Lord Phantom

Chapters

Weather Today is Partly Clouded with a Slight Chance of Disaster
Prepare for Trouble
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Explain
Dark Memories
Snap
Who is the Black Alicorn?
What Am I?
Face to Face

Weather Today is Partly Clouded with a Slight Chance of Disaster

Chapter 1: Weather Today is Disastrous with a Chance of More Disaster.

It was a beautiful morning.

Apple Jack happily trotted out of her house after breakfast, humming to herself. The weather was perfect as she made her way across the farm, and the sun was shining down comfortably, while a gentle breeze blew throughout. It was sure to be a good day. What could possibly go wrong...?

“What in the hay?!”

It was quite unfortunate how beautiful mornings were occasionally warnings of a bad day ahead.

And this day just got bad.

Apple Jack stared in bewilderment at the dead apple trees in front of her. Sure, it was just three, but they were perfectly healthy last she and her family checked, which was yesterday. How could they die overnight? And why just these three? There was no storm last night, or anything of that sort to damage them. It didn't make any sense...

Apple Jack snapped out of her thoughts as she heard two ponies approaching her, and turned to face them, seeing Macintosh and Apple Bloom. Macintosh held a surprised expression on his features when he saw the trees, whereas Apple Bloom looked distraught. “W-what happened?!” she shrieked, running around the trees to give what Macintosh and Apple Jack assumed was a complete and thorough investigation. If seemingly creating a dust tornado due to moving so fast could be considered that.

“Pardon my askin',” Apple Jack started, turning to her brother as the little filly continued to zoom around the trees, “But the trees were just fine and dandy last ya checked, right?” Macintosh looked thoughtful. “Ehyup.” he said bluntly. Apple Jack let out a sigh, knowing that was all she was going to get out of him. She also determined from Apple Bloom's franticness that the trees were fine last she checked. That left Granny Smith.

None of them seemed to realize a Unicorn was watching them and laughing, before running off.

Later...

Apple Jack let out yet another sigh as she hauled the apple cart through town. Asking Granny Smith about the trees yielded little results, as everything was just fine last she checked (though admittedly, there wasn't much she could say there). That left Apple Jack with little to go on, as lack of care was effectively ruled out. So it had to be something else, as trees just didn't randomly die like that. And she'd be darned if she didn't find out what happened.

“OUT OF THE WAY!! MY DYNAMITE IS RUNNING FROM ME!!”

Apple Jack turned in the direction of the voice and her eyes promptly grew twice their size, then she desperately tried to get out of said pony's way, but his warning came too late and the dynamite rolled under the cart and exploded in a glorious burst of wood and apples -the juices and remains of which ended up on Apple Jack and the pony.

Apple Jack opened her eyes and stared long and hard at the pony in front of her. He actually was quite plain. His eyes were blue, his coat was gray, and his mane and tail were yellow and spiky. What really seemed off was his Cutie Mark: A tied bundle of at least five or six sticks of dynamite. That one thing did not fill her with confidence at all. In fact, it filled all who knew of this pony with terror. Not because of his talent to create explosives, but because of his clumsiness and stupidity, which, when coupled with explosives, was generally something to be feared. That said, this Earth Pony had become somewhat of a 'legend' amongst various parts of the world and a scary bedtime story in Ponyville itself. He should feel proud of himself.

“Cloud Blast...” Apple Jack said slowly, “What in tarnation were you doing this time?!” Cloud stepped back and put his front hooves in front of his face defensively, afraid she'd hit him. “I-it wasn't my fault, honest!” he cried, remorse evident, “It flew out the window before I could do anything!”

“It...say what now?”

“I'm not insane! It actually lit itself and flew out my window!! And I swear, it gravitated towards your cart somehow!!”

Apple Jack stared into Cloud's eyes long and hard, seeing sincerity throughout his hysteria. Cloud may have been pretty idiotic at times, but he wasn't one to make things up, especially when it was something this bizarre. Simply put, he was smart enough to know when a lie was just too stupid to be believed. “Fine, I'll believe ya this time...” she conceded, then her gaze turned to the now deceased cart, frustration evident on her features. “O-oh!” Cloud stammered, wanting to clean up the mess he had created, “I-I can fix this no problem! It's just a few dents!”

A few dents was an understatement. The cart held no semblance whatsoever to a cart.

“Nah, it's fine...” Apple Jack quickly said, trying to sound calmer than she felt, “Ya've done enough... I think ya need to head home and simmer down...” Cloud looked disheartened, but after seeing her stern look, ran back to his home anyway, leaving her with a slight headache, a demolished cart, and another mystery. First trees dying for seemingly no reason, and now supposedly living dynamite. Apple Jack decided she would not bring up the latter to anyone. She'd let Cloud do that, if he desired. No one would believe him or her anyway, and she didn't feel like making herself look crazy. With that, the disgruntled pony went to clean up the mess. She failed to notice the purplish pony watching her and then disappearing. Cloud also never noticed it.

Somewhere else...

Twilight Sparkle is outside, walking by a house.

Scootaloo's scooter is placed rather dangerously in front of said house's door.

The house's occupant, a Unicorn, is about to open the door and walk out.

Said Unicorn looks very tired and has a large container of coffee attached to a harness, positioned in front of her.

If you think this is not going to end in a disaster, you are insane.

The Unicorn by all means should've at least seen the scooter before she stepped on it, but her eyes were so droopy that she didn't, and she went airborne immediately, smashing into Twilight and sending them both tumbling through, well, everything. They smashed through some random fruit stand, brought further destruction to Apple Jack's cart, smashed into Fluttershy as she led some animals across the street, and then finally rolled down a hill and crashed into a pond. Somehow, the scooter had stayed with them to the bitter end and brained Twilight.

Twilight sat there dazed as the scooter slid off of her head and into the pond with a splash. Once she regained her focus, she looked at the other pony. This pony could be described as one colour and one colour only: Green. Her coat was a lime green, her mane and tail were pine green and smooth, and her eyes were emerald green. The only thing that wasn't green was her Cutie Mark, which was a gold telescope with white sparkles around it. This wasn't including the brown harness or gray coffee container, of course.

“Emerald Moon...” Twilight started worriedly, getting closer to the other pony, “Are you okay?” Emerald looked at her with a dazed and sleepy expression, struggling to keep her eyelids open. Then a moronic grin crept upon her face as recognition clicked in her mind and her eyes opened wide. “Good morning Twilight Sparkle!” she declared cheerily, then she took a huge gulp of her coffee, “SO HAPPY!!” With that said, she stood up and trotted off happily, completely oblivious to where she was and totally ignorant of everything that happened.

“Um...okay...?”

Twilight then picked the scooter up, shaking it a bit to get the water off. Looking at it closely let her figure out just who it belonged to. “Seriously...” she sighed, walking out of the pond and back into the street, in search of the Cutie Mark Crusader in question. She avoided making eye contact with Apple Jack and Fluttershy as she did so.

Later...

“So that's where my scooter went!” Scootaloo shouted in surprise, her eyes wide. “You should watch where you put it...” Twilight said sternly.

“B-but I didn't leave it there! When I woke up this morning it was gone! And I know it was with me last night!”

“Then who put it there?”

“I dunno. It's a mystery! I better go find Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom! We've got some mystery-solving to do! We could be... Cutie Mark Crusader Detectives!”

“Scootaloo, just wait-”

The filly was long gone.

“...Never mind...”

Twilight let out a long sigh, and started walking off into the street, only to trip on a strategically placed rock and crash into a passerby Cloud, who, of course, was carrying an explosive, which went off. Both ponies laid there in silence, covered in soot, trying to figure out what happened. It was Cloud who broke the silence, by letting out a shrill scream, “Oh for crying out loud, why does this always happen to me?! AND I'M SORRY I DRAGGED YOU INTO IT UNWITTINGLY!!” Before Twilight could even tell him all was forgiven, he ran off, still screaming.

“Okay, that was odd...” Twilight said simply, “Even for Cloud...” she dusted herself off, shaking her head in annoyance, “Today is not going the way I planned at all...” She then scanned the area for anymore potential disasters, and when she saw none, she quickly crossed the street to her destination, which was Sugarcube Corner. She hesitated for a moment, then dismissed whatever it was and walked in, not letting her brief hesitation show.

“Oh, hi Twilight!” Pinkie cried, having seemingly popped up out of nowhere, “You came!” suddenly her smile turned upside down, “...Not that it matters that much now...” Twilight looked at her quizzically. “Why's that?” she asked, rather concerned.

“Well, you see...”

Pinkie turned her head towards the kitchen, which looked as if someone had decided to do some serious remodeling by way of blowing it up. “...What happened here?” Twilight asked with a grimace, as she critically scanned the area. “Stuff happened!” Pinkie cried as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“What kind of stuff?”

“That's what I wanna find out!”

With that, Pinkie ran back into the kitchen to assist Mr. and Mrs. Cake in the clean up. “Do you want any help?” Twilight offered somewhat nervously. “It's fine!” Pinkie shouted back, “Just leave it to us!”

Twilight looked doubtful, “Are you sure?”

A loud clang caused by a pan hitting something was heard, “Totally sure!”

“...Okay...”

Without another word, Twilight left. She looked around the area with a critical eye, noticing a Unicorn just staring at her, deep purple eyes unmoving. The Unicorn seemed to be wearing a black cloak and mask, obscuring most of her body. The only thing Twilight could see was that the mare's coat was a dark blue, judging by her hooves and muzzle. Even her Cutie Mark was obscured. “Um, hi...” Twilight said nervously after a brief silence, unable to break eye contact with the odd pony, “Shadow Star, right?” The pony gave a brief nod.

“Is there anything you want to say?”

Silence.

“Nothing at all?”

“Beware of the shadows that lurk in the most unlikely of places... Swiftly and silently they move, striking many without warning... And by the time they are found, it is too late... Heed my words and prepare yourself. They can strike you at any given moment.”

The response was a very blank stare.

“We shall meet again...”

“W-wait, what are you talking...!”

Shadow disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“...about...”

Twilight shook her head and walked back home, albeit very carefully, having decided today was not the day to be walking around town. Pinkie had seen the entire 'conversation' between Twilight and Shadow, and had only one thing to say about it:

“Whoa, a real live ninja! In Ponyville!”

Clearly, she had nothing really useful to say.

Somewhere else...

'...An Alicorn made of nothing but hatred and nightmares, forged by the dark magic of Nightmare Moon. Her cruelty knew no bounds, and she thoroughly crushed any opposition to the Queen of Nightmares with such terrifying force that soon a fight with her was considered a dance with death. All she instilled into the hearts of many was despair, her very name.

Once all of Celestia's army had been defeated and any thoughts of opposition within her subjects quelled, Nightmare Moon and Despair sought to do away with the Sun Princess and bring about an unending night. It was a fight that the elder sister knew she could not win, and in desperation, she wielded the Elements of Harmony and used them against the dark Alicorns, in hopes of destroying the abomination Nightmare Moon had created, and then freeing her sister from her own madness and bring peace.

The magic forming the un-living Alicorn was torn apart and dispelled, the monster gone for good, but due to the doubt and fear clouding Celestia's mind, there was no true Harmony, and Nightmare Moon was banished from Equestria...'

“That isn't true! That is not her!”

Luna closed the book and levitated it, promptly flinging it across the room, where it smashed into the wall and landed on the floor with a glorious thud. She contemplated setting it ablaze for its horrifying inaccuracy, but decided that would not be a good use of her time. So she settled for just leaving it on the floor, turning to the desk covered with various other history books, every single one with the same story of Nightmare Moon, all made from vastly different periods of time, losing more and more pieces to the puzzle as they went on, until finally degrading what was left into mere myth, and no one really knew the true cause behind it all. Only the few ponies who bothered to search for books so old and worn would know.

“It has been so long...” she mused, “And I still can't tell her the truth... I don't have the time to see her often, so how can I truly get to know her? The longer I wait, the further apart we seem...” she then opened another book and looked at the dark blue pony one of its pages depicted wistfully, “...Oh, if you were here, I know what you'd do. Rather than listen to anypony else, you'd march over there and tell her the truth, no matter what anypony else -or she, for that matter- thought. Yes, you never really thought things through, did you? But somehow, I would do the same, if my reputation wasn't still...shaky, for the lack of a better term.”

“Luna?”

Luna looked up from the book and turned to face Celestia as she walked in. She glanced at the books almost sadly, then back to Luna. “You don't need to read those...” she said quietly. “I don't care what they say about me,” Luna replied seriously, “I only care about what the books say about them, especially her...”

“The words they say are not kind...”

“I know.”

“Then why...?”

“I want to know why you would let them say such things.”

Celestia stared at her in shock, taken aback by the question. “I did not want to allow such words,” she answered calmly, having regained her composure, “I tried to make them stop, but in the end, I couldn't stop anything they wanted to say. It was either allow it, or be seen as a tyrant. I couldn't stop them from forgetting who he truly was, and I couldn't stop them from making her out to be a soulless monster. It was hard enough forcing these books to be locked in the archives, so nopony, especially her, would see them. I am not on as friendly terms with everypony as you may think I am.”

“At least nopony openly shows contempt for you,” Luna stated plainly, “I may have gotten the citizens of Ponyville to like me, but nopony else does. Especially the nobles. It's as if Nightmare Moon never went away.” Celestia shook her head, closing her eyes. “But what opinion means more to you?” she questioned, “The opinion of those you don't know, along with incompetent foals like the nobles, or what she thinks of you?”

“...I would say her opinion matters more to me.”

“Then you shouldn't have any reason to worry. She tried to help you, remember? She thinks highly of you. That should be enough.”

Luna allowed a small smile, but she still looked sad. “But the things the nobles say about me...” she tried to say, but the rest of the sentence died in her throat. “Let them say those things,” Celestia replied, “All it will do is make them look like the foals they are, and eventually nopony will take them seriously. It's just a matter of time.”

“How would you know?”

“You clearly have no idea the things they've said about me, dear sister.”

Luna's expression showed slight worry, “What do you mean?”

Celestia, much to Luna's surprise, responded with a wide grin. “After the 'Best Gala Ever', Blueblood eventually found out that I was amused by what had happened, and then he found out I invited those 'treasonous demons' in hopes such a thing would happen,” the Sun Princess explained, “One lovely morning, he barged into the throne room demanding why I would plan the destruction of one of the most important social gatherings in Equestria, calling me a fiery destroyer from the depths of the underworld for allowing and wanting such an insult to him and the Gala to happen.” Luna's eye twitched, trying to comprehend what she just heard. “He...truly...did...that?” she breathed.

“Indeed he did. I'm not sure what's worse: The fact that he considered what had happened as bad or worse than treason, or the fact that he was stupid enough to say such things to me outright.”

Silence.

“And to be perfectly honest, it frightens me that he claims he is my nephew, and ponies actually believe him. I would prefer to not be associated with such an immature, lazy foal.”

“...Nephew?”

“Yes. Don't ask me where he got such a ridiculous idea, because I stopped trying to figure it out long ago.”

Luna's face paled as more realization dawned on her, “Wait, Tia... If he claims to be your nephew...then what does that say about me?”

The look on Celestia's face screamed that she had no answer, “...Well, on that 'high note', I believe this discussion is over...”

With that, Celestia walked out of the room, leaving Luna alone. The Moon Princess turned back to the book and began flipping through its pages, as if nothing had happened. She became absorbed in all previous thoughts again, looking at each passing page sadly.

She knew she should wait, but it was hard.

Prepare for Trouble

Chapter 2: Prepare for Trouble.

“Twilight, wake up!”

No response.

“Honestly... You really need to wake up!”

Still no response.

Spike glared daggers at the Unicorn, who seemed very content to ignore him and sleep. Spike was still amazed that he woke up before her, which rarely, if ever, happened. Was she sick? Dying? Depressed? He had absolutely no idea. All he knew was she needed to wake up, because her sleeping this long was honestly scaring him.

Spike then caught a gray glimpse in the corner of his eye, and promptly ran outside to greet the male Unicorn in question. His coat was obviously gray, whereas his mane and tail were black. His eyes were chocolate brown, and held a 'brainy' gaze. His Cutie Mark was a red book, apparently a dictionary, along with a yellow wand.

“Webster, I need your help!” Spike cried out of the blue, making Webster raise his eyebrow with a skeptical expression. “Oh?” he inquired, said skepticism evident in his voice, “Might I inquire about this piece of work to be done which you seem mentally and physically unable of carrying out by yourself?”

It took Spike awhile to process that, “Uh... Twilight won't wake up.”

“And you are requesting my assistance for something this trivial...why?”

“I dunno. Maybe you could scare her awake with your big vocabulary!”

Webster's response was a harsh glare.

“...Please help?”

Webster wordlessly walked into the library and subsequently, Twilight's room, seeing really no other option, as he was sure Spike would keep bugging him about it. He noticed an open book on a table and walked to it curiously. After a brief glance, he found out it was some kind of study book. His horn glowed for a moment and he placed a bookmark in the page, then he promptly slammed the book closed.

Well, that woke Twilight up, as she shot out of bed and tackled a now very disgruntled Webster.

“Will you remove yourself from this current position?!” Webster cried rather angrily. Twilight blinked, until she realized he was basically saying 'Get off' and did so quickly. “Webster?” she inquired, looking very shocked, “What are you doing here?!”

“Perhaps I should request that you direct that query towards Spike.”

After taking a brief moment to translate that, Twilight then looked at Spike. “What?” he inquired, crossing his arms, “You wouldn't wake up, and I didn't feel trying that book method, and Webster just happened to be walking by and...” he noticed both ponies glaring at him, “Uh...I just remembered I was going to go help Rarity find gemstones. See ya!” With that, he made a beeline for the door and left the house.

“What a peculiar specimen,” Webster commented dryly, still looking ticked, “Which reminds me, I was going to see if I could locate a certain book...” Twilight sighed, knowing that meant he was going to be there longer. “What kind of book?” she asked.

“Why, a dictionary of course!”

“...Why did I even ask...?”

“For the reason that, your intellect is not as lofty as my own.”

Webster grinned smugly as Twilight glared daggers at him, then he walked off to look for the dictionary. Twilight didn't bother him, because the sooner he found the book, the sooner he'd leave, and the sooner he left, the sooner she wouldn't feel like she was going to scream. And that was a future worth waiting for.

As Webster seemed perfectly content to ignore the world around him, he failed to notice the ladder he was on wasn't exactly stable. Twilight noticed, and opened her mouth to say something, but by then Webster realized it was wobbling, before it literally collapsed under his weight and he hit the ground with a painful thud, some books following and braining him. Although, Twilight wasn't sure what surprised her more: What had happened, or Webster's immediate response.

“...That hurt.”

She hadn't thought it was possible, but he had spoken normally. Completely. No fancy sentence structure or abuse of a dictionary and a thesaurus.

“You okay?” Twilight managed as she ran over to help him, fighting the voice within her that was screaming at her to not do so. He got up, rubbed his head briefly, then gave her a glare that made her back away. “Do not accept as true or real for a brief interval of time that I have confidence in you actually caring about me.” he said bluntly, his horn glowing as he placed the book he needed in a saddlebag.

“Wait...what? But I...”

Webster left in a huff, not bothering to respond.

“...Never mind...”

