The Dawn Before Twilight

Chapters

Call to Action
The 'Chosen' One
If Celestia does it, how hard could it be?
The Loophole
Home Sweet Home
Descisions of Deicide
Fall from Grace

Call to Action

“Greetings, my little ponies.” The words were deep, eerie and broken, nearly as unrecognizable as the pony speaking them.

“Twilight.”

“What brings you all here, may I ask? And make it quick, I haven’t got all day, you know.”

“Twilight, please.” One final attempt. She had to try. “I know you’re still in there somewhere. Please, come back with us. Everything’ll go back to the way it was. None of this is your fault. We can forget all of it.”

“My dearest Starlight, are you trying to bail me out of my crimes? I have no regret over what i’ve done.” The alicorn pondered. “No. You know what, that’s a lie.” Looking up, her two piercing green eyes bore into those of her friends, a smirk growing upon her lips. “I regret not doing it sooner.”

Starlight retreated a few steps, tears beginning to threaten her. But the unicorn pushed on.

“Twilight, listen, you’re better than this. You know it. You can look inside yourself and realize who you really are. And if you can’t do it for us… then, please, do it for Equestria!”

Oh, don't ‘Do it for Equestria’ me! What? Is this your grand master plan? To guilt trip me into submission? You’re a clever mare, Starlight, but I fear you’ve greatly underestimated your new ruler.”

Starlight couldn’t bear to look into those electric green eyes a second longer. She dropped her gaze, words failing to come to her.

The princess gave short chuckle before glaring down at the guards stationed below her, “Well? What are you waiting for? Kill them already!”

The royal guards immediately sprinted into action, Twilight herself rising and charging up a spell, a smirk still residing on her face. The six ponies cowered, unsure of where to go, what was to be done, before a piercing, shadowy magic erupted from the alicorn's horn, and all was lost to darkness.

“Seventy two!…. Seventy three!… Seventy four!...” Twilight shouted out a new milestone every time she felt a rainbow-hued blur whoosh past her. The alicorn was standing on a free-floating cloud a good fifty feet above the town of Ponyville below, in the midst of a crystal clear, baby blue sky. Fluttershy stood beside her. She had been asked -or, in fact- rather forced, to help with Rainbow’s training session that day along with the Princess. She was supposed be offering moral support and encouragement in order for her friend to be as awesome as physically possible, in the words of Rainbow Dash. Yet Twilight doubted Rainbow could even hear the mare’s near-silent voice at the speed she was going. She could barely hear Fluttershy’s cheering and she was standing right next to her. Eventually, the yellow pegasus sighed and gave up, plopping herself down on the cloud and continuing to watch Rainbow’s dizzyingly quick laps. Twilight’s legs were getting tired at this point as well, but never had the alicorn truly gotten the hang of standing on clouds, and she was half-certain she would fall right through if she attempted sitting. So she stayed put, occasionally glancing at the stopwatch hovering before her, encased in her magenta aura. Finally, the number Twilight had been waiting for came up.

“One hundred! Ok, Dash!” The cerulean pegasus came to an impressively fast halt the second Twilight clicked her stopwatch. Her fur was matted with sweat and her mane a frazzled mess, but she modeled a glowing smile that even Pinkie Pie would have trouble topping.

“Ten minutes on the dot.” Sure had felt a lot longer than ten minutes. “Well done, Dash.”

“Hah! That beats my last record by at least a minute. This high-speed Wonderbolt show is gonna be a breeze.”
Fluttershy tentatively handed Rainbow the towel slung over her back, and Rainbow toweled herself off quickly before tossing it back and gearing up once again for takeoff.
“Okay, Twilight. Round two. Five hundred laps this time!” She gave a shake of her hindquarters before speeding off into the sky, that was until a bright pink glow yanked on the end of her tail and stopped the pegasus in her tracks.
“Aw, what gives?”

“You know what gives, Rainbow.” Twilight pulled the pegasus back down to her hooves. “We’ve been at this for hours. I think you’re as prepared as you possibly can be for this show. And if you really want to train more, why can’t Fluttershy keep track this time? She’s been up here with us doing practically nothing.”

“Because Fluttershy always loses count for me!” Rainbow said, motioning towards the timid pegasus. Said mare made a high-pitched squeak, and sunk her head to stare down at her hooves.

“But- but that’s alright!” Rainbow yelled when a twinge of guilt hit her. “Your job is to cheer, Fluttershy. Much more important.” Rainbow prepped herself for takeoff once more, ignoring the princess’s death glare.

“And remember, it has to be loud. We’ve been over this already.” Fluttershy nodded, and Rainbow yelled out to the princess:

“Alright, Twi. Five hundred laps this time around! Let’s go!” Twilight sighed and cursed the stubbornness of that little pegasus. Once again, she levitated the stopwatch in front of her face, waiting as her friend counted down with great enthusiasm.
“Five!… Four!... Three!...Two!...”

“PRINCESS TWILIGHT!”

Had Rainbow Dash taken off or not, Twilight wouldn't have known, she’d been far too distracted by what seemed to be a speeding grey and yellow meteor crashing into her and Fluttershy in a mess of limbs and feathers. A surprisingly comfortable fall left her sprawled out on the surface of the cloud, the weight of two ponies pinning her down. When her eyelids fluttered open, the only thing she could make out was a stopwatch, knocked right out of her magical grasp, speeding towards the ground below her her.

“Oh dear-” The pegasus mailmare stumbled to her feet, cross eyed and confused. “I’m so sorry Princess Twilight. And Fluttershy, you too. I guess just I didn’t notice how fast I was going.” She reached out to help the two back onto their hooves, Fluttershy seemingly in a far more frazzled state than either of them, choosing to lean onto Twilight for support. The alicorn got a quick glimpse of Rainbow hovering above them. She was trying and failing to suppress her laughter, and couldn't help but burst out giggling at the disoriented trio below her. Twilight cast her a cutting glare before once again facing the clumsy gray pegasus before them.

“Just Twilight is fine, Derpy. And it’s quite alright. Accidents happen. Right, Fluttershy?”

“I- hmm... wha?” The poor mare's head was spinning, barely able to see straight.

“Um… you should take that as a yes.”

The mailmare seemed relieved all the same. “Oh, right!” all of a sudden, she jolted into the air as if she’d been struck by a bolt of lightning, “Twilight! Princess Celestia says she needs you in Canterlot right away. Something urgent!”

“What?!” Twilight found herself panicking immediately. No time that the princess had urgently invited her former student over had ever turned out to be a particularly enjoyable experience.
“Derpy, why am I needed in Canterlot? Is anypony in danger?”

“I- well, i’m not sure. I think i’ve got her letter somewhere…” she fished around in her saddlebags, but was without luck. "Oh, I’m sorry, I guess I must’ve dropped it on the way here.”

“Do you remember what it said?!” Twilight asked rather frantically.

“Oh, sure. Princess Celestia said something about… now what was it… magical corruption! Yeah, that was it. She said something about magical corruption and how it meant she couldn’t use her magic to send you a message through your little dragon. Oh, and she asks you not to use your magic either. For the time being, at least.”

For a minute, Twilight stood blank faced and mortified, her panic-stricken brain struggling to determine an appropriate reaction for what had just come out of Derpy's mouth. She hadn’t remembered reading anything recently on magical corruption. It wasn’t a topic she necessary knew much about, or wanted to know much about, for that matter. She turned to look at Derpy with a face that begged for some kind of answer.

“It sounds pretty serious, Twilight. I’m sorry, that’s all I know.”

“It’s alright, Derpy, it isn’t yourfault or anything, I-”

She turned to look at the two pegasi beside her. Fluttershy still looking quite disoriented but concerned nonetheless, Rainbow’s comical grin having been traded out for a worried stare.

“I’m sorry, surely you two understand, I have to- I have to leave.” With that, she took off with a beat of her powerful wings, soaring off into the distance. Rainbow shook out of her daze and called out.

“Wait, Twi!”

But Twilight couldn’t wait. Everypony could very well be in danger. Maybe she was overreacting, but she wasn’t about to take any chances. As wind whipped through her mane and her eyes began to burn, she could focus only on getting to Canterlot as soon as possible.

It had been a long while since the alicorn had flown such a distance. She was a good mile from her own castle, which she would need to reach first in order find as many books as possible on magical corruption. There was no way she was going in there without any knowing of what she was up against. What would Celestia think of somepony so unprepared? Attempting to shield herself from the wind whipping at her face, she sunk lower in the sky so that she was flying at the height of the roofs of Ponyville.

“Oh, if I could only teleport right to the castle and be done with it!” But Twilight understood Celestia’s warning and had absolutely no intention of disobeying.

Flying close above the busy afternoon marketplace, a couple of noticeable pink and white figures caught her eye. Before she could even think of concealing herself from Pinkie Pie and Rarity so her flight would go uninterrupted, the two noticed the princess and called out to her.

“Heya, Twilight! In a hurry?” Pinkie’s shouting gave the alicorn no choice but to descend and greet her other two friends. Rarity was wearing a large, psychedelic piece of headwear that Twilight was surprised she’d missed upon first glance. It certainly didn’t seem like something Rarity, of all ponies, would find appealing.

“Is something the matter, darling? You certainly do seem in a bit of a rush,” the white unicorn asked, her massive headwear blocking out the majority of her vision, so that she was looking slightly to the side of where the alicorn was actually standing.

“Yeah! I almost thought you were Dashie up there, flying so fast! You’re definitely getting the hang of those wings, Twi! Hey, what do you think of the new party hats I designed for everypony to wear for Gummy’s birthday this weekend? I’m not much of a fashionista, so Rarity agreed to try them out! Pretty incredible, right?”

Twilight was a bit taken aback by how much the little pink pony was able to spurt out in a single breath, but she had known Pinkie for years now, and knew better than the question these kind of things.

“Oh, yeah. It’s... lovely, Pinkie.”

“Quite,” spoke Rarity, lifting the monstrosity up ever so slightly so that she could see clearly. “Although I do believe the size might be a bit of an issue, darling. As is-, the, um, colors…”

Twilight shook out of whatever needless distractions had been clogging her thoughts, “I’m really sorry, you two, but something came up. I might be gone for a little while. Now I really need to-”

“Something is wrong!” Pinkie gasped excitedly. “What is it? Is it a secret? I’m really good at keeping secrets, Twi. Remember that time when Shining Armor and Cadance-” She was interrupted with a hoof to the snout.

“No, Pinkie. It’s just that i’m needed in Canterlot for some kind of emergency concerning the other Princesses. I don’t have time to chat right now. I’m really sorry, I’ll see you both soon.”

Not waiting for a reply from either of the shocked ponies, the princess took off once again, staying low to the ground to avoid detection as much as possible. It was imperative that she got back to the castle without any more distractions, and-

THUMP!

With a resounding collision, Twilight had smacked right into an apple cart sitting in the middle of the road. The apples and large wooden cart remained safe, save for a few knocked to the ground by the force of impact, although the same could unfortunately not be said for Twilight, who was now on her back, limbs sprawled out, stars in her eyes as an orange blob made its way towards her.

“Whoa there, Twilight. Ya gotta keep a close eye on where ya flyin’ this time of day. Y’alright, there?”
The alicorn’s vision slowly cleared as the earth pony helped her to her hooves. She let out a groan, there had been far too much crashing this morning for her liking.

“I’m fine, thank you Applejack. I’m sorry about- um, the apples,” she said, glancing at the fruit scattered about the road. She almost intuitively levitated them back into the cart, but stopped herself just in time. “It’s just that i’m in a big hurry, something serious is going on and i’m gonna gone for a little while. But i’ve got to-”

“Whoa there, sugarcube. Slow down. Where in Equestria are you headed?”

“Canterlot.” She brushed herself off and spread her wings. “The princesses need me, there’s some kind of problem. I don’t really know what it’s about myself, something to do with magical corruption.” Applejack responded only with evident shock. “Again, AJ, I wish I could stay and explain, but i’ve got to go.”

Twilight took off once again, Applejack shouting behind her, “Canterlot?! Twilight, you get back down here and tell me what in the hay is going on! You get down here or i’ll-” The voice vaded. Her magnificent crystal castle in plain view now, Twilight beat her wings furiously as she plotted the quickest way to the library, deciding to fly up to the balcony above.

Mind racing already with whatever horrible scenario she could soon be faced with, Twilight landed less than elegantly on her bedroom balcony, threw open the doors, and careened into her bedroom.

“SPIKE!” She prayed the little dragon could hear her ear-piercing cry, wherever he was in this enormous Celestia-forsaken castle. She galloped as fast as she could down hallways and stairs, until she eventually found the startled dragon, wearing a worried expression that mirrored her own.

“Is everything okay Twilight? I heard you yell but I didn’t know where to find you. I thought you were with Rainbow-”

“Spike! There’s some kind of emergency in Canterlot. I’m needed there at once. Please, I need you to go the library and find all the books on magical corruption we have. We don’t have any time to lose!” With a determined salute, the princess’ little assistant was off.

Twilight wasted no time preparing her saddlebags for the trip by air. It certainly wouldn’t be the easiest mode of transport, but without her teleportation spells the only option left would be the train, which would be far too slow. Equestria could be under attack any minute for all she knew. She needed to get to the royal sisters in Canterlot as soon as possible.

“These were all… I could find... will these work?” Spike struggled to keep the heavy stack of books in his arms from falling over, eventually failing at his pursuits. The old texts came tumbling out of his arms, into a pile at Twilight’s hooves.

“I hope so. For now they’ll have to do,” Twilight began the tedious task of picking up one spine in her teeth at a time and carefully placing each book into her saddlebags.

“If I wanna be a much help as possible, I need to know my stuff. I’m not sure I even remember all that much of what i’ve read on magical corruption, Spike! I mean, it’s obviously connected to dark magic in some way, but that’s... hey, what are you looking at?”

The young dragon was cocking his head at Twilight, perplexed at the sight of the almighty alicorn picking up books in her mouth.

“Uh, Twilight, why are you doing that?”

“I can tyu magic, pike!” she spat the last foul-tasting title into her saddlebag. “Not until I reach Canterlot and figure out what’s going on with all of this. That’s why i’ve got to hurry. I need to make it there by air.” With that, she had finished packing her saddlebags, which Spike helped sling around her sides. She was about to take off for the door when Spike piped up:

“Wait! Twilight, what if I come with you? No offense, but, you do seem a bit… unhinged,” The alicorn scowled. “Not- not that you don’t have reason to be! Or anything, it’s just, maybe you could... use the company. I swear I won’t get in the way or anything. It’s just, Starlight’s over helping Trixie with that magic show in Las Pegasus, and I don’t know when she’ll be back, is all.”

“And you don’t want to stay here all by yourself?” Twilight allowed herself a teasing smirk.

“No! It’s not that! It’s just... I think you could use the support, is all.”

Twilight’s smirk shifted into a warm smile. “Well, I suppose I could use just a little of that. I couldn’t count all the times you’ve helped me out in situations like this, number one assistant,” she stroked the grinning dragon’s scales on top of his head. “And I suppose I do need some way to send a message to the others here in Ponyville if i’m away for too long...”

The dragon beamed, “So, that means I can come?”

“As long as you be careful, and do exactly as I say. If there’s one thing I know about magical corruption, it’s that it’s nothing to mess around with. I don’t want to be one to put you in harm’s way without reason.”

The excited little dragon scrambled onto Twilight’s back, “Don’t you worry, Twilight. I’ll do exactly as i’m told! As always!”

“Yeah,” the alicorn discretely rolled her eyes. “As always…”

Twilight galloped as fast as she possibly could with a dragon and two sacks full of books on her back. As soon as she reached the grand front doors, however, a pale blue aura beat out her own as they creaked open to reveal Rarity as the source. Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack stood by her side. Twilight felt a lump form in her throat.

“Wait up, Twi,” Rainbow demanded. “You’re expecting to just leave for Canterlot without us? How well did you think that was gonna work out, really?”

“Sugar, we know there’s somethin’ serious going on. We’re here because we wanna help. We’re a team, remember? Elements of harmony and all that?” Applejack smiled.

Rarity stepped forward and put a hoof on the princess’ shoulder, “We want to assist you, dearest, we really do. If Equestria’s in danger again-”

Rainbow cut in, “We can’t just sit here doing nothing while you and the other princesses get to have all the fun!” Rarity glared at her. “I mean- you know, have to handle everything yourselves...” The others nodded approvingly.

Twilight turned to Spike before giving the five an apologetic smile, “Listen, I’m touched you all want to help so much, and I want all you to come with me, really. But I have to find out what’s going on and I don’t want to put you all in danger. I’m risking enough bringing Spike as it is.”

Rainbow seemed unconvinced. “Twilight, we don’t need to be protected.” she snapped back. “You know that. We’re a team. We depend on each other, and all that junk.”

“I swear, as soon as I figure out what exactly is going on and why I can’t use my magic, I’ll send you all a letter with Spike and immediately speak to the princesses about you coming too.”

"And when will that be? You expect us to just wait, worried sick, kept in the dark from everything?"

"Dash," Applejack pepped up. "On second thought, this does seem like some pretty serious princess business Twi's gotta worry about. Ah admit... the idea of hangin' out here while she's the one dealing with all of it all isn't great. But I think we should trust 'er."

Rainbow growled, "Sure, I guess ..."

"But you'll talk to the other princesses about it? About the rest of us helping too?" Pinkie asked hopefully. "I don't want you to leave us for too long, Twilight. I didn't even have time to set up a going away party yet! "

"You won't need to, Pinkie. I doubt i'll be away for that long. And i'll write back to you all as soon as I can, promise."

Fluttershy stepped forward rather timidly, and then unexpectedly wrapped the alicorn in a hug.

“Let us know soon, Twilight. And be careful, please. We’re just worried about you, is all.”

The other four joined in, “I know. I’m really sorry, you guys. I’ll see all of you real soon. Promise.”

“Pinkie promise, Twilight?” Pinkie asked after breaking out of the hug.

“Pinkie promise.” said Twilight, going through the required motions for the oath. Then, she trotted over to the castle’s front doors and pushed them open, turning back to wave at her distraught-looking friends one last time before leaving.

With a brief running start, Twilight was up in the air and heading for the mountains north of Ponyville, where the capital city of Canterlot was nestled. Spike grasped her neck with his claws, doing his very best to not look down at the shrinking Ponyville below them.

“WE LOVE YOU TWIIIIIILIGHT! DON’T FORGET TO WRIIIIITE!” Pinkie’s unmistakably loud and shrill voice could be heard even at the distance they were from her. The alicorn smiled, almost shedding a tear before assuring herself that she’d see her friends again in so time.

Twilight could almost make out the towering spires and flowing waterfalls of the capital city already. the weight of both a baby dragon and all her books made her flying much more of an effort, but she pushed on anyway. Nothing was going to get in her way of making it to the princesses. Below her, forest stretched out in oblivion, for the area between Ponyville and Canterlot was mostly wild, save for a few roads and some farmland here and there. As Twilight soared high above the trees, both she and Spike couldn’t help but notice the fact that the sky was getting progressively darker.

“I guess there’s rain planned for today in Canterlot,” said Spike, catching a glimpse of a few distant pegasi moving clouds and blocking the sun from their view.

“Won’t be too good for us. Hopefully we can get there before it starts.”

The moment Twilight finished her sentence, her eyes grew wide, her limbs completely limp, and her mighty wings came to a halt. In a split second the princess was plummeting towards the ground, Spike hanging onto her for dear life. A splitting headache had hit her out of nowhere, her skull feeling as if somepony was trying to bash it open. The numbing pain and endless ringing in her ears clouded all of her thoughts, until…

“Twilight?! TWILIGHT!” Spike’s shouting eventually managed the reach the alicorn’s ears and register in her mind, who was luckily able to snap out of it just in time. She struggled to get herself airborne, wings beating furiously, until she was finally hovering just barely above the treetops. Still very shaken, the two of them breathed heavily with both fear and relief for a few minutes, refraining from speech.

“Are you alright, Twilight? What in Celestia’s name just happened?” the dragon was still clinging onto Twilight dear life, his claws nearly digging into her neck.

“I’m okay, Spike. Everything’s alright. Don’t worry-” Twilight uttered through pants. Spike relaxed his grip a bit, his eyes still wide and heart still racing against her back. “I just got this terrible headache all of a sudden, I-I couldn’t move-”

“Do you think this might have to do with whatever Celestia was warning you about?” Spike asked.
The thought created a pit in Twilight’s stomach, already quite uneasy from the fall.

“We need to get to Canterlot, Spike. Right now.”

“What about all the books?” the dragon asked, looking into the abyss of leaves and branches below them. Twilight checked her saddlebags and, indeed, her books had unfortunately not made the trip with them. They could have been anywhere in the vicinity, shielded by the dense treetops. “Should we go get them?”

“We can’t. There’s no time. We need find the others and figure out what in Equestria’s going on.”
Without a moment to spare, Twilight was well on her way to the magnificent city before her, if not slightly more nervous than moments ago. It pained her to abandon so many of her prized titles in the middle of the forest, but the situation was too dire.

Finally, the exhausted alicorn arrived at the castle gates, plopping herself down to rest her aching wings and back, her heart still pounding from the panic of the fall. An unprepared Spike slid down her back and fell to the ground a with thump. Twilight made a mental note to take the train anytime she was headed to Canterlot on a non-emergency basis. She was so out of it she barely noticed the pegasus guard approaching the frazzled duo.

