Ponies watched nervously from beyond tattered shutters and in shadowy alleyways as the five mares followed the purple unicorn, as she led them to the heart of the town.

There was no sound, save for the distant wind gusting over the barren plains surrounding Ponyville. No birds called, and the hoofbeats of Twilight and her friends echoed across the grim town. Over the eastern horizon, the moon was shining, its brilliant light uninterrupted by overhead clouds.

Twilight glanced over at the gallows, standing alone in the town square. Her library was boarded up, and the town hall was surrounded by harsh warning signs.

A crying filly or colt broke the night silence momentarily, and the whispering wind repeatedly slammed the door of some forgotten shop or home. Ahead of them, standing tall and alone in the town square, was Nightmare Moon.

She frowned when she saw Twilight Sparkle, disregarding the rest of the assembled company.

"Do you feel guilt, Twilight Sparkle? You think you have the authority to steal away my student's life like that? Do you think you are a hero...or a savior? I thought perhaps you had the potential to be one. I suppose I was wrong. "

Twilight stopped walking when she was about twenty feet from Nightmare Moon. "Yes, I do. I do feel guilt. I understand what it's like now...I wish I didn't...but I do."

Nightmare Moon nodded, and for the first time acknowledged the other five mares behind Twilight Sparkle. She chuckled softly as she examined her opposition.

"I was certainly expecting more. Are you certain these are the best ponies you could find who represent the Elements of Harmony?"

"I guess we'll find out," Twilight responded, fear darting down her spine.

"The Elements of Harmony have been dead for a long time, Twilight Sparkle. They have been dead for centuries. They have been dead ever since I used them against Princess Celestia."

Twilight wasn't surprised at this. Nor was she worried. Nightmare Moon apparently did not understand that the Elements of Harmony were as immortal as this infernal night.

"No matter," Nightmare Moon continued. "Let us finish this struggle once and for all. Let us see how much power your little Resistance has against a Princess."

With that, the Princess of the Night flew into the air, hovering above the buildings of Ponyville, her form silhouetted by the bright moon. She turned to look behind her, basking in its beauty, before beginning to charge her magic.

Twilight glanced back at her friends. They were nervously standing behind her, and from the expression on their faces, Twilight knew they did not expect to come out of this town alive.

"Elements of Harmony!" Twilight called into the silent night. "Now, more than ever, lend us your power! Be with us in this moment! For the reign of the Royal Sisters!"

Slowly, a dim light began swirling around Twilight's uncompromising figure. As the light grew brighter, it began swirling with increased intensity. Soon, Twilight Sparkle was basked in a bright sphere of dazzling light, splashing against the town of Ponyville, illuminating ever surface in a blinding torrent of radiance.

Five swirls broke free from the sphere, each beginning a new sphere around each remaining pony. The light slowly changed in color, and soon, six distinct spheres of blazing magic blanketed the sad buildings.

A sudden shriek of pain interrupted Twilight's concentration, and she opened her eyes to see if they had succeeded. She closed them quickly as they were assaulted by the sphere surrounding her. The cry was followed by four others, and Twilight realized what was happening. The Elements were rejecting their bearers. If Twilight didn't do something, her friends would be torn apart by the supreme power of the Elements of Harmony.

"Twilight!" Somepony screamed, unmistakably Rainbow Dash. "Twilight, what's going on?"

Twilight desperately wanted to respond, to comfort her friends or say SOMETHING to explain what was happening, but she couldn't seem to find the words as the spheres of light continued to grow in intensity. It was only a matter of time before each and every one of them were completely vaporized by the Elements of Harmony.

Across the town, still suspended in the air above the town, Nightmare Moon looked down at her opposition with surprise, and then at the town of Ponyville...her town, for the last time. She saw fillies and colts watching the standoff, most cowering in fear. She saw the desolate landscapes and barren vegetation, the ramshackle buildings and the harsh outlines of the smokestacks in the distance. She had never wanted Equestria to end up like this...what would her sister think? Now, it looked like her reign over Equestria was finally over.

"Stop, Luna!" Twilight could have sworn she had heard Nightmare Moon raging furiously. "This is betrayal! Stop this madness now!"

A sudden burst of rainbow light interrupted her raving, as the six spheres converged, and finally exploding in a volley of magical energy. The spheres disintegrated, and the six mares watched as the rainbow flew through the air, striking Nightmare Moon, and enveloping her in her own sphere of white-light, her screams piercing the night. The sphere descended, touching down onto the ground, before suddenly imploding. The silhouette of Nightmare Moon was slowly peeled away by the intruding light, and Princess Luna fell to the ground, unconscious.

Overhead, the moon continued its delayed voyage across the night sky.

And then everything went white.

"Hello?" Twilight Sparkle called nervously, examining the infinite void she found herself in. There was no buildings, trees, other ponies...nothing, for miles. She could not even see what she was standing on, if she was standing at all.

"Am...am I dead?" She whispered to nopony in particular.

There was no answer. Twilight listened for a long time, and thought she could make out the sound of some distant wind blowing through a forest. Where the sound was coming from was a mystery to her, but it remained static, not growing or decreasing in volume, but remaining the same barely audible drone.

Above her in the sky, there seemed to be an imperfection, like a bright light was shining through the pure white curtain she was surrounded by. It was rather small, and Twilight assumed it must be this realms sun. Twilight Sparkle continued trekking into the void for hours, before giving up and collapsing onto the...could she even call it ground?

"I guess I deserve this..." She said aloud, her voice echoing off some non-existent structure across the empty void. "I just didn't really think the afterlife would be this...empty."