Twilight rolled her eyes and then went to clean up the mess, levitating the books into place. She looked at the broken ladder briefly, rather annoyed. “...That went well...” she groaned, putting the last book where it belonged. After that was done, she noticed what time it was -and nearly panicked as a result. She had managed to sleep until the afternoon, almost late afternoon. She let out a frustrated sigh, then shrugged it off. She had things to do.

“Um, excuse me Twilight, but... I was wondering...if maybe...you could help me...”

Twilight turned around to face the owner of the voice, seeing Fluttershy. “Sure, what is it?” she asked, trying to smile. Fluttershy simply stared for a moment. “Um...you probably should...see it...first...but you don't have to if...you don't want to...” she replied shyly.

“Okay, show me what it is...”

Fluttershy responded with the faintest of smiles and walked out, Twilight following.

Somewhere else...

Two Pegasi were flying around some lovely white clouds, attempting to build something with them. Whatever it was couldn't be said for sure, but I believe it was a castle. Or rather, a fluffy abomination that tried in vain to believe it was a castle, even though it looked nothing like a castle. This was likely the doing of the younger, red-coated Pegasus, as she wasn't exactly practicing care or patience. Or even logical building structure. Perhaps the simple flame that was her Cutie Mark fit her personality, and not her talent, or lack thereof.

“Fire Sky, just wait...” the older, silver-coated Pegasus sighed, blue eyes showing a thinning patience. His dark gray and yellow mane flowed gently thanks to the wind as he flew up to his sister. His Cutie Mark was what appeared to be a lightning bolt, mostly silver with a streak of gold, in a dark gray cloud-like circle.

“Aw Silver Bolt, you're no fun!” Fire Sky whined, trying to force a small cloud to fit into her monstrosity, er, masterpiece. The cloud didn't want to cooperate, and promptly launched her into another cloud, as if it were a catapult. Her white and bright blue mane concealed her face after that, whereas her tail was continuously twitching as she laid on the cloud. “...You really need to be more careful,” Silver groaned, “Just take it easy and maybe-”

Silver never got to finish his sentence, as a loud yell echoed through his and Fire Sky's ears.

“MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! I'M COMING THROUGH!!”

Rainbow Dash's warning came too late, as by the time she said it, she had already zoomed right through the cloud thing from the underworld, destroying it, and knocked both Silver and Fire Sky off-balance, which caused them to slam unceremoniously into a pond below (oddly, the same pond Twilight and Emerald had crashed into the previous day). “...That did not just happen...” Fire Sky groaned. “I believe it did...” Silver assured.

“Uh, oops?” Rainbow muttered as she realized what had just happened, then she shrugged it off, “Eh, oh well.” With that, she continued flying as fast as she possibly could, practicing various tricks as she did so. A large, daredevil grin crept upon her features, and she started flying downward, gaining powerful momentum. She was getting closer and closer to the ground, preparing to fly upward any second and hopefully perform her desired action.

Just a little more...

Almost...

Rainbow let out a scream as some unforeseen force used her momentum against her and sent her flying right into a windmill, taking out a couple of vital beams, causing it to lose its stability. However, Rainbow was far too dazed to realize the windmill was falling apart and that she would be buried in its debris if she didn't get out of there fast enough. As she started to regain her senses, a cloaked figure suddenly grabbed her and pulled her out, the windmill collapsing immediately after.

Rainbow blinked in confusion, then noticed the pony that had saved her. “Uh, thanks Shadow...” she muttered, still unable to comprehend what had just happened. The odd Unicorn only opted to stare at her. “Attacking windmills is foolish,” Shadow said bluntly, “Do not try it.”

“But I wasn't attacking...!”

Shadow disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“...it... Fine! I didn't want to talk to you anyway!”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow took to the skies and left the area, promptly smashing into the mail pony, Ditzy Doo, who had seemingly come out of nowhere, causing them both to crash into some crates that were lying near a house, effectively destroying them, which would very likely frustrate the pony that was using them when he or she discovered their untimely demise.

“Hi Rainbow Dash!” Ditzy cried happily, seemingly oblivious to them crashing, “I have a letter for you!” With that, she pulled an envelope out of her saddlebag and handed it to the now very disgruntled Pegasus. Rainbow sighed and opened the envelope, reading the letter:

To Cloud Blast,

It has come to my attention that your special talent is not only bothersome but extremely dangerous! I ask that you either take your explosive business elsewhere or stop it altogether at once! If you do not do either of these things I will be forced to take action! Do you understand?!

Sincerely, the Mayor of Ponyville.

Rainbow then looked up from the letter and at Ditzy, giving her an 'Are you kidding me?' expression. “Sorry to burst your bubble...” she started slowly, and Ditzy promptly looked at her Cutie Mark in fear any of the bubbles burst, “But this is a letter to Cloud Blast, not me.” Ditzy's jaw dropped in surprise at her mistake. “B-but the envelope, it...!” she breathed, then she looked determined, “There must be an envelope addressed to Cloudy! That's sure to have the letter that you were supposed to get!” With that, the determined mare dug through her saddlebags, finding an envelope addressed to Cloud, handing it to Rainbow. Sure enough, it was the correct letter. Satisfied that all was right with the world, Ditzy flew off. She and Rainbow failed to see a Unicorn watching them with an amused look.

Rainbow looked at the letter and read it carefully, a look of skepticism in her eyes. When she was done, she put it back in the envelope and gripped it ever so lightly in her mouth. She contemplated flying back to her home, but then decided it would probably be safer to walk to it. As she started to trot through the streets, she ended up colliding with Emerald, who was asleep and on roller skates for some reason.

Crash!

“Oh, hi Rainbow Dash!” Emerald declared cheerily, “Good to see you! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be going home!” With that, she got up and took a couple gulps of her coffee, and then trotted off, oblivious to what had happened, the fact that she was on roller skates, and also that she was going in the wrong direction to get home.

“...Weirdo.” Rainbow stated plainly, rubbing her head. She scanned the area carefully for anymore potential disasters, and when she saw none, she made a mad dash for her home. Fortunately, she didn't run into anything problematic on her way there, a reality that relieved her to no end.

“Tch, nothing's gonna stop Rainbow Dash!” she declared haughtily, spreading her wings and flying up towards her home...

...only to smash into some kind of barrier and fall right back down.

“What gives?!” Rainbow cried indignantly, glaring up at the house, “You tryin' to keep me out?!” she flew upward and smashed into the invisible barrier again, “You are, aren't ya?!” she tried and failed again to get inside, “I won't let you beat me!” Needless to say, she kept trying and trying and trying and...you get the point.

After ten solid minutes, Rainbow was on the ground again, sitting on her haunches while rubbing her sore muzzle. Her whole body ached all over, and she could find no way through the barrier, or even a way around it. Whoever put it there was very thorough, and took great care to make sure it was Rainbow-proof. Nothing could get in, and there was a high chance nothing could get out as well.

The blue mare finally walked away from her home, ego effectively bruised. But she had much more pressing matters on her mind. Where would she sleep? She didn't have much money with her, if she had any at all, and the nights were getting colder. And what about Tank? He was probably worried sick about her, and he likely couldn't leave the house. And would he be alright without her?

She was sure that she was probably attracting some stares, but she didn't care as much as she normally would. If this was some sort of prank, it went too far. The culprit may as well have just left her with nothing. Because that's how she felt.

Meanwhile...

Ponies on a single tree branch.

This didn't happen everyday.

Mostly because rarely was a group of ponies stupid enough to try it.

Twilight and Fluttershy stared at the three ponies in question, disbelief and confusion evident. The three ponies standing on the poor branch were Cloud, a Unicorn mare, and a Pegasus colt. The Unicorn's coat was light blue, her mane and tail were dark blue, and her eyes were icy blue. Her Cutie Mark was a writing quill. The Pegasus' coat was a fiery red, his mane and tail were gray, and his eyes were dark blue. He had no Cutie Mark whatsoever. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the Unicorn, who shouted:

“Prepare for trouble from the skies!”

Cloud then shouted, “From beyond the stars, a nasty surprise!”

“An evil as old as the galaxy...”

“Sent here to fulfill our destiny!”

The Pegasus jumped up briefly, “Plus, there's me!”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!” the Unicorn cried.

“To extend our reach to the stars above!” Cloud shouted.

“Chaos Blender!”

“And Cloud Blast!”

“And Rocket Flash are the names!” the colt added.

“Anywhere there's peace in the universe...” Chaos started.

“Team Rocket...” Cloud continued.

“...will be there...” Rocket added.

“To make everything...worse!” all three yelled in triumph.

Crack!

The three ponies turned their attention to the branch, which had snapped under their weight and proceeded to make an appointment with the ground below. Rocket promptly flapped his wings and hovered, while Cloud and Chaos, not having such a luxury, ended up joining the branch on its ill-timed appointment, screaming the entire trip. Rocket snickered at the incident, then another branch broke and hit him smack on the head, dazing him enough to make him stop hovering and crash onto Cloud.

“Are they going to be okay?” Fluttershy asked softly, looking at the three worriedly. “Unfortunately, yes.” Twilight said irritably, nudging her friend along, wanting to get away from them as quickly as possible. Fluttershy didn't protest, but she did look back at the three as Twilight pushed her forward.

“I can't feel my brain anymore...” Chaos groaned, rubbing her head. “Your brain?” Rocket questioned, “W-what about mine?!” He clutched his head and winced, feeling a pretty big bump forming. “I don't think we really thought that one through...” Cloud stated painfully, a letter landing on his face, “Huh? What's that?”

“Hey, it's addressed to you!” Chaos cried cheerily, getting up. “What does it say?” Cloud sat up and looked at it, then began to read, “To Cloud Blast...”

Later...

“So what was the problem, anyway?” Twilight asked as they approached Fluttershy's home. “Well, um...” Fluttershy started, right as an enraged chicken lunged at her and randomly tried to peck her brains out, “No, stop that!” The chicken, having no desire to stop, moved from her head and tried to peck at her eye, but she moved out of the way. Twilight watched this with a freaked out expression, as Fluttershy decided to stare at the chicken and force her back into the chicken coop.

“...That's the problem?” Twilight finally managed after a few moments of complete silence. Fluttershy nodded in response. “I don't know why...” she stated softly, “But all my animals started getting...mean...”

“What do you need me for?”

“I was wondering if you could...make them act nice again somehow...I've tried everything I could, and nothing worked...”

“Well, I don't know if it'll work, but I can try...”

“Oh, would you? That would make me feel better...”

Twilight smiled weakly, then walked over to the chicken coop, peeking her head into it. The chickens all turned their heads and stared at her, looking slightly intimidated. “Um...hi.” Twilight said simply, her horn glowing. She closed her eyes and focused on what she wanted to achieve, a sharp pain going through her head as she did so. She winced and lost her focus for a second, but promptly recovered, a dull pain continuing to affect her as she sent a wave of energy throughout the small area.

“Oh, I think it's working!” Fluttershy shouted as best she could, risking a look at the chickens. Instead of looking like they wanted to go into berserker mode at the sight of her, they just looked happy. Twilight stopped once she noticed, feeling tired. The chickens remained content, showing it had indeed worked. Twilight closed her eyes shut, her head pounding. Fluttershy gave her a concerned glance. “It's nothing...” she informed her after opening her eyes and seeing the expression, “I'm just fine.” She then walked off to perform the same procedure on the other animals, Fluttershy following.

Later that night, at Sweet Apple Acres...

The purple Unicorn let out a chuckle as her horn glowed, slowly sucking the life out of an unfortunate apple tree with no difficulty whatsoever. After all, why would she of all ponies have trouble with something like this? That little 'headache' earlier was just for show. She was a lot more powerful than that!

Her ears perked up as she felt another presence, after the tree had completely withered. She looked around, seeing no one, but still sensing the strange presence. After a few seconds, she decided investigating it wasn't worth the risk of getting caught and left the farm quietly but swiftly.

After all, no one had to know it was her, right?

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Chapter 3: Things That Go Bump in the Night.

Shadow had watched the Unicorn run away, and had seen it fit to pursue her, hiding in the darkness so she wouldn't be seen. However, no matter how closely she followed the intruder, she always managed to lose her, until finally, the ninja could find no trace of her anywhere, as if she had just disappeared into thin air.

The dark blue Unicorn scanned the area with a critical eye, before deciding to look through the town briefly. She wasn't able to see the intruder fully, but recognized her presence, which was darkness, attempting to hide itself with innocence. She'd been sensing this presence for only a short time, and the stronger it got, the more perplexed she became. She knew none of these things were mere accidents. She had felt the dark presence every time something happened. That couldn't be a coincidence...

Shadow was brought out of her inner monologue as music played at an unholy volume, waking up pretty much every sleeping pony in Ponyville (except for Emerald; the mare could sleep in an active war zone and not be woken up). Shadow considered her options as lights turned on, and promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke. She didn't want to risk being seen and possibly blamed for what happened (the ponies in this town had their doubts about her, and she knew it).

Meanwhile...

The house the loud music was coming from happened to be the house of Vinyl Scratch, better known as DJ PON-3. Said Unicorn, however, was sound asleep, completely oblivious to the fact that her music player was on, and playing really really loud. How she could not notice was bizarre, but yet, there she was, sleeping peacefully and dreaming about who knows what.

“STOP THIS INFERNAL RACKET AT ONCE!”

A loud sound of something being kicked, followed by the record abruptly stopping.

Well, that woke up Sleeping Beauty.

Scratch groggily got out of bed, a baseball bat suddenly floating as her horn glowed. She really had no idea what just happened, and didn't feel like taking chances. However, of all the things she expected, the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie certainly wasn't one of them. The blue Unicorn was standing near the music player, having kicked it to turn it off (she was too ticked off by being woken up to bother pressing the 'Off' switch).

To say Scratch's reaction was deadpan would be an understatement, “I...what.”

“Hmph!” was the only response Trixie had, then she jumped out the open window, leaving Scratch further dumb struck. “...Am I missing something important?” she finally managed, blinking stupidly, “...How'd she get in, anyway? I thought I locked the window...”

At another house...

Emerald adjusted her telescope, her tongue sticking out as she concentrated. The music randomly playing had thrown her off, but she had managed to shrug it off and continue with her passion. Whereas the ponies knew her as a constantly tired, coffee-obsessed disaster area during the day, at night she was completely awake and totally competent. This was the side of her ponies rarely got to see, because they were usually asleep. But make no mistake, Emerald did in fact have a skill other than causing trouble without realizing it. Skill in astronomy and its science were her gift. And she was determined to star-gaze, and nothing could break her focus...

“Oh, hi Twilight Sparkle! Funny seeing you out here!”

Except her attention span when near other ponies.

Twilight visibly cringed at the voice, not exactly expecting anyone to say anything to her. Most of the ponies had gone back to sleep, anyway. Those that didn't were angrily surrounding Scratch's house, so she really wasn't expecting this. The only pony she had seen that was not with the group was Trixie, whom was very content to ignore her existence, so she didn't expect her to say anything, either.

“Um...hi Emerald...” Twilight said nervously once she regained her composure. “What're you doing out here?” Emerald asked cheerily, “Got woken up by the music?”

Brief hesitation, “Uh...y-yeah! I was just wondering where it was coming from.”

“The house of that DJ PON-3, me thinks.”

“I noticed...”

“I walked by there awhile ago.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. I saw the ponies surrounding her house as if it was a crime scene and they were law enforcement. This won't be pretty when she wakes up.”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but a shrill scream interrupted her, followed by a rumbling that could only be caused by a bunch of ponies running at once. “Aw, so soon?” Emerald seemingly whined, “I better put my telescope up... Hey Twilight, I wouldn't stand in the road if I were you.” Twilight gave her a puzzled look, then saw the 'stampeding' ponies, Scratch in front of them all, running in terror as they pursued her. The look on her face clearly showed she still had no idea what had happened.

Twilight stood there frozen for a moment, then promptly ran through Emerald's open door, the green Unicorn closing it and locking it, having put her telescope back inside. The rumbling grew greater as the large group of ponies passed the house. “Okay, standard procedure,” Emerald said bluntly, “Nopony goes outside, nopony gets flattened like a pancake, as Chaos would say.” The two then looked outside, hearing the ponies yell in rage as they chased the still very frightened Scratch.

“GET THE DJ!!! DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!”

“We'll teach you to disturb the peace!”

“Come back here so we can catch you!”

“Radar will be needed to find you when I get my hooves on you!”

“Why are we chasing her again?! I forgot!”

“Must be bad to be her right now.” Emerald said bluntly as the group effectively left Ponyville. Twilight only nodded nervously. “I...I hope she'll be okay...” she muttered, then she added hastily, “Anyway, it was nice seeing you, but I better get back home. Bye!” Emerald responded with a wave and a goofy grin as Twilight left her house.

Later...

“I hope Spike isn't awake...” Twilight muttered as she walked inside her home, only to be greeted by a very perplexed Dragon standing near the doorway, eyes on her. “Where were you?!” Spike cried, having been woken up by the music and 'stampede'.

“Uh...I was just seeing what was causing the music to play...”

“But it woke me up, and when I did, you were gone!”

“It woke me up first.”

“I woke up when it started playing!”

“Or you think you did.”

Spike crossed his arms and glared, but decided the 'argument' was getting them nowhere, and then went back upstairs. Twilight let out a sigh of relief, glad he didn't press the matter further. She walked over to her desk, her horn glowing as a small book floated over and was gently set down on the table, wincing slightly. She took a quick look over her shoulder before reading what was inside.

That morning...

“Why are you asking me for help again?” Rocket asked, looking dumb struck, “I really don't think this is something you need help for...” Spike shook his head. “This is the second time in a row!” he protested, “I've tried everything! She won't wake up! Please, you've gotta help me!”

“Well, okay then... Let me have a go!”

“Thanks Rocket! You're the best!”

“Eh, no problem, really...”

Spike promptly left the immediate area as Rocket began attempting to wake up Twilight. All of the colt's attempts were unsuccessful, even though they made a lot of noise and attracted attention from a bunch of curious and possibly frightened ponies (one of Rocket's attempts involved firecrackers which he -ahem- borrowed from Cloud).

“Whoa...” Rocket breathed after yet another failed attempt, laying down on his back, “...Am I seriously getting owned by a sleeping Unicorn?! This is crazy!” he promptly sprang to his feet, “No way! I'm not letting her win this easily! No sir!” He promptly started kicking the side of the bed frame, causing the bookshelf near it to shake slightly until eventually, a book fell.

It was then that Rocket put all the pieces to this puzzle together, and everything made sense.

And he most certainly did not like where it all led.

Rocket let out a cry as Twilight jumped out of bed and promptly tackled him, before realizing what had just happened and getting off. “...Rocket...?!” she managed after a lengthy silence, then she looked a bit ticked off. “W-wait, I c-can explain!” Rocket shouted in terror, putting up his front hooves defensively, “This wasn't my idea! It was Spike's!” at this Rocket's cries turned to a wail as he noticed her horn glowing, “Now please don't hurt me with your mind!!” With that, the terrified Pegasus zoomed out of the room, leaving Twilight dumb struck as she put the book back where it belonged, not intending to do whatever it was Rocket seem convinced she would do.

