Chapters The Magic and the Night
Chapter 1: Hearth's Warming Horror
“Boy, howdy! Canterlot sure is beautiful in winter!”
Applejack's claim was indisputable. A gentle snowfall coated the soaring towers, misting over the glass. Festive wreaths and trees decorated the frosty buildings, and fast candy canes lined the streets. Ponies of all kinds and colors bustled about for last-minute presents. The sky was spotless and clear, a warm yellow Sun glittering off the snow.
Hearth's Warming Eve was approaching, and Twilight Sparkle could hardly wait.
“Spending Hearth's Warming Eve with Princess Celestia!” Rainbow Dash cheered, flying loops in the air above her five friends. “How cool is that?”
“I'm just glad to be off that train,” Spike grumbled, flexing his tail as he walked beside Twilight. “This walk is just what I need.”
Rarity primped her lovely purple mane, adorned in shiny red and green ribbons. “It was fabulous being in last year's Hearth's Warming Eve pageant, but to spend this year shopping and relaxing with Caterlot's finest is splendid indeed!”
“All those crowds...” Fluttershy stated nervously, eyes darting about. “I...I think I'll stay inside, if I can help it...and drink some hot cocoa by a fire...If that's OK with everypony...”
“Candy canes! Balloons! Ornaments! Cakes! Cookies! Presents!” Pinkie Pie hopped along, her hooves crunching loudly in the fresh snow. “This is gonna be the best Hearth's Warming Eve ever! The biggest party of the year!”
Twilight beamed with joy. To think that Princess Celestia had found some time off in her busy schedule to celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve personally with them! Not only that but Shining Armor and Cadance were coming by too. The holiday was only two days into the future so it was going to be hectic, but Twilight was grateful just the same.
“Come on!” she urged the others. “Princess Celestia said she'd be waiting in the castle library! All those obscure, rare books...”
Admitted by the Royal Guard, Twilight and her friends made their way to the library, Twilight leading the way. A white Pegasus guard pushed the doors to the library open, revealing Princess Celestia...and Princess Luna?
“Twilight!” Princess Celestia greeted, a warm smile on her noble face. She and Luna were sitting at a round table, books piled up beside them. “Everypony, welcome to the castle!”
Luna smiled as well, somewhat awkwardly. “Yes, a good Hearth's Warming Eve to all of you! I hope we can enjoy this together!”
Twilight realized that Luna, having been banished to the Moon for one thousand years, hadn't celebrated Hearth's Warming Eve in a very long time.
That's putting it mildly, she thought. How much has changed for her since then?
“I'm glad to be spending Hearth's Warming Eve with my younger sister,” Princess Celestia announced. “All of us together shall make this an unforgettable celebration.”
“Yippee! ” Pinkie hopped excitedly. The others voiced their excitement together.
“We would be honored in assisting your celebration,” Rarity told the princesses with a bow.
“Excellent!” Celestia beamed and her alicorn glowed brightly, levitating a series of scrolls to the friends. “Here's a list of ways to prepare.”
“Oh my!” Fluttershy exclaimed, reading her scroll. “Organizing a chorus with all the birds in the animal sanctuary? That would take some effort, but it would be amazing in the end.”
“A sonic rainboom in the middle of a huge snow cloud so all the snowflakes will glow like rainbows for an hour?” Rainbow asked, awed by the idea. “That's...that's just so unbelievably cool that I have to try!” Her wings trembled from barely contained excitement.
“Pinkie and me teaming up to bake the biggest Hearth's Warming Eve cake in the history of Canterlot?” Applejack asked.
“Yes! We'll do it!” Pinkie cheered.
“We sure will!” Applejack bragged. “You can count on us, Princesses!”
“Setting up a Hearth's Warming Eve fashion show is no problem at all!” Rarity told the princesses. “I would be delighted to do that.”
Twilight peered at the scroll, and nodded when she saw her role: Organize the others.
“Working together will make this fun and exciting,” she told Princess Celestia.
“I'm pleased everypony's so enthusiastic,” Princess Celestia said. “Your greatest strengths will be showcased in these events.”
“I can hardly wait to see,” said Luna.
“You won't be disappointed,” Princess Celestia replied. “These are some of the most talented subjects you will ever know.”
A warmth filled Twilight's chest, a deep sense of pride and gratitude. “Thank you so much, Princess Celestia.”
The sound of hoof beats approached the table, and an ocean blue Unicorn mare with a straight periwinkle mane combed to the left arrived, magic pushing a cart with glass case set on it, a large battered book inside with a red leather cover. The glass case had a large ruby padlock on the front. Around her neck was a large key carved from a ruby, and her cutie mark showed a hazy tan seashell.
“Here it is, Princesses,” the Unicorn said, nodding toward the book. Twilight squinted at the Unicorn. Something about her seemed familiar...
“Thank you very much, Aurora.” Celestia looked to Twilight. “Recognize your old classmate?”
Twilight blinked, the name registering in her head. “Aurora! Yeah, Aurora Mist! I remember you from school!”
Aurora smiled. “Twilight Sparkle,” she said, her voice refined and noble. “I haven't seen you since Princess Celestia selected you as her disciple.”
Twilight blushed a little, remembering how Aurora had bragged about how it was destiny that she would be selected by Princess Celestia. The last she had seen of Aurora was her look of grief upon hearing that Twilight had been chosen instead.
I hope she isn't still upset about that...
“Yeah; feels like ages ago, doesn't it?” Twilight joked.
“Oh, this job as the castle librarian is just as good,” Aurora told her. Her magic seized a feather duster to clean off the glass case with the book inside.
“That does sound great,” Twilight said. “Being surrounded by all these books all day. That great old book smell and all the time you need to read...”
“Pardon me,” Applejack interjected, “but what's with the book under glass?”
“This was just recovered,” Aurora told the guests. “The personal diary of Starswirl the Bearded.”
Twilight's eyes went misty, her heart skipping a beat. “The diary?” she asked reverently. “I've always wanted to see it. I've always dreamed of what Starswirl the Bearded saw during his travels!”
Twilight extended a trembling hoof to the glass. Aurora peered into the glass.
“Incredible, isn't it?” she asked.
“I'd do anything to read it,” Twilight whispered.
“Not yet, Twilight,” Princess Celestia tittered.
“There is much we still have to decipher and study,” Luna added. “Patience.”
“Until then I'm guarding the diary,” Aurora said, waving the key around her neck with her magic.
Disappointed, Twilight withdrew her hoof. “All right, I'll wait. It's not gonna be easy though.”
“That's the sort of curiosity that a good student should have,” Princess Celestia smiled.
Luna blinked and cocked her head, frowning. Her eyes seemed focused on something far away. Twilight raised an eyebrow. What was Luna doing?
“Sister?” Princess Celestia asked, concerned. Her smile faded. “Sister?”
Luna shook her head. “I'm sorry,” she answered. “I thought I heard something.”
Weird. I hope Luna's all right, Twilight thought.
“So what's your cutie mark for?” Rainbow asked Aurora.
“That isn't very polite to ask,” Fluttershy pointed out.
Aurora chuckled. “Oh no, it's quite all right. I'm very proud of my illusions.”
“Illusions?” Applejack asked. “How'd you mean?”
“Observe...” Aurora smirked. Her alicorn lit up with a bright blue light. An orange mist formed beside Aurora, solidifying into a second Applejack, down to the littlest detail!
A collective gasp rose from the friends as the second Applejack trotted about, smiling at them and taking a bow. “Hey y'all,” the illusion said in perfect imitation of Applejack. “I'm...erm...”
“Please tell me your name,” Aurora asked Applejack.
“I'm Applejack,” the Earth Pony replied.
“I'm Applejack!” the illusion imitated, but with more cheer.
The group resumed their gasps. “Impressive,” Twilight complimented sincerely.
“Thank you, everypony.”
“That's incredible.” Applejack poked the illusion with her hoof, but passed right through it. “Eh?”
“An illusion is only a trick on your mind,” Aurora said. “It hypnotizes everypony into thinking a second Applejack is standing here.”
“Sorry, I'm not real!” the illusion told them cheerily.
“Ooh! Do me next!” Pinkie requested.
“Can you make me with a different dress?” Rarity asked. “This is so much better than a mirror!”
Laughing, Aurora summoned illusions of everypony else, and they had fun for a long time.
“I hope this suite is to your liking,” Princess Celestia said.
Twilight and Spike peered at the luxurious accommodations: canopied beds, picture windows, balconies, statues.
“I've almost forgotten how fancy Canterlot can be,” Spike observed. Immediately he hopped onto a bed, bouncing once before sinking into the soft mattress.
Twilight turned to her teacher, her eyes sparkling. “Thank you so much, Princess. For everything.”
Smiling brightly, Princess Celestia knelt down to Twilight's level and nuzzled her cheek with her nose. “You're always welcome here, my faithful student.”
Blushing from the intimate contact, Twilight could only giggle a little. She just wasn't sure how to react to that.
Princess Celestia trotted off, her golden hooves echoing off the marble floor. “Please excuse me, Twilight. I must speak with my sister now. There are still many mysteries to solve.”
“I understand.”
Princess Celestia closed the door quietly behind her. Twilight walked in a circle, thinking about what she wanted to do.
What I really wanna do is read Starswirl the Bearded's diary!
“No! No! No!” she muttered. “Can't look at the diary yet!”
“You're still thinking about that?” Spike asked, his voice muffled by the covers of his bed. He had tunneled his way under the comforter, his stubby tail hanging out from the side.
“Spike, you know I can't resist something like that,” Twilight told him. “That's gonna be on my mind for months now!”
“Go take a walk or something,” Spike suggested. “Start thinking about getting those Hearth's Warming Eve projects organized.”
Twilight let out a loud sigh. “You're right,” she admitted. “I'm not gonna get anything done if I only think about the diary.”
She pulled the door open and stepped out. “See you later, Spike.”
“Bye Twilight.”
Beyond the frosty window snow was falling into a courtyard, blanketing various hedge sculptures. Luna gazed at it, her wings folded at her sides, her expression blank. A heavy, cold sensation sat uneasily in her stomach. Something was wrong, but it was maddeningly vague; she couldn't put her hoof on it at all.
I know I've felt this before, but where?
The door opened and shut, followed by Celestia's hoofbeats. “Luna?”
“Hello, Sister,” Luna answered flatly, not turning to look.
“My sister, I know we've gone over this many times,” Celestia said, faintly pleading, “but can you remember at all...?”
Luna shook her head regretfully, turning to her older sister. Celestia was sitting on the floor, her eyes sad. “I can't, no matter how I try.” She cast her gaze to the floor. “I only remember intense, consuming jealousy and hatred, wanting all of your subjects to cry and die in the night.”
“That wasn't you, it was Nightmare Moon!” Celestia insisted. She stood up, spreading her wings dramatically, dominating the room.
