Samurai Twilight

by Foetohn

Rating: everyone
Tags: Crossover, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Nightmare Moon, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Adventure
Length: 29071

Long ago in a distant land, I, Nightmare Moon, the shape shifting mistress of darkness unleashed a never-ending night! But, a foalish pony warrior, wielding a magic stone stepped forth to oppose me! Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung her into the future, where my darkness is law! Now the foal seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Nightmare Moon! (FiM/Samurai Jack fusion)

Published 2011-07-30 07:05:59 UTC
Last updated 2011-09-22 05:05:12 UTC

Episode 1: Our Tail Begins

Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria…

Samurai Twilight
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro studios
Samurai Jack belongs to Cartoon Network

Episode 1: Our Tail Begins

Twilight Sparkle, favored student of Princess Celestia and chronic bibliophile, tore through her lavishly furnished and heavily bookshelved study like a purple typhoon, which is to say she ordered her assistant Spike around as he did the typhoon-ing. The purple unicorn sighed in frustration as the baby dragon hauled himself up a ladder to one of the top shelves and began struggling to read the titles of the crowded tomes, often mispronouncing the longer words.

“A Treat-iss on Auto-the-oh-crat-ik Government.”

“No, not that one.”

“The Sun-der-ing of the Dragon Lands.”

“No.”

“The Princess- hey, wasn’t this one banned?”

“That’s not important right now, keep searching!”

“A Beginner’s Guide to Eck-toe-biol-glogy.”

“Uhh, no, definitely not that one.”

“Supernaturals.”

“What? What’s that one- no! I can’t afford to be distracted now!” Twilight shook her head, tossing her already slightly frazzled mane around. “Argh! Where is that book?! I could have sworn I saw it just the other day!”

Spike shrugged, the motion combined with letting go of his grip on the ladder causing him to fall. Luckily, Twilight, distracted as she was, managed to catch him. The dragon brushed dust from his scales and shrugged once more. “Who knows? I still don’t see why you’re getting so worked up over an old mare’s tail that you haven’t even read all the way through. You should totally just relax and head out to one of the all-night parties for the Summer Sun Festival!”

Twilight frowned. “Even if I wasn’t busy I wouldn’t do that. Those parties are such a waste of time! Everypony just stands around talking about things that don’t matter. Focusing on my studies is far more important!”

Spike sighed and turned to tidy up some of the many fallen books. “You know, even Princess Celestia’s been saying you should get out more. You can’t-“

“Yes, thank you Spike, next time I want social advice from a dragon I’ll be sure to-“

Spike gave Twilight a level stare, and she flattened her ears in embarrassment. “Sorry Spike, I didn’t mean that. I’m just so worried about the prophecy…”

Spike didn’t lighten the force of his stare for a moment. “You mean the story you may or may not have actually read about and can’t remember clearly.”

Twilight looked out the window at the setting sun and then back indoors to the great hourglass who’s sands lasted a whole year, turned over only when Princess Celestia raised the sun at the Summer Sun Festival. Both indicated that little time remained before Twilight’s theory would be proven or disproven the hard way.

“If only I could have read the end of the story! How did Princess Celestia defeat Nightmare Moon? And if she’ll be returning, can the Princess win again?”

Spike shrugged, an action he was repeating with increasing frequency as of late. “Maybe you should ask her yourself.”

Twilight perked up. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that before? I’m sure she would be happy to tell her most favored, most faithful student about something as important as this!” Grabbing a scroll and quill with her magic, she floated them over to Spike. “Spike, write this down and sent it to the Princess immediately!”

Spike rolled his eyes, but took the pen and paper.

Twilight began. “My dearest teacher, my continuing studies of magic have lead me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster!”

“Hold on…” Spike scribbled furiously. “Presi- presee-“

“Threshold.” Twilight appended.

“Threh…” The baby dragon attempted to sound it out.

“Brink?” The purple unicorn offered. Spike shrugged apologetically.

Twiligh’s hoof met her forehead in a display of exasperation. “That something really bad is about to happen! For you see, I have found hints of a prophecy that says that the dreaded Nightmare Moon will soon return from her imprisonment! Something must be done if we are to avoid this terrible prophecy coming true! I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike continued writing for a few moments, and then finished with a flourish to hide the drops of ink he had spilled at the bottom. “Aand done!”

“Great, send it.” Said Twilight.

“Right now? But the Princess is going to be really busy getting ready for the Summer Sun festival tomorrow…”

“Exactly! We don’t have any time to waste, it’s imperative that the Princess is told right away!”

Spike grudgingly did as Twilight said, breathing out a wisp of green flame that devoured the paper and sent it floating through the air in a cloud of enchanted smoke. “There, it’s gone. But I wouldn’t hold your breath.” He warned.

“Oh I’m not worried.” Twilight smiled. “In all my years as her student, Princess Celestia has never doubted me!”

Hours later…

“Argh! Why hasn’t she responded yet?” Twilight paced back and forth through her study.

Spike cried out as his book fort collapsed, and he vanished in an avalanche of paper. Twilight sighed and levitated the books into stacks, freeing her assistant. “So have we saved Equestria yet?” The baby dragon asked sheepishly.

“No Spike, I haven’t heard anything back from the Princess! I hope she at least read my letter…” The door swung open, propelled by the hoof of a white Pegasus in gold armor, one of the Palace Guard. Twilight jumped in surprise, and knocked a stack of books over on to Spike.

“Twilight Sparkle?” The guard queried in a gruff voice.

“Yes, that’s me.” Twilight was baffled by the intrusion. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Orders from the Princess. You are to pack all of your most essential possessions and depart immediately by ship.”

Twilight’s bewilderment grew. “What? For where? And why? This is so sudden, how immediately did she mean?”

The guardpony had little to offer in the way of explanation. “I do not know your destination, or why the Princess has ordered this. I know which ship to take you to, and that is all. She seemed rather urgent about this, and delivered the order to me herself.”

Despite her confusion, Twilight knew she could not defy a direct order from the Princess. Hopefully she would get a full explanation later. “All right, fine, just let me get packed, I’ll only be a minute.”

Several more hours later…

Spike dozed on a pile of discarded books as the pegasus guard gently beat his forehead against the doorframe. Twilight still had yet to finish packing, a plethora of ongoing tasks and chores that would need taking care of in her absence vied for her attention and won, so she spent much of the time writing an exhaustive list.

“Miss Sparkle” the guard finally interjected, after he had worn a sizeable dent into the wall, “The Princess did express a sense of urgency with her orders. I think everypony will understand if you don’t leave instructions for every contingency regarding the watering of your plants, given the circumstances.”

Twilight looked up from her pile of notes. “You’re probably right, but I’m almost done. Just a few more things to add to the list, then I’ll be ready.”

“It’s been several hours since I was sent to find you, at this point, I think we just need to go and stop worrying about things.”

Twilight groaned and set her pen down. “This is just so sudden! There’s so much to take care of, and I just know I’m forgetting something!”

The white pegasus stepped forward and lifted one of Twilight’s bags from the floor. “Whatever it is it can’t be important enough to warrant more of a delay. It’s time to go.”

Twilight, not really listening, spun around to look out the window. “The moon!”

Spike bolted upright in his paper bed. “It wasn’t me!”

“The legends say Princess Celestia sealed Nightmare Moon in the moon itself after defeating her! That must be the key! I just need a little more time, I can find that book, and then we can leave!” She turned back to the guardpony, but he wasn’t looking at her. He continued to stare out the window, to where the moon hung low in the sky. “What are you…” She trailed off as she saw what was happening.

The stars had aligned themselves around the moon radiating outwards, and even with just a glance Twilight could guess that they pointed to the main ley-lines running through Equestria. The guardpony put a firm hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Ma’am, we need to leave. Now.”

She glanced back at him, and saw fear in his eyes. “You know something, don’t you?”

“There isn’t time.”

“I’m not going until you explain what you know! The Princess must have told you something!”

“Miss Sparkle, you will be coming with me whether you are conscious or not. I have my orders, and if I have to drag you to that ship for your own safety I will, but I’m sure we’d both prefer it if you were able to make it on your own hooves.”

Twilight frowned. “Are you threatening me?!”

The guard snorted, but before he could reply, the ground quaked, vibrating as a gong struck by a hammer.

Twilight snatched up her remaining bags and bolted for the door. “You make an excellent argument, sir!”

The pegasus followed her out into the hall, easily keeping up with the bookish unicorn. Flapping his wings a few times, he lifted off and cleared her head, landing in front of her and leading the way. At the end of the hall, Twilight skidded to a halt.

“Spike! I forgot Spike!”

“I’m, *huff*, right here, *puff*, Twilight…” The young dragon gasped as he scrambled to catch up. “Staying right, *pant* behind you…” Twilight grabbed him by the tail and swung him up onto her back.

Everything accounted for as far as they could tell, Twilight and the guardpony galloped through Canterlot, capital city of Equestria, down towards the docks. As they ran, the ground shook again, more violently this time, and the screams of panicked ponies rose up from all around. A few were taking to the streets, but most seemed to prefer to cower in the safety of their homes, surrounded by their friends and family who they had been partying with only minutes before.

“Hurry, this way!” The guardpony lead Twilight down a series of back alley shortcuts, and they soon arrived at the Canterlot Port, where many ships were tied at the docks. From tiny vessels made to carry only a hooffull of ponies, to Princess Celestia’s personal grand liner, all the way up to the Sunrise, flagship of the Equestrian Navy.

The trio passed by the warships without a second glance, but Twilight was a little surprised that they continued by the royal transports. Her pegasus guide took her all the way down to the furthest end of the docks, and gestured for her to get in to one of the rowboats used for traveling between the shore and ships out at anchor. Twilight secured her bags and Spike, who had fallen asleep again, as the guardpony untied the boat and took flight, towing it by one of the ropes out to sea.

A thin mist rolled over the water, limiting visibility slightly, but the lights of Canterlot shone through. More ominously, the moon overhead glowed with an intense, cold light, looming over Equestria. Twilight shivered, only partially from the chill sea air.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew the guide rope plopped down into the boat, and the guardpony hovered just above the bow of the rowboat. “We’re here.” He pointed out to sea, where a thick bank of fog obscured an approaching dark form. “That vessel will take you where you need to go. The captain knows what to do.”

The ship slid out from the mist, its low, sharp hull cutting through the water with ease. The sails were unlike any Twilight had ever seen, instead of billowing canvas sheets, they were held rigid by many smaller spars. To her relief, stylized sun marks were painted all over the vessel, the sign of an Equestrian ship. As it passed by the rowboat, hooks on ropes were dropped to lift it up even with the deck. Crewponies helped her over the side and onboard, along with her bags.

Spike was carried off with Twilight’s luggage, taken over to the deck cabins where they would be staying. To Twilight’s surprise her Pegasus guide landed on deck and embraced her. “I’m sorry our meeting had to be cut off so abruptly, but it was an honor to meet you. Princess Celestia has told those of us who knew about this coming darkness so much about you. You’re our best hope, Miss Sparkle. The Princess trusts you with the future of Equestria, and so do we all.”

“I- what? What are you talking about?” The purple unicorn was baffled.

The guardpony let her go, and stepped back. “I know this is hard for you, it is for us all, but never forget, you aren’t alone. No matter what happens, wherever the sign of the sun still stands, you will be amongst friends.” He spread his wings, and lifted off from the deck.

“Wait!” Twilight called after him. “You never told me your name.”

The guardpony laughed. “You can just call me Swift.” With a powerful flap of his wings, he flipped over the side of the ship and took the rowboat’s guide rope in his mouth. As he pulled it back towards land, Twilight watched after him, more confused than she ever had been in her life.

The sun never rose during the journey across the sea, but it was fairly obvious that the voyage took more than a single night. Something was preventing the sun from rising, and it had the crew on edge. The confirmation of her suspicions brought Twilight no solace; in this case she would have much rather been wrong.

After an indeterminate amount of time the ship pulled in to the docks of a Zebraland port, where a delegation of tribal representatives waited to greet them. The unusually long night had them agitated, but they still welcomed the Equestrian crew and passengers with the hospitality they were famed for.

Twilight was brought to the meeting hall of the city where the chieftains of the Zebra tribes who had pledged their friendship to Princess Celestia were gathered. Here they explained to her the great plan that had been concocted in secret, requiring the involvement of all of Equestria’s allies. Celestia had foreseen the return of Nightmare Moon, and not wanting to tear the world apart in apocalyptic battle with the dark goddess, she would choose a mortal to be trained in the ways of magic and combat by the greatest masters across the world.

It was a lot to take in, but she would have to adjust to it on the fly. There just wasn’t time for her to gradually pick up on the skills she would need, so her training would be accelerated and harsh. Still, the Princess had entrusted her with this noble mission, and for Princess Celestia, Twilight would endure.

Her training began here, in Zebraland, where she learned the basics of combat, outside of the few books on the matter she had glanced at. After the first set of lessons she collapsed into bed, with sore muscles that she hadn’t even known she’d had before. A rough approximation of days was kept track of through a system of hourglasses, and as they passed Twilight found that she could train for longer and was less exhausted each time.

Spike spent the time playing with the young zebras and being pampered by scholars who had never seen a dragon for themselves, something he was not afraid to inform Twilight of as she toiled under the watchful eyes of her instructors. After one too many of these interruptions, Spike was made to train alongside her for a day. He was much more supportive after that.

Eventually the time came for Twilight to leave Zebraland, and she had to say her goodbyes to the ones she had so briefly befriended. She waved her farewells as she and a pair of the most skilled warriors of all the tribes departed on hoof, Spike riding comfortably on her back. They galloped along the dry scrublands for what would have been days, had there still been such a thing, until they eventually arrived in the kingdom of the Water Serpents.

Here they were accepted with the hospitality the Water Serpents were famed for, before Twilight was subjected to the rigorous elemental thaumaturgy training they were also famed for. Here at least a semblance of night and day was kept through the use of thousands upon thousands of enchanted lanterns that were lit and dimmed to represent the changing times. It never grew brighter than an orange-tinted twilight, but somehow the purple unicorn felt at home in it.

Twilight’s training began with lessons in meditation, so that she could calm her mind in even the most chaotic of situations. Spike sat in on these lessons, at first acting as a distraction with his bored fidgeting, but later joining his pony friend on the bank of a slow stream, or on top of a grassy hill as they did nothing but quiet their inner turmoil. The final test of meditative ability took an entire day, requiring Twilight to sit alone on a raft in the market center as the Serpents went about their business all around her.

This first aspect of her training completed, Twilight was then allowed to enter the temple of the Serpent Magi. There she met the eldest and most powerful of all the Water Serpents, whose mastery of the natural elements were unmatched by any mortal in the world. The lessons here built upon her meditations, teaching her to see magic the way the Serpents did, as an interaction of the five elements of fire, water, earth, wood and metal. Already a powerful, if untrained mage, Twilight took to these lessons with gusto, working until she collapsed into bed each night exhausted in mind and body, but happy with what she was doing.

After training with the Water Serpents she and Spike journeyed to the Ursine Soviet Socialist Republic, the largest nation of Bears in the world, and it was there that Twilight was taught to grapple with both hoof and magic by the powerfully muscled Bear warriors. She also learned to laugh at their dark, almost fatalistic jokes, told in their strange reversed way of speaking.

From there they were taken to Neighpon, a Pony kingdom far to the east of Equestria, ruled by an emperor who never showed his face. From there it was a short trip to the Dragon Wastes, the scorched desert home of the Dragons. When her time there was up, she was flown into the mountains that marked the eastern border of Equestria, where the Griffons made their aeries, while Spike stayed with his dragon brethren where he would be safe until Equestria was freed. Here the final steps of her training were completed under the watchful eyes of the Queen Mother of the Griffons, a fierce and proud warrior-Queen who was said to be a match for even Princess Celestia in physical combat.

Several years had passed since Twilight had departed Canterlot on the eve of the summer sun festival, and she hardly resembled the bookish student she had been. Fit, strong and much more skilled in the practical applications of her magic, she felt that she was ready to fight against the legions of Nightmare Moon’s followers, however taking on the Mare in the Moon herself was still an intimidating prospect. Luckily while she herself did not know how her mentor had expected her to duel such a powerful enemy, Princess Celestia had planned ahead, and a small escort of Griffon warriors brought Twilight back in to Equestria under the cover of a storm, and for the first time she was able to see what had become of her home.

The fires of industry, war, and the industry of war were ever-hungry; the glowing furnace maws deep under Canterlot gaping open, devouring every bit of fuel that was shoveled into them by the enslaved populace. Until recently, Equestria’s vast natural resources had gone unexploited for the most part, the ponies having little need for industry, but with the rise of Nightmare Moon, Queen of Equestria, God-Empress of all Ponykind , The Mare in the Moon, there was a sudden rise in demand.

Legions of foul monsters conjured from darkness and evil required weapons and armor; stomping, clattering automatons powered by steam were forged from metal and enhanced with enchanted gems, all a part of the vast machine of war the dark goddess was assembling. Soon they would march out across the land, to eventually conquer the entire world.

The smoke and fumes from the great furnaces and the metalworks they heated were piped away from the city, so that they would not cover the night sky, the grand tapestry of Nightmare Moon’s ongoing work. As a result, many of the outlying areas were covered in a perpetual pall of foul smog, dissipated only by the occasional strong wind.

To the north of Canterlot, the Spiral Horn mountain range stabbed up from gently rolling hills, their steep sides giving enough of a resemblance to a unicorn’s horn that their name actually made sense, unlike some of the geographical features that had been re-named by Nightmare Moon upon declaring herself queen. The highest peaks were tall enough to have a dusting of snow, even in summer. With the chill brought on by years of unnatural night, they more closely resembled mid winter.