“...Oh great, not again...” Twilight groaned when she saw what time it was, “Ugh, I've got to get this under control...” She shook her head, then walked downstairs, hearing someone knocking on the door. Spike went to open it, and ended up sent flying across the room as Pinkie slammed it open, dressed like what appeared to be a detective gone ninja.

“Pinkie what's with all of...” Twilight managed as she examined the odd get-up, “...this.” Pinkie gave her a rather accusing stare. “You...you just gestured to all of me!” she shouted.

“Well, not exactly, it was just the outfit... It looks, um...how do I put it? Ridiculous.”

“I see where you're going, Missy! And you're playing a dangerous game!”

“But I...”

Pinkie suddenly struck a very cheesy pose, “I'm a ninja detective! And keeping all of this ninja-ness and detective-ness...contained...THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!”

“...What?” Spike blurted out after Pinkie's outburst. The pink Earth Pony dropped her pose and began staring them down, breathing slowly for a few seconds, then her eyes narrowed, making Twilight back away whereas Spike opted to grab a nearby empty flower pot and place it on his head, as if to protect it from something that could possibly happen.

“Listen,” Pinkie said in a rather serious tone, “If you want to know I'm doing, you're going to have to promise to keep it a secret!” Twilight and Spike exchanged brief glances, then decided they very likely wouldn't hear the end of it if they didn't promise to. “Okay, we promise...” Twilight replied.

“Do you swear?!”

“Yes...”

“Pinkie Pie Swear?!”

“...Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight and Spike both recited, sounding annoyed as they did so. “Well...okay!” Pinkie shouted cheerily, then her tone turned serious again, “The kitchen at Sugarcube Corner got destroyed again, the apple trees at Sweet Apple Acres keep dying, music plays for no reason mostly because I know DJ PON-3 didn't turn it on, Rarity's shop got trashed again, and I WANNA FIND OUT WHY!!”

Silence.

“Nopony must know I was here, okay? Nopony!”

Brief nods.

“That's good! See ya!”

Pinkie promptly ran out, with no explanation as to why she had come in the first place.

“...I have no idea what just happened, and I don't know whether to be excited or scared to find out,” Spike managed after a brief silence, “...And I assume you're going to continue studying and not worry about this, aren't you?” He sighed when he saw Twilight trying to levitate a study book, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she struggled to lift it. She didn't even respond to him.

Somewhere else...

“We hope you enjoyed your stay at our fine inn!” the overly cheery innkeeper exclaimed, smiling at Rainbow, who only responded with a very weak grin. “...Yeah...” she muttered numbly, “It was nice...”

“Wonderful to hear, my dear! And I wish you the best!”

“...Thanks...”

Without waiting for any response, Rainbow walked out of the inn, looking depressed. She felt lucky that she was able to afford to stay for one night, but that only solved a short-term problem. She didn't have any money to do anything else, so if that barrier wasn't gone, she wasn't sure what to do.

After a few minutes, she made it to her house, glaring up at it. She spread her wings and flew towards it, suddenly losing her melancholy mood and regaining her rash attitude, as she approached it at full speed. She regretted this the minute she smashed into the barrier, and fell to the ground, more painfully than last time.

She laid on her back for a few seconds, as if trying to comprehend what had just happened. Finally, she saw it fit to scream in rage and pain, a few tears trickling down her face as she did so. Other ponies heard her, but were too afraid to ask what was wrong. Some even thought it was just an act to get attention. A much smaller amount simply didn't care. But for some reason, Rainbow was almost glad no one tried to help. A shred of stubborn pride within her wanted to fix the problem herself.

Ceasing the screaming, Rainbow stood back up, wiping her tear-stained face. She then narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular, then walked off with a frustrated shriek, too upset to do anything else. Anyone that was watching simply had no idea what was upsetting her so, ignorant of the barrier and what she had to worry about.

Meanwhile...

“Yer tellin' me that the trees are bein' killed on purpose?” Apple Jack asked, staring at Shadow, “But ya don't know fer sure who it is?” Shadow nodded.

“...How do I know ya didn't go and do it yerself?”

“Tell me, what would I gain from that? It accomplishes nothing I want.”

“...Well fine. I'll believe ya...”

“Good. While I can't say for sure, if they come again, it will very likely be at night...”

Apple Jack didn't answer, but appeared thoughtful. “Well, if they come back, they've got another thing comin'!” she declared, running back into her home. Shadow then walked away, before disappearing from sight.

Somewhere else...

“...Ruined!” Rarity wailed as she stood in the center of her ruined shop, “It's all...ruined!” she shielded her face with her hoof over-dramatically, “I'm ruined if this keeps up! Why me?! What wrong have I done to anypony?!” Her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the floor, laying on her stomach, crying to high Heaven. If it was possible to flood her home with tears, she was certainly crying enough to perform such a feat.

“Aw, don't cry Rarity!”

Rarity's ears perked up, and she opened her eyes, a little bit worried. “...Why shouldn't I be upset?” she questioned indignantly, then her eyes widened when she saw what Pinkie was wearing, “...And my word! What is all of...” she struggled to find the right word, “...this.” Pinkie's jaw dropped and she gave the most appalled expression she could muster. “You just gestured to all of me, just like Twilight did!” she shouted, eyes burning with totally justified fury, “How could you?! And I was gonna help you, too! Now I just might not!”

“Oh for Heaven's sake Pinkie, I-”

“This wouldn't be happening if you had just said something nice about my awesome ninja detective costume, but noooooo...”

“Pinkie, darling...”

“You just had to gesture to all of me with a questioning look like this costume I spent all night was a bad thing and that my help is unwanted...”

Rarity cleared her throat, “...Pinkie.”

“And instead of feeling so sad like I did when I saw the state your shop was in, I just can't help but feel so mad, and-”

“PINKIE PIE!”

Pinkie instantly shut up and looked at Rarity with a dumb struck, completely innocent expression. “Yes, Rarity?” she asked sweetly, as if nothing had even happened. “...What is it you came here to do, darling?” Rarity replied, her patience with the pink Earth Pony still thin.

“Oh, that! I came here because I want to catch the Mean Meanie Pants who's been causing everypony so much trouble!”

“...That's lovely, but what do you need me for?”

“I want you to stay up tonight and guard your shop, in case the Mean Meanie Pants shows up again! I've already decided to guard Sugarcube Corner from whatever that extra naughty colt or filly will try!”

At this, Rarity stared at her in disbelief, blinking every so often. “You expect me to stay up oh so very late?!” she cried in shock, “But a lady needs her beauty sleep!” Pinkie only gave her a crooked grin. “Aunt Pinkie Pie expected this!” she declared, striking a very cheesy pose, “But honestly, you silly filly! Look at the mess that Mean Meanie Pants has made!”

“Frankly, my dear, I'd rather not keep looking. It isn't good for my health!”

“Well, do you want the culprit to do this again?! I bet you don't!”

“Of course I don't, darling.”

“But if you go to sleep, it will happen again! But...if you stay up and try to catch the culprit, you can stop it!”

“Yes, I suppose so...”

“Glad you agree! We attack at dusk!”

Pinkie then dashed out of the house before Rarity could object. The white Unicorn stared at the floor blankly. “...I suppose she is right...” she muttered, “I can't be idle while that ruffian tries to destroy everything everypony holds dear! Yes, I shall lie in wait!” she then levitated a baseball bat that had been hidden in a closet, “For the sake of my shop, and for the sake of Ponyville!”

Brief silence, as she tried to figure out something else to say.

“Once I finish with this mess!”

She then looked at the ruined dresses and materials, suddenly losing a good portion of her resolve. “…This is going to take forever…” she whined, setting the bat down, “…But I can’t leave it in this horrid state…” Sighing, she began putting anything that was still usable away, and throwing away anything that was ruined beyond redemption.

Explain

Chapter 4: Explain.

It was yet another night doomed to have something go wrong for the town, but for her, it was simply business as usual. As she walked under the cloudy sky, she couldn't help but laugh at how easy things had been. No one suspected her for anything that happened, despite her being the only one truly capable of inflicting so much damage so quickly and efficiently. But of course, why would they suspect her? Capabilities aside, she was simply too nice to do these things.

And that's what made things so easy.

Her horn glowed as she approached the locked door to Sugarcube Corner. Yeah, like a lock would keep her out... She had gotten better at teleporting recently, so as long as she knew where she was going, no locked door or gate would block her way. The fact that she was able to dim the flash of light when she teleported helped keep her hidden, too.

She looked around the dark, quiet shop briefly, seeing nothing that could cause a problem. Smirking, she walked into the kitchen, horn starting to glow, a small piece of dynamite which she had stolen from Cloud levitating out of her small saddlebags. She then lit it, and carefully set it on a counter where it would deal damage to the entire kitchen.

“Stop right there villain!”

She didn't even bother to look at the pink pony that was poking her head out of the cabinet. Instead, she immediately teleported to the outside, Pinkie only catching a glimpse of her before the dynamite exploded, wrecking the kitchen yet again. “...I was sure I had the culprit this time!” Pinkie, now covered with soot, shouted in distress, “I'm going to have to follow them!” With that, she jumped out the broken window, but saw no trace of the mysterious lavender Unicorn that seemed determined to ruin everyone's day.

"...Should have known Pinkie would be lying in wait..." the Unicorn muttered to herself as she approached Rarity's home after teleporting to it to evade the hyperactive 'ninja detective', “But I don't have time to worry about her.” She looked up at the clouds again, noticing how dark they were getting. Looking back at the boutique, her horn glowed and she promptly teleported into the building, a bit surprised to see its owner asleep at a desk.

'Probably up late designing something...' she reasoned, choosing to ignore Rarity for now. She promptly levitated all the materials, dresses, and mannequins in the room, knowing that a small error could wake up the white pony too soon. Seeing that everything was aligned the way she wanted it...

Crash! Thud! Smack!

Rarity immediately woke up at the noise and flash of light, levitating a baseball bat that had been near her the entire time, “GET AWAY FROM HERE YOU RUFFIAN!”

THWACK!

“OWIE!”

Silence, as Rarity realized she had, in fact, not hit the culprit.

“You...you hit me with a bat!” Pinkie cried, indignation evident in her currently shrill voice as she clutched her helmet-covered head, having been previously hiding in some box. “I know, dear, and I apologize...” Rarity replied, “...I thought you were the one who...” she looked around her shop, which was an absolute wreck, “...did this...”

“Of course I'm not, you silly filly!”

“Yes, yes, I know, darling. Are you alright?”

“I've never been better!”

As if to emphasize this point, the helmet suddenly split in two and slid off Pinkie's head.

Rarity's only response was her left eye twitching uncontrollably.

The Unicorn watched the two leave the boutique, and immediately went in the opposite direction of them. They weren't supposed to figure out it was her; that wasn't in the plan. And that ninja pony was annoying enough, therefore she didn't need Pinkie or anyone else trying to catch her. Ignoring the fact that the two would likely keep looking for her, she came up to Fluttershy's cottage and stood between it and the chicken coop.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, and taking a brief glance at the rainclouds above, she then focused on her task, her horn glowing brightly as a purplish wave surrounded the immediate area. This lasted for a few seconds, until...

“I'VE GOT YOU NOW!!!”

“Oh, for the love of...” the Unicorn grumbled, not bothering to finish the sentence as she again teleported away, Pinkie attempting to pounce on her, having been hiding in a nearby barrel. However, since she was no longer there, the pink pony slammed into a now very disgruntled chicken, which had walked over there for whatever reason. The chicken shrieked, pecked Pinkie on the head, and then ran off still shrieking, all the other chickens deciding they should join her, beginning to shriek as well. A shrill scream was heard in the cottage, and Fluttershy promptly flew out the window, followed by a less than amused Angel and some very ticked off birds, plus a frog. Wherever it came from.

“Pinkie, I insist you slow down and-OH GOOD HEAVENS!” Rarity screamed, seeing the disaster area, “WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!” Ignoring Fluttershy's desperate pleadings for help as all her animals tried to attack her, Pinkie turned to Rarity. “That Mean Meanie Pants has struck again!” she stated as it was the most obvious thing in the world, while a cat suddenly hissed furiously in the background for some reason or another.

“...So I see...”

“Come on! If we stand around here, we'll lose that meanie! Fluttershy, you come with us, too!”

Pinkie then zoomed off, leaving the other two to stare at each other, blink, and then follow.

Later...

“...I'm guessin' whoever has been killin' the trees ain't comin' tonight...” Apple Jack muttered as she stared intently at the trees a few feet from her. She may have taken over the watch an hour ago, but it may as well have been a century. She hadn't seen anything, and it was getting difficult to stay awake. Too difficult. She knew it would probably be a good idea to go elsewhere, particularly with how the clouds seemed to be threatening rain, but she was nodding off. A few minutes wouldn't hurt, right?

Before she could close her eyes completely, Apple Jack caught a glimpse of lavender in the corner of her eye, and turned her head in the direction of it, seeing a lavender Unicorn using magic to drain the life from a tree. Her eyes opened wide and she was fully awake when she realized who it was, but before she got the chance to say anything...

“WE ARE NOT GOING TO POUNCE THE CULPRIT RIGHT NOW!”

Apple Jack was unable to give any kind of reaction as Pinkie came out from inside her hat and charged at the Unicorn, causing Apple Jack to be shoved face-first into the ground, her hat off to the side. “...That did not just happen...” Apple Jack managed, spitting out whatever grass or dirt ended up in her mouth as she stood upright, “...It just...thinks...it happened...”

Before Apple Jack could do anything else, she heard two ponies run up behind her, and then panting. She turned around, seeing a very tired Rarity and Fluttershy. “Before you say anything,” Rarity breathed, irritation evident, “This was Pinkie's idea!” Fluttershy gave her a blank stare, as if to question why that valuable piece of information was kept from her this entire time.

“...What was Pinkie's idea...?” Apple Jack asked, as the Unicorn, clearly Twilight, suddenly ran by them as fast as she could, Pinkie pursuing with reckless abandon, “Ya know what? I don't really care at the moment.” Without another word, she joined in on the chase, determined to catch the culprit and ask her why she would do such a thing.

Crickets were chirping as Rarity and Fluttershy stood there in silence. “Um, should we follow them?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “Yes, darling.” Rarity replied, not looking enthusiastic. Nonetheless, the two chased after the others, running past a tree with blankets on a large branch. The sleeping pony in question was woken up by the noise, startled.

“Hey, what's the big idea?!” Rainbow shrieked, not at all pleased that she was woken up. She looked at the group, blinking in confusion. She then jumped off the branch and flew after them, wanting to know what was going on. First she was unable to fly back into her own home, and now this.

It didn't take long for the group to end up back in the town, and it most certainly wasn't going to take long for the chase to dissolve into a completely chaotic mess. Which is exactly why the rainclouds decided they were waiting way too long, and a downpour immediately started, drenching everyone and everything within seconds.

“NO FAIR!” Rocket's muffled voice cried within a soaked cardboard box as he tore and punched his way out. “...Just what are you doing at this hour, in a storm, hiding in a cardboard box of all things?” Rarity breathed as she tried to ignore her now ruined mane as much as possible, the others pursuing Twilight. “To be quite honest...” Rocket replied, placing his front hoof on his forehead, deep in thought, “I have no earthly idea.” With that, the colt ran off to Chaos' house.

“Oh, why did such a dreadful downpour have to happen tonight?!” Rarity cried, glaring up at the clouds, which only served to get a lot of raindrops in her eyes, disorienting her briefly. After she regained her focus, she then critically scanned the area for the others, seeing Twilight standing in the center of the street, her expression daring someone to be crazy enough to go after her. At this, Rarity decided to consider her options. If she charged towards Twilight, there was a very high chance that she would get mud all over her hooves thanks to the rain, or worse, trip and fall into a puddle of mud and then get it all over her. But if she remained there, no doubt her friends would not be pleased. It was really a lose-lose situation. Decisions, decisions.

“Why must it always be so hard?!” the white Unicorn whined, as if the world was possibly ending, “But I must think of my friends...” She looked back at Twilight, feeling her left eye twitch at the lavender pony's still taunting gaze. It was an expression that the longer Rarity stared at it, the more infuriated by it she became. “It. Is. On!” she yelled in rage, and ignoring her fear of the mud for at least ten seconds, she charged towards Twilight, whose expression shifted from taunting to downright mocking. This only served to make Rarity even angrier, and caused her to ignore the mud all over her hooves even more.

Either the heavy rain and darkness of nighttime was making it difficult to see, or she was completely and totally oblivious to everything else around her, but Rarity failed to notice Apple Jack running towards Twilight from the left, Fluttershy running (to the best of her ability) from the right, Pinkie coming up from behind Twilight, or a very confused Rainbow about to launch herself into the general area where her friends were, from a roof she had been forced to land on due to the storm. It seemed none of the five ponies noticed each other.

Twilight stood there pawing at the ground expectantly, as the first four ponies came closer while Rainbow landed on the ground and slid in the mud, managing to regain her balance quickly, sprinting towards the others. Twilight smirked and her horn glowed, realization of what she was planning on doing suddenly dawning on Rainbow. “W-wait!” the rainbow Pegasus yelled as loudly as possible, struggling to stop as she slid forward, having been running too fast. But the warning and realization of what was about to happen came too late, and Twilight promptly teleported away, causing everyone to crash into each other, also unable to stop fast enough to prevent such an epic collision.

“Hey guys!”

Everyone visibly cringed as Emerald's voice could clearly be heard, before the pony walked up to them, apparently having seen absolutely nothing. “Whatcha doin' in a puddle of mud and in the rain?” she inquired, “I don't think that's healthy!” she suddenly looked thoughtful, “Here, have some umbrella!” With that, she detached the umbrella from her saddle and levitated it over the very disgruntled group, still grinning widely as they all regained their composure.

“...Why are you smiling...?” Rainbow finally asked as she stood upright, trying to shake some of the mud off, “...It's really starting to freak me out.” This only prompted Emerald to grin even more. “I'm smiling because I don't know what the pineapple is going on.” she said overly cheerily, as if stating the sky was blue, even though that isn't an accurate description with the storm around.

“O...kay...”

“Oh! My beautiful mane and coat are ruined!” Rarity shrieked as tears formed, clearly having her priorities straight. “...I think the mud is the least of our problems, Rarity.” Apple Jack stated bluntly, looking very annoyed.

“Must you be so insensitive?”

“Is there a problem?” Emerald inquired, worried that an argument might ensue. “We've been chasing Twilight all night!” Pinkie cried, apparently not afraid to tell Emerald such things, “Do you know where she is?”

“In the library of course! I just walked by there.”

“Thanks!”

Giving the info no second thought, Pinkie zoomed off, leaving the others in the dust, or rather mud, as there really isn't any dust right now. “If we're chasing Twilight...” Rainbow managed, as the others stared in the direction Pinkie went, “...Why would she go to the library? You know, the one place we're guaranteed to look for her in... Guys?”

The others had run off after Pinkie.

“...I really have no idea what's going on...”

“Cool, because neither do I!” Emerald cried rather happily. Rainbow's only response was a facehoof, before speeding off towards the library, Emerald following for whatever reason. Whatever was going on, she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

“Guys, can you just chill for one second and tell-AHHH!” Rainbow tried, but was immediately sprayed by a water hose, any mud that was not washed off by the rain removed, “...Honestly...” Apple Jack promptly pointed an accusing hoof towards Rarity, and Rainbow decided to consider this the least of her problems.