An overpowering grief overcame her, and Luna sobbed quietly, hot tears running down her cheeks. “Some of it must have been me,” she admitted. “I wanted them to love my night so much...”
“There was nothing of you left in that monster!” Celestia stated. “I called and searched for you all the while, trying to find you. Only when I was sure there was no chance of rescuing you that I resorted to banishing Nightmare to the Moon. That kind of transformation doesn't come from mere jealousy! Something changed you, and I need to know what so it can never happen to anypony again!”
Luna looked up to meet Celestia's eyes, and saw she was crying too. Luna felt sick, hating her inability to help her sister. She bowed her head in shame, bringing her alicorn to Celestia's.
“Sister,” Luna sobbed, “I've been hearing voices, whispering when nopony's there. What if it's Nightmare? What if I become her once more? Will you have Twilight Sparkle and her friends banish me to the Moon once more?”
Celestia was silent for a moment, then threw her forelegs around Luna, embracing her tightly. “I won't let Nightmare take you. We won't be separated again. I promise.”
Luna closed her eyes and rested her head against Celestia. “My sister...”
“We can do this together,” Celestia whispered. “We'll have a wonderful Hearth's Warming Eve with our friends, and our happiness shall drive Nightmare Moon from our minds.”
“I hope so,” Luna answered. “Oh my dear sister, I hope so.”
Twilight wandered the castle, its graceful beauty captivating her. She was becoming so used to the rustic charm of Ponyville that the magnificence of Canterlot had been renewed for her.
Still, I wouldn't give up Ponyville for anything now.
A loud, rapid clopping echoed down the corridor from behind Twilight. She turned just time to see a cloaked Pony come galloping down too fast to get a good look at, shoving her roughly aside. “Hey—!” Twilight crashed into a wall as the Pony escaped down the corridor. Twilight's eye caught a saddle bag on the Pony with something heavy inside.
A thief?
Without thinking, Twilight teleported to put herself right behind the Pony, falling into a gallop. It looked too small to be a stallion. Probably a mare. She allowed herself a smug grin. “I have you—“
The mare teleported to a few meters ahead of Twilight's reach and continued running.
“—now?” Stunned, Twilight wasted a few seconds trying to comprehend what she had just seen. A Unicorn capable of teleporting just like her? This was going to be difficult.
Twilight focused and teleported again, this time in front of the thief to startle her. Instead, the thief teleported behind Twilight without missing a beat and kept going.
“Hey! ” Scowling, Twilight resumed her chase. It was one skilled teleporter she was pursuing.
A door suddenly swung open in Twilight's face, smacking her right on the nose. Reeling, Twilight came to a dead stop as the thief tore another door open with magic and escaped outside. Gritting her teeth, Twilight teleported herself outside. She found herself in a small walled garden, a frozen stream under a white bridge. Lying in the snow was the saddlebag with its contents still in place, but the thief was no where to be found. Frowning, Twilight scanned the area. There was no where to teleport to; the walls were too large for the thief to have jumped over them or teleported to the other side, and Twilight didn't hear the sound of any more teleportation spells. They were just too short-range to get past her at that point.
“Well even if she escaped her prize is still here.” Twilight trotted to the saddlebag and lifted it with her magic. Flipping it open, she spied a large tome bound in red leather.
No...
Heart pounding, Twilight sat in the snow and opened the book. The yellowed pages smelled very musty, and quill pen notes were scrawled across every page, listing herbs and spells that weren't familiar to her.
“The diary...”
She shook out the bag, and another heavy object tumbled out into the snow with a thud. The ruby key.
“Twilight Sparkle! ”
Twilight looked up to see guards surrounding her, assembling on the ground, forming on the wall, and blocking the sky.
“Guards!” she sighed with relief. “Look, I recovered the—”
“Seize her! ”
Something slammed into her back with tremendous force, knocking the breath from her and driving her face into the snowy ground. Heavy stallions pressed down on her, forcing something tight around the base of her alicorn. Her body quivered, jerking involuntary as a sickening draining feeling washed over her.
My magic...I can't feel my...
Her forelegs were cruelly yanked up, pulling her into a standing position.
“Wha...wha...” she tried to say.
“Twilight Sparkle, you are under arrest for attempted theft of a dangerous and fragile document!” a harsh Pegasus stallion barked at her.
Twilight twisted her head this way and that, eyes wide and teary. The world spun around her and she couldn't think straight. What was happening.
I didn't...I didn't...
“I didn't steal...!”
Her breast rose and fell rapidly. It couldn't be happening to her. There was a mistake. Surely everypony would see that...
The Magic and the Night
Chapter 2: Twilight of Dishonor
Her magic suppressed, Twilight could do nothing but meekly go along with the guards, a heavy manacle closed over her neck, chained to her captors. Her head bent low from the weight, but worse was the buzzing drone in her head. The anti-magic ring on her horn was disrupting her thoughts and it was hard to focus. All that was left was a sickening void where her magic once was.
No! I'll get through this just fine! Twilight thought. Earth Ponies and Pegasi make it through life without any magic, so if they can I can go without any for a few hours. What's a day anyway? A few days at the most! The investigation will prove I'm innocent! I just gotta wait it out!
“What is the meaning of this!? ” a grand voice boomed out, stopping the entire procession in its tracks. Her wings spread to their full length, Princess Celestia blocked the corridor, her eyes blazing with fury.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight squeaked. “I—”
“Your Highness,” the lead guard interrupted, “your student was caught stealing the diary of Starswirl the Bearded.”
The princess' rage vanished, replaced by shock. “No...” she whispered.
“No I didn't!” Twilight pleaded. “Please Princess! You have to believe me!”
Princess Celestia squeezed her eyes shut and fell silent, clearly deliberating over the situation. For a few agonizing seconds there was no sound at all, the the princess opened her eyes again, a steely, resolute gleam in them.
“I want an investigation immediately,” the great white mare stated with terrifying clarity. “Twilight will record her testimony along with everypony else involved. Then we will hold a trial, and the truth shall be revealed.”
Tears filled Twilight's eyes. “Princess...”
Princess Celestia approached Twilight and placed her hoof on Twilight's withers, bowing her head slightly so they were looking into each others eyes. The princess' eyes were full of sadness, the firmness from before gone entirely. “I trust you, Twilight. You'll give me the truth.”
Twilight could only nod, overwhelmed by her teacher's concern for her. “I will, Princess,” she answered back.
Responding with a brief nod, Princess Celestia trotted slowly away, head raised regally, but it was clear to Twilight that the princess was trying not to show her grief. Twilight had to be strong too.
Twilight was lead to a small room where a dapper green Unicorn stallion with a quill pen cutie mark waited at a desk, a ream of paper and ink bottle placed neatly on the surface. “Please dictate everything that happened leading up to your arrest,” he ordered in a deep but soothing voice.
Twilight related her arrival at Canterlot with her friends, the meeting in the library, her brief look at her suite, and the chase with the phantom thief. The stallion wordlessly recorded it, allowing her to read over the testimony once he finished. Everything was exactly as she said, so the stallion stamped the document and had it delivered elsewhere for the trial. As soon as that was done, Twilight found herself in a dungeon cell. It was a clean, shiny one with marble walls and floors, a comfortable pink bed, a bookshelf with several classic novels, and a window offering a lovely view of Canterlot, but none of that disguised its purpose.
This must be where important ponies go if discovered as criminals, she thought.
A knocking came from the other side of the thick, ornately carved door. “Miss Twilight Sparkle,” the guard said through a slit in the door, “you have visitors.”
Twilight brightened at once. Her friends had come! They surely believed in her. “Please let them in!”
The door swung open to reveal Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Spike riding on Rarity's back. Twilight could see the sadness and worry in their eyes.
“Twilight!” Spike called out.
She made a weak smile. “Hey guys,” she said, forcing enthusiasm.
“Hey Sugar Cube,” Applejack greeted, forcing a similar smile. “You all right?”
“Of course I am!” Twilight responded, far too quickly and cheerfully. “My trial's coming up and everypony'll see that I'm innocent! Then we can get on with Hearth's Warming Eve and share a good laugh over this mistake!”
Looks of alarm passed over the faces of her friends. Twilight took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Sorry; I'm not making my case well, am I?”
“Now now, Dear,” Rarity said, patting Twilight's head, “you're just stressed from this awful ordeal.”
“It's just awful!” Fluttershy said, her eyes teary. “I can't believe they think you're the thief.”
Pinkie drooped like a deflated party balloon. “If you're not having a good Hearth's Warming Eve,” she said, “none of us can either.”
Rainbow quivered in a corner, head bowed. With a sudden flap of her wings, she sprang up into the air, eyes blazing with rage. “Those idiots !” she growled. “We all know you're not a thief! We're gonna hunt down the real thief, beat him senseless, and drag him back here by his tail! He'll be begging to confess when I'm done with him!”
“Whoa, whoa, no!” Twilight insisted, waving her forelegs in the air. “Don't go all vigilante, Rainbow! I'm sure the evidence will point to somepony else and we can be done with this.”
Rainbow crossed her forelegs and looked away bitterly. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I'm just, you know...just so mad about this.”
Twilight smiled at her. “I understand. Just be patient and we'll get through this!”
“Twily! ”
To Twilight's surprise, a powerful white Unicorn stallion cam barreling in, nearly knocking the guard over and forcing her friends to scramble out of the way. Sobbing, he threw his forelegs around her and buried his face in her mane.
“Sh-Shining Armor?” Twilight stammered.
“We came as soon as we heard!” he told her. Twilight remembered that her older brother and his wife were supposed to meet up with them in Canterlot as part of the Hearth's Warming Eve celebration.
He cradled her face with his hooves and looked her in the eye. “Please, tell me you didn't steal that book, Twily!”
“Of course not, Shining Armor,” she answered.
Behind him, Princess Cadance entered the cell, looking small in her grief. “Oh Twilight...” she whispered.
Joyful tears ran down Twilight's cheeks as she looked at her friends and loved ones. Even through the nasty haze of the anti-magic ring, she felt resolve return to her. “Thank you all for showing up,” she said. “No matter how dark it looks, I know you'll be there to lend your strength!”
“You would do the same for any of us,” Cadance said.
“Yeah Twilight!” Spike said, standing up on Rarity. “We'd never let you down!”
Everypony started chiming in their encouragement, gathering around Twilight. Twilight smiled brightly, thankful to have such wonderful friends.
“It'll be all right,” she insisted. “You'll see.”
The gavel banged sharply against the sounding block three times. The dark grey Unicorn stallion judge had a barrister-style mane and a stern expression. “Twilight Sparkle,” he addressed in a booming voice, “you stand accused of attempted theft of the diary of Starswirl the Bearded, a book containing spells of power forbidden to use for they contradict nature to an unlawful degree and potentially can cause great harm. How do you plead?”
