The ponies stare into the cloud of dust as Empress Midnight walks out the crater with the first Rainbow Dash still in tow. The four green energy flaps shrink into the metallic arms and disappear as Midnight tosses her hostage between the limbs.

“How did you?!” Twilight stutters in amazement. “That was a Sonic Rainboom, powerful enough to destroy mountains, buildings, and Celestia knows what else!” Empress Midnight chuckles harshly and begins to gloat,

“I’m much more powerful than any alicorn in any world of Equestria, what she did was merely like a leaf falling on me.” The second Rainbow Dash, still panting, tries to speak,

“Midnight, we’re not finished, I’m still standing aren’t I?”

“That may be true, but I wouldn’t say the same about your wings.” As the dust continues to settle around them, everypony turns to see the fighter’s wings, both Rainbows gasp to see that the pegasus’ wings are completely destroyed. The last couple of dirty feathers fall off of her bent-out appendages, followed quietly by the tears of the second Rainbow. Shortly after, pain surges through her exhausted body, but the physical pain doesn’t even compare to the emotional pain, from being the best of the pegasi, to being even weaker than an Earth Pony. “How, sad, Rainbow Dash; The greatest asset to the resistance, now reduced to a coat hanger.” The crippled Rainbow continues to stand there, head down as tears slowly pour down to the earth. Midnight proceeds to clench the first Rainbow Dash tightly with her right claw, causing a chocking panic to emerge from her hostage. “Now, my un-worthy foe, which do you want it to be? You, or your lesser friend?” The second Rainbow Dash looks back to the shocked and worried faces of the observers and back at the smirking Midnight and the choking Rainbow Dash in her grip. She bows her head, closes her eyes, and slowly walks towards Midnight, for she was loyal to even those whom she barely knew. Midnight tosses her prisoner over her enemy, causing the first Rainbow Dash to land unconsciously in front of Twilight and Raindrop.

The second turns around and speaks her final words. “Rainbow Dash, stay loyal, your friendship shall protect you from all evil and disharmony.”

“HA!” Midnight grabs the second Dash and hoists her to eye level, “Look at what your friendship has done to you!”

“It’s a lot better than living as a heartless, lonely, tyrant like you!”

“If you are a pegasus, but you can’t use your wings, what type of pony are you?”

“Not you.”

“You’re so pathetic, it’s hilarious.” Twilight’s finally fed up with the empress’ taunting and sets Raindrop right next Rarity and charges at the empress. As she reaches halfway to Empress Midnight, a whole armada of pegasi minions drop down from the sky and spread their wings, creating a wall between the angry pony and her target. Twilight uses her wings and tries to fly over, but three minions dive-attack her, pinning her to the dirt beside Midnight. “Morks!” The wall of minions, named Morks, turn their glance to her while the others continue pressing their hooves down on Twilight.

“Yes Empress?” They firmly ask, in a seemingly robotic tone of voice,

“Find the Earth division lost in the forest and call in the main army camping at the portal.”

“Yes Empress.” The armada takes off and they take off over the Everfree Forest, creating an enormous shadow from beneath them. Twilight tries to use a teleportation spell on herself, but for some unknown reason, nothing happens. She tries other spells, but they end in complete duds.

“Don’t even waste your time, my unicorn Morks have encased this entire village in an anti-magic bubble, and only I can use magic within this shield. And none of your friends can help, for I have them under hallucinations I cast upon them. Now, back to business…” Twilight tries to buck and shake off the three’s grip as she and the others witness as Midnight’s horn glows a dark red.

“Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike!” Twilight yells, but the three continue to stand there, absolutely frozen under Midnight’s hallucinatory spell. However, Raindrop’s completely immune to the spell and runs straight for Twilight. “Raindrop! Don’t!” Raindrop ignores her warning and lunges into one of the Morks, knocking him to the ground. However, the Mork gets up quickly and pins Raindrop to the ground next to Twilight.

“Stay down!” The Mork yells, having his hoof firmly pressed on Raindrop’s back.

“Why’d you do that?! You could’ve been seriously injured!”

“I was just trying to help,” Raindrop guiltily replies, “Celestia’s told me to help a friend in need, whether they want it or not.”

“I’m glad that you listen to Celestia, but this is a situation that probably not even I can stop.”

“Okay, I understand,” The two turn to see Midnight’s arm holding the second Rainbow Dash glowing red as well, followed up by Rainbow, slowly being encased by a glow of red and shadows. A bright flash of darkness sweeps over and blinds Twilight temporarily, only to see that the crippled Rainbow is nowhere to be seen, just Midnight and her arm positioned before the flash.

