The halls of Canterlot Castle were always quiet at night, a fact that Twilight revelled in.

She had been privileged enough over the last year and a few months to explore every inch of the upper floors, the layout was embedded in her mind. During the day it might be occupied by nobles, sycophants, and petitioners - but at night? At night, the hallways belonged to the lavender filly wrapped in a hooffull of illusion spells. She liked to think even the guards had trouble detecting her now, after months of practice, but Gale Force had told her that she still trailed lavender scent everywhere.

Sometimes, Celestia would join her on late-night sojourns. Either descending from the tower, or Twilight would find her staring into the pool next to the mallorn tree. It never took her long to approach and nuzzle Celestia to alertness and invite her on a midnight journey. The pair of them casting illusion spells and slinking through the night to take pastries and for Celestia to reminisce over the various pieces of artwork.

Celestia had not descended for one of these journeys in a whole month. It made Twilight worry.

A certain piece had drawn Twilight out again. Celestia did not often have a negative reaction to a piece, no matter the contents - but there was one that never failed to draw a frown to her mentor's face, a look of longing and desire matched by disappointment and shame.

Twilight regarded the mosaic that tore at her mentor whenever it was discussed; the First Sunrise. The gentle glow of faintly magical moonlight shrouded the piece, cast from the trilliant-cut sapphires placed in the ceiling. Twilight had long ago determined that they did not simply reflect the outside moonlight, but were each attached to the moon themself, and shone true. The art highlighted by the magic did not, itself, seem particularly mystical - excepting the preservation enchantments woven into its frame. It was, however, one of the most recognizable pieces of art in Equestria.

The two Princesses were depicted atop a hill, standing tall and proud with gathered ponies of all three tribes watching with awe as the first sunrise since the time before Discord began.

Celestia had dismissed one of the best-regarded pieces of art in Equestria with surprising derision, 'There are two First Sunrises, Twilight. This does not depict the first. There were none but my sister and I at the second, when we began the first true day of Equestria. We were alone, together and safe at last after the defeat of Discord. It was the most beautiful day of my life. I wish the art was of that moment, not this farce.'

When Twilight had asked why she did not correct it, all Celestia had said of the matter, face wrapped in a long-cracked mask in an attempt to hide her longing, was that 'Few ponies would understand.'

Twilight had come back here sometimes since that night, although Celestia avoided the mosaic when they were together. She had long devoted the mosaic to memory, and could recall every carefully placed stone. She wished it was correct, showed the First Sunrise as it truly had been. Twilight was learning so many things from Celestia; Magic, arithmetic, stewardship, and that much of what she had believed was history was wrong. Celestia was her window to the past, Celestia and the sparse journals of Luna left in her quarters.

She took only a few more moments to note the familiar artwork before turning and pressing onward, ascending the stairs up Celestia's tower.

Twilight knew the path to her destination by heart at this point. It had begun a few months ago when she had asked Celestia if she could read in her office. To Twilight's great relief and joy, she had said yes. From then on Twilight had taken to reading in the office at least an hour every other night, basking in the presence of her mentor and the cool night breeze.

So much time with her mentor in companionable silence had shown Twilight a new side of her, though. Not the Celestia who stood tall in court, nor the one who strode the halls and received respect without effort, not even the one who taught Twilight with such caring patience. The Celestia of the Office was a different creature, one full of deliberate and careful love for each of her little ponies. Hours on end of sorting through hundreds or thousands of reports and letters, working with intense swiftness and speed to be aware of every problem she could. To keep the Empire alive and supporting the easy life of Equestrians, of her little ponies. Celestia was aware of the status of every single cohort of ponies deployed in her service, knew every ship in the Equestrian Navy by heart, and Twilight knew that with every battle or skirmish her mentor's mind was soaring with the Vanguard Pegasi through the skies.