Twilight sat tall at the defendant desk. “Not guilty, Your Lordship,” she spoke calmly. She glanced back to the gallery. Her friends sat anxiously in the front. Up above from an ornate box watched Princess Celestia and Luna.
The prosecutor, a Unicorn stallion with a brown coat, a dark red waistcoat, a thick wavy white mane, and a magnifying glass cutie mark, paced slowly around the courtroom, his puffy white tail swaying back and forth. His muzzle was kept high in the hair as if he were trying to sniff out evidence for Twilight's guilt.
“I, Sherlock Hooves, find that exceedingly doubtful in light of this investigation,” he said.
Twilight's solicitor, a green Earth Pony stallion named Atticloft, stepped up to address the jury. “Fillies and gentlecolts of the jury, does it make any sense at all for a student of Princess Celestia herself to need to steal an archaic spell book? Surely Miss Twilight Sparkle doesn't have any reason for that with our fair princess there to teach her whatever she needs.”
Twilight sighed with relief. While it might have helped to mention the times she and her friends had saved Equestria she really didn't want any extra attention for that. She was glad Atticloft had honored her request.
Please, just bring up the evidence, Twilight thought.
“Be that as it may,” Hooves said, “there is more than enough evidence to implicate Miss Twilight Sparkle.”
“I call Miss Aurora Mist as my witness!” Hooves barked.
The librarian mare trotted up to the stand. As she passed Twilight, Aurora glanced at her, glaring with withering hatred. Stunned, Twilight was taken aback.
“Who was it that ripped your key away?” Hooves asked Aurora.
“It was a mare in a cloak,” Aurora answered in a clipped tone. “She teleported in front of me, and while I stood there in shock she tore my key away and teleported to the case to unlock it, stealing Starswirl the Bearded's diary. However, as she ran away from me the back flipped up, giving me a clear look at her flank. It was only a second, but the coat and tail were purple, just like Twilight Sparkle's.”
Hooves offered a picture of Twilight's cutie mark. “And was this the cutie mark you saw?”
Aurora nodded. “Yes, unquestionably.”
Twilight's heart skipped a beat. “No, there's just no way...” she whispered. “She couldn't have...”
“Objection,” Atticloft said. “You yourself are skilled in illusions, am I right, Miss Aurora Mist?”
Aurora looked mortified. “Are you accusing me?”
“Perhaps I am,” Atticloft said airily, trotting around to face the gallery. “Perhaps I'm merely accusing another pony skilled in the art of illusions. What if somepony made an illusion of Twilight Sparkle to cover up the real thief?”
“With all due respect, Mr. Atticloft, you must not have any experience with illusions,” Hooves remarked pompously. “They're just that—illusions, a state of limited hypnosis. An illusion couldn't rip a key away from a pony nor could it carry the diary. Certainly you can tailor an illusion to look like it just did those actions, but Miss Twilight Sparkle was discovered with the real objects. In her own admission, Miss Twilight Sparkle was shoved aside by the alleged phantom thief, so she certainly doesn't think it was an illusion. But that's far from the most damning evidence...”
A Unicorn mare used magic to light up a paper that displayed a hoof print while a Pegasus stallion placed the empty saddlebag, the abandoned cloak, and the ruby key on a table. “You see here Miss Twilight Sparkle's hoof print,” Hooves said. “A print found on all three objects despite her claiming to have only lifted the saddlebag and diary with her magic!”
The gavel banged deafeningly. “Miss Twilight Sparkle, sit back down immediately!” the judge ordered.
Twilight sunk back down, trying not to cry. How was it possible for her prints to be on everything? It made no sense! There had to be a mistake!
Atticloft, to his credit, gave it his all. He argued that hoof print detection was an imperfect science, that Twilight might have been confused and disoriented while handling the diary. Hooves had a counter argument for everything though. Twilight sank into a black despair. There was no hope in sight. Finally the judge clamored for attention.
“After we, the jury, reviewed the evidence,” famous fashion designer Photo Finish began, stepping forward, “that pony over there is—”
“—Innocent!” a grey wall-eyed Pegasus mare blurted out, waving her forelegs wildly.
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. Could it be...?
“Oopsie,” the Pegasus giggled bashfully, “I meant the other thing. You know, the one where you...did do it?”
“We went over this a thousand times!” Photo groaned. “It's 'guilty'! I thought we agreed that I would announce it!”
“Sorry Photo,” the Pegasus said, sinking down with a sad expression, the rest of the jury glaring at her.
Thunk! Twilight banged her face into the table. “I'm so sorry, Miss Twilight Sparkle,” Atticloft muttered.
The judge nodded. “Twilight Sparkle,” he said, “for this crime I am sentencing you to life in the dungeon. As you are a student of Princess Celestia though you will live the rest of your life out in relative comfort.
Twilight sobbed silently. Painfully, she turned to the gallery. Spike, Rarity, and Applejack stared in shock. Fluttershy and Pinkie were weeping openly. Rainbow was shouting and cursing. Cadance had her face buried in Shining Armor's mane as he comforted her. Twilight took her eyes upward to Princess Celestia, and found her teacher looking away, trying to hide her grief. Luna was hugging her.
Dejected, Twilight offered no resistance as the guards dragged her away, back to her gilded dungeon cell.
Everything was silent save for the ticking clock. Celestia sagged where she sat, looking small and defeated. Luna's heart was breaking to see her in such a state. Had Celestia been like that after banishing Nightmare Moon?
“I was going to let her read the diary,” Celestia whispered. “That was going to be my present to Twilight. Now she won't ever get to read it...”
“But it doesn't have to be that way, my sister!” Luna insisted. “You are Princess Celestia! Just announce that Twilight is innocent and no pony will argue!”
“No!” Celestia whirled on Luna, her eyes steely. “I won't pervert my own justice system! It will be a mockery of justice to be the sole judge of who is innocent. What fairness is there in arbitrarily pardoning a pony without evidence simply because I'm fond of the pony in question?”
Luna did budge. “So you won't do anything?” she asked.
“What I will do, sister, is keep the investigation going until I can prove Twilight's innocence,” Celestia answered.
Celestia didn't answer.
Everything felt duller, darker, like the life and color had been drained out. Was it just Luna's imagination, or was Celestia's dark mood actually effecting the castle? Either way, she had to cheer Celestia up somehow, and the only thing Luna knew would do the trick would be the evidence that Twilight was innocent.
Is she really innocent? Luna wondered. She supposed it was possible that Twilight was a convincing liar, but it didn't seem right to her. Twilight was not only courageous enough to play a key role in saving Equestria three times but she was brilliant; if she really committed a crime then wouldn't she have been more cautious?
Shadows subtly grew, and a slight stabbing pain in her head interrupted her thoughts. Luna frowned and rubbed her head. A low sound, like inaudible whispers, tickled her ears. Luna froze in place, a sickening sense of déjà vu coming over her.
“What is this?” she groaned. “Leave me alone!”
Shaking her head free of the evil whispers, Luna charged off. Some terrible was about to happen, and she had a feeling that Twilight Sparkle was somehow involved.
The buildings stretched impossibly high and leaned at bizarre angles. The sky was a churning black soup with a moon like a milky dead eye staring down. Dark unseen things scurried furtively in the shadows.
“Hello?” Twilight called out desperately. “Please, anypony there?”
She heard voices up ahead. A low building, a restaurant perhaps, was lit up by a harsh yellow light. Shapes moved by the windows. Twilight ran up to an open window, wanting to talk to whoever was inside, but something told her to wait.
“Such a pity that I have to defend scum like her,” a male voice said. Twilight squeezed her little face through the open window to see a party with her friends, plus Atticloft, Sherlock Hooves, and Aurora Mist. Pale balloons floated listlessly to the ceiling and cobweb-covered snacks rotted on old tables.
“I'm so glad they put her away,” Aurora sneered. “I've always hated that stupid mare.”
“A complete disgrace,” Hooves agreed.
“She betrayed my trust,” Princess Celestia added in disgust. “I can't even stand to look at her any more.”
“Why did she leave me all alone?” Spike sobbed. “Didn't she care about me?”
“Ponyville's better off without a lying sack a manure like her now,” spat Applejack.
“How many times did she use us?” Fluttershy asked.
“She never cared about any of us anyway!” Rarity huffed.
“Always looking down on us for being less intelligent than her!” Rainbow raged.
“Yeah!” Pinkie chimed in. “She was such a condescending snob!”
“It's settled then!” said Princess Celestia. “Twilight Sparkle's a criminal and we were wrong to trust her!”
Twilight stumbled back numbly. “No...No I'm not a criminal...Guys?”
The light extinguished, plunging the restaurant into dark silence.
Twilight began to sob, pressing at the window with her hooves. “Please come back! Don't leave me...!”
Rolling into a ball, Twilight gripped her tail as though she needed to hold onto herself, crying miserably. “Don't leave me...”
“Twilight Sparkle... ”
Twilight slowly turned her head, the soothing female voice compelling her. She blinked away her tears. Towering above her was a vast black Winged Unicorn, gazing coolly at her from high above. The Winged Unicorn was so unbelievably gigantic that she blocked out the sky.
“Let me be your friend from now on, Twilight Sparkle, ” the Winged Unicorn said. “I promise to love and cherish you unconditionally! ”
Twilight could only stare at the titanic phantasm, a coldness creeping over her very being. Something made her want to believe the words she was hearing, yet she equally knew something was very wrong.
“You must awaken now, Twilight! ” a new voice boomed out. Luna suddenly landed before Twilight, standing protectively between her and the giant Winged Unicorn.
“Wake up!” Luna ordered. “Please, you must awaken now!”
Twilight's eyes sprang open to find a cold blue void. Something was pressing her down to her bed. Coughing and flailing, Twilight struggled to free herself. She tried to scream for the guard but her tongue was so numb that if might as well have been a giant slug in her mouth.
A bright flash exploded outside, filling the cell with light. If Twilight could scream she would have. In the second the light was there she clearly saw Nightmare Moon floating outside the window, glaring at her. Then the light blinded her, leaving Twilight to roll off the bed, reaching for something, anything, to get a get a grip on. Some part of her brain was coldly aware that whatever had forced her down was gone, but for how long?
Blinking rapidly to get her vision back, Twilight was just in time to see the entire wall crumble away. Floating outside majestically was not Nightmare Moon but Princess Luna.
“Hurry! ” Luna urged, turning her side to Twilight. “Mount me! You haven't much time!”
Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight noticed the blue mist reforming and slithering toward her. It wasn't a hard choice.
Taking a little running leap, she hurled herself toward Luna, landing on her sleek back.
Spreading her wings, Luna took off from the ruined cell, taking them both into the icy winter night.
The Legend of Blackmirror
The Magic and the Night
Chapter 3: The Legend of Blackmirror
The castle was dark, the only illumination coming from candles and floating green orbs that bathed chosen rooms in a sickly emerald hue. Vials of herbs and blood sat on ancient shelves, bronze censers burning impious concoctions.
