The Lunar War

Twilight awoke in a fit of coughing. It was hot. Very hot. But something had changed....There was no rumbling. The fire was long gone, but it had super-heated the ground above, and from this, caused the room to be unbearable. She coughed a few more times, and slowly cracked her eyes open. She was looking straight into the motionless form of Big Mac. She couldn't tell if he was asleep or otherwise though. She turned her head and looked around the room in the dim light. The others were around her, and every one was sweating and panting in their sleep. Even she herself was allowing a few small pants. But then...why wasn't any sound coming from the biggest pony in the room? She searched around in the darkness and saw the shape of Apple Jacks hat, then gently lit her horn, just bright enough that it would illuminate Apple Jacks face when she leaned close enough to whisper to her, but still not so bright as to hurt her eyes.

"Apple Jack....Apple Jack!" She whispered quietly at first, but resorted to a sharper whisper when Apple Jack didn't stir right away. It took a little shaking and some more speaking in her face before she finally woke.

"Huh....? Twilight......Eh...is somethin' happenin'? Did we make it?" She asked her dazed from the heat and from being unconscious.

"It's Big Mac...I can't tell if he's moving or breathing...And I didn't want to find out....not by myself...to be honest. I'm sorry for waking you to have you check with me.....It's just--" Apple Jack put a hoof to her mouth.

"If anyone should find out first Twi...I...I reckon it should...be me...." She trailed off at the end of the thought of losing her last, closest, family member. She stood slowly and used the dim light from Twilight's horn to guide her. She approached Big Mac. "Twi...could you come a little closer?" She called back quietly. Twilight did as she was told. A sharp inhale sounded from Apple Jack, before a quiet moan, and sobbing accompanied as Twilight came within a better range. While she had been making her way over, Apple Jack had put her ear to Big Mac's side, and hugged him. She had felt no heartbeat, breathing...And his back, and other side felt hard, and hot. there was no fur there. The heat from the door had killed him. But he had managed to save them in the end, but using his own body as a shield from the heat.

"I....Poor.....Oh Apple Jack!" Twilight let the spell go away and moved as fast as she could in the confined space. she took Apple Jack in a hard embrace. Immediately Apple Jack was sobbing uncontrollably, filling the small space with her cries. The others stirred at the sound of her crying, and slowly woke up. All started to cough immediately as the heat had sapped all the water from them, leaving them dehydrated. Apple Jack continued to cry into Twilight's shoulder, her cries developing hiccups. If anything, she, out of all of them, had lost the most. Her farm had been burnt down. Her sister left to die after being burned to death, leaving her to end the suffering. Her closest family member, Granny Smith had died of heartbreak, and now her big brother, Big Macintosh was gone after shielding them from an intense heat. She couldn't take it.

Fluttershy was the first to fully awake and stop coughing long enough to go over to the two. "Oh whats the matter Apple Jack? Or is that a bad question to ask? I'm sorry....I won't ask it again..."

"Fluttershy....It's Big Mac...." Twilight replied to her. Apple Jack hadn't even heard Fluttershy's question. She was too far gone at the moment. Fluttershy looked to Twilight and back to Apple Jack, before she looked to the dark form of Big Mac. Twilight, after noticing for a moment the others were moving around, illuminated the space a little more so they could see. She quickly dimmed the light upon seeing Big Mac in the better light. He hadn't just been burned badly, but half of him was blackened. And the expression that remained on his face was one contorted in pain and misery. Twilight could only think of what his last thoughts might of been. Then something came to her."Apple Jack...I know it may not mean much....But you know....The last thought's he had were probably of your safety. He loved you enough to protect you to the death. And in death, I'm sure the last thought in his head was that you would stay unharmed...."

Apple Jack's crying stopped completely for a moment as the words struck her. She pulled back slowly and looked at Twilight before breaking out into fresh waves of tears. "Oh Twilight! Why!!! Why did this have ta happen! Why couldn't we have done somethin'! Anythin'! I coulda saved him Twi! I coulda saved Apple Bloom too! And then Granny Smith would be alive! I can't stand it Twi! I just can't!!!" Her crying returned with renewed force. Fluttershy sat, still in shock of hearing what Twilight had said, and from seeing Big Mac's face before Twilight had dimmed her horn again. The others sat around them all, watching Twilight and Apple Jack. Pinkie's face was contorted into a frown that didn't match her personality. Twilight looked at her crying friend, then at the others.

