Twilight Sparkle trotted through the crowded halls of the castle, the ponies giving her empty smiles and quick bows as she passed them by, the mare gave them no attention as her focus was getting to the goddess she needed to speak to. The Imperial Solar Guards stood at attention as she passed, her newly acquired title of princess was to thank for that.
She kept her pace as she quickly wandered the castle in search of her. Twilight's nostrils flared as she searched yet another crowded room that didn't hold the one she was looking for, several of the nobility had attempted to speak with her and she simply hadn't acknowledged them since she had an astronomically important mission to complete.
Her shoulders sagged as she realized she would have to search the gala hall, she hated crowds to an unhealthy degree and would always do her best to avoid them the best she could, the mare sighed and turned to leave the room, her stomach felt as if it were boiling and she felt unusually feverish.
"Princess Twilight-"
She swiveled her ears to see if she could identify who exactly was approaching her in the crowded room, and judging by the metallic clanking of their armor it was clear they were a member of the Imperial Guard. She spoke stiffly, not caring if she appeared to be cold to the pony. "Speak."
"Her Imperial Majesty is at this time in the gala hall and it is soon time for the event to begin."
Twilight craned her neck to look at the guard, her next words catching in her throat as she noticed who the soldier was, the pony was just another reminder that she had failed to save everypony she cared about when Starlight had travelled through the map. "Thank you Rainbow."
Her former friend saluted and walked away to return to her post, the increasingly distant clinking of her armor being the only indication that she had well and truly gone. Twilight was left standing in the crowded hall surrounded by many noble ponies yet still feeling very alone.
She took several deep breaths and returned to her bedroom to prepare for her final gala.
She looked at herself in the mirror, the lavish bedroom surrounding her was like a prison and to her she was locked in a gilded cage until the day she died, her muzzle scrunched up in disgust at the pony she saw in the mirror looking back at her. The version of her she saw looked a little too thin and a little too exhausted, but nopony could bother to say anything about it because they were all too scared that they would get in trouble with their empress.
Twilight bit her lower lip, tears formed in her eyes due to the excruciatingly painful fact she would never be able to return to the old days and she would never see all of her friends in one place again. Her friends that didn't submit to their false ruler were executed on the spot, no chance to say goodbye to their friends or family. They were simply murdered where they stood and the memory of her watching her friends' lives be mercilessly snuffed out shattered her heart all over again.
Deep down she hated Starlight for taking away her peaceful life, she had it all, amazing friends, the honor to study directly under princess Celestia, but Starlight came along and ruined everything by preventing her and her best friends from properly defeating the Nightmare.
She hadn't known that the Nightmare was Celestia's little sister, she didn't mean to kill her, it all happened so quickly but still she had ended an innocent life that night because of Starlight, and she would never stop feeling guilty. She closed her eyes and bit her lip even harder, the memories of that night repeating in her head without ceasing or ever slowing down.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock at the door, she sighed and took several breaths, taking the time to put on the royal mask. "Enter."
The door opened and she turned her head to look at whoever had thought it was so important that they had to speak to her while she was in her bedroom, she barely hid a hostile scowl when she saw that the pony was Starlight Glimmer herself. She had the guts to try and speak to her after everything she had done and Twilight hated her even more for it.
"H-Hey Twilight.."
"What do you want Starlight?"
"I just want to apologize f-"
"You want to apologize? You f- You- You screwed the world up, nothing you will ever say or do will be a sufficient apology." Twilight hissed and turned to face Starlight, her nostrils were flared, eyes were narrowed, and wings were spread as she just barely stopped herself from attacking the one who took everything from her.
She was desperately attempting to bite back any cruel words but the longer she was forced to be in the presence of the mare who ruined everything the harder it was becoming for her.
"Yes! I know how to fix this- I-It won't bring back the dead but it'll stop-"
Twilight glowered at her and shut her up mid sentence, her death stare soon morphed into an expression of barely contained sadness and grief as she sighed and sat on her bed. "Very well, what is your plan?"
"Well over the past few years since I ruined everything I have been working on a spell to.. To take out the empress and-"
"You need me to be the one to cast it since I'm the only one she'll let close enough for it to work?"
Starlight nodded and looked at Twilight hopefully, pulling out a scroll from her saddlebags and holding it out for the purple mare to take and read. "I've written it down here, it's the final version of the spell that I pray will work."
Twilight took it in her magic and opened it, scrutinizing the contents of the spell for an unreasonably long time. She glanced up at Starlight and her frown only deepened. "Do you know what you're asking of me? You're asking me to essentially become a suicide bomber Starlight, how do I know that you're not attempting to assassinate me? Because I don't trust you one bit."