The Follower felt ready to burst with excitement. The heady, pungent scents in the room filled the Follower's nose, reminding the Follower of how the rituals had at first been utterly revolting. Now the Follower welcomed the rituals and the power they brought. There was no greater power than to harness the dreams and terrors of ponies, to bring to life the deepest fantasies. And what did ponies fear more than Nightmare Moon?
The Follower was glad to be back at the ancestral home, some distance from Canterlot. As useful as it was to be near the rich and powerful, it was too difficult to cast the most important rituals there. Certainly some of the idle rich looking for more exotic entertainment had aided in some of them, but the more...questionable ceremonies required the most extreme of personalities to carry out. The Follower had to admit that so many of the ceremonies really were distasteful, but it was a small price to pay for the power they brought.
A Unicorn filly lay strapped to the sacrificial altar, quivering and sobbing uselessly beside the wavy steel sacrificial knife. Above the altar was an elegant black iron reading stand carrying The Way of Blackmirror . Fixed to the wall was a large rectangular mirror, the surface as black as the bottom of the well. The Follower smiled at the filly, and rubbed her mane in mock affection. A scared sacrifice was the best kind; the Follower's mistress would be most pleased by the offering.
The ghostly face of Blackmirror rose up from the depths of the mirror, leering down at the quaking filly. “Ah... ” she breathed. “Most delicious... ”
Her shining violet eyes turned to the Follower. “Have you cast the backup spell yet? ”
“I'm confident we need no such thing, Mistress,” the Follower bragged, sweeping a hoof out for emphasis. “I made sure that the evidence will keep Twilight Sparkle trapped. No pony can legally free her now!”
The eyes were cold and inscrutable, but the Follower had a sudden tinge of regret for bragging. “There is always time to be cautious, ” she warned. “I would be disappointed if something went wrong due to a little overconfidence. ”
The Follower scowled. Everything done so far had been perfect, and for Blackmirror to doubt the Follower's capabilities was galling. She was obsessed with finding the best, and the Follower was determined to be the best pony she would ever know.
“Please...let me go...” the filly begged, her voice quavering with fright.
Blackmirror cooed and tittered over the sacrifice, drinking in her fear. “Soon, all the little fillies and colts will be huddled in fear, just like this. ”
A faint fluttering touched the air, and something brushed past the Follower. The filly's eyes bulged in terror as she watched a dark shadow circle over them, a shadow like a huge bat but with a whip-like tail and no face. A Nightgaunt.
“My pet is telling me, ” Blackmirror said, “that Twilight Sparkle has escaped and Princess Luna is aiding her. ”
The Follower paled. Princess Luna? The Follower hadn't foreseen her breaking the law to help Sparkle.
“Fear not, my faithful Follower, ” Blackmirror assured. “Princess Luna will be simple to take care of once she sees who she's dealing with. I'll take care of her personally. You focus on retrieving Twilight. ”
“Y-yes!” the Follower answered, grateful that the Mistress wasn't upset by the turn of events.
“Now then, ” Blackmirror said, turning back to the filly, “I grow hungry... ”
The Follower's horn lit up, raising the sacrificial knife to the filly. It was a distasteful business, but as long as the rewards kept coming the sacrifices were most certainly worth it. The filly could only give out a small, terrified squeak as the knife plunged down.
Twilight had been in the air before, pulled by Pegasus-drawn chariots, drifting in hot-air balloons, and once clinging to the back of Cadance. Nothing could have prepared her for the ride that night though. Her forelegs wrapped tightly Luna's neck, she could only stare in wonder as they zoomed higher and higher, Equestria laid out below like an illustration in a book. The winter air stung her face, Luna flying far faster than Cadance had. Chancing a look back, the prison cell was already out of sight.
“Are you all right, Twilight?” Luna asked.
“Yes, I think so,” she answered, bewildered. “I just need to get this ring off my horn...”
Luna's magnificent horn lit up, and her magic gripped the ring. “This will hurt,” the princess said. Twilight nodded, and Luna's magic pulled at the ring. Twilight gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. The ring resisted, creeping up little by little. It felt like her horn was being scraped with rusty blades. Luna gave a hard yank, and the ring tore away. In a purple flash, all of Twilight's magic came rushing back to her, exploding from her horn in chaotic arcs. A scream escaped Twilight's throat. Her body jerked about, flinging her head back.
“Twilight! ” Luna cried. “I can't fly like this! Hold on! ”
She didn't need to ask Twilight. Even with her death grip around Luna's neck, the princess' magic blanketed Twilight, holding her in place. Twilight couldn't see through the starry black mist, but she could sense they were plunging toward the ground. Her head pounded and her stomach heaved. The world spinning around her, Twilight sank into blackness.
Luna landed as gracefully as she could, her hooves sinking into a snowy hill. Stars danced before her eyes, even when she closed them. Under ordinary circumstances Twilight's display would have been breathtaking, but not while she was carrying the young Unicorn.
“Are you all right?” she asked her passenger. When there was no response she turned to look. Twilight had slumped forward, sliding off Luna's back. Before she could fall off entirely Luna caught her with her wing. Twilight groaned, her horn still sparking small purple flames. She looked so small and vulnerable that Luna had to smile. Would there one day be dolls of the ones that had taken up the Elements of Harmony that foals would play with and be inspired by? Luna thought there should be.
Her amusement was short-lived. Luna couldn't see them, but she felt them well enough, flying overhead, circling around like vultures. Exactly like the minions she had conjured as Nightmare. She—no, Nightmare Moon—had not been unwilling to unleash a parade of horrors upon Celestia and her forces during that awful time. A coldness squeezed her heart; this was definitely the work of Nightmare Moon.
Surrounding them on all sides were towering old trees. They had landed in the clearing of a forest, the one at the foot of Foal Mountain by her estimation since she had flown east of Canterlot. She couldn't remember the trees being so foreboding though, nor had there been such a heavy feeling of dread in the air.
Luna hunkered down in the snow, her wings wrapping protectively around Twilight.With a thought, a shimmering blue barrier of magic formed over them like a bubble. Nothing would be getting through, even if she fell asleep. “Stay strong, Twilight Sparkle,” she whispered. She knew she would be needing the young scholar.
Celestia listened to the news, her face grim but her mind a churning mix of relief and horror. “I want this information suppressed until further notice,” she told her guards. “I don't want anypony except Twilight Sparkle's friends knowing my sister is behaving this way. Bring them here so that I may tell them. They have a right to know about this.”
They nodded and promptly left. Celestia was glad for the privacy. She trotted to a window and peered out sadly. Luna had been afraid of Nightmare Moon returning. Was she acting to prevent that, to simply take the law into her own hooves, or was she going mad?
No, she thought. I would have detected something more if Luna was truly becoming Nightmare Moon again. Luna must simply want to help Twilight.
Celestia was certain Twilight was innocent and evidence would prove it eventually, but she understood Luna's rash desire to help her immediately. Other ponies still afraid of her might not see it that way though; the last thing Luna needed was bad press.
“This place again,” Twilight muttered as she passed through the tilted alleys and leaning buildings. She didn't think it was a coincidence that she would dream of the same place twice in a row, especially since the first time she woke up to find something cold and misty holding her down.
“Twilight Sparkle! ”
Startled, Twilight whirled around to find Luna standing behind her, her eyes blazing with white light. Twilight let out a small yelp and trotted back, horrified.
“Luna!” she gasped. “What—”
“Fear not,” the princess uttered, her eyes fading back to normal. “I just entered your dream.” She grimaced as she took in her surroundings. “This is an evil place! I'll take you to my dreams instead. I want you to see.”
“See your dreams?” Twilight was flabbergasted. To be invited into the princess of the night's dreams was both thrilling and terrifying. What kind of dreams did Luna have?
Luna's wings and mane furled around Twilight's body. “Come, I need to remember what happened,” the princess said to her.
“Remember what?” Twilight nervously asked as darkness enveloped her, pressing her up against Luna's slender body. The close contact with Luna was a bit much for her, and she was sure that her blush could light up the close space. Yet there was a sense of peace there too; Luna was strong and powerful. She wouldn't let any harm come to Twilight.
“What changed me into Nightmare Moon,” came Luna's voice. The darkness tore away and Twilight found herself in Princess Celestia's library once more. Beside her stood Luna, her horn glowing fiercely.
Standing across from them were Princess Celestia and Luna. The other Luna's head was lowered, looking terribly sad. Princess Celestia was smiling, but it didn't look convincing to Twilight. Princess Celestia was clearly distraught as well.
“Cheer up, Luna. I know there are astronomers and star-gazers who love the night and wish you could make it longer for them to admire!” Princess Celestia told the other Luna in an enthusiastic tone.
“It's only a few ponies with strange tastes!” the other Luna pouted. “Ponies sleep through it and foals are afraid of it! It's not fair!”
“They can't help it,” Princess Celestia gently argued. “Most ponies need the Sun for their daily activities.”
“The dark and night are associated with evil!” countered the other Luna. “They called King Sombra's power 'dark magic', as if I were his patron!”
“Nopony's saying that,” Princess Celestia told her soothingly. “I couldn't have succeeded without you. Why don't you rest? It was a difficult battle for both of us.”
The other Luna glared at her older sister. “Stop treating me like a filly!” she hissed. “I'll do what I want!”
Her patience finally worn out, Princess Celestia rolled her eyes and turned away. “If you say so, Sister, although I'll stop treating you like a filly when you learn to act like a mare!”
The elder princess stormed off, and the other Luna began to growl, knocking random books off the shelves. Twilight winced. She felt almost dirty for spying on the memories, like a voyeur.
Luna blushed and lowered her head in shame. “I'm sorry you have to see this, Twilight. I had forgotten my mistreatment of those books.”
“It's all right, Princess,” Twilight answered numbly, watching the tantrum with shock. It was downright surreal seeing the princess standing so elegantly beside her also assaulting bookshelves with foalish rage.
The other Luna finally seemed satisfied with the chaotic jumble of books and scrolls sprawled all over the floor. She panted, her eyes dangerous slits. Behind her a broken bookshelf tottered, a single black tome at the top wobbling. It slid out of place, landing right behind the other Luna with a heavy thump. The other Luna turned around and peered at the unmarked book. It looked like it was bound in fine leather. The other Luna frowned, using her magic to lift the book up and open it, idly breezing through crisp white pages.
Twilight nodded appreciatively. She wouldn't have been able to resist a book like that either. “It's beautiful,” she said. “Do you remember what that was?”
Luna closed her eyes, a pained look creeping over her face. “I believe so, Twilight,” she said. “It's coming back to me now. That was The Way of Blackmirror! ”
“'The Way of Blackmirror ?” the other Luna read aloud. The book suddenly quivered, startling the other Luna into releasing it, but a black mist oozed from the pages, the book floating in place without Luna's magic. Twilight gasped, a cold feeling gripping her heart.