"Lets all give our prayers to them, and most of all....To Apple Jack." The others all bowed their heads as she finished speaking, and Twilight took the lead. "We give our prayers to those whom we have lost. We give our love to those we miss Dearly. We pray, that Celestia guide them into their final resting place. Most of all...We pray that those of the Apple Family that have passed away. Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh. Please let they be at peace, and may they, and you, Princess Celestia, watch over Apple Jack, and help guide her. And give us the strength to help her. It is to you, we pray. For Celestia."

"For Celestia." The others spoke quietly together. Apple Jack had gone quiet during the prayer, and looked around at the others, tears still in her eyes.

"Oh....I can never thank ya'll.....Never.....It....It means so much ta me. And now....Ya'll are all I got left. I...And...Ya'll are the only ones who are keepin' me goin. Without you gals, I think I'd have given up after losin' Granny Smith. And if I hadn't, I'd have definitely given up now had ya'll not been here for me....I....I love all of ya!" Apple Jack started to lose it again, but the others finally came in, even scootaloo, and hugged her. They let her cry. And even cried with her. Finally all letting the weight of what had happened to this point come down on them all. None of them knew how long they sat there. But they cried until they had no more tears to cry...

Twilight, and the others who remained had lost track of time. They didn't know whether it was "day" or "night" any more. Ever since Luna had taken control, they had been stuck in a continuous night that wouldn't end until she was taken down from her position. Twilight knew there would be only one way to do this, but the thought of it nearly made her sick. There wouldn't be banishment for Luna again, because it would end the same. She would spend 1000 years on the moon, and then she would return again and repeat the process. The only way to keep history from repeating itself a third time in the future should she be removed...would be to remove her existence. And that would be no easy task as she had never heard of an Alicorn being killed. After all...Luna had spent 1000 years on the moon with no food or water, Cadence had even spent a few months in a cave with the same. As far as Twilight knew, there was no way, but it would have to be done.

"Girls...We should get out of here. We need to leave this place behind and try and find some other ponies who made it alive. We can't just stay in this cellar. There's no food...and we need to bury Big Macintosh, and as far as I see it, the easiest way would be to use this as the grave." Twilight spoke up to the others. They had been sitting in silence for hours now, trying to let the pain ease, and trying to think of something to do. None of them had been successful in either. Especially Apple Jack. Her mind was too preoccupied by the loss of her entire family. And, naturally she was the first to protest the idea of collapsing the room on Big Mac.

"But Twilight! We have ta give him a proper burial! We can't just drop the roof on him! He's my brother Twi! I won't allow it! If'n I have ta, I will stop you from doin' it cause it just ain't right!" She cried out, vehemently opposing the idea.

"Apple Jack! We don't have time to start fighting over how we bury Big Mac! And it would be proper as he would be buried under dirt, and most importantly, he would be buried with the things he loved to work with! Look around you, we are in your Apple Cellar. And they may have all been ruined by the heat, but they are still apples! You know he would want to be buried with his work, and on his farm. Plus the ground will be so hard it would be impossible to dig a grave, and if I used my magic then I would strain myself and that would leave us open if more of those batwing ponies returned. Would you rather we just leave him here in the open instead of doing either? I don't want to make you unhappy, but dangit Apple Jack! It's our best, and easiest option!" Twilight didn't like arguing with her, but Apple Jacks mind wasn't in the right place at the moment, and she needed to see that this was the ONLY option they could do.

"But Twilight--"

"No! I'm sorry Apple Jack!"

"Girls...could you please stop fighting...."

"But he---"

"I said NO APPLE JACK!"

"GIRLS! STOP FIGHTING!" Rarity had had enough. "Now Apple Jack! You simply must accept what Twilight is saying. She's absolutely right. We cannot have her being unable to fight them off, and digging is completely out of the question as Twilight here also has her Broken Hoof. Which...Oh dear Celestia Twilight! Your hoof! You must try and mend it! You haven't done a thing for it since it broke and if it's not fixed soon, you may be unable to walk on it ever again!" Rarity quickly moved over to her friend and pushed her onto her flank, taking her hoof and looking it over. "Oh Twilight, your poor ankle is all swollen and bruised! This is just dreadful! How could we have forgotten this?" Twilight grimaced in pain as Rarity handled her injured leg. It hurt...bad. And now that she had just reminded her, the pain really started to grow through her leg.

