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!