“Princess Twilight, we’re glad you’ve arrived. The royal sisters await you inside, please.”

“Cloudchaser! Is everything alright? Are the princesses safe?” Twilight was consoled by a face she had known ever since fillyhood. She was on a first-name basis almost all of the royal guards thanks to all the time spent she’d spent in the castle when she was younger.

“I apologize, Princess, I was only told to await you. I don’t know of the situation at hand, just that the others are waiting for you inside. Please, come in. It will likely start raining soon.”

Sure enough, the sky above the princess’ head was beginning to take the form of revolving wet cement. Cloudchaser opened the castle gates for Twilight, who wasted no time bolting inside, eager to find the others. Knowing Canterlot Castle like the back of her hoof, she ran around checking everywhere where it was most likely the royals sisters might be. Spike was close on her heels.

No luck in the throne room or dining hall, but when she turned a corner to enter the east wing, she found herself greeted by a familiar face.

“Twilight! I’m glad you-”

“Cadence!” the purple alicorn enveloped her sister in law in an unexpected hug. “I’m so happy you’re okay!”

“Why, of course i’m okay, Twilight.” Relieved, the mare broke away from Cadance. “I’m glad you’re here. We have much to discuss with the others.”

A gasp, “Celestia and Luna, where are they? Are they alright?”

“Don’t worry, Twilight. For now, We’re all fine. Come with me and we’ll explain everything.”

Princess Cadance led Twilight and Spike down several long corridors towards; Twilight soon determined, the castle library. Even if it was the hundredth or so time she’d seen the place, the sight was just as magnificent as when she had first laid eyes upon it. Hundreds of thousands of ancient and prized books escalated all the way up to the room’s tall ceiling. Large, magnificent windows let in what little light could be gathered from the gloomy outdoors. The entire place was incredibly serene and empty, as it often was, save for two ponies sitting at a round table in the room’s center. The royal sisters, Celestia and Luna, poured themselves over several dusty books, the both of them looking far less than calm.

“Twilight! Thank goodness you’ve arrived.” Celestia did her best to put on a smile as the two younger princesses approached. Thank you for fetching her, Cadance. Twilight, I apologize if my message may have been a bit startling. I dearly hope I didn’t end up troubling you.”

“No, no, Princess. It’s quite alright.”

“In any case, i’m sure an explanation is well due. Come.” She motioned for Twilight to sit between her and Luna. The mare wasted no time following her mentor’s order, taking a quick peek at what books she had been consulting. Cadence took her seat as well, and there was a short silence before the sun princess acknowledged Spike, looking slightly unsure of himself in the presence of all four alicorns.

“Spike, i’m certain Twilight appreciates your help at this time, as do I. Would you mind locating her room? If one isn’t already arranged for her, you can ask the staff. I’m afraid the two of you might be staying with us for a good while.” Without a word, Spike ran off to fulfill Celestia’s request. As soon she heard the loud thud of the grand doors to the library closing, a flood of panicked questions erupted from Twilight’s mouth.

“Princess, what’s going on? Why can’t we use our magic? Why are we all here? You said something about magical corruption, how can we stop it? Can it be stopped? Is anypony in da-”

“Twilight.” A raised hoof and a gentle word was all it took to shut the smaller princess up in a fraction of a second. Celestia had to stop herself from grinning- her former student’s dedication in following her every command had remained unparalleled over the years. “Allow me to explain. There is, well, there is something, the nature of which we have yet to uncover, that has threatened to corrupt and possibly steal the magic of us alicorns. That is why we must all refrain from using magic for the time being, to keep whatever this is from reaching it.”

“Wait, something... threatened you?”

“We do not know how, but this being managed to speak to my sister and I, telepathically,” Luna explained. “Though Cadance was in the crystal empire at the time, she heard it as well.”

The pink alicorn nodded, “It spoke something about us not being worthy, and for its need for only the best alicorn to fulfill its plans. It spoke also of corrupting magic if we did not comply to whatever it wanted.”

“Since the voice first appeared, we’ve been here, searching for answers. We can’t fight something we don’t know what is, exactly. All we know is that this being has the capability to corrupt magic, and it is imperative that we find and stop it at once.”

“And... you’re sure that’s what it was? Not just a prank or anything, something, or- or sompony really is after our magic?”
“It’s hard to explain, but it felt like, somehow, it was a part of me,” said Cadance. “As it spoke. It was like it was connected to me; to my thoughts, my feelings. It was inescapable, the sound. We are most certain there’s not much of a possibility of this being a joke.”
The purple alicorn stared, not knowing what she was felt. Confused; upset, possibly, or just plain scared. She was pretty sure it was a mix of all three brewing in her stomach at the moment.
“Twilight, did you hear this voice too?”

“I- I didn’t.” she muttered softly. “What does this mean?”

“Hopefully,” expressed Celestia. “That you are not being targeted. For the time being, at least. Perhaps, whatever this thing is, it is not aware of the newest alicorn princess of Equestria.”

“On- on my way here-” Twilight was trying and failing to keep herself from stuttering and tripping over her words. The uncertainty and anxiety was growing within her like a virus. “I had this terrible headache. Like, it came out of nowhere and was gone just a fast. I nearly fell out of the sky because of it.”

Celestia’s eyes widened, “Heavens above, Twilight. You should have told us. I had a feeling in my head as well, not exactly painful, though it was strange and unnatural nonetheless, that began and ended in conjunction with the voice.” The other princesses nodded in shared agreement. “You’re doing alright now, I hope?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine now. It was only for a few seconds…” she looked up at the others. “What did it sound like, the voice?”

“Nothing particularly identifiable,” said Luna. “There was most definitely something... off about it, however, something…”

“Broken.” finished Celestia, her voice cold and still.

“Yes, exactly that. Broken. It was no pony, this voice.”

Twilight wasn’t sure her heart could thump any faster or louder, but at the tones of the royal sisters, she’d found that it had. Her mind was spinning with terrible fear and about a million different questions impossible for her to accurately form into words. The library was dead silent for a few moments, before Celestia stood up and addressed everypony once more.

“It is true that this is very serious issue that faces us, and I know it’s a lot to take in. However I encourage everyone,” she cast a glance at Twilight, who had failed to notice when exactly she had begun to tremble. “To stay calm and patient. If we remain resilient, I am certain we will have this threat under control in no time. We have dealt with far more pressing burdens, after all.” The others nodded in agreement. Celestia gave Twilight a small smile with her last statement, one that she couldn’t help but attempt in offering back. It was true that Twilight had taken on her fair share of villains in the past. “I’m afraid it's getting rather late. We will continue our search for answers tomorrow. If we still end up with nothing, I will have to call in more ponies to look into this. For the time being, i’d like to keep things out of the public eye, to avoid a panic that would only complicate things more.” Celestia then gave a long yawn. “Forgive me, I’ve been up quite a long time and fear it's beginning to get to me. For now, I think it’s time I lower the sun and my sister commences her duties. Cadence, Twilight, I encourage you both to try and get some rest.”

With that, everypony dismissed, Luna gliding off to start her job of maintaining peace in the dream realm. Twilight caught up with Celestia.

“Princess- your magic, are you sure it’s safe for you to use it to lower the sun?”

“Perhaps not, Twilight, though it is necessary to the wellbeing of my subjects.”

“Well, yes, obviously. It's just- I wouldn’t want this thing to be able to attack you or Princess Luna, is all. I’m just... worried. I guess.”

The princess of the sun smiled and put a large, angel-like wing around her former student, “I know, Twilight. We all are. And my sister and I share your concerns. Must this something I must do. For now, promise me you’ll get some sleep? We have much work to do tomorrow in uncovering what or who is causing all of this.”

“Yes, Princess.” As Twilight walked off towards the direction of her room, Celestia couldn’t help but grin at the tone she used with her that was so different to that of her sister and niece. It made perfect sense, of course, counting the number of years that the mare had been Celestia’s subject and student, but it amused her nonetheless.

She pleaded the younger princess would remain safe.

“...Thank you, auntie. Goodnight.” It wasn’t long before Cadance joined Twilight on her stroll to the guest rooms. Neither spoke a word for a good while, until they finally reached Cadance’s room, marked by a plaque on the door, and Twilight was moved to express her concerns with her sister before being left all alone.

“Cadance, I’m really worried. What if we can’t figure out what this thing is in time? What if we’re not able to reach it, if it’s, well, inside our own heads?”

“I’m not sure, Twilight. But I wouldn’t worry. Like Luna and Celestia said, Equestria has faced far worse. I know it seems threatening because it's such a mystery to us, but we’ll figure it out soon, I just know it.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right...”

“Although, all this talk about worthy alicorns, it makes be worry for Flurry Heart back home. I mean, she seemed fine when I left, and of course she has Shining and the castle guards to look after her, but still...”

“You're her mother. I bet it’s impossible not to worry. But i’m sure Flurry’ll be safe. Like you said, she's in good hooves. For now, we should focus on ourselves.”

Cadance nodded solemnly, “Have a good night, Twilight. Hopefully this will all be cleared up soon.”

Twilight trekked through the empty halls, searching for the room marked with her own name. Her hooves clacked loudly on the polished marble floor, the sound echoing all around her. It was the same sensation as when she was in her own castle by herself, and the former library-dweller had never really gotten used to how small it made her seem.

Twilight eventually reached the large wooden door to her guest room, set apart by a plaque with elaborate lettering of her full name. She found Spike already fast asleep on a bed prepared just for him at the foot of her own. She kissed her snoring little assistant on the forehead, suddenly glad she’d agreed to bring him along. She had no idea how long the princesses would need her, and she was happy to have somepony to keep her sane through whatever was to come. Spike was always good at that. As she got into bed, the covers a comforting hug, she noticed the sun beginning to set outside her window. She couldn’t help but worry for Celestia as she watched it.

It was only then, as sleep was threatening to overtake her, Twilight realized she hadn’t yet sent a letter to her friends or even asked Celestia the possibility of them helping. She felt guilty for it having escaped her mind, but she was sure they’d understand considering the situation she was in. Spike was fast asleep, anyway, so there was no way to reach them tonight in any case. She reminded herself to do so first thing in the morning. With that thought, the soft patter of the beginning rain lulled her to sleep.

Twilight was falling.

It wasn’t necessarily a frightening experience, she found. It was a slow and calming descent, nothing but inky blackness surrounding her, as if she was sinking down into the ocean like an anchor, down where no light could ever reach. Eventually, the darkness was torn out of her view, giving way to the familiar scene of Canterlot castle. Twilight looked around to find herself in the royal sister’s throne room, seated on Celestia’s very own throne. It was an odd feeling, sitting there, certainly. The spotlight wasn’t necessarily something the princess hated, but easily her least favorite changes of becoming a princess had to have been the crowding ponies and the endless attention at public events. She had her own throne, of course, but Twilight didn't think of herself as somepony who sat around demanding others to do her bidding. She didn’t have any servants or guards to do so. Perhaps you could count Spike, but even he got cranky when too much was asked of him, or when he had to get out of bed too early.

Twilight almost jolted out of her seat when she noticed none other than Celestia had appeared in front of her, staring up at the throne, her throne, expression completely vague.

“Princess Celestia?”

The white alicorn responded by sinking into a deep bow, her muzzle almost touching the ground.
“Your Highness.” she spoke.

Twilight only looked at the sun princess, then all around her, completely bewildered. Celestia remained in her bow.

“Um…”

It was then that the navy Princess Luna and brilliant pink Cadence appeared in front of her, seemingly out of thin air. They as well descended into formals bows.

“Your Highness.”

Twilight only kept staring. But then, something changed. Her outlook shifted. Seeing herself as having the highest influence out of any of them.... it- it was an exhilarating feeling. The feeling of power. It rippled through her body and she was surprised to find it had put a smile on her face. Here she was, all the other Princesses at her command, the only ones that really stood in her way from having all the power. The princesses of Equestria held all of that, after all.

And now there was no more having to share.

And oh, how she loved having all the power! She cackled rudely towards her fellow princesses, who could do nothing but stare up at her in fear. How foolish they were to give it all up!

Without a second to spare, Twilight was swept back up by the black abyss yet again, the others diminishing beneath her. As she fell through nothingness, the feeling of power slowly left her, replaced only by pure terror. It wasn’t like before. She kept falling faster and faster, and the darkness was suffocating. She cried out, but nopony could hear. Her throne just got farther and farther from her reach…

“...AAAH!” The purple mare jolted awake in a cold sweat, a frantic heart pounding in her ears. Her reaction had caused Spike to do the same.

“Twilight? What happened? Is everything okay?”

The bright morning sunlight was pouring through her window, and reached every nook and cranny of her bedroom, though the steady patter of rain still hadn’t ceased. Twilight wasn’t surprised that Spike hadn’t noticed the sunrise, but she herself wasn’t nearly as heavy a sleeper. Confused as to why she had woken up until so late, she pleaded that the others wouldn’t be upset with her. The others…

“Twilight?” Spike had clambered onto the alicorn’s bed, concerned with her lack of a response.

“What? Oh, yes Spike. Sorry to scare you. It was just a nightmare...”

“A pretty bad one, it looks like. Why wasn’t princess Luna there to help? Isn’t that, like, her job or something?”

Twilight was silent at first. She wanted anything but to explain to Spike that Luna was there, just in a different way. “If i’ve been sleeping in this late, I guess her shift was already over. I don’t know how long the sun’s been up.”

“Weeeell,” Spike let out an enormous yawn, “Glad you're doing alright now. You should probably go find her and Celestia, they’re probably wondering where you are…” Spike had already climbed back into his bed and was snoring within seconds.

Twilight sighed, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

When Twilight entered the dining hall, she was amazed at the huge spread of items set out, especially since there were only four ponies having breakfast that morning. The food was elegantly arranged and looked like it had taken hours to prepare. Twilight, Starlight, and Spike had their own dining hall, nearly equal in size, but rarely settled for anything more extravagant than cereal in the mornings. Twilight had almost completely forgotten about her growing hunger until this point, and her stomach vocalized its desire as she approached the display of elaborate cuisine.

“Twilight! Good, you’re awake. Come, have some breakfast before we get started this morning.”

Celestia, as well as Cadance, were already sitting at the grand table. Even with Celestia’s cheerful tone, however, it was worth noting that neither of them looked all that interested in eating.

Twilight took a seat beside the sun princess, “Princess, I apologize for getting here late. I guess I just overslept...” The alicorn looked quite embarrassed with her statement, stopping herself before explaining any further.

“Nonsense, Twilight. It hasn’t been long since I raised the sun anyway. I’m glad somepony was able to get a good night’s sleep.”

Twilight cocked her head, “What do you mean?”

Cadance’s words were rather hoarse and drowsy, “Neither of us managed to get much rest last night at all. We suspect it might be because of this… thing that we’ve yet to identify, but we’re not sure.” The crystal princess ended her statement with a mighty yawn.

Twilight exchanged concerned looks with both of them. Heavy-eyed and somnolent glances on the other end.

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Celestia eventually muttered. “Go ahead and eat. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

Though Twilight was still quite anxious about the others, she couldn't help herself from immediately digging into the mountains of delectable food before her, while the other two alicorns remained silent and opposed to eating.

“What about Princess Luna?” Twilight mumbled, mouth partially full.

“My sister has just recently gone to rest after completing her duties. I can only hope she has better luck sleeping than Cadance and I. She’ll be joining us all later, to help us search for answers.”

The purple alicorn wiped her mouth with a napkin, and asked, “Do you think we’ll be able to find anything?”

“I can only hope so, Twilight.” Spoke Celestia solemnly, staring at nothing in particular. “I can only hope so.”

The three princesses sat for a little while longer, Twilight busily eating, the others not caring to even so much as touch the spread before them. Twilight’s dream soon found its way into her thoughts again. She considered telling the others, but ultimately decided against it. It was most likely nothing, and in no way did she want the princesses considering that she actually thought like… like that, ever. It wasn’t true in the slightest. And the other princesses had enough on their plates as it was. In a metaphorical sense, at least.

Eventually, after Twilight couldn’t possibly eat anymore, all three rose to leave. A servant rushed to clear the table and was thanked by Celestia, who then turned to the bubblegum pink pony beside her.

“Cadance, do you mind checking on Luna for me on your way to the library? She’s safe in her quarters, of course, but I still worry.”

“Of course, Auntie.”

“Twilight and I will meet you there. I’d like to get an early start on research.” The purple alicorn couldn’t help but smile at those words. Even considering the direness of their situation, research projects were always something Twilight prided herself on. She’d work as long and hard as she had to, she wouldn’t stop before she found out what this evil force was and how to stop it.

While both purple and white mare parted the dining hall side by side, and Twilight couldn't ignore the fact that Celestia’s demeanor had not at all improved since the beginning of breakfast. Her dignified strut that Twilight had grown to recognize had become far more feeble. Severe lack of sleep certainly showed itself.

“I do appreciate you being with here us, Twilight. I don’t know if this situation is at all overwhelming for you, but it certainly is for me.”

Twilight stared up at her former mentor with a bit of surprise, “Really?” she asked, “You’re overwhelmed, Princess?”

“I’m afraid whatever this devilish thing is will suck the life right out of me, so that I can not longer provide for or protect our subjects.”

“Oh… I...I guess that does make sense. Do you think that’s what it wants?”

Celestia sighed, “I haven’t the slightest idea what it wants. But that will most certainly be the consequence for me if we can’t put an end to this soon. Not to mention Luna and Cadance.”

The sun princess’s frown parted for a few seconds as she gave Twilight a relieved smile, “At least, for the time being, you seem to be relatively safe from these dreadful effects. I can only pray this good fortune will continue.”

“Me too. But it’s important you all are okay, of course.” After a pause, Twilight spoke up once more, “If you don’t mind me asking, Princess, did you ever feel the same way about any of the other villains we’ve faced? Overwhelmed? Afraid?”

“Have you?”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.”

Celestia chuckled as the duo turned a corner, “Every other time there’s been a threat to our nation, we’ve always known exactly what we’re up against. Whether it's a chaos spirit or a changeling queen- the evil always does its best to make itself noticed. But now, with everything clouded in mystery, it's impossible to know who or what is causing this... or why, better yet. Its maddening, Twilight, waiting around for answers like this.”

Twilight frowned, it pained her to see her Celestia so frustrated. She wanted to help in anyway possible, but she was just as lost as anypony.

“Don’t worry, Princess. We’ll find something soon. And the closer we get to figuring out what this thing is and why it wants to corrupt your magic, the closer we get to stopping it.” That was when Twilight's friends popped into her brain once more. She hated leaving them in the dark for so long, and decided now was as good a time as any to consult Celestia about them helping as well.

That was when the smaller purple alicorn noticed Celestia was no longer walking by her side.

She looked back to see the her former mentor stopped in her tracks a few steps back. Her eyes were wide with panic, and when she attempted another step, she only managed to stumble onto her knees.

“Twilight...” The word was so soft and cracked it was almost impossible to make out. At its conclusion, the grand white mare came tumbling down onto the cold marble floor.

The 'Chosen' One

Twilight gasped and ran over to the fallen alicorn, looking over her body with fear and confusion in her eyes.

“Celestia? CELESTIA?!” Nothing. She screamed as loud as her lungs would allow, her voice echoing along the empty hallways:
“HELP! IT’S PRINCESS CELESTIA! HELP! SOMETHING'S WRONG!”

Twilight felt herself beginning to tear up as second by agonizing second passed and nopony came to her aid. Ignoring the infuriating rule the others had put in place, she used her magic to check for a pulse. It was there, thank the heavens. However Celestia seemed to be breathing with significant strain, she was pained to realize.

“Don’t worry Princess, everything is going to be fine…” She put her hooves around the unconscious princess, not able to hide the fact that tears were now streaming down her cheeks.

But you don’t know that, Twilight. You don’t know that this thing won’t kill her before we even figure out what it is.

It took far too long for a pair of guards to arrive on the scene. An armored unicorn levitated Celestia onto a stretcher, preparing to take her away to the infirmary.

“What happened, Princess?” The unicorn guard asked, acknowledging Twilight in her broken down state.

“I- I don’t know, she just…” Twilight had no idea what to think. She was far too surprised and frightened to gather her thoughts. One thing was for sure, it wasn’t a lack of sleep that had led to this. She saw the look in Celestia’s eyes. She was under attack.

“Thank you, Princess. We will... we will get her to the infirmary at once.” The guard responded, seemingly a bit overwhelmed by the state of both alicorns.

“Wait, Celestia! I want to be with her, what if something else happens?”

“Princess, we can assure you that her majesty is in good hooves.” The second guard’s coat gave the impression he’d fallen out of a chimney, and his mane was a brilliant, fiery orange. “If we require your assistance with the situation, we will say so.”

“At the moment,” the other guard started, “I encourage you to let me escort you to your room, Twilight. We will be doing our best to help her, I can assure you.”

Twilight looked up at the odd use of her first name by a royal guard, and found Cloudchaser looking down her with a sympathetic smile. Feeling angry and overwhelmed, she brushed the tears from her eyes and stormed off in the opposite direction towards the guest room.

Worry did not even begin to describe what Twilight was enduring when she returned to her room to clear her thoughts, and, most importantly, to stop the flow of tears streaming down her cheeks. Shutting the door behind her and leaning back against the wall, she began to breathe slow, calming breaths in an attempt to ease her racing mind and the pulsating heartbeat in her ears. She knew she couldn't keep acting like this. It was her job to be strong for Celestia, strong for herself.