“I see a candle light...” Pinkie stated, as if that information was too difficult for the others to find, “That means she's here!” With that, Pinkie decided to knock, and waited anxiously as the lights turned on. Twilight then casually opened the door and opened her mouth to say something, but was unable to as Pinkie tackled her the second she opened the door.

“How could you be such a Mean Meanie Pants?!” Pinkie shrieked, pinning down the very disgruntled Unicorn, “Blowing up the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner, trashing Rarity's shop, making Fluttershy's animals all mean, killing poor Apple Jack's trees, and everything else that has gone wrong these past few days!” she then glared at the now very dumb struck and extremely worried Twilight, “And all we wanna know is...why would you do it?!” Twilight continued to stare at her in shock, trying to make sense of the accusations that had been thrown her way. “I...I don't know what you're talking about...” she protested weakly.

“Playing dumb, huh?! Well that won't work here, Missy! We've done careful research, and have caught you red-hoofed!”

“But I-”

“I saw a purple Unicorn at Sugarcube Corner! I saw one at the boutique! And I also saw one running away from Fluttershy's cottage! And then finally, we catch you in the act of killing those trees! And there are no other purple Unicorns in town, so by process of elimination, it must've been you I saw at the crime scenes! Now confess!”

“...I didn't do any of those things! I wouldn't do any of those things! And I've been studying all night! A-and even if I wanted to, I can't do any of the actions you're accusing me of! My magic is too weak!”

“Doesn't seem like the truth ta me,” Apple Jack piped in as she and the others came into the library, closing the door as lightning flashed and thunder boomed, “I know what I saw, and it was nopony else. It was you killin' the trees, and your magic was just fine dandy! I don't want ta believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes.” Twilight then looked at Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow helplessly, hoping one of them would disagree. “I saw you run away from the farm, and I saw you standing the in the middle of the street taunting me and everypony else to chase you just so you could leave at the last minute and make us crash!” Rarity shouted indignantly, still very upset about the mud.

Afterwards, a frightened squeak was heard.

“...Fluttershy...” Rarity managed, nudging the timid pony, “Would you be a dear and just say it already?” The only response was another squeak, before Fluttershy was able to raise her voice, “”I saw you at the farm, and in the street, too!” she then laid down and covered her face with her hooves, adding in a small voice, “...I thought you were nicer than that...”

All eyes turned to Rainbow, who was looking very red, and in the angry sense of the term. “Can anypony tell me what it was I just heard?!” she finally snapped, looking as if she would burst into flames due to rage. And if she were a Unicorn, that outcome was even more likely. “Get off her,” she demanded, shoving Pinkie off of Twilight and helping her stand up, before glaring at the others, “I can't believe you guys! She's our friend, and you decide to treat her like this?!”

“Don't ya go and act like ya didn't see anythin'!” Apple Jack shouted, still angry and now confused. “All I saw was her standing in the street,” Rainbow argued, not at all calming down, “And I don't believe that was her!”

“Then care ta explain why it was her we all saw tonight?”

A slight pause, “...Oh come on! You don't believe somepony would've pretended to be her?! Somepony with a grudge and the skills to create such an illusion to do these things is easier to believe than a good friend actually doing it!”

“Um...” Emerald said timidly, “I have no idea what the pineapple is going on. May I go home?” Everyone in the room stared at her in annoyance, no one really wanting her there in the first place. “You're excused.” Rarity stated plainly, eye twitching.

“Yay!”

With that, Emerald left the library.

“Now Rainbow, what of that letter Twilight sent you after you crashed into the windmill?” Rarity inquired, not wanting to believe Twilight had sent it, but seeing nothing to prove she did not, “How did it go, again? 'Nice job breaking it, Rainbow Crash'?” Twilight's eyes widened in shock and she tried to protest, but nothing came out of her mouth. “You honestly believe she'd say that to me?” Rainbow retaliated, snorting.

“Look darling, I'd like to believe you, but it was in her own hoof-writing.”

“Don't care. I'm sure there's a way for Unicorns to copy another's hoof-writing.”

“...Can we please stop fighting?” Fluttershy begged, hiding in a corner and looking very conflicted. “You know what?” Rainbow said, her voice becoming strained, “Us fighting is probably what whoever did this wants! Didn't any of you think about that?”

“...Maybe...I mean...it's possible...but...I just don't like seeing my friends angry at each other...”

The silence that followed was suffocating, as everyone felt as if something was even more wrong. Twilight nervously backed away, the tension getting to her, as tears formed in her eyes. Rainbow was still glaring at the others, but it seemed as if her tongue refused to let her say anything else, though she clearly wanted to.

Twilight stopped backing away when she came to a window. She turned to look at it right as lightning flashed, seeing a very tall cloaked figure with wings and a horn staring at her intently. She let out a shriek and jumped away from the window, catching the attention of the others. “What is it?” Rainbow asked, while the others opted to stare. “T-there's something there...” Twilight managed, trying to keep herself from looking out the window again.

Rainbow promptly ran over to the window and looked outside it, seeing a vague shape move as lightning flashed again, only to reveal nothing. “...Huh?” the rainbow mare managed, unsure of what had happened. “I don't see anythin'.” Apple Jack stated plainly as she checked another window, everyone else doing the same.

“...I think I saw something.”

“Y'all were probably imagining it.”

“I know I saw something!” Twilight cried, still shaking. “I think you're just saying that so we'd think it was a horrible monster that did it!” Pinkie cried, pointing an accusing hoof at Twilight.

“No, that isn't true!”

“ENOUGH!” Rainbow screamed, her voice cracking, “If all you're going to do is keep blaming her, then just leave already!” The unnatural irritability was getting to her, and she wanted nothing more than for it to just leave. “If that's the way you wanna be, then fine!” Pinkie cried, opening the door, walking out, and slamming it over-dramatically, leaving the others to wonder why she was crazy enough to go outside in the rain and lightning. Nonetheless, Apple Jack, Rarity, and Fluttershy followed her, the looks on their faces pained.

Rainbow let out a sigh of relief, some of the discomfort leaving her. But she still couldn't shake the feeling that someone, or something, made this happen. She couldn't believe that the others would act like that. Not without something making them do so for its own purposes. They all should know that, after Discord...

“...Thank you.” Twilight's voice was soft, but it was still enough to snap Rainbow out of her inner monologue. “...Heh, no problem...” was the response, “It's what...friends are for, right?” Twilight didn't respond, instead walking towards the stairs, too tired to do anything else. Rainbow, however, stood where she was, staring at the floor.

“...Wait.”

The lavender mare stopped and looked at her friend. “What is it?” she asked, looking concerned. “I, well...can't really go home in this weather...” Rainbow explained, a tad embarrassed, “...Could I stay here for the night?”

“Of course you can.”

“Thanks a lot.”

Responding with a weak smile, Twilight then led her friend upstairs to a small guest room. “Good night.” she said, though it sounded dull and forced. “Uh-huh...” was Rainbow's only response as she walked in and closed the door. Twilight stood there for a moment, then headed towards her room, resisting the urge to scream when she found Shadow Star of all ponies in the hallway, sitting on her haunches and calmly sharpening a knife.

“S-Shadow...?” Twilight stuttered, sufficiently freaked, “Why are you...? How did you...?” Shadow then looked up at her, expression unreadable. “It was raining,” she stated plainly, “I saw a library. I came in.”

“...Are you the one I saw outside?”

“No. I came in before the lightning. It is unwise to stand there in a storm like that. And I am neither tall nor a stallion.”

“...Wait...how would you know who that person was?”

“I do not know who they are. I merely stared at them intently so I knew they were a pony and not a creature from the depths of the underworld.”

Twilight made no response, instead choosing to dwell on this odd turn of events. First all her friends but Rainbow blame her for all the bad things that had happened, then she saw the silhouette of someone, and now a ninja had decided to come in uninvited, without anyone knowing she came. And the ninja had a knife, no less.

“...Your aura confuses me,” Shadow spoke up, staring at Twilight so intently that it made her shuffle her hooves nervously, “Please work on that.” Shadow then put the knife and its sharpener away, and trotted down the stairs, as if nothing had happened. “...Huh?” was all Twilight managed. Finally, she got over it and went into her room, crawling into the bed, in hopes of getting some amount of peace that night.

But at this point, one might wonder why she bothered hoping for that.

Dark Memories

Chapter 5: Dark Memories.

Twilight decided that she must've been dreaming, because she had no idea how she ended up in this dark, foggy area. She could barely see the cold stone floor under her hooves, as the fog was so thick and enveloping. She tried lighting up her horn, but it didn't help her see well enough to be worth it. As if there was anything to see. It was all a vast emptiness. Nothing more.

“Hello?” she dared to say, receiving no response other than an echo, confirming that she most likely was alone like she thought she was. She wasn't sure whether it would be safe to stay where she was or continue forward aimlessly. Neither option seemed helpful in this place. But it was a dream. What was the worst that could happen, either way?

Nervously, she walked forward, the clopping of her hooves echoing with each step she took. She looked around the empty place, a feeling of having been there before eating at her. But nothing was there that she recognized. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her. There was no other answer that she could think of.

Her walking abruptly stopped when she bumped into someone or something, having not been looking in front of herself (she had no reason to before). She backed away a bit and looked at who it was more clearly, letting out a shriek and running away when she recognized him as the one she had seen during the storm.

She hadn't gotten far before she found the tall cloaked pony standing in front of her again, no explanation as to how he had gotten there. “Why hello there...” he said coolly, the cloak hiding his face and rendering his expression unreadable. Twilight chose to run away again, finding him in front of her once again, and the process repeated itself a few more times, before she realized there was no getting away from him.

“Are you done?” it was hard to tell whether his tone was amused or bored as he said those words. “What do you want?” she managed, trying to glare at him but failing.

“I'm here to talk to you about those things you did.”

“What things?”

“You should know.”

The already cold air seemed even colder as she realized what he was talking about. “I didn't do those things!” she protested as forcefully as possible. “Yes you did.” the stallion stated plainly, his voice firm and absolute. Her glare intensified as she tried to think of a way to combat his words, as the simple truth clearly wasn't going to affect him in the slightest.

“If I actually did those things, I'd remember!” she shouted, unable to think of anything else quickly enough, “But I don't! Read my memories, I don't care. And what about my horn? Every time I try to use it, I get a headache! My magic is too weak to do any of those things!” She then felt as if something was probing through her mind, but the mysterious pony made no movement. “You simply erased your memories of doing those things and pretended to be weaker, so you'd appear innocent,” he said, the probing feeling gone, “And you kept a journal of all these things to read and reverse the effect of the memory wipe. Of course, you put it in a place only you would think to look, so no one else would know. You just didn't read it tonight.”

“T-that's a lie!”

“Is it? Well, you can find out for yourself soon enough.”

“That doesn't tell me why I'd hurt my friends or anypony else!”

The stallion then walked a bit closer to her, and she felt something holding her in place. “I will shatter the bliss of ignorance that shrouds your life.” he said calmly,walking closer to her, his horn glowing. “Get away from me!” Twilight yelled in response, as he lowered his head so that his horn touched her forehead.

Any protests died within her throat as it felt as if he was tearing apart her mind and dragging shards of it out, the pain leaving her unable to say anything. She began to feel dizzy and everything around her became a blur as he continued. Soon, the fog disappeared as her vision cleared, revealing a castle courtyard. There was no trace of the stallion anywhere.

The sound of running caught her attention and she turned around to see five guards approaching her, looks of determination upon their faces. Twilight suddenly noticed that she was taller than them for some reason, but that soon became the least of her concerns when the guards each went into an attack stance, eyes on her.

“...Please tell me you're joking.” it was her voice, but laced with malice. The leader of the guards made no response, instead choosing to charge at her. A sigh of annoyance left her mouth, despite her desiring no such action. Though she wanted to get out of the Earth Pony's way and ask him what was going on, it was as if her body had a mind of its own, as she stood there staring intently at him, raising a dark blue hoof and slamming it right into his neck before he got a chance to do anything, and shoving him off to the side, unable to move but still breathing, albeit very shakily.

“I assure you, I can do much worse than that.” she stated with sickening glee as she turned to the other guards, unable to control her own words. A smirk crept upon her lips as she saw the fear in their eyes. Nonetheless, the Unicorns' horns started glowing and the Pegasi flew upward, eyes still on her. A starry, navy blue mist suddenly gripped the first Unicorn's throat and started squeezing, stopping his attack. He tried in vain to pull it off, but his hooves went through it.

'Stop it!' Twilight shrieked within her mind, but her body refused to obey, continuing to choke the unfortunate guard. His partner unleashed his attack and blasted her with fire, making her let go. She gritted her teeth at the pain, narrowing her eyes at him, before tackling and pinning him down in one swift motion, leaving him no chance to counter. She struck the interfering Pegasi with ice, causing them to crash into the ground, before turning her attention back to the Unicorn. Smiling wickedly, she raised her right hoof ominously over his horn, before bringing it down and shattering the horn.

Though she felt frozen inside by the look of horror and pain on the Unicorn's face, Twilight jumped into the center of the courtyard, spread two large wings and moved her body into an attack stance, as more guards ran out of all the doors entering the courtyard. Her horn glowed brightly, and soon a circle of fire began to spin around her, spreading rapidly. She flew out of the flames and watched the guards scramble to get out of harm's way as she hovered high above them.

A lone Pegasus had managed to fly upward and reach Twilight, preparing to slam her hooves into her and knock her down into the flames. Twilight noticed her in the corner of her eye and spun around, kicking her in the face and making her fall to the ground below. The annoyance finished with, her horn glowed again and a large fireball began to form, which she pointed in the direction of the still burning courtyard.

“STOP THIS RIGHT NOW TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”

Though she was filled with terror inside, her expression only showed annoyance and hatred as she turned to face a much younger and smaller Celestia, the fireball dissipating. “That isn't my name anymore,” Twilight responded coldly, “And I won't stop until the night never ends!” Celestia responded with a very hurt and betrayed expression, hovering above the flames. “You're not like this...” she said sadly.

“How would you know? You barely know me.”

“I know because you were forced to be this way.”

“I can only be forced if it is not something I wish to do.”

The smoke rising from the flames was making it difficult for them to breathe, but neither flew to a safer place. They stayed hovering above the courtyard, staring into each other's eyes. “Things don't have to be this way,” Celestia tried to reason, clearly unwilling to fight, “You and Luna don't have to do any of this. You'll gain nothing but hatred from it!” Twilight wished she could answer with her own words, as this was beginning to hurt even more. “Oh, but I think we do,” came an answer she did not want to give, “They have never liked her. And you just ignored her growing jealousy towards you, and her anger towards them, thinking it would be alright. And me? I want you all to pay for the way you've treated her!”

“This won't solve anything!”

“I! Don't! Care!”

Celestia appeared to want to protest, but no words left her mouth. “Your precious 'Luna' no longer exists,” Twilight snapped, before raising her voice so everyone could hear amidst the chaos below, “Hail Nightmare Moon, the true Queen of Equestria! All shall love and obey her! And all who that reject her, shall perish!”

'Stop this, please!' Twilight thought frantically, and if she were able to cry, she would have been. She was met with no response other than a silent rejection, as she unwillingly continued the 'speech' to Celestia and everyone else that was there. “And know me as the one that shall destroy everything you hold dear should you rebel against your Queen!” she yelled, seeing the looks of terror from a few still visible guards.

'I don't want to see this anymore!'

'That's too bad.'

She recognized the voice of the stallion from before, 'Why are you doing this?!'

'I'm showing you how bad you can be.'

There was one last thing to say: “Know me as Twilight Despair!”

All Twilight remembered seeing clearly was the betrayed look on Celestia's face, as the world around her began to swirl and all colours blurred, before she found herself in the fog with the stallion once more. She glared at him, all the tears she wasn't allowed to shed beginning to stream down her face and blind her.

“What you saw was real.” he answered the unasked question, shattering the otherwise torturous silence between them. “I don't believe you!” she protested, choking on her tears, “It isn't real!”

“Yes it is.”

“You're lying!”

“No. That was you.”

Giving Twilight no chance to respond, he turned away and walked deeper into the fog, leaving her all alone. She stood there, practically frozen, trying to convince herself what she had seen was just a lie created by him. She wouldn't hurt her friends, and she certainly wouldn't attempt to burn down a courtyard. And she wouldn't hurt Celestia.

But she couldn't get rid of that doubt...

It didn't take long for her to wake up, seeing that it was still dark outside. She tried closing her eyes, but all her mind wandered to was what she saw, despite her best efforts. It felt too real. But dreams could feel real at times; why should she worry? It was probably nothing. Yes, it had to be...

Her eyes snapped open and her body became filled with a frantic energy, before she practically flew out of the bed and ran to a mirror. She immediately closed her eyes and turned away from it, second-guessing her previous decision, half from fear and the other half from how ridiculous it seemed. It was just a dream; she had nothing to prove or disprove. Worrying about it was pointless.

Content that there was no reason to be afraid, Twilight opened her eyes and looked into the mirror, biting back a scream when the face that greeted her was most definitely not her own face, but the face of a dark blue Alicorn. Her mane was mostly a navy blue mist, complemented by a streak of pink and another of purple. But her eyes were far more striking, and unnerving. They were just like Nightmare Moon's, only violet, and though filled with cold hatred, the likeness they held was unmistakable. They were Twilight's.

Twilight held her breath, and the Alicorn in the other side of the mirror did the same. She then raised her right hoof, and the Alicorn mimicked it. She even mimicked the slightest movement of Twilight's eyes and ears very precisely. Even amidst her hate-filled eyes, she held a tinge of the worry Twilight herself was showing. Twilight turned away from the mirror, and the Alicorn followed suit, and they both walked away from it, looking back briefly to see the other doing the same. No matter how hard Twilight tried, she couldn't convince herself it was just an hallucination.

She decided to look at her hooves for a moment, seeing that they were lavender like they should be. Her mane and tail certainly weren't mists, and she definitely didn't have wings. Nor was she the size of Celestia. The only thing she could not confirm was her eyes, as the mirror would only show her the Alicorn, and nothing else.

Though she knew she would likely regret it, she began to look for the journal the stallion spoke of. It would be easy for him to make that Alicorn appear in the mirror, but he certainly couldn't make a book with such things out of thin air. It just couldn't be done!

“Where would be the place only I would think to look...?” Twilight whispered to herself, looking around. It wasn't the chest, nor was it under the bed. It wasn't anywhere in the room. Of course, nowhere in this room was a place Spike wouldn't think to look if something was up, given the state Twilight had found the room in one not-so-fine day when Spike claimed he thought she was kidnapped by ninjas, which was also the day Shadow first showed up in Ponyville...

Long story short, Twilight was in fact not kidnapped by ninjas; she was just trying to find Shadow in order to talk to her and welcome her to the town, but all she ever got out of the strange Unicorn was her name and nothing more, before she vanished. Spike, however, thought Shadow and some extra, imaginary ninjas were holding Twilight hostage, and frantically searched Twilight's room for any clue to her whereabouts. Why he thought he'd find a clue in her sock drawer was anyone's guess. But he was indeed quite thorough in that search, even if it left the place an absolute mess.

