night cleaning out the wound and wrapping it out in cold wet bandages before praying to Gaia to spare the poor soul. Now it was next morning and his condition had not improved at all, instead it had gotten worse. The infection had spread and with the injury being so close to his heart and lungs, chances of survival were low, if not non-existent. It was nothing new, in fact, it was the fifth one since the battle, but the other four had managed to pull through with varying degrees of ease.

Turning away, the pegasus trotted over to the cabinet and peered inside. Four green vials stared back at her and so with a dejected sigh, she returned to the unicorn. Sure, Zecora had helped – she even knew some recipes that Fluttershy didn't – but in the end it wasn't enough. There were just too many injuries from the battle that needed to be treated. Without those crucial supplies there was no way she could justify using the antiseptic on a pony who would most likely die. Nor could she let the poor stallion continue suffering though.

Picking up the scalpel from a nearby tray, Flutter looked down at the poor pony with the sunken eyes, clammy fur, and dull coat. He would be number six. Number one was the unicorn Sunshine. Number two was the pegasus Freefall. Hymn the earth pony came next followed by her sister Radiance. Fifthly was Scarlet Blitz and now, it was Pinprick's turn.

Kindness.

That's what she told herself late at night while trying to get to sleep. It was the kind thing to do. The right thing to do. Spike had said it after all, they needed to get closer to the elements – needed to become more powerful. She needed to show more kindness and this was the kindest thing to do. More than that though, she had to do this herself. To quote her favorite book, 'If blood needs to be shed, let it flow on my hooves so nopony else shall stain their souls with impossible decisions.'

Putting down the scalpel, Flutter calmly turned around and trotted over to the small basin the unicorns had managed to set up. Scrubbing her hooves until they were practically brand new, the lone pegasus rinsed out her mane and chest, letting the pink water splash over the side and swirl down the guttering. Then stepping back, she turned back to the unicorn – that poor unicorn, not even an adult...

With a sigh, she began wrapping him up in the bed sheet then, by herself, she dragged the heavy bundle across the ground. Her neck protested and the constant throb from her wing did not help at all, but after a good five minutes or so of tugging, grunting and wincing, she unceremoniously unrolled the entire and out came Pinprick.

Bowing her head, Flutter began reciting, "Luna, give them wings so their souls may soar. Celestia, light their path and guide them. And Gaia, please have mercy upon their soul."

Trotting back inside, she came out a minute later with a vial of red dragon flame. Double checking the pit to make sure the light would not reach the night sky, she tossed it in. The magical fire quickly spread, consuming the ten bodies held within in a flame that did not produce smoke or odors.

"I'm sorry."

Her breaths came hard and fast as Pinkie desperately sought for air. Sweat trickled down her brow and her entire body ached as though she had spent an entire week partying non-stop. Pressing her back against the sticky wall, she slotted the rainbow vial into the mechanic gauntlet on her left hoof before spinning the chamber so it clicked into place. Eyes darted over to the window opposite. Two unicorns and an earth pony guard. Glancing up, she caught the faint silhouette of pegasuses flying overhead.

Taking a deep breath, she made sure she had the right vial loaded before rolling out. Couched low, she placed her right forehoof over the firing button on the mechanized gauntlet and two multicolored blobs shot out. Before anypony could blink, Pinkie shot down another alley way. The screams of pain told her they had tried to use magic. Liquid rainbow – shorts out magical connections and secret ingredient number three in her Super Special Spicy Hot Sauce.

Leaping up, the disguised pony kicked off the dumpster and grabbed hold of the piping. Scrambling up, she leapt across onto the fire escaped and crouched low. Spinning the chamber, she primed the white vial and fired three shots down. They didn't know what hit them. One minute they were running along, the next they were sliding straight into the wall. Stifling a giggle, Pinkie quickly scrambled onto the railing before leaping out and over. Expertly grabbing the piping on the opposite wall, she swung her contraption to slot six. Taking careful aim, three yellow orbs hit, cocooning their hooves in her Special Sticky Surprise!-You're-Stuck Gel (patent pending).

Carefully sliding opening the door, Pinkie crept in on tiptoes before closing it silently behind her. Darkness and silence greeted her, and she returned their greeting with a smile and wave. If there was a pony five feet in front of her, she would not have seen them. Sliding the goggles around her neck over her eyes, everything was basked in a blue tinge, but at least she could see now. Crouched low, Pinkie began slowly creeping along the ground, easily evading all those pesky beams of moonlight and those naughty creaking floorboards. Reaching the other end of the corridor, she eased the window up and slipped back out into the cool night air.

A minute passed with no action from the originally pink, but now white pony, as she took the opportunity to catch her breath. Then slowly, ever so slowly, she rose onto her hind hooves and began climbing up the fire escape ladder. Once she reached the roof, she took time out of her busy schedule to look up at the moon and sighed. Shaking her head, she jumped onto the slopped section of the roof, easily sliding down before leaping out.

Suddenly pain flared along her back as she shot through the air towards the ground. Twisting in midair, she looked up at the pegasus guard chasing her prone form. Taking quick aim, she shot a pink paintball. Hitting a wing, it was enough to throw him off balance.

Crack!

A sickly groan echoed through the alley. Rolling over, Pinkie fell off the dumpster as blood freely flowed through her fur. Grabbing the broken glass in her teeth, she ripped it free from her leg. A cry of pain was torn from her throat as her breaths came in pained gasps. Blood immediately poured out, saturating the fur in a matter of seconds. Legs shaking beneath her, she pushed herself onto her hooves only to collapse from the pain. The sound of the pegasus landing sent fear through her heart and with it adrenaline.

"Let me help."

Wincing, she raised her left foreleg, but the constant shaking made it impossible to aim properly. Before she could get a shot off, a hoof connected with her chest. The air was forced out of her lungs as a rib cracked. Tumbling along the ground, she laid there, each wheezing breath bringing more pain.

"Please, we can still survive this." The scariest thing was, Pinkamina was pleading.

Raising a trembling hoof, Pinkie managed to get a single shot off. The pegasus didn't even twitch as it sailed past harmlessly. The second shot was even wider, splattering uselessly against a trash can. Looking up at the pony, Pinkie's eyes could barely focus as she desperately tried to keep her disguise up. Already it was flickering on and off, not that it mattered much since the blood had long since turned her fur red.

"You've given us a lot of hassle you know that?" The grey pegasus stood before Pinkie. "More than once Nightmare Moon's personally come down to smack some sense into us for letting you get away all the time." Putting a hoof on her broken leg, he push down causing Pinkie to scream out in pain. "She's nice, but you do not want to get on her bad side."

"Do you want to die? What about your friends? They'd be so sad and that's not even mentioning all the parties you'd miss out on or the fact that you're the Element of Laughter – you can't afford to die," she said desperately.

"Why? Why do you want to help?" Even mentally Pinkie's voice came across weak.

The pink mare was thrown violently against the wall, her head snapped back with a loud crack. This time all that came out was a trembling groan. If breathing wasn't necessary to stay alive, Pinkie would have stopped a long time ago for each time she did so, it was like being branded.

"I want to live."

Through half closed eyes, Pinkie watched as the pegasus stopped before her. He reared up onto his hind legs, preparing a stomp that'd crush her skull and leave her brains splattered all over the ground. Before she could reply though, the pegasus fell over with a dull thump. Looking up with exhausted eyes, the pink mare could only watch in fear as her mysterious savior approached.

"Geez, I'm not a fan of the guard ponies either, but what the heck did you- Pinkie?" The reflective glasses were raised as Vinyl stared down at her in shock. "Holy crap! We have to get you to a hospital, but you're a wanted criminal. Crap, crap, crap. Dear Celestia what do I do?"

"Well this is certainly the most exciting date I have ever been on," came a cultured voice. "Seems like she hit an artery on her arm so we will have to bandage that up first."

"Right! Fabric. Er... there's no fabric anywhere."

"Vinyl," sighed the mare followed by a ripping sound.

"Your dress!"

"Please, I'm sure Miss Moonlight would be able to fix it up easily enough." There was a pause. "Vinyl dear, please bandage up your friend, hooves and teeth are not adequate tools for such tasks."

"Right!" Pinkie felt something wrap around her arm and tighten till it was almost painful. "How's that?"

"Do I look like somepony who works in the medical profession? Actually, don't answer that. Come on, you will have to carry her in your magic as she probably has broken bones. And we will have to hurry."

"Pinks? Come on Pinkster, stay with me."

The rain poured down without respite. It provided perfect cover for Rarity and her ragtag group of conspirators. Slipping through the empty streets, the small group of five easily found their way to the warehouse district on the edge of the city. Soaked to the bone and shivering continuously, Rarity would have given anything for a nice warm coat and perhaps that modified shield spell to block out the weather. But nooooo, they needed to stay concealed, hidden, silent. Well, at least no one could see the state of her mane... or her coat... or her makeup... or... well, all of her really. Who needs a magical disguise when there's a perfectly good layer of dirt to turn her pristine white coat brown anyways?

With a dramatic sigh, she glanced up at the sky and with her magically enhanced vision, made out a pegasus gliding towards them. Landing lightly, Cornflower trotted over and whispered, "There are three pegasi on the surrounding rooftops, two unicorns and three earth ponies. Uncertain about the inside, but since the number of guards outside hasn't changed, it's safe to assume the same."

"Alright, we carry on as planned then," replied Rarity. "Midnight?"

With a salute, Twilight's father gathered the three ponies that made up his squad and trotted off. Closing her eyes, Rarity began preparing the nine different spells necessary for a teleport. The first three were easy, but each one after that bought more beads of sweat to her forehead and more than once, she fumbled forcing her to start over. After a minute a whistle pierced the night and a pegasus took off from a nearby building only to be quickly followed by a unicorn. Those around her immediately pressed in close and when the blue flare went up a second later, Rarity released the spells and they vanished in a flash of light.

Appearing next to the wall, she stumbled slightly from the sudden displacement, but easily caught herself on the wall. Horn lighting up, an illusion was thrown up, hiding them from view. A quick glance around told her that everypony had been bought along and with a nod to Mirage, the female unicorn stepped forward. Horn touching the brick wall, a green wave rippled out leaving behind a shimmering surface. Cornflower and Bulwark immediately went through and after three very nervous breaths, a dark green hoof popped through the portal and gestured for them to follow.

Easing through, it was probably one of the weirdest sensations Rarity had ever experienced, the closest description the normally fluent white mare could come up with was that it was like meeting Pinkie for the first time – shocking, frightening and yet unable to stop smiling. Even as she was coming out the other side, her horn was flaring to life, creating another illusion to hide their reappearance.

"Two ponies up top on the walkway," whispered Cornflower. "Think you can pull it off?"

Rarity merely gave a grim smile as she studied the projectile's path. While it was mostly wide open space, about fifty feet in were two stacks of crates with barely a foot gap between them. Licking her dry lips, she turned her attention to her little squad of ponies.

"Mirage, can you handle the illusion shield? Bulwark, I want you and Freefall to slip off around the left side. Cornflower, go with Fleur around the right side. You've got thirty seconds to get into position alright?"

With her magic, Rarity lifted one of the glass tipped arrows from her quiver as a light blue bow formed before her. Shimmering and shifting the way magic does, a sad smile graced her lips as she knotted the arrow and drew it back to its full extension. Remember, it was like threading a needle. With a deep breath, she carefully aimed before locking it into position then she drew out a second glass tipped arrow and repeated the process. One for each pony. To think her choice of high society sport would actually be used to harm some pony.

Harm some pony. She was going to harm some pony. Dear Gaia, what was she doing here? Her cutie mark was beauty. Beauty! Where was the beauty in war? In harming another pony? She crafted this arrow. The glass tip was her idea – it'd play off her cutie mark was the thought and it had. It worked perfectly.

And that was the problem.

All her life she'd dedicated herself to beauty. Her mane, her coat, her clothes, her personality – everything. And yet here she was with a weapon of her very own creation that was specifically designed for war. Beauty. Ha! It was a lie. All of it was a lie.

"Lady Rarity?" inquired Mirage.

Shaking her head, the white mare planted a cultured fake smile on her muzzle. "I'm fine, merely lost in thought was all."

Sighing, she sent a prayer to Celestia and let loose. Both slipped between the crates and arced gracefully through the air. Reaching the peak, it curved like a dolphin's back and glided down. The first one struck the pony on the left, the glass shattering causing the air to waver as magic was released. Before the unicorn beside her could react though, he too was struck down. In the blink of an eye, Freefall and Cornflower were there, easing them down onto the metallic walkway without causing a sound.

Tense silence followed as everypony tried to catch the barest hint of sound. Other than the occasional hoofstep and cough, there was no other sounds. Five seconds later, even the coughing had stopped and Bulwark stepped into view. "Everything's taken care of ma'am, all hostiles are down."

"Split into three groups, one unicorn with each. I'll take the earth pony armor, Fleur can take the unicorn armor so Mirage that means you're left with the pegasi. We've only got four bottles of flame for each group so make them count alright?"

With a simple nod, the group broke up, heading in their own personal direction. If the information Corporal Foxtrot's underlings had sent them was accurate then the earth pony equipment should be in the Northwestern section of the building... Ah ha! Trotting over, Rarity lifted the lid and peered inside. Perfect, just where he said they'd be. Working with Cornflower, the two transferred as much armor and weaponry as possible into four crates before casting a light filter around them and tossing a vial of green dragon flame into each one. With a satisfied smile, the squad regrouped and with a bit of magic and a whole lot of concentration, they vanished in a flash of blue light.

"Woo hoo! Look at the armor, man it's awesome!"

Dash leaned in, a massive grin plastered on her face as she regarded the reflection. Each ceramic tile was overlaid like dragon scales and it fitted her body perfectly, it wrapped around her curves the same way a blanket would on a cold night. It was light, durable, comfortable and most importantly, offered some protection to her wings even if it was just along the leading edge.

And that wasn't even getting into the weapons that had been delivered. Awesome didn't even begin to cover it. Cool was closer, but still not quite there. Radical? Nah. The closest description Rainbow Dash could come up with was a sound usually reserved for the Wonderbolts.

Four perfectly stainless steel gauntlets that went all the way up her forelegs and along the sole of each were sharp spikes designed to dig into the soil and inflict maximum pain. But that wasn't the best part, oh no, the best part were the blades along the outside of the forelegs. Each one gleamed in the torch light and seemed sharp enough to slide through metal. Of course, she wasn't allowed to actually wear them on account of her burnt hooves, but still she could admire them.

Of course, that just reminded her she was admiring a weapon of war. If the ponies made up Equestria then doesn't harming ponies go against her loyalty to protect Equestria? It was times like these that she wished Twilight was around so that she could get a straight answer.

Twilight... Friend or foe?

"Hey there sugarcube."

At the familiar southern drawl, Dash turned around. "Hey! So tell me, whatcha think? Pretty epic right?" Dash struck an adequately cool pose.

"Not bad. I take it Rarity delivered the goods?"

"Yep," coughed Spike as she took a sip of water. "My throat is killing me though."

"Go see Fluttershy, she'll no doubt have something for ya," replied Applejack. Once he was out of sight, the earth pony turned her attention back to Dash. "We need to talk."

Groaning, the pegasus threw herself onto the floor. "Geez, what is up with ponies and talking these days? Can't I get a single quite night to myself?"

"We're all merely worried ya know."

Sigh. "Just get on with it."

"Ah heard ya were braggin' about the amount of ponies ya killed."

"Yeah? So? They're the enemy. They work for Nightmare Moon therefore they're against Equestria and I'm eternally loyal to Equestria. I know you're not good at maths, but it's pretty straight forward."

"Answer me this RD, when ya say ya fight for Equestria, who is that specifically?"

"Duh, Equestria." The look Dash gave said volumes about how stupid she considered that question.

"So you're fighting on behalf of a piece of land?"

"Of course not! I'm fighting for the ponies."

There was a pause. "Do you think Twilight's on our side?"

RD whirled around with a glare on her face, daring Applejack to argue against her. "You heard Spike, she said all that stuff to you in order to help us."

With a shrug the earth pony replied, "Let me guess, none of those ponies working under Nightmare Moon could be in the same boat as Twilight or Foxtrot. Am Ah right?"

Fear gripped Dash and it was almost as though she could smell the burning fur from that night. Closing her eyes, it was meant to calm herself down, but all she could see were those pegasi plummeting to the ground leaving streaks of fire and smoke behind them. No. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true. They were the enemy, the enemy damn it! She had done the right thing, she ha-

"Look at me RD."

-d done the right thing, she had done the right thing. Keep it together Dash, keep it together. They worked for Nightmare Moon, remember that. Always remember that. All those dead pegasi, they deserved it. Their fate was sealed the moment they obeyed Nightmare Moon's first command. That was the case, that had to be the case.

"Look at me." Something in her voice made Dash open her eyes and as soon as she did so, she wished she hadn't. They bore into her skull, right through all those shields and layers of protection right towards her soul. She fought, she fought so hard, with everything she had, but it was like stopping a runaway train by herself – she was steamrolled.

"The ponies makeup Equestria, they are Equestria." AJ's voice echoed in her skull like a metronome. "For ya to brag about killing ponies is not only morally wrong, but it's also despicable. You're meant to loyalty, so be loyal to all those ponies. They had families, friends, emotions – they were ponies and if Ah hear ya bragging ever again, Ah'll personally buck you to the moon. Got that Rainbow Dash?"

The pegasus could only stand there and stare at those green eyes, completely lost in them as her voice drilled into her mind. Then, as AJ turned around and walked away, Dash crumbled to the ground as she took deep gulps of air. Sweat drenched her entire body and her limbs were shaking so much that if she was painted yellow and had a pink mane, she would have been mistaken for 'Shy.

How many ponies worked for Nightmare Moon because they had no choice? Maybe they couldn't get another job, maybe their family was threatened, maybe they were spies like Foxtrot. Perhaps they worked for her out of fear. Out of all those ponies she had killed, how many deserved it? Really, truly, completely and utterly deserved it?

For the first time in over ten years, the awesome Rainbow Dash found a secluded spot and cried herself to sleep.

Grunting, I came out of my roll just in time to parry with my short sword. Still on one knee, my second sword arced in from the left side. Without even flinching, she twisted to the side, letting it sail past harmlessly. Lashing out, my hoof hit her neck and as she stumbled back gasping, I lunged in with my blade only to be deflected by her metal gauntlet.

I quickly disengaged. A blink later her sword parted the fur on my neck. Circling cautiously, I drew both my short sides before me in a defensive position. Shuffling forward, Velocity threw two quick slashes. Like Foxtrot taught, I shifted my left sword forward, blocking both before countering with a trust from the other one. Moving at a forty-five degree angle, she slipped past and rammed me. Stumbling back, my face decided to greet the hilt of her sword.

Hard.

For the third time that day, I found myself on my back with the tip of a very sharp piece of metal at my throat. My face stung, my ego was bruised and I was sweaty, but I was happy. Sure, it was probably the endorphins released during exercise, but I wasn't going to dwell on that – I was happy and that's all that mattered.

"You're getting better," said Velocity as she hurled me onto my feet. "But you're still over extending on your thrusts."

Sheathing both swords, I checked my knife hadn't come dislodged in the sparring. "Thanks, but it doesn't feel as though I am getting better. I think I've got more bruises today than yesterday."

"But you lasted longer." She clamped me on the shoulder causing me to stumble. "Keep it up and in a couple of years you may be able to beat me. Though I still don't get why you want to learn to use a sword, after all, only unicorns with weak magic learn swordplay and archery."

"It's more energy efficient. When it comes to flinging spells, it's all about smashing through the others shield and blasting them and that takes a lot of energy. With a blade all I have to do is get close."

And Celestia believed magic should only be used to improve our lives and protect ourselves – never to harm. I may be a cold blooded murder, but I can at least keep to that rule – I promise you Celestia, I will never harm another pony with offensive magic. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Phantom Celestia smile and nod at me.

"But there are problems with closing the gap," remarked Corporal Foxtrot as stepped up beside me.

With a grin, I channeled magic into my horn and vanished only to reappear behind him. "And that's why I learnt how to teleport."

"Impressive." Our manes fluttered in the breeze. "Especially since only three percent of the unicorn population can teleport, but can you do it in the middle of a fight? All that chaos, all those sights and sounds as ponies fight for their lives. From what I hear, teleporting require immense focus and one single distraction will render it useless."

I couldn't stop the smirk that appeared. "Who knows?"

"As much as I'd love to find out, I bring a message from Nightmare Moon. She wants you to meet her in throne room."

"Alright."

With a wave to the two unicorns, I trotted out of the training field and ran up the stairs two steps at a time. Thankfully, the ponies wandering the halls had enough sense to dive out of the way before an accident could happen. Within the minute I had navigated the castle and found Nightwish standing next to a feminine looking earth pony colt with black fur, dark red mane and some sort of mechanical thing for his cutie mark.

"Who's your friend?" I eventually managed to pant out.

"This is Silent Spell," introduced Nightwish as his companion bowed. "He's the newest member of our little squad."

"In that case, welcome to the team." We shook hooves. "What'd you do to piss of Nightmare Moon?"

"That's exactly what I said!" laughed Nightwish, but Silent merely gave an abashed smile and a shrug.

"Oh right!" My eyes darted back the pegasus. "Silent Spell here is a mute, but don't worry, he's a real easy guy to get along with and if he wants you to know something, you'll know it. He's also a genius with gadgets."

Well that certainly explained a lot. Clearing my throat, I tilted my head towards the guards and they quickly opened the door. "Well it's not a good idea to leave Queenie waiting now is it?"

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that," came the familiar and nightmare inducing voice.

Chuckling, I decided to bounce in Pinkie style. Why? To show I didn't fear her and that she needed me. If I could undermine her authority, I was going to. I didn't even need to turn around to imagine the complete slack jawed expression on those behind me. And then Nightmare Moon had to chuckle at my antics effectively making her more equine while undermining what I was trying to do. Damn her.

"You wanted to see us?" I asked with a bow.

"I've got a mission for you. Normally I'd take care of it myself, but I'm busy with the Harpy ambassador. There is a small village called Reinsville and they've decided to actively rebel – fortifications and everything. According to our sources, a unicorn calling herself the Great and Powerful Trixie has taken up command with the remnants of the Wonderbolts backing her. There is an infantry company outside and I want you to take charge."

Translation: she wanted to see how loyal I was to her.

"How do you wish for me to deal with the situation?" I asked.

Chuckling in that sadistic way of hers, she unleashed her smile onto me. "Tell me Twilight Sparkle-" Oh crap, full name. "-what do you believe you should do?"

I took a deep breath. "Crush them."

She cocked an eyebrow and gestured for me to continue.

"They represent a direct threat to your rule and authority. With the riots and Dawn and now them, it's giving the public something to rally around – a sign that you are not all powerful. If you go easy on them, they'll merely think you're a weak ruler and more rebellions will pop up."

"Very well." If anything her smile grew wider.

It was then that I realized the truth. Nightmare Moon wasn't under any sort of illusion, she did not believe I was broken or that I was her faithful servant, in fact it was probably part of her plan. How could I have been so stupid! Anything I told Applejack she would have heard and she would have deciphered. If I tried to meet up with them, she'd probably know thanks to the stupid collar. If I tried to earn her trust, I'd be doing all her dirty work for her and that meant acting the villain effectively destroying my role as an icon to rally around. Worse than that, how far was I willing to go? I had no confusion over my limits – after all, right now I could see Princess Celestia sitting on her throne waving at me. The last time I slept was four days ago and when I did sleep, I woke up drenched in sweat.

It was a lose-lose situation.

I was fucked.

Chapter 16

Stepping out of the lavender portal, I had to admit that despite being created by Nightmare Moon, it was a good spell. Cost less magic than teleporting the same distance, took less concentration and took a bit longer to actually get from place to place, but it was faster than taking a train. Normally I'd have been proud at learning such a complex spell, but this time I felt sick.

"Twilight Sparkle," greeted the nearest pegasus, "let me escort you to the command tent."

Nodding, I followed with Nightwish and Silent Spell on either side. Sure, I wore my cloak to hide the scars, but in this chilly weather it offered a bit of warmth which was better than nothing. As we made our way through the camp, silence followed in our wake until the only sounds were our hoofbeats, the clinking sound of my ceramic scale armor and of my two swords slapping my sides.

"What's your opinion so far?" I asked my companions.

"Ordered, morale's low though. Can't say much without getting a proper look around," supplied Nightwish.

"Very well. Take a fly overhead while we walk and tell me what you see." I could see the guard suppress a snarl at my orders. "And what about you Silent?"

To my surprise, he raised his left foreleg where there was a small blackboard of some kind, managed to nab the piece of chalk strapped to his leg next to it and began writing, all the while keeping pace on three hooves and not looking at where he was going. Once done he raised it up so I could read what he had written, "They've been attacked recently. You can see scorch marks on some of the tents and if you look closely at the wooden crates, there is evidence of shrapnel damage."

Nodding, I turned my attention back to the guard who was busy pretending he wasn't trying to read Silent's note. "Can we hurry this up? I don't have all day."

"Yes ma'am."

"And cut the attitude," I barked. Snorting in frustration, I turned back to the black earth pony who had grin on his face. "Are you laughing at me?"

The grin was replaced by a pair of impossibly large eyes and an innocent little quiver of his lower lip. Resisting the urge to facehoof, I was saved by our escort suddenly stopping. "We're here Lady Sparkle."

"Lieutenant colonel," was my curt reply as I brushed past. One of the few things Shining Armor had taught me about the military was that titles were important as was hierarchy.

Stepping into the room, Silent Spell and Nightwish followed close behind. I didn't bother acknowledging those in the room – not even a nod or glance and when I did look at one of them, I let my gaze slide off as though they were inconsequential. And they were.

"Nightwish, tell me what you found out." I hid a smile at the way the commanders stiffened further if that were possible.

"Camp is well set up, tactically sound and placed on good ground. Terrain is overall flat with no elevated ground and past the town is a pretty dense forest. Village fortifications are pretty strong from what I've seen – reinforced walls, archers, mages and I caught a glimpse of a Wonderbolt uniform as well."

Silent Spell tapped me gently on the shoulder and showed me his writing board. Although there was nothing written down, he had a serious expression on his face and when I glanced up, the twinkle in his eyes told me why. Nodding once with a grim expression on my face, I finally turned around to face the group of ponies before me.

"Here's the deal gentlecolts, Nightmare Moon is not pleased with the progress you have made so far and so she's sent me along to take command and make sure things get done." Pausing, I waited for the pony in charge to cry out and rant, but to my pleasant surprise, there was silence. "Here is what's going to happen, I'm going to go out there, kill as many ponies as I can and then come back so we can all go home. Any questions?"

Silence. I think they were all too busy thinking I was insane to do form any coherent thoughts.

"Do you want us to surround the village so nopony escapes?" asked one of them.

"No. A desperate enemy fights all the harder. Leave the back open so they can get out into the forest and escape that way and no, I don't want any ponies put in there to ambush them. I want them to escape so they can spread the word of what happened here."

"And you plan on doing this all on your own?" said another, clearly lacking faith in my abilities.

"Yes, though I doubt my babysitter here would like that." A snort from Nightwish answered my statement. "But feel free to observe from a safe distance."

"Well stallions, I don't know about you, but I've been camped out here for over a month, harassed continuously and I'm missing my wife. If the mare before us can do what she says I'm all for it and we won't be risking a single life in the process. All in favor?"

Before anypony could voice their opinion, I smirked and said, "You say that as if you can stop me." With those parting words, I swept out of the room and began walking towards Reinsville.

"Just how do you plan on taking on an entire village and surviving?" asked Nightwish. "I know you're powerful, but you're not an alicorn."

"By creating chaos of course. Guards are trained to fight as a cohesive unit with each subunit having a clear purpose within the whole. If I disrupt their purpose, attacking units that by all accounts shouldn't be attacked from angles that shouldn't be possible, it'll confuse them. Furthermore, if I take out the commanders quickly and effectively from the start, it'll reduce their ability to function even further."

As I spoke, I watched as Silent Spell took on the pose of a high class Canterlot snob and trotted forward with his nose up in the air. Then he stood up on his hind legs, mimed sorting a stack of papers on a lectern, adjusted his invisible glasses then he began lecturing to his audience of two all the while keeping that expression on his face.

"Oh har, har, real amusing. I can see now why Nightmare Moon decided to saddle us with you. It's to punish us – a very cruel form of punishment."

Stumbling back, both hooves clasped themselves over his heart before Silent fell backwards with a thump and his tongue lolled out. After a couple seconds of silence, one eye peaked open and I couldn't help, but chuckle at his antics.

"Like I said," commented Nightwish, "if Silent Spell wants you to know something, you'll end up knowing it. Even if that involves a hammer."

"At any rate," I added a glare for emphasis, "Nightwish, you can tag along if you want with a small platoon of pegasi. Silent, I want you to keep a similar sized platoon consisting of unicorns and earth ponies on standby in case I do end up in trouble."

Clearing my throat, I channeled magic through my horn. "Attention Reinsville," with my magically amplified voice, it easily carried, "you have five minutes to surrender or flee. This is your first warning."

Before my voice had finished echoing through the empty plains, a large blue dome appeared around the village. Blinking in surprise, I began trotting towards the shield while I reached out with my magic to assess the shield spell. While it wasn't very complex, the amount of power necessary to form it was impressive though. I could name three other ponies other than myself who could create a spell of this size and two of them were alicorns while the third was my brother. Considering the magical aura was blue not magenta, that ruled out my brother, though he'd probably die of embarrassment to have created such a simple shield spell. He was casting more complex spells when he was thirteen!

Maybe that's what they wanted me to think though. Perhaps it was a super complex spell with multiple facets and layers with a trigger spell hidden somewhere. It was definitely plausible, though constructing something that complex over such a massive area would be exceptionally difficult. Better safe than sorry though.

By the time I had reached the edge of the camp, two minutes had already passed. Slowing to a walk, I let myself catch my breath as I examined the shield from the safe distance. No matter how I probed at it or turned it over in my mind though, the same result always came back – there was absolutely no sort of energy diverter or re-distributer or transformer and the normal cuff links weren't there, instead it was a seemingly random (and highly inefficient) series of cuff links between power nodes. The end result was a tangled mess of links and oddly placed nodes that did not resemble the fine fishing net model drilled into every unicorn foal's brain. Either the pony was a genius or a complete idiot.

"Trixie is on the wall above the main gate. Beside her is Misty from the Wonderbolts while the Streak siblings are with the pegasi and High Winds seems to be in charge of unicorns. They've got archers interspersed on the wall with unicorns scattered throughout as well to cover shield spells if necessary. Reinforcements are within the walls resting," said Nightwish as he landed beside me.

There was a polite tap on my shoulder and looking over my shoulder, Silent first gestured at the ponies gathered behind him before looking up at the moon in an exaggerated manner. Some ponies looked confused, but I got what he was saying.

It was time.

Freeing both blades, I plunged them into the ground before me. Then reaching out with my magic, I located the weak spot in its construction – it was inevitable really considering how unbalanced the power distribution was. Focusing my magic into a single point, I struck. To my surprise, it didn't even waver. The pony was stupid, but strong. Taking a deep breath I struck a second time with triple the power and the entire thing shattered like glass.

With both swords back in hoof, I teleported onto wall. In the split second between me appearing the my telekinetic wave, a look of utter disbelief appeared on Trixie's face. Then the entire section of wall I was standing on was reduced to dust. Ponies flew everywhere, splinters exploded outwards, debris was thrown in all direction. Disappearing, I reappeared beside two unicorns. Two quick slices and a buck later I was on another spot on the wall. Leaving a hole in one pony, I slit the throat of another before unleashing a wave of fire that consumed the wooden structure.

Teleporting, I appeared beside a Wonderbolt. She turned, but it was already too late, her entrails were already all over the floor. Ducking under a buck, I did the same to the pegasus who attacked me while drawing my free sword in a 360 degree arc around my body. Those who were too slow ended up dead. Liquefying the ground beneath their reserves, I vanished once more from sight.

This time I dropped down from the sky, landing hooves first on a flying pegasus. Slamming into the ground, there was a sharp crack as his spine snapped. Throwing my dagger, I took out a second then teleporting, I called it back to me, letting it slice through a third on its return path. All the while, both blades where spinning around me, slicing all those who dared come close.

Disappear, reappear, kill.

It wasn't a fight, it wasn't even a challenge. It was a slaughter. Every time I reappeared at least two ponies would drop dead and with the constant teleporting, the unicorns couldn't get a shot in or protect anyone. With the muddy ground, it was impossible for the earth ponies to get a firm footing. It was chaos. All that were left were the pegasi who I killed without a second thought. A few managed to escape though.

Vanishing once more, I reappeared back in my original position before the camp. Head to hoof I was covered in blood, it flowed through my mane and fur freely. I could taste it on my lips. If somepony was to come along right this moment, they wouldn't see a bookworm, they wouldn't even see a lavender unicorn. What they'd see was a red monster.

I was meant to feel something right? After all, I had just sliced my way through who knows how many pony in a matter of seconds. And yet... There was nothing. In fact, there was pride. I was proud that I could teleport in the middle of a fight. I was proud that my telekinetic wave left a crater on the ground. I was proud that I didn't get a single hoof laid on me. Standing there, I channeled magic into my horn and those around me automatically flinched back. The only one who didn't was Silent Spell who regard me silently.

"This is your second warning, you have five minutes yet again." It was only once I was done with my announcement that I realized I still had a pony impaled on the end of my sword. With a flick, I sent the body tumbling into the pool of blood at my feet. Beside me, Celestia stood there with an encouraging smile on her face.

"None of you foals will move!" My eyes snapped back to the ruined town and there in the gaping hole that used to the front gate stood a blue unicorn in a star spangled hat and cape. A little worse for wear, but nothing serious. "Twilight Sparkle, you think you can get rid of the Great and Powerful Trixie that easily? Anything you can do, Trixie can do better!"

"Scratch that," I said, "you've got however long it takes me to put down this arrogant mare."

Teleporting over, I smirked as my blade descended on her unprotected back. Instead of the cry I was expecting through, my sword passed straight through. Crap. The illusion flickered then exploded. Pain flared through my body as I was overloaded with magic for the first time in months. Struggling onto my hooves, I shook out my fur even as residual magic sparked across my coat. Whether it was the first time or the nth time, it still hurt worse than Tartarus.

I teleported to the right just as a blue ball of magic slammed into my previous position leaving a nice crater. Even fifty feet away I could feel the air crackle with power making my mane stand on end. Standing still was not an option, I kept blinking across the battlefield, staying in the same spot for no longer than a second. Every time a flash went off, I looked for a shadow, a flicker, anything to tell me where the damn invisible unicorn was, but each and every single damn time there was nothing. Occasionally, there'd be a Trixie taunting me in some manner or form. Was it the real one or another illusion?

Didn't matter, this was a battle of endurance. One that I was losing too. Even now, I the dull ache at the base of my horn was making it difficult to concentrate – nothing I couldn't deal with though. If I could go three days without sleep studying for an exam then ace said exam, I could do this.

And then the bombardment stopped. Had she run out of magic or was it a trick? I stood still on the wasted field, letting the breeze catch my cape and mane – eyes constantly scanning as I formulated a plan in my mind. There was no vegetation left, it had been blasted away by Trixie so a pinch of magic to whip up the wind and I had a dust storm on my hands. Then I softened the ground. A bolt of pure magic flew through the air, missing me by so far, a blind unicorn could have done better. If that was the only spell she knew, she'd never win, but she had potential – I'll give her that.

Casting a cloud walking spell, I teleported high up into the air and dispersed the dust storm. Silence descended as she tried to figure out where I went. With the soft ground though, I knew exactly where she was, I could see her hoof prints and I could see the dust clinging to her body. Black claws rose from the ground, clamping around her legs like a vice and dragging her down into the portal below. A flash of white light and the claws turned to dust.

Bolts of lightning rained down, each one deflected by a shield back into the air. Teleporting down, I unleashed a close range blast, sending her through the wall and into the town. Following with a wave of fire I reappeared on the opposite side of town and sent a wave of water from the other side. The two slammed together in the centre of town. Containing the superheated steam with a forcefield, I began compressing it all.

She'd survive, I knew she would.

Something pushed back, then before I knew what happened, the shield shattered. The steam was whipped into the air and there at the centre of it all was a certain blue unicorn. One leg was broken, there was burnt fur everywhere and she was swaying on her feet, but even as I watched, magic was dancing over her body, healing the worst injuries.

She was almost perfect. Flawed, but close to perfect.

"I've had fun, but it's time to end this."

I liquefied the ground and then re-solidified it, trapping her hooves. Pouring my magic into a single point, I teleported next to her in a flash of lightning, destroying her hastily constructed barrier. Following with a wave of magic, her hooves were ripped from the ground and thrown into the large building. A short sword followed her prone body, imbedding itself next to her head. Channeling magic through the blade, an explosion tore through the building, completely destroying the foundations. The entire building collapsed.

Then using my sword as an anchor, I found myself next to an unconscious Trixie with a magenta barrier protecting us from imminent death. Taking a deep breath, I felt deep into my body and there at my centre I could feel a warmth. A warmth that reminded me of finishing a good book or making a magical discovery or getting that A++ on a test. A warmth reminiscent of Princess Celestia.

Drawing it out, the Element of Magic shone before my eyes and with a parting kiss on the gem, I floated it down to lie on Trixie's chest. Making sure to magically chain the two together, I opened a portal beneath her and sent her to the place where it all began – The Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. Some part of me felt as though I should say something, some sort of explanation for my actions even if she'd never hear me. It was silly and doing so would get me killed, but the temptation was still there.

Was she the right choice? I don't know, I certainly hope so.

For good measure I gathered up my magic and reduced the rubble bearing down on my shield to ash. Make it flashy and make it over the top. I stood there, any sign of the building had been reduced to microscopic particles. Turning around, I regarded the remaining ponies as I hefted my two swords. With the adrenaline receding, the mere act of picking up my weapons made me whimper in pain, but I had to do this. I had to see this through to the end.

I caught Phantom Celestia smiling at me in that loving way of hers as she stood in the entrails of a Wonderbolt. Am I a good pony? Are you proud of me? For you Princess, everything I do is always for you. I turned back those watching me in an awed and disgusted silence.

"Time's up."

Let the slaughter commence.

"I- I'm telling the truth!" The royal purple unicorn pleaded with desperation in his eyes. "I don't work for Nightmare Moon, please you've got to believe me."

Tilting her stetson back, Applejack chewed on the piece of hay between her teeth. Then ever so slowly, she leaned forward in her chair and tilted his head up so that she was looking him straight in the eye. His entire body locked in place and his pupils constricted to pinpricks. Pushing forward with her mind, she smashed through any sort of mental barrier he had and gazed directly into his mind. After a couple of seconds rummaging around and peering into closest nopony should peer into, Applejack leaned back in her chair and took a sip of water. Holding his gaze for a couple more seconds, she finally looked off to the side and he collapsed onto the ground, limbs trembling so much he could barely stand.

"Th- Th- That was mind magic." He scrambled back until his back was to the wall and still he tried to get away. "It's illegal! And you're an earth pony..." The fear came back stronger than ever, it rolled off him in waves. "What... what are you?"

"Mind magic huh?" Applejack glanced over at Echo who made a point of looking at her muzzle rather her eyes. "Ah'll have ta ask ya about that later then when we're not busy."

"Sure," was his stiff reply.

"Now, about you." Her gaze swung back to the unicorn who flinched back as though struck. "Tell me Pumpkin..." He flinched as his real name was used rather than one he had given. "Why do you work for Nightmare Moon?"

"I told you I-"

"Lies!" roared Applejack. "That is a lie. The 'family' ya came with is a lie. The only truth ya've told us is that you came from Canterlot!" Her hoof slammed into the wall next to his head leaving an indent. "Ah'll ask one. Last. Time. Why?"

"If I tell you she'll kill me."

"If you don't, Applejack will," remarked Echo with a shrug. "Don't think she won't. After all, we have to keep this a place a secret and it's not like we have a dungeon or anything."

While it wasn't technically a lie, Applejack still had to bite her tongue to stop herself from objecting at what Echo had said. She knew why it was done, but it just didn't sit right with her – after all, she was the Element of Honesty. Turning back to Pumpkin though, she knew it had worked. This time she didn't even bother asking a question, the farm pony merely cocked an eyebrow and the unicorn shrunk into the ground.

"I... um... I need the job... With all the riots and the occasional fighting going on, taxes have gone way up and I'm having to work two jobs to support my family. She offered enough money that I wouldn't have to work another year if I managed to give her one more piece of legit intel and well..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before looking up with big watery eyes. "Please don't kill me?"

Before Applejack could reply though, the door opened and in strolled Flutter confident as can be. The earth pony regarded her close friend silently, eyes raking over every inch of her friends body and then looking up, their eyes met. There was no fear in those cyan eyes of hers, only defiance and curiosity.

Then she sat stood next to the cowering pony and gave him a smile that reminded Applejack far too much of a predators grin before speaking in that soft voice of hers, "If you could fight against Nightmare Moon without endangering your family, would you?"

"Of course!"

"That's what I thought..." Closing her eyes for a second, she thought for a second. "Applejack was he telling the truth?"

"Of course."

"Hm..." Opening both eyes, Flutter licked her dry lips. "Echo, you may leave us."

"Yes general."

Once the door was shut behind him, the now pink pegasus regarded Pumpkin silently. "If you want to live, you'll work for us."

"What!" Applejack grabbed Flutter by the shoulder and dragged her outside, slamming the door behind her. "What do ya think you're doing?"

"Getting us spies," she replied with a hiss. "My animal friends do wonders, but they can't read writing, don't have the best vocabulary, can't carry messages without attracting attention and some things should not be written down. Foxtrot is starting to get jumpy and fears for his cover, and we can't risk him recruiting guards. One wrong move and our only asset within the military is lost."

"An asset? Is that all ya think of him as? And what about threatening Pumpkin's life?"

"Like I said, we need more spies and I was going to suggest we move his family to a safe location in return." With a toss of her mane, Fluttershy strolled back into the room while casually saying over her shoulder, "Plus, it's the right thing to do. For Equestria and for Celestia remember?"

All Applejack could do was stand there and stare as the door swung close. Not once did she detect a hint of lying in her friend's words and the casual way Flutter spoke was chilling. What happened the sweet demure pegasus who practically oozed adorableness ? With a sigh, Applejack began walking down the hall with her hooves dragging along the ground. Had they changed that much since this all began? Twilight had, there was no doubt about that and so had Fluttershy, but she was still Applejack right? Still the dependable earth pony who could be counted on no matter what the task was. Rainbow Dash was still be the lazy, yet brilliant pegasus who somehow manages to get everything done despite always napping and Rarity was still the fussy frou-frou mare who could never get her hooves dirty. Pinkie was still as insane as always and despite the changes, Fluttershy still cared for everything.

Another sigh escaped. Looking up, the pony walking towards her immediately averted her gaze and stepped out of the way. With a frown, Applejack glanced over at the stallion walking next to the mare and he too looked away, but a second too late. One look. That's all she needed. A single look and she knew he was unfaithful.

"Ah suggest ya ask him about a mare called Starshine," said Applejack as she walked past the couple.

The resulting slap echoed through the tunnel like a firework going off and the following hasty explanations from the male set the orange earth pony's blood on fire. Without even looking backwards, she called out, "Lies. They're all lies."

A second slap echoed through the hall quickly followed by stomping hooves. All around her, looks of fear were exchanged and every time Applejack so much as flicked her eyes in their direction, they shrunk back or looked away. With a barely hidden snarl, Applejack began making her way to the sparring grounds to work off some steam. With each step she took though, the annoyance grew until it was full blown anger. It didn't matter where she went or who she looked at, every single last one of them avoided her gaze like the plague and more than once hushed whispers reached her ears.

Storming through the door, she slammed into Gilda and the two tumbled to the ground. With a groan, Applejack picked herself up from the ground and offered a hoof to Gilda. "Sorry about that sugarcube."

Ignoring the outstretched hoof, Gilda scrambled back into her feet and looked down at the match going on. "Not now, this fight is awesome."

"Okay...?"

Squeezing next to her, Applejack looked down and blinked in surprise. It was Spitfire against Lyra. Lyra of all ponies. And yet when Applejack looked around the hall, everypony was watching in absolute silence. A sudden cheer went up and her eyes snapped back to the action.

There, in the centre was Lyra, stumbling back on her hind hooves. Spitfire immediately moved in for the kill, but instead of dropping onto all four, the mint unicorn managed to stay upright. Pivoting on one leg, she blocked the blow while her hind hoof came up in an arc. Even Applejack winced as it drove into Spitfire's muzzle sending her sprawling onto the floor.

Complete and utter silence filled the air.

Then with a deliberate slowness, Lyra bought her hoof to the ground so she was standing on two legs and then in a final act of defiance began walking. On two legs. Her hind legs. Not only had she managed to stay balanced on one hoof (which by all accounts was impossible), she was now strolling calmly over to Spitfire on two legs (yet another impossibility – not that it meant much by this stage).

Eventually Spitfire managed to beak the silence. "Where in Equestria did you learn to stand on two legs and balance on one?"

Everypony leaned in to hear the reply.

"Oh! Well there used to be these creatures called humans." At the stumped expressions, she smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Bonnie doesn't like me talking about them, but they're these... er... Imagine a diamond dog, now imagine them furless and with a flat face. They had all sorts of cool stuff like hands! Oh Celestia, you have no clue how awesome hands are. Anyways, they always walked around on two legs so... I... er... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Lyra?"

"Yeah?"

"Congrats, you're my new apprentice." Spitfire looked up at the crowd that had gathered. "All of you! Two hundred pushups. Now!" With a groan and mumble, everypony complied.

Applejack turned to face Gilda. "You. Me. Sparring. Now."

"Someone's in a bad mood. Hope you can handle me."

"That was mah line."

Bang!

Pinkie jolted up in bed only for her vision to swim and a second later she collapsed back into the bed with a pained grunt. Owwwww, what happened last night? Must have been one heck of a party. Rolling out of bed, she dropped onto the wooden floor causing pain to shoot through her body. A small whimper escaping, Pinkie curled up into a ball focusing on happy thoughts. Pain wasn't a foreign concept to her, after all, working with experimental machinery was a dangerous business.

After a couple of minutes, she slowly uncurled herself and began examining her body. There were scratches and bruises all over her body, her left forehoof was heavily bandaged up and there was even more around her torso to the point it could have mummified three ponies no problem. Tapping her hoof against the bed, she blinked in surprise. A couple more taps and she began to giggle. It was numb! Completely and utterly numb. It was such a weird and random feeling that she couldn't help, but lick her hoof. Still nothing. So she began nibbling on it because what else is a pony to do?

The door suddenly opened and there stood a colt with a completely confused expression on his face.

"Hello!" Pinkie was suddenly before him. "I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name! Hm... Is it Star Chaser? Sunshine? Lollipops? Oh! Oh! I know, iiiiiiit's Blue Berry Muffin Super Deluxe! Am I right? Huh, huh, huh?"

"Er... Um..." He looked over his shoulder. "Captain, are you certain she's dangerous?"

Ice filled her veins. Everything that happened last night returned in a flash and she knew, just knew that thanks to her Vinyl and her friend were now in trouble. They were going to take them in and... and...

"Torture them," supplied Pinkamina. "But that doesn't have to be the case. Let me help."

Before Pinkie could even think of a reply, pink magic enveloped her and she was dragged into the room. Hoofcuffs were immediately snapped around her ankles, but she didn't care about that, she didn't even see the commander in charge. All she could see was Vinyl and the grey earth pony. All she could see were the bruises, the cracked lips, the blood stained coat and the singed fur.

For the first time in her life, Pinkie felt anger. Proper, full blow, Pinkie Smash anger. But at the same time, she felt shame and guilt because she knew no matter how angry she got, how much she wanted to hurt some pony, she could never do it. To deliberately give into the anger was to cause pain and tears was something she'd never forgive herself for.

"The let me," purred Pinkamina. "If you don't they'll be taken in, they'll be tortured, you'll be executed and Equestria will go to Tartarus. Let me. Unless you plan on doing it yourself..."

Pinkie hesitated.

"Alright boys, lets drag them back to Canterlot, Nightmare Moon has been after this one for a long time." She paused for a second. "But I suppose we can work off our frustrations first. After all, they would obviously put up a struggle right."

"Pinkamina?" There a coldness in Pinkie's words that would have made Nightmare Moon pause. "Could you..."

"I thought you'd never ask."

Taking her first breath in the real world, a shiver ran through Pinkamina. The cold metal bit into her legs, but she didn't mind, it was a constant reminder that this was the real world – a world she had only seen in Pinkie's memories. Her pink tongue darted out, licking her lips and a small moan escaped as she felt on the guards brush up against her. Just the feeling of fur on fur was so... so... exquisite. And then they brushed up against her again and this time it tickled her nose, forcing a small and totally adorable sneeze to escape. At the sensation and happily little giggle escaped. It was just all so weird and wonderful.

"Sir, I think she's gone insane."

Oh right, the guards. The pink pony looked over her shoulder at the guard standing there before glancing around the room, taking in every single last detail. Blowing a lock of flat hair out of her eyes, she grinned over the captain.

"My name's Pinkamina, what's yours?" she said in an all too pleasant and all too soft voice, "You know, just so I can-"

All of a sudden she was on her back hooves, elbow driving into the guard behind her. Then reaching over her shoulder, she wrapped the chains around his neck and using her body as a pivot point, threw him at the unicorn. Using the momentum to carry her forward into a roll, she stood up and rammed her head into pegasus before her. Turning on one foot, she blocked the first hit while the second slammed into her stomach. A happy little giggle escaped as she felt pain travel through her body. It was such an interesting feeling, such a wonderful one – just the way it snapped everything into perspective all at once. Her countering buck snapped the guard's head back to an impossible angle.

Turning around, she regarded the unicorn under the first pony she attacked. "-you know, write it on your tombstone."

Dropping onto all fours, she began trotting forward. A bolt of fire grazed her shoulder and her grin only became wider at the feeling. She knew pain, she understood it, Pinkie gave all her pain to Pinkamina and she reveled in it. Scooping up a piece of shattered glass, she easily sidestepped the next blast of magic and leapt in. The glass shard imbedded itself in the unicorn's neck and with a jerk of her head, the glass came free as did the torrent of blood. It sprayed over her face, her chest, the created valleys in her fur and coated her mane. Pinkamina bathed in it. Lips parting, she took a lick of her lips and a groan echoed around the room as her eyes fluttered. It was like nothing she had tasted before though technically she hadn't tasted anything before.

"P- P- Pinkie?"

The party pony whirled around with a snarl. "The name's Pinkamina! Pinkie is just a party pooper."

At Vinyl's flinch, the earth pony suddenly flung herself forward, tackling her unicorn friend and snuggling close, purrs escaping with every single nuzzle. No wonder Pinkie loved hugs, they were just so... so... so damn nice. It was like electricity was flowing through her blood. Just that feeling of her coarse fur rubbing against her own, the way Pinkamina could feel the others heart beat and how Vinyl's warmth was enough to banish even the coldest of nights.

"You know Vee, we never got around to enjoying that night a couple months back..." whispered Pinkamina in a seductive voice.

"Wha- What!?" The white mare began to struggle, but it was useless. "I don't know what you're talking about. Octy, I have no clue what she's talking about. Honest."

"Oh don't be like that." A hoof was trailed down Vinyl's chest. "Plus, maybe... Octy was it? Maybe she'd like to join in." A little giggle escaped. "I've never done it before you know and I'm... curious. This is my first time living you know and I want to experience everything. Every. Last. Thing."

"How about getting drunk?"

"Vinyl!" exclaimed Octavia, but she was quickly forgotten as a pair of pink ears perked up at the name of the forbidden drink.

"Hm... That depends, got Apple Cider?"

"I think so?"

Pinkamina was sudden on her hooves. "Drink it is then!"

"Um..." Octavia's eyes darted over to the dead bodies then back to Pinkamina. "Maybe we should clean up first?"

"Oh. Right." With a sigh, Pinkamina brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and trotted over the captain. Each step pained her, but it was a mere reminder of what she had gained and what she was never going to give up ever again. "I never did get your name you know, but I've got to thank you. If you hadn't been such a stupid sadistic jerk, Pinkie would never have handed control over so easily."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am, it has to be done and... and it was Celestia's last task you know. It was the final mission she gave me."

"But... It's Tartarus."

"I know."

"Tartarus."

"Were you expecting creepy music to accompany the announcement that time?"

"No, but... Come on, please, this is insane. You need at least fifty ponies with you!"

"I've got you."

"I'm just one pony."

"Your my pony though. My knight in shining armor."

"Cadence..."

"Please Dearheart, this has to be done, you know it does."

"I wish I knew, but you won't tell me anything!"

"..."

"I'll follow you though. I'd follow you till the ends of the earth. You do realize that when most ponies say they'll follow a mare to Tartarus and back, they don't mean it literally right?"

"Good thing you're not most ponies then."

"Cadence I-"

"Shhhh, quiet my love, we'll be fine. Have faith."

"I always do. Now, I believe we were about to do something totally reckless and insane?"

"That we were... that we were..."

"Well in that case, high ho Cadence, away!"

"... Sometimes I really wonder how I fell in love with you."

Chapter 17

"Really Applejack, did you have to wake me up so late at night? I'm losing much needed beauty sleep you know." Not bothering to reply, Applejack lifted the Element of Magic so that she could see it through the portal. "Is that-?"

"It is," replied Flutter, adjusting the cloak on her back. "We found a mare in the castle ruins three days ago and bought her back. Tucked under one hoof was that. We don't know how she got it, but..."

There was burst of blue fire as the second portal came into existence. From the other side, a pink pony with flat mane and droplets of red on her muzzle waved back. "Hello! Pinkamina's in the house. So what'd I miss out huh?"

"Pinkie dear, I love what you've done with your hair."

"It's Pinkamina!" At her outburst, a confused expression was exchanged by all those present. "And can we please get on with it? I'm right in the middle of something." There was a pause as she scowled to something off screen. "And where's Dashie anyways? I was so looking forward to talking to her."

"We don't know actually," replied Spike. "Nopony's seen her since a couple days ago. She just went out into the woods on a scouting trip and vanished."

"She hasn't been-"

Flutter shook her head. "No Rarity, if she had Nightmare Moon would be parading it around and trumpeting it from the highest walls available."

"Can we please get back to the subject on hand?" yelled Spike. "Element of Magic being wielded by a pony that's not Twilight. Do we trust her or not?"

"Spike, be a dear and hold up the tiara please?" cooed the white unicorn and Spike quickly obeyed. "Just as I thought dears, she may have held the Element of Magic, but I don't believe it's hers to actually use."

"What do ya mean by that?"

"The gem duh! It's still a purple star and not the mare's cutie mark so obviously it's still Twilight's. Um... excuse me for a second." Pinkamina vanished off screen, a couple seconds later grunts and whimpers could be heard and when she returned, there was even more splotches of red on her fur.

"Er... Pinkie...mina darling, you've got a bit of red on your coat."

"Is that blood?" added Applejack.

"Nopey dopey! It's jam, see?" Her tongue somehow extended far enough to completely clean off her face. "Yum!"

"Anywho, has she woken up yet? It's probably easiest to ask her and if she doesn't, you know, want to talk, just give me an hour with her." Pinkamina brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes as a grin spread across her face. "Nah, make that thirty minutes. Ten minutes actually. Ten minutes would definitely be enough."

"Ya probably need less than a minute if ya run your mouth against her."

"Applejack! That's a terrible thing to say."

There was a polite knock on the door before Spitfire stuck her head through. "The mare's woken up, do you want us to bring her up?"

"If she can do so safely," replied Flutters. With a salute, Spitfire backed out the door without looking anywhere near Applejack.

"Is that a smart move sugarcube?" The blonde pony leaned back in her seat. "After all, we don't know anything about this mare."

"She must have the Element for a reason and if she can access it then we need her."

"A tool."

"In a crude manner of speaking," replied the pegasus calmly. "Anything for Equestria remember?"

Nopony dared challenge her on that point.

"-mands to know where it is you're taking her. And where is Trixies cape and hat? Answer her or the Great and Powerful Trixie will reduce you all to ash where you stand this instant!"

The door creaked open as Gilda chuckled, "I'd like to see you duel Silvia actually. I've heard all sorts of things about how awesome she is at magic, but haven't seen anything for all that talk. You don't even practice with the unicorns!"

"Don't ignore Trixie!" In trotted the blue mare and at the sight of the generals froze in mid-step while her eyes narrowed. "You! Trixie should have known you'd be involved. Where's the yellow one and the rainbow one then? Hiding around some corner waiting to attack Trixie? Well she'll show them!"

"The 'yellow one' as you so aptly described her is right here," growled Flutter. "And how are you?"

"Who- You- I- Trixie- GAH!" Stomping over to the table, she jumped onto it and struck a pose. "I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! General to the Reinsville Resistance and most magical unicorn in all Equestria. Bow before her magnificence."