At the very top of one mountain, unremarkable from the rest, an ancient stone monastery stood; solid stone walls weathering even the fiercest of storms. The altitude and uncontrollable weather made it impossible for pegasi to fly here, and the steep cliffs made climbing difficult at best, and deadly at worst. Nightmare Moon had not considered it worth her attention and effort, and so it had remained untouched through the years. Untouched, but not abandoned.

As Twilight and her Griffon guardians approached the monastery, ponies in white cloaks rose from the snow where they had been hidden. Quick words were exchanged and the group was hurried inside, out of the biting wind and ice. Once indoors, the purple unicorn was introduced to the last free members of Princess Celestia’s loyalists, and the guardians of the final key in the Princess’s plan. Time was of the essence now, and their introductions were brief. The artifact they held had been hidden, but was reacting to Twilight’s presence, and would soon draw dangerous attention. If the confrontation with Nightmare Moon were to happen here, the results would be disastrous, and there would be unnecessary casualties inflicted by the powers unleashed. The duel would have to be initiated on their terms in order to have a chance of success.

Above the glowing furnaces of Canterlot, but still beneath the city, the former guards and servants of Celestia’s palace toiled in sweltering heat radiated by the foundries. Here they hauled carts of barely-cooled slag from the forges, turned the wheels of great machines and chanted litanies of praise to Nightmare Moon that would never reach her ears. Nightmare Moon’s elite guard, the Shadowbolts, pegasi constructed from pure shadow, oversaw the laborers, providing the occasional cuff with a wing when they thought it necessary.

In the center of the cavern a lone pegasus strained against a capstan on the bottom of a tall effigy of Nightmare Moon, the despot’s visage carved into purple-stained wood. Every shift he remained, constantly turning the statue to give the illusion that its tireless gaze swept over the workers. The white pegasus had been forced to work this pointless task years ago, most likely in the hopes that he would die of exhaustion. He obviously had other plans in mind, as he had survived the grueling task through sheer bloody-mindedness, even retaining enough spirit to give the slave drivers the occasional defiant glare. Despite his determination, his body had been worn down to nearly the breaking point, and his steps were slow and plodding.

A steam whistle blew, echoing through the chamber and signaling a brief moment of respite for the workers. Grateful, the pegasus slumped against the wheel, making sure to keep an eye on the guards. A small filly, her tangled mane ragged and filthy from lack of care, approached him while carefully balancing a bowl of water on her back.

“Some water for you, sir.” She said with a timid voice.

With a sharp crack one of the Shadowbolts whipped her wing between the two ponies and knocked the bowl to the ground. “No water for this one!” She rasped with her harsh voice.

“I’m sorry!” The filly bowed so low her nose scraped the dust before scurrying away.

Frowning, the pegasus defiantly leaned down to the puddle where the water had fallen. The Shadowbolt snorted. “I said no water!” Her wing lashed out again, but it did not strike. Struggling, she turned to see what had grabbed her.

The dark blue, almost violet eyes of a furious pony stared back into hers. “No more.” The unicorn’s voice was cold.

The dark pegasus sneered. “Stay out of this and I might be so generous as to let you live.”

The unicorn narrowed her eyes. “I am giving you a single chance to leave, never look back, and survive what is coming.”

“Never, I am loyal to my Empress, and I will strike you down for your words!”

The unicorn responded by headbutting the Shadowbolt and blasting her with magic, dissolving the shadowy mare’s form. More Shadowbolts rushed in, drawn by the commotion. They surrounded the lone pony, snorting and stomping threateningly.

As one they rushed forward, intent on overwhelming their foe with a flurry of kicks and wing strikes. The purple unicorn vanished behind a wall of flailing limbs for a moment, and then a bright light burst forth, throwing the dark pegasi back and burning through them, leaving only rags. The slaves stared in open awe at the demise of their captors; unable to believe what they were seeing was real.

The white pegasus chuckled softly as the unicorn approached him. “Took your sweet time getting here, didn’t you Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight studied his face before a look of recognition crossed her features. “Swift, what’s happened here? I saw the shadow over Equestria, but what did Nightmare Moon do to all of you?”

Swift sighed and shook his head. “She’s enslaved the entire population, those who didn’t escape or hide that is, all of us are working in the mines, or those blasted foundries of hers. She’s stripping the land of its resources to fuel her war.”

“War with who?”

“Everyone. The whole world. She’s going to expand her empire until there’s nowhere left to go.” Swift paused as the filly from before brought him another bowl of water. “But you’re back, you’ve got a plan, yeah?”

Twilight nodded. “I traveled around the world, honing my magic and learning to fight. I have been taught by the masters of every race in every land. But that’s not going to be enough. Princess Celestia left something for me, the final piece in her plan.” Twilight took a sphere of white stone from her saddlebags. It bore upon its side the carving of a star-shaped gem, but no other markings.

“The Element of Magic!” She held it aloft with a thread of power from her horn. “The key to Nightmare Moon’s defeat!”

A quick burst of power channeled into the stone created beams of light that lanced out to shatter the chains and shackles that bound the slaves. They gathered around Twilight in wonder, excitement and hope in their eyes.

Only Swift looked skeptical. “Could it really be that easy? If that thing has the power to beat Nightmare Moon, why didn’t somepony just use it the night she returned?”

“It’s not quite that simple, unfortunately.” Twilight explained. “The Element is very picky about who it will allow to wield it. Luckily Celestia somehow knew beforehoof that it would choose me, which is why she had you take me away from the capitol before Nightmare Moon’s return.”

Swift gave a slight smile. “An ancient magic that can only be used by the chosen one to defeat the dark goddess? Sounds a bit like the stories I used to read growing up.”

“Well this time it’s not a story.” Twilight helped Swift to his feet and turned to address the freed slaves. “Nightmare Moon will fall, and Princess Celestia will return to make things right. I promise you, I will not fail!”

“Nice speech,” Swift nudged her forward as the ponies around her cheered. “But that’s not getting us any closer to overthrowing Nightmare Moon. You get going; I’ll get this lot out to free the other workers.”

Twilight made her way up through the work cavers to the city proper, destroying Nightmare Moon’s shadow creations when she encountered them. She was horrified by the devastation she saw when she reached the streets of Canterlot, or those that remained at least. Where Princess Celestia’s palace once stood a spire of black stone had erupted from beneath the city, shattering the ground. The ruined buildings were abandoned; those ponies who had not been enslaved had fled to the surrounding kingdoms.

The climb to the base of the tower was unremarkable, phantom figures rose in wisps of vapor from the cracks, but nothing attacked the lone unicorn magician as she approached Nightmare Moon’s citadel. An unguarded portal gaped open, fanged as if it were an oversized maw. With a start, Twilight realized it was actually the jawbones of an elder dragon, held open by thick pistons that could no doubt slam them shut with enough force to slice an intruder in half.

Stepping past the still sharp teeth, Twilight ascended a gentle slope of the same black rock that the rest of the tower was made from. It had a smooth, flowing quality, as if it had been soft when it emerged from the heart of the earth and allowed to flow a little before solidifying. Combined with the cool, damp breeze smelling faintly of decay coming from further within, it made Twilight think of a massive frozen corpse. Gritting her teeth and ensuring that the Element of Magic was easily accessible, she continued forward, towards the court of Nightmare Moon.

The slope became a spiraling stairway, corkscrewing up the interior of the tower until it reached a wide, round room open to the night sky. A multitude of stars stretched out above Twilight, shining points of cold, hard light arranged in a breathtaking tapestry of terrible, harsh beauty. Substance without a soul, it served only to show those below it how tiny and insignificant they were in the face of the night.

The platform was arranged as a dark parody of Princess Celestia’s throne room, a deep blue carpet running along the black floor to a great obsidian throne decorated with delicate silver runes. The throne was unoccupied, but Twilight could sense a malevolent presence nearby.

“Nightmare Moon!” She called out. “Show yourself!”

Thunder rolled all around, a deep note that shook the entire tower, and for a moment Twilight feared she had walked into a trap. Then, the sky split open, and a crack like a grinning mouth filled with shadows disgorged a blob of darkness so deep it appeared to be a hole in space. The mass shifted as it fell and a pair of vast wings blotted out the starlight, tips clawing upward as if to tear the very stars from the sky. Four hooves shod in dark purple star-metal touched down, kicking up sparks of negative light when they touched the obsidian floor. A mane the color of a starless frozen winter night shifted in a breeze that wasn’t there around a needle-sharp black horn backed by an aura of darkness, as if it were eclipsing a void beyond shadow. Nightmare Moon opened her violet eyes, pupils slitted like those of a dragon’s, and gazed down at the tiny figure who challenged her.

“Who dares summon me, the Mistress of Misfortune, the Dealer of Darkness, the Queen of Calamity, Nightmare Moon?!”

Twilight Sparkle planted her hooves firmly and shouted her reply, “I am Twilight Sparkle, faithful student of Princess Celestia and lost daughter of the land you have pillaged! I am here to reclaim it and return Princess Celestia to her rightful place as ruler of Equestria!”

Nightmare Moon threw back her head and laughed. “HAH! FOAL! No mortal can harm Nightmare Moon!”

Twilight leapt forward, a wave of power from the Element of Magic slamming in to Nightmare Moon’s legs, tearing away at the aura of darkness that surrounded her.

“WHAT?!” The dark mare whirled. “No… I recognize that stone! The Element of Magic? But how- no matter, you have not the power to wield its full potential! I will destroy you as I did that FOAL Celestia!”

“What have you done with the Princess?!” Twilight charged herself with magic and launched herself at Nightmare Moon like a missile.

“Am I not royal enough for you?” Despite her size, Nightmare Moon was fast, and warped her form to slide around Twilight. “Equestria is mine! And soon, throughout the world, the night will last forever!”

“But you’re not powerful enough for that yet, are you?” Twilight rebounded off a pillar and soared up into the air to rain spears of light down on her opponent. “You can’t conquer the world by yourself!”

“Clever girl.” Nightmare Moon snarled as some of the lances pierced her shadows, burning her. “But with you gone nopony will have the power to even touch me!”

Twilight channeled all of her considerable power into the Element of Magic, causing the stone to ring in high-pitched tones. An aura of light in the shape of a giant hoof formed around her, stomping Nightmare Moon flat onto the throne room floor.

Twilight landed before the fallen alicorn and readied her last reserves of power. “With this final blow, I banish you back to the moon from whence you came!”

“You may have beaten me now, but I will destroy you in the future.” Nightmare Moon gasped.

“There is no future for you.” Twilight’s horn sparked with light and magic, seconds away from finishing the goddess.

“I disagree.” With a harsh screech, Nightmare Moon’s body twisted into a double loop, one half black and the other white.

“What-?“ Twilight was cut off as a portal enveloped her.

Nightmare Moon collapsed on the floor, groaning with exhaustion. “You will see me again, Twilight Sparkle, but next time, you will not be so fortunate.”

Trapped within a churning vortex of time, Twilight’s mouth opened in a silent scream as everything came apart around her.

Episode 3: The First Friend

Long ago in a distant land, I, Nightmare Moon, the shape shifting mistress of darkness unleashed a never-ending night! But, a foalish pony warrior, wielding a magic stone stepped forth to oppose me! Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung her into the future, where my darkness is law! Now the foal seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Nightmare Moon!

Samurai Twilight
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro studios
Samurai Jack belongs to Cartoon Network

Episode 3: The First Friend

Click

A pair of high-powered lenses with variable settings held to the eyes allowed for a clear view of something that would otherwise be an indeterminate smudge on the horizon. Alternately, an ‘eagle eye’ spell could achieve the same effect, with the bonus of some really cool looking runes hovering around the user’s head.

Click

A thick line across the horizon became a heaving mass of dark shapes kicking up a massive cloud of dust in their wake.

Click

The amorphous mass gained detail, the fading light of the sunset glinting off of razor sharp claws and multifaceted eyes. Black carapaces blended in to one another, making an estimate of numbers nearly impossible.

Click

Braeburn put the binoculars down and turned to Twilight. “There’s a lot of them drones out there, you sure we can handle ‘em all?”

Twilight turned and winced as she got a closer view of Braeburn’s nostrils than she ever could have wanted. She dismissed the spell and blinked. “I’m sure of it, Braeburn. We just need supplies and a plan.”

Back at the farmhouse, a rustic building hundreds of years old dwarfed by numerous silos, barns, garages and other buildings needed for Apple Orchards to operate, Twilight and select members of the Apple Family held a war council. A large piece of paper laid out over a table provided an adequate surface to map out the farmland and sketch out defense plans.

Twilight deftly wielded a pen using telekinesis, jotting down quick notes behind Applejack and Big Macintosh as they drew out the map. There was a brief pause as Apple Bloom was sent out of the room for making doodles of herself singlehoofedly fighting the robot army on the map, and then the council continued.

“The drones will approach from this end of the farm,” Twilight indicated the southern side of the map “which, luckily for us, gives them only two options for approach.” The southern end of the property was high, rocky ground ending in steep slopes just shy of being able to be called cliffs that loomed over the fields. A stream had carved a narrow valley through the barren ground and emerged level with the orchards, providing a much safer entrance. “They can either cross the open ground here and risk the steep descent, or they can take the valley and bottleneck themselves. We need to make it our first goal to force them into that valley by making the open ground too dangerous.”

“If we could lay down somethin’ like land mines an’ make a few pitfalls…” Big Macintosh began.

“Yeah, but we don’t have any fancy hardware like mines.” Applejack interrupted. “So it don’t do us no good ta bring ‘em up.”

Big Macintosh chewed his wheat sprig for a moment. “Well, it’s just a matter of puttin’ a pressure sensor an’ a detonator together. If we could whip up a few dozen in the next…” He cleared his throat “ten minutes or so would that be helpful.”

Everypony stared at him. Applejack was the first to break the silence. “Big Macintosh, is there somethin’ you want ta tell us?”

The large pony looked a bit sheepish. “Me an’ the boys may have assembled a, uh, few mines a while back. Stricly fer experimental purposes o’ course, we weren’t plannin’ on usin’ ‘em.”

Granny Smith, eldest living member and matriarch of the Apple Family let out a hearty whoop. “We’ll give them scummers what for!”

Applejack sighed. “Well, ah suppose we gotta use what we can ta defend our land, an’ ah can’t object ta blowin’ up a bunch o’ mindless robot drones.”

Big Macintosh did some quick calculations in his head. “Ah reckon me an’ the boys could have them mines out an’ set up in a few hours. We could dig some deep trenches an’ such ta funnel them drones into the valley at the same time.”

“Excellent! Go ahead and get started on that, we’ll be out to join you once we’ve got the next step of the plan.” Twilight turned her attention back to the map. “What do we have to thin the numbers of the drones once we get them into the valley?”

“Plenty ‘a heavy vehicles fer haulin’ an’ diggin’ ‘round here, ah’m sure we could take th’ safeties offa some an’ use ‘em as catapults.” Applejack turned to a blond-maned blue pony. “Cider, you think you could take charge o’ that?” The mare nodded and headed out in the direction Big Macintosh had gone.

Granny Smith piped up again. “We got a lotta Scumble in th’ brew’ry right now, it’d be a turrible waste but if’n ya light’t up i’should burn real hot!”

“I’m sure I’m going to regret asking this, but what’s Scumble?” Twilight warily asked.

“It’s made o’ apples.” Applejack explained. “Mostly.”

Granny Smith gave a wide, toothless grin. “An’ we c’n refresh ‘rselves at th’ same time!”

“Don’t be sippin’ too much o’ the goods now granny, leave some fer the drones!” Applejack laughed.

“Rotters better ‘njoy it!” The old mare gestured in the general direction of some of her descendants. “C’m on, work t’ be done y’ lazy ponies, up’n at’m!” The ponies rolled their eyes, but two of them followed her out.

“That should take care of enough drones for me to fight the survivors here, right where the valley opens up into the orchards.” Twilight indicated the spot on the map. “With any luck, they’ll be slowed down enough that I won’t get surrounded.”

“Woah there missy, “ Applejack frowned. “You can’t be seriously considerin’ goin’ out there all on your lonesome!”

“I don’t have any other choice” Twilight gave Applejack an apologetic look. “I can’t let any of the drones get through. Who knows what they might do to anypony they find?”

“An’ that’s why ah’m goin’ out there with ya!” Applejack said. “An’ ah’m not takin’ any objections from ya, it’s mah family an’ mah land, ah’m gonna stand an’ defend it!”

“But you don’t have any training; look, I know you want to defend your home and I understand, but it won’t do your family any good to go out and die!” Twilight had feared this would happen.

“If ah hafta die ta ensure mah family has a place ta live an’ stays out of Nightmare Moon’s control, then ah gladly will.” The blond mare stood resolute. “An’ ah’m not gonna let another pony go out an’ face death in mah place.”

“Dying for your family’s sake is all well and good, but it’s better to live for them!” The unicorn shook her mane in frustration. “I can handle myself, I’ll be fine, but I can’t look after anypony else while I’m fighting.”

“Twilight.” Braeburn put a restraining hoof on his cousin’s shoulder as she started to reply. “We’ve all lost too much ta Nightmare Moon’s war ta back down, if we have ta face pain an’ death so we can spare our families more sufferin, we will.”

“But you’re not- you aren’t warriors. You’ve done enough setting up the defenses, the front line is my place. You don’t want to-“ Braeburn cut her off.

“If it’s not our place than where is?!” He pounded a hoof on the table. “Ah’ve already lost Appleloosa an’ enough family! Ah’m not standin’ back when ah could do more!”

