The Prized Student

Chapters

Homecoming
Meeting the Dark Mare
Clashing Alicorns and Destinies
Planning
First glimpse of the new world
Locking Up a Nightmare

Homecoming

The road was silent. The trees were whispering long forgotten secrets to the wind, and let it carry them to any ear, who was willing to listen. There was a river in the distance, its murmur was filling the air with something akin to peace. The grass was leaning on the winds arms, letting it caress its back, creating a soft sound.

It was a perfect day for travel. A single pony was traveling towards the big city of Canterlot. She wasn’t in a hurry. She liked experiencing the nature around her, especially after a couple of centuries away from home. When the castle came into view, she stopped for a moment. She stood on a hill, which could be considered her last obstacle between the city and herself. She took a deep breath, tasting the energies of the environment.

Under the shadow of her dark brown cloak, a stripe of purple mane was sticking out, which she tugged back with a smile. Although she doubted that anypony except the princess or some of the Royal Guard would recognize her, she could not take any chances. The Princess asked her to be as discreet as possible and since the whole city was under a teleportation block spell, which forbid outsiders to teleport in, or anypony to teleport out, she was stuck to a cloak or an illusion spell.

But she doubted that the gates were not enchanted to dispel those and that would attract unwanted attention. So she chose the same old dusty cloak that protected her in the Bad Lands and the Desolation of Shadows.

She was surprised when she wasn’t checked at the gates. One would think, that the Princess would be extra careful considering the event that was destined to come in twenty-four hours. Maybe she overestimated the defense of the city. She will have some words about this with her old mentor.

The palace was a little more guarded. Four ponies stood at the Great Entrance and one of them raised his hoof, signaling her to stop, which she did.

“Who are you and what business do you have in the palace?”

The mare did not lower her hood, but the visible parts of her face broke into a gentle smile.

“My name is Twilight. I received a letter from Princess Celestia, in which she called for my counsel.” To prove her statement, a scroll levitated from under her cloak to the extended hoof of the stallion, surrounded by lavender colored magic.

The guard read the letter, his eyes growing bigger after each word. When he finished reading, he looked at the figure of the pony with amazement in his eyes.

“Pardon our rudeness Pri-“

He was suddenly cut off by the same lavender magic around his muzzle. The mare took the letter and placed it back under her cloak.

“I would appreciate that you would act like I wasn’t even here. The Princess wanted to be as discreet as possible.”

The stallion nodded hesitantly, then handed her a paper, so she can verify her presence between the palace walls and stepped a respectful distance out from her way, opening the doors for her and fighting every inch of his body which commanded him to at least show a little bow to the figure. But before he could decide his inner battle, the mare disappeared behind the door.

She met other guards on the hallway, who almost immediately let her go after seeing the paper. She was told that she will find the Princess in the throne room. Not that she would need any guidance this close to the alicorn, she could practically taste her magic surrounding the place. She didn’t even bother to knock, sensing the Princess to be alone.

She found her in front of a colored window that told the tale of her triumph over her sister. The alicorn looked just as eternal as she used to be, when she was still learning amongst these walls.

“It’s strange,” said the Princess. “after all those years I still remember her face. The way she screamed at me in that last moment.”

The old student stood still next to her old tutor, looking at the picture of Nightmare Moon, former Princess of the Night.

“I remember them too,” she spoke suddenly. “their faces. Some cause me to lose sleep, some don’t.” She shook her head and turned to the Princess. “What you said in your second letter. Are you sure about that?”

Celestia turned away from the window to answer, but she had to take a moment to take in the sight of her former student. Even though Twilight Sparkle reached alicornhood, she refused to take the crown without experience, just like the rest of the three. But unlike the other two, Twilight still kept in contact, remained in a reachable distance. But one’s change in appearance could not be told by the letters she wrote.

Twilight became taller, around the same height as Luna or Cadence. Her eyes held the promise of knowledge, her presence was fit for royalty. The hood of the cloak was down, so Celestia could see the beginning of an armor around, which looked like it was frequently needed. Twilight Sparkle truly had an aura of an immortal.

“I am certain. She will return this night.” She said, after managing to guide her thoughts back to the topic. “I need you to go to Ponyville and help as much as you can.”

Twilight snarled, which was a bad habit she couldn’t manage to shake off.

“I could be more at use here. Together, we have the chance to defeat her.”

Celestia sighed and gently shook her head.

She wanted to tell her Prized Student, she really did. There was a chance that Twilight already knew about the Elements. But she needed not to know, not to act like a puppet master in this. The foundation of the Elements must be real and not predesigned. It had to be true. But leaving her little ponies without an authority figure was anything but acceptable. Twilight was smart. She will find out something eventually.

“Please my Prized Student... Trust me.” She pleaded. “And don’t hold on to her hoof too strongly. Let her create her own destiny. Be there if needed, protect them if you must, but don’t take her opportunity to unfold.”

The alicorn of magic sighed in response and turned back to the picture on the glass.

“As you wish Princess.” Her eyes filled up with mischievous glee. “Now. Let’s talk about the holes in your security.”

Celestia just smiled. It was truly good, that her Prized Student was back.

Meeting the Dark Mare

It was already nighttime when Twilight reached Ponyville, where the Princess was going to hold the Summer Sun Celebration. The mare would rather have stuck with her mentor, but the alicorn reassured her that she will be needed in the town, and sooner she met the other student, the better. Twilight learned as much about this mare, as possible.

Her name was Sunset Shimmer and her special talent was, akin to her own, magic. Twilight frowned, when the Princess told her, that Sunset did not like to make friends. Forming bonds between other magicians is the best and most practical way of learning. This was a lesson she had to learn too, so she reminded herself no to prejudge.

Walking on the streets of Ponyville, some old memories threatened to come to the surface, which she pushed down. Everything was different, some more so, some less. But she knew a place, which would never change, so she assigned that as her destination, before she went to the library to meet Sunset Shimmer.

Sweet Apple Acres was just like she remembered. The apple orchard, the barn, the house, everything was filled with sweet memories. This was the house, where one of her dearest friends, Apple Pie and her husband, Crafty Hooves used to live. The current members of this family were their direct descendants.

Although it wasn’t as quiet as she remembered. But that may be the fault of the oncoming celebration. Whatever was the case, as soon as she stepped out of the shadows, which covered the road, leading to the farm house, the three ponies turned to her. Two mares and a stallion, one of the mares looked really old.

“Can Ah help yah with anything, Sugarcube?” asked the mare, wearing a cowboy hat. She must be the current head of the apple family.

“Oh, hello!” Twilight greeted them. “This may sound strange at this hour but can you please give me an apple pie? I will pay of course.”

The three ponies looked at each other for a moment, before the blonde turned back to her with a grin on her face.

“Well of course, dear.” She said, gesturing her to come closer to one of the stands. “Can Ah ask what are yah doing here at this hour? The celebration’s going to be held at dawn.”

“Yes, I am quite aware, Miss…”

“Oh, sorry. Name’s Applejack. This is my brother Big McIntosh and our grandma, Granny Smith. And you are…”

The pony lowered her hood, uncovering a gentle face with intelligent purple eyes. She wore a silver helmet, but her purple mane with the two stripes were clearly visible. Applejack took in her facial features, considering her height also. She could see, that the mare hid a warriors build under that cloak. Her horn was also three times as long as Rarity’s.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She said, extending a hoof, on which she wore more armor. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

From the direction of Granny Smith, a clear gasp was audible. Everypony turned in her direction, but the old mare didn’t seem to notice. She looked at Twilight with huge eyes filled with disbelief and hope.

“Is that you Princess?” Granny asked at last. Applejack, alarmed by the sudden revelation, took a few steps back.