"I...I don't know how to fix a broken bone Rarity....I never learned how. I only knew the basics for helping Scootaloo's wing from a book with diagrams. And even then I wasn't able to fix them so they could be used ever again." Twilight told her, gasping as Rarity gently pressed on her ankle. The pain sent her mind reeling, and caused her to break out in a cold sweat. Even the most minor of touch was unbearable.

"Well we need to do something about it!" Rarity replied to her. Suddenly Pinkie pushed her face in and looked at Twilight's leg.

"We need some sticks! Anypony got some sticks? How about some rope! We need rope! Apple Jack!" Pinkie turned and jumped on Apple Jack, pinning her to the ground. "Where's your rope!? We need your rope!"

"But what the hay is a few sticks and a rope going to do for Twilight's leg?" Rainbow Dash asked Pinkie Pie incredulously.

"You take the sticks and put them on either side of her hoof, then tie the rope around it and it holds it in place so it won't move or get hurt, silly!" Pinkie replied. She was the only one who seemed to be able to have a charismatic outlook. Or perhaps she was just trying to be a comedic relief and help them calm down.

"Pinkie! You're a genius!" Twilight exclaimed, grabbing pinkie with magic and pulling her over, hugging her with her good leg.

"Nope! I'm a pony!" Pinkie replied. Apple Jack got up and retrieved her saddle bags, pulling her rope out.

"How much we gonna need Pinkie?" She asked the pink pony.

"Dunno. Now we need some sticks!" Pinkie started darting around the room, and within seconds, returned with a few straight pieces of straight wood, and a 2x4.

"Uhhh Pinkie...That one's going to be too big." Twilight said, pointing at the 2x4.

"Well duhhhh! That's why you are going to split it in half with your magic Twilight." Pinkie replied.

"Oh....that makes sense....Hold on...." Twilight focused on the board, and let the magic loose, with a gentle "crack" the board split perfectly in the middle and became two, perfectly straight sticks.

"Oh, and Twilight....You may want to bite down on this and look away." Pinkie said, offering a small piece of wood. Twilight looked at the wood and bit down and looked away. She took a deep breath, and nodded.

The pain. Oh the agonizing pain! Pinkie had wasted no time. She had immediately taken the sticks, and placed them around her leg, tying the rope tightly, drawing the wood against her injured ankle and putting pressure on it. Twilight gasped and the wood fell to the floor. Pinkie pulled the rope tight. Twilight Screamed in pain and started to pull away.

"Rainbow Dash! Hold her steady! She's going to hurt herself more!" Rarity Exclaimed as Twilight smacked Pinkie in the face with her hoof, causing a streak of pain to shoot up her leg.

"Got it!" Rainbow replied and bolted into action, grabbing Twilight and holding her as best as she could. Thankfully Twilight wasn't as physically strong as she was, so she had no trouble holding her. But then the unexpected happened as Twilight's horn lit up, and sent her into the wall behind them with a loud thud. "Ouch! Twilight Why'd you do that for?!?" Rainbow asked incredulously.

"It hurts too much! Make it stop please! Take it off! Take it off!" Twilight cried out.

"Rainbow Dash! You must suck on her horn!" Rarity cried out.

"What the buck you telling me to do Rarity!?! This isn't time to get your rocks off! No way am I doing that!" she replied to her, spitting the words out.

"No Dash you must do it! It will cause her to lose her concentration and she won't be able to use her magic! Do it or she will never get her leg fixed at all!" Rarity couldn't believe the words she was hearing. Get her rocks off? She was a mare! Not some whorse who wanted to see her friends do dirty things to each other for pleasure!

"What?! How the bu---Alright fine! I'll do it!" Rainbow Dash jumped forward and grabbed Twilight again. Just as her horn started to glow again, Rainbows mouth closed down on it. Suddenly the magic stopped, but a tingling started in Rainbow. "Huwwy Pinnnie!" She said with her mouthful of Twilight's horn. Pinkie quickly darted forward and finished her work. She tied the last knot and jumped back.