Twilight’s first thought was to let Spike know of the tragedy. However, the little dragon was no longer in the room, a mess of blankets at the side of his bed marking his absence. She could only assume he left at some point to get breakfast. After getting his advice was ruled out, her thoughts shifted to Luna and Cadance.

They would be able to help, surely. Celestia was only unconscious, remember? She’s still breathing. She’s going to be alright. You just have to let them know what happened.

Wiping her red, puffy eyes one last time, she reached a hoof towards the door, her only priority getting Luna and Cadence for help.

Unfortunately, Twilight’s hoof never reached the doorknob.

Because in that moment, the most pain Twilight had ever experienced came rushing through her skull and spreading everywhere throughout her body. It felt worse than if somepony had been trying to forcibly tear her horn off, and was succeeding. The excruciating pain overcoming her, Twilight’s legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, crying out in agony. The short-lived headache on her and Spike’s way here was nothing compared to this. She screamed for mercy, for the torment to stop. For several minutes it didn’t. If anything, the pain only grew more and more unbearable. She thrashed and screamed with all her might, all for naught. And with most of the castle dealing with Celestia in the infirmary, there was nopony around to hear her pleas. Clearing away her tears had been proven pointless, for fresh new ones were being forced out of her closed eyes. After the realization came to Twilight that she just might end up dying from this, in dreadful pain and all alone, a blood-curdling voice echoed through her head, its tone a sickeningly amused one.

“Hello, Princess.”

The voice had no specific age or gender, or anything else to identify what the source of it might be, other than the pure joy that it appeared to be feeling. Twilight didn’t have much time to dwell on the nature of the voice, however, as the pain within her only increased with every word it spoke.

“I have chosen, you, Princess. I have chosen you. I’ve been watching you, and you have the most potential out of any alicorn. Potential that has gone unused for far too long. You have the most to gain, the most desired from others. Your emotions will be simple to twist into a means of getting what we want. Your peers are scared and weak, now is the time to rise above them!”

And just like that, the pain stopped. Twilight’s body wasn’t burning anymore, and her horn was still very much in tact. The alicorn lifted her head and let out heavy breaths, her lungs far too tired to scream, which was what made the most sense at the moment to do. The only thought circulating through her brain was Why? Why did this have to happen to me? For a solid few minutes, that was all she could think. Her limbs, though having regained consciousness, were frozen in place, and Twilight lay there with nothing but her own confusion and terror for company.

That was until Spike reentered the bedroom. He was whistling merrily and held in his claws a large bowl of multicolored gems, all of which fell to the floor at the sight of what had become of Twilight. He was at a loss of what to say, he just stared, bug-eyed, at the mess of an alicorn before him.

Twilight mind eventually cleared a bit, and her fear and shock were replaced with a single objective:

I need to tell the others.

And just like that, she dashed past an overturned bowl of gems and a very bewildered dragon, Luna and Cadance the only things she would allow into her mind before she found them. She made her way as quickly as possible towards the library. To her dismay, she found the room being staffed by only a single earth pony guard.

“Where are the princesses?” Her tone was, to say the least, less than tranquil, and it along with Twilight’s state was enough to make the guard retreat a few steps before answering.

“I apologize, your Highness, I thought you knew. I’ve been informed that Princess Luna and Princess Cadance are in the infirmary.”

“What?” It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. “You mean, like, to check on Celestia?”

“No, your highness. Again, I deeply apologize, but it seems the other two princesses have fallen victim to the same condition as Princess Celestia. All three are in the infirmary recovering.”

Twilight stood there for a moment, eyes wide, her breathing fast-paced and ragged. She looked around the entire library, then back to the guard, who backed away a few more steps in response.

Her bloodshot eyes seemed to glare right into his soul. If he didn’t know better, he could’ve sworn the princess’ scieras were a bit off-colored. But before he could get a better look, Twilight turned from him.

Without a word, she then walked out of the library, head hanging low. She wasn’t panicking anymore, at least not on the outside. She trudged as if in slow motion back to her bedroom, eyes glazed over and and expression unbelieving. She didn't know if she could manage processing everything that had happened. She didn't even know if she wanted to. All of the other princesses, unconscious? Why? And why was she the only one who hadn’t…

That voice. It was the same one. It chose her. She was the one with the most potential, the worthiest alicorn. It had done this to the others, and she had no idea how to get them back.

Twilight slowly pushed open her door with her magic, Celestia’s rule not even registering in her mind as she did so. She looked utterly defeated, and walked right past Spike to go sit on the edge of her bed and think things over. The dragon whom she had ignored stood in a position not much different than how she had left him. Gems remained littered all over the ground.

“Um... Twilight?” The purple alicorn remained on the edge of her bed, unmoving, adorning a look of despair. “Are- are you alright? What happened?”

Not getting the answer he needed from Twilight, who remained unreadable and completely silent, he climbed up onto the bed and sat beside her.

After a brief moment of kicking his legs and fumbling over something to say, he quietly asked, “Twilight, I- I’m just worried about you. You’ve been acting weird since this morning, and I… don’t know what to do. You gotta tell me, is everything alright?”

Twilight felt tears well up once again, but stopped herself from starting to cry once more, knowing that as soon as it started, she wouldn’t be able to stop. She turned to her very concerned assistant, sighed, and then began to recount to him exactly what had happened starting that breakfast.

At the end of Twilight’s retelling, Spike looked shocked beyond comparison. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Twilight, who dug her muzzle into his shoulder and breathed long, raspy breaths as her eyes began to water once more. There was a million questions rushing through the little dragon’s brain, but at the moment all that mattered to him was comforting her. They remained like that for a good while, Spike’s embrace doing far more to console the poor princess than words ever could, before she finally broke out of the hug, giving Spike a breathed thanks before staring out into oblivion once more.

Spike decided now was as good a time as any to question further. He treaded carefully, making sure his words were the softest they could be.

“So, Twilight... you said there’s something evil in your... head? And it chose you over all the other princesses?”

With a short sniffle, Twilight responded, “That’s what I think. And now all the others are all unconscious, probably because of some magic I have no idea how to counter...” Panic was getting the better of her once more, “...so it's up to me to figure it all out. What’s happening to them... what’s happening to me… And I don’t have the slightest idea on how to do it!” she gave him a desperate, somewhat manic stare. He returned it with reassuring smile.

“I think you’re forgetting something, Sparkle.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at her assistant’s unique nickname for her, “Yeah? And what’s that, Spike?”

The dragon seemed surprised, “Well, your friends of course! The Elements of Harmony! You guys have taken down loads of bad guys while the other princesses have been in danger. I don’t see how this is any different. And if they know you’re in trouble, we both know they’ll do everything they can to help you, Twilight.”

The alicorn looked relieved. She exhaled deeply as a smile made its way to her lips.
“You know what, you’re right! Spike, take a letter. Whatever this thing is, and whatever it’s doing, I know we’re gonna need the help of ours friends to stop it.”

Spike gleefully pulled out some parchment and a quill from Twilight’s desk, dipping the feather in a bottle of fresh ink before getting ready to scribe.

“Ok Twilight, what do you-”

But Twilight was no longer on the bed. The alicorn had fallen to the carpeted ground, holding her head in her hooves. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was shaking violently.

“Twilight!” Spike could do nothing but stare at the alicorn, overwhelmed by the pain that had all of a sudden become her once more. She gave out a garbled cry, as she heaved dry sobs and pleaded with the world for the torture to stop. Then, the voice came. Only now, it was angry.

“Trusting this one with our secret, are you?”

Spike stared at the writhing Twilight, then to the blank parchment he held, and knew what he had to do to help the pony he cared about most in the world.
Dear Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie pie...

“No one must know about our plans, Twilight. About me. If you want the rise above the rest, there are precautions you must take!”

There is an evil creature that has attacked the princesses. It’s gotten into their heads and is able to speak to them tella telapathi in their minds.

“I have taken the liberty of subduing your fellow princesses. Now is your time.”

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are all unconscious. We don’t know what’s wrong with them or how to wake them up.

“You must do whatever it takes to get into power. With my help, you will be unstoppable!”

Twilight is in a lot of pain. The creature said that it has ‘chosen’ her.

“This one will try to put a stop to our plans. Your window will close and you will forever be forced live in your fellow princesses’ shadow.”

Please, come to Canterlot as soon as you can. We need your help.

“You know what you want. Make the right decision, Twilight.”

The purple mare’s eyes shot open at the voice’s conclusion. Same as before, the pain had ceased, just like that. Her breathing heavy and pulse racing, she slowly unfurled her hooves away from her skull and awkwardly managed to stand.
“Twilight!” said a relieved Spike, putting down his quill. “You okay now? Sweet Celestia, I was worried. It’s alright, as soon as I get this letter to the girls, they’ll be able to help you.”

“No.”

“I… What? Why?” Spike was more than a little unhinged by Twilight stern response. She had been writhing in agony moments earlier. Why did she not want help?

“I said no, Spike. Don’t send it.”

“But- but… You’re in pain! You and the other princesses, you’re all in danger! We need help!”
Twilight’s face shifted into an angry grimace, one the Spike had rarely seen from such a patient and kind pony, “We do not need their help. They’ll do nothing but slow us down. I can handle this myself, Spike.”

Spike eyes grew wide as he backed up towards the bedroom window, the scroll held tightly in his claws.

“You heard me loud and clear, Spike. Give it here.”

Spike only backed away farther, until he was right below the bedroom window. If he could just produce a small flame…

“SPIKE!”
Twilight saw what the dragon was attempting, however. She slammed the window shut and tore the scroll out of Spike’s claws with her telekinesis. With a quick spark of magic, the letter was set aflame, and Spike could only watch in horror as their only hope was reduced to a pile of ash on the carpet.
“I gave you an order, you disrespectful little dragon. You’re not to disobey me again, is that clear?!” Spike could only fearfully nod in reply, too scared to attempt speech. “I’m going to check on the others. You aren’t to leave.” With that, Twilight stormed out of the bedroom in a huff. Spike could do nothing but stare out to where she had left. He was frightened and surprised and unsure, but most of all, he worried more than ever for his best friend.

Purple hooves clicked and clacked loudly on marble as the alicorn walked with dignity towards the infirmary. In hindsight, she realized that she had perhaps treated her assistant a little too harshly. He may have disobeyed her, and telling the others would have most certainly put a stop to her plans, but he was just a baby dragon, and he looked up to Twilight more than anypony. A regretful look made its way onto face, and she decided to apologize the next time she saw him.

Twilight hadn’t been to the infirmary before, so it took her a good while to find. She eventually located the secluded section of the castle by following the sounds of panicked guards wondering what they were to do now that the royal sisters were unable to serve. When Twilight approached, all noise fell silent.

“Your highness, we are all very glad to see you are alright.” The closest of the guards greeted Twilight respectfully. The same gray and orange stallion as before.

“May I see the others, please?” After glancing to his fellow guards, the stallion nodded and unlocked the door leading to the afflicted mares. What Twilight was faced with once she entered the room nearly made her choke up. Three hospital beds lay in a line along the back wall of the blank canvas of a room. They were larger than average beds, to account for the larger than average ponies using them. The royal sisters and Princess Cadance lay completely limp, as if corpses. Twilight’s steps towards them were small and uncertain, as if they were about to jolt back into consciousness. The first pony she approached was Celestia, who was still breathing the same ragged and uneven breaths. To see such a magnificent and powerful pony diminished to something so helpless, it almost hurt Twilight to see. She then visited in turn the bedsides of both Cadance and Luna. Their breathing was just as worrying. Twilight had to force herself not to begin crying. She had shed far too many tears that day, and crying over the situation at hand would not accomplish anything. She decided it would be best to do something of use, while she was here.

Closing her eyes, her horn illuminated a slightly off-pink as she scanned the three of them for any enchantments that could've been placed. It was a useful but rather tricky spell, for fully-grown ponies -alicorns, at that- were far more difficult to enchant than everyday objects, and these such enchantments were even harder to detect. Even while doubting herself, however, Twilight was pleased to find her performing of the spell easier than ever before.

The results didn’t shock her, though they were still difficult to come to terms with. All three had had unspeakable dark magic cast upon them, leaving them extremely weak and not far from their own demises. The gears in Twilight’s head started turning immediately, her exposure to dark magic had been limited before now, it would surely take her a while to come up with a spell powerful enough to undo all of this….

“Princess, I see you have come to visit your peers,” A doctor, a brown and white stallion with a spotless lab coat on, entered the room all of a sudden then and approached the mare, causing her to annoyingly lose her train of thought. He wore the same look of pity for her as guards. It was really starting to get on Twilight’s nerves. “I apologize, we have not yet figured out just what exactly has happened to them.”

Twilight was silent for moment, it took all her strength not to roll her eyes, “How long do they have, if nothing is done?"

“For now, they are all stable. Very weak, but stable. In comas, but we are not sure why, or whether it is some kind of magical force or a health concern that has rendered them this way.”

Twilight only dropped her head, sighing.

“I will… leave you alone with them.” The doctor spoke after a brief pause, and exited the room.

When Twilight looked once more upon Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, she was surprised to find that her outlook on the situation had strangely… shifted. She remembered the voice:
“I have taken the liberty of subduing your fellow princesses, now is your time.”
It was no mystery, what had happened to them. Twilight knew all too well.

And she was planning on using it to her advantage.

The small gathering of royal guards, as well as the doctor, all turned their eyes to the purple mare as she exited the room that now held nearly all the most powerful ponies in Equestria, all still very much unmoving.

“As you know, all three are of my fellow princesses are- unfit to rule at the moment.” The ponies before her only nodded, listening carefully to every word their last remaining ruler uttered. “I will do my very best to look for a solution. In the mean time, as I am next in the line of command, I should be the one to take over the control of Equestria until the others are healed.”

The castle staff looked to one another, then nodded universally amongst themselves.

“Of course, Princess Twilight. As is the way of things,” agreed the doctor. “We will inform the rest of the castle. You may take up the throne room, if you wish, and i’ll get somepony to fetch you the duties that are in need of completing in the wake of the royal sisters’ absence.”

“And, Cadance?” Even if she had a nagging feeling not to bring it up, Twilight’s concern for her sister in law was far too great to subdue.

“Yes. Of course. I will get a letter written to inform the Crystal Empire of her condition, if you wish.”

“I- that would be…” Twilight thought of her family in the Crystal Empire, of her brother and her niece, and pleaded with herself to allow them to send the letter. They had the right to know, didn’t they?

No, telling them would only endanger her plans.

“I will be sure to write and send a letter myself, thank you.”

One of the guards seemed confused at her reply, and assured her, “Princess, there’s no trouble with us sending anything for you, if you-”
“No!” Twilight’s denial got her a startled look from the guard. “...if you please. I’d like to inform my family in the Crystal Empire of the situation at hand myself.”

The staff seemed, once again, universally content with Twilight’s explanation, if not slightly more unhinged after her small outburst, “Of course, your highness. Please, let us escort you to the throne room, if we may.”

Twilight sat still as a statue on Celestia’s throne, looking over the expansive, and, for the most part, empty throne room before her. Two pegasus guards were positioned below her, looking out for any threat that might come for the last remaining princess. For the most part, the duties of Celestia and Luna that day were simple. There were a few scrolls she had to sign, a few important ponies to speak with, but for the most part the remainder of her day was quite dull. It was nothing she hadn’t already been accustomed to doing as the Princess of Friendship. Throughout the day, the only thing Twilight asked of anypony working in the castle was to continue tending to her peers.

She would have to be patient. This was a good start, but there was far more work to be done before she could truly get what they both wanted. Universal adoration, commendation, and control would take time. Outside Canterlot Castle's walls was a world she needed to prepare for, and one that was hopefully never going to have a chance to prepare for her.

The raining had only increased since morning, and it was now pouring in buckets outside. Distant rumbling informed of an oncoming storm.The endless patter of raindrops against glass was the majority of what Twilight would hear until late that afternoon.

Leaning against the back of her throne, Twilight was starting to grow impatient with herself. How could princess Celestia just sit here for so long? With a sigh, she got the attention of one of the guards, and told him to go fetch Spike. There was no putting off her apology any longer.

A few minutes later, Spike tentatively creaked open the door to the throne room with nothing but fear in his little green eyes. He then made his way towards the seated princess, his footsteps being drowned out by the rain and incoming thunder just outside.

“Hello, Spike.”

“Uh… hey, Twilight. How’s it going?”

“Could be better. We still don’t know when the others will be back to good health.”

Spike mumbled something shyly. Being a good ten feet below Twilight, she found herself incapable of hearing him. Without so much as a second thought, she plucked the little dragon up off his feet and levitated him to eye-level.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Something about Twilight’s smile was off, and the dragon glared at it with uncertainty.

“I… aren’t you not supposed to be using any magic... Twilight, to protect you from that- that thing?”

Twilight smile vanished, “Spike, I am the last remaining princess of Equestria. I have duties to my subjects, you know. I cannot afford the luxury of worrying about my own safety when the rest of Equestria needs tending to. You understand, I hope?”

“Um, yes...” mumbled Spike, not sure if it was safe to respond any other way.

Twilight let out a sigh, “Spike, i’d like to apologize for my behavior earlier. You were just trying to do the right thing, even though you may have disobeyed me. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted like that.”

Spike seemed, more than anything, surprised at Twilight’s words. He gave her a small smile in return, “That’s okay, Twilight.”

“But Spike, you have to listen. You are never to disobey me again. You are my assistant, you have a duty to me and to Equestria. There will be consequences next time. Do you understand?”

Spike’s relief was short-lived. “I- I do, Twilight. I understand,” But as the princess gave herself a satisfied grin, the little dragon couldn’t help speaking his mind. “But, Twilight, shouldn’t I send a letter to the other elements? Our friends? If the others are still-”

“No,” The answer was just as forceful and angry as it had been previously. Spike ducked his head in shame, dreading what would be coming next. “We do not need the elements’ help, do you understand that? I have everything under control here. We will find out what happened to the princesses, and until they recover, I will take over the role of ruler of Equestria. You are not to disagree with me again on this decision.”

Spike didn’t know whether to feel worried for Twilight or just plain scared for himself when she responded the way she did. He gave a small nod and began to back away from the throne as soon as she released him from her magic.

“I won’t, Twilight, don’t worry. Do you mind if I- uh, head back to the room?”

After her little outburst, Twilight appeared to have returned to a content state, as if their exchange had never even happened.

“Yes, Spike, go on ahead.”

Spike wasted no time hopping down the stairs leading to the throne, a difficult task considering his size, and did his best not to run frantically for the doors. He managed to keep his pace a steady jog, but as soon he reached them, Twilight's voice echoed through the halls, “Oh- and, Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s Princess Twilight Sparkle. It’s my official title, and it’s time you took to using it more often.”

If Celestia does it, how hard could it be?

Twilight had begun to grow tired of sitting proudly upon her throne, and descended to stretch out her legs. Everything in the throne room, including the pair of guards positioned below her, were so still it almost seemed like time itself in the castle had been frozen indefinitely. She trotted along the many depictions of her friends, the princesses, and Spike adorning the walls. Rain pounded onto the stained glass with what seemed like the force of bullets. It almost appeared is if the colorful, transparent figures were crying.

“Your highness!” A white and blue pegasus came flying swiftly into the throne room. “I apologize for barging in like this,” he came to a quick halt behind her.

“It’s fine, Cloud Chaser.” Twilight had not turned around to look at her guest, she was instead entranced by a colorful depiction of herself above. A smiling, bright purple alicorn, the newest princess of Equestria. “What is it, now?”

“Well, your Highness...” Cloud Chaser seemed at a loss for words. He tried a few more times to string a basic sentence together, but found it much harder than expected. Twilight eventually cast him an impatient glare, urging him to get on with it.

“It’s just- Twilight...”

“Your Highness,” Twilight corrected. “You were right the first time.”

“I apologize, your highness, it’s just that, well, with the royal sisters gone...” he rubbed his neck and turned to look out the grand window before them, “there is yet another task that needs to be taken care of in their absence. Although I fear... I fear it isn’t a very simple one.”

Twilight merely nodded, “The sun and moon.”

“Well, yes. We aren’t exactly sure whether you are, um... capable of it, Princess. But it’s just, without the royal sisters, there’s no one else to complete the task.”

Twilight succumb to thought. Cloud Chaser had a point. She was the only pony in Equestria with anything near the amount power required to perform a task so grand, so vital. This was something her subjects needed. Something that she was required to give to them as their ruler. And if Twilight can make it known that she can do the jobs of the royal sisters with just as much efficiency…

“You’re right, Cloud Chaser. I will lower the sun and raise the moon at once. Tell anypony who might arrive that i'll be with them shortly.” And with that, she spread her wings and soared off towards somewhere better suited to perform the daunting task. The pegasus stared after her, shocked, “But, uh, Princess! Are you sure you can-”

“Handle it? She called back to him. “I’m the ruler of Equestria now, aren’t I? I can most certainly handle it.” And the doors to the throne room slammed shut behind her.

Spike lay sprawled out on Twilight’s bed, completely at a loss with himself. He stared up at the dancing rays of sunlight on the ceiling, the downpour outside drowning out all but his own thoughts. Once he had managed to get himself together and back to the room, there was nowhere else for him to be and nothing else for him to do. Something was obviously very wrong with Twilight. This evil force that she had been talking about, it had her. It had her and Spike didn’t think it would agree in letting her go all that easily.