"It is not, my dear child," A familiar voice spoke from behind her.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed with delight. She whipped around, and there she was in all her majesty, the magnificent Princess Luna. She was standing proud, her tall dark figure a harsh backdrop against the blinding white background.

"Indeed, it is I. We are most pleased to have returned, Twilight Sparkle, and we owe our presence to your actions. Your bravery shan't be soon forgotten."

"I suppose my crimes won't be, either," Twilight replied, looking down at the invisible ground. "Am I dead, Princess? What...what happened?"

Princess Luna stopped to think, before smiling weakly at Twilight.

"I suppose in a way, you are. At your own hands, if memory serves."

Twilight nodded slowly. "I mean me, Princess. Not your Twilight Sparkle. Is this the afterlife?"

Princess Luna looked confused. It was obvious she only remembered vague details of her life as Nightmare Moon, and was just realizing now how impossible it could have been for Twilight Sparkle to have faced off against her back in Ponyville. However, despite her confusion, Twilight still had the impression she knew more than she was letting on about their climatic battle in Ponyville.

"No...this is not the afterlife," She said slowly, as if she was just now noticing it. "And yet I recall your funeral quite clearly. While you are most certainly alive, I can't doubt my own memory."

"And how far back does your memory go, Princess? Do you remember your sister? What happened to her?"

Princess Luna nodded sadly. "I cannot forget that as long as I live. And yet I sense the same guilt in you. I cannot understand the crimes you're responsible for, Twilight Sparkle. I cannot understand your presence in my realm. But a great debt is owed to your actions, and your bravery. And while this is not the afterlife, I'm afraid you are indeed confined in this void—"

"This void? Princess, where AM I? And please, could you just...say it clearly?"

Princess Luna stopped, considering what Twilight already knew of the Elements of Harmony, before continuing. "You...are confined within the Elements of Harmony...That is...your subconscious is. I suppose 'limbo' would be the best word to describe where we are. The Elements have apparently backfired against you."

"What exactly do you mean...backfired?"

"I simply mean to say that they have initially rejected your ability to wield them, but have been altered by an external force, as if another pony of great magical ability assisted with allowing you to wield them." To Twilight's shock, Luna followed this statement with what looked like an insightful wink. It happened in a fraction of a second and it was perfectly plausible that she had simply mistaken it as a wink. Luna didn't dwell on the action at all and instead continued. "Yes, external magic of a substantially powerful nature. I have never seen anything like it, myself, and I have my doubts the Elements will ever function correctly again."

External magic. Twilight pondered this, wondering what other pony could possibly desire the sun as much as she did, not for herself, but the ponies of this realm. Again, she could have sworn from the expression on Luna's face that the Princess of the Night knew exactly what 'external magic' had assisted her. Suddenly, a loud cracking noise interrupted her thoughts, her eyes widening as the smell of static electricity filled the air.

"Can you get me out of here?" Twilight asked, growing desperate. She knew the Princess couldn't stay long, and when she left, she would be left alone in this wasteland for all eternity.

"Yes, child, I can. I have every intention of doing so. However, we're afraid we cannot hinder long here...it must be now that we depart."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "And why would anypony want to stay here? There's nothing here!"

Princess Luna looked around, before nodding at Twilight Sparkle. "I understand. However, you must be warned that the Elements of Harmony are a very powerful force, one that will not be so easy to penetrate through, even by a Princess. They now have a grasp on you, and will be unwilling to let you go without first inflicting damage, most likely on your cognitive functions."

"Perfect," Twilight muttered under her breath. "Alright, Princess. When you're ready."

Princess Luna closed her eyes, and began charging her magic. Suddenly, she stopped and opened her eyes again, turning to face Twilight Sparkle, who was gazing up at the odd sun in the sky above.

"We have a question for you, Twilight Sparkle."

"Go ahead, Princess."

"My subjects, in Equestria. They shan't be anticipating my return, I would think. I can't remember much, but I remember their fear clearly. And I remember my own guilt clearly."

Twilight turned to look at Luna, who was staring up at the limbo sun. "They didn't fear you, Princess Luna, they feared Nightmare Moon. I'm sure they'll be pleased to see you're back. Besides, they've been fighting for so long to see the sun. I think its time your raise it for them."

Princess Luna smiled at Twilight, before closing her eyes and casting her magic again, pulling them both from the ethereal plain of nothingness.

"Well...I mean...it sorta worked," Rainbow Dash said cautiously as every mare and colt surrounded the body of Princess Luna. "I don't really see how a dead Princess Luna is in anyway an improvement though..."

"Rainbow...she ain't dead! Look! She's breathin'!" Applejack asserted.

"Well, she LOOKED dead! Besides, who SLEEPS after being trapped for a thousand years?"

"Oh! Oh! I know! Pick me!" Pinkie Pie screamed above the two.

"Well, I would just like to point out the fact that Twilight is also apparently unconscious," Rarity stated.

The gathered company of mares turned to look at Twilight Sparkle, who was passed out in a perfectly circular crater near the center of Ponyville. The crater appeared to be rather hot, and Twilight Sparkle's mane and coat was charred and burned.

"Umm...Twilight?" Fluttershy asked gently, too afraid to venture into searing crater.

Simultaneously, Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna started to stir, before opening their eyes. Twilight blinked, before becoming aware of the extreme temperature of the rock she was laying in and leaping out. She looked around the wrecked Ponyville, at the destroyed buildings, the night sky, and the town of Ponyville staring at her dumbfounded.

"Hello, folks," Twilight began, her gaze sweeping across the gawking faces.  "What happened to Ponyville?"