"Okay Dashie! Let her go!" Pinkie said to her. Dash leapt back, pulling her mouth off Twilight's horn. Twilight fell to the floor. She'd passed out from the pain.

"I am never doing that again, Rarity! Not for all the cider in the world!" Rainbow Dash said to Rarity, glaring at her.

"Oh be quiet Rainbow Dash, you probably liked it." Rarity replied. "Now we need to try and get her out of here since she passed out. She was right, we can't stay down her. And to be honest, Apple Jack, the longer we stay, the greater the chance that the roof collapses, or that, I'm sorry for saying this, but the better the chance that Big Macintosh starts to decompose and we all get sick and die in a week from malnourishment and disease."

"What did you say to me Rari---"

"Can it Rainbow. Rarity...You're right. I hate ta admit it, but we can't stay here. Twi was right too. It's best to bury Mac with the apples. He'd want it that way." Apple Jack admitted her defeat. "But how do we get her outta here? Can't just drag her out. An' we can't exactly...Wait...Rarity, why don't ya just lift her with magic? I know you can at least do that."

"Of course I can! It's basic magic to know how to lift things, dear Apple Jack. What kind of Unicorn would I be if I couldn't do basic magic even?" She said to her, gently lifting Twilight into the air.

"An Earth Pony with a pokin' stick." Apple Jack replied. Pinkie giggled a little. It was nice to joke and have a few laughs, especially in what was happening. Rarity let out a quiet "humph" and turned her nose away, slowly going around the form of big mac, and towards the door.

"Here we go girls..." Rarity whispered back as she took the first steps outside into the burnt, and black world they used to call home....

"Princess Celestia! We need to get you out of the castle now! We don't have the numbers, or the power to keep them out any longer. We are unable to take the tower back from Luna, so you will have to leave through the tunnels. I have called back the remaining guards to this room so we can escort you, and the Princess Cadence out." A guard had burst into the chamber Celestia and Cadence were in, tearing their attention from a mirror that Celestia was using to scry Twilight. All she could see was smoke, and ash.

"What of Shining Armor? Did he make it out alright?" Cadence quickly asked the guard, wanting to know of her husbands fate.

"We are unsure, Princess. Last we saw him, he was running out the front gates of the castle with his shield put up around him. But there is also news that Luna burnt the entire Everfree Forest to the ground in an attempt to kill Twilight Sparkle. We do not know if it was successful. The odds are not in her favor though..." The guard hung his head slightly.

"Inform the guards who are pulling back that we will be leaving immediately. We will be going someplace not even my sister knows of. Shining Armor will need to hold on as long as he can without our support from here. Princess Cadence, I need you to trust me, and come with me. The place we are going to is safe...I promise you. And from there, if we are found, we can hold them out as long as we need as that is where I have kept my most elite guards, and had them trained." Celestia spoke out. She turned and looked to the guard,"Go get the others now." The guard saluted and left.

"What if Shining Armor didn't make it? What if he died? You must look for him in your mirror! You must please!" Cadence pleaded.

"I cannot Cadence. Since I cannot get to my tower, I don't have the sight needed. And since I don't know which direction he headed first, I cannot even try. The only reason I can attempt to find Twilight is because I know where Ponyville was. But all I see is ashes and death. I am sorry Cadence." Celestia replied to her niece. Cadence hung her head low and turned to the door.

"Oh Shining....I hope you are okay...."

"How the hay are we supposed to tear that down on top of him without killing ourselves?" Rainbow Dash growled. "We don't have enough rope, and Rarity doesn't think she can collapse it with her magic. We can't kick the wall supports out since they have dirt to help them. So what the buck we supposed to do?!" Dash was aggravated. She couldn't fly well because of her side, and she had been the one who had to drag the Unconscious Twilight out of the hole.

"Now calm down, Dash. We can think of somethin'." Apple Jack Replied. "We just gotta put our heads together. What would Twi do...."

"What is putting our heads together going to do? Make us a strange mutated 5 headed pony? Ohhhh....Think of all the pie we could eat if we had some!" Pinkie spouted out, being the usual Pinkie. The others looked at her strangely and just looked away, not commenting.