Twilight was taken aback by the sudden intensity the young colt displayed. “Braeburn… what happened at Appleloosa?”

Braeburn took a few deep breaths to calm himself. “Ah- ah’m sorry Twilight. It’s a bit of a sore subject. We lost a lot o’ good ponies t’ the drone army, one just like the ones attackin’ us now. Granny Smith an’ I are the only survivors.”

“We may not be warriors like you, but we’re strong, an’ we got somethin’ ta fight for.” Applejack added. “You’ll need someone watchin’ your back, an’ if you watch ours we won’t ask fer more’n that.”

Eventually Twilight acquiesced, and Applejack and Braeburn joined her in preparing to face a horde of evil robots. Because of the massive number of enemies, they would need armor, and so they scoured the farm for scrap metal and unused machinery to disassemble and reforge into protective barding. They worked late into the night, pausing only to rest a short while and eat before resuming their work. The ponies who would be staying behind at the farm did their best to fortify the buildings in case anything got through, never voicing the thought that if any of the drones were to make it past the defensive line, it would probably be because the three fighters were dead. As a final touch, Twilight made war banners for the three of them bearing the ancient Equestrian sigil of the sun, the symbol of Princess Celestia’s followers.

In the last few hours before dawn, while the last of the preparations were being made, Twilight had Applejack and Braeburn join her on the eastern side of the farm to watch the horizon gradually lighten as the dawn approached. Even after centuries of rule, Nightmare Moon could only maintain her everlasting night over her palace. She had yet to solve the problem of most crops needing sunlight, so instead she kept the days to their minimum length and extended the nights as much as possible. It was this knowledge that gave the three ponies solace as they mentally prepared themselves for battle- Nightmare Moon was not omnipotent or infinite, she still had her limits, and so their fight was not a hopeless one.

Big Macintosh approached them after the defense preparations were done, and had to be talked out of joining the fight. He and Applejack went off a little ways, but Twilight and Braeburn could still hear their raised voices. They passed several awkward minutes in silence, pretending to be engrossed by the sight of the apple trees around them. Braeburn coughed and fiddled with his hat. Twilight counted leaves.

Eventually Applejack returned without her brother, and the three ponies made their way across the farm to the valley where they would face the swarm.

The ground trembled under the drumbeat of a thousand claws, the disorderly march of the horde filling the air with a cacophony of clicking, humming and screeching. The chorus of mechanical noise was suddenly punctuated by the deep boom of a hastily buried explosive going off, followed by the clatter of shrapnel raining down into the ranks of drones. More explosions followed, obliterating a mere handful of robots while dozens more had their ebon carapaces shredded by jagged fragments of metal. The unified mind of the swarm analyzed the casualties and determined there was no need for a response, the swarm would continue on.

The headlong charge gave the drones little time to react to new threats, and so the first ranks found themselves unexpectedly falling down into deep pits and trenches with no way to stop. The swarm mind contemplated this new obstacle for less than a second before diverting the main body of drones into the valley that ran through the center of the plain. The rest would take a slower pace, carefully avoiding the pitfalls and trenches as best they could.

Twilight watched in silence as the drones poured down the valley walls in the distance. They approached and then passed a line of flags set in the ground, and Twilight gave a quick nod to Applejack and Braeburn, who both sat at the controls of modified excavators. The powerful digging arms whirled, the devices meant to limit their speed to safe tolerances removed, and flung great boulders into the path of the swarm. The rocks smashed into and rolled over the front line and continued on, cutting swaths of destruction through the tightly packed robots.

Without pausing to admire their hoofwork, the two earth ponies jumped from the excavators and moved to activate a second pair, and then a third. The drone horde was now scattered and ragged in places, gaps forming where they were forced to pass around the boulders and remains of fallen drones. Still, they pressed on, the uncountable mass washing forward by sheer weight of numbers. It wasn’t until they passed a second line of flags that Twilight moved to act.

An incendiary spell flew from her horn, small and compact it was little more than a hot spark, but it was enough to ignite the fuse of a barrel set into the valley wall. The flame reached the barrel’s contents, and the extremely alcoholic fumes rising from it. Fifty gallons of the Apple Family’s finest Apple Scumble exploded in a green fireball with a dull whumph, reducing the nearest drones to slag and scorching more. Twilight flung more sparks down the valley, setting off a series of barrels placed in a staggered line. Smoke and dust filled the air, obscuring the sight of the drones but not the overwhelming sound of their advancing claws.

The horde broke through the debris close enough that the insectoid features of individual drones could be made out. Applejack and Braeburn joined Twilight at the mouth of the valley, steeling themselves to clash hoof upon claw, flesh against steel. The drones reached the final trap, a wide trench dug across the valley and lined with crude but sharp spikes made from leftover scrap. Here the swarm mind finally stopped the headlong charge, and commanded a change of action.

One by one the remaining members of the swarm, still a numerous horde, stood upright on their rear claws, holding their foretalons out like swords. As if disdainful of such a paltry obstacle, they marched forward, falling upon the spikes until the bodies of the fallen formed a bridge for their comrades. Still advancing at no more than a swift walk, they bore down on the three ponies who stood in their way.

Twilight reared into the air and slammed her hooves into the ground with a loud cry, blasting the drones with a wave of concussive force. Applejack bounded forward and spun around, bucking the lead drone hard enough to shatter its carapace. The drone flew back to trip up those behind it, allowing the strong mare to strike them again, stomping and kicking any that got within her reach.

Braeburn hesitated for a moment, then leapt into the fray, using all four hooves to attack the drone’s multifaceted eyes and unarmored joints, disabling them with precise strikes. Light shone from Twilight’s horn, wrapping itself around the pony warriors and giving them strength and resilience beyond their normal limits. Drawing upon more of her vast potential, she poured liquid fire into the nearest drones and tossed them away to explode upon their fellows. Bolts of electricity arced from her horn to bore holes in any drone that dared approach her, their smoking carapaces piling at her hooves. The more she fought the easier it became as she allowed more and more of her immense power, one of the qualities that had prompted Princess Celestia to choose Twilight as her closest student, to flow through her.

Though limited by their lack of magic, Applejack and Braeburn made a good account of themselves, their physical strength and the determination to defend their home driving them to greater feats of destruction against the drones. As the sun rose higher into the sky, so did the piles of wreaked robots, monuments to the will of the defenders. Unbreakable as their wills may have been, their bodies were not, and the protracted battle began to take its toll on them. Numerous cuts and gashes where the talons of their foes had made it past their defenses oozed blood, sore muscles and tender bruises hampering their movements further. In contrast the drones experienced no fatigue, their lessened numbers doing nothing to decrease the fighting skill of each individual.

Twilight’s reserves of power exceeded her control even in the best of situations, so she always sought to limit herself to useable bursts of magic. However as her concentration waned with her growing exhaustion the power built up on its own, without her bidding. If the battle was not ended soon she could wind up losing control and casting spells at random. The situation called for very judicious use of her power and more reliance on physical attacks.

The drones numbered merely in the dozens now, but they could still easily surround the ponies and bring them down in a crush of metallic limbs if given the chance. Applejack, tired as she was, still had the ability to shatter a robot’s compound eyes or snap off a segmented limb with a single kick. Never relenting, she had driven forward until she was separated from Braeburn and Twilight by enough space for the occasional drone to slip between them. Even at the risk of being cut off and overwhelmed, she refused to back down, aiming her kicks to throw one drone back into another, causing them to fall in a tangle of claws and carapaces. She leapt up and brought her hooves down on top of them, stomping the robots into scrap.

Braeburn struggled to hold his own against the drones; he lacked Applejack’s strength and endurance, and there was only so much his agility could make up for. Still, he fought on as best he could, fending off the robots with sharp kicks. It was inevitable that his guard would drop, and a swift talon darted in to strike at his face. His head snapped back on reflex, just fast enough to prevent more than a shallow cut along his jaw, but not fast enough to avoid the backside of the claw as the drone pulled it back. His vision swam and the world spun around him in slow motion. Suddenly, he was looking up at the robots from the ground, his legs refusing to respond.

“Braeburn! Hang in there cous!” Applejack bucked the nearest drone onto the one that had struck her cousin and tried to fight her way over to him, only to find her path blocked by more robots. “Consarn it! Move you metal-hided horseapples!” She belted out a litany of curses at the machines that stood in her way, accompanied by more vicious kicks.

Twilight shot the drones around her back with narrow beams of energy and stepped over to protect Braeburn as he shakily pulled himself to his hooves. “Are you all right?” She asked him.

“I-I think I am.” He swayed a bit, just in time to give Twilight a clear shot at a drone that was moving in to attack. “That-that’s a real neat trick you’re doin’ there Twi- makin’ it look like there’s two a’ ya.”

“Just hang in there!” Twilight hoped the colt didn’t have a concussion. “We’ll finish this quickly!” A quick look around contradicted this, the remaining drones were fighting with increased savagery, as if the will binding them together had become more concentrated with less robots under its control. The unicorn frowned and gritted her teeth. There was a way she could end the fight, but there would be a cost, albeit one she was willing to risk in order to destroy Nightmare Moon’s minions and protect her companions. All it would take was a moment of relaxing her control, enough to release enough power to destroy all of the drones. Then she would have to reign herself in, cutting off the power behind the spell before it grew too much. Easy. Like starting a forest fire and then extinguishing it by hoof

“Applejack, get ready to duck when I tell you!” Twilight began to draw on more power, gathering it as tightly as she could. Her horn shone with a golden light that went from radiant to piercing in seconds. Applejack glanced at her nervously, but couldn’t spare more than a moment of attention from the drones. Some of the robots tried to attack Twilight and interrupt her spell, but the sheer pressure of the magic she was holding on to pushed them away. When she could hold the spell back no longer, and she shouted to Applejack. “Get down!”

Applejack threw herself flat on the ground a moment before the searing beams of light shot out from Twilight’s horn, ripping through the drones’ carapaces and scattering them in pieces. The beams split, becoming smaller and more numerous, a fractal tree of deadly light. Even after all the drones had been impaled the light continued to spread, needlelike branches blending together to form a nearly solid dome.

With a cry of pain Twilight managed to bring the spell to an end, and the beams of light shattered like glass, falling in shards that melted away to nothing. She sat down hard on the broken ground, panting with exhaustion. Applejack was in a similar state as she staggered over to the other two ponies, but she wore a triumphant grin.

“We did it! Ah can’t believe we managed ta take ‘em all down!” She offered a hoof to Twilight, who shook it. “An’ it’s all thanks ta you, Twilight! Why, if we hadn’t a found ya…”

Twilight smiled weakly. “Ah, well, you know, I couldn’t ignore a fellow pony in need. And you two did a lot too, your determination is inspiring.”

“Well shoot,” Braeburn said from his position on the ground. “We weren’t about ta let you fight ‘em all on your own! It was an honor ta-“ He was cut off by a high, panicked scream from the direction of the farmhouse.

“That was from the farmhouse!” Applejack whirled around. “Oh no…” Behind them, past the valley mouth, a trail of churned up ground and torn tree bark indicated where the drone’s vanguard had made it past the defenders. They would have had plenty of time to reach the farmhouse and wreak havoc.

Big Macintosh stood firm on the farmhouse porch, blood running down his legs from numerous cuts. One drone lay at his feet, sparking feebly, but five more circled him, just out of reach. When he turned to engage one, another would dart in to slash at his unprotected side, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Various members of the Apple family peered out of the windows and door behind him, whispering nervously. It was only a matter of time before Big Macintosh was struck down, or one of the drones found another entrance.

The robots grew agitated, responding to some silent order. As one, they jumped into the air, scything talons reaching for the large pony in their way. Big Macintosh braced himself, ready to give his life if necessary, but a glowing bolt of incendiary magic intercepted his attackers, scattering them. Before they could recover, a white unicorn mare with a mane and tail of red flame charged into them. With a cry of fury, she lashed out with her hooves, leaving melted craters in their dark armor.

She toyed with them, striking them with glancing blows that ripped away their armor and spun them around, exposing their more delicate innards to the roasting heat she radiated. Plastic and metal liquefied as she focused a burning gaze upon them, ceramics cracked and smoked, and the drones squealed as they fell into smoking piles. Only one remained, damaged but surviving by virtue of fleeing as soon as the wrathful mare descended upon them. It ran across the fields in a shambling gait, compensating for a missing leg.

“No.” The avatar of flame spoke with a deadly finality, turning her attentions to it. “There is no escape.”

Whips of fire burst out of the ground around the robot and entangled its limbs, tipping it over and slamming it down into the dirt. The tendrils of flame rose up over it; their tips bending back down as if eagerly seeking to tear into its carapace. The unicorn leisurely walked up to the stricken drone and pinned it down with one hoof.

She looked straight into its compound eyes and snarled. “I know you’re watching me, Nightmare Moon. You must know I’m here, after all this time. You stole a thousand years from me. My entire life, everything I knew is gone because of you.” She pressed her hoof down, cracking the drone’s armor. “Do you think I’m going let you do the same to anypony else?” She seared the drone’s eyes with a gout of flame, but left the body intact. “I will find you again, I will fight you, and I will defeat you.”

The robot gave one last dying spasm as a speaker within it crackled to life.

“Good luck.”

The unicorn growled and stepped away from the drone, then turned her back on it. The flames darted down, impaling it over and over until it was nothing more than unrecognizable scrap.

The assorted members of the Apple Family stood outside the farmhouse, watching the unfolding scene with a mixture of awe and trepidation. Applejack and Braeburn had returned shortly after the fiery mare had shown up, and they stood on either side of Big Macintosh, all three ponies supporting one another. As she approached them, the unicorn swayed and the fires surrounding her went out.

Twilight’s coat returned to its normal shade of purple, and she fell forward, to be caught by Braeburn just before she hit the ground. She looked up at him and groaned. “It’s over… thank Celestia.” She passed out with a sigh, causing Braeburn to stagger under the unexpected weight. Several cousins, aunts and uncles helped get the four wounded fighters inside, while others went to make sure no fires had caught in the apple trees.

The cellar doors burst open, and Granny Smith marched out, a metal tube with a hose crudely jammed on to one end in her hooves. She was followed by Apple Bloom who was struggling under the weight of a small barrel attached to the hose. The old mare cackled wildly, but stopped when she saw the distinct lack of attackers.

“Horseapples.” She said, turning back to Apple Bloom. “Looks like we’re late to the party.”

“Aww.” Apple Bloom looked disappointed. “Ah wanted mah flamethrower cutie mark.”

Twilight Sparkle regained consciousness late the next day, in a soft bed with sheets smelling faintly of apple blossoms. Gentle light streamed in through the open window, illuminating a simply furnished room. For a few precious minutes, her mind was free of any thoughts of battle, or the past now lost to her. Cocooned in warmth and sunlight, she found herself able to truly relax for the first time in recent memory.

She gradually became aware of a pair of eyes watching her intently from the foot of the bed. Twilight chuckled as she recognized the rose-colored mane and orange eyes. “Hello Apple Bloom.”

“Hi!” The filly jumped up on to the bed, careful to not step on Twilight. “Are ya feelin’ all better now?”

“Mm-hmm.” Twilight nodded. She wanted to lie here, secure and warm forever, but the protestations of her empty stomach would soon drive her from the bed. “I’m a bit hungry I suppose.”

Apple Bloom perked up. “Well why didn’t ya say so sooner?” Twilight decided against reminding the filly that she had only been awake for a few minutes. “We’ve got lots of stuff ta eat! I’ll go downstairs an tell ‘em you’re awake!” The young pony leapt from the bed to the door without touching the floor and galloped out, falling down the stairs in her excitement from the sound of it.

Twilight sighed and stretched, groaning at all the aches and pains she discovered. Her whole body felt like one large bruise, and she could feel several bandages covering the sorer areas. In spite of the jabs of pain it caused she rolled over and slid out of bed, taking a moment to steady herself. Now that she was upright, she realized that she had a splitting headache focused around the base of her horn. She had pushed herself a lot further than she should have yesterday, and she was paying for it now. Still, it was worth it to protect her new friends.

She followed the muffled sounds of Apple Bloom’s excited, nonstop talking down the hall to a narrow stairway. Joints and muscles protesting the whole way, she worked her way down one step at a time until she reached the ground floor. Twilight found her way to a large, well furnished room where Applejack, Braeburn and Granny Smith sat. She could see a kitchen through a wide doorway, where a couple of patient-looking mares endured Apple Bloom’s ‘help’ in their cooking.

Applejack and Granny Smith greeted her enthusiastically, and Braeburn attempted to stand, but the elderly mare glared him back down. “Don’t go standin’ up unnecessarily ya foal, you’re still recoverin’!”

“Yes’m.” Braeburn blushed slightly and laughed.

Granny Smith waved Twilight over to a chair that she collapsed into gratefully. The earth ponies explained how the farm had been left relatively untouched, and with only four injured care of the orchards could continue without interruption. The scrap from the destroyed drone army could be put to use or sold, so in the long run the attack had turned out to be a boon for the family, thanks to Twilight’s assistance. She was a hero to them now, and some of them had wanted to throw together a huge celebration in her honor until cooler heads prevailed and pointed out that she would need some time to recover. For now they would put their lives back together and breathe their thanks to Celestia, who they now had a tangible reason to hold in reverence once more, beyond the vague hope of a light that could outshine Nightmare Moon’s darkness.

Twilight Sparkle spent three more days at Apple Orchards recovering and helping to gather and sort the remains of the fallen robots. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom seemed determined to use their jury-rigged flamethrower on something, so Big Macintosh and Twilight worked on it in secret, making it much less likely to explode. She also gave the more able members of the family basic instruction in fighting, so that in the future they would not have to depend on outside help or a mere three warriors. They asked her to stay longer, but it was agreed that now that Nightmare Moon knew where she was that it would only increase the risk of attack.