The Princess of the Sun knew every part of her domain through these reports, her constant war councils and round tables with advisors, her unyielding desire to help all ponies. From the status of the Provinces, Protectorates, and Colonies to the yield and justice reports of rural towns, mines, and farms. Princess Celestia could name every single judge in her service in Manehattan and kept herself abreast of their major verdicts.

Hours and hours of Princess Celestia's day was devoted to staring at large stacks of papers. Twilight had, at first, inquired as to what she was doing - and Celestia had explained that she had mastered the ability to combine the Alicorn's gifts of sight and mind for the purposes of absorbing information.

It had made Twilight appreciate Princess Celestia in a new way. Before, she had adored her mentor for her bravery, wisdom, and strength. Her unfailing smile before the crowds of thousands, the caring in her eyes when she had locked eyes with a scared Twilight for the first time. Now, Twilight appreciated that Celestia did so much more than that. She did not just smile for the crowd, she did not just wield her wisdom and power within the castle. Like the mythical Perculea, earth pony daughter of Celestia, she had taken on the weight of all Equestria on her back.

Like the tragic Perculea, Twilight could see that Celestia's knees had begun to buckle. She constantly drifted, staring at the portrait of Luna for hours - forced to break her schedule or not complete the night's reports. She had grown short-tempered with the maids and guards, although Twilight had been spared her smouldering gaze.

Twilight was pulled from her thoughts very suddenly as the world grew bright - wards and enchantments in the walls and floors flaring white as they flooded with energy. She flinched away from the sudden brightness, having to shut her eyes as her brain adjusted. After a moment she managed to reopen them and peer at the bright lights, her heart starting to beat faster - and it seemed with each heartbeat, the enchantments pulsed. Twilight could actually hear them thrumming as they absorbed excess energy from above, channelling it down and down into the depths of the castle's dungeons and tunnels.

Adrenaline surged through her veins, making her mind run a thousand miles an hour. She could feel the thrumming of the wards as they dragged in the excess energy from something. Like the crashing of waves and the strike of a hammer rolled into one. Was Celestia in trouble? She could hear the shouting of guards above her, another yell from further below, the scream of a maid from the nearby Solar Tea Room.

Twilight forced her hooves to begin to move, allowing the illusions that hung over her to dissipate as she rushed up the stairs. Each heartbeat of the castle's wards lit up the seemingly infinite latticed honeycombs woven into the marble stairs and walls.

She shot into the hall that led to Celestia's office, hooves letting out small cracks with each impact against the marble floor. Twilight almost slid as she came out of her sudden turn, already breathing hard. The two guards outside of Celestia's door were on alert, one keeping watch while the other urgently knocked at the heavy door. Twilight could see the scarlet red wards buried in the wood and walls, sealing the office and blocking sound. No one could get in unless Celestia specifically invited you, or you were on a very short list; Raven Inkwell, Sharp Quill, Cadance, and Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight did not even slow down as she rushed forward, the pegasi on watch - she recognized him as Corporal Gale Wind - called out, "Ma'am! Are you hurt? There is some sort of -"

She rushed past him and gripped the door handle in her levitation as another thrum was let out, rolling through the wards. The ones sealing the room were almost searing her eyes with sudden intensity as they worked to keep something out, or in.

Twilight opened the door.

She saw power. Cadance stood like a star, the countless facets of her true shelf shone with dazzling light that threatened to burn the image into Twilight's brain permanently. The wards running under the Alicorn's hooves on the balcony pulled and tugged at the light as it seared out, drawing it down like magnets. So bright and spectacular was the sight that Twilight almost did not see the huddled form next to her.

Then, the next heartbeat of the wards struck, and Celestia was revealed to Twilight for the first time. Like a cloud had passed, whatever her mentor had done to hide her true self failed - and the Sun was shown. It burned. All there was of Celestia herself was a vague outline of golden solidity that ebbed and flowed around the very sun itself. Writhing white and orange glowed in Celestia's body, pulsing and twisting and burning with constant immeasurable might. Twilight stared into the Sun, and she screamed, gripping her head in her hooves as she began to black out - the edges of her consciousness beginning to suddenly slip.