"Ummm...What if we tried jumping up and down on it? Or...I mean...would that not work?" Fluttershy suggested.

"Remember what Twilight said? That ground is far too hard, Fluttershy darling. And besides, we don't want to break our hooves now, do we?" Rarity chimed in.

"Look around ya, Rarity! The land is ruined! Our homes and Families are gone! And you're worried 'bout breakin' a hoof?! Ya need to stoppit! Stop carin' about your looks and fashion for one minute and try and think of some way we can collapse that instead of naggin' and complainin' bout each of the ideas we come up with!" Apple Jack yelled in frustration.

"Well excuse me! I guess I am just unable to change in an instant even if everything around us did! I was just trying to save you all the pain! But I guess you just don't care if you are unable to put weight on your hooves. So go ahead then! You go kick the ground to your hearts content! See if I care when you break your hoof down the middle!" Rarity replied in equal frustration.

"What if we just tried to wake Twilight up?" They all stopped and looked to the one pony that had been quiet for most of the time. Scootaloo. "I mean, if she's just passed out, can't you just try and wake her up with your magic or something? There has to be something like that you can do." She continued on.

"Oh Scootaloo what a marvelous idea!" Rarity replied, instantly forgetting about the other idea's the others had mentioned. She turned and looked at Twilight and moved to her, thinking. "So....what is the best way to do this...." She used her magic to prod Twilight a little before she tried gently shaking her. "Twilight? Twilight?" She whispered to her.

"Rarity....you can't expect that to wake her if carrying her didn't wake her, and especially if our yelling did nothing." Rainbow Dash said.

"You are quite right, excuse me. Umm....Well....I was never really great at this kind of stuff...Anypony got a bucket of water?" She asked, looking around. "Didn't think so....sorry for asking...."

"Don't got no water, and besides, it'd be a waste to dump it on Twilight. Though ya could always empty yourself on her." Apple Jack said, trying to make a small joke.

"Do a what on her?" Rarity replied, looking at Apple Jack, obviously appalled she would suggest such a thing. "Perhaps if you fall asleep somepony could do the same to you to wake you instead of trying a much cleaner method. Then when you awake smelling of nastiness, we can tell you that we couldn't wake you, so we decided to urinate on your face." Rarity returned to looking at Twilight, trying to think.

"You know, the few time's I've been knocked out, or fainted from something, I generally woke up after a short time." Rainbow Dash told her.

"Oh and how short a time was that? Like how about when you crashed and broke your wing? You were unconscious for over an hour! Do you really want to sit here that long? And anyhow...This is different. She had you and Pinkie Brutally force her leg into a shoddy brace without so much as a spell to numb her leg, or make her pass out before hand for a set amount of time." Rarity was getting tired of all these poor suggestions. Though she had none herself, the ones she was getting were far worse than trying to wake her calmly.

They stood there, coming up with idea, after idea. But most often they were worse than before, or just impossible like using magic to enter into Twilight's mind. But had that been possible...they'd have found themselves in a very strange place as in her mind, everything was swirling around. The final issue is they wouldn't have ever found her subconscious as she was in a place that nopony could reach. She was not dead....But in a sort of limbo....

Twilight's vision had blurred and spiraled around her before she had passed out. She had expected to go into a very heavy, almost dreamlike state, but she found herself suddenly in darkness. She couldn't see anything except a light that shone around her in a perfect circle. "Where am I? Am I dead? I can't be dead..." She looked around. Her leg was no longer in pain, in fact....it was perfect. She looked around for a few moments."Hello? Hellooo?" She called out, there wasn't an echo, or even a reverberation. It was as if she was speaking into a sort of microphone that just cancelled out all extra sounds and effects. She tried to use her magic, but nothing happened. She looked up to see her horn was gone. "What is going on here?" She asked herself out loud.

She stood there for a time before she decided to walk into the darkness. She had thoughts of beasts hiding in the darkness, or that if she left the light, she'd never return, and would never find out what happened. But she had to do something, and standing here wasn't going to solve anything. She took a step towards the darkness and stopped at the very edge. She took a deep breath and lunged forward. She had expected anything to happen. But when she found herself in a sort of free fall state, she couldn't help but scream. The scream made no sound, and though she felt her voice box grow agitated from the effort, it was like something was swallowing all sound.