The mare's smile became more gentle, as she lowered her head just a little to be approximately at the same height as the old pony.

“Please, Miss Smith. I am not a Princess yet. I just arrived home from my journey. Even though I am flattered and honored by your recognition, I would appreciate to hold this information among ourselves for a while. Is that possible?”

The old mare nodded and ceased the bow which she begun just a few moments earlier and sat back in her chair.

“What tha hay is going on?” Asked Applejack as soon as she found her voice.

“I must apologize for confusing you.” Said Twilight, her smile just as gentle as before. “As I said, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a former student of Princess Celestia and one of your family’s old friends.”

Applejack didn’t looked completely convinced.

“But Granny Smith just called you a Princess.”

The alicorn’s smile became brighter and she let out a small laugh.

“That is a common delusion in our era. I am indeed an alicorn, but being one of my kind does not grant me the title of Princess immediately. At first, I must learn. I am not officially crowned yet, but the offer has already been made.”

Finally understanding the situation, Applejack took on a smile herself.

“I see. This is an interesting day indeed. Having two of the Princesses students come to visit, one of them being an alicorn none the less. And yah said that yah were a friend of our family?”

“Indeed.”

While chatting a little over the pie they ate, Twilight’s heart was filled with a warm feeling. Just like back then, when she was young and the farm was smaller but just as energetic. She told them about the family members she knew back then and they promised to introduce her to everypony, as soon as the celebrations were over.

It took almost two hours to cease their chit-chat, but eventually Twilight stood up, saying that she had to meet the other student and she was sorry for keeping them from their work this close to the celebration. They reassured the alicorn, that she was always welcomed there and promised to meet her at the celebration at dawn.

As Twilight was heading back to the town, she couldn’t help but feel mad at herself for not warning the family about the return of Mare in the Moon. She refused to call her Nightmare Moon, after learning what led to Princess Luna’s downfall. She wanted to be sure that when the Princess of the Night would come back to herself, she will see at least one friendly face besides Celestia’s.

She just hoped, that Sunset Shimmer is ready to face what’s coming or at least she's quick learner. Looking up to the Moon she saw that the face of Mare in the Moon was gone.

She started to fear for the worse, so she spread her wings, feeling a moment of ease as the thin metal armor on her feathers let out a soft sound as the plates rubbed against each other. She felt safe inside her armor. It took half a century studying and hard work to enchant it the best way she could with rune magic.

She took off, cutting the air in her path, hoping that she wasn’t late. Knowing that the festival started at the town hall, she flew straight there. She wasn’t even close, but she already felt the presence of the other alicorn in the building. Her aura was disgusting. It wasn’t dark magic, but it was twisted enough to taste as such. It will take a great amount of time to turn it back to it’s original way.

She could tell, that inside the hall two ponies were battling. One was obviously the alicorn. The other was surprisingly strong for a unicorn, maybe at the level of a mediocre Battle Mage, but nowhere near her opponent. She was lucky that she felt the incoming shot before it was cast. Bursting in on the window, she landed right in front of the exhausted looking unicorn, spread her wings and created the strongest shield which she could manifest in that short amount of time.

Magical circles appeared, six to be exact, creating a purple barrier just the moment when the attack of Mare in the Moon was cast. The two spell collided and after a few minutes, cancelled each other out.

“Oh, and who might you be?” Asked the dark alicorn with interest in her voice.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She answered as calmly as possible. “You don’t need to introduce yourself Mare in the Moon.”

The alicorn’s face lit up. Twilight could just assume that the recognition felt good to the other pony. Somehow she doubted that, beside maybe the Princess’s student, anypony recognized her here in their shocked state.

“Another one who knows me!” Exclaimed the dark mare of the night. “Pray tell, do You know my purpose?”

Twilight tried not to lose her composure, but her feathers shivered for a moment.

“But of course.” She said finally, fully aware that everypony was looking at her direction. Currently she was these little ponies protecting figure in the absence of the Princess and she will NOT let them down. “Your purpose is to eradicate daylight so ponies could enjoy the wonders the night can offer. Am I right?”

A grin stretched on the other alicorn’s face.

“Precisely! Finally! Somepony who bothered to look at both sides of the coin!”

Twilight resisted the urge to take a deep breath. She took a moment to measure the other ponies. Most of them were scared and confused.

“Indeed I did.” She finally answered, fully aware that what she was going to say may as well be the catalyst of terrible events. “But sadly I can’t agree with you.” The frown on the other alicorns face was anything but encouraging. “What you’re doing right now is going to cause the downfall of Equestria and the suffering of every being in it. I can not allow that to happen.”

Mare in the Moon’s eternal mane started to swirl around the air, so did her tail. Her expression was grim, her magic ready to strike, but she did not do anything. Yet.

“That is surely an unfortunate thing to hear, for I can not allow somepony as strong as you to be on the opposing side of my reign. Surrender yourself in peace, or face me on the battlefield!”

Twilight sighed, but didn’t do anything. Reaching out to her magic, she summoned several magical circles and their number was increasing in every moment.

“I feared we might reach this conclusion.” She said in a sad but firm voice. “Though I hope we can agree that this town will not be fit to our battle.”

The dark mare looked around, seeing the scared faces of her little ponies, who may not love her as their ruler, but she wanted to earn their love and respect. The other alicorn by the name Twilight Sparkle was right. They can not battle here. For a moment, she didn’t want to fight the other mare. She seemed decent and powerful enough to make a very strong ally and she did not wear any crown, which means she wouldn’t threaten her monarch. But Twilight refused her offer and she didn’t believe in second chances.

“Wait!”

Twilight turned her head to the side, not daring to fully lose sight of the other alicorn, but she could already see Sunset Shimmer walking up to her right, but remaining behind her wing, which was still held out protectively on her side.

“You musn’t fight!” Said Sunset, looking deeply into the lavender alicorns eyes. “We need you!”

“Don’t stand in the way of her destiny.”

Twilight resisted the urge to shake her head, trying to chase away her mentors words. She didn’t know what was Celestia thinking, when she decided that the unicorn’s role was to defeat Mare in the Moon. It would just get her killed! Maybe the Princess knew something she didn’t?

This was bad. This was out of her control. She glanced back at Mare in the Moon, who was watching the unfolding scene with a curious expression, but was still ready to attack in any moment.

“You are Sunset Shimmer, right?” she asked finally and ignored the other pony’s shocked expression. “It’s okay. Go back to the library.” This was the most subtle way she could tell the other mare to go look for some solution without exposing the unicorns potential to the dark alicorn. “Everypony go to somewhere safe and stay inside!”

The alicorn of the night wasn’t offering any objections, so she took this as a signal of agreement. Sunset was, in contrary to almost everyone except a mare named Rainbow Dash and Applejack, resistant to stay at her side and fight, but the alicorn of magic was hearing none of it and ordered them to run as fast and as far as possible and don’t ever stop when they can’t even see the town hall.

When finally everypony cleared out and just the two of them remained, Mare in the Moon spoke first.

“I would have liked to have some witnesses, but I have to agree. It would put them in grave danger.”

Twilight said nothing as they started to circle around each other. The dark queen cocked her head to the side for a few moments. She couldn’t help but notice the young mare’s different approach. She was understanding to some level, smart to more some and dutiful for the rest. She truly would have made an excellent ally.

“Tell me.” She said, stopping her movement. “Are you my sister’s student?”

“I was.”

“Are there others?”

Twilight horn started to faintly glow with a teleportation spell, which Mare in the Moon mimicked.

“I’m afraid, that’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

The dark alicorns lips stretched to a smile, which was nothing like her previous grins. This seemed genuine.

“I see.”

Then they both vanished in a brilliant flash of light.