There was a second of stunned silence before Pinkamina fell over laughing. Gilda quickly followed and even Silvia couldn't resist a smirk at the impressive display. The others though managed to keep their emotions under wraps as they politely waited for Trixie to climb off the table with red cheeks.

"Ah hem, please ignore the uncouth behavior of my friends-"

"Hey! I'm not your friend you prissy unicorn."

Rarity ignored Gilda's outburst. "-they obviously have absolutely no sense of etiquette. We have invited you here because we wish y-"

"You wish for Trixie to join obviously. After all, she is the greatest unicorn to have ever existed."

"Okay, that's it!" Spike was on his feet, face pressed against Trixie's muzzle. "You are not the greatest or the most powerful or anything of the sort! That title belongs to Twilight and Twilight only you got that!?"

"You... you know Twilight Sparkle?"

"She raised me."

The temperature suddenly dropped and mist began forming. Before anypony could react, he was thrown against the wall, ephemeral chains binding him. The warmth decreased even further, ice forming in the air. Applejack was the first to react, leaping forward hooves outstretched, but she was thrown aside without a second thought. Fluttershy, the tables, Gilda, Spitfire – all thrown slammed into the cave walls without a second thought.

Spears of ice hung in the air.

"Stop." The ice melted, the warmth returned and the chains broke.

Trixie turned to face Silvia as her horn flared even brighter, pulsing blue light as she forced her will against the gryphon's. For a couple of seconds the room was basked in blue and purple light then with a final strangled cry, Silvia slumped to the ground unconscious. The chains were immediately back as were the ice and the chill. All Rarity and Pinkamina could do was watch helplessly.

"Why?" That single word pierced through the fog. "Why are ya doing this?"

"He knows Twilight," spat Trixie. "Do you know what she's done? What she is?"

"Twilight's mah friend." At Applejack's reply, a spear of ice was directed at her head, but she carried on, "Ah trust her."

"She's my friend also." The showmare's head snapped across and blinked at the sudden appearance of the yellow pegasus. "I'm sure she has a good reason for what she's done."

"A good reason? A good reason!?" A manic laugh escaped. "Tell me, what possibly good reason could there be to slaughtering an entire village? Answer me that! Over five hundred ponies, all of them dead just like that. Your teammate Misty – Dead! Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead! All of them dead! Every single last one cut down. She's not a pony, she a monster – a cold blooded monster. She deserves to burn for eternity. You deserve to burn for eternity. All of you do. I'm going to burn you all to death!"

"You're wrong." With a flick of her head, Applejack threw her hat to the ground, showing off her half missing ear and glared at Trixie from her spot on the wall. "Ya know nothing about Twilight. She's saved mah life, she saved all our lives. She gave ya that Element for a reason. Listen to me. Ya'll face the truth even if it's the last thing Ah do!"

"How could you- How can you-" Tears were spilling over, but Trixie didn't care, Trixie never cared. All of a sudden she collapsed, her horn flickering out as her magic finally gave out. "Why do you protect her? She's a monster! Nightmare Moon's pet. Why do y-"

"Ya see this missing ear sugarcube? Twi gave me that. She almost killed me too. But Ah have faith in her and Ah trust her." Nods came from all the Element bearers. "We all do. Now, we're all against Nightmare Moon and Ah'm asking ya to trust us and have faith in us." Trotting forward, Applejack held out a hoof to Trixie. "Can ya do that sugarcube?"

Trust? Yeah right. Trust was for weaklings, trusting a pony you didn't know would get you killed. The only ponies you can trust are those who would willingly put themselves in harms way for you and so far, none of these ponies deserved trust. And yet...

Trixie frowned at the outstretched hoof.

She had tried to kill them, threatened to do so and yet here Applejack was, offering her help. How in the world did that make sense? Everypony was out for something, nothing came for free. The only ponies who give unconditionally are parents, but that was about it. There was no reason for Applejack to trust her, in fact there were plenty of reasons against it! So... what in the name of Tartarus was going on here?

Shaking her head, Trixie dusted herself off and stood up. "Whatever. Now Trixie believes you all wished to talk to-"

"Rarity! We've got an issue!" All heads snapped to Rarity's portal as a unicorn stumbled into view. "They're here, they're all here – Nightmare Moon, General Sunset Horizons, General Terminal Velocity, General Cinquedea, Twilight Sparkle – every high ranking personnel is here. They've already taken out our bases in the Southern Residential, Factory and Market Districts."

"Where's Midnight?" snapped Rarity.

"He's rallying as many ponies as we can find and meeting back here. Mirage and Bulwark are leading a raid on the prison where they're keeping all of our men. Fleur and Fancy Pants are trying to open as many backdoors out as possible."

"Show me." A map was placed on the table within sight of the portal.

"Nightmare Moon is to the north, taking out as many of our outposts as possible on the way in. She seems to be capturing as many ponies as possible. General Sunset seems to be coming in from our eastern flank through the manufacturing districts and securing all sources of weaponry we've got stashed there. Twilight Sparkle is coming over the Western Bridge as we speak and she's razing everything to the ground. She doesn't take prisoners. General Velocity is keeping a tight net over the city, Ditzy's trying her hardest to get messages through, but I don't know how many more runs she can take before collapsing. The prison is located in the central market district protected by General Cinquedea."

Rarity looked down at the map she had drawn on, a sense of dread descended on everypony present. Both west and east bridges were lost and with Nightmare Moon coming down from the north, there was no were to run. The only place to go was south, but even then they'd eventually run out of room forcing them into the ocean and to the mercy of the pegasi.

"We go east," said Rarity.

"No." The white mare glanced up at Spitfire questioningly. "They expect you to do that. Think about it, they know you won't go after Nightmare Moon and Twilight is far too powerful so they assume you'll go after General Sunset and break through there. So we do the exact opposite, we hit Twilight and try to punch through. If she's on our side like you all believe then she'll try to make holes in her own line for you to slip through."

"I agree with bird brain over there," remarked Gilda, "they obviously want you to go east so don't."

"How much time do we have?" asked Rarity.

"They'll be here in an hour. They're going slowly, making sure to consolidate their hold and get every single last outpost we have before moving on. They know exactly where each one is."

"Applejack! I thought you flushed out all the spies," accused Rarity.

"Ah did!"

The door suddenly crashed open and before they knew what had happened, Rarity had already fired an arrow. "Oh Ditzy are you alright? I didn't hit you did I?"

"Nope!" came the all too cherry voice. "I've got maaaaaiiiiiil! It's... er.. ah! That's right, it was a verbal message. Ah hem, Midnight wants me to tell you that he's currently surrounded and trapped in Warehouse Nine down by the main road. He's heavy outnumbered, but he does have about two hundred ponies with him."

"Dears, I'd hate to ask, but I don't suppose there's a way for you to get here within the hour?"

All eyes turned to the unconscious gryphon, but it was Gilda who spoke, "If she tried to teleport half that distance she'd die. I mean, come on! She hasn't even fully recovered from that mass teleport yet, give her another week at least."

"Well it was worth a shot," sighed Rarity. "Ditzy, think you can make it through one more time?"

"No problem."

"Alright, go through and let them know I'm on my way." She turned to face the unicorn. "Go gather all the other ponies and distribute them into groups of three. I want one group to hit all the furniture, cutlery, technology, whatever stores – if it can be used as a weapon or as a shield, I want them to get it. Second group I want hold Mane Street at all costs. That place has multiple stores, balconies, and it is the main street. Not only is it full of ambush spots, but it's the only road large enough for an army. If she needs to move any ponies, she'll be forced to go through there or take a detour. She may have the bridge, but we are not giving up that spot. Third group I want to run messenger duty and convey equipment between the two groups. We need to fortify our position and we need to do it fast. I will personally save Midnight. Also, if anypony doesn't wish to fight, they are free to hide until this blows over, but considering they're taking captives, they no doubt wish to get everypony."

Rarity finally turned back to all her friends. "Sorry darlings, but it seems like I've got some house cleaning to do. Same time next week?"

As the portal faded to nothing, they caught one final glimpse of their friend donning a suit of scale armor that somehow managed to accentuate her figure despite covering her from neck to flank. Greaves went past her knees like a pair of high boots and on the side of her flank was her cutie mark, emblazed for the word to see.

"I wish I was there," muttered Pinkamina mournfully.

"Ah know what you mean, Rarity could really use our help," sighed Applejack.

"Er... yeah... help." The pink earth pony chuckled, before her right eye twitched. "Anyways, I've got stuff to. Busy, busy, busy. Later!" The portal shut with an audible snap.

"So... what now?" asked Trixie.

"Now?" A look was shared by all those present. "We tell you about us, about what's going on and most importantly, about the Elements of Harmony."

"Elements of Harmony?"

"Yes," whispered Fluttershy with a shy smile. "It all began when Twilight Sparkle arrived in Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration..."

Rarity half ran, half teleported through the empty streets. Off in the distance she could see flares of magic blooming and the occasional shockwave as a particularly strong spell went off. Part of her was proud – proud that those under her were willing to fight, that when push came to shove they were fully willing to shove right back. That not only were they deemed a threat, they were one so large that Nightmare Moon bought down the entire army and herself to personally take care of the matter. It gave her hope that perhaps, this wasn't a wild dream they were chasing after.

The other part was sad, depressed and most importantly horrified. Dead ponies littered the ground, their pearly white bones a mocking reminder how just far out of her element she truly was. All those ponies depended on her to lead them and keep them safe and yet here they were, dead on the ground. Never will they smile or laugh or dream and cry. Their life was simply lost, all that beauty – gone, never to be experienced, never to grow.

Casting a light filter, she teleported across the gap between buildings. Overhead pegasi wheeled about, every so often darting down to intercept some poor pegasus who decided to take to the sky. She wanted to help, every fiber of her being told her to help, but she couldn't. She was not only a general, but an Element bearer, she couldn't afford to give away her position for just one pony.

Over the edge she went, landing silently on the balcony below. With the potted plants as shelter, she drew out two glass tipped arrows before adding a diamond tipped one just in case. Making sure her illusionary disguise and light filter were on, she took a peak from her hiding spot and her jaw dropped. This... this couldn't be real... No... it was impossible, it- it had to be! But no matter how many times she said no, the answer stared back at her like Applejack's eyes.

Warehouse Nine no longer existed. All that remained was a pile of rubble and bodies. So many bodies. Had they... had they been eaten? It was impossible to tell from this distance, and truth be told, she didn't want to know. Turning to the side, Rarity threw up. With shaky hooves, she stood up and put the arrows away before teleporting up onto the roof.

She was General Rarity, she couldn't afford to slow down, to mourn, to stop. Ponies were counting on her. Teleporting from roof to roof, she evaded all the rubble and flames down below. Then out the corner of her eye, she caught a flicker of light. A second later a massive explosion sent her sprawling to the ground. Climbing onto her hooves, she watched as a group of ponies scramble out through the ruins of the building and behind various fallen debris for cover.

Twenty of them. A block over Rarity could see another ten ponies making their way over as they tried to get away from whatever was hunting them. She had been too late to save Midnight Sparkle and the two hundred ponies with him, but she was not going to fail these ponies. She would never fail another pony again.

With a sweeping motion of her horn, five bows appeared. The captain was the first to go down followed by three unicorns and a pagasus. Teleporting, she appeared on a sign on the opposite of the road almost directly above the enemy. A fireball was immediately fired down, catching another three and before the unicorn could put out the fire, he wound up with an arrow through the head.

Appearing behind a billboard, Rarity stepped out from behind her cover and fired three shots. The first caught a pagasi through the wing, the second fell to the ground dead, while the third found an arrow in her flank. Before she could figure out where the shot came from through, Rarity appeared above her. Slamming into her unprotected back, the pegasus was thrown to the ground. Still in mid air, the white unicorn teleported away to land safely on her hooves beside those she had just killed. Ripping each arrow free, she placed them back in her quiver and trotted over to those she had just rescued.

"Come on, we're all meeting up on Mane's Street, if you see any ponies let them-"

An army pegasus suddenly hit the ground beside her and on his back was Ditzy. "Reporting for duty!" Behind her were the ten ponies Rarity had seen before.

"This here is Colonel Ditzy Doo," I said, "I want you all to get to Mane Street and help out where you can. Ditzy, you're with me."

One look at my necklace and cutie mark and they knew who I was. With a salute they raced off down the road. The unicorn and pegasus gazed at each other. "I need to know what happened to Midnight."

"I..." For the first time in Rarity's life she saw the bubbly mare with a frown on her face. "I don't know. When I got there they were... They..."

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around Ditzy as tears leaked out. Together the two cried in the middle of the street for the loss of their comrade, perhaps even friend if their circumstances had been different. After a full minute, the two disengaged and shared a tear stained smile.

"We've got a job to do."

Ditzy nodded. "That we do. And thanks for the promotion, wait till Dinky hears about this! Momma's a Colonel now. Hmm..."

"No Ditzy, you can't make them give you their complimentary muffins," chuckled Rarity.

"Awwwwwwww..."

Laughing, the two friends began trotting down the road, making sure to keep an eye out for any other ponies they could help along the way. There was just something about the grey pegasus that could make any pony smile – then again, she did always claim her cutie mark was for her bubbly personality. Within the minute they made it to Mane Street and the place was deadly silent. The entire place had been fortified with tables, boulders, rubble from buildings and they even went so far as to destroy sections of buildings that hindered their defensive position. Whoever was placed in charge of this place had done a seriously good job.

"Pssst, General, over here." A yellow hoof waved at them from the window of a florists shop.

With just a bit of concentration, Rarity teleported them both into the room with their weapons drawn just in case it was a trap. At the startled cries and lack of ponies trying to kill them, the two mares relaxed, but they only put away their weapons when they saw Fancy Pants, Fleur and the Wonderbolts Wave Chill and Blaze.

"Okay, what news do you have and I've promoted Ditzy to rank of Colonel. Wonderbolts are now considered only subject to General orders and have the authority to out rule any pony with a rank lower than general in emergency situations. Fleur, Fancy – both of you are now Colonel's along with Mirage and Bulwark if they haven't done anything stupid. Now tell me the situation."

"Twilight has set up her own fortifications at the edge of the river," replied Wave Chill, "she's in an optimal position and can easily fall back if required. If she knows anything about tactics, she'll retreat as soon as she starts losing ponies in an attempt to draw us into a bottleneck on the bridge. The sole reason for setting up a defense on this side is to deter us and make it costly for us to take and if you look at the number of ponies station there, there's definitely not enough to stop a full frontal assault. It's a trap."

"Fleur and I have managed to obtain some maps of the sewers," said Fancy Pants while Fleur unrolled a parchment that had been drawn on, "From what we've been able to tell and if Wonderbolt Blaze's scouting is accurate-"

"I've got the best eyes on the team old man."

"-then there are three potential exit areas. The first will let us appear on the northern side of Manehatten well behind Nightmare Moon's barricade. A second will take us east out of Manehatten entirely and on the other side of the bridge. There are less exits in that area so and it'll be in a densely populated area so getting out without being detected will be difficult. The last one will have us appear behind Twilight on the coast to the southeast. It'll put us a lot closer to Twilight though compared to the others, but I should be able to procure transport out. There's also only one exit so everypony will be bunched together," finished Fancy.

"Any news on Mirage and Bulwark?" asked Rarity while pouring over the map.

"Last I saw they were getting captured," sighed Wave Chill. "I told them not to go in and that they were outnumbered, but they couldn't listen."

"Damn it!" All eyes were on her in shock. Running a hoof through her mane, she began tying it into a bun. "Blaze, how much longer till the other two groups get here?"

"Thirty minutes max."

Generosity... the virtue of giving. What was a greater gift than life?

"Here's the deal. Get everypony into the sewers. I want a half of the ponies lead by Fancy and Ditzy to head towards the southeastern exit. Fleur and Blaze will lead a third out west. Rest of you, you've got the rest going north. Blow a hole in the floor of the buildings if necessary, but make sure you move and you move fast. As soon as they figure out what's going on, they'll send ponies after you and towards the exits. I'll give you ten minutes head start before distracting Twilight. We've practically got a base in every town by now so finding a safe location shouldn't be difficult."

A cacophony of sound assaulted her ears as they all objected at the same time.

"Silence!" For once, it actually worked. "The priority is getting as many ponies out as safely and quickly as possible. They are Equestria, they are why we're in this fight, without them Dawn is nothing. I am the most qualified and the one Twilight is least likely to immediately blast into a million pieces. Furthermore, they'll want me alive – a guarantee none of you have. You will do as I have ordered or I will personally kick all of your flanks to the moon. Got that?"

The only sound was Rarity's heavy breathing.

"Good. You know your jobs, get to it. And try not to make too much of a commotion, I don't want them catching onto what's going on. Ditzy, stay behind if you will, I've got extra orders for you." Once the two were left alone once more, Rarity threw up a light and sound filter to stop any and all spying. Unclasping the Element of Generosity from her neck, she wrapped it around Ditzy's before stepping back. "What I am about to tell you is a secret, you cannot tell any other ponies other than the General's. Alright?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she recited dutifully.

A sad smile touched the unicorn's lips. "That right there is the Element of Generosity. When combined with the others it is the only thing that can defeat Nightmare Moon. Your priority and only priority is the get it back to Dawn safely you hear? That artifact will win us the war."

"Rarity..."

"No Ditzy, you've got a daughter to look after." Placing it into Ditzy's bag, Rarity closed her eyes. Creating the most complex illusionary spell she could, a second Element of Generosity appeared before her eyes and she laid it gently around her own neck. Sure, it wouldn't pass a close scrutiny, but it was enough.

There was a polite knock on the door before Wind Chill poked his head through. "The first ponies have entered the sewers General. Blaze reports no movement from Twilight and the others are still thirty minutes out. Also, we've set up some packets of glass shards, nails, et cetera all over the place for you to detonate if the need arises and don't worry, we've taken enough for us if we run into trouble."

"Thank you." Blue eyes met yellow. "Goodbye Ditzy, tell Dinky I said hello."

"No." Though tears leaked down her cheek, the pegasus returned the look with one of pure determination. "Not goodbye. I'll see you later... alright? I'll have a muffin waiting with your name on it."

"Ditzy..." A small smile graced her muzzle. "I'll hold you to that promise."

With one final hug, Rarity watched in silence as Ditzy made her way out into the street leaving her all alone. Ten minutes. Was it enough time for the to get away? Hopefully they won't get caught. Hopefully this was the right thing to do.

Twilight...

If you're still on our side, is this how you feel every day? A sense of doubt and fear, an inability to look yourself in the mirror every morning – fearing what'd stare back. Every night a prayer is sent to Princess Celestia, hoping for a sign to show that this is the right thing and every time there's no reply. Trying so hard to not kill ponies, to give them the chance to redeem themselves or to use none lethal methods, but sometimes... sometimes there's no helping it.

How is a monster defined? How many ponies have to die before a pony is labeled a monster?

Rarity looked down at a shard of glass and at the tear stained smile being reflected back up at her. Easing out the door, she breathed out, letting it mist up the air before her and with one last prayer to Princess Celestia, she walked out the door. Disappearing in a flash of light, she reemerged on the roof of a bakery and from this vantage point, locating Twilight was a simple matter. Drawing a normal arrow, she took careful aim before releasing.

It arced through the air perfectly and just as Rarity expected, the purple mare snatched it midflight. Their eyes met across the impossible distance between them and with simultaneous flashes of light, they appeared on the street below, three alicorn lengths between them.

"Rarity."

"Twilight."

"If you give yourself in, I'm sure Nightmare Moon will go easy on you." She gave an exaggerated glance down at her collar and Rarity peered at it closely – so that's it then, some sort of listening spell.

The white mare snorted in amusement. "And I'd trust you why?"

"I was hoping you'd say that." Twilight smiled cruelly as she drew out her short swords, sending shivers down Rarity's spine. "Tell me, how's Applejack doing?"

The two began circling each other.

"She's still in a wheelchair." Three glass arrows were selected.

"Oh that's a shame, I was hoping she'd still be in hospital."

Twilight suddenly lunged forward, a blade aiming straight for Rarity's neck, but it only met thin air. Appearing beside her, a powerful buck sent Twilight through the air. Both disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in their original positions.

"Teleporting in battle, impressive."

"I could say the same to you. Taking that buck must have hurt."

A nonchalant shrug. "I've been through worse."

Dashing forward, Twilight went once more for the thrust and Rarity teleported yet again to evade. This time though, Twilight vanished as well, reappearing beside the fashionetta. The blade ran across her armor, but failed to cut through. Blinking up onto the roof, a volley of arrows rained down. In one second, Rarity fired off another five arrows before she leapt off the roof and fired at her previous position. There was flash of purple followed by an explosion of as the arrow hit.

Tumbling through the air, Rarity shifted herself over to the building opposite and hit the ground. Rolling with the motion, she came up on one leg, three bows drawn and a quick telekinetic wave just in case Twilight wasn't caught in the blast. Firing just one bow, it hit the wall, exploded and sent the entire building to the ground.

From the swirling dust, three boulders were tossed out, each slamming into the building Rarity was on. Stumbling, a tense second passed before the entire structure began groaning. It tiled dangerously to the side and with a hasty teleport, she found herself on the building on the right just as the entire thing collapsed.

"Glass tipped arrows." The two stood with their backs facing each other. "Clever. And here I thought you had somehow found beauty in war."

"There is no beauty in this."

"Wrong!"

Two kinetic waves crashed into each other, the shockwave throwing both back. Hitting the ground, she came up on one knee and fired a volley a shots. Responding with a blast of wind, Twilight scattered the arrows in all directions. Immediately grasping them with her magic, Rarity flung them back towards the purple mare.

A look of shock came over Twilight's features as she stared down at the arrow in her flank. Then grasping it, she ripped it free and magic immediately danced over the wound, healing it up. Tossing it back to Rarity, she raised both swords once more.

"There is beauty in everything," said Twilight calmly. "There is beauty in the night, beauty in the sea and even beauty in war."

"Even in torture?"

That made her pause for a second. "Yes. There is probably even beauty in that if I looked hard enough."

"No." The air around Twilight crackled with magic as a dome of celestial arrows formed around her. "You're wrong. My cutie mark is beauty and I say there is no beauty in war!"

Every single last bolt slammed into the roof. Cracks spread throughout, snaking their way between Rarity's hooves, but she didn't care. Closing her eyes, she conjured the remnants of her magic into a single point and teleporting well outside the kill zone, unleashed it.

A pillar of pure light slammed into the building. It was as though a dozen party cannons went off right next to her ear and even looking near the pillar rendered her blind. The shockwave decimated several buildings nearby and even from five buildings away, Rarity found herself thrown to the ground. Below her, the restaurant groaned in protest, swaying dangerously, but not tipping. As the dust settled out and the light faded, the first thing she noticed was that the building was gone. Not destroyed, not in pieces, it was gone.

Vaporized.

And not just it, the buildings directly around it were in rubble and ponies that were guarding the bridge found themselves in the water. An entire block had been destroyed. A single spell had done all that in the blink of an eye.

"The power to destroy an army," whispered Rarity in awe. "This is the power of the Elements."

A slow clap ran out through the night.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Twilight appeared before Rarity, magic coating every inch of her body even as her armor laid in tatters. "But you used all your magic in that one single move."

"Stop playing with your food and bring her in already," sighed Nightmare Moon appearing beside her. "I swear if you would just take this seriously, Dawn would have been destroyed already. At least you got Trixie I suppose."

Rarity backed up, eyes darting around for an escape route, but that's when magical overload hit. Searing pain erupted at the base of her horn, absolutely consuming every coherent thought that could be made. All she could do was whimper like a foal as tried to push past it, but it was no use. All that magic all at once coupled with using all her magic had left her severely crippled. She might as well not have a horn at all.

"Picky picky, I was merely waiting for that to happen." Stepping forward, Twilight bound her friend up in chains and slipped a magic suppression ring over her horn. "At least we have one of the El- Oh come on! Nightwish!"

The pegasus was immediately by her side. "You called sweetie?"

"Oh shut up. Search the entire area, she doesn't have her Element on her so she must have passed it off before distracting us. Tell Silent Spell to go through the rubble as well, there's a slim chance it might have fallen off in the fight, though I highly doubt it."

"And I shall take our prisoner back to the castle," said Nightmare Moon. "We have one Element bearer and that's almost as good as having the physical element. You have done well Twilight."

With a flash of her horn, the alicorn and white mare vanished into the night.

Rainbow Dash bucked the thundercloud as hard as she could. Her hooves stung, her mane was slick with sweat and each time she breathed, her side throbbed, but that didn't stop her. As the lightning bolt shot out, she directed it with her innate pegasus magic so that it went exactly where she wanted. It was fine grain precision work and it was giving her one heck of a headache.

Gliding down onto the ground, she made sure to hover in the air instead of landing as she examined her work. With a nod of approval, she ruffled through her sack, she bought out the next dog tag before flying back up into the sky. Taking a deep breath, she took a second to force the pain away. Then with a carefully aimed kick and an equally careful use of magic, she began writing.

Back and forth she went. One minute in the sky the next down by the stone monument she had carved. It was rough, it was ragged and it was nowhere near enough to make up for what she had done, but... But it was better than nothing. A simple stone monument with their names and the date carved into the stone surface.

It had been eroded by days of rain and wind as she worked through the night and though it was perfectly smooth, it still wasn't enough. It should have been made from marble and ten times a pony's height. It should be located in the main Canterlot Castle courtyard and not in the middle of the Everfree Forest. The names should have been done by a professional, an unicorn who could write in that fancy cursive style rather than her barely legible writing.

Nothing would ever be enough, but it was a start.

With the dog tags safely in her saddlepack, she had no doubt she missed some ponies in the search through the Everfree Forest, but over a hundred was a good start. Not perfect, not enough, but it was a beginning. And maybe, just maybe, someday she'd forgive herself for what she had done.

"And when this is all over," whispered Dash into the wind, "I'll find your families and I'll hand them your tag and I'll apologize. Though I don't deserve to be forgiven, I am still sorry for what happened."

Tears dripped onto the soft ground, but for once Dash wasn't ashamed.

"I won't stop though. I am fighting for Equestria and that does mean hurting other ponies, but... It is an evil that must be done. Maybe someday I can forgive myself. Maybe..."

Leaning forward, she touched her forehead to the cool hard stone, staining it with her tears. Then, without another word or a backward look, she took to the air and began carving once more.

Chapter 18

I missed her. Missed her more than I thought possible. And really, it was impossible to not think of her, after all it was eternal night and that was her domain. Even now I could feel her calling out for me, pressing up against my mind as she tried to pull me into her dream space so we could talk face to face. Dear Celestia, when was the last time we spoke? Over six months ago I think.

Six months...

I wasn't sure who needed the other more. For those first two months, she was what kept me sane. A fellow prisoner to talk to who had also suffered and still suffered. During those blissful moments of peace, everything actually felt normal and I could forget about Nightmare Moon and the Elements and the torture. During those first weeks Luna kept me sane and a part of me liked to think that I kept her sane in return.

She was my only friend in this endless nightmare and to ignore her pleas of help was like a dagger through the heart. I'd rather undergo torture again than continue ignoring her, but I had no choice. Nightmare Moon knew when we communicated and if I wanted her to trust me enough to tell me where she had stashed Celestia, I had to ignore Luna entirely. A single misstep and I'd be back in the dungeon next to Rarity.

I idly turned the page in the novel. And then there was the matter of Celestia and her little clues. This was the tenth book now? Eleventh? I don't know, but it was starting to piss me off. Sure, logically I knew she had to hide the bread crumbles, but seriously? Over ten books and each one took hours to decipher and figure out. Worst case scenario was that either this was all a ploy by Nightmare Moon or I made a wrong step way back at the first book. I hate my life.

A sigh escaped.

"Why the sigh?"

Opening my eyes, I looked over at Nightmare Moon. "Just wondering how much longer this civil war will continue."

"So you tire of it too." She sat down next to me on the roof, gazing out over Canterlot before speaking, "I wish every night was as peaceful as this one."

"I doubt you came here for idle chatter considering an ambassador from the Changlings is here."

Her eyes flickered over to mine and we held each other's gaze for a brief second before turning back to the flickering nightlife before us. "We're currently holding a recess. I wished to ask what you believe we should do with Rarity."

My throat was suddenly dry, but with a practiced ease, my expression and body language gave nothing away. Torture was out of the question, there was no way I'd subject any pony to that which left only one option. "Execution in three days time."

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Explain."

"Right now we need a moral boost. Some guard released the important prisoners from Manehatten raid and it's obvious that Dawn is still very active despite us taking out their base in the Everfree Forest – where we found nothing might I add. Moral is down. Execute her and it'll give us all a boost."

"Why not straight torture?" Though her voice was perfectly level, I could feel the curiosity practically radiating off her.

"She's an Element Bearer and a powerful one at that. By all accounts, destroying that city block should have been beyond her and yet she pulled it off after dueling me for an extended period of time. Furthermore, just because her magic has been cut off does not mean the Element's magic has been cut off. For example, one of the books stated that the Element of Honest can force the truth out of a pony and this was talking about a pegasus."

"You've been researching the Elements," she accused.

I shrugged in response. "Well I did hold the Element of Magic and we are going up against them. I thought it'd be prudent to know my enemy and what they are capable of."

As well as how they function so I can use them to defeat you, you filthy parasite.

"Hm..." Closing her eyes for a second, she took a deep breath. "Tonight I shall announce the execution date to be in three days time and that it shall take place in Las Pegasus. You shall be the commanding officer and you have free reign over how many ponies you wish to take with you and the tactics behind the operation. I have no doubt all the Element Bearers will be present so be prepared to face them all at once. Oh, and put a tracking spell on Rarity as well."

"Alright." I resisted the urge to swear. At least Rarity won't be tortured so that's better than nothing, even if it does mean the others might be caught. "I better go prepare then."

"Before you go Twilight Sparkle." A portal appeared before me. "I still want you to torture Rarity in the coming days to see if we can get any valuable information out of her."

Oh buck me.

Ignoring her stupid, evil, smug smile, I stepped through the portal and felt my heart freeze instead my chest. I wanted to curl up in a ball, to whimper like a foal and to cry my eyes out. Already bile was rising in my throat as the familiar scents and sights hit me like a ton of bricks. I had nightmares about this place. I still have nightmare about this place. For as long as I live, this place will haunt my memories. This was where I learnt the true meaning of pain.

The world suddenly spun around me and I dropped onto my knees with my head pressed against the stone floor. Taking a steadying breath, I channeled magic through my horn and after a bit of complex spell weaving, my weariness was brushed to one side and everything was fine once more. Sure, I'd pay for it later, but it meant not needing to sleep and hence dream, it was worth it. Standing back up on shaky hooves, I looked up at the white mare stretched before me on the wall. She gazed at me silently with a slight frown on her face, eyes raking my body as though tracing something and it was only then that I realized I had left my cloak in my room. Sure the scars had faded slightly more, but they were still there for the world to see. With the barest of thoughts, I conjured up an illusion to hide the marks – actually what in the world was I doing? This wasn't a time to become vain.

"I'm sorry." At my curious look she continued with tears leaking down her cheek, "For leaving you alone with Nightmare Moon that first night. For not rescuing you when we came for Spitfire. I'm sorry."

"By the end of tonight, you won't be saying that anymore."

A shimmering ethereal blade hovered before me. Though I was the one creating it this time, the mere sight of it made me want to run and hide though I doubt I'd be able to pull that off at all considering my legs were shaking so badly I might as well have been in an earthquake. Oh dear Celesita, why?

Maybe I could help her escape?

No. It was a nice thought, but ultimately silly. I wasn't about to give up everything I've done and I was sure Rarity could take it. Even if she couldn't, she'd have to. Plus, I still had no clue where this holding cell was so even if I could help her escape, for all I knew we could be on some island in the middle of the ocean.

There was one way out of this though. The question was, would it be worse than torturing my friend?

Stabbing her with the blade, her screams echoed through the room. Squeezing my eyes tight shut, I blocked out all sound as I concentrated on my spell, slowly crafting it with expert precision. One wrong move and I'd permanently damage her mind. Pulling the blade free, I gave her a minute of rest while her body healed up and so that I could check my work without distractions. Once I had quadruple checked, I stabbed the blade back into her and touched my horn to her forehead. Magenta waves spread out from the spot and stepping back, I examined her for a couple of seconds before smiling. The lack of blood and death was a good sign. Dispelling the sword, Rarity slumped forward, panting heavily and trembling, but the screaming stopped. Another good sign.

Now all I had to do was torture her for the next hour then cast the sister spell and it'd wipe the memory of everything in between letting her last thoughts form a story in its place. Not a perfect solution, but at least she won't remember any of it... even if I will. But that was just one more memory and one more sin I'll take to my grave.

Out the corner of my eye, phantom Celestia nudged a metal pole and at the familiar sight, bile actually rose in my throat. Swallowing it back down, I tore my gaze away. Sure, impaling a pony was surprisingly effective – especially if they were kept conscious throughout the whole ordeal, but I wasn't about to do that to one of my friends even if she won't remember it.

"Now, let's have some fun shall we?"

The first thing Rainbow Dash noticed were the gryphons. Sure, there had been a couple to join their forces, but it was still possible to go days on end without seeing one other than Gilda or Silvia. Now though? Everywhere she looked there was a gryphon in armor chatting with ponies or moving crates or just helping out in general.

It was freaky.

For as long as she could remember Gilda was treated with contempt, annoyance and hostility. After all, that's why they ended up best friends – two fillies alone in an unfamiliar world. Now... now they were all working together and chatting like old friends. Perhaps war wasn't all evil after all, perhaps there were moments of harmony within the sea of chaos.

"Rainbow Dash!" An orange blur tackled the pegasus to the ground.

"Heh, hello to you too Scoots, been keeping up with your studies?" At the filly's groan, Dash laughed and ruffled her hair. "Sorry I've been gone, had some stuff to take care of. So lay it on me kid, what's been going on? How's life? How's the crusading going?"

Her eyes widened to unbelievable sizes, "No way, you know about us?"

Chuckling, Dash got back onto her hooves and began trotting down the corridor. "Of course. Pretty hard not to have heard of the CMC. Pretty awesome thing you've got going on there." Leaning close, she added in an exaggerated whisper, "And trust me, I know something about awesome."

The resulting explosion of glee could have powered Manehatten for a thousand years. And at the centre of it all was Rainbow Dash, a radiant smile on her face as she gazed down lovingly at the filly bouncing around her. Like all good things though, it had to eventually come to an end and this particular case, it ended when Applejack entered the room to see what the commotion was all about.

"So sugarcube, where have ya been?" The two rivals stared at each other, their elements glowing brightly in a dimly light room.

"On private matters."

"Ya know, keeping a secret is just another form of lying." She tilted her stetson back and fixed that look on Dash. "And Ah dislike liars."

Instead of backing down though, Dash merely held the gaze with one of her own. Already she could feel Applejack's will press down against her own, forcing her to bend to it or be destroyed so Dash did what she always did when faced with impossible challenges – she fought back. Their wills slammed together, each pressing against the other in a battle for dominance. Both their elements glowed and pulsed with each heartbeat, flooding the room and tingeing everything a deep red. Dash's mane gently lifted off her back, flowing in the nonexistent breeze as electricity zapped in the air around them.

With a final shove, Applejack stumbled back, gasping for breath as perspiration dripped through her mane.

"Sorry kiddo, but it seems like I've got to talk to my friend over there and see what's up. Catch you later alright?" Without waiting for a reply, she trotted over to Applejack, grabbed her by the element around her neck then proceeded to drag the surprised earth pony towards the conference room. "I don't know what's going on with you and your freaky mind reading powers, but here's the deal. Being loyal also means being loyal to yourself and from what I can see, you're not the Applejack I used to know. Truthfully, I want the old one back."

"War changes ponies."

"Of course it does, but that doesn't mean we should stop being loyal to ourselves. Now what's been going on since I've been gone?" Kicking open the door, Dash froze at the weird scene before her. There, sitting in her seat was a pony sized dragon drinking tea with Flutter, Gilda, Silvia and Spitfire all in armor. "Okay, so not only are there gryphons everywhere, there's a miniature dragon. That's totally not weird at all. And I have to say, dragons look way cooler when not pony sized."

"Ah, Rainbow Dash, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance," spoke the white dragon in cultured voice reminiscent of high society Manehatten. Stepping towards the startled pegasus, he kissed the back of her hoof before guiding her towards her seat. "My name is Lei and I am here capacity of an... ambassador I believe is the closest translation in your language. It is a great honor to meet the Bearers of Harmony, though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Okay. Seriously. What the buck is going on here?" Dash's gaze swept over everypony in the room. "First of all, there are gryphon's everywhere when last week we didn't even have ten. Secondly, there's a dragon sitting in our meeting room and he's the size of a pony. Lastly, why is everypony in armor!"

Putting down her cup of tea with s soft clink, Flutter turned her gaze to her fillyhood friend. "Rarity was captured yesterday by Nightmare Moon. This morning, approximately two hours ago, an announcement was made stating the execution will be in two days time at dusk. Location will be the Las Pegasus Coliseum. We're putting everypony on alert and getting them all into gear while we work out our plan of assault. I want everypony ready to move as soon as we're done here."

"And the dragon and tea?" Her eyes narrowed. "And are those biscuits?"

"We have to keep our strength up and Lei here is a pretty damn good strategist," said Gilda. "Plus, he technically represents the dragons and Applejack vetted him personally."

"He arrived just this morning actually. One of our scouts spotted him flying in from over White Tail Wood," added Silvia.

"You praise me with your words Gilda, but I had merely been taught Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' at a young age and the experience of a long life time," replied the dragon with a blush. "As for the biscuits, I fear that was my fault, the flight over was a long and arduous one and General Fluttershy kindly offered me some refreshments."

"Alright, alright." Waving her hoof, Dash leaned forward examining the map closely just to refresh her memory of the layout. Four ground level entrances for non-pegasi, four ceiling entrances for pegasi, lower levels for competitors with no entrances and reinforced, tinted windows as well as having an open floor for the coliseum.

"What's th-"

There was a loud bang as the door was bucked open. "Why was Trixie not informed of the meeting!"

There was a pause as General Rainbow Dash gazed at the newcomer with Twilight's element on her head. Then her eyes drifted back to those already at the table. "Do I even want to know?"

"How dare you ignore the Great and Powerful Trixie! She is the-"

"The Element of Magic," replied Dash with a sigh, her eyes already on the map. "And I'm the Element of Loyalty, Fluttershy is Kindness while Applejack who's over there sulking in the corner holds Honesty. Just because yours is a tiara does not make you better or greater than us. If you want us to be loyal to you then be loyal to us. If you want us to trust you then trust us."

Dash looked up at the others. "So what's the plan so far?" All she got in return was silence. "Well?"

"You've changed sugarcube..."

"War changes ponies." A blue hoof tapped the map. "The plan?"

"We're going for a two pronged hit. First unit will hit the lower entrance and act as a distraction lead by Silvia, Fleetfoot and Trixie. Trixie, your job is to blow a hole in the southern wall and to distract Twilight Sparkle-"

"Trixie is satisfied with this plan."

"-while Silvia is there to teleport everyone out. The second will come in through the top entrances and take Rarity out through the open floor once Twilight has committed her forces to stop our first attack. This will be a small unit lead by Rainbow Dash and Soarin. Spitfire and I will be in charge of our aerial forces to open a path to get our extraction unit through and to keep them busy. Fluttershy will stay back with Lei and Spike out to command our units and make sure everyone knows what they're doing with Applejack there to guard them. Lastly, Pinkamina will rendezvous with us and act as our reserves and as a highly mobile unit to assist as needed," said Gilda.

"Alright. That should work if Miss I'm-So-Awesome over there can actually blow down a wall," said Dash.

A snort escaped from Applejack, but the one to break out laughing first was Gilda and as soon as that happened everyone else joined in except the dragon, Dash and Trixie. Rolling her eyes, Dash trotted out the door. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I'm going to get changed into my gear and meet you all out front."

"Wait, does Trixie have equipment as well?" asked Silvia.

"I don't believe so. Hey Dash! Mind outfitting Trixie as well?" asked Gilda

"Sure," replied Dash. "I needed to talk to her anyways."

"About what?" asked Trixie with an arched eyebrow.

Closing the door behind them, Dash began leading her towards the armory. "Applejack has her whole truth thing, but I'm loyalty. What I want to know is, what's the deal with your grudge with Twilight? You seemed extremely happy when you found out you'd be fighting her."

"Twilight Sparkle is a monster who murdered the entire village under Trixie's command. Revenge will be hers."

"Huh. Well then I suppose I'm next in line."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Reaching into her saddlebag, she pulled out a single dog tag and tossed it over to Trixie. "I've got two hundred and fifty seven of them in my bag. By my guess, at least fifty were directly killed by me and even more indirectly. I probably also put much more in hospital. If Twilight's a monster than so am I."

"That's completely different!" yelled Trixie.

"Not really. The ponies make up Equestria and we fight for Equestria. It doesn't matter which side they're on, ponies are ponies are ponies. They have feelings, emotions, loved ones, friends. Some have probably been forced into the war in order to make a living or maybe even drafted. My hooves are just as red as Twilight's."

"But she doesn't regret her actions!"

"And you know this how? Have you put her under a truth spell and made her tell you? Maybe some mind magic? No? Then shut up. Everypony killed is a sin. War is not a justification and should never be a justification. There should never be a justification to having to kill another pony. We have to be loyal to ourselves and the Equestria we came from – one where everypony was in harmony and sin was clearly defined. So tell me Trixie, how many ponies have you killed?"

At the silence that greeted her words, a sad sigh escaped. "Heh, just listen to me getting all philosophical. Gilda will never let me live this down if she hears of it. It's just something for you to think about. Sometimes we're the very thing we hate most."

Stopping at the door to the armory, Dash looked over her shoulder while her necklace glowed even brighter, humming with barely contained power. "It's obvious whatever happened between you and Twilight is eating away at you. Stop hiding and face it head on." A chuckled escaped. "Of course, doing that is exactly how I ended up with such badly burnt hooves so maybe my advice is not the best."

As the chromatic pegasus walked through the door, Trixie could only stare on in total silence. Everything she had been told about the pegasus revolved around smugness, arrogance and an inflated ego (though a certain little filly she had talked to disagreed on those being a negative quality) and yet there she was examining each piece of armor with a critical eye. Was she confident? Yes, of course she was, but there was something off about the mare. She was too calm, too collected, too... too regal. And then there was the matter of her necklace, it shone brighter than the rest, almost drowning out the others back in the conference room. There was something about that pegasus and Trixie didn't know what it was.

And she hated not knowing.

"Hey! You gonna stand there or you gonna come in and get some armor?" Shaking her head, Trixie trotted through the open door towards the insufferable pegasus. "Sorry about the poor quality stuff, but it seems all of the good pieces have already been taken."

There was that feeling again. A sense of comfort and belonging, almost as though she'd be safe as long as she was around this pegasus. Trixie hated this feeling. The only mare she had ever been comfortable around was her mother and to have a random, stuck up mare induce that same feeling in her now was like a stain. All the unicorn wanted to do was buck Rainbow into the nearest convenient wall or maybe give her a lecture and just exactly why she sucked. About how the Element of Loyalty vanished for days on end without a single word, essentially being disloyal to Dawn. But something stopped her. She wasn't sure what, but something did.

"Here, try this on."

Without a second thought, she slipped into the chainmail suit before frowning. Now why exactly had she gone and done that? The thing was dirty and rusted and was not fit for her at all. Trixie needed something like what Twilight wore – something that'd speak of her magnificence and importance.

"Not good?" Dash finally noticed the frown. "Perhaps something lighter then?"

"Um... too loose," replied Trixie quickly. Adjusting the straps, Trixie took a couple of steps before doing a series of movements to test out her full range of mobility. "That's perfect. Though next time Trixie demands something of a higher quality."

"Yeah, yeah, just be glad you actually got something, some ponies will be going into the battle without any armor at all," said Dash with a frown. "Actually take mine. The fit will be slightly off as the gryphon's specifically tailored it for me, but you'll need it more than me."

"What?"

"Heh, you think some lame-o ponies will be able to hit something as awesome as me? Please, I'm so awesome it radiates out and acts like some sort of super cool barrier that deflects all harm from me."

The blue unicorn stared down at the suit of armor in confusion. This didn't make sense, none of this made sense. Did she want to get killed? Surely it wasn't because she was actually concerned, but one look into her eyes said that was exactly the reason. A snort of irritation escaped.

"Trixie doesn't need your charity, she's survived perfectly well on the street by herself in the past."

"I don't doubt that, but you'll be fighting Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. And she doesn't play fair, loves teleporting and uses swords. If you want to take her down, you'll want all the help you can take."

With a snarl, Trixie grabbed the Rainbow's armor and put it on. It was a bit tight in places, but otherwise it fit snuggly. "Just for the record, Trixie could win without this, but better safe than sorry."

"I never doubted it."

Chapter 19

"I understand the desire to be early darling, but don't you think being three hours early is a bit of an overkill?" asked Rarity.

Rolling my eyes, I picked up my knight and took her pawn. "Please, there are spies in our ranks and clearing them out has taken a while. There is no doubt in my mind that if you needed to be moved from one location to another they'd know exactly when and the route taken to intercept. But stashing you in the athletes' rooms downstairs means no messy escort to deal with."

"Ah, so it was a tactical decision." She immediately moved her bishop to E7 using her mouth. "How nice of you to be so forth coming with such details."

Shrugging, I contemplated the chessboard before us. "I see no point in trying to hide such details considering any semi-competent tactician would be able to figure it out."

"Of course darling." She eyed the chess pieces before us. "Normally I'm all for flattery, but modeling these pieces after us is rather morbid if you ask me."

"Really?" I levitated the Rainbow Dash castle, examining it in the moonlight before taking it with a piece modeled after General Sunset Horizons. "I rather like the thematic element behind it. Me representing Nightmare Moon and you representing Celestia. At this very moment I have no doubt Dawn are moving their pieces in an attempt to rescue you much as we are playing a chess game right now."

"And yet you're sitting here playing chess with me rather than organizing a defense," she remarked.

Leaning back in my seat, I gazed out over at the ponies arrayed around us before looking up at the night sky. "The defense has already been organized. I've got forces outside the coliseum that'll immediately flank any assaults whether it's land and air. Also got unicorns hidden all throughout Las Pegasus to shoot down their aerial unit and scouts positioned to follow any pegasus messengers. As far as I'm concerned, the ball is in their court."

"I suppose that explains where your silent companion is at."

"Silent Spell? Yeah..." A sigh escaped as I gazed at my friend, though I doubt she'd still consider me the same. As much as I wished to consider Nightwish and Silent to be friends, I knew we'd never be that close if I could help it.

"Queen to D5," whispered a voice by my ear.

"Huh?" I looked to my right, but there was no pony there except faceless guards. "Did someone say something?"

Both Rarity and Nightwish gave me quizzical expressions, but shook their heads. Funny, I could have sworn I hear-

"Queen to D5 my faithful student."

My body froze as fear seeped through every pore of my body. Very slowly, I turned my head to the left even as my entire body shook and as a cold sweat coated my body. There beside me with a loving smile on her face was phantom Celestia.

"Queen to D5, trust me."

"You alright?" asked Rarity with a concerned frown on her face.

"Yes!" I cleared my throat and gave her a weak smile. "I mean, yes, perfectly fine, n-"

"You haven't been getting enough sleep have you?" accused Nightwish. "I keep telling you that you should sleep more, but nooooooo, you insist on staying up until you practically collapse from exhaustion."

I rolled my eyes and ignored Rarity's concerned look. "You are not my mother."

Before the conversation could get anywhere more random, a massive fireball blossomed in the night sky. Very calmly and deliberately, I moved my queen to D5 without even glancing up. "Looks like your friends are here. This will be interesting."

"You're just going to sit here and let them get killed?"

"Of course not. They know what they need to do and I trust them. Loyalty also means trusting others to do what needs to be done after all."

There was suddenly a large explosion from behind me followed by ponies screaming and crying out in pain.

"Twilight Sparkle! The Great and Powerful Trixie demands a rematch!" With her magically enhanced voice, it carried easily through the air.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I have a certain mare to stomp into a pulp." Channeling magic into my horn, I teleported off the stage I was on.

Time to see if you deserve the Element of Magic. Show me what you've got.

The group of pegasi and gryphons lay in wait under the heavy blanket of an invisibility spell. With the clear night sky, they were forced to hide out on rooftops rather than clouds. For once, Rainbow Dash was actually glad of eternal night – it meant they were actually decently well hidden and for once, they had the initiative. Off in the distance, pegasi drifted backwards and forwards on their little clouds, keeping a close eye on the sky. As far as the scouts and spies could tell, every single last angle had been covered by Twilight. So much for her helping Dawn.

"You ready Captain Spitfire?" asked Dash. Not once did she move from her position at the front of the pack.

"Ready and waiting General."

"Soarin?"

"On your mark General."

"Do it."

Even though they were a good block away from the outer perimeter of the defense, they could feel the temperature drop and when they breathed, it misted the air before them. Dash glanced behind her and gave the assembled group a warm smile and they immediately perked up, shrugging off the chill as though it was nothing. Before them, a fog descended over the area, blotting out the sky and providing a perfect cover for their team. Even now, Gilda would be leading a group through the opaque sky. After ten seconds, Soarin's entire body slumped to the ground and Spitfire was immediately by his side, easing him to the ground.

"Go back to camp and get some rest Soarin," ordered Dash. "Spitfire, you're up. The rest of you, on my mark and do try to keep up."

Kicking lazy off the building, she spiraled in up into the air where she hovered, eyes looking out into sky before nodding down to Dash. Taking out a vial of red dragon fire, Dash threw it into the air with all her might and off went Spitfire, rocketing after it. Halfway into the night sky and just beyond Dash's vision, Spitfire smashed headfirst into the vial letting the trapped flames free. Now completely engulfed in a flaming tornado, she shot through the enemy line. Then once she was at the heart, she flared her wings sending a wave of fire in all directions.

Just behind her, was Gilda and battalion who had used the thermals created to get a height advantage. A greater height meant a greater speed and in aerial ambush, speed was everything. They slammed into the enemy line, completely cutting through it and in the blink of an eye; the eastern aerial defense was crushed.

Ponies rained down from the sky.

Fireballs were tossed up from the ground in a vain attempt to salvage what they could, but that merely gave more ammunition to Spitfire. Again and again, she cut through the enemy line while Gilda used the thermals to their advantage. Off in the distance, she could see a section of the coliseum wall collapse as Trixie joined the fray.

"Squad Two and Three mark the enemy unicorn positions and take them out."

With a nod, the two groups of pegasi jumped off the edge of the building and began making their way through the night sky. Within the minute, the unicorns had been silenced. Although Dash couldn't see them, she knew they had immediately dispersed and taken on a scouting role. It was imperative that they cleared out an escape route for Trixie's group.

Rainbow Dash hated this. All these ponies dying for no apparent reason. Reaching up, she touched the dog tag she wore around her neck and gave a silent prayer to Gaia and Celestia. As long as she regretted this, as long as she didn't try to justify these deaths then maybe, just maybe, she could sleep at night.

Off on the other side of the coliseum, above Trixie's entry point, lightning flare up – no doubt it was Echo or one of the other Wonderbolts. Another minute passed in silence before a large group of pegasi could be seen coming in from the distance behind Gilda and Spitfire.

"If one of you manages to beat me, I'll pay for all the drinks tonight." Flaring open her wings, Dash looked back with a cocky grin on her face. "On my mark."

Cocky, arrogant, confident. There was no question about whether they would win tonight – to Dash it was already an assured thing. Concentrating her magic, she waited patiently for the pegasi to get into range while Gilda reformed her ranks to protect her exposed flank. Then, as they drifted over the moon, Dash kicked off with so much raw power it shattered windows, cracked the tiles underhoof, and left concentric circles in the air behind her.

To those watching the night sky, they would have seen a single prismatic lance pierce the night sky.

She cut straight through the centre, battering them aside with the turbulence left in her wake. Then at the top of her flight arc, she bought her back hooves around and bucked the thin air. Bright white light filled the night sky, and bolts of lightning flashed out in all directions, stunning everything it touched. In that split second, the Dawn Brigade pushed forward with a deafening roar and for the second time that night, the defensive line collapsed. With an almost lazy loop, she folded her wings, blasted past her own squad aiming straight towards the upper coliseum entrance.

A pegasus with a blue and a green eye appeared before Dash and before she could react, a powerful buck sent her spiraling through the air. A quick twist and flip, she righted herself just in time to flip over a second attack. Folding her wings, she dropped down on top of her attacker only to miss as he weaved around the blow. The countering buck slammed into Dash with the force of a train. Grabbing onto the outstretched hoof, she ignore the pain and tossed him off. Closing the distance, all that speed was transferred into a bone-crunching buck.

But it missed.

Wings snapped shut and she dropped down, the counterblow missing her head by mere inches. Before Dash could reply with her own attack though, Spitfire tackled the pegasus. Gilda suddenly appeared behind him and though none of her spear thrusts hit, each of them drew blood.

"Nightwish," hissed Spitfire.

"Dash, get out of here! Stick to the plan."

No. Not again. Please, no. It was like the night Nightmare Moon returned all over again. There was Twilight, yelling at them to get away, creating barriers in an attempt to slow the alicorn down before finally engaging her in single combat and teleporting them away. This couldn't be happening again, this wouldn't happen again and yet here she was.

"Get going!" yelled Gilda as she intercepted Nightwish. "For Equestria remember?"

Those final three words snapped into perspective. For Equestria. For Celestia. For the new dawn. Loyalty also meant trusting other ponies and to not fret over them every single minute of every single day. Newfound energy surged through her, she blasted away from the three dueling ponies, leaving behind a rainbow streak, and a shrill whistle as her squad tried to keep up.

The original plan was to go through the upper entrance and take out the guards sneakily before rescuing Rarity in the chaos. Considering the number of holes in roof through, they just blasted straight through. Hovering the air above the chaos, she could make out Trixie and Twilight dueling off to one side. Considering every pony stayed as far away from them as possible, it wasn't hard to miss. By the entrance was Silvia being pressured by a squad of unicorns and Fleetfoot was busy protecting a crippled Rapidfire by the seats. In the center of the entire coliseum was Rarity, surrounded by a ring of pegasi and unicorns.

"Sunny, take Rainfall and Velocity to help Silvia. Eclipse, System, Sparks – help the Wonderbolts. Rest of you wit-"

A massive explosion shook the area, blasting them back and up as all the grounded ponies tumbled to the ground. Expertly twisting and spinning in midair, Dash managed to keep her eyes trained on Rarity as she wobbled around on the stage. Then, just as the shaking stopped, a magenta aura surrounded the chair behind the white unicorn and slammed into her back throwing her off the platform and into the empty sky.

"Rarity!"

The world blurred as Rainbow Dash took off at break neck speeds chasing after the falling unicorn. She ignored the pegasi chasing after her; she ignored the searing pain in her side from a wayward arrow. She ignored everything except the tiny white speck before her. All she knew was that she was going to catch her friend before she became a stain on the ground. Rainbow Dash was not about to give up, she was never going to give up.

After all, she'd never leave a friend hanging.

Four hundred ponies. Over four hundred to be exact and at one point, there were four hundred and fifty six ponies. Trixie knew each of them by face, by name and by cutie mark. They had all looked up to her, all those foals who wanted to grow up to be like her and in the end, she had let them all down. Every single last one of them. A few had escaped, she knew Nightingale had managed to make his way to Dawn, but the few times their eyes met, he always immediately looked away. Turns out his entire family had died when Reinsville fell. Personally, Trixie was surprised he hadn't smacked her already considering that's what she'd do. Except with magic. Lots and lots of magic.

"Ow!"

Shoving her depression to one side, Trixie fixed the two Wonderbolt's before her with a glare. "What did you do this time?"

"Don't look at me!" said Rapidfire. "I was just chatting-"

"You mean flirting," muttered Fleetfoot under her breath.

"-with Silvia here and this crazy mare decided to hit me! She's insane, grade A insane." A smug grin suddenly appeared as he leaned close to saw in an exaggerated whisper, "Just between you and me Trixie, I think it's because she's jealous I didn't hit o- Ow!"

This time it was Trixie who smacked the flirtatious pegasus. "Keep your mind on the job. Trixie swears Spitfire made you join this team to punish Trixie."

Glancing over her shoulder, the showmare let her eyes wander of the assault group arrayed behind her. Each face was cemented into her mind. There were a hundred and ten ponies as well as an additional thirty gryphons, and she was in charge of each and every single one of them. This time though, she was not going to let any harm to come to any of them. It didn't matter if that meant diving in front of a fire ball or taking an arrow to the eye or even sacrificing herself so they could all escape, she was going to make sure every single one of them got out of this battle alive and with all their limbs. Four hundred dead ponies were four hundred too many and she was not about to add more. She would ensure every single last one of them survived.

"Hey! Stop hitting me, I said I was sorry," whined Rapidfire as he hid under a wing from Fleetfoot's furious attacks.

"Silvia, please get them to stop," sighed Trixie.