On the fourth day she packed what few possessions she had into a saddlebag along with as many provisions as her friends could convince her to take. She found a large farewell party waiting for her outside, as well as Applejack carrying her own set of saddlebags.

“Ah tried ta talk ‘em outta it, but it seems they’re throwin’ a party fer us anyways!” The mare grinned and winked. “So ya might as well enjoy it while ya can!”

“Oh no no no, you’re not leaving your family to come with me.” Twilight shook her head. “They’re going to need you here I’m sure.”

“Now now Twi, this ain’t negotiable! We all talked it over, an’ decided ah was the one ta go with ya!” Applejack nodded to Braeburn. “Mah couz wanted ta be the one ta go with ya, but we reached an agreement.”

Braeburn looked at the ground and grumbled. “She beat me at hoof wrestlin’”

“And why don’t I get a say in this?” Twilight frowned.

“Cus you’d say no.” Applejack gave Twilight a hearty pat on the back. “An’ you helped us. Now it’s mah turn ta help you.” Twilight still looked skeptical. “As ah said before, nobody should have ta fight by herself.”

“An’ that’s why ah’m comin’ too!” Apple Bloom proudly marched up, bearing the weight of a saddlebag far too large for her.

“Oh no you don’t Apple Bloom.” Applejack stopped her sister. “We need you ta stay here an’ defend the farm.”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh scooped the filly up and placed her on his back. “Besides, you’d scare all the baddies away. Gotta give those two somethin’ ta do.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Oh all right, if ah have to.”

After the party, AppleJack and Twilight left the farm, accompanied through the orchards by the entire Apple Family for one last thunderous cry of farewell. The two travelers waved back until they were out of sight.

The world stretched out before them, groaning under the oppression of the nightmare queen. Two ponies against untold numbers of shadowy minions and brutish thugs; but the sun was high, the air fresh, and they were still alive. A grand journey awaited.

“So,” Applejack turned to Twilight. “Where we goin’?”

“Er” Twilight thought for a moment. “I don’t actually know.”

Episode 4: Shadow Games

Long ago in a distant land, I, Nightmare Moon, the shape shifting mistress of darkness unleashed a never-ending night! But, a foalish pony warrior, wielding a magic stone stepped forth to oppose me! Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung her into the future, where my darkness is law! Now the foal seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Nightmare Moon!

Samurai Twilight
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro studios
Samurai Jack belongs to Cartoon Network

Episode 4: Shadow Games

Nightmare Moon, the Mistress of Misfortune, the Dealer of Darkness and Queen of Calamity, the bringer of night, commander of the multitudinous shadow armies, who singlehoofedly wiped out the gibbering hordes of feralbeasts and brought the world to its knees, had met her match.

She sat glowering on her ebon throne, very purposefully not looking in the direction of her frustrating but worthy foe. In turn, her enemy, at this point lucky to not have been blasted into its constituent atoms, stood on a simple stand, displaying a test pattern. For the better part of an hour, the widescreen television had resisted all efforts to be properly integrated into the throne room’s scrying pool.

A six legged half-pony mare entered the room from one of the many discreet side passages usually used by servants. A former club dancer going by the stage name ‘Spanglehoof’, her given name was in actuality Moondancer, and she carried a large bowl of popcorn in with her. She frowned when she saw the test pattern on the screen.

“Still haven’t gotten it to work?” She set the bowl down and went around behind the screen. After a few moments of muffled grunting and swearing she clicked something into place, and the test pattern vanished, to be replaced by a blurred, indistinct image.

Nightmare Moon sat up in surprise. “How did you do that?”

Moondancer carefully shuffled her six legs around a stool and sat down on it. “You had the cables plugged in backwards.”

“Which-“

“All of them.” The half-pony mare picked up a remote with one hoof and pushed a few buttons on it with another. The picture quality adamantly refused to improve, however, so she turned to the alicorn on the throne and shrugged.

Nightmare Moon grumbled under her breath threateningly but sharpened the image with a burst of magic. Moondancer had shown up in her palace one day to deliver news of one of Nightmare Moon’s greatest foe’s return, and had stuck around ever since. Technically the Queen of Calamity hadn’t dismissed her yet, and the sheer audacity required to hang around the palace of the most powerful being on the planet, treating it like one’s own home was impressive to say the least. For now she was tolerated, and given run of most of the palace. Besides, her presence served as a distraction from the humiliating loss of a drone swarm days earlier. Nightmare Moon reassured herself that she was still in control of her life and turned her attention to the screen.

Moondancer was flipping through various locations in the world as if she were surfing television channels, passing scenes of incredible devastation, awe-inspiring landscapes, bustling cities and a monkey scratching itself. Nightmare Moon snorted in irritation and levitated the remote away from her. The mortal mare grumbled, but let the goddess have her way.

A scene that flashed by caused her to stop abruptly and choke with rage. Flipping back through channels she found the sight of two ponies walking along a dirt road, a purple unicorn and an orange earth pony. The Dealer of Darkness clenched her teeth and growled before suddenly becoming calm. With a malicious grin she brought a communicator up from behind the throne. “Now that I know where those pretentious little FOALS are, I can send them a greeting party!”

Moondancer stuffed a hooffull of popcorn into her mouth and turned up the volume.

“Ok, so no secret identities or uniforms, but how ‘bout a team name? Somethin’ cool ta make us sound inspirin’!” Applejack had become temporarily lost in a world of ideas, and failed to notice Twilight’s exasperated stare. “An’ to intimidate our enemies!”

“I really, really don’t think that’s necessary.” Twilight had hoped that Applejack’s enthusiasm for the idea of being wandering fighters for good would be sated by action, but for the past few days they had been left with nothing to do but walk and talk, and the earth pony could do both without tiring.

“Ah suppose yer right.” Applejack didn’t look completely convinced. “Better ta’ let our actions speak fer themselves, right?”

“Something like that.” Twilight rolled her eyes and continued walking. A distant rumble from overhead caught her attention, and she looked up. High above her a dark triangular shape flew through the sky, a white trail of vapor behind it. As it passed overhead an oblong bundle detached from its underside and began to fall. The two ponies scrambled backwards as the teardrop shaped metal thing slammed into the ground at rock-shattering speeds, throwing up a huge cloud of debris.

As the dust settled, the object unfolded like a sinister metallic flower bud and a massive humanoid figure easily twice the height of a pony encased in heavy plates of ceramic and metal armor stomped out. It unslung a thick-barreled rifle from behind its back and spoke in a loud voice distorted by a speaker grille. “ARE YOU THE PONY KNOWN AS TWILIGHT SPARKLE?”

Twilight winced and nodded. The figure turned to Applejack. “AND ARE YOU THE PONY KNOWN AS APPLEJACK?”

Applejack grinned despite the pain from the giant’s loud voice. “I shore am!” She turned to Twilight. “Told ya we shoulda come up with a team name by now, then he’d only have ta ask once!”

The armored figure hefted his gun. “I HAVE BEEN SENT BY NIGHTMARE MOON TO BRING AN END TO THE PETTY ANNOYANCE YOU HAVE CAUSED HER.” He took aim at Applejack. “PREPARE TO BE-“

He was cut off as Twilight ripped the gun from his hands with her telekinesis and smacked him in the face with it. Applejack turned around and bucked him hard in the groin, causing a raucous clang when her hooves collided with his armor. The giant laughed. “YOUR PETTY ATTACKS CANNOT-“

Twilight interrupted him again by swinging the gun in a wide arc to strike the side of his helmet with a resounding crash. She continued to hit him, ringing his suit like a badly tuned bell. He groaned and staggered, giving Applejack the opportunity to join in by kicking him in rapid succession. The armored man fell back under the assault, retreating into his drop pod. With a final incoherent shout he closed it up around himself, locking his assailants out.

Applejack and Twilight stared at the metal pod for a moment, and then looked at each other. They both started to giggle, then nearly fell over as the laughter overtook them. After a moment to regain their composure, they continued down the road.

Nightmare Moon seethed with rage upon her throne, cursing the mercenary’s incompetence. The pitiful foal, allowing himself to be defeated so easily! She was definitely never going to hire him again. Moondancer tossed a kernel of popcorn up into the air, and before she could catch it in her mouth the Mistress of Misfortune had snatched it away, chewing on it as if she had a personal grudge.

“Send in the next bounty hunter!”

Applejack and Twilight had made little progress down the road before they were interrupted again, this time by a crackle of energy and five bright lights flashing into existence before winking out just as quickly as they had appeared. In their wake they left five humanoid creatures in brightly colored matching bodysuits riding atop hovering vehicles. There was a strange, flimsy quality about the vehicles, as well as the helmets they wore, almost as if they had been made from cheap material solely for the purpose of appearances.

The five figures leapt from their mechanical mounts and struck ridiculous poses, forming up behind the one in red, who put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. The ones in pink and yellow crouched beside him, arms pointing up in the air, and the two in green and blue leaned out from behind the one in red, arms pointing outward. Both ponies stared at them blankly.

The figure in red was the first to break the silence. “We are Wonder Team Phantom Five! The most elite team of bounty hunters in all the world!” He continued to boast of his and the team’s accomplishments, while Applejack turned to Twilight.

“See, ah told ya we need a team name. These guys have one!” She nodded to the one in red, ostensibly the leader. “But this one shore does need ta SHUT UP!” She punctuated the last words with a swift kick to the man’s groin. He doubled over and fell to the ground with a whimper. “Seriously sugar cube, you talk too much.”

The man in yellow leapt forward. “How dare you assault our leader while he was giving his speech!”

Any further objections were flattened as Twilight lifted the woman in pink and used her as a bludgeon to knock him over. The unicorn dropped the girl into a tangled heap with the yellow warrior and turned in time to see Applejack kick one of the vehicles into the man in green, bowling him over and wreaking the machine. The last of the team, a thin man in blue, looked at his fallen comrades and then up at the two ponies who had effortlessly defeated them. A dark stain spread across his pants, and both ponies grimaced.

“If ya sit down real quiet like an’ don’t git up until ya can’t see us no more we might let ya off with just losin’ yer dignity.” Applejack winked to the humiliated warrior. He complied, and shuddered as the pair walked by him and down the road.

Applejack managed to hold her laughter back long enough to make a dignified exit before breaking down into hearty guffaws. Twilight wasn’t quite as amused, but chuckled nonetheless.

Nightmare Moon had switched from swearing under her breath to beating her head against the wall in frustration sometime during the extremely one-sided fight, which left Moondancer in control of the royal hotline to anything-the-glorious-monarch-may-desire. She had already ordered a pizza, two containers of ice cream and an old Equestrian romantic comedy. As an afterthought she hired another mercenary to go after Twilight Sparkle. It would provide some entertainment while she waited for the rest of her order to arrive.

From the vantage point of a smooth hilltop crested by the road Applejack and Twilight could see a small town, little more than a handful of buildings surrounded by a wall built up around a crossroads. It was still some ways off, but if they kept up a reasonable pace they could reach it by sundown. Twilight doubted they would make it without interruption, two spontaneous bounty hunter attacks in such a short time was highly suspect.

She was proven correct when she suddenly found herself nose to nose with what could only be described as a rat man who appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He was grinning from ear to ear, revealing a mouth full of yellowed, pointy teeth, and his eyes had a manic light to them. He began to chuckle, mad giggles spasming past his lips.

Twilight backed away nervously. “Um, can I help you…?”

“Look out, Twi!” Applejack shouted as the rat man brought up a pair of crossbows held in his fleshy forepaws. Twilight leapt to the side and scrambled for the scant cover provided by a convenient shrub. Applejack dove the other way and hid behind a half-buried boulder.

The rat man unleashed a storm of needle thin darts from his weapons, his insane laughter and constant twitching reducing his aim to abysmal at best. This didn’t seem to bother him at all; on the contrary, his lack of success seemed to drive him to greater spasms of uncontrolled firing.

From the relative safety of her hiding place, Applejack called out to Twilight. “What’re we gonna do ‘bout this one, Twi?”

“I’m open to suggestions!” Twilight cringed as a dart rattled the brush in front of her.

The hail of darts ceased abruptly, and the rat man spoke in a high-pitched squeak. “Aha! I’ve caught you now! Can’t get away from me so easily this time!”

Twilight cautiously pushed a branch aside and peered out at her assailant. He was staring down the end of his nose, gripping his whiskers with a shaking paw. His comments seemed to be directed at his own snout, rather than either of the ponies. His face twitched and his eyes bulged slightly, confirming Twilight’s suspicions that he was completely and utterly insane.

“I know you’ve been following me! I’ve seen it, out of the corner of my eyes! And now I’ve finally caught you in the act!” He giggled and hopped from one foot to the other. “Caught you caught you caught you, heheheheheHEHEHEHEEEEEEE!” His laughter rose to an excited squeal and he started to dance.

Twilight leaned out from behind the bush and nodded to Applejack who was peeking over the rock she had hidden behind. They quietly snuck off, leaving the gleeful rat alone with his whiskers. Once they were a safe distance away Applejack let out a nervous laugh. “Ah thought we weren’t gonna make it for a moment back there. Good thing that rat feller had such a case ‘o the crazies.”

“Yeah…” Twilight frowned in consternation. “But all these attacks so quickly has me worried.”

“Ya mean it’s not normal?” Applejack tilted her head. “Ah kinda figured it came with the whole travelin’ hero deal.”

“Not usually.” Twilight shook her head. “It’s not like I have a whole lot of experience with this, but I’m pretty sure these events are anomalous.”

“Huh, well, Ah am enjoyin’ mahself today, but Ah suppose it’d get ta be annoyin’ after a while.” Applejack shrugged and continued on “We’d best be getting’ a move on if we want ta reach that town by nightfall.”

“Right.” Twilight glanced at the setting sun, keenly aware that Nightmare Moon must be the one behind the assassins. They had avoided trouble for the most part up until now, but it seemed that their enemy had caught up to them at last. She desperately hoped she had the strength to defeat the empress of night a second time.

Nightmare Moon turned away from the sizeable dent she had worn in the palace wall and glared at the pizza delivery robot. It had not been programmed with the capacity for fear, but it was feeling it nonetheless. Moondancer came to its rescue, accepting the pizza from its outstretched hands and tipping generously with money she had appropriated from the treasury. Nightmare Moon transferred her terrible gaze to the six legged half-pony, but it was ignored in favor of scarfing down the first slice.

In swift progression more couriers arrived, bearing ice cream, a selection of lavishly jeweled spoons and a carefully preserved movie disc from Equestria’s history. Nightmare Moon passed annoyance, frustration and into acceptance as quickly as they entered, deposited their deliveries and left. She took a seat on her throne and levitated a tub of ice cream and a slice of pizza from where Moondancer had left them. She had barely taken a bit of the pizza when she saw the latest mercenary ignore his targets in favor of shouting at his own whiskers.

Moondancer dove to save the ice cream as it fell to the floor, abandoned by Nightmare Moon as she teleported from the room.

Applejack and Twilight looked up at the sky in consternation as dark clouds heavy with the promise of doom rolled in, crashing in to one another with inexorable force. Purple lightning shot between them and waves of thunder crashed over them like waves breaking on a cliff. A vast swath of the sky vanished, replaced by a black void of starless night. As the light faded in the face of this behemoth shadow, the land itself seemed to shrink back, trees and hills crouching low as if to avoid this doom. The rolling night finally opened wide enough to reveal the cold, pale face of the moon, the dead light it shed only serving to highlight the darkness and deepen the shadows.

This ominous showing was only the prelude to the main event however, as the clouds were torn apart, rent by some invisible hand, or hoof. It was from these gaping wounds in the sky that a liquid shade flowed, twisting and undulating into patters that made the eyes ache and the mind recoil in horror. Great drops like tar splashed to the ground and oozed together, flowing up into the shape of a tall and stately mare, both horned and winged; her form so dark it could only be seen as a void against all else. Two eyes, pupils slitted like those of a great dragon’s, irises a green deeper than the purest emeralds flicked open contemptuously, daring the world to show the least bit of ingratitude for the privilege of being beheld by their cruel gaze.

As her ebon form gained definition, Nightmare Moon, the Mistress of Misfortune, the Dealer of Darkness, the Queen of Calamity, addressed the unicorn who stood defiantly before her. “FOALISH pony warrior! For too long you have been a irritant to my otherwise-“ She was interrupted by Applejack clearing her throat. She turned to glare at the earth pony. “What.”

“Howdy, mah name’s Applejack.” Said Applejack.

“I know who you are.” Nightmare Moon turned back to Twilight. “As I was saying- FOALISH-“

“Ah just wanted ta make sure Ah’m gettin’ the recognition Ah deserve.” Applejack interrupted again.

Nightmare Moon seethed. “If you are quite done…”

“Ah’m a member of the Apple family, in case ya couldn’t tell.” The earth pony continued unabashed. “You know, the last group ‘a ponies to stand against ya.”

“I am well aware of-“

“An’ who kicked the collective flank of yer robot army with some timely assistance from Twilight Sparkle.” Applejack seemed partially oblivious to everything around her as she spoke. “An’ now we’ve beaten yer goons an’ you have no choice but ta take care o’ things yerself!” She grinned cheekily. “Oh yeah, an’ Ah’m bein’ a distraction.”

“WHAT?!” Nightmare Moon whirled, suddenly acutely aware she had lost track of the other pony. A burst of magic from above caught her attention, and she looked up to see that Twilight had teleported high up into the air, and was now falling towards her.

