By the time she was able to return to the castle, exhaustion had begun to really wear Twilight down. The drain on her magic from undoing so many protective wards followed by teleporting all over Equestria was a major contributor, but the emotional stress was gnawing away at what stamina remained. She could understand why Quick Fix had chosen to try and calm down on his own after today's events. She would probably need to do the same tomorrow. It wouldn't help anypony if she remained worked up and with clouded judgement. Teleporting into the foyer to avoid the rain, she staggered slightly and shook her head, realising her vision was starting to blur slightly.

"Spike? I'm back!" She called, hoping he was somewhere he could hear her. "If nothing important has come up I'm going to bed."

"Okay, I'll be finishing up soon." Spike's voice came from somewhere down the hallways. Decades of living here had taught him how to make his voice heard from almost anywhere inside. Twilight nodded to herself and headed toward her room, trying not to look at her surroundings too much. Just nine hours ago everypony here had been raring to go, ready to do their part in buying Equestria a vital line of defence against Tantabus. Now...Now she couldn't bring herself to think about what had happened.

The walk was a long and quiet one, the echoing clack of her hooves on any uncovered flooring and the dull thuds of rain against windows the only things breaking the silence. By the time she reached the door she was effectively shut down inside her own head, too tired to focus on anything, her movements as if on autopilot. She pushed the door open and paused for several seconds, head drooping slowly. Just before she could drop off entirely she jerked herself back upright, shaking slightly to try and stave off the inevitable approach of sleep.

"It's okay, Twilight. You'll feel better soon," She mumbled to herself, focusing on her bed and moving forward again. "Just a dozen feet. Hooves. And then..."

Twilight made it partway there before she blinked slowly, still trying to focus on what was directly ahead. When her eyes opened again she stopped in place. The familiar sight of her bedroom had vanished into darkness. The smell of lavender and antique books were gone and her nostrils were filled by the sickening scent of blood. Her eyes adjusted to the dark on the next blink, the sight before them making her freeze up completely.

She was standing before the vault where the Alicorn Amulet had been hidden again. This time though, the stone door had been smashed open, broken stone scattered about her hooves and the door itself little more than a step. The small, ornate case that the amulet had been hidden in was gone too. Twilight paused at the sight, trying to figure out what she was seeing. She had taken the case with her when retrieving the amulet, but her barrier had remained up until the moment she left. There was no way for damage like this to have occurred during the battle earlier. She turned to see if there were any further hints behind her, only to gasp and run out into the chamber.

She wanted to scream, but no voice in Equestria could convey the horror piercing her soul.

The chamber was as battle-scarred as it had been when she had last seen it. The key difference lay before her; where there had been a unicorn's body before, there were now six. Bounty was still lying where he had fallen, even though Twilight had made sure to bring his body back to Ponyville. To his left were Rarity and Sweetie Belle, the former overwhelmed by her broken horn and unchecked magic, the latter covered in burn marks from close-range magic attacks. To the right, Aurora was slumped against the remains of a pillar with a number of serious cuts across his body. Just in front of her were Trixie and Starlight Glimmer, both of sporting serious burns as well as the wound suffered by the latter. Seeing it like this, it was a minor miracle that Starlight's chest was still in one piece.

Twilight remained rooted in place at the sight. There was no way this could be real, but pure shock was overruling her mind right now and she couldn't think. She could barely even process what she was seeing. Everypony present had some form of bond with her: Her nephew, her close friend of over twenty years, a former student, former rival, former foe and a copy of her brother. Losing even one of them would have been enough to break her heart on their own. All six at once was enough to start breaking her usually resolute will, crushing it under the weight of grief and guilt.

"Twilight..."

That was Rarity's voice, but it was coming from in front of her. Twilight looked down slightly and realised that Starlight's side was rising and falling slowly. She quickly moved round to the front of the stricken unicorn and saw that she was still alive. Her breaths were forced though, her eyes unfocused as if fighting to keep what little life remained in them. On realising somepony was there, Starlight glanced up and focused on Twilight.

"We couldn't stop her..." She said weakly, Rarity's voice coming out of her mouth. The sight made Twilight recoil slightly, but she was still unprepared for what came next. "Sunset is too powerful for any of us."

This time it was Aurora's voice.