Suddenly she landed on something hard, and in a heap on the floor. She couldn't see a thing. Then a glint caught her eye. It appeared so distant. She stood slowly and made sure she could move and wasn't hurt, then started to walk slowly towards it. She continued to try to call out, but still made no sound. She saw the glint again, and moved faster. Yelling in silence more. The glint became a steady light far ahead. She started to run. Crying out mentally for something, anything, to explain what was happening.

All of a sudden she found herself falling again. This time her scream sounded out and echoed all around her. The sound startled her, causing her to scream louder. But instead of falling onto a surface like before, she felt something catch her. She looked around in the darkness again, realizing something. Light was starting to appear. She felt herself get set upon the ground. She had no idea what was happening, but she had to get to the bottom of it. She strained her eyes, trying to make anything out in the slowly growing light. The glint she had seen vanished. "No! Come back!!" She called out. She stood and ran again towards where it had been but stopped, seeing nothing. She sat on the floor and hung her head. "I....I need your help...." She spoke softly.

She looked longingly towards where the light had been when a sound behind her caught her attention. The sound of a hoof on..tile? She stood and whipped around. There before her was a sight she had never expected. Standing before her was a celestial pony that stood taller than Celestia herself. One that seemed to be made of water and stars almost. It was clear with glints of light inside it. It's eyes appeared as galaxies. A strange ethereal glow was being emitted from it. She looked at it for a moment before speaking. "H-hello? Who are you? Wh-where am I?" The pony held a hoof up.

"Come with me, Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville." It's voice seemed filled with endless knowledge, and had a double tone, as if more than one pony's spirit resided in it's body. "I am the caretaker of the universe you have come to know. I created it. I made it what it is today. And I even created the two beings who now clash, and cause the greatest grief your home will ever know. I have known of it's coming for over a million years. And until now, I hadn't known of a way to stop it, or end it. But then you came. I had never seen you in anything. Or more specifically...I had never seen a pony with your ability to magic, and most importantly, with your determination." The pony spoke out.

"S-so are you a....a god of some kind then..?" Twilight asked quietly. All around her, light was illuminating more and more. She was in a grand hall, pictures hung everywhere along it. In each photo was a pony from legend. Starswirl the Bearded, Celestia, Luna, Nightmare Moon. Ponies from every era, and even ponies from times that had been unrecorded. A photo of the three lords even hung along the wall.

"If that is what you would wish to call me, yes. I created the planet you inhabit. And I created all life there. I have been given many titles, god being one of them. The original master of that title was Starswirl. And like you, he was once here as well. Very few ever get the chance to come here." The pony turned and started to walk down the hall, leading Twilight. "He called this hall the Path of History. This hall recalls all great things that have happened, are happening, and will happen. And until you came here by accident, just as Starswirl did, it ended abruptly." The pony stopped before a large painting, greater than the rest. On the painting was an image of Luna wearing a crown, and the date underneath it was from a few days ago when she had attacked. There was no other date. Twilight looked over to the painting of Celestia, there was a birthdate, and a second date that was only a few months away.

"What....What does this second date mean?" She asked. A feeling inside her told her that she wouldn't wish to hear it.

"That, Twilight Sparkle, is the time that Celestia shall pass from the world." The pony told her. "But it used to be different. The date on it used to be the same as the one now printed on this painting. She was foretold to die the day Luna took control." it told her. "And from the moment Celestia Died, there would be eternal night for Equestria. But a strange anomaly appeared only a few moments ago with your arrival. Look under the picture, next to the date on this one." Twilight did as she was told and looked closer, slowly a second date was appearing on the painting showing Luna as the ruler. Though it was undecipherable as of yet.

"What...What does this mean?" Twilight asked, looking back at the other pony.

"This means, Twilight Sparkle, that your arrival has altered the future. Luna will not remain where she has placed herself. But that also means that you are destined for something far greater than you had ever imagined. There is another I would like you to see." The pony stepped back towards the center of the hall again, as did Twilight. Suddenly the halls around them had come alive, moving and swirling around them. And just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, showing a painting of a Purple Alicorn with Twilight's Cutie Mark. It showed her birthdate, and next to it was a spot that appeared to have been recently erased. "You Twilight Sparkle, are destined to rule. But to get to that point, you will lose much. Losing your baby dragon Spike is only the beginning."