Clearing her throat, the gryphoness gave Trixie a sly wink before saying in a louder than necessary voice, "Hey Trixie, those two sure fight like a married couple don't they? You'd almost think that all this fighting was their way of flirting with each other."

Identical looks of horror appeared on the Wonderbolts' faces as they scrambled away from each other faster than a pony could blink.

"Thanks..." The blue unicorn glanced over at Silvia who had an innocent smile on her face. "Though Trixie was hoping they'd still be willing to talk to each other."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a gryphon, not an alicorn and most certainly not a miracle worker." Fire suddenly bloomed in the sky and together, they watched as the two groups of pegasi slammed into each other. "Well there's our signal, Trixie, time to do your thing."

"That's the Great and Powerful Trixie to you," snapped the unicorn.

Gathering her magic, she grabbed a mere hoof full, focused it, and unleashed a bolt of pure magic. It flew through the window and slammed into the coliseum wall. The resulting explosion sent every pony to the ground and it broke more than one window. With cape and hat firmly in place, Trixie trotted through the dust. Diving through the wall, she unleashed a telekinetic wave that enlarged the hole even further while breaking the bones of those unfortunate enough to be within five pony lengths of her.

"Twilight Sparkle! The Great and Powerful Trixie demands a rematch!" With her magically enhanced voice, it carried easily through the air.

A wave of fire rolled outward, consuming everything in her path as she shot down pegasi after pegasi with blue bolts of magic. Blocking a fireball, the white lance she conjured easily cut through the unicorn's shield and then with a bit more magic, it exploded engulfing all those within ten feet. A second wave of fire pushed those attempting to get close back. Just as more white lances rained down from the sky, a purple bolt of electricity arced between each one overloading them with magic. Exploding in a shower of white, Trixie quickly sent out a wave of telekinesis. The grunt from Twilight as she was thrown into the nearby wall was music to her ears.

Turning invisible, Trixie rolled to the side just as Twilight teleported and came down on her original location. A blast of magic erupted from Trixie's horn, but a simple shield spell deflected it. The counter slice from Twilight's sword sliced through a lock of white mane and drew a bit of blood. Throwing out a wave of fire, a blast of air countered the spell sending the wave back towards Trixie. The blue unicorn had no choice, but to reveal her location with a shielding spell.

A barrage of spell slammed into the barrier sending Trixie to her knees even as she pumped more and more magic into it. All around her, she could see ponies dying in the skirmish. Gruesome injuries splattered the ground with gore as ponies suddenly found limbs missing or parts on fire. This wasn't supposed to happen, she was supposed to save them all, she was meant to keep them safe. There was Fleetfoot and Rapidfire fighting for their lives, there was Silvia sheltering a group from a bombardment of spells. Everywhere she looked ponies were in trouble.

No.

She would not let this happen. She was not going to lose a single more pony. Trixie was going to live up to her title, she was going to be great and powerful, and she was going to kick some serious flank. She was going to make her mother proud. Most importantly though, she was going to make Twilight Sparkle pay.

Power flooded her body and she pushed with her shield, forcing it to expand. Then with just a bit more magic, it exploded sending shards in all directions that tore her enemies to shreds. Leaning to the left, Twilight's blade missed by mere millimeters and raising a magical shield no larger than her head, Trixie deflected the next blow. And the next. And the next.

Each attack was expertly parried or dodged. Sure, she couldn't get a single hit in, but neither could Twilight. Deflecting a particularly viscous thrust, Trixie bucked with all her might before sending out a pair of ethereal shackles. With a sweep of her horn, they were dispelled by Twilight and she was suddenly in Trixie's face. Pain exploded as warm blood splashed over her face, soaking her mane and fur. But instead of stumbling back, Trixie focused all her magic into a single point and blasted Twilight across the room. With a hoof over her right eye, trying to stem the flow of blood, magic danced over the wound, but even she knew there was no use. Damaged tissue and broken bones were one thing, nerves and complex organs like the eye were another.

Stepping out from the rubble, Trixie afforded herself a small smile as magic flowed over Twilight, fixing up whatever damage had been done. Grasping the metal pipe with her magic, the lavender mare ripped it out of her shoulder without even wincing. Then, she went about systematically picking out the shards of glass and metal embedded in her body.

The two unicorns gazed at each other silently from across the room. All around them ponies cried out in pain and pegasi dropped from the sky, leaving holes in the roof and craters on the ground.

Illusion popped up all around Trixie – each one a perfect replica of herself and then with a burst of smoke, she turned herself invisible and immediately began moving towards Silvia. Hopefully, the illusions would keep the mare occupied long enough for her to rescue the gryphon. Scanning the room for those responsible, Trixie followed the spell trajectories and brought the wall down on top of them.

Behind her, a couple of her illusions exploded.

Turning her attention to the Wonderbolts, a sigh of relief escaped as they had managed to out of the situation they were in. Nonetheless, she still collapsed a section of the seating, sending the group of archers to the ground. Wiping the blood from her single open eye, Trixie turned back to Twilight Sparkle just in time to have her shoulder sliced open.

Stumbling back, she narrowly missed falling through the hole in the floor. Sending out a kinetic wave, Twilight countered with one of her own. The resulting explosion threw everypony within thirty feet to the ground.

The white unicorn with purple mane and three diamonds for a cutie mark was no longer on the stage.

Before Trixie could grab a hold of the Bearer of Generosity, Twilight sent a bolt of lightning at her. Erecting a hasty shield, it shattered under the impact blowing Trixie back. Beside her, the Element of Magic hit the cloud and rolled just out of reach. Scrambling after it, black claws rose from the ground, wrapping themselves around the blue mare as Twilight slowly approached with swords drawn.

"Rarity!"

The yell made Twilight's head whip across just in time to see a rainbow streak blast after Rarity with enough force the send the tiara further away. Sending a lightning bolt towards the purple mare, Trixie quickly shattered the shadow claws and scrambled after it. Diving forwards, she scooped it up, slipped it onto her head, and then proceeded to create over a dozen white lances around Twilight. For the first time since meeting her, Trixie saw actual fear in those violet eyes of hers. Then, she vanished in the familiar flash of teleportation and just as the sword descended on Trixie's unprotected back, a massive explosion threw everypony off their hooves and the sky was lit up all the colors of the rainbow. For a split second, everyone forgot that they were fighting, that they were enemies in a senseless war. Instead, they all gazed up at the sky in wonder.

Applejack paced nervously in the basement of the club. The entire room vibrated thanks to the music being pumped out upstairs by Vinyl, but nopony could complain – after all, it muffled the sounds of their activity downstairs. So far, no injuries had come in; then again, the battle had just begun so it was to be expected. Nonetheless, Applejack found herself hiding away in the makeshift conference room with the door closed to the world and the blinds drawn.

It was for everyone's protection.

She wasn't sure what changed or when it had changed, and it didn't matter, all that mattered was that something had changed. Here, in the almost complete silence of the room, Applejack could think for once. There wasn't the constant buzzing in her mind, that constant voice that whispered in her ear, telling her to seek the truth to reveal it to the world. The fog was gone and for once since this whole nightmare began, Applejack could think for herself.

And that's when she heard voices. Indistinct and too far away for her to make out what was being said, but that didn't matter to Truth. At the first tendrils of words, Truth began singing and to Applejack, it was like the voice of sirens. So alluring and sweet, she felt found herself being dragged towards and with each second that passed the voices got louder and with each minute increase in volume the stronger the pull. Truth was screaming at her to bust out that door and yell at the pony. Yell at them and say how the pony was lying, that she was actually jealous and depressed and stole that cookie last week.

It was a good thing the blinds were closed and the music upstairs locked away all sounds for without it, Applejack would have already lost the fight. She wasn't sure what had changed or when it had happened, all she knew was that Truth sung to her in the darkest depths of her mind. As long as she couldn't hear any pony, as long as she couldn't see any pony, they'd all remain safe.

Then the voices began fading again as they moved away and Applejack let out a sigh of relief as the voice of Truth finally left her mind yet again. It was so hard to think with it whispering in her ear, it was like moving through knee high mud.

"Applejack!" Jumping at the sound of her name, the buzzing in her ear grew a fevered pitch as she stared at Gilda through the blue portal. "There's a group of ponies approaching Trixie from the rear, send someone there to keep them busy."

Ducking, Gilda grabbed the outstretched hoof and threw the poor pegasus into the pony effectively cutting off the communication and badly burning him in the process. Applejack allowed herself only three seconds to stare at the previously occupied space in a mixture of wonderment and confusion before scrambling over to the table. Grabbing a vial of blue dragon flames, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves before slamming it on the table while focusing on Pinkamina.

Congealing into a circular mass above the spot, it seemed to liquefy then freeze over into a mirror. As soon as the pink pony came into view, it took every ounce of Applejack's will to not let the Truth take over. "Pinkamina, there's a group of ponies advancing on Trixie's rear, take them out."

"Finally! There's only this awesome party going on and nopony invited me! Come on everypony, it's time to paaaaaaarty!"

As the portal closed, Applejack slumped to the ground. Before she had a time to rest though, the door slammed open and a random unicorn stumbled in. "General Applejack, the first wounded are in, we need all the helping hooves we can get."

Nodding, the farmer put on her stetson and stumbled out the door. As she brushed past the doctor though, she commented under her breath, "You might want to tell your wife you're into guys."

She was tired so very tired and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep. Before she was thinking about something, something important? It was so hard to recall. Music... there was music from somewhere, a lovely melodious sound like an angelic voice. Closing her eyes, a small smile tugged at her lips as she gave herself away to the beat of the song.

Pinkamina blasted through the urban jungle as though it was a confectionary. She leapt from roof to roof, sliding down pipes and skipping up walls as though it was nothing. Sure, she was meant to have three squads with her, but where was the fun in sharing? She had been alive for less than a month and she wanted to live every single last moment to the fullest. There was still so much more to life like ice skating and DJ'ing and composing music and... and... Hugs and smiles and kisses and being loved. Oh how she wished to be loved and to actually get a hug from Vinyl when she wasn't scared out of her mind.

Ponies only live once and for Pinkamina, every single second could be her last. At any point Pinkie could wake up and she'd be back to being locked away in her mind with nothing, but repressed memories and the few sorta happy ones she had made herself. She didn't want to return to that state of non-existence. She'd fight it tooth and hoof, but if she did end up back there, she'd treasure every single last memory she had ever made. A few semi-happy thoughts full of self-discovery and experience were better than a bunch of memories not created by her and nightmares.

Leaping over the gap, Pinkamina grinned at the sight of the pegasi hovering above the street below. Already she could feel the adrenaline flowing through her veins and licking her lips, she would have sworn she could taste blood already. Nothing made her feel more alive than the possibility of death – then again it's not like she'd had sex before and from everything she'd heard on that subject, it should be pretty damn close.

Jumping off the edge, Pinkamina flicked both wrists and blades popped out of her gauntlets. Dropping through the air, she sliced downward easily cutting through the wing of one pegasus. Flipping over thanks to the momentum, her hind legs slammed into the pegasi below her and kicking off, she flew back into the sky. Two quick slices and another two pegasi joined the first. Once more, she flicked her wrists, retracting the blades before she landed back on the roof on all fours.

Licking her lips, a shudder passed through her body followed by a moan. No matter how many times she tasted blood, it always felt like the first time. That metallic zing certainly helped things – maybe it'd work well in cooking?

A low rumbling shook the pink mare out of her musing. Looking down, her eyes widened in surprise as the building began tipping backwards. There might be ponies inside! Scrambling up to the edge, she began running down the side as it as the building slowly collapsed taking out those behind it. Lunging towards the nearest pony, both blades snapped out.

Ducking under a buck, she countered with a truth through the chest. Stepping forward, the next slice caught him completely off guard and she quickly spun to the side. Blade placed low, it cut through a leg, and the following kick to the face broke his neck. A quick parry, she turned to the left and sidestepped the punch. Grabbing hold of the extended hoof, she pulled the pegasus close, using his body to shield herself from the sword thrust. The look of horror as the guard killed his friend was priceless.

Left ear flopping once, Pinkamina immediately dropped onto all fours and bucked straight backwards. Bones crunched underhoof and before anypony could take advantage of her stance, she was already back on two hooves, her blades a blur in the moonlight. Again and again, sparks lit the night sky as metal clashed on metal. Sure, the unicorn had more training, but Pinkamina was faster.

Much, much, much, faster.

For every blow the unicorn attempted, the pink pony landed five and out of those five, at least one would snake through the guard. Shuffling past a slice, her kneed slammed into the exposed underbelly of the unicorn forcing him back. Pivoting on her right hoof, she blocked a blow from behind and countered with a slice to the neck. Left ear flopping, she swept back around in time to parry yet another slice before suddenly stepping forward. Ramming with her shoulder, the guard pony stumbled back and Pinkamina lunged in. Her blade punctured the armor and came out the other side of his torso.

Spinning around, she used his body as a shield against the volley of arrows before tossing it at the annoying pegasus. Forced to duck out of the way, that opening was all she needed. Dashing forward, the first hit drew his guard out and the second went straight for the neck. Blood splattered over the mare, turning her pink coat red.

Giggling, she turned around to face the unicorns and archers. Dead bodies littered the ground around her. With slow, calm, deliberate steps, she began making her way towards them. It didn't matter if they threw arrows or boulders or fireballs or dropped icicles from the sky, each and every single time her Pinkamina Sense gave her plenty of warning. Each and every time they missed, the fear in the air got just a bit thicker. She could taste it and it was delicious.

Could do with a bit of cinnamon though.

Tilting her head to the side, an arrow breezed past. Then from the midst of the ponies, a single earth pony stepped out. Moving onto his hind hooves, he flicked his right wrist and a blade popped out then he flicked his left wrist and a circle shield snapped into place. On each of his hind hooves was a pair of mechanical contraptions.

"Hey, that was my invention," growled Pinkamina.

The earth pony did not say a single word.

"Oh, the strong and silent type huh? I just loooove those types," whispered Pinkamina seductively causing the other ponies to back away. "Especially when I try to make them scream my name!"

Lunging for his throat, he quickly stepped back just out of reach and slammed Pinkamina with his shield. Stumbling back, she parried the trust and followed with a slice before trusting with her left hoof. Spinning the side, his counter shorted her hair by an inch. Two quick slices later, the third clashed together. Ducking under the shield bash, Pinkamina rammed the pony.

Instead of being knocked off balance though, he managed to stand his ground. The resulting shield to the face sent Pinkamina flying down the street. Rolling back onto her hooves, both blades came up just in time to block the downward thrust. Kicking out with her back hoof, the wind was temporarily knocked out of him. Stumbling back, his shield arm clutched his stomach, but his blade was at the ready.

"I see now, those mechanical things on your hind hooves lets you balance and stand up right." Pinkamina brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes. "No doubt it also has increased traction to prevent you from being knocked about too easily. Not bad, not bad at all. So what's your name cutie?"

With a cocked eyebrow, he made a series of gestures towards his throat and muzzle.

"Ah, a mute. Wait, so you must be Silent Spell. A pleasure to meet you. Do you think our babies would be geniuses?"

At his wide-eyed look of shock, Pinkamina darted in and both blades came down on the contraption on his legs. Electricity travelled through her blade and her legs locked up for a split second, but thankfully Silent was still in a state of shock. Rolling away, the pink mare stood up with a grin on her face as he was forced onto all four legs.

And that's when the explosion of light happened. The sky was filled with endless light and pure unadulterated joy shone through Pinkamina when she gazed up at it. At the same time, though she could feel something within her stirring for a long slumber. With a resigned sigh, Pinkamina waited for the inevitable. Sure, she didn't want it to happen, but out of the few-shared memories they had, this was one of them. Already she could feel her hair curling up.

This was it then. Goodbye cruel world, till next time.

"What in the hay was that!"

Fluttershy ignored the ponies crowding around the window and instead went on with her duties as a doctor. Most of the injuries weren't bad, they surprise attack, and tactics ensured that they were mostly fine. That been said though, there had been a couple really gruesome injuries and while she might have usually slit their throats, there were more than enough doctors to take care of the injured. For once, she actually had the opportunity to save a poor soul.

"Is it... you know... a Sonic Rainboom?"

"That's impossible! It's meant to be a myth."

"But doesn't it look just like it though? Like how it's described?"

"Well..."

Flutter sighed and shook her head. This wasn't the time for such frivolous activities. There was a war going on outside and they all had their own duties to attend to. Sure, they weren't in the heat of battle, but that didn't mean their work was useless or not as important. It was that sort of thinking that had lost her a wing. Just thinking about it made her look back over her shoulder self-consciously at the scar that was there.

Glancing over at Applejack, a slight frown creased her brow. There was something going on with that pony, but whatever it was, Flutter couldn't tell. With a sigh, she went back to the patient she was working on. Tying up the final stitch, she stepped back and admired her work. Considering the pressure, time constraints and the lack of the sedatives, it was a decent enough job. Not perfect, but at least it wasn't too tight or anything like that. Wiping the seat from her forehead, she looked around the room and gave a single satisfied nod. Patients were moving in and out at a quick enough rate and a scan of the potions told her there was enough to last the entire battle if things continued as is. For once, she wouldn't have to make any decisions regarding who lived and who died.

"We've got a problem!" Immediately Flutter and Applejack was by the panting earth pony. "Somehow they managed to find our entrance and they're making their way here."

"Ah'll take care of it."

"No." Flutter trotted past. "I'll deal with this. Applejack, you stay here and make sure everything is running smoothly."

"But-"

"But nothing. Your leg was healed by magic, which means that it's still very weak. Any strenuous activity and you could rip the muscle. I will take care of this. Amato, Ilarias, Sichelle with me."

"Yes General," the three gryphons replied as one.

The only good thing that happened when she lost a wing was that the gryphons all looked at her like a General. As far as they were concerned, she gave up a wing the same way a seer gives up some body part and that meant respect. They respected her and it felt nice. It felt powerful. For once she wasn't being looked down upon or being shoved to one side. For once when she spoke, she was listened to.

Stepping through the hole in the wall, they began making their way through the maintenance halls under the sprawling cloud city. Walking in total silence, not even the sound of hoofbeats could be heard as they slipped through the narrow halls. Off in the distance they could hear somepony fast approaching, the lack of fighting though indicated they hadn't yet arrived at the first set of guards protecting their little base. Or maybe the fighting had already finished. Whatever the case, it didn't make that much difference to Flutter.

Flickering her wing nervously, she took a left turn and slipped through the door. There spread out in front of her was a pile of dead bodies and a group of ponies standing over them. Flaring open her wing, Flutter turned The Stare on the enemy group, immediately freezing them in place. Something must have told her companions not to move for they stood there nervously shuffling from side to side.

"If you do not wish to work for Nightmare Moon and desire the return to day and Princess Celestia, lie down on the ground," whispered Flutter.

None of them moved.

"Why? Why do you work under her so willingly? Actually, don't answer that." Taking a deep breath, she spoke in a voice that echoed with magic, "Sleep."

The ten ponies immediately hit the floor.

"Ilarias, your dagger please."

Grasping the hilt in her mouth, she stepped forward and began systematically cutting their throats. It wasn't difficult, it wasn't even particularly messy, – after all, she has had a lot of practice. Making sure to wipe the blade clean, she even took the time to clean up her face and hooves before handing the dagger back.

"Hopefully that's all of them. Sichelle, I want you to go back to grab some more guards to replace the ones we've lost as well as a couple more ponies so we can take these dead bodies back and give them a proper funeral. Since this is the only route in I shall stay here and keep an eye on things."

"Yes General."

"You know, you can stop screaming now!" Rarity shut her mouth and slowly cracked open an eye. There above her was a certain cocky blue pegasus with rainbow mane. "Come on Rare, you should know I never leave my friends hanging."

Although it was difficult to make out the words, Rarity gave her friend a heartwarming smile and wrapped her arms around her savior's neck. "Thank you Dash, I shouldn't have doubted you for a second. But we've got no time to talk, Twilight has planned ambus-"

"We guessed as much. Don't worry; we've got an escape plan and contingencies. Pinkamina and Applejack were held back as well in case of ambushes."

Nodding, Rarity kept her eyes trained on Dash's because she just knew that if she looked away and realized how far from the ground they were and how fast they were travelling, she'd end up screaming her head off again. Even now, it was all she could do to not scream her head off.

"Hey Spike, I've got her." Rarity glanced up and offered a shaky smile to the dragon on the other side of the portal. "Tell everyone to fall back."

"Already on it. I suggest landing behind Trixie's entrance and grabbing Pinkamina as she was headed out there to stop a back attack." Spike offered a Pinkie style grin at Rarity. "And you look as gorgeous as always Rarity!"

"Alright lover boy, enough of that. Just tell the others okay?"

Giving a grateful smile to Spike as the portal closed, a yelp was sudden torn from her throat as they went into a steep dive. Back winging easily, Dash landed on the stable ground and Rarity immediately slipped off and stood on shaking hooves. Tilting her head forward, Dash gave the magic inhibitor a tug. When it didn't come loose, she gave it a harder tug. Still nothing.

"Okay, I'm going to blast the thing off."

"What!?" Rarity backed up hastily. "You are going to do no such thing you... you... you ruffian! What happens if you break my precious horn?"

"Come on Rare, trust me. I know what I'm doing. We have to get that off you, plus think of how badly it clashes with your mane."

"Well I suppose you d-" A lightning bolt suddenly jumped out and hit the ring, neatly removing it from her horn. "Rainbow Dash! How could you do that? What if you had missed?"

"Well I didn't, did I?" Kicking off, she soared into the air. "It looks like Pinkamina is just two buildings down. Go grab her and send a flare into the air. I'll go help Trixie and Silvia with the retreat."

"Be careful!"

"You too. And please don't try anything insane like taking on Nightmare Moon by yourself."

Chuckling, Rarity began galloping down the road, making sure to ready a teleport and some kinetic waves just in case she stumbled upon any trouble. As she got closer, the amount of debris increased as the number of dead bodies. A part of her was relieved that all of them were working for Nightmare Moon, but that didn't stop the bile from rising in her throat. There was no beauty in this.

Stopping in mid step, she looked down at the full quiver on the dead unicorn's back. Sure, she needed a weapon, but to take it from a dead pony? It seemed so wrong and yet... With a sigh, she levitated the quiver up and after a quick clean fastened it down on her back. Ignoring the shudder than ran through her body, she began running down the street once more. This time though, she could clearly make out a pink pony at the end of the street and a pony standing above her, readying to kill her with a blade of some sort.

Without breaking step, she readied an arrow and fired. Even as the first arced through the air, another five were thrown up. Then teleporting over, she blasted the stallion back with a telekinetic wave right into the arrows she had fired a second before. Leaning down, Rarity wrapped both hooves around Pinkamina and teleported away. Appearing on the nearby roof, she laid down some covering fire before vanishing once again. This time she arrived in a dark alley out of sight and bent down to check on her friend.

Her mane was curly once more, but her entire body was covered in blood. Summoning some water, Rarity washed it away revealing cuts that crisscrossed over her entire body from head to toe and from the imprints on her chest, she had been bucked hard. Checking for a pulse, Rarity felt her blood turn to ice. Sure, she didn't know much about medicine, but it felt weak. Far too weak. Casting the most basic stabilizing spell all unicorns were taught, she levitated the pink mare up and quickly teleported away.

"Come on Pinkie, hang on. Don't slip away on me now. I won't let you slip away, not after you've all done so much to rescue me. Come on, stay with me."

Tears slowly made their way down pure white cheeks.

Slamming through the cloud roof, Rainbow Dash took in the battlefield in a split second. Silvia and their group had managed to get back to the entrance and were readying a teleport. Trixie was trying her hardest to keep Twilight off her, but considering the sluggish movements and her cut up face, Trixie was on the losing side of the battle.

No, wait. Twilight wasn't much better. She was no longer bouncing about; instead, she stood her ground and only teleported when absolutely necessary. Nonetheless, it was obvious that with the amount of pressure being put on Trixie, she couldn't lend any magic to Silvia to power the teleport. That left only one option.

Hitting the ground right next to Twilight, Dash threw her wings open sending gale force winds in all directions. Closing the gap between herself and the purple mare, Dash tackled Twilight through the cloud wall and into the night sky before letting her fall. A beam of magenta shot out, barely missing Dash by inches, and looking down; there was Twilight with a pair of leathery wings. Eyes wide in shock, the pegasus immediately dropped down low and began weaving through the buildings. No matter how fast she went though, Twilight was there raining spears down upon her. Even worse, she had gone invisible making it impossible for Dash to counter.

A cry of pain escaped as one managed to cut her thigh open. Dropping down, she almost hit the ground before managing to recover. Even then, though, it felt like her stamina was slowly being drained away. Each flap of the wing was harder than the last, but she pushed on. There was one and only one way to win this fight.

As a particularly nasty bolt flashed pass, she gave out a cry of pain and tucked her wings. Dropping down as though hit, she sent out a bolt of lightning just before she hit the roof. Quickly opening her wings, she winds blew out in all directions knocking over vats of chemicals and tipping over various devices. Moving quickly, Dash grabbed up a bucket and scooped up some liquid rainbow before zooming back to the entrance she had made.

As Twilight came in and landed, her magic surrounded her wings and they morphed back into her cape. Suddenly stopping, Dash threw the liquid rainbow all over her face before bucking her into the nearest solid surface. Then very calmly and very deliberately, she landed on the ground.

"Come on Twi, why are you doing this? I know a thing about loyalty and this isn't loyal in any sense of the word."

"You know nothing," she snarled. Her horn lit up for a split second before a cry of pain echoed through the room. "Liquid rainbow. Clever. Considering it short circuits magic, it's the perfect way to neutralize my advantage, but you forgot two things."

Her horn suddenly lit up and this time Dash was thrown back and pinned against the way by a pair of shackles. "First, I've been tortured by Nightmare Moon, a little bit of pain isn't going to stop me. And secondly, you landed in the liquid rainbow yourself which means you can't use your magic."

"Why though? Why?"

"Because I'm doing this for Equestria. Because Nightmare Moon is better than no ruler at all."

Dash stared at the purple mare before her. She had hoped, wished and dreamed that Twilight was secretly working for them, but just then Twilight spoke with such conviction and authority that it left no doubt in her mind. Twilight Sparkle, previous bearer of the Element of Magic was officially the enemy. In that case, no mercy.

"Wrong!" A pair of lightning bolts shot out, throwing Twilight back before Dash destroyed the shackles. "You work through your pain and I'll work through mine."

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to not show a single sign of weakness. Though her vision swam and her muscles ached, she sent out a wave of frigid wind freezing everything it touched including the chemicals. Even some of the metal in the room cracked under the supreme cold. The wave of fire that met it held for a couple of seconds before it faltered and died. Once again, Twilight was thrown backwards, hitting a table with a sickening crack.

Not showing any mercy, Dash followed up with icicles. Rolling out of the way just in time, each one pierced the metal vat just behind Twilight. Once more lightning flashed out. This time though, a wave of water appeared before Twilight and with a flick of her horn, the electrified water was sent back. Diving out of the way, Dash leapt forward for a tackle, but with her fuzzy vision, she missed by a mile and went tumbling off the edge. Hitting the ground below with a sickly groan, Dash looked up at the glowing orb that powered the entire factory.

Suddenly a laugh rang out through the empty factory.

"What's so funny?" demanded Twilight.

"I... I understand now," whispered Dash in a hoarse voice.

"Understand what?"

"I understand Loyalty." Her element outshone the moon as she struggled onto her feet. "I understand... why my mother did what she did."

"What?"

"Sometimes being loyal means..." She swayed a bit, but otherwise stayed upright. "Means giving up everything to protect those that you love."

"No..." whispered Twilight as realization dawned. "No!"

But it was already too late. Lightning arced out and cut through the protection to slam into the massive battery. The effect was immediate. It started an irreversible reaction, one that took less than a second to complete. One that would produce an explosion large enough to completely destroy the weather factory.

And the two ponies within it.

Chapter 20

Pain.

That was the first thing that made itself known to me. Scream after scream was torn from my sore throat. Something was eating into my neck, searing through the flesh and muscle as though it was paper. Tears leaked down my cheeks as I struggled desperately against my bonds. I wanted it to stop, I needed it to stop. Oh, Celestia please, make it stop.

Finally freeing my left hoof, I reached up and clawed at the collar around my neck. An eternity later, I flung it off and slumped back onto the ground. Even the mere act of panting and swallowing sent bolts of pain through my entire body. Closing my eyes, I reached out with my magic only to suddenly stop when I felt how weak it was.

And then everything came rushing back to me. Rarity, the fight, the liquid rainbow and most importantly, Dash's stupid choice. I was tired though, all I wanted to do was close my eyes drift off. Nightmare Moon, eternal night – let some other pony deal with it today. Just... just let me sleep. Please. One night's rest, that's all I ask for. The last time I had gotten that was... Well I don't know when, but right now, it was calling out to me.

"Twilight. Twilight Sparkle, please focus on my voice, don't give in now my most faithful student. Stay awake. For Celestia, for Equestria. Remember?"

"Celestia...?" I mumbled.

"Twilight Sparkle, you have an assignment due tomorrow on 'Spells Through the Ages – A Comprehensive Guide to All Things Magical' and you haven't even read the book let alo-"

My eyes snapped open. "Spiiiiiiike! I need..." I stared at the phantom Celestia before me who wore an innocent expression on her face. "Oh har, har, real funny.... But thanks."

Sighing, the first thing I checked was my neck. Even the lightest touch made me whimper in pain, but other than that, it seemed alright. But how did the collar come off? One of the first things I had tried once I was out of Nightmare Moon's sight was try to remove it. So... what the bu- Oh dear Celestia I'm an idiot. The liquid rainbow must have short-circuited the protections on it. That also meant she couldn't hear a word I was saying or track where I was.

I shook my head – stay focused Twilight, you can worry about that later.

A quick survey told me that Rainbow Dash was still unconscious, but perfectly safe under me and the debris around us had formed a little hollow just large enough of us. Sure, there was a bit of pressure on my back, but I could still sort of breathe. Sending out tendrils of magic, I examined Dash and let out the breath I was holding. A couple broken bones and cuts, but nothing that'd kill her within the day. After that though? There was no guarantee she'd live past two days.

Wiping the blood from my eyes, I surveyed my surroundings and blinked in surprise. My entire right foreleg was trapped under ton of twisted metal. Giving it a tug, not a single signal of pain managed to find its way to my brain. In fact, I couldn't even feel the weight on it, which was cur- Ooooh, of course. I had a pole through my right shoulder earlier and the nerves probably hadn't repaired itself yet. Either that or they're completely shot to Tartarus.

A deep breath later, I turned my attention back to the situation we were in. Checking how much magic I had left, I swore under my breath. I had enough for a portal or two, but that was it. Sure, I could try lifting the debris off my trapped limb, but if something large became dislodged, there was no guarantee I'd be able to block it. And if I waited for help, there was the probably of me bleeding out. I could heal myself and Dash, but then we'd be trapped here with no means of escape and probably starve to death. Even now, I could still feel the desire to sleep bubbling beneath the surface. Phantom Celestia had bought me some time, but not a lot of it.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you," I snarled at Rainbow Dash. "You're the Element of Loyalty – you're meant to be loyal to Equestria. What would have happened if you died? I'll tell you what, Nightmare Moon would have won! How long would it have taken us to find a new Bearer of Loyalty? And worst of all, Nightmare Moon put a tracker on Rarity, which meant your plan – will brilliant – has resulted in the entire Dawn Brigade being put in danger! You stupid mare!"

It was now or never.

Closing my eyes, I channeled the meager amounts of power I had left into my horn. Conjuring the image of the ruins in the Everfree Forest, I felt a portal open beneath us. The coldness sent shudders through my body and though it flickered into and out of existence, it was our only way out of here. I just hope it didn't sudden close while we were only halfway through. I like my entire body intact and not cut in half thank you very much.

Once the sister portal was open, I immediately felt ourselves sinking through the ground as though we were in quick sand. The only thing that stopped me from running away in fright was the knowledge that doing so cause the portal to shut. So with my eyes closed and scared whimpers filling the air, we sunk lower and lower into the floor under only my head and trapped leg was above. Taking a deep breath, my head went under and the feeling of solid stone enclosed every single inch of my body.

This was no doubt, what being buried alive felt like. It was like I was being compressed from every single side simultaneously and though I knew I could breathe, something told me dirt would immediately fill my lungs. Had I... had I transferred us directly into a stone wall? Would we be entombed forever, trapped in this half existence?

My head suddenly popped through the other side and I gulped down lungful after lungful of air. My entire body was shaking uncontrollably as I collapsed on the ground, but the furthest I got was sinking onto my knees. Looking at the portal on the wall, I gave an experimental tug to make sure I had gotten as much of my foreleg through as possible. I was hoping to at least get my elbow onto this side, but all I had managed was just past my shoulder.

So... this was it then.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I knew what I had to do, but nonetheless I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was losing my right arm for Luna's sake! Out of all the sins I had committed, all the ponies I had tortured and killed, this one should have been the easiest. I should have been able to do it without even blinking, without a second thought, without even needing to consider it for a second. And yet...

"You got an A."

"What!?"

The portal slammed shut and all I could do was stare at the blood pouring out and the stump. There was no mind numbing pain, not even the barest spark. One second I had a leg and the next it was gone. I had... I had... My leg, it was... gone.

"Focus Twilight."

"R- Right." With my eyes shut tight, I opened a second portal straight to the Canterlot Castle Throne Room and dived through headfirst.

Could I have stayed behind? Sure, but I'd bleed to death. And even if I wasn't bleeding like mad this was still the better option. After all, I still needed to find those books Celestia had left behind and get Nightmare Moon to trust me enough to tell me where she had stashed Celestia. In the end, the only thing that mattered was getting Celestia back. I'd willing traverse through the entirety of Tartarus if I thought it'd bring her back.

The princess and her knight walked amongst the dead as though it was the just another stroll through the park. Or at least Cadence did, Shining Armor trotted beside her with ten different offensive spells at the ready just in case. Of course, if she ever found out about that little fact, he had no doubts that he'd find himself sleeping by his lonesome for an entire week. Glancing over at his marefriend, he couldn't quite keep the frown off his face.

Just who in the world was she?

A princess yes, but he doubted even Princess Celestia could walk up to Cerberus and command him to sit like a pet and actually be obeyed. Everything that had happened over the past half year was like one massive conspiracy theory starting with being dragged out in the middle of night, given a secret mission by Princess Celestia to protect Cadence – as though he needed an order to do that. And then they had gone in search of the entrance to Tartarus because it was part of some secret mission that nopony would tell him about! Celestia damn it, he really hated being kept out of the loop.

"Hey Cadence, how much further is it anyways? I swear we've been walking along this path for the last three days and the bottom doesn't seem to be getting any closer." His voice echoed through the empty cavern as they continued their spiral journal downwards. "Can't we just teleport or fly down or something?"

"I've already told you, we can't," sighed Cadence. "I know I've kept a lot of things from you Love, but I promise everything will be explained soon."

"You said that six months ago when we started this entire journey," mumbled Shining under his breath. "It's not that I don't trust you or anything, but this would be a lot easier for me to swallow if I actually had something to go on."

"It's..."

"Complicated?"

"Yeah..."

"Alright dear, lead on." A deathly wail floated through the chamber, sending chills down their spines. "And I really hate that sound."

"Thank you. I... I couldn't have gotten this far without you." The two shared a brief hug before Cadence pulled back and looked over the edge. "And we're almost there."

"How can you tell? The distance looks the same." With a grin, Cadence skipped behind Shining and began shoving him forward. "Hey, if you wanted me to hurry up you could have just... Whoa... Like, seriously, whoa, that is some serious illusion magic. I think Twilight would be hard pressed to do something on this scale."

Taking a step back, the endless downward spiral returned. Stepping forward once more, the stairs melted away and all that lay before him was a great river of ephemeral blue. On the banks was a little rickety boat and a skeleton pony in a cloak. The stairway they came down had vanished entirely to be replaced with a stone ceiling and looking over his shoulder, all he could see was an endless tunnel that descended into pitch-blackness.

"This is the River Styx," explained Cadence as she trotted forward towards a boat. "Normally a dead pony would have a hoof crafted gift from their loved ones to pay the ferryman, but since we're not dead we don't have that luxury."

"So then how do we cross? According to myths without paying the ferrymare we're stuck in limbo forever." Shining Armor blinked. "Actually, what if someone died without loved ones or whatnot?"

"Well the gifts are more or less to represent love and harmony. Even if someone wasn't buried, they would have memories that would quality. A gift just speeds up the process." Stepping into the boat, she held out a hoof. "Coming dear?"

Settling down next to the alicorn, Shining Armor resisted the urge to lean away from the skeleton. He could deal with spiders; he could deal with manticores, by Celestia he could even deal with a dragon, but skeletons? A shudder ran through his body. Skeletons, ghouls and ghosts – heh, wait till Twilie hears about this, so much for such superstitious nonsense not existing. Just imagining the look on her face when she was told the truth would have made the entire journey worth it. If he got out of here alive that was.

No, not if, to think in "if" is to invite disaster. Come on! Keep it together. They went through the Everfree Forest, climbed the tallest mountain, slipped through Changling territory and swam to the bottom of a lake. If they could do all that, they could escape from Tartarus. They would survive this and if it came down to it, Cadence would live.

Even if it meant he would die.

Apart of him wanted to fill the void, to banish the silence with some sort of innocent question, but at the same time, it was comfortable. Here in the depths of death, there was no need to talk or break the silence, just sitting next to each other, being wrapped up in her wings – that was enough. There was no need for sounds; to talk would be disrespectful to this silent place and to each other. Sometimes, words just weren't necessary.

Eventually though, the boat came to a calm stop at the bottom of a set of stone steps. Stepping out first, Shining gave a regal bow before holding out a hoof with a smile. Giggling like a little filly, she took the offered arm and daintily stepped onto the stone surface. Then with an 'accidental' trip, she went right into the hooves of her love and with a mischievous little grin, pecked him on the lips before racing up the steps.

"Last one to the top tries to get Twilight to stop studying and rest!"

"Huh? What! Hey, wait up!" Chasing the mad mare, he was forced to take two steps at a time. Even then, he was seriously lagging behind and he knew that there was no way he could catch up. Ever since they were little, Cadence could always outpace him – considering she often did marathons for charity, it wasn't really a surprise though. Plus, it also meant he got a perfect view of her delicious flank.

That was until he ran straight into it. Not that he was complaining, oh no, he'd never complain of such a thing. But he was afraid of the retribution he would suffer at that sadistic mare's hooves. Not that he'd complain about that either. To complain about it would be inviting more embarrassment than being caught with her in his bedroom by his parents. Or Princess Celestia. Or both parties simultaneously. Or-

"Ah hem, your drifting again dear."

"Huh?" If he blushed any harder, he'd be able to power Manehatten by himself. "Oh, right. Sorry. So... er... now we entire the big, scary, ominously looking castle? Wait, are those stone ponies?"

"Yes. To both questions in case you were about to ask."

"I wasn't."

"Mmhm."

"...Okay, maybe I was, but in all seriousness, stone ponies? Could it get even more clichéd? Just don't tell me there's going to be ominous pipe organ playing, a cackling villain and a storm."

"Play nice, I think it's a nice castle even if it's a tad on the morbid side, but hey, it is where ponies come to be judged."

The massive stone doors slid open without a sound and stepping through, it immediately shut behind them. Shining's eyes constantly moved from location to location, identifying all the various potential sites for an assassin to hide, potential escape routes and most importantly, the most defensible positions. The lack of life though merely made him even more cautious. Nothing was ever as still as this, not even death – the only time things were this still, were just before an ambush or battle.

"Calm down dear." The mere sound of her voice washed the tension away from his body. "We came through the back door and nothing will harm us here."

Stopping in front of a large stone door, Cadence sighed softly before visibly straightening herself and entering. Following close behind her, Shining's eyes widened in surprise. Constantly glancing from the figure on the throne to the alicorn next to him, disbelief crashed down upon him like a ton of bricks.

They were identical in every single last sense of that word. The same cerise coat, same tricolored mane, same purple eyes, same cutie mark – heck, she was even sitting the same way as Cadence did! Just what in the bucking world was going on here?

"I was not expecting you to be back so soon." She even sounded like my Cadence. "And yet you are not dead, how curious. I take it you are here about Nightmare Moon?"

"We're actually here about Discord," replied Cadence.

"He's back!?"

"Not yet, but Celestia is afraid that he'll be back soon and stronger than ever if this war keeps going. She estimated that it'd take a full year, but even now, I can feel his power. If he truly put his mind to it, he could break out right now. Sure, he'd be weak, but he still has enough power to escape and cause a decent amount of havoc. I have no doubt in my mind he's waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Even down here and this far away, you must have felt his influence on the battlefield."

"I am... limited in this form."

"Um... excuse me ladies, but who or what is Discord?" asked Shining Armor. "And just who are you?"

"You... you have not told him?" At Cadence's shake of her head, Gaia sighed. "Really, I am horribly disappointed in you. Or would it be in me? No matter, you see Shining Armor, Cadence, and I are one being. In fact, the Nightmare, the Elements of Harmony are also part of our being. I am the first alicorn, Princess Gaia, or more accurately, I am just under a third of her."

"A third of her?" Shining's gaze swung back and forth between the two, clearly not comprehending what had been said.

"I'll tell you later." Cadence turned her attention back to the alicorn on the throne. "There are two things we need. The first is how you summoned Discord in the first place so that we can banish him for good and the second is that we need to merge."

"Merge!?" There was a hint of hysteria in his voice.

"First of all I never summoned him, at least not intentionally. There are a lot of things we don't know, things that only Mother ca-"

"Wait, Mother!?" At the glare from both mares, Shining gave a sheepish smile and mimed zipping his mouth shut.

"Fine, there are some things only our Creator can know and Discord is one of those things, but over the past who knows how many years, I've been thinking it over. You see, Discord is a spirit, but we already knew that did we not? No, I did not summon him, rather he came into existence as a result of the fighting between my sisters and I. It was our fighting that bought him here, after all he is the Spirit of Disharmony."

"But Spirits are just that, Spirits! They are able to influence matters in the Physical Realm to a limited degree, but they are not able to exist in the Physical Realm. It goes against the fundamental laws that hold and bind this dimension together. If Spirits can come and go as they pleased, the Physical Realm would descend into chaos."

"You are entire correct – it is impossible for a Spirit to move freely between the two realms, but they don't have to. All a Spirit needs to do is find an avatar, a creature that embodies their concept in such an absolute manner that they can act as a conduit for their powers. That they can manifest in the world. When it came to Discord, there was so much disharmony that a vessel wasn't even necessary."

"Then shouldn't he have faded? After all, when a ghost leaves the Underworld, they fade – never to be reborn and never to experience the afterlife as though they never existed in the first place. If Discord doesn't have a vessel, surely the same must happen to him."

"That is what I don't know, but there are four possibilities before us. The first is that he is like us in which case our Creator did some fancy things to break the laws to keep him around. The second is that he only stays around because I am dead. The third is that there is enough disharmony in the world to keep him alive. Lastly, there was so much disharmony from our little family spat that he's been keeping himself alive on that alone."

"In which case we merge together or we blast him to pieces, which requires us merging together so we have enough power."

"No!" Gaia's hoof slammed into the stone floor with enough force to shatter it. "We cannot merge. Currently the most powerful weapon are the Elements."

"But the El-"

"Are a part of us? That is true, but they are more than that. Think about it, if they represent only a third of the power of an alicorn, surely the Luna would be a match – heck, the Nightmare by itself would have been a match! No, they resonate with a pony of their respective virtues and in their hooves; they are able to tap into the Spirits. Yes, Spirits with a capital 'S'. The same type as Discord, Celestia, Luna and I. That is why they are so powerful. Each Bearer once fully synched with their respective Spirits can equal an alicorn in might. When used together, they are not just the power of a third of an alicorn, oh no, it is the power rivaling six alicorns! If we were to talk that power back to become whole once more, I am afraid we'll remove the only thing possible of defeating Discord."

"But-"

"But Discord is merely another Spirit and we too are a Spirit and therefore should be able to match his power? Silly Cadence, Discord is disharmony. The more disharmonious the land is, the more powerful he becomes while the more harmonious, the weaker. You know that. Luna's power waxes and wanes with the moon, Celestia's rises and sets with the sun. With the civil war going on, I'm afraid even the Elements of Harmony may not be enough. I am truly sorry, I wish I could help, but it is not so."

"But... but..."

Shining Armor quickly wrapped his hooves around Cadence, gently brushing her hair and rubbing her behind the way in an attempt calm the mare down. "It's fine Love, we'll find another way around this. Twilie is the Element of Magic after all and if I know my little sis, she's no doubt already got some super smart plan."

"You're... you're right. We got this far after all right?" Though her smile was shaky, the spark had returned to her eyes. "Princess Gaia, I'd like to thank you for your time. We'll be leaving now."

"Before you go Cadence-" For a brief moment, she almost looked hesitant. "-don't lose him. He seems like a good stallion and they're hard to come by."

"Oh he's the best," replied Cadence fondly. "I'm the luckiest mare alive."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Making their way back out, the unicorn guard managed to contain his questions until they reached the boat. Once they were safely in and back out on the River Styx though, he turned to face Cadence who immediately sighed at that familiar look. Twilight got it all time and every single time it meant a headache for everypony involved and numerous trips to the library.

"Alright, I suppose you've been patient enough. I suppose I should start at the beginning?"

"Before you do, can I ask a quick question first?"

"Sure."

"What did you two mean by 'merging' together?"

Sighing, she slumped in her seat. "I was hoping to avoid this conversation. You see every so often Gaia will split a part of her power off and let it be reborn as a mortal alicorn to experience the outside world and gain more memories of our sister."

"So I'm engaged to a ghost?" Shining made a face at that.

"More like you're engaged to a part of a princess."

"That's... actually pretty awesome, not that being engaged to a full princess was any more or less awesome." His eyes suddenly widened and his entire body paled. "If we get married I won't have to meet your mother will I?"

Silence reined for three seconds before Princess Mi Amore Cadenza collapsed on the ground laughing so hard tears were leaking down her cheeks. Though Shining Armor had no idea what was so amusing, the sight bought a smile to his lips. It had been so long since he had last seen Cadence smile that he wished he could take a photo and cherish it forever.

Was there truly beauty in war? In fighting? The conviction that Twilight spoke with seemed to indicate yes, but her cutie mark wasn't beauty so what did she know.

Right?

Rarity had to admit there was a sort of beauty in war. A finesse and grace that came from flowing effortlessly from enemy to enemy. To deny grace would be to deny a part of who she was – after all, one of the reasons she got into archery in the first place was because it was graceful. Fencing was the same, but unlike archery, she did not have the spark for it. Yes, there was no doubt in her mind that fighting could be graceful. Maybe even beautiful.

Even war could be beautiful. It was like a chess game if those could be beautiful then why not war? Just the finesse in well laid out tactic and then watching it all come together perfectly. As much as she didn't want to admit it, there was indeed something akin to beauty there as well.

And that thought scared her.

War was meant to be a terrible thing, fighting was meant to be scorned so why did she admire it so? She should be disgusted, distraught and over all, she should despise it. There was no beauty in the death of a pony; in fact, such an act meant that they would no longer bloom. It meant the world was robbed of their beauty. Their personality, their quirks, their special ability – gone, just like that.

And yet...

"There's beauty in everything," whispered the white mare under her breath.

"Huh? Did ya say something sugarcube?"

"No Applejack, I did not."

The two friends returned to their vigil by the entrance. They were waiting for their friend, for Rainbow Dash. They had seen the explosion, it was impossible to miss it. The massive plume of rainbow and flash of light had stained the sky for almost an hour before it ended. Most surprisingly though was the magenta shield that contained the entire thing. There was no doubt in any of their minds that Twilight had done that though whether it was out of loyalty to them or some other concept they couldn't tell. Nonetheless, without her shield things would have been a lot worse. If she hadn't done that, Las Pegasus probably wouldn't exist right now.

"Any sign of her?" asked Trixie as she sat down next to them.

"Nothing," replied Applejack.

"Knowing that mare, she's probably waiting around the corner for a dramatic entrance," muttered the showmare.

"She ain't you sugarcube."

"Of course not! No other pony is as brilliant and magnificent as Trixie."

"How's Pinkie doing?" asked Rarity before the two could descend into one of those arguments – sometimes they're worse than the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"No change. Fluttershy says she's physically fine, but for whatever reason she's still sleeping."

"Alright."

Silence descended once more.

And so they waited in shifts. They sat by the entrance and gazed out into the eternal night for the faintest hint of her chromatic trail. There would be no funeral until they found her body. There would be no talk of her death until they found her body. In fact, there was no doubt she'd survive, there was never any doubt.

After all, she'd never leave them hanging.

Chapter 21

"Twilight, please do not panic, but there's a pony here who wishes to kill you. When I tell you to, hit him with a telekinetic blast at a twenty degree angle followed by an immobilization spell okay?"

Though I was still half-asleep, years of late nights studying and being her student had conditioned me to follow her words on a mechanical level. Without a single thought, I began composing the two spells she wanted me to cast and within the second, they were done. Muttering something under my breath, I rolled over and snuggled into the bed more. I was just in a relatively nice dream for Celestia's sake. There wasn't even any torture for once, which was a nice bonus.

"Now!"

Releasing the blast first, a runt echoed through the room followed by a thud. Following up the chains, whoever it was quickly found themselves completely bound up and unable to move. After a couple seconds of wiggling on the bed, I rolled over, fluffed up my pillow before curling back up into a ball. There we go, that's the perfect position – so coooooomfy. I could stay like this forever.

"Can I go back to sleep now?" I mumbled.

"No my faithful student, you need to deal with the problem."

"But I'm tiiiiiiiired."

"Twilight." I gulped; I knew that tone of voice. It was the one she used before giving me that disappointed look of hers. "This is important, you need to deal with your attacker."

Cracking an eye open, I immediately wished I hadn't. Right there in my face was Celestia with her disappointed frown – it was like a lance of pure guilt had been stabbed into my heart. Slamming my pillow over my head I grumbled, "Can't I just kill the pony?"

"I suppose you could..."

"There we go, problem solved, time to go back to sleep." As a yawn escaped, I pulled the bed sheet up to my neck and snuggled down.

"Twilight Sparkle, stop this foalish behavior at once! You very well know it is impossible to maintain a spell while asleep or unconscious."

I ignored her.

"If you do not do what I say, I will be forced to ban you from the library for a week."

"Oh fine then!" Sitting up in bed, I glared at the phantasm who merely smirked back. "Oh shut up you, you're not even the real Celestia so I've got no idea why I listen to you at all."

With my hind hooves touching the cold floor, I slipped out of the comforting bed and stumbled, almost falling flat on my face. Right, I was missing a leg. Resisting the urge to facehoof, I took a couple seconds to balance myself on three legs before stepping towards my prisoner. To say it was awkward would be like saying being tortured by Nightmare Moon is fun. That was when I looked at the pony who had tried to kill me and froze mid-limp.

It was Nightwish.

What the buck was going on?

And then everything clicked. To think I would be unique in my logic was stupidity incarnate. Of course, other ponies would have had the same thought process as me; of course, they would realize the enormous benefit from taking out Nightmare Moon's tyranny from the inside out. But still, I had to be sure he was working against the Nightmare and that he wasn't in it for himself. Could I ask him out right? Sure, but he would no doubt think I was Nightmare Moon's pet – after all, that's what I wanted. That meant I was left with one option and one option only: mind magic.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the spell I wanted and after triple checking it to make sure, I wouldn't melt his brains; I let it wrap around his head and filter through. There was a lot of resistance, but I slammed through it without a second thought and his entire past filled my mind. Novels often describe it as flashes of images or as though it was a dream with the two people locked in place for minutes on end. That was not whole it worked at all. Eighteen years of memories flooded my brain in the blink of an eye, swamping me completely and for a split second, I forgot I was Twilight Sparkle. Then everything snapped back into perspective

I stood there, staring into the mismatched eyes of my second in command and then, without bothering to think about what I was doing, I released him from my magic. Limping back towards the bed, I settled down and curled into a ball. When he still didn't budge from the spot, I opened an eye lazily and yawned.

"I didn't break your brain did I? If so that's going to be hard to explain."

His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, fluffed his wings and over all did a great impersonation of a mime before saying, "What. The. Buck?"

With a sigh, I checked the room for any spells and when I found nothing beyond the usual anti-teleportation and protection spells, I fixed my gaze on him. "Did you truly believe you were the only pony who'd sacrifice everything to get closer to Nightmare Moon? Admittedly, you're in a vastly superior position and you've sacrificed less than me, but the end result is the same."

"You mean- But- I- That is..." After a deep breath, he began again, "You mean you slaughtered all those ponies and tortured countless others just to get close to Nightmare Moon?"

"For Celestia," I replied with a smile before my expression hardened. "I don't care what you or Foxtrot or Sunset Horizon are planning, but get in my way and I will eliminate you. I've come too far to stop."

"You're insane. You're completely and utterly insane." The fear was radiating off him in waves.

"You were talking to yourself earlier and now you're switching moods faster than the blink of an eye."

"If insanity gets me what I want, then so be it. I've warned you and I won't repeat myself. Also, there's no doubt in my mind that we could work together since we do have a mutual goal. I shall be in touch."

"Somepony's coming."

Reaching out with my magic, I confirmed her warning, but not before giving her a curious look. Up to now, I had assumed she could only know what I knew, but there was no way I could have known someone was coming down the corridor, which left me with just one question: What the hell is she?

"Who are you lo-"

"Someone's coming," I snapped.

Nightwish looked as though he was about to protest, but when the door creaked open and Silent Spell walked in, he shut his trap like a good little foal. What really caught my attention though was the metal leg strapped to Silent's back. From what little I could see, there seemed to be lots and lots and lots of gears involved as well as a pack for powering it. Clumsy at best and explosive at worst. If he planned on me using that thing, he was sorely mistaken.

Reaching out, I grasped the mechanical leg and Silent Spell tilted his body to the side to give me easier access. Bending the joints this way and that, I got a feel for the way it moved before miming the way a leg should bend when walking. It was a bit twitchy and finicky, but after a couple of attempts, I had the process down relatively well. Putting the leg back down, I smiled at Silent Spell.

"Just make a leg with joints and I can manipulate it myself," I said.

From the looks of things, Silent was about to start crying in frustration. The leg must have taken forever to make and considering the bags under his eyes, it probably did. Worse of all, in one simple motion, I had rendered all that work useless.

"So how long have I been out anyways?"

"Two days. The doctor expected you to be out for longer."

"Huh, two days you say? S-"

"You're talking to yourself again," muttered Nightwish under his breath before adding in a louder voice, "How did you know that anyways?"

"Super powers," I replied without missing a beat. "The explosion didn't destroy too much of Las Pegasus I hope."

"Thanks to you."

A frown creased my brow as I stared at him in confusion. "Excuse me? I didn't do anything though; I was too busy keeping myself alive."

"But a magenta shield blocked the worst of the blasts. Considering the strength necessary to create it, we all thought it had to have been you."

My frown deepened. Had Shining Armor been there? He was the only unicorn that I could think of with magic the same color and with enough power to create such a shield. It was a possibility I suppose, but why show up now after over six months of silence? As far as I could tell, there was no benefit from staying silent for so long and if he had been around earlier, it would have greatly benefited the Dawn Brigade. Then again, there were gryphons in the fight so maybe he was on a diplomatic mission? Considering there had been no information on Cadence and Nightmare Moon seemed unaware of her existence entirely, it was a plausible explanation. But he alone had enough power to probably rival Trixie so sending him out while I was in the field would be a stupid move and from what little I had glimpsed from Rarity during our chess match, she knew tactics. No matter how I twisted things, it simply did not make sense.

Or was Shining Armor acting alone then?

Before I could follow that train of thought any further, the door slammed open and in trotted Silent Spell with a massive grin on his face. Strapped to his back was yet another metallic limb, but this time it seemed as though it was made from solid metal. When I picked it up though, it was far lighter than I expected and a quick magical scan told me it was far stronger as well.

"You based it off the skeletal pneumaticity found in avians?"At his nod, I couldn't stop the grin from forming. "Color me surprised then. How do I get this thing on?"

It took a while and a lot of fiddling around to get all the clamps on tight enough so that it would stay in place and my ruined nerve endings did not help in that respect at all. In the end though, it was on – probably a bit too tight, but hey, can't win everything. Stepping forward, I careened into Nightwish as I forgot to compensate for the extra weight of the leg. On my second attempt, I didn't flex the ankle right so I hit the ground with a stumble. And third time was definitely not the charm. Nor the fifth or the twentieth.

Needless to say, it was going to be a very long night.

Though the sky was clear and without a single cloud in sight, lightning pierced the eternal night. There was no accompanying thunder as the light faded, but there was an alicorn. A single alicorn with an ethereal mane and midnight coat adorned with light blue armor. Below her, just hidden by the ridge a few feet in front of her was the entrance to the Dawn Brigade's base of operations. To think they'd set it up so close to their old one was a stroke of genius, even if it was a risky chance to take. But that chance had indeed paid off and Nightmare Moon was more than willing to acknowledge the fact that it was a decent move.