"You don't trust me, and I don't blame you at all. But Twilight this is the only chance we've got to free the ponies from this awful tyrant!-"
The purple alicorn narrowed her eyes for the second time and looked down at the marble floor, she took an exaggerated deep breath and went over the scroll for a second time. She knew Starlight Glimmer was right, but then who'd take her place after she and the empress were both dead? She looked back up at the pink mare and sighed. "I guess you're right. But if this plan is carried out successfully then who will take her place on the throne? Not Luna, that's for sure, she's dead because of you."
The unicorn grimaced and nodded sadly, she hadn't expected Twilight to be friendly to her but she also wasn't expecting the pretty frequent digs. "I've already-" she paused and took a breath. "I've already contacted Sunset and she's going to take your place, her and an alternate version of you."
She looked up at her, she was genuinely confused on how she went to the human world when the empress had destroyed the portal and forbade anyone to attempt to recreate another portal. She felt her jaw drop in shock that somepony had managed to go back there. "You- How?"
"Well.. I found your journal in your old palace and there were a crap ton of entries from Sunset Shimmer worrying about you and wondering what happened, so I wrote back because I was curious as to what your journal was, she wrote back instantly and first explained to me what the journal is and then told me about how you two met. When she asked what was going on I told her everything."
Starlight paused to take a few breaths before she immediately continued telling Twilight about her encounter with Sunset, she was visibly nervous due to the flat glare the princess was sending her. "And she went off on me, yelling at me and writing paragraph after paragraph chastising me for everything. I deserved it, but then she stopped when I explained that the empress had destroyed the portal. I asked her if there was another one and she gave me vague details as to where one was, so I spent days in the Everfree looking for it, and when I did I went straight through and met her in front of her school."
Twilight lifted a wing to silence her visitor, she promptly used said wing to pinch the bridge of her muzzle as she felt a massive headache coming. She didn't know what to say but she at least knew who would take her place as princess of Equestria after she was dead and gone. "Do. Not Continue. I know that Equestria will be in good hooves now, so give me that spell and allow me to put my gala dress on."
"Twilight-"
"Don't. You've given me what I need to free the populace, so tell Sunset to come through in maybe three hours, tell her I love her and that I know she will be a good princess or empress, or whatever title she chooses. But I do not want to be in the same room as you for longer than necessary, so please, just go and enjoy your life."
"I- Thank you so much Twilight.. For doing this.. And I'm so sorry."
"... Just go."
Twilight kept her eyes locked on the paper, analyzing it's contents over and over to be doubly sure that she will not mess up the spell that is giving Equestria it's new dawn. She chuckled bitterly and tears started rolling down her cheeks, her worst enemy was now her greatest ally. The pony who had ruined everyone's lives and was the cause of the deaths of so many innocents was the one who had given her a means to end the torment that all of Equestria was suffering from.
Several sobs escaped the tortured princess, she only wanted to live a peaceful life and now she was going to die due to having to correct the consequences of Starlight's actions, she kept going over the spell until she noticed the orange rays of light illuminating her room.
She felt her heart breaking over again, the orange rays of sunlight were the exact color of Sunset's fur. She loved Sunset so much and wanted to see her one last time, to tell her she loved her one last time and to embrace her. Her chest ached and her sobbing intensified when she remembered all of her friends that she'd be leaving behind, all she wanted was to live a normal life.
The tired mare got off of her bed once she had gotten a semblance of control over herself and went into her luxurious bathroom, she flipped the light switch and moved over to the vanity, using her magic to turn the taps and splash a little cold water on her face.
She noticed her dress was hanging on a nearby wall hook and sighed, taking a shaky breath and splashing her face with water again before turning the taps off and levitating her beautiful gown to her. Twilight slowly put it on, making sure everything was perfect before she left the bathroom and exited her bedroom.
She kept her head up high as she passed the Imperial Guards, she couldn't break down and let anypony know that there was something wrong. The walk to the gala hall was agonizingly slow and Twilight felt the eyes of everypony on her, she was walking to her death and the stares of everypony were only making things more uncomfortable.
Twilight walked into the hall and looked around at the crowded ballroom, guests and palace staff were everywhere and the crowd made her muscles tense up, she grumbled under her breath and pushed gently through the crowd, occasionally being approached by a servant offering something from a tray of bite sized appetizers.
"Princess Twilight, may I have your attention for a brief moment?"
Her ears flick and she turns toward the direction she believes the voice came from, coming face to face with some noblestallion, she needed to remain calm and friendly because one wrong move would alert everypony to her intentions. "Of course, anytime."
"Her majesty has put together quite a lively gala this evening, hasn't she?"
Twilight grits her teeth and forces a warm smile, nodding in faux agreement. "She has, lord Platinum. It's.. Nice to see you again."
"I'm glad it is, princess. Our last meeting was unfortunately cut quite short due to the disgusting rebel attack on Ponyville."
"Ah.. Yes, the rebels. Such a pain in the flank hahaha..?"