The unicorn had her elemental stone out and levitated in front of her, magic flowing through it to form a triangular blade of radiant golden light around her. She charged straight down at Nightmare Moon, running as if the air beneath her hooves was solid ground. With a cruel laugh, the dark goddess swatted Twilight aside with contemptuous ease, sending her crashing to the ground amidst the shards of her failed spell. Applejack leapt forward to attack, but her kick collided with what felt like a stone wall, her hooves clashing against a shimmering barrier.

“FOALS!” Nightmare Moon reared triumphantly. “I have not spent the past thousand years idle! I have been exploiting this world’s resources and gathering power! While you skipped the years and did not change, I have only become stronger! You have no hope of victory now, especially since you lack the other Elements of Harmony!”

Twilight’s ears perked up. That sounded familiar, and incredibly important. If she could get Nightmare Moon to divulge more information, then perhaps she could counter the gap in power. Of course they key was to keep her talking without giving away the fact that she didn’t know what she was talking about. Twilight gritted her teeth and threw herself at winged unicorn, conjuring spears of light. “Maybe we do have them, and we’re just holding back! Did you consider that?”

Nightmare Moon snorted. “Oh yes, the two of you went out and retrieved all five of the missing Elements in the past week. Pull the other leg, it has bells on.” She brought a guillotine blade of shadow down on Twilight’s spears, shattering them and causing the unicorn to run into the flat of the blade face-first.

Applejack tried another kick, but Nightmare Moon seemed to be able to block them without even trying. “Ah’m just wastin’ mah time, aren’t Ah?”

“Indeed you are, FOAL! Your paltry strength is nothing before me!” Flicking her tail like a shadowy whip, she flung the earth pony away. “No mere physical attack can harm me!”

“...only the powerful light magic of the Elements can.” Twilight said, shaking dirt from her mane as she stood. “And that’s why,” She created a suit of armor from magic around herself. “You’ve been avoiding letting my touch you. Because for all your power there’s still something greater!” She charged straight at Nightmare Moon, horn glowing as she readied another spell.

Nightmare Moon threw a wall of dark spines between herself and Twilight, wicked thorns the size of sword blades. With a brief flash, the young unicorn vanished, and reappeared behind her opponent. Charging forward again, she closed the distance between them faster than any spell could be cast. Nightmare Moon’s body shifted, flowing around Twilight in an attempt to avoid coming in contact with the glowing armor that surrounded her. The purple unicorn relaxed her control on the magic, and the protective barriers flew outward with a crack of thunder. The fel goddess howled in pain as beams of light lanced through her.

Swirling into the air on a column of darkness, Nightmare Moon’s rage boiled through the air. Great bolts of purple lightning arced from her horn to scorch the ground and shatter stones, throwing around clouds of dangerous debris. “FOALS! THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! I SHALL FINISH YOU, AND RID MY EQUESTRIA OF YOUR PRESENCE!” A shard of darkness so pure it glowed with negative light began to form at the tip of her horn; a spell so intense that it created a howling maelstrom of power around it. The wind whipped at Applejack and Twilight’s hair, tugging at them as if to draw them in.

“THIS ENDS HERE!” The fragment of power cracked, and the crack continued into the air around it, a tortured shriek accompanying it. “BEHOLD THE WRATH OF THE PIT OF HATE!” A wave of silence rang out, washing out all sound as a pulsing mass of warped magic burst forth, half-formed eyes filled with gibbering mouths sliding into view before vanishing as quickly as they came. Great jagged pillars of shadow stabbed down to the ground before exploding, tearing deep rents in the earth. Blasts of lightning and spheres of balefire filled the air, falling in a deadly hail.

The spell exhausted itself, and Nightmare Moon looked down on the ruined land beneath her. A smoking tableau of craters and ash, she nodded in satisfaction. Nopony could have survived that, even with the protection afforded by one of the Elements of Harmony. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check.

She was distracted by a discreet ring of phantom chimes in her ears, the sound of one of her underlings contacting her. Turning away from the destruction she had wrought, she opened a window of magic through which she could see a bespectacled, pale human man, his frail body supported by a mechanical harness. He spoke haltingly. “Ah, my mistress, I have called, you because of an important, yes, an important matter.”

“Get on with it.” Nightmare Moon said. “I don’t have time to listen to your prattling, Schreber.”

“Ah, yes, yes my mistress.” The man adjusted his spectacles. “There has been, a breakthrough in our most ambitious, our most ambitious project.” He allowed a faint smile to cross his face. “I believe, you may wish, to see it for, yourself.”

A final glance down at the ground confirmed that nothing appeared to be moving. “Very well then.” The Mistress of Misfortune’s horn glowed as she prepared to leave. “My business is finished here anyways.”

It was some time before anything stirred within the area devastated by Nightmare Moon’s power. A soot covered pony’s head emerged from one of the deeper craters, accompanied by a loud chorus of coughs. Shaking dust and ash from her mane, she groaned and hauled herself over the crater’s lip.

“Are we dead yet?” she moaned.

“That” a voice replied from below “is a distinct possibility.”

Applejack sighed and stuck a hoof back down into the crater. Twilight reached up and took hold of the proffered leg, and tried to climb up. The earth pony slid along the loose ground and back over the edge of the crater, dropping down onto her unicorn friend. They lay in the cloud of debris kicked up by their fall, coughing and sneezing.

“Maybe we should just try later.” Twilight said.

Next time, on Samurai Twilight:

The rush of wind in her mane, the blood singing in her veins, truly, this was what it meant to be alive. If only she could bottle that feeling, and hold on to it forever. Or maybe sell it at a good price. Yeah, that could work…

A flash of light and the crack of an ionized bolt shooting past her broke her from her reverie, reminding her that she really ought to get a move on. The Hunt waited for nothing, once it was started, you ran, and you didn’t stop if you wanted to hold on to that sensation of living…

Episode 5: The Hunt

A/N: Hey everypony, sorry this chapter took me so long. My computer completely died on me, forcing me to use a much less reliable backup. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and get chapter 5 out soon. Thanks for reading!

Episode 5: The Hunt

Long ago in a distant land, I, Nightmare Moon, the shape shifting mistress of darkness unleashed a never-ending night! But, a foalish pony warrior, wielding a magic stone stepped forth to oppose me! Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung her into the future, where my darkness is law! Now the foal seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Nightmare Moon!

Samurai Twilight
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro studios
Samurai Jack belongs to Cartoon Network

Episode 5: The Hunt

Diamond Dogs are hulking, bestial creatures little less than the height of a human that are not noted for their eloquence of speech, mental acuity or personal hygiene. They are however valued for their ability to unquestioningly follow orders, and to only follow the orders of certain people once they’ve been hit over the head with a big stick enough times. The personal hygiene problem hasn’t yet been solved by any means.

For all of their negative qualities, Diamond Dogs have one major positive aspect that cannot be ignored. They are not Dig Dogs. The Dig Dog is an offshoot of the Diamond Dog species, with even less intellectual capacity, more highly developed musculature and natural halitosis that could drop an ox at ten paces.

The blue Pegasus restrained in the center of the room really wished the Dig Dog guards were that far away, but they persisted in single-mindedly following their orders to keep her secure. Suppressing a gag at the rancid smell that wafted over her, she tried to remember the events that had lead up to her incarceration. After a few moments she gave up, recalling only an indistinct haze filtered through several nights of hard partying.

The squeal of rusty metal hinges caught her attention, and she looked up to see the holding cell’s door slowly forced open by a grumbling Diamond Dog. It gave her a blank look before fishing a grubby slip of paper from a pocket of the ragged vest it wore. Clearing its throat and spitting a gobbet of something green into the corner, it read aloud.

“Dear bracket insert prisoner name here bracket comma.” The ability to read marked this Diamond Dog as near genius-level intelligence for its race. “You are being held for various crimes against Rift City comma the Nightmare State and Her Illustrious Majesty Herself colon Nightmare Moon.” Its bored tone and surprisingly good pronunciation indicated that this was not nearly the first time it had read the speech. “You will be brought before a blah blah BLAH! Don’t care about the rest! Dig Dogs! Bring prisoner along for judge to sentence!”

The Dig Dogs unhooked the chains that linked her hoof cuffs to the floor by snapping the links (they had secured her there by bending them into the right shape) and dragged her forward, not waiting to see if she actually came along willingly. Trotting to keep up, the Pegasus nearly tripped over her manacles several times. With her wings bound to her sides, there wasn’t much she could do to attempt escape, so she bided her time.

The Diamond Dog lead them down a plain concrete hall to a large waiting room, furnished with chairs designed for maximum discomfort. The Dig Dog guards were relieved of their charge, much to their charge’s relief, by a burly centaur in armor. The Pegasus gave him an appraising glance and grinned.

“Hey there, Rainbow Dash, at your service.”

As the centaur, who had never given his name, clamped a thick metal collar around her neck, Rainbow Dash reflected that the trial could have gone worse, but only if a spontaneous musical number had started up in the middle of it. The provincial governor’s daughter had been there, whom Dash had danced with (and maybe a little more). The same went for the governor’s wife. And the governor.

In retrospect seducing all three of them at one party was probably a bad idea.

Her list of crimes had read like somebody’s shopping list, clinical and brief, without going in to the juicy details of everything she had done. It was a shame really; there had been some impressive ones. In the end it was determined that she fell in to a sort of grey area between a swift execution and a slow one by labor. This of course didn’t matter, because every criminal in Rift City got the same sentence. The Hunt.

The Hunt was an old tradition, going back a lot further than Dash actually cared about. The unfortunate criminal was released in the city and given a brief head start. After that, bounty hunters and lesser psychopaths were given the signal to begin their hunt, and a grand chase across the city would begin. The hunter or team who brought down the target would receive a prize taken from the entry fees for The Hunt, along with bragging rights and a lot of free drinks at the local bars. If the target was able to escape the city, the prize money would become a bounty placed on their head, and The Hunt would simply find a new victim.

The heavy and rather uncomfortable collar fastened around her neck was a recent addition to keep things more interesting. A technician waved a metal wand over it and muttered an incantation that sounded suspiciously like random mumbling, and Dash felt the cold fingers of an enchantment clamp down on her mind. The effect was immediate; her wings went numb and felt like they were made of rubber, as she tried to stretch them they refused to cooperate and flopped about at her sides.

“You know you could have just asked.” Rainbow Dash told the Hunt official present “I totally promise I wouldn’t cheat and just fly out of the city or something lame like that. Really.”

The official, a rotund beetle standing on its hind legs, ignored her. Dash considered stepping on him, but decided against it when she glanced back at the Dig Dogs standing by the door. At least she had a chance of escaping with the hunters, if she harmed the official the guards would reduce her to interior decorating.

“Zhe Hunt iz nearly ready to begin.” The beetle intoned, his mind clearly elsewhere. “If zhe partizipant doez not have any furzer questionz?”

“Yeah,” Dash said. “I actually have one. Can I take a bathroom break? Like, for a few years until everyone forgets about me?”

The official snorted, no mean feat for a beetle, and waved the Dig Dogs forward. “Take ze criminal zcum to ze releaze point!”

“You’re off my Winter Solstice card list!” Dash shouted as she was dragged outside.

“This Jade Line razor train will be arriving at Rift City Terminus in ten minutes. Please ensure that your belongings are secure and your travel passes are at hand. Thank you for choosing the Jade Line for your transport needs. Jade Line- endorsed by Nightmare Moon through an offhand comment!”

Twilight Sparkle nudged her companion awake as the cold voice of the train’s PA system alerted her that they had little time to make themselves scarce. Both were wanted criminals, and lacked travel passes. Applejack stirred, and mumbled something that was probably a curse. Twilight poked her again, and then smacked her a few times with her own hat. The orange earth pony sat up with a groan and eyed her unicorn friend with a look of suspicion.

“If Ah didn’t know any better, Ah’d suspect you were havin’ fun.” She said with a yawn. “Is it time ta get off the train already?”

“Yeah, and we’re going to have to move quickly, they gave us less warning than I hoped for before our arrival.” Twilight stood and stretched before sliding the metal door of their narrow compartment open and glancing out. Satisfied that the hallway was clear for the moment, she hefted her saddle bag and slung it over her back. Applejack scrambled to do the same, and they stepped out into the car’s grubby passageway.

“So, remind me again, what part of this seemed like a good idea to ya?” Applejack whispered. “Cus Ah’m not too shore ‘bout the sneakin’ out o’ the train while it’s movin’, climbing under the car an’ then hidin’ there while we pass through the checkpoints.”

“It’s the only way we’ll make it into the city without fighting our way in, and that would draw too much attention.” Twilight carefully checked the next door. “Nightmare Moon might still think we’re dead, we have to use that to our advantage for as long as possible.” She slid the door open, letting in a chill breeze and the rumbling sound of the razor train’s wheels on the tracks. The car they were in was linked to the next by a narrow, flexible walkway made from metal slats on chains. It looked far too flimsy to safely support the weight of even a single pony- but luckily they would not need to use it.

Both ponies leaned over the edge of the platform and looked at the complicated underside of the car. Applejack gulped. “You’re entirely shore ‘bout this?”

“Decreasingly so.” Said Twilight.

Rainbow Dash was unceremoniously kicked out of a hovercar’s side door to land roughly on the pavement of an empty street in Rift City’s industrial sector. Giving the parting car a last rude gesture, she brushed herself off and gave her wings an experimental flap. They twitched weakly, and then flopped to her sides, useless while the interference collar remained around her neck.

With a grumbling sigh, the grounded Pegasus set off on foot, hoofing it to the relative cover of a mass of rusted pipes. “Think Dash, come on.” She muttered to herself. “If they let the mercs start too close there’d be no sport in it, but they aren’t gonna give you too much of a head start. If I were planning this out, where would I put them…”

The sharp clang of a projectile ricocheting off of a nearby pipe followed by a muffled crack from the distance answered her question. Diving around to the other side of the pipes, Dash looked around desperately for an escape route. Another shot tore a nearby sign from its post, this time she was listening for it, and the Pegasus took a guess at where it had come from.

Flicking her tail out of cover, she watched the area where she thought the shots were coming from. The moment her tail became visible a shot rang out, chipping the pavement a short distance away. Dash hadn’t caught the muzzle flash, but the gouge in the street was clearly lined up with the general area she had expected. The shooter was so far away the odds of a shot actually hitting her were low, but they were useful for forcing her to keep her head down and stay in one place.

Cursing her bad start and the temporary loss of her wings, Rainbow Dash looked for an escape route. The street was completely deserted, nobody wanted to hang around when the Hunt was getting started, and even automated vehicles would have been re-routed. A truck to hide under and stow away in out of the city would have been highly convenient. As it was, a headlong sprint across the road and into the narrow alleyways of the industrial complex would have to do.

Dash kicked a hoof out on one side of the pipes she was hidden behind, then pulled it back and ran out from the other side as a bullet shattered against her shelter. A second shot actually came close enough for her to feel its wake through the air, but she made it into the shadow of the factory intact.

More than two miles away, a dark skinned human woman raised her head from her rifle’s scope. She brushed an errant strand of her long black hair away from her face, and raised a radio to her mouth. “Your turn, sis. Target is headed your way.”

“All righty then.” A coarse female voice replied. “Time to show these amateurs how it’s done!”

Rift City was large but relatively isolated; being located on top of a large chasm from which useful gasses vented as well as conveniently close to a large mine did much for its industry, but the frozen wastes surrounding it did little for its tourism. Still, the novelty of the chasm and the lucrative business opportunities it presented ensured that the city thrived. To keep its inhabitants comfortable and safe, a massive dome had been constructed over it, limiting growth outward and upward, but ensuring that buildings didn’t have to be exposed icy winds.

Keeping in line with this, the most common transport into the city was the Razor Trains, rail cars sealed against the cold and built with thin, bladelike designs to provide minimal wind resistance as they sped along the tracks. As each train entered the city it was carefully inspected by armed guards in case saboteurs sought to damage the dome or industrial facilities. Inspection duty was a dull, cold and thankless task, which lead to many guards being less thorough than they should have been.

If the guards had actually checked the undersides of the cars beyond a cursory glance, they would have seen two ponies clinging to the hanging cables and pipes, practically frozen in place. They didn’t, however, so the train continued on into the station, passing through the thick wall of the dome. Once the train had stopped, Applejack pried her numb legs from her hiding place and dropped to the ground, landing unsteadily on her hooves. Twilight followed a moment after, landing firmly on her face.

The unicorn pulled herself to her feet while her earth pony friend shook life back into her frozen legs. Carefully sneaking along under the edge of the station platform, they found a place to scramble up and casually blend with the crowd heading into the city proper.

Applejack cautiously whispered to Twilight. “So what now? How’re we gonna tell if one o’ those elements is here? It’s not like we can just walk up ta someone an’ say ‘hey, you know where we might find a magic rock ‘round these parts we could use ta defeat the supreme ruler of the planet with?’”

“I’m… not actually sure.” Twilight admitted. “It’s more of a suspicion than anything concrete. The Elements of Harmony are a power opposed to Nightmare Moon’s, right? So it stands to reason that even if she wanted to find them, they’d be protected somehow. I did a little digging, and it turns out Nightmare Moon has never visited Rift City in person, even though it’s an important source of resources for her armies. There must be a reason for that.”

“Maybe it’s ‘cuz it’s out in the middle o’ frozen nowhere.” Said Applejack. “If I were her, I wouldn’t want ta ride one of those cramped trains just ta get out here. Anyhow, that still don’t explain what we’re gonna do now that we’re here.”

“If there’s something here, it’s probably down in the chasm. We can ask around and find out if there’s a way to get into it.” A press of bodies bottlenecked by a doorway made conversation difficult for a few minutes, but once they were free of the crowd Twilight spoke again. “First we should probably find a place to stay.”