There were no other ponies with her, no army, no generals. She made that mistake once on the first assault on their original base and she was not about to repeat it – stupid Generals and their stupid tactics. Ah well, this time there would no escape for her little ponies. She had told no one of this little outing, which meant no one could have told given them prior warning. Standing there above the entrance, she sighed sadly at the task set before her, but steeled her heart.

She had to be honest with herself; death was the only option for as long as they lived they would threaten the peace. The kind thing would be to publically execute the Element Bearers quickly so they didn't suffer, but she'd be generous and offer them the chance to forsake Celestia. In the end, everything she was doing was for Equestria and she'd be loyal to the end. Most importantly though, she'd remember what was done and learn to somehow live with it all, after all laughter was about staring horror in the face and pushing through it.

With one last calming breath, she leapt off the edge of the cliff and effortless descended towards the entrance. Along the way, she knocked out a dozen guards before they could even raise the alarm. Amateurs. Stepping inside, it was surprisingly spacious and once more, she took down a variety of guards ranging from gryphons to unicorns with simple stunning spells. Of course, those who decided to shield themselves first found their protections ripped to shreds before they could even formulate a thought, but really, she was a physical Goddess.

She felt the magical buildup far before she saw or heard anything. Throwing up shield, the resulting blast flung her out of the base, leaving a crater on the cliff face opposite the entrance. Unfurling her wings, the dust was blown away giving her a perfect view of her attacker. A blue mare in a magicians cape and hat with the Element of Magic as well.

"You're meant to be dead," hissed Nightmare Moon as a fireball approached. "Are even the Spirits working against me? No matter, I'll just have to kill you myself."

A sweep of her wing and winds crashed down, dispersing the spell. Four beams of white light shot out from the alicorn's horn before she closed the distance with a single flap of her wings. Crystal sword formed and descended forcing Trixie to block. A second sword formed mid-swing then a third then a forth. Twilight was a foal with a stick compared to the wrath of the corrupt alicorn.

Back winging at the last second, the four beams slammed into Trixie's shield. The entire ledge she was standing on was vaporized beneath her feet. Reaching out with her magic, Nightmare Moon caught the limp unicorn and teleported her to the very same cell she had put Twilight in before she became such an exceptional piece.

Below her, she could see ponies scrambling to get away from the assault. Now that won't do at all. Reaching out to the stars, she called forth the creatures of the night. Silver star dust rained down from the sky, condensing into various animals on the cliff face behind her.

"Don't let them escape," she commanded and they leapt to obey their mistress.

Turning her attention back to the cave entrance, her eyes widened as a series of blue bolts flew straight at her. Tucking and rolling, the bolts blasted past harmlessly, but even then, the magical back draft sent her reeling. A hasty shield was thrown up just as five arrows bounced off harmlessly before the six slammed into her with enough force to shatter the barrier and blast her out of the sky. Hitting the ground with a thump, she rolled and flattened everything within a half mile with a telekinetic wave.

That was when a pillar of pure white light slammed into her from above.

This time though, she was ready. A second pillar the color of midnight went straight up towards the sky. It cut through the white, shredding it from the inside out. Then throwing her wings, open, white ribbons were dispersed through the night and she hovered there in the sky, scanning the ground for that annoying mare.

A flash of blue light drew her attention, as did the two dozen blue arrows that came from over four different locations. Using a combination of Pegasus and unicorn magic, Nightmare Moon sent out a shockwave than splintered the arrows in mid flight. What she wasn't expecting though was for each arrow to detonate sending shrapnel in her direction. Snapping her wings shut, she dropped down and protecting her flank with a shield spell, landed next to the white mare. A single hoofstike shattered the shield Rarity had conjured and before she could react, Nightmare Moon was beside her. A quick blow to the side of the neck sent her to the ground and just like Trixie, Nightmare Moon teleported her away.

Four more to go. Or maybe three?

A howl filled the night air and Nightmare Moon's ears perked up at the sound. Sounds like her pets had found something. Using the Canis Minor as an anchor, she teleported over only for her jaw to hit the ground at the sight before her. There were her pets, a couple dozen minor constellations and scattered throughout were about thirteen major constellations and every single last one of them were frozen in place as a pegasus stared them down while systematically cutting them down with a scalpel.

Fluttershy's gaze suddenly turned to Nightmare Moon and for the first time in her life, the twisted alicorn felt something akin to fear. Deep below her, in the very depths of her soul, Luna stirred as the bounds holding her captive wavered. It took every single last bit of willpower the Nightmare had to keep control of her body, but even then, it felt like holding back an earthquake.

"You want to play my little pony?" growled out Nightmare Moon. "Then let's play."

Conjuring up the memory of Luna's jealousy and anger and hate and pain, the alicorn directed it all towards the pegasus with a single glare. The two were locked in staring contest. Pebbles around them levitated off the ground, the air sparked with electricity and winds swirled beneath their feet. The forest was dead silent.

That was when the Nightmare noticed it – Fluttershy's mane was billowing against the wind.

No. Bucking. Way.

Reaching out with her magic, Nightmare Moon opened a channel between herself and the disharmony – it was a dangerous move considering Discord's influence on everything, but it was one that had to be taken. With all that extra negative energy, she slammed it against the pegasus and she immediately crumpled under all that negativity. The Element of Kindness flooded with all that pessimism, it was amazing she resisted as long as she did. A snap of dark blue light and the pony was gone.

Stepping forward, she gazed down at the pink earth pony and grinned. Two for the price of one. Unconscious from the looks of things, which made it all so much simpler – for as long as she remembered, the Bearer of Laughter had always been unpredicted and she was sure this Pinkie Pie was no different. Unpredictable opponents were the worst opponents. With a wave of her horn, Pinkie vanished and Nightmare Moon turned to her last prey.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are," sung the alicorn as she trotted through the camp. "Come out my little pony, my dear Applejack, my lovely Bearer of Honesty. I just want to have a little chat is all."

"Lie!"

Teleporting to the source of the yell, Nightmare Moon grinned at the farm pony who had clamped her hooves over her mouth.

"Well now, that's interesting, can you not control your Element? How interesting... how very, very interesting." She began circling the sheepish earth pony. "Not even going to fight? How disappointing."

"The honest truth is, if ya can defeat Rarity and Trixie, then ya'll be able to beat me easily," Applejack said, though it sounded forced like she was fighting against herself.

"How curious." Head tilted to the side, Nightmare Moon regarded the farmer for a while longer. "And where is Rainbow Dash? Where is the Bearer of Loyalty? Is she alive?"

"I... Don't..." Applejack wrapped both hooves around her muzzle, but it didn't stop her from finishing the sentence. "Know... Think... Dead..."

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Thank you for your assistance."

With a regal bow to the shaking pony, Nightmare Moon teleported her away before launching herself into the air and scanning the immediate area, she spotted various clusters of fleeing ponies.

Time to clean up.

Teleporting back into my room, I put the stacks of book down before flashing over and settling down on my bed. Grabbing the thickest volume from the stack, I opened it up and blinked in surprise. There in the margins, was my own writing, but I never wrote it. Was this it? Was this the final book in the insane series Celestia made me jump through? I certainly hoped so.

Taking a deep breath to settle my nerves, I began skimming through the book using the notes I had on hoof. Almost immediately, I could tell that this was an instruction to a magical spell of some sort. It was complex and had aspects of mind magic woven in, but none of the spells used were particularly dangerous and from my knowledge of spell interactions, it shouldn't result in any weird or wonderful effects either. Once I had the entire thing written out, I quadruple checked it all before nodding in satisfaction.

Then with my eyes closed, I began casting. Ten spells layered on top of one another and interwoven in such a way that I had to maintain spells half completed before starting the next – I doubt any other unicorn could have completed it. Once it was completed though, I sat there like an idiot waiting for some sort of vertigo or feeling of absolute power coursing through my veins, but there was nothing. Not a single thing.

And so I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Growling in frustration, my eyes snapped open to reread the instructions and to double check if I had missed something, but instead all I could do was stare in a stunned silence. All around me were book shelves filled the to the absolute brim with information – no doubt it represented all the knowledge I had accumulated over the years, but all I cared about was what lay before me. There in front of me was a set of giant marble double doors and over it was a pulsating yellow seal – the same color as Celestia's magic. The edges were frayed and golden dust flecked off with each pulse, but it was there. On the outside was a circle with unknown symbols along the edges. At the top, bottom, left and right were four distinct marks comprised of straight lines rather than the cursive nature of the others. Within said circle were three more that overlapped in the center. One had the mark of the moon, another the sun and the last the earth.

There was no doubt in my mind that this was an ancient spell, older than Equestria itself no doubt.

A giddy feeling spread throughout my body as I marveled at the intricate patterns that floated forth and disappeared within the rune. No two where the same and if there was some sort of pattern in there, it was far too complex for me to figure out in the time that I had. It was a work of art and a part of me was sad that I had to destroy it, but it was a necessity and a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Stepping forward, I touched it gently with my horn and without even needing to cast a spell, a magenta bolt zapped out. It struck dead center of the three circles and ever so slowly, my cutie mark appeared. A second later, the entire rune melted away, the doors opened and brilliant light flooded my entire body.

The real world faded into the foreground and a mad little giggle escaped as I felt my entire magical might flow through me. It hurt, it hurt so very much, but at the same time, it was absolutely delicious. Electricity crackled over my tongue and I could taste power in the air. It was like a ray of pure sunlight had been passed over my body, searing away everything and leaving only my pure essence behind.

I looked the same and I moved the same, but I felt like an entirely new pony. I felt energized, as though I could take on Nightmare Moon right there and then, and win. It was as though I had enough power to reach out and rip the moon right out of the sky despite the utter ridiculousness of such a statement.

Most importantly, I laughed. I laughed a full body laugh that used every fiber of my being – it was a laugh that completely and utter consumed me in its entirety.

Chapter 22

"Where... are we?" asked Shining as he gazed about the ruins. "This was not where we entered the Underworld. I mean, there are trees outside. Trees! Dear Celestia, it's been months since I've seen a tree. And grass. I must be in heaven."

Smacking him across the back of his head with a wing, Cadence trotted past. "We saw an oasis just hours before entering the cave so it wasn't that long ago. But yes, I agree, being out of that sweltering sun is rather nice." Humming a soft tune, she examined their surroundings. "Since Tartarus is everywhere, I'm guessing Gaia set us down here on purpose. I think we're back in the Everfree Forest actually..."

A sickly groan echoed through the silence.

There was no need for talking or for communications of any kind. Shining Armor knew Cadence would rush off towards the sound without a second thought to her safety and considering this was a ruin, it was entirely likely that whoever had destroyed the area was still around. It was times like these that reminded him of why he loved and hated that mare sometimes. Apart from trying to keep up with Cadence and sending out his magical senses looking for other ponies though, there was little else he could do to actively protect her.

This time, the injured pony coughed and if anything, Cadence seemed to pick up the pace, pulling away from Shining as she raced off ahead by her lonesome. With a frustrated growl, he had no choice, but to drop the magic he was casting and focus solely on the alicorn. With all the rubble everywhere, it was impossible to keep multiple spells on standby and not trip.

"Shit!" Shining's eyes widened at the sound of her swearing – whatever it was, it was serious. "It's the Element of Loyalty! She's seriously hurt."

Swearing under my breath, he turned the corner and skidded to a stop by the puddle of blood. Unlike Cadence, he didn't know how much blood a pony had in their body, but he had been in enough fights to know that the cyan mare had lost too much blood. The couple exchanged a single look and both knew what they had to do.

"You've got ten minutes," she said.

Shining Armor nodded. Ten minutes to find the right herbs and plants. Ten minutes to mix them together into a semi-decent anesthetic. Ten minutes to find somebody who knew what blood type the cyan mare was so that they didn't royally screw up. Even then though, it was unlikely she would survive. After all, ponies have died from lesser injuries in the past. And if that pony died? It'd be years before they'd find the replacement. In other words?

He had ten minutes to save Equestria.

"Knight Commander Twilight Sparkle," I whispered into the darkness. It rolled off my tongue so exquisitely like fine wine and just hearing those words sent a shiver down my spine – I was so close to my goal I could practically taste it. "Knight Commander of Nightmare Moon's army, answerable only to her..."

A giggle escaped as I walked down the damp, dark corridor. Each step echoed off the stonewalls as my metallic hoof struck the ground. It was still awkward to use and every so often, I'd stuff up, but overall I could walk. I'd probably never be able to run or jump, but I could walk and that was far more than I expected.

"What do you think?" I asked Phantom Celestia. "It has a nice ring to it don't you think?"

Before she could reply though, Nightwish interrupted, "I wish you'd stop doing that. It's seriously creepy."

Rolling my eyes, I fixed him with a flat look. "Insanity is not as bad as everypony makes it out to be. Insanity means the ability to think outside the box, to do things no other pony would dare attempt. In fact, I'd go so far as to say without insanity, progression in the arts and sciences would have been impossible."

"Of course," he muttered. "I still don't see why I had to accompany you here."

"Huh?" I titled my head to the side. "Well fancy that, I don't remember. Oh! That's right, I just wanted to show you where the Elements were kept so that you can tell Foxtrot who can inform the Dawn Brigade – if they still exist at all – so that they can come and rescue them in seven days time. Anyways, bye-bye!"

Opening a portal beneath his feet, he dropped through with a startled yelp. I couldn't help, but grin. There was something so addicting about using my magic now that it was fully unlocked – just all that energy coursing through me wanting to be released was like pure ecstasy. I spent the entirety of last night just playing with it, touching it again and again with loving caresses. How could I have given this up? I was so young and foalish! This was true power.

When I had mind read Nightwish, I had gained a wealth of information about my friends and their troubles. I had hoped they'd be powerful enough by now that I could free them, portal to Rainbow Dash then go straight to Nightmare Moon and blast her, but currently that was an impossibility. We'd be slaughtered and I still hadn't figured out where Celestia was.

Once my nerves had calmed down enough, I opened the metal door before me and stepped through. There chained on the wall before me were my old friends, each one looking worse for wear, but not too badly damaged. There was Applejack with clouded eyes and a half torn off ear. From what I gleamed she would be an issue, a weak link in the Elements, but I had seven days to fix that. Then there was Rarity looking as pretty as ever while lost in thought. As far as I was concerned, she was on the right track and didn't really need any sort of push. Pinkie Pie was totally silent, but eyes wide with shock and every so often she'd look off to the side and wince – was she fighting with somepony? Of course, the whole Pinkamina fiasco. Definitely a weak link then. Off to the side was Trixie, eye patch covering her right eye as she tried to set me on fire with her glare. She was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. When the time came, I'd be taking my Element back. Last, but not least was Fluttershy hiding behind a lock of pink mane. Truth be told, I had no clue what to make of her, but seven days were more than enough.

A sharp buck slammed the door shut and all eyes were suddenly on me.

"Hello!" I said cheerily. "So how's life been?"

"Sugarcube, what happened?" asked Applejack, her gaze still lingering on my metallic leg.

"Oh this?" I raised it with my telekinesis to give them a little wave. "You know, stuff happens and life is unpredictable and blah, blah, blah. Doesn't it just look fabulous on me Rarity? It matches my eyes so well wouldn't you say? Really makes them sparkle if I do say so myself."

"Um... well... yes... I suppose so dear," chuckled Rarity nervously.

"Come on, no need to act so cautious around me. It's not as though I'm insane or anything like that." I turned to Celestia. "Right?"

"Of course not my most faithful student. You are the picture of sanity itself."

"Ha! See? Any who, I'm here to announce you'll all be executed in seven days time. Don't worry; she'll just chop off your heads just like that so you won't feel a thing at all," I said before grinning at Fluttershy and adding, "It'd be the kind thing to do after all. Isn't that right Fluttershy?"

"Um..." The yellow pegasus looked off the side, completely avoid my gaze.

"Oh geez. This is pathetic. You're all pathetic. I mean seriously, really, one hundred percent pathetic. I surprised Nightmare Moon took as long as she did to stomp you all flat considering how weak you all are. I thought you'd have done it in... How did it go again? Ah yes, ten seconds flat." My gaze snapped to Trixie. "Especially you. Element of Magic? Please. That gryphon seer of yours is vastly more powerful. You're weak and pathetic and worthless.

"You know something? You're right." Instead of deflating though, each word seemed to make her grow larger. The fire in her eyes was back. "Trixie is weak and she can't defeat you in a fight. But she doesn't have to. She has ponies who will stand by her no matter what, who will help her and give her strength."

"Because friendship is magic," added Applejack.

There was a poignant pause as I let them get a sense of their own deluded self worth before bursting out laughing. "Don't make me laugh. Friends? You lot?" I doubled over, giggling like mad then suddenly teleporting over to Applejack and caressing her cheek. "You mean Applejack, who you're all afraid to look in the eyes. How you all avoid her and answer vaguely? Oh dear me, I thought friends were meant to talk to each other when they're put in awkward situations. Not to mention confusing truth and honesty. I mean, seriously? You stupid country hic, truth and honesty are two different things!"

Before anypony could say anything, I cast an illusion of myself and teleported over to Pinkie. "And then there's Pinkie Pie. Tell me my excitable little friend, how's your other half doing?" Her eyes widened at my questions. "Is she having fun yet?"

"How did you-"

"How did I know? I looked. Anypony with eyes can see it you know." A little mad giggle escaped. "Well, apparently not your friends of course. Then again, it's not like I blame them. After all, they need you and if you were to work things out you wouldn't be able to fight would you? Such friendship! Maybe you should come to your enemies for help instead?"

"Stop it!" yelled Fluttershy. "Stop hurting my-"

"Friends?" I was suddenly by her side, with my illusionary clone on the other side as we caressed her cheek. "Tell me my dear, sweet Fluttershy; would friends have noticed your little problem? I'm beginning to wonder if I should call you Fluttershy at all. Tell me, when was the last time you weren't in your disguise willingly? A month? Three? I thought friendship was meant to give you power and what was it? Ah, that's right, "Help you, and give you strength". I'd have thought you wouldn't need it if you were strong. With true friends, you wouldn't ne-"

"That is quite enough! I can tolerate you mocking Trixie, but you do not mock Fluttershy!" Rarity was practically fuming at the sight of a quivering Fluttershy.

"Oh Rarity darling, I was just getting to you." Skipping over to her, I dispelled the clone and conjured up a dress. "Have you found beauty in war yet? It's there you know, torture and killing is an art form. From the look of things I'd say yes and that scares you doesn't it? Don't worry, be happy! Reveal in it, enjoy it, bask in it. After all, it is your cutie mark. I wonder if any of your so-called friends have noticed your lack of sleep or your diet. Heh, some friends they are am I right?"

I finally turned my attention back to Applejack and Trixie. "Friends? Don't make me laugh. I don't see friends here. I see comrades in arms, but definitely not friends. Friends talk to each other, friends ask each for help. Friends are loyal, honest, kind, generous and a joy to be around. That's what makes friendship so magical. None of you are friends."

With a disgusted snort, I turned my back to them. "I'll be back in an hour to torture one of you for information. I'm not sadistic or cruel, so I'll let you pick who gets to go first. Who knows, maybe out of friendship, one of you will offer yourself to go first."

"I'll go first." All eyes turned to Rarity. "After all, it's not the first time I've been tortured."

"Less reason for ya to go then sugarcube," remarked Applejack. "Ah'll go first."

"You most certainly will not." If it weren't for the chains, Rarity would have stomped the ground. "You are the Element of Honesty; you are physically unable to tell lies. All she would need was one second with you and she'd have all the information she could ever want."

Was this friendship? Trixie gazed at the two bickering mares as they argued back and forth, completely oblivious to the rest of them. Were friends meant to argue with each other over who gets to face Tartarus first? In fact, there was doubt over whether they were friends at all. They were companions, there was no doubt about that, but friends seemed like one-step too far.

Friends...

For as long as she had lived, she had never had friends for friendship was a foreign concept when living on the streets. It was a state of nature, a state of war – a state of all against all where only the strongest survive. To share food was stupidity for the next meal was always an uncertainty. To share shelter was stupidity for there was nothing stopping the other from taking it away. Breaking the law meant a night in some place warm, some place with a roof and free food. Breaking the law was something many resorted to. Yes, there was no doubt in her mind that friendship was impossible. That she most certainly was not friends with this herd of foals.

And yet, didn't Rainbow Dash come back for her? Didn't that insane pegasus rush into the middle of battle to take Twilight on in a one to one battle despite being woefully outclassed? Who would do that if not for friends? By all accounts, that was friendship. Right?

Perhaps the most important question though, was did she want to be friends with them? Would she extend that first hoof?

"Um... Applejack, if I may add something," whispered Fluttershy, "I think Rarity is right and that, um, sending you first would be a really bad idea. And... well... I agree with Rarity and that you should go last if possible, not that I don't think you couldn't handle the torture, just that... um... so we won't spill everything immedi-"

"Shut up!" Everypony stared at Pinkie as she yelled at the thin air beside her. "Just shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Ten seconds later, the party pony finally seemed to notice that she was the center of attention and her ears flattened back against her head. "I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Pinkie? You alright?" asked Fluttershy with those eyes of hers.

"I'm fine!" Her head immediately snapped to the side and something akin to a growl could be heard.

"Lie," snarled Applejack. "Tell me the truth."

The two were locked in an intense staring contest. With each passing second, Pinkie began shaking more and more and she seemed to sink into herself, as a cold sweat broke out. Though her magic was suppressed, Trixie could feel the magic radiating off Applejack in waves as she bent her will onto Pinkie. Just being the same room as the farmer sent chills through Trixie's body and though she was sure, she was just imagining it, the she could swear magic was crackling through the air.

"Applejack! What are you doing?" exclaimed Rarity. "Stop that at once you brute."

But her words had not effect. The staring continued and it almost seemed as though the color was being leeched out of Applejack fur. Then ever so slightly, as though fighting against herself, Applejack's head began moving to the left. Every so often, her head would snap back to Pinkie to look her in the eye, but with every attempt her head managed to turn a little bit further to the side until she was looking at the pink mare through the corner of her eye. And then she spoke in a strangled voice.

"Help... me..."

A metal pole suddenly found itself half embedded in the wall beside Applejack, cutting the eye contact between the two friends. Following its trajectory, the group found their eyes resting upon Twilight as she gazed at Applejack with a curious expression. In the absolute stillness of the room, she trotted forward and ripped the pole free before throwing it behind her.

"Well now, that was most certainly interesting." Tilting Applejack's head to the side, Twilight gazed into her green eyes. "You can't control it can you? How very interesting. What I want to know is, have you come to a decision about who goes first?"

"We have," said Trixie before anypony could speak. "I'm going first."

"Is that so?" Letting go of Applejack's head, Twilight unhooked Trixie from the wall and dragged her out the door. "Let's go then. I'm hoping to get through all of you today."

Friends. This is what friends would do. Even as the door closed behind them, cutting off her vision of Rarity and the rest of them, Trixie knew that they knew why she had done what she'd done. They weren't just fighting for Equestria or for Celestia; they were fighting for friendship and harmony. If she was to die in seven days, she wanted to be able to face her mother and proudly say she had made friends.

Friends worth dying for.

There had been one hundred and seventeen ponies as well as thirty-six gryphons. "Had" being the operative word there. Now? Gilda wasn't certain, it took all her concentration to keep moving one claw before the other in some semblance of a run. Behind her, another pony collapsed. Whether it was from exhaustion or from injuries she didn't know, but Gilda hoped the other groups had better luck.

Behind her, the hollow howl of the Canis Minor sent a shiver down her spine. They had been following silently ever since the assault on the base, taking out ponies that dropped behind and slipping in for quick hits before melting away again. The first time Gilda had ordered a stop to set up camp, they struck with such ferocity; half the perimeter guards were killed before they knew what had happened. It was a good thing there weren't enough to have surrounded her group; otherwise none of them would have survived that blunder.

The pony beside her hit the ground. His entire left side soaked with blood and there were deep gouges on his flank – it was amazing he held on as long as he did. Looking behind her, it was obvious those that were left were running on empty. She didn't have a plan; she knew that under an attack they were meant to meet at the Everfree Ranges, but where they even going in the right direction? All she knew was that the broken base lay behind them and she was getting the fuck away from that place.

But this was stupid.

They stumble on through the forest, slowly getting picked off with no hope of rescue. She wasn't some lame prey just waiting to be picked off. She was a gryphon. A predator. If she was going to go down, she was going to fucking take as many enemies with her as possible. She was going to die in the field of battle, with blood on her claws and break ripping into flesh.

And so, Gilda stopped in the middle of the forest and all those behind her looked up at her expectantly. A speech... That's what they were all looking for – some sort of awe inspiring, clichéd speech that'd get them all pumped up and leave them to some sort of last minute victory. Gilda hated speeches.

"Here's the deal dweebs," Gilda began, "we're screwed. So, I'm going to stand here and beat the shit out of anything that comes this way. Those who want to stay can stay. Those who want to leave, you better fucking make use of the extra time, or I swear I'll be waiting in Tartarus to kick all you lame-o's into next week. Got that? Dismissed."

None of them moved. And then, as one, they formed a defensive formation with the unicorns on the inside.

"Maybe ponies aren't so lame after all," remarked Gilda softly as the enemies came into view. "If any of you rack up a higher kill count than me, I'll buy you a round of drinks."

They were surrounded on all sides, over three dozen Canis Minors growled in unison as they began circling. This would be a massacre, but Gilda didn't care. The smart thing to do would be to keep the line and wait, but Gilda hated waiting and defense just wasn't her style.

Lunging forward, her spear snaked out, slashing one across the shoulder. Coming to a stop, she used her speed to pivot on her front leg. Spear raised, it found itself lodged between rows of sharp teeth, and falling back, Gilda planted a foot in the wolf's stomach and threw it backwards into a tree. Still in a crouch, she swept her spear low and as soon as they jumped to evade, the spear was embedded in its throat while her left claw ripped another's throat out.

Tackled to the side, teeth sunk into her shoulder as claws raked along her torso. She should have felt pain, her right side should have been useless, but with the adrenaline coursing through her system, all she felt was annoyance and anger. Turning her head to the side, her beak found her attacker's eye and black liquid filled her mouth. With a howl, the creature leapt back, but not nearly far enough. Grasping the fallen spear, she lunged out and effortlessly slit its throat.

A bolt of blue magic flew past her head and slammed into the wolf beside her. However, it only hit the stomach and without any internal organs, it simply stood back up. A second later, a pegasus crashed into it and in a flurry of feathers and stars, both lay dead on the ground. Taking a step forward, the ground tilted dangerously and Gilda found herself on the ground.

No. Not now. Just one more, please. Just one more.

Using her spear as support, she crawled back onto her feet.

And that's when everything exploded in magenta light. When fleeing the base, Gilda had seen Rarity's battle with Nightmare Moon and now she knew what it felt like to be in the middle of that. Bolts of pure energy slammed into the ground all around her, each one taking out a Canis Minor with pinpoint accuracy. No matter where she looked, all she saw were beams of purple magic. Well, looks like this was it, no doubt that sadistic unicorn pet of Nightmare Moon's was killing off her underlings so she could have the joy of slowly torturing everyone to death.

That was until Gilda saw the white unicorn on golden armor strolling calmly through the battlefield while blasting every last wolf in sight. Calm, cool and collected. He reminded her of Master Catarean – a constant battle awareness coupled with unrivalled precision. Gilda's eyes widened even further when he fired a blast behind him, hitting a Canis Minor mid jump without even turning around. Whoever this pony was, he was insane.

It took three seconds for him to reach Gilda. It took three seconds for him to obliterate every enemy in view. It took three seconds for him to heal up every person in sight. And then he looked down at a weary and blood soaked Gilda.

"Do any of you know the blood type of the Element of Loyalty?" he asked.

If it was possible, the entire place became even more silent. A dead pony would have made more noise.

"Dude, take mine," said Gilda once her beak could work again. "I don't know what blood type I am, but she once donated blood when I was accidentally hit by her Buckannear Blaze so I know we're the same type. It's about time I paid back that debt."

Nodding once, Shining Armor channeled magic into his horn and the next thing Gilda knew, they were in some old ruins and before them was an alicorn and Rainbow Dash.

"I'm back dear and we've got a donor."

"Alright. You know what to do," she said without looking up.

"So what's her chances doc?" asked Gilda as she laid down on the ground beside her clutch mate.

"Bad. Even with you donating, it's touch and go. She could die or she could live."

"Take as much as you need." Already she could feel sleep claiming her as Cadence cast a sedative spell over her. "We need Dash."

Chapter 23

A/N: Normally I don't have notes at the start of a chapter, but a bit of AJ's section has musical backing. It doesn't start at the very beginning and you should know when it shows it (it has lyrics)

Thrown against the chair, it rocked back dangerously and Trixie flailed her hooves trying to regain her balance. Just as it was about to tip back and hit the ground though, a strong gust of wind blew it back onto all four legs almost throwing her off in the process. In fact, it would have if not for the metallic hoof pressed against her chest, no doubt bruising her in the process. For once, the showmare kept her mouth firmly shut.

"Of course you'd be the first one." With a toss of her mane, Twilight glared down at Trixie. "The most useless one of them al-"

"Hey!" So much for not talking. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not useless."

"You're right of course. Completely and utter and totally right." Sitting down in the chair opposite her, Twilight threw her back hooves onto the table. "You're not useless. You're beyond useless. You're so useless I could replace you with thin air and that'd be more useful. Actually, no, sorry, air is pretty damn useful since we can't survive without air. If I were to turn you to ash, that ash would be more useful!"

Throughout the entire rant, Trixie just sat there with an unimpressed expression on her face. "That it? Trixie has heard better insults from dirt."

"I was not trying to insult you," replied Twilight as she rubbed her temple. "You're just... useless you know? How do I explain this... You hold the Element of Magic, but you're not linked to it."

At Trixie's quizzical expression, the purple mare continued, "Applejack's necklace is three apple, Rarity's are three diamonds, Fluttershy's are three butterflies, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The obvious implication is that the bearer's cutie mark is the gem. Now think of your tiara and the shape of the gem there. A magenta star right? Not you're cutie mark, rather it's mine. Therefore, the obvious implication is that you're not linked to it, rather I am."

Trixie could only stare at the unicorn before her in a stunned silence. The Element... wasn't hers? But the others said they needed her, that without her she couldn't defeat Nightmare Moon. She had thought she was special, that the Element chose her and that they chose her for who she was, but she was wrong. They only kept her around for what she was and what she could be. Did Dash save the Great and Powerful Trixie or did that insane pegasus save the Bearer of Magic?

No. Friends did not go doubting each other and jumping to conclusion at the slightly provocation. More importantly, they did not trust a crazy mare more than their friends. They were stuck together for the next seven days, that was plenty of time to ask them for the truth, and with AJ there, lying would be an impossibility.

"You realize such obvious tricks will not work on Trixie."

"Tricks? What are you- Oh." Twilight's head suddenly and violently greeted the desk. "Are you really this stupid or are you just doing it to mess with me?"

"Trixie fail-"

"And that's another thing!" A frown suddenly creased her brow as she gazed down at her metallic hoof. "Oh. Right!" Picking it up with her telekinesis, she jabbed it at Trixie. "You speak in... in... what's the term again for speaking in third person? Huh, what's that Celly? Oh, right! Thank you. You speak using illeisms and... Actually, I totally forgot where I was going with that."

"What."

"At any rate, you're useless, but I can't just send you straight back in as... Actually, I can send you straight back in. It's not as though Nightmare Moon will be checking up on me or anything and I am the Knight Commander now so nopony outranks me except her. Huh." Twilight tapped her hoof against her chin thoughtfully. "It's a shame the Elements of Honesty and Laughter are so weak otherwise I could teleport us straight to Nightmare Moon and blast her right now. Well that and I still don't know where Celestia is. I'm not boring you am I? I know Celly finds this interesting, but then again, she always finds my ramblings interesting."

Trixie listened to the entire thing in a stunned silence. It was one thing to be a mass murdering psychopath, but to be clinically insane on top of the? Licking her dry lips, she tried to formulate an answer, but when it came to insane ponies, any answer given was the wrong answer and not answering at all was suicide in itself. Reading a crazy pony and correctly guessing the reply they wanted was like aiming for a dartboard located on the moon – it was impossible. Taking a deep breath, Trixie opened her mouth to give a random reply, but before she could say a single word, Twilight interrupted.

"In case you're wondering I do realize Celestia is not here in the room with me and that it's just a figment of my imagination." She stuck out her left hoof. "See? If she were a solid being, I'd just have stuck my hoof through her head. The question is, if I know I'm insane and I still considered insane?"

With a sigh, Twilight stood up and with a wave of her horn, the entire wall became transparent giving them a sweeping view of the mountain range and plains before them. Away from city lights and even the smallest house, everything was so calm and peaceful. There was no war here, no battles, or death. Here there was only the eternal silence of the everlasting sky. It was not night though, instead it was day with the brilliant sun overhead. For the first time in her life, tears pricked the corners of Trixie's eyes.

"It's beautiful isn't it? I recreated it by directly linking an illusion spell to a memory spells so that it would be a perfect representation of how things used to be." Stepping forward until her cheek was pressed against the cold wall, Twilight teleported Trixie out of the room.

"I miss her you know, I miss Celestia more than anything in the world," I whispered into the silence. "Everything I've done, I've done for her. Equestria needs a ruler, a strong one who can rebuild what was lost and who better than the beloved Princess? To that end, I cannot let you defeat Nightmare Moon until I have managed to ascertain the location of Princess Celestia. At the same time though, you need to be ready to take out that mad alicorn at any moment's notice. To that end, I shall help you."

Turning around, I finally came face to face with Applejack who simply replied, "Truth."

Gazing at my friend, I smiled a small, sad smile. "I wish I could say I am sorry for what I am about to do, but the truth is I am not for it needs to be done. You have been consumed by Truth and that is helping no one for Truth and Honesty are two separate things."

"Ah don-" Though her mouth continued to move, no words came out.

"No, do not speak; there is no need for words. Listen, just listen." Power laced my words, forcing Applejack to obey as she slipped into a semi conscious state where everything vanished except the purple mare before her and her words. "Consider the following: a truthful person versus an honest person, a truthful merchant versus and honest one, a truthful face versus and honest face. Many people consider Truth and Honesty to be one and the same and yet in the above examples, they are very different connotatively.

"A truthful merchant is merely one who tells the truth. An honest merchant though carries with it the ideas of having fair prices, being helpful, not trying to influence a buyers decisions and so on and so forth. Truth and Honesty are two very different things and you have managed to confuse the two, but more than that though, you've managed to be consumed by Truth. The only way for me to break you free is to break you down and make no mistake, this can be considered torture. So sleep Applejack. Sleep."

"Twilight? You do not know any spell that remotely relates though."

"You're right, I don't." Levitating the farmpony, I put her down on the table. Stroking AJ's hair, I leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. With one last tender look at my former friend, I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "But you do."

"I don't know what you're talking about my-"

"Cut the crap. I know you're not a figment of my subconscious because you know things I don't," I snarled in reply. Though she was immaterial, my sword was still drawn and pointing at her throat. "Therefore you must be a spell cast by somepony, but more than that it is a highly complex spell and since you're not draining my power, you must be functioning off an external power source. Factor in the distances in questions since I portal around so much and the answer is that you're an alicorn of some kind. It is unlikely you're Nightmare Moon since you would have killed me already and you're unlikely to be Celestia for she would never have nudged a metal pole while I was torturing Rarity and she'd be a stronger moral compass than you've been thus far. Therefore, you must the last alicorn, the oldest alicorn, the one forgotten by history – Princess Gaia. But there's more. I'm talking about separating a pony from a Spirit, which is surprisingly similar to what your sisters did to you when they separated insanity from sanity, therefore, you would have knowledge of the spell cast. With that knowledge I can work out a sister spell from it to accomplish what needs to be done here."

There was a pause before laughter rang out. Turning my head to the right, there stood a perfect mirror copy of Cadence and for once in my life, I felt like facehoofing. It was so obvious in hindsight that I was seriously tempted to question my sanity and just how intelligent I thought I was.

"Impressive Twilight Sparkle, I caught a glimpse of your intelligence from Cadence when she visited me, but I did not expect you to figure it all out so simply from such little information. Truly impressive."

"I am Celestia's most faithful student." I jerked my head in the direction of Phantom Celestia. "You can get rid of her now, thank you very much."

Grinning, she trotted over and nuzzled her fake sister lovingly. "Whatever are you talking about? I did not create this stunning replica, you did. I merely... stole her for my own uses. Though if I had known about your Cadence, I would have just impersonated her instead."

Great. With a sigh and shake of my head, I turned my attention back to Gaia. "Are you going to tell me the spell or not?"

"What makes you think I know the spell?"

With a snarl, flames coated my blade as I swung it through her neck. Though it passed through harmlessly and she didn't even flinch, I felt better. That was until I saw her amused smile, which made me want her to blast her to pieces, and considering the amount of magic at my disposal, I could probably do so three times over. Instead, I settled for one of Nightmare Moon's ethereal blades being shoved right through her head. I could at least pretend to have sliced her head open right?

"Tell me already," I growled out.

"You do realize that when it was cast on me, it split me in three and that if you cast it on a mortal pony it may just kill her."

"Right now we don't stand a chance and I'm willing to bet my life that Truth would never let her go willingly and if she's not free and the Element of Honesty is bound to her, then we're screwed. Either we do nothing and hope for a miracle or we do something and just hope it'll work." Unsheathing my second swords, I wreathed it electricity and pointed it at the illusion. "So tell me or I swear I'll find out where you're hiding and beat it out of you."

Gaia cocked an eyebrow at me. "You're threatening a god?"

"I'm threatening a third of a god."

"The sin shall be on your head."

"One more will not make a difference."

"You're messing with the soul of your friend."

"I'm saving Celestia – your sister."

"You'll be killing my sister – Luna."

"We don't know that for certain."

We glared at each other over the sleeping body of my friend. As my mouth opened to argue my case further, the alicorn seemed to deflate before my eyes. She looked at me sadly, with that look of profound wisdom mothers so often had as though they knew better than everyone else before her gaze drifted down to the prone body before us. Leaning forward, she kissed AJ lightly on the forehead much like I did before brushing the sleeping mare's mane to one side.

"Repeat after me." Clearing her throat, she began speaking though with the way she was forming the words, it sounded a lot closer to singing and though I could pick up hints of modern Equestrian in the words, it was weird. It was as though I was groping for a fading dream and the harder to reached for it, the more elusive it became. Once she was finished with the first sentence, I closed my eyes and began reciting from memory.

O maio tishu twangan win gweleit

Haustu hauchren tishu weishala

Even before I had finished saying the final word, it was like a gate had opened in my mind and I knew it. I could feel the words coming into my mind, a torrent of thoughts and images and feelings that were associated with it as magic sparked over my tongue, burning the inside of my mouth. There was a breeze blowing through the room despite the entire place being magically sealed and beneath my feet, a glowing circle began expanding outwards until it was five ponies long in diameter.

Deservei anacolla

Stanahei sonyo fulya

Et staninno bai evo seleiter

Moflawa shadinya muhwalamor ladilei

Every sound that came out of my mouth echoed back with primal energy and with each passing second, forgotten symbols began appearing on the ground as though drawn by a calligraphy brush. Six pulsating lines grew out from the edges of the circle moving towards the centre, all the while branching out like tree roots. They linked and wove within one another, until they formed a circle of interlocking strands, each one a different color. At the center of it was Applejack.

Halawerl i akwilyu

Nenekhei aikyu stilyu

Et stanino bai evo steleiter

Ege zakhwai chran no cheiyu halal labelei

If anything, the light intensified and the wooden table AJ was one splintered into a million shards. But she stayed where she was, floating above the ground at the centre of the storm, not a single strand of hair was out of place. Blood filled my mouth as the magic tore through my throat and muzzle, but I kept speaking the words – I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. Anything that wasn't bolted down to the ground was slammed against the walls and apart from us and the walls, everything was disintegrated.

O maio tishu twangan win gweleit

Haustu hauchren tishu weishala

A single symbol began drawing itself below the earth pony. Six different colors, six different threads, all interwoven to form the final piece of the spell. Six Elements, six threads, six colors, one outcome. Harmony.

In an explosion of light and sound, I found magic forced through my horn and down through the entirety of my body. It was a pain beyond anything I have ever felt, even beyond that which Nightmare Moon had inflected on me. But at the same time, it was ecstasy. It felt like I had transcended my body, that those mortal shackles had been cast off and all that was left was my spirit – my soul. Then all too soon, the moment passed and I found myself back in my body, the insides of my mouth burnt to a crisp, my throat roar and a constant ringing in my ears.

A couple seconds later (though if anypony told me it was minutes or hours I would have believed them) my magic had finished healing up my wounds and the light had faded enough for me to see again. There on the ground was a rune much like the one that Celestia had placed over my magic, but it was vastly more complex and vastly more powerful. Here, standing in the centre of it all, I could feel the power radiating off it in waves, swamping my very senses. What really caught my attention though was the glowing white orb hovering above Applejack.

Before my eyes, the glowing orb separated into three. The one at the centre was AJ's soul no doubt and considering the amount of threads linking to the other two, the right one was Truth and the left was Honesty. From the looks of things, there were easily three times as many links between AJ and Truth compared to Honesty and considering the complexity of the links, separating the two would be difficult. Difficult, but not impossible. With that thought in mind, I conjured the celestial blade and pumped it with so much magic it crystallized before bursting into white and purple flames.

"Stop!" She was suddenly before me with her wings outstretched. "That is her soul you're dealing with; you cannot just take a sword to it and slash it away! Doing could cause severe damage to her functionality."

"But we don't need her be able to function," whispered Phantom Celestia into my ear. "All we need is for her to be able to channel the Element of Honesty. We don't need Applejack; all we need is the Element."

"I don't need AJ; all I need is for her to act as a conduit for the Element. She can be a vegetable for all I care." I stared Gaia straight in the eye and with a single thought, tore the projection to shreds. "Now be gone and don't come back!"

Lifting the blade into the air, I cut down with all my might. A wall of pure sound slammed into me as my friend screamed out in pain, her body twisting and turning as her veins pulsed red through her skin. The whites of her eyes turned red and blood vessels popped, but still I kept the blade imbedded in her soul. When those links did not break though, I opened the floodgates to my magic causing the flames to grow in intensity as my eyes turned pure white, casting light onto the pony before me.

With the increase in magic, the screaming finally stopped as her body's nerves were overloaded. Her body twitched and thrashed as random nerve pulses were fired off and I had no doubt in my mind that with enough time and patience, I could figure out how to control her body like a puppet. Within the minute of accessing all of my magic, the tendrils were turned to ash. Dispelling my blade, Applejack flopped back down into her prone position though her mane stuck to her body from all the sweat rather than flowing free like before.

Grasping the multitude of threads, they wiggled and thrashed in my grasp, but I simply dragged them over to Honesty and welded them together with magic. Lots and lots and lots of magic. Underneath me, she tossed and turned as though stuck in some nightmare. No screaming though and for that, I was thankful. By the time I was done, all that lay before me was a charred orb linked to AJ's soul by light strands of light that had hair thin pink fibers stitching them together. More than that though, parts of it were stained a light pink from me forcing it all together.

Smiling sadly, I let go of all the magic and the orbs before me faded out of existence while AJ gently drifted onto the ground. Gathering her up in my weak magic, I gave her a tender nuzzle before carrying her out of the room and when I entered the room with the rest of my friends, each and every single last one of them was glaring at me as though I had just killed their pet kitten or something. Geez, it's not as though I killed or tortured her.

"I have nothing to say to a monster like you," said Rarity with a finality reminiscent of Celestia.

"Really now, I'm a monster?" Leaning forward, Twilight gave her my best predatory grin. "Tell me, why am I monster? Have you not killed as many ponies as I? What makes you so different from me?"

"The fact that I don't relish in their death and that I do not enjoy fighting unlike you. Nor have I ever, or will ever, torture a pony unlike you."

"You really think that of me? Of little ol' bookworm Twilight? I'm hurt Rarity, I'm so very, very hurt. I thought you were the Bearer of Generosity, how about being a bit generous with doubt or trust or loyalty? I don't relish in killing ponies, nor do I relish in torture."

Tilting her head up, Twilight nuzzled the thin air lovingly before turning back to Rarity. "The closest description you can give to me is desensitized or uncaring. I simply no longer care about what actions I have to take as long as those actions get me closer to finding Celestia and bringing her back."

"Killing a pony is always wrong!"

With a giggle, Twilight nodded her head to some unspoken comment. "It is indeed. What I'm going to assume you mean is that killing another pony is always wrong except in cases such as self-defense, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The thing is though, that's only one morality system and the one I'm using is based off utilitarianism except instead of trying to maximize pleasure and minimize pain, I'm maximizing the chances to getting Celestia back. It's simply a different morality system, that's all."

"This is what everything's about isn't it?" Realization dawned on Rarity's face and much to her annoyance; Twilight hid her laughter behind a hoof. "Since the beginning, everything you've done is to get Princess Celestia back. Get closer to Nightmare Moon so that you can find out where the Princess is stashed, then to rescue her."

Leaning back in her seat, the purple mare clapped her hooves together. "And somepony finally gets it."

"Then why won't you help us? Free us and we cou-"

"Are you truly that stupid?" All of a sudden, the fierceness was back. "Currently only Nightmare Moon and I know the location of this place. The fact that I showed Nightwish this place and told him to rescue you already puts me in a very bad position. I'll tell you what I told Applejack, you're my friends, but Celestia is more important. I'm willing to help, but get in my way and I'll take you out."

Rarity's jaw hit the ground as she stared at the mad mare before her. Trixie had commented that Twilight was insane, but sitting here, watching her former friend threaten them then chat with the empty air beside her was chilling. She didn't want to believe it, but with the evidence right there before her eyes, it was impossible to ignore.

After a couple minutes of watching Twilight talk to herself, nuzzle the air, hug the air and some other things to do with thin air beside her, Rarity politely cleared her throat. "So darling, why have you called me into this... quaint... room of yours for anyways?"

"Huh?" Her ears perked up and she tilted her head to the side. "There was something I was meant to rant at you about. Now what was it? Wait, are you certain? Seriously? Beauty of all things? Ooooooh, right, her cutie mark, gotcha. So... Rarity... about beauty..."

With a groan, the white mare buried her face in her hooves. "Really? Are we still going on about this? I've found beauty in fighting and I hate it. Congratulations Twilight Sparkle, you have officially made me start doubting myself. Happy? I fail to see how this even remotely relates to getting Princess Celestia back."

For once, Twilight looked sheepish as she replied in a small voice, "Well it's got more to do with fighting Nightmare Moon when the time comes. You already know about the cutie mark and how it affects spell casting and so by finding beauty in war you've essentially made it so that you can fight those working under Nightmare Moon. So... er... not really that important to taking her down, but sorta important? Truthfully I expected you to just realize that you're fighting for beauty and that'd be enough."

"What." Multiple thoughts flashed through Rarity's mind at what Twilight had said and none of them were very lady like or appropriate for high society. "Let me get this straight, you put me through Tartarus just to make me more powerful so I can kill more ponies? ARE YOU INSANE!?"

Twilight looked at Rarity as though she was an idiot. "Yes."

Lunging forward, Rarity went straight for Twilight's throat, but before she could even get within five feet, purple magic surrounded her entire body. Before Rarity stood her captor with a disappointed expression on her face. Turning her head to the side, Twilight nodded once before looking down at Rarity once more with a sad smile.

"Why? Aren't we friends?" whispered the purple mare.

"We were friends, but the Twilight Sparkle I knew no longer exists. You are a mockery of your former self and deserve to be put down. You wanted me to find beauty in war? Well I've found it and with that knowledge, I'm going to end you. You are a monster and it'd be a blessing for Princess Celestia to never see you like this or find out the pony you've become. You are a disgrace."

"You're... you're leaving me?" Eyes wide and shaking, Twilight stumbled backwards onto her backside.

"Leaving you? You make it sound as though we were dating. No, I am not 'leaving you', I'm going to destroy you."

"You're... you're leaving me." Tears leaked down her cheeks as she turned to the right. "Everypony always ends up leaving me. You won't leave me right? You won't get stolen again right? You'll always be mine?"

After a couple seconds of silence, the smile that graced Twilight's face was like the sun coming up. Leaping up onto her hind hooves, she wrapped her arms around the thin air, somehow managing to stay up right while doing so, all the while squealing in joy like a little school filly. "Thank you! You're the best! I love you Princess."

There was something disconcerting about seeing Twilight sitting there with a Pinkie-esque smile on her face. If Fluttershy didn't know better, she'd have assumed Twilight had gotten a date or something since that was the exact same expression Rarity got when daydreaming about her Prince. In the two hours they had been together, Twilight had not said a single word and without her disguise, all Fluttershy could do was hide behind her pink mane. Sure, every so often Twilight would giggle or say something, but it never felt as though it was being directed at her. Truth be told, it felt like how things used to be – her being ignored while everyone else did their own thing.

Fluttershy hated that feeling, but what else could she do? Without her disguise, it felt like she was naked and the feeling of the clammy air flowing over her body without that magical barrier there sent fear through her body. She felt so exposed, so open, so... so... so much like a prey. She hated this feeling, but no matter how much she wished for the opposite, she knew there was no changing this. Even if she wanted to speak out, the fear was like chains that kept her mouth shut, her eyes down, and her opinions to herself. Without her disguise, she was nothing.

Useless.

She hated being useless, she wanted to help out, to be there for everypony and be useful. But the last time she tried to be helpful she had lost her wing and that left her even more useless than before. A pegasus who couldn't fly. Might as well be born an earth pony – not that earth ponies were bad or lesser than any other race, of course not. Still, she might as well chop off the other wing and try to pass as an earthy pony. At least it'd mean less mocking from ponies for being a useless flier. Or scared of heights. Or scared of going fast. Or-

No. Bad. Stop thinking like that. Fluttershy pressed her forehead against the cold wooden table as she wrapped her wing around herself. Even if it was true. She was useless. A useless pegasus, a useless general, a useless daughter. Ponies had been placed under her care and what did she do? Killed them that's what! Slit their throats in the middle of the night and set their bodies alight. One hundred and seventy six ponies in total – or was it one hundred and ninety six? There had been so many, so many names and faces that she could no longer keep track of them. A nurse was meant to save ponies not kill them!

But it was all for Dawn. For Equestria and Princess Celestia. It had to be done.

At least that's what she always told herself. Back when she still had her disguise, when she could look in the mirror and see another pony, it was enough. Back then, she could pretend it was some other pony – somepony that didn't have yellow fur and a pink mane and three butterflies for a cutie mark. Back then she could sleep at night.

Rarity had told her about Twilight's grand scheme to get close to Nightmare Moon in order to free Princess Celestia. There was some logic in there, but considering everything Twilight had done, it was a very twisted and warped logic. At the same time though, Fluttershy couldn't help feel a degree of kinship or understanding with the mad mare and now that she was here, facing her friend, she couldn't help, but notice the bags under Twilight's eyes or the way her coat seemed dull. It looked as though she hadn't been able recently and that only fueled the fire within Fluttershy. Maybe, just maybe, Twilight was exactly like her – forced to make decisions no pony should ever have to make and maybe Twilight regretted them as much as Fluttershy did. More importantly, maybe her unicorn friend had some super secret special way of coping and at this point, Fluttershy was willing to do anything to stop the nightmares.

Those eyes. All those eyes. And the swirling cutie marks in the background coupled with hollow, half-eaten faces. Just thinking about them made her limbs lock in place and if it weren't for the chair she was sitting in, she would have collapsed onto the ground.

Now, if only she had the courage to open her mouth and ask that one simple question. Or even to say hello.

With a sigh, Twilight finally turned her attention to the pegasus. "We'll try again tomorrow, but if this continues I'm will be forced to take drastic action like I did for Applejack. You're my friend Fluttershy and I seriously don't want to do that, but I'm starting to doubt your ability to function as an Element Bearer if you can't even function without your disguise."

Something in her words sent chills down Fluttershy's back, but she meekly nodded and slipped off her chair like a good girl. Following behind Twilight just like she'd been raised, the yellow pony did not say anything or try to fight as she was lead back into her cell where everyone else was. Maybe next time she'd get the courage to speak up.

Maybe.

"How are they doing doc?"

"That wasn't funny when the gryphon said it and it's still not funny now." Cadence looked up with a growl as she brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes. "And still not good. The blood from Gilda helped, but it's still very much touch and go. We won't know for certain until tomorrow and if things aren't going great there's nothing more we can do. Taking more blood will kill Gilda and there's no guarantee Dash would live either. The only piece of good news is that there's no internal bleeding and we finally managed to patch up that major gash on her leg."

"She has to live," said Shining.

"No."

"But I-"

"No. I know what you were going with this and my answer is no." Shining scrambled back as Cadence turned her wrath on him. "And if I hear any more talk or even the barest hint of thought revolving around sacrificing Gilda to save Dash, I will personally take them to Tartarus and personally judge them. Got that?"

Nodding his head so fast it was a blur, Shining replied, "Yes dear."

"Good boy." Reaching down, Cadence ruffled his hair playfully before settling back down next to Dash.

"Dude, your marefriend is scary," whispered the pegasus beside him.

"You say that as though it's a bad thing," replied Shining with a grin.

"I heard that!" yelled Cadence over her shoulder.

Both males winced, but shared a secret smile. Before anything else could be said there, a massive explosion rocked the ruin sending everypony to the ground and dislodging rubble. Scrambling onto his hooves, a second explosion knocked down the opposite wall as three ponies were flung through the air. If it weren't for Shining Armor, there was no doubt they'd have crashed into the wall and broken their backs.

"It's Nightmare's Pet!" yelled a distorted voice from outside.

The effect was immediately, a wave of fear and hopelessness descended on the everypony present. Shining had no idea who they were talking about, but he did know that he was the commanding officer and that meant keeping moral up. More than that though, he had graduated top of his class and few could match him in a sparring match – magical or physical.

"It's Knight Commander to you, you worthless cur!"

Eyes widening, Shining lost concentration on the spells he had on standby at the sound of Twilight's voice. In that split second, there was a flash of light and acting on pure instinct, he teleported over and pushed the attacking pony back with a shield. Immediately there was over a dozen shockwaves and spell clashed with spell. Even with the shield up, Shining struggled to stay on his hooves and he could feel the barrier buckling under the extreme pressure. Add on the constant swirling dust and it was impossible to see who was attacking, but he had recognized the voice correctly then...

No, he didn't want to think about that possibility.

"Twilight Sparkle! Stop this instantly or I shall tell your parents."

"Cadence?" Immediately all the magic bled out of the area. "Cadence!"

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake," sung Twilight though Cadence could only stare at the mare before her in shock.

Shining couldn't help feeling the sense of dread he felt as he watched them. Just the sight of Twilight covered in blood, with a metallic right foreleg and entire body covered in scars made his heart die inside. He was her big brother, he was meant to be there to protect her from the things that went bump in the night, but there she was. If anything, it looked as though she had been tortured, but that was an impossibility.

Out the corner of his eye, he caught an arrow flying towards his baby sister.

"Twilight!"

Without even turning her head, the arrow was blasted out of the sky and a second later, she was before the colt who fired it with her sword at his throat.

"Try that again and I will end you." She swept her gaze over the entire field and snorted at all the leveled weapons and prepared spells. "I suggest putting down your weapons because if I fight breaks out, I will win and I won't show any mercy."

"Twilight?" Shining took a nervous step forward, trying to find a trace of his sister in the mare before him.

"Hey BBBFF long time no see, how's Cadence doing? Proposed yet?" Though her voice had taken on the lighter tone that he remembered from his childhood, her body and expression did not waver for a second. Neither did her sword. "I wish I could stay longer, but I just came to check up on Rainbow. Was meant to do it earlier, but I forgot and if it weren't for Celestia I probably wouldn't have remembered."

"Celestia?" Cadence's wings shifted anxiously. "She's safe? You've found her?"

"Not yet, but I will. She's always with me you know, she'll never leave me." Giggling softly, she blew her mane out of her eyes. "You might want to start moving towards the Everfree Ranges. That's where the remnants from the Everfree base are gathering."

"Why should be trust Nightmare Moon's pet?" growled a gryphon. "Maybe you just want to gather us all together and take us out all at once."

A blink later, a dagger was lodged in the wall beside his head.

"First of all, if I wanted to kill you, you'd all be dead already. Secondly, divide and conquer is the best solution for small groups are easy to take out. Thirdly, you've got the Bearer of Loyalty right there and she's worth more than any of you. If I take her out, Nightmare Moon would give me an even higher position if that were possible. Next time think before you speak or someone may just cut out that tongue of yours."