Yes, no place in this room was safe from him...

Twilight shook her head and glanced at the sleeping Dragon, taking care not to wake him as she opened the door and left the room. She then walked down into the library itself, taking a careful look around. No, there wasn't a place only she would think to look amongst all those books, either. It just wasn't the smartest place to hide anything she deemed worth such measures.

'...There's only one other place I can think of...' Twilight thought to herself, walking to the basement door and opening it. Spike, among others, rarely went into the lab, so if she were to hide anything, it would have to be somewhere in there...away from the chemicals, if it was flammable. She gave a quick glance at the large machine sitting there, unused, wincing at the memory of when she had taken Pinkie inside the lab a long time ago, trying to figure out her nonsensical Pinkie Sense.

Shrugging off the memory, she then scanned the room carefully, then decided to walk over to a small drawer. She opened it up and looked through the papers and tools, finding a dark brown book that very closely matched the colour of the drawer itself. She picked it up out of curiosity and began reading it, unsure of what it was.

'...How many trees has it been now? Six? Yes, I think that was it.
If this problem persists, it's going to eventually take its toll on the farm.
Oh, where would Apple Jack and her family go if they had to get rid of their land?
I can't think of any place nearby that could possibly benefit them.
...Well, perhaps I can cut down on how many I kill a night...
But where would be the fun in that?'

The book wavered slightly, as Twilight nearly lost her hold on it, due to both shock and her own continuing weakness. She noticed a small desk in the corner and sat down at it, placing the book on the desk. She continued to read, even though something screamed inside her not to.

'It's a shame that Sugarcube Corner may end up failing...
But the amount of bits they have to spend to repair all the damage done each night is staggering.
How can they have enough to pay for that, and the supplies they need to bake?
It's simple; they can't. They'll end up going out of business.
Which means Pinkie wouldn't have a job, or a home.
Odd how something that seems trivial can really mean so much to one pony.
I do feel a bit guilty, but I won't let that stop me.'

Her ear twitched as she recognized the hoof-writing as her own.

'...Why did I target Rarity? Her wailing is driving me insane!
All those destroyed materials and ruined outfits seem to stress her out so much.
I can hardly blame her, though; her reputation does hinge on them more than anypony realizes.
If they're in ruins, she has to get more, and if she has to get more, that wastes time.
With such a problem, it's obvious she won't have enough time to finish a project.
And what would all those fancy ponies think if she can't finish on time?
She is finished, then. Perhaps I should leave her alone for a bit...
But I honestly don't care about her.'

She bit her lip.

'I'm honestly surprised Rainbow made it through the crash into the windmill without serious injury.
Perhaps she's stronger than I thought. But of course, Shadow did have to ruin the fun...
Oh well, I'm sure Rainbow won't like that barrier I placed around her home.
Now she'll have to find other places to sleep, and I'm sure Tank will worry about her.
But a bruised ego is nothing to worry about. I know I don't care.
But I'd love to ask her; who's the weak one now?'

“...I wouldn't say that...” she managed.

'Oh poor Fluttershy. It must not be nice having her animals hate her so much.
Not even her gentle nature can convince them otherwise.
As far as they know, she's a danger to their existence.
It's almost pitiful how she asked me to help her.
I didn't want to, but what else could I do?
She isn't supposed to know I'm the one causing her this grief.
Nopony has to know I'm responsible for any of this.'

Twilight cried out in both horror and rage, throwing the book into a shelf of empty chemical bottles and knocking it over. Fortunately, it missed the shelves with bottles containing chemicals, but the noise it made as it fell and the glass broke was still very loud. She froze for a moment, then frantically levitated the broken glass and tossed it into a trash can, before putting the shelf back in place. She grabbed the book and then shoved it back into the drawer, taking care to hide it.

Deciding everything was right in the world, she hurriedly ran upstairs and into the kitchen, searching for something she could use to explain the noise, if anyone heard it. And also try to find some kind of justification for why she was up, should she be questioned. She didn't have the time.

“...What was that noise?”

Twilight then turned to face a very groggy but worried Rainbow, trying to figure out some kind of lie. “O-oh, I dropped a few things, but I put them all back in their place!” she said hurriedly, giving the most innocent grin she could muster, “E-everything's fine! Nothing to worry about!” Rainbow gave her a slightly skeptical expression, but seemed too sleepy to fully catch on that her friend wasn't being truthful. “Okay...” she muttered, but decided to ask nonetheless, “...What are you doing up?”

Twilight's ears went flat against her head as she struggled to think of an answer, “Oh, um...”

Rainbow only blinked groggily.

“M-making tea!”

Thankfully, Rainbow bought this, “...Oh.”

Twilight gave her the faked grin again, then proceeded to actually perform her alibi. She figured it may actually help calm her nerves, anyway. Rainbow simply turned around and began walking away, before she suddenly stopped, another question on her mind. “Wait...” she managed, “Why are you making tea...at four in the morning?” Twilight blinked, again trying to think of an answer. “...You ever have one of those days where you feel like you just...can't...win?” she retaliated.

“Not me.”

A glare.

“...Well, maybe that one time with Mare Do Well... Yeah, I've had those days... Why?”

“...I'm having one right now.”

“Oh.”

“...My life feels as if it's in ruins...”

“...Oh... Um, good luck with that...”

Thud.

“...Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight stared at the Pegasus that was now fast asleep on the floor, apparently unable to stay awake any longer. Twilight sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to levitate something so heavy (with all due respect to Rainbow). Seeing no other option besides leaving Rainbow on the floor she had somehow deemed a worthy place to sleep, Twilight attempted to get her onto her back. After a few moments, she succeeded, and carried the undisturbed pony back to the guest room and put her on the bed, leaving the room and standing out in the hallway.

Twilight didn't move for awhile, the words written in the journal eating at her. The dream wouldn't leave her alone, either, as she walked back down into the kitchen. She turned her head towards the window, a feeling of longing as she looked at the moon. She couldn't understand why, but all she wanted was the princess who got her name and title from the celestial body. She wanted her here to tell her everything was alright, and that she had nothing to fear. She wanted her the way she wanted her mother when she was a filly, and frightened.

Twilight shook her head, trying to get rid of the feeling. Why would she want that princess, of all ponies? She barely knew her; there was no reason to think she would help her the way she wanted. It was Celestia she was closest to and knew well; not Luna. It made no sense at all.

Realizing the feeling wouldn't leave, Twilight chose to ignore it, opening the pantry door to find the tea container. She bit back a scream when she found Shadow asleep in there, legs tucked close to her body. It was with this that Twilight resolved that logic as she knew it was officially dead, and it was no use trying to question why anything she had seen and felt had happened. She grabbed the container, took out a packet with her teeth, then put it away and hurriedly closed the door. Shadow didn't respond.

After a few minutes, Twilight sat down at a small table, blowing on the tea to cool it down. Thinking things over, she decided to ask Celestia about this incident tomorrow. Maybe she would have an answer. She was the only one in all of Equestria that Twilight was sure would. Yes, she'd write a letter asking her if she could see her. And maybe Luna too...

(Random Author's Note: I know this is likely very pointless to say, but yes, Twilight Despair looks nothing like the picture I picked. The reason for this is I have no picture of her, so the best I could do was use a dark Twilight picture, and this was the best one I had. Also worth noting it sort of inspired much of her character as well, actually. If I can ever get a picture of her, I'll change it, but for now, I can't.)

Snap

Chapter 6: Snap.

It had been two hours since Twilight had woken up from that nightmare, and all attempts she made to calm herself down and get back to sleep ended in failure. She felt very sick, and as the time went by, crazed thoughts kept crossing her mind. She hadn't been feeling well for a few days now, but this was even worse. Before, she didn't want to be near her friends, for fear they would ask what was wrong, a question whose answer she didn't know. Now, she felt violent, and she didn't understand why.

She glanced at Spike to make sure he hadn't noticed her discomfort. Thankfully, he was still asleep and oblivious to the horrible night she was having. She felt some relief in not having him involved, and she hoped to keep it that way. She really didn't want anyone involved, but she was aware this wasn't something she could take care of on her own.

After a few moments of doing nothing but staring at the wall, Twilight got out of the bed and went downstairs again. She walked over to the desk and pulled an unused scroll out of its drawer, lifting the writing quill out of the ink. She shivered as the thought of burning the place down crossed her mind, but she fought it furiously and instead began writing the letter that she knew couldn't wait until morning. She would wake up Spike when she was done writing it and have him send it; she could explain why she did later. She was sure he would understand.

Snap.

The quill was broken in half and then thrown into the trash can, whereas the unfinished letter was crumbled and forced to share the quill's fate. “...'Dear Princess Celestia'...” the Alicorn that now stood in Twilight's place said in disdain, “Bah! I can hardly believe we are the same pony... I do not revere that foal! I only fight for the true Queen!”

Twilight Despair looked around the library curiously, digging through the memories of her other self to find out where exactly she was. “...Ponyville?” she muttered, the town nowhere within her own memory, “...What...time...is this, exactly?” Again she dug through Twilight Sparkle's memories to find an answer. It didn't take her long to find it, but she ended up finding out much more than she wanted to.

“...I've been dormant for nearly a thousand years?!” Twilight Despair shrieked, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks, “And she -no, I- brought the Queen's own doom?!” she roared in rage and knocked the desk over with a loud crash, “Celestia is going to pay for this! I'll do what I should've done when I first saw her! I'll put her light out for good this time!” She would've said more, but another voice interrupted her:

“...Twilight?!”

The deranged pony turned to face Rainbow and Spike, the former having spoken to her. Twilight Despair stared at them long and hard, before turning her gaze to Rainbow, eyes burning with hatred. “...You...” she breathed, walking closer to her 'friend', “How dare you show your face to me! I hate you for what you've done! I hate all of you! I wish I had never met any of you!”

Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but that attempt was proven futile as Twilight Despair pinned her to the ground and wrapped her misty mane around her throat, kicking Spike out of the way and into the wall. The Pegasus kicked at her assailant furiously and struggled to breathe, but to no avail. “Tell me, was being loyal to a 'friend' in need really worth it?” Twilight Despair inquired, choosing to put her hoof on Rainbow's chest and push down, “...Look at what it's about to cost you. Is a friend really worth the one thing you can never replace?”

“Y-you're not m-my friend...” Rainbow choked out, her body beginning to go limp, “M-my f-friend wouldn't do this...” She was unable to say anything else as Twilight Despair's grip tightened. The cyan pony allowed a feeling of hopelessness to envelope her as her vision slowly started going black. Why did it have to end this way?

Twilight Despair suddenly let out a cry of distress and let go of Rainbow as her eyes returned to the soft eyes of a normal pony, Twilight Sparkle struggling to regain control. Rainbow ignored her, instead trying to comprehend what was going on and why she was suddenly able to breathe again. She decided not to dwell on the latter and took huge gulps of air, her body waking up.

“Rainbow!” Spike declared, getting up and running towards her, “Can you move?” Rainbow slowly got to her feet, rubbing her throat for a moment and wincing at the pain in her chest. “...Yeah...” she answered, her voice a little coarse, “...We...we need to tell Princess Celestia...she...she'll know what to do...”

“Got it!”

“You will do no such thing!” Twilight Despair roared, standing upright as she gained full control once more, “I will not allow it! You'll both be nothing but a pile of ash when I'm through with you if you dare try!” her ear twitched suddenly, “...And as for you...” her horn glowed and Shadow became visible while sneaking up behind her, the sound of glass shattering as her invisibility spell was broken, “...You can join them!”

“I have no intention of doing so,” Shadow replied, her voice completely deadpan, “But I also don't exactly wish to fight you. But, if it will help the Equestrian and that Dragon, then I will.” Several shurikens levitated to both of her sides, aimed at Twilight Despair. “Oh, such wondrous resolve you have there...” the Alicorn said with an unamused tone, “...To throw away your life for people you barely know. If everyone was as stupid as you, my work would be a whole lot easier.”

Shadow made no response, instead turning to Rainbow and Spike. “You know what you must do!” she shouted to them. With that, she threw the shurikens at Twilight Despair, only for said Alicorn to catch them with her magic and throw them back with ease. Shadow hastily brought up a shield, but one shuriken managed to get past it and slice at her hind-leg. Ignoring the stinging, she steadied herself and levitated the shurikens again, smiling inwardly as she saw Spike find a replacement quill and scroll, then get on Rainbow's back, unhindered by Twilight Despair.

“You are no match for me!” Twilight Despair yelled, her horn glowing a deadly red, “Give up now and I might end you painlessly!” A spear made of ice soon materialized near her, and she immediately threw it at Shadow, who responded with her shurikens again, enough of them managing to slice the spear and break it down. Twilight Despair then readied multiple ice spears and threw them before Shadow could retrieve the shurikens, the spears hitting their mark and freezing her.

Twilight Despair's horn glowed again and a black sword materialized near her, being held by her magic. She prepared to thrust it into Shadow's chest, but stopped when she heard the door slam. She gritted her teeth when she realized Rainbow and Spike were no longer in the library, and that Shadow only meant to distract her. She growled in frustration and ran towards the door, Shadow managing to thaw herself out with fire magic and jump at her, only for Twilight Despair to stop and kick her into a bookcase, knocking her out cold.

“...I don't need to find them immediately,” Twilight Despair muttered to herself, when she found that they were nowhere in sight after leaving the library, “After all, I can just burn this whole town into cinders! It shouldn't matter if they get a letter to their 'Princess', because they'll all be dead by then!” A bright ring of fire began to surround her, shattering the shadows that enveloped the immediate area. She flapped her wings and flew over the now burning ground, shooting more small flames onto the ground.

“...They couldn't have gotten far...” Twilight Despair muttered, smashing a cart that was underneath her for no reason other than more pointless destruction, “I'll just finish this now!” A large fireball began to grow around her horn, and she held her head up high as she began to fly upward. She prepared to throw it onto the town below, but let out a shriek when a blast of burning light magic hit her right in her back, causing her to fall to the ground and the fireball to vanish.

Twilight Despair laid on the ground for a few moments, in too much pain to get up and find her attacker. She closed her eyes shut, wishing the light magic would leave and stop tearing at what felt like her entire being. She cursed being a user of dark magic briefly, as that only made the light magic hurt her even more. She slowly opened her eyelids when she felt another's presence, seeing someone she wasn't exactly happy to see.

“...What has happened to you?” Celestia breathed, staring at Twilight Despair in both horror and denial. “I'm whole again,” came the evil Alicorn's response, “I am who I'm supposed to be!” she struggled to stand up, “And I will destroy you!”

Twilight Despair lunged at the Sun Princess, poised to pin her to the ground, but Celestia flew out of the way. Twilight Despair stopped running and summoned ice spears, throwing them at Celestia, who was unable to dodge all of them and forced to the ground. Twilight Despair's horn glowed once more and a ball of dark energy appeared near her head, before moving to her side and morphing into the pitch black blade.

Celestia made no movement, instead choosing to watch her foe intently while she laid there on the ground. Twilight Despair raised the sword above her head and charged towards Celestia, the tip of the blade poised to slice clean through the light Alicorn's body. Just as she was about to slash Celestia, the Sun Princess' magic grabbed her and threw her into a nearby building, creating an Alicorn-shaped hole in it's wall.

“Please Twilight, stop this,” Celestia said firmly as Twilight Despair crawled out of the rubble, “You won't accomplish anything from this!” Twilight Despair growled and stood upright, the sword no longer by her side. She reared up and slammed her hooves into the floor, generating a shockwave, then she flew out of the building as it destroyed that building and all buildings near it, the distressed cries of many ponies heard afterwards.

“Isn't this a bit familiar?” Twilight Despair inquired mockingly as the fire she had started previously began to spread throughout the whole town, “I'm sure you remember how the last incident like this ended...” she then stepped forward, the black sword by her side once more, “That entire part of the castle was completely destroyed, and tell me...how many of those loyal guards of yours actually made it out?” Celestia's only response was silence.

“You really don't know? Pity... I was hoping you could tell me. Because after all, though you got away, we all know who won that day! And how many days after it?! Countless days! But then, you and Eclipse thought it would be a grand idea to use those worthless jewels!”

Twilight Despair saw it fit to ignore her sword and grab Celestia with her magic, slamming her into a burning building. “You banished the 'Queen' and I!” she shrieked, her words shaky, “You...subjected your own sister to nothing but loneliness for a thousand years! And what of me?!” she began furiously throwing all kinds of magic at Celestia, “You made me into a tool! A weapon! To be used against the one I fought for! And somehow, she and I are the monsters?!”

“I didn't want to banish her!” Celestia protested, struggling to stand up, “And what you are now is the not the real you!” She jumped out of the way of another attack, wincing at the damage all of this was causing. And it seemed that the angrier Twilight Despair got, the stronger the flames enveloping the town became.

Rainbow and Spike watched this from afar, the former laying on the ground panting heavily while the latter attempted to help her stand up. “Rainbow, we can't stay here!” the Dragon cried desperately, “The whole town is burning down! We need a raincloud!” Rainbow could only look at him in regret, her body's energy spent.

“I...” Rainbow managed weakly, attempting to stand only for more pain to rip through her chest and force her back down, “...I can't...” She looked around as the building they were near finally caught fire, all the Pegasi she was able to see in a state of panic, struggling to even gather the focus to perform the task they needed to. There was no proper guidance. But, she could notice rainclouds approaching at a very fast rate, but the reason why could not be seen by her blurring vision.

“Twilight, I will not fight you.” Celestia said calmly, but the regret and worry on her face rendered the voice pointless. This only made Twilight Despair start laughing and fire a cloud filled with electricity from her horn, forcing Celestia to the ground once more, this time with no chance of escape.. “And that is where you always fail!” Twilight Despair snapped, a wicked grin on her face, “Kindness will get you nowhere! And now...” she recreated the sword, “It will ultimately be your undoing!”

As she raised the sword, rain began to pour from the clouds with much more ferocity than the previous storm, and then came a voice whose sheer volume far outweighed the storm's:

“SUCH POINTLESS VIOLENCE HAS NO PLACE IN THIS COUNTRY! AND IF YOU SHALL REFUSE TO CEASE IT, THEN I SHALL BRING YOU DOWN BY MY OWN BLADE!”

Everyone ceased all movement and stared in both fear and awe at the enraged Moon Princess hovering above them, as the fires were soundly put out by the rain. Luna slowly descended to the ground, a dark blue sword levitating by her side. She turned to Celestia and Twilight Despair, the cold calmness on her face broken for a second and replaced by sorrow and horror, then it was overtaken by an even fiercer expression. An expression that screamed for justice..

Twilight Despair's resolve was shattered in an instant, and the once mighty Alicorn found herself trembling in absolute terror. Only out of sheer stubborn will was she able to keep standing and looking Luna in the eye. Neither one said a word, but Luna's accusing face was enough to make Twilight Despair attempt to dash out of the area.

“DO NOT EVEN DARE TO RUN AWAY FROM ME!” Luna bellowed, the rage in her voice making it all the more intimidating. Twilight Despair didn't respond, but she screamed and fell face-first into the mud as her eyes lost their dragonish shape. Though her body was still the same, it was clear Twilight Sparkle was in control, and was just as terrified.