"Are you feeling alright your majesty?" Lord Platinum dares to look her in the eyes, breaking the social protocol for interacting with such an important pony.
"Of course, I have a minor headache but I'll be.. Fine." She winces, she was too reckless and nearly blew it, she forced another smile and decided to play friendshipper for a while. "But I have been made aware that a certain Guardstallion may want to get to know you and become a friend of yours. His name is Gentle Slumber and he is a sergeant within the palace guard."
She watches him and feels a tiny spark of joy when his eyes light up, her smile was for a short while genuine as she was pleased to see him seem so interested in speaking with somepony that most nobles would consider below them. "I apologize lord Platinum, but I must mingle with some of the other guests and I hope to see my mentor before the evening ends."
Platinum bows again and watches as she turns around to go further into the grand ballroom, he notices that she's been acting strangely and wonders if she may be more ill than she is letting on. He sighs and wishes he could help her in some way, resigning himself to the fact that he would be unable to help her unless she directly asked him for assistance.
Twilight walked through the room searching for her, stopping to occasionally hold a short conversation with somepony to appear as if she was attending a gala like normal and not planning to assassinate Equestria's imperial overlord.
The music playing in the backround was drowned out by her heart pounding in her ears as she searched around for and spotted the pony she needed to get rid of, she took a deep breath and began to approach her. "Empress Daybreaker!"
She noticed as the evil solar tyrant turned towards her and gave her a toothy, sinister smile as an attempt to appear friendly. "My faithful friend, I'm very glad you're attending this year's gala."
"I figured that maybe I could meet some new friends this year after.." She paused and couldn't continue, her grief bubbled up and nearly boiled over. She felt Daybreaker wrap her in her wings and it only served to make her feel worse, the mare who murdered her friends was attempting to comfort her.
"It's okay Twilight, you do not have to finish. As painful as it may be to lose the ponies you thought were your closest friends, you have to remember that they opposed me, refused to conform to the great new Equestrian empire, and they are the ones who fooled you into slaughtering my baby sister."
"I know, I.. I still miss them. I can't help it."
"I understand Twilight Sparkle, they were evil ponies and I'm so sorry I had let them trick you into ending my sister's life. I know it was not your fault."
Twilight nodded sadly and closed her eyes, Daybreaker was trying to manipulate her into thinking her friends were evil. She had to rid the world of the solar monster even if it meant she would undoubtedly have to sacrifice herself in the process. "Now Twilight, would you like have this first dance?"
The purple mare chuckled and pulled away from Daybreaker, hiding her disgust and rage incredibly well. "You make it sound as if I am your lover, empress."
The alabaster alicorn laughed heartily and craned her neck down, giving Twilight a sultry smirk. "Only if you wish that to be~"
The solar goddess's laugh was so melodic to Twilight's ears and she longed for the days gone when that laugh would belong to princess Celestia, not some twisted monster that overtook her body. "Heh.. You'll have to find out after the gala, mentor."
Daybreaker said nothing and gently pulled Twilight close to her, slowly starting to fall in rhythm with the waltz that was beginning to be played by the orchestra up on the stage.
Twilight hummed to herself and fell in step, letting the rhythm control her movements as she waltzed with Daybreaker, the ponies dissolved around them and for a short time she imagined she was alone with Celestia, waltzing with her former mentor. She was snapped back to reality as the song ended and the noble ponies began to clap for the orchestra, she took several deep breaths and looked up at the monster, she was looking down at her and their eyes met.
She tore her gaze away the second the orchestra began to play a second piece, it was faster and Twilight knew it was growing closer to the end.
She waited for the monster to start moving before she did, she hoped that her actions would make a change and that she wouldn't have died in vain. She was the hero who sacrificed herself to bring down the solar dictator, but she won't know if her sacrifice would make a difference and she would simply have to have to have faith that her actions saved the Equestrian population.
She lit her horn and began casting the spell that Starlight Glimmer had given her, she thought of all her friends, the innocent ponies who were massacred by Daybreaker and her blindly loyal soldiers, and she thought of Sunset, the mare she would never be able to say 'I love you' to.
Twilight screamed in sheer agony as she completed casting the spell, her body felt as if somepony had used her as a knife block for burning hot knives. She looked at Daybreaker for one last time and held onto the monster as tight as she could, she wasn't going to let her get away. She heard the cracking and popping of her body distorting, sputtering and spitting blood all over her pristine white fur as she felt her bones break in agonizing intensity until she heard a loud, wet pop and everything went dark.
She really really hoped that what she did made a significant difference.
Author's Note
Wrote this because I fell asleep and had a dream about this plot and decided it was too good to pass up.
I don't think the writing is very good, but I'm still pretty sick and not at 100% yet so I'll probably rewrite this later. 
Starting the process of rewriting, taking it very slowly and making sure it's actually an improvement so check back in maybe a month or so.