Shining and Cadence shared a look of concern. This was not the filly they remembered; this was not the bookworm nor the obsessive-compulsive mare. This was a totally different pony, one that he hoped was a changling or some sick spell Nightmare Moon had used. Though his emotions told him this was his sister, his experience told him this was an experienced warrior who knew her limits and abilities, and posed an extreme danger to Cadence. This was a high priority target that needed to be taken out swiftly and immediately. Add on the reactions from those around them and he knew everyone present considered her a monster.

"Anyways," continued Twilight cheerfully, "I see everything's in order and will be leaving now. Don't worry about the others; I've got them safe and sound in custody."

A portal suddenly opened beneath her and she vanished with a cheerful wave. Before they vanished entirely though, Twilight turned her head to the side and said, "Hey Celly, how about some ice cream once we get back to Canterlot?"

That night, Shining Amor and Cadence would spend the night wrapped in each other's hooves as they sobbed their eyes out.

We stared at each other in silence. On one side of the refurbished room was Pinkie and on the other side, sitting down at the table with a nice hot steaming cup of coffee was me. Every so often, she'd make a strangled noise and her head was snap to the side, but other than that, no other sounds entered or left the room. My magic was currently too low from dealing with AJ to pull off any complicated mind magic so I couldn't just sit her down and glue her mind back together.

"So Pinkie-"

Head snapping over, her hair fell straight and a feral growl came from her muzzle, "You! I should rend you limb from limb and bathe in your- Saliva? No Pinkie, not saliva. Well what else would you want to bathe your friends in? Friend? What kind of friend tortures Applejack!? Torture? She was screaming from that super scary movie... though I suppose that did have torture in there. Right, you did the whole memory splicing thing again – sometimes I forget how stupid you are."

"Memory splicing?"

"Yes. Memory splicing – at least that's what I call it. The idiot that I share a mind with does it whenever something bad happens. She copies the memory over to me while erasing it from her mind and then from that, a second false memory emerges. In this case, watching a horror movie."

Truth be told, I wasn't sure what had been more disconcerting – watching them arguing with themselves or listening to Pinkamina talk while the rest of their body was busy pouting at the accusations. Nightwish's memory told me she was slightly off, but this far? I thought it was just a case of split personality disorder, but this went far beyond anything I had read about in my books. This was full-blown crazy.

"Any ideas?" I asked Celestia.

"Considering the physical metamorphoses that occurs when they switch personalities, I have no doubt strong magic occurred during their conception. Two possibilities exist before us: the first is that original personality was split in two while the second is that one of them is the true Pinkie and whatever caused the split gave birth to the second personality. From the description of the 'memory splicing' it seems as though the second is more viable."

"That when she split her memory she gave rise to a second personality?"

"Hey! You calling me fake?" Though her hooves flailed in the air in an attempt to hit me, her legs kept her where she stood.

"We seriously need to figure a way for us to communicate without requiring me to speak," I muttered under my breath.

"Agreed my most faithful student."

"Any suggestions as to how we fix thing?"

"Lecture her on the true meaning of Laughter?"

My gaze returned to the squabbling mare, watching as her hair bounced between being completely straight and super curly as she argued with herself. At one point, she even tried to punch herself only to miss at the last possible second every single time. And of course, in typical Pinkie fashion, she was laughing her head off at the futile attempts and was making a game out of it.

"I would do that if I truly knew what Laughter was. Everything I read was just mere philosophical speculation on what it could mean, and the only thing they agreed on was that it was more than just being happy and laughing at everything."

"Well there you go my faithful student."

"What do you mean by that?" Resisting the urge to facehoof, I looked at Celestia. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"But you have to admit, it is effective." She cast a concerned gaze at me. "Perhaps some rest would do you good."

I gave her the flattest look I could manage before turning my attention back to Pinkie. Taking the time to cast my anti-sleep deprivation spell, it was like a fog was lifted from my eyes and for the nth time that day I had to resist the urge to slam my head into a wall, floor, solid object or my hoof. It was amazing what a well-timed spell could do.

"Like kill a pony."

"Or ten," I added with a shrug.

"Or twenty!" yelled Pinkie before her hoof found its way into her mouth.

"That is it!" Grabbing Pinkie-Pinkamina, I slammed her against the wall and bound her with my magic. "You and your stupid answers are seriously starting to get on my nerves. You want to know something Pinkie Pie? Laughter was never and will never be about laughing and joy. The Element of Laughter is not – and I repeat, not – about being happy all the time and laughing at everything, and it will never be about that! It is about... about..."

My mind searched desperately for something, anything to say and in my semi-sleep deprived state, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "It's about hope! It's about being swallowed by darkness, but still seeing the light at the end. It's about being tortured and yet still able to laugh at jokes. It's about being able to go through war and remember it all, but still find those bright splotches within the darkness."

My blade materialized beside me as I tilted her head up with its tip so she was staring me straight in the eye. She gazed back defiantly and in them, I could see Pinkamina's determination and attitude even as her body was that of Pinkies – cowering beneath my magic. Reflected in her eyes I could see my pure white ones and when I next spoke, electricity sparked off my tongue.

"I see it now and I understand. The Element of Laughter is more than just laughter, more than just hope." Leaning in close, my magical aura danced out to crawl along her body. "You are not the Element of Laughter for you cannot see the light. You hide from your past and pretend it doesn't exist, that each nightmare you've suffered was just a dream from which you will awaken. You. Are. Wrong. You will accept the truth of your existence, of your past and of Pinkamina."

With each word, I spoke, magic gathered in my horn. I don't know where it came from or how I knew the spell I was casting, but they came to me, filling my mind with words and symbols from another time. Leaning in close, I touched my horn to her forehead and began whispering so softly that I couldn't hear my own words. Whatever I was doing though seemed to be working for her eyes closed and my magic began spreading over her fur. Despite being low on magic, something told me that stopping now with the spell half done would be a terrible thing so I kept going. Even as the world around me turned dark and faded from my vision, I kept pumping magic into the spell, following that little voice inside my head.

I was going to fix Pinkie even if that meant cracking her open like an egg.

Chapter 24

Applejack remembered.

She remembered travelling along a long and dusty road with nothing for companionship except her memories of those she had left behind. After all, Ponyville was a backwater village in the middle of nowhere while Manehatten was a bustling city. It was there she'd make a fortune and once she did, she'd go back home and renovate the place. Get that new plow dad always wanted and expand out the existing house to include that high-class kitchen mom desired. She'd come home with links to the upper classes and they'd finally have enough money to send Applebloom to school.

She remembered a lazy summer afternoon in the park with her big brother. How they had played all day long under the scorching sun while their parents watched on from the comforts of the shade. When food had run low, he had split an apple perfectly in half so both could savor that succulent sweetness before running into town for some more. That day was the day he had taught her how to fly a kite and though it took a while to get used to it, she ended up mastering it just like how she mastered everything.

She remembered meeting RD for the first time in her life. It was only the third time she had been allowed to work the field by herself without supervision and it was nearing the middle of the day. Bucking a particularly stubborn tree, a blue pegasus fell right out and landed with a dull thud. For as long as she lived she'd be able to recall that look of surprise on her pegasus friend as well as RD's annoyance at having her nap disturbed. It'd be another year before the two became friends, but that first meeting was probably the most interesting she'd ever had.

She also remembered hiding away in a dark and musty corner of the library with a book clutched between her hooves. She had snuck out of going to school yet again for everything taught there was far too basic – she had mastered it years ago. Instead, she preferred the nice scholarly atmosphere of the library where she could study in peace learn without distractions. And learn about interesting things that she didn't already know by heart. In the end, her brother found her and had to drag her back to Magic Kindergarten, which was just a waste of time in all honesty.

She even remembered her first Grand Galloping Gala where she had planned to sell enough apples to renovate the farm and get that new plow. Just thinking about Rarity covered in cake made her chuckle and even Fluttershy's outburst was amusing in hindsight. It was a good thing they managed to clean all their dresses of Rarity would have done some unspeakable and horrible things to them all.

There were even memories of being tortured by Nightmare Moon – of having her limbs pinned to the wall by poles as gravity slowly made her slide down, enlarging the wound until it finally cut through, leaving her hooves attached by a couple thing strands of muscle fiber. She remembered her first kill in that dark, damp dungeon. How the pony had screamed again and again until she was forced to end his suffering by slitting his throat. She remembered Princess Luna arriving in Ponyville for Nightmare Night and how she kept using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Yes, Applejack remembered a lot of things, but there were also a lot of things she couldn't remember.

She couldn't remember the faces of her parents. Every time she tried to imagine them, all she saw was Granny Smith standing beside Shining Armor and Big Mac with two blurry figures beside them. Even then though, a part of her kept screaming about how wrong that looked, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out what it was.

Nor could she remember her last name. Applejack. That's all she ever got. Applejack. In fact, she knew she had a little sister, but the name and face escaped her entirely. Was it Cadence? For some weird reason that name kept jumping out at her. Ah yes, she could see it now. Granny Smith with a hoof on Cadence's head with Shining, Big Mac and Applejack all around and their unicorn parents just behind them. Still couldn't remember their names though, no doubt the result of whatever Twilight had done to her.

"Applejack dear, you alright?"

Opening her eyes slowly, the earthpony stared at the unicorn before her. There was no buzzing, where was the buzzing? The song that filled her head every second for the past few weeks was simply gone as though it had never existed to begin with. For once she could actually think.

Taking a deep breath, the farmpony savored the taste of sweet freedom. "Of course Rare, why wouldn't Ah be? Just a tad fuzzy in the head thanks to whatever Twi did to me though."

"Oh that's a relief, Fluttershy here was so worried about you since you were barely breathing and seemed to be in a coma," replied Rarity.

"Ah've never felt better in mah life," replied Applejack with a smile. "And where's Fluttershy anyways?"

"Trixie doesn't know, but so far the pegasus has had it the easiest apart from Trixie. While the pink one and you were tortured, the rest of us have merely been talked to Twilight Sparkle. She even refuses to talk to Trixie! No doubt because Trixie's aura of superiority is too much for a mere mortal to comprehend let alone be subjected to for long."

"Sure. Whatever ya say sugarcube." Despite the situation they were all in, everypony chuckled – even Trixie. "So what about Pinkie? Is she alright?"

"She's..." Rarity exchanged a hesitant look with Trixie. "She hasn't spoken since she came back from Twilight. We don't know what happened and there wasn't any screaming, but..."

"The magical turbulence from whatever Twilight was doing was enough to make Trixie sick. Even a unicorn as weak as Rarity was having trouble thinking straight," replied the showmare. "It was almost as bad as whatever she did to you."

The blond earthpony frowned and began speaking in a high class accent, "Considering we're surrounded by granite that means the entire place is magically sealed due to the low conductivity. From memory, there are about five rooms between this one and the main room where she talked to us, and each wall is at least three feet thick. Rarity has below average sensitivity I'm guessing so the magical output would have to equal..." Closing her eyes, Applejack began a series of complicated mathematics. "No way. If my calculations are correct then the amount of magic Twilight used today is more than enough to vaporize a quarter of Canterlot."

"Trixie refuses to believe that a simple farmpony like you knows advanced theoretical magics and can perform complicated mathematics involving solving for multiple variables in your head."

"What are you talking about? I am Princess Celestia's personal protégé and youngest graduate of the School for Gifted Unicorns." A frown suddenly appeared. "Wait, what?"

"I think you're not as fine as you think you are."

"Mind magic," spat Trixie. "Filthy thing and being convicted of casting it is a life sentence. Twilight deserves to be executed."

"But she fixed me," whispered Applejack. "Just try it, say a lie."

"Trixie hates you all and believes you are all incompetent foals."

There was a pause as Applejack regarded the unicorn with an amused smile. "Ya know there are simpler ways to admit ya like somepony."

"I'm actually surprised Trixie is capable of liking anypony," said Rarity under her breath before saying in a louder voice, "But I'd be happy to call you a friend Trixie. You may be insufferable, but you're no worse than Rainbow Dash and you did offer to go first for the torture."

"Trixie has no clue what you foals are talking about." Despite being chained up, she somehow managed to continue that air of arrogance that grated Applejack's nerves, but the smile on the showmare's face spoke of an old dream come true.

"Darling, you do realize no one will think less of you if you drop the act and at least pretend to be nice right?" asked Rarity. "In fact, ponies will think better of you if you didn't act like such a ruffian."

"Trixie has a reputation to maintain."

"Leave her be Rare," sighed AJ, "Ah'm just glad something good came out of all of this. Now the question is escaping."

"How? In case you haven't noticed, we're chained to the wall and our magic has been cut off," growled Trixie. "You make it sound as though Trixie has not contemplated escape in the past."

Smirking, the earth pony shook her head. "Just wait and see sugarcube. In fact, Ah believe Fluttershy and Twi will be joining us soon." Her eyes suddenly hardened. "Don't get in the way of what Ah'm about to do. Got that?"

"Wha-"

The door slammed open cut Trixie off and just like Applejack predicted, Twilight and Fluttershy came strolling in with Celestia bringing up the rear. Purple eyes met green across the desolate room.

"Oh, you're awake I see." Twilight threw Fluttershy into the room and let the door swing close behind her before frowning at the unconscious Pinkie Pie. "Though not all of you are. What's that? Ah alright, in that case I should check back in tonight to make sure she's recovered."

"Ya just going to ignore me sugarcube? Can ya even look me in the eye?" growled Applejack.

With a chuckle, Twilight suddenly teleported over and stood with her face an inch away from the farmpony's. "That answer your question?"

"Yes." A red glow suddenly enveloped the room and though AJ did not have the Element of Honesty around her neck, she felt its familiar weight. "And now ya're gonna hear the honest truth sugarcube. No, don't try to fight back. I know you're trying right now, I can hear you screaming in my mind, slamming against the spell, but it's no use. You bound me too tightly to Honesty. It left scars you know. I know things I shouldn't know and I don't know things I should, and you know what? They're so jumbled up in my head that I don't even know which is which anymore."

"Applejack, stop whatever it is you're doing this instant!" demanded Rarity, but she was simply ignored.

"And Ah thank you for that."

"You're welcome," replied Twilight with a slight inclination of her head. "Now mind letting me go?"

"Sorry, no can do partner. All this time ya've been trying to get us to be stronger so that we could take down Nightmare Moon, but all this time ya've worked from the assumption that we were the weak link. You were wrong. You're the weak link. Ya were the reason we could not defeat Nightmare Moon on that first night."

"My cutie mark is magic you idiot," hissed Twilight.

"Calm down my faithful student, an emotional mind is a clouded one," advised Phantom Celestia.

"Ya know, ya should listen to her." Applejack giggled at the look of shock on Twilight's face – one that was mirrored by fake Celestia. "Like Ah said, you did a lot more to me than you realized. Now where was Ah? That's right, I was just about to break you like you broke us. You had fun with that didn't you? Well payback's a bitch and it's my turn to have some fun."

"Applejack, I must insist you stop this brutish behavior at once!"

Once again the fashionetta was ignored as the farmpony leaned in closer until her nose was a mere hair's width away from Twilight's. Before either of them could say anything though, a hesitant hoof touched Applejack's thigh.

"Please... Don't do this... um... if you don't mind me saying. It's just... well... you'd end up just like her," squeaked Fluttershy.

"What are you talking about! This mad mare has tortured us, broken Pinkie, turned Applejack insane and you all want her to stop!?" yelled Trixie. "The Great and Powerful Trixie says go for it. Break that pathetic mare like the foal that she is. Twilight Sparkle deserves to be torture, burnt and erased from history as though she never existed!"

"Sorry everypony, but this needs to be done." No one seemed to notice her sudden lack of accent. "You see, Twilight here hasn't been honest with herself. She's been hiding behind logical justifications for her actions much the same way you've been hiding behind your disguise 'Shy. It's time to tear those down."

"Logical justifications? Every single action I've taken has been back by a moral theory. A theory called 'Consequentialism'," sneered the unicorn. "Perhaps you should learn how to read before judging."

"And yet I seem to recall an essay written for Princess Celestia where you argue virtue ethics is the best ethical theory." Twilight tried to take a step back, but Applejack stopped that with a single thought. "In fact, I doubt Princess Celestia would approve of your actions let along describe them as ethical."

"You know nothing about Celestia!" Her metal hoof shot out only to stop an inch from the side of the side of AJ's face.

"I know her favorite dessert if Moon Cake because it reminds her of somepony close to her. I know her birthday is on the fourth day of the tenth month on the Sun Calendar. I know she hates diets and that her first student was Starswirl the Bearded." With each secret revealed, Twilight's eyes grew wider. "I know-"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"I know far more than you think-"

"Don't listen to her-"

"Yes Twilight, listen to your imagination. Listen to your insanity," snapped the earthpony. "Or you could listen to me."

"Stop this!" screamed Fluttershy, her entire body trembling with barely suppressed anger. "This isn't Kindness! She's my friend, our friend! How could you-"

"When she broke me apart, she did so because she was my friend," whispered Applejack. "And now, it's time to return the favor. So 'friend', how do you want to do this? Shall I break you all at once or bit by bit? Maybe I'll be kind and leave you dead so you don't have to live with the knowledge of how you royally fucked up."

"NO!" Fluttershy tackled Twilight out of Applejack's line of sight and stood there trembling before the yellow pony. "You will not! I repeat, will not! Break Twilight. I don't care if you're a friend or if she's the enemy, but every single last pony will be treated with respect and dignity and... and..."

Fluttershy trailed off as the sound of laughing and clapping echoed through the tense room. There, leaning casually against the wall was Twilight Sparkle acting as though she had just seen the greatest comedy show in existence. Every other pony could only stare at her as though she was insane.

"Bravo! Bravo! Encore I say, encore!" The lavender unicorn gave a whistle before a copy appeared beside Fluttershy, stroking her pink mane as the pegasus shrunk back. "Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to make you come out of your shell? And in the end all it took was a southern hic to yell at me!"

Disappearing in a flash, Twilight was suddenly before Applejack once more with a giddy grin on her face as she bounced in place. "Again! Again! Yell at me some more, make Fluttershy react again. If I remember correctly I was standing here and looking into your eyes while pretending to be afraid and you were going on about how I had did something wrong right? Right. Now keep going."

Silence.

"What. The. Fuck!" Trixie lunged forward, straining against the chains. "You little bitch! When Trixie gets this fucking stupid magic suppressor off, she's going to fucking rip your limbs off one by one and make you eat them. If you had testicles, she'd force you to eat those too. And a cock if you had one! You're an insane pony who deserves to be executed! Actually, an execution would be too good for you. Trixie decrees that Twilight Sparkle deserves to be stoned to death. Or burnt alive. Or buried alive. Or all the above simultaneously!"

"Yes! Yes! This is what I'm talking about, great acting Trixie, maybe you're not good for nothing after all. Rarity, your turn!" Spinning on the spot, Twilight pointed at hoof at the white mare. When she got no reply she turned to Pinkie only to notice she was still out before finally settling on the pony at her hooves. "Okay Fluttershy, you're up."

A whimper.

"No, no, no. You're meant to get all righteous and use that stare of yours. From the top everypony. Trixie! No? Come on ponies, how am I meant to work in this environment?"

"Excuse meh director, but ya missed a pony," said Applejack.

"Oh Applejack dear, how could I have forgotten my star pony?" Batting her eyelashes in a far too flirty manner, Twilight struck a dramatic pose. "Hit me with it!"

All those gathered who were not insane exchanged a look.

"Now ain't this a shocker? Twilie's gone insane and it's my turn to put her back together. Ah'm gonna have a lot of fun with this," smirked AJ as she glanced over at fake Celestia. "How do ya think Ah should do it Queenie? Slowly or all at once?"

"How is it you can see me?" growled the phantasm, but all the reply it got was a smirk that was far too reminiscent of Twilight to be comfortable.

Twilight on the other hoof rolled her eyes. "Surely you're not going to continue on with the whole 'Oh, it was all ya fault' crap. Trixie could come up with better and yes, that was indeed an insult."

"Oh is that so? Well now, shall I spell it out for you?" asked Applejack in her posh Manehatten accent. "First of all, you are working from the assumption that the Element of Magic and unicorn magic are the one and the same. A logical step to take, but a wrong one for I seem to recall Celestia often talking about the magic of friendship. How with friends by your side it's possible to accomplish anything – that the darkest days will be bright, the most impossible tasks will be possible and all that jazz. Just look at us five here. We built the Dawn Brigade from the ground up. We rescued Spitfire and saved Rarity from execution. We worked together to achieve this. Friendship achieved this."

"Do you have brain damage? Or need I repeat the exact reasons why you're not friends?"

"Hey Rare, we're friends right?" asked AJ without looking away from Twi.

"Of course dear, though you could use some smoothing out around the edges."

"And Ah say you could do with some roughing up," chuckled the farmpony. "Fluttershy?"

"Of course AJ, you know that."

"Trixie?"

"She doesn't hate your guts if that's what you're asking."

"Love ya too Trixie." AJ turned her full attention back to unicorn before her. "You're wrong. We're friends. Maybe not the best of friends or as good as it could have been, but we're still friends. Friendship is a learning experience and we don't always get it right, but what's important is that we're there and we're willing to learn and we're willing to help."

Twilight snorted in amusement. "You truly believe I'm going to take your word when you have no evidence to speak of? You're already stated your intention to 'break' me so anything you say will be biased."

"Well then how about this?" AJ's eyes suddenly turned white and her hair flowed together into a single mass that fluttered in the still air. "All that is said in this room shall be the honest truth. All within this room shall act honestly. For the next hour, this room is my domain – the domain of Honesty."

A stunned silence followed her announcement as their minds tried to comprehend what had happened. Though their minds kept telling them exactly what had happened, and though the magical remnants could be seen in the crackling air and rune on the floor; they still stared blankly at the farmpony as if she had grown a second head. For her part, the earthpony merely smiled smugly at them all with an amused expression. Though her mane was back to normal and her eyes no longer glowed, she still felt a tingling sensation coursing through her veins from when she had accessed Honesty's essence.

"Like Ah said sugarcube, ya have done more than ya know. Ya tied me to Honesty tighter than the attractive forces present between two magically harmonious objects enhanced by a crystal matrix." She blinked. "Whatever that means. So Twilie, why don't you try lying?"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Frowning, Twilight tried again and again and again. Each time she didn't make a single sound, but more than that, it looked as though she was chocking on something.

After a deep breath, she turned back to AJ and growled, "What if it was something that was false, but I thought it was true?"

"Honesty will know, but it won't stop you from speaking. It's to stop people abusing it to figure out things they have no right in knowing," replied Applejack. "So ready to hear what I've got to say?"

"Thought you'd never ask," smirked Twilight, perfectly mirroring the one on AJ's face. To their friends, it was as though the two could be twins with their identical expression and identical speaking manner whenever AJ dropped her accent.

"I don't know what happened or how it happened, but when you messed with Truth and Honesty I saw more than you could possibly know. I saw a multitude of parallel universes. Out of all the potential pasts and futures, one caught my eye." Applejack took a deep breath as her eyes closed. "It was one where we won on the first night. I wish you could all see it, it was so... so... glorious. At the same time, I'm glad none of you did because then you'd know what we missed out on."

"What was different," snarled Twilight. "Tell me!"

"You. You were different. On that first day you arrived you went with Spike to al-"

"No! You're wrong!" Spinning around, her metallic hoof shot out with enough force to crack the stone wall. "You're fucking wrong! That's not what happened... That's... that's impossible... Celestia... Did- Did you..."

All of a sudden Twilight whirled back to face the farmpony, the snarl back on her face. "And that doesn't even make sense! How could going with Spike to check up on the Summer Sun Celebration make a single bit of difference?"

"I was in charge of the catering, Rarity the decorations, Fluttershy the music, RD the weather and Pinkie... Pinkie would have probably set a surprise party while you were out and probably somehow managed to sneak an after party under the Mayor's muzzle." The orange pony smiled sadly. "Don't you see? You would have met us, talked to us, gotten to know us – we'd have been closer. Maybe even friends."

"Because friendship is magic," mocked Twilight. "It sounded stupid coming from Celestia and it sounds even more stupid coming from you. There is absolutely no evidence of logic that even remotely proves that fact let alone points towards it and more importantly, I've heard every argument for it under the sun and I highly doubt you could offer any new arguments."

Staring Twilight straight in the eye, Applejack spoke with the voice of absolute Truth and pure Honesty, " Friendship is Magic. That is a transcendental truth that I have glimpsed from the Honesty itself. Magic is key, without Friendship to synthesize and channel the Elements into one, they are weak. You want proof? Let me give you proof then. Trixie, summon the Element of Magic please."

"What? You know Trixie cannot- That is, the Element of Ma-"

"Just reach inside yourself sugarcube," said Applejack.

"It feels warm like... like... a cute cuddly kitty in your hooves on a winter's night," offered Fluttershy.

"It's calming and soothing and lets you focus on anything you desire," added Rarity. "We know you can do it dear."

Her face scrunched up in concentration, they felt it before they saw anything. There was a pressure in the room pushing them against the wall and AJ's stomach was lurching like when falling except it felt like she was moving sideways. It wasn't the seamless summoning that the others performed, but with a sudden pop and flash of light there hung the tiara before the blue unicorn. Gazing at the magenta gem, she touched it with her horn.

Everypony's eyes widened as a single crack appeared where the horn had touched. Once more the sound of breaking glass filled the silent room as it expanded and within three seconds the entire gem was covered with fractures. Then the pieces began falling towards the ground, but before it had even hit the stone floor it had disintegrated into fine powder to be blown away in the nonexistent breeze. All the while, a light blue glow pulsed from under the purple gem making it difficult to see clearly. The only pony who could look directly at the Element of Magic was Trixie and she wore a gentle smile on her face. By the time they could see again, the purple gem had been replaced by one that matched Trixie's cutie mark perfectly.

"Believe me now?" asked Applejack into the stunned silence.

"No!" screamed Twilight as she clutched her head. "You're wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!" She jabbed her hoof out at Applejack, a frenzied and desperate look in her eyes. "I get it now, you're trying to break me. Make me go insane." A high-pitched giggle escaped. "Well it won't work! I won't believe you because you're lying to me. It's an illusion, it's all an illusion. You're using your craaaaaaazy powers to mess with my mind. Well it won't work, it'll never work. I'm onto you, you sneaky... earthpony farmer thing! I'm onto you. I know! I'll just close my eyes and it'll go away. Everything will go away. Everything will be back to normal."

"Twilight Sparkle..." whispered fake Celestia as she gathered the distraught mare in her hooves. Cradling her close, Twilight sobbed quietly and after Celestia shot AJ a dark look promising a lot of pain, the pair vanished in a flash of magenta light.

"Like Trixie said, Twilight Sparkle is insane," commented the showmare. "Though I fail to see how making her more insane will help in anything."

"Quite frankly, I am inclined to agree," said Rarity with a flat look at Applejack. "She had offered us a tentative hoof in alliance and you just flushed it all down the drain. For nothing I might add."

"Not to mention it was a mean, bully-like thing to do," added Fluttershy with a flat look at both Trixie and Rarity for missing that out. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"With any luck, what Ah said will snap Twilight back to her ol' self. Plus, congrats Trixie, now ya're truly great and powerful," said AJ with a shrug of her shoulders. "Now for us to escape."

"And how do you propose we manage that?" growled the blue pony. "Twilight might have forgotten to put Fluttershy in chains, but Trixie has no doubt the door is locked and it is highly unlikely the pegasus knows how to pick locks."

"Like Ah said, Twilight did a lot more than she realized."

"Trixie is already getting of hearing you say that. If she were able, she'd remove your mouth permanently."

Laughing, Applejack shook her head playfully before closing her eyes. Channeling her innate earthpony magic, she let it worm its way through the stone where the chains were attached. Then with a single hard yank, the chain broke free and she dropped onto her hooves. A couple more hard pulls and her hind legs came free . After a quick stretch, she trotted over and wrapped her forelimbs around the chains trapping Rarity. Straining back, they came free and the ones around Trixie and Pinkie quickly followed.

"Now hold still sugarcube." Applejack eyed the ring around Rarity's horn. "Ah don't want to miss."

"Applejack! You cannot possibly be contemplating removing the ring with such brutish tactics. What if you damage my perfectly cared for horn? Just think of the tragedy if you so much as nicked it. The horror! Why, it'd be the worst possible thing. Ever." The white mare kept backing up until her rump hit the wall. "Surely you could remove Trixie's first?"

"Leave Trixie out of this."

"Well you're not touching my horn with permission or I'll have you foal sit Sweetie Belle and the Cutie Mark Crusaders," threatened Rarity.

"Good thing I won't have to touch your horn then."

"Wha-" The metal suppression ring split in half and hit the ground. "How did you do that?"

"Earthpony magic," replied AJ with an amused smile. "All things metal fall under earthpony magic just like all things belonging to the earth like plants and the ground itself. I learned that personally from Princess Celestia."

Wait. That wasn't right. She grew up on the farm and lived in Manehatten for a couple of years, but no point had she actually seen Princess Celestia in personal let alone talked to her. So where in the world had that come from? Closing her eyes and putting on hoof to her temple, she tried to push past the fog, to at least remember the events surrounding that memory, but the harder she pushed the greater her head throbbed. Swaying dangerously on her feet, the only thing that stopped the farmpony from hitting the ground was Rarity's quick reactions.

"Thanks sugarcube." Shifting her weight back onto her hooves, AJ shook her head in an attempt to clear it. "But Ah'm fine now."

"Don't mention it darling, but you sure you're alright? We still don't know what Twilight did to you exactly."

"Ah'm fine. Let's just get out of here before Twilight notices."

"In that case, Trixie assumes you two are done being sappy?" The showmare cocked an eyebrow at them. "Because we do not have the time to dally around chatting."

"Alright. Follow me then." Raising up on her hind legs, Applejack stomped the ground with all her might. The stone cracked underhoof and a single fracture snaked out along the ground before crawling up the wall and ceiling. Then with both hooves pressed against the wall, she pushed against it and it parted for her as though it was made out of jello. Soon the clear autumn sky and gently rolling hills were revealed to them. Only the ground was over a hundred feet below them.

"Trixie should have known this would happen. Last time I let incompetent foals like you handle a situation like this." Her horn flared to life as she ripped the stones blocks straight from the wall to form a floating platform. Leaping onto it, she looked back with a cocked eyebrow. "Don't tell Trixie you're afraid of heights."

"I did almost fall to my death you know," snapped Rarity as she leapt onto the platform. "And I shall have you know, I looked fabulous the entire time."

"Bet ya'd look pretty as can be even while being tortured," commented AJ as she landed next to Rarity.

A second later Fluttershy made it with Pinkie on her back. "Um... maybe we should leave? We don't have much time after all... um... if that's alright with you all."

With her horn flowing brighter, the stone platform began descending. "It would help if we knew where in Equestria we were. Trixie has travelled extensively, but she does not recognize this landscape."

"That's because we're no longer in Equestria." Everypony spun around to face Twilight. "We're in the neutral territory between the gryphon's and the harpy's territories. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you all managed to escape so easily."

"You can take on three Element Bearers and survive you know," growled Trixie as her horn flared even brighter than before.

"I don't plan on fighting you at all." There was a flash of light and a magenta portal appeared beside her. "This will take you straight to the Everfree Ranges near where your backup base is located. Or would it be backup-backup base? Oh, and here's your hat AJ."

"Why should we trust y-" began Rarity, but Applejack cut her off with a shake of her head.

"She's telling the truth sugarcube. Come on, let's go home." Grasping her hat, she threw it into the air and expertly slipped it onto her head. "They'll be needing us."

"Oh, before you go. Pinkie should wake up tonight and there'll be an assault in a day or two. Three days max. Sorry, but letting you go will get Nightmare Moon on my case so I need something to offset that and the location of your base is the best option open to me."

The resulting glare from Rarity should have set her on fire, but somehow Twilight lived to tell the tale. Even Fluttershy was glaring at purple unicorn with all her might to no avail. With one final shrug, Applejack began pushing the others through the portal. Before she stepped through though, the farmpony cast one last look over her shoulder and for once, she saw the mare from before all this had happened. Sure Twilight still had those rings under her eyes and they were bloodshot and her coat was still a very dull color, but for once she was not talking to the thin air and giggling or laughing her head off. In fact, that fake Celestia was nowhere in sight.

Maybe there was hope after all.

"Come on Celly, we've still got a lot of planning to do," said Twilight as the white alicorn came into being beside her.

Or not.

"Knight Commander." Both guards saluted as I approached, but instead of getting out of the way they held out their wings to stop me from passing. "Nightmare Moon has said she is not to be disturbed at all tonight."

"It's an emergency," I replied with a growl. "You will get her right now for me or I will cut off your heads. Either you will die with a hundred percent guarantee if you don't get her or you may die if you don't. Take your pick."

The two white pegasi exchanged a nervous look, but ultimately the right one disappeared through the door and up the steps. With a pleasant smile to the remaining guard, I looked out the window and sighed. Was what AJ said true? Was it truly my fault things turned out the way it had? It certainly explained a lot, especially that final visit I had gotten from Celestia just hours before her disappearance. But if she had known for so long, there must have been another way to play her cards in order to win.

No. Now was not the time to start wondering about the past. If it was my fault though, that just gave me even more incentive to make things right. I would not fail in my task.

That door slammed open. "What do you want?" growled a very irritated alicorn.

"They've escaped. AJ managed to access her innate magic and removed an entire wall. Trixie then created a floating stone platform to lower them to the ground," I replied in a bored voice.

"And where were you at the time?" Her magic slammed me up against the nearest available wall. With the amount of magic in her spell, the translucent tentacles burned wherever they touched, but I merely smiled through the pain.

"I was out looking for Dawn's backup base and I've found it. It's in the Everfree Ranges. It is my suggestion that we strike now before the Element Bearers manage to get back." All of a sudden I was released from her grasp and magic danced over the fresh wounds.

"You have full authority to do whatever it is you deem necessary to destroy Dawn, but do it in two days. The gryphons no doubt have an alliance with them so once the Element Bearers reach any gryphon settlement, they'll be able to be conveyed to Dawn in no time." Raising a hoof, she rubbed her temples. "Taking them on myself would be preferable, but the Everfree Ranges boarder the dragon territories and appearing there may provoke a war with them. Fighting a war on two fronts is never a smart move so I'm afraid you're on your own. Those Dawn rebels are far more intelligent than I gave them credit for. Dismissed."

"Wait." The guards actually whimpered at my audacity. "The Elements are far stronger than either of us suspected and I'm afraid they've learnt the location of Celestia and will be making a move to free her. It would be advisable to station guards there to keep her safe."

Silence. Absolute, complete silence as she stared straight into my eyes. A second passed then ten then a minute, but neither of us moved a single inch. Then the dark alicorn suddenly burst out laughing. It wasn't an evil laugh or a mad chuckle, it was one that had her doubling over and pounding her hoof on the ground in amusement. I had no doubt in my mind that she would soon be rolling on the ground while clutching her stomach and the truth was, I was scared out of my mind. I had seen her laugh before, but not like this and considering the question I had asked, I was so fucking screwed.

Eventually though she managed to calm down and she grinned up at me from her position on the floor. "Don't worry my most faithful pawn, even if they find out where Celly's been kept they will not be able to rescue her."

"Oh? And why do you say that?" I asked.

"She's in the sun."

No. Please, no. Anything, but that. This... This could not be happening. She was lying, she had to be! I had seen so much, done so much with my very own hooves and magic. All those ponies. Dead. Please. Oh Celestia, please let this be a dream. Some horrible, horrible dream.

I was numb. My body, my soul, my emotions. Everything was numb. Somehow I managed to escape without showing any emotions. Somehow I managed to get back to my room in one piece. Somehow, I managed to not cry.

Oh Celestia, what have I done?

Chapter 25

Who was she?

That was a question that had kept echoing in her mind since she had woken up over an hour ago and no matter how many times the pink mare turned it over in her mind, she could come up with no answer. Was she the hyperactive party pony known as Pinkie? Or was she the slightly sadistic and masochist mare known as Pinkamina? Or was she a combination of the two? Or maybe, just maybe, she was none of the above and was just another facet of a fractured identity bought into existence by Twilight's magic.

So who was Pinkamina Diane Pie?

She recalled people saying that the experiences makes a pony who they were. There was just one problem with that though, for almost every memory she had, she recalled two versions. Pinkie's and Pinkamina's. From Pinkie's insistence that her family partied when she threw the surprise party that summer morning to Pinkamina's memory of being forced to work the eastern field from dawn to dusk with no meal in order to pay back the money wasted on the frivolous activity otherwise known as a party. She remembered killing that pegasus guard with her contraption, but she also remembered throwing them a party and everything turning out fine. And the question came down to, which one did she believe? The truth? But the lie had made up her life for so long, and it had permeated into every crack of her being that tossing it aside and saying it was nothing felt as though she was cutting off all of her legs. And she couldn't just throw away the truth either.

Could she?

Could Pinkamina Diane Pie go back to being that hyperactive, insane mare that partied all night long? The thought was tempting, so very tempting, but considering what Twilight had said, it was certainly the wrong decision – or so a voice in her mind said. Was that yet another facet of her identity speaking? She certainly hoped not, two was a hassle to deal with and now thanks to Twilight, the premier party pony of Ponyville had yet another one in her head. Maybe. Maybe she had another one in her head. She wasn't sure what she was yet truth be told.

Or what to call herself for that matter, but now was not the time for such thoughts. While unconscious, she had heard everything that had been said and she knew there an army was due sometime soon. As the Bearer of Laughter she had to be there, she had to know what was going on and what role she was going to play. There was little doubt in her mind that Nightmare Moon would be there supervising the entire thing, but as long as all her friends were there (yes, even Trixie), she knew they'd all get through it fine. With a sad sigh, the pink mare climbed out of bed and swayed unsteadily on her feet. Her wavy hair swayed gently with each step as she made her way out the door and up the stairs.

As soon as she emerged from that narrow corridor though, she wanted to run back to that warm bed and pretend to sleep. There were ponies and gryphons everywhere! The entire chamber was a hive of activity as they ran around, setting up defenses and getting outfitted in brand new armor. There was even the occasional dragon in their midst, using their superior strength and manipulation of the elements to form barricades throughout the room. Traps were laid and the injured evacuated through the many tunnels of this ancient abode.

And at the centre of it all was Rainbow Dash. Though she sat in a cushioned chair and could barely keep her eyes open, but her Element shone brightly. The flames, the torches, even the magical lights conjured up could not match the multicolored hue that dominated the chamber. The pegasus spoke softly, all the while sounding tired and near death, but her voice cut through the ruckus and all leapt to obey their commander.

"And she has a damn fine flank," added Pinkamina. "I'd love to lick her cutie mark and d-"

"Pinkie!" yelled Applejack as she rushed over with alarming speed despite the cart of boulders she was hitched to. The party pony let out a sigh of relief at not having to listen to Pinkamina anymore. "Ya awake, Fluttershy was starting to get worried and ya are Pinkie right? It's just ya hair is all... wavy...""

"Pinks." There was a pause as the pink mare considered the name she had picked for herself. "Or Pinkster."

"So ya're not Pinkie? Or Pinkamina?" asked the farmpony.

"I... don't know-"

"Hey Pinkster! Tell AJ I said, 'Heeeeeeellooooooooooo'!" yelled Pinkie.

"-but Pinkie wants you to know she says 'Hello' in her typical over the top manner."

"That's not how I said it! Come on Pinkster, let loose a bit, go wild, throw a party even!"

"Pinkie, do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation with AJ here." Pinks rubbed her temples before saying out loud, "I've got two other voices in my head right now and it's not pretty. I'm just hoping they don't get into a fight."

"We'd never get into a fight! Fights are just so frowny downy and unhappy like. It's just one big party in here, isn't it Pinkamina? We've got streamers and punch and- Oh! So that's where my party canon went."

"Even if we did get into a fight, it'd be an extremely short one and we both know who'd come out on top."

"-ay along nicely now?" finished Applejack.

"What? Sorry, was having a conversation up here." Pinks tapped her head. "Mind repeating that?"

"Ah said, ya're all getting along with each other up there?"

"So far it seems that way," replied Pinks with a shrug.

Her hair suddenly returned to her familiar cotton candy appearance and she pounced the startled farmpony. "AJ! We need to throw a party. A big, spectacular, super duper, awesome, radical, cool, totally awesome Congrats-Trixie-You're-Our-Friend-Now PARTY!"

Just as suddenly her hair went completely flat and before anypony could react, Pinkamina pressed her lips against AJ's giving her a quick, but very sloppy kiss before pulling back and winking. "And if Pinkie throws the party, maybe we can find a back room for private fun, though if you prefer public, I'm game for that too." There was a pause as the two stared at each other before Pinkamina yelled, "Oh come on! You were meant to switch back damn it."

"As if," muttered Pinks, "I'm not that stupid, thank you very much. If you're going to make us look stupid-"

Her hair suddenly went back to wavy and the pink earthpony merely facepalmed in reply. "Whatever. Sorry about that, Pinkamina may be slightly insane-"

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"-but she enjoys a prank as much as Pinkie." With a Nightmare-ish grin, Pinkster leaned in and whispered in the stunned earthpony's ear. "And her offer still goes you know."

"Damn mare, and here I thought you were the boring one!" laughed Pinkamina. Beside her, Pinkie was giggling like mad and calculating the probability of them hooking up with AJ. And yes, she was mathematically calculating the probability, though how she was managing that was beyond even Pinkster's knowledge.

"Um... General Applejack? We need to get these supplies over to the outer wall," said the brown colt beside the still stunned earthpony.

Standing back up, AJ placed her stetson back in place and though her face was still redder than Big Mac, she managed to speak with clarity, "Right. Sorry Pinks, we'll catch up later. There's a meeting scheduled in ten more minutes located in the Conference Chamber. Ask anypo- er... anyone and they'll show you the way. Ah suggest talking to RD in the meantime so ya can get an idea of what's been going on since ya've been out."

"Well why are you going in that direction?" Turning around, Pinks channeled the Element of Laughter and opened the door that she came through just seconds earlier. Beyond the doorframe was the clear night sky with a ramp down where earthworks were going on, and off on either side were Rarity and Trixie training unicorns in the art of archery and magical dueling respectively.

Grinning over her shoulder at the shocked expression, Pinkamina Diane gave a happy little giggle and hopped through. When the others didn't followed, her hoof extended back to her friends and literally dragged them through the portal she had created. Then with an impish grin, she returned to her bouncing path down the ramp. The Pinkie Pie within her urged her to go greet Trixie (since it was the first time they'd be greeting as friends) and Pinkamina surprising agreed. Probably because she knew it'd annoy the showmare no end. Zipping behind a cart of wooden planks, Pinkamina Diane burst forth from behind one of the practice dummies some unicorns were shooting at and using the explosion of the fireballs, she flew into the air. The Bearer of Magic only had enough time to register the fear spiking through her body before getting glomped with the mother of glomps.

"Trixie!" How the showmare managed to survive was anyone's guess. "We need to throw you a party. Or rather Pinkie needs to throw you a party, I doubt you'd enjoy a party thrown by Pinkamaina, but don't her I said that."

"What are you talking about? Some strippers, some alcohol, some whips and spank-" began Pinkamina.

"Lalalalalalaaaaa la lala! I can't hear you!" sung Pinks.

"Oh! I know this song! Laaaaalala, lalalaalaaaaaaaaaa!Buhdumtss!" finished Pinkie.

"-lease get off Trixie?" growled blue unicorn.

"Hehe, sorry." Climbing off the mare, Pinks waited patiently for Trixie to retrieve her hat and dust herself off. "So whatcha up to? When's your birthday? Favorite color? Oh! Favorite food! Hm... What else was there?"

"Trixie knows she should be glad that you're back to normal... er... normal for you, but Trixie needs her personal space." Picking the hyperactive mare up, Pinks found herself sitting off to one side. "And Trixie never told all you ignorant foals to stop practicing! Or does somepony fancy a duel with the Great and Powerful Trixie?"

A series of explosions rang out as every unicorn quickly returned to their spell casting.

"That's what Trixie thought." With a toss of her mane, Trixie turned her attention back to Pinks. "And right now is not time for a party forwe have a battle coming up and we must win it.Maybe afterwards once things settle down."

"Pinkie Promise?"

Scrambling back, Trixie back away from the all too close and all too happy face and all too curly mane. "Yes, yes. Trixie Pinkie Promises."

"Do the actions."

"The..." Cough. "The actions?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," recited Pinkie dutifully with accompanying actions before Pinks took control back.

"Alright, alright. Cross Trixie's heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in Trixie's eye." A the massive grin that spread across Pinkie's face and the sudden cotton candy nature of her pink mane, Trixie stepped back hesitantly. "Are... are you alright?"

"LIE!"

Thoughts of exploding in a mass of streamers and balloons vanished from Pinkamina Diane's head as she heard the distinctive voice of Applejack. The two friends exchanged a startled look before racing up the stairs two at a time in an attempt to reach AJ before she did something truly stupid or insane. She said she was separate from Truth though! What the buck was going on?

Making a sharp right turn, Pinks leapt over the cart and pony in the way. Hitting the ground, she tucked herself into a roll, then keeping her body low, she skidded under a large wooden plank and dropped off the edge of the platform before finally coming to a stop. There before her was Rarity physically and magically restraining the farmpony who was straining with her might while staring at a sobbing colt. Even from where she was standing, Pinks could feel the raw magic radiating off her friend and though she couldn't hear anything thanks to Rarity's spell, Pinks could clearly see AJ's mouth moving faster than Pinkie's as the farmpony ranted silently at the pony before her.

And then AJ blinked the frenzied look disappeared from her eyes. Entire body going slack, she gazed at Rarity with a confused expression on her face. Tentatively, Rarity dropped her spells and stepped back from the farmpony, but considering the way her horn glowed, she was no doubt prepared to grab a hold of AJ as soon as something went wrong. Considering the look on Trixie's face, Rarity wasn't the only one.

"Wha... What happened?" groaned AJ as she swayed dangerously on her feet.

Before anypony could reply, there was a brilliant flash of light blue magic above them. "Applejack, come with me. Now." Cadence glanced down at Pinks and tilted her head questioningly. "And you as well Pinkamaina Diane Pie. Rarity, Trixie – please find the others and meet in me the Conference Room."

A second flash later, Pinkie and AJ found themselves in a spacious room that could easily house twenty ponies, and in the centre was a table made out of crates. There were no chairs, no drawers, no cupboards or anything. All there was, was a simple hoofdrawn map of the immediate area and the base of operations.

"Applejack, I knew you had issues, but you assured me Twilight had managed to fix them, but considering what had just happened, that is obviously not the case. With your permission, I'd like examine you so that we can figure out exactly what's going on." The pink alicorn turned to face Pinks. "As for you, Pinkamaina, I want to examine you as well since we have no clue what happened and what potential negative effects it might have on you."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Bouncing over, she sat down next to AJ.

"Are ya sure ya ain't Pinkie?" asked AJ. "Ya sure act like her."

"Well duh. She is in my head you know," replied Pinks. "Think of me as being balanced between Pinkamina and Pinkie if it helps at all. Oh, and a lot less sadistic or masochistic or fetish-tic or-"

There was a polite cough and they both turned their attention back to Cadence. "Applejack, if you please."

"Um... What do ya need me to do Princess?"

"Just to relax and try not to fight me. This will feel weird, but it's perfectly safe," replied Cadence.

Horn glowing, a single thin thread of blue flowed out and split in half to touch AJ's temples. A soft hum filled the room and the Pinkie part of her began humming a slow tune and to her surprise, Pinkamina decided to join in by playing some beats on the table. With a shrug, Pinks joined in some head bobbing and hoof tapping. If there was one thing all three of them shared, it was a love for parties and considering music could either make or break a party so it wasn't really a surprise when the three worked together to provide some truly awesome music while their entire entity moved with the music.Or it would have been awesome if they weren't fighting so much. Pinkie kept trying to drag it in a more DJ Pon-3 style direction, while Pinkamina wanted some death metal and Pinks wanted something a bit more classical. It was crazy insane, but considering it was Pinkamina Diane Pie, all three personalities just ran with it. After all, it was better than sitting around being bored out of their collective minds. They were so into what they were doing, that they failed to even realize Cadence had began examining them.

“Oh Twilight, what have you done?” moaned Cadence.

“What is?” Tilting her head to the side, AJ regarded the alicorn curiously. “What’s wrong with me.”

“Not just you, Pinkamina as well,” remarked Cadence with a sweep of wing. “Though you have a bit more… issues than your friend.”

“Such as…?” asked AJ.

“Well not to sound overly dramatic, but Twilight seriously did a number on your soul. Yes, I just said soul and don’t give me that look, I know exactly what I’m talking about. You were too tightly bound up with Truth so she decided to cut you free – which is impossible to do without consequences even when done carefully and trust me, Twilight was not careful. From the looks of things, she took an axe to your soul and hammered it repeated before stuffing it back into your body without a second thought and what that means is that your soul was permanently damaged. Basically, a part of your soul was lost.” Sighing, the Princess rubbed her temples. “Now, they aren’t fragile things and they can repair themselves, they just need materials to copy from. In this case, it looks as though your soul got information form Honesty, Truth and Twilight to repair itself hence all the memories of Shining and I. But more than that though, because Truth and Honesty are within you and are now part of your soul, they’re fighting each other for dominance. If you don’t resolve the issue and pick one of them, your soul will rip itself apart and you’ll die with no afterlife to look forward to.”

“Oh… Well Ah pick Honesty?” There was a pause as AJ looked around. “Ah don’t feel different.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. To pick one you have to work towards it and understand it and embody it much like Rainbow Dash embodies Loyalty. I’m afraid it’ll take a couple of years to fix it up and until then you’ll continue to have these… explosions if you will.” Cadence turned her attention to Pinkamina and for once, the pink mare shrunk back slightly in fear. “You, however, are nowhere near as bad. From the looks of things, Twilight attempted to force your two halves together, but in doing so she instead created a third entity. It’ll be harder returning all three parts back into one entity, but it’s also more balanced and stable than before.”

The three Pinkamina’s regarded each other silently before speaking as one. “No offense Princess, but we don’t want to be one again. We’re each our own pony and yes, it may get a bit heated and insane in our head, but we’re Pinkamina Diane Pie and… well… what’s Laughter without a bit of insanity?”

Cadence regarded Pinkamina Diane with a look of surprise before giving a smile that warmed the two earthponies in the room. Opening her mouth to speak, she was suddenly cut off as the door slammed open and their friends came rushing in. There was Dashie with a tired, but energized smile on her face followed by Rarity and Trixie. Fluttershy on the other hoof came zooming in and immediately began poking and prodding at Pinks sending the hyperactive mare to the floor in giggles as the Pegasus unintentionally tickled her.

“Fluttershy, you can stop that now, I’ve already checked them for injuries,” whispered Cadence.

With a meep, the one winged pegasus shrunk back behind her mane. “Oh… um… sorry… it’s not that I don’t trust your healing skills because they are really, really good, it’s just that… um…”

“She’s your friend and you’re worried. I understand. Why if anything were to happen to Shining-“

“That you didn’t cause yourself?” snickered Dashie. “I’ve seen the glares you give him, I’m surprised he’s still alive.”

“Well can you blame a lady? Some of things that stallion says is truly uncouth.” A shudder passed through Rarity’s body. “You would expect the Captain of the Royal Guard to have more manners than that.”

“Before we get sidetracked any further, Trixie believes you ordered a meeting? Personally, Trixie wishes to know what happened back there with Applejack.”

“That is not important and has been resolved,” replied Cadence. “The real reason I called the meeting is because Twilight just appeared out in the forest with an army so we have to make preparations.”

“Damn it!” AJ bucked the wall behind her. “Ah was hoping for a bit more time to fortify the outer walls further. Ah could use mah magic, but that’d leave me too weak to help out against Twilight.”

“Trixie agrees. The unicorns are… passable with spell casting, but if they came across any guard who’s remotely experienced, they will fold like wet paper.”

“The archers are slightly better, but not by much and Foxtrot has been drilling the recruits in sword fighting into the ground with similar results,” added Rarity. “As is, we are simply not prepared for an actual battle.”

“And we’re still evacuating the injured. The gryphons have been teleporting in and out all day and we’ve barely cleared half the hospital. If more are hurt, we won’t be able to handle it and our brews are running low.” Fluttershy’s wing flapped in barely contained anxiety. “We need more time.”

“And we’re seriously out numbered.” Shining Armor walked in and gave Cadence a gentle nuzzle before turning to face the group. “Fleetfoot is currently doing recon, but preliminary estimates give us at least a three to one disadvantage. Add that to Spitfire being in critical condition, Soarin not talking to anyone and being under suicide watch, Gilda still in hospital and Silvia being dead, we don’t have enough officers with experience either since you six are needed in the field to combat Twilight and Nightmare Moon if she shows up.”

“What about the dragon’s and gryphons?” asked Dashie.

“Lei is the only one with any real experience. The other two are hatchlings looking for some action and nothing more. The gryphons are currently dealing with the harpies so they can’t offer any more assistance. As is, I’m surprised they haven’t recalled all the gryphons,” reported Shining. “As is, I’d recommend a mass evacuation.”

“To where?” growled Trixie. “We’re already at the edge of Equestria’s domain! We’ve got nowhere else to run. Trixie says we stand and we fight.”

“This isn’t just some random battle! If we lose this, Dawn will be broken and it’ll take years for us to recover. Better to hide now and recover our strength so that we can fight another day.” Hooves on the table, Shining stared down at Trixie, who simply returned it with her one good eye.

“I think you’re all forgetting something,” whispered Pinks. “We’re the Bearers of Harmony and a single one of us is a match for an army. Sure, we’re not at full power, but between the six of us, we must have enough to make up at least one. Right? And Twilight… yes she’s powerful, but we have each other. We don’t need an army, we don’t even need the others to fight. All we need is the six of us, working together towards a brighter future, and we can accomplish anything.”

“Oh Celestia, I think I threw up in my mouth a little,” gagged Pinkamina. “Could you get any more sappy or clichéd?”

Pinks ignored the mental comment and kept speaking, “We are the Bearers of Laughter. We represent hope and joy and that warm fuzzy feeling you get in your stomach when something good happens. We… I… will not let us give in so easily.”

“Hey now, I never said we would be giving in, just merely saying that your speech is waaaaay too sappy. Come on, it should have been some super badass thing rather that super gag-worthy, boring, long pile of crap. Plus, if we gave up, how would I have fun with all those enemy ponies? I’m bored out of my mind being in here.”

“The problem is, there’s no conceivable way for us to win this battle. If any of you die, then it may take years before we can finding another pony who is suitable,” sighed Shining. “If we had more ponies we could try flanking, but even then it’s usually better to wait out a siege.”

The door suddenly flew open and Fleetfoot came skidding into the room. Dripping blood from an open wound in her shoulder she began her report even as Fluttershy and Cadence worked on the wound, “I’ve got news. We are indeed outmatched three to one, but I found Wave Chill, Fleur, Fancy and Ditzy about a mile to the east of the enemy camp. Together, they have nearly six hundred ponies as well as Rapidfire with them.”

“Mirage and Bulwark?” asked Rarity.

“With them also,” replied the white maned Wonderbolt. “They are definitely close enough to flank the enemy.”

All eyes turned to Shining Armor who looked at the map critically. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. AJ, I want you to use your magic to fortify the outer walls then immediately rest up. RD, gather up a group of pegasi to clear the skies so they can ambush us from above. If possible, set up a perimeter of storm clouds as an aerial defensebut you are not to participate you got that? You need to rest up as well. Fluttershy, try to evac as many ponies as possible and send out your animals to scout and harass the enemy. Trixie and Rarity, you two rest up. You two are our most powerful offensive force so we need you to be top form to deal with Twilight. Pinkie… do whatever it is you do. I’ll take over the training from here and set up a defensive barrier when the time comes. The plan is this, we will slow down their advance as much as possible and hold our defenses for as long as possible until such a time that Fancy and the rest of them manage to arrive and flank them thus catching them in a pincer movement. If Nightmare Moon shows up, I want you six to use the Elements to take her out immediately. Don’t worry, I’ll personally protect you from any sort of assaults she might throw your way.”

“So this is it? This is the plan we’re going with?” From Rarity’s expression, it was obvious she wasn’t surprised or amused. “Alright then, I suppose it’s better than nothing.”

"It's better than running." Trixie wore a bloodthirsty grin that would have fit on Pinkamina's face any day. "It's time for a rematch, Twilight Sparkle and this time, you're going down."

“Just what are you planning?” asked Nightwish from his spot against the wall. “And don’t try denying it, something is going on. I just know it is. I mean, eighty percent of this army is comprised of Dawn members or sympathizers and the other twenty are high ranking officials or important people. If I didn’t know better, I’d be saying you’re planning a coup.” His eyes suddenly widened. “You are, aren’t you?”

With a grim smile, I returned to my writing. “You’re only partially right. If I can help it, no ponies will be injured tonight, let alone die. In fact, if I had things my way, there won’t even be a fight tonight. Instead, when the signal is given, you and General Sunset Horizon will subdue that twenty percent and then turn yourselves over to the Dawn Brigade.”

“So that’s it? You’re just giving up?” He looked at me suspiciously. “And you’re rather sane today.”