Clashing Alicorns and Destinies

They appeared at the same moment above the Everfree forest. Mare in the Moon was first to attack but Twilight managed to block it completely. For two whole minutes, they were just tasting what the other pony could offer. Different types of magic, reaction time, speed and special tricks. Under them a big part of the forest was almost completely destroyed, leaving an arena-like crater. After the two minutes passed, Hell broke loose.

Twilight knew the first moment she felt the other alicorn’s magical resources, that there was no way for her to win, even though her special talent was magic. But she was ready to go, to push the limits. The more weakened the dark alicorn was after their fight, the better options did the yellow unicorn had later.

After an attack hit her left wing, her only option remained staying on the ground, no matter how fast her regeneration was, the damage was just too serious.

Several magical circles appeared around her, seven of them forming a magical dome with six around her and on above, three more complex appears behind the dome and was raining astral swords formed from magic at the dark alicorn. Under the dome, she used four other circle to summon her war weapons. Two of them were staffs and two were dual swords, each having an enchanted ability.

They were not enough. The dome shattered under the force of a more advanced attack and she simply couldn’t get the perfect opportunity to shoot the alicorn, which lead to the vesting of her magical resources. Then she was shot by a dark magical attack again, this time on her right side. She started to lose blood more quickly, but with a lucky shot she managed to injure her opponent.

It offered little satisfaction to hear the other cry out in pain, but it was better than nothing.

She was shot again, this time on the right side of her neck. She could taste the copper on her tongue and became really dizzy, yet refused to give up just yet. Crossing the two staff, she started to murmur a spell for a highly advanced siege magic. It was her own creation from three other spells, so she was not surprised, when the dark alicorn didn’t recognize it in time.

She pushed every last drop of her magic into the attack and collapsed on the ground. She heard the loud humming of the magic and the scream of her opponent, but everything seemed distant. Closing her eyes and accepting her fate, she let the darkness consume her.

That was the moment when she felt the pull of the teleportation.

The next and only thing she heard was a couple of gasps and screams, then she blacked out completely.

Sunset Shimmer was sweating intensely. She barely managed to teleport the strange alicorn to the safety of the cave in which the citizens of Ponynille found shelter, and the next moment she had to fight for the mare’s life. Nightmare Moon surely did a piece of work on her. Had she not intervened, Twilight Sparkle would be dead surely.

After cloaking their magic and a half an hour constant fight for the mares life, she was finally out of mortal danger. The other five ponies she met the day before were stubbornly sticking to their side as Sunset read the books she managed to bring with herself, hoping that she would find something to defeat the dark alicorn.

After two hours of non-stop reading, she closed the book with a frustrated sigh and went to check on the alicorn. She hasn’t moved an inch since she lost consciousness, which the unicorn took as a bad sign. She was checking for her vitals when suddenly a voice interrupted her work.

“How is she?”

It was Applejack, the pony from the apple farm. She took of her hat as she approached. Behind her everypony raised their head. They all were hoping for good news.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Sunset admitted while chewing n her lower lip for a moment. “I don't know much about alicorns, and Celestia was never injured while I was at the palace." Seeing their crestfallen expressions, she quickly added. “But alicorns are known as the most powerful race. Nearly immortals! I’m sure she will awake in a few hours.”

Another mare, a pegasus came closer. If Sunset’s memory served her right, the pony’s name was Rainbow Dash.

“Of course she would survive!” Her tone was not so convinced though. “Have you not seen how she stood up to that Evil Mare? She was awesome!”

“Maybe Fluttershy dear should take a look at her wounds.” Added a white coated mare, looking at a pegasus who did her best to become invisible.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Said Rainbow Dash, putting her hoof supporting on the pink maned mare’s shoulder. “She might pass out.”

Fluttershy just nodded several times, before covering behind Rainbow Dash. Sunset Shimmer was about to say something, when a groan was heard from the mare. Everypony turned into her direction.

Twilight slowly became aware of hear surroundings. Firstly, she was in a huge amount of pain, so she clearly wasn’t dead. Yay? Next, she laid on something not exactly soft but not too hard and rough either. Maybe a blanket? Thirdly, she couldn’t feel her magic, so she either was in prison and had a magic suppressor on her horn or another mage cloaked her power from Mare in the Moon. Hopefully the latter, although not likely.

And she heard voices. A conversation? Yeah, it was. She recognized two, maybe three voices. One of them she could identify as Applejack’s. This gave her a little comfort. These Apples and their habits of making her feel safe around their presence!

She also became aware that she was incredibly thirsty and her body was also demanding sustenance, so it can fasten the regeneration. Deciding that releasing a groan would get her the attention, she did just that and it worked indeed. Suddenly, there was silence. She tried again, this time with a little more energy. One of the voices spoke again.

“Poor darling! You must be thirsty! Here, let me help you.”

Twilight accepted the help eagerly and let the mare do as she pleased. A gentle hoof raised her chin a little, obviously careful for her neck wound and assisted her drinking not just once, but two times. After she got some water, she felt a little better.

Making the effort to open her eyes was hard and unforgiving job, but she did it anyway. She was greeted by four worrying faces, another smiling one and a sixth with so many questions written on it. She decided to address that one for last, because she was too exhausted to be interrogated. The smile felt good, like warm sunlight on her face. It held reassurance. The worry was also familiar and it awakened the tight feeling of guilt inside her chest.

“Hey.” She whispered with a faint smile.

“Hey there.” Answered Applejack. “You must be hungry too. How do you feel about some apple? Maybe some puree with that nasty wound on your neck?

Twilight closed her eyes, hoping to save some energy.

“That sounds… good.”

Hoofsteps departed and she was left alone with ponies who were nice, but unknown.

“Names?” she tried halfheartedly.

They were all too eager to introduce themselves and Twilight took in their names with ease. Learning was a really advanced skill of hers, and this few amount of information took close to none effort from her part. She felt being cautiously wrapped in a blanket to cover her bandages and protect her from the cold.

Applejack came back with the food and the unicorn named Rarity was eager to spoonfeed her after reassuring the alicorn that is was not a problem. Twilight recognized her voice. She was the one who offered her water. She was eternally grateful for the help and took her time to eat, since her neck and side were in great pain just as her left wing.

It tired her so much just to consume some sustenance that as soon as they finished, she slipped back to slumber.

“Hey, at least she woke u!" Said Rainbow Dash, while Rarity put away the dishes.

They answered some questions to the towns mare but could not provide much information aside from the alicorn eating and sleeping, which they took as a good sign. Sometime later everypony went to get some sleep, yet Sunset Shimmer couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She knew this mare. Not personally, but historically. She is one of Celestia’s Prized Students, one of the three ponies who managed to reach alicornhood. Twilight, even in her time as a unicorn, fought many fight against changelings, griffons, dragons and many other nations who tried to test Equestria’s borders or patience. She was and still is a famous Battle Mage who was absent in the last four centuries. Just like the other two alicorns.

Why did they leave? What caused them to abandon their homeland after getting the reward for their hard work? Princess Cadence is also an alicorn and she hasn’t left. What’s the difference? Is it because they were students? Or something else?

She couldn’t help but feel dwarfed in the lavender alicorn’s presence. This mare was raised by battles and strategy, while she was raised in shelter and test’s which now felt like held little weight against actual experience. The way Twilight stood up to Nightmare Moon. It wasn’t like when Sunset did it.

Her trying was angry and desperate, and she had no hope winning that battle. If Twilight had been late a few minutes, she would be clearly as good as dead now. But she paid that back, when she saved the alicorn’s life from that battle.

Yes, that was a battle. They were standing up against each other like nearly equals. With the same presence and set of mind. Winning. Besting the other. Proving their dominance.