Bounty hunters lay scattered around the street in various states of consciousness, most of them bearing hoof-shaped bruises or dents. A solitary blue Pegasus stood in the middle of the street, panting as she took a moment to regain her breath. These were the inexperienced and foolish hunters, the ones in such a hurry to claim the bounty they raced to be the first to fight her. The wiser, more experienced hunters would be waiting, letting other people go first and be beaten, and waiting for her to get worn down. It would only get harder from here on out.

Rainbow Dash gave her wings yet another test flap, only to find they were as useless as ever. She obviously wasn’t the first winged quarry of the Hunt. One of the bounty hunters stirred, so she gave him a sharp prod with a hoof to remind him to stay down before trotting away, alert for any hunters smart enough to lurk in the shadows.

“Hey, frag-face. Up here.” A voice called out to her from a low rooftop. Dash looked up to see a human woman stood pointing a wide-barreled gun down at her. Wearing a black shirt and ragged jeans, she was dressed too lightly for the chill climate of the city, but seemed not to care. Her burgundy hair was done up in a ponytail, and her face bore a wolfish grin.

“Hey there, my name’s Rainbow Dash.” A lifetime of working her way out of tight scrapes had taught Dash that if you weren’t already dead, there was still time to talk. “That’s a nice gun. Or maybe you’re just happy to see me.”

The woman snorted. “Given how much your flank is worth, I’d say I’m pretty frakking happy to see you right now. Gonna haul you in in pieces, one for every place you’re wanted.”

“Aw, not even going to buy me dinner first?” Dash teased, flicking her mane back to disguise the fact that she was scanning the area for an escape route.

“Nah, you’ll make more of a mess if your stomach’s full.” The hunter laughed. “And don’t think I don’t see you looking for a frakkin’ way outta here. It’s no use anyways, my partner’s got you covered from a frakkin’ mile away.”

Something clicked in Dash’s memory. “Wait… the sniper’s your partner? And you look kind of familiar… oh man, this is so awesome! You’re the Scourge Sisters, aren’t you?”

The woman’s grin turned up at the edges a little, beginning to almost resemble a real smile. “A fan? Cool, maybe you’d like an autographed bullet, right between the eyes.”

“What a great line!” A woman almost identical to the first except for a set of tribal tattoos on her arms stepped out from a wrecked doorway, a sleek pistol in each hand. ”I’ll have to steal it!” Before either the hunter on the roof or the Pegasus could react, she snapped off two quick shots with one pistol, hitting the woman on the roof. The unfortunate hunter fell with a cry, dropping her gun to the street below.
“I’m flattered that you’re imitating me, but aren’t you a little too old for dress up?” She ignored Dash, who took the opportunity to dart off into a narrow gap between buildings, and picked up the fallen gun.

“You let her get away.” The voice from the woman’s radio was flat, making a statement of fact without accusation.

“Whatever, I can catch her later. Just something I wanna check.” She picked up the fallen gun and examined it. “If this is what I think it is… it is! It’s a Godwyn Industries Bolter! These things are so cool!”

“And if we manage to bring in the prize, it will be like Winter Solstice Eve come early.” A hint of reproach crept into the voice. “Which won’t happen if you spend all your time drooling over every gun you come across, Mel.”

“I hate Winter Solstice Eve. Bad memories from my childhood.” The hunter, Mel, checked the bolter over, counting the rounds in the oversized clip and reloading it. “I should make my own holiday...”

“Why do I put up with you?”

As Rainbow Dash ran through the city, making sure to keep as many buildings between herself and the sniper, she reflected on her marginal increase of luck. Hunters turning on each other in pursuit of their quarry wasn’t unheard of, but it was a rare occurrence and always nice if it let you get away. She didn’t think for a second that she had truly escaped yet, the Scourge Sisters, the real ones at least, were well known for brining in bounties long thought lost. It was going to take more than a simple distraction to get them off of her tail.

A shot struck the pavement in front of her, and she tripped up in her panicked attempt to stop. The sniper had a clear view of the entire street ahead, making it suicide to try running down it. The only consolation was that without her partner nearby shooting the target was a big risk, as another hunter could recover the body and turn it in for the prize. She would most likely try to herd Dash to a place where her partner could catch up on foot and guarantee they got the credit. Of course if she was skilled enough she could shoot to just injure her quarry and slow her down. The smart choice would be for the Pegasus to allow herself to be herded around for now, and look for a later chance to escape.

Dash threw herself forward and charged headlong down the street, legs carrying her as fast as they could. Her reckless charge must have surprised the sniper, because she made it halfway before another shot hit the ground a short ways away. She began to jink from side to side, the extreme range making accurate anticipation of her moves impossible.

The street terminated at a T-shaped intersection, the cross street leading to another part of the industrial sector one way, and the more heavily populated residential and commercial sectors the other way. Dash turned right and continued running full-tilt, heading to the population center. More people meant more cover, and the hunters would face heavy fines and possible criminal charges if bystanders were harmed by their actions. They couldn’t do much to Dash at this point except increase the bounty on her head, so she left the safety of the uninvolved citizens to the hunter’s sense of professionalism and good aim. She had bigger things to worry about.

The most upscale lodgings in the city had instantly been out of consideration when Applejack and Twilight considered where they might stay, because of a lack of both funds and ID that wouldn’t send up warning flags of criminal activity. They had been forced to discreetly canvas several locations, moving down the scale of class and finances until they found a hotel between the industrial and commercial sectors that was cheap and didn’t ask for ID. It was fittingly run down and smelled a bit like burned potatoes, but neither pony was planning on spending much time there.

Applejack gave the room a dubious glance and raised an eyebrow at Twilight. “There’s only one bed.”

“Um, yes.” Twilight said, unwilling to step in and be the first to test the carpet’s consistency. “The larger rooms were needlessly expensive.”

“Well that bed is hardly big enough fer even a single pony, ‘an Ah’m not gonna sleep on this floor.” Applejack prodded the carpet with an exploratory hoof and found it to be passably inoffensive.

Twilight sighed. “Maybe we can sleep in shifts then, it’ll only be for a few days anyways.”

A door slammed open down the hall, causing both ponies to jump. Twilight dove to one side and Applejack leapt into the room to avoid a blue Pegasus who charged straight past them, ran through the room and dove through the window. Hot on her heels was a human woman with an almost comically large gun in her hands who was shouting and swearing almost incomprehensibly. The two ponies looked at the hole in the wall where the window had been, then at each other.

“I say we go tell the manager what happened and then go get something to eat.” Twilight said.

“Sounds fine ta me.” Applejack replied, stepping out into the hall and closing the door. “Ah really hope that sort o’ thing ain’t normal ‘round here.”

“I imagine it would make it really hard to sleep.” Twilight laughed. “And kind of cold. Although I suppose that would explain why the window popped out of the frame so easily.”

“Ah hate ta think that this buildin’s that shoddy. That sort o’ thing don’t help a body sleep at night too well.” They reported the broken window to the bored looking receptionist, who gave a vague promise of something possibly being done about it, and headed out into the city once more.

They stopped at a roadside stand to buy sandwiches made with something called ‘soylens viridians’, which tasted passably like some sort of indeterminate edible thing, and Applejack assured Twilight was for the most part more nutritious than it tasted. As they walked away, a blue Pegasus mare jumped down from a balcony above and landed on the metal trailer. Shouting a quick apology, she leapt down to the street and galloped away.

“Huh” Applejack wondered aloud. “Wonder why she ain’t usin’ her wings.”

Twilight’s reply was drowned out by a loud thud as a human woman fell from the same balcony the Pegasus had come from and rolled off the stand’s roof. The owner, a skinny human man with a tic in his left eye, leaned out of the service window and shouted at her as she ran down the street after the pegasus. “Are you insane?! Stay off of my trailer!”

Two Dig Dogs in armor hit the trailer roof with a deafening crash, bringing the stand down around the owner. “My sandwich stand! You maniacs, you crushed it!” The man was livid, standing in the middle of his ruined food stand and shaking his fist as the Dig Dogs stumbled away in the wrong direction.

“Crazy.” Applejack mumbled around her sandwich.

“That Pegasus seemed kind of familiar…” said Twilight. “Wasn’t she the one who broke the window in our room?”

“’s why Ah said it was crazy.” Applejack swallowed a large bite. “Kind of a weird coincidence. Ah wonder why they’re chasin’ her.”

“They’re practicing a musical!” A blue-skinned creature with one eye and more arms than any other feature piped up cheerily as he walked by. “Just kidding, that’s the Hunt! It’s a thing we do here to attract publicity.”

“An’ what is this Hunt thing?” Applejack asked.

“Just what it sounds like, bounty hunters competing to take down a single target.” The creature waved the arms on one side of its body. “I gotta get going, if the Hunt’s moved in to this district things are gonna get messy real fast.”

Appejack shook her head sadly. “Turnin’ huntin’ people in ta sport? There’s somethin’ wrong with this city Ah tell ya.”

“I was thinking more of the bounty hunters.” Twilight admitted. “If one of them recognizes us and word might get back to Nightmare Moon that we survived.”

“Ah horseapples.” Applejack intoned. “We’re gonna have ta sneak out o’ the city again, aren’t we?”

A few times Rainbow Dash felt a pang of regret at wreaking someone’s livelihood as she lead her pursuers on a rampage through the more heavily populated districts of the city, but she had a plan and refused to just give up. Nobody had ever really opposed the Hunt, at least in large enough numbers to even be noticeable. The city’s justice system wasn’t so corrupt as to start pulling random citizens in on trumped-up charges to throw them to the Hunt, and most criminals weren’t in a position to publicly protest.

There was a way to get the citizens of Rift City riled up about the Hunt, but it was more than a little risky and would more likely than not make her even more of a wanted criminal. That was fine; she wasn’t planning on staying in this city any longer than she had to. You couldn’t put The Dash on trial for having a little fun, or a lot of fun as it was in most cases, and expect her to just go along with it!

Her plan was simple: cause as much trouble and destruction in the commercial sectors of the city, preferably the expensive kind of trouble, and get the citizenry to direct their rage and frustrations at the Hunt officials for not preventing it. It would have been easier with the use of her wings, but she was no slouch on hoof, and easily kept a comfortable distance from her pursuers. A few more bounty hunters and Dig Dog enforcers had joined in the chase, but only Mel of the Scourge Sisters had managed to stay with her the entire time.

Leaping over an ornamental fountain, she carefully kicked the water-spouting cherub on the top in the face so its head broke off. At this point she had to admit to herself that after trampling several hotels, stores, restaurants and one sandwich stand she was just having fun. Spying a flower shop, she ducked in through the front entrance and shouldered her way through the back storage rooms and out the back door, a single red rose held carefully in her teeth.

Dash came to an abrupt halt in front of a café where a grey Pegasus mare with a blonde mane was eating a muffin. She dramatically presented the rose to her. “Though we have only met today, I feel as if our hearts have been bound together from the dawn of time!” One lime colored eye swiveled up to meet Dash’s rose-tinted pair. The grey pegasus’s other eye wandered disconcertingly to one side. Dash forged ahead regardless.

“I present this single rose,” She quickly side-stepped a bola thrown from across the street which went on to wrap a waiter up along with a tureen of soup “As a sign of my undying pledge to always love you!” One of her wings chose an inopportune moment to spasm randomly, allowing the next bola to hit her, but not with the right angle to tangle around her. Instead, it smashed in to the table and obliterated the half-eaten muffin in a spray of crumbs.

“Curses!” A short green man carrying a comically large bola cannon shouted from his vantage point atop a van on the other side of the street. “Stand still and let me catch you!”

The blonde Pegasus turned her attention to the bounty hunter who had ruined her meal. “Hey! You!” Her wandering eye snapped to the fore to bring her full focus on the little man. “You’re gonna pay for that!”

The little green man scoffed. “You must be joking! The mighty and illustrious-“

“FOUR-NINTY-NINE PLUS TAAAX!” As battle cries went, it wouldn’t go down in history as one of the greats, but the Pegasus behind it certainly put enough feeling into it.

Dash fled the chaotic scene, hoping the fight would distract her pursuers long enough to make up for her delay.

Attempting to hide aboard one of the departing razor trains wasn’t an option for AJ and Twilight this time, security within Rift City was much tighter than it had in the stations outside. Luckily there was a slightly less secure motorpool with plenty of vehicles insulated against the biting cold environment on the other side of the dome. Most of them were simple trucks made more for their hauling capacity than speed, or maintenance ATVs that could only carry a single rider and a toolbox. More useful to them were the heavy, six-wheeled rovers intended for longer treks out into the wastes.

Unfortunately special permission was required to use these, and neither earth pony nor unicorn was willing to waste their time and risk their cover talking to some administrative drone about permits. Sneaking past or knocking out the guards would have to suffice, along with the hope that they could actually get a vehicle running once they made it there.

Oddly enough the motorpool was completely deserted when they arrived. Even so, they slunk through the doors cloaked by subtle spell from Twilight that muffled the sound of their hooves on the concrete floor. They found the guards a little ways in, spread out on the floor and all bearing hoof-shaped bruises.

“Looks like we aren’t the first ponies here.” Twilight observed. “Keep an eye out for trouble.”

“Can’t say Ah mind havin’ the hard work done for us,” Applejack nudged one of the unconscious guards with her foot as they passed by. “but Ah’d rather not have ta fight whoever did this.”

“Come on, if we’re lucky they’ll already be gone.” Twilight trotted over to the first wasteland rover in the line and probed it with her magic. Gentle lights played over its sides and around the doors for a moment, and then all of the locks clicked open at the same time.

“Handy.” AJ scrambled up footholds never intended for hooves beneath one of the doors. “Bet you got yerself in a whole heap o’ trouble learnin’ that trick.”

“I may have gotten in to one or two places my teachers didn’t want me to.” Twilight giggled at the memories.

AJ opened the door and started climbing into the cab, but stopped halfway in. Across from her a blue Pegasus with a rainbow-striped mane was doing the same.

“Hey there, Rainbow Dash, at your-“ The Pegasus started.

“What’s taking so long, why’d you stop?” Twilight pushed her way up beside her earth pony companion. “Oh, hello.”

Dash grinned. “You fillies headed my way?”

“Depends.” Twilight forced her way up into the cab and reached back to help AJ up. “Which way would that be?”

“Wherever the winds of the heart may guide me!” Dash hauled herself up alongside the other ponies. “But mostly away from the explosions.”

“What explosions?” AJ asked suspiciously.

Right on cue a set of doors on the opposite end of the motorpool exploded inward, shrapnel pinging off the sides of the assembled vehicles. Dash slammed the door behind herself and made her way up to the driver’s seat of the rover. “Those explosions, which are gonna be followed by a bunch of really annoying bounty hunters in a minute.” She rummaged around beneath the steering column for a moment and came up with a pair of wires. “Ok, let’s hope these are the right ones, ‘cus I have no idea what I’m doing right now!”

The frayed ends of the wires came together with an impressive spark, and the vehicle’s antitheft alarm went off. Dash looked sheepish as Twilight rolled her eyes and AJ closed the remaining door. The blue Pegasus dove into the front console once more, but Twilight beat her to it, sending a beam of faint purple light into the tangled mess of wires. “Tell me what I’m looking for.” She said “These things are kind of new to me.”

Dash shrugged. “I’ve never actually hotwired a car before. I can usually get my hooves on the keys first.”

AJ sighed. “These things use a SH type 66 fuel cell engine. You’re lookin’ for a thick yellow an’ black striped wire. Give it a little jolt o’ power fer a few seconds an’ it’ll start up.”

Twilight and Dash stared at her for a second, then turned back to the mess of wires. After a few moments Twilight sent a spark of magic into it and the vehicle grumbled to life. The Pegasus took the wheel, and the unicorn turned back to AJ.

“How did you know how to do that?” She asked, more curious than judgmental.

“We had a similar rig on the farm.” Said AJ as she strapped herself in to one of the seats. “That was uh, lackin’ in the traditional startin’ mechanism department. So we had to get creative.”

Comprehension dawned on Twilight’s face as she followed suit in the seat beside AJ. “It was ‘salvaged’ goods, right?”

“Somethin’ like that.” AJ muttered. “Hey, Rainbow Splash or whoever you are, you got a plan for keepin’ them bounty hunters off our tails?”

“That’s Dash!” Came the reply. “And unless they can run really fast, they aren’t gonna be able to keep up!”

“What about the other vehicles?” asked Twilight.

“Tried all of them already.” Dash revved the engine and the rover lurched forward, towards a set of bay doors that was opening with painful slowness. The smoke from the wreaked door on the other side of the garage was clearing, and whoever was coming through would be arriving soon. “This is the first one that should still work.”

“But there must be at dozen different vehicles in here!”

“Yep, told you this was my first time doing this. Hang on, it’s gonna get bumpy!” Six tires squealed on the pavement and the rover shot forward, clipping the doors on both sides, replacing the squeal of rubber with the screech of metal. Then they were free, bounding along the rough permafrost surrounding Rift City.

“Yeehaw!” AJ whooped, while Twilight looked slightly ill.

“Ah yeah!” Dash turned around with a wide grin plastered on her face. “I knew I could do it! You fillies just leave this to the Dash and everything will turn out-“

A thunderous crash accompanied by the groan of rending metal drowned her words out. Behind them, a massive draconic shape covered in thick plates of armor tore its way free of the remnants of the doors and charged after them, roaring in berserk fury.

“Oh crap!”

“Oh crabapples!”

Dash swore a little more colorfully than her companions and stomped on the accelerator as hard as she could. “A bucking Meta-Dragon?! They sent a Meta-Dragon after us?! Who are you two?!”