Chuckling softly, I shook my head from side to side, the action threatening to dislodge the few tears in the corner of my eyes. Beside me, Celestia nuzzled me tenderly and I returned the gesture with a small whimper. I was scared. So very scared of what I was planning to do tonight, but I knew I had no choice. I was a monster.

“Will you ever be able to forgive me Celly?” I whispered.

“Only if you stop this foolish behavior at once,” she replied. Though it was spoken like a reprimand, the tears leaking down her cheeks revealed far more.

“I’m sorry, you know I can’t do that.” Sealing up the letter I had written, I floated it over to Nightwish along with a book. “When you’re handing yourselves over, I want you to give these to Cadence or Celestia or Luna. No, don’t try to open it for you can’t. Only an alicorn will ever be able to open it.”

For once in his life, Nightwish actually looked concerned. “You sound as though you’re about to die.”

Laughing, I easily pushed past him and out of the tent. “Please, Celestia isn’t back yet and until she is, I can’t die. I will do anything to bring her back, you know that.” Even to my ears, my words sounded hollow.“Casualties?”

“Eighty-nine ponies have been taken out of combat so far by various creatures,” he replied dutifully, but that concerned look never left his eyes. From beside me, I could see Celestia sharing the expression, but I purposefully didn’t look at her. I couldn’t bear to.

“Very well. Tell all of them to stay back, this fight is between me and the Bearers of Harmony. When I start charging up, give the signal and take as many into custody as possible. Alive, mind you. And…” I hesitated for a brief moment before reaching out and touching his shoulder gently. “Thank you. I know you’re scared of me, but thank you for staying by my side despite that. Thank you for at least tolerating the presence of a monster.”

Unable to bear being near him any longer, I teleported out into the middle of the battlefield. Before me was a steep mountain range and there, a couple hundred feet off the ground was a fortified cave entrance. There were ramps and earthen walls, pits full of spikes no doubt and probably some traps as well. Though they only had two days, I was facing a castle. I had no doubt that the only way to win the battle was to starve them out – a messy and cruel way to do things.

“You can still turn back my faithful student. This need not be how things end.”

“You’re wrong Princess, this is how things must be.”

“You don’t even know if it will work!”

“That doesn’t matter, you know that. Now leave me be.”

Reaching out with my magic, I tore the phantasm to shreds and all alone, I waited.

A flash of magic drew my attention back to the space opposite me and there they were. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow dash, Rarity and Trixie. Each of them wore their respective elements and each of them looked at me with guarded eyes and tensed muscles.

“I’m sorry you know.” Though I spoke in a whisper, the wind easily carried my voice as tears leaked down my cheek. There was no sobbing involved, just steely determination. “You know what I’m sorry for, I need not go into my sins for if I did, we’d still be here in a year’s time. Nonetheless, I’m sorry. But more than that, I want to thank you all. Thanks to you I got a taste of friendship and saw how much it could accomplish and in the end, I suppose you were right, Princess. Friendship is Magic. So goodbye my former friends and may you see the new dawn.”

Closing my eyes, I felt my hooves lift off from the ground as my eyes glowed pure white. Reaching out with my magic, I touched the Element of Magic with a flash of light, it appeared before me with my cutie mark back in place. Though I could feel Trixie fighting against my control, I cradled it against my heart as tears stained that priceless gem. I could feel it enhancing my magic, making it stronger and easier to manipulate. With a shield in place, I threw out my amplified magic. I felt it pass the clouds, pass the stratosphere, past the magnetosphere. I felt the moon breeze me by quickly followed by the other planets as I searched for the sun.

Already I could feel my magic depleting. I was barely past the third planet and I was almost out of juice. But I would not give up. If there was one mare, one unicorn who had the slimmest of chances of touching the sun and freeing Princess Celestia, it would be me. I had sacrificed hundreds of ponies in my attempts to get closer to Nightmare Moon and now... now, it was time to put my life on the line.

Though I was only one planet away, I could already feel her. I could feel the sun, I could feel Princess Celestia just beyond my reach. But I was out of magic, I was out of juice. The shield I had used to protect myself had long since vanished and already I could feel my magic trailing off into nothingness. Even with the Element of Magic, I was too weak to even touch the sun.

No.

Reaching deep within me, I found the ultimate source of energy. The ultimate source of magic. I could feel it pulsating with my heartbeat, thumping away with raw power. It was the very thing that kept us alive.Plunging both hooves into my very life force, I drew it out and forced it through my horn causing my magic to flare back into life and those last few billion miles were closed in a blink of an eye. Wrapping my magic around it, I could feel her pressing against her cage from the otherside.

“Twilight? But how?”

“I don't have time to explain. Just give me a couple of seconds and I’ll have you out and back in Equestria.”

A smirk danced across my muzzle as I examined the containment spell. Nightmare Moon had been arrogant, she thought she was the only one strong enough alive to touch the sun so there were no protective spells preventing an outside force from messing with her spell. There was nothing to stop a unicorn from tearing her prison to shreds. With a maniac grin and giggle, I did exactly that.

At some point, Princess Celestia must have realized how I had gotten there and yelled, “Twilight! Stop this at once, you’ll end up killing yourself!”

I ignored her.

“Please! Twilight… please… don’t do this. I’m begging you. Please stop.”

Though it broke my heart to hear the tears in her voice, I continued my frenzied task. By the time I was done, I felt the darkness beckoning me. My heartbeat had slowed down drastically even with the adrenaline pumping through my body and my breathing was almost nonexistent. Despite that, a small, happy smile danced upon my lips as I felt Princess Celestia – the real Princess Celestia –beside me. Maybe not in person, but just her presence next to mine was like drinking ambrosia.

“Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student, what have you done? Why?”

“Because… I love you Princess… and… and… I’d do anything for you.”

“Hold on my most faithful, I’ll be in a minute. Just… just hold on, try to conserve your strength.”

“It’s… It’s already too late… We both know that.”

“No… please no. Twilight, don’t leave me. Please, I need you.”

“Princess… I know I don’t deserve it, but… can I make one last request?”

“Anything. Anything for you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Somehow, I managed to feel tears dripping onto my face from above. They were hot like liquid rainbows and it felt as though it was searing through all my pain and weariness.

“Can you raise the sun? One last time, just for me.”

“I can do better than that and you deserve better than that my most faithful. Oh, Twilight, my dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful.”

That’s when I felt it. Her magic wrapped around my faltering aura and it was ecstasy. It felt as though everything would be alright, that everything would be perfect and it reminded me of lazy summer days when we used to find a desolate beach somewhere and just swim in the waters and snack on ice cream. With her magic wrapped around mine, it almost felt as though I was alive again. Then, she gently wrapped my aura around sun and though what little life I had left was quickly fading, she raised the sun.

No.

We raised the sun. Together, the two of us raised the sun. Like a mother tenderly guiding a foal as it attempted to walk for the first time, she guided me through the motions. Princess Celestia provided the power, but I did the raising. Though she was not with me in person, I could feel her luxurious coat against my back and those soft feathers against my body as her wings wrapped around me. I could feel her hoof next to mine just like that time she we went star gazing for the first time and she had to gently moved my hoof to point to Scorpio.

“Thank…

… y… y… you...

…

P-P-Pr… Prin…

…

…

…cess…

…

…

…

…Ce… Ce… Ce…

…

…

…

…les…”

“Twilight?”

Thank you, Princess, for showing me the world. For teaching me and loving me as only a mother could. Thank you for being my mentor and more importantly, for being my friend.Thank you Princess for teaching me the true value of friendship even if it took me this long to learn it. And thank you, for letting me raise the sun, for giving a monster such as I one final chance to see the sun.

“Twilight!”

But…

“No! Please Twilight, I’m almost there!”

I can’t open my eyes. I won’t open my eyes. A pony steeped so far in sin does not deserve to see the sun. A pony such as I does not deserve to see the new dawn. Though I could feel the warmth on my fur – real warmth, not that artificial stuff Nightmare Moon uses to warm the word – I will not let myself open my eyes.

“Just a second, all I need is a single second! Just one. More. Second!"

Oh Princess, there is so much I want to thank you for. My entire life, my entire upbringing, everything is thanks to you. I would do anything for you. No, please don’t cry. Please don’t cry over a monster such as I. I don’t deserve your tears. I don’t deserve anypony’s tears. And you deserved a far more faithful student than I. So many died by my hooves and I did it all in your name. I'm sorry, so very sorry.

“Damn it! I’m Princess Solarus de Celest and I command you to stop!”

Celestia, there’s so much I want to thank you for, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t find the right words nor do we have enough time. Thank you, Celestia, for being here in my final moments.

Thank you...

For everything.

“I will not let you die! I will not fail again! Twilight!... Please… Twilight… Don’t leave me... I-I... I need you… Ple-”

Chapter 26

Dear Princess Celestia,

The page was filled with crossed out words and tear stains making it difficult for Celestia to read, but that didn't matter. She knew every single word off by heart and could recite it backwards if necessary. How many of those tears were from her, and how many came from Twilight though, was a question that she had no answer to and one that she didn’t want to answer. How many times had the eternal alicorn read that letter? Ten? Fifty? One hundred? Yet another question to which an answer was possible. All that she knew was that it was the tenth duplicate she had to create with magic. Thankfully, the original was safely tucked away to make sure it would last until she could put an enchantment spell on it to keep it from being damaged.

Though she had viewed the memory crystal, Celestia still couldn't think of Twilight in any other way than as her most faithful. All the things that she had gone through, all the things she had suffered – it was amazing she didn't break entirely. Though she had become a tad obsessive at the end of her life, everypony needs something to believe in and though her faith was misplaced it was... endearing in an odd sort of way.

If you are reading this, then it means you have returned to Equestria safe and sound, whether that was by the actions I took or by the defeat of Nightmare Moon or some equally impossible task, it matters not. The only thing that matters is that you have returned and with your guiding hoof, I have no doubt in my mind that everything will turn out fine.

Of course, it also means that I am dead.

“Oh, Twilight…”

Leaning down, Celestia rubbed her tear stained cheek against it, not caring if she got ink on her. With her eyes closed, she liked to think that she could still smell Twilight’s scent on the page despite it being a copy and when she read it aloud to herself at night, she did so in slightly higher pitched voice. It almost felt as though her most faithful was right there in the room, delivering the report in person.

She couldn’t even offer Twilight a proper burial or even a statue. From what everypony had said, it’d immediately be defaced, destroyed and vandalized. Instead, Celestia had been forced to leave Twilight’s body on the battlefield before sneaking back in the middle of the night to take it away. By that time though, her perfect purple coat had been marred by spit, blood and scavengers. That was the first time any pony had seen their ruler break down and sob her eyes out like a little foal. None of them said anything though, instead she, alongside the Bearers of Harmony (though Trixie was strangely absent), Shining Armor and Cadence worked through the night to give her a private burial.

Princess, please don’t cry, please don’t mourn my passing. I am not a good pony, maybe I was, at some stage in my life, but not anymore. I have done things, terrible things in your name and I no longer deserve to be your faithful student. In fact, the only thing I should be called anymore is ‘monster’ for that is what I am. I am a monster.

I’ve killed and tortured ponies without a second thought. There was no hesitation, no second guessing myself – I happily killed them in cold blood. Even now, I cannot in all honesty say that I regret my actions even a little bit. As far as I’m concerned, everything I did was justified, ethical and ultimately, the right thing to do. I will not pretend that regretting my actions will somehow make me a better mare or less of a monster, for every life lost is a tragedy and no justification will ever change that. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you read the diary I gave Nightwish. The crystal contained within has a copy of my memories without any alterations, and from it you will be able to see just how far I am swimming in sin.

Just the thought of that night bought fresh tears to Celestia’s eyes. With her head buried in her pillow to muffle the sounds, the regal goddess cried once more.

So Princess, please save your tears to a more worthy pony. Save your tears for all those who have lost their life these past months. I don’t deserve your tears. A monster does not deserve the sympathy of a goddess.

There was a polite knock on the door.

“Princess?” called Shining Armor through the door. “You wished to be informed once Applejack has finished vetting all the newcomers.”

Sniffling softly, Celestia forced all her emotions into the back of her mind and cast a simple spell to clean up her appearance. After a deep breath to compose herself, she opened the door and trotted out with all the grace expected from her. Simply nodding to her guards, she walked through the stone walls with her head held high, and it took all her willpower to not smite those who commented on the rumors of Twilight being killed by Celestia herself. After all, who hadn't heard the story by now?

Twilight Sparkle, in her insanity, had tried to control the ultimate source of magical power – the sun – something even Nightmare Moon was hesitant touch and for her hubris, she had been burnt from the inside out. More than that though, her transgression had managed to awaken Princess Celestia from petrified state (some version had her in an enchanted sleep) and she came back to Equestria on wings of righteous fury just in time to impart some final words to her former student. Words, that ended Twilight's life.

Celestia wanted to travel in time to murder whoever began that rumor.

“It seems I don’t even need to play my hoof,” whispered Celestia sadly. “I am sorry, my most faithful. I am so very sorry. I wish I could save you both."

"Princess? Did you say something?"

"Nothing at all my faithful captain." Giving Shining Armor a reassuring smile, Celestia stepped into the conference room and immediately, all the ponies stopped speaking and bowed as well. With a soft sigh, she took her place at the head of the makeshift table. Twilight never bowed to her like that, she always came up for a hug and nuzzle – whenever Twilight was around, the eternal alicorn felt loved and wanted and alive. Twilight knew the pony under the crown and loved Celestia for who she was rather than what she had done or what she was.

But that is not the reason I am writing to you today. Instead, I wish to speak to you about your sister, Princess Luna. First of all, she is still alive and trapped within her own mind. Despite researching the Elements of Harmony, I have not been able to locate a definitive answer as to whether or not they could purge the Nightmare from Luna. However, if Applejack has indeed managed to glimpse alternative timelines, then the evidence seems to suggest that it is indeed possible. Ultimately, the decision will be up to you.

"So what's the plan so far?" asked Celestia into the silence.

"We were hoping you'd tell us Princess. We've never fought an immortal alicorn before and our knowledge of the Elements of Harmony is limited," replied Nightwish. From the way the others reacted to his input, it was obvious they were still uneasy with him being on the team.

And that was another thing Celestia missed. Twilight would not have sat around drawing circles in the dirt while she waited for Celestia to come up with a plan. No, she would have gone out, collected data, read some books, figured out multiple plausible avenues of attack while she waited and then before Celestia had even taken a single step, Twilight would have begun going through each one in detail. Her faithful Twilight would not have wasted the past couple of hours that was for certain.

“We end this. Tonight,” stated Princess Celestia. “I’ll keep the part of Nightmare Moon’s powers occupied while the Bears of Harmony slip into Canterlot and take her out.”

More importantly though, we need to discuss what happens once Luna is freed from the Nightmare’s grasp. There is little doubt in my mind that the general populace will look down upon your sister with distrust and anger, and considering what caused her to become Nightmare Moon in the first place, this is obviously not an acceptable future for the co-ruler of Equestria. Instead, I would like to suggest an alternative option for you to take and though I know you will vehemently disagree with me, I would like to ask you to reserve judgment until you have finished reading.

“But what about the citizens? The collateral damage from fighting within Canterlot would be…” Shining Armor trailed off as he tried to come out with an appropriate description.

“Canterlot is being evacuated as we speak,” replied Celestia. “If you had spies posted there, you would know this. Trust me, I know Nightmare Moon for I have fought her in the past and she has not changed in the past one thousand years. She will be evacuating Canterlot because she knows we will be making our move. You all wish to think of her as some evil dictator who hates all ponies and wants to rule with an iron fist, and while there may be some truth in there somewhere, Nightmare Moon would actually rather just be a ruler who listens to the public and makes informed decisions. In fact, she would be as great of a ruler as I – minus the eternal night of course.”

For a brief moment, silence filled the room. Every single creature looked at her as though she was insane, but the alricorn merely smiled at their reaction. They had been trapped into thinking Nightmare Moon was nothing, but a monster and totally willing to throw away pony lives as though it meant nothing, but the truth was, apart from eternal night, Nightmare Moon was a great of a leader as Celestia. After all, she was part Luna and her sister did keep the nation afloat more than once when a crisis occurred.

It was also never her intention to semi-rant at them all, but once she got started it just all came tumbling out. Taking a deep breath, she forced those emotions back away and began speaking in a much calmer tone of voice, “Here is the plan. I will engage the Nightmare in battle within the Spirit Realm thus distracting her and keeping part of her powers neutralized. During that time, the Bearers of Harmony will infiltrate Canterlot and make their way into the castle to defeat the Nightmare. Nightwish, you assemble and lead an infantry company to act as a distraction and Shining Armor, you will form a platoon of volunteers to help the Bearers reach the Nightmare. While we can’t teleport into the castle, we can reach the front gates without any issues. Knowing her, she’ll be awaiting in the throne room – she always did have a soft spot for theatrics. Any objections?”

Rather than wait to see if anypony did want to say something, Celestia simply turned around and began walking towards the door. “Good. Meeting adjourned.”

“Wait,” cried Rainbow Dash. “What about the rumors? Aren’t you going to do anything about them?”

Of course, who else would bring up the subject of the rumors if not the Bearer of Loyalty? With a sigh, Celestia merely remarked over her shoulder, “The rumors will continue without obstruction. If I hear any of you trying to stop them with force, I will be very cross.”

I want you to make into a monster.

“What the buck! She saved your royal flank and now you’re just going to toss her to the parasprites!?” Power radiated from the enraged pegasus, lashing out and setting the table on fire. “She was loyal to you – beyond loyal and this is how you treat her memory? I should bucking send you back to the sun!”

Though all were shocked at Dash’s explosion, none of them told her to shut up or sit down. In fact, some were even nodding their heads in agreement, but what did they know? Nothing, that’s what. All they could see was the short term and even that was blinded by their rage and sorrow. Did they truly believe she didn’t care about Twilight? That she wanted her most faithful to be forever remembered as a monster with no morals? Even after viewing her memories multiple times, Celestia could not bring herself to think of Twilight in such a manner despite all the gruesome crimes that had been committed in her name. For as long as she lived, Twilight would always be that proud and intellectual mare with no equal, who held an adorkableness that made Celestia smile. Twilight Sparkle would never be a monster in her eyes.

This may sound contrary to what I said above, but please listen to me. If Luna is to get off and lead a normal life (for an alicorn and Princess that is), then Equestria will need a scapegoat. A pony that they can all blame for the misfortune that has happened recently. Out of all the ponies that exist, the only one who can adequately achieve that status is me. I was present at all the major confrontations, I was/am viewed as a monster and I am exceptionally powerful. A simple tale about a corrupt unicorn secretly gaining access to forbidden magic will be adequate in my opinion. I know you will not wish to sully my name and to drag it through the mud, but think about your sister. She is alive whereas I am not. Please Princess, do this one last thing for me – let me go down in history as a monster. This will be my final act of redemption, my final gift to you and your sister. Please Princess, I am begging you. Luna… I’ve talked to her, Princess and she deserves so much better than what she has now. She deserves to come back to Equestria and to be loved by everypony the same way you are. Please, give me this, give me this final act so I can at least rest easy knowing I’ve done something right. Done something to help out a friend.

Without even a word, the while alicorn teleported out of the room so that nopony would have the see the tears staining her cheek. Reappearing on a ledge well up on the mountain range, she gazed out at the sun that hung just two inches above the horizon and at that sight, fresh tears appeared. She had thought that she had already cried them all, but everytime she thought that, she would be proven wrong. There’d always be that one thing that managed to set her off again and this time, it was the sun. Her sun.

No.

Their sun.

So many times ponies had asked her to move the sun to the center of the sky so that it could truly bask Equestria in its warmth. Every time though, she had refused by saying it was symbolic of the new dawn that was coming. The truth was though, that was how far Twilight managed to raise the sun before she finally died. It was the last remnants of her legacy and for as long as possible, Celestia planned on keeping it there as a monument to what her most faithful had accomplished and could accomplish.

More than that though, whenever the Princess gazed upon the eternal twilight that encompassed the land, she could see Twilight. She could see and feel Twilight Sparkle as though her most faithful was sitting right next to her, huddled for warmth under her soft wings as they gazed out at the country while discussing whatever random subject just happened to pop up. In this land of eternal dawn, Celestia could sense Twilight everywhere and it filled her with a sense of calmness and sadness. As long as the sun stayed where it was, everything would be alright.

And you knew didn’t you? You knew Nightmare Moon would return and that I would have to make friends in order to win. You knew all that and you refused to tell me, instead you gambled with your life, with Equestria and with the whole world. I wish I could hate you for that, but I will never be able to. I love you too much to hate you. Instead, I want to thank you. For everything. Thank you Princess… Celestia… thank you so very much. As short as my life will be and as bad as it has been these last couple of months, I thank you.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, just gazing out at the Everyfree Forest and Canterlot Castle off in the distance while remembering the early mornings and late nights they had shared together. How she missed those nights where she could be who she was rather than what she was.

But how long would she be able to keep those memories? How long before they were lost to the flow of time? She wanted to remember that purple filly for the rest of her eternal life without the aid of some memory spell, but she knew that was impossible. In the end, Twilight would fade away until she was nothing more than a blurred face and forgotten voice.

There’s so much I want to write, so much I need to write, to tell you, but there’s no time. Even now, Nightwish is getting antsy with his constant pacing around and every second I take, is another second a pony could die. This nightmare has gone on long enough and tonight, I’m going to bring you back even if that results in my death. I love you Princess, I love you like you were my mother and I miss you so much.

“So this is where you ran off to.” Cadence sat down next to Celestia on the snow covered ledge. “When you didn’t come back after an hour, they began panicking.”

“Has it already been so long? I must have lost track of time.”

“Please auntie, I know you miss her, but you can’t keep going on like this. You’ve got to stop sulking.”

“You don’t understand,” mumbled Celestia like an impudent foal.

“Don’t I? I did foal sit her for the majority of my teenage years and I do consider her a little sister. Yet you don’t seem me sulking away in my room and running away from my job. Look at Shining, he’s doing his duty with the same dedication as always.”

“And so you’ve come to talk some sense into your old aunt?”

“Yes. We need you, Equestria needs you. Please Aunt Celly…”

“I am focused,” growled Celestia, “and I am thinking perfectly straight. You have nothing to worry about at all.”

“That’s not true! Just look at where you are! You’re hiding away from your responsibilities and not leading the nation!”

“What, can’t I have some time to myself?” snapped Celestia.

“You’re the Princess. You have a job to do,” Cadence hissed in reply. “You need to get over Twilight’s death and start being the leader we need. Everypony has lost some pony close to them! You. Are. Not. Unique!”

“Get out of my sight.”

Cadence scrambled back as the snow around Celestia sublimated and as the heat scorched her fur.

“Leave!” screamed Celestia in her Royal Canterlot Voice and the pink alicorn quickly vanished in a flash of light.

Before I end this letter though, I wish to give you one final report. One last lesson I have learnt, even if it took me far too long to finally grasp it.

Crumbling to the ground, Celestia closed her eyes, but for once no more tears would come out. Nopony understood, nopony other than Twilight Sparkle could ever understand what it meant to be eternal. And now… now she was gone, taken before her time in order to bring Celestia back. In the end, it was her fault – everything was her fault. If only she had told Twilight the entire truth then none of this would have happened and ultimately, Twilight had killed herself to free Celestia. It was all her fault, everything was her fault.

Dear Princess Celestia,

When you first sent me to Ponyville, I didn't know anything about friendship, in fact I felt it was rather silly for I had my books to read and didn’t know that I would ever need other ponies to make my life complete. But now… now I realize friendship is indeed magic. With it, the Bearers of Harmony have done the impossible by opposing Nightmare Moon and succeeding thus far. Though they might not have been the best of friends and may not have been there all the time for each other, they have come through the harrowing journey far more sane than I have and perhaps if I had kept in contact with your sister, I too, would have stayed sane. But that is neither here nor there. My only regret is that it took me so long to realize the truth behind everything. Thank you Princess, for being so patient with me.

Faithfully yours,

Twilight Sparkle

She was the reason why Twilight Sparkled had died.

Chapter 27

Rain, rain and more rain. No matter how much she had seen or experienced in the past three hours, Rarity doubted she’d ever actually enjoy it, let alone look forward to it; unlike a certain earthpony who was wallowing in the mud with pleasure. With a sigh and shake of her head, Rarity looked away from Pinks before the mess gave her a heart attack and instead looked over at the blue pegasus who standing in the rain with her wings outstretched. Why that was, Rarity did not know, nor did she care, all that mattered was that she stayed nice and safe within the confines of the bubble.

“Hey Rarity, stop being so prissy and enjoy the weather!” Stepping into the bubble, a dripping wet pegasus approached with malicious intent. “Let your mane down for a bit.”

Eyes narrowing, Rarity’s horn flared to life. “You stay away from me, Rainbow Dash, or I swear I will give you a makeover while you're asleep and I can promise you, you’ll come out the other side looking absolutely fabulous.”

“Okay, okay, geez,” grumbled Dash as she stepped back into the rain. “I’ll just stay right over here.”

“Good.” With a toss of her mane, the white unicorn settled back down. Truth be told, she expected some more resistance from Dash – not that she was complaining – it was just… odd. Almost as though it was part of a plan. “Oh no.”

Thrown to the side, she found herself eating a mouthful of mud as a very happy pink mare sat on her while giving Dash a brohoof. With a feral growl, the two conspirators soon found themselves forced into the ground as Rarity stood up above them, a hoof on each of their heads.

“Oh, you enjoyed that did you? You enjoy getting me muddy? Well how do you like it now?” she growled, pushing down slightly harder with her hooves. “Enjoy the taste of mud?”

Picking them both up, she glared at them with an expression that promised much pain in their future. “Just be glad I do not have my tools with me or you’d be not only the fastest mare in Equestria, but also the prettiest,” growled Rarity at Rainbow Dash. “As for you Pinks, I think a couple hours of death metal will sort you out, don’t you think?”

The blue aura encasing her captives was suddenly shattered as Shining Armor stepped into view. “I’m sure whatever they did does not deserve such… cruel punishments.”

“They made me hideous!” The now brown colored unicorn jabbed a muddy hoof at the guard captain. “Just look at me, I’m ugly! No, no, don’t look at me, I’m too horrible to bear looking at. Avert your eyes. Avert I say! This is just the worst. Possible. Thi-“

“Don’t ya dare finish that,” said AJ as she shoved a hoof into Rarity’s mouth. “And all of ya better stop messing around. We’ve got a job ta do.”

“Oh come on AJ, we’ve been sitting around for hours waiting for the signal,” replied RD.

“Yeah! All work and no play makes… er… something, something, something,” added Pinks while her body pouted. “Hey, don’t look at me like that, repeating what Pinkie said would have taken too long.”

“Um… excuse me…” Flutershy peeked her head out of the protective bubble.

“For once, I agree with these two immature mares,” said Rarity, completely ignoring Fluttershy. “We cannot stay tense for hours on end. It will simply drive us insane, and yes, this is coming from a mare who specializes in a high stress job.”

“Excuse me… I don’t mean to interrupt or anything…”

“What? Looking all pretty like is a high stress job now?” replied AJ with Dash nodding her head in agreement.

“Um… please, this is important…”

“I will have you know, I was referring to being a fashion designer, but yes, being pretty is rather stressful, though it’s not like either of you will know a single thing about being pretty,” said Rarity with a toss of her mane.

“Are you saying we’re ugly!?” Dash was suddenly in her face. “Because I can te-“

A canis major suddenly flew between the bickering trio. Blinking, the three friends simultaneously looked to their right where the rest of their group was engaged in combat with a pack of the annoying celestial wolves. In a flash of blue, one went down in a heap with an arrow lodged in its head.

“How about a wager to settle the matter? I will be able to kill more of them than either of you,” said Rarity.

“And here Ah thought ya were a lady of class and poise,” chuckled AJ. “You’re on. RD?”

A rainbow blur suddenly hit three wolves, each buck charged up with electricity. Skidding to a stop on the other side of the battlefield, Dash kicked off the building wall and hit another on the way back before giving them all a cocky grin. “You better hurry it up if you want to catch up!” Spinning around, she went to attack a fifth only AJ to buck it with enough for to make it explode into powder. “Hey! That was my kill.”

“Stop treating this like a game!” yelled Shining from somewhere in of the mass fur and fangs

Teleporting onto the nearest building, Rarity looked down on the battle and with a single thought, conjured a dozen bows. Picking the most basic arrows she had, she began raining them down on those below with lethal accuracy. A single arrow, a single death. Though on occasion, she did manage to hit two with one bolt and more than once, one of her friends would find an arrow whiz past their head and embed itself in a canis major behind them. Or in front of them, much to RD’s annoyance. No matter how many she killed though, it was as though another three would immediately take its position.

A sudden explosion of earth drew Rarity’s gaze to the east. There in the center of a field of black was Applejack, and Fluttershy. Though AJ was trying to keep them off the yellow pegasus' back while Fluttershy locked gazes with those before them. Those who met her gaze soon turned on their allies or vanished entirely in a puff of black smoke. Blood dripped from Fluttershy’s side, pooling at their feet and AJ very obviously had a broken leg and supported a gash across one cheek. Before Rarity could lend a helping hoof though, AJ stomped the ground and a field of earthen spikes erupted from the ground, impaling all those around them. Immediately though, more began forming out of the night sky. Providing much needed cover, Rarity covered their escape as the two limped towards Rainbow Dash and Pinkamina.

From the looks of things, the pink mare was having far too much fun slaughtering enemy after enemy. She raced through the crowd, her twin blades a blur as she transition between two and four legs while jumping and flipping around Dash. More than once, the pegasus tossed Pinkamina into a crowd only to zip after and catch her again before pulling off some complicated, synchronized attack. They were a speeding blur, pinballing through the crowd and leaving a wake of empty space behind them.

Pain erupted in Rarity’s side as she was thrown to the ground. Blasting the wolf away, she quickly scrambled onto her hooves and blood poured from the deep gouge in her side. A hasty teleport later, Rarity found herself on an empty roof. Before she could heal herself up, more stepped out from the shadows around her, quickly closing in. Burning them with a wave of fire, Rarity quickly teleported to another rooftop and once more, they followed her. This time though, they came out of the shadows leaping, making it near impossible to avoid. Throwing up a shield, one erupted from the ground beneath her feet and she soon found herself struggling to keep a drooling mouth full of very sharp teeth at bay. With a snarl, Rarity forced a knee into the creature’s stomach and in that split second, stabbed her horn through its head. Black ooze coated her head and stumbling back with a whimper, she began washing her face.

The sound of cracking glass filled the air as her shield began to buckle under the constant assault.

This was bad. Blue eyes began surveying the scene around her as her magic began healing up her wound. She could not run for they seemed to be able to track her with deadly accuracy, and if they continued fighting, they’d eventually be too weak to take on Nightmare Moon. There was no doubt in her mind, that the corrupt alicorn would just keep conjuring up these creatures with no end and there was no telling how much a toll it took her to do so, but considering the number they had already killed, she could probably conjure up an infinite amount.

Bright blue flames consumed all those around the shield.

“Come on, we’ve got to get to the others!” yelled Trixie as she burst through the wall of fire.

Dropping the shield, Rarity wrapped a forelimb around her friend’s neck and quickly teleported them away. Appearing back on ground level, the two rushed towards Shining Armor and the rest of their friends, cutting through the unending field of monsters as they went. A hole opened in the magenta shield and the two darted in and let out a sigh of relief.

“You need to get out of here,” said Shining Armor. “As long as Nightmare Moon is alive, this will keep going.”

“No! We’re not leaving you behind,” yelled RD as she struggled onto her hooves. “You’ll end up getting slaughtered.”

“We have to. For Equestria remember?” said Fluttershy.

“That’s what we said about leaving Twilight behind and look at where that got her,” replied Dash as she tossed her mane to one side. “We’re getting out of this together.”

“Please. Twilight is my sister and while I may not have her abilities with all magics, I do specialize in shields. I can keep this up for a year if need be. Just pass me the Elements of Harmony and get out of here! If my theory is correct then they’re using the unique harmonic frequency to track us – no doubt Nightmare Moon managed to figure out that spell when she had the Elements in her possession.”

The group exchanged a nervous look before taking off their Elements and passing it over to Shining.

“Alright. Stay safe, ya hear?” Applejack gave each of the soldiers a smile and nod. “Com’ on, let’s leave it ta them.”

“Alright. Stand close then dears and I’ll have us out of us in the blink of an eye.” Taking a deep breath, the others huddled around the white mare and a second later, the park around them vanished, only to be replaced by a bunch of stores. “Okay, we need to go north from here.”

A moment of tense silence descended as they moved forward in total silence. Eyes kept darting, bodies tensed at the slightest movement, but as time went on, the group slowly unwound as no enemies suddenly sprung out of the darkness. With a simple muffling spell in place, the group began racing through the empty street with Dash in the lead. For the entire journey, not once did they see a single monster or celestial creature – instead, all they managed to perceive was an eerie stillness as though everything was frozen in time.

Wait. Wasn’t it raining?

Looking up at the night sky, Rarity’s eyes widened. There, hanging above them, were suspended raindrops frozen in time. They almost looked like crystallized tears.

“Um… Rainbow Dash… please tell me you’re the one deliberately stopping the rain from falling,” whispered the fashionetta in a shaky voice.

“What are you talking about? I’m… not…” Her voice trailed off as Dash followed Rarity’s gaze. “Oh buck.”

Grabbing everypony, Rarity pulled them close as Trixie threw up a barrier spell. The droplets flew through the air, turning into ice as it did so and embedded itself into the protective shield. Teleporting the entire group away, they bore witness to the shield spell being punctured like pincushion as needle after needle of ice smashed through.

“That’s impossible,” whispered Trixie in awe. “That shielding spell should have been strong enough to withstand anything. Twilight Sparkle wouldn’t have been able to get through it.”

“No time for that!” Dash whipped the winds around them into a miniature tornado, allowing the high speed air to blow away and destroy the incoming projectiles. “We need to find whoever’s casting that spell and stop them.”

“Three o’clock, on top of the bakery,” said Fluttershy. “Navy blue unicorn with a… pitcher?”

“On it.” Vanishing in a flash of blue, Rarity reappeared atop a building and launched a glass tipped arrow. The resulting explosion shook the earth, making it hard to stand and when the dust cleared, the bakery was vaporized and instead a cocoon made of ice hung in midair. Then it sublimed and the unicorn stepped out without a single scratch on him.

All she felt was a felt was a low rumble, but Rarity immediately teleported away. Before she had even reappeared next to her friends, the entire house she was standing on erupted in a shower of water and ice. There was no doubt in any of their minds that if Rarity had been a second slower, she’d be dead. The rumbling did not stop though and the group soon found themselves standing back to back with muscles tensed in an attempt to counter whatever was going to be thrown at them.

“The ground! Something’s tunneling beneath us!” yelled Applejack.

But it was too late. The ground exploded, sending them all flying upwards. Slamming into the wall, a sharp crack was heard and pain flared up the entire length of Rarity’s body making her gasp out in pain. Hitting the ground, she lay there, entire body numb and tingling as she tried to push focus on a spell, any spell. Try as hard as she might though, the pain made even the most basic spell impossible. A second later, boulders slammed into the ground next to her, pinning her leg to the ground as she cried out in pain.

“Just hold on Rarity, Ah’m here to help.” Bucking the boulder once, it shattered and within seconds, Rarity was healed and back on her feet. White coat dyed red from blood, semi-white unicorn made sure to not look at the puddle of blood she was standing in.

“How are the others?” asked Rarity as she gazed at the celestial crab and scorpion that were crawling out of the hole.

“Ah don’t know, haven't seen them yet.” The farmpony followed Rarity’s gaze. “From the observations I’ve made, it is my belief that we’re dealing with the Zodiacs. The unicorn was no doubt Aquarius and before us now are Cancer and Scorpio. No doubt we will be forced to face the others as well.”

A sudden roar ran out, echoing through the empty streets and Rarity gave her friend a flat look. “You just had to say that didn’t you?”

“Move!”

Tackling Rarity to the side, a boulder the size of a small living room smashed through the building. Scrambling back onto their feet, Rarity teleported them to the other side of the street as the entire office building collapsed to the ground.

“Ah am getting tired of this!” yelled Applejack.

With a stomp of her left hoof, spikes erupted form the earth, quickly closing the distance between her and the two Zodiacs. There was a diagonal flash of white light and all of a sudden, the top half of the spears were sliced clean off. Then, from the night sky itself, a pegasus wreathed in white armor descended. Tied to her right leg was a single short sword, on her left was tied a buckler and her cutie mark was a pair of scales.

“Libra,” whispered the earthpony. “Justice and balance.”

“One more,” muttered Rarity. “Twelve of them, six of us. Two each that means there’ll be one more.”

“Virgo. Libra was the scales held by Virgo.”

Sure enough, out of the gaping hole in the center of the street, a mossy green earthpony trotted out and with a single flick of her hair, the spikes Applejack had conjured returned to the ground. Just behind the living constellations was the gate to the Castle and somewhere in there was an insane alicorn, just waiting for them.

“We need to finish them quickly and effectively. We must save our power for Nightmare Moon.”

“Ah know. Ah’ll take Cancer and Virgo.”

“Very well then.” An ephemeral bow came into existence next to Rarity. “That leaves me Scorpio and Libra. Good luck dear.”

“Ya too sugarcube.”

Teleporting into the middle of the road, Rarity fired off two quick shots to get their attention before quickly shifting to another location. Libra simply sliced the arrows out of the air and charged. Coming out of the teleport, Rarity was forced to throw up an emergency barrier, but the sword cut right through it as though it wasn’t there. Leaving a deep gash across her chest, the unicorn sent out a telekinetic wave as blood began freely flowing. The pegasus simply tumbled through the air and in a show of miraculous dexterity and stuntsmareship, righted herself in record time and came zooming back.

Shooting a volley of arrows, they were swatted away like flies. Diving to the side at the last second, she felt the blade part her tail and just as she came out of her roll, a wave of solid air hit. Thrown clean off the building, Rarity was forced to teleport once more onto the building opposite. It was there that she witnessed the building she was just on crumbling into two perfect halves. If Libra’s blade could do that, the unicorn did not want to know what it could do to her.

Before she could even notch an arrow, the entire building began rumbling and sinking into the ground. Running along the roof, she made a couple of shots at the scorpion attacking the foundations before jumping off. Landing on the adjacent roof, she came out of her roll in a crouch and fired a single glass tipped bolt. Just as expected, Libra sliced through it. And just as expected, the arrow exploded in her face in a brilliant blue fire ball.

Very quickly, the smile was dashed off Rarity’s face as she watched in growing horror at the approaching flaming tornado. Worst of all, somewhere in there was a very sharp and very dangerous sword. Her horn flared even brighter, but at that precise moment, the building suddenly tipped ninety degrees. Concentration broken, she scrambled to reform the teleportation spell, but with the approaching pegasus, panic gripped her.

Appearing a block over, Rarity squeezed her eyes shut as the world around her spun. Turning her head to the side, she was forced to throw up as the badly done teleport took its toll on her body. Forcing herself back onto her hooves, pain spiked through her body and looking down, her eyes widened at the sight of the shards of glass embedded all throughout her leg. Gripping it in her magic, she ripped them free with a sharp hiss. Before the wound could be healed though, the building next to her exploded into a million bits as Libra burst though. Each piece was a perfect cube of varying sizes and Rarity just had enough time to teleport away before a series of deep gouges were left in the land.

The earth beside her exploded as Scorpio came out of the ground. Thrown to the side, Rarity quickly rolled and the stinger slammed into the ground just inches from her head. Scrambling behind a piece of fallen wall, it was completely shattered by its tail. In the reflection of some broken glass, she caught sight of Libra approaching from behind. Firing one last arrow at Scorpio (which bounced off harmlessly), the white mare dived to the side. Though the impossibly sharp blade missed, Scorpio did not. A pincer gripped her, crushing her ribs and hoisting her into the air. In its eyes, she could see Libra coming towards her from behind.

Pained rippled through her body, and a scream was torn form her throat. The sound of cracking bones filled the air as the pincer slowly tightened. Already, she could feel it tearing through her muscles and flesh, blood flowed through her fur freely, staining it a deep red. Summoning one of her bows, it flickered and wavered as Rarity tried to push through the pain. The pincer tightened further, causing the bow the evaporate.

That was when she noticed it. A lock of purple hair being blown across the battle field. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, she turned around to look at her tail. Half of it was gone. No, over half of it was gone. Just... Just gone...

Rarity's eyes narrowed.

Reaching deep into her reserves, she found something. A font of power that she never knew existed before that single moment – it filled her with power and vigor. Looking straight into the eye of the creature, she waited patiently for the Pegasus to approach even as her life ebbed away from her.

As soon as the blade began rising, Rarity made her move. A crystal bow appeared beside her and launched a single arrow into Scorpio’s eye. The pincer immediately let go as the creature shrieked out in pain. A grin split her face as she watched the blade descend on the helpless Zodiac, slicing it cleaning in two. Tumbling through the air, Rarity selected a diamond tipped arrow, notched it and fired before making one last teleport as far as away as she could manage.

The bolt was wreathed in azure blue flames as it blazed towards its target. It cut through the twilight sky and when it slammed into the pegasus, it exploded into a ball of fire so bright, it might as well have been a second sun. It illuminated the sky, seared her eyes despite being closed and it cast a heat so intense, Rarity was forced to shield herself or be burnt to a crisp.

After ten very long seconds, the flames died down enough for her to look. There was no pony. In fact, the ground beneath the spot was charred bare and the metal in surrounding builds had been liquefied.

Collapsing onto the ground, she slowly began closing the worst of her wounds. It would take time, but if she didn’t heal her leg or sides, she would die. Her only hope was that it wouldn’t scar. Oh, and that the others would be fine without her.

Applejack watched as Rarity drew the other two celestial beings away before turning her attention back to Virgo and Cancer who were waiting patiently. With a tip of her hat in thanks, AJ set her legs apart into the same solid stance she used for applebucking. The green earthpony replied with a nod and smile even as her starry mane billowed in the breeze, but otherwise she stayed perfectly still.

Instead, it was Cancer who moved first. Burrowing under the ground, the farmpony could feel the earth shifting beneath her feet and if she concentrated, she could even feel the direction and speed of movement. Couple that with all the time she had spent helping Shining Armor study for his guard training exams, Applejack very quickly figured out the most likely areas for the crustacean to emerge from as well as how much time she had to seal them off and the order she had to act in to minimize risks.

Power flowed through her hooves and into the ground. Locating all the large boulders in the immediate vicinity, she pulled them through the ground to fortify the location directly beneath her. As soon as she shifted her power to fortify the closest and weakest buildings, she felt the stones beneath her shifting and moving away. Frowning, she grasped the boulders and tried to shove them back into place only to encounter resistance as something else pulled it away. Opposite her, Virgo smiled sadly.

Of course. Part of Virgo represented fertility thus the land thus an earthpony, but more importantly, she had powers over the land. So that was how things were going to be played out was it?

Splitting her power in half, she ignored the hole that formed in her defenses and instead caused the spears of earth to rupture from the ground. Before the tips were an inch out of the ground, Virgo flattened them into a platform for her to stand on. At the same time, the ground beneath AJ exploded, a pincer just managing to miss her head by a mere hair's width. Rolling with the momentum, she quickly came back onto her feet. Forcing her magic into the ground, she redirected the spikes that came out so that each one would only graze her fur rather than skewer her.

Three spikes trapped each leg and another five were wrapped about her body in such a manner that she couldn't even move an inch. Four more formed a square around her neck, keeping her completely immobile. All that was needed to finish her was one last spell. Closing her eyes, AJ the turned earthen claws holding her into large boulders and with a toss of her mane, they were launched towards the two enemies.

Shattered in midair by Virgo, the orange earthpony could feel the ground shifting beneath her hooves. Skipping back, she quickly spun to the side just in time to avoid a spike and following up with a buck, she returned it as a projectile. Reaching into the earth, she called the stone boulders once more to fortify her position and this time, she held it there. A quick calculation and AJ threw up an earthen wall just as the office building beside her began tipping over. A second later, Cancer burst forth from the ground, taking out the reinforcements AJ had added, collapsing the building on top of the farmpony.

And that’s when the earthquake began.

The ground began shaking, buildings folded, the street was split into hundreds of sections and parts of the ground simply dropped away. At the center of it all was Applejack, bruised and battered, but alive. Head held high and with sweat dripping down her face,she completely remodeled the three block radius around her. Locating Cancer in the ground, she let her power run along the nearby fissure, opening it up and drawing the magma into the tunnels. Using stones to direct its movement, the crab soon found itself trapped. Seconds later, it was dead.

Then she turned her attention to Virgo. Spike after spike erupted from the ground and with the constantly shaking earth, it was impossible to stand up properly. Nonetheless, AJ strolled forward, easily hopping from platform to platform and the Zodiac continued to dance around the constant assault. There was a brilliant burst of light behind her, turning the sky to daytime and that’s when she acted.

Dashing forward, the farmpony bucked with her might, sending Virgo through the wall and out the side. Immediately, earthen claws emerged from the ground, grasping the celestial being and holding her down as a final shard of earth skewered her.

Closing her eyes and with just a bit of power, Applejack repaired the fissure, returned the magma back to its original location and fixed up the landscape. Making sure to step over the cracks in the road, she began heading in the rough direction Rarity ran off to.

Pinkamina had not had this much fun in a very long time. With both blades fully extended, she spun and twisted as the twin earthponies that made up Gemini attacked form either side. Though she had been bucked in the side and breathing was painful, she relished every stab of pain. Licking her lips, she savored the taste of blood.

“Duck!”

Dropping low, she swept her hind hoof down low. The pony immediately leapt over, and Pinkamina immediately aimed upwards, taking advantage of the exposed stomach. Metal clashed on metal as his twin blocked the thrust and aimed a kick with such force she was thrown through the stone wall. Together, they chased after her.

Or rather, that’s what should have happened if the pink mare did not flip at the last second, and place all four hooves onto the smooth surface. Kicking off, she met their assault head on. One second she was before them, the next she was past them with multiple shallow cuts along her legs and body and more than a dozen nicks on her blades.

Skidding to a stop, she spun on her right leg as a bolt of prismatic lightning shot past, slamming into the two ghostly ponies. Almost immediately, a rainbow blur began spinning around them, multiple flashes of light illuminating the night sky. Despite the insane speed Dashie was moving at, they still managed to deflect every hit and bolt of lightning.

Her tail twisting into a knot was all the warning she needed. Back flipping into the air her hooves connected with a slab of ice. Pushing off, she twisting in midair and landed on a second icicle. Running along the underside, she jumped off at the end and performed a series of increasingly impossible stunts on her way to Aquarius. An ice wall suddenly formed before her and blades arcing down, they sliced clean through.

Making one last jump, Pinkamina managed to get within striking distance only to be suddenly and violently thrown to the side. Slamming into the ground, she immediately rolled behind a dumpster. Ice spear after spear impaled the dumpster from every single angle imaginable. Then Aries rammed it aside with such force, it was flatter than a pancake. But apart from some blood, there was absolutely no sign of the pink mare.

Rolling out from a door on the opposite side of the street, Pinkamina slammed into the ram from behind. Flipping over it, her blade descended on its unprotected neck only for it to be deflected at the last second by a bolt of lightning. Landing on all fours, her limbs twitched as electricity surged through her body.

“Note to self: Try electrical play in the future.”

“Concentrate,” growled Pinks.

“Party pooper,” mumbled Pinkamina under her breath.

Suddenly, Dashie flew across her field of vision while a celestial lion ridden by the twins chasing after her. A glimpse of blue drew her attention back to Aquarius just in time to see a volley of ice aimed in her direction. Leaping into the air, she channeled more of her Element’s power and began kicking each shard in quick succession. Every single last one flew in the direction of those chasing the blue pegasus, causing the chasers to swerve and slow down.

Dropping back onto the ground, she chased after them, bouncing from icicle to icicle with projectiles and a very mad ram following. Flipping onto her back, Dash fired off a set of lightning bolts and Pinkamina immediately twisted in midair, letting the electricity to breeze past and hit those behind her. Though it was very tempting to stick out a hoof to experience that jolt again.

Tucking her legs in, Pinkamina executed a forward flip. With both hind hooves planted firmly on the ice wall Dashie had conjured, the pink party mare kicked off, aiming straight for the charging ram. Lower its head in response, the two zoomed towards each other at a speed that Dashie would have called ‘awesome’. At the last second, she braced for impact and tucked herself into a ball. Hitting the ram, it tossed its head, effectively throwing the insane mare into the air.

Though the air was knocked out of her and it felt as though her hips had been shattered, Pinkamina continued to relish the pain. Soaring into the sky at high speeds, the pink mare slammed into Aquarius and forced her blade through the Zodiac’s face. Black ooze flowed out and without a second thought, she opened her mouth and drunk some down even as she was tumbling back to earth.

“Needs some honey.”

“Hey! No fair! I want to know what stars taste like.” Pinkamina suddenly found herself shoved to one side as Pinkie began licking her face of any left overs. “Needs lots of honey! But still yuuuuuuuuummy!”

“You two are disgusting,” gagged Pinks.

“Gotcha!” Dashie caught the party pony in midair then tossed her like a ball towards Leo.

Squealing in delight at the high speeds, she rammed the twins, tackling them to the ground. Before she could stab them through the head though, a brilliant orb of fire exploded in the sky, blinding her. Stumbling back, Pinkamina's ear flopped to the right and she ducked. Metal bit into her skin, drawing blood.

Tail twitch, skip to the side. Ear flop to the right, duck. Flop to the left, jump over low sweep. Both ears twist, attacked from both sides. Left. Right. Skip back, spin to the side and counter. Block, duck, watch out for rubble, counter.

Despite being blind, she had her Pinkamina Sense to guide her. Nonetheless, more than one attack managed to snake through and soon, she found herself on the ground, bleeding from a particularly deep gash across her chest. Out the corner of her eye, she could make out the blurry figure of Dashie trying to get to her while Leo and Aries kept her at bay. Above the pink mare, the twins stood, sword lowered and ready to strike.

That's when a dozy hit. Entire body shaking as though she had been thrown in a washing machine, Pinkamina Diane Pie began laughing shakily as though she knew some joke nopony else knew. The two twins exchanged a confused look and all of a sudden, the world turned upside down as the earth began shifting under their hooves. Rolling over, Pinkamina suddenly dropped off the ledge and landed with a dull thud.

"Pinkamina!"

The air was suddenly filled with shards of ice as Dash landed next to her. Gale force winds lashed out, drawing the ice with it, forming an ever expanding sphere of destruction. Everything it touched was shredded to pieces. It didn't matter if it was skin, dirt and metal. If it got in the way, it soon found itself torn to bits.

Within seconds, the three Zodiacs were slaughtered.

"Come on Pinkie, stay with me. I saw Rarity just ten blocks away. Less than five seconds, that's all I ask."

"This is not working!" yelled Trixie as she blasted yet another hole in the ground.

"I'm thinking." Fluttershy's eyes darted throughout the empty street, trying to catch any hint of a fin. "Celestial creatures are rare to come by and there are hardly any books written on them, let alone books on how to kill them." A glint caught her eye. "Four o'clock!"

A bolt of blue magic burst forth, slamming into the ground, but the fish fin swerved at the last second. Throwing up a barrier, Pisces shattered it with a single hit. Before the shards of magic hit the ground, Capricorn burst forth from underneath them, throwing them high into the air. As Sagittarius readied his bow, he found himself entangled in vines that Fluttershy grew. Sprouting a tree from a windblown seed below them, the duo crashed though and hit the ground without breaking any bones.

Shoving the unicorn to the right, Fluttershy rolled to the left just as Pisces came down the middle. The tree was sliced perfectly in half as was the building behind it. Back on her feet, Trixie fired a series of lightning bolts only for each one to be shot out of the air by an arrow. All of a sudden, she was tackled out of the way by Fluttershy. A second later, Taurus stampeded through, stomping all over their tails, but otherwise unhurt.

Scooping up a jagged piece of glass in her wing, her head snaked out and bit down on Taurus' tail. Swinging herself onto its back, the bull began bucking and tossing its head. Biting down on its coat, Fluttershy began her slow ascent even as the world around her spun and her stomach threatened to rebel.

A sudden buck sent her clean off its back and when she slammed back down, her grip was lost. Twisting around desperately, her mouth bit found traction at the last second. Scrambling back onto the creatures back, Fluttershy was forced to keep her head down as Taurus smashed through a brick building. Dust and mortar rained down all around her, slamming into her body. More than once, she had to bite back a cry of pain so that she wouldn't lose her precious hold.

Scrambling up to its neck, Fluttershy carefully wrapped a foreleg around its horn while her head snaked down for the glass shard. Gripping it carefully between her teeth, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves only for a sharp turn threw her clean off. Eyes wide with fear, she hung on with just one foreleg as the bull continued its rampage through the streets. With the street at least two stories below her, if she fell off, she'd break a limb and then get trampled to death.

Another turn left her swinging from side to side, her grip slowly slipping. Eyes narrowed in determination, she began rocking her body back and forth as though on a swing. Once more Taurus tossed its head. This time Fluttershy let go and rammed her makeshift dagger into its neck. Her momentum was enough to cut straight through. Flaring her wings out of instinct, she was thrown off balance and went straight through a wall.

Pain laced through her body, making it difficult to breathe let alone think. There was no doubt in her mind that being trampled would have hurt less. Coughing violently, she lay there in the dust and rubble, watching the yellow birdies dance around her head.

"Are you sleeping in there!?" Trixie suddenly burst through the window and threw Fluttershy onto her back before jumping out the opposite window. "We need a plan. Trixie demands you come up with a plan."

"But... but... the birdies... they're dancing. Dancing birdies, Trixie!"

"Oh dear Celestia."

A burst of bright light rendered them blind. Crashing into the ground, Fluttershy was sent head over heels and came to rest against a wall. Dimly, she was aware of shouting and screams and explosions. The earth trembled and shook.

There was Trixie, crying in pain as she tried to hold off three Zodiacs at the same time. Her cloak was tattered, her magical shield buckling under the pressure put on it as she protected the yellow pegasus from harm. At some point, she had conjured her Element to her, the blue gem blazing brightly and acting as a beacon. All of a sudden, her barrier shattered and she was tossed across the street. Arrows immediately pierced her limbs, locking her in place against the stone wall as Sagittarius readied the killing blow.

No.

Roots emerged from the ground, wrapping around the centaur . Even underground, they found their way around Pisces and Capricorn, holding all three in place. Then slowly, deliberately, Fluttershy walked forward. With each step she took, the roots tightened. With each step, she got closer to her prey. Scooping up a metal pole, the demure pegasus stabbed it through the centaur's throat.

Without warning, the other two broke free of and the next thing Fluttershy knew, she was flying through the air. Rising up to meet her was Pisces, mouth full of very sharp teeth. Out the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of blue and the giant fish was violently thrown to the side. Pinned against the wall by a spike the height of a three story building, five more soon followed. Catching the pegasus, Trixie sent a final spark towards the overgrown fish, exploding it into a million pieces.

With a smirk at the pegasus in her arms, Trixie pumped even more magic into her horn and soon the entire ground they were standing on had been broken up into hundreds of small blocks that floated in the air. Magic crackled between each one and suspended in midair was Capricorn. Grinning wider, all the blocks suddenly came together, squishing the Zodiac into fine paste before the ground was rearranged back into its original position like a puzzle.

"Come on," panted Trixie as she swayed on her feet. "We have to find the others."

"They'll be heading towards the Castle Courtyard," replied Fluttershy.

"Then we better hurry."

The two alicorns slowly circled each other.

"You know, it's not too late to give up, there's no way you can win," whispered the Nightmare.

"Funny, I was about to say that to you." Celestia lowered her horn and spread her wings. "You know just as well as I that you cannot possibly win while fighting on both fronts."

High above them, bolts of yellow and blue filled the air. The moon was present in all its phases, surrounding the sun as arcane rune after arcane run was imposed on the scene. Only four stars were left in the sky. Despite the heavenly objects though, the sky was pitch black with swirls of random colors. The land they stood on was perfectly translucent and color flowed through it like the tide.

"Just look at the sky, your stars are gone. This war is nearing its end."

The shadowy figure grinned. "Oh no, they were just the first step. Silly Celly, Luna was always the strategist out of you two and it shows. Look at the stars, look at their position. Do you not recall the prophecy? 'The stars shall aid in her escape'. "

Head snapping up, Celestia stared in wide eyed shock as the four fading points of light flared to life. With their position around the sun, a prism formed and the light immediately dimmed. Throwing her wings open, darkness flooded out from the corrupt alicorn, forcing Celestia onto her knees.

"I will admit your pawns are faring far better than I thought, but my Zodiacs bought me more than enough time to defeat you." Stroking Celestia's cheek with a black tendril, the Nightmare slowly advanced even as the moons began constricting. "It's been fun sister, but goodbye."

"Not quite." Both heads snapped to the right as a pink alicorn approached. "Hello sisters, it's been a while. Nightmare."