Sunset knew that she was thinking irrationally. That it isn’t her fault that she was raised at the time of peace. That she didn’t have battle experience, nor had four hundred years of study behind her back. That she wasn’t an alicorn, so how could she compare? But it still hurt. Seeing one of Celestia’s strongest student step up like that. Will she ever have that kind of aura? That authority?

Will she make her Princess proud?

That was the last thought that lulled her into sleep.

When Twilight woke up, she was much better. Of course, she was sore and her body was throbbing with pain, but not nearly as much as before. She was hungry and thirsty again. Opening her eyes, she found her makeshift bed surrounded by the same ponies. Some of them were eating, some of them sleeping, Sunset was retired to a corner to read, and one mare, Rarity was talking to another mare who was polishing the forth mentioned unicorns hoof while listening intensely.

“Hello” she managed to say, without sounding like she just swallowed a desert.

“Twilight! Thank Celestia, you’re awake!” exclaimed Applejack as she came closer, carrying a platter full of food and a big mug of cider on her back.

As soon as it was placed in front of her, the alicorn hesitantly called out to her magic, and releasing a relieved sigh, when it answered her pull.

“Is there something wrong?” She asked, swallowing the first bite. “I mean, more wrong?”

The farmer sat down in front of her and soon the others joined them too.

“We were hoping you could enlighten us about the situation.” Said Sunset. “There was only so much I knew and these books I managed to bring with me are not offering much more either.”

The alicorn nodded, never stopping to eat the delicious food she got from Applejack.

“I don’t know much either.” She said after a while, taking a sip from her cider. “I know that Mare in the Moon’s original name was Princess Luna and she was Princess Celestia’s younger sister, who was responsible for controlling the moon and was known as The Princess of the Night.”

“But why would she become Nightmare Moon, if she was already a ruler of Equestria?” asked Rarity more than little concerned.

“So she could get more power and spread her evilness all over the place of course!” Answered Rainbow Dash with an eyeroll.

“That’s not the case actually.” Twilight finished one of her slice of pie with and appreciating hum, before continuing. “She was sad and lonely because her night wasn’t appreciated. There were even some ponies who feared the night for it held unknown things and worked in mysterious ways. She just wanted to be loved like her sister was, but ponies refused to acknowledge her equality to Celestia.”

Rainbow Dash became silent. It was Sunset who spoke next.

“So that’s the reason behind the “eternal night” thing? Because the sun never came up this morning.”

Twilight nodded, suspecting as much.

“She must have defeated Princess Celestia already. Don’t worry though, I’m sure she is just imprisoned somewhere. No matter how bitten and angry, Luna would never kill her sister.”

The ponies looked relieved to hear that, but Sunset did not let the subject drop so easily.

“How can you be so sure?”

Twilight smiled at her with the best effort she could manage and refusing to let out a hiss she placed one of her front hoofs on the unicorns.

“She was willing to allow a stranger to surrender. She may be bitter, but she is still a Princess at heart.”

Nopony said anything at that. The lavender alicorn lowered her head to spare some energy, if they have any more questions, but they offered none. She could only imagine how they felt. Getting stuck in a war with and alicorn none the less after a long time of peace. They must be so confused right now.

“Is there any way to defeat her?” It was Sunset Shimmer, who asked. Her eyes were sparkling with determination.

“There must be.” Answered Twilight, while testing her strength and injuries. “Nopony is invincible. We just have to find the way to best her.”

There was a whole bunch of objections once she stated that she wanted to get up. Applejack insisted that she needed her rest, and it was a hard work reassuring them to keep calm. She knew from experience that her wounds healed better when she had something to occupy herself with. The sleep did wonders to her regeneration speed, but once it reached it’s full potential, there was no reason for her to just lay there and do nothing.

“Where are we exactly?” she asked Rainbow Dash, while looking around in the cave now from a different angle.

“There were some mines near Ponyville, where Rarity used to collect gems for her dresses, so we came here.”

Twilight pushed away a frown. She knew about these caves from past experience, and if they were full of gems, it meant that there also will be diamond dogs or dragons hiding in the deeper parts of the mine. Once she was standing on her hooves, many ponies approached her with so many questions.

“Calm down little ponies.” She answered with a reassuring smile. ”Everything will be fine. We will find a way to make things right, I promise you.” Looking up, she searched for Celestia’s current student with her eyes. One she found her, she spoke up. “Sunset Shimmer. Come with me.”

After a few moments later, they were sitting at the entrance of the cave, looking up at the night sky. The unicorn looked a little uncomfortable and the alicorn a little tired, but she smiled at Sunset anyway.

“You said that you were searching for information about a way to defeat Mare in the Moon?”

“Yes!” Sunset exclaimed and her ears perked up.

“I have a few grimoires with me. I could lend them to you to search for something I may have overlooked. And you have my permission to learn from them, but only the three of lower level spells. The others are dangerous.”

Sunset gaped at the alicorn, her eyes wide. She could not say a word even when Twilight’s magic lit up and a small portal opened next to her, revealing a bookshelf with at least a dozen thick books. Twilight levitated three of them out and then closed the portal.

“Why?” she managed to say at least, when the grimoires were put in her magical grip.

“Because.” Twilight said with a half smirk. “Celestia sent you here for a reason. And I believe that it is your role to save us all.”

“But- but you are here and, and you are stronger and-and more experienced and-“ The alicorn silenced her with a gentle hoof.

“I learned it first hoof that Celestia only chooses the best of the best. Whatever obstacle may be on your way, you surely are more than capable to conquer it. And don’t be afraid. I will be here if you need any help.”

The yellow unicorn nodded slowly, while she felt her chest fill up with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Twilight was right. She was the Princess's student for Celestia’s sake! She’s got this!

Author's Note

Sorry for grammar mistakes >< I love you guys!

Planning

Twilight examined her wounds carefully with her magic. If she got enough food and water, all will heal within two days. Did she really have that much time? The other alicorn may have already recharged her magic, so they lost that little advantage they got from the battle. She was up for a challenge, that was for sure.

Meeting the other mare in combat awoke some old memories in her mind. It was a rare occasion that she took part in a one-on-one fight. She was and still is a Battle Mage, she was trained to fight multiple opponents at once, though in an ideal situation she was stronger than them. In her journey through the countries around Equestria, she partook in many confrontations, although they took less time than a real battle with armies clashing. For the majority of times it was just bandits or some overconfident soldiers of the respective countries.

It was only a couple of times she fought a single opponent and it was clear who won those fights, since she still stood here while her opponents were banished at best, dead at worst. Celestia did not approve the latter, Twilight had her doubts about the former. If the force of evil went as far to meet them on the battlefield, the minimum they deserved was imprisonment. It was for the benefit of Equestria. Simply banishing somepony from your lands will only result them planning more carefully next time.

This was the only thing Twilight couldn’t convince Celestia to agree on. The Princess stubbornly believed in second chances. Twilight wasn’t so generous. Based on what Celestia said, she and the Princess of the Night would’ve agreed on many things. Pity that maybe it’s too late to find out.

“Princess?” asked a timid voice behind her. She turned around to face the two mares who managed to approach her without her noticing. Maybe she was too deep in thought.

One of them was the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy. Just like when she woke up, the mare was doing her best to hide behind her own mane. The other one was an older pony with silver mane and glasses. Twilight guessed, that she must have been the towns mare, since she still waited to be greeted by the local authority.

“Please Fluttershy, I’m not a Princess. Twilight is fine.” Looking at the other pony in the eyes, she took up her most inviting smile. “And you are?”

“The Mayor Your Ma-... Miss Twilight.” She looked really uncomfortable calling her on her name, but Twilight refused to use false titles. She may become a Princess one day, but not yet.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I was expecting a conversation between us soon. We have much to discuss and we have to hurry.”