He didn’t even know what this thing was; nopony did. And it's not like he could just go and ask Twilight for answers, she was hardly even herself anymore. And the other princesses, the only other ponies who would know anything at all about her situation, were in comas for Celestia knows how long. Regardless of how infuriating the situation was, Spike knew he had to do something. He needed to tell somepony, to get help for his best friend. His first thought was to write another letter to the Elements of Harmony. Surely they could help him, help Twilight, help the princesses. They’ve done it time and time again. Picking himself up off the bed and seating himself at the desk beside it, he pulled yet another roll of parchment out and dipped a new quill in the awaiting ink jar. Only, before his claws met the soon-to-be letter, he stopped. His eyes grew wide as Twilight’s furious words from earlier came barging into his brain, unwarranted.

“I gave you an order, you disrespectful little dragon!”

“We do not need the elements’ help, do you understand that?”

“Spike, you have to listen. You are never to disobey me again. You are my assistant, you have a duty to me and to Equestria. There will be consequences next time.”

He couldn’t bring himself to do it. Never could he disobey such a direct order from her. He was scared for her, and he loved her, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Rare have been the times that Twilight had ever really been angry at her little assistant. Annoyed with him, perhaps, when he slept in too late in the morning, when he ignored her warnings and ate so much ice cream he ended up with a huge stomach ache the next day, or when one of his misadventures ended in the partial distruction of Ponyville. But Twilight and Spike shared a bond closer than even siblings could dream of. Spike had been with Twilight ever since he hatched, and Twilight with him ever since she was a filly. And Spike knew that Twilight loved him enough that she could never stay cross with him for long. Spike adored every second of being the Princess of Friendship’s assistant. The two had together saved the crystal empire, the rest of Twilight’s friends, and even the pony that now lived in the castle with them, Starlight Glimmer, when she tried to end the Equestria as they knew it.

"Wait, that was it! Starlight Glimmer!" Such a realization by Spike justified nothing less than a glowing light bulb to appear over his head. That was what he’d do, he’d send a letter to Starlight! It was truly a magnificent loophole, Twilight had specifically ordered him not the write to the Elements of Harmony, but she had never said anything about Starlight! And when the Princess’s pupil got it, she’d tell the others and everypony would come to help! Excitement drowning out his previous fear and despair, he began to write. With a bit less urgency at hand than when Twilight was crying out in agony before him, he look the liberty of making this letter a bit more detailed than the previous:

Dear Starlight Glimmer,

Things have gotten really bad here in Canterlot. Some evil force has 'chosen' Twilight as it’s victim. It can speak to her inside her head and is really hurting her, corrupting her magic and her mind. I’m not exactly sure how it works, but I know she’s in a lot of trouble. She’s not even acting like herself anymore. I can’t reason with her. Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadance are all unconscious, and I don’t know how to wake them up. Twilight’s declared herself the new ruler of Equestria in their absence. Please, get the others and come help. We need to figure out what this thing is and stop it.

Her thought for a moment before adding:

P.S. Be careful when you get here, I doubt Twilight’s looking forward to your visit.

Spike.

The dragon stared at the finished letter, content with himself. He had hope now, at least, that some form of help was coming. He hopped off the desk and reopened the window Twilight had previously slammed shut, raindrops beginning to patter onto the carpet. He rolled his lifeline up tightly in his claws and reassured himself for a moment, knowing that this was what needed to be done to protect everypony. He breathed in deeply, and, with a light green flame being exhaled from his mouth, the letter was gone and on its way to Starlight.

Twilight hadn’t been inside Celestia’s study for many years. Back when she was just a filly, she and the solar princess would have their private lessons in this room, and the place was ridden with old memories. There was the time Twilight had accidentally set fire to the couch (the charred mark was still there) or that time she had made all the books in the room sprout wings and fly around aimlessly, knocking over everything in sight, or even when she had blasted a hole right through the curtains. Actually, a surprising number of things Twilight recalled doing in her lessons ended up awfully destructive. Mostly, though, Twilight’s memories of the sun princess's study were pleasant ones of an overachieving student under the watchful eye of a proud mentor.

But Twilight needn’t let useless nostalgia consume her for long, for she soon found exactly what she had been searching for. A set of double doors, shaking back and forth from the violent outside winds, led to the all-too familiar grand balcony. This was where Celestia would normally raise and lower the sun, and where Twilight hoped it would be easiest for herself to do so as well.

Tearing open both doors with her magic, Twilight entered the insane state the outside world of Canterlot was in. Even though this storm may have been planned by the pegasi, she couldn’t help but think that they might had overdone it a bit this time. She walked, slowly and somewhat unsurely, towards the very edge of the balcony. Rain had soaked through her mane and fur in mere seconds, and all sound was driven away by the angry howls of the surrounding torrent. Harsh winds whipped her mane around, and lightning would constantly strike somewhere nearby. She had no idea where the sun she was supposed to lower even was, the sky was so dark and chaotic.

Ok, Twilight. Calm yourself. You can do this.

She closed her eyes. Not that it did much, since her surroundings didn’t give out all that much light as it was. Then, it happened again. Her head began to ache. Only, the voice that came wasn’t with exuberant happiness or commanding anger this time. While it most certainly still hurt, it was not nearly as bad as the last time it had occurred, only enough the make the alicorn grimace in discomfort.

“Do it, Twilight. Then they will all see how powerful you are. Go on, now.”

Twilight’s magic sparked to life, and she set about locating the sun. At last, she was able to find the hidden celestial body. It was countless miles away, hidden beneath a thick veil of storm clouds, but it was there. She tried her best to grab it with her telekinesis. Though, try as she might, she just didn’t have the strength for something so enormous. Twilight had managed to move the sun and moon once before, but that was will all of the alicorn magic in equestria at her disposal. Alone, she was nothing.

“Really? Must you have so little confidence in yourself, Twilight? Even with how much I have worked to shape you up? Fine, I will assist you. Just follow my lead…”

Twilight began to tug the sun again, although this time, she found it surprisingly easier. The voice was helping her, and she was very grateful. Although, even with the newfound support, it still took a great deal of strength to move the enormous sun down below the horizon. When she knew it was gone and would be out of sight once the storm passed, she let go of the sun, sighing in relief for the enormous weight lifted off of her.

But she wasn’t wasn’t finished yet. Scanning the areas beyond with her improved magical strength, she located a concealed moon. Then, with all the power she could muster, the great purple alicorn spread her wings, clenched her teeth, and, with difficulty, grappled the nighttime moon into the swirling abyss of a sky.

Rain soaked her to the bone, wind whipped at her face in vicious lashes, but at last, she had done it. She gave a wide smile. She had done it. Along with the help of her new friend, she had proven that Equestria needed her to rule and nopony else. She let out a cackle, which soon grew into a mighty laugh. She laughed at all the ponies who thought her incapable. She laughed at Celestia, Luna, and her dear sister Cadance. She laughed through the wind and the rain and the ear-splitting thunder. A lightning bolt crashed, dangerously close, but she only continued to laugh.

And her newfound friend laughed alongside her.

The Loophole

Starlight Glimmer lie fast asleep in her bottom-floor bedroom of Twilight’s castle, limbs sticking out in odd positions and mouth slightly ajar.

The majority of her blankets, at some point during the long night, had migrated down onto the floor, as well as her pillow. Despite the sun having already come up, the violet unicorn continued to snore soundly, the patter of rain outside lulling her calmly into slumber. She had good reason for sleeping in late, however, as Trixie’s show in Las Pegasus had taken far longer than expected, thanks to her multiple encore performances, whether or not the audience had obliged to such. It was late last night when she groggily made it home, nearly collapsing a few times before finally making it to the warm embrace of her bed. She hadn’t seen Twilight, assuming her mentor was already asleep. But Starlight had a feeling the alicorn would understand if she slept in a few extra hours that morning, at the cost of being a good friend.

All of a sudden, unbeknownst to the dozing unicorn, a luminescent, sparkling green flame made its way magically through a window and above the sleeping mare’s head.

"No, Trixie... you know you can't pull Angel out of a hat... Fluttershy'll be so..."

With a soft plop, her eyes snapped open to find a rolled up piece of parchment sitting on top of her muzzle.

Starlight pulled herself up to the edge of the bed and yawned with great vigor, the letter levitating before her in her magic aura. Dragon fire; the only letters she’d ever known to have been sent by dragon fire were those from Spike, seeing as most dragons of Equestria weren’t too fond of using their fiery breath for mere postage. Why would Spike be sending her a letter? His room was right nearby, he could easily just walk in and ask her for whatever he needed. Feeling half annoyed, half confused, and all exhausted, Starlight rubbed her eyes and unravelled the scroll. Scanning the rather brief note addressed to herself, her baggy eyes began to slowly widen, as did her mouth, from which a startled shriek came forth as she fell off the bed in a mangled heap.

Barely a second after she had finished reading, the unicorn was out the door in a flash. Running through the endless hallways of the castle that resembled more a labyrinth, Spike's words leaped out at her, baffling her sleep-deprived brain and adhering themselves permanently in her mind.

She’s not even acting like herself anymore. I can’t reason with her.

Starlight couldn’t believe it. How could she let something like this happen to her mentor while she was away? Dashing towards the throne room, Starlight wondered how long it would take her to rally up the Elements and somehow find their way to Canterlot. She wondered whether it would be too late by the time they did.

In the end, her question was answered quite simply for her. She found all five sitting less than contently, each on their respective thrones around the cutie map. Starlight noticed that most of them were staring at the single empty throne, that of Twilight. Spike was, understandably, nowhere in sight. Starlight had to remind herself that he was in just as much danger as the Princess, trapped in Canterlot alongside her.

“Starlight, dear,” Rarity put on an somewhat fatigued smile, seemingly the only one to even notice Starlight had entered. “We're glad you're up. How was your trip?”

"Rarity! Girls!" Starlight was panting by the time she reached everypony, and she wobbled from side to side, struggling even to see straight.

Rarity daintily hopped off her throne, looking concerned, "Calm down now, Darling. What ever is the matter?"

She shoved the letter into Rarity's face with her aura, and somewhat manically turned to face the others. "I just... got a note ...from Spike. Something's wrong. Really, really wrong."

"With Twilight?" five voices asked in unison, as everypony jolted to their hooves. Starlight nodded.

"Oh my, what's happened to her?" asked Fluttershy.

"Ah told her we should'a been there to protect 'er..." Applejack grumbled, stomping a hoof on the ground. "Is she alright?"

"Goodness..." Rarity was in the middle of reading Spike's letter, expression wide with shock, "Starlight, this doesn't mean to say... Twilight's been...?"

"Corrupted," Starlight finished, then swallowed.

Rarity put a hoof to her muzzle and stared back at the others, who wore similar expressions of worry and fear.

Pinkie eventually cocked her head and asked, "Um, what exactly does that mean, Starlight? Rarity?" She looked around at the others, "You don't mean- not like, when..."

"Yeah, like... like what happened to King Sombra," Rainbow began. "Right, Starlight? You know about this kinda stuff, don't you?"

"Not nearly enough, but I have studied corruption in the past. In short, it means dark magic's taken a hold of her. So, yes, like what happened to him. But dark magic comes in many different forms, and can vary in power. Depending on how bad the corruption is, I don't even know how long she'd last."

"Wait-" Rainbow interjected. "You mean, this thing'll actually kill her?"

Starlight shuffled her hooves, resting her gaze on her bed-headed crystalline reflexion, "Worse case scenario."

"Oh dear, and it seems as if all of the other princesses are incapable of helping her," breathed Rarity, her panicked gaze still glued to the letter in question. "They've been put into comas? How in the wide world of Equestria is that even possible?"

"With all that dark magic..." Starlight was still looking down at her hooves, her mind conjuring up all the countless fates awaiting her mentor that she could very well be powerless to stop. "...who knows what she's capable of. And getting the other royals out of the picture is probably the first thing on the bucket list. We're lucky that's all that's happened to them, for now."

"Ya said dark magic comes in a lot a different forms, didn't ya, Starlight?" Applejack asked. "Does that mean Twilight could be corrupted just as bad as the king? That she could go on enslavin' ponies, takin' over Equestria, all that?" a chill ran down the earth ponies' spine at the mere idea of it.

"But... but that just can't be true!" Pinkie finally pepped up once more. "Twilight would never do anything like that. She wouldn't hurt the other princesses! She's... she's not anything like Sombra was! Oh, I just knew we shouldn't of let her fly off without us!"

"And why now?" asked Rarity, rolling up the parchment once more. "Why so suddenly? Out of all the times dark magic could choose to go after our dear Twilight..."

"It's when we aren't there to help her!" barked Rainbow.

"I- I'm not sure..." Starlight staggered in her speech, at the cause of more than just fatigue. To be quite honest, being in charge of a situation, especially with ponies as important as the Elements of Harmony, was still quite threatening to say the least. "A short letter isn't all that much to go of off. But I assume, whatever this dark force is, that it wanted to strike at a time where we couldn't help. And I can only imagine it'll get worse without us there for her."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Rainbow Dash leaped into the air immediately. "Twilight's in danger! We gotta get to Canterlot and stop this whole corruption thing and then give it to her her for not listening to us in the first place!"

"Oh dear, that sounds a bit harsh." said Fluttershy "I doubt any of this is Twilight's fault, Rainbow. She just wanted to protect us."

"Twilight's always put herself before her friends, we can't blame her for that..." Starlight found it difficult to look at anypony else in the eye. There was a clash going on inside her head, a battle of sorts, where not a single emotion could succeed in taking the wheel. "In any case, Rainbow Dash does make a point. We've got to get to Canterlot as soon as we can, before things get any worse for anypony there."

That was at least something everypony could agree on. Without a second thought, the mares had spilt up in order to prepare themselves for the long journey and had all agreed to meet up at the Ponyville train station as soon as possible.

After swiftly regrouping, five worried ponies sloshed their way through the muddy roads of Ponyville, mud matting their fur and fog clouding their vision, all eager to catch the next train. Though the thunderous weather of last night had passed, the rainclouds that had rolled in from the direction of Canterlot last night showed no sign of ceasing their downpour, and neither did the mist that had somehow managed to swallow Ponyville whole. Rainbow threatened on multiple occasions to fly up there and show those clouds who was boss, but was eventually persuaded against it. Everypony needed to keep their eyes on the prize, after all.

When everypony had at last reached the platform, Dash still giving the rainclouds above menacing glares, Rarity seemed to be the only pony who had not yet returned. The barely-visible surrounding streets seemed completely deserted. Considering the dreary state Ponyville was in, it made sense that nopony would be itching to take a stroll out in the open.

Everypony was soaked in rain and mud by the time they arrived, and were pleased to find that the next train to Canterlot would be arriving shortly.

“But... um, what about Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. She was violently shaking from the brisk morning air and freezing rain, and panicked when she noticed the single no-show member of the group.

“Well, if she doesn’t get here on time to catch the train, we're leaving without her. She can take the next train to Canterlot if she wants to!” It was unclear if Rainbow was yelling out of annoyance or just so the others would be able to hear her over the loud rainfall. It could very possibly have been both.

Applejack grumbled, “Quite the element of loyalty, aren’t ya, Dash?”

“I am being loyal!" Dash retorted defensively. "Loyal to Twilight! She and the other princesses need us and i’m not about to let Rarity-”

“...Let me what?” spoke a familiar voice behind the hostile duo. When they turned their heads, they found the snow white unicorn, decked out in matching violet rain boots, jacket, and umbrella, her pristine coat and mane completely shielded from the harsh weather. Had Applejack and Rainbow not known the mare for years, they would have probably questioned or even berated her for almost making them late at the cost of an outfit. But this was Rarity, and there really wasn’t use in doing either with her.

“Nevermind, Rarity. We’re glad you’re here. The train’ll be comin’ soon.”

“Why of course, Darling. I would never be late to something such as this. This mission of ours is of utmost importance, as is poor Twilight's wellbeing." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "A little protection against the elements never hurt anypony. Look at you all, why, your conditions will be so bad by the time we reach Twilight that you won’t even have the strength to help her! Come here, Darling,” Rarity pulled a shivering Fluttershy towards her and attached her umbrella to the pegasus’ back.

Rainbow Dash had to bite back a curse, admitting to herself that Rarity did sort of make point with what she was bringing up. The cold seemed only to get worse as they waited. Rainbow’s teeth had started to chatter already.

“It’s too late to go back now, here it comes.” alerted Starlight, easily just as cold and uncomfortable as the rest. On the bright side, the icy water running down her spine was doing wonders to wake her up.

The train screeched to a halt in front of the five cold and soaking ponies, plus Rarity. Though even with an umbrella, Fluttershy seemed to be in the worst state of anypony on the team. Noticing this, the others were quick to let the little pegasus onto the train first. Starlight paid for their tickets with a few of the bits she had brought along with her, enough to last them a good while, she hoped, while the inspector glared daggers at the ponies tracking big, muddy hoofprints into the train car. Starlight could do nothing but offer an apologetic smile and swiftly go join the others.

The train began to accelarate, six wet and unsure mares the only ones seated in the car. For a while, nopony spoke. The chugging of the train engine and the rainfall outside the only noises that could be heard. Even though the inside was considerably warmer, Fluttershy was still quivering and had begun to sneeze frequently. Starlight feared the delicate little pony had already caught a cold. The entire vibe of the train car was identical to that of the world outside. Even Pinkie’s usual smile was barely noticeable as she impatiently tapped her hooves on a window sill.

“So…” began Rainbow, sprawled out across her seat, boredom quickly overcoming her. “Once we get to Canterlot, what are we gonna do about Twilight?”

“What do you mean, Darling?” asked Rarity, caught admiring her very eye-catching violet. “She is our friend. The reasonable thing to do is to find her and then try and talk things out.”

“But, you read Spike’s letter. He says Twilight’s not even herself anymore, didn't he? That there’s no reasoning with her.”

“Well, it’ll be different once we’re all there for ‘er.” argued Applejack. “When she sees the rest of us, maybe she’ll snap outta it. Or at least agree to talk.”

Pinkie's smile widened for a minute at Applejack's words, but then slowly faded once more, eyes still fixed on the swiftly passing scene outside.

Rainbow groaned, "But what if we can’t talk her out of it, you guys? This is magic stuff, whatever’s happening to her. I dunno if just talking’s gonna help! Especially if this is as bad as what happened in the Crystal Empire! Even the princesses couldn't stop her! And that was all of them together, wasn't it?”

"Well, we've had luck talkin' to ponies so far to get 'em over on the right side. And the six of us know Twilight better than anypony. Wouldn't it be simpler, if anythin'?"

"No, no, you've got to understand, corruption is something entirely different." Starlight's brain felt it had just passed through the ringer after the surprise, terror and exhaustion of that morning, and she was currently doing her best to rack her memory for possible answers. A nap would have been far more preferable. "It won't be Twilight we're talking to, at least, not entirely. Dark magic... it does truly awful things to ponies. King Sombra turned into a soulless monster, there was never any hope convincing him. Dark magic strips you of the pony that you are inside, it feeds off of your hate and lust for power while increasing it still-"

"Uh, Starlight? No offense, I thought you said you didn't know too much on corruption."

"Yeah, you're rattlin' on just like Twilight over there," chuckled Applejack.

"Right, sorry," Starlight eventually lifted her head and blushed slightly. "Maybe I soak up more during those lectures of hers than I think I do. Point is, if we can't talk it out with her, we're gonna need some kind of a backup plan."

"Well, I say we if we can't get to Twilight, the other princesses are our best bet, right?" Rainbow asked. "I mean, of all ponies, they've gotta be the most qualified to handle this sort of thing."

"Just makes me wonder how it happened in the first place..." Starlight muttered.

“I very much agree, Rainbow.” said Rarity. “So, that's our course of action? Try and have a rational conversation with the dear, and if that proves… ineffective... do our best to rescue Celestia, Luna, and Cadance first, and employ them for additional assistance."

“And- and Spike!” Starlight interjected, at last coming to her senses. “He sounded so scared in that letter. I can only imagine what he’s going through right now, with all that’s happening. We need to make sure he’s safe.” Having lived with the little dragon for a good while now, Starlight had grown to care for Spike as if he were almost like she would a little brother. His situation made her worry just as much as Twilight’s.

“Why, of course,” stated Rarity. “Though I doubt Twilight would dare to hurt him, I assume little Spikey Wikey is simply mortified wherever he is. We must take care in getting him out unharmed.”

“Yeah,” agreed Rainbow. “Like you said, all the other princesses are in... commas, right? Who says that can’t happen to Spike?”

“Comas, Rainbow," corrected Rarity. "And yes, I suppose that is a possibility. We must do our best to ensure his safety, the poor little one.”

A sniffling Fluttershy listened in silently to the entire conversation, which only succeeded in making her even more fearful and worried. She wanted nothing more than the two of her bestest friends to be alright, not to mention Equestria's rulers, and from the looks of things, such a goal wouldn’t be a very easy or straightforward one. Through the shivers and small sneezes for which she was helpless against, Fluttershy promised herself that she’d help Twilight and Spike, and the rest of her friends in any way she could.

Dead silence hung on the train for a while after that, save for the occasional sneeze from Fluttershy.

Rainbow stared up at the ceiling, “Starlight, just thinking, are you sure there isn’t any kind of, spell or something….”

“No, Rainbow, there is no ‘spell or something’. I can’t fix something if I don’t know what it was caused by. Or what exactly it is, for that matter. First thing's first, we need to get answers from the source.”