"No...No." Twilight whimpered, looking over at Aurora's lifeless body as she struggled to comprehend everything that was happening. She might have been able to have some mental defences prepared on a normal day. Enough to realise that this wasn't real, that it meant nothing. After everything that had happened, seeing her fears in the flesh, it was just too much to cope with right now.

"I'm sorry," Starlight continued, her voice back to normal at last. "I, didn't want to...Be alone anymore. All I did, all I hurt...I deserve worse."

"It...It isn't..." Twilight started to say. Her reply trailed off as she realised that Starlight had stopped focusing on her. She wouldn't be able to hear a response now. "...I should have tried harder all those years ago. I'm sorry too."

Her vision blurred slightly and she realised that hot tears were starting to run down her cheeks. She bowed her head and squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to avoid being overwhelmed by the sudden rush of emotion. Past memories of her time-travelling battle with Starlight were forcing their way up again and it took all of Twilight's remaining control to hold them down. Despite her chest feeling fit to burst from the stress piling up, she managed to subdue it and start to calm herself again. Then she realised that it wasn't just her tears that felt warm to her. Her body felt warm, the air itself was heating up around her. She opened her eyes again and realised that Starlight had gone. The chamber had vanished too, the ground below her now a gravel pathway.

She was almost scared to look up.

She was back in Ponyville, in the streets near the castle. It seemed to be night time, though it was hard to tell when she realised just what was happening.

The night skies were blanketed with smoke, at least a dozen plumes rising to join the cloud hovering over the town. The underside of the smoke, the streets, everything was bathed in the unmistakable glow of flames. Twilight span in place and saw that many of the houses around her were damaged, one engulfed by fire and adding to the gathering haze. There was no sound though, beyond the faint blowing of the wind. She could still feel though, the heat against her fur, the dread holding her entire body in its grip. She could tell that she was waiting for something to happen. But what?

Her gaze turned back toward her castle, the one building that seemed to be untouched in the devastation around her. The sudden whine of magic building up filled her ears out of nowhere and before she could react, a concentrated beam shot out of her horn. It wasn't her usual light purple, but teal, blue and black. Tantabus' current colours. Twilight had just enough time to realise the aim that she had unwittingly taken before the beam struck the castle and exploded, chunks of stone and crystal being torn away and thrown through the air. Many landed within Ponyville, the clouds of dirt and debris visible even from her position.

She barely had time to process the sight before breaking into a run, all the tension in her body dissipating into energy. The world had sprung back into life around her, her ears filled with the sounds of fire and distressed ponies. Figures were visible in her peripheral vision, little more than shadows even with how bright it was. They weren't real, just a trick of the mind caused by stress. They had to be. Twilight looked up to see debris falling toward her and took off to avoid them, spinning around a boulder larger than she was. Now that she was in the air she could see the full extent of the damage. A trail of destruction had been cut from the south end of town through to town hall, where one of the main fires currently raged. There were no ponies in sight though, no signs that anypony was even here. Her focus turned back to the castle and she realised that that wasn't entirely true. There was one pony, lying amidst the wreckage. The only thing visible through the smoke engulfing the castle.

Twilight headed toward them at full speed, hoping against hope that this time she would be fast enough. She landed at a run and covered the last few feet in a second. The hellish glow of the flames above perfectly illuminated the scene at the foot of the castle, adding to the fear rising in her soul again. It was Pinkie Pie. She looked extremely battered, like she'd been caught in the explosion and fallen from one of the higher level. Twilight's heart stopped as she realised that for all her friend's unnatural durability, even she couldn't have survived something like that. Sure enough, Pinkie was unmoving, not breathing...No pulse. She was gone too.

Twilight stared for several seconds, her whole body going numb as a small memory wormed its way back to the front of her mind. Shortly after her ascension and settling into her role as the Princess of Friendship, Princess Celestia had confided in her that the dreams of an alicorn had the potential to be prophetic in nature. Was she seeing the future now? That she was destined to come through this crisis without all her friends? With her home, the beacon of friendship and hope for Equestria, reduced to ash? She had been trying to keep the thought locked deep down where it couldn't influence her, but faced openly with the possibility...The locks in her mind shattered simultaneously and all the strength of will she had built up dissipated, the fears flooding over her again.

And she was drowning.