"Gaia," growled the Nightmare. "What are you doing here?"

Stepping back from the sun princess, Nightmare returned to her stance just as the prison was shattered by a tree. All around them, the translucent ground took on a distinctively green tinge as ghostly trees and animals filled the landscape. Walking past the Nightmare, Gaia stood next to Celestia and the two exchanged a nuzzle before turning to face their foe.

"Let's just say a certain purple mare is a very persuasive speaker." Throwing her wings open, the landscape came into a crystalline appearance. "Now that the playing field's a bit more even, how about we get this battle started?"

"My pleasure." The four stars returned brighter than ever, the display of raw power forcing Gaia and Celestia to take a step back. "This ends tonight."

The canis majors threw themselves at the barrier. Again and again they based their heads against it, not caring if they died. Fractures already ran across the entire magenta shield even as Shining Armor continuously pumped magic into maintaining and fixing it. More than once he had been forced to reduce its size in an attempt to keep it up for longer, and now, they were all huddled together in a mass of fur.

"We're not going to make it. Are you we captain?"

"I'm afraid not." With a sigh, he cut off the spell and began weaving a second one. "But that does not mean we all need to die here. It's been a pleasure knowing all of you."

"Wha-"

The group suddenly vanished as Shining used the last of his magic to teleport his squad to safety. Collapsing, he closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer to Celestia before gazing across at the sun that hung just above the horizon. There was no fear, no begging and pleading – he was calm, cool and collected.

"Was this how you felt Twilie?" he whispered. "In your final moments, did you look death in the eye without fear? Celestia doesn't talk about it, but damn sis, you know how to go out with a bang."

Buckling one last time, the shield shattered. With one last deep breath, Shining struggled onto his feet and lowered his horn while widening his stance. Just because he had no magic left did not mean he was completely defenseless.

The mass leapt at once, swarming down on the semi-helpless guard captain. Before they managed to even get within three feet of the pony though, a brilliant flash of magenta light engulfed the area. Blinking rapidly, Shining managed to clear his vision and all he saw was stillness. There were no enemies left, instead there was just a pony standing opposite him. Head to toe, the mare was covered in gold and silver plate mail that was lined with a mossy green coloration around the edges.

Eyes wide, Shining Armor quickly bowed. That was the armor of the Knight Protector – the one pony who had command over every single last branch of the military and sat on the council. The last time one had been promoted to that position was just after the Post-Alicornian Era. Who in the world had the power to make such a decision let alone find the armor? Was this some plan of Celestia's that was enacted before her disappearance much like his mission with Cadence?

Standing up from his bow, he watched in a tense silence as they regarded each. He could make out violet eyes and though the armor covered every inch of her body, he could make out the occasional hint of light purple fur underneath. As a magenta glow surrounded the helmet and pulled it off, dark blue mane spilled out along with a streak of purple and pink. Eyes wide with shock, Shining could only stare in stunned silence with his jaw on the ground.

"Twilie?"

Chapter 28

The six ponies made their slow, cautious way up the street. Since reuniting they hadn't exchanged a single word, instead they merely hugged each other and gave a gentle nuzzle before continuing on their journey. The entire way they kept an eye out for potential ambush sites and attackers, but ever since killing the Zodiacs, nothing came after them. Despite having the Element of Magic with them, there was no endless wave of black shapes to cut through and that merely made them all the more nervous. Either Nightmare Moon was busy with Celestia, or she was planning an ambush. Pray for the first and hope it's not the second.

Moving to the front, Applejack lazily kicked the locked gate with a single hoof and the metal doors were thrown clean off their hinges. In the past, Rainbow Dash might have been awed by such a display of raw power, but considering everything she had done in the last fight, she merely shrugged it off as though it was nothing. Stepping through, she reached up into the sky to touch the storm clouds gathered there. Though it had stopped raining mere minutes ago, there was still enough electricity within them to be deadly. Back to back and with cautious steps, the group slowly advanced, ears twitching at the slightest sound and eyes darting everywhere.

When nothing jumped out at them, Dash gripped the lightning even tighter. Hooves touching the first step, a bolt of purple light slammed into the ground just in front of the double doors. Almost immediately, a barrage of lightning, arrows, fireballs, earthen spikes and a cake (from Pinkie) slammed into the spot. Completely tense and body trembling, Dash brushed the dust away with gentle breeze to reveal a purple dome. There, before them, stood a purple mare in gold and silver armor with four healthy limbs.

Six jaws hit the ground.

“Twilight?” whispered Fluttershy.

“Wait.” Trixie held out a hoof, stopping the yellow Pegasus from running up the steps. “There is no telling what she’s up to.”

“But-“

“I hate to say this, but I agree with Trixie.” Rarity readied a bow. “Twilight was not the most… sane… of mares in the end remember and this could simply be an illusion cast by Nightmare Moon.”

Chuckling softly, Twilight looked straight at Applejack. “I promise to tell the whole truth, only the truth and nothing, but the truth as I understand it. I am the same Twilight Sparkle you all know and I am here to help you defeat Nightmare Moon.”

“Truth,” replied the farm pony without a single bit of hesitation.

“Twilight!” Like a bolt of lightning, Fluttershy zipped over to give the purple mare a hug, but Pinks was faster. Within the blink of an eye, the earthpony was there and with a solid punch, sent Twilight through the door and into the wall. Everypony stared at the party pony in shock.

Coughing and spluttering, Twilight picked herself out of the rubble and rubbed her cheek. “Okay, I deserved that one.” Eyes drifting over those before her, a tired smile appeared. “But it’s good to see you again, even if you all look a bit rough. Especially you, Rar-”

AJ’s eyes widened. “Don’t say it!”

“-ity.”

Flattening her ears against her head, Applejack immediately made a pair earthen ear muffs. Lower lip pouting out, the white unicorn’s scrunched up and tears dotted the corners of her eyes. A second later, the whining began.

“I look ugly. Just look at my tail, my beautiful, precious tail! It’s ruined! Ruined I say. And my coat, ju-“ Dash shoved her hoof into Rarity’s mouth and everypony breathed a sigh of relief. That was, until the unicorn’s eyes narrowed dangerously and the pegasus’ life suddenly flashed before her eyes. With a sheepish smile, she withdrew the offending limb. “-st horrible. Don’t look at me, avert your eyes before the hideousness burns your eyes and makes you go blind. Don’t look at me I say, don’t look!”

“Ya done sugarcube?”

There was a pause as Rarity looked up from her couch. “I need to hide, to lock myself away so the world will not have to gaze at this monstrosity!”

Pause.

“Okay, I’m done.” Getting off the couch, it vanished in a flash of white light. “And Twilight darling, wherever did you manage to get that armor? It’s so… so… dare I say it? It’s so fashionable. Why, it hugs your curves just so and manages to accentuate your figure without looking bulky and revealing much of the body underneath.”

“Um…” Backing up nervously, Twilight bumped into the wall. “Don’t we have a mad alicorn to defeat?”

With a smirk, Trixie trotted past. “Aren’t you glad to be back?” Reaching out with her magic, she began dragging the fashionetta away.

“Pinkie want’s to throw you a part and Pinkamina wants to know if you’re a sadist or a masochist – she’s fine with either,” added Pinks as pushed past. “And don’t think I’ll forgive you as easily as those two.”

“Don’t worry about her.” Dash placed a foreleg on Twilight’s shoulder. “Pinkie always says she’s a party pooper. It’s good to have you back Twi and can I just say, you really know how to go out with a bang, but I am the coolest pony ever and when I go out, it’ll be at least twenty percent cooler.”

“Twilight…” A pair of yellow limbs wrapped themselves tight around the mare. “It’s good to have you back. Princess Celestia was so distraught after you died.”

“Yeah… Princess…” whispered Twilight in return, gazing up at the twilight sky with a distant look in her eyes. “That reminds me.” Conjuring up a crystal much like the one that contained her memories, she passed it over to Fluttershy. “Give this to Luna will you?”

“Luna?”

Chuckling, Twilight merely shook her head. “You’ll understand.”

“Twilight.”

The farmpony and unicorn stared at each other in silence.

“Applejack.”

The two began walking side by side through the empty halls.

“Can you ever forgive me?”

“Ah don’t know sugarcube. On one hoof, you freed me from Truth, on the other hoof, if I don’t figure everything out, my soul will tear itself in half and Ah’ll never get an afterlife.”

Wincing, Twilight sighed sadly. “I wish I could say I’m sorry, but the truth is I’m not. It needed to be done.”

“And that’s what makes it so hard to forgive you.”

With a shrug in reply, they lapsed into silence.

“How did you escape from Tartarus anyways?” asked Dash as she drifted back. “Please tell me you fought your way out. That’d be so awesome!”

Laughing, Twilight winked at her friend. “There might have been some fighting involved.”

“Awesome!” squealed Dash. “I bet you kicked their collective flanks into next week right?”

“What I really want to know is how you managed to escape at all. As far as I know ghosts do not exist in Equestria at all,” remarked Applejack.

“Girls, can we please focus on the task at hand?” asked Twilight. “I will explain everything once this night… er… day…? Is o-“

“Twilight!”

Before any of them could react, a black and red blur tackled Twilight into a wall. Though her horn lit up, the earthpony was faster. Blade descending, it easily lodged itself in Twilight’s throat as a permanent resident. Stepping back, Silent Spell regarded them coolly and readied his blade, waiting for them to make the first move. All the group could do though, was stare at the scene in a stunned silence. She was back. For a minute, Twilight had been back with them and together, they were going to defeat Nightmare Moon. And now… now… she was dead. Again. Body trembling with barely contained fury, Dash took a single step forward, sending sparks cascading out from where her hoof hit the ground. She was going to obliterate that pony.

Before she could figure out the most gruesome way to kill him though, a blade suddenly appeared through his throat. Blood sprayed every and with a twist, the blade came free, letting the body hit the ground. Behind him stood Twilight and with the light shining in their eyes, it almost looked as though her body was flickering.

“Stupid. You can’t kill someone who’s already dead.” Stepping over the body, she wiped off her sword and returned it to its sheath. “Come on, let’s go.”

“You- You- You just killed him?” whispered Fluttershy. “Why? I thought he was a friend.”

“If he was a friend, he wouldn’t have tried to kill me to begin with.” Shoving past Trixie, Twilight took the lead. “We’ve wasted enough time as is. I don’t know how long Princess Celestia will be able to hold out so we have to move quickly.”

“But…”

“But nothing. What? You thought that just because I got some fancy armor and came back from the dead I’d somehow be purified?” Twilight stopped with her back to them, voice brimming with barely contained fury. “Please, stop being so naïve. I have not changed from the pony you all fought at Los Pegasus and to think otherwise is pure stupidity. I am here to save my friend, nothing more and nothing less. Get in my way and I will not hesitate to attack. It just so happens I need to defeat Nightmare Moon to achieve my goals and as long as you don’t object to my actions, we can stay allies.”

Shifting the blade on either side of her body, she began trotted forward once more towards the great double doors of the courtroom. “Here’s the plan, all of you stay back and charge up the Elements while I distract Nightmare Moon and keep you all safe. I estimate I can give you thirty seconds. Maybe forty if I’m really lucky. Got that?”

Still stunned from her previous speech, the group could only stare at her in shock.

“Good.” Spinning around, she bucked the door open and trotted through. “Honey, I’m hooooooome!”

The moons circled the sun, constructing and pulsing waves of white light. Again and again it slammed against the celestial sun, but each time a wave of transparent gold repelled it. On her knees and trembling, it took all of Celestia's willpower to keep up her defenses. Even now, she could feel the darkness wrapping around her sun, sucking away the power and sending chills through her body. The sky rippled like the surface of a pond as the battle took place.

Beside her, Gaia still managed to stand, though her legs were shaking uncontrollably and her breaths came out in hard pants. The endless ocean above them rose and fell as she fought against the moon for control. More than once Celestia felt her sister's subtle power carefully directing and deflecting their magics. All around them, the plants grew and wilted, and though Celestia wished to help out Gaia, she had no power to spare. Each pulse was like a hammer slamming into her unprotected head.

Before them, Nightmare Moon stood with her head held high and wings open. Not a bead of sweat decorated her body let alone any sign of desperate panting. Instead, she gazed at them with an amused expression on her face as though it was all a game to her. It would have worked if it wasn't for the fact that the four stars were barely visible anymore.

No. Twilight's sacrifice would not be in vain. All she had given up, all she had done – Celestia would not let that go to waste. She was going to win and she was going to defeat the Nightmare. For Equestria... For Twilight...

Pushing herself back onto her hooves, she threw wings wide open. The sun flared to life, throwing light onto the entire world and beside her, Gaia seemed to draw strength from the sunlight. Flowers bloomed and trees sprouted. With her magic filling the sky, Celestia could feel her sister's gentle hoof, guiding her spells to where they'd do the most damage and deflecting the worst of Nightmare Moon's blows.

A single star shattered.

Then another.

Then another.

Then another.

Devoid of stars, Nightmare Moon stumbled back as though she had been bucked in the face. Dropping onto one knee, she slowly pushed herself back onto her feet, but Celestia did not let her recover. Channeling more magic than she thought possible, the white alicorn split the sun into three – one for dawn, one for midday and one for dusk. They swirled and spun in the sky, circling the moons as waves of golden light burst forth. Under the assault, Luna had no choice, but to withdraw her moons to a safe distance. In that split second, Gaia took control of the flow of magic to create an echo chamber. Every spell that missed or was deflected bounced back towards the moons, slamming into them from all sides. Soon, the Nightmare was on her knees before the two sisters.

"It is over Nightmare, you cannot win."

"Oh Celly, Celly, Celly, always an optimist." Eyes glowing navy blue, Nightmare regarded the two with an amused expression on her face. "Let me show you the truth."

The plants around her feet wilted and died. The darkness came back, pressing down on the suns. The moons stabilized and began converging directly above them. Tendrils of white light began snaking out and wrapping themselves around the three suns, Celestia was bought to her knees once more. Struggling against the bonds, she could feel her divine powers being sucked away, drained to fill the hideous monster before her.

Why did Twilight have to die? Why couldn't it have been some other pony? Why must they all treat her like a goddess? All she ever wanted, all she ever needed was to be loved and cherished like family. There was no pony to confide in until just a few years ago when Twilight stumbled into her life. All she ever wanted to be was normal. So why? Why did they have to treat her so differently? And now, the only pony she could ever call friend was gone. Just like Starswirl. Just like Sunny Days. Just like every pony who had ever meant anything to her. She was alone in the world and she'd always be alone in the world.

What did it matter?

Let the world go the ruin. Who cares? There was nothing left for her there. In fact, if the world was gone, there'd be less pain in the long run. No more friends, no more students, no more attachments. It'd be perfect.

A still world...

A world with no sadness...

A perfect world...

"Twilight Sparkle, I should have known you'd betray me."

Smirking, the purple mare took a single step forward and readied her horn. "So tell me, how does it feel to be outplayed by a mortal? Must burn pretty badly I bet."

"A single battle is of no consequence. What happens now though, will determine the course of this little war." Throwing her wings open, the air began crackling as the Nightmare charged up her horn.

"Well then-"

Both ponies suddenly vanished in a flash of light only to reappear in the centre of the room, two swords clashing and straining against each other. A second, then third, then forth, then fifth blade appeared. After a flurry of slices and thrusts, the two vanished. The marble floor exploded at their re-entry, sending shards of razor sharp stone in all direction. Reaching out with her magic, Twilight gripped each one and sent them rocketing back to Nightmare Moon.

A hum filled the room as the Elements began charging up.

A simple flare of her wings deflected the missiles and threw up over three dozen orbs around Twilight and the Bearers. Throwing up a shield, the purple mare was forced to layer barrier after barrier on top of itself to keep everypony safe. Even then, she was barely keeping up with the destructive powers of Nightmare Moon.

With a feral snarl, Twilight threw up six magical shields layered on top of each other and teleported out using the blinding flashes of light to mask her move. Appearing beside the throne, she located her enemy as her eyes shone with an inner light. Almost immediately a pillar of golden light slammed into Nightmare Moon. It cut through the roof, it cut through the sky, it cut through the very ground itself.

Electricity crackled through the room and the hum intensified until it was a dull ache that rocked Twilight's very core.

But it wasn't enough and Twilight knew that. Crystalline magenta blades appeared in the air, each one skewering the spot the alicorn stood. Wrapping a barrier around the Nightmare, Twilight detonated all the swords. The explosion of sound pushed her back and deep fractures ran out from the epicenter. Sending her magic into the ground, Twilight was forced to hold the very ground they were standing on together least the entire castle slide off the cliff it was on.

A single beam of pure black shot out from the dust. Striking Twilight dead center of the chest, she was flung back, narrowing missing Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Hitting the wall, claws reached out of the wall, drawing blood as they gripped her. Under the light of the Elements, her body seemed to flicker as she tried to blast the claws holding her.

With a smirk, the Nightmare turned her attention to the defenseless Bearers.

"Sister?" Gaia's eyes flicked to the side as Celestia's screaming was suddenly cut off. "Celly? You alright?"

"My name is not Celestia." The great alicorn swept her head to the side and Gaia's eyes widened. Instead of a pair of magenta eyes, she came face to face with a draconic ones – ones that looked exactly like the Nightmare's. "My name is Nightmare Solarus. And the world shall be basked in an eternal stillness where suffering does not exist."

Gaia could only watch helplessly as golden armor came into existence around Celestia's body. Then, from the tip of her snout, color began rippling out, turning it into a pale yellow even as Nightmare Moon slowly approached from behind with a sadistic smile on her face.

"She's my sister now," purred the dark alicorn, while nuzzling Nightmare Solarus. "Isn't she just so lovely? Now my pet, would you like the honor of finishing off your former sister?"

The newly corrupt alicorn nodded jerkily and shifting the sun so that it rested right above Gaia. Crumpling to the ground with a startled cry, the heat seared her to the bone. Writhing on the ground, she tried to bring up trees to protect her body, but those simply burst into flames. With the power of two alicorns bearing down on her, she was soon reduced to groveling on the floor, tears staining her cheeks.

"Why?" she choked out. "Why?"

"You don't get it do you?" The pink alicorn jerked away from Nightmare Moon's caress. "She just lost Twilight. She gambled everything and lost everything. No sister, no student, no friend – all caused by her. All that suffering, all that pain. It was easier than corrupting Luna."

Looking up, Gaia's eyes narrowed at the crystal Celestia wore around her neck. It glowed a faint magenta, almost pulsating in time with a heartbeat, but more importantly, the fur beside it was still pure white. It was small, microscopic even, and if Nightmare Solarus was not standing so close, she would have missed it entirely. Licking her dry lips, the two locked eyes and Gaia said a single name.

"Twilight Sparkle."

For a split second, the glow intensified.

"Is this what Twilight would have wanted? Is thi-"

"Silence!" screamed Nightmare Moon. Shifting her moons into a new array, they reflected the sunlight onto Gaia's unprotected body. Screaming out in pain, the world around her was torn asunder.

"Twi...light..." whispered Gaia as her eyes closed.

High above her, a beam of pure sunlight was fired from the sun. Amplified by the matrix created by the moon, it pierced the sky with such force, the very air was set on fire.

"Fight back!" screamed Twilight. "Why won't you fucking fight back!?"

"Silly Twilight, they can't hear you." Conjuring her torture sword, a grin spread over Nightmare Moon's face. "Did you truly believe you could take on a goddess?"

"I know you can hear me. Damn it! I know you're in there somewhere! Fight. Fucking. Back!" Struggling against the bonds, she sent beam after beam of magic at them to no avail. "We've come too far, sacrificed too much to lose now. Damn it Lu-"

Eyes wide, Nightmare Moon sent out a bolt of pure magic at the Element Bearer's, but she was already too late.

"-na, fight back!"

The explosion rocked the entire Spiritual Realm. The very ground they stood on was vaporized, leaving behind the churning ocean of magic below them. Above them, the sky still ripped and boiled from the amount of magic behind the blast and the echo could still be heard reverberating around the empty space.

There was no dust for this was not the physical realm. Instead, the two Nightmare's were forced to wait in silence as the light faded. Then, as it faded enough for them to see through the haze, Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed. Before them lay a blue sphere, crackling with very familiar magic.

Depositing Gaia gently onto the ocean, Luna turned to face the two. She stood with her head held high, black and blue armor adorned her figure and her starry mane wafted easily in the breeze. Though not as tall as her sisters and though she was translucent, she still stood before them radiating the same sense of power that they held. With eyes glowing brightly, electricity sparked all over her body as she hovered there, gazing at them coldly.

Immediately Nightmare Moon delved into her own mind, searching for the breach that allowed Luna to escape. Blocking out all sounds and sights, she let Nightmare Solarus deal with the annoying mare.

"Whatever happened to you sister? What could possibly drive you to accept the Nightmare so willingly?" With a sad sigh, she shook her head and the stars flared into life once more, except this time, it was all around them. "No matter, I shall free you just as your student has freed me."

"My student? She's dead," spat Nightmare Solarus. "And why must you fight me? I just want the suffering to end. Think about it! A world without sadness and pain!"

"All you want is a place without emotions. Without happiness and joy and hope and laughter and I cannot allow that." Powers flaring to new heights, the alicorn shifted the stars to form a complex power matrix. "Twilight Sparkle is out there right now fighting for Equestria and I will not let you down. I will not let all her sacrifices be for nothing."

With a burst of light, the white tendrils around the sun were shattered like glass. Stumbling back, Nightmar Solarus blinked as though seeing the world for the first time, but otherwise nothing happened.

"Did you really think it'd be that simple?" whispered a slimy voice by Luna's ear. "You may have broken free temporarily, but it's meaningless in the long run. Three more seconds and the Bearers will be dead."

The sky shattered as though it was a plane of glass. All around them, down rained the shards of starry sky leaving behind the sun and moon. In the empty void, the sisters slowly circled each other.

"I will not give up, I cannot give up. Twilight is out there fighting with everything she has and it would be wrong of me to not do the same. I am disappointed in you Celly, you were the one who carried us through the fight against Discord. You were the one who gave us hope in the darkest of times."

"Twilight is dead!" Lunging forward, Luna effortlessly tossed the charging Solarus to one side.

"She is not dead! She's right there, fighting Nightmare Moon with everything she has right this instant. She didn't give up, she never gave up! How dare you insult her memory by giving in to the Nightmare!" Star after star winked out of existence as Luna tried to keep her tenuous hold on her free will. "SHE DESERVES BETTER THAN YOU!"

Blasted back by the force of her Royal Canterlot Voice, Luna stood there panting heavily even as her body faded into and out of existence. She could feel Nightmare Moon on the edges of her conscious, shackling her once more. Even now, the mental prison that had been constructed was already returning – she could see a phantom moon beneath her feet and off in the distance, Equestria hung like a tapestry.

"Forgive me Twilight... my friend... I hope I bought you enough time..." With a sad smile at her former sister, Luna glided close and kissed Solarus on the snout. All the while, her body slowly faded into nothing, leaving behind the ghost of whisper. "Come back to us sister, we miss you. Twilight misses you."

"Come back to us Princess. We love you."

"Twilight?"

"You taught me to never give up, that even in the greatest darkness, there's always a light... A spark. Princess, please open your heart and let me be that spark. You need not lock yourself away from the joy, the happiness for life. Please, let me help you."

"This... this is a trick. You're dead."

"I never said I was alive, but is not my memory enough? Do they not give you joy and happiness when you gaze upon them? I once asked you about how you managed to live with your immortality... And do you remember what you told me?"

"That though it hurt to remember those who had passed away, their memories brighten even the darkest of days. That they made me who I am and without them, I would not be the wise mare I am today. They learnt much from me, but in the end, I was the student. But most importantly, no matter how much it hurts, I would not change the past."

A loving muzzle was suddenly pressed against hers and eyes snapping open, there was Twilight standing before her. Translucent and completely magenta, but she was there – an image created by the memory crystal Solarus had around her neck. Reaching out cautiously, the alicorn returned the nuzzle tenderly and as she did so, the magenta glow intensified. The glow crawled over her fur, causing a shiver ran down Celestia's body as her face returned to the original coloration.

Slowly, phantom Twilight stood back and gave her mentor a tender smile before vanishing in a flash of light. So caught up in repairing the breach in Luna's prison, the Nightmare did not even register Celestia's return to normal. Looking down, Celestia nuzzled the memory gem lovingly and felt a jolt of magic flow from the crystal into her, brushing aside her weariness as though it did not exist at all. Eyeing it curiously, the white alicorn chuckled softly.

"Just what secrets have you hidden in here?"

Closing her eyes, Celestia drew on the magic trapped within the gem. It filled her very essence, invigorating her and filling her with renewed purpose. Above them, the sun flared to life, and rays of pure sunlight wrapped around each of the moons. Screaming in pain, the Nightmare dropped onto her knees and though her horn sprung to life, Celestia clamped down. The tentacles tightened and cracks appeared across the moons.

"Luna, please forgive me for causing you such pain, but it is necessary."

Drawing on all her considerable might, Celestia crushed the moons into fine powder and Nightmare Moon collapsed. Then slowly, like dust in the wind, the corrupt alicorn disintegrated.

"Now it's all up to you, my little ponies."

A blue shield wrapped around the Bearer's of Harmony, deflecting the black bolt. There standing between them was a translucent blue alicorn. A sweep of her horn and Twilight was freed. A flash of light and the purple mare stood beside her friend with her legs spread and horn lowered. A second then third then fourth barrier was layered behind Luna's followed by a series of magical traps.

"It's good to see you again," said Twilight. "And thank you."

Luna merely smiled and nodded before fading out of existence.

Turning her attention to Nightmare Moon, Twilight summoned her swords. "How about round two?"

"How about you die?" whispered a silky voice from behind Twilight as a sword plunged into her unprotected back.

Instead of kneeling over and dying though, the image exploded. Thrown back, the alicorn twisted in midair, to come face to face with a molten orb. Creating a magical sword, she sliced it to shreds. With a smirk, Twilight channeled a bit more magic and the bits of flames collapsed inwards, bombarding the Nightmare from behind.

The hum of the Element's reached a fevered pitch. Rubble raised off the ground and sparks of electricity zipped through the air. Hair floating up, it felt as though an unseen force was being applied to her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Teleporting over, a short range telekinetic wave threw Nightmare Moon back into a trap. The explosion collapsed the southern wall, bringing down a quarter of the roof with it, but Twilight still was not done. Firing out a single beam of pure magic, the ground below the spell ruptured and the space around it warped. Half way across the room, the beam suddenly split into two dozen individual bolts that showered Nightmare Moon's location.

Drawing as much magic as she could spare, Twilight increased the gravity at the kill zone to unbearable levels. Though she could feel the alicorn fighting against her, Twilight set her stance and gritted her teeth. Behind her, an intense heat beat down against her back, causing pain to flare through her entire body. Eyes closed, she blocked it out and focused on the task before her. High above, the rainbow reached its peak and began descending.

Bathing the alicorn in its chromatic light, a blood curling scream echoed through the room. Dropping onto one knee, Twilight began panting heavily as she finally released her spell. Body trembling and flickering uncontrollably, she began crawling towards the fallen pony even as the light blinded her. Each step brought her closer to agony as the waves pure harmony set her veins alight.

Eventually though, the light faded and Twilight stood before an alicorn no larger than her. Nuzzling the blue pony, Luna stirred and looked up with a mixture of amazement and tenderness. With just a bit of assistance, she managed to get onto her hooves, the two friends leaned against each other in an attempt to stay upright.

"Thank you , Twilight Sparkle."

"No, thank you Princess. Without your help, we couldn't have won." A blue bolt slammed against an invisible barrier and Twilight glared at Trixie. "But I'm afraid I have a unicorn to stomp."

"No." A hoof was placed on the unicorn's shoulder. "Please, no more fighting. And... And I deserve to be punished for what I've done."

"You deserve no such thing." Three more bolts slammed into the barrier and Twilight gathered her magic. "Equestria was meant to be ruled by three alicorns. A perfect harmony and I will not let all my work be for nothing."

Magic cackled through the air as Trixie drew all her power into one final blast.

"No!" All of a sudden, Fluttershy was there between the two parties. "What do you think you're doing Trixie? Nightmare Moon is dead."

"Are you blind!? Nightmare Moon is right there!" Throwing the pegasus out of the way, Trixie let loose a blast of magic that ripped the marble right off the floor.

A wall of earth appeared out of the ground, blocking the blast.

"Ah don't think so. We need to know the honest truth of what is going on," said AJ and the others nodded in agreement.

"Well, Princess Luna here was taken over by an evil spirit and became Nightmare Moon. We've freed her of the spirit so she's perfectly fine and normal and definitely not evil," finished Twilight with a pointed look at the showmare.

"Don't tell Trixie you believe her! Did you say that your powers of truth only work if they believe what they're saying is the truth regardless of whether they are or not?" demanded Trixie. "For all we know, Nightmare Moon brainwashed Twilight before hand as a backup plan or something!"

"I agree with Trixie on this one," said Rarity as she readied her bow. "There cannot be a single shred of doubt as to her identity; or would you rather be remembered as the ponies who let Nightmare Moon get away and restart her campaign ten years down the road?"

"No." Fluttershy faced her friends from her position beside Twilight. "There has been enough fighting and death over this past year. I will not stand to one side as you murder a potentially innocent mare. The generous thing to do would be to give her the benefit of the doubt. The loyal thing to do would be to side with us."

"Hey, don't drag me into this." Dash set herself next to AJ. "The Princess make up Equestria as much as the ponies do and until Princess Celestia says one way or another, I am not getting involved."

"That's right," snapped Twilight, "Princess Celestia is back which means the decision belongs to her and her alone."

"Well the Princess isn't here right now and as soon as we turn our backs, Nightmare Moon sta-"

"Her name's Luna!" roared Twilight, body trembling from barely controlled anger.

"Well darling's it looks like we're at an impasse," commented Rarity.

All eyes snapped to Pinkamina who merely gave them a shrug. "Pinkie wants to throw a 'Welcome back Princess Luna' party whereas Pinks thinks it's too dangerous to let her live. I don't really care either way."

"Please... just... just let me die. I don't deserve to live," whispered Luna.

"Everypony deserves to live," chuckled Twilight. "Especially you."

The cool Canterlot winds breezed through the ruined courtroom. Dust was stirred up, and rubbles tumbled, but all else was still as the two opposing groups stared at each other. Neither wanted to make the first move, and so they waited for the other. Muscles tense and magic primed, the slightest trigger would have set them off.

And then, a voice shattered the frozen world.

"Lulu? T-Twilight?"

"Hey Princess, can you please tell these silly unicorns that Luna is a Princess and is free from the Nightmare? I can barely stand right now and I'd really appreciate it the help," commented Twilight.

"Er... I mean, yes of course. Princess Luna is not dangerous and I command you all to stand down."

Before she had even finished speaking, Rainbow and Applejack were beside Luna. With a sigh, Rarity lowered her bow and after a second, Trixie followed with a sigh.

"Luna! Twilight!" The two mares suddenly found themselves being tackled by a very happy and very teary Princess Celestia. "Oh, I've missed you two so much. I'm so glad you're home – both of you. Can you forgive me? Will either of you every be able to forgive me?"

"Of course Princess."

"Of course dear sister."

"Sister!?" gasped the Element Bearers, though they were promptly ignored.

"But Twilight, how are you still here? You... you died... we buried your body..." whispered Celestia.

"You did what!?" Luna's gaze snapped to Twilight. "Twilight, please don't tell me you..."

The purple mare looked away, unable to meet their gaze.

"No... Please, no..." Hugging her most faithful, tears leaked freely and Luna quickly joined in.

"Don't cry. Please. I knew what I was doing. I've... I've done too much. Plus, there was no other way we could have won."

"We've still got time! Come on, if we hurry we can-"

"Stop. Please Princess, just... just stop." Reaching up, Twilight brushed the tears from her mentor's eyes. "You know as well as I that when a pony leaves they can no longer return."

"You're my friend though... I never... if this is what it takes for me to be here, you shouldn't-"

"Hush Luna. I did this for you because you deserve so much more. Please." Holding the two alicorn's close, Twilight closed her eyes.

"What are they talking about?" whispered RD.

"A soul cannot exist without a body in the physical realm. In fact, the soul is meant to immediately disintegrate upon leaving," explained Trixie. "The mere fact Twilight is still existing speaks volumes of her willpower, but make no mistake, she will not exist for long. Even now, if you look carefully, you can see specks of magenta floating off from her. Twilight Sparkle's soul is finally breaking up. She will get no afterlife, no reincarnation. For all intents and purposes, Twilight Sparkle will cease to exist."

"Oh Twilight..." whispered Fluttershy as she gazed at the trio.

The sound of somepony munching on popcorn filled the air.

"Pinkie! This is no time for-" Rarity came face to face with a just as stunned Pinkie.

Nine pairs of eyes slowly turned towards the throne and there, atop the ruined seat, sat a creature. With a body of a pony, and a body comprised of all sorts of animals, he casually lounged on the seat while tossing multicolored popcorn into his mouth.

"Oh don't mind me. Please, I'm just enjoying the show. I didn't mean to interrupt, but the grief and sadness was just so... so... intoxicating I just had to drop in." Picking up a glass of chocolate milk, he drank the container before tossing the chocolate milk behind him. "Celly! Lulu! How long has it been? I've missed you. Come, give your old friend a hug will you?"

Chapter 29

"Oh don't mind me. Please, I'm just enjoying the show. I didn't mean to interrupt, but the grief and sadness was just so... so... intoxicating I just had to drop in." Picking up a glass of chocolate milk, he drank the container before tossing the chocolate milk behind him. "Celly! Lulu! How long has it been? I've missed you. Come, give your old friend a hug will you?"

"Discord." Stretching herself to her full height, Celestia regarded the draconequus with a very flat look. "I am not surprised."

"Really?" Appearing beside the white alicorn, he leaned against her casually. "Because I could have sworn there was an itsy-bitsy tiny bit of surprise there."

Vanishing in a puff of smoke, he reappeared lounging in midair above Luna's head. "And Lulu, not even a hello? At least Celly was polite in acknowledging me."

A dark purple bolt slammed into the wall behind where Discord once stood.

"I shall rend you limb from limb," growled the dark alicorn as she struggled onto her hooves.

Clutching his stomach, he began laughing as though he had just been told the funniest joke in existence. Wiping a tear from his eye, it hit the ground and it ate straight through the rock.

"You two? Stop me? Please. You're weaker than a kitten right now. Why don't you just save me some trouble and turn yourselves to stone or something?"

"We think not." Stepping forward, I felt Gaia’s consciousness next to mine, giving me power and giving me strength. When we spoke it was not with the voice of one being, but two. Though we were apart in distance and ideals, in this matter we acted as one. Discord must be stopped.

Was this what it felt like to be a god? Even with just a third of Gaia's power linked to mine, it was like holding the sun in my hooves. All this power and energy – thoughts of magical advancements danced before my eyes.

"Hello Discord, long time no see.” Just the mere act of her speaking through me send shivers down my spine.

"Gaia." Stranding straight, his fingers opened and closed, magic sparking in his palms. "And here I thought you were dead."

"Let's just say it's amazing what can be done when the limitations of a body aren't involved,” I replied with a smirk.

"Girls, we'll hold Discord off, you need to hit her with the full powers of the Elements," said Celestia as her horn began glowing. "Lulu, do yo-"

"Don't worry about me, I have more than enough magic at my disposal. And it's good to see you again Gaia."

"Likewise," replied Gaia.

A huge yawn shattered the touching moment and there lounged Discord on a sun bed, sunglasses on his head and a magazine in his lap. "Please, no need to be so dramatic. I've been meaning to get a tan anyways, you have no idea what being petrified does to your skin do you? Horrible I say, completely and utterly ghastly. In fact, some may say it's the worst. Possible. Thing... Ever."

The three of us exchanged a nervous look, but nodded.

With Celestia at the front, we stood just behind her to form a triangle – an equilateral triangle. Behind us, the Bearers of Harmony rose off the ground, the waves of power being outputted shaking the entire castle to its core. Reaching deep into the earth, Gaia called the metal ores in the ground together while I melted it down to form support structures – it was so simple, so effortless, as though it was a basic telekinesis spell. Even then, the right side slipped dangerously down by an inch or three and the entire right wall slipped off the edge of the cliff. Glass shattered and the vibrations set my teeth on edge while the pain flaring along my back. It bought back memories of being tortured by Nightmare Moon and I just knew that if I closed my eyes, I’d see my hoof dangling by a single thread of muscle.

And still the intensity increased. The hum pressed down on me, as though gravity had been dialed up to eleven, forcing me to draw on Gaia's support to stand up right. Beneath their hovering forms, the ground cracked, forming a crater and the roof above their heads was disintegrated by the raw display of power. Before us, the sunglasses fell off his face and he stared at the Element's in wide-eyed shock.

Gaia and I couldn’t help, but smirk at him. Overconfidence is the bane of any creature; a lesson I learned the hard way.

The rainbow slammed into him and the sheer amount of magic used in the spell caused my entire body to flicker uncontrollably and waver as it threatened to break apart. I could feel every particle screaming at me to let them go, to let them drift apart into nothing, but I simply bent my will against it. But there was also a pressure against my body. As though some pony was wrapping me up and holding me together against my will. Was it Gaia? It was hard to feel her through the haze of raw magic, but she was still there. Somewhere.

Dropping onto one knee, a pained grunt escaped as a particularly strong wave caused my body to separate into fine particles. No! Not yet. I need to stay together, stay alive for a while longer. Gaia’s plan… our plan depended on it. Drawing every last shred of willpower I had, I reached out and forced my body back together again, but it wasn’t enough. And that’s when I felt it. A gentle wing that wrapped around my torso, holding my close against Princess Celestia. Taking a deep breath, power flooded through me once more and my body snapped back into shape.

"Sister... are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Luna's voice trembled as she spoke.

Eyes snapping across, my jaw soon hit the ground. The rainbow around Discord was slowly turning grey. It was like a parasite, slowly corrupting the harmony as it crept along. That’s… that’s impossible. Right? Gaia?

"That's... that's impossible," echoed Celestia with wide eyes.

"No time to deal with possible or not, we have to stop him!" Turning around, I tried to move towards my friends to warn them, but with each step I took, a wave of nausea and pain buffeted me. After a meager three steps, I was on the ground. Pain flared along every inch of my body, burning my soul to its very core. Dimly I was aware of a yell and then the pain was gone, leaving behind a memory. Another nightmare for my sleep it seems. Good thing I'll never sleep again then.

“-othing we can do. We can't risk destabilizing the Rainbow.” Though her words were hard to make out, I could just make out what Celestia was saying

"We have to try!" screamed Luna. "If that reaches the Elements, there's no telling what will happen."

"A disruption could wipe Equestria off the map!" replied Celestia.

"Looks like we'll find out either way," we commented as one.

The rate of desaturation increased exponentially and soon it was descending towards the group of ponies. Closing my eyes, I tapped Gaia's magic source and pushed her magic into the ground to hold it together. Around me, I could feel Celestia and Luna weaving together a safety net coupled with protective spells to keep the potential fallout contained. Reaching the base, a brilliant flash of light blinded them all, followed by an impossibly massive explosion. The only thing that stopped them from being tossed about was Luna's tether.

With a gentle breeze, the dust was blown away revealing a changed landscape. It was as though the top of the mountain had been cut off and ground to dust, leaving nothing behind, except the faint memory of a castle.

"Well now, I must admit your parlor tricks are amusing, but you're simply out of date." With a snap of his fingers, grape soda began raining down from the sky. “It’s time to give you a true show.”

“Ha!” Swaying on her feet, Trixie gave Discord an amused grin. “Trixie knows a thing or two about shows and she can tell you right now that you will fail miserably. You lack the spark.”

“It’s like flying,” smirked Dash as she stood proudly in the light breeze. “It doesn’t matter how many times you crash, what matters is getting onto your hooves and trying again. We won’t stop till you’re down because the entirety of Equestria is counting on us.”

“And ya all say Ah’m the stubborn one,” chuckled AJ while putting on her stetson. “Ya wanna know the honest truth Discord? The good mares always win.”

“As long as we’ve got hope, nothing can stop us.” A flick of her wrists, and Pinkamina’s blades appeared.

“I’m sorry Mister Discord, but-“

A sudden explosion shook the plateau, sending everypony except me onto their rumps. On all sides, purple and white flames illuminated the sky as random exploding items rained down on them from above. And there I was, standing tall and proud with the support of Gaia, eyes glowing white and flaming sword drawn. The rule in all good novels was that the villain waits for the heroes to finish their speech. But this was Discord and this was not a novel. The only thing that saved them from certain destruction was Gaia’s quick reaction. Opposite was Discord with a very surprised look on his face – a look that was mirrored by the two alicorns.

“The fires of friendship?” whispered Luna.

“Impossible, the last time that was cast was by Clover the Clever when she banished the Windego’s. There’s no possible way…” replied Celestia in an equally awed voice.

“Please, I’m not that clever or powerful.” I gave a bitter laugh. “These… these are the flames of a martyr. Goodbye girls, try not to get yourselves killed and don’t worry, Gaia and I have a plan.”

“What are y-“

Celestia was suddenly cut off as I teleported them as far away as I could safely manage. Then tilting my head ever so slightly to the right, an explosive can of soda brushed past, decimating the only wall still standing. Part of me was annoyed that Gaia stopped me from teleporting out of harms way, but I had to admit, it was cool. Without even looking behind me, I conjured a blade and sliced the tub of ice cream in half before stepping once to the right just before the kitchen sink would have hit.

It was efficient and effective. Well beyond what I could have done on my own, but I wasn’t alone was I? I had Gaia with me, guiding my every action and whispering words of wisdom in my ears.

“Gaia?”

“I am here.”

“Then let’s do this.”

Eyes glowing white, Gaia cast a spell through me, causing a brilliant golden dome comprised of foreign symbols encased the battlefield. With Gaia by my side, I could have closed my eyes and still danced around Discord’s bombardment of random exploding objects. With each second that passed, the explosions became more and more violent and we allowed ourselves a small smirk of satisfaction. Leaping into the air, I suddenly vanished only to appear beside him. With two quick slashes, I was gone once more.

Picking up his severed arm, Discord screwed it back into place.

“You like games, right?” asked I as welounged on a throne made from stone. “Because I’ve got a fun game for us. You try to get out while I stop you and if it takes longer than five minutes, I win.”

The stone chair shattered, but I stayed where I was, floating in midair.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Temper, temper.” Cancelling the spell, I landed gently on the ground. “And here I thought you were meant to be a fun loving Spirit.”

“Where are they,” growled Discord. “Where did you hide them!?”

Grinning like a maniac, I conjured two flaming swords.

“Make me.”

There was a pause before the draconaquues burst out laughing.

“Do you truly think I’m so stupid?” Wiping a tear from his eye, he suddenly appeared beside me, easily throwing me across the stage. “I know what your plan is and it won’t work. So why don’t you just tell me the answer and I can torture you later.”

The pony on the ground disintegrated and I allowed my invisibility spell to drop. Standing with my back to the Spirit, I chuckled softly. I didn’t need to win, all I needed to do was buy them time.

“You can’t win, Discord. Not with Gaia helping me.”

Turning around at the same time, a celestial sword clashed with a swordfish. Ducking low, I countered with a quick slice before skipping to the side. Shuffling in, I gave a series of rapid cuts and thrusts. Each blow was parried, each thrust was blocked. The ground beneath our feet splintered as we traded blows, but neither could gain the upper hoof. If it weren’t for Gaia’s memories, I had no doubts I’d have been killed ten times over. It took our combined minds to keep up with him and counter his chaotic fighting style.

Teleporting back out of reach, I regarded him silently.

Putting the swordfish into his non-existent pocket, he flexed his claws and an orb of flaming something appeared in one hand while a baseball bat appeared in the other. Tossing the ball into the air, he hit it with such force it broke the sound barrier. Dodging to the right out of pure instinct the ball blasted past.

”Twilight! Watch out!”

Eyes wiping to the side, my eyes widened as the spell made a perfect ninety degree turn to slam into me. Exploding into a sticky chocolate flavored gel, it stuck to everything it touched before slowly dissolving it. Stones, plants, dirt – it didn’t matter. If it was touched, it was slowly being reduced down to its base components.

I could feel it eating through my soul, slowly devouring it and siphoning the power off to Discord. Screams were torn from my throat and then… nothing. Numbness. Silence.Stillness. I had gone into shock or was this Gaia? Was this what Applejack felt when I toyed with her soul?

“Let me help.”

Handing over control, I felt my body break up, slowly dissolving into particles. For a brief moment panic overran my senses, then I remembered that we had a common goal and me dying would be contrary to that. So, I stayed back, watching as my body broke up before my eyes. Then, before my very eyes, the purple goop flowed past my almost non-existent body and a second later, I snapped back into shape.

Off in the distance, I could see Discord drinking something as he made his way towards the golden dome. Standing up slowly, I felt the aura around me strengthen as Gaia pumped more of her magic into me.

“And where do you think you’re going?” we said as one.

Turning around slowly, his eyes widened and a huge smirk danced on my lips. With a shake ofmy mane, the glow around me intensified even further and my eyes turned white. A beam of white light exploded out of her horn only to be deflected by a trash can lid. Turning in midair, the same beam suddenly slammed down into Discord from above, leaving a neat hole and a pile of ash on the floor.

Panting heavily, I watched as a dustpan materialized out of thin air, collected all the ash and then reformed itself into Discord.

“Ouch. That hurt,” he deadpanned as he cracked his joints one after another in quick succession to make a musical tune. “You know, I was saving these spells for those two annoying brats, but it seems like you really want to die don’t you?”

Snapping his fingers, a bowl of ice cream appeared before me.

“A complementary last meal before I rend you limb from limb, and don’t worry I’ll be getting that ice cream back soon enough.”

“Don’t mind if we do then.” Sitting down, I began eating and to our eternal amusement, Discord’s eye actually twitched. Taking a deep bite, I blinked in surprise. It actually tasted good. Very good in fact.

“Oh dear, I don’t think Discord wasn’t expecting that. As far as I know, no pony has ever taken him up on that offer.”

“We haven’t broken him have we?”

“I wish we had.”

“Enough!” The ice cream exploded, coating me in a sugary layer of deliciousness. “I am going to enjoy killing you.”

“Technically I’m already dead, but you’re welcome to try.”

Seven pulsating black orbs came to life around me, each one radiating enough magic to send me to the ground in pain. Tendrils of energy linked them together, forming a dome and beneath my feet, corrupt symbols appeared. This was not going to end well. Without a second thought, I cut all ties to my pain receptors and waited for the inevitable. The wonders of not having a body.

Slowly, the entire spell began collapsing in on itself even as bolt after bolt of energy was launched inwards until it was no larger than a pinprick. It was uncomfortable and it smelt disgusting, but at least there was no pain. Looking out through the spell, I watched as Discord picked up the small black ball and smirked. Without a second thought, he crushed it in the palm of his hand.

The resulting explosion turned the world completely black. Then, as light slowly returned, the world remained a dull monochrome as color slowly filtered back in.

Even with my nerves cut, it somehow managed to hurt. Everything hurt. Every single last part of my body felt as though it was on fire, as though I was being burnt alive while Nightmare Moon pumped me full of healing magic. I could feel the wind flowing through me, between each and every particle that constituted my soul. Agonizingly slowly, as though trudging through neck high mud, I managed to grasp the bits and pieces of her soul and dragged them together. Even with Gaia urging me on, so much had already been lost.

Too much.

Barely visible, my entire body faded into and out of existence with each breath I took. Twenty seconds – that's how long I had left before my soul completely fell apart. Maybe less, maybe more. And there above me stood Discord with a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he fanned himself.

"Really Gaia, did you think you could win against me? Pathetic."

Laughing, I grinned up at him as though it was some massive joke.

"You don't get it do you?" we asked as one. "Your power comes from disharmony. In fact, you soak it up like a sponge only to use it every time you cast a spell, you use slightly more up. Tell me, Discord, how much did you waste on stopping the Elements of Harmony in an attempt to break them? How much have you wasted fighting me? How much more do you have left?"

"Gaia?"

"I'm here for you, Twilight.

"It's time to end this. I need as much magic as you can spare."

"It's been a pleasure knowing you."

"Wish I could say the same."

"And perhaps more importantly," continued I without missing a beat, "how much will you waste recovering from this."

My soul. My magic. Gaia's magic. All three came together in a storm of infinite possibilities. Raising the sun was a slow discharge over time, this was a violent explosion within a split second. It was not flashy, it was not grand. There was no blast of light that illuminated sky or a loud explosion that could be heard on the other side of the world. For such things to happen, it would have inefficient – all that energy lost.

There were two things I did not do – tardy and inefficient.

It was small andcontained, no sound and no light. In fact, there almost seemed to be a vacuum that muted all that, almost as though it was taking energy from the outside world. It was a small magenta orb, no larger than a standard living room, which burnt for a mere split second before collapsing in under its own magical weight. A blink later, the air and light and color rushed in to fill the empty space creating a boom that echoed through Equestria.

Though only part of the land was touched, it shattered under the weight of the spell. And as surely as E = mc^2, the amount of energy in that spell generated an immense amount of mass and that meant gravitational pull. A pull so strong the ripped the mountain in half, and shredded the ground to floating platforms no larger than a dining room table.A gravitational pull so strong, that even after the spell faded out of existence, the slabs of earth stayed floating in the air, rotating around the spot where Twilight's spell once was.

As I lay there, specks of magenta breaking off like tears in the wind, I could feel the warmth slowly draining away.

"Don't leave me... please... Gaia... Don't.... don't leave me..." Tears stained my words.

"I won't. I'm here for you, Twilight." A soft sigh escaped as I felt the alicorn's gentle warmth next to me. "I'll stay with you till the end."

"Thank you..."

There was a pause as the duo waited for the inevitable.

"Will it... will it hurt? My soul breaking apart I mean." Breathing out, I watched as my hoof disintegrated.

"Of course not. It will be like drifting off to sleep. An endless sleep."

"That sounds lovely... There won't be... There won't be any nightmares will there?" I asked, in the same manner a filly might ask if there were any monsters under their bed.

"Only the sweetest of dreams."

Chuckling softly, a sudden cough caused the rest of my body to collapse.

"You're a terrible liar," whispered the wind.

"Damn it!" The entire tree toppled over from Dash's buck. "That stupid egghead! When I get my hooves one her, I'm going to... Going to... Argh! I'm going back for her."

"Not by ya'self ya isn't." Standing up, AJ dusted herself off. "Ah'm going with ya."

"I'm coming along too." Fluttershy looked down and pawed at the ground. "If that's alright with you..."

"I commend you all for rushing to her aid, but I am afraid I cannot allow that to happen," said Celestia, trying her hardest to keep the tears out of her voice. "You all need to rest up befo-"

"Buck you!" screamed Dash, wings trembling in fury. "Twilight died rescuing you and you let her name get dragged through the mud. And now! Now you're just going to sit here and do nothing while she's out there fighting for us! I used to look up to you, but you're just a coward!"

Eyes wide, the alicorn took half a step back. What else was she to do though? Equestria needed her, needed them to survive and fight another day. To go in now was suicide. They needed to retreat and regroup and take Discord on once they were at full strength. She was so useless, so powerless. She was meant to be a physical goddess and yet here she was, running away while her most faithful took Discord on by herself.

She needed... she needed more power. Closing her eyes, she reached out, searching for something, anything that’d give them an edge. But there was nothing except fear and disharmony. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash’s words came back to haunt her and in her mind’s eye, she could see Twilight doing all the vile things she had. Maybe if Celestia had been stronger, none of that would have happened.

Reaching out with a trembling hoof, she felt the disharmony, the anger, and pain in the world and it echoed with her own emotions. And somewhere, just on the periphery of her vision, she could feel the Nightmare watching silently, no doubt wondering if the alicorn was weak enough to be over. A cruel smile tugged on Celestia’s lips and before it knew what hit it, the Nightmare was ensnared within her magical trap. Drawing the creature slowly into herself, the white alicorn bound it with layer upon layer of runes. It struggled, it struggled so very hard, but it was weak from its recent defeat. It was like stealing from an old cripple.

Power. Yes, she needed power. The weak were trampled and killed. Only the strong survive. Only those with strength could protect their loved ones. If she had to drown in the vilest of sins, Celestia would gladly do so if it meant saving all those around her. Let her bear the burden of saving Equestria, just as her student had done so before her.

"C... Celly, you have to calm down. Please. Don't let your emo-"

"Silence!"Everything within a mile radius was flattened. At its epicenter was Princess Celestia, tears leaking down her cheek and body shaking from self-loathing. All the while, wisps of black smoke rolled out as she turned her draconic eyes on Rainbow Dash. "You know nothing. You are nothing."

"Sister, you have to fight it!"

"No." A darkness crawled over Celestia's fur, twisting itself and solidifying into a set of black armor modeled after briars. At the center of the chest piece was Twilight's memory crystal, pulsating with light. "We are not powerful enough to defeat him. We need more power. Tell me, dear sister, do you believe he can stand up to me when I've got the backing of the Nightmare?"

Wings flaring out, her feathers turned from white to a fiery yellow. Her mane was no longer the kiss of dawn, but rather the muted flames of dusk and her fur took on a darker tinge. The mare that stood before them was not the same Nightmare that Luna faced mere minutes before. This was something different, something strange, something that should not have happened and yet was.

She could feel it though. The power. The absolute, unadulterated power that coursed through her veins. Though the edges of her vision were cloudy and the tightness in her chest seemed to increase, she had power. Power to protect Equestria. Power to save Twilight. Sure, the Nightmare was weak and the link was barely there, but it was enough. All she needed was a bit of complex spell weaving to bind the Nightmare to her fully and then all that power would be at her beck and call. Throwing her head bad, a laugh escaped as she let her magic dance along her wing tips.

She was strong! No longer the weak trembling thing that she had been. She had power. Power to save them all.

Before the transformation could finish though, a bolt of rainbow slammed into Celestia, tossing her aside. No! She lunged after the Nightmare, after the threads that had once bound it, but it was too late. That one single hit shattered her tenuous hold on the Nightmare and it had immediately fled. It wanted to use a pony, not be used.

"Trixie does not care if you are the princess, but do that again and Trixie shall personally slap some sense into you."

All of the power, all of that magic – lost. Tears threatened to spill over the corner of her eyes as Celestia stared at the showmare in shock. Did she even realize what she had done? What she had condemned Equestria to?

Tears leaked down her cheek. What was the point of it anymore?

A light wing wrapped around Celestia's torso and looking up, she stared into Luna's concerned eyes. Opening her mouth to say something, her words suddenly died in her throat as she felt a second pair of wings around her and a second body pressed against her side. Turning her head ever so slightly to the right, she gazed into the kind eyes of Fluttershy who tenderly nuzzled her.

"I'm sorry Princess," whispered the shy pegasus, "but we can't just leave Twilight there. We did that when this entire mess started and look at where that got us. We have to go back for her."

"No," said Celestia as she stood up. "You six will get to Luna to safety and rest up. I'll get Twilight."

"No!" Coughing politely at the very unlady like explosion, Rarity looked at Celestia sadly. "I'm sorry Princess, it's just that we cannot sit idly by while our... friend... is in danger. Furthermore, you are not in a condition to be fighting at all. I must strongly protest your current course of action."

"We don't have time for this," growled Dash. "I'm leaving. I don't care who follows, but every second we waste is another second Twilight's alone with-"

The color vanished from the world. It was like a wave that rolled over the landscape, draining all the happiness and joy with it.

"Okay, definitely not waiting. We're leaving. NOW!" ordered Dash.

"But-"

"Sister, wait." Looking down at Luna, Celestia waited for the younger sibling to explain herself. "Look at their manes. They're moving against the breeze."

Moving against the breeze? That means...

"Maybe we do have a chance after all," whispered Celestia.

Rushing over, the two sisters joined the other ponies next to Rainbow. A single prismatic bolt of lightning hit the group, and when the light faded enough for Celestia to be able to see properly, they found themselves staring at a translucent golden dome.

"Twilight!" Pressing herself flush against the barrier, Celestia could make out a murky purple splotch on the ground. "Let us in! We can help."

“Shhhhhh...” All eyes turned to Pinks, who had her ear pressed against the dome. “I think I can hear them speaking.”

Following suit, Celestia pressed her ear against the spell.

“-think you could win against me? Pathetic," smirked Discord

"You don't get it do you?" they replied as one. "Your power comes from disharmony. In fact, you soak it up like a sponge only to and every time you cast a spell, you use slightly more up. Tell me, Discord, how much did you waste on stopping the Elements of Harmony in an attempt to break them? How much have you wasted fighting me? How much more do you have left? And perhaps more importantly, how much will you waste recovering from this."

“Get back!” Throwing out her magic, Celestia felt Luna’s power intermingle with hers, forming a completely opaque barrier around them.

One second there was an immense force threatening to rip the shield in half and the next, nothing. Cautiously dropping the shield, Celestia’s jaw hit the ground. Over half the mountain was gone, all that remained were floating remnants, slowly circling around where Twilight had been. Magic sparked between the empty air and if she squinted while looking at the sky, she could see the spirit realm just beyond her grasp.

She knew her most faithful was powerful, but this… Even with Gaia providing power it was awe inspiring. At max power, Celestia would have been hard pressed to do something on that scale.

“Your student is certainly… impressive…” remarked Luna in an awed voice. “I have not seen power on that level in a long time.”

“She was helped by a pony named Gaia though,” remarked the showmare. “Trixie has no doubt she could accomplish the same with help.”

“Keep telling ya'self that sugarcube.” Eyeing the platform to the right, the farmpony leapt across over the open space. “Ah take it we all heard what Twilight said?”

“Most certainly.Seems like we need to smack him around for a bit before using the Elements on him.” Following AJ’s lead, Rarity landed next to her. “Now to find that ruffian and end this once and for all.”

“Was that my cue?” Head snapping to the right, Celestia let out a beam of yellow, narrowly missing Discord’s head. “I shall take that as a yes.”

Snapping his fingers, a microphone appeared in his claw and the sky rippled like a pond. Instead of clouds or the sun or the moon, it showed a bird’s eye view Discord and them facing each other. Or rather, it showed them as well as second mosaic Discord.

“Ladies and gentlecolts! It is my pleasure to bring you this one time, exclusive show that has never and will never be seen again. I am your host for this evening, Discord! Don’t worry if you don’t know who I am, for your precious Princess Celestia has been a very naughty girl.” Above her head, a mosaic white alicorn appeared which was bent over mosaic Discord’s knee and promptly spanked.

Growling in annoyance, Celestia began weaving a spell. Let him laugh, soon he’ll be nothing more than a memory, then let’s see who was still laughing.

“Beside her, we have her estranged sister, Princess Luna!” Doubling over, laughter rolled out of Discord. “If only you could see your faces right now. Hehehehe… Anyways, we’ve The Elements of Harmony right here too. Say hello to the entire world!”

“Discord! Enough of this foolishness!” yelled Celestia.

“Oh Celly, always such a killjoy. Just look at this land. So ordered and bland. Just looking at it makes me sick.” With a snap of his fingers, the ground became checkered, trees floated upside down and cherries began falling upwards. “Much better! Isn’t this just so much more fun? And for all you watchers at home, don’t worry there’s much more fun where this came from! Today’s a special episode though and do you know what’s so special about it? Why, it’s the fight for Equestria and the rest of the world of course! After all, you all want me to be your ruler right?”

His voice suddenly took on a menacing tone. “Right?”

“Not right!” An arrow blasted through the draconaquues, leaving a neat round hole where his heart should have been. “A ruler requires generosity and you have none.”

“Yeah!” A bolt of lightning turned an arm to ash. “A ruler is loyal to their subjects and does stuff for them. What have you done? You’ve modeled the world after your own twisted fantasy.”

“This is not kindness.” Vines wrapped around his legs, trapping him in place. “Rulers have to be kind and all you’ve done is caused misery.”

“Ah can see right through you, Discord.” Multiple earthen spikes embedded themselves in his torso. “There ain’t a shred of decency or honesty within ya. Ya’re in this for ya'self.”

“Does Trixie have to say some inane thing or can we just get on with it?”

“Trixie! How could you? This is a pivotal moment in Equestria history and the entire world is seeing us. Surely a showmare like yourself knows the importance of… well… putting on a show,” complained Rarity.

“Well why don’t you tell that to the pink one.” As Trixie said this, Pinkie Pie went shooting past while squealing in delight.

A low chuckle cut off whatever Rarity was about to say.

“Look at your saviors! Gaze upon them and bask in all their glory.” Grabbing a spike, he pushed himself off it. “Attacking a defenseless draconaquus such as I without provocation or warning. And what’s this? Eight against one? What ever happened to fair play? One-on-one? Mano-a-mano? No? Where’s the justice in the world!?”

His head was suddenly blown off and he proceeded to wander around aimlessly, arms flailing and patting the location where his head used to be. After a couple of seconds, he reached into his shoulders and pulled out a new one.

“And that! That’s really annoying. You’re meant to wait until I’m-“ A blue orb blasted his head yet again. “Oh that is it! You want a fight? You’ve got one!”

The ground beneath their feet shattered.

Throwing open her wings, Celestia quickly wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy. Beside her, Luna and Rainbow Dash caught Pinkamina and Trixie respectively. On the far side, AJ threw out a lasso and roped herself and Rarity onto a nearby platform. As soon as their hooves touched the ground, it turned to cotton candy, trapping the two.

“Hello friends.” Appearing beside the two, Discord pressed blasted them off the cliff. The only thing that saved their lives was the dark blue shield surrounding them.

Luna could help catchthem, or Rainbow Dash for that matter. There were far more important things Celestia needed to take care of. Like killing Discord.Releasing the spell she prepared earlier, she began swooping around him, leaving a trail of yellow orbs in her wake. They hovered there for a moment before flying in. Pulling out a baseball bat, Discord returned the orbs to Celestia and she was forced to weave through the sky. Spinning to the side, she felt the her fur char as one orb passed particularly close. At the same time, a rainbow blur blasted past, slamming into Discord and discharging enough electricity to make Celestia's mane stand on end. Disengaging, multiple projectiles slammed into him from three different directions as Luna, Rarity and Trixie bombarded him.

Pulling electricity from the sky, the white alicorn mixed it with her magic.

Rope swinging out, AJ snared Discord's leg and a vine appeared from the right thanks to Fluttershy. Two more appeared from the unicorn duo, effectively trapping him. With a smirk, a beam of swirling electricity and magic slammed into Discord and Luna followed it up with a fireball from above so large, it would have made a dragon jealous. The two spells clashed together, exploding with enough force to toss all those flying back.

"You know? That almost kinda hurt." Grabbing his restraints, Discord melted them into goop. "My turn."

Balls of fizzing grape juice shot out from his palms. Tucking and dropping, Celestia dropped out of the path of the attack only for three orbs to peel off and chase after her. Moving under a floating island, she darted under Trixie as the showmare leapt to a new island. Flipping onto her back, Celestia fired off a single bolt of magic and one of the orbs exploded.

"Look out!"

Glancing up, Celestia's eyes widened as Rainbow Dash shot towards her, two orbs on her tail that were quickly gaining. With a maniac grin, the alicorn zoomed upwards, aiming directly at the pegasus. Soon a similar smirk was plastered all over Dash's face as she realized the plan. Closer and closer the two got, Celestia's heart hammering in her chest as she felt a thrill from ages past. Working from muscle memory, she suddenly twisted to the side and belly brushing belly, the two sped past each other. Putting on extra speed, the alicorn tuckered her wings and just managed to fit between the two dark orbs.

Three seconds later, an explosion threw her to the side.

Twisting and turning, it took a while, but in the end she righted herself. Glancing up at the sky, she watched as Luna phased through an island, the purple goop dissolving it into nothing. Off on the other side of the field was Trixie and Rarity, busy shooting the projectiles out of the sky. Below them was Fluttershy who destroyed the spell with a single glare. Though Applejack couldn’t be seen, the explosion told Celestia that the farmpony was doing fine on her own.

Lastly was Pinkamina, mouth wide open, she ate all three balls of grape juice and dropped on the central platform. Darting in, her blades blurred in a frenzy of slashes and trusts. With swordfish in hand, Discord easily parried every blow. Though she was fast, Discord was much faster. Two fighters twisting reality at a whim as they dueled each other. But Discord had much more practice.

Pinkamina was losing.

Celestia would not let this happen. She could not let this happen. She was expendable, but the Bearers most certainly was not. But Celestia was tired, so very tired. Her wings were leaden and her magic was a mere puddle rather than the ocean of power. The fight with the Nightmare had taken too much out of her and now she was powerless.

Useless.

No. She remembered Twilight’s memories – everything she had sacrificed to get them all to this point and everything she had done to save Equestria. If Celestia did anything less than that then it’d mar her memory of Twilight. Anything less than what her most faithful had done would have been unsatisfactory.

From somewhere deep inside her, power welled up, filling her very being. Tucking her wings, Celestia dropped straight down. With each inch that passed, she drew more and more of the electricity around her then amplified it with her magic. Reaching out to the sun, she wreathed her body in a solar light before slamming into a barrier Discord conjured. Everything around it cracked and splintered, but not the shield. Taking back into the air, Luna was immediately by her side.

“Perhaps if we worked together?” asked Luna.

Nodding, Celestia threw her wings open and drew the solar energy into her body. Beside her, Luna began glowing a faint white as she did the same with her moon. Channeling it into her body, a warmth spread through the white alicorn, banishing all weariness and dark thoughts she might have had.

“Ready Lulu?”

“Always.”

Twin beams of white and yellow wove together into a single blast. Hitting the shield, it buckled and warped under the pressure. Then, like rubber, it snapped back into shape, flinging the spell straight back the sisters. Eyes wide, the two dived to opposite sides. Feathers singed and trembling from the near hit, Celestia’s eyes narrowed.

She would not be useless. She would not sit around and do nothing. Pinkamina was covered in cuts and bleeding profusely, barely able to stay on her hooves and Princess Celestia was not going to fail her subjects.

“Pinkie!”

Looking down at Dash’s yell, she could only watch helplessly as Discord wrapped a claw around the pink mare’s face. Though a blade was buried in his shoulder, he just looked on in amusement while lifting her high into the air.

“Did you really think you could win? It’s been fun, but sadly it’s gotten boring.” A pink bolt exploded out from the back of Pinkie’s head and with a simple toss, her body fell off the edge of the cliff. “You’ve been a good toy, but sadly all toys are eventually thrown away.”

“You… you monster!” With tears streaming down her face, Rainbow Dash took off. She left behind trail of concentric circles and blast of wind so strong, islands were pushed back and all those in the air were forced to land.

“No!” Luna raced after her with Celestia close behind, but with the speed Dash was moving at, it was a futile gesture.

Slamming into the platform the draconaquus stood on, a sonic rainboom exploded outwards. A blink later, Dash came in from the left and a second rainboom filled the air again. And then another. And another. And another. Over a dozen times she hit Discord, leaving all those watching stunned at the speeds she was moving at. Slamming into him one last time, a plume of rainbow smoke clouded everything.

Eyes wide, Celestia kicked off and channeled every single last drop of magic she had into making herself go faster. But even then it was too slow. Before she had managed to close half the distance between them, a sharp crack echoed through the air as he effortlessly snapped Dash’s neck. Summoning both Pinkie’s and Dash’s necklace, he held it high into the air. A second later the gems turned grey then black and the entire Element turned to ash.

“No…” Though Fluttershy spoke in a whisper, it carried over the silent sky. “No… You- You… You bastard!”

“Me?” Discord appeared beside the pegasus, swordfish stabbed through her throat. “I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Luna! Get them out of here. I’ll hold him off for as long as possible.” Aiming a teleport at Discord, Celestia suddenly found herself on a random island on the other side of the battlefield. Blinking, she tried again with the exact same results.

A massive explosion illuminated the sky and looking up at the sky, she watched helplessly as the four remaining Element Bearers fought Discord while Luna was locked out. Swearing under her breath, Celestia kicked off and raced towards them as fast as her wings could carry her. All the while she kept an eye on the sky and prayed the three of them together would stay alive long enough.

It was short lived.

Within seconds, three dead ponies laid at his feet. Trixie had been burned alive and Applejack was missing her head. As for Rarity... well... Celestia didn't want to think about that one. Just like before, the Elements circled around his head and just like before, they turned to dust. All except the Element of Magic. Instead, it ended up on his head while he posed for the entire world to see.

"Do you think this makes me look fat?"

"Discord!"

Howling in rage, Celestia wreathed herself in flames and tackled the monster to the ground. Instead, she hit a chocolate replica that stuck her feathers together and glued her to the ground. With a bit more magic, her flames soared to new heights, evaporating the brown liquid. Climbing back onto her hooves, she was suddenly thrown to the side as Luna slammed into her. Suddenly, Discord was there, hoot against their throats as he slowly choked the life out of them.

"Gaze upon your princesses now Equestria! Gaze upon the pitiful excuse for a goddess!" Grinning sadistically, he pressed a finger against Luna's forehead. And from the epicenter, a wave grey slowly rolled out. "Let's see how you enjoy getting turned to stone."

"No! Luna!" Grabbing every single last shred of magic she had, Celestia flung it at Discord. Golden light exploded in all directions and when it faded, he stood there with sunglasses over his eyes.

"So weak and useless aren't you?" chuckled Discord. "But don't worry, Equestria won't have such a useless pony in charge of the sun anymore." With a snap of fingers, it was suddenly night. "They'll have me – the fun loving Spirit."

Leaning casually against her petrified sister, Discord fanned himself casually. "So, any last words? That's how things work right?"

"Final words?" A plan began forming in her mind. "Why not? Might as well go out with a bang right? Something witty or amusing or historically important, am I right? Well then how about this then."

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the sky with a serene look on her face. "Dear Equestria, this is your Princess Celestia speaking. I... I have not been the best leader nor the most truthful. However, I have been honest with you – not once have I worn a mask to deceive you. I have been generous with my time and gave my wisdom to all who sought it and kindness motivated my every action. Every law I made was with the idea of promoting laughter in the world and I was as loyal to you as you were to me. And through all that, I made Equestria a magical place to live.

"Now... Now it's your turn to return the favor. Look to your friends, your family, your lovers. Look to them and find honesty, generosity, laughter, kindness, loyalty and magic. And with all that power in your hooves, find harmony. We can win. We will win. We will prevails just as we prevailed in the past. This is our darkest day, but the stronger the darkness, the stronger the light. That light is our spirit. Never give up hope."

"Oh gag me." Discord mimed throwing up. "I give you a chance to say something funny and go out with a bang! What do you do instead? Some harmony garbage."

Pressing a finger against her forehead, Celestia felt a numbness spreading over her body.

Her very last thought – the same thought that'd echo in her mind for all eternity – was how she had failed everypony. How she failed Equestria. How she failed her sisters. How she failed the Element Bearers. How she failed Twilight. The world was doomed and it was all her fault.

If only she was stronger. If only she had convinced them to hide and rest up rather than go back for Twilight.

If only...

Cadence and Shining stared up at the sky in shock. Huddled together, with her wing wrapped around her fiancé, the two turned and faced each other. With a tender nuzzle, they snuggled closer together and let out a trembling sigh. They would give their life up for Equestria. They would take up the fight and never give up.

Two lovers beneath the night sky made a final promise to never leave Equestria hanging.

Clad in his uniform, Soarin stood above the bed of an injured Spitfire. Cuts, bite marks and broken bones littered her body. If he didn’t know better, he’d assumed she’d been thrown in a hurricane set to high power. Tears leaking down his cheek, he nuzzled his longtime friend, but got no response. Not even a bit of stirring. Not that he expected it, after all, she was in a coma, but still… A part of him… a small part still had hopes.

In the dark room, deep in the heart of the mountain, the Wonderbolt vowed to do give everything he had to help Equestria just like she had, even if that meant giving up his life.

Alone in the dark, Gilda stood above the Silvia’s grave. Killed in a senseless war that had nothing to do with them for ponies she didn’t even know. A senseless death in every sense of the gryphon word, but… Some part of her was proud of her sarcastic friend. Probably a result of spending too much time with ponies, but perhaps they were onto something. From everything she had been told though, it was an epic way to go out and they were already telling stories about Silvia. Bowing her head, Gilda remembered her friend’s kind nature that was hidden behind that bristly exterior.

Maybe one day the gryphoness could live up to her friend’s example.

A wall eyed Pegasus limped through the sea of ponies, looking for her lost daughter. Just the thought of her precious muffin being all alone and afraid sent her heart to her throat. Nudging ponies out of the way, she screamed her daughter’s name at the top of her lungs. And there, just off to the left, she heard a familiar voice. Barging her way between two ponies, a small grey and yellow unicorn leapt into Ditzy’s hooves. Heart a flutter and a grin on her face, the mother held her precious daughter close. Just seeing the smile on Dinky’s face made all the trials worth it.

As long as she lived, she would not let a single frown touch the brow of any pony.

Four mares sat together, huddled together in an attempt to ease their fears. Two pairs of lovers, drawing strength from each other – the best of friends and yet greatest of rivals. A DJ, a cello player, a lyrist and a candy maker, praying for the nightmare to end. In each other’s arms, it felt as though they could take on anything and always win.

As long as they were alive, they’d remember their friendship and the trials they overcame together.

All over Equestria the story was the same. Ponies stared up at the projection on the sky, praying it was a lie, but knowing it was not. They loved her warmth and tenderness and wisdom and everything about her. So they did as she bid. They remembered and dreamed and hoped and wished and prayed. Days of kindness and nights of honesty, when friends were loyal and strangers generous, where every pony laughed, while magic filled every aspect of their lives. Everypony in Equestria looked to the sky and did the same thing. All those dreams and hopes came together, calling out to the Spirits in anguish.

And somewhere in the Spirit Realm, atop some structure, stood a Spirit. It was not a pony, nor was it a creature that anyone had ever seen before. In fact, it had no body, nor a fixed shape for that was the realm of bodies and physical substances. Why limit oneself to a form needlessly?

But that was neither here nor there and so the Spirit sat, watching as the sky and earth and sea shifted before its eyes. Truly, the dreams and hopes of sentient species was a wonderful thing. To think, the will of such fragile things could have such effects. Off in the distance, it could see six beams of light reaching to the sky. Where it touched, the sky rippled and shifted, twisting on itself as it answered the collective cry of Equestria.

Oh yes, sentient creatures really were interesting things.

A smile tugging on its lips, it turned away from the scene before it. At first, it thought interfering would be a bad idea and it spent days? Months? Years? Time was meaningless here. But yes, it spent a long time contemplating whether or not it should interfere and the best way of doing so. In the end, it had decided to help and there was nothing quite like watching a plan come together. Was interfering a good thing? Maybe. As long as Discord didn't find out, it would be worth it.

Whistling a merry tune, it sprouted a pair of leathery wings and took to the sky.

Now it was time to watch the grand finale.

Discord hummed a merry tune as he sat on his chocolate throne. There was no need to hurry, no need to rush along and go out there, right this moment to crush any insignificant resistance that may be brewing. After all, he had defeated the Elements of Harmony and there was nothing in the world stronger than that. With a happy sigh, he picked up his soda from Celestia's head and took a small sip.

It was good to be a god.

And then, that's when he felt it. A tremble that reverberated through the entire world. It was an echo of a long forgotten nightmare and Discord did not like it at all. It felt... nice. Cute even. In fact, he'd go as far as to say it was adorable. Just the mere thought of the word sent a shudder of disgust through his body.

Snapping his fingers, a pair of inverted binoculars appeared in his paws. Bringing them to his eyes, he began scanning the sky for the source of the disturbance only to find-

Wait. There it was. A pillar of pink and- Wait, was that a blue pillar? And a red one and a yellow one and a rainbow one and light blue one. Well now, that was curious... Then again, this was chaos! What was the fun in making sense anyways? None, that's how much.

Still... it was a curious sight and yet something about it seemed off. What was the color of their cutie marks again? Such silly things with such nausea inducing names – cutie marks. Really? That was something he needed to do, go back in time and kill the stupid pony who came up with that name.

As much as he wanted to wallow in his victory, he knew better than to not investigate. After all, he lost last time due to overconfidence and considering the amount of magic radiating out from those beams of light, it was something big. And something...

He tapped his chin as a parachute erupted him his back, letting him effortlessly drop down onto the ledge below.

Eyes widening in shock, he teleported over to the pillar of light and sure enough, it encased the body of one those Element Bearers. With a feral snarl, he threw an exploding sink at it only for it to have no effect. Frowning, he pressed his palm against it only for pain to sudden explode through his entire body. Howling, he stumbled back. With his eyes closed, he drew every single last shred of disharmony in the world into his body and though it hurt to contain all that raw emotion, he held it like a pro. Just before he released it though, the pillar of light exploded outwards, sending him tumbling off the island.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” Discord’s eyes snapped to the sky and watched as a cartoon version of an alicorn pink mare bounced onto screen. “It is our pleasure to return to you once more with this once in a life time show! We are Pinkamina Diane Pie, the Spirit of Laughter, and it is our great pleasure to be your announcers for tonight.”

Reaching out with his magic, he tried to change the channel, but it was no use. Somehow, she had managed to lock him out. Instead, he could only watch helplessly as his dumbfounded expression was cast all over the world.

How though? How were they alive? How had they come back? Just… just how? He could break reality; he could snap it in two, make four balls out of it, and then juggle it while singing the opening theme song backwards. But bringing dead ponies back to life as alicorns? That was just absurd. And yet there they were. Six alicorns standing across from him on a slightly higher island.

“In the red corner, we have our heroes who were brought back by your collective will, the Spirits of Harmony! In the blue corner, defending champion and the biggest meanie-mac-meanie pants, Discord! It’s winner takes all!” cried Pinkie as fireworks exploded in the background. “Ready? Fight!”

There was a pause.

The pink mare suddenly leaned close to the screen and whispered in an exaggerated manner, “Psssst, that’s your cue Discord.”

Ha! As if. Conjuring a throne, he sat down casually and put his sunglasses back on.

“Must we do this again? Last time was no fun so why should I bother?” The throne he sat on suddenly melted into nothing, but he stayed in midair, filling away at a chipped nail. “You know, that’s really rude right?”

Snapping his fingers, he appeared beside the ground and released a wave of orange juice. It was immediately devoured by the pink one and before Discord react to the fact that a pony just ate acid, Dash and AJ were in his face. Stetson on her head, she was like a brick wall, taking blows that most ponies would not survive. All the while, Dash was a chromatic blur, snapping out from behind her friend to land a series of quick blows before vanishing once more.

Deftly avoiding and blocking each blow, Discord took the time to cover his yawn with a paw before spinning to the side. The bolt of blue energy flew harmless past. Stepping in, he grabbed AJ’s overextended hoof and casually threw her over his shoulder. Turning on the blue one, his swordfish was suddenly within her guard and aimed directly for her throat. A single arrow suddenly hit his weapon, pushing it just far enough off course to miss. In that split second, Dash zipped in and bucked him straight in the chest.

Flying back, he slammed into an island and immediately contorted his body into a pretzel shape. Each and every single last arrow missed, though a few did graze his fur. Then summoning a baseball glove, he caught the ball of energy Trixie cast and immediately pitched it back. Standing sideways on the side of the island, he twisted to the right and caught two pink crystalline blades on his swordfish. Creating a second one, he immediately attacked Pinkamina with a series of rapid thrusts and slices, all the while keeping her between him and the others.

Skipping back, he ducked down low just as a bolt of lightning went past. Instead of hitting him though, Pinkamina caught it with her blades and bought them down. Sparks danced in the night sky as their weapons clashed against each other. Each and every single time he went in for a counter attack, an arrow or spell would slam into his weapon.

With a frustrated snarl, a cane appeared in his off hand and he lunged in. Throwing up a shield as he did so, he went in for the kill. Weapons blurring, his attacks battered against Pinkamina’s defense, easily snaking through. A knick here, a cut here – just like before, he was slowly winning.

And then his shield shattered like a glass panel.

Skipping back, the pink alicorn released a blinding flash of light.Crying out in pain; he snapped his fingers and reappeared on a distant island. Looking up at the sky, his eyes widened as he watched Fluttershy raise off the ground, the stone statues of Celestia and Luna slowly cracking as his spell was undone.

Teleporting over, he suddenly felt himself slam into an invisible wall. Peeling himself off, he began raining exploding grape soda from the sky while throwing out black blades. Everything it touched corroded and turned to dust. But still the two former unicorns danced through his attack while launching their own. Projectile hit projectile, showering the battlefield with clouds of random colors. All the while, Pinkamaina and Dash expertly wove between the attacks and were rapidly closing the gap. And to top it off, he was forced to constantly move as Applejack turned the very earth on him.

Drawing both cane and swordfish up, he took the brunt of Pinkamina's attack on one while spinning to the side and blocking Dash's electrically charged hits. It travelled along the metal cane and diving under a wide slice, he came up behind Pinkamina. Though the cane missed, it released the stored lightning in an arc that tore the ground. Cutting it in half, the pink mare was suddenly back in his face. Leaning back ever so slightly, the attack should have missed entirely, but instead a shallow cut ran along his chest.

How had tha- Of course. Now he could see it. An inch just past her blade, there was a shimmer as though the very fabric of reality was being cut along the edge of the weapon.

All of a sudden, the two alicorn's leapt backwards and he immediately teleported away. The island he was standing on was completely flattened by a glowing red paw belonging to a dragon. A dragon made entirely out of magma. On its head, no larger than its eye, stood Applejack, eyes glowing brightly.

What. The.

There was insanity and chaos and then there was this. And by this, he means something so ridiculously over the top it wasn't even funny. At all. And he knew funny.

Behind them stood Fluttershy as she tried to free the Princesses from his spell and beside her stood Rarity and Trixie with their horns ready. There was no way she could break the enchantments, they were stronger than what the Elements of Harmony put on him. But he did not get so far by being careless. Six alicorn's weren't an issue, but eight of them would make things a bit hairy.

A roar drew his attention back to the dragon just in time to avoid a jet of flames. Effortlessly slicing through it, he burst through in a shower of flames and fury only for reality to be torn asunder before him. Skidding to a stop, he leaned back just as Pinkamina's crystalline blade popped through. As suddenly as it appeared, it vanished again.

A dozen such rips suddenly appeared around him and before he knew what was happening, a pink blur shot out of one. Before he could counter, she vanished into another portal only to pop out of yet another one. Again and again she dashed past, each time leaving a shallow cut on his body. Each time she got faster. Each time she got closer to landing a severe hit.

And then nothing. All the portals were simply gone.

Hovering in midair, his eyes darted about,looking for the next attack, but none came. There was Pinkamina standing beside AJ. Those three were still beside Celestia and Luna and Rainbow Dash was...

Wait, where was Rainbow Dash?

The sky was suddenly filled with storm clouds. Cyclone after cyclone descended from the sky, buffeting them around and tossing the islands about as though they were toys. That's when the lightning started – if it could be called that at all. It was closer to beams of pure electricity. Each one was the width of a living room and the air around them was ionized and distorted beyond recognition. That wasn't even mentioning the razor sharp shards of ice that were flung everywhere.

There was overkill and then there was this.

Forced to throw up a shield, he layered it with chocolates and bubblegum and all things nice. Thrown around like pinball, he bounced from island to island, and swirled around tornados, picking up speed the entire time. Then he aimed for the molten dragon that was shielding the alicorns. Slamming into it from the right, he tore through its neck before hitting a tornado and getting flung back around. Though it had reformed slightly, it wasn’t enough and the next blow severed the head entirely. Swing around again, he pierced through the torso and once he was at the center of it all, he exploded his shield outwards, tearing the entire thing to shreds.

But where were the damn alicorns?

He felt it before he saw it. A magical pressure wave that threw him back and then, the storm was gone. Looking up, he watched as a hole grew in the storm clouds and at the centre was a single arrow, leaving behind a trail so bright it might as well be a miniature sun. Reaching its apex, it began descending. Three runes faded into existence and striking the first one, the single arrow was multiplied a hundredfold. Striking the second rune, each arrow multiplied by another hundred. Then hitting the final rune, the number increased yet again.

If it wasn't for the fact that each arrow pulsed with its own intense glow, all the light would have been blotted out the rain of arrows. The rain of a million arrows. Surely that was overcompensating for something. Rubbing his temples, Discord pulled out his trash can lid and readied a spell. Holding out the palm of his hand, a grey tornado came out. Instead of sucking all the arrows in though, the majority of them simply cut through as though it was nothing. With a frown, he snapped his fingers and twisted reality. Distances changed, locations altered, and an entire city block floated in mid air above him.

Sure, the first building was cut through without an issue as was the second and third, but hey. There were lots of buildings and Discord could summon them all day. After the fifth or sixth city block (he got bored and lost count at three), all the arrows were finally stopped.

The fact that they then exploded took him completely by surprise. Dust and rubble rained down in all directions only to be swept up in a tornado that completely surrounded him. And somewhere in that mess was a pink mare wielding two very sharp blades. She bounced around from platform to platform, doing impossible stunts as she went in to attack Discord. Worst of all, in the centre of it all was a giant stone dragon. Slow moving, but a single hit could kill an ursa major.

At the centre of it all a very pissed of Spirit trying to stay alive.

With a scream of primal fury, a grey explosion expanded out in all directions, consuming everything in its path. Panting heavily, Discord stood alone on his little island while the alicorns huddled together under a protective barrier. With a sadistic grin, he wrapped them up in a ball of darkness and began compressing. Fitting really, the same spell that killed their friend would now kill them.

Except there was something wrong. There was a something pushing back against the collapsing walls, forcing him to pump more magic than necessary into the spell. A crack suddenly appeared. And then another and another. Fractures lined the black sphere and he felt something akin to surprise. He spent years creating and perfecting that spell. It was his ultimate spell, the spell that could had the potential to destroy anything and yet, here it was, getting undone before his eyes.

Twin bolts of moonlight and sunlight hit the dark sphere, shattering it in a single hit. Eyes darting up, Discord watched the remnants of his petrification spell was shaken off. That was impossible! Impossible! He was the God of Chaos, he knew the laws of universe and he broke them left, right and centre. He knew that the petrification spell was impossible to break. Not even the Elements should have been able to break it and yet that alicorn! That puny, shy, disgustingly adorable alicorn had broke it.

Those insects! Those sniveling, worthless insects! They were going to pay. Oh, he was going to make them pay. Paws glowing with unearthly light, the color was drained from the entire world. The wind picked up and a chill permeated the very fabric of reality as he bent it to his will.

He was a god. The God. All shall bow before him.

Spells and arrows rained down on his location, but they all turned to ash mid flight. Winds whipped up, a cyclone of pure disharmony forming around him. Rising off the ground, he pulled all the disharmony he had and focused it into a single point. Off in the distance, he was dimly aware of the alicorns charging up their Elements, but it was a futile gesture. He had power. So much power. So much disharmony. Eight Spirits? Ha! The mere thought of being taken down by eight of them was absurdity in itself. Bring on a hundred and he'd still win.

Focusing all that disharmony into a single spell, a complex rune appeared before him. The ground he stood on cracked and splintered, but he didn't care. They were ants. Ants! Bah. Just look at them with their special spell. Sure, it was only six complex runes layered on top of each other and sure, Luna and Celestia were augmenting it, but come on! They couldn't defeat a God.

"Hey, Discord!" yelled the Dash. "Taste the rainbow!"

A prismatic beam shot out, distorting the very fabric of reality around it as it broke the laws of physics. Meeting it half way was a beam that drained the light out of the very world. The two clashed together, pushing and straining against each other in a contest of dominance. Then, ever so slowly, the rainbow crept forward.

Eyes wide, Discord dug his feet in and with everything he had. But still he made no progress. With every second that passed, it inched closer, slowly beating him back. For the first time in his life, Discord felt a fear so primal, he wanted to run and hide. And then, the beam was on him. It shred him apart like a rabid beast, tearing into the very fabric of his being and flooding with enough positive emotions to kill a litter of kittens.

"So... is that it?" asked Rarity calmly.

"Is that it!?" Dash was fluttering around uncontrollably. "We just kicked major flank! Did you see that beam? Totally awesome."

"Yes, it is indeed over." Celestia was sprawled on the ground next to Luna. "Much was lost and much was sacrificed, but at the end of the day, we won."

"Much was gained also," replied Luna with an equally tired nuzzle to her sister.

"Yes... yes it was." Looking up at the six alicorn's before her, a smile graced Celestia's lips. "Six new alicorns." A chuckle escaped. "Maybe I can finally take a vacation after a thousand years."

"Oh..." Fluttershy's eyes grew wide. "Oh dear. We're Princesses now aren't we?"

"I know!" squealed Rarity. "Isn't it absolutely the most fabulous thing you've ever heard?"

The only reply she got was the yellow alicorn dropping over in a dead faint.

"Oh dear. Fluttershy? Darling?"

"Ah think ya scared her sugarcube." Chuckling, the former farmpony slung a forehoof around Pinkamina's shoulders. "Ah think this calls for a celebration. Don't ya?"

"Yeppers peppers! The biggest, awesomest, superest, craziest, funnest party you've ever seen!" Turning to look straight at the sky that was still projecting everything, Pinkamina Diane Pie put on the biggest grin any pony had ever seen. "And you're all invited!"

"So what next Princess?" asked Dash. "What do we do now?"

The two original alicorn's exchanged a look before Luna replied, "We rebuild. A stronger, better, more harmonious Equestria."

Nodding, Celestia gazed across the land. "And I happen to know of a certain castle in the Everfree Forest that we can use. Once we clean it up of course."

"We'll need food. Winter's coming and with the war..." Applejack gazed off into the distance. "We'll also need to hold a mass funeral service. So many died..."

"Yeah..." Dash's shoulders slumped. "I wonder if they'll forgive me... Forgive us..."

Silence.

"But Equestria survived right? That means we can rebuild it. Right?" Dash almost sounded desparate.

"If we have enough money" sighed Celestia. “Last I checked we didn’t have enough for the amount of extensive rebuilding we’re needing to do and considering the gryphon’s helped, they’ll no doubt demand something out of it. Probably territory knowing them.”

“But...” Dash looked torn. “Surely they wouldn’t? I mean, Nightmare Moon and Discord would have-”

“Ha!” A bitter laugh left Celestia’s mouth. “I forgot you haven’t been in politics as long as I have. Trust me, everything has a price. Isn’t that right, Luna. Luna?”

"Will I..." Luna looked off the side. "Will I be accepted? After everything I've done?"

"That wasn't you though," snapped Pinks. "You were being all mind controlled and stuff. Right?"

"But-"

"No buts." Celestia wrapped a possessive wing around her sister's shoulder. "Plus, they saw you fighting for Equestria. And..." Tears pricked the edges of her eyes. "And Twilight planned for it. The story Equestria will be told is that she summoned the Nightmare from Tartarus and... and..."

"Oh." Dash's eyes were wide as she stared at the Princess. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

Shaking her head, Celestia gave Dash a small smile. "No. It's fine. You are Loyalty so your reaction was not a surprise to me."

"You mean Twilight...? But... but why?" Tears rolled freely down Luna's cheek. "My friend. My only friend. My first friend."

"Princess." A Trixie placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "If you wish, Trixie is more than willing to be your friend."

Jaws hit the ground at that pronouncement.

"What?" snapped the showmare. "Is Trixie making friends an impossibility or something!?"

"No! Not at all darling, it's just... well-"

Applejack shoved her hoof into Rarity's mouth. "It's just you've come a long way from where you once was. That's all."

"We all have," replied Dash with a smile.

"Yep!" Pinkie Pie suddenly bought them all together into a group hug before Trixie could say anything. "Tonight is a night of celebration and new beginnings. And that means... PARTY! The day is young, the night is long and together we can do anything! Come on, Equestria is waiting for us."

Jumping off the island, she somehow managed to bounce and glide at the same time.

"But some things will never change," chuckled AJ as she opened her wings. "And Princess Celestia? We're here for you. We all are."

“This is not the time for a party,” muttered Trixie under her breath. “Can’t they see how much needs to be done?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” sighed Rarity as she trotted past with Fluttershy on her back. “We need a party. We’ve been under a dark cloud for so long that ponies have forgotten how to smile and laugh and enjoy the simpler things in life. We need a break. We need time to relax, to sit back and just... remember and have fun. If not now, then when? Like you said, we’ve still got a lot to do.”

“Yeah Trix, we-”

“Don’t call Trixie that.”

Dash continued as though nothing had happened. “-need a break. We just won the war. The war. Tell me, when was the last time you just relaxed? Plus, do you think we could stop them from partying? Do you really believe they’re not breaking out the food and stories and songs right this instant? And sometimes, a little joy and happiness doesn’t hurt you know.”

Though doubt still lingered, the showmare nodded slowly. “Trixie supposes...”

“That’s the spirit!” Slapping her on the back, Dash took into the sky. “Come on, we’re being left behind!”

With a sigh, Trixie leapt into the air after her friend and a second later, Luna followed.

Sighing, the white alicorn climbed onto her weary legs and strolled over to the edge of the island. Closing her eyes, she raised her sun to where Twilight had managed it before basking in its warmth.

"Are you proud, my most faithful? We did it. We saved the world. I am sorry you are not here to see it yourself, nor will you ever be, but... I hope it was worth it. I hope you're proud of me."

"Come on Celly! I haven't partied in a thousand years and I do not wish for you to miss out," yelled Luna.

Chuckling softly, Celestia lazily took off and followed the rest of the alicorns into the sun.

Her sun.

No... not her sun. It was more than that.

Twilight's sun?

She paused and looked out across the devastated Equestrian landscape.

Their sun.

Twilight’s and Celestia’s sun.

Epilogue (Canon ending)

Jumping off the edge, Celestia landed on the island below. Though it had been a year, the floating islands that used to make up Canterlot stayed where they were, slowly revolving around the spot Twilight had died. Just the mere thought of her most faithful sent a jolt of pain through her heart.

Gazing off into the distance, she could clearly see the sun, a mere fifteen degrees above the horizon,where it would stay for the next three days. A tribute to the final days of darkness, when the Bearers of Harmony took down Nightmare Moon, and became alicorns in their struggle with Discord. To think it had already been a year, and a busy year at that. If it wasn't trying to get money, talking to those annoying gryphons, or rebuilding, it was a disaster of some sort.

With a sigh, the white alicorn levitated the memory crystal around her neck so that it'd line up with their sun. Oh how she missed her most faithful's organizational skills. It was a good thing Spike managed to pick up of some her habits, otherwise Celestia would have been lost. Then again, it was naive to think that eight alicorns would decrease her load. If anything, it had increased since the ascensions. After all, eight princesses meant more work could be done, and considering they were all relatively new to the job, that meant Celestia had to supervise and double check everything they did.

Shaking her head, Celestia began walking towards the epicenter of the gravitational pull. To her surprise, there was already a pony sitting before the statue. It was a good thing the area was considered extremely hazardous and near impossible to get to, otherwise she'd have to explain why there was a statue of Twilight Sparkle made out of marble. Just the mere thought of that gave her a migraine.

"Rainbow Dash?" Eyes widening, Celestia broke into a gallop. "Rainbow! What are you doing here? We weren't sure you were going to make it."

"Ha! And leave you all hanging? As if." Standing up, the two exchanged hugs and nuzzles. "So how are you holding up Celestia? You look a bit... well..."

"Tired? Yeah, haven't slept these past few days thanks to the gryphon ambassador." Settling down next to her friend, Celestia let her gaze wander over Dash's face. "And you? Last we heard, you were in Trottingham before vanishing off the radar. How many dog tags do you have left to go?"

"Just over a hundred. I should be done by the end of this week." Dash ran a hoof through her hair. "And thanks for letting me take the month off to finish what I started. It really means a lot."

"No need for thanks. Since we finished the reconstruction of Manehattan, everything's really dropped down. We can handle it for a while, plus, you didn't take any of your days off and you worked all through the night."

"Heh." A blush crept across Dash's face as she looked away. "You all knew about that?"

"You are the Spirit of Loyalty for a reason. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

The two lapsed into silence as they gazed at the statue of Twilight. It was a perfect replica, right down to the last hair. Considering it was created straight from Celestia's memory, it wasn't really a surprise, but... Gazing upon that statue made her heart ache in ways she thought was impossible.

If only she had been a little bit stronger.

"So how are the others doing? How's Applejack?" asked Dash.

"Applejack is..." A sigh escaped. "She had another episode last week, except this time it was during a public consultation meeting. We were forced to tell the public what happened to her soul, and she's back in rehab – if you can call it that. From what the psychiatrists tell me, she's getting better. The reason these Truth explosions are happening is because Truth is fighting back harder than ever in order to remain in her soul."

"So... no soul ripping itself apart?"

"It looks that way."

The cyan alicorn let out the breath she had been holding. "Okay. That's definitely good news."

"What's good news?" Looking to the right, they watched as Rarity approached. "And Rainbow Dash, it's so good to see you again."

"Rarity! I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's good to see you too." Shuffling to the right, Dash made room for Rarity to sit down. "Still having nightmares?"

"Is it that obvious? I swear I covered up with makeup and an illusion spell before coming out."

Dash simply shook her head. "Nah, just a lucky guess. Considering what Discord did to you, I'm not surprised you still have nightmares over it." A shudder ran through her body. "I still have nightmares about the war."

"We all do," whispered Celestia sadly. "I wish I could say it gets easier, but even Luna and I still have the occasional dream of wars in ages past. And neither of us went through what you did my dear."

"I'll... I'll be alright. Sweetie Belle has been a great help, as have mom and dad." Rarity gave them a weak smile meant to reassure, but it only made Celestia's heart ache more.

"So tell me darling, just how has your little personal adventure been going?"

"Not bad, not bad. Not all the families were willing to forgive me, but the majority were understanding." Dash looked away sheepishly. "I was actually wondering if it was possible to make a large monument honoring the dead. I mean, I know money is tight, but..."

"Rarity? You're the best with minute details like these."

"Hm... If the trade agreement with the zebras goes through, it'll drastically drop the costs of rebuilding, and that should free up enough money for something suitable," mused Rarity. "We could probably get one up now, but it wouldn't be suitable for what it's meant to represent."

"Then don't bother," replied Dash. "It has to be epic."

A dark blue gate opened, drawing their attention away from the conversation.

"We're free! Free at last!" Stepping out, Luna shook out her fur. "You would not believe the things that ambassador is willing to say or do. Tell me Celly, why did I ever agree to become a princess again?"

"Because it's for the good of Equestria?" chuckled the elder sister.

"Ha! Considering how much they argue, you could have fooled me."

"Luna, please calm down." Trotting out from the portal was Fluttershy. "You know they don't mean anything by the questions they ask."

"Fluttershy!" Dash was suddenly before the shy alicorn, her eyes raking over her friend's form. "Are you alright? I heard about what happened – the... incident... I mean. Should you be out and about? You really shou-"

"Dash, please, I'm fine." Shrinking back, her mane wrapped around her neck to hide the self-inflicted wounds. "And there's no need to dance around the issue. I... I tried to kill myself. I just couldn't deal with it anymore! I killed those ponies. All those ponies. I was their doctor! It was my job, my duty to help them, and I turned my back on them. They found the mass grave and... and..."

"It was the kind thing t-"

"No!" Tears freely leaked down her cheeks. "Don't say that! D- Don't! Just. Don't. Please. Don't try and justify it. It wasn't the kind thing to do. It wasn't the right thing to do. I'm a bad pony. An evil pony. I shou- I should be in jail. Rotting away somewhere. Banished maybe..."

Collapsing onto the ground, sobs racked her body.

The group was immediately there, pressing against her from all sides as they whispered tender words and reassuring nuzzles. Each touch though, just reminded Celestiaof how blind she had been. How blind they had all been. No matter where she nuzzled, no matter where she laid a reassuring hoof, she could feel the tender skin underneath. It was a good thing it was Applejack who found Fluttershy hanging from the ceiling with a noose around her neck; if it had been one of the fillies...

Celestia didn't want to think of that possibility.

"Group hug!" Pinkie Pie crashed into the pile with a happy giggle.

The two sisters exchanged a subtle look. Though it felt dishonest and it hurt to do so, they had been keeping a close eye on the pink mare. Her ability to bend reality was much too similar to Discord for Celestia's liking, and there was a fear that her three personalities could get into a serious argument and snap. That, and Pinkamina was not the most... moral... of ponies. She had settled down after experiencing enough interesting things, but it was still difficult to keep a hoof on her at times.

Maybe she was being a bit too paranoid.

"Is Applejack coming?" asked Fluttershy with a weak smile.

"She better be! I did invite her to the party after all," said Pinkie.

"As if Ah'd miss this for the world." The farmpony appeared in a flash of red light. "Fluttershy?" Applejack was suddenly there, helping to comfort the distort mare.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," cried the yellow alicorn. "This... this was meant to be about Twilight and all those other ponies who died and now... now... Now you're all here comforting me. Please don't hate me. Please... I-I- I didn't mean to..."

"Shhhh, it's fine my little pony." Celestia brushed Fluttershy's mane lovingly. "It's as much about those who are alive as those who are no longer with us. We love you, we all do, and we hate seeing you so distraught."

And so they sat there, beneath the statue of the greatest mare that had ever lived, with the eternal sun off in the distance. No more words were spoken, nor did any pony move. Trixie did not come, nor would she come, and while it was a rift for all those concerned, it was her choice.

There wasn't anything special about today. Not really. Celestia would often visit – at least once a week – and many times, she'd meet one of the others, already there, telling Twilight about what had happened that week, or some story from their foalhood. In many ways, despite being gone, she was still an integral part of their lives, and Celestia would not have had it any other way. At least they honored her.

Plus, in another couple hundred, or thousand, years, the story would change, names would be forgotten, and Celestia could start working behind the scenes to alter the ’truth’. It was a long term goal, but what was time for an immortal? A couple years of being hated, then before she knew it, her most faithful would become a national hero. A couple years of hate for an eternity of fame. That sounded like a fair trade to her.

And then, someday, the world would know about their sun.

Maybe.

“Watch out below!” Acting on nothing, but pure instinct and routine, I threw up a shielding spell. A second later, a very familiar blue pegasus found herself upside and looking into my very irritated expression. “Uh… oops?”

“Rainbow Dash, this is the third time today you’ve come flying in through that window!” I stomped my hoof for emphasis. “How many times do I have to tell you to practice elsewhere, or do you want to help me clean up the library? Again.”

“But that’s the only free patch of clear sky that’s large enough to contain my awesomeness. Plus, I know when I crash I’ve got someone looking out for me, or would you prefer I crash somewhere away from Ponyville, where no one would know if I got injured, and with no help nearby?”

“Nice try Dash.” Throwing open the door, I shoved her out. “But we all know Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense would warn us in time.”

“Wait!” I held the door steady, ready to slam it in her face in case she was about to make another egghead joke. “Look, I’m sorry alright?”

Breathing out slowly, I sighed. If Dash didn’t normally apologize, I would have seriously considered walking away. Instead, I took a deep breath to calm myself down. “No, it’s my fault. I just sent off my thesis last night, and I’ve been waiting anxiously for the reply. I know it’ll take a while, but the wait is killing me.”

“Yeah, I know that feeling.” She must have seen my confused expression because she added with wry smile, “Best Young Fliers Competition?”

“What? I don’t-“ A sharp pain pierced my head and I dropped onto my knees.

“Twi!” Looking up at her magenta eyes, a sense of wrongness enveloped me. “Twi, you alright?”

“Ye- Yeah.” Standing up on shaky hooves, I gave her the most reassuring smile I could. “Just haven’t been able to sleep thanks to my nerves.”

“Sure?”

“Yep!”

It was obvious that she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t pry. She never pried. After all, being loyal also meant trusting friends to ask for help when they needed it. With a final parting look my way, she leapt into the air with a mighty flap of her wings.To my surprise, she veered off to the north west– the opposite direction from whereshe had been training for the entirety of today.

Before I had even managed to get one step in, there was a knock on the door. With yet another sigh, I turned around and opened the door.

“Hello and welcome to Pon-“

“Twilight!” My eye twitched as I stared at Pinkie Pie exploding out of a present that was far too small to contain a pony of her mass. Or hyperness.“Dashie told me about your thesis and how you sent it off and how all the ponies must be going ‘Whoa’ and ‘Wow’ and ‘This pony is really super-duper, extra super, with triple duper and sunshine, smart!’ And I thought to myself, how could I celebrate my closest smartest friend getting a piece of paper and funny hat and I thought to myself-“

“A party?” I deadpanned.

“Yes!” The squeal she released could have powered Mannehattanfor a year.

“Pinkie, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’ve only just sent it in. It’ll take a week before they get back to me at least, and even then, there’s no guarantee my work is good enough.”

“Silly Twilight, it will be!”

“Let me guess, your Pinkie Sense?”

The pink mare looked at me as though I was the insane one. “My Pinkie Sense doesn’t work that way!”

“Of course.”

“Tonight at six! Don’t forget!” And just like that, she was gone in a puff of pink smoke. It was days like these that made me eternally grateful that Pinkamina did not like the taste of coffee. Just the mere thought of a caffeine char-

Wait, Pinkamina? Where had that come from?

I searched my mind for some sort of explanation, but with each passing second, a pounding headache grew. Eyes squeezing shut, I felt myself collapse onto the ground, tears leaking down my cheek. Just as suddenly as the pain appeared, it was gone, leaving me a trembling mess on the ground.

What was going on?

Opening my eyes slowly, I blinked in confusion. There, standing before me, was me. Another version of me. A replica of me. A clone.

“Who are-“ My words died in my throat as I looked down at my ghostly hoof. Once more pain flooded my mind and this time, memories accompanied it.

Spinning around, I conjured a pair of flaming swords. “Discord!”

The world froze around me.

“I know this is a trick. You won’t win! I will defeat you.”

“Do not mention his name to me, mortal.”Teleporting back, I came face to face with a small black alicorn with a blindfold over his eyes. He took a step forward,and the world shattered like a pane of glass, leaving us in nothing but darkness. The only source of light was my spell.

"Where am I? And who are you?"

A chuckle echoed through the darkness.

"You are such a curious creature. My... brother, I suppose you could call him, felt motivated to help you and your friends, though I cannot see why. I gaze upon you now, with your life and thoughts laid bare to me, and yet everything is still such a mystery. Your actions are illogical."

"Who. Are. You?"

"I am Justice."

"I suppose it was stupid of me to think I could run from you."

“Indeed. So tell me, why did you want to die?"

"It was the right thing to do."

"Lie."

"How would you know, you're not Truth."

"But I am Justice, and with it come abilities. Why did you want to die?"

"It was the only way to get Celestia back."

"Lie. Why did you want to die? Why did you want your soul to be broken apart?"

"I wanted no such thing!"

"Lie. Why did you want to die? Why did you want your soul to be broken apart? What are you so afraid of?"

"I had to stop Discord."

"Lie. Why di-"

"Because I'm a coward, alright!? I'd rather have my soul obliterated than be sent to Tartarus where I'd be punished, and where I'd be forced to remember everything I had done. To be reincarnated again and again, each time to only come back to my nightmares. To face those whom I had killed in cold blood, and see the loathing and hate in their eyes, knowing I'd never be able to be forgiven or hide. I wanted my soul to stop existing because it meant not having to face justice."

"And yet here you are."

"Here I am. So what now?"

"Now? Now, you face your punishment.”

“And that is?”

His laughter filled my ears as the world faded back into existence. There I was, or rather, there the other me was, chatting and talking to AJ and Rarity, while other ponies, ponies I didn’t know, came up to congratulate me- us- her. Congratulated her on her thesis getting accepted. Though I did not know who they were, it was clear the other me did. She easily laughed and chatted with them as though they were old friends.

This… this was what could have been? Fluttershy with both her wings, AJ with her soul intact, Spike with a mother…And look at me; I was fit and healthy, without a single scar on me, and probably no nightmares either. The party banner said I had just gotten my PhD, and that meant I was one step closer to achieving my hopes and dreams. I was… I was happy.

Just look at me! I was happy. I was smiling, laughing, chatting, giggling. And- And- And-

I could feel tears leaking out the corner of my eyes.

“This is a world where you made friends and did your duty on the day before the Summer Sun Celebration, like Celestia wished you to.” His voice brushed against my ear. “Enjoy, Twilight Sparkle, for this shall be your punishment.To see what could have been, but was not.”

I felt a tug on my body, drawing me into the real Twilight.

“Oh, and every so often I’ll let you enjoy this world.” Though I could not see him, I just knew he had a smirk that would rival Nightmare Moon’s. “Just so you can experience first hoof what you gave up. This shall be your eternal punishment.”

Epilogue (Happy ending)

"Where am I? And why do you look like me?"

"Not curious as to who I am?"

"That too."

A chuckle echoed through the darkness.

"I am not important, but my blind companion here is Justice. Don't worry, he won't speak. I'm doing all the talking today."

"Justice. I suppose it was stupid of me to think I could run from you."

"Correct."

"So what now?"

"You know, it's polite to introduce yourself."

"You already know who I am."

"Do I?" Another bark of laughter. "Do you?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"And?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Are you just Twilight Sparkle?"

"I... I am also Celestia's personal protégé."

"And?"

"The Knight Protector of Equestria?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

"Enough with the stupid games! Just tel-"

"Do you really think you can take on a Spirit?"

"... Fine." A sigh. "I am... was... the Knight Protector of Equestria."

"Ah, skipping your time working under Nightmare Moon, I see."

There was a harsh silence.

"I'm also the Knight Commander of Nightmare Moon's army."

"There's no need to be so angry at me. After all, I did find your soul and bring it back together. Otherwise, there was no way we could be having this conversation right now. So I ask again, who are you?"

"I am a monster who committed sin after sin, who happily and wantonly wallowed in deepest of depravities. I am a monster who would rather die than face her judgment. Rather have my soul obliterated than be sent to Tartarus where I'd be punished, and where I'd be forced to remember everything I had done. To be reincarnated again and again, each time to only come back to my nightmares. To face those whom I had killed in cold blood and see the loathing and hate in their eyes, knowing I'd never be able to be forgiven or hide. I am a monster and a coward."

"Correct."

"I-I-I... I sacrificed everything damn it! I scarified every fucking thing! I did all of that for them. Friendship, family, morals, my future, my life. Everything! Even my sanity in the end. And what do I get out of it? For a random Spirit and Justice to personally kick my ass that's what! Well fuck you, Equestria! Fuck! You!"

"So who are you?"

"I am Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's personal protégé and her most faithful student. I am Knight Commander of Nightmare Moon's army and Knight Protector of Equestria. I am the former Element of Magic. I am a monster and a coward."

"And?"

"And... and... What else is there!?"

"You tell me."

"Gah!"

"How about an easier question then? Who am I?"

"You? You're... You're... A Spirit right? Of course you are, that's Justice standing beside you. You must be related to me in some way otherwise you would not be here right now, nor would you have been able to piece me back together. You can't be Magic for that belongs to Trixie now. Harmony? No... I don't think so at least. Harmony would not bother talking to a low life like me."

"It's not that hard."

"Shut up!"

Silence.

"Sorry. Just... Just let me think alright?"

Pause.

"It's not that simple. Surely not? Your Sacrifice aren't you? I'm Sacrifice. I, Twilight Sparkle, am Sacrifice. No. No! This is not happening. I should be punished, not elevated! This makes no sense! I won't go along with it. I just won't."

"You make it sound as though you have a choice. And do you really think this isn't a punishment? You will live forever, you will be eternal. Your nightmares, your sins, you actions will haunt you forever. You will not be able to run away, nor will you be able to change your shape. You will live for all eternity with the knowledge of what you are. And in the end, you will spend eternity trying to atone for your sins. Why else do you think Justice is here with us? Justice has passed judgement. So it, Twilight Sparkle. Say what you are."

"I am Twilight Sparkle, the Spirit of Sacrifice."

And then, there was light.

My body hurt. Every last inch of my body hurt as though I had been trampled by a herd of buffalos. Twice. Climbing shakily onto my hooves, a sense of vertigo overcame me and I collapsed back onto my rump. It took five tries before I could stand up properly and I was immensely glad that no one was around to see my epic failure. Making sure to stretch out my new body, I took a hesitant step forwards towards the edge of the cliff.

It's silly really, but when I was just a soul and lacked a body, the thing I missed the most was the wind through my mane and the scent on the breeze. The feeling of grass and leaves crunching underhoof was another thing. I suppose being dead can really snap everything into perspective.

Looking to my right, I blinked in surprise. There, on the ground, lay Celestia and the rest of my friends and before them was a statue of me. Though it warmed my heart and made me want to cry, not a single tear escaped. Working under Nightmare Moon forced me to lock my emotions away and while my heart screamed at me to cry, I did not know how.

Not anymore.

Why here? Why had they dropped me here? A test? Did they want me to wake them up or run away? I refused to believe it was pure coincidence.

Walking over, I stopped before Celestia, gazing down at her lovingly.

I suppose I could wake them up, for that was what they wanted. Right? To come back, to be hated and scorned by the whole of Equestria. But if I were to do that, then there would be a public outcry. By all intents and purposes, Equestria would implode into a new civil war and after everything I had done, I was not about to let that happen again.

No, I was not meant to wake them up.

One thousand years. That was how long Nightmare Moon was gone so it was as good as a timeframe as anything. A one thousand year exile from my friends. To wander the world, help those in need, and learn. Well, after I made sure Equestria had finished rebuilding. I'd act in the background, helping out where I can without revealing myself. The public would know of my existence, but not my friends. I'll hide as the unicorn Twilight Sparkle in some corner of Equestria. I'll constantly move. I'll be scorned and hated, but I'll help out.

Who knows? Maybe I'll even visit the gryphon kingdom and see the dragon nation.

One thousand years without friends, without family. The only thing I'll have are my sins and nightmares to keep my company.

Well, I better get started then.

My name is Twilight Sparkle, and a new chapter has begun.

For all of us.