She was vaguely aware that she had hit the floor of the office, the cool wooden floor a welcome relief, the momentum of her run carrying her forward as she stumbled to grab her head. She felt a throbbing in her side from where she had landed, and could hear one of the guards curse, and the pounding of hooves. The thrum of energy ebbed, and Twilight struggled to reopen her eyes, gazing with hazy vision back toward the form of Cadance unveiled.

Cadance was casting something - no, not simply casting. She was pouring energy into one singular effort, something that Twilight could not see - where was the spell? What was she doing? All Twilight could make out was the writhing form of Celestia upon the ground.

Twilight squinted her eyes and looked once more directly at Cadance. Every vein in her head throbbed, her eyes felt dry and her throat was raw. But, after a moment, she could see it. Through the dazzling reflections of Cadance's true form, the light pouring from her - and Twilight realized they were not reflections of real light or magic, but something else. Gazing, she could make out the scene replaying a thousand times in a thousand facets. White flame burned, searing at something black and terrible.

Then, the wards thrummed again. The Sun was revealed, and Twilight knew no more.

Cadance bathed the Nightmare in soulfire.

The office was flooded with light and power as Cadance used the inferno blazing within her in combination with her own magic, pouring it forth into the world of emotion to strike against Celestia's nightmare. She could feel it burning, smell the stench of foul depression and corruption being cleaned away - but the monster was not done.

She had hoped it would fight back, strike back against her in some way - but instead her worst fears were realized. It began to twist and dig and claw at Celestia's mind in a sudden, furious response. Her Auntie began to writhe on the ground, suddenly struck from within by the parasite that had wormed its way into her being.

"No!" Cadance clenched her jaw and redoubled her efforts, pouring more and more of herself into the spell as her anger rose and the intensity of her fire grew.

She was only vaguely aware of the door slamming open, but her eyes were briefly torn from her target as Twilight screamed - a small thud indicating her landing. Two guards stood at the door, looking in sudden horror - she could see the earth pony and pegasi's muscles tensing, ready to leap into battle. She seized initiative while she could, before they could assault her, "Get Twilight back!" She growled out, "Auntie is under attack! Get unicorns, now!"

The unicorns would not be able to help, but it would buy her precious time. Her focus was ripped back to the Nightmare when she felt it writhe, using her distraction to begin pulling on the well of depression within the room to protect itself. Hundreds of years of self-loathing and doubts flooded into the creature all at once, and she felt it begin to recover, and even grow - the writhing mass suddenly seeming more like a tumour upon Celestia than a coating of sickness.

Cadance refocused and forced more and more of her hatred and anger into the flames she assailed the creature with. She could see it searing away the residual emotions of the balcony, the layers of depression burned away or absorbed by the intensity.

Yet, the Nightmare resisted. To Cadance's horror, it began to writhe once more and dig deeper into Celestia. The flames pouring over it had ceased to burn it.

'Strike harder, now! You are weakening!' She roared to herself in her own thoughts, but she smashed the idea - suddenly aware that her wells of righteous anger and hatred had failed her totally.

Cadance struggled, the flow of flames ceasing suddenly - her hesitation bending the iron will that had allowed her to fashion her emotion into such a vicious assault. She searched for anything, a spell she knew, or a cunning trick. What would Celestia do?

There were moments of intense silence for Cadance, the crashing and writhing of Celestia almost background noise as words came unbidden to her mind. Memories of Celestia sitting with her as she cried and cried, wrapped in the impervious protection of her auntie's wing. Celestia had mourned Weld with her, Cadance's first love. She had sobbed out at that moment, face hidden in the other alicorn's side, 'How is love so cruel, Auntie? I lost him, I should never have...'

Celestia had leaned down and allowed her to cry for a few moments more before replying, 'Weld will never leave you, dear Cadance. Through you, his love will live forever. You will carry it with you. Remember it in dark times, and it will give you strength.'