Twilight backed up slowly, desperately trying to think of something she could do to keep herself from succumbing to despair. She couldn't bear to keep staring at the body, yet she found herself unable to tear her eyes away. She just kept going backward until her flank hit a wooden wall. Normally that would have just made her stop, but she could feel something dripping onto her back too. She looked round quickly and chocked back a gasp, realising that it was the wall of a house behind her and that it was fresh blood, darkening the fur of her back even against the orange glow. For the briefest of moments, she was faintly reminded of the darkened scales on Spike's back, a grim memento of his efforts to protect her from Ortasin. Then she looked up.

The wall was the side of one of the houses recently built at the foot of the castle. There was a trail of blood running down it that led to a pony, pinned against the wall and draped in shadow despite the light. The mane was unmistakeable though; It was Rainbow Dash. Twilight quickly flapped up and examined her friend, holding her head in her hooves. She was unresponsive as well, her head dropping the instant it was unrestrained. Twilight moved her hooves into the shadows, trying to find some way to free her. There was nothing she could feel that was pinning her hooves back, or her body. She couldn't feel her wings though, not even the metal bionics. Twilight pulled her hooves back from where they had been and saw that they were drenched in blood. She fought the urge to vomit, dropping a few inches as she tried to think of an alternate reason. She knew that she couldn't though, and that if there were such wounds back there, nopony suffering from them would last long before bleeding out.

How many of her friends had to die before she could stop the nightmare?

Twilight felt the tears welling up again as she landed, her mental and emotional defences being eroded mercilessly. Before she even had time to process what she was feeling, a rattling gasp filled her ears. She swung round to see where it was coming from, but there was still nopony there. Then she heard it again. A stray fire spread onto a nearby house, lighting the streets further and illuminating the source of the noise. She knew she should have been prepared for the worst, yet the sight still caught her out.

Fluttershy was staggering toward her, clutching her throat with a hoof. On seeing Twilight she stopped and opened her mouth, seemingly attempting to call to her. Nothing but an echoing rasp came out, a strangled cry for help. As she took another step forward, Twilight noticed a thin trickle of red leaking from behind the hoof at her throat before she stumbled forward. Fluttershy raised her other hoof forward as her body trembled. A final, unheard plea. Twilight ran forward, reaching a bloodstained hoof out to try and reach her friend, to be there for her if nothing else. She covered the gap in a heartbeat and wrapped her hoof around the outstretched one. Fluttershy had enough time to look into her friend's eyes before tensing up. Her hoofgrip slipped and she slumped over into Twilight's hooves.

"Please...Not another..." Twilight pleaded quietly, holding Fluttershy as if both their lives depended on it. The tears started to flow freely as she looked upon the pegasus, desperately praying for the impossible. A pair of fresh puncture wounds were visible on both sides of Fluttershy's neck, something had hit hard enough to go clean through. The amount of bleeding such a wound would cause had killed her even faster than it had for Rainbow. All restraint was lost in that moment and Twilight screamed into the night. A voice of despair for every pony that no longer had one of their own.

Her body lurched forward suddenly and she realised that Fluttershy's body had vanished from in front of her. She fell against the gravel pathway and lay there, unable to bring herself to move. She had been here before, the darkness in her mind preying upon grief and defeat, leaving her lost with no apparent way out. This wasn't just a case of a pony that had been beyond her ability to help though. Four of the ponies that meant as much to her as Equestria itself were gone, the thought that it was her fault consuming her. She could barely even bring herself to look up again at another cry from ahead. She had a good idea of what it would be this time. And who.

Sure enough, Applejack backed into view from around a corner moments later. She was struggling to stand, her coat marred by scuffs and tears, bulky muscles bruised in key spots. She glanced aside and hesitated, a look of grim determination etched onto her face at the sight of Twilight. She turned to face what unseen threat she had been facing before, only to be engulfed by a massive beam of that same teal, black and blue energy that tore into the buildings behind her. When it faded, nothing that had been in its path remained. Not even ashes.

That was it. They were all gone. Twilight lowered her head again as a dry chuckle emanated from the spot where Applejack had died. If this were the moment she had arrived in this nightmare, she knew she would have had the spirit to fight back and avenge her friend. All five though, that was more than she could ever hope to bear. She didn't look up as she heard Tantabus approach, knowing she was ready to make it six. She was just...She couldn't do it anymore. Princess Celestia was more than capable enough of finishing the job without her. She always had been, only hanging back to give the Elements of Harmony a chance...She could hear the whispers of her friend's voices in her head, calling her name. As an amber furred hoof came down in front of her, close enough to be hit by the dirt it kicked up, she waited. She was ready to join them. Anything to make the pain stop.