The pages flew until reaching the center of the book, and three violet lights drifted out, one rising above the other two to form a triangle shape. “Greetings, my friend, ” a deep, feminine voice spoke, motherly yet seductive as well.
That voice! Twilight recalled the vast black Alicorn in her previous dream. It was undoubtedly the same mare.
“Who are you?” the other Luna asked suspiciously.
“I have many names, ” the voice said, the mist caressing the other Luna like a lover. “Lilisi, Lilith, Lamashtu, the Dark Mother, but in Equestria I am Blackmirror, for my cutie mark is a mirror full of the purest darkness. ”
“Your cutie mark is darkness?” the other Luna asked. “Are you like me, one with the night?”
“Oh yes! Have I found a kindred spirit? But I sense so much sorrow in your heart? Please tell me what's wrong. ”
The other Luna bared her teeth and looked away. “Nopony likes my night!” she complained. “Everypony loves Celestia instead of me! Why can't they love me too?”
“I'll love you if you let me, ” Blackmirror giggled, her mist swirling around the other Luna. “Read my book; you'll learn many secrets long forgotten in Equestria, secrets even King Sombra refused to let me tell. He was no fun at all. Then we can be best friends forever! ”
The other Luna smiled gratefully. “Best friends forever...I would like that very much, Blackmirror. I'm Princess Luna, by the way.”
“Such a beautiful name, ” Blackmirror cooed. “Let's hurry! My power is fading from the book. Cast the mirror ritual so I can talk to you from your favorite mirror. It can be like a slumber party every day! ”
“This can't be good,” Twilight observed. Luna nodded in response.
“What do you mean by that, Twilight Sparkle? ” Blackmirror asked.
Twilight cried out, jumping back a step. Luna gasped. “No...” she whispered.
The other Luna whipped her head around to face the real ones so fast her neck made a cracking sound, her eyes glowing violet and her mouth twisted into a feral grin. Blood began to drip from her mouth, her head hanging at an awkward angle.
“Really now, Luna, ” Blackmirror chastised, "I'm disappointed in you. I thought such a smart pony would remember that I'm the queen of all nightmares. Few actions are more futile than hiding from me in a dream, especially if you're dreaming about me in the first place. ”
Luna glared, her eyes igniting with white flame. “It's your fault, isn't it!” she demanded. “You created Nightmare Moon!”
“Only because you wanted it, ” Blackmirror pointed out. “Really, I forgive you Luna. Now that you remember me you can come back any time, but I'm interested in Twilight now. A new friend of mine will take care of her for the time being. ”
The other Luna's mouth ripped out, letting out a shriek like a hoof dragged down a chalkboard. Before Twilight could react, the ghastly creature changed at her, forelegs thrust out. It tackled her with such force that she was flung back. Instead of hitting a wall, they just kept going, the library vanishing into a murky grey distance. Twilight reached out to Luna, but it was a futile gesture.
“Twilight! ” Luna screamed, echoing to Twilight's ears. The Luna-shaped nightmare giggled stupidly and slobbered blood right into Twilight's face. To her horror, the mouth tore open further and further, impossibly larger than Luna's head would allow, until she was staring into a raw, red abyss. Then she was falling into it, screaming and waving her legs.
Author's Note
Hello everypony. I had wanted to make this chapter longer and have it released earlier, but event prevented me from doing so, and I will have to work hard to finish this story by Christmas. Luna's dream was going to go on far longer, but I will explore that in the next chapter, which may be the final one. It certainly will reveal the mysteries of what is really going on. I hope to see you there!
The Magic and the Night
Chapter 4: Nightmare Moon
“Twilight! ”
Luna threw out her foreleg to Twilight, but it was too late; the nightmare Blackmirror had dredged up had tackled Twilight to some vast grey void that the world was melting into. She galloped over stacks of books to give chase, but black jagged rocks erupted from the floor to bar her path. When she spread her wings to take flight more rocks sprang from the ceiling. Still undaunted, the princess fired a blue beam of pure magic from her horn, shattering the rocks. It was too late though; Twilight was no where to be found. Only a fading greyness swirled around the opening in the wall. Luna bowed her head, cursing her carelessness.
Blackmirror tittered behind her. Whirling around, Luna's horn and eyes blazed with fury. “Give her back right now or face the wrath of the night! ” she thundered. Arcs of dark blue magic tore through the dream library, rending it apart. Only the evil book remained untouched, the three violet lights dancing around it. Floating in place, the book stretched out as a black mare's head emerged from it. Her coat was so black it was more like looking into a deep hole, an Alicorn-shaped gash in reality, and her mane was long and silky, resembling a more elegant version of Twilight's mane. The violet lights settled on the regal head, forming two narrow eyes in the usual places, but also a much wider vertical third eye that stretched from the beginning of her muzzle to the base of her horn, giving the impression from afar that she had only one grotesque eye. All three eyes blazed with sickly purple light.
Blackmirror chuckled deeply, her main eyes closing but her center eye opening wider. “Luna, is that anyway to greet an old friend? ”
“You are not my friend,” Luna said darkly. “You never were. You just needed a puppet to remove the Sun.”
“So I did,” Blackmirror lamented, “but I truly cared about you. All that jealousy and sorrow in one beautiful pony. I dare say it was love at first sight! I wanted so much to help you and make you queen of Equestria. My Nightmare Moon!”
Luna was unmoved. “If you truly cared about me,” she spoke with a deadly whisper, “you would return Twilight, leave our lives, and never return.”
Blackmirror sighed and shook her head, the silky sable mane swaying with a slight whisper, all three eyes closing to make her face eerily blank. “I apologize, but I won't hand Twilight Sparkle over to you. Not like that. At least ask for forgiveness and provide a little sacrifice. I'll happily accept your beautiful wings and horn as tribute. It will break my heart to see you crawling through the dirt like a common Earth Pony.”
She gave a slight laugh and shook her head. “No, no, that's far too cruel. I'll leave it up to you what you want to sacrifice. Horn or wings? What will it be?”
“Have my horn,” Luna said calmly. At once, she fired a powerful bolt of magic directly into Blackmirror's face. The alien Alicorn made a brief yelp and exploded into a storm of paper, confetti-like shreds drifting to the floor.
Rasing her head, Luna closed her eyes and felt for Twilight's dreams. Once she found her dream it would be simple to wake her up. As long as they stayed awake there was nothing Blackmirror could do directly, provided she was in any shape to fight back after being blasted to pieces.
Nothing. Twilight's dreams were gone. That could only mean she had awakened. Luna gave her body a command to wake up, and when she opened her eyes she was back in the Foal Mountain forest clearing. It was still night and the wind howled around her. The Nightgaunts were gone.
Sighing in relief, Luna stood up and unfurled her wings. “It's all right now Twilight. We escaped for now.”
Luna's eyes widened. “Twilight?” Panicked and on the verge of tears, she stumbled about, hooves smashing the snow down. She scanned the area, noticing her magic barrier was gone. Something had been dragged through the snow for a short distance from where she had slept, then abruptly stopped. An image of Twilight being pulled into the air by Nightgaunts entered her imagination. While she slept Blackmirror must have done something to disrupt the barrier, and that scene of Twilight being taken away had been merely a dramatic diversion. Instead of trying to tap her consciousness in a dream like Luna had expect her minions had taken her physically away, and Luna had no idea where to look.
“Give her back! ” Luna screamed into the woods. “Give Twilight back to me! ”
Only the wind answered her.
Luna swore darkly. There was only one solution. Closing her eyes, she willed sleep to come to her, and crumpled into the snow like a marionette with slashed strings.
Twilight's head was pounding with so much pain it was like her skull was splitting open. She was on her back against a hard, cold surface, although there was something warm and sticky on that surface too that Twilight wasn't sure she wanted to speculate on. Her leaden legs couldn't move, and something—manacles perhaps—were clamped around them. It was slow, but she could feel her magic returning. She was definitely awake; her dreamlands had felt so much more pleasant.
Forcing her eyes open, she found herself peering into a vaulted ceiling covered in black gargoyles. How weird; why would anypony keep gargoyles on the inside of a roof?
One of the gargoyles shuddered, and twisted its head closer to her. Twilight froze up, trying to understand what she was looking at. The gargoyle had no face to speak of, possessing only a smooth black curvature. Small horns grew from the sides of the hairless head, and large bat-like wings fluttered off its back. The body was lean and bipedal with long snaking digits and a whiplike tail. The other gargoyles soundlessly moved to “look” at her. Her breathing was the only noise in the room; the creatures were totally silent. She swallowed hard and quivered in her manacles. What was going on?
“Ah, Twilight Sparkle!” a familiar voice crowed. The gargoyles slipped away, and a hooded pony appeared over her, a smug smirk on the muzzle.
“You!? ” Twilight half asked, half accused.
“Indeed, it's me.” The hood drew back revealing the brown face of Sherlock Hooves. “Welcome to my ancestral estate, Twilight Sparkle!” He grandiosely raised his forelegs to indicate the chamber. Twilight guessed they were in a tower.
“You're working for her, aren't you?” she spat.
“An excellent observation,” he answered dryly. “I can see why Celestia thinks so highly you.”
“What's all this about?” Twilight demanded, ignoring the insult. “Who is Blackmirror and why do you work for her?”
Sherlock chuckled. “Oh, not even I can adequately explain Blackmirror to you. The best I can do is say she is something very ancient, very wise, and very powerful. No matter how bizarre she might act, she's a creature of order and law. If you think you've seen her it's not really her, just an illusion. Blackmirror doesn't exist in Equestria or anywhere else in this world, yet her power is felt on all worlds. Nightmare Moon and my pet Nightgaunts are but a fraction of her power to turn dreams into reality. As for her motives, I can't say, but she appears to thrive on fear and suffering. She requested that I sacrifice a foal or two every once in a while, and it seems like it's the fear of death rather than death itself giving her power. I can't say for sure though—Blackmirror encouraged Nightmare Moon to lock Equestria into eternal night, which would have killed everypony sooner or later. It's a mystery I hope to solve.”
Twilight stare aghast at the great detective and prosecutor, a stallion instrumental to bringing countless criminals to justice, unable to comprehend what she just heard. “You killed foals on Blackmirror's instruction?” she asked in a horrified whisper. “How could you?”
“Oh, I don't enjoy it,” he answered offhandedly. “It's an unpleasant business, but the rewards are significant, and nopony would miss those sacrifices. They were just homeless trash dirtying up Canterlot's alleys. Celestia should thank me for the service.”
Twilight had a sudden horrible suspicion about the stickiness on the surface was was trapped against, and had to fight the urge to vomit. Shutting her eyes, she tried not to dwell on the terrified little foals that met their ends there and focused on what she knew. She had been putting the pieces together about her case while Sherlock had been speaking, and it was clear the detective was an arrogant blowhard who liked to hear himself talk. She had to keep him going while her magic built up.