“Just drive!” AJ shouted.

“What the hay is that thing?!” Twilight turned herself all the way around in her seat to get a better look.

“It’s a big, nasty robot that wants ta eat us! Do ya need ta know anythin’ else?!”

“Why does a robot want to eat us?”

“You shore that’s the right question to be askin’?!”

“No, you’re right, I should be figuring out how to stop it.” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Just because it’s big and tough doesn’t mean I can’t find a way to…”

“Well,” said AJ “You know what they say. ‘The bigger they are…’”

“…the bigger the spell you have to use on them!” Twilight struggled free of her safety belts and opened the side door, letting in a bone-chilling wind.

“That’s not exactly how th’ saying goes.” AJ rolled her eyes and grabbed on to Twilight’s tail to keep her from falling out of the rover. The Meta-Dragon was gaining on them, flapping its wings to give itself enough lift to take exaggerated steps that passed over the bumps and hills the ponies’ vehicle had to navigate.

Twilight’s horn began to glow as she drew on her vast reserves of power and channeled them in to a spell. A tiny star-bright nova formed at the tip of her horn, bright red light seething with destructive energy. The Meta-Dragon roared once more, and Twilight gave the barely-contained magic a pinpoint opening to seep through.

A searing beam of needle-thin flame swept out from the purple unicorn’s horn with a sound like tearing silk, igniting the air around it and leaving phantom lines in the vision of anyone looking at it. The beam cut off with an audible snap, and the Meta-Dragon’s roar became a scream. The spell had raked across its open mouth, cutting cleanly through its lower jaw and scoring the armor of its neck plates. It faltered, but regained its composure and resumed the chase.

“It ain’t gonna stop comin’ ‘till it’s dead, Twi! You gotta finish it off!” AJ shouted over the rushing wind.

Twilight concentrated once more, this time shaping the red spark into a flat disc with jagged edges. The aura of power around her horn stuttered, and the spell escaped, tumbling through the air towards the robot chasing them. Twilight gasped and reached out with her magic, stabilizing the disc in time to shear through one of the Meta-Dragon’s wings, causing it to go tumbling to the ground in an avalanche of steel.

AJ pulled the exhausted unicorn back into the rover and shut the door. “Whoo! That was some impressive spell-slingin’ right there Twi! Good thinkin’ with that wing!”

Twilight laughed nervously. “I was aiming for the neck…”

Mel the bounty hunter stood in the wreckage of the former motorpool and swore softly to herself. At the sound of a footstep behind her, she spun around, recently obtained gun at the ready. A dark skinned woman with long black hair and a long-barreled rifle slung over one shoulder regarded her with a bored look.

“You let her get away.” She said for not the first time today.

Mel growled. “They sabotaged all the rovers and that damn dragon smashed the ATVs. What was I supposed to do, sprout wings and fly after them?”

Her partner sighed and held up an electronic device. “No, but you can make up for it by getting us a ticket out of here. At least one of us had the presence of mind to put trackers on all the vehicles.”

“I’m not a damn psychic, I can’t predict the future!” Mel grabbed the tracker and glared at its screen. “And if you’re so capable on your own why don’t you get us a spot on the trains yourself?”

“Mel.” The sniper put a hand on Mel’s shoulder.

“Shut it Tiana! I’m gonna find the nearest bar and start a fight after a few drinks. Don’t interrupt me.”

Next time, on Samurai Twilight:

Crystal grass crackled under their hooves like shards of glass, their steps leaving a trail of pulverized shards. This was a truly alien landscape, one touched by a power not of this world. The three ponies felt a deep sense of dread within their hearts that told them to run away and never look back, and yet they also felt something deeper calling them. As they passed a stand of fractal trees wrought from crystal like clear water, a dry breeze rustled their branches with a sound like a hundred wind chimes…

Episode Six: The Singing Forest

Episode 2: The Pony Called Twilight

Long ago in a distant land, I, Nightmare Moon, the shape shifting mistress of darkness unleashed a never-ending night! But, a foalish pony warrior, wielding a magic stone stepped forth to oppose me! Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung her into the future, where my darkness is law! Now the foal seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Nightmare Moon!

Samurai Twilight
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro studios
Samurai Jack belongs to Cartoon Network

Episode 2: The Pony Called Twilight

Twilight fell endlessly through the void between times, many colorful but ultimately inaccurate metaphors for her current situation presenting themselves as moments stretched into eternity and eternity became an instant. The novelty wore off quickly, and Twilight found herself desperately wishing it would end. As if in answer to her prayers, the time vortex split open and deposited her back in the material world.

Relieved to have her hooves on tangible ground once more, Twilight took stock of her surroundings. She was in a building of some kind, abandoned from the empty and partially ruined look of things. The floor and walls were bare and grey, the windows shattered and the ceiling sagging in places. Whatever it had been in the past, it was not just a sad skeleton of a building. Twilight picked her way around holes in the floor and piles of rubble to look out the nearest empty window frame.

Her mouth gaped open at the sight of the largest city she had ever seen, many times larger than Canterlot, made up of great towers like a forest of metal and stone. Boxy chariots whizzed through the air at dizzying speeds without having to be pulled by pegasi. There were so many lights Twilight couldn’t tell if it was day or night, and the sky was choked with hazy, orange clouds- so no help in determining if Nightmare Moon’s eternal night prevailed from that front.

Several dark, blocky shapes approaching the building from a distance caught Twilight’s attention. Something about the smooth, unnatural way they moved worried her, and she began to search for a way down. A ruined stairway proved to be the only viable, albeit slightly perilous, option. After descending several floors, she began to wonder just how tall the tower was. No structure could have been built this large without magical support in the Equestria she knew, and as far as she could tell, her surroundings were mundane. This brought up the nagging question of where she was and what kind of place it was.

A glance through one of the many holes in the walls showed Twilight that the floating objects were cylindrical with open vents on the bottoms. Sparks fell from the vents, and Twilight was filled with dread as she sensed that an immense amount of energy was building up within them. Leaping down the stairs three at a time, she wracked her brain for any ideas that might help her escape the building faster.

Above the building’s roof a loudspeaker crackled to life. “The demolition of Nocturne City block D77 will now commence. Our life sign scanners have picked up- NOTHING! We don’t have any scanners installed, hah! If anyone is still in block D77, you’re getting demolished too. Have a nice day!” The speaker clicked off, and the cylinders began to emit a low hum.

Twilight weighed her options, and decided against jumping out a window for the time being. While she could slow her fall somewhat with magic, it probably wouldn’t be enough to prevent injury. Still, as the hum from above became a rumble, she couldn’t think of any other way to escape in time. Most of what the broadcast had said meant little to her, but demolition was very clear.

With a roar like an erupting volcano, the demolishers unleashed barely-contained rays of Vulcan fury upon the building, melting, burning and smashing the structure to bits. Even at the level Twilight was at the floor and walls began to crack, dust choking the air around her. With no exit in sight, the unicorn resigned herself to a long fall from a window.

She was saved the trouble of jumping when the demolisher beams pierced through enough of the supporting walls and the building sagged, breaking into massive chunks that began to obey the inexorable call of gravity. Twilight nearly panicked as she lost her footing, but her years of training and discipline took over and she kicked off from the crumbling floor into a slow flip.

A burst of magic propelled her between slabs of concrete and out of the way of jagged metal support beams, allowing her to ‘land’ on another chunk of rubble and push herself in another direction. Navigating a moving debris field in free-fall had never been a part of her training, but Twilight was able to apply the acrobatics practice and her analytical mind to the problem.

Despite this, she still had quite a few more close calls than she would have liked, and wound up bruised, scratched and covered in dust as she worked her way upward though the crumbling tower. The demolishers shut off their beams, the laws of nature completing their job for them. From atop the settling pile of debris, Twilight watched them depart before turning her attention to the containment field surrounding the block.

As the dust cleared, three odd figures outside the barrier came into view. One was a squat biped with no neck, resembling a giant potato with limbs more than anything else. Beside it was a creature that was snake from the neck, or what passed for a neck, down, with a rounded head and a ragged mane of hair. The third was, thankfully, a completely normal griffon.

“Dang girl, that was totally hussizzle,” It took Twilight a moment to realize the short one was actually speaking to her. “You’s so totally forizzle you’re beyond brahmanizzle!”

The snake-thing chimed in “You were all dassssh-a-matic and jump-e-ssssstatic!”

“Yo, yo, were that for real girl?” The griffon’s speech was little better than the others. “We thought you was off the chain when our peepers espied you in yonder domicile with them demo-flyers creepin’ up.”

“But you wasss all ssszzzam! Whop-ahm! Pchoooo!” The snake, who seemed to be spraying as much as she was saying, excitedly hissed.

“An’ then you stuckizzle the landinnizzle! Just stantin’ there so chillaxinnizle, them boyz don’t even know what to do!”

Twilight raised an incredulous eyebrow as the three continued to, presumably, praise her narrow escape from the building.

“But yo, how you gonna decipher this conundrum before you girly?” The griffon tapped the force field with one claw. “Them demo-dudes ain’t gonna acquiesce to your transmission through this here barrier, no matter how chill you might be.”

Twilight studied the shimmering curtain of light for a moment. “Well, if I surround myself with a properly-tuned field of magic…” Her horn glowed, and she became softly luminescent as she stepped forward, passing through the wall with a little effort. “There, that did it.”

Her three fans stood agog, rendered speechless for a moment. But only a moment.

“Shazizzle! You just got more and more tricks up the hizzle!”

“You’ssss jusssst a trick-a-matic ssstuntss-a-delic!”

“Uh, thank you, I guess.” Twilight said. “If I might ask, where exactly am I?”

“Girl, you’s in the gutter levizzle of Nocturne Citizzle sector D7!” The short, hairy creature seemed a bit less excited at this.

“The ssssmeliessst” The snake’s spitting seemed almost purposeful this time, at least she aimed it out of the way.

“Most excrement-ridden” The griffon frowned.

“Crowdedizzl-est industrializzle and residential creep on the planetizzle!”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t entirely understand, but I have a lot of questions and not a whole lot of time. Who is in charge here? I need to speak with them.”

The trio laughed uproarisly, as if she had just told the funniest joke they’d ever heard.

“Oh girly, you don’t see Nightmare Moon! Nightmare Moon sees you!” The griffon gestured to the side of a nearby building with one wing.

Twilight gasped. The entire wall was dominated by a mural, animated through some enchantment, of the dark alicorn eating a sandwich of some kind before drinking a greenish fluid from a cup with all signs of enjoying it. A name she didn’t recognize flashed over the image before the whole scene repeated. Looking around at more of the city, she could see more murals, and non animated posters as well, all bearing Nightmare Moon’s image.

“She’s the Mistrizzle of Misfortune.”

“The Dealer of Darknessssss!”

“The Queen of Calamity!”

“NO!” Twilight cried out. “How can this be?!”

“Don’t know.” The three shrugged, or in the case of the snake woman, looked clueless. “Just always beenizzle that way.”

“This- I-“ Twilight stammered. “But-“

“Yo girl, you’s lookin’ a mite bit indisposed.” The gryphon seemed genuinely concerned.

“What sssshe needsss isss a little liquid refresssssh-a-ment!” The snake pointed with her tail to a nearby door, which was to Twilight’s eyes, exactly the same as any other.

“Wordizzle! That joint be the bussizzle happenizzle! They hook you up, girlizzle!”

Twilight stepped up to the door with some hesitation and knocked four times. A thin metal flap near the top slid open, followed by a grunt of frustration before another closer to the bottom slid open. A bloodshot pair of eyes peered out at her.

“Yeh? Whaddaya want?” A gruff but also slightly squeaky voice addressed her rudely. It sounded a bit like the owner had a naturally high-pitched voice and was trying to sound intimidating.

“Ah, I was told this was a place I could find refreshment in.” Twilight glanced warily up at the higher slot, worried she might see a second pair of eyes peering down at her.

“Yer? An’ who d’ya fink you ‘re?”

Twilight glanced back to her trio of fans for help. “I don’t have any credentials!”

“Yo Mac, our girl here’s the hussizzle! She chill, we’ve got her backizzle!” The hairy man made an odd gesture with his hand, and for a moment Twilight thought he was making a poor attempt at magic.

The doorkeeper snorted in irritation and slapped the peepholes shut. With an audible grunt accompanied by the shriek of un-oiled hinges, it hauled the metal door aside. A solid wall of sound assaulted Twilight’s ears, blasts of what could have been musical notes accompanied by throbbing bass so heavy it felt like physical blows. Flattening her ears against her head, Twilight winced and made her way in.

The three creatures who had greeted her outside hadn’t prepared the displaced unicorn for the crowd that awaited within the establishment, beings of all shapes and sizes imaginable and more rubbed shoulders, traded intoxicated punches and sucked down various beverages. Some walked on two legs; some on four and a few had more or even none. More… shapely examples of certain species danced inside glass spheres or in cages suspended above the crowd, thrusting and gyrating in time with the deafening music. The doorkeeper himself was a wall of living stone, a mountain on legs with a light coating of lichen.

Twilight was so caught up in the new sights she didn’t realize that her mouth was hanging open and that she was openly staring. A few of the more temperamental clients took notice.

“What’re you staring at?” A heavily-muscled biped with slimy tentacles for hair demanded. “Weirdo.”

“Yeah,” a second voice responded from its stomach. To Twilight’s surprise the creature’s head detached itself from the body and slithered on to the counter. The body’s arms uncrossed to reveal a lumpen face in its center. “Weirdo.”

“I-I was just- I mean I wasn’t-“ Twilight stammered, totally at a loss. The overwhelming new sights, overpowering music and unfamiliar environment were putting her on a course rapidly approaching sensory overload. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“You can apologize better than that!” The stocky ‘body’ creature stomped up to her. “With your blood!”

A meaty fist struck the side of Twilight’s head with enough force to send her stumbling back into the side of one of the cages. The dancer within, a six-legged pony-like creature, paused her dance long enough to get a good look at Twilight as she regained her footing.

Twilight stood and faced the burly creature. “Please, I didn’t mean to offend, I’m new here, this is all new to me.”

The round, tentacle creature barked with laughter. “It’s too late for that, horsie.”

Twilight gave diplomacy one more try as her antagonist donned a pair of metal-studded gauntlets. “I don’t mean anypony harm, nopony has to get hurt.”

“Hah! You should spend less time talking and more time running!” The creature swung its fist at Twilight once more, but this time, she was not there.

A flash of magic from overhead caught its attention, and it looked up in time to see the blast of fire Twilight threw at it before its gauntlets were burned to ash and its hands scorched. As it snarled in pain, its partner put a tentacle up to its mouth and whistled.

Heavyset, headless thugs from all over the bar, each identical to the one who had attacked Twilight shouldered their way through the crowds to surround the unicorn. They bore a motley collection of crude hand weapons, jagged bits of metal made for chopping and stabbing.

High above the heaving mass of dancing, drinking and brawling club patrons, an insectoid DJ slapped a segmented limb against a control panel and the music changed. A fast, aggressive beat filled the room, the dancers changing their movements to match it. The thugs took this as their cue, and leapt as one towards Twilight.

People didn’t come to the club just to drink or enjoy the company of the dancers, some of the more discerning clientele recognized it as an excellent place to conduct their business hidden by the rather intense club atmosphere. Such individuals or groups could pay a minor fee to make use of insulated booths that helped to tone down the overwhelming flood of music.

One such booth was occupied by a massive hybrid of a man, a fish, and a lizard, all of them bad-tempered. He guzzled down a pitcher of fermented fungus squeezing and belched. In front of him sat three ponies, two colts and a mare.

“So, what d’you say? D’you think you can help us?” The first colt asked. He had an amber coat and mane, with green eyes under a wide-brimmed Stetson.

The fish man grabbed the pony by the collar of his vest and began to shout. “G’FLOBBAH FUT’ARGH N’TMAGGAN M’OO-NON P’TEO GHOOFUU T’SOFEYO!” He released the colt’s vest and stormed out of the booth, leaving the door partially open behind him.

“Ah don’t think he’s gonna be helpin’ us.” The pony disappointedly straightened his vest.

“Eeyup.” The other colt, a large, well-muscled pony with a red coat and dull orange mane intoned as he casually chewed on a sprig of wheat.

“Well, what’re we gonna do now?” The third pony, a mare with an orange coat and blonde mane, asked. “We’ve asked nearly everybody ‘round these parts.”

The sounds of a slightly larger than usual brawl from across the room caught their attention.

“Hey, what about that pony?”

Brutish and simple as they were, the attackers were intelligent enough to fight as a group rather than attack one at a time, forcing Twilight to dodge and weave around multiple attacks at once. Luckily for her they were unskilled and relied on brute force. If nothing else, she could have used her superior agility to simply allow them to exhaust themselves or possibly trick them into striking one another, but that would be a waste of time she was sure she didn’t have.

Besides, one or two of the thugs had crudely-devised projectile weapons built in to their armored gauntlets, which they fired indiscriminately. They might not have cared, but Twilight was worried about the risk to any bystanders- innocent or otherwise. Remembering her basic combat training, she formed her magic into a thick but nonsolid shield that would catch and slow the projectiles instead of ricocheting them around the room.

Twilight dealt with the melee weapon carrying thugs using carefully controlled spells to disarm them and give them painful but not life-threatening injuries, mainly a collection of minor burns and bruises. The relative ease with which she did this soon had them hesitating to attack, hoping that one of their allies would step in first. When none of them proved brave enough to, the burly creatures melted back into the crowd, nursing various injuries. Their tentacled leader snarled in frustration and scuttled off along the bar.