She scrambled to her hooves, slipping on the mud over and over, before finally being able to stand properly. She would've charged forward, but was hit with a powerful blast of light magic courtesy of Celestia, and fell to the ground once more, screaming in agony as her body shrank to the size of a normal Unicorn. Her coat became its normal lavender, while her mane and tail were now solid. But yet, the wings remained on her back.

Twilight laid on the ground twitching in pain, as the Princesses walked towards her. Her ears drooped as she felt their disapproving looks while they now loomed over her. She turned her gaze away from them and saw the damage inflicted on the town thanks to the fire. There was a crowd of injured ponies staring at her in horror and disbelief, but no one seemed wounded enough to be in any danger of dying. As destructive as her rampage was, no one appeared to have died. Though she wanted to be comforted by that thought, it wasn't enough to make her feel any better.

“...You can say you're sorry...” Celestia spoke up, causing Twilight to look at her, “But that won't fix what's been done, nor will it help you.” The smaller Alicorn barely registered what had been said to her, instead starting to tremble uncontrollably, before letting out a bloodcurdling scream of terror, her expression almost blank. She began pounding her front hooves into the ground, continuing to scream, until finally her energy was spent and she lost consciousness. Luna looked away and closed her eyes in response to this.

Celestia said nothing, instead teleporting away, along with Luna and Twilight. The ponies could only stare at the area where the three once were, many of them with mixed emotions of sadness, horror, and even anger. Their gaze soon turned to what was left of Ponyville, and upon gazing at the charred remains of the buildings, they held their heads low in despair.

“Twilight...” Rainbow muttered softly to herself, laying in the mud, “...What's happened to you? Are you not...who you say you are?” She struggled to fight the small tears that were forming, as many uncomfortable thoughts crossed her mind. Twilight couldn't be her friend anymore; the real Twilight was much kinder than that...thing. Twilight had a heart, she knew it. That Alicorn had no heart, no feelings, no hope. Just hate, hate, and more hate.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, what happened to you?!” Rarity cried out from behind Rainbow and Spike, rushing to the former. “I won't tell you unless you promise to actually listen to a word I say rather than shove more accusations down my throat!” Rainbow yelled loudly, instantly wishing she had spoken more softly, as her chest felt as if it was being torn to shreds on the inside.

“...Oh, never mind, darling! We need to get you to a doctor!”

Rainbow made no response as more ponies came and helped her stand, leading her off to a safer area. She risked a glance at the library, which the flames from before had barely reached. The leaves and some other parts of the tree were charred, but yet the library still stood. Rainbow allowed a small smile as she turned her head back in front. Surely her real friend would love to see the place still intact. But the only thing needed was for the real friend to come back home.

(Author's Note: Forgive me for taking a bit more of your time, but I have two requests.. If anyone is willing, I would like to know what tropes are being used in this story. I can't judge it properly myself, but I believe readers can. And also, if there is anyone who likes this story enough and would be willing, I want to request to have a picture for this drawn, so the picture fits better. I have an idea, but don't possess the skill or means to make it. I'm not making any demands; don't feel this has to be done. I just wanted to request this. Anyways, bye for now.)

Who is the Black Alicorn?

Chapter 7: Who is the Black Alicorn?

“How could this happen?!” Luna shrieked, the resolve she had shown at Ponyville all but shattered, “No ordinary magic can break that seal! Especially if the user doesn't even know what and where it is! Sister, what has gone wrong?!” Celestia could only shake her head. “Whoever did this knew what they were after, but why they would do such a thing....I just don't understand.” she replied.

“What are we going to do? Without the seal...”

“We must find a way to repair it. In the meantime, Twilight must stay where she is.”

At this, Luna frowned, the worry on her face washed away and replaced by what appeared to be slight anger. “We need to tell her...” she said seriously. “...No, we can't...” Celestia responded sadly.

“You would have us give no explanation for what is happening to her?!”

“She isn't ready to know... She wouldn't understand...”

“You cannot just lock her away with no reason given and expect her to understand! I do not care if you don't think she is ready; it has already happened, and she must know the truth!”

“...I can only see it making everything worse... Luna, you don't know her like I do...”

“And you...do not care about her the way I do!”

Celestia didn't respond, but her expression turned remorseful. “And even so, I know she is dear to you...” Luna continued, “Why would you even think to lock her away? She trusts you more than anypony else! Would you really corrupt your bond with her?!”

“I do not wish to punish her...” Celestia said slowly, “But the ones hurt by her...darker self will want justice, and as the rulers of Equestria, it is our duty to give it. Believe me, Luna, that cell is the safest place for her to be. If she were allowed to roam free...who knows what those desiring vengeance would do. They may not be able to kill her like a normal pony, but there are fates worse than death...”

Luna was silent for a few tense moments, contemplating everything she had just been told. “Then...let her stay with me.” Luna said seriously. “Pardon me?” Celestia managed to say, taken aback by this.

“Let me keep her in my room. Perhaps even give her a disguise. Nopony will ever know she is missing, I promise you.”

“...And what of your royal duties? If you are absent, the nobles will get suspicious...”

“I can still do what I must. Please understand, it is not me the nobles' eyes are on most. It is you. Surely they would hardly notice or care about a slight change in my behavior or a brief absence, if they even notice or care at all.”

Celestia took a deep breath, relief washing over her face. “I understand...” she replied quietly, “And I trust you...” she noticed Luna's expression take a turn for the better, “However, please give me the time to think this over. We can't afford to be rash.” Luna lowered her head. “I...believe you are right...” she conceded, before levitating a nearby letter, “Now...what of this?”

“...I feel maybe it is best we discuss that at another time... I think you need less things to concern yourself with. For now, this discussion is over.”

“If you deem it so...”

Sighing, Luna set the letter down and left the throne room, not bothering to even give her sister a glance. “...We can't afford to waste any more time.” she whispered to herself, disappearing from Celestia's sight.

Elsewhere...

Twilight let out a groan as she groggily opened her eyelids, seeing nothing but the stone brick floor. Her left ear twitched in confusion, and she raised her head, seeing iron bars in front of her now. She let out a cry and stood upright, the sound of chains rattling and colliding with stone ringing in her ears. Her legs were shackled and the chains connected to them were nestled into the walls to the left and right of her, which made her feel even sicker. But the most striking things she could notice were the shiny, silvery shackles above the dull, iron ones. She could sense magic within them, but couldn't recognize its type.

Twilight ignored her curiosity and decided to remove everything and get out of there. This was all just a misunderstanding! Surely she was put there by accident! Yes, that was it. She'd break out and explain herself to Celestia, and fix everything.

She concentrated on removing the shackles and chains, but found no magic came from her horn. She kept trying and trying, but to no avail. Frantic, she reached her front hooves to her head, feeling for her horn. It was still there, thankfully, but that begged the question of why it wasn't working. She caught a glimpse of herself in a nearby puddle of water, noticing a silvery collar around her neck, above one that seemed to be made of a pure black stone, the latter of which she recognized as an anti-Unicorn magic tool. It was the reason she couldn't use her horn. But she also noticed a pair of wings on her back, which only further puzzled her.

Twilight didn't get the chance to think about it further, as she heard the clopping of hooves on the floor, increasing in volume. She backed away from it, going deeper into the cell until she came to the wall. Part of her hoped it was Celestia, but another part dreaded that possible outcome. After what 'she' had done...she didn't want to face her mentor.

“...You can no longer deny it,” the voice of the black Alicorn informed her, and she looked up, seeing his face, “You know what you became. You have seen it, and most of all, you have felt it.” Twilight's only response was to hang her head low in shame, a stray tear slowly trickling down her face. There was no denying it now; what she had believed to be a lie was the truth.

“But...I must say, you have done well,” he continued, “You have embraced your true nature. Embraced the darkness within you. Tell me...isn't the darkness wonderful?” Twilight shook her head frantically. “No!” she cried, “It's not! And that's not who I really am! I'm not a monster!”

“Oh, but I'm afraid you are.”

“No! I'm not a bad pony...”

“Many would disagree.”

Twilight's ears went flat against the back of her head, as she struggled to find some way to combat his words. “...Why are you doing this?” she finally asked, her voice soft, “Why would you care?” After she had spoken, she began to feel light-headed, and the world around her grew dark as she found herself falling to the ground.

After a few moments, Twilight opened her eyes and was met with a different stone floor. She looked around the area more, finding it to be a ruined castle, and an eerily familiar one at that. She got a white glimpse in the corner of her eye, and turned to face it, seeing a male, white Alicorn lying down on the ground, unconscious.

“You knew him before.” the black Alicorn said bluntly from behind her. “...I don't remember anything about him...” Twilight responded, trying to tear her gaze away from him.

“His name was Eclipse Flare.”

Twilight looked at the black Alicorn curiously, taking note of how he responded. “...Was?” she inquired, “...Is he dead? Did he change his name?” The Alicorn slowly closed his eyes and sighed. “Perhaps you should see for yourself.” he answered. She didn't get a chance to respond, as the world around her swirled.

She found herself in the body of Twilight Despair again, standing in a burning castle. A grin then crept upon her face, despite her inner protest. She gazed at the fire, feeling horrified inside, though her face only showed amusement. She chuckled briefly, then turned her attention down a hallway and started walking.

“Stop.”

She frowned in response to the calm voice, turning to face a male, white Alicorn, whom she recognized as Eclipse Flare. “You say that as if I actually will...” she snapped, pawing at the cracked floor with her front right hoof, “Whatever you wish to say to me, save it. I don't care.” Eclipse shook his head, a hint of sadness on his calm face. “Twilight, why do you insist on making yourself a monster?” was his only question.

She felt herself grit her teeth, “If bringing the true Queen to the throne makes me a monster...then I will wear that title gladly!”

Eclipse opened his mouth to respond, but Twilight never gave him the chance, charging towards him and kicking him in his chest, sending him flying into the wall. “Now tell me...” she said dangerously, grabbing him with her magic, “What does it take to kill an immortal?” With that, she threw him into another wall, demolishing it. She then charged a fireball and slammed him with it, smiling wickedly as he cried out.

“Even immortals can die, you know...” Twilight hissed, assaulting him with ice spears, “It just takes the right tools, and patience. But any body can break when it's forced to its limits...” she then began to strike him with electricity, “So I ask...” she moved on to a black sword and started slashing and stabbing relentlessly, “...What's your limit?”

Eclipse struggled to shield himself from her onslaught, but to no avail, as Twilight only continued to strike even more ferociously. “Of course...” she muttered, suddenly pausing, “There are other, far more interesting things I should tend to. Besides, I doubt you'll survive any of this, anyway. So yes, I'll leave you to die alone. Seems befitting of my name, yes?” With that, she ran out of the crumbling tower, leaving him behind.

'No, don't leave him!' Twilight shrieked within her mind, but her body would not have it. Her vision began to become blurry and swirl around her, causing her to trip and fall to the ground, suddenly finding herself near the black Alicorn again.

“I don't understand...” she sobbed, struggling to stand up, but finding herself too weak. “Then think about what I have shown you,” he answered bluntly, “Now wake up.” She felt as if she was being pulled away by some unknown force, her body ice cold as she suddenly found her eyes opening, the dream over and done with. But the Alicorn remained.

“We will meet again, I can assure you of that...” he said darkly, his body slowly disappearing from all vision as hoof beats echoed through the dark, stone hallway. Twilight chose to close her eyes, not caring about the identity of the newcomer. All she wanted was what little peace she had left in this depressing place. Nonetheless, she found genuine tears slowly leaving her eyes, and her body trembled in response, before she found herself choking on air and her own tears.

“Child, now is not the time to cry. Now is the time to be strong.”

Twilight's eyelids shot open at the voice, and she found herself staring into Luna's eyes. “P-Princess Luna?!” she choked out, her eyes wide with surprise. “...I would prefer you did not address me as that...” Luna stated plainly, grimacing, “Please, call me........just....Luna.”

“Oh...alright.... Luna, why are you here?”

“I am here to get you out. Celestia told me to wait, but I cannot do that.”

With that, Luna swiftly unlocked the cell door and unchained Twilight, removing the black collar but keeping all the silver shackles on her. “All things considered, I could tell you to follow me and not bring attention to yourself, but why should I?” Luna said jokingly, “After all, I can just teleport the both of us to our destination without needless drama.” Her horn then glowed brightly, and the two found themselves in Luna's bedroom.

“Now, we must find a suitable disguise...” Luna informed the smaller Alicorn, “To keep you safe from those that might wish to hurt you.” Twilight only offered a nod as her response, looking rather numb. Luna decided to get a bit closer to her, looking sympathetic.

“It would be difficult to hide your horn or wings with a simple disguise...” Luna stated matter-of-factly, as if ignoring Twilight's troubled aura for a brief moment, “But, I believe I can use an old illusion spell to disguise you. I have not used it in awhile, however, so I cannot promise anything...” The mention of an unfamiliar magic seemed to make Twilight's ears perk up, and she looked up at Luna, smiling a bit.

“We can still try...” Twilight said, trying to sound encouraging, “I'm sure you can do it, Princess...I mean, Luna.” Luna smiled weakly in response, “I thank you for your encouragement...” she replied firmly, her horn glowing and her eyes closed shut in deep concentration. A reddish glow enveloped Twilight, and her appearance began slowly changing to a normal, red-coloured Unicorn with a golden mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark, however, remained unchanged.

“That is something too...sacred, shall we say, for me to change,” Luna stated, answering the unasked question. “I suggest you wear something to cover it up.” The Moon Princess looked at the door cautiously, as if worried someone would come in and see what they were doing, before deciding everything was safe and going to her closet.

“I am not sure why I kept this...” Luna mused, levitating a black dress with white star patterns on it, that she herself was way too big for, “But I suppose it's a good thing I did. It should fit you... Here, take it.” Twilight did so gingerly, mind a bit too numb to think of a good response. She slowly put it on, a bit surprised that it actually fit. Surely Luna wasn't this small before?

“Is that alright?” Luna asked almost earnestly. “Yes, Luna...” Twilight managed, before looking at herself in a nearby mirror, “And the spell worked, too. But might I ask why you have this dress? I don't remember you being...this...small.”

“That...is a hard question for me to answer...”

“Oh, if it's personal, forget I asked...”

Luna's eye twitched briefly, as if she was fighting within herself over something. “It was...for somepony I care about more than anything else...” she managed to say, her voice shaky. “Huh?” Twilight said stupidly, confused, “Who would that be?”

“I...do not feel I am at liberty to tell you...”

“...At liberty?”

“There are many things you need to be told, but...I need time.”

Twilight didn't respond, instead shuffling her hooves. “However, there is one thing I will tell you...” Luna spoke up, “Celestia didn't want to put you in that cell. She did it because she felt it was the safest place for you to be, since...well, it should come as no surprise that not everypony wants to see you now... But I felt it would be better if you were not confined in that manner.”

“...Thanks...” Twilight replied, as if suddenly losing the will to speak. “...Do you need to be left alone?” Luna asked, an almost motherly concern in her voice.

“...I...think so...”

“...Alright. There are things that I should tend to, anyway...

With that, Luna slowly left the room, a hint of remorse on her face.

Elsewhere...

Celestia levitated the letter and read it again, still unsure what to make of it. She had found it on her desk early that morning, with no explanation as to who or where it came from. She sighed and chose to read it again:

'To you, a most gracious ruler of her people, I give these words...
You cannot repair what has been broken.
The seal is lost, and shall never be regained.
You can delay the inevitable for as long as you wish.
But ultimately, you will lose.
And there is another thing you should know.
I will come for you very soon.'

The writer never offered their name.

Celestia gingerly put the letter down and took a deep breath. It worried her that someone else would know of the seal; such knowledge was reserved for herself and Luna (not even Cadance knew of it). Whoever it was knew more than they should have. A chill suddenly went through her body as she considered the possibility that the person was the one who had broken the seal in the first place. Such a feat would require considerable mental power and great skill in the art of mind searching.

The white Alicorn contemplated the closing sentence, wondering if she should concern herself with it or not. The majority of her judgment screamed at her to leave her current location, but she chose to ignore it. She had royal duties to tend to, and if this mysterious person did come, surely she could handle it.

'...What if they are an immortal...?'

Celestia closed her eyes and concentrated hard, a golden, fiery sword suddenly materializing. She began to levitate it, looking strained after she had created it, having not used it in so long. In fact, much of her destructive magic she had not used for centuries. War and death was not something she wished to be involved with. It never was. Her train of thought was ruined as Philomena suddenly started screeching, the sword shattering into particles of energy due to some other force.

“You will not be needing that.”

“...Who are you?!” Celestia demanded, turning around to face the one behind her, feeling absolute dread at the sight of him as the Phoenix continued screeching within the confines of her cage. “Surely you haven't forgotten me, Tia?” the black Alicorn inquired, his voice completely calm.

“...You can't be...”

“But I am.”

Celestia backed away, in denial at what was standing in front of her. “Now come with me.” the black Alicorn demanded, his tone firm and final. “No!” Celestia protested, finally backing into the wall, “I won't! You're not him! Your heart is nothing like his!”

“If you won't come willingly...then I'm going to have to force you.”

Celestia suddenly felt herself dozing off, catching a glimpse of the black Alicorn's glowing horn. “Get out of my mind!” she shrieked, trying desperately to levitate a nearby vase and throw it at him, only for him to move out of the way, his grip growing stronger. She exhaled sharply and charged at him, succeeding in knocking him over and breaking his concentration.

“...You shouldn't have done that.” he muttered, as he stood up again to face her, promptly smacking her across her face with his hoof. She let out a cry, but soon found her mind to be clear once more and she then formed the enchanted blade, immediately striking his side. She backed off briefly, trying to beat back her own hysteria and keep herself from messing up, before going in for another strike. It didn't take long for him to ready a shield, and she found her weapon absolutely useless.

“You seem...weaker than I remember, Tia.” he noted, and she chose to glare fiercely at him. “I don't wish to practice the arts of war anymore,” she answered calmly, trying to break his shield, “War only leads to pain and suffering, and I want no part in it!”

“Hm, maybe. But don't you think you should be more prepared than this?”

She suddenly felt the crushing force on her mind again, and she began to slowly lie down on the ground. “No, no!” she screamed, trying desperately to keep herself awake, “I can't lose! I won't!” Her horn glowed and she attempted to teleport, only to find herself unsuccessful, as she grew more and more groggy. He continued assaulting her with the sleep-inducing energy before she found herself unable to speak, finally succumbing to it.

The black Alicorn looked at her unconscious form briefly, before wincing at the wounds she had inflicted upon him. It hadn't gone as well as he had hoped it would. He most certainly wasn't perfect, but he felt he was close enough. He did succeed, after all.

His horn glowed and a purplish black portal opened up near them both. He gingerly levitated Celestia and pulled her into it with him, them and the portal vanishing into thin air. This only served to make Philomena's screeching even louder.

“...No, that didn't just happen.”

So Luna tried to tell herself, staring in horror at the now empty throne room, having arrived too late.

(Author's Note, 4/24/2012: I went back and fixed some errors I missed and put in a little mention of Cadance)

What Am I?