“Of course!” The Mayor looked pleased to hear that. Fluttershy muttered a silent apology before she started to retreat to the Shadows.

“Fluttershy, just another thing.” The pony flinched under the attention she suddenly got. “Can you please find the head of the weather ponies and send them here? Also Applejack and Sunset Shimmer.” Seeing the pony nodding shyly, Twilight gifted her with a sparkling smile. “Thank you.”

After the pegasus was gone, the Mayor told everything she knew and experienced. She told Twilight about the absence of the Princess, then the sudden appearance of the dark alicorn who called herself Nightmare Moon, than the conversation between her and the student of the Princess. Finally Twilight learned about the reason behind the fight between the alicorn and the unicorn. Mare in the Moon stepped too close to Rarity. Sunset took that as an attack against the unicorn and casted the spell without thinking.

The alicorn of magic nodded slowly, thinking about the information she just heard. Sunset’s reflexes were quick and her heart was in the right place, but this reckless behavior put her in great danger. Twilight has to announce that issue before it’s too late.

This time she heard the three ponies approaching and turned to them. Sunset was still deep in one of her grimoires and Applejack was talking to Rainbow Dash. Twilight put two and two together and concluded that the rainbow maned mare must be the head of the weather ponies.

“Thank you for coming girls.” It’s been a long time since she smiled this much and her cheeks started to hurt.

“No problem!”, grinned Rainbow Dash.

“Is there anything yah need Sugarcube?” Applejack tried to look carefree, but her face betrayed her. She was in deep trouble and Twilight had a very good idea about what.

The alicorn nodded with a serious expression and gestured them to sit down next to the Mayor. Once everypony was settled, she started to talk in a much deeper tone.

“By now you must’ve thought about it. We have a problem with our supplies.” The other four nodded, by now aware of the issue. “We need to get food and water and that is only our first problem. We will need better shelter and weapons to protect ourselves, since we can’t possibly know what’s going on in the other cities.”

Sunset looked like she wanted to speak, but she bit her lower lip. Twilight was having none of that, she needed to hear everything her little ponies had to offer.

“Yes Sunset?”

The unicorn looked startled for a minute, but Twilight was smiling again at her encouragingly and somehow she reminded her of the Princess.

“I was just thinking that…” She took a deep breath. “I fought her. She is too strong. And no amount of weapons would change that.” She didn’t want to be this pessimist, but she just couldn’t help herself.

“What you say it’s true. Mare in the Moon is too strong. But I wasn’t thinking about her, when I suggested to arm ourselves. I was thinking about moving into a cave in the outer region of the Everfree Forest. I may sound strange, but it will be safer there and also closer to Ponyville, from where we have to gather our supplies as fast as we can.”

Rainbow Dash looked a little pale when she spoke up.

“Are you saying that we have to go back there?”

The alicorn nodded.

“Sweet Apple Acres could be our food source and we also have rivers in Ponyville. I called you here because I thought about collecting some clouds from the sky and hiding them somewhere in the cave, so if we need to retreat for a long term, we wouldn’t run out of water so easily.”

The pegasus still looked a little troubled at the suggestion, but there was fire in her eyes and Twilight liked her expressions.

“Like I said, we will move to the Everfree Forest, so we need weapons to protect ourselves from the local predators.”

Of course everypony knew what she truly meant. She can’t be everywhere at the same time. If she goes on the mission to collect supplies, the other’s will remain defenseless.

“So, what’s the plan?”, asked Sunset after a long pause of silence.

“Our first priority is to get some water and food for everypony. I will lead back about a dozen ponies to the village and collect as much as we can stock and get back. After everything is safe and sound, we’ll go and find a suitable cave in the forest.” Seeing them nod, she went on. “I’ll need twelve ponies, four from each species. The fastest flyers and the most sensitive magic casters. Mayor, I trust you’ll inform the other ponies about the situation?”

“Of course Miss Twilight.”

The alicorn nodded and let the ponies work, while she went to the mount of the cave and started to cast a stronger cloaking shield. Sensing that Sunset was still there and also coming closer, she turned around as soon as she finished.

“Can I do anything for you Sunset?”

The unicorn still kept her distance but her eyes betrayed the awakening trust in her.

“May I go with you to Ponyville?” her ears were flat, but her posture radiated hope.

Twilight looked back up to the shield she just made. From the inside, a lavender bubble could be able to see, but from the outside only desolation was in the place of the cave, like the majority of the landscape they were surrounded with.

“I suppose, this shield will do for a while. So, of course. Tell everypony to be prepared in ten minutes. The sooner we head out the better.”

Sunset was beaming with happiness and determination.

“Thank you Princess!” as soon as she said that she apologized. Twilight figured it was more of a reflex on the unicorns part, so she chuckled and told her to get the others.

The moment Sunset was gone, Twilight’s smile vanished, providing place for a grim expression. She looked at East, already the sensing the danger waking on the other side of the mountain range. Feeling a cold waft getting under her armor, she shivered. Winter was awakening and they needed the Sun back. As soon as possible.

First glimpse of the new world

Twilight had plans for Sunset. Celestia said that she should let the mare’s destiny unfold, but the Princess wasn’t here and Twilight knew first hoof how fast can things escalate from bad to downright terrible if the unicorn would’ve been just pushed to the center of the events to solve every problem by herself. So she decided to see how Sunset handled the mission to Ponyville, and based on the collected information she will teach the mare what still needed to be taught.

The team was ready to go in nine minutes. Twilight talked to each of them for a few seconds, asked their names at least and encouraging them if they were a little more afraid than acceptable. The alicorn reassured everypony that this will be a simple and fast mission and nopony will be hurt nor left behind.

After receiving a nod from each of them, Twilight still had one thing to check. Walking back into the cave she sought out the Mayor again.

“Can I do anything for you Miss Twilight?”

“In fact, yes. Can you lead me to the pony, who suggested these tunnels? Also to the one, who checked it out for diamond dogs.”

The mare looked a little taken aback.

“Checked out?”

Twilight had a terrible feeling about this.

“Why of course! The diamond dogs are dangerous to the common folk and we intrude into their territory!” The Mayor visibly swallowed. Twilight feared the worst. “Call for a meeting! Everypony needs to be there! See if anypony’s missing!” Turning to the crowd, she raised her voice to be audible to everypony. “I need to speak to the pony who knows these tunnels!”

The Mayor called for a meeting and whispers rose amongst the crowd. Was something wrong? Twilight was soon approached by Rarity.

“I know these tunnels. Is something wrong Pri– I mean Miss Twilight?” She looked a little nervous.

“I don’t know.”, said the alicorn, while looking at the Mayor, who told everypony to check if anypony’s missing. “Maybe nothing. But I need to see the tunnels just in case. Lead me to the end of our base. If there are any other ways to approach the camp, I need to know about it.”

Rarity nodded and asked her to follow. Twilight learned that there was three tunnels which directly connected to the camping place. The alicorn checked all of them for hoof- and footprints alike. She didn’t find anything, so she closed all of them with a thick rock wall, designing the other side to look like a collapse. She placed a movement detector spell on each of them just in case and returned to the camp. She was already late from heading out with a quarter of an hour.

“Miss Twilight!” Greeted the Mayor with a smile on her face. “Good news! Nopony is missing!”

“Alright. Thank you Mayor. I also locked every path leading to the camp, except of course the main entrance. We’ll be heading out then.”

She met the team at the exit of the cave, being greeted with a bunch of worried looks. All she said was that she took care of a potential threat. When nopony asked any questions about it, she turned to the desolation.

She had two options.