Rainbow retreated into silence once again with Starlight’s rather vexed response. The unicorn found herself guilty over her tone, Rainbow had caught her in a moment of panic for her mentor, worrying whether Twilight would end up alright and if somehow she herself could have prevented all of this. Surely Rainbow would understand that. But before she could begin any sort of apology, Pinkie Pie gasped and pounded a hoof against one of the train windows.

“Um, you guys, is my memory sore, or does Canterlot not usually have loads of scary-looking guards circling around it?!”

The others gathered to get a look. Pinkie was right. There were dozens of royal pegasus guards in the sky, all patrolling the capital city. It seemed that reaching Twilight would be a bit harder than they all were expecting. Out of nowhere, Rarity let out a shriek and shielded her head with her hooves. A fully armored pegasus guard was speeding right towards the car.

Once she had heard the news of six very familiar ponies on their way to Canterlot, Princess Twilight was quick to place a suspect. She strutted briskly towards the guest room where she had left Spike, her face twisting into an angry grimace. She was less than pleased, to say the least, and an deep growl escaped her mouth every so often as she made her way towards her destination. Nopony dared to get in her way, all castle staff stepping aside and courtly bowing whenever the princess stormed past.

When she got her hooves on that dragon...

Spike was still in Twilight's guest room. He knew far better than to leave. Where would he go, after all? The best thing to do now was wait. He sat on Twilight’s desk chair, watching his legs dangle above the beautifully carpeted floor. The miserable weather outside was doing nothing to lift his spirits. He wasn’t sure at the moment if Twilight’s room was a necessarily good place for him to stay, especially since he was getting rather hungry. Or the castle itself, for that matter. But Spike wanted anything but to leave Twilight behind. He feared to think of her condition worsening with nopony she cared about around her. No, he was right to stay. Even if it wasn’t the real Twilight talking, she’d had a point when she said that he had a duty to both her and Equestria. She had asked him to be there for her during their time in Canterlot, and that’s exactly what he was planning on doing. Until the others hopefully arrived to help, that is.

Spike quite literally jumped out of his seat when a resounding knock came from the bedroom door. He peered up at the source of the sound from behind the back of Twilight's chair, too afraid to get any closer. The knock came again, only far more intense. Far more angry. The room itself seemed to shake with every collision of hoof against wood.

Taking a deep breath, Spike reluctantly made his way towards the awaiting door. Twilight, or at least that thing that had taken over her, had apologized before, but he was still awfully wary to trust anything the mare said, and rightly so. Nevertheless, he was indeed intending on keeping his promise to be there for her, and put on the bravest face he could when he at last opened the door.

“I’ve got room service here, for a mister... Spike the Dragon?” The indigo unicorn servant wore a cheery, sparkling white smile and held a sizable bowl of gems in her aura of the same hue. She looked down to find a baby dragon whose heart was clearly threatening to jump right out of his chest.

“I assume that’s you! You doing alright, hun?” Spike could at first only nod as he took the bowl of gems from the smiling pony. But once he came to his senses, he managed a sentence.

“But... miss, I didn’t order any room service.”

“Oh don’t worry, dear. The kitchen staff knows you. They told me you hadn’t eaten all day and to bring some top-quality gems up for you,” She let out a high-pitched little chuckle, her head arching back. “I had to do a double take when they said that! I didn’t even know we kept gems in the kitchen. Guess i’ve still got a lot to learn about this place.”

“Oh, well, uh- thanks a lot.”

“Anytime, Spike. The name’s Silverberry. If there's anything else you might need, just let me know.”

She bid him farewell and skipped off, leaving the door slightly ajar as she did so, as the little dragon let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps he’d been panicking more than was neccesary. He doubted the room had actually shook when that sweet unicorn had merely knocked on the door. Letting out a nervous chuckle, he seated himself on his bed and began stuffing his mouth with delectable gemstones. They had done it right and given him mostly the green ones. Even with the situation at hand, Spike was pleased to find that the castle staff were still worried about sustaining him. In fact, Silverberry hadn’t even seemed mildly alarmed about the condition of Twilight and the other princesses. He understood castle servants were supposed to be hospitable, but he had expected a bit more of panic. Nopony even seemed to be aware of the situation at hand.

“Spike... where are you?”

The relaxed dragon nearly choked on his translucent lunch when he heard a voice just barely recognizable as Twilight’s. It was a downright unsettling tone, as if the alicorn was the antagonist of some kind of horror film. Spike had seen a few of those in the past, and very much regretted that decision now. He scrambled to his feet, but hadn’t noticed that the door had been left open just a crack, where an electric green eye was now staring at him with intensity. He backed up, every step a bit quicker than the next, until he had inadvertently pinned himself against the opposite wall. The glowing eye’s position had not shifted. With the soft glow of a magic aura, a grayish pink now instead of her usual magenta, Twilight opened the bedroom door and stared down at Spike furiously.

The first and only thing catching Spike's attention at the moment were Twilight's unnaturally colored scleras. He had no idea when or how they had come to change color, and wasn’t too comfortable with the new look. As he could back away no further, the dragon could only stand and watch as a seething princess got closer and closer. She slammed the door behind her with her magic, blocking any hope of escape. Her breathing was heavy, and the look in those horrifying things one might call eyes felt like blades puncturing Spike all over his body. Never before had Twilight looked at him that way before. The little dragon's limbs grew numb as Twilight finally reached her assistant, and looked down at the petrified dragon without a hint of pity. Her expression would have worked just as well without words, but they came anyway. They weren’t Twilight’s, those words. They may have been coming from her mouth, in something resembling her own voice, but those words, that tone, those were somepony else’s. Each and every one of them stung the little dragon like daggers dipped in poison.

“Spike?” The voice was not particularly loud, but there was no mistaking its fury.

“Y-yes?” the little dragon said with a gulp.

“You sent a letter to Ponyville, didn’t you?”

“I-I…”

“Because six ponies from Ponyville are headed this way now, i’ve been informed. So tell me, did you send a letter there?” Eyebrows began to narrow with the accusation.

"Six ponies from Ponyville?" Spike thought."Did Twilight not even remember her own best friends? Or did she just not care enough to speak their names?"

“I- no, I would never-”

“LIES!”

The harrowing voice echoed through the room, which did literally shake this time. Books fell off their shelves, and the ink jar spike had used previously toppled off the desk and created an expanding black stain on the carpet. Spike wished he could have been anywhere, anywhere in Equestria but here. There was no hope for him, surely.

“You sent them that letter!You told them about our plans! You disobeyed us, Spike! AND FOR THE LAST TIME!”

Knowing he’d soon regret it, Spike couldn’t help but voice pretest, “But- Twilight! You told me not to send a letter to the Elements of Harmony... and... and I didn’t! I didn’t tell them anything!”

“Really, now? Well, can you explain to me why they are on their way here as we speak!?” Spit flew from Twilight's mouth with every word and her teeth were bared like a rabid dog.

“Because, well, I-I may have sent one to Starlight, instead…”

“Oh, so you thought if telling the Elements of Harmony about our plans isn’t allowed, surely you’d be fine letting my exceeding magic student know? Who rivals myself in terms of her skills?”

"Well, at the very least she remembers who they are."

“Why in Equestria would you think that an acceptable thing to do, Spike? To disobey me in such a way after I specifically told you not to. Did you really think you’d be able to get away with it?”

The young dragon forced himself to shout back, “No! I didn’t think i’d get away with it, but I had to disobey you, Twilight! I didn’t have a choice! You’re in trouble, and it’s my job to help you! The others- the others can help! We can help you, Twilight!”

“That’s Princess Twilight! And I do not need the help of a puny, worthless dragon. I don’t need help from anypony! I’m doing fine on my own. I can control the sun and moon, I can make everypony love me! I have everything a good leader needs. Soon all of Equestria will kneel at my hooves. You! You’re only in my way here," Twilight’s dark aura sprung to life, swirling and twisting around her horn in an unnatural fashion. She pointed it right towards her faithful assistant, her soulless eyes focusing in on him. “And now-” Twilight’s teeth were clenched, her body shaking with rage,” You’ll find out what happens when you disobey the princess of Equestria!”

Spike was dead.

He knew it. Dead.

He’d been stupid, quite frankly. And now, he was dead. And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

He’d tried protecting Twilight, protecting himself, protecting Equestria. He hadn’t succeeded in any of it. He lay curled up in a ball in the corner of Twilight’s bedroom, tears beginning to leak out of his eyes, knowing that in a few seconds, it would all be over, and he would have failed in his duty to protect the Princess. Trying to talk Twilight out of whatever hold she was in had been proven unsuccessful, and now he’d never again get to see her true face. Just the seething being that that vile thing had transformed her into. All he wanted was his best friend in the world back…

Twilight’s horn was pointed threateningly at Spike, a spell charged up that would leave little left of the dragon once all was said and done. But as seconds dragged on into minutes, Twilight still hadn’t cast the spell. Her anger was still there, her horn still aimed and loaded, but she wasn't attacking. She could see Spike, her little assistant, curled up in a ball, scared to death, crying, for Celestia’s sake, and she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Yes, he had disobeyed her, twice in fact, and yes, he did not deserve to be here, but Twilight’s deep rooted bond with Spike still kept her from performing the spell she so desperately wanted to cast. With a sigh, she let her charged attack spell fizzle out and turned away from the dragon, defeated.

“What are you doing? Destroy him, already! He is of no use to us. Keeping him around will only put everything we’ve worked towards at risk!”

“Destroying him…" She fished her mind for a feasible excuse. "It’ll cause too much of a fuss. I’ll make sure he never disrupts our plans again, trust me.”

Still scared out of his mind, the young dragon opened his eyes when he realized that it had been a fairly solid amount of time and he was pretty sure he hadn’t died yet. He wiped the newly formed tears out of his eyes, and sat up to find Twilight, facing the other direction, her head hanging low with what appeared to be shame.

“T- uh... Princess Twilight?” Spike stood up and addressed the alicorn worriedly, but didn’t dare approach her.
Twilight finally rose her head, still facing the opposite direction. The dragon wasn’t going to complain, he could do without seeing those dreadful eyes again.

“Spike, you are going to follow me. You are not to ask questions, and you are not to leave my side, or there will be consequences. Got it?”

“Uh- got it! Yes- got it, Princess!” For the time being the overwhelmed dragon seemed only surprised and relieved that he was still alive. Twilight, for whatever reason, had decided not to hurt him. He definitely wasn’t about to ask why. Instead, he followed Twilight out of the guest room like a foal upset with their parent, hesitant in getting too close, yet still afraid of straying too far out of pure instinct.

The alicorn wordlessly lead Spike down multiple staircases, as the world around them got darker and darker with less and less natural light able to reach them. Spike hadn’t ceased to notice that far more guards than usual were patrolling the halls, wearing inexpressive and focused faces, none so much as giving him a passing glance. He was curious of this odd behavior by usually quite friendly ponies, but quickly stopped himself from asking any unnecessary questions. Or necessary questions, for that matter, such as where they were going. The act of talking as a whole was a risk, he decided.

As they walked, Twilight's horn sparked ever so slightly, and an enormous guard immediately entered the hallway and began walking at the alicorn's side. Spike looked on with pure confusion. What was wrong with these guards? Surely they know something was wrong? That neon green eyes weren't anywhere near normal! That was unless Twilight...

No, no. Spike was sure there had to be some other explanation. Sheer panic might have caused her to use mind control in the distant past, but as a Princess? He knew her better than that.

After what seemed like an eternity of hooves and claws echoing on marble, Twilight and the guard had led spike to a secluded door leading to a long, cobblestone hallway illuminated only by torches lining the walls. A chill ran down the dragon’s scaly back just looking into that dark place. It contrasted from the bright and welcoming atmosphere of the castle so much it was just plain bizarre. His only hope now was to look up to the alicorn in obvious fear. Her eyes, surprisingly, had lost their unnatural hue and had returned mostly to normal. Her expression hadn’t changed a bit.

“Well? Come on, now.”

Given no choice in the matter, Spike started walking down the compact, gloomy hallway, which sloped downward into eternal darkness. The place had an odd smell and the air was full of dust, so much that the dragon couldn’t help himself from sneezing. Eventually, his curiosity overcame his will for survival, and he asked:

“Where- um, where are we going, Princess Twilight?”

To his despair, the alicorn’s mouth only shifted into a small grin. She didn’t give an answer. But even as the place was so new and foreign to him, Spike felt he had a pretty solid idea himself of where they were, based on the dreary vibe alone.

The castle dungeons. Spike didn’t even know Canterlot castle had dungeons.

Eventually, the three reached a barred door near the end of the eerie hallway. The alicorn swung it open and pointed a hoof inside, demanding the little dragon enter.

“Wait, what?”

Twilight only sighed and motioned to the guard standing behind her. Without so much as a moment’s hesitation, he kicked the little dragon inside and slammed the door shut behind him. Not bothering to focus on the great pain he had endured from a stallion's fully charged kick, he ran up to the door and wrapped his claws around the thick metal bars, looking up at his friend with pleading eyes.

“Twilight! You can’t do this! Please, I-I’m sorry!” But the alicorn was already halfway down the hallway, her guard sticking to her side like glue.

“Think of it as a blessing. You’re still alive, aren’t you?” Twilight faded away into the darkness, and Spike heard the loud slamming and locking of a door.

He was alone.

Returning back upstairs, Twilight was wearing a lovely smile, for she was quite pleased with herself in her decision. Now she wouldn't have to go through the emotional trouble of hurting that sorry little excuse for an assistant. He was out of the picture and now she could continue on with what was really important. Their master plan wasn’t nearly complete, after all. With a simple wave of her hoof, her guard bowed and galloped off, leaving the two of them to talk.

Twilight really was impressed of these ponies’ dedication. Both her and her new friend's combined magic was proving incredibly influential in controlling the castle staff. It was originally the voice's idea, but it was proving astounding at making Twilight's job all the more easy, with countless other ponies now at her beck and call.

But a hundred or so ponies was nothing compared to an entire country. They’d need to gain a lot more power before they got that kind of influence, and Twilight wasn’t about to let anything get in her way of that goal.

Turning a corner and making sure nopony was near, the princess loudly boasted to her new friend of her recent accomplishment. While the pain the odd voice caused her was still apparent, it hardly affected her much anymore, more like a mild headache than anything else.

“See? What did I tell you? The dragon is taken care of and not a single pony will know of him being gone. I told you I had everything under control.”

“Perhaps, Twilight, your idea did work to a degree. Not that I wouldn’t have enjoyed seeing the little bastard reduced to ash. You’re taking quite the risk with the mercy you give. It won’t do anything to help us. You know that.”

Twilight seemed unsure of herself before responding, “I… well, yes, I suppose you’re right. But you know as well as I that this was the best course of action, that killing him would have made a scene, and ponies would grow worried...”

“Are you kidding? Everypony in this castle is under our complete control! We could murder every last soul they cared about just for the sake of it and they wouldn’t dare question a thing!”

“But we don’t know that. Our spell hasn’t been in effect for all that long, it’s best not to take chances. What’s important now is that the dragon is out of the picture.”

“Speaking of getting ponies ‘out of the picture’, Twilight, I’d say we're more than prepared to move on to the next stage of our plan, don’t you think?”

An wide grin enveloped the alicorn’s face.

“You’re right. I believe it is about time.”

Home Sweet Home

“Oh no ya don’t!”

Without the smallest hint of warning or hesitation, Rainbow Dash bursted out the train window like a multicolored cannonball, colliding with the armored pegasus mid-flight. More devoted guards were on their way to the train, however, speeding missiles searching for a target. Starlight jumped into action, creating a large wave of magic around the train car that blasted away everypony in their vicinity. However, the well-trained guards were quick to recover and continued their path towards the wanted intruders.

If Starlight knew one thing, a simple repelling spell wasn’t going to be enough, and Celestia knows she didn’t have nearly enough time to think up something more complex. She could teleport herself long-distance just fine, but six entire ponies was a stretch, even by her standards. The last thing the unicorn wanted right now was for everypony to end up rolling down Canterlot mountain on account of her lack of focus.

Frantic to find a solution, Starlight stuck her head out the window Rainbow had recently escaped out of, wind and rain drowning out most of her senses, and found that they were nearing the gates of Canterlot. She then turned to look at the pegasi, getting nearer by the second, save one member who was presumably still brawling it out with Rainbow. Looking back to the gate, only about a couple hundred feet away at this point, then back at the angry guards, Starlight had a plan. Whether it was going to work, she seriously doubted, but it was something.

Getting back into the car and planting her feet firmly in the center of the aisle, she attempting to clear her mind the best she could. She ordered the pink pony in front of her:

“Pinkie Pie, I need you to look out that window, okay? All tell me when we enter the Canterlot gates.”

Pinkie looked rather panicked, but still gave a determined, “Okie dokie, Starlight.”

“And make sure, the second we get through the gates, you let me know, alright, Pinkie?”

“Yes ma'am!” Pinkie gave a salute and jumped up beside the window to watch the approaching capital. Starlight closed her eyes and tried her very best to focus.

“Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy.” All three jumped to attention. “Get to the front of the train, and wait by the door. When this thing stops, you need to get off as soon as possible.”

With identical nods, the earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus sprinted for the first train car. Rarity turned before heading off, “But what about you, dear?”

“We’ll both be fine. Go! Now!”

“Uh, Starlight, not to burst your bubble or anything, but those guards are getting awful close.”

“Are we near the gate?”

“Oh- uh, yeah! We’re almost there!”

“Then hang on just a bit longer!” Starlight made a mental map of the train she was on, then did her best to locate where the brakes most likely were…

The train shook back and forth as it entered the gates, as a guard got his trajectory wrong and ended up smacking right into the side of the train car.

“Ooh! That’s gonna leave a mark...”

“PINKIE! Are we-”

“Oh- yeah! We’re here, Starlight! We’re in Canterlot!”

“Hold onto something, Pinkie!”

Starlight grabbed the brakes, as well as all the wheels themselves in her telekinesis and managed to bring the entire vessel to a halt in a single jarring second, just as she had hoped. She and Pinkie ended up almost pinned at the back of the train car, but a quick look outside proved that Starlight’s plan had, for the time being, worked. The speeding pegasi hadn’t expected such a quick halt from the train, and ended up crashing right into each other in a giant, aerial fray of colliding limbs and clanging armor.

“Let’s go!” Starlight, with Pinkie at her heels, rushed to exit the train. When they at last got off and reunited with Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, all three looking slightly sick, Starlight was pleased to find them just within the city’s walls. They had only barely gotten past the tight security of the place. Her relief was premature, however, as the angry pegasi above them, swarming like wasps, reminded her that they all needed to find somewhere to hide, and fast. Doing their best to avoid detection, the five sprinted in the direction of Canterlot’s residential district, the first and lowest level of the city. Rounding an alley and cramming between two close brick walls, the five ponies were finally able to stop and breathe.

They were, for the most part, well hidden. The rain had come to a stop at some point during their fortunate escape, but the entire alley was full of mud, and the roofs above them were constantly dripping rainwater. They were far from clean or collected, but they were safe. Rarity had lost her boots during their disembarkment and nearly shrieked at the sight of mud staining her once-spotless white hooves.

"Sweet Celestia! That was close."

"Good thinkin', Starlight. Way to get em' off our tails."

“W-where’s Dash?” asked a concerned Fluttershy, noticing that everypony but the very noticeable rainbow hued mare was present.

“We didn’t leave her, did we?” asked Pinkie.

“No, she jumped out of the train while it was moving, right?” Starlight racked her brain for the details of the unimaginable chaos that had just ensued.

“Well, where has that tirek-may-care pegasus gone off to?” asked Applejack. Everypony looked around worriedly. Fluttershy’s gaze eventually found the end of the alley. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp.

“What is it, Fluttershy?” The little yellow pony could only point ahead with a shaking hoof. The others turned to find a seething guard pony headed right for them.

Turns out the five weren’t as hidden as they’d thought in the tight alley. Everypony scrambled to back away, though they weren’t getting far with how many of them there were and how little room they had. Proven by a large bruise on his forehead, the guard was in fact the same one who had slammed into the side of the car earlier. The unrelenting stallion accelerated into a gallop, focusing hard to not miss his target a second time.

When he was only a few mere feet from the frazzled and unprepared huddle of ponies, a multi colored object descended onto him with alarming speed, having dove from who knows how far up. She tackled the guard right to the ground, staring at him with a proud and absolutely thrilled look, adrenaline seeping through every atom of her body. Her breathing was heavy and voice quite louder than need be.

“Hey, what’s got you thinkin’ you can go and hurt my friends?”

It took the stallion a surprising amount of strength to tear Rainbow off him, and then immediately rear up for a kick. The rainbow pony was quicker, however, and landed a punch right in his exposed gut. As the stallion recovered and lunged again at Rainbow, Applejack came to her senses and descended onto him. He tried to head-but the orange pony, but missed, leaving Applejack the time to buck him right in the side. When the guard came near toppling over in pain, Starlight also finally snapped out of the daze she’d been trapped in and shot a vibrant beam of blue magic towards their adversary. In a fraction of a second, the unsuspecting guard’s mouth and limbs were tied up in an unbreakable magic bond. He struggled and cried out, but there was no use. The six muddy and scared ponies had succeeded, Rainbow looking the by far the most overjoyed of the lot.

“Ha! Did you see that? Good thing I saved you guys! Right in the nick of time, huh?”