Love. Cadance remembered the embrace of the Element of Kindness. Part of her could feel it even now. She knew her mistake.

She allowed the flames to die out, the Nightmare seeming to roar in triumph continuing to squeeze and tighten at Celestia's consciousness. She could see her auntie's struggles on the ground growing weaker.

Cadance turned inward, and brought forward a new memory; Celestia giggling as the pair of them dashed away from the kitchens, each disguised as fillies, the cook shouting out curses behind them. Then another; The laughter of Celestia as they soared through the skies over the Weathertops together, diving and skimming the snow. Another; Celestia laying next to her for her first night without Weld after only seven years together, ended tragically.

Cadance allowed her mind to fill with the perfectly preserved thoughts of Celestia, of their shared bond, each crystalized forever in her mind and as fresh as the day they had been made. Tears pricked the edge of her eyes, and she focused - pouring her magic through the memories bubbling within her chest, and out into the world.

The balcony filled with a gentle pink light. It seemed delicate and weak, not searing the eyes to gaze upon, nor did it roar with righteous indignation. Yet, when the Nightmare beheld it, it recoiled and twisted. Cadance could imagine it screaming.

This time, it did not burn. The scent of burning tar and sickness did not accompany the diminishing of the Nightmare. Instead, Cadance could hear the gentle laughter of her mentor on the breeze, smell her mane, feel her happiness and warmth. Each moment, the Nightmare seemed to shrink and fall upon itself, twisting and clinging to cracks to no avail. There was no respite or retreat for the creature of darkness.

In moments, the inky blackness that had clung to Celestia was gone. Banished like nothing more than a dark thought on a warm, happy day.

What was left behind the Nightmare filled Cadance with dread. Celestia still as stone except for her gasping breaths, her bright heart radiant and welcoming, but it was weak - very weak. Cracks marred the surface, dimming its once-flawless countenance. She could see where the Nightmare had struck, burrowing into the psyche of Celestia and laying in wait to spread like an infection. Its tendrils had snaked everywhere, turning almost every aspect of Celestia's mind to dark purposes.

Cadance moved forward on tired hooves and lowered herself next to Celestia, pressing herself up against the white alicorn and allowing reality to once more assert itself over the emotional. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her own breath, matching it to Celestia's own slowing gasps.

"C-cadance?" Celestia croaked out, unfurling a wing and laying it over her weakly. Cadance felt like crying. Despite the weakness in her tone, Celestia was alive - well enough to speak, at the least.

"I'm here, Auntie," she replied, burrowing closer as the sounds of adamantine plate on marble drew closer and closer.

"You saved me," Celestia let out a breath, voice strengthing with each word, "I feel weak, niece, but my mind... My mind is so clear. I breathe free air again."

Cadance opened her eyes and looked up at Celestia, her mentor had lifted her head and was looking at her. She did look tired, yes - but the gauntness was gone from her cheeks, and her eyes were bright and attentive. Cadance felt her eyes move past her mentor's visage, drawn unbidden to the moon. It shone brighter than it had before, the Mare in the Moon cast in deeper shadow than she had ever seen it.

"Look," she urged Celestia, a new urge with memories of the office in mind, "The moon, Celestia. What do you think it means?"

Celestia's head slowly turned to regard the bright moon. There were a few moments before Cadance saw the corner of Celestia's muzzle curl into a soft smile.

"I don't know," Celestia lied. Cadance smiled and closed her eyes, once more burying her face into Celestia's side.

Cadance would let her have her secret, for now.

Author's Note

Shorter, but that's because this would have been the second part of the whole chapter. I have tomorrow off, and will begin work on the next one tonight. I hope you guys liked it, and didn't mind the section with Twilight.

Also, I will be raising the rating of this to M. For a few reasons. Some of the future subject matters, and I think that rating better suits where the story is going.

Hope all of you liked this chapter! More is coming!