If she took the front, the ponies will calm down a little more seeing a leading figure, but Twilight had her worries. Being in the front meant that she wouldn’t see what’s happening on the back. What if somepony takes a wrong step? Under their hooves were thousands of mining tunnels left by the diamond dogs, some more unstable than the others. Some of them may collapse and can swallow a pony whole without a sound.

Taking the back would be a more practical choice. She could see everypony, and react faster to potential threats, no matter which direction they choose to come. But that would leave the group without a leading figure and that would damage their moral.

“Sunset Shimmer!” She called out to the pony, who raised her head from the grimoire. “Come here for a minute.”

The mare galloped to her fellow student and senior eagerly, with a small smile on her face. From that, Twilight knew that she managed to win some part of the unicorn’s heart.

“Can I help you anything Miss Twilight?”

“Please. Twilight is fine. In some terms, we are sisters, you and I.” Seeing Sunset nod, she went straight to the point. “I will ask you to lead the team to Ponyville, since I don’t know the way.”

Sunset Shimmer looked a little taken aback, but offered no protest. Although, Twilight swore she did see a faint blush on her cheeks. Did she take this as a challenge? Good. The sooner she realizes her position, the better. Once every eye was on her, Twilight spoke to the ponies, while picking up a stick with her magic.

“Listen here everypony! This will be our formation. We will have Sunset Shimmer on the lead, since she is the Princess’s student and the only unicorn, who received some sort of battle magic lessons. She will be flanked by Big MacIntosh and Applejack. I’ll ask every pegasus to remain above the group with only a few meters. Rainbow, you know your team, I’ll leave that to you.”

“You can count on me Twilight!” grinned the pegasus.

“Good. Dark Moon, Electric Sky and Silver Rose” The three addressed unicorns came forward. “Your task will be to pay attention. To any and every sound, smell or movement. You three are the best detectors Ponyville could offer. Be on alert, but fear not. If you notice anything, tell us.” She looked up. “The same goes for you guys.”

Rainbow Dash saluted. Turning to the last two earth ponies, she addressed them.

“Golden Delicious and Apple Bumpkin. You two will flank the unicorns. I doubt that we will face any serious threat, but the unicorns need time to cast a spell. If that happens, the earth ponies and the pegasi has to act as fast as possible to gain time. I will be at the back, which offers me a perfect view on the team, so I can easily react to any threats.”

Nopony asked any questions. Twilight stayed silent for a few moments, considering her options. She wasn’t surprised that Applejack brought her family members to help. They knew Sweet Apple Acres the best. The plan should be simple. They go in, collect the food and carry as much as possible back to the camp. While on the way back the pegasi will collect some clouds just in case.

“Tell me Applejack, how many carts are in Sweet Apple Acres?”

The pony answered without thinking about it. A true Apple indeed.

“Seven.”

“Alright, we can work with that.” Nodded Twilight, before explaining the rest of her plan to the ponies.

Once everypony knew everything necessary. They headed out, following Sunset Shimmer. Twilight discarded her cloak, revealing her armor in all its glory. Taking off her helmet, she enjoyed as the wind caressed her cheeks. Her mane sparkled freely in the moonlight. She settled her wings in a more comfortable position. This was a tactical move.

Every creature of Equestria knew about the alicorns and their power. Seeing one with the group could scare off the better part of their potential threats. The bandages on her neck did not help, but she covered her injuries with a cloaking spell, hiding them from the eyes of others.

The road was silent and felt long. It was clear that the ponies didn’t receive any sort of training for this kind of situation. Twilight somehow managed not to sigh or frown. Celestia knew her enemies were coming, yet did almost nothing. Sending off one of her students and calling the other home. She could have done so much more! Not going too far, there are the other alicorns for example!

Cheshire Grin was a special case, she had to admit that. She met him about a hundred years ago. The stallion was a little… strange, so to speak. He was undoubtedly intelligent and a true master on his own field. But Twilight understood why Celestia didn’t offer him the title of a Prince. Cheshire Grin lacked the necessary quality to be a ruler. He put knowledge before his ponies and that was a dangerous thing. Just take Sombra for example.

But what about Oceana? Twilight never met her in person, but based on what the Princess said, she was loyal and had a protector’s spirit inside her. And Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?

Twilight had her mind filled with doubts. Looking at the frightened ponies she gathered, she couldn’t help but question the Princess’s ways. Would’ve it been so hard to militarize the last two generations? They still could have lived their lives happily after a few years of duty.

She considered her options. She was still alive and kicking. Should she call the others herself? Oceana will surely help, so will Cadence. Cheshire may refuse the call, but at least she was positive that he will remain a neutral party. That much she knew for sure.

Looking at the yellow unicorn in front of her, she heard the Princess’s words all over again.

“Don’t take away her opportunity to unfold.”

Twilight wanted to let the mare prove herself, but at the same time, putting Equestria in danger for a single destiny? Is it worth it? No, of course not. Then what was the Princess thinking? What did she know that Twilight overlooked? Something must be here that she doesn’t recognize.

But she will find it out. There were two places she could start looking. Canterlot and Ponyville. And since she was almost at the gate of the town, there was no question about where to start. She thought about the library, since Celestia assigned Sunset to sleep there, so she may find some clues.

“Miss Twilight!”

She raised her head and immediately saw, what caused the distress. In the darkness, a big creature head straight at their direction. Its fur gleamed in the night lights, giant yellow eyes sparkled through the darkness. Galloping to the head of the formation, she saw that Sunset was already in some sort of battle stance. Good.

She spoke in calming tone.

“Calm down everypony! This is an Ursa Minor. If you remain calm and silent, it won’t consider us a threat.”

But something was wrong. The Ursa looked tired and angry, visibly struggling against falling asleep. It seemed aggressive. Twilight readied her magic, fearing the worst. Her fears soon turned into reality, when the creature spotted them and started roaring and running towards them.

“Into the forest!” She commanded, while steadying her stance.

The main part of the team did as they were told and ran to the nearby forest, while three of them denied the command and stood their ground. Rainbow Dash was circling above them and rising higher in the air, stopping at the Ursa’s eye level. Applejack readied her lasso with a grim expression on her face. Sunset Shimmer was silently murmuring magic words while her horn shone turquoise with magic.

“What are you doing?” Demanded Twilight.

“Sorry Sugarcube, but we won’t run.”

“That would be so not cool.”

“You are injured. Let us help.”

Spreading her wings, slightly flinching as the injured left one throbbed with pain, but refusing to show weakness. The creature was almost at them by the time her magic sparkled to life. She spoke the words fast and understandably. It came as easy as breathing. Moments later, several purple vines broke out from the soil they were standing on and charged at the Ursa.

“Leave it to me!” Yelled Rainbow Dash and started circling around the creature’s head, which tried to smite her with its giant paws with no success. While it chased the mare with its paw, Twilight had an easier job capturing it with her vines.

One of the blows nearly collided with the pegasus but it was held back in the last moment by Applejack’s lasso. The Ursa’s momentum carried on its body, but it stumbled upon Twilight’s vines. The small earth pony released the end of the lasso just in time, before she herself could have been raised from the ground. The vines wrapped around the Ursa and held it down for enough time for Sunset to place a sleeping spell on it.

“No!”

Twilight’s protest startled the unicorn, but the spell was already done. The alicorn gripped the three ponies with her magic, forgetting about the vines for a moment and pulled them behind herself. The moment they were safe, she started to murmur spells, one after the other and the air slowly filled with magic circles, some vertically at the direction of the Ursa, other horizontally above them, creating an hour-glass like shape.

The Ursa started to thrash and roar in its sleep, looking like it was tortured by some king of nightmare.

“What’s wrong with it?” Screamed Sunset to beat the sound of the creature.

“Mare in the Moon must have cast a Tantabus spell on it!” Informed Twilight, still readying the spells. “Take cover!”