Applejack looked unimpressed, “You saved us? It was Starlight that got ‘im all tied up, you were just about to get yer rump kicked!” She pointed towards the struggling stallion, only able to mumble incoherently in protest. “Where were ya, anyway?”

“Where else? I was up there holding these guys off. Managed to take out a good number of em’, too. Don’t think i’d be that bad as royal guard myself, you know? I’ve got the stuff. If I wasn’t already tied up with the Wonderbolts, that is.” She gave a self-satisfied grin. Applejack could only roll her eyes.

“Well, we’re glad yer alright.”

“Yes, Rainbow. Well done, thank you.” Rarity piped up to keep the two bold ponies from starting yet another argument. “Though, I could only wish we wouldn’t have to resort to violence like this. These guards are simply animalistic!” She examined the struggling pegasus before them. “I know many Canterlot guards, all quite sweet. I can’t imagine any of them acting like this. And to the Elements of Harmony, no less! They know who we are!”

“But they’ve all gotta be under Twilight’s orders now, right?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, darling, I assume so. But even under royal orders, I simply can’t imagine-”

Starlight drowned out the conversation happening beside her as she observed the thrashing stallion and tried to come up with an explanation as to what exactly was happening with these guards. Finally, she thought something up. She didn’t think it likely, but with the situation Canterlot was in, it was far from impossible. Focusing as hard as she could on the stallion, she used her magic to scan him head to hoof. Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack stopped and turned to see the unicorn let out a surprised gasp.

“What is it!?” asked Rainbow impatiently.

“His mind, it's being tampered with! He’s under some sort of spell!”

“Twilight’s spell?”

“Who’s else's?”

Rainbow’s eyes grew wide, “Well... what are we gonna do?”

“Yeah,” agreed Applejack. “Suppose we can’t just leave him here, 'specially if he’s not doin’ anything on purpose.”

Starlight pondered for a moment, then began searching her memory for the correct spell to undo Twilight’s work on the poor stallion’s mind. Rainbow eventually grew impatient with the silence.
“Well? Can you do anything about it, Starlight?”

Being a pony who has had her fair share of... experience with mind-controlling spells, the mare knew a fair deal about untangling them. Still, Twilight’s spell was awfully powerful, and took her far more effort than expected to release it’s hold on the stallion.

The mares were shocked to see the pony before them no longer struggling. He wasn’t moving at all, in fact. The pony just looked dazed and confused. Starlight removed the magic cords restraining him. He let out deep breaths, words not finding their way to his lips just yet. Instead he just stared at the surrounding ponies, completely and utterly shocked.

“Hello,” greeted his unicorn savior. “I’m Starlight Glimmer.” The pegasus only nodded.

“And you are-?”

“Uh- Cloud Chaser. Captain Cloud Chaser.”

“Cloud Chaser, it's a pleasure.”

“Um, sorry, miss, what where exactly am I? What’s going on?” Starlight looked to the others as if to prove her point. He was most certainly being mind controlled. And he was, that meant the rest of the Canterlot guards were as well.

Applejack was next to approach Cloud Chaser. The stallion shook out his legs and got to his hooves.

“Sugar, i’m afraid there’s been a pony controllin’ yer mind. And not just you.” she gave a quick glimpse to the end of the alley to double check that there no more guards were about.

“What?! Controlling my- By who? For-for how long?”

“None other than Princess Twilight, we’re guessin’. And not long, maybe a couple hours or so, a day at most.”

The pegasus seemed at a loss with himself, “What did I miss?”

The four ponies looked at one another, none knowing quite what to respond. Rarity was the first to speak up.

“We’re honestly not all that sure, dear,” Rarity tried to sound encouraging in her words. “All that we know is that something terrible has happened to Princess Twilight, and the other princesses are incapable of helping with what she’s… caused.”

“Do ya remember anything at all about ‘er?”Applejack added.

“Oh, of course. I've known Princess Twilight since she was a filly. But this- this isn’t anything like her. She'd never do anything bad to us guards. Let’s see- I remember Princess Twilight took power after the royal sisters became unconscious, therefore I was to serve her. But I- I don’t remember anything after than that,” he stared down at the muddy ground, his eyes searching for the answers nopony had. “Did I do anything I might regret? While I was being… controlled? You had me tied up, didn’t you?”

Rarity looked back worriedly to the others before responding, “Don’t you worry about that, dear. Whatever happened wasn't your fault, and is in the past. Why don’t you head home, now. You’ve had a rough couple of hours, i’m sure. I bet your family is terribly worried.”

“You-you’re right, I should probably take it easy after all this. But what about the other guards? My friends? They’re all under her spell too, right?”

All eyes went to Starlight, “...Well, there’s no way I could cast a telepathic correction spell that large, but don’t worry, Cloud Chaser, once we get to the source of this magic, we’ll put a stop to all of it.”

“I sure hope so...” said Chaser. He put a hoof to his forehead, overwhelmed and yet relieved. “Thank you all for doing this.”

“Well, we are the Elements of Harmony! We’re basically pros at saving Equestria from evil-”

“Rainbow Dash, could you go a second without boastin’ bout somethin’?” Applejack cut in. “We’re trying to calm the poor stallion down-”

“I’m not boasting, i’m stating a fact. We are the best at-”

“As you can see, the ‘harmonious’ portion of our title can be a bit misleading at times,” Rarity whispered into Cloud Chaser’s ear. The pegasus chuckled.

“Well... thank you all again for… whatever exactly you did…”

“Telepathic correction spell,” informed Starlight.

“Yeah, that. And I wish you all good luck. Come and find me if you need anything, but I think i’m gonna go and make sure my family is alright. If you’d like, i’ll get the surrounding guards to leave the area for a bit, so that you all can get out of this dirty alley where... ” he looked around at the dismal setting before him, “I assume you’re hiding?”

“That would be just dandy. Thank ya kindly, Cloud Chaser.” Applejack said as Cloud Chaser beat his wings and began to rise into the air.

“My fellow guards will be off your backs for as long as I can manage. Try to get somewhere safe, and quickly. And please, help the rest of my friends.” With a salute, he was gone.

“Hey, has anypony seen Pinkie and Fluttershy?”

Looking around the damp alley, it was now obvious that the earth pony and pegasus were gone. It was a surprising revelation to say the least, Fluttershy’s quiet nature often resulted in her being overlooked, but it was normally close to impossible to not know where exactly Pinkie Pie was within a hundred mile radius of her. But indeed, she and the silent yellow mare were nowhere to be found.

“They must have gone off while we were talking,” Starlight looked around worriedly.

“Yeah, but where?” asked Rainbow. “Why would they just leave like that?”

“I don’t know, but we've gotta find them. It’s not safe around here, and we need to find shelter while we can.”

Rainbow nodded and the four of them headed off, doing their best to remain under the dreary conceal of buildings. They didn’t need too hunt for too long, soon both missing ponies to be found. They were sitting beside the fogged up window of a small building, heat emanating from the source, coming from what appeared to be a fireplace somewhere inside. A tattered blanket, obviously found somewhere in the alley due to it’s questionable condition, was slung around Fluttershy’s back.

“Sorry we strayed a bit far, girls. It’s just, Flutters here’s looking pretty bad,” Pinkie was supporting Fluttershy in her hooves, soaking wet and dirty pony and continually coughing and sneezing. “I knew what you all were doing was important, but I was just so worried for Fluttershy here, she was shaking so much.” The thin blanket seemed to be doing little to help the yellow pony’s condition, but she looked immensely grateful for Pinkie’s efforts nonetheless.

“But you’re alright now, right, Flutters?” she looked at the pegasus with caring eyes and gave her a wide grin.

“Y-yes, Pinkie, thank you very much.” Fluttershy’s teeth were still chattering and her body shaking, but Pinkie’s actions meant far more than what good they actually provided the little yellow pony.

“Oh, you poor darling,” Rarity ran up to Fluttershy and carefully examined her. “We should get you inside and warm, lest you get even sicker out here.”

“You’re right, Rarity, we need to find a place to stay tonight,” agreed Starlight. “We aren’t in anywhere near a good enough condition to approach Twilight right now.”

“Yes, but where?” Rarity had since joined in comforting the yellow mare. “That dear Cloud Chaser said we wouldn’t have long until those guards were to return.”

“Well, I guess it can’t hurt to look around here for someplace open. Just remember to lay low. We don't want any unwanted attention drawn toward us.”

"My stars! Are you the newest Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash?!"

The six had been trekking for several minutes, doing their very best to evade detection, and so far being met with nothing but drawn curtains, locked doors, and lots and lots of mud. That all changed when they reached a tall, odd-looking house and saw two wide eyes staring from behind a curtain. There was little time to react to the strange behavior before the pony is question came bursting out the door, causing the whole group to nearly leap out of their own skin.

She was a maroon earth pony with a long, curly black mane, and looked simply ecstatic at the arrival of the ponies. Actually, more like the arrival of just one in particular.

“Uh… yeah... that’s me, Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow wasn’t exactly prepared on how to respond to this unexpected kind of attention. Not that it bothered her, of course.

“Oh! I’m such a huge fan! You don’t even know! My husband is as well... Skycharter! Get over here!”

The six damp ponies looked to each other in confusion. It wasn’t long before the aforementioned Skycharter arrived to behold them. He was a grey earth pony himself, with a mane like new copper. He wore cracked spectacles and a scruffy beard. The stallion stared at Rainbow with the same giddiness mirrored by his wife beside him.

“Sweet Celestia, Astrid, it really is her! Can you believe it? Out of anypony, a wonderbolt decided to stay in our place for the night? Oh, I’m hoping that’s what you’re here for, right?” he gleefully asked.

“Actually,” began Rarity “We all could benefit from a-”

“Hold on!” The maroon colored mare dashed back inside for a moment, then came back out with a clunky polaroid camera in her mouth, “Huney, do ya tink you could getta picture of me wiv da wonderbol?”

“Sure thing, Sweetheart.”

Without any warning, Astrid pulled the pegasus in for a photo op, Rainbow hardly having the time to collect herself before a bright flash momentarily blinded her.

“Ack, my eyes! What- what was that?!”

“Look, hun! This is going up on the wall, for sure!”

“I- uh…” Rainbow stumbled around, cross eyed and disoriented, patches of light staining her retinas.

“Well, you see...” Starlight attempted in shifting the couple’s attention from the photograph. “We were hoping you two could lend us all a place to stay tonight, if it wouldn’t be that much trouble-”

“Why of course, dear!” Astrid was on the verge of Pinkie Pie levels of excitement. “Come on in! I don’t know what such a well-known pony like yourself, miss Rainbow Dash, is doing in these dirty old streets, but we sure do appreciate your company!”

Applejack gave the mare an expectant look out of the corner of her eye before following the others into the dingy household.

“Yeah, but, you’ve gotta know who my friends are, surely.” the still quite startled Rainbow asked once the door shut and everypony had been crammed into the living room. “Elements of Harmony, Starlight Glimmer, ever heard of ‘em?”

Both Astrid and Sky examined the ponies seemingly far less important than the celebrity that had just entered their home, and could not seem to recognize a single thing about them.

“You know...” Pinkie began. “The ponies who saved a Equestria like a dozen million times already! And we’re gonna do it again, just you watch us!”

Starlight smacked her face with a hoof. So much for laying low…

“Oh, you see, we get most of our information from these here,” Astrid picked up a mouthful of cheap magazines spawled about on a table, most with headshots of rich and famous ponies. She chuckled, “Awlof it , ackally.” The earth pony spit the pages back down onto the table.

All six ponies looked at the grinning couple, then to the pile of magazines on the table in front of them, none really knowing what to think. “We just love the Wonderbolts more than anything! We’ve read all the interviews and know each member by name!”

“You mean you get all yer news from tabloids?” asked Applejack. “Well, surely ya do go outside at some point, right? It’s really not all tha’ hard to miss what we do.”

“Yeah,” said Pinkie, “Like that time an evil army of changelings invaded the city? Remember that?” The couple looked at each other in shared confusion.

“What’s a... changeling?” asked Astrid. “I don’t think I remember reading about those.”

Now it was Applejack’s turn for a facehoof, “How long have you both been cooped up in here, exactly?”

“Oh, we’ve been here for a few decades!” answered Astrid with a pleasant smile, as if Applejack’s question had simply been what the mare’s favorite color was. “We have our studies- the stars, you see, that’s exactly what we study. We work all day with our telescopes and graphs, and every week we get some nice food and some of our favorite magazines delivered, it’s all we really need!”

“We’ve got more room than we need in this old place, and it gets a bit lonely sometimes, so we're quite glad you all dropped in for a visit! None of our neighbors seem to ever want to stop for a chat, I simply can't imagine why.”

“I can think of a few reasons…” Starlight nudged Rainbow in the side to shut her up. Unfortunately, she should've known that such an act wouldn’t stop the overzealous pegasus for long.

“So, wait, you two haven’t left this place for decades? Why in Equestria would you-” All of a sudden, Rainbow found her mouth sealed shut by some intangible force.

She turned to Starlight with fury in her eyes, she attempted yelling in protest but found herself completely mute.

“I think what Rainbow Dash was trying to say, was that we all thank you very much for the hospitality. We’ve been through a lot and would appreciate a place to stay the night.”

“Why of course! You all must be exhausted after your travels. You all can stay on the third floor. We’ve got a few empty bedrooms.”

Everypony save the mute pegasus thanked the couple and waved them goodbye as they headed upstairs.

“Let us know if you need anything!... Sky, quick! Find the Wonderbolts poster. We’re getting an autograph!”

After the ponies were safely on the staircase, Starlight cleared away her spell to prevent Rainbow from opening her muzzle. She regretted it soon after.

“What was THAT for?”

“I panicked, okay? I’m sorry. We just really need somewhere to stay, and I don’t want to say anything that might end up convincing them to not let us spend the night here.”

“Starlight, you heard them, didn't you? They love me! Ponies would never kick a Wonderbolt out! You can’t always rely on your own judgement, you know.” Starlight looked down at her hooves, lacking any kind of response. Rainbow was too caught up in her anger to notice the unicorn anymore, however. She found the first bedroom door, opened it, and stepped inside impatiently.

“And you can’t just count on your magic to get whatever you want!”

The door slammed shut. Everypony stared. None apparently wanted to follow her inside. Then their attentions shifted to Starlight.

“Aw, don’t look like that, sugarcube. You were only trynna to help, she knows that,” Applejack glanced worriedly over towards the door Rainbow had disappeared behind. “It’s just that she- well, this whole situation’s gettin’ to each of us, with Twilight being gone and all… and Dash’s always had a heck of a temper.” She looked the still-silent Starlight over, muddy and damp just like everypony else, and then to the several doors beside them. “Looks like there’s three rooms up here, huh? I’ll bunk with Rainbow, try ta get her outta this sour mood she’s in for the sake of the team.”

“I’ll bunk with Fluttershy, of course!” The little yellow pony still hadn’t left Pinkie’s side, and most certainly wasn’t looking any better. He face was flushed and she was constantly sniffing, her sneezes cutting through conversations on a regular basis. Pinkie nuzzled her friend gently, which Fluttershy unwillingly responded to with a cough. “And i’ll take care of you too! Don’t worry, Flutters, Doctor Pinkie’s here to help!”

“Thank you Pinkie, i’d like that,” the pegasus responded weakly.

“That leaves me and Rarity, I guess” said Starlight somewhat quietly, still a little unsure of herself after Rainbow’s scolding.

“Marvelous, dear.” Rarity said with a warm smile

“Yay! It’ll be kinda like a sleepover, huh you guys? Except, instead of the castle or library or Sugarcube Corner, it’s in a creepy old house owned by hermits! This is gonna be so much fun! Come on, Fluttershy!”

Pinkie and her sick companion were first to enter their room. Applejack was next, stepping inside with great care, and closing the door immediately after she did so. Starlight was glad. She didn’t at all care to hear the coming conversation between the two. But Applejack was good at bringing other ponies to their senses, and she was hopeful.

“Well, dearest, are you coming?”

The room that Starlight could only assume was a mirror image of the ones on either side was really not much to look at. There was a bed as well as a somewhat rickety couch. A single small window looked like it had been punched out rather than built in, its curtains drawn, and there was a vase complemented with a couple dead flowers sitting on a bedside table. The room was still full of dust as well, and the corners and windowsill were decorated by large cobwebs.

“Well, it is rather bland, I must say,” Rarity took off her violet raincoat, the only remaining article of clothing she had left after their troublesome journey, and laid it gently on the bed frame. “Although, I suppose it could be worse...” she examined the couch Starlight had noticed with hopeful and tired eyes. “These accents sure are… something.”

The white unicorn then pulled opened the curtains and coughed as a small ray of light illuminated the large accumulation of dust she had just set free.

Starlight started coughing as well, “Yeah, it would help if this place had been used in the last hundred years or so.”

Rarity sighed, “I suppose, dear. Although I must say, it’s better than the street by a long shot. We're also very well hidden here, there's a good chance nopony under Twilight's spell will know where to look.”

Starlight plopped herself down on the very inviting couch beside her and wanted so badly to escape into sleep, away from the mess they’d gotten themselves into. Away from the reality of what was happening.

“Ugh,” a disgusted remark from Rarity opened Starlight’s exhausted eyes, “I simply cannot get any rest in this state!” She was looking down at her hooves, coated in mud from their adventurous travels of that morning. “I’m going to find a shower, I simply cannot live when I am this dreadfully dirty!”

It may have sounded a bit uncaring, she loved Rarity, after all, but Starlight was happy to have the room all to herself for a bit. She was coated in mud too, of course. Her hooves, fur and even her mane and tail were desperately in need of washing. At the moment, however, her cleanliness couldn’t make its way into her brain through the overpowering pull of sleep.

Twilight strutted around her new bedroom, feeling quite content with the looks of it.

Let's see now, there was her enormous bed accented by expensive drapery, a large window with golden accents, a plush purple carpet, a roaring fireplace, and several elegant tapestries hanging from the walls. There were also countless one-of-a-kind titles the Princess took great pains to keep herself from being distracted by, on an hoof-crafted bookshelf. The Princess of the Sun sure wasn’t cheap when it came to decorating her quarters. What Twilight was looking for, she found rather quickly. The alicorn soon discovered a full-body mirror opposite to what used to be Celestia’s bed. She didn’t focus on her pupils or her aura, both slightly darker in hue than usual, nor the devilish grin that sprouted from her lips. No, those weren’t important. What was important was the regalia that she was now wearing. Her own regalia was back in Ponyville, far too long a distance to travel without fear of being spotted, not to mention rather pathetic for such a grand role, so she had located the next best thing.

Cadence’s golden crown, breastplate and footwear were now hers. It hadn’t been difficult to locate the regalia of the three princesses, taken off them in order to better treat the ponies presumed to be sick in some way. Celestia and Luna’s regalia were far too big for her, but Cadance’s fit her well. Naturally, it made sense to take it as hers. What kind of princess was she if she couldn’t even look the part?

“Oh, can we do it already? You’re making me terribly impatient, Twilight. Don’t forget who’s responsible for getting you such an opportunity.”

“I know, I know. But you must wait just a bit longer, my friend. I need to look my best before I proceed. Today is a big day, after all.”

With a simple wave of her horn, a spell that would have taken many unicorns years of study was put into motion quickly and effortlessly. The golden regalia she wore was changed into sparkling silver. Not worth as much, obviously, but Twilight’s needn’t worry about riches with all of Equestria at her disposal. It was looks she was going for, and silver regalia looked far better with her color scheme, she had decided.

“Alright, i’m ready. Let’s finish this, once and for all.”

No guards were asked to accompany or even dare speak the princess that afternoon. Even with all the Canterlot royal guards under her spell, she still didn’t trust them with a secret as important as this one. There was only one she trusted that much.

“Yes, yes. I can feel it, Twilight. Such power, their magic holds. Magic that will put a stop to our plans, mind you. We must be rid of it at once.”

Be patient, my friend. It is far too dangerous to do the deed in the light of day. It is imperative that we go undisturbed with our business.”

“Then lower the sun already! You have the power, Twilight! You can do it right now and get everything over with! I can only keep them unconscious for so long, after all.”

“Please, hold on a bit longer. Causing the moon to rise so much earlier than its normal hour will cause a panic. If we do this right, nopony will even notice. Our plans we be unstoppable for sure.”

“Unstoppable, perhaps, if you do not foolishly grant them the same mercy as you did the dragon.”

Her friend finally giving in to her wishes and leaving her be, Twilight arrived just in time to her throne room. It remained just as she had left it, calm and serene. Teleporting herself up onto her extravagant throne, she immediately called for a report on the ponies who had been caught heading her way because of her maddening little assistant. Another guard, pretty beat up by the looks of it, was called in. He bowed before the princess, who was having none of it.

“Well? The ponies from Ponyville heading this way, were they stopped?”

“Well, you- uh, you see, your highness…”

“They got away?” Twilight said through clenched teeth and a furious gaze.

“I- well, we-” the guard pony looked like he would rather have been in the depths of Tartarus than within Twilight’s line of sight in that moment. “We had sights on the train they were traveling in, your highness, but they proved more powerful than we thought, this rainbow-colored mare attacked me in midair, and…”

“They got away.” Twilight stood up, her gaze not shifting, her expression all the more angry. “How could you have let them get away! These are the Elements of Harmony we’re talking about! And my own personal magic student! These ponies are powerful, and you should have planned accordingly!”