“What's in it for you though?” she demanded. “How could you live with yourself?”
“Power, knowledge, all that Blackmirror offered,” Sherlock answered casually. He began to peer through some tools, his magic lifting some up to inspect and clean. “But it's her mystery that intrigues me the most. The new spells are just a useful bonus. I remember when I first discovered The Way of Blackmirror in the royal library when I needed to study some texts for solving the Case of the Emerald Study. It had rewritten itself into a series of riddles and codes that I became obsessed with solving, and when I finished the last Blackmirror revealed herself. I completed the ritual to maintain contact to her through a mirror, and that's when our relationship truly began. In exchange for doing her will, she taught me how to see into dreams, making it so much easier to solve petty crimes and giving me more time to focus on more important things. I gained the ability to bring dreams to life too.”
“But why was the book there?” Twilight asked. “What was it doing in Princess Celestia's library.”
Sherlock took some chalk and began writing something on the floor. “Blackmirror explained to me that The Way of Blackmirror was originally penned more than one thousand years ago by a superstitious clan up north. Somepony she called 'Sombra' stole it when he raided the village, but he refused to trust Blackmirror, locking the book away. It was stolen again when Celestia and Luna attacked Sombra, and by mistake it was filed in the library instead of the archives. Luna found it, and after she was banished to the Moon it was simply returned to the library. I found it about seven years ago.”
After he fell silent again, Twilight figured he was finishing up whatever preparations Sherlock needed for her. She had one last card to play before she was out of ideas.
“You know, I think I understand how you pulled this off,” she said.
“Oh?” Sherlock stopped and fixed his gaze on her.
“Yeah,” she bragged. “I've been thinking, and I think I've figured the whole thing out.”
“Fine,” Sherlock answered. He moved close to her face, leering. “Then how did I do it, Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight took a deep, slow breath, and wet her lips. “You used your connections to learn I was coming to Canterlot for Hearth's Warming Eve. You knew I'd love to read Starswirl the Bearded's diary, so if I looked like I stole it I'd be imprisoned.”
Sherlock's eyes twinkled. “Yes,” he said. “Keep going...”
Twilight smirked. She had his attention. “But you needed an accomplice, one who would allow you to set up the faked crime scene. That accomplice was Aurora Mist. She not only could create an imposter Twilight with her illusions, she allowed you access to the diary. But illusions aren't physical, and the imposter Twilight clearly pushed me and carried the diary. So she made you look like me, luring me outside to look like I was in the middle of stealing the diary. Your disappearing act? Aurora was waiting outside, using an illusion to make you two invisible. Then you doctored the evidence. Being Canterlot's greatest detective made it simple to replicate my hoof prints. You paraded this 'evidence' in front of the jury, and since nopony was willing to doubt the word of a crusader for justice like you, they swallowed every lie.”
The stomping of hooves on the floor was his reply. “Bravo!” Sherlock crowed. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! You could be my equal as a detective!”
Twilight allowed herself a proud smile. “Yeah, well, I had some time to mull it over...”
“It's also completely wrong in most respects.”
Twilight's smile faded. “What?”
“All that you know about Blackmirror's power, and yet you lack the imagination to consider any of it,” he sneered. “I indeed had an accomplice, but it wasn't Miss Mist. She had no involvement at all and truly thinks you're guilty. No, it really was you who stole the diary.”
“I don't understand...”
“You will.” Sherlock stomped hard on the floor.
A shape emerged from a dark corner, flowing out where there definitely hadn't been anypony before. Even though she thought nothing else could possibly shock her that night, who she saw made her jaw drop.
“That's impossible...” she whispered.
“She's very possible with Blackmirror's power,” Sherlock said.
Twilight Sparkle stared into the purple eyes of...Twilight Sparkle. It could've been her twin sister looking back at her with a mixture of sadness, contempt, and anger. “So we finally get to meet face to face,” the imposter said. “My...base I suppose.”
He brushed the clone's mane with his muzzle. “A pity I'll have to sacrifice her eventually. I need Celestia and your friends to think you're dead so they don't come snooping about. It might be a few years before we're ready with you.”
“Sacrifice her?” Twilight was puzzled. “Aren't you gonna sacrifice me?”
Sherlock laughed, and leaned in close to Twilight's face. “Of course not. You see, Blackmirror has chosen you as the next Nightmare Moon.”
Luna strolled along a cobblestone path lined by iron spikes adorned with the drying bones of countless ponies. A starless night hung oppressively overhead with only a bloate pus-colored Moon for illumination, and the trees were all withered and leafless. In the distance ponies with fangs laughed as they hunted their prey, the remaining normal ponies. Families were herded into camps to be stuffed with food for the ruling classes to eat at their leisure.
“You can't scare me into leaving! ” Luna called to the sky, ignoring the grisly sights. “Face me now, Blackmirror! I demand an audience! ”
Somepony appeared ahead on the bloody path around the corner, an Alicorn by the shape. Luna galloped forth to meet whoever it was. Turning the corner, she came face-to-face with...
“Nightmare Moon,” Luna whispered.
The armored cerulean Alicorn approached slowly, her catlike eyes gleaming in the darkness. She wore a delighted smile upon seeing Luna.
“It's beautiful, isn't it?” Nightmare Moon asked. “At last, everypony's suffering for rejecting the night.”
“This is an abomination,” Luna shot back.
“But isn't it what you wanted?” Nightmare Moon countered. “To hide the Sun away forever, all the crops dying, and ponies being forced to eat each other to survive. Equrestia's a bloodbath now, and it's all thanks to us!”
“I reject you!” Luna yelled. “I'm not Nightmare Moon! Now get out of my way!”
She tried to dart around Nightmare Moon's left, but the evil pony moved to block her path. Their wings extended, and they began to circle around in the air, eying each other wearily.
“If you want to find where Twilight has gone,” Nightmare Moon taunted, “then defeat me. Only then will Blackmirror show you the way.”
Luna smiled grimly. “Very well then.”
Nightmare Moon's eyes and horn lit up, her magic tearing out the iron spikes and hurling them at Luna. Luna countered with an azure shield of magic, blocking the attack. Immediately Nightmare Moon was rushing at her, waving her forelegs ferociously. A single kick shattered the shield, and the evil pony was lancing at Luna with her lethal horn. Luna kicked Nightmare Moon's chin, forcing the horn upwards and away from her, allowing Luna to back up and fire blue lightning from her horn. Nightmare Moon screamed as she was assaulted by arcs of lightning. Luna was so focused on the grim task that she failed to notice Nightmare Moon's horn had ignited once more, and the scattered bones beneath her were reassembling.
A dry hoof clamped over Luna's eyes, followed by other cold, flesh-less limbs to latch onto her. Crying out in irritation, Luna shook herself vigorously, dislodging a few of the animated skeletons to shatter on the ruined path below. Her magic tore the rest off and hurled them at the oncoming Nightmare Moon, a skull smashing right into the wicked mare's eyes. Nightmare howled in pain, and Luna saw her chance. Foregoing any magic, she flew up and lowered her head as fast as she could, horn aimed directly for her opponent's breast. Nightmare Moon could only made a small cry of surprise as the deadly horn pierced her chest with a sharp wet pop. Nightmare Moon went ridgid, her eyes rolling back into her head, making only strangled wet gasps. Luna grimaced, unnerved by her actions toward what had essentially been herself, but it was a small price to pay to save Twilight.
Nightmare Moon suddenly dissolved into a blue mist. Luna gasped, bringing her head back up, but it was too late. The mist wrapped around her tightly, turning solid and heavy, sending them crashing to the ground. Nightmare Moon's face emerged from the mist, leering into Luna's eyes.
“You foal,” the Mare in the Moon jeered. “With Blackmirror's power combined with mine you simply can never measure up! You shall become part of Blackmirror's Holy Nightmare, and from this moment forth the night shall last forever!”
Nightmare Moon laughed triumphantly, and Luna had to wonder if she seriously had been so gloating when she was Nightmare Moon. It was kind of embarrassing, really. Her eyes turned up, moving over Nightmare Moon's face to the ghastly Moon above. It framed Nightmare Moon's head like an unholy halo.
The night shall last forever, Luna thought. She blinked, then her eyes went wide. That was it! The key to the battle!
She looked at Nightmare Moon defiantly. “Maybe you are stronger than me thanks to Blackmirror empowering you,” she said, “but I still have some power over the night!”
Her horn lit up, and the Moon began to sink into the horizon, and with it the night.
“What?” Nightmare Moon's mist dissolved, reforming into her pony form. She whirled around in time to see the first rays of sunshine reaching from the sky. Her irises shrank and her face twisted into a look of pure terror.
“No! ” she screamed.
The fanged ponies cried in anguish before crumbling into ashes. Luna stood up and grimly watched as Nightmare Moon writhed in the sunlight, her body greying and stiffening.
“No! ” she shrieked, much louder this time. She turned to stone, hanging in place for a moment before cracks ran through her body, and Nightmare Moon collapsed into rubble. The head rolled down the road to Luna's hooves, and she quickly stomped on it, crushing it to dust.
All around her the dreamland was exploding into columns of light. She turned to the Sun and stared directly into its glare, letting the light envelop her. When it faded she was back in the forest, this time standing at the foot of a decaying castle, a green light shining from the tallest tower's windows.
Luna stretched her wings. It was time for the final challenge.
“OK, how am I supposed to become a new Nightmare Moon?” Twilight demanded.
Sherlock shrugged. “I haven't any idea,” he said. “Haven't I satisfied enough of your curiosity yet? Blackmirror can do that with more patience and skill than I ever could, so you should be happy to accept her.”
Sighing, Twilight knew she had used up her delays with Sherlock. She hoped Luna was nearby; Twilight's magic hadn't built up to anywhere near a level she could challenge Sherlock with.
“Ah!” Sherlock exclaimed. Twilight had to tilt her head back at an uncomfortable angle to peer at the large mirror set up behind her. Three violet eyes peered out, a mare's head forming from darkness around them. Sherlock had bowed his head to the apparition while the Twilight clone and the Nightgaunts were bowing deeply.
“Is this the mirror Luna enchanted?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, it is,” Blackmirror responded. “It took considerable cost to get it out of the castle. I had to make silly noises to convince workers that the mirror was haunted! Then poor Sherlock had to pay so much to acquire it for himself.”
Twilight wished so much for her friends to be there, preferably with the Elements of Harmony so they could blast Blackmirror back to wherever she came from, but even without the Elements of Harmony her friends would make her feel better. Maybe Pinkie would be able to distract Blackmirror for a while longer; it seemed like Pinkie would get along well with somepony who made silly noises to convince workers that a mirror was haunted.
Blackmirror peered up suddenly, all three eyes wide and alert. “Sherlock, move away from the window.”