Chapter 8: What Am I?

The Moon Princess stood in the empty throne room as if she were a statue, her eyes locked on the place where the other Alicorns had been. Her mind was torn with denial, unable to believe what had just happened. Who was he? There was no possible person that made any sense. He couldn't have been anyone she knew.

She was torn from her current train of thought as another consideration came to mind, causing her to pale considerably, before leaving the room.

Meanwhile, in Luna's room...

'...It was a tragic day for Equestria, when the Moon Princess could no longer stand the distrust she felt from the common ponies and nobles, or the love they showered the Sun Princess with. Over time, the pain along with her growing jealousy of her sister soon grew into an unending madness, filling her with dark powers that had been locked within. It was the day Princess Luna became the dark Alicorn known as Nightmare Moon, and sought to bring about an eternal night.

But the day only got worse, as Nightmare Moon found a willing ally in the form of a young Unicorn who desired immortality and would pay any price for it. At the cost of her own sanity, her body became that of an Alicorn's, and she was soon just as mad with power as the Queen of Nightmares, doomed to serve her as if she were a slave. Equestria soon learned to call her Twilight Despair, as she burned city after city for her own sick amusement and to 'bring the true Queen to the throne', even more a symbol of insanity than Nightmare Moon herself-'

“You don't need to read that.” Luna said firmly closing the book with her magic and pulling it away from Twilight, having just come into her room. The Moon Princess seemed relieved at something, but what, Twilight wasn't sure of. “The things they said...” the lavender pony responded weakly.

“...All vicious lies and nothing more! Now please, listen to me... Celestia is gone.”

“Gone?! Princess Celestia?! How?! What are we gonna do?!”

“Be calm!” Luna yelled, attempting to steady the panicking mare, “She was taken by...another Alicorn. He was wearing a cloak, but I'm sure he was black. I...do not know who he could possibly be.” Twilight's eyes widened for a moment, but she didn't comment. “What can we do...?” she instead chose to say in response.

“Right now, I must take full responsibility over all that goes on in this government, as there is nopony else who can, with Princess Cadance and your brother off on royal business. There's no way the nobles will remain ignorant of the fact that my dear sister is gone, so I need to find something to tell them. I...can't tell them the truth, or they'd cause an uproar, those foals...”

“But Celestia...”

“We will do what we can...when we can, understand? We have no idea where she could be, and we simply cannot just leave Equestria to its own devices. W...I, have a duty to my people as well as my sister.”

The aura within the room was tense, both mares staring worriedly at each other. “I...I must go now...” Luna said shakily, turning to leave the room, “Before any chaos erupts.” As she was about to exit, Twilight ran up to her. “Wait, please!” she shouted, and Luna turned to face her, looking impatient, “...There's something I want to ask...”

“What is it? Please, hurry up.”

“Who is Eclipse Flare? And...what am I?”

A blank stare at the first question, yet no reaction to the second, “...How did you come to know of that name?”

“...A dream.”

Luna was silent, and her eyes darted all over the room, before she charged towards the pile of history books, looking through them all in a rush. “Read this.” she said firmly, handing Twilight what was likely the oldest book of the bunch, before dashing out of the room. She mentally kicked herself for not giving a personal answer, but it would require more explanations than she had the time to give. Equestria's own sanity was her biggest priority right now, however much her heart disagreed.

Luna turned to a nearby guard as she walked down the hallway. “Inform everypony of noble blood to meet me in Celestia's court,” she ordered, “I have urgent news that must be discussed with them. Every single one.” The guard listened carefully and nodded. “Right away, Princess.” he responded, running off to perform his new mission.

Luna watched him briefly, before heading to the court herself and waiting for everyone to come. Slowly, they all came, many of them looking very annoyed, others confused, and some genuinely looking concerned. The latter was so few one couldn't fault Luna for never noticing they were even there at all. But as all of them turned to her expectantly, she suddenly felt she could've waited a bit longer for their arrival.

“I will spare you all the introductions and get to the point,” Luna stated, going silent for a brief moment as she steeled herself for the inevitable response to what she was about to say, “...Princess Celestia has gone missing-”

It was as if she had set off a bomb. Soon the nobles were screaming out all sorts of things, but it may as well have been little more than gibberish, as she understood no word due to them yelling over each other.

“SILENCE!”

And as if by magic, they quieted down at the tone of her voice.

“...And until she is found, or Princess Cadance returns from the Griffon Kingdom, I will assume full control of this government in their absence,” Luna finished, “And I will order an invest-”

“And how do we know you didn't get rid of the Sun Princess yourself?!” one noble shrieked.

“Yeah, and how do we know you aren't the reason the Heart Princess hasn't returned?!” another yelled.

“Nightmare Moon never left! In fact, she's right here!” yet another cried.

Luna gritted her teeth as the accusations continued to be thrown her way, the nobles giving her no chance to speak. “It's so convenient that you take over with both of them out of the picture, isn't it?!” one of them shouted, slamming her hoof on the floor, “There will be none of this! No Nightmare Moon! No eternal night! Tell us where Princess Celestia is!”

“All of you...” Luna said slowly, narrowing her eyes, as they soldiered on in their misguided claims, “BE QUIET!” This time, her voice didn't leave as much of an impact, but it was enough for her to say one more thing, “If I did in fact do as you say, do you think angering me is a wise idea?”

Silence.

“I didn't think so.”

“And what of the Alicorn that burned Ponyville?” another noble dared to say, his tone filled to the brim with rage. “...And what of her?” Luna responded, trying to keep her own tone calm, but inside she could feel her anger boiling over.

“After what she did, simply imprisoning her isn't enough! The only punishment for a monster like her is death!”

The other nobles chose to stare at him in surprise, whereas Luna felt her composure falter slightly, before replying in a dark tone, “...Get out.”

“I will not!”

Any attempt at masking her emotions was abandoned as she screamed, “Then I'll force you to leave! GUARDS! GET THIS FOAL OUT OF THE COURT AND OUT OF MY SIGHT! MAYBE OUT OF THE CASTLE FOR AWHILE!”

“So you would refuse to handle a severe threat?!” the noble growled as the guards shoved him out of the room, “If you would refuse to do what must be done to protect this country, you aren't fit to rule!” His yelling soon became inaudible as he was taken further down the hallway. Luna closed her eyes and breathed slowly as her body shook, trying to regain her calmer composure.

“...It is odd that the accusations against you do not anger you nearly as much as the demand that...pony...be executed for a horrible crime...” one noble stated weakly, yet kept herself in Luna's sight despite feeling very intimidated. “Because I value lives more than I value ponies' opinions of me,” Luna answered bluntly, “And I will not kill my dear sister's student. Regardless of what happened, I feel that is not something Princess Celestia needs to come back to find.”

Luna scanned the entire court with a critical eye, before finally setting her gaze forward. “Now, let me repeat the reason I have called you here for, because of those unnecessary interruptions,” she began saying, feeling her anger subside only slightly, “In the absence of both Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance, I will rule the government fully in their place, until they return. And I will order an investigation of Princess Celestia's disappearance, send a message to Princess Cadance to request the reason why she has not returned, and I will go to speak with the citizens of Ponyville about the incident and help them rebuild personally. Is that understood?”

Plenty of mumbling, but they seemed to be a bit more accepting.

“Good. Then we are done here. You may leave the court now.”

The nobles immediately left the court, but Luna chose to remain for a few more minutes.

In Luna's room...

The book Luna had given her was very worn, some words along with some artwork faded, some pages slightly ripped, and the book itself older than she cared to imagine. How such an old thing was still, for the most part, readable...she had no idea. But she decided she should be thankful it was, for it said so much. She felt as if she would soon find the answers she sought, though another part of her wasn't sure any of it could be believed. The thought that Celestia would've kept all of this from her was something she didn't desire to entertain, but...

She wasn't really sure what to think anymore. But nonetheless, she gingerly turned the pages to the subject she felt more comfortable with, wanting to put the other one off as long as possible...

'Eclipse Flare was considered by many to be a strange and possibly lonely Alicorn. He had come to Equestria when it was still young, and his peculiar obsession with 'moving metal' caused many to be leery of him. The moving, occasionally even speaking pieces of metal put together were his only company for years until the Princesses had found him, working on yet another machine, as he had called them.

Finding another Alicorn had intrigued the young Princesses, and they asked him to come to their small country with them. He agreed, bringing his few creations with him. Luna seemed to show little interest in what Eclipse spent his days doing, but Celestia had steadily grown more interested in it, but whether this made him feel happy could not be said.

After a few years, and the incident with Merkir, being a scientist no longer fully satisfied Eclipse, and soon he found himself wondering why he had no power. It puzzled him that he, an Alicorn, was simply among the ponies that the Princesses ruled. Thus he wished to be among the rulers, but the Princesses only responded with rejection, not feeling he was ready to have a crown. This led to arguments, but Eclipse was at the very least sensible enough to keep the tension in words and nothing more. And neither side showed any sign of losing their resolve.

He disappeared shortly after Nightmare Moon and Twilight Despair were banished, no trace of his existence left behind. All his machines were simply gone. And the entire village he had been in was left lifeless, not a single one of the ponies who lived there had remained, and no evidence of anyone ever being there in the first place. Where he and the villagers, along with all signs of their existences had gone remains a mystery.

It is my wish that no one forgets Eclipse Flare and the villagers of Everfree.'

Twilight looked up from the book briefly, having caught a glimpse of gray in the corner of her eye, but thought nothing of it when she heard no sound. It was probably just her imagination. Sighing, she nervously began turning the pages to another subject, not at all looking forward to it. She was starting to reconsider ever wanting to know; the things she already knew disturbed her enough, but...

Well, that Merkir fellow sounded peculiar...

Yes, the other subject which she did not wish to name could wait. Just a little bit longer...

'Years before Nightmare Moon and Eclipse Flare's disappearance, there was a young Earth Pony by the name of Merkir. To say he hated being an Earth Pony would be an understatement. He envied the Pegasi, who had the gift of flight and the ability to control the weather. His jealousy of the Unicorns, whose gift was magic and everything it brought, good and evil, was great. He even would sometimes wear a fake horn or pair of wings which he had made himself.

To no surprise, Merkir was considered a freak, and made fun of mercilessly. It soon got so bad that the normally innocent pony began to grow resentful. But the personal attacks didn't cease, the ponies responsible oblivious to what they were creating. Eventually, Merkir had disappeared from the village, the only record of his existence within the memory of the ones who had made his life miserable. There were search parties, yes, but they always returned with nothing to go on.

A year later, Merkir returned, changed in more ways than one. His body was an Alicorn's, but whatever means had made him so were of the darkest kind, for there was no love in his heart. Only malice. He struck quickly, showing no mercy for any who crossed his path. And as more fell to his power, his armour began to turn the colour of blood. To many, he was an un-living abomination, for no truly living creature could be so heartless.

It did not take long for the true, living Alicorns to hear of his unrepentant destruction, and they soon hunted him down in a desperate attempt to stop him once and for all. It was the King of Malice against the Sun Princess, the Moon Princess, the Scientist, and the Musician in a battle that would last for far too long, not even the combined strength of the four was able to fully stop his dark power. As the battle raged and showed no clear winner, Merkir chose to run, but when they pursued, they could find no trace of him. Thus, they returned home, each of them claiming to have felt changed after fighting the crazed, self-proclaimed king.

But now, I can only say how truly sad it is that an innocent pony could become so wicked...'

Twilight raised her eyebrow ever so slightly at what she read, her face looking more curious than horrified, even though she was certainly feeling the latter. If this was true, then his story had been mixed with her own by some historians for a reason unknown. The similarities, she felt, were too close. But speaking of her own...

She went through the pages again for the relevant piece.

'It had been a few years since Merkir had last been seen, but the Alicorns found themselves still haunted by the memories of what he had done. To anypony who cared to look, it was clear something had changed within them, and as the time flowed by, it was for the worst. Though Celestia and Eclipse made no mention of it, preferring to continue their tasks, it was clear they were more withdrawn into themselves than they ever had been. Midnight and Luna arguably faired worse, with Midnight one day fleeing the castle, screaming long past his throat becoming dry. He disappeared into the slowly darkening woods deep within Everfree, and never returned.

The disappearance of one of her friends caused Luna to further withdraw into herself, and she soon became aware of her subjects growing to distrust her as she let her emotions rule her thoughts and actions. As their love for her dwindled, it only grew for Celestia, and soon the lost princess found herself jealous of her sister and closest friend. Celestia was unable to notice the darkness growing within her, and if Eclipse noticed, he said nothing. If anypony at all noticed, they failed to see where the signs were leading.

Consumed with grief and rage, Luna found herself spiraling into complete madness, the darkness that had taken hold of her heart changing her from the inside out, transforming her into what Equestria learned to call Nightmare Moon. With her newfound form and dark powers, eerily reminiscent of what Merkir had shown, she began her attempt to take full control over Equestria and bring eternal night upon it.

But she was not alone in her mad quest for power. She had soon discovered that a similar darkness crawled within the heart and mind of the Alicorn foal Twilight Sparkle, and with no remorse, she strengthened it, twisted it, and forced her own daughter to rapidly grow into a crazed, murderous mare known as Twilight Despair, who held no desire other than to destroy all who dared to oppose her mother, or as she often called her, the true Queen.

The extent of Twilight Despair's power and insanity was great, the only thing keeping her from burning all of Equestria into the ground being Nightmare Moon. But the damage the self-proclaimed queen had allowed her only follower to cause was massive, and there was none who could stand in their way. Soon, even the castle had fallen, despite the efforts of Celestia, Eclipse, and the army they commanded. This was a fight they knew they simply could not win.

Yet the battle raged on, and the two Alicorns turned to the Elements of Harmony in their desperation, attempting to use them to free Luna and Twilight from the monsters they had become. But within Celestia and Eclipse's hearts were fear and sorrow, and with it, no true Harmony. Nightmare Moon was instead banished with Twilight Despair soon to follow, but the latter Alicorn, enraged at what they were doing, charged towards Celestia and smashed the Element of Magic in an attempt to disrupt the spell. The shards of the broken Element sank into her skin like liquid, and she found herself pulled out of the world and joining Nightmare Moon.

And things would only get even worse, as Eclipse would disappear along with all of Everfree's remaining villagers, the forest surrounding it fallen into shadows, and Celestia would have her own rampage of insanity. Truly, whatever Merkir had done ruined them all forever...'

Twilight looked up from the book and closed it as Luna came into the room, not saying a word. Twilight turned to face her, eyes wide as everything she had read slowly sank in. Luna simply stared back, her expression unreadable, but Twilight could tell she wanted to say something.

“I take it that you have found the answers you sought?” Luna finally spoke up, her tone dull and words forced. The question came from the need to shatter the silence rather than the want to say something. The Moon Princess allowed herself a moment to swallow hard, nervousness threatening to take hold. She had wanted this. So why did she feel so numb?

“I...yes...” Twilight replied, her tone hushed as she struggled to find the right words, “Is all of...this...true? Am I really...?” She found herself unable to finish the question, choosing to hope Luna knew what she meant. “Every word.” Luna replied calmly, having regained some of her composure.

“I...need time...”

“I understand...”

Luna's expression soon became hurt, Twilight able to hear the sadness in her voice. Luna feared being rejected, and Twilight's inability to sort through her own thoughts and emotions only made things worse. But Twilight simply needed time. Memories of her parents, or who she had always considered her parents, danced around within her head. Then memories of her brother, and her time with Celestia before coming to Ponyville.

Celestia always told her she was gifted, and destined for great things, but she never imagined any of...this. Yet it all seemed to make sense. Why else would she have longed for Luna that night? Perhaps this was what Celestia meant when she said that Alicorns share a rather unique bond. The strength of their bonds could overcome even loss of memory, her teacher had told her.

“So this is why I longed for you...” Twilight said, her voice a mere whisper. “I felt your pain,” Luna responded, having heard it perfectly, “I wanted to be there, but I was...afraid.”

Silence.

“But then I felt the rage of Twilight Despair... Celestia told me to stay here, but I simply could not. Perhaps it is...for the better I had come against her orders.”

“...Yes. Yes it was. And...thank you for that...”

Luna allowed herself a weak smile, but soon her expression turned serious. “However, there are things that need to be done...” she said, “Though the disguise I have given you will make your true nature unknown to others, it does not change the fact that as an Alicorn, your magic has changed. Even something as simple as levitating a tea cup could lead to disaster. You have far more power than you ever did as an...honourary Unicorn. I believe it would be in your best interest to...train a bit. We don't know what we might be going up against.”

“That's a good idea!” Twilight shouted, her depression melting away for the moment, then she looked confused, “But, uh...where would we go that won't attract attention?” Luna's horn was already glowing, a sign that Twilight was about get her answer. Before long, she found herself standing in the crystal caves beneath Canterlot, where she had found the real Cadance during the wedding.

“Nopony should be here, and there should be enough room here...” Luna stated plainly, “Once you've grown accustomed to your new magical strength, I want to teach you some offensive and defensive spells. And how to properly guard your own mind from...unwanted visitors. And you need to learn how to fly. This all may seem...excessive, but after what happened to my sister, I am not taking any chances.” Twilight simply nodded in understanding.

“Good. We don't have much time, so let's begin...”

Elsewhere...

Shadow silently looked down at Canterlot from the mountains, sighing as a cool breeze blew through the trees around her, and a storm began coming in. She narrowed her eyes at the castle as rain started pouring. “Amethyst covered in darkness,” she muttered, “Phantom born of childish and petty revenge.”

She heard the faint clopping of hooves on the stones behind her, then the splashing of mud puddles as the pony came closer to her. She turned to face him, seeing what many would consider a black knight...except that he was not an armoured pony, but instead a machine. A black android Alicorn with glowing, dark green eyes.

“Tell the 'mighty' Amethyst Prince to cease this foolishness.” Shadow ordered, glaring angrily at the android. He merely cocked his head in response, his glowing, flame-like blue mane and tail blowing ever so slightly with the wind.

“Tell him to leave this land he has no quarrel with alone. Tell him to leave the object of his childish hatred alone. Tell him to return their Sun Princess.”

“He will not.” the android stated firmly, voice metallic yet deep. “Then tell him that he will not remain in power for much longer,” Shadow replied, struggling with the words, as speaking was never her forte, “Tell him that his world will snap and crumble before his very eyes, and only ash will be left of it. I make this promise to do what I must to protect the innocents he hurts. I promise to destroy him.”

“”Do you really think your odds of beating him are good?”

“Then if I cannot, somepony else can.”

“That is also unlikely.”

“No it is not.”

The android remained perfectly still for a few moments, but whether he was annoyed or not was unknown to the Unicorn. “Yes it is.” he stated plainly, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Then believe what you will.” Shadow responded, her expression unchanged.

“Being a traitor has its consequences.” the android spoke up as Shadow turned to leave. “And being a tyrant has greater.” she snapped back, turning her head to look at him.

“The Amethyst Prince is not a tyrant.”

“Yet he has caused innocents pain over this grudge.”

Shadow started walking away, taking care not to slip in the mud. “...The hunt has already begun,” the android informed her, “There is no turning back now.” She continued walking, then stopped for a brief moment, but didn't turn to look at him. “Then your fate is sealed.” she replied darkly, breaking into a full-on run through the wind, rain, and mud, disappearing from sight.