Then another cry rang out from behind her, one filled with determination, and fury.

That...Wasn't any of them. That wasn't even a pony's voice.

She saw Tantabus' hooves back away from her quickly before a bipedal figure landed in the space between them. Twilight slowly rolled onto her back, trying to get a better view of them. Roughly twice as tall as she was, a spade shaped tail and a row of spikes running up their back. Everything else was obscured by an ethereal moonlight glow that emanated from them, as if the figure was Luna's light given shape.

"I won't let you harm her." The figure growled as they towered over their opponent, their masculine voice the only other indicator to their identity. Tantabus replied by firing straight at his stomach. Her magic flared against them but left no mark when it faded.

The figure dropped down to all fours and launched himself at the unicorn in response, gripping a hand around her neck. With the momentum built up he span round and threw her into an abandoned building, the force of her impact collapsing it on top of her. Without missing a step he rushed back over to Twilight and placed a hoof under her neck, watching her with pure concern as she weakly lay there, barely able to function. The figure then spoke to her, his voice becoming more familiar with each word.

"Twilight. It's okay, just look at me. Focus on me. Twilight!"

Twilight's whole body jerked as her eyes shot open. They had been open before though, hadn't they? The world came back into focus around her and she realised that the heat and light had vanished. Spike was still standing over her, panting slightly. Her eyes rapidly darted around and she realised she was on her back...Still in her unlit bedroom. Everything was untouched, undamaged. Just as it always had been.

"S...They...." She started, so many questions running through her mind she didn't know what to lead with. The all-encompassing emotions that had been destroying her had mostly vanished, yet she was still on the verge of tears.

"Easy, Twilight. Everypony's okay," Spike told her gently, placing his hands behind her neck and back before lifting her up into a sitting position. "Ponyville isn't destroyed. The castle is fine. Everypony is still alive. You fell asleep before reaching the bed and went straight into a terrible nightmare."

Twilight whimpered quietly at the still fresh memories, pressing against Spike's chest like a frightened foal. Sensing she needed proper reassurance, the dragon lifted her up onto his back and padded over to the window. The view outside was serene, clearing skies bathing Ponyville in the silent embrace of the night. Under the light of the moon it looked perfect, calm, unblemished by the horrors she had witnessed. The view doused the worst of the remaining fears in Twilight's mind, her heart rate finally dropping back to normal as she took several deep breaths. At long last her more logical side was able to come back into control and she knew he was right. Nothing had changed as quickly as that, everypony was still ready to stand beside her.

"I was. I was trapped until something showed up..." She commented quietly, her voice still shaky but with strength forming behind it again. "Wait...How did you know about what I saw?"

For a few moments the room was silent. Twilight had known Spike long enough to know when he was thinking about how to word an incoming confession and took the moment to simply breathe. She could feel him keeping still underneath her, trying to help her relax with just his presence. It was working though, the knowledge that he was there driving away the last of her doubts. She lay there, taking in the view until he lifted his head back to look at her.

"Well, I've always had some alicorn magic in me for sending scrolls," He started, looking out over Ponyville with her. "After the time travel incident with Starlight Glimmer, Princess Luna infused me with a little more and taught me how to dreamwalk like she does. We all wanted to make sure you could at least sleep well while you recovered and I, kinda just kept going afterwards."

Twilight paused as she realised the implications. For years she'd rarely had so much as a bad dream, always attributing it to Princess Luna's vigilance in safeguarding the night. Her faithful assistant had been the one watching over her all along. Without thinking she wrapped her front hooves around his chest and hugged him in thanks. He craned his neck further to watch and smiled warmly in response.

"Thank you, for saving me from myself." She said quietly, feeling herself start to drift back toward sleep. Deep in her heart though, she knew that she was extremely lucky to have him. It was likely no other pony in Equestria had such defences without Luna there to control the dream realm. They would be helpless against the manifestations of their worst thoughts, thoughts that would become much more common the longer this went on.

Another reason she had to find a way to separate Tantabus from Sunset. Before her dream came true...

Author's Note

I can't pretend that chapters like this are easy to write and for what it's worth, I don't take any joy in subjecting them to this either. Sometimes the story has to go places though...