“I understand, your highness, I understand. I am so, deeply sorry.” the mortified guard sunk lower into his bow. “I can order everypony to start a search for them now, if you-”

“No.” The guard was surprised by Twilight’s sudden response, and regretted his counter the moment it came out of his mouth.

“But, why, you highness? If they plan to do you harm, shouldn’t we look for-”

“I said no! We already have countless guards patrolling the castle. We must not waste time and resources. They are clever, you know, and will not allow ponies as incompetent as you all to find them. No, we will wait for them to come to us. It will be far easier. And if you guards prove to be just as inept in stopping them, I will take care of them all myself. Is that clear?”

The castle guard knew that if he had just agreed, nodded his head and left, everything would have been alright. But no, he just had to open that stupid mouth of his again.

“But, Princess, wouldn’t it work out better if we-”

“Are you disagreeing with me!?” Twilight teleported right in front of the guard, her color-shifting eyes glaring furiously, inches from his own. “Are you saying you do not value my authority enough to follow each and every one of my orders?”

“No! I-”

“SILENCE!” Twilight's eyes burned an electric green, and her voice echoed along every empty hallway the castle held. The guard could only look on in amazement and terror as thick vines of black magic spiraled right for him and caused him to cry out in agony. He fell to the floor, Twilight still blasting her dark magic from above. She burned her dark powers into him only further, his cries for mercy only growing louder.

Twilight laughed through it all.

She hadn’t expected how much she’d enjoy this.

When she felt the guard had had enough, Twilight released him from her agonising hold. He stayed knelt on the ground, crying and hyperventilating. With a flash, Twilight was back on top of her throne, many feet above him, looking as regal and emotionless as she had before he’d arrived.

“Now,” she said simply. “You will follow my orders, stop the search, and remain here. That is clear, I hope?”

The guard nodded the quickest he had in his entirely life and muttered, “Yes, your highness, your every word I shall follow. I apologize for my ignorance.”

Twilight gave a satisfied smile and waved a hoof, “Go on, then, and prove your sentiment.” The guard galloped out of the throne room as quickly as he could, and Twilight leaned back on her throne, feeling more content than ever.

“You see, my friend? I am far from mercyful. Our business that we must take care of tonight will be simple and quick, and then we will be able to start the next phase of our great conquest.”

“Good evening! Who wants dinner?”

The muffled, cheerful greeting of Astrid from behind her door eventually caused Starlight to groggily open her eyes. There was a stampede of hooves coming from outside her room, heading downstairs for a much welcomed meal, but Starlight’s own legs refused to budge from their comfortable position on the couch. Far too much of her sleep had been cut short lately.

“Oh dearest!” Astrid gave a light patter on Starlight’s door. “Dinner’s ready! Come down and join us!” with a bright smile that Starlight could only picture but new very well existed, she headed back downstairs. Groaning, the unicorn forced her tired limbs to begrudgingly support her weight. She hated being treated like a little foal, but was far too grateful of Astrid’s hospitality to complain. With a yawn, she headed for the bathroom to wash up before dinner. She was still coated in dried mud, after all, and wanted to at least seem somewhat presentable to her rather odd hosts.

When Starlight descended to the bottom floor, she found everypony but Fluttershy squeezed into the rather small kitchen and around the even more confined kitchen table, along with Astrid and Skycharter.

“Oh Starlight, you’re here! Come, sit down! We’ve got hayburgers!” Astrid, somehow, seemed in an even better mood than when the gang had first arrived. Skycharter was preoccupied in eagerly handing Rainbow Dash piles of memorabilia to sign, while his wife placed a tray of hayburgers on the table before everypony.

“Oh, we’re just so glad to have you all here! It’s been pretty lonely without any visitors, you see. Oh, but now we have you all! Isn’t that just great? Go ahead, eat up!” The five ponies sitting around the table hadn’t eaten for a good while, and wasted no time digging into their meals.

“Um, where’s Fluttershy?” Starlight asked as she sat down, crammed between the daintily eating Rarity and the slobbery and messy Pinkie. Rainbow Dash was the pony furthest from her view, still giving Starlight a death glare out of the corner of her eye. Starlight wanted anything but the get the mare yelling again.

“Oh, Flutters isn't feeling all that well,” Pinkie said, mouth full. “Said she’s not all that hungry either. She’s gonna stay in bed for now.” Starlight looked down at her food and suddenly felt a sense of guilt. Most of what had led the ponies here had been because of her. Sure, she might’ve managed to keep them in the clear from the guards, but a part of Starlight still felt as if their journey to Canterlot could’ve gone a lot smoother if she’d done things differently. Perhaps Fluttershy wouldn’t even have gotten sick.

“Oh, don’t feel bad, Starlight, it’s not your fault.” said Pinkie, presumably reading the unicorn’s mind. Starlight had known Pinkie for long enough to know that wasn’t entirely out of the question for her. “Her temperature isn’t even all that high, I think it’s mostly the stress that’s getting to her. She’ll be fine and dandy by tomorrow, I bet. But Doctor Pinkie’s gonna take good care of her until then.”

“Thanks, Pinkie, I hope so.” Her spirits were lifted, even if only a little, and her empty stomach began being filled by extremely tasty hayburgers. Even while the food was delicious and their hosts were very kind and sociable, the crammed and messy state of their home was still a little off-putting. There were piles of dusty astronomy books, and almost every surface was plastered with calculations, maps, and coordinates, occasionally set apart by a wonderbolts poster or a gossipy magazine clipping. Being overly indulged in one’s studies was a characteristic of Canterlot ponies, it seemed to Starlight. She was getting a very Twilightey vibe from the whole scenario. Save for how cluttered the place was, of course. Think of it, these ponies probably could use a bit of organizational advice from the princess.

“So, what brings you six lovely fillies to Canterlot?”

It was at the point when there was a great lull in the attitude of the room, with nopony wanting to say anything that might put them at risk. Pinkie was about to open her mouth when Starlight thankfully pepped up.

“Well, it’s a bit complicated. We won’t trouble you both with the details-” Starlight decided to tread carefully. “Um... we know you two don’t exactly get out… often, but we were wondering if you’ve noticed anything odd happening here in Canterlot recently. Like-”

“Like, you know, an evil, corrupted alicorn taking control of the-” Pinkie was shot a look by all five of her friends and quieted down immediately.

“Like, anything off about the way things normally go on around here. The way ponies are acting, for instance.”
The couple looked at each other, then to back Starlight with she’d been dreading. Blank expressions.

“So sorry, dear, but nothing out of the ordinary in the past few days, no. Other than that article on Photo Finish's new photo story not getting good reviews by critics the other day. Now that was something! Right, hun?”

“Terrible reviews! Who would’ve guessed? It’s Photo Finish! Only the most talented photographer in all of Equestria!”

“Yes, but, you see, that’s not really what I mean-”

“If you want to know about ponies we ourselves have talked to, deary, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.” Astrid said with an apologetic smile.

“Wait, hun. Remember that castle servant that came to deliver those charts this morning?”

Astrid gasped, “Oh yes, of course! I completely forgot about her!”

Starlight eyes widened with interest, “Who? Someone from the castle?”

“Yes yes, a young servant. What was her name? Silver something… Silverberry! That’s it! You see, we get our star charts from the castle sometimes. A sweet filly, she was. There was just something… off about her.”

“Like what?” asked all five ponies in harmony. It was unmistakable that Astrid had now gotten everypony’s interest.

“Like, was she extremely angry and tried to kill you on sight?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“No, no, nothing like that, we can assure you,” said Sky. “It’s just... she was very jittery, the poor thing. When we invited her in for some tea, she told us she needed to get back to the castle so that Princess Twilight wouldn’t get upset. She seemed pretty worried about it, too. We’ve seen this ‘Princess Twilight’ in a few of our magazines. She’s top rated princess of the year, you know! There was even a dress inspired by her! Made the front page too!”

Starlight was growing impatient, “So, she seemed afraid of Princess Twilight? Did she say anything about the other Princesses? Like Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?”

“Princess Luna? Who’s that?”

Everypony gave a flat look, and decided the explanation wasn’t worth the time.

“N-nevermind, just, did she say anything else that might’ve been important?”

“I don’t think so. She just seemed really worried about not getting back to the castle on time. Castle servants do a lot of deliveries for us, and i've never seen a single one that paranoid before.”

Starlight looked to the others and silently motioned for them to head back upstairs immediately. The rest nodded.

“Well, we can’t thank you two enough for the food.” Starlight pushed away her plate and got up to leave, the others quickly following. "We’ll probably be leaving quite early tomorrow, but we're incredibly grateful for you letting us stay. We’re gonna head upstairs now, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh! Why, um, certainly. Sleep well, all of you!” The six ponies hurried up the stairs, the old floorboards creaking threateningly underneath them. As Starlight made her way as fast as she could upstairs to discuss with the others, Astrid and Skycharter’s conversation faded out behind out her.

“You know, now that I think about it, I think I remember the name Luna on one of those ‘best princess’ polls.”

“Oh yes, I remember now! Rated pretty highly, too. I wonder where in Equestria she came from?”

Starlight couldn’t help but sympathize with the two friendly and unknowing ponies. She herself had lived secluded from the rest of the world at one point, and most of her knowledge of modern day Equestria had to come from Twilight. She still had no idea how two astronomers failed to notice the outline of a pony just randomly disappearing from the moon one day. She decided not to dwell on it too much.

“Well, that just happened.” said Rainbow, once they had securely gotten to the top floor of the cramped household.

“What does this mean?” asked Rarity. “These ponies hardly know anything about Twilight, certainly, but that castle servant they were discussing...”

“Silverberry, yeah.” said Applejack. “I guess Twilight’s been controlling her mind? Like those crazy guards this mornin’? Sweet Celestia, gives me the heebie jeebies just thinkin’ about it.”

“Unless of course nopony even knows who these hermits are anymore, and she was just as creeped out by them as we were.” Said an annoyed Rainbow.

“Oh hush, miss Dash,” began Rarity. “We all know you can never get enough attention from fans.”

“No, Silverberry was specifically ordered to deliver charts to these ponies,” said Starlight, her mind racing, “And when we got off the train, there were no other ponies around. It was only the guards that were coming after us.”

“So, Twi only wants to mind control her guards and servants?” asked Pinkie “How come? If I was an evil ruler, i’d want to control everypony, not just the ones already under my orders. Not that I am, of course. And neither is Twilight. Our Twilight, that is.”

Pinkie had, as was per usual with her, spoken everything rapidly in one continuous breath, but Starlight had understood enough to come up with an idea.

“What if she wants to, Pinkie, but she can’t?”

“What do you mean?” asked Pinkie. “It seemed pretty easy for you to mind control the five of us.”

After an awkward pause and a look of embarrassment from Starlight, she finally responded, “No, I... I mean, what if she does want to control everypony in Equestria, like you said, but just doesn't have the power? A mind control spell like that would take an incredible amount, more than even the princesses have.”

“Yes, darling, that does seem like a goal that would make sense for her, but her magic is corrupted by that- that thing, right? Shouldn’t she be stronger now?”

“Unless she can have all tha’ power, and she’s just waitin’ until she’s able ta get it!” said Applejack.

A rather loud cough from Fluttershy cut the five ponies’ concentration for a minute, as they went into her room to check on her.

“Excuse me,” said the little yellow pegasus, her voice hoarse but sure of itself, “I heard your conversation and would like to add a thought, if I could,”

“Oh, of course, Fluttershy.” Starlight seemed a bit taken aback by the pony’s straightforward and confident tone, “Sorry, I almost forgot forgot you were in here. What would you like to say?”

After a few short sniffles, Fluttershy began, “Well, Twilight definitely has the castle ponies under some sort of spell, and it’s probably a real possibility that she wants to control other ponies, too. Maybe even all of Equestria. But right now, I don’t think there’s any way for us to find out more information without getting it from the source. Twilight will probably only get more powerful the more this evil thing corrupts her, so the sooner we get to her, the better.” Fluttershy sunk her head a bit when she finished, avoiding the gaze of the five ponies. “You- you know, if that’s okay with you all…”

“No, Fluttershy, you’re right,” said Starlight. The pegasus smiled. “It’s unlikely we’ll get any closer to an answer staying here. Before the sun rises, we’ll leave. We’ll try to attract as little attention as possible, and then we’ll talk things out with Twilight. Or try to, at least.” The others, even Rainbow Dash, seemed to agree wholeheartedly with Starlight’s plan. They all missed their best friend dearly, and wished to see her again under any circumstances.

“Well, get a good night’s sleep, everyone.” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah, Celestia knows we’re gonna need it,” groaned Rainbow, and she flew off towards her room without even lending Starlight a glance. The unicorn sighed as she too went to get some rest, far more worried than before about how these ponies were faring with her at the helm. Tomorrow, she decided, she’d make it up to Rainbow.

Descisions of Deicide

The moon was much less trouble to raise the second time around, and soon Twilight’s world was enveloped in darkness yet again, a state in which she felt much more at ease with herself. While Celestia and Luna’s duties that day had proved slightly more challenging than the last, they were still nothing she couldn’t handle. Mostly it was just angry dignitaries, some packages that needed to be sent out to locals, and a few petty arguments in need of resolving. Twilight was able to stop most of the ponies’ little quarrels with ease, although a few stubborn ones had to be magically… encouraged to drop whatever they were complaining about and go home. Overall, it had been a tiring afternoon and Twilight wanted nothing more than to sleep on her silky, soft new royal bed. There was business to attend at the moment, however, and the alicorn knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly until it was taken care of.

Her walk to the infirmary went mostly as planned until she finally arrived at the door. Although just before she was about to enter, the castle doctor made his return, much to Twilight's dismay.

“Your highness! Your peers still aren't well, i’m afraid to say.”

“Yes, I understand that, thank-”

“But i’m doing my best to figure it out, trust me. I’ve been working around the clock.”

“Listen, I don’t have the time to-”

“I’ve known these ponies for a long time. It hurts me just as much to see them this way. But, with time, I think I should be able to-”

Annoyed and impatient, Twilight had turned around and grabbed the doctor in her inky black grasp. She squeezed the stallion’s neck, leaving him gasping desperately for air. Then his eyes turned the same shade of green as Twilight’s currently were, and the gasping stopped.

“You are not to come here again, Doctor. You are of no use to me,” Twilight stared into the eyes the stallion she held on the brink of life or death. She didn’t even dare blink, knowing the spell would fail in an instant. “You are not to care for the princesses anymore either. You are not to check on them, to run more tests, to research any more on what might be wrong with them. They are dead. Now and forever, dead. Do you understand that?”

The limp pony gave an emotionless nod to Twilight. The purple alicorn smiled and promptly dropped him to the ground. The unnatural shade of the doctor and Twilight’s eyes slowly faded, and the stallion at last came to his senses and stood up. He stared at Twilight sympathetically, she glared at him impatiently. He put a gentle hoof to her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, your Highness. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” And with that, he trotted off towards his quarters. Twilight gave a relieved sigh as she reached once again for the door separating her and the other princesses. How she was possibly ever able to survive without making ponies obey her every command, she had no idea. It must have been simply maddening.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance looked much as they did when Twilight had first come to visit them. Further investigation, however, would note that their bedsides now housed countless medical documents, attempting to find the source of such a strange and unheard of condition. The princesses also no longer wore their regalia, that was proved by the lovely silver Twilight was wearing. She looked quite gorgeous in it, she thought. Much better than that dull gold she would wear back when she was the princess of friendship. The other royalty, save for their grand size, could very well have just been normal ponies. They no longer wore crowns marking their status. No, they could have been just any old mares. Nothing compared to what Twilight was. Twilight had recognized the power she held and didn’t fear using it to get what she wanted, what she needed. These ponies, they had power and were foolish enough to give it up, without even so much as a fight. The care and love that succumb their souls to weakness blinded them from what really mattered, what their true potential was.

They had promise, these ponies, sure, but Twilight knew she wouldn’t be able to advance with her plans if they were still hanging around. It was time Equestria had only one alicorn princess to bow down to. It was time for Twilight to do something that should have been done long ago.

Twilight’s eyes became the same sickly green, her magic coiled around her horn like living ink, and she charged up a powerful spell that would stop the princess’ hearts, just like that. She needn’t anything dramatic, blowing them to bits would have caused far too much commotion for her liking. No, stopping their hearts was enough. Though, despite the simple ending result her spell would have, it would take a lot of power and even greater concentration. To end the lives of immortal beings was an exceptional feat indeed. But Twilight knew herself up to the task.

“Yes, yes! Do it now, Twilight. And we shall have our glorious reward! Unsurmountable capabilities! Yes!”

Twilight did her best to ignore the mildly annoying pain in her skull and focused on the still-beating hearts of the princesses. Just one move, and it would all be over. They would stop pumping, forever, and Twilight’s wish would be granted.

But unfortunately, the power-hungry alicorn made one fatal mistake in her master plan. For a split second during the spell, she opened her eyes.

As soon as those ponies, their faces, their condition, entered Twilight’s head, she couldn’t help but keep her gaze glued to them. Upon staring down at the mares, floodgates of memories opened up in Twilight’s mind. When she looked at Candance, she didn’t see a pony standing in her way of victory anymore. She saw her old foalsitter, playing alongside her almost everyday, telling her about the wonders and hardships of becoming a princess, always drying her tears whenever she got hurt, and always cheering her up when she was feeling down. She saw Cadance and her brother, happily married, loving one another more than anything in the world. She saw her niece, little Flurry Heart, and a loving mother who was always there to protect her.

When Twilight looked in turn to Luna, she saw a scared and lonely princess inside the false disguise of Nightmare moon. She saw Celestia's incredible joy, for after a thousand years, she finally had her sister back. Luna needed help readjusting to society, she needed ponies to care for her and to believe in her again. When every other pony cowered in fear of Nightmare moon, Twilight charged right for her. When every other pony cowered in fear of Princess Luna, Twilight was the only one to give the misunderstood pony a chance.

Finally, Twilight looked to Celestia. But before she saw Celestia as her mentor, teacher, or even as the reason for her royal title in the first place, Twilight saw Celestia as one of her greatest friends. Since Twilight was only a filly, Celestia loved and believed in her. Even through hard times and many, many mistakes, that faith in her student never wavered. She guided Twilight, yet also allowed her to figure out things on her own. When it was finally time for Celestia to gift Twilight her wings and the title of Princess, she reassured and cared for her former student just as much. She let her make just as many mistakes, and she did her best to guide her in the right direction. Celestia was the only reason Twilight had any of what she had today, and such a fact was impossible to forget.

“What are you waiting for? Do it already!”

Something was wrong. The pain in her head was increasing, blurring her thoughts, vision, and hearing into a foggy soup of suffering and confusion. But why?

It was the voice.

The voice was doing it to her. Her infuriated friend tore a hole right through the alicorn's head, causing her to break focus and fall to the ground from the unbearable pain.

“I… can’t-”

“What do you mean, you can’t? You can do it right now, Twilight! You can get everything you’ve ever wanted! LISTEN TO ME!”

Twilight was blind to the world, teetering in and out of consciousness with the unendurable pain the voice was causing her, but she managed an answer nonetheless:

I-I don’t want this...”

“YES YOU DO! WE BOTH WANT THIS, TWILIGHT, AND WE’RE GOING TO GET IT! WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ALL POWER IN EQUESTRIA!”

Twilight couldn't help but blow her cover when she screamed out at the top of her lungs, begging for the agony to cease. Despite her pleas, it only grew worse by the second. The fury of her friend seeped through her, became her. Her entire body was burning. Eventually, unable to take it any longer, Twilight passed out on the cold hard floor of the infirmary, beside the other unmoving princesses.

All was silent yet again.

Fall from Grace

Under the cover of darkness, Starlight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack made their way silently down the stairs of the confined, cluttered home which they had been so graciously allowed to stay in. As silently as they could, that is, since the creaky floorboards supporting the weight of six ponies were awfully difficult to keep from making any noise. Not that their hosts would’ve minded being woken up, but they wanted to avoid causing a fuss. Any extra awareness would most likely hurt rather than help them, and at the moment their sole goal was to make it to Canterlot Castle without drawing any unnecessary attention.

“Thank you so much for the stay! See you soon!” Pinkie called as quietly as was possible for her.

“Come on Pinkie, let’s go.” Starlight ushered everypony out of the confined home one at a time. With a soft click of the front door, they were alone, immersed in darkness.

“Ugh, I’d help if we could see anything.” groaned Rainbow.

“Oh, of course. Here you are, dear.” Rarity lit up her horn, the soft blue glow lighting up the small area of space in which the six stood. Starlight followed suit.

“Heh, right. Thanks. Now come on, let's go get Twilight.”

Luckily, almost nopony was out at this hour, but once in a while an earlier riser would pass by, and the six, always unsure whether the approaching figure was friend or foe, under some sort of spell or not, did their best to hide. Things were going well until, at last, they reached the grand castle. Even through the darkness, the dozens of tirelessly patrolling guards were unmistakable.

Rainbow scanned the area worriedly, “Great, what are we gonna do about these guys?”

Starlight thought for a minute, “There's no doubt the castle has protection against teleportation spells, if not before, than definitely now.”

“Alright, well, that isn't good. How else are we supposed to get in?”

“Yeah, those guys don't look all that friendly,” spoke an unsure Pinkie.

Starlight looked towards the gates. Only two guards stood at the entrance, so still it appeared that they’d recently crossed the path of a cockatrice. There wasn't nearly as many down on the ground than there were patrolling the skies, she gathered.