The android remained where he had been the whole time.

“Negative.”

He walked away.

Face to Face

Chapter 9: Face to Face.

How long she had been there, she hadn't even begun to ponder, but if there was one thing that slowly came to mind, it was why the surface she had been sleeping on was so soft. Something in the back of her mind told her that shouldn't make any sense. She slowly opened a single eye, the other snapping open as she stared at the room in surprise. This most certainly wasn't her room, but...it was what she would consider comfortable. Its white walls and yellow floor were bright, and it had plenty of space. There were even numerous paintings of the sun on the walls.

“...Where am I...?” Celestia said to no one in particular, raising her eyebrow as she strained her memory trying to find an explanation, “How did I...” her eyes narrowed as the recent events replayed within her mind, “...That other Alicorn...” Hearing the clopping of hooves, she turned to the door, sitting upright on the bed as the stallion entered the room, 'Speak of the devil and he will come...'

“Do you like the room?” he asked simply, as if they were good friends. She gave him an incredulous look, though he didn't seem bothered. “Yes, it is very nice,” she replied after a few seconds, her tone questioning, “...Am I to assume that I'm a prisoner?”

“I suppose...it is only correct to say yes.”

“...Then why do you bother with this? Why not a cell? ...Not that I mind, of course...”

“Because I prefer to be hospitable, especially to an old friend.”

“You're not him,” Celestia swiftly replied, glaring daggers at him, “And why am I even here? What could you possibly want that would motivate you to bring me here?”

“There are many things I wish to speak with you about, you see,” he replied calmly, “But I haven't properly introduced myself, have I? I bring you here seeking peaceful relations, therefore you may call me Lord Amethyst. Those who invoke my wrath shall know me under a different name, my true name, as it happens... But I do prefer Amethyst for occasions like this. A name of beauty over a name of power.”

“Well then, Amethyst, would you mind telling me what these things you wish to speak to me about are?”

Amethyst then levitated a book out of the bag he was carrying, and Celestia's eyes narrowed as she recognized it. “Would you mind telling me what this is?” Amethyst inquired in a rather scolding tone, in response to her own question “...It's a book.” Celestia responded, her voice consumed by annoyance.

“And what is in this book?”

“All vicious lies and nothing more!”

“And do you know what I have to say about that?”

“Enlighten me.”

Amethyst's expression became one of pure rage and the book was immediately burned to ashes by his magic. “I find it very disappointing,” he said darkly, levitating the ashes and dropping them into a nearby trash can, “...Most disappointing you would allow such things to be said. That your sister's pain was just her jealousy of you when that was only a piece to the puzzle. That your niece was little more than an abomination created by Nightmare Moon, and not a truly living pony like she really is. And then you allowed her to be forgotten entirely, thus placing all blame for every atrocity on Luna's shoulders. And you let me be forgotten.”

“Do you really think I wanted it to be allowed?” Celestia argued, “I tried to stop it, but if I went too far...” Amethyst didn't give her a chance to finish, saying, “...You would be seen as a tyrant? That isn't an excuse to lie.”

“But I didn't lie. And there is-”

“You allowed lies to become truth in the eyes of many.”

“I do indeed regret these actions, but I can't change what's been done. And I-”

“But it is a crime to let things continue as they are.”

Celestia sighed in annoyance, not wanting this conversation to continue, as it was going nowhere. “But I don't intend on letting it remain this way forever,” she replied, giving up on trying to explain the whole story, “I have planned on slowly returning things to how they should be. Slow enough that the young ones won't notice a difference, and few elders would care. Just as these truths were silently removed, they will be silently returned.”

“But do you intend on letting what is inside this book be seen again?” Amethyst asked, holding up another book, which made her inhale sharply, “...I suppose not, if only because of your reaction... But I also suppose I should confirm if what is said here is even true. So tell me, are you, or are you not, Solar Inferno?”

“...Yes, I was that Alicorn,” Celestia answered after a lengthy silence, “But I am not her anymore, and I don't intend to ever become her again,” she paused for a moment, “But I am afraid...I cannot let Equestria, or the Crystal Empire, or any place for that matter, know about her, at least not-”

Amethyst chose to cut her off again, “So you would allow the darkness of your sister to be readily known, even have an annual 'celebration' of it, but your own darkness must remain hidden? You can't allow even the smallest drop of shadow to tarnish your golden image? Are you afraid your people will hate you?”

“...While I must confess I do not want to be seen as a destroyer in any way, that isn't the whole-”

“Enough.”

Celestia glared at him, wanting nothing more than to smack him for his unwillingness to let her finish explaining what she felt was necessary, but she deemed such an action unwise. “So, is this it, then?” she decided to say in an irritable tone, “You brought me here, causing Equestria panic, just so you could tell me what a dreadful pony I am?” Amethyst sighed, his eyes showing a hint of annoyance. “There are other things, if you're that bothered,” he replied, “In fact, there is something that I wish for you to see.”

“...And what would that be?”

“This land which I rule.”

Celestia didn't have much time to protest before Amethyst promptly teleported them to the top of a building, which loomed over the city like a mountain. She looked up to see a cloudy sky, and a gentle breeze blew through her mane. Amethyst walked over to some railing and rested his front legs on it, looking at her expectantly. She sighed and cautiously walked over to where he was, putting as much distance between herself and him as she could, resting her own front legs on the railing.

“Behold, one great city of this world, the Shadow Realm,” Amethyst said, “It is a strange and at times unforgiving world, but we made it our home. In order to survive, we became what you see now. We bonded with the moving metal, destroyed our oppressor, and opened our eyes to a new age.”

Looking below the railing, Celestia could see equines of some kind. She could barely make out any details beyond that, as she was simply too high up. She also noticed 'moving metal' of all shapes and sizes walking throughout the city in perfect harmony with the strange equines.

“They were once Equestrians, you know,” Amethyst commented, eyes on the equines, “But we've been here a long time...and time has a way of changing things, and in such a strange land, change is inevitable. So behold, the Shadow Ponies... Once normal Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi, now altered by an ever changing environment and an increased dependency on magic.”

Amethyst then levitated three pieces of paper out of his bag, showing them to Celestia. The first image depicted two normal Earth Ponies, male and female, along with their Shadow counterparts. The Shadow counterparts had considerably darker coats which seemed to have a glow to them, perhaps comparable to the Crystal Ponies' shine. The Shadow Ponies appeared to be taller and much weaker physically, with dragonish eyes and unusually large ears.

The second image compared two Equestrian Unicorns with their Shadow counterparts. The differences were basically the same as the previous, with the addition of the Shadow Unicorns' horns being longer and sharper. And finally, the third image compared Equestrian Pegasi to their Shadow counterparts, the Shadow Pegasi adding a larger wingspan.

“How fascinating...” Celestia said only to satisfy the desire for a response that she could see in Amethyst's eyes. She then noticed his expression darkened ever so slightly, and moved even further away from him. He remained where he was for the moment, but his eyes were firmly on her as he put the pictures back in his bag.

“It's really quite amusing in a sad way...” Amethyst spoke, his voice suddenly shaky as if his sanity was slipping, “You and your sister tell me I simply wasn't ready. That I was just too focused on my little creations to ever have the proper care and leadership required. And look at me now. I am a prince, and this land I rule is greater than your precious Equestria in every possible way! Just look at me now! Look at me now and realize how blind you were! Gaze in awe at what I've accomplished without you both holding me back!”

“...What is it you really want?” Celestia dared to ask, standing on all fours and backing away as Amethyst started to slowly walk towards her, his eyes suggesting a complete personality shift. “Oh, I want many things, Celestia...” he replied darkly, his tone trying to reclaim the calmness it once had but failing as his growing madness consumed it, “But for now, I mainly want to watch my world of shadow swallow your world of light, and hear your sister's agonized cries as I destroy the monster she created!”

“...You're the one who removed the seal placed upon Twilight Despair, aren't you?”

He gave her a toothy grin, “Oh, you do catch on fast...”

“Why would you do such a thing?”

“A monster is still a monster no matter how you try to hide it!” Amethyst shrieked, slamming his hoof down on the floor, creating cracks where that hoof rested, “And I will not rest until she pays for what she's done to my people and myself!”

“But she was banished for nearly a thousand years, trapped in a world of pure loneliness... Has she-”

“It's not good enough. She is a danger to everything that dares to exist, can't you see that?”

“She wouldn't be if you hadn't decided to break the seal that was-”

“It would've broken anyway, with or without my help. It was really no use delaying the inevitable. I'd like to think I did you all a favour.”

“You're mad...” Celestia said, backing up until she touched some of the railing, as raindrops began falling from the clouds, “Absolutely mad. I know exactly who you are now...” Her eyes darted around the area, her wings twitching, as she tried to find some way to escape the mad prince, but the rain and the now dreadfully strong wind would not allow a safe flight, if it allowed a flight at all. And she knew it wasn't just him she would have to deal with.

“But I'm not mad, Tia!” Amethyst declared in a tone far too happy, “A bit angry, maybe, and quite anxious to carry on with my fun ideas, but certainly not mad in the manner you would suggest!” At this point, he may as well have started prancing with joy, the energy within him was so clear, but he continued to walk slowly, his body shaking as a result. A flash of lightning did nothing to make his crazed grin any better.

“...If it's Twilight you want to hurt so badly...” Celestia dared to ask as she started to move towards a nearby door, seeing it as the least insane chance of escape, “And myself as well as my sister... Why attack Equestria? What do you have to gain from it?” She promptly ran towards the door, but Amethyst quickly got in front, looking ready to explode from laughter.

“It's simple, Tia,” he said, his voice dripping with the malice only one Alicorn was capable of, as he pulled a necklace with a blood red jewel in its center out of his bag, “Because I can. And because Equestria made me regret ever existing.”

“Why did you dare come back?”

Twilight felt her blood freeze at the hateful tone in Rainbow's voice, as she stood in front of the damaged town hall of Ponyville. She felt as if she became much smaller under the distrustful gaze every single pony was giving her. Even Spike offered no relief, his eyes narrow and filled with rage.

“Yeah!” Pinkie was quick to shout, holding a small piece of wood with both front hooves, “You're just a Mean Meanie Pants who doesn't belong anywhere! So you can just leave! We don't want or need your help!” To prove her point, she promptly threw the piece at Twilight, hitting her in the face before she could respond.

“I can't believe I was ever friends with such a terrible, terrible thing!” Rarity noted in disgust, motioning for Twilight to leave the area immediately, but the small Alicorn seemed unwilling to comply, “Hmph, go on! Get out of here! So I never have to see your absolutely dreadful face again!”

“We don't need ponies like you,” Apple Jack said firmly, Twilight wishing her mind wasn't so frozen, as she desperately wanted to respond, but nonetheless nothing left her mouth and the Earth Pony continued, “Like Pinkie said, there ain't no place for ya 'ere!”

“Just let me explain...” Twilight finally managed, backing away as other ponies started to walk towards her with their hateful glares, “I didn't come here to hurt anypony! I just wanted to...to...”

“Apologize?” Fluttershy asked in a dull tone, unfitting for her.

“I...yes...”

“...You can forget it.”

Twilight then decided it was a good time to run when everyone started finding things to throw at her whereas others chose to simply chase her out of the area. She found herself wincing as a well-aimed rock hit her right wing, but kept running anyway. She let out a cry of surprise when Rainbow promptly jumped in front of her and tried kicking her, but she avoided it and ran in another direction.

'Poor, poor Twilight Sparkle. Now everypony hates you...'

She clenched her teeth at the sound of Twilight Despair's voice, her horrible voice...a complete mockery of her own. She was too distracted to realize she had effectively been forced backwards by the angry mob, now running in a different direction. A well-aimed strike to her side sent her tumbling down another direction, and she saw Apple Jack lying on the ground, having kicked her.

'But this 'everypony' isn't just every citizen in this sickeningly sweet little town. Oh no...'

Upon 'escaping' Apple Jack and the rest of Ponyville for the time being, Twilight took the time to rest for a brief moment, leaning on the side of a house, then frowned when she found various things such as rocks and even acorns were being thrown at her. She looked up to find Fluttershy sitting near the edge of the roof, with group of squirrels and other small animals with her, all of them harassing Twilight with whatever they could find.

'Can you guess what 'everypony' means?'

Twilight chose to run forward to get away from Fluttershy's harassment, but was stopped when Pinkie came out of nowhere to swing a baseball bat at her, and force her to once again change course. Avoiding traps placed in plain sight by Rarity and real fire breath from Spike, Twilight realized too late what her relentless pursuers were doing and found herself running into the awaiting maw of Everfree. When she realized how far inside it she had run, Twilight stopped and turned around to see the angry ponies, but most of all her friends, standing outside the entrance to the dreaded forest, all of them showing in their eyes they would not let her come back.

'That's right...'

Eventually, her vision began to blur from the terror she was feeling, and all she could see was the hateful faces of her would-be friends, and their hurtful words continued to assault her hearing as she became consumed by the forest itself, her vision soon turning dark as her body lost all will to function.

'EVERYPONY THAT YOU LOVE!'

“STOP IT!” Twilight screamed, then promptly covered her mouth with her front hooves, wincing at the loudness of her scream as she sat upright in the bed. She turned her head as she heard Luna groaning and saw her sitting up from the fortress of pillows and blankets she had created a 'bed' from. The Moon Princess held her front hooves to both sides of her head as if rubbing her temples. After that, she swiftly walked to the door, right as one of the night guards was about to force his way in.

“There is no need for that,” Luna insisted, slowly closing the door on the bat-winged pony, “I just had a bad dream. That's all. But thank you for checking... Now good night!” The guard uttered words of protest, but was unable to keep Luna from closing the door. She rolled her eyes as she heard him grumble in disapproval, then walk back to his position.

“Uh....sorry......” Twilight managed, blushing from embarrassment as Luna passed her 'fortress' and instead went to Twilight herself. Assuming the older Alicorn was wanting to reclaim her bed, Twilight went to leave, but was stopped by Luna putting a front hoof in her way. The look in Luna's eyes suggested she wanted Twilight to stay as she got herself comfortable in the large bed. Before Twilight could protest, she soon found herself being held close.

“You don't have to tell me what happened,” Luna informed her, refusing to loosen her grip, “I saw your dream... And if you're considering having a breakdown, please, I would greatly appreciate it if you did not. You know your friends better than anypony. Do you really think they would act that way?”

“Well, not really, but-”

“Then they will not. There is no reason to think otherwise...”

“I suppose you're right...” Twilight sighed, “But why the so...straight and to the point manner of telling me this?” Luna looked at her in confusion, her grip loosening enough for Twilight to back away just a bit and get a better look into her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Luna inquired, sounding worried, as if she had offended Twilight, “Am I not doing it right?” Twilight felt herself smile weakly at Luna's confusion over the subject, if only for the fact that it reminded her of many a time when she asked Celestia the same question, but for vastly different reasons.

“Oh, what you said is fine...” Twilight managed, trying hard to answer without lecturing someone she felt she really shouldn't be lecturing, “It's just...uh...how do I put this...? You sound kind of...bored? No, that's not right. Too serious? Uh, maybe...oh! The tone you're using makes me think I'm still one of your subjects...or maybe I am and this whole thing didn't change that, in which case, it's totally okay and I totally understand-”

“I get it,” Luna said firmly, sighing once again, her tone softening, “It's still...habit. I am afraid that this is something I haven't exactly gotten the chance to fully adjust to.”

“I'm still getting used to it... Oh! That reminds me of a few questions I wanted to ask...or should they wait until morning?”

“...Ask them now. I beg of you. I do not desire you sleeping on the possible answers to whatever these questions are, and then creating a dream that will likely make me question your sanity.”

“O-okay, if you insist...” Twilight chuckled nervously, well aware of how strange her imagination had the tendency to be, “Uh, first one... If... Twilight Despair...was banished along with Nightmare Moon, why was I here before Nightmare Moon came back?”

“That...is a good question, and sadly while I have no answer for sure, I have a theory,” Luna replied, shifting in the bed slightly, “Celestia told me that Twilight Despair had absorbed the Element of Magic into herself, and ultimately, you. The Elements of Harmony are special. They only answer the call when all are in unison, and they will actively seek each other out. It also seems they possess the ability to 'choose' particularly gifted ponies to represent them. It seems that the Element of Magic 'sensed' the revival of its 'siblings' and brought you back to Equestria with it...”

“But the other Elements were sitting in the ruins for centuries. Why did it wait so long?”

“It was waiting for your friends, Twilight. The ones who could awaken the other Elements. Before your friends were born, the Elements were mere useless rocks. But for ponies to come and represent them as if they were bonded... It brought them back to life. Your friendship brought them back to life.”

“Oh... That's...interesting... Thanks.”

“And you have at least one other question?”

“If I was born an Alicorn, why did I grow up as a Unicorn?” Twilight inquired, holding a single hoof to her mouth as she yawned. She was considering just going back to sleep, but another part of her dreaded doing so after the nightmare and wanted to prolong this.

“Celestia was responsible for that,” Luna answered quietly, “A highly advanced spell which hid your wings from all senses, and held back enough of your magic. She did it to protect you.”

“Protect me? From what?”

“And with that, I must ask you a question. What would you have done upon my return as Nightmare Moon if you had grown up knowing who I really was to you? Would you have been able to face me, then?”

“Uh... I...I think...probably not...”

“Things do change when the Alicorn threatening to plunge an entire country into unending darkness happens to be quite close, doesn't it?”

“Uh-huh... But what about my...parents...?”

“Night Light and Twilight Velvet were close to Celestia, you see,” Luna replied, wincing a bit about how Twilight worded the question, “Since she knew she wouldn't have the time to care for you properly, she entrusted you to them. She was quite thorough about it, really, even going as far as to fabricate birth records. And it could be considered destiny that your adoptive mother shared a similar name... I must say, Celestia did choose wisely... You are a very remarkable young mare.”

“Thank you...” Twilight said, allowing herself a small, but nonetheless genuine smile, “I think that should be it...oh! Wait a minute... You sleep during the night? But I thought-”

“I can honestly sleep whenever I want...usually. But to properly answer your question, of course I do. How else can I enter the dreams of ponies every night? My physical body needs to be doing something after all...”

“Oh, okay, I think I get it now...”

“Will that be all?”

“Yes...for now at least. I'm probably going to find other things to ask, but...not right now.”

“That is fine...”

“But I do worry about Celestia...” Twilight said, “I just hope she's okay...” Luna merely nodded in response, but chose not to say anything. After Twilight closed her eyes, Luna allowed a frightened expression to creep upon her face as she mentally tried to reach Celestia through their bond, but was met with no emotion. She had sensed her sister's fear before, but now she felt nothing, as if the bond had been broken.

Luna resisted the urge to shiver as she felt a void within her heart. That other Alicorn had done something to Celestia, she was sure of it... She continued trying to feel something from their bond, but to no avail. It was as if the Sun Princess was dead...a thought which made Luna feel frozen. It was a thought she refused to even entertain, but the longer she went on without sensing anything, the more she began to give in.

Then Celestia's side of their bond finally sent something back. An overwhelming feeling of hatred for the sister at the receiving end.