“Wow!” The Stetson wearing pony watched the scene with obvious admiration. “D’you think we could get her ta help?”

“Hmm. Guess you could always just ask. But be careful Braeburn.” The big colt had dropped his wheat stalk while watching the fight, but pulled a fresh one from somewhere.

“First sign o’ trouble an’ you git right back, y’hear?” The mare cautioned.

“’course I will cousin!” Braeburn straightened his hat and stepped out of the booth. “Ah’m always careful!”

“An’ that’s what worries me.” The mare said as he walked away.

Twilight shook bits of shrapnel from her mane and looked for a place to sit. It had been a rough day so far and a drink would not be amiss. She was interrupted by a polite cough from behind.

“’scuse me miss, could I have a moment o’ your time?” The speaker was a, amber colt about her age wearing a brown vest and matching hat. Twilight eyed him suspiciously, glad to see another pony but wary of anyone she encountered in this strange place. “Now ah don’t mean you no harm, ah’m not lookin’ to cause ya trouble.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, today hasn’t been going well for me. I’m a little on edge, and being attacked hasn’t helped.”

The colt’s eyes widened a little. “Hey, that’s old Equestrian you’re speakin’! It’s pretty rare to hear anybody speakin’ it these days!”

“Everypony speaks it where I come from.” Twilight shrugged.

“You’re not from around these parts, are you?” The colt brightened up. “Why don’t you come sit with me an’ my cousins, we’ll explain everything!”

Twilight hesitated, and then nodded in agreement.

“Great! Right this way!” The colt lead the way over to an enclosed booth where two other earth ponies sat. Such a mundane sight was very welcome in Twilight’s eyes after all she had encountered.

“My name is Braeburn, and this is AppleJack and Big Macintosh.” Braeburn introduced himself before gesturing to his two companions. Big Macintosh nodded politely.

“Howdy! It shore is nice t’ meetcha, miss-?” Applejack greeted Twilight with far less restrained enthusiasm than the big colt.

“Twilight. I’m Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight endured a powerful hoofshake from the mare before sitting down at the table.

Braeburn shut the door and sealed the booth, cutting out most of the background noise. “If you’d like somethin’, just use the screen in the middle of the table there, drinks are on us.”

Twilight eyed the center of the table, which had some kind of runic interface glowing on its surface. An exploratory poke with her hoof produced a change in colors and a beep. Encouraged by the lack of disaster, she prodded a few more of the runes until the interface chimed and became covered in a green banner.

“Uh, you sure ‘bout that sugarcube?” Applejack looked concerned.

“Why, did I do it wrong?” Twilight looked up, embarrassed that she had been so engrossed by the display.

“Um, no, it’s just, oh nevermind. It’s all right if that’s what ya wanted.” The group subsided into an awkward silence as they waited. A short while later, a three-eyed biped- Twilight made a mental note to start learning the names of these alien species- tapped on the door before opening it.

“Your refreshments.” She placed the drinks on the table before each pony; a curving and fluted bottle alongside a simple glass with ice in it for Braeburn, a fizzy drink so purple it nearly glowed for Apple Jack, and a tiny glass with a paper umbrella and a fruit skewer on the side for Big Macintosh. Twilight’s drink was in a metal box that steamed slightly. The server carefully set it down and donned gloves before opening it, taking out a thin crystal phial filled with pink fluid and a thick-sided crystal glass half-filled with a darker pink liquid. “Let this one sit for a few minutes after mixing it before you drink it. Remember, the management is not responsible for anything that results from you drinking this.” With those ominous words, she glided from the booth, shutting the door behind herself.

Apple Jack stared at Big Macintosh’s drink. “You ordered one o’ them girly frou-frou drinks again, didn’t ya?”

Big Macintosh sighed. “Eeyup, an’ ah’m gonna enjoy it too.”

“Hah!” Apple Jack laughed. “That’s mah brother for ya, all big an’ tough on the outside, but likes his frilly drinks when he can get ‘em!”

“Ah don’t see why it’s so funny.” Big Macintosh took a careful sip from his glass.

“So, ah, you two are siblings?” Twilight asked as she eyed her drink with suspicion.

“Yep! An’ Braeburn over here is our cousin, ain’t that right Braeburn?”

Braeburn finished pouring his drink into his glass. “Yep! We’re all proud members of the extended Apple family! Best and oldest agricultural providers in all the world!” He beamed with pride as if he had done it all with his own four hooves.

“And we’ve managed to keep our farms outta Nightmare Moon’s grasp fer as long as anypony can remember!” Applejack rivaled Braeburn’s look of pride with all her might.

“But that could all change,” Big Macintosh cautioned, “if we don’t stay vigilant.”

“Yeah, about that.” Twilight was grateful for the chance to interrupt. “I’m still a little confused. What’s happened in all this time? Where I come from is nothing like this.”

“Well, where d’you want us to start?” Braeburn began. “Far back as anybody knows Nightmare Moon’s ruled the world. Some people say it can’t have been longer than a thousand years, but she’s got a stranglehold on schoolin’ and history, an’ she always claims it’s been since the dawn o’ time.”

“So there’s no denying it then,” Twilight sighed “she must have sent me to the future or something. Although…” She thought for a moment. “An extreme-duration stasis spell would have the same effect…“ She stopped when she saw the lost expressions on the other pony’s faces. “Sorry, go ahead.”

Applejack continued where her cousin left off. “Even all the world isn’t enough fer her, so she opened th’ world up fer ‘trade’ with all the races o’ the galaxy. ‘course that’s just a trick an’ when they come ta see what Equestria – she named the whole planet that after the homeland of ponykind – is all about, she swindles ‘em outta everything they got! ‘cus o’ that we’ve got all sorts o’ mindless goons, unsavory mercenaries an’ who knows what else hangin’ ‘round.”

“Kinda inconsistent if y’ think about it.” Big Macintosh chimed in. “Claimin’ ta have ruled th’ world forever an’ then acknowledgin’ that ponies had ta get their start somewhere. But she’s unchallenged ruler of th’ world, so I guess she can be a mite inconsistent if she wants.”

“Which brings ta mind somethin’ that’s been botherin’ me, Twilight.” AppleJack pointed to Twilight’s flank. “Nightmare Moon claims that th’ marks on our flanks are ‘Pony Identification Points’ that she first made with her awesome powers. They’re supposed ta show our place in society. How come you have one if you’re not from ‘round here?”

“Where, or rather when I come from everypony gets theirs naturally when they discover their special talent. It’s been like that since before Nightmare Moon returned.” Twilight worked up enough courage to undo the stopper in the phial she had been given and poured the pink fluid into the glass. It bubbled slightly, and intoxicating fumes rose from the surface. “Which is another thing she’s lied about, before she ruled Equestria she was sealed in the Moon by her sister, Princess Celestia-“ she trailed off.

“What’s wrong Twilight?” Braeburn put down his drink.

“It’s just- I guess it finally hit me that if this is the future- if Nightmare Moon rules the world- then I failed.” Twilight’s nose drooped dangerously near the surface of her drink. “Princess Celestia was counting on me, and I let her down! And Spike… oh Spike, what must he have thought of me when I lost?”

Braeburn, Applejack and Big Macintosh looked uncomfortable.

“It’s all my fault.” Twilight pushed her drink aside and dropped her head to the table. “I’m sorry, you don’t want my help, I’ve done enough harm.”

Applejack gently patted her shoulder. “Come on now Twilight, plenty ‘a people have fought Nightmare Moon an’ lost. But ya gotta count yer blessin’s, y’ survived, right?”

“You gotta buck up an’ learn from yer mistakes.” Big Macintosh’s deep tones were reassuring. “Truth be told, your humility is a good sign. T’would be discouragin’ if you pointed th’ blame elsewhere.”

“That’s right! We’ve all had our… encounters with Nightmare Moon and her deplorable minions. And sometimes it didn’t turn out so good for us, but, we gotta keep on keepin’ on, for th’ sake of everypony left.” Braeburn finished off his drink in one gulp. “So what d’ya say Twilight Sparkle? We came here ta find someone with the guts and strength ta help us keep Nightmare Moon’s goons from overrunning Apple Orchards and taking it ta feed her armies. So far everybody’s turned us down, but, maybe, could we count on you?”

“But what can I do? I’m just one pony, and I’ve tried and failed before.” Twilight looked up into Braeburn’s hopeful face.

“The Apple family’s got numbers and the will ta fight, but we don’t have any trainin’. You proved yerself against that gang, if you could show us a bit o’ technique, an’ help us get organized, we could hold out against Nightmare Moon’s looters.” Applejack prodded Twilight. “An’ no-one should hafta stand by herself.”

Twilight lifted her head a bit. “So you really still want my help?”

Applejack smiled reassuringly. “Yep, an’ if yer still gonna fight Nightmare Moon ya gotta start somewhere, right?”

“I guess you’re right, sitting around feeling sorry for myself won’t accomplish anything.” Twilight straightened up and took a large swig from her drink.

Applejack and the others looked on in amazement and concern as Twilight’s face turned a deep red, then a bright pink. Her eyes twitched, and sparks flew out of her horn. She coughed up a small cloud of smoke, and then collapsed face-first onto the table. Braeburn gave her an experimental poke with one hoof.

Twilight sat bolt upright, practically crackling with energy. “Right! Let’s go!” She opened the booth door with her magic and herded the other three ponies out with one hoof. “No time to lose, let’s get moving!”

A certain six-legged pony, or half pony, as it were, watched the four go, carefully masking her interest behind wild dance motions. When they reached the front door, she hit a concealed button that lowered her glass ‘stage’ into the floor, to soon be replaced for another. Stepping out of the clear bubble, she grabbed a plain robe from a hook and shouted to the many-armed creature in charge. “I’m goin’ on break.” It nodded to her, and she exited the club through a discreet back door.

Pulling her robe tight around her neck, she trotted through deserted and filthy back alleys, passing ridiculous product advertisements featuring Nightmare Moon; dodging the occasional sanitation drone and scrambling across infrequently maintained bridges through and over major traffic lanes. Eventually she arrived at her goal, a Supplicant Transport Station. These crystal-topped buildings housed teleportation units that could be used to gain access to Nightmare Moon’s court, security around them was light, more interested in preventing sabotage than unauthorized use. Anyone could use the teleporters, but Nightmare Moon reserved the right to vaporize anyone she didn’t like.

The dancer, Spanglehooves, as she was known on stage, materialized in the reception chamber and groaned when she saw the long queue that had formed. Hopefully the dark empress would be in a vaporizing mood that would clear up by the time she got to the front of the line.

As luck would have it, she apparently was, because the line soon reversed, supplicants tripping over one another in their hurry to flee Nightmare Moon’s wrath. Spanglehoof crouched in the scant cover offered by a courtesy bench (complete with a meter coins had to be fed into in order to retract the deterrent spikes for a limited time) and waited the stampede out.

Once she was left alone in the rather bare reception chambers, she stood and made her way into the grand court of the Nightmare. A rich, deep purple carpet stretched over a sea of the darkest obsidian that swallowed all light beside the faint, ghostly reflections upon its surface. Quiet rumor was that the floor was actually a window into the deepest pits of the netherworld, and that the reflections were actually souls imprisoned by Nightmare Moon. The carpet ended in the center of the vast chamber, leaving supplicants without even the slightest illusions of being able to hide from the terrible gaze of their goddess.

Beyond the end of the carpet, on the other side of a flat expanse of floor that may as well have been a rift in the fabric of space, the grand throne of Nightmare Moon crouched like a barely-restrained feral animal. All elegant but fierce curves wrought from silver and lapis lazuli, it was studded with purple and blue gems that gave the impression of an eldritch beast covered in unwinking eyes. The Mistress of Misfortune herself lounged upon it, polishing a delicately armored hoof with a beam of destructive magic from her horn.

Spanglehoof prostrated herself before the seat of darkness, no mean feat for a pony with six legs, and awaited the goddess’s favor. After a few seconds that seemed to occupy years, the dark mare spoke.

“You are either incredibly brave or profoundly stupid to remain in my presence.” Nightmare Moon never shifted her gaze from the minute imperfection in the surface of her hoof. “Whichever it is, if you seek to waste my time you will suffer for it in the pit of hate!”

Spanglehoof swallowed back her fear. “My Empress, I bring great news-“

“What news could be considered great to the immortal Nightmare Moon?” The Dealer of Darkness glared out of the corner of her eyes at the insignificant creature that cowered before her.

“Representatives of the infamous Apple clan were in town, and they have recruited a unicorn warrior to their cause.” The six legged half-pony risked a glance upwards.

“WHAT? FOALS! How dare they continue to defy me!” Nightmare Moon leapt from her throne, stamping her forehooves on the glassy floor. “Show me!” The surface clouded, and an image took shape upon it. Nightmare Moon frowned. “That looks like a-“

Applejack, Braeburn and Big Macintosh stood by a dumpster in awkward silence as Twilight was rather loudly sick on the other side. The drink had given her a manic energy only long enough for her to lead them out of the club, down the street and realize that she didn’t know where she was going. The aftereffects were not pleasant.

“Ah’m sorry Twilight.” Braeburn looked sheepish as Twilight staggered back into view. “We shouldn’t’a assumed you knew how ta use the drink console.”

“We just figured you knew what you were orderin’.” Applejack handed Twilight a napkin to clean her face with.

“It’s- it’s ok.” Twilight felt rather like the universe had mugged her brain and left it lying in the gutters. On the positive side everything seemed to be in razor-sharp focus. On the negative side these razors were all pointed directly into her eyes and ears. “Just never let me do that again. Now, where were we going?”

“Ah’m not sure where you were takin’ us, but our vehicle’s parked over this way.” Big Macintosh lead them to a multi-leveled parking garage where a sleek flying chariot like the ones Twilight had seen earlier.

Nightmare Moon chuckled darkly. “So, foalish pony warrior, you have finally returned! It has been a long time, but now you will pay for my pain in the past with your pain in the present! Ahahahahaha!”

As she laughed, the image shifted to show an army of black-armored insectoid robots activating and marching out from a factory. The dark tide of Nightmare Moon’s army issued forth, prepared to sweep the land clean of any who would oppose the Queen of Calamity.

Most of the trip passed in a blur for Twilight, except for the parts where she asked Big Macintosh to pull over so she wouldn’t be sick on the interior. She was still feeling a little queasy from the drink, and moving so fast at such high altitude wasn’t helping. After what felt like a lifetime they slowed and approached a concrete landing pad, where a small group of earth ponies waited.

As soon as they touched down, Applejack jumped out of the vehicle and embraced the welcoming party. “Howdy y’all! We’re back, an’ we got someone ta help!”

Twilight staggered out of the vehicle, tripped over the doorframe and smacked into the dirt, face-first. There was an uncomfortable pause. She looked up at the assembled ponies. “S-sorry, I’m not used to going so fast…”

“Ah shoot, that’s our fault again Twilight.” Braeburn helped her up as Big Macintosh locked up the vehicle. “We keep forgettin’ how new all this is to ya.” He turned to the ponies gathered before them. “Everyone, this is Twilight Sparkle. She’s agreed ta help get us in ta shape ta fight Nightmare Moon’s goons!”

A hearty cheer rose from the group and Twilight was lead towards a veritable forest of apple trees. She found herself walking alongside a light orange filly with a large pink bow in her rose mane. “Hi! Mah name’s Apple Bloom! Applejack’s mah sister, an’ Big Macintosh’s mah brother!” Twilight smiled patiently as she listened to the little filly explain her entire family tree and everything about her family’s trees. The other ponies interjected with the occasional fact or to point out something Apple Bloom had missed, but for the most part she managed to impress Twilight with her knowledge. By the time they reached the barns and houses, it felt like she was a part of the family.

“They’re coming! They’re coming!” The moment was shattered by a panicked shout from a pony running from the other end of the farm.

“Calm down Caramel, who’s coming?” Big Macintosh questioned the yellow mare.

“Nightmare Moon’s army! It’s a whole swarm of drones!” Everypony gasped, and Applejack had to shout to be heard.

“Hey, listen ta me! Would everyone BE QUIET FER A MOMENT?!” The hubbub died down and all eyes turned to her. “Thank you. Now, everyone, we’ve talked about this, you know what ta do. Start preparin’ and we’ll join you as soon as we see what we’re up against. Twilight’s gonna show us how ta fight more effectively, and if we all stay calm an’ focus, we’ll get through this. Alright?”

The ponies murmured their agreement and split up to various parts of the farm. Apple Bloom gave Twilight a hug before departing. “She’s an adorable little filly, ain’t she?” Apple Jack smiled as her sister trotted off towards the houses. “An’ now you know what all we’re fightin’ for. Time ta see what we’re fightin’ against; it’s a bit sooner than ah’d hoped, but we’ll make do.”

A quick climb up a watchtower gave a good view of the land all around the orchards. Twilight was amazed at how vast the Apple Family’s property was, and noted how different kinds of fruits had been planted in groups to stagger the harvests. To the south an ominous cloud of dust peeked over the horizon.

Braeburn raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes and set his jaw grimly. Applejack nudged him. “What’ve we got Braeburn?”

“Biggest swarm o’ combat drones I’ve ever seen, even bigger’n the one that… took Appleloosa from us.” His voice had a hard edge to it. “It ain’t good, but I’m not backin’ down. Not now, not ever.”

“Ah understand Braeburn, we all do, but this ain’t th’ time ta be rememberin’ old grudges.” Twilight made a mental note to find out what they were talking about when they had time.

The purple unicorn narrowed her eyes and watched the gradually rising plume of dust, kicked up by thousands upon thousands of scurrying metal feet. They would be upon the farm by dawn.