This was the moment, when the Ursa woke up, angrier than ever and without hesitance, it charged at their direction. Twilight’s magic hissed like a thousand winds, and created many shockwaves before even colliding with the creature. Once it hit, everything seemed to stop and just for a moment. Sunset hoped for a moment that the spell worked.

Then Twilight started to scream.

Author's Note

Yeah. That is gonna bite me in the ass XD

Locking Up a Nightmare

Twilight used four different spells just in case. One to protect the mares and herself from the Ursa. One to slow down the creature. One to look into the its mind and find the nightmare spell, and the last one to actually rip out the roots of the spell from its mind. Everything worked perfectly, she was in there. Time slowed down. Finding the spell was easy.

Too easy. She realized in the last possible moment that the Ursa wasn’t an opponent. It was a trap.

The nightmare spell did not appear to have any form at first. Just a cloud of dark magic, resembling the night sky in pattern. It only reacted, when she touched it with her magic. First it just started to hum silently, cooperating when the mare begun to flay it down from the mind of the Ursa. At the last pull, the humming stopped. Then, it attacked.

Quickly shifting in form, it took the shape of Mare in the Moon without any features what’s so ever. Black chains and smoke circled around it, closing in on Twilight’s mind. The alicorn tried to raise a purple shield around herself, but it was all in vain. It was a horrible experience.

The black magic of the spell assaulted her muzzle, pouring down on her throat, filling her stomach and lungs with malevolent force. She felt the dark essence trying to corrupt every cell in her body. Although she felt sheer terror fill her veins, she was aware enough to fight back, not just with instinct but a little tactic as well. Using her own magic to fill her insides she tried to force out the alien magic.

Once it realized that she started to gain the upper hoof, it changed tactics and begun to abuse her wounds, ripping them open and crawling into her blood system directly. Twilight would have screamed from the agony, but her mouth was still filled with sticky black substance. Even her gag reflex was useless by then.

Her sight was filled with the head of the magic’s chosen form, its featureless face burned itself into her memory. She felt tears sting her eyes, but refused to cry. Recognizing a lost fight when she saw one, she decided to make a desperate move. Not allowing herself to be consumed by the dark force, she urged her body to self-destruct.

It hurt so much more than the black magic in her veins. Her every cell was burning like the Sun itself came to life in her body. It lasted for a few minutes… Suddenly, everything became numb.

Sunset Shimmer trembled slightly as she tried to hold the spell. Tears were streaming down her face rapidly, but she did not acknowledged them. In front of her the alicorn stood mighty as ever. After that soul wrenching scream, Twilight’s body did not as much shiver. She stood perfectly still, eyes devoid of any life.

The three mares did not know what was happening until the alicorn’s coast started to turn into a darker shade, her mane becoming black as coal. Sunset had a dire feeling in her stomach when she felt the dark magic fill the air around her. She suddenly had an idea about what was happening to Twilight. That was when she collected all of her light magic and touched horns with the trapped mare, pouring as much into her system, as she was able to spare and more.

While they were touching horns, she could feel everything. The pain, the terror, the will to fight and after a few moment, hopelessness. It was an extremely intimate gesture amongst unicorns, so she had to push her embarrassment and shame away in order to help the other mare. Sunset even felt the moment, when the alicorn decided to end her life instead of letting her body be the puppet of the nightmare. That she could not allow.

Channeling twice as much magic into Twilight’s horn, she let it glow as brightly as possible, trying to catch the desperate mare’s attention. And catch she did. A gasp of pain escaped her lips, as she felt the tortured consciousness hide behind her for a moment. She was assaulted with the whole might of the nightmare, even if just for a moment. Then the alicorn’s mind attacked it’s intruder with newly found strength, protecting Sunset’s mind while feeding on her magic and regaining her own.

Sunset opened her eyes and saw the alicorn’s mane slowly turning back into a gentle purple, her coat losing the darker shade it gained just a minute ago. But the battle of the mind was not over yet. No matter how hard Twilight tried, she simply didn’t have enough strength to banish the dark magic from her system.

The unicorn saw the silent tear escaping the mare’s eyes and she felt determination. Slowly the mare’s coat started to turn black, but just in a certain pattern. Sunset recognized it as a caging spell. She was locking up the magic within herself. She did not see the full pattern, but it certainly marked the mares face.

And suddenly a shockwave exploded from the alicorn’s body, knocking back the unicorn and the other two mares. When they were able to look again, Twilight laid on the ground taking long and loud gasps of air. Sunset was the first to approach her.

“Twilight?”

The alicorn slowly raised her head to look at them. Sunset was right, the cage spell indeed marked the mares face. It started on her forehead on the left side of her face, crossing her eye, her sclera looked black for a moment, but it turned back into white fast. Resembling the shape of a thunder bolt, it disappeared under her cheek.

“Fine.” Her voice sounded raspy. “Just feel like something the cat dragged in.”

As she stood, Sunset could not help but notice that the alicorn looked taller. Not as tall as Celestia, but taller than she used to be. Her colors looked darker, her mane a little puffier than ever.

“She got me good.” The chuckle which escaped the alicorn’s lips was sad and desperate. “Must have used a huge part of her magic for this. Thank Celestia that she did not count on you intervening.”

Sunset blushed again. Some part of her hoped that the alicorn did not remember the horns touching part. Clearly, that was not the case. She scolded herself and chased her embarrassment away, turning her gaze to the Ursa next to them, which was sleeping soundly.

“What about the Ursa?” She couldn’t help but ask. It wouldn’t be good if it started rampaging again.

“It should be fine. The magic does no longer have a hold on it.” The unicorn noticed the alicorn wince, but did not address it. “Where are the others? We need to move twice as fast now.”

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof with a troubled expression.

“I’ll go get them.”

Once Twilight nodded, she took off. The pegasus did not want to offend the mare, but after what she witnessed, she needed a few moment alone to ease her breathing and heart rate at least. It’s been a long time she felt this much desperation and fear in a single minute.

“Shouldn’t we go back to the camp?” Applejack took back the hat in her head.

“Go back?” Echoed Twilight in a disbelieving tone. “No. We still need that food and water.”

“Okay, let me rephrase it. Shouldn’t yah go back and catch some rest?”

Twilight knew what the farmer was thinking, but that wasn’t an option. Not after all of this.

“Absolutely not! This could have been only the first obstacle. I won’t risk everypony’s life for rest.” She spat the last word like some kind of poison. When the mare opened her mouth to object, she cut her off. “I will hear no more of this. Gather the others. We will continue our mission immediately.”

Just as the words left her mouth, she turned around and walked away, probably to get some privacy. Sunset and Applejack looked at each other. It was the earth pony who broke the silence thought her voice was no more than a whisper.

“Do you think she will be alright?”

The unicorn hesitated to answer. She still remembered the sheer agony the other’s mind was in just a few minutes ago, though it felt like it was all just a nightmare. The only reminder was the magical exhaustion she felt. She gave a huge part of her magic to the alicorn and now she felt like she had been up for a week with only eating once a day. She wanted sleep, but apparently that had to wait.

“I don’t know. Maybe in time.”

Applejack frowned at her answer, looking after Twilight.

“Now that is what we don’t have Sugarcube.”

Twilight wanted to collapse. To scream, to cry and destroy everything in her path. Her insides still burned from the dark magic that was now locked into her veins. She still felt the foul taste on her tongue, smelled the sulfur in every breath. Her skin itched and her bones throbbed with pain, muscles more sore than ever been. She felt pressure on her chest, suffocating her slowly.

“Okay Twilight. Calm down. Get a grip on yourself. It’s over. It’s done. You survived. It’s over. You’re still yourself. Breathe.”