Sherlock threw himself to the floor, evidently knowing not to question Blackmirror's advice, just before Luna came swooping in, her powerful wings beating the air and flinging Sherlock's equipment all over. Twilight yelped as a scalpel flew past her cheek.
“Blackmirror,” Luna said quietly, “you promised that—”
“—I would lead you to Twilight if you defeated Nightmare Moon,” Blackmirror finished. “I didn't say I would set her free. I just wanted you to arrive in time to see what I intend to do with Twilight here.”
The manacles holding Twilight shattered and the sacrificial altar tipped over, Twilight sliding gently to the floor. The tower stretched out, transforming into the stained glass corridor of the Canterlot Castle. The windows were lit by an eerie glow and the castle was much darker, more jagged in appearance. Between each window was a towering bookshelf. Twilight and Luna found themselves alone in the vast corridor.
“I guess all we can do is go to the throne room,” Twilight said. She inspected a window depicting red rain as ponies on the ground gathered around with open mouths. Was it her imagination or did the ponies have fangs?
They came to the throne room, a dark shape lounging on an onyx throne. “Blackmirror!” Twilight demanded.
“No,” the figure said, standing up, stretching broad, powerful wings and lighting up the room with a bright purple glow from her horn. Twilight had expected perhaps Nightmare Moon if it wasn't Blackmirror, but instead it was herself once more, but this imposter was larger, sleeker, and an Alicorn. Her coat was darker and her wings resembled a bat's more than a bird's. Her mane had turned into a black mist filled with dancing stars, and a high black crown decorated with star constellations sat on her head.
“I am Nightmare Moon!” the other Twilight boasted, her mouth fanged. “Queen of Equestia and ruler of the night!”
The throne room had been converted into a huge library that stretched on for as far as Twilight could see. Twilight gazed in awe at it. It really was what she would have done if she were queen.
“Let me guess,” Twilight asked Nightmare Moon, “you've got an observatory—”
“—chemistry lab, botany lab, engineering lab...” Nightmare Moon finished. “It's all here, Twilight!”
Blackmirror's head emerged from a mirror on the wall, the same one from the tower. “See how much I understand you, Twilight?” she asked. “We both hunger for knowledge. All my conquest, it was fueled by my desire to know everything! I prize curiosity and many of my greatest followers are scientists. Come, rule by my side. Everypony will be there!”
Before Twilight could ask what she meant, six others emerged from behind Nightmare Moon, five ponies and an armored bipedal figure. Twilight wasn't surprised to see the ponies were leaner, meaner versions of her friends. Applejack, scarred and missing her right eye, wore a black coat and hat, a cruel smile on her lips. Rainbow Dash, equally scarred and dressed in heavy black plate armor, grimaced from under her helmet. Pinkie Pie, clad in colorful jester's garb, a maniacal grin stretched grotesquely across her face and her eyes wild and darting. Rarity, lost in a vast black and red gown, her magic bringing a golden goblet to her red lips, the stench of blood hanging heavily around her. Fluttershy was the worst, a chimeric monstrosity of random animal parts grafted onto her, watching Twilight with the eyes of a hawk while the tongue of a snake slithered from her mouth to taste the air.
Twilight looked over the twisted parodies of her friends, then turned her attention to the armored biped. It wore plate armor like Rainbow, and was heavily muscled, carrying a frightful broad sword. It was only when she noticed the swishing scaly purple tail that she realized it was Spike, his face aged to be more like an adult Dragon's. His eyes were cold and reptilian, utterly merciless.
“My Six Exquisite Sovereigns of Equestria!” Blackmirror laughed. “Ruling over a perfect, black world where everything runs like clockwork. Everypony stays true to a schedule, knows their place, and above all obeys you utterly.”
Twilight smirked. “I gotta hand it to you,” she said, taking another look around, “you've got me figured out. This really is something you created, with everything I could ever need.”
She approached Blackmirror, who was fully emerging from her mirror. Twilight could see that her cutie mark was a rectangular silver mirror with the familiar three violet eyes floating inside an inky darkness where the glass should have been. She stopped as Blackmirror stepped out and began to circle slowly around Twilight. Keeping her head high, Twilight tried not to show any fear. She was certain she had the evil mare figured out.
“So this pleases you?” Blackmirror asked.
“Not in the least,” Twilight said simply. “It's truly disgusting you think I really want all of this. Everypony a mindless automaton dancing to my will? My friends turned into those freaks? Me as a ranting despot? Yeah right! It all goes to show that you don't know anything about me!”
Twilight swallowed, unsure of how Blackmirror would react. If she got violent then only Luna would be able to save her. But Blackmirror merely seemed puzzled, raising her eyebrows.
“Not good enough?” she asked. “I can try as many times as I need to.”
Twilight laughed. “Listen to yourself! You don't understand at all what I mean! Maybe I like to imagine sometimes that everything were as reliable as clocks, even ponies, but I'd never for an instant want to make that true.”
Blackmirror stared at her, unblinking, her face totally unreadable.
“You really don't care about me,” Twilight accused. “What you really needed was a tyrant willing to torment her subjects so their suffering would feed you. You wanted to trick me into accepting Nightmare Moon by driving me to think my friends believed I was guilty. Well guess what? Our friendship's too strong for that! I know that everypony I care about's working to prove I was framed! You can only take advantage of scared, lonely ponies like Luna used to be!”
She pointed at Blackmirror, panting from how worked up she was getting. “You're nothing but a pathetic little parasite! A slimy tapeworm! I'm not afraid of you, so go crawl off somewhere else!”
Twilight sweated. “A creature of order and law” was how Sherlock had described Blackmirror. Twilight took that to mean she was governed by rules, and if her guesses were correct then Blackmirror derived power from fear. So if approached without any fear, her power would be diminished.
At least, Twilight hoped that was the case.
Blackmirror gave a deep sigh, and rolled her head, throwing her luxurious mane about. “There's no changing your mind on this, is there?” she said. “Well, I'll never forget you, Twilight.”
Twilight's eyebrow raised up. What was going on?
“Because I'll be spending the evening picking your innards out from between my teeth!” Blackmirror's mouth tore wide open, revealing jagged white fangs emerging from bleeding red gums that looked like carrion. A bestial roar blasted Twilight back. The young mare stumbled back, staring into the gaping maw.
“I...miscalculated...” she groaned.
The hideous jaws zoomed forward to clamp down on Twilight's head, but Twilight suddenly found herself high in the air, carried by something.
“Luna!” she gasped.
“I'll fight her off,” Luna offered as Blackmirror roared below. “Work on a way to stop her for good!”
Black bolts of lightning crackled through the air. Twilight turned to see Blackmirror rise up behind them, her horn firing lightning at them. Focusing all her power, Twilight retaliated with a straight purple beam. It cut through the lightning, piercing straight through to Blackmirror herself. The beam exploded on Blackmirror's throat and chest, prompting a scream from her as the evil Alicorn was engulfed in purple flame. Luna carried them further into the endless library, which Twilight saw was an impossible labyrinth.
“I hope that at least slowed her down,” Twilight said.
Blackmirror collapsed to the floor, her chest and forelegs destroyed by Twilight's power. What a power that mare had! If Blackmirror hadn't been so angry she would have tried again to sway her.
Panting, the ancient monster saw her fake Nightmare Moon Twilight and her friends. “Come to me,” she asked sweetly. “I need a little help.”
The false Pinkie approached first, cocking her head in wonder at her mistress. Blackmirror stretched out her neck and in a single bite tore the false Pinkie's head off. The creature's headless body stood in place as Blackmirror chewed and swallowed, frantically tearing the rest of the body to shreds before eating those too. She did the same to the others, even the false Nightmare Moon. Their creation had take a great deal of dream essence, and that had weakened her, but after devouring them Blackmirror felt that essence rushing back to her. The damage to her avatar body repaired itself, the wounds hissing as their closed and bone reknitted. More than repairing the avatar, her body heaved, the muscles expanding massively. Bones cracked and reshaped, and skin split open, multiple horns tearing through her flesh. Blackmirror laughed at the sweet pain, a sensation she was unused to but one she found somewhat enjoyable.
She was going to have fun playing with her food. But where had Sherlock gone off too?
Twilight would open a book, toss it away, then repeat with another and another. Luna peered at the last one dropped and found there was no writing at all in it.
“Billions of books, and they're all useless!” Twilight moaned, throwing another away.
“It must take effort to create this illusion,” Luna said. “Blackmirror already expended a great deal of energy creating this place, so she only wanted to give the impression of having so many books.”
Twilight leaned against the shelf and thought. “OK, so we know that Blackmirror first appeared from her book, but she had you perform a ritual so she could appear in a mirror.”
Luna nodded. “Correct.”
“That would mean the book is only a limited means of communication,” she said. “She needed you to enchant the mirror to truly get in touch with you, and later Sherlock Hooves. I noticed the same mirror's in the throne room, the only thing from the tower that didn't change when she brought us here.”
Luna and Twilight gasped simultaneously. “That must mean...!”
A deafening roar startled them. Luna flew up to the top of the towering shelf and peered over. What she saw made her blood run cold. A beast the approximate size of an elder Dragon was rising in the distance. It had muscular limbs, a long sweeping tail, and a timber wolf-like head with Blackmirror's ghastly three eyes. The neck was a raw spinal column with veins and arteries pulsing along it. Black, writhing worm-like tentacles sprouted from the back.
The thing spotted her, and with a roar came charging toward them.
Luna flew back down to Twilight. “Blackmirror's coming. I'll distract her and you find the mirror! Hurry!”
Nodding, Twilight ran off into the shelves. Luna zipped through the stacks toward the monstrosity. Blackmirror was knocking over a bookshelf to make more room for her terrible new form. “Over here!” Luna yelled.
“Luna!” Blackmirror growled. She opened her cavernous maw and vomited a vast wide stream of black lightning. Luna turned around and dodged behind the bookshelves, Blackmirror's attack tearing the shelves apart, filling the air with a storm of burnt paper. It wasn't a single shot either; it was continuous, and the beam turned with Luna, as though Blackmirror were operating a huge flamethrower.
The breath attack faded, and Luna flew up to find Blackmirror panting, clutching her chest with a large clawed hand. Luna summoned her lightning and blasted Blackmirror where she stood. Reflective panels appeared all over Blackmirror's body, the lightning striking the panels and rebounding off them. Luna grunted as she was forced to dance around her own attack.
Please Twilight, you must shatter that mirror!
Her legs burning, her lungs ready to burst, and worrying all the while that Blackmirror would come for her, Twilight never thought she would see the throne room again. Moving past the puddles of gore on the floor, she wearily approached the wall mirror, its surface as calm as a pond at midnight.
She lacked the energy to detect the hoofbeats coming toward her. Something long, thin, and hard smacked her right flank just as a burst of magic struck her left side. Screaming in pain, Twilight stumbled and fell, the mirror just a meter away.