“Well, I might be able to get past whatever barrier there is and teleport inside if I can get close enough. But somepony will have to distract those guards near the gate.” She turned to the others. Not one made a sound, save for Fluttershy who let out a small sneeze. The little pegasus had admitted to feeling much better that morning, although she still hadn't seemed in the best condition during their journey.

“Rainbow and I will help distract ‘em, Starlight,” she gave the pegasus hovering above her a glare. “I talked with her earlier about taking one for the team, maybe you'd like to show us, sugar?”

Rainbow grumbled, “Fine. But if we get killed, it's your fault, AJ.”

“Ooh! Ooh! Can I help too?” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down excitedly. “I can be very distracting!”

“Sure, Pinkie,” said Applejack. “Come on you two, follow my lead.”

“Do you girls mind staying here? In case anything happens?” asked Starlight, her nervousness beginning to grow as Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie sped off in the opposite direction.

“Why of course, darling. You be careful now. Stay focused. Get to Twilight as soon as you can.”

“And Starlight-” added Fluttershy hoarsely.

“Yes, Fluttershy?”

“Try and make sure she gets out safe. And Spike, him too.”

With a nod, Starlight headed for the gate. As she galloped, Celestia’s former sun began to rise.

“Hello mister castle guard my name’s Pinkie Pie do you know how many bricks make up Canterlot castle I bet it's pretty boring here I wouldn't be surprised if you’ve counted all of them by now but just in case you hadn't I estimate that there is around five hundred thousand three hundred eighteen bricks does that sound about right I think it sounds about right I'm very good at estimating things there was this one time I guessed how many jelly beans were in a jar at the Ponyville fair and I got it right oh I was so happy I even got a prize it was a great prize I still have it even though the fair was long ago do you like prizes?”

The grey unicorn stationed by the gate was so completely enthralled and bewildered by the filly’s ability to speak so rapidly without taking so much as a breath, he forgot to cast any sort of spell to stop her from approaching. When Pinkie stopped at last and he was able to come to his senses, a rainbow colored blur descended upon him from above and knocked him out on contact. The second guard stationed by the gate was equally as unfortunate, taking instead a bucking kick to the muzzle. Both guards left unconscious at their post, Applejack motioned to Starlight that now was the time. Said unicorn galloped as fast as she could through the gates, getting as far as possible before Pegasus guards began to dive towards her like speeding bullets. Just before they could reach the purple unicorn, however, Starlight disintegrated in a spark of teal magic. She looked around and found herself just inside the castle walls. Their plan had, miraculously, worked.

“Come on, y'all. Let’s get back to Rarity and Fluttershy before we get spotted.”

Pinkie pie straightened the helmet of the guard before her, left askew from the pegasus who’d tackled him to the ground unconscious.

“Sorry about that, mister. Have a nice day!”

It was clear Starlight's luck wasn't going to last, however, as guards began to sprint for her the instant she entered the castle walls. Starlight galloped as fast as she could to where she could only hope Twilight and Spike would be, the throne room. She half ran, half teleported her way through the castle foyer, dodging magic blasts and newly-angered guards. When she finally managed to burst through the doors, however, she found the throne room completely vacant, save for even more guards, their expressions those of ravenous bloodhounds. They leaped at her, teeth bared and horns fully charged, but in a flash she was out of their grasp.

Spell after spell after spell, Starlight teleported into every room she knew of in Canterlot castle, staying just quick enough to check whether it housed Twilight or Spike, while still staying a step ahead of her pursuers. Soon she began to grow tired, however, the incredible amount of teleportation spells in such a short amount of time was draining on her. When she finally ended up in the kitchens, panting and exhausted, the pounding of armored hooves emanating from above her, Starlight realized she was out of places to look. But as the threatening hoofsteps grew closer and closer, it dawned that there was one place she knew of that she had failed to check. The sun was rising, wasn’t it? It was clear from the light beginning to pour into the windows surrounding her. And where had Celestia raised the sun the last time Starlight was here, when she was sent by the map? That balcony. It was the only logical place.

Twilight didn’t know what time it was or long she’d been out when she began to slowly gain back her consciousness. However, due to her stiff limbs, aching neck and shivering body, she’d assumed it had been quite a while. It took some time for the alicorn to notice that her waking had in fact been caused by a poking hoof.

“Are you alright, your Highness? Did something happen?”

As soon as Twilight managed to pull her tired eyes open and fully regain her senses, she smacked the guard’s hoof away and defensively jumped to her feet, unwillingly cringing as she did so, thanks to her sore and throbbing limbs. Sleeping for so long on the hard marble floor hadn’t done too much good for them, that was for sure.

“Princess! Are you okay? I-I’m sorry, it’s just you were in here for so long and when I came in I found you-”

“Quiet!” Twilight snapped. The guard fell silent in an instant. Her tone was violent enough to silence even a pony who hadn’t been programmed to obey her every command. “I’m fine!” she shoved away yet another helping hoof. “It was nothing, I just decided to... sleep here tonight, you know… with them.” She lazily pointed towards the three unconscious ponies beside her, wanting anything than to be forced to look upon their faces again.

“Oh Princess, I understand, yes. I’m terribly…”

“Stop apologizing! It won’t do anypony any good. We’re wasting time as it is. Tell me, how long has it been?”

“Several hours, your Highness. In fact, it’s nearly time for you to raise the sun in a few-”

“What?!” Twilight shoved the guard out of her way and burst through the door to the infirmary without so much as a word of thanks. She located the nearest clock, and found, much to her own demise, that the sun would need raising in just a couple minutes. And so, the princess had no choice but to make her way to Celestia’s study. She dare not fly, her wings were in as rough a shape as her legs from being sprawled out on the cold, hard ground for so long. Her mind was also far too fuzzy at the moment to attempt teleportation, so she merely walked up stairs and down corridors until finally reaching the location she required.

Just on time she thought to herself. Now I can get this infuriating business over with.

The voice had not yet returned to Twilight, perhaps it could have just been fed up with her, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she was lucky to have no distractions as she headed for the balcony and forcefully tugged the sun into the sky, and its celestial counterpart below the horizon. She was pleased to find the deed much easier than the previous day. Apparently, even if her friend was currently giving her the telepathic equivalent of the silent treatment, her magic was still getting its much needed boost.

Twilight’s peace in performing her duties was quickly diminished, however, as none other than the same exact guard that had caused her so much trouble just a few minutes earlier was now back. At least, Twilight was fairly certain it was the same exact guard. They all looked pretty similar.

“Princess!” the guard came galloping up to Twilight, panting. “I’m sorry to bother you, again. But... but... intruders! They’ve been spotted by the castle!” After hearing out the stallion, Twilight simply smacked her face with a hoof and grumbled.

Unbelievable…

In little more than a second, a wisp of eerie black magic had grabbed the intruding guard by the throat, which then brought his fearful eyes right to Twilight's glowing green ones.

“So what? You are the royal guard, are you not? Do your job! Protect me! Chase those mischievous little ponies away! Kill them if you must, and be done with it! Is that so much to ask? For my military to remain calm under the presence of a threat?”

When the guard, face purple and gasping for breath, understandably did not respond to Twilight, her overwhelming rage only grew. Her torturous dark magic seeped through his body. She grimaced and asked him yet again, “Is it so much to ask, now? is it?!”

In that moment, a bright spark of blue magic broke Twilight from her concentration. Released from her magical hold, the royal guard came tumbling to the floor, gasping for breath. Twilight looked to her side. Starlight Glimmer had appeared only a few feet away. She looked shocked beyond understanding.

Starlight at first didn't even find herself able to recognize the pony before her. Her color scheme, her mane, wings and horn, cutie mark, those we’re all Twilight’s. But the mare’s face, Starlight was certain couldn’t possibly have been her mentor’s. Both of her eyes were a luminescent neon green, with black wisps of magic shooting out of their sides like living eyelashes. Her mouth slowly twisted into an malicious grin, as she beheld the unicorn that had just appeared in front of her.

“YOU!” In something Starlight most definitely hadn’t seen coming, Twilight acted in a very similar manner to her guards, quite literally lunging for her former student in a fit or pure rage. In a split second decision of fight or flight, Starlight had sent a powerful laser beam right at her mentor. She would have immediately regretted doing so if it wasn’t for what happened next.

The beam had indeed stopped Twilight from getting too close, but what was actually meant to be a powerful attack spell hadn’t given the alicorn any external injuries at all. In fact, she only shook her head clear after the point-blank hit, and besides that seemed completely unscathed, and, if possible, even more angry.

“Oh, you pathetic little thing. What were you planning on doing, barging in here and defeating me? Force me to bow to your hooves!” Twilight then let out something like a laugh, but it was a sound Starlight had never heard come from the princess. It was a dreadful and mortifying sound that Starlight wanted to cease the second it started.

“Oh, Starlight. You are a clever unicorn, i’ll give you that. A prize student. But you are no match for me, not even close. Especially with the new help I’ve been granted,” Twilight motioned up to her horn, flaring threateningly. “You made a mistake coming here, my student. You were lucky enough to get past my foolish excuses for guards, but you will not surpass me. You will now see what happens when you disobey your master, Starlight Glimmer!” A mirthless chuckle was drowned out by a blast of magic, and all was lost to darkness.

“Starlight? Oh, is she gonna be alright?”

“She shouldn't have gone in there alone. It’s too dangerous!”

“What do ya’ll think happened? Why is she all banged up like that?”

When the injured unicorn’s eyes opened at last, she found several colorful blurry figures looking down at her worriedly, their speech warped. After a few seconds to regain full consciousness, however, she realized that it was in fact none other than her friends. Starlight found herself propped against a wall of a very familiar building. It was the same place they’d hidden before storming the castle.

“Ugh… what happened?” She was so, so glad to see them, but the thumping in her head drowned out any possible positive feelings at the moment.

“That’s what we wouldn’t mind you telling’ us, sugarcube.” For a moment, Starlight’s mind was a rusty old machine, with gears that refused to turn. After a little while, though, things began to click into place.

“I-I saw Twilight!” shouted the unicorn without warning.

“You did?” asked Rainbow, pushing past the others to face her. “Where? Was she okay? What happened to her?” her face was mere inches from Starlight’s now, eyes wide and curious. Applejack quickly pushed the pegasus aside and asked, in a far more calming tone:

“Starlight. Somethin' obviously real bad has happened to ya. Why don’t ya just start from the beginnin’, now?”

“Wait, what do you mean something-” when Starlight put her hooves to her face, her answer was clear. She now bore large cuts all across her face, each of which burned on contact with her hooves. She quickly tore them away. Looking down, she realized that her torso was laden with a few bruises and scrapes as well, though her face certainly bore to worst of the damage.

“I did my best to patch them up, dear,” said Rarity, stepping forward rather slowly. “Though i’m afraid I am not very medically talented.”

“We know you’ve been through a lot, Starlight,” began Fluttershy, “But please, if you wouldn’t mind trying to tell us what happened, if you can?”

Starlight gave a weary exhale, racking her brain for the details of the fast-paced mess that had just occurred, “Well, I got into the castle okay. Only, I couldn’t find Twilight or Spike anywhere. There were just loads of guards patrolling the place. So I looked and looked, those guards on my tail the whole time, before realizing where she must’ve been.”

“Well, where?” asked Rainbow impatiently.

“Celestia’s balcony, the same place where she raises the sun each morning. I’d been there once before when the map called me here. Twilight’s the one raising the sun now, so I assumed that’s where she’d do it too. And I was right, I found her there.”

“Wait, Twilight’s raising the sun now?” shouted Rainbow. “How in Equestria is she managing to do to that?”

“Well, obviously,” said an annoyed Applejack. “If Princess Celestia or Luna can’t do it, it must be Twilight causing the day and night now.”

“That gives her an awful lot of control. It can’t be too good for a pony in her state.” said Rarity worriedly.

“Tell me about it...” said Starlight, looking down at her hooves. The white unicorn cocked her head.

“What do you mean, darling?”

After a short pause, Starlight struggled the get the words out of her mouth, her voice shaking and gaze shifting, “She- she was different. I mean, I knew she probably would be, but, she was really different. She wasn’t Twilight. That thing that’s got a hold of her, it transformed her somehow. I-I don’t know how to explain. When I got there she was- torturing this guard…”

“Torturing?!” four startled voices asked at once. Fluttershy just whimpered.

“Yeah, and it looked like she was using dark magic to do it. And when she saw me,” The five ponies stared at Starlight expectantly, as if she was reaching the climax of a riveting story. “When she saw me-” Starlight found herself lost for words, and was begging to get a little chocked up. She forced herself to stay calm and to continue her retelling. “She got so angry, when she saw me. She was screaming and yelling, and she jumped right at me-”

“But you were able to stop her?”

“At first, but then she shot this huge magic blast at me, I couldn’t stop it, I- I tried teleporting away-” Starlight looked around at her surroundings and to the ponies in front of her. “I must’ve made it, I guess.”

“Yeah, it's a good thing ya did. But you’re pretty banged up, sugar. I bet Twilight did a number on ya before ya could escape, still.” Starlight was avoiding Applejack’s worried gaze. Tears were threatening her. “Yeah, I… I guess she did.”

“And Spike?” asked Fluttershy.

“I didn’t see any sign of him.”

“Well, did you want us to find a place for you to recover, Starlight?” asked Rarity. “We could very easily head back to Skycharter and Astrid's.”

“No, I don’t think we can afford the time.” said Starlight. “We obviously can’t do anything here, at least not by ourselves. We need to find help.”

“But from whom?” asked Rarity. “All the other princesses are unconscious, and most likely heavily guarded, at that.”

“What about the rest of Twilight’s family?” asked Rainbow Dash. Everypony turned their heads. “Her brother and niece, I mean. They’re still in the Crystal Empire, right? Nothing’s happened to them yet!”

“You’re right, Rainbow Dash.” said Starlight. “As far as we know, which obviously isn’t much, nothing’s happened to Shining or Flurry. Shining might not even know what’s happened to Cadance. Much less Twilight.”

“So, we should go tell him!” said Pinkie. “If Shining Armor doesn’t know about what’s happened to Cadance or his sister... that’d be no fun at all for anypony to be kept in the dark about something like that. We should let him know and maybe- maybe he can help us!”

“We could definitely use some help figuring out what exactly this thing is and how to stop it,” Starlight struggled to rise to her hooves. “Well...” she looked to the others. “I guess we don’t have any time to lose.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow lifted herself up off the ground impatiently. “We need to get our Twilight help as soon as possible. Come on, we’ll catch the next train to the Crystal Empire.”

“Now, hang on a second, would ya?” Applejack called after the pegasus, who had already began to speed off in the direction of Canterlot's train station. “Starlight here’s been through a lot. Give ‘er time.”

“I’m alright, Applejack, but thanks.” With the unsteadiness of her voice and the less than flawless state she was in at the moment, she thought it rather unlikely that what she was saying was believable, but Dash was right. They needed to leave immediately and get help as soon as possible.

“Alright, well, be careful y’all. I’m bettin’ those guards are still out lookin’ for us.”

As carefully as when they had arrived, the six ponies made their way to the train station. Luckily, they found no guards standing in their way. With the morning sun now a good distance up in the sky, the ponies of Canterlot were joyfully milling about. Completely unaware, it seemed, of the terrifying despot they were now under. Starlight and the others couldn’t help but wonder if they would remain clueless for long.

Minutes seemed to drag on like hours while the six ponies waited in the nearly empty train station. This time, however, the weather was rather pleasant, a warm, if not terryfing sun shining above them, and the ponies were much more comfortable biding time before the train arrived. Random travelers would often look at Starlight with odd expressions, obviously confused about her rather noticeable injuries. The unicorn did her very best to avoid their gases. There were more important things she had to worry about right now.

“Are you sure you’re alright, dear?” Rarity cooed just as the train arrived. “If you wanted to hold on a bit before continuing, i’m certain it won’t make much of a difference.”

“No, i’m alright. I can rest on the train. It’s a few hours to the Crystal Empire, anyway.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant, dear, perhaps you’d want to-”

“See a doctor,” said Rainbow flatly. “No offense, but you don’t look too hot.” Rarity cast the pegasus an angry glare, one that she'd been getting quite used to the past few days.

“That can wait.” said Starlight, clearly as annoyed by Rainbow as Rarity was. “Right now, our priority is Prince Shining Armor and Flurry Heart.”

A colorful train billowing clouds of smoke screeched to a halt in front of the awaiting ponies. The car the six entered was fuller than on their first train ride, with a few ponies already seated, but due to their early hour of travel they were lucky enough to remain unnoticed. Most of the ponies in the car were asleep, anyway. All were looking forward to a few hours of peace after what had just unfolded.

“Who has all our bits?” asked Dash lazily, after several minutes of silent travel. “I never had any breakfast. And it's not like I had too long to eat dinner last night, either-”

“We need to save what we have left, Rainbow,” Starlight was checking her nearly empty saddlebags the other five were lucky to have held onto by this point. “These train tickets haven’t exactly been cheap. We can only pay for what’s necessary.”

With a sigh, Rainbow was silent once more. Save for an occasional groan or a rumbling stomach from her, no pony made a sound for a good while after that. All were lost in thought. It was certainly not to everypony’s surprise that Pinkie was the first one to pep up, sitting still for long periods of time had never exactly been her strong suit. What did surprise them was her tone.

“Starlight?”

“I- uh, yes Pinkie?” The little pink pony was clearly unhappy, her curly mane was even drooping a bit to prove it. She stared out at the moving scenery, not even wanting to face the ponies beside her. Starlight was taken aback by an emotion that was so scarce to see the little earth pony feeling.

“I understand if you might not wanna talk about it, but... what exactly did Twi look like? You said she wasn’t herself, didn’t you?”

Starlight took a deep breath before responding. It may have been rather difficult for her to get it out, but that was no excuse to not at least try for Pinkie’s sake.

“Well, her eyes were glowing bright green. And she had this terrifying laugh. It was downright creepy, like she just seemed amused by everything that was happening. And, her magic... it wasn’t like it usually is. It was definitely dark magic, but, that wasn’t the only difference. It was like it was… alive in some way. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it wasn’t like any kind of magic i’ve seen before. I didn’t even notice if that guard turned out alright. But if this is how she’s treating the ponies at her command, torturing and mind-controlling, I doubt she’ll want to treat the rest of Equestria with any more mercy.” Starlight had been so caught up in her explanation, she had failed to notice the tears beginning to leak out of Pinkie’s eyes. The pink pony’s next words were pushed out through a choked throat.

“Do you- do you think we’ll be able to help her, Starlight? You know about magic, what if- what if she’ll never get better? What if this thing will just keep corrupting her forever?”

Pinkie’s face and tone alone drove a hole through Starlight’s heart, and she in that moment she would’ve done anything to get the usually ecstatic pony smiling and chatting again. Even so, she deserved the truth, even if that truth was underwhelming.

“Pinkie pie, I’m sorry, from such a quick glimpse I really couldn’t get any good information on what it is that’s got her. It's just that... dark magic is something you choose to do, you know? If you get too immersed in it, there can be consequences, but- dark magic isn’t supposed to be conscious . It can’t do anything on it’s own. I really… I really don’t know what we’re up against, Pinkie. I’m sorry. I’m sure we’ll know more soon, though.”

“Soon? As in when? And how?” A sob. “I love her so much, Starlight! I love her so much and I can’t even think about losing her! Her birthday’s in a week, did you know? I’ve got it all planned ahead of time. I’ve bought the ingredients to make her favorite cake and everything. Chocolate with buttercream frosting! But if we can’t help Twilight, what if she’s gonna be like this forever and nopony’s gonna do anything about it! What if that happens, huh? She’ll never get to celebrate anything! What if we let her go and now we’re never gonna get her back, you guys?!”
Pinkie was now crying and quivering, everypony in the train car looking at her with expressions of pure shock. Starlight moved over to sit next to Pinkie, and put a hoof around her overwhelmed friend.

“Pinkie, we all love Twilight and we’re all incredibly worried about her. That’s why we're doing our best to get help. You know who’s gonna do something about this, Pinkie? We are. We’re gonna find out what happened and we’re gonna free her from whatever it is that’s holding her against her will, even if it's the last thing we do. Isn’t that right, you guys?”

“Of course, sugar,” Applejack took a seat on the opposite side of Pinkie, giving her a gentle smile. “I’m gonna bet ya there’s a way to stop all of this. Perhaps even closer than we think. We just haven’t found it yet.”

“Why certainly, dear,” Rarity joined the others on the train seat. “Twilight and Spike will turn out just fine, if we have any say in the matter. We just require a bit of assistance, is all.”

“Yeah, but we’ll get ‘em, Pinks. And soon. Don’t you worry.” said Rainbow. The train seat was getting quite crowded with all six of them, but Pinkie certainly didn't seem to mind. She brushed her remaining tears away, eventually calming down and drifting off to sleep, as she remained surrounded by her friends for the remainder of their journey north.

By the time the train reached the Crystal Empire, everypony had fallen asleep due to the lack of rest the last few nights and the rather eventful and tiring morning. Everypony except for Starlight, that is. The purple unicorn stared aimlessly out the train window, watching as their surroundings became enveloped in a blanket of icy snow. Once in a while, she’d re-count the remaining bits in her saddlebags out of pure anxiety. Finding it impossible to fall asleep partly because of her nervousness, and partly because of the pain from all her recent injuries, Starlight found herself relieved when they had at last entered the magical sphere keeping the Empire safe from the Frozen North, and pulled up to the station.