That was by far the most horrible experience she ever had, and she had a few. But this. This was something new. Terrifying on a whole new level. Is this what Princess Luna had felt, when she let herself get consumed by dark magic? How much desperation did the Princess feel to choose this instead of trying to fix the problem the other way?

She checked the spell. Multiple times. Making sure that did not leak anywhere. Even a small drop could affect her mind. It would be more than unfortunate to face Mare in the Moon with her magic flowing freely in her veins.

She was still shaking a little when the voice of Sunset Shimmer reached her.

“Twilight?” Her voice sounded uncertain.

The alicorn forced herself to face the mare. Sunset stood a few meters from her, trying to force on a reassuring smile. Behind her the other ponies whispered amongst themselves but ceased once she turned fully towards them. Twilight knew what they were saying. Of course they noticed the changes on her body. She found hard to care about that.

Sunset Shimmer. This unicorn risked her own safety to help her. Her own sanity. Her own body against the nightmare. She gave as much as she could spare and more. Is this what Celestia saw in her? The willingness to sacrifice herself for others? Is this even a good thing?

Not as much as the Princess thought.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

The mare looked like she was still uncertain, but nodded nonetheless and took her position at the head of the group. They reached Ponyville without any further complications. Sweet Apple Acres was quite without the Apple family, but untouched. They gathered food into the seven carts, while keeping their eyes on each other. It took less than a half an hour to fill the carts and once it was done, they headed back to the cave.

Twilight itched to go to the library and look for any clue about what Celestia wanted Sunset to find out there, but she couldn’t leave the group. Not now, likely not ever. The unicorn was tired and even though she felt herself ready to fight, she knew that very little of this magic was her own. She exhausted herself when she fought the nightmare and the magic inside her was almost completely dark magic. She would sooner bite her own tongue than use that.

It was Rainbow Dash yell that pulled her out of thoughts.

“Stop! Who are you?”

The group parted for her to look at the ponies in their way. It was a small caravan, no more than two dozen ponies in it. What Twilight found strange was the six royal guard, who stood in front of the civilians. Once they spotted her, one of the guards gasped loudly.

“Princess Twilight?”

The alicorn refused to sigh.

“I am no Princess, Sir…”

“Diamond Shield”

“As I said, I am no Princess. But tell me Diamond Shield, what does six of the Royal Guard doing here?”

The stallion lowered his head, just as he did when he spoke to Princess Celestia, but not as much.

“A dark alicorn appeared in the capital yesterday. Or at least according to the clocks, since we haven’t seen the Sun since three days. She looked furious and called herself Nightmare Moon, demanding from everypony to bow down to her. Some of the Royal Guard tried to attack her, but only a few of them survived, the others are locked up in prison.”

Twilight thought as much. Mare in the Moon must have been upset for not being able to kill her. Considering the trap she made in the mind of the Ursa, she needed time to recover soma magic, yet still was able to defeat the Royal Guard. Impressive and scary at the same time.

“What happened in the capitol afterwards?”

It was another stallion who answered.

“She locked up every royalty and noble, who refused to give up their title and power.”

Twilights ears perked up.

“Royalty?” She had a dire feeling in her stomach. Was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza in the capitol? Was she defeated?

“Yes. Prince Blue Blood was the first.”

“We have a Prince? A male alicorn?” How did she not know about that? How did she miss his magic?

“No Miss Twilight. Prince Blue Blood is a unicorn.” The guard clearly was taken aback by the suggestion.

It took a moment for Twilight register what he said. Princess Celestia gave the title of a Prince to a regular unicorn? Was he like Starswill or Sombra? That still didn’t explain why she did not feel that big source of magic.

“Twilight. You misunderstand.” Sunset’s voice put a halt on her thoughts. Locking eyes with her, she gestured to clarify. “Prince Blue Blood is a relative of Princess Celestia. That is why he has the title of a Prince.”

The alicorn of magic wore a deadpanned expression for a few minutes. Then she felt the anger. The thoughtlessness! The ignorance! The royalty was apparently this country’s first and only defense line! The representatives of power. No wonder that the other countries aren’t afraid to attack, since a simple unicorn is presented amongst their ace cards! What was Celestia thinking?

That is unacceptable! There has to be a line! The Princess of the Sun can’t expect a peaceful happily ever after, if she does not provide the necessary safety. Putting the whole country’s well being for a relative was by no means fitful to a ruler. Twilight suddenly was grateful for Mare in the Moon for providing an opportunity for Sunset to prove herself worthy, otherwise Twilight would have written to the other alicorns by now. Scratch that, she will write to them as soon as possible.

One of the guards continued, clearly not sensing her inner turmoil.

“She also started to infect the Royal Guard with some kind of dark magic. Now they look like bat ponies and they only listen to her. Many of us lost friends and family.”

Apparently Mare in the Moon did a poor job at getting others to love her. Something must be done and it must be done quickly. If this goes on the griffons, the changelings, the caribou, heck even the rough pony tribes will abuse the situation.

Maybe it was time to accept a crown after all.

No! Don’t go there Twilight! This is the dark magic speaking!

Even with this news, Twilight was glad that some of the guard was able to flee amongst some citizens. She will find use of them. Although she thought it was a little suspicious that these ponies managed to escape without consequences.

“We have a camp nearby. If you want, you can join us with one condition.”

Everypony nodded, not even worrying about the condition, just wanting to feel safe at least.

“I will check each and every one of you for every possible threat. You can be mind controlled or infected by dark magic without even knowing about it.” She did not say anything about intentional threats. She hoped that they won’t get to that.

Once every new pony had been checked for mind control and dark magic infection, she managed to smile for a moment, feeling relief. At least they did not carry any unintentional threat. When they headed out for the cave, she left the Royal Guard at the back, while she walked next to Sunset Shimmer.

“Do you think we can win this?”

She was caught off guard by the mare’s question. Was Sunset having doubts? Considering what happened in the last few hours, her concern was understandable.

“I got a reminder just today that there is no lost battle until you give up.”

She gave a small smile to the unicorn, when she faced her.

“Are you sure? After all, she is an alicorn.”

“So am I.” She chuckled when Sunset’s cheeks turned red. “Nopony is invincible. She was put down last time, she can be put down again.”

“Yeah, but back then the Princess had the Elements.”

The alicorn stopped. She felt like she had been dropped into icy cold water. The Elements of Harmony. The ancient artifacts that held magic above every creature in Equestria and beyond. The eternal weapons used in the great battles eons ago.

“Do you know where they are?” Her voice sounded like she just swallowed sand.

“One of the books in the library mentioned that they can be found in the Everfree Forest in the–“

“In the Castle of the Two Sisters!”

Was this Celestia’s plan all along? She wants to bring back the Elements into the game! Once again, Twilight resisted the urge to let her anger be shown. This is a gamble. A huge one! How can the Princess be so reckless? Did she forget what happened with the other six?

She swallowed and lowered her head a little, silently mourning for the old lost.

You should have seen it! Their deaths are upon you!

She shook her heard. Don’t go there Twilight. She must not let the past hurt her. Of course, it was harder when the dark magic in her veins tried to abuse every weakness it spotted. Sleep will be a terrible experience from now on.

“Twilight?”

Looking at the unicorn’s concerned expression, she wondered how much time did she spent with her thoughts.

“I’m sorry Sunset. I was just considering our options.”

Apparently this was enough for the mare to drop the topic and let her think.

So it looks like the Princess wanted to activate the Elements once again and she meant Sunset to be one of them, likely the Element of Magic. But what about the others? She must have had a plan. Maybe they already met the others, just did not realize at the time. She have to investigate, once they reach the camp.

Looking up at the night sky, she frowned. She had some letters to write too.