“Looks like the game is up,” Sherlock deadpanned. He caned her a few more times for good measure.
“You've set our plans back by quite a bit,” Sherlock growled as he caned Twilight bloody. “You could've surrendered, but not, you had to rile Blackmirror up like that. Now who will we back into Nightmare Moon? Aurora Mist? That fraud Trixie Lulamoon? Trash, all of them!”
Twilight sobbed, her back and frank on fire from the lashes. She peered up at her clone, who watched back silently.
“I can't,” the clone answered. “I'll cease existing if that mirror breaks.”
“They'll...kill you...eventually...” Twilight wheezed.
The clone looked away, crying. “I'm only a tool!” she sobbed. “They will use me and throw me away when I'm not useful any more!”
“Nopony's just a...tool...”
Unable to take any more, Twilight stopped struggling, panting, her back and flank soaked with blood. Her eyes could barely follow as the cane positioned itself above her head and rose high up.
“There now,” Sherlock said. “One quick, clean blow, and I'll spear that brilliant brain of yours, Twilight! I promise, the pain will take only a second.”
Twilight's eyes fluttered and closed entirely.
“A pity we must waste it!” Sherlock said. “I—”
There was a loud snap and Twilight heard something clatter to the floor. She opened her eyes and found the cane snapped in half. Sherlock was staring shocked at the clone, her horn blazing with magic.
“You can't betray us!” Sherlock argued. “Blackmirror's creations can never harm her!”
“Wrong,” the clone said. “I've heard that her greatest enemy is a rebel creation. I may not be that big a threat, but I do know how to end this.”
She blasted Sherlock with enough force to fling him off his hooves, sending him crashing into the throne. He struggled up, tottered on his hooves for a second, then collapsed again. This time he stayed down.
Twilight hissed in pain as the clone helped her to her hooves. “Can you stand?” the clone asked.
“Barely.” Twilight winced at the throbbing pain. The injuries were superficial, but they were extraordinarily painful nonetheless. She smiled at the clone. “If I can do anything to keep you alive, I'll do it.”
The clone shook her head sadly. “I doubt it,” she answered. “Blackmirror's power is what holds me together. Once her primary connection to Equestria's broken then I'll break up.”
Twilight looked away, unable to say anything. The bravery of the clone touched her deeply.
The clone nodded. “We'll do it together,” she said, bending low for a charge. Twilight did the same, ignoring her pain.
As one, the two Unicorns rushed into the mirror, horns first. Together, their strength caused a long crack to form in the glass.
Blackmirror's tentacles roped around Luna's legs and wings, pulling them taught. Luna struggled, but to no avail. She glared defiantly at the hideous monster. “What are you waiting for?” she demanded. “Just do it!”
“This courage is boring me,” Blackmirror sighed. “Twilight will be much more fun to torment. Well, I'm sorry to say it's time to die. I really did like you, Luna. Such a shame things couldn't be different.”
The tentacles constricted, pulling Luna in all directions. The princess screamed. Any moment she would lie in pieces on the floor...
The tentacles went lax, releasing their captive. Luna flapped her wings to stay in the air, noticing that Blackmirror's eyes had gone completely round. “My mirror...!”
Luna smiled. She had done it!
With a roar, Blackmirror turned around and rushed to the throne room. Luna had to stop her. Looking at the thousands of books scattered on the floor, Luna knew how. She blasted the books with a spell, animating them to fly like a swarm of bats. The swarms rose up and assaulted Blackmirror's face, slamming themselves into her eyes. Howling, Blackmirror swiped at the books, and tripped over a shelf, sprawling into several more shelves that tipped over onto her, her huge body too clumsy for easily navigating the maze.
Luna raced ahead to the throne room, finding Twilight and a Twilight duplicate banging their horns into the fracturing mirror. She landed beside them in time for Blackmirror to rise from the ruined library maze, howling with rage.
Luna rushed into the mirror next, aiming her formidable horn toward the large crack running down the center. With a sharp snap her horn pierced the glass, wedging deep enough that she punctured the frame behind it. For a second nothing happened. Then cracks began to spread from the center, running all the way through the mirror. Luna twisted her head to the left and wrenched her horn out. The glass exploded out of the frame, showing down like snowflakes.
The Blackmirror beast, almost upon them, shrieked in agony and rage. She stumbled blindly for a moment, then lost her footing, crashing to the floor with a thunderous slam. Cracks formed all over her body, portions shattering like glass. “My avatar...” she groaned. “I can no longer sustain it!”
“My mistress!”
Sherlock came running up to the crumbling beast, his head bleeding and his eyes wide with disbelief.
Blackmirror smiled at him. “Ah, Sherlock. I'm sorry I won't be able to make you those unsolvable puzzles like I promised. You were a good, useful follower, and I enjoyed your company.”
He gasped. “R-really?” he stammered.
The creature chuckled deeply. “I never forget those who help me...”
Her eyes turned to Luna, Twilight, and the clone. “I meant every word. I would have given it all to you if you agreed. I'm sad to know such beautiful ponies are among my enemies now.”
“No matter what you say,” Luna added, “you're a blight on Equestria, Blackmirror.”
“I promise, one day, Equestria will join my Holy Nightmare,” Blackmirror chuckled, more and more of her splintering off. “One...day...”
Her body collapsed in on itself, a vast cathedral of glass shattered in a single blow. The throne room and library melted away, turning back into the tower chamber. The mirror frame hung empty but for a few shards, but no glass was on the floor.
“The book!” Luna cried out. “We must destroy it too!”
“It's right...here?” Twilight had moved to the book stand where Sherlock had placed it during the ceremony. The stand stood empty though.
Sherlock began to laugh maniacally. “I did it, Blackmirror!” he cried. “I cast the back-up spell just like you asked! Now they'll never be able to stop you! Your foothold is secure!”
With a swift, powerful kick to the face, Luna knocked the evil stallion out cold. “This scum will surely rot in a dungeon for the rest of his miserable life,” she spat.
“Guys...”
Luna and Twilight turned to the clone. Twilight gasped and smiled. “Look, you're all right!”
“No,” the clone said sadly, and turned around to show that a large crack was running from her left leg to her left flank. “I'm falling apart. I think because I was intended to leave behind a realistic corpse to fool Twilight's friends is the reason I'm staying alive this long. I'm such a sophisticated model that I'll linger on a bit more.”
Tears welled up in Twilight's eyes. “You saved us,” she said. “We couldn't have done this without you!”
“I'm sorry for framing you, Twilight,” the clone apologized. “You know, I think if I'm careful I'll live for a few hours. Please let me confess the crime before I die and clear your name.”
Luna looked at the clone sternly. “I promise, but we must hurry!”
That Hearth's Warming Eve morning, everypony in Canterlot was greeted by a strange sight: Princess Luna arriving with a bloody Twilight Sparkle, an unconscious Sherlock Hooves, and a second Twilight Sparkle on her back. Nopony dared get in her way as she drudged to Celestia's castle. The guards let her in at once.
When Luna approached Celestia's chamber, the doors flew open, and there all of Twilight's friends were assembled.
“Twilight!” they all cried in unison.
Celestia appeared behind them, overjoyed. “Luna! Twilight!” she sobbed, happy tears flying from her eyes. They all ran out to greet them, laughing and crying together.
“Please be careful!” Luna ordered. “Twilight is injured and this other Twilight is in critical condition!”
Twilight was given a bed to rest in while Luna and the clone explained the situation. Everypony was held with rapt attention.
“So Sherlock Hooves did it?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I sure didn't see that one coming!”
Eventually Twilight awoke and joined them, giving hugs and just being glad it was all over. The clone explained that Sherlock had ample evidence of his crimes at his castle, and they had the stallion himself to confess. Guards were dispatched immediately to search his estate.
The clone winced, and more cracks formed in her body. Twilight gasped and held her. “Is this it?” she asked.
“I think so,” the clone sighed. She gazed up at Twilight. “Even though I'm a copy of you I never had good friends like yours. I don't even have a name.”
Twilight smiled at her. “How's 'Midnight Twinkle'?”
“Midnight...” The clone smiled. “Yeah, I like that...”
“We can't do anything about Midnight?” Applekjack asked Celestia.
“Please? Pretty please?” Pinkie begged.
Celestia stood up, her horn glowing. “Enough of this talk!” she ordered, startling everypony into silence. “I won't allow this brave pony give up now that she's free!”
A warm yellow light washed over Midnight. Celestia focused hard, pouring her energies into her task. Then, with a bright flash, she was done. A young Unicorn mare stood blinking where Midnight had stood, her coat a deep soft black, her mane a cool shimmering blue. There was no cutie mark on her flanks. The mare looked at her forelegs and checked her flanks, astonished.
“I'm...I'm...!”
“Congratulations, Midnight Twinkle!” Celestia said warmly. “You're no longer a clone or tool, but your very own pony, with your own life ahead of you, full of possibilities!”
The group cheered and gathered around the newborn Midnight. The Unicorn wept joyfully, thanking Celestia and the others for their friendship.
Luna embraced Twilight with her wings, pulling her aside to speak in private. “Thank you so much, Twilight,” she said with a dignified smile. “I never could have faced my fears without you.”
“Are you joking?” Twilight asked. “If it weren't for you I'd be totally lost! I never could've done that alone.”
Luna closed her eyes and held her friend, feeling warm and right. There was something else too, some new feeling that she didn't quite understand. Was it just her friendship? Or was it...?
Icy winds howled through the frozen north. A cave was one of the only options for shelter in that harsh environment, and that is where the flying book went. Inside the cave where a trio of tombs from long ago, from a tribe long extinct. The book fell open before the ice-covered tombs, glowing a sickly purple light. The center tomb cracked, then shattered as the inhabitant lurched out. Breathing heavily, the mare hunched over the book, making a low cackle.
The remaining tombs opened up, disgorging two more mares. The first turned to them, grinning and holding the book.
“My sisters,” she croaked, “The Way of Blackmirror has returned to us! It is time to usher in the new era!”
“The new era...” the sisters uttered in unison.
The leader peered out of the cave and saw the Sun obscured by clouds. Soon every day would be the same.
Let the new era of darkness come.
Author's Note
I would like to thank those who read this, my first completed story for the site. Unlike the last chapter which came out shorter than I intended, this came out much longer than I intended. It was a complete whim that lead to the Blackmirror monster battle. I decided that the original idea, that Blackmirror would just surrender after Twilight called her out, was too weak and needed something more. So it stretched the writing process out quite a bit! I apologize for there not being as much romance as I thought there would be; the last chapter was supposed to have scenes where Luna show Twilight that she used to be very similar to her when she was young, and the two would bond over the similarities. When I start a sequel though there will be some romance very early on on Luna questions her relationship to Twilight.
I must say, I have no idea what shall become of Midnight. Perhaps she will get her own side-story.
Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, everypony! I hope my gift to you with this chapter was satisfactory!