Selene didn't expect Celestia to intervene. The sun-warrior that she knew would never have attended the gala in person.

The Talisman of Mirage allowed her to escape into the hedge maze, but she was far from safe. It wouldn't take long for the illusions to be dispelled, and there weren't many other places she could have gone in broad daylight. Fortunately for her the enchantment on the maze made it inscrutable from above.

If it was anything like the maze in her world–and it seemed to be–she need only find the fountain to make her escape. She ran barefoot on the cobbles, down leafy-green corridors as fast as she was able. In her mind's eye she saw the guards closing in with each dead end. Frustration mounted inside, and not just because of the maze.

The warlock was angry with herself.

The exiled princess didn't seem to remember why she was here, which was good. However, the warlock feared that showing up and failing to finish off her quarry may have not only been a shameful failure, but aided in jogging the princess's memory.

She underestimated her opponents, and could only hope to escape capture and find a way to redeem herself. If not...

Her shadow magic would be next to useless in the sunlight, which was by design. As such she had amassed a collection of other tools she could rely on.

The Talisman, for example.

Selene's thoughts were interrupted when the maze turned against her, as was inevitable. Passages vanished between overreaching shrubbery and walls of bramble wove themselves right before her eyes, but each of these obstacles she overcame with relative ease. Her slender form slipped easily between the cracks and, using her cloak to shield her, she crashed through the thorns, hardly slowing down.

She broke through one final barrier and emerged at last into the clearing where the fountain depicting the sun-warrior's victory over her sister should have been, but instead she saw something unbelievable: a statue depicting the princess of the moon.

Selene was dumbstruck.

The likeness of the pony princess was beautifully, reverently carved in stone, and not being crushed under-hoof either, but rampant and glorious. Ivy had grown over the statue in places, but the water that flowed from its mouth looked clean and pure.

Part of her was angry, even jealous of that pony, while another part pitied her. When the time came, there was no way this statue, or any other like it would remain standing.

She circled the fountain, testing the stones along the rim until she found the one that was loose and pulled on it, then stepped back as the stone beneath her feet began to shift, parting to reveal a passageway beneath the fountain.

With no time to lose she descended into the lightless tunnel, feeling the reservoir of darkness within her replenish once the harsh rays of the sun were left behind. At the bottom of the steps she felt around on the wall, finding another loose stone and pushing it in, causing the passageway to seal up again without a trace.

She carried on in the dark, counting the steps, only to stumble into a wall when she came to the first turn.

Of course, this passage way was made for ponies.

She made an effort to move slower, coming now and again to sets of stairs leading downward. The descent was gradual, but it gave her time to think.

There was something the moon-bitch said that bothered her; something about shedding the curse of jealousy.

'The nightmare is gone, yet I remain!'

Apparently in this world it was the younger sister who was cursed, but somehow Celestia must have freed her. The question was: How?

As far as she knew, there was no way to end the curse. She had tried once, and failed miserably. As punishment, she was hollowed out and filled with darkness, a vessel for the last traces of her precious night and a weapon to be wielded against the enemies of day.

Am I really that much weaker than she?

Just when she was beginning to doubt that the passage had an end she came up against it. She groped around until she found a button, pressing it and stepping back as the wall slid open, the daylight pouring in and once more threatening to rob her of her magic.

The passage led out to a zig-zagging path set into the cliff beneath the high wall. A harsh wind blew, setting her cloak to billow behind her as she struck out along the path, avoiding the edge as much as possible.

Though the path was wide enough for a pony, Selene didn't have the luxurious wings of an alicorn or pegasus. Her fear of falling made progress slow, and the combination of sunlight and wind made it difficult to think, yet in time her mind began to wander anyway.

She thought about what it was like growing up with her sister. Astra was always better than Selene when it came to magic, and was quick to remind her of that fact.

After their teacher disappeared, her teasing turned cruel. She became frustrated by Selene's lack of interest in magical studies, which was in part due to her sister's attitude.

Magic never came as easily to Selene as it did her sister, but instead of encouraging her she berated her, looking down on her and telling her she wasn't good enough.

She was right.

Where the path met the ground Selene was intercepted by an unfamiliar alicorn.

"Who are you?" asked the warlock.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and Spirit of the Dusk and Dawn." the pony said with a grin. Sparks danced along her horn, and Selene realized she would soon be captured.

Forgive me, dear sister.

Selene grabbed one of her amulets, this one housing a broken stone fragment, and held it tight. She closed her eyes, uttered the word 'forget' under her breath, and then collapsed.

Author's Note

Another chapter from a different perspective, this time featuring the mysterious interloper. While not exactly erotic, hopefully it is still an enjoyable read.