“Where’s that second Rainbow Dash?” Twilight nervously asks, Midnight turns to her responds with the most sadistic smile on her,

“Gone.”

“Tartarus?” Twilight sees the evil smile on the black mare’s armoured face, an evident sign that the second Rainbow Dash is gone for good. For the first time in her life, genuine fear has struck our heroines, now knowing that the jaws of death are mere feet away. Midnight laughs maniacally as she slowly approaches the two. She stops in her tracks upon fully taking notice of Raindrop,

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before in my world?” Raindrop swallows her fear and shudders in response,

“R-R-Raindrop.”

“What’s wrong with your eyes, they look, different,”

“I-I-I’m blind.”

“Interesting,” Midnight press her arms onto the ground, lifting her body up the ground as she examines Raindrop on multiple angles.

“Where’s your cutie mark? I’ve never seen a mare your age without getting her cutie mark.”

“Celestia says that-“

“Her cutie mark is very similar to her fur colour,” Twilight interrupts her; “Celestia claims it looks like a raindrop.” She shakes her saddle side to side as a nudge to Raindrop.

“Yeah, what she said.”

“Hey,” the empress bellows, “no comments from the peanut gallery!” One of the Morks puts his hoof over Twilight’s mouth to quiet her down. “You said something about Celestia?”

“Why yes, is there something wrong with her in your world?”

“Well seeing how defenseless Ponyville is, your Celestia is no different than the one that betrayed me.”

“Betrayed you?” Raindrop asks in confusion, Twilight tries to speak, but all that comes out are muffles from the hoof over the mouth. Empress Midnight continues,

“I came to Celestia one day and presented my powers, showing her that I deserved a higher role in her kingdom than being just a mere alicorn.”

“What happened?”

“She, my once friend and tutor, betrayed me. She and Luna called my powers monstrous and tried to force me to ditch them.”

“Wait, you had Celestia as your tutor, I thought Celestia only tutored Twilight, Princess Cadence, and a hoofful of other students. And I don’t recall a pony named Midnight with the hoofful.”

“Well I was, could be an otherworldly difference.”

“Oh, I see,”

“I refused to give up my power, but they, along with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and the rest of their friends, stripped the power away from me.”

“They were probably doing what’s best for you.”

“THEY WERE MY FRIENDS!!!” Midnight roars, causing to ground around them to shake violently. “I thought they would support me, but instead, they betrayed me, destroying my only hopes of becoming what I deserved to be.”

“Sometimes it takes a friend to help you see through your own pride.”

“Don’t give me that friendship garbage; they banished me to the far corners of Equestria, to spend many years, away from my home and life. However, in my exile, I learned many things and refitted my old alicorn wings to these useful claws. More powerful than a dragon and with an army of Morks I raised, I took over Equestria, making it the utopia that it should have been thousands of years ago.”

“I’m very sorry for your pains and troubles, but please spare us, we bring you no harm.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about my little pony, Celestia has deceived you with her beauty and public opinion. I shall take control of this world and liberate you from the backstabbing rule of your princess.”

“That’ll never happen!” Twilight mutters, shaking and bucking more wildly than before, even the Morks pinning her down lose grip and are flung left and right. Midnight grabs Twilight with her right claw and smashes her into the ground, causing dust to fly and enter Twilight’s lungs.

“No!” Raindrop yells, but the two free Morks join the third one and pin her down firmly.

“I already have rebels in my world, and I’m not going to have this fresh land soiled with mares like you.” Twilight coughs and replies in a scratching voice, directly in the face of death,

“You, will never, take over. Not as long as the princesses have something to say about it.”

“You mean your so-called friends? Friendship is just a weakness, a step in your downfall and ultimate destruction. I know you Twilight Sparkle; you are more than worthy to be spared. Join me, and I will show you true power and maybe you will become my right-hoof mare.”

“How do you know me? Who were you before you became a monster?”

“Monster? That’s what the first Twilight said, and do you know what happened to her?”

“What?”

“She merely became a distant memory to everypony. She’s gone now, never to return.”

“What did you do to her?”

“You might be able to figure it out. A terrible fate to put it bluntly, all because of her friendship, now, join me or face a worst face than the original Twilight Spark-“

“Hold it right there!” A regal voice bellows, Midnight lets go of Twilight and turns to look behind her into the sky.

“Princess Celestia, long time no see…”