Twilight slowly approached the Painting and put a hoof on it gently. She was going to become an Alicorn? How? Why? Why her? And what else could she possibly lose? The thoughts started to come to her, but she denied the option that they would occur. "What about my friends? My family?" She asked the strange pony.

"I cannot tell you, Twilight Sparkle, for that would end in your demise. I have forseen only as you just asked it. And though the miseries you will endure will surely test you, they will grant you, and only you, the ability to stop Luna." Twilight listened as they spoke. It had to be impossible. How could anything like that happen? It was not only impossible, it was so far out of concept that it was madness! A unicorn defeating an Alicorn? Yeah right. That would happen when Spike crawled out of the ground unharmed. "This will be hard for you to understand until the moment happens, but when it occurs, you will realize why fate has picked you." The pony said.

"B-but why me? Why does it have to be me? Why can't Celestia remain? W-what if I am unable to rule properly?"

"All questions will be answered in time. But as for now, your time here is done. We will meet many times more. Some soon, and some will be in the years to come. But you are needed now, Twilight Sparkle. Your friends need you. Your world needs you. I shall give you something though, before you leave. A gift none ever shall receive after this time. In times of need, you may speak with me, and in times of sorrow, you may seek my guidance. In times of anger, you can ask for my aid. The only thing Twilight is you may never speak of me to anypony, unless I give that permission." The pony's eye's glowed bright white for a moment as a small sliver of energy transferred to Twilight's head. "Now you must return to your own world Twilight. Your friends are calling to you..." The pony vanished, and the paintings did as well. The darkness did not return though, instead, Twilight found herself surrounded by thousands of stars and other celestial objects. Then it began to turn. All began to spin around her and the feeling of falling upwards took control. She saw the light from before as she careened towards it. She closed her eyes as she got closer, and let the feeling end.

Twilight awoke slowly, her mind heavy, and her body aching. She heard the voices of her friends around her, arguing. She slowly opened her eyes, and felt a burning. They were outside? But she'd been in the cellar when she passed out. She let out a small noise, trying to let the others know she was awake, but they continued arguing. "G-girls?" She spoke out quietly. That got their attention.

"Twilight!" They all exclaimed in unison.

"Twi! Oh am I glad you're alright. We were startin' to get worried you weren't gonna wake up." Apple Jack cried with relief.

"I could tell....Somepony help me up." She responded. Pinkie Pie moved over and picked her up setting her on her hooves. Twilight instinctively tucked her hurt leg so she wouldn't cause more pain. It hurt bad enough already. "W-where are we?" Twilight asked, looking around through he falling ash and darkness. The world seemed alien with nothing she recognized in sight.

"Were Standin' above the Cellar, Twi. We been tryin' to think of a way to drop it so to bury Bic Macintosh, but none of us knew how. So we decided to try and wake ya, but none of us could think of a SANE way ta do it." Apple Jack replied to her. Twilight looked to the ground and saw the pitch black entrance to the cellar only a few feet away. Her horn started to glow as she acted instead of spoke. Instantly, the sound of snapping came from inside as the supports broke. When she was done she looked around.

"Everypony, move out of line from the entrance, we don't need to get hit with debris." They all listened to her. Once they were safely out of the way, a final 4 snaps sounded and the entire room collapsed with a loud "Whump!" Rocks and dirt flew out of the entry way, but nothing deadly.

"Thank ya Twi...." Apple Jack said, looking to the last part of her home collapse.

"Gather around, girls....Lets give our final respect to Big Macintosh, and all the others, and then let's go." Twilight said. They all fell in, and hung their heads for a moment. When they finally looked up, Twilight had a determined expression plastered on her face. "We need to get to Canterlot. Even if it takes us a year to get there by hoof, we need to get there. We have to stop Luna!" The others nodded in agreement, and fell in to help Twilight.

As they moved around her, Twilight couldn't help but think of what the strange pony had told her. Spike was only the first thing she would lose? She felt she knew what it had meant, but pushed the painful thoughts from her mind. She had a goal